Superstar From Age 0 - Chapter 1201



Only Krnovel

0 years old to superstar episode 1201

Lee Jae-ha, who was sobbing at Choi Dong-hyun’s words about giving for himself, asked.

“But why can’t you play the piano, hyung?”

“Maybe it’s because you found out you were a ghost?”

Choi Dong-hyun added.

“Ghosts are quite influenced by the ‘mind.’ If you release their grudge, they ascend in the blink of an eye, but if something bothers them, they will follow you until you die.”

So, Choi Dong-hyun explained that the reason Jae-ha Lee can’t play the piano now is because he thinks he ‘can’t do it’, and he told him that Jae-ha Lee is ‘sitting’ on the chair right now.

At that, Lee Jae-ha opened his eyes wide.

“I think I know what it feels like….”

Lee Jae-ha placed his right hand on the keyboard with a slightly brighter face.

I wasn’t aware of it.

I just moved my fingers like I always did.

Then his old friend, the piano, would surely respond to him.

The first few times I didn’t hear anything.

However, Lee Jae-ha continued to play.

I closed my eyes tightly and tried to recall how I played when I was alive, what the melody I heard felt like, and everything I felt at that time.

Then there was a ding sound.

“Hey, did you hear that?!”

“Oh. I hear a noise.”

Lee Jae-ha smiled brightly at Choi Dong-hyun’s gaze as if he had done well, and continued playing with his right hand.

Lee Jae-ha’s performance sounded like a child with a few missing teeth smiling brightly, but that was okay in its own way.

“How is it? Do you feel like you’re ascending?”

“… … I don’t know what it feels like, but no. It’s just the same.”

Choi Dong-hyun looked at Lee Jae-ha, who was shaking his head, and was lost in thought for a moment.

“There’s nothing we can do. We have no choice but to go home.”

“! Brother’s house!?”

“I can’t leave you here.”

That wasn’t a good thing for Lee Jae-ha or for the family in this house.

“I like it!”

Lee Jae-ha nodded quickly.

I felt like I could be more comfortable at Choi Dong-hyun’s house.

“I’ll tell you in advance, there is no piano.”

oh!

Jaeha Lee, who had been disappointed without realizing it, quickly spoke with shining eyes.

“It’s okay. If you really want to play the piano, you can just play the street piano we went to today!”

Choi Dong-hyun said, scratching the ball.

“That piano.”

“yes!”

“It was broken.”

“……yes?”

“You may not have seen it, but it said ‘Broken’ on the back. There was also a waste sticker attached.”

“Then how does the sound… … ah… … .”

I did it.

Lee Jae-ha, who found out the truth, slumped his shoulders.

Choi Dong-hyun recalled the situation at the time.

The people who stopped walking were not Lee Jae-ha, but Choi Dong-hyun, who was standing still, waiting for him to play.

‘somehow…….’

Song Yu-jeong nodded without realizing it.

I thought of the passers-by who had no reaction even though it was a wonderful performance that made me want to applaud without realizing it. There were only a few people who had gathered when the piano was played.

‘Why didn’t I know?’

If you think about it, it was a scene that felt strange, but I watched it without any doubts.

Song Yu-jeong smiled slightly, thinking that perhaps it was because she was completely absorbed in Lee Jae-ha’s wonderful performance.

After dinner.

Lee Jae-ha sat quietly in front of the piano.

“… … I don’t want to go.”

Jae-ha Lee was startled by his own inner thoughts suddenly spilling out, but soon smiled bitterly. He couldn’t even remember when he had last said no.

So maybe that’s why, after speaking so honestly, the regrets that had been lingering seemed to have disappeared a little bit. Just a little bit.

“I have to go anyway.”

Even though he could do physical exorcism, he waited for Dong-Hyeon hyung, so that’s why.

Even for the sake of the landlord family who are missing their home.

Lee Jae-ha played the piano with regret.

Now that Jaeha Lee has realized that he is a ghost, his performance feels strange and unfamiliar, as if it will disappear at any moment.

There were some similar parts to the performances I had done before, but it felt much more lifeless than before, and it really sounded like some strange being was playing the piano.

Dark night.

A ghost playing the piano under the moonlight.

The sight felt like a vision from a dream, and the audience listened with blank expressions, as if they were truly entranced.

Choi Dong-hyun, who was lying on the bed, also heard it.

With my right ear, I can’t tell what song it is, but I can hear Lee Jae-ha’s performance, which sounds like a good song. With my left ear, I can hear Bach’s through wireless earphones.

Choi Dong-hyun, who had been thinking for a moment, reached out and picked up his phone. Then he stopped playing music, took out the wireless earphone from his left ear, and put it back in the case.

Choi Dong-hyun covered himself with a blanket and closed his eyes.

Now, only Lee Jae-ha’s performance could be heard.

* * *

The next morning.

“Huh? How did I taste it?”

“I prayed while you weren’t looking. It’s the same principle as offering a sacrifice.”

Along with Choi Dong-hyun’s answer, scenes of Choi Dong-hyun in the past secretly putting his hands together and praying without Jae-ha knowing passed by.

“Wow. That really works.”

The audience members who had similar thoughts to Lee Jae-ha laughed lightly.

Choi Dong-hyun was cleaning up after finishing breakfast.

Lee Jae-ha looked at his watch and asked.

“Huh? Bro, it’s past time for you to contact me, but I haven’t heard from you?”

“liaison?”

“You come here every day, right? Around this time. Come to think of it, you’re not even wearing wireless earphones?”

Choi Dong-hyun, who was taking off his rubber gloves and organizing them, let out a sigh as he looked at Lee Jae-ha’s puzzled face.

“That was… … because of you. So… … have you ever heard of being possessed by a ghost?”

“Yes. I’ve heard of it.”

……wait for a sec.

Are you possessed by a ghost?

When Lee Jae-ha opened his eyes wide and looked at Choi Dong-hyun, Choi Dong-hyun nodded with a bitter smile.

“Yes, you. I needed to prepare for the fact that we would be spending time together without knowing what kind of ghost you were. The phone calls that came at the right time were alarms. I thought that if I continued talking to you for too long, there might be problems.”

Another thing came to mind for Lee Jae-ha after hearing Choi Dong-hyun’s explanation.

The songs that Choi Dong-hyun listened to continuously with wireless earphones, literally for 24 hours straight from the time he opened his eyes until he fell asleep. And the story of the composer who composed those songs.

“… … So you listened to Bach’s music.”

“That’s right. I don’t know if you know, but Bach’s music is often used in exorcisms. It also often appears in exorcism movies.”

……and…….

The audience opened their mouths without realizing it at Choi Dong-hyun’s story.

I didn’t know that there was another reason for the wireless earphones I used to make my conversation with Jaeha Lee look like a phone call.

‘I always thought it was a little weird to listen to music with earphones on until I went to bed.’

I didn’t know you had prepared for it to that extent.

After hearing the explanation, I could see how much Choi Dong-hyun, who is now without wireless earphones, trusts Lee Jae-ha.

I was overwhelmed with emotion and excitement.

‘Huh? But Bach?’

When I was thinking, “Didn’t Lee Jae-ha play that?” Choi Dong-hyun said.

“And I said that because it didn’t seem to be effective.”

“? why?”

“You played it. Bach. You, a ghost.”

… … Aah!

Lee Jae-ha, who had played on the street, opened his eyes wide.

“It’s the music used in exorcisms, but you, a ghost, are playing it. Do you think I should keep listening to it?”

A ghost playing an exorcism song.

And playing that in front of the exorcist again and saying, ‘Isn’t that your favorite song?’

Even thinking about it now, I still get goosebumps and the feeling of dread comes to my eyes.

Choi Dong-hyun, who recalled his feelings at the time, looked at Lee Jae-ha, who was smiling awkwardly, then smiled lightly and continued speaking.

“Anyway, I took it out because it didn’t seem to have any effect.”

“……sorry……?”

“I’m sorry. I was so shocked.”

Lee Jae-ha just avoided eye contact and smiled at Choi Dong-hyun, who spoke half jokingly and half seriously.

“Let’s get ready to go now. He’ll be here soon.”

Choi Dong-hyun said, looking at his watch.

When Lee Jae-ha said that he would personally carry Jenga, Choi Dong-hyun told him the truth about the mart.

A flashback scene appeared of a Jenga box floating in the air, a child looking surprised at it, and Choi Dong-hyun making a surprised expression.

Following this, Choi Dong-hyun is seen trying to hide floating objects at the tasting corner or when other people are present.

‘I thought you looked a little tired… … .’

Song Yu-jeong and Im Ye-na ended up laughing quietly at the sight of Choi Dong-hyun struggling alone.

After Choi Dong-hyun moved the Jenga box and luggage into the car.

The landlord’s family arrived at the apartment.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.”

All three families expressed their gratitude with such joy that they almost shed tears. At this, Lee Jae-ha’s shoulders became heavy with regret and apology.

‘Why did I have to come to this house?’

When I looked at their faces, I realized they weren’t people I knew.

The family also asked Choi Dong-hyun because they were curious about that. Choi Dong-hyun said that it was a ghost who happened to like the piano and came after hearing the piano melody.

“And, I think I’ll stay here after seeing you all.”

“… … Us?”

“Yes. I learned a bit about the spirit’s past while performing the exorcism, and it didn’t seem like a very happy family. I think it wanted to stay here after seeing how happy you all were. The spirit was around the same age as your son.”

Choi Dong-hyun’s explanation was too touching for Lee Jae-ha to be just an evasive remark.

So much so that forgotten memories suddenly came back to me.

Lee Jae-ha stopped right there.

The image of a son happily playing the piano and his parents watching him play with gentle expressions came to mind.

Even though he made mistakes and got the beat wrong, the son continued playing without getting scolded. The eyes of the parents looking at him were filled with warmth.

What a happy scene this is.

‘I want to live in a house like this.’

Jaeha Lee, who was wandering around without a destination, had been thinking that way without even realizing it.

“… … Did that child… … return safely to heaven?”

Lee Jae-ha’s heart felt warm as he heard the worried words of the old woman.

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience. And thank you. I really enjoyed my stay here. The piano sounded good because it was well maintained, and the kimchi that the mother-in-law made was delicious. The house was also really cozy. That’s why I didn’t want to leave, so I don’t think I realized that I was dead.”

And he said it with determination.

“After ascending, I will definitely repay you if I can.”

Choi Dong-hyun relayed that message.

The landlords were such nice people that they even said they would hold memorial services for Lee Jae-ha.

It was so regrettable that I didn’t meet him after he died.

After saying goodbye to their families, Choi Dong-hyun and Lee Jae-ha left the house and waited for the elevator.

Choi Dong-hyun, who was looking at Lee Jae-ha who couldn’t take his eyes off the front door, opened his mouth.

“I was surprised when you asked me to go to the supermarket last time.”

“why?”

Lee Jae-ha tilted his head.

“I thought you were a haunted spirit attached to the house or the piano. I thought you wouldn’t be able to leave the house, but you came out just fine.”

aha.

At that, Lee Jae-ha ended up laughing slightly.

‘maybe…….’

Maybe he didn’t want to be tied down to something even after he died.

It was fortunate that it wasn’t a ghost.

If it was a haunted house, I wouldn’t have been able to leave the house, go to the market, or go out on the street, and I would have just been exorcised.

“Oh, by the way… … Are you by any chance the neighbor I met at the garbage dump last time, that lady?”

Lee Jae-ha recalled the neighbor who had talked to Choi Dong-hyeon in front of the garbage dump.

“That’s right. You came to ask how the request was progressing… … .”

Choi Dong-hyun recalled that time with a strange expression.

Dark night.

In front of the apartment trash can.

“I’m worried about how things are going… … .”

A middle-aged woman spoke in a voice filled with worry and anxiety. Choi Dong-hyun reassured her by telling her not to worry and that everything was going well.

“Then that’s fortunate… … .”

My wife looked up and saw her haunted house. Why did it have to be our house? … .

Then Choi Dong-hyun quickly stood in front of him and blocked his path.

“They might be looking this way right now. It’s best to avoid meeting them if possible.”

“! Oh, I see!”

My wife, with an expression full of fear and dread, quickly turned her head.

The camera, which was capturing Choi Dong-hyun talking to his wife to calm her down, moved up to reveal Lee Jae-ha looking down at Choi Dong-hyun through the apartment living room window.

‘Ugh… … .’

A rare gasp could be heard from the audience.

It was clearly the same scene as before, but the change in perspective gave me goosebumps. I felt like I had some idea of ​​what kind of mindset Choi Dong-hyun had as he spent time with Lee Jae-ha.

And there was a little bit of laughter.

This was because he knew that Lee Jae-ha, who was staring at Choi Dong-hyun over there, was actually thinking, ‘Dong-hyun hyung! You’ve already become close with your neighbor!’

Ding-

As the elevator arrived, Choi Dong-hyun returned to reality.

“Let’s go quickly, hyung!”

“okay.”

Choi Dong-hyun, who thought he had been worrying for nothing at the time, got on the elevator with a smile as Lee Jae-ha waved with a bright smile.

* * *

Lee Jae-ha and Choi Dong-hyun arrived at the ㅁㅁ errand center on the second floor of an old commercial building and unpacked their bags.

Choi Dong-hyun emptied a warehouse and made a room for Lee Jae-ha.

That’s how Lee Jae-ha and Choi Dong-hyun started living together.

The sight of Lee Jae-ha, who sits on the sofa and stomps his feet while watching the Jenga tower on the table and the fingers that occasionally pass through the Jenga, and Choi Dong-hyun, who sits at his desk and talks on the phone, blended in with the office just like it always did in one day.

──!

Classical music was played through the speakers all day long for Lee Jae-ha, who could not play the piano.

“Oh, it’s a Bach song.”

Bach’s music was heard among the randomly playing music.

Then, Choi Dong-hyun looked at Lee Jae-ha. Seeing Lee Jae-ha burying himself in the sofa and listening to the performance, his trust in the Exorcism Song was once again diminished.

“But, Dong-hyun hyung. If there’s another ghost like me, wouldn’t you have to use a different song when exorcising it?”

“Is there another ghost like you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe there’s a ghost who likes the violin as much as I do.”

The audience laughed and shook their shoulders slightly at the line that somehow reminded them of ‘Grey Byrne’.

* * *

“You, aren’t you going to change your clothes?”

“yes……?”

“When I was at my clients’ house, I wore different clothes every day.”

At Choi Dong-hyun’s words, Lee Jae-ha looked down at his clothes.

The audience did the same.

Come to think of it, Lee Jae-ha has been wearing the same clothes every day since the day he found out he was a ghost.

“… … I guess I forgot.”

Before I knew that he was dead, I was able to unconsciously change my clothes every day like I was alive, but after I found out that he was dead, I didn’t seem to pay attention to his clothes.

“… … How do I change my clothes, hyung?”

“How would I know that?”

After that, Jaeha Lee groaned and tried to change the clothes he was wearing.

Of course, since it was something I wasn’t used to, I could only make slight changes to the ends of the sleeves or the neck area, so the designs were all similar.

“I can’t even play the piano, I can’t even change my clothes… … .”

Lee Jae-ha sighed and said that ghosts had no good points, but surprisingly, there were times when they were helpful.

Choi Dong-hyun, who returned to his daily life, received a request, this time to investigate an affair.

In any other case, it would have been a long conversation with the motel staff to find out which room the subject had gone into, but now all they had to do was wait in their parked car.

While waiting for Lee Jae-ha to come out to the motel entrance.

“Brother! I found out!”

He said he really wanted to help, and it was really comfortable.

Unlike Choi Dong-hyun, who had to be mindful of people’s gaze, Lee Jae-ha, who was a ghost, just had to follow his investigation subject around and come back after checking the room.

When the work was over in the blink of an eye, Lee Jae-ha and Choi Dong-hyun walked around the area to look around.

It was a familiar place to Choi Dong-hyun, but to Lee Jae-ha, it was a place full of new and interesting things.

and…….

Lee Jae-ha, who saw something, stopped and silently admired it.

Choi Dong-hyun looked at it.

There was a small black grand piano model there.

Just as a sparrow would not just pass by a mill, Lee Jae-ha was looking at the small piano model with sparkling eyes.

“Should I buy it for you?”

“! … … No! It’s okay!”

Choi Dong-hyun smiled slightly at Lee Jae-ha, who was speaking with a completely uneasy expression, and went into the store to buy the piano model.

“It’s really okay… … .”

“This is the price you paid for helping me with work today.”

Only after Choi Dong-hyun said that did Lee Jae-ha smile brightly.

And on the fifth day.

“Ta-da! Look at this, Dong-hyun hyung!”

Lee Jae-ha’s black eyes sparkled as he looked at the keyboard made of Jenga blocks.

“Isn’t it like a piano?”

Lee Jae-ha was currently suffering from piano withdrawal symptoms.

It seems that he couldn’t stand just listening to classical music.

When Lee Jae-ha said that he wanted him to buy a melodica and play it all day, Choi Dong-hyeon, who could no longer stand it any longer, took Lee Jae-ha to a place a little further away.

It was the orphanage where Choi Dong-hyun lived.

Even the audience, including Jae-ha Lee, who was living in a shabby orphanage that looked like it would collapse at any moment, seemed to understand why Dong-hyun Choi worked so hard to save money. Of course, Dong-hyun Choi said no.

“This is an empty building. It’s going to be demolished soon.”

Lee Jae-ha and the audience breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that he had moved to a better place in the suburbs.

“Come in.”

Choi Dong-hyun showed us around the orphanage.

And finally, to the last destination,

“piano!”

There was a piano.

Lee Jae-ha sat down in front of the piano with a trembling heart.

The piano was broken, but it didn’t matter to Jaeha Lee at the moment.

Lee Jae-ha pressed a white key.

My finger passed through it without making any sound.

Still, Lee Jae-ha didn’t care and pressed the next key. This time, a sound was produced.

Ding-

At the sound that rang out clearly, Lee Jae-ha’s face lit up.

Listening to classical music through speakers was really good, but the sound of the piano created by my own hands was incomparably thrilling.

Lee Jae-ha began to play freely with his heart.

Choi Dong-hyun now enjoyed ‘Lee Jae-ha’s unique performance’ that he seems to know well.

Playing the piano, which might be the last time.

* * *

Choi Dong-hyun, who had been thinking about how Lee Jae-ha could ascend, came to a conclusion.

Concours.

That’s Lee Jae-ha’s foolishness.

“If you really ascend today… … I wanted to let you play the piano one last time.”

Choi Dong-hyun said that to Lee Jae-ha, who was blankly staring at the place where the contest was being held, and went inside with Lee Jae-ha.

“You’ll do well. You’ve practiced so much!”

“They said that after this competition is over, they will challenge themselves in international competitions.”

Lee Jae-ha and Choi Dong-hyun took their seats in the back while listening to people’s stories.

“Don’t you want to participate in the competition and perform? You practiced hard.”

“It’s a shame that I can’t play the piano, but I don’t think I regret the competition that much.”

I felt like I knew when I sat down in this seat.

Before entering the competition hall, my heart was racing simply because I was able to hear many people playing the piano in person.

Jaeha Lee now realizes that playing the score to get a good score was a little, no, very frustrating.

Free from the connection with this world.

Thinking only of oneself.

Only after that state has been reached.

“Brother, do you know the word ad libitum?”

“no.”

Lee Jae-ha smiled faintly and said to Choi Dong-hyun, who shook his head with a confident expression as if to say, “Do you think I know?”

“It’s my favorite musical term, and it means free. It’s also called improvisation, but it doesn’t really fit with my playing up to now.”

Ad libitum.

Freely.

“But now I think it suits us pretty well.”

Lee Jae-ha, who said that with a bright smile, looked really free.

Choi Dong-hyun also laughed along with him.

It seems that things went in a completely different direction from what he had expected, that he would be happy and relieved after watching the contest that he had been waiting for after practicing hard, but he was happy just by seeing that Jaeha Lee’s heart was relieved.

The contest will begin soon.

The free song was okay, but the assigned song was a bit boring for Choi Dong-hyun, who knew nothing about it. It was because it was exactly the same performance, as if the sound source had just been played.

This was even more true when compared to the performances of Lee Jae-ha that I had heard so far.

Only then did I understand what Jaeha Lee meant by free performance a little while ago.

‘Still, I think I know who is good and who is not.’

It was thanks to Lee Jae-ha, who reacted when the pianist did well or made mistakes.

Choi Dong-hyun found it a bit funny that Lee Jae-ha was flinching in the seat next to him, and ended up laughing quietly.

‘That’s wrong.’

This time, it was clearly wrong for anyone to see.

Choi Dong-hyun thought that Lee Jae-ha would feel sorry for the pianist who kept playing while holding back his embarrassment. He would surely flinch and let out a silent exclamation like he did until now.

however.

There was no movement next to Choi Dong-hyun.

It was just quiet.

‘……okay.’

Choi Dong-hyun leaned his back against the back of the chair without looking around. He could tell without even looking. The ghostly atmosphere and presence he had felt until now were gone.

‘Did you go…?’

I should at least say hello and leave. What’s so hard about that?

A deep sigh escaped my mouth without me knowing.

The next pianist’s performance was heard.

Even though it was a designated song, Choi Dong-hyun could clearly see that it had a completely different feel from Lee Jae-ha’s performance. For some reason, he felt that from now on, whenever he listened to this song, Lee Jae-ha would come to mind.

‘Come to think of it… … .’

I won’t be able to listen to Lee Jae-ha’s performance anymore.

Choi Dong-hyun let out a small sigh and slowly turned his head to look at the seat next to him.

An empty chair appeared. As expected, there was no sign of anyone having sat on it.

‘Goodbye.’

Choi Dong-hyun quickly put his regret aside and prayed for Lee Jae-ha’s soul to rest in peace.

If I am reincarnated, I pray that I can be loved and enjoy playing the piano like the client’s family.

Choi Dong-hyun turned his head again and focused on the contest.

Since I came here, I planned to watch it all the way through. It was soon going to be the last pianist’s turn, and I think Jaeha Lee would have wanted that too.

It seemed as if the piano music I heard was praying for Lee Jae-ha’s soul to rest in peace.

Choi Dong-hyun thought that it was an ending that suited Lee Jae-ha very well.