The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 19



Only Krnovel

19 fun places

* * *

The six strings of an acoustic guitar tremble in unison.

Because the guitar was out of tune, a bit of dissonance was created.

In some ways, it may sound unpleasant.

but.

‘How?’

The sight of the child holding the guitar tightly to his body and taking a comfortable position as if he was hugging his lover for the first time in a long time looked quite convincing.

Hong Dae-seong felt a moment of regret and spoke to the child.

“I forgot. Give me the guitar for a moment. “I’ll start by coordinating it.”

Hong Dae-seong grabbed the guitar tuner on the shelf.

A digital tuner widely used by those who play string instruments. It was a machine that detected the vibration frequency of the instrument and checked whether the sound was accurate.

But the child shook his head and turned the tuning machine attached to the guitar head.

“I know how to coordinate. are you okay.”

“Without a tuner?”

“yes. but···. This is my first time tuning the first string. “Is this the correct sound for E?”

As the child played the guitar, the green light on the guitar tuner came on.

It means that the sound is accurate.

Without a word to say, the child finished tuning the six strings in an instant.

Hong Dae-seong felt a little confused.

“Do you have absolute pitch?”

“Maybe.”

“maybe?”

“Because I’m a person who still has a lot to check. Still, I think this coordination went well.”

The child gently swept the guitar strings.

Unlike the first time, a beautiful harmony resonates throughout the store.

Customers who were looking at products at the entrance of the store also look this way.

Just by looking at this picture, Hong Dae-seong could tell that the child had been playing the guitar for quite a long time.

The child looked around the store. I find a cocktail bar chair placed in front of the shelf and put my butt back on it.

Because of his short stature, a natural leaning posture was created.

I bend down and look closely at the guitar neck.

Swipe the guitar body once with your right hand.

The child’s actions were cautious, as if he was handling something really precious, and it seemed like he could even feel the emotion of love there.

Nothing the child did seemed normal.

‘ah···.’

right. It really seemed that way.

The child was looking at the guitar with affection.

And at that moment,

The child started playing.

Rather than the chord accompaniment that is commonly played, it is a finger style that expresses each note.

The ring finger, middle finger, thumb and index finger move in that order.

Finally, a melody was created.

The different notes were harmoniously woven together, making the listener’s heart beat.

A minimal yet simple song.

This song particularly emphasizes beauty…

‘The Beatles’ ⌜Something⌟.’

It is not a very famous song among Beatles songs.

But how does that child know this song?

Of course, since the singer is a singer, just because ⌜Something⌟ is not famous, it does not mean that it is an unknown song.

⌜Something⌟ was a song included in the cover album of the famous Beatles crossing a crosswalk.

A song written by Beatles guitarist George Harrison while remembering his wife.

In the melody line that forms like starlight,

A warm chord that resonates softly.

As Hong Dae-seong’s curiosity continues to grow,

An unexpected child’s voice was added.

The child’s trembling voice, so young, was very mysterious.

The child’s small voice, barely audible, seemed like an instinctive humming.

Hong Dae-seong seemed to be suffocating just because of the atmosphere.

I scratched my arms unconsciously because of the goosebumps that appeared without me realizing it.

“and···. oh my god···.”

“Who is he?”

When I arrived, there were two female customers standing side by side next to Hong Dae-seong.

Hong Dae-seong, who was concentrating on the child’s voice and performance, had a desperate wish.

‘Please be quiet. Please be quiet. Please be quiet.’

I felt like I would never be able to hear my child’s voice like this again, except at this moment.

It didn’t mean that I wouldn’t be able to see that child in the future.

I thought that the raw, earnest and sincere voice was a voice that could only be expressed with the emotions of this moment.

This wasn’t a voice that came out every time I trained.

Just as when a singer performs 100 times, not all 100 performances are the same.

A child’s song that can only be heard here today.

Because Hong Dae-seong knew this well, he prayed that the two guests would be quiet.

For your child’s great performance.

For this wonderful moment.

But the sky is also indifferent.

“Shall we at least take a video?”

“OK! Amazing, Great! oh my god! “You’re such a kid!”

The customers were not helpful, but rather a hindrance.

Hong Dae-seong stretched out his hand in response to their actions that went too far.

He frowned while holding the customer’s cell phone tightly.

“hey. “What are you doing?”

“yes?”

“filming. Did you get permission from him? And who said it was okay to film in this store?”

“······.”

“······.”

“yes?”

As Hong Dae-seong rolled his eyes, the two customers just said they were sorry and quickly left the store.

Maybe they were just people who came to feel the Hongdae vibe.

Hong Dae-seong looked at their backs and sighed.

While the child was unable to concentrate due to a series of events, his performance ended before he knew it.

So unfortunately.

Meanwhile, after finishing playing, the child looked at the guitar and then handed it to Hong Dae-seong.

Hong Dae-seong asked the child as he received the guitar.

“why. “You can feel free to try harder.”

These are the words I said to my child with deep anticipation.

But the child calmly shook his head.

“No. This is enough. thank you.”

“You said you came to buy a guitar. Don’t you like this? “Not so good?”

“ah···. that is···.”

At that moment, the child’s eyes turned towards the stand where the guitar was standing. Hong Dae-seong naturally followed his gaze.

and.

I could immediately understand why the child behaved like that.

What the child was looking at.

That was the price tag for this acoustic guitar.

* * *

‘It’s a shame…’

I just had to watch the guitar slip away from my hands.

Still, I couldn’t help it.

That price was way out of my budget.

‘700,000 won…’

Since it is a used guitar, the price may have been greatly reduced.

It’s a price I can’t even imagine if it’s not enough.

‘But where else have I been able to play that guitar like this?’

If this is luck, then luck.

In the future, someday, the opportunity will come again.

As the saying goes, “don’t look at a piece of cake you can’t eat,” I decided not to have regrets for now.

But then.

“So how much is not enough?”

“yes?”

“You liked this guitar. So, how much is not enough?”

“······.”

The boss began to read my mind accurately, as if he had opened my third eye.

He suddenly started asking me questions.

“So what is your name?”

“uh···. “This is Han Seo-jin.”

“Han Seo-jin? It seems like a name I’ve heard before somewhere. Well, it’s a pretty common name. Age is?”

“I’m 12 years old this year.”

“12 years old?”

“yes. “I’m in the 6th grade of elementary school.”

“what···?”

He took two or three steps back. Looks me up and down. And slap your shiny bald head! He was a great person in every action he took. It feels like I’m watching some kind of cartoon.

“Hey. Although he looked young… You weren’t even in middle school? driving me crazy···.”

“But I’ll be a middle school student next year. “But what’s so crazy?”

“no. By the way, when did you learn to play guitar? “Why are you so good at this?”

“one···. It’s been about 3 years. But I’m not that good at it. “From now on, we have to change the playing laws.”

“Oh right! You mostly only play with 5 strings? “That was quite unusual.”

“It’s a bit like that.”

Since I played only on a 5-string guitar with no strings on a deserted island, my playing technique was quite unique.

Just because it has 5 strings doesn’t mean there are sounds or chords it can’t make. However, there was no need to play with a 5-string guitar when a 6-string guitar could be used.

So, when I played ⌜Something⌟ a little while ago, I tried to use all 6 strings.

I thought I would quickly get used to it after practicing for a few months.

And on the deserted island, I had fun playing with the guitar with three strings, two strings, or even just one string, so the number of strings wasn’t important to me.

Because there is an instrument called the guitar, and I understand the instrument itself.

Uncle Miller always emphasized that to me too.

Rather than memorizing chords or fingerings, try to understand the instrument itself.

However, the owner of the musical instrument store seemed to have a slightly different idea.

“I wanted to hit differently from others… That’s just Hongdae style. “You have a bit of an indie sensibility, don’t you?”

“yes?”

“Hmm! So you liked that instrument, right? “Tell me honestly.”

“uh···. Yes?”

His series of questions.

At this point, I couldn’t help but notice the nuance he was trying to say.

He’s trying to make a deal with me.

In short, we are trying to provide some leeway.

I began to answer his words clearly.

“So how much do you have now?”

“I have 190,000 won. However, the notebooks and other things I just wanted to buy are worth about 10,000 won, and I have to buy a gift for my younger brother, so you can see that I actually have about 170,000 won.”

“Do you have a younger brother? “How old are you?”

“5 years old.”

“That’s nice. Take care of her younger brother too. okay. “If you have 170,000 won now, you’re 530,000 won short, right?”

“yes. you’re right.”

“then···.”

“thank you. I will definitely pay off the rest by any means possible by next year. “My detailed personal information is…”

“what?”

“yes?”

oh!

I answered quickly without realizing it and ended up making a mistake.

shit! I was anxious.

Because things are things, mistakes were made.

When the boss sees me like that, he just bursts out laughing.

“Hey you bastard! “We haven’t even finished talking yet, so what are you talking about already?”

“uh···. sorry.”

“okay. One answer is clear. But since I have the price I paid for it, if you match it as much as possible… Can you make it up to 50? then.”

50?

I opened my eyes wide.

“Then I just have to give you 330,000 won more.”

“It’s nice that the calculations are fast. So you…”

I moved my head faster.

My allowance is about 50,000 won per month on average.

You only have to suffer for 7 months including interest.

Honestly, it’s not even a struggle.

Can you buy that guitar for just this price?

Just thinking about the meaning this guitar had, it was like a big opportunity for me.

If I had money, I would have gladly bought it for 10 million won or 20 million won.

I am truly grateful that the boss was even this considerate…

“So when you grew up. When you become successful in music in the future. Don’t forget this moment and help your juniors. “I am asking you to provide at least 330,000 won worth of help.”

“······ yes?”

I stopped thinking.

“okay? This is a debt, so never forget it. Later, please take care of your hungry juniors, whether it be by buying them food or sheet music. Otherwise, I will definitely go find you? Do you understand?”

“······.”

“What are you doing? No money? I’ll put in a suitable guitar case, so give me 170,000 won. Oh, I told you that the thing in your shopping cart is worth 10,000 won, right? Then it is 180,000 won. Hey.”

“······.”

I was speechless.

It felt like I had been hit on the head.

Maybe it’s even more so because I ended up meeting assistant director Yeo Jin-soo yesterday.

Can you help someone you just met for the first time, without any conditions, to this extent?

He was telling me to take a guitar worth 700,000 won for just 170,000 won.

He doesn’t even tell me to pay him back later, but rather just tells me to help him if I have a poor junior.

this···.

Is it possible to do something like that?

As I remained silent, the boss seemed to have really learned how to get my attention and continued talking while gently ruffling my hair.

“Don’t you think you would have practiced really hard? That means being sincere in music. But why should something upset happen because you don’t have money? “In life, you have to have days like this sometimes.”

“······.”

“young. In times like this, I just say ‘Thank you’ and take it in stride. That way, even adults won’t get hurt. Do you understand?”

“······.”

As he said, I bowed my head and said hello.

Sincerely.

He smiled at me again and started packing the things I bought.

Even after receiving the guitar, I stayed in the store and talked about various things with the owner.

The Beatles and others.

Stores and Hongdae.

Stories about numerous musicians.

Time passed really quickly.

Daesung also bought me food.

It was Jjajangmyeon and sweet and sour pork, and it was amazing.

I didn’t leave the music store until almost 3 o’clock.

and.

I looked again at the basement, which felt like the entrance to a dungeon when I first came here.

A place where there is a lot of graffiti drawn on the walls of the building.

Now that looks pretty cool.

I turned back the way I came and returned to Hongik University Station.

I rode the subway and continued to run underground, feeling the rattle.

Suddenly, I saw my reflection reflected in the black window of the subway.

A guy who is only about 140cm tall is carrying a guitar bag as big as his body.

It looked as if ants were moving a large leaf.

I took out the business card Daesung gave me when we parted ways from my pocket.

Star musical instrument store on the front.

And on the back is Star Live House.

Daesung said he often performs at the live house he runs.

‘Daeseong, you said you could come and hang out when you have time…’

He was a man who still had a dream.

I kept looking out the subway window, thinking about various things.

We passed a few stations and before we knew it, the subway was on the ground.

From then on, various scenes instead of black began to be drawn on the windows.

I was lost in the sight of Seoul, which was so colorful.

Hongdae.

That might be a pretty interesting place.