The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 41



Only Krnovel

41 Homework Check

* * *

Hankuk University College of Music Arts Building 2.

As it was a weekend, there were not many students. It seemed like there were only two or three people on the first floor.

A huge lobby where it feels like your voice will immediately resonate.

But as I stood here, I could vaguely hear the sounds of various instruments.

Clarinet, violin, trumpet.

It was definitely a music school.

I took the elevator and headed to the 5th floor. When I knocked in front of the professor’s office, a young man greeted me. A slightly slanted face. It feels like I stayed up all night.

“You arrived a lot early? “Is it Seojin?”

“yes. “This is Han Seo-jin.”

“The professor is probably in the middle of a lesson right now. Would you like to come in and wait for a moment? or not···.”

There is still a long time left until the scheduled lesson time.

I don’t think there’s anything to do here.

It was a bit too much to bother someone who looked tired.

“In the meantime, can I just look around the building by myself? “I’ll come back here on time.”

“Uh… do you want to?”

The man’s face immediately lit up at my one word.

“Then you can go straight to room 501 later. Professor Yuhan Kang is giving a lesson there.”

“Room 501. All right. “If our paths diverge, I’ll come back to the professor’s office.”

“okay. I’ll also write down the professor’s office contact information here. wait for a sec.”

I saved the number in my phone and left the professor’s office.

Actually, I was a little curious about university.

Even though I couldn’t take the class like last time, I felt like I could get a glimpse of what college was like.

Art Building 2 consisted mostly of practice rooms.

Even though it was soundproofed, I could faintly hear the sound of music playing while walking down the hallway. I could also catch a glimpse of the students practicing inside through the practice room window.

There were classrooms in between, but they weren’t all that different from Saebom Elementary School classrooms.

Here, there is just an all-in-one desk, and at the back of the classroom there is a sign that says, ‘Sparkle!’ ♡Beautification of a beautiful environment♡’ The only difference is that there is no bulletin board.

The scenes of a professor and student having a heated discussion, which I had previously seen in American movies, were nowhere to be seen. There were no college students fighting each other over music interpretation. There were no drum sticks or cymbals flying through the air.

‘Tch. In the end, it’s all a place where people live.’

I left my regrets behind and headed to practice room 501.

A mumbling sound was heard from inside practice room 501. The sound of the piano continues. But for some reason, only one voice was heard. Is it because it’s a one-sided lesson? It doesn’t sound like the professor’s voice. Because it was a soundproof place, the sound was not clear.

When I was spying with my ears prickled.

Clunk!-

Suddenly the door opened and a young man came out. He glanced at me sitting on the bench in front of the practice room and went on his way.

‘It’s a surprise···.’

I unconsciously looked inside practice room 501, but there was no one inside.

‘Weren’t you taking lessons from Professor Kang Yu-han?’

As I was maximizing my curiosity, the young man returned to practice room 501 with his face wet. Then he closes the door with all his might. He looks very nervous.

Rather, because of that nervousness, the practice room door was left slightly open.

“Hmm.”

I nodded.

Now I feel like I’m at a music school.

Maybe it’s because the music isn’t playing well.

I must have been extremely angry due to the conflict of opinion with the professor.

Actually, the skills don’t match up.

Professors oppress students even more!

The passion and harmony that arises from there!

The story of a movie I enjoyed watching a while ago came to mind without me even realizing it.

however···.

The sound of his piano coming through the crack in the door was very sad. I felt sad. It was strange that he felt this way, even though he clearly seemed like a person who could play great music.

In particular, whenever he hit the low-pitched keys with his left hand, the notes were particularly muffled. As if to vent his anger, he makes a storm-like sound with his right hand.

Although the piece he was playing now was Beethoven’s Tempest, the unbalance between his left and right hands was beyond the scope of Beethoven’s interpretation.

Regardless of Beethoven’s compositional background, I felt sadness in his performance. Even though I didn’t know the person, I felt a vague pity for them. Even though I only overheard him playing for about 10 minutes.

This was completely different from Lee Ha-eun’s case.

Ha-eun’s performance… If I had to compare it, I felt like a stray cat that had lost its way. Just feed it well, give it direction, and it will take care of itself. In fact, Lee Ha-eun has been quickly regaining her original skills these days.

However, this man…

My heart ached while listening to him play.

“It’s Seojin! Welcome.”

At that time, my immersion was broken by someone’s call.

I looked up and Professor Yuhan Kang was looking at me.

“Ah, professor.”

“But what should I do with this? There are still lessons left for other students. “I guess I’ll have to wait.”

“You can take it easy. “I came early.”

“haha. okay. “Then let’s finish it right away.”

The professor opened the door to room 501 and apologized to the student inside. He said he was sorry for answering the phone.

I couldn’t hear much after that. This is because the soundproofing system was better than expected.

As Professor Yuhan Kang said, the lesson ended quickly.

The male student who was playing sadly left the practice room and trudged on. Subconsciously, I could see him fiddling with one hand.

When I saw that, an exclamation point formed in my head.

I felt like I could vaguely understand why he acted like that.

“Then shall we begin?”

“ah···. yes.”

But my thoughts went no further.

I followed Professor Yuhan Kang into practice room 501.

A practice room where two grand pianos are placed side by side.

Professor Yuhan Kang skillfully took his place at the left piano.

“Then let’s start with ‘Moonlight’ from last time. Are you fine?”

I naturally sat in front of the piano on the right and caught my breath.

Professor Yuhan Kang didn’t even ask me how I was doing.

His eyes sparkle, as if he can know everything just by watching the performance.

If not…

‘You may be someone who is only curious about music.’

I adjusted the height of the piano chair and adjusted the distance between the pedals and legs.

‘Honestly, I’m also curious about how this person teaches music.’

I put my hands on the keyboard and started playing ‘Moonlight’, a little different from last time.

* * *

‘This······. It’s truly amazing!’

A smile spread across Kang Yu-han’s face.

Seo Jin’s ‘Moonlight’ was that great.

His emotions were childlike, and his touch was adult-like.

The mistakes I made last time have disappeared.

Even though I was conscious and listening, it was completely fixed.

In the case of amateur pianists, they often make mistakes the same way they did once.

This was something that was repeated because it was a weakness of the performer rather than a habit.

There are players who use their left hand amazingly, and there are also players who pedal amazingly.

Each performer may have their own strengths.

Playing the piano should never show the audience your shortcomings.

In the case of an orchestra with 60 or 70 people playing together, some mistakes can be tolerated.

Unless the player is a first violin, there are not many audiences who can completely distinguish the playing skills of the members.

However, the piano was different.

No matter when or where you play it, the piano stands out.

When performing a solo recital, the piano must fill the stage by itself, and even when performing a concerto, the piano is on equal footing with the orchestra.

That’s why piano performance must be flawless.

There should be no mistakes.

In addition, pianists must be able to embody different emotions and shine brilliantly.

So piano is difficult.

It’s an instrument that gets much more attention than other instruments.

It was for this reason that Professor Yuhan Kang always pointed out every mistake to his students.

However, Seojin seemed to be clearly aware of his shortcomings. She does and she fixes it.

The lesson contents of ‘Moonlight’ that Kang Yu-han taught us last time were also perfectly reflected in the performance.

It’s easy to tell.

It’s easy to learn too.

But applying it is difficult.

Seojin was transforming his playing in just a few weeks.

Detailed expressions such as finger movements, strength, and rhythm were completely different from the last time.

Last time I played in a concert hall, I felt like I was unfamiliar with the piano, but now that feeling has completely disappeared.

‘You said you took a break from playing the piano for about a month due to a plane accident… ‘You’re completely used to it now?’

I also seemed to understand the phone call from Ha-seon, who was waving his hands and saying that he had nothing more to teach.

‘I said I would practice regularly.’

He also said that he comes to the grand piano practice room that Professor Kang Yu-han personally lent to him every day.

‘He’s talented, sincere, and has excellent musical sense?’

According to Ha-seon, a child who usually worked hard suddenly developed talent.

Finally, I was rewarded for my efforts.

if so···.

If the current level of skill improvement is maintained, it would be okay to have high expectations.

Kang Yu-han asked Han Seo-jin for the next song.

A song for the entrance exam of a child who wants to enter Seolhwa Yejung.

Beethoven and Chopin.

Kang Yu-han listened to the song and ended up laughing.

Because of that, Seojin’s performance stopped for a moment.

“······ Were there any mistakes?”

“no. Rather, it’s the opposite. Songs of that level of difficulty seem too easy for you. Why have you been practicing so much for songs that you have no reason to practice? “I thought I was playing a recording of some pianist.”

Han Seo-jin immediately tilted his head.

“The professor told me to practice the entrance exam song first.”

“I?”

“They say being polite is the priority. That way, I will feel at ease…”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right.”

Professor Yuhan Kang missed a step.

“okay. I think that’s enough. Anyway, Yubi Muhwan is the best. Rather…”

Kang Yu-han’s eyes lit up.

“I asked you to sight-read another song as well. Are you ready for that?”

Two days ago, Professor Yuhan Kang had a brief phone call with Seojin.

Avoid spending a lot of time practicing in advance.

I want to see Seojin’s real skills.

I asked them to look at the score just a few times.

“I did see the song you mentioned… It’s not at a level I like. Not only is it difficult, but it is also a very difficult song. To be honest, I tried playing it for a while in the piano practice room, but it wasn’t very good.”

“This started out of my curiosity, so there is no need to worry. Didn’t I actually tell you? “There is no need to practice hard for this song.”

“······.”

“I’ll take it into consideration, so don’t worry.”

“······.”

Seo-jin’s calm expression that says she won’t believe what adults say. Kang Yu-han could not help but smile at her because the sight was so cute.

“Then shall we see?”

Kang Yu-han wanted to check the child’s limits first.

Only then will you be able to decide on how to teach this child in the future.

So, I also asked Ha-seon not to coach me on ‘this song’.

Seojin’s performance now may not be ‘sight reading’ in the true sense. However, for this child, this would be a sufficiently difficult mission.

Kang Yu-han simply wanted to see Han Seo-jin’s individual skills.

Han Seo-jin takes a deep breath.

And close your eyes.

He is immersed in silence for a long time, as if trying to recall a certain scene.

and.

Suddenly, the performance started.

This song is very difficult for elementary school students to play.

But if you are a genius,

It is a song that even a child of Seojin’s age could sing.

Franz Liszt – La Campanella Etude No. 3 in G sharp minor.

La Campanella by Franz Liszt.

‘This performance will serve as a barometer.’

A bell rang at a certain tempo from Seojin’s right hand.

In just a few seconds, a feast of countless notes began.

A leap of the right hand that is more than an octave apart.

The introduction to La Campanella began with numerous repetitions of leaps, which are particularly difficult among piano techniques.

and···.

Professor Yuhan Kang suddenly realized one thing.

That child was currently playing La Campanella without even taking out the sheet music.

Homework that was secretly assigned over the phone just two days ago.

La Campanella, a great song that even college students find difficult…

‘This… ‘You’re going to play it without even looking at the sheet music?’

A melody that becomes more and more gorgeous to the point of insanity.

Looking at Han Seo-jin’s hands moving quickly in response,

Professor Kang Yu-han quietly held his breath.