The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 61



Only Krnovel

61 new sounds

* * *

Berlin Brandenburg Airport.

We arrived in Germany after a long flight.

Nothing much happened on this flight. He tried to get a good night’s sleep on the plane just in case, but it didn’t help. He seems like a mean old man. How can you not show your face even in your dreams?

I went through immigration with my mother, and Suyeon followed my father. The examiner looked at us and asked questions in English, and her mother’s answers were very clear.

“What brought you to Germany?”

“Hmm. “My son has a ‘performance.’”

“wow. Are you a performer?”

“To be exact, I’m a pianist. I just came along as a guardian. Of course, most of the schedule is education and sightseeing.”

“awesome. Han… Seojin?”

The examiner also asked me some questions. It wasn’t anything special, just basic questions like how many days you would stay and where the performance would be.

After finishing the screening briefly, I was waiting for Suyeon and her father.

My mother nudged my side and whispered to me. Her face is full of playfulness.

“son. Mom, do you know how excited I am right now? “Especially because I really wanted to say that just now.”

“······ You mean there is a performance?”

“huh. I feel like I have become a complete manager. “But there is Seojin.”

“yes?”

My mother put her arm around my shoulder and asked me another secret.

“How on earth are you so good at English? Is there some secret? No matter how much I think about it, I feel like my skills are suddenly improving.”

And I once again answered shamelessly.

“Mom and dad, you both speak English to some degree. “I think it’s probably due to genetics.”

“······ is it?”

“They say you can’t fake blood.”

“Mmm.”

After safely going through immigration with my mother, I immediately joined Suyeon.

Professor Yuhan Kang also came out soon.

It didn’t take long to get to downtown Berlin. Thanks to the fact that the professor’s classic label sent a van, I was able to travel to the hotel comfortably.

As I entered downtown Berlin on the highway, the first thing I saw were high-rise buildings.

Old-style buildings mixed in between them.

Numerous bicycles riding on the road.

Even a red double-decker bus passes by.

I started to feel more and more like I was in a foreign country.

germany.

The country where many classical composers were born, including Beethoven, Bach, Handel, Brahms, Wagner, and Schumann.

When discussing classical music, a country that should never be left out is Germany.

Befitting its reputation, numerous banners related to the year-end classical concert were hung in downtown Berlin.

Among them, the one that stood out the most was…

“and.”

A large banner about Professor Yuhan Kang’s performance.

It was written that it would be performed for two days at the ⌜Konzerthaus Berlin⌟, a fairly famous performance hall in Berlin.

Professor Yuhan Kang is a person who has continued his activities since winning third place in the Tchaikovsky Competition.

And that for almost 50 years.

To me, it was an unimaginable number.

A person who has consistently played the piano for a long time.

I heard that he was active in Europe when he was young, and that he returned to Korea when he was a little older and is working hard to train the next generation. You mainly perform in Korea.

Of course, if an opportunity arose like this one, he was not reluctant to perform abroad.

In a word, a living witness to the Korean classical music world.

The fact that Korea’s first generation classical musician can be active to this extent in Germany, the home of classical music…

It was truly so amazing.

‘Will I be able to do something like that in the future?’

To me, it feels like a distant future.

At that time, Professor Yuhan Kang, who was sitting across from me, smiled kindly.

“There is nothing that surprising. Just because it’s me doesn’t mean I received public attention from the beginning. For your information, Seojin, I was a really bad musician when I was around your age.”

“I thought you were a natural.”

“no way. If that were the case, I would have been going on concert tours since I was young. What became an important opportunity for me was the Tchaikovsky Competition.”

The professor spoke honestly and without any additions or omissions.

Currently, there are only two ways to gain recognition in the classical music world.

1. Having natural ability at a very young age, performing with great artists and touring the world.

2. Performing well in famous competitions.

Other than that, he said it was difficult.

“Of course, even if that’s not the case, there are plenty of good performers. There are more than a dozen of them that I know. However, it is inevitable because the public always wants proven performers. “It may be difficult for you to understand.”

I immediately shook my head.

This is a story I also heard from Uncle Miller.

“You can’t list music, but the public always wants the best. I’ve heard something like that before. So I understand.”

“Then Seojin, I guess you don’t have any aversion to competitions.”

“It can’t be. Just the competitions I have participated in so far…”

I was about to finish speaking but stopped.

Because it reminded me of old times.

The professor smiled and tapped my arm.

“The future is always important. “I know how you feel, so there’s no need to worry anymore.”

“······ yes?”

By chance, the van arrived in front of the hotel. Because of that, I couldn’t listen to the professor’s words until the end. The professor yawned and said we would talk later. It seems you were tired from the flight.

Su-yeon was also almost unconscious. On the plane. In a car. It was probably the day Suyeon traveled the longest distance in her life. Oh, come to think of it, I am like that too. I don’t think there’s a big difference between a 5-year-old life or a 12-year-old life.

There were no special plans for today and tomorrow.

As long as I was able to relieve the travel fatigue and adapt to the time difference, it was a success. The professor told me to come over to the hotel room if I was bored. There is a piano in the professor’s room. I thought it would be a good idea to go there briefly tomorrow during the day.

When I got up to my hotel room, I took out my laptop. And while watching the new video that director Hee-Tae Cheon sent me, I drew a few more notes in my musical staff notebook.

There was a part that I was worried about because it got a little clogged. Still, little by little, we are finding the answer. If this continues, there will be no problems with the schedule.

I closed my laptop, organized my notebook, and looked at my family.

A mother cutting her father.

Suyeon is cutting her mother.

How did you frame it so well?

I took a seat on the empty single bed next to the double bed.

I immediately took a proof photo.

A photo that might be fun to look at sometimes when you’re bored.

After taking one more picture showing my entire family, including myself, I closed my eyes.

Falling asleep was an instant.

* * *

next day.

After taking a lesson from Professor Yuhan Kang.

“and! brother! Look at that! It’s Rudolph! in action!”

I went on an outing to Berlin with my family.

Lines with colorful lights were hung between buildings, and numerous people were buying food in the square.

Large tree and Santa.

A combination of green, red and white.

Just a few factors made it clear that the Christmas season was in full swing.

Suyeon’s eyes sparkled. This is the first time I have seen a place like this in my life.

“excuse me! There’s even a nutcracker! “It must be a doll store!”

As expected, it is Suyeon.

When I entered the doll store, I saw numerous wooden dolls.

I whispered to Suyeon so that my parents couldn’t hear.

“If you like something, pick it. “I’ll buy you two or three.”

“······ really?”

“huh. “To commemorate our family trip.”

“Oh, no. It was said that people should not be too greedy. “For me… one is enough.”

Suyeon seemed to be thinking for a while.

It was a pretty fancy doll store, with a moving merry-go-round, a flying Santa, and more.

But Sooyeon’s choices were always similar.

“Kyaa! brother! Look at him! “The bear is wearing a Santa suit!”

“Is this a place that sells dolls like that?”

“therefore! “There must be so many bears in this world!”

Sooyeon eventually chose Santa Bear. His name is Berlin. A rather grandiose bear came into the Han family.

My parents talked about what to eat first. I also agreed with that. It was a time when I was starting to get hungry.

Our family, each holding a stick-shaped churros in our hands, slowly looked around the square.

From small Christmas props to crocheted scarves, glass crafts, and homemade jams. Now that I look at it, I think it was a flea market.

When we arrived at the end of the square, a large shopping mall appeared. Inside, blue lights were shining beautifully, and a brass instrument player was playing carols.

“The atmosphere… is so good.”

“I know.”

At my mother’s words, my father quietly folds his arms. Su-yeon saw this and wrapped her arms around hers, holding her mother’s hand.

“If you do this, you will never be lost. how is it?”

“That’s great.”

“Hi-Hi.”

For dinner, I bought Schweinsschakse (pig’s feet) and sausages at the shopping mall. It was a dish that my family wanted to try even before we came to Germany. It was actually very delicious.

Across from the mall was a huge Ferris wheel.

My family lined up without even thinking about it.

After about 15 minutes, we were able to get on the Ferris wheel.

The Ferris wheel had a glass screen. Thankfully it wasn’t cold.

As the Ferris wheel goes higher and higher, Suyeon lets out an exclamation again.

I could see the calm Spree River below, and the reflected lights on the river were shining beautifully.

It was like watching a scene from a fairy tale.

Suyeon looked at the night view in silence. Neither I nor my mother nor father dared to open their mouths.

And then suddenly.

Suyeon, who was holding my arm, whispered so softly that I could hear.

“I don’t think I’ll ever forget this moment… Thank you, brother…”

The view of Berlin from the Ferris wheel was very beautiful.

And my arm that Suyeon is holding,

It was very warm.

I gave Sooyeon an answer.

“me too. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.”

* * *

The day passed quickly.

From today onwards, I couldn’t just relax. Because obviously I had work to do.

Early moning.

I left my family at the hotel and followed Professor Yuhan Kang.

I got in the car and drove for a while. Soon, high-rise buildings began to become less visible. A fairly large flat area comes into view.

“You’ve arrived.”

The place we finally arrived at.

I couldn’t help but tilt my head.

‘I’m sure the professor said it was a small church…?’

First of all, it wasn’t what I expected the church to be like.

First, you can see several statues centered around a huge square. Because it was winter, the fountain did not come out, but the site was there, and an unknown tower and huge church buildings surrounded the square.

“Hey…Professor?”

“huh?”

“Am I playing here?”

“yes?”

“······.”

Unless it was a famous tourist attraction or a cathedral or church with hundreds of years of history, the professor seemed to think it was ‘small’.

Different standards than mine.

This is why people should not have stereotypes.

“There are much bigger places in Germany than here.”

“······ okay.”

“Let’s go in.”

As we entered the largest building in the church, we came into a huge hall. The ceiling was so high that it was impossible to guess its height, and the sound of your footsteps echoing even as you walked.

Perhaps because it was a weekday, there was no one there.

Or maybe it’s because I came early.

Behind the podium at the far end was a huge five organ. The light coming in through the stained glass definitely created a mysterious atmosphere.

There was a grand piano where I followed the professor. They say that the pipe organ is played up there, and the piano is played down here.

Professor Yuhan Kang immediately called somewhere.

And then…

“Would you like to wait here for a moment? “I thought the phone call would be a bit long.”

The professor left the room, speaking fluently in German.

“hmm···.”

The voice I uttered without thinking resonates and comes back. The architectural style seemed to be structured to expand sound.

I got a little curious.

After thinking for a moment, I sat down in front of the grand piano. She carefully opened the piano keyboard lid.

And I took a look around.

There was no one.

then···.

‘Wouldn’t one note be okay?’

While fiddling with my arm for no reason, I tried pressing ‘Sol’.

My touch was never strong.

Since I applied the same force as a mezzo piano (a little weakly), it couldn’t have made that loud a sound.

however.

The sound of a lightly touched keyboard echoed throughout this space. It was clear enough for anyone to hear clearly.

Goosebumps appeared all over my body.

‘This is what the piano sounds like…’

I knew that sounds varied depending on the location, but this was the first time I felt such a difference.

‘By the way, when is Professor Yuhan Kang coming?’

I waited for about 5 more minutes and had no choice but to touch ‘mi’. Clearly another sound rings out. This time, my heart was pounding for no reason.

‘No way… this is a marshmallow experiment. Is that something like that?’

An experiment in which a child was given two marshmallows if he or she persisted without eating them for 15 minutes, and the child’s behavior was observed. An experiment to test a child’s patience.

I waited for about 5 more minutes and this time tried playing a 1st chord. A much richer sound resonates throughout the building.

Then suddenly this thought occurred to me.

I came here with the help of Professor Yuhan Kang, but I thought that playing around like this… wouldn’t be rude in some way.

When my thoughts reached this point, I thought, ‘Eh, I don’t know.’ It has become a state.

I started playing Schumann’s piece without thinking.

A space where you are alone.

A piano melody that resonates widely.

This was enough for now.

I didn’t think I could ask for anything more than this.

* * *

“Uh huh. “Is it okay to be this late?”

“sorry. sorry. “The concertmaster (the orchestra’s first violinist) has been harassing me since dawn.”

“Bullying?”

“Because he’s always the one in conflict with me. “I think this is why the conductor can’t fulfill his orders.”

“haha. “I mean.”

A man talking to pianist Kang Yoo-han.

Kai Hoffmann, who is conducting an orchestra in Berlin, took a quick step forward.

It is not like an interview with a symphony orchestra member or a meeting with a collaborator.

To listen to a child play.