The Music of an Arts High School Genius Must Be Special - Chapter 179



Only Krnovel

Episode 179. Ballerinas Don’t Wear Pointe Shoes (6)

In the late evening, use of the practice room was more free.

Myung Woo-bin, who did not return to the dormitory, stayed locked in the practice room, listening to his improvement concert piece over and over again.

The sheet music he was holding was cluttered with notes and various symbols.

These were all written down while pondering over the words left behind by Kwon Do-hyun.

‘… … I thought you were just talking nonsense like before.’

Myung Woo-bin realized and admitted it.

The performer who played the piece closest to the score was not the original composer. As Kwon Do-hyun said, even Rachmaninoff did not follow the score as thoroughly as if he had measured it out with a ruler.

Even the original author, the person who composed the song.

It was unpleasant to even have the illusion that Rachmaninoff was rebuking me for not only following the score but also being virtuous.

At first I wanted to deny it.

It was as if I was watching the spectacle of an idol falling, and I felt a cold feeling.

After admitting my own misunderstanding or prejudice, I felt dazed.

This is because I realized that I had never listened to and analyzed such a variety of recordings as I did today.

The ideal sound he aimed for was always his father’s playing in his head, so it was natural for him.

It was a very refreshing and shocking experience.

‘When I listened to them one by one and compared them, they were definitely different… ‘

So where do the differences in interpretation and sound between performers come from?

Essential questions began to surround Myung Woo-bin.

Of course, I occasionally wondered about this when listening to my friends’ performances at school, but I didn’t really think much of it until now.

Everyone has a different teacher, so it’s impossible for everyone to play the same way. That’s just what I thought.

‘How hard should I play forte and how soft should I play piano? What is the difference between forte and fortissimo?’

But these words from Kwon Do-hyun did not leave my head.

Myungwoobin had never once thought about what degree of intensity the word forte actually meant.

Because I could just deal with it by feeling, or by adjusting the intensity as the teacher instructed.

Kwon Do-hyun has a very annoying hobby of asking questions that are sometimes difficult or impossible to answer.

This time too, Myung Woo-bin racked his brain for a while because he couldn’t come up with a proper response.

“Are you still practicing?”

Someone’s voice broke into the quiet practice room.

Jeong Hye-won looked much calmer than usual.

“You really came? I thought you were going to chew me out.”

“Woobin, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you being this annoying, so I’m curious.”

“What am I… … .”

“Why, because of Lee Ha-yeon?”

Jeong Hye-won, crouching down, asked playfully.

Myung Woo-bin furrowed his brow.

“Why Lee Ha-yeon all of a sudden? It’s not like that.”

Myung Woo-bin cleared his throat and asked for feedback out of the blue.

This time, Jeong Hye-won narrowed her eyebrows.

“I’ve heard a lot so far. Isn’t there anything more you want me to tell you?”

“There are some changes. Listen first.”

There was a messy sheet of music on the stand.

Myung Woo-bin stared intently at the notes painted over the pitch-black notes and played a short section repeatedly.

One time it was the same way, and another time it was the way I accepted Kwon Do-hyun’s point.

At first glance, it didn’t seem like much of a difference, but it was a change that Jeong Hye-won, who had been helping him practice for his concert for the past few days, could notice.

“How do you know the difference?”

“Oh, I think it’s better if you change it. It suits you better.”

“……okay?”

“It feels like it’s cut off comfortably like this, and even if you don’t play it hard on purpose, the staccato seems to be emphasized.”

Jeong Hye-won spoke calmly, twirling her hair with her index finger, but Myung Woo-bin’s heart began to waver considerably.

‘So does that mean his point was correct?’

In the case of this song, the expression doesn’t suit you, you’re misunderstanding the score, there’s no need to be so obsessed…

Kwon Do-hyun’s words swirled around in my head. Now, I was going back in time, and even the memories of the argument I had with him about the interpretation of the music score at the beginning of the semester came flooding back.

I understand. It makes me look back at myself and reflect.

I felt more and more convinced.

That mysteriously soft and gentle feeling, where your upright beliefs waver and your heart tilts…

“Oh, I really don’t like it!”

As expected, it was a truly dirty and unpleasant experience for Myung Woo-bin.

“What a surprise… …! What’s going on all of a sudden? Are you crazy?”

Jeong Hye-won made a strange expression as she looked at him, who was scratching his head nervously.

***

Today was the day of Jinseong Sunbae’s performance.

As I was doing a final check while reading the music score, I suddenly thought of senior Kang Hye-rin, who wrote this song.

I wonder if you’re preparing well for the entrance exam. I think you said something about confidence back then.

If we ever meet again, I’ll have to do a performance and say thank you.

Although the chances of us never meeting are much higher.

“Dohyun.”

“Oh, Baek Ji-ho. Were you a ballet student too?”

“Haha, that’s what happened.”

Baek Ji-ho came into the waiting room where I was alone.

It seems like the other one who was harmonizing with my ballet senior was this guy.

“I knew you wouldn’t collaborate.”

“why?”

“The annex is far. The dance studio and practice room are even farther away.”

“Oh, I just thought I got some exercise thanks to it. I was thinking about taking a wheelchair, but I thought it would be too much of a burden to my senior who was waiting for me. I did sweat a bit from walking, though, haha.”

Whether it’s a junior coming a long way in a wheelchair or a junior coming sweating and using a cane, I think it’s equally burdensome to wait…

“But wasn’t it hard?”

“I heard that Dohyun did it too, so I just did it.”

Baek Ji-ho sat next to me, smiling brightly.

I looked at the merchant who always had a bright smile on his face, unlike Lee Seong-hyeok, and asked him a question.

“Jiho, you’re Woobin’s father too.”

“I know. I’ve met you a few times. I’ve even seen a performance with Woobin.”

“Performance? I heard you haven’t been in Korea recently.”

“Yeah, the performance was about 5 years ago? Around that time.”

5 years ago.

I’m 17 now, so 5 years ago was when I was in elementary school.

“You’ve known each other for that long?”

“Ah, I got to know Woobin before he entered Yewon. He met Woobin’s father once at a foundation event.”

Since it is a foundation event, it probably refers to a cultural foundation run by a company.

Guys who have been playing with different types of water since childhood usually end up in such places often.

“Why is Woobin’s father suddenly like this?”

“I also happened to see him at a performance by a talented musician, and I found Woobin’s reaction a bit strange.”

Since we had known each other for a long time, Baek Ji-ho seemed like the perfect person to ask about Myung Woo-bin.

Woobin seems to have a rather unique perception of his father’s performance. Pianist Myeong Seo-jin isn’t that kind of player, is he? What do you think?

As I carefully brought up those words, Baek Ji-ho suddenly became angry.

“Dohyun, you felt it too?”

“you also?”

“Since the tone and posture are similar, the sound will naturally have a similar nuance, but that’s not important. Woobin’s father is famous for his soft and relaxed interpretations.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“I used to feel really awkward whenever my friends told me that Woobin was just like his father, but I’m glad that Dohyun knows that.”

Baek Ji-ho said that he was happy that he could finally share a common ground, but on the contrary, the more I listened to the story, the more my doubts grew.

Why, when you know so well?

“Then, couldn’t you tell Woobin first? That he doesn’t play like that. That he seems to be mistaken about something.”

“Well, why bother?”

The guy just nodded slightly.

“Woobin never asked for help first, so should I step forward first?”

“Well, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way.”

“Even if it’s not Woobin’s work, I don’t want to interfere. I’m not really interested.”

“I see.”

“I don’t really think much about it, but it’s annoying when people interfere, right? Haha.”

I understood everything else, but I had a hard time agreeing with the last statement.

Myung Woo-bin is not overly aware of the gap between his own perception of his father’s performance and the general perception.

It seemed as if they were not even aware of the problem itself.

“Well, is that too insensitive?”

“A little bit.”

“no way…….”

“Well, maybe that’s possible. I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

Baek Ji-ho smiled awkwardly this time.

As I got to know this guy through talking and meeting him, I felt like the image of Baek Ji-ho in my head was slowly breaking apart.

This may be because the object of one’s once longed for and admired has suddenly become closer, and things that were previously invisible have become clearly visible.

For some reason, I felt a little bitter.

“Ah, Dohyun. I forgot to say that. You play well. You’ll improve today.”

“Yeah, you do well too.”

“Have you prepared well for the improvement?”

“Well… … I’m trying hard. Please, don’t write your review so painfully.”

“Haha, I just write whatever I hear.”

As the conversation was coming to a close, a man with a pale face appeared in the waiting room.

At first I thought it was Halloween makeup, but it wasn’t.

It was my senior Jinseong.

“Do-hyun, have you been waiting? Oh, Ji-ho was here too. Hello?”

“hello.”

“… …Senior, what is that makeup? It’s a bit scary.”

A senior with only a white face floating around came close to me.

I unconsciously pulled my upper body back.

The eye makeup was also quite thick, so I couldn’t get used to it.

“Stage makeup is all like this. Is this your first time seeing it?”

“It was my first time seeing it in person… … . I thought it was someone else. No, I didn’t even know it was a person.”

“Today is relatively easy… … . I didn’t receive it as a specialty.”

The senior, who had been scratching his head, checked his watch and then stretched.

“Do-hyun, I have prepared a gift for you. I will let you know after the stage ends.”

“… …Somehow it feels ominous.”

“Would I do something bad to you? Let’s go. It’s my turn first.”

As we passed the waiting room, we saw a wide stage like a practice room. In contrast, the size of the audience was very small.

The overall atmosphere was like a small theater, but even this small place wasn’t fully filled with ballet students.

‘Including the teacher, I don’t think there will be more than thirty people.’

But sometimes, this kind of stage isn’t bad. Rather than being disappointed by the small size and small audience, I just kept smiling pleasantly.

I exchanged brief glances with Senior Jinseong.

“I will support you properly.”

“That’s a ballet dancer’s role.”

Let’s silently support Senior Jinseong’s stage, no more, no less.

That was the goal of today’s performance.

This is not a place where the piano is the main character.

“It’s okay, I’m going to play like a ballerina.”

When I snickered, my senior tilted his head as if he didn’t understand English.

I gave a small “fighting” shout and sat down in front of the piano.

‘Cheerful but not flashy, soft and light.’

The senior began to explain today’s stage without even holding the microphone.

I looked at his back and took a deep breath.

***

There was a thunderous applause.

Because the audience was so small, it was a small sound that was difficult to add an expression like ‘thunder’.

“Jinseong’s body type is really a fraud.”

“How can a person be exactly like that?”

“It seems like your facial expressions have improved as well… … You’re good.”

In the audience, students clapped their hands and shared their light-hearted impressions.

Among them, there was also some praise that seemed quite unusual for a story about dancing.

“But didn’t you say you were a first-year accompanist? I think you play really well.”

“Yeah, right. The sound was pretty, right? It’s definitely different from the speaker.”

“You fit in well with Jinseong. It feels like you’re being considerate?”

“I’m jealous… … I want to try playing with a real person too. It’s like the music is following along.”

Students majoring in ballet at art high schools often envied Jinseong Lee because they had little or no opportunity to practice with actual instruments, but there were also quite a few who were fascinated by the accompanist’s performance itself.

This is because, while appreciating the stage, a strange phenomenon sometimes occurs where one naturally focuses on hearing.

Even though it is not a performance with a strong punch, I was drawn to the suction power that strangely draws people in.

“Who is that person?”

This was true not only for the students, but also for the teachers who were watching the performance together.

“Who is who?”

“Don’t joke around… … . She’s an accompanist. How can she play the piano so beautifully? Even though I don’t know much about music, I can definitely tell that she’s good at it.”

“Huh? You don’t know Kwon Do-hyun?”

“I know about music from what I heard from my teacher. That’s all.”

An awkward glance was exchanged between the two ballet teachers sitting at the very front of the audience.

The male teacher who first expressed his doubts shook his head slightly.

“You don’t know the famous people in our school. Jinseong teaches, but doesn’t he watch YouTube?”

“That damn YouTube… … Tsk, because of Jinseong, whenever YouTube is mentioned, I get really annoyed.”

The female teacher, who had been slightly disgusted, became more interested the more she thought about it and asked the male teacher a question.

“Why is Kwon Do-hyun famous?”

“It’s a piano, what could it be?”

He continued, pretending to tap the keyboard.

“He’s very talented. What should I say? He has performance skills. He’s good at playing instruments, but he’s even better at showing off to others.”

“Aren’t you going to show your performance to other people anyway?”

“Rather than just playing in the practice room… … . Oh, right, it’s stage nature. Just now, you see, our kids were talking about the piano among themselves. Even the teacher brought it up because he couldn’t stop thinking about the background music.”

It was an explanation that she could understand to some extent, as she was surprised by the performance that captivated her ears and drew people in without her knowing.

“Is Kwon Do-hyun that good? I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone other than Lee Ha-yeon or Baek Ji-ho.”

“I’m not sure about their skills. I don’t go around checking the grades of kids who play the piano. Anyway, kids like that would probably be really good at performing, but I don’t know if they’ll get a chance.”

The male teacher, who had been licking his lips, took out his cell phone and showed it to me while the next stage was being prepared.

“Please definitely watch the busking video later. It has quite a lot of views… … Huh?”

“why?”

“There’s a video that just came up. I think it was a performance during the vacation. You can watch this one too.”