The Music of an Arts High School Genius Must Be Special - Chapter 183



Only Krnovel

Episode 183. The Ballet That Advances

“Next, Kwon Do-hyun. Please get ready.”

I was second in line.

I followed the instructions and walked through the waiting room with sticky steps. Secret excitement and tension clung to the soles of my shoes, forcing me to strengthen my legs.

In front of a thick curtain that separates the audience from the performers.

I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts.

‘Let’s just think about what we have to do, what we have to do.’

It’s real.

It’s of no use now to recall the mistakes I frequently make or the shortcomings I should be aware of.

The more you think about obstacles, the more your vision becomes occupied by obstacles.

You just have to look at the path you have to take.

The time given is only 5 minutes.

Five minutes isn’t enough to show everything I’m good at.

“I’ll be entering, student Kwon Do-hyun.”

“yes.”

I went up on stage at the teacher’s urging.

The audience was sparse, but by no means small.

It was thanks to all the first-year music students gathered together, and the front row was packed with teachers in charge of each major.

He walked through the heavy air, placed his hands on the piano, and bent down.

If you look closely, pianists always lean their hand on the piano when greeting each other.

I wanted to try it too… … .

‘I feel good.’

A round of applause greeted me.

Somehow, I felt like I had become a real pianist, and my heart fluttered more than usual.

The excitement ends here.

Now it is time to tell them the story of Petrushka, the protagonist of the tragedy, little by little, like a fairy tale.

There was no delay.

As soon as I sat down on the chair, I started tapping the keyboard.

It was a straight stroke, like a ballerina stretching her legs powerfully.

The second movement begins with Petrushka in a state of anxiety.

The thick frozen lake was hit repeatedly with a sharp hammer, sending shards of ice flying in all directions, producing a high-pitched sound of breaking apart.

The expression on his face naturally furrowed as he followed the sharp sound, and his hair waved like waves as his head was tilted upward.

‘Boldly, but not too much.’

I deliberately underestimated the audience’s prior knowledge.

I played as if I had no idea who Petrushka was, what had happened before, or what the situation was now, or what the story was about.

Because more than ever, we needed a sound that was intuitive and friendly.

Anxiety and confusion, hope and longing, tears and dancing, despair and fear, resignation and shock.

I thought that if I could just convey these individual emotions with the right sounds, I would be able to fully feel the flow of the story even without knowing about Petrushka’s existence.

It’s like when I describe and play senior Gyuri’s autobiographical work in detail.

‘Coming back calmly, yes.’

At certain sections, a few words from Professor Han Yong-seong or Myung Woo-bin would come to mind.

The initial pain subsides and chaos descends into Petrushka’s room.

Ironically, his steps as he runs around with his head held high are light and elegant.

For that expression, I thought of an image.

Rather than an intangible sound without viscosity, direction, or surface, I thought of a three-dimensional image.

It was a moment that called for the graceful curves of a ballerina.

The middle finger, which was stretched out under the palm that was gently raised into the air, was perpendicular to the keyboard. Then, with a very thin thorn attached to the tip of the finger, he stroked the keyboard as if he was touching a balloon.

I stroked it. I didn’t knock it.

I wanted to create sounds like the footsteps of a cat that are barely perceptible or the sounds of subtle playfulness.

‘It went in well.’

It felt good. This atmosphere had to be maintained until Petrushka met his unrequited love, the ballerina.

If it’s too quiet, it can easily become gloomy. The high notes are sharply cut and the speed is increased to add a bit of liveliness.

The cuteness of a child running away in surprise after being caught playing a prank meets the elegance unique to a ballerina.

I took a step back so as not to get too absorbed in that sophisticated touch. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of coquetry while being absorbed in the lightness.

The dry, condensed sorrow spread its sound as coldly as possible so that it could continue.

The mood soon changes.

The pause right before Petrushka’s dance, full of madness and sorrow, begins.

I took my hands off the keyboard and took a moment to catch my breath. I couldn’t hide my smile at the thought that suddenly occurred to me.

Surprisingly, there hasn’t been a single mistake so far.

There may have been some notes that were muffled or missed due to dynamic processing, but I swear there was absolutely no harsh, jarring sound to my ears.

There were a couple of sections where I often got stuck on the way to this point, but this was the first time I got through them all without a hitch.

On the day of the test, right into the real thing.

‘What, it’s okay?’

My head felt tingly as if some unknown neurotransmitter was being actively secreted, and my excited heart spurted blood like a fire hose.

There was no more anxiety or nervousness. It hadn’t been long since I first saw the shiny piano on the stage.

I didn’t feel the vagueness or emptiness that comes with clichéd cheering phrases like “You can do it” or “You can do it.”

It really worked out.

Because I experienced firsthand that it could actually be done.

When I was a beginner, that is, a complete beginner, I felt a much more powerful sense of excitement than when I had practiced a little and my skills were improving rapidly.

More difficult pieces, more complex pieces, and all the pieces I like.

It seemed like there was a possibility that I could challenge them without hesitation. I don’t know what would happen in reality, but at least I felt confident.

I don’t do everything well, as is so obvious. I give up on things that I can’t do.

But I’m not stupid enough to give up on something I can do.

‘You did well to choose Petrushka.’

If I had thought about it a lot, I wouldn’t have chosen a song like this, no matter how much I do.

I’m not the only one who doesn’t know of works that are guaranteed to get stable scores!

‘Let’s just keep going like this.’

I quickly cleared my mind of distracting thoughts.

It is not right for a performer depicting tragedy to have comedy in his head.

It was time to dance in a state of sorrowful joy.

***

There are only a few students who write passionate reviews of concerts. If it is a performance by a student from a different major, they have no knowledge of it, so they have little to write about.

Moreover, when there are so many people and music other than yourself, when would you listen to and evaluate all of it thoroughly?

However, there were very few cases where I would just turn in a blank sheet of paper, and it was common to listen intently at the beginning, then write down five or six lines of a rambling review and then take a break.

However, the evaluations on the cell phone screens of students listening to Kwon Do-hyun’s performance were not ordinary.

Almost everyone had a blank sheet of paper.

“… … Was he originally that good?”

“Do you know him? He’s from Jeju Island. He played in the rain.”

“No, we briefly practiced a concerto together in the first semester, but it wasn’t to that extent.”

“You must have practiced a lot.”

“I told you it wasn’t at that level… …! That really wasn’t that long ago.”

It’s not that there was nothing to write about in the evaluation, and there were several reasons, but the first and foremost was the tension that overflowed from Kwon Do-hyun’s performance.

He did not continue playing with a consistent sound texture.

From the rough hitting that shook the stadium from the start, to the ticklish touch that causes turtle neck and makes you feel uneasy, to the refreshing liveliness that suddenly surprises people.

The tone and direction of the flow of performance were not organized enough to be called sporadic, but the intuitive and clear sound that held the center firmly was enough to create harmony in the flow regardless of the high and low volume.

This creates an expectation in the listener about what kind of expression and emotion will be expressed next, while also creating an uneasy sense of danger, and this is the result.

No one sitting in the audience could take their eyes off Kwon Do-hyun’s every gesture.

Using clear differences in tone and expression, he creates a tension that keeps your palms on the edge of your seat.

In unconventional performances that are not easily experienced, it was not uncommon to see students making strange sounds.

“No, that’s really cool. What is that?”

“Should I learn piano too? Is it possible to transfer?”

“Stop being so annoying.”

“I’m a hobbyist. Is it possible to play at that level in just one year?”

“Oh, shut up. Let me hear it.”

Lee Bo-ram, sitting next to Choi Je-hoon, placed the blank grading sheet on her thigh and frowned at the sound of voices coming from behind her.

“Shouldn’t you be paying attention to the kids later?”

“Let’s leave it alone. It’s bound to make a fuss.”

“No, but still… … .”

“If you want to stop it, you have to stop them first.”

Choi Jae-hoon, who was resting his chin on his hand, nodded to the other professors sitting next to him on his left.

They too were busy whispering, winking, and gesturing.

Lee Bo-ram turned her head back to the stage with an awkward expression, but her concentration did not last long. From the beginning of the performance, her mind was complicated and she was restless.

“… …Do-hyeon.”

“yes.”

“Club, can we just leave it like this?”

“I don’t think this is something you need my permission for.”

“Our club… … was worried that Dohyun might get in the way of practice, just, all of a sudden.”

Choi Jae-hoon answered calmly without taking his eyes off the stage.

“If he wants to do it, just leave him alone. That guy is a student who needs to be let loose.”

“Let go?”

“I don’t think our teacher needs to meddle in this or that.”

“yes…….”

“Please take good care of the map.”

“No, yes, of course.”

Before we knew it, the performance had reached its end.

The grand and thick bass notes that sound like the world is splitting apart and collapsing, the scale that quickly runs up to the right keyboard, the thin and sharp unison strikes like blades, and the trills that shake unsteadily as if gripped by shock.

Choi Jae-hoon smiled, swallowing his empty smile.

In the second half of the game, where the difficulty level is high and the intense speed continues, there were occasional missed touches, but now I can treat those as mere blemishes.

Wasn’t the preparation period about two weeks? About two weeks.

Although it could be considered a slight deduction, it was just an unnecessary nitpick from a teacher who was not a judge.

“Oh… … Right.”

As the performance drew to a close, Choi Je-hoon could not help but agree with Lee Bo-ram’s small exclamation of admiration.

After Petrushka fainted from fear, only silence remained in the room.

Kwon Do-hyun completed the truly delicate sound that expresses the air current flowing through it with a sparkling touch that resembles scattering powder made from ground stars throughout the room.

The combination of the soft and elegant gestures of the hands caressing the keyboard and the gentle pedaling to keep the vibrations from ceasing was the product of obsession itself.

He’s a really persistent guy.

It is a sound created through persistent research and inspiration borrowed from all over the place.

Choi Jae-hoon nodded his head as the performance ended with a loud bang, with such sentiments.

There was unusually loud applause for an exam.

After finishing writing down the final scores, he looked down at the score sheet with a smirk.

That alone brought back the entire content of the performance from beginning to end.

Not only the sound, but also the skill of captivating the audience with gestures and hand gestures was extraordinary.

“You’ve become a pro… … .”

In between the control of the flow’s intensity, the head moving up and down and the two hands waving in the air naturally captured everyone’s attention even in quiet moments. The hair that was strangely fluttering today was also an element that caught my eye for no reason.

“You must have had a hard time teaching the child. I think you gave him a lot of advice using your performance experience.”

Choi Jae-hoon spoke indirectly to Han Yong-seong, who was sitting next to him.

Han Yong-seong, with a complex and subtle expression, answered softly in a voice mixed with a lot of air.

“I… … didn’t do anything, unfortunately.”

“Then who is Kwon Do-hyun’s lesson teacher?”

“Well, who could it be?”

He chuckled.

It was natural for him to be happy that his student had performed even the burdensome song so well, but on the other hand, he couldn’t help but feel bitter.

Kwon Do-hyun would have been able to play as well as he does now, no matter who came as his lesson teacher.

Even if it’s not necessarily you.

Such thoughts had been slowly wetting him like a tide these days.

“Wherever I go, I can’t just casually call Do-Hyeon a teacher. I’m so embarrassed.”

“Please live shamelessly. He really likes Mr. Han.”

“What good will come from becoming attached to a teacher…?”

Choi Jae-hoon quickly prepared to evaluate the next student. His expression, posture, and mind were all extremely calm.

I was impressed by Kwon Do-hyun’s performance just before, but he is not the type to maintain an elevated mood for long.

My personality of being indifferent to everything in the world also played a part.

“Teacher Choi.”

“yes.”

Han Yong-seong, who had been glancing at Choi Jae-hoon, asked a question quietly.

“Aren’t you thinking of giving a lesson after a long time?”