The Music of an Arts High School Genius Must Be Special - Chapter 184



Only Krnovel

Episode 184. A Tickling Day

hot.

I don’t know about anything else, but it’s just so damn hot.

He quickly took off his jacket and shook his tie from side to side to loosen the knot. He also unbuttoned a couple of his shirt buttons.

I glanced at the hallway mirror and saw myself in that familiar, unkempt look.

‘So what… … You did so well today.’

It doesn’t matter whether a performer who has finished on stage looks like dough or is dressed in rags.

The afterglow of joy and excitement continued to warm my body. It was a performance that poured everything into it.

He smiled brightly at the mirror and returned to the waiting room, fanning himself with his hands.

Myung Woo-bin was not visible inside as his turn was near, but instead, mysterious gazes greeted me.

Feeling awkward for no reason, I coughed a couple of times and went back to my seat.

As I was absentmindedly wondering what kind of performance Myung Woo-bin would play, someone approached me.

“… … It was Petrushka just now, right?”

She was a woman dressed in a neat suit like me.

No, come to think of it, I was just lying there in a corner of the house, untied.

Anyway, a woman who was too old to be called a ‘child’ approached me.

“Yes, that’s right. Is there anyone… … .”

“Oh, I’m a graduate who came to play along with my friend’s younger sibling? Yes, he’s my friend’s senior.”

“You’re my senior, hello.”

“Yes, yes. I graduated the year before last.”

She sat awkwardly next to me, covered her mouth with both hands, and asked quietly.

“But, are you really a freshman? Did you enroll early or something? And you don’t look that young.”

“No, I just entered school like everyone else.”

“Wow, this year’s freshmen are really crazy… …. I was surprised that my friend played better than our music students. So I wanted to talk to him.”

“……thank you.”

Compared to the music students, Rani. I felt burdened and stuttered out my thanks.

She was timidly stamping her feet, but her eyes sparkled and she asked me many questions.

Why did you choose Petrushka, are you from Yewon, what is it like going to Yerim, who is your homeroom teacher…?

“It’s not a gifted school, nor an academy. Wow, it must have been really hard to prepare for the entrance exam while attending a regular middle school. Your friend is amazing.”

It’s been a while since I’ve mentioned this, but I don’t know how I prepared for the entrance exam to the arts high school.

So I just laughed it off awkwardly.

“It’s okay now because the teachers at school teach me well.”

“Right, so do you take lessons at school? Which teacher?”

“I have been learning from Professor Han Yong-seong since the first semester.”

In that moment, her eyes widened and she gasped.

“Really? Wow, I learned from that teacher when I was in the second grade!”

A few years ago, he was a disciple of Professor Han Yong-seong. This was another interesting encounter, so I naturally became curious.

“Oh, I see. What kind of person was Mr. Han Yong-seong at that time?”

“Um… … First of all, that teacher is really picky. He gives us a lot of complicated and difficult questions and homework, but he doesn’t usually do that in lessons.”

There were a few parts that I could relate to, so I laughed and listened to the story.

According to various anecdotes, Mr. Han Yong-seong’s style seems to have been similar a few years ago and now.

“And you seem like a bit of a perfectionist? You manage your schedule, are extremely meticulous about catching any missed touches, and give lessons almost every day.”

“……yes?”

The idea that our styles were similar quickly turned into a misunderstanding and was shattered.

I don’t know if Mr. Han Yong-seong is a perfectionist. I actually thought he was far from that.

I thought about many experiences, such as schedule management, song selection, and the extent to which my opinions were respected in interpretation or expression, but I still had a hard time agreeing.

I think I’m closer to a free-spirited laissez-faire person than a thoroughgoing perfectionist.

‘You don’t even catch a miss-touch that meticulously.’

While preparing for this concert, instead of pointing out my mistakes in detail, he chose to teach me the methodology of technique and let me correct them on my own.

Crucially, lessons are held at most three times a week, meaning that the gap between lessons is long.

‘When I first met you, I felt you were meticulous because you delved into music theory… … but after that, well…’

As I was lost in thought, the sound of the piano began to reach my ears.

In terms of order, it was Myung Woo-bin’s turn to play. I could tell right away.

“Excuse me, let me listen to this.”

I got up from my seat, moved closer to the stage, closed my eyes, and opened my ears.

Myung Woo-bin… … did well without any doubt.

It was a straight, unwavering sound.

If the performer’s mind is in disarray, it is usually reflected in the sound, but it was a good performance with no hint of impatience.

I was relieved to find out that my recent mention of the guy’s father didn’t affect his test results.

On the other hand, I started to worry about my score.

This is also a test and a competition, but there are so many talented kids in our school.

‘You’re doing well… … .’

It was nice to hear that you really honestly improved your skills over the first semester and vacation.

After enjoying the performance with satisfaction, I had a quick chat with Myung Woo-bin who returned.

Soon after, I calmly enjoyed the performances of students from other majors, and the first week of the improvement concert was completely over.

“Where are you going? You have to take a picture.”

“Photo? Oh, so that’s why you told me to wait in the waiting room.”

The improvement concert is said to have a time when all the students who performed that week gather together and take pictures.

I quickly fixed my appearance and went up on stage.

“teacher!”

After the commemorative photo shoot was over, teachers in charge of each major came up on stage and talked to the students.

I quickly found Professor Han Yong-seong and waved his hand.

“I met your student in the waiting room earlier. He said he graduated the year before last.”

“Oh, I got a call from the teacher yesterday too. He was giving me a lot of trouble too.”

“I heard that you had a hard time taking lessons because of your perfectionist tendencies. I’m not sure if you’re a perfectionist yourself.”

As I spoke in a subtle, sly tone, the teacher smiled bitterly for some reason.

I was preparing for a tantrum or a scolding that started with ‘Yanma’.

“How would you rate your performance today?”

The answer that came back soon was an irrelevant topic that had nothing to do with what had just been said.

I confessed my honest feelings while nodding.

“It would be a lie to say I had no regrets, but overall I was satisfied.”

“I see.”

“Yes, I think I made a good choice to choose Petrushka. I felt a lot while preparing, and the process of applying the new experiences to the performance was also fun. It was difficult, but… … .”

The teacher, who was smiling, approached cautiously.

And then he hugged me and lightly patted my back.

“Well done, Dohyun. Thank you for your hard work.”

The hug lasted less than three seconds and was over quickly, but I was still very taken aback.

It was not only that Myungwoobin gave me a warm thank you, but also that the teacher, who usually treated me with a friendly and playful attitude, gave me a hug.

I don’t know why people are acting like this today.

***

Early September, when the scorching sun begins to wane.

I was sprawled out on one side of the playground, feeling a little exhausted.

Kim Joo-hee was lying face down on the table, fiddling with her cell phone, while Lee Seong-hyeok was looking through some papers next to him.

‘Do you want to do that… … .’

There were no students running around on the lawn in the afternoon after the concert and regular classes were over, but the basketball court in the distance was crowded.

Just looking at it made me fan myself with my hands because of the passionate energy.

This time, too, the feeling of exhaustion from having overcome a difficult situation and the strange reaction from Professor Han Yong-seong earlier made my head feel a bit disorganized.

“Is it very hot?”

Lee Ha-yeon, who had been sitting quietly, grabbed my sleeve and pulled it.

When I looked back, she was holding a glass of cool water in her hand.

“Oh, sense.”

“I brought it because I thought it would be hot after the performance. You did well today.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Playing today… … .

Thinking back on it with my neck bent, I think I did a good job.

Even while playing the keyboard myself, my throat was choked up with thrilling joy, and the responses I received from the teacher and the audience when I finished playing proved that it was a good performance.

However, the series of mistakes that occurred in the last part of the race were a bit disappointing.

‘I’m so tired that I’m going to stop… … .’

In the case of the repeated tapping that Lee Ha-yeon pointed out last time, it was a special case where I had to hit the keys in a wide range, so I was able to change the hand position as I pleased, but it is not easy to use tricks in general technique.

No matter how difficult the technique is, you have no choice but to practice harder so that you can move your hands freely while playing according to the rules.

‘But it wasn’t a fatal mistake, so that’s fortunate.’

Perhaps the feeling that a performance could not be more perfect than this is an illusion. Isn’t it true that there will always be regret?

I’ve never played such a great piece before… … .

Anyway, today was a stage that I liked overall. It was definitely better than the first semester, and I felt rewarded because I felt like I was making progress.

“That’s right, the leader did a good job today.”

Kim Joo-hee slowly raised her upper body, put her cell phone down, and nodded.

“The kids’ reactions were really no joke. People around us kept saying that you were good.”

“okay?”

It’s not polite to talk loudly enough for others to hear while they’re playing, but since it was my compliment, I just let it go.

Good things are good things.

“I’m not really interested in it, and it’s polite to be quiet, so our kids don’t usually make a lot of noise during the performance… … But they were a bit noisy today. I guess that’s because they did so well.”

Kim Joo-hee, who had been resting her chin on her hand and spinning her hair, suddenly made an embarrassed expression.

“Actually, there is that.”

“huh?”

“I used to just play along with your playing. We recorded ourselves and watched the test videos.”

“Follow me? My playing?”

She nodded at short intervals.

“Your playing is a bit like that? Should I say it seems easy… … .”

“You’re not swearing, are you?”

“Oh, really. What should I say, I just have this simple feeling that if I just try a little bit, I can do the same thing.”

“I think I know what you mean, right?”

Lee Seong-hyeok, who had been sitting quietly, also suddenly chimed in and agreed with Kim Joo-hee’s words.

What is this feeling that I can do the same thing if I just do a little bit? Is it because I didn’t touch many technically difficult pieces in the first semester?

“But even though it looks easy, if you hit it directly, you never get that sound?”

“Because everyone has a different tone and style.”

“Hmm, that’s not how I feel, but today was even worse. I didn’t even feel like playing along. It was a bit like listening to Ha-yeon play… … I just blankly listened.”

“I also read the Petrushka score today, so you know. I don’t think I can play it like Do-hyun. I was busy with dance class in between, so it’s a bit strange, kid.”

Why are they acting so awkwardly?

Kim Joo-hee glanced at Lee Ha-yeon, who was tilting her head for a moment, and muttered softly as if she was complaining.

“I just said, well done… … . It’s a compliment.”

I don’t know what to say at times like this.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked around. He quickly looked for a suitable topic to talk about.

The object that caught his eye was a few pieces of paper that Lee Seong-hyeok had been staring at for a while.

“What have you been looking at since a while ago?”

“This is the festival announcement from the broadcasting department. It’s our job to take applications for club booths and make schedules.”

“Did you do that already?”

“It’s so big that we have to do it in advance. But since it’s being held in Myeongseong this year, there’s not much for us to do, which is good.”

“aha.”

I just let out a stupid exclamation.

Every time I hear things like this, I feel a very mysterious feeling.

What image does a high school festival have for me?

It’s nothing more or less than showing off your talents to kids who are good-looking, pretty, popular, and talented, go on stage, sing a little, and get some shouts.

‘Both the training camp and the festival are new, really.’

Well, I heard that there won’t be a stage for first-year students to perform at the main event of the festival anyway, so we’ll have to prepare well for the club performance this year.

“Do-hyeon, haven’t you read the review yet?”

“Oh, I was planning on seeing you at the dorm later.”

The highlight of the concert, a review.

There must have been over a hundred of them piled up, so it was natural to be excited about what our music and friends had to say to me.

Anything is fine as long as it’s not crude criticism.

Even feedback from the perspective of someone who knows nothing about piano can be nutritious.

“Can we watch it together this weekend? I was just curious.”

“It doesn’t matter, whatever.”

“ah?”

A strange exclamation was mixed in between Lee Seong-hyeok and my conversation.

This was what Lee Ha-yeon, who had been blankly staring blankly, blurted out.

“What did you just say?”

“what’s the matter?”

“No, yeah… …. Seonghyuk, you have to see it?”

“It’s anonymous anyway.”

“… … I mean, it might be annoying.”

She quickly turned her head away, avoiding eye contact.

We just shrugged our shoulders.