Chapter 6, Confronting the Illusion (2)

Chapter 6. Confronting the Illusion (2)

"Excuse me?"

"Uh... yeah..."

The man, who had seemed to be in a daze, suddenly lifted his head.

Chae-won left him in his usual state, lost in the afterglow.

"Y-You said your name is Hyeon-woo?"

"Yes."

I could feel his attitude change abruptly, and I adjusted mine slightly as well.

More composed and dignified.

I put on a formal demeanor befitting an artist.

"Uh, you said you're 15, right? Yeah, you said you're 15."

"Yes."

But the man seemed a bit off, as if a screw was loose and couldn't be tightened.

"Hmm, ahem. I might be too casual right now... Could you wait a few days? I'm asking you, kid, no, I'm asking you, Hyeon-woo!"

Without waiting for my answer, the man hurriedly left the attic.

He was a strange person, no matter how many times I looked at him.

"Chae-won."

"Yeah?"

"Do you happen to know your uncle's name?"

I had no particular intention.

Given that he had given Chae-won a piano and taught her, he seemed to be quite involved in the music industry. It just felt a bit off.

"Lee Sang-gil."

And when Chae-won answered, the pieces in my head fell into place.

"It's Lee Sang-gil. My uncle's name."

Good heavens, so the man just now was...

The future chairman of the Seonhyang Art Foundation, who would usher in a second golden age as an educator in the music world, Lee Sang-gil.

But he was known for his somewhat unstable mental state.

Wait, the rumors were true!

* * *

The car, started in a hurry, emitted a loud engine noise that was unpleasant to the ears.

Despite this, the melody of that deep resonance still lingered in Sang-gil's ears.

'Unbelievable, unbelievable!'

He had underestimated the 15-year-old kid. He shouldn't have.

Feeling deep regret for his attitude, he drove hastily.

The wheels of the car, which had just exited the highway, rolled fiercely.

'And to think this is how my first discovery project is turning out.'

He had complained about the upper management at his brother's house, but he was more dissatisfied with himself and the situation.

He had confidently promised to bring three children, but in the end, he couldn't find any.

He had planned to bring three children of exceptional talent, like Zhuge Liang recommending Liu Bei, to balance their growth like a tripod.

The curriculum and plans were perfect.

He had even considered one-on-one rivalries, but in Sang-gil's opinion, a two-on-one setup was safer.

There was a clear difference between one child lagging behind in a one-on-one competition and one child lagging behind among three.

In the former, the leading child might relax, but in the latter, the presence of another competitor would prevent that.

The lagging child would also be further motivated by the intense competition between the other two.

That's why Sang-gil had insisted on three children.

'And yet, I couldn't see the talent. Sigh.'

It was only natural that he had almost failed. It was entirely his responsibility.

He pulled himself together and made a call.

He was almost in Seoul.

The dial tone repeated several times before a click indicated the connection was successful.

"Hello."

- Huh

A low, drawn-out sigh came from the other end of the line.

- Yeah, even if you're crazy, do you know what time it is?

"It's 2 AM."

- You crazy bastard! I just fell asleep an hour ago!

"Shut up, man. I haven't slept a wink and have been driving non-stop."

- What's going on? You said you were going to see your nephew?

As usual, the person on the other end of the line exchanged curses amicably and then asked in a voice that was gradually waking up.

He knew that Sang-gil was famous for being a doting uncle, having known him for a full 10 years and working together on the Seonhyang Art Foundation project.

"I found him."

- Found what?

Sang-gil's voice was now clearly excited and very bright.

"I found him, man! Someone even better than Yeong-jae and Sung-woo!"

- What, what?!

"I'll tell you when I get there. Wait for me. I'm almost in Seoul."

He intended to approach Hyeon-woo not as a "friend's uncle" but as the "team leader of the Seonhyang Art Foundation," with a honey-sweet offer that no one with a passion for music could refuse.

* * *

Rumble.

Spit.

After the storm last night, I returned home and immediately went to bed.

Lee Sang-gil's strange words before he left were unsettling, but there was no point in worrying about it.

And with my mother out, I was brushing my teeth.

Rumble.

Spit.

Next, I would do the dishes. I was gradually getting used to the routine.

The sensation I felt when I cut my mother's leg the day before yesterday was still vivid.

Thanks to that, I made a decision.

I should start a part-time job delivering newspapers.

I couldn't just use my mother's money, and there wasn't much I could do with my young body.

Delivering newspapers would be fine if I just said I was going to school early.

It would be a small amount, but if I used my knowledge of the future, it would be enough.

To make my mother quit her restaurant job and open a side dish store as soon as possible...

My gaze then turned to my wrist, where my young hands were starting to develop calluses.

'It's still okay, but it will eventually hold me back.'

I've been careful during practice since I returned, but without regular medical care, the tragedy I experienced before will repeat itself.

I need to start getting regular care from an early stage—

Yes, it all came down to money again.

"I'm still too young."

Feeling the helplessness of my 15-year-old body, I felt a new sense of tension.

Helpless, but

Nothing would be solved by just being weak.

There's no way money will fall from the sky.

* * *

"Three hundred million won?"

Money fell from the sky, so they say.

I asked Sang-gil, who had returned with amazement.

"That's right. As you can see... "

Sang-gil, who seemed to have dressed up more than usual, smiled and handed me several papers.

A man who introduced himself as Jeong Jong-woo also provided detailed explanations.

However, my skeptical look didn't disappear. After all, I had come here just based on Sang-gil's words.

'Sang-gil and Jeong Jong-woo.'

It still felt surreal that the two people who would lead the future of the Seonhyang Art Foundation were proposing something to me.

It was surprising enough that this Chae-won and that Lee Sang-gil shared the same surname, but this was on a different level.

"Genius discovery project."

"Right. Hyeon-woo, you'll learn piano with other talented friends who are very skilled at piano, following the best curriculum. As I said, we'll also provide a significant amount of support... "

I never expected such an opportunity.

This was the first knot that created the future Lee Sang-gil and Jeong Jong-woo, the Seonhyang Art Foundation's youth genius discovery project.

The two were now proposing that I participate in it.

'A huge success within a huge success.'

I had read Lee Sang-gil's interviews in newspapers and magazines.

Despite the project starting with only two children, contrary to the plan, it seemed to be off to a rocky start.

But it later became a masterpiece project that discovered two world-renowned pianists, Han Yeong-jae and Yoo Sung-woo, and was widely talked about.

Han Yeong-jae and Yoo Sung-woo, who rose to the top and dominated the world alongside my downfall.

The two who walked the path I couldn't.

'And now, my place is included... '

A laugh escaped me.

A second life, advancing alongside those who had raced on the path of genius, unlike me.

Now, excitement far outweighed fear.

And then,

Jeong Jong-woo, as if he had forgotten, asked an important question he shouldn't have missed.

"By the way, how long have you been learning piano, Hyeon-woo?"

"Never."

But the answer was completely out of the ordinary.

"Excuse me?"

"I've never learned."

"You've never... learned piano?"

Jeong Jong-woo's voice was barely audible, in stark contrast to the boy's confident nod.

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

For a moment, silence filled the living room, and then the two men made different gestures.

Sang-gil looked at Hyeon-woo in disbelief, while Jeong Jong-woo glared at him.

After all the fuss to bring him here, he's a complete beginner? Are you really crazy?

After giving him a sharp look, Jeong Jong-woo cleared his throat and said,

"Ahem, we should test him quickly."

The three, now in a strange atmosphere, headed to the attic where the piano was.

* * *

A genius (天才) is someone who learns and enlightens themselves through self-study (獨學), not through someone else's teaching (修學).

It's often said.

Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Schubert.

If so many geniuses appeared in the past, why can't they appear in modern times?

Still, Jong-woo despised those who said such things.

After all, they were geniuses who had worked hard.

The great figures who had burned their entire bodies with a tremendous passion for music.

They were not supernatural beings born with perfection.

Geniuses were just illusions lingering in the realm of fantasy.

Jong-woo's view, which the boy was challenging with his bare hands.

By saying he had never learned.

He had only 'appreciated' countless performances through the television, which was called a "dumb box."

'Ha.'

It was a laughable claim. Yet, his firm gaze made one wonder.

Just looking at the reaction of his friend next to him.

Sang-gil, who, despite public opinion, was unmatched in the field of 'music.'

He had declared it.

A talent even greater than Han Yeong-jae and Yoo Sung-woo.

And even now, his eyes were filled with strong expectations.

"Hey, can you play 'Für Elise' again, like you did yesterday?"

"Yes."

Still, Jong-woo had no expectations.

After all, he couldn't feel anything from the small boy who looked like a child.

Yes, that's how it was.

Until the boy sat down at the piano.

The atmosphere changed abruptly as the boy took a deep breath and looked at the keys.

His fingers gracefully rested on the keys, in a posture as elegant and dignified as a professional pianist.

That small gesture made the narrow attic feel like a stage lit by dim lighting.

'His posture is really good...'

Jong-woo's thoughts were cut short.

A heart-wrenching melody pierced his ears, chilling his bones.

So heart-wrenching that it even awakened the frozen heart of the old bachelor.

'This is...'

It shook his entire body.

The warmth of a fleeting spring day and the emotional plunge that followed.

As the piece progressed, he slowly, but surely, realized.

He had encountered the genius he had so firmly denied.

* * *

Chae-won, pouting, muttered in front of the door.

"I want to go in too..."

Her uncle, of course, and her long-lost Uncle Jong-woo, were seriously stopping her, saying it was important.

In the end, she could only listen at the door.

Actually, there was no big reason for Chae-won to be so captivated.

Because of her poor family, she was naturally timid and short, and she didn't like Hyeon-woo.

But from a certain point, his attitude became more mature, and when she saw him play the piano, her heart melted.

Of course, she vehemently denied that it was anything more than admiration for his piano skills.

'Oh, I just like the sound of the piano. It's not that I like that older brother.'

She couldn't understand why her parents kept teasing her.

Meanwhile, her entire attention was focused on the other side of the door.

Soon,

A sound came.

'Oh! It's "Für Elise" again!'

The music, now familiar to the girl's ears, seemed to be at the request of her uncle.

Listening to it again, it was really...

Heart-wrenching.

Heart-wrenching enough to shake the heart of a 14-year-old girl who knew nothing.

'Hmm.'

Silence continued. After an unknown period of silence,

Another piece began.

Debussy's "Clair de Lune."

Even though it was still midday, the performance was enough to evoke the night sky.

Next.

Another piece.

It seemed that the short concert by Hyeon-woo, who had played with Chae-won, ended in a grand success.

The door suddenly opened.

Sang-gil and Jong-woo came out first. One was completely dazed.

The other was watching the dazed friend with a chuckle.

Whispering in his ear,

"That's what I said, you bastard."

And the host of the concert walked out last. The girl smiled brightly, meeting his gaze.

Seeing the boy,

Whose lips were slightly upturned despite a hint of fatigue.