"Anna, give me some pepper."
Chapel strictly forbids outsiders from entering. Not only cleaning, but also meal duty had to be taken by 12 violinists in rotation. Isn't there not enough time to practice? Arthur, if someone saw them, they would think they were cleaning and preparing food all day long. Furthermore, all the violin masters unanimously said that long-term practice was only poisonous.
"Hey, stay here."
Anna carefully handed me the pepper shaker. Anna had misunderstood the way I consoled William, who was crying like a child. It was fortunate that I cleared up the misunderstanding, otherwise I would have been misunderstood about my sexual preferences. I like women, then and now!
"Hyeon, what are you making?"
"It's called Jjimdak. It's something we eat often in Korea."
Anna looked at me curiously. Of course, it was obvious that the food was made by violinists who had never cooked before. Even so, my mouth was already watering from eating bread crumbs and bacon every time. Look carefully, this is my cooking skills honed in my past life of studying for the civil service exam.
"Wow, it smells really good."
Anna smiled a rare smile and her eyes lit up. At times like this, there was no other Russian doll. I don't know for sure, but it must have been quite popular in Moscow. Anna's eyes widened as she added the noodles that had been soaked in water for the last time to the sizzling steamed chicken. There was really no ingredient that wasn't available at Chapelle.
"Are you really saying that Mr. Hyun and Ms. Anna did this?"
Zhang Yan raised his eyebrows like a seagull and looked at the food. He looked like a monk who had taken refuge in Buddhism, and he looked like he was about to put his hands together before eating. It seemed like everyone else was surprised as well. Eric, who was from Northern Europe, was already drooling.
"It's really great. Honestly, I was worried because there were two people cooking. I feel like asking them to do it every time. The smell itself is extraordinary."
Joseph said in admiration.
"No, Hyun did everything. I just prepared the ingredients on the side."
Anna answered in a small voice.
"Hyeon, I thought you were only good at the violin, but now I see that you should go into cooking. How is it that your cooking skills are better than my grandmother's? This red stew is really fantastic!"
Eric was already emptying his bowl after bowl, exclaiming in admiration. At first glance, he looked like a Viking descendant. If I hadn't stopped him, he would have eaten all the steamed chicken by himself.
At that moment.
'uh?'
Something caught my eye. While everyone else was eating absentmindedly, Daniel Brühlmann from Germany was frowning. I thought he was a picky eater, but that wasn't the case. He was trying his best to eat chicken.
"Daniel, did you hold the bow all day yesterday?"
"Oh, I guess I practiced a little too hard. The pain lasts a little longer than I thought."
It seemed like he had cramps in his hands. It was something that could easily happen after holding a bow all day. Furthermore, since the song assigned to Daniel required him to be skilled in variations and tempos, he must have been very stressed. They were people who had become close to each other for several days. Although they were competitors, after spending days at Chapel, the thought of them being mere competitors had subsided. They were competitors as well as companions who pursued endless melodies.
"Wait a minute, everyone listen to my story."
Everyone's attention was focused on my voice.
*
'Let's show each other the designated songs.'
The saying that violinists are like delicate flowers really hit home. There were only seven violinists who accepted my proposal. What was special was that the three so-called dark horses of this competition all participated. Of course, Zhang Yan from China, Eric from Northern Europe, and William from England, whose eyes sparkled as if an opportunity had come.
"I'll play first."
Eric, who seemed to be unusually large, perhaps because he had eaten a lot of steamed chicken earlier, picked up the violin. Like a scene from a music salon, we sat in a circle and listened to his performance.
As the performances of one, two, three people continued.
'also'
I was sure. No matter how talented they were, they were all rookies who had not established a posture that suited their bodies. It was the same with Park Seon-yeong. Of course, that wasn't the only problem with their performance. However, I couldn't point out every little detail of their performance. It was a matter of their musical pride. I had no intention of going that far either.
"Eric, come here."
I climbed up on a chair and helped Eric adjust his posture.
"What are you doing?"
Just like Park Sun-young, Eric also made a puzzled expression. They had maintained a fixed posture their whole lives. Even in their eyes, Eric's posture that I had fixed seemed extremely awkward. It was understandable. I don't know how I see this. It's just that the answer flashed into my head like doing arithmetic. After barely fixing his large body, I started to sweat a little.
"Play that song again."
"what?"
Eric nodded helplessly at my stubborn gaze.
"If you don't like your posture, you don't have to change it. Changing your posture right before a competition isn't a good idea either. But it would be good for everyone to know what posture suits their body. We are people who pursue melody."
Where did the initial disbelief go? Eric's face was as red as when he had eaten steamed chicken. The richness and harmony in the melody that followed immediately changed. Even if it was a very small change, the musicians could clearly feel the difference. I could feel everyone watching glaring at this miraculous sight. William finally met my gaze as if the time had come.
It was the moment when everyone swallowed their saliva.
"Me too, please!"
As Anna suddenly got up from her seat, I chuckled and quietly got down from my chair.
* * *
"Your Majesty, Chairman Wang is personally taking action?"
President Kim Jae-seon jumped up from his seat. The way he was holding the receiver made it look like he was supporting his boss. Kim Jae-seon's wrinkled eyes closed and opened several times in surprise. Like a startled frog.
"Please summon the directors immediately."
With just one short word, not only the editorial writers, but also the heads of the social affairs, political affairs, and economic affairs departments were all called in. The sight of them all in perfect order was no less than a five-minute standby at a military base. Kim Jae-seon looked over the people in the conference room and began to speak.
"Does anyone here know that Chairman Wang is heading to Europe?"
Everyone immediately knew who Chairman Wang was referring to. In the first place, the newspaper company they were working for was owned by Jeil Group before the media consolidation. Even now, the actual owner is the same. Everyone remained silent as if they had eaten honey.
"I heard that Chairman Wang is heading to Europe himself for the young prodigy. You've all heard of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, right?"
Kim Jae-seon raised his voice, as if he had known all along.
"I heard that the young prodigy just entered an international competition and made it to the final list. Let's see how many of you know about it. Now, raise your hands."
To begin with, South Korea was a wasteland of classical music. Not only were there no interests, but there was no demand for classical music except for certain classes. Furthermore, shouldn't these international competitions be managed by record companies, not by themselves? However, Kim Jae-seon had different thoughts.
"Right now, in a faraway land, a child is promoting national prestige all by himself. How can we, as journalists, not know about this? Let alone, Chairman Wang himself is taking action!"
Promotion of national prestige.
"Sir, may I know that child's name?"
The political editor, who didn't know why he was brought here, raised his hand and took up the gun. The reason was simple. He was the youngest among the editors. Kim Jae-seon, who had been emphasizing the four words "national prestige," once again put strength on the tip of his tongue.
"Everyone, listen carefully, it's Kang Hyun. Kang Hyun!"
It was a moment when the two letters of the name Kang Hyeon were engraved in the minds of journalists. In addition, it was accompanied by the words, "promoting national prestige."
*
Achoo!
Damn, sometimes I just sneeze for no reason. Did someone just say something about me?
"Hyeon, do you have a cold?"
Mark, the headmaster of Chapel, looked worried. I shook my head. Come to think of it, I haven't had a cold, let alone a minor illness. Looking back on my past life, I wasn't that healthy when I was young.
"No, I'm fine. I think it's because of the pollen."
"If you have any problems, please feel free to contact me at any time. Your health is of the utmost importance to Queen Elizabeth."
I wonder where he learned his famous sayings from. Mark's expression was so nonchalant that I was used to him talking like that.
"Do you know Maestro Eden Simeon, the current permanent conductor of the Belgian National Symphony Orchestra?"
Ah, I had heard of him. He was a maestro who conducted for Belgium all his life. But by the time I became interested in classical music, he had stopped conducting. But Mark seemed more satisfied with my answer, "I don't know."
"It will be a very meaningful time, Hyun."
Mark saw me off and I arrived at the Beaux-Arts Hall. I was there to prepare for a collaboration with the symphony orchestra. As I walked alone into the hall, I remembered the time I came here with Alexei. I wondered if the red curtains were still fluttering.
The moment I opened the door to the Beaux-Arts Hall and stepped inside with anticipation.
Doo-doo!
A low clarinet sound was heard. It didn't end there. The baton swung across the air.
Jiing―!
The melodies of the violin, cello, and contrabass resonated. My eyes and ears were caught by the sudden start of the symphony. The red-haired conductor continued to conduct, whether he knew I was there or not.
A series of breathtaking moments.
The low, descending tones unique to Slavic music make for an introduction that feels like sailing through a vast ocean in the thick darkness. The orchestra responded to the conductor's fingertips and unfolded a chilling tone. Each and every one of them was an outstanding talent. Perhaps because they had acquired talent, it felt different from when I first listened to an orchestra in my past life. It was to the point where I felt guilty even swallowing my saliva.
That was when.
The atmosphere changed with the conductor's signal. The melody resonated like a warrior of destiny overcoming adversity. The rising joy was so great that it gave me goosebumps. In the end, the low-lying tone exploded like an active volcano, creating a finale of joy. I was clearly standing in one place for a long time. However, I even had the illusion that the entire performance had passed by in an instant. As evidence, my palms were covered in sweat.
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5.
The conductor, who had finished conducting, bowed his head toward the members and turned around. It was definitely not a short time, but it was a moment that felt infinitely regrettable. My eyes met the red-haired conductor's.
"Violinist, this was a performance just for you."
Just by making eye contact.
"What did you feel while listening to the symphony?"
I felt a pressure that seemed to seize my whole body. It wasn't just because of the many members looking at me. It wasn't because my whole body was frozen by the sudden event. It was because the conductor's sharp gaze felt like it was reading my mind. Yes, I felt this way when I met Chairman Wang.
"Horn in the second movement, first violin and cello in the third and fourth movements respectively."
To my firm answer.
"The conducting direction was wrong when the first movement began."
Eden's eyes opened wide. There were definitely contestants who had guessed one or two riddles. However, this was the first time in decades that a contestant had solved the riddle he had set so perfectly.