Chapter 107
A few days later, the first orchestra rehearsal. The students, nervous because they had completed their own parts, gathered in the practice room an hour early and chatted. A student inspecting a double bass spoke to another student taking out an oboe.
"Did you practice a lot?"
The oboe student straightened his back and shook his head.
"You have to have composed a song before. I finished the score and sent it to Soo-hyun. If it weren't for senior student Yeong-eun, I would have been in serious trouble."
"Senior Young-eun? You too?"
When the older double bass player asked with a surprised face, the older oboist was also surprised.
"Did senior Young-eun help you too?"
"Oh, I was tossing and turning at night, tearing my hair out, when I got a message. You said you wanted to help me, so I ran over. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to finish my part."
"Both songs?"
'There are two pieces that Soo-hyun created for the orchestra.'
"Yes, both songs. Senior student Young-eun has a lot of experience. From what I've heard, she also has quite a bit of experience playing with orchestras."
"Yes, I've heard that he's been in an orchestra since he was fifteen. He has a lot of experience. He also helped me a lot."
"But isn't it amazing? My sister majored in violin, but she also knows the oboe and double bass parts."
"My older sister told me that you tried everything as a young man. You know the basics, right?"
"This is really amazing."
"Hey, it's Junwoo and Jooyoung."
Unlike other students who brought their own instruments, the two students who entered were only carrying a simple music bag. They bowed to their seniors and took their seats. Jooyoung, who had a good personality, approached her seniors first and spoke cheerfully.
"Hello, seniors!"
"Ah, okay. Jooyoung, did you rehearse well? But why did you come? You don't rehearse with the orchestra, do you?"
"Didn't you and Junwoo just do a piano trio with Soo-hyun? Soo-hyun will be in charge of the piano in the orchestra."
Joo-young held up the score and shook it with a sad face.
"No. Soo-hyun suddenly came to see me a week ago and left two orchestral pieces for Junwoo and me. Because of that, I almost died from studying and practicing so much."
The seniors looked surprised.
"Hmm? Then what is Nam Soo-hyun doing? Is he just playing the piano solo?"
Jooyoung shrugged.
"I don't know either. Junwoo seems to know, but he doesn't say anything. Chew. Jaehee and Junwoo are the type who never talk about Soo-hyun. It's as if keeping secrets between friends is loyalty or something."
The seniors tilted their heads as they looked at their watches and checked their instruments.
"Well, we'll know when Soo-hyun comes. Anyway, I don't understand the minds of so-called geniuses."
At the same time, in the Pianist's Village, Schubert's house. Soo-hyun was meditating on the Zelkova piano stage for today's orchestra practice. Two friends stood next to Schubert, who was watching Soo-hyun through the window. Thanks to Frederick, who brought a precious bottle of wine, the three people were chatting.
"What do you think, Professor?" Frederick asked first.
"Hmm?"
"Soo-hyun."
Schubert said with a smile, lightly tapping his glass against the window where Soo-hyun was.
"He has amazing talent. And since he grew up under my tutelage from a young age, his basic skills are also excellent."
Franz smiled with satisfaction as if it were a matter of course and put his arm on his friend's shoulder.
"Professor Beethoven said something similar. Haha."
Schubert smiled as he looked at Franz, who was proud of his son's work as if it were his own, and then looked back at Soo-hyun. Franz, who was standing by the window and looking at Soo-hyun, tilted his head.
'Soo-hyun told me that he studied composition with Schubert and that as a result, he held a small performance at school. However, Soo-hyun, who should be practicing the piano, has been closing his eyes and meditating for a while now.'
"Excuse me, Professor…" Franz asked in a low voice.
"Yes?"
"What is Soo-hyun doing now?"
Schubert turned to his two friends with a smile.
"I once asked Soo-hyun, 'Will you be a pianist or a composer?'."
"What did Soo-hyun say?" Frederick asked with an interested look on his face.
Schubert said with his characteristic deep smile,
"I answered that I'm not a perfect pianist yet."
A warmth lingered on the two friends' faces.
'From the beginning, Soo-hyun had no pride. Everyone here knew that. Perhaps Soo-hyun knew from the moment he entered the world that there was no one in the world who could compete with him. But think about the people his son has seen and grown up with. The young Soo-hyun will feel that his skills are infinitely lacking. In other words, what Soo-hyun compares himself to is not his peers, but the legends who live in the Pianist's Village.'
Frederick nodded.
"I see. That could be interpreted as wanting to become a complete pianist first and then trying his hand at composition."
Franz smiled and raised his glass as if toasting Soo-hyun.
"You raised him well, as expected, haha."
Frederick raised his glass and clinked it with his friend's.
"We raised him well."
"Hahaha, that's right. You're playing for a fortune!"
Schubert said, smiling as he looked at his two friends celebrating.
"Currently, Soo-hyun is at the stage of trying to compose music. I wanted to show him how fun it is to control your own music and spread it to the world. That will be a small sapling for Soo-hyun. Someday, when he is a complete pianist, he will remember this moment. How fun it is to create music!"
Schubert turned to his two friends and said,
"Oh, come to think of it, are you two inexperienced?"
Frederick tilted his head.
"What experience are you talking about, sir?"
Schubert said, pointing at Soo-hyun with his chin.
"Mastery."
Franz's eyes widened.
"Are you saying Soo-hyun is conducting?"
Frederick also looked surprised. This was because until then he had only taught Soo-hyun the piano. Schubert nodded.
"It is said that when Beethoven composed his symphonies, he had already lost his hearing, so he would put a stick on the soundboard of the piano, put it in his mouth, and feel the vibration with his chin to compose. I was very moved to hear that story. Did you see the premiere of his Symphony No. 9, 'Choral'?"
Frederick nodded as if it were obvious.
"I saw it. There were two podiums, two conductors."
Franz also saw it and agreed.
"The assistant conductor was Umlauf, right? Mr. Beethoven was the main conductor. As the performance ended, the audience applauded in droves, but a female singer from the choir forced the deaf and dazed Beethoven to turn around. I can't forget Mr. Beethoven's face crying at the cheering audience."
It seemed that the emotion of that time was still alive in the two friends' hearts. Schubert, who was smiling as he looked at the two people who were lost in memories with their faces drenched in reminiscence, looked at Soo-hyun again and said.
"I wanted to show the girl what it feels like to conduct her own music. So Soo-hyun is working on completing the music mentally."
'Now I understand why Soo-hyun had been meditating with his eyes closed, but occasionally nodded his head or suddenly put strength in one of his hands.'
Schubert, who had been watching Soo-hyun for a while, asked.
"Soo-hyun's performance skills have already surpassed mine."
The two friends nodded, but then they thought of the pride of the master named Schubert and looked at him in silence.
"Of course, only a few can surpass Liszt and Chopin in their performances. Soo-hyun is a child who learned from them. It's natural that his performance skills are superior to Schubert's, who was mainly engaged in composing. But he says he's not a complete pianist yet. I think both of you know who to send your son to in order to become a complete pianist."
"Physical perfection," the two friends said in unison.
Schubert nodded.
"That's right. I should send him. And one more thing."
Schubert looked back at both of them, erasing the smile that always lingered in his eyes. As the two friends straightened up, their faces serious, something unusual for Schubert, who was always smiling, Schubert said,
"I've heard that children know emotions, but they can't define them. I've experienced it and it's absolutely true. But it's gotten much better. Now they understand many emotions. But don't send them too soon. You have to wait for the right time."
"Professor Beethoven said the same thing," the cautious Frederick said.
"Is that what Professor Mozart said?" Franz intervened.
Beethoven also told two friends this. Sending Soo-hyun to Mozart was the last thing to do.
"Is it because of the emotions?" Frederick asked.
Schubert nodded slowly.
"What is the most representative word to describe Mr. Mozart?"
"It's emotional ups and downs," the two friends said at the same time.
Schubert took a deep breath and looked at Soo-hyun through the window.
"Yes. Soo-hyun can't handle that much turmoil yet. So please send her as late as possible, when her mind has matured, not her body. In the Pianist's Village, the zelkova saplings need to mature completely."
A few hours later, back in the practice room at Korea University. When the door of the practice room, where the students who had arrived an hour early were making a lot of noise practicing their parts, opened, all the students turned their heads at once. Because Soo-hyun was the only one who had not yet arrived at the practice room. Soo-hyun entered, looked at the time to see if he was late, and saw that the practice room was a bit chaotic because everyone was practicing, but everyone was seated. The children in the violin class who saw this were amazed.
"Don't you think your hair has completely turned silver now?" "Wow… At first I thought you had a lot of gray hair like your grandfather, but now you can barely see your black hair." "Ah… That's cheating, silver hair and blue-green eyes!" "It's really cool... He looks like a prince from a fairy tale." "Oh, he's smiling… Wow, did Soo-hyun originally smile with his eyes?" "Ah… I think my heart is tense."
Soo-hyun's smile as he looked at the time and smiled in relief at not being late. It was identical to Schubert's.
'There is a theory that if ordinary people smile with their eyes, they can become flirtatious. But for those who are in front of the public, it can also be an opportunity to be loved by everyone.'
As Soo-hyun, who had arrived last and won everyone's favor with a single eye-smile, stood in front of the orchestra members, Joo-young quickly approached her and whispered.
"Number 1 or Number 2?"
She was asking which song he wanted to practice first. As soon as Soo-hyun held up one finger, Joo-young quickly ran to the piano and sat down, and then all the members sat down. Yeong-eun, who had been silently watching Soo-hyun, muttered with a worried face.
"What are you going to do, Commander? I'm worried…"
In an effort to make up for the mistakes she had made, Young-eun helped her friends in almost all the instrument sections as much as possible. Jaehee, who was sitting behind her, stared at Yeong-eun. Jaehee, who had seen the behavior her senior had shown so far, had now calmed down a lot and was sending encouraging gazes to Soo-hyun with soft eyes. And the students' eyes widened in shock when they saw the baton being taken out of Soo-hyun's back pocket.
"So, you're the conductor?" "Nam Soo-hyun himself?"
- - - - -
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