Chapter 101
Teacher Kim Eun-joo's class time. Continuing from the last time, this was a class on how to achieve happiness.
"What does our Soo-hyun think about the happiness that comes from sharing?"
'Exchange. It means sharing something, but I don't think that's what the professor is referring to.'
"Well, aren't you talking about something like a donation?"
I saw it on the news. They say that in Korea there is a character called the Faceless Angel. Every year, at the end of the year, he donates a large amount of money without revealing his identity. I thought he was a person who truly practiced sharing, and at the same time, was finding his own happiness by sharing.
Teacher Kim Eun-ju said with a smile,
"Sharing is not donating. In other words, it is not necessarily done with money or material things. Of course, the act of donating itself is based on sharing, but you shouldn't think of it that way. They say that sharing begins with affection. If you look around and pay attention, there are many things you can share. People mistakenly think that helping the poor is sharing. However, if you add affection to the small things you can share with those around you, that is sharing."
'Well, is buying snacks for my friends also sharing? If you look at it on a small scale, it's the same, right? When I make a lot of money later, I want to give expensive gifts to my friends, as well as to Professor Lee Chan-ho, Noona Ji-ye, and Teacher Kim Eun-joo, who is right in front of me. Oh! I also want to give gifts to Professor Lech and the people of Baeksa.'
Teacher Kim Eun-joo continued to speak as if she had read Soo-hyun's thoughts.
"If you think you have to do something when you succeed or that you have to do something great, you will always be someone who cannot share anything. Success has no end. If you only look for something great that you can share, what you are trying to share will always seem insufficient."
Soo-hyun flinched. Teacher Eun-ju Kim seemed to be reading minds. She also smiled deeply, knowing what Soo-hyun was thinking based on his reaction.
"Did our Soo-hyun have similar thoughts?"
"Yes, I did."
"But it's a perfectly normal way of thinking. If you don't understand the meaning of sharing, it's normal to think that way."
'What else can we share if not material things or money? Even sharing with friends costs money. What could it be?'
No matter how much he thought about it, the only thing Soo-hyun could do was play music. The teacher just looked at Soo-hyun, who was lost in thought. After a long time, Soo-hyun opened his mouth.
"When I was in Poland, I was hospitalized."
Eun-joo Kim, who did not know the truth, was a little surprised.
"Where did it hurt?"
"No, I didn't go because I was sick. I just fainted after playing."
A look of genuine concern appeared on Kim Eun-joo's face and was transmitted to Soo-hyun. He said with a faint smile,
"Don't worry. It was just a little while. I faced it head-on instead of running away."
"Huh? What?"
"It's a feeling."
"Ah…"
"Anyway, there was a piano in the hospital lobby at that time. Professor Lee Chan-ho suggested that we try to comfort the patients with the piano."
The teacher adjusted her glasses as if she found it interesting.
"So?"
"I played it. With a heart full of comfort. In fact, I was the one who received the greatest comfort. I remember that after I finished playing, the mother of a sick child came up to me and thanked me."
Kim Eun-joo smiled brightly.
'As expected, our Soo-hyun is smart. Did he immediately understand what the teacher meant?'
"Is that also sharing?" Soo-hyun asked.
"Of course."
Soo-hyun nodded. To divide it into what you can do. That was the true meaning of sharing. The teacher patted his shoulder.
"I don't want to say that you have to live by sharing. That is not achieved by force. The moment you do something out of obligation or because you want the world to remember you as a good person, it becomes 'work' for you, and work is never fun. When our Soo-hyun develops that mindset naturally, think about what you learned today."
Soo-hyun saw teacher Kim Eun-joo. There were many very good adults around him. No one forced him. The only one who forced him to study was his older sister Ji-ye, but if she wasn't there, he would now be treated like an idiot at school.
"I'll remember, teacher."
"Haha, okay. Shall we end the class for today?"
"Thank you, Professor."
Soo-hyun woke up first. Teacher Kim Eun-ju had a lot to do. Soo-hyun bowed politely and opened the door. Eun-ju Kim, who was thinking of dropping Soo-hyun off at his house on her way home after packing her bags, quickly opened the door that Soo-hyun had closed and looked out into the hallway.
"Soo-hyun! Shall I give you a ride? Did you bring the car…?"
There was no one. Just a long hallway.
'It seems like only a few seconds have passed… I guess Soo-hyun usually walks fast. Or maybe something urgent came up.'
The teacher quietly closed the door and packed her bags with a heavy heart.
The Pianist's Village, Schubert's House.
Schubert, who welcomed Soo-hyun as she opened the door and entered, rubbed his hands with his eyes full of smiles as always.
"Soo-hyun, you came again today. You're a very diligent student. You must be tired."
"I'm a little tired. I go to school in the morning for middle school subjects, and in the afternoon I take cello, violin, and composition classes. Fortunately, today was a day when Professor Eun-ju Kim had a class, so there was no piano lesson."
"It's okay, master. I'm grateful that you teach me, but I can't be lazy."
"Haha, I met a good disciple. Sit down, please."
Classes with Professor Schubert always began with a snack. The first time I had tea, it had no taste. It was a hot tea with a strange taste, as if it were made with bitter herbs. But it tasted really good when paired with sweet or salty cookies. After getting used to the taste of the tea Schubert served, teatime became very enjoyable.
Mr. Schubert was always curious about what kind of world it was today and what people were studying. But Soo-hyun didn't know much about the world. Telling him what you know left him in awe and happy.
"This is a cell phone. Do you know what a phone is?" Soo-hyun said.
Schubert couldn't have known. The telephone was first developed in 1876, and he passed away in 1828. He was playing with his cell phone, wearing very small glasses compared to his fat face.
"I don't know. What's that?"
"It's a machine that can communicate with each other from a very long distance."
"Oh! Really? Is there such a thing?"
"Yes, so no one writes letters anymore."
"Oh… How sad. There are emotions that can be expressed in words, after all."
Soo-hyun showed him photos of Ji-ye and his friends in the gallery. Schubert's eyes widened because he thought they were surreal paintings by a great artist. Soo-hyun, who was watching Schubert in awe, suddenly had this thought.
'Can the professors and uncles also take pictures? The camera works without an internet connection. Why can't I take pictures?'
"Master, can you look here for a moment?" Soo-hyun said, taking the phone from Schubert's hand.
"Hmm?"
The camera didn't respond either. Not only calls and the internet, but also the apps didn't run. The Pianist's Village was a really strange place. Soo-hyun scratched his head and said with an awkward smile.
"It's not working after all."
"What were you trying to do?"
"I wanted to take a picture of you, master."
"Why?"
"I just wanted to leave it behind."
Schubert pointed to Soo-hyun's head with a deep smile.
"If you want to preserve a scene, you have to see it with your eyes and remember it in your head."
'That's right. Many people go on trips and are too busy taking pictures to see what they really want to see.'
"What did you learn today?" Schubert asked after having tea.
Soo-hyun usually talked about piano, violin, cello, composition, and auditing classes, or about his lessons with Eun-ju Kim. Schubert, who had listened to the long story without interrupting once, nodded.
"You have a good teacher by your side. Does sharing come to Soo-hyun's mind?"
"Yes. It's the only thing I can think of, sir."
"When you can only think of that, then that's the right answer. Do you plan to put it into practice?"
"Well, I don't know yet."
"Why don't you give it a try? Education that only teaches without reflection or action is dead education."
"How?"
"Didn't you just say the answer with your own mouth?"
"No, that's not it, sir. I'm talking about who, where, and what kind of music."
Mr. Schubert smiled as if he were reading Soo-hyun's thoughts. But he didn't say anything, as if he were telling me to look for the answer myself. At first, Soo-hyun watched Schubert's reaction, but soon he was lost in his own thoughts.
'Be a comfort to someone,Be a source of happiness for someone,Be a memory for someone,If I do that, will all those things come back to me as comfort?As Professor Kim Eun-ju said, was I making excuses by saying, "Maybe later, when I'm more capable"?'
In Soo-hyun's thoughts, people who could share came to mind. People he was grateful to came to mind, but more than that, people who could convey happiness, memories, remembrance, and comfort through their performances came to mind first.
"Baeksa Village…" The thought was muttered through Soo-hyun's mouth.
Mr. Young-hoo said he had never been to a classical music concert. Although he said that the tickets were too expensive, I later found out that he had worked hard to earn money and save up so he could afford to go. But the old man reproached himself for not having time for it. He said that he seemed to have valued other things he could do with that money more.
Soo-hyun said as if he had already made up his mind.
"I thought of a way."
Schubert clapped his hands without even asking Soo-hyun what he was thinking.
"Okay, then I'll do what Soo-hyun wants to do along with my class."
"Huh? What do you mean, sir?"
"What is that...?"
Schubert said with a kind smile.
"You want to play a song, right?"
"Yes, that's right...."
He stood up from his seat and walked over to the pile of messy sheet music.
"If you want to play a piece, you need a song."
'Yes? You can play the music of other professors... ... No way, professor?'
Soo-hyun's eyes widened as he realized what Schubert was trying to do. Schubert muttered as he searched through a pile of sheet music.
"Well, from now on, making music will be a challenge. If we're going to perform, we won't be able to do more than one or two songs… So, what do we start with? ...Hmm."
'Hey, sir! Only a master like you can have a stage to announce your new song! I think the people who come to the concert hall would rather listen to famous songs they know. Hey, sir? Can you hear me?'
- - - - -
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