A Heartfelt Sacrifice
Meanwhile, Yuyeon was basking in the envy of her friends thanks to the new smartphone she had just received.
“Wow, this new Apple phone is really something. The Pro model makes the photos come out so clear.”
But Yuyeon’s heart wasn’t quite as light as she tried to let on.
Every time she looked at the first smartphone, the image of her brother’s old flip phone would flash through her mind.
— Honestly… you can’t really call it generous compared to your other friends.
— You don’t have to worry about money. Just do what you want.
Namhun had promised her he believed in her.
But Yuyeon had sensed the financial struggles in their family and found it hard to shake the uneasy feeling.
— Yuyeon, are you thinking about studying abroad?
In truth, she had no desire to go.
To Yuyeon, Namhun was more than just an older brother—he was her father, and sometimes her mother too.
She didn’t have the strength to survive alone in some unfamiliar place without him.
Besides, she knew that going abroad would only pile more burdens on him.
Money was one issue, but raising twins took up a large part of her responsibility.
More importantly, Yuyeon was starting to sense the harsh realities of the classical music world through her friends.
“Sunhwa, you’re going to uni music major, right?”
“Yeah, I’m planning to. What about you, Sehee?”
“I don’t know. My mom majored in piano too, but now she’s a full-time housewife. She says if you don’t keep improving, it’s better to drop it and find a new path. She won’t sponsor anyone who doesn’t get into Korea University.”
“That’s not fair! How many spots does Korea University even take?”
“My mom’s friends spent a fortune on studying, but almost no one actually earns money. It’s rough.”
“Ugh… Do you really need to get into Korea University? Our teacher isn’t from Korea Uni but still plays in the municipal symphony.”
“But he can’t make much money, so he has to give private lessons.”
The conversation was slowly turning heavy, so Sehee steered it back to lighter topics.
“Sehee, that’s why you practice so much.”
“I just want to play music. My mom says I have to get into Korea University or I won’t be supported. I have no choice.”
She hadn’t even finished high school yet and was already worrying about university.
Yuyeon couldn’t help but feel the same pressure as she watched her friends wrestle with such realistic concerns.
‘Yuyeon, are you really doing this because you love the violin?’
She had heard over and over that she had talent.
That’s why she had never hesitated to pick up the bow.
But doubts were starting to creep in.
‘…I don’t even know if I’m doing it because I love it.’
It felt like she was just following her brother’s lead because he seemed happy to see her play.
Yuyeon naturally found herself comparing her skills to Yoo Sera’s.
After all, Sera was the closest professional performer she could measure herself against.
No matter how many times she thought about it, the only conclusion was that her talent was lacking compared to Sera’s.
While Sera had swept junior competitions at their age, Yuyeon still had zero competition experience.
Namhun had stopped her from entering.
‘Oppa must think I’m still not good enough.’
That was her reasoning.
In reality, it was a bit different.
* * *
Back when Yuyeon was in elementary school, she had only been taking lessons from Sera for a short while.
“Unnie, did you go to the same school as our brother?”
Sera was surprised by the sudden question.
“Huh? Yeah, that’s right. We’re all elementary, middle, and high school classmates—I guess you could say I’ve seen every side of him.”
“Oppa said that. He says you’re an amazing person.”
“…Did Nam do say that?”
“Yeah. He graduated from the Korea University music program and even studied abroad.”
“Oh… I see.”
“Unnie, what if you went abroad?”
“Um… it was really tough for me.”
“Tough?”
“Yeah. I thought I was doing pretty well in our country, but… there were plenty of people who were better than me. They went to world-class competitions as kids and studied abroad. Korea University music route is basically more about becoming a professor than a performer.”
“Seriously? Oppa told me you almost went abroad when you were younger. You chose not to.”
At those words, Sera forced a bitter smile.
“Did Nam say that too?”
“Yeah.”
“How did he know? Did Mom tell him…? Anyway, honestly, I did have opportunities before. A famous violin teacher invited me to join his studio. Looking back, that was probably my prime… but I just couldn’t bear to leave Korea at the time.”
“Why not?”
Sera stayed quiet for a moment.
“…Just. It didn’t match my tongue, and the food was all wrong. I love Korean food so much.”
“Ah, I see.”
“I wouldn’t have been able to survive on the bland food over there.”
Little Yuyeon tilted her head at that.
To a child, it sounded like a shaky excuse.
“…The teacher was German. If I went to Germany, I wouldn’t be able to eat Namhun’s rolled eggs. Yuyeon, you probably understand my feelings.”
Not being able to eat her brother’s rolled eggs?
That was unimaginable.
“Ugh, I don’t want to. I’m not going abroad.”
“See? That’s how I felt too.”
“Ah, so you like Oppa’s rolled eggs too?”
“Yeah. After graduating from uni, I figured I had to experience a big thing at least once. So I went to grad school in America… but it was the same story.”
“So you came back?”
“Yeah. I got my master’s and came back right away. But it was like I just dropped everything and came back, and honestly, there was nothing left for me to do in Korea.”
At the time, it had felt like she had become useless.
“While I was wandering around like that… did your house have an electronic violin?”
At the time, Namhun was basically locked indoors taking care of the little siblings.
With nowhere to release the stress, he had bought a cheap electronic violin and played it obsessively.
It was back when Yuyeon was still learning the basics, so he had needed to practice the system too.
“I suddenly realized this thing was perfect while listening to Namhun play. It felt like the stress was disappearing. So I grabbed that electronic violin, and it ended up being what I used to earn a living.”
“Ah, I see. So you learned the electronic violin because of Oppa?”
“…Now that you mention it, I guess I did.”
She had never really thought about it.
Namhun had changed her entire life.
* * *
After finishing school, Namhun loaded Yuyeon into the car and carefully brought up the topic.
“You said English is hard, right? Let’s reduce violin lessons to two days a week and enroll in a cram school.”
Since she had only focused on music, it was only natural that studying was tough.
“There are plenty of academies that operate around the schedule at Hyohyeon Middle School. You’ll get a ride in the academy car, so you’ll be more comfortable. I’ll pick you up from school to academy to home. When you go to Sera’s lesson, it’ll be like now—Oppa will take you.”
At the word “lesson,” Yuyeon asked,
“Oppa, you’re not paying the lesson fee for Sera unnie, are you?”
She must have known the situation. She couldn’t say he was paying.
“…Well, she did get free lessons when her mom was alive. Technically, we’re just exchanging, so don’t worry.”
Of course, that was a lie.
Yoo Sera had only received lessons from Namhun’s mother for a very short time.
“Even so, I’ll be going to the academy, so it’ll cost money.”
The mention of money made Namhun’s chest tighten.
— I told you not to worry about money! Oppa just got a much better job anyway.
“….”
“Now we’re sending the twins to academy too.”
He had received a call from Happy Wedding staff.
They had already booked three wedding singing slots.
One VIP and two regular.
Thanks to the wedding singer work, there was finally room to invest in the twins.
But Yuyeon felt even more burdened by Namhun’s explanation.
Sending the twins to academy meant his load was growing heavier.
“Ah, we’re here. Don’t go to Sera yet—practice hard.”
“…Okay.”
As Namhun’s car drove away, Yuyeon began searching on the Apple phone he had given her.
— Part-time job
If the twins were at academy, she wouldn’t have to come home early.
Two or three hours a week could help Oppa, right?
But she quickly felt disappointed.
There were no part-time jobs that short, and even one hour wouldn’t cover the cost of a single chicken.
— Middle schooler, can you make a lot of money?
Just then, a question post popped up in her search.
[Yes, it’s possible. Just leave your phone number and I’ll send you a free lottery combination every week.]
[$$$\ 5 years without any accidents$$$\ Gift 100,000 points upon signup$$$\]
[Middle schooler? How can you earn money? Get your head straight and study.]
Among the useless replies, one stood out.
[Yes, even as a middle schooler, you can earn a lot if you’re an idol. My brother Je-hoon debuted when he was in third year.]
“Idol…”
This time, searching “idol” brought up many articles.
[Are middle schoolers the new wave of idols?]
[The age for idol debuts keeps getting younger….]
Thinking about it, an idol had suddenly become a hot topic among her friends.
What was his name again?
“What was it? Some stupid name or something.”
It was definitely Elixer… or something like that.
Even though it was only three letters, the unfamiliar English word didn’t stick in her memory.
“Ah, my head hurts! I’ll just ask tomorrow at school.”
* * *
Namhun’s parents had both pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, so they valued education highly.
Plus, with his busy job, Namhun had been running between academies and lessons since he was little.
After repeating that for so long, young Namhun remembered how much he hated going to academy.
So he approached the twins carefully.
“Academy?”
“YES!”
“…?”
The moment he spoke, both kids threw up OK signs.
No, they were even happier and started jumping.
‘What’s gotten into them?’
The answer came from Yuyeon.
“It’s because all their friends go to academy.”
“Ah…”
That was why young Namhun had hated academy—so he could play with his friends.
But the world had changed.
Now playgrounds had been replaced by academies where you could meet friends.
‘So that’s it. I didn’t know.’
After hearing Yuyeon’s explanation, Namhun felt the generational gap like a truck.
All those years of effort, yet he had missed so much.
“Hyung, I want to go to soccer academy.”
“Soccer?”
The second Namhun asked, Yesol shouted,
“Soccer is boring!”
That made it hurt even more.
They had paired them together so the twins wouldn’t struggle twice as much, but now they thought everything had to be done together.
“Yesol-ah, you don’t have to go to the same academy as your twin.”
“What?”
“Don’t you want to learn anything?”
“Violin!”
The eager word flew out, and Namhun’s face froze for a second. Yuyeon noticed too.
‘Yuyeon’s already struggling, and now Yesol wants to study too?’
‘If Yesol also plays violin, Oppa would have it even harder…’
It was honestly too much to ask, especially in the current situation.
But Namhun’s only choice was “YES.”
Because he had sworn it in front of their parents on the day he left.
Not just for his parents—to raise his younger siblings well beyond that.
Namhun let out a low chuckle without realizing it.
‘Stupid kid. Yesol didn’t say she wanted to learn violin properly.’
Maybe because he was a musician, he immediately thought of elite education.
“Our Yesol wants to play violin?”
“Yeah. I wanna be like unnie and shine.”
Yuyeon felt awkward at the sudden remark.
“I didn’t even ask, and you just jumped in?”
She wanted to be like Yuyeon, but all Yesol wanted was to play with her violin.
‘Yeah. That’s easy—just send her to a regular music academy with friends her age.’
There was no need to force elite training just because she said she wanted to play violin.