Chapter 116
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: The Final Busking
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Every Sunday, at the same time.
A staff member from Whale Studio's PR team, whom they met at a shop near the park, smiled as they handed over the clothes and spoke.
“Today is the last day.”
“Yes. I just have to play well today, right?”
“Yes. Please give us a wonderful performance.”
Until now, Seojun had shown steady improvement. The number of people coming to the park to watch had increased, and even music professors had expressed interest upon hearing about a child showing tremendous growth. After watching the videos, they all wanted to see him in person.
“It's a shame. It was so much fun…”
Everyone smiled at Seojun's words as he came out after changing his clothes. To the Hollywood star Seojun Lee, it was a negligible amount of money, but the sight of him carrying a piggy bank and treasuring every cent was endearing.
“I’ll earn more today than any other day!”
Seojun clenched his fists, determined.
* * *
Choi Yuseong and Natalie headed to the park with smiles on their faces. Both violin majors, they each had a violin case slung over their shoulder.
While Choi Yuseong bought snacks for the boy, Natalie gently stroked her old violin case and smiled softly.
“Last week’s performance was great, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. His bad habits seem to be disappearing. Though he's still a bit clumsy.”
“I guess his teacher isn’t that skilled.”
“Still... he played well.”
Awkward posture, missed notes. Yet, amidst it all, a poignant emotion could be felt. Choi Yuseong and Natalie were captivated by the boy's performance.
“He must have gotten even better today.”
With faces full of anticipation, Choi Yuseong and Natalie went to the boy's spot and found their places among a slightly larger crowd than usual.
They could see the boy just now resting his chin on the violin.
How much better would he be this week! The expressions of the people watching the boy with expectant eyes.
Screeeech—
Turned grim in an instant.
As he played the first note, Seojun thought, *Oops*. The Blue Whale bodyguards, the staff member filming, and even An Daho, who was on edge amidst the growing crowd, all looked at Seojun in surprise.
He had been playing while acting as Gray, just as before, but what came out was the disastrous performance of Gray, who had learned from the con artist Swallow—the very scenes they were currently filming.
Seojun pondered. Should he fix it right here, or finish this piece first and then correct it?
‘Either way would be strange...’
While Seojun was deliberating, his subconscious continued to channel Gray’s performance.
The messy performance continued, and the onlookers' expressions grew even harsher.
His posture, the position of his fingers, the height of his bow arm—all worse than when they first saw him. Even the placement of his feet.
“Damn it. What is that?”
“Calm down.”
“How can I be calm right now?”
“He must have his reasons. It’s not our place to interfere.”
At Natalie's words, Choi Yuseong took a sharp breath. She was right. They didn't know his circumstances. But,
Screeeech—scrape—
The sound cried out. The violin was weeping. Within that sound, full of dissonance and barely qualifying as a performance, the boy’s heart could be felt with poignant clarity.
I love the violin. I love music. More. More. I want to play. I want to be good. I want to learn more!
Even while he was hesitating, Seojun’s continued performance as Gray struck Choi Yuseong’s heart with force.
“Damn it.”
At the screeching sound, the audience members standing around the boy closed their eyes.
The onlookers who had felt a sense of pride watching the child every Sunday, and even those who had cheered him on through videos and were seeing him for the first time today, all felt a pang of pity.
Choi Yuseong, who had been rubbing his dry face, had a glint in his eyes. It didn't matter what the circumstances were.
“Hey, kid!”
Choi Yuseong's voice rang out loudly. The students who had been listening to the boy's performance with devastated expressions, and Natalie too, turned to look at Choi Yuseong with surprise.
“...Yes?”
The violin performance, which had been ongoing, stopped. The boy looked up.
Seojun, who had just decided to play properly right after this piece ended, continued his act as Gray and asked.
“Why is your posture like that?”
“Uh... is it wrong?”
“Yes. If you lower your elbow that much, the bow can’t move properly.”
After that, Choi Yuseong pointed out every incorrect aspect of his posture.
“Your feet should be placed here. Straighten your back, arm this way. Your fingers were better last week.”
While the boy stammered, “Uh, uh,” he adjusted his posture according to Choi Yuseong’s instructions. Seeing Choi Yuseong, other students from the same violin department chimed in.
“He’s still young, so he needs to learn the basics well.”
“I think lowering his shoulder a bit more would be good too, right?”
And so, the boy's posture was perfected. Choi Yuseong and the students stepped back a little, their faces filled with satisfaction.
“Play just like that.”
“The piece you played last time was Autumn from The Four Seasons, right?”
“Good. I’ll help you with the wrong notes later. For now, just play.”
At the words of the fans who even remembered his repertoire, the boy, who had been rolling his eyes, raised his bow.
“Wait a minute.”
Seeing the boy about to play the small, old violin, Natalie handed him the violin case she had slung over her shoulder.
Natalie smiled at the sight of the boy awkwardly accepting the violin case.
“It’s the one I used when I was young. It’s still usable. The size should be right, too.”
“You had something like this?”
Choi Yuseong looked at Natalie. Natalie shrugged.
“I just brought it along to reminisce... but I think it’d be better for the kid to use it now than for me. It’s a gift, little one.”
When the startled boy waved his hands to decline, both Choi Yuseong and Natalie insisted.
“Just play. That's what we came here to hear.”
“That’s right.”
“...Thank you.”
Since everyone was saying so, the boy accepted the violin. Just as Natalie had implied, it seemed she had treasured it; the case was clean, and the violin inside was so well-maintained it could be played immediately.
What was happening? The bodyguards, the staff member, An Daho, and even Seojun, all flustered by the unexpected situation, felt their hearts warm at the sight of the kind-hearted students.
Seeing the people smiling warmly, Seojun couldn't help but smile too. So, he decided to cast aside the persona of Gray and play with all his heart.
[(Good) Basic Practice of the Violin Dream Fairy is activated.]
[(Good) Melody of the Goblin Violinist is activated.]
[(Good) Basic Breathing of the Elf is activated.]
He didn't usually carry the blessing ability with him, so this was all he could do for now.
‘Since they all seem to be related to music.’
I hope it helps, even just a little.
Resting his chin on the violin, Seojun began to play with all his might.
[Violin Concerto No. 1 by Dream Fairy, Goblin, and Gray]
The boy rested his chin on the violin. Choi Yuseong, who was about to help him with his posture due to the different-sized violin, froze.
“Huh?”
His posture was astonishingly clean. Like a violinist on stage—so magnificent. Dazzling.
It was as if a spotlight was shining only where the boy stood. An overwhelming presence, so strong it was strange they hadn't noticed it before.
Choi Yuseong wasn't the only one who felt it. The jaws of the students standing around him dropped.
The image of Gray, the shy genius, was gone. In his place stood Lee Seojun, brimming with confidence from head to toe, his presence radiating in all directions.
The long bow, seemingly glowing, descended beautifully. The boy's music passed through their ears and pierced their hearts.
The sound, filled with gratitude, appreciation, and joy, resonated through people's bodies as if they themselves were soundboxes.
It was an ordinary violin someone had used as a child, yet its resonance was as deep and beautiful as a Stradivarius crafted by a master.
The sound from the small violin filled the park. People gathered, drawn by the beautiful performance. Those who were already there and those who arrived late all listened in silence.
An explosive energy erupted from his small body. It sent shivers down their spines.
With a single breath, someone found inspiration; with a single note, someone had an epiphany. There was no better study than listening to music on a completely different level.
The boy looked like a classic scene from a movie, no matter the angle. Everyone stared, mesmerized, at the boy playing with such vigor.
The final note of the seemingly endless piece rang out, loud and long. Even after the performance ended, people couldn't snap out of their daze.
An Daho, the staff member, and the bodyguards, who had little connection to music, were the first to come to their senses and helped Seojun pack up his things.
Even so, they couldn't take their eyes off Seojun, who had pulled his black hat down low. They had met him every Sunday and chatted about this and that, but this was the first time they had seen him as a star with such an overwhelming presence.
This was Seojun Lee.
It was an aura that made them understand how he had become a Hollywood star at such a young age.
After carefully placing the violin back in its case, Seojun handed it to Natalie. Just then, Choi Yuseong, who was standing beside her, snapped out of his trance and opened his mouth.
In that brief moment, he saw the boy surrounded by the Blue Whale people, his back turned to them.
“You... who are you?”
It was a low, mumbling voice, but it reached the ears of Seojun, whose senses were heightened by the use of the three abilities.
Lifting his black hat slightly to show his face, Seojun smiled and spoke. Whether it was because of his clear pronunciation, his clean voice, or the silence of the park, Seojun’s reply was unusually distinct.
“I’m Jun. Thank you for the violin.”
“No, wait!”
Before he could stop them, Jun and the Blue Whale crew disappeared. Choi Yuseong's shoulders slumped in defeat.
“What in the world just happened?”
As Choi Yuseong said that, everyone else came to their senses. Someone shouted.
“That kid, where did he go?!”
“Wait, something just came to me!”
Someone opened a notebook from their bag and started scribbling something down. Someone else had recorded it, and another grabbed their instrument. While they were all making their own notes, Natalie spoke up.
“...Does anyone know that piece he just played?”
At her words, the bustling park fell silent as if time had stopped. Everyone wracked their brains, thinking of every piece they knew, but there was no answer.
“Then... did anyone film it?”
The first performance had been so shocking (in a bad way) that no one had filmed it properly. Those who were filming had paused while Choi Yuseong and the others were correcting the child’s posture.
Everyone pressed their lips together in frustration. Natalie and Choi Yuseong were also in despair. Not a single person had filmed that incredible performance, that beautiful piece?!
“No, seriously, not one person!?”
* * *
“I got it!”
The staff member from Whale Studio's PR team exclaimed, his face flushed with excitement. Seeing the genuinely happy staffer, Seojun, who had changed his clothes, came out and tilted his head.
“What did you get?”
“The amazing piece Jun played at the end! I filmed all of it! Bringing the professional camera because it was the last day was a stroke of genius!”
“There was a camera like that?”
“Because it was the last day. There were instructions to film any good performances with a high-quality camera, since it might be used for TV promotions or a making-of film.”
“I see.”
Seojun, who didn't care what kind of camera was used, nodded.
“By the way, what’s the title of that last piece? It was the first time I’d heard it, but it was really wonderful.”
At the staff member's question, the bodyguards and An Daho also perked up their ears.
It was a piece that felt like warm sunlight pouring down. A happy, blissful, and joyful song. A fairytale-like melody they had never heard before.
“It’s a piece I composed.”
“...What?”
“I started learning the violin last year, and the script mentioned composing, so I got curious and learned that too. I just finished it a few days ago. It was okay, right?”
At his words, everyone was speechless. Seojun laughed sheepishly, “Ehehe.”
To be honest, that was a lie. He had taken a piece that came to him while filming a composing scene, tweaked it a bit, and finished it a few days ago.
‘But it would be weird to say it only took a month, right?’
They would find it hard to believe even if he said he'd worked on it for a year, let alone a month. Seojun apologized internally for the lie and handed the violin to the staff member.
On the way home, Seojun was tapping his hands and feet, replaying [Violin Concerto No. 1 by Dream Fairy, Goblin, and Gray] in his head, when a sudden thought made him let out a sigh of regret.
“Ah…”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
An Daho, who was driving, reacted immediately to Seojun’s sound.
“I didn’t earn a single penny today.”
“Ah. Everyone was too stunned to give you money.”
Seojun said with a gloomy expression, and An Daho replied, recalling the crowd at the park. Seojun nodded. He understood, but,
“It was the last day of busking…”
It was such a disappointing end.
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