Chapter 118
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Over the Rainbow
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"Gray. You're home? Oh, right, you had your violin lesson today, didn't you?"
Even at his mother's words, Gray kept his head hung low. Seeing him like this, his mother said nothing and simply dried the slightly damp boy with a towel.
Looking at her son's pale face, she spoke carefully.
"Did something happen?"
"Mom…"
"Yes?"
Gray fell into his mother's arms. He had been through so many shocking things without shedding a single tear, but now, Gray began to sob uncontrollably.
It was so, so upsetting. His heart ached. He was the first adult I thought was good, the first teacher I wanted to emulate, and I was so, so happy to be learning the violin from him!
"Mr. Swallow… he wasn't a real teacher…"
Gray whimpered in his mother's embrace. Sobs interrupted his words, making it hard for him to speak, but he managed to continue between choked breaths.
Mom worked so hard to find him… but he wasn't a teacher… He said my posture is a mess. My playing, too…
By the time he finished explaining, a long while had passed, and Gray’s cold body had grown warm.
His mother squeezed her eyes shut and held her weeping son even tighter.
"I'm so sorry, sweetie. I should have looked into it more carefully, found a good teacher even if it was a bit more expensive…"
"No! It's not that… It’s because I, I said I wanted to learn the violin… that’s why…"
Besides…
Gray thought.
It's not like I can make money with the violin anyway. I was just doing it because I liked it. It was the first time, so I was just a little excited.
But as expected, it was impossible.
For Gray, a child from Downrock, it was an impossible dream.
"I'm sorry, Mom."
Gray pulled away from his mother's embrace and wiped his tears. The rough, worn sleeve turned the skin around his eyes red.
Gray spoke bravely, but with a look of resignation on his face.
The boy who had blossomed like a flower upon meeting the violin had finally succumbed to the storm.
"They said we can get the money back if we go to the police station. Let's use that to pay this month's rent."
"...Hic."
At those words, his mother couldn't help but burst into tears. If only he had blamed her, if only he had said he wanted to learn from a different teacher. Seeing her son, who had matured so early and was already worrying about money, made her feel as though her heart was being torn apart.
Seeing his mother cry, Gray tried to hold back his own tears, scrunching up his face, but he couldn't stop them and began to sob all over again.
"Cut! OK!"
The quiet set became noisy at the call to cut. The staff members, who had been watching with their hands over their mouths, started to sob aloud now that filming was over.
***
Lost in sorrow, Gray was left alone in the empty house after his mother went to work. He didn't want to do anything. He didn't want to think about anything. He just lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The patterns on the ceiling looked like… musical notes. Gray drew five black lines in his mind.
This is a C, this is a G… As he was thinking, a melody flashed through his mind.
It was a sad and desperate melody, the likes of which he had never imagined before. It was as if it represented his own heart at that very moment.
Gray's left hand, which had been lying still as he stared at the ceiling, began to move. His fingers mimicked the motion of pressing down on violin strings.
Dozens of melodies raced through his head. With a torrent of musical ideas threatening to erupt, Gray's fingers moved faster.
Gray, who had only been moving his hands, shot up from the bed. His mind was buzzing. He wanted to get it all out.
But, but was it okay? Would he just get hurt again? Gray’s hand trembled as he stood hesitating before the seemingly sealed door to his room.
His trembling hand reached the door with great difficulty. The door, pushed ever so slightly, swung open with surprising ease, as if it had never been closed at all.
And Gray couldn't help but burst into tears. There, neatly placed in front of his door, were the rain-soaked stack of sheet music he had thrown in the trash last night and Rebecca's violin, which he had covered with a blanket.
The image of his mother smoothing out and drying the crumpled, rain-soaked sheets and placing them neatly with the violin came to his mind. He could feel her unspoken message not to give up, and he couldn't stop crying.
Gray didn't think about anything else. He simply moved his hands to the sheet music and a pen. Lying prostrate on the cold floor, he wrote down everything that came to his mind.
Sorrow, frustration, despair.
And between those moments, he sketched in a sliver of pure white hope.
Gray recalled and dwelled on the despair and sorrow. And he translated it with his hands. As he filled the staves, tears fell from his eyes. Droplets landed on the sheet music.
Remembering that time was agonizing, but composing was so much fun. He wanted to write more, more. Gray's hand moved faster as he wrote down the score.
The set grew quiet.
Everyone's eyes were on Seojun, who was acting inside the set. Seojun was lying on his stomach in the middle of the living room. In that position, he was writing something down like a madman.
"He's really…"
Someone spoke, careful not to disturb the filming.
"He really seems like a genius."
Seojun's face was turned toward the floor and wasn't visible. But from his moving hands and arms, his twitching shoulders, and the stack of sheet music piling up beside him, they could tell just how passionately he was composing.
Even though it was just acting, it felt as though a masterpiece was being born right there.
What kind of piece would be created with such feeling? It was so powerful that even the staff members, who had no interest in classical music, were curious.
"They say artists use their own emotions as fuel. Is this what it's like for all of them?"
"Then are all artists…"
Crazy?
The staff's gazes shifted to Benjamin Morton and Jayden Moore. Unaware of their stares, Benjamin Morton and Jayden Moore were craning their necks to watch Seojun. Benjamin Morton whispered in a low voice.
"Can you see? What's he writing?"
"No, sir. I can't see, Jun's back is in the way."
"I wonder if that's an original composition, too."
"It might not be a complete piece, but I bet it's at least the foundation of one, sir."
An original piece drawn out during such an incredible performance—the two were dying of curiosity and waited impatiently for the filming to end. As soon as it did, they took the stack of sheet music from Assistant Director Emily, who tilted her head in confusion.
Benjamin Morton and Jayden Moore silently scanned the sheets.
"This is… your piece, Maestro."
"...So it is."
"Well, I guess even Jun can't just churn out songs on the spot."
Unfortunately for them, what Seojun had written on the sheet music was Benjamin Morton's composition, "Over the Rainbow."
Seeing the two of them looking at the stack of sheet music with disappointed expressions, Seojun, who was eating a sandwich, tilted his head.
***
The filming for *Over the Rainbow* was nearing its end.
There were two major scenes left. There were more if you counted the minor ones, but only two big ones remained.
Today was the scene where Seojun would play "Over the Rainbow."
"Ready, action!"
For today, they had rented the best spot in the park. Passersby recognized Gray and the children.
"Are you performing today?"
"Yes! We're performing a piece Gray composed!"
"He composes, too? That's amazing."
One by one, people sat down on the park grass, waiting for Gray's performance.
George finished setting up the camera, and Rebecca shouted words of encouragement.
*I'm happy.* My ordinary, uneventful days became joyful when I found the violin. There was despair, but it was fun because I had my friends.
Looking at the gathered crowd, Gray caressed his violin with a trembling hand.
My violin.
His heart pounded, and his hands shook.
George said.
"Gray. I'm turning on the camera. Everyone's waiting."
"Okay!"
Gray smiled brightly. With tears welling up, his dark eyes sparkled like stars.
[The melody of the (Good) Goblin Violinist is activated.]
[The (Good) Elf's Basic Breathing is activated.]
The staff, the actors, the director, Professor Benjamin, and Jayden all watched the shimmering Gray. Though it was an ordinary violin, it shone brighter than any other.
Gray's right arm, holding the bow, slowly descended. Unlike in the beginning when he pressed two strings at once, he now pressed a single string, producing a beautiful sound.
A comfortable melody flowed, like one of Gray's ordinary days, followed by a sparkling melody, like the joy he felt on the day he first met his friends and the violin.
The overwhelming emotion he felt while learning the violin poured out, and the absolute happiness he felt upon meeting his teacher.
"Oh…"
Benjamin Morton and Jayden Moore let out a soft gasp at Gray's raw, pure, and unfiltered performance.
At the director's request to let Gray have his own unique performance, since his teacher was the student Rebecca, Benjamin Morton and Jayden Moore had taught him that way. A rawer, more vibrant performance.
A performance where the dynamics and tempo were entirely dependent on Gray's heart. They had thought it was incredible in the practice room, but the performance now was nothing short of shocking.
The person named Jun had vanished, and only the boy named Gray remained. Nowhere in the violin's sound was "Seojun Lee."
'Up to the 7th week, it was Gray's performance, and the 8th week was Jun's.'
Having something to compare it to, Professor Benjamin and Jayden could tell. The performance during the lesson had been half Seojun and half Gray.
'He was probably half-immersed in the role when he played then. And this is him at 100% immersion.'
It gave them goosebumps.
As much as they didn't know about acting, Benjamin Morton and Jayden Moore knew about the violin and music. They could feel that before them was not "Seojun Lee," but a vividly alive "Gray Vainie."
Feeling the distinct presence of Gray within the violin's melody, they couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder at Seojun Lee for pulling off such a performance.
The performance continued, and the hearts of everyone listening crumbled with devastating sorrow.
Even for the composer, Benjamin Morton, it was a performance so wretched, so bleak, so devoid of hope that he wondered how such an expression was possible.
The scorched blackness of Gray's heart upon discovering his teacher was a fraud rode the violin's melody and pierced people's hearts like a dagger.
But within it, there was a thin, slender thread of hope.
His friends who said they would wait for him, and his mother who left the sheet music and violin in front of his door.
Gray held onto that slender thread of hope. And slowly, he moved toward the light. It was a slow pace, but Gray walked on, holding the hands of his friends and his mother.
Like that, one step. Two steps.
Finally, Gray found happiness. The end of this song, which he completed on the day he reunited with his friends.
Gray played powerfully until the very end. It was music that shook people to their core.
A harsh rain falls, and a rainbow appears. And beyond the rainbow, there was happiness.
Over The Rainbow.
The violin's bow grazed the strings, and the final note echoed through the park. No one could utter a single word.
A silence fell over the park, as if even the sounds of nature had been consumed by the violin. While the staff and extras were all savoring the lingering feeling.
"OK! Cut!"
Director Sarah Rothe shouted loudly.
With that sound, applause erupted. Everyone had watched Gray's growth and could feel all the emotions of the song once more.
They celebrated Gray's growth, laughing and crying. Though he was a character in a movie, it felt as if he were right there in front of them.
"Sniff. This movie is going to be a huge hit."
"I don't know what it's about, but this is seriously amazing."
"This soundtrack, where can I buy it?"
The people who had participated as extras for the day grabbed the staff members and asked.
Meanwhile, Seojun wiped his sweat with a wet towel handed to him by An Daho. It was a performance that had taken all his strength. Gray would have played with everything he had, so Seojun did the same.
He drank the cool juice An Daho gave him and took a much-needed rest. There were still bust shots and close-up shots left to film.