Chapter 122
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Your Longstanding Support
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Beep, beep—
An alarm sounded. A young girl shot up in bed and quickly turned it off.
“Rebecca! Time to get up!”
“I'm up!”
[What does it take to make music?]
Rebecca pondered this over breakfast. It was another peaceful, ordinary day. Her father worked on his phone while reading the newspaper, and her mother was on a call with someone.
[Talent? Hard work?]
“Your new violin teacher is coming today, so don't be late. He's the student of someone famous, so you need to learn well. Do you have any idea how much one lesson costs?”
“Yeees.”
[No, it's money.]
The narration flowed in a bored tone.
In the park, the girl, Rebecca, and her friend George met a boy. A boy who exuded melancholy, a black-and-white figure alone in the colorful park.
*Is that Lee Seojun?* Even knowing it was him, it took a moment to recognize him.
The melancholy child looked nothing like Lee Seojun. He showed no trace of Grand Prince Seongnyeong, nor Jin Natra—he was simply Gray, through and through.
The screen showed Gray gradually brightening up as he played with Rebecca and George.
Everyone smiled as Gray's face blossomed like a flower. Watching the colorless child's expression fill with vibrant hues brought a sense of happiness to the viewers.
*It must be a healing story.* Watching the children laugh, the audience quickly forgot the unsettling narration.
They felt a sense of pride watching Gray's violin skills improve remarkably. It was sad to see him already worrying about money, but everyone smiled at the sight of Gray spending time with the teacher his mother had found, Mr. Swallow.
It was obvious how much Gray liked his teacher. They read books together, watched videos of violinists, listened to music, and shared their thoughts.
On days without lessons, Gray would practice at home, eagerly awaiting his next session. On lesson days, he would smile more brightly than ever as he ran to the apartment next door. The sight was so beautiful it could bring one to tears.
Witnessing this ideal student-teacher relationship, everyone thought, ‘He’s a good teacher, Gray found a good teacher,’ and looked forward to seeing Gray soar even higher, just as he had during the eighth week of busking.
“I got a teacher.”
Rebecca and George’s faces lit up at Gray’s shy announcement. Everyone smiled like proud parents as Gray enthusiastically praised his teacher. But that smile didn't last long.
Gray rested his chin on the violin. Rebecca's bright smile froze on her face. The audience was puzzled by her reaction. Why? Wasn't that a proper posture?
The reason was soon revealed. A disastrous performance echoed from the speakers. Some audience members were so shocked they dropped the popcorn halfway to their mouths, while others nearly shot out of their seats. *What is happening!?*
The rendition of Vivaldi's "Spring" from *The Four Seasons*, which he had learned from Rebecca—the one that had been clumsy but improving—was now a complete mess.
Rebecca shouted. Gray spoke. And a flashback scene appeared.
Hidden beneath the happy lessons was Swallow's other side. There stood a con artist who didn't know the first thing about the violin.
The chilling twist left the audience's jaws agape.
“Is that teacher even a real violinist!?”
Along with Gray's devastated face, the audience screamed inwardly. *Wasn't he a good person!?* Forgetting the food in their hands, they were completely engrossed in the film.
Rebecca and George decided to go with Gray to find Swallow. There must be some reason.
Clinging to a thin thread of hope, the three children headed to Downrock the next day. George’s older brother went with them, as their parents insisted they couldn’t go to a place like Downrock alone. That was the kind of neighborhood it was.
The rain fell, and the truth was revealed. A bitter feeling settled in the pit of their stomachs, and the audience pressed their lips together.
Tears welled up at the sight of Gray's back as he walked down the dark street. Then, Gray and his mother were shown, sobbing their hearts out.
After that, Rebecca and George were shown crying in their own rooms. Rebecca's muffled, tearful voice could be heard from under her blanket.
[What does it take to make music?]
Unlike the initial, casual tone, this voice was filled with sincerity and desperation. The line reminded the audience of the narration that had been playing on TV for weeks.
[Talent? Hard work?]
An image of Gray, smiling brightly as a flower, resting his chin on his violin, flashed on screen. Rebecca shed a tear.
[No, it's money!]
[If we had money, we could have bought Gray a proper violin! We could have found a good teacher, not that fraud! If only we had money, money!]
The memory of Gray disappearing alone into the rain resurfaced, and Rebecca buried her face in her pillow, weeping.
[Gray would have had no reason to cry….]
*Sniffle, sniffle.* People began to cry in the audience. Some wept for Gray's pitiful situation, while others cried as they recalled having to forget their own dreams because of money.
There were surely many Grays in this theater. Both Im Miyeon and Park Sunga wiped away their flowing tears.
Even as the audience was immersed in Gray's emotions, time in the movie continued to flow.
The audience cried once more at the sight of the sheet music and violin left outside his door, and they were left speechless by Gray's genius as he clung to music even in such despair.
Gray, who had been composing frantically, snapped his head up. An expression of realization dawned on his tear-streaked face.
‘In two days! At the park!’
Two days! Gray rushed out the door. He ran. He ran towards the park.
*It’s already been two days.*
Several days had already passed since that day. He was afraid his friends, who had said to meet in two days, wouldn't be there, afraid they would be disappointed that he hadn't shown up.
But Gray ran on. They were good friends. He didn't want it to end like this. He gasped for breath as he headed to their usual meeting spot.
Running at full speed, Gray spotted something and slowly came to a halt.
Over the Rainbow.
What lies at the end of the rainbow?
“Gray!”
“You’re late!”
His friends were there, smiling brightly. The sight was so, so blissful that Gray finally burst into tears. Despite having cried for days, his tears hadn't run dry. At Gray's crying, Rebecca and George began to cry as well.
“I thought you weren’t coming.”
“We were so scared when you didn’t show up….”
“…I’m sorry I’m late.”
After a good cry, the three children's eyes were puffy and swollen. The sight was so funny that they forgot they had been crying and burst out laughing.
Joyfully and bravely. They laughed as if to blow away all the sadness they had felt.
Crying and laughing. Drained of energy, the children replenished their strength by eating the snacks George had brought.
*Ah, this is happiness.* Gray smiled. He felt that way because he was happy. He was still scared of failing and being frustrated again, but everyone was cheering for him. He really didn't want to give up.
“Rebecca.”
“Yeah?”
“Will you teach me the violin again?”
At Gray’s words, Rebecca and George exclaimed in surprise.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I want to learn again. I’ve become a mess, but… I can do it again, right?”
“Of course! You’re a genius, you’ll learn properly in no time!”
Rebecca beamed, but George spoke coolly.
“You’ll run out of things Rebecca can teach you pretty quickly.”
His voice didn't match his red eyes, but his seriousness made both Rebecca and Gray nod. It had happened before.
“You really need a teacher.”
“…Yeah.”
Gray flinched at the word "teacher," but he nodded. George continued.
“And you need money.”
Money. Something hard for children to get and difficult for adults to have, and the cause of all their problems. A heavy silence fell among the three children.
“So I looked into it. What do you think about busking?”
“Busking? You can’t earn that much from busking, can you?”
“We won’t just be busking. We’ll upload videos of you busking to N-tube.”
N-tube.
Rebecca and Gray tilted their heads.
“There are so many other videos on N-tube. Why would people want to watch Gray play? He learns super fast, but he’s not as amazing as the violinists in other videos right now.”
“The N-tube videos are for something else.”
“Something else?”
George's eyes sparkled. He had been studying even during his family trip and had researched diligently while waiting for Gray.
“Crowdfunding.”
“…What’s that?”
“It's where people from all over the world support, donate to, and invest in individuals and groups who post online. So, we post Gray's story and receive donations.”
George's words made Rebecca's and Gray's eyes light up. Donations.
“Not only that, but we can open an N-tube channel and show people, ‘This is how he’s learning.’ It might get more people to donate because showing them through video builds more trust than just asking for donations vaguely.”
Seeing the others listening intently, George excitedly continued.
“Of course, the donations might not come in that well. There are many stories sadder than Gray’s. The N-tube videos are Plan B. I don’t know if we’ll be able to monetize it, though.”
It was uncertain. They might get hurt again. Rebecca and George looked at Gray.
“What do you think, Gray? With crowdfunding, you could receive donations, but your story might also become known to a lot of people.”
George calmly explained the pros and cons he had researched online. Whatever Gray decided, they were ready to help. Seeing the strong light in his friends' eyes, Gray smiled brightly.
“I want to do it. Let’s do it, together.”
*I want to learn the violin,* Gray thought.
After that, the children began filming videos to post on the crowdfunding site and N-tube.
Shedding all his bad habits, Gray relearned from Rebecca from the very beginning, and with his brilliant talent, he picked it up even faster than before.
Rebecca constantly peppered her violin teacher with questions and participated earnestly in lessons she used to listen to half-heartedly. George researched more ways to promote Gray.
“Today’s the first performance, right?”
And so, the date for their first busking performance was set. They asked the park manager and found a spot where busking was allowed.
It was Gray’s first time playing the violin in front of people, and he reviewed the sheet music with a nervous expression.
His mother, George's family, and Rebecca's family all gathered for the busking performance.
The first piece was "Spring" from Vivaldi's *The Four Seasons*.
Hoping for a warm and vibrant spring. Hearing Gray's clumsy yet beautiful violin, everyone who knew his story felt their eyes well up with tears.
A short while later, a video the three children had edited with their heads together was uploaded to the crowdfunding site, and comments began to appear.
-As a fellow violinist, I hope this helps!
-I think you should buy a violin first.
-It’s not much, but I hope it helps :)
A high school student watching on his phone, a young child watching with their mother, a patient who saw the video on a hospital computer, and even the man from the apartment upstairs and the hyung from downstairs—all of them donated their own money.
As the donations and comments piled up, a thought occurred to Gray.
“George. Can you see a record of the people who donated?”
“Yeah. For things like product funding, they have to send the finished product to the customers once the goal is met.”
“Then…”
Gray’s eyes sparkled, just as they did when he played the violin.
“Later, I don’t know when it will be, but what if we invite these people?”
“…Invite them?”
George and Rebecca tilted their heads.
“Yeah. If I keep playing the violin, I might hold a concert someday, right?”
Gray, who had been living day by day, was now dreaming of a distant future. A concert. At those words, Rebecca and George grinned widely.
“I want to invite everyone who donated. I want to invite them all and let them hear me play.”
“That’s awesome! Okay. Let’s do it!”
“If you invite everyone, who knows when that will be?”
George went to the crowdfunding site and looked at the records of the donors. The detailed addresses weren't visible, but the country and city where they lived were.
“France, England, Russia, Australia, Korea… to invite them all, it would have to be a world tour.”
Just a quick glance revealed at least ten different countries. It was too big a dream. Realistically, it seemed impossible.
But Gray, George, and Rebecca stared at the monitor with flushed faces. People from so many countries were cheering for Gray.
“I want to do it. I have to.”
Gray's eyes shone.
A grand goal was set. The children filmed their videos with more passion than ever before.
They didn't give up on school or their own lives, walking alongside Gray. The crowdfunding continued and was, in its own way, a success.
It wasn't enough to afford lessons from a great teacher, but it was enough to buy a decent violin.
“For the next busking, can I try this?”
“What is it?”
“A song I composed.”
At Gray's words, both Rebecca and George nodded enthusiastically.
“That’s amazing! Everyone will be so surprised!”
“Ehehehe.”
George moved quickly. His friend's first original composition performance! He wanted to make it possible for him to perform in a bigger, better place, where more people could hear him.
Rebecca worked with Gray to revise the sheet music. When Gray had a question, Rebecca would offer a few suggestions, and Gray would choose one.
As Rebecca had heard more music than Gray, the piece was refined into something more polished.
The performance venue George had arranged was the largest area in the park. It was crowded and spacious.
A nervous Gray stood at the performance spot and looked around. The park manager he had met a few times, his friends, and the people who often came to watch his busking.
And at the news of Gray's performance, even people from Downrock who rarely visited the park showed up.
Their clothes were shabby but clean and neat. Gray knew. He knew that among the people of Downrock, who struggled to live day by day, there were some who had donated to him.
*Thump, thump.* He could hear the pleasant beat of his heart.
He was so happy.
Gray rested his chin on the violin and raised his bow.
The bow descended upon the strings. A melody flowed out. The events Gray had experienced were conveyed to the audience through the violin.
He was happy to meet his friends and delighted to learn the violin. He was blissful to have a teacher and devastated by that teacher's lies. At the end of an inescapable despair, there was a rainbow, and beyond that rainbow, his current happiness awaited.
The audience, who knew Gray's story, trembled at the emotions and melody that pierced them like thorns.
The happiness was so raw that they felt happy with him, and the despair was so vivid that they despaired with him.
And with great difficulty, he grasped the thin thread of hope within that despair. In the end, he found happiness. The melody, which seemed destined to burst into brilliance, did not explode as the audience expected, but slowly faded away.
Just when they thought it was over, the screen changed.
Following the fading melody, the camera panned past Gray, to a tree, its leaves, and then slowly rose to the sun.
The screen, brightly lit by the sunlight, instantly transformed into stage lighting. The camera slowly panned down.
It swept over a packed audience roaring with applause, then turned around to focus on one person.
Dressed in a pitch-black tuxedo.
It was Gray.
[I want to invite them all and let them hear me play.]
Recalling that childhood promise, Gray raised his bow and played the violin.
The camera remained fixed, making it seem as if the theater audience was watching a solo recital from the front row.
A more refined and composed, yet still vividly alive version of "Over the Rainbow" filled the air, showcasing Gray's signature vitality, now more developed than ever.
The magnificent performance left the theater audience captivated.
As if it were a real recital, there was no narration or change in scenery from beginning to end, until "Over the Rainbow" concluded.
The continuous performance finally erupted in a burst of brilliance.
Happiness.
Joy.
Acclaim.
All the happy emotions in the world washed over the audience like a wave.
Some in the audience had closed their eyes, savoring the music. The difference between the earlier performance and this one alone was enough to tell how hard Gray had worked and how many people had helped him.
Meeting a true teacher, buying a better violin. Working hard, dreaming.
Even without seeing it on video, one could tell just by listening to this violin performance.
And so, the child from Downrock became a violinist.
Despite the incredibly happy performance, a few tears trickled down. Im Miyeon and Park Sunga sniffled and wiped their eyes.
The performance they wished would go on forever drew to a close. With a final, resounding note that filled the concert hall, Gray's bow came to a stop.
Gray gave a deep bow, and the audience in the video rose to their feet one by one, applauding.
Throughout this, the video remained silent, without any background music.
As if watching Gray Vainie perform live from somewhere else, the theater audience was completely immersed in the movie.
A person who appeared to be a staff member handed Gray a microphone. There were no edits during this time. The unedited shot gave the audience a sense of reality.
Gray, with his hair neatly swept back, smiled and began to speak. His appearance hadn't changed much, but his confident expression and gentle smile showed just how much he had grown.
“I never imagined so many of you would come.”
Gray looked out at the audience. His expression clearly conveyed his overwhelming emotions.
The people who had donated to Gray Vainie, who had only been names on a screen, were now all physically present before his eyes.
His mother, Rebecca, George, the man from upstairs, the hyung from downstairs, the librarian from Starfeel, the man from the sandwich shop, the young child who donated with their mother, the people who left comments saying his music had helped them during their hospital stay.
So many people were here.
Gray quietly scanned the audience, then looked directly at the camera. Just as the theater audience felt they had made eye contact with Gray, the Gray on screen smiled.
“Thanks to your donations, I am able to stand on this stage. I sincerely thank you for your longstanding support.”
Clap, clap—!!
The sound of applause filled the air as the curtain fell on stage. The applause continued to ring out. The theater audience, too, found themselves clapping unconsciously.
After who knows how long of clapping, the lights in the theater came on, and as the ending credits rolled, a song began to play.
[Gray’s Violin Piece NO. 1]
It was a violin performance filled with Gray’s gratitude and thanks. Awed by the music once more, the audience remained in their seats, unwilling to leave.
As she clapped, Im Miyeon suddenly remembered something she had put in her bag before the movie started.
The 3,000-won souvenir. With trembling hands, Im Miyeon took the ticket envelope out of her bag. Park Sunga watched her friend.
Im Miyeon opened the envelope and took out the ticket. She saw the unusually shiny golden letters.
[To Im Miyeon. Thank you for your longstanding support.]
[Violinist: Gray Vainie]
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