Chapter 354
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 354
Chapter Title: The Little Violinist on the Big Stage
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[We will now begin the 8th ATR Violin Competition.]
An announcement requested that all mobile phones be turned off or set to silent so as not to disturb the violin performances. The audience rustled as they moved to comply, careful not to disturb their friends, sons, and daughters who had prepared so diligently for this day.
A moment later, once the rustling died down, another announcement was made.
An introduction to the ATR Violin Competition, the judging criteria, and the awards was given, followed by an introduction of the four judges who would be seated at the judges' table.
A stern-looking middle-aged man, a man who looked familiar from television, and the most active violinist of the past year were seen walking from the front entrance toward the judges' table.
The audience's gaze then fell upon the next judge to enter.
A woman with reddish hair entered with a smile. She had a kind impression, as if she would give every contestant a good score.
“Is she a foreigner?”
“She’s a professor in the violin department at the Korea National University of Arts. Her name is Yulia Winter.”
Upon hearing Kim Heesang's words, they let out a soft "ooh" of admiration.
The pamphlet Seojun was holding also detailed the four judges' careers. All four had impressive résumés, which showed just how prestigious this competition was.
The judges took their seats, and the curtain that had been obscuring the stage rose. On the wide, fully visible stage sat a single black grand piano, bathed in bright light.
Though the stage was empty, the tense atmosphere before the start was palpable.
It felt different from theater, yet similar in a way, and Seojun smiled faintly. He was suddenly reminded of his past performances as Gray Vainie. Looking down at his tingling hands, he saw the abilities he had stored for Soobin.
There was [(Good) Orchestra Conductor's Connection - Low Grade], which he had used to help Brown Black, and [(Good) Violin Dream Fairy's Basic Lesson - Low Grade] and [(Good) Goblin Violinist's Melody - Mid-Low Grade], which he had used while filming [Over the Rainbow].
He wasn't planning to use the abilities to make Soobin win; he just wanted to be able to teach her if he noticed anything in her performance that needed correcting.
‘Until now, it was just a hobby, so I taught her lightly to prevent bad habits from forming…’
But now that she was starting to enter competitions, she might want to become a violinist one day. As her hyung, Seojun wanted to do his best to help her.
Looking at the sparkling abilities, Seojun lightly clenched and unclenched his fists before raising his head.
[Elementary Division, Number 1.]
The announcement was made, and two people appeared from the side of the stage.
It was an accompanist in a black suit and a little girl in a pure white dress. The accompanist went straight to the grand piano, and the girl, holding a violin, walked to a small mark in front of the piano.
‘Number 1. She must be nervous.’
Going first was tantamount to heralding the start of the competition. The audience and judges, their ears still fresh from not having heard any other pieces, were fully prepared to listen intently to the violin performance. While it was a problem that listeners might grow weary and bored with violin music as the competition wore on, being the first and receiving this much attention must also be a huge burden.
A slight stir came from one section of the audience. The contestant's family, unable to cheer out loud, clasped their hands tightly.
The girl also seemed nervous; she took a light breath before resting her chin on the violin. Despite her apparent nerves, she didn't forget her form, suggesting she was quite accustomed to competitions.
And then, the first note flowed out.
The three emblems embedded in Seojun's hand began to sparkle in response to the music.
One ability that looked thoroughly grumpy but was still listening to the music, and two abilities that appeared to be enjoying themselves.
His musical abilities enhanced by the three powers, Seojun smiled gently and listened to the sound of the violin.
***
Kim Hansuk and his friends listened to the elementary division performances with bewildered expressions.
Normally, they would have been watching a short performance at the main building of the Eunhasu Center next door or visiting the art museum across the street. But they were waiting to see the elementary schooler performing last—the one praised by the great Lee Seojun, who was even good at the violin.
*Clap, clap, clap.*
The first contestant left the stage, and the sound of applause filled the air.
Kim Hansuk and his friends from the acting department, for whom applauding performers on stage after a show was second nature, also clapped for the first contestant's excellent performance.
“I heard this was the elementary division, but she’s really good.”
“I know, right? You think she’ll get first place?”
“The kids coming up later will probably be good too, right? This is a national competition. Besides, the kid Seojun knows hasn't even performed yet.”
At their friend's words, Kim Hansuk and the others nodded.
As soon as the applause died down, an announcement came on.
[A friendly reminder. To be considerate of the next contestant, please refrain from clapping during the competition.]
Ah.
Apparently, you weren't supposed to clap during the competition.
After the second performance, Kim Hansuk and his friends managed to restrain their hands, which had been coming together automatically. The other audience members also gave thunderous applause in their minds. And in that silent audience,
*Clap!*
From somewhere, the sound of a single, unrestrained clap rang out. The sound broke the silence, and Kim Hansuk and his friends shook their shoulders with small laughs.
Seojun quickly slipped his left hand between Eunsoo’s palms as she was about to applaud. Hand met hand, producing a single clap. When a clueless Eunsoo tilted her head, Seojun smiled and whispered an explanation.
***
The elementary division waiting room.
Unlike the contestants from other divisions, who were watching the adorable elementary students' performances on a TV connected to the stage, the elementary division had their TV turned off. This was because they knew they would only get more nervous, regardless of whether the preceding performers did well or poorly.
The fifth and sixth graders sat in their chairs, either looking at their sheet music or doing mental practice by mimicking playing the violin without making a sound. The accompanists who came with the children also quietly helped them.
Among them, nine-year-old Soobin, who stood out the most, sat maturely in her chair, reading her sheet music. She took a pencil from her mom and marked the parts she had discussed with Seojun-hyung.
Her legs dangled adorably, not reaching the floor, but everyone was too nervous to notice except for Choi Soohui.
“Contestant number 10! Please get ready!”
At the mention of number 10, a boy shot up, took a deep breath, and left the waiting room with his accompanist. Excluding Soobin, who was last, there were only four contestants left.
“Not much longer now, right? Soobin. If you get nervous on stage, Seojun-hyung and Eunsoo are sitting in the back of the audience, so you can just look in their direction and play.”
“Okay!”
She seemed a little nervous, but her sparkling eyes showed just how much she was looking forward to this.
‘She’s never performed in front of this many people before.’
Soobin's audiences had only ever consisted of Seojun's family, Eunsoo's family, and their relatives.
As a pianist herself, Choi Soohui knew well that having a large crowd gathered to listen to your performance was a heart-poundingly nervous yet blissfully explosive experience, like fireworks going off.
“Soobin. Let's give them our most amazing performance.”
“Okay!”
Soobin nodded, her cheeks blushing red.
***
Yulia Winter, the professor from the Korea National University of Arts' violin department, turned over a scoring sheet. Perhaps because they were gathered from all over the country, they all performed well for their age. It was likely thanks to the increase in applicants compared to previous years. Yulia Winter recalled the reason for it.
‘Over the Rainbow.’
The musical film [Over the Rainbow], released six years ago, had created a trend called the ‘Gray Tour’ back then and caused an explosive surge of interest in the violin. Even Yulia Winter, who had been active in Europe at the time, was surprised by the flood of performance requests she received from all over.
And [Over the Rainbow] was still having an impact today.
Children who saw the movie dreamed of becoming violinists, and parents who saw it encouraged their children to take up the instrument, continuing the interest in the violin.
‘Of course, it's dwindled over time, but there are still more than before the movie came out.’
If this interest continued, a child who never knew they had talent might stumble upon it by chance and showcase their amazing gift.
‘When will they appear?’
Yulia Winter smiled gently and awaited the next contestant.
***
[Elementary Division, Number 15.]
It was finally the last turn for the elementary division.
Eunsoo, who had briefly stepped out with Seo Eunchan, had sparkling eyes. Seojun and the adults also perked up their ears with smiles on their faces. Kim Hansuk and his friends, sitting near the front, also watched with shining eyes.
On the wide stage.
A piano accompanist in a black suit and a small child holding a violin trotted out.
She was smaller than the fifth and sixth graders who had performed so far, and people blinked in surprise. Even the judges, who already knew the contestant's information, were silently impressed by her smaller-than-expected frame.
Soobin walked maturely to the center of the stage. At Soobin's appearance, Eunsoo's mouth fell open, and she laughed silently while shaking Seojun's hand. The adults couldn't help but laugh at Eunsoo, who was as quiet as if muted but whose expression was incredibly loud.
‘If this were a concert hall instead of a competition, I would have given her the biggest round of applause.’
Slightly disappointed by the silent hall, Seojun furrowed his brow for a moment before smiling and looking at Soobin.
‘Soobin, you can do it!’
Soobin looked around at the audience. It was a little nerve-wracking to see so many people, but she was happy to think that Gray Vainie had also stood on a stage like this. The scene was just like in the movie, and her heart began to beat faster.
‘Me too.’
I'll give them a great performance, too.
Soobin took a light breath and rested her chin on the violin. Seeing this, Choi Soohui pressed the piano keys. The piano accompaniment began, and Soobin drew her bow in a long stroke.
The melody of ‘Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3, 1st Movement’—composed when Mozart was resting in his hometown of Salzburg after his trip to Italy—filled the hall.
***
Was it just his imagination, or was the Violin Dream Fairy running wild?
The Conductor's Baton Fairy seemed to be listening intently despite its foul mood, and the Goblin Violinist appeared to have plopped down to enjoy the performance leisurely.
Kim Soobin's performance was beautiful.
It had a power and force one wouldn't expect from such a small body. Strong when it needed to be, and gentle when it needed to be. Her control of dynamics was incredible.
A whispering performance flowed out. The bright melody blended with Soobin's bright expression. The beautiful melody flowing from the violin filled the audience.
It harmonized perfectly with Choi Soohui's piano accompaniment.
The judges wore intrigued expressions at the flawless performance.
Even the audience members, who had grown accustomed to the sound after listening to fourteen violin pieces, found themselves listening intently without realizing it. Before long, the gazes that had seen Soobin as just a child vanished, and everyone focused on the performance.
Soobin's performance, which had captivated the entire hall, was truly admirable.
‘It's not that there are no mistakes.’
With one ear, Seojun was fully embracing Soobin's performance; with the other, he was critically analyzing it.
Thanks to the three abilities, Seojun's sharply honed musical sense pointed out several areas that were lacking. There were ingrained habits, and parts that seemed to lack practice.
It was an excellent performance for a hobbyist, but when judged from the perspective of a violinist, it had many shortcomings.
‘I'll have to teach her later.’
This part… and this part.
As Seojun recalled the sheet music he'd seen earlier and made mental notes, something flashed through his mind.
It was something his normal senses would have missed, but the excited, frolicking Violin Dream Fairy and the Conductor's Baton Fairy with its superior hunting instincts (so superior it once tried to hunt an entire world) snatched it with a swift motion. Even the Goblin Violinist, who had been leisurely enjoying Soobin's performance, came over to look at the flailing catch.
In that fleeting instant.
Having caught the fleeting inspiration, Seojun frantically looked for a notebook and pen, but there was nothing.
‘I have no choice.’
Seojun had no choice but to take out his phone. He listened intently to Soobin's performance, his mind racing. And he began to jot down notes, one by one.