Chapter 356
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 356
Chapter Title: Concerto for Two Violins
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After the awards ceremony ended, the competition participants, who had been sitting at the front of the audience, began to make their way to their parties one by one.
The participants who didn't win an award left the hall with disappointed faces, comforted by their families, while the winners shared their joy with bright smiles as they received congratulations.
“Hyung! Eunsu!”
Subin, holding the gold prize trophy for the elementary division, also ran to the audience seats. His hopping figure, flushed cheeks, and bright face showed just how happy he was.
Kim Heesang, whose name hadn't been called, slumped his shoulders, and the adults burst into laughter.
“I got first place!”
Subin's face was practically glowing.
Seojun smiled and handed Subin a bouquet of purple lilacs.
“Congratulations, Subin. It was a wonderful performance.”
“Subin. Congrats on first place!”
“Hehe. Thanks!”
Eunsu also gave Subin the bouquet of pink roses she was holding.
Quickly handing the trophy and bouquet he was holding to his dad, Subin received the two new bouquets with a wide smile. The trophy was nice, but the flowers from Seojun-hyung and Eunsu were even better.
“Subin. Where's your mom?”
Our Subin! You did so well!
Subin, who was being doted on by Seojun, Eunsu, and the adults, grinning from ear to ear, quickly answered Kim Heesang's question.
“Mom's talking with a professor. She said she'll be right back.”
“A professor?”
“Yeah. Professor Winter.”
It was an unfamiliar name, yet they knew who it was at once.
The foreign professor who had been sitting at the judges' table.
Yulia Winter.
Seojun and the adults blinked at the unexpected name.
A moment later.
The conversation must not have been very long, as Choi Soohui returned shortly. Seojun and the adults had many questions upon seeing the slightly troubled look on her face, but they decided to move locations first.
“Let's have dinner at our place.”
“Yeah. We can have a celebration party for Subin.”
The ones most delighted by Kim Heesang and Choi Soohui's words were Subin and Eunsu, who would get to spend the rest of the day with Seojun.
“Are we really going to my house with Seojun-hyung?”
“Then I want to ride with Seojun-oppa!”
“Me too!”
Since the kids wouldn't leave Seojun's side, they all piled into one car, with the others following behind. Subin's family car was full of bouquets, and since Eunsu still used a car seat, the children automatically ended up in Eunsu's family car.
Seo Eunchan took the wheel, and Seojun sat in the passenger seat. A message arrived from Seo Eunhye. After reading it, Seojun glanced back. The two excited children were chattering away.
“Subin. Eunsu. What do you want for dinner?”
“I want pizza!”
“I want chicken!”
Seo Eunchan and Seojun couldn't help but laugh at their immediate answers.
* * *
For dinner, just as the two children had hoped, there was pizza and chicken, along with a beef feast for the adults.
They ate chicken, pizza, and beef. After a meal where everyone seemed to eat more than usual, they chatted while eating fruit.
Naturally, the first topic of conversation was Professor Yulia Winter.
“Studying abroad?”
Seo Eunchan and Kim Sooryun's eyes went wide. Seo Eunhye and Lee Minjun were no different.
Subin's father, Kim Heesang, was left with his mouth hanging open. Seeing her husband's reaction, Choi Soohui smiled and began to speak.
“Yes. She said that with Subin's skill, he could do well abroad. I also think that with his level of talent, he'd do great.”
Studying abroad.
Choi Soohui, a pianist who had been active in Europe, had been considering it for a while, given how Subin's skills improved in the blink of an eye.
‘Of course, I don't know much about the violin, so I was only thinking about it…’
But hearing it today from Professor Yulia Winter, who not only knew a lot about the violin but also taught students, made her seriously consider it.
“She said it's easier to adapt and learn the language when you go young. Not to mention the violin. She also offered to introduce us to a good teacher if we decide to go.”
At Choi Soohui's words, Kim Heesang looked crestfallen.
He didn't want to send Subin away, but if it was for Subin's own good, he felt he had to. The fact that Seojun, who was happily active in the US, was right in front of them made it even more so.
‘It's a little different from Subin's case, though…’
Unlike Seojun, who traveled between Korea and the US for his activities, Subin would have to spend most of the year abroad.
‘Besides, his studies abroad won't end in just a year.’
It could be a few years at the shortest, and if he continued his career abroad, he might rarely spend time in Korea.
‘But she did offer to introduce him to a good teacher…’
Having decided in favor of going after much thought, Kim Heesang was about to speak when Seojun spoke first.
“What do you want to do, Subin? Do you want to study abroad?”
At Seojun's question, Subin, who was munching on a peach, tilted his head and answered.
“Hyung. What's studying abroad?”
“Hmm. It's when you study the violin in a foreign country. There will be many amazing teachers and great performers. And lots of friends learning the violin, too.”
“Like Rebecca?”
Rebecca, one of the three musketeers from 'Over the Rainbow'.
Rebecca was also a violin major.
Seojun nodded at Subin's question.
“There will be friends like Rebecca.”
Hmmm.
Subin fell into thought while chewing his peach.
The adults' gazes turned to Subin. Come to think of it, they hadn't asked for Subin's opinion at all, even though he would be the one living abroad for years if he went.
“What about you, Seojun-hyung?”
“Me?”
“Yeah!”
“Me... well...”
I might have reasons to go to the US, but would I have any reason to go to Europe?
Seojun, who had been stroking his chin in thought for a moment, opened his mouth.
“I'll probably stay in Korea.”
“Hmm. Then I don't want to go.”
“You don't want to go? Why? You can learn so much more about the violin if you study abroad.”
Kim Heesang, who had been quietly listening to Seojun and Subin's conversation, asked.
In response to his father's question, Subin answered with a rather serious expression.
“I like playing with Seojun-hyung. And I like playing the violin with him, too. My friends are here, and my teacher is here.”
“Eunsu is here too!”
Eunsu raised her hand high as she spoke, and Subin smiled brightly.
“That's right! Eunsu is here too. So I'm not going to study abroad!”
At Subin's words, Kim Heesang and Choi Soohui gave a bitter smile. They couldn't force him to go if he didn't want to. Subin would surely do well even if they sent him to study abroad when he was older, but...
“...Now that he says he doesn't want to go, I want to send him even more.”
“Tell me about it.”
Everyone laughed at the regret-filled comments.
* * *
Back home, Seojun spread a blank sheet of music paper on his desk.
He occasionally composed as a hobby whenever inspiration struck, so he always had music paper ready. But he had never released any of his compositions to the public.
‘This piece, though... I'm not so sure.’
It's not a piece meant to be played alone, after all.
Seojun chuckled and took out his phone.
He had jotted down notes in a hurry at the competition, so the order was a mess, and many were just brief words. But as he looked at the memo and recalled the competition, the melody that had come to him soon filled his mind.
‘Hmm-hmm.’
Seojun hummed as he drew round notes on the five-lined staff.
His three sparkling abilities blended together to create a new melody. Seojun transcribed that melody perfectly onto the music paper. His right hand, holding the mechanical pencil, moved smoothly over the paper as if conducting.
The protagonists of this piece were Seojun and Subin.
Seojun was pouring everything he wanted to teach Subin directly into the score.
He drew the notes while recalling the shortcomings he'd seen at the competition and the habits that appeared during practice.
Seojun, who was carefully drawing each symbol and note, paused his pencil for a moment.
Should we watch the general division's violin performance, or go to the kids' cafe?
When faced with the two choices, Subin's choice had been the kids' cafe.
Recalling how Subin had agonized over the decision, furrowing his brow, Seojun let out a small laugh.
‘If it were me, I would have watched the middle school and general divisions, too.’
If it had been a competition related to 'acting,' the 'second-grade Seojun' would have watched the entire thing from start to finish without a moment's hesitation.
That was the difference between him and Subin.
Thanks to his many lives, Seojun had been able to walk the single path of 'acting' from a young age. He could live for 'acting' above all else.
‘But Subin is different.’
For Subin, who was on his first life and found everything new and fascinating, it was difficult to live for the violin alone like Seojun.
‘And he shouldn't.’
Maybe when he was a bit older, but he was still young.
There were so many fun and wondrous things in the world; it wasn't good to be fixated on just one.
‘Besides, Subin will become much more well-known in the future.’
With the news articles today, a few people would take notice, and if he drew more attention at the next competition, his brilliant talent would eventually be revealed to the public, too bright to be hidden.
How long could a young prodigy survive amidst public interest and expectations?
Others believed that actor Lee Seojun, called an acting genius, had walked his path without a single failure, but Seojun had the failure of his first life, which people didn't know about, and the many experiences from the lives that followed. The books of life stacked in the Library of Life constantly reminded him of that.
Subin, in his first life, would also need someone like that.
It's okay to fail, and it's okay to be a little slow.
Just not giving up and continuing to love the violin is enough.
Seojun thought that when everyone expected him to be a genius, someone needed to treat him normally. If that someone was Seojun himself, he thought Subin would be able to grow up much more comfortably.
‘I should introduce him to Jason and Professor Benjamin, too.’
He and Jason, in particular, had similar talents, so they might have something in common.
“Maybe they'll contact me first.”
Looking down at the music sheet, now filled with notes, Seojun smiled and drew the final bar line on the score.
* * *
“Subin. Want to try playing this with me?”
“Yeah!”
At Seojun's words, Subin's eyes sparkled.
Seojun burst out laughing at how Subin agreed without even asking what the music was.
“Aren't you curious what it is?”
“I am! But I want to play anything with you, Seojun-hyung!”
At Subin's words, Seojun smiled as if he couldn't be helped and handed the score to Subin. Subin tilted his head at the sheet music, which didn't even have a title.
“This is a piece I composed because I wanted to play it with you, Subin.”
“Really?”
Subin, who was about to read the first page of the score, widened his eyes in surprise.
He thought only really amazing people composed music, but Seojun-hyung did it... Seojun-hyung is the best!
Subin's eyes sparkled.
“So I was hoping you'd play it with me, Subin.”
“Okay! Let's do it now, hyung!”
He was so excited that his term of address became more childlike.
Subin scampered off to his room and came back with his violin. Seojun also took out his violin from its case.
“Shall we look at the music first?”
“Yeah!”
Kim Heesang took a picture of Seojun and Subin reading the score with their heads together and sent it to the other adults.
>Choi Soohui: I'm curious what kind of piece it is! I'll have to look at the score later!
>Lee Minjun: I was wondering what he was up to. Looks like he composed something.
>Seo Eunhye: Right. I wonder if they'll play it for us later?
>Kim Sooryun: ......haha
>Seo Eunchan: Hyung. Could you pass a message to Seojun for me?
Unlike the other adults who were delighted by the cute sight of the two children, Seo Eunchan and PR Team Leader Kim Sooryun seemed to have a premonition of the future, laughing hollowly as they asked him to pass on a message to Seojun.
While Subin was looking at the score, bobbing his head, Kim Heesang asked Seojun a question.
“Seojun.”
“Yes?”
“Eunchan wants to know if you're going to release it.”
At Kim Heesang's words, Seojun smiled and asked Subin.
He had composed it, but the performance would be with Subin, so Subin's opinion was important. Besides, wasn't this piece for Subin?
“What do you want to do, Subin?”
“Hmm. I want other people to hear it too!”
Seojun smiled and nodded at Subin's words.
“Then let's practice hard and let lots of people hear it.”
“Okay!”
Kim Heesang, who had been watching Seojun and Subin with a pleased expression, tapped on his phone.
>Kim Heesang: He said they'll release it.
The reply from Kim Heesang sent Cocoa Entertainment into an uproar.
* * *
The fun summer vacation ended, and the second semester began.
Just as they were getting used to the new semester, a new video was uploaded to the N-tube channel [JUN].
[Concerto for Two Violins]
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