"You're right. Of all Chopin's works, the form that best reflects his characteristics is the mazurka. Do you know what the original piece was?" Professor Lech asked the question in a soft voice and a pleasant expression. Instantly, he remembered the image of Nam Soo-hyun answering indifferently, without hesitation.
"Originally it was a dance that was danced in salons. It has its origin in the folk dances of the Mazovian region, near Warsaw."
"Ah! That's great! Do you know anything else?"" So there are 41 mazurkas in total?"
"Huh? That's wrong."
Soo-hyun cocked his head with a confused expression." There are 41 songs."" It is said that there are 62 mazurkas by Chopin."
Soo-hyun bowed his head again. He remembered clearly that the ajusshi had told him that there were 41. Professor Lech thought for a moment and then smiled. I understand why you got confused. Forty-one mazurkas by Frédéric Chopin were published during his lifetime. The rest were published posthumously. One of them, for example, was composed in 1834 but was not published until 1930. That's probably why you thought there are only 41."
Soo-hyun snapped his fingers and looked away, as if confirming something in his mind." Oh, right. The ajusshi told me that Chopin had asked his friend to burn the other mazurkas. He would be angry if he knew they were published without his permission after he died."
"I guess so."
'If a child knows so much about Chopin... It's really amazing.'
Lech, with his arms folded, sat down on the piano bench next to Soo-hyun and asked again, "What are the characteristics of the mazurka?" It is characterized by a strong rhythm in the second or third beat, and a dotted rhythm."
The satisfied smile on Lech's face transformed into an expression of astonishment. When you ask other children that question, they usually respond something like the song suddenly changes mood: from somber to cheerful, or from a strong, upbeat tone to something more introspective and dreamy. But this boy was talking directly about technical aspects. And not just any technique: he was talking about advanced rhythmic structure, something that children of his age hardly understand.
"Eh... I see."
'This kid is incredibly talented in every way... But watching her performance on video, it seemed like she didn't express any emotion.'
Professor Lech thought for a few seconds and then, with a somewhat mischievous smile, asked, "The piece you chose, you know? It begins with joy, then becomes melancholy, and later becomes cheerful again. It's like watching a woman's changing expression as she dances the mazurka. What do you think of that?"
Soo-hyun opened his eyes in surprise." What are joy and melancholy?"
Lech drew a blank. 'Was it too difficult a word?'
"Well... 'Joy' means something bright and clear. It also means to be happy or cheerful. On the other hand, 'melancholy' is when one feels worried, sad or without energy."
Soo-hyun blinked slowly." What is a bright and clear emotion? Happy and cheerful? I have no idea."
Lech frowned at the sight of Soo-hyun's face. It was evident that he did not understand emotions.
'This child... Is he a psychopath or something? No, it's too pure for that. This is because of how he was raised. Emotions are not taught directly; they are learned by living in society. How is it possible that he grew up like this...?'
Lech clenched his fist as he watched the boy, who was still trying to understand what his own emotions meant.
'If this child can understand human emotions... Then perhaps we are facing a real genius. A true genius, who could even surpass Frédéric Chopin.'
A few days later, Jihye was sitting in the waiting room with a visibly tense face. Beside him, Professor Lee Chan-ho also looked nervous, fidgeting in his seat.
"At least one... it will pass, right, Professor Lee Chan-ho?"
The professor sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. Of the four piano prodigies sent from Korea University's Institute of Musical Talents, three had already been eliminated. They didn't even make it past the first round among the 80 preliminaries.
'If this continues like this... I'm going to feel completely humiliated when I get back to Korea.'
"Uff... This is driving me crazy. What happened to Nam Soo-hyun?"
"He approved. It was very easy."
"Wow, this is crazy!"
The preliminary rounds of the international competition are not open to the public. Participants wait their turn in the assigned room and enter to play when called. As the audience is limited only to the judges and some professors from the Warsaw Conservatory of Music, neither Professor Lee Chan-ho nor Han Ji-hye were able to witness Soo-hyun's performance directly.
However, when Soo-hyun finished playing, a standing ovation could be heard from inside the auditorium." Did you hear it?"" Oh, I heard it."
It was extremely rare to hear applause during the preliminary rounds.
Knowing that the applause was coming from a room where only the professors of the Warsaw Conservatory were present left Professor Lee Chan-ho even more impressed.
He and the dean had jointly decided to refuse Nam Soo-hyun's examination. It was clearly a mistake on his part, and there was no room for resentment.
'Ha... those from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs... At least they could have warned me about the child's abilities in advance.'
After quickly verifying the information and confirming that the Soo-hyun they knew and the one participating in the contest were the same person, they immediately called the dean in Korea.The dean gave clear instructions: contact Soo-hyun as soon as possible and establish a close relationship with her. But every time she appeared, the teachers surrounded her as soon as they saw her, preventing anyone from really getting close.
"That woman... the so-called Kim Ji-ye. It was from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, right?"" Yes. He worked for many years at the Korean embassy in Switzerland and is now back in Korea. I think he wants to stay close to so hyun until she gets used to it. In addition, if articles about the girl start to come out in the future, it would be ideal for the government to appear as the one who supported her from the beginning. It seems that he is trying to handle everything cautiously from now on."
"Can I get close to her?" It's not that complicated with Mrs. Kim. She takes care of all the outside work, so all you have to do is wait outside the hotel and approach her when she leaves."" Okay, let's do it."
Just then, the door to the waiting room opened and a little girl walked in. Professor Lee Chan-ho let out a sigh when he saw the expression of the boy who accompanied her: it seemed that he was about to burst into tears.
"Ha... I'm eliminated." Jihye quickly got up and hugged the boy tenderly." All right, all right. Our Yejin did very well. Next time, when we're older, we'll try again, okay?" Huhhhhh...."
The jury was not as demanding as that of the International Chopin Competition for Children. However, for the little performers who expected words of encouragement or praise, the silence of the judges and the simple announcement of the next turn were cold as ice. That hurt them deeply.
The door opened again next to Jihye, who was still trying to calm the crying child, and several judges came out. Perhaps that child was the last one evaluated. Professor Lee Chan-ho quickly stepped aside, while one of the passing teachers looked at the sobbing boy with compassionate eyes. Jihye listened to snippets of their conversation in Polish.
"Did you say that kid was Korean, too?"" Yes. It is very different from Sol." Professor Lech told me not to call him Sol." Oh, right. Someone else said that too." That's a surname." Soohyun? The name is difficult, that's why I wanted to call him Sol."" Still, you should practice how to pronounce it. You don't want to have problems with Professor Lech."
"Yes, well, it's very different from Soo-hyun. I had high expectations for Korean children because of him, but honestly... I'm disappointed."" I agree. Soo-hyun's performance was technically perfect. Although, to be honest, it feels a bit mechanical... it lacks some humanity. But at that age, that level of execution is not seen anywhere else."
Jihye, who had been watching the judges as they walked away, with a blank stare, lowered her eyes with a grim expression.
'If the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had accepted the application from the beginning and given Soo-hyun the opportunity to take the exam... The teachers of the Academy of Musical Talents would have chosen her without hesitation. Unless they were blind or deaf. They could have even sent her to this contest.'
If that had happened, the prestige of the Korea University Music Talent Academy would have increased tremendously. But a decision made in just a few seconds caused all their representatives to be eliminated in the second round.
Professor Lee Chan-ho was still standing with an empty expression.
'It was a decision we made after discussing it with the dean, but if we fail to recruit Soo-hyun, it is very likely that he will face disciplinary action.'
Even if the university didn't retaliate, the sponsoring company would certainly erupt with fury.
After sitting the crying girl on a chair, Jihye approached the professor and spoke in a low voice,
"We must inform the university as soon as possible and take action regarding Soo-hyun's recruitment. If we don't do something now, we'll all end up in serious trouble, professor." Mmm... Ha... This is driving me crazy."
Professor Lee Chan-ho also had a distressed expression, as if he had no idea where to start. Jihye crossed her arms, adopting a similar posture, and turned her head to check on the girl she had comforted. But she was completely paralyzed.
Because next to her, sitting in silence, was precisely the person they wanted to see so much: Nam Soo-hyun.La girl they wanted to contact so much was there, crying silently.
"Hello, Professor!"
Although it was a low voice, Professor Lee Chan-ho also quickly turned his head at the sudden call. A very tall child, reflected in his eyes, was looking at the face of the girl who was sitting next to Soo-hyun.
A few minutes before... Kim Ji-ye had gone out to the bathroom for a moment, leaving Soo-hyun alone.
It was then that the soft cry of a very young girl was heard. Soo-hyun, upon hearing it, was inadvertently drawn to that sound. And so, he found a little girl who was crying sadly.
She was a very cute girl, with pigtails and round cheeks, but her little face soaked in tears and snot didn't look pretty at all.
'Why is this girl crying?'
Soo-hyun walked carefully, making no sound, and sat down next to him. The girl was crying so hard that her face was completely red, and her neck seemed about to burst from the pressure.
He asked her in a soft voice, almost in a whisper, "Why are you crying?" Eeeeeeeee..."
He was a strange boy, too tall for his age. The girl, who looked at him sideways between sobs, replied in a trembling voice: "Sad."
'Sad? What does it mean to be sad?'
She recalled what she felt when she received the news of her parents' death. Uncle Franz told him that this was sadness.
'Did this girl also lose her parents?'
"Did your parents pass away?" The girl stopped crying for a moment and looked at him, startled. Huh?"" I asked you if your parents also passed away." "No. They're outside."
'Should I be sad even though my parents are alive? Is it possible to be sad even if you haven't lost anyone?'
"Are you sad even though your parents are alive?" Eh."" Why?"" The judges were very scary."
'So are you sad or afraid?'
Although he is not yet old enough to carry on a logical and complex conversation, Soo-hyun still felt a strong curiosity.
"What kind of feeling is fear?" ..."When are you afraid?"" Ugh... When I have to go to the bathroom alone at night."
'Is that the moment when you feel the most fear? Why?'
"I'm afraid a ghost will appear." What is a ghost?"" Dead."
Soo-hyun felt more confused.
'I've lived with dead people for seven years... shouldn't I have been afraid too?'
As he asked questions and the girl responded, her crying subsided until she calmed down completely. The girl, who couldn't see well because of the accumulated tears, rubbed her eyes with her fist, and then looked at him carefully.
Unlike other children his age, Soo-hyun had a high nose, very white skin, and eyes slightly covered by his curly hair. The girl was amazed to see his face, beautiful like that of a character in a story.
"Oppa, you're very handsome."
Soo-hyun, who was still pondering the feeling of sadness, turned to look at her curiously. What is 'oppa'?"" It's what a girl calls a boy who is older than her."
"Really? How old are you?"" Thirteen years."" I am thirteen too."
"Huh? You're lying? You're too tall!"" I'm really thirteen years old."
"Wow! Are you really my age? But you're very tall! Higher than my brother!"
'What's so special about being tall?'
Jihye had also said something similar to her.
'I guess being tall is a big thing in Korea.'
But to Soo-hyun, Uncle Franz was much taller, so he didn't consider it much.
As he looked away from the girl, who was looking at him with bright eyes, he turned his focus back to his thoughts of sadness. But at that moment, two dark shadows were cast in front of him.
Soo-hyun raised his head, shocked by the sudden darkness, and saw a man and a woman standing in front of him. They both had cheerful and kind expressions.
"Mr. Nam Soo-hyun!" Soo-hyun! Do you remember me?"