Chapter 86
Nam Soo-hyun, winner of the Beethoven Youth Competition. Kim Junwoo, from the same school, won second place. The whirlwind of the Koreans![The young genius conquers Germany after Poland.]Reinterpretation of the "Emperor" Symphony! The music world is in shock!Admiration! Excellent reviews! The final stage of surprise!
It was just a youth competition. While the adult competition generated quite a bit of news, the youth competition did not. But the problem Professor Lech had spoken of soon came to light and spread throughout the world.
[Blasphemy controversy! A boy desecrates Beethoven! The Italian music world is outraged!][The noble and beautiful "Emperor" is shrouded in a disheveled, battle-scarred state!][French concert, just a child's distorted vision, nothing to worry about.][A competition that insulted the masters of 200 years of music history.][The Beethoven Competition should withdraw the prize from its winner.]
The eyes of the world were focused on the Beethoven Competition. A young man gave a completely different interpretation of the "Emperor" Symphony. And immediately, Professor Lech's counterattack followed.
[Lech of Warsaw: The classical music world must change.][Polish concert: Nam Soo-hyun's interpretation is the true "Emperor" Symphony.][Professor Hermann of Munich: The judging of the Beethoven Competition is transparent. The real winner is the one who performed the most Beethoven-like interpretation.][Kirill, conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic: A unique performance. Thanks and praise for Nam Soo-hyun.]
Dozens of news stories were published daily. Ji-ye, lying in the hotel, sighed as she searched for news.
"I'm worried about Soo-hyun."
He was still young. Although the power of the forces defending him was considerable, there were also many old-fashioned people who criticized and slandered him. The criticism was too much for the young Soo-hyun. Ji-ye stood up suddenly and went to his room.
Ding dong.
"Who is it?" "Hello, Junwoo. It's Ji-ye." "Yes, Sister! One moment!"
When Junwoo opened the door, Ji-ye asked,
"What about Soo-hyun?"
"He went out a while ago."
"Where?"
"I don't know. Didn't he go to your room?"
Worry was reflected in Ji-ye's eyes. There were reporters waiting in front of the hotel. If he went out, it would be a big problem. She tried to call him, but he didn't answer.
"Junwoo, can you go look for Soo-hyun? I'll look for him too."
"Yes, Sister."
Ji-ye and Junwoo ran down the hotel corridor. While they were looking for him, Soo-hyun was unexpectedly in the Pianist's Village. Beethoven, who was waiting for him with Franz and Frederick, was impressed when he showed him the trophy.
"What kind of person carved my image like this?"
Beethoven seemed more dissatisfied with how his image was represented than with the fact that his student had won. Frederick said with a gentle smile,
"Master, you too. Soo-hyun came back as a winner, so what's so special about the carving?"
Franz patted Soo-hyun's head as if he were proud of him.
"Thank you for your hard work, Soo-hyun."
Soo-hyun saw Franz. Although he was smiling, his eyes hid compassion for how much he must have suffered under Beethoven's harsh lessons. Soo-hyun smiled brightly.
"I learned a lot."
'Yes, of course you learned it. How could you not learn it if you were taught like that?' thought Franz.
Frederick also knew how difficult it was to accept Beethoven's personality and hugged Soo-hyun tightly. Beethoven, who was still looking at the trophy with dissatisfaction, handed it to Soo-hyun and tapped his ear.
"Is it a battery or something? Change it, please."
His gruff face barely contained a smile. Soo-hyun smiled and took the battery out of his pocket to change it. Beethoven was trapped again in a nightmarish silence while the battery was being changed. When the surrounding sounds were completely blocked, Beethoven spoke in a low voice,
"Ah, can you hear my voice?"
He stared at Soo-hyun, as if asking him if he could hear him, since he himself could not. As Soo-hyun nodded vigorously, Beethoven spoke in a low voice,
"That's what I can't hear."
'Huh? What does that mean, sir?'
Beethoven, noticing it in Soo-hyun's expression, sighed. He reluctantly patted him on the back.
"Thank you for your hard work. And congratulations!"
A smile spread across Soo-hyun's face. 'He must have tried to give a ticklish compliment while he couldn't hear his own voice. Today, the old man seems particularly handsome.'
Beethoven quickly changed the batteries and turned on the hearing aid.
"Ah, now I can hear you."
"Hahaha… My goodness! I got goosebumps, hahaha!"
Franz and Frederick burst out laughing. Beethoven, with a red face, looked out the window and pretended not to know anything. Franz and Frederick approached him and took his arm.
"Master." "Master, that was a great compliment." "Ahem…"
When Soo-hyun approached, the four of them looked out the window together. At that moment, Franz, who was smiling at Beethoven's flushed face, widened his eyes.
"Oh…?"
In Beethoven's forest, where it always snowed, the snow stopped. They could see the buds blooming in the melted snow. The hidden grass was showing its blue face.
"The snow… has stopped," Frederick murmured.
Franz's and Frederick's gazes turned to Beethoven, who was embarrassed.
"What is it?"
"Master!!" "Congratulations, Professor!"
"What are you celebrating? Let go! Aren't you going to let go?" shouted Beethoven, trying to separate the two who were hugging him tightly. The more he struggled, the more they clung.
"Hahaha! Master!"
Soo-hyun, who was watching them, also smiled awkwardly and hugged Beethoven.
"Let go of me! Let go of me and talk, you guys! It's disgusting!"
"Please step aside. I have nothing to say." "Please have a little more consideration. They are still young children."
Kim Ji-ye, who was wondering how to escape the hotel where the journalists were camped out, finally asked Chairman Park Ki-jun for help, who temporarily hired a local security company. The reporters, who saw the group leave the lobby, pounced on them like beasts. The bodyguards held them back.
"Run!!"
Professor Lee Chan-ho ran quickly towards the car, protecting Soo-hyun and Junwoo.
"Let's run!!"
The group started running. Junwoo was almost grabbed, but luckily broke free. Soo-hyun, protected by the professor and Ji-ye, could not be reached. Before they could catch their breath, a bodyguard knocked on the car.
"Let's go! Let's go!"
The professor quickly started the car. Soo-hyun and Junwoo, sitting in the back seat, saw the reporters chasing them.
"Wow, that's cool! Being a reporter seems like an extreme job, doesn't it?" said Junwoo.
Soo-hyun asked him,
"What is 'extreme job'?"
"It's a very hard job. Don't you even use the internet?"
"I know what the internet is. Ji-ye showed me YouTube videos. But it wasn't very fun."
"Well, being a journalist is an extreme job."
Junwoo said, looking at Soo-hyun,
"I'm just saying. Don't go asking a reporter, 'Sir, is your job extreme?' The next day, a huge article will come out about you belittling a journalist."
Soo-hyun smiled and sat back comfortably. Ji-ye, in the passenger seat, examined his body.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
"Yes, Sister."
My older sister who always worries about me. What I always want to say is: thank you. But instead of greeting, Soo-hyun showed gratitude in his eyes.
When the situation inside stabilized, Professor Lee Chan-ho asked,
"But Soo-hyun."
"Yes, Professor."
"There's something that Conductor Kirill said, but I'm hearing it for the first time."
Soo-hyun felt a tingle.
"…"
The professor looked back at a traffic light.
"What do you mean you composed the song?"
Ji-ye and Junwoo looked surprised at the same time.
"Did you compose music at that age? Really?" "Hey! You never told me that!"
'What do I do with this? It's a big problem.'