Chapter 92
The Pianist's Village, Beethoven's cabin.
"A small, pretty flower bloomed near my house today."
Beethoven, who was delighted that flowers had bloomed for the first time in 200 years, spent the whole day squatting in front of them. Among the two friends who were drinking wine while watching the scene inside the house, Franz was the first to speak.
"Why didn't I think of him? He would be kinder and brighter than you, so he would be the perfect person to teach Soo-hyun."
Frederick smiled.
"When did we come up with the idea of sending Soo-hyun to Mr. Beethoven? Didn't the boy come up on his own? So it's understandable that we didn't think of sending Soo-hyun to someone else."
"Really? We should be grateful to the master who awakened our thoughts. But will he accept?"
"Haha, what are you worried about? If it's what the professor says, you won't be able to refuse."
Outside the window, Beethoven was seen squatting and laughing, looking at the flowers like the village idiot. Franz laughed without realizing it.
"Well, it's true. Haha. Look at the professor. All thanks to Soo-hyun."
"Yes, I agree. Because Soo-hyun is pure. That purity permeates those around him."
Franz said, crossing his arms,
"I'm a little worried. Professor Beethoven's song has already been released. If by any chance Soo-hyun becomes famous because of it, he will immediately feel the pressure of the world."
Frederick looked at his friend with a bewildered face.
"Hey, Franz."
"Huh?"
"You're volunteering to be Soo-hyun's father, but you don't know much about children?"
"Hmm?"
"Is Soo-hyun the type of boy who tries to make money or become famous by playing Beethoven's music? If you hide it, you'll never succeed. I guarantee it."
Franz scratched his head.
"Is that so?"
"I'm going to tell Soo-hyun you suspected something," Frederick joked.
Franz, who knew it was a joke but was afraid, quickly made an excuse.
"No, I trust Soo-hyun! But you've never seen the people around him. Soo-hyun may not want it, but the people around him might not leave him alone!"
Frederick, who was laughing, patted Franz on the back.
"It's okay, I said there are a lot of good people near Soo-hyun. That woman named Ji-ye and that… that professor, they were all good people."
Just as Franz was about to speak again, the door of the house opened. Frederick, seeing the person who entered, raised both his arms and shouted.
"Our Soo-hyun is here!"
Frederick and Franz ran and hugged Soo-hyun. He, who always treated them like his parents, hugged the two uncles tightly and smiled brightly as he handed them a book.
"Uncle Franz, this."
"Oooh!! Henry Potter Volume 3!!!"
Frederick smiled when he saw Franz run to the sofa and touched Soo-hyun's hair.
"There's a lot of silver hair now."
Soo-hyun touched his head.
"Yes, it's gotten much worse lately. Ji-ye told me to dye my hair."
Frederick saw that Franz had already opened the book.
"Don't you want to dye your hair because it's similar to that friend's hair color?" he said with a smile.
"…Hahaha."
'Is this the heart of a child who wants to be like his father? Soo-hyun blindly longs to be like his two uncles. By the way, I also have Uncle Frederick's turquoise eyes. Could this be a coincidence?'
Frederick was about to take Soo-hyun's hand when he was startled. Soo-hyun's hands were thin and beautiful, but now they were a little different.
'Was it because of the harsh training? My hands are soft, but they seem to have gotten thicker.'
"Hands…"
Soo-hyun held up his hand and smiled awkwardly.
"It's been like this for a while. Ji-ye said that when a boy's body grows, it changes completely. My hands have gotten stronger, so playing has become easier. They're also growing."
At that moment the door opened and Beethoven entered.
"Huh? Are you here?"
"Hello, sir!"
Soo-hyun took the battery out of his pocket. It seemed it was time to change it. Beethoven, who took off his hearing aid, looked at Soo-hyun, waiting for the silence to end quickly. Soo-hyun, who had done it several times, skillfully replaced the battery.
"Can you hear me?"
"Well."
As Soo-hyun smiled and rubbed Beethoven's shoulder, Beethoven made a pained face, but then scolded him,
"Oh, it hurts, you hooligan. Why are your hands so strong? A while ago, it seemed you couldn't even twist a chicken's neck."
Frederick saw Soo-hyun's hand massaging Beethoven's shoulder and Beethoven's hand covering Soo-hyun's.
'Identical hands. Two large, thick, strong-looking hands, almost like a father and son's. My eyes, Franz's hair, Master Beethoven's hands… The boy is taking on our characteristics one by one. It's not a coincidence. What plan does God have for this?'
Beethoven joked,
"Oh, I'm dying, you hooligan! Easy!"
"Haha, does it hurt? I'm only doing it gently."
"It hurts, you hooligan! Stop!"
He grabbed Soo-hyun by the scruff of his neck and lifted him up. Even though he said it hurt, he lifted him with one hand.
"Let's go out."
"Where?" Soo-hyun asked, hanging.
"Where the piano is."
Soo-hyun's face turned pale.
'Hey, do I have to practice again?'
"You have to practice for the rest of your life, you hooligan. But today is not my song."
A question appeared in Soo-hyun's eyes. Franz, who was engrossed in a book, exchanged glances with Frederick.
'Are you trying to send him now?''I think so.'
Beethoven took Soo-hyun out of the cabin. Soo-hyun, surprised by the warm air, pointed around.
"Wow, it's changed a lot here! Look over there! The flowers are blooming too, sir!"
Beethoven smiled, but he sat him on the piano bench and handed him a piece of music.
"Let's practice this today."
"Impromptus for piano, Op. 90, No. 4?" Soo-hyun read. 'Impromptu means "improvisation". But among the works of Liszt, Chopin, and Beethoven, no piece has a number as large as Op. 90. Whose song is this?'
Beethoven said,
"It will be easy for you now. Just read the score."
"It's in the key of A-flat major. It seems like a rather sad song," Soo-hyun muttered.
Beethoven said nothing. Soo-hyun, who had been looking at the sheet music, began to practice the right-hand part. Shortly after, he looked at Beethoven as if he could now play, but he just gestured with his eyes to hurry up and play. Soo-hyun began to play. A descending, graceful scale was repeated, as if cherry blossoms were falling. This song was more about delicate control of tone than technical aspects.
"It's hard to imagine that this is the first time he's playing this," Franz whispered to Frederick.
"Whose disciple is he?" Frederick replied with a pat.
A look of pride appeared on Franz's face.
"Well, the first impression didn't convey the emotion. It should be different in the second performance, right?"
Soo-hyun looked at Beethoven, who was watching him silently.
"I'll do it right now."
As Soo-hyun began to play again, a voice could be heard in his mind praying to God, not reciting poetry.
Falling into dust and mud,Burning in the flames of agony,Towards the day of destruction,Carving your own path through torture,Look down on me from above.My life, my flesh, my blood,Throw them all into the river Lethe,To a purer and more powerful realm,Please move me.
'What is it? It's a strange song. It talks about the desperate prayer of a person. Why does it feel so cheerful? Whose song is it?'
When Soo-hyun finished playing and raised his head, he noticed that the two uncles, including Uncle Beethoven, were looking away. He followed their gaze and saw the root path of one of the zelkova trees open.
'Could this be a door that leads to another place?'
Beethoven nodded and, grabbing the bewildered Soo-hyun's shoulder, said,
"Go."
"Yes?"
Beethoven held out a folded letter.
"If you go, you'll obviously be drinking, dancing, and singing again, but I'll show you this."
'You have to tell me who it is, sir.'
After receiving the letter with a questioning face, Frederick grabbed Soo-hyun's other shoulder and walked towards the root path. He felt Uncle Franz's hand on his head.
"Right now, at this very moment. That's where the person you need most is," he heard Uncle Frederick's gentle voice.
"It's been a little difficult until now, right? It will be okay now," said Uncle Franz's voice, holding back laughter.
"Adventure…!" coughed Uncle Beethoven.
'What are you doing, gentlemen?' But Soo-hyun trusted these three people. He stood in front of the root path and looked back at the three smiling men.
'I guess it's not a dangerous place.'
Unlike the long path that led to Beethoven's cave, this one seemed short. As he slowly opened the wooden door on the other side, a fast and energetic piano sound was heard. He saw a rather large room, similar to the old men's houses, but a little different. It felt a little messy and disorganized. There was a very fat man, with curly hair and glasses, playing the piano with a bottle of wine in his mouth, smiling. Then he stopped playing, stood up, and began to dance, staggering.
'He's short, but chubby. He looks like a dancing penguin. Who the hell is that person? He must be a legendary pianist.'