< For the Music Genius - Episode 137 >
Drumroll!
I broke out in a cold sweat all over my body as if I was playing the virtuoso Mazeppa of Liszt.
The third note symbolizing the sound of horse hooves, the tension of being chased by wild beasts, and the joy of a melody where hope blooms in a moment of crisis.
It was a difficult score that, like Mazeppa, did not leave the performer’s soul still for even a moment.
The fingers on the keyboard danced as if they were racing along the notes.
From his shoulders, flowing down his elbows, to his fingertips, Baek Jeong-hoon’s body swayed as if he had become one with the piano.
As the keys were pressed down firmly, as if plucking a string, the piano’s hammer, which had been waiting, struck the string.
Thump thump thump.
Just like the shape of the musical score that continues without stopping, Baek Jeong-hun’s heart also began to beat without stopping.
Baek Jeong-hun’s long fingers continued to scrape across the keyboard, and the colorful melody continued as if the breath he had been holding in was bursting out.
As if reading a novel without commas, the lines continued without interruption, and a fermata was written on the double vertical line after the notes, finally putting a period at the end.
‘amazing.’
Kang Hyun’s music score was truly amazing. Baek Jeong-hoon felt an inexplicable sense of elation and improvement when he looked at the music score composed by Kang Hyun. The more he practiced and the more he recalled the notes, the more the song felt new.
How long had he been sitting at the piano? His long fingers were trembling as if he had hydrocephalus.
That was when.
“Mr. Jeonghoon, are you still practicing?”
Chairman Im Hye-ra came to see Baek Jeong-hoon. Im Hye-ra looked worried as she saw his shirt soaked with sweat from head to waist.
I had expected this to some extent, since the pianist I had recruited was a genius and a hard worker, but I never thought he would push himself to this extreme.
“Take it easy, there’s still a lot of time left until the recital.”
“It’s okay. It’s always fun to play the piano. And how could I just sit still when my teacher left me such great music?”
“Honestly, if you look closely, both Hyun and Jeonghoon are as stubborn as an ox. Stop it and try this.”
Director Im Hye-ra suddenly handed Baek Jeong-hoon a newspaper. Baek Jeong-hoon’s eyes gradually grew wide as he accepted the newspaper.
The reason was simple. Kang Hyun’s photo was posted in the entertainment section as big as a door. But he was not alone.
“What about the people next to you?”
“Mr. Jeong-Hoon, don’t you watch movies? Alessandro and Martina are famous Hollywood actors.”
“I did that because I didn’t understand. I never thought Hyun-i would have a photo time like this in Hollywood.”
Of course, this is the first time that any Korean actor has ever had a photo time on the Hollywood red carpet. This is while standing shoulder to shoulder with famous Hollywood actors.
What about that confident and bold expression? It was as if he was the main character in a movie.
At that moment, another article caught Baek Jeong-hun’s eye.
“An anonymous businessman A bought the lunch ticket with Barbara at an auction at LA Sotheby’s for $1 million?”
“Mr. Jeong-hoon, you saw it too. I was surprised when I saw the article. Who would have thought that the cost of lunch with a tycoon would exceed a million dollars? Isn’t that how the world works?”
“Huh, who on earth could it be?”
This crazy guy.
* * *
“Kang Hyun―!”
It was understandable that Director Kim Sang-guk raised his voice. He had done this without consulting me at all.
In a way, isn’t that like spending a huge amount of money, a million dollars, from business funds? And that’s just for food.
“Sir, why did you ask for a million dollars?”
Kim Sang-guk has suddenly transformed into an employee. He changed from speaking informally to speaking formally. It must have been because he wanted to hear in detail about the expenditure of business funds.
What, do you think I don’t mind spending money? Even if I had shouted out 20,000 dollars, there’s a high chance it would have been sold.
“Because $10,000 wasn’t enough to make an impact.”
“Impact?”
“It’s not your ordinary lunch.”
Of course, it is an extension of business. It is similar to hospitality. Moreover, historically, it was significant that it was the first lunch with Barbara.
But somehow, Director Kim Sang-guk’s expression was not very pleasant. I wanted to tell him the details, but I knew that even if I tried for a hundred days, it would be useless.
Because I was sure that I would look like a crazy person in Director Kim Sang-guk’s eyes anyway.
“Sir, is it possible that the reason you came to the United States was to have lunch with Barbara?”
“Yes, that was the biggest reason. Actually, I came to the preview screening because I had other things to do.”
“Ugh.”
Kim Sang-guk let out a sigh of despair. Could it really be that he had flown all the way here to have lunch with a tycoon?
It was like a bucket of cold water on my head, which was thinking about a unique investment method. I left Kim Sang-guk behind and walked towards Fitz Coffee. They brought out bread that goes well with the familiar seasonal coffee.
“Director Kim, please eat first.”
“Sir, you paid a million dollars in advance for lunch, and you’re saying that it’s just coffee and bread? I know it’s presumptuous, but right now is the perfect time to invest a million dollars in domestic real estate and make money. But what do you mean by lunch?”
“I know that, sir. This is a golden opportunity to gather up the precious lands of the Republic of Korea.”
Kim Sang-guk let out a sigh and nodded his head briefly.
“Hyun-ah, I liked you from the moment I first saw you in the Strategy Planning Office. I was drawn to your boldness and drive, so I followed you to America. However, I didn’t leave the Strategy Planning Office to do something so ridiculous. I don’t understand it at all from the perspective of an employer and employee, but from the perspective of an uncle.”
Kim Sang-guk was genuinely worried about me. Unlike my past life, there seem to be many people in this life who genuinely worry about me and care for me. It was clear that my charm index and my happiness index had changed.
I’d like to tell you all my plans, but it’s too early to do so.
At that moment, Kim Sang-guk’s eyes met mine.
“Director Kim, there’s a saying that seeing something is worth a thousand words.”
“yes.”
“If this plan goes down the drain, I will follow Director Kim’s orders from now on. But just this once.”
Well, it wasn’t something I did without thinking.
There were several ways to collect bullets in the most innovative and large-scale way. I just picked the one that seemed the most likely.
Why did you spend a million dollars? Because the lunch with Barbara was a bridgehead for scraping together money.
“Please watch over me.”
This moment when movies become reality.
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* * *
“May the receiver’s country be equal to the world.”
It was a reception room filled with the scent of stale food.
“Now that we have established ties with China and India, it is time to strengthen our domestic presence as well. In some ways, isn’t this a golden opportunity?”
Isn’t this the Republic of Korea in a state of flux? Although the crisis was barely averted, the domestic real estate market was still in a slump. However, Chairman Wang thought that this dark period would not last long.
Son Il-seon listened to Chairman Wang’s words with a somewhat quiet attitude, as if he were a student.
“How is Hongwon doing these days?”
“I understand that he is living in seclusion at home, not doing much. He seems to be even more cautious after he got scolded so badly on his father’s birthday.”
“Yes, you should always be careful and watch over Hongwon. He may be ugly, but he’s still your brother. If he makes a mistake, you’ll scold him as your older brother.”
Chairman Wang thought a lot after seeing his friend’s family. In some ways, his own family was not much different from Chairman Yu’s.
Fortunately, Son Il-seon was holding firm. Since the center of gravity was established, it was unlikely to waver.
“Father, how long are you going to keep Director Kim on probation?”
“What do you mean by probation?”
“Wasn’t that what you sent to Hyun-i a warning?”
It seems that even Son Il-seon misunderstood. He probably didn’t think that sending Kim Sang-guk to a seventeen-year-old student was a simple transfer.
Chairman Wang shook his head repeatedly.
“Director Kim is not the kind of person who would go just because I told him to. Why would I put him in the position of head of the strategic planning department? That’s because he has the courage and ability to back him up. That kind of person took action on his own two feet.”
Persuading someone with just a word is easy for someone with a weak ear, but it was extremely difficult for someone like Kim Sang-guk. He was a person who had doubts about everything and had countless thoughts running through his head without being seen.
But didn’t Kang Hyun charm Kim Sang Guk with just one word? In some ways, Kang Hyun was better than Son Il Seon in terms of speaking and dealing with people.
“Mr. Chairman.”
At that moment, Secretary Kim entered the reception room cautiously.
“Is this news from America?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
The reason Secretary Kim came to the reception room was simple. She was told to let him know without fail if anything special happened in America.
Chairman Wang’s expression changed from moment to moment as he listened to Secretary Kim’s words. Son Il-seon, sitting across from him, was just curious because he couldn’t hear Secretary Kim’s words.
In the end, Chairman Wang made a strange expression.
“A million dollars.”
It may seem like a large sum of money, but from a business perspective, it was a small amount. However, isn’t it a pretty large sum to spend on lunch?
I wondered what kind of secret plan he had. I wondered what kind of appearance Kang Hyun would show this time.
The teacups in the reception room were placed with a clinking sound.
* * *
“Welcome, violinist Hyun.”
Lunch with Barbara took place at Colony Beach in Malibu, where his LA villa is located.
Even if it’s a meal in a very luxurious mansion, would you believe that one meal costs a million dollars?
The old butler personally guided me. He seemed to already know that I was a violinist. Of course, he must have done a thorough background check on me.
The living room, which had a long dining table, was made of glass and had a clear view of the beach.
The brilliant sunlight was shining down like a splendid light. Why doesn’t it feel like it should be called a billion-dollar view?
That was when.
“I never imagined that my first lunch with you would be with such a young musician. Welcome, violinist Hyun—!”
It was the emergence of Barbara, a tycoon known in America for her involvement in mining, railroads, and real estate.
Barbara’s brown eyes, dressed in traditional Jewish attire, seemed familiar.
Why do all successful rich people have something in common? The way their eyes seemed to read people’s minds made me think I was in Pyeongchang-dong.
“Hyun, honestly, I was surprised. I didn’t know that my lunch with you would fetch a million dollars at auction.”
“I thought a million dollars was a small price to pay to meet Barbara. If they had asked me to pay more than a million dollars, I would have gladly paid it.”
“Haha, Hyun is truly an unknowable man. In the past, Jews who led the top orchestra were appointed to positions by proving their skills regardless of age from a young age. I am a classical music fanatic, so I know Hyun’s name very well. He is a violinist who impressed Berlin and London at a young age. In that sense, Hyun has the courage and talent to be the leader of the top orchestra.”
As Barbara said, it was an atmosphere that would have made an ordinary person feel intimidated. It was clear that the sumptuous food on the table and the splendid interior of the mansion would not catch their eye.
What about Barbara’s sparkling eyes? If you were to eat while looking into those eyes, you would probably vomit before you even take three spoonfuls.
I tried to act as if nothing had happened and picked up the knife.
The atmosphere continued to resemble an ordinary meal.
“Hyeon, is there anything you want from me?”
It’s out!
There was no other reason why my lunch with Barbara later became famous.
Barbara, a billionaire, granted an investor who had donated money to have lunch with her a corresponding wish.
That’s why it was called Barbara’s Lamp instead of Genie’s Lamp because it was said to grant wishes.
But I didn’t come here to ask for a million dollar wish.
“I would like to do business with Ms. Barbara.”
“You want a deal?”
Barbara looked completely unprepared. No wonder she expected to hear advice on which direction to invest.
What could a violinist and Barbara, a known millionaire who already had everything, have to bargain for?
At that moment, I leaned forward and met Barbara’s eyes.
“There are three reasons why you and I should do business.”
Now, it’s time to roll the dice.
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