< For the Music Genius - Episode 019 >
“Ma’am, what’s that smell so early in the morning?”
From the morning breeze, a fresh smell tickled my nose. Did my aunt come? Or maybe my great-uncle and his wife came. They were all visiting Ichon-dong every other day to please my grandfather. While I was thinking about this and that, the housekeeper smiled faintly.
“The old man is cooking the food himself.”
Grandpa?
I lived in the Ichon-dong mansion for a month, but I never saw my grandfather cook. Of course, every meal was prepared by a woman with a good cooking skill, so it’s hard to imagine that my grandfather cooks himself.
‘It’s true, right?’
I glanced at the kitchen with a towel around my neck, and I could see my grandfather’s back. If it were normal, the housekeeper would have stepped in and stopped him, but for some reason, she just watched. But why did my heart ache when I saw my grandfather’s back?
“Student Kang Hyeon, eat breakfast.”
The breakfast table was the same as usual. Clear soup and side dishes mainly consisting of vegetables. The food that had given off a golden smell earlier was nowhere to be seen. What could it be? A question arose in my head, but soon subsided. As the side dishes dwindled, the rice bowl also emptied.
“Hyun-ah, I have a place to go this morning, so keep that in mind.”
I looked at him questioningly, but my grandfather didn’t elaborate further.
“Yes, Grandpa.”
Is he going to Chairman Wang’s house? But judging from his grandfather’s expression, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case. Indescribable emotions were passing through his wrinkled eyes.
We drove for quite some time in the car driven by Mr. Kim. My grandfather was wearing a clean suit, but there were stitches here and there, showing the signs of age. I also dressed up neatly like my grandfather. Except for the bow tie, my outfit was as neat as when I attended a banquet the other day.
Even though my grandfather didn’t tell me the destination, Mr. Kim drove skillfully. For a moment, I felt nervous. Could it be that I was going to meet some incredible person I didn’t know, like when I met Chairman Wang the other day? However, as time passed, that doubt faded away.
‘mountain?’
It was a mountainous area covered with bushes. The car stopped when there was no more road left.
“Oh my, sir.”
An old man came running out of the mountain in a hurry at the sound of a car engine. With his sun-tanned skin and clothes, he looked like someone who lived in the mountains.
“It’s been a while.”
The grandfather and the old man greeted each other warmly. It seemed that he was familiar with Mr. Kim. Where on earth was this place?
*
“Master, I’m out.”
It was a grave. The grave, located in a sunny place, was well-maintained, so not a single common weed could be seen. Only the occasional purple daisy and dandelion were spreading their petals, covered with dew. The grandfather took a handkerchief out of his bosom and wiped the gravestone with care. His eyes, which were always like a tiger, were filled with deep longing.
“Hyun-ah, Grandpa will tell you a story from the old days. When Hyun-ah was young, Grandpa first met Grandpa. Grandma was a friend who worked as a housekeeper at Grandpa’s house. When I got older and suddenly said I wanted to get married, my family was very opposed to it. Just like I opposed your father.”
It was the first time I heard this story. It was a story I had never heard from my mother in my past life. Of course, my grandmother had died giving birth to my mother. My grandfather was born as an only child in a wealthy family. Considering the times, I couldn’t even imagine how much opposition there would have been.
“I ran away from home and went to the capital. At that time, my master asked me if I would regret it. Do you know what I answered him?”
A smile appeared on Grandfather’s lips.
“He said, ‘I already have everything in the world, so what’s there to regret?’”
My grandfather carefully touched the grave. Every movement of his hands was filled with longing.
“They say that Dongju was created by taking the middle letter of your grandfather’s name and the last letter of your grandmother’s name.”
I never thought I would hear the secret story of Dongju like this.
“Dong-ju was that important to Grandfather. But as we go through life, there are things that don’t go the way we want.”
It must be raising children. No wonder they say that raising children is the most important thing when you get old. At that moment, my grandfather looked at me with sharp eyes.
“Hyeon-i, whatever path you take is fine. There’s nothing better than living the life you want, just like Grandpa used to. But I have a favor to ask. If Dong-ju ever needs you, just reach out to him whenever you want. Grandpa will think differently from now on.”
This is something I would never have imagined in my past life. My uncles have been making a lot of mistakes lately, so I didn’t know that my grandfather would tell me this story when I was only 14 years old. At that moment, I met my grandfather’s eyes. His gaze seemed to read my mind.
“Grandpa, Dongju will be okay.”
In that one word,
A deep smile appeared on Grandfather’s lips.
“Hyun-ah, fifty years ago today, your grandfather and grandmother got married.”
It was our wedding anniversary? Grandpa took out some food from the plastic bag he had brought, and only then did I understand his behavior in the kitchen this morning. It was a moment when I felt like a romantic.
“Master, this is your favorite pumpkin pancake.”
That day, a secret was revealed between my grandfather and me.
* * *
Park Seon-yeong became impatient.
Jiying.
Because I didn’t like the violin melody.
There is a common saying that there is a realm of the master. Those who are praised as maestros and have influenced the times. The sight of them becoming one with their instruments gives goosebumps, and the music that beats the heart steals the soul. Their music has a magic that cannot be described in words. Park Seon-young has respected and admired the masters since she has played the violin all her life.
“after.”
A deep sigh lingered in the soundproof room.
Without realizing it, strength entered my right hand holding the bow.
Detachment, vibrato, harmonics, legato, trill─!
The technique that I practiced a hundred times every day since I was young. However, even now that I am an adult, I still do not like it. Of course, if others heard it, they would have shouted that it was nonsense. Park Seon-yeong is a talented person with outstanding skills no matter what anyone says. However, someone said that the technique of the violin lies in the emotion that goes beyond the technique. That is the difference that separates the master from the ordinary.
I began to wonder if I really had the qualities.
Have you ever seen a talent that you can’t see? Of course there is. Park Seon-yeong was very motivated to go to violin lessons these days. It was because she felt the wall of talent that she had encountered for the first time in her life. However, she was even more grateful that she could teach that child. Was this the feeling of the teacher who taught Paganini?
“Yuha will be very upset today too.”
These past few days, Kang Hyun didn’t come to receive music lessons, so Son Yu Ha’s face was filled with discontent. Park Sun Young completely understood Son Yu Ha’s feelings. She herself had become a fan of Kang Hyun, not a teacher.
He clearly said that he had never properly learned the violin. However, Park Seon-yeong sensed the scent of a master in the child’s melodies.
‘If this continues, Hyun-i will go study abroad first.’
In some ways, that’s not wrong. Mozart also traveled the world from a young age.
Crunch.
I couldn’t just be frustrated like this.
Park Seon-yeong lifted the bow she had been holding again.
*
“Mr. Chairman.”
My uncle cautiously went to the chairman’s office. Maybe it was because of the recent incident with my uncle, but his every action was like that of a new employee. My uncle glared at me sitting on the sofa as he entered the chairman’s office. He looked at me as if he was asking me if I was still here. What should I do? Do I want to be here?
It was only yesterday that I reassured my grandfather, but Wan-yong was still running wild, so there was nothing I could do. I was going to work with my grandfather almost every day, to the point where I even skipped my music lessons, which I had become increasingly interested in.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“No genes.”
When my grandfather called softly, my uncle immediately looked away from me and became tense.
“Are you still doing things this clumsily? I have to worry about the wastewater treatment myself!”
It was the 90s when industrial corruption was rampant. No wonder they say that there was no one in business who had not received bribes. For example, in the construction industry, they stole steel bars that were below the safety load, and in the chemical industry, corruption related to wastewater treatment was rampant. Since general manufacturing plants do not have wastewater treatment facilities, they usually outsource the work to chemical companies, and this is where bribes come from.
How do you know so well?
‘Even in the 21st century, it is prevalent in other ways, knowingly or unknowingly’
As time went by, we became smarter, but we couldn’t root out corruption. But it wasn’t illegal, so we just became more careful. I managed the legal issues that arose in the process. But it’s the 90s now.
Well, no matter what industry you went into, corruption of this level was rampant, but it was a time when turning a blind eye was considered a virtue. When the social structure flows like this toward corruption, it is bound to eventually fall apart.
“We will take corrective action immediately, Mr. Chairman.”
My uncle was sweating profusely. He probably knew about the bribe related to the sewage, but he probably turned a blind eye to it because it was a small amount. If he didn’t know, he would be really stupid.
Not long after my uncle left.
“Are you here, Director Jeon?”
The guy came to the chairman’s office.
It was Director Jeon who often visited the chairman’s office, perhaps because he was in charge of a position related to the development of new materials. The reason I called him Jeon Wan-yong before was that his gaze was strange, but nothing happened. He probably thought he had misheard.
‘How do I catch that guy?’
There was no way to clearly follow his tail. Since the development of new materials had not yet been completed, I couldn’t just shout, “That guy is the one who will later sell A-class technology to foreign countries!” I was lost in thought until the guy bowed his head respectfully to my grandfather and left the chairman’s office.
A moment when no magical method comes to mind at all.
“It smells terrible like mold.”
uh?
My grandfather was looking at me with a strange smile.
“Hyun, didn’t you say that before? Mold doesn’t just grow on the outside.”
no way.
I thought too softly. My grandfather was someone who had been directly involved in the front lines of management his entire life. In a way, I was too arrogant, relying only on my past life experiences. It was like I was crouching in front of a pupa. My grandfather was a master who could not be compared to me. He must have noticed.
“It will be disinfected soon, very clean.”
The fact that he is the biggest fungus.
—————————————=
