TL: LightNovelCafe

  [TN: Oh Bruno, what have you done?]

  “Alright, then should we talk about this music that reproduced Haydn? You said your name is Jun?”


  “Yes.”


  Bruno Kazel thought of Alexander’s words that he would be more surprised once he met Jun Hyuk in person. Asians look younger in general, but the boy who came through the doors looked as though he could be in high school.

  Looking at the music and the composers, it was as though the two boys had been switched. The strict classical form written by a youth from a European musical family. And a song depicting a fun scene by a witty boy from Asia. This would be much more plausible.

  “Is there a fun story to your song as well?”


  “Excuse me?”


  “Ah, I heard that the song chosen along with yours was written to depict a scene witnessed in Central Park. I was wondering if you had a story like that as well.”


  “There’s nothing like that.”


  If he did not have a motive, it meant that he had just written the song while looking at a blank sheet. It is the hardest method of creation. There needs to be an incredible educational background for someone to do this within a week. He is a freshman…… He felt like it made less sense as he saw more.

  “Really? Then it’s just a great melody?”


  “Um…… That’s a piano practice song.”


  “What? A practice song?”


  “Yes. It can only be seen as a proper performance if the player can do pianissimo and pianississimo. If the piano cannot show the simplicity until the 3rd part, the whole song is ruined.”


  “Hm. I was asking because I didn’t feel anything when I was looking at your score but…… that’s what it was. Do you think it might have highlighted technical aspects too much for a young teenager? I was expecting it to be expressing something great.”


  Bruno Kazel kept questioning Jun Hyuk to see if there was something hidden in his music.

  “I just wrote it for a passionate pianist who reminds me of fireworks because I saw that she was working hard to try to suppress her strength.”


  “She? The pianist is a woman?”


  “Yes.”


  “Could it be your girlfriend? Is it a tribute to your girlfriend?”


  “Ah…… no. A repayment for a single passionate kiss? That’s as much as it would be.”


  “What? Kiss? Well, well. Ha ha.”


  Bruno Kazel burst out in laughter because he had finally discovered the song’s motive. Could there be better motive for a song than a passionate kiss with a motive?

  Bruno Kazel laughed for a bit and nodded as if it were definite.

  “Very good. If you were gifted a passionate by a woman, you must give something in return. More so if she is a beauty.”


  “Hm. Then I guess I’ll have to make three or four more for her.”


  Jun Hyuk smiled as he thought of Amelia. Bruno Kazel noticed the hidden meaning in Jun Hyuk’s words.

  “Oh? You’re saying she’s that much of a beauty? You’re making me curious.”


  It really is great to work with young students. He can enjoy finding light excitement in such unexpected things.

  “So the themes of both selected songs are women. I’m telling you men make music because of women. Ha ha.”


  Bruno Kazel fully understood the thoughts of the composers. Now he must go to the theater where the protagonists of the performance await him.

  “Then shall we go to meet the band and pianist?”


  Jun Hyuk however, shook his head.

  “I’m done up to here. The concert is yours.”


  “But won’t it be better for you to see the rehearsal?”


  “It is my understanding that it is the composer’s role up to moving the music onto the paper.”


  Bruno Kazel saw a look of seeking challenge in Jun Hyuk’s eyes rather than modesty.

  “So you’ll just see what kind of music comes from your song at the concert?”


  “Yes.”


  “Whether it comes out well or not?”


  Jun Hyuk responded to Bruno Kazel’s provocation without the slightest bit of hesitation,

  “Yes. All I need to see is the result.”


  Once a script leaves the writer’s hands, it is all up to the producer who is in charge of its presentation. It is right that everything from is the camera angle and lights to the background music are left up to the producer. The composer writes the script on sheet music and the conductor just performs his interpretation while looking at that script.

  “Well…… You’re a scary composer. I guess I won’t be able to perform one of your songs ever again if you don’t like it?”


  “Isn’t that inevitable?”


  Bruno Kazel could not hide his surprise at Jun Hyuk’s obstinate response, but he immediately laughed.

  “This is why I like young people. This confidence. I guess I’m being tested instead of the students. Okay. I’ll have to do well so I don’t regret it later.”


  Bruno Kazel went to the theater in good spirits and Jun Hyuk went back to his dorm. He liked that Bruno Kazel was so informal for a maestro.

  The CH orchestra, three sopranos, and a pianist were waiting in the theater to greet Bruno Kazel. He could tell who the pianist is before he received introductions.

  “Oh, a beauty who deserves 10 songs rather than 3 or 4.”


  The 4 girls including the sopranos just blinked as they did not know who he was referring to.

  The waiting professors took Bruno Kazel down to the seats as they said they had something to discuss with him.

  “I’m sorry maestro, but the pianist Amelia received the highest scores during auditions, but she was not able to finish this song. She is practicing at the moment to play this song as well.”


  “Amelia? Oh, the beauty the composer spoke of is named Amelia. There’s even passion in her name.”


  It seemed he did not care even though they told him that she is a pianist who came crashing down during the auditions.

  “What of it? Isn’t this a school? The goal isn’t to receive the applause and encore of the audience. You never know, she might perform wonderfully. Then it’ll be the birth of another great pianist.”


  The professors felt relief and gratitude for Bruno Kazel’s positive thinking.

  “I see. We didn’t think that far ahead. The stage is all yours, maestro.”


  “Then I will start with the stars of the show. Professors, do not worry. I’ll take responsibility for everyone until the concert.”


  “We have a lot of luck this year. To think a maestro teaching our students himself for a week. Ha ha.”


  ***

  The sopranos were able to perform Alexander’s song without problems. Just as the professors had been worrying about, the piano kept stopping.

  Amelia was angry with herself and kept banging down on the innocent piano.

  After repeating this a few times, Bruno Kazel made Amelia stop.

  “Alright, let’s take a 10 minute break.”


  He put his baton down and went to Amelia who could not lift her head.

  “Amelia, can you come see me?”


  The two came down from the stage and sat at a distance from where they could not be heard on stage.

  “Amelia. I have 3 children. Do you know what characterizes children?”


  “Being noisy?”


  “That too but the greatest characteristic is that they don’t stay still even for a moment. They don’t even walk around. They run no matter how short the distance is. Even inside the house.”


  Children who run around the house, flipping everything. Amelia thought he was criticizing her music.

  “Do I make that much of a mess?”


  “Listen until the end. There are times when our children are really still.”


  “When they sleep?”


  “That’s the same for adults and children. It’s when they watch TV.”


  “TV?”


  “Yeah. You know those kids cartoons or those shows where people come out wearing doll costumes.”


  It is not a toy or a snack. Something that takes sight, not senses of touch or taste. Only that can keep a child still.

  “I guess so.”


  “What if you think about it like this? You’re a child who can’t control your overwhelming energy. My orchestra is a TV show.”


  Bruno Kazel wanted to hold Amelia’s hearing instead of her sight.

  “Focus on the orchestra a little more instead of staring at the score or worrying about the piano. Just think of the piano as an interjection or reaction while you’re enjoying the orchestra’s music.

  “But……”


  He is telling her not to concentrate on the piano? That means it is not a coordinate performance between the orchestra and piano. Bruno Kazel winked and smiled at Amelia, anticipating what she was going to say.

  “Let’s just start out like this. Slowly. There’s no need to rush, is there?”


  He is telling her how to do it. How to take the first step to express the moderation that the composer is demanding. She could not refute it since the maestro himself was letting her know a customized method.

  Of course the effect was good. She played the keys slowly and lightly as if she had become part of the audience enjoying the music. What she heard was pianissimo, but she felt as though she was playing with a machine. A performance fooling the audience. She played the keys quietly though because he said that this is the first step.

  ***

  The concert started with the 3rd place song. The piece arranged for a string quartet was of a light and simple configuration and the audience gave genuine applause.

  Continuing was Alexander’s short song conducted by Bruno Kazel.

  [Concerto for 3 Sopranos] had a fun configuration that made the audience laugh occasionally and it gave the feeling that they were watching a short play. The performance was so great that Alexander was not just satisfied but in awe.

  They went on to Jun Hyuk’s concerto without a break. When Amelia appeared on stage in a black dress, the male students welcomed her with tremendous cheering.

  She was full of confidence unlike she had been during the auditions, and Bruno Kazel faced her with ease.

  When the orchestra’s introduction began and the melody flowed, a low sound came out. A peaceful piano continued like dew falling from grass.

  As the 1st part ended, a few people clapped subconsciously. It is a music that is complete even with one part.

  Jun Hyuk however had an objectionable expression.

  ‘He’s using running away as a method? Who thought of this trick?’


  It was hard to keep listening, but he needed to listen until the end. He wanted to watch how they would express the 4th part after running away for 3 parts.

  When the 4th part began with a piano that was as if it were going to break, Jun Hyuk stood up. He had co

  Volume 1 / Prologue

  TL: LightNovelCafe

  It is said that humans only reveal 5% of their DNA. The person you perceive yourself to be and the person others judge you for is determined by this 5%. No one can know what is in the hidden 95%.

  Put simply, it would be as if our parents gave us a total of 100 cards when they gave us life – of which only 5 can be used. They don’t know which cards they’ll be handing down, but that’s not the real issue. The bigger problem is that of the 100 random cards, we can’t even choose which of the 5 we get to use. We have to pick them with our eyes closed.

  Now imagine each of these cards represents a different trait – maybe an attractive face, an intelligent mind, a great body, a handicap. A lucky person who might have been fated with a prized card would be able to use it as a weapon to speed through life with considerable ease. And then there are also the ill-fated who end up with a torn or useless card. Maybe all five cards are duds. But that is what we have to use to our advantage or disadvantage until we die.

  The dictionary definition of absolute pitch is as goes.

  Absolute Pitch: The ability to hear any musical note and, without a reference tone, recognize its pitch.

  Absolute pitch is said to be a natural gift – something you are born with. But then there are some say that it is possible to acquire it with enough training. That it is more of a talent than a gift. But imagine being blessed with the gift of absolute pitch and enhancing an already impressive feat with another other talent. How extraordinary would that be?

  The ability to extract the pitch from all sounds heard by the ear – the revving of a motorcycle exhaust, a frog croaking in the countryside on a cool summer night, the rattling of a subway into a platform, the sound of raindrops on the roof of a car – or to hear them as a beautiful melody in and of itself is indeed a gift from God.

  But this is true only if that person realizes that the sounds he hears is music and not merely noise.

  Of the 10 contemporary musicians chosen by New York’s Metropolitan Museum to represent the 20th century, there is a South Korean who is a native of Sancheong and captain of Tongyoung – Mr. Yoon Yi Sang. He was born with such a gift.

  He has said that the tranquil landscape and sea of Tongyoung he constantly yearned for are nestled in his music. A German couple who so loved Mr. Yoon Yi Sang’s music said they traveled all the way to Tongyoung in order to feel his music on a deeper level.

  And that German couple further said the moment they saw the sea in Tongyoung, they knew that it was the same sea they imagined while listening to Mr. Yoon Yi Sang’s music. The music had expressed a natural landscape as if a picture had been taken.

  Let us look at an incident from his childhood.

  ‘When Spring comes and the paddy fills with water, it is filled with frogs. The sound of the frogs every night was very noisy but to me, it didn’t sound like whining. Instead it was more like an artistic chorus composed of different voices.

  When one frog starts crying, another sound matches that and responds, and if a third joins, suddenly a chorus of trebles, mids, and bass start in concert, and again suddenly fall silent.’


  This is what is archived in Mr. Yoon Yi Sang’s memorial in Tongyoung.

  Hopefully, the readers who will see these words will not misunderstand. The purpose is not to write a biography about a man who has already passed away. Truthfully, I don’t know much about the deceased man. I have never even heard his music. As someone who is used to pop music, difficult contemporary music is still an uncomfortable noise for me.

  Going forward, I will tell the story of one young musician who appeared suddenly. He left humanity with music so beautiful it was like a gift from God. The young genius was associated with impressive modifiers of the 21st century such as Mozart, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Chopin, and Quincy Jones, and was respected by the world.

  This is a record of his music and the music empire that he built.

  Epilogue

  TL: LightNovelCafe

  Editor: Isleidir

  “Find a pianist now. Your mom isn’t your exclusive pianist or anything like that.”


  “You think I perform with mom because I want to? Try being with her 24 hours a day. I’m going to go crazy because of all of her nagging.”


  Jina held Amelia’s hand and trembled.

  “What? Nagging? Bring a proper boyfriend, see if I nag. You don’t remember that idiot you brought 2 months ago? The world’s best pianist? That’s laughable. You only date guys like that moron who saw your dad and couldn’t do anything, so how could I not nag?”


  “Again…… again. What guy in the world is good in front of dad? Oh, right. There are the natives living in the Amazon jungle. They’ve never heard dad’s music and they don’t know who he is.”


  The mother daughter pair walking toward a helicopter kept arguing, but they did not let go of each other’s hands.

  Two years ago, Jun Hyuk announced his retirement immediately after the 1st performance of . It was a declaration of complete retirement that he would not release albums, perform, or compose any longer.

  However, Jun Hyuk’s declaration of retirement also made Jina’s performance impossible. The best pianists of the time lined up to perform with Jina, but no one could play the song all the way through.

  The pianist who played longest was unable to go over 30 minutes. It is because they were unable to control their emotions to continue playing.

  The only person other than Jun Hyuk who could play the song all the way through was the dominator of the piano, the piano queen, Amelia.

  It also helped that she had listened to Jina’s voice for a long time and they practiced together after canceling their performance schedule.

  Jina wanted to perform in front of an audience and there was no alternative to Amelia.

  Jina, who performed as many as 20 times a month, needed to listen to her mother’s nagging all the time.

  Until now, Jun Hyuk had followed Jina and Amelia around to their performances. He felt with his entire body what difficult work it had been for someone to be by his side at all times, taking care of him. The 2 women laid out their demanding requests endlessly, and Jun Hyuk had a harder time handling all of that than he did with his performances.

  He had not decided to stop following them around because of this though. It had been a happy time to take care of the women he loves.

  But the attention went to Jun Hyuk rather than the concerts, and the obsession of the persistent press and fans in particular made it difficult on their private lives and their performances.

  There had been a time when they spent an entire day locked up inside of their hotel because the hotel had been encircled by the press and fans.

  The way to resolve all of this discomfort was for Jun Hyuk not to go on tour with them, and Jun Hyuk did not stay stubborn either. And today is the first day that the 2 women are going on their own.

  Jun Hyuk watched until the helicopter disappeared before going home. The mother and daughter pair would not come back until 3 months later. He needs to spend that time alone until then.

  Jun Hyuk sat blankly in a completely empty house, and then picked up the phone.

  “Father?”


  “Huh? Son, what is it?”


  “Amelia and Jina left for their performances today. It’s a 3-month tour.”


  “Really? Then you’ll have to be alone.”


  “Yes. So……”


  “Hey, let’s hang up. I’m busy.”


  “No…… So I’m telling you to come over. Why don’t you stay with me?&rd

  quo;

  “I can’t. I told you I’m busy.”


  Yoon Kwang Hun’s annoyed voice grew louder over the phone.

  “What are you so busy with?”


  “I’m at a fundraising party with the winners of Miss Universe! I don’t have time to play with you. There’s not even enough time to take pictures with all of these pretty women. Hang up.”


  “Hang on. You can come once the party’s over.”


  Jun Hyuk rushed to speak, but all he got was a cold response.

  “Ugh, you’re being such a bother. I’m going to keep doing fundraising events with these beautiful women. All around the world for a whole 6 months. Am I crazy to spend that time with you? I’m hanging up.”


  There was only the hang up dial over the phone. Yoon Kwang Hun completely filled the empty space Isaac Stern had left behind. He worked hard on JS Foundation, Stern Corporation, their affiliated companies, and the record label, and brought more power to them than they had before.

  The problem was that his behavior was becoming more like Isaac Stern’s as well. He had become lascivious and sly old man.

  “Miss Universe…… Geez.”


  Jun Hyuk laughed in disbelief. The fact was that he would not see Yoon Kwang Hun for the next 6 months.

  Jun Hyuk picked up the phone again.

  “Tara?”


  “Goodness, Jun. What’s up? It’s been so long.”


  “Um…… Amelia and Jina left for their tour. So……”


  “Oh, you said you’re not going with them anymore, right?”


  “Yeah. Do you want to get dinner or something? With your husband.”


  Tara handed in her resignation when Jun Hyuk announced his retirement. If she can no longer see the miraculous events she had seen with Jun Hyuk, working was meaningless.

  And she lived her own life instead of as Jun Hyuk’s shadow. She fell in love, married, and lived comfortably with a tremendous bonus.

  “Oh no! I’m on vacation with my husband. We’re in Bali right now.”


  “Oh, really? It’s okay. Have a fun time.”


  Jun Hyuk quickly hung up the phone and called a few people he knew. But his friends are all busy people.

  Colin was in the middle of his South American tour, and Danny was working on an album in Europe.

  He is the only retired person without a job.

  Jun Hyuk went into his room and laid down on the bed. He decided to sleep for a bit and then decide on what to do.

  Jun Hyuk had been laying on the bed for about 30 minutes when he bolted up.

  This strange feeling. This empty feeling. What could this be?

  Jun Hyuk focused on this feeling for a while and then thought of a word he had never considered before.

  It is boredom.

  A feeling he had never experienced until now. Boredom.

  It has been a long time since the endless music in his mind topped. Since he wrote , music no longer pops up in his mind without external stimulus. He became a dried up lake whose ground always shows if it does not rain.

  This boredom that feels as though his whole body is completely empty.

  He sat up in bed and his eyes sparkled.

  ‘Boredom? Emptiness? Tediousness?’


  Jun Hyuk went to his home studio for the first time in 2 years.

  He wiped the dust off of the desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down.

  He opened the drawer, took out a single page of sheet music, and picked up a pen.

  And he began to look at the blank sheet.