Pianist's Village

The first round of the International Chopin Competition for Children. A maddening silence filled the room uncomfortably. From the main stage, other spectators were allowed to enter in addition to the judges. But not everyone had the opportunity. Even students at the Warsaw Conservatory needed permission from their teachers to enter. The audience was packed with sponsors of the Chopin Competition. High-level entrepreneurs from Poland, France and other European countries were there to witness the birth of another piano star. And here, only one song played by a black-haired boy surprised them.

The piece performed was Chopin's Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20 .

The older gentlemen, dressed in tuxedos or elegant suits, looked at the boy on stage with astonished eyes, unable even to applaud.

"Oh, that's ridiculous."

"Hey, what was that song just now?"

"Wow, perfect...!"

The audience murmured to themselves. The professors, on one side, were amazed by the technical aspects.

'Does it make sense? Hasn't there been a single wrong touch?'

'Even Horowitz makes mistakes... Not only does he pretend not to make mistakes and overlook them, but he says he didn't make any mistakes. That's ridiculous, unless he practiced that song in his mother's womb.'

The teachers were right. Of course, there were contestants who played correctly without making mistakes. However, no contestant could perfectly process all the symbols written on the score. In addition, the boy on stage played the song from memory without sheet music, but he performed it perfectly without a single mistake.

A child sitting quietly at the piano after finishing playing.

'Why don't you applaud? Didn't you like my performance?' They could have looked at him like that, but the boy sat there, indifferent, staring blankly at the audience. The spectators in the front row were so shocked that they couldn't even think of applauding.

Professor Lech, who was sitting at the judges' podium, stood up with a smile and clapped his hands slowly.

Applaud... Applaud... Clapping, clapping... ... .

When the judges surrounding Professor Lech came to their senses and stood up together and began to applaud, most of the sponsors who had come to their senses also stood up and gave thunderous applause, even though it was only the first stage of the main competition.

"Bravo!!!"

"Great!! You said your name was Nam Soo-hyun! I will certainly remember!"

"That was the best performance! I have never heard such a perfect performance in my life! Even if Chopin, who composed the Scherzo, were to come back to life, I cannot guarantee that he would be able to play it like that."

Whistles, applause. They cheered him loudly. 'It's like when older men congratulate me. When Soo-hyun first played this song, he heard a gentle reprimand from Frederick. It took him two years to praise her.' His heart beat hard again.

Soo-hyun, standing amid the cheers, gave a belated greeting to the audience with a slightly trembling heart. "It's a similar feeling to the one I felt when I imagined a Korean school. Uncle Frederick said that the feeling he experienced with the applause after the performance was one of joy. So, when I imagined a Korean school, I guess the feeling I experienced was also one of joy.'

Soo-hyun, who bowed his head, had already been instructed by Ji-ye to continue greeting the audience until their cheers died down. The problem, however, was that the applause of the audience did not seem to diminish. After this endless cycle of head raising and lowering, one of the professors finally calmed the audience down. The professor raised his hand to signal everyone to calm down, since there was no microphone, then turned to Soo-hyun and gestured for him to come in quickly.

'The applause continues. Sister Jiye told me not to go in. Oh, by the way, Jiye, who is behind the curtain, is also beckoning me in. I should go in.' Only after Soo-hyun, who had hesitated for a moment, disappeared backstage did the excited sponsors stop clapping and took their seats. But they couldn't calm down easily and started talking to each other.

"This is the third time I've participated in the Chopin Children's Competition, and it's the first time I've seen a child play like this. That kid is a genius of the first order!"

"If I had participated, I would have been twelve years old at most, but he plays without mistakes that even professional pianists can't make! If I were a reporter, I would have written a special article about that child immediately."

"I should call my secretary right now. I will sponsor that child."

"Hey, me first."

"Hey, guys. It is impossible for a boy who plays like this not to have a sponsor. Who would be stupid enough to leave a boy who has even competed in an international competition? Since corporate sponsorship is obviously out of the question, let's think about individual sponsorship."

"Ha, that child should have been born in Europe."

"If I had been born in Germany or France, I would already be recognized as a brilliant pianist."

"What country are you from?"

"When we introduced ourselves earlier, you said it was Korea."

"Wow! I've heard a lot about Korea lately. Even the son of the Premier League is Korean. It seems that we are hearing more and more of the name Korea in Europe."

It wasn't just the sponsors who were excited. The professors of the Warsaw Conservatory, located behind the jury, were also outraged.

"Bar, the rhythm..."

'Could it be that you used a metronome by ear? How can a person, and not a machine, maintain such a precise pace?'

"Chopin himself was like that. Even in his old age, he always carried a metronome on the piano. I've even heard an anecdote: he would get very angry if another pianist played his music out of time."

"Ha, ha, ha... We must bring that child to the Warsaw Conservatory at all costs. They should never take it away from us."

"Professor Lech loves this child very much, so he will take care of him."

Professor Lech, watched with expectant eyes by the professors, stared at the stage in silence and smiled.

Out of the sand.

Professor Lee Chan-ho and Han Ji-hye, who came merely as companions to the contestants who were eliminated in the preliminary round, rather than as sponsors or officials, were not eligible to enter and stayed in the lobby outside the competition venue.

"I wonder if Soo-hyun will do well in the main event," Jihye said, biting her nails and looking anxious.

Professor Lee Chan-ho replied with a look of disbelief. "Of course."

Jihye was overjoyed when she heard from Professor Lee Chan-ho that Soo-hyun was thinking of coming to Korea University. Also, after reviewing the information about Soo-hyun, whom he hadn't paid much attention to until now, he 'shed tears by himself, thinking about how difficult it must have been for the boy.' Such emotions made her postpone her return to Korea even after all the students who had come with her dropped out of their studies. The dean had also asked him to strengthen his relationship with Soo-hyun, saying that he would support all expenses during his stay.

Jihye, who couldn't hide her anxiety even after hearing Lee Chan-ho's words, kicked the ground and froze when she saw a woman approaching from afar.

"Huh... Miss Kim Ji-ye?"

Lee Chan-ho turned his head after hearing Han Ji-hye's words, then saw Kim Ji-ye walking towards him in an elegant suit and stepped forward to greet her.

"Hello, Ji-ye Kim. I'm Chan-ho Lee from Korea University's Institute of Musical Talents."

Han Ji-hye quickly added. "This is Assistant Han Ji-hye."

He greeted her, but for some reason the look he received was cold. It was not the usual expression of Kim Ji-ye, who was always kind to Soo-hyun.

"I see, I'm Kim Ji-ye from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." His tone was cold.

Although they finally exchanged greetings, the two of them seemed embarrassed by the cold response they received. Kim Ji-ye, who came over with her shoes clinking, spoke expressionlessly.

"Soo-hyun said he wanted to go to that school."

"..."

It was good news. However, both were speechless at cold Kim Ji-ye.

"You said you couldn't give a chance to a kid who had never won a prize in a contest. What now?"

"..."

Professor Lee Chan-ho, embarrassed and unable to raise his head, remained silent.

"Well, I don't have anything else to say, as he entered the contest because he wanted to and came here to forge his career and win awards, but Soo-hyun is currently receiving the attention of the Warsaw Conservatory of Music. Do you think taking her to Korea University in this situation will help her in the future?"

There was nothing wrong with what Kim Ji-ye said. Korea University and Warsaw Conservatory of Music. Even if you asked a child on the street, it was obvious which way to go.

Kim Ji-ye asked in a slightly better tone of voice, perhaps feeling a little better after seeing Professor Lee Chan-ho bowing his head silently.

"What did you say to Soo-hyun?"

Lee Chan-ho swallowed dry saliva and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice. "First of all, I am ashamed of my opportunistic behavior. I sincerely apologize for that. I'll also apologize to Soo-hyun separately. And to answer the question you just asked, I just explained my feelings to you."

Kim Ji-ye nodded slightly. Professor Lee Chan-ho was the one who had seen so in passing and understood his condition. It was impossible for Kim Ji-ye, who saw Soo-hyun's face on a daily basis, not to know about his condition. He simply kept quiet because he had no remedy.

"Is that all? I also know about Soo-hyun's condition. Emotions are learned naturally in social life. It's not something that can only be done at a Korean university, is it? You probably don't think it's impossible here in Warsaw. I think Soo-hyun had a different reason for wanting to go to that university."

Professor Lee Chan-ho took a moment to collect his thoughts, and then said:

"I didn't say anything first, but Soo-hyun asked the question."

"What was the question?"

"He asked if there were many friends his age at our school."

"..."

Kim Ji-ye's eyes were tightly closed. 'That's it. Soo-hyun was alone. I felt ashamed of myself for thinking that I unknowingly needed to turn to higher educational institutions to become an excellent pianist.' Kim Ji-ye couldn't speak for a long time after that.

After a while, Ji-ye Kim, with a trembling voice, slowly bowed to Professor Chan-ho Lee and spoke:

"Our Soo-hyun. Please take good care of her."

Professor Lee Chan-ho was surprised to see that Kim Ji-ye suddenly bowed politely and asked for a favor, and bowed back.

"That, that..."

Kim Ji-ye, who had straightened up, looked at Professor Lee Chan-ho and spoke. His voice was still trembling and breaking, as if he were holding back tears.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding. Soo-hyun is a lonely girl. Please take good care of her."

"..."

Jihye and Professor Lee Chan-ho hesitated, surprised. Ji-ye Kim continued to speak.

"thirteen-year-old Soo-hyun knows fewer than five people. Please help her make lots of friends, laugh and confront them, and introduce them little by little. Of course I will be by her side until the competition is over, but I can't be by her side forever, so I ask you to take good care of her."

Jihye grabbed Kim Ji-ye's arm as she bent down again, and quickly picked her up. "Please don't do this. We haven't done anything good."

Professor Lee Chan-ho also stopped Kim Ji-ye as if asking him to stop. "That's right. We will do our best to raise Soo-hyun. She will once again perform to Kim Ji-ye as a wonderful pianist."

Kim Ji-ye shook her head slightly after hearing Professor Lee Chan-ho's words.

"No, professor. Just make her laugh and chat, make her sad and happy like other children her age. Because when a child is like a child, he is like an angel. The current Soo-hyun... He's so heartbreakingly like an adult."