Chapter 120
It was strange. When I went to Uncle Beethoven's or Uncle Schubert's house, upon crossing the open door, a black path to a cave appeared.
The path from Uncle Franz's house was revealed as the roots of a zelkova tree opened, so it wasn't entirely strange for a cave made of earth to appear.
But this time, the scenery beyond the practice room door was strange. It was a hallway without a single speck of dust, let alone the dirt of a cave.
But it was not a school hallway. It was a very dark, dark brown wooden hallway with small lights here and there.
In addition, numerous pictures were hung in wooden frames on the hallway walls.
Soo-hyun, who saw the open door, thought that sheet music contained a secret that led to another musician, but as he passed through the hallway, he felt a little nervous about the different scenery than before.
"Isn't this the hallway that leads to the pianist's village?"
Soo-hyun muttered.
I was standing in front of the first photograph, visible through the dim lights.
In the photo, a boy of about eight years old was posing with his elbows on the piano and his chin resting on his hands. The loose-fitting clothes looked stupid due to the large, ill-fitting suit, but the fabric was so luxurious that it seemed he came from a noble family. The piano on which the boy was leaning was also very ornate.
Upon entering the pianist's village, the musician was seen in photographs for the first time. I had been looking at the boy's pictures for a long time, but no matter how much I looked, I couldn't figure out who he was.
If you took another step, you would see another photo. It was a photo showing the same person as when he was young, although with shorter hair. A young man with a wide and bright forehead. He was very stocky, and unlike his childhood photos, he was wearing a tight-fitting suit with his arms crossed. This time, he was wearing very expensive-looking clothes.
There was also a photo of him with a black dog on the pier and another photo of him apparently editing a musical score.
There were also photographs of him crossing his legs in front of a piano or in front of a giant pine tree.
But it was a bit strange. The further back you went, the shabbier his clothes looked.
'Maybe this man was born into a noble family and his family gradually rose in power.'
Soo-hyun, who had been looking at the photos absentmindedly, finally stood in front of the last photo.
Next to the photo was a brown door that was slightly lighter than the hallway.
A short-haired man who appeared to be in his 40s. Piercing eyes. Slightly upturned eyebrows and a high, pointed nose. Overall, he had a very handsome face, but he looked more like a soldier than a musician. Unlike Beethoven, who had a very grumpy face, he had an appearance that made him seem intimidating even when he was still.
Soo-hyun stared at the closed door and then grabbed the handle.
'I was about to open it, but I remembered that Mr. Beethoven threw the book as soon as he opened the door. If the man in the picture was inside and he was angry, I think it would be really scary.'
Soo-hyun, who was hesitating, knocked gently.
Knock, knock.
English was heard from inside.
"Please come in."
Soo-hyun breathed a sigh of relief. The other person spoke English and used the formal and polite expression "Please."
'Language also reflects a person's inner self.'
"Excuse me."
After politely opening the door and looking around, Soo-hyun bowed when he saw a black shadow sitting with its back to the window where the sunlight was pouring in.
"Hello. I'm sorry for coming so suddenly."
I raised my head again and looked at the person I was dealing with, but the dark interior was in contrast to the light outside the window, so I could only see his figure as a shadow.
"Take a load off."
It was a voice telling him to sit down. But the language he used was unusual. Not the tone of an ordinary person, but that of a noble family.
'He's an English-speaking nobleman. Could he be British?'
His shadow pointed to a wooden chair next to the bed. As Soo-hyun sat up straight, the shadow asked.
"I saw a small sapling. In fact, I was hoping he would come to me too."
A deep, low, and resonant voice. If a newborn baby heard it, they would probably burst into tears.
"I don't know if that has anything to do with me."
"It's not the first time you've met me here, is it?"
"Yes, I met Liszt, Chopin, Uncle Beethoven, and Professor Schubert."
The shadow's body turned towards Soo-hyun. Then, it slowly rose. Soo-hyun held his breath as he saw the shadow appear. The reason the boy held his breath was none other than the enormity of the shadow. He was a giant, nearly two meters tall. Prominent shoulders, as if the whole body were made of muscle.
A shadow with its back to the sunlight walked slowly towards Soo-hyun, and he grew larger. A huge hand, twice the size of Soo-hyun's, was extended.
"Nice to meet you."
'Is this really a human hand? Surely not a monster's?'
Soo-hyun, who hid his embarrassment, stood up from his seat without being rude, took his hands in his, and bowed. The moment you touched it, you felt the enormous and powerful force of the devil.
"This is Nam Soo-hyun."
Soo-hyun raised his head. Only then did the man's figure appear. A sharp face, prominent nose, short hair. He was the same man from the last photo, outside the door.
"This is Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff."
Soo-hyun's eyes opened as he shook hands.
"Ah, Rachmaninoff?"
The expressionless giant nodded his head mischievously.
Soo-hyun's practice room.
Professor Lee Chan-ho called Soo-hyun, who hadn't even shown up at his dinner appointment time with Professor Kim Eun-ju, but he didn't answer. Finally, Professor Lee Chan-ho, who was looking for a place where Soo-hyun might be, opened the door of the practice room, confirmed that Soo-hyun was not there, and stopped so as not to close the door again. This was because the leather bag that Soo-hyun carried with him every day was placed next to the piano. There was also a score hanging on the piano that was being practiced.
'Did you practice until the last day of class?'
Professor Lee Chan-ho opened the door again and looked out into the hallway, but there was no one there. It seemed he had gone to the bathroom for a moment.
"Hey, at least answer the phone properly."
Professor Lee Chan-ho burst out laughing.
'Well, I understand, because when I was Soo-hyun's age, I couldn't hear anything when I sat in front of the piano.'
"What song were you practicing, Soo-hyun?"
Professor Lee Chan-ho, sitting on the piano stool in an empty practice room, muttered as he looked at the score.
"It's Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1."
It was a song he had never heard before.
'Soo-hyun is always like this. A child who finds his next musician to study without anyone telling him. If there were students like this, the job of a professor would be very comfortable.'
Professor Lee Chan-ho, who was wasting time with useless thoughts, was eagerly waiting for Soo-hyun thanks to Kim Eun-joo who was waiting in his room, and he waited for the sound of footsteps outside. But no matter how much I waited, I couldn't hear any footsteps. When Professor Lee Chan-ho, who was resting his chin on his hand and looking at the time, stood up from his seat to go to the bathroom, the door of the practice room suddenly opened.
"Oh?"
"Oh, Professor."
Soo-hyun with silver hair. His appearance with completely silver hair was a little strange. Professor Lee Chan-ho looked at Soo-hyun's feet. They were shoes, not sneakers.
'Would it be possible to walk without making a sound in shoes like that?'
"Are you going to the bathroom?"
Soo-hyun looked behind the open door and quickly closed it. He looked a little flustered.
"Oh, that's right."
When Professor Lee Chan-ho looked at the time, Soo-hyun was surprised and took out his cell phone to look at it. He was 30 minutes late for the appointment.
'My uncle taught me that being late for an appointment is rude and shows a lack of respect for the other person!'
"Ah. I'm so sorry, Professor. I didn't look at the time."
"Did your stomach hurt?"
Soo-hyun quickly grabbed his stomach.
"Yes… My stomach has been hurting a little since this morning."
"Can you eat?"
"Yes, it's okay now. Professor Kim Eun-ju will be waiting, so please go quickly, Professor."
"Ah, okay. Let's go."
Professor Lee Chan-ho, who was returning to his room with Soo-hyun, asked.
"I saw a copy of Rachmaninoff's piano concerto in the practice room."
Soo-hyun flinched. He seemed to be hiding something.
"Yes, I'd like to practice."
"Huh… really?"
Professor Lee Chan-ho looked at Soo-hyun with suspicious eyes.
"Professor."
"Huh?"
"What country is Rachmaninoff from?"
"I'm Russian."
Soo-hyun tilted his head.
'Why do Russians speak English?'
Fortunately, Professor Lee Chan-ho added annotations.
"He belonged to a very famous and old noble family in Russia. But in 1917, the February Revolution broke out in Russia, and shortly after, all of his family's property was confiscated and he immigrated to the United States. He died as an American. His grave is in Kensico Cemetery in Westchester County, New York."
'Ah, so that's why he spoke English so well. And that's why his clothes became more and more shabby.'
"He was a genius from a young age. At the age of nine, he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory, the best music school in Russia, and after three years, he entered the Moscow Conservatory, which is now a university. In other words, he entered the university at the age of twelve."
'He's an amazing person. He's twelve, still in elementary school, and going to university at that age.'
"He went from being the conductor of the Moscow Imperial Theater to the conductor of an American orchestra. He wanted to return to Russia and find his end, but he was unable to and passed away in the United States."
'Well, I heard that Mr. Chopin also couldn't return to Poland in the end. He's a similar person.'
"Was he tall?"
Professor Lee Chan-ho smiled and patted Soo-hyun's shoulder.
"Come to think of it, our Soo-hyun has grown a lot. How tall are you now?"
"The last time I saw Ji-ye, I was 178 cm."
"Well, it's a bit big, but it's not much bigger than other kids his age."
"It's above average."
The professor nodded and said.
"Physical ability is essential for a pianist. Rachmaninoff was a great pianist who used his exceptional physical ability to jump octaves that seemed impossible to play. He is recorded as being 198 cm."
'He's 198 cm. He's tall enough to play basketball. I can understand his huge silhouette.'
Professor Lee Chan-ho said as he looked at his hands.
"Soo-hyun's hands are getting thicker and stronger, but they're nothing compared to him. He was a pianist with such large hands that he could even play the thirteenth note."
'I felt it when I shook his hand. When the other person held my hand, his fingers covered the back of it.'
Professor Lee Chan-ho said as he put his arm around Soo-hyun's shoulder.
"If our Soo-hyun grows up, he might become an even better pianist. Of course, it's not good if he grows up and doesn't have big hands. Haha."
After hearing Professor Lee Chan-ho's words, it was as if a small light bulb went on in Soo-hyun's head and Beethoven's words came back to his mind.
'If you don't find the right time, there's no opportunity to grow. Unlike mental growth, this can only happen when the time is right.'