LC 05

The flashes of the cameras immediately welcomed Clover as he stepped out of the car. There were a number of people, especially from media outlets, standing at the side of the red carpet. Retractable belt barrier stanchions were placed on both sides of the red carpet, separating the important personalities from the media people.

Clover fixed his suit while Lizter closed the door for him. “Let’s go,” he commanded. And he started strutting towards the red carpet, closely followed by Lizter.

Everyone turned to look at Clover. All of their attention was fixed on Clover, but Clover just kept on walking. He did not mind the media giving him special attention. He was not new to this kind of situation. In fact, he got used to it. He grew up with these things. Ever since he was a kid, Clover was already exposed to the public eye, not just because of his family background, but because of his late famous musician mother. His mother also once stood on the spot and status where Clover is standing. His mother was the best violinist during her time, and that’s where Clover inherited the gift for music. And that was all Clover could remember about his mother.

An usher guided Clover and Lizter upon reaching the end of the red carpet. People from the media were not allowed in that area. The security was also strict there since a lot of big personalities in the entertainment industry were present.

Clover and Lizter were led to the premium seats. And Clover quickly saw their names on the seats designated for them.

“Thank you,” Clover said before the usher left him and Lizter. He then moved to his seat and sat. Lizter followed next to him on his right.

Leaning his back, Clover checked the other seats near him. There were still a lot of unoccupied seats. But it’s not an issue for him. They just came early for him so he would not be stuck in his car for a long time waiting for his turn to get in. Each well-known person in the industry is given enough time for exposure while on the red carpet. And that would take time if he came later.

“How much time is left before the competition will start?” Clover asked Lizter as he positioned himself to be comfortable. He placed one of his legs over the other, crossing them. His elbows rested on the armrests on each side, with his hands clasped together. His eyes straightened at the dark, unlit stage.

“Half an hour,” Lizter replied.

Clover plugged the wireless earphones into his ears as he picked up his phone from his pocket. He then played his playlist on shuffle. With his eyes closed and his head leaned on the headrest, Clover listened to classical instrumental music while waiting. And the volume was just enough, not too loud or too low. He could still hear a small amount of noise from his surroundings, especially if it’s near him.

For a couple of minutes, Clover was at peace in his own world. Even Lizter was not bothering him; he was just entertaining himself with his phone. Until Clover felt a finger poke him on his arm. Clover opened his eyes and shifted his gaze to the left. There, he saw a guy smiling at him, gesturing to pull the earphones off his ears. Clover did unplug the earphone on his left ear.

“What do you want, Hiro?” Clover asked blandly. His eyes were dry with seriousness, an indication that he didn’t want to talk with the guy.

Hiro Chen was also a violin prodigy. He is a year older than Clover, but he’s not as good as Clover. Hiro had perfect hearing pitch, but all he could do was play a violin, unlike Clover, who is a well-rounded musician. As a result, Hiro is always a long way behind Clover. And Clover was not threatened by Hiro in every single way. Their musicality was by far different from one another, although both of them hit the same pieces. To Clover, Hiro was like a robot when playing the violin. He may play it perfectly without missing a single note, but that’s all of it. There was no emotion in the sounds he created.

“I don’t want anything, Clover.” Hiro gazed past Clover. “Oh, you are also here, Lizter! Nice to see you.”

Lizter momentarily stopped tapping on his phone. He turned to Hiro and lifted a hand. “Hey! Same to you, Hiro,” Lizter greeted back before he brought his focus back to his phone.

Clover patiently waited for Hiro to talk to him again before the guy looked back at him. “So what are you doing here?”

Chuckling, Lizter shook his head slowly in amusement. "Come on, Clover, didn't you see my name here?" he asked, pointing to a piece of paper with his name written on it that was attached to the backrest of the seat.

Yet, Clover did not bother to follow his eyes. Instead, he retreated from looking at Hiro face-to-face. Clover moved his head, facing the stage again. There’s no use in arguing with Hiro on this matter. Both of them knew why they were on the same block of seats.

“You still haven’t changed, Clover,” lightly laughing, Hiro continued to talk. “Of course, I will be here because I am always present every year after I win the competition. I should be the one asking you the question, Clover.”

A meaningful smile crept onto Hiro’s lips. “Why are you here now, Clover? Why did you suddenly decide to show up at this year’s grand finals? I mean, you know, it’s kind of strange for you to be attending because you have never appeared at the competition’s grand finals since you won. You did not even support me when I competed again a year after you put me in second place.” A hint of intrigue could be heard in Hiro’s voice. He seemed to be having fun with it.

“I don’t know what you are saying, Hiro. You are just imagining things inside your head. I’m just not busy this time,” Clover flatly said. There was no enthusiasm in his voice.

Hiro gently shook his head. He then rubbed his chin with his right hand. “I don’t believe you, Clover. We know you can do anything you want. You can have time if you want. So, tell me. . . What’s the reason you wanted to watch tonight?”

Clover lost interest in talking with Hiro. The guy was always like this whenever and wherever they crossed paths. Hiro would not stop bugging him.

Sighing as he kept his patience intact, Clover was about to put the earphone into his ear when Hiro held his wrist, stopping him from doing so.

“Just answer me, Clover. Then, I will leave you alone for the rest of the night.” Both of Hiro’s eyebrows raised. “Deal?”

“I don’t have time for your nonsense, Hiro.” Clover retrieved his wrist from Hiro by applying just enough force to get free from his hold. “Just shut your mouth and stay quiet in your seat. You are disturbing other guests with your loud voice.”

Before Clover could completely plug the earphone on his ear, Hiro caught his attention by saying, “I guess you are here to watch tonight because of that Aster boy.”

Clover halted for a second. What Hiro just said hit him right to the core. If only Aster didn’t have the guts to somehow belittle and underestimate him in his own way, he must not have been there, sitting next to Hiro. But he did not let anyone notice it.

Lowering his hand on the armrest, Clover peeked a glance at Hiro without moving his head. “You really can’t stop and stay silent, Hiro. And that Aster you mentioned has nothing to do with why I am watching. I don’t even know that boy.” Clover shrugged his shoulders.

“We will see, Clover.” Hiro finally stopped facing Clover. He leaned his back on the backrest and fixed his eyes in front. “I heard from the news that he could be and is dubbed as the next Clover King of the industry. You know, following your steps and feats in this competition. And I watched his past performances during the preliminaries. I must say I can agree with them. The boy is actually great with his violin.”

Clover blew air through his mouth, shaking his head as he disregarded Hiro. He knew Hiro was just messing with him just like the old times. He was about to put the earphone to his ear when a voice caught everyone’s attention.

The voice announced that the competition would start shortly. Clover picked the other earphone from his left ear instead. And he stopped the music player on his phone where the wireless earphones were connected.

Soon after, a man appeared on the stage. The spotlight was focused only on him. He welcomed everyone who came to watch the World Violin Championship Grand Finals. And he introduced the esteemed panel of judges, who are well-known for their crafts in the music industry, especially in classical and violin music. The judges came from different parts of the world. But they had one thing in common—all of them were highly respected experts and were at their peak during their younger years.

The finalists were then introduced after the judges. One by one, the finalists walked to the center of the stage as their names were called. And for a moment, they would have a short moment there as the man told the audience about their musical background and experiences. Then they will go to one side of the stage, waiting for everyone to be introduced.

Aster was introduced as the last finalist. Clover immediately noticed Aster’s left hand the moment the spotlight was fixed on Aster. The plaster he wrapped around it was not there already, but there were still patches on his fingers except for his thumb. Clover lost focus listening to Aster’s background. His attention was focused on Aster’s hand. Yet, as Clover watched how Aster acted, it seemed like his hand didn’t bother him at all.

After introducing all of the finalists, the man commenced the start of the competition. All of the finalists exited the stage, leaving the first to perform.

The competition is not like the usual competitions that are seen in mainstream media. The event is formal and it will be boring for anyone who is not into music, especially classical music. And one must also have knowledge of technicalities because the competition doesn’t care about popularity. The contestants were judged according to their skill, talent, and ability. The judges will look closely at the technical aspects.

And that was what Clover was doing as the competition went on. Yet, there were a number of finalists who finished their performances, and Clover still wasn’t that impressed with what he saw. If they did not miss a bar or a note, they lacked personality and emotion. They were not a total package. Well, that was always the case in the competition. And the ones that looked almost like robots would end up winning, just like how Hiro won the competition.

The competition was down to its last finalist. Still, no one is winnable under Clover’s strict scrutiny. Clover saw Aster take the center stage when his name was called. The grace Aster showed in placing the violin over his shoulder, resting the side of his chin on the chinrest, alerted Clover. It was the first time he had seen someone do that effortlessly in the competition.

Aster unintentionally met Clover’s eyes as the piano accompaniment started to play and Aster waited for his time to play. Their eyes locked. Clover could see the determination in Aster’s eyes and the passion in him was burning, which made Clover couldn’t let go of the eye contact.