Episode 036

"I will go."

French master Pierre Ganell raised his wrinkled hand. Despite his old age, with gray hair and a freckled face, his eyes were sharp. Also, he was known for having a heavy butt, so where on earth was he going?

"No, I'll go."

Chinese master Deng Lun smiled and raised his hand. In an instant, as if a trigger had been pulled in the arena where everyone was watching, the masters began to raise their hands one after another. Eva was beyond bewildered by the current situation and didn't know what to do.

It was customary for the staff to come out to greet the contestants when they arrived in Brussels. Of course, I can say with certainty that there has never been a case in the history of the contest where the masters themselves went out. But now things were a bit different. The masters in the hall were making a fuss about whether to go out or not. It was a terrible thing.

"What's so good about such an impertinent brat?"

Russian maestro Alexei frowned. His face was furrowed and his arms were tightly folded, as if he were expressing that he would never raise his hand. No violinist would be able to resist running to hear the names of the maestro's here. But the little boy was already a contestant who had ignored their offer once.

Well, if you're a violinist, you should have that much pride.

It was a defense of a certain master. It seemed like a ridiculous story, but all the masters agreed with it. Especially when it was revealed that it was not a rumor but the truth that he had no master, a strange expression passed over everyone's face. They must have all been thinking the same thing.

'Everyone who wants to go can go.'

But Eva couldn't express her true feelings. They weren't called masters for nothing. Not only were they musically talented, but their pride was also sky-high. If all the masters were to move because of one contestant, there would be nothing more humiliating than that. And there was no law that prevented gossip from spreading.

"Then, let's draw lots!"

At that moment, Deng Lun stood up from his seat and calmed the crowd.

*

"Ugh—!"

Son Yu-ha was staring at the departure hall where Kang Hyun had disappeared, shedding tears as thick as chicken poop. She looked as if she was going to collapse on her seat if someone touched her, as if she was crying so hard that she was hoarse. At that time, Chairman Wang's secretary was sweating profusely and trying to calm Son Yu-ha down.

"Chairman Yoo, I'm here."

Chairman Wang appeared carrying a load on his back.

"Yuha kept urging me so much that I couldn't even eat breakfast properly. But it looks like Hyun-i has already gone in?"

"Chairman Son, why didn't you at least give me a heads up when you came? Then Yu-ha wouldn't have been so sad."

Chairman Wang glanced at his granddaughter.

"Oh well, Yuha was throwing a tantrum yesterday, saying she wouldn't go. But who would have thought that she would change her mind like this overnight? She's just as fickle as any businessman. By the way, it's been a while, you wise man."

Kang Hyun's mother bowed her head politely toward Chairman Wang. He was a close friend of her father whom she had often seen when she was young. However, Kang Hyun's father seemed to be trying to calm down his surprise. Isn't he the kind of person you would see in newspapers or on the news? He may seem like a kind grandfather, but he is actually a big shot in the business world.

"It seems like Yuha is in a really bad mood. I wonder if something will go wrong if this continues."

Chairman Wang looked at Son Yu-ha with a worried look. She was shedding so many tears that anyone who saw her would think she had been dumped. He was worried that she might start begging to be sent to where Kang-hyun was like last time.

At that moment, Chairman Wang's eyes fell on Kang Hyeon's parents.

That's right!

"Yuha, come here."

Son Yu-ha tried hard to hold back her tears as she walked. Her gaze was still focused on the departure hall where Kang-hyun had disappeared. Seeing her dressed in a lace outfit, it was obvious how excited she was to meet Kang-hyun so early in the morning.

"Should I say hello? They're Hyun's parents."

Son Yu-ha turned his gaze at the mention of Kang Hyun's parents. Just looking at their swollen eyes, you could tell how surprised they were. Son Yu-ha quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve and adjusted her clothes. It was as if they were watching a scene from a comedy, and Chairman Wang and Chairman Yu made eye contact at the same time. Kang Hyun's parents looked dumbfounded. Wasn't it the girl they were seeing for the first time suddenly coming towards them after stopping crying sadly?

"Nice to meet you, Father. Mother."

Son Yu-ha bowed her head politely with a hoarse voice.

* * *

It has been said that long-distance flights are like mountain climbing.

It wasn't easy to sit in one place and fly through the sky for a long time. However, my body leaned back on the seat and fell into a deep sleep as if it was remembering my past life. It was a trick that I had learned, not a trick, because long-distance flights were like a resting place for me in my past life.

A journey to Brussels via Moscow on a Russian airline. Normally, there should be a flight attendant who can speak both the languages ​​of the countries of departure and arrival, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find a Korean flight attendant. It was probably because international aviation laws weren't fully established at the time, and there weren't many people going from Korea to Brussels, so it was understandable.

The Russian flight attendant opened her eyes wide when she saw me sitting alone in the business class. I was already on the smaller side compared to my peers, so how would a foreigner see me? Especially in the case of Russia, where growth is exceptionally rapid, I was fortunate that they didn't see me as a preschooler.

"I don't eat airplane food, so you don't have to wake me up."

When I spoke Russian, the flight attendant's eyes widened again. I could speak Russian to some extent, although I did not have the ability to speak it as well as a native speaker. My speech was a bit awkward because I had only studied it for a short time. But I thought this was enough, since I would not be able to use it anymore.

Passing through Moscow at dawn.

It was around sunset again.

-Welcome to Belgium, the heart of Europe.

A panoramic view of Brussels came into view.

"Did you say you came alone just now?"

The immigration officer looked at me with a curious look, but soon checked my concours visa and asked me urgently.

"Queen Elizabeth?"

I nodded briefly. The Queen Elisabeth competition is one of the world's top three competitions, and is recognized as a national event in Belgium. It is a competition that is so famous that it is broadcast on national television, so it is a competition that all Belgian citizens cannot help but know. Only then did the staff's attitude change.

[HYUN]

As I walked out of the gate with my carrier in tow, I saw a placard with my name on it. The person holding it was a typical Eastern European beauty. And next to it.

'Are you a driver?'

Short, sporty hair, upturned eyebrows, deep eyelids and a hooked nose gave off an unpleasant impression. Of course, you can't judge a person by their appearance. It was something I personally experienced over many years in the prosecution.

"Hello, my name is Kang Hyun."

"Oh, I really wanted to meet you. My name is Eva from the Queen Elizabeth Planning Team."

After exchanging greetings in English with Eva, I glanced at the driver. The driver still had a displeased expression on his face, as if he was still upset. I guess that was his original impression. By the way, he didn't even accept my carrier.

"Hyun, do you happen to know any violinists?"

Eva looked anxious. Violinists? There are many world-famous ones, but how could I know them all? Except for a few I liked in my past life, I wasn't interested.

At that moment.

"Because you're such a cheeky brat."

The driver clearly said that. In Russian. My head snapped back, but the driver seemed to think I didn't understand him. What the hell, is this racism? You shouldn't shrink at times like this. Even if your Russian is not good.

"What are you saying, old man?"

what?

Alexei's eyebrows shot up to the sky.

*

"That guy said he would go even though he didn't want to?"

French master Pierre Ganell narrowed his eyes. He was feeling uneasy. The lottery was fine, but the person chosen was someone who had never paid any attention to the child. Instead, he was a gentleman who had always been complaining.

"I guess I'll have to see for myself how arrogant I am."

The other masters let out a sigh of disappointment at Deng Lun's words. If someone else had said such things, I wouldn't have believed them, but when it came to Alexei of Russia, I somehow believed them. He was famous among sensitive musicians for being the same as before and after. Moreover, his straightforward words and actions were widely known through various media.

"I guess I should stop by here."

The other masters nodded in unison at Pierre's words. The reason they came to Palais des Beaux-Arts was simple. It was the hall where the competition took place, and it was also the closest to the hotel where the child was staying. They had already hinted at this to Eva.

"I'm here."

At that moment, the masters' gazes were focused outside the window at Deng Lun's words.

Eva was guiding Alexei and Kang-hyun while sweating profusely. The cold wind blowing between them was more chilling than the north wind of Moscow. Of course, Kang-hyun didn't seem to know yet that Alexei was a violinist and a judge. Alexei wasn't the type to introduce himself.

*

"Hyun, let's go and take a look. Anyway, you can go to the concert hall until the competition."

I had plenty of sleep on the plane so I had no trouble adjusting to the time difference. It wouldn't be a bad idea to check out a concert hall before the competition, by the way.

'Why does this person keep coming with me?'

I thought he was a chauffeur, but he wasn't. If so, he must be an employee of Queen Elizabeth, just like Eva. Sometimes, when I see him glaring at me as if he's going to eat me, I don't want to say a word to him. His face was still frowning, showing his discomfort. But whatever, I didn't care and kept walking.

It was a Beaux-Arts hall, which was considered one of the major halls in Europe, along with Carnegie Hall and Concertgebouw. ​​Not only was the spacious auditorium able to accommodate thousands of people, but the grand and antique interior was also eye-catching. Furthermore, the moonlight streaming through the windows and the red curtains created a strange atmosphere.

"If a violinist comes to Beaux-Arts, shouldn't he take up the bow?"

The driver, or rather the eccentric Russian, was picking on me again. I was just in the middle of enjoying the sight of Beaux-Arts. I walked away without even looking at him.

"That is the mind of the one holding the bow."

"You cheeky brat, that's just an excuse for someone who lacks courage."

"Do I have to relieve myself just because I went to the bathroom? What kind of nonsense is that from an old man."

Eva's face was filled with confusion as she could not understand the rough conversation going on in Russian. It seemed that I should make a formal complaint to the Concours staff for hiring a racist. At that time, there were people who caught my eye. What on earth were those eyes shining through the crack in the door?