“…they seem to be at odds with each other?”
“Because human beings are not creatures that make such sense.”
“Well, go ahead.”
“It was a bit like that when I first saw it. Wow, what is he with his eyes full of poison like that? Do you remember that time?”
“There’s no way I can’t remember.”
Rowoon laughed bitterly. It was around the time I had just arrived in America with my mother. Rowoon, who couldn’t speak a word of English, had no choice but to stay away from school.
No, in fact, it was more than a superficial level. At school, a group of people who had poor quality tried to make fun of Rowoon, and at that time, Rowoon used a rattlesnake and attacked regardless of the size difference. As a result, after all, no one touched Rowoon, but even so, Rowoon was still alone.
“I knew something like that. Since you took ninja lessons, you can’t hide that violence on a regular basis.”
“It’s racism, that.”
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“If you twist, sue. They always look at me and tease me if I am a Viking.”
Rowoon laughed. Chris shrugged.
“Anyway, you played at the school recital. Chopin’s…”
“Scherzo No. 2.”
“huh. When I heard that, I wanted something. Is he the guy who frowns all the time? right. That’s right… how on earth are you making such a different expression? How can you look so happy Also… Why is the performance so good? As an elementary school student like me. how?”
Since that day, the reaction of friends towards Rowoon has definitely changed. Everyone was overwhelmed by Rowoon at that moment. To ordinary elementary school students who don’t even follow their school life, let alone their dreams, Rowoon, who is firmly building his own territory a few steps ahead of them… couldn’t help but look different in many ways.
Rowoon laughed bitterly.
“I also wanted to live at that time.”
“Ah, was that performance at that time a trump card for you?”
“What can I do? you know My mother was a single mother. The person who endured all the pointing fingers actually told me to leave right away after realizing that my nickname in elementary school was ‘f*cker’. while crying That’s how America came. But even there, if you can’t adapt and see yourself falling apart…”
I couldn’t see anything like that. I thought the school festival was an opportunity.
“・・・・・Yes, that’s right. The lady will like it if she sees you now. I’m a completely different person compared to back then. At that time, I felt like I would be stabbed if I approached the wrong way. It’s got thorns too.”
“But that’s not me. It was me, to be exact.”
“It remains. that.”
When talking to Rowoon about Rowoon, Chris had a voice that was more confident than himself.
“I can still feel it.”
“It seems that you are trying to survive, not still live.”
“I can’t afford it, like life is a fight.”
“I’m always desperate, and that’s how tired I am.”
“So sometimes I wonder when I’m going to collapse, but I rarely do.”
“That’s why you’re a toxic guy. And the reason you became so venomous is because of your mother, and that’s why you’re so tender.”
Chris poured out his thoughts. It was a much more logical explanation than I thought, to the point where I wondered if I was thinking about Rowoon this analytically.
Rowoon smiled and asked.
“Then do I have to play with the feeling of a survivor?”
“Well, that performance led a snoring man to the path of music. Isn’t that a pretty good performance?”
Chris said and pointed at me. Rowoon smiled whitely.
“okay. It’s okay. play that.”
#
Han said. find your color
Heather said. The person you are is your color.
Chris said. Who is Rowoon? what kind of person he is
Rowoon imprinted their words one by one. How to find a color, how his life is his color, and what kind of life he lived. what kind of person you are
The problem was putting it on the piano.
Chopin’s Ballad No. 2.
Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 2.
And Liszt’s Transcendental Technique Etude No. 4, Mazepa.
Rowoon knows how to express Chopin like Chopin. Beethoven is expressed like Beethoven, and lists are expressed like lists. blue and red and yellow. It could be seen that all the colors can be clearly expressed. Classical and royal performance, following the original author’s instructions.
Now, the time has come to put the benefit into the performance.
‘······mom.’
As a child, Rowoon played because of her. I don’t know if he asked me to teach me the piano first, or if he liked the piano she taught me.
But when he did a great performance, no, even if the performance wasn’t great, she always smiled and clapped. made it great Knowing that there weren’t many days when a smile would appear on her face, her young heart moved her hand to the piano to find that smile once more.
Probably a performance that cannot be reproduced now. Because now that young heart has grown a little bit. Because it’s a bit older. And, there will be no more applause to return at the end of the performance.
Still, there would still be performances that only Rowoon could do. Not the performances that were forcibly handed down through Walkman, but the musicians that only he can express.
‘What kind of pianist am I?’
Playing the piano for fame? No, he doesn’t have a desire for fame, but that doesn’t keep him at the piano.
Do you play the piano just because you like it? If he had, he wouldn’t have wanted to go up so much.
Is it because of your mother? But then, why is he still sitting at the piano now that his mother is gone?
It’s a question no one can answer. It was a question that only he could answer, and it was a question that should have been asked long ago.
And at the end of that performance, Rowoon was able to find his own answer, albeit clumsily.
‘······I really like the sound of the applause.’
After I finished playing, I liked the moment when my mother gave it back to me… and from one day my school friends and teachers smiled and clapped their hands.
A son without a father, an awkward guy who is neither American nor Korean, but at that moment, he could just be an ordinary target of praise. It seems that his shabbiness is being washed away.
I want to be recognized.
I want to be loved.
his voice, his playing.
further himself.
“…”
At that moment, the first thing that came to Rowoon’s mind was Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 2. A song written to gain recognition from Haydn, in a way, to receive his favor and love. Was this what Beethoven had when he wrote the song?
maybe he knew But I couldn’t understand it. What was Beethoven’s thirst for recognition from Haydn and from the world? How did he long for the love of the public?
After seeing the cross section, I thought I knew everything. He was so stupid, so simple, so stupid.
Rowoon sat down in front of the piano.
I looked at the piano.
I raised my finger,
So I played Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 2.
Of course, even if you realize him, his voice is not so easy to contain. Beethoven’s sound suppressed all of that, and Beethoven’s traces, which had already permeated deep into his hands, did not readily accept the clumsy pianist’s sound.
But if that’s the case, you just have to knock on the door until you accept it.
Play, play, play again. Night becomes dawn, dawn becomes morning, and the morning becomes evening and becomes night. A day goes by and two days go by.
It was a time of endurance, and it was a journey without promises. But Rowoon did not back down. It had to be. Not backing down was the only weapon Rowoon had.
And like that, it was the day with about 5 days left before the contest.
“Are you okay?”
Rowoon smiled with a slightly tired expression. weak Chopin’s pink paint bucket was so huge that no amount of his color showed any sign of changing its color. However, if you gather dust, it becomes a great mountain, and if you gather even the slightest difference, something changes. Rowoon did not stop,
And that’s how pink became coral pink.
＜ LA International Piano Competition (2) ＞ End
＜ LA International Piano Competition (3) ＞
The attitude of a person ahead of an exam is usually divided into two types. Act like there’s no test, or be overly conscious of him. Heather belonged to the former.
It was the day of the contest. She woke up when the alarm went off, ate cereal for breakfast, took a quick shower and left the dormitory in a hurry.
And after a while, I was shaking hands with a woman in a cafe.
“long time no see. Heather.”
“Yes, it’s been a while. Alice.”
“It’s the first time since the Chopin Competition, right? Oh, I bought some coffee here. cold brew. One pick, right?”
“Ah, thank you! how have you been doing?”
“Hey, I’ve been fine.”
Alice was a woman with cool blonde hair who looked good in a thin trench coat. As Alice pulled out her notebook and pen, Heather had a second thought. She has the ability to make an ordinary California cafe look like a bustling New York.
“How was Alice?”
“What are you busy? Aren’t there a lot of classic movies or something like that these days? Thanks to that, the demand from the public has also increased considerably. I started to write more articles. Well, but you have to work a lot to get paid, so that’s good, right?”
“Do you think it’s good for me too? It means that the number of future fan candidates is increasing.”
“That makes sense! ······ But Heather, she said that she would give an interview for now. The competition will be in a few hours.”
That was right. I don’t know if it’s after the contest. How many people do interviews before the contest? But Heather was unconcerned. she said with a shrug.
“are you okay. Originally, it felt more comfortable to act as if nothing had happened before the competition, right?”
“great. Then I’ll take your time and disappear as soon as possible.”
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Alice grinned and picked up the pen. The way he adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses looked like a journalist.
“First of all, the first question… Since the Chopin Competition, listeners have been quite curious about Heather’s current situation. How would you feel if you briefly talked about your current situation?”