“Oh yeah. Heather! The kid from Chopin! I hear he’s great too.”
“Heather is excellent. But that friend isn’t everything. Maybe he’s a tougher opponent than that friend. this friend.”
“······So who is he?”
“Here they come in.”
Anton winced. There was a young man approaching with a comfortable gait through the corridor and the break room. A white T-shirt, baggy pants, and a white Nike Air Force 1. Rowoon was walking with an atmosphere that was strangely lacking in tension to the point of being seen as a person who plays classical music.
“Low Lee.”
Anton muttered.
“If you want to win, you better be careful with that guy.”
＜ How to prepare for a broadcast (3) ＞ End
＜ Overcoming the baseline (1) ＞
“・・・・・Huh, right?”
George, the man who had been talking with Anton for a long time, narrowed his eyes and looked at Rowoon. He wasn’t a friend with a particularly special aura. The outfit was just like a student’s, and I didn’t feel a tremendous fighting spirit in my eyes.
However, there was no way a person the size of Anton could easily say such a thing. there must be something It was the moment George looked at Rowoon thinking that way. Anton got up and approached Rowoon.
“Rowoon!”
“Oh, Anton.”
And there was no choice but to contain quite a fresh shock in George’s eyes when he saw Anton like that. At first glance, you might think that Anton is a pretty sociable person, but you’re only half right. Anton was always open to anyone who approached him, but he wasn’t one to approach anyone first.
But Rowoon made Anton stand up. That alone was half proof that what Anton had told George was not a lie.
“long time no see. how have you been?”
“What am I? I was just living in school.”
“I saw the Raccoon stage video uploaded.”
Anton smiled.
“It seems like your skills have improved in a while?”
“It is time to grow. It should increase.”
“Nice to see you here. Although we are in a position to compete.”
“Let’s make it a good competition.”
Rowoon smiled and held out his fist. It was time for Anton to clap his fist and laugh. Heather, who was by her side, groaned.
“Hey Anton. Aren’t you pretending to only know Rowoon?”
“Oh, Heather. Are you here?”
“Have you been here before?”
“Sorry sorry. look good. How are you?”
“How have you been? I’ve been grinding my teeth With the thought that I can’t win the runner-up again this time.”
“hahahaha, actually, you ate one last time.”
It was when Anton put on a faint smile. Someone casually put an arm around Rowoon’s shoulder. Rowoon turned his head, wondering if it might be Lamina or Jungwoo, but instantly froze. His chestnut eyes were full of mischief and twinkled right in front of him.
“You grew up a lot, Ron?”
“… Mila?”
“What is that awkward face? to be upset Come on. Let’s hug one more time.”
“Yes, why are you here…?”
“Geuk, I didn’t tell you on purpose. I wanted to surprise you. From the look on his face, it looks like he succeeded in surprising you.”
Mila said so and flicked Rowoon’s forehead with her finger. Rowoon looked at Mila with a bewildered expression. I had never imagined that Mila would come here. To be precise, it would be correct to think that Mila had been forgotten for a while.
And, so, Mila, whom I met so suddenly, was very pretty.
Anton looked at Mila as if he had expected it but was a little surprised.
“······Do you know Rowoon?”
“huh. know. We went to the same high school.”
“Huh, the world is so small.”
Anton clicked his tongue and shook his head. Heather looked back at Rowoon with a confused expression.
“I guess we were very close friends?”
“Oh, well, we were close. Because we’ve been together for four years.”
“Oh, yes…?”
Heather paused and looked at Mila. And when I saw her healthy curves and tanned skin, I straightened up. I thought you were a very pretty person.
Rowoon wasn’t the only one causing such a small fuss. People who quickly recognized Heather began to gather here and there, not to mention Rami. Even George couldn’t help but think again while watching such a scene. ‘California Conservatory feels like the energy is different.’ do.
He also didn’t come from a school with a reputation. The Michigan School of Music was also a school that was recognized worldwide. However, it was clear that the atmosphere of each school was different. Just as Michigan has its own strength, the California Conservatory has its own… something like a bright light.
‘I’ll be able to find out what it is soon.’
Whether Anton’s expectation was a reasonable expectation.
George wasn’t the only one looking around while thinking about that. The people gathered in the break room were fighting a search rather than taking a break, which did not match the significance of the place.
But it wasn’t Rowoon. After all, he knew that no matter who he was, the game would end there if his own performance was poor.
‘Ultimately, it’s up to me.’
Of course, that didn’t mean he wasn’t interested in anyone. Milla. That face he hadn’t seen in a long time could not help but stimulate Rowoon’s old nostalgia in many ways.
“how have you been doing?”
It was a moment when the two of them had time to be together. Rowoon quietly asked Mila a question. Mila knew right away what the question meant. She laughed and kissed her neck.
“If you’re worried about this, you don’t have to. Because worrying about him won’t make him any better.”
“······It still looks the same.”
“It should still be. It shouldn’t change.”
It was a word that contained a lot of things. Mila said as she looked around the break room.
“You said it before. I will take on every stage given to me as if it were my last. And this broadcast is perfect for my final stage. In a way, isn’t it the stage with the most seats in the world?”
“If you think so, yes. But well… but anyway.”
From noble mtl dot com
Rowoon’s gaze was fixed on the ground.
“I hope this isn’t your last performance.”
It was a quiet tone. That’s why you can feel that it’s sincere.
Mila looked at Rowoon with a strange expression, then smiled and hit Rowoon’s shoulder with his fist.
“I am always grateful. know?”
“Which country’s law is it to hit someone saying thank you?”
“Are you dissatisfied with my display of affection?”
“… that’s such a violent affection.”
It was a pretty relaxed look for a big tournament ahead. However, when they gathered in the hall that night and waited for the judges, they couldn’t help but feel nervous in many ways.
‘······ What makes you nervous?
It was a different tension compared to when I was ahead of the stage. More than a hundred participants are all holding their breath, and numerous cameras are filming them. The spooky atmosphere in the hall, where the lights were off except for the pulpit for the judges’ New Year’s Day, seemed to help keep the tension alive.
Now, those cameras must be capturing all of their tension. Every trivial expression he makes will be edited to fill the TV screen and appear in front of a large number of people. When I thought that way, I couldn’t help but realize how terrifying broadcasting is.
‘I have to overcome something.’
No matter when, Rowoon had no choice but to go out in front of the public. If that was the case, I had to stand in front of a wider public.
That was when Rowoon made up his mind. In an instant, all the lights in the hall went out. Is it blackout? I thought for a second, but I couldn’t. Soon, a quiet voice began to echo from the speakers installed in the hall.
＜＜ Hello. Thank you to all the students who participated in ‘The Musicians’. Today, you have an opportunity to shine the light of classics brighter than ever before, while at the same time making your name known across America. ＞＞
＜＜ A total of eight schools participated in this contest. Juilliard University! Curtis Conservatory! California Conservatory! Michigan Music University! Berklee College of Music! Full Sale University! Miami University! And Yale University! ＞＞
Whenever the name of the university was mentioned, a spotlight was shone on where the students of each university were. I wonder if he told me to come together for this, but Rowoon couldn’t help but raise his hand and smile when the light shone. The camera was watching him.
＜＜ The competition will be held in a survival format. One school will be eliminated each week, and the last surviving school will win a prize of $200,000 and a trip to the classical music tour of Europe! ＞＞
＜＜ Now, before introducing the first contest, let me introduce the judges who will judge you guys! ＞＞
＜＜ First of all, Jennifer Chao! ＞＞
＜＜ After winning the Tchaikovsky Competition at the age of 20, America is proud to be one of the most promising cellists in the world! Jennifer Chao! ＞＞
＜＜ Genius musician representing the 21st century contemporary music, Jayden Blacksmith! ＞＞
＜＜ And, Jeff Bilson, the sharp tongue of the music world that all musicians fear, the master of criticism! ＞＞
The spotlight shone, and the judges showed up one by one. And every time, the students cheered without exception. It wasn’t just for broadcasting. Each one of them was actually a great titan that could only be called a master in the music world.
‘······Wolf Corp.’s power is strong. Invite them all.’
They were the ones who didn’t know about the judges until today. After seeing more faces than expected, it was only natural that they all looked excited.
“Nice to meet you all.”
And, Jeff opened his mouth on behalf of them. Rowoon thought for a moment that he had seen him like that somewhere, but he soon stopped thinking about it. I don’t think he’d ever met such a bigwig, completely unaware that he’d come to his gig.
“Perhaps the reason you came all the way here isn’t because of the 200,000 dollars or Europe travel vouchers that I talked about earlier.”
“Your time and life would be too precious to spend on something like that. Isn’t it?”
Jeff cut off the injuries he had prepared so far without adding or subtracting anything. It was his way of saying that it was only natural that a person who came here with such a goal would not survive long. Jeff walked slowly over the podium.
“Perhaps you are facing the same question by now. why. Why are classics left so dead? Why do people not love the classics? Am I going against the trend of the times…”
“If you ask me for the answer, I will answer it this way. yes. you are retrograde The trend of the times, very squarely.”
“Nevertheless, you are here now. why? For what?”
Jeff raised his finger. And he crumpled his wrinkled face and smiled.