🔊 TTS Settings
chapter 43
It had already been thirty minutes since Professor Park Junghyun left the house.
Minwoo had assumed that once Professor Park had gone, the atmosphere in the house would return to normal, but why did the air still feel so heavy even now, thirty minutes later?
He found it strange to be sitting in the living room facing his father at a time when he should have been practicing the piano.
“…How long do I have to sit here like this?”
His father hadn’t commanded him to stay.
Since Professor Park had left, his father hadn’t spoken a single word.
And yet, Minwoo remained seated across from him, simply because of the mood.
For some reason, the atmosphere made it feel wrong to leave immediately.
Thirty minutes had passed with him just sitting there quietly, but continuing to endure this silence while facing his father was starting to become unbearable.
“Do you… have something you want to say?”
“…….”
His father was naturally a man of few words.
Even when he did speak, it was usually brief, and he never initiated conversation himself. To hear him speak, one had to approach him first.
“Why didn’t you tell me about what happened at university?”
It seemed that after the earlier conversation with Professor Park, his father had pieced together what had happened.
There was a mixture of disappointment and guilt in his father’s voice. Minwoo responded calmly.
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
“You should have told me, even so.”
His father spoke again with a deep sigh.
“I’m sorry. I was planning to tell you once everything was resolved.”
It wasn’t a lie.
He had intended to inform them casually once the matter was settled, as if nothing serious had happened.
‘Hiding it because of Professor Park is no longer an option.’
He had expected, at most, a sudden visit on the way home. Who would have guessed that he would come directly to the house?
“Next time something like this happens, tell me immediately. You have to act like a parent’s child.”
“Yes, I’ll do that next time.”
Of course, that was a lie.
Even if the same situation occurred again, he wouldn’t be the one to bring it up first with his parents.
Simply existing in this world already inconvenienced them enough.
So he only wanted to share things that would make them happy. That was all he could do for now.
“And… thank you for stepping in for me earlier, Father.”
“…….”
Come to think of it, Minwoo’s father was not the type to express love in words.
Even so, he had stepped forward without hesitation to protect his child.
Despite his awkwardness with words, despite his clumsy expressions, his intentions were clear: he was acting for his child.
“…Stop with the nonsense and go practice. I’m going to go rest.”
Was it so embarrassing for him to hear his child express gratitude?
Watching his father retreat to the master bedroom without looking back, Minwoo let out a small smile.
‘Minwoo, your father is truly a good man.’
In his memories, he had always found his father intimidating.
Father and son were both clumsy when it came to words.
In Minwoo’s case, he had simply been too young to understand silent love.
They were clumsy father and son.
‘I hope one day I can return this blessed family to you.’
A touch of bitterness, a twinge of guilt.
The thought that he must continue the piano for atonement and his dreams.
Mixed with these sour, astringent emotions, Minwoo stared silently out the window.
It was an evening of deep reflection.
A week had passed since he had passed the first round of the practical exam.
He felt as though, after a storm passes, things tend to quiet down for a while.
‘So peaceful.’
Was this what they meant by the calm before the storm?
He couldn’t predict how fierce the next storm would be.
-Honestly, my superiors are desperate to bring you down.
-They’ll be even stricter than before.*
The warning Professor Park had given a few days ago lingered in his mind.
Although Professor Park had stepped back, the issue was not yet fully resolved.
The internal factional disputes at Korea University’s music department were far from over.
‘Even if I devote myself entirely to practice, there are still countless things I need to worry about.’
Until the exams were completely over, these chaotic days would not settle.
With that thought, Minwoo walked through the familiar backstreets.
On his way to Elder Yoon Jongsoo’s shop.
The route was so familiar now that he could traverse it with his eyes closed.
‘It feels a bit awkward being so quiet.’
Jihye, always chatty, had been busy preparing for the second practical exam, so he hadn’t seen her for days.
And Doyoon lived in a different area, so there was little chance of running into her.
As a result, he had hardly socialized with anyone recently.
He didn’t dislike quiet days, but the sudden stillness felt strange.
Naturally, he missed the noise and chatter…
And as if on cue, a familiar bustling sight appeared ahead.
Just as he neared Elder Yoon’s shop, he saw a familiar silhouette.
It was Kang Yoon, seemingly waiting for someone in front of the shop, which made Minwoo stop in his tracks.
‘What’s he doing here?’
He had heard that Kang Yoon had passed the first practical exam, but he hadn’t run into him since, assuming the next encounter would be during the second exam.
Although unexpected, since they had met, a greeting was in order.
“Hi. How have you been?”
“So-so.”
When Minwoo greeted him first, Kang Yoon responded in his typically sullen tone.
Compared to his past tendency to curse, this was a major improvement.
“What brings you here? Did you come to fix a piano or something?”
“Would I come all the way here just to fix a piano? You can just call a professional for that.”
It sounded as if he treated the piano merely as an object.
‘Oh right, there was that arrangement with Professor Kang Seojun.’
The deal: Minwoo would teach Kang Yoon piano, and in return, receive help.
Since they happened to meet, it was the perfect opportunity to start teaching immediately.
“Good, this works out perfectly.”
“What?”
But before teaching piano, there was something else to deal with: Kang Yoon’s attitude.
If he didn’t address it now, when would he?
Wearing a fierce smile, Minwoo pushed Kang Yoon into the shop.
“Hey! Why are you shoving me all of a sudden?!”
“No excuses. Come in. It’s time to set things straight.”
“What??”
Now, how to correct this temperamental kid?
Naturally, he couldn’t do it alone.
Scolding someone the same age wouldn’t work; Kang Yoon would just get angrier.
What was needed was age. The authority of an elder.
And conveniently, such a person was right here.
“Elder, are you inside?”
Elder Yoon Jongsoo, even older than Kang Yoon’s grandfather, Professor Kang Seojun, the eldest person in the area.
As they entered and called for him, he appeared promptly.
“Oh, what’s the matter?”
“I think there’s another guest with me.”
Minwoo gently pushed Kang Yoon forward.
“What? Isn’t this the grandson of Seojun? Why is he here?”
“He was loitering in front of the shop, so I brought him in… And I heard a rumor.”
“A rumor?”
Elder Yoon was widely recognized as a master piano tuner.
And a tuner treats the instrument like his own child.
What would happen if he learned about Kang Yoon’s bad habits?
“Well, someone here said that the piano isn’t being treated properly during practice.”
“Hey! What’s with this nonsense?!”
Kang Yoon struggled, but Minwoo had no intention of letting go.
“…Oh? Is that so?”
Instantly, the shop felt hot.
It was Elder Yoon’s intense gaze on Kang Yoon.
“Hold him right there.”
“W-what?? What are you trying to—”
Bang!
A heavy sound echoed through the shop.
It came from the box of tools Elder Yoon had set down.
Among the 10+ kg of metal tools, he picked up the largest hammer.
“I’ll give you a proper lesson.”
“Waaah?!”
The expression alone looked ready to crush someone.
In conclusion, Elder Yoon never struck Kang Yoon with the hammer.
The hammer was strictly a tool for fixing the piano.
“Move it up a bit.”
“…Tch.”
“Hey, this thing isn’t angled right?!”
It had been an hour since Kang Yoon began receiving Elder Yoon’s ‘education.’
All that time, he had to follow Elder Yoon, helping tune the shop’s piano, finally adjusting the flashlight’s angle with a bored expression.
‘I thought he’d resist more, but he’s surprisingly compliant.’
Given his temperament, some grumbling would be expected.
Maybe he had another motive.
‘Or maybe he just can’t talk back to someone older than his grandfather.’
No matter how foul-mouthed he was, he couldn’t confront someone older than his grandfather.
By following and assisting Elder Yoon, his bad habits would gradually improve.
It was two birds with one stone. Or three, considering Minwoo could focus on his practice in the quiet.
Watching Kang Yoon work so diligently, Minwoo quietly turned the sheet music pages.
‘I think I’ve memorized all the scores. Time for some real practice.’
Unlike the first practical exam, which required three pieces, the second required only two: one Scriabin Sonata and one Schumann Novelletten.
The piece giving him the most trouble was Scriabin’s Sonata No. 19, 2nd movement.
Marked Presto, it resembled waves crashing violently.
‘Unlike the 12th Etude, there’s no devilish left-hand part…’
Even a minor pedaling error could ruin the piece.
Too heavy and it sounds messy; too light and the scales don’t connect smoothly.
Pedaling was crucial due to the rapid scales.
And achieving “proper” sound on a piano is never easy.
‘Well, I guess I’ll just have to dive in.’
There’s no shortcut to pedaling practice.
Repetition is the only way to master it.
Thus, pedaling practice is a test of patience.
“I should leave Schumann’s Novelletten for later.”
For now, he needed to focus on this new, unfamiliar piece.
If he had to struggle anyway, he might as well enjoy it.
With that mindset, Minwoo immersed himself in the work of a future pianist.
