It started half way (3)
that afternoon.
Choi Ki-seok dressed up in a suit for the first time in a while and got into the car.
Today is the day of Carter and Kim Doo-jin’s concert.
What will these two people look like after seeing each other for the first time in a long time? How great of a performance will he show?
That thought already made my heart flutter.
After driving for a few hours, I arrived in Queens, where the concert hall was located.
Ki-seok Choi picked up his cell phone after finishing parking.
[Mr. Choi. Have you arrived?]
“Yes. We are entering the concert hall now.”
[Good for you. Since we still have some free time, would you like to come to the waiting room? The waiting room is on the first basement level. It won’t be hard to find.]
“I understand.”
Choi Ki-seok hung up the phone and went to the waiting room.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
When I knocked, I heard a voice telling me to come in.
“teacher!”
Kim Doo-jin, who found Choi Ki-seok, ran to him in one step and held him in his arms.
“How has our Dujin been? How long has it been since we last saw each other?”
“It’s been a thousand years.”
“A thousand years?”
“I missed you that much.”
Choi Ki-seok burst out laughing at the joke, which was not typical of a child.
“Yes. I’m sorry, teacher. I left Dujin alone for a thousand years.”
“Hehe. I wish you knew.”
“I knew you were studying well, but I didn’t know you’d already be having a concert.”
“It wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for Uncle Carter.”
“No. Dujin, you already have the skills to hold a solo concert. You just haven’t had the chance.”
Carter, who had been quiet, joined the conversation.
“I heard that you successfully completed rehabilitation. I’m glad to see you look healthy.”
“This is all thanks to Dr. Choi.”
Carter grinned and moved his fingers.
In the past, he had difficulty holding even a rubber ball, but the hand movements he showed now were as light as a feather. I tried using the Eye of Hippocrates just in case, but I couldn’t find any side effects due to paralysis.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom for a moment and then come back.”
“also?”
“I’m nervous.”
As Kim Doo-jin left, only Choi Ki-seok and Carter remained in the waiting room.
“Doo-jin feels burdened by the concert.”
“The media broke the story. This is Doo-jin’s first concert, as she was considered a genius. Moreover, Doo-jin has now become my student. She is afraid that if she makes a mistake, I will be criticized as well.”
“….”
“But we will overcome it well. No, we must overcome it. There can be no musician who is afraid of the audience.”
“Performers are no different from us. Doctors also worry that something may go wrong with the patient when they enter the operating room.”
“If you think about it, I think all people’s jobs are similar.”
Carter paused, then continued.
“Everyone lives with the pressure of having to prove themselves in front of others.”
“….”
“In Dujin’s case, it would be more difficult because he went through such a situation while being less mentally mature.”
While the two were talking, Kim Doo-jin came into the waiting room.
“Dujin. You have opened Namdaemun.”
“Huh? It was locked?”
“You’re good at greeting people~”
Choi Ki-seok joked the moment Kim Doo-jin bowed his head. Kim Doo-jin stared at him with a puzzled expression.
“Sir. What is that!”
“What are you kidding?”
“Ugh. That’s not funny. Teachers are good at everything except being funny, so don’t try to make people laugh.”
Kim Doo-jin’s words pierced my heart like a dagger.
I put a humor gem on the doctor’s gown, but I guess I should have come wearing the gown.
Suddenly I felt regret.
“I think it’s almost time, so I’ll go up.”
“Okay. Say Dr. Choi’s name at the entrance and he will guide you to the VIP section.”
“Yes. I’ll see you later.”
Choi Ki-seok broke up with the two people and entered the concert hall.
As I was guided by the staff and sat down in the VIP section, there was a familiar face next to me.
“Hello, mother.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Choi.”
“My name is Kim Tae-cheol.
Kim Doo-jin’s mother, Im Jin-hee, and Kim Tae-cheol greeted me.
“Congratulations to Doo-jin on his first concert. You must be proud.”
“Of course. “I haven’t been able to sleep for a few days now.”
“I heard a lot from my wife. It is an honor to meet you in person and I am truly grateful. “If it weren’t for you, my family wouldn’t have come this far.”
“Even if it wasn’t for me, Dujin would definitely have done well. “I have such great parents.”
“Don’t say that. Teacher Choi even provided support for a high-quality piano. That’s why Doo-jin practiced so hard.”
After winning the Powerball, Choi Ki-seok used the lump sum twice.
Once, he paid for Jeong Jin-myeong’s medical treatment, and the other time, he bought Kim Doo-jin a high-end piano.
” Hmm. The performance is starting now.”
Choi Ki-seok, who was embarrassed by the two people’s thanks, changed the topic.
Carter, dressed in a suit, stood on the stage and held the microphone.
“Thank you very much to everyone who came to this concert. As you know, I was in a car accident a few years ago that left me paralyzed. Although rehabilitation was uncertain, I was able to stand here again with a lot of help from those around me.” “….”
”
Among them, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to teacher Ki-seok Choi, who is present here. Then, let’s start playing now.”
Carter sat down on the chair and put his hands on the keyboard.
But the playing didn’t start at all. Carter just stayed in the ready position as if he had turned into a stone. I
wondered if there was some problem, but it was no good.
Choi Ki-seok He quickly realized that he was thrilled with his return to the stage.
Follow along~ Follow along~
Carter started playing.
The first song played was Memories of a Spring Day, one of the representative songs that helped him become what he is today.
The melody is heartwarming . It was warm, and I could feel the warm spring weather all over my body as I listened to the performance.
Ki-Seok Choi continued his appreciation with a smile.
In the beginning, I was worried that Carter might make a mistake, but as time passed, my worries disappeared like melting snow.
I was completely captivated by the performance.
‘Here we are again.’
While playing, Carter felt a strange feeling.
His fingers were lighter than before.
It felt as if there were feathers on his knuckles. It was a feeling
he had never felt before while playing. This feeling made his emotional expressions richer. The first time Carter felt this strange sensation was when he started playing the piano again after completing rehabilitation. At first, he
thought it was because he had not played the piano in a long time. He could have easily been
mistaken
as he had put down the piano he had been playing all his life for several years. . But as time went by, I realized that this feeling was not an illusion.
Why did I have this feeling ever since?
I thought deeply about it, but could not come up with an answer.
So I thought that heaven had given me a gift as a reward for overcoming rehabilitation.
Ta-ta-ta-ta~ Follow along~
Carter continued to play, accepting his newfound senses.
Every time he pressed a key, the longing for the piano that he had been suppressing for a while turned into a pitch and disappeared.
Strictly speaking, this concert was not for the audience.
Due to an unexpected incident , It was an opportunity to vent his passion for performing that he had not been able to express.
As time passed, Carter’s performance reached its peak.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The accident occurred at the end of the last song of the concert, Memories of a Cloudy Day.
Because Carter’s ending was a mess. ” I
guess it’s too much to finish, right?”
“What I’ve played so far is good enough.”
Some spectators were nervous, but Carter didn’t care. And he presented a performance that was 180 degrees different from before. A
dark and mysterious melody.
As the performance progressed , Carter didn’t care. The tension increased and Carter’s movements reached their peak.
“Oh my god. This is Gaspard at night.”
“Heh heh. Carter can even sing this song.”
“Everyone, listen carefully. This is not a traditional way of playing. “Carter’s interpretation and technique are different from other musicians,”
exclaimed the pianist sitting in the VIP section.
Gaspard of the Night.
This song is one of the most difficult piano pieces of all time. However, Carter played this song. He was playing with his own technique without a single mistake.
Ordinary people would think it was just that, but from a pianist’s perspective, he could not help but be shocked.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
After the performance, applause erupted.
Carter He bowed his head to the audience.
The moment he saw the tears rolling down his cheeks, Choi Ki-seok also started crying.
Because I saw how hard he worked for this moment.
After Carter’s performance, Kim Doo-jin stood on stage.
Once again, he bursts into tears . Applause.
After greeting the audience, Kim Doo-jin sat down on a chair.
There was no sign of him running in and out of the bathroom, saying he was nervous.
Kim Doo-jin glared at the score as if at an enemy, then put his hands on the keyboard.
Ta-rang!
Starting with the powerful introduction. The performance was a whirlwind.
It was not an existing performance song, but a self-composed song prepared for this day.
‘It feels familiar somehow?’
Ki-seok Choi realized late.
This was the song he had improvised at Mayjo in the past.
It was an attractive enough song back then, but now it has a more sophisticated vibe than then.
It felt like the notes were sticking in my ears.
After completing his own composition, he sang three songs. The performance went on like a storm.
Unlike Carter, Kim Doo-jin was playing with his whole body, not the piano.
His facial expressions and gestures changed freely depending on the mood of the music.
As if he had become a part of the performance. He
was described as a musical genius from Korea. Rather, it overshadowed his fantastic performance.
As time passed, even Kim Doo-jin’s performance ended.
When Choi Ki-seok left the concert hall, he saw Carter and Kim Doo-jin being interviewed by reporters. The
sweaty expressions of the two people looked happy
. It was no different from the doctors who saved the patient’s life in the operating room.
“Doctor. Did I do well?”
After finishing the interview, Kim Doo-jin approached him and smiled brightly.
“It wasn’t that I did well, it was the best. “I still can’t believe you played those songs with your little hands.”
“Hehe. Thank you.”
“Strangely enough, I kept thinking about you while I was playing.”
Kim Doo-jin paused before continuing.
“Especially when I first met you and you bought me ice cream. Even now, when I think about that time…”
“Stupid. You shouldn’t cry on a good day.”
“I’m sorry. Anyway, I will become the best pianist in the world. You will become a better person than Uncle Carter.”
“That’s how it should be. You can do it.”
Choi Ki-seok paused and then continued.
“Hmm. By the way, can I ask you a favor soon?”
“What favor?”
“I want to learn how to
play the piano from you.” “I’m thinking of playing it for my girlfriend.” ”
Ugh. How do you do that?…”
“Teacher Carter said that music was originally started because of love. I also learned it because I wanted to play it for my older sister, who I have a crush on
.” Kim Doo-jin smiled and continued,
“He’s very strict in front of that piano. It’s completely Spartan.”
“For no reason, sir. “Don’t scare me.”
“Hehe. I got caught. “Please contact me when you have time. Then promise.”
Choi Ki-seok and Kim Du-jin linked their little fingers.
