Park Seon-yeong opened her eyes wide as she read the newspaper.
Why does my heart beat like crazy even though I am just reading simple letters? It was as if the melody of that day came to mind in the photo printed on the front page of the newspaper as big as a door. It was the first time in my life that I saw a Stradivarius.
"Seonyeong, what are you looking at so intently?"
At that time, Park Seon-yeong's friend approached her.
"Ah, Queen Elizabeth. That's why the school is in chaos right now. The subject is 14 years old or something, and the professors are desperately trying to find out where the friend learned the violin. Some people were busy getting their violin posture right when they were 14, but they're saying they're the youngest subject."
There is a saying that a good start is half the battle. At first, all I was told was to gain experience. Since it was a competition, winning a prize was a big deal, but I couldn't close my mouth when I heard that I won the grand prize.
"He's handsome, so he'll make a lot of girls cry when he gets older. By the way, the Queen Elizabeth Award is causing quite a stir at the music school. I heard someone submitted a proposal to the department head asking to invite him to give a lecture."
For students majoring in music, this award is in some ways more valuable than an Olympic gold medal. There are countless students who play the violin with Queen Elizabeth as their goal, so it would be pointless to say more.
"I've heard rumors that you're the third generation of a conglomerate. By the way, Seonyeong, aren't you also tutoring in a conglomerate family?"
Oh, I'm doing it. At first, I taught him the basics with a relaxed mind, but didn't he surpass me by a long time? It was better to receive guidance from Kang Hyun than to receive private lessons from a famous professor. It was as if he was picking out my shortcomings with tweezers. Now, I was thinking that maybe I should pay for private lessons myself.
"Who is the real master?"
Park Seon-yeong gulped, "Who taught you that?"
*
It's so awkward to wear a school uniform.
I think it would be more comfortable to wear a suit that I have worn for decades. Doesn't this look like a new employee wearing his first suit? I wondered when I would be able to leave my student life behind, and when I went down to the first floor, my mother was waiting for me.
"Son, are you ready?"
I swallowed my grumbling inside at the sight of my mother smiling brightly. She was the one who fixed my clothes. It still hurt my heart that I had distanced myself from my parents in order to succeed in my past life. What's more, my wife never even tied my tie properly. Now that I think about it, what is she doing now? Do I miss her? Arthur, I don't want to get entangled in her even a little bit.
"I'll be careful on the way back!"
I went down to the province in a car driven by Mr. Kim. It would be a little after lunchtime when I arrived. I was on my way to receive my last award. The reason was obvious. My face was featured in the newspaper. I guess he wanted to take a picture before transferring to Seoul. Well, I didn't really hate it.
Anyway, I had to go down at least once to say hello.
Daesung Middle School's 'Kang Hyeon' wins the grand prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
It was really fast. A large placard was already fluttering in front of the school gate. The sudden appearance of a luxury sedan made the security guard's eyes widen, and I could feel the eyes of the students playing ball on the playground.
"Kang Hyun, congratulations. I really couldn't have imagined that you would be so talented at the violin. There will be an award ceremony at the playground after lunch, so you can receive your award. If you have anything to say, you can say it. I heard that local broadcasting is also covering the story."
I also met Kang Bong-du, my former teacher in the teachers' office. He still had the same square jaw. He was one of the few true teachers I've ever met. The teachers in the teachers' office all stood up and looked at my face. Making the front page of a newspaper was something that not just anyone could do. At that moment, the principal came over from afar, walking briskly.
"Our Daesung Middle School's pride, student Kang Hyeon!"
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
It was a time when there were no lecture halls. Fortunately, the weather was cool. Some students seemed to be happy because they could watch the award ceremony instead of attending class. Among them were Kim Dae-woo, who still had chubby cheeks, and Kang Hye-jung, who played Beethoven's symphony chorus for me. Their eyes were still filled with surprise.
"Student Kang Hyeon?"
He asked me to say something to the students. Kang Bong-du looked at me with a worried expression. He seemed to think that I was nervous because there were cameras from local broadcasting stations all around. In fact, I just took a moment to catch my breath because I felt different. Who would have thought that I would be holding the microphone in front of the entire school like this?
"Ah, mic test."
* * *
"Where did the golfers go?"
Last night, the weeds were covered in dew, so putting was not easy. If anyone saw it, the two old men were so passionate that it seemed like they were in a golf competition. Did Chairman Wang's wind reach the sky? In the end, the golf ball missed the hole slightly. Chairman Yoo frowned when he saw that.
"Son-ga, your skills have improved a lot. Do you want to make a bet?"
"This old man, where are you trying to fool me again?"
It was Chairman Wang who had once been beaten by Chairman Yoo in a game of baduk. In fact, Chairman Yoo was slightly better at golf. If someone who knew Chairman Wang had seen this, they would have rubbed their eyes. He was a gentleman who hated losing to anyone. It was when Chairman Yoo bit his dry lips as if he was disappointed.
"Hey, Yeonggam-tang, how's Hyun's father? Is he adjusting well to company life?"
"I mean, Kang Seo-bang. He's a smart guy, so I don't have to worry, but he's not in the field he wants, so there will be some difficulties. I hope he becomes useful soon."
"Yeonggam-tang, if you don't have anyone to leave Jeong to, give Dong-ju to me. Then I'll keep it safe and give it to Hyeon."
Anyone who saw them would know that they were pawning their belongings. It was an astronomical amount of money involved, but the two old men were talking about it without hesitation. The scary thing was that all of this wasn't just a joke, but that it was all possible. Gapyeong Country Club, which boasts a beautiful natural view, is dense with pine trees that seem to pierce the sky. In a small shelter overlooked by the old pine trees, a girl was sipping orange juice. Her cheeks were puffed out.
"grandfather-!"
Chairman Wang smiled at his approaching granddaughter. Yoo Ha had prepared to go to the golf course with her since the crack of dawn. She must have been expecting Hyun-i to come. Her expression was furious when her expectations were dashed. But whenever she felt Chairman Yoo's gaze, she started acting like a virtuous lady. Chairman Wang thought that kids these days really don't know each other.
"Our Yuha must have been bored waiting alone. What should Grandpa do for her?"
"Umm, please grant me just one wish!"
wish?
Chairman Wang thought back to what happened on the plane the other day. He didn't think she would throw a tantrum asking for the violin again this time. However, he couldn't help but know Yu Ha's stubbornness in getting whatever she wanted. After all, she resembled Chairman Wang himself. At that moment, Chairman Wang's gaze caught sight of Hall.
"If Yuha can put the ball in the hole you see over there in one go, Grandpa will grant her any wish."
It is not easy to achieve a wish. It has been a long-standing belief of Chairman Wang that one should learn the taste of achievement from a young age. The distance to the hole cup was not that far, but it seemed impossible for a child to make a hole-in-one with one shot. But blood is thicker than water, so he immediately took out a junior driver.
"Your personality is exactly like Son-ga's."
Chairman Yoo looked at the scene with a hearty laugh. His tenacity in preparing recklessly even though he knew it was impossible reminded him of Chairman Wang when he started the semiconductor industry. The caddy hurriedly prepared golf balls. Their eyes were filled with excitement.
That was when.
Pot!
Isn't Yuha swinging the golf club smoothly? Just looking at her swing, I couldn't help but applaud.
"Huh, huh?"
But the trajectory of the golf ball was headed straight for the hole. For a moment, Chairman Wang's smiling expression changed.
*
"Hyun-ah, Grandpa said he's going to eat in Pyeongchang-dong, so let's eat together."
My mother and the housekeeper are still best friends. They've been laughing nonstop ever since my grandfather invited my parents to the Ichon-dong mansion. By the way.
"Your father is having a hard time."
I heard at a restaurant the other day that my father majored in chemistry. My grandfather knows my father's past, which I don't know, so he must have called me to Dongju. Furthermore, the job he was assigned was not a research position, but an office position. It's not that I don't know my grandfather's thoughts. He was going to leave the management to my father in the future.
"You are sleeping soundly."
The back of my head was my father, lying face down in front of a large computer, asleep. On the monitor, there was a report in full swing. Since computers were just becoming commercialized, it was also necessary to make a spreadsheet. However, it looked quite shabby. It was a time when there was no framework for reports, so that was understandable. But still, that was the case.
Hmm.
In a way, it was natural. My father had worked in a laundry for many years. Of course, there was nothing superfluous in terms of content. It seems that he must have majored in chemistry, as my grandfather said. However, a report requires intuition that allows the other person to immediately understand it just by looking at it. This was not something that could be fixed by simply changing the level of the jang.
Anyway, didn't you decide to help me with even the strength you had?
Moreover, receiving and writing a report on past lives was so frustrating. Originally, each company would have its own identity for the report, but in this day and age, there was no way something like that existed. Even Hangul was in its early stages, so it was just a formality.
How do I change this sloppy report?
But what the heck? As soon as I made up my mind, my fingers moved quickly. I adjusted the font size, the length, the spacing, and even the line spacing. I even moved the awkward sentence arrangement so that the original intention could be clearly seen. Great!
"son?"
At that moment, my father woke up, rubbing his eyes. His eyes were looking back and forth between my fingers and the monitor, and I could see his eyes getting bigger and bigger. Oh no, I had originally planned to explain it to him verbally, but I got so excited that I didn't realize it.
Fortunately, the content was left untouched. If someone who didn't know saw it, it would look like a child playing a prank.
"Oh, how did you do it?"
My father blinked several times and looked at the monitor. He probably didn't know that I was so good at computers. He must have developed his intuition so that he could clearly understand the contents of the report. Even though it was the same content, it must have felt like he was looking at a different world. Computer schools are popping up every now and then, but they won't teach you how to write reports. Where on earth can I say I learned it?
The framework of the report I created is,
"I learned it in technology class."
It was the moment that established Dongju's identity.