Pianist's Village

A waiting room where applause, whistles, and cheers could still be heard.

Soo-hyun sat on a black chair, bent over and covering his face with one hand, shedding tears incessantly. The organizing staff in the waiting room also couldn't approach Soo-hyun. Those who should have comforted a crying child like him understood his deep sorrow and simply watched.

The pain of a child who had closed his heart before fully grieving the death of his parents erupted belatedly and flowed like a waterfall. Just as a figure illuminated by light lingers faintly in the darkness for some time after the lights go out, the sadness that fell into Soo-hyun's heart remained like a pile of snow left on the street corner even after the snow had stopped falling.

'I thought that after breaking my heart into a thousand or ten thousand pieces through the performance, I would feel a sense of relief after the excretion, as Professor Lech said.''But that wasn't the case.''Do you need more time?''Is sadness such a heavy emotion that it's hard to escape from it?''In that case, is it really necessary to deliberately bring out the sadness from my heart?''It's so hard, I miss you so much, and it hurts so much.'

Soo-hyun prayed, clutching his chest as if someone were stabbing him with a knife.

'Sadness. Now, stay still.''Just go a step deeper inside me.''It goes deeper and darker.''Made under a different light''Will we not be able to meet face to face again?'

Sadness, which slowly lifted its head from beneath the black water, gritted its teeth and raised its head, no matter how much he tried to push it back, and made eye contact with Soo-hyun, who tried not to look at it.

And after a while, the staff members cried out when they saw Soo-hyun fall from the chair he was sitting on to the floor. As Soo-hyun's consciousness faded, the shouts of the people could be heard.

"Contestant Nam Soo-hyun collapsed!" "Call the hospital quickly!" "Where's the guardian? Tell them to come to the waiting room quickly!"

In his dream, Soo-hyun was swimming in endless black water.

'I felt suffocated and choked, and I desperately struggled to escape the water, but I had nowhere to run.''I saw a faint ray of light in the distance, so I filled my mouth with air and swam to conserve what little breath I had left.''I see someone's figure. It's someone in the water, like Soo-hyun.''Are you Dad? Or Mom? Are you here to save me?''I tried to kick with all my might, but my strength failed me before I could reach it.''Would it be easier if I gave up? Perhaps if I gave up here, I could go see my parents?''Could it be that somewhere on the verge of death, you are waiting for me with concern?'

"Nam Soo-hyun!!! You have to come to your senses!!! Please!!!"

A woman's voice was heard.

'Is that your mom?'

"Soo-hyun! Please, please, come back to your senses! Please!"

This time it was a man's voice.

'Dad? I hope so.'

Then a voice was heard shouting in Polish.

"You have to open your eyes!!!"

'Polish? Is that Uncle Frederick? Uncle Franz?'

Soo-hyun's eyes automatically opened as soon as he heard Polish. When Soo-hyun opened his eyes, he saw a hospital room with very dim lighting, perhaps concerned that the sudden, sharp light might hurt his eyes.

Kim Ji-ye, Professor Lee Chan-ho, Han Ji-hye, and Professor Lech were seen surrounding the bed.

His vision was blurry, as if he was wearing glasses that hadn't been cleaned for a long time, but it was clearly open.

Kim Ji-ye covered her mouth with her hand. When she looked at her face, she saw that she had cried so much that her pretty face was swollen.

Professor Lech quickly poked his head from the sickroom and shouted.

"Doctor! The child has woken up! Please come quickly!"

Kim Ji-ye said, trying to grab Soo-hyun's hand.

"Soo-hyun, are you okay…?"

Kim Ji-ye's hands, trying to hold each other, were blocked from both sides. On one side was Professor Lee Chan-ho, and on the other, Professor Lech.

Two people nodded towards Kim Ji-ye. Kim Ji-ye, who didn't know what was going on, was dragged out of the hospital room by Professor Lee Chan-ho.

Kim Ji-ye, who kept her mouth shut until the hospital room door closed, said.

"Professor, I have to go back in. I'm so worried about Soo-hyun."

"Ms. Kim Ji-ye."

"Yes."

"Soo-hyun's current state is the first time he has accepted sadness with his whole being, the first time he has faced it in its raw form without running away or looking away. We have to leave him alone."

"...."

Kim Ji-hye's eyes blurred.

'Is there something only artists know?'

The reality of not being able to hug a sick and sad child was even more painful for her.

Professors Lech, Han Ji-hye, and Lee Chan-ho, who were in the hospital room, were aware of Soo-hyun's condition and were reacting accordingly. However, Ji-ye Kim, who brought Soo-hyun from Switzerland to Korea and then to Poland, felt helpless in the current situation where she couldn't help at all.

Kim Ji-ye, who had lost all strength in her body and slumped into the chair in front of the hospital room, sighed as she massaged her temples.

'This competition. Should it continue?'

Professor Lee Chan-ho hesitated and could not answer.

Even in his opinion, he couldn't guarantee what would happen if Soo-hyun went on to the third round of the main competition in his current condition.

Kim Ji-ye, who thought Lee Chan-ho's silence was a sign of agreement, raised her head and spoke.

"It's too hard for little Soo-hyun. He's experienced too much sadness for a child his age. I can't bear to see him collapse before my eyes again. Sob…"

Kim Ji-ye ended up shedding tears.

Professor Lee Chan-ho patted her shoulder in silence.

Professor Lee Chan-ho, who had been comforting Kim Ji-ye, who had been crying for a long time, waited for her crying to subside before speaking.

"It's up to Soo-hyun to decide."

"Professor…!"

"Even if he gives up, I'll smile and tell him to return to Korea. Even if he goes on, I'll smile and tell him to fly higher and have a good time when we return to Korea. Whatever Soo-hyun does, I will be the place he can rely on."

"...."

Professor Lee Chan-ho seen through Kim Ji-ye's eyes.

'At first, her impression of him wasn't good. From Kim Ji-ye's perspective, he was a professor who rejected her without even looking at her. Moreover, she thought he was a person who changed his attitude after seeing Soo-hyun's skills, which had become a hot topic in Poland.''Of course, things are different now. Professor Lee Chan-ho knew how to be ashamed of his actions. He reflected and tried to correct his bad decisions and actions.''And now, the person who wanted to take care of Soo-hyun more than himself was Professor Lee Chan-ho.''I feel an inexplicable sense of loss and sadness. Perhaps in Kim Ji-ye's heart, she wanted Soo-hyun to only believe in her and rely on her.'

Kim Ji-ye, with a bitter, self-deprecating smile, reflected on her own feelings.

"Yes, Professor, you're right."

As the two talked, medical staff rushed into the room and ushered Professor Lech and Han Ji-hye out of the room.

Kim Ji-ye quickly closed the hospital room door and asked a question in English.

"Doctor, how is Soo-hyun?"

The doctor, who was receiving everyone's attention, spoke with his hands behind his back.

"He suffered mental shock. The detailed examination results showed no other abnormalities, so he has no other option but to rest. Please refrain from talking to him or demanding answers before he speaks first."

The choice of Professor Lee Chan-ho and Professor Lech was correct. Kim Ji-ye expressed her gratitude to the two professors who stopped her with a glance.

Professor Lech smiled brightly and then greeted the group.

'Although Kim Ji-ye didn't know it, Professor Lech's fame had also reached Korea.'

First, we see Lee Chan-ho and Han Ji-hye bowing as if their heads would touch the ground while shaking hands with Professor Lech, who greets them.

"It's an honor, Professor." "I really wanted to see you, Professor."

This time, the conversation was in English, not Polish, so Ji-ye Kim could also understand it.

Professor Lech shook his hand with a smile and said as he looked at the closed hospital room door.

"I think everyone knows about Soo-hyun's condition."

Professor Lee Chan-ho spoke as a representative.

"Yes, I know it very well."

"Hehe, you seem to know a lot, judging by how you stopped the woman earlier. I hear you're a music professor in Korea."

"Yes, I'm Chan-ho Lee, Professor."

"I remember that name. If there's any change in Soo-hyun's condition, please let me know. Here's my business card."

Professor Lee Chan-ho received the business card with trembling hands.

'The day has come when I receive Professor Lech's business card. Despite my worries for Soo-hyun, I feel joy.'

"Yes! I will definitely contact you."

Professor Lech patted Professor Lee Chan-ho's shoulder and spoke in passing.

"I'll be watching over you. When you deal with Soo-hyun, remember that I'm with you. If you make a mistake, I'll take the child from you."

Professor Lee Chan-ho, who had an embarrassed look on his face, quickly turned to look at Professor Lech, but he had already turned around and was walking down the hallway.

'He warned Lee Chan-ho. He said he would watch him to see if he raised Soo-hyun well.''It was a statement that could have been offensive, but Chan-ho Lee, who was in the same class as him, understood his feelings. He knew how much it pained Soo-hyun to miss the opportunity to teach that very child.'

Meanwhile, Soo-hyun, who was left alone in the hospital room, quietly got up when the doctors who had been rushing in and shining flashlights on him or chattering among themselves left together.

Soo-hyun looked at his body. Still, compared to a while ago, the echo in his heart had calmed down a bit.

'I'm a little thirsty.''Since everyone who can bring water is outside, I have no choice but to manage on my own.'

As he sat on the bed with both legs down, he saw a note written in Polish on the table next to the bed where the humidifier was.

'Of all the people here, the only one who spoke Polish was Professor Lech, so it must have been him who left it.'

Soo-hyun read the note silently and then placed it on the bed blanket.

It said this:

'Ask yourself the three questions I told you to ask again.''Question. Professor Lech asked himself three questions non-stop.''Who is the most important person to me?''What is most important to me?''When is the most precious moment for me?''Is this an important act at this very moment?'

Soo-hyun sat on the bed and closed his eyes, lost in thought.

'I think I need to think a little more about those two questions, but I can think about the first one.'

The first thing that came to his mind was the image of his parents. But that image soon disappeared from his mind and remained as a black shadow.

Two people filled that space.

A smile appeared on Soo-hyun's face as the faces of the two people came to his mind.

'The most important person to me. That question was missing the word «now».'

The hospital room door opened, and Lee Chan-ho, Han Ji-hye, and Kim Ji-ye entered one after another.

He was very grateful to the three people who had very worried faces.

Kim Ji-ye approached first and silently took Soo-hyun's hand. She could have asked if he was okay, but she comforted him with her gaze without saying a word.

Kim Ji-ye saw Soo-hyun smiling slightly and moved her lips with a slightly calmer heart, but she insisted on not speaking first.

Soo-hyun, who looked into her eyes, spoke first.

"What about the competition?"

Kim Ji-ye, with tears in her eyes, turned her head and instead heard Lee Chan-ho's voice.

"The preliminary round went well. It wasn't during the competition that you collapsed, but in the waiting room, so it didn't interfere with the judging. However, as I've already spoken with Ji-ye Kim, you are not in a condition to compete right now. Even if you withdraw now, I will gladly take you back to Korea."

Telling him to give up was like imposing an adult's mindset on him. Lee Chan-ho used gentle language to let Soo-hyun know he had a choice.

But Soo-hyun shook his head firmly.

"No, I'll do it until the end."

Kim Ji-ye's hand, holding Soo-hyun's hand, tightened.

Soo-hyun looked into her eyes as if telling her it was time to stop and not suffer anymore, and smiled brightly as he spoke.

"I know who is most important to me. I want to see those I care about happy."

Among the three people who seemed bewildered because they didn't understand English, Soo-hyun was sitting on the bed and looking out the window, and in his eyes, he saw Frederick and Franz sitting on the zelkova piano stage and smiling brightly.