Pianist's Village

The nurse's eyes widened.

Because the child who had just said he wouldn't play the piano placed his hands on the keys after exchanging a few words with the Asian man.

After silently observing the keyboard, Soo-hyun watched the running children and the patients waiting for their turn. He seemed to think for a moment, but soon began to emit a magnificent sound.

Boom, boom!!!

A deep, low sound.

The children playing soccer stopped moving and looked at Soo-hyun at the loud noise that resonated throughout the hospital. The heads of the patients massaging their aching bodies while waiting for their turn for treatment also turned.

'Could this be an annoying symbol attempting to further darken the already gloomy atmosphere of the hospital?'

Professor Lee Chan-ho, who stood beside Soo-hyun with his arms crossed, smiled widely.

'Chopin's Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 31. This is the best song, Soo-hyun!'

A scherzo is also called a humorous piece. It can be a witty and fast-paced piece, or it can be a fantastic taste expressed in dark, eccentric, or strange music. As expected, the triplets, like the questions of a cute little fairy running to ask in a very playful way, sounded clear and amusing.

'Follow me, follow me?'

Some of the children holding the soccer ball tilted their heads.

'I think someone asked a question?' 'What are you doing right now?' 'Do you want to play with me?' 'Who are you?' 'Why are you here?'

The deep note in the left hand that followed the triplet provided the answer.

'I am sick.' 'I am having a hard time.' 'I am suffering.'

The first part of the performance was very unique. It was a piece that the listener would not consider a beautiful performance.

'It seems to be full of jokes that are characteristic of scherzos?' 'It's as if someone is making fun of a depressed person.'

But the gloomy performance quickly transformed into a bright and cheerful one. The people in the lobby simply turned their heads from their seats and watched Soo-hyun play.

Professor Lee Chan-ho only looked at Soo-hyun, paying no attention to the other people.

'A piece that excludes Chopin's characteristic melancholy. However, from the performer's perspective, it is an extremely difficult piece.'

Part A was performed with lyricism but with vigor. It was a performance with very bright nuances. The piece gradually built towards its conclusion and became increasingly extravagant thanks to the notes that soared endlessly in an ascending scale. However, the accent of the left-hand part and its excellent sense of rhythm gave it a strong folk feel.

Part B began immediately. Unlike Part A, it had a very sentimental tone. If Part A was powerful and masculine, Part B was delicate and feminine.

A sad and beautiful melody.

It began with a soft harmony, as if remembering the past.

But still, the triplets continued to tease.

'Does it hurt that much?' 'Are you sicker than I am?' 'It doesn't seem that painful.'

But unlike the previous playful part, the responding person seemed very serious and lost in thought.

'I want to be alone.' 'Just leave me alone.' 'I don't feel like answering you.'

Unlike the previous playful part, you felt anxious and as if you were being chased and running back and forth, getting lost and confused about where to go.

The strange and unique performance caught people's attention but did not comfort their hearts. You could see people looking at Soo-hyun with curiosity.

Professor Lee Chan-ho looked at the nurse who was standing there with her mouth agape in surprise at Soo-hyun's incredible performance, then looked at the other patients. Professor Lee Chan-ho smiled brightly at the people listening to the performance with more curiosity than comfort, and said to himself.

'The true comfort is Part C.'

Part B, which progressed agonizingly, ended, and Part C began.

The repeated ascending scale was somehow similar to Part A. But there was a clear difference. Unlike Part A, which was more playful, this felt tense. You felt as if you were questioning and answering yourself.

'All the answers are within you. Perhaps it was like this from the beginning?' 'You were just being clumsy.' 'But there's no one who lives forever hearing that they are clumsy.' 'Look back now.' 'By your side, in front of you. The image of your family worrying about you.' 'Everyone does it.' 'You're not the only one.' 'Shaking your head and making mistakes' 'But he smiles as if nothing happened.' 'Life is like that. It's beautiful because it's immature.' 'Don't forget.' 'A person who draws happiness for a long time.' 'Finally, I can draw it.'

Before they realized it, two staccato measures at the end of Part C.

Professor Lee Chan-ho clenched his fist.

'These two words are so important that the quality of the performance is determined by them.'

However, his performance rebounded in a just balance, without his concerns standing out too much or his sounds being muddled. The most ideal interpretation was conveyed through Soo-hyun's hands.

People let out a long sigh, as if the dam blocking a corner of their hearts was crumbling before the lively performance.

Professor Lee Chan-ho, who had been applauding Soo-hyun's perfect performance, suddenly felt a presence and looked around in surprise.

Around the piano where Soo-hyun played. A masked child holding his mother's hand. A bald child in his father's arms. An elderly grandmother held by her son. Everyone was gathered around the piano.

Professor Lee Chan-ho, surprised, quickly turned to look towards the lobby, but there was no one in the chairs or the spacious lobby.

Everyone gathered around Soo-hyun. The administrative staff and nurses who were supposed to watch the counter, and the doctors who came to check medical records, stopped and looked at Soo-hyun.

And their expressions surprised Professor Lee Chan-ho.

A moment ago, the only ones laughing were the children, but now they were holding hands with their families, nodding their heads to the rhythm of the music and smiling at each other.

Tears welled up in Professor Lee Chan-ho's eyes.

'This is the power of music! The only universal language in the world that needs no interpretation!'

The one who made people smile just by playing with all his heart. Professor Lee Chan-ho, looking at Soo-hyun, smiled radiantly as he held back tears.

Because he saw Soo-hyun's expression.

'A warm face I had never seen. It is not a face that comforts, but one that comforts me by recalling the comfort I received from someone I miss and want to see.' 'In fact, throughout the performance, Soo-hyun enumerated one by one the comforts he had received from his memories instead of comforting someone else.' 'Uncle Franz, who had a cheeky personality but was more considerate of others than anyone.' 'Pancakes that were only delicious on the first day, but then became boring.' 'Every time I finish playing a song, I think of the steaming pancakes that always warm my heart and give it a warm feeling.' 'Although he complained that he had never cooked before, he prepared it just in time for me to finish practicing.' 'I knew the truth.' 'Every night, when I cried under the covers, Uncle Franz pretended not to notice.' 'Perhaps it was a much deeper comfort than simply coming up to me and patting my shoulder.' 'The exercises I prepared to beat Uncle Chopin.' 'A song composition contest I never won again after winning the first few times.' 'I remember the way Soo-hyun looked at me, wondering if I was smiling because of him, even though I had a resentful expression on my face.' 'And Uncle Frederick.' 'The old man who was always gentle and kind.' 'He was the type of person who always gave you kind advice, as long as you didn't make a mistake. Of course, if you made a mistake, he would frown seriously.' 'I learned later that the old man seemed to have an obsession with rhythm.' 'Numerous practice songs created for me. And the teaching methods were meticulous and delicate, step by step, without making it difficult or losing interest.' 'For Soo-hyun, Frederick was like a mother.' 'When I faced difficult and hard times, the person I asked for help was Uncle Franz, but when I cried and was scared, the person I ran to and held myself in their arms was Uncle Frederick.'

When Soo-hyun closed his eyes and played the comforting song, tears began to form in his eyes.

But those tears were not shed out of sadness.

'This is laughing and crying. I've only seen it in books. When I first read about this phenomenon, I thought it was something only crazy people would do. There are days when I feel this way and do these kinds of things.' 'Human emotions are truly fascinating and interesting. I feel like I want to know a little more, a little more.'

People swayed slightly and nodded their heads as they listened to Soo-hyun's performance. A nurse, observing them, covered her mouth in embarrassment.

'How ridiculous! I heard the pianist who volunteered was also very famous. Even without playing, this scene wouldn't be created! What on earth is this child?'

Soo-hyun's performance slowly stopped. The bodies of those who were moving and their heads also gradually slowed down.

And when the final note finally let its tremors be heard, people preferred to hug their families next to them instead of applauding.

People who conveyed their feelings through their own words.

"I'm sorry. I was sick and my heart hurt. I'm so sorry for the hurtful things I said to you." "I love you, even now." "I wanted to thank you for being by my side even when you were sick." "When I do my best and listen, the first thing I think of is you. I can't help but love you." "Mom, I love you. Dad, I love you." "Oh, my love! You are the greatest treasure in our family!"

Even Soo-hyun, who had stopped playing with his eyes closed, could hear their voices.

Although there was no applause, they were deeper praises than any applause or cheers.

A child who looked about seven years old stood next to Soo-hyun, who opened his eyes. As the performance ended, he clapped and spoke.

"Wow! Hyung, you play the piano so well! If I learn, will I be able to play like you?"

Soo-hyun smiled brightly as he looked at the child and said.

"Of course."

"Wow! When I get better, I want to go to piano lessons too! I have to tell my mom!"

A child ran to his mother, who was crying at a distance, and hugged her.

"Mom! When I get better, send me to piano lessons! I want to play like my brother!"

A child with a mask and a shaved head.

'He looks like a very sick child.'

A person who appeared to be the mother knelt down and held the child in her arms, shedding tears.

"Well, my baby. Get well soon and go to piano lessons with Mommy."

"Huh!!"

A mother holding a child in her arms cried and smiled as she made eye contact with Soo-hyun.

Professor Lee Chan-ho said, grabbing Soo-hyun's shoulder as he stared at them.

"I asked you a moment ago why we must comfort others."

Soo-hyun shook his head as he looked at the mother and child.

"You don't have to explain it to me anymore. I think I understand."

Professor Lee Chan-ho smiled and patted Soo-hyun's shoulder.

"But listen. They say the reward for comforting others is, in reality, the greatest comfort for oneself."

Soo-hyun smiled.

At that moment, the child holding the soccer ball gently touched Soo-hyun's finger and said.

"Brother, are you good at soccer?"

"...."

"You play the piano so well that you're also good at soccer, right?"

'It's strange logic. What does being good at playing the piano have to do with playing soccer?'

The child said, putting the soccer ball on the ground.

"Let's play together!"

Soo-hyun looked at the child blankly, then turned his head to Professor Lee Chan-ho.

Professor Lee Chan-ho nodded silently.

Soo-hyun, whose face brightened more and more, jumped up and kicked the ball.

And after a while.

Since it was Soo-hyun's first time kicking a ball, he couldn't control the force or direction, and the ball hit a general affairs department employee in the face. Soo-hyun had to bow to Professor Lee Chan-ho and apologize to the employee.