Pianist's Village

Wheein, wheein... ... Wheein... ... .

Kim Ji-ye's phone, which had been on the table for a while, vibrated non-stop. Kim Ji-ye gnawed at her fingernails and stared at her phone, but she didn't have the courage to answer it.

After returning to the Jamsil hotel and unpacking, Soo-hyun sat on the bed and watched the constantly ringing phone.

"You're not answering it?"

"Huh? Uh, uh…?"

It wasn't that she wouldn't answer it, but that she simply didn't have the courage to. How could an official dare to disobey a superior's order?

Kim Ji-ye flipped the phone face down and pushed her bangs back.

'If you lose your job, you can find something else to do.'

Though she said that, her expression was clouded.

This was because it was something Kim Ji-ye, who had studied for a long time to become a public official, could not easily give up.

Kim Ji-ye, feeling anxious for a moment, shook her head and stood up.

"Let's go, Soo-hyun."

Soo-hyun stood up and watched Ji-ye Kim beckon.

'Where are you going? We just arrived. If we go out, won't those reporters be there again?'

Kim Ji-ye said, extending her hand as if asking Soo-hyun to take it.

"I don't know how long I can stay by your side. First, I'll teach you the basics."

'The basics.'

Now that he thought about it, Soo-hyun didn't know how to do anything without Ji-ye.

As soon as they left, holding hands, Soo-hyun had to pull his hat lower.

Because his face had been exposed to the media, there might be people who would recognize him.

Kim Ji-ye took Soo-hyun's hand and went to the cell phone store first.

Kim Ji-ye said, pulling some documents from her bag.

"It's hard to live without a cell phone nowadays. Professor Lee Chan-ho is registered as Soo-hyun's legal representative, right? So let's take this document and get a cell phone first."

"Cell phone? Ah, I think you mean the one my sister always carries with her."

Ji-ye, who had prepared the guardianship designation documents registered at city hall and obtained a new cell phone, sat on a bench outside the cell phone store and explained how to use it.

"Look at this. This is the camera. You take pictures like this. The photos you take will be saved in the gallery, so you can pull them out and look at them whenever you want."

'It's incredible. The photo comes out prettier and whiter than what you see with your eyes.'

When Soo-hyun, who was taking pictures of his surroundings, turned the camera toward Kim Ji-ye, she raised two fingers.

"What does that mean?"

'What does that mean?'

Kim Ji-ye, who was making the V-sign, slowly lowered her hand.

'What does this mean?'

Now that she thought about it, it was something she did habitually. She had never stopped to think about its meaning.

"Just... a V for victory?"

'Who do you think will win?'

"I just do it."

"That's strange."

"Haha, I never thought it was strange, but now that I hear you say it, it is. Now, give it to me again."

After showing him how to download the application, Kim Ji-ye downloaded some applications and even created the necessary accounts for him.

"Alright, here's your email and password. If they ask you to download anything else and enter your account information, just refer to this and write it down. Okay?"

"Yes, Sister."

"Look, this application allows you to see bus and subway arrival times and routes. If you press it like this, it says this... this... Done! It tells you where you need to transfer to reach your desired station and what time the train will arrive. If it's the right one, it even tells you the car number you need to board for transfer. Isn't that amazing?"

When Kim Ji-ye smiled and showed him her phone screen, Soo-hyun, who was staring at the screen, asked.

"What is the subway?"

Kim Ji-ye was sweating profusely.

'You don't know about the subway? There's an underground train!'

"Ah, that."

"Have you tried it?"

"When I was young."

"Where's the bus?"

"I know that."

"Well, then let's take a ride. First, the subway."

Jamsil Station was very complicated. The underground shopping center was full of things, and there were as many people entering and exiting as there were items.

While riding the subway for a few stops in Jamsil, Soo-hyun quickly grabbed the handrail when he saw the dark exterior light up and transform into an above-ground train.

Ji-ye smiled and pointed outside, perhaps thinking Soo-hyun was curious about what was happening outside and wanted to look out the window.

"This is a place that crosses the Han River, so you can go above ground. Even without crossing the Han River, there are places that come above ground. What do you think? Isn't the Han River beautiful?"

"...."

Soo-hyun had no response.

Ji-ye turned her head towards Soo-hyun after talking to herself.

Then we see that Soo-hyun looked very tired.

"Then... Soo-hyun?"

"...."

His legs trembled. A cold sweat ran down his forehead as he looked outside.

"Soo-hyun, what's wrong?"

'Are you afraid of water?'

But even after crossing the bridge, Soo-hyun still looked scared as he stared outside.

Only then did Ji-ye realize why Soo-hyun was so frightened, and she quickly hugged him and sat him down.

"Ah... Soo-hyun, come here. It's okay, sit down."

"...."

A trembling sensation spread from Soo-hyun's body to his lips, which had turned white.

Ji-ye, who hugged Soo-hyun tightly, sniffled as she felt a tingling in her nose.

'Poor child. I guess he was thinking about that train accident. My reasoning was shortsighted.''It will surely be traumatic.''But will this child be able to live in Seoul, a traffic hell, and only take the bus? Can he overcome this?'

Ji-ye, who couldn't bear to look at Soo-hyun, who was still trembling even after a few stops, looked at the current station.

"Konkuk University Station. Yes, it's a busy area, so let's calm down by taking a look."

As soon as the door opened, Ji-ye quickly grabbed Soo-hyun's hand and rushed out.

"Soo-hyun, let's get out."

The two people who ran out without looking back finally let out a deep sigh after reaching Exit 2.

"Ha, ha...."

Soo-hyun bent over and rested his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

Ji-ye was also having a hard time, but she was worried about Soo-hyun first. Ji-ye checked his condition while patting his back.

"Soo-hyun, breathe slowly. It's okay. I'm here with you."

"Ha, ha...."

Soo-hyun bent over and clutched his chest.

'This feeling. I've definitely felt it before. When I was thrown from the train and left alone in the dark forest. That's how I felt then, right?'

"Sister, gasp, gasp...."

"Yes, Soo-hyun. Are you okay?"

'What is this feeling called?'

"...."

Soo-hyun lifted his head. He was bent over, so maybe the blood was rushing to his head, but his complexion had improved a bit.

'My chest feels tight and my legs are trembling. I don't know if it's because of the cold, but it's so cold that I'm sweating strangely. What is this feeling called?'

Ji-ye made a pitiful expression.

"That's... terrifying."

"Terror?"

"Yes, it's called fear."

'I saw it in a book Uncle Franz gave me.''A persistent, irrational, and intense fear of a specific object or situation.'

Soo-hyun was able to experience what extreme fear was after feeling emotions he had only seen in text.

Soo-hyun, who had been catching his breath for a moment, took a deep breath and spoke.

"Good."

"Let's get some tea. It's too cold outside. I'm sweating so much I might catch a cold if I stay out too long. There's a coffee shop over there. Come on."

'Now that I think about it, I want to drink something hot.'

Soo-hyun nodded and was dragged by the hand to the coffee shop on the corner in front of Exit 2.

It was a crowded coffee shop, but there were still seats available.

Kim Ji-ye, who fortunately saw the customer sitting by the window get up, quickly ran over and seated Soo-hyun before speaking.

"Cocoa?"

"Yes, thank you."

"No, I'm sorry. I was shortsighted. I'll get it right away. Wait a moment, okay? You can't go anywhere. If you need to go to the bathroom, make sure you take your phone. Remember I gave you my number earlier?"

"Yes, Sister."

'Ji-ye keeps worrying about me, so I keep looking back as I go to buy coffee.'

Soo-hyun waved his hand as if it were fine and forced a smile.

Soo-hyun, who saw Ji-ye placing the order, looked out the window again and wrung his hands.

'Terror....''When Uncle Franz specifically taught this passage, he would get down on his knees, look into our eyes, and tell us one thing to remember.'

Soo-hyun murmured as he recalled his memories.

"Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer it is the beginning of wisdom."

'I learned that the first step to becoming wise begins with conquering fear.'

But the fear he experienced firsthand opened a wound in Soo-hyun's heart that he wanted to erase.

'Can I overcome this?''I don't know. Thinking about what just happened, I wanted to open the door and run to where the men were.'

And then, Soo-hyun heard the sound of a familiar instrument.

A faint melody, a small sound. It's a tiny sound produced by a rudimentary and rickety instrument, incomparable to the sound of the violin heard in an orchestra.

Soo-hyun looked out the window and saw a man in his fifties playing the violin with a few thousand-won bills in an open case in front of Exit 2.

'It's November. If you play like that outdoors in such cold weather, your fingers will freeze, and you won't be able to play well.'

The inside of the coffee shop was noisy and the music played separately, so the man's performance couldn't be heard well.

It was such a faint sound that you had to listen carefully to hear it.

And then, Soo-hyun's eyes saw the face of a man playing the violin with a very happy expression.

'That old man. He looks so happy. When Uncle Frederick plays, he does it with that expression.''What kind of thoughts does that old man have now, and what kind of poems does he send to people?'

His curiosity about the music dispelled his inner fear.

When he turned his head towards Ji-ye, he saw her waiting to the side, holding the vibrating pager that came out after ordering.

Soo-hyun checked his pockets to see that he had his cell phone in his hands, then quietly stood up and went out the window.

'It's right in front, so it'll be fine, right?'

When he opened the door, he could hear the sound of the violin better.

He walked slowly and followed the sound.

There are two crosswalks in front of Exit 2, so there were many people waiting for the signal.

But the man's performance didn't attract much attention from the crowd.

Among the people going their separate ways, a slightly dirty old man was seen playing an old violin, all alone.

'But what kind of music is this?'

Of course, Soo-hyun's musical knowledge was very limited. This was because he had never heard the sound of any instrument other than the piano in the presence of the old men.

He only knew it in his head, but the first time he heard the sound of that instrument was during the concerto mission at the Chopin Competition.

So he knew nothing about violin music.

Soo-hyun, standing in front of an old man no one was paying attention to, slowly closed his eyes and listened to the performance.

'It's clearly an old, crude, and cheap instrument. Its sound makes you think, "Good thing it's at least in tune," but it's strangely addictive.''Any violinist who makes music like that must be famous, right?'

Still, since he had read the musician's story in a book, he might recognize him if he heard his name.

After finishing a song, the old man who had been playing opened his eyes and smiled brightly as if he were the only one there.

The old man, seeing that there was only one audience member in front of him, smiled even more deeply in a situation where he might have shown a self-deprecating expression.

'Why is this old man playing so cheerfully?''What kind of song was this man playing?'

He was curious.

Soo-hyun took a step closer and asked.

"Excuse me, may I ask you a question?"

The smiling old man's expression turned strange. It must have been because of his excessively polite tone.

"Uh. Ah, no... yes."

The man who was trying to speak informally because he looked young changed his tone to formal.

Soo-hyun said, pointing to the violin.

"Who composed that song? A French composer? Or an Italian composer?"

The old man made a puzzled expression and interrupted again.

"I am Kim Kwang-seok."

'Who is Kim Kwang-seok? Isn't that a Korean name?'