episode_0121

“This time, Professor Jang Geon-se had a sudden schedule change.”

“A schedule… for what?”

“Yes. Due to a sudden overseas duet concert schedule with Yoon Gwan-cheol, the substitute suddenly had to make a schedule, and Yoon Gwan-cheol arranged it.”

The moment I heard the story, a chill ran down my spine.

That man arranged the substitute? It’s so obvious. The way he blatantly pushes Jo Jin-yeol forward is so obvious that it’s ridiculous.

“Well… I see.”

I can’t help but start to doubt Jo Jin-yeol. Could he also be in cahoots with Yoon Gwan-cheol?

‘It seemed like pure curiosity, but surely…’

Maybe Yoon Gwan-cheol used that innocence to his advantage.

No matter how much I admire him, he’s still in his twenties. There’s always the possibility that he fell for Yoon Gwan-cheol’s slick words.

If that’s the case, am I now surrounded by enemies?

A pianist and a judge who are out to defeat me. There doesn’t seem to be an easy way out.

Even if I try to compete with Jo Jin-yeol, the problem lies in the judging. Yoon Gwan-cheol’s planted person won’t be able to persuade people convincingly.

“I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”

In a situation where the stakes are high, there’s no way I’ll be an easy target.

Unlike the past life’s Jung Si-woo, the current Min Chae-won is someone who reciprocates what she receives.

So, how should I handle this? They used their adult power, should I use mine?

“Out of the blue, right?”

“Yes.”

“Well… okay. There’s no reason why I can’t grant your request.”

Professor Baek Jung-eon looked flustered.

It’s only natural. It’s been a few months since I asked my mother to tell him that I want to marry Professor Baek Jung-eon, but she hasn’t told me how it’s going, and suddenly I make this request.

Actually, I forgot about it.

I haven’t been in contact with my mother at all.

Since Kang Hwi reports detailed information about me, I unconsciously avoid contacting her. I feel sorry for avoiding her, but the matchmaking business is important. If she calls and asks why I haven’t been in touch, I was planning to tell her to wait three years.

It’s not that I’m afraid of German. Since Margaret Hebler, Min Chae-won’s mother, is married to a Korean, she can speak Korean.

“But wait a minute. Did you ask me to marry you… by any chance?”

No matter how kind the professor is, it seems difficult to just let it go.

I spoke with a gloomy expression, trying to find the right words.

“That… well. Could you wait a little longer?”

“You’ve already waited for about two months.”

“Well… that’s true, but more than two months…”

I thought there would be nothing to say if he refused. But this is unexpected.

“Alright. I’ll wait. How much longer do you need to wait?”

Professor Baek Jung-eon didn’t seem to have any intention of rushing me. Just showing the will to marry me seemed to be enough for him.

Even if I were to break the promise and run away to Austria, he would probably come looking for me without any complaints and talk to me candidly.

But as a person, if you promise something, you have to keep it somehow to feel at ease.

If a person promises, they should keep it. Of course, I’ll keep it after considering whether they are a good or bad person.

“Three years…”

“…”

A short silence passed between us. The professor was the first to break the silence.

“Wait. As long as you want.”

“Back then… I’m a bit older. Is that okay?”

“What does age have to do with it? Who says age matters when playing the piano? They say if you’re in your teens, you play better, and if you’re in your thirties, you play worse, right?”

Even when Jung Siwoo declared that he would no longer challenge the competition, the professor did not give up on him.

He didn’t take on any new students after me, Yoon Jichang, and Song Seonghyuk. Perhaps he was engulfed in a desire to raise a new student by my giving up.

“You’re older now. You were just twenty-two back then, Yonseok.”

“…Hehe.”

“Hehe? Can’t I tease you, Professor?”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to tease you…”

“Hmm. Anyway.”

Professor Baek Joong-eon let out a deep sigh.

“Yoon Gwanchul. It’s not surprising that he still hasn’t changed his old habits. But if it’s malice towards peers like us, I don’t know. What is he trying to do to a promising young talent like you, tsk….”

Then he poured his anger into a disposable paper cup. The thick paper cup in the empty cafe crumpled in an instant.

Our professor also gets angry when he’s angry.

I thought he was a boring person who only spoke dull words.

…Like when he showed emotions when I moved away from playing dark music. And when he felt guilty for not fulfilling my dream.

He just couldn’t express it outwardly because he was an adult and a teacher.

I’ve realized recently that he’s human too and feels similar emotions to me.

“You made all sorts of excuses when you left your son with me, and now you’re trying to meddle with someone else’s student candidate?”

Was Yoon Jichang becoming the professor’s student just because of his exceptional listening and analytical skills?

“He planted two mines, so you have to defuse one of them somehow.”

“If it’s just one…”

“It’s what the judges said. They’ve already finished preparing for the recording, right? If you mess with the performer here, it will mess up his schedule.”

“It’s going to get complicated.”

“Yeah. That’s why you should aim for the easier side.”

“But… if Yoon Gwanchul says the professor will judge it to the end?”

Professor Baek Joong-eon tugged at one corner of his mouth as if he had returned to his stubborn student days.

It was clear that he had bad intentions. He was trying to stop the professor from taking drastic measures as a substitute.

“It’s difficult to meddle in bad deeds, Professor. I contacted you because I wanted help, but… doing the same thing as Yoon Gwanchul is…”

The professor let out a short laugh as if he found it absurd.

“Chaewon, do you think I look like someone who would do such things?”

“Oh, no. Absolutely not.”

“Good. You said it well. I will never do such things.”

The professor scratched my back coolly.

“…Really?”

Without resorting to extreme methods, how will we overcome this crisis?

What kind of adult wisdom will the professor show us?

With my eyes full of anticipation, the professor spoke.

“That day. I plan to participate as a different judge.”

I see.

…Huh?

“So in the end, aren’t you and Yoon Gwanchul the same?”

“Same? Not at all.”

“Um… so specifically…?”

The professor crossed his arms and confidently began to speak.

“I don’t know who they’ve recruited over there yet, but I have a rough idea of who it might be.”

“With your connections, it’s possible.”

“That guy. He owes a lot to Yoon Gwanchul. He’ll probably do whatever Yoon Gwanchul asks. One-sided judging is a given.”

“… Right? That’s why I asked the professor for help.”

Surprisingly, the solution was simple.

“I will evaluate objectively and absolutely based on strict criteria. If there is a difference in skill, I will speak sharply about it.”

I’m not sure if that will be effective, but that’s what was necessary as a professor. After all, Jo Jinyeol, who graduated from Hanyang University, is also one of the disciples who have been trained by Professor Baek Jung-eon.

Who would dare to stop a professor who evaluates his own graduates so critically? With the professor evaluating so strictly, can any other professor present unilaterally support Jo Jinyeol?

“Then it will be obvious if another professor evaluating with me favors Jinyeol.”

“F-Favor? Professor, we should maintain decorum, shouldn’t we…?!”

“Yoon Gwan-cheol, that guy always stirs up people’s tempers, doesn’t he?~?”

He never showed such dramatic emotional expressions in front of Xiwoo.

Perhaps, that was also a consideration for me.

… Professor.

“Anyway, leave the judging to me. You need to be at least somewhat equal in the performance. Do you understand what I mean?”

Feeling like I had won a thousand troops, I smiled broadly,

“Are you asking me for a very difficult favor?”

The professor lightly patted my forehead.

“Is it really a difficult favor to ask of someone who is already performing at a professional level? We call that being overdramatic.”

I looked at the professor with a puzzled expression and rubbed my forehead.

“… Don’t look at me like that. Do I have to say it directly for you to accept it?”

Professor Baek Jung-eon blushed and cleared his throat.

“These days, kids say they want to suck up a bit.”

“… Suck up?”

“Yes.”

Sucking up. How could I suck up to Min Chaewon—

“Think about it. There is already a performer who is ready to be shown to the public. Just sprinkle a little classical soul on that performer. Any professor wouldn’t be able to ignore them.”

In other words, it meant that Min Chaewon already had the skills to compete at a professional level.

The showdown next week. It also hinted that if I did well, I could have a close match with Jo Jinyeol.

“In fact, I was a bit complacent because it was a competition with a pianist on a broadcast, but as soon as I saw you, I felt… a strong competitive spirit. I didn’t expect the Larquisimo team to prepare such an event. I never dreamed of it.”

Jo Jinyeol’s words, still uncertain whether he was a friend or foe, shook me up.

“Your mother doesn’t seem to have any plans to debut you. That’s why you’re so eager. You can even think of me as a materialistic adult. It’s okay to think that way.”

The professor’s continued praise, always on my side, was truly touching.

‘Someday, Xiwoo will hear this kind of praise too.’

Already filled with the determination to crush Yoon Gwan-cheol, the professor’s support only boosted my strength.

I need to end this bad relationship with the old man quickly.

That way, I can continue to have fun with Xiwoo for a long time.