Ch.211206 – Essence

National Intangible Cultural Property No. 37, Master Craftsman Baek Bong-gon.

He lived with pride that his ancestors had created the finest magical crafts during the 19th century French campaign against Korea and the United States expedition to Korea, protecting their homeland from foreign invasion.

However, at some point magical crafts transformed from necessities to luxury items, and he realized during the “Yamim Noraim” war that Korea no longer needed his skills.

All simplified mana composition devices had been modernized, and his work fell far short of the quality produced by Swiss craftsmen.

“So your grandfather is looking for a successor now?” asked Baek Ho-chan after hearing his life story.

Master Baek chuckled and shook his head.

“I’m eighty-four years old. Successor training takes over 20 years. Do you think I’ll live to be 100?”

“Come on, what are you saying? You should live a long life.”

“Well, thank you for the kind words, Ho-chan.”

He had given up on finding a successor long ago.

Now, even if he wanted to pass on his knowledge, sadly little time remained.

“But if you want this data fragment so badly, I’d at least like someone who shares my values. Ah, here comes that child now. Ho-chan, go to my room and bring the gayageum.”

“You’ll need to give me your key card.”

“Listen to how you talk. Here!”

“For someone who hates Western things so much, why did you install a door lock on your room…”

“Hurry up and get it!”

“Yes sir!”

Ho-chan ran to the house and returned with a massive gayageum balanced on his shoulder.

Twenty-five white strings stretched across a curved rectangular wooden board.

It was a 25-string gayageum.

As Ho-chan nearly tripped on a rock just before reaching the pavilion, Master Baek let out a string of curses.

“You’re so clumsy with your body, tsk… Look there! Even NoName coming down the mountain can run just fine!”

“NoName is still young. My back hurts every time I run.”

“Is that something to say in front of an 80-year-old man?!”

“But what’s that thing around her neck?”

Ho-chan dodged the incoming switch aimed at his thighs and squinted at NoName who was running toward them.

Looking carefully, it seemed like a scarf, but it was difficult to identify exactly what it was.

At his words, A-rin, Min-woo, and Professor Cheon all turned their heads toward NoName simultaneously.

“Yeah, what is that?”

NoName, who had fully descended from the mountain, was momentarily hidden by the wall.

And when she finally arrived before the group, everyone stood up with wide eyes.

“S-s-s-snake!”

“Hey…! Where did you find that?”

A-rin shrieked and backed into a corner, with Min-woo following suit.

“Th-that’s a dead carcass, right? Did you bring it from the mountain, friend…?”

Even Baek Ho-chan, accustomed to rural life, stammered at the snake’s size.

He wondered how she had managed to carry such a massive snake all the way here.

NoName tilted her head.

“About this…”

Sssslk-

At that moment, the black snake resting its head on NoName’s back suddenly raised its head.

They could see its vertically slit pupils.

“AAAAAAHHHHH!”

“It’s alive! Are you crazy?!”

“NoName! Throw that away quickly!”

The snake twisted its entire body trying to escape.

“AAAAHHH it’s moving! It’s moving!”

“Uncle, do something quick! Can’t you kill it?”

“How am I supposed to kill something that big? It’s not an earthworm!”

NoName then firmly grabbed the snake’s neck with her tiny hand.

The reptile calmed down again and went limp.

She released the snake that had been wrapped around her neck onto the ground.

After smelling the moist earth and regaining its senses, the snake disappeared into the nearby grass.

“They say it’s an endangered species, so people shouldn’t kill it. I just brought it to show you.”

“People… w-who?”

[User ‘AristotelPo’ donated 5,000 won!]

-Haaa… finally done with this heart attack… more thrilling than the T-Express roller coaster

[User ‘UsernameMatch’ donated 1,000 won!]

-Please don’t do that again NoName… sis nearly had a heart attack

[User ‘ManaJo’ donated 1,000 won!]

-lol The nature people on this broadcast should step up their game after seeing NoName today

[User ‘BoredToday’ donated 10,000 won!]

-Snake viewer training(?) complete

[User ‘NoNameMustBeProtected’ donated 30,000 won!]

-I will never call NoName a child again. You are a full-grown adult who could buy alcohol and cigarettes at a convenience store without ID. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.

* * *

“A gayageum competition?”

Master Baek explained to NoName about being born on Durido Island and inheriting techniques from his father, his ancestors’ outstanding achievements, and the unique magical crafts he created.

Those who had heard the story from the beginning took turns yawning and nodding off.

“Yes. Techniques may disappear, but the spirit of our ancestors remains in our hearts forever. And since ancient times, music has been the embodiment of spirit.”

Ding-

Master Baek plucked a string and began tuning.

“If I hadn’t been born on this island, I would have become a master of gayageum sanjo and byeongchang instead of magical craftsmanship.”

“As expected of a forcibly created test—”

“Hey! What do you mean forcibly!”

He was both a master craftsman and a certified gayageum sanjo performer.

Gayageum sanjo “Hwimori.”

In sanjo rhythm, it’s the fastest tempo, played urgently from the beginning.

His right hand began to pluck the gayageum brilliantly.

His age-spotted hands created clear string sounds, moving between low and high notes.

Meanwhile, his gaze focused solely on his left hand.

His left hand trembled, adding vigor and vitality to the resonance.

The melody conveyed both tension and pathos, naturally creating a solemn atmosphere.

Viewers unexpectedly treated to this auditory feast offered successive praise for the thrilling artistry.

-wow that old man in hanbok is insane DAMN

-is this really traditional Korean music? so epic…

-this is the true rural charm

-what were we even fighting with our teammates in games for?

└ deep self-reflection lol

-perfect score, perfect…

-a performance I’ve never experienced before

-literally god-tier lol

-is this what gayageum is? what I knew was…

-where is this place? I want to visit

└ I’ve shared the location~

└ it’s in the Bermuda Triangle~

└ I heard it’s an uninhabited island?

“Ahem!”

Master Baek Bong-gon stroked his white beard.

Perhaps he was pleased with his performance after so long.

“Anyway, if you can perform sanjo at this level, I’ll acknowledge you. I won’t set a specific deadline, but I will never accept music without spirit.”

“Wait, grandfather! This is too much!”

“What’s too much?”

“This isn’t something that can be learned in a day or two…”

“Then is it reasonable for that child to use aura in the previous stage?”

“But still…”

Aura could be roughly attributed to NoName’s naturally exceptional talent.

But doesn’t musical performance require effort in addition to talent?

Her monstrous memorization skills, reciting the Analects in just an hour, were noteworthy, but Master Baek wanted more than that.

Baek Ho-chan gritted his teeth.

At this rate, even NoName would be trapped on this hellish island.

He’d have to prepare food for three instead of two, and copy one more set of study materials.

Does that child have talent for music? If not, how many years would she have to stay here?

These thoughts kept running through Ho-chan’s mind.

“What exactly is this ‘spirit’ you’re talking about?”

NoName’s question struck at the core, and the master gave her an appreciative look.

“Spirit is something eternal. A message that cannot be expressed by rhythm alone. And it comes with admiration for the unknown creator.”

NoName mentally constructed the style Master Baek wanted.

Gayageum, eternal, message, and admiration.

The master’s passion, expressed in words, was mechanically recombined.

“I’d like to try.”

“Sit here like this.”

The master showed her the correct posture for playing the gayageum.

She had to stretch her arms fully just to reach the end.

NoName asked for guidance on this instrument she was touching for the first time.

Ding-

“Is this right?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

Dingaling-

“Won’t your fingers hurt that way?”

“It’s fine. I can use aura.”

She substituted aura for the calluses that the master had but she lacked.

For parts she couldn’t reach even with outstretched arms, she moved her upper body to extend her reach.

Having familiarized herself with all the scales, NoName practiced harmonies and arpeggios in sequence.

“Well, well… have you played an instrument before?”

“Yes, a few times.”

NoName had already perfectly memorized the pitches.

She strongly sensed that the final test, carefully crafted by Master Baek, would end quickly.

“Do you hate the Academy that much?”

“Ah! I certainly do! I shudder just hearing about it!”

“Then you must hate modern wands like this too.”

NoName took out her wand and showed it to him.

“I believe that in art, there is no right or wrong. Only beauty and ugliness. I don’t know how you define ‘spirit,’ but I dare say that spirit lies in disinterestedness.”

“Spirit comes from disinterest?”

“Finding beauty in money involves ulterior motives related to its other values. But if you find beauty in flowers blooming on the street, it’s simply because they are beautiful.”

Click-

“What are you…?”

“I’ll remove it after the performance.”

A small cylinder attached to the end of the gayageum.

NoName began tuning just as Master Baek had done at the beginning.

‘But it’s already perfectly tuned?’

As questions arose…

“A-rin, could you hold the phone and film like this?”

“Like this?”

“Yes. Just hold it a little longer even if your arm gets tired.”

“Okay, got it!”

Now NoName’s broadcast view was entirely in A-rin’s hands.

Having completed all preparations, NoName activated her wand and infused mana into the injector part.

[Casting: Frequency Modulation]

Ding-

“…!”

“How’s that?”

“Wow, how did you do that!”

When NoName lightly plucked the strings, instead of a clear sound, a metallic sound emerged.

It was a sound like that of an electric guitar coming from the gayageum.

The resonance lingered in their ears for quite some time.

“Sol mi-fa sol mi-fa. Sounds like Canon in D variation, right?”

“Whoa, amazing. It’s exactly the same! How did you do that?”

Min-woo couldn’t help but express his admiration.

He dragged his knees over next to NoName and asked about the principle.

“It’s the principle of a synthesizer. But are you going to sit there, oppa? You’ll be on the broadcast.”

“Oh? Um… I don’t think I mind… yeah.”

The boy showed more interest in NoName’s performance.

How could a boy resist when rock metal music was coming from a gayageum?

The viewers felt the same way.

-how did she do that lolololol

-gayageum(rock/metal)

-I have a haegeum at home, gonna try this right away

-Master looks shocked lol

-T-this isn’t a traditional instrument!

-playing Canon on gayageum would be so romantic

-is NoName showing off?

-is she a musical genius too? this girl is unbelievable

└ is there anything she can’t do?

“Shall I begin now?”

Master Baek, showing his disapproval by crossing his arms, nodded slightly.

“Master, you said spirit is something eternal, right? So I hope you’ll recognize the essence of my piece.”

NoName disliked being tested.

Her position as an absolute authority—a princess who had lived for over a decade in her previous life—was unlikely to change easily.

So she set a double trap.

If Master Baek had insisted only on gayageum tradition, NoName would have had to struggle for days, but he only mentioned the essence.

While she wasn’t familiar with pansori-type songs, she knew several classical pieces with the “spirit” he spoke of.

If Master Baek were to object that her performance lacked spirit, NoName planned to challenge him for failing to see the essence.

This was a test for both of them.

NoName, with golden aura around her ten fingers, finally began to play the gayageum.

A five-minute performance starting in A minor.

The title of the piece: “Caprice No. 24 for Solo Violin.”

It contained the spirit of Niccolò Paganini, who supposedly sold his soul to the devil.

* * *

Despite all the grand talk about spirit, people’s essence never changes.

It’s about proving that I’m better than you.

Otherwise, Master Baek wouldn’t have specifically chosen Hwimori.

He showed me all the techniques possible on a gayageum, and I could sense a kind of superiority from someone who had reached the pinnacle of mastery.

Well, having spent decades alone on the island, he’s a person desperately craving recognition.

Perhaps it’s because he dedicated his entire life to preserving Korean traditional culture with determination alone, even without anyone’s acknowledgment.

For the first time, he smiled broadly and revealed his true feelings when told that thousands of people were watching the livestream and applauding.

I’d like to support him to the end, but ultimately, he tested me, and I responded.

I answer technique with supreme technique.

This is pure music that defeated all the aristocrats who boasted about playing a little violin in my previous life.

Legato variations in sixteenth notes.

Double-stopped octaves.

Techniques that traverse low and high notes simultaneously.

Variations based on sixteenth-note triplet patterns.

And seemingly endless arpeggios.

I performed all of this as if it were the “pizzicato” (plucking strings with fingers) from Caprice No. 24’s 9th variation.

Because this is a gayageum now.

I was a bit concerned since I had improvised an arrangement suitable for gayageum.

Judging by the doubled wrinkles on Master Baek Bong-gon’s face, fortunately, the performance went perfectly according to my intention.

Sometimes extreme immersion can put people in a trance, and there were moments when I couldn’t hear my own playing.

This happened a bit later, but when I left the island by boat with A-rin, I was able to check the video of my gayageum performance first on TikTok.

[8-year-old’s divine gayageum performance that even moved a snake (Metal ver.)]

[Views: 3.08 million]

Additionally, the video that Ha-ru uploaded to TikTok from our previous pajama party was rediscovered.

[Is this otamatone girl the same person currently in the rankings?]

[Views: 1.31 million]