episode_0056

After adjusting the flower stand under her chin, the lady made a cheerful suggestion.

“Would you help Cheongha… give up on Siwoo? I will actively support it.”

Without even remembering the role of Hitori, I immediately replied.

“Yes!”

Indeed, it is a desirable and right suggestion, madam.

I had been thinking the same thing.

“I’m afraid I’ll end up alone for the rest of my life. Right now, I’m young and have many friends, so it’s okay… But as I age, I won’t have a reliable ally like a spouse.”

Oh my. Hahaha.

Suddenly, the lady smiled seductively, half covering her face with both hands.

“That’s not about me. Hoho.”

I see. Advice born from experience.

I will keep it in mind…

“If… if I can. As much as… I can…”

As the lady stood up and bowed her head, I also stood up in surprise and bent my waist.

“Thank you, I didn’t expect much.”

“Oh. No! I… I…”

As I tried to say that I like Siwoo, the words got stuck in my throat.

No matter how much Chaewon helps, it seemed impossible for me to say that sentence on my own.

“Because… it’s sincere…”

The lady suddenly transformed into a high school girl and giggled.

No matter how old one gets and emotions dull, love stories seem to delight women.

“Anyway, do well in the audition! Cheongha has already lent a hand, so you’ll probably get a good score.”

“Oh. Th-thank you. H-how did you… lend a hand?”

Leaning in close to my ear, the lady whispered.

“Baek Yangbae told me. Siwoo fell for Chaewon’s playing when they were young, and that’s when he started to like Chaewon.”

Suddenly, some memories that were lost or hidden in a corner came back to me.

Min Seokhyun, the pianist, had custom-made a piano for Chaewon’s small body. Even though it was a specially made piano, it had a wide keyboard suitable for children aged 5 to 12. Chaewon easily surpassed that width with her short fingers and arms, playing her own music.

For her, the piano bench was not a piece of furniture to sit on but rather served as a springboard. Jumping to reach distant notes with her whole body and then coming back. It was like watching a child acrobat.

“How is it?”

“It’s amazing…!!”

“Really?!”

Jung Siwoo, who had just started learning the piano, was truly shocked. He couldn’t even imagine that a girl one year younger than him, who used to cry over a lost doll, could play such a wonderful piece.

‘There must have been a reason why I could only fall for Chaewon….’

After falling in love with Min Chaewon, no one else seemed appealing, probably because of that intense memory from when he was six years old.

Any performance he witnessed afterward couldn’t leave as beautiful a memory as Chaewon’s dance-like performance back then.

“At the very least, if you play as well as Chaewon student, Siwoo will be impressed. I told him that.”

“Oh… I see.”

“Then, naturally, you’ll have to take tutoring from Chaewon student and get used to her style, right?”

“Y-yes, I suppose so.”

Indeed, there is a mother behind every running girl.

In order to marry a great man like Professor Baek Jungun, the lady must have been a perfect woman when she was young.

With such experience, she seems to know very well how to manage her daughter.

‘If you don’t become a perfect woman, men won’t come to you.’

Especially, a man who is fixated on something like a professor or me is even more so.

You have to realize that. It’s truly the right thing to say.

If there’s one thing that bothers me, it’s that she is undervaluing Baekcheong’s ability.

“But… Madam… Cheongha. Do you think… she won’t surpass me?”

When I cautiously asked, the answer came back without any hesitation.

“She won’t. Not in her current state.”

By the way, Madam is an ordinary humanities professor.

Except for what I learned through the professor, she was practically a layperson in the field of music and arts, not literature.

But it’s not like she became a professor for no reason. She had an incredible speed of acquiring knowledge in areas she knew nothing about.

Whether it’s because literature and music share some common ground or not, one must consider that Madam currently possesses knowledge closer to that of a music critic.

“I’ve been watching for years. Tutoring with Siwoo. But… there’s been no improvement at all.”

That’s why Madam’s words carry weight.

It’s not something to be taken lightly.

‘I’ve felt similarly before…’

Even if I conducted tutoring sessions following the professor’s curriculum, I couldn’t just do a half-hearted job for the money, could I? I also made considerable efforts to improve Baekcheong’s skills in my own way.

I started tutoring at the age of 12. Even before that, I received separate guidance from the professor, practicing lessons for nearly 6 years since I was 9…

Baekcheong still prioritized expressing their emotions over understanding and reinterpreting the pieces like children.

Of course, even such Baekcheong showed exceptional talent in revealing colors more than I did. It made even me, as a teacher, feel a strange sense of inferiority.

The problem was that all those colors were things like ‘Teacher, I love you,’ ‘Teacher, look at me,’ ‘Teacher, don’t leave.’

‘… Am I the bigger problem for only realizing this now?’

While feeling similar to me, I found it strange to sense colors, but perhaps if I hadn’t met Baekcheong in Min Chaewon’s form, I would never have realized it forever.

In the past, I thought of Baekcheongha’s frenzied colors as ‘a blind determination that cannot grasp direction.’

“Well, at that age, it’s difficult to hide emotions or think differently in front of someone you like.”

Look at me. Love me. Stay by my side.

That’s all she could say, the inexperienced and young girl, Baekcheongha.

“Maybe I need to break up with Siwoo for things to change.”

“…Yes. What Samo-nim said… is right.”

Even though I may not know much about love, to grow, I either have to experience heartbreak once or distance myself from Jung Siwoo to forget my current feelings.

‘Perhaps like a professor….’

Throwing out some bait that she might like, while also expecting her daughter’s musical growth.

I don’t necessarily want to differentiate, but if I had to, I think Samo-nim might be a more competent educator than the professor.

Well, it’s not easy for artists to teach others. Most are absorbed in their own worlds, unaware of how remarkable it is and some die without knowing.

Consistently producing excellent students and presenting them to the world, Professor Baek Jung-eon is truly an outstanding artist and educator.

“I will try my best!”

“Yes. Um… about your piano skills. I don’t need to worry, right?”

I quietly asked my 0th self.

Unlike before when there were many people around, can you show all of yourself in a place where there aren’t?

Fortunately, an answer came back.

If Baek Cheong-ha is alone, she can show herself whenever she wants.

“When will you properly… tell me your story?”

It had been quite some time since Chaewon suddenly experienced stage fright and ran away.

I decided to let the day pass without asking her about the surprising situation, as I didn’t think I would get a proper answer.

Now that I’ve given Chaewon enough time to recover, it’s about time to hear her story.

This way, I can prevent any potential mistakes on my part.

After all, this is information not included in the Chaewon Travel Guidebook.

“Thank you.”

I replied to the alter ego and stood up from my seat.

“Can I come up?”

“Yes. Please, new tutor.”

“Oh, I still… don’t know the results yet.”

“Oh really? I feel like I already see the answer though.”

The lady handed me two drinks with a smile.

“As you drink this, let’s get to know each other a bit.”

It was a strawberry soda can, Baekcheongha’s favorite.

“Yes. Sure…”

I never asked why she liked it so much.

I couldn’t help but think about going back to practice after the tutoring session.

I bowed to the lady who cheered me on and slowly climbed the stairs leading to the living room.

The wooden interior of the second floor hallway was quite different from the marble-filled first floor. Baekcheongha’s room was at the far end.

“…Piano?”

Baekcheongha had been tutoring for six years, from the age of 12 to 18, but it was the first time I saw her playing the piano before my arrival.

Was she feeling competitive towards Chaewon? Was she reflecting on her own skills?

“Interesting.”

The piano, which had only been used as a means of spending time with me, seemed to have a different purpose for Baekcheongha now.

“You can’t lose.”

Prepare yourself, Baekcheongha.

Show me how great of a pianist Min Chaewon is.

No matter how much effort you put in, you will never catch up to Min Chaewon.

Because she is the woman I love, the woman I couldn’t help but fall for.

“Oh, hello!”

“Ahh!”

As I opened the door with a bang, Baekcheongha screamed and slammed the piano lid shut.

The piano will break. How much does it cost?

“Do you not know how to knock? Have you forgotten your manners because you’re an old lady?!”

She still called me an old lady, but at least she used honorifics.

Thank you, lady. It’s my turn now.

“Here.”

I accurately handed the drink to Cheongha and closed the door.

When we’re alone, there’s no need for formalities, right?

“Well then. Shall we begin? The tutor interview.”

Baekcheongha furrowed her eyebrows like Jungsieo looking at Yoon Jiyu.