episode_0081

A long silence. Soo-ah broke the silence.

“Is that the correct answer?”

A calm tone.

However, there’s no hesitation suggesting fear of being wrong. A question to confirm something she already strongly believes.

Lee Soo-ah.

She appears to humble herself, yet there’s no servility. Ham Ah-yoon felt a solid and strong temperament from Soo-ah.

“…Strange. She doesn’t give the impression of someone who has experienced music.”

How many musicians had she seen since becoming a pianist?

Ham Ah-yoon was confident that she could tell, to some extent, just by looking at a person’s face whether they had played music, and if so, what kind. But no matter how much she looked at Soo-ah, she just seemed like an ordinary person.

For example, she doesn’t have the habits or traces that musicians have. Doesn’t it show in her white, unscarred hands alone?

Well, anyway, it’s time to give her the answer.

And the next moment.

The expression slowly disappeared from Ham Ah-yoon’s face as she examined the keyboard.

“…What?”

It roughly matches what she had guessed.

In fact, being able to listen to a note and match it isn’t that great of a feat. It’s just a quality one must have to reach a higher level.

But matching several at the same time is a different story.

No, it could even be said that the realm is completely different.

‘It wasn’t even a press, it was practically slamming down. You can still match the correct answer even after identifying a noise?’

She immediately denied it. It doesn’t make sense.

“No, she might have seen with her eyes the position I was pointing at.”

She only thought that for now. Because it felt completely unrealistic.

“Let’s try again. Close your eyes.”

Soo-ah silently covered her eyelids. Her long eyelashes fell like the eaves of a classic building.

*Clack-*

“La.”

*Clack-*

“Do sharp.”

*Clack-*

“Mi.”

Even when she changed octaves to pose the questions, the result didn’t change. Every time Kim Hyo-jin’s hand pressed a key, the girl spat out the correct answer.

Without any time difference, even. Immediately every time.

‘What are you? Do you have perfect pitch or something?’

Eventually, Ham Ah-yoon had no choice but to admit it.

Lee Soo-ah’s ears are outstanding. Much more than she had expected.

But she didn’t want to admit it easily. If the girl in front of her was a remarkable person, that was frustrating in itself.

This was by no means due to inferiority, nor was it anger she felt towards Soo-ah. Just….

‘If there’s such a rookie, why wasn’t anything conveyed to me?’

Yes, that was the problem.

She couldn’t understand it at all.

Why didn’t anyone tell her? That there was such a monster?

“….”

But Ham Ah-yoon soon had no choice but to abandon that thought. Looking around, everyone had a shocked expression on their faces. It seemed like everyone had just confirmed Soo-ah’s perfect pitch.

She doesn’t know. Full of things she can’t understand.

Ham Ah-yoon spoke, finding it strange.

“You have amazing ears. ‘Top-notch’ isn’t even enough.”

“That’s a relief.”

“This isn’t just ‘a relief’ level. Rather…”

Ham Ah-yoon didn’t finish her sentence. She had almost blurted out that it might be a once-in-a-thousand-years talent, but barely swallowed it.

“Anyway, to play the piano, not only your ears but also your hands are important. You have good ears but can’t express it with your hands? There’s no curse as unfortunate as that for a human.”

Soo-ah quietly nodded.

Indeed, it seems like that would be the case.

The current she has gained ears that are several times more sensitive than in the past. If she can’t create good melodies under such conditions, how frustrating and unhappy would it be?

Of course, Ham Ah-yoon wasn’t just trying to give Soo-ah affectionate advice. Rather, she opened her eyes a little sharper.

“Now let’s see what your fingers can handle. It’s essential to play Kim So-hee. Let’s see if your fingers move as sensitively as your ears.”

Soo-ah suddenly looked around.

Until just now, the environment was neatly divided as if forming factions, but now it was different. The aspect was quite different.

“Who is that rookie?”

“Did you know she could also play the piano?”

“…Did you see it earlier? She matched 4 at once?”

Now everyone had tremendous interest, and that interest was directed entirely at Soo-ah.

*Clack-*

It was then that Ham Ah-yoon loudly pressed a key.

*Da-ra-ra-ran-*

And immediately the performance began.

Soo-ah’s ears would be accurate. What Ham Ah-yoon began to sculpt with her fingers was Chopin Étude Op. 10-4.

Work name. Chase.

Soo-ah thought. A bold choice.

“…Isn’t that Chopin?”

“She plays well. She plays too well….”

“But what is she trying to make her do?”

The gathered crowd whispered without restraint, and it was clearly audible to Ham Ah-yoon and Soo-ah.

After a while, Ham Ah-yoon tilted her head slightly and asked after finishing the short performance.

“I don’t know what your playing skills are yet. So, the basics. Chopin. How about it, can you play this much? Is it possible?”

Soo-ah didn’t answer.

“Make yourself comfortable. You don’t have to copy what I did. Any kind of practice piece is fine. I’ll give Kim So-hee to you if I hear it and think it’s good enough.”

Even in the midst of that, the crowd surrounding Soo-ah and Ham Ah-yoon narrowed even further. Because they wanted to see her up close.

In the center of that, Soo-ah was thinking like this.

‘It’s annoying because they keep making me do it multiple times.’

Even though it’s the very essence of taking steps to climb up, it was a little frustrating for Soo-ah, who had experienced all sorts of things. If she has to do several things after this, it might be a bit annoying.

Coincidentally. The work name just played is Chase.

Chase, huh.

To catch someone running in front, you can’t run at the same speed. Either run faster, or show something to stop them.

It wasn’t difficult.

Because Soo-ah just thought of something.

‘Let’s do it like this.’

*Clack-*

The key pressed after sitting in the seat where Ham Ah-yoon had been sitting until just now.

This time, Soo-ah’s performance began.

*Da-da-da-dan-*

But it was a strange thing. It felt like a song similar to Ham Ah-yoon’s performance, but if you were asked if it was the same song, it definitely wasn’t. People soon tilted their heads.

Then suddenly.

“…!”

Someone said, as if realizing it late.

“That’s, the positions of the black keys and white keys are reversed!”

Soo-ah was playing the song that Ham Ah-yoon had just played, after neatly reversing the positions of the white and black keys.

As if she was going to overtake Ham Ah-yoon, who ran out first.

It was a bizarre sight that went beyond admiration.

“She’s changing the Chopin Étude and playing it?”

“Impossible. Without practicing beforehand…!”

“No, that’s amazing even if you mastered it through practice!”

There’s no need to argue. Of course, it was a great success.

“….”

Ham Ah-yoon’s mouth opened slightly. The surroundings were no different.

“…What.”

Ham Ah-yoon said in a space that had become much quieter than before.

“I see you’ve played the piano a bit. I see that you were really brought in as a candidate, not for the purpose of scamming. But this is just the beginning. Should I give you some time to loosen up your fingers?”

“Yes. I don’t need it at all.”

A look that doesn’t feel even the slightest sense of crisis.

But she’s not cocky. Rather, it seems like she’s also amazed, which further increased the confusion of everyone around her.

After reclaiming her piano seat, Ham Ah-yoon loosened her hands.

It was confirmed that Soo-ah had learned the piano. However, from here on, it was purely her curiosity.

…You, then, were you making that expression because you understood my performance? That expression that my father used to make?

After a while.

*Da-da-da-da-dan-*

*Dan-da-da-dan-*

Still, Soo-ah was calm.

What was just played wasn’t an Étude, but a waltz.

She followed Ham Ah-yoon’s exactly.

Even though it was a fast song in 3/4 time, she did well.

“….”

Ham Ah-yoon frowned without realizing it. Before she knew it, some beads of sweat were visibly forming on her forehead.

‘…Strange, it’s really strange.’

The skill that exceeded expectations was also skill, but what really confused Ham Ah-yoon was the sense of incongruity felt from Soo-ah.

She plays well, but something is strange.

She really plays well, but something is definitely strange.

She felt like she had to know the reason.

It was when Ham Ah-yoon was about to play the next song briefly.

“Just a moment.”

Soo-ah asked to pause for a moment.

Then, Ham Ah-yoon finally realized that she had done too much testing. Ah, without realizing it, I asked her to do something too difficult.

But.

“My hands are stuffy. Please make it something intense.”

“…?”

Ham Ah-yoon’s eyes widened.

Words conveyed in a polite tone. But the content is not light at all. It was an extremely bold choice.

However, Soo-ah stared at Ham Ah-yoon as if she had no intention of reversing her words. Afterwards, she pressed the high keys a few times, and she handled even that very lightly.

Soo-ah only focused on the sound she was making.

This, now that I’m actually playing it, is so much fun.

Just like people who exercise enjoy using their bodies, she feels refreshed by moving her fingers to create melodies. The addictiveness is no joke. Thoughts of it being annoying have long since flown away.

One more, one more….

Soo-ah copied Ham Ah-yoon’s every move.

*Da-da-da-dan-*

While Soo-ah was finding her pleasure, Ham Ah-yoon blinked blankly. She hadn’t even thought of wiping away the beads of sweat that had flowed down a little while ago.

The thoughts of scamming and never giving Kim So-hee are already gone. However, there is only the shock of realizing the identity of the sense of incongruity felt after hearing Soo-ah’s performance.

Yes, she had finally learned the reason for this sense of incongruity.

‘…This kid, it’s certain that she’s moving her hands for the first time.’

Soo-ah’s performance is graceful but also strangely stiff.

Something that the average person wouldn’t know, whether it was a mistake or intentional.

However, Ham Ah-yoon could clearly know the reason.

Lee Soo-ah’s fingers are extremely stiff.

It’s a problem that arises when the conception in your head is perfect, but your hands don’t follow. In other words, apart from what’s in Soo-ah’s head, it hasn’t been long since she started moving her hands in earnest.

…But how is that possible?

‘It doesn’t make sense?’

Did the soul of a piano master possess her one day? Or is she really just remembering and reproducing Ham Ah-yoon’s hand movements?

…Like a part of Savant syndrome symptoms?

Neither makes sense.

It’s close to impossible, and if it’s possible, it’s a natural talent.

‘Acting? Yes, this kid acts like she’s acting a performance. She moves her hands as if reproducing what’s in her head. Even if she imitates the real thing and plays, it’s never the real thing. But the problem is….’

Someday, those fingers will become flexible.

Around that time, the performance that started by simply imitating will have already turned into the real thing. In the world, people often call this kind of person a genius.

‘What is it, what the heck is it, just like Kim So-hee herself….’

“Move aside. Move aside for a moment.”

Ham Ah-yoon briefly played a part of a certain song.

*Da-da-da-da-da-*

Fast. But a song that everyone is familiar with.

“Flight of the Bumblebee…!”

“You’re asking her to do this? Really?”

“What happens if she does even this?”

Ham Ah-yoon didn’t care about the rapidly noisy reactions around her. She only stared intently at Lee Soo-ah’s fingers.

Insanely fast.

She knew very well that she was asking for something unreasonable.

However, it’s good to check.

If this kid is really a genius style that remembers everything in one go, if she’s a style that plays as if reproducing what’s in her head, then her fingers will inevitably get tangled when she plays this song.

Because it’s too fast. Her fingers won’t follow.

So even if she fails this song, it’s not a failure. It’s just proof of the genius that remembers all the movements of her hands once.

Rather, if she only fails to reproduce this song, she will have a strong justification as the role of Kim So-hee. Because she, who is actually a Savant, struggles because her hands don’t follow compared to her genius.

Soon Soo-ah sat back in her seat.

Just as Soo-ah was about to start playing.

“Wait.”

Ham Ah-yoon hurriedly stopped her once. Now, before the turning point performance, there was something she had to ask at least once.

“You.”

Ham Ah-yoon took a few deep breaths and then asked.

“How long have you been playing the piano?”

“Hmm.”

Soo-ah pondered for a moment.

“…About five hundred million years?”

It was a strange thing.

Because that word didn’t sound like a joke.