episode_0126

The beginning of the performance was majestic.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that, it truly was majestic. It was reminiscent of Cho Jin-yeol, whose life had deep twists and turns.

The expressions on the faces of the two professors on the judging panel changed. If we were to compare, Yoon Hak-cheol’s face was slightly paler.

“This is… really difficult to distinguish.”

Baek Joong-eon glanced at Yoon Hak-cheol’s complexion and smirked.

“But as expected, this is it.”

The bittersweet memories of the past surged through the discomfort of dissonance. However, in one corner, a light color that was impossible to hide was visible.

Pink.

A hint of Min Chae-won’s cute color, as if it was about to pop out and say, “I’m here!” was faintly present.

Yes, this was just Min Chae-won’s performance. She was portraying Cho Jin-yeol’s life on the piano.

“I may not be fooled, but Yoon Hak-cheol might be.”

However, why did it feel like she was experiencing despair and frustration like an adult?

It was different from roughly expressing something seen elsewhere through music.

The inner cry of the self was intuitively conveyed through the fingertips to the keys, making it more sincere and genuine than any other performance.

“Was there something bad that happened during the time we didn’t meet?”

Otherwise, this performance was truly endlessly astonishing.

“And now that I think about it… in front of Ji-yoo at that time…”

The strange color of La Campanella that Min Chae-won played was peculiar.

It wasn’t a complete black, but it left a melancholic feeling that reminded one of the colorless and odorless Jung Si-woo.

More precisely, it felt like mixing a bright color with a black color.

But interestingly, although he resembled Si-woo, Si-woo himself was an indescribable color. He had never been pessimistic, sad, or regretful about his situation.

Digging deeper, it was a color that only Min Chae-won, who had indirectly experienced Si-woo’s situation or buried it in the past and turned to a new path, could express.

However, from that thought, one could infer that Min Chae-won had inadvertently glimpsed into Si-woo’s life, or one could only establish the hypothesis that Min Chae-won and Si-woo were the same person.

Both were unbelievable stories.

“It’s a useless thought.”

Baek Joong-eon stopped trying to deduce the truth about Min Chae-won.

Now was not the time for that, it was better to think about how to persuade Yoon Hak-cheol later and jot down the evaluation of the performance.

“An interpretation that extracts only the parts that are extremely close to black from the slightly murky pink… ”

Anxiety and unease. Tension and worry. The waves of negative emotions accompanied the symbolic dissonance in the A section of the piece.

But it couldn’t stay dark like this forever. After the shocking A section of Etude Op. 25 No. 5 ended, it immediately changed from a minor to a major key, bringing a fantastic and bright atmosphere.

To perform the mood of the B section, the darkness had to be dispelled now.

It was time. Eight measures. Four measures. Two measures.

And one measure.

— ♪… ♪♪… ♪….

Baek Joong-eon’s chin lost its strength and dropped.

He couldn’t see it, but the expressions of all the judges present were similar. Director Ha Yong-jin, who was adjusting his glasses on the left, was no exception.

Everyone was astonished by Min Chae-won’s performance.

It was because the genre had changed in an instant, like changing the film reel of a movie.

It was like spilling bitter coffee in your mouth and then tasting a sweet cream cake. It was like eating only rice for a month and then biting into a well-cooked piece of meat.

The body reacted first. It was truly a rainbow-like performance.

“Chae-won’s color is right, but…”

Her color was brighter than what was shown in the Aklecht’s visuals.

The lighting of Acleart in the video was just an ordinary LED monitor, but now Min Chaewon was like a baseball stadium light turned up to the maximum brightness.

When Chopin composed this piece during his lifetime, only the people of that era, and perhaps only Chopin himself, knew what thoughts he had. But at least, according to Min Chaewon’s reinterpretation now…

The struggling lamb arrived at the paradise it had dreamed of. It can be interpreted as living happily there, playing with lovely flocks of sheep, forgetting worries and anxieties.

— ♪ ♪ ♪, ♪ ♪ ♪, ♪ ♪ ♪, ♪ ♪ ♪….

However, as the passionately intense B section comes to an end, the piece suddenly transitions to a variation of the A section with the main melody.

As if waking up from the ecstatic dream of the B section, the increasingly difficult dissonance continues, leading one to wonder if this is really the end. Just as one is about to give up, hope is shown, and the story concludes with an open ending, leaving the word ‘continue’ hanging in the air.

The epilogue is determined in the imagination of the audience colored by the intentions of the performer who told the story.

Now, what might everyone who listened to Min Chaewon’s performance be thinking?

Are they envisioning a happy ending, or are they picturing a bad ending where everything was just a dream?

“Hopeful, isn’t it.”

Baek Jung-eon saw hope.

The dissonant A section was dark, but it was not as dark as the other side of the universe where no light reached.

On the other hand, how was the B section? It was so bright that one could believe they were standing next to the sun. The performance, to exaggerate, traveled between heaven and hell, but leaned slightly towards heaven.

Baek Jung-eon made notes of his impressions, then glanced around discreetly.

Director Ha Yong-jin had a rather moved expression, but he was pondering how to express his thoughts on the performance.

On the other hand, Yoon Hak-cheol…

“It seems like he can’t stand himself to an unbearable extent.”

He seemed to be feeling guilty.

It might have been somewhat surprising.

According to Yoon Gwan-cheol, he was just a child who uploaded a few mediocre performances on NewTube and was obsessed with likes.

Surely, Acleart did well in controlling emotions to the extent that Yoon Hak-cheol was suspicious.

“He’s going to use a child like her as a mere accompanist…?”

What kind of ambition was Yoon Gwan-cheol harboring? No matter how talented Yoon Ji-yoo was as a violinist, she was not on the same level as Acleart.

It was like cutting off the legs of a large wolf to match the pace of a dog.

As he pondered, Yoon Hak-cheol glanced subtly in Baek Jung-eon’s direction.

The eyes of the two professors met, and there was a silent exchange.

“Why are you worried?”

“…………”

However, it must not be forgotten. Yoon Hak-cheol needed money right now, and Yoon Gwan-cheol was one of the few people who could readily provide that money.

Even if there was a child with shining talent, Yoon Hak-cheol put his family first.

“For now, let’s put it on hold.”

After excluding as many good opinions as possible and leaving behind evaluations composed of ambiguous and difficult-to-pin-down words, Yoon Hak-cheol waited for the next performer.

“Jo Jin-yeol. Show us what a pro is. Show us the true value of a Chopin competition winner.”

At the end of the performance, he was so tense that he could hardly breathe, but he managed to show everything he wanted to show.

“As expected, Master Chopin.”

When he played his piece, there was always a strange discomfort lingering in a corner of his heart. Perhaps it was because he was of Polish descent.

The country was torn apart. He failed in love. He passed away at a fairly young age.

He was cautious about putting anxiety and despair into his pieces. Yet, amidst the bright melodies, I felt his longing for both suffering and happiness.

That’s why I loved this piece even more.

No matter how much he imitated Liszt’s performances and claimed to become a magician on the keys, looking back on my life, my emotional side could only culminate in Chopin.

Did I challenge the Chopin Competition for no reason? It was because I deeply empathized with his life and had a strong desire to revive him in the modern era.

In fact, the 2nd place winner in 2021, Jo Jinyeol, was also a huge fan of Chopin.

He knew how to reinterpret Chopin’s suffering to show it to people. His reinterpretation was so charming that it received a lot of love from many people.

Today’s competition piece, Op.25, No.5, was also one of the pieces he played very often.

“Chopin Etude Op. 25 No. 5. Second performer!”

His performance contained the sorrows and struggles of life. When he played, people felt a sense of liberation and healing in their hearts. That’s why I loved Jo Jinyeol’s Chopin performances.

Among the many orchestral performances I listened to while soaking in the bathtub, my favorite was his competition video.

That’s why I challenged in the same direction.

I could have tried to differentiate myself with the pure color of Min Chaewon, but when else could I compete under the same conditions as Korea’s best?

Min Chaewon no longer had any interest in the competition.

— ♪ ♪ ♪, ♪ ♪ ♪, ♪ ♪ ♪, ♪ ♪ ♪….

Cheerfully, but precariously, Jo Jinyeol’s performance raced forward. I envisioned his world in my mind.

A barren field tinted in brown. In the midst of it, a single willow tree that grew incongruously.

Everything around was dead, but only he and the meadow around him exuded vitality.

Even if the world treated him harshly, like a willow tree growing in any desolate environment. And spreading that vitality all around was Jo Jinyeol’s performance.

That’s why I liked his performance. Instead of giving up and just coming out, he eventually overcame the crisis and grew. He unfolded his will in the world.

Completely immersed in admiration, I closed my eyes and half fell into a semi-sleep state. It felt like melting, as if my body had entered the bathtub.

However, despite the perfect performance and the relieved expression.

Jo Jinyeol muttered resignedly in front of me, who was about to applaud.

“It seems like I lost after all.”