Chapter 73
Friday, 27th March .
Sejin Art Center .
People dressed in formal clothing were walking up the stairs . They handed their tickets to the staff and walked to their designated seats .
“A solo piano recital from Gye HyoMin . How long has this been, professor?”
“I guess it’s been 3 years? It’s nice to see her like this . Haha . ”
That was the conversation between a middle-aged man and a middle-aged woman . Not only them, there were many others who were expecting a lot from Gye HyoMin’s piano recital . This was a solo piano recital after 3 years without news from her .
Everyone was filled with expectation as they sat down on their designated seats .
– Attention, please . In a moment, the Solo Recital by the Pianist Gye HyoMin will commence . Audiences should… .
The relatively noisy audience became quiet when the announcement began . The audience seats were full . When the venue became quiet, the lights darkened and the curtains on the stage rose . The spotlight turned on and Gye HyoMin slowly walked out from the side of the stage .
The audience all met Gye HyoMin with loud applause . She, wearing an ample dress, shined more under the light . The applause filling the venue showed the expectation they had for her .
Sitting on the piano, Gye HyoMin lightly stretched her fingers and started her first song, ‘Chopin’s Sonata 2’ . The audience closed their eyes to tune into the melody . The crisp playing of the melody tickled all of their ears .
‘Beautiful . ’
Behind the stage, KangYoon was admiring the light from the notes . The grey light that had nagged him throughout the practice was nowhere to be seen . The usage of the pedal at the right times made the notes ring out more, and the nimble hand movements created a marvelous melody . The reaction from the audience became stronger as the light became more intense as well .
One, two, three pieces .
As the pieces progressed, the applaud from the audiences became louder . The light that shone in KangYoon’s eyes also became brighter .
‘Good . ’
There was nothing wrong with the piano, and there weren’t any problematic occurrences either . As the recital progressed, the everyone was drenched in her piano .
Like that, the first section ended . Gye HyoMin exited the stage amidst a loud applause . KangYoon quietly headed to the waiting room behind the stage .
“Well done . How are you doing?”
She smiled at KangYoon’s question as though there was no problem .
“Perfect . I’m in my top condition . ”
“There won’t be any problems at this rate . Let’s keep it like this until the end . ”
“Yes . ”
KangYoon left the waiting room after that . He was worried that his presence may disrupt her focus and held back on his words . With delicate people, watching silently from the back worked better than words of encouragement .
The interval finished and the 2nd section started .
The 2nd section started with ‘La Campanella’ and drowned the audience quicker than the 1st section did . Gye HyoMin played very passionately with her whole body and that affected the audience as well . Everyone fell deep into the piano .
And eventually, the final song was left .
Chopin’s Barcarole – the piece that left Gye HyoMin in despair several times .
‘Phew . ’
She took a deep breath . She even fixed her posture again and resolved inwardly to do better . She stretched her hand once more as well . People held their breaths after seeing her act that way . The venue was filled with the sound of breaths .
KangYoon also changed his position from the back of the stage to the front . This was the most important piece . He stood in a place where he could see Gye HyoMin easily just in case something happened .
Gye HyoMin put her hands on the piano as she exhaled .
‘Hands, hands . ’
Gye HyoMin stretched her hands multiple times . She kept reminding herself of the footage that she went through with KangYoon . The most important thing was the posture! – she kept suggesting herself with that .
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