“Boss, the places where kids like that go are obvious. Internet cafes, comic book cafes, or saunas. But if he’s as dirty as you say he was, he probably wouldn’t go to the sauna. Those kinds of kids also hang around the area with the prep schools. That way, they can mug middle school or elementary school students.”
All he had to go on was information from his young employee. Yoon Kwang Hun took his employee’s word and walked around the prep school area.
After wandering the area for a few days, he heard girls cry out in the direction of the main street. Teenagers were running from where the screaming had sounded.
He spied the long hair of a boy running away. Yoon Kwang Hun was sure that it was Jun Hyuk and ran after him.
***
“Get up kid. You didn’t even get hurt that badly. Are you making a big deal out of a few scratches on your back?”
“Oh, mister.”
When Jun Hyuk opened his eyes, he found himself lying in an unfamiliar room. He was disorientated at first, but quickly recalled yesterday’s events.
He remembered Yoon Kwang Hun yelling at the kids beating him to stop, but they both ended up getting hit. If it can be considered fortunate, it was fortunate that the beating did not last long because an adult had interfered.
“Even if you break a bone at your age, if you eat well…..”
Yoon Kwang Hun quickly stopped. Wasn’t he like a stray cat, unable to eat properly? He couldn’t talk about food to a child like that.
“Anyway, sleep a bit more. We’ll talk later.”
As he was closing the door to the tiny room, he stopped and left it wide open instead. Music accented with a compelling yet rough voice spilled through the door like sunshine coming through a window.
After a night of deep sleep, his body felt light. The only signs that something had happened were his bloated face and stiff, bandaged back.
“You’re awake now? How do you feel?”
“Oh, mister. Yes… I’m okay.”
“You must be hungry. Sit there and I’ll make you something to eat.”
Jun Hyuk sat uncomfortably in a corner of the cafe. He had only seen the boss on the first day when he ate the tonkatsu, but there were two young people cleaning and preparing the hall now. He could also see the boss making something next to the chef in the kitchen.
The two young employees cleaning the hall kept glancing over at Jun Hyuk as well. Yoon Kwang Hun came out with a plate once that attention started to become uncomfortable.
“Eat this first and ease your stomach. We’ll eat more heartily for dinner.”
Jun Hyuk only noticed that something was wrong with Yoon Kwang Hun’s face after he had scarfed down the porridge.
“But mister. Your face?”
He walked through the cafe door early in the morning and the soft melody of a guitar was floating around. Jun Hyuk sat in the middle of the cafe and stirred the air with his fingers without realizing that Yoon Kwang Hun had walked in. It seemed like he was following the guitar’s melody with his finger.
Yoon Kwang Hun waited until the CD track was over. When the music ended and the cafe became quiet, Jun Hyuk’s eyes opened wide and he ran over to the closet packed with CDs.
“You need to stop and work, right? What are you doing instead of preparing the cafe for business?”
“Ah… Boss.”
Jun Hyuk finally realized that Yoon Kwang Hun had come in and bowed to the cafe owner. Since it had been decided that he would start working, the first thing to change was the way he referred to the man. Yoon Kwang Hun also thought that it would be better for Jun Hyuk to call him that than mister so that he could gain a sense of responsibility and seriousness.
“Did you listen to music all night?”
“Yes, boss. But who is this person? Someone who plays the guitar?”
“Why? You like it? Jeff Beck. He’s a British guitarist.”
Jun Hyuk brought another CD and handed it to Yoon Kwang Hun.
“What about this person? This person playing the piano.”
“Glenn Gould. I guess you heard Bach’s Goldberg Variations. It’s incredible.”
Yoon Kwang Hun held the CD that Jun Hyuk handed him and smiled slightly. Jun Hyuk had fully taken his words to listen to all music without prejudice into consideration – rock, the blues, classical, etc.
“So? You haven’t answered my question. You didn’t sleep last night?”
“No.”
“Hurry up and get the cafe ready so you can go in and sleep.”
As Yoon Kwang Hun was about to drink a cup of coffee, Jun Hyuk came carefully to his side.
“Excuse me.”
“Yea. What?”
“Can you teach me english before hangul? All of the music is in english. It’s so frustrating to be unable to read the CDs.”
[TN] hangul is korean for…well, korean.
“It isn’t important who the people are. Just start by listening. Whatever it is. For now, it’s important that you listen to a variety of music.”
He couldn’t even write properly in hangul yet. Yoon Kwang Hun was also frustrated because he could not comprehend why someone who learned music scores so easily was having such difficulty memorizing the Korean alphabet.
However, it was obvious that he had been born with his talent for musical instruments. He remembered music he heard for the first time perfectly and could identify each sound by their instrument. All that was left to work on was the skill.
When he held a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, he remembered all 22 frets, 6 series, or 132 sounds perfectly. After he memorized the chords, he didn’t need to look at music scores to play any guitar performance.
Yoon Kwang Hun had purchased the Blu-Ray of a world famous guitarist because he was unable to play an instrument himself. After Jun Hyuk watched these guitarists’ live performances and saw how they handled their instruments, his own skill on the guitar improved steadily.
During the first year spent at the cafe, Jun Hyuk only played the piano and guitar. He slept once he finished preparing the cafe for business and listened to music from the moment he woke up in the afternoon. Once the cafe closed at 10 at night and he was done cleaning up, he practiced the piano and guitar until morning.
Yoon Kwang Hun was able to witness Jun Hyuk’s gift every day. He never once rested and even if he had practiced for 10 hours, he said that those 10 hours were short. It seemed as though he could not believe that the time had gone by so quickly.
Talent meant devoting oneself so much so that time is forgotten.
Jun Hyuk had reached the level where he could imitate anywhere from B.B. King’s blues to Yngwie Malmsteen. After another year passed, he could play the piano so well that a passerby would think that he had majored in classical music.
Music scores accumulated faster than his guitar and piano skills increased. He had now moved on from listening and imitating to creating his own music. The scores ranged from short instrumentals to the 40 minute symphony that he had wrestled with for over a month before its completion. Once he finished a song, he didn’t look at it again because he would write another song come tomorrow anyway.
“Jun Hyuk, what’s this song? To be honest, it’s a bit bothersome.”
It sounded as though there was a dissonance through the introduction that was almost uncomfortable to listen to. Of course, it could also be attributed to the fact that Yoon Kwang Hun had not been properly educated and could not imagine the melodies played by all of the instruments in an orchestra. He closed the score before going through very many of the sheets. He was not sure why, but he found the discomfort and uneasiness unbearable.
“You think so? I really like it.”
“It’s too experimental. What is it that you were trying to express?”
“Um… was it when I was 10 years old? It was when I was begging on the streets while singing gospels… I was beaten with a belt because I hadn’t brought in enough money. It was the first time I had been beaten so severely… and I passed out. The fear and pain I felt then and the frustration of not knowing when the beatings would stop? I tried remembering those feelings. I ended that song at the point where I had fainted. It doesn’t seem right?”
How could he talk about such a harrowing experience with a smile on his face…..
Yoon Kwang Hun felt even more uncomfortable than when he had been looking at the music score. From what had been occasionally disclosed to him over the last two years, it seemed Jun Hyuk’s street life had been more dramatic than a soap opera or a movie. He came to know that reality was more miserable and gruesome than an author could put into expression.
“Listen to the music carefully. Listen to how long it is.”
“What is this?”
“Lynyrd Skynyrd. This is probably the first time you’re hearing it.”
Go Sae Won went to France at age 23 and traveled Europe learning to play piano for 15 years – even taking part in the Poland Chopin Competition. He had not earned a high score, but he had received enthusiastic applause from the youth.
Though he started at a much later age than the gifted pianists who had started at age 3 and 5, there was a greater passion in his music that was in the music of the young geniuses.
As a graduate of a university in the countryside, there was no place for him in his homeland. Unless he had been extremely successful in Europe, he could only be undervalued and spurned as he lacked the proper connections.
He knew as soon as he heard Jang Jun Hyuk’s piano, that his pride, passion, and efforts so far were really nothing.
Go Sae Won spoke after he heard Jun Hyuk play Chopin’s ‘Farewell’ and was so touched that his hands were shaking.
“Has… Has it really only been two years since you started playing piano?”
“Yes.”
Chopin himself had said that he could never produce another melody as beautiful as that of ‘Farewell,’ a song capturing his feelings for his homeland, Poland. Jun Hyuk expressed Chopin’s longing for his country and his loneliness effortlessly.
“But why have you brought this child to me?”
“I brought him so that he might receive lessons from you. If you can see talent in him to teach…”
“Teach? Talent? What can you teach a child like that? It has only been two years since he started playing the piano by himself and he can digest Chopin. I’m saying there will be less than ten people on this Earth who have the qualifications to teach that boy.”
“Ten people? You lower our Jun Hyuk too much. Ha ha.”
Yoon Kwang Hun must have liked Go Sae Won’s evaluation, because he laughed brightly and showed his relaxed state of mind.
“This man really! Are you playing games with me?”
“I meant it as a joke… I apologize if you were offended. It is the truth that I came here to ask you to give Jun Hyuk lessons.”
“What lessons? A few minor mistakes and bad habits? Lessons from me to fix those? You can ask a college student majoring in piano for that. He already knows all of the really important things… I have nothing to teach him.”
Go Sae Won’s words were sincere. He had nothing to teach Jun Hyuk, a pianist who could interpret music’s message and deliver it with emotion.
“Even with a diamond in the rough, don’t you have to buff and clean it to get to the light and have it reborn as a jewel? I am asking you for that.”
Go Sae Won had the thought that becoming Jang Jun Hyuk’s first teacher and being the person to lay down his foundation might be considered one of his musical achievements later.
That was when Jun Hyuk started to learn the basics twice a week at Go Sae Won’s house.
Just how far will Jun Hyuk go?
The only thing Yoon Kwang Hun taught now was english. His goal was for there to be no difficulty in Jun Hyuk’s ability to communicate in english. In exchange, Jun Hyuk paid Yoon Kwang Hun with something much greater everyday.
He had the privilege to be the first to appreciate the new music that he made and the first to listen to his piano and guitar performances. Jun Hyuk played rock music for him when he was drinking beer and jazz when he was drinking wine.
Jun Hyuk started listening to other maestros’ music less and less. Instead, he spent more time making his own music.
Also, it had already been a year since Yoon Kwang Hun changed his business from a place for washed out pop singers performing live to a music cafe. This was the cafe he had originally envisioned. One with music, coffee, and wine. And finally the profits slowly started rolling in. But that was also on due to Jun Hyuk.
Jun Hyuk played the piano for one hour every day at the cafe and the customers’ reactions were better than expected. He was not performing played out classical music, but remade pop songs that the customers liked. Not only that, but he improvised the music to the customers’ requests of ballads as jazz, trot, and blues.
When rumors spread that there was a young and handsome pianist performing at the cafe, the customer base that used to be women in their 40s became women in their 30s, after which even young customers in their 20s started to come.
Jun Hyuk looked like an adult over 20 with his tall height and long curly hair. The customers sighed in regret when they were told that he was only 17 years old, but they remained as regular patrons.
Jun Hyuk’s name started to float around the internet as the Kang Dong Won of Misari.
[TN]: Kang Dong Won – Famous korean actor
Once customers started uploading videos of Jun Hyuk playing the piano on blogs and YouTube, even high school girls started to come to the cafe and Yoon Kwang Hun was forced to put up a sign forbidding entry to minors.
As the views on the videos went up, more customers came to visit the cafe, and entertainment agencies eventually started to approach them. They didn’t care for Jun Hyuk’s piano playing. They had come to see his long arms and legs, and his small and handsome face – something that would sell to the general public.
“Sir, I would like to introduce myself.”
The same words always followed after the business cards.
“Can I meet the pianist?”
When the people from the entertainment agencies saw Jun Hyuk in his t-shirt and jeans, they burst out in admiration.
“Wow… Even his look is enough.”
“Goodness. He would look so cool next to Kang Dong Won.”
Jun Hyuk’s height was not noticeable in the videos. He had gone through a growth spurt over the past two years – aided by the fact that Yoon Kwang Hun always made sure that he was fed. It was obvious that they were interested in Jun Hyuk.
“There’s an idol band that our company is trying to debut. We were thinking of a 5-member group and if Jun Hyuk were to join, it would be a huge success. He does look a little older though.”
“Excuse me. He’s still a minor.”
“A minor? How old is he?”
“17.”
“Really? He looks like he could be 20. Even better. For idol singers these days, 20 is a bit old.”
Entertainment agencies only liked the children to be younger because the 20 year olds were not unconditionally obedient.
“Okay, so what genre is that new group you’re making? Hip hop? Electronic?”
“Mostly hip hop, but they do a little bit of everything. If he joins, I can see them singing a ballad with him on the piano.”
These guys did not have an ear for music. They might as well be deaf. They were spewing garbage after hearing the instrumental that Jun Hyuk had just improvised of Kim Kwang Suk’s song.
The nerve of them to suggest being a pretty idol singer to a young genius who is to be lauded as the Beethoven or Mozart of the 21st century.
“But there is one problem.”
“Yes. What is it?”
“As you can see, our Jun Hyuk’s piano ability is at a high level, but he cannot sing.”
“Gosh, it would be a scam if he could sing with that face. Don’t worry about it. There is already a main vocal, so there won’t be any problem.”
“I understand. I’ll think about it and let you know.”
Yoon Kwang Hun mollified the agency employees as though they were children. He did not reject them on the spot for fear they would come back and bother him. Since then, a few more entertainment agencies came with the same praises and promises of stardom and left.
There were entertainment agencies at different levels of course. For the past few days, it seemed as though there had been a new regular but a man most likely in his thirties came looking for Yoon Kwang Hun.
“Hello. I am Choi Jang Hyuk of SN Entertainment.”
The title on his business card was that of Producer.
“I have been listening to this boy’s piano performances for the past few days. Is he by chance receiving a formal education?”
“No, he is self-taught. He is receiving lessons these days to learn the basics of piano, though.”
“That’s impressive. I mean, that he can improvise any song regardless of its genre.”
Choi Jang Hyuk could not hide his surprise, but Yoon Kwang Hun was more surprised by the SN written on the business card.
“If you say SN, do you mean the SN that we know?”
“Ha ha. Yes. There’s only one SN.”
[TN]: SN Entertainment is one of the biggest entertainment companies in korea.
“Are you trying to make Jun Hyuk an idol singer?”
“No. I haven’t seen him sing… In our company, singing ability is the minimum requirement. If he hasn’t received formal training, that means he’s 100% talent… With this talent, he’s a genius.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it was the best in the country. It was a company with someone who could recognize talent at first glance. Only, they did not know the depth of that talent.
“So the thing is, we would like to train Jun Hyuk. What do you think?”
“Train him?”
“Yes. Actually, idol singers and girl bands are not the real mainstay of our company. It’s because we have a lot of distinguished composers, arrangers, and producers. We would like to train Jun Hyuk as a producer. Of course we’ll teach him composition as well.”
Who are they saying is teaching who? What expression would they have if they saw the songs Jun Hyuk had written so far? He wanted to show Jun Hyuk’s symphonies to these composers who wrote 3 minute hook songs filled with sound effects created by machines.
“Thank you for the thought, but I would like to let him live freely for now. He has plenty of time to learn as he’s only 17 years old.”
“17? Is that true? I thought he was at least 20.”
“I know. He’s grown so much over the last two years.”
SN Producer Choi Jang Hyuk seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment and did not speak. Once he opened his mouth, his words were entirely unforeseen.
“What if we do this? We’ll write a recommendation so Jun Hyuk can enroll in university for music. Of course we’ll pay his full tuition. He can come work for our company after.”
A long-term investment? The prejudices Yoon Kwang Hun had held against entertainment agencies all came crashing down. He had perceived them as people who took young children who were attractive and forced them to make money.
“Thank you for the offer. I don’t want to decide Jun Hyuk’s future just yet. I plan on letting him live freely. If our fates cross again, I’m sure something will work out.”
Most parents in Korea would be so grateful they would be speechless if SN offered to train their child, but this man was very different. Choi Jang Hyuk had thought of Yoon Kwang Hun as a simple cafe owner, but he was surprised by the unexpected reaction he was receiving.
“I see. That’s a good idea. Anyway, I’ll leave my business card with you. Please contact me if you need me. I’ll come at any time.”
What will Jun Hyun’s fate be??
Bothersome entertainment agencies gradually stopped coming, and women who claimed they wrote for broadcast stations began to visit the cafe.
“Hello, sir. I’m Kim Ji Young, I’m a writer for channel MV.”
“Oh, yes.”
“May I meet this internet star pianist?”
“Why are you asking for him?”
Yoon Kwang Hun had the passing thought that she wanted to make some gossip show using Jun Hyuk’s handsome face.
“Have you by chance heard of a program called ‘Tomorrow’s Star’?” It’s very famous. Ho ho.”
“Are you talking about the audition show?”
“Yes, that’s the program. This is its fifth year, fifth season. We will be accepting contestant applications soon.”
“And?”
“The pianist… Right, what’s his name?”
“It’s Jun Hyuk.”
“Yes, we were wondering if Jun Hyuk would participate.”
“No. We aren’t really interested in auditioning…..”
“No, don’t think about it that way.”
“That’s not it. Our Jun Hyuk cannot sing.”
“Oh, is that true?”
Three of these writers did not show disappointment that Jun Hyuk could not sing. It was as if they had no interest in his singing.
So what exactly did they want?
“Boss, the places where kids like that go are obvious. Internet cafes, comic book cafes, or saunas. But if he’s as dirty as you say he was, he probably wouldn’t go to the sauna. Those kinds of kids also hang around the area with the prep schools. That way, they can mug middle school or elementary school students.”
All he had to go on was information from his young employee. Yoon Kwang Hun took his employee’s word and walked around the prep school area.
After wandering the area for a few days, he heard girls cry out in the direction of the main street. Teenagers were running from where the screaming had sounded.
He spied the long hair of a boy running away. Yoon Kwang Hun was sure that it was Jun Hyuk and ran after him.
***
“Get up kid. You didn’t even get hurt that badly. Are you making a big deal out of a few scratches on your back?”
“Oh, mister.”
When Jun Hyuk opened his eyes, he found himself lying in an unfamiliar room. He was disorientated at first, but quickly recalled yesterday’s events.
He remembered Yoon Kwang Hun yelling at the kids beating him to stop, but they both ended up getting hit. If it can be considered fortunate, it was fortunate that the beating did not last long because an adult had interfered.
“Even if you break a bone at your age, if you eat well…..”
Yoon Kwang Hun quickly stopped. Wasn’t he like a stray cat, unable to eat properly? He couldn’t talk about food to a child like that.
“Anyway, sleep a bit more. We’ll talk later.”
As he was closing the door to the tiny room, he stopped and left it wide open instead. Music accented with a compelling yet rough voice spilled through the door like sunshine coming through a window.
After a night of deep sleep, his body felt light. The only signs that something had happened were his bloated face and stiff, bandaged back.
“You’re awake now? How do you feel?”
“Oh, mister. Yes… I’m okay.”
“You must be hungry. Sit there and I’ll make you something to eat.”
Jun Hyuk sat uncomfortably in a corner of the cafe. He had only seen the boss on the first day when he ate the tonkatsu, but there were two young people cleaning and preparing the hall now. He could also see the boss making something next to the chef in the kitchen.
The two young employees cleaning the hall kept glancing over at Jun Hyuk as well. Yoon Kwang Hun came out with a plate once that attention started to become uncomfortable.
“Eat this first and ease your stomach. We’ll eat more heartily for dinner.”
Jun Hyuk only noticed that something was wrong with Yoon Kwang Hun’s face after he had scarfed down the porridge.
“But mister. Your face?”
He walked through the cafe door early in the morning and the soft melody of a guitar was floating around. Jun Hyuk sat in the middle of the cafe and stirred the air with his fingers without realizing that Yoon Kwang Hun had walked in. It seemed like he was following the guitar’s melody with his finger.
Yoon Kwang Hun waited until the CD track was over. When the music ended and the cafe became quiet, Jun Hyuk’s eyes opened wide and he ran over to the closet packed with CDs.
“You need to stop and work, right? What are you doing instead of preparing the cafe for business?”
“Ah… Boss.”
Jun Hyuk finally realized that Yoon Kwang Hun had come in and bowed to the cafe owner. Since it had been decided that he would start working, the first thing to change was the way he referred to the man. Yoon Kwang Hun also thought that it would be better for Jun Hyuk to call him that than mister so that he could gain a sense of responsibility and seriousness.
“Did you listen to music all night?”
“Yes, boss. But who is this person? Someone who plays the guitar?”
“Why? You like it? Jeff Beck. He’s a British guitarist.”
Jun Hyuk brought another CD and handed it to Yoon Kwang Hun.
“What about this person? This person playing the piano.”
“Glenn Gould. I guess you heard Bach’s Goldberg Variations. It’s incredible.”
Yoon Kwang Hun held the CD that Jun Hyuk handed him and smiled slightly. Jun Hyuk had fully taken his words to listen to all music without prejudice into consideration – rock, the blues, classical, etc.
“So? You haven’t answered my question. You didn’t sleep last night?”
“No.”
“Hurry up and get the cafe ready so you can go in and sleep.”
As Yoon Kwang Hun was about to drink a cup of coffee, Jun Hyuk came carefully to his side.
“Excuse me.”
“Yea. What?”
“Can you teach me english before hangul? All of the music is in english. It’s so frustrating to be unable to read the CDs.”
[TN] hangul is korean for…well, korean.
“It isn’t important who the people are. Just start by listening. Whatever it is. For now, it’s important that you listen to a variety of music.”
He couldn’t even write properly in hangul yet. Yoon Kwang Hun was also frustrated because he could not comprehend why someone who learned music scores so easily was having such difficulty memorizing the Korean alphabet.
However, it was obvious that he had been born with his talent for musical instruments. He remembered music he heard for the first time perfectly and could identify each sound by their instrument. All that was left to work on was the skill.
When he held a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, he remembered all 22 frets, 6 series, or 132 sounds perfectly. After he memorized the chords, he didn’t need to look at music scores to play any guitar performance.
Yoon Kwang Hun had purchased the Blu-Ray of a world famous guitarist because he was unable to play an instrument himself. After Jun Hyuk watched these guitarists’ live performances and saw how they handled their instruments, his own skill on the guitar improved steadily.
During the first year spent at the cafe, Jun Hyuk only played the piano and guitar. He slept once he finished preparing the cafe for business and listened to music from the moment he woke up in the afternoon. Once the cafe closed at 10 at night and he was done cleaning up, he practiced the piano and guitar until morning.
Yoon Kwang Hun was able to witness Jun Hyuk’s gift every day. He never once rested and even if he had practiced for 10 hours, he said that those 10 hours were short. It seemed as though he could not believe that the time had gone by so quickly.
Talent meant devoting oneself so much so that time is forgotten.
Jun Hyuk had reached the level where he could imitate anywhere from B.B. King’s blues to Yngwie Malmsteen. After another year passed, he could play the piano so well that a passerby would think that he had majored in classical music.
Music scores accumulated faster than his guitar and piano skills increased. He had now moved on from listening and imitating to creating his own music. The scores ranged from short instrumentals to the 40 minute symphony that he had wrestled with for over a month before its completion. Once he finished a song, he didn’t look at it again because he would write another song come tomorrow anyway.
“Jun Hyuk, what’s this song? To be honest, it’s a bit bothersome.”
It sounded as though there was a dissonance through the introduction that was almost uncomfortable to listen to. Of course, it could also be attributed to the fact that Yoon Kwang Hun had not been properly educated and could not imagine the melodies played by all of the instruments in an orchestra. He closed the score before going through very many of the sheets. He was not sure why, but he found the discomfort and uneasiness unbearable.
“You think so? I really like it.”
“It’s too experimental. What is it that you were trying to express?”
“Um… was it when I was 10 years old? It was when I was begging on the streets while singing gospels… I was beaten with a belt because I hadn’t brought in enough money. It was the first time I had been beaten so severely… and I passed out. The fear and pain I felt then and the frustration of not knowing when the beatings would stop? I tried remembering those feelings. I ended that song at the point where I had fainted. It doesn’t seem right?”
How could he talk about such a harrowing experience with a smile on his face…..
Yoon Kwang Hun felt even more uncomfortable than when he had been looking at the music score. From what had been occasionally disclosed to him over the last two years, it seemed Jun Hyuk’s street life had been more dramatic than a soap opera or a movie. He came to know that reality was more miserable and gruesome than an author could put into expression.
“Listen to the music carefully. Listen to how long it is.”
“What is this?”
“Lynyrd Skynyrd. This is probably the first time you’re hearing it.”
Go Sae Won went to France at age 23 and traveled Europe learning to play piano for 15 years – even taking part in the Poland Chopin Competition. He had not earned a high score, but he had received enthusiastic applause from the youth.
Though he started at a much later age than the gifted pianists who had started at age 3 and 5, there was a greater passion in his music that was in the music of the young geniuses.
As a graduate of a university in the countryside, there was no place for him in his homeland. Unless he had been extremely successful in Europe, he could only be undervalued and spurned as he lacked the proper connections.
He knew as soon as he heard Jang Jun Hyuk’s piano, that his pride, passion, and efforts so far were really nothing.
Go Sae Won spoke after he heard Jun Hyuk play Chopin’s ‘Farewell’ and was so touched that his hands were shaking.
“Has… Has it really only been two years since you started playing piano?”
“Yes.”
Chopin himself had said that he could never produce another melody as beautiful as that of ‘Farewell,’ a song capturing his feelings for his homeland, Poland. Jun Hyuk expressed Chopin’s longing for his country and his loneliness effortlessly.
“But why have you brought this child to me?”
“I brought him so that he might receive lessons from you. If you can see talent in him to teach…”
“Teach? Talent? What can you teach a child like that? It has only been two years since he started playing the piano by himself and he can digest Chopin. I’m saying there will be less than ten people on this Earth who have the qualifications to teach that boy.”
“Ten people? You lower our Jun Hyuk too much. Ha ha.”
Yoon Kwang Hun must have liked Go Sae Won’s evaluation, because he laughed brightly and showed his relaxed state of mind.
“This man really! Are you playing games with me?”
“I meant it as a joke… I apologize if you were offended. It is the truth that I came here to ask you to give Jun Hyuk lessons.”
“What lessons? A few minor mistakes and bad habits? Lessons from me to fix those? You can ask a college student majoring in piano for that. He already knows all of the really important things… I have nothing to teach him.”
Go Sae Won’s words were sincere. He had nothing to teach Jun Hyuk, a pianist who could interpret music’s message and deliver it with emotion.
“Even with a diamond in the rough, don’t you have to buff and clean it to get to the light and have it reborn as a jewel? I am asking you for that.”
Go Sae Won had the thought that becoming Jang Jun Hyuk’s first teacher and being the person to lay down his foundation might be considered one of his musical achievements later.
That was when Jun Hyuk started to learn the basics twice a week at Go Sae Won’s house.
Just how far will Jun Hyuk go?
The only thing Yoon Kwang Hun taught now was english. His goal was for there to be no difficulty in Jun Hyuk’s ability to communicate in english. In exchange, Jun Hyuk paid Yoon Kwang Hun with something much greater everyday.
He had the privilege to be the first to appreciate the new music that he made and the first to listen to his piano and guitar performances. Jun Hyuk played rock music for him when he was drinking beer and jazz when he was drinking wine.
Jun Hyuk started listening to other maestros’ music less and less. Instead, he spent more time making his own music.
Also, it had already been a year since Yoon Kwang Hun changed his business from a place for washed out pop singers performing live to a music cafe. This was the cafe he had originally envisioned. One with music, coffee, and wine. And finally the profits slowly started rolling in. But that was also on due to Jun Hyuk.
Jun Hyuk played the piano for one hour every day at the cafe and the customers’ reactions were better than expected. He was not performing played out classical music, but remade pop songs that the customers liked. Not only that, but he improvised the music to the customers’ requests of ballads as jazz, trot, and blues.
When rumors spread that there was a young and handsome pianist performing at the cafe, the customer base that used to be women in their 40s became women in their 30s, after which even young customers in their 20s started to come.
Jun Hyuk looked like an adult over 20 with his tall height and long curly hair. The customers sighed in regret when they were told that he was only 17 years old, but they remained as regular patrons.
Jun Hyuk’s name started to float around the internet as the Kang Dong Won of Misari.
[TN]: Kang Dong Won – Famous korean actor
Once customers started uploading videos of Jun Hyuk playing the piano on blogs and YouTube, even high school girls started to come to the cafe and Yoon Kwang Hun was forced to put up a sign forbidding entry to minors.
As the views on the videos went up, more customers came to visit the cafe, and entertainment agencies eventually started to approach them. They didn’t care for Jun Hyuk’s piano playing. They had come to see his long arms and legs, and his small and handsome face – something that would sell to the general public.
“Sir, I would like to introduce myself.”
The same words always followed after the business cards.
“Can I meet the pianist?”
When the people from the entertainment agencies saw Jun Hyuk in his t-shirt and jeans, they burst out in admiration.
“Wow… Even his look is enough.”
“Goodness. He would look so cool next to Kang Dong Won.”
Jun Hyuk’s height was not noticeable in the videos. He had gone through a growth spurt over the past two years – aided by the fact that Yoon Kwang Hun always made sure that he was fed. It was obvious that they were interested in Jun Hyuk.
“There’s an idol band that our company is trying to debut. We were thinking of a 5-member group and if Jun Hyuk were to join, it would be a huge success. He does look a little older though.”
“Excuse me. He’s still a minor.”
“A minor? How old is he?”
“17.”
“Really? He looks like he could be 20. Even better. For idol singers these days, 20 is a bit old.”
Entertainment agencies only liked the children to be younger because the 20 year olds were not unconditionally obedient.
“Okay, so what genre is that new group you’re making? Hip hop? Electronic?”
“Mostly hip hop, but they do a little bit of everything. If he joins, I can see them singing a ballad with him on the piano.”
These guys did not have an ear for music. They might as well be deaf. They were spewing garbage after hearing the instrumental that Jun Hyuk had just improvised of Kim Kwang Suk’s song.
The nerve of them to suggest being a pretty idol singer to a young genius who is to be lauded as the Beethoven or Mozart of the 21st century.
“But there is one problem.”
“Yes. What is it?”
“As you can see, our Jun Hyuk’s piano ability is at a high level, but he cannot sing.”
“Gosh, it would be a scam if he could sing with that face. Don’t worry about it. There is already a main vocal, so there won’t be any problem.”
“I understand. I’ll think about it and let you know.”
Yoon Kwang Hun mollified the agency employees as though they were children. He did not reject them on the spot for fear they would come back and bother him. Since then, a few more entertainment agencies came with the same praises and promises of stardom and left.
There were entertainment agencies at different levels of course. For the past few days, it seemed as though there had been a new regular but a man most likely in his thirties came looking for Yoon Kwang Hun.
“Hello. I am Choi Jang Hyuk of SN Entertainment.”
The title on his business card was that of Producer.
“I have been listening to this boy’s piano performances for the past few days. Is he by chance receiving a formal education?”
“No, he is self-taught. He is receiving lessons these days to learn the basics of piano, though.”
“That’s impressive. I mean, that he can improvise any song regardless of its genre.”
Choi Jang Hyuk could not hide his surprise, but Yoon Kwang Hun was more surprised by the SN written on the business card.
“If you say SN, do you mean the SN that we know?”
“Ha ha. Yes. There’s only one SN.”
[TN]: SN Entertainment is one of the biggest entertainment companies in korea.
“Are you trying to make Jun Hyuk an idol singer?”
“No. I haven’t seen him sing… In our company, singing ability is the minimum requirement. If he hasn’t received formal training, that means he’s 100% talent… With this talent, he’s a genius.”
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it was the best in the country. It was a company with someone who could recognize talent at first glance. Only, they did not know the depth of that talent.
“So the thing is, we would like to train Jun Hyuk. What do you think?”
“Train him?”
“Yes. Actually, idol singers and girl bands are not the real mainstay of our company. It’s because we have a lot of distinguished composers, arrangers, and producers. We would like to train Jun Hyuk as a producer. Of course we’ll teach him composition as well.”
Who are they saying is teaching who? What expression would they have if they saw the songs Jun Hyuk had written so far? He wanted to show Jun Hyuk’s symphonies to these composers who wrote 3 minute hook songs filled with sound effects created by machines.
“Thank you for the thought, but I would like to let him live freely for now. He has plenty of time to learn as he’s only 17 years old.”
“17? Is that true? I thought he was at least 20.”
“I know. He’s grown so much over the last two years.”
SN Producer Choi Jang Hyuk seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment and did not speak. Once he opened his mouth, his words were entirely unforeseen.
“What if we do this? We’ll write a recommendation so Jun Hyuk can enroll in university for music. Of course we’ll pay his full tuition. He can come work for our company after.”
A long-term investment? The prejudices Yoon Kwang Hun had held against entertainment agencies all came crashing down. He had perceived them as people who took young children who were attractive and forced them to make money.
“Thank you for the offer. I don’t want to decide Jun Hyuk’s future just yet. I plan on letting him live freely. If our fates cross again, I’m sure something will work out.”
Most parents in Korea would be so grateful they would be speechless if SN offered to train their child, but this man was very different. Choi Jang Hyuk had thought of Yoon Kwang Hun as a simple cafe owner, but he was surprised by the unexpected reaction he was receiving.
“I see. That’s a good idea. Anyway, I’ll leave my business card with you. Please contact me if you need me. I’ll come at any time.”
What will Jun Hyun’s fate be??
Bothersome entertainment agencies gradually stopped coming, and women who claimed they wrote for broadcast stations began to visit the cafe.
“Hello, sir. I’m Kim Ji Young, I’m a writer for channel MV.”
“Oh, yes.”
“May I meet this internet star pianist?”
“Why are you asking for him?”
Yoon Kwang Hun had the passing thought that she wanted to make some gossip show using Jun Hyuk’s handsome face.
“Have you by chance heard of a program called ‘Tomorrow’s Star’?” It’s very famous. Ho ho.”
“Are you talking about the audition show?”
“Yes, that’s the program. This is its fifth year, fifth season. We will be accepting contestant applications soon.”
“And?”
“The pianist… Right, what’s his name?”
“It’s Jun Hyuk.”
“Yes, we were wondering if Jun Hyuk would participate.”
“No. We aren’t really interested in auditioning…..”
“No, don’t think about it that way.”
“That’s not it. Our Jun Hyuk cannot sing.”
“Oh, is that true?”
Three of these writers did not show disappointment that Jun Hyuk could not sing. It was as if they had no interest in his singing.
So what exactly did they want?
