Genius Composer Who’s a Dedicated Fan

Two days after declaring that I would help with my sister’s Seolhwa Arts High School performance practice evaluation.

Even though I hadn’t called him separately, Kang Beom-joon came out to greet me with a puzzled expression when he heard the news that I had visited RT Entertainment.

“S-Strange? Ryu Won, you’re not the type to do this?”

And he looked back and forth between my sister standing next to me and me, with an expression of utter disbelief.

No…

What on earth is this person imagining?

While I was thinking that, he hurriedly approached me and put his arm around my shoulder, dragging me to a corner.

“What’s your relationship with that pretty student over there? Depending on your answer, your life might…”

“She’s my older sister.”

“Oh, she’s your sister? Phew, right. I was being stupid. You’re definitely not that kind of guy.”

…

Regardless of whether I’m “that kind of guy” or not, what exactly would have happened to my life if she wasn’t my sister?

I felt like I had unnecessarily interrupted Kang Beom-joon’s words.

That’s why I wanted to ask about it again, but…

“Come to think of it, I definitely confirmed this in the family relationship certificate. Her name was ‘Ryu Se-ah’, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“But wait a minute…”

With those words, Kang Beom-joon suddenly turned his head and closely examined the face of my sister who was standing alone.

And he started to mutter something as if puzzled.

“I’m sure I’ve heard this name somewhere and the face is familiar…”

“Perhaps from the piano world?”

“Ah, right! The piano prodigy Ryu Se-ah!”

Kang Beom-joon seemed to have immediately recognized my sister’s identity after hearing my hint.

It seems my sister was quite famous in the music world, having been called a piano prodigy since childhood.

I’m certain that if she hadn’t quit piano due to certain circumstances, her fame would have grown even more.

“After the monster middle school duo, is it now the appearance of monster siblings?”

Kang Beom-joon said this while looking back and forth between me and my sister again.

And then.

“But I heard that suddenly piano…”

“I quit.”

My sister, who had been eavesdropping on our conversation, said that in a nonchalant tone.

“I can’t play the piano anymore.”

With a somewhat bitter smile.

* * *

Ryu Se-ah.

She was a girl who had been hailed as a ‘piano prodigy’ in the piano industry since the young age of 14.

She had no rivals in international competitions, and when participating in overseas competitions, winning awards was the bare minimum.

And Ryu Se-ah responded to people’s expectations with her skills. She received high praise for playing the piano as sweetly as if a person was singing.

Ryu Won thought that evaluation was very fitting.

Having listened to Ryu Se-ah’s piano from the closest position since childhood, Ryu Won knew too well.

His sister’s piano makes your heart warm when you listen to it. It has a charm that makes you want to keep listening.

In that sense, Ryu Se-ah might have been a hero-like figure to the young Ryu Won.

Ryu Won recalled.

The image of Ryu Se-ah, who climbed onto the stage of competitions and played the piano more confidently than anyone else.

She never showed fear or nervousness.

Just happily…

His sister played the piano with a bright smile. As if she was having fun meeting an old friend at a playground.

The sight of Ryu Se-ah seemingly enjoying the act of playing the piano itself was a huge source of pride for Ryu Won.

He thought it would be great if she could continue playing the piano like that and deeply move people’s hearts.

If she had continued playing the piano, Ryu Se-ah would have easily fulfilled her younger brother’s wish.

But Ryu Won’s wish eventually did not come true. More precisely, it became impossible to come true.

“You say you have aftereffects in your right hand due to a traffic accident…?”

“Yes. It seems there’s a problem with the nerves. If I move violently, pain rushes to my index finger, middle finger, and wrist.”

Ryu Se-ah answered while gently stroking her right hand in response to Kang Beom-joon’s question.

“It happened three years ago. After finishing an overseas competition schedule, I arrived at the airport early in the morning. Mom and Dad said they would come to pick me up at that time, but I said I would take a taxi because I was worried they might be tired. But on the way in the taxi, there was a collision with a vehicle driven by a drowsy driver.”

Even now, traces of that day remained inside Ryu Se-ah’s right sleeve.

A scar that showed the accident that day was definitely not light.

“Still, thanks to rehabilitation and treatment, I somehow managed to live a normal life. I almost had to use chopsticks with my left hand, you know?”

Ryu Se-ah said with a smile as if it was no big deal.

But Kang Beom-joon couldn’t give any answer to Ryu Se-ah’s words.

Although the person involved was smiling, it was a story he absolutely couldn’t laugh at.

A girl’s brilliant talent…

It had disappeared from the world so futilely.

That futility and sense of emptiness were beyond words.

If he, who was just listening to the story, felt this way, how must the person involved feel?

From Kang Beom-joon’s position, it was hard to imagine what emotions were contained in that smile.

Thanks to this, the atmosphere became a bit gloomy, and in that atmosphere, someone opened their mouth.

“Then is the conversation over? My sister and I will be going now.”

It was Ryu Won.

He passed by Kang Beom-joon in an instant with an insensitive expression and started heading back to the recording studio.

Kang Beom-joon sighed as he watched Ryu Won’s back.

“Somehow, your reaction is as if your sister’s story is no big deal.”

“Two days ago, he asked me how I felt when I realized I couldn’t play the piano anymore.”

Oh… that’s a bit too much?

Kang Beom-joon was shocked by Ryu Se-ah’s statement.

But Kang Beom-joon knows well. That Ryu Won isn’t the type to ask such a question for no reason.

And of course.

“Noona! Come quickly!”

“Okay. I’m coming.” 

Ryu Se-ah also knew this fact all too well.

* * *

Two days ago.

When Ryu Won declared that he would help her, Ryu Se-ah was happy and a bit excited.

But that feeling didn’t last very long.

“I thought I knew you pretty well, noona… but I’m starting to think that might not be the case.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just want to hear your story before we start working together. For example, how you felt when you realized you couldn’t play the piano anymore, why you started walking the path of music again, and so on.”

It was because of her brother’s questions.

At first, Ryu Se-ah’s eyes widened when she heard those words.

All of that content was sensitive for Ryu Se-ah.

And Ryu Won, who asked those questions, didn’t show any particular change in expression.

There was no ulterior motive or pity in it.

It was just a gaze purely seeking sincere answers from Ryu Se-ah. Simply to complete the song ‘Cantabile’.

In fact, Ryu Se-ah had anticipated to some extent.

That to work with her brother, she would have to reveal the emotions she had been keeping hidden.

That’s why…

“Actually, it was hard to believe. I haven’t lived that long a life, but I’ve spent my whole life with the piano.”

Ryu Se-ah started to tell her story with a slightly bitter smile.

The reason she started playing the piano was simple.

It was thanks to a toy piano she received as a birthday present from her parents when she was about 4 years old.

It might sound like a joke, but it might have been the moment that changed a girl’s life.

Ryu Se-ah described that moment as meeting her first friend in life, and she continued to be with her precious friend, the piano, until she was about 14 years old.

And the farewell came very suddenly.

“At first, I just accepted it. Ah, it’s finally over. I thought I could rest comfortably now without having to practice late into the night. But as time passed, I felt more and more empty.”

For Ryu Se-ah, the piano might have been a friend and a kind of ‘play’.

Like playing hide-and-seek or tag with friends.

That’s why she really enjoyed the moments when she was playing the piano. Moreover, when she saw people’s surprised reactions to her piano performance, she was so happy that she couldn’t help but smile.

But the moment she realized that those moments would never come again, something new started to fill her emptiness.

“Yes. It’s better to express it as having a lot of lingering attachment. Even now, it’s within reach… but I can’t reach it. But what’s left for me if you take away the piano? Can I live on without the piano?”

She pondered and came to an answer.

The correct answer was that it was impossible.

Who would accept the fact of suddenly parting with a friend they’ve been with their whole life, regardless of their own feelings?

But Ryu Se-ah had no other choice.

She had to accept that sudden and sad farewell somehow.

─ Hmm… Then should I let you hear a bit of the accompaniment of a song I secretly composed?

That was until she heard the melody of a certain song that Ryu Won played one day.

“I don’t know who it was made for, but I heard a familiar piano sound in the melody of a song called ‘Cantabile’. You imitated my performance, right?”

“Who knows.”

Ryu Won smiled bitterly.

He had never truly imitated it.

He had just learned the piano as instructed by his sister from another world line, and at the end of it, he had only seen his sister’s satisfied smile.

Maybe…

Did my sister regain her lost sound in my performance?

─ Still, I feel a bit relieved.

Then saying this does connect somewhat…

While Ryu Won was making such assumptions, Ryu Se-ah continued speaking.

“Anyway, hearing that sound after a long time made me nostalgic. It reminded me of the moments when I felt the happiest.”

“Playing the piano on stage?”

“That’s right. So I became a bit curious. I wonder if I could feel that joy again without the piano?”

At the same time, she had this conviction.

If it’s this song with her piano sound in it, she felt she could definitely sing it well on stage with a joyful heart.

That’s why she started singing, and for a while, she devoted herself only to singing, just as she had done with the piano.

Probably because the ears of the brother sitting in front of her were annoyingly keen.

She went to Seolhwa Arts High School largely because she wanted to confirm her skills.

Her confidence also grew dramatically when she proudly took the top spot among outstanding students.

“Well… that’s my story for now.”

Ryu Se-ah smiled faintly as if feeling a bit relieved.

And looking at the person who made her tell her story, she said this:

“I was originally going to show you directly on stage… but you made the great me tell such an embarrassing story? You’re disqualified as a brother.”

“That’s sweet, though?”

“Huh? You’re pretending to be embarrassed again? Anyway, make sure to repay me with the best ‘Cantabile’.”

Ryu Won chuckled at Ryu Se-ah’s brazen attitude.

That appearance was very much like his usual sister.

And Ryu Won answered Ryu Se-ah’s words like this:

“Well… if your expectations are high, they’re annoyingly high, but they’re definitely not low. In that sense, I think it’ll be enough.”

“You think it’ll be enough?”

Yeah. To the point where it’s almost too good to use for just a performance practice.