The Coma Patient Was a Musical Genius

Coma Patient Was a Music Genius

Episode 015

“Since we’ve met, I think you should teach me how to play.”

Lee In-woo smiled broadly.

I can see that he’s serious and not joking.

‘Here all of a sudden?’

That moment.

Three words were engraved in the head of Lee In-woo’s teacher, Gu Do-seong.

X done… … .

Moreover, even Jaewon, who had a higher career than him, was miserably eliminated.

To be honest, it’s true. It was a bluff. I did it out of a desire to look good to a top star.

‘Wow, what do I do with this?’

It was unexpected.

Gu Do-seong was about to raise his thumb, but stopped.

I almost chewed my fingernails.

If you act like that, you’ll get caught.

This is my current state of mind.

‘Where did such a monster suddenly appear…?’

This is driving me crazy.

Even in the midst of all this, Lee In-woo was looking at himself as if waiting for an answer.

As our eyes met, an answer came out reflexively.

“Yeah, well.”

“As expected, my teacher is Gu Do-seong.”

Gu Do-seong was completely intoxicated by Lee In-woo’s encouraging remarks.

“Hey, I’ll show you for real. What’s the difference?”

But that was only for a moment.

Worries began to creep in again.

‘… Jaewon was like that too, so how could I… .’

ah!

The lightbulb flickered.

‘Now that I think about it, it’s not like Jaewon can just keep playing. Isn’t it possible to just teach?’

It didn’t matter if I didn’t see anything to give feedback on.

The key point is, it seems plausible.

It’s okay if it’s a little ambiguous.

If only Lee In-woo could think, ‘That’s right.’

‘Yeah, that’s it.’

Suddenly, I felt a surge of confidence.

And soon, an event occurred that further boosted my confidence.

‘By the way, Hyesung has only ever played songs from his list, right? Even on YouTube.’

Are you not confident in other composers’ songs?

Crazy, this seems really possible.

“Inwoo.”

“huh?”

“Ha, honestly, I feel a little sad.”

“what?”

“Comparing a 16-year-old kid to me, a pianist.”

Here in the practice room, in the flashback scene of , the song to be played is none other than… .

‘The poet of the piano.’

Frederic, Chopin.

Yeah, it wasn’t a list song!

Kudo Seong, who achieved the lucky 7th place in the piano category of the Sendai Competition the year before last, was confident of that.

“Inwoo, where are you now?”

“They say they’re just about to set off.”

“okay?”

“Oh, I just got a call. Just a moment.”

Okay, now I was actually hoping you’d come.

“Hello? Yes, I am. This is your first call.”

Inwoo, I’ll show you… .

After the call, I hung up.

“I got permission.”

“…Why all of a sudden permission?”

My mother asked, and I continued, anticipating how bright her expression would soon become.

“I’m filming for YouTube.”

“Huh? Son, you said you were going to meet Lee In-woo today. … So what does that mean?”

“Yes, Lee In-woo appeared on the famous piano channel….”

Before I could even finish speaking.

My mother quickly turned her face left and right and screamed, “Kyaaaaahh …

“You’re crazy, you’re crazy! What are we going to do with the famous piano channel, you idiot!”

“Lee In-woo? Are you crazy? So the call you just made was with Lee In-woo?”

“Our son is great, great!”

“My little brother, he’s a natural player, after all… .”

Regardless of the era, awareness has always been important.

And if we talk about current popularity, it is true that Lee In-woo is several times bigger than me.

Well then, I guess I should take advantage of it when I have the chance.

Just as I helped Chopin, who was not yet well known, at the Pleyel salon in Paris.

“Ah, Hye-sung.”

My uncle called.

“If you meet Lee In-woo today, please give me his autograph. When will I ever get to get a top star’s autograph?”

“… … .”

It didn’t seem that desperate.

Is it because he is a top male actor?

Well, I said I understood.

It wasn’t that difficult, and above all, it was understandable.

That psychology towards celebrities.

I enjoyed performing at the concert.

So, he would throw the gloves he was wearing towards the audience during the performance, and every time he did that, the ladies would get into a fight with each other.

There have actually been many instances where concerts have been interrupted due to violent fights.

And that’s not all.

There were many people who fainted when they made eye contact with me. By today’s standards, I think they might have been the original idols.

As someone who has experienced such scenes countless times, I could completely understand why they asked for an autograph.

But just wait a minute.

“Weren’t you going with your uncle today too?”

“I have an interview scheduled today.”

“oh….”

It was a time when I was truly cheering you on.

“Child, then I have no choice but to go… .”

Suddenly I heard my father’s voice.

Let’s look towards the source of the sound.

“… … .”

I could spot my father, dressed in a suit from top to bottom.

You said that as if you were annoyed, but what is that?

My uncle and mother burst into absurd laughter.

“Brother-in-law, if it’s that bothersome, why don’t you just wear your training clothes and go? Can you lend me mine?”

My uncle, then my mother.

“You’ve worked the hardest in the world. Is it because you don’t want to be outdone by the top stars?”

“… No.”

“It looks like you even put makeup on?”

“… That’s not true.”

“No, it’s not.”

When his mother approached him and tried to rub his face, his father turned away in horror.

“Go away.”

“I did it, I did it.”

“Stop bothering me and go away.”

Well, I didn’t realize how much time had passed while I was looking around.

I told my father, who must have been busy decorating in his room, about filming for YouTube.

“I guess it’s time to leave now.”

I roughly put on the coat I had left in advance.

“… Come to think of it, Hyesung also seems to be showing off his cool today?”

“You were pretending to be indifferent, but in reality, you were the one who cared the most…”

“No, wait. That’s mine.”

“Whatever. I can just borrow your brother-in-law’s. The size is just right.”

“What’s right?! I’m much taller.”

Let’s go now.

This YouTube filming was scheduled to be conducted in V-LOG format.

The person in charge of photography is Yoo Bong-jae.

So as soon as the door opened, filming began in reality.

“Oh, here it comes.”

Lee In-woo, who had given permission for filming in advance, naturally gave his first greeting, perhaps because he was a top star.

Having stood in front of the camera countless times, it was a situation that was as familiar to him as eating rice.

“hello.”

First meeting with a top star.

But still, Yoo Hye-seong smiled brightly.

“… Ahem.”

On the other hand, Gu Do-seong has a serious face all by himself.

If we’re not careful, it might end up being stuffed into a YouTube video.

I just got nervous.

“oh.”

At that moment, the scene where Yoo Hye-seong was reading the script for was being captured on camera.

He also let out a low gasp along the way.

It looked interesting.

In fact, Franz Liszt was also an avid reader with a deep literary background.

Although he was a musician, he also interacted a lot with writers. Victor Hugo, Georges Sand, Alphonse de Lamartine…

“This is fun.”

“… Have you read it all already?”

So my reading speed was also on the fast side.

“At first glance, it seems like I simply resent my father, but that’s not true.”

“So, Kang Seo-jun’s feelings can be said to be ambivalent, and the piano is a medium that symbolizes this complex relationship.”

“While it was a tool for recognizing talent, it ultimately made the pain of loss even more acute.”

Also a deep insight into the character.

“You’ve seen it all? That’s amazing.”

Lee In-woo drew a smile that showed interest.

I heard that this was your first time acting, but the way you analyzed the script and understood the depth of the character was extraordinary.

I think it’s okay to consider this as a professional actor level.

“I think we can skip the secondary explanation about the character.”

So we skipped it and went straight to acting class.

“Should I recite the lines first?”

“yes.”

Playing the piano and acting out a script definitely have something in common: expressing emotions.

But there was a difference between expressing it with fingers and expressing it with lines and facial expressions.

“Then I’ll try.”

Yoo Hye-seong was showing a learning attitude.

As writer Park said before, the amount of screen time wasn’t that long, and all there was was a few lines exchanged with his father during Kang Seo-jun’s flashback scene.

That father’s role.

“Just get started. I’ll adjust it for you.”

Lee In-woo decided to do it.

Yoo Bong-jae, who was holding the camera, took a step back and adjusted the composition so that Lee In-woo and Yoo Hye-seong were clearly visible. They were seen sitting on chairs and looking down at the script.

“… … .”

And, when Yoo Hye-seong said his first line.

Lee In-woo put down the script he was holding and stared blankly at Yoo Hye-seong.

Even though I only said a few lines… .

‘…what?’

Set the mood.

It grabs your attention.

It makes you just watch with bated breath.

In an instant, that indescribable presence began to take over the room.

‘Should I call it stage presence?’

Yes, that presence that you can find in stars standing in front of countless people.

So top star Lee In-woo thought.

“Comet.”

This boy is said to be particularly dazzling on stage or in front of the camera.

“I forgot to say my lines, sorry.”

Just like the comet of the name.

After the acting class, Lee In-woo said.

“Have you ever acted before?”

“Um, no.”

But how can this be?

He muttered softly.

“… I felt like something was being sucked in. It was really… taking over the atmosphere in an instant.”

That’s something I often hear at concerts.

No one could take their eyes off me.

Maybe it has something to do with that.

“Yes, thank you.”

Actually, I don’t think the acting was bad.

I see my father also giving me a thumbs up.

As if Lee In-woo had suddenly remembered, he looked at the man who had been standing there quietly setting the mood.

“By the way, Hyesung, do you know what song you play in this flashback scene?”

I couldn’t simply express that I knew.

Frederic Chopin.

When I think of that name, a part of my heart aches without me knowing it.

Schumann, Saint-Saëns, Paganini, Rachmaninoff, Berlioz, Wagner, Brahms, etc…

There were many fellow musicians who lived in the same era as me.

If I had to pick the most special person, I would choose Chopin without any hesitation.

Because he was both an incomparable friend and an incomparable rival at the same time.

Etude op. 10 was a gift that Chopin left for me. It was a piece dedicated to me, filled with affection for his closest friend and respect for his rival.

One of them is the song that will be played in the flashback scene.

“There’s a classical pianist over here who said he’d teach me how to play.”

But, um… .

“Okay, Hyesung. I’ll take a look and tell you.”

At that moment, a pianist named Gu Do-seong took a step toward me.

“I think this song explains it….”

“The explanation is fine.”

I added with a grin.

It was a question born out of pure curiosity.

“Do you know much about Chopin?”

“Well, I know.”

I see. I nodded once.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Within a few minutes, I slowly sat down at the piano.

I have not yet heard the performance of Gudo Seong, so I have not made any judgment on it.

There is absolutely no reason why a modern performer would be inferior to his predecessors. The possibility of genius is always open even in modern times.

Still, I could be certain of just this one thing.

Who knows more about Chopin than I do?

Well, I was wondering.

I thought of a song title.

My eyes close on their own.

Immerse yourself in memories.

Late autumn in Paris is incredibly chilly.

Especially on a rainy day like today. Is the sky mourning Frederick’s early death?

Madeleine Church, October 30, 1849.

It was the day of Chopin’s funeral.

A heavy atmosphere hung over the Madeleine Chapel.

Raindrops soaked the window, and each candle soon went out.

Even in the darkness, Chopin’s coffin was clearly visible to me. You lying there looked so peaceful.

Your two softly placed hands still belong to an elegant pianist.

-Go to sleep, … Frederick.

Whispering words of farewell, I slowly began to close the coffin lid. Your face was disappearing.

The fingertips that touched the cover trembled as if denying the separation. The reality that you are no longer by my side is so painful that it feels like my heart is being torn apart.

But in the end, I didn’t cry. I didn’t shed a single tear until the moment I left the Madeleine Chapel after the funeral.

You, who were shy and introverted, always envied my dazzling appearance and atmosphere.

Until the very end, I wanted to be that kind of person for you.

So, now.

Even here without you.

―Frédéric Chopin, Étude Op.10 No.3, “Tristesse”.

Chopin, Song of Farewell.

I could only pour out my tears through the keyboard.