Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 44

14. Conquering Japan

“You really didn’t have to go this far.”

The practice space prepared by NK Broadcasting early in the morning far exceeded Youngchan’s expectations.

He had only been expecting a decent-sized piano practice room, but this was far beyond that.

-Waseda University Concert Hall-

NK Broadcasting had rented the entire hall for him.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been impossible.

However, since it was still winter break, the hall was free, allowing him to use such a luxurious practice space.

Although not very large, it was still a concert hall, so the acoustics were exceptional.

Most importantly, it had the Steinway grand piano that Youngchan wanted.

-Tada dadan! Ttanttanttan!-

Youngchan lightly played a few keys with one hand and nodded.

“It doesn’t seem to need any tuning.”

“That’s a relief.”

Ichiro replied to his words.

He seemed quite concerned.

Even though he must be extremely busy preparing for his own concert, he still made time to check on Youngchan’s practice this early in the morning.

Feeling a bit guilty for causing him so much trouble with his playful antics, Youngchan scratched his chin and asked,

“Do you like classical music?”

“Classical… I don’t really like it, nor am I well-versed in it. It’s just that my father liked it, so I heard a few things when I was young.”

“Ah…”

Youngchan couldn’t help but sigh at the unexpected answer.

He realized that the early death of Satoshi, his benefactor in Japan, had greatly impacted Ichiro’s life.

In the world within his engraved memories, Ichiro was a man who was truly passionate about classical music.

‘Is this also a butterfly effect?’

In reality, Satoshi’s death was not entirely unrelated to Youngchan.

Red Sun Entertainment, which Satoshi had established, grew into a mid-sized company almost overnight with Youngchan’s involvement.

However, in this world, where he didn’t work with Youngchan, Red Sun Entertainment didn’t have such smooth sailing.

Satoshi, who wanted to pass Red Sun Entertainment on to his son, tried to grow the company, but like Ichiro, he repeatedly failed due to interference from larger entertainment companies.

Unlike Ichiro, however, he didn’t give up, and eventually, his health deteriorated due to overwork and stress, leading to his sudden death.

So, it was only natural that he couldn’t properly enjoy classical music, which was also a point of connection with his father.

‘He used to attend classical concerts at least once or twice a month.’

Knowing this well, Youngchan wanted to help Ichiro discover a hobby that he himself didn’t even know he had.

Youngchan smiled lightly and asked him,

“Do you know Beethoven?”

“Beethoven? Ah! I know him. Ta-da-da-da! Isn’t he the one who composed that?”

“Hahaha. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Movement 1, is quite famous.”

Indeed, when people think of Beethoven’s music, many think of this piece. That’s because it’s a piece with a strong image from the very beginning.

“Yes, that’s a good piece, but…”

-Tada dadadadan!-

With those words, Youngchan lightly loosened his hands on the piano keys.

‘It’s been a while.’

Indeed.

It had been longer than he thought since he had last touched a piano.

It was his first time in this world, and even in his engraved memories, it had been a month before he started using drugs.

If you counted it in years, it had been almost three years.

So, suddenly playing a Steinway grand piano made Youngchan feel like his hands were being spoiled.

There was a reason why Steinway grand pianos easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“!!!”

Youngchan was just lightly loosening his hands, but Ichiro, who was watching him, had his eyes wide open.

He wasn’t even playing a score, just loosening his hands.

Yet, the sound of the piano that Youngchan was producing was unlike any piano sound he had ever heard.

It felt as if the 88 keys had come to life under Youngchan’s touch.

Even someone who didn’t know much about musical scales would surely be captivated by the clear and distinct sound.

After loosening his hands for about a minute, Youngchan nodded slightly.

‘It’s better than I thought?’

For some reason, his hands felt lighter than they had in his engraved memories.

It was as if he hadn’t taken a break from playing the piano at all.

So, without loosening his hands any further, Youngchan lightly placed his hands on the keys and looked at Ichiro.

Seeing Ichiro staring blankly at him like a fool, Youngchan smiled silently and continued,

“Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8, ‘Pathétique,’ Movement 2. I think Mr. Ichiro will like this piece too.”

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8, Pathétique, Movement 1, is a minor key piece.

It is calm, sad, melancholic, and sometimes makes you feel miserable.

Unlike the first movement, the second movement begins in A flat major, Adagio cantabile [a slow, lyrical tempo].

Unlike other Beethoven pieces, it gives a lazy and cozy feeling, but it couldn’t hide a sense of sorrow in one corner.

Sorrow that comes after solemnity.

That’s why it can be said to be a more pitiful song.

-Tada dadan! Ta~dadan~-

Youngchan’s performance of Pathétique, Movement 2, was overwhelming in that regard.

His thought that his hands were light was not a delusion.

Before he knew it, Youngchan was able to perform in a way that was no different from his engraved memories.

He was showing off his skills from his prime, but that didn’t mean he was displaying the kind of extraordinary technique he showed with the guitar.

Rather, in terms of technique alone, even ordinary pianists could barely keep up.

This was unavoidable.

Technique, unlike inspiration, is something that is built up with time and effort, and unfortunately, he had only started playing the piano after serving in the military.

In addition, because he was more attached to the guitar than the piano, he didn’t have much time to improve his technique.

However, apart from that, he and the piano had great chemistry.

In fact, when his piano performance was first shown to the world, he received more praise from numerous critics than he did for the guitar.

The weakness in technique meant that the expression of the music was not strong.

Usually, that would be a weakness, but unbelievably, it became his strength.

Most pianists try to express their unique thoughts through their interpretation of the work. But Youngchan only aims to bring out the best in the music.

Then, naturally, an unseen aesthetic was revealed.

The master who heard Youngchan’s piano performance at the charity concert left this review with a moved expression.

-His piano tone is so beautiful that it is incomparable.-

That’s why it’s a pity.

I never knew that the dilapidated concert hall’s failure to properly realize his tone would leave such regret.-

It seemed that he was greatly disappointed with the facilities, which were only there to provide a semblance of a charity event.

He wasn’t the only one who showed such disappointment at the time.

All the musicians present were lost in thought and sighed in regret.

Considering this, you can see how unique his piano tone is.

The melodies stretched out effectively and cleanly, and the chords were stacked firmly, each resonating with just the right amount of volume.

Debussy’s chords changed with different nuances even within the same measure.

Some sounds floated in the air, the next sound was taut like a rubber band, and another sound was heavy.

Considering his lack of technique, his current appearance is incomprehensible.

However, his absurd inspiration was able to replace his lack of technique, and thanks to that, such a performance became possible.

It was truly a miracle, but surprisingly, the ability to make such sounds was not a coincidence.

Originally, you have to be full to empty something.

But Youngchan stepped into the realm of emptying it without even being full.

His overwhelming talent allowed his inspiration to skip several steps and put him at the very end.

Thanks to this, he was able to adjust the degree of splendor as much as he wanted, and he was able to create melodies that the audience could focus on between the thick chords.

Perhaps he instinctively knew that he had reached such a level, which is why he didn’t invest much time in piano practice.

Like that, Youngchan’s absurd piano sonata Pathétique, Movement 2, maintained an emotional distance from the music that could have gone into melodrama, and sang elegantly and slowly.

At the same time, playing in time and with a simple tone was enough to endlessly shake the emotions of the listener.

-Ttan~ttan~······. Ttan.-

“Hoo…”

Youngchan, who was savoring the last note, let out a long sigh.

From the middle part onwards, he had to shake off the last of his emotions so as not to be buried in the overflowing inspiration that was incomparable to that world.

“How is it……”

Youngchan, who was taking a moment to collect his emotions, finally turned to where Ichiro was and lost his words.

-Drip, drip!-

Ichiro, with a unsightly face as if he was shedding all his tears and snot, was looking up at him.

Youngchan shook his head and approached him, helping him up, as Ichiro was kneeling as if he was making a confession, perhaps because his legs had given out.

It took a long time for Ichiro to regain his composure.

Even though he had regained his composure, he couldn’t completely suppress his emotions. Once aroused, the emotions shook his heart like a raging wave.

However, it was nothing compared to the shipwrecked state he had been in a moment ago.

“…Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Ichiro, who didn’t know what to say, could only utter such words of gratitude.

He didn’t know if it was because it reminded him of his forgotten memories with his father, or if it was gratitude for letting him hear such a piano performance from Youngchan.

So, Youngchan scratched the bridge of his nose and said,

“At this rate, the reaction at the concert won’t be bad, right?”

At Youngchan’s playful words, Ichiro shook his head greatly and replied with an infinitely serious expression.

“They won’t be able to listen to any other piano anymore. Just like I did.”

“…..”

Youngchan sighed inwardly at the absurd praise that couldn’t even be called praise.

It was because he realized that he could no longer see the image of Ichiro, whom he had met as a friend-like brother, in that figure.

+++++++++++++++++++

The 30,000 tickets were sold out in less than 10 minutes.

It was so fast that it made Kim Il-samchon [Uncle Kim], who had been anxious about what would happen if the tickets didn’t sell out, feel embarrassed.

Considering that this was the result of a delay due to Japan’s poor internet environment, the tickets would have originally sold out twice as fast.

“The S-class seats sold out first. Even though the price is 20,000 yen.”

The price of the concert tickets was set at 20,000 yen, even though the broadcasting station and several companies were advertising it, so it was set low.

This was the price set because the S-class seats were only about 500 seats due to the composition of the concert hall itself.

Amid such great interest, the concert preparations were going smoothly.

It is thanks to NK Broadcasting, which is preparing with all its might to the point where you might wonder if they should be preparing this much.

If you knew the circumstances, it wouldn’t be so strange.

This is because the special seats for this concert will be filled with high-ranking officials that Youngchan has established relationships with in Japan.

It is no exaggeration to say that even if only one or two people came, the CP [Chief Producer] or the head of the entertainment department, not the PD [Production Director], would have to step up, so it is no wonder that they are so nervous.

The opening guest will be the ‘G1 Band’.

Unfortunately, the G1 band did not win ‘Legends of Rock’.

It was partly because the opponent was strong, but it was also largely because they couldn’t take care of the children properly due to their activities.

Still, ‘Endorphin’ by the G1 band, which I wrote and composed and sang at ‘Legends of Rock’, was gaining immense popularity.

Although it failed to push out the veteran who has been at the top of the music charts for 7 weeks, Old Soldiers Never Die (90’S), it succeeded in taking the second place, beating out other songs that had been holding down the fort.

Sometimes it goes back and forth with Taeyang, who is in third place, but that is because the aftereffects of the syndrome still remain.

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