Ch. 170 - Side Story

Dang.

The student playing the grand piano in the lecture hall had a face stiff with tension.

Normally, Soohyun wouldn’t bother watching someone’s performance, but this time, he had made the effort. Students majoring in piano were sweating nervously under his gaze.

As Soohyun, wearing an unusually dark expression, narrowed his eyes.

The student at the piano was so startled that he hit the wrong key and abruptly stopped playing.

“… you don’t need to keep playing. I’ve heard enough.”

There were many shortcomings. What was a performer supposed to do if he didn’t even have the basics down?

Playing the piano wasn’t just about using one’s hands.

Even something seemingly unrelated, like one’s breathing, influenced the performance.

During the performance, the entirety of one’s focus had to be on the world of sheet music and the music itself.

What was wrong with students these days? Soohyun had offered to evaluate performances during his return to Korea.

But the level was far below what he had expected. He couldn’t help but frown.

He was well aware that his presence made the students nervous.

He had taken that into account while listening, but seeing their lack of basic competence made him sigh.

“I’m sorry —”

“No need to apologize to me. If you’re apologizing, it should be to the sheet music. You should record your own performance and listen to it. That’s the best way to identify what needs improvement. I didn’t mean to be harsh, but frankly, this performance was disappointing in many ways.”

As Soohyun’s words poured out, the students hung their heads, staring at the floor.

They wanted to say something, but what could they say to someone like Lee Soohyun, the world-class pianist who had won all three of the major international competitions?

When news spread that he would be teaching them, their hearts had been filled with excitement.

But now, faced with him in person, they couldn’t suppress the creeping sense of disappointment.

Had they set their expectations too high?

Perhaps Soohyun’s own standards had risen too far.

Given that he had spent his life among the world’s best.

No matter how promising the students here might be, many of them would likely never reach those lofty heights.

Rather than exhausting himself by dwelling on it, lowering his standards might be more practical.

Though the students flinched at every shift in his expression, Soohyun paid no attention to their reactions. Letting out a small sigh, he glanced around.

The gazes filled with admiration and longing still remained, but now there seemed to be an undercurrent of tension and fear.

Perhaps it was those feelings that were hindering their performances.

“… fine. Let’s start over from the beginning. We’ll use an easier piece this time—”

Bang!

Just as Soohyun resolved to adjust his approach, the sudden sound of the door bursting open broke his focus. He bit his lip in irritation, about to reprimand whoever had disrupted the lesson, when he turned to see a student standing hesitantly in the doorway.

“What’s going on?”

“Um… someone’s here to see you, Professor. She said she needed to meet with you immediately.”

“Can’t you see I’m in the middle of a class? Tell her to wait until I’m finished.”

“She said… if you hear the name Irene Yurice, you’ll understand.”

The moment he heard the name Irene, Soohyun froze, his hand hovering in mid-air. Then, brushing his hair back, he sighed.

If it had been anyone else, he would have refused outright, but Irene…? He couldn’t ignore that.

He couldn’t quite explain why, but sometimes, people simply had an instinctual pull toward something.

This was one of those moments. Without hesitation, Soohyun left the lecture hall, leaving the students behind.

#

‘… was I too harsh?’

Soohyun knew he had been unusually irritable during the lesson.

When he was disappointed with something he truly cared about, he couldn’t help but show it.

It had been the same in the past, like when he taught swordsmanship… no, wait. He had never taught anyone swordsmanship.

He didn’t know why such a thought had crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it and reflected on his recent actions.

Perhaps he had been too blatant. Irene Yurice — the name alone sounded feminine.

He worried that his actions might have given the impression he was rushing off to meet a girlfriend.

But at this point, there was no undoing his choice. Still, what could have brought Irene here?

After walking for some time, he arrived at his personal space, where Irene was already seated, waiting for him.

“You’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for quite a while.”

“What brings you here so suddenly, without any notice?”

“Did you reach out to me? Stop ignoring me all the time and check your messages more often.”

At those words, Soohyun checked his phone and found a single message from Irene, just as she had said.

I’ll visit today.

The message had arrived about thirty minutes ago.

Frowning slightly, Soohyun looked up to see Irene setting down her teacup with a bright smile.

“Well, I didn’t come because I had anything particularly important to say. I just had something to ask.”

“You could’ve just called for something like that.”

As Soohyun dropped onto the seat in front of her with a sigh, Irene gave him a dissatisfied look.

She had thought they’d grown close, but his frosty reaction made her feel at a loss.

Of course, Soohyun wasn’t acting cold on purpose. It was just… being alone with a woman like this felt awkward.

He didn’t know what to say, and the memory of something she had said earlier kept resurfacing, making him uncomfortable.

When someone openly showed interest, it was only natural to overthink things a bit.

Still, he wasn’t entirely unaware that he might have been a little rude, so he scratched his cheek awkwardly and spoke again.

“… it’s just, it was a bit sudden. No one’s ever dropped by like this before.”

“Get used to it. I plan on visiting like this often from now on.”

“What’s the question? If you came all this way to ask, it doesn’t seem like something trivial.”

“I’m participating in a recital soon. It’s not one of those solo ones like someone else might hold, but it’s with some notable musicians. I’m looking for an accompanist…”

At the mention of needing an accompanist, Soohyun narrowed his eyes. Irene flinched slightly and glanced down at the white paper she had been holding, forcing an awkward smile.

The paper, prepared by Lovena, was filled with anticipated reactions and the best responses to them.

Fortunately, one of those prepped responses matched Soohyun’s reaction, allowing Irene to answer smoothly after a quick cough.

“Well, I’d like you to be my accompanist. There’s… no one else I could ask but you.”

“… you want me to accompany you.”

Asking someone renowned as the world’s best pianist to be her accompanist.

It was a bold request for someone in the same music field.

It was also risky for Irene.

If her skills were lacking, her violin could be overshadowed by his playing, losing its unique voice.

“Are you sure? About me being your accompanist?”

Soohyun didn’t mind the idea itself. If it had been anyone else, he might have declined, but since it was Irene, whom he had recently grown interested in, he found himself willing to agree.

He liked the idea of being considered a close friend. It was enough to make him think accompanying her would be fine.

But in a recital setting, the accompanist would inevitably draw attention — attention that would shift to him instead of the violinist.

“Of course, I’m sure. Do you think I’d ask you without considering something like that?”

“Well… all right. I’ll accompany you.”

What mattered most to Irene was that Soohyun agreed.

She clenched her fist discreetly in a gesture of triumph, tucking the prepared paper back into her pocket, her gaze lingering on Soohyun.

His outfit today was similar to last time — a crisp white shirt paired with black suit pants.

But somehow, it suited him so well that she found herself lightly touching her reddened ears, her lips parting hesitantly.

“Hmm, hm.”

In truth, her reason for visiting wasn’t just to ask him to accompany her.

Though she had made the request, she hadn’t mentioned that the recital was only a few days away.

She’d been meaning to tell him earlier… but couldn’t muster the courage.

Now that she had brought it up, she struggled to find the right way to reveal that practice had to start immediately.

Her hands fidgeted on her lap, but Soohyun didn’t notice.

Lost in thought about the concept of being an accompanist, he suddenly voiced a question.

“So, when do we start practicing? I’ll need to adjust my schedule.”

“Ah, well, about that…”

The directness of his question caught Irene off guard, and her eyes widened.

If she suggested starting today, would he get upset? But she couldn’t keep it a secret, either. Finally, she lowered her head and muttered softly.

“… we’ll need to start today. The recital is in a week.”

“A week?”

“Yes, in a week.”

Soohyun glanced at her with a baffled expression, but Irene couldn’t meet his eyes and lowered her head even further.

Asking him to accompany her was already a bold move, but revealing that the recital was so soon?

Yet strangely enough, Soohyun didn’t feel angry. It was the sort of situation where frustration would be justified, given his tight schedule.

But for some reason, he… didn’t feel upset at all.

Curious at his own reaction, he simply replied in an even tone, without any hint of anger.

“Let’s start preparing, then. I don’t have much to do today anyway.”

In truth, he had more lessons to teach, but he had already decided to leave them to Chris.

Why was he lying, why was he trying to spend more time with Irene.

Soohyun wasn’t sure of himself. He only knew that he wanted to.

#

With her violin in hand, Irene stole a glance at Soohyun seated at the piano.

As always, the sight of him at the piano felt different.

More serious, more… absorbed in something profound.

Watching him focus entirely on the piano made him seem strikingly handsome, and Irene didn’t bother hiding her gaze.

“Aren’t you going to play?”

“… oh, I was just looking at you.”

Soohyun frowned slightly, and Irene responded with a playful smile, turning her head away.

Admitting she was staring because he was handsome felt far too embarrassing.