Arriving at Sarah Stewart’s concert hall, Hyunseung’s family, thanks to Sarah Stewart’s consideration, were able to sit in the second-floor VIP section with no waiting.
“Wow, there are so many people…”
Looking down at the standing area on the first floor, Hyuna clicked her tongue. Even in the darkness, the lights of cell phones flashed among the huge crowd, like a Milky Way spread across the night sky.
If they had not had VIP invitations, they would not only have had to wait outside, they would have had to squeeze in like bean sprouts among that crowd to watch.
─ It feels different from the concerts we saw in Korea.
Their father also seemed fascinated; while signing, he kept busy scanning the inside of the concert hall.
‘Amazing.’
He had invited them to the K-Sings final stage where he had participated as a judge, but this was the first time they had all come to watch a concert together like this.
“Oppa.”
Just then, his sister called to him as if something did not sit right with her.
“Why are you calling me?”
“But did you have to come wearing the helmet?”
“You never know.”
“Wearing that makes you stand out even more.”
At that, Hyunseung scratched the back of his helmet.
Well…
The flame-mark helmet was like HS’s symbol, so if any Koreans in attendance at the concert saw it, they would know at once that he was HS.
“Mm….”
He hesitated over whether to take it off.
“But it looks cool.”
He pulled the helmet down even lower.
Presently, as if the concert was about to start, a deeper darkness settled over the stage.
Soon after, brilliant lights poured down again onto the stage, and Sarah Stewart appeared.
‘But…’
Narrowing his eyes, Hyunseung stared at Sarah Stewart’s face on the big screen.
‘Her face…’
He could have sworn she had been skinny like a stick until recently, but now it looked like her cheeks were fuller. Was it just his imagination? Or was it swelling?
Thinking of Hyuna icing her face this morning, saying it was puffy, he nodded as if that could be it.
─ ♬ ♬ ♬
A strong intro rang out and cheers erupted from the audience.
“Oh?!”
Hyuna smacked her palms together with a “clap!” and said,
“No way, awesome! Looks like she’s going to sing ‘Look at me’ as the opening song!”
“Such a fuss.”
“Are you not surprised? This is your song!”
Hyunseung nodded to mean he understood. Singers usually performed their main representative song or a new track as the opening song of their concert.
It was not surprising to sing “Look at me,” the title track of the most recently released album.
More than that, in his previous life too, many singers used the songs Hyunseung had given them as the opening songs of their concerts.
Why?
Because the songs he made often became hits to the point of being called that singer’s signature track.
So it was not surprising at all.
─ What do you know about me?
If there was one surprising point now…
─ Yeah, just do whatever you want.
It was that Sarah Stewart’s skill had improved far more than he had expected.
He had thought her strength was creating a free atmosphere and playing with a song as if she were toying with it….
How should he put it…?
It was like solid vocal production and a firm resonance had been added.
─ If you’re happy when you curse at me, do it.
What was certain was that the amount of practice was far higher than he had thought.
Right. Opening up one’s placement or voice does not happen overnight.
Even with countless repetitions of practice, there are those who never manage it.
─ But I won’t curse you.
Every time Sarah Stewart brought the microphone to her lips, the crowd cheered.
─ I’m busy loving myself.
Soon the song ended, and blackout returned to the stage.
Even if he had made it himself, it was a moment to confirm once more that it was indeed a song that could bring out a new charm of Sarah Stewart.
‘Next time I perform it, it will be even more fun.’
Thinking that, satisfied, Hyunseung gave a small nod.
Before long, the concert was heading toward its finale.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
Sarah Stewart sang from recently released new tracks to unreleased songs scheduled for release…
Sprinkling in talk segments here and there, she kept the audience engaged so there was no time to feel bored.
“Oppa, I knew Sarah Stewart unnie was good, but seeing her in person is definitely different!”
“She is good, so of course she is popular. By the way, is she really your unnie?”
“She is older than me, okay!”
“Did you check exactly? From here and from there, you look more like the older one.”
“No, I don’t!”
“Shh, yelling like that in a concert hall is rude.”
At his words, Hyuna covered her mouth and said, “Ah, sorry….”
In truth, it would not have been a problem.
Since they were in the VIP seats, no one was sitting around them, and this place was filled with cheers to begin with.
It was just…
Watching his sister so excited and giddy made him want to tease her.
Poke, poke.
Hyunseung jabbed his sister’s shoulder again, smirking.
“But what are you going to do if your face never shows up on the big screen even once? You pulled every stunt since last night.”
“When did I pull every stunt?”
“You did a pack, you put on makeup, and before that you even practiced singing in case they handed you the mic, remember?”
“That was just in case…”
“Should I ask Sarah Stewart right now to let you show off the singing skills you have nurtured since Korea?”
“N-no!”
“Or at least wave your hand to ask them to put your face on the big screen.”
“Forget it!”
With Hyuna barking back, Hyunseung brought his index finger to his lips and added softly, “Shh, shh.”
“You should not shout like that.”
“Ah, mm… sorry….”
Watching his sister shrink again, Hyunseung was snickering with a mischievous face when
Bang!
Suddenly the lights went out.
When a faint light was cast, Sarah Stewart appeared in a changed outfit.
─ ♬ ♬ ♬
At that, Hyunseung’s eyebrow twitched. From the intro playing, it seemed to be “Black angel,” which he had arranged, but she had come out wearing an earset mic rather than holding a handheld mic.
Was that not strange?
“Black angel” was built in a dark minor key, not the kind of song to add choreography or dance, yet she was wearing an earset mic.
“Hm…”
With a serious face, Hyunseung stared intently at the stage.
“Is there a problem?”
Finding this strange, Hyuna looked at him and asked.
“No, just…”
He trailed off, letting out a low hum.
“Watching you like that makes you look like a producer doing a very professional monitoring.”
Beaming, she gave him two thumbs up.
“Geez…”
Feeling oddly embarrassed, Hyunseung scratched the back of his head (*helmet).
Drrrrk, drrrrk.
At the same time, an unpleasant scraping noise was heard.
─ Come deep into the darkness
Sarah Stewart’s rich low register wrapped around the hall.
He knew her voice was good, but hearing it in this immense space, the resonance rolling along the ceiling was different, and it was astonishing.
─ Come deep into the darkness.
But there was something that surprised him even more.
─ You can come in more.
It was that Sarah Stewart’s hands were cutting the air nonstop as they moved.
That was definitely….
Yes.
International sign language.
─ Don’t be scared.
Sarah Stewart was not simply moving her hands in sign; with varied expressions and gentle body movement, she expressed the rhythm and emotion contained in the song.
In other words, she was using the language of sign as a performance.
“Ah…”
Only then did Hyunseung realize why Sarah Stewart had been pestering him.
Why she had told him to come to her concert, and why she had insisted he bring his family.
‘She wanted me to see this with my family.’
Had she not stayed at Hyunseung’s home when she was in Korea?
Since she had learned then that his father could not hear, she must have thought of this kind of performance.
“Ha…”
A hollow laugh slipped between Hyunseung’s parted lips.
It was truly a performance and an event he had not imagined.
Turning his head, he saw his father’s profile.
In his father’s eyes, in this very moment, there was a sparkle like a boy who had met his favorite robot.
He knew that the performance Sarah Stewart was showing was in sign language.
Of course, since it was international sign, he would not understand it exactly.
Even so, even more deeply than taking it in through a score with his eyes, he seemed to be holding it in his heart.
Right. Perhaps today was the day he truly held music in his heart…
Ah. As his son, why had he never thought of this?
Had he thought that simply supporting research funds for hearing regeneration and donating to Deaf organizations was everything he could do for his father?
At this moment, right now….
Hyunseung felt a little ashamed, a little mortified. It felt like getting smacked hard in the back of the head from an unexpected place.
Just then, Sarah Stewart lifted her moving hands and stretched them high to the sky for a moment.
─ Darkness isn’t a bad thing.
Then, finishing in a flourish by freely swooping down to the floor as if flying, she brought the performance to a close.
Clap, clap-clap, clapclapclapclap—!
At the same time, applause burst from the standing area.
Clap, clap-clap, clapclapclapclap, clapclapclapclap—!
Soon the people in the reserved seats jumped to their feet and gave ear-splitting standing ovations.
The hall suddenly fell into a frenzy.
But only Hyunseung’s family could offer no response.
“…”
Silence flowed among the three of them.
“…H-hrrmph….”
Breaking that silence, squeezed out through a narrow gap, was Hyuna’s sob.
“Hic, hic, nghk, kk….”
The sobbing gradually swelled like a river bursting through a dam.
Before long, Hyuna gripped her father’s hand tightly and broke into tears.
At that, their father, startled, stroked Hyuna’s head.
“H-hey, why are you crying?”
Flustered, Hyunseung fumbled out the tissues he had brought.
Then with a deeply flushed face, Hyuna spoke.
“Hic, th-thank you….”
At those words, without a word, Hyunseung wiped the tears falling from Hyuna’s eyes with the tissues.
“Sniff, huaaang, th-thank you….”
She was probably speaking to Sarah Stewart.
Yes. She wanted to express thanks for giving their father an unforgettable memory on their behalf.
Pat, pat.
As he soothed Hyuna’s back, Hyunseung made up his mind.
Clench.
He would carve into his heart the shame he felt today.
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