Starting with Vincent, then Jamal and Sarah Stewart.
And finally Rise… The work in the United States was finished.
Playing with truly professional instruments made the process so smooth it bordered on boring, wrapping up in the blink of an eye.
Of course, that was by Hyunseung’s standards.
Due to the back-to-back, non-stop sessions, Sarah had to go into a deep slumber, and Rise had to head straight for skin care.
From Korea to the United States.
The long continuum of work had finally reached its conclusion.
When working in Korea, Jayble had helped, and every instrument had obediently followed Hyunseung’s schedule, making it smooth sailing, but still.
Having composed well over a dozen songs and directed them all, Hyunseung was utterly exhausted.
Even so, his mind was at ease, as if he had finally finished homework that had been put off for far too long.
With the nerve in one ear still not fully recovered, he had accomplished something he himself had doubted was even possible.
Naturally, one could never truly know the results until the tracks were released.
Yet, from prominent top singers to long-standing veteran vocalists, none of them had noticed the condition of his ear, so couldn’t this already be considered a success?
As always, the commercial results were the company’s problem.
Above all, this wasn’t a project he had begun hoping for great chart performances.
It was merely a modest gift filled with gratitude for the instruments who must have waited and worried for him.
And a preliminary sketch to paint a much grander picture.
So, what was next?
He couldn’t just keep painting forever, so he needed to take a short breather.
Ah.
Of course, before that….
“Hello, my name is Min Hyunseung. I’m calling at the request of Mr. Baek Gyuho.”
He had to handle one last remaining piece of homework.
“I would like to meet with you once, if you have the time?”
Through him, Hyunseung intended to prove ‘himself’ once more.
According to Baek Gyuho…
Before the accident, regardless of commercial success, Hyung Jinwoo had consistently released albums and appeared on the radio.
Because of his love for drinking, he was so sociable that he routinely came home late. But on that day, when he was struck by a speeding car skidding in the rain.
That is to say, to be precise….
From the day he lost sight in both eyes and hearing in one ear, he had stopped meeting anyone—even his long-time friends Baek Gyuho and Moon Beomjae.
Never having married, he lived entirely alone without a wife or children.
Would such a man even consider singing again?
No, more fundamentally, would he even grant a meeting?
— That fellow has done something completely unnecessary. Tomorrow is the day the housekeeper visits, so I will have her leave the address for you.
Hyunseung had been deeply worried, but hearing that the contact was made through Baek Gyuho’s request, the man thankfully did not refuse.
Even if his tone was far from welcoming.
Still, wasn’t this already a blessing?
If he himself were blind, deaf in one ear, and living alone, he would have been intensely guarded if some young stranger asked to meet.
Yes, just being granted a meeting was something to be grateful for.
Besides, this was someone he had wanted to meet ever since his past life.
Without hesitation, Hyunseung quietly headed back to Korea.
[ Where is our precious boy? ]
[ I bought coffee.. ]
[ Nothing’s wrong, right? ]
[ Get some good rest and see you soon ]
Perhaps because Hyunseung had returned to Korea instead of showing up at the company building every day, Kim Woohyun sent a barrage of worried texts.
[ Out on a picnic in Korea ]
Since he would worry, he ought to send at least one reply.
Kim Woohyun had already learned about his current ear condition through Lee Duseok, so it was easy to picture just how anxious he would be, given his personality.
‘Seriously, as a newlywed, he should be focusing on his wife instead….’
Hyunseung chuckled softly and shoved his phone back into his pocket. Soon after, he stepped out of the car.
Brushing off the rising cloud of dust, he began to walk.
Upon Hyunseung’s face lurked deep fatigue.
Having driven for over four hours straight from the airport, it was only natural to be drowsy. Toward the end of the trip, the road hugged the mountain in steep, winding curves, and past a certain point, it wasn’t even properly paved.
To think unpaved roads still existed.
It had been an eternity since he had visited a countryside this remote. It was clear how desperately the man had wished to hide away from human contact. It made sense.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a doorbell like this.”
Standing solitary without even a common convenience store nearby, the tile-roofed house brought back memories of his grandmother’s countryside home from summer vacations.
In short, it was the perfect place for a life of seclusion.
Ding-dong!
Though the wooden gate was unlocked, he pressed the bell so as not to startle him.
After waiting in front of the gate for quite some time.
“Who is it?”
A man wearing sunglasses called out from between the gates.
“I’m Min Hyunseung, the one who asked to visit.”
“The gate is open, come on in.”
With that, he turned straight around and walked back into the house.
Even from the back, he was vastly different from the image Hyunseung remembered. Though he had only seen him on television, he had possessed a gentle face and a reasonably healthy physique.
Above the sunglasses, the hardships of time had etched deep, harsh wrinkles into his face, and his body was so withered that he looked ready to collapse at any moment.
Judging by his shoulders slumping as if to graze the ground, his confidence seemed to have completely vanished as well.
Step, step.
Yet his stride was remarkably decisive, so much so that no one would have guessed he was blind.
Indeed. Like a man who had calculated dozens of times the exact angle and number of steps required to get from the gate to the front door.
“Excuse me.”
Not wanting to lose him, Hyunseung followed closely behind and entered the house.
The interior was surprisingly tidy. Or perhaps describing it as barren was more accurate.
“Take a seat on the sofa.”
The living room he pointed to contained only a sofa, an old television, and a single clock hanging on the wall.
There wasn’t even a common display cabinet or a side table.
Likely, because it was his main living area, he had cleared away everything he might trip over.
Just then, the cuckoo model on the wall clock chimed repeatedly, announcing that it was twelve o’clock.
“It seems to be lunch time, but all I can offer right now is water or juice.”
“Water is more than enough.”
“By the way, I believed you were in the United States, but it seems you were in Korea.”
“I was in the United States.”
At Hyunseung’s answer, Hyung Jinwoo, who was handing him a glass of water as he sat on the sofa, flinched in surprise.
“Since you arrived just a day after I sent the address, I assumed you were in Seoul.”
“Right after I first contacted you, I departed immediately. For Seoul.”
“What if I had changed my mind?”
“Well, what choice would I have had? I would have kept reaching out, just like visiting a thatched cottage three times.”
With that, he let out a faint, soundless chuckle.
Because the atmosphere had felt rather grim, Hyunseung had expected a conversation devoid of laughter.
Yet, perhaps because it had been so long since he had spoken to another person, the elder seemed fairly pleased.
Above all.
A junior so much younger speaking with such sly charm would inevitably look endearing.
“Now, tell me.”
However, tossing his sunglasses aside with an expression that settled heavily like the dense dawn fog, he asked:
“Why has the composer who is supposedly doing so well these days come looking for a washed-up singer who has lost his sight and his hearing?”
In an instant, Hyunseung’s heart sank so deep it nearly plunged to the floor.
If the man had been able to see, he might have snapped, asking why he looked so shocked.
Hyunseung couldn’t hide his startled expression.
And for good reason.
Across the man’s eye area ran a long diagonal scar, as if deeply slashed by something sharp.
And his pupils, devoid of both light and focus, merely stared into empty space.
“Ahem.”
Soon, Hyunseung pretended nothing was wrong and continued his answer.
“I thought you might have heard roughly about it from Mr. Baek Gyuho….”
“Baek Gyuho, that fellow tends to take his jokes way too far, normally.”
He surely wasn’t asking because he genuinely didn’t know.
“It’s likely not a joke.”
He simply wanted to believe it was a lie.
“Because today, I brought a song I made for you, sir.”
That it made no sense.
That a young, successful composer would step forward to give a song to someone blind and deaf in one ear was an outright lie.
Much like his father, who had stopped believing hopeful words from the hospital claiming his ear might be healed.
“Mr. Baek Gyuho and Mr. Moon Beomjae asked me. They asked me to help you make a comeback.”
“They’ve done something entirely useless. First of all, I have no intention of making a comeback.”
Hyung Jinwoo pushed himself up from his seat and added:
“The thought of wanting to help is touching, but I have no need for such petty pity. When you finish your water, please leave.”
His words contained deep distrust along with hostility.
It was an entirely understandable emotion. So rather than feeling offended, an inexplicable stubbornness welled up instead.
Especially because, even in the way he spoke, a distinct vibration roared that he wasn’t dead yet.
His voice was the one thing he had maintained impeccably.
For someone who claimed to have no intention of making a comeback.
Therefore, the more he talked with him, the more a stubborn desire surged to show him.
That usually, just as life is completely unpredictable, occurrences known as ‘miracles’ do happen.
Yes.
Just as he had defied time and returned.
Just as his father’s ear was gradually improving.
And just as he himself could flawlessly complete work just like any other day, even with one ear damaged.
“Please listen to the song first before you make your judgment.”
He wanted to let him know, too.
“……”
That a miracle might just happen.
“Would you do that for me?”
And that right now was the moment opening the floodgates to that miracle.
“I brought it on a cassette tape. The audio quality is a bit lower, but you can listen to it just by pressing this one button.”
Hyunseung placed a small, portable cassette player into Hyung Jinwoo’s hand, guided the elder’s index finger, and pressed the play button.
Click.
Then, the tape inside began to turn, and a blues melody flowed out.
—♫♫♫
Just as Hyung Jinwoo started in surprise at the melody.
Click.
This time, Hyunseung pressed the stop button himself. Hyung Jinwoo smacked his lips in apparent regret, but Hyunseung pretended not to notice and spoke.
“I will wait in Korea, with the persistence of visiting three times, until you contact me, sir.”
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“Because someone also held onto me with that same persistent heart, and thanks to them, I am living a miraculous life right now.”
Hyunseung stood up from his seat with those final words.
“I’ll be taking my leave now. Thank you for the water, sir.”
He bowed his head toward the man who could not see him.
Leave a Reply