Volume 7 / Chapter 232
TL: LightNovelCafe
Editor: adkji
“Wow – Jang Jun Hyuk! You were really cool yesterday. So much charisma.”
“My looks have always worked out a bit. Even the top camera men in New York admired it. He he.”
Lawyer Baek Seung Ho quietly called Jun Hyuk out early in the morning while he was still half asleep. Jun Hyuk held his yawn back and took the coffee that Baek Seung Ho held out to him.
“You didn’t call me out this early in the morning to compliment me on my charisma, did you? Oh, I included Lawyer Bae – oh – uncle’s name yesterday as well. So you wouldn’t be sad.” Baek Seung Ho glared at him when he said lawyer, and Jun Hyuk quickly changed it.
“Yeah, uncle. How great is it? Much friendlier. Anyway, there’s something I need to tell you from yesterday’s press conference. I’m talking to you alone so that we can handle the legal matters tidily.”
“Huh? Isn’t it all settled?”
“It has been with the press and socially. I’m sure most of the people claiming to be your parents will shrink back. Since you revealed your end of it, they’ll know that they’ll be in big trouble if they keep hanging on.”
“Then, what’s the problem?”
“Money.”
Baek Seung Ho tried to speak as calmly as possible. He is trying to talk about deciding through reason and not emotion.
“You’re an adult. No one can touch the money you’ve made. Not even your biological parents.”
“Then, what’s the problem? Isn’t it over?”
Jun Hyuk knows fully well that this has happened because of money. That is why he revealed that not even his biological parents will be able to claim rights to his money during the press conference.
***
This situation is not comfortable for Baek Seung Ho, but he needs to forget his personal feelings. He needs to be loyal to his role as a lawyer by advising his client in the best way possible.
“The problem is when you die. You…”
“So the problem is who gets the inheritance in my will.”
Baek Seung Ho was surprised by the calm way Jun Hyuk spoke.
“Doesn’t Yoon Kwang Hun become the heir?”
“Kwang Hun is just a legal guardian. This lost all validity once you became an adult.
Strictly speaking, he’s a stranger now.”
Jun Hyuk could tell what Baek Seung Ho was trying not to say. If something happens to him, his biological parents are able to claim all rights.
“I see. Then, it’s clear what method is left. I can write a will.”
Jun Hyuk talked about a will as easily as he would a score. Baek Seung Ho was the one surprised by Jun Hyuk’s attitude.
“Well this… money is scary, isn’t it? Even a middle-aged man like me who could die and it would be normal, hasn’t had to think about it, but you’re only in your 20s and you need to write one.”
A will is only a record of who will be receiving the inheritance he has saved until his death. It is just a document that is unnecessary if there is nothing to leave behind, but if that inheritance is large, age is irrelevant.
“It’s laughable, but I’m thinking it’s good to be prepared just in case. Leaving a will written up could be the best thing to do. Of course you can change the content whenever you want to. You can change it when you get married or have kids.”
Baek Seung Ho spoke with difficulty while there was no change in Jun Hyuk’s expression.
“And this is included in client attorney confidentiality, so I won’t tell anyone about what you include. Right now, I’m talking as your lawyer and not your uncle.”
“Great. Lawyer Baek! Then, I’ll tell you after thinking for a bit. It won’t take long. I’ll resolve it before we leave Korea after the concert. That’s okay?”
“Of course. Take your time. And there’s something I heard from people writing their wills.”
Baek Seung Ho smiled for the first time.
“They said that they don’t think about their deaths when they’re writing their wills. Instead, they imagine the people around them and can know their real thoughts on those people. How much they love those people and how much they hate them. That comes out in the will.”
“I’m sure that means they’re looking back.”
“Yeah. Vividly.”
Jun Hyuk looked refreshed and laughed.
“Seems like it’ll be fun. He he. And it seems I really am unique. I have to do such strange things.”
“I’ll say. I didn’t know I’d have to say something like this so early in the morning.” They laughed for a while and then went to eat breakfast.
***
As anyone could guess, the word that dominated the search engine immediately following the interview is Jang Jun Hyuk.
People who appeared late as his biological parents were already being hit by public opinion and Jun Hyuk’s interview brought results with public support. Therefore, it seemed that this problem had sunk and would be difficult to bring up again.
The attention to Jun Hyuk’s personal history was moved to the concert, but the Korean company responsible for promotions felt like they could have cheered in joy. The broadcasting station that planned to record and air it changed the direction.
The time of the recording was not decided, but the live broadcast was confirmed for a golden time over the weekend and sponsors got in line to secure ad space on the billboard inside the concert hall.
“Jun. What do you think about resting today? I’ll ask the Seoul Symphony about it. They’ll understand if they saw the interview yesterday.”
Tara felt bad for Jun Hyuk, who was busy from early in the morning. However, Jun Hyuk had already gotten completely dressed and left the hotel without seeming tired at all.
“It’s okay. I can’t just sit blankly in the hotel. Seoul Symphony doesn’t have just 1 or 2 people, but dozens. I don’t want to cause an inconvenience. And it’s good because I don’t think about anything else when we perform together.”
The first day of rehearsals at the Arts Center began with Grieg’s piano concerto. While Jun Hyuk was in rehearsal, Alvin Lee and Colin went looking around Seoul and handled their promotion schedules.
Colin is not known at all in Korea, but it was not enough time for Alvin lee who once made news all over the world.
“How are there no female fans?”
“Alvin. I get treated like I’m a session man for Alvin’s band. Just be satisfied.”
While they were arguing, Jun Hyuk was acting as the Seoul Symphony’s conductor and music director.
“Maestro Jun, so we meet like this. Oh right. I’m sure using Jun is better than Jang since it’s more commonly used all over the world?”
“Hello, sir. Just call me comfortably by my name.”
“Nonsense. Don’t undermine the minimal way I can express respect.”
Jung Sae Myung’s hair is spotted with white and he smiled and drank tea while sitting across from Jun Hyuk.
Jung Sae Myung was active in Europe, including France, so Seoul Symphony Orchestra is special to him. It is the first place that gave him the title of standing conductor and he has held that position for 7 years while developing the Seoul Symphony into a great instrument. Seoul Symphony is also where he was able to fully take on his role as conductor.
They had been able to consistently release albums in Korea, where the market for classical is small, because of Jung Sae Myung’s power. However, he also knows that there is a limit to the Seoul Symphony’s ability to be at the level of world-renowned orchestras.
Jung Sae Myung can never become A+, but the effort he put into being A- exceeds A+.
So to him, Jun Hyuk is a phenomenal presence. He conducted the New York Philharmonic without any special school or effort, and there are a lot of orchestras that would love to take him on if he agreed to do so now. Looking at Jun Hyuk who achieved what he can never do even after working his whole life in 2 to 3 years, he could not hide a strange feeling.
“But sir, why did you choose Grieg’s song? I was expecting you to choose Tchaikovsky.”
“Why Tchaikovsky?”
“Because I felt regret.”
“Regret, you say…..”
Jung Sae Myung looked at Jun Hyuk with hooded eyes.
“I went to watch Seoul Symphony a lot before I went to the U.S. It’s something that I felt then, but it seemed like you love Tchaikovsky most.”
“But why did you feel regret? When as you say, I love Tchaikovsky most?”
“Because for the audience’s sake, Seoul Symphony needs to perform more Beethoven or Mozart than Tchaikovsky.”
“Ha ha. Well. You’re a regular profiler. You’re saying you realized all of that through the music alone? But why did you think that we would do Tchaikovsky for this concert?”
Jung Sae Myung felt burdened when Jun Hyuk said that he had come to watch his own performances often. If he is not able to show that he has grown over time, his abilities and the orchestra will just become frogs trapped in a well.
“This might be the first time that the Seoul Symphony is performing for an audience of 80,000. I thought that you would want to show all of those people Tchaikovsky, since this kind of opportunity is rare.”
“You’re right. But I’m not an amateur who can only perform the music that I like. Since it’s a job with a high salary, the priority is to satisfy the audience.”
“Then, wouldn’t Beethoven or Mozart have been better?”
“No. There isn’t anyone who doesn’t know that the main event of this concert isn’t Seoul
Symphony, but your band. We’re just supporting performers.”
“Is that the reason why you chose Grieg?”
“Most of the people who will gather in Sangam-dong are not interested in classical music. Even so, playing Beethoven or Mozart is tired out so I chose Grieg’s concerto. They don’t know Grieg very well, but everyone moves along to the music with the piano concerto comes out. It’s a song that people have heard often before.”
“If they weren’t expecting it but hear a song that they’re familiar with, they’ll concentrate. Is it a strategy?”
“Since a concert is all a show. Don’t you think it needs to be fun? Oh, and there’s another advantage to this song.”
It had not crossed Jun Hyuk to keep the entire concert with pop music in mind when choosing the song. Jung Sae Myung’s selection after considering multiple variables is surprising.
“This song is short. It’s over after just 30 minutes. The audience will come prepared to have fun. We can’t bore those people out. Dragging it out any longer is selfish.”
“You’re very different from what I had thought?”
“What had you thought? Old-fashioned? Full of a sense of authority?”
Jun Hyuk did not respond. An image that everyone has, one of aristocratic authority where they are lost in their own worlds. Jung Sae Myung, on the other hand, is almost overly honest.
“A visiting conductor can keep his pride. But the moment you become a standing conductor, there’s something more important. It’s a professional band, so you can’t ignore money. You need to find adequate compromise with money in one hand and music in the other.”
Seoul Symphony are just supporting performers for Jun Hyuk and the band. Money is heavy in this concert. Jung Sae Myung’s face is smiling, but he does not look like he is entirely comfortable.
“Then, shall we go? The orchestra is dying to see if your abilities are really as the rumors say.”