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“I wanted to give her a better violin.”
Chairman Go realized for the first time that his grandson was the kind of boy who could give such a cunning answer. As he stared at him, speechless, Seok-hyun laid out his reasoning with a serious face.
“Hee-jin Noona is really good. She only gets praise from the professors. But that violin sounded strange; it wasn't even at a level that could be called an instrument. I thought practicing with something like that would actually ruin Noona's talent. That's why I wanted her to receive Grandfather's sponsorship.”
His words sounded so desperate that they seemed to contain genuine sincerity. In fact, Seok-hyun's father, Go Young-hoon, was completely fooled, muttering, "I see, that was it," and remarking that his son had a kind heart.
However, Chairman Go felt a chill instead, and his expression hardened further. If it had been something done out of stupidity—a failure to distinguish between what should and should not be done—he could have simply taught him a harsh lesson. But Seok-hyun was skillfully dodging the point to justify his wrong action.
“You brat. Do you think you can fool your grandfather?”
“What?”
Chairman Go let out a sigh as he looked at his grandson, who questioned him with wide eyes. Such an innocent reaction. Anyone else would have been completely deceived.
“Did this grandfather tell you that he wouldn't provide sponsorship unless you broke the violin? If her skills were that outstanding, she would have naturally become a candidate for sponsorship after completing the music camp. If the instrument was the problem, there was a way for you to persuade me directly. Yet, Seok-hyun, you chose to destroy that child's violin. Why?”
Seok-hyun listened thoughtfully to his grandfather's words and nodded. Certainly, that was the correct way. He could have made Hee-jin receive the sponsorship without breaking the violin. After all, Chairman Go trusted the discernment of his most beloved grandson without doubt. In truth, he was a doting grandfather who would gladly grant his grandson's request even without such discernment.
“But I didn't want to.”
Seeing Seok-hyun smile as if it were exhilarating, claiming he broke it because he didn't like the violin, Chairman Go swallowed hard. Seok-hyun clenched and unclenched his hand a few times, as if recalling the sensation of smashing the violin.
“For a cheap thing with such a dirty sound...”
Looking at his grandson, who met his eyes as if seeking agreement, Chairman Go felt a chill run down his spine. The grandson, who was so precious he wouldn't hurt even if put in his eye, was twisted somewhere.
“It's wrong for her to have all of Noona's attention.”
✾ ✾ ✾
“…Are you going to divorce Mom?”
After returning from the music camp, Hee-jin met her father. Her father, who had been smiling and saying he was sorry for missing the closing ceremony and promising to attend the next competition, frowned at those words. As if he hadn't wanted to hear such things from Hee-jin. As if it were very awkward.
“Daddy is really sorry to Hee-jin.”
The apology filled in the touch as he stroked her hair weighed Hee-jin down. *If you're sorry, don't divorce Mom. We can just live together.* Hee-jin imagined herself shattering into pieces, just like the broken violin. What Go Seok-hyun had struck down was not the violin, but Yoo Hee-jin herself. Yoo Hee-jin, who had dreamed of nothing but living happily with her mother and father.
“Do you not like it?”
Chairman Go asked softly to Hee-jin, who was merely staring at the violin.
The new violin felt unfamiliar to Hee-jin. It was an old instrument made in France in the 1860s, prepared personally by Chairman Go Shin-jae.
Compared to the factory-made one she originally used, it might have been an excessive compensation. However, Hee-jin could still feel the sensation of her violin being smashed by Go Seok-hyun. Above all, that violin was a symbol of a happy family, bought for her by her father. That was why, no matter how expensive the replacement was, she couldn't be truly happy.
Chairman Go looked at Hee-jin quietly. She had a lovely appearance like a doll, but her eyes were dark and lifeless. Was the loss of the violin that shocking?
“Hee-jin. You should say thank you, right?”
“…Thank you.”
Seeing Hee-jin answer reluctantly under her mother's urging, Chairman Go gestured toward the violin. He wondered what it was about this child that had driven Seok-hyun to such an extent.
The talent Seok-hyun acknowledged. His grandson, who had grown up listening only to the greatest performances since he was in the womb, was not one to call just anyone "good."
“If you don't mind, please play for me.”
Hee-jin hesitated for a moment, then tucked the violin between her chin and shoulder and tuned the notes. Even the slightest brush of the bow against the strings created a deep resonance entirely different from her previous violin.
Hee-jin played the piece she had prepared for the closing ceremony recital as if it were a solo concert before Chairman Go, her eyes devoid of vitality. However, because effort does not betray, Hee-jin was able to deliver a more perfect performance than ever before. In fact, the emotions stemming from the feeling of being abandoned by her father contributed to doubling the musicality. Chairman Go's eyes flashed like a hawk at the skill that exceeded his expectations.
“How about sending her to study abroad? I shall help.”
“Study abroad?”
After applauding Hee-jin for finishing her performance, Chairman Go softly suggested studying abroad to Hee-jin's mother. As his grandson had guaranteed, Hee-jin's talent was superior to most prodigies. While she might not be called a once-in-a-decade genius, she had raised her level significantly through blood-sweating effort. Chairman Go deeply cherished promising talents with such tenacity. However, proposing study abroad now was not solely to let that talent bloom.
“The child's talent is exceptional. It would be a waste for her to collapse under rigid education.”
“I appreciate the offer, but...”
“If it is a financial matter, do not worry. If she registers for the Gio Cultural Foundation's promising youth development program, she will receive stable support until she enters university.”
Looking at Hee-jin's mother, who was unable to speak out of overwhelming emotion, Chairman Go swallowed a bitter smile. Cultivating a precious prospect was merely an excuse.
Chairman Go had already decided to send Seok-hyun to Canada. Because he was concerned about his violent tendencies, he had him consult a physician, and the result was Conduct Disorder. The problem was that such behavioral patterns had a high risk of leading to ASPD—Antisocial Personality Disorder—in adulthood.
He was told that his precious grandson was born with an extremely strong sense of possessiveness and desire. That his way of thinking was fundamentally different from ordinary people. The problem was that while he had a high IQ and was intelligent, he lacked empathy.
Since it was important to receive psychological and behavioral therapy as early as possible, he immediately looked into overseas treatment programs. If he received treatment domestically, it would likely cause a stir, so it had to be handled as quietly as possible. He could not let rumors spread that the grandson of the Gio Group was a sociopath.
Seok-hyun had pleaded to live with Hee-jin, almost as if he wanted to keep a puppy. With his eloquent speech, he created reasons why he should keep Hee-jin by his side and provide intensive support, but he couldn't deceive Chairman Go's eyes.
Therefore, to thwart Seok-hyun's claims, he proposed studying abroad to "provide the most optimal educational environment for Hee-jin." Then, Seok-hyun would no longer be able to be stubborn and would quietly receive treatment.
“Study abroad...?”
Hee-jin's expression stiffened at the explanation that studying abroad meant going to a foreign country to learn from a great teacher. Hee-jin's mother passionately argued the advantages of studying abroad, fearing her daughter might say she didn't want to go due to her young age, but it was unnecessary.
“I understand. I'll go study abroad.”
Before hearing a few more words, Hee-jin nodded and said she would go. She didn't even need to be told that her father wasn't coming with her.
When Mom and Dad fought, Mom had shouted several times, "Do you want to raise another man's child while leaving your own daughter behind?" She couldn't not know that there was someone else her father wanted to live with.
Because she didn't want to believe it, she thought that if she did well, she could change her father's heart. But now, everything was wrong. Even if she stayed in Korea, she couldn't live with her father.
If so, all that remained for Hee-jin was the violin. The violin she had clung to desperately to receive her parents' love. Looking at the violin that still felt unfamiliar in her hands, Hee-jin thought she wanted to go abroad quickly.
“Thank you, Chairman. Thank you so much.”
Looking at Hee-jin's mother, who could only repeat her gratitude over and over, Chairman Go nodded. In any case, considering the future of a child like Yoo Hee-jin, it was not a bad proposal, so there was no reason to refuse. An unprepared life abroad would have its own hardships, but any parent would endure that much sacrifice for their child's future.
Finally, Chairman Go gazed intently at Hee-jin. Whether she would reappear before him as a great musician or disappear after collapsing along the way was unknown, but for a moment, he sincerely wished for Hee-jin's bright future.
✾ ✾ ✾
Seok-hyun had to board the plane as if he were being forcibly kidnapped. Saying he didn't want to go didn't work.
It was his grandfather's instruction to admit him into a behavioral correction program at a health center in Canada. It was a program designed to improve the social adaptability of adolescents and train them in emotional management.
In the program, which handled both cognitive behavioral therapy and education, Seok-hyun received various psychological lessons and learned about the impact of his actions on others. On the surface, it seemed very effective. Throughout the completion process, he was evaluated as having a stable psychological state and a way of thinking that did not lean toward extremes.
However, all of that was merely superficial. Seok-hyun did not regret his actions in the slightest.
Breaking the violin? He knew from the beginning that it was a wrong action. And that he shouldn't have done it. But in the end, everything went exactly as he expected.
The moment the violin broke, Hee-jin looked only at him. He had achieved what he wanted. Above all, it wasn't only a bad thing for Hee-jin. Thanks to him, she received a great violin. Now she didn't have to suffer because of that strange violin. Wasn't that enough?
“I miss Hee-jin Noona.”
He had no time to waste in a place like this. Seok-hyun silently endured an unquenchable thirst, waiting only for the day he could see Hee-jin again.
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