Translator: Nox

Sponsorship Stigma

Chapter 29

Bound for Seoul

Yeonjae squeezed Jiwoo’s hand a little tighter.

Crowds of shoppers bustled past them in every direction.

Unaware of the tension in her grasp, the little boy was too busy looking around with wide, curious eyes.

Yeonjae turned her head at the sound of a voice beside them.

“Seoha, did you tell Jiwoo’s mother thank you? You should thank her. We get to see the concert because of them.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

Standing beside them, Seoha gave Yeonjae a polite bow.

After greeting her with a prim little face, Seoha straightened up with perfect posture.

“Oh, no, it’s nothing. Both Seoha and Jiwoo worked so hard, which is why he gave them to us.”

“My goodness, Jiwoo’s mom, you always say things so nicely. Thanks to you, we even got to come to Seoul.”

Hyekyung laughed, giving Yeonjae’s forearm a playful pat.

When Yeonjae had handed over the ticket, she told Hyekyung that Jeheon had arranged it.

Hyekyung was surprised at first, but quickly accepted it. She had wondered how anyone could get their hands on such rare tickets, but remarked that it made sense coming from CEO Gu.

Jiwoo had also been thrilled to hear that Seoha was coming along, so it turned out well for everyone.

“I heard this place is all the rage these days, but I never have any reason to visit Seoul, you know?”

Hyekyung glanced around, taking in the bustling D Department Store.

It was a newly opened department store in Yeouido, famous for its stunning interior.

Yeonjae had heard about it often enough, but like Hyekyung, she rarely had a reason to come to Seoul.

Once she mentioned that they were going to the concert together, Hyekyung had eagerly looked into various places. She insisted there was somewhere they had to visit before the evening concert and guided them here.

Yeonjae had initially considered exploring separately since it was so crowded, but now that they were here, she was glad they had stayed together.

Jiwoo stayed glued to Seoha’s side, turning his head every which way to take everything in.

That innocent, sparkling look in his eyes only ever appeared when he was next to Seoha.

“Mom!”

Yeonjae looked up at the familiar voice ringing in her ears.

Before she knew it, Jiwoo and Seoha were standing in front of a flower shop, waving at her.

“Yes, sweetie?”

“Jiwoo wants to buy flowers! Flowers!”

The boy beamed innocently, pointing at the myriad of blooms displayed outside the shop.

Looking at him, the past few days flashed through Yeonjae’s mind. Jiwoo had grown noticeably brighter ever since the trip to Seoul was confirmed.

She had been worried because he had seemed so subdued lately, but seeing him now took a weight off her chest.

Her steps felt much lighter as she walked over.

“What kind of flowers do you want to buy?”

Yeonjae approached the two children, who were crouched down together.

They were pointing with their tiny hands, chattering about something.

Noticing Yeonjae and Hyekyung approaching, the children lifted their heads.

“I want to buy a bouquet to say congratulations.”

“For the concert?”

“Yes!”

Yeonjae crouched down to meet Jiwoo’s eye level.

Jiwoo’s eyes darted between the different flowers.

With so many varieties to choose from, he seemed to be agonizing over his decision.

In Yeonjae’s eyes, it was utterly adorable.

“Do you think Jepkin likes flowers too?”

“Of course. Performers are always happy when the audience gives them flowers.”

Watching him choose with such solemn deliberation was heart-meltingly lovely.

Yeonjae rested her chin in her hand, watching her son.

Having made up his mind, Jiwoo pointed to a bucket of roses.

“I want this one!”

“Shall we?”

A pretty florist walked over, explained a few things, and gathered several pink roses along with a bunch of baby’s breath.

After paying, they waited for the bouquet to be wrapped.

Standing next to Jiwoo, Seoha tugged urgently on Hyekyung’s skirt.

“Mom, Seoha needs the bathroom.”

“The bathroom? Where was it again… Jiwoo’s mom, we’ll be right back from the restroom.”

“Sure, go ahead. We’ll stay around here.”

Yeonjae watched Hyekyung quickly lead Seoha out of the flower shop by the hand.

When the florist announced that the wrapping was finished, Yeonjae turned around.

Jiwoo received the completed bouquet.

The boy cradled it preciously in his arms—a bouquet wrapped in sheer white lace paper and tied with a blue ribbon.

His face broke into a broad smile, all the happier because he had picked it out himself.

“Do you like it?”

“Yes, it’s super pretty! It smells nice too!”

“Shall we take a walk until Seoha and her mom get back?”

Not far from the flower shop, there was an open hall.

Thinking they could wait there, Yeonjae took the boy’s hand.

After just a few steps, an expansive, open atrium greeted them.

As they crossed the vast hall, Jiwoo suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Oh! A piano!”

At the tip of his pointing finger stood a grand piano.

Looking at the piano sitting in the middle of the large hall, Jiwoo’s eyes shone with fascination.

“Mom, can Jiwoo try playing that?”

When Yeonjae told him it was an open piano and that it was fine, Jiwoo scampered over.

Using his small stature, he hopped right up onto the piano bench.

“What are you going to play? Salut d’Amour?”

Remembering the piece he had played recently, she asked, but Jiwoo shook his head.

Delight filled his eyes as he stretched his fingers.

“I want to try La Campanella.”

Ever since they decided to go to the concert, Jiwoo had asked Yeonjae to put on Jepkin’s performance videos every night.

He had hummed along to the Nutube videos every single night, moving his ten fingers through the empty air.

A child born with absolute pitch.

Thanks to his innate talent, Jiwoo could sight-read and play most ordinary pieces to some degree.

He had mastered Salut d’Amour after hearing it only a few times, after all.

However, Liszt’s compositions were notoriously difficult.

Transcendental Etudes—even for piano majors, the technical difficulty was immense.

Yeonjae took a step back.

Jiwoo’s gaze as he looked at the piano grew remarkably deep, a stark contrast to his usual innocent sparkle.

Jiwoo’s hands gently settled onto the keys.

A sequence of high D-sharps reminiscent of ringing bells resonated outward.

Then came the chords layered by his left hand. Unlike the simple start, Jiwoo’s hands began moving with fierce busyness.

“That little kid is really good.”

“Babe, look at that. He’s playing the piano with those tiny hands. That’s so cute!”

Yeonjae looked up at the voices rising around them.

Before she realized it, a crowd had gathered around the piano.

“No way, is that baby playing La Campanella?”

Passersby stopped in their tracks to listen to Jiwoo’s playing, quickly taking out their phones to snap photos and record videos.

Yeonjae watched her son in dazed wonder. Honestly, it was far beyond what she had imagined.

At that age, on a piece he had never properly read from sheet music—could someone really play like this?

Even Yeonjae, who had grown up being called a prodigy, could never have done this.

Yeonjae lowered her gaze to her own hands.

Ten long, slender fingers shaped by a lifetime of playing the piano.

The piece Jiwoo was playing required massive leaps.

It was a grueling piece demanding lightning-fast shifts across distances wider than a hand span.

She couldn’t believe he was playing with that much power and precision using such tiny hands.

Gradually, the melody faltered, then came to a complete halt.

A sudden hush fell over the hall.

Looking up, she saw the boy’s hesitant back. His hands hovered in the air, as if he couldn’t remember what came next.

It was only natural, considering he had never seen the sheet music.

belatedly, the child turned around toward Yeonjae. His eyes widened until they seemed ready to tear.

Perhaps he hadn’t realized so many people and cameras were gathered; sheer bewilderment flitted across Jiwoo’s face.

“M-Mom.”

Hearing the boy’s tearful voice, Yeonjae stepped toward the piano.

Leaning forward, she placed her hands over the keys.

“Jiwoo, do you want to play the left-hand chords?”

Yeonjae’s right hand began to move, gradually picking up speed.

It danced with a rapid tempo as if spinning in a waltz, then softened and slowed with graceful gentleness.

His eyes wide, Jiwoo watched Yeonjae before moving his left hand.

Chords layered together in time with Yeonjae’s playing. As if the brief stumble had never happened, a gorgeous melody resonated through the hall once more.

Their fingers accelerated in perfect synchronization.

Passing through the grand climax, they lifted their hands from the final keys.

The tension clouding the boy’s face melted away, replaced by a radiant smile.

“Mooom!”

Jiwoo wrapped his arms around Yeonjae, beaming brightly.

“You know how to play this piece too, Mom? You’re just like Jepkin!”

A smile as blissful as if he possessed the entire world.

That lovely, luminous smile pierced deeply into the core of Yeonjae’s heart.