National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 37, Master Baek Bong-gon, holder of the Mage Workshop.
He lived with the pride that his ancestors had defended their homeland from foreign invasions during the 19th century campaigns by producing the best magical products of the time.
But at some point, magical items went from essentials to valuable treasures, and he realized that he was no longer needed in Korea during the “Ya-mim No-raim” war.
All Light Transmutation Circle Inscribers had been modernized, and they couldn’t compare to the quality made by artisans in Switzerland.
“So you’re saying Grandpa is looking for a successor right now?”
Baek Ho-chan, who had heard his entire life story, asked subtly.
Master Baek Bong-gon chuckled and shook his head.
“My age is eighty-four this year. I won’t be able to train a successor for over twenty years. Do you think I’ll live to one hundred?”
“Come on, what are you saying? You have to live long!”
“Really now, thanks for the kind words, Ho-chan.”
He had already given up searching for a successor a long time ago.
Now he felt regrettably that there was hardly any time left if he wanted to teach someone.
“But if I want that little data fragment, I would at least like someone with comparable values. Oh, here comes that kid. Ho-chan, go to my room and bring the gayageum.”
“I need a card key to get it.”
“What a rude thing to say! Here!”
“Why does someone who hates Western culture so much have a door lock installed in their room…”
“Are you bringing it or what!”
“Yes, sir!”
Baek Ho-chan ran home, shouldering the enormous gayageum from Master Baek’s room.
On the curved rectangular wooden board, twenty-five white strings were strung.
A 25-string gayageum.
As Baek Ho-chan was almost at the pavilion but nearly tripped over a stone, a curse escaped Master Baek’s lips.
“Can you even manage your body like that, tch… Look! Na-me is jumping down that mountain just fine.”
“But Na-me is still young. My back hurts every time I jump.”
“What kind of nonsense is that in front of an eighty-year-old old man!”
“But what’s that around her neck?”
Avoiding the whip flying towards his thighs, Baek Ho-chan squinted at Na-me, who was awkwardly bouncing.
Upon closer inspection, it looked like a scarf, but the identity was hard to pin down.
At his words, Ah-rin, Minwoo, and Professor Cheon all turned their heads toward Na-me.
“Yeah, what is it?”
When Na-me finally arrived in front of the group after coming down the hillside, everyone’s eyes widened in astonishment as they shot up from their seats.
“Sn… Snak… Snake!”
“Yo…! Where did you pick that up?”
Ah-rin cowered in a corner, followed by Minwoo.
“Is… Is that a dead body? You brought it from the mountain, right?”
Due to the overwhelming size of the snake, even Baek Ho-chan, who was used to rural life in these times, stuttered his words.
How did she carry such a massive snake all the way here?
Na-me tilted her head.
“Oh, this is actually…”
Ssss-
At that moment, a black snake, resting its head on Na-me’s back, suddenly lifted its head.
It had dilated pupils that were split in two.
“Gyaaaaaah!”
“It’s alive, you crazy!”
“Na-me! Throw it away quickly!”
The snake twisted its body, trying to escape.
“Aaaaaah, it’s moving! It’s moving!”
“Uncle, do something quickly! Can’t you kill that thing?”
“How can you kill something that big? It’s a serpent, not a worm!”
Then Na-me grabbed the snake’s neck with her tiny hand.
The reptile quieted down and hung limply.
With the snake coiling around her neck, she released it back onto the ground.
Refocusing now that it was near moist soil, the snake slithered away into the nearby grass.
“That’s an endangered species, so people shouldn’t kill it. I just wanted to show it, so I brought it along.”
“People… Who… Who says that?”
[‘Aristotelpho’ donated 5,000 won!]
– Haah… The blanket is finally over… More exhilarating than a T-Express.
[‘Unnikilchi’ donated 1,000 won!]
– Please don’t do that again, Na-meㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I feel like my heart is going to drop.
[‘Magic Joe’ donated 1,000 won!]
– Hahaha the natural humans on the broadcast should work harder after seeing Na-me today.
[‘Bored Today’ donated 10,000 won!]
– Completed the training of viewers with a snake(?).
[‘NoNameMustProtectAga’ donated 30,000 won!]
– I won’t call Na-me “Aga” again. You’re a full-grown adult who can buy alcohol and cigarettes at the convenience store without even having an ID. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.
*
“Are we having a gayageum contest?”
Master Baek launched into stories about being born in Duri Do, inheriting skills from his father, the remarkable feats of his ancestors, and his unique magical products.
The people who had already heard it from the beginning stifled yawns and were nodding off intermittently.
“Indeed. Techniques may disappear, but the spirit of our ancestors remains in the heart and will never vanish. Since ancient times, music has been the essence of the soul.”
Ding-
Master Baek began tuning the strings.
“If I hadn’t been born on this island, I would have become a holder of gayageum sanjo and byeongchang, not a master of the Mage Workshop.”
“Of course, like a forced test—”
“Hey! Forced?”
He was both the holder of the Mage Workshop and a practitioner of gayageum sanjo.
The gayageum sanjo began with ‘Hwimori.’
In the fastest tempo of the sanjo, the strings were played intensely from the start.
His right hand began expertly plucking the gayageum.
His hands, stained with dark spots, traversed between deep and high notes, producing a clear sound.
Meanwhile, his eyes were solely focused on his left hand.
It trembled slightly, adding vitality and life to the resonance.
The composition radiated tension and excitement, with a hint of poignant emotion, creating a solemn atmosphere.
The viewers, who unexpectedly enjoyed an auditory experience, showered accolades about the electrifying art.
– Wow, that insane grandpa in hanbok is on another level. 😲😲😲
– Is this traditional music? It’s amazing…
– This is rural romance, right?
– What on earth did we fight with our teammates for in the game?
└ What’s this self-reflection? Hahaha.
– It’s a perfect score!
– An experience I’ve never had before.
– This was truly divine. Hahaha.
– Is this really a gayageum? It’s nothing like what I knew…
– Where is this? I want to visit it.
└ Yeah, it’s Bermuda Triangle~
└ Apparently, it’s an uninhabited island.
Clears throat!
Master Baek, stroking his white beard, seemed pleased with his long-awaited performance.
“Anyway, if you can perform at this level of sanjo, I will recognize you. I won’t set a specific deadline, but music lacking soul will never be acknowledged.”
“Wait, Grandpa! That’s too much!”
“What’s excessive about it?”
“This is not something that can be accomplished in a day or two…”
“So, it makes sense for that kid to emit aura right out of the gate?”
“Well, but—”
Aura could be attributed to Na-me’s exceptional innate talent.
However, playing an instrument isn’t just about talent; it requires effort too, doesn’t it?
Though his monstrous memorization skill of reciting the Analects in just one hour was notable, Master Baek expected much more.
Baek Ho-chan gritted his teeth.
At this rate, Na-me might get trapped on this hellish island too.
They need to prepare food for two kids and one more study guide as well.
Does that kid even have musical talent? If not, how many years would they have to stay here?
Baek Ho-chan couldn’t escape such thoughts.
“What exactly do you mean by the soul you mentioned?”
At Na-me’s piercing question, Master Baek’s expression turned serious.
“The soul is enduring and unchanging. It conveys messages that cannot be expressed only through rhythms. It also comes with admiration for an unknown creator.”
Na-me began to weave the style Master Baek desired in her mind.
Gayageum, eternal, message, and admiration.
The passions expressed by Master Baek were mechanically recombined.
“Want to give it a try?”
“Can I sit like this?”
Master Baek showed the correct posture for playing the gayageum.
She could barely reach the end by stretching her arms.
Na-me asked for guidance on the instrument she had never encountered.
Ding-
“Is this correct?”
“Correct.”
Ding-ling-
“If you do it that way, your fingers will get sore, right?”
“I’m okay. I can just use aura.”
Her lack of calluses, which Master Baek possessed, was compensated by the aura.
Even the parts she couldn’t reach she extended her torso to touch.
Having become familiar with all the scales, Na-me practiced chords and arpeggios in turn.
“Haha, have you handled an instrument before?”
“Yeah, a few times.”
She perfectly grasped the pitch already.
Perhaps Master Baek had considered this thoroughly; he sensed this final test wouldn’t take long to finish.
“Master, don’t you dislike the Academy that much?”
“Ah, I hate it! Just hearing the name makes me shudder!”
“Then I suppose you dislike this modern wand as well.”
Na-me pulled out the wand and showed it to him.
“I believe there’s right and wrong when it comes to art. There’s just beauty and ugliness. I can’t say how you define soul, but I dare to venture that soul comes from indifference.”
“Is soul born from indifference?”
“Finding beauty in money is because it brings other values, clouded by greed. But if you find beauty in flower petals blossomed on the street, it’s just because it’s beautiful.”
Click-
“What are you doing…?”
“I’ll return it once the performance is over.”
A small cylinder was attached to the end of the gayageum.
Just like Master Baek had done earlier, Na-me began to tune.
‘It should already be perfectly tuned, right?’
The question arose at that point.
“Ah-rin, can you hold the phone like this for me?”
“Like this?”
“Yeah. Just hold it for a bit, even if your arms ache.”
“Okay, got it!”
Now, Na-me’s broadcast screen was entirely transferred to Ah-rin.
Having completed all preparations, Na-me activated the wand and injected mana into the nozzle.
[Spell: Frequency Modulation]
Ding-
“…!”
“How is it?”
“Wow, how did you do that?”
As Na-me lightly plucked the strings, a metallic sound, not the expected clear sound, burst forth.
The sound was reminiscent of an electric guitar emanating from the gayageum.
The overtones lingered in the air for a long time.
“Sol Mi Fa Sol Mi Fa. Doesn’t this resemble a canon variation?”
“Amazing, it’s identical! How did you do that?”
A genuine admiration escaped Baek Minwoo’s lips.
He crawled over to Na-me, asking about the principles.
“It’s the principle of a synthesizer. But are you going to sit there? Then you’ll be on the broadcast.”
“Uh? Yeah, I guess it doesn’t matter…”
The boy was now showing greater interest in Na-me’s performance.
How could a guy not find it hard to resist rock metal music coming from the gayageum?
The same went for the viewers.
– How did she do that? Hahaha!
– Gayageum (rock/metal)
– I have a haegeum at home, I’m going to try it right now.
– Master seems shocked. Hahaha!
– Th-This isn’t traditional music!
– Playing canon on the gayageum must be so romantic.
– Is Na-me showing it off?
– Don’t tell me music is also a talent thing? This makes no sense.
└ What can’t she do?
“Shall we get started now?”
Master Baek, leaning back with his arms crossed, showed disinterest, but gently nodded.
“Master, you stated that soul is unchanging, right? So I hope you understand the essence of my piece.”
Na-me disliked being tested.
Her position as a princess who had lived for over a decade in a past life wouldn’t easily change.
So she had laid traps in double layers.
If Master Baek had strictly held to the tradition of gayageum, Na-me would have had to struggle for days.
However, since he only mentioned the essence, she was familiar with various classical pieces infused with “soul” as he described.
Yet if Master Baek argued that her piece lacked soul, Na-me planned to confront him about why he couldn’t see its essence.
This was a test for both of them.
With golden aura enveloping her ten fingers, Na-me finally played the gayageum.
A roughly five-minute performance starting in A minor.
The piece was titled “Caprice No. 24 for Unaccompanied Violin.”
It contained the soul of Niccolò Paganini, who sold his soul to the devil.
*
Even if one speaks grandly of souls, a person’s essence doesn’t change in the end.
It’s to prove that I am superior to you.
Otherwise, Master Baek wouldn’t have voluntarily chosen “Hwimori.”
He showcased all the techniques that could come from the gayageum, allowing one to feel a certain superiority of someone who has reached the peak.
Having lived alone on an island for decades, it seemed he had a strong thirst for acknowledgment.
Perhaps it was due to devoting his entire life to preserving Korean traditional culture, even without recognition.
Hearing that thousands were watching live, clapping for him, a genuine smile broke across his face for the first time.
Though I want to support his future, ultimately, he set a test for me, and I simply responded to it.
I’ll respond with transcendent skill.
This is genuine music, having previously defeated all those noble folks in my past life who merely dabbled in the violin.
Legato variations of 16th notes.
Doubled octave notes.
Techniques crossing between deep and high tones simultaneously.
Variations by 16th triplet figures.
And arpeggios reaching far into the unknown.
All this was performed through pizzicato (plucking the strings with fingers) in variations of Caprice No. 24.
Because now, this is the gayageum.
This means I arranged it to fit the gayageum spontaneously, so I had a bit of worry.
Looking at Master Baek’s face, the lines doubled in number, I was relieved to see the performance was executed perfectly as I intended.
At times, extreme concentration can lead one to a state of forgetting oneself, making the performance almost inaudible even to my own ears.
This will be a bit later, but when I leave the island on a boat with Ah-rin, I was able to check the video of my gayageum performance first on TikTok.
[An 8-year-old kid’s mesmerizing gayageum performance that moved even the serpent (Metal ver.)]
[View Count: 3.08 million]
Additionally, a video of the pajama party from a previous day was also resurfaced on TikTok.
[Is this Otamatone girl the same person ranked right now?]
[View Count: 1.31 million]
