The Road to Glory Chapter 206 - [Side Story] Chapter 8. The Sound We're Missing

Moon Seoyeon’s connection with her mentor, Professor Ma, dates back to her days at Korea National University of Arts.

As a freshman, the first thing she encountered were stories about the professors.

Who was strict, what others were like, and so on. Although there was almost no choice since it was a required major course, Professor Ma Taeho was particularly notorious.

There were rumors among freshmen and current students: no one had ever not cried under Professor Ma Taeho’s guidance, and even other professors toned down their temperament in front of Professor Ma.

There were actually students who got kicked out of class, and those assigned Professor Ma Taeho as their advisor received countless condolences and encouragement.

However, Moon Seoyeon didn’t find Professor Ma Taeho that scary.

When someone got kicked out during class, she thought they deserved it, and his strict guidance was all justified.

His thorough practical evaluations and feedback were reasonable and accurate, so Moon Seoyeon didn’t find Professor Ma Taeho scary or dislikeable. Rather, she respected him because there was so much to learn.

Of course, she understood others’ perspectives.

Professor Ma had such sharp observation skills.

He could tell with uncanny accuracy whether students had practiced properly and how much effort they put into assignments, and she understood that his direct way of speaking could hurt some people.

Moreover, Professor Ma showed quite a difference in attitude between students he favored and those he didn’t.

If she said this, you might have figured it out.

Yes, Moon Seoyeon was one of Professor Ma’s favorite students. He had never once gotten angry at Moon Seoyeon, who cleverly accepted feedback and was never lazy.

Ah, there was one time.

When she said she was dropping out.

However, even that was because he cared for her so much, and after long persuasion, he respected her decision.

After dropping out, Professor Ma was the only professor she kept in touch with, and she even showed him her first original composition.

She continued to stay in contact, and during a long break, she met him again.

-What have you been up to? Haven’t heard from you in a while.

-I’ve just been resting these days.

-Not composing?

-I want to make new songs, but I’m not sure about it.

-Then would you like to come out?

-What? Where?

Moon Seoyeon hesitantly went to Korea National University of Arts and learned that the professor was still living a busy life.

From recitals to class guidance, academic society activities, and even sound exhibitions.

Moon Seoyeon, who thought she was living diligently, had to reflect. What was more surprising was that among his packed schedule, he consistently did volunteer work.

Thus, Moon Seoyeon spent her break mainly doing talent-sharing volunteer work at pediatric wards and orphanages. It was an activity that gave her a lot of thoughts and emotions.

Of course, that didn’t mean she was at a pediatric ward or orphanage right now.

The professor’s sound exhibition that he had been preparing was around this time, and Moon Seoyeon planned to go there together.

It was a project planned to experience a world centered on ‘hearing’ rather than ‘sight’ in a world that depends on visuals.

With various artists and sound experts participating, Moon Seoyeon thought this cultural activity would be quite refreshing.

Thinking that filming would be almost impossible since it was an exhibition, she contacted the professor, but.

“Huff-.”

Moon Seoyeon took a deep breath.

The professor gave an unexpected proposal, and that’s how she ended up here.

“It seems too wasteful to end with just an exhibition. We decided to create auditory teaching materials with the people we worked with. There are many materials for experiencing the world through ‘pictures,’ but ‘sound’ and ‘music’ still seem lacking.”

“Wow…!”

In nature, where human presence and sounds were scarce.

“Boss, are you tired?”

Moon Seoyeon looked at Halo, who had suddenly stopped walking and was looking around.

Though she’d said it would be better to leave the guitar behind, there was no way her boss wouldn’t be tired carrying both the guitar case and sound equipment.

The people who had been climbing the mountain stopped.

The people who initially welcomed him as a celebrity soon got used to it, and now fatigue was visible on their faces.

They didn’t seem happy about having to go hiking with the professor on this golden weekend.

“Boss?”

However, Halo hadn’t stopped because he was tired.

After all, he carried a guitar case around daily and consistently maintained his fitness for concerts, so he wouldn’t tire easily.

He stopped simply because-.

At some point, this world started to sound different.

Instead of sounds made by people, cars, and digital devices, sounds composed of bushes, trees, wind, and animals.

And from somewhere, the sound of a stream…

“Professor, how about we take a break?”

Assistant Ahn, glancing at Halo, asked.

Though they were still far from their planned destination, taking a break shouldn’t be a problem.

“…”

The graduate students watched Professor Ma’s reaction.

Professor Ma, who would definitely score a J in MBTI, would immediately scold them if he didn’t like something.

However, unexpectedly, after briefly looking at Halo, Professor Ma looked around like him.

The wind swept by with a whoosh-.

‘The sounds are distinct.’

Professor Ma listened to the surrounding sounds.

Though they were still far from their planned destination, there was no need to insist on that specific location. He clearly remembered that their purpose was solely to collect sounds, not to go hiking.

“Let’s look around for a bit.”

At those words, the graduate students had pointless thoughts like ‘He’s unusually lenient today. Is it because a celebrity is here? Could the professor also… about the rumored Hellygan…?’ ‘That explains it.’ as they carefully put down their equipment.

However, the professor’s beloved sharp student immediately knew he wouldn’t move any further. He seemed to like this place.

Moon Seoyeon looked once at Professor Ma and Halo, who were looking in the same direction, and took out her camera from her bag.

It was a camera borrowed from the label when she said she wanted to try being a daily DJ.

Moon Seoyeon set up the tripod on solid ground and placed the camera on top.

Halo’s figure came into clear focus in the camera. It seemed she had set it up well as instructed. Moon Seoyeon was about to look away from the camera, smiling.

The professor slowly started approaching Halo. Regardless of who came, her boss was just her boss.

“What are you doing? Not preparing to record?”

Halo turned his head at the voice from beside him.

“It’s been a while.”

“What has? Coming to the mountains?”

“No, rather”

“The feeling of my head being completely filled.”

He seemed to have experienced something like this in his faintly remaining childhood memories.

The feeling of being overwhelmed with the world’s sounds filling his head. It was a sensation he hadn’t experienced in a long time, not since he started organizing sounds to create music.

Back then, he seemed to hate it because it was too noisy. But now, that childhood feeling felt welcome.

It was really strange.

He wasn’t particularly fond of his childhood.

Halo hummed a pleasant tune.

The noise from back then wasn’t the same as the noise now.

Professor Ma watched Halo and thought.

‘The world calls this kid a genius.’

He wasn’t sure yet.

To ordinary people’s eyes, someone slightly exceptional might appear to be a genius, but the professor had seen too many geniuses. Any student admitted to Korea National University of Arts would have been called a genius at least once, and the professor even more so.

Honestly, Professor Ma thought the world used the word ‘genius’ too easily.

Still, there was something peculiar about him.

Whether by chance or not, starting from how he ‘finds’ sound.

No, Professor Ma at least didn’t think it was by chance that the boy stood here.

“Do you know why we came here?”

“I heard we came to record sounds.”

“More precisely, we came to catch sounds.”

Not seeing the strange light in the boy’s eyes, the professor closed his eyes.

The wind brushed through his arms, and slowly his ears became clear.

“The sounds we miss while keeping our eyes open.”

Professor Ma spoke while looking at his students and assistant who had started recording.

“Although music is created from sound, we who make music don’t focus on sound as much as we think. Usually, we use this more than our ears.”

Professor Ma pointed to his eyes.

“Those who make music first learn to read sheet music. Rhythm, notes, measures. They’re all important elements, but once we learn to use our eyes, we become lazy with other senses.”

“Regular people aren’t different. Children become familiar with letters and pictures through picture books, and when they reach the age to learn letters, they learn through such visual materials.”

How many visual materials existed in the world?

It’s even more so after learning letters.

Korean, math, past, present, future – people first encounter everything through sight.

“Having become lazy in using other senses, there are sounds we miss while keeping our eyes open. That’s what we came here to find. I’d like you to try finding them too, whatever they might be.”

The professor said this and glanced at Halo.

He wondered if the boy could understand these words.

Many who were called geniuses hadn’t understood his words.

“Professor! Just a moment!”

The professor briefly moved away at a graduate student’s call.

“Hard to understand, right? He tends to speak in complicated ways.”

At that moment, Assistant Ahn approached Halo.

“He could just explain the project’s purpose.”

“Is there a separate one?”

“Of course. It’s a government-supported project. Ah, it’s not exactly a secret project, more like talent volunteering.”

The assistant moistened their lips, considering how to explain.

“The professor thinks there are too many visual teaching materials in the world. It’s not wrong, actually. But that doesn’t mean people really grow up only accessing visual materials. We have phones and TVs. Even when reading storybooks, parents would read them to us, and these days, with better times, there’s lots of sound too.”

However, there are people who don’t have such experiences.

“But there are friends in the world who don’t have that. Friends who spent long times in pediatric wards, or friends living in environments where it’s hard to access TV or computers.”

Following the professor’s volunteer activities, Assistant Ahn, who initially wondered why they had to do this, felt many things. What everyone could see, hear, and experience wasn’t possible for those children.

“Assistant Ahn.”

“Yes, professor, coming now!”

Assistant Ahn instantly transformed into a modern person worn out by fatigue at the professor’s call.

“This project’s purpose is to create ‘auditory teaching materials’ for those friends. It might be easier to think of it as sounds that ‘they’ can’t access rather than sounds that ‘we’ can’t access.”

The sounds that ‘they’ miss.

Halo nodded, and the assistant, taking it as a sign of understanding, brightened.

“If you need any help, please let me know anytime.”

“Thank you-“

“And maybe an autogra-“

“Assistant Ahn.”

“Yes!”

Assistant Ahn disappeared with a grimace.

Halo watched his retreating figure before slowly raising his gaze.

Sunlight sparkled through the leaves.

Despite Assistant Ahn’s prayers for rain, it was an incredibly clear day. It was even cool for February.

Halo noticed a leaf falling in the wind. The leaf, falling like a wave, landed in the water with a plop.

Waves followed it, rippling against the stones at the water’s edge and seeping into the ground.

Above it grew new sprouts. New life that had survived the bitter cold. The wind gently caressed it as if in praise before moving on to announce the new friend’s presence to the forest. The trees sang welcome songs with their branches and leaves.

His fingers twitched.

“What are you doing?”

That’s when it happened.

When Halo had been standing blankly for thirty minutes, Professor Ma approached.

Just in case, out of concern.

He was aware that Halo wasn’t his student, and knew he wasn’t even twenty years old yet.

‘Did I go along with everyone calling him a genius?’

The professor quite favored Moon Seoyeon, and had no intention of pressuring the boy she liked.

Most of the recordings would be discarded for various reasons anyway. If they needed certain sounds, they’d come back to record again.

The professor was about to tell him not to feel pressured and just do as he wished.

However, Halo nodded and answered.

“I’m waiting.”

“For what?”

“The sound.”

It seemed the sound he was waiting for would come soon.

“Is that so?”

Not playing around, not saying it was difficult, but waiting – he was at a loss for words. The professor decided not to interfere anymore.

Rather, while stopping people trying to talk to Halo, he kept the boy’s actions in his sight.

‘Perhaps-‘

It felt like something would come.

Just such an intuition.

Though he still wasn’t sure if this boy was a genius or not, moments of inspiration he had witnessed were always like this.

Halo slowly closed his eyes.

The senses missed while keeping his eyes open awakened one by one.

The sounds that were noise in his childhood filled his head. For Halo, who knew how to filter these sounds, they soon became music and a story.

Halo’s fingers twitched once more.

And at some point, his eyes snapped open.