Trapped Together — Chapter 21

AH!

YOU'RE HERE!

NOAH!

HELLO, PROFESSOR.

HELLO...

I WAS WONDERING WHY YOU DIDN’T CALL TO ASK FOR DIRECTIONS TODAY.

SEEMS YOU HAD A GUIDE WITH YOU.

YES. THANKFULLY...

THANKS TO HER, I WAS ABLE TO FIND MY WAY.

THE MUSIC BUILDING REALLY IS BIG.

ISN’T IT? SINCE IT HAS SUCH A LONG HISTORY...

I’M SURE THEY HAVE A LOT TO TALK ABOUT.

I SHOULD HURRY BACK TO WHERE I WAS SUPPOSED TO MEET ROWOON...

AH,

SEON-YUL!

Y-YES?!

WHAT A FASCINATING COINCIDENCE.

ACTUALLY, NOAH WAS QUITE IMPRESSED BY YOU DURING THE LAST PERFORMANCE.

THIS IS PERFECT.

LET'S ALL SIT DOWN AND HAVE A CHAT.

OKAY...

WHY DID THEY MAKE ME STAY...

WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG?!

IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR MY PLANS...

SHOULD I TELL ROWOON I MIGHT BE A LITTLE LATE?

SEON-YUL.

Y-YES!

YES, SIR!!

DID YOU HEAR THAT?

NOAH, I MEAN...

PROFESSOR SU NOAH IS SELECTING A FEW STUDENTS

TO GIVE A MASTER CLASS OVER THE VACATION.

SINCE YOU GAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE EARLIER,

YOUR SPOT IS GUARANTEED.

W-WOW...! ACTUALLY?

I'M GETTING A SPECIAL LECTURE FROM SU NOAH?

TH-TH,

TH-THANK...

SINCE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT, WHY DON'T YOU HEAD TO THE PRACTICE ROOM

AND SHOW THE PROFESSOR WHAT YOU CAN DO.

YOU'RE QUITE LUCKY.

TH-

THAT'S TRUE, BUT...!!

ROWOON, I'M SO SORRY THAT I'M RUNNING LATE!!

I SUDDENLY GOT CAUGHT UP WITH A PROFESSOR, SO I DON'T THINK I CAN MAKE IT TODAY. I'M SO, SO SORRY! SOB SOB

IT'S OKAY.

I CAN WAIT, SO TAKE YOUR TIME.

WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE DONE?

UM...

YOU SHOULDN’T WAIT FOR ME... ;(

I’M REALLY SORRY, BUT I THINK WE’LL HAVE TO RESCHEDULE. SOB SOB

I MIGHT BE EXTREMELY LATE TODAY...

WHY?

I’M SORRY! SOB SOB

I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHY THINGS SUDDENLY ENDED UP LIKE THIS...

WAS WHAT YOU WANTED TO TELL ME TODAY URGENT?

IF IT IS, COULD YOU MAYBE JUST TEXT IT TO ME RIGHT NOW?

그런 거면 혹시 말해줄 수 있어? DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.

IT'S NOTHING.

THIS SUDDENLY FEELS LIKE A LOT OF PRESSURE...

A ONE-ON- ONE LESSON WITH SU NOAH?

I COULDN’T EVEN TURN IT DOWN SINCE MY ADVISING PROFESSOR WAS THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED IT...

Although I'm still thankful for this incredible opportunity.

I CAN’T BELIEVE I JUST CANCELED MY PLANS SO SUDDENLY.

I FEEL TERRIBLE FOR DOING THAT TO ROWOON.

HE’S PROBABLY MAD, RIGHT?

I SHOULD SCHEDULE SOMETHING FOR THIS WEEKEND AND AT LEAST TREAT HIM TO A MEAL...

WHO WAS YOUR TEACHER?

EXCUSE ME?!

YOUR PLAYING TECHNIQUE IS QUITE UNIQUE.

ESPECIALLY YOUR HAND POSTURE.

HOROWITZ'S STUDENTS SUPPOSEDLY MIMICKED HIS POSTURE

AND PLAYED WITH STRAIGHT, FLAT FINGERS.

I WAS WONDERING IF... YOU WERE DOING THE SAME.

AH...

I'M SELF-TAUGHT.

I GOT ACCEPTED THROUGH THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY ADMISSION PROCESS.

I COULDN'T AFFORD FORMAL LESSONS FOR THE ENTRANCE EXAMS BECAUSE MY FAMILY WAS STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY...

IS MY POSTURE... REALLY THAT STRANGE?

A LITTLE?

FIRSTLY,

HAVE A SEAT.

BE COMFORTABLE,

AND THEN PLAY.

I WASN'T TRYING TO SCOLD YOU.

YOU CAN JUST RELAX AND PLAY HOW YOU NORMALLY DO...

COULD YOU STOP THERE FOR A MOMENT?

SO...

I THINK YOU'RE A BIT WEAK ON PHRASES LIKE THIS.

YOUR TECHNIQUE IS SOLID, BUT THE DENSITY OF YOUR TOUCH IS SLIGHTLY LACKING...

H-HE SMELLS NICE...

He's so close!!

THAT'S LIKELY WHY YOU FREQUENTLY FEEL DISCONNECTED

WHEN PLAYING LEGATO SCALES LIKE THIS.

I DON'T SEE YOUR UNIQUE QUIRKS AS A BAD THING.

I BELIEVE THERE'S NO SINGLE RIGHT ANSWER IN ART.

I WAS SELF- TAUGHT TOO, SO I WENT THROUGH A PHASE LIKE THIS.

HOWEVER...

THERE ARE SOME HABITS YOU NEED TO FIX.

THE ONES THAT HINDER YOUR PERFORMANCE.

FOR EXAMPLE...

THE SUBTLE IMBALANCE ACROSS YOUR FINGERS.

YOU ARE, HOW SHOULD I PUT THIS...

LIKE A BRILLIANT BUT UNPOLISHED GEMSTONE.

SO WITH THE MINDSET OF GENTLY REFINING IT,

LET'S WORK ON THIS TOGETHER.

OKAY...

I-I’M SORRY.

FOR TOUCHING YOU WITHOUT ASKING...

So carelessly...

N-NO!

IT’S TOTALLY FINE!

I THINK I REALLY NEEDED SOMEONE TO GIVE ME ADVICE LIKE YOU DID, PROFESSOR.

THANK YOU, TRULY...

SHALL WE TRY PLAYING IT ONE MORE TIME, THEN?

Relax

Y-YES!

NOAH...

N-NO, I MEAN, PROFESSOR.

YOU HAD YOUR OWN STRANGE HABITS TOO ONCE.

I HAD NO IDEA.

Y-YOUR PERFORMANCES ARE ALWAYS SO FLAWLESS.

THEY ARE.

I FIXED EVERYTHING COMPLETELY BY THE BOOK.

I PRACTICED UNTIL MY FINGERS LITERALLY BLED.

BUT ONCE I DID ALL THAT, I WAS LEFT WITH A BIT OF REGRET.

I COULD JUST BE IMAGINING THINGS,

BUT I SOMETIMES WONDER IF MY OLD WAY OF PLAYING WAS MORE AUTHENTIC TO ME...

I DO HAVE THAT THOUGHT FROM TIME TO TIME.

PROFESSOR JANG BIN MIGHT BE HAVING YOU CALL ME "PROFESSOR" FOR THIS BRIEF MASTER CLASS,

BUT THE TRUTH IS, I DON'T HAVE A DEGREE AND I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT EDUCATION.

Because I have nothing else to boast about...

I'M JUST A PIANIST WHO'S SLIGHTLY MORE WELL-KNOWN THAN YOU ARE.

AS A FELLOW MUSICIAN, I RESPECT YOU,

AND AS YOUR SENIOR, I SIMPLY WANT TO PASS ON THE THINGS I'VE ALREADY EXPERIENCED.

EVEN TODAY, RATHER THAN FORCING ANYTHING ON YOU OR TEACHING YOU,

I HOPE YOU'LL THINK OF IT AS US FIGURING THINGS OUT TOGETHER.

MY MANAGER IS WAITING IN THE PARKING LOT, SO I'LL HEAD OUT FIRST.

PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO TELL ME IF YOU NEED HELP AGAIN IN THE FUTURE.

OKAY...!

YES, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Have a safe trip back!

OH MY GOD...

HE'S EVEN MORE AMAZING THAN I THOUGHT?!

I THINK I'M GOING TO BECOME AN EVEN BIGGER FAN...

HUH?

BUT...

THE PARKING LOT IS...

P-PROFESSOR?!

THE PARKING LOT IS IN THE EXACT OPPOSITE DIRECTION!!

...AH!

SO HE DOES HAVE A SLIGHTLY CLUELESS SIDE TO HIM...

RIGHT.

I SUPPOSE NO ONE CAN BE TRULY PERFECT...

IT MAKES SENSE THAT HE MIGHT BE A LITTLE BAD WITH DIRECTIONS...

NO.

WAIT...

HE'S NOT JUST A LITTLE BAD, HE'S TERRIBLE WITH DIRECTIONS?!

WORST OF ALL, HIS LONG LEGS MAKE HIM WALK INCREDIBLY FAST.

WHERE IS HE MARCHING OFF TO, SO CONFIDENTLY?!

I just told him which way to go!

THIS WON'T DO!

THE CAMPUS IS HUGE TO BEGIN WITH!!

IF I LET HIM GO ALONE LIKE THAT, I'M 100% SURE HE'LL GET LOST AND WANDER AROUND ALL NIGHT!

P-PROFESSOR!!

W-WAIT A SECOND!

PROFESSOR!!

PROFESSOR,

LET'S GO TOGETHER...!

!!

AH

WAHHHH...!