I Decided To Become a Perfect Girl

38 – Age 14 (7)

May after midterm exams.

The day to participate in the piano competition has arrived.

Of course, there are many types of competitions, so they are held every month, but among them, the most prestigious major competition, the Korean Student Music Hyup Competition, was held only once a year, in May.

For me, who participates in the competition only twice a year due to time constraints, the Korean Student Music Association Competition was a must-participation competition.

Which song should I participate this time?

This is my first time participating in a piano competition as a middle school student, so I can’t decide easily.

I took out my cell phone and called my piano teacher.

I kept in touch with the piano teacher, but after she entered middle school, she was so distracted that I couldn’t contact her.

– Oh, Dohee! What’s up? –

” Sorry for not contacting you after a long time.”

– No no~ It’s been a while since I called. It’s nice to see you. What have you been doing lately? –

” Ah, after entering middle school, I’ve been going back and forth between school and company.”

– Come to think of it, Dohee is already in middle school? –

” hahahaha, yes.”

– When we first met, you were a complete baby. Do you know how cute he was? So how is your middle school life? Fun? –

Middle school life…

To be honest, I feel like sh*t.

Especially these days, I don’t know how they knew my KakaoTalk, but I’ve been receiving messages every day from boys I don’t know.

” Yes, I’m just getting along just fine.”

– Isn’t life a hard life as a trainee? –

” Yes, trainee life is fun. “

– I’m glad you enjoyed it~ –

” Teacher, what are you doing these days?”

– It’s me, I’m busy taking care of our Jinhyun –

The teacher was pregnant right on her honeymoon and gave birth the year before her and was living a parenting life.

” So you must be very busy?”

– It’s okay~ Teacher’s husband helped me a lot –

” Huh? Aren’t you working at a university hospital?”

A university hospital doctor would be very busy.

– Oh, I opened a private hospital this time. I got off work early so I have plenty of time. –

” Oh, I see… Then, sir, do you know that I am participating in the competition as a middle school student this time?”

– Is that so? Dohee is also in middle school now? –

” Yes. So, I’m worried about which song to participate in and I want to practice playing a bit. If you have time, can you meet me and teach me? “

The teacher is busy for no reason, but I’m cautious because I’m afraid I’ll bother you.

Fortunately, the teacher spoke in a bright voice.

– Really? The teacher is so happy to see Dohee’s face after a long time! Then let’s make an appointment right away. It’s okay, teacher.”

” In case you are having a hard time raising children, you don’t have to forcefully listen.”

– No, no. Jung Then, how about meeting at the teacher’s house this Sunday? –

” Oh, I don’t go to work on Sunday either, so I like that day the best, but isn’t your husband at home on Sunday?”

– Ay~ If Dohee comes, your husband will love it too –

” Really? Can I go to the teacher’s house on Sunday?”

– Of course! Then see you on Sunday? –

” Nem~ “

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I arrived at the teacher’s house and rang the bell.

– Ding Dong –

” Dohee~ Wait a minute~ ” “Hueeng”

I heard the teacher walking past the door and the sound of Jinhyeon crying.

The teacher opened her door and welcomed her with a bright face.

” Are you here, Dohee?”

Oh…

The teacher was wearing a tight H-line long dress called Missy Look.

I can’t stand this.

” Teacher~ “

I put the strawberry in her hand down on her floor and ran to the teacher and put it on her chest.

” Oh, our Dohee is still the same as when she was younger even though she became a middle school student.”

” hehehe. It’s because the teacher is so nice to see you.”

The teacher hugged me, and she looked at the fruit I put down and said,

” Hey Dohee! You came empty-handed. I bought some strawberries.”

” I bought it because I wanted to eat it. hahahaha “

” Don’t buy it next time, okay?”

” Yes~ “

I’ll have to buy something better next time.

” Hueng “

I could still hear Jinhyun crying inside the house.

” Isn’t Jinhyun crying?”

” She’s crying because she didn’t give her candy. It’s okay.”

I followed the teacher to the living room and found the man holding and comforting the crying Jinhyeon.

I said hello to Mr.

” Hello mister~ “

” Oh, is Dohee here?”

” Yes, how are you?”

” Then, how was Dohee, too?”

” hahahaha, yes. “

The teacher took over Jinhyeon, who was being held by the uncle, and said to Jinhyeon.

” Tuk. Dohee noona is here, should I stop crying now?”

Even when the teacher hugs her, Jinhyeon still doesn’t seem to stop her crying.

” Candied Joe. Whoa! “

The teacher’s heart made even our Doa stop crying right away, but Jinhyeon must have been quite stubborn.

I approached the teacher and made eye contact with her Jinhyeon and said.

” My sister bought strawberries. Shall we eat strawberries with her?”

Jinhyeon finally stopped her crying for a moment before she spoke.

” Ugh… “

” Ugh, look at how she didn’t listen to her mother and stopped immediately after saying that a pretty older sister had arrived.”

” hahahaha. “

While the teacher washes the strawberries I bought, I sat on the chair in front of her table, holding Jinhyun.

Said the teacher as she washed the strawberries and placed them on her table in a pretty tray.

” So Dohee is still playing the piano every day? “

I picked up her strawberry and Jinhyun put it in her mouth.

” Yes, when I get home after practice, it’s night, so I can’t play at home, but instead, I play for an hour a day in the company’s vocal room. “

” Really? That’s fortunate. So you haven’t chosen a song yet?”

” Yes, there are candidates.”

” What is it?”

” Paginini, Liszt’s Etude No. 6, Chopin’s Revolution, and Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz. For now, I was thinking like this. “

” Hmm… Sir, I think Mephisto Waltz would be better.”

” Isn’t Mephisto Waltz too difficult?”

” Hey, did you play Scherzo at the age of 8? Dohee was so confident that she put it in the candidate song.”

” hahahaha, that’s right.”

” Let’s try it once and decide. Shall we try it right now?”

” Nem. “

I picked up Jinhyeon, handed it to the man next to me, followed the teacher into the piano room, and sat down in front of the piano.

The teacher brought the sheet music for Mephisto Waltz from among the sheet music on the bookshelf and placed it on the piano music stand.

” Now, would you like to play?”

” Yes, I’ll give it a shot.”

I started playing.

The middle teacher who was playing the instrument interrupted my performance and pointed to the sheet music and said.

” Dohee, you’re playing the first and third performances too much the same here. You have to give it a little more intensity in the third, otherwise it gets boring and the music is flat.”

” Yes. I’ll try again.”

I started playing again.

This time, the teacher made me stop playing in the middle of the performance and said.

” Dohee, what you said earlier was good, but would you like to make the first one a little shorter? Teacher, it’s too long in your opinion. Try making it a bit scarier.”

” Yes. “

During the class, the teacher gave me various advice.

” Playing it short means playing it dry like playing a percussion instrument, Dohee. You know that?”

” The sound is a little quieter. As if finishing a string, it becomes lighter towards the end of the phrase.”

” I’m going to play the second one longer, just like the first one. Now. A little longer.”

” Think of it as pizzicato and play it.”

” I went in and came out~ “

Because I learned with the teacher, I immediately knew what kind of feeling I was missing.

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From noble mtl dot com.

It’s dark outside while practicing the piano.

I think I’ve already played for 4 hours.

” Aren’t you tired, sir?”

” Why is Dohee having a hard time? Shall we stop?”

” I’m having a hard time too and I need to eat dinner more than anything. Mister must be hungry.”

” Oh, really? I forgot. I need to make dinner soon.”

Then the teacher hugged me like before and said.

” But Dohee’s skills have improved, right?”

” hahahaha, no. On the contrary, I think my skills have also decreased because the amount of practice has decreased a lot.”

“Ah~ What is the stem? To begin with, Mephisto Waltz is such a difficult song that even high school students make mistakes every time they play it, so even if Dohee plays it without making any mistakes, it’s amazing.”

” hehehe. “

” And what the teacher taught me today is the teacher’s feeling, so later on, Dohee should also find Dohee’s feeling and play, okay?”

” Yes~ “

” Yes yes. Let’s eat quickly. “

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On the day of the competition.

I was sitting alone in the waiting room, putting on my earphones and listening to the song I was about to play.

To be honest, when I came to the first middle school competition, I had high expectations.

I heard that middle school has more audiences than elementary school and can play for a long time.

I wondered if I could enjoy a stage worthy of a stage.

But when I arrived, the number of audience was similar and the performance time was 2 minutes longer than 1 minute in the elementary school.

Actually, the organizers can’t help it either.

” Number 706 Lee Kun-woo.”

First of all, the number of participants exceeds 800.

If all participants play 2 minutes, the playing time alone is 1600 minutes by simple calculation.

So, unlike the elementary school, the middle school divided the competition into 5 days, but it still took 6 hours a day.

” No. 707 Lee Na-eun.”

Finally, it’s my next turn.

I moved to the stairs under the stage.

Two minutes pass.

The presenter said with a ringing bell.

” No. 708 Lee Do-hee. “

I went up on stage with my name being called.

Then I sat down in front of the piano and started playing right away.

At first, it’s dry and concise, like playing a percussion instrument.

Move on to the second one, making it even more intense, but not too strong.

To be overflowing with strength in the third.

But at the same time, giving soft points in between.

Just two minutes passed and the bell rang to end the performance.

” 709 Yibo.”

I went down the stage.

Wow, the performance is so short that there is no fun at all.

Should I go to the next competition?

I want to debut quickly and stand on a proper stage.

I left the waiting room and went to the audience where her mother was.

At first, both Dad and Doah came together, but now that it’s an annual event that happens twice a year, I told them not to come.

It wouldn’t have been much if he had come anyway.

A two-minute play at best.

There he is.

I went up to her mother and said.

” Did you take a video of mom? “

” Uh. There’s no awards ceremony, right?”

” Yes. The award will arrive by courier in a week. You just have to check what kind of award it is then. “

” Really? But maybe it’s because it’s middle school, all the kids are good at it. Aren’t they not getting the grand prize this time?”

I looked at her mother and said with a sigh.

” Haa. My daughter is a genius in music, but my mother is a demon. It’s a tragedy. It’s a tragedy.”

” Why are you doing this again?”

” Mom. The details are different. The details. Even if you press one key, the strength and pressing time are different. “

” Really? There is a 2.6Cm difference between you and me, but my mother is a B cup and you are an A cup, so details are important.”

Usually, I would have gone dumb after hearing my mother belittle my breasts.

Not anymore.

” I’m sorry, but I’m going to have a b cup too? A few days ago, I was feeling stuffy, so when I measured it again, there was 1cm left until my b cup.”

” Yes, then a cup. “

After…

Her late paternal grandmother, who asked her father, said she had huge breasts, she says.

I believe in my dad’s genes and I believe in pomegranates.

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The courier that arrived a week later had a grand prize trophy and a plaque.