Original subtitles

Let's take questions from your juniors.

Yes.

What should I do when I don't want to practice?

-No one wants to practice. -Of course.

No one likes to practice.

I don't like to practice either. Okay.

In my case,

I put in a lot of effort,

but I realized I can't compete with those who were born talented.

Do you think if we make enough effort,

we could beat those who were born talented?

Well…

Sadly, music is a field of study

where one's talent plays an especially big role.

However,

being able to dream,

I believe that's the biggest talent.

If you work hard for your dream, I'm sure your dream could come true.

All right. Sadly, it's already time

to wrap up this talk concert.

-No! Keep going! -No!

I'm sad to end this too, but let's hope to meet again soon.

Last but not least, Joon-young prepared

a piano performance for you all.

What will you play?

Well…

What shall I play on that day? Is there anything you want to hear?

"Träumerei."

I believe

music is played for the listeners.

They might all hear the same song, but it means different to each person.

Whenever I listen to your "Träumerei,"

I'm reminded of my dream.

That's why I want to listen to you

play "Träumerei" again.

He'll play "Träumerei" from Kinderscenen by Schumann.

I'll play "Ballade No. 3" by Chopin.

TALK CONCERT - PASSION AND COMPASSION HOSTED BY KYUNGHOO CARD

All right. Let's take a photo. One, two, three.

Okay, that looks great.

Thank you for the piano.

-Great job. -Right. Don't mention it.

How did you know I was doing this?

Was I not supposed to know?

Excuse me, Ms. Chae.

Could you help us clean up outside?

Yes, sure.

Please excuse me.

Take that to the storage.

It's a long way out here. Why did you come?

I decided to do this event out of goodwill,

but everyone's uncomfortable because you got involved.

I did that on purpose

because they got too comfortable with you.

I wanted them to find you difficult.

Why would they find me difficult?

It was you that they found difficult.

Let's go.

I wanted to hear you play…

"Träumerei."

It hurt me a lot…

when you said you'd never play it again.

"Träumerei"

is just one of many piano pieces.

That's all.

Don't be hurt because I won't play it,

and even if I do, nothing will change.

It didn't mean anything

to you?

Not anymore.

Why not?

Why isn't there any meaning now?

Because there shouldn't be.

There can't be any meaning

between the two of us.

For a long time…

that song…

No…

you had a lot of meaning to me.

I kept imagining how you would react

when I tell you that

and what you would say

hundreds of times and forgot about it

all by myself.

But, Jeong-gyeong--

I love you.

No.

I asked you not to do that.

I asked you, didn't I?

I'll break up with him.

-What? -I know you're unable to hurt anyone.

I'll do it.

I'll hurt him

and come to you.

You love me too.

Don't go.

-Please don't go. -Don't come.

Put up with it.

I had to put up with it,

so you should too.

Song-ah.

If you're all done, let's go.

Okay.

Great work today.

I'm just doing my job.

Goodbye.

Great work.

Great work today.

You too.

Actually, I felt

kind of small after I came to this school.

They're only middle school teenagers,

but they all seemed incredible

as they all work very hard

to run towards their dreams.

Anyway, it must be a blessing

to be so talented.

I'm jealous of you.

It's a blessing

not to be talented.

What?

If I didn't have this talent,

if that were the case,

I think everything might have been much better than right now.

I often think about that.

Joon-young.

Don't you remember what the students said?

There are so many who are troubled

by their lack of talent

even if they love music. And they work hard to become better.

Not everyone is talented like you are.

Did you say dreaming is the biggest talent

and that they could reach their dream

if they work hard for it

when you had no idea what it's like not to be talented?

Do you have any idea how it feels

not to be talented?

What?

You want to audition for a music college instead of getting a job?

She must be crazy.

I'm not crazy.

I thought long and hard about this.

Song-ah.

I'm asking because I don't really know.

Are you

talented in playing the violin?

Are you talented in playing the violin?

Then you shouldn't have been the worst!

It's a blessing

not to be talented.

I never

dared to hope

or dream of being

as talented as him.

Sometimes, I wonder…

what did I do so wrong in my past life

that I'm going through this now?

But why…

don't you seem happy to reach your dream,

thanks to your talent?

Did you

never love

the talent you were born with?

SCENES FROM CHILDHOOD

TO JEONG-GYEONG JULY 15, 2009

I heard Jo Su-an's father is the partner of Jo & Jung Law Firm.

Gosh. It must be great to be born into a rich family.

A university student's accompanist is a professor at Seoryeong University.

Not only is she rich, she's also very smart.

It's not a bad idea to use this chance to get closer to Professor Yoo.

Look at Mr. Park. He turned out to be a big success.

Professor Yoo is a man of talent.

Our dear Mr. Park is a born genius.

Professor Yoo didn't make him.

When he was in arts middle school,

he was between the 10th to 20th place in a class of 50 to 60 students.

He was ordinary.

No way.

You don't qualify for a credit loan because you're a freelancer.

Hey, Joon-young.

It's you.

Hello, sir.

How long has it been? Have you been well?

This is our intern, Ms. Kim Hae-na, who'll be in charge of today's recital.

-Ms. Jo, you know her well, right? -Yes.

Goodness, you're an intern here?

What?

Yes, I am.

I see.

It's not easy for a poor kid

to get any attention at an arts middle school.

On top of that, Mr. Park isn't the type to push himself forward to survive.

But Professor Yoo recognized his talent right away.

They first met by coincidence when our foundation let them meet,

but that's when he began to win competitions

and even won second place at the Chopin Competition.

That's why it's important to meet a good teacher.

I see.

That's why Professor Yoo Tae-jin has been his only teacher since middle school.

They must be very close.

-How have you been? -I'm still doing the same.

I just returned from my research in LA.

-I see. -I heard you're taking a year off.

-I am. -I see.

I'm performing at Kyunghoo today

as an accompanist for Lawyer Jo Jin-cheol's daughter.

I see.

You know him too. He helped you out a few times before.

You should drop by and say hello.

I'll be there first. See you later.

Learn to keep your face straight.

That punk.

I heard Jeong-gyeong applied for a job at Seoryeong.

That's Jeong-gyeong.

She's in a different league.

You know a lot of things.

Words get around quickly in this industry.

The story of you and Jeong-gyeong's romance

became a folk tale.

What's the ending? Are you the male Cinderella?

I don't like Cinderella.

I'm just joking.

What's the problem?

What?

Your cello. What's the problem?

Are you expecting another client after me?

Yes, Jeong-gyeong.

What?

Yes, so I'll be at the recital alone.

Don't worry. She'll be fine once she gets some rest.

I see. All right. Okay.

I'll see you later.

Bye.

Hey, Joon-young.

Today?

The seats are all sold out anyway. Mr. Jo bought out the entire house.

Right.

No.

Why did you quit playing? You were good.

You were the one who was good.

Are you teasing me?

Only at Seoryeong University.

Well, back in arts school, I had to practice for competitions,

performance tests, and college audition.

Such things kept happening, so I continued to play.

But once I got to college,

I didn't want to practice anymore.

I was feeling that way for a couple of months.

And one day, I heard someone playing the violin.

She wasn't very good, but she was practicing very hard.

She'd played for fun since primary school.

Later on, I asked her,

"Why do you practice so hard?"

And?

She said she likes

playing the violin.

Because I like it.

So I want to continue,

and I want to be good at it.

She wanted to continue and to get better.

That's when I realized this.

"I see. I'm a person

who only likes the violin, but not much."

I tried hard to love it like she did.

But I couldn't.

That's why I quit playing the violin.

Actually quitting it wouldn't have been easy at all.

You were pretty brave.

My job…

is very fun.

The more I do this, the better I want to be.

I want to be the best in the field

and do this for life.

You know this feeling? Your heart starts racing when you just think of something.

I do.

Yes, that's it.

Okay?

I'm not exceptionally brave.

It's just…

That's all.

My heart was racing. What could I do?

I just had to do it.

Hello. Could you tell me your name?

Here's your parking stub.

-Enjoy the recital. -Thank you.

Here's the program…

Hello.

Hello.

You can get the ticket over there.

I have a ticket.

Have you been well?

Yes.

And this.

Joon-young, you're here.

Come here for a second.

Here's the brochure.

-Thank you. -Sure.

You read over Joon-young's contract with his agent.

That's already seven years ago.

He moved to Berlin as soon as he signed the contract.

Has it been that long already?

Yes.

Su-an went to every single concert Joon-young had in New York.

My goodness.

You should stop by to see her and take a photo with her too.

Okay.

You should join us for dinner too.

Ms. Cha!

Ms. Cha.

Su-an didn't bring her dress shoes.

My goodness. She came here in slippers.

What should we do? Is there a shoe store around here?

No.

What's her size?

-She wears size 230mm. -My shoe size is 230mm too.

It doesn't really show while I'm standing, so I'll just wear these.

I'm so relieved.

You seem very familiar.

Oh, well…

She's a violin major at Seoryeong University,

the same class as you.

I see.

I think we took the same class.

You're two or three years older than me, right?

Right.

So I'm guessing you still play.

Ms. Cha, let's go.

I heard she has always been the worst.

You don't automatically become a violinist just because you're from Seoryeong.

Jo Su-an, stop minding others and just warm up.

Song-ah.

It's not always good to hold it back.

No matter who her dad is, what's wrong is wrong.

Su-an has to perform soon.

The performer is our priority.

Joon-young.

Is everything okay now, Yeong-in?

Yes, it would've been really bad if it hadn't been for Song-ah.

You're right.

I need to give you the ticket.

-Here. -Thank you.

Don't mention it. You should go inside.

-Aren't you coming? -Oh, this isn't for me.

There she is.

Come here. The recital will begin soon.

I didn't know you were coming.

Min-seong.

I'll leave first.

-Thank you. -Thank you for coming.

You look beautiful.

She's like an angel.

Did you lock your waiting room?

-Your violin is there. -It's okay. Someone's keeping guard.

Congratulations.

-Goodness. You two are here too. -Thank you.

I should've put on some color.

I heard she has always been the worst.

You don't automatically become a violinist just because you're from Seoryeong.

Where are you?

The rehearsal room.

Congrats. You were so pretty.

Thank you, Jeong-gyeong.

This is Lee Jeong-gyeong.

-I see. -Right.

She recently got her doctorate at Juilliard.

Hello. I've heard a lot about you from Mr. Lee.

Hello.

I've been wondering when we'll get to meet you.

Oh, right. I saw you in New York recently.

-Me? -Yes.

You were in the audience at Mr. Park's concert, weren't you?

Right.

I ran after you to say hi to you after the concert,

but you headed to his waiting room, so I couldn't go after you.

Oh, that day.

Wait, where's Joon-young?

He was sitting with you.

Mr. Jo.

Congratulations.

-Thank you. -Congratulations.

-Su-an, you were amazing. -Really? Thank you.

You did so well.

Yes?

Song-ah.

What brings you here?

This.

Right.

I'm sorry for being late.

TO VIOLINIST MS. CHAE SONG-AH

I…

like you.

Why aren't you saying anything?

You heard everything.

You heard me right.

-That night-- -Is it your first time here?

What do you think?

You always wanted to come here. You said you were curious.

But there isn't much to it, right?

Perhaps this is like that too. Maybe…

Maybe you're just curious.

Both you and I…

For both of us, we were…

I mean, we were all we had

for such a long time.

So…

So you're just curious.

I understand.

Hyeon-ho.

But it won't be any different.

Once you go there,

you'll regret it.

You'll be uncomfortable.

You won't like it.

But…

if you're really curious,

you can go see what it's like.

You can get some air.

But…

Just don't leave me, please.

Hyeon-ho.

Let's just end it.

I'm sorry.

I'll pretend I didn't hear that.

Why?

What?

Good for you.

You can pretend you didn't hear anything,

and you also can pretend

nothing happened.

I envy you for being able to do that.

Min-seong.

Why don't you just pretend that I don't even exist?

Min-seong.

I can't believe I fell for a guy like you.

Let go of me.

This marks the end of the 37th general meeting

of the Korean Violin Teachers' Association.

I'll get going now.

Okay. Bye.

I didn't think you'd be here today. You're doing your best until the end.

Retirement doesn't mean I'm no longer a teacher.

They haven't found a teacher like me, and they never will.

Thank you. We'll get three bowls of beef bone soup.

Sure.

Gosh, seriously.

Can't they stop sending these things?

J Chamber, right?

I got one too. They're sending invites to everyone.

The chamber orchestra by Professor Song from our school?

Oh, right. You go to Seoryeong University.

Can you tell your school to please stop doing this kind of stuff?

But Professor Song's students

devote all they have to becoming members of that orchestra.

They have to join the orchestra to have connections here and there.

But they're not even good. Why do they keep performing?

What? You don't know why Professor Song is continuing with J Chamber?

No.

-Look. -Gosh, here he goes again.

Instead of writing dissertations, music professors must perform each year.

But most of them stop practicing once they become professors.

That's so true. My professor's performance is seriously…

How can they play for 90 minutes when they're not good enough?

But no orchestra will invite them so that's not an option either.

Their only option is chamber music. But the problem is,

in Professor Song Jeong-hui's case…

Hold on. She's been a professor for…

It's been about 30 years,

which means she hasn't practiced for 30 years.

So obviously, she wouldn't even be confident

in a trio or a string quartet. Then what's left?

-A chamber. Jinx. -A chamber. Gosh!

So that's what she's doing with a few dozen pupils.

In a way, it's like a disguise.

What? So that's what she's doing?

-Do people actually buy their tickets? -Tickets?

The pupils of her pupils are forced to buy the tickets.

It's a deep-rooted custom, but a horrible one.

Oh, right.

Do you want this ticket?

Come watch my chamber orchestra if you have time.

Can you actually retire when the orchestra is keeping you this busy?

My students are volunteering to play in the orchestra,

so it'll continue to do well.

Also, all their families are lining up to sponsor us.

As you know, my assistant is very good at all the admin stuff.

Gosh, I'm truly fortunate to be surrounded by such great people.

Oh, right.

I heard your assistant is moving abroad for her doctor's degree.

I guess she wants to learn from a different teacher?

Yes, I strongly suggested it to her.

A true teacher shouldn't force her talented student

to stay in this small country.

One of my students is a girl named Lee Jeong-gyeong.

The daughter of the Kyunghoo family.

She'll apply for my position soon.

So?

Try to get along with her.

You don't have your own chamber, so you won't get a sponsorship anyway,

but it'd still be helpful to be acquainted with her family.

If you're not well-connected, try to build connections.

Okay?

My gosh!

-Professor Song! -My gosh. It's been so long. My goodness.

-We talked about meeting up. -I know.

-You haven't changed one bit. -Stop flattering me. You look great too.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

My, this is so pretty.

We need some of these on the weekends.

Gosh, I'm sick of the cafeteria food.

Let's eat. This is on me.

I got rejected.

What?

I told him, but he rejected me. Dong-yoon, I mean.

What's wrong with it?

Well…

You see this stick here, right?

This is called a sound post.

I'll adjust this so that it's more balanced.

Okay.

You should've told me sooner that it sounded off.

Why tell me the day before the audition?

You know, musical instruments tend to be quite unpredictable.

-What are you auditioning for? -The Kyunghoo Young Artist Audition.

Really?

-A close friend of mine works at Kyunghoo. -My gosh, really?

What's your friend's name?

Chae Song-ah.

I don't know who that is. Do you know her?

She's very pretty.

How can you not know her?

What do you think is the worst answer to get after confessing your feelings?

"I don't like you."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm actually married."

There can be many answers.

But forget all of them.

Dong-yoon's answer was the worst of the worst.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

How could he, when he heard me clearly?

How can he do that?

It was a one-sided crush, and he has no feelings for me.

Fine. I know that very well.

But I said I liked him.

Was it that meaningless for him to pretend

it didn't happen?

I'm hurt, Song-ah.

It really hurts.

The board meeting is coming up soon.

You should be there.

You're on the board too. You need to do your duty.

Okay.

If you don't want to,

find someone who will take your place

to help your father.

I…

broke up with Hyeon-ho.

Really?

Is that all you have to say?

I guess you're upset.

Fine, I'll ask you then. Why did you break up?

-I wasn't asking you to ask questions. -Then do you want my opinion?

I want to applaud your decision.

He wasn't right for you.

We both know that he comes from nothing.

And he's got no ambition or courage.

He's too innocent, just like a puppy.

Goodness, this place isn't for someone who's that happy-go-lucky.

I said we broke up.

Do you have to be that harsh?

Do you think I'm only talking about Hyeon-ho?

MOM

Hello.

Hello.

Well…

Your parents have owned this store for about ten years now, right?

-Yes. -I see.

When your father left our construction company,

I thought you'd ask Jeong-gyeong to help your father out.

My dad should take care of himself.

I see.

I suppose you're not the type to ask for favors.

But you see, wise people know how to ask for favors

at the right place and time.

Maybe I've gotten wiser with age.

I'd like to ask you a favor.

They're hiring a Professor of Music at Seoryeong University.

Why don't you apply?

A violin professor is retiring, but it doesn't have to be a violin player.

-That spot should go to Jeong-gyeong. -Oh, no.

She also wants to become a professor at Seoryeong University.

She's stubborn and wants to have her way.

But everyone has their own place that suits them.

Her place is as chief director of the foundation,

not a professor.

But still…

What?

You don't think you're qualified to teach at Seoryeong University?

Right, I don't think I am.

I see. But your talent is irrelevant.

Yes.

Those who believe in you and support you,

that may be more important.

That could be luck or your ability.

With this, I can assure you that I'm not on Jeong-gyeong's side.

I'm on your side.

Joon-young will welcome the idea too.

I've lived long enough to know that

a certain level of balance is required for people

to get along comfortably, whether they're friends or colleagues.

If one person is very successful or is lagging behind,

it can cause some resentment.

When you're students, it's not a big deal. But it's different when you're adults.

One of you will be the head of a foundation,

and the other one is a world-famous pianist.

You should become a Seoryeong University professor

to even out the balance.

You know?

Professor Lee Soo-kyung?

-Hey. -Hello.

-You came. -Yes.

My gosh. You have so many scholarship students.

Do you attend every one of their recitals?

The scholarship program is just like sowing seeds.

We have to observe them and make sure they're growing well.

Does anyone recognize your work?

Oh, right. In your senior class, Chae Song-ah and Kim Hae-na…

Yes, what about them?

-Are they also scholarship recipients? -No, they're not.

Right.

Hae-na's grades are middling, and Song-ah is last in class.

They're interning in our performance planning team.

-Really? -Yes.

I didn't know.

Right. Hae-na's father is the dean of our engineering college.

Oh, I see.

She's clever and friendly. She must take after her father, right?

Right, so is Song-ah.

Song-ah?

She majored in business first, didn't she?

-Yes. -Right.

She is a smart girl, but she just can't play the violin.

Anyway, Song-ah is good at what she does. She's quick-witted and has good taste.

Is that right?

I'm glad that she's good at something.

Are you at home now?

Yes.

You're home too, right?

-No, not yet. -What?

Not yet?

PARK JOON-YOUNG

Hello?

Oh. I didn't wake you up, did I?

Oh, no. Not at all.

How come you're not home yet?

I'm just walking.

Not because something bad happened. It's just…

The weather is nice.

Where are you?

Are you near the palace again?

How did you know?

I'm on the Deoksugung Stonewall Walkway.

Seriously?

You're on that walkway alone at this hour?

That's right. Who would I walk with?

Well, get home safely.

-Song-ah. -Yes.

I was…

-Are you busy after work tomorrow? -No.

I see.

Good. Then how about

we have dinner together?

Okay. Sounds good.

Then, I'll see you tomorrow.

Okay.

Good night.

You too.

BANK

You've maxed out your loan limit, so you can't apply for more.

I see.

Song-ah.

-Did I keep you waiting? -No.

Shall we go have dinner?

Yes.

Then I guess you were busy all day.

But it's okay since I don't work overtime.

What did you do today?

Well…

I just took care of some stuff.

I see.

Shall we take a walk?

Sure.

I was right.

About what?

I knew seeing you would make me feel better.

What happened to you today?

I don't know why I always think of you on bad days.

I must be a nuisance.

I'm sorry.

No, it's okay.

But it would be better if nothing wore you out.

Call me if you're ever having a bad day.

No, I'm going to call you on a good day.

That's even better. Make sure you call me, then.

Okay.

Promise.

Okay, I promise.

-Shall we go? -Yes.

Graduate school?

Let's study together and have fun for two more years.

Why are you still wearing that?

We're over.

Were you really going to marry me? What made you so confident?

I stopped expecting a lot from you.

The keys on that piano felt too heavy every time I played.

-Does that make me that foolish? -Song-ah.

Joon-young and I have known each other for 15 years.

Song-ah needs dating advice.

No, not me. It's about my friend.

He cares about her,

so he keeps thinking of her and texting her and calling her.

If they really like you, they won't confuse you.

I don't think I want to be

that kind of friend to you.

I don't want to be…