The teacher, who had been watching the girls' dodgeball referee, ran over upon hearing the brat's crying.
"Youngjun, why are you crying?"
So this kid's name was Youngjun.
"Hic, she hit me."
The ugly little bastard, pointing at me as he cried.
And he's supposed to be a man, tattling like this.
After hearing the whole story, the teacher decided to have a parent-teacher meeting with me.
After all classes had ended, during after-school hours,
I remained in the classroom and spoke with the teacher before Mom arrived.
"Dohee, why did you hit Youngjun?"
The teacher began to interrogate me.
I had my grievances too, but arguing over who was right and wrong at a time like this was third-rate.
"I have nothing to say."
"I was wrong."
"I'll make sure it never happens again."
"I'm trash."
I spoke with a tearful face, as if deeply reflecting.
"Someone like me deserves to be hit."
Finally, along with those lines, I slapped my own cheek with my hand.
And a single teardrop performance worthy of an Academy Award for Best Actress (in the future).
This is first-rate.
The teacher was greatly flustered and grabbed my hand as it struck my cheek.
"No, no, Dohee, why are you doing this? That's not what Teacher meant—"
"No, I'm a wicked girl."
"No...!"
Dramatically, at that very moment, Mom walked in.
The scene that entered Mom's field of vision:
The teacher holding my arm.
My cheek, red with a handprint.
And me shedding tears pitifully, drop by drop.
Anyone could see this was a situation ripe for misunderstanding, no?
Mom rushed over, shook off the teacher's arm, hugged me, and shouted.
"No, Teacher, why are you hitting my child like this!"
"Mom, that's not—"
"Dohee, stay quiet. She's a child who would understand if you used words, so why are you hitting her!"
"Ma'am, that's not it..."
.
.
.
"I'm truly sorry, Teacher."
Mom kept bowing her head as she apologized.
"It's alright. It was a situation anyone could have misunderstood."
"Yes, Mom apologizing is enough. Don't do that again next time."
"Lee Dohee. You wait outside."
"Huk..."
On the way home after the meeting,
Mom grabbed both my ears.
"Mom, it hurrrts."
"Are you going to hit your friend again?"
"I won't hit! I won't hit! I'll never do it again."
My ears were finally released.
"Hng, what if my pretty ears become donkey ears because of you, Mom..."
"Want to get scolded again?"
"Hic..."
"Sigh..."
Mom let out a sigh, then lifted me into a hug.
"So why did you hit him with the ball?"
"That brat pulled my hair and pinched me first, you know?"
Of course, as an adult, I shouldn't have acted so childishly toward a kid.
"Yes, you did well. If anyone bullies you next time, you hit them back too."
"Yeah."
"Just don't bully them first."
"Yeah, I love you, Mom."
"Yeah, me too."
I guess a mom is still a mom after all.
A few days later, during piano lesson time,
Having learned piano for three years, I had already finished all of Czerny and was currently playing Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, and others.
"Dohee."
While leaning against my teacher and playing the piano, the teacher called me in a low voice.
"Yes?"
"Why do you play piano so diligently, Dohee?"
There wasn't really any particular reason.
In my previous life, people who played instruments had just looked cool.
"Hmm, I just thought it would be cool if I played well."
"I think Dohee could set her career path in music too. You'd do well as a pianist."
"Come on, I'm just good compared to other kids."
"Dohee practices a lot too, and you're playing Chopin, Beethoven, and Mozart at an age when others are just starting Czerny."
"That's just because I practice a lot."
"Not only that, but Dohee has an emotional depth to her playing that's unbecoming of a child. I definitely think you have talent."
It was something only someone who wasn't actually a child could pull off, but the teacher seemed to be overestimating me too much.
"And even though it was the kindergarten division, you've won the grand prize five times in a row. So what I'm saying is..."
The teacher started to say something, then swallowed her words.
"Let's start by preparing for the competition you're entering this time."
"Yes."
"You know you're entering the elementary division starting with this competition, right?"
"Yes, I know."
"From the elementary division, it's a much more prestigious competition than the ones you entered before. That means participants will gather from all over the country. Moreover, in the elementary division, first graders compete alongside sixth graders."
"Then I can't win the grand prize?"
"Instead, it's divided into a grade grand prize and an overall grand prize. The teacher thinks you will definitely take the grade grand prize. Don't worry and just practice for now."
This competition's prepared piece was Chopin.
I practiced for five hours a day as usual.
.
.
On the day of the competition,
I came to the waiting room with my teacher and sat down as usual.
"Dohee, don't be nervous. If you just play as usual, the grade grand prize is guaranteed."
The teacher comforted me, worried that I might be nervous for no reason.
"This is already my sixth competition, so I'm not nervous. It's the first competition our Doa has come to watch, so I have to do well."
After the previous participants' performances ended, I went up on stage and sat before the piano.
Since I was participating anyway, the grade grand prize was a given; I should aim for the overall grand prize.
I began to play Chopin's Scherzo No. 1.
Before I knew it, a minute had passed, and when a ding sounded, I stopped playing and left the stage.
Every time I participated in a competition, I felt that the competition stage was too static.
They call your number, you go up, play for just one minute, stop at the ding, and quietly go back down.
The more I participated in competitions, the more I felt that the stage I wanted wasn't classical music.
I went to the waiting room and buried myself in the chest of my teacher, who was waiting.
"Dohee, you did so well."
"Yes. Hee hee."
If I didn't even have this kind of healing, I would have lost interest in the piano.
Instead of leaving the waiting room for the audience seats as usual, the teacher sat me down in a chair.
Even though today's performance had been perfect too, the teacher's expression was dark.
"I've been thinking that maybe I should stop lessons with Dohee now."
Those softly spoken words from the teacher, the non-family member with whom I had built the closest bond in this life, left me stunned.
"Why... why?"
"To be honest, I no longer have the skill to teach Dohee."
"But Teacher, you won the grand prize even in high school, and you're much better than me?"
"Of course I'm still better than our Dohee now, but by the time you're a middle schooler, you'll probably play better than me. Dohee's talent can only truly bloom if you meet a more prestigious professor than me."
"But I'm still in elementary school... Can't we continue? More than anything, I don't particularly want to be a pianist."
As I talked with the teacher, I began to shed tears from the sense of loss.
Because she was a non-family member who had cherished me the most across both my previous and current life, this sudden suggestion of parting was a type of pain I was feeling for the first time, having never experienced separation before.
"Oh my, our Dohee is still just a baby. Come here."
I leaned into my teacher's embrace.
"Teacher is twenty-seven now and has to get married. I can't stay with Dohee forever."
"I'm not saying we should part right away. And we can still meet anytime to hang out, right?"
When I still couldn't stop crying, the teacher spoke as if giving in.
"Alright, let's continue lessons until the teacher gets married."
I answered while shedding tears, but smiling.
"Yeah..."
After calming myself, I left the waiting room and went to the audience seats where my family was.
Doa, who saw me, first toddled over and greeted me.
"Unnie."
"Shh, the other people still have to perform."
"Yeah! Shh."
When I gestured shushing with my index finger to my lips, Doa copied me.
Thanks to my adorable little sibling, my gloomy heart was relieved.
I should keep Doa with me for life.
Before long, the competition ended and the winner announcements began.
A bald man conducting the ceremony called names one by one as he presented awards.
"First grade grand prize, Kim Minsu."
Huh?
Why wasn't I called?
I had been confident that I would at least win the grade grand prize.
Not even the grade grand prize?
After all the grade grand prizes were announced, the last remaining award was the overall grand prize.
"National Student Competition Piano Division Overall Grand Prize, first grader Lee Dohee."
I, whose name had not been called for the grade grand prize, ended up winning the overall grand prize awarded across first through sixth graders.
The surroundings buzzed at the news that a first grader had won the overall grand prize.
"Dohee, you have to go up and receive it."
My piano teacher, Yeonji, said to me with a smile.
The teacher must have been confident I would win the overall grand prize; that's why she had said we should stop lessons.
I went forward and received two million won in prize money, sheet music as a gift, and a plaque.
I took photos and was interviewed by several reporters who had gathered, as it was a national competition.
A few days later, an article posted online:
Unprecedented Piano Prodigy!
Lee Dohee, a first grader who unprecedentedly won the National Piano Competition
Lee Dohee demonstrated piano playing as outstanding as her excellent looks.
Below is a Q&A with Lee Dohee, who has the qualities to become a world-class pianist.
Q1. Acceptance speech.
I'm happy to have won the grand prize six times in a row.
I didn't know I'd win the overall grand prize since I'm a first grader.
Q2. You said six consecutive wins; what is your competition award and performance history?
I started piano at age five, and including this competition, I have participated six times and won the grand prize all six times.
Q3. How many hours do you practice a day?
I practiced five hours a day.
Q4. What motivated you to pursue music, and why?
Because it looked cool.
Q5. Hobbies besides music?
Exercise or playing with my younger sibling.
Q6. What else do you like besides music? And what do you want to do?
Nothing in particular.
I want to continue music, but I'm not sure about classical.
Q7. Future plans?
I will find something new I want to do.
Q8. You're so pretty.
Thank you.
Mom saw the article and, breaking her promise not to post about me on social media, posted again this time.
Kwon Joohee
May 20, 2015, 11:23 AM
Our Dohee won the competition grand prize again this time!
(Article link)
Even though she's only a first grader, she beat the sixth-grade older sisters and brothers and took first place! (*ˊᗜˋﾉﾉ*
(Elementary division overall grand prize award photo)
└ Wow, a first grader placed first in the entire elementary division. Her talent is insane
└ Looking forward to Dohee's future~
└ Face, talent, nothing lacking
└ Playing 5 hours a day for 3 years, dang, you have to work that hard to become a genius
└ If it seems like a first grader lives harder than me, upvote lol
└ F*** what have I been doing?
└ It's not too late, do something, go go
└ You always wrote weird things on my comments, why are you suddenly being nice?
└ Uwu
└ Are you thinking of making her a celebrity? If so, please contact me