A short three-minute performance.
What I felt first at the end of it was relief.
‘I haven’t lost my touch.’
‘The effort I put in on the deserted island wasn’t in vain.’
And then,
‘I really can play the piano.’
Only then did I have the presence of mind to look around. People were silently watching me. Countless eyes were fixed on me. They maintained a wordless stillness.
Thanks to that, a few sounds started to prick at my senses.
The rustling of someone’s clothes as they brushed against each other.
The faint sound of a stifled cough.
The subtle friction sound of someone adjusting themselves in their seat.
As if this were a real stage, people acted like an audience.
This was a first for me.
In truth, I had never performed in front of an audience before. Of course, I had participated in small local competitions, but those couldn’t be called performances.
Stages where only the participants, their families, and a few judges were present.
They weren’t stages for appreciation, but for evaluation. They always felt cold.
The only sounds were the scribbling of pens and the whispers comparing this person to that.
I had only ever performed in such sharp, tense environments.
Perhaps that’s why.
My performances were always fraught with anxiety, constantly busy chasing after the sheet music, overwhelmed by the notes.
However, not this time.
This time, I was able to play the music I wanted to express.
Even the fear I had of not being able to play the piano completely disappeared during the performance.
The notes flowed naturally, and I expressed my emotions without worry.
And that feeling…
It was truly refreshing.
If I continue to practice, I might be able to play better than I did today. But the performance I played with the emotions I felt here, at this moment, will never happen again.
I was certain of that.
When I stood up, I could see the people sitting around the fountain more clearly.
The people who had remained silent throughout my performance started clapping one by one, as if they realized that I had finished. They expressed their gratitude for my performance.
I bowed my head lightly and went to look for Nurse Lin. Nurse Lin was standing not too far away with Dr. Loong.
Without a word, Dr. Loong tapped me on the shoulder and walked off somewhere.
I followed Nurse Lin back to the hospital room.
During that time, Nurse Lin chattered non-stop.
Most of it was praise for me, filled with words that were a little embarrassing.
But there was one thing she said that stuck with me.
Nurse Lin had definitely said,
“You looked like a pianist…”
Her passing remark.
And the reactions of my first audience.
These are things I will probably never forget for the rest of my life.
*****
Singapore National Hospital, second-floor food court.
As expected of a large hospital, the entire second floor was dedicated to food. Thanks to that, I was able to try a variety of cuisines—Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Singaporean—in a food court style.
After much deliberation, I chose a Singaporean dish called Katong Laksa.
Rice noodles in a coconut curry soup base.
I had thought I’d never want to look at anything coconut-related again, but knowing I was about to leave, I felt a bit regretful and decided to give it a try.
The taste was better than I expected.
The spicy broth was well-balanced with shrimp, egg, and chicken. The fresh vegetables were nice too. Wow! The broth was amazing. I take back what I said earlier about it being just okay. This was heavenly food!
After spending days on a deserted island, living off dried fish, and then eating only hospital meals, this rich food from the outside world—my first in three years—was more than enough to blow my mind...
Ahem.
Well, maybe not quite blow my mind, but it was still excellent. It was as if they had kidnapped a seven-star hotel chef to make this dish, which disappeared from my bowl in an instant.
“Uh... Seojin, should I order more?”
Sensing my father’s quick offer, I nodded seriously.
After finishing off a hamburger and a pork cutlet, I finally felt full enough to pat my stomach.
I could finally breathe.
My mother looked a bit surprised at me and asked, “Seojin, you’re not usually the type to eat this much, are you?”
I answered earnestly, “Mother.”
“Ugh! This kid, again! How many times do I have to tell you to call me ‘Mom’?”
I was genuinely serious.
“Mother. Eating is directly related to survival. You need to take in enough nutrients when the opportunity arises to prepare for emergencies. And look here. If you don’t eat food when it’s overflowing with delicacies like this, that too could be considered a grave sin. I simply couldn’t commit such a sin.”
At my lengthy explanation, my mother finally chuckled.
“Alright. It’s good to see you eating well. If you keep eating like that, you’ll grow in no time.”
“I’m already keeping that in mind. I’ve been frustrated these past few days because of my short height. When I go back to Korea, I plan to work out too.”
“Your height? Seojin, you’re not short for your age, are you?”
“Still, I feel like I should be at least this tall.”
I raised my hand over my head, recalling the height I had during the three years I spent on a deserted island. At least 30 cm taller. I was 40 cm taller than I am now.
Now I’m stuck in the tiny body of a 6th grader.
Does that even make sense?
Grumbling a bit about feeling like I’d been cheated because of my shorter height. Even my father gave a small laugh.
“But Seojin, your personality has definitely changed a lot.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. You used to be a reserved son who only played the piano, but now you seem much more lively. You eat well, you talk well, and you’ve got a variety of expressions. It’s really nice to see.”
“Seriously~ Did something good happen while you were in the hospital? Maybe a nice nurse took good care of you? Could it be that you’re interested in her or something?”
My mother’s playful, teasing question.
Of course, I shook my head calmly.
“Tsk. My son’s no fun. Who did you take after to be like this?”
My mother jabbed my father in the ribs for no particular reason. My father, insisting that it wasn’t true, claimed he was definitely a funny guy, threw out a few lame dad jokes, and quickly gave up. His sulky expression was quite memorable. Seeing this, my mother smiled again.
They are really a good couple. They got along so well that they married early, and both of them aren’t even forty yet this year. Was this their 13th wedding anniversary? Thirteen years. Even so, it seemed pretty impressive that they were still like this.
We finished our meal and returned to Room 907 of the hospital.
But there was a guest waiting for us.
“I just came by to deliver the plane tickets.”
“You’re here in person, Consul?”
At my words, Consul Kim Young-hee gave an awkward smile.
“To be honest, I came on purpose. I thought it might be my last chance to see you, Seojin. Once you go back to Korea, you probably won’t come back to Singapore, right?”
“Well... If I get the chance, I’ll come again.”
“Isn’t that the same as saying you won’t come back?”
“Is it?”
Consul Kim Young-hee smiled awkwardly again, then greeted my parents first. It seemed they had received quite a bit of help from the consul in one way or another. I also bowed my head slightly and expressed my gratitude to her.
Consul Kim Young-hee pulled something out of her handbag. Then she extended her hand towards me.
“This is a get-well gift that I couldn’t give you last time. It’s nothing special, but you can open it right away.”
“Oh, thank you.”
I felt a bit dazed.
Following her instruction, I unwrapped the paper packaging of the bundle. Inside was a decoration shaped like a lion, something that symbolizes Singapore.
“It’s called a Merlion. It has the head of a lion and the lower body of a fish. It’s a fictional creature created by the Singapore Tourism Board, so it doesn’t hold much meaning, but it’s at least proof that you’ve been to Singapore, right?”
“Proof...?”
“Yes. To commemorate being here.”
“......”
I never imagined that the word “evidence” would come out of someone else’s mouth.
I took a closer look at the statue. It was made of ceramic and looked quite luxurious.
A lot has happened in this place.
Events so extraordinary that they changed my life entirely.
These were things I never could have imagined when I boarded the flight to Singapore.
How many people in the world could have had such an experience?
I couldn’t say for sure, but I was confident it would be close to zero.
However, it was now time to return.
Just as Uncle Miller and I built a boat on the uninhabited island and made it back to the outside world,
Now, I needed to return to the place where I belonged.
As I heard Consul Kim Young-hee’s final words, thanking me for staying alive, I said my goodbyes to her.
And then.
On the afternoon of the day after 25 long days since the AC 2505 accident,
My parents and I boarded the flight back to Korea.
*****
- Good evening. This is Park Young-ho, anchor for KBC 9 o’clock news. It has been reported that all survivors of the AC 2505 flight, which carried 258 passengers, have completed their treatment and returned to Korea.
(Cut)
- Han Seojin, the boy who kept the nation on edge until the very end, has also boarded a flight to Korea in good health. Han Seojin, now 12 years old, was on this flight to attend a master class at the prestigious Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore...
(Cut)
- It was reported that Han Seojin, who was rescued after 15 days, gave an impromptu performance in the hospital lobby to comfort the minds and bodies of patients who were undergoing difficult treatment due to the plane crash. We at KBC conducted interviews with a few individuals.
(skip)
- Can you believe it? That little boy was in pain himself, yet he played music for us! It brought tears to my eyes at the time!
(skip)
- It was like the sound of heaven. The melody of *Träumerei*, as if it contained sorrow, felt like it was telling us that it empathized with our grief.
(skip)
- Pardon? Oh, yes, you’re absolutely right. I was the one who accompanied Han Seojin to the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music master class at the time. Han Seojin is a musician with tremendous potential. Well... you could say he’s the future and rising star of the classical music world.
