Chapter 6.2
The performance ended successfully. The orchestra played well, and Henry Chang, who was collaborating for the first time, was truly a genius. His straightforward and clear expressiveness, along with precise phrasing, didn’t delve deeply into Brahms’ complexity, but his technique alone was enough to express Brahms' depth.
Aside from Isaac Stern, there were no violinists that particularly attracted Haewon, but he was personally excited to see how Henry Chang’s performances would evolve in the next ten and twenty years. Thanks to that, Haewon had no idea what had happened in the first half, but he was quite focused during the second half, and during that time, he didn’t think of Hyun Woojin or Lee Jinyoung.
In addition to the three encores prepared, Henry Chang played the familiar "Spring in My Hometown" as the last piece. It was a piece that always made Haewon’s nose tingle with emotion. The audience joined in, singing along with Henry Chang’s violin as the finale, and the performance came to an end.
Haewon didn’t listen to the moving performance; instead, he mechanically clapped his hands while staring at Lee Jinyoung, who was looking directly at him.
After the performance, Haewon returned to the waiting room. He took pictures with the orchestra and shook hands with Henry Chang. A post-performance party was being held at a nearby hotel banquet hall. The cellist, who had finished organizing his instrument, waited for Haewon and the violist to catch up before they went together in his car. The cellist glanced at the flower basket Haewon had received.
“Haewon, aren’t you going to take that?”
“I’m allergic to flowers.”
“Can I take it then?”
“Do whatever you want.”
“I’ll put it in the car. Just call me when you’re ready.”
“Go ahead, you two. I’ll follow in a bit.”
The violist and cellist left the waiting room. The cellist couldn’t carry both the cello case and the flower basket, so the violist took the cello case on his shoulder. The flower basket was huge, so heavy that it would be difficult for one person to carry.