Chapter 1136: The Warmest Season, Winter (8)

“Grandma. Do you want to go to the dentist? Even now?”

“No.”

Mrs. Kim Deoksun waved him off.

“Stop worrying about me and just watch the movie.”

“How is any grandson supposed to enjoy a movie when there’s a grandma sitting right next to him with a broken tooth?”

“It’s not your tooth, so why are you making such a fuss? Be quiet and watch the movie.”

“……”

It was clear that she wasn’t going to listen no matter what I said, so I turned my attention back to the screen.

The opening was exactly the same as it had been at the first screening.

The scene where Sun Myeongju, played by senior Lee Gyeonwoo, plays the piano alone and asks the audience if they would like to hear his story.

“Wow……”

The scene immediately shifts from adult Sun Myeongju to young Sun Myeongju.

The sound of insects chirping.

A young boy sits alone on a swing at a playground under the moonlight, humming a song to himself.

[Hey! Sun Myeongju! The teacher says you need to come inside.]

The quiet, beautiful boy shakes off the swing seat and stands up.

Even when teachers spoke to him, he pretended not to hear them, and even among his friends, he ate his meals silently by himself.

Then, by chance, he discovers his talent through a piano he happens to touch.

[Hm?]

The teacher asks after noticing that the child, who has been playing the piano alone, always stops at the exact same phrase.

[Myeongju. Why do you always stop right there?]

[Because that’s where the teacher stopped playing.]

[……]

A genius talent that allows him to perfectly recreate a piano performance simply by listening to it.

[Myeongju. Would you like to learn this from your teacher?]

[……]

The child nods.

As he learns piano from an orphanage teacher who majored in music, he slowly begins to communicate with the people around him.

His expression gradually brightens.

The child who used to eat alone begins talking with the other children, and he even becomes close with a girl at school.

[Hello.]

[Hel…lo.]

[I’m Lee Myeongeun. What’s your name?]

[I’m……]

Scenes appear of the girl he meets on the way home from school cheerfully approaching him, and the shy way the boy responds.

A girl much taller than him.

As scenes of the two of them walking home together with their backpacks like childhood friends play on screen, the moment arrives.

[What?]

At a piano competition in Seoul that he attends by chance, Sun Myeongju catches the attention of Winston Ross, who was visiting Korea at the time.

[...America?]

[Myeongju. This is a huge opportunity.]

[I don’t want to go. I like Korea.]

He says he wants to stay in Korea, but the encouragement and pressure from everyone around him become too strong.

In the end, he accepts.

Because all the adults share the belief that a genius child must be sent abroad to study.

And so, with the scene of an airplane taking off with a whoosh, the boy arrives at his foster family’s home.

A house filled with people.

『Hello!』

『What’s your name?』

『Come here.』

A family of nine welcomes him.

Under the care of the Ross family, it seems like he will grow while learning jazz properly, but unfortunately, school is different.

Subtle racism.

Bullying.

Repeated negative experiences during the most sensitive years of his life slowly cause the boy to lose interest in music.

Then, at that exact moment, he meets a new transfer student named Steve McQueen, who becomes his closest friend.

『Nice to meet you, man. I’m Steve McQueen.』

A friend who dreams of becoming a classical pianist.

A friend who comforts Myeongju after he loses interest in music and tries to guide him back onto the path of music.

But….

『I think I’m going to quit now.』

Seeing his friend about to give up music changes young Myeongju once again.

He goes to Winston Ross and tells him that he wants to change people’s hearts through music.

After practicing relentlessly, he succeeds in convincing his friend not to abandon music.

I have a story

I want to tell you

As young Sun Myeongju sings with a gentle voice, the friend who had initially ignored him slowly begins singing along.

A breathtaking duet between the two child actors.

Just when it seems like Sun Myeongju’s story will continue with him returning to his bright self, Steve McQueen transfers away due to family circumstances.

And once again, Myeongju is left alone.

That is when his rebellion slowly begins.

“Hmm……”

It was only a movie, but watching my parents go through their rebellious years felt strange.

A loosened school uniform.

A slack tie.

Untamed, messy hair.

As Sun Myeongju gradually changes from a boy into a young man, he loses interest in music, wanders aimlessly, and after a conversation with Winston Ross, chooses to return to Korea.

[Oh my, you must be Myeongju.]

At first, the teachers at his Korean school welcome his arrival.

The famous prodigy from Gunsan.

But soon, just like in America, they become disappointed when they see his careless attitude.

The only person who continues to look after him is a female student from the same school.

[...How long are you going to keep living like this?]

[Move.]

[Move? Why should I be the one moving just because you told me to?]

[……]

[How long are you going to keep living this way? Answer me.]

It was Mom.

A scene straight out of a youth romance film.

A couple bickering back and forth.

At first, Dad shows no reaction, acting completely indifferent.

But then, one day, when my grandfather passes away.

Dad sees Mom crying alone in the music room.

He walks toward the piano and begins to play.

[……?]

Mom, who had been crying, stops her tears with a bewildered expression.

[……]

It was because of the skill of a handsome high school student playing the piano beneath the sunset.

A level of skill that could only come from practicing every single day without missing one.

[...I thought you gave up.]

[I did.]

Dad answers.

[But I never stopped practicing, not even for a single moment. Because I love it.]

[With this kind of talent, why……]

[Nothing changes.]

Sun Myeongju stares into empty space with a cynical expression.

[Music doesn’t change anything. Even if beautiful jazz melodies spread through the air, the way people look at me doesn’t change. They only see me as someone with a strange talent. If music can’t change anything, why should I let people hear it?]

[That’s right.]

He freezes.

The person he expected to tell him he was wrong agrees with him instead.

That, strangely enough, leaves high school Myeongju flustered.

Mom stands up and says.

[Maybe you’re right. Maybe music can’t change anything. If you’re alone.]

[……?]

[So why don’t we try doing it together?]

Mom smiles brightly.

At that moment, the sunset pours into the classroom, and her face begins to shine.

Dad stares blankly at her.

Watching his expression, dazzled as if he were looking directly at the sun, I felt something similar.

Director Kim Bora, sitting beside me, whispered.

“How is it, Wooju?”

“It was the same during the internal screening, but…”

I answered without taking my eyes off the screen.

“I think this might become the greatest movie of my life.”

After the solid buildup in the first half.

The film begins moving rapidly once Sun Myeongju and Lee Myeongeun become adults and immediately get married.

[...What? Japan?]

After starting jazz together, the two head to Japan after receiving a positive response there.

And at the time, they become hugely popular in Japan.

The venues grow larger.

The cheers grow louder.

Then, when their albums begin gaining attention in America as well, they finally make their way to the United States.

“Wow……”

The audience watching the movie let out sounds of admiration.

It was because of the direction.

It really feels like America in the 1990s.

From the Twin Towers to the overall atmosphere of the 1980s and 1990s, Sound of the Sun perfectly recreates America before the new millennium.

An era overflowing with energy.

But when Sun Myeongju and Lee Myeongeun arrive in an unfamiliar country, they struggle.

Naturally, because of racism.

[The performance was canceled.]

[Again?]

Existing musicians resent them for entering the jazz world as Asians.

Clubs shut them out.

Not childish racism like calling them slurs, but scenes filled with a deep, lingering cruelty play across the screen.

One audience member mutters.

“Those bastards……”

At the quiet curse, celebrity guests and Sun Myeongju’s fan club members burst into laughter.

Everyone felt the same way.

Their smartwatches showed their heart rates and blood pressure steadily rising.

But unlike the audience’s reactions, Sun Myeongju on the screen only smiles.

[There’s no need to obsess over performance venues. The whole world is a stage.]

[Exactly.]

The couple touches their foreheads together and smiles.

As a brief kiss scene plays, the sound of their son groaning can be heard from the front row.

While everyone laughs, a lively jazz melody begins playing.

[Then should we recruit some crew members?]

Like a rebellion of outsiders.

Sun Myeongju and Lee Myeongeun begin searching for musicians who were rejected by the traditional jazz scene.

People who played experimental music.

People who were excluded because of their unique styles.

I have an offer

you cannot refuse

Sun Myeongju sings beside a saxophonist drinking alone, while Lee Myeongeun speaks to him from right beside them.

Why don’t we make

real music together?

The two recruit their crew members one by one.

Finally, they all gather at a club in New York.

A timid bass player speaks.

[Oh. I’m not sure this is a good idea.]

[Sammy. Have some confidence.]

Sun Myeongju encourages the bassist, then pushes aside the curtain and walks onto the stage of a tiny jazz club.

There are nine band members.

There are four customers.

[Hello everyone!]

Even those four customers casually sip their drinks with uninterested expressions and chat among themselves.

But everything changes once Sun Myeongju begins playing.

Wow. Look at the direction……

The calm music gradually builds.

The surrounding set changes in real time, matching the atmosphere of the music.

The four audience members become captivated.

After that, everything moves quickly.

[Wooooooow!]

[Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Sun!]

Sun Myeongju rises as a star.

Like any biographical film, newspaper articles, talk show appearances, and other scenes follow.

His success begins.

This is really good.

The music is incredible……

Conflict.

Love.

Success.

Performances in Vienna and Paris, increasingly grand stages, and musical numbers flowing beneath dazzling lights.

A duet between two lovers dancing at a ball.

The performers playing freely before launching into a group dance with their instruments in hand.

The romantic atmosphere naturally draws everyone in.

And Like The Sun, the song everyone had been waiting for, truly lives up to expectations.

[...It’s unfortunate. You’ve been left off the nominees again.]

[Is that so.]

The harsh wall of reality.

Despite achieving enormous success, news arrives that they have not been nominated even once at the Grammys or various other music awards.

As if sending a message to the music industry that had firmly closed its gates, Sun Myeongju begins to sing.

We are like the sun-

Look

At your sun that still shines brightly

No matter what you do, you cannot stop the light of the sun from shining.

At first, Sun Myeongju sings alone.

Then his companions begin gathering around him one by one.

A chorus begins.

People sing with overwhelmed expressions, their hands joined together.

We are like the sun-

Look

At your sun that still shines brightly

The camera zooms in on each performer’s face.

Regardless of race, those who had been rejected come together as one and sing.

The audience watches with moved expressions.

And just like the rising sun itself, they begin to shine brightly.

[Everyone! This is Sun!]

[Sun! Sun! Sun!]

The next album, released after gritting their teeth and pushing forward, achieves even greater success.

The couple visits the White House for a jazz event and attends a dinner.

They sell out countless performances.

And then, the greatest blessing of all comes to them.

[...Hello, Wooju.]

Like the fingers of creation meeting, a tiny finger grasps his parents’ fingers.

The audience watching the scene looks toward the handsome man sitting in the front row.

Wooju watches the scene with tears in his eyes.

“……”

Seeing him, the audience quietly nods before returning their attention to the screen.

The lively movie gradually settles into a more peaceful atmosphere toward the end.

The two raise their child.

They perform.

……I don’t want it to end.

Even though I knew better than anyone how this story ended, I wanted to keep watching these peaceful moments between the couple.

“……”

“……”

Sun Myeongju’s fan club members wait for the ending with grim expressions.

The scene would probably come next.

The scene where Sun Myeongju and his family-like band members board the same plane for their next tour.

But the scene that appeared was different from what they expected.

[I want to leave a message for the future.]

While resting on a beach, Sun Myeongju suddenly says this.

He wants to perform his unreleased songs twenty years later.

His wife agrees when he suggests preparing for the future, even if there is no reason anything should happen.

And so, the scene is recorded on a state-of-the-art camcorder.

[...I, Sun Myeongju, would like to hold a small performance this time. There are still scores that have yet to be revealed to the world. Therefore, in this year of 2017, I would like to hold my final performance.]

The pianist begins playing Question.

[Would you please come to my performance? I will greet you properly once again. Everyone.]

When Question reaches its climax.

[I, Sun Myeongju, have returned.]

The scene of Sun Myeongju smiling more brilliantly than anyone else ends.

The scene changes immediately.

[January 2018]

[Seoul. Seoul Arts Center.]

A recreation of the January performance held at Seoul Arts Center.

Sun Myeongju’s fans begin crying, unable to hold back their tears.

[February 2018]

[Pyeongchang Olympics Opening Ceremony]

The scene from the Olympics plays again.

The moment when Wooju plays the piano together with his father’s hologram.

Even people who were not fans begin shedding tears from the overwhelming emotion.

Then the voices of the commentators from that time are heard.

[Yes, he’s a national idol.]

[Following in his father’s footsteps, his son is playing his own answer.]

The music changes from Question to Answer.

As if the movie itself is saying:

—Sun Myeongju’s story is still continuing.

It did not end simply because he passed away.

The legacy he left behind still exists in the world.

As the opening ceremony scene ends, various archival videos and captions appear.

[After his passing in 2017, twenty years later, countless “Sun Myeongju Kids” he raised gathered together to prepare for his performance.]

Archival footage shows musicians including pianist Paul Laurent gathering together to prepare a fundraising event.

[The legacy he left behind still remains throughout the world.]

The schools Sun Myeongju built

/N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/

and the many things he left behind are highlighted one by one.

The audience wipes away tears.

[And…]

The protagonist’s son and his companions appear, dancing brilliantly on an overseas awards stage.

[His son, Sun Wooju, is currently a member of NewBlack and continues to work around the world.]

Then, the final caption appears.

[The awards received by Sun Myeongju for his contributions to jazz were…]

The text fades in faintly.

[None.]

The film ends by leaving behind a meaningful question.

Like The Sun plays softly in an arranged version as the ending credits begin.

“Wow.”

“So that was real.”

Even while watching the movie, there were moments where people thought, Can that really be true?

The photo with the American president.

The concert held in Red Square in Moscow.

As everyone waited for the credits to finish, overwhelmed by their emotions—

[Did everyone enjoy it?]

The audience, who had been staring at the screen with tearful eyes, finally came back to their senses at Wooju’s voice.

Looking at the people staring at him blankly, NewBlack’s leader raises the microphone and asks.

[How was the movie?]

Only then do the people who had been completely absorbed in the film realize they had forgotten to give the reaction they were supposed to give after a movie ended.

And then.

The audience answered with the loudest cheers and applause they could possibly give.

This is really……

For them, it was the best movie of the year.