The Concerto

Episode 4. The Concerto 

Kang Pi-o tells his mother, Kang Ji-hye, that he doesn’t want to enter any competitions which shocks her. She tells him he cannot do music without competitions. He explains that his music has no soul because competitions were all that he did as a child playing with precision by the book and winning. He tells her that he doesn’t even know what in his music was soulless. Ji-hye tells him that he would ruin his career just to chase a silly pipe dream which was nonsense. 

He asked her why she made him do music and she rebutted that it was her fault that that was all he did. Ji-hye told him to quit if he was not going to compete and to stop his lessons and art school too. He said he will, if that was what she wanted and walked out of the house.

Angry, Kang Ji-hye walks into Maestro Kang Seung-woon’s office and confronts him about why he hates his grandson, Pi-o. Was it because Pi-o reminded him of Ji-hye’s mother? 

Maestro Kang related to Ji-hye that it was she who broke her parent’s hearts because she went abroad to become a ballerina but gave up her training and came home pregnant. He said that his grandson ruined Ji-hye’s life. She retorted that Maestro Kang was the one who cheated on her dying mother with cancer because of Director Yoon Seong-ju. Maestro Kang slaps Ji-hye and Seong-ju embraces Maestro Kang to calm him down. Ji-hye goes on to tell both that her mother cursed them until she died, and Ji-hye will wait to see if the curse is real. Seong-ju comforts Maestro Kang.

Kang Pi-o and Choi Jeong-yo go to the music store to find pieces that they would like to play. Pi-o tells him to get the music sheets he needs. He tells Jeong-yo that personally reviewed printed music score sheets are better than downloaded editions because of the research and editor. He suggested that they play the orchestra reduction for each other as practice buddies and said it was hard practicing concerto alone. Jeong-yo agrees that it is a great idea. Pi-o gives Jeong-yo all the score sheets that he was studying and practicing. 

Jeong-yo is uneasy that Pi-o is suddenly nice to him. Pi-o says that it is better than getting a partner who sucks. Jeong-yo asks why he wanted to do music to make him happy. Pi-o says he never played the piano for fun. When he was five years old it was the first time he experienced how beautiful music was when he heard the second movement of the Emperor Concerto from his grandfather’s study and wanted to play music like that. Pi-o suddenly asked why Maestro Kang Seung-woon, his grandfather, asked to see him.

Jeong-yo lied and said that the Maestro was trying to be encouraging. He said they shook hands and Jeong-yo thought that he was going to be given an allowance. Jeong-yo told him to follow him to enjoy music at a piano bar. He started playing varied tempos of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star from jazz to blues. Pi-o sat down on the piano stool to try. They play together and get applause from the bar owner. 

Mr. Kim, the loan shark, suddenly shows up, and he recognizes Kang Pi-o as a rich kid. He grabs Jeong-yo’s phone and gets the phone number of Pi-o.  He warns Jeong-yo that he should answer his phone when Mr. Kim calls. Choi Jeong-yo hangs-out at Pi-o’s house in anticipation of Mr. Kim bothering the Kang family.

Kang Ji-hye catches Pi-o leaving the house and asks where he was the day before and why he didn’t practice because he would lose his muscle memory. She asks if he was actually going to quit the piano, Pi-o gives a sigh, and she asks him for his credit card and kicks him out of her house because he wanted to live aimlessly.

Choi Jeong-yo sees Kang Pi-o leave his house while watching out for Mr. Kim. Pi-o calls Jeong-yo and asks to meet him not knowing that he was just behind him. Jeong-yo lies about whispering because he was at the library and had to run all the way there to beat Pi-o’s arrival. Pi-o asks him if he could stay at the dorm with him for a few days. Jeong-yo agrees and sneaks him into his messy room. Pi-o elects to sleep on the floor. Jeong-yo asks him if the reason for his not going home was because he didn’t want to join competitions which he confirms.

Kang Ji-hye calls Professor Do Hyun-soo to meet her at a bar and cries about her son to him. She seeks his sympathy by saying that she had a bad reputation just because of her ambitions for the son.

Jeong-yo receives a photo message of Kang Pi-o’s home from Mr. Kim which makes him get up early. Pi-o wakes up and finds himself alone while Jeong-yo is at the convenience store. He sees the composition of Jeong-yo in a music notebook and asks him about it.  Pi-o coaches Jeong-yo about concertos requiring a forceful style that throws music which Jeong-yo easily understands and is able to adapt. 

Pi-o is flustered during practice with Professor Do’s seeming impatience with his playing style. He reprimands Jeong-yo about too much attention on his phone, but Pi-o is unaware that Mr. Kim is threatening to do something to Pi-o. Pi-o invites Hong Jae-in out for a chat. He confirms that his music style is perfect but lacks an element. Jae-in is careful about comparing him with Jeong-yo.

Mr. Kim has captured Jeong-yo’s father. Jeong-yo is told that he must get 80 million won to pay for the father’s debt. Jeong-yo said that he knew only about 20 million won but Mr. Kim said he had three days to give the money or Mr. Kim would sell all of the father’s organs to settle the debt. He asked for more time to get the money but is told to ask his rich friend for the money.

Meanwhile, agency Manager Eden Yoon asks her group to vote between Kang Pi-o and Choi Jeong-yo as the pianist to promote and discovers that they favor Jeong-yo for his natural musical instincts. One says that Pi-o is better prepared for the competition, and another says that he has backed out of competitions. Manager Yoon is in a dilemma about what Kang Ji-hye told her earlier that Pi-o will be pulled out of her agency if Choi Jeong-yo is invited. 

Maestro Kang stops an audition for the concerto pianist who was a Rumina Competition second placer saying that the girl did not have the talent for soloist. He tells Mr. Park that the genius in a pianist can make music anew.  

Kang Pi-o is anxious at the school and messages Jeong-yo who has not answered his messages and call. Suddenly Jeong-yo appears at the stairs of the dorm and says that he went out to meet someone. Then they both confirm that the arrangement at the dorm was not a problem. Pi-o notices that Jeong-yo is problematic.

Jeong-yo talks to Director Yoon Seong-ju to save his father. He brings her to see Mr. Kim with the lawyer. They question the legality of the contract and the loan interest which makes Mr. Kim annoyed but relents to the terms. Director Yoon tells Jeong-yo that he has to pay her in ten years for the loan. The father denied Jeong-yo as his son and said that he hated him and wanted him out of his life. Jeong-yo expresses his frustration through piano practice.

Meanwhile, Manager Eden Yoon tells Kang Jae-in that she is taking Choi Jeong-yo in together with Kang Pi-o in her agency. She argued that the boys are best friends which is a good potential for the agency. Jae-in ends the contract and tells Manager Eden Yoon that she doesn’t know what makes artists tick. 

Kang Pi-o is startled when he sees his mother at school. She asks him to get in the car to talk because it is in his best interests. She asks how he felt about living on his own.  She lies to him that Manager Eden Yoon wanted to terminate his contract to sign Choi Jeong-yo instead and that she agreed. He goes home with her and ignores Jeong-yo’s call not knowing what the friend just went through.

At school, Kang Pi-o apologizes to Jeong-yo about the call and about not telling him that he had gone home to his mother. Pi-o buys drinks which perplexes Jeong-yo because of the sudden change of heart and  generosity. Hong Jae-in catches them at the vending machine getting drinks and teases about watching their concerto practice. Pi-o sees the expression on Jae-in’s face listening to Jeong-yo play and begins to understand the difference in their performance. He practices on his own without Jeong-yo. When he reaches home,  he sees Jeong-yo performing for his grandfather and guests and overhears his grandfather say that he needs Choi Jeong-yo play at his concerto.

Jeong-yo goes to Pi-o’s room after his piece and explains but Maestro Kang enters the room to ask why Jeong-yo hasn’t auditioned for the concerto. Jeong-yo tells him that he didn’t want to but the Maestro insists to see him in his office in the morning. 

Pi-o follows his grandfather’ to the office to ask why his piano skills are not acceptable to play a concerto, and Maestro Kang tells him that he plays with perfection but is a bore and it was Jeong-yo who made the Noblesse Classic Concert performance outstanding because of raw instinct. Jeong-yo enters the room and explains to  Maestro Kang that it was Pi-o who made him perform that way. Maestro Kang tells Pi-o that he knew that he would be broken by the truth.

Kang Jae-in reaches home to see Jeong-yo come out of Maestro Kang’s room and tells him not to talk to Kang Pi-o anymore. Jeong-yo leaves the Kang home. 

Jae-in sees Pi-o on the floor of his room and her screams fill the house.