Twisted Rope

Public Faces, Private Lives

As they drove the short distance from Carnegie Hall to the venue of the reception, Hyun-ki watched the busy streets. He liked the energy of this city. He turned his head towards Jeong-hyeok and Seri, his mouth open, about to say something, but then he stopped. There was such an air of intimacy about them he didn't want to intrude. Seri had her head against Jeong-hyeok's shoulder and he held her hand in his lap, stroking it gently. Somehow, they seemed completely absorbed in each other. Hyun-ki turned back to look out of the window again.

The encore that Jeong-hyeok had played had been meant only for Seri, but such was its power, it had affected the entire audience.

What must it feel like to have love as powerful as that?

To give, to receive and to give back in equal measure.

He rather envied them, but he knew they deserved their happiness. He was just glad they had found each other again and happy to let them have their together time, before they had to put on their public faces.

The reception afterwards was at an elegant hotel, and they were warmly welcomed by the sponsors and other invited guests. They would all need to play their part, and before long, they were separated, pulled away by different groups, keen to meet the artist and his celebrated wife. As he went to collect another glass of champagne, Park Hyun-ki watched Jeong-hyeok across the room. He was surrounded by a group of admirers. In particular, a woman in a black dress was clearly flirting with him. As ever, Jeong-hyeok was behaving impeccably. Hyun-ki smirked a little.

She's got no chance!

Jack Stein, the journalist, came over to him. He was a tall man, rather gangly. He had a laid back manner that made him good company.

"That concert was something else!" he said. "Even better than the night before's! Tell me about that final encore. It was as if he made love to the entire audience! I wouldn't be surprised if there was a baby boom because of that!"

Hyun-ki grinned. "Yes, it was pretty powerful, wasn't it! All I can tell you is that he's never performed that before. So yes, it was something special."

"Well, I'd love him to talk to me about his performance tonight. So he's happy to meet to discuss an interview feature?"

Hyun-ki nodded to confirm.

"I'm glad," Jack went on. "I hope we can arrange a time and date soon. Is there any chance of doing something whilst he's in New York? I can fly out to Seoul otherwise."

"Let's see what he says. We'll talk to him soon."

"And what about his wife, will she want to be there? Can I talk to her too?"

"She doesn't normally sit in. One thing you should know is that if he agrees to the interview, there are certain topics he won't discuss."

"Such as?"

"How he and his wife met, and what happened before they were married. Also, he won't answer questions about the North, or make any political statements. That is a sensitive area and you need to avoid it. As I'm sure you know, North Korea is a pretty volatile place at the moment. He has to be careful."

"I know something about his history, and it is very intriguing. People would like to know more." The journalist pressed him for more information. He was obviously keen to delve deeper.

"It seems to me that his history of personal tragedy and the drama of his early relationship with Yoon Seri is one of the building blocks for his talent to convey the emotion of the music. Someone who had led a much quieter life would find it hard to express it so well."