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Hello, everyone!
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I'm a composer, Ha Eun Jee.
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So good to see you!
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[Ha Eun Jee, composer
Q&A :)]
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My channel finally reached
10,000 subscribers.
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(Clap)
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It's been 8? or 9 years,
since I debuted in 2013.
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It's been a while.
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I started composing full time
when I was 17.
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So it's been almost over 10 years.
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But I've never made videos like this,
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so I'm here to say hello to you
celebrating a milestone of 10,000 subs.
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Actually I'm feeling awkward right now.
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I don't know what to say
or if I'm doing it right.
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[Back to the story]
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Thankfully, many asked me questions.
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I chose some of them
and decided to make a short video.
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[What is your special tip on composing?]
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In fact, I didn't take formal lessons
nor go to music school
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following any formal curriculum.
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I started composing for fun at first
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I just loved music
and it made me so happy.
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That's how I started making music.
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I don't think I have a special tip on it,
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but I do have something
that I think matters most.
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First, listen to music as much as you can.
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Whenever I get this question,
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I always say, "Listen and
appreciate music all the time."
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In my case, I listen
to my favorite composers' music
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along with that of diverse musicans
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without discrimnating specific genres.
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I try to listen to all kinds of music.
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In turn, those experiences
resonate through my music
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as much as I listened.
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So I can give you this tip.
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Try to listen to all kinds of music
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as much as you possibly can.
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That's the important tip
I personally recommend.
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[Who's your favorite composer?]
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I love many different kinds of music.
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Of all the musicians,
I love two composers most.
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One is Enrio Moricone
who passed away recently.
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The other is a Japanese composer,
Ryuichi Sakamoto.
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Many pieces of my music
were influenced by their musicality.
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While I was studying music hard,
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I listened, analyzed,
and imitated their music deliberately.
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I studied on my own just like that.
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The two composers have influenced
and inspired me greatly in a good way.
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So I love them so much.
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[What is your favorite piece of music?]
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There are so many pieces of music I like.
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I can't pick
just one favorite music of mine.
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If I had to pick one,
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it'd be Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
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When I was a 3rd or 4th grader...
I still remember when it happened.
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While I was taking a piano lesson,
I happened to encounter his music,
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and I got shocked to hear it.
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I was so surprised to know that
such a beautiful melody ever existed.
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To this day I'm still enjoying it.
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This music makes me feel like
I'm in a movie every winter.
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Am I the only one to feel that way?
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Hope I'm not alone.
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Every time I listen to it,
it feels so new and evokes novel emotions.
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That's why this music means a lot to me.
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So I chose this music as my favorite one.
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[Is it true that you don't know
how to read notes or chords?]
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To get the bottom line,
I can read notes of course.
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This is a bit of misinformation.
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I didn't know how to write notes
a few years ago.
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So I knew how to read notes,
I just didn't know about writing them.
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Remember it's in the past.
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Because I started
learning music by myself,
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I got used to writing music in Korean.
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Now I'm able to write a music sheet
with help of a scoring program.
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Regarding chords, believe it or not,
I know nothing about them.
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I just know the very basics.
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C major means do, mi and so.
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D major means re, fa and la.
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It is not that I didn't try
to learn on purpose.
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As I first experienced music
by listening,
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I believe it seems natural
that music flows out of me.
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I once actually bought popular books
about musical harmonics,
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and some of my friends
lent me books about it.
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I just closed them away
right after a few pages.
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(Laughter)
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It was so hard, to be honest.
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I think it is much better
to express my own music comfortably.
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[What inspires you to compose?]
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When it comes to inspiration,
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it doesn't mean that a string of melodies
comes to my mind all of a sudden
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while walking on the street.
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Some of genius people
might compose like that.
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I believe inspiration is to express
what I want to show from deep in my heart.
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So it is not something grand to me.
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Everything in my daily lives matters.
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[When will you have a concert?]
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I do want to have a concert.
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You know we didn't have
one last year either.
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Usually I used to perform once a year,
a regular concert.
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I called each concert, the first star,
second star, third star and the like.
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But now the stars just stopped
due to the Covid-19.
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The next star is waiting to rise...
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Actually I was planning
to have a concert this fall,
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yet the situation hasn't been better.
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I needed to reconsider the schedule.
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For now I don't have a fixed schedule.
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I really want to see you at the concert.
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I hope we can meet some time soon.
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Thank you for asking!
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[What was your childhood like?]
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I was very outgoing and a bit like a boy.
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I preferred playing outside
to staying indoors.
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I literally climbed and roamed hills
catching dragonflies.
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I gathered kids to hangout together.
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At that time, a type of kickboard
was very popular, called Sing Sing Board?
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You know, a board with two handlebars.
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I roamed all corners of the town with it.
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I liked roller-staking so much,
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and going to the ice rink with friends.
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I liked outdoor activities
and I never stayed still.
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I think I was in trouble very often.
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Not so serious but kiddish trouble.
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I loved music when I was very young.
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Just like I do today.
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My father loves listening to music,
though he is not a musician.
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That's how I could experience
a lot of music.
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My father used to collect DVDs or CDs,
which is not often used today
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Classical music, Jazz, traditional
Korean music, Pop opera, and so on.
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So diverse melodies
always filled the house.
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As I was exposed
to the musical environment,
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I could feel it through my body
naturally rather than through theory.
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After school I caught dragonflies
playing passionately,
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and then I listened to the whole songs
from Sound of Music alone
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when coming back home.
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I really liked Pop opera singers,
Charlotte Church and Josh Grovan.
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I loved these two singers.
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When I was a kid,
I wanted to get their music CDs so badly.
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I remember getting them
at the music store.
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I saved my pocket money to buy the CDs.
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I think my passion for music
began as a child.
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Music was just like a friend
or air to breathe to me.
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[How can I learn
to play the piano by myself?]
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In fact, I'm a composer, not a pianist.
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So I personally think I'm not
in a position to give you any advice
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on how to play the piano
or basic knowledge about it.
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Piano is my best friend
that I am always by its side.
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Yet I find it so hard,
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I often used to consider deeply
about my own compositions for the concert,
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thinking why I wrote it this way.
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I have rather small hands.
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They just appear longer on screen.
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Some left comments saying,
"You have long fingers."
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I wish I had bigger hands.
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[Back to the story]
So how to learn piano on your own....
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Unless you want to become
a world-class piano player,
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and if you want to love
and enjoy music for life,
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it'd be a good start to practice music
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of your favorite musicians
as much as you can.
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It may sound so simple.
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If we start music with comfort,
we'll become better at playing.
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Our ability will grow
as we practice along the way.
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In particular, it applies to music.
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Listening and practicing much is
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I think about how we become
good at playing the piano.
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[Have you got pieces of music
that had been unfinished or discarded?]
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I've got many pieces I stopped writing
in midway on my laptop.
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Very often I would complete
a piece in just 10 minutes.
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Other times I would keep pondering
over just one bar of music for months.
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I have many more pieces of music
that I think are not yet complete.
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[Which one of your music
do you love most?]
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It's Run in the Wilderness.
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However, I've often said
that I hate to play it.
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It's so hard to play
because of too many leaps.
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I'm the one who wrote it that way,
so I can't help it....
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Run in the Wilderness
was the first official music
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after I decided to become a composer.
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To my surprise,
many people like this one so much.
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It's so special to me
because you love it.
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[What makes you drop out
of high school voluntarily?]
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Those who have known me so long
would be well aware of it.
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I dropped out of school voluntarily
when I was in 10th grade.
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I'm being careful
talking about this topic.
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The educational system seems
to be tuned into only the SAT.
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Although I was young,
I got tired of that system.
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So I decided to focus my time and energy
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on what I love
and can do well to be happy.
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In fact, a high school drop-out
didn't seem to be acceptable in Korea.
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Now things have changed a lot
that we cheer those who go their own way.
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But just 10 years ago,
even though it wasn't so log ago.
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The decision to drop out did affect
many things personally and socially.
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People used to put a social stigma
on the drop-outs.
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Many actually doubted
whether my decision was right.
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Through those times,
I rather grew firm in the choice I made.
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I wanted to make it.
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I was determined to make it.
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There are many other ways.
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And I believe that
every one of us has our own way.
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It's not fair to say
that there's only one right way.
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When people blame those who
are out of the so-called right way,
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labelling them
the maladjusted or losers,
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I felt a bit bad and sad.
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That's when I became
more determined to make it.
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I wasn't sure of how far
I could reach out
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or how much I could achieve.
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Yet it was my life
and I chose to live my way.
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I wanted to prove that there could
be another way and life.
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It was never an easy decision at all.
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There were many obstacles,
if not too serious.
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At that time, I wrote a 10-page report
for my parents
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about the future plan,
what I'd learned at school,
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what I wanted to do out of school,
how I hoped my life would be,
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and including my dreams.
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I showed them to my parents.
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They felt reassured
to know my plans saying,
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"We believe you would
be alright with these plans.
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Do everything freely as you hope to."
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I was 17 when I stopped going to school.
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Since then I could
focus on composing full time.
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I have been running
my own marathon until now.
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I do believe that there are
many things we can learn
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from the textbooks and public education.
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And that's also important I think.
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We should cherish everything we have.
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Still, I studied so hard
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focusing on myself with my own standard.
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I kept thinking about
what my life should be like,
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my life's color, scent and more,
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which led to the decision to drop out.
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That big turning point sort of
made me what I am now,
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which in turn influenced
my mind toward music
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broadened my view
on the world and people I guess.
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[Are you going to continue
writing books along with music?]
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Yes.
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One of my dreams after I turned 17
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is to publish a book with my name on it.
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I planned to write three books in my 20's.
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It's an ongoing project.
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I've published two novels so far.
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While writing music,
stories hit upon me based on the music.
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It's also wonderful
to come up with music
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that fits in the scenes I imagine.
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Music and writing seem
to go hand in hand organically.
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They are precious tools
to express what's in my mind.
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I've been writing a diary for long.
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I think I'll keep writing
alongside the music.
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One of my goals is
to become a music director
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of movies or animated movies
adapted from my own books.
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This is my dream in the faraway future.
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[What does your motto,
'Good Impact', mean?]
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The concept of giving impact
on someone wouldn't be too big.
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Like saying hello or thank you
with a bright smile to bus drivers,
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if that makes them happy
and their life beautiful
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then it could be called Good Impact.
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I believe each one of us
has certain impact wherever we are.
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It depends on how we use it in our lives.
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In that respect, I earnestly
hope my music to flow
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with good impact wherever
or whenever it spreads.
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The reason I want to do better
and reach in higher position in the future
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is that I can reach out
to much more people
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sharing good impact.
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So I'm trying hard in taking
care of my mind and writing music.
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Even if I'm not perfect,
I'm trying to be honest.
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Even if I sometimes lose,
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I'm desperately trying
to be in good spirit.
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Because I put my heart into the music
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it is inevitable to reveal
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what I normally think
or how I live my life.
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Music is like meeting
soul to soul I believe.
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It is magical that the whole-hearted music
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can tap into someone's heart.
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Although there are many things
that are noble and precious,
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I personally think art is so beautiful.
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And I feel responsibility as such.
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Am I being too serious all of a sudden?
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Anyways, I want to keep this mindset.
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In so doing,
I've forced myself live that way.
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I'd like to let you know today
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that I've been writing music
with this attitude all the time.
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I know you're cheering me on.
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I really appreciate it.
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That's what I wanted to tell you.
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It's been my Q&A time.
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It was so meaningful to me.
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It's been possible all because of you.
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Thank you so much for loving my music
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and for supporting me
many ways wherever you are.
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That's why I can continue
my journey of music.
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I hope my music helps
you have dreams and courage.
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Thank you so much.
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Hope you are happy all the time.
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I'm here to support you as well.
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Thank you!
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[It's going to be alright.
Wipe away your tears.
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The cold will heal and a butterfly
is flying on your bruised heart.
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Now we're stumbling,
but someday we'll blossom dazzlingly
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stepping over today's hardship.]