I have been fascinated by street performers for as long as I can remember. That’s because I could never have that insane confidence to be out there.
I had my first piano recital back when I was in 3rd grade. It was in an auditorium with about a hundred people around. To this day I can still remember the feeling of just wanting to evaporate into thin air. I managed to finish the piece but my hands were shaking the whole time. That was the day I learned that I don’t like being the center of attention.
Still, the thought of trying to perform in front of strangers is something I wanted to try at least once in my life. Playing on a street piano, in particular, is something I’ve always wanted to do. So when I found one while strolling around Seoul’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza, I had to muster all the courage to play a piece.
A week before my trip, I learned how to play Can You See My Heart by Heize which is the OST of Hotel del Luna. I decided to play it.
It was a disaster! I don’t play the piano regularly anymore, so I’m already a bit rusty. I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to pull it off perfectly, but I still had so much fun. Probably because there were only a few people around. Hah!
There’s this ahjumma who kept on interfering with me, so I wasn’t able to focus on playing. My Korean is pretty bad, but I could pick a few words of what she was saying. She was basically telling me to stop and move to another piano located on the other side of Dongdaemun.
When I mentioned this to my friends, they said it was a rude gesture. However, I was in a country where age holds significant importance. In Korea's Confucian tradition, the elderly should always be treated with the utmost respect.
I decided to just wander around the plaza. I found the piano she was talking about but someone else was playing on it.
Nonetheless, it was a fantastic experience, and I can proudly say that I crossed off one thing from my bucket list:
✓ Play a beautiful piece on a street piano
