One question in Four Hands: Two Sonatas has become much more interesting after the latest episodes:
Why would Kang Seung-woon choose Choi Jeong-yo when his own grandson, Kang Bi-o, is already an exceptional pianist?
At first, the answer seems simple.
Jeong-yo is a genius.
But I think the drama is saying something more painful than that.
Bi-o Is Not Untalented
This is what makes the story cruel.
Bi-o is not a mediocre pianist desperately chasing a dream beyond his ability.
He is a perfectionist who has spent his life studying and practicing, and he is already regarded by leading musicians as one of Korea’s most promising young pianists. Yet there is one person whose approval he has never been able to earn:
his grandfather, world-famous conductor Kang Seung-woon.
That changes when Jeong-yo appears.
After hearing Bi-o and Jeong-yo perform together, Seung-woon finally gives Bi-o a rare compliment.
But the person who truly catches his attention is Jeong-yo.
Seung-woon soon invites Jeong-yo to audition for his symphony festival, while Yoon Seon-joo explains that Seung-woon has long been searching for a genuine raw talent.
That difference matters.
Bi-o spent years trying to make his grandfather look at him.
Jeong-yo barely had to ask.
Reddit Viewers Noticed What Frightens Bi-o
An interesting interpretation appeared among international viewers on Reddit.
One viewer argued that Bi-o’s insecurity is not really caused by other people praising Jeong-yo. Instead, Bi-o himself recognizes something in Jeong-yo’s music — a kind of natural magic that cannot simply be acquired through practice.
I think that observation gets very close to the heart of their rivalry.
Bi-o knows how hard he has worked.
He knows how good he is.
But he also knows what he hears when Jeong-yo plays.
And perhaps that is why his grandfather’s choice hurts so much.
Why Would a Grandfather Choose Someone Else?
The latest development gives us another clue.
Seung-woon is still capable of conducting, yet he appears willing to make room for Jeong-yo.
When Yoon Seon-joo questions why he would go so far while he is still healthy enough to remain on the podium, Seung-woon’s answer reveals how he sees talent:
When God gives someone a gift, that gift also comes with a calling.
That idea may explain Seung-woon better than anything else.
To him, music does not appear to be an inheritance that automatically passes from grandfather to grandson.
Extraordinary talent creates an obligation.
And if Seung-woon believes Jeong-yo possesses that rare gift, then blood may simply be irrelevant to his decision.
This also fits what we already know about him. Seung-woon is portrayed as an uncompromising perfectionist who will harshly judge even his own family when they fail to meet his musical standards.
And Then Jeong-yo Returns as a Conductor
Nine years later, the choice becomes even more significant.
Jeong-yo returns not simply as the pianist Bi-o once knew, but as conductor Luca Dominico. The official tvN material now explicitly presents the two meeting again as conductor and pianist.
Reports on Episode 7 also show that after seeing Jeong-yo’s competition achievements, Seung-woon immediately contacted Yoon Seon-joo, who then approached Jeong-yo about returning as a conductor.
So Jeong-yo becoming a conductor does not feel like a random twist anymore.
The groundwork was there.
Seung-woon had already decided what kind of talent he believed Jeong-yo possessed.
Maybe Bi-o Never Really Wanted His Grandfather’s Position
And this is the part I find most heartbreaking.
Maybe Bi-o never truly wanted to inherit Seung-woon’s position.
Maybe what he wanted was much simpler:
He wanted his grandfather to look at him and say, “You are the one.”
Bi-o practiced.
He won.
He became the pianist everyone else admired.
But the recognition he wanted most kept moving further away.
Then Jeong-yo appeared — someone Bi-o himself could not dismiss as inferior.
That makes this more than a rivalry between two musical prodigies.
It becomes a story about two very different kinds of talent:
the genius built through relentless discipline, and the genius that seems to exist before anyone teaches it how to speak.
And Seung-woon appears to have made his choice.
The more interesting question now may not be why he chose Jeong-yo.
It may be:
What will Bi-o do after realizing that the person he spent his entire life trying to impress may never choose him?
Kang Seung-woon’s preference for Jeong-yo raises questions about talent, family loyalty, and the expectations placed on Bi-o. His decisions become even more intriguing when we revisit the warning he gave Bi-o about someone being destroyed.