1. Believe in yourself

The students play the piano together like they have been instructed but the tune comes out wrong. Again.

"Hyunie, why are you so distracted today?" Sunggyu asks his student who played the rhythm wrong even after showing him for the 6th time. "Is something bothering you?" he asks in concern.

"Nothing Seongsaem-nim. I am sorry. I'll play it right this time." the student says in a monotone. 

Hearing the sighs and sounds of irritation from the stuents, the teacher takes a look at his watch. "Okay class you all may leave. But you" he points at Woohyun "will stay here."

Woohyun without looking up nods. The other students leave the room chatting with each other. Woohyun takes a deep breath and starts playing for the 7th time. He plays the starting note well but again messes up at the end note. The teacher sighs. There must really be something wrong with him, the teacher thinks.

"Woohyun you know, in music the passion enjoys itself. You play it the best when you enjoy it" Sunggyu tries to encourage him. "The upcoming competition is very important for our University, you do understand right?" 

The student gives him a firm nod. "I'll definitely play it right this time Seongsaem-nim"

"Hyun, I'd like to listen your thoughts for now. So play whatever comes to your mind." 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2P7k_pHJ-k

And that is what the student needed, a release for his piled up emotions. Without any second thought, he started playing his own melody. He tried to put all his frustrations, anger and sadness into it. He took a pause in the middle. The teacher inched near him, thinking that he finished but then he continued again. The previous note expressed his frustration and the present one his sadness. 

A single tear escaped Woohyun's eye and he lowered his head in an attempt to hide  it from the teacher. But how will it matter anyway? The music was enough to convey his thoughts at the moment. 

The teacher now stood beside the student and his back in a soothing manner. The student cried more harder. After a good 3 minutes Woohyun finally stopped. His hands moved to the figure standing beside him, clunging onto his waist. He buried his face into Sunggyu's side waist and kept crying. Sunggyu encircled one of his hand around Woohyun's shoulder and with the another he caressed his hair in a gentle manner.

"Shhh Hyunie. Its okay" Sunggyu didn't know what was wrong with Woohyun, but he didn't want to see him so broken.

After a minute Woohyun spoke between his sobs "Why Seongsaem-nim...why" he sobbed harder. The teacher waited patiently and continued calming him. "Why can't they accept me  as I am? I try to act nonchalant and ignore the people's ruthless comments but .." he in breath "it hurts. It really does, its breaking me from inside Saem. Am I that ugly so as to be treated like a trash?"

Sunggyu tightens his grip on Woohyun's shoulder. With his other hand he lifts up Woohyun's head, making the student look into his eyes. He took some time to look at his face. The bright smile that usually used to decorate Woohyun's face was missing, the eyes that used to shine were now weared out because of te