CHAPTER 3: Wonpil

(Wonpil's point of view)

The morning sun warmed my body. I deliberately came early to school to think. Yes, something is disturbing my mind.

I hung on the wicket, deliberately positioned my head down so that blood flowed smoothly into my head, helping to relieve this dizziness.

I stared at the keychain in my hand. In this keychain there is an invisible thread that connects me with them.

Aaah, how to explain it though .. even myself confused with my own feelings.

Since last night I can not sleep, I'm nervous ..

I'm afraid of facing today. I’m afraid to accept the bitter truth.

Because last night .. he had confessed to her.

Sungjin, my best friend, has confessed to Jieun.

Why Sungjin should like Jieun?

Jieun, I know her first.

Jieun is my friend at piano lesson. We have started piano lessons since junior high. She is a cheerful and enthusiastic girl. Her piano skill is also good. She can be called as a belle at the piano class. Everyone adore her since she's not only pretty but also friendly. I’m a reserve person and not easily close to others, but Jieun always greets me every time she meets me. She never tired of greeting me even though I never replied.

I just realized the loss of her when she never came to the class again. What I heard from the piano tutor, her dad had just died of chronic illness. I was reminded of my dad and mom. They have also gone, far to heaven.

Hearing that, I cannot help but remember the past. The hardest moments of my life. When my parents left and did not take me with them.

We were on our way to the building where my noona joined a science competition representing her school. My Noona has already left with the team and her coaching teacher from school. Dad, mom, and I caught up there with our car. But that day the snow was pretty thick and the road was pretty slippery, I didn’t know what happened but suddenly someone hit our car, until our car was pushed away and hit a building. I don’t remember how the details after that, what I know, since then my dad and mom have gone forever. I was the only person who survive.

I just woke up after a while with a wounded body. Noona who was next to me slowly hugged me and cried. I didn’t know anything yet at that moment.

But once got explained, I also cried, nonstop. I protested to my mom and dad, why they didn’t take me with them.

It wasn’t the sadness that I felt at the moment. Maybe I was too young to understand the meaning of sadness. All I know is that I'm angry. I was angry because they left suddenly. They went away without thinking of me.

I still need them. I was still in elementary school at that time, still need dad to bike together, still need mom who can make me my favorite dish. I still want to be spoiled by them. Moreover, I'm not a typical child who is easy to get along, so I don’t have many friends. I even went to and was picked up from school by my mom. But why did they suddenly leave? Leaving me alone.

I then lived with my noona who was still in her first year of high school. In fact, in retrospect with my parent's departure, my noona should be angrier than I am. If I were her, I would be angry why they left their eleven-year-old son to her in her youthful fun years. But my noona is very patient with me. Plus, we have a very kind neighbor. The family had a son who’s in the same age with me, named Sungjin. Previously I wasn’t close to Sungjin, because I was a quiet boy. But after the accident, he patiently kept approaching me and invited me to play together.

When I got to know Jieun, I saw Sungjin in her. They are people who without giving up trying to break the high wall that I built up covering myself.

Even though I just kept quiet, Sungjin continued to invite me to play and study together. He also didn’t hesitate to share his favorite cake with me, lend me his robot toy, or put me and my noona in his drawing  of his family. Slowly I melted and we became close until even inseparable. I went to school and went home together with Sungjin.  He sat next to me at school. We also often spend the weekend by biking together. Once he also asked his mom to make my favorite dish.

He's like a cure from my anger and losing. It was like God deliberately sent him to replace my parents. And I cannot be more grateful than that. Park Sungjin has finally earned the title as the first and the best of best friend in the world.

I easily made friends with him as well because we both love music. I love to play the piano and he loves playing guitar. So we like to spend time together with playing music, from the past until now.

Seeing my good change, noona offered me piano lessons. She reminded me that my parents are very happy every time seeing me playing the piano. They would be happy in heaven if they saw me playing the piano again. Since then, I started the piano lessons and meet Jieun.

Unfortunately haven’t had time to give Jieun a chance to be friends with me, she never come to the piano class again.

Somehow afterwards I kept thinking about Jieun. I wanted to offer myself to be her friend, just like Sungjin who at that time offered to be my friend. 

I finally decided to ask Jieun's home address and come to her. One thing that even I, myself, am amazed how I can do it.

I could see the puzzled look on Jieun's face when she saw me coming, but I was determined to ask her to go back to playing the piano.

I give her the piano recital schedule which is planned to be held at the end of the month. I asked her to come along. At first she refused, she said she had no desire to play the piano. But I told her that her dad would be happy in heaven if he could see her playing the piano. Jieun's mom also supports me. And somehow, it seems like Jieun is moved to say yes. But unexpectedly, she said, “But I want to do it with you .."

I was shocked to hear it.

She continued, "I don’t have the confidence to play the piano myself. But I think I'll be able to do it if I’m with you .. is it okay for you if we do duet? "

I paused for a moment. That option never really came across my mind. But from the beginning, I intend to meet her to take her back to play the piano, so if she agreed even in a way I hadn’t expected, why should I refuse?

So, I nodded.

And from that moment on, Jieun came back for piano lessons. Our tutor even strongly supports Jieun's idea. He said that our piano performance would probably be the most awaited performance of our class’ piano recital. Jieun and I practiced hard to be able to display a beautiful piano duet.

Until that day comes.

I invited noona, Sungjin, and Sungjin's parents to come see me perform. And my performance with Jieun is able to get the applause from all the audience.

We made it.