Hyomin's pov

“I got 2 tickets to a performance tonight. Are you available to go with me?”

Jiyeon's husky voice greet me as soon as I pick up her call.

“Tonight?”

“Yes. It’s tonight”

“What kind of performance?”

“Singing performance thingy as stated on the ticket but it kind of mysterious. I can’t get that but it seems interesting though. Plus we got VIP seats”

“What time?”

“I will pick you up. Get ready around 8”

“Alright”

I drive through the main gate and parked my car on the porch. Glancing at my watch, I have around 2 hours to get ready.

My house greet me with a lonely yet welcoming surrounding as I walk into it. This is my home after all. No matter how lonely the feeling it gave sometimes, it still feel like a warm home to me. The most comfortable place to spend time on my own.

This is my life. A lonely soul in middle of big city. An independent working woman.

This always the kind of life that I imagine to have back then. I don’t like to be surrounded with a lot of peoples. I always want to have time to be all alone. Anyway, my current life is not that lonely as it appears to be though.

I still have friends to hang out with. 

I still have Jiyeon.

Thinking about Jiyeon, Jiyeon is that someone who I don’t really know where to placed her. She is somewhere in between a friend and something beyond that. Still, it’s still the unspoken truth of how we view each other.

I found myself getting comfortable with how we are today. It’s comfortable because I actually believe if any of us step any further than where we stand today, we will lose all that we had. To stay safe and not losing her, I prefer to create a line, a fine line in between us that neither of us will ever crossed, in order to keep each other.

I put myself on a long hot shower to get rid of the tiredness. I admit it that my life is getting tiring these days.

Days passed by me in fast motion, I find myself can’t catch up with the pace. I feel like nothing that I can do to slow it down, so I just let it be that way. Even though I feel like every day gone to waste with my work-home-work routines that are repeating in a loop without a stop to it. Still, what can I do? It’s my life and I need to go on with it.

I turn off the shower and leave the bathroom.

The next seconds, I stand in front of my wardrobe to figure out what should I wear?

Since Jiyeon didn’t mentioned anything about formal attire so I just go with casual plain white oversize blouse and a skinny jeans.

Putting a light make up and spraying on my favourite perfume, smiling to my own reflection on the mirror, now I’m ready to go.

...

We both decide to have a simple dinner before heading to the performance place.

“It’s been long time we didn’t hang out like this” Jiyeon stated as we wait for our foods to arrived.

“Yea. It’s been kinda hectic at work these days” I responded, smiling at her.

“We both deserve a very long breaks” She said tiredly leaning back on her seat.

“It’s not like we have anything to do if we have a long break” I lean back too, getting comfortable.

“Let’s go on vacation. Somewhere” She start to close her eyes, her lips formed a smile. I wonder what is on her mind for her to suddenly smiling like that.

“Call. You plan it. I will just follow your plan” I responded half serious, examining her face. She open her eyes as if she can feel it that I’ve been looking at her. For seconds there, we just look into each other eyes until the waiter approached us with our dinner.

We ate while talking about random things that happened in our daily life. At least for time like this, I finally feel like I live the moments, times didn’t really rush like how it always appears to be and it’s really comforting that I want both of us to stay like this a bit longer.

...

It happened to be quite an event with a lot of peoples was on line for ticket checking to get in. Me and Jiyeon are lucky to have the VIP seats, so we don’t have to joined the crowd. We both even escorted to our seats by one of the organizer.

“Wow we are so close to the stage” I excitedly said as both of us leave alone at our seats. To my surprised, our seats are very close with the stage like just a few foots away. The seat are comfortable too.

“I’m surprised too” Jiyeon responded, trying to talk louder so I can hear her.

“Where did you got the ticket?” I ask, curious. We’ve been on random concerts and performances but never bought the VIP tickets. It super expensive and thinking about how much food we can get if we just got the cheaper one, that’s alone is enough to stop us.

“It was a gift from my boss” She said, smiling broadly. For second I just look at her, admiring her beauty under the stage light before diverting my attention to the stage as the MC start to greet all of the audience. All the audience cheers loudly, I start to wonder if this performance is a thing now and I didn't know about it. It seems popular.

As mysterious as stated, the MC even wears mask on his face. Then, the following singers too all didn’t reveals their face.

I just sat there, watching all of them singing. They are all really talented. I wonder if they are actually the famous singers who hide behind the mask.

Even it is so, why they need to do so? Still, it’s an intriguing stage though. Some of them tease us with slightly removing their mask before putting it back. I can feel all of us tilt our heads in unison to peek.

I lean closer to Jiyeon and ask her “Who are they?”

“I have no idea too” She responded. We both then just focusing with the performance without talking. It just that they got their way to make audience don’t want to look away, not wanting to missed anything.

I was so into my awe of the mysteriousness of the surrounding when a sudden sad melody filled the whole place after a brief silence. It was kind of dramatic to me because before was a completely different stage. I wasn’t expecting anything sad come after. It was like the whole performances showing mixed of emotions, how we can turn happy, angry and sad in a split of moments.

A tall lean figure appears on the stage as the light stage focus on her. She was strikingly beautiful even with the eyes mask on. From where I sit, I can see her frown, getting ready to sing.

The word ‘Adagio’ showing on the screen, revealing the title of the song that she going to sing. To be honest, I never heard of this song before.

I don't know where to find you

I don't know how to reach you

Her low voice singing the first two verses stung me by my heart. It sound differently alluring to me compared to any performers before. She sound so sad.

I hear your voice in the wind

I feel you under my skin

Within my heart and my soul

I wait for you

Adagio

My eyes unknowingly start to brimmed with tears. I don’t know from where the suffocating feelings come from. I’m not even sad before but now I’m sad, getting into her voice, getting into the song.

All of these nights without you

All of my dreams surround you

I see and I touch your face

I fall into your embrace

When the time is right I know

You'll be in my arms

Adagio

It was like that person crying her heart out, sadly delivering the song. I start to wonder if she is really sad or that just a professionalism of performing.

I close my eyes and I find a way

No need for me to pray

I've walked so far

I've fought so hard

Nothing more to explain

I know all that remains

Is a piano that plays

If you know where to find me

If you know how to reach me

Before this light fades away

Before I run out of faith

Be the only one to say

That you'll hear my heart

That you'll give your life

Forever you'll stay

She start to collapse on her knee, reaching for high note. My whole surrounding start to disappears leaving only her on my sight and there my tears running down, no stopping to it. I was in between of my conscious mind and confuse heart. I suddenly became so sad. Her sad voice makes me feel so sad.

Don't let this light fade away

No no no no no no

Don't let me run out of faith

Be the only one to say

That you believe, make me believe

You won't let go

She start to walk forward, leaving the stage. I can’t see her eyes but is it me that she look at? The crowd start to roar loudly with the cheers, pulling me back to reality and before I know it, she already in front of me, bending down on one of her knee, reaching out her hand to wipe my tears with her handkerchief. A faint scent of her lingers around me. Is this real? What is happening?

Adagio

Like that she ended her performance. As I hold the handkerchief, she walk back, disappear into the dark stage, putting a last smile to me. The whole place still loud with the cheers from the audience.

I was stunned, unable to think straight.

Jiyeon lightly touch my arm to get my attention. “Are you alright?” She asked with concern written all over her face.

“Yea” I smile to her, proving that I’m alright but deep inside I guess I’m not that fine. I was still affected. Who is she? She didn’t sound familiar though and why her sadness seems contagious to me?

I wasn’t really focusing with the next performances yet I sit there watching until the end. It was almost midnight when it’s all end. Tired, we both head to my house. Jiyeon decide to sleep over at my house, no energy to drive back to her apartment.

Jiyeon was already on deep sleep when I sit on my reading desk, switching on the dim light to have a good look on the handkerchief. It feel like a strange dream in the reality of my life.

There are initial sewed on the edge of the handkerchief.

EJ

Is that the initial of her name? The mysterious EJ.

The faint memory of her wiping my tears start to linger again on my mind. I’m sure she frown when she did so, asking through the eyes behind her mask for me to stop crying.

Now that I think of it, I didn’t look stupid at that moment, right? 

Shaking off the unnecessary worry from my mind, I try to focus with the handkerchief on my hand. Should I returned it? If I should, then the next question will be, how? Will we ever meet again though?

I shake my head, trying to chase away the thought of a stranger, which I don’t even know who she is, what’s her name and how she look like. Maybe I should just forget her and continue living. She was only that one random striking moment in my life, right? 

I let the dim light on and move to the bed, ready to join the sleeping Jiyeon. I snuggle close to Jiyeon, lying down, facing the sleeping her. The dim light are enough for me to take a good look of her. She was beautiful like always.

Feeling tempted, I touched her face. She flinched a bit because of my touch but didn’t show any sign of waking up.

This person in front of me, I know her. I know her name and I know how she look like. I know where to find her and I know how to reached her. 

Should we crossed the line? What will happened if we did so? And what if I met the other person once again?

To my surprised, Jiyeon touched my hand that’s still lightly caressing her face.

“Why haven’t you sleep?” She asked, slowly opening her eyes, looking back at me with half open eyes.

“Did I wake you up?” I asked back, trying to take back my hand but she firmly holding on it.

“Don’t tell me that you can’t get over what happened earlier” She stretched her body a while and turn to face me.

We both seems to let the questions left unanswered.

“That’s how it turned out to be. I was just shocked” My hand start to naturally caressing her face again, since she haven’t let go of it.

“I don’t want to sound possessive but I’m a bit jealous” She pouted as she said that. I smile, secretly enjoying what she said there.

“You did?” I ask, teasing her.

“What if you met her again?” She ask, ignoring my teasing question.

“That won’t happened” I responded, thinking about the low possibility of it.

“It’s still possible”

“I don’t know how she look like”

“She know how you look like”

“Doesn’t mean she will come and search for me”

“If I’m on her position, I will do it”

“Why would you?”

“Because you are one beautiful girl beautifully crying over me singing”

“You are exaggerating”

“I’m telling you the truth”

Jiyeon hold her gaze on me. I don’t know how to respond. She was telling me what would she do if she is on the other person’s situation but I would like to know too, as herself, what did she think of me?

I wonder is it possible for both of us to move to next level? I’m actually clueless about my feelings towards her. One thing for sure, I have good feelings for her. I don’t want to lose her and I don’t think it’s easy for me if she happened to see someone else, leaving me behind.

“Will you support it if she really find me and want to get close and eventually ended up with me?”

I wonder if she feel the same, so I ask but still what is our right to stop each other from seeing other person if we prefer to stay in this hanging relationship? We didn’t make any effort to further it, yet we still don’t want to let go of each other.

“Depends on what kind of person she is” She responded.

She said that as if she is cool with it but I caught her eyes telling me her answer is no. Or is it just my feelings?

That night my dream was the mysterious girl singing again at the stage and I was crying again. Like earlier, she approached me. This time she remove her mask but to my surprised, behind that was Jiyeon. 

I guess this two persons start to became one in haunting me.

I get up to find that dawn is still long way to go so I goes back to sleep. My next dream was still the mysterious singer trying to show her face but I can’t see what is behind it. Like it was put on a loop, the dream continue the whole night.