“What the heck Eli!” Yunhee exclaimed as she looked over her room. “Why is my underwear all over my room?” She looked at Eli in the door with a furious look as she crossed her arms. “Explain yourself.” Yunhee demanded as Eli just smiled sweetly at her. “I did not do it.” He simply said. “Kiseop did.” Yunhee’s eyes went wide. “And you just let him?” Eli nodded. “He needed help on what to get his, going to be girlfriend, for Christmas.” He simply stated as Yunhee blinked. “He has a girl he actually likes now?” Eli entered Yunhee’s room while smiling. “The new girl in the class under you, Amy.” Yunhee made and a silent oh while nodding his head. “Well she seems nice but… Going through my underwear was too much.” She looked over her room and sighed. “And I just actually cleaned for once and now it looks like this. Jerk.” Yunhee pouted and started picking up her undergarments all over the room. “Was it really necessary to throw it all over the room?” She looked back at Eli who was inspecting one of her more revealing thongs with a smirk. “Yes, yes it was.” He simple said and looked at Yunhee with a grin. Yunhee’s cheeks went slightly red as she watched her thong in Eli’s hands. “Ya.. Put that down, now!” Eli’s grin only grew wider as played with the thin fabric. “But it’s so y; you should wear it for me once.” Yunhee made a disgusted face and stomped over to rip the thong out of his hands. “Get out of my room and go cook dinner.” She commanded. “Your parents and AJ are coming home tonight.” Eli chuckled and nodded his head before saluting. “Ai ai mam.” Yunhee rolled her eyes and watched as Eli disappeared out her door. “I need to get a better lock on that door.”

Eli was happily dancing around in the kitchen, getting ready to cook dinner as the phone rang. He quickly ran to pick it up and smiled as he heard a familiar voice in the other end. “Hello son.” Eli frowned slightly as he heard the serious tone to his father’s voice. “Is something wrong?” Eli asked as he held the phone a little tighter in his hand. “Mr Kung was in an accident this morning. We are going to see him in Japan. Can you not tell Yunhee and just say we had some more business that came up?” Eli’s face was pale as he stared at the wall with the phone in his hand. “How.. How badly is he hurt?” Eli lowly asked as he was biting down on his bottom lip. His father sighed sadly before speaking. “They say he won’t make it, we are gonna to be by his side when he dies.” Eli’s heart sunk in his chest as he closed his eyes and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “I will keep it quiet till you come home.” Eli said as he ran a hand through his messy dark hair. “Thank you son, we will be back as soon as we can.” Eli hung up and leaned against the wall in the hallway. “Oh no..” Was all he could manage to say as he covered his face, feeling sad and lost. He wanted to tell Yunhee now but knew he wasn’t the right person to do so and he just promised not to say anything. ”Terrible.” He shook his head and went back to the kitchen and changed the menu for something that fit two people and silently started to cook with a troubled look on his face.

Yunhee came down as Eli called for dinner, confused why there was only tableware for two. Eli explained that his parents had been called on some emergency business and would be back as soon as they could. Yunhee didn’t buy it as she was a master in deciphering lies. “Something bad happened right? What is it?” Eli got wide eyes and stared at her for a minute before looking down. “I promised not to tell.” Yunhee looked at him worriedly and came closer. “You know I am good at keeping secrets, I won’t tell anyone.” She gently patted his back, making Eli feel even worse. He stood straight and looked into Yunhee’s big eyes with a sad look. Yunhee immediately became scared of what he was going to say and fumbled with her fingers. “It’s about your dad.” Eli started. “He was in an accident; they don’t think he will survive.” Yunhee’s eyes stared at him in disbelief. “It’s not true.. Tell me it’s not true.” Her voice was trembling as she clutched the hem of her shirt with one hand and the other over as tears started falling down her cheeks. “They are going to Japan to be with him as he takes his last breath.” Eli watched Yunhee fall to her knees, her tears just streaming down her face. Eli quickly moved to her side, pulling her to his chest as he hugged her tightly. “I am so sorry Yunhee, I really am.” Yunhee said nothing and cried in his chest, her hands gripping his shirt tightly and body shivering as she completely broke down in front of him. “No, no, no, no, no.” She repeated the same word over and over as she cried her eyes out on Eli’s chest. “It will be okay. You are gonna be okay.” Eli softly spoke as he felt his own tears fall, feeling utterly useless and terrible about it all as he held her in his arms. “I’m here. You will be okay.” Yunhee hiccupped as she pulled a little away to look at Eli. “Can.. Can you.” She struggled to speak as her sniffling and hiccupping was taking away half her words. Eli gently caressed her cheek as if he already knew what she wanted to say and just nodded. “Just go to my room, I’ll be right there.” He smiled kindly before helping her get up and watched her walk up the stairs while she was rubbing her stinging eyes.

Eli entered his room with a tray filled with cookies, cups of hot chocolate with whipped cream and some random movies from AJ’s room. He looked at Yunhee who was sitting on his bed, staring blankly out the window while she was hugging her knees to her chest. “I bring the goodies.” Eli tried to lighten up her mood a little by seeming energetic. Yunhee glanced at him with a little smile before turning back to the window. Eli chewed on his bottom lip as he looked at her while putting the tray down on his desk. “I thought maybe we could watch some random movies or maybe talk?” He held out a cup of hot chocolate for her to take, which she did and held in both hands. “Did they say what kind of accident?” Yunhee lowly asked as her puffy eyes looked up at Eli. He softly shook his head and sat next to her. “I am really sorry that had to happen.” Eli said as he looked at her. Yunhee shook her head. “There is no need to apologize for something that is not your fault.” Yunhee put the cup down and looked at Eli. “Can I borrow the violin from your music room downstairs?” Eli blinked before nodding and standing up. “Want to play there or up here?” Yunhee didn’t say anything and just got up and headed downstairs to the music room. Eli followed silently and watched as Yunhee glided her fingers over the strings of the violin. “May I know why you stopped playing it?” Eli asked as he sat down on a sofa next to a little coffee table. Yunhee looked at him for a minute before looking away. “I was 14 and there was a big winter concert at school. I was gonna play a solo piece on the violin.” Yunhee took the violin in her hands. “A string broke while I played the highlight of the piece and it almost cut my finger off.” She laughed at herself. “It’s quite silly right?” She smiled a little. “I tried to play when my finger was healed but it was like I had lost everything I once could. I thought the joy I had in my life was over, so I fell into some kind of spiral where I denied that I could ever play again.” Yunhee sighed. “It was my mom’s most favourite thing to hear me play, so I guess my mind gave up since she wasn’t there to cheer for me anymore.” Eli thoughtfully looked at Yunhee and smiled. “That is not silly at all, it’s quite understandable.” Eli said. “So are you gonna try and play now?” Yunhee nodded and took the violin to her shoulder and chin. “It might be terrible though, I haven’t played for so long.” Eli just sat back quietly as he watched her close her eyes and take a breath. “Here goes nothing.” She slowly tuned the instrument before starting to play one of her mother’s favourite pieces, the summer version of Vivaldi’s four seasons. Eli watched Yunhee as she played, the way her fingers moved, the way her face looked and how her hair fell on her shoulders when she moved along with her tunes. He was mesmerized by how Yunhee somehow changed. It was nothing like when he watched her play piano. She was completely consumed and he couldn’t help but stare.

Yunhee played her heart out. She had missed the feeling of playing her favourite instrument. Missed how it felt in her hands and how she felt safe while playing, like all worries she had disappeared. She let the music lead her here more than her leading the music, making it flawless and utterly beautiful.

Yunhee slowly let the violin hang in her hand as she finished the piece, slowly turning to Eli who was staring at her in awe. “Was it bad?” She asked as she put the violin back on its place. Eli quickly shook his head. “You made me want to listen and I hate classical music so you did awesome.” He smiled at her while she simply responded with a thankful nod and sat down next to him. “I had forgotten how great I feel when I play that instrument.” Yunhee said with a thoughtful smile before looking at Eli. “If my dad dies tomorrow..” She started. “It will be the same day as my mother’s death.” Yunhee placed her hands in her lap and looked down. “We were supposed to go together. Change the colour of her ribbon together.” Yunhee started to softly cry again while Eli put his arms around her. “Together.” Yunhee whispered as she closed her eyes and rested her head on Eli’s chest. Her tired mind and body slowly relaxing and she fell asleep in Eli’s arms. “I am here.” Eli softly said while he Yunhee’s hair. “I am here.”