Stretching, I let my eyes flutter open. Sunlight was pouring through my bedroom window, past the curtains, shining across my bed. It was warm enough to have woken me from my nap. I'll always take a short nap, since napping can improve my creativity. I jumped out of bed and walked over to the window. I drew up the curtains and opened the window. A great waft of fresh, scented air blew in upon me. It was a wonderful sunny afternoon. Smiling, I put my hand out of the window and held it in the sun, remembering the first time I met her. The first time I heard her voice, I tried to fight it, but I didn't have a choice. How could I explain being enchanted by her sound? The more I saw her, the more I wanted her around.  

The first encounter took place in the sea on Thursday evening. After college, I made my way down the street to my regular spot with my guitar case slung over my shoulder. Busking on the street corner was one of my hobbies—I enjoyed meeting other street musicians, and I could make money from this hobby. I started playing a song and singing with the case open to take tips. Two hours passed, but unfortunately, no one dropped money in my guitar case. It seemed like people had already gotten bored with my music. I stopped and went to the sea, trying to find inspiration.

The sunset that evening was breathtaking. I lay down on the golden grains of sand and looked up at the vibrant yet soothing streaks of color that had filled the canvas of the sky. A flock of birds flew just above the surface of the water, slowly rising and falling as they passed over the waves. I closed my eyes, feeling the pleasant breeze gently caress my face. My ears were filled with the beautiful singing voice of a girl along with the sound of wind, the humming of the birds and the sound of the rhythmic waves which created a melodic, soothing combination.

I opened my eyes and cocked my head to the left just to see a girl sitting with her knees drawn to her chest, her long, straight, dark golden brown hair tumbling down her back, watching the brilliant reflection of sunlight on the water's surface while singing in a soft, husky voice:

The ocean is like our love.
There is no beginning and no end.
No matter what happens,
I'll always and forever love you until the end of time.
That's what you always used to say.
Now it's all written in the sky.

Your heart sailed away from me into the sea,
Your love for me is just a fading memory.
Something in my heart knows I will find you again,
Yet it seems like yesterday when your love was mine.

She raised her voice to a higher octave:

I thought I had you in my grip,
But you left, abandoned me.
I found myself thinking about you all the time,
And tried to figure out what ever went wrong,
That took my beloved away from me,
And sent a dagger into my heart so deep.

The song was unfamiliar to my ears, yet her voice had touched my soul. It made me tear up, and I found myself rubbing my chest. I could feel the sadness in her voice as she sang in a low, soft voice:

I still can't figure out,
Why you had to go this way,
What went wrong?
Here in our sea, I'm still waiting for you...
Because just like the ocean my love for you is endless.
It goes down so deep...

I'll wait for you always
Even if it be forever, I'll wait for you...
Here in our sea...

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She buried her face in her hands, and her shoulders shook with silent sobs. It seemed like she was longing for her lover who had dumped her. I rose to my feet and strolled towards her but stopped in my tracks as a long, wavy, black-haired woman walked over to her.

"Jiyeon, let's go home. The sun has set," the woman said.

The girl wiped her tears away in one swift movement. She smiled as the woman grasped her hand and pulled her up gently. They linked arms and walked away.

I quickly made my way home and started to find the chords that matched with the melody as I hummed her song. That night I spent all my time on my guitar trying to find the chords, and I finally found the right chords when the sun had only peeked over the horizon, showering the town with its dim orange glow, introducing the world into the new beginning.

That was the luckiest day of my life because I met an angel whose voice lingered in my ears all the time; the voice of reason I always went to the sea. I fell in love with her…voice, piercing my heart strings! She was so beautiful. The woman who always brought her home called her Jiyeon, so it meant her name was Jiyeon.

That memory brought a smile to my face. I looked at my black guitar case leaning against the wall at the foot of my bed and strode over there to grab it. After sitting down on the bed, I ped it and took out my glossy brown acoustic guitar. I tested the strings, making sure it was tuned, before playing a few chords. Soon enough, I was completely absorbed with her song and singing along with it. I was totally oblivious to the outside world. Truthfully, I still didn't know what the title song was. I had never heard it before; I had once asked my friends if they knew about this song, and they had never heard it too.

I stopped playing, wondering if she ever noticed me. I always sat a few meters away from her, playing guitar to accompany her singing. I was sure she could hear the sound of my guitar because her voice was balanced with it perfectly, but why she seemed not to notice my presence!

Sometimes when she tilted her head with a smile on her face in my direction, I waved 'Hi' to her. However, she had no response as if I was invisible in her eyes, or maybe she was an arrogant girl, but my conscience said that she wasn't. I thought it would be so cool if we could sing together. Deep inside my heart I hoped it would come true. I heaved a sigh as I looked down at my watch; it was half past four. I quickly put my guitar back in its case and grabbed my black leather jacket before rushing out of my room, running downstairs towards the front door.

I hastily hailed a cab and headed to the sea. I stared out the window as her voice kept echoing through my head, watching the clouds float across the sky. Minutes later, the cab reached my destination, and I promptly got out of the car. A huge grin came across my face as I saw two beautiful women sitting side by side on the sand, listening to the relaxing and calming sound of waves as they were crashing on the golden beach. Jiyeon wore a long pink coat with a red scarf wrapped around her neck, her dark golden brown hair flowing gracefully in the wind. Her sister wore a red jacket with blue jeans and black vans; her long black hair was tied in a tight ponytail that cascaded down the middle of her back. As usual, I sat a few meters away from her. Her sister flashed a smile in my direction, and I bowed my head slightly in return before I opened the case and took out my guitar.

"Sis, why do I always imagine hearing the sound of a guitar?" Jiyeon asked, sounding so innocent as I began tuning up my guitar.

I furrowed my brow at her question; was I really invisible in her eyes?

Her sister just let out a small laugh, ruffling her hair before she stood up and approached me. "Hey, what's your name?" She sat down next to me. "I noticed that whenever my lil sis started to sing, you always played your guitar."

I gave her a tiny smile. "I'm Kim Myungsoo," I replied, holding out my hand for a handshake. "It's because I really like her voice."

"I'm Park Hyomin." She took my offered hand and shook it briefly.

"Ms. Hyomin, why did she ask that question?" I inquired. "Am I invisible?"

She sighed. "You and I are invisible in her eyes; she can't see anything."

I shook my head, unable to believe what she just said before staring at her, who was looking up at the sky. "Does it mean she is blind?" I questioned. My voice took on a curious pleading tone as I added: "Can you please tell me what happened to her?"

Hyomin made no response. She kept her gaze fixed on the sky. After a moment's silence, she cleared .

"Yes, Jiyeon is blind, but she wasn't born blind. As a child, she climbed every structure in the playground, but even during those early years, there were signs that something wasn't quite right with her eyes. She bumped into things a lot and didn't see well in the dark. When her classmates started learning Korean, Jiyeon was taken to another room to learn Braille, and she said: This is weird, nobody else is doing this—" Hyomin paused and took a deep breath. Then another.

She went on, with a mournful drop in her voice: "When she was five and a half, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare, degenerative eye disease that would eventually dim her world into darkness. Jiyeon's world became totally dark when she was fourteen. She was depressed for about a year and didn't want to go anywhere. Our parents always told her that there were a few blind people that could conquer the world, so she never gave up. She finally decided to attend a school for the blind, and she told our parents that she would make them proud of her. You know when we walked down the street, Jiyeon knew when we passed a tree. Maybe it was a miracle—" Hyomin looked down and covered her face with her hands, as if trying to get control of her emotion.

I felt a sudden tender pity for Jiyeon. To my surprise, a single tear escaped my eye, and I quickly brushed it away.

Slowly, Hyomin looked up at me, her eyes glazed. "Her greatest passion was music, and she started writing lyrics. She said it was her new, healthy way of getting emotions out. She started singing in a band, and she started dating, something she'd been convinced would never happen. Her boyfriend seemed to really love her; he led her everywhere. She told me that she felt like she had new eyes. He always brought her here every sunset, but he disappeared just three days before their wedding day. Nobody knew his whereabouts, including his parents." Her voice cracked a little.

"What was her boyfriend's name?" I asked, my lip quivering, trying hard to control my emotion. "Why did he leave her?"

Hyomin in an audible breath. "His name was Kim Junmyeon. From her humming words, you can see that Jiyeon herself doesn't know why he left her. I don't either, " she replied. Her lips curled up into a bitter smile when Jiyeon began singing.

Taking a long, deep breath, I tried to calm myself down. "You said she wrote lyrics, so this song is her own song, right?" I remarked.

"That's her heart's content." Hyomin rose to her feet, walked back to Jiyeon and sat down next to her.

I lapsed into silence, listening to her singing. I felt relaxed to the soothing melody. Closing my eyes, I swung my head slowly and rhythmically back and forth. I guessed that she was hoping the wind would convey her longing to her boyfriend. I began plucking the strings as she sang the part, which made my heart feel hurt every time I heard it:

I still can't figure out,
Why you had to go this way—

My gentle voice interrupted her:

Girl, please forget him.
Open your heart and let me in.
Let go of the past and try again.
If you give me a chance,
I'll show you what you mean to me.
Please let me love you as you deserve to be.

I stilled and held my breath, surprised by my own words. Hyomin looked at me, her eyes widened whilst Jiyeon turned her head from side to side.

"Sis, who is he?" Jiyeon asked.

"He is Kim Myungsoo, your guitarist," Hyomin answered, keeping her gaze on me.

"My guitarist?" Jiyeon's voice rose in disbelief.

I took a few deep breaths before I approached her and sat down in front of her, cradling my guitar on my lap. "Jiyeon, I like you a lot, especially your voice," I said, my free hand tenderly holding her hand. Her hand was as soft as a rose petal.

Jiyeon quickly jerked her hand away. "Oh, you like me?" she retorted, irritation dripping in her voice. "That's funny, because I don't even know who you are."

"I really like you. It's no lie, so please believe me," I deepened my voice, hoping to prove my sincerity. "I'll be your eyes, and I'll lead you everywhere."

Jiyeon laughed, shaking her head, seemingly to think that I was crazy. "I recall that I started to hear the sound of the guitar two weeks ago. And it means you—"

"I know it has only been two weeks, but I kinda, sorta, just maybe, seriously have been curiously thinking about you every day since," I interjected, holding her hand again.

Hyomin gave me a big smile and mouthed: "Thank you for making her laugh again."

"Jiyeon, can you stop waiting for Junmyeon? He ran away from you," I added. "Life is too short to give your heart to someone who doesn't fully appreciate you."

"How dare you interfere in my personal affairs! How could you know about him!" Jiyeon shouted as she flung my hand away, her eyes glazed with tears.

"Jiyeon, I'm sorry for telling him about your past." Hyomin pulled her into her arms. "I'm really sorry."

"Sis, I miss Junmyeon so much. What can I do? Will he ever come back to me? Am I hanging on to false hope?" Jiyeon broke down, sobs engulfing her, racking her slender body.

Hyomin her hair in a loving manner, saying softly: "If he truly loves you, he will come back to you... Just have faith and be strong."

I ducked my head down, feeling guilty for upsetting her. I truly didn't understand why I had a great urge to make her mine despite I knew she was blind. This was really weird. I breathed out a long, slow breath, then ran my fingers over the strings and plucked out a soothing melody. I hummed along with the note as I continued to pluck it:

I'm sorry for what was said. I'm sorry if I hurt you.
So let's make up and forget about what I just did.
I'm really sorry. I promise I won't do it again.
So can we be friends from this moment onwards.

Jiyeon's sobs ceased. She pulled away from the hug, a faint smile beginning to spread across her face.

I'll listen when you need to talk,
I'll share your worries when they come,
And I'll help you face your fears—

A pleasant smile broke quietly over my lips as she began humming along with my music:

Let's be friends...
Best friends we will be.
For always forever
You and I...

Jiyeon's voice was so calming and soothing to the ears. I strummed the strings so hard, creating a spectacular buzz, which made the two women cover their ears with their hands. "So we're friends now!" I exclaimed happily.

Jiyeon nodded. "I like hearing you play your guitar." She smiled sweetly.

Her smile was reflected in her eyes. It aroused billions of butterflies that fluttered in my stomach. Her hazel eyes sang a million songs, which made my heart beat to the rhythm of. Her face lit up like a diamond glowing under the light. I couldn't stop smiling, admiring her beauty.

"Myungsoo, why are you daydreaming?" Hyomin snapped her fingers twice in front of my face.

Instead of answering, I gazed toward the western horizon. The white and gray clouds began to change color. First, they had on orange hues; then shades of red and yellow could be seen. In a short time, the whole western sky seemed to be ablaze with a wild splash of gold, red, orange and yellow. Shortly the hues became dark and hints of black were visible. The sun itself was visible appearing like a huge egg yolk for a moment. Then it began to dip beneath the ocean's rim. The sky gradually grew darker; the stars began to appear.

Unfortunately, a beautiful girl sitting before me couldn't see this magnificent sight. I had thought that she always came here just to watch the sunset. It turned out she was waiting for someone—the one she loved from the bottom of her heart. And I had never thought she was blind. If only she were mine, I'd treat her like a princess, not a queen! Well, being treated like a princess is more youthful sounding—it's a sentiment of adoration, making her feel special, valued and important.

I cleared my throat and looked at her. "Jiyeon, I know you write lyrics, so with you writing them and me composing the music, we can go busking together on the street, how about that?" I said.

"Are you a composer? A busker?" Jiyeon countered excitedly, a huge grin playing on her lips. Hyomin had a bright smile on her face, seemingly so happy.

"I'm not a composer," I answered. " I'm a music student, and busking is my hobby."

"Let's—"

"Jiyeon, it's time to go home. The sun has set," Hyomin cut her off as she rose to her feet. Jiyeon nodded curtly. Her sister took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. I puffed out my cheeks in disappointment; I still wanted to be with her, singing and playing guitar.

"Myungsoo, I'm glad I know you." Jiyeon smiled broadly. "Let's do it tomorrow."

I placed the guitar on the sand before standing. I gave her a friendly hug and whispered: "I'm truly so happy to know you, and I can't wait for tomorrow. It'll be perfect."

Jiyeon giggled as she gently extricated herself from my embrace. "Yeah, me too," she said, excitement lacing her voice.

Her sister linked her arm with hers. "Handsome guitarist, thank you for making my lovely lil sis excited," she said softly. I gave her a nod. The shadow of a smile stayed on my face as I watched them walk away until they entered the car and disappeared from my sight.

Jiyeon, I'm sure that with my music, I can erase Junmyeon from your mind. Let me replace him in your heart...just to ease some of the pain. I'll be your eyes; I'll lead you, and together we can conquer the world.

I breathed in, enjoying the scent of salty sea air before gazing into the sky. The moon looked brighter than ever, and the stars seemed to blink vigorously red, green and yellow. It seemed like they were encouraging me to capture Jiyeon's heart. Am I being crazy? I chuckled.

"Moon and stars, I'm so happy right now. I've found my missing piece!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Jiyeon, your voice is like a drug to me! This craving makes me go nuts!" I spun in slow circles under the starry night sky, my arms spread wide in the air.

Then I crouched down and began to write with my right index finger on the sand: Dear Tomorrow... Please come faster because I can't wait to create our first song.