Music has always been her solace since her parents passed away, having her to carry the burden of surviving by herself in this lonely world. Her only strength of survival was that pair of faithful worn-out ear buds that were stuck in her ear most of the time as well as a faded guitar, which is by her side almost everyday. Day and night, she would shut herself in the world of music where she felt truly belonged. Only then she could let her soul fly free, letting the smoothing ballad songs bring her along to another world where she felt as though she could see her parents.

~~~

Music has always been part of her since young. It was said that even before she could start understanding things around her, she was already swaying her buttocks and nodding her head to the beats every time music was played. With that talent, she started to drown herself in music, moving her limbs to match every beat perfectly. It proved to be an escape for her in the later part of her life when her family started to fall apart with their continuous quarrelling. With music by her side, she would drown herself in its powerful beats, releasing her stress in the form of quick-paced and powerful dance. It was only then that she felt at ease, where the world seems a lot better than it really was.

---

Music blast through the speakers, trying its best to overcome the increasingly excited crowd that was cheering loudly. Hands waved in the air in beat to the rhythm, eyes stared intensely at the two people in the middle of a human-formed ring as cheers and encouragements for their favorites boomed above the loud speakers. Bets were placed, but it was obvious as to who will win. It will be that very same person who owned the floor yesterday, the day before, the other day before, last week and last month. Despite the constant defeats, many hopeful challengers still went up against her, trying to wow the crowd with their moves, but one by one, they went down, convinced of her victory.

Cheers went up as the ecstatic crowd hyped up to their highest. It was probably one the rarest nights that they were able to see two fantastic dancers grooving up on the floor. Their slicked movements made dance seemed so easy and their fancy techniques made the crowd wowed in amazement. It was rare to see the duo appearing together in a particular place and even rarer to see them on the same dance floor. Lady luck must be shining on those people who happened to be at the right place at the right time to be able to see a battle of their lives.

"Go Eunhyuk! Go Eunhyuk! Go Eunhyuk!!"

A slide to his left, a flicked of his wrist to place the cap on his head and a wink of his eye, it was enough to bring the whole house of girls crashing down, going gaga over how handsome and cool he was. With a swift movement to swipe his cap 180 degrees along with an ending pose, he smiled charmingly at the crowd, sweeping the girls off their feet while the guys were simply wowed by his movements. Turning his head, he looked at his opponent with an arrogant smug who was still bouncing in tune with the music.

"Go Blue! Go Blue! Go Blue!"

This time, deeper and manlier voice filled the house. It was obvious to all that despite the tank top and baggy pants along with a cap that covers most of her face, the dancer was a female. She was that dancer that never fails to amaze the crowd with her dazzling yet slick movements, from popping to locking, to hip-hop, jazz, b-boy and even ballroom dances such as jive, no matter what genre the music was, she was able to execute her dances perfectly and accurate.

This time, she was going for a mixture of hip-hop, popping and locking. Making waves with her muscles and joints along with occasional jerk of her body, she ended her routine with a quick turn about, hands holding to the front of her cap before extending them horizontally by her side at the same time the music ends.

Immediately, the crowd cheered, shouting, screaming and clapping. It was obvious; both were good, it was difficult to make a decision as to which side wins. The host will take it all, but nobody could care less. They had just witnessed the dance battle of the month, or even year, that no matter how much money they paid was not enough. It was all worth it.

Some time during the hyped up cheers, the young dancer had disappeared from the floor without anyone noticing. It was only when a light tap on her shoulder that she realized she had not really managed to slide away unnoticed. Frowning, she turned, only to be met with a pair of hazel orbs, which seemed to be observing her intensely.

As part of her reflexes to hide her anonymity, she pulled her cap lower so that it covered her eyes and tilted her head downwards. She fidgeted slightly at the silence hung around them as she felt his eyes bore into her while waiting for him to speak up, which he finally did.

"Tonight was really the best. I should have gone up against you earlier."

She could not see his expression, but she knew that he was sincere from his voice; hence a nod to the statement was her reply.

"Name's Eunhyuk. What's yours?"

A hand stretched out before her. She stared at it still not meeting his gaze, neither did she take it. People might take her for being aloof or unsociable and would have retreated back, but he did not. Instead, he waited, left his hand hanging in the air. It would definitely be awkward if she did not shake it, but then again, she did not want any physical contact with anybody, not if she could help it. Therefore, opting for the easiest way...

"Blue."

She smacked his fingertips with her fingers before turning around to exit the club, leaving the man to stare meaningfully at her retreating back. Interesting... He thought.

---

In the middle of the town, a young lady huddled up in layers of cloth sat on the edge of the fountain. Her eyes closed while her fingers ran along the guitar strings, strumming as music blasted in her ears, clearly engrossed in the song that was playing. Soon, a melodic voice started to blend with the night breeze, allowing it to bring her voice far and wide. It was a beautiful sight to see, with lights shining behind her and water dancing along with the music together with her calming voice. Those who had heard her could not help but stopped before the scene, drowning themselves into the song.

The song was a soft ballad that her mother used to sing. It was a popular song that people of all ages and gender would definitely hear it before. It was a song that was able to evoke feelings and memories from many. Hence, by singing it, she had unknowingly captivated most people to stop and listen, their memories bringing them back to the past, be it happy or sad. To all these, the young lady was seemingly oblivious, having fallen deep into her own world.

It was only when the song ended that she opened her eyes and was pleasantly surprised to see a crowd surrounding her. Happy smiles were on some faces, whereas tears could be seen on others. It had taken a moment after the song ended that resounding claps were heard. A small shy smile graced the young singer's face as she stood up and bowed to the audience.

A glance around the audiences and her eyes caught on a particular blonde-headed. Despite her tank top and khaki pants as well as a dark colored cap that covered nearly half of her face, there was no doubt in her mind that the blonde was a female, a petite one at that. She observed her target carefully and found her staring into space, her face expressionless. The blonde seemed to be in her own world as she stood there unmoving, even when the crowd had slowly started to disperse. It was only when a light bump on her shoulder that she was jolted out of her trance and walked off, blending into the crowd and leaving the young singer to stare after her curiously.

---

Night after night, she sat there, strumming her guitar and singing to her heart's content. Every night, there would be a crowd forming around her, some of whom she had them familiar to be seeing them every time, yet they were not her concern. Her main concern was a certain blonde who she had seen the first time and whom she could not seem to forget about. She was not sure why she wanted to see the blonde, but there was something about the latter that made her curious, that made her want to hold her in her arms, that made her want to cheer her up with her songs. Still, night after night, she sang, waited and observed to no avail.

It was until one week later on a particular chilly night that she found the blonde, staring at her while she was packing up. Even though the night was freezing, the blonde was still wearing her baggy pants and tank top and cap, the only difference was her cap no longer cover her eyes. In those orbs, she saw sadness and maybe a tint of regret and guilty? She was not sure. All she knew was she wanted to run over and give her the tightest hug she could manage but that would probably make the latter feel uneasy and it would be the last time she would see her.

While the singer was still debating on what to do, she saw the blonde leaving at the corner of her eye. Hurriedly, she packed her things and ran in the direction of the latter, to whom she tapped lightly on her shoulder. The blonde turned around, looking at her inquisitively. At that moment, the singer was momentarily stunned in seeing the black orbs. She took a moment to observe the blonde, taking note of her tanned skin and slightly defined jaw. It was only when a soft husky voice sounded that she shook herself out of trance.

"Yes?"

She watched as the blonde looked back at her, her eyes seemed to be looking past her, going deeper into her soul. At that very moment, she did not know what to say; neither did she understand why she had tapped the girl's shoulder on impulse. All she wanted was just to see her, but now that she had seen her up close, she had no idea on what to do or say. Racking her brains, she tried to come up with something, but nothing came to mind.

"Your voice is beautiful."

She looked up at the blonde in confusion, spotting a small smile that graced on her lips. Smiling back, she bowed her head shyly.

"Erm... Thanks?"

Another awkward silence hung over the air as the two stood, still facing each other.

"Tiffany Hwang."

The singer put her hand out front, gazing up at the blonde. A smile spread across her face as though she was expecting her to reply. The blonde however raised her eyebrows while looking at the lady before her, the once small smile had disappeared and replacing it was a cold, aloof expression.

"Blue."

She finally answered, but her arms remained dangling by the side. Tiffany awkwardly retracted her arm, lifting it to scratch the sudden itchy spot behind her neck while smiling sheepishly.

"Erm... I will be playing here every day... You are most welcome to listen to me."

Tiffany darted her glances to the side. She mentally hit her head for saying what came to mind, but then again, there was not much to say to a complete stranger.

"I know."

That was all Blue said before turning around and leaving the scene. Tiffany watched as the blonde left. Something was brewing in her heart that she felt was similar with her own. Something about the blonde that made her curious and wanted to find out more.

---

The next night, Tiffany scanned the crowd once more, hoping to see a familiar blonde. She caught sight of her in the crowd, hiding among all the taller people. Well, she could have blend in perfectly if not for her signature baggy pants, tank top and cap. Seeing the blonde suddenly inspire Tiffany to sing another song. It was something different, something that the young singer had made up right on that spot, and something that she felt upon seeing the blonde.

There she sat, strumming her guitar as she sang, her melodic voice rang out into the air, capturing the hearts of all those around. Many have grown accustomed to hearing that husky voice and had came back to listen for more, while others simply stopped in their tracks, awed by the emotions in the voice. Besides the certain low-pitched and husky voice, not a sound was heard. Most people had stopped what they were doing and closed their eyes, appreciating the calming yet sweet alluring voice.

Blue too, had her eyes closed as she listened. Somehow, a nagging feeling in her was telling her that this song was pointed towards her. The more she heard, the more she felt and the more she denied. Without waiting for the song to end, she slipped off into the darkness, away from people, away from the voice.

When the song finally ended, Tiffany took another glance in the audience, her eyes searching for a certain blonde, but looking 360 degrees around her, she could spot no one familiar. Disappointed, she thanked the people for listening before packing up and left the area. She was sure she had caught sight of her halfway into the song before drowning herself into it once again.

---

Music blasted from the stereos and bounced off the mirrors and walls, overpowering any form of sound that may cause distractions. The studio was dark and the only source of light was the display on the stereo. In the middle of the room, a blonde ponytail spun and swirled, twirled and flew in mid air while limbs of a small petite girl lashed out and rocked to each beat of the music. Her eyes were closed, allowing her to immerse fully as the flow of the music brought her body to move on its own accord.

For hours, she allowed music to guide her, bringing her to another world of her own where only dance and music lived and every other things simply disappeared. It helped her greatly, took her mind off things and allowed her to vent her frustrations, in turn relaxing. This was her little world, a world that nobody could enter, a world that only she and dance mattered.

Slumping into the ground, she breathed heavily, disregarding her sweaty body and raging heartbeat. She knew she was not supposed to lie down straight away after a strenuous workout but she could care less. All she wanted was to shift all her problems and frustrations to the back of her mind, yet in return, a certain face kept popping up. It was one of her frustrations that she could not seem to shove away for it kept coming back to her, even when she was in her own world. Her voice kept ringing inside her ear even though the music played was of a totally different genre. It had not made sense for this particular stranger who sang songs at night while strumming the guitar to keep coming back at her. She did not know her, vice versa, so why was she thinking about her?

"Hyoyeon! Kim Hyoyeon!"

A loud shrill voice interrupted her thoughts. She frowned in annoyance before getting up reluctantly. She had an idea of what was happening and did not want to be a part of it, yet her position in the family refused to allow her to escape.

"Hyoyeon!"

Grabbing her towel and stomping out of her room, Hyoyeon walked towards the living room where her whole family was sitting. A glance on her table, which was littered with files, told her that her guess was right.

"Hyo, you are mummy's favourite daughter. I can understand if mum decided to give you more inheritance, but it doesn't make sense for her to give me this little. After all, I have been slogging hard for the company and I'm the eldest!"

"Nonsense! Who is the one really working hard? I! I am the one who is slogging for the company, bringing in sales and dealing with company issues day and night. I should get more inheritance."

"That's right Hyo. Did mum told you more about the will? Did she really say to give thirty percent of the money to charity? It can't be, because your second brother has been working really hard for the company. He has been..."

The voice slowly faded off as Hyoyeon tuned out to the situation. She could not believe what her brother and sister-in-law had done. Their only mother, who had doted on them, had just gone over barely a month ago, and here they are, fighting over inheritance. It disappointed her to see how money-minded her siblings were, not that they were not in the first place, but she thought they would at least have the courtesy to allow few months to past and things to settle down before fighting.

Glancing to her side, she found her grandmother weeping by the corner of the living room, in her hand was a picture of her parents in their younger days. She knew her grandmother was still upset over the death of her son, and now the sudden death of her seemingly healthy daughter-in-law. The sight of an old white-hair lady weeping over a picture was disheartening to see, but this could go on no more, not when her health was in danger.

Ignoring the constant pesters from her family, Hyoyeon strode over to her grandmother and gently took her by her hand and leading her towards the master bedroom. Tucking her into bed and urging her to rest, Hyoyeon left the room, anger brewing from the constant arguments between her siblings.

"SHUT UP!!!! Unnie, oppa, mum has just passed away and grandma is still upset about it. She is resting now. So either you get out of this house to quarrel or keep quiet and don't you ever dare to bother grandma about this."

The short speech ended with a hiss of whisper to which her siblings knew very well not to cross over that bottom line. It was that very string that would break and caused the youngest to explode if not careful and none of them, definitely did not want to get into trouble with the youngest’s temper.

With that, the youngest stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her without waiting for anybody's reply, tears starting to brew in her eyes.

Walking in the night, she allowed her feet to bring her anywhere till she heard a familiar husky voice that she had slowly grown used to listening. It was the same song that Tiffany had sang before she slipped off in the middle. With her back leaning against a pillar away from the crowd, Hyoyeon allowed both her mind and body to relax, drifting off along with the voice.

It was only till a light tap on her arm that she awoke with a start, finding herself face to face with a familiar eye-smiling girl.

"It ended."

Giving a nod, Hyoyeon turned to leave, only to be held back by her wrist.

"You looked exhausted."

Silence hung in the air.

"I was expecting you, but I couldn't find you the last few days."

Another awkward silence hung in the air above them before it dispersed with Hyoyeon answering.

"Can you sing another song?"

The blonde had looked at her pleadingly that Tiffany felt her heart melt at the sight. Despite that it was too cold for her to stay for another five minutes for a song, the kind-hearted singer could not help but relent, sensing that the blonde was in need of the song, or maybe, just her presence.

Strumming her guitar once more, she started the song, staring up ahead.

Oneureun waenji himdeurgoh jicheo
Begaereul ggeureoahneun chae honja banganeh namah

Junhwagil manjijaggeorineun naui maeumi
Wenji oneulddara wero oongeojyo

Gabjaki oorrin junhwae norra
Bab meokeoneunji geokjeonghaneun umma moksorika
Gwichanhge deurryeossdeon geumari oneureun dareungeol
Ijgo isseossdeon yagsogdeuri ddeooh llayo
-[Dear mom SNSD]

While glancing occasionally at the blonde, Hyoyeon seemed so deep into it that Tiffany was shocked when she saw tears rolling down the former's cheeks. Something inside the latter's heart broke upon seeing that. Somehow, she could sense the sadness and hurt coming from her, yet there was nothing she could do but to comfort her with the song.

With every verse, more tears rolled down her cheeks when Tiffany finally noticed that Hyoyeon was trembling. Quickly finishing the song, she put down her guitar and hugged the girl on instinct. The reason for that, she did not know why, all she knew was the blonde was hurting and hugs was the only way she knew could calm people down, besides music. Hence, she hugged her, rubbing her back in smooth circles while waiting for the girl in her arms to calm down.

When she felt the girl gradually calming down, Tiffany then let go of her arms though staring intently.

"Thank you."

There was a slight hiccup in Hyoyeon's voice, but Tiffany simply smiled at it. Giving a small sad smile, Hyoyeon thanked the other with a nod before turning around, her hands trying to wipe off as much tears as she could.

Tiffany watched as she walked off. A nagging feeling inside her was telling her that the blonde was not going home. Hence, acting upon instinct, the singer ran up towards her and tapped her on her shoulder once again. Hyoyeon turned around, surprised to see Tiffany looking at her, biting her lips nervously.

"Yes?"

"Erm... Blue... Do... Do you want to... To... Sleep at my place tonight?"

Tiffany watched carefully for Hyoyeon's change of expression. She watched as the girl frowned and bit her lips while pondering. Finally, Hyoyeon looked up and smiled a small smile, her lips twitching slightly upwards. Seeing that Hyoyeon had made no attempts to turn or move away from her, Tiffany took her answer as a yes and proceeded to hold her hand gently, leading her towards her apartment.

-TBC-

A/N: Tiffany, at that point of time, only knew Hyoyeon by the name of Blue. Hence, Blue, she called.