A soft melody floated through the hall, marching slowly and sorrowfully through the nearly vacant room. Often, she came to this piano bar, having a few drinks, playing a few songs, and enjoying the lively atmosphere. Today was different. Today she sat on the stool in front of the keyboard playing out her emotions. It was also extremely late. Much later than she usually was there.

The manager gently touched her shoulder. She glanced up at him, not stopping her playing. “Serin, closing time is in 10 minutes,” he said.

She nodded and returned her attention fully to the music. She finished her song and stopped abruptly, just sitting on the stool not attempting to move. There were only a few people left, finishing their drinks in the now resounding silence. Someone came up and touched her back. “I was really moved by your emotional music,” a man with a gentle, masculine voice told her.

She looked up at him. He seemed very familiar, and she knew she’d seen him before. But in her intoxicated state, paired with her feelings of misery and her sleep deprivation, she knew she wasn’t going to be able to figure out where she knew him from. “Thanks,” she said solemnly, after giving up her brief mental struggle to figure out who he was.

“I’m Hoonmin,” he said. “What’s your name?”

Serin frowned. That name seemed very familiar to her. “Serin,” she said finally. “Lee Serin.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Serin,” he said, pleasantly.

“Do I know you from somewhere?” she asked.

“Maybe…” he said nonchalantly, while a slight smile of amusement played at his lips.

“I’m glad you liked my song,” she admitted. “Even though it was so sad, I had to express my feelings somehow. Making music is the best way I know how.”

“I understand that,” he admitted. “And I like sad songs. You can feel the emotions behind them better.”

“Well, thank you,” she said sincerely, though there was little actual feeling in her voice. “It was nice meeting you. The place is closing soon, so I’ll be going, then.” She stood, and gathered her purse, pausing to adjust her clothes because although she was still very upset over her recent breakup, she wanted to look okay for this attractive stranger.

As she started to walk away, he called out to her. “Wait!” She paused and looked back at him. “I’d really like to listen to you play more. Can I get  your phone number? I’ll give you mine, too, so you can let me know when you’ll be here.”

“Oh,” she said, pondering briefly if she ought to. “Sure,” she decided,” I don’t mind. I’ll let you know when I’m around.”

She dictated her number to him, he gave her his number in return, and they said goodbye to each other. He headed to meet the guy who he had come with. She assumed it was probably his brother because they looked strikingly similar.  She made her way the short distance home in the darkness, stumbling down the street in a groggy haze. When she made it back to her apartment, she promptly crashed in bed.

~

She woke up in a panic that same morning upon realizing exactly who it was that she’d run into at the piano bar. It was unbelievable really. That he’d so casually be out having a drink unattended was almost incomprehensible to her. Hoonmin was his given name. Family name Yeo. But he was better known as U-KISS’s Hoon. She couldn’t believe that she had been unable to recognize him. Serin had paid some attention to the group in the past, liked a few of their songs, and generally, most of the time, knew who they all were. She simply chalked her inability to notice it was him up to the alcohol and tried to get herself to relax. She was off today, was still very upset over her former fiancée, and she needed to do something other than obsess over a familiar stranger she’d met at 2 in the morning.

She got out of bed and took a shower, proceeding to the kitchen to make herself a quick breakfast. She wasn’t really in any hurry to go anywhere, but she knew she’d eat away her raw emotions if she stayed at home. It was Saturday. She was off. She needed to go do something, anything, to occupy her brain. She called up her childhood best friend, and the two decided to go shopping.

They shopped, had lunch, and enjoyed each other’s company for most of the afternoon. It was when her friend left to see her boyfriend that Serin’s relatively happy mood reverted back to depressed. She wandered around the city fairly aimlessly, until she arrived a familiar building, and went inside the church. Her church. She saw the minister, said hello, and asked him if it was okay for her to play the organ. He gave her permission and continued on his way, heading back to his office to finish preparing his sermon for the coming morning.

Serin thought about Hoon once again. He’d asked her to let him know when she was playing the piano. He’d specifically said the piano bar, but she figured this would also be something he’d maybe be interested in. But she was torn on what to do. Should she call him? Tell him? She decided it wouldn’t hurt to at least let him know, so she sent him a text before turning to the organ. Usually she didn’t play the organ. The foot pedals often made things difficult, but she was longing for a deep, somber sound, and the organ, more than a piano, could give her that.

She sat down on the bench, situating herself, and gave the foot pedals a few experimental taps. The low notes reverberated through the room, and she proceeded to play one of the saddest songs she knew. It was a song her grandmother had taught her. One she had played for both her grandmother and mother upon their passing. Now it was more about expressing her feelings of despair and less about honoring her dead family members.

She finished the song and continued playing, low chords repeated continuously as she let the tears run down her face. She couldn’t see through the tear-induced blur, and she stopped playing, resigning to sobbing into her own hands. She felt a hand on her shoulder, but she didn’t look to see who it was. When she had cried herself dry, she looked back at the person whose hand still rubbed her back.

“Ah,” she exclaimed, surprised. “Hoon. I didn’t think you’d actually come.”

He shrugged. “We finished early today. I was just driving home when I got your message. Listening to you play seemed like a better idea than sitting at home alone.” He smiled at her warmly as he said it.

She was glad he didn’t pry into her business. “I’m sorry for crying,” she told him. “It’s just a… bad time for me. I’m a bit of a mess right now.”

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “The best music always seem to happen when your emotions are stronger than you can handle.”

She smiled a bit then, surprisingly relaxed in his presence even though she was now fully aware of who he was. “If that’s the case, then I must be making the best music of my life right now.”

“I think so,” Hoon told her. “Mind if I sit down?” he asked, gesturing to the bench.

“Sure," she said, sliding to the far right side of the bench to make room for him.

“I’ve never played an organ before.”

“It’s not that hard,” she stated. “Just the pedals can sometimes throw you for a loop.”

He laughed. “I’d imagine they would.”

She felt a faint smile on her face, a brief moment of happiness after all of the sadness she’d be living in. It was a wonder. She was here, at a church, hanging out with a celebrity who was making her smile when she’d just been crying her eyes out in front of him, completely comfortable. “Play something you know,” she told him quietly.

He thought for a second, then put his hands over the keyboard to play a simple melody. She knew it. It was U-KISS’s most recent song, right? Believe? Yes. That was it. He was playing a piano version of Believe. She quickly arranged a descant in her head, using the foot pedals to add depth to the sound. Placing her fingers over the upper keyboard, she played along with him. When he started singing the song, she was not surprised. She tried to harmonize with him, but she quickly felt self conscious. His voice was so amazing, and she was no where near his level. Sure, she could sing well enough, having been in choir and chorus throughout her childhood, but his tremendous vocal skill intimidated her. She stopped trying to sing with him, and simply played.

They reached the end of the song and sat on the bench in stunned silence. Other than the minor bout of self consciousness, this had been the most fulfilling song Serin had ever played. It had greatly reduced her feelings of sadness.

“Wow,” he said, voice filled with awe. “That was beautiful. You’re so amazing at this.”

Serin smiled at him, the first genuine smile he had seen on her face. “Thank you.”

“Do you know any other instruments?”

“I know violin and cello. And I’ve taken several flute lessons, but never really liked it. Oh… Guitar, and I learned the drums a bit, as well, but it’s been years since I’ve sat at a drum set. How about you?”

“Piano. Guitar. And my voice, of course. That’s what I’m really best at.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “Your voice is very beautiful.”

“Thanks,” he said sheepishly. “Yours isn’t bad either.”

“I’m not even worthy of singing with you,” she disagreed.

“That’s not true. You’re very talented, and just because you haven’t had hours of daily vocal coaching, doesn’t mean you can’t sing with me.”

“I appreciate that,” Serin said.

“Since you clearly know how I am and what I do,” he stated, “I was hoping you’d tell me a bit more about yourself.”

“Oh,” she said, a bit surprised that he had any interest in her outside of her musical abilities. “Hmm, I’m 24 right now.”

“You’re my noona, then,” he said.

“I guess so. Hmm. I work at my dad’s company. I’m an international liaison, and I get to travel to a lot of different places. Since I’m fluent in English, I go to the US and Europe pretty frequently.”

“Oh. You know English? That’s pretty cool. I’ve been trying to learn more. Kevin says my pronunciation isn’t too bad.”

“Oh. Tell me something in English then,” she said.

He thought for a second. “Hello. I'm Hoon from U-KISS.”

She frowned. “That’s like… your basic introduction. I was hoping for something more elaborate.”

He laughed. “Hmm… Hanging out with you today has been fun. You are very talented and pretty,” he said in labored English. “How was that?”

She smiled at him. “Pretty good. I think you could be really good at it if you spent more time practicing.”

“Thanks,” he said. “I’ve tried to learn some because of all of the international fans. If you don’t mind my asking, what is it that you’re so upset over? I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Even though I don’t really know you, it makes me worried to see someone cry so much.”

She sighed and looked away. “Have you ever loved someone so much and then just… it didn’t work out? Unexplainably?”

Hoon nodded. He’d been there a few times.

“I dated this guy for three years and nearly a year ago he proposed to me. We were supposed to get married a month from now, but he broke up with me last week. He told me he had met someone he loved more than me. The wound is so fresh, and it hurts so much. I’ve been playing to cope with the rejection and hurt.”

Hoon was a bit shocked. He hadn’t really expected her to be so open and honest, and he certainly hadn’t expected a cancelled wedding to be the reason for her sadness. He couldn’t comprehend why someone would hurt her in such a way. He had, immediately upon meeting her, known that he was attracted to her. If he wasn’t, he certainly wouldn’t be here right now. One simply does not go out of their way to spend time with someone solely because they are talented at piano. He quietly said, “I’m sorry. I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt you like that.”

“Thanks,” was her response.

Serin watched him as he glanced at his phone real quickly.

“Oh,” he said then. “I forgot that I told my brother that I got done early today. He’s a little worried. I should probably get going.”

“Oh,” she said. There was the faintest hint of disappointment in her voice.  “Thanks for coming today. I had a good time.”

“You’ll let me know when you play again, right?” Hoon asked.

“Of course,” she said, as a genuinely happy smile spread across her face. He bowed to her quickly as he said goodbye, and she watched him quickly walk out of the sanctuary. He paused before walking out the doors and waved, then disappeared.

She stood up and trudged home, though her trudging was a bit lighter than she had headed there. She wrestled with her conflicting emotions for the rest of the night. She was still hurt from her recent break up. All of those wounds were still bleeding. However, she could feel her attraction to Hoon blossoming simultaneously. She could not, absolutely refused to let him be her rebound. She wouldn’t use him like that. He was too kind. She genuinely liked him too much to do such a thing to him. So she, before sleeping that night, decided that she needed to put space between them for the time being. She needed time to heal herself from her recent past before she started looking at opportunities for the future. She would give it time, stay distant, and if she still felt the same way as she was starting to feel now in several months, she would allow herself to see where she and Hoon might go.