A simple melody was what brought us together. I couldn’t put my finger on it, about how two souls connected through music, but I am glad that it happened. Our love weaved in and out of music notes creating a beautiful symphony that only you and I could hum to. If it wasn’t for music, I wouldn’t have found you, the other part of my song.

 

    I’m watching now as our fingers are intertwining, as you brush my hair out of my face, and as I give you a kiss on the lips. In the background, there was a song no one else could hear: two hearts beating together like a drum, creating a cardiac orchestra. I could listen to it forever, to your heartbeat. It was soothing, just like your voice.

 

    My eyes were closing slowly now, as you sing to my favorite song. That’s all I hear as I fall asleep and will be what I hear when I dreaming. You’ll be there, I know of it.

 

    Even if I lose you, even if we go our separate ways, the song of our love will keep on playing to remind of us the memory of how we met and how we became. You’ll always be that catchy tune I’ll be playing in my head. Once it comes up, I’ll never stop listening.

 

--

 

    Nona Kim walked out into broad daylight with a cardigan hugging tight around her curves and a pair of blue jeans to fill her long legs. She took out her favorite pair of headphones and began listening to her favorite tunes. She bobbed her head to the beat, walking past pedestrians who stared. She didn’t notice them the least bit, she was too busy being lost in her world.

 

    She walked into Seoul’s public library, waving to Mr. Choi, the librarian. She took her usual seat by the classical section near the window where she could stare out into the city. Nona rested her chin up against her palm before flipping through one of her books that she had brought with her. The music was still pounding from her headphones while she started to read.

 

    A soft voice suddenly overlapped with the song she was listening to. Nona slid off her headphones, inspecting the room carefully to see if there was anyone singing. She was the only one in that section of the library. She blinked once, then twice, scratching her head puzzled. She shrugged it off before putting back her headphones on.

 

    A moment later, the voice became even more distinct. Nona quickly slid off her headphones. She could hear it clearly now. It wasn’t just a voice, it was a melody. She closed her book before getting up from her seat, walking towards the sounds. Everyone else seemed to not notice the music, not even Mr. Choi, who despised loud music in his library. The melody that was playing seemed to increase in volume.

 

    Nona could feel her feet moving quickly, exiting the library in light speed. She could feel herself running now, the more she ran towards the direction of the music, the louder it became. She could feel her heart beating quickly with the sounds. It was so close, she could literally feel it.

 

    She was out of breath already but the sound was too beautiful to stop running. Nona halted in front of large building with the words SM ent. It was a vaguely familiar name but she couldn’t think where it was from. Being attached to the music, she couldn’t just stop here, she had to discover where it was coming from.

 

    Walking cautiously into the air conditioned building, Nona walked past the front desk, which laid unoccupied. She quickly jogged towards the hallway up long staircases. Sweat dripped over her face but she wiped it away with her sleeve.

 

    “Hey you!” A voice yelled from behind her. “This is private property, you can’t just walk in here!” A man in a black tux and dark shaded sunglasses stood at the other end of the hallway. He pointed at Nona angrily.

 

    The only thing she could think of was to run. Nona quickly dashed down the hallway, looking behind her momentarily. The guard, she presumed, exclaimed at her to stop but she continued running into the unfamiliar twist and turns of the hallway.

 

    The music had stopped abruptly, causing her to become a bit hesitant. She took a deeper breath and ran faster, closing her eyes trying to listen for that same beat she heard earlier. The only thing she could hear was her heart thudding up against her chest tightly.

 

    “Yah!” the man called out behind her. She whipped her head back to look, he was drawing closer to her. “Stop this instant!”

 

    Not knowing where to turn next, Nona quickly turned sharply around a corner, opening the first door she saw. She slid down up against the wooden structure, gasping for air. The man’s silhouette had passed the door, pausing for a brief moment before proceeding onto his search. She let out a sigh of relief before getting up and wiping the sweat that soaked her forehead.

 

    A soothing symphony had started to play, much louder than it was before. Nona‘s face had brightened up with a toothy grin. “The music,” she whispered. “I found the music.” Before her was a passage way that lead into another lit up room. The voice was less vague now, much more clear as the words slipped through this characters lips. Nona couldn’t help but be entranced by the way his voice projected within the room.

 

    There, behind that piece of glass, stood a young man. His eyes shut gently as he rested his hands upon the headphones. His succulent lips where pressed up against the microphone as a soothing piano score played in the background. Nona was in awe, standing there with her hands resting at her sides calmly.

 

    As the words escaped his lips, Nona couldn’t help but be struck by those words as if they were for her, as if they were being sung to her. She closed her eyes with this young man, feeling the emotions that came from his voice. It was a beautiful feeling, so indescribable. She couldn’t help herself, she hummed along with him.

 

    “Hold up,” the music director had cut into Onew’s singing. Onew, left his mouth opened before opening his eyes. He saw the music director get up from his seat and walking towards an unfamiliar girl. He raised an eyebrow. He could not hear anything behind the glass, the only way to was through the headphones but the microphone in the recording studio was turned off. He watched as the director waved his hands in front of the girl’s eyes, who seemed to have them closed. The director then started to open his mouth to say something, but Onew obviously couldn’t hear what.

 

    It was very subtle, of what Onew heard next. It was a familiar tune, a tune he had been practicing and recording all day. Except, it was a girl’s voice, a voice he has never heard of before. The door to the sound-proof room was shut and he checked his headphones multiple times, but none of those were the sources.

 

    His heart thudded quickly as soon as realization hit him. Onew walked through the door slowly, the humming increasing in volume. It was the girl who was standing there like a statue. Onew couldn’t help but be entranced by this girl’s singing. How could she know the song if it was just written? Did she worked here? Did she write the music? All these questions ran inside of his head but he simply let it go as soon as she opened her eyes, her long lashes flicking upwards. His heart trembled, a beat, an unfamiliar beat but he was not uncomfortable with it. It was a beat that gave him great warmth inside. His rosy lips soon turned into a micro smile.

 

    Nona stopped her humming quickly, realizing she was being watched. Her heart had stopped for a minute, losing all of what she knew of the music she was humming. She gasped a little before running out of the room with the flesh on her cheeks turning different shades of red.

 

    The summer heat had hit her as soon as she exited the building. She looked down at her feet before holding her face in embarrassment.

 

    “Excuse me.”

 

    Nona swirled around quickly on her sneakers, coming face to face with a familiar face. Her eyes wide as the moon that inhabited in the night sky. Onew’s eyes were searching into hers, holding her arms so she didn’t fall to the ground from her quick movements.

 

    “I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said. Onew let go of her arms, straightening himself up. He had become hesitant now, his feet shifting back and forth on the pavement. “I don’t know if this is weird to say, but how did you know the song I was singing?”

 

    Nona’s face flushed again with different shades of red before looking down in embarrassment. “I don’t think you would believe me, I’m kind of crazy. Look, if you’re going to press charges against me, I would like to first apologize for intruding. I couldn’t help but follow the music.”

 

    Onew cocked an eyebrow. “Follow the music? What do you mean by that?”

 

    “Well, when I a hear a beautiful melody from out of nowhere, I have this habit of following it. I heard you sing, and well, I had to find where it was coming from. I ran from the library all the way here and had to know the source of it. It is a sound I never heard before and it made me feel different inside, a new feeling I have never discovered before….” she paused for a moment. Nona had a tendency to babble. She stopped herself before she could say anymore. “I probably sound crazy right now.”

 

    “No, please, go on. I want to hear.”

 

    Nona sighed and slumped her shoulders before walking towards an empty bench. Onew followed her. “I listened to it, it gradually became louder and louder the more closer I got to this building. I memorized the whole harmony, it was kind of on repeat as I ran here. As soon as I saw you singing in that room, I couldn’t help but sing along, it was welcoming, it brought warmth to me.” She laughed a little. “You probably think I am insane.”

 

    “I believe you,” he responded quickly.

 

    “What?” Nona, raising her eyebrows with bewilderment.

 

    “I heard you humming, but I didn’t know how, I was in a sound-proof room where it’s hard to hear anything, but I heard you and it was beautiful sounding. It also gave me warmth inside, a feeling I had never felt before,” he conveyed.

 

    “Onew! There you are, we need you back in the recording studio, ASAP,” the director came out. He paused, looking in between Onew and Nona.

 

    “I’ll be there in a minute,” he replied.

 

    “Well, hurry up.” The director glanced at Nona before walking back into the building.

 

    “I have to go,” Onew said to her.

 

    “I know. You should though, you can’t leave a beautiful composition unfinished,” she gave him a small grin.

 

    “You’re right, but I never got your name.”

 

    “Nona Kim.”

 

    “ONEW!” the director yelled from the door. They both looked at him with startled looks.

 

    “I better go.” Onew started to back away slowly, tucking his hands in his pockets.

 

    “Okay. It was nice meeting you, Onew.” Nona bowed before turning around slowly and walking into the street.

 

    “Wait!” he called. Nona adjusted her body towards Onew. “Are you we going to meet again?”

 

    “Maybe,” she replied to him.

 

    “But how?”

 

    “Just follow the music.”

 

    --

 

    Weeks have passed yet Onew couldn’t resist the temptations of the music, the sounds of her. Unlike people, who had simple thoughts, he had her melody ringing in his ears. Nona’s music overpowered every other sound that lingered into his thoughts and he tried every way to get rid of it but it kept coming back. He didn’t understand why this was happening to him or what this unknown phenomenon came from in the first place. All he knew is that he can hear her music,  like her aura was made from a famous composer. Although it may all seem bad, it wasn’t. At times when he couldn’t sleep at night, he’d just listen for her and he’d fall asleep like it was his own personal lullaby. It’d also wake him up, in a good way, because it sets him off in a good mood right in the morning. Sometimes it’d appear in his dreams as well, he’d see her there singing to him.

 

    “I have to find her, I can’t stay away from this girl anymore,” Onew had said one day. He was set on it, on finding her so he can get to know her, to tell her that she’s been on his mind and that her music is overpowering every piece of him. He was going to make his move the next day, where he wasn’t so busy with his schedule.

 

    Nona, who lived across the city, felt the same way as Onew. He was all she could think about. She tried to rid herself of him but he lingered back into her head. She didn’t bring her headphones with her anymore because she’d bob her head to the sound of Onew. Although pedestrians stared at her like she was a fool, she didn’t care. If she could, she would have shared it with those people who stared at her so they knew what it was like.

 

    “Nona, let’s go to karaoke tonight!” her friend Lilly exclaimed. It was a girl’s night out tonight. Nona hadn’t had one in a while, so her friend had dragged her out.

 

    “I guess that sounds okay to me,” Nona shrugged.

 

    “I don’t know what’s been up with you lately, Nona. Sometimes I think you look lost or blank,” Lilly folded her arms across her chest with annoyance.

 

    ‘Yeah, I’ve been lost in the music and I can’t find my way back,’ Nona thought to herself. She tried to give her friend a small smile to reassure her that she was alright. “No, I don’t know. I guess I haven’t been myself lately. Look, I am going to have fun tonight and forget about what’s been going on! Let’s go.” Nona linked arms with her friend and they both walked down the crowded streets of Seoul.

 

    Neon’s light flashed brightly on the signs for different night life businesses. Food stands were already out, steam lifting up from the freshly made goods. Onew hid under a disguise so no one would notice him. It was not easy being a celebrity in Seoul with all these crazy fan girls and paparazzi. He thanked the ahjumma who put a couple pieces of chicken for him into a paper bag. Grease leaked through the brown bag as he placed it in the a bag of his own he was carrying.

 

    That night he listened carefully for Nona, which lead him directly in this crowded street of the night life. He felt slight uncomfortable going to such places, but he had his face hidden well that he had no fear to walk around.

 

    “Okay,” Lilly said as she flipped through the song book. “What do you want to sing, Nona?”

 

    “I don’t care, you can pick first,” she said with no thought. She sat in one of the chairs, watching the strobe lights turn different colors.

 

    “Okay,” she sighed before pressing the numbers onto the screen. She handed Nona a microphone. ‘Your Name’ appeared on the screen.

 

    The beat started to play, a soothing beat that sounded quite familiar. Nona’s feet started to tap, the way it did when ever Onew entered through her mind and suddenly it just came to her as she started to sing.

 

    “Nigin saen meori nan hwang holhae nal seuchyeo galttae ajjilhan geolnan

Geureol ttaemada ni yeppeun ireumeul bulleobogo shipeo ireoke.”

 

    Onew felt alert now, as soon as he heard that voice. He knew he was closer now to her. He started to pick up his pace, his feet walking quickly pass the crowd. People gave him dirty looks and yelled out “Excuse me!” but he didn’t care. The voice was there and it was calling his name.

 

    “Nareul bulleojwo my name, oneuri baro your day, neoreul wihae moreun geol haejul Namani halsu ineun jageun seonmureul kkok nege jugo shipeo jigeum dallyeoga gobaek halegoya,” Nona sang louder. The more she sang, the more closer he became, as his melodic aura was mixing with hers.

 

    “Keep singing,” he said under his breath. “Keep singing.” His fast pace walking became a job. He ended up in front of a Karaoke plaza, running up the steps and past the front the desk.

 

    “Excuse me! You need to register first before you go to a room!” the front clerk exclaimed at him. Onew ignored him and pushed past the swinging doors, ending up in a narrow hallway with numerous doors.

 

    “Saeppalgan ibsul dalkomhan neoye geu ibsul seolleyeo jeomjeom tteollyeowa

Neoreul bol ttaemada neoreul gago shipeo gati chana hanjan hajago malhae bolkka, yeah.” Nona had her eyes closed this time. She could feel him.

 

    In unison, Onew closed his eyes. With so many doors, it’d be difficult to figure out which one she was in. ‘Just follow the music’.

 

    The music was like an invisible magnetic force that was pulling Onew towards the second door on the left. His eyes were still shut as he turned the doorknob. Vibrations were sent through his body, the moment was savoring as he opened his eyes.

 

    There stood Nona, with her eyes gently closed, whispering ‘Lalalala-lalala‘. The song ended soothingly, with her eyes now opening with a smile spread across her face.

 

    Onew stood in the doorway with the same grin as her. “Hello, Nona.”

 

    She gave him a glance before looking down at her feet. “Hi, Onew.” Her face was heating up now.

 

    “Nona, who is this?” Lilly interjected with a smirk.

 

    She looked over at her friend and blushed. “Um, Lilly, this is Onew, Onew this is Lilly. I met him on accident and we kind of….”

 

    “…clicked,” Onew finished for her.

 

    “Clicked? Well, Onew, why don’t you join us?” Lilly offered.

 

    “Sure, I’d love to.” He closed the door behind him and smiled at Nona again.

 

 

    --

 

    The karaoke had come to an end. Lilly walked ahead of them, winking and nudging Nona before proceeding. Nona just shook her head as she walked the same pace as Onew.

 

    Onew had his hands behind his back, both not saying anything. It was a peaceful, warm, clear night and the crickets were chirping while the stars were twinkling brightly.

 

    “Do you hear that?” Onew finally asked Nona.

 

    She nodded her head. “The symphony that you and I are both creating? Yes, I can hear that, loud and clear and it’s the most beautiful thing I have ever heard.”