Chapter 10

•  •  •

Yoona was still thinking about the joke they had just made when Yuri suddenly leaned in and kissed her. She didn’t know what had happened to her. Suddenly all her thoughts disappeared and she felt as if she was floating. Her mind was silent now. She could only feel. There seemed to be solitude all around her, intruding her soul and body. For a few seconds she remained still, unmoving. Then she heard her breath hitch and like an impulse she kissed Yuri back. Her delicate shaking hand sought Yuri’s and their fingers interlocked. The kiss lasted just a few seconds but they were both breathing hard when they parted, never looking away from each other’s eyes. Neither of them said a word. With her other hand Yuri gently Yoona’s cheek, constantly searching for her approval in her eyes. Suddenly the heavy doors opened and the girls instantly jumped apart.

‘’Oh, it’s you… we still have to do the hovering and clean here. You may stay but I think it’d be more efficient if you left.’’ An older woman said. The lights flickered on again, shocking the room again into a horrible lightness. A group of about ten other people came into the room and began doing their work, producing a lot of noise. Yoona looked at Yuri, now standing beside the piano, who looked just as bewildered as she herself felt. Words that should have been said would now forever remain a secret in their minds. Where she had just felt as if the world had stood still, the kiss now seemed childish and ridiculous. She looked at Yuri. The girl who had just been so secure a moment ago was now completely tense and filled with anxiety. She wondered what she could see in her eyes.

‘’Excuse me miss, could you just stand up please?’’ a younger woman was standing next to her. Understand that she had to clean the piano; Yoona stood up and bowed politely.

‘’I’m sorry; we didn’t want to inconvenience you. We thought this room didn’t need any cleaning.’’ Yoona explained. The woman smiled at her and waved her hand.

‘’Not at all my child. We’ve had worse clients, I can tell you.’’ She said and shuffled to the other side of the piano. Yuri was no longer standing there. She turned around and inspected the room. Now that the lights were on it was easy to see everything. The few seats that had been left were now being removed, every little particle of dust once again removed from the antique walls, the white marble floors once again being made sparkly clean. No sign of a young girl with that maroon dress. Suddenly she saw a flash of long black hair in the adjoining room. Quickly she paced out of the room, following her.

‘’Yuri!’’ she yelled but the other girl did not reply. She tried to walk faster but her heels wouldn’t allow her to. Damn Yuri and her long legs. She could see she was already dashing down the spiral staircase. Everywhere there were still people at work, every now and then stopping to look at these two people that were for some reason still here. Bumping into a lady, Yoona bent down to pick up the mop that she had dropped and apologized. She had lost sight of Yuri but she could faintly hear the noises of her stiletto heels in the distance and then finally the sound of the front doors closing softly.

•  •  •

The following day

You: Hey Yuri-yah. You were gone so quickly yesterday I couldn’t catch you! I don’t regret what happened but I think it’s very important we talk about it. Please tell me you feel the same way.

You: I’m not angry so please talk to me.

You: You won’t answer your phone. We don’t have to talk in person if you’re too embarrassed but please answer me.

You: I feel bad too, please just talk to me.

You: I called your home but your father told me you were out and he didn’t know where you are. Where are you? We don’t have to meet now. We don’t even have to talk right now but please tell me what you want.

You: Did I do something to make you avoid me? Whatever I did wrong, I didn’t mean it and I apologise. I have to talk to you.

You: Please let me know you’re receiving these messages at least.

You: Please.

The number «Yuri-yah» which you have been trying to reach is out of service and temporarily not available.

•  •  •

The same day, 21:27, Lee residence

‘’The food was truly delicious. You’ll have to thank your cook for me.’’ Declared Yoona as she wiped with her napkin. Opposite of her Seunggi smiled and raised his wine glass once more, then downed the rest of the liquid in one go. His parents smiled at her and asked one of the maids to bring more wine.

‘’However,’’ his father began, ‘’I think you and Seunggi should go into the drawing room for a moment before we drink another glass. Our son and we have discussed this matter a great deal and we have come to a decision. I think he will be able to tell you the rest.’’

‘’Don’t be so secretive! You’ll make the poor girl scared out of her wits. It’s just a preposition that Seunggi here has already discussed with us. We’re not making you an offer you can’t refuse.’’ She teased. Yoona blinked and looked at Seunggi again, puzzled.

‘’Okay. I think we had better go into the drawing room then.’’ She said. As both Seunggi and she stood up, one of the maids bolted towards his mother and whispered something in her ear.

‘’Oh my dears! The drawing room is being cleaned but I think you can use the library?’’ she offered. The maid nodded and assured her that the library was fine, bowed, and walked off with the remaining dirty dishes.

‘’Very well then, your father and I will be in the green salon when you’re done talking.’’ She announced and both of them walked off. Seunggi smiled at her again and walked up to her. He gently kissed her and then grabbed hold of her hand. A blush made its way up Yoona’s neck. Every time he came near her she remembered the kiss inside the piano room. The way Yuri’s lips had felt, the scent of her shampoo, the softness of her hands… it all seemed so strong even now, twenty four hours later. Her hearth sped up just thinking about it. How can these last so firmly? He led her down the corridor with its grand high ceiling, along the smoking room, through the billiard room and eventually into the mighty library. She sad down on the red fainting couch in front of the fireplace as he poured them a drink. He grabbed a chair from the other side of the room and placed it so that he was facing her as he talked. Putting his hands on both his knees to lean on, he looked her in the eye. He looked firmly at her.

‘’I have something very important to say,’’ he began, ‘’I am not sure how to begin. I must beg you for your understanding and to wait until I have finished talking. I don’t wish to offend you by any of this.’’ He sighed. ‘’Okay,’’

‘’I will be ending my study here. This is because of the fact that I will be moving to America this October.’’

‘’You’re what?’’ Yoona shrieked. Seunggi gave her a peeved look. She apologised and told him to go on with whatever surprise he had next.

‘’It’s been a tradition in my family that we attend the prestigious Princeton university. I denied my parents this tradition by wishing to follow a rather more conventional education, as you know. Now I have found it to be unsatisfying to me. That is why I will study Economics at Princeton. I have already been accepted into the university though no further preparations have been made as of yet. Now I come onto a very delicate subject,’’ he paused and stood up. He sauntered towards Yoona and grabbed hold of her hand, remaining standing. She was wearing Yuri’s ring.

‘’of course that way we shall be parted. I care an infinite amount about you and I have grown to love you in this short time we have known each other. When I move to America it shall be for six years at least, however I might decide to stay there for a much longer period of time. I want that time to be shared with you. I will be at least twenty eight at that time. You will be twenty five. That is why I must ask you to join me in America as my wife.’’ Yoona opened and closed and her eyes bugged out, completely flabbergasted. She must have looked like a fish. Seunggi held up his hand.

‘’You don’t have to say anything. I can wait for your answer. Before you give me your answer I must beg you to take some things in consideration, however. We shall always be able to visit South-Korea at any time if you wish to see your friends. The university offers a very similar programme to international students to that which you are following right now. Obviously, everything will be in English but that will go for me as well and I am certainly ready to help you at any time. You can start your second year without having missed anything of much importance in the first. I think it is very important for you to realize that if you deny my proposal this will most certainly be the last we will ever see each other, for I want to find a wife before I am too old. If you will pardon me, I certainly do not want to cause any offence, there will be a lot of girls at Princeton university with more intelligence and from more important families than you.’’ He argued.

‘’None taken.’’ Yoona said, tilting her chin up. She might not be Seunggi’s equal in background but she was proud of her father and her achievements nonetheless.

‘’However,’’ he continued, ‘’I want to be with you.’’ He clutched Yoona’s hand with both his hands now.

‘’It would mean the world to me and I hope you will feel the same. Very important is of course also that with this education, I will be ensured a wealthy future. However emotionally important your current education is to you, and to me! it will not bring you much economical stability. I can give that to you. We will be able to live in a society that may be further away from us but that will also give us more freedom as people. It will give you more freedom as a woman. There are more opportunities for you to make music. I know that is what you desire the most, after all.’’ He remained silent for a few moments after that. Yoona let all of the worlds sink in. She was helplessly perplexed.

Her relationship with Seunggi had mostly been a steady one. In such a short time, they had become inseparable in school; lunching together, studying together, even giving a lecture together once. They had both found in the other person precisely what they wanted: shared interests, intelligence, friendliness, wealth, and beauty. Outside of school he was her lover and her mentor; making her feel so many marvellous, pure, exceptional and virtuous emotions that she would immediately pour into her play. They appeared to belong to each other like the sun and the moon. The perfection of it all stung heavier than the remaining doubt and secrecy of this person that she knew so well and yet not at all. All of Seunggi’s character remained a glass house: admirable, beautiful and serene, yet fragile and superficial. However she had always felt so very safe with him. Especially the past few weeks she had felt so foggy and disoriented. For the first time in her life faith had not been there to save her. She could not deal with her feelings for Yuri. It was too much. There were too many questions, complications. Yet the feelings were so very strong she could not ignore them, not here. Not when she had to walk down the same halls as Yuri had once, not when she had to go into the same cafeteria where they had once met, not when she had to walk the same streets as they had. But oh, to feel so welcome and worthy when being with one person: was that not what love was supposed to be about? During all of these thoughts, Seunggi had continued talking.

‘’Finally I would like to stress this: another offer as this one will most certainly not be made to you. Families such as ours are not easy to find for those who do not belong in it. I feel that you do belong in one.’’ He was kneeling down now, her hair with one hand and holding her hand with the other.

‘’That’s why I want to ask you to join me as my fiancé.’’

‘’The end?’’ Yoona joked. Seunggi laughed at that and gave her a quick kiss.

‘’The end. I think we should join my parents now, I suppose you’ll have to think all of this through.’’

He kissed her once more, longer this time, and stood up to walk to the door. Yoona stopped him.

‘’Wait,’’ she gasped, ‘’I… I know. I know what my answer is.’’

Seunggi turned around, slowly. She could see his hands were balled up in fists. He was nervous, anxiously awaiting her response. felt dry and she was dizzy. This was definite. The rest of her life would be depended on this word. She told herself she felt sure. She didn’t know if she truly was. The blood in her veins seemed to flow so much faster than usual, her heartbeat quickening with every second. The silence appeared to last a couple of hours. She saw Seunggi’s eyes look back at her. He seemed so vulnerable, so fearful, so terrified of that one word. It was as if all the love he held for her she could feel radiated off of him. She opened to speak.