Chapter 5: A Bit of Fun

Winter

YunHee didn’t seem inclined to talk much on the drive over to the theater, but SeHun went on and on in a ridiculous manner about me and MinHo that I told him I wouldn’t listen to his nonsense and began to hum songs from the play to myself. But I heard every word and resolved to pay him back for his impertinence.

I’ll show him what he’s lost.

After my first summer in Seoul, I went back several times for short visits. Of course as I grew and began to focus more on my piano rehearsal SeHun and I stopped playing together. We’d still see each other though, and every time my heart would begin to beat to the rhythm of a hummingbird’s wings and my palms became sweaty.

When I was about 16, I decided to profess my love again. At the time I thought, Surely now that he’s older and girls don’t have cooties anymore he’ll like me.

I was so sure of myself that I decided to confess in a grand way. I picked the most romantic piece I could find and began practicing endlessly so when I went back to Seoul for my next competition I’d know the piece perfectly.

The day of the competition came. I wore the prettiest dress I owned and took extra care that my whole appearance came together flawlessly. YunHee was performing, so I knew SeHun would be in the audience with the rest of the family. My palms were sweaty, my heart racing, as I took a deep breath to calm myself.

Today’s the day you confess HyeYeong. Just breathe and everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. I rotated my neck and stretched out my back as I continued my pep talk. You’re going to walk out on stage, bow to the judges and the  audience, then sit and play your heart out. When you finish, stand and after bowing, announce that that piece was dedicated to Oh SeHun. It’s not perfect, but it will have to do. You got this! Fighting HyeYeong! Fighting! 

My stomach filled with butterflies as I peeped around the curtain at the auditorium. There were no familiar faces until my eyes fell on the fifth row from the front. There sat Mr. and Mrs. Lee, next to them were Mr. and Mrs. Oh with little SooMin playing on her mother’s lap and halmeoni. The sweet old woman waved at me and I waved back. My nervousness level subsided slighty with her reassuring smile.

My eyes continued to scan the row. Beside his grandmother sat SeHun. I beamed and raised my hand to wave at him, but he didn’t wave back. That’s when I saw why. Sitting with him was none other than EunMi, the girl he’d been tutoring in math for more than a year now. She giggled and smiled as he spoke to her. By chance she glanced up at the stage and made eye contact with me. Her eyes turned to cold and piercing as she smiled wickedly and turned to SeHun to run her hand through his hair, as if to claim him for her own.

I darted back behind the curtain as tears pooled. I was so distracted by my emotions that I can’t remember any details about the rest of the competition. I was that disappointed.

I’ll show him what he’s lost, I again determined.

Our VIP tickets were five rows from the stage in the orchestra section. We had hardly sat down when two familiar faces sat behind us. It was MinHo and his friend Kim KiBum, who everyone called Key.

“You brat!” I whispered to SeHun as I turned away from greeting our neighbors. “You did that on purpose!”

“I swear I did not! It’s the law of attraction! Don’t you see? The universe has destined you for each other!”

“Well if YunHee likes it then I don’t care.”

“She looks content enough,” SeHun said as he nodded in YunHee’s direction so I’d look at her.

She certainly did look like she was enjoying herself. She was gaily talking and laughing with Key. With my head still facing YunHee and Key, my eyes darted a glance over at MinHo. He seemed to be surveying me with interested curiosity.  

He must be wondering how I went from a larva to a butterfly!

“Hey HyeYeong. It’s been a while,” Key said with a smile. “Nice dress.”

“Thanks.”

It all seemed so strange that something as simple clothing could change people’s outlook on me. SeHun’s sudden attention back at the apartment (even if it was teasing), MinHo’s interest in looking at me, and Key’s admiration for my dress made me feel exalted from humble music teacher to a young lady of the same social standing as YunHee. Normally, I scoffed at that sort of thing, but tonight I accepted their attentions without any reservations. It felt nice to be desired and considered attractive by men.

The music, the costumes, the lights, and the company excited me and made me more extroverted than I ever thought I could be. I didn’t mean to flirt, but somehow it happened. And once I started, it was hard to stop with SeHun goading me on and MinHo looking at me as with new interest.

My version of flirting was very mild compared to what YunHee and company considered fashionable, but I thought I did pretty well for a beginner. It almost felt like I had discovered a new talent within me, a gift, and I was learning how to use it. It was dangerous, I knew that, but that was also the charm of flirting.

SeHun leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Don’t close your eyes HyeYeong. They’re so bright and full of mischief tonight that I want to see them.”

“Shh!” I whispered back. “I’ll have you know the music and the singing tell the story so much better than the acting, so half the time I don’t even look at the stage. I just close my eyes and feel the music.”

I also hoped that by closing my eyes he wouldn’t see the tears forming in them. I felt silly for getting teary-eyed, but I was just so overwhelmingly happy in that moment that I couldn’t help it.

“Nah! The acting is better,” SeHun continued despite the disapproving look glared at him by the woman in front of us. “I mean the music is great and all, but it’s just so dumb for people to be going around expressing their feelings through song and dance. I can’t get used to it.”

“That’s because you’re more full of practicality and logic than romance and emotion. Me, however, I don’t mind the absurdity of it all,” I replied as the curtain fell on the first act.

“I do like what’s-his-name? the main movie star guy? anyway, he caught on right away! Even though that girl acted like she didn’t like him, he saw right through her. Now that is an accurate portrayal of us guys! We’re not as dense as you girls make us out to be.”

A curious smile crossed my face as I replied, “I think your is dense most of the time, but it doesn’t help that we women are taught to wear masks, so I guess we can take some of the blame.”

“I disagree. Hardly anyone wears a mask these days! For example, look at all the SNS we all use everyday! People share everything about themselves! And reading some of those TMI posts makes me wish people would go back to wearing masks and keeping things private.”

“I hope not, but I guess it’s more prevalent than people think.”

“And what can you know about dense guys and broken hearts and the angst of love HyeYeong?” asked MinHo, smiling at me.

“Nothing much now, but my time will come.”

“I can’t picture you moping around like a love-sick puppy,” said SeHun.

“Neither can I, to be honest. It’s not my way of dealing with things.”

“No, HyeYeong’s pink cheeks would lose their bloom under the weight of concealing her sorrow with the happy smile she’d wear.”

I shot MinHo an indignant look. He had said that in such a satirical way and that bothered me. I hated being thought sentimental.

“That’s not it either,” I said decidedly. “I’d just live until I outgrew it, or if I couldn’t do that, I’d try to better because of it. Disappointment in love doesn’t mean the woman needs to become a fool.”

“Or an old maid for that matter, if she’s smart and pretty. Remember that HyeYeong. And don’t let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch of us,” said SeHun, laughing at my earnestness.

“I don’t think there’s the slightest chance HyeYeong becoming either a fool or an old maid,” added MinHo with a look that made me blush.

Luckily the house lights began to dim as the curtain rose on the second act. The music enveloped the room and I was once again swept up in the magic of the theater. However, I couldn’t shake the tingly feeling of a couple pair of eyes focused on me and not the performance.

I wonder what he’s thinking about that he’s leaning over so often to speak to me, I thought as the younger male would whisper snide comments about the performance. Then there was MinHo. I don’t understand his expression, but for some reason I like it.

After the final bows and the drop of the curtain, the five us of exited the theater and stood in the lobby.

With a p