Her fingers stumbled over each other once again.

 

“Again.” Her professors demanded. “But slower this time.”

 

Sighing, she placed her right hand back on the keys, playing every note slowly.

 

“Now faster.”

 

Her fingers tripped again. She ran her fingers through her hair with frustration.

 

Best music student and I can’t even get this passage after an hour. Are you kidding me?

 

“Slowly, again.”

 

Reluctantly, she put her hands back on the keys for what seemed like the millionth time. She went slowly.

 

“Fast.”

 

Of course, her fingers tripped again once she reached the middle, the part where her index finger had to cross over her thumb.

 

“I can’t do this.” She said, looking over helplessly at her professor.

 

“Sure you can, you just have to keep playing it.”

 

“I’ve been playing this for an hour, Prof…” She shook her head. “I still have to work on three more pieces. I have already prepared two other ones, it’s just that I need one from the romantic era.”

 

“Honestly, I think I’ll just need you to keep working on Rachmaninoff right now. You’ve memorized your Prelude and Fugue?”

 

She nodded.

 

“I’ll hear that tomorrow. It’s Rachmaninoff that we have to worry about right now.”

 

“Okay.”

 

He glanced at his watch. “I’ll let you go early today, I think you’re tired from practicing anyway.”

 

She smiled weakly. “Thanks.” Packing up her bag, she got up and left the music room, leaving her frustration behind.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Blah blah, American laws and whatnot. Blah, blah, blah. Who cares?

 

Hea Jung was studying now, and she couldn’t wrap her mind around the answers. Her audition was in two days and even now, she was trembling with either fear or excitement, she didn’t know. She had already told her mother that she had to pull an extra shift to cover for Tamora that day.

 

Everything was all set and planned. But why was she so scared?

 

Maybe because your mom still thinks you’re going to Cali. You think you’re really still going to Korea if you go to Juilliard?

 

Okay, hold on, Hea Jung. You don’t even know if you’re going to get accepted yet. If you don’t, you’ll be going to Cali. And besides, you’ll get to go to Korea if you don’t get accepted so it won’t be that devastating if you don’t get accepted.

 

But don’t you want to do music? It’s your goal. It’s your dream. It’s your LIFE.

 

Yeah, but I want to see Myungsoo.

 

Are you serious? It’s just a celebrity crush. Get over yourself, Hea.

 

But it’s Myungsoo.

 

What about Juilliard? You know you’ll never really be happy if you spent the rest of your days doing the stuff you’re having SO MUCH FUN studying right now. Won’t you miss the keyboard and the way your fingers dance and fly? Won’t you miss the way that you get lost in the music, the way you feel when you perform for others? Won’t you miss your burning passion that could motivate your hour upon hours of practicing? Won’t you miss your life?

 

….Myungsoo.

 

God, Hea.

 

I loathe you.

 

Me too.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Audition day.

 

Hea Jung nervously took the subway. Jae was sitting next to her. He had offered a ride, but she declined, needing time on the subway to calm herself.

 

Hearing the loud sound of the subway always calmed her in a strange sort of way. She could sit for hours, just listening to the way the subway would halt to a stop, occasionally accompanied by the screeching of wheels.

 

As she sat with her eyes closed right now, Jae watched her silently in the seat next to her. He enjoyed these moments of being alone with her, especially those when she closed her eyes and he could watch her without being pegged as “creepy.”

 

She was pretty. She wasn’t outstandingly pretty, but she was the simple sort of pretty. She wasn’t the type of girl that turned heads, but she had that air about her that just seemed to draw you in. She was like air.

 

Without her, Jae didn’t even know how to function. He barely remembered what life was before her. He needed her to breathe. Having her there was a simple as living. Either you are or you’re not.

 

Her fingers were on her lap, dancing.

 

They were long and slim, with the graceful arch and form of a pianist’s hands. Even without a keyboard, they were beautiful as they did their work; her talent was mesmerizing to watch.

 

Her eyes flew open and Jae hastily looked away.

 

“I forgot.” She said simply, her eyes wide.

 

“Forgot…” Jae gently laid his hand on her arm with concern.

 

Even now, she was still beautiful.

 

He swallowed, watching her wide eyes that were filled with fear. “Hea?”

 

“I forgot the second movement.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

*GASPGASP* subuhscreibuh. <3

 

~keyz_locket