There was a momentary pause in time as Marie’s eyes scanned the entirety of the airport’s arrivals area. She was dressed in a simple get up – rolled up boyfriend jeans, plain white shirt, and a beanie that kept her shoulder-length hair intact. It had been a while since she was back in Seoul. The last time she was there, she remembered, was 8 years ago when her father took their whole family on a vacation before breaking the good/bad news of him having to move thousands of miles away to teach literature in one of the country’s top universities. This of course lead to her little sister being sent back to Seoul two years later for her own studies leaving Marie and her mom in LA. And now, it was her turn to try studying in a country completely new to her.

Seeing no signs of her father or her sister, she made her way towards the airport’s exit, dragging along her weighty luggage. And just as she suspected, there they were, leaning against their father’s car, waving at her with wide smiles mirroring her own.

“Eonnie! You’re finally here! I can’t believe it.” Annaleigh, her sister said as she pounced on Marie, enveloping her in a tight hug, “I missed you! This is going to be great! How are you? Ohmygod! I have to show you around before your first term starts. We have to visit all the entertainment buildings, and Namsan, and Cheongdam-dong, and-“ Annaleigh continued her ramblings before Marie cut her off.

“I missed you too, A. But since when have you called me eonnie? The last time I recall, we’re part Chinese, not Korean.” She chuckled, earning an annoyed groan from the chirpy Annaleigh.

“She’s been hanging out with her friends too much. Always tuned into those Korean boy bands.” Her father finally spoke up. “How are you, sweetheart? How was the flight?” He said, kissing the top of her head.

“I’m great, dad. But I can’t say the same thing about the flight.” She smiled.

“Well, you must be tired. Let’s get your stuff loaded so we can leave.”

As Marie’s luggage finally found their way in the trunk, Marie and her sister hopped into the back of their father’s car, putting on their seatbelts snuggly as their father slid into the driver’s seat.

“Sweetheart,” he turned towards Marie who nodded in response, “I know you’re awfully tired but I need to stop by the university a bit. It’s sort of important. Is it alright with you?”

“Sure thing, dad. It’s fine. I’d like to see a bit of the university too while we’re at it.”

The drive from the airport to the university wasn’t that long. They had made it in under an hour, including the quick stop at a restaurant to grab some food to eat for the hungry sisters. It had been too long since they were reunited. Most of the time, it was always Annaleigh and their father who travelled back and forth to see Marie and their mom; for the holidays, mostly or things like graduation or big birthdays. So it was a new experience to be here in Seoul herself.

As Prof. Reynolds headed towards his office, Marie decided to do a little exploration with her sister as her personal tour guide. Having grown up around their father, Annaleigh knew the place like her own house since the professor always took her with him to work when she was younger.

They went from building to building, Annaleigh explaining in detail little facts about the university every now and then. She was too caught up in her tourist guide role that she didn’t even notice how Marie was no longer trailing behind her.

Marie on the other hand found herself in the hallway of the music department’s practice rooms. She has always had this fascination for music but never really satisfied her fancies by engaging in anything musical, except maybe for the piano lessons that her mother signed her up for as a kid, and the drama club incident a few years back. She giggled at the thought, entertained by her attempts at doing musicals.

She peeked through one of the rooms and saw an old piano nuzzled in the corner. No one was in there. She felt her hands grasping the cold steel doorknob, turning it open. She heard a faint click and knew that the door was unlocked. She squeezed her way in, making as little noise as possible, glancing over her shoulder and making sure that no one saw her. Marie made her way to the piano, sitting comfortably on the wooden stool before gliding her hands over the ivory keys and taking a feel of the instrument.

She remembered a song her sister had her listen to. She remembered how she liked the feel of the song and how she tried to play it on the piano. It had become one of the very few songs her sister introduced to her that she admitted to be… well…really good; great even. She was never a fan of K-pop to her sister’s dismay but there was always a song or two that they agreed on, and this was one of it.

She started to recall the songs melody and the chords she used to play it. She placed her small hands over the ivory keys before letting the music overtake her. After a few bars, she found herself singing the lyrics.