ARC ONE

volante
Origin: Italian
Moving with light rapidity; flying

DISCLAIMER: The personalities and opinions of these characters do not represent those of actual idols themselves, the Juilliard students, the New York Philharmonic, or any of its employees. The Juilliard School is not responsible for the accuracy of information.

A/N: This chapter is my longest so far (12,889 words!). Perfect for beginning the Paris portion of this story. What are you waiting for? Allons-y!

The Seventy-Eighth Measure

Sunday: December 20, 2020

The morning sky was considerably welcoming as there was no heavy snowfall descending from the clouds, perfect for avoiding casualties during a flight. It was around nine-o'clock in the morning when Juilliard’s school buses made its way to the terminal entrance of the JFK International Airport. Those who carried lightweight instruments (Momo and her violin, Jihyo and her viola, etc.) rushed to the front door as those with heavier instruments (me and my bassoon, Tzuyu and her cello, Dahyun and her double bass, etc.) lagged behind since we had to retrieve our possessions from the back of the bus. Some chose to drive or use public transportation to arrive at the designated area beforehand, saving us some time.

The entire Juilliard Orchestra and Pops Orchestra troupe stood in front of the airport's terminal entrance on such a windy day, Maestro Gilbert and Maestro Ishii taking role before setting us off to go through security check and dropping off our luggage at the check-in booth. Members of the both ensembles were keeping a good distance from each other, stone-cold Juilliard Orchestra Concertmaster Kai shuffling his feet against the stone-cold concrete as he watches the Pops Orchestra’s designated president, Yoo Jeongyeon, pecking kisses on an enthusiastic Momo’s cheeks.

The Pops Orchestra members were surprisingly upbeat at the crack of dawn; they gave no room for emotional baggage from the agitated Juilliard Orchestra members, who had to stay behind and wait for Yugyeom and JB, second violinist and trumpeter respectively. On the other hand, Sana was so thrilled about traveling to a different country, that she couldn't keep still during the entire period of the role-taking process. The blonde girl clutched my hand so tight in excitement, that I was almost certain that her long nails would pierce through my skin.

"Where is Eunha?" Maestro Ishii questioned as she scans the row of musicians for the missing Pops Orchestra Assistant Concertmistress.

"She's parking my car", her charming boyfriend steps in with a flourish. Jackson Wang, a sturdy violinist at the ripe age of twenty-two and the Pops Orchestra’s Concertmaster, was trotting through the Juilliard crowd as a flock of female musicians swooned at his handsome features.

"You made your girlfriend park your car?" Im Nayeon asks incredulously, exchanging a narrow glance with her lover, Park Jihyo.

"Hey! She insisted so that we wouldn't be late!" The embarrassed man defended, his cheeks flushed with a bright hue of red as the principal clarinetist and the principal violist gave him intimidating glares, "Besides, I'm not good at driving so I didn't want to risk getting a parking ticket."

The two skeptical girls rolled their eyes in disbelief as everyone in the Pops Orchestra let out a hearty chuckle at Eunha's insecure boyfriend. A few minutes later, Eunha had arrived just in time before we had been let off to manage ourselves in the complexity of the airport. I had no problem lugging around my awkward, bulky bassoon case and suitcase to TSA (Transportation Security Administration); it’s something I’ve been used to since I started playing the bassoon when I was ten. However, because Dahyun had fallen asleep on the bus and had to be transported via luggage cart, Jihyo had been assigned with the unfortunate task carrying her unwieldy, thirty-pound double bass case to check-in.

After security check, Momo and Jeongyeon scurried to the airport's convenience store to grab themselves a last bite of American food before heading back to the terminal gate with the the rest of us, waiting for our awaited plane to arrive at the gate.

"Let's fly to the sky, everyone! Paris awaits!" The scenic timpani-second violin couple chants out their battlecry, linking their blissful arms together. 

"Jeongyeon and Momo are such a cute couple, aren't they? I like cute couples”, Sana whispers to me from behind, fully attentive as she watches our airplane make its way towards the terminal gate with the enchanted sunrise illuminating as a backdrop. Cute couples, huh?

Everywhere I turn, there's always a couple doing "couple-like" things. Nayeon and Jihyo spoke to each other in honeyed words while cuddling under a shared Pokémon blanket. Tzuyu and Dahyun fell asleep, using each other's bodies as furniture. SinB and Yerin were adorable playing footsies with their fuzzy socks, sitting across from each other on the airport gate seats. Momo and Jeongyeon were singing random songs to each other to past time, occasionally grasping each other's arms and accentuating one lyric dramatically.

Watching couples exist like this, in their own globules where they can play with each other and comfort each other during life's catastrophes, has me wondering if I've been missing out on something during my entire existence. I did not forget about what had happened last night with Sana and I, nor did I forget about what I did with Chaeyoung at Dahyun and Tzuyu's apartment. I've begun to question my own uality as well. Who am I?

It to be single, especially in a microcosm where everybody has somebody. I wonder if Sana and Chaeyoung are having the same thoughts as I am. But then again, Chaeyoung broke up with Dahyun during their freshman year of college. Chaeyoung is also trying to figure out who she is and thus, she's probably not interested in dating until she learns what she wants to do with her life. Why is my thought process so complicated?  

"Mina", Sana tugs my arm, "It's time to board our plane."

The blonde girl took me by surprise, "Oh!"  

I walked over to the terminal windows to take once last glance at the glistening skyline of New York City, each building acting as if it were a beacon in the darkness. I watched as the cars waited in masses, relentlessly honking their car horns in an attempt to resolve traffic issues. I placed my small hands on the smooth glass, which felt like ice at its first touch, deeply exhaling as my chilly breath stayed imprinted on the window panes. 

"Mina, you need to take break. You need to take care of yourself."

"Mina, please. I swear to god, just take care of yourself and go back to your room. I'll think of you in spirit."

"Take care of yourself, love yourself for Christ's sake."

"You need to do what makes you happy; you need to take care of yourself."

I slapped my cheeks with my hands, "Snap out of it, Mina! Focus on you, not other people."

The Seventy-Ninth Measure

[Nine Hours Left]

"Three! Two! One! BLAST OFF!" SinB and Yerin synchronously chanted as they received a well-deserved 'shush' from the other airplane passengers.

I sat in the four-seated centric aisle with Sana, Chaeyoung, and Eunha (Who was aggravated at Jackson’s lazy for making her park his car). It's been a long time since I last rode in an airplane and to be honest, I never truly enjoyed long flights. In fact, I was unfortunate enough to be stuck on this airplane for approximately nine hours before we land in Paris.

Oh boy.

It’s already bad enough that all of the hearing in my right ear was gone, but when you have a cacophony of noise reverberating from all corners of the airplane, you’re bound for eight hours of hell. My left ear experiences short bouts of tinnitus before ultimately fizzling down like a balloon.

To make matters worse, our aisle was sandwiched in between an aisle where two men were fighting in rapid fire French and another aisle where two annoying children started crying over a lost toy. I couldn't focus on sleeping because I was surrounded by bickering mortals. I tried to slip my headphones over my ears and turn on some classical music, but it was no use, as their endless jeering tore through her device.

“Allez-vous être silencieux, s'il vous plaît?” a French stewardess tells the arguing men to be silent, much to my relief. Then the children calm down after a motherly Jihyo gives them her to-go Thomas the Train Tank plushie.

[Eight Hours Left]

However, it still didn't put an end to my flight torture. One-third through the duration of the flight, I started to feel nauseous from the lack of air pressure in the airplane. In an attempt to relieve my lightheadedness, I headed to the portable bathroom located in the back of the airplane to vomit, only to be greeted by a 40-year old man who decided to drop a bomb in the toilet.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

Not wanting to suffocate from the wretched smell in the tiny uni bathroom, I turned around and headed back to her seat, where Chaeyoung was dozing off while Sana and Eunha seemed ot be watching a movie on the little portable screen implemented to the back of the other person's chair. Kim Dahyun — sitting in the aisle on the other side of the walkway with Tzuyu, Momo, and Jeongyeon — was chuckling exhilaratingly and deeming me a “neat freak” for the repulse. I flipped her off but the double bassist just grinned at me.

I gave in and situated myself in between Sana and Eunha, trying to sleep.

[Seven Hours Left]

"EEEK!" Both girls screeched as they plucked out their complementary headsets from their ears.

"What the hell are you two watching?" I asked, looking at them askew.

"Eunha wanted to watch Les Diaboliques since she has an odd carving for horror films", Sana explains, "It means The Devils in English."

I gave the violinist an amazed expression, "You enjoy like this?"

"Not particularly", Eunha said, fixating her gaze on my tremendous look, "Since the movie is dubbed in French, I can't understand anything they're saying, but it's just amusing to listen to them talk. Also, horror films have hilariously stupid characters. Do you want an earphone?"

"No thanks. I'm good", I refused, the assistant concertmistress sporting a pout towards the hesitant girl.

"Mina can't handle horror", Sana persists to tease me.

Eunha was surprised, "Really? I didn't expect—"

"Shut up, Sana! I don't give a crap about scary films", I snagged Eunha's earphones and plugged in the jack to the receiver. 

[Six Hours Left]

Three-fourths through the film, I found that my fingers had gravitated towards Sana's warm hand, gripping it tightly. The overhead lights in begin to dim as the airplane prepares to cross into a different time zone. Eunha had somehow conked out halfway. The movie is reaching its and frail-hearted heroine Christina is starting to hear eerie noises. I'm only wearing one earphone (left ear) yet I could perceive each and every sound emitted by the villian, from the heavy footsteps pounding on the squeaky wooden floor below. The fear sits on me like a pillow over my mouth. Adrenaline is stimulating my nervous system, making my heart beat faster, diverting blood to my muscles and away from my gut.

"Mina", Sana's face looked pale, "You're squeezing my hand too tight."

I was freaking out, "I-I-I-Is there a jump scare?"
,
"I don't know. I've never watched this movie befo—"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

There goes that jump scare, where Christina's supposedly "dead" husband jolts up from the tub he was drowned in. Tears began to well up in my eyes and I buried my head in Sana's chest. In return Sana was in shock, slowly rubbing my head in an attempt to calm me down. Goddammit, Mina. Stop acting so tough. Eunha woke up from her power nap and laughed at what she called "an adorable display" between me and Sana. Chaeyoung is still asleep, of course. I mean, she's deaf so there's no possible way to wake her up unless the airplane undergoes heavy tumult. 

Then Dahyun removed her ridiculous-looking eyemask and glared at me, "Jesus, Mina!"

"I told you that you couldn't handle horror films", Sana chides, still patting my head. I hate it when Sana is right.

Dahyun couldn't go back to sleep anymore, so she used the time to whip up a conversation, "Is it true that you two kissed at The Ball?"

"What the f—" I stared at the double bassist, "Who told you?"

Tzuyu abruptly opened her eyes after a long siesta, "We saw you two, but we just didn't say anything because we didn't want to ruin the moment. The balcony that you two were dancing on was located adjacent to the restroom where I regurgitated a foul-tasting baklava."

"First you kissed Chaeyoung, then you kissed Sana?" Nayeon inquires, jealousy stained on her face, "Why are you attracting more girls than me?"

"Nayeon, this isn't what it sounds li—"

Momo yelps, "Mina, you player!"

"HEY!" I threatened to slap the violinist with the airplane's safety pamplet, but she's sitting near the window so I can't reach her.

"Mina and I are absolutely not dating. And besides, if Mina's parents catch her dating somebody of the same as her then she's going to be denounced", Sana clears up coolly, removing her hand from my grasp and throwing her pillow behind her head as she tries to sleep.

"Sure", Dahyun drawls out her words, fiddling with her eyemask, "You can't just kiss someone and say that you're not dating them."

The timpanist shoots teasing eyes at the shorter girl, "But you kiss your double bass goodnight. Does that mean that you're dating your double bass?"

"Jeongyeon, shut up!" Dahyun shouted, abashed.

"Are you cheating on me, Dubu?" Tzuyu jokingly puts on a sad face.

Dahyun's face was flushed with a hue of beet red, "STOP!"

[Five Hours Left]

For once in my life, Jeongyeon had removed me from being engaged in a disconcerting topic instead of putting me on the spotlight and embarrassing the crap out of me. Instead, she put herself in the middle of a bickering circle with Dahyun, Tzuyu, and somehow a wide-awake Eunha, who could absorb the yak of any juicy gossip. I exhaled some air and averted my eyes to the time counter on the screen in front of me: Five more hours. By the time our plane would land in Paris, it would be past midnight on a Tuesday. I didn't get much sleep at all throughout this eight-hour flight, so I felt reassured that I would get some more sleep at the hotel; I could comfortably adjust to the different time zone. 

I found it amazing how long Chaeyoung could sleep through prevalent distractions like Eunha getting up from her seat and stepping over her to use the bathroom, or when the plane would hit turbulence and everyone in the cabin would begin rocking back and forth. I could recall her complacently settling into her chair and knocking out, especially right before the flight attendant could even demonstrate to passengers how to wear a life jacket in the event where we get tangled up in a storm and crash into the ocean. The startling innocence showed on Chaeyoung's sleeping face, the peaceful and serene dreams blocking out the dangers of the cruel reality. Her soft breathing made the world seem to stand still.

"Chaeyoung is so cute when she sleeps", Sana whispered over to me.

"You're right. I wish I could sleep that peacefully", I say. I wonder how Chaeyoung would react had I complimented her that way.

“By the way, I’m Chaeyoung. Son Chaeyoung. I’ve become a big fan of you.”

"Hey Sana", I called.

The blonde girl removed her headset, "Huh?"

"Why does, or more accurately did, Chaeyoung look up to me before?" I questioned out of curiosity, "What did I do to make her a fan of mine?"

Sana sat up in her chair and jovially explained, head up in the clouds as if she were peering with nostalgia, "When Chaeyoung wasn't completely deaf back then, she told me this: in the first few competitions with you, she saw you as cocky and indignant. But then you played some kind of piece — can't remember the name — that made Chaeyoung like you, or at least your playing style. Becoming a fan is not an instant reaction, it usually comes from various exposures of the experience of liking something. So the more she heard you perform, the more she became absorbed. And then she learned about your sincerity, like how you defended her when Reina and the others began picking on her. She was stumped."

"That's it?"

"It's kind of like when a girl becomes attracted to a K-pop idol who also happens to be a remarkable main vocalist that can connect with their fans", Jihyo adds as she takes the unoccupied seat of Eunha, who flocked to Jackson Wang to reconcile with him.

Sana cleared and continued, "The peak of her fangirling came when you were older and you became better at expressing yourself through your music. Like for example,  The Black Swan written by Seo Joohyun. I think that we can all agree that The Black Swan was one of your most sensational performances. You performed that piece when Chaeyoung had lost ninety-percent of her hearing and felt that she had no hope because she thought that she could never play an instrument again. Normally, you give out crystal-clear performances that highlight your attention to detail. But when you express your feelings the same way that you did in The Black Swan, it reminded us that you're also a human being with your own struggles. As imperfect people, it gives us hope that we can all overcome obstacles and strive for success for doing what we love. Chaeyoung learned how experience hearing music in a way that helped her to continue to make music when her physical hearing failed." 

"Chaeyoung, Sana, and I watched your BBC Proms performance on TV. The song was about pain and you showed your true emotions on that day. It left the three of us floored. Chaeng especially, as she couldn't shake off the experience", Jihyo expressed with a heartfelt look on her face.

"Whenever I perform, I think of you in The Black Swan. Chaeyoung does too", Sana giggled, "Believe it or not, I'm still playing music because of you."

"Me too", Jihyo concurred.

"Me too", Eunha and Yerin joined in.

"Me too", Nayeon, Dahyun, Jeongyeon, Momo, and Tzuyu sang in unison.

"Me too!" Umji, Yuju, and Sowon shouted from the rear end of the cabin.

"You gave all of us hope, Mina", SinB, who was sitting in the aisle behind us, smiled at me.

I flinched upon the hearing of their homage, fighting not to run and hide from the seemingly generous girls. Other than the acclaim I have received from critics and professors, I still wasn’t used to being praised for my music by my friends, especially by those who are around my age. These were positive reinforcements that I would never hear from my parents nor The Six, except perhaps Shuuka Fujii on occassion. Puffing out small spurts of air, I couldn't help but let my anxiety do the bidding as I erupted into a cornucopia of tears that streamed down my face.

"Y-You guys... what the hell?" my voice came out throaty as I tried not to choke on my tears, "S-Stop it."

"Oh no!" Sana was alarmed, "Mina is crying! What should we do?"

"Hey, No Jams. I think now is the time to bring out the hug attack", Jihyo grinned at the timpanist.

I wipe away the tears with my sleeve, "The what?"

"EVERYONE, LATCH ON TO MINA!" Jeongyeon announces at the top of her lungs.

"WAIT—"

The 'hug attack' was a mess. All at once, thirteen girls had given up on respecting personal space and clung onto whatever part of my body they could see with the eye. The sensation of having them clinch every ounce of your skin was like being invaded by an octopus or being constricted by a snake. It started with girls embracing my arms around my upper body (Jihyo and Sana), then my torso (Tzuyu), then my legs (Eunha and Dahyun), then my arms (SinB and Yerin), and lastly, my head (Sowon). Those who could not reach me had to push and climb over each other.

"It's so cramped down here!" Tzuyu cried out.

"Chewy, move your fat ! I can't reach Mina!" Momo smacked the cellist's bottom.

"Yah! You've touched Mina for long enough! It's my turn!" Yuju was yanking Eunha's arm.

I can't breathe and I'm sweating from all the body heat that's emanating off my friends. But I can't help but just bask in the feeling of having a bunch of dorks, who are simultaneously morale boosters, radiate their love. The excessive hugging lasts until the plane hits turbulence and the flight attendants demanded that my friends shut up and return to their seats.

[Four Hours Left]

Everyone is asleep. It looks almost as if a mythical spell had washed over the passengers and rendered them drowsy and lethargic. I was relieved; I could finally wear my earplugs now that I don't have the obligation to talk to anybody.

Without notice, a slight whimper caught my left ear accompanied with the sound of body friction against the seat cushions. I jerked my heads at the small figure who had her eyelids half-open, the exploding stream of the cabin’s lights piercing her irritated eyes as she props her arm over her exposed face. Whenever Chaeyoung would awakened, she would pose an expressionless face before letting out a moan at the sun’s devilish light. But for a change, as she tiredly rubbed her eyes in an attempt to adjust herself, she beamed a a pleasant smile when we came into eye contact.

"Good morning", Chaeyoung gesticulated.

"More like good night", I chortled and the percussionist had to smile at that, "Four more hours into our flight. We're still over the Atlantic Ocean."

She lilted her head, "You look like you're in a good mood."

"Hey, Chaeng", I began, "Is it true that my music had a big impact on you?"

The shorter girl's expression switched to astonishment, "Who told you that?"

"Sana did", I revealed.

Chaeyoung sighed, leaning back and resting her feet on the back of someone else's chair, "Yes, it's true. I just didn't want to tell you in fear of instilling a 'crazy-fangirl-type' of first impression on you. I hope you still don't think that I'm weird for saying that."

"I don't think that's weird."

She felt relieved, "Oh, thank goodness."

Seeing that we had a few more hours until arrival, Chaeyoung came up with this plan that we would sleep for the remaining four hours of the flight so that when we landed in Paris at around 1:00 a.m., we’d be wide awake and ready to unload our luggage and our instruments before passing out at the hotel. After our conversation, Chaeyoung signaled me to ingest the sleeping pill. The percussionist zonked out within seconds. For me, the sleeping pills didn't come into effect as fast as it did to Chaeyoung. I studied the winter festival pieces for about an hour, practicing my on my pillow as if it were my actual instrument. Then I finally fell into a deep slumber.

The Eightieth Measure

Tuesday: December 22, 2020

"THIS IS A HOTEL?" Sana's eyes gawked at the colossal building that simulated more of royalty rather than casualty.

"Ohohoho! Just wait until you get inside!", Maestro Ishii’s eyes lit up at the amazed horn player's reaction.

"Inside?"

Members of The Juilliard Orchestra, The Juilliard Pops Orchestra, The New York Philharmonic, and The Berlin Philharmonic were arranged to stay at the Plaza Athénée, a five-star historic luxury hotel located in front of the iconic Eiffel Tower and the famous street of Champs-Élysées — a byway notable for its numerous cinemas, cafes, luxury specialty shops, and the implementation of the Place de la Concorde and the eminent structure of the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile. Everyone was placed into rooms of four people of the same gender (Those who identify otherwise were allowed to make preparations with the festival committee). Maestro Gilbert and Maestro Ishii gave each person a chart listed specifying lodging assignments. Three days before we left for Paris, everyone had to fill out a form that consisted of a ranking specifying whom we each wanted as our roommates, whether or not we chose people from the same orchestra.

All I know for sure is that Momo, Jeongyeon, Tzuyu, and Dahyun are situated in the room across from us and that Nayeon, Jihyo, Eunha, and Sowon are situated in the room next to us. Reina, Yuzuna, Shuuka, and Karen had a room on a different floor, which eased in my mind to say the least. As for my parents, I’m not so sure about where they are and it slightly worries me that they could just pop up at any given second without warning.

With both Juilliard Orchestra and Juilliard Pops Orchestra member rosters combined, there are an odd number of students. Therefore, it leaves the exception of a five-person bedroom consisting of me, Sana, Chaeyoung, Yerin, and SinB.

And indeed, Maestro Ishii wasn’t kidding about the interior.

Beyond the ornate staircase leading up to the decorative double doors, the hotel's internal furnishings highpoint the twentieth-century French sophistication with lavish marble floors, gigantic crystal chandeliers that seemed like white stars shining in the golden sky (Or rather the ceiling), and hand-carved sculptures proudly standing on granite podiums and ionic columns. In the lobby, a majestic stairway leads up to suites that are also irradiated by marvelous chandeliers dangling from the tremendous stucco ceilings.

"Oh my..." SinB covered with her hand in awe and splendor at the elegant interior of the ritzy hotel. 

Yerin turned at Maestro Ishii to ask her a question, "Are you sure that this isn’t scam?"

"Of course not!" she laughed at her bizarre observation, "The festival committee paid for our expenses. We’re residing here until after New Year's.”

"Man... they must be rich to afford rooms for all of us", Chaeyoung gestured to me as she placed her exhausted bum on one of the red velvety chairs. For the percussionist, whose family is of the working class, this would probably be her only chance to dwell in a hotel as extravagant as this.

Sana Minatozaki — sporting more mature clothes than she did on a daily basis — didn't really have a say for this bountiful, extravagant residence as she entered the lobby, feeling like she was replaying a hallucinatory scene from Cinderella. She waltzed around the hotel, forgoing herself in all its tangible beauty: from the captivating French paintings of their country's enrapturing scenery, to the gold Neoclassical Louis XVI Style Chairs and the enticing fountain in the centre. With the bonus of the hotel staff's fluent English, this hotel was nothing short of fit for a majesty.

“Your girlfriend is so cute when she's this excited”, Eunha banters at me.

My face felt hot, “Sana isn’t my girlfriend, goddammit!”

As we waited to get sent off to our rooms and the Juilliard Orchestra members grew more impatient and irritated, Maestro Ishii’s eyes skimmed over the roster sheet one more time before pinpointing that someone was missing, “Has anybody seen Dahyun and Tzuyu?”

Jeongyeon whips out her phone, “Tzuyu sent me a text saying that she and Dahyun had—”

Momo points with her finger, "Look! A walking double bass!"

“Beep! Beep! Coming through!” Dahyun sprints through a wave of musicians with her instrument case on her back, shoving people aside and knocking down smaller cases in her wake. From bystanders above, the comical girl looked like a walking double bass with legs, as her giant case obstructed the rest of her tiny body. Tzuyu, sensitively and skillfully handling her cello case, calmly walked behind her frenetic girlfriend.

“Where the hell were you two?” Jeongyeon sternly folds her arms.

Dahyun was panting, the incredible weight of her double bass bringing the shorter girl on her knees, “Some… Some jackass tried to kidnap my double bass! Tzuyu had to call the police and explain the entire situation in broken French.” 

I can heavily sympathesize with Dahyun right now. I would still have nightmares about my bassoon getting stolen just like that one time in the New York City metro. That's why I kept my case under my feet instead of inside the airplane's stowage area piled with other random luggage.

“Well, at least you and your instrument are safe”, Maestro Ishii declares, "Okay, I guess that's everybody. You may all go to your assigned rooms."

Yerin and SinB immediately plopped onto the refined, aristocratic canopy beds, disregarding that fact that they could’ve taken an adequate shower beforehand. To tell you the truth, I wasn't so much in the mood to stay up late because a throbbing headache remained as I waited for my luggage at the carousel.  I dropped off my belongings by my bedside and plopped onto the sheets, still in my winter coat and black leggings. I could care less about what Sana and Chaeyoung decided to do at this late hour. It doesn't take sound for those two to communicate using sign language.

The five of us woke up at twelve thirty in the Parisian afternoon.

Maestro Ishii announced that there would be no Pops Orchestra rehearsals. In her words, she wanted the Pops Orchestra members to use the afternoon to adjust to the new environment and take in the sights of the city of romance. SinB and Yerin took the liberty to go on a Parisian food tour as their date, showing off their sumptuous meals to the world through their Snapchat and Instagram posts. Momo would be envious.

Adversely, me and Sana and Chaeyoung weren't so lucky to have that privilege. Maestro Gilbert ordered the Juilliard Orchestra members to turn up to rehearsals at one o'clock sharp at the Palais Garnier, a 2000-seat opera house and one of the festival venues located in the ninth arrondissement of Paris. Taking breaks was a concept foreign to him and he has no choice but to crunch time, as he has to oversee NY Phil rehearsals tonight. With the day of our performance around the corner, The Juilliard Orchestra needs to kick in a couple more practice sessions before the Christmas Eve Ball sponsored by the festival committee as well as the French Government’s Ministry of Culture and Communication. 

Another ball. Yippee (Note the sarcasm).

After two hour's worth of practicing Ravel’s concerto with Seohyun and the first movement of Sibelius Five, Concertmaster Kai called for a ten-minute break in which Seohyun left to talk to a friend who was outside. Chaeyoung had her small, drained figure sprawled all over the prosperous stage floors, puffing out an exasperated sigh as she let her mallets fall on top of her palpitating chest. Because the Juilliard Orchestra’s timpanist couldn’t make amends for our trip, Chaeyoung was given the arduous task of filling in for his place and learning how to play the timpani in three weeks. It baffles my mind why principal percussionist Himchan could’ve just taken his place or why that timpanist didn’t sacrifice some time to teach Chaeyoung the logistics of the timpani. She did have some knowledge about the instrument since she had to play it for her Juilliard auditions and juries, but other than that, most of the skills that she picked up were taught by Jeongyeon in between Pops Orchestra breaks and weekends. 

I heard Sana's footsteps skip over to Chaeyoung's side, her gleaming French horn dangling in one hand as she flashed a water bottle in front of the percussionist's startled eyes with the other hand. I have to admit that Sana's horn is very pleasing to look at, especially with all its embellishments.

"Drink this!", it's as if Sana had teleported to my section, "You must be drained, seeing that this is our first practice session after a long flight."

"Oh! Thanks", I said as I received the water bottle from the horn player.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired", I answered, removing my earplugs, "The lost of sensitivity from these earplugs are off-putting."

Sana nodded, acquiring the finished water bottle from my hands, "That makes sense, considering that Dr. McIntosh is now having you wear hearing protection during rehearsals. I’m glad to hear that you’re not lingering on the fact that you completely lost all of your hearing in your right ear. Sitting in front of the trumpets and the trombones must be a real pain to your brain. Especially the trombones."

Speaking of trombones...

From the corner of my eye, a female bass trombonist, who was probably the same height as Chaeyoung, appeared from the sidelines and walked up to Maestro Gilbert. Her caramel brown hair had curls that fell into silky locks over the young woman's face and her instrument. Brass players and other hardcore musicians in the orchestra immediately bounced off their seats to gaze at this girl with awe and recognition. Who is this chick?

"Oh my god! Sana?" and just like the horn player, the girl also had a high-pitched voice.

Sana notices that familiar voice and eagerly runs up to the shorter girl, "Sunny? Is that you?"

Oh, so her name is Sunny.

"Jesus, you look so mature now!" her large eyes survey the blonde girl's figure. It felt a little outlandish to see how tall Sana is compared to Sunny. 

Sunny had also pointed out an aspect of Sana that I've premeditated on. Ever since The Juilliard Ball, Sana's attire took a 180° degree turn. She looks stunning in a shimmering, chic ornamented black dress which consisted of one loose long sleeve on the one arm and sleeveless on the other, showing that the one shoulder style is elegant and modest. The chest is designed without any embroidery and the bodice is fitted and smooth with gentle pleats, showing her perfect charming waistline. She's also wearing black Idalia evening pumps — looks like something I would wear.

Wait. Is Sana wearing clothes from my wardrobe?

"Hey, Mina! Come down here and meet my colleague!" Sana hollers from the forestage.

"Oh . Mina?" It amazes me how Sunny could even recognize my name, "You're the bassoon prodigy whose parents are members of the New York Philharmonic. I freaking loved your performance of The Black Swan at the BBC Proms. Kwon Yuri and I couldn't stop raving about it."

My mouth gapes open, "You know who Kwon Yuri is?"

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sunny let out a hearty laugh that could rebound off each and every surface of the auditorium, "What kind of silly question is that? Kwon Yuri is the principal clarinetist of the London Symphony Orchestra and also my cousin."

Her cousin? 

"We both know who Yoona is too", Sana brings up randomly, even though I didn't ask about Yoona.

"Yoona is Yuri's late girlfriend", Sunny adds.

What? 

I don't know what to say anymore. I can't believe that for two out of the three years I've been a member of the Juilliard Orchestra, I was sitting next to the famed horn player's girlfriend who is now a tenured member of the reputable London Symphony Orchestra. 

"Breaktime is over!" Maestro Gilbert announces as the other musicians quickly scurried back to their seat, avoiding to be marked absent by the hawk-eyed Concertmaster, "We're going to practice Sibelius. I just talked to Sunny Lee, the bass trombonist of the Berlin Philharmonic. According her, their chief conductor needs this practice space as soon as possible so we need to move quick. After rehearsals, members from our orchestra and the Pops Orchestra will be taking masterclasses from musiciansof L'Orchestre National de France (The National Orchestra of France)."

WHAT?

Sunny is a member of the Berlin Philharmonic — the top-ranked orchestra in the world. I think I've had my mind blown enough times in one day.

The Eighty-First Measure 

Circumstances have changed in these past few hours.

Masterclasses ended at around 7 p.m. and being wind instrumentalists, Sana and I haven't eaten anything in eight hours. The Eiffel Tower was located relatively close to our hotel and SinB insisted on treating me, Sana, Chaeyoung, and Yerin to the restaurant there.

The Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 Exposition Universal, which was to celebrate the hundreth year anniversary of the French Revolution. Its construction in two years, two months and five days was absolutely procedural and it became an architectural achievement. A figure of industrial ability, at the end of the ninteenth Century, it was a demonstration of French engineering embodied by Gustave Eiffel, and a crucial moment of the industrial era. It was met instantaneously with an incredible accomplishment. The Tower also represents the magic of light. Its lighting, its sparkling lights, and its beacon shine and inspire dreams every evening. Over the decades, the Eiffel Tower has seen remarkable achievements, extraordinary light shows, and prestigious visitors. A mythical and audacious site, it has always inspired artists and challenges.

"So who's taking the stairs and who's riding the elevator?" Sana eagerly asked, gazing up at the cyclopean structure of the Effiel Tower, "Given this long line for the elevator, someone needs to go ahead so that we can reserve tables at the restaurant. I'm using the stairs. How about you guys?"

"Sorry, but I have to use the elevator", SinB apologetically smiled, considering the health complications that arose with her eating disorder.

"Same here", Yerin added, "I have SinB's medicine so I have to watch over her. How about Chaeyoung?"

I translate the question to the percussionist Chaeyoung flashed an innocent smile at the older girl, shuffling her feet on the concrete floor as comes up with a valid excuse to avoid the tremendous among of stairs, "Sorry Sana. I’m a little exhausted."

"Oh... I guess I'll have to take Mina with me!" Sana declared, snatching my surprised wrist with her hand's tight grip.

"WHAT?"

"Dr. McIntosh said that you needed exercise!" she proceeds to remind me.

"Give me a break!" I whined, "I just came back from a bassoon masterclass and my lungs are empty!"

At that instant, I learned that the horn player has the vital capacity of a racehorse. Sana had to drag me up a hundred flights of stairs in an attempt to get me off my dog-tired (I’m wearing heels too). Yerin and Chaeyoung were laughing massively at my resistance as I resorted to kicking and screaming, but my feeble self was too weak to surpass Sana's able-bodied demeanor. She carried me halfway up the first few flights of stairs before letting the me trail her own route. I had qualms about wanting to go back down, but after seeing the humongous line formed at the bottom of the elevator's ticket line, I realized that waiting outside in the frigid cold for several hours would be more excruciating.

I reached the second floor and I wanted to collapse onto the ground. Sana and the others had found a table for five.

After we were seated, a female waitress with bouncy auburn curls approached our table, her English sounding as fluent as a native Brit as she takes our order with a strong French accent, "Would you like to start off with one of our signature wines?"

"Sorry but we're underage", I shook my head.

"Oh no, no, no, no! I assume that you're all tourists", She giggled in her high-pitched voice, "You see darling, the legal drinking age in France is eighteen. I looked at your friend’s credit card identification and asked her for all of your ages. You girls seem to be well over the age of legality."

"Okay, then!" Sana excitedly began without taking a minute to consider the situation, "I'll have the— OUCH!"

I nudged her rib, "We are NOT using SinB's money on alcohol."

"Oh", Sana dumbfoundedly said, "Then just give us a drink of your recommendation."

"As you wish, madame", The waitress leaves with a flourish.

The Le Jules Verne is a restaurant located one of the uppermost floors of the Eiffel tower, offering a spectacular view of the sixteenth arrondissement, one of the warmest and most intimate dining rooms of the capital, the plate a reflection of French culinary heritage with a hint of contemporary touch, and attentive service. It was no wonder why SinB recommended one of the most fine dining places in Paris; it is the most beautiful place in Paris to enjoy all the pleasures of state-of-the-art French cuisine. Also, the ambiance is very calm and warm. My ears were at ease.

Sana was the first person to notice that something, or rather someone, was off, "What happened during your masterclass?"  

Hwang Eunbi heaved a solem sigh, taking a peek out the window to catch a glimpse of the view below. The normally-upbeat girl had her distracted gaze staring off into the endless sky, almost as if she were stuck in some space-time continuum of melancholy.

"Yerin got chewed out during the bassoon masterclass", SinB responded.

Now I remember.

----

[Flashback to a few hours ago]

"Mademoiselle. Did you even take one minute to look at the score before coming here?" piercing blue eyes met with a shuddering Yerin.

Masterclasses for the Juilliard students took place at the Conservatoire de Paris. Christian Fortineau — thirty-something year-old principal bassoonist of The National Orchestra of France and an alumni of the conservatory — was supervising me, Mingyu, Joshua, Vernon, Jun, Yerin, SinB, Mark, and Junior. In the event of a masterclass, students are expected to prepare an excerpt from a concerto or an orchestral piece to perform in front of the "master", typically a renowned soloist or a member of an esteemed ensemble.

Luckily, all nine of us had been informed of this masterclass four weeks before our arrival in Paris. We would be performing the famously challenging bassoon passages of the fourth and fifth movements of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. Professor Fortineau decided to relay the passages back-to-back in two groups of five — first an ensemble with me, Mingyu, Joshua, Vernon, and Jun (The Juilliard Orchestra lineup); then a second ensemble with me again, Yerin, Junior, SinB, and Mark (The Pops Orchestra lineup). In the end, he would scrutinize both groups and make meticulous comparisons. Because I was in both groups, I had to play the first bassoon part repeatedly.

And of course, the first group that I played in (The Juilliard Orchestra group) functioned better — a LOT better.

Playing in the second group (The Pops Orchestra group) was physically and mentally taxing because the four bassoonists were met with many errors and holding back the first group, who was itching to leave as soon as possible. Among the second group, Yerin made the most mistakes and it was a fact that I could not grasp because she is probably the best bassoonist among the fourth years at Juilliard. 

"Your tonguing and articulation are as aggravating as a machine gun, and I'm not even saying that as a compliment", Professor Fortineau continues to chide the poor girl with his thick French accent and it's making me sick to my core. 

"I'm sorry", Yerin said in a low voice.

Then he switched his gaze to me, "Mina?"

"Heh?"

"Can you demonstrate for your friend how to play this section correctly?"

My stomach drops. He's trying to compare me with Yerin.

"Okay", I comply, my lips and properly filling my lungs with air. I abandon all looming anxiety that has built up in my brain and fixate on inhaling slowly and regularly through my nose, letting my breathwork weave through difficult passages and my fingers glide throughout the keys and fingerholes like a well-oiled machine. I play by instinct; I don't have to rely on what is imprinted on the score.

"Spectacular", I opened my eyes and Professor Fortineau was applauding me, "Beautiful trills, very good air control, consideration of the dynamics, and awareness to what the composer is trying to convey. This is how Berlioz would want to hear this passage."

"I'm sorry", Yerin said in a low voice, "I'm just a little tired."

His patience was timing out, "Don't tell me that you're tired. Mina has to play with both groups and she's still alive."

"But I'm not Mina! I'm not a prodigy nor a virtuoso!" she cried, "I don't have her expensive Heckel bassoon, or her expertly-crafted reeds, or her dextrous fingers, or her precise articulations, or her immaculate technique, or her impeccable stamina, nor her beautiful, singing tone color!"

"Then why are you even at Juilliard?"

That question hit the very core of my heart, just as solid as it did to the other bassoonists in the room. 

"Umm... excuse me for a minute", Professor Fortineau seemed remorseful after spurting out a dire question to the destitute girl, resting his instrument on his stand and standing up from his seat, "I'm going to leave to get a cup of coffee."

An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air as we were left in the room to sort out our feelings. I wasn't sure about what to do except gape at the overwrought girl in shock. Mingyu and Joshua decided to leave the tension and escape to the hallway. SinB immediately abandoned her bassoon and had Yerin dig her distressed head in her chest, comforting the disconsolate girl as she whispered words of assurance in her ears. 

"It's okay", SinB softly spoke, patting her girlfriend's head, "You're a wonderful person. Don't let that jackass tell you otherwise."

"You know what? Professor Fortineau is right", Jun turns to the older girl, his baritone voice as harsh and clear-cut as the wind outside, "Why are you at Juilliard if you can't even get past the basics and put in the hard work to solidify your craft? You're just here like a sitting duck, acting as a waste of space to the other hundreds of bassoonists in the world itching to take your place."

"That's too cruel! It's not Yerin's fault!" SinB promptly defended, "And besides, she's a great musician! She just doesn't have the time to practice because she's working three part-time jobs to just attend this school. Do you not have any respect?"

"Yerin is the eldest student in this room", Vernon opposed, "A girl who is older than me shouldn't be playing like after four years. How am I supposed to respect her if she can't even amount to the same level as Mina? Or heck, even me or Mingyu or Joshua or Jun?"

"Well, I'm sorry that we can't all be privileged like you dickbutts", Mark retorted.

"You think that I'm privileged?" Vernon raised an eyebrow, having a staredown with the contending contrabassoonist, "Joshua and I grew up on the wrong side of Brooklyn and had to flip hamburgers at In-N-Out to make a living. I'm a self-taught musician. I didn't have any private teachers pull my out of bed and get me to practice. I'm at Juilliard because I worked my off to get here. I only sleep for four hours or less every day. Musicians who play at her caliber are never going to succeed. I think that Yerin should think about quitting while it's not too late."

Quitting? I was pissed, steam pouring out of my ears as tears continued to dribble down Yerin's face.

"How. ing. Dare. You?" I hissed and it scares my Juilliard Orchestra section mates.

"What?" Vernon is surprised at my sudden anger towards him.

"I bet that you've never spent a single day with Yerin in your life", I reprimanded as a section leader, "How can you say that you work harder than her if you've never seen her play outside of this masterclass? I rehearse with her everyday and she's always dedicated to improving herself and assisting others. Yerin even takes time out of her own sleeping schedule to help SinB when I'm not available."

Vernon tried to open his mouth for a protest, "But—"

"And I haven't forgotten about the day you left work early and made Shuuka bring over my meal to my table when it was your job to do it."

"I'm in the same year as Yerin and she's not entirely consistent in her playing", Jun argues back.

"I'm not perfect either. I have off-days like this too", I made clear, "But the fact is that I'm here because I love music and I wouldn't trade my talents for the world. I have a drive to work because I'm passionate in what I do. If I have to fight, I'm going to fight for something that I love."

I didn't realize how popular Sana was among the staff members until I heard one of the music theory professors, who is also SinB's father, talk about her. Sana wasn't the best horn player in the San Francisco Youth Symphony Orchestra, but he told me this: Sana is at Juilliard not only because she hit all the notes correctly in her audition pieces, but she has the love and imagination to shape her music to make her stand out. 

Chaeyoung auditoned for Juilliard at a time when she had lost most, if not all, of her hearing. Beethoven was also a composer who found that his hearing was depleting over time, yet he could hear music so clearly in his mind that there was almost no difference between physical sound and mental sound. Chaeyoung may not be the best percussionist at Juilliard and she still may be figuring out herself, but she upholds a sense of creativity, intellectual curiosity, and a desire to achieve. Those attributes were also a part of Beethoven in his journey to overcome his deafness.

The people are Juilliard aren't all perfect either. Not everybody comes into Juilliard having exemplary skills that can amount to a professional. I know for a fact that drama majors can't make their public debut until their third year, but they persevere because they love the art and it shows when they finally get on that stage to showcase their skills. Everyone comes in excited to learn about what they can do to improve and take the next step to succeed. Not all of the students are entirely competitive because we're all learning about ourselves and from each other. If only my cousins can experience what really happens here, maybe they'd think twice before saying that "performing arts students don't work hard."

Jun looked askance, "I don't want to fight but let's be real here. Passion and love alone aren't going to help her prosper."

"And do you think that you will prosper after you graduate?"

That shut him up.

"You told me to get real and I did", I smirked, folding my arms in all seriousness, "Say one more bad thing about Yerin or any of my friends and I'm going to kick you out of my section. And I'm not bluffing; I'm being real here."

----

"I can't believe that Jun would say something like that", SinB exhaled, crossing her arms in unease, "I wanted to beat the out of him."

"It's okay, babe. Mina is right. I'm not going to let a couple of douchebags determine my what I want for my future!" Yerin put on an optimistic face, pumping her fists. Her smile was so contagious that I found myself doing the same. I'm proud of you, Yerin. She elaborates on my actions to the group and complacent grins plays on all of their faces. Chaeyoung was sitting in and watching Sana translate our entire conversation to her.

"God, Mina is so cool!" SinB squeals, "I would never be able to tell them off like that!"

"I know right!" Yerin exclaims, "Mina was radiating with this coolness when she roasted Jun!"

"Mina is such a good friend", Chaeyoung gesticulates.

Enduring that stressful situation during the masterclass had me come to terms with something: Having to hide my hearing disability from my parents and getting to know the rest of the Pops Orchestra members made me check my privileges. Dahyun and Tzuyu have to live together in a small, crumbling apartment where there are days they don't even have electricity. Sana, Jeongyeon, Chaeyoung, Yerin, Choi Youngjae, and probably other people in the ensemble have to take up one or more part-time jobs just to live in New York City, which is also why they can't practice on weekends. Yerin always has to borrow reeds from me because she never has time to make them. 

I never had to worry about not having money for school or living in general. I never had to worry about not being able to practice. I never had to worry about borrowing reeds from other people because I always had time to make them. Why am I so stupid for not noticing this earlier?

"Mina?", Sana calls me back to reality.

SinB, Yerin, and Chaeyoung finished their meals and decided to go to the uppermost floor of the Eiffel Tower, leaving Sana and I to work on our foie gras and fondue savoyarde. SinB had already handed her credit card over to the waitress so that we wouldn't have to make a request for a bill. 

"I'm sorry for dragging you up the stairs with me. I guess I got a little too excited", Sana apologized, sinking in her chair, "After listening to what Yerin and SinB told me about your masterclass, I've come to the idea that you probably had such a tiring day."

"I'm over it", I said, wanting to switch the topic as soon as possible, "So how did your masterclass go?"

"Wonderful!" Sana exclaimed, delightfully sipping her non-alcoholic wine, "Jean-Pierre Bellecour is an amazing professor and horn player! We mostly played works of my favorite composer and specially noted my emotions while playing. I was starstruck!"

"Your favorite composer?"

"Richard Strauss."

I rolled my eyes. Of course Sana's favorite composer would be Strauss — the holy grail of horn literature. Sana continues to expound on the history and prophecy of Don Juan, Symphonia Domestica, and Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche and it astounds me. Masterclasses played out much better for the horn section and much worse for the bassoon section, at least in a mental and physical sense.

"Who's your favorite composer?" Sana asked.

"I don't know", I never asked myself that question. I mean in my opinion, every composer has their fair share of good and bad works.

"Haydn? Brahms? Debussy? Vivaldi?"

"I hate Vivaldi."

"Really? The guy who wrote like, thirty-seven bassoon concerti?" The blonde girl chuckles, setting down her eating utensils, "Igor Stravinsky wasn't a fan of Vivaldi either. In his words, 'Vivaldi wrote only one concerto, but that one a hundred times'." 

I huffed, "I hate Stravinsky too."

"HA HA HA!" Sana cackled in her chipmunk-like voice, nearly falling off her chair, "YOU'RE A BASSOONIST WHO HATES STRAVINSKY? HA HA HA HA!"

"Shut your goddamn mouth!" I chided, planting my face in the palm of my hand.

"But surely, there has to be a composer that you enjoy", she asserted, "What about Seohyun?"

"I do like her works", I admitted, my mind rewinding back to the summer of 2019 when I had to perform The Black Swan at the BBC Proms.

"Did you know that it took Seohyun six months to write The Black Swan? It took her ten rough drafts before she could finally debut the composition", Sana brought up, twirling her fork in complete interest, "She began the project on the same day as my birthday."

I blinked twice, "Your birthday?"

Oh my goodness, Mina. Why would you ask that question?

"MINA MYOUI, YOU DONKEY!" Sana proceeds to hit me with the dessert menu, her naturally loud and high voice ripping through the tranquilty of the establishment, "YOU DON'T EVEN REMEMBER WHEN MY BIRTHDAY IS!"

"Then do you remember when my birthday is?" I challenged, taking a sip of some red wine. Sana dropped the menu in awe of my request.

"Let's make a bet, then."

"Fine", I hid a sly smile, lowering the glass from my lips, "If you're wrong, then you have to answer whatever question I throw at you."

"And if I'm right, then you have to clean my French horn", she proclaims, "Inside and out."

"Psh", I scoffed, "I clean my bassoon every day."

"You've obviously never touched a brass instrument before", Sana sneers and it frightens me to some extent, "And your birthday is on March 24."

"You're absolutely..." my head calls to a halt after realizing that the horn player had gotten the exact month and date "... right."

The Eighty-Second Measure 

Wednesday: December 23, 2020

Well I had fun cleaning Sana's horn today.

Not. 

-----

[A few hours ago]

"What's all of this liquid leaking out of this thingy?" I ask Sana as warm, wet solvent falls onto my hand.

She answers nonchalantly, "That's my saliva. And that 'thingy' is called a spit valve."

"OH HELL NO!" I retracted my hand in repulse.

-----

"So Mina ran to the bathroom and began washing her hands like what, a hundred times? She even changed into a new set of clothes!" she reiterates the entire story to Chaeyoung and I'm about to go ape- because the shorter girl is now laughing at me.

Thank god she's using sign-language or else the public would be gaping at us with a flock of eyes.

Chaeyoung has been wanting to venture outside of the seventh arrondissement since Maestro Ishii cancelled another rehearsal due to urgent reasons. Essentially, we're sitting on the steps leading up to the Palais Garnier in forty-degree farenheit (4.44 °C) weather, which isn't too bad considering that we've been accustomed to New York winters for so long. Sana and I have our instrument cases too so it's a relief that we don't have to deal with extremely snowy weather. Jeongyeon vowed to take care of Chaeyoung's temporary timpani mallets while we have our date.

For a while, we thought about wandering around the ninth arrondiseement until coming to the realization that many of the flagship stores only offer products that are way beyond Sana and Chaeyoung's budget. Chaeyoung suggested that we migrate to the famous Louvre since it was only a twenty minute Uber ride from our stance. The percussionist had been stoked on visiting The Louvre since Maestro Gilbert announced that Paris would be our next concert destination. After all, it is the world's largest museum with over seventy-thousand pieces of art. Chaeyoung might not be able to revel in this feeling for a long time so might as well do it while the festival committee is giving the performers a bunch of benefits.

In light of the Parisian Winter Music Festival, the museum directors decided to hold an exhibition featuring remnants of signature composers, including the supposed skull of Joseph Haydn and the risotto that Rossini waited for while writing his aria, Di Tanti Palpiti. Sana is more concerned about uncovering the secrets of Richard Strauss like the huge horn geek that she is.  

It hits me that Chaeyoung is a lot more cultured than I would have anticipated. Perhaps it's because her mother is a librarian and she reads too many music & art history books during her work breaks. SinB might've once told me that Chaeyoung excelled above other second years in this subject matter, specifically when it came to the liberal arts courses that all Juilliard students are required to take at some point in their schooling. 

"Oh, it's Mina", I turned around to see Sunny waving at me. She motions me to come over.

"H-Hi. Hello!" I panted after trudging to the shorter bass trombonist in four-inch heels.

"I'm surprised that you're not freezing to death", Sunny sweeps her fringe-cut bangs from her face, pinpointing my cream-colored floral dress.

"I mean, I grew up in New York."

"Makes sense. I'm a Californian girl so sixty-degree weather is the death of me", Sunny chuckles and then she steals a glance at Chaeyoung, "You know, Chaeyoung is enthusiastic about stuff like this. When I was a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and we'd tour to some richly historic place like Salzburg, Chaeyoung would elaborate on the history of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or whatnot, almost as if she was my mundane music history professor from my college days. Chaeyoung isn't mundane, though. Those were the days when she could hear herself talk."

"You were a member of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra?"

"Of course", she nodded, "That's how I met Sana, Chaeyoung, and Jihyo."

Now it makes sense why Sana has connections with people as eminent as Sunny.

"Hey, can I ask you someth—"

"Oh, ! I'm going to be late for Berlin Philharmonic rehearsals", Sunny looked at her phone, "Wir sprechen uns bald!" (We'll talk later!)

The Louvre closed early and the hundreds of thousands of visitors procceded to leave, moving on with their lives. We headed outside to a park nearby the museum, where despite the chilly weather, a vendor was selling decadent ice cream to young and old people alike. The wide-open field faced the Seine river, where ducklings rested in serenity under the elongated leaves of the willow trees, their slender branches hanging over the concrete edge. Chaeyoung couldn't help but laugh at the sight of two ducks fighting in front of her, not to mention that they closely resembled the ducks that could be seen at Central Park. Sana returns with three bowls of vanilla ice cream and I talk to her about my encounters at the Louvre.

Her eyes grew big, "You ran into Sunny?"

"Yeah, but I didn't get to talk to her for too long", I replied, lowering my ice cream spoon from my mouth.

"Sunny will be at the Christmas Eve Ball with the rest of the musicians participating in the festival", Sana pipes up before she sought her own voice deteriorating into a low hum, "I'm assuming that since your parents will be at the occassion, we won't be able to dance together."

I frowned, "I'm afraid so." 

"Oh ho ho! So you do want to dance with me!" Sana squeals with a teasing smile.

"Sh-Shut up!" I retorted.

Sana wasn't set on lazing around for too long, so we got up and continued our trek as soon as we finished our dessert. The Notre Dame de Paris wasn't far from us and Chaeyoung wanted to soak in as much of Paris's culture as she can before leaving. A brightly lit passage with ambrosial tiles leads us up to the front entrance. Moving forward into the passage, a quiet air loomed with the scent of burnt candles and the sound of chimes that could be heard at a substantial distance. The cathedral was desolate — a contrast with the white halo beaming from the brass sculpture on the central altar. And even more off-putting — a grand piano, Steinway & Sons embedded in curling gold letters, in the center of all this holiness.

"LOOK! A PIANO!" Chaeyoung suddenly cries out, impatiently sprinting to the black beauty sitting in the heart of the center stage inside the Notre Dame, basking under cherubic stained glass and stone. An amused nun sees the younger girl's curiosity and approaches her.

What has gotten into this girl?

Chaeyoung gestures with Sana, who translates Chaeyoung's request to the nun visiting the cathedral. The nun happily concedes their request and the percussionist sits herself on the piano bench, closing her eyes and picturing how the piece would sound in her head before replicating the melody with her fingers. Seeing Chaeyoung do this makes my heart skip a beat; it's like she's a reincarnation of Beethoven. And when she finally lays a finger on the ivory keys, she just lets herself immerse into the song and it's arrestingly beautiful to see her body flow with the music — so perfect, so graceful. Chaeyoung isn't bullting anything either. I recognize that melody anywhere — it's from the movie, Spirited Away.

That's right — Inochi no Namae, or "The Name of Life." Miyazaki's collaborator, Joe Hisaichi, had decided to add lyrics to One Summer's Day and coined the name Inochi no Namae in which the vocals would be performed by pop singer and classical saxophonist, Ayaka Hirahara. Listening to the two talented musicians brought genuine tears to my eyes, giving me a nostalgic feeling — some mourning, some yearning, some joy.

Sana comes in a minute later, her peaceful yet sonorous horn call was accented by Chaeyoung's nimble, eloquent fingers parading on the keys of the grand piano. Despite the lack of other backing instrumentals, I felt rather entertained by this capricious yet compelling duo. There was a sense of allurement that wafted throughout every crevice of the Notre Dame, soft and quiet tones raising to a heavenly crescendo in their song. Sana and Chaeyoung demonstrated melodiousness with their proficiency and keen heart for their respective instruments, their confidence growing with each passing chord. Before they could notice, younger nuns from the monasteries nearby begin to flock in through the entrance, itching to hear out the brightness of Sana's horn and the richness of Chaeyoung's piano playing. Everytime their contrasting sounds interwine, they smile.

As the duet finished their respective piece, I had the intuition to clap for their performance — an uncommon gesture that I exhibit outside of a formal concert. Sana gave Chaeyoung a high-five before trotting up to me in those pink pumps, her horn in one hand and my hand in her other.

"You should play with us, Mina!" Sana drags me to the center stage before I could tear away in hesitation.

I walk up to the eldest nun standing below the steps trailing up to the stage, "Is it okay?"

"Of course, my dear. My husband, who is a part of the festival committee, described to me about how beautifully you played at the BBC Proms last year. The other nuns and I would be elated to hear your ethereal bassoon playing", the head nun grins, a stray strand of my red hair.

The smiles illuminating from the other nuns below and the head nun's kind composure spurs inspiration and courage within me. Determined not to lose my nerve, I sit down and straighten my case on my lap, assembling my instrument and warming up with a couple of scales. My lips feel stiff but it'll have to do. I glimpse at Sana and Chaeyoung, who nod to ensure my readiness. I do the same, swallowing hard and taking in a deep breath.

And then we played, improvising to Chaeyoung's piano playing.

[A/N: If you'd like to read more on their trio, read the Bonus below!]

BONUS (Silent Night)

"Where the are we?" 

For nearly four hours, SinB and Yerin had been taking the wrong trains and the wrong buses to get to their desired destination. At this rate, they must've well-traveled to all twenty arrondissements, or administrative districts of Paris. They wanted to go to Disneyland Paris since it was on Yerin's "to-do list" and SinB knows that the working-stiff girl had never set foot on an amusement park before. Besides, taking Yerin to the "happiest place on earth" may alleviate her stress after having that scuffle with Jun and Vernon.

"Maybe Disneyland has been behind our backs all along!" Yerin theorizes without thought.

"I'm pretty damn sure that Disneyland wasn't built on top of a city, let alone behind a wall of graffiti", irritated by the obscure signs and unhelpful directions from Parisian passer-bys, SinB was nothing short of irked at the current situation.

Behind them, a girl had brilliantly dark eyes glaring like a savage hawk. She absently twisted her cocoa brown hair with her bony fingers, flashes of her ravishing red nail polish showing through her silky strands. She stepped forward once again with her sleek legs gliding across the pavement in a red, silky shirt that hugged her hourglass figure, her toned legs accented by her skinny blue jeans and designer boots.

"Oh, look. It's the Gays!" she exclaimed in her pitchy voice.

SinB raised an eyebrow at that nickname, "Who the heck are you and how do you know us?"

"I know every bassoonist at Juilliard, especially the famous lesbian fagott couple", she chuckled, "And my name is Jennie. I've lived in Europe long enough to know that Disneyland Paris is not exactly in Paris. You'll have to take two trains from here to get to Marne-La-Vallée, where the park is located."

"Three buses? Are you ing kidding me?" SinB stomped her foot.

"Let's just go on another day!" Yerin happily insisted, "We probably won't have time to enjoy the park since it's almost 5 o'clock in the evening. Also, if we go after the festival is over, we don't have to worry about arriving back on time for rehearsals because we won't have any."

"You're right", SinB recognized, "Let's just get back to the hotel."

"If we even know how to get home", Yerin quirked.

"Goddammit", SinB grunted.

"I can help you guys get back", Jennie offers, "Right now, we're in the first arrondissement and we need to get out of here before nightttime."

Yerin cocked her head, "Why?"

"The first arrondissement isn't exactly the safest district in Paris, especially at night when pickpockets, crack dealers, beggars, and women harassers come out. Also judging by one's clothing, SinB appears to look like a rich kid so she'd be a perfect target", Jennie elaborates and it spooks the two girls, both of whom have never been anywhere outside of the state of South Carolina, nor the cities of New York City and London. 

The two girls walk behind Jennie, who leads them past the Seine River. Yerin heaved an enthusiastic sigh, gaping at a deluge of cascading waters troppling over the edge of a limestone bridge. At night, the river would magnify the city lights to simulate a bokeh effect. Every old-fashioned building is ignited with thousands of rich, vibrant Christmas lights and they hover over the three girls with an warm feeling.

"Do you guys hear that?" Jennie's perfect ear pinpoints.

A lightbulb sparks above Yerin's head as she exhbits a glistening smile, "I know that song! It's from Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away!" 

The clear crisp night shone over the glossy structure of the Notre Dame, songbirds acting as choristers on the balcony railings as their animated voices waft upon a whimsical trio of three endowed musicians performing a kindhearted rendition of Reprise from Spirited Away. They wander around like the spirits seen in the thought-provoking movie itself. Accompanied with Chaeyoung's thoughtful and graceful piano playing, Mina takes on the first verse with her bassoon's warm, wooden tone as her playful and tender notes give way to the proficient horn player on her right. Replying to Mina's buoyant bassoon sound, Sana brings justice to Hisaichi's composition with every aerial note rising on its own delicacy and intricacy, serenading with the high-pitched intoning of the chanting birds. 

And if that wasn't stunning enough, Mina stopped to wink at the delighted couple — a feeling that triggered their happy heart.

Yerin is feeling a lot better now. They were lingering in the cathedral's passage as Mina's sweet-sounding timbre rang in her sensitive ears, smiling to herself at Mina's noticeably positive attitude. At this point, she had forgotten about the turmoil of yesterday's masterclass and admired the trio, for how their song seemed to mend her broken heart. SinB sees Yerin's changed expression and pulls her into a tight embrace.

The ascending moonrise perfectly synchronized with Sana's powerful and almighty French horn singing its bright, resonant voice as the blonde girl blows with all her musical might. After a strong opening, Sana hands over the melodic role to Chaeyoung.

An accomplished percussionist in her own fitting, Son Chaeyoung takes on the heartrending piece with her own improvisation. The three girls wonder how Chaeyoung manages to harmonize so exquisitely with the two other musicians when she's completely deaf. And not to mention that she's playing the piano — an instrument outside her comfort zone! But then again, Beethoven's talents never truly diminished despite his failing hearing. Evelyn Glennie became one of the greatest percussionists in existence way after she was deemed profoundly deaf at the age of twelve. 

Eventually, the glorious trio starts to transition into a glorious finale that symbolized the grandeur of a morning sunrise. Hisaichi knew how to use every instrument in the orchestra to bring his compositions to life. He has the power to bring innocence, calmness, and sadness all together.

Sana's exhilarating horn takes the lead with the soft woodwind scene incited by Mina, revolving into an invigorating brass finale. Despite the lack of any accompanying brass instruments, the charm of Sana's right-on-spot playing made up for it as her horn bellows up with a full-mouthed, high-sounding volume that her slim frame adjured. She looked radiant with her golden friend reflecting the Parisian moonlight passing through the stained glass, proudly wielding the heavy instrument like the lethal weapon of a knight in shining armor.

Different scenes pop up in their minds. Yerin and SinB found themselves giggling, perhaps crying because Mina, Sana, and Chaeyoung's music transcends reality and takes them on a journey through their childhood, a time period where people feel invincible and that dreams can come true. It's almost as if they're flying with Haku through the glittering night. They're dancing in full different emotions, smiling to one another and crying big, resplendent tears just as Ghibli characters do. When the song ends, they find themselves sharing huge grins on their faces. 

"This is way better than going to Disneyland!" SinB chuckles to her partner, who still wraps her in her arms.

Yerin nods, having a relevation similar to the scene where Haku finds his identity, "Music like this is the reason why I still continue."

"I'm glad", SinB eyesmiles and Yerin feels like her heart is going to explode, "I'm super glad!"

Quitting is not an option, Yerin thinks. She isn't going to let anyone get in the way of her path. Not even Vernon nor Jun can stop her from growing. And similar to that thought, the musical journey doesn't end there. Chaeyoung's fingers return to the piano to perform a familiar Christmas tune.

Silent Night comes into play with Sana handing over the melodic line to Mina. Music fills the air without effort, like the waves filling holes in beach sand; the sound rushing in and around every person in the room. Her bassoon's tone was rich and powerful, soulful and hauntingly beautiful strains of music accentuated with Chaeyoung's piano accompaniment. And to add to that effect, Mina looks like an angel illuminating in her lace, cream-colored Diane von Fürstenberg dress. The nuns in the Notre Dame were especially enamored by her breathtaking technique and compelling sound — so compelled that they reentered the cathedral singing the lyrics to Silent Night with candles cradled in their hands.

Jennie Kim gasped in astonishment at the clarity of notes established by Mina, "Does she always play like this?"

"I think Mina found her purpose in music again", SinB says, wiping away the tears from her eyes.

A/N: Bonjour, mes amis! Did you guys enjoy this chapter? Sorry for its longevity >_< (12k+ words!) I know that there's a lot of components to it and I wasn't keeping track of the word count. Also if you haven't noticed, I changed Sana and Mina's duet into a Sana/Mina/Chaeyoung trio just because I wanted to showcase more of Chaeyoung's musical skills at well. That's right folks! She can play the piano and partly timpani as well :)

I've been watching the reality show, Gfriend Loves Europe, and wanted to compose a story arc wherein the characters explore a different country contrasting to the environment that they're used to. Also, I hope my French is okay. I've taken high school and college French courses and have some knowledge about the language, but obviously I'm not perfect at the language yet. I also halted studying French to self-study Japanese before I take a Japanese course in the summer. I wonder if I have any French readers... hmm...

♦ Inochi no Namae (The Name of Life) has been suggested by am_y22
♦ Silent Night has been suggested by iTimeMuffin
♦ Reprise from Spirited Away has been suggested by am_y22 and PrincessLuna4885 (Other favorite renditions include this one with Ayaka Hirahara and this one with two cellos/one piano. The second rendition corresponds to Mina's playing since the cello and the bassoon are both bass clef instruments and they both have a rich, warm sound. Both instruments are also described as closest to the human voice)

Also, sorry for the mishap. I was editing my foreward when I accidentally marked my story as "completed". This story is NOT done yet!

Characters