A/N: So we both been having a long discussion about this. Since Chapter 40 is a long chapter and we're not quite done, we've decided to release the Bonus ahead of time so that you guys have something to read before the final chapter is officially released. It is roughly the same length as a regular story chapter. We apologize for taking too long with writing the last chapter, but we want to deliver the best quality content since it will be the last chapter. This is the bonus that we've mentioned would take place after the lack of bonuses in the previous chapter. This is the longest bonus we've ever conceived. We just want to say thank you guys, both old and new readers, for sticking with us through the end. We couldn't have made it this far without your love and support. 

Enjoy the bonus ^^

BONUS (Sana and Chaeyoung Part 4/5)

Wednesday: August 3, 2016

It was a triumphant night for the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra as they closed their concert season with Mahler's Second Symphony, Strauss's Eine Alpensinfonie and Ein Heldenleben. Chaeyoung and Jihyo disappeared with their sections collectively, with the plan of eating out at the Cheesecake Factory in Union Square. The horn section, on the other hand, remained pensive in the lobby. 

Yoona dies today — through assisted suicide.

Sana can't be mad about it, though. Yoona wanted this. The poor girl has been battling AIDs for her entire life and there was no hope of salvation. Her lungs, her heart, her liver — everything was giving in. When the word about Yoona's intentions lingered from orchestra member to orchestra member, it took an elongated amount time for Sana to accept this fact, especially since she already had a death in the family not too long ago. 

Before Yoona left, she left a note for her entire section. Haruka Shimazaki read it aloud in a shaky voice.

"Goodbye my dear hornists that I love", she began, "Today is the day that I've chosen to pass away with great honor and dignity. I'm very thankful for the effort you all have put into this performance to make it meaningful. Do not stop what you're doing and please continue to carry out the legacy that I left behind. Music has been my greatest mentor, my friend, and my family member. I've learned from my time here that music isn't a weapon merely used for competition, but rather an instrument of love and satisfaction. Make good use of the life that you're blessed with."

Mixed heartbreak, solace,  and guilt spread amongst the members. Even Naeun, who is notably bitter and scornful towards the girl, felt remorseful.

As usual for the aftermath of a concert, the Davies Symphony Hall is silent. Heck, even desolate. The vigilance of Mahler and Strauss from earlier was replaced with grief-stricken silence, a silence that fills up Sana. Yoona's section were the last to exit the venue, or so she thought.

The creaking of double doors attended to Sana's ears, followed by the clacking of high heels and an acute sigh. It was Sunny, the youth orchestra's sole bass trombonist as well as Yuri and Yoona's best friend. She noted the hornist slouching in the lobby's overstuffed chair and approached her. Sunny dropped her bass trombone case to one side and settled in the seat faced opposite to Sana.

Little did Sana know that Sunny was holding another instrument case, one similiar to her's.

And then the older girl spoke, "Yoona has a present for you."

Sana sat up and curled forward, hands clutched on her own horn case that was sitting on her lap. Sunny propped the second case atop the coffee table situated in between them. The words "Yoona" and "present", along with the sight of that case, connected in Sana's mind.

"You're kidding..."

Sunny shook her head, "I'm not ting you. Yoona wants you to have this."

Sana lowered her case to the floor and placed Yoona's case on her lap. She unclasped the latches and opened it gingerly, almost like uncovering precious valuables from a treasure chest. An Alexander 103 is unearthed — a double German horn with a splendid sheen and a round yet powerful inflection. Its sound alone can move mountains and transcend time. The embedding of leaf patterns on the exterior only intimidated Sana even more. 

Eventually, Sana croaked out something, "A-Are you sure?"

"Yoona told me to give her horn to you", Sunny spoke earnestly, "You are her favorite sectionmate. While the other section members ed about your supposed 'incompetence' or how they wanted to be principal chair, you never talked and you worked your off. Where words fail, music speaks, right?"

"What does that mean?"

"Anyone can talk. Anyone can make promises. But no matter what is said, no matter how strong the intention behind those words are, they fail to explicitly show those intentions", Sunny explained, "Naeun can tell you that you're not good enough, or she can tell Yoona that she doesn't deserve to be section leader, but her words are meaningless as long as she continues to complain."  

"Kind of like how actions speak louder than words", Sana added, still admiring the horn in all its glory.

"Exactly."

Sana was caught so off guard by her new instrument that she lost track of time, "Oh shoot! It's getting late. S-So how much do I owe you for this horn?"

Sunny huffed out a laugh, "You don't owe us anything!"

"Please, something", the younger girl begged with a tinge of guilt, "This is too big of a gift to give."

"Well..." Sunny rendered herself deep in contemplation as she adjusted the strap on her bass trombone case, "Just... take good care of her horn, okay? Treat it with love and respect. By that, I mean utilize it for your own musical enjoyment and growth. The horn wants you to succeed."

The horn wants you to succeed.

When Yoona died and gave away her horn, Sana realized that she seriously needed to do something great with her life.

I won't let Yoona down, thought Sana, I will do great things.

Sana worked her off from the moment she was granted that horn. Every night before attending her bed, Sana set five alarms for six o'clock in the morning, gleaming with the satisfaction that she had a drive to work ten times harder than before, all in order to access her dreams. She was the first person to turn up to rehearsals and warm up, sparing her enough time to run over the pieces for the day while everyone else was still setting up their instruments. By the next seating placement for the youth orchestra, Sana had skyrocketed from last chair to principal chair.

Naeun and the other hornists couldn't talk anymore. Sana was their leader now.

Monday: August 21, 2017

Sana and Jihyo's last year at SOTA, a public performing arts high school situated in San Francisco, had begun. At this rate, students would have an vague to definite idea of where they want to go after graduation, and thus make the necessary preparationg to do so. The hornist and violist discussed future plans over rice balls and mandu in the cafeteria while Chaeyoung just listened. Unexpectedly, Sana and Jihyo's plans were the same.

They both wanted to audition for the same institution.

Jihyo had already set this plan in stone since she was in elementary school, so she boasted her resume by winning string instrument competitions and taking masterclasses from violists within the famed institution itself. She also upheld principal viola within the youth orchestra.

Sana decided to audition there for a reason — not because of the name, not because of its high caliber, not because she expected a flourishing career after getting her degree, and surprisingly, not because she wanted to reunite with Mina Myoui. She wanted to better herself as a musician. New York City is home to a plethora of performance venues and opportunities for a performer to thrive. 

Also, Sana wanted to challenge herself by placing herself in an environment with other musicians that are just as seasoned as her, if not more.

That's so cool, Chaeyoung thought while mentally collecting Sana and Jihyo's words. Her ears didn't catch the name of the institution that they're auditoning for, though.

Then youth orchestra rehearsals came around. On the way back to the stage from the storage room, Chaeyoung almost dropped her cymbals case. A wild horn tutti from Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony sounded from one of the larger practice spaces. They were noticeably sloppy. It's Sana's second and last year as the youth orchestra's principal hornist and she had just received a new batch of hornists. No more Naeun, no more Haruka, no more Marius, no more Kyle, no more Gilbert, no more Peniel, and more importantly, no more Yoona. These kids are all fresh meat to Sana.

Sana moved her horn away from her lips and shut her eyes in exasperation, "The concert is this week and we're still at a rut from last month. When are we going to get this section down?" 

The younger hornists exchanged glances from around the semi-circle, trying to avoid Sana's glare.

"Again, please", Sana directed quietly, remaining her cool.

An ensemble of eight hornists replayed the offending secton of the first movement. They were terrible; cracked notes and poor intonation rained on the soundscape. You didn't have to be a hornist to tell how awful their playing was. It was nearly a disgrace to Shostakovich.

"Can we go home now?" Matthew, the fifth chair with a tongue as similiar to that of Naeun's, grunted.

"If you practiced as much as you run your mouth then we could've been home an hour ago", Sana's voice dropped dangerously severe, unsmiling.

"Are you serious?" Matthew began again.

"Did you think I was joking?" Sana retorted. Her patience had slipped.

The seven other hornists dropped their gaze to the floor amidst the cold silence. Chaeyoung, still lingering by the sidelines, had never seen Sana this angry before. But the dimunitive percussionist understood the situation. Had she been in Sana's position, she would be equally as aggravated.

Another hour later, Chaeyoung finished her own individual practice and was looking towards commuting home with Sana. She rounded the corner to the large practice room to find the lone hornist slant against the wall, eyelids dropped as she breathed heavily, occassionally snoring and whimpering. She's asleep, nestling her horn as if it were her teddy bear. Chaeyoung beamed at Sana's quiet beauty.

Sana's music folder is lying on the ground, listless. Chaeyoung bent over to scoop it up before opening it slowly and smiling. Kopprasch's etudes, Nielsen's Canto Serioso for horn and piano, excerpt from Wagner's Lohengrin, Glière's Horn Concerto, Prelude from Act. III of Massenet's Hérodiade — the folder's components are an array of horn pieces, sensitively cloaked by pristine sheet protectors. Sana's delicate handwriting weaved above and below the bars as well as to the margins of the paper. Chaeyoung read each and every one of them to herself.

"Take a breath here, use flutter tonguing here, regard the sforzando marking, play this softly as if you're carressing a child..."

One the very last page of the horn concerto, there was a tiny note scrawled on the bottom right corner of the page:

Aim for Juilliard :D

Oh my god. Chaeyoung cupped with her hand. Sana is auditioning for Juilliard.

The bubbly, talkative, and highly emotive Sana Minatozaki is going to audition for freaking Juilliard — the most prestigious performing arts conservatory in the world. Even though Chaeyoung is currently the principal percussionist, she didn't feel confident enough to try out for an institution with such tremendous appetency, let alone think about Juilliard by itself. It's no wonder why Sana had become serious about her craft and in her leadership.

Sana is truly amazing.

Chaeyoung wasn't set on stranding Sana in the concert hall. She snatched Sana's parka from the back of her chair and carefully lifted her horn from her hands, replacing it with the parka to act as her blanket. The percussionist then loosened her mouthpiece from the leadpipe and tucked it away in Sana's case, along with the full body of the horn itself. After locating a marimba cover from the storage room to use as her own personal blanket, Chaeyoung folded her coat into half and used it as a pillow.

"At least you're working hard", Chaeyoung whispered to the sleeping hornist.

August 2017 — April 2018

Light dazzled on the tall girl's golden hair as she flashed a smile at the audience sitting in front of her. 

Sana Minatozaki's eyes lit up at the scene — standing on the stage of the Davies' Symphony Hall and performing with the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. This all occurred while a pool of children and their parents sat there watching her and her friends with rapt attention, wide-eyed as Park Jihyo introduced the cast of Peter and the Wolf in her typical boisterous, over-excited voice. Sana gets to play the role of the evil, nasty wolf along with two other horn players. However, this quirky girl put a spin on the whole menacing demanor of the wolf by wearing adorable dog ears.

Sana took her bow and then sat down in her respective seat, tucking the lacy material of her black dress below her thighs. The children settled down, loud chatter diminishing to a soft whisper. She adjusted the mouthpiece to her lips and  in a deep breath.

Sana couldn't wait for this performance to begin.

During their last children's concert, Chaeyoung listened closely as Sana progressed through the principal horn part with such ease. The percussionist could only do this when there weren't any bass drum cues for her.

She held her breath with the horn's terrific reverb, she gripped her drumstick when her echoes clashed with the woodwinds and the strings, and she was very much on her tiptoes when her horn ripped through the wolf's ferocious phrases. It's just a children's song but Sana treated it with just as much respect and grandiosity as any orchestral piece deserved.

For the past few months, combined with the inspiration from Sana's massive improvement, Chaeyoung has been taking care of the hornist and ensuring that she's in good health. For example, Chaeyoung would even come over to Sana's house just to wrap her up in a blanket and stow away her horn in its case (Sana's mom usually arrives home after Chaeyoung does the deed).

If Sana were to miss a couple of school days, Chaeyoung would supplement her with class information and assignments after conversing with Jihyo, who is in a majority of Sana's classes. And on the days that Sana did come to school, she spent every lunch break and post-rehearsal with her horn, diligently practicing the audition pieces with intense concentration. In these instances, Chaeyoung will make lunch and dinner boxes for Sana since she doesn't spare time to prepare food herself. Sana would also ask Chaeyoung for honest feedback regarding her playing and if they're in the rehearsal area, the percussionist would join Sana in her practice sessions.  

Chaeyoung doesn't mind, though. She enjoyed the companionship, even if Sana's lips are strained and she can't talk. That's what sign language is for. Sana is proficient in it because she needs to communicate with her deaf mother and Chaeyoung has been studying the language for years, all in preparation for her deafness.

"You leave for New York tomorrow, right? For your audition?" Chaeyoung signed after laying down her mallets atop the marimba.

Sana nodded with numb lips.

"You need to go home and rest then", the percussionist adjured, "You have to be at the airport early tomorrow." 

The two girls gaped outside from the lucid glass walls of the lobby. There were barely any civilians wandering about at Civic Center and the Muni buses had begun to operate infrequently. Without any other youth orchestra members whispering in the halls or instruments sounding out, the nighttime scene at the Davies Symphony Hall proved to be an intimidating hangout.

"Yeah... let's go home", Chaeyoung reinstated.

"Sorry", Sana finally spoke, gathering her belongings and packing up, "I didn't mean to worry you. I wasn't keeping track of time."

"You're going to do great. You've worked so hard for this and if Juilliard doesn't accept you then that's their loss."

"It's okay, Chaeng", Sana assured in a soft-spoken voice, "I'm not doing this to gain Juilliard's approval, nor the rest of the hornists who are auditioning that day. I'm going to view the skill level of other musicians as well as challenge myself and gain some intense auditioning experience."

Tuesday: May 1, 2018

Today is the day.

Sana remembered the audition all too well, from her warm-up to the stiff panel of judges to the overhead lights intensifying the surface of her horn. The pieces came naturally and her fingers knew every single note, but she did deviate from each composer's intention. Not a single word was shared between Sana and the adjudicators except, "Thank you. We will try to keep in touch with you."

And Sana's name was on the call-back list, along with Jihyo's and Mina's. The adjudicators, which were composed of faculty members, for the second cut told Sana the exact same words: "Thank you. We will try to keep in touch with you."

She didn't think that they were interested in her.

Now Sana and Chaeyoung are sitting in a circle at Golden Gate Park's Chinese Pavillion. Despite the shade provided by the rooftop, Chaeyoung could still feel the sun's rays firing on her forehead, beading with sweat as she eyed the numb hornist with such consolidation. Ducks and geese drifting Stow Lake mocked her imploring voice as she begged Sana to open the blue letter with Juilliard's logo inscribed on the front.

"Open it!" the percussion demanded, "The longer we wait, the more anxious I become. And the more anxious Jihyo will become waiting for your text."

"Why would Jihyo be nervous? She already got accepted into Juilliard", Sana snorted.

That's right. Jihyo had received her acceptance letter the night before and Sana was met with overjoyed crying over the phone. Sana wasn't surprised because she had always known that Jihyo was a gifted musician. Such traits came with the violist's absolute ear.

"So, Sana. Will you open the letter?" the percussionist tapped her fingers against the tabletop, impatient.

"I— HEY!"

"If you're not going to open it then I will!" Chaeyoung declared as she seized the ornate letter from Sana's fingertips, now unsealing the envelope and extracting the actual letter within it. She read all of its contents to herself in a low whisper.

Oh my god. 

"I didn't get in, right?" Sana assumed from reading Chaeyoung's shocked expression, "Oh well! Better luck ne—"

"You did get in."

Sana was still in a state of disbelief. Chaeyoung handed the letter over and told her to read it with her own eyes. The hornist in a deep breath and bit her lip as her eyes frantically searched for the key word — Congratulations. It didn't take her very long to locate it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Sana, 

Congratulations! It gives me tremendous pleasure to inform you that the Juilliard Brass faculty and the Committee on Admissions have granted you admission to the Classical Music - Bachelor of Music program at The Juilliard School for the 2018-19 academic year. Enrollment at Juilliard is an opportunity to join a community of accomplished performing artists from around the world in an exciting and challenging education. We would like to extend to you every encouragement to join us in the fall.

Studio Assignment:
You have been tentatively assigned to study with Dr. Friedrich Scholz.

Financial Aid:
Information about how to access your financial aid award online will be e-mailed to you tomorrow. If you have any questions after receiving your financial aid information, please contact the Financial Aid Office. The phone number and e-mail address is on Juilliard's website. You may also visit the Financial Aid Office personally from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Enrolling at Juilliard:
You will need to let Juilliard know your decision about where you will enroll in the fall by 7/6/2018. Your response, and a required $250 deposit if enrolling, may be submitted online through the website.

Do not hesitate to call the Admissions Office with any questions or concerns. We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you to the Juilliard community! Thank you for auditioning and we hope to see you in the future.

Sincerely, 
Carolina Medina
Associate Dean for Admissions

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I told y—"

The percussionist lost her breath when she caught a leaping Sana in her arms. 

Chaeyoung tried to reiterate her point, "I told you that you can do it."

Yoona's horn had become one with Sana now and she's playing it to its greatest capacity. All of the other hornists in Sana's section had the ability to read notes on a page and replicate it, but Sana was a different case. Her musicianship, artistic sensitivity, and unrelenting determination is what made her stand out. Chaeyoung saw an eternal light diffusing from not the sun's rays, but from the girl snuggling her.

"I couldn't have done it without you", Sana's arms squeezed the small girl a fraction tighter. The yolk-looking sun hung higher without strings or supports, stretching its fingers across the sky blue canvas. Chaeyoung's breathing slowed, her body melting from the warmth of Sana's embrace.

But like Sana said, she would've not been able to make this achievement without Chaeyoung's moral support. Chaeyoung had been surveying Sana all the way up until her audition in February, and then again after she returned to San Francisco from her live audition in New York City. They maintained this tradeoff of supporting each other even after Sana moved back to New York City to attend Juilliard.

And just like Sana wanted to accomplish great things for Yoona, Chaeyoung wanted to accomplish great things for Sana.

August 2018 — May 2019

After separation from Sana at SFO's security checkpoint, Chaeyoung immediately hit the ground running.

Chaeyoung put aside her free time in favor of practicing — interminably, persistently. By following Sana's example, she knew that she didn't have time to waste. The comfort of video game consoles and bookshelves in her bedroom were replaced with the Davies Symphony Hall's storage room and the odd tools of a percussionist's trade: marimba, glockenspiel, xylophone, vibraphone, crotales, tubular bells, cowbell, snare drums, bass drum, timpani, tom-toms, gongs, cymbals, triangles, castenets, tambourines, and wood blocks.

Percussion dictated Chaeyoung's life from day-in and day-out. If she didn't have a drum, she'd be beating sticks against school binders on the Muni bus. If she didn't have a tambourine, she'd tap on the surface of her desk as if it were its skin head. She'd even dream of percussion in her sleep.

Sana learned of Chaeyoung's tough grind from one of the younger horn colleagues. Time and again, she'd text Chaeyoung to ask if she's okay. Chaeyoung's hands were usually too brittle to reply back. But she had hope that she was going to reunite with Sana in New York City soon.

By the time her Juilliard audition came around the corner, Chaeyoung's hands were tattooed with bruises and skin started to peel off her knuckles.

She smiled.

Why? Because while she was so immersed in her practice, she forgot about her impending deafness. Each intense session trained Chaeyoung in how to feel the music within different parts of her body apart from her ears, starting from her toes to her fingertips.

The judging panel still sported the same stale faces as Sana had explained, but that didn't stop Chaeyoung from carrying out the audition of her life. As she slowly picked up her sticks and crossed over the stage to the xylophone, she prepared for Kabalevsky's Overture to Colas Bruegnon without twitching her wrists. A deluge of euphoria shot up her veins until she reached her final piece — Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade on the snare drum.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Chaeyoung, 

Congratulations! It gives me tremendous pleasure to inform you that the Juilliard Percussion faculty and the Committee on Admissions have granted you admission to the Classical Music - Bachelor of Music program at The Juilliard School for the 2019-20 academic year. Enrollment at Juilliard is an opportunity to join a community of accomplished performing artists from around the world in an exciting and challenging education. We would like to extend to you every encouragement to join us in the fall.

Studio Assignment:
You have been tentatively assigned to study with Dr. Maxmillian Dupré.

Financial Aid:
Information about how to access your financial aid award online will be e-mailed to you tomorrow. If you have any questions after receiving your financial aid information, please contact the Financial Aid Office. The phone number and e-mail address is on Juilliard's website. You may also visit the Financial Aid Office personally from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Enrolling at Juilliard:
You will need to let Juilliard know your decision about where you will enroll in the fall by 7/5/2019. Your response, and a required $250 deposit if enrolling, may be submitted online through the website.

Do not hesitate to call the Admissions Office with any questions or concerns. We look forward to hearing from you and welcoming you to the Juilliard community! Thank you for auditioning and we hope to see you in the future.

Sincerely, 
Carolina Medina
Associate Dean for Admissions

------------------------------------------------------------------------

I did it, Sana. I did it.