The four of them were in the living room. Kyuhyun, Donghae, and Yoona attentively listen to the story of Grandma Yuri. (A/N: Yuri is Seohyun’s older sister and yes, Yuri is already old here.)

“Seohyun was a frail child. At a young age, she was diagnosed with a heart disease, the same heart disease that killed our mother a few years earlier. Seohyun did not have a normal childhood life like the other children. She could not play with them because she got so tired easily. So she just stayed inside the house and her only leisure is to play the piano. Two years later, our family settled in this isolated area to avoid the stressful life at the city.

As she was approaching the teen years, she became fond of roses so father decided to build that rose garden there. She also placed a piano there so that Seohyun would not be confined inside the house. One day, a young man got lost in the forest and found his way to the garden where Seohyun was playing a beautiful music on the piano.

Growing up without friends, the thought of meeting a new person and the possibility of making friends amused Seohyun. I still could remember how excited she was while telling me about their meeting. That guy was Kui Xian, a half Chinese half Korean, his family stayed at the nearby villa.”

Yuri showed Kyuhyun an old picture of Kui Xian and indeed they really looked alike. “You could be identical twins,” Donghae commented then he asked Yuri, “Halmeonim, is the villa that you are talking about, the one that we are living in now?”

“Probably,” Yuri answered and then she continued the story.

“Since then, they will meet everyday at the garden until one day, Seohyun asked me one question. She asked me how it was to love. I asked her the reason behind that question and she answered, ‘I think I’m falling in love with Kui Xian.’ Our father heard about this and he forbade Seohyun from meeting Kui Xian again. He was afraid that Kui Xian would hurt Seohyun. There was a curfew and she was not allowed to go to the garden without me. But Kui Xian was persistent. He begged me to let him see Seohyun and he even went to this house to talk to father. Seeing his sincerity, father eventually approved of their relationship. However, the day came when Kui Xian needed to go back to China. Before he left, he promised Seohyun -”

 “That he’ll be back. He will be with her forever and always. Even if he were to be born again, it will be only her,” Kyuhyun ended the sentence for her. Yuri looked at him and was shocked that he knew the exact words. Donghae stared at him open-mouthed.  

“I saw it in my dream,” Kyuhyun breathed.

“Yes, that’s the exact thing that he promised. But besides that, he also prepared a big surprise for her. He planned to propose to her once that he’s back from China. Unfortunately, he was not able to do that.” There was a pregnant pause and then Yuri said, “Kui Xian was killed.”

Gasps could be heard from both Donghae and Yoona. “Such a heartbreaking story,” Yoona said.

“Was he shot by a girl named Hwang Miyoung?” Kyuhyun asked.

Yuri nodded. Donghae and Yoona turned to him once again. “It was the nightmare that always haunted me.” Kyuhyun said.

“Hwang Miyoung is Kui Xian’s former lover. She had gone deranged when she heard that Kui Xian was planning to get married to another girl. It drove her crazy.” Yuri narrated. As Yuri was saying this, he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his chest. He clutched it and Donghae noticed it.

“Are you okay, Kyu?” Donghae asked him.

“Yeah, I’ll be alright,” Kyuhyun said trying to control the pain. That scene suddenly flashed back to him.

“Kui Xian!” Miyoung cried. “If you are not going to be mine, you better die! That way, that girl will suffer too. I can’t let the two of you be happy.” Then she shot her.

“Was she caught grandma?” Yoona asked.

“Yes, but she also killed herself. When the police was about to arrest her, she pointed the gun to her head and shot herself.” Yuri answered.

“Here goes most difficult part. It was how to tell Seohyun that Kui Xian was already gone.... forever gone. We were worried if her feeble heart would be able to endure such pain. So we hid it from her. It was the truth only she didn’t know. We said that Kui Xian’s flight was just delayed. Father and I attended the funeral without her knowledge.

You can’t imagine how I was hurting everytime I saw her each day hoping…”Yuri paused for the tears were already swelling in her eyes. “… Hoping for something that will never be. Everyday she would play the piece that Kui Xian composed for her.”

Yuri pulled out of the box a music sheet. It was already yellowed by time and its edges were already tattered. Kyuhyun read the title. “Call With All My Heart,” he muttered. “This was the song we sang together in the garden. We played the piano together.” Kyuhyun said.

Yoona stared at him. “That piano did not work anymore,” she said. “Right, grandma?” She turned to Yuri who also agreed.

“But-“ He stopped himself. He did not try to reason out anymore since it would be of no use. He thought that this only could happen to movies or stories but here he was, in this unbelievable situation.

“Days became weeks and Kui Xian still did not show up. Seohyun started asking questions.”

“Yuri-unnie, where is Kui Xian? Why has he not come back yet? Does he leave me already? Unnie, I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING.” Seohyun asked shaking Yuri.

Yuri had run out of excuses so she told Seohyun the truth. “Kui Xian… is not coming back… anymore. He is dead, Hyunie.”

Seohyun shook her head. “No… you’re – you’re just kidding right? Hedoes not break promises. He’ll be back, unnie,” river of tears flowed along her cheeks. Yuri cupped her face and wiped her tears. “Hyunie, it’s the truth. I’m so sorry.”

“NO!” Seohyun cried. She pulled the mantle on the cabinet and all the things that were placed there ended up on the ground, shattered. Broken pieces were all scattered on the floor. Seohyun broke down and fell onto the floor. She was deeply saddened. She was crying heavily. Screams of grief escaped from her lips and all Yuri could do was to embrace her.

“He promised me, unnie… He will not leave me… This isn’t true. He isn’t gone.” Seohyun sobbed.

“He did not want it to happen either. Just be strong, Seohyun. Be strong, for him.” Yuri said to her and slowly she felt Seohyun’s hold on her was loosening. Seohyun gasped and clutched her chest. She was having difficulty breathing.

“Seohyun!” Yuri called as Seohyun lost her consciousness.

A week later, Seohyun was released from the hospital and they visited Kui Xian’s grave. There was no more crying for Seohyun refused to believe that Kui Xian died. She created her own delusion. She did not even take a glimpse of the grave. She just stared blankly on the space in front of her.

“Unnie, what are we doing here? Appa, let’s go home already. Kui Xian-oppa might be back already,” Seohyun said while walking away.

As each day passed, Seohyun had become weaker and weaker but she still kept on believing that Kui Xian would be back. She would stay in the garden until the wee hours, waiting and playing the piano.

One fateful day, Seohyun asked Yuri to bring her to the rose garden. She was already in a wheelchair for she was already too weak to stand and the pink shade on her cheeks was slowly fading away. She was getting paler each day. Yuri gently pushed her near the piano.

“Unnie,” Seohyun said weakly. “Do you know… that Kui Xian never breaks promises? He will be back…” Seohyun was already struggling in her speech. It took great effort for her to utter those sentences. “In this place…  I know he will remember it.”

“Of course, he will remember. You will be together forever, right?” Yuri said while crying.

Seohyun smiled. “I will be waiting for him…” she whispered. Her eyelids were getting heavier and Yuri knew that it would be the end soon… The doctor already warned them.

“…until the next life.”

Seohyun’s arms fell limply on the sides of her wheelchair.    

And that was Seohyun’s last breath.

“SEOHYUN!!!” Yuri cried.

Yuri’s story ended. Yoona was wiping her tears and Donghae sat closer and comfort her by lending his shoulder to her. Kyuhyun was just speechless afterward.

“Kyuhyun-shi, do you believe in reincarnation? The possibility that a person’s soul is sent again on earth to handle their unfinished business?” Yuri asked him. “I think…” Yuri took his hand and put it over his chest. “I think the soul of Kui Xian is trapped inside you.”

He seemed to found the answer to the mysteries surrounding him. His keen liking to Chinese-related things, his ease to learn Mandarin, the fact that he could sing the song upon the first time hearing it, and he could not deny his heart that always yearn for Seohyun; all these things… these were the answers he had been looking for.

Yuri pulled another box from Seohyun’s old things. It was a small simple white box but when Yuri opened it, there was a diamond ring carved into the shape of a rose.

“This was the engagement ring that Kui Xian bought for Seohyun,” She said. Kyuhyun took the ring. Upon holding the ring, he felt a sudden sharp pain in his head. It was throbbing painfully and when he closed his eyes, he saw various flashbacks. Kui Xian’s memories were coming back to him.

There was a sudden jolt and he was fine again. “I remember now… everything,” Kyuhyun said.

“Where I can see Seohyun again?” He asked, teary-eyed.

“We buried her in the rose garden. That’s her wish,” Yuri said.

The four of them walked into the garden with Yoona and Yuri leading the way, Yoona guiding her grandmother. They opened the door and walked at the center. Yuri kicked the dried leaves away and there it was revealed in Kyuhyun and Donghae’s eyes the tombstone of Seohyun.

Kwon Seohyun

Died: November 15, 1961

Then suddenly, a dove flew inside and perched on the piano. They all looked up and in an instant the dove transformed into a beautiful lady…

End of the Chapter

A/N: Two chapters to go...