The howling of wind signified a terribly cold autumn night. Party goers dotted the streets and alleys nevertheless clad in leather jackets and thick coats, brushing past her as they headed for their Friday night destinations. Oddly enough no tears would spill from her eyes despite how aggrieved she felt and she only clenched her teeth as she willed herself not to wobble in her stilettos. Surely no one would help her if she fell and as she glanced at the smiles and chatters surrounding her, a wave of injustice bubbled within her.

Liyin hated life. Hate was a strong word, but she could never find another word to replace her emotions. She had a perfectly salaried job which was more than sufficient for her parents to live in comfort after slogging their youths away for her, but the perfectness came flawed. She was made to report for work at 8 in the morning and she often stayed behind to prepare reports and sales pitches. Her three meals consisted of sandwiches and takeaways and Liyin couldn’t remember the last time she had a home cooked meal. She barely saw her parents anymore. When she did, her parents would always be all smiles, marveling at their good fortune in raising a capable daughter. How could she tell them that she hated living life like a robot? Instead of friends, she had colleagues. And instead of home, she spent more time in the office.

Perhaps it was precisely because of that reason that her bastard of a boss laid eyes on her. It started with offering to send her home after working late nights in the office. He would insist on taking her out for supper before dropping her at her doorstep, and somehow he would always be there to take her to work the next morning. She had initially dismissed it as him being a caring boss after seeing how she toiled for the company. He likes to swing by her table with coffee and cakes which she would accept gratefully but she eventually realized that something was amiss when she caught her fellow colleagues discussing how the boss was giving her preferential treatment. ‘’ was amongst the terms used to describe her who always accepted her married boss’ kindness. Reality hit her hard indeed when she confronted the man and he confessed to having fond feelings for her. Little did she know that it would be the start of her misery?

“Watch where you’re going!” Liyin stumbled and fell when a group of aggressive looking teens brushed past her. Her grip on her handbag loosened and her documents spilled, but the group paid her no heed as they trampled over the pristine white sheets. Curling her knees towards her chest, she allowed her hair to fall over her face, temporarily shielding her from the rest of the world as she fought for air to enter her lungs. Tears were finally stinging her eyes but still, they wouldn’t fall. God forbid, the group of them must’ve secretly thought she was a as well with her torn stockings and blouse messily tucked back into her pencil skirt.
“Are you okay?” a warm hand placed itself on her shoulder and she gasped aloud, breaking out of her reverie as she clambered away from him. “Here, let me help you.” there was the sound of papers shuffling before a neat stack was presented to her.
“Th-thank you.” she stuttered as she snatched her belongings from him, fixing her gaze on his hands so she wouldn’t accidentally come into contact with him. She had already spun around when she felt his hand on her shoulder again and this time she shrieked as she jumped away from him. “Get away from me!”
“Liyin?” the owner of the voice sounded confused yet familiar at the same time and she finally lifted her head to look at the mystery man. “What’s wrong, Liyin?”

///

“Okay class; please book your final consultations with me if you require any assistance. Otherwise, I’ll see you guys again in a month’s time for your performance. Good luck and I look forward to your beautiful pieces of music!” the class’ response was a mixture of excited cheers and groans. It was tradition for the graduating class to perform at the school’s yearend recital. It was a showcase of their abilities and various leaders of the music industry would grace the event in order to find the next talent they could groom.
“Liyin!” her partner sidled into the empty seat beside hers and rested his head on her lap before grinning at her. “I already booked us a music studio every day for the next few weeks. I’m sure we’ll be able to perfect our piece by then!”
“Really?” she eyes twinkled in amazement. “It should be all booked out by now! How did you do it?”
“I have my ways.” He chuckled mischievously.
“Jongdae,” she narrowed her eyes on him before smacking him in the tummy and he doubled over before raising both hands in the air.
“I made deals with the other groups to buy them lunches and dinner until graduation.”
“Are you crazy?! That’s a lot of money!”
Her boyfriend shrugged. “We’re graduating in a month anyway. We can always make more money once we debut as a duo!”
How is she supposed to tell him that she won’t be able to debut as a singer with him?

Her mother was still bent over the sewing machine when Jongdae sent Liyin home that night and her father had dozed off on the couch, still dressed in his work clothes with briefcase in hand. Sneaking up behind her mother, she s her arms around her and pulled her into a back hug. “I’m home, Ma.”
“How’s school today? Preparing for the showcase coming along okay?” her mother looked exhausted as she pushed herself up from the table. “I’ll heat dinner up for you and your father. Look at him, he’s been sleeping since he got home!”
Sitting down beside her father, she deftly removed the briefcase from his grasp. “School’s okay, Jongdae’s really responsible.” She gently shook him by his shoulders and his father jolted awake immediately.
“He’s a good boy.” She heard her mother commenting from the kitchen and smiled.

Jongdae really is a good boy. He’s well mannered and filial towards adults yet he retains a juvenile side that’s reserved for friends. Liyin could always count on him to cheer her up whenever she’s down and he’d be the energizer she needs when she’s tired. He first caught her eye as a prankster in class in their junior year and she would do everything to steer clear of him. She thought she was doomed when she got paired up with him for the first major project and she had mentally calculated the points she would require to graduate with honors after this failed project. Little did she know that he possessed a melodious voice with a range that blended perfectly with hers? Paired with her violin, they had actually placed first in class for that project and it was the beginning of their relationship.

“I thought you went home?” Liyin whispered as she snuck out of her house in the wee hours, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she joined her boyfriend at the bench. Jongdae was quick to drape his jacket over her before zipping it up securely. He then laced his fingers through one of her hands before tucking them into his pocket, grinning at her all these while.
“I went home, but I missed you, so I came back.”
“You know we’re meeting in school in less than six hours, right?” she covered her yawn with her free hand. “Besides, it’s going to be a long day with rehearsals.”
“I know. But I wanna see you now.” he whined while shaking his shoulders back and forth which elicited a smile from her.
“You’re such a kid.” Resting her head on his shoulder so he’d stop moving, she closed her eyes. “Sing me a song since you’re here. I’m sleepy.”
“What do you want to hear?”
“Your voice.”

The sun was nearly up when Jongdae shook her awake and they practically ran so she could sneak back home before anyone realized she’d spent the night out. Pressing a quick kiss on Jongdae’s cheek before she disappeared behind the