It was just an ordinary day. I was skulking around the music shop, like I did almost everyday, picking up CDs and books and music sheets, and even occasionally playing a new instrument that just arrived.

 

You might wonder why I’m always there. Well, it’s because the shop belongs to my uncle, and I agreed to help out during the summer. But I loved it here. The smell of instrument strings, wood and music sheets always greeted me whenever I walked into the shop.

 

The shop was just a tiny one, but God knows you could feel the sacredness in this place. Everything music was sacred here. Music ran deep in my family’s veins, it coursed through my very blood.

 

“Wonbin-ah?” my Uncle Taeshik called. I put down the cloth I was using to polish a trombone and ran to the store front.

 

“Yeah, what’s up, Uncle?” I asked, eager to do anything he asked me to.

 

“I need you to go pick up the new violin strings from the supplier, can you handle that?”

 

“Sure I can,” I said. “Except that I’ve never gone before.”

 

“Silly boy, I’ll give you directions of course. Can’t let my precious nephew get lost in Seoul, can we?” He chuckled and handed me a piece of paper with the directions to the supplier’s house.

 

I blinked. “I have to go to his house?” I asked incredulously.

 

“Yep, he works mainly from there. He couldn’t send the strings today because he has back ache,” he explained. “Well it shouldn’t be too hard for a boy like you to do this for me, right?”

 

“Sure, of course.”

 

“Good boy.”

 

“Woof,” I said automatically.

 

In less than five minutes I was on my bike, riding towards the Parks’ residence. Mr. Park lived in a nice neighborhood, I noted. It was unlike those crammed housing areas I was so used to. This area was big and airy. It also had its portion of trees and gardens.

 

I found the house easily enough; it was a large white building. Well it was pretty obvious, because it clearly said ‘Park Residence’ on a silver plaque outside the big white gate. 

 

I parked my bike outside the gate and took my helmet off. I nervously walked over to the gate and rang the doorbell.

 

“Who is it?” a female voice asked over the intercom.

 

“Uh, Oh Wonbin, from Oh Music Store. I’m here to pick up the violin strings from Mr. Park?” I said nervously.

 

I heard the sound of a buzzer and the gate opened. I stepped through and was greeted by a young girl about my age. Her welcoming smile stunned me for a moment there. She was really pretty, with long, curling brown hair and huge brown eyes.

 

My mouth hung open. I had not expected this.

 

“Um, are you okay?” she asked, looking at me quizzically.

 

I snapped myself out of it. “Yeah. Um, where’s Mr. Park?”

 

“Oh, Dad’s resting. He has back ache. And so, here you are.” She handed me a package.

 

I looked dumbly at it. “These are the strings you wanted?” she prompted.

 

I grabbed the package roughly from her hands and held my head down to hide the sudden blush that had crept up my neck. “Thanks,” I said gruffly and headed out the gate.

 

“Wait,” she called.

 

“What?” I turned around to look at her.

 

“My name’s Jinmi, if you were wondering.” She laughed. “Bye now.”

 

I was baffled.

 

 

 

Xxx

Weeks passed at the store, but I still couldn’t forget her. Who did she think she was, creeping in my mind, even in my dreams? I couldn’t seem to get her off my mind. I mentally wished for her to go away, but she mocked me night after night, laughing at me during my sleep.

 

What is happening to you, Oh Wonbin? Why is some chick taking over your mind?

 

Then one day I saw her again. I instantly recognized her, probably because of the constant dreams I had about her.

 

She waved at me as she walked into our store. Well, apparently she remembered me too. I walked up to her and asked,” What brings you here?”

 

“Hello Wonbin,” she greeted. “It’s nice seeing you again too.”

 

“Oh. Um.” I ran a hand through my hair. “Jinmi, right?” As if I didn’t remember.

 

“Duh. Well let’s get down to business. I’m here to replace some violin pegs, can you do that?”

 

“Of course I can. Just give me your violin and I’ll do it. It might take a while though, so you can come back to the store later.” Anything to get rid of this witch.

 

“Oh no, I’m fine, I can wait,” she said. And she winked. SHE WINKED. Good God, could she read my mind?!

 

As I unscrewed the old pegs from the burgundy-colored violin, I watched her out of the corner of my eye. She strolled along the aisles of instruments until she came to an upright piano. She touched the keys with her long slender fingers and played a soft melody.

 

She then sat on the stool and began to play a song, one that had me thinking of flying and reaching for the stars.

 

When she was done, I was dumbstruck.

 

“That was beautiful,” I say despite my annoyance towards her.

 

She curtseyed. “Thank you. It’s a Jinmi original.”

 

“Wow.” I was seriously impressed. “What’s it called?”

 

She bit her lip in thought. “I haven’t named it, actually,” she confessed. “You name it.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

 

 

Xxx

I stood before the crowd, with a single spotlight above me and my guitar. I played the beginning of that song, the song she had taught me. I played it with passion, with belief in every fiber of my being. I played until my spirit soared, and my voice reached the heavens and the stars.

 

And when it was all over, I took in the roar of applause as the sweat dripped down my face.

 

“Thank you,” I said to the audience. “That was To The Star.”

 

It had been years since I last saw Park Jinmi. But she was always with me, telling me to reach for the stars with her song.

 

 

 

 

 

The endddd.