"So, what are you playing today?"

When she steps on the the stage inside the school hall, violin in hand, she didn't expect to have all the other students who auditioned to be there also. She was late due to the group project meeting that she held after school. She didn't think it was compulsory to attend from the beginning, she had intended to come for her turn only. Looking around, it feels as if she is back in the competition.

Below the stage, there seated a row of judges, 1 of them seems to be the music teacher, and the other three seems to be the upperclassmen, from the look of a used uniform with judgement in their face. One particular face strikes some familiarity in her memory. A smile of victory rests there. The guy with the reckless way of playing who passed to the nationals. She remains undisturbed by his existence. 

"Before that, let me introduce myself. I'm Park Sooyoung and today I will be playing Violin Concerto in E Minor by Mendelssohn," she replies then bows to the crowd. No matter where, you have to know your manners as a musician, she always reminds herself.

Taking a deep breath, she blinds out all existence besides hers, and begins.

She ignores the whisperings that settles since she takes the stage of her glorious achievements, labels stamped upon her head without her permission. It irritates her to be surrounded by people who assume too much of herself. She loathes it and spills it out to her playing, which make some of them tremble and fearful in their seat with such force that is displayed by her. The sound of shy giggles grate her ears also, contestants who participate just to get into the club for the sake of being close to handsome and gorgeous upperclassmens. Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense. This is no place for pushovers who take music as a joke. 

The movements of her arms, bow in hand to graze at the strings in ways she hope to deliver the piece and her means, visions and dreams, it is all declared in such a strong way everyone is forced to remember it. Her mother says this for the first and the last time when she was 6, that she is an honest violinist, her emotions and mood easily overtakes the atmosphere of her playing. Her mother assumes that it is all the contained emotions resulting from her silence. When she told her this while she stands at the young age of eleven, she knew that she should learn to place where her feelings should be channeled. Now, where following the sheet doesn't matter, she'll just let it all burst out. It is the first time for her to play this way in front of a real audience, besides herself.

By the end of the performance, a slip of a small smile of contentment slips through her lips. 

When it comes to an end, half-hearted claps are heard throughout the hall. Sooyoung doesn't really pay any attention to the crowd whose whispers have gotten louder. 

"Good job there. You didn't play according to the sheet, didn't you?" The young male music teacher asks inquisitively, tapping the edge of his pen to the clipboard that contains a list of people who line up for the orchestra. 

"It wasn't mentioned that I have to play according to the sheet,"
She replies bluntly, in which the teacher nods back in agreement, though with a bit of uncertainty.

The upperclassmen who have been silently observing her, hands propped in the table, finally speaks out. "Mr. Nam, I think based on her performance just now, it is enough evidence to make our judgement." Whilst this man is talking, she listens to lovely sighs of girls as if they are being swept to the sky by his mere voice, their knees knocked down by his mere presence. She can see why; the kind of guy who makes people want to unravel themselves, to be seen as something different by someone seemingly of a special entity.

For a few moments, they whisper between themselves for a while and then come to a conclusion that she doesn't need to redo her performance. 

"The results will be announced on the day after tomorrow in the school's board. Good luck!" The irritatingly, familiar voice dripping with sarcasm echoes to her ears. Yoon Jeonghan with his accentuated cheeks shows more smirk than she'd like to see.

She barely gives a small smile and exits the stage after taking a bow.