“Eunbi yah,” Yuna starts off carefully, “I met my professor from school the other day, and he invited me to join a strings ensemble he’s set up last year. HSE, Hongik Strings Ensemble,” Yuna explains, trying to hide the jitters within her. The memory of Eunbi telling her about SSO countless times has been nagging at her since she had accepted her professor’s invitation to the ensemble.

“You did?” Eunbi straightens herself and drops her hands. 

“Y-Yeah,” Yuna stammers, “there are also quite many people I’ve known before in the ensemble,” she timidly adds. “There aren’t many people as of yet so it’s still chamber size, but I don’t think they’re setting a limit. My professor invited me after knowing that I’ve moved to Seoul,” Yuna continues explaining, her words short and quick as anxiety grows within her.

Eunbi doesn’t answer but silently stands up and shuffles her feet as she hurriedly enters her bedroom, not forgetting to shut the door behind her.

Yuna’s eyes linger on the closed door while she releases a deep, troubled sigh. 

Eunbi jumps into her bed right when she shuts the door behind her. Burying her face in her pillows, Eunbi clenches her fists shut. She starts to feel beads of sweat forming on the back of her neck as anger rises up within her. 

Eunbi doesn’t know why she’s this angry at Yuna. Eunbi doesn’t know why she has been hoping so much for Yuna to be with her in SSO as well. Eunbi finds that half of her rage is directed at herself for having false expectations of a housemate she has known for only two months, guilty for having hoped for too much from Yuna, yet feeling offended when she’s spoken to Yuna so much about SSO and brought up the auditions countless times only to find out that Yuna has joined a strings ensemble by the invitation of her professor. 

Eunbi sees why Yuna wouldn’t object that invitation. Eunbi knows who Yuna’s professor is, and Eunbi knows how much followership he has and how accomplished he is as a musician and conductor both locally and internationally. Eunbi was in fact at first shocked to find out how lucky Yuna was to have landed in Dankook just when he was a professor there. Rumours have been going around that as he’s gradually ageing he’s decided to stay put in the homeland, and as such set up a strings ensemble, where he would coach as a music director, alongside a dear friend who’s almost equally accomplished and would be the chief conductor. That must be the one that Yuna is going to join. 

With such a prestigious reputation, there’s obviously nothing wrong with that, Eunbi knows, but she’s just fuming mad. Eunbi’s mad that Yuna’s always doing the opposite of what Eunbi wishes for. Firstly, it was the date- Yuna denies any comment calling it a date but it still piques Eunbi- that Yuna had agreed to go with that high school friend who Eunbi feels obviously still has a thing for Yuna. Eunbi doesn’t know and is not in the mood for the analysis of why she wishes Yuna had rejected him but she basically hates it. And Eunbi basically hates it as well that Yuna has not any intentions in joining the orchestra she is in but went against her pleads for a professor’s invitation instead. Eunbi finds herself to be perpetually questioning her own thoughts and feelings. She releases a final groan filled with immense displeasure and exasperation. 

As the sound of the piano fills up the silence in the house, Eunbi lies still in her bed. Yuna is back at practising, as Eunbi guesses, and Eunbi’s anger slowly dissipates as she listens to the music. “Strauss,” she mutters as her lips curve into a small smile. After all, as a musician, music is the ultimate way to her heart and she cannot resist any form of good music. 

After tossing and turning in her bed for a while, Eunbi decides to give in and musters the courage to return back to the living room. She finds that it is hard to immediately give Yuna support in joining HSE, yet she knows that it is Yuna’s decision- the cellist had her mind on a chamber ensemble from the start anyway- and she must respect it.

When Yuna continues practising for another hour, she doesn’t realise that Eunbi has been on the couch watching her practise until she stands up for some water. 

“Were you here the whole time?” Yuna asks despite having guessed the answer. 

“Ah,” Eunbi finds herself on the spot for an explanation. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be watching you practise,” she sheepishly says.

“No!” Yuna feels bad for receiving an apology out of nothing. If anything, the apology should come from Yuna who feels guilty for the lack of an explanation on her part. “Don’t be sorry,” she says over the sound of running water.

“No! I know how uncomfortable it is to have the uninvited presence of someone when learning new pieces or practising details,” Eunbi apologetically replies.

“Well, you let me listen to you practise, so it's the same,” Yuna ends her statement with a smile. Something at the back of Yuna’s mind tells her that Eunbi isn’t just a someone. Yuna is baffled by the thought, but pushes the confusion aside as she realises how Eunbi’s presence in her life has somehow been a source of magic for her days that she would never have ever expected living. Come to think of it, the past two months have been the happiest for her in a while; no tears, no slamming of tables and breaking of objects, but a home that she actually wants to return to. It makes her heart ache even more that Eunbi had been eager for Yuna to try out for SSO’s auditions, but she completely hadn’t done as Eunbi had persuaded.

Not knowing how to apologise yet feeling the weight of the guilt, Yuna searches for words she could start with. “I’m sorry I can’t be home tomorrow with those lessons I suddenly have to take on,” Yuna says after a sigh. 

“What? Don’t say that!” Eunbi narrows her eyes. “I won’t be home tomorrow either.”

“You won’t be?” Yuna answers with a clueless question. 

“Did I not tell you?” Eunbi mutters as she scratches her head in diffidence, “I’m going over to Incheon to meet a friend tomorrow,” she explains, slumped in her shoulders. 

“Ah!” Yuna raises a hand to . “I remember now, your best friend from the conservatory, right?” 

“Yes!” 

“I’m sorry I forgot,” Yuna chuckles while returning to the piano for more practice. 

Eunbi sighs again, not knowing how to respond to Yuna’s repeated apologies. She knows that the cellist is just too kind-hearted and she herself will never match up to that compassion. She recalls her initial frustration about Yuna joining HSE without her knowledge, and finds that she has nothing to blame Yuna about. Eunbi starts to feel remorse pile up within her. 

“Unnie, you’re really oblivious sometimes,” she mutters, her eyes down on her fidgeting fingers. Eunbi feels way too blessed to have met Yuna. Internally she beats herself up for holding it against Yuna that she did not come to join SSO, and knows it was just her own selfish wishes to wish to share the stage with Yuna someday.

The sudden sentimentality in her seems to motivate her to open up. “You know, I was thinking, I still do feel a little pity for giving up on the piano, but I’m glad that gave way to the clarinet and I feel blessed the way things are now,” Eunbi speaks with her eyes unfocused, “watching you practise just made me recall things and feel a little sentimental.”

“Really?” Yuna turns around from the piano bench to face Eunbi. 

“Ah, I'll tell you this another time,” Eunbi shakes her head and waves a lifeless hand at Yuna. Eunbi doesn't feel like talking about it now, nor does she see the importance of bringing it up at a time like this. “I'm fine, don't worry about me!” she lightly chuckles when she sees Yuna's crestfallen eyes, though her chuckle sounds way too pathetic to be a laughter. 

“I’m sorry about joining HSE instead,” Yuna apologises again, finally mustering the courage to bring it up again.

Eunbi sighs, the number of frowns and apologies she’s been receiving from Yuna that day seeming too much to bear. 

“I’ll admit I was taken aback, but it’s your decision,” she says despite knowing that it doesn’t conclude much, for it doesn’t hold any significant impact to her feelings. “I see you at home every day anyway,” she says next, and smiles at the realisation of her own words.

“Yes, that’s true,” Yuna is finally at ease, her lips breaking into a smile that never fails to bring a gush of warmth to Eunbi’s heart.

Their moment is interrupted when Yuna’s phone sounds a notification. A message from that high school friend? Eunbi guesses and seems to be right when Yuna tidies her scores and closes the piano and begins typing away on her phone. Eunbi sighs and quietly tuck the matter away despite the lack of a resolution. 

a/n: you may read about eunbi’s day in incheon with her best friend here! i'm sorry about the late update. i was waiting for the response of a dear reader who's been loving this fic, but hasn't been able to log into aff since before my previous update even though she's usually almost always online. ahhh i miss her <3 hahaha but i decided not to wait any longer and here you go, i hope you like this one! i've been making lotsa edits so i'm sorry if it feels weird, i'm still trying to get used to my own ideas too HAHAHA anyway it's late now and i've got to sleep bc i have to teach again tmr orz so shag but i hope this update finds you well, xoxo all you lovely readers