final

Of Songs and Pieces.
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               It was past one in the afternoon and the coffee shop was buzzing with patrons. The ambiance reigning in the small space was serene; perfect for someone who was looking for peace of mind. As per usual, most of the customers occupying the table were students who had laptops, a pile of papers with them, a cup of coffee, and a dessert of their choice to go through their day.

          A typical scenery for a typical Monday.

          At the far corner table sat two college students who, different from most of the patrons, had nothing placed on the table aside from their chosen drinks.

          Ningning had a caramel macchiato in her hand, eyes fixated on her companion who looked excited for a reason she may or may not had an idea what was.

          “Last night was Ballade No.1 in G Minor, Op. 23,” Minjeong muttered under her breath as she fiddled with her phone showing the title of the classical piece. “She is really fond of Frederic Chopin, I suppose.”

          A low whistle came out of the younger’s lips as she took a sip of her drink while taking note of the silly grin her companion was sporting.

          Ever since Minjeong started hearing music in her head, the lovesick smile never left her face even once. She’d always blabber about meeting her soulmate, how she wanted it to go, where she wanted it to be, and how she would act in front of them, and Ningning would always just listen attentively. She’s aware of how had fond her friend to the idea of a soulmate, after all.

          It happened in the middle of their exam for their major subject. Everyone was minding their own businesses answering the questions in dead silence. Ningning on the other hand was on the verge of tearing the answer sheet into pieces because why in the hell she spent the day yesterday watching Netflix instead of reviewing? Now she did not have the faintest idea of how was she going to finish the exam.

          In emergencies like this, she’d always ask her friend—Minjeong for help, the brainy student who excels in every subject, and actually, that was exactly what she was about to do when all of a sudden, a loud screech echoed all throughout the four corners of the room, jolting every student up including her in shock, some even fell off their chairs, eyes automatically searched for the one who made the ear-splitting noise.

          To Ningning’s horror, it was Minjeong who, for some reason, was grinning from ear to ear she was afraid her face would split apart while repeatedly mumbling, it’s my soulmate, it’s my soulmate like a broken record. She was too busy drowning in her own euphoria to even notice the professor ordering her to go to detention after class.

          “You know, I always wonder how in the world are you finding out the title of the music when it has no lyrics at all,” she asked in pure wonder.

          “Ning, we are now living in a modern world. Our phones have a function wherein we only had to hum the melody of the music and it would tell the title accurately.”

          Touché.

          Ningning never needed the said function though. ‘Cause, the universe had given her a soulmate whose music preference perfectly matched hers. She’d often hear that she was the chosen one which she would always just laugh off. She was the envy of everyone who knew her personally, except for one person: her companion who was currently sitting in front of her.

         “Must be hard to listen to a music you don’t normally listen to.” Her statement earned her a disapproving look.

          “That is not true at all,” Minjeong said in defense, “I am actually starting to love the genre, and it is not because my soulmate loves it, alright? There is just something in it that is capable of communicating with my soul, you know?”

          “It’s cool though. Pretty unique. It is not common to meet people who still listen to classical music these days. Whoever they are, I bet they are lovely.”

          That brought a smile on Minjeong’s face, her eyes twinkling, showing her longing for her soulmate. Ningning could have sworn she saw the words: when will I meet her? bubbled up out of her companion’s head like some sort of a comic.

          “I am certain they are.”








          “Moonlight Sonata First Movement,” Minjeong said to herself, rolling over her bed with a slight frown on her face. “It’s Ludwig van Beethoven this time, huh?”

          She had always thought that her soulmate was a lonely, sad fellow as she always listened to pieces with depressing melodies. Well, she knew people sometimes listen to sad songs, but it was mostly because they wanted to and it doesn’t happen very often. However, in her soulmate’s case, it was always. She never once heard upbeat music in her head.

          Heaving a deep sigh, she let herself be swallowed by the piece her soulmate gave her the privilege to listen to.

          One thing that she could say about the piece was it gave the listener a melancholic mood that sweeps over you before the melody began in earnest, with a murmuring, almost desperate ache, as if Beethoven was going through something devastating when he was writing the piece. It was beautiful, intricately made with various emotions poured in. It was a masterpiece, to say the least, worthy of the recognition it was receiving. Minjeong was not an emotional person, but she could feel her heart throb as she listened and wondered if her soulmate was also feeling the same thing.

          With that thought in mind, after the music ended, she immediately tapped the green icon on her phone and played a song in hopes that her feelings could reach her soulmate through the lyrics. That it was okay, that she was not alone, that Minjeong was always there to listen to her favorite pieces and that they could be sad together.

          Now playing: Stay by Blackpink
 







          “Do you think they are also from Seoul? Or from South Korea even?” Minjeong asked Ningning one day, the two teenagers inside the library to pass the time without having to deal with noisy people outside. “I always listen to Korean songs that’s why I am sure they know I am Korean. But that doesn’t really tell me anything about their nationality.”

          Ningning thought about the question for a while.

          While the probability that her soulmate could be living in the same city or country was high, it was also possible that they could be from the other side of the globe. She’d heard it happen not only once before.

          “I’m not sure. I mean, people normally figure it out by the language of the music.” That’s how I found out that my soulmate is Korean, Ningning thought. “But in your case, your soulmate listens to classical music which has no lyrics at all. They could be from another planet for all we know.”

          Minjeong released a deep sigh before burying her face on the table. This was one of the times she wished her soulmate does not only listen to classical music. The idea of having a soulmate outside of South Korea was a pain. She was merely a student, how would she be able to afford a plane ticket?

          “I hope she also goes to our school,” she said, voice muffled, “That’d be really amazing.”

          “That is nearly impossible, Minjeong,” Ningning scoffed. "It is a huge world. You have to be God’s favorite or something for that to actually happen.”

          As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she knew Ningning was right. It was a chance that only happens once every century. A chance every people on earth was wishing for.

          “Yeah, I know,” she grumbled, “But it wouldn’t hurt to hope.”

          Ningning just shrugged her shoulders off, not wanting to further the discussion even more. Her friend was already a hopeless case, and the only thing that she could do was to give her support.






 

          That night, Minjeong was comfortably tucked in her bed, eyes up, staring into the air. It was already around the time when she would hear another classical piece in her head. So even though, she was dead exhausted because of school, she kept herself awake and patiently waited.

          She hoped that this time, she wouldn’t hear another depressing music and instead, something joyful or anything that would tell her that the song she made her soulmate listen to last night worked like a magic.

          And when the song finally made itself known in her head, she couldn’t suppress the big, satisfied grin that was threatening to adorn her face.

          The musical piece was not familiar, of course, but Minjeong at least knew that it wasn’t a sad one. It was rather comforting like it was lulling her to sleep with its delicate hands caressing her ears with utmost care.

          She grabbed her phone on the bedside table and began mimicking the melody as best as she could.

          “Nocturne Op.9 no. 2 in E Flat Major,” she whispered through her smile when the title appeared on her screen. “Chopin again, huh?”

          The melody was comforting in a way that Minjeong could feel her exhaustion dissipating into nothingness. With closed eyes, she imagined the music to be full of vibrant colors stars shining brightly in the night sky, soothing her soul. With every note, she could feel the melody seep into her body slowly and spread throughout her veins as she was pulled into a world where only she was aware of.

          So, she does know how to listen to music other than the depressing ones, Minjeong thought before chuckling to herself.

          The desire to meet her soulmate grew stronger than ever. There was a void in her heart and she knew only her soulmate could fulfill. They were her other half, after all. She didn’t have the faintest idea when, but regardless of how long it was going to be, she was more than willing to wait.

          Before she fell asleep, she, as usual, played a song for her soulmate.

          Now playing: You Better Know by Red Velvet








          It’s a Friday afternoon somewhere down the line and Minjeong being the vice president of the student council was finishing all the paperwork she needed to submit to the president. Since it’s the weekend the next day, she does not want to worry about school and wanted nothing more than cuddle with her bed until it’s Monday again.

          Putting her earphones on and playing a song on her phone, she began with her work to be able to finish it soon.

          She tore her gaze away from the paperwork when she heard quiet footsteps approaching her way and wore a polite smile when a familiar face came into view.

          “Hi, Pres Jimin.” She’d taken note of how unusually quiet her voice was around the president since, for some reason, there was always awkwardness in the air every time the two of them were alone in the same room.

          “Hello,” the other girl replied with a tight-lipped smile on her face, reclining on her seat without saying anything further.

          And that was probably one of the reasons behind the awkwardness. The president was a stoic person, a woman of few words. She never talked unless it was of importance. Even though Minjeong would really love to have her as a friend, that was proving to be really difficult considering the president was also not sociable.

          What a shame.

          At least, she’s beautiful.

          Unbelievably beautiful.

          Her tall nose that sat perfectly on her face,

          Her brown, mysterious eyes that seemed to you in the longer you stare at them.

          Plump crimson lips that looked so soft in her eyes, especially the small beauty mark under the corner of her lips that seemed so attractive for some reason.

          Secretly marveling her face had Minjeong wondering, how could someone be that beautiful?

          Whoever the soulmate of the girl was, Minjeong’s quite sure they were the luckiest person to ever walk the earth.








          There was this godforsaken question that was always looming around Minjeong’s brain, though she was trying with all her might to push it deep into the abyss of her consciousness.

          She was scared to have to acknowledge it, more so to answer it. There was always a churning feeling in her stomach every time the mere thought would graze her mind. However, she knew the day would come when she had to conquer her fear. that’s how it always was for humans.

          And that day happened to be today.

          “What if your soulmate isn’t a believer?“ It was just a theoretical question, something that did not necessarily need an answer as Ningning only blurted it out without knowing. When she realized it, though, and was about to retract the question, Minjeong only smiled.

          “It's fine, Ning. That was a valid question,” she assured, having Ningning release a sigh of relief. ”And to answer that, honestly, I’m not sure. I haven’t pondered about it yet thoroughly when I’m by myself. But if I were to make a decision now, then I guess I will just have to make them fall in love with me.”

          “You are something else.” Ningning chuckled, amusement clouding her brown eyes. “Do you even have an idea how to do that?”

          Minjeong felt her face burned in embarrassment because as shameful as this might sound, she does not know how. All her life, she was only focused on the belief that her soulmate would love her as much as she would because that was how it normally was.

          But now, well, she might have to add that to the things she would think about every night. 








          “Have you already met your soulmate, Minjeong?” one of the members of the council asked randomly one afternoon. As all of them were almost done with their works, they were trying to indulge in idle talks to fill in the silence of the room.

          “Nah, haven’t yet,” she answered lazily as she didn’t really like talking about her soulmate to other people besides Ningning.

          Why were they suddenly interested, anyway?

          “Our president here hasn’t met hers as well,” the treasurer chimed in. “You two will probably get along.”

          Minjeong almost wanted to roll her eyes upon hearing the ridiculous statement. How was that even relevant? Don’t get her wrong, she would love to get along with the girl, but what the treasurer had said was utterly illogical.

          “You are wrong,” Jimin butted in, much to the surprise of the people inside including Minjeong because she was actually talking! That was a miracle. “I have already met them.”

          The room was suddenly enveloped by loud cheers and simultaneous queries directed at the president who ignored all of them and busied herself with paperwork, and Minjeong could only stare at the stoic but sickeningly pretty face in awe.

          Time passed by quickly and before Minjeong knew it, it was already time to go home. They were the only ones left, as Jimin preferred to have the other members go home first and leave the rest of the work to the two of them. Something Minjeong agreed to.

          “I will be going first, Pres,” she announced once she was finished. It was honestly just out of politeness, a habit she developed ever since she became the vice president, she wasn’t expecting the girl to give her a response because she had never done it before.

          But today, for whatever kind of miraculous change of events, Jimin woke up and chose to surprise her.

          “Please, be careful on your way home.”








          There was something about this day, Minjeong deduced. Something that was making people go against what they normally do. If it only happened once, it could pass as a mere coincidence, but witnessing it happen twice was anything but.

          “The Four Seasons,” Minjeong blurted out, staring at her phone through perplexed eyes, “By Antonio Vivaldi.”

          For the first time since she began hearing the music in her head, her soulmate was listening to an exuberant piece. To say that she was baffled was an understatement. She honestly never thought the day would come so soon.

          Did that mean her soulmate no longer felt lonely nor sad?

          Did recommending the songs that Minjeong personally picked helped or was she reaching?

          Whatever the case was, Minjeong was happy knowing her soulmate was too. It was heartwarming, knowing that your other half was finally opening up to the idea of joy and was no longer basking in sadness. Maybe she did not have the right to say this since she did not know what kind of predicament her soulmate used to be in but regardless, this was a character development she was glad she was seeing.

          Before the day ended, she tapped a song on her phone while silently hoping for the day when she would meet her soulmate to come sooner.

          Now playing: Loving You by Mikey.








          “You are hopelessly in love,” Ningning deadpanned upon seeing her friend smiling like a fool to herself while they were having lunch in the school’s cafeteria. She was sure the girl didn’t even notice that she was blatantly snatching food on her plate. “You haven’t even met them yet.”

          “It does not really matter, does it?” she replied after she heard a finger-snapping in front of her face. “I am meant to love them one way or another.”

          “Touché.” She paused before averting her gaze from her companion. “Though, it’s a pity, that the one who is staring at you right now isn’t your soulmate.”

          Minjeong frowned, not following what her friend was saying.

          “Who’s staring?”

          “Turn around and you’ll see,” was the only thing she said with a knowing smile on her face.

          Minjeong, driven by her curiosity, did what she was told to. And there, she caught the president staring at her three tables away wearing her usual stoic expression. Before she could send a smile her way, the president dropped her gaze instantaneously as if she was burned.

          The odd behavior had Minjeong raising her brow in wonder but didn’t think too much about it.

          “The president?” she said after bringing her eyes back to Ningning. “Why would you want her to be my soulmate? That’s so random.”

          “Why not?” Ningning shrugged. “The girl is freaking gorgeous and intelligent. You guys are suitable for each other.”

          Minjeong would be lying if she said, she didn’t want the president to be her soulmate. What Ningning had just said was a fact everyone knew of. Moreover, despite being a closed-off person, she knew the girl had a kind soul. She just sort of kind of felt it. Therefore, who wouldn’t want to be her soulmate?

          “Yeah, but what are the chances? You were the one who told me it’s nearly impossible to have a soulmate who goes to the same school. Besides, I heard she has already met hers.”

          “That’s why I said it’s a pity.” She rolled her eyes, “Because she is not your soulmate.”

          “Whatever. The one that I have now is more than enough. They are the one the universe has given to me, after all. I am certain they are an amazing person.”

          That was the cue for Ningning to shut up now and just mind her business because she knew Minjeong would never let her the end of it she said even one more word.

          Yeah, hopeless indeed.








          Something shifted in the president of the student council ever since that one afternoon. Because when she entered the council room after dismissal, Jimin’s face was the first thing she saw, a shy smile etched on her lips while mumbling a soft, “Hello, how was your day?”

          That was the first time the president had initiated a conversation. Her voice had no hint of awkwardness in it as if the past few months that they were dancing around each other never happened. Like all those polite, tight-lipped smiles, those one-word greetings, those casual nods when they come across each other outside the council room, and those times they couldn’t meet each other’s gaze were all just dreams.

          The relationship that was built purely because they held the two highest positions was seemingly beginning to crumble and only now the president was trying to actually form a personal bond with her, and honestly, Minjeong wasn’t complaining. It was never too late, anyway.

          “It was fine, Pres,” she responded albeit awkwardly. You couldn’t blame her, this was all new to her. Truth be told, her brain was still processing this rare chance. “How about yours?”

          “Mine’s fine as well.” Minjeong had to remind herself to breathe when she saw the president grin. Grinned, not the usual tight-lipped smile. It looked so genuine this time and Minjeong could’ve sworn that was the prettiest smile she’d ever seen in her life. “Let’s wait for the others before we proceed.”

          Minjeong could only nod her head as she was too dumbstru

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taglamig
happy valentine's day! so, this bonus chapter is to just tell you guys how jimin found out that minjeong is her soulmate. it was short but i hope you liked it. thank you so much for reading this story :) i hope you guys will also support the story that i am currently working on!

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All_Rait13
#1
Chapter 3: Sana may ganto ulit kaganda na winrina ff✨💖🌷
SR_Serenity
#2
Chapter 3: this is so cute 🥹
turtlerabbitpeach #3
Chapter 1: damn! this is good 💯

ps. I listened to all the classical music that was mentioned XD I really like the first one most! (Nocturne Op. 9 no. 2 in Flat Major)
TakuyaKen
#4
Chapter 1: hehe i kinda laugh at soulmate playing classical music then minjeong keeps sending upbeat songs like stay and you better know 😄
yaqorl
#5
Chapter 3: this is so good jflslfjdlf
windy_day
#6
Chapter 3: If only you could see how much im smiling right now... :)
This'll be one of my favorites from now on :)
Thanks author!
arkiminjeong
#7
Chapter 3: I love the build up!!! I LOVE IT SO MUCH!
minrinaaaa_
#8
Chapter 3: <3
gomtokkim
2113 streak #9
Chapter 3: This is so adorable!!!!! Thank you for writing this authornim!!!!!!
Myoui_Son324
#10
Chapter 3: ༼;´༎ຶ ۝ ༎ຶ༽