Poco allegro con affetto - /pəʊkəʊ əˈlɛɡrəʊ kɒn étoffât/, a little faster, with feeling and tenderness

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The leap that she couldn’t take alone — somehow, she could do it with him beside her. Once in mid-air, gushes of wind tingled her skin as she heard wind howled through her ears. She found herself hearing screams and laughter of both him and her own as they zoomed down the sky. When the bungee cord stopped its motion, she turned to him, who had his hand tightly intertwined with hers, and matched his gleaming eyes.

“It was fun, right?” He said with his cheekbones risen and his ears tinted red. 

She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes. Very.”

……..

After the jump, they entered a nearby Korean barbecue restaurant. “Here.” He said with his hands on a wrap, as she lifted up her head. “Try this one.” With one hand cupping below his chopsticks, he brought the wrap to her. She glanced shyly at him, but he nodded encouragingly. She opened and he fed her the wrap. Though being half-embarrassed from the feed, her lips widened into a smile and she raised her thumbs at him. 

“It’s good.” She said. 

He returned her with a proud look as he wrapped his own serve. 

She stole a glance at him, wondering if she should wrap and feed one to him as well. “Should I wrap one for you as well?” She asked. 

He shook his head with a smile. “No, it’s fine.” Before she decided what to do, he held up his wrap with his chopsticks. “Hold this.” He told her. She raised her eyebrows in wonder but followed his words. 

With the wrap in her chopsticks, he stole a mischievous look at her, then opened his mouth, gesturing for her to place the wrap. She fed him with a burst of laughter. Through many encounters for the past month, with the jump today, she found herself being able to treat him like a friend, or someone close to her that she would want to stay with. She never laughed this much in front of people before, but somehow, he was able to make her laugh and calm her down. She wondered to herself as she ate quietly, stealing glances at the smiling man sitting opposite her. 

As he drove her back to their complex, she wondered. “When’s your next flight?”

“Next week.” 

“Ah…” She lowered her head in disappointment. 

He smiled. “Miss me already?”

She lifted her head abruptly and widened her eyes. Her eyes flickered. “N-No! Of course not!”

“Ah…I guess you miss my piano, not me…” He sighed with a tint of mischief in his eyes. “I thought we became friends…” He pouted.

She bursted into laughter again.

He stole another glance at her. “My flight will be a short one — just for three days. I can record more pieces if you need them. ”

She shook her head, with a curl still on her lips as she watched the gleaming street lights outside the car window. “It’s fine oppa… I…” She stole a glance at his side profile, with steady eyes on the road, a sharp jawline and one hand on the steer wheel. She gulped, cursing herself for gawking at his silhouette. As the car slid to a stop in front of the red lights, he turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “Yea?” 

She found his brown pupils staring at her again. She slid her eyes away then said quietly. 

“… I prefer to hear it live.”

She saw his eyes widen and his cheekbones rise slowly. 

She took a deep breath, then said quietly, with her head lowered and fingers fiddling with the seatbelt.

“I’ll wait. Until I can hear it in person.”

…….

As soon as Taemin came back from his flight, his piano revived from the dead. Almost every night after he finishes administrative work, he would sit on the piano chair and play with his drumming fingers.  She hears it every night. Sometimes with a cup of warm milk in her hands, sometimes with the sound of her laptop typing, and sometimes, with a paintbrush in her hand, as she creates another masterpiece. In between breaks of her meetings or work, she would lift up her phone and find his message popping out on her phone screen. Slowly, she found herself stepping into the lazy heated summer with his presence around her. 

The sun shone sharply as she strode across the street. It was another day of work, and she crept out of the gallery with a small curl on her lips, feeling excited for the lunch with her closest friends. Naeun stepped into the restaurant and sat on the table with the loudest chatter. “Sorry, had a project going on.” She said with a smile as she settled for the last empty seat. 

“It’s fine, Hayoung already told us.” Eunji said. “Here’s the menu, check what you want to eat. We’ll order once you’ve decided.”

A moment later, as they specified their orders to the waitress, a message popped up her phone. She glanced at a funny text from him and stifled a laughter.

“Unnie.” Hayoung interrupted her. 

Naeun lifted up her head, with her lips still curled up. “Hm?”

“Can’t believe our impenetrable girl, Son Naeun-nim has finally fell in love…” Hayoung cooed. 

Naeun widened her eyes, then glanced at the sly curls on five faces. She waved her hands hurriedly while sending a glare to Hayoung. Hayoung returned her a cheeky smile. 

“No, I didn't!” They all squinted suspiciously at her. 

“Tell me all the details, Naeun artist-nim.” Eunji threatened. 

Naeun lowered her head to stir her drink. She muttered. “I-He’s just a friend…” Eunji raised her eyebrow and Chorong signalled her to continue.

Knowing that there’s no escape, she gulped, then sighed. “He’s my neighbour… and… I got to know him because his piano cured my insomnia…”

“So he’s a musician?”

She shook her head. “No, he’s a pilot. He plays the piano in his free time.”

“How old is he? Where did he go for high school?” “How long have you been talking to each other? Is he handsome?” Bomi and Namjoo fired questions at her. 

Naeun winced inwardly, sending another glare to Hayoung. Ugh, that big mouth Oh Hayoung! 

She glanced slightly at Eunji. “He we