Dear, Irene.

I found you. And I loved you. So, so much.

Ever since she was young, Wendy was pretty mediocre in everything. Whether that was in games, in sports, or academics. She wasn’t a bad student, but she wasn’t exceptional either. She was that kid who the teachers chose as representative if all the honor students didn’t want to participate or were absent. There was always something about a thing that wasn’t hers, because she wasn’t good enough to completely claim it as. She wasn't a particularly passionate kid either.

Wendy went with the flow, never wanting to want something so much that she’d end up hurt. In her entire life, she had only wanted three things badly - and two of them were about Irene. The third one… was to play piano for as long as she still had fingers.

“That's beautiful.” One of the audience members said, mesmerized by the child as she played on the stage alone, the spotlight completely on her. The music wasn't made by the instruments, she was the one that was making them. Her fingers were doors that let the keys make the most beautiful music.

“She’s talented for her age! I heard she’s barely ten, isn’t she? And she can already play Chopin so mesmerizingly.”

“I heard she refuses to play anyone but Chopin.”

“Really? That’s a shame, I would’ve loved to hear her play Debussy.”

“Or Beethoven, a shame, honestly.”

“Let’s not talk about the “what a shame’’’s, ladies.” One of them interrupted. She was Ms. Seo Ju Hyun, or her stage name, Seohyun. "Focus more on what she can do," Seohyun smiled wide. "And my, she can do a lot." She was a famous pianist who’d come back to Korea after holding sold out concerts overseas. This was her hometown, and when her cousin had told her of a small piano concour being held in the local school gym, she went. Seohyun wasn’t originally going to, but she had a sense that if she didn’t, she would regret it.

And as the girl played Chopin’s Fantasie-Impromptu, she knew she was right. That small girl was talented. It took her a few months to learn this piece, and she was eleven. This girl was ten.

When the contest was over, Seohyun wanted to stay for longer, wanting to talk to that little girl she’d been so mesmerized by. But by then, the crowd had noticed and started to crowd around her, and with security, she had herself escorted out. It was only years later when Seohyun could finally put a name to the pianist she’d wondered about for so long.

Wendy didn’t think of herself as special. But whenever her grandma, the one who taught her how to play piano in their old little home by the countryside complimented her whenever she played a key, she wanted to believe her. There were a lot of pieces that her grandma had taught her, but Wendy quickly took notice how her grandma loved Chopin a lot. 

“Grandma, why do you love Chopin so much?”

But every day whenever she asked, her grandma would only smile at her.

Whenever they sat together on that little run down piano bench playing on that old piano, she asked her again. And each time, her grandma had only given her a small pat on the head before ending their session.

Wendy got her answer when her grandma was on her bed. By then, her grandma was too old to be actively walking around the house. But she loved to be with her granddaughter, so they moved the piano in her room, so that she could still hear Wendy play whenever they visited. Wendy was still her cheerful self, playing Chopin pieces one after the other, but it was only until her grandma’s journal fell from the desk and she picked it up when she saw a very old looking piece of sheet music of a piece she’d never heard before. 

“Chopin, Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2?”

At the very mention, her grandma’s eyes started to water. Panicking, Wendy rushed to her. “Grandma, what’s wrong? Does it hurt? Are you hurting?” She quickly asked, but her grandma only shook her head, and gave her that little smile she always did mysteriously. Her grandma was old, and sometimes forgot her name, Wendy's mother, and even her late husband - but they said that every person has one thing they never forget, and for Wendy’s grandma, it was that piece. It was Chopin.

“Dear… could you play it for me?” Wendy has never played that piece before, but she nodded, mum, sitting back on the bench, putting the sheet music in front of her. As she started reading, and as her fingers played, it was… incredibly beautiful. From the first note alone, a heaviness grew in Wendy's chest. She herself was super young, but she could just see, feel its beauty. When she was halfway through the song, she noticed tear drops on the keys, and that’s when she realized the tears streaking down her face. Wendy felt something pull her towards this music, but she kept on playing. 

When she played the last note, she stared at her hands, amazed at how she just played something so blissfully lovely with her own fingers. When she turned her head towards her grandmother, she was smiling at her, as she always did. But then, for the first time, she opened to elaborate. “When me and your grandfather… When he was alive and we were young, he used to play piano with me a lot. He taught me this one… Chopin’s most beautiful piece, as he used to call it.” Crying, her grandmother continued. “When I first heard him play it, I never wanted anything to do with it. It was too beautiful to play by myself. It’s something I regret to this day. I’ve only played this piece once with him, and never again did I do it. The piece wasn’t as beautiful if he wasn’t there to play it with me.”

Wendy went to her grandmother, both crying together as she listened intently to her grandma reminiscing about her life's love. “He loved it so much… because he said it reminded him of a person who was fighting for something they couldn’t get. They fought and fought, but they couldn’t find what they were looking for. But by the end… they found something else entirely, and it made everything worth it.” Her grandmother ran her fingers through Wendy’s hair. “My dear, he found me.” By then, Wendy was smiling with her grandma, though it was a little painful. Wendy knew so little about them - she only knew that her grandma was a nurse, and that her grandfather was an aspiring pianist. They never told her why her grandpa had left so early, or why her grandmother followed after. Wendy had to pry it out of her mother years later.

“I regret it so much, because I knew he wanted nothing more than to play it with me. Now that you know how to play it, Wendy… I hope you can find someone to play it with too."

My grandma had told me once; “They call it love because people can’t describe their feelings for someone. That’s how I felt about Chopin. I loved my husband so much that I loved someone long dead for centuries, imagining my husband was still with me through Chopin’s music.” So when we got closer, Hyun, I knew I found them. I found you. The one I would love until the bittersweet end. My Chopin. 

"Wendy," Irene knocked on the door. There wasn't a response. Irene had gotten worried - she hadn't heard from Wendy in a few days. That had never happened before, and so she feared that something might have occured that caused Wendy to go into complete silence. "Wendy, I'm gonna get someone to open the door if you're not going to. What's happened to you?" She waited for a few more seconds, it was almost like Wendy wasn't even in the apartment. But she knew she was, she saw the lights on a few minutes ago. They were off now, which made her even more anxious. Wendy doesn't live with anyone but her sister, who at this hour was still at work. 

"Son Wendy." Irene called sternly, hoping that would crack her. But a few more seconds, and there was still silence. She sighed, her shoulders slumping down. "Wendy, please… I'm worried about you. You don't normally disappear like this. What's wrong? Let me help you, please. I can't help you if you shut yourself off like this." There were a few more moments of nothing, and as Irene was about to actually get security to open the door, she saw Wendy getting out of the elevator, groceries in hand.

"Unnie? Where are you going?" She asked, tilting her head a little. Irene looked at her, then back to her door, before she stomped toward Wendy. She looked like she was about to hit her, and as Wendy closed her eyes to prepare for impact, she felt two arms wrap around her instead. Opening her eyes slowly, she flushed immediately, seeing Irene's face this close was a very bad thing for her heart, but also, why was she hugging her? Did something happen?

"I- I guess I missed you too?" 

"You better have." Irene said sulkingly. "Where have you been? I haven't heard from you." Wendy reddened even more, not used to Irene acting like this. It’s like coming home to your cat meowing at your door berating you with its cute mewls for coming home late.

“I- I was just out grocery shopping… I couldn’t really… well..” Wendy hesitated. Irene noticed, before interlacing their fingers together; a silent encouragement for her to keep on going. The younger makes eye contact with her, her stomach filled with butterflies at Irene’s sudden onslaught of attention and affection. “I couldn’t touch the piano, unnie.” She admitted.

Irene had kind of expected it. Her arms loosened around Wendy, but she didn't let go of her hand. Leading them inside Wendy’s door, the first thing Irene saw was the well-kept piano in the middle of the living room by the huge windows. She figured it was Seunghee that made sure it was still clean, knowing how much her younger sister loved it.

“Sit.” The older one ordered, motioning to the bench, quickly taking the bags and putting them onto the kitchen counter. 

“But-” Irene narrowed her eyes, and Wendy knew better than to say much more. When Irene came back, she stood right behind Wendy. Wendy wanted to turn around, but whenever she even tried to, Irene had forced her to face the piano right in front of her. 

“Who did you want to play?”

“... I wanted to do a classic. Für Elise.”

“Really? I would’ve