A few days later,

“Kim Chaewon,” Yena thought out loud.

Mentally, she re-sketched with colored pencils the moment of making eye contact with Chaewon. Red hair, a button nose, candies, and peppermints floating around her. What caught Yena’s attention that day, though, was not Chaewon’s infamous beauty but the sadness in her eyes.

Now, of course, that wasn’t their first encounter. They were second-year music majors and occasionally saw each other in the music building or in class. Not once had they spoken, or rather, they never had reason to speak.

Popular, might have described Chaewon if this was still high school, but to translate for a university setting, Chaewon was successful and thus untouchable to an average student like herself. Not to mention, Chaewon surrounded herself with some intimidating upperclassmen. Yena had even heard rumors that Chaewon was dating a well-known senior.

Some unhidden urge still made Yena want to help Chaewon that day. In fact, maybe it was the missed opportunity to start a conversation with Chaewon that caused Yena to be lost in her thoughts.

“Kim Chaewon.” Yena sighed.

She rested her head on the desk. Perhaps it was time to take a brief nap, she thought.

Yeah, five minutes should do.

A pencil tap on the shoulder caused her to look up.

“Time to practice for your mid-term”

♡

♡

♡

“Kim Chaewon! You sound like a robot.”

Chaewon sang again. Not liking her instructor’s expression.

“Are you taking this seriously?” The instructor tapped his foot impatiently. “There isn’t any emotion in your singing! Timbre, Chaewon, add some color, will you? From the top of the measure.”

She waited for his countdown and sang as he nodded. Conscious of her instructor’s criticism, she opted to vibrate her voice with the last few notes in the measure rather than sustaining it as before.

“No, no, no.” The instructor closed his fist, a common hand sign to stop.

Chaewon ignored him and held onto the last note; more so as a scream of frustration.

“I said stop.” He waved his shut fist at her.

Chaewon still ignored him. 

Once she was out of breath (which impressively took a while), she said, “I’ll do it again.”

“Ridiculous.” The instructor scorned. He stood up and walked past Chaewon. As he exited, he turned his head towards her. “Your singing isn’t as impressive as other people think.”

Chaewon looked down at her feet.

She listened as his footsteps faded away, then with a slam, the practice room door closed.

Glaring sharply at the door, she imagined the instructor still present and flipped him off.

Never had he been so critical of her singing. She was the best in her class! Students ten years from now will learn about her singing career in the textbook in her bookbag. 

So the instructor ought to be careful of how he talks to her because Kim Chaewon was good at holding grudges.

She decided not to think about his criticism any further and exited the practice room.

Pulling out her phone, she scrolled through her notifications.

“...Still no word from Eunbi.” 

Chaewon rubbed the ring on her index finger. Eunbi hadn’t actually broken up with her, she was convinced. It was too sudden and with no prior warning to be considered an “actual break up”. 

If Eunbi wasn’t wearing their couple ring anymore like Mina unnie told her, all it meant was that Eunbi had misplaced it, or maybe she was having another allergic reaction to the metal.

Her steps dragged behind her.

She was almost at the end of the hall before stopping. Whose singing voice was this?

Taking three steps backward, she looked through the door of an adjacent classroom. From there, she saw another student practicing for their mid-term. She couldn’t see her face, but she recognized her dirty blonde hair.

“Choi Yena?” Chaewon remembered briefly running into Yena at lunch the same day Eunbi had broken up with her. They hadn’t spoken that day. In fact, Chaewon couldn’t recall ever talking to Yena before. But they made eye contact. Not that awkward sort of eye contact people make in public, but deliberate eye contact.

Chaewon moved her ear closer to the door. She couldn’t quite hear what Yena was singing, but she heard enough to pick up on the melody.

Without noticing, Chaewon began tapping her foot.

A few seconds later, her shoulders even moved.

Then it hit Chaewon. “Is this what the instructor meant earlier about singing with emotions? But how does she do it?”

Chaewon burst into the class unannounced.

The sudden commotion caused Yena to jump away as the door opened. She also dropped the croissant she was using as a microphone.

“You.”

Yena pointed a finger at herself. “Me?”

“Who else would it be?”

“Jinyoung over there.” Yena pointed to a corner.

“Jinyoung?” 

“Hi.” Waved a tall boy with Harry Potter-looking glasses, sitting in the corner with a laptop on his lap.

“Get out.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jinyoung got up and sped walked for the door, head down, refusing to look at the scary monster who just barged in.

“But wait, I need to practice-“

Chaewon stopped Yena before she could follow Jinyoung. “We need to talk.”

She could read the confusion written on Yena’s face. But what came next was bizarre.

All in one breath, Yena said, “Is this a confession? You’re pretty, but I’m not ready to be in a relationship yet. My brother would kill me but-“

Chaewon eyebrows twitched. Is this girl crazy?

“If you really do like me, then maybe I can give you a chance- “ Yena placed her hand on her chin, giving Chaewon a quick once-over.

“Choi Yena-“

“Maybe we can work it out. Who knows? I don’t know what you see in me.

“SINGING! I came to ask about your singing!.”

“Oh.” Yena dumbly halted. “What about it?”

“How do you sing with emotions?”

Yena’s smile thinned until she wore a deadpan expression. “I don’t understand the question.”

“Like… how do you sing well?”

“Oh!” Yena’s face lit up. She opened her fingers. “Rhythm, melody, diction, breathing, and resonance.”

“No!!!” Chaewon waved her hands. “Not the singing techniques we learned from class! Singing to evoke emotion.” Instinctively, Chaewon danced as she had in the hallway.

Yena stood still and considered the question for a few seconds. “I don’t think I can explain, but maybe I can show you?”

She walked to the door.

Chaewon stood still, eyes following Yena.

“Are you coming?”

“Where?”

“I’ll show you how to sing like me. But you gotta follow.” Yena beckoned Chaewon with her hand.

Chaewon rolled her eyes. This better be worth it.

They exited the music building and Yena led the way as they traveled deeper into the heart of campus. It was dark outside now and there were more street lamps than students walking nearby.

Chaewon yawned into her hand. Walking outside made her realized she had been non-stop practicing since the sun has risen. It also occurred to her she still had a homework assignment due at midnight(in an hour), so wherever Choi Yena was taking them to, they better arrive quic