Chapter Ten: Unexpected Victory

          My eyes stayed focused on the box of tissue in front of me. I sat on my chair and he placed a chair in front of my desk so that he was facing me.

          “Were… were you here when I…” I said, but I couldn’t continue my statement.

          “Yes,” he said.

          “D-did you hear…”

          “Yes.”

          “E-even the part about you?”

          “Yes, I heard it all,” he said. “So, were you really practicing guitar so that… you can date me?” after he said that I suddenly felt like disappearing right then and there. Being in the classroom with a tear-stained face and with the last person I wished to be there at that moment. It was just so embarrassing.

          “Y-yes,” I said, slightly burying my head lower so as to avoid L’s eyes.

          “Yah,” L said after a few moments, “it’s alright.” He paused and a long silence came after that, but the same silence was cut with a statement from him. “I’m sorry but please don’t be like that. You really look like a guilty criminal,” he said.

          “I was so surprised with what you did earlier,” L continued with a little frown in his face. “I never thought you could do something like that. It was…” he said, “Too careless.”

          “I know, it wasn’t right. Gette is still the best friend I ever had and I… embarrassed her too much. Whether it’s true or not, I shouldn’t have let it destroy our friendship,” I muttered while I try to fight back the tears in my eyes.

          “Why don’t you call her?” he said. “Apologize and talk to her nicely.”

          “Do you think she would appreciate that? After what I’ve done?”

          “There’s a reason why best friends are called best friends,” he said. “But if you think she won’t pick up, I can call her for you.” L took out his phone and dialed before putting it into a loud speaker. The phone played a Bach composition, which is one of Gette’s favorites.

          As the piece played, my heart just became heavier and heavier. The ring back tune played and finished till the end and I totally buried my head on my desk. Gette didn’t pick up.

          “Mae-sshi, wake up,” L said while gently shaking me after a long while. I cried and didn’t even notice that I fell asleep. “Feeling better?” he said. Then he helped me stand up and took his handkerchief before drying my face. “Come,” he said, “I have something to show you.”

“Wow,” I said when we got to the thing – a place actually – that he wanted to show me. “I’ve never been this close to this stage before,” I said, marveling the same stage that held all of the greatest musical duels in the history of our school. “It’s so… overwhelming.”

          “It is,” L said. He went over to the amplifiers situated at the side of the stage and looked at the cables. Then he beckoned me to come.

          “What am I going to do with this?” I asked after L plugged the cables into my guitar and slung it over my head.

          “What else are you going to do with a guitar?” L said, a small smile was in his lips. “You know, they say singing out loud would make you feel better,” he said, “But since you cried a lot earlier, I know you wouldn’t want to sing, so… I just thought that playing something would also do the trick.”

          I looked into his eyes, I could say he meant everything that he said, so I started by playing a few chords before I proceeded to finger playing. That moment I remembered Gette and what she told me. “If you want to make up, just promise me that you’ll hold steadfast to your dreams, and stay just the way you are…” Of course I promised her I will, but then after looking back I suddenly thought, I did change. How come I became like that? I, too, asked myself. I was so “Careless,” just like what L told me. As far as I remember, I’ve never been like that, not until Jun-hyung came into my life.

          Yong Jun-hyung. “Why should I care? We’re not even friends, right?” I knew that I told my best friend that I didn’t see him as a friend, but I couldn’t understand why all of a sudden, I cared. I cared that he didn’t care. I cared that he didn’t see me as a friend.

          I closed my eyes and continued playing even when my mind wandered off to faraway places. Surprisingly, L was right. Playing also does the trick. I continued, until my ears could only hear the vibrations of the strings on my hand, but suddenly a note that was not supposed to be there was heard and I shot my eyes open.

          “Omo! L sshi lost the duel!” I heard someone say. My eyes averted to where the voice came from and found a huge group of students. Suddenly I wondered how they managed to keep silent throughout the composition. Then it clicked on my mind. L played along with me, which was why everyone thought it was a duel.

          “Anieyo, this isn’t a duel,” I said, but L spoke, “No, it is.”

          “People play better when they are emotional about something,” L said, “and I took the opportunity to challenge you in a duel.” Right after that, everybody started whispering to each other which I actually found unsettling. Popularity isn’t my thing.

          Suddenly, someone in the audience said, “Let’s give our new champion a big hand!” And everybody started clapping after that.

          “You shouldn’t have done that,” I told L right after the duel. We we’re already walking to the bus stop.

          “Did what?” he said, “Why? Aren’t you happy that you won?”

          “Not really. I feel like you just did it because you pity me or something,” I said.

          “Anieyo,” L told me, “You were actually playing a bit… different, so it was hard to keep up.” I nodded as a sign that I understood what he meant, but then in my mind I was thinking, “Did he already hear me play?”

          “So I’ll see you tomorrow?” he said.

          “Tomorrow?” I said, “Sure, I’ll see you in class.”

          “And in the band practice room,” he said, which surprised me. “Watch us practice, okay?”

          “Wouldn’t it be a bother to your members?” I asked.

          “I don’t think so,” L said. “They’ll be okay with it. Besides, tomorrow will be that start of our dates.” I stopped and looked at him wide-eyed. L chuckled and turned me around before pushing me inside the bus. The door closed, but still I wasn’t able to speak. It was all a dream.