A strange, haunting melody filled the room and Youngjae was assaulted by all his senses. He tasted the lemon tang of a C sharp and saw his world fill with deep blue as she moved onto a B, going up the scale created memories for him and he could see everything explode into colors and a thousand flavors burst in his mouth.

            Youngjae followed the colorful vibrancy into an almost empty room. It only had one grand piano and a spotlight shining on it. The purpled walls were half made of mirrors and the pianist’s reflection surrounded him. The light shone over her hair, lighting it and softening the waves in it. He stepped into the room and was once more awash with the feelings.

            She pressed another key and this one didn’t create anything. He paused and she pressed it again. His countenance smoothed into one of calm and he breathed in deeply. It was rare when music didn’t have an effect on him. He looked at her and there was a hint of tears on her cheeks as she started to play another melody.

            Again, he tasted the flavors from each note and saw his eyes explode with color. He swayed slightly and prayed for her to play the low A again. It was the only one that represented clarity, a bright white. Her fingers glided across the keys, liquid grace and he ventured another step in.

            Even though it was making his brain go haywire, the piano music was too enticing, too haunting. It was when he stood before her that she looked up. Her fingers landed softly on the A again and for a moment, he was filled with clarity. His entire world calmed and everything was calm again.

            “You’re amazing,” he told her. She didn’t’ respond and he thought he had offended her. “Please play on.”

            But she didn’t and Youngjae felt his heart sank. He shouldn’t have said anything. Maybe she was the type to be shy about her talents. He had wanted to be able to see his life explode again. He wanted to be able to identify the notes with his senses.

            She stood and pressed a hand into his shoulder and for a moment, he was hopeful. But then she left. Her lack of presence in the room was deafening. He slumped his shoulders a little and pressed a key and tasted strawberries bloom on the tip of his tongue. He closed his eyes and pressed another note. This one was lilac, with a hint of coral at the ends. He held in the sensations a little longer and he, too, left the room.

            He came back the next day after school and she was there. Her eyes were closed and he stood next to her and watched her. She was swaying to the music, and he also closed his eyes to experience the images from before. This time, the song was in a higher octave. Those notes held different meaning for him. They were vivid reds, sundried tomatoes, and, to his slight dismay, jalapeno peppers.

            Youngjae barely noticed when the music stopped. But when it did, he saw that she was smiling at him. He grinned back tentatively, unsure of what to say. She reached into her tote bag and pulled out a sketchpad. She wrote something and held it up to him.

            “Sorry I couldn’t talk to you before. I’m mute. But I’m flattered you like my playing. Music helps me express myself.”

            He took the pad from her and smacked his head in response. He had been an idiot. She pulled his hand away and shook her finger sternly. Youngjae laughed then. He could see that her lips were tugging upwards too. He placed the sketchpad next to her.

            “Your music creates colors in my head and I taste something with every note.”

            She cocked her head to the side and then her eyes lightened and she wrote something. “Synesthesia?”

            He nodded. “You’re the first to realize. It mainly comes on with music stimulation. But I do see the color seven as green. Not very pleasant when my phone number has three of them.”

            The girl in front of him had slightly open as she regarded him. “I think that’s a beautiful thing. Is there any note you particularly like?”

            Youngjae shyly responded, “I like the B. I like the deep blue that comes with it. And sometimes when I’m tired of all the noise, you would press the low octave A and everything turns white. You did that last time, almost like you knew.”

            She blushed then, the pink on her cheeks complimenting her white dress well. “It’s my favorite note because of the timbre and the way it rings through the room,” she wrote.

            He sat down cautiously next to her on the bench. “Can you play again? Maybe the same melody from the first day?”

            She nodded. “That one’s my favorite. It was the last melody my father taught me before he passed away.” He bit his lip. That explained the remnants of tears on her cheeks. But she was smiling at him. “Close your eyes and tell me when you taste something particularly nice.”

            She started the melody again and he felt the world spin with the rainbow. There were swirling green and he tasted freshly picked oranges, the slightly bitter taste of dark chocolate. He felt the senses wash over him and before he knew it, he was tearing. The song came to a slow end and she stared at him.

            “You okay?” she wrote and he nodded.

            “That was beautiful. Thank you,” he told her. She gently placed her hand over his and guided his fingers to the keys, letting him press the low A over and over, clearing his mind. She kept his hand in his and didn’t let go even after his tears have dried. She just sat there and continued to smile serenely at him. And when Youngjae pulled her in for a kiss, he knew that that was the best sensation of all.

synesthesia is really cool and also really complicated

I may have exaggerated and also been slightly incorrect about some of the symptons, but that's purely for creative license, so please overlook it