The blonde head turned around and was immediately met with the eye-smiling girl, to which she could not help but feel mesmerized by that sweet smile.

Ever since that day, the duo had been pretty much inseparable though they could only meet at night. Almost every night, the eye smiling brunette would be singing at her usual place by the fountain while the blonde would remain as her faithful audience, immersing deep into the melodious voice. Vice versa, nights that the blonde has her dance battles, the brunette would root for her in the audience. The thought of the other was there to support was enough encouragement as they did what they did best.

“Hyoyeon. Good luck.”

With a smile and a pat on the blonde’s back, Tiffany gave the former a tight hug before letting her pass through the door. It was clear that Hyoyeon was nervous; from the way she had been fidgeting yet there was little Tiffany could do to calm her nerves.

—

An hour later, Hyoyeon emerged from the room, a small sad smile hanging on her face as she made her way towards Tiffany. With arms spread out wide, the latter engulfed the blonde once she was within reach, hoping that it would transfer her energy and support to her.

“It’s okay. It’s okay.”

Tiffany could only pat the younger on her back while muttering words of comfort, while the latter simply buried her head deeper into the warmth.

Soon after, the door opened once more and out walked seven people, among which one she recognized as Hyoyeon’s grandmother and four, she believed to be her siblings and in-laws.

Gently, Tiffany broke away from the hug as she looked at Hyoyeon with an encouraging smile. Tilting her head slightly towards the group, she nudged her to walk towards them.

Slowly, she watched as Hyoyeon inched her way towards her family and nodded slightly towards her siblings before making her way towards her grandmother.

Slipping arms around the thin and boney waist, Hyoyeon tightened her arms behind her grandmother’s back as she leant in to savor the warmth. After this day, it would probably be quite some time before she would see her precious grandmother again. As much as she hated it, it was necessary. At least, she had managed to secure a shelter over her head, three warm meals for her grandmother as well as other necessities. Not that she believed her siblings would be that cruel, but it was still better be safe than sorry.

“Halmeoni…”

The youngest choked back her tears.

“I… am…. s-sorry…”

The palms on the youngest girl’s back rubbed in circular motions in attempt to smooth her, while the latter willed to keep her tears in. She was not going to let her grandmother look at broken self, she had to be strong, to be resilient, to be independent so that her only loved one would not be very worried about her.

“Hyo… Halmeoni is going to be okay. Just make sure that you visit me every week.”

A gentle nod of her head against her grandmother’s chest.

A few minutes passed before the arms that were gently wrapped around the youngest girl loosened as she pushed the girl off slightly.

“Hyo…”

“I’ll bring you back, Halmeoni.”

A gentle smile and a slight shake of her head.

“Halmeoni will go back with your brothers. Just remember to come visit me every week and Halmeoni will be happy.”

“But…”

“Halmeoni is happy. Hyoyeon has grown up to be a wonderful young woman. Don’t worry about me okay?”

A slight nod from the youngest head as she kept her head low. One more look at her beloved grandmother and she would definitely burst into a pool of tears.

“Tiffany.”

Hyoyeon heard her grandmother spoke again, addressing the second youngest among them.

“Please, take care of Hyoyeon.”

A light pat on Hyoyeon’s head and a small hug with Tiffany, the two youngest watched as the old fragile woman left through the doors with Hyoyeon’s other four family members flanked by the side.

Throughout the whole situation, they did not put in their two cents worth, which Hyoyeon was grateful for. In fact, the latter was not sure if she could even stand one more word from them.

“Let’s go.”

A soft voice brushed against her ear as a small warm hand slid into hers. Tugging gently, Tiffany began leading Hyoyeon out from the office.

The duo walked aimlessly for some time before finding a quiet spot in the middle of the park. They sat down, drowning themselves in the quiet peaceful sounds of nature as they allowed themselves to recover from the recent events.

A glance to her side told Tiffany that the blonde was still trying hard to put a strong front. The latter’s face was expressionless, staring blankly into space. Knowing that the blonde would most probably continue hiding her feelings, Tiffany decided on a song, hoping to help her out.

(Gajima) tteonajima jebal

(Gajima) saranghajanha

(Gajima) na honja namgyeodugo
Jebal jebal jebal

Gajima gajima gajima


Ajik neoreul wihae

Babocheoreom saraganeunde

Neoneun eodie
niga pillyohande

Oh baby nae sarama

Ije geumannaege dorawajwo

Jangnancheoreom geureoke dorawa

– [Don't go - Brown Eyes]

Pausing slightly to have another peek at the broken girl, Tiffany was almost relieved to see tears cascading down the younger’s cheeks. It was as though the rock on her shoulder was lifted off when she saw the girl letting out her feelings.

Fighting against the urge to hug and embrace her, Tiffany continued with her song.

Apeugo apeulmankeum

Jichigo jichilmankeum

Jiwobwado chamabwado

Niga tteoolla

Neodo nacheoreom apeujanha

Neodo nacheoreom himdeuljanha

Dorawa naegero

Itji motal nae sarama

Slowly, Tiffany watched as Hyoyeon stood up and as though she was being possessed, the latter started moving her hands as she glided along. Her body was swaying with the melody. With every sentence, every movement, every expression, Tiffany could see that the girl was pouring her heart and soul into the dance. It was as though Hyoyeon was expressing the pain and hurt she felt through the movements.

Soon, one by one, a crowd started to form, each one either mesmerized by the melodious singing or by the enticing dance, but when both their senses were in use, it felt as though they could feel all the heartaches and pain from the two girls.

Minutes into the song, soft sniffles and sobs could be heard as most of the audience felt strings pulled against their hearts. The song and the dance, how they blended perfectly into each other as one and pierced right into the hearts of many.

Even after the song had ended, most of the audience was still in daze as they reminisced about their friends, their loved ones and their loved life. It took a few moments before resounding claps exploded through the night, however by then, the duo was nowhere to be found.

—

Since that night, Tiffany had gone back to singing by the fountain, once again drawing massive crowd of people to hear her sing, while Hyoyeon went back to battling dances at the clubs all over Seoul. However, it was an unwritten promise for either of them to support each other despite where or how late it was. Tiffany had taken days off where she would support Hyoyeon whenever she had dance battles while Hyoyeon had been supporting her physically whenever the former was singing. On the rarest days, Hyoyeon would be dancing along with the song, dressed in her signature tank top and baggy pants. Despite that, it was still clear to the audience who the dancing queen was.

ije dasi saranganhae

malhaneun nan neowa gateun saram

dasi mannal suga eobseoseo
saranghal su eobseoseo

babocheoreom saranganhae

malhaneun neol saranghandan
nareul itgil barae nareul jiwojwo

– [Can't love - Baek JiYoung]

As usual, the husky voice rang out through the night with the strumming of the guitar. 
However this time, it was not only the guitar as the accompaniment to the voice, but also the movements of a graceful dancer as she twirled and spun around in the empty space right in front of the singer.

Few feet from them, once again a massive crowd stood by, many of which had started swaying to the music as they immersed themselves in it. It was one of the rare nights to see the duo perform together and many were not going to let the chance slip by. Hence, there they stood, despite the cold chilly night, engrossed in the melodious voice and the graceful dancing.

Few verses into the song, harmonious voices were heard as people around started mouthing or singing along. The song was popular to the masses as a sad and heartbreaking song and had reminded most of their loved ones and past love relationships that they held closely to their heart.

That night, most things were ignored besides the chorusing of the people singing, the movements of a graceful dancer, the sight of a young girl strumming the guitar leading the people as well as the lights from the fountain as water shot up, creating a harmonious and wonderful picture. It was a fantastic sight to see, all of which derived from the sound of music.

The sound of music, music that has no language, no barriers. Songs that could touch the hearts of the people and heal them, songs that could connect two different people and bring them together, merged as one, songs that could surpassed all troubles and problems, allowing the people to forget them temporarily and enjoy what they were listening to. The sound of music, music that brought everyone together.

-END-

Songs used: 

SNSD – Dear Mom
SNSD – Into the new world 다시 만난 세계
Brown Eyes – Don’t go 가지마 가지마
Baek JiYoung – Can’t love 사랑 안해