She saw that a large crowd had gathered in front of the bulletin boards where the list of all those who passed the auditions was posted. There was even media coverage to document the results of the first ever worldwide Julliards auditions. She kept walking back and forth towards the crowd, uncertain if she had enough courage to face the outcome that would determine her future from that day forward.

She bit her lower lip as she stared at the crowd in front of her but then she turned her back as the anxiety was eating her whole. However, even before she could fully walk away, two hands held her shoulder, preventing her from escaping. Jongin beamed at her before turning her around and pushing her towards the bulletin boards.

“I’ve had enough of watching you undecided,” he told her.

“Wait! I don’t think I’m ready for this!” Suzy exclaimed as she struggled to get away from Jongin’s grip.

However, the male was stronger so he was able to bring her forward. He replied, “You’d have to see this list in order to know your next step towards your dream.”

“W-Wait! Let me prepare myself!”

“Come on! Let’s just see it for once and for all!” Jongin responded but as the female continued wavering. He sighed and assured her, “This may be a new start for your dreams, Suzy but even if you pass or fail, this is surely not the end.”

He continued walking with her until they finally reached the list, and immediately, Jongin started looking for her name. Even if he was trying to be joyful in order to cheer Suzy, Jongin was also nervous for the girl. His own heart were skipping beats as he grazed his fingers over the papers, looking for ‘Bae Suzy.’

Suddenly, he widened his eyes and exclaimed, “Hey! Your name’s here!”

“That’s not a good joke!” Suzy retorted.

Jongin glanced at the girl and saw that she kept her eyes shut instead of looking along with him. He beamed before replying, “Open your eyes and see for yourself.”

“Maybe they have a list for those who failed and you’re looking at that right now – “

“No. I’m not and they don’t,” Jongin cut her off even before she could wallow in self-doubt again. He sighed, “Just look at it!”

Suzy opened her left eye then the right before she stared at the name that Jongin was pointing. She stood still and for a while, she did nothing but stare at her name. She gulped before mumbling, “Am I dreaming?”

Jongin then kicked her foot making her wince in pain. The male then chortled before telling her, “See! You’re not dreaming! You passed, Suzy!”

Slowly, her eyes widened and gaped. She pinched and slapped herself to double-check if everything was a pigment of her imagination but when reality finally sank in, Suzy started jumping around as she repeatedly yelled, “I passed! I passed!”

“Congratulations!” Jongin screamed as he jumped along with her.

The female then gave him a brief hug before she looked at her name again. In excitement, she was about to rip-off the poster until she realized that it was no longer a simple school announcement that she could steal and there was no Myungsoo in the area whom she would show it too.

“Won’t you make any call?” Jongin asked her, halting her daze.

Suzy shook her head with a smile, “I prefer to tell them in person.”

“Okay,” Jongin nodded before grinning wide as he suggested, “This calls for a celebration! Let’s go wherever you want to and do whatever you want to! It’s all on me!”

Suzy gleefully shouted, “Free food, here I come!”

The two went in a street food escapade, hopping from one stall to next as they munch on delicious treats. They had small talks and short laughs every now and then until Jongin received a call that turned the mood completely. Suzy noticed how the smile on Jongin’s lips and eyes was immediately replaced with a thin line and a sad gaze. When the call ended, he breathed a deep sigh, as if he was carrying the world in his shoulders. His eyes glistened and in their reflection, Suzy could almost see how the world before him was breaking apart.

“What happened?” she asked.

Jongin glanced at her before saying, “Naeun’s father is dying.”

Hurriedly, the two went to the hospital where Naeun’s father was staying. They had no time to catch their breaths as they made their way to the room. Inside, they found the doctor and the nurses gathered by the bed alongside Naeun, her mother and Myungsoo; everyone already knew that his story was coming to an end and they were merely waiting for his last breath.

Suzy’s gaze lingered on the sight of how close Myungsoo was holding Naeun towards him; Naeun looked so devastated and it seemed like it was only Myungsoo’s warm embrace that was keeping her together. Finally, hers and Jongin’s entrance catches the attention of the people inside the room and Myungsoo’s eyes bore into hers. Like her, he had many questions but it was not the time for them to dwell on their relationship.

“Suzy,” Naeun breathily calls her name and stands up to greet her with a hug and Suzy could offer nothing but a sincere embrace to comfort the girl. She was briefly introduced to Naeun’s mother and this time, it was the latter who made a request.

“Can you play the violin for him?”

With a beam, Suzy nodded before playing the same piece that cradled Naeun’s father to sleep the last time they met. Her music provided his needed lullaby and slowly, he closed his eyes, falling into an eternal slumber that he would never wake up from. Naeun’s father looked at peace; no more pain, no more struggle, and no more suffering.

When she played the last note, the room was engulfed in silence, thereafter followed by the doctor’s voice, announcing the official time of Naeun’s father’s death; hospital staff left one by one, giving room for the family to grieve. Naeun’s mother then hugged her husband’s corpse, as the sounds of her cries filled the whole room. Naeun was sobbing as well, in the arms of Myungsoo.

Suzy watched as each of Myungsoo’s touch soothed Naeun and her heart ached at the sight. Her glance travelled towards Jongin and saw how the male was also mourning not only for the loss of one of the best men he knew but also for failing to be the one to provide sanctuary for Naeun.

Silently, Suzy made her way towards the door, taking one final glance at the sad scene before exiting the room. She wasn’t able to walk far away as her legs gave up on her, making her collapse on the floor. She hugged her knees closer to her chest as tears cascaded down her face.

There was excruciating pain raging inside her chest and she couldn’t recognize if it was because she was reminded of the suffering of losing her parents or because of the growing fear of losing another person she loves.

Suzy and Myungsoo never talked about the incident of finding each other in another’s company. They kept their silence. They went together at the funeral but despite holding each other’s hand, Suzy could feel that there was a growing distance between them that they needed to confront before it confronts them.

Perhaps it was Jongin’s distraught voice over the phone or her own misery that persuaded her to accompany the male in his drinking spree. She needed a release and Jongin needed some company. Jongin has always been there when she needed a friend; it was time for her to do the same. However, she found out that there was not much room for her to drink – not when Jongin already had a few bottles. The male’s cheeks and ears were blushing red but he was sober enough to welcome her and have a few casual conversations.

When Jongin had ran out of topics to distract both of them, he was forced to face the source of his distress. He told Suzy, “I haven’t spent much time with Naeun’s father but I knew he was a good man. We went out sometimes and he liked me so much, treated me as his own son for he was convinced that Naeun and I are going to marry each other sooner or later.”

Suzy saw how Jongin’s eyes glistened with sadness as he continued, “I lost a best friend, Suzy and now, I’m losing Naeun too.”

“What do you mean?” Suzy asked.

“The engagement was a hoax,” Jongin sadly beamed, “They lost everything; she couldn’t afford to lose her father too. I offered myself as an answer but I can only provide help if she’d agree that we mask it all with an engagement.”

“I felt proud at first,” Jongin narrated, “I was helping my brother’s girlfriend. I thought that it was a way to help hyung as well. I