A silver car arrived in the driveway of a two-story cottage styled house. The guards motioned the car to drive in closer to the gates leading into the property. When the car slowed to a stop, a guard went to open the door to the back seat. A young girl stepped out of the vehicle wearing a sky blue dress. Her natural black hair emphasized her pale, white skin. The one characteristic of her appearance that stuck out the most was the blank gaze she had in her deep, black eyes hidden behind her thick glasses.

The guards bowed at her without receiving a bow of acknowledgement in return from the girl, and then quietly escorted her into the cottage. Upon stepping into the home, the girl glanced around at her surroundings. There were high ceilings accompanied by a condescending staircase placed right in front of the entrance. The area was color coordinated in different shades of red. One side of the building led to the kitchen, while the opposite side led to a living area. In between those, there was a door labeled with "Piano Room" on it. Everything had remained the same since the last time she had come to visit her uncle at the cottage house.

Her uncle was a well-known pianist: Lee Jonguk. He no longer travels to perform; instead, he became a private piano teacher who holds lessons at his home.

"Ah, Saehee, you've arrived safely," a tall, middle aged man greeted the girl. He made his way toward her. The girl quickly stepped back and turned to the side to keep some distance. The man stopped, and then smiled sadly at her. "Your bags are upstairs in the normal room. Go ahead and get some rest. We'll talk tomorrow morning," the man disappeared into a room; a piano was immediately heard coming from the room a few seconds after he had shut the door.

Saehee obeyed her uncle's wishes and went upstairs to her room to rest. She took her time walking up the stairs, grazing her hand on the railing to feel the circular indentations. Her bedroom was located at the end of the hallway. She stepped into her room, and then closed the door behind her. She exhaled, feeling secure in her own space away from people. Saehee went to one of her packed bags and pulled out a notebook. She flipped through the notebook and skimmed over the numbers that scattered the pages. Math was Saehee's sanctuary.

---

The sun was out, sharing its warmth with the earth. Saehee walked about in the backyard, taking in the summer air. Her uncle owned quite a large property. The backyard was filled with garden patches, tall trees, and freshly cut grass kept by a hired gardener. There was also a lone bench placed in the shade of one of the tall trees.

In the cottage, her uncle was conducting a lesson for one of his top students: Kim Minseok. He was considered a prodigy when he was younger, but due to health problems, he stopped playing for a few years. But with his health slowly recovering, he made the decision to go back to piano by getting a private teacher.

Minseok sat at the piano with Jonguk standing attentively behind him. Minseok flawlessly played through the piece to his teacher's liking. Minseok lifted his eyes from the music sheet for a brief second, and in result saw Saehee. In the piano room, a large window overlooked the backyard. His gaze followed her up until she reached the door to return back into the cottage. Minseok unconsciously raised in his seat to follow Saehee up until the door shut behind her. Loud clanking brought Minseok back into reality. Jonguk had tapped the piano several times with his conducting stick to get him to pay attention. Minseok stopped playing.

"Ah, sorry," Minseok rubbed the back of his neck, "I got distracted."

"What could have possibly distracted you?"

"Is there a girl living here?" Minseok asked, not answering the question.

"My niece; she'll be staying here for now on," he paused, "I suggest that you don't get involved with her."

"Why’s that?"

"She's schizophrenic." Minseok grew silent. He didn't know how to respond to that, especially since he wasn't completely knowledgeable of that mental disorder.

"...I see," he finally said.

"I advise that you don't get close to her," he repeated in a more serious tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Because of her condition, she doesn't like being around many people and she hallucinates on occasion."

"What does that have to do about me?"

"I just...I don't want her to get close to many people. They make her uncomfortable. I don't want her to go through having to have people leave her because of her condition." Jonguk’s expression grew melancholic.

Minseok observed his teacher in concern. "Perhaps, did something happen?"

Jonguk sighed again. "..." he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Sorry!" Minseok bowed at a 90 degree angle, "I didn't mean to ask something insensitive." Jonguk nodded in his head forgivingly. He took a sit in an arm chair placed beside the piano, and then motioned Minseok to take a seat.

"Saehee--" So Saehee's her name, Minseok thought. "Saehee's parents--her father being my younger brother--died in a car crash a few weeks before summer began. I took her in, so now she's living here. Her condition has gotten worse since her parents' death," Jonguk calmly explained. It was the first time Minseok had ever seen Jonguk look so vulnerable.

“In what ways has her condition gotten worse?” Jonguk didn’t answer.

Minseok's phone vibrated a few seconds after the atmosphere had grown silent. He gave a slight bow to his teacher before answering his phone. "Umma? Yes. I'll be right out," he hung up the phone, "My scheduled lesson is over."

"Ah yes, you’re dismissed." Minseok gathered his belongings into a school bag.

"Minseok," Minseok turned around to face his teacher, "Remember what I told you. It's nothing personal."

"Yes, I understand." Minseok shut the door behind him without making a sound, and then headed for the exit.

A/N: So how is it so far? Feed back is appreciated! Thank you for reading! :DD

(updated: 12-7-13)