Lead by an officer, JiEun and Tiffany slowly made their way into the examination room. JiEun could feel her hear her heart thumping out of anxiousness and put her hand on top of where her heart was in efforts to somehow slow down the beating. Tiffany, seeing how nervous her friend was, put her hands on both her shoulders in assurance. Once inside the room, the officer led the two girls to where the two bodies lay –In the centre of the room—, both covered with a piece of white cloth. The officer moved the cloth slowly away from the face of the first victim, and then the second, JiEun’s tears rolling down her cheeks as she watched the officer do so. Tiffany, who had seen JiEun’s parents once when she had gone over to her house, hugged JiEun tightly at the sight of the two familiar two faces. “Omma… Appa…” JiEun mumbled between her sniffles. “Why?” Was the only thing she could find herself saying. Why did they have to leave her? Did they not made plenty of promises when she was smaller, and have still not fulfilled them despite it having been ten years since they’ve said it? JiEun’s sadness soon turned into anger as she thought of all of the lost promises her parents had made –That they’d buy her a piano once they’d earn enough money; that they’d bring her to the amusement park that she had never gone to—all seemed too bleak now.  Unlike people of her age, that would’ve probably achieved many of the things they had desired, JiEun had come from a really poor family, and many of this her parents had not been able to achieve for her. All their investments seemed to have all gone to her brother, who was now studying abroad to become a doctor. She clenched her fists and shook her head disappointingly at her parents. “Did you not promise me that you’d buy me a piano? That’d you take me to the amusement park? That you’d give me the same privileges that Oppa had? Why did you leave? How could you be so irresponsible as a parent?” Tiffany hugged her tighter as she yelled, and unnoticeably, had started to cry as well. Though she had never felt the pain that JiEun had experienced, it seemed that the pain her friend was going through had somewhat transferred to her.

“Examination time is over; these two are in fact your parents, correct Miss Lee JiEun?” The officer asked, her voice just as emotionless as the one on the phone earlier that day. JiEun nodded, unable to speak. “Very well then; we will notify you when the bodies are to be picked up and readied for a funeral.” JiEun nodded again, and prepared herself to leave. Just as she was about to though, the officer grabbed something from the back of her pocket and handed it to her. “We found this in the back pocket of your father’s pants. We’re they perhaps buying you a piano by chance?” Taking the slip from the officer’s hand, JiEun couldn’t help but feel her heart break. They bought her a piano? With that, JiEun and Tiffany made their way out of the Central Headquarters and down the path that lead to the bus station.

“You okay?” Tiffany asked, though knowing her friend was anything but. JiEun didn’t speak, and didn’t even look up to Tiffany; she simply continued on the path with her head drooped down.

                As soon as they had arrived back at the dorms, JiEun hopped into bed and covered herself with blankets, closing her eyes in hope that perhaps she could erase all the pain present with sleep. Tiffany, seeing her like this, simply made her way out of the dorms so that she could give JiEun the space she so desperately needed at the moment. She walked aimlessly along the streets, perhaps wondering what she could do before she would return back to the dorm. Tiffany walked for several more minutes before coming to a Coffee Shop named ‘Hotspot’. She walked in, and walked up to the counter to see what there was on the menu. One thing caught her eye –Caramel Macchiato.

“How may I help you today?” The tender asked, moving his eyes from the cup of coffee he had just finished making and to Tiffany.

“Can I get a medium Caramel Macchiato?” She asked politely. Tiffany reached into her bag and pulled out her wallet.

“It’ll be three dollars please.” He informed. Taking the money and handing it to the tender. “It’ll just be a moment please. We’ll bring it to you once it’s done; so you may take a seat.” Tiffany nodded and took a seat at nearby table within the coffee shop and closed her eyes. She rested her back on the comfortable fabric chair she was on, and let out a sigh. How was JiEun doing right now? As much as she wanted to go back and just give her a big hug, she knew what she probably needed now was some quiet time by herself. If that was what that would help her through this time, Tiffany was more than willing to wander the streets to give her that quiet time.

                “Here you go.” The tender said, putting the cup of Caramel Macchiato on the small round table in front of Tiffany. Nodding her head as a gesture of thanks, she picked up the cup and took a small sip of the liquid. She spent the rest of the night there, and didn’t return back to the dorms till nine o’clock in the evening. By the time she had gotten home, JiEun was still fast asleep; imprints of the tears were still visible on the area just underneath her eyes. Tiffany quietly made her way to the washroom and wetted a towel. Placing the towel gently under JiEun’s eyes, she gently wiped the prints off and brought the towel back to the washroom –All the while careful of not waking JiEun up in the process. She needed the rest. With that, she hopped into her own bed and drifted off to sleep.

                “Are you sure you’re going to be okay going to school today?” Tiffany asked worriedly as she rushed after JiEun. JiEun had woken up at quite an early time that morning, probably due the fact that she slept an extra six hours more than usual. “I mean, you can always take a day off.” Tiffany suggested. JiEun shook her head, moving faster on the route towards their school.

“I’m fine.” JiEun protested, walking at what seemed to be a comfortable paste for her, but quite a fast paste for Tiffany. “Don’t worry about me.”

“What do you mean don’t worry about you? I mean, we’re best friends!” Tiffany said. JiEun stopped walking and turned around to face Tiffany. The two had come to a pause, and JiEun let out a sigh before looking up to her friend.

“I know that it’s probably impossible for you to not worry about me, but what I really need most right now is time alone…. Sorry.” Tiffany pulled JiEun into a hug, and patted her lovingly on her back.

“Don’t be; just tell me when you’re ready for me to come in, okay? I’ll be waiting outside your door.” It was an inside joke between the two of them, and though it was a light joke they had made years ago, Tiffany had remembered it very well. JiEun took Tiffany’s hand and pressed it tightly.

“Thanks; I really appreciate it.” Tiffany went ahead afterwards for class, as she wanted JiEun to have her time alone; she was more than grateful to have a friend like Tiffany. These were one of those times where JiEun just wanted to hide in a corner and be alone; but she knew that avoiding wouldn’t be a very good solution to her future. At one point of her life, she’d have to face reality; if she didn’t do it now, then what more good would it be doing it in the future? She slowed her steps slightly and kept her eyes on the cemented pavement all the while that she did. There were many things to be done, but for now, it was just her and herself. Quiet times by one self could lead to good solutions and bad, and though she wasn’t sure how she would be affected by the quiet times afterwards, she just felt it was nice to be by herself for once. Her phone had suddenly rung, and JiEun quickly dug into her schoolbag to look for it. She pressed the phone lightly to her ear after answering it, and asked: “Hello?”

“JiEun-ah,” She recognized the voice immediately, and she couldn’t tell whether the feelings she had crumbled inside her heart were out of hatred or of sadness.

“Oppa…” She mumbled under her breath. It seemed as if she was in a state of shock; when was the last time he had called back? A year and a half ago? Two years? Anyhow, it was too long for JiEun to have remembered. Though their relationship with each other had always seemed bitter, it never necessarily made sense to her that he wouldn’t even give his own biological sister a call back at New Year’s or Christmas; it just didn’t make sense.

“Is everything alright? I heard Mom and Dad were involved in an accident.” He said, making his way out of the airport doors and raising his hands out on the road in hopes that a taxi would stop by. One immediately did so, and the short driver got out of his car and hurriedly loaded his luggage into the trunk.

“They’re dead.” JiEun’s voice was cold and trembling as she spoke. The tears that she had seemingly seemed to have tried to hold in so well had all come overflowing out of her eyes. Her feet stopped its steps, and she shook her head as if to show her disappointment.

“What?” He asked, just as JiEun had done the day before.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” With that, she ended the call and continued on her way to school. There was no point in talking about this any further, she thought. They’re already gone; I’m not ready to talk about this yet. Instead of making her way to the classroom like she would usually, she rested herself on the green grass in the court yard, in hopes that perhaps Mother Nature could provide her with the peace of mind that she had yearned for so much at that moment. She curled up her legs against her chest and wrapped her arms around them as if to protect herself, and rested her head on her knees. Why’d they have to leave? What were they even doing in downtown anyways? It was not usual that they’d head downtown, and the fact that both of them were there together had raised an even bigger question mark inside her head. Her parents were poor, and other than running their little veggie truck and selling vegetables as they moved throughout the nearby streets of where her house stood, they had nowhere else to go. Life had been like this for the past seventeen years, so what caused them to finally go downtown for no particular cause? “We found this in the back pocket of your father’s pants. We’re they perhaps buying you a piano by chance?” The words that the officer had spoken of yesterday suddenly flashed into her mind, and reaching into her schoolbag where she had placed the slip she was given yesterday, she opened it up to see what it was. A bill of sale marked with the pick-up date of the day before. Tears began streaming down her face again, and she hated herself for crying this much. It made her seem weak –Something she had refused for others to see her as ever since she was little. Because she was poor, didn’t mean that she was weak. She folded up the piece of paper again, and stuffed it back into the bag. How could have they afforded her a piano? It just didn’t make sense.

                Wooyoung stuffed his hands into his jeans as he made his way slowly to the classroom; for some reason, he had yearned to go to class today –Not to learn, of course, but instead, he wanted to see JiEun. How was she doing? Was she still as down as she was the day before? As he walked, he passed by the courtyard, and he noticed a person curled up by herself while sitting on the grass. Out of curiosity, he tilted his head slightly to the right to take a closer look, but when all else failed, he decided to move towards the curled body. “Are you alright?” He asked, bending his knees so that he was at more of an eye-level with the girl. She was crying, but once she heard his voice, she stopped and turned up to look at him. “Lee… JiEun?” He asked naturally, and covering his mouth a moment after to avoid embarrassment. It’s not like they’ve really known each other all that well…. She remained silent, and Wooyoung took a seat beside her. “Are you alright?” He asked, again. His voice displayed worried and care –Care for a classmate. JiEun nodded her head slowly, her eyes on Wooyoung. She recognized him as the one being in her History Class; they’ve talked once.

“Shouldn’t you be going to class?” JiEun asked, her voice almost as quite as a whisper.

“I don’t feel like going to class.” He answered simply. Wooyoung was one that had been born with knowledge –He could sleep technically through most of his classes and still ace the final test. So it didn’t matter much whether he had attended class or not. There was a moment of silence, and seeing that JiEun was probably not going to break it, he took the initiative to do so. “Shouldn’t you be going to class?” He asked. She looked up to the sky for a second, almost pondering as if what to say next would be suitable, and then she let out a sigh.

“I don’t feel like going either.” The way she had said it had a much deeper tone to it, unlike the light tone Wooyoung had used. It had almost sounded a bit dull. Wooyoung didn’t know what to say, so he got up to his feet and reached out his hand.

“Since we don’t feel like going to class, mind skipping classes with me?” This question seemed crazy to JiEun, and she knotted her eyebrows in confusion. What kind of a question was that? Seeing her like this, he put his hands back at his sides. “Seriously; I mean, we wouldn’t want to be caught here anyways, right?” JiEun didn’t budge, so Wooyoung  wasn’t grabbed onto her hand and pulled her up to her feet. “Let’s go.”

                She didn’t understand why her feet moved along with his; there was no reason for them to. She had only remembered talking to him once, and it was no longer than a thirty second conversation. Could he have remembered her from that? They found themselves a couple of minutes after stopping by a Coffee Shop. He pushed the door open, and urged her inside. Though it was quite bright outside, the Coffee shop seemed to have its atmosphere of its own; while some parts of the shop were lit by the lights from the window as well as the lights from the interior, there was a part on the far side of the shop where no one sat. It was of a much darker lighting, and though it wasn’t nearly as welcoming as the brighter surroundings of the shop, it held its own unique taste and atmosphere apart from the rest of the shop. “Sit.” He said, pulling a chair out for JiEun. She did as he said, and turned her eyes to him. Wooyoung was now seating himself in front of a piano –That JiEun had not noticed before— in the corner of the coffee shop, and he began playing. She didn’t recognize the tune, but it brought memories to JiEun’s eyes. Not happy ones to say the least.

Her father slapping her because she had requested for a piano, though knowing the situation was very much impossible.

Her mother apologizing for the harsh words her brother and father had thrown at her.

Her whole family pleading their relatives to help them throughout their bad times when there was no money left to maintain their survival.

Waiting for her brother’s call on Christmas Eve, and sitting with an unringing phone all night.

The moment she saw her parents’ face under the two pieces of white cloth in the examination room;

All seemed like God was playing a joke on her; all seemed unrealistic. Wooyoung, who had come here in his spare time continued playing, focusing his eyes on the black and white keys as his fingers gently danced upon them. Once finished, he turned to look at JiEun –But she was once again in tears. “Did I do anything wrong?” He asked worriedly as he made his way quickly back to JiEun.Did he make her feel uncomfortable by playing music? This was the place he spent most of his time in; the place he came to when he was sad. It seemed that after their pianist played a song, he would somewhat feel cheered up on the inside. Taeyeon, the pianist, was on break, so he figured that it would’ve probably made the same effect on JiEun if he had played the instrument. After a long silence, JiEun shook her head.

“Just…. Memories.” She wiped away the water with her hands, brushing them on her pants once she was done.

“What kind of memories?” Wooyoung asked, now curious and careful with his words. He took a seat next to JiEun and waited for her to answer. She spent a moment, debating whether she should tell him her story. Wooyoung was, after all, just a guy that she had one conversation with –No more. But she soon came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t hurt telling him, and it probably wouldn’t burden him down like the way it might’ve if she would tell Tiffany. She felt some kind of weird feelings toward this boy, and though it wasn’t love of like, it had made her comfortable around him. There was this sense of intimacy with him… Almost as if they’ve met for a long time. Perhaps, it was something all classmates had with each other.

“I’m from a poor family…” She began, grabbing a tissue on the table to wipe her eyes. “My older brother is smart, handsome; and because he was so good in school, my parents had invested all their money –Even when we were small—in making my brother succeed in life.” JiEun took a deep breath, waiting a long moment before continuing. “I… Being the younger sister had nothing left.” She paused for a long second before continuing. “My parents made a lot of empty promises towards me… That they’ll buy the piano that I so desired as a child; that they’ll take me to the amusement park; that they’ll work hard to allow me to study abroad just like my brother…” She snorted disbelievingly. “I received a call yesterday…” Wooyoung’s head once again tilted to the side, his curiosity increasing as she spoke. “It was an officer… They said that my parents had died in an accident.” Her eyes were tearing up again, but she quickly forced them back inside.

“That was why you were acting so weird yesterday, right?” He asked.

“You could tell?” She asked, wondering why he would pay attention to her.

“Please; even a blind person could tell, alright?” Wooyoung said jokingly, though in way that didn’t offend her. JiEun tried to smile.

“I guess… It was pretty obvious, wasn’t it?” She shook her head slowly, mentally laughing at herself for her foolishness.