Violin

            Junsu looked out of the window of his car as he was passing the rows of trees that lined the long road he was on. The village he passed by earlier was small. The people, obviously farmers, were all huddled under the shades of the trees, trying to find respite from the heat of the sun. He asked where his boss’s ancestral house was located and he was greeted with kind smiles and genuine glances. They said he was close. That was three hours ago.

 He was supposed to be going to a vacation house that his friend and boss, Yunho, said he could use for his much needed break. He sighed softly. He had been working for his company as an accountant for three years now and not once had he taken a break. Except for the holidays he had because they were national holidays.

He really liked his job. Junsu had really wanted to be an accountant because his mother and his father were both good accountants. He wanted the security and the predictability of the job. He wanted order in his job and with this as his career; he knew he could have that order. He knew that he would die having this as his career. Right after college he went to apply to many firms and got hired in the Jung & Kim Law Office as the company accountant. He felt that he was indeed very lucky.  Junsu thought so until this day. His boss, Jung Yunho, although just a year older than him, was a brilliant lawyer. He proved to be a good friend aside from being a considerate boss after three years of his employment in the said firm.

His third year in the firm came and that was when he started to have a bad time in concentrating. He didn’t really have a clue as to why he kept on having these problems. He has always assumed the right attitude for his job. He was always on time, he was never absent. Junsu took pride in knowing that his skills were needed in the company. But all that changed one night when he saw a boy playing a violin.

Now, Junsu was not one musical guy. He liked music all right, but he has just never tried to play anything. In fact he couldn’t play a triangle in the perfect pitch even if his life depended on it. He could sing, yes; some dancing, but these were done in the privacy of his bedroom. No one has ever been shown his rare bursts of singing and dancing performances. Well, probably his twin brother. Junsu cringed at a past memory where he tried and failed at dancing while his brother looked on then laughed himself to tears. He has not attempted to dance again in public since then.

The night he saw the boy playing the violin was one of those nights he deemed it okay to go home early after work. He was having one of those headaches that kept pestering him in the workplace for the past months whenever he looked at numbers. With his jacket tightly wrapped around his small frame, he walked the familiar streets he has walked on since he started working for Yunho. He was silently cursing the cold as it seeped through his jacket when a sound reached his ears. At first he didn’t clearly hear it. He thought that it was just a radio someone has forgotten to turn off. But the sound came again, this time a bit more persistent.

It was a soft melody; Junsu craned his neck to the left to listen more closely. He found out that the sound was coming from a small studio at the end of the street. His feet moved on their own. He couldn’t recall why he wanted to hear it more but he felt that he just needed to. Once in front of the studio, he peered through the heavily curtained window and saw a small boy with his eyes closed while playing the violin. The boy seemed oblivious to anyone’s presence, he just stood there content and producing the most beautiful sounds Junsu has ever heard. He has never heard magical sounds from a musical instrument that could wash you with joyful emotion. As he stood there in front of the studio in the cold night, Junsu thought that the violin was an instrument that could draw anyone’s soul out.

After that night, he started to have trouble sleeping. His headaches seemed to worsen because not only could he feel it in the day, he could also feel it at night. The work in the office seemed a little too much and because of his lack of sleep, his work output started to deteriorate; much to the chagrin of his teammates. The stress was especially bad these days because of the impending deadlines and it was clearly taking its toll on him. It became more obvious when he added last month’s spending to the weekly report he was doing.

Yunho took one look at him after having one of his cases and deemed it necessary for the younger man to stop working. He saw Junsu was once again stooped to his desk, eyes scanning the numbers in front of him in one of the many books at his side. Yunho stood beside his table and tapped on his desk. Junsu looked up and Yunho playfully gave a little shout of surprise.

            “Yah! Who are you? Where did Kim Junsu go?” Yunho proceeded to look for the said missing person under Junsu’s desk, even moving Junsu’s chair out of the way. Junsu just let himself be moved around by Yunho. He looked at his boss when he straightened again. Yunho leaned closer to Junsu and poked his cheek.

            “You, Kim Junsu, are not going to work tomorrow.” He pulled the book from under Junsu’s arms and closed it. “Now I want you to go home and start packing your bags. You are going on a holiday.” He continued moving around Junsu’s desk.

            Junsu only understood what Yunho said when his friend started to put his files aside then proceeded to get his bag. “Boss, I can’t go on a holiday! It’s not even the middle of the year.” He started to protest.

            “Who says? I’m the boss aren’t I?” Yunho raised his eyebrows at him.

            “Yes.” Junsu nodded but looked unsure. He started fidgeting with his hair. Yunho put his hand on Junsu’s shoulder then smiled kindly at the young man.

            “I am not just you boss Junsu, I am firstly your friend. And as a friend, I can’t just sit back and watch while my friend wastes away in sheer stress in my firm. You need to have a break.” Junsu smiled and adjusted his glasses a little. He has to admit that he was touched by Yunho’s gesture.

            “So I am going to send you to our vacation house for two weeks, no make it three weeks. Is that a good deal? You don’t have to worry-“ Yunho added as Junsu started to protest again. “-our caretaker is there. She will be very willing to help you with everything.”

            “But, Yunho, I can’t be gone that long. Who will do the reports? And I have to finish up the books for Mr. Lee-“he reasoned to his boss.

 Yunho held the messed up report in his hand. He waved it in the air as if he was willing the contents to be correct. Junsu mentally slapped himself for committing that stupid mistake. He has never had a mistake as simple as that in all his three years in the company.

            Yunho sighed, “Look Junsu, I know you are a capable employee. More than capable I can say. I can attest to that. But right now, this-“he held up the papers, “-this is not you. So I want you to go and have your vacation.” He stopped any words that Junsu would have said with a motion from his hand. “Ah- No buts please. And don’t come back until I have my normal Junsu back, okay?” Junsu smiled at his friend and long time boss and nodded yes. He couldn’t really say no to his boss and secretly, he has also been wishing for a break for a long time now.

And that was how he got here, in a small countryside village searching for the Jung family house. After scanning the area for some signages, he saw a path leading to a little bend. Following the path, Junsu turned left when he saw a sign that said “La Luna”. The moon, as they say in Spanish. ‘Hmm, it sounds mysterious.’ Junsu thought to himself as he went in the grounds leading to the house.

            Yunho said that the house was Spanish inspired. His great-grandfather especially designed it for the family. He also said that the house looked so off in the country side. Not too many people could see Spanish houses in Korea. In fact, there shouldn’t be a Spanish house in Korea. It was really very unusual. But it was there standing proudly in front of him, daring him to continue going forward. He didn’t know but he felt drawn to it. He was surprised at the sheer beauty of the old house.

As Junsu neared, he saw a very gorgeous Spanish house. It had two storeys. Typical of the architecture in the West, the lower floor was made from concrete. The top floor made of wood. He saw that the outer walls were covered with grime but this only added to the character of the old house. Junsu stopped his car in front of the house and saw that it was much more impressive up close. The house’s façade gave off the feeling of antiquity and serene calmness. It was really different from all the houses he had been to. ‘Well, I’ve only been to Korean houses.’ He smiled slightly at the thought. He went out of the car, took out his bags, and then proceeded to the front door.

            He rang the door bell and waited for the caretaker, Soo Young. After a few minutes when the said caretaker seemed to have turned deaf and didn’t answer the door, Junsu decided to look for entrances to the house. The front door was closed so he moved to the left side of the house. He peeked in one of the big wooden windows that could be found all throughout the house. He lifted it gently and tried to not make any noise. The window creaked and he winced slightly. The sound seemingly loud in the quiet air.

            “Hello? Is anybody here?” He shouted as he peered into the crack he opened in the window. “Soo Young-sshi? Are you here? Answer me please. I am Kim Junsu, my boss, Jung Yunho sent me.” Junsu couldn’t really make anything out in the darkness through the window. He thought that maybe the caretaker was not told that he was coming. That maybe the reason why nobody was there to welcome him.

            He moved to the front of the house again and reached into his pocket to take out his cell phone. He started dialing Yunho’s number when he heard faint sounds. At first the sounds weren’t that distinguishable but it came again. Junsu’s hand stilled as he strained his ears to hear the sounds. It was a melody that he has heard from the past. He was not sure from where and when but he clearly remembered the tune. Then it came to him that the sounds were coming from a violin. Its strings were being played softly, almost like a caress, that the sounds he was hearing became wisps of art in his ears. Junsu unknowingly closed his eyes as he listened to the sound. He was really enjoying the music. He thought that he had never heard a violin that sounded like that. He never knew that a violin could sound so sweet like that. The violinist must be a master. Junsu smiled a little as the notes lilted and swayed; showed a range of feelings that Junsu had never heard before. He must look for this violinist and ask him to play. He was so into the music that Junsu didn’t notice that the caretaker had arrived.

            The middle-aged woman was a bit puzzled when she saw a man standing with his eyes closed in front of the house. She heard calls from the outside and immediately searched for the guest. Soo Young tapped Junsu’s shoulder that seemed to snap him out of his dream state. The young man politely bowed and smiled when he saw her. Soo Young felt that she would like this young man indeed. ‘He smiles like the sun’, she said to herself as the boy introduced himself to her. She just couldn’t understand why he was standing so still before she approached. He seemed like he was listening to something when she couldn’t even hear a sound herself. Well, probably because my hearing is bad now, she mused. She smiled inwardly at the thought.

            “Annyeonghaseyo, Soo Young-sshi. My name is Kim Junsu. I think you know me from my boss, Jung Yunho. I came to visit. Please take care of me.” Junsu babbled away his introductions and smiled at the kind-looking woman in front of him. He wanted to create a good first impression on the lady so he’ll be well taken care of. ‘Sly, Junsu, very sly.’ he smiled again as the woman ushered him inside the house. Junsu thought that his charm was still working.

            They went in the house and he saw that once inside, the lower floor opened up to a staircase in the middle of the room. They have to climb the stairs to get to the main part of the house. What greeted him was a very spacious room. This was the living area. He was surprised that a house could actually look like this. Wooden floors that were gleaming were well kept. It showed how well preserved the house was. There are wooden sofa sets each with cushions encased in embroidered fabric. The windows were opened and were adorned with flowing white curtains. It created a very homey feel to the room. Some antique paintings were also seen hung on walls. Vases of different sizes could be seen on tables and on the floor. The whole thing looked like it came out of a page of a home style magazine.

            The woman let him sit in one of the cushioned sofas and made her way to another part of the house. She specifically said that he could feel at home. Sir Yunho instructed her to take good care of his friend so she would.

            When she left, Junsu let his eyes wander around the living room. He was very amazed at everything at he saw. He didn’t know that Yunho’s family possessed so many antiques. For even his untrained eyes he could see that these were priceless. His eyes trailed on a lone table by the wall on his right. The table was lined up with a lot of framed photographs. These were pictures of the generations of the Jung family. As he studied the pictures, he saw that Yunho’s family was really well-off.

Junsu could see baby pictures of his boss and his sister. Some were pictures from trips to other countries. He couldn’t help but lean closer to the table to get a good look. He smiled at some pictures showing the Jung family having a good time doing some activity. He even saw Yunho and his sister up in a hot air balloon. Junsu smiled wistfully at that. His family was not so much outgoing. His parents were busy with work so they didn’t have time to go out as a family. They also were not rich and couldn’t afford pricey family trips abroad. So he just didn’t have any memory of having fun with his family. Maybe once or twice when they decided to go to the family dinner his father’s company sponsored for their employees.

He continued looking through the pictures on the table. He focused on the old pictures, some showed of people who lived in the house in the past. Yunho’s ancestors. They were wearing traditional costumes, unsmiling, yet he could see that they had very kind eyes. Junsu then moved his eyes to a photo at his left and stopped.

The picture was of a young man with jet black hair and a fragile-looking frame. He was looking straight at the camera. Instead of a Korean traditional costume, he has on a tuxedo. The young man was unsmiling too, but his eyes were lit with mischief. Junsu was sure that this person had done things not accepted in Korean society in the past. Jusdging from the way his eyes were twinkling to the upcurl of his lip, as if he was about to say some secrets. He was standing but his right hand was resting on the back of a chair. Junsu could see that the picture was taken by a professional. This family member must have been a very famous one. He seemed to have just come from a performance of sorts. Junsu tried to look for more pictures of the said man but he could not find anything more.

Just as he was about to move on to the other pictures he heard the sound of a violin again. His head snapped up and stood upright. Junsu was sure of that sound. It seemed louder this time. He was surprised because it seemed to be coming from inside the house. Junsu listened hard; he wanted to know where the sound was coming from. His feet moved towards the melody, wanting very much to meet the musician. But as he took a few steps forward, the music stopped suddenly.

Indecision was nudging him. Should he follow his instincts and look for the violinist or should he just ignore it. He wasn’t able to decide about that because Mr. Soo Young came back with refreshments and informed him that his room was ready. He forgot to ask about the violin and the man in the picture when he saw the food lining the tray in front of him.

That night, Junsu, freshly showered (he couldn’t believe the bathroom in his room!), and full (Mrs. Soo Young’s wonderful dinner was really a treat to the palate), got ready for bed. He experienced his first canopy bed. He was surrounded by all good stuff and he felt really good about his vacation. After phoning Yunho to tell him that he had arrived safely and he was being well taken care of by Mrs. Soo Young, Junsu decided to rest for the night. He rested his head on the soft pillow and almost immediately drifted off to sleep. In between waking and dreaming, he heard the strain of the violin again. Junsu fought to stay awake but his body was really heavy with tiredness and sleep was taking over his consciousness. The last thing he remembered was the soft melody coming from the violin. The song starting to be etched in his memory.

Sounds of chirping birds woke Junsu up that morning. He smiled slowly as he stretched his tired limbs. He stood up and opened one of the big windows in his room. Warm sunlight poured in and bounced on surfaces making the room light up. He put his hands on the window sill and with closed eyes lifted his face to the sun. He felt the soft warmth of the sun and he could see the sunlight through his closed lids. He could also feel the people stirring in the early morning. There was something relaxing in the countryside. And he silently thanked Yunho for letting him have this break.

He opened his eyes and breathed in the fresh air. For the first time in his life, he felt free. He didn’t have to use his brain and that was just perfect. He felt so happy that he could sing. ‘Well, why not?’ He muttered to himself.

Looking sheepishly around the room, Junsu started to sing. At first, he sang the notes tentatively, singing softly, unsure of how to create sounds. But the atmosphere and the happiness he was feeling at the moment overwhelmed him. So he started to sing from his heart. As he was singing, he didn’t hear that the sounds of the violin once again drifted in the air. His voice just blended with the wispy tune the instrument created. Junsu sang the last note and for the first time heard the violin accompanying him. He gasped when he noticed the sound of the violin strings.

He immediately bolted from the room to look for the sound but stopped because he heard his name being called softly.

“Junsu…”

Junsu stood rooted to the spot. The voice he heard came from somewhere near him. Like that someone was close to him and just leaned in to his ear to whisper. Goosebumps started to appear on his forearms. The hair at the back of neck rose. He suddenly knew with certain clarity that the person who called his name was standing behind him and if he would just turn around, he would get a clear view of his face. With his heart furiously pounding in his chest, he turned around slowly.

What he saw nearly made his head spin in shock. There at the foot of the bed stood a man. The man was intently staring at him. His eyes staring at him like he did at the photograph. The man was indeed the same man he saw in the picture from yesterday. He even had a violin in his hands!

Junsu blinked; he could feel his breath come in short bursts, his head started to swim in confusion. This is not real. He kept on saying this to himself. Junsu tried to calm himself, he reminded himself to-

“Breathe.” The man whispered softly, but Junsu wasn’t sure if he did speak at all. He didn’t see the man’s lips move. It was like he spoke to him in his mind. He breathed with much effort, trying to fill his lungs with air in short gasps.

 The man started to move and Junsu shrieked. He was a rational guy, he accepts things happening before his eyes were truth. He has never been one to engange himself in hysterics, but what was happening to him was clearly a making him doubt his rationality.

He saw the man slowly lay the instrument down on the bed. Then he took a step towards him. Junsu closed his eyes in fear. His face became really white. He was sure he would faint any moment now. His bones felt like they were about to give under him and he leaned on the wall behind him. He silently uttered a prayer to clear his fear away. He was sure that what he was seeing was not real. He believed that as long as he kept on saying that, the man would disappear. His lungs were not getting enough air again.

“You really have to breathe, Junsu. I don’t want you to expire from fear.” The man’s voice was soft and low, but he still heard it.

Junsu opened his eyes. “Y-You said my name twice now. How did you know my name?” He breathlessly asked. He was trying to sound brave but his voice wavered.

“Yes, I said it twice. I cannot possibly forget your name.” He looked at Junsu intently, as if he was thinking of saying something else but thought better of it.

Junsu tried his best to process what the man had just said. His brain was trying to reconcile the fact that he was having a conversation with a man clearly not in the same realm as him anymore.

Then he saw the man move again  to lean on the window sill exactly at the spot he was before. He saw the sun caress the man’s face, his hair seemed very black. Light seemed to embrace his form. He looked very real. Junsu couldn’t help but be fascinated. He was still afraid, yes. He liked very much to leave his room. But something made him stay. He didn’t know for sure what it was but he felt that he had to stay with the mysterious man.

The man stood still for what seemed to Junsu like an eternity. He kept his eyes trained on him. Not moving one muscle a bit. He was waiting for the man to speak or to move again because he was sure that what he was seeing was just, ugh! He could not possibly be real!

With his eyes still on the man by the window, Junsu started to talk to himself. He needed to talk or he would go crazy.

‘Okay, Junsu be calm. Just think calmly. So he’s a ghost, so what, it’s not that he can do anything to you. It’s not that he can touch-‘

He suddenly felt a hand slide to his right cheek and he froze. He slowly turned his head and saw in front of him stood the very object of his fear. He didn’t even see the man move. Now he was touching him and looking at him. Touching his face! The warmth radiating from the man’s hand was so real. So was the voice he heard come from the man. Now he could see his lips moving.

“Junsu….my love. Welcome home...” he whispered softly. Junsu fainted.