I wonder if I keep turning away...

Though he knew several Piano Performance students, he wasn’t keen on being one of them, in all honesty. It wasn’t that he didn’t like playing, he loved playing instruments more than anything, but he didn’t like being viewed under a microscope (though he would never outwardly admit how nervous he got). The same applied when he spotted faces peeking from an opening of the door to the practice room when he was in the process of playing Liszt’s Sonata in B minor. His fingers hovered over the keys, eyes staring at the door with wide, owlish eyes.

One of the males peeking from the door gave him a sheepish grin, “Sorry to disturb you. Soo Kyung-ssi, right? Myung Soo was trying to find you so we were looking through the practice rooms. Said something about needing inspiration so–”

“Did you find him?”

Soo Kyung turned his eyes over to Myung Soo with a curious gaze, “Out of ideas again?”

“I was thinking of snapping some shots of you practicing to get the thoughts flowing, but listening to you play might work as well. What were you playing?”

He looked at the sheet music in front of him, collecting them and shoving it in his music folder, “Nothing in particular.”

Myung Soo looked at him with a deadpanned expression, “Somehow, I don’t believe that.”

“You shouldn’t. The piece that he was playing was incredibly intense, like the hard type of intense. I felt bad interrupting him,” his friend said, the grin never budged from his face.

“I can tell. His hair wouldn’t be so messy if that weren’t the case,” Myung Soo had walked over to Soo Kyung, reaching for the loose strands that had fallen out of the messy ponytail his hair was in, combing them behind his ear.

Soo Kyung felt slight heat rising in his body, “Shut up.”

He really didn’t want to explain the choice of repertoire. Not that it wasn’t a good piece of music in its own right, but it was something he was not fond of playing in front of someone else. When his father announced his retirement, he and his family were blindsided by the news. He knew that his father had problems a couple of months prior to the concert, but was always reassured by the older man that he was okay with his usual smile. The last piece he had played was an excerpt from the sonata, finishing to a standing ovation and a relaxed grin settling on his lips despite his tremoring fingers.

It was the last piece his father played, and the last piece he heard before his passing.

Soo Kyung shifted on the bench, relaxing his fingers before pushing them firmly in order for the notes to echo loudly, following the forte of the first bar, before falling to softer more fluid movements. He learned and played this certain piece while spending most of his time in his father’s room. It was the first Chopin piece he tackled with a bit of a struggle, considering he blazed through his first few pieces with ease. Of course, that was until he got a hold of the sheet music for Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante. He really felt how irksome Chopin music was then.

“What is this piece?”

“Polonaise-fantaisie by Chopin.”

Myung Soo raised an eyebrow, “I rarely hear you playing classical music. It’s... a bit out of place.”

Soo Kyung clicked his tongue, “Mind you, I am classically trained. I just don’t play as often as I used to.”

The other male in the room looked at him quizzically, “If you were trained like this, why didn’t you try majoring in Performance? Oh, sorry! I’m Jang Dong Woo, we’ve never met before, but Myung Soo mentioned you to us a few times,” he introduced himself to the youngest male in the room.

“Ah, about that...” his fingers stopped moving across the keyboard, “I just thought I wouldn’t enjoy it. Performing was never really my priority in the first place, and I was more interested in composing, so it sort of worked out itself. Ah, I’m Chae Soo Kyung. It’s nice to meet you,” he stood up and bowed slightly in greeting.

Dong Woo waved his hands in front of him, “You don’t have to bow. It’s nice to meet you though. We’ve always seen you in Myung Soo’s pictures, but never in real life.”

“Hey, so you guys were here! We were just about to go out for food. Are you guys coming?”

Myung Soo frowned at the sudden hike in voice volume, “Can’t you be a bit quieter, Sung Yeol-hyung?”

“Yeah, you little kid. Can’t you see we’re in a practice room?” a girl’s voice said from behind the taller figure.

“Like you’re any better,” the tall male retorted.

She pointed in Soo Kyung’s direction with wide eyes, “Ah! You’re the one in Myung Soo’s pictures!”

Soo Kyung sheepishly smiled, his eyes sliding over to Myung Soo’s darkening expression. He gingerly patted his friend on the shoulder, “Seeing as I have the time, we can try to find something to spark some ideas for your photos.”

Myung Soo nodded, “Yeah, I’ll stay here.” He turned to the other three, “You guys can go on without me,” he tilted his head in a dismissive gesture.

“But Myung Soo–!”

The girl nudged the much taller male harshly, “Let’s leave them to their work. See you later Myung Soo!”

After the three left, Myung Soo let out a large sigh feeling much more exhausted than before. And... Relief? Why relief? He blinked in confusion.

Soo Kyung raised an eyebrow, “You should calm down a bit. You’re getting frustrated.”

“I don’t even know why,” Myung Soo ruffled his short hair.

“No, I’m sure you know the reason,” Soo Kyung shrugged with a small smile, “You just don’t want to acknowledge it.”

... can I protect myself from what may be inevitable.

Chapter 08: complex(ion).