Lee Hayi couldn't stop thinking about Professor Daniel Armand Lee's offer to work for him in Seoul National University's music department. It wasn't that she was interested in the job; she needed money to pay her bills.

It was beginning to feel like a chilly autumn that day and Hayi waked into her small bathroom hoping for a warm shower because she had showered with cold water all summer. When she turned the shower handle to the left for warm water, nothing changed. The water was ice cold. She then turned the handle all the way to the left and the water stopped flowing before spurting brownish, foull-smelling water.

"Ugh, gross," Hayi muttered quietly to herself.

She stepped out of the shower and lost all hope for a warm shower. Hayi, however, was still concerned for her hygiene, so she made plans to visit a nearby bathhouse before starting her activities.

First, though, she needed to eat breakfast. She opened her refrigderator to whip up a grilled cheese sandwich and pour herself chocolate milk.

"Bingo," she said to herself when she saw the bread, cheese and chocolate milk she was looking for.

She took out the bread and cheese from the refridgerator and poured milk on a clear mug. Instead of the chocolatey goodness that Hayi was hoping for, what came out of the milk carton was clumped up brown goo which smelled like it went bad 6 months ago, while the bread and cheese was covered in green mold.

"Are you kidding me?" she said a little louder this time.

Hayi had been living alone for the past year, after she made enough money to rent her own place. Since her funding was limited, she couldn't afford a place in Seoul; she lived in a satellite city called Ilsan, which is a 30-minute commute to the capital. The money she made each month was barely enough to pay rent. She worked several odd jobs, like waitressing at a cafe and clerking at a record store, on top of performing in streets and cafes. However, she could not maintain her jobs and perform her music at the same time; she prioritized her music over making money. Music was the only way she could escape, from her past, her depression and her loneliness. But her idealism has finally taken a toll on her.

Hayi made up her mind; she did not make enough money to shower in hot water and to drink chocolate milk from performing on the streets and in cafes. She needed a job -- a stable income that she could rely on every month. She was going to take up Professor Lee on his offer.

--

Hayi finally arrived in Seoul National University. She took the elevator to the fifth floor, where Professor Lee's office was located. She brought her guitar with her that day because it was Thursday, which meant she would go to Hongdae to perform in the afternoon. 

Hayi straightened her guitar bag and her coat. She cleared , as if that make her seem neater, and knocked on the door the Professor Lee's office.

A voice from inside the room responded the Hayi's knock.

"Yes, come in," said the male voice.

Hayi slowly twisted the door knob and pushed it. Professor Lee was sitting atop his work table, which faced the door, with a guitar on his lap. Hayi noticed that the guitar on his lap was the Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, the shiny brown limited edition Mahogany Top that she could only dream of buying. The Les Paul has been used by legends such as Bob Marley, Slash and Eric Clapton.

The petite girl's eyes widened in excitement at the sight of the Les Paul. This was Hayi's first time seeing the legendary Les Paul in the flesh. The acoustic guitar in her bag was just the mid-range Takamine G Series. Even though her guitar was just mid-range, it still burnt a hole in her pocket.

Professor Lee looked up at the door. He noticed that Hayi's mouth gaped open, her eyes fixated on the guitar. He smiled.

"Hello, Lee Hayi," said the professor.

Hayi didn't move. Her eyes and mouth still wide open, staring at the guitar. Professor Lee laughed, amused at the sight of a speechless Hayi. The professor stood up, and put down the cloth that he had been using to clean the guitar. He carried the guitar by the neck and walked towards the door behind Hayi to close it. 

Meanwhile, Hayi stayed silent while her eyes continued to follow the guitar.

Professor Lee then stood in front of Hayi and offered, "Would you like to try?"

"W-w-what? No, I-I couldn't," Hayi stammered, her gaze moving back and forth between the professor and his shiny guitar.

Professor Lee chuckled. He carried the Les Paul to a guitar stand behind his desk and carefully mounting the prized posession onto a guitar stand. He turned around and Hayi was still staring at the guitar.

"So, Hayi," said the professor as the girl shook her head back to reality, "to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I would like to take you up on that offer,"  Hayi said. She was now back to her stoic demeanor, trying her best (but failing miserably) not to peek at Professor Lee's guitar.

"Really?" said the professor. He was visibly surprised, but pleased. "That's wonderful! Please, take a seat!"

Hayi took a seat on a grey sofa placed beside the desk, while Professor Lee sat across her. They began to talk. Hayi told the professor that while she was considering the job, she did not want to take time off her performances, to which he furiously nodded to in agreement. Hayi told him that she still did not like the idea of studying music within an institution, because "music is a way to channel yourself and to express your feelings,'" and that it therefore comes from within the heart, not from some books or some parchment of notes. When she was 7 years old, she had taught herself to play the guitar and the piano, and to write lyrics, all without the help of some pretentious hard cover books.

Music, Hayi continued, was a way for her to escape the real world, the dark, depressing world that she grew up in. Even if she worked for the professor, Hayi wanted music to still be an escape for her. She did not want to open any text books or read any musical notes because she didn't know how to. Everything she learned about music she learned herself.

"That's good, Hayi," Professor Lee said. "That's exactly what I'm looking for."

"Really?" Hayi frowned in curiousity. "How so?"

"You see, students here are smart. There is no doubt about that, because Seoul National University is the best in South Korea. But all they know about music is what they read on those thick, useless textbooks. They don't feel music, they have no passion for music, they don't care about music, they're not attached to music," the professor explained.

From the way Professor Lee spoke, Hayi could tell he was passionate about music. She had judged him wrong. Professor Lee said that he grew up in a wealthy family; his father worked in the government, a right-hand man to the prime minister, while his mother was a dilligent housewife. He despised his father for putting work before family, but would give the world for his soft-hearted mother. Professor Lee was the youngest of three; his two older brothers inherited their father's political and business ambitions, while he inherited his mother's love of music.

His mother encouraged him to pursue music, while his father pushed him to be another younger clone of himself. At first, Professor Lee succumbed to his father's request. He had attended London School of Economics (LSE) for two years before his mother passed away of cancer. His mother's last wish was for him to pursue music. So he dropped out of LSE and enrolled in Royal College of Music, which was also in the UK. The professor then became estranged from his family. His mother was the only good thing about his family; without her, there was nothing left to hold on to in that family, he said.

After graduating from the Royal College of Music, he went on to receive a master's degree in Julliard and a doctorate degree in University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, both in full scholarship. He returned to his hometown of Seoul to teach music. However, Professor Lee was also an orchestra conductor, a film score composer, a record producer and a musical theater producer.

"I recently grew an interest on hip hop music so I also perform at underground hip hop clubs sometimes," Professor Lee said.

Hayi was fascinated by this professor. He not only loved music, he lived and breathed music. He's experienced with working in all genres and sectors within the music industry, yet he's still active in underground hip hop clubs. Amazing!

Hayi had been so immersed at Professor Lee's story that she didn't notice that it was almost time for her to perform in Hongdae.

"Professsor, I'm sorry but I have to go. I had a great time. I'll come back again tomorrow so we could talk salary," Hayi said.

Professor Lee laughed at her honesty. "Sure. So 4pm tomorrow, yeah? There's someone I want you to meet tomorrow."

And with that, Hayi hurriedly said her goodbye and left for Hongdae.

--

For her performance that day, Hayi sang Scarecrow, a song she had just completed several weeks earlier. The song had rather depressing lyrics, which she tried to compensate with music that felt healing rather than depressing. It was the first time she sand the song for others, and she was nervous. She was relieved when the audience responded positively.

In the crowd, she saw the tall boy who had followed her a few weeks back. The boy, as Hayi remembered him, had downturned eyes, which made him look permanently sad. 

After her performance, she quickly packed her bag and left the venue to avoid the boy, who she remembered introduced himself as Kim Hanbin. She felt strange of the attention that the tall boy had been giving her.

However, despite her speedy packing, the boy still caught up to her.

"Lee Hayi," he said.

Hayi recognized the voice and slowly turned around. She didn't want to make small talk but still wanted to be polite. After all, this boy did come to watch her show several times, which meant he enjoyed her music. So Hayi bowed and said, "Oh, hi. Thank you for coming again."

She turned to her childhood friend Kim Jiwon, who came to help again that day, to bid farewell. She then bid farewell to Hanbin as well, and walked quickly away from the two boys.

Hayi walked faster and faster and didn't hear Hanbin chasing after her. She was relieved until--

"Lee Hayi-ssi, wait! I'm a scarecrow, too."

Hanbin had caught up to her. Hayi frowned at the boy as if trying to decipher what he meant.

"I mean your song, I'm a scarecr--"

"I get it," Hayi said before he could finish.

"I'm a fan of your music, Miss Hayi," Hanbin said as soon as he caught his breath. "I come here every Thursday to listen to your songs, and so far, I can relate to all of them. My life hasn't been so great lately, and your music is healing for me. "

Hayi was still frowning and eyeing Hanbin. She wasn't sure whether to be suspicious of the tall boy or to be thankful for his praise. But she was interested. All of the music that Hayi wrote reflected her loneliness and depression, and this boy said he could relate. She was interested in what he had to say.

So the two decided to grab coffee, "just for a while," Hayi said, to which Hanbin agreed to. Hanbin insisted on carrying her equipment, but Hayi declined, saying she could handle them. Today she was struggling a little because it was raining, but she didn't want to show it.

They arrived at a small coffee shop where they both ordered hot chocolate. Hanbin asked Hayi what instruments she played and the kind of music she enjoyed. Hayi told Hanbin that she played guitar and piano, and was interested in learning bass and violin. Recently, Hayi said, she had been listening to R&B and hip hop. Hanbin told Hayi that he, too, was a musician. He loved all kinds of music, but he enjoyed also hip hop the most. Hanbin said his older brother introduced him to music and he quickly fell in love.

"What about you, Miss Hayi? What's your story?" Hanbin asked. His interest looked sincere, and he gazed at Hayi with a faint smile.

Hayi smiled back at Hanbin but didn't say a word. She wasn't ready to open up to this stranger who she had only spoke with twice.

"No? Maybe next time, then?" Hanbin said.

And with that, Hayi and Hanbin parted ways, agreeing to meet for coffee another time.

Hayi fell asleep that day with a smile on her face, a content feeling in her heart that she had not felt for so long. She met with Professor Lee and that tall Hanbin boy that day, and it was the first time that she met people who had the same passion for music that she had. She was happy.

---

Lee Hayi woke up early the next day for a visit to the public bathhouse nearby. She planned to take a hot shower there, because the hot water in her apartment was hopeless. It was better to visit the bathhouse early in the morning before other visitors came. Hayi actually hated the public bathhouse; she disliked the idea of sharing a shower place with strangers. Today, however, she had no choice.

After a quick shower at the bathhouse, she went back to her very modest apartment to pick up her guitar and left for Seoul National University to meet Professor Lee.

She finally arrived at Seoul National University after a 45-minute commute and made her way up to the 5th floor. As she walked towards Professor Lee's office, she saw a familiar tall figure standing in front of the door to the professor's room. The tall figure had his back to Hayi so she couldn't see his face. He was wearing black from top to toe -- a black sweater and slim black chino pants, with black Nike sneakers similar to the ones Hayi was wearing.

The figure suddenly turned around. Hayi was shocked to see that the figure was someone she knew. In fact, it was someone she had just had hot chocolate with the night before. It was Kim Hanbin.

Hanbin stood in front of the door and looked around in confusion. As he looked around, he caught Hayi's eyes and was surprised.

He squinted his eyes, frowned, and said, "Lee Hayi?"

Hayi was equally confused. She slowely walked towards Professor Lee's office and said, "Kim Hanbin? What are you doing here?"