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A melody.

 

A melody plays on her mind which she couldn't tell if it's real or just another sound that her mind created. She walked pass by the long hallway as if she was stalking a dog chasing the smell of its prey. That melody, however, sounded like a world without melancholy and a life without danger, but full of emotions. The passionate playing of the piano gets louder as she vanished away from her locker, after she loaded her books in it. She was called from her back, "Hyerin-ah!" but she didn't turn, instead, she continued her steps toward the direction of that beautiful melody.

 

She finally reached the end of the hallway, and all the rooms were empty except the last one she is about to enter. The door, has a slight opening,and there, revealed an old grand piano in black, corners were scratched by time, and that old room and it's vintage scent welcomed her like a very special guest of an orchestral concerto. There, sitting and pressing through black and white keys, pouring all of its heart into the piece of music sheet in front of him and then back to his soft and light hands on the keys.

 

Hyerin stayed at the door, waited until this anonymous man ends his piece, but he's not stopping. She loved the melody, even though she has been there for few minutes. The man playing the piano seems to not notice her existence by the door. She smiled when he pressed fast into keys, just as he deliberately passed notes into secrecy. She knows by herself she's not of a good pianist, but she's aware of every melody she is hearing. She's a great big fan of Beethoven. And it even amazed her more when she heard that melody, a Mozart's, the one that inspired Beethoven.

 

The melody stopped, and she can see how that man inhaled as his back pumped like it's his first time to breathe. She walked closer inside until she's few feet apart from him. Finally, he turns around. Hyerin couldn't talk when she saw the man's face.

How he played has a big similarity to his features. He's angelic as how the melody flowed into perfection. His pupils were as black as the black keys.

"T-That was perfect!" Hyerin said. Her smile almost reached her eyes, and her cheeks blushed like red roses.

"Thank you. I knew you were there before I played the bridge part." He smiled. His smile melted her.

"You're a fan of Mozart?" she asked. The guy walked pass the piano, and walked through the window which its light refracts into his eyes. "No. But Beethoven is." He said as he looked at her. Deep hole appeared near his cheeks. His dimples resemble the curvy part of the piano. All she could see in him is the features of the piano. "I'm Beethoven's fan too. I think, we'll be good friends. By the way, I'm Shin Hye Rin. I want to know your name too." She said and gestured for handshake. The guy walked towards her and took the handshake. "I'm Zhang Yi Xing."

His name is not Korean, so probably, he must be Chinese. It made her realize that this young angelic stranger also speaks slang Korean. But it didn't bother her. All her attention is on his voice as he started to talk.

 

--

 

 

"Hyerin-ah, I made this for you." Jin Ah grinned as he spared Hyerin a box, a box of chocolate she made up until midnight. She always does this. But Hyerin never ever talk to her every time she takes her precious friendly gifts. Jin Ah thinks Hyerin will never forgive her. It has been so long since she acted this cold. If ever Hyerin would speak to her, that'll be just when she'll say 'I'm going~' with a poker face. Hyerin has planned to ignore her until Jin Ah gets tired. But Jin Ah is eager to be forgiven; she knew it’s her fault. She follows Hyerin every hour in a day and won’t stop to the point that she stumbles by her feet in a rush. Hyerin taking her gifts would mean a lot to her even if she doesn’t thank her. But she’s a bit bothered about what Hyerin do with the gifts she gives. She wasn’t sure if everything will come back to the way they were; that she and Hyerin will be ‘best friends’ again. 

Hyerin don’t know what to do with Jin Ah following her all the time. She’s not annoyed. She just can’t forgive her.

 

“Jin Ah-yah, I’ve already found the music piece we’re playing for the competition.” Hyerin said and surrounded her arm around Jin Ah’s shoulder. “Is that another Beethoven?” She frowned jokingly, Hyerin stopped a pace dragged Jin Ah to stop too. “Aisshh. Do you hate him that much?” Hyerin raised.

“I told you I don’t hate him, I just want to hear other than his works. Like Mozart’s.” She explained and sat on the chair at keyboard. She slowly pressed into keys and began to play a song she wanted Hyerin to hear. (Insert youtube link of Mozart)

Hyerin was overwhelmed by the melody, she has never heard of it before. “Omooo, that’s so beautifuuuul~~” She said and sat beside Jin Ah and her fingers touched into white and black keys too. She played a Beethoven’s while Jin Ah’s into Mozart. It’s a mixed melody of two great composers. They never thought they can create something like this. Hyerin did the last key touches, and Jin Ah was amazed by how the music turned out. “Yah, Hyerin-ah, will it be alright if we play this on the competition?” Jin Ah suggested.

Hyerin couldn’t believe Jin Ah thought the same. “I was thinking the same!”

~~~~

Hyerin and Jin Ah just finished the registration for the annual “Le Grand Pianiste”[French title] (The Great Pianist). It is a competition of piano players, where any technique is applicable and participant could either be solos or duos. They always join the duo category. They met at that competition. They were one’s opponents 3 years ago, and they never thought they will enroll in the same music school after that. Last year, they won the 3rd place and this year, they’re hoping to win the title. “I can’t wait! We’re going to win it this time!” Hyerin grinned. She loved performing, and she enjoys playing piano as long as she plays with her best friend, Jin Ah.

A few days after their registration…

“Hyerin-ah, will you let it slip if I won’t practice for tomorrow?” Jin Ah asked like a puppy, her eyes are asking for a chance. Hyerin don’t have any idea why, because for the past 2 years, Jin Ah never left her alone in a practice. But she never thought any single thing about her excuse and let her not practice for just a single day. “Sure, but why?” Hyerin asked. Jin Ah stood up and dusted off her skirt and some pieces of grass were like glued to her skirt that she wasn’t able to remove. “A-about that. Hmmm, well my dad is reuniting with his band and he wanted us to go with him there. I hope you understand.” She turned back to Hyerin who looked unsure of what she’s going to answer. Of course, Hyerin knows she couldn’t do anything against her family matters, but she’s also thinking of the competition, yet they still haven’t mastered the piece that much. Hyerin just nodded with a forced smile which she didn’t let Jin Ah notice. Jin Ah screamed like a cheerleader over a basketball game, “Gomawo, Hyerin-ahhhhh!” she hugged Hyerin.

There’s only 2 weeks before the competition, Jin Ah started to excuse herself oftenly, but as repeated, Hyerin will let her go. She once spoke to her that they haven’t been practicing for consecutive days which is more needed. In a week, Jin Ah only appeared for maybe 3 days, leaving Hyerin behind opened door, waiting for Jin Ah might change mind and practice with her. She can only play her Beethoven piece. She knows Mozart’s compositions through Jin Ah but she never learned to play them. And that only piece of Beethoven that kept playing around their little practice room, a vacant storage room in their school, which they cleaned before they used it. They had even asked for the school’s permissions to use that room, and good thing is they were allowed to.

After a week and 3 days, Hyerin bumped into Jin Ah’s brother,

“Oh, hey, Hyerin. How’s your violin lessons with my sis?” he asked. Hyerin was clueless. Wait, what? Violin? She never took any violin lesson with Jin Ah. Both of them never played it once. A question formed in her mind, about what is Jin Ah’s brother talking about. “Violin lesson?” she asked.

“Yup, Jin Ah told me you’re both dragging yourselves into new music, and that’s violin, right?”

Hyerin don’t know what Jin Ah’s brother means, but she still nodded thinking that that is just Jin Ah’s excuse of practicing piano with her. “It’s fine, we’re learning a lot!”

~~

“We only have two days, Jin Ah. We must perfect the piece this time.” Hyerin cried. Jin Ah was lifeless that day, she can’t play well and presses into wrong keys. “I’m sorry, but my family’s been out for days.Maybe, I was just sooo tired. I’ll try my best to do well. Let’s start again.” Hyerin sighed, she can’t complain, because she can see that Jin Ah’s not well, she looks pale. They started the piece again, but Jin Ah pressed wrong keys again, the same thing happens as they repeat. “My fingers hurt.”

Hyerin took her hand and started to massage and held onto each fingertip. She could feel the back of her fingers weren’t rough like this before. “What happened to your fingertips?” Hyerin asked, and Jin Ah suddenly pulled her hands off her. “T-t-this—… Ahh, Dad taught me play his electric guitar that’s why I got these from the strings.”

The day of the competition came; luckily, they practiced well the day before this. They planned to meet at the entrance, but Jin Ah seems to go late, and the competition’s starting 30 minutes from now.

Jin Ah never came even until it’s their time to perform. She performed by herself, that Beethoven’s piece she has loved for a long time, that whenever she plays it, a smile will light her up. But no, at the time she performed alone, without the combination of Mozart’s piece which should be played by Jin Ah, the music turned sad and lifeless like sand on unvisited beach.

She went home after her performance, and left the contest progressing. Along the way, she saw the crowd surrounding two figures playing violins and a box with printed ‘Share for a cause’. And as she approached the crowd surrounding that mini violin show, she saw Jin Ah, a bow on her hand sliding on the strings of the violin where its bottom part resting on her shoulder. She was playing the violin together with a guy playing a lower tuned and bigger violin, the cello.

And for 4 months since that day, Hyerin never talked to her again.

--

“Hyerin-ah!” Jin Ah called, chasing Hyerin who was walking along the hallway. She saw her opening each and every door which was strange of her. What would Hyerin find in those rooms? She followed her, not letting a close distance, and looked into rooms Hyerin has opened. Not any single person was inside; either stuff belongs to her that she might have forgotten.

--

Hyerin walked home, carrying another box given by Jin Ah, this time, it’s a red velvet cake. She remembered the guy from that old room. She promised herself she’ll go there again by tomorrow. She wants him to see her play the piano too, just to share how die-hard fan she is of Beethoven.

She went through the kitchen, carrying the box of red velvet cake, her mom was washing the dishes. “What is that again this time?” Her mom asked. “Jin Ah baked me a red velvet. She has never made me a cake before, only chocolates. Eomma, don’t let Hyesoo and Youngmin oppa eat it!” She cried as she put the box inside the fridge. Her mom laughed. Hyerin’s little sister, Hyesoo, once ate that milk-chocolate she received from Jin Ah. And his older brother, Youngmin, once gave the strawberry chocolate to her love interest.

She went to her room, and threw herself on her bed. Her room was simple, not like any other girl’s dream room, that one that is full of posters and dangling whatever. Her room was simply painted in white, feet stepping into creaking floorboards, and at the corner, by the window, was her keyboard designed like a grand piano made personal