As if drawn by some unseen force, Min Junseok took a seat nearby.
—♫♫♫
His hearing hadn’t fully recovered yet, so the sound wasn’t crystal clear, but it was undeniably a beautiful melody.
Reminiscent of an anthem, yet evocative of classical music…
The performance felt poignant and frail, like autumn leaves trembling and falling helplessly in a bitingly cold wind.
And yet, at times, it pierced vigorously straight through his heart.
Even to Min Junseok, who knew nothing of the violin, it was dimly obvious that she was an exceptionally skilled musician.
—♫♫♫
Just how long had he been listening to the music drifting in on the breeze?
Before he knew it, the performance had come to an end.
“Thank you for listening to my playing.”
Opening his gently closed eyes at the sudden voice, he saw the woman who had been playing the violin offering her thanks with a light, warm gaze.
‘Is she speaking to me?’
He hurriedly looked around, but by sheer chance, he was the only one listening to her.
Then again.
Not many people would be strolling through a park at this hour on a weekday, and even if there were, few would have the leisure to sit down and listen to a violin performance.
“N-No, not at all. You shared such wonderful music, so I should be the one thanking you.”
Having rarely spoken to anyone outside his family, Min Junseok was utterly flustered by the sudden conversation.
What was more, she had addressed him in English, which immediately stoked his worries about whether he had phrased his words correctly or if his pronunciation sounded awkward.
Just then, the woman raised the violin in her hand and asked, “Were you already interested in the violin?”
“No, not particularly.”
“Really? You seemed quite fascinated by it.”
Min Junseok merely scratched the back of his head, unable to carry the conversation any further.
He couldn’t help it.
No matter that his hearing had returned and he was now able to speak, he had lived for an unfathomably long time without communicating with people through spoken words.
Naturally, he had no conversational flair to speak of.
And on top of that, he had suddenly ended up in a chat with a complete stranger, so there was simply no way he could keep it flowing smoothly.
“W-Well, if you’ll excuse me…”
Just as Min Junseok was offering his farewell to hurriedly flee the scene…
“You like music, don’t you?”
The woman spoke again, a tender smile playing on her lips.
“I suppose I do.”
“I thought so. When you were listening to me play, you looked completely lost in the music.”
“Ah, did I?”
“It’s hard to be that immersed unless you truly love music.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
He wanted to converse if he could, but contrary to his intentions, his replies kept coming out stiff and terse.
Part of it was that his English was not yet fluent, and part of it was that he was unaccustomed to someone striking up a friendly conversation with him.
“If you don’t mind, would you like to try playing the violin? Shall I teach you?”
However, the more he hesitated, the warmer and friendlier the woman became.
“O-Oh, no. If someone clueless like me touches it carelessly, I might ruin your precious instrument.”
“Someone with such a considerate heart wouldn’t handle it roughly.”
“I really am fine, truly.”
“If you refuse, you’ll regret it, you know. You’d be throwing away the chance to become my very first student.”
She then cajoled him with a bright, clear smile. She carried an air far more cheerful and lively than her years suggested.
“Oh, dear me…”
Just as Min Junseok muttered to himself in mild distress…
“You haven’t lived in the States for very long, have you?”
The woman arched her eyebrows, asking with evident curiosity.
“Ah, yes. I lived in Korea and only followed my son to the States recently. It hasn’t been long since I arrived.”
“I haven’t been in America for long, either. Since we’re fellow strangers in a strange land, shall we exchange names?”
Just as Westerners often couldn’t distinguish between Koreans, Chinese, and Japanese, Min Junseok had naturally assumed she was an American, but it seemed he was mistaken.
“I’m Petri.”
Introducing herself, she held out her hand.
Min Junseok stared down quietly at Petri’s extended hand.
Had he ever held someone’s hand other than his family’s?
No.
Without a doubt, he never had.
“I am M-Min Junseok.”
Feeling embarrassed, Min Junseok merely wiped his hand against his trousers, unable to take her outstretched hand.
“Anyway, Korea, you say…”
By this point, one might have felt awkward, but Petri continued without the slightest hint of discomfort on her face.
“It’s somehow nice to hear. I visited a few times when I was young.”
“I see.”
“Then how about this: I’ll teach you the violin, and you can teach me Korean?”
“Korean?”
“Korean sounds so soft and gentle, so I’ve always wanted to learn it.”
“Ah, is that so…”
Like a heavy stone cast to block a smooth-flowing stream, Min Junseok kept cutting off her natural conversational flow with blunt, one-word answers.
It wasn’t that he meant to embarrass or snub her.
By nature, Min Junseok was not someone to act rudely, even toward a stranger.
He was simply awkward.
Everything happening to him right now felt foreign and overwhelming.
“For today, shall we start by learning how to hold the violin?”
With those words, Petri naturally rested the violin onto Min Junseok’s shoulder.
She took his hand and guided it, instructing him to hold on firmly so it wouldn’t drop.
Then, she placed the bow into his other hand, which had been wandering awkwardly in midair.
“Now, would you like to draw the bow across the strings?”
Petri spoke softly, almost in a whisper.
“E-Excuse me…”
“Go on, quickly.”
“……”
“Trust me and just give it a try.”
At this volume, he might not have heard her under normal circumstances.
Yet because she was so close, he could understand her clearly.
Yes.
She was close… far too close.
“Ahem, cough.”
Feeling his cheeks growing hotter by the second, Min Junseok cleared his throat for no reason and turned his head away.
‘Good grief, acting so foolish at my age.’
In a way, she was merely showing goodwill out of gratitude because he had listened to her playing until the very end, yet here he was, feeling all bashful.
It was nothing short of embarrassing.
“Oh, excuse me for a moment.”
Whether by luck or timing, her phone rang.
“Yes, Alec, is something the matter?”
Her tone softened even further as she answered the call.
Unsure of what to do with the violin and bow in his hands, Min Junseok carefully set them down atop the case.
“Alright, I’ll be home right away.”
He pretended not to listen out of courtesy, but from her end of the conversation, he deduced what was coming.
She was leaving now.
Sure enough, once she hung up, she spoke with an apologetic, troubled expression.
“I’m so sorry. I wanted to teach you how to finger the basic scales today, but my grandchild is home alone, so I must get going.”
“Ah, yes…”
Well, she was around his age, so having a grandchild wasn’t strange in the slightest.
And yet, now that she was actually leaving, a pang of regret washed over him.
It was probably because this was his very first time conversing with an unfamiliar woman using spoken words.
Brief though it was…
It seemed he had enjoyed himself, just a little.
“Thank you for today.”
Still, it wasn’t as if he could hold her back any longer. Just as Min Junseok turned away, leaving his lingering regret behind—
“Wait a moment!”
She hurriedly called after him.
“Mr. Junseok, by any chance, will you be coming out around this time tomorrow as well?”
“Pardon?”
“I’d like to teach you what we missed today, tomorrow…”
A hint of reluctance seemed to brush across her face as she spoke. Though, of course, it was likely just his imagination.
Soon after.
Min Junseok clenched his wrinkled hands for a brief moment.
“Yes.”
Meeting her eyes, he answered.
“I take a walk at this time every day.”
His voice was faintly trembling as he spoke.
With no projects lined up for the time being, and feeling as though he had overworked his ears from back-to-back sessions, Hyunseung resolved to rest at home for about a week.
Ah.
Of course, the break wasn’t entirely of his own volition.
There had been threats from Hyuna, worry from Sarah.
And it was also meant to give Michelle time to visit Korea to see Jayble, while taking some downtime as well.
Day 1 of rest.
Owing to his habit of catching up on sleep all at once, Hyunseung slept the entire day.
Day 2 of rest.
The whole day slipped away as he handled the mountain of incoming messages and calls.
Day 3 of rest.
Determined to spend time with his family today of all days, he opened his eyes early in the morning.
Stepping out into the living room, he saw Hyuna fully dressed and ready to leave. Upon spotting him, her face brightened as she asked, “Oppa, you finally decided to take a break?”
“Yeah, I’m planning to rest for a bit.”
“Then should we go shopping tomorrow?”
She linked her arm with his, putting on a somewhat artificial smile.
“Aren’t your intentions a little too transparent?”
“I just became an intern, you know. I haven’t even received a single paycheck yet.”
Her behavior was just a tiny bit cheeky, but since she was a younger sister who was genuinely thrilled simply because he was resting, he figured he should indulge her.
“Alright, let’s go tomorrow.”
Hyunseung readily agreed, then looked around the empty living room and asked, “By the way, where’s Dad?”
“In the master bedroom.”
“Is he still asleep?”
At that, Hyuna shook her head and added, “He should be awake. Actually, Dad’s been waking up super early lately, and every day before lunch, he—”
Before Hyuna could finish her sentence, Hyunseung headed straight toward the master bedroom.
Striding down the long hallway, he reached the door and knocked.
Knock, knock, knock.
However, no response came from inside.
Could it be that he still couldn’t hear sounds at this volume?
“Dad,” Hyunseung called out louder through the gap in the door.
Yet.
Still, there was no reply.
Is he still sleeping?
Creak.
When Hyunseung carefully pushed the door open, he saw an empty bed. Was he not in the room?
Just as he was about to close the door again, he heard a rustling sound from somewhere.
‘Hm?’
Following the noise toward the dressing room connected to the master bedroom, Hyunseung spotted his father standing before the mirror.
“Dad.”
At his call, his father flinched in surprise and whipped his head around, halting his hands mid-touch on his hair.
“Oh, Hyunseung.”
Had he been looking in the mirror with such intense focus that he hadn’t noticed someone approaching at all?
He wasn’t usually the type to do that…
It was somewhat puzzling, but as a fellow man, Hyunseung could understand.
Sometimes, after stepping out of the shower, one just felt a little more handsome than usual.
“Would you like to have lunch with me and go for a walk today?”
Though his father’s hearing had almost completely recovered and he could speak now…
He had never been one to go out much, so his daily routine hadn’t changed all that drastically from before.
Because of that, Hyunseung planned to take him out frequently from now on, helping him form new connections and experience many new things.
Since his father never refused anything he suggested, he would surely go along with it willingly.
“Ah, well, the thing is…”
Or so Hyunseung thought.
“I don’t think I can make it today.”
Apparently, he was wrong.
“Uh, w-why not?”
“I have prior plans.”
“Excuse me? Prior plans?”
Hyunseung asked with wide, startled eyes, but instead of answering, his father merely offered an awkward smile before hurrying to get ready to head out.
‘Dad has prior plans…?’
In a state of mild shock, Hyunseung stared blankly at his father, who was pulling clothes out of the wardrobe and putting them on.
This outfit, that outfit.
He was even pulling out clothes he rarely ever wore, holding them up against himself in front of the mirror for quite some time.
‘What kind of change came over him?’
He couldn’t quite tell, but…
“Hyunseung, do you think this outfit looks alright?”
“Huh? Yes…”
One thing seemed certain: his worries had been entirely unnecessary.
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