Chapter 249

Translator: Dreamscribe

“Hmm?”

In the early hours of the morning, Seo-ha woke to a heavy weight pressing down on his chest.

“....”

What had happened?

Gyeo-ul was asleep with her face buried against his chest. She had definitely been on the bed the night before.... He had no idea when she had come down, but one of her hands was clutching the hem of his T-shirt.

Seo-ha instinctively reached out to wake Gyeo-ul. But just before his hand touched her, he stopped.

“....”

Her eyelashes trembled faintly, her lips gently closed. Gyeo-ul's face looked utterly peaceful.

In truth, when Seo-ha had seen her at the airport the day before, he had been startled. Her face had grown so gaunt that she was almost unrecognizable. Her usual confident, composed demeanor was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a fragile look as though she might shatter at any moment.

She was gripping the hem of his T-shirt tightly, as though even in her sleep she was afraid of letting him go.

It was probably a defensive gesture born from deep anxiety. The suffocating tension and exhaustion she had endured seemed to reach him in full, sending a sharp ache through his chest.

'I should let her rest like this for a while.'

As he quietly looked down at her, she turned her head.

Her features were strikingly clear and beautiful. Bluish dawn light filtered through a gap in the curtains and softly illuminated her face.

They were far too close, and he could feel Gyeo-ul's breath against him through the thin fabric of his clothes, making his head spin.

Two contradictory thoughts collided in his mind. Part of him wished time would hurry up and pass, while another part felt he could stay like this forever.

But that feeling soon gave way to concern when he saw Gyeo-ul's haggard face.

'You must've had a really hard time.'

She had been living alone in the world of music from a young age.

She had never spoken about it, but it surely could not have been easy.

Seo-ha adjusted his position so Gyeo-ul could rest more comfortably.

***

How much time had passed?

The light gradually grew brighter until clear morning sunlight streamed through the curtains.

Chirp chirp!

Gyeo-ul opened her eyes at the sound of birds singing.

Blink.

Blink.

'Were there birds near the lodging?'

She had always slept poorly and gone out before dawn, so she had never noticed.

“....”

Gyeo-ul blinked dazedly, then hurriedly lifted her head when she felt something soft against her cheek.

“...Huh?”

She was on the floor beside the bed. And she had apparently come down and fallen asleep while hugging Seo-ha. The moment Gyeo-ul understood the situation, her face turned bright red.

“Sleep well?”

At the voice coming from beneath her, Gyeo-ul's eyes shook violently.

Seo-ha was already awake. He lay neatly on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Then, as though nothing had happened, he naturally met her eyes.

“S-Sorry!”

Gyeo-ul sprang to her feet and stumbled backward.

Only then did Seo-ha sit up, cracking his neck and shoulders as he loosened them.

“How long have you been awake?”

“Not that long.”

“You should've woken me up.”

“You were sleeping so soundly. You looked comfortable, too. Feeling less tired now?”

Gyeo-ul blinked, then rolled her shoulders.

The stiffness in her shoulders and the throbbing headache were both completely gone. Gyeo-ul looked down at her hands.

“My fingers feel light.”

“Hmm?”

Seo-ha tilted his head, but when he saw her beaming smile, he soon nodded.

Whatever the reason, it was a good thing.

“Wasn't the floor uncomfortable?”

Seo-ha shrugged at Gyeo-ul's worried gaze.

“You seem to be forgetting, but I've been through Army Boot Camp. And I completed it with excellent marks, too.”

“Pfft!”

Gyeo-ul's shoulders shook with laughter before she nodded as though that explained everything.

“You need to practice, right? The competition is tomorrow.”

“Yeah!”

“Then let's go out and get breakfast.”

The two went to a nearby cafe and had a light meal of omelets and coffee. Sitting across from each other and talking for the first time in a while washed away the awkwardness of the early morning.

Having regained her energy, Gyeo-ul looked much more at ease.

“That was good.”

Gyeo-ul drained the coffee left in her cup and smiled in satisfaction.

Seo-ha paid the bill and stood up.

“Let's go.”

The practice rooms were near the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, where the competition would be held.

Several well-soundproofed private practice rooms lined the corridor. Gyeo-ul had been assigned the slot from ten in the morning until noon, and as soon as she entered the practice room, she opened the piano lid.

Clack.

She ran her hand over the keys.

Was it because the warmth from the early morning still lingered?

'Warm.'

A sense of liberation rose from her fingertips. She could no longer feel any of the pressure that had been constricting her for the past several months.

Ding-

She closed her eyes and pressed the keys one note at a time.

The keys felt smooth and natural beneath her fingers. A gentle smile bloomed on Gyeo-ul's lips.

***

The sound of Gyeo-ul's piano spilled through the thick soundproof door. Unrestrained energy filled every note. Seo-ha leaned against the corridor wall and listened to her play for a while before quietly walking away.

“Huh?”

Seo-ha stopped as he rounded the corner.

A middle-aged man was pacing anxiously at the end of the corridor.

“Hello.”

Seo-ha politely bowed his head to Ki-jun.

Gyeo-ul's mother, who was standing nearby, approached first and took Seo-ha's hand.

“Oh my, Seo-ha!”

The coldness of her hand conveyed just how worried she had been.

“It's been a while.”

“What about Gyeo-ul? Has she started practicing? I've been too afraid to look inside....”

“Yes, she just started.”

Perhaps it was the pressure of standing on the verge of the world's most prestigious competition.

As Gyeo-ul had advanced through the main rounds, she had grown increasingly on edge. She often could not even stomach the food her mother prepared for her and would put down her spoon after only a few bites. Watching her daughter shut herself away and push herself relentlessly had made her heart ache.

“Did she look all right?”

“Yes. She seemed especially happy today.”

The couple hurried over and peered through the glass wall.

“Honey!”

“My goodness....”

Gyeo-ul was smiling brightly.

She lightly swayed to the rhythm as she played the piano with lively energy. Even her previously gaunt cheeks had regained a rosy glow.

“Ah....”

Beyond the glass was the radiant smile she had not seen on her daughter's face even once in the past several months.

She covered her mouth with both hands.

“That's a relief.”

Ki-jun let out a sigh of relief.

It was fine if she did not win. What terrified him was the thought of his daughter blaming herself and suffering for the rest of her life.

“Then, I'll be going.”

Seo-ha had intended to wait until she finished, but with her family there, she would be fine. He gave them a brief farewell and was just about to turn away.

“Wait.”

Ki-jun stopped Seo-ha.

When Seo-ha turned around with a puzzled expression, Ki-jun sharply looked him up and down.

Comfortable-looking sweats and hair sticking up in every direction. No matter how Ki-jun looked at him, Seo-ha looked exactly like a man who had just rolled out of bed. Ki-jun's brow slowly furrowed.

“You. Where are you coming from right now?”

Gulp.

Cold sweat broke out.

Seo-ha wondered how in the world he was supposed to explain this situation.

'I don't know. I'll just tell him the truth.'

“I'm coming from Gyeo-ul's lodging.”

“And where did you sleep?”

“I slept there.”

“Together?”

“Uh....”

Seo-ha's silence stretched on.

We slept separately, but when I woke up, we were together? No matter how he put it, it sounded suspicious.

“Guh!”

Ki-jun clutched his chest with one hand and braced himself against the wall.

He looked as though his entire world had just collapsed. Flustered, Seo-ha hurriedly began explaining the situation.

“That's not it, sir! There was a problem with the hotel I booked....”

He tried to prove his innocence, but the more he spoke, the deeper he seemed to sink into the mire.

“I slept on the floor, and Gyeo-ul slept on the bed. But at dawn, Gyeo-ul came down....”

“Ughhh....”

He looked ready to burst into tears.

“Sir, seriously, nothing happened....”

“Honey!”

Gyeo-ul's mother quietly took her husband's arm. Ki-jun remained motionless with his forehead pressed against the wall.

“They're not children anymore. Seo-ha's almost finished with his military service, too. Really, you!”

“Ugh, even so, it's too soon for me. I'm not ready for this yet!”

Seo-ha stared blankly.

Gyeo-ul's mother gave Seo-ha a knowing smile.

“Don't worry too much about him. He's always like this when it comes to Gyeo-ul. He loses all sense of reason and makes a fuss.”

Gyeo-ul was happily playing the piano beyond the glass. Her mother smiled inwardly with satisfaction as she patted Seo-ha's shoulder.

She felt as though she now knew what had brought her daughter, who had looked half-dead, back to life overnight.

“We'll stay here until Gyeo-ul finishes practicing, so you go get some rest, Seo-ha. You must've had a rough night.”

She looked as though she knew exactly what had happened. Seo-ha's face burned. But anything he said now would only sound like an excuse.

“...Yes. Then I'll see you at the competition hall.”

Seo-ha could not bring himself to say goodbye to Ki-jun, who still had his forehead pressed against the wall while muttering, ‘My daughter.... My Gyeo-ul....’ Instead, he hurried out of the corridor.

Two hours later.

“...What?”

After finishing her practice session, Gyeo-ul could not believe what her parents told her.

Gyeo-ul's face instantly burst into flames. This went far beyond embarrassment. A deep rage surged up from the very depths of her heart.

“Mom! Dad! I told you, it's seriously not like that!”

Gyeo-ul shrieked.

Only after seeing their daughter stomping her feet in frustration did the couple finally realize that Seo-ha had been telling the truth.

“How long are you going to stay like that, Dad?!”

Still unable to recover from the shock, Ki-jun was curled up in a corner of the sofa.

Gyeo-ul, furious beyond words, huffed as she breathed heavily. It had been a catastrophe born entirely from misunderstanding, but thanks to it, every distracting thought in her head had vanished.

“Okay. We'll get going now, so prepare well for tomorrow's competition. Honey, get up already.”

“Gyeo-ul! Every man except your dad is a scoundrel! You know that, right?”

“I don't care!”

Even as his wife grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged him away, Ki-jun's pitiful cries did not stop.

“Phew.”

Only after she was alone did Gyeo-ul finally let out the breath she had been holding.

The lobby grew quiet.

Amid the silence, a phone vibrated briefly.

Bzzt-

-Did practice go well? I'm looking for another hotel nearby right now. If I really can't find one, I can just sleep in a hotel lobby. There was an accident, so they should at least let me do that. Don't worry!

Gyeo-ul's brow furrowed slightly. She was about to type a reply while grumbling under her breath when her phone buzzed once more.

-We are contacting you through the emergency number you provided. We have found alternative accommodation for you. It is a business hotel near the Philharmonic Hall, and you may check in immediately today. Please contact us as soon as you have reviewed this message. Once again, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused with your room.

“Huh?”

She remembered.

When the hotel staff had asked her to leave a contact number the day before, she had written down her own.

Gyeo-ul sat on the sofa and thought for a moment. Then she took out her phone and typed a message.

-It's okay. I have somewhere to stay.

“It's not like I mean anything by it. I just think it'll help me stay in better condition.”

It was unclear who she was trying to convince.

And when the finals finally arrived, Gyeo-ul stood beneath the massive lights of the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall in better condition than ever before.

*****

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