Senior, don't play that piano • 2
There was no particular reason why Yeo-ju sat down again. It was simply that, upon seeing the piano on stage, she suddenly remembered that the music club's order of performance, as written on the welcome announcement, was last.
Maybe I should have remembered.
‘It’s the last one anyway, so I might as well watch it all while I’m at it.’
The few audience members, including Yeoju, were eagerly awaiting the performer's appearance. Contrary to Yeoju's belief that the performance would begin soon, the performer showed no signs of coming on stage.
The audience, exhausted from waiting, seemed ready to melt like butter on the seats. Just as Yeo-ju was about to melt as well, a man who appeared to be a performer walked out of the passageway connected to the waiting room.
He had slightly permed hair and was sporting a simple yet sophisticated style that only he could pull off: a white shirt, black tie, and an all-black suit.
But despite his confident style, he had a somewhat unsettling expression on his face. It could have been an illusion, but the heroine's eyes caught a glimpse of his unsettling expression.
As he walked to the center of the stage and bowed, a few small applause rang out. It was a tiny sound, far too small to fill the vast space.
He walked over to the piano and let out a small, unnoticeable sigh. Fortunately, not many people were watching. What was the matter with him? What was the reason for such a sad expression? The female protagonist, the only one who noticed his expression, harbored a few doubts. But she assumed he was simply nervous, and, understanding his feelings, decided to focus on playing.
He sat on a narrow chair in front of the piano, and although he saw it every day, for some reason on this day he placed his long fingers on the unfamiliar keys.
Fingers that seemed slender yet had a firm resolve began to slowly press the keys.
In this vast space, a song that had been shedding its old shell for years and was being played for the first time in the world was being played.
The monotonous lighting cast a blue glow on the performer's black hair.
The notes that started calmly and reached a climax gradually came to an end.
He seemed relieved to have finished playing safely, and was locked in his own silence without making a sound.
As he tried to get out of the silence and get up from his chair, a sound broke the silence.
He was clapping his hands as if they were on fire, with an ecstatic expression on his face, not caring about what other people thought.
The main character was Jeon Yeo-ju.
Those who had been listening to the performance and those who had been asleep, not knowing what was going on, began to clap one by one, following the flow of consciousness and the resonance of the sound, as if they were listening to the new sound resonating in the quiet space.
The performer, surprised by the overwhelming response, stared at the female lead with a look of surprise. But it wasn't simply because she was new to him. His eyes, blankly staring at her, held a mixture of new emotions. He couldn't even fathom what they were.
Despite the man's nervous expression before the performance, the woman was quite surprised by his near-perfect performance. At that moment, she found him incredibly impressive as a human being. So, unconsciously, perhaps out of satisfaction with her own actions and a sense of respect, she stood up and paid tribute to him.
‘Wow… I’m glad I watched it till the end… Seriously…’
Bright lights came on in the space filled with heat, and instead, they cooled the heat. People got up from their seats and searched for the exit. Even though almost everyone had left the Lea Hall, Yeoju was still feeling the lingering aftertaste, feeling the thrill running through her body. As Yeoju had never been interested in piano or classical music, the emotion was new to her.
Yeoju remembered the welcome brochure she'd received upon entering school and kept in her bag, and took it out. Sure enough, the performer's name was written there.
The heroine, with the performer's name engraved on her head, clutched the guidebook tightly in her hand and prepared to leave this empty space where not a single person remained.
The heroine, carrying her bag over her shoulder, headed toward a place with unusually large amounts of light streaming in. Unable to open her eyes due to the sudden, intense light, she proceeded, slightly covering her face with her hand.
The heroine, who was walking with an uneasy gait that even onlookers found uneasy, failed to notice the man approaching from the opposite direction, head down, earphones in both ears. Fortunately, the two of them slightly missed each other and avoided a direct collision, but their shoulders did touch.
The man was surprised, took out his earphones, and apologized to the female protagonist. The female protagonist, who was also surprised, turned around to apologize to the man.
“Uh-uh, sorry.”
“I’m sorry. Are you okay..?”
I saw a familiar face.
Senior, don't play that piano • 2
Finally.
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