Translator: Dreamscribe
“I an, listen to my heartbeat.”
“You think I would do sothing that embarrassing?”
Gyeo-ul scread out in a high-pitched voice.
Her face turned as red as a ripe tomato.
A piece of classic literature she had read recently to cultivate her musical sensitivity ca to mind.
“This is just like....”
'The Sorrows of Young Werther.'
On the day they first t at the ball, Werther asked Charlotte for a dance.
Through fleeting touches, the two felt each other’s warmth. When Lotte’s shoe slipped and she lost her balance, Werther caught and supported her.
In that mont, they felt each other’s breath.
The mont the two fell in love,
Gyeo-ul glared at Seo-ha.
Even after saying sothing so outrageous, he wore a completely serious expression, which only made him more shaless.
“Calm down. There's a reason for all this.”
Seo-ha decided not to tell Gyeo-ul about “sensory dissociation.”
For an artist, the fear of losing their senses, once imprinted, would never be forgotten. So it was better not to know.
Therefore, this was the best choice.
“Han Gyeo-ul, I believe the trust we’ve built up until now isn’t small.”
Gyeo-ul gave Seo-ha a sideways glance.
“Exactly, that’s why I’m even angrier. I’m seriously stressed right now.”
“You don’t really think I have so other intention, do you?”
“It’s not that....”
Once her head cooled down a bit, rationality returned.
Seo-ha was a strange kid, but he did not lie.
“It might feel a little uncomfortable, but try trusting this once.
I truly believe the problem you’re facing can be solved this way.”
Gyeo-ul hesitated for a mont, then asked anxiously.
“Do you really think I can get better?”
“Of course.”
What Gyeo-ul needed was self-assurance.
The human brain tends to accept definitive statents as truth.
“I’ll be able to perform on stage again, like before, right?”
“You’ll do even better.”
And if such words ca from soone trustworthy, the effect doubled.
“Alright.”
Gyeo-ul took a deep breath, then nodded as if she had made up her mind.
But what happened next was beyond even Seo-ha’s expectations.
“Lie down on the floor.”
As if it were obvious, Gyeo-ul pointed at the floor with her index finger.
“What?”
“Then how else am I supposed to hear your heartbeat? The height doesn’t match.”
Seo-ha resigned himself.
He had started this, so he had to see it through.
“Fine.”
When Seo-ha lay down on the floor, Gyeo-ul approached him.
Srrrk.
Gyeo-ul’s long hair softly flowed down over Seo-ha’s shirt.
A pleasant weight pressed down on Seo-ha’s chest.
Thump, thump.
The steady rhythm of his heartbeat brushed past her ears.
Gyeo-ul closed her eyes.
Seo-ha didn’t say a word.
He didn’t move a single finger and simply waited for Gyeo-ul to steady her breathing.
Her shoulders subtly rose and fell, then the trembling gradually cald down.
“This is strange.”
“What is?”
“I haven’t done anything in particular, but hearing your heartbeat makes feel at ease.”
Gyeo-ul unknowingly synchronized her breathing with that quiet rhythm.
Seo-ha’s heartbeat and her own breath gradually matched pace.
An unfamiliar sensation,
But soon, that resonance seeped into her body.
‘Whose heartbeat is this?’
Thump, thump.
Two beats flowed slowly, then soon beca indistinguishable.
As if they had always been one, her heart pumped blood through her body in sync with Seo-ha’s breath.
Gyeo-ul, with her eyes still closed, entrusted herself to that flow.
As they stayed like that for a while, a change began in her body.
The warm vibration that began in her chest flowed to her shoulders, arms, and fingertips. Then it fiercely struck the wall that had been blocking her.
Her heartbeat grew louder.
Thump, thump.
‘Ah... Hello. I’m Yu Seo-ha.’
She rembered their first eting.
She had thought he was just a sowhat cute and clueless boy, but when she looked back, he had beco soone important.
She reserved a studio for him, anxiously wondering, “Will today be okay?”
And every ti his heartbeat echoed, the strings that had bound her loosened.
Now she thought she might understand the aning of his words.
‘I need you as much as I need to breathe.’
What was that?
It wasn’t a confession; it was just the truth, wasn’t it?
Thump, thump.
With every heartbeat, negative thoughts were pushed away.
Gyeo-ul's breathing grew heavier.
‘Hm?’
Seo-ha noticed the change in Gyeo-ul first.
His own heartbeat began to speed up, in sync with hers.
Her right hand groped along the floor, then unconsciously grasped the hem of Seo-ha’s shirt tightly. Her body trembled slightly.
Gyeo-ul was seized by a sensation as if sothing within her was awakening.
A crimson wave, starting from her heart, flowed through her arms, to her fingertips, and back to her heart in a continuous cycle.
“Ah....”
The fear and dread that had been blocking Gyeo-ul's growth shattered completely.
And the senses and musical inspiration that had long been stagnant flooded into her all at once.
Recovery of senses, artistic awakening, the ecstasy of life.
Gyeo-ul accepted this sudden mont of rapture on top of Seo-ha’s chest with her whole body.
What she had needed was a muse, a source of inspiration. That mont, which is said to co only once in a lifeti to an artist, Gyeo-ul instinctively knew it was today.
She opened her eyes.
The colors of the world were vivid. Air, light, temperature, everything she had grown used to now felt new.
Gyeo-ul looked at Seo-ha.
The one and only being in the world who shared a heartbeat with her.
“I want to play the piano.”
She staggered as she rose from her seat.
Though her face was still flushed and her body trembled slightly, Gyeo-ul felt no fear at all.
Seo-ha held his breath.
Gyeo-ul’s long hair flowed slowly over her shoulders.
And then,
Ding-
The first note rang out.
Clear, deep, and pure, Seo-ha imdiately noticed that her sound had changed.
Gyeo-ul leaned back as if taking a deep breath. Then.
Crash-
The passionate performance began in an instant.
It was as if the sound was erupting from within her body.
Gyeo-ul trembled at this unfamiliar sensation she was experiencing for the first ti.
The notes blooming at her fingertips traveled up her arms, passed through her heart, and flowed back into the world.
Each sound held life.
The notes intertwined and spread like waves.
The air in the room vibrated strongly, carried by the resonance she produced.
All anxiety and fear disappeared, and now only a yearning for music remained in her heart.
Gyeo-ul’s hands moved more freely than ever before.
The piece ca to an end.
Gyeo-ul, her hands resting on the keys, let out a slow breath.
“Yu Seo-ha.”
The way she brushed away her tears with her fingers made her look as delicate and beautiful as a freshly blood petal.
“Yeah.”
She turned and looked straight at Seo-ha.
“If I ever can’t play the piano again, it’ll probably be because of you.”
“I know.”
Seo-ha nodded calmly.
Even without saying it aloud, the two of them knew what had just happened.
***
[The 1xth Seoul International Music Competition]
“Number 24, Han Gyeo-ul.”
Click, clack.
Low heels tapped against the wooden stage floor.
Gyeo-ul was wearing a red satin dress. The lights reflected softly off the fabric, making it seem as if light flowed with every step.
Her hair was neatly tied up,
Her exposed neckline gave off an impression that was both elegant and provocative.
Soone whispered from the audience.
“Didn’t she say she was taking a break?”
“I heard it was stage yips....”
“She failed the prelims twice. I saw her crying in the waiting room.”
Seo-ha watched Gyeo-ul from the best seat.
‘I didn’t expect it to be such a major competition....’
Looking at the pamphlet, he realized that the competition she was participating in today was one of the top three in the country.
Gyeo-ul had been specially invited to perform as a past international competition winner.
It had only been two weeks since she began playing the piano again. Everyone told her to sit this one out, but Gyeo-ul decided to go for it.
Gyeo-ul’s mother clasped her hands together in prayer.
Liszt, Consolations, S.172, No.3 in D♭ major.
Gyeo-ul glanced toward the audience and made eye contact with Seo-ha.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Tadan-
Ta tada dan.
The major lody began lightly.
“Oh! Such good touch. The control of texture and weight is perfect.”
The judges exclaid in admiration.
Seo-ha also closed his eyes and focused on her music.
Liszt composed a total of six pieces under the title "Consolations".
Songs that depict the process of a person finding comfort and peace amid suffering.
Too calm for a competition piece. Yet no one could take their eyes off her performance.
The judges gradually beca absorbed in Gyeo-ul’s playing. Their hands moved busily, jotting down impressions.
「Rich timbre and stable center of gravity」
「Clear distinction of layers even in complex chords」
「Excellent calculation of resonance and ability to control sound reverberation」
「Natural expression, purely enjoying the music and performance」
「Sound drawn from within, not showing off technique but more brilliant than anyone else」
Competitions are usually dull.
Because the sa piece is heard repeatedly, even the audience quickly grows tired.
But in this mont, everyone in the hall was focused solely on the sound she was producing.
Perhaps from all the emotional hardship, Gyeo-ul’s mother was silently crying.
The most experienced judge put down his pen and smiled.
“She plays with such joy.”
“When the perforr enjoys it, the audience follows.
She’s gotten so much better. Even in the past her technique was perfect, but back then it felt too calculated.”
“Outstanding.”
Seo-ha listened to their conversation while quietly watching Gyeo-ul on stage.
The performance ca to an end, and the lights brightened one level.
The murmurs in the audience gradually died down.
“We will now begin the awards ceremony for the Seoul International Music Competition, Piano Division.”
The interpreter’s English announcent followed.
The ceremony proceeded in a solemn atmosphere.
The special prize, third place, and second place were announced, and finally, one seat remained. A judge opened the envelope.
Gulp.
All the participants looked tense, wondering if their na would be called.
The judge’s mouth slowly opened.
“First place, contestant number 24, Han Gyeo-ul.”
The audience reacted before anyone else. A burst of applause erupted from the seats.
“Bravo!”
“Congratulations!”
The judges also smiled at the rare sight of a standing ovation.
Amid the cheers and cara flashes pouring in, Gyeo-ul was looking at only one person.
***
Gyeo-ul was in the music room.
[Music Room A]
In truth, this wasn’t a place she visited often.
That day, the piano in her reserved practice room hadn’t been properly tuned. One of the notes was off, and she simply couldn’t continue practicing.
‘What would have happened if I hadn’t co here that day?’
Screech-
“Han Gyeo-ul! You’re here again?”
The door opened, and a classmate poked her head in.
"Are you practicing?"
“No, just calming my mind.”
“You’re so extra. Of all places, the music room....”
“I feel at ease when I’m here.”
“The music room does feel like ho. You’re graduating early, right? What college are you going to? Everyone’s curious.”
There wasn’t a single university she couldn’t get into just by submitting an application. As a result, most students tried to avoid applying to the sa school as her.
“Juilliard.”
“Knew it! I figured as much. If you're aiming for the best in the world, you have to go there. The New York Philharmonic is right nearby, too.”
“...Symphony.”
Gyeo-ul’s voice was barely audible.
“Huh?”
“There’s also the Boston Symphony. Only takes four hours by car. One hour by plane.”
Her friend gave her a puzzled look.
“Really? You looked up all that? Let’s go eat.”
Gyeo-ul shrugged and followed her friend out.
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