[ 외로운 소리 ] when a mysterious pianist moves to a tiny city by the ocean side to play with a former violinist.
-
After the tragic death of her accompanist, Kim Yeseo, Cha Eun byul vows to never play the violin ever again. However, that all changes aft...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
One week later...
Surprisingly, Eun byul managed to finish her history essay earlier than she thought and was able to balance out her practicing schedule. Unfortunately, the day she started smoking again, she never stopped. By the end of the week, her pack of cigarettes was empty and she was desperate to find another pack.
On a Saturday afternoon when both of her parents left the house, Eun byul left the house, making her way over to a nearby convenience store by the shore. She opened the convenience store door to see a familiar face.
"Hey, Yeonjun," she gave him a half-smile, "You took the afternoon shift today?"
"Yeah, I decided to take it since coach is giving us a one-day break before nationals. What can I help you with?"
"You know..." her voice trailed off.
"Bro, it's been almost 7 months since you last finished a pack. I thought you quit. You know how many toxins you're inhaling and that smoking can cause cancer. You're underage too-"
"Yeonjun," Eun byul interrupted him, giving him a glare, "You're the one who got me into it ever since I moved. I'll be 19 next year so it doesn't matter anyway."
"I quit because I wanted to focus on my athletic career and I think I'm doing so much better," he responded, but in defeat, he grabbed a pack of cigarettes and scanned it, "This is actually illegal- Eun byul, I'm just looking out for you. I should've never introduced you to this... I'm sorry. You came when I was going through a rough time, but I had no idea what I was doing to you."
"Whatever," Eun byul huffed, taking the pack of cigarettes from him, "See you around, Yeonjun."
"See you."
Eun byul left the convenience store and turned to an alleyway between the store and another building. Opening the pack of cigarettes and taking her lighter out of her shorts pockets, she lit it and inhaled her source of peace. She stared, looking at the view, hearing the sound of ocean waves crashing. A male walking came to view and suddenly made eye contact with her. He began walking closer and closer.
"Eun byul?!" The voice questioned with immense shock.
"Shit."
"CHA EUN BYUL WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"
"H-Heeseung," she stammered, quickly taking the cigarette out her mouth and hiding it behind her back.
He speed-walked up to her and stood right in her face. He was seething with anger and Eun byul could feel his hot breath around her neck.
"What are you doing?" his voice was low.
"What are you doing here?" Eun byul's voice trembled.
"Well, I was on my way to buy some snacks for me and my little sister, but little did I know my violin partner is hiding a shit ton of things from me and smoking her life away," Heeseung exclaimed with some sarcasm, leaning away from her.
"I- I'm sorry, Heeseung," she responded shamefully.
Heeseung nearly snatched the cigarette from Eun byul's hand and dug in her pocket to take the pack out. He threw the single cigarette on the ground, burning it out with his shoe. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the dark alleyway.
"Open your mouth," he said as the two stood in broad sunlight.
"What?"
"I said open your mouth," Heeseung exclaimed a little more firmly.
Eun byul sighed and listened. She felt a small spherical object pop into her mouth, resting on her tongue. As soon as she could taste the appalling herbal flavor, she immediately spat it out.
"Ew Heesung, what the hell was that?" Eun byul muttered in disgust.
"That was my grandma's ginger and ginseng hard candy," Heeseung cracked a smile, "Now if I ever catch you smoking again, I will not hesitate to shove this candy down your mouth, understand? This is for your own good. And I'll be throwing this dreadful pack of death in the trash."
Eun byul was too stunned to speak as she stared at the ground in silence.
"I'll go buy us some drinks. Wait for me at the table with the umbrella, okay?"
Moments later, Heeseung came out with two cans of milkis and sat with Eun byul.
"So, you want to tell me how it began?"
To be completely honest, Eun byul had no intentions of even explaining herself. She thought Heeseung's peppy self would forget about her smoking or anything she did wrong.
Before answering his question, Eun byul opened the soda can and took a long sip. "Why does this concern you so much?"
"Because I care about you."
His words were quick and straightforward. It didn't even take him a millisecond to think of an answer. "So you want to tell me?"
"I started because I was depressed and my medicine wasn't working. It's been around 7 months since I last smoked, but ever since we decided to compete for nationals, I was getting a little nervous," Eun byul sighed with utter embarrassment.
"Hey, look at me," the tone of his voice became soft, "I'm here for you. I don't want you to suffer alone. So please, don't think you're competing alone. You have me by your side. I hope you know that."
Eun byul let out a small grin and placed her hand over Heeseung's. "Thank you."
"You know how prelims start in November? I was thinking we would go to Seoul and maybe go practice there," he suggested.
"Seoul? Why Seoul?" Eun byul tilted her head.
"I think it would be a good opportunity for us to get a feel of the competition."
