episode_0109

Since the matters related to Yoon Jiyu were confidential, Siwoo naturally didn’t mention where he was going today.

I hesitantly answered the phone, and Siwoo suddenly asked,

— I’m home now. Where did you go?

It was my fault for not telling him in advance….

It’s no joke feeling like I’m being watched like this.

I was just keeping an eye on Siwoo because he’s Siwoo, but this is clearly an invasion of privacy.

It’s wrong for Jungsioo to try to confine and raise a grown woman like me as if I were a child, especially when I only have half a year left until I become an adult.

‘…I don’t want to cause worry.’

But if I were to say, ‘Guarantee my freedom!’ Siwoo’s anxiety would only increase.

Even if he pretends to be fine on the outside, the moment I disappear, he’ll be engulfed in anxiety and won’t be able to do anything properly. I know this all too well from experiencing past lives.

We didn’t even date, nor were we that close in our past life. Jungsioo lost all focus on everything after Min Chaewon returned to Austria.

We’ve reached a point where we can’t even live apart, and suddenly Min Chaewon disappears? Even I, who has experienced the future, couldn’t predict how big the aftermath would be.

“I just went out for a moment. I’ll be back soon.”

— Just a moment? Where are you? Should I come pick you up?

“I’m going back soon…. It’s raining, so just stay there.”

— Really? How long will it take?

Since the distance between Larquisimo’s office and our house is quite far, it would probably take about 45 minutes if I play one song before coming back.

‘He’ll probably come up with an excuse about the traffic.’

But the problem lies in the location. If Siwoo asks why I came all the way here on a rainy day, and I beat around the bush, he’ll only heighten his suspicions.

Siwoo already gets oddly tense whenever Yoon Jiyu’s name comes up. On days when I accidentally get caught, he’ll definitely say, ‘Why did I even make a bet with Yoon Jiyu’s father?’

The matters related to Yoon Jiyu will be over in a few weeks.

I feel sorry for Siwoo, but until then, I can only vaguely beat around the bush with lies.

“About 45 minutes?”

— 45 minutes…? That’s not just a moment’s distance.

“It’s for a NewTube thing. I went a bit far.”

— Ah. Which channel?

It’s a lie, but a lie mixed with a bit of truth.

This way, even Siwoo, who knows me well, won’t feel like it’s a lie.

Truly, there’s no other genius idea like this.

“I’ll be leaving in about 5 minutes. Just resting quietly.”

— Okay…. Will you take a taxi?

“Would that make sense?”

— Before you get in the car, send me the license plate number

I almost said, ‘What am I, a kid?’ but I held back once again.

I’ll do it if he wants me to. At least until he shouts ‘Hooray!’ on the world stage.

“Okay. I’ll hang up.”

After ending the call and putting my phone back in my pocket, the two staff members were looking at me with hopeful expressions.

“Um… why?”

While one was tapping the other’s shoulder, the staff member who was getting a shoulder massage scratched his cheek and asked.

“Are you her boyfriend?”

I hesitated for a moment on whether to answer yes or no.

The viewership ratio on the channel is about 7:3 in favor of males.

I’m not particularly worried about viewership and revenue, but I was concerned that if I revealed I was in a relationship, the viewers might end up fighting amongst themselves.

Just look at Yoon Jichang for example. Some people even think of Aclerct as an idol.

As expected, once the news spreads, there will be comments like ‘Disappointed in Aclerct’ and ‘Those damn fans are at it again.’

It’s true that Yoon Jichang is overly invested, but I know very well that he’s not a bad person.

Perhaps, quietly letting this pass is the best course of action here.

“No, I’m your older brother.”

Honestly, it’s true that we spend so much time together that it might not be a lie to call you my brother.

“I see. Looks like you and your brother get along really well.”

“It’s so-so.”

“Not really? When my younger brother and I get bored, we end up fighting…”

“Well, that’s normal, but…”

The person in charge sent a jealous look, asking how siblings could get along so well.

I couldn’t say it was possible because of the past, so I had to beat around the bush.

“Well… maybe because we know each other too well?”

At that, the questioning person let out a deep sigh.

“Like you have a good personality, your brother must have a good personality too. We’re both stubborn, so we never back down. We know each other so well that we end up fighting more.”

Are we weird…?

Well, he was more generous to himself than anyone else. Maybe he was becoming an angel when it came to his first love, Min Chaewon.

There was a possibility of becoming a couple who never fought beyond having a good relationship.

They might even be introduced on a TV special program as a couple who never fought until they got married.

I’ve been thinking about what song to play since earlier, but maybe a song with both a man and a woman would be good today.

“Then, I’ll play ‘One-sided Love’ for you.”

“Oh, One-sided Love!”

Although it depicted the daily lives of three high school girls, the animation ‘Daily Life’ surprised many fans at the time with its extraordinary art and direction.

The opening song of ‘Daily Life,’ ‘One-sided Love,’ expresses the back and forth feelings of two people who like each other without knowing.

Since the song itself depicted a situation where a man and a woman had different thoughts in the same situation, the male and female vocals alternately expressed their inner thoughts at a fast tempo.

While it was true that a man and a woman were chosen to perform together, there was another purpose.

“I need to confirm.”

It was to see if Siwoo’s performance, which he thought had been completely destroyed, was still intact.

From now on, the female vocal part would be played exactly as Chaewon had played it, and the male vocal part would be played as much as possible in Siwoo’s style.

If it was confirmed that the two were still perfectly alive within me, the task of finding color for Siwoo, who had been dormant for a while, would also gain momentum.

“I’ll make some differences in the male part compared to what was uploaded.”

“Is that okay?”

“It’ll be fine. It’s my first time trying this too.”

The staff clapped continuously, seeming pleased.

“Amazing. You’re a genius after all.”

“I told you so. I am a genius.”

As the two stood next to each other, clapping their hands and waiting for the performance, the long-lost past of Chaewon in my mind revealed its vitality.

My fingertips were trembling slightly. It was a completely different reaction from usual when playing.

“So the stage fright hasn’t disappeared.”

But the feeling was completely different from before, when I couldn’t even start playing.

“Could it be… that I’ve improved because of myself?”

As the unified memory of Chaewon spoke, the cause of the stage fright was a sudden change in self.

When No. 1 first appeared, No. 0 was in the middle of playing. As a result, after ruining the performance in front of the guests and running away, it became difficult to play in front of many people.

However, when my self appeared and merged with Min Chaewon to complete the performance somehow, the stage fright that had been going on for over a decade seemed to have eased.

This confirmed it.

My performance now did not emerge after breaking everything. It was built on the basis of Jung Siwoo’s 23 years and Min Chaewon’s 19 years.

The two intertwined towers submerged in water may have felt blurry, but their performance was still strong and influencing me now.

“Wow. What is this?”

“The visuals and feelings are different, right?”

“Yeah. It’s really different.”

My thoughts became clearer as I listened to the reactions of the staff next to me.

“The male part feels quite stiff, doesn’t it?”

“It’s like when a guy is trying to act cool in front of a girl. Like, all stiff and unable to move properly.”

“Oh. Listening to the manager, it really seems like that.”

“On the other hand, the girl seems all excited and it shows on the outside. Maybe that’s why it feels jittery.”

Hope swelled within me.

The October Dongyeong Concert, as well as the Chopin Competition in two years, will change history.

Siwoo will move forward as a great pianist without suffering defeat. He will even avoid death.

All the efforts to solve Yoon Jiyu’s problems and endure hardships to free Baek Cheongha will not be in vain.

“Oh, the feeling of the female part has changed.”

“The tension has decreased… and it’s filled with excitement. Wow… Listen carefully. The male part has changed too.”

“Really. This is… that. The process of making up your mind.”

“Wow. Is it a confession?”

The staff’s comments about feeling a color in the male part that should have been felt as pure black when Siwoo played 100% pure made me stop playing the keys and turn my gaze towards the two as if possessed.

“Mom.”

“Why, why are you doing this?”

Siwoo said.

It felt like the color was fading when his heart was itching.

As expected, it must have been because the very small Min Chaewon reacted.

“By any chance, did you feel a color in the male part…?”

“Yes, yes… I felt it well. At first, there was a feeling of being stiff and surprised, as if tense, and a feeling of deciding before confessing a little while ago.”

Chaewon was in a half-and-half state, and now, thanks to the perfect fusion of my elements with Chaewon’s, I was gradually taking on the color of cherry blossoms.

Siwoo was just a tiny part, very small.

Nevertheless, Min Chaewon existed within Siwoo, and every time that Min Chaewon swayed with love.

Siwoo will change.

He will move forward.

And finally, he will find his own color.