Chapter 13: Study for Exams (2)

After returning from lunch where we’d eaten separately, So-yul and I both stayed quiet and focused on studying.

There weren’t any questions about confusing problems like in the morning, so I could concentrate fully.

After hours of memorizing notes, my body started feeling stiff. My muscles had seized up from sitting motionless while absorbed in studying.

I lifted my head briefly to stretch my neck and shoulders, and my whole body crackled in protest.

“Haah…”

I let out a shallow sigh and was about to turn my attention back to my notes when I inadvertently noticed So-yul sitting across from me.

She was silently mouthing words as she read her textbook. Seeing her occasionally underline things with different colored pens, she wasn’t just mindlessly reading through it.

When something in the book confused her, she’d bring her long finger to her lips in contemplation.

Sometimes she’d slightly furrow her brow and tilt her head, probably when she couldn’t understand what she was reading.

Seeing her up close like this… she had quite a pretty face.

If only she didn’t spend all her time playing pranks and teasing me, she’d be really nice.

“I guess this is why you said we shouldn’t sit facing each other.”

Just as I was lost in these thoughts, So-yul suddenly spoke up.

“What?”

When I asked about her unexpected comment, So-yul’s eyes narrowed. Then she covered her mouth and giggled, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

Finally, she said in a teasing tone:

“You’re not making any progress because you’re just staring at me, dummy.”

“…I wasn’t staring.”

“What do you mean? You’ve been looking at me this whole time.”

If you knew that, it means you were watching me too. Of course, if I pointed this out she’d just say “I was only watching because you were looking.” Since I had been staring, I didn’t have much room to argue. I decided to just admit it.

“I was just watching because you were studying so hard.”

“Is that really the only reason?”

“Yeah. Plus your face looks kind of funny when you study.”

“What’s funny about it?”

So-yul furrowed her brow in protest. She was getting worked up.

“And I was thinking how you have such long fingers despite being so small.”

“…Ah.”

At my casual comment, So-yul wrapped one hand around the other and pulled them to her chest. She seemed to be trying to hide her fingers.

Then she stammered:

“D-don’t look at my fingers so closely.”

It was quite an unexpected reaction.

“Why?”

When I asked curiously, So-yul pushed out her lips as if sulking.

“…Because they’re not pretty.”

“Pfft.”

“Don’t laugh.”

A weak kick came from under the desk. She seemed to want to vent her frustration, but since it didn’t hurt at all, I kept laughing.

So-yul made a thoroughly sulky face at me.

“My fingers got ugly from playing piano all the time. They’re kind of misshapen, and I have scars from when I was young and had to force them apart to play…”

“Really? I didn’t think they looked weird at all.”

“You just don’t understand how girls feel. I’ll really get mad if you keep laughing.”

Alright. I nodded vaguely and stopped laughing. So-yul’s slightly sullen expression quickly cleared up.

I don’t know anything about how girls feel, but I suppose this must be some kind of complex for So-yul. It’s not hard to understand. It’s not right as a human being to tease someone about something they dislike.

“Geez…”

So-yul let out a dissatisfied sound.

I met her eyes directly, which still held traces of irritation.

“What does it matter? I didn’t even notice anything weird about them, they just looked long and white. Don’t worry about it too much.”

“How can I not worry about it…”

“Besides.”

I scratched my neck awkwardly as I continued.

“If they’re like that because of piano, aren’t they like battle scars? They’re proof of how hard you’ve worked, so there’s no need to hide them.”

I meant this one sincerely.

Who would refuse if they could play piano like So-yul in exchange for less attractive fingers? I’d take that deal in a heartbeat.

In the end, So-yul’s fingers held the evidence of her efforts. There was no reason to hide them so desperately.

“…Hmm.”

So-yul made an ambiguous sound at my attempt at consolation. I wasn’t sure if it resonated with her, but this seemed like enough penance for touching on her complex.

After that, we returned to studying in silence.

Naturally, I focused on my work, and So-yul didn’t speak unnecessarily either. There were no distracting noises. We could concentrate fully on our individual studies without being conscious of each other.

I wondered if I’d ever studied this comfortably before.

The study room holds dozens of people at once. From dropped pens to inconsiderate people talking, various noises leak through even with the partitions, often breaking concentration.

Plus, there I feel like I’m falling behind every time others turn their pages. But here I can focus at my own pace.

Sometimes studying like this might be nice.

As I was thinking this, I noticed amber hair swaying gently at the edge of my vision.

When I looked up, So-yul’s head was nodding up and down.

Her long eyelashes fluttered slowly. The movement, which had seemed almost rhythmic, gradually slowed until it finally stopped completely.

Soft breathing escaped from her slightly parted lips.

Despite sitting alone with a guy in an enclosed space, So-yul had carelessly started dozing off.

Looking at the dark circles under her slightly unfocused eyes, she definitely seemed quite tired.

I wondered why she was pushing herself so hard to study for exams when she was this exhausted.

She’d only played piano until now, and would only play piano in the future. It’s not like failing some tests would stop her from playing piano. Of course, getting good grades wouldn’t improve her piano skills either.

For me in the academic track, test scores are everything, but I wondered if So-yul really needed to study so hard that she cut into her piano practice time.

As I was watching this scene with some doubt, So-yul’s eyes suddenly flew open.

Our gazes met directly as she hurriedly lifted her head.

It didn’t take long for her blank face to turn pink.

“You were staring at my face again…”

“It’s rare to see someone’s sleeping face. Got to take the chance when I can.”

“People don’t show it because they don’t want to be seen!”

So-yul grumbled, pushing out her lips. Her eyes were watery, probably embarrassed at being caught dozing. She looked sulky.

I hadn’t expected her to be this ashamed. I clicked my tongue and apologized.

“Well, sorry.”

“If everything could be solved with just saying sorry, why would we need police officers?”

“I wonder. They probably don’t arrest people for looking at sleeping faces though.”

“…Are you talking back?”

“I’m sorry.”

So-yul let out a “hmph” sound, clearly meant for me to hear. She sure has a lot of pride.

I thought this was a bit much to apologize for. I snorted and leaned back in my chair.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just sleep if you’re tired? It’s not like you need to do well on the tests anyway.”

I thought I was making a reasonable point, but So-yul shook her head.

“No.”

“Why? Do grades matter a lot for university admission?”

“That’s not the reason.”

She paused there, then lowered her eyes and said:

“I need my parents’ approval.”

Her tone was quite serious.

“Their approval?”

“Yeah. I told you before, didn’t I? I came to this school because I wanted to live freely, to show them I could excel at anything on my own.”

So-yul took a deep breath, then:

“Of course I’ll work hard to become the world’s best pianist. But that alone won’t be enough, so I can’t neglect other things. I maintain grades near the top of the arts track. I always sit in the front row to get good evaluations from teachers.”

“…”

“That way Mom and Dad might praise me. …Or at least, they won’t be disappointed.”

After this speech-like explanation, So-yul exhaled.

“So, that’s why I need to study hard too.”

After finishing her explanation, So-yul shook her head vigorously as if to chase away fatigue. Then without even taking a break, she went back to reading her textbook.

Having to be an exceptional student in everything just to barely receive praise from her parents – I wondered what kind of household she’d grown up in.

Come to think of it, Juho had mentioned So-yul’s parents too. Something about inheriting their talent for piano.

I wondered what kind of people So-yul’s parents were.

◎

The first thing I did after returning to my dorm from studying with So-yul was to turn on my laptop and search for articles about her.

Searching for news with the keywords “piano” and “Han So-yul” brought up hundreds of articles. They spanned consistently from when she was very young up to recently.

Among them, one title caught my eye.

‘Talent Breeds Talent: The Secret Behind Nurturing a Promising Piano Prodigy’

The provocative title about talent breeding talent. I figured it might contain information about So-yul’s parents. I clicked to read the content.

The article contained a photo of So-yul from her first year of middle school. She looked slightly smaller and younger, but her tense expression making a V-sign was almost identical to now.

As I skimmed through the article, my scrolling suddenly stopped. A mention of So-yul’s parents had caught my eye.

I read that section of the article.

‘Former famous violinist mother Han Su-yeon (35), who drew global attention in her youth. Added to that, composer Choi Hyung-seok (44), who continues to be actively involved in productions worldwide.

Piano prodigy Han So-yul (14) inherited her parents’ talents. She is nothing less than the product of both parents’ musical talents and passionate support.’

“Huh.”

I couldn’t help letting out this sound.

Both her mother and father seemed quite remarkable. Though I’d never heard of them, they must be well-known figures in that world.

No wonder she felt pressured with parents like these. I could somewhat understand why she worked so hard to be a perfect student.

So-yul must have it tough.

“What are you searching for?”

“Whoa!”

A voice suddenly came from behind me. Startled, I let out a strange sound and quickly closed my laptop. When I turned around, Juho was standing there.

“Oh, hey. Why are you in my room?”

“The school asked for club meeting minutes, so I came to just get your signature. You didn’t answer when I knocked.”

“Ah… Alright. Just need to sign?”

“Yeah. Just sign here.”

Saying this, Juho held out a piece of paper.

Then he added:

“But what were you searching for?”

Seems he was determined to pry until the end.

Sorry Juho, but I couldn’t tell him honestly. He probably hadn’t seen anything anyway, so I decided to brush it off.

“No. Nothing at all. Nothing.”

“Why were you looking up Han So-yul?”

So he had seen it after all.

For a moment I was so surprised I couldn’t speak. But staying silent would only deepen his suspicions. Trying to appear as calm as possible while returning the paper, I said:

“Well, you know. I just thought it was interesting to go to school with someone who’s in so many articles.”

“Hmm, really?”

Juho wore a suspicious expression for a moment, then:

“I guess it is pretty interesting. She’s like a celebrity.”

He took back the paper.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to have any lingering doubts.

Soon I heard the door close, and I immediately slumped forward onto my desk in my seated position.

The sigh that emerged from deep in my chest held a faint tremor.

Somehow every moment involving So-yul turned into a crisis.

Alone in my room, I let out a small laugh.