Chapter 58: Rain

Even after So-yul’s turn ended, I blankly stared at the monitor for a while.

I should open my notebooks and continue studying for exams… but my mind had gone completely blank, making it impossible to find motivation.

A mistake made due to excessive tension and pressure. Though regrettable, nothing could be done. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, and So-yul was no exception. If it led to bad results, we’d just have to endure it.

So-yul probably understood this too.

No, perhaps she understood it far more clearly than I did.

While exam mistakes could be erased and rewritten, piano performances evaluated in real-time were different in weight. It might be quite presumptuous of me to act like I fully understood.

I understood why So-yul was visibly flustered when she made the mistake.

It was truly amazing that So-yul received satisfied reactions despite making such a mistake.

So I’d naively hoped that if she just got through the second piece well, there would be good results.

Though I knew who was sitting in the audience, I simply believed it would be okay while watching everyone’s applause.

Of course that was ridiculous thinking.

For those bent on breaking So-yul’s will, this was a perfect opportunity.

They were truly cruel people.

They were such horrible beings they shouldn’t even be called parents.

“…Really now.”

I muttered quietly while closing the laptop still playing piano melodies.

So-yul said she’d return to school before graduation ceremony.

That meant I could meet So-yul on graduation day.

It was fortunate. The person having the hardest time right now must be So-yul herself. I wanted to comfort her somehow. I wanted to talk face to face and share sincere words.

Even a fake boyfriend should be allowed that much. This was the limit of what I could do.

Until then, there was only one thing I could do.

I took out my phone and wrote a message to So-yul.

Though I wanted to call her immediately, she probably needed time to sort out her emotions. And she might be meeting with her parents now. I had to be satisfied with this.

So I sent just one brief message then tossed my phone onto the bed.

[Let me know when you feel up to talking.]

For days afterward, no reply came.

◎

“Ah, finally done with finals.”

Friday evening at dinner after finishing the last exam.

Juho whispered those words with a sigh deep enough to make the ground cave in.

Even arts track students far from academics studied hard for exams. Having to memorize so much in a short time couldn’t have been easy.

Compared to us who studied regularly, their absolute study load must have been greater.

“…Good work.”

“Yeah, good work. I was planning to have some fun over break after working so hard. But did you hear? They say a typhoon’s coming tonight.”

“I hadn’t heard.”

With so much on my mind, I hadn’t had time to check weather forecasts. Though I’d felt strong winds on the way to the cafeteria, a typhoon? Talk about when it rains, it pours.

Juho grumbled in an annoyed tone:

“Seriously, why does the typhoon have to come starting today?”

“Yeah…”

I answered while picking at my rice.

Perhaps finding this somewhat unpleasant, I saw Juho frowning at me from the corner of their eye.

“Why do you look so down when exams are over? No energy, no appetite either.”

“No, it’s not that I’m down, just…”

When I trailed off vaguely, Juho tilted their head.

Then blinking, they tossed out a question:

“Don’t tell me it’s because of Han So-yul?”

“…”

He’s always so sharp about these things.

I raised my head to meet Juho’s eyes. I saw an expression holding a strange smile.

That didn’t last long either. Upon facing me, he seemed to notice my troubled state and immediately dropped his smile to ask:

“What happened with her to make you like this?”

“…I don’t know.”

The explanation would be long. I watched the competition where So-yul made a mistake, and her parents were actually there, and about her relationship with her parents…

Listing everything would just cause trouble for So-yul. Sorry, but I couldn’t tell him.

Fortunately, the conclusion at least was incredibly simple.

“Just, I sent her a message but there’s been no reply.”

At this meager answer, Juho snorted as if finding it amusing.

“Couldn’t the reply just be delayed? She might be busy abroad. Or maybe it’s hard to find WiFi there. Or who knows, maybe she lost interest in you.”

“…Yeah. That would actually be better.”

When I returned a serious response to their joking words, Juho instead looked bewildered.

At least their shrug suggesting they didn’t understand seemed to indicate no intention to pry further.

I couldn’t explain anyway. I was just grateful.

But sadly, this issue wasn’t on that level.

Several nights had already passed since the competition. Though she might not have completely forgotten, she should have had enough room to reply to messages by now. Yet So-yul remained completely silent. It was enough to make worry bloom.

Was the competition wound still not healed?

Was she crying locked up in her room all day?

Maybe… she’d given up on everything around her?

Worry that sprouted from deep inside ate away at me. I’d barely eaten these past days, having lost my appetite.

Needless to say, I couldn’t focus on studying for exams either.

Juho gave a bitter smile.

“If her boyfriend’s this depressed, wouldn’t that make her not want to contact you even more?”

“I’m not even her real boyfriend though.”

Don’t say such nonsense. Though I tried to laugh it off and refute, Juho immediately countered without showing any signs of backing down:

“Then what about you?”

It was a puzzling statement.

When I questioned with my eyes, Juho snorted and spoke:

“Why are you acting like this when she’s not your real girlfriend?”

“Well, that’s…”

Because I secretly like her.

Because someone I like got hurt.

Because seeing her hurt makes me hurt too.

I didn’t have the courage to voice such cringeworthy things to others. Even less so to her directly.

In a school that banned dating, such feelings couldn’t be allowed in the first place. Until we left this school, I had no choice but to endlessly endure.

When I trailed off and closed my mouth, Juho sighed.

“Though I don’t know what happened to make you like this.”

Then Juho pointed at the cafeteria window with their chopsticks and:

“They say the ground hardens after rain. Don’t worry too much.”

“…You always say such fancy things.”

I didn’t hold back the empty laugh that escaped as I turned my gaze to the window.

Outside, fierce rain was already pouring down.

The suddenly arriving typhoon had swallowed the entire school.

Dark clouds dyeing the sky black. Heavy rain and fierce winds. None of it could be taken lightly. For a while I even worried we might get swept away by the wind.

To top it off, my only umbrella broke when I tried going outside briefly. Really, nothing was going right these days.

“Haah…”

I sighed while looking out at the stormy scene beyond the dormitory window.

Both rain and wind had weakened considerably. The situation seemed much better than before.

They say the eye of a typhoon is safe. Could we be in the center of the typhoon right now? The change was dramatic enough to make such thoughts cross my mind.

Had So-yul arrived in Korea by now?

According to the original plan, So-yul was supposed to return to school today. It would be fine if she was already in Korea, but there was also the possibility of continued flight cancellations preventing So-yul from attending graduation ceremony.

If I had to start break without meeting So-yul…

Just imagining it felt like my heart was being squeezed.

I wanted to meet So-yul and talk even briefly. I wanted to soothe her wounds somehow no matter what. As a fake boyfriend, I wanted to do anything possible for her.

But well. Would So-yul feel the same way?

Looking at my phone with no reply, I briefly held such worries.

Right at that moment.

Suddenly my phone rang and a message appeared on screen.

The name on screen was… none other than So-yul.

[Could we meet at the bench for a moment?]

A message containing just this brief request.

Even this made my chest ache deep inside. Relief also welled up knowing So-yul was healthy. I even let out a sigh of relief alone thinking how fortunate this was.

But simultaneously, I felt something unpleasant cling to me.

Anxiety far stronger than what I felt during the competition crossed my mind.

Trying hard to ignore that, I immediately got up.

Glancing outside, the storm was still raging.

The path to the bench had long since become familiar.

Turn the machine room doorknob, squeeze between various equipment, go down the emergency stairs, then open the emergency exit door to slip outside.

This escape route I’d experienced over ten times already. There was no reason for my heart to pound.

Yet somehow today my heart was racing fiercely.

From the 4th floor where my room was, to the 3rd floor, past the 2nd floor, until reaching the final 1st floor exit… my heart kept pounding heavily.

Even my hand turning the doorknob held a trembling.

Swept up in indescribable emotions, there were no signs of calming at all.

Trying to shake this off, I shook my head and turned the doorknob without delay.

What filled my view next was the path connecting to the walking trail behind the dormitory.

However… today fierce wind and rain blocked my path forward.

My only umbrella had broken just hours ago. With no time to borrow someone else’s umbrella, I’d rushed out empty-handed. I’d clearly get completely soaked like this.

But right now I had no time to fear mere rain.

Feeling raindrops slowly soak my body one by one, I moved my feet at a quick pace.

Cutting through the dark night air with even moonlight blocked by storm clouds. Not caring even as wind whipped through my hair.

And finally when I reached the walking path bench.

At the scene spread before my eyes, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Long amber hair mixing into the dark outdoor scenery. The musical note hairpin attached to it. Long limbs that didn’t match her tiny frame.

Like when we first met by chance, So-yul sat alone in the middle of the bench.

But that So-yul from back then was already nowhere to be found.

So-yul who had looked so happy while playing an invisible piano…

Now just sat quietly with limbs hanging lifelessly.

Head hanging low. Endlessly letting the rain pour down from the sky.

Then suddenly the wind blew.

Without even holding back her fluttering hair, So-yul slowly raised her face.

At the same time, her tightly closed eyes gently opened.

As if just noticing my presence, So-yul showed a slight smile.

“…It’s been a while. Boyfriend.”

Her voice was strained.

[Author’s note: Thank you for reading.

3 chapters remaining in Part 2.]