Chapter 9.12 - Act 9: Whimsically 12 (2/2)
Especially kids that didn’t know any better could become cruel to kids ‘different’ from themselves – that was something Chloe was made to learn.
‘Because we look different.’
At the start, it had been one person teasing her but when that became the starting point, eventually no-one talked to her.
However, she didn’t care too much about it and instead, she walled herself away from them.
It was okay. Because she had an interesting friend called the piano, the rest wasn’t important and as long as she could play the piano, nothing else mattered.
That’s what she thought but the animals called humans were not tough enough to be able to survive alone.
“…Friend.”
Lying down on the bed, Chloe abruptly reached out to the ceiling with her hand. Feeling the warmth from the light bulb heating up her fingers, she repeated the word.
Friend…
Friend.
“…”
She, who had been thinking of something soon surfaced a smile as warm as the bright sunlight.
*
One month was very long yet short.
Thinking back on the prac test, it felt like it had been ages but the casual jobs with Lee Suh-ah and the practices with Chloe felt like it all happened yesterday.
Time flew past and today was the long-awaited first day of the semester; one day before the Prac High-achievers Concert.
“Hey Yunjae! You didn’t forget anything right? Did you pack the lotion I placed on top of the table? It has been a few days since I put it there so how come you’ve never packed in it yet? You take after your father so much…”
Overwhelmed by the words overflowing out from my mother, I repeatedly replied ‘yes’ when my father gave out an empty cough.
“Right, so when was the school starting again?”
“It starts in 30 minutes.”
“Right.”
Then, he quietly turned back towards the entrance of Future Arts High.
The entrance, crowded with people, was wrapped in a rowdy atmosphere. There were students walking into the school in uniforms, their parents that brought them here and teachers talking amongst themselves.
It was a scene that proved the start of the second semester of Future Arts High. While staring blankly at the front, father opened his mouth.
“It’s already been six months…”
“…Yeah.”
Six months. Right, it has already been six months since I returned here.
“Back then I was worried about you going to a performing art school when you’ve never properly learned music but you even got a scholarship.”
“…”
Father’s words prompted the images of the past to flick past my eyes like an album.
Thinking back, it was an eventful period of six months.
After suddenly returning to the admission day, I sat a test and had to get used to school life. While practising, I had to attend lessons and take more tests.
Plus, there were people I was meeting after a long time including teacher Kwak Jungsoo and many other friends. With some friends I had never talked to before, I got to create lots of memories…
Seeing me lost in thought, father slowly opened his mouth.
“Well done.”
“…”
When I saw his expression that looked a lot brighter than before, I turned away in embarrassment.
It was good that my father looked happier than before but thinking about how I stole the young Lee Suh-ah’s scholarship, it seemed like a greatly shameful act.
He tapped my shoulder a few times with a smile but soon took his hand away and opened his lips in seriousness.
“I made a request on the admission day, do you remember?”
Request.
I looked back after blinking my eyes in thought.
“…the thing about making a lot of friends?”
“Yes, friends. I’m more curious about that than your scholarship.”
With his eyes on the expensive car driving past us from the side, he asked.
“…”
Friends…
I tried counting.
First off, there were Noh Jusup, Han Dasom, Chloe, Lee Suh-ah and… Jun Shihyuk… well, maybe it was a bit off to say he was a friend, and I didn’t talk much with Kim Wuju either.
It definitely is more than before but…
With my fingers raised up, I was counting when a voice reached my ears from the side.
“Yunjae…?”
Turning around, I saw Han Dasom standing there.
Fully showing off her clean forehead, she seemed quite different from last term and it appeared like she was wearing some makeup. Now, she looked almost identical to what I saw on the TV in the past.
She was facing me with an expression that seemed to be sparkling and soon found my parents standing next to me.
“…!”
Then, she quickly lowered her head towards the ground astonishedly.
“Hello…! Um… I’m Yunjae’s frie… Han Dasom!”
“Uh, okay.”
Father squinted after the initial surprise and stared at Han Dasom for a while before widening his eyes in a flash.
“Ah, youtube!”
“Yes?”
“You are the girl that sang with Yunjae on youtube.”
Oh, right, I sent him a link last time.
While I was scratching my head, he turned and stared at me with a strange look and nodded as he opened his mouth.
“Good for you.”
“What?”
What does he mean by that?