“You have no idea how much your mom pestered me. Asking me to write a piece for you.”
Woo Seongjun continued speaking while casually stretching his hands.
“At that time, you were just a tiny bean. I scratched my head looking at that tiny bean. What kind of music should I let this tiny bean hear so it would grow up healthy and happy?”
He took a deep breath and exhaled, placing his hands on the keyboard.
“For you, the one and only in this world, today I’ll specially demonstrate it for you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Woo Seongjun’s long, white fingers danced across the piano keys. Through the sound, Woo Seongjun’s feelings were conveyed to Joo Seolhyeon. Without any words, everything was already contained within his performance. Seolhyeon’s heart resonated with the sound, warming his throat. By the time hot tears welled up and flowed down his cheeks, the performance had ended.
Joo Seolhyeon, who had been swallowing his sobs and listening breathlessly, burst into tears like a child as soon as the performance ended.
Although Woo Seongjun was taken aback that the piece he had prepared to please Joo Seolhyeon had made him cry, he soon embraced him without a word and shared his warmth.
“If you want to cry, cry as much as you want.”
**NEW – Yoon Junho** hated seeing Joo Seolhyeon cry. Joo Seolhyeon had fair skin, so even a little crying would easily redden it, making it impossible for Joo Minchul, who lived with them, not to notice that his son had been crying. Because of this, holding back tears had become his habit. He unconsciously came to believe that it would be terrible if he cried. To him, Woo Seongjun’s response was completely unfamiliar.
“I cried, but you’re not scolding me?”
“Children naturally grow up crying.”
After that day, Joo Seolhyeon played that unnamed piece whenever he had the chance. He wanted to ask his mother about the name of this piece, but he didn’t have a cell phone, and he didn’t have the courage to talk to his father about his mother behind Yoon Junho’s back.
Woo Seongjun’s lessons became less frequent as Joo Seolhyeon moved up in grades. Joo Seolhyeon thought it was because he had gotten busy, but it was a misunderstanding caused by Yoon Junho, who disliked Woo Seongjun coming and had turned him away when he came to their house.
Before long, Joo Seolhyeon became a fifth grader in elementary school. One day, while waiting for Woo Seongjun who had been out of contact for several months since spring break, Yoon Junho approached him. He had a face full of pity, just like when Joo Seolhyeon had first come to this house.
“Are you waiting for the teacher again?”
Joo Seolhyeon looked at Yoon Junho, feeling anxious.
“It’s useless. The teacher won’t come anymore.”
Joo Seolhyeon’s face contorted when the words he most dreaded to hear came from Yoon Junho, whom he disliked the most.
“I wasn’t going to say this, but Teacher Woo Seongjun said that you were the most hopeless child he had ever seen. That you had no talent for piano and should at least put in effort, but every lesson you couldn’t concentrate and only wanted to play, making it difficult for him. He said he endured because of your mother, but he couldn’t take it anymore and quit.”
Joo Seolhyeon strained his eyes, trying not to fall for Yoon Junho’s wicked words.
“That’s a lie. The teacher said he’d bring a gift next time we meet.”
“Hah, you still don’t understand? He said that because he knew you’d be annoying if he said he was quitting.”
Joo Seolhyeon flinched at Yoon Junho’s words, because they weren’t wrong.
“Whether you believe me or not, the teacher won’t come anymore, so just know that.”
Clicking his tongue, Yoon Junho turned away, and Joo Seolhyeon didn’t move from that spot until sunset. He knew in his mind that Yoon Junho was lying because he hated him, but in one corner of his heart, anxiety arose about what if those words were true.
‘If I become a famous pianist, wouldn’t the teacher come to see me?’
There wasn’t much the young boy could do, and even if Yoon Junho’s words were true, he thought if he just played the piano well, the teacher would come back. After that, Joo Seolhyeon became dedicated to the piano. Fortunately, with Joo Minchul’s support, Joo Seolhyeon was able to safely progress to an arts middle school with dormitories, avoiding Yoon Junho.
All of Joo Seolhyeon’s efforts toward his dream, from middle school through high school to a famous music university, came to nothing when he belatedly awakened as an S-class Guide at 22. Like Espers, S-class Guides belong to the state, and while other jobs are permitted, they had to maintain their activities as Guides consistently.
Before he could become known to the world as a pianist, no one saw him as a “pianist” once he became an S-class Guide. Joo Seolhyeon was desperate, but he still didn’t let go of hope. As long as he didn’t enter into a dedicated Guide contract, there was no problem with being active as a pianist.
He only made temporary contracts with female Espers, and provided only the minimal Guiding specified in the contract. Naturally, the contracts didn’t last long, and within a year, five Espers had passed through him.
And in the spring of his 24th year, Joo Seolhyeon met Woo Jeongjae for the first time. In Joo Seolhyeon’s eyes, Woo Jeongjae looked like a grim reaper who had come to ruin his life. Not only did he hold him back with a dedicated Guide contract, but he was also a presence that reminded him of past traumas he had forgotten. Everything was the worst for Joo Seolhyeon.
* * *
That was how Joo Seolhyeon’s past story ended.
It was surprising that my father had taught Joo Seolhyeon, but considering my father’s personality, it wasn’t that surprising. My father liked to volunteer and share his talents with vulnerable social groups whenever he had free time on weekends or when he didn’t have work. He had a belief in not letting the right hand know what the left hand was doing, so it wasn’t noticeable.
As I listened to this story, I had one thought.
‘So that’s why he disliked me.’
It wasn’t because there was a problem with me, or my personality was frustrating, nothing like that. Even if it wasn’t me, he would have disliked any male Esper. In that situation, I had been so devoted to him, so infatuated—how ridiculous must I have seemed? As I recalled my past self, my mouth tasted bitter.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
I was about to tell him to leave if he had nothing more to say, but Joo Seolhyeon hesitated as if he wanted to say something. Curious about what he was going to say, I looked at him quietly, and his head drooped weakly.
“I’m sorry.”
For a moment, I felt a sense of disbelief. It wasn’t the first time in my life I’d heard these words, but coming from Joo Seolhyeon’s mouth, it was as if I was hearing them underwater.
“I shouldn’t have… I didn’t know you were the teacher’s son.”
But soon, a sense of disappointment washed over me when I realized that the object of his apology was “the teacher’s son.” Nothing had changed even after my regression. Joo Seolhyeon was, from beginning to end, an arrogant and selfish person who only cared about himself.
“What shouldn’t you have done?”
I had no intention of forgiving him, but I was genuinely curious. What exactly did he see in me that made him apologize? I was the one who had regressed, not Joo Seolhyeon. During the past month, the relationship between him and me couldn’t be called good even in empty words, but since there was no point of contact, I couldn’t say he had done anything to me that required forgiveness.
“Everything. Everything I’ve done to you.”
Joo Seolhyeon couldn’t meet my eyes and bowed his head like a criminal.
At that sight, far from my anger subsiding, I felt my insides twist and my solar plexus tighten. His reaction was certainly excessive. And I seemed to understand where his reaction stemmed from.
“Is it because I’m Woo Seongjun’s son?”
Joo Seolhyeon was visibly flustered at my question.
“You’re trying to look good to me now because you don’t want my father to hate you, right?”
I fully understood that my father had been like a ray of light in his dark childhood. But what needed to be discussed here was just the issue between me and Joo Seolhyeon. I had hoped for a sincere apology from Joo Seolhyeon, not to receive a deep bow just because I was my father’s son.
“That’s…!”
Joo Seolhyeon raised his head. His face was notably contorted. His eyes, trembling with indignation, seemed to have a lot to say, but I didn’t want to hear any more words.
“Leave.”
“I’m not… that’s not it.”
“I don’t want to hear it, so leave quietly. If you say one more meaningless thing, I’ll drag you out.”
I warned him with a serious face, and Joo Seolhyeon’s lips quivered before he ran his hands through his hair as if frustrated. His face, turning red and blue as if trying to suppress his anger, was quite a sight to see.
“And you know about the contract termination tomorrow, right? I think it would be good if you vacate the room as soon as possible.”
Joo Seolhyeon glared at me with eyes that seemed like they could cut a person in half before leaving the room, and as soon as he left, I headed to the bed.
“I’m going to sleep.”
Serubi, who had been watching carefully between me and Joo Seolhyeon, crawled next to me as I lay down on the bed.
“Wake me up when Jeonghyun comes.”
I closed my eyes, hugging the warm ball of fur that came into my arms. The conversation with Joo Seolhyeon had made my mind too exhausted. No matter how much I tried to separate the past him from the present him, dividing them cleanly like cutting radish was difficult for me.
[Okay.]
Quite a bit of time had passed while talking with Joo Seolhyeon, and soon those who had gone shopping would return. I tried to sleep, thinking I would just take a short nap.
But what woke me up a little later was not Serubi but Woo Jeonghyun.
“Hyung, wake up and have dinner.”
“…Where’s Serubi?”
Rubbing my eyes as I got up because my eyelids wouldn’t open, as if I had slept deeply in that short time, Woo Jeonghyun pointed to the spot next to me. Following his hand, I looked to the side, and there was a black ball of fur that was rhythmically expanding and contracting.
“He’s sleeping next to you.”
Looking at Serubi, who was curled up in a ball and sleeping obliviously, I opened my mouth with an “Ah.” It was my fault for not considering that Serubi might fall asleep.
“Get up quickly. Let’s go eat.”
With Woo Jeonghyun’s repeated urging, I reluctantly got out of bed, washed my face, and followed him down to the first floor.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
