The rehearsal room was still.
Not the kind of stillness that invites peace—but the kind that feels like something is about to break.
Hyojin stood beside the grand piano, his hands in his pockets, eyes fixed on his reflection in the glossy lid. He looked perfect—posture straight, jaw sharp, hair flawless. Everything about him screamed confidence. Maybe too much of it.
But his eyes…
They betrayed him.
There was something fragile behind that cold surface. Like a small boy trying very hard not to be found.
The door slammed open.
Jang Ah entered like a storm with no warning.
Bag on one shoulder, hair tied lazily, ripped jeans and untouchable attitude. She didn't look at him. Didn't need to. She already knew the type.
"Funny," she muttered, dropping her bag, "I thought this room was reserved for real musicians."
Hyojin didn't flinch. "Strange. I thought it was finally quiet."
She turned slowly, brows raised. "So you're not just arrogant, you're dramatic too."
He smiled. The kind of smile that could charm a crowd—and still feel fake.
"Only when the silence demands it."
A pause.
Then she grabbed a chair and sat down like she owned the place.
"And here I was, hoping for actual talent."
He chuckled, sitting at the piano. "Watch closely. You might just learn something."
But before his fingers touched the keys, his gaze drifted—farther than the room, deeper than the moment.
Three years ago...
Rain on cracked pavement.
A hallway echoing with footsteps.
A girl humming to herself, unaware that a quiet boy stood behind the wall, holding his breath.
She never saw him.
But he never forgot her melody.
The piano sang—softly, uncertain at first. A minor chord with trembling notes, like someone whispering secrets through the strings.
Jang Ah glanced at him.
"Not bad… for someone so full of himself."
He didn't look at her.
"And you… have you ever played just to forget?"
[End of Chapter One]
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She challenges him to a duet. But when she plays a tune that sounds painfully familiar… he begins to wonder if fate remembers melodies too.