Mistletoe || JENSOO

V

I felt someone poking me on the arm. I looked at the person beside me and she nudged me on the elbow.

"Your mom is a pretty strong woman if you ask me." Karina uttered all of a sudden.

I returned my gaze at the group of older people who are seriously talking. "I know... I'm lucky that she's strong, because I can't afford to lose her too."

I really can't. Losing one parent is hard enough, and if I lose her too, I don't know what I'll do.

"Okay, let's stop the serious talk. It doesn't suit you." The girl beside me chuckled and grabbed my wrist.

"Where are we going?" I asked her. I am following her without even knowing why.

We stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and tilted her head to the side; signaling me to lead the way upstairs.

"Show me around." She said.

I looked at her for a moment, thinking about where should I take her.

"Okay." I said to her and led the way to one of the empty rooms in the house.

We stepped inside the room that I haven't entered for a long time. I saw the grand piano in the middle of the room, with the music sheets that was left as it is when I last saw it.

"Do you play?" Karina asked when she hovered her hands over the surface of the grand piano.

"No." I lied.

I know how to play it. I remember the first time that this instrument arrived in this house. It was during my birthday, this was a gift from Mama Jisoo. She personally taught me how to play this one. She inspired me to be better at playing this, so I practiced hard just to master it.

The last time that I used this instrument was when the news of Mama Chu being reported as missing in action dropped. I was practicing a song that time because I was planning on singing it for them as a gift on Christmas eve, but the news suddenly dropped like a nuclear bomb in our home.

I remember how fast I ran when I heard my mother's wailing.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Kim." The military messenger bowed to my mother who was too weak to even stand up on both feet.

"What's going on?" I asked the man when I arrived downstairs.

I hugged my Mom who was on the floor crying helplessly while holding a piece of paper.

"I'm sorry." The man uttered and went out of the house.

I took the letter from her hand and read it myself. I didn't even notice the tears that escaped my eyes while trying to comprehend what was written on it.

"Hey, are you okay?" I snapped out of my reverie when I heard Karina's voice.

Right. She's still with me.

I looked at her and she's already sitting on the piano bench. She's looking at the music sheet in front of her and pressed a key on the piano.

"Do you play?" I asked her.

She looked up at me and chuckled. "No."

"Hmm..." I stood behind her and leaned a little, just enough for me to reach the piano keys.

I started pressing the keys that corresponds with the notes on the music sheet.

She sat up straight when I started playing the melody. Her head is leaning on my shoulder with her head positioned at the side of my face.

"Hey... You said you can't play—" Her words got cut off when she tried to look at me.

I looked at her and that's when I realized that our faces are a lot closer to each other than I originally thought.