Hye-jae: Book 2 - New Loves

New Lives Part 52

If the concert in Turin had been to unseen thousands beyond the footlights, that of the following night couldn't have been more different.  A 2 hour trip next morning by train to the town of Bergamo in the Lombardy region had initially been felt as a bit of a disappointment to the group, having left the captivating, historic city of Turin for what appeared to be a built-up, industrial complex but Dieter's coy smile - wait and see - told them to hold their judgement.  A short taxi ride up into the foothills of the Alps, which appeared so close on the skyline, took them to Bergamo's La Città Alta - The Old Town  which quickly blew away any traces of disappointment.  Under high, blue skies, progressing on foot through the unplanned, higgledy-piggledy streets of history, they emerged into the cobble-locked Piazza Vecchia - Old Square where mellow, golden sunlight set fire to the warm brick-work, as it had done, through the ages.  Workmen were milling about, setting up a temporary stage at 1 end of the square and hundreds of seats had already been put in place.  In-seo turned to his friend: 'you sly old fox,' and Dieter beamed as though he had been awarded a medal.

'Yes, this one is a bit special and we were lucky - a last minute cancellation by a temperamental Canadian soprano with an even more temperamental throat - insured for millions, seemingly - has left a slot free.'

He looked a little uncomfortable, looking from one to the other: 'well, you see, it's like this - it's just one slot...'

Everyone rushed to assure Dieter that they didn't mind at all being in the audience but he held up his hands: 'no, you misunderstand, it's a night of opera and only opera and there will be an orchestra provided,' he looked to the Irish singer: 'so, Ciara, tonight, you are the chosen one'!

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After her initial amazement, Ciara's seasoned performer persona kicked in and she immediately began to talk about repertoire with Dieter and In-seo, while Seon-jae turned to Hye-won: 'looks like we have a night off in a romantic, old town in the Italian Alps - will we even know what to do with ourselves?'

She laughed, looking around the square, where she spied a very pretty restaurant with outdoor tables: 'well, you know me these days, I say - eat first - play later.'

He chuckled with her and put his arm around her shoulder, catching In-seo's attention: 'we are hungry - anyone else feel like lunch?'

In-seo looked at the 2 - for a moment seeming caught in the head-lamps of their happiness - 'uhm, sure, let's eat,' and not too long later, all 5 were enjoying a selection of - al forno - oven-baked - dishes, Hye-won enjoying a really tasty lasagna and Seon-jae having baked meatballs in a rich bolognese - sugo - sauce.  

Dieter was telling them how these lavish, outdoor, summer concerts in Bergamo's old town were a hot ticket, snapped up months in advance.

'It's probably lucky that La Città Alta is a completely walled town - UNESCO heritage like Torun's old town, you know - as it makes it a lot easier for the organisers to control entry.'

In-seo laughed, leaning back in his chair, his glass of red wine tilting riskily: 'does that mean we,' he indicated Hye-won, Seon-jae and himself, 'will have to hide away back-stage to be able to hear Ciara?' the idea of which made everyone laugh.  Seon-jae and Dieter too were enjoying the red wine, though Ciara - when asked what she wanted to drink - answered: 'I'm Oh Hye-won today, at least until after the performance.  It can't kill me for one day, surely.  Hye-won is always the life and soul of the party and she only ever drinks water,' which also brought a laugh around the table and an almost shy look from Hye-won.  Is it that obvious?  Something in her look must have translated itself to Seon-jae because, as the others went on with the chat, he leaned to lift Hye-won's hair from the nape of her neck and place a lingering kiss in that tantalising curve, while he murmured, for her ears only: 'my life and soul.'