The Pianist

Fantaisie Impromptu

~•~For best experience, do not play video until story indicates~•~

You waited until the rest of the students had filed out before nervously approaching Professor Min at his piano.

"Yes?" He coolly raised an eyebrow.

You swallowed, holding out your assigned music piece. "Professor, I think there's been some sort of mistake. I can't play this."

It made you flush to admit it, but you had to.

To your surprise, Min Yoongi looked angry.

"You dare presume my evaluation of your talents was incorrect?"

"No, I—"

"I should have thought you would be thrilled to play this piece. Or don't you like a challenge?" He glared.

You stumbled for words. "This is far too much of a challenge! Surely you must know I couldn't possibly—"

~•~Play video for scene music~•~

You startled as his hands slammed down onto the piano, beginning to play the opening notes of Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu, Op. 66, the piece he had just assigned you.

"Do you know the origin of this piece?" He said quietly, eyes burning into you while his fingers glided effortlessly over the keys.

Your eyes widened as you shook your head.

Professor Min continued. "Frédéric Chopin wrote this on his deathbed, but upon its completion demanded it be thrown into the fire and destroyed, because he considered it unworthy."

You blinked in shock.

As he continued speaking, gazing calmly at you all the while, his hands continued playing, smoothing over the dizzyingly fast melody with a sheer perfection that was frankly extraordinary to behold.

Your heart beat a little faster where you stood.

He glared at you. "Luckily for us, Chopin's friend saved the piece, recognizing it was an incredible composition, otherwise the world might never have gotten to hear this forgotten piece of Chopin's genius. Just as Chopin judged his own works unworthy, so you believe yourself incapable of performing this piece."

You trembled slightly, completely unable to tear your eyes away from his.

"But I shall be the judge of whether you are worthy, not you. Is that clear, mademoiselle?"

You nodded frantically, eyes boggling over the mind-numbing speed of his fingers on the keys.

Min Yoongi leaned forward, pitching his voice down so you had to strain your ears to hear.

"I will have you know, I gave you my hardest piece because you are the only one in this class who could feasibly execute it well. This much I am certain of."

You felt a strange shiver in your soul as he continued the devilishly tricky melody, without even looking at the keys.

He was extraordinary.

He still looked angry. "When I make a judgement of another person's abilities, I am never wrong. You have talent. Believe in it. Do not insult my intelligence by claiming you do not have what it takes to perform this piece, because I happen to know that you do. Now, if that is all there is to discuss, I shall bid you adieu. À la prochaine, mademoiselle."

You stood rooted to the spot, his words washing over you.

He turned back to his piano now, closing his eyes and losing himself in the melody.

Evidently signaling your conversation was over.

You wordlessly rolled up the music sheets, storing them in your bag. Quietly whispering a farewell, you stepped towards the door.

You didn't know if he heard you.

Turning back one last time, you beheld the solitary pianist where he still sat, performing this piece for an empty room of none.

Hauntingly beautiful.

Terrifyingly complicated.

Would you ever live up to the piece, as he did? Would you ever perform as well as Min Yoongi?

You did not know.

But he seemed to believe you could.

A strange feeling tugged at you, twisting with confusion.

You had thought he gave you this insanely difficult piece because he hated you, but now he claimed it was out of admiration and belief in your singular talents.

Did he do it out of......kindness?

You didn't understand him.

Either way, it seemed he had decided for you. You were performing this piece in the end of the year concert, which was barely 5 months away, whether you liked it or not.

Would that be enough time to master it?

Perhaps.

You felt an odd reverse echo of this morning as you quietly walked through the empty halls, away from the melody that the strange, solitary pianist was playing, just as you had walked toward it all those hours ago, discovering him in the attic.

It seemed like an eternity had passed since then.

An eternity since Min Yoongi had awakened you to dazzling heights of piano you never even knew existed.

Somewhere deep inside, you could feel a key turning.

You didn't know what it meant, but you could somehow feel that there was no going back.

Something had been started, the events set in motion, and you, helpless to resist, had been swept away to a strange realm where music came alive and melody ignited in midair, and haunting dark eyes stared into you with the promise of an answer to a question you hadn't even thought to ask.

So it begins.