You're Gonna Go Far

Saturday

The calluses on Yunjin's fingers are becoming more prominent than it ever was before.

Gliding her fingers through the strings of her guitar, she noticed the little details of its worn-out textures. Yunjin couldn't remember the last time she replaced the strings of her favourite instrument; it's most likely over a year now. The sounds it made when she picked it up this morning clearly show that it's overdue for proper maintenance. Regardless, it still sounded nice in her ears. The fact that it aged a bit only gives the instrument a more rustic, down-to-earth feeling which is the concept that Yunjin is going for when writing her songs.

Speaking of which, Yunjin is finding it very hard today to write not a even single line of verse.

It was a Saturday morning. There weren't as many promotions and marketing gigs at the end of the year for her and the rest of the members of LE SSERAFIM, minus a couple of end-of-year appearances at several annual award shows. Preparations for their performances ended the day before and their management had given them a one-week buffer to rest and rejuvenate before jumping in head first into the Christmas and New Year's events that will last from early December to mid-January. So, to make use of their short, 7-day break, Yunjin thought that it would be best to wipe the cobwebs off her creative engine and administer the necessary oil to get back into the flow of songwriting. Once she woke up in her bed half an hour ago, she picked up her guitar from its stand that was placed next to her body mirror, put the capo on the 2nd fret and started strumming.

However, the mindless strumming didn't help. And this minor inconvenience did not help regulate Yunjin's patience levels.

Sighing defeatedly, she strummed a loud G chord on the guitar before putting her chin on its body. Her right hand started lightly drumming her fingers against the strings sitting at the top of the sound hole, creating an arpeggio of notes that sounded like poorly played ambient music. Yunjin stared at the window that overlooked the neighbourhood of Hannam-dong. The sky was clear of clouds which helped the bright sun shine its rays down on the inhabitants below. The sounds of roadwork about a couple of blocks away were muted by her bedroom walls, painting a clearer picture of city life in Seoul. Yunjin liked it quite a bit. It reminds her a bit of New York.

Soft knocks were heard from her bedroom door, disturbing her quiet daydream.

Yunjin's head turned towards the door, and she yelled out, "Come in, the door's not locked!"

The doorknob turned the opposite way, opening up a small space between the door and the person's head who peeked into the room. It was Eunchae, smiling adorably at Yunjin, her blonde hair falling effortlessly in front of her face.

"Morning, Unnie," Eunchae greeted the older girl in a singing voice. "Come out, I made some breakfast for the both of us."

"Really?" asked Yunjin in a surprised, almost mocking tone. "Who would've thought you were nice enough to cook something for us, let alone me."

Eunchae made a judgemental look, as she eyed Yunjin from top to bottom before responding, "Fine, I'll throw yours in the bin then."

Yunjin giggled at the younger girl's reaction. She stood up to place her guitar back on its stand and quickly made her bed before walking up to Eunchae and proceeded to pat the top of her head gently. "Thanks for cooking, baby girl."

Eunchae hummed in response. She walked ahead first to allow Yunjin to close the bedroom door behind her. Yunjin let out a loud yawn as the two girls made their way out of the corridor and to the dining table where Eunchae laid out a surprisingly decent-looking Japanese-style breakfast: a bowl of steamed rice, grilled salmon, pickled cucumbers, miso soup with soft tofu, rolled omelette and a glass of cold green tea. Living with the youngest girl of the group for a couple of years before and after debuting, it never came to Yunjin's mind that Eunchae had the courage to pick up a chef's knife, much less prepare a big meal such as this one.