Hanoi is calling you

II

Minji's house is on Kham Thien Street, which is also where Haerin lives.

Haerin politely nodded in greeting to Jihye. Jihye, flustered, returned the gesture, her movements stiff like a rigid spine. By the time she managed to compose herself, the gentle, gracious young woman had already sat down across from her, exuding a regal air like a queen of the neighborhood.

"Where's your sister, Minji?" Jihye asked.

"She went out for a bit; she asked me to keep you company until she gets back."

JIhye felt her heart stir with an odd mixture of shyness and self-consciousness. She had already rehearsed the questions she wanted to ask Haerin.

Jihye looked directly into the young woman's eyes, so intently she could almost count each delicate strand of hair that fell across her forehead.

"What's your name?"

"Haerin" she replied, her voice soft.

"I've been here a few times, but I've never seen you before. How come?"

"I moved south with my mother when I was nine. Things are chaotic there now, so she sent me back north to stay with my father."

These were the only questions Jihye had prepared, but despite their simplicity, they left a strange unease in her heart. How could she hope to get close to someone with such simple, insipid questions? Where was her poetic spirit, that had suddenly vanished, leaving her only able to utter these awkward, clumsy words?

"This morning... I was a bit rude to you... I'm sorry" Haerin said, her voice softening.

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Jihye replied quickly.

"When you looked back at me, I was so embarrassed"

She spoke while avoiding Tuệ's gaze, her hands clenching tightly as if to hold onto some remnant of self-respect that threatened to slip away.

Haerin wasn't quite the distant, lofty girl Jihye had imagined. Her quiet demeanor seemed more like a thin veil, easily mistaken but not enduring. Behind her wistful gaze lay a gentle, complex soul, filled with thoughts and feelings that Jihye might never fully grasp. She didn't deliberately appear distant; she simply existed, quiet as a flower nestled among wild grass, unwittingly giving the impression that she was out of reach.

"Is that you, Jihye?"

Minjji's voice broke the tense silence between them. Her arrival was like a breeze, light and unassuming, easing the awkwardness in the room. Both Haerin and Jihye turned to Minji, relieved to find a reason to escape the uneasy atmosphere.

With Minji's return, Haerin politely excused herself and returned to her room, casting a glance that, though hesitant, retained her distinctive poise.

"Sister... I'll be excusing myself."

Jihye stood there, a sense of disappointment like a thin haze settling over her heart. She hadn't had the chance to say much to Haerin, to take in her face, yet Minji had come back so soon! Jihye thought to herself, a hint of frustration flashing in her eyes.

The conversation between Jihye and Minji was bland and disjointed, as if each word was confined within an invisible boundary. Jihye hadn't come to see Minji; her mind was elsewhere, with the girl upstairs. Though Minji spoke, Jihye's thoughts drifted off.

As she left, Jihye cast a hopeful glance around, wishing to catch sight of Haerin one more time, but she was nowhere to be seen. Just as Jihye crossed through the gate, the sound of a piano floated down from upstairs...