Unwritten Chords Of Love

A New Beginning

The days that followed Minji's unexpected appearance in the park felt like a gentle reset for Hanni. It wasn't the grand, life-changing moment she'd imagined—no grand declarations, no tearful confessions—but it was enough. It was everything, really. Minji's words had given her something she hadn't known she needed: permission to breathe, permission to not have all the answers.

As the summer unfolded, Hanni found herself not racing to fill the emptiness she'd felt in the past weeks, but learning to live with it. To let the stillness be a part of her rather than something to be fixed. She spent more time with her guitar, but now it wasn't just about writing songs for Minji or writing songs for herself. It was about learning to express the space in between—the things that couldn't be put into words but still mattered deeply.

She also started to reach out more to her friends, especially Jiwoo. They spent afternoons in the park, or grabbing bubble tea, or just sitting together in the cafés they used to frequent. In those moments, Hanni learned to appreciate the small, comforting rhythms of friendship—the kind of connection that didn't require anything heavy, just the simple pleasure of being together.

The week after Minji had visited her in the park, Hanni received a message from her. It was short but heartfelt.

*I'm not great at this kind of thing, but I'm glad we talked that day. I hope you're doing well. Let's stay in touch.*

Hanni's chest tightened as she read the message, the simple sincerity of it hitting her in a way she hadn't expected. She smiled softly to herself before typing a reply.

*I'm doing better. And yes, let's stay in touch.*

She didn't know what "staying in touch" would look like—whether it would be occasional messages, or maybe something more—but for now, it felt like the perfect answer.

A few weeks later, Hanni found herself in a familiar spot—waiting for her friends at the café after a band rehearsal. She hadn't really told anyone about the quiet reconciliation between her and Minji, but she wasn't keeping it a secret either. It just felt like something she didn't need to explain to anyone except herself.

Her phone buzzed, breaking her out of her thoughts. She opened the message and saw it was from Minji.

*Hey, I'm in town for a few days. Any chance I can come by and see you?*

Hanni's heart skipped. The uncertainty of the last few months, the mixed feelings, the longing to have Minji back in her life—they all seemed to coalesce in that moment. She quickly typed a response.

*I'd love that. When are you free?*

Minji replied with a simple *Tomorrow?* and Hanni's stomach fluttered at the thought. She hadn't seen Minji in person since graduation, and the idea of being around her again felt both thrilling and nerve-wracking.

---

The next day, Hanni arrived at the café early, her guitar case slung over her shoulder as she made her way to their usual spot near the window. It was strange, sitting there, waiting for Minji—strange in the sense that she wasn't sure what would happen next. They'd both changed since the last time they saw each other. They were no longer just the senior and first-year student, the mentor and the protege. They were two people in the process of figuring out what came after the end of something.

Minji walked in a few minutes later, her presence unmistakable even before Hanni looked up. She was wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans, her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, but to Hanni, she looked like she belonged in that very moment—here, with her. She smiled as she approached the table, and Hanni's heart skipped once more.

"Hey," Minji said, sitting down across from her. There was something easy about the way she said it—something that made it feel like they had never been apart.

"Hey," Hanni replied, her voice a little more breathless than she'd intended. "How's everything?"

"Busy," Minji replied with a soft laugh. "You know how it is. But I'm taking a few days to relax before I start my next chapter. Wanted to see you, to catch up."

Hanni smiled, but there was a trace of hesitation behind her eyes. "I'm glad you did."

There was an awkward beat between them, a shared understanding that things had shifted, that they were no longer the same two people they had been before, but neither of them quite knew how to navigate the changes. But that was okay. Hanni realized in that moment that they didn't need to have all the answers. Not yet, at least.

Minji's gaze softened. "Hanni, I'm really sorry if I made things weird between us. I didn't mean to. I think I was just trying to figure out what it all meant, what *we* meant. I don't want you to feel like I'm just... fading away. Because I don't want that."

Hanni's heart ached at her words, but she smiled softly. "You didn't make things weird. It was just... different. And I think I was just scared. Scared of what it meant for me, scared of losing you."

Minji looked at her with such honesty that it made Hanni's chest tighten. "I don't want to be lost to you, Hanni. I think... I think maybe I was afraid of that, too. Afraid of what comes after all this. After high school. After graduation."

There it was—the thing they had both been dancing around for so long. The fear of what came after the end of something, and the uncertainty that lived in the space between the past and the future. But hearing Minji say it aloud, hearing her acknowledge it, made Hanni feel a little less alone in her confusion.

"I think we're both scared of what comes next," Hanni said quietly. "But maybe it doesn't have to be as scary as we think. Maybe it's just about figuring it out as we go."

Minji's smile was small, but it held a warmth that made Hanni's heart feel lighter. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it's not about knowing all the answers, but being okay with not having them."

For a long moment, they just sat there, letting the silence settle between them. It wasn't uncomfortable, though. It was the kind of quiet that felt like a soft exhale—a release of all the tension they'd been carrying.

Finally, Minji spoke again, her voice light, almost playful. "So, do you still play your guitar?"

Hanni laughed, the sound of it surprising even herself. "I do. You wanna hear something?"

Minji grinned. "I'd love that."

Hanni reached for her guitar case and pulled out the instrument, strumming a few light chords. She hadn't written a song specifically for Minji, but the one that came out in that moment felt like it could have been. It was about change—about the way people move in and out of your life, about how love doesn't always look the way you expect it to, but it still means something.

As she played, Minji sat quietly, watching her with a look of soft admiration, and Hanni realized, for the first time in a long while, that it didn't matter what would come next. The song was enough. The moment was enough.

And maybe, just maybe, the space between them didn't have to feel like a void—it could be a new beginning.

---

When Hanni finished, she looked up at Minji, who was smiling, her eyes soft and affectionate.

"That was beautiful," Minji said, her voice filled with genuine appreciation.

Hanni smiled, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. "Thanks. I'm glad you liked it."

Minji's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, and Hanni caught the flicker of something deeper in her eyes. It wasn't the same as before—the intensity of first love, the unsure and eager steps toward something undefined—but it was something new. Something steady, something grounded. And as the sunlight began to fade, filling the café with a soft, golden light, Hanni realized that she didn't need to rush into anything. They had all the time in the world to figure it out.

For now, that was enough.

One step at a time.