Unwritten Chords Of Love

Girl in Red

The cool autumn air carried a promise of change, the kind that came not in bursts of excitement, but in quiet moments, like the rustling of leaves or the soft hum of a guitar string being tuned. Hanni sat on the edge of the familiar rooftop, guitar in hand, as the sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows over the city. She loved this time of day, when the world felt like it was slowing down, and she could just *be*.

It had been a few months since the summer ended, and the school year was in full swing again. Hanni had settled into her routine—early morning practices with Jiwoo, music sessions with Minji, and the quiet satisfaction of being present in her own life. She had stopped worrying about the future so much. She had stopped chasing answers that weren't ready to be found. Instead, she focused on what was right in front of her: the music, the people she loved, and the simple joy of living.

And yet, despite the peace she'd found, something lingered in the back of her mind—a feeling she couldn't shake. It wasn't that she felt lost. On the contrary, she felt like she was finally discovering who she was meant to be. But there were moments, small ones, where she caught herself wondering if she was still waiting for something. If there was more that she needed to understand.

"Hey."

The soft voice interrupted her thoughts, and Hanni looked up to see Minji stepping onto the roof, her figure outlined by the fading light. Minji's smile was familiar, comforting—a constant in a world that was always shifting.

"You okay?" Minji asked, taking a seat next to her, her guitar case resting beside her.

Hanni nodded, but the words felt a little heavy on her tongue. "Yeah. Just thinking. About... everything."

Minji tilted her head, studying her with the same intensity she always had when Hanni was deep in thought. "Everything? Like, what?"

"Just... life, I guess," Hanni said, shrugging slightly. "The future, and how sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough, like I'm waiting for some big change to happen, but it's not. Things are good, but they also feel... kind of still?"

Minji's expression softened, and she reached over, gently strumming a few chords on her guitar. The melody was light, almost wistful, and it wrapped around Hanni like a soft blanket.

"I get that," Minji said after a moment, her voice low. "Sometimes, it feels like life is moving too slowly, like you're standing still while everyone else is speeding by. But I think... maybe that's the point, you know? It's not always about waiting for the big moment. It's about finding meaning in the small ones."

Hanni turned her head, meeting Minji's gaze. She had always admired Minji's ability to find peace in the chaos, to see things in ways that Hanni sometimes couldn't.

"I think... I think I've been waiting for something big to change, something to give me a sign that it's time to move forward. But maybe it's already happening. Maybe it's already here."

Minji smiled gently, her fingers still playing the melody. "You're not stuck, Hanni. You're just in between things right now. And that's okay. Sometimes, you need to sit with the in-between for a while, before you can figure out what comes next."

Hanni let out a breath, feeling the weight of her own thoughts begin to lift. It wasn't that she needed to have everything figured out. It was that she had to be okay with not knowing. That was the next step.

"Thanks, Minji," Hanni said quietly, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I think you're right."

For a while, the two of them sat in silence, just playing their guitars. The world felt smaller, somehow, in that moment. The worries of the future didn't seem so big, and Hanni didn't feel so alone. It was just them, their music, and the quiet comfort of being understood without needing to say much.

---

As the weeks passed, the school year continued, and Hanni found herself embracing the simplicity of it all. She spent more time writing songs with Minji, diving deeper into the music they created together. They started to perform at small local venues—cafes, open mics, and even a few school events—and each time, Hanni felt herself growing more confident in her voice, in what they had together.

Jiwoo had gotten into the music academy she'd dreamed of, and although it meant less time spent together, Hanni couldn't have been prouder of her. They still texted, called, and sent voice memos filled with songs and ideas. Jiwoo was thriving, and that was all that mattered.

But there was a shift. A quiet one. While Hanni had once felt like she was chasing something—some elusive "answer" or "truth"—she was now discovering that the answer was in the everyday moments. It was in the music, the laughter, the small conversations with Minji and Jiwoo. It was in the way her heart would swell when she played a new song and saw the smiles on her friends' faces.

And, more importantly, she realized, it was in the connections she had with the people around her.

---

One evening, after another gig at a local cafe, Minji and Hanni were walking home together, the streetlights casting soft pools of light on the sidewalk. The night was quiet, the kind of night where everything seemed to hold its breath.

"I've been thinking," Minji said suddenly, breaking the silence. "About us. About this—about everything we've been doing."

Hanni looked over, surprised. "What do you mean?"

Minji smiled, a little hesitant. "I think we're creating something real, Hanni. We've been through a lot, and we've both grown so much this year. I don't want to rush it, but... I'm happy. I think I'm where I'm supposed to be."

Hanni's heart skipped a beat. She knew what Minji was saying, and it was everything she had wanted to hear, but there was no urgency, no sense of needing to define it. It was just a quiet admission, the way two people could simply be together without forcing the labels or expectations that had once tangled them up.

"I feel the same way," Hanni said softly, her voice steady. "I don't know exactly what this is—what we are—but I know I want to keep doing this. With you. Whatever it looks like."

Minji reached out, brushing a strand of hair from Hanni's face, her touch lingering just a moment longer than necessary. "Yeah. Me too."

And for the first time in a long while, Hanni felt a sense of peace wash over her. She didn't need the answers. She didn't need everything to make sense. What mattered was that she was here, now, with the people who cared about her and the music she loved.

---

The next morning, Hanni woke up with the same sense of quiet anticipation she had been carrying with her for months. The future was still uncertain, still full of open doors and unknown paths, but for the first time, she wasn't afraid of what was coming. She was ready to meet it, step by step, song by song.

It wasn't the big moments that would define her life. It was the small ones—the moments where she took a deep breath, picked up her guitar, and played a new song. The moments where she looked at Minji, or Jiwoo, or anyone she loved, and felt that deep, undeniable connection.

And in those moments, Hanni knew—*this* was her beginning. And that was enough.