The Pianist || MYG || ✔

35.

There were only three boxes left in Yoongi's piano room. Hoseok, Bee and Jimin had cleared the rest out, stuffing as much into their cars as possible. Yoongi crouched down by the three remaining. One was the little wooden box he had already opened, and another was full to the top with pictures and albums.

The last, he opened carefully to look inside. At the top was a beautiful bunch of fake roses. He was shocked when he had found out they were not real; they looked as if they were freshly picked. Next to it, was a cake topper; pure white and ceramic, the stunning, flowing image of a male holding a female in a long dress. There was no detail on it, and it was smooth and surprisingly heavy.

Under that, was a neatly folded black suit, and at the bottom was the empty space where a mass of pure white satin and lace stitched together to make a heartachingly beautiful wedding dress.

Bee stood quietly behind him as he stared into the box. Hoseok and Jimin had already left to take the other boxes to a charity shop and it was just her and Yoongi in the room.

Yoongi sighed and stood up.

"It hurts," He said quietly, "But it's a good pain. She'd be happy,"

Yoongi played with the wedding ring on his finger. He felt better already for finally getting rid of Isabella's belongings. He felt lost; alone and empty without her presence.

But he had to move on, and there was only one way left. He pushed the box of photos back against the wall, and placed the wooden box on top. He wouldn't get rid of those. They held good memories, not harsh ones.

He then stood over the box containing the items from their wedding. Isabella had wanted to keep them, and he had always joked it was because at some point she was going to leave and get remarried to someone else. Who wants to keep a dress that they will never wear again?

But she did wear it again. She had asked that she wear it for her funeral. Yoongi had worn the suit he had been wearing on the day they were wed, and he couldn't remember how it had ended up re-folded and back in the box. He suspected it was probably Bee or Hoseok.

With a deep breath, he picked up the box and dropped it in the hallway. He slid his wedding ring off his finger, and gently placed it inside, before folding the lid closed.

He could see Bee standing to the side, a little shocked and emotional, so he turned away from her. He didn't want to cry over this.

If he was going to cry, he was going to do it for a good reason.

In three quick steps, he reached his piano and sat down on the stool, flipping the lid. He didn't even hesitate to lift his fingers to the keys and begin to play.

The music immediately began to rise up, filling the room. It was sad, to begin with; heartbreakingly painful as he gently sung of his loss and darkness. He wove a story of despair and loneliness, increasing the volume and depth of the piece.

He told of his hardships and his feeling of never being able to enjoy anything in life ever again.  But then, he switched it up. The tune slowly shifted to show a small amount of hope, like a single ray of light pushing through a black storm cloud. The same melody slowly became something happy and hopeful, struggling and pulling to push through the darkness.

He was playing the same notes; they were no different, but they were hopeful and uplifting. He played about the doubts and the worries, but the music that was swirling around the room explained that he was no longer alone. He was never alone, he had isolated himself, but now he was accepting the friendship that had always been there, and he was helping himself.

For his Isabella, he would stop wallowing in the despair and darkness, and pull himself up to force the storm cloud to leave. He would let in the ray of sunshine, and he would go back to how he was before she had left him.

The gentle tones rose in volume again as he came to the end of the piece, and then he shifted back to the soft final notes.

He was going to do what Isabella wished, but this time, it wasn't for her. He was doing it for himself.

As he played the final notes of the piece, he felt Bee sit on the stool next to him. He felt her arms wrap  around his shoulders and he could feel by the way her shoulder swere trembling that she wasy crying.

"I understand, Yoongi," She said softly as he played the final, soft notes of the piece, "How much you have struggled. And I know you still struggle, and you will for a while. But we are here, and we won't let you go through it alone. We won't leave you,"

"You were always there," Yoongi replied softly, taking his hands from the keys, "None of you ever left me. I isolated myself. I don't want to be alone anymore. I've let go of Izzy, and I want to move on. I won't ever forget her, I can't, but I don't want to live in the dark anymore,"

"I'm proud of you, Yoongi," Bee said softly, "We all are,"

Yoongi shifted, wrapping his arms around Bee as he cried. He cried over his loss and his loneliness. He cried over his fear of being alone, and his joy at finding his friends again. He cried out all of his negative emotions so that by the end, all that would be left was himself; the real him. The him that had been buried and lost since his wife had passed away.

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AN: This chapters piece is "Planetarium" by Ai Otsuka, piano cover by Golowin77