the firsts || p.cy

his first embrace

TWO MONTHS AGO

I sit on the piano seat with my head down, staring at my reflection on the black cover resting over the keys.

"Look after my daughter every once in a while, will you?" My teacher's voice still rings in my head. I know the daughter's name is Jung Woori, and though we didn't meet in person, I know what she looks like.

I saw her enter the room as I left, already in tears.

After a few shaky breaths, to distract myself from the reality, I raise both hands to lift the cover off the piano. I straighten my posture and stretch my fingers in the same way I was taught. I place my fingers on the white and black keys, then begin playing.

"What would I do without your smart mouth / Drawing me in and kicking me out."

I sing along as I play "All of Me" by John Legend, the English song I had introduced to my teacher, her favorite song. A tribute.

Towards the middle of the song, someone walks up behind me. Still, I keep playing. Baekhyun said I can use the piano in the hospital kids section, and I'm not leaving until I'm finished.

Surprisingly, the kid remains mostly quiet, not moving, until I sing the very last line. It's not until I stop playing, the music over, when I realize the small sounds behind me are sniffling sounds. Alarmed, I turn around quickly, wondering if the kid is hurt, but am too surprised at the person standing in front of me to move.

"That was my mother's favorite song," Jung Woori whispers, tears rolling down her cheeks. "She died. Today."

"Look after my daughter every once in a while, will you?"

As if by impulse, I stand from my seat and walk until I'm standing right in front of her. "I'm sorry," I say softly. "I know." And then, before my brain can warn me that things can go wrong, I reach my arms around to hug her.

At first, she hesitates because to her, I am technically a stranger. However, Woori chooses to ignore this and hugs me back, pressing her face to my shoulder as she cries harder.

***

PRESENT TIME

"You're the guy who played the piano," Woori whispers when we separate. "The day my mother . . . died."

I nod, looking down. "I am," I admit quietly.

"You disappeared before I could see your face properly," Woori continues, "because of my tears. I was wondering if you were just a dream."

I shake my head slowly. "No, I was real." When silence falls, I continue. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Woori asks. "Why tell me now?"

"I'm sorry," I say again. "I thought it would be too much to tell you when we first met, especially since you didn't remember. I wanted to wait before telling the truth."

Woori breathes in and out shakily before continuing. "So, why did you approach me in the first place? Did you know my mother?" She barely whispers the last word.

"Yes, I knew her." My voice speeds up, in hopes she won't hear properly. "I was one of her old students, and I kept in touch with her a lot. She would tell me about you and brag about your talents after lessons. Before she . . . moved on, she told me to look after you once in a while."

"So, you approached me out of obligation, not because you wanted to?"

I snap my head up, eyes wide. "No!" I refute quickly. I stand, so I'm matching her height. "I genuinely like you," I say sincerely, reaching for her hands. She doesn't pull back when I grab them. "I was going to try to meet you in person even if she hadn't said anything."

Now it's Woori's turn to look down. She doesn't reply, but she still hasn't moved, so I dare to ask the one question weighing on my mind.

"Are you mad?"

For a while, Woori doesn't respond. Then, her shoulders begin shaking, and tears drop to the ground below her.

Before I can even attempt to make things better, she looks up with a teary smile on her face.

"Am I mad?" she repeats. "At you? No."

For the first time since I played the piano tonight, I smile. "You're not?"

She shakes her head. "No. I just needed some time to process everything. These tears aren't because of you. I just can't believe my mother went this far."

At this timing, the best response is to say, "I know," and embrace her tightly, pressing her face to my shoulder.

This time, she doesn't hesitate to hug me back.

***

I have finally finished! Honestly, I am not too satisfied with this chapter because it seems super rushed, but I will try to work on that when I get around to editing it.