City of Love | m.yg

Chapter 15

Word Bank:
•bonne travail (bauhn•trah•vye): good job
•bonne chance (bauhn•shahnce): good luck
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"Break a leg. But not literally because that would be bad," Yoongi said.

"Ah, why would you say that? Now you've jinxed it! The piano is probably going to fall on my leg now," I whined.

He chuckled, "Ever the dramatic, aren't you? Why are you so nervous anyway? This is your thing. You practically do this for a living."

"It's not that simple. There are people in the audience who could really make or break me. Talent scouts from the magazine 'Rising Virtuoso' are here. It's a talent scouting magazine that visits music universities across the globe and recommends the best of the best. It would be a real step up for me to get recognized and I could then get closer to my goal of being a concert pianist. If I don't get it, it isn't the end of the world, but it would be such a great opportunity for me," I explained.

Yoongi smiled, "If that's what you're nervous about, then I think you should probably ease your mind. I haven't heard other players, but I have a feeling you'll be the star of the show anyway. You have a unique talent Suji, and I think the scouts will see that."

I gave him a chaste peck on the cheek making him blush.

"Okay, I'm going to go find a seat. You'll do great," he cheered before heading off to find a seat.

I was left with the hundreds of other performers backstage, everyone buzzing about nervously. Lorraine, Giselle, and Clementine stood beside me and a crowd of our other friends came too. We all chattered about our pieces and the talent scouts and whatnot. Due to the school's size with obviously a good number of performers, the number of songs was limited. Singers could only sing one song, and instrumentalists had a five-minute limit.

While everyone chattered amongst themselves, I was warming up my fingers and doing some breathing exercises. Despite my love for the stage and performing and sharing my craft, I always had to calm myself down before a show. Whether it was excitement or nerves, I needed to breathe in and out to know I'd be alright.

Soon enough, the lights went down and the show began with the many different department professors doing their bit at the beginning to introduce the different groups and performers.

Time Skip

"Bon travail," I said to one of the performers coming off the stage. She was a violinist and had wowed the crowd with her skill. For being a freshman, I figured she could use the support.

My friends were on next and they had anxiously been warming up their vocal cords. Since they were all vocal majors, they decided to do a trio act.

"Bonne chance," I mused, squeezing Lorraine's hand.

She smiled smugly, not giving me a response.

Okay? Weird.

But I just shrugged it off, letting them go do their set. I quietly cheered for them backstage, admiring their confidence and the harmonies they created.

They owned the stage. The crowd of students who weren't in a performance major and more of a production major cheered them on. They were a true crowd-pleaser with their charisma.

By the time they were done, they got roaring applause. Even from backstage, everyone hollered for them.

They took their bows and came backstage, basking in the glory of all the applause and praise. I ran over to them and wrapped them in a big hug.