The Secret Sonata || Ryeji

Chapter 41: A Date Gone Awry

The young Hwang stirred and shifted in her bed, letting out a groggy groan as sunlight bathed her face the moment she heard curtains being glided aside, the grappling hooks screeching as they rubbed the surface of the rod. Then, she lifted her heavy eyelids to take in the sight of her beautiful mother bunching the fabric of each curtain and then tying them to let more sunlight penetrate the windows without being obscured. Afterward, Seulgi approached her befuddled daughter on the bed, her warm-hearted smile apparent in her features as she did so, and she perched on the edge of the mattress.

"Your lil cutie told me not to wake you up and let you sleep a bit more, but it's rude to make her wait for hours, sweetheart," the mother chuckled, flicking her feline eyes to the wristwatch hugging her slender wrist, whilst her daughter stared at her in daze and locked in place, "It's already one in the afternoon."

"E-eomma..." A tiny choke filled with vulnerability and wistfulness escaped the young Hwang's quivering mouth, followed by tears of joy trickling down her cheeks as she held her bewildered mother's gaze with indescribable fondness.

"Sweetheart, are you feeling well?" Worried by the unprecedented surge of emotions conveyed on her daughter's face, Seulgi wasted no time to rush over to the girl and enfold her into a reassuring hug, thus eliciting an invaluable warmth in the latter's chest, making her feel as special and loved as she could ever be. "Did something happen to you yesterday? The maids told me that you gorged yourself on too much food in the middle of the night and even asked for more when you emptied countless numbers of plates. They were worried because they'd never seen you having hunger pangs before." She wiped her daughter's tears and slicked back her tousled morning hair. "Are you stressed out from school work?"

"No," the girl replied, getting more emotional to witness the unmistakable concern in her mother's orbs: the concern that was directed at her and only her.

"You can always tell me everything that's bothering you, arraseo? I'm always here for you, sweetheart," Seulgi cooed, stroking the young Hwang's back gently as the latter nestled her chin in the crook of her neck, basking in the moment of the irreplaceable motherly love.

"This is the best dream ever," the girl murmured under her breath and snuggled closer to her mother even more, sniffing the nostalgic and comforting scent the woman possessed. She held onto the woman like there was no tomorrow for her, intense feelings of euphoria coursing from within her.

"Dream?" Seulgi tittered, pulled away from the tight embrace and shook her daughter's shoulders. "Wake up and rub the sleep off your eyes, you sleepy head. By the way, your cutie Ryujin's been waiting in the music room since ten. You better wash up and prepare for your date this instant if you don't wanna keep her waiting."

"Ryujin's here?" The girl gasped, cocking her head to the side in utter confusion.

"Don't tell me that you forgot your ninth monthsary date with her and overslept throughout the morning, Yeji," the woman sighed, shaking her head with a hint of amusement and reminiscence in her eyes. "Like father, like daughter."

For a brief period of seconds, Yeji's features seemed to be slightly downcast before she completely altered her demeanor, mustering up a tightlipped smile.

****

Ryujin was sitting at the huge, shining black instrument that looked like the sky on a cool summer night, coaxing impossibly soothing and amazing melodies from it. She seemed lost as her fingers flew over the keys like swallows darting in a pond for fish. Soon, her smile grew bigger and bigger as her ears picked up on the sound of approaching footsteps merging with the music before a pair of arms enveloped her from the back. With the last note fading into the air, she removed her fingers from the keys and swiveled her body in the encirclement of her girlfriend's arms, crossing her legs over the bench.