Quiet | BTS ✓

6

The song comes to an end, and Yoongi lets his hands rest on the keys as he turns to look at Aria. Her eyes are still locked on his now idle hands, and he can't help but wonder what is going through her mind.

"You understand," Yoongi says. It's not a question because he knows she does. He can feel it.

Aria nods her head and slowly turns her gaze to meet his. She gives him a small smile before a knock at the music room door causes them both to turn around.

"Sorry to interrupt," Hoseok says from the doorway. "But it's supposed to storm soon and I figured I'd come a little early to pick you up so we don't get caught in it."

Aria nods her head and stands up, grabbing her backpack and placing it on her shoulder before turning back to Yoongi and giving him a small smile. Yoongi smiles back, though it's only half-hearted because he can tell she still doesn't want to let her guard down around him.

"Go ahead and wait in the car. I'll be right there," Hoseok says as Aria walks up to him.

She raises an eyebrow questioningly at him before rolling her eyes and making her way down the hallway towards the parking lot.

"I suppose you probably have about a million questions," Hoseok says, pulling a chair next to the piano bench and sitting down in it. "Mr. Min called me and let me know about wanting to partner you with her and since she can't explain everything, he enlisted my help."

"Won't she be angry at you?" Yoongi asks, turning himself on the bench so he's facing Hoseok.

"Probably. But she'll understand. She knows that partners need to understand each other to be able to perform together. It's the same with dancing. If there isn't chemistry and understanding between two people, they will never be able to perform cohesively together," he explains. "I won't tell you every detail about her life, but I can tell you what you need to know to understand her."

"Honestly, in a way, I do understand her. I know she can't speak verbally, but she is incredible at speaking through music. How long has she been able to play piano?" Yoongi asks, figuring he'd better use this chance to be able to understand Aria better.

"Since she was 19," Hoseok says. "So almost three years since she'll be 22 in about a month."

"Wow," Yoongi says. "It sounds like she's been playing her whole life."

"Ah, well playing instruments was not her first love," Hoseok says, sadness clear in his voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Aria used to sing," Hoseok explains, clasping his hands together as he watches Yoongi's curious gaze. "She moved to South Korea when she was 13 and I was 12. She moved in right next door to me, so we basically grew up together, and I swear she sang more than she actually talked. From the moment we met, we instantly became best friends. She and I would put on these little concerts for our parents and she would sing while I would dance. Our parents were always supporting us and from day one, they were our biggest fans. When she found out she had gotten accepted into this school as a vocal music major, we had our best concert yet and our parents couldn't have been more proud."

Yoongi nods, urging Hoseok to continue.

Hoseok looks at Yoongi uneasily before finally continuing after a few moments of silence. "It was August, a month before she was set to begin her freshman year. She and her parents were in a car accident involving a drunk driver. Her parents were killed instantly and Aria suffered a brain injury that left her without a voice."

Yoongi's gaze falls to the floor. That is the raw sadness that he heard in her music. She lost her parents and her ability to sing all in the same moment.

"She took that first semester off from school to recover and mourn, but when January came, she decided that she didn't want to let herself wither away. Her parents wouldn't have wanted her to let it all wash away, so she picked herself up and took online general music classes for the spring semester of her freshman year, doubling her credit hours so she could catch up. Once September had rolled around, she was officially a sophomore and had chosen a new major: instrumental music. When she was recovering, she listened to a lot of music. I think she was trying to drown out the reality of her situation, but along the way, she found a new love for instruments. I think she admired how people could make the instruments speak without saying a word themselves."

Yoongi nods in understanding. He knows exactly what he means because that is the reason he fell in love with playing piano in the first place. He could say everything he needed to say without actually speaking the words out loud. It was like the piano was a friend he confided in to keep all of his secrets, and the piano did so without question. All the piano did was turn his secrets and his sadness into beautiful melodies; the piano turned his words to music.

"Once her sophomore year started and she changed her major to instrumental music, I started my freshman year here in the dance program and we decided to get an apartment together so that I could take care of her," Hoseok continues. "She practically lived in this music room once she was accepted into the program. She practiced day and night, perfecting her skills and not stopping until it sounded perfect to her. She took extra lessons from Mr. Min and worked non-stop every single day, determined to become the best she could be."

"Is it strange to say I feel like I know her in a way?" Yoongi asks quietly, turning his gaze to his own hands clasped together nervously. "I heard her play last night, and it was like she was actually speaking to me. I heard her sadness. I heard her longing. And I heard the promise that she was making to someone that she will never give up. I've never heard someone play like that, and it was overwhelming how clearly I could hear her."

Hoseok smiles. "I hear it too. What she does with music is otherworldly. She's special, Yoongi. Even if she comes off as cold, she's the most warm-hearted person I've ever known. She'll open up to you. It'll just take time. She's afraid to let people in after everything she went through, but trust me when I say that if you show her that you understand, she'll eventually let you in."

"I've never felt so connected to a stranger before," Yoongi says.

And it's true. There is a connection there and he feels it. It scares him because he's never felt something like this about someone before. He heard her play and he felt drawn to her, to her raw emotions and the way she was able to flawlessly and vividly portray them. He wanted to hear more, to understand her. And part of him feels like she wants to understand him. The look in her eyes when she heard him play was undeniable; she felt the same thing he felt when he heard her play.

She really is special.

"I wish you could've heard her sing," Hoseok says as he stands up and makes his way to the door. "She had the most beautiful voice."