A/N: Hi! I wrote this quick one-shot after the first two episodes of 39. I know that the drama is still ongoing but this is a crossover. So if it's not your thing because you ship the characters in the drama, feel free to not read it ☺️ I just couldn't get this scenario out of my head so here we go. I posted this on Twitter earlier but made edits for WP.
Lastly, I will update Reader's Choice this weekend and target to finish it (hopefully) before their wedding —- my guess is mid-March so that's my timeline.
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He watched her from across his booth. Like him, she seemed to waiting for someone.
It was impossible not to stare. She was, after all, a beautiful woman who exuded confidence even at a distance.
Her, a voice whispered to him. He could no longer take his eyes off her.
When a few more minutes passed and her companion had not arrived, he stood and made a move to her direction, "Maybe one step would be okay," he thought.
But before he could make significant progress, a masculine voice called out, "I'm sorry I'm late. You're the concert pianist, right? Let's discuss the arrangements for the next event."
Grudgingly, he stepped back and nodded in agreement. This was the reason he was back from Switzerland anyway. With one last glance at the woman who captured his attention, noting that she was now shyly averting her gaze at the man with her, he sat down and focused on his business meeting.
"I've been itching to play," he confessed to his business associate. "I see a piano there. May I?"
He started to play the opening notes of Claire de Lune as the woman's face entered his mind. A woman who has certainly piqued his curiosity.
Her, that voice whispered again.
*
"I will be gone for a year but —" Cha Mi-jo was distracted by the piano piece that came on. It suited the ambiance of the restaurant perfectly but this one was live instead of the usual pre-recorded ones.
Kim Seon-woo moved closer to prompt her. "You were saying?"
Mi-jo looked at her companion. "Oh, I ... uh I was wondering who's playing the piano? It's quite good."
Seon-woo craned his neck but could only see the man's back. "Not certain who. Seems to have really broad shoulders, though."
Mi-jo tried to shrug off her curiosity to focus on business matters. "As I was saying..."
But as she went home that night, no business deals were on her mind. She found herself humming to the tune the pianist played over dinner.
*
Days later, Cha Mi-jo stood in line beside Seon-woo. He was kind and circumstances seemed to bring them together quite often. They had not made any commitment, even to dating exclusively, so she was enjoying his company.
Tonight's agenda was a classical music concert.
She couldn't wait to immerse herself in this night's music after the tough, emotional week she had been through.
Staring at the brochure for tonight's programme, she was thrilled to see that the concert pianist selected a few pieces she absolutely loved.
"I hear he's really good," Seon-woo shared. "He also just got back to Seoul, recently."
"Hmmm," was all Mi-jo said because she already knew these facts. Alright, so she knew A LOT about the pianist. Ever since she read the magazine feature on him, she couldn't help but research on the man.
She knew his birthday, his height, his published bio and had a secret stash of his photos. So, when he took the stage, Mi-jo sighed in admiration.
What a handsome man, she thought.
She felt every emotion he poured into the performance. When he played Claire de Lune, her breath caught for reasons she was unsure of. But her soul stirred.
Him, a voice inside her head whispered.
What did it mean? She wondered but didn't have time to contemplate.
As the pianist took his final bow, her breath caught again. This time for a brief magical moment because she was certain that their eyes met.
Him, the voice said again.
As she drove home, she continued to listen to the pieces from tonight's playlist. The pianist would be leaving again in a few days and there was no date when he would return.
Mi-jo sighed, thinking back to that moment when their gazes held and seemed to recognize each other's soul.
"Maybe in another life," she thought. "Maybe in another life we could meet... Ri Jeong Hyeok-ssi."
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