The Cellist and the Pianist

The halls of Chaminade are quiet as I stroll through them aimlessly. I don't want to go home yet, but I'm not sure I want to practice right now either.

I make my way into an empty practice room, collapsing into an empty chair. I half-heartedly take my cello out of its case to tune it. I stare at the wall for a few minutes, trying to decide what to play. After a moment, I close my eyes and begin to play "La Ronde des Lutins."

No matter what I do, I can't escape him.

Even in my music, he's always on my mind.

"Our song," a voice says quietly from behind me. My heart skips a beat and I immediately stop playing.

I turn towards Seung-chan, plastering on a teasing expression despite my racing heart. "I'm pretty sure it's Bazzini's song."

Seung-chan looks at me with a mischievous glint in his eye. "But we made it our own." He walks over the piano bench, sliding it out to sit down. "So, have you thought about what you want to play for the competition?"

My cheeks redden against my will. "I was thinking... Beethoven's 'Spring Sonata.'"

He raises an eyebrow, grinning slyly at me. "Interesting choice," he replies.

"I remember you playing in the practice room on the first day of school," I respond. "It was... when we first met."

This time, it's Seung-chan's turn to blush. He looks down, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Actually... I saw you before that."

I furrow my brow, staring at him. "When?"

"When you said you didn't come to Chaminade to make friends." I look away, trying to recall the interaction. He continues. "You stood up for me against your classmates, saying that they should judge me based on my music and not my parents' status. You were the first one at Chaminade to ever say that about me."

Realization dawns on me, my ears turning pink. He saw that?

He grins at me. "Ring a bell?" Hoping to hide my blush, I turn my face towards the window.

Seung-chan laughs. "Si-eun, are you blushing?"

"I- it's warm in here!" I retort quickly.

He laughs again, and I poke him in the ribs. "Hey, hey!" he yells, laughing even more. I poke him several more times, reprimanding him for teasing me. "Mercy, mercy!" he finally says.

As the room quiets again, Seung-chan leans forward to whisper in my ear. "Si-eun, I fell in love with you sooner than you think."

I pull back to look him in the eyes. "Love?" I say, my voice nearly a whisper.

He doesn't reply. Instead, he looks at me as if searching for something in my eyes. "May I kiss you?" he asks softly.

I nod quickly, and before I can even process what just happened, he cups my cheek and presses his lips to mine. The kiss is gentle and sweet and over all too soon.

As he pulls away, I can feel my cheeks burning. He laughs, rubbing a thumb over my cheek. "Is the Ice Queen melting?" he teases me. But this time, there's something different in his voice. Something more vulnerable.

I scrunch my nose, trying not to smile at his teasing. "Can we please forget that nickname ever existed?"

He chuckles at my response. "Hey, they may call you the Ice Queen, but you've melted my heart."

At that, I pull away from his grip, laughing. "That was bad. Like, really, really bad."

"You didn't like it?"