lonely sounds | l. heeseung

37. our fairy tale

"Ladies and gentlemen, we thank you for your patience as the judges have finally made their choices for the young and talented violinists who will commence in the final. We will announce the following 3 violinists, but please give warm applause to all of them," the host of the competition announced.

Eun byul, Eunmi, Sunoo, and Taehyun all stood in a horizontal line facing the audience on the stage. The spotlights shone brightly on all of them, sweat droplets forming on Eun byul's face. Though a part of herself was cocky and knew she was going to make it to the final, she couldn't help but nervously anticipate the results. She wouldn't believe her reality unless her name came out of the host's mouth.

"The first violinist commencing to the final is Cha Eun byul. She received a near-perfect score of 97."

The audience cheered loudly, lights flashing on and off brightly as Eun byul stepped forward, giving a bow.

"The second violinist commencing to the final is Kang Taehyun. He received a score of 95."

The audience followed the same form of etiquette they showed Eun byul as Taehyun walked forward and took a deep bow. Now anticipation for the last violinist began. Sunoo had played flawlessly during the semifinal, but his overall performance seemed like something was missing. Eunmi had played well, but she wasn't pushing herself hard enough. Eunmi was playing it safely by playing a soft, depressing piece, and she was able to display her emotions, but her typical spark was missing.

"The scores between the 3rd and 4th place violinist was extremely close. Only separated by 1 point, with a score of 93, Cha Eunmi."

Eunmi's eyes opened wide in shock. She thought she was done for during the semifinals, but she was lucky enough to have fate on her side one last time.

**

All the contestants and their accompanists were back in their residing dressing rooms. The 3 finalists were informed that they would be playing with the Seoul National Orchestra for their final performance in the competition. As everyone had prepared in advance if they were skilled enough to make it to the final, Eun byul and Heeseung would play Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35. Because of her experience of being in the advanced classical musical world, playing with an orchestra wasn't new to Eun byul, but of course, it was a great privilege.

"How are you feeling?" Heeseung asked, putting his jacket on.

"Really good," Eun byul wore a broad smile on her face as she packed her violin, "I haven't felt this great in so long."

"Me too," he exclaimed, "I say our first-place victory in the semifinals deserves an award."

"I agree."

**

The carousel glimmered under the setting sun, children laughed and cheered along sides of their parents, teenagers, and young adults in their school uniforms, and the smell of sweet cotton candy and salty popcorn lingered in the air.

"Wow, I haven't been to this amusement park in ages," Heeseung smiled, holding Eun byul's hand.

"It's exactly how I remember it as a little kid," she was filled with excitement and joy, "Now hurry, let's ride everything before the park closes."

They did everything from the thrilling roller coasters, childish carousels, nauseating spinning tea cups, and cheesy haunted houses. They bantered playfully, bought each other colorful, fluffy, animal headbands, and shared the biggest pink cotton candy. The whole day was filled with nostalgic fun, the better memories of both their childhoods. The amusement park was the place Eun byul and Heeseung could lower their barriers and be their true selves.

Their last stop was the ferris wheel. Luckily, they were one of the last group of guests that were permitted to ride at the attraction. They got into the tiny box where they basically placed their lives in and sat across from each other. The sun had already set and the pinky-orange sky was now black. You could barely see the stars from the light pollution of the city.

"So we play the big concerto in 2 days," Eun byul sighed, staring at the view from the ferris wheel, "The last time I played with an orchestra was when I was 13. I didn't think much of it then, but thinking about playing with an orchestra gives me goosebumps."

"We only get one session to practice with the orchestra and only get 3 hours. Then we play the next day. It's crazier the more I think about it," Heeseung exclaimed, giddy with excitement and fear.

"Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, huh?" she thought aloud.

"An ironic choice for us, isn't it? Tchaikovsky wrote this concerto to escape reality. Just like how we have so many problems the musical world has given us but yet, it's our only escape. It's our freedom," he said, "His concerto is so fantastical and majestic, it doesn't feel real. It's like living in a fairy tale. I want our performance to touch the audience and make it feel like a perfect alternate reality. It can be like the perfect fairy tale story for us."

Eun byul turned her head as she faced Heeseung, looking at him in awe. She took his hands and gently kissed them.

"Win or lose, Heeseung, we will give an unforgettable performance."