Heaven and Back | 𝔍𝔢𝔫𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔞

Strings of Serendipity

Jennie walked along the gloomy streets of Seoul, a sense of solitude enveloping her as she carried out the groceries for her parents. The fading sunlight cast a sliver of warmth amidst the encroaching darkness. Feeling the weight of her surroundings, she stumbled upon a familiar bridge spanning a gentle creek. Intrigued, she paused to soak in the remnants of daylight.

Underneath the bridge, a delicate melody drifted through the air, played by an unseen guitarist. Jennie's initial fear gave way to curiosity as the music washed over her. Its melancholic notes tugged at her heartstrings.

It was smothering her.

She found herself relaxing once the person played more of the song. It wasn't a tune she knew, but it was calming.

Almost sad and desperate.

Realizing she was going to take longer than her parents expected, Jennie started to walk off. As soon as she took her second step away from the eerie guitar playing, a voice started to sing to the tune.

It wasn't real words at the moment, but it was enough to make her decide that her parents wouldn't mind. Jennie walks to the middle of the bridge and carefully sits down, swinging her legs over the side for comfort.

"You know I've tried hard to love me, too. It always seems to fall in, though."

Jennie could hear a wistful note in her voice. She was singing from experience. She found herself listening to her voice for the whole song, however long it was. It was dark now and the only illumination were the streetlights.

Jennie looked around to see if there were any other people and decided to walk down to the water, to tell the person she liked the song. She knew it was stupid and dangerous but didn't feel like she'd harm her.

Walking down the bank, Jennie saw a little light coming from a lantern. Next to it, sitting on the ground, was the woman who had such a heavenly voice. She was facing away from her and towards the soft running water. Still plucking at the strings, trying to find the perfect harmony.

Jennie cleared her throat, intending to speak, but found herself humming instead. Realizing the woman might appreciate a moment of privacy, she hesitated, then rose to her feet more swiftly than expected.

Jennie fumbled to find the right words, "H-Hey" she stammered out.

The mysterious woman turns around, obviously startled. She picks up her lantern and takes a step back.

"Yes...?" She says, skeptical of her presence.

"I- I heard you sing- I think the song was nice" Jennie managed to say, obviously embarrassed at her discovery. Her skin seemed to flush a little, but with the dim light of the lantern, it was hard to tell

"Thank you." she said in a low tone. Her nervousness is fading.

"No problem" Jennie quickly says, then turn her heels to get out of that awkward situation as fast as she can. But then the girl says something.

"Hey!"

"Yeah?"

"I'm playing tomorrow night at the cafe downtown." The girl says, and adds a playful wink. She then turns to gather the rest of her stuff, leaving Jennie to get out of there with a racing heart.

What just happened?

Who did she just talk to?

Jennie didn't even get a good look at her face. All she knew was her voice and that she was tall and slender. It was too dark to see her features. She just invited her to go listen to her at the cafe downtown tomorrow. That was good, it was public, she wasn't a weirdo.