Faceless

V. Six months later

POV Iana

The end of this school year is approaching rapidly. I found a three-month language internship in Korea, and I'm looking forward to going there and reuniting with my sister. Mr. Choi kept his promise, even though he was transferred to another country in the meantime. The Korean Cultural Center calls on me quite regularly because they appreciate my level of Korean, in addition to my French and English. I really enjoyed working during the Korean Film Festival because some actors and directors made appearances, and I got to talk to them or even take photos with them. Watching all the movies for free was also a big plus.

In June, there was a series of classical music concerts at Flagey featuring young Korean instrumentalists, and I was offered a position as their assistant for the duration of the festival. I was supposed to be their tour guide, interpreter, and more. I didn't mind because I knew Koreans were generally very polite. Besides, these were young talents, so they wouldn't be throwing any diva tantrums.

"Little sister, I'm counting the days until our reunion. I'll make you eat the best tteokbokki of your life; it'll be so good and spicy you'll cry."

"I'm counting on you then. Did I tell you about my latest job?"

"Babysitting young Korean artists?"

"Stop teasing. I expect to have a good time. There will be six of them in total, both women and men. I don't have their names yet."

"I just remembered something. I saw a poster the other day in the subway for a classical music concert featuring young talents. There were only names, no photos. They might be the same ones. Here, I'll send you the picture. Anyway, it's funny because among them, there's one with the same name as your sleeping beauty."

"What? Are you sure?"

"See for yourself."

"Indeed, a pianist. Too bad there's no photo."

"Look it up on the internet."

"I'll check it out later; I have more urgent things to do now."

"Ha, you're afraid. You pretend to have forgotten him, but I know that's not true. Here, I'll send you a photo from Google. He even has an agency and an Instagram account. Mhh, if it's him, he's quite handsome. A bit too stiff for my taste, but handsome."

I open the photo my sister sent me, and my eyes remain glued to the screen. It's him. The talented pianist is him. I had noticed his hands back then; no wonder they had fascinated me. What a stroke of luck!

"Iana, I can't take it anymore. The verdict, please."

"It's him."

"Are you sure? Fantastic, he's handsome and talented. He deserved you saving him."

"Don't say that. Even if he were ugly and mentally challenged, he deserved me saving him."

"LOL! Will you introduce yourself this time? You don't have a choice; you'll be working with him."

"I can use a fake name. He's never seen me; he's probably forgotten everything. His mother had asked me never to contact him again. I wouldn't want to force him to remember that trauma."

"Honestly, you're annoying me. He's an adult; he makes his own choices. You didn't do anything wrong. Why hide?"

"I promise I'll tell him everything if I find that he's doing well. But first, I'll observe him."

"Well, I'll leave you to it. Keep me updated."

After the conversation with my older sister, I was troubled. I really wanted to talk to him, to see his reaction, but my little heart couldn't handle more cold thank-yous. And what if he offered me money again or thought I was bringing up the events to demand a higher sum? Ah, what to do?

POV Rowoon

This tour was exhausting. After Paris, they added Brussels. My mother had almost forced me to decline, but it would have been impolite to my fellow artists. We were still having good times together.

Nevertheless, I was a bit sad. No one had responded to my bio, and no one had shown up at my Paris concert to visit me backstage. Coming to Brussels gave me a glimmer of hope, but I was beginning to believe that I would never meet her.

"Hyung, have you been to this city before? Do you know if we can find Korean food somewhere?"

"No, I didn't feel like eating Korean during my last trip."

"So, what Belgian dish did you like?"

"Chocolate?"

"Very funny, hyung. It seems the cultural center has sent someone to greet us. She will guide us. I'm already hungry, and chocolate won't be enough."

"I understand. I'll go straight to the hotel, and I'll settle for room service. I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast before we head to the concert hall. It's not far; we can walk there."

Once I got off the Thalys, I glanced at the people waiting with signs in their hands to identify our hostess. She had a phone displaying "Welcome to the young virtuosos performing at Flagey" in Korean. It made me smile. I showed it to my fellow musicians and headed towards the taxi exit on my own. She was wearing a summer dress and sunglasses on her head, smiling from ear to ear. It was nice that they had found a young person to assist us. It might have been a bit cavalier on my part to slip away without greeting her, but I would see her the next day anyway.

POV Iana

My smile froze. He rushed out, glanced at me briefly, and then headed for the taxi exit. He was even more handsome than I remembered. Why was he leaving on his own?

"Hello, thank you for welcoming us!"

"Hello," I said, bowing. "My name is Iana Thuy. I will be at your service for the next three days. Is everyone here?"

"Well, our colleague Lee is missing. He apologizes, but he was too tired and preferred to go directly to the hotel. He has been to Brussels before, so he'll manage."

"I understand. I've made reservations at a Korean restaurant, and we'll take two taxis to get there. Starting tomorrow, there will be a shuttle with a driver for your small group."

"Let's go then! Do you have a Korean parent? You speak our language very well."

"No, I took lessons for several years. It's a language that is very dear to my heart."

"Our colleague who went to the hotel understands some French. We don't understand it at all, so we really need your help."

"It will be my pleasure."

For the rest of the evening, I did my job as a guide, and we parted ways in front of the reception. I discreetly made sure that my "sleeping beauty" had also arrived, and then I went home.

"Big sister, I saw him, but he didn't want to eat with the others, so I couldn't introduce myself. It must be fate, I'm sure."

"Nonsense. Tomorrow, without fail, you talk to him."

"Goodnight!"