Stolen Moments || Sunoo

Prologue

Kim Sunoo stood at the edge of the bustling street, his heart heavy with a silence that echoed louder than the cacophony around him. The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a warm glow over the city, but the beauty felt distant, as if viewed through a haze of sorrow. Clutching his worn violin case, he was a ghost amidst the vibrant life that surged past him laughter, chatter, and the faint strumming of a distant guitar seemed to mock his stillness.

Once a celebrated violinist, Sunoo had thrived on the stage, each note he played an extension of his soul. But that had changed in an instant. A tragic accident during a competition had stolen not just a life, but his passion, leaving him trapped in a fortress of guilt and fear. Memories of the chaos flooded his mind: the shattered notes, the cries of anguish, and the haunting finality of his last performance. Each recollection tightened its grip on his heart, rendering him mute in a world that thrived on music.

It was then that he first heard her the soft, ethereal melody drifting from a nearby café, pulling him from his reverie. Gianna, a spirited pianist whose fingers danced effortlessly over the keys, breathed life into every note she played. As he lingered in the shadows, captivated, he felt a flicker of something long buried deep within him a longing not just for music, but for connection.

But the moment faded, and as the applause faded into the evening air, Sunoo felt the familiar weight of dread settle back on his chest. He ached to approach her, to share in the music that sparked such joy, yet he remained frozen, a prisoner of his own making. What could he offer her a man who had lost his voice?

As he turned to leave, a single thought echoed in his mind: "What if she could be the one to break the silence?"

In the weeks that followed, their paths would intertwine in ways he could never have foreseen, igniting a fragile flame that flickered between the shadows of his past and the uncertainty of his future.