Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Listen to My Heart
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"It means you should listen to my heartbeat."
"You think I'd do something that embarrassing?"
Winter let out a sharp cry.
Her face had turned as red as a ripe tomato.
Suddenly, a classic novel she'd read recently to cultivate her musical sensitivity flashed through Winter's mind.
"This is just like..."
The Sorrows of Young Werther.
On the night they first met at the ball, Werther asks Charlotte to dance.
In the fleeting touches that followed, they felt each other's body heat.
When Lotte's shoe slips and she loses her balance, Werther catches her in his arms.
In that moment, they felt each other's breath.
The instant they fell in love,
the description was so vivid that even after closing the book, Winter's heart pounded uncontrollably for a long while.
Winter glared at Seo-ha.
How could he say something so hard to even utter and still look so shameless? Seo-ha's expression remained utterly serious throughout.
"Calm down. There's a reason for this."
Seo-ha had decided not to tell Winter about 'sensory dissociation'.
For an artist, the fear of losing their senses, once imprinted, would never fade.
Best to keep her in the dark.
This was the optimal approach.
"Winter, I believe the trust we've built isn't insignificant."
Winter shot him a sulky side-eye.
"Yeah, that's why I'm even more pissed. I'm seriously not okay right now?"
"You think I have some ulterior motive?"
"No, it's not that..."
As her head cooled a bit, reason returned.
Seo-ha was a weird kid, but he never lied.
"It might feel a little uncomfortable, but trust me just this once.
I believe this will solve the problem you're facing."
Winter hesitated for a moment before asking uneasily,
"Will I really get better?"
"Of course."
What Winter needed was self-assurance.
The human brain tends to accept declarative statements as fact.
"I can play on stage like before again?"
"You'll play even better."
Moreover, if those words come from someone trustworthy, the effect doubles.
"Okay."
Winter took a deep breath and nodded as if she'd made up her mind.
But what followed was beyond even Seo-ha's expectations.
"Lie down on the floor."
Winter pointed at the floor with her index finger as if it were the most natural thing.
"What?"
"How else are you supposed to listen to your heartbeat? Our heights don't match."
Seo-ha gave up.
He'd started this, so he had to see it through.
"Fine."
As Seo-ha lay on the floor, Winter approached.
Swish.
Winter's long hair cascaded softly over Seo-ha's shirt.
A pleasant weight pressed against his chest.
Thump, thump.
The steady rhythm brushed his ears.
Winter closed her eyes.
Seo-ha said nothing.
He lay still, not even twitching a finger, waiting for her to steady her breathing.
Her shoulders rose and fell faintly, and the trembling gradually subsided.
"This feels weird."
"What does?"
"I haven't done anything special, but listening to your heartbeat makes me feel safe."
Winter unconsciously synced her breathing to that quiet rhythm.
Seo-ha's heartbeat and her own breaths began to align at the same pace.
An unfamiliar sensation,
but soon that resonance seeped into her body.
'Whose heartbeat is this?'
Thump, thump.
Two beats pulsed slowly, then merged indistinguishably.
As if they'd always been one, her heart pumped blood through her body in time with Seo-ha's breaths.
With her eyes closed, Winter surrendered to the flow.
After a while, a change came over her body.
A warm vibration started in her chest, flowing to her shoulders, arms, fingertips. It pounded fiercely against the blocked wall.
The heartbeat grew louder.
Thump, thump.
'H-Hello. I'm Yoo Seo-ha.'
Their first meeting came to mind.
She'd thought he was just a cute, awkward guy, but looking back, he'd become someone irreplaceable.
Booking the studio for him, worrying if today would be okay.
Each thump of his heart loosened the bonds that had held her back.
Now she somewhat understood what he'd meant.
'I need you as much as breathing.'
What the hell.
It wasn't a confession—it was just a fact?
Thump, thump.
With each beat, negative thoughts were pushed away.
Winter's breaths grew ragged.
'Hm?'
Seo-ha noticed her change first.
His heartbeat synced with hers, quickening.
Her right hand groped the floor, unconsciously clutching the hem of Seo-ha's shirt. Her body trembled faintly.
Winter was gripped by the sensation of something awakening inside her.
A single red wave from her heart flowed to her arms, fingertips, and back to her heart, circulating endlessly.
"Ah..."
The fear and terror blocking her growth shattered to pieces.
And all the stalled sensations and musical inspirations flooded into her at once.
Restoration of senses, artistic awakening, the joy of life.
Winter fully embraced the sudden ecstasy atop Seo-ha's heart.
What she'd needed was a muse to be the source of her inspiration—the once-in-a-lifetime moment for an artist—and she intuitively knew it had arrived today.
She opened her eyes.
The world's colors were vivid. Air, light, temperature—everything familiar felt new.
Winter looked at Seo-ha.
The one person in the world sharing her heart.
"I'm going to play the piano."
She staggered to her feet.
Her face still flushed with heat, her body trembling faintly, but Winter feared nothing.
Seo-ha held his breath.
Winter's long hair slid slowly down her shoulders.
And then,
Ding—
The first note rang out.
A clear, deep, pure tone—Seo-ha realized her sound had changed.
Winter leaned back as if inhaling deeply. And then,
Kwaang—
The passionate performance erupted in an instant,
as if the sound was bursting from within her.
Winter shivered at the novel sensation.
Notes bloomed from her fingertips, traveled up her arms through her heart, and flowed back into the world.
Each sound brimmed with life.
The notes intertwined like waves, spreading out.
The air in the room vibrated greatly on her wavelengths.
Anxiety and fear vanished; only a longing for music remained in her heart.
Her hands moved more freely than ever before.
The piece ended.
Winter exhaled slowly, hands resting on the keys.
"Yoo Seo-ha."
Brushing away tears with her fingers, she looked fragile yet beautiful, like a freshly bloomed petal.
"Yeah."
She turned to face him squarely.
"If I ever can't play piano again, it'll probably be because of you."
"I know."
Seo-ha nodded calmly.
No words were needed; they both understood what had happened between them.
[The 1xth Seoul International Music Concours]
"Number 24, Han Winter."
Clack, clack.
Low heels tapped the wooden stage floor.
Winter wore a red satin dress. The lights reflected softly off the fabric, making it seem like light flowed from her steps.
Her neatly pinned-up hair
and the elegantly exposed neckline gave a chaste yet provocative impression.
Someone whispered from the audience.
"Didn't they say she was burned out?"
"I heard she had stage yips..."
"She failed prelims twice. I saw her crying in the waiting room."
Seo-ha watched from the best seat.
'I had no idea it'd be such a big competition...'
According to the program, this was one of Korea's top three concours.
Winter had received a special invitation as an international concours winner.
Just two weeks after resuming piano, despite everyone telling her to rest, she'd entered anyway.
Winter's mother clasped her hands in prayer.
Liszt, Consolations, S.172, No.3 in D♭ major.
Winter glanced at the audience and locked eyes with Seo-ha.
A faint smile touched her lips.
Ta-daan—
Ta ta-da dan.
The light major-key melody began gently.
"Oh! Great touch. Perfect control of texture and weight."
The judges' admiration.
Seo-ha closed his eyes, focusing on her music.
Liszt composed six pieces titled "Consolations."
Songs depicting humanity finding solace and peace amid suffering.
Too subdued for a competition piece, yet no one could look away from her performance.
The judges gradually immersed themselves. They scribbled notes furiously.
"Rich tone, stable weight centering."
"Clear layering even in complex chords."
"Outstanding resonance calculation and control."
"Natural expression, purely enjoying the music and performance."
"Sound from the soul— no showy technique, yet more brilliant than anyone."
Concours are generally boring.
Hearing the same pieces repeatedly fatigues the ears quickly.
But in this moment, everyone in the hall focused on her sounds.
Her mother, who'd suffered so much, wept quietly.
The most seasoned judge set down his pen with a smile.
"She plays with such joy."
"When the performer enjoys it, the audience follows.
She's much improved. Her technique was already polished before, but it felt calculated then."
"Excellent."
Seo-ha listened to their conversation while quietly watching Winter on stage.
The performance ended, and the lights brightened.
The audience murmurs faded.
"We now begin the awards ceremony for the piano division of the Seoul International Music Concours."
The interpreter continued in English.
The ceremony proceeded solemnly.
Special award, third place, second place passed, and the final spot remained. A judge opened the envelope.
Gulp.
All contestants tensed, hoping for their name.
The judge's lips parted slowly.
"First place, contestant number 24, Han Winter."
The audience reacted before the others. Enthusiastic applause erupted.
"Brava!"
"Congratulations!"
The rare standing ovation brought smiles to the judges' faces.
Amid the cheers and flashes, Winter looked at only one person.
Winter was in the music room.
This wasn't a place she frequented.
The piano in her reserved practice room was out of tune that day—one off note made practice impossible.
'What if I hadn't come here that day?'
Creak.
"Han Winter! Here again?"
A classmate poked her head in.
"Practicing?"
"Nah, just mind control."
"You're so unique. In the music room, of all places..."
"It makes me feel safe here."
"Music rooms do feel like home. You dropping out early? Where to for college? Everyone's curious."
No university would reject Winter's direct application. So students avoided aiming for the same schools as her.
"Juilliard."
"Knew it! Gotta go there for the world stage. New York Philharmonic's right nearby."
"...Symphony."
Her voice barely audible.
"Huh?"
"Boston Symphony's there too. Four hours by car. One by plane."
Her friend looked puzzled.
"Really? You researched everything. Let's grab food."
Winter shrugged and followed her friend out.