Inside the practice performance hall, dark as ink.
Ryu Se-ah, seated before the piano, nodded toward the stagehands.
In response to her signal, the crew turned on the lights, and a deep shade of blue light began to fall on Ryu Se-ah’s head.
At the same time, on stage,
a murmuring arose from the audience upon recognizing Ryu Se-ah seated before the piano, gradually growing louder.
Half of this was due to their anticipation for her performance.
They all knew well what her forte was.
“Piano prodigy.”
That had long been the nickname for this young girl, and it was hard to imagine anyone in this practice hall who didn’t know the extent of her piano skills.
That’s why there was anticipation. The other half was confusion.
Everyone was puzzled when Ryu Se-ah initially opted for the practical music department instead of the prominent classical music department at Seolhwa High School.
Why did she choose practical music over the classical department?
The teachers and students were clueless since Ryu Se-ah had never made her reasons public. Only a select few were in the know.
However, among the audience observing the stage was one person who understood her decision.
‘Not late at all.’
It was Ryu Won.
Ryu Won, arriving just in time for the performance, smiled wryly upon seeing Ryu Se-ah.
He fully understood the emotions driving her as she sat in front of the piano.
Yet, Ryu Se-ah did not run away. Instead, she had made a clear choice.
A choice regarding her final performance alongside her old attachment and cherished friend—her piano.
But…
‘Is it truly the end?’
With those thoughts, Ryu Won focused his attention back on the stage.
Simultaneously,
Ryu Se-ah’s left hand began to move slowly, and an exquisite melody resonated throughout the hall.
The moment the audience heard the poignant yet warm melody, a certain word came to their minds.
Cantabile.
“Play beautifully, as if singing.”
Soon, with that beautiful melody, Ryu Se-ah began to speak.
“To the person I treasure dearly,
there is something I wish to convey.”
Through the microphone placed in front of the piano, Ryu Se-ah’s calm voice reached the audience.
It felt as though someone was whispering directly to them.
And this impression was accurate.
“Though it’s a little embarrassing,
I hope to reach you.”
The song titled Cantabile was a kind of love letter to the dear friend she had spent a long time with—her piano.
Ryu Se-ah recalled the moments she’d shared with her cherished friend over the years:
when she first pressed the keys with her tiny fingers,
when she began learning the piano earnestly,
and when she won awards in piano contests.
Her piano had always been by her side.
Due to this, every time her fingers touched the keys, it felt like the world grew sharper and clearer.
Hence, she had always wished to smile together and share her joy.
But after the accident, days of misery, darkness, and pain arrived.
It was too sorrowful, so she turned away.
“Even as I lied and pretended not to care,
it lingered in my heart.”
Ryu Se-ah’s emotions began to grow.
They were undoubtedly—
her apology for turning her back on the piano that had chosen her,
and her sadness at the unreachable reality even though it felt so close.
Still, Ryu Se-ah strenuously suppressed these emotions.
After all, Cantabile was not a song about sorrow.
It was infinitely bright and happy.
That was what her younger brother—no, the composer Ryu Won—desired for her.
Someone like Ryu Se-ah did not suit any sorrowful parting.
Thus,
—
Ryu Se-ah suddenly stopped playing the piano.
With a bright smile,
she reached toward a new path for her farewell to her old friend by pulling out the microphone adjusted to the height of her chair.
Ryu Se-ah had always believed that the only way to properly convey her emotions was through the piano.
But the moment she heard the song composed by Ryu Won, she realized otherwise.
There was a way to communicate her emotions without the piano.
So now, Ryu Se-ah wished to sing with gratitude and happiness for her piano.
“Cantabile”
In its purest sense.
“Hey, I want to stay a little longer with you.
Really, until the end of the world, with the one I love most.”
As the melody played through the speakers, Ryu Se-ah’s pitch gradually rose.
Her clear, morning-like voice carried the emotions she had bottled up. The atmosphere brightened, and the lighting shifted from blue to white.
“Ah.”
A voice of admiration rang out somewhere in the audience, who had been watching the scene in a daze.
The harmonious blend of the instruments complemented the beautiful piano melody. Ryu Se-ah poured in all the emotions she had held back into the song.
Precisely, only the happy ones.
The curiosity sparked when she first heard the bloom of sound by pressing the keyboard, the joy of completing her first performance, the happiness of people applauding her playing.
All these happy emotions she had discovered through the piano.
The piano had taught her all this, making her aware that her bright, cheerful self—”Ryu Se-ah”—was made possible because of the piano.
Therefore, please.
“Even if I’m not there,
please don’t stop the resonance.”
Leaving the piano behind, Ryu Se-ah walked slowly forward.
Always loving her dear friend,
she wished it could continue creating sound in the world, even without her performances.
But at that moment, Ryu Se-ah realized a contradiction.
Even without her playing, the familiar piano sounds echoed through the hall, and she sang in harmony with those sounds.
Then Ryu Se-ah understood it all.
Why she had been drawn to the song “Cantabile” so much.
Why her brother had included those lyrics at the end of the song.
Ryu Se-ah slowly closed her eyes.
As the song neared its end, the instruments playing harmoniously with the piano faded away, leaving only the piano’s melody, just as it had at the beginning.
Yes, the piano hadn’t left me.
Neither do I need to leave the piano.
Because even now, unable to play, I was still sharing the stage with the piano.
You…
“Must have wanted to tell me this.”
Even if I can’t play, I can still be with the piano I truly love.
With this realization, Ryu Se-ah opened her eyes again.
And somewhere in the audience,
she naturally met the eyes of the person who had created “Cantabile.”
That person smiled faintly at Ryu Se-ah.
As if saying,
“You idiot, you’re just realizing this now?”
Thanks to this, Ryu Se-ah’s face lit up with a bright smile.
From that moment on, “Cantabile” was no longer a song of farewell to a precious friend filled with sadness.
It had simply become a song filled with gratitude for the piano and the happy emotions it had awakened in her.
“Just as always, come watch me again from there.”
With words hinting at a new “beginning,” Ryu Se-ah’s song came to an end.
However, even after the song ended, the audience remained silent.
They were still trying to comprehend what they had just witnessed.
One thing was clear: the singing Ryu Se-ah looked incredibly happy.
Her conveyed happiness, her voice, her bright smile—all of it made the audience feel that listening to this song could indeed bring such joy.
And what was even clearer was that Ryu Se-ah’s performance had far surpassed the level of a high school student.
From the arrangement of playing piano while singing, to the overwhelming quality of the song, to Ryu Se-ah’s brilliant talent to pull it all off.
As the audience marveled at these thoughts, Ryu Se-ah slowly lifted the microphone as if she had something to say.
She too was gauging the audience’s reaction, which reminded her of her own performances at piano competitions.
That’s why she said with a gentle smile,
“Don’t you think I deserve first place?”
The audience erupted in laughter upon hearing this. Her statement was true, but hearing it directly from her felt amusing.
Amid this lively atmosphere, Ryu Se-ah noticed someone quietly heading towards the exit.
The person was obviously wearing a uniform from another school, so Ryu Se-ah immediately recognized them.
Tch…
Listen to everything I had to say.
You’re such a heartless younger brother to just leave with that satisfied smile.
Still, thanks to you, I discovered something new.
Singing on stage was this enjoyable.
I wouldn’t have felt this way with an ordinary song.
It was all because of the special song composed by you.
In other words, what made me feel this way was only possible with a song made especially for me by you.
In that sense, you owe me something.
How?
“Hey, wait! Is this story true?!”
“What’s going on? Why are you making such a fuss while looking at your phone?”
“Ryu Se-ah… she is joining RT Entertainment as a new artist?”
“What?!”
As if on cue, right after Ryu Se-ah’s performance, the big news broke out.
The explosive news quickly spread around the performance hall.
The news’s protagonist herself was still on stage, leaving the people inside the hall with no choice but to turn to Ryu Se-ah for an explanation.
And no one else…
“Seriously? What?”
Even Ryu Won, who was leaving the performance hall, had to pause mid-step and turn back towards Ryu Se-ah.
Amidst this confusion,
“Mmm… It just kind of happened. Hehe.”
Ryu Se-ah scratched her head and replied brightly.
As if confirming that the news was indeed true.
