Strange. It’s too strange.

The husband she originally knew was not a man who would call her pretty. Even when a couple’s gathering came up and she wore a special dress, he was a man who would glance at her with indifferent eyes and then turn his head away.

It wasn’t something that such an indifferent and blunt man could say. At least as far as Han Seo Yeon knew. With a reddened face, Seo Yeon looked at Seong Jun and said in a voice that sounded wronged.

“Don’t tease me.”

“Since when? The point when I lost your trust.”

“What?”

“You always assume I’m joking whenever I say something.”

“That’s because today, you keep… saying things you don’t usually say…”

“I thought you were pretty from the beginning.”

“…!”

“I thought you might have heard it countless times in your life, so I didn’t bother saying it. Why are you like this? As if you’re hearing for the first time that you’re pretty.”

“…”

It was something she had heard many times from others, but never once from Seong Jun in her life.

Seo Yeon mumbled inwardly. That when others said it, she always felt nothing, but hearing it from your lips makes her feel strange, no. Happy and excited.

“Fortunately, it seems we’re not late. We should be able to go in right away.”

At Seong Jun’s words, Seo Yeon turned her head away from him and her eyes widened as much as they could. Seong Jin Hwa Piano Solo Concert.

“Could it be that this is where we’re having our date today?”

Seong Jun nodded lightly.

“I thought you’d like it.”

At that answer, Seo Yeon looked at Seong Jun as if she couldn’t believe it. And then she said in a voice that couldn’t hide her excitement.

“I… I love it so much!”

Pianist Seong Jin Hwa was a musician Seo Yeon had admired for a long time since her school days.

She held a solo concert in the summer of 2020 and suddenly announced her retirement, but despite her outstanding skills and fame, she only released one album during her active period, so Seo Yeon always had to swallow her regret.

Now she was able to listen to what might be the last live performance of the pianist she admired. Seo Yeon felt like this moment was a dream and she was happy.

“Seong Jun.”

With her heart racing, she grabbed Seong Jun’s hand and said.

“Let’s go in quickly. We’ll be late.”

Of course, he thought she would like it. He had heard that pianist Seong Jin Hwa was a skilled performer that anyone majoring in piano in Korea couldn’t help but respect.

But this was a reaction that exceeded his expectations.

The expression that didn’t hide her emotions, with a flushed face as if she didn’t know what to do with her joy, was also something he was seeing for the first time.

When she urged him to go in quickly, her cute behavior made him want to tease her a little, so he stood still without moving, and she even started stomping her feet.

At that moment, Seong Jun had to frown seriously to avoid being caught smiling.

If he hadn’t managed his expression, he might have burst out laughing in front of her and earned her resentment.

Even so, Seong Jun’s feet remained planted on the ground as if nailed down.

“Seong Jun!”

Finally realizing that Seong Jun’s immobile behavior stemmed from his playfulness, Seo Yeon said in a sulky voice.

“If you’re going to keep standing there like that, I’m going in first.”

“Alright. Let’s go now.”

Walking down the hallway, Seo Yeon explained in a bright voice as if wanting to share the information she knew with Seong Jun as well.

“Teacher Seong Jin Hwa has a characteristic of interpreting pieces boldly, unlike other pianists. And yet, her ability to dominate the entire piece is what’s admirable. Should I say it feels relaxed? Seong Jun, you’ll feel it’s different from other performances the moment you hear it. All the pieces she plays are good, but I think her Chopin is the best in Korea.”

“Coincidentally, today’s solo concert is composed of Chopin pieces.”

“That’s right. We’re lucky. That’s why I’m even more excited.”

At her words, Seong Jun’s face tilted slightly.

If she likes it this much, why did she quit?

Not long after getting married, Seo Yeon said she wanted to quit playing the piano. At that time, he had replied to do as she pleased when she said she wanted to rest because it was hard.

But inwardly, he thought it was a shame that his wife couldn’t properly demonstrate her talent and quit.

He had planned to encourage her to start again if he saw even a little lingering attachment while watching today’s concert, but this was an answer he could get without even checking her reaction. Then Seo Yeon, who had stopped walking, cautioned Seong Jun.

“We have to be quiet from now on.”

Seong Jun nodded lightly and moved first to find their reserved seats, with Seo Yeon following behind him.

Soon, the pianist came on stage and began greeting the audience, and Seong Jun’s gaze naturally turned to Seo Yeon.

And as the performance began and Seo Yeon’s eyes, which had been sparkling with anticipation, soon became moist with happiness, the corners of his mouth, which had been staring at her, also lifted.

‘Why did you stare at me so intently?’

The moment Seo Yeon asked that, Seong Jun frowned and thought. Did I stare intently? Come to think of it, I might have been in a daze for a moment.

But perhaps it was natural. It wasn’t easy to take his eyes off his wife, who had let down her long hair that was usually tied up tightly and was wearing a pure white mini dress.

The only thing that bothered him was the fact that she would look this pretty to other men’s eyes as well.

In fact, he had already sent warning glances to some men who didn’t know their place and kept glancing at Seo Yeon, seemingly drawn by her beauty as she walked down the hallway.

Fortunately, they weren’t completely tactless, and when he looked at them, they quickly averted their gaze, allowing him to stop at a simple warning.

“Wasn’t it wonderful?”

It seemed the first piece had ended. Seeing Seo Yeon clapping with a face full of smiles and asking in a small voice as if satisfied.

“Yes.”

In fact, from start to finish, Seong Jun hadn’t been able to concentrate on the performance and had been looking at Seo Yeon’s face throughout the music, but knowing he would be nagged if he told the truth, he silently nodded. Seo Yeon smiled again, seemingly satisfied with Seong Jun’s answer.

Even when all the programs of the solo concert ended and the audience applauded and the performer exited, Seo Yeon didn’t get up from her seat.

As he was wondering if he should give her a hint that it was time to get up, Seo Yeon shifted her gaze to Seong Jun.

“Thank you, darling. Today’s performance was so, so good. I feel like I’ve made a memory I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”

Darling. Seong Jun felt tickled the moment he heard that word from Seo Yeon. The person who said it seemed to have uttered the word without much thought, as she briefly looked at the stage as if enjoying the lingering feeling, then gathered her bag and stood up.

“Do you want to meet pianist Seong Jin Hwa separately now?”

“What?”

“If we hurry, we might be able to meet her briefly while she’s still in the waiting room.”

“H-how?”

“I know the concert planner who organized this solo concert.”

“Uh… uh… But the concert just ended, so she must be very tired. Wouldn’t it be disturbing to suddenly visit her waiting room?”

“I’ve already asked for permission to spare a moment. I just received a message saying they’ve agreed.”

“But is it okay? We didn’t prepare a bouquet, and we’re not acquaintances. Wouldn’t it be an inconvenience? Even if we got permission, I don’t think she’ll be willing.”

“If you don’t take courage, opportunities disappear forever.”

Seong Jun lightly provoked Seo Yeon. Then, after seemingly struggling with internal conflict, she looked at Seong Jun and said.

“I want to meet her!”

At her answer, the corners of Seong Jun’s mouth, who had been staring at Seo Yeon, turned up. He replied with satisfaction.

“Good. That’s an active attitude.”

While walking down the hallway, Seo Yeon tidied up her appearance. Seo Yeon, who was clearly nervous, asked Seong Jun.

“How do I look? Am I not strange?”

It seemed she was inevitably nervous about meeting a senior in the music industry she had admired.

“You don’t look strange at all, and you have a face that anyone would recognize as human, so don’t worry.”

Seong Jun spoke in a deliberately mischievous voice to ease Seo Yeon’s tension. Seo Yeon glared at such a Seong Jun as if he was annoying.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I’m going, but I shouldn’t be too much of a bother. I’ll just say one thing and come back.”

“Well, do as you please.”

“Phew, I’m nervous.”

Seong Jun regretted Seo Yeon’s talent. So today, he had arranged this opportunity wondering if he could ignite a hidden spark of passion for music. But now it had gone beyond his original intention and turned into a fan meeting. However, he had achieved his primary goal, so it was fine either way.

When they arrived in front of the waiting room, the concert planner who had been waiting for Seong Jun walked towards him.

“Thanks for today.”

“It’s nothing. I’m grateful you came.”

After exchanging a few more greetings with Seong Jun, the man nodded to Seo Yeon and guided her to the waiting room. Inside the waiting room, her acquaintances who had gathered to congratulate her on the solo concert were already having pleasant conversations.

“Senior, this is the longtime fan of yours I mentioned earlier.”

The man who guided Seo Yeon tapped Jin Hwa’s shoulder, who was deeply engaged in conversation with someone, to announce Seo Yeon’s presence.

“Oh, is that so?”

Jin Hwa turned her head towards Seo Yeon. And her eyes widened as she confirmed Seo Yeon’s face. As if surprised by something.

“Your performance today was wonderful, teacher.”

Seo Yeon, who had gathered her courage, greeted first.

“N-nice to meet you.”

Then, as if she had just come to her senses, Jin Hwa grabbed Seo Yeon’s hand.

“Thank you… thank you for coming.”

Jin Hwa’s pupils trembled roughly as she said so.