( 📚 ) 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 ❜ ˡⁱᵘ ʸᵃⁿᵍʸᵃⁿᵍ

part four

"This looks incredibly horrendous!" Johnny exclaimed the very moment Taeil placed the box, with the broken violin inside, on his desk.

"Tell them to purchase a new one. The repair will cost them more than buying another."

"Well you see Johnny, little Minju here told the costumer we'd fix it." Taeil says, gesturing at Minju who is fidgeting with her fingers behind her back.

The tall, broad shouldered luthier turns his swivelling chair to face Minju with a softly raised eyebrow. "You said that? Why? What's so special about this violin anyways? They can just buy a new one." He shrugs.

Violins are not the cheapest instruments and judging from the quality of this certain broken instrument - suggests that the owners are incredibly wealthy and that they can just move on to another violin that will quite literally do the same job.

"Because.. I know the person who owns this violin. It's my friend's ㅡ well, he's not really my friend he's - my partner.."

Both Taeil and Johnny give her squinted, confused eyes.

"I mean PROJECT partner!" Minju yapped, waving her dismissive hands in the air. "I know why it's.. broken.."

"Smashed on marble floor." The luthier acquires, running his fingers on the smoothly scratch edge of the lower bout. "The anger is visible."

"..Yes..his mother.. destroyed.. it.."

"WHAT?!!" Both Taeil and Johnny are in shock at the information. They put two and two together and end up with a scenario in their head.

"Now who the hell is that woman that we need to get this kid away from?!" It is a surprise to Minju to see Taeil worked up. To see someone's passion obliterated by their maternal figure will surely leave one questioning their choices.

Johnny suddenly stands up to his full height, towering over the two. His face distorts with mixed emotions. Sadness, pity and anger.

"This was her gift!" He exclaims. When Taeil and Minju are shown to be clueless and confused, Johnny showed them the glossy chinrest that is barely hanging on the lower bout, about to fall if Johnny wasn't holding it in place.

On the material is a smoothly craved small script written in english that blends with the wood texture. It so smooth and small that you might miss it of you blink.

'My gift to my talented son. Never give up on this thing, cherish it. With all my heart, your mother.'

Liu Yangyang takes in the dimly litted yet dark ambiance of the reception area. No maid nor butler is around running orders.

Ofcourse they're not - it's half past two in the morning.

His steps are subdued yet they cut through the quiet atmosphere hanging heavily in the air, Yangyang being aware of it as he ascends the stairs to his bedroom.

When he arrive in his room, he slams his door shut - making his mother and everyone who heard know that he is home and that he is extremely ㅡ late. Again.

He carelessly throws his palazzo backpack somewhere in his room. His room's only source of light is the screensaver playing on his computer that he left it on before leaving for school.

After turning it off, his eyes land on the light blue pad of sticky note laying beside his mouse - something he chose to ignore this past few days.

'All will be well. Hang in there.
ㅡ M '

Yangyang sighs, knowing that Minju wrote this before leaving him makes him feel.. disappointed. He doesn't understand why she did. He expected her to make him open up and maybe.. just.. hold him close.

He's so tired of keeping everything to himself.

Then he realised, he does have someone to open up to.

Yangyang walks out of the mansion through the backdoor, exits through the backyard gate and enter the neighbour's.

After a call and a few naggings from the person on the other line, the glass door is opened and Yangyang is greeted with a warm hug.

"Hey Yang.." She says softly, caressing his back. "Very sorry of what happened.. Don't worry, I'll make you feel better yeah?"

Yangyang smiles back at her, sighing of relief and wrapping his arms around her. "Thanks, Kyungri."