Do You Like Brahms?

Moonlight Sonata

24 February 2021 (Graduation Ceremony)

Clutching her mortarboard with both hands, she stood in the reverent silence of the practice room, reminiscing about a past that she was now leaving behind. The practice room that had heard the purest voice of her violin, raw and unpretentious, the sound of music that comes from the heart. A place brimming with memories of her laughter, tears, hopes and dreams. A wave of nostalgia washed over her, and time seemed to stand still.

"Song Ah-ssi."
"Joonyoung-ssi."
"I looked for you everywhere. Is this where you were?"
"Yes."

He quietly placed his mortarboard on the table and stood behind her, squeezing her arms lightly before wrapping his arms around her fully in a comforting back hug. She stirred at the tingle from his touch, immersing herself in the warmth of his embrace. Without saying a word, she lifted her hand to caress his hands that were holding her close. Warm and comforting, like a woolen blanket on a cold winter's day.

"Everyone is waiting for us. Shall we go once you're ready?"

He whispered in a hushed tone, tilting his head sideways to face her while awaiting her response. She nodded as he relaxed his arms around her. Spinning around to face him, she looked at him tenderly before taking his outstretched hand and walking out of the practice room, closing the door behind them.

Song Ah's parents could be seen chatting with Joonyoung's mother in the distance. Her sister, Song Hee, and Min Seong started chanting"Chae Song Ah!" and "Hurry up!"  as Song Ah scurried towards them still firmly holding Joonyoung's hand. Everyone quickly assembled to take group photographs: Song Ah's family, Joonyoung and his mother, Song Ah with Min Seong and Dong Yoon, the three graduates with Dong Yoon, Song Ah and Joonyoung. Song Ah also did not forget to take a photograph with Joonyoung and his mother, a cherished photograph which Joonyoung's mother later carried in her wallet.

"Song Ah-ya, Joonyoung-ssi, you still need to do the celebratory toss!"

They chuckled while watching Min Seong carry out a failed demonstration, then proved to be just as clumsy themselves when they could not catch their own mortarboards after tossing them high into the air. But it was Dong Yoon, the hapless luthier-turned-photographer-of-the-day, who struggled the most to keep up with their antics.

Later that evening, Song Ah and her bevy of friends gathered at Intermission, the restaurant at the ground floor below Dong Yoon's workshop, to celebrate Song Ah's and Min Seong's graduation. Dong Yoon announced that this was the last time that they could meet there because the building would be undergoing redevelopment, and just like the other tenants, he would be moving out next month. Min Seong shared that she would be heading overseas to pursue doctorate studies, while Song Ah told them that she would soon begin working at Kyunghoo Cultural Foundation. The intermission of their youth was truly over, as they all prepared to embark on a new phase in their lives. Song Ah broke into a wistful smile.

Joonyoung took his mother out for dinner at a steakhouse restaurant where Young In-noona had once brought him. At the end of the meal, he rested both hands on his lap and waited patiently for his mother to put down her tea cup before mustering the courage to utter the words that he had long kept buried in his heart.

"Omma, please get divorced from Abuji."

"It's not because Abuji makes my life difficult."

"Omma, I hope you can start living your own life."

This time his mother no longer tried to defend her husband. She just looked at her son intently without saying a word, as tears started to well up. He reached out to hold her hand across the table, and they stayed like that for a long time.