Chapter 13.1
Haewon got out of the taxi, slung his violin over his shoulder, and began walking into the school. Spring was in full bloom on campus, waves of green shimmering in the air, and the laughter and chatter of students sitting on the lawn drifted from afar on a gentle breeze.
Arriving at the music school practice room, Haewon stopped in his tracks as he passed by the mirror on the hallway wall. He turned to look at his reflection again. The dark circles under his eyes had reached down to his jawline. He looked ridiculous.
He tried smoothing out his messy hair, rubbed his face vigorously with both hands until his cheeks were flattened, but his complexion didn’t change.
Even with decent stamina from regular workouts, he felt exhausted like this—he found it incredible that Woojin could go all night grinding away, sleep for an hour or two, and still head off to work.
That man didn’t fall within the category of human beings. The fact that he could still function was nothing short of astounding.
Barely moving his body, which felt too heavy to even lift a finger, he finally reached the practice room and knocked on the door. If it had been an orchestra day, he wouldn’t have shown up under the excuse of being sick again, but he couldn’t skip lessons.
“Come in.”
At Professor Jung’s voice, Haewon opened the door. He stepped inside and bowed his head in greeting.
“Hello.”
He was about to put down his violin, but hesitated.
There was someone else sitting in the room besides Professor Jung. When Haewon’s eyes met his, he instinctively gave a small bow.
Professor Jung, who was sitting with the unfamiliar man, the windows wide open and tea in hand, placed his cup on the table and spoke.