"You are not joking, right?" Lawrence asked. I wonder how many times he has already asked me this question now. We are now sitting in the couch and I have already told him everything and things are still sinking on his mind, slowly.
"Listen, you can't tell this to anyone. You know it will be a big trouble if anyone finds it out." I looked at Gusion who's currently leaning his back on the couch.
"I still can't believe this, Ren. How come a fictional hero is here, sitting in front of us?" He looked shocked and excited at the same time.
"Believe it or not, he is true." I said. Gusion glanced at me.
"Here's what I want you to do now. You have to find a way for me to go back home. Andㅡ"
"I told you I can't find a way," I interrupted Gusion.
"You still have not done anything." He said. I threw him a spiteful look.
"There must be a way," Lawrence said. "Did he tell you how he came here?"
"No, he didn't." We both looked at Gusion, waiting for his words.
"You have to tell us!" I said when he shook his head.
"I don't have to tell you how I came here. All you have to do is to find a way." He crossed his arms across his chest.
"But you have to tell us, Gus. Maybe it can help us," I sat beside him and he just looked at me with his eyes confused.
"What did you just call me?" He asked. My heart thumped. Gus.
"Justㅡtell us, okay?"
His eyes won't leave me. It's like they are reading my deepest thoughts. I looked away.
"I will tell you only if you found a way." He answered and walked inside his room. I was about to throw my slippers at him but Lawrence stopped me.
"Are you planning to settle here? You seemed calm. You have to find a way too!" I exclaimed.
"He's an assassin, Ren. It's dangerous." Lawrence whispered to me.
"But he is so annoying!" He really is. I sat down and crossed my arms. I want to know how he came here. Did he mean to go here? What did he do? Ugh!
"This is the reason why I was feeling something else when the first time I met him. I can't really believe it."
"Well, I couldn't believe it too. But his crazy daggers forced me to believe him. Did you know that he even pointed it right in my neck to threathen me?"
"Did he do that?" Lawrence sat beside me and he checked my neck. He looked confused when he saw nothing. Gusion's kiss healed it. "Will you be okay here?"
"Of course. And he won't harm me again. I am strong, remember?"
"You are a girl and you are with a guy. Will you be really okay here?" He sounded like a protective brother to me but my heart still thumped.
"I told you I am strong." He patted my head after I answered him.
"You can call me if anything happens to you, okay?" Then he messed up my hair and pinched my cheek. "I have to go now. My mother's waiting at the shopping mall."
"Oh," I paused. "Do you want to borrow the books?" He nodded and I packed the books inside a paper bag.
I walked him to the entrance and waved my good bye to him. Now that he already knows everything, there is no problem. We just have to find a way how to send Gusion back to his homeland. He can't stay here for the rest of his life.
I went to my study table and continued what I was doing. I only have one week to study before the day of the examination and I have to do my best. But what my siblings told me won't leave my mind. Our father is going to choose me and that only means that I am going to take what's for Luciano. The hate that he's having for me will just grow even more.
I don't want to be part of the company. I am only doing this for my father. I just want him to be proud of me, at least.
My fingers redened because I wrote a lot of things in my notes. This is not new to me. I put a band aid on my middle finger and continued writing. I wonder how many times it happened to meㅡI am used to it.
Studying is fine, it gives me more knowledge. But what I really want to do is to feel the texture of the piano with my fingers. I want to make a soundㅡa beautiful music.
"I must be tired," I mumbled to myself when I suddenly felt so sleepy. I rested my head in the desk and closed my eyes.
It was already evening when I woke upㅡI didn't know I literally fell asleep. I must be really tired. A lot of things happened and I think I deserved a rest. I looked around and realized that the lights are off. Only the moonlight from the window gives the place with a little bit of light. And then, I saw my piano. It stays near the glass window and I haven't played it for almost a year.
"You must be very studious," my heart jumped when I heard a voice behind my back. I looked at Gusion who's sitting in the couch while doing something with my phone.
"What are you doing?" I stood up and walked towards him. He handed me my phone.
"Sitting," he shrugged his shoulders, "and I watched videos when you were asleep, just like what you have told me."
"You shouldn't take what's not yours without the owner's permission. Do you understand me?" I crossed my arms across my chest. I can't clearly see him but the moonlight is giving me some idea.
"Okay," he simply replied. "What's the piano doing over there?" He asked.
I sat at the couch in front of him and brushed my fingers through my hair as I leaned my back at the couch.
"Listening to other people's conversation is not good but there are times that you can't just escape a certain situation. I hope you do understand what I am trying to say." He is talking about what happened today. He walked towards the piano and wiped the dust on it with his finger.
"Don't touch it." I said.
"What do you want to do in the future?" He asked me out of nowhere. He glanced at the piano before putting his eyes on me.
"To be like my father," my mouth mumbled.
"Why do you want to be like him?" Huh?
"Why are you asking me that?" I laughed but I stopped when I realized that he was asking me seriously. "That's what they planned for me. And I have no right to disobey them."
"You are doing things for other people, not for yourself." He nodded as he crossed his arms across his chestㅡwithout taking his eyes on me.
"Of course I am doing this for myself, too." I lied.
"Are you happy?" He asked.
"Yes," I answered immediately. Am I? "This is what they've planned for me. I must cooperate accordingly."
"You sound like an innocent kid who doesn't know anything about the world. You can't decide for yourself." What he said made sense. I know it's true that I can't decide for myself.
"I am afraid." I don't know why it was the first sentence that came from my mouth. I wasn't planning to tell him about myself. I wasn't planning to tell anyone. But when he started to talk about it, I feel like it's okay to share my sadness with him.
"What are you afraid of?" He asked, still standing beside the piano while looking at me.
"Everything. I am afraid of everything. I am afraid to disappoint my parents once I disobey them. I am afraid that my siblings would forget everything about me. If I'd do what I want, they'd disown meㅡthat's for sure." Those words came from my mouth in a small voice. I smiled and tried so hard not to cry. Gusion stayed still, with his eyes on me.
"It is alright to be afraid of things. But you must always remember that your fear should not hinder your passion. If you are eager to do something, do it wholeheartedly."
"While hurting other people?" I paused. "That's selfish. I don't want to be like that."
"Selfish are the ones who are forcing someone to do something they have planned without asking the person's opinion." He opened the piano. "Can you play it?"
I didn't answer for a second. Then, I nodded. "But I stopped playing it since I realized I wasn't going to have the chance to chase my dream."
"You could play it now," he said.
"No," I shook my head and looked at my fingers. "I am afraid I would love it again. I am afraid that Iㅡ"
"You are afraid of a lot of things," he said and he walked towards me and held my hand. "Come, let me watch you play." His voice was calm. I stood up and went to the piano. Gusion pulled the chair for me.
"I... haven't played it for almost a year." Looking at the keyboards makes me so happy and excited at the same time. I thought piano will only make me realize that I've got zero chance to be a pianist. But it is making me happy right nowㅡmy heart is racing.
"It's fine." Gusion said while standing near me, watching me.
"I am not good at it. I might make mistakes because my hands are trembling."
"It's fine," he repeated.
I took a deep breath and stretched my fingers before placing it on the keyboards. As soon as I started playing, my eyes closed. I missed this kind of feeling. I feel like I am almost near my dream, reaching it. My heart is fluttering that I just don't want this to end.
"It's called Nocturne," I said to Gusion when I stopped playing. "It is the first music that I learned. When I heard it when I was a kid, my heart raced and I told my father that I want to be like Chopin. But he said nothing. I wondered why he said nothing. Then, while growing up, I realized that they had already planned something for me."
"You could have broken the rules," he sat down beside me. The chair is enough for the two of us but he is too close to me. His skin touched mine.
I looked at him and said, "I am not like you. I can't live alone. I don't want to be disowned by my family."
"I am not telling you to be like me. I am telling you that you did something that you will regret for later." His simple words hit me. But what can I do?
"I think it's your time to tell me your story." I said, trying to change the subject. He pressed the piano with his finger.
"What do you want to know?" He looked at me. My heart thumped to see how his eyes are sparkling because of the moonlight.
"Why did you disobey your family?" I asked. His eyes won't leave me and I couldn't take my eyes on him.
"I only pursued my passion." He simply answered as he take his eyes away from me.
"You mean your fighting technique and your light-charged blade." I stated.
I heard him laugh, "The Paxley family are powerful mages and physical combat is nothing to them. I did not want to stick to the tradition and do something I dislike. My blades..." he said as he summoned five blades on his hand. They are sparkling. "...they make me happy and they made me want to do something I would never regret."
"You are a rebel." I said.
"I am," he said, cancelling his blades. "I am hoping that they will accept me and understand the true extent of my power." I envy him for having the guts to do what he wants to do in his life. He chased his dream despite the fact that his family fobids it.
"So how did you come here?"
"That's the problem," his eyes were serious. "When I left the Paxley household one night, there were people who chased me until I reached the woods. I fought with them and defeated them. But a strange magic attacked me behind my back which I did not notice. It caused me too much pain and I fainted. When I woke up, I realized that I was new to my surroundings."
"You came here accidentally," I concluded.
"The day that you met me was the day that I came here." He looked at me. I remember that day. He was walking at the beach. This is the reason why he looked weird when I met him. This is not his home. "There is something that's bothering me. I am from a prestigious magic family and I know a lot of magics. But the magic that attacked me that night was strange. I have not seen anything like that."
"Who do you think did that to you?"
"I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders. "That is the reason why I should go back as soon as possible. I need to know everything. He must be powerfulㅡbecause his magic is unusual."
"Magic and such things are scaring the hell out of me." Gusion looked at me when I said those words.
"You should be scared to be in a world you don't belong."
"Are you scared?" I asked. He is an assassin. He shouldn't be scared... right?
"Can you play it again?" He changed the subject. I looked at him with my eyebrows raising.
"You might fall in love with me," I joked as I placed my hands on the piano. But I stopped laughing when I knew that my joke didn't make him laugh. "What do you want me to play this time?" I asked without looking at him. I felt his eyes on me.
"Anything you'd like to play." Gusion said.
I just nodded and started playing Moonlight Sonata. This is one of the classical musics that caught my heart. After playing it, I looked at Gusion who was staring at me.
"C-Can you play it too?" I stuttered.
"I only know how to dance." He stood up and took my phone from the couch and did something on it.
"What are you doing?" I asked. He didn't answer me and I was confused to hear the classical music play on my phone. He put it above the piano and formally asked for my hand.
"Come," he said, waiting for my answer. I don't know what he's doing right now but I accepted his hand. He guided me to the corner, near the window where the moonlight is shining.
Gusion held my hand as he put my other hand on his shoulder. His arm snaked around my body, pulling me close to him. Then, he started moving.
"I don't know how to dance..." I said in a small voice. I can't look at his eyes directly because they are shiningㅡenticing me.
My body moves with him, following him. Gusion is so good at it. My heart is beating so fast right now. This is making me so nervous. I have never danced with anyone before.
"You should follow your heart and be happy. Do not let anyone hinder your dreams." He said in a calm tone, pulling me close to himㅡeven more.