Seeing Yang Woo-Jin walk inside with his hands in his pockets, Da-Jung sighed and took her purse in her hand.
Okay, if it was someone else who was going to judge her, Da-Jung was okay... but she didn't wanted Woo-Jin to judge her. Heck! She didn't even wanted to see his face. So, she decided to walk away. And hanging her purse over her shoulder, Da-Jung took long strides past him to get out of the room.
But before Da-Jung could leave, Yang Woo-Jin caught her by her arm and asked "You don't want to audition? Isn't it what you came for, Miss Byeon Da-Jung?"
He turned her around "Or... wait..." Keeping his index finger over his chin, Woo-Jin thought for a while. With a grin like a fox, he smiled and leaned closer to Da-Jung "Or are you still hoping for your 'Dad' to help you out, Miss Byeon Da-Jung? Just like how he used to do in the past?"
Da-Jung clenched her fists into a tight grip. Hearing her dad's name from Woo-Jin's mouth just made her feel like punching him bad in the face. But she controlled herself and shrugged her hand from his hold and stepped behind.
After glaring at him, Da-Jung turned around and walked to the door. While she kept her hand on the door handle, she heard footsteps behind her. When she turned back around, she noticed Woo-Jin standing just few inches away from her.
"I'm in no mood to joke so, just give your audition and leave!"
Hearing the seriousness in his tone, Da-Jung looked at Yang Woo-Jin in a rather stupefied way. 'Does this man suffer from a split personality? Right now, he was just smiling and mocking me and now he is deadpan serious?'
"I'm not interested to audition for this concert, Mr. Yang Woo-Jin. You can proceed with the rest!" Da-Jung declined and turned around to leave.
"Will you still not audition even if your friend loses her job?"
As Woo-Jin noticed Da-Jung's hand rooted on the door knob, he licked his upper lip and gave an evil grin. "I guess you would not want your friend to lose your job, won't you?"
Seeing her giving another glare, Woo-Jin chuckled and sat back on the judge's seat. Crossing his legs over the other, he asked Da-Jung to proceed. With a defeated look on her face, Da-Jung sighed. She walked towards the piano and began to play it.
It had been a long time since Da-Jung had touched any musical instruments. As she sat down to play... her hands quivered and she felt nervous, at the same time she was joyous. With a smile on her face, Da-Jung touched the keys.
*Ding-ding-ding-ding-ddinggg*
The piano made a sound and Da-Jung smiled again. It was the most joyous moment of her life. To touch the piano made her feel so good. And after a few seconds, she played the piano beautifully.
When Woo-Jin noticed Da-Jung playing the piano, it felt as if he had seen a new Da-Jung. The Da-Jung who was just standing in front of him just a few minutes ago was looking very dull but the Da-Jung which was in front of him right now, she was really different.
An unreadable smile came on his lips upon seeing her play the piano in a way that did not allow him to remove his eyes off her. He looked at how her slim and slender fingers touched the white and black keys to create a soulful music.
It was beautiful! JUST BEAUTIFUL! So serene! And he could not say anything but think of the past.
It reminded him of the time he used to listen to her play the piano. He always felt proud when he saw her practice for her tests wholeheartedly. He felt that he had a very good wife and that he should be as good as her.
Her voice was also beautiful and she always played the instruments just like a professional. If they hadn't divorced, then maybe he would have still listened to her sing and play or maybe he would have seen her as a well-known artist.
****
After listening to Da-Jung play the piano for a while, Woo-Jin stopped her. When their eyes met, he immediately looked at the watch in his left hand and said "You can go. We will message you and let you know."
Hearing Woo-Jin speak professionally, Da-Jung felt a bit ashamed of herself. It had just been four years and this person who was her judge, who was speaking to her in a professional way was way successful than her.
Four years prior, Da-Jung had everything she could wish for and her life was also going successful but she didn't know where things went wrong that she just had to stop herself from achieving her dream and choose something which she never wanted to choose.
It felt as if God was playing a game on her. Four years back, she was rich; four years later, she has to think and use her money. And give an audition in her ex-husband's company just for the sake of her friend and partially to achieve a small part of her dream. What more else had God planned for her?
With a sigh, Da-Jung pushed herself off from the chair and left after slamming the door close behind her.
****
While on her way back home, Da-Jung took a trip to the hospital to check upon her father. Seeing her father lying on the bed, still unconscious with all the wires and machines surrounded around him, she felt like the worst person alive.
The man who used to make her smile, cheer her up was just lying still. Right now, amidst this chaos; Da-Jung so much wanted to hear her father speak. At least move his hands, that would be the happiest moment of her life.
But seems like she was asking for too much.
For a long while, Da-Jung sat beside her father holding his hand only to fall asleep while seated. When she woke up, she saw her mother peeling an apple. And instantly tears came out of her big brown eyes.
She hugged her mother and cried.
"What's wrong? Did something happen? Why are you crying?" Da-Jung's mother, who was controlling her tears while watching her daughter cry couldn't help but pat her back and console her. She didn't know for what reason her daughter was crying but she could make out that she was crying because of her father and also because of the hardships she was going through.
Currently, she felt guilty for putting her own daughter in such trouble. But no matter how much she tried to work hard she could only and only get a few thousand dollars which were always going for the hospital room rent.
No mother would want to put her own child in such gruesome matter.
And few tears escaped through Da-Jung's mother's eyes.
"Da-Jung... Don't put yourself to such hard work. I don't want my only daughter to work and stress herself out and make herself ill. Your father is already like this... I can't tolerate if another member close to me would also be the same. So, please... if it is hard just let your mother know. She will find some other way to let ourselves out of this debt."
Hearing her mother's sweet words made Da-Jung relax a bit. It felt nice to inhale her mother's fragrance after a long tiring day and ease herself after hearing such comfortable, relaxing words.
Letting go of her mother, Da-Jung wiped her tears and gave a smile. "You don't have to worry about your daughter, she will do well!" She made an 'okay' sign with her hand and took the apple from her mother's hand.
"I will get going then. If anything happens, call me!" With that, she left the hospital.