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"Annyeong, Yeongro-ya," Lim Sooho greeted his best friend as he opened the front door for her.
"Annyeong, Sooho-ssi," Eun Yeongro replied, smiling up at him. In one hand she held a black case with four silver latches.
"Ready for your first guitar lesson?" Sooho asked. Yeongro nodded enthusiastically. She'd been wanting to learn how to play the guitar for years now. Her older brother Eun Yeongu owned a guitar and was quite good at playing, but with him being actively deployed in the military he'd never been home long enough to teach her. So naturally, when Yeongro discovered that Sooho was a guitarist and aspiring professional musician, she'd practically begged him to teach her. It had been the easiest yes that Sooho had ever given in his life.
"Here, let me take that for you," Sooho said, taking the heavy guitar case. "Follow me. My studio's just upstairs."
Yeongro nodded and followed him up, turning on the first left and entering into a black-painted room. The floor was wooden, so it could steadily support several music stands, chairs, and instrument racks. A keyboard stood against the wall, and above that hung both an electric and acoustic guitar. A drum set stood proudly close to the adjacent wall. The walls themselves were covered with multicolored soundproofing mats in a checkerboard pattern against the black paint. Hanging down from the ceiling was a microphone on a metal rod, pushed to the side for now. In the middle of the room, two chairs were set up in front of a single music stand, and a desk with a computer monitor and office chair sat on the far wall.
"Soo-ssi," Yeongro said, looking around in awe. "This place is beautiful."
"Gomawoyo," Sooho said. "I designed and put it together myself."
"I see," Yeongro said, closing the door behind her. On the back of the door, she noticed several postcards and Polaroid pictures taped to it. She herself appeared in several of the Polaroids, smiling in a way her friends said was cute but she never really liked seeing.
"Why do you have all of these, Sooho?" she asked, brushing her fingers against one of them that showed her in front of the grand Hosu University gate. "I don't even look good."
Sooho gave a dry laugh. "It's impossible for you not to look good, Yeongro-ya."
Yeongro hid a blush with a playful eye roll. She sat down in one of the chairs Sooho had pulled out for her. He'd laid her brother's guitar case just to the side, unlatching it for her. Yeongro took the instrument out as Sooho took his favorite acoustic guitar from where it hung on the wall.
He laughed when he saw the way she was holding it. "Ro-ya, you're holding it upside down."
"I am?" she blinked, confused. "But isn't the skinniest string on top?"
"Nope," he chuckled. "Skinniest string is on the bottom."
"That's strange," Yeongro said, but she flipped it. "How am I supposed to play the strings with my nondominant hand?"
"It's all in the practice, Yeongro-ya," Sooho said, flexing his fingers. "You won't get it in a day. But if you just practice a lot, you'll be a pro in no time."
"Okay," Yeongro said enthusiastically. "So… where do I start?"
"First, tuning," Sooho said, pulling out his phone and opening it to an app. "Pluck the top string for me, please."
Yeongro did, the low note ringing throughout the room.
"Okay," Sooho said. "That's a little flat— that means lower than it should be. The string is loose. You see the little knobs on the head of the guitar? Those are tuning pegs. Put your finger on the string you just played and follow it up until you find the peg the string is attached to."
"Okay," Yeongro gripped the peg on the top side of the guitar's head closest to her.
"Now turn it a little bit away from you... play the string again. It should be less flat, since turning the peg tightens it."
She did, and on Sooho's phone a little green check mark appeared.
"Good. Now we move on to the next string..."
Five minutes passed, and Yeongro's guitar had been tuned. Sooho slid his phone back into his pocket after checking his own strings.
"Now, I should tell you the string names. String number one is the bottom skinniest one: that's called E-4. String number two is the one above it. That's B. Next up is G, then D, then A, then E-2."
Yeongro looked confused. "Why are there two E-strings? And why is the first string on the bottom?"
Sooho just shrugged. "That's just how it is. Do you remember all the string names?"
"Uh... anniyo."
He chuckled. "That's okay. I remember it by saying..." he started plucking the strings, one for every word, starting from the skinniest string up: "Easter Bunny Got Drunk At Easter."
Yeongro covered her mouth, laughing. "Soo-ssi! Really?"
He grinned at her. "Ya, if it works, it works."
Still smiling, Yeongro copied him.
"Easter... Bunny... Got... Drunk... At... Easter. E, B, G, D, A, E.”
"Yep," he said. "You've got it down."
"I still don't understand why the first string is the last."
"Well, Ro-ya, there are just some things that evade the knowledge of even the wisest of mankind."
She laughed. Sooho smiled at the pure smile on her face and the pretty tinkling sound of her laughter.
"Sure, Soo-ssi. What's next?"
Sooho continued the lesson, going over with her the fretboard, guitar anatomy terms, and reading chord charts. He taught her a few basic chords, and whenever she struggled, he gently corrected her and gave her tips.
"My fingers hurt," Yeongro complained after a while.
Sooho smiled softly. "Yeah, it'll take a while for your fingers to get used to pressing down the strings. We'll take a break, if you'd like."
She nodded, putting her guitar down. "Can you play something for me?”
"You want me to?"
Yeongro looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you kidding? Of course I want to hear you play!"
"Okay," he said, placing his fingers in the D-major position. "Um... I wrote this song a few weeks ago. I've never actually played it for anyone before, but I think you'd like it."
Yeongro nodded excitedly.
Sooho took a deep breath and began to sing along with the strumming of the guitar.
"I look you in the eyes and the world just stops
Everything fades away like the photographer's backdrops
I lose myself, my head feels flooded
My senses are turned up to one hundred
And I don't know what's wrong with me
Why is it suddenly you're all I can see?
The walls I put up are now crumbling debris
And if I tell you what's going on, I hope you'll agree
In the middle of the night I'll be thinking 'bout you
I'm falling for your voice and your laughter too
And soon as I saw you I fell hard
It took one glance for you to steal my heart
And I don't care if your eyes are tired or your hair's a mess
If you ask me to be with you, I'll always say yes
I don't care that people say you're outta my league
Without you my life just seems so bleak
I want you to hold me close and say
"Just ignore them, we're gonna be okay"
And I don't know what's wrong with me
Why is it suddenly you're all I can see?
The walls I put up are now crumbling debris
And if I tell you what's going on, I hope you'll agree
In the middle of the night I'll be thinking 'bout you
I'm falling for your voice and your laughter too
And soon as I saw you I fell hard
It took one glance for you to steal my heart
And I don't care if your eyes are tired or your hair's a mess
If you ask me to be with you, I'll always say yes
And I, I will always be by your side
Loving you is a rollercoaster ride
And loving me gives you a strange sense of pride
They broke you down, I'll hold you when you cry
And for you there is nothing I won't try
In the middle of the night I'll be thinking 'bout you
I'm falling for your voice and your laughter too
And soon as I saw you I fell hard
It took one glance for you to steal my heart
And I don't care if your eyes are tired or your hair's a mess
If you ask me to be with you, I'll always say yes
Yeah, in the middle of the night I'll be thinking 'bout you
I'm falling for your voice and your laughter too
And soon as I saw you I fell hard
It took one glance for you to steal my heart
And I don't care if your eyes are tired or your hair's a mess
If you ask me to be with you, I'll always say yes”
Tears welled in Yeongro's eyes as Sooho strummed the final chord.
"Oh, Soo-ssi! That was amazing!"
"Gomawoyo, Ro-ya," he said, a blush warming his face, "I'm glad you liked it."
"You really wrote that?"
"Ne... it's not perfect but-"
"Are you kidding?" Yeongro asked. "Of course it's perfect! I can tell you really poured your heart into those lyrics."
"I had an excellent muse," he said, smiling softly.
Yeongro felt her heart suddenly drop. "A... muse?"
"Yeah," he said. "An inspiration. You know, like the ones from mythology.”
"This muse of yours... is she real?"
"Yes, she is."
"Does she know you?"
"Yep."
"Do you like her?"
Sooho chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. "We've been friends for years. But I've always kind of saw her as more than a friend."
"Oh," Yeongro said. "Wait... if you've known her for a long time... have I met her?"
Sooho bit back a loud laugh. "I think you have."
"Let me guess. Kang Cheongya?"
"Nope."
"Hyeryeong unnie?”
"Nope."
"Gye Bunok unnie?"
"Wrong again."
"Seolhui? Jeongmin unnie?"
"Anniyo to both."
"Aish... Shin Gyeongja?"
"No," Sooho couldn't keep a grin from splitting his face. "You've guessed literally everyone but her."
Yeongro’s eyes widened. "Jang Hanna?"
Sooho almost fell out of his chair. "Kangmu hyung's fiancée? No!"
“But you said-"
"I stand corrected."
Yeongro rubbed her temple. "Just tell me. I give up. I've said literally every girl we both know."
"Well, Yeongro-ya," he said suspensefully. "Should I tell you?"
"Yes!"
"It's you, Eun Yeongro."
Yeongro blinked, wondering if she'd heard him right.
"Wait... me?"
Sooho nodded, a bit nervous.
"I'm your muse?"
"Why not?" he asked.
"But... you talked about her like she'd hung the stars in the sky and..."
"Yeongro-ya," Sooho said softly. "You're my muse."
Before he knew it, Yeongro's lips briefly touched his cheek.
"Gomawoyo, Soo-ssi. I loved the song."
Sooho hugged her, albeit a little awkwardly due to the guitar still in his lap.
"Cheonmaneyo, Ro-ya."