chapter 20

" Settle down, guys!" Our teacher shushed everyone as we got to our seats inside the theatre. It was a big opera house, it's the place where most orchestra bands have played before.On the stage, a black grand piano with an empty seat. The walls and floors are made of light and shiny wood. The whole middle row of the seats are occupied by the students from the field trip, while others aren't as full. There were also some older people who were watching it, but the fact that they were probably of the same age as my grandparents bothers me.It must be a performance with classical music. There's no way that old people would watch it if it's going to be modern, like what most of us are expecting.The lights from the top slowly dims until it becomes pitch black inside the theatre. A spot light was lit, aiming at the piano, still with no-one to play.Yoongi suddenly stands up from our seat, and even though we were at far back, it still bothered some people behind us." Where are you going?" I ask him." I'm moving to the front." He says without looking back, and starts to walk down the steps. I immediately stand up and follow him, being very careful with my steps. I couldn't see where I was stepping, so I had to feel the edge of the steps with my toes before moving forward.When Yoongi and I finally reached the front, there was barely anyone here. It was just out teacher along with other teachers from other buses. Yoongi sat two seats beside our teacher while I sat beside him.A man wearing a suit comes out from the side of the stage, his shoes making a clacking sound against the wooden floor.He's a foreigner with blonde hair and blue eyes, and he appeared to be in his late twenties. The chatter had simmered down as soon as he sat down on the chair infront of the piano.He introduces himself briefly, and starts to press on the keys, testing the tune. A woman comes from the side of the stage and wears a mini microphone on the pianist, resting on his right cheek." Canon." He says the title, and pauses. He takes a deep breath and stretches both his arms, twisting his fingers together.Oh, I know this piece.He starts playing the piano, his fingers moving swiftly. The tune echoed through the whole theatre, and it amazed everyone. As he finishes, everyone was caught in a trance and didn't allow us to applaud right away.We wanted to hear more.We all clapped both our hands together and when the applause gradually decreases, the pianist faces us." Hello! How are you doing?" The foreigner says, speaking in our language. How did he mange to know Korean? His Korean was not that good, bit good enough to hold a conversation." Good!" The audience says." Awesome." He says as he turns back to the piano. " The person who guesses the next piece I'm playing will get a special prize."Everyone cheered. I bet he's going to play a foreign song. It's a challenge, isn't it? Or maybe, the elderly people would get it." You probably heard this song once or twice before, but of all the people I met here in Korea, only three of them knows the title." He says before pressing the keys individually for checking.And then, without a warning, he starts to play. His fingers crashes down to the piano, and the piano responds by giving an amazing tune. And then, it reaches the cilmax, his fingers hardly pressing down the keys, making a strong sound, all followed by soft and calming notes.How....can he do that?And then I noticed Yoongi beside me, his fingers tapping his lap like he's playing the piano himself. A smile formed on my face as I looked away.He got so into the music that he pretends that he's the one playing it, huh?The song then ends, making everyone clap in unison again. The pianist stands up from his seat and bends to bow.He lifts up his head, then adjusts his mic. Then he walks towards the edge of the stage. He was about two feet away from us." Does anyone know what piece I just played?" He asks.The whole theatre got silent. I looked behind me and there was not even a single hand raising. This is embarrassing." That's okay." The pianist says with a smile. " What about you?"The pianist then points towards Yoongi. Shit! Why did he decided to sit in the front row? Now he's going to embarrass himself infront of the whole freaking theatre. Yoongi looks around to confirm that the pianist was indeed pointing at him. And then he stands up from his seat." The Blue Danube ." He says looking up at the pianist.What the hell.How did he know that?" Amazing!" The pianist claps. " Now you are the one of a few who knows the title."Everyone claps, making Yoongi sit immediately back to his seat. Even the teachers and other people in the theatre looked amazed.How can someone like Yoongi, a mere teenager who listens to hip-hop , knows the title of the classical music what pianist just played?The pianist takes an envelope from the top of the piano. He walks down the stage and heads towards were we are sitting. He hands over the envelope to Yoongi as Yoongi stands up and bows after taking the envelope. The spotlight is now on Yoongi and the pianist, just beside me." Thankyou." Yoongi says politely, still looking down. I can tell that he's feeling embarrassed but there's nothing to be embarrassed about." What's your name?" The pianist asks. " Do you like classical music?"" Min Yoongi." He answers. " No, my parents just listen to it all the time so I'm familiar with some of the tones "The pianist smiles and the people laugh together. " I hope you enjoy your price."