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chapter 48
Late afternoon, inside a café.
Because it was winter, the days were shorter, and the setting sun already shone faintly through the window. Kang Yoon’s sharp, irritated voice broke the quiet.
“…So, you’re telling me you all came here uninvited to stop me from doing something stupid?”
“Well… that was the plan, but…”
It had all started at lunch, when Jung Dayoon sent a text message saying, “Please help me.”
As soon as school ended, Ji-hye and I rushed to find her—but the sight that greeted us was far from what we expected.
Because, despite her desperate text for help, Dayoon’s lips were covered in sweet tiramisu cream.
‘What the hell is this situation?’
Was this some kind of scam?
Dayoon looked too fine—so much so that Ji-hye and I stared at her with cold, incredulous eyes.
“Explain.”
“W-well, you see…”
Under Ji-hye’s interrogation, Dayoon quickly brushed off the tiramisu powder from her mouth.
“He said he wanted to meet alone, so I thought something bad might happen again…”
“Yeah, looks like something bad did happen.”
All those calories, for one.
Two thick slices of tiramisu cake, a dalgona latte loaded with sugar, and even a mountain of whipped cream on top.
Even someone like me—who doesn’t care about calories—felt my blood sugar spike just looking at it.
“Kang Yoon, are you trying to make her fat to torment her or something?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?! I told her to order whatever she wanted since I was paying, and she went crazy on her own!”
Ji-hye shot back, and Kang Yoon protested indignantly.
Judging by the fact that Dayoon didn’t deny a word of it, it looked like he was telling the truth.
“And Song Minwoo, why’d you come if you already knew what was going on?”
“…Sorry.”
She sent a text begging for help—how could I not come?
I thought Kang Yoon had lost his temper again and gone off the rails.
“Fine. You two get out. I have something to talk about with her.”
He said it like he really meant to apologize.
If that was the case, we had no reason to interfere.
“Let’s go.”
“…”
Without complaint, Ji-hye followed me out of the café.
Aside from sneakily taking one last bite of Dayoon’s tiramisu before leaving, she was surprisingly obedient.
Maybe now that she’d seen it herself, she finally believed that Kang Yoon had changed.
Anyway, at least things weren’t blowing up—
“Wait. Hold on here.”
“??”
Ji-hye, pretending to leave, suddenly stopped at the entrance and peeked back in.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you think I’m doing? I’m observing.”
“….”
Of course. I should’ve known.
So much for being cooperative—she never intended to give them privacy in the first place.
‘…Guess I’ll have to stay too, just in case.’
Not because I was curious or anything.
Only because I didn’t trust Ji-hye not to cause trouble.
Thankfully, the café was crowded enough that we could get close without being noticed.
Close enough to barely hear their voices.
Focusing, I could just make out their conversation.
“So… what was it you wanted to say?”
“It’s nothing big, really, I just…”
Kang Yoon’s words trailed off.
He was usually the type to speak without thinking, but when it came to apologizing, it seemed to embarrass him.
“You and I… we’ve had some stuff happen, and I just…”
His voice rambled on aimlessly.
Watching, Ji-hye muttered under her breath in exasperation.
“Wow. Sounds like he’s confessing or something.”
Come to think of it, it did sound like that.
Anyone listening without context would think he was trying to confess his feelings.
But the reality was far from that.
It was a sincere apology.
And for a teenage boy like Kang Yoon, apologizing might actually be harder than confessing love.
An apology is something you have to say—even if it’s late, even if the other person won’t accept it.
To apologize is to admit fault, and admitting fault means taking responsibility.
And “responsibility” is a word that doesn’t come easily to most teenage boys.
I knew that all too well.
“So what I’m saying is… I’m s-s-s…”
The long hesitation was about to end.
All that was left was the word sorry—
“I’m sorry, but could you play a duet with me?”
“…?”
Everyone present froze at the sudden, absurd request.
As expected, a heartfelt apology was too much for him to manage.
After the brief commotion at the café, Kang Yoon fled the scene.
The place he ran to was none other than old man Yoon Jong-soo’s piano shop.
“What’s wrong with that boy?”
“There was… a bit of an incident.”
Kang Yoon was muttering to himself, forehead pressed against the wall.
Ignoring the puzzled old man, I asked with a sigh,
“So… what the hell was that back there?”
“Don’t ask, man…”
His voice came out weak and pitiful.
“You asked her to play a duet or something. Don’t tell me you blurted that out just because you were too embarrassed to apologize?”
“I did not!”
“Then what were you trying to say?”
Kang Yoon let out a world-weary sigh and finally pulled his head from the wall, slumping onto the piano bench.
“I was going to properly apologize first, and then ask if she wanted to perform together at the recital.”
“Recital?”
“There’s one on Christmas. Nothing fancy—it’s a charity concert for student performers.”
A charity concert—so the proceeds would go to donation funds.
I’d participated in a few of those in my previous life.
“But instead of apologizing, you blurted out an invitation to perform. Got it.”
Sounded bad when you put it like that.
To skip the apology and jump straight into inviting her to a performance… Dayoon must’ve been completely dumbfounded.
“Ah, crap, what do I do…”
“What do you mean, what do you do? Just apologize properly next time.”
“You think it’s that easy?! Didn’t you see me stuttering like an idiot just now?!”
“I did. Quite clearly.”
“Goddammit… why’d I have to stutter like that…”
He groaned, clutching his head in humiliation.
Looked like he’d just created a brand new embarrassing memory for himself.
‘Anyway, a Christmas concert, huh.’
A charity concert probably meant the audience would be mostly family and friends.
Now that I thought about it, I’d never actually performed in front of my own family before.
Except for that one time during the Zimmermann recital, when I played for Song Yerim.
‘My mother and father have never really heard me play.’
I’d practiced plenty at home—but never played them a finished piece.
“Maybe I should join too.”
“What?”
“I mean, it’s a good opportunity.”
Entrance exams were over, and I didn’t have anything planned for winter break.
It’d be the perfect chance to gain more stage experience—and let my family hear me play.
The volunteer hours would be a nice bonus, too.
Even if they didn’t matter much anymore, since I’d already been accepted.
“You seriously want to join a boring concert like that?”
“Says the guy who’s already signed up.”
“Why would I join? It’s not like I’m actually doing that duet with Dayoon.”
Kang Yoon shot back dismissively.
“Hey, you never know. She might say yes.”
“Yeah, right. Would you say yes? You didn’t even apologize properly, and you just blurted out a duet request—like she’d ever agree—”
[KakaoTalk notification sound]
A familiar chime interrupted him.
His phone.
“What the… who’s messaging me now?”
He checked the screen—and his face instantly went pale.
Did someone threaten him?
“What is it?”
“S-she said okay…”
“Who?”
“Dayoon.”
“What?”
He showed me the phone.
[About what you said earlier]
[The duet]
[I’ll do it]
“???”
She agreed?
“Why the hell would she…?”
“How should I know?!”
Did she eat something weird?
Maybe her blood sugar spiked from all the sugar earlier and messed with her head.
Otherwise, there’s no way she’d agree to his request.
“What am I supposed to reply with…?”
“I dunno. Are you even sure it’s really her?”
“It says her name right there, dude!”
Sure enough, the contact was listed as Jung Dayoon.
“Then just ask if she’s serious.”
“Uh, okay.”
Still flustered, Kang Yoon typed exactly what I said.
[Are you serious?]
[Yeah.]
[What song should we play?]
“She’s asking what song to play.”
“Why’re you asking me? You decide.”
“I was gonna apologize today and figure that out later!”
“Unbelievable…”
A duet, huh.
That reminded me of one specific piece.
“Doesn’t it sound like a puppy dancing?”
That soft, silky voice.
So gentle it carved into my heart.
That smile as she looked down at the piano keys,
those clumsy hands following mine on the keyboard—
The last Christmas when I’d felt truly happy.
The memories flickered before my eyes, and before I knew it, I spoke.
“…Minute Waltz.”
“What? The Puppy Waltz?”
What, he didn’t like it?
“Got anything better in mind?”
“It’s just… a bit plain for a duet, don’t you think?”
“Quit whining. Minute Waltz. I’ve got an arrangement for it.”
It was an old arrangement I’d made long ago.
A bit too easy for two experienced pianists, so it would need some adjustments.
And besides, it’d be a good chance to teach—just like I’d promised Professor Kang Seojun before.
“Fine, whatever. We’ll go with that.”
Apparently, he couldn’t think of anything else anyway.
Watching him grumble as he typed out the reply, I sighed quietly.
‘He has no idea…’
That the version of the Minute Waltz I had in mind was one of Chopin’s own arrangements.
Once again, I’d accidentally chosen a piece that would make Kang Yoon suffer.
