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"as soon as you realize it was a gift,
you'll be free."

— Maxime Lagacé —

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[ 3RD PERSONS VIEW。]

Haruka took a deep breath before walking into the stage. Hundreds of onlookers, eyes already filled with judgement. She could hear whispers broke out as she faced the crowd and bowed curtly.

She knew what everyone was gushing about. Her eye, how strange it was that she had different colored eyes. Pallid gold and ice blue.

Haruka made her way towards the piano, taking a seat as her hands hovered on top of the black and white keys. Closing her eyes, she gently pressed down, letting herself feel the music.

Her friends looked down at her from their seats, all with pressed lips as they watched her intently play the piano.

A few seconds passed, and there it goes. Like a harsh breeze hitting you, the pace shifts, surprising everyone.

Her fingers danced along the keys precisely, her mind steady as she focused.

This was it. Chopin's Winter Wind. The piece she would constantly play over and over again, the structure glued into her mind, the seemingly never ending notes just kept coming.

This was the song she always played to her mother, the very song that irritated her mother, the very song her mother would compliment her on.

Haruka reopens her eyes, only shocked to see herself in the living room, of their old house.

"Haruka!" she flinched, gasping as she look to her side, seeing her mother standing beside a younger version of herself as they played the piano together.

"Mom, why does everyone stare at me like I'm different? Is it because of my eye?" the young her questioned, feeling downhearted after thinking about what her classmates would always tell her.

Her eye made her feel inhuman, it made her feel excluded from everyone. When she said people were afraid of her, it was the exact opposite. Haruka was afraid of people. Of how they treated her, how disregarded her feelings, how they thought so poor of her.

"Haruka, listen," her mother started off, "Your eye is beautiful. It makes you special and different, it's a gift you should always cherish." she said, patting down little Haruka's head.

Haruka shook her head, the memory going away.
Right. Her eye... it's a gift.

A gift that she hated, used to hate. Ever since she met everyone, here in Jinhae-gu. It's like her life shifted, it changed.

No longer was she alone. No longer was she trapped. No longer did she find her eye a pain.

They taught her that she wasn't alone, that she could be free, that her eye was such a beautiful gift and she shouldn't despise it.

They reminded her that she was still human. That she didn't just exist in this world — she lived in it and she was happy she could.

Haruka glanced at the theater filled with different people yet her gaze landed on one particular boy. He smiled at her, nodding his head making her smile back and focus back onto the piano.

Everyone was engrossed, pulled into the girl's music. How it flowed and told them a story of a young girl. It was like magic, how she manages to convert her emotions into sounds. It was a musicians power.

Ending her piece smoothly. A whole minute of silence until the audience applauded, the sound of their hands roaring filled the atmosphere.

Haruka grinned and stood up, giving everyone a bow before exiting the stage.

Numerous people congratulated her on her way out of the theater.

"Noona!" a young boy came up to her with a little flower.

"Oh, hello." Haruka noticed him right away, bending down to his level.

"Noona plays so beautifully!" he giggled before offering the flower, "Noona eyes so beautiful too!"

Haruka smiled at the young boy, "Thank you!"

The young boy's mother walked towards them, taking a hold of the boy's hand, "He really loved the way you played out there. You're a great pianist."

"Thank you so much." Haruka bowed her head in gratitude.

"What's your name?" Haruka looked down at the kid.

"Nam Haruki!"

Eyes widening, a soft gasp left her lips, tears clouding. "H-Haruki?"

"We have to go now, it was great hearing you play!" the mother said softly, sending Haruka a genuine smiled before carrying the young boy.

Haruki...

— • • • —

"I won!" Haruka yelled in joy, running up to Renjun who welcomed her into a warm hug.

"Congratulations!" Renjun chuckled, "I knew you could do it."

"You know..." she nudged him as they looked far onto the skies.

"Hmm?"

"I saw my mom when I played on stage..."

Renjun shot her a look, "What happened?"

"Just a memory," she chuckled, "When I was a kid... I always asked her why people saw me differently and it was because of my eye, but she always told me that my eye made me special."

"It does, Haruka." Renjun told her and combed her hair with his fingers as she rest her head on his lap.

"And I'm starting to accept it," she said simply, admiring the boy's face. "It's a gift and I should cherish it."

Haruka closed her eyes, letting the breeze hit her as they allowed time to pass by.

Reopening only her left eye, flinching when she saw colors. But not just on Renjun — everywhere.

Jolting up from her position, startling the boy she stood up and looked around, a hand covering her right eye.

"Oh my..." she gaped, swallowing the lump in her throat as she took a deep breath.

"Haruka? Are you okay? Did something happen?"

She slowly let her hand drop by her side, tears trickling down her cheeks as she faced the boy, feeling ecstatic.

"H-Hey, why are you crying?" he panicked, rushing towards her to give her a hug.

"I-I can see colors with my left eye... not just the colors of death..." she trailed off before breaking apart from Renjun, looking him deep in the eye.

"I can now see the colors of life, and it's beautiful."

— • • • —

the end.