favorite sound

On the second floor of an old building with layers of posters on the walls, there was a small record store that sold only vinyl. The shop was always quiet, with the scratching of the turntable needle and music from the old speakers filling the space. Jun-ser, who worked here, had his eye on a woman who came in at a certain time. She walked in the door every Tuesday, a little after four in the afternoon. She wore large ear cuffs, a dark cardigan, and walked quietly to a seat by the window on one side of the store. She pulled out the same record, a jazz LP, dusted it off, and slowly ran her fingertips over the surface. She kept her eyes closed as the music played. Her head tilted slightly, her hands rested in her lap. She seemed to be in her own world at that moment. Her name is Soohyun. She always sat by the window of the store, taking out the same LP and slowly stroking it with her fingertips. Carefully and delicately, as if she were tracing the grain of time on the record. And the way she closed her eyes and gave herself completely to the music, like a scene from an old movie, was strangely sad and beautiful. One day, Junxue mustered up the courage to speak up. “You seem to like that record.” She turned her head quietly to look at him, a cautious smile on her face.

But she didn't say anything. At first he was drawn to her aura, and then he began to notice her every move. He tried to talk to her a few times, but she only laughed quietly and didn't answer each time. Then one day, she approached the checkout counter and handed him a small note. “I like spending time in this store. It's quiet and relaxing.” Starting with that note, she left short notes, one for each visit. Instead of speaking, she conveyed her feelings in writing, and he wrote back with a short response. And so their conversation continued in silence. Junsu grew to cherish this exchange with her. He began to wait for her at the same time every week, and he even put out her favorite records first. While in the store, he looked at her more often than any other customer, trying to read subtle emotions in their wordless glances. But one day, things suddenly changed. That afternoon, Suhyun arrived at the store a little earlier than usual. Just before she opened the door, she saw Junseo inside, smiling and talking affectionately with a woman. They were leaning against the checkout counter, and the woman gently grabbed Junseo's arm and said something. Suhyun didn't open the door. She turned away, her face stiff. What she saw was, in fact, Junseo's biological sister. But she couldn't hear their laughter, their conversation, their jokes- and the truth behind their relationship. The misunderstanding continued to grow.

But she didn't have the courage to ask and check. So Soo-hyun gradually began to avoid Jun-seo. She avoided his gaze, didn't leave him notes. After that day, she didn't come to the store anymore. When days went by and she didn't come, Jun-seo grew nervous. She kept wondering if she had done something wrong, said something wrong. Her seat was always empty. She kept taking out one LP after another and putting it back in. One day, a thin piece of paper came out from inside the cover of one of Suhyun's favorite LPs. She had left it for no one. “The truth is, I can't hear. So I never knew what you and her were talking about. I was afraid to ask you. But the most beautiful music to me... was you.” After reading the note, Jun-ser stood there for a moment. It all made sense at once. Why she always pretended to listen to music without saying a word, why she always acted so cautious. She didn't come here to listen to music. She came here every week just to see him. But she had already left. He didn't know where she'd gone, if she'd ever come back, nothing. From that day on, Jun-ser put her favorite LP on the turntable every day. He glanced at the spot where she sat and listened for the door to open. The store was still quiet, and the needle spun along the same marks every day.

And there, in the music, Junxer was waiting for her again.