Chapter 5: A Writer’s Will
In a vast cathedral of tones, a maestra wove an ocean of sounds, finishing upon her masterpiece—a soundscape of emotions and talent, enthralling everybody in the audience.
Well, almost everybody.
At the far end of the seated audience, a man with smooth silk-black hair, a magnetic face, and the fresh addition of a black eye, with lush crimson lips, swayed up and down to the ocean of sounds, carrying neither the emotion nor the spirit. Only his steady rhythm existed outwardly, while who knew what he was doing behind those closed eyes.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
The sound of rain came right after the ocean of sounds made way for silence. Everyone couldn’t help but appreciate the artistry of the violinist who had just finished her concerto.
Dan Woo found himself woken up by the applause as the seats around him shrank with personas rising from them. His eyes immediately lost their appeal to sleep as his face jerked to the right, gazing at the face that had been there moments ago.
Yet Winter was already moving from her seat.
Dan Woo jumped off his own seat, following his sister from behind before throwing himself onto her and embracing her like a little child.
"Kim Jun Han," his sister started in a soft yet flat tone, making Dan Woo loosen his grip on the hug.
Kim Soo Won slowly turned back to her little brother, her face as expressive as a block of ice.
"This is the second time you have hugged me today. Is there an issue? Do you need something?"
"No, no, I don’t need anything. I just... missed you."
"Yeah, right."
Kim Soo Won turned back towards the stage, her eyes meeting someone as she continued walking in that direction.
"Noona, it’s really true," Dan said as he walked side by side with her.
"You can go home, Jun Han. I have already taken care of your little emotional burst. Park Hyun Bin won’t press charges."
"But—"
"If you want me to help you with the drama again, you—"
Kim Soo Won suddenly stopped in her steps.
"Look, Kim Jun Han, I can’t keep covering for you. I already got you the role of Lee Woo Je. If you want me to help you maintain even that... you’re already an adult. Start living like one."
"Say that again."
Dan Woo suddenly felt his body fill with a renewed burst of energy as his hand landed on his sister’s shoulder.
"What?" Kim Soo Won asked, confused.
"The thing you just said."
"For you to start living like an adult?"
"No, the other one."
"Which one? About me getting you the part of Lee Woo Je?"
Kim Soo Won turned to face Dan Woo.
"Yes, that!"
"What are you excited about? Do you want to fight me on this? I did get you your part."
"No, no, no, that’s not it. It’s just that... you remember Lee Woo Je."
"Of course. How could I not remember a character I developed?"
"So you really did write him."
"...Kim Jun Han, are you okay?"
Kim Soo Won asked as she stretched her hand toward his forehead.
Dan Woo brushed off his sister’s outstretched hand.
"What was your vision when you were creating this character? Did you draw inspiration from somewhere?"
Kim Soo Won let out a tired sigh and rubbed her temple.
"What’s wrong with you today? Why are you asking all these questions?"
"I want to understand the character so that I can portray him better, so answer the question. Was there any inspiration?"
"..."
Kim Soo Won studied her brother’s face for a bit before turning towards the stage. She searched for the man, only to find him gone.
"Go home, Kim Jun Han." She slipped her phone into her clutch and started walking. "I have to go congratulate my husband."
"Noona," Dan Woo called out to his sister. "Lee Woo Je no longer exists in this world."
"What?"
Kim Soo Won suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She slowly turned around.
A deep frown touching the icy surface.
"I said Lee Woo Je no longer exists in this world."
"Is this one of your jokes?"
Noona, I really mean it." Dan Woo took a step toward her. "I’m serious."
"Kim Jun Han..." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I’m tired. Just go home."
"Check your drafts."
"What?"
"Check your drafts and see if the character Lee Woo Je—"
Soo Won turned to glare at her brother, yet when she saw the desperation in his eyes, she decided to humor him.
With a reluctant sigh, she unlocked her phone.
Her thumb hovered over the screen, ready to check on her drafts—
"Winter unnie!"
An exaggerated female voice filled with plastic excitement reverberated through the hall.
Kim Soo Won looked up from her phone to see a woman with brown hair and grey eyes heading her way. She wore a black dress and carried a violin case in her right hand, holding it like a suitcase.
"That was a commendable performance, Choi Se Gyeong."
Choi Se Gyeong laughed and waved her free hand dismissively.
"No, no. I was only a small part of it. It was only good because of Oppa and the orchestra players."
"I suppose you could say that." Soo Won offered a polite smile. "But after all, you were the soloist."
"Nope." Choi Se Gyeong grinned. "One of the soloists. After all, it was a double concerto."
"I know. My husband was superb as always."
"Indeed, Oppa was great. So... what about you, unnie? Do you still play? I heard that you had become a writer."
The smile on Soo Won’s face melted into her neutral ice block.
"...I... I play sometimes..."
"Oh, then would it be okay for you to play something now? It has been a long time since I heard your beautiful playing."
"I..." Soo Won’s fingers strangled her phone. "I can’t."
"Really? Why not?" she continued relentlessly.
"I..."
"Unnie, pretty please..."
Choi Se Gyeong said in a sickeningly sweet voice, a smile plastered on her face that could conquer the world as she extended her violin case toward her.
Kim Soo Won’s hands trembled as she tried to reach toward the case, only for Dan Woo to jump in out of nowhere and pick it up.
"I can play it for you," Dan Woo said as she opened up the case.
"Careful," the woman said, a bit surprised and panicked by the young man. "And who might you be?"
"Sorry, Choi Se Gyeong. That’s my little brother. He is a bit mischievous."
"Oh, so this handsome young man is your brother... Wait, I think your face is familiar."
"You know me?"
"Wait... are you Dan Woo?"
"Indeed."
"Excellent. I would like to see how talented the famous Winter’s brother is."
"There is no need to do that. After all, he is just joking around."
"No, no. I would like to hear his abilities."
Kim Soo Won soon enough gave up, readying herself for the embarrassment brought about by her younger brother yet again. Choi Se Gyoung readied her phone camera to record the "masterpiece."
Dan Woo took the stage, suddenly taking a stance with a perfect bowing posture that even surprised his sister before he began.
A piece by Niccolò Paganini, and one that required a great deal of skill.
Yet his hands flew swiftly across the violin, weaving a soundscape with a mastery that couldn’t be explained. The melody flowed effortlessly, drawing his two audience members into a trance. Minute after minute passed, and when the final note faded away, the hall returned to silence.
Ye Ji Hun soon enough walked into the hall, drawn by the music after growing tired of waiting for his wife. Though he had arrived late, he was present for the latter half of Dan Woo’s performance. It was a true treat.
Kim Soo Won suddenly broke out of her trance.
"We need to talk."
She grabbed her brother’s hand and led him away, handing the violin back to Choi Se Gyoung as she did so.
-----
At a café just next to the concert hall sat two siblings, both with black hair and deep eyes.
A simple table stood between them, holding two cups of coffee and a few pastries.
"How did you suddenly become good at the violin?" Kim Soo Won began, breaking the silence.
Dan Woo glanced down at his coffee.
"Maybe I have always been good."
"Kim Jun Han."
Her flat stare made him avert his gaze.
"...I... it’s hard to explain."
"Try me."
"Remember when I told you about Lee Woo Je?"
"Yes." Kim Soo Won nodded. "You told me that he didn’t exist."
"Well..." He hesitated. "He exists now."
Kim Soo Won frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Open your draft where the character is."
Confused, Kim Soo Won nevertheless followed her little brother’s directions.
She unlocked her phone and opened the document.
A few moments later, she looked up.
"He is here," she said simply.
"Okay."
Dan Woo reached toward his face and removed something.
It was a uniquely made mask, dazzling with a blend of starlight and spectrum colors while being oddly translucent. The instant it left his face, the mask suddenly dematerialized into glitters and sparkles, scattering into the air before fading away.
"Did the mask you just remove disappear into thin air?"
"You could see it?"
"Yes."
Dan Woo suddenly lowered his voice learning forward.
"Are you an Ascendant?"
"What’s an Ascendant?"
Dan Woo leaned back.
"Never mind."
"What was that for?"
"Just check on your character, Lee Woo Je."
Kim Soo Won looked down at the screen once more.
Her face grew into a complex expression as she seemed to process something.
"How is that possible?"
"It’s because of the mask?"
"Mask?"
"Yes. You wanted to know how I could play the violin without knowing anything about violins or classical music." He leaned closer to her. "It’s because of the mask. The mask represents Lee Woo Je. Without it, he cannot exist. It also gives me a cool ability called Second Lead Syndrome, that allows me to be the second best of somebody within a 100-meter radius of me."
Kim Soo Won, having received this bizarre amount of information, let her face go through several complications before a huge wave of fear and anxiety washed over her.
"Did you also make a deal?"
"Make a deal?"
"Yes. With the Dreamers?"
"Dreamers? Who are these Dreamers?"
"They are a family of almost divine beings that take different forms of a family unit and can only be met through dreaming. Hence I named them Dreamers."
"Oh. Wait—you said also. Did you make a deal with them?"
Kim Soo Won took a deep breath before drinking a huge gulp of coffee.
"Is this why you don’t play anymore?"
"I still play, just not in the way you think... They granted my wish, but now I must carry out their writer’s will."
"Writer’s will?"
"Yes. I must carry out the task of writing romance stories. This is my payment."
"They only want you to write romance stories?"
"It’s not as simple as you think... Just don’t mess with them. If you got the mask from them, please return it before it’s too late."
By now, the sky was going dark as the sun sank to the west and the red moon rose.
Kim Soo Won gazed at the red moon in the sky.
"The red moon is here... I need to go," she said as she rose up in a panicked manner.
"Noona!... Noona!" Dan Woo called out to his sister, yet she ignored him, disappearing into the traffic of moving people.
"The Dreamers?" Dan Woo muttered as he gazed at the red moon.
[Ding. Achievement acquired: Unmasked.]
The system was back.
"I also need to get out," he said as he walked out of the café.