The Past Of Shin Jeong

Holding onto his worn and dull colored plushie of what one could assume was once a brightly colored cat in the prime of its life, Shin sat quietly on the floor as he swayed back and forth to the noise of the piano playing. He was entranced in a way, quiet and at peace with everything as he watched the older lady playing with her eyes closed as she too seemed to be taking in the calm atmosphere the music made. Her fingers moved gracefully across the keys while paying mind to kids that were under her care.

The room wasn’t the best lit, lights dimmed as it was approaching the later hours and it was a habit of the older madam to slowly turn off lights to lul the children into a more peaceful slumber. Close by the pair, Jae sat near a lit lamp doing some of his homework while humming along to the music. Occasionally looking up to watch the young warpa full of happiness for this show of a sort, no matter how many times Shin would hear the same song or notes.

For them, these were the peaceful moments they wished never ended. Moments of reprieve from their life that wasn’t full of the most core or love from that actual guardian who saw them as nothing more than her mistakes. It wasn’t the most eventful, but it was calm and what they wished for more in their daily lives.

“Miss Cho, it’s getting a bit late.” Jae spoke quietly as he finished up the last page of his homework, pencil writing as the music paused to check the time and confirm this.

“Oh dear, it is. Shin still needs a bath as well.” The youngest warpa gave his biggest eyes, hugging the plushie a bit more as he stared at the elderly woman in hope he could convince otherwise.

“O-one more song?” He knew better than to argue against baths, even if he didn’t like being wet and scrubbed, but he could at least postpone it juuuuust a little and get in that last little song before it was time to wash up and turn in for the night.

“Well, I suppose one more song so Jae can finish up school couldn't hurt. Are you almost done?”

“Yes ma’am, almost.” Nodding, the slender fingers started moving once more, the sound of pleasant music filling the room more as the pair of boys continued to enjoy these times.

Come the next morning it would be different. They would return to their normal days, with a mother who cared little for them and only raised them out of spite and not love. They’d go to school or sit at home while mother worked, tuck themselves away before she returned for the night, and wake up the next day to do it all over again. They’d live their lives as if not there, as to be so was a problem to their parental guardian.

For now though, none of that mastered and the less than pleasing life was forgotten. For just a short time, everything was as they wanted and they felt at peace with the music.