IT WAS ONLY eight in the morning but the whole corridor of the school was not empty. How surprising for a boy like Gillian who grew up in the province. As he walks by through the group of students Gillian keeps his sight towards his destination and that is the rooftop. The only place with no annoying people and noises.
As he opens the door of the rooftop Gillian closes his eyes and lets the cold breeze kiss his face. It's already September and it's winter. His favorite season. He grabs his old guitar and started to play the chords when a soft voice of a woman suddenly broke the silence that Gillian was enjoying.
"I don't know you can play."
Gillian turned around and his gaze landed on the pretty lady wearing a plain simple polo shirt tucked into her high waist chiffon skirt. She looks elegant with her simple outfit.
"Do I know you?" He asks. The woman just smile and shrugged both of her shoulders. "Maybe?" She answered in a gullible way that made him smile for a bit.
"Wanna join our group?" The woman suddenly asks again.
Gillian didn't bother to answer the woman, instead, he just continues playing the chords of his old guitar. And he likes it. To play, to hear his music without judgment, and to play in a silent place where nobody sees him but that won't happen today. She's too noisy and bubbly and he doesn't like it! Fuck. He complains inside of his head.
"Yahh! I am here!! Hey!!" She yelled which made him snap out from his irritation.
"Fuck! What do you want woman?" he asks with full of irritation in his voice. His nose crinkles and his eyebrows furrowed. He was about to burst out from his anger when the woman didn't answer him when she suddenly laughs at him—so hard and loud. Lunatic!
"I'm just kidding," she said while stopping herself from laughing. "Here, if you change your mind you can always join us. Bye kiddo," she said as she leaves him with a piece of a flyer on the bench.
Gillian left dumbfounded at the woman's action. In his stay here in Korea, he has never been recognized by anybody. He was invisible to anyone's eyes and he likes it. He was raised to be a shadow by his brother and never in his life...no one dares to invite him to join in someone's group or even notice that he can play the guitar.
“Why I am making this a big deal?” he murmured to himself.
Gillian was about to stand up when he saw the flyer that the woman left with him.
‘Mysterious Five? What a weird name.
' Be part of our band! If you think you have the talent to play any kind of instrument and sing, then join and be one of us.
Sign up for an audition tomorrow at 9 am in glass hall, East wing. See you Mystic.’
Gillian just put the flyer in his pocket and went out from the rooftop. He has so much to do rather than to sing or play for an audition. That's a stupid thing he would ever do.
After a long ride, Gillian eventually reached his apartment. It's been six months since he moved here to Seoul independently. He doesn't want to have anything to do with his parents and with his brother. He's exhausted from living a second-best when he knew he could be the best in everything but his parents are too blind to see that.
Gillian let out a deep sighed before getting into his apartment but to his surprise: a woman with formal office attire greeted him. Her black straight hair still brushes up too neatly and her eyebrows are still up which makes her more sophisticated but too strict to look at.
"Adeul." The woman said with no single emotion plastered on her face.
"E-omma." he stuttered as he utters that word. Fuck!
"Let's go home." the woman said with full of authority in her voice. Her face was apathetic. Her eyes were cold and dull to look at.
Gillian's knees began to weaken but no, he won't. He won't go back to a place where he is seen as a shadow, as another person, a second-best in everything, and a useless son. He won't! He won't set another goddamn foot on that place again.
"No. I won't mom," he said in a very cold voice.
Her mother's eyebrow rises and looks at him intently from head to toe. And a playful smirk appears on his mother's face. Oh hell...
"Then don't and I don't care. But in one condition prove me wrong that you are not just a piece of trash in my eyes, adeul." his mother slowly takes a step one by one towards him.
However, the playful smirk on his mother's face was slowly fading away.
"Make me proud, Gillian. You know the catch. Win or you'll lose..."
Gillian suddenly balled his palm into a fist as his mother tapped his shoulder like he was just an ordinary person. His mother walks past through him but as she, reached the doorstep she suddenly stops.
"...Do you want to be seen right? Then make me proud dear, give me a flying high grade and don't give me a headache when your teacher called me again just like before. Quit that passion, because it's useless, sooner or later you'll thank me for this. Bye son."
Gillian let a very loud sighed before he sat down on his sofa and comb his hair full of frustration. I'm fucked up.
