Seeing the Sights

ZHANG's POV

"Thanks again, Mr. Zhang." One of Damian Woetzel, the president of Julliard said while stretching his arm out to shake mine.

Last night was just… how do I put it? Chaotic I guess? Victoria-noona just broke up with Yo Chul-hyung and they were really fighting it over. It's the first time I saw Yo Chul-hyung break down like that. It really broke my heart seeing him like that.

Both of us were really close because we have similar personalities – quiet, cool, calm and we don't really care much about what's going on around us. Well, we do care about the members more than other things. We also care for people who struggle with financial issues. And battered women…

Okay…

So we do care about a lot of things.

But we're just too good at hiding it.

Well anyway, I'm here at Julliard. I'm actually one of the shareholders for this place and I also have been offering scholarships to students who can't afford but want to study music. It's just hard to see people who can't afford go downhill. I believe that everyone should have fair access to music and its resources and not just the privileged people.

"You don't have to thank me, Mr. Woetzel. And please, call me Shen." I said as I took his hand and shook it.

He laughed. "Okay then. Shen, I believe that many students will really be happy in the increase of your donations."

I waved him off. "Nonsense, I believe that everyone should at least have a shot with music."

The president shook his head. "Yeah, I guess they should, huh?"

We both laughed since we were so formal. Actually, Damian and I are almost the same age. Julliard is their family's legacy. It's a business that's been passed on for many generations. It's just that, classical music is slowly fading for some people, and there were many more schools that excelled, like Berklee College of Music, which cause their stocks to go down. That's when I met Damian and we became friends. I decided to invest in their school and offered scholarships. It wasn't my idea really, but JayB-hyung's.

At first, I questioned him as to why he wanted me to invest on a dying school, but he told me that he would invest on them if I didn't. Knowing his ability to "forecast", I decided to trust him. I didn't fully give the amount that he told me donate, and to this day, I still regret not giving the full amount and even more.

Julliard became one of the most prestigious schools in the world next to the music schools in Switzerland. JayB-hyung's ability to forecast is just insane. Ever since then, I didn't doubt his decisions.

He's just... What's the word? Right… unbelievable…

"Well, I have to go. I need to be somewhere by 10AM." I told him.

He chuckled. "You'll go to the orchestra again, won't you?"

I smiled. "You know me too well."

"It's not just that. It's because every time you come to New York you always do two things. Visit me, and then go see the New York Orchestra." He puts up two fingers to emphasize his point.

I placed my arm over him. "What can I say? I love classical music."

He rolls his eyes. "Says the guy whose group is topping the charts."

"Shh… someone might hear!" I stopped him.

"Relax. Everyone who's into classical music knows who you are. It's not a surprise that you're there either." He says.

"What do you mean?" I pretended not to know what he was talking about.

He slaps my back which made me cough. "Pretend all you want, but we both know that JayB isn't the only one who's looking for his mystery girl."

"Well whatever. At least he found her already. He's just too… how do we say it? Slow... in terms of timing." I rebutted.

He smiles at me. "You two are very much alike. I'm pretty sure someone with both of your influence can easily find these people. I know you already did. So what's stopping you?"

I sigh. "A lot of things."

He slowly pats my back. "It'll work out. Hey… why don't you head for the orchestra then? I'm pretty sure it'll take things off your mind."

I offered him a smile of gratitude. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." He replied.

And this is why it's good to have a lot of people to have your back when you need them to.

________

I was on the balcony of the theater in New York Orchestra Entertainment Inc. The orchestra just finished their practice and I slowly stood up from my seat and went down to meet the musicians and maybe give out some pointers. The conductor and owner of this place is a good friend of mine.

The conductor saw me and gave me a smile. "It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Zhang."

"Please, the pleasure is all mine." I told them.

The conductor then shook my hand and said, "What can you say about the performance earlier?"

"It sounded great. Although, there were a lot of instruments that were not tuned just by a small margin which still made it obvious to me. There were also a lot of missed notes from the viola section too. As well as a certain guy playing differently from the rest." I gave my evaluation.

"Who the hell are you to correct us, huh?!" One of the older looking men who's a viola players yelled at me which made us turn towards his direction.

"Mr. Benson! Sit down!" The conductor yelled.

"No! I want to hear from him. Who played differently, huh?! Who were out of tune?! And who were missing a lot of notes?!" He persisted.

The conductor stomped his foot loudly which made everyone else jerk a little. "Enough, Mr. Benson! I'm sorry Mr. Zhang. We had a long day. I'm pretty sure he's just stre-"

"Now, now. It's good to hear criticism from musicians. Let's see what this man can do. Why don't you start playing?" I interjected.

He gave a scoffed. "Fine! I'll show you."

He lifted his viola up and was about to play but I stopped him. "Oh… that part is easy."

"But I didn't get to play yet?" He sounded confused.

"You were about to play starting from line 3 of page 2 which is one of the easiest parts. Start playing from the first line of page 8." I said.

The rest of the musicians began to discuss in small whispers. The face of the violist was… I don't know… what's the word for it? contorting? Is that the word? Well let's just say it paled when I told him that.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" I smirked at him while raising an eyebrow.

He didn't play but was just sweating profusely. I saw him skip a few notes when he was playing earlier. I could actually hear him doing it as well. You can't escape my ears, my friend.

I sighed. "Well then, Cellist number 2 and 3, Violinist number 4 and 6, Violist number 1, 3, and 4, your instruments are not tuned well. Probably because of the weather. Someone get someone to tune the piano as well. There are notes that are not accurate. And you Mr. Benson?"

He nervously looks at me trying his best not break from my gaze. "You missed a lot of notes and played differently. It's obvious that you're getting rusty."

I turn to the conductor. "There's something wrong with his left hand. You have him checked. He's probably suffering from paresthesia. If you guys can't fix it, you better find someone else to take his place."

"Right, then... I'm leaving. Thank you everyone. Keep practicing."

I left them there in silence trying to comprehend what I just said. They were really shocked from what I just revealed. Some of them were even nodding in approval as to what I just said. The people who played with their instruments un-tuned, were amazed that I was right.

One of the violinist then raised her hand. "Who in the world was that?"

The conductor chuckled. "That, young lady, is the world's prodigy in music."

Mr. Benson then slumped over his chair as soon as he heard that. "I'm so screwed."

_________

As I was walking in the city of New York, I heard a scream. When I turn around. People were just minding their own business as if they didn't hear it. It must be because my hearing is more enhanced than theirs. The screaming came from the alley.

I followed the voice and found a girl being surrounded by men and were trying to do something with her. Of course I didn't want to do anything and just wanted to mind my own business but when I turned my back, I heard her scream and speak in Korean. When I turn to take a good look at her face, my instincts automatically kicked in.

My body starts rushing towards them. I jumped and kicked on a wall to gain some height before kicking one of the 4 guys' head. He automatically passes out from that.

"Who the hell are you?! Do you know who you're me-" I didn't let him finish his sentence. I grabbed his collar before jumping and letting his face meet my knee. It broke his nose. He squirms on the ground and was trying to stand but he couldn't see from the dizziness so he keeps falling down.

"Less talking. More fighting." I said before launching myself towards the nearest man jabbing his throat. He chokes from and it gave me the opportunity to dislocate his knee making him kneel down. I finished him off with a punch to the side of the chin knocking him out.

The guy behind me pulls out a knife and does a lot of tricks with it. "What now, punk? Too afraid to mo-"

He stopped speaking when I slapped his wrist making him let go of the knife. The next thing I know, I was already sending him flying towards the guy with a broken nose by giving him a round house kick.

Seeing that it was safe, I grabbed her hand and ran away with her. Seeing that there was a Starbucks nearby, I dragged her inside. We were both panting from all the running. Even as performers, we're practically lacking in stamina.

"Ya… Son Chaeyoung… Are you crazy? What are you doing here alone? Where are your members?" I scolded her in a cold tone while I pant.

"Ya… Who are you to scold me like that, huh? Shentong Zhang?" She retorted angrily.

I chuckled in disbelief. "Is that how you thank someone who saved you?"

She scoffed. "I didn't NEED any saving. I was perfectly fine."

"Whatever. I'm out." I scoffed before turning around.

"Wait!" She yelped as she grabbed my sleeve.

I slowly turned to her hand before giving her a glare. "What?"

She suddenly lets go while fiddling with her fingers. "Do you want to have coffee with me?"

"No thanks." I replied coldly.

"Wait. Please. Just a few minutes will do." She begged.

I sighed when I turned to her. "You're lost. Aren't you?"

She gave me a wry smile which seemed a little… what's the word? Oh right… Cute…

________

"So that's how I ended up in that alley." She said.

So basically, they were together with Twice when they went around the city to see the sights. Suddenly while she was taking pictures with the scenery, a group of fans mobbed them. They had to run away which separated them and made her lose her phone. Since then, she's been trying to find her way, but she couldn't speak English fluently so she still ended up getting lost even more. That's how she ended up in that alley.

"So you would practically be dead if I didn't pass by coincidentally." I summed it up for her.

She started to turn red. "Shut up! It's not my fault okay?"

"I know." I muttered before taking a sip on my coffee.

She sighed. "I hope my members aren't too worried."

"They aren't." I told her.

She raised her eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"

"I texted them that I found you and I told them that you're with me. I also told them that you lost your phone." I replied while scrolling through the messages before showing it to her.

She looked at me helplessly before she sighed. "Anyway, I just wanted to take a tour around the City without getting mobbed you know? But I'm pretty sure that the fans already took a picture of what I'm wearing making it difficult to go around."

I thought about it for a while before grabbing her hand and dragging her. "Come with me."

"Wh-what? Where are we going?" She said in a shy tone.

"Just shut up and follow me." I said forcefully.

She didn't say anything and just nodded.

We took a taxi and headed to the one location that I know she'll be able to appreciate the view.

__________

"WOOOOOOW! WOAH! Look at the view!" She said as soon as she entered the place.

We were inside a room on the top floor of one of the tallest buildings in New York City. Also known as, my secret Music Studio.

I looked at her and chuckled at how cute her reactions were. She was pointing at the sights that she wanted to visit today and telling me their names. She was also asking about what those nice looking places were. Of course, I answered every single one of them.

"By the way, who owns this place?" She snaps her head towards me. She must be thinking that we're trespassing someone else's property.

I didn't know how to answer her, so I just decided to tell her the truth. "It's my place. It's my studio. At the same time, it's my sanctuary."

She laughed hysterically as she slowly made her way to sit beside me. Her laughter soon fades when I stare at her without batting an eye. "Wait… you're serious? This is YOUR place?"

I nodded with a blank expression my face.

She slowly starts laughing again. "If this is a joke, then it isn't really that funny."

I sighed before turning on one of the neon lights on the wall with my name on it. When she saw it, she started freaking out a little and was rumbling a lot of stuff which didn't make sense to me. After she went on about it for a good 30 seconds, she suddenly snap her head towards me.

"So it IS you. No, no, no. No way." She suddenly says.

I raised an eyebrow not knowing what she was talking about.

"You! You are not just Shentong Zhang. You are THE Shentong Zhang. The prodigy of music!" She continued.

My eyes widened when she said that. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"It's you! I've seen you in the gatherings before. Oh my goodness! That was you?! I can't believe I me-" I didn't let her finish as I covered her mouth and pinned her on the window.

I didn't realize that our faces were just inches away from each other. She started turning red and heating up. Realizing what I'm doing I let go and turned around.

I cleared my throat. "Anyway, yeah. I'm the prodigy of music."

"It makes so much sense why you're friends with JayB-oppa. He is the prodigy of business. So it means… Alpha is made up of THE 9 prodigies?"

I slowly nodded. "That's right."

She just calmly nodded and proceeded to sit on one of the sofas. She was taking this better than I imagined it to be. "I met you guys actually. It was years ago."

I turned my head towards her before joining her on the sofa. "Really? When was that?"

She pondered for a while as she placed a finger on her chin. "5 or 6 years ago? Maybe? It was at a gathering. My mom introduced you guys to me. You might not remember me back then. But I used to have glasses and long hair. I'm the daughter of the 3rd son of Son Group. It's weird how fate brought us back together."

But I do remember you…

Because…

I never forgot.

I remember an old memory as a flashback draws in from 6 years ago…

I was taking the stroll in the garden to get some air. I was starting to feel the pressure of being called the "prodigy of music". What a pathetic name. Who would want to be called that? Can I just be Shentong Zhang and not be some genius billionaire musician?

I sigh. "I guess my life changed the moment I got that title."

Suddenly, I heard crying from somewhere inside the garden. Damn this super hearing of mine. I wish I didn't have this. It sometimes pick up weird noises. I followed the voice inside the maze and saw a little girl crying.

I approached the girl and asked, "Are… you okay?"

She slowly turned to face me and when I saw how pretty she was, my heart skipped a beat. She was cute even if she was crying her eyes out. Before I knew it, I found my first love. It was definitely love at first sight.

"I'm lost. I don't know how to get back." She said in between her sobs.

"Let me help you up. Come on. Let's get you out of here." I smiled at her.

She shook her head and showed her foot which was hidden by the skirt of her gown. "I can't walk. I tripped on my shoelaces and I hurt my foot."

I raised my eyebrow. "You're wearing sneakers… under a gown?"

"I'm bad with heels, okay? Don't judge. Besides, I think it's cool." She rebutted.

I chuckled at how cute she was. "Why don't you get on my back? I'll get you out of here."

She pouted. Seriously… she's really cute. "I'm heavy. You might trip."

"Don't worry about it. Come on." I said as I picked her up and carried her on my back as we slowly head out of the maze.

When we were finally near the main hall, I sat her down at a nearby bench. I turn to face her and gave my handkerchief to let her clean herself up. As she was wiping the tears and ruined make-up off her face.

I knelt on the ground and held her shoelaces. "It looks worn out. Why didn't you tie it before you started running around?"

"I was panicking. Okay?" she said with a pout.

I looked at her with doubt written all over my face. "Really? Because you could still have tied it-"

"I don't know how to." She muttered under her breath.

I didn't say anything for a while before I grabbed her shoelaces and started tying it. "Over, under, around and through. Meet Mr. Bunny Rabbit, pull and through."

It was a poem my grandma taught me before she died. I used to rely on her to tie my laces. Now, I hope that it'll help her too.

"Now you try." I told her to do the other shoe.

She then started tying it while saying the poem. She was really cute when she was singing. She actually sounds good. Even for the prodigy of music. I fell for her even more.

After tying her shoes, an adult who I assume was her mother started calling for her. "Son Chaeyoung! Son Chaeyoung! Where are you, my dear?"

"Over here, mama!" She said as she limped towards her mother. They embraced before she told her mother to help her since her foot was injured. They slowly made their way back inside the event hall. But before she was out of sight, she turned to look at me. She smiled and mouthed the words, "thank you."

I was left there with a smile on my face. "Son… Chaeyoung…"

My phone suddenly rings which snapped me back out of reality. It then stopped ringing which was followed by a message. My members know that if I won't pick-up I'm usually doing something related to music that's why they would leave a message instead.

"We're not going home tomorrow. We still have a shoot for our first brand sponsor. Adidas will be working with us from now on. And Twice will be joining us as well." That was what JayB-hyung's message said.

I got so excited that I stood up and nearly tripped over because of my shoelaces. I was about to bend over to tie it when she stopped me.

"Sit down, I'll tie it for you." She said.

I didn't budge and was about to crouch down and tie it myself but she pushed me instead making me fall back to the sofa.

She gave a scoff. "Just let me do something for you. Will you?"

I slightly nodded which made her smirk. Honestly, she can be so forceful sometimes. But I find it really cute. Especially when she pretends to be really tough when I know she's soft inside.

I was drowned with my thoughts when she suddenly start chanting a familiar poem. "Over… under…" my mouth slowly opened in shock. "Around and through…" I wanted to say something to her but I didn't know what. My head was a mess. "Meet Mr. Bunny Rabbit…" How does she remember that? Wasn't her first memory of us when we were introduced? How can she remember something that was from long ago? "Pull… and through."

As soon as she finished, she didn't budge and was just staring at my shoes. I gulped before I slowly called her name. "Chaeyoung-ah… that poem… I… you…"

She slowly lifted her eyes to meet mine. She was about to tear up. "I never forgot you… Shentong Zhang… I thought about you every day. I was always looking forward to the gatherings because I knew you'd be there. But when we were introduced officially by my mom… it was as if you didn't know me. Even as we worked together… you never looked at me. Did I… do something wrong?"

She started tearing up and it broke my heart. It was presumptuous of me to think that she forgot who I was. She was just… what's the word? Shy… about what happened inside the maze. And I didn't bother asking her about it all these years.

She then continued to say. "You were and always will be my first love, Shen-ah…"

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards me. Now we were both on the sofa with her on top of me. Her head was on my chest and I swear she could hear how nervous I am right now. Without holding back I told her. "Let's date…"

She then snapped her head towards me. "W-what…"

I gave her a smile that I once gave her in that garden maze years ago. A tear escaped my eye streaking down on the side of my face. I then told her the truth. "I never forgot… my first love too… so… let's date."

__________