THE LAST SONG____ *Chapter 4 - Feel the Music*

Yoongi didn't go home after leaving Jimin's apartment.

Instead, he drove straight to the recording studio.

The building was almost empty, with only a few lights illuminating the long hallway. He unlocked the studio door, tossed his bag onto the couch, and sat in front of his laptop.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a moment before he typed.

How do musicians perform with hearing loss?

One article became ten.

Ten became fifty.

He read about performers who memorized every movement before stepping onto the stage. He watched videos of deaf musicians placing their hands against instruments to feel the vibrations. He even found interviews with pianists who relied on muscle memory instead of sound.

Hours passed without him noticing.

When the first rays of sunlight slipped through the studio window, Yoongi leaned back in his chair and smiled.

"I think... I found a way," he whispered.

Jimin hadn't touched the piano since yesterday.

It stood quietly beside the window, waiting for him like an old friend he was too afraid to face.

He wanted to play.

He wanted to hear the melody that had comforted him since childhood.

But he couldn't bring himself to sit down.

His phone vibrated on the coffee table.

Yoongi

Jimin hesitated before answering.

"What?" he said.

"I'm outside," said Yoongi.

Jimin frowned. "Outside where?"

"Your apartment."

"You didn't tell me you were coming."

"I know."

Jimin let out a quiet sigh before unlocking the front door.

Yoongi stood there with two paper bags in one hand and a coffee tray in the other.

"You skipped breakfast," said Yoongi.

"You've been spying on me?"

"I didn't have to."

Jimin raised an eyebrow. "You're becoming annoying."

"And yet you opened the door."

A small smile escaped Jimin's lips.

"Come in."

The apartment filled with the scent of warm food.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

The silence wasn't awkward anymore.

It was comforting.

Jimin quietly picked at his sandwich while Yoongi watched him from across the table.

"What?" asked Jimin.

"I've been thinking."

"That's never a good sign."

"It usually isn't."

Jimin chuckled.

Yoongi smiled to himself.

There it was.

That laugh.

He had been waiting to hear it again.

"I have an idea," said Yoongi.

Jimin looked up. "About the concert?"

Yoongi nodded.

"Come with me."

They walked toward the piano.

Yoongi rested one hand on the polished wood before pressing a low key.

A deep vibration echoed through the instrument.

"Put your hand here," he said.

Jimin frowned but did as he was told.

The moment his fingertips touched the piano, Yoongi played another note.

A faint vibration traveled beneath his palm.

Jimin's eyes widened.

"I felt that."

Yoongi nodded without saying anything.

He played a chord.

This time the vibration was stronger.

Jimin closed his eyes.

He couldn't hear every note.

But...

He could feel them.

Another chord.

Another vibration.

A slow smile spread across his face.

"I can still feel the music," he whispered.

"Exactly," said Yoongi. "Music isn't only something you hear."

Jimin looked at him.

"It's something you feel."

For the first time since receiving his diagnosis...

Hope didn't seem impossible.

"But how will this help during the concert?" asked Jimin.

Yoongi leaned against the piano.

"The concert stage is made of wood. If we adjust the arrangement and strengthen the lower frequencies, the vibrations will travel through the floor."

Jimin blinked.

"You researched all of this?"

"All night."

"You didn't sleep?"

"I had more important things to do."

Jimin stared at him, speechless.

"You really did all this... for me?"

Yoongi looked away, pretending to study the piano keys.

"I couldn't just stand there and watch you give up."

Those simple words settled deep inside Jimin's heart.

No one had ever fought this hard for one of his dreams.

The following afternoon, rehearsals resumed.

Members of the orchestra exchanged confused glances as Yoongi handed out newly revised sheets of music.

"The cello section is louder?" one violinist asked.

"The bass has changed too," another added.

"The arrangement feels... heavier."

"It needs to," said Yoongi.

No one questioned him further.

Across the room, Jimin quietly watched him.

He knew exactly why those changes had been made.

Yoongi never mentioned his hearing loss.

He never explained himself.

He simply protected Jimin's secret.

After rehearsal, the hall slowly emptied until only the two of them remained.

Jimin sat in front of the grand piano, absentmindedly running his fingers across the keys.

A soft melody filled the room.

When he finished, he looked over his shoulder.

"Yoongi."

"Hm?" said Yoongi without looking up from the sheet music.

"...Thank you."

Yoongi finally looked at him.

"For what?"

"For reminding me that I haven't lost music yet."

A gentle smile appeared on Yoongi's face.

"You haven't."

He gathered the papers from the piano.

"And you won't."

Jimin watched him quietly.

Maybe the future was uncertain.

Maybe one day silence would become his entire world.

But as long as someone believed in him...

He would keep playing.

Even if he had to feel every note instead of hearing it.

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