(gotta give it) onemorechansoo (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
onemorechansoo) wrote2015-07-10 03:05 pm
onemorechansoo) wrote2015-07-10 03:05 pm
Entry tags:
2015: Gravity Doesn’t Work on Us (But Music Does) (for prompt 80)
Author: ANONYMOUS until July 15, 2015
Title: Gravity Doesn’t Work on Us (But Music Does)
Rating: PG-13
Other pairings involved: brief Kai/Suho
Length: 13,000 words
Summary: Kyungsoo finds his peace in 8tracks, the online playlists web, until an anonymous account comes and crashes his life.
Warnings: Mild swear words.
Notes: I fell in love with the prompt at the first sight, too bad I’m wasting it. I’m sorry to the prompter, this is probably not what you have in mind. But please do enjoy! Thank you especially to T whom I constantly whined to, N my angel beta sent from heaven, and C who helped me with the mixes since the beginning. This one would be a total trash without your help.
Title: Gravity Doesn’t Work on Us (But Music Does)
Rating: PG-13
Other pairings involved: brief Kai/Suho
Length: 13,000 words
Summary: Kyungsoo finds his peace in 8tracks, the online playlists web, until an anonymous account comes and crashes his life.
Warnings: Mild swear words.
Notes: I fell in love with the prompt at the first sight, too bad I’m wasting it. I’m sorry to the prompter, this is probably not what you have in mind. But please do enjoy! Thank you especially to T whom I constantly whined to, N my angel beta sent from heaven, and C who helped me with the mixes since the beginning. This one would be a total trash without your help.
The frown on Kyungsoo’s forehead increases as he scrolls through his ongoing paper. He is supposed to make at least four pages for the morning class tomorrow, but he is only at the second page and already exhausted. He bites on his lower lip, tapping his index finger on the ‘I’ button on the keyboard to the tune of the Sam Smith song he has blasting through his headphones. ‘In the contrary of…’ He pauses writing as the song comes to an end and plays another song. The starting beat is easily recognized as The Weeknd’s current hit song which Kyungsoo quite likes, but getting bored of since it is somehow getting overplayed. He opens up his browser and quickly types down his usual study playlist on the search bar and presses play, IU’s sweet voice interrupting the English lyrics. Kyungsoo feels a bit sorry for the vocalist, but he needs to finish the paper tonight and Earned It wouldn’t help him thinking any clearer. The song gives him more push to finish down at least three more paragraphs before it switches to a Clazziquai upbeat song and it distracts Kyungsoo from his paper for a minute before he realizes that he has a paper to do. 8tracks, Kyungsoo has found, is both effective and ineffective in helping him studying. He found the online playlists web through a post on a Naver cafe, and he has been hooked to the website since last term. Thanks to it, Kyungsoo’s taste of music has broadened. Not only does he like, Maroon 5 and Ed Sheeran, but he has taken a liking to Imagine Dragons as well. Under the username of simple ‘dokyungsoo’, he has uploaded a total of 10 playlists with three playlists awarded gold and one platinum. His taste is not bad, it seems. When he is finally done with the paper, the digital clock at the corner of his laptop screen shows that it is almost two in the morning . He yawns, clicking the save button twice just to be careful. He is supposed to have it printed, but it’s so late nw that he might disturb his roommate’s sleep with the sound of the printer. Instead, he opens up the browser again and goes to his playlist drafts. He has been saving a draft of playlist that is meant to be posted tonight after he finishes his papers. It is inspired by a quote he found while looking for references for the assignment. The words have a nice ring to his ears, and he easily translated the feeling into some songs he has in his iTunes, included some new ones. He types in a title, and clicks the publish button. He listens to it just to make sure that the arrangement of the songs is really okay. Halfway through the songs, he climbs up to bed, leaving the playlist playing through his laptop’s speaker. Kyungsoo sighs as his head meets with the pillow; he is really tired, and the songs helps him feeling more relaxed. Just when he is about to dream, though, the loud notification of his phone rings, signaling that he has a message. Stupid me, he curses in his head, how could I forget to silent the damned phone? After one minute of struggling to look for his phone in the sea of his blanket, Kyungsoo pulls his phone up. hey, i hope you’re not asleep yet. but can we meet tomorrow to start working on the project? It’s not long before another message comes in. oops. i meant it’s today! hehe He groans. Of course, he has a project for the composition class he is taking for extra credits. Out of the people in the class, the teacher has to pair him up with Park Chanyeol, the loud student who is actually quite popular from the music department. Unllike Kyungsoo, who takes the class just because he thought it would be fun, Park Chanyeol does it because music is my life and we are going to be the ones who ace it, Kyungsoo, I promise. Don’t disturb my sleep. And yes, we can. you’re still awake after all! see you tomorrow! good night :) Of course Park Chanyeol is the type that is even louder in the texts. Why the other man is still awake at this ungodly hour, he doesn’t even want to know. He doesn’t bother to reply, opting to go to sleep right away after he puts his phone in a silent mode instead. He can deal with Park Chanyeol tomorrow. Kyungsoo arrives at the class fifteen minutes before it starts. He takes his usual seat four rows from the back, near the window, and pulls out his earphones. It is a routine he picked up back in high school; he would come to class early and spend his time listening to music to keep up his mood. He skipped it once, and he became grumpy for the rest of the day. His closest friends understand this, and they never disturb him and his morning ‘ear yoga’ anymore. Well, except one. “Did you finish the paper?” Kyungsoo jerks from having his earphone pulled off. He sends his best death glare to the culprit, but he gets innocent grin instead. Byun Baekhyun is the first person he socialized with when he first entered the university. They have the same major, share the same classes, and take the same student activities. He never stops talking; even when he does, his other part of body would make the noises instead. Kyungsoo scoots over, making space for his friend to sit next to him. “Yeah,” he answers, putting back the earphone piece into his ear. “Did you?” “Only this morning,” Baekhyun pats on his own chest like he is proud of it. He reaches out to pull out Kyungsoo’s earphone again, this time placing it in his own ear. “What are you listening to?” “I downloaded new stuffs last night,” he says, adjusting the volume so they could enjoy the music better. “I like this one.” Baekhyun frowns, paying attention to the song. “I think I have heard this song somewhere. It’s quite good now that I listen clearly.” “Park Chanyeol again?” The other grins widely at him. “It’s not my fault that my roommate blasts songs through the apartment the whole day.” Kyungsoo sighs. “You need a new roommate, someone less loud. He even manages to be loud in his texts.” “He texts you?” Baekhyun quips up. The corner of his eyebrow twitches up when something gets him interested, but Kyungsoo is not going to tell him about this. “Yeah, last night when I was going to sleep. He asked about the composition project.” Baekhyun laughs. He slaps Kyungsoo’s shoulder lightly, “I can’t believe you’re really doing that with him.” “Shut up, Byun,” Kyungsoo sends him a death glare. "You were the one telling me to partner up with him.” It sounded like a good suggestion back then, when Kyungsoo didn’t know much about the said partner. He seemed like a good person—well, he is a good person—but Kyungsoo could do without his stupid grin and little pranks he plotted with Baekhyun. “Well, you asked if I knew someone from music department that shares the class with you. Chanyeol fits the requirements.” “I should have asked for someone more normal and less loud, too. He was like, exclamation marks everywhere, and I haven’t even worked with him. It’s going to be awkward, I swear.” Baekhyun pats his shoulder. “Hey, it’s not that bad. You survived three years of friendship with me, you could start another with Chanyeol, too.” He wants to fight, to tell Baekhyun that he is incapable of dealing with another extravert because he is tired of keeping up with their energy. He leans back in his seat instead. “I hope you’re right.” He gives up, leaning back into his seat. After a while, he turns back to his friend and looks at him in the eyes. “But if this turns out bad, you know whose pretty face I’ll destroy first.” “At least you said I’m pretty!” Baekhyun beams up at him, batting his eyelashes three times in a way that makes Kyungsoo regrets ever having crossed paths with him. He jabs his elbow on Baekhyun’s left thigh, making sure it hurts like hell so the other knows how much he wants to take his words back. Kyungsoo is glad that Jongdae got choir practice cancelled for the particular day. He was already prepared to explain one hundred and one reasons why he was going to skip today’s practice, but Jongdae dismissed them with a wave of his hand. His signature permed locks bounced lightly around his face as he went through the club’s papers. “No practice today, Soo. Didn’t Baekhyun tell you that?” That little bastard. He was the one that reminded Kyungsoo how today was supposed to be choir practice, but insisted him to keep his schedule with Park Chanyeol and skip the practice instead. “No, he didn’t tell me.” Jongdae laughs that high-pitched laugh Baekhyun dubs as seal-laugh. “Are you up for another errand? Were you worried?” Kyungsoo wants to strangle that laugh out of Jongdae, but in his dictionary, violence only applies for certain Byun Baekhyun. Besides, Jongdae is harmless. Kyungsoo likes having Jongdae around, especially because he is the only one who could keep up bantering with Baekhyun until he stutters and surrenders. All hail Lord Kim. “I kinda forgot about today’s practice and agreed to meet my partner today,” he sighs. “Let me guess. This partner is Park Chanyeol from Music, and Baekhyun told you to meet him instead of having practice because he wants his most favorite people to meet and engage in friendship?” Kyungsoo frowns, “What kind of nonsense are you talking about?” Jongdae barks a laugh, “You are so predictable sometimes, you know?” “How am I being partners with someone from your kind is still beyond me,” he mutters. “I shouldn’t have trusted that Byun Baekhyun in the first place.” “Soo, you are also a part of us. Stop denying that, it’s not like we’re monsters.” Kyungsoo shakes his head, folding his arms in front of his chest. “No, not monsters, just wild animals. Werewolves? I should be careful being around you.” “Actually, no one of us is more of a monster than you. Right. We are just cute little lambs playing around with your sharp eyes trained on eyes, ready to eat us out. Or do you think three little pigs is better?” Kyungsoo laughs. This is why he likes Jongdae; while every little thing Baekhyun says to tease him annoy the hell out of him, the witty retorts Jongdae throws back only amuses him. “Okay, three little pigs it is.” Jongdae smiles, the edge of his eyes curving up, making him look sweet. “You should give it a try, though. Chanyeol is not a bad guy. And he is much softer than Baekhyun is, believe it or not. A very sweet guy.” “I hope so,” he sighs. “I just don’t like meeting new people.” “Stop being such an introvert. This is why you don’t have a date.” Jongdae pokes his shoulder. Kyungsoo shrugs. “I don’t date unless necessary.” “Which is why you don’t date at all!” Jongdae groans. “Whatever.” Kyungsoo picks a seat on one of the long tables in the central library's discussion room. There are some other students around him, most of them with their earphones connected to their laptops. Some of them are alone, but some come in groups. They mostly keep quiet to whatever they are working on, though. Kyungsoo briefly wonders if a Park Chanyeol would be an okay addition to the library. There are more secluded spots around the library, in case said Park Chanyeol goes wild and needs to be hidden. But he figures it would be easier for them to meet in a more open room. It should be easy for him to spot Park Chanyeol coming through the door this way. He pulls out his mp3 player, putting in the earphones and starting to listen to the a new playlist he downloaded last night. He takes out the project brief from the composition class next, trying to understand beforehand what the teacher is asking them to do. But the words only cause him another confusion. He is in the choir, yes, but he is still only a Psychology major who has taken an interest in music. It doesn't mean he understands music theoretically. He frowns, flipping the paper over and over. "Do Kyungsoo?" When Kyungsoo looks up, it is all wide grin and silver hair staring back at him. Is that even legal to have that kind of hair in college? "Park Chanyeol," Kyungsoo acknowledges him, nodding slightly as the taller man takes the seat across to him. "It's Chanyeol, just Chanyeol." he says, smiling. “Thank you for having me as your partner," Chanyeol beams up at him. His hand is supporting his chin, his golden Rolex watch flashing before Kyungsoo's eyes. "No, I’m the one supposed to thank you. I'm the one at disadvantage here," Kyungsoo shrugs. It's true, he is the one who's going to get a lot of help from the other man. "I think Psychology is very fun to learn," he says earnestly. "I like music, but sometimes it becomes too much for me when I just want to have fun with it instead of getting all serious and wrinkled for it, you know?" Kyungsoo hums, but it's a new knowledge for him. Judging by the stories Baekhyun shares on how an airhead Park Chanyeol is, he couldn't imagine him as the serious type. But people could be serious for whatever they like, Kyungsoo learns. Baekhyun is always a changed man whenever he steps up in practice and sings their song. "Do you, Kyungsoo?" Chanyeol asks, that gets Kyungsoo's attention on him again. His eyes are almost twinkling with excitement. "Do you like music too? Is that why you are taking the course?" "I don't hate it," Kyungsoo pauses, hesitating to answer. "I need the extracurricular credits to pass my major." "But you don't like it either?" The other asks further. "No, I like it." Kyungsoo shakes his head. He honestly doesn't know how to answer the question. He likes music, but perhaps not to the extent Park Chanyeol the music student does. "I like listening to songs," he shrugs. Chanyeol smiles again, "Well, I'm glad my partner is at least liking music. What kind of songs do you like?" "It depends," Kyungsoo remembers the playlists he listens to and he creates. They vary, not only stuck to one genre. It’s difficult to explain that to anyone else sometimes, so he usually just take one artist that generally sums up his music taste. "I listen a lot to Eric Benet, and Jeff Bernat too." "Yeah?" Kyungsoo couldn't miss how Chanyeol's face is lit up even if he wants to. "I like their music, too. We're on the same ground, then. It shouldn't be difficult to do this project." Chanyeol clasps his hands together, feeling excited. "Be careful, it's three of my credits we're talking about," says Kyungsoo, teasing. Chanyeol laughs. "It's three of mine, too. Don't worry, I don’t plan to make a mess of it either." Kyungsoo couldn't help but smile. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I have been traumatized by Byun Baekhyun a lot." "Baekhyun is a wonder, isn't he? I'll admit that he and I are the perfect combination when it comes to pranks, and I'm sorry you have to deal with me too," Chanyeol says, "But I guarantee you, Do Kyungsoo, that I don't fuck up my music." Kyungsoo throws himself onto the bed as soon as he finishes dressing. His hair is still wet from the shower he had earlier, and he didn’t even bother to leave the towel at its designated place. The drops of water falling from the tips of his hair are seeping through the pillow cover, and it’s going to stink later if he doesn’t move away soon. Kyungsoo heaves a sigh, closing his eyes as he rests himself on the soft material. It is not even a tiring day, but Kyungsoo feels like all his energy has drained out. Having Park Chanyeol to keep him talking more than he usually does is going to tire him more. The days he has to spend with the other man are not the ones he exactly looks for. He just wants to listen to music, drown himself in it and never resurface if he could. He almost slipped into a deep slumber when his stomach suddenly makes a sound of protest. He groans, remembering how all he had eaten today was the sandwich he bought at the canteen. He should have taken Baekhyun’s advice to grab the meal coupon and have donkatsu, but of course he refused because the tuna sandwich the minimart was selling was more tempting at that very moment. Kyungsoo finally pushes himself off his bed, patting his pillow to check its humidity before he gets up from his bed. He walks towards the compact kitchen installed in his tiny apartment, wondering if he should cook himself ramyun or instant curry. Forgetting to do the grocery shopping for the month, his mini-fridge is now empty from food ingredients. His stock of instant food is also going thin; this means that he is forced to go some shopping after classes tomorrow. He grabs the instant curry, tearing the packaging apart with ease. It is now easier for him to cook his own meals, even if they are just instant food. His parents bought him the small apartment once they heard about how he got accepted into the university. It’s their parenting style, but it’s also because it takes more than forty-five minutes from their home to the university. Kyungsoo is okay with it, cutting his journey short means he has more time for himself. He takes out his favorite plate from the rack and serves the food for himself, humming to the tone of If I Ain’t Got You. He doesn’t have a dining table in his apartment, so he always eats at the table in front of the television. Glancing at the clock, Kyungsoo feels slightly relieved that he is not late for his favorite show. He switches the television on, and quickly surfs for the channel he wants to watch. It is a game show, where a group of people has to solve a murder case with one of them acting as the detective. He has always liked trying to figure out who the murderer is, even if he fails sometimes. It gives him thrills. Kyungsoo is almost finished with his meal, only halfway through the show, when his phone suddenly rings. He grabs it with his eyes still fixed on the television screen. “Hello?” His voice is a bit awkward since he hasn’t swallowed the food he has in his mouth. “Where the hell are you?” Baekhyun’s voice is easily recognizable even over the loud thumping of music coming over the line. Kyungsoo grabs the glass of water and drinks some. “Home. Why?” “Did you forget that I asked you to come to The Lark? I told you that Jongdae’s band is playing tonight, right?” Baekhyun sounds pissed off, and a bit desperate. But Kyungsoo is immune to him. Of course Kyungsoo didn’t forget. Jongdae has always invited him to his band gigs at local clubs since the start. “It’s Crime Scene tonight,” he answers shortly. Baekhyun snorts into the phone. “Tell Jongdae to sing nicely today for me.” He grins, poking over the last bit of his curry rice. There is a shuffling noise over the phone, and suddenly it’s Jongdae’s voice talking, “You’re so dead tomorrow when I see you.” Kyungsoo laughs, none of Jongdae’s threat actually means danger. “Can’t you just come over? We’re not starting until nine.” “Just do gigs on weekends, Jongdae. I will definitely come.” Jongdae sighs. “Fine. If you don’t come next time either, I’m kicking you off the choir club.” “That’s Joonmyun’s to decide.” “I can persuade him!” “Try it.” Jongdae makes noises of protest that start distancing until Baekhyun’s voice takes over again. They chat up a bit, mostly Baekhyun complaining to him how it’s very hot in the club and his eyeliner is smudging off due to his sweat. “You’re not going to attract anyone anyway,” Kyungsoo says, finishing his meal. He glances at the television, checking if they have found any decisive clue for the case. “Watch your words! I’m going to hook up with someone tonight while you pathetically rot in your room, hear that Do Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun fusses. Kyungsoo gives him a snort, unable to answer since he is still chewing. “I’m hanging up, Jongdae is being whiny again.” “Don’t busy yourself with the playlist website too much, okay?” Kyungsoo grins, a bit flustered. He really shouldn’t have told Baekhyun about his recent hobby. “I was just going to upload a playlist about you.” “Yeah? What’s the title?” “Little shit.” Kyungsoo hangs up on the call without waiting for his friend’s answer. That reminds himself, though, that he hasn’t checked the response for the playlist he posted last night. He is confident that there would be some likes already, but he doesn’t know if it would pull at least gold rate from the website. He hurries finishing his meal and does the dishes so he could check his account. He retreats back to his bedroom after they announce the criminal for the episode and explain the overall plot for the murder, feeling satisfied that he guessed the correct murderer. He brings over his laptop to the bed and turns it on. It turns out that he has indeed received several notifications on his latest playlist. There are a total of twelve likes and some comments about how the listeners could relate themselves to the playlist. Twelve likes aren’t bad for a day, Kyungsoo could get more later. What gains his interest is how there is a new follower among the others with an username Kyungsoo couldn’t help but get embarrassed of. for-dokyungsoo followed you. He clicks the link that leads to the user’s profile and laughs when he sees what the user has for the description section. for do kyungsoo, and his round eyes, and his heart-shaped smile, and his golden voice. It’s so embarrassing that he has to bury his face on his bed’s cover. Is it a prank? Who was behind the account? He thinks of the possibility of people knowing him both in real life and on 8tracks, but only could think of Baekhyun. Perhaps it is Baekhyun. He scrolls down and finds that the user has uploaded a playlist. It’s titled ‘i, for you’, and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but getting curious over the songs. He doesn’t know that him clicking the play would only mean the start of his life change. Baekhyun manages to block Kyungsoo in front of the class before they get home the next day. The pull he puts on Kyungsoo’s arm is not that powerful, but the annoying smile on his face is what gets him all struggling. He drags Kyungsoo over to the cafe where Jongdae works at for their study session. It is something they usually do on Thursday evening, where everyone has their time to finally gather together and study. Although mostly it only Kyungsoo and Joonmyun who do, while Baekhyun prefer to spend his time playing or disturbing the studying ones until Jongdae is free from his shift. The bell rings when they enter the cafe. Kyungsoo walks towards the tables while Baekhyun goes to Jongdae at the cashier to order for them. He grabs a seat at their usual table at the corner of the cafe where the lighting is the most appropriate for them to study. He pulls out his phone and texts Joonmyun to let him know about their arrival. He usually would join later after he finishes his other club activities. “Jongdae gets off at five today,” Baekhyun says, placing a cup of hot caramel macchiato in front of Kyungsoo's, which he gratefully takes. He pulls at the chair across to him and sits down. “Do you want to watch a movie tonight?” Kyungsoo frowns. He has another paper that isn’t due until next week, and movie sounds really tempting. “We have morning class tomorrow, why not on weekend?” “What’s for weekend?” Another voice adds. “Joonmyun!” Baekhyun beams up at him, patting on the chair next to him so Joonmyun could sit there. His face falls when the said man chooses to sit next to Kyungsoo instead. “Want to watch movie tonight?” Joonmyun takes a sip from Kyungsoo’s cup, raising an eyebrow. “What is there at the cinema?” “Jurassic World.” The raise of the corner of his lips is the very indication that Joonmyun is interested with the offer. Kyungsoo silently takes his cup back, rolling his eyes. “Kyungsoo wants to watch it on weekend though.” “But I have morning class tomorrow,” he defends himself. They eventually stop bickering with each other and start to work on their laptops, completely ditching the previous topic. Kyungsoo connects to the cafe’s wifi immediately and is very satisfied to find the speed. He has finished the artwork for his newest playlist, and planned to upload it with the cafe’s internet since last night. He tunes out the hushed conversation between Baekhyun and Joonmyun by plugging in his earphone and wearing them. The playlist from for-dokyungsoo is surprisingly what he aches to listen to. He takes a glance at his friends, making sure no one is really paying attention to him before he clicks on the play button. It’s kind of embarrassing when he is found out to be listening to a playlist by a user with his fucking name on the username. He has his suspicions on Baekhyun, but the guy looks like he doesn’t care enough to invest such a huge prank on Kyungsoo’s life. Kyungsoo quickly moves to his word window to continue working on his homework. He meets Chanyeol again on the next Tuesday. They agreed to meet at the cafe this time, allowing both of them more freedom to discuss about their project further. Kyungsoo has done some researches Chanyeol suggested him to do, and he starts to understand where this project is going. Kyungsoo is about to press the button that allows the cafe’s door to be opened when another finger has come to press it first. He turns his head, glaring at the pair of bright eyes and goofy smile that towers him. “Let’s go,” Chanyeol says, placing both of his hands on Kyungsoo’s shoulders and pushing him towards the cashier. Kyungsoo tenses up under the touch, but Chanyeol’s grip only gets tighter as they reach the counter. “Kyungsoo!” Jongdae happily exclaims from behind the cashier. The corners of his lips almost reach his eyes; the signature Jongdae’s smile. “And Chanyeol. I knew I would live to see you two hanging out together real soon. What’s the order for today?” Kyungsoo tries hard not to roll his eyes. He still doesn’t get why his friends think it is good for him to befriend Chanyeol, all he gets is another headache from another loud mouth. Chanyeol fits Baekhyun and Jongdae like a piece of puzzle that is meant to be placed together with them, and Kyungsoo is just another piece laying next to them. He doesn’t like it. “Two iced caramel macchiatos, one with extra shot.” The sudden words surprise Kyungsoo. Chanyeol’s eyes gaze over the food display, scanning the available menu briefly. “And one bagel, please. I’m paying.” “Anything else?” Jongdae asks as he punches the order codes into the machine. “I’m still paying mine.” Kyungsoo insists, pulling out a few cash from his jeans pocket. “No,” Chanyeol hands over his card to Jongdae, ignoring Kyungsoo’s questioning stare. “Consider me thanking you for agreeing to be my partner in this project.” He raises an eyebrow. “Why?” Chanyeol smiles at him. “You have a good taste of music.” Kyungsoo wants to ask him how he would have known about that, but Jongdae has ushered them with the buzzer that would alert them if their order is ready. Chanyeol leads him to a table for two at the window line of the cafe, allowing a brighter atmosphere than the usual seat Kyungsoo takes with his friends. “So, have you looked over the things I told you last week?” Chanyeol asks when they are finally seated. He has taken off his cap, revealing brown strands of hair instead of silver like Kyungsoo saw on him last week. They are shorter, too. Perhaps Chanyeol has changed his hairstyle in the seven days they didn’t meet. “I have,” he answers shortly. The taller man nods enthusiastically. “How did you find them?” He considers lying, telling him that it’s boring and he doesn’t want to do composition anymore. But this is music, and Kyungsoo doesn’t want to lie about music. “It’s interesting.” He admits, can’t help but break into a grin. Chanyeol beams up at him, looking earnestly relieved. “I can show you some of my past composing stuffs. We can make something from the scratch, something more, you know, us.” He flushes when he says the last word, but Kyungsoo doesn’t think it’s a big deal. “But you can listen to my stuffs to know which style I prefer.” “Sure.” Kyungsoo nods. Chanyeol takes out his iPod and headphones from his ransel. He gives the headphones to Kyungsoo, telling him to wear it while he scrolls for the song list. The nervous smile he gives him before he finally presses the play button is rather endearing and so unlike the Chanyeol Kyungsoo knows. The buzzer on their table suddenly beeps, alerting them that their order is ready. Chanyeol, still flustered from the soft shock, quickly takes the buzzer. “I’ll take that, you listen to the song,” he says before he walks away. Chanyeol’s composed songs are pretty short. They don’t even reach one minute, but Kyungsoo could understand the music. He can sense how much the man experiments with his music, pulling around to find the right melodies. They are easy to listen, not anything too heavy or too light for his liking. Kyungsoo finds himself easily falling for the songs, and it’s a good thing, right? Chanyeol comes bringing the tray with their order on it. He places the one without extra shot in front of Kyungsoo, stealing a nervous glance in the process. He must have been worried if his partner likes his stuffs or not. It would be a big deal for their project together. Kyungsoo takes off the headphones, placing it on the table near Chanyeol’s iPod. “You make great stuff,” he says, grabbing at his drinks. “I like them.” The outright laughter from the taller man is unexpected, it surprises Kyungsoo. He watches as Chanyeol laughs hard, hands clutching on the edge of the table. “I’m glad,” Chanyeol says, his eyes turning crescent. The kind of stare he has on Kyungsoo now kind of makes him flustered. “It means a lot to me when someone likes my stuffs, you know?” He nods. “I understand.” It is the same with singing. It matters whether people like his voice or not, or the way he brings the songs on the stage. “So, what kind of song would you like us to compose?” Chanyeol asks, picking up his bagel from the plate to eat it. He looks very hungry. “Like I said, I enjoy a variety of music, so I wouldn’t mind much.” He pauses. The way Chanyeol eats is very distracting. Perhaps he should get his own food, too. But he has planned to cook some pasta tonight for himself. “But I prefer something that would be easy to sing along to.” Chanyeol chews his food, nodding. “I was planning for that, too. If it’s possible, I would like you to sing if we get to perform at the final recital.” Kyungsoo looks at him, surprised. Chanyeol grins sheepishly, “I knew you can sing. I heard one of your performances when I visited Baekhyun at the choir practice. I’m sorry if I sound like a stalker, but I’ve known you since last term.” “You heard me singing?” Kyungsoo asks. He nods, trying to hide his nervousness behind his food. “Yeah, and I really like it.” “I still have a lot more to learn from Baekhyun, though.” He says. “Honestly? I like your voice better than Baekhyun. And don’t let him know, he will rage if he knows,” he adds, just to make the awkwardness between them go away. Kyungsoo grins, couldn’t help the giddy feeling he has fluttering in his chest. It’s always good to have people telling him that they like his voice, but Chanyeol said it in a way that makes him even happier to hear that. “Thank you." It is not even eight when the loud knock coming at his door. Kyungsoo is still in the middle of dressing up, contemplating if wearing polo shirt would be okay for him. Baekhyun has made him promised his friends to come to Jongdae's gig at the club today, he even said he would come to pick him up and make sure that he really is going. He follows Baekhyun into the club. It's darker inside, few strays of colorful lights washing the wall and carpet they pass. Baekhyun brings him towards a table, and Kyungsoo can make out Joonmyun’s face. There is another man with him, but Kyungsoo doesn't know who. Kyungsoo sits down on one of the chairs, dragging it closer to the table so he could place his elbow comfortably. He scans the club, noticing how it is not as packed as he expected to be. Normally he would prefer to drink in more quieter place, but the atmosphere feels great here. He can see the stage clearly from his seat, not exactly at the middle but it’s quite upfront. Baekhyun slides in to the vacant spot next to Joonmyun, leaning in to whisper something in his ear. Joonmyun has a drink in his hand, probably beer. He doesn’t drink wine unless it’s in his house. He listen attentively to Baekhyun, even bringing his ear closer for him to listen better. It’s not long until he nods his head and sits upright, gesturing for the other man to come with him. Kyungsoo stares at the two of them as they walk in the direction of the bar. “Who is that?” He lowers his voice, careful so no one would catch that but Baekhyun. “Kim Jongin, a freshman. He has been following Joonmyun around since last month. I think the kid has the hots for him.” Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow. It is not rare for him to hear about people having interests on his friends, especially when they are basically social butterflies who hang out with people and be cool about it. Kyungsoo has had people asking him out too, both guys and girls, but he is quite picky about it. Not everyone could match with him. “He’s handsome,” he admits. “Is Joonmyun going for it?" Baekhyun looks at him curiously, “Why? Is he your type?" “I don’t have a type.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “Don’t lie. I-” Their conversation abruptly ends when Joonmyun comes back with glasses of drinks in his hands. He smiles, placing each one of them in front of bickering men. “What were you talking about?” He asks, sitting down on his previous seat. Kim Jongin, who has also been bringing in drinks, hands over a glass him before he sits next to him. “Nothing,” Kyungsoo answers shortly. “Kyungsoo wants to know who the handsome young man we have here is." Joonmyun turns his head towards his companion, amusement in his face. “Right. Kyungsoo, this is Jongin. Jongin, this is Kyungsoo. He is older than you, so you have to call him hyung." Jongin laughs; his voice is deep and sweet like chocolate. Kyungsoo wonders what he sees in Joonmyun. “Nice to meet you, Kyungsoo hyung." Kyungsoo nods, acknowledging him. “Nice to meet you, too." He watches how Jongin pulls his chair closer to Joonmyun and subtly presses their shoulders together. He almost misses it, but Joonmyun's smile grow fonder as he lifts up his glass to hide it. His thoughts got interrupted once there are noises coming from the stage. He could see Jongdae, hair specially permed for the performance, and his bandmates starting to enter. Kyungsoo doesn't know much about Jongdae's bandmates, only knew how they were formed by mutual interests in music performances. He could recognize the guitarist, as he has volunteered to help their choir practice a few times. He doesn't know about the bassist though, and the drummer... Wait. "Is that Chanyeol?" Kyungsoo leans closer to Baekhyun, covering his mouth so his words couldn't be read. Baekhyun nods. "Yeah. He started to play with them since last month." "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We are Firebolt!” The crowd shouts and claps to support them. He starts introducing each of the members and what instrument they play. The jokes he slips in are really refreshing, he even makes people laugh. “We’re starting with the first song, Blind.” The band starts off by covering the hit song of TRAX three years ago. The song surely brings a lot of memories to the audience, considering how big it was in its era. Jongdae manages to pull a great performance by twisting the song into his own style. Surprisingly, it sounds even greater this way. The performance ends with the guitarist finishing smoothly with his adlib. Jongdae lets his members take care of their equipments as he interacts with the audiences, engaging them with small talks. "Last performance would be a solo acoustics from our special music prodigy," which gets laughter from their own bandmates, and Baekhyun, of course. He even slaps his own thigh hearing that. "Park Chanyeol." Chanyeol is grinning as he steps into the front with his guitar. He adjusts the mic stand, tapping the receiver to make sure his voice comes alright. "Hello, I'm the prodigy," he laughs into the mic, making people laugh, too. "If you know the song, I would like you to sing with me. Please enjoy, Creep." He starts the song with the intro music, captivating the people into his slow, but not boring music. Kyungsoo doesn't know Chanyeol plays guitar, and sings at that. He didn't even know he could play drum until today. Kyungsoo feels awed. The song is familiar to him. He recently heard it in one of the playlists he keeps replaying on 8tracks. In fact, he knows it well that it's a playlist his secret admirer has made for him. Chanyeol pulls the song well. His vocal is nothing near Jongdae's, but his voice suits the song well. He closes his eyes as he hits the long note, opting to bring it out with low, steady voice to make it smoother. When he opens his eyes, they meet with Kyungsoo's, like he knows how he has been entranced by his performance. Their eye contact stays as he sings the last lines. You're so fucking special I wish I was special But I'm a creep I'm a weirdo What the hell am I doing here? I don't belong here Chanyeol ends the performance with a big grin and claps from the audiences. He shouts a loud thank you and bows before he exits the stage. To Kyungsoo, it leaves a big hole in his heart because why does he feel like Chanyeol has sung the last lines for him? The next Friday, Kyungsoo finds himself sitting in the train going to Chanyeol's house. The other man has offered him to take a look at his instruments and start trying them out for their composition project. Kyungsoo agreed almost immediately after he offered that, having extra curiousness of what the music prodigy has hidden in his house. Chanyeol sounded delightful this morning, when Kyungsoo called him to make sure he has the correct destination in mind. "I'll see you at the station, then. It's quite a long walk from there to my house." Chanyeol ends the call before Kyungsoo even consider the offer. Kyungsoo leans back in his seat, earphones in his ears. Summer is coming, and summer playlists are starting to dominate the front page of 8tracks. He, too, is preparing a summer playlist. But his choice of songs aren't those upbeat house mixes like people have uploaded so far. He has a range of preferred summer songs, but he doesn't think they're good enough. The intercom announces that he has arrived in his destination and that the doors will open on his left. Kyungsoo gets up and walks towards the door. The station isn't much crowded, as it is not located in central Seoul. He checks on Chanyeol's text again, making sure he gets off on the right exit. Chanyeol said he would be waiting at the said exit gate. But Kyungsoo didn't expect to see him sitting on his motorcycle, wearing a bright red helmet. "Kyungsoo!" Chanyeol waves. "Hey," Kyungsoo smiles, walking towards him. He yanks away his earphones and rolls it around his mp3 player before dumping them in his bag. "Did you wait for long?" "No, I just got here five minutes ago." He takes out another helmet and hands it over to Kyungsoo. "Wear this first." Kyungsoo obliges. He wears the helmet as Chanyeol turns up the engine. It is rare to see someone who prefers riding motorcycles. Kyungsoo hasn’t even ride one except for that one time he needed money and took a part-time job as chicken place delivery man. He likes it, though, the way the wind slaps nicely against his face as he rides. Chanyeol pats on the back seat, urging him to hop on. He doesn’t give him any choice but to complies anyway. "Hold tight!" The silver haired man shouts as he presses on the gas, bringing the motorcycle to go forward with a surprising starting speed. They arrive in front of a house with white fence and beautiful flowers in the front. Kyungsoo thought Chanyeol would be living in an apartment complex, but he was wrong. He takes off the helmet and lets Chanyeol park his motorcycle in the garage. "No one is home," Chanyeol explains as they climb up the stairs that leads to his room. "Mom is running a restaurant in Myeongil, dad works, and my sister also works. Besides, they would just complain if I make too much noises in the house." Kyungsoo nods, listening. He likes the feeling of Chanyeol’s house; it’s spacious but filled well with furnitures so it doesn’t feel empty. The white color on the wall in the contrast of wooden parquette floor gives him a neat and clean impression. "Here we go." Chanyeol opens the door of his bedroom, letting him in first. Chanyeol's room is not vast, but it’s arranged well. The bed is placed near the window, and next to it is his desk with a mixer and keyboard on it. There are guitars on the other side; one acoustic and electric. Kyungsoo has seen the acoustic one at the gig. There is a rack full of books and CDs near the guitars, and Kyungsoo is intrigued to find out what kind of music Chanyeol has there. He grabs a chair from the desk and gestures Kyungsoo to sit on it. "I'll fetch the drinks first. Is cola okay?" Kyungsoo nods, still too distracted to answer properly. He only notices when the door closes and the sound of Chanyeol's running down the stairs starts to fade. He puts down his bag on the floor near the bed and starts to roam around the room. He walks towards the racks first, skimming over the book titles. He knows some of them, and they are a bit of heavy read for him. It amuses him how someone like Chanyeol could have such choices of read, when he thought he was just a taller copy of Byun Baekhyun. Under the books, there are CDs piling up. They are sorted by the artists names. There are local artists as well as foreign singers. Kyungsoo definitely sees Coldplay's newest album there. He smiles a little, it definitely feels good to meet someone who has the same taste of music as yours. He goes to the table next, curious of what the tall man has. He plays with the keyboard a bit, trying to remember the chords he learned in his young days. Too bad he didn't continue the lesson as he grows up. There are music sheets and CDs on the right side, some with scratchy doodles that Chanyeol must have done when he felt frustrated. Kyungsoo scans around the CDs, most of them are named by dates. There are even ones from two years ago. He wonders how much Chanyeol's music has grown since then. He stops at one CD, one that has actual title instead of date marks. The title is familiar, too. He picks it up. I, for you "Whoa whoa whoa," Chanyeol enters the room with a tray full of food and drinks. He places it down before he quickly strides to Kyungsoo's side and snatches the CD from him. "I'm embarrassed," he smiles sheepishly. He places the CD in a drawer, where more CDs seem to have placed. "How much have you seen?" "A bit," Kyungsoo says. "I thought I saw something familiar." "They are mixtapes, something I'm still working on," he blurts out. "If you're interested, I could show you when it's finished." Kyungsoo breaks out a grin, amused on how much the taller man is getting nervous. "Okay, show me when you're done." He nods acknowledgingly. Chanyeol grins as well, relief clear in his face. He places his hand on Kyungsoo's shoulder, startling him, and maneuvers him towards the drinks. "Okay, should we start with Matilda?" Chanyeol clasps his hands together. "Matilda?" he asks, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Chanyeol blinks at him, realizing something. He scratches on his nose, something Kyungsoo learns he always do in awkward situations. "Oh, it's just, um, my guitar?" Kyungsoo laughs. "You name your guitar?" Chanyeol looks flustered, his neck is starting to redden. “Well, there is Sam as well." he points at the keyboard. “Oh,” he says, looking back and forth between the guitar and the keyboard. Keyboard would be easy for him, but he wants to see Chanyeol playing his guitar more. What a selfish thought. "Okay, Matilda it is, then." "Did you really go to Chanyeol's house last Friday?" Baekhyun asks, slipping into his usual seat next to Kyungsoo at the class. He drops his bag on the table and uses it as a cushion immediately. Kyungsoo nods, still engrossed over the new songs he copied from Chanyeol's iTunes. It was easy to talk with Chanyeol, he found out. The taller man was eager to respond, and he always wanted to know what Kyungsoo thought. Surprisingly, it made him felt appreciated instead of annoyed. "And you didn't tell me?" "Chanyeol told you anyway." He answers shortly. The new songs have inspired him to make a new playlist. He thinks of placing Chanyeol's name on the playlist as a thankful gesture. Kyungsoo blushes at the thought. "True," Baekhyun sighs. "How is your project going?" Kyungsoo stops scrolling at the songs list to look at his friend. There is no need to lie to him, right? "Great. He taught a lot of music to me." "That guy even went to the extent of dubbing you as his music soulmate, I'm guessing the chemistry between you two works well?" "He did?" Kyungsoo blinks. He, too, feels very compatible with Chanyeol in terms of music. When he doesn't know what to describe something he wants to say, the other man could quickly gets to the meaning and teaches him the proper word. But to label it as 'soulmate', that is kind of embarrassing to him. Baekhyun pauses. He looks like he is considering his words. "He was satisfied to have you as his partner, it seems." Kyungsoo smiles at that. He reverts his attention back to his phone, concentrating on the lyrics of a Kim Bumsoo song he really likes. "Oh no, I'm starting to be that third wheel kind of friend, right?" Baekhyun groans, burying his face in the fabric of his bag. "What are you talking about?" Kyungsoo frowns, but he could feel his own cheeks heating up. Baekhyun smirks. He straightens his pose, placing a hand on the other's shoulder. "You're hanging out more with him, and all you do is reject my and Jongdae's offer to hang out together. You're basically whipped, Do Kyungsoo." He says. "What is it that you see in him? His height? That stupid smile?" "Byun,” Kyungsoo tries a threatening tone, but all he gets is that wiggling of eyebrows he hates so much. He lifts up his hand, pretending to get ready to land a punch on his face, and Baekhyun cowers down. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Don't hit me!" He whines. "But seriously, though. At least come to the chicken place with me and Joonmyun today." "Jongdae isn't coming?" Baekhyun shakes his head. "He has a band practice for the gig this Saturday." Kyungsoo briefly recalls Chanyeol complaining about how they wouldn't be able to work together at all that particular week because their band is preparing a new original song for the next gig. "You're coming for that one, right?" His friend tests carefully, the last bit of his sentence floating in the air. He is not taking no. "Of course I would. I say I would come on weekends, right?" Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. "Also, I'm cooking pasta tonight." "And your point is?" "Eat the chicken in my place instead. I can't go out." Baekhyun laughs. "It's a good thing that I've known you for years, Soo. I'll tell Joonmyun later." Kyungsoo is about to reply to that when the lecturer comes into the room. He sends a glare to Baekhyun before he turns off his mp3 player and takes out his books, paying attention to the lecture instead of the little fusses Baekhyun makes next to him. That night, Kyungsoo finds himself texting Chanyeol, telling him how Baekhyun seems to think that he is stealing his best friend from him. It puzzles him how Chanyeol says that it was him stealing Baekhyun's best friend. He thought Chanyeol was Baekhyun's best friend. what are you doing? are you on laptop? Kyungsoo is, in fact, sprawled on his bed again with laptop in front of his face. He is currently reading through some reference journal for his upcoming paper with 8tracks opened in the background. He initially started with a much calmer playlist, but this one is playing a house remix of Zedd's song. He is too lazy to correct back the playlist, though. Yes. Why? nothing. have you listened to the songs i gave you? Yes. well? do you like them? Kyungsoo is about to type down his answer when suddenly there is a notification informing him that for-dokyungsoo has just uploaded a playlist. He has decided to follow the account, even if it embarrasses him. The user has a good choice of music, so why not? for-dokyungsoo published you, to me It has been quite long since the last time he thought of the user. He still listen to his playlist, of course, but he thought it was all just a prank that he shouldn't mind of. He presses the play button, and immediately has Alex Turner’s voice blasting into his ears. The beginning is good, Kyungsoo is immediately hooked. This playlist is brighter than the other one, emphasizing on the joy the uploader feels towards him. If I say that I think someone is making playlists for me, would it sound weird? Chanyeol's reply doesn't come as fast as usual. Kyungsoo huffs. The songs in the playlist seems like the ones he and Chanyeol would enjoy together. He wonders if it's okay to share the playlist with him. no. you're quite popular, aren't you. It's not that.. I'm enjoying the songs but I don't know who the sender was so it's a bit uncomfortable. Am I being pranked? you have to trust the music, soo. I'll let you hear the playlist someday, I think you would like the songs. ok ^^ This time, Baekhyun doesn't have to drag Kyungsoo off from his apartment for the gig. He goes to the club himself since this time it's closer. Besides, Baekhyun has made him signed an agreement that he would come to the gig (Jongdae and Joonmyun signed as well.) He wears a simple plaid shirt over a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. His last minute decision was to style up his hair with the styling gel long forgotten in the bathroom, at least he needs the boost of confidence. “Who are you trying to impress tonight, Do?” He could hear Baekhyun's voice in his head. "Myself." He mutters under his breath as he locks up the door. The club Jongdae's band is going to perform at this time is in his walking distance, so he takes his time strolling at the wide pedestrian next to the main road. The wind tonight is nice, but he still shivers when it hits his cheeks. In no time though, he reaches the club. He lets the security checks his identity card and specifically tells him that he is to give moral support to his performing friends. The lighting in this club is much worse than the previous one, though. This one is much more dimmed, and Kyungsoo has to squint his eyes to find the table his friends are sitting at. It takes him quite long to finally find Joonmyun and Jongin sitting near the stage. "Baekhyun isn't coming yet?" He asks, taking a seat across Jongin. The young boy wears a snapback tonight, so he couldn't see his face properly. "Why are you wearing a cap?" "No, but he said that he was close already. Probably looking for some parking space," Joonmyun shrugs. "And Jongin dyed his hair today, but he isn't confident of the color." "You didn't like it!" Jongin hisses. Joonmyun frowns. "I didn't say that. It think it looks better on you if you cut your hair shorter, though." "Is it that bad?" Kyungsoo asks. Jongin sighs, taking off his cap to show him his new hair. Most of them has flattened down by the cap, though. "You should definitely cut it down, though." "Wow, new hair. Kim Jongin?" Baekhyun easily filling up the vacant spot between Kyungsoo and Joonmyun. "It's for the performance," he explains. Joonmyun's hand has come up to pet on his hair. It definitely has a good effect on him. "I will go back to the salon tomorrow." Baekhyun empties out his jacket's pocket, placing his phone and wallet on the table. "Dance?" "It's a midterm showcase. You guys should come and see, too." Jongin nods. "I would definitely come," he says. "But we don't know about Mr. I-have-my-own-plans here." Baekhyun nudges Kyungsoo's shoulder. He snorts. “I will see if I could make time.” “You should take a break from studying, you know. Dance showcase should be refreshing enough for your stiff brain.” “Shut up,” Kyungsoo sighs. “Here they come.” Jongdae and his band goes up to the stage, Chanyeol is the last one to join with a pair of drumsticks in his hands. He wears a black t-shirt and a pair of shorts. The way he smiles almost childishly as he greets the audiences almost makes Kyungsoo forgets about how much of a beast Chanyeol is when playing the drums. "Today we will be bringing you a new song, something we have worked so hard on the whole month. We hope you'll like it and love us even more." Jongdae speaks into the mic. His usually curled hair is now styled down. It makes him looks better. "I love you, vocalist!" Baekhyun shouts from his seat, earning both laughter and cat calls from all over the club. Kyungsoo thinks that it's the perfect moment to plant his face on the table and hide from the embarrassment. Jongdae just laughs, though. He turns around to check on his bandmates before finally the song starts and he turns into another man. It's the part Kyungsoo loves the most, when his friends slip into their more serious vocalist mode because they want to bring the best for the audience. The song is sweet, it suits Jongdae's vocal the best. Chanyeol's drumming is not intense, but it gives more feelings to the songs. Kyungsoo definitely realizes the doing of the tall man in the song after have listened to most of his composed song in his laptop. He finds most people enjoying it, too. And as a friend, he feels undeniably proud of them. When the song comes to end, Jongdae presents a wonderful adlib that gets everyone clapping, including Kyungsoo. It is a bit envious, how Jongdae has more room to grow when all Kyungsoo can do is sing in choir. The solo they are doing today is not Chanyeol's, but another member of the band's. It is not like Kyungsoo was looking forward to see another solo performance from the drummer, but still he tells himself that to avoid disappointment. Although he has to admit, the guitar solo is good. He couldn't deny the potential of each individual members of the band. They connect well together too, that’s why the band is really good. Soon, the performance ends and everyone claps. Kyungsoo leans back in his seat, taking a sip of the beer Baekhyun bought him. It was a bet, whether he or Baekhyun would arrive at the club first. He obviously won, and Baekhyun sourly brought him a glass of beer as promised. It surprises him when Jongdae enters the stage again with Chanyeol trailing behind him. The height and the silver hair is unmistakable. He brings Matilda with him, Kyungsoo knows by the amount of sticker on the guitar. "You don't expect this, right?" Jongdae asks playfully into the mic. "We don't want to part yet, so here we go with another song. Please sing with us if you know the song." Just with Chanyeol strumming the first chords, Kyungsoo knows immediately that it's a cover of Alex Turner’s Stuck On The Puzzle. He knows it by heart, because it has been his jam since for-dokyungsoo included it in their latest playlist. During the performance too, Kyungsoo is not sure if he is imagining that, but he finds Chanyeol staring at him almost the whole time. It is not even him singing, but why does Kyungsoo still feels like Chanyeol is dedicating the performance for him? Jongdae and Chanyeol comes to their table after they finish their routines in the backstage. They bring bottles of wine with them, each of them has this splitting grin that brings Kyungsoo headache. "We decide to buy some drinks because you are basically the reason why we had such a successful night," Jongdae says, sliding into the seat next to Baekhyun, and Chanyeol follows next to him. "Did you get a lot?" Joonmyun asks, opening of the bottle and pours some into his glass. "The manager of this club must have really liked you guys." Jongdae laughs. "I honestly thought she had a bit of crush on Jihoon, even requesting a solo performance from him." "That was requested?" Baekhyun asks in surprise. "But she let us to have one more performance, so it was okay." Chanyeol answers, pouring the wine to the rest of the glass like a nice gentleman he is. "What do you think? Jongdae and I match well, right?" He did that to tease Baekhyun, but it's Kyungsoo who answers. "It was great." Baekhyun laughs, enjoying the sudden halt of movement on Chanyeol that Kyungsoo couldn't see. "What are you talking about, of course the best duet partner for you is me." Baekhyun reaches over to pat Chanyeol's shoulder. "But I feel most compatible with Kyungsoo, though." answers Chanyeol, which gets the said man to choke on his wine. What a waste. Chanyeol hands over the water bottle he brought from the backstage to the shorter man, worry in his face. Jongdae and Baekhyun laughs a lot, though. Joonmyun has this smirk in his face and Jongin just pays his attention to his boyfriend. Kyungsoo doesn't even know if Chanyeol was kidding or not. Baekhyun manages to empty a whole bottle of wine by himself, already drunk by the time Kyungsoo just finished his third glass. Their position has somehow changed, now him being squished between Baekhyun and Chanyeol, with Jongdae taking his previous place. Bad news: the trio are louder when they are drunk. Kyungsoo spends his time stirring the liquid in his glass, contemplating if he should just leave first. But the warmth of Chanyeol's thigh pressing to his somehow makes him reluctant to go. It's not rare for their skin to brush together, and Kyungsoo doesn't know if it's him or the alcohol that makes him fuzzy whenever he catches the scent of Chanyeol's signature cologne. "I'll buy more drinks." "Get the strong ones, Yeol!" Baekhyun shouts, and Jongdae's giggles are getting even more annoying. Chanyeol flashes them a smile before he walks off towards the bar. Kyungsoo's stare lingers on his retreating back a little longer than it should be that Baekhyun catches it. He drapes an arm around Kyungsoo's shoulder, startling him. "You two should just date already," Baekhyun slurs. “It’s so funny because it’s the first time I see you so infatuated with someone.” Kyungsoo sighs. His friend reeks of alcohol, and he is doing his best not to shrug him off out of impoliteness. "Stop it, Byun." “I told him that the 8tracks thing was a good idea. Sneaks into your heart with music you like, and it should be easy because Yeol likes whatever you like. All this years knowing you, I know the only way to get into your heart is through music.“ He freezes. It feels like a bucket of ice has been dumped onto him. ”What?" “I told him to test my theory, because I’m best friends to both of you so it should be good. And he did, he made that account with stupid name-“ Baekhyun giggles, “-and who would believe that you really fall for that?” “So it’s just a test of a theory,” Kyungsoo murmurs; the grip on his shirt’s fabric has gotten so tight that his knuckles turn white. “Well, are you happy now it has been verified?” Baekhyun squeals, “Is it? Are you falling for him because of the music?” Stupidly, Kyungsoo does. And it feels humiliating. “Baekhyun! You're not supposed to tell him about that!” Jongdae slaps on Baekhyun’s shoulder with all the soberness he has left. “You should shut your mouth when you are drunk, shit.” “It’s okay,” Kyungsoo finds himself swallowing his own saliva. His throat feels too dry all of sudden. “The theory is proven, right? There is no longer need to do this. Thank you. I’m glad I could be a help.” He spits out the last words in bitterness. Even the thought of laughing feels pathetic. He gets up, getting ready to leave. “Kyungsoo, don’t believe him. It’s not like that,” Jongdae pleads. Kyungsoo stops to look at him. Somehow he couldn’t even find the strength to get angry at his friends for planning this behind him. “It’s okay if it’s like that, too.” He says before he leaves, not even sparing a glance back. Kyungsoo is glad that it is Sunday that he doesn’t have to face his friends at least for a day. He is sure Chanyeol would have asked about his whereabouts when he was back with the drinks. Baekhyun would be too drunk to tell him, but at least Joonmyun or Jongdae could tell him about what happened. They probably did. He received a lot of messages from Chanyeol when he turned his phone on this morning, most of them ended with triple question marks. Kyungsoo doesn’t even have to open them to know what they are about; the tall man is predictable anyway. It is childish how he lies under his blanket, refusing to look at his phone and opts to focus on his mp3 player instead. Music is usually the best remedy for most of his mood problems, but this time it only makes it worse. It’s not his fault that the songs from Chanyeol’s playlist are his recent most played songs, right? Chanyeol is like a tornado, Kyungsoo thinks, he comes and crashes, making a mess of his heart. His current act is a lame attempt at saving and fixing himself, trying to place the scattered pieces of his heart back again, because Chanyeol won’t be the one doing it. Kyungsoo should have known how it was dangerous to meet Chanyeol in the first place. He should have trusted his feelings, instead of having his wall of protection slowly getting crushed down as Chanyeol made his way into his heart. His phone rings again. Kyungsoo is prepared to reject the call, but it’s Joonmyun’s name flashing on the screen instead of Chanyeol and Baekhyun. He respects the oldest, and he likes him, really. Joonmyun wouldn’t mean to harm him. If Kyungsoo is lucky, he would talk about anything else but last night’s event. He presses the green button and answers the call. “Hello?" “Kyungsoo!” Joonmyun exclaims from the other end of the phone. “We have been trying to reach you since last night, but you aren’t answering our calls nor you are replying our texts. Are you okay?” He sounds genuinely worries for him. “I’m okay. I just woke up.” He lies. “Does your head hurt? Have you eaten?" “No, and no. It’s okay, I’m just resting up a bit." Joonmyun lets out a relieved sigh. Kyungsoo forgets how much of a nagging mom he could be. He is grateful to have him as a friend, though. “Eat up, and take some aspirin if it’s necessary." “Yes, mum.” Kyungsoo smiles, enjoying the treatment. Joonmyun’s laugh sounds flustered. Kyungsoo could picture his eyes disappearing into thin line, his cheeks reddening. “Don’t call me that.” He says. “Listen, about last night—" Kyungsoo may have unintentionally ended the call; he doesn’t know, his hand moved on its own accord. Unlucky, it is then. Perhaps Baekhyun has told Joonmyun to check on him, knowing he couldn’t refuse the oldest. He places his phone away, burying his face in the pillow. He has thought about it a lot this morning when he wakes up; he shouldn’t get angry. He shouldn’t get upset about some little prank Byun Baekhyun set up with his friend for him. It was nice while it lasted, having someone who could understand the way he loves music. Park Chanyeol was too perfect, too ideal. Someone he couldn’t have in reality. What a relief. Sorting out his thoughts like this makes Kyungsoo feels better. he should be able to face his friends on Monday with cool head, perhaps thanking Baekhyun for letting him experience such great times. It was probably his best prank, Kyungsoo has to admit. He doesn’t understand why his heart doesn’t want to cooperate and still giving him those painful squeezes instead. “You are avoiding me,” Baekhyun says. he is already seated in his usual seat in the class. He is not early, Kyungsoo just intentionally goes to the college later in the clock. “I’m not. I’m still sitting next to you.” Kyungsoo calmly says. “Look, what I said that night was not accurate. You know how I am when I get drunk, Soo." “I know. That reminds me, I have to admit that this is the best prank you pulled this year. Congratulations.” Kyungsoo smiles briefly, before he directs back his attention on the textbook. “It’s not a prank!” Baekhyun insists. “Okay, I’m in no position to tell you about how Chanyeol really feels, but at least get back to your senses, Kyungsoo, you know that I don’t screw around with someone’s feelings, least of all my own best friend." Kyungsoo hums. He checks the digital clock on his phone; the class would start in five minutes, and that means that is the amount of time he has to endure more of Baekhyun’s pointless talking. “Fine, be that way. Now I understand why people don’t date you.” Baekhyun crosses his arms, attempting to look upset. But he doesn’t leave his seat, a sign that he is not entirely upset but more worried. The lecturer finally comes in like a saint. Kyungsoo quickly tidies up his earphones and mp3 player, busying himself so he doesn’t have to engage in more conversation with his friend. Baekhyun pulls out something from his bag and shoves it to Kyungsoo’s face. It’s a CD, something Kyungsoo remembers seeing in Chanyeol’s room. “He says that you would at least trust music, so he told me to give you this. Give it a listen, and think over again, Soo. Chanyeol is not the type to mess with music.” He says. “Promise me to listen to it properly, at least I need to make sure of this to pay for the damage I have done to ruin your beautiful relationship.” “I will,” Kyungsoo says, but he doesn’t even touch the CD. Baekhyun sighs. “So stubborn,” he mutters under his breath. He takes Kyungsoo’s bag and puts the CD inside, making sure it’s protected from any harm. Kyungsoo pretends he didn’t see that. It takes Kyungsoo exactly four days to finally insert the CD into a player. Curiosity kills the cat, they say, and while Kyungsoo is not a cat, he is afraid he would kill his neighbour’s cat with the amount of curiosity he holds in his chest. It takes him another day to finally open Chanyeol’s unread messages piling up in the chat room. It takes him another hour to finally reply the message. I listened well to the songs. He sends it with a nervous heart. He is watching the newest episode of Crime Scene in the living room, a bowl of ramyun in his hand, when the doorbell suddenly rings. No one would ring the bell but the delivery man. His friends have picked up the habit of calling his phone and tells him to open the door instead of ringing the bell. Kyungsoo places his bowl on the table, swallowing the last bit of ramyun he has in his mouth. the television screen is showing how the detective chooses one suspect to get a handcuff vote; he cringes when it's his favorite player. The bell rings again, reminding him to rush for the door. It's his mistake, he should have checked through the peephole first, because now he has to face Park Chanyeol, dressed like he is going to step on the stage soon. "Did you listen to it?" He asks softly. His voice brings a rush of warmth all over Kyungsoo's body. "I did." Kyungsoo answers. "It was your voice I fell for first." Chanyeol suddenly confesses, surprising him. "I heard it the first time I visit Baekhyun to his choir practice. I didn't know it was you; I had to bribe Baekhyun so he could tell me your name. He told me your 8tracks account, because I have one too. From there, I found out that we have similar taste of music, and it makes me even happier. That time, I felt like music is the only thing that could connect us together." "Baekhyun keeps saying that you wouldn't like me, that you and I wouldn't suit each other. I decided not to do anything about it, to keep it for myself. But then you showed up in that music class and I thought that this is my only chance to get you to know me." Chanyeol smiles bitterly. "The 8tracks account was Jongdae's idea, because it's perhaps the only thing that would gather your attention. It just goes from there, I guess. Remember that one time you said you liked the anonymous playlists? I thought that it was the right thing to do, that I wouldn't regret it. But for you to think that it's all troubling you, I have to apologize. I was too selfish, after all." In his twenty something life receiving confessions, nothing has been even close to blunt. Sometimes they are secret love letters hidden in his shoe locker, a slipped note in his textbook, but never a blatant confession like what Park Chanyeol has just done. He doesn't know how to react, because a simple yes or no doesn't seem to do it. He looks at Chanyeol's face. The taller man looks so dejected, Kyungsoo wonders if he could fake such an expression, too. "Park Chanyeol," Kyungsoo starts, "you were the one who told me to trust music. If I receive a music that only tells me how much I like a person, even after he made me feel bad for days, should I trust it too?" Chanyeol smiles, "You are the one who should decide about that, but I think you should go for it, especially when the person is willing to try another chance with you." "Cheeky," Kyungsoo smiles back. "Can I," Chanyeol scratches his nose, feeling embarrassed. It amazes Kyungsoo how fast he changes from earlier. "Can I hug you?" He steps backward into his apartment, subtly inviting the other man to come in, "I don't know, can you?" He grins. "Cheeky," Chanyeol laughs, but he steps into the apartment and closes the door behind him. They stand shyly for a few moments, until Chanyeol finally takes courage and pulls Kyungsoo into his arms. The warmth he is engulfed in is unfamiliar, but somehow very comfortable to Kyungsoo. He presses his forehead against Chanyeol’s chest, too shy to look anywhere else but their toes. He is sure that the sound of his heart beating is so loud, the silver haired man could even hear it if he pays attention well. But he could also feel the quickening beat in Chanyeol’s chest, so it’s okay. They stay like that for a while until a phone ring disturbs their peace. Kyungsoo almost jumps out of Chanyeol’s arm if he doesn’t hold onto his waist tighter. “That’s mine.” Kyungsoo pulls out the phone from the pocket of his shorts. The screen is flashing Jongdae’s name. Frowning, he picks up the call. “Hello?” “I don’t know what you two are doing, but please, Kyungsoo, I need my drummer tonight.” Jongdae speaks so fast Kyungsoo almost couldn’t catch it. Chanyeol laughs, flustered, as if he just remembers how he is supposed to be on the stage with his bandmates instead of rushing to Kyungsoo’s house the moment he gets the reply. “Oh my god.” He clutches onto his stomach with his other hand. “Park Chanyeol! Get your lanky limbs over here right now!” Jongdae screams loud enough that Kyungsoo doesn’t even need to put the call on speaker for Chanyeol to hear that. “Are you supposed to be at the gig now?” Kyungsoo asks after he ends the call. “Yeah, I kind of acted impulsively when I received your message.” Chanyeol scratches the back of his neck. “Do you want to come with me?” “To the club? But I’m not dressed or anything-” “I will wait. It means a lot to me if you could come.” Kyungsoo takes a deep breath, attempting to clear his mind. But the answer is obvious already. “Wait for me downstairs, I will come in five minutes.” Chanyeol salutes. “Okay,” he says, but he doesn’t move a bit. “Go,” Kyungsoo waves his hand. Chanyeol strides forward instead, closing the gap between them by pressing his lips against Kyungsoo’s, surprising him. It’s brief, but enough to make Kyungsoo appear shocked. The silver haired man laughs at him, “I’ll wait downstairs.” He says before disappearing behind the door. And it’s the start of Do Kyungsoo’s miserable life. At least now he has Park Chanyeol with him. It is easier to finish their song since then. A lot of kisses are sneaked in during their work, but Kyungsoo doesn't complain. They somehow motivate him to finish the song earlier. Chanyeol was the one who submitted the CD to their teacher, hiding the last bit of his editing to Kyungsoo. His boyfriend just rolls his eyes, knowing that he eventually would find out. "Check your 8tracks," Chanyeol says over the phone. They can’t meet that day because Kyungsoo insisted to do his homework instead of hanging out with his boyfriend at Hangang park because his future is still more important. Of course he said that half-heartedly to tease Chanyeol. "I uploaded something." Kyungsoo clicks the Home icon on 8tracks website, waiting for the page to load before him. He has finally friended Chanyeol’s real account on 8tracks, and listened to all of his playlists. They have promised each other to make a playlist collaboration later, but Kyungsoo is secretly preparing a playlist he dedicates for Chanyeol. It isn’t ready yet though, with the finals come crashing he didn’t really have time to make more playlists. for-dokyungsoo published us, against the world "The title, really?" Kyungsoo smiles, and Chanyeol laughs to hide his embarrassment away. He thought of that title the whole night, even sleep couldn’t come to him. He would go for a less cliche title, but he wants to show Kyungsoo how serious he is about their relationship. "Just listen to it. I poured my heart into it." "I know, that's why I love you, right?" Chanyeol smiles widely, the one that stretches to the corners of his eyes. "I love you, too." If you'd like to leave a comment but don't have a Dreamwidth account, fret not: anonymous commenting is on. If you want to comment on the LJ mirror, you may do so HERE. Thanks! ♥ |
no subject