#lucyxyou

[whatsk-poppinhomies]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐫

𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 : 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐲𝐞𝐨𝐩 𝐱 𝐅!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 : 𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟/𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤-𝐢𝐬𝐡/ 𝐒𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭𝐲

𝐓𝐖 : 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 ; 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ; 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 ; 

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 𝟖.𝟗𝐤

𝐀/𝐍 : 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟. 𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐘 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍, 𝐄𝐍𝐇𝐘𝐏𝐄𝐍, 𝐓𝐗𝐓, 𝐁𝐓𝐒, 𝐂𝐈𝐗, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐔𝐒 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝.

The feedback from your mic rang out from the speakers that were set up beside you alongside the multitude of other instruments that you had brought along. “A one man band, they’d love it! You’d get such a big crowd!” Your friend had suggested after the two of you had gone into a music shop, just another one of your daily ventures to try to find a job. You had been turned down, but you decided to try to enjoy the time you were there to try to forget about the fact that you had just been rejected for what felt like the millionth time. 

You went through all of the sections, messing around with every instrument that was set out, but your favorite by far was the guitar with violin coming in close second. Guitar had been your hobby for the longest time, something that you picked up just to do for fun, but nobody really knew that you played. You never thought that you were good enough to play in front of a crowd, and you never thought about playing it in front of your friends, the thought of it just seemed silly. What you hadn’t expected was your friend's reaction to seeing you play though, she was acting like you were some kind of legend on the guitar when all you were really doing was plucking out some tabs and strumming a couple chords on an acoustic. That’s when her plan had been hatched, and she must have been thinking a lot about it because by the time you saw her next she had everything mapped out, an entire game plan on how you were going to make some extra money. 

Now, here you were, standing on the corner of one of the busiest streets on a Friday night, the street lights and the neon lights from the buildings casting a spotlight down on you, making you the focus of every passerby’s attention. One thing that your friend hadn’t taken into consideration was just how much you hated being the center of attention, especially when it came down to something like this. You never thought that being booed off a street corner would be one of your biggest fears, yet here you were, sweating bullets as the crowd around you grew larger. 

“You could get picked up by a producer, you could be the next big solo artist. You won’t know unless you try it out though!” Your friend was more excited about this than you were, mainly because she wasn’t the one out here doing this. By the time you had finally prepared and got ready to start playing she had already disappeared in the crowd, her face hidden by the sea of others that had come to watch you play. She was crazy, no doubt, the last thing that you had ever thought about becoming was a solo artist and right above that was being a busker on the street. There were a lot of things that you never thought you’d be doing, but life had a funny way of putting you in the position to do them. 

Once you had started playing though, it was like you had gone into a world of your own, your lips barely brushing the mic as you belted out the song. Singing was something that you had always reserved for when you were alone in the shower, but it seemed like everyone was loving it, or at least they weren’t booing you off yet. It wasn’t your own song that you were singing, it was one of the songs that you loved though by a band that deserved far more recognition than they got. You knew the lyrics to all of their songs by heart, you had learned them on guitar and violin, something that you sadly couldn’t show the crowd right now because you couldn’t play both instruments and sing at once. 

You had come up with an entire setlist to play through on the spot, only giving yourself enough time to get a sip of water in between songs before jumping right into another one. You had all but forgotten about the crowd that had grown larger at some point in the midst of your performance. It didn’t actually feel like you were performing though, you were having fun, you were doing what you loved to do which made it easier to ignore the multitudes of eyes that were hyper focused on you. 

All of the nervousness and awkwardness that you had felt at the start had all but disappeared, and it only came back when you had strummed the last chord of the very last song that you were playing, the crowd erupting into applause for you. You didn’t know what to do or how to react, so you simply bowed your head to them, whispering a soft thank you into the mic before turning your back to them to start packing up your guitar. You never thought that anything would come of the performance, you had never dreamt that your life would change so drastically. 

“Y/N!! You’re all over Youtube and TikTok!” Your friend called from the living room, but before you had the chance to leave your bedroom to see what she was talking about, her footsteps had sounded out in the hallway to signal that she was coming to you instead. “You’re famous!” She shouted out from right outside your door, her fist banging against the wood impatiently. She had the tendency to go overboard and be slightly over dramatic about things, and you thought the same about her sudden declaration of your apparent fame, but when you opened your bedroom door you were met with her phone right in your line of sight. 

Over a million views on a video that had been recorded from what seemed to be the front of the crowd that had been gathered around you. You knew that people sometimes recorded buskers and uploaded them online, and you knew that sometimes those performers made it big, but you never thought that you would be one of those people. “Are there any comments?” You whispered, your heart beating rapidly as you stared at her screen. She scoffed in disbelief at your question, scrolling down to the comment section that had about a thousand comments. 

You immediately grabbed her phone out of her hand, something that she didn’t even fight against, walking straight to the couch as she followed behind you. “They’re all really positive, they want to see you perform again.” She said, reading over your shoulder, but it seemed like she had already read through the comments herself based on what she was saying. “They want to know who you are, you don’t even have a name for yourself. Maybe you should make a Youtube channel for yourself, I heard that people can get famous like that too.” 

Shaking your head, you handed her phone back to her, the thrumming in your ears from your heartbeat and the nervous flipping of your stomach was all the answer that you needed for yourself to know that doing something like that would be a bad idea for you. “I don’t want to actually be famous… I can’t handle that kind of attention. I’m fine with being a secret performer, and I don’t even know if I’ll be able to perform again. It was a one time thing, and I made a lot of money doing it… I’m fine.” 

Your friend rolled her eyes, turning off her phone and slipping it into her pocket before turning her body completely in your direction. The way that she looked at you made it obvious that she was judging you for your decision, but it didn’t really matter, it was your choice to make, not hers. “I watched you perform, I was there. I saw it in this video and the multitude of others that’ve been uploaded here and everywhere else. You love it, I can see that you love it.” You pursed your lips, letting out a loud sigh as you continued to shake your head. It wasn’t that she was wrong though, you really did love playing out there, but you weren’t even sure if you’d be able to do it again, it might have just been a one time thing, and you didn’t want to be the equivalent of a one hit wonder on the streets. That kind of reputation would be humiliating to you, and you just wouldn’t be able to handle it. “Y/N… You become a whole different person when you’re out there. I don’t think it’s that you change though… I think the inner you shines through. The Y/N that I saw performing the other night is the real Y/N, and she loves performing, and I don’t think it’s fair to keep her locked away just because this Y/N doesn’t think she can do it.” 

You narrowed your eyes at her, your face contorted into one of confusion as you tried to make sense of her ramblings. “You said my name so many times it sounds weird when I even think about it.” You mumbled, closing your eyes and bringing your fingers to your temples to rub them as if willing your brain to understand her. “I don’t know why this is such a big deal to you though. The chances of a street performer actually making it big is very slim, you know that, right?” 

She nodded quickly, her arms crossing over her chest as a small smile formed on her lips, her eyes glued to you. “There’s a chance though, and that means that you have a chance. I don’t want my best friend to be stuck working in some boring 9 to 5 job or working behind a cash register or in a stockroom for the rest of her life like the rest of us.” Her smile fell slightly, but just enough for you to notice as she slumped down into the couch. “You have talent, you have a chance, and it would be really sad if you didn’t take that chance, Y/N. You don’t need to do it for me… But do it for yourself, everybody already loves you, the only way you can go is up. Plus…” Her smile wavered, but it quickly turned to a mischievous grin as your eyes locked. “This could be your chance to finally meet your favorite band. I’m sure they’ve watched your video.” 

Your breath hitched in your throat as you thought about it, your stomach now doing acrobatics as you imagined Sangyeop sitting down and watching the video of you performing. “Fine!” You shouted, groaning loudly as your face fell into your hands. “You know, I thought we were in the same class when we were taught about peer pressure.” You mumbled into your palms, your eyes shut tight as you tried to control your breathing. “I never thought you’d be the one peer pressuring me.” 

She giggled lightly, patting your knee a couple times before pulling her phone out of her pocket. “Great! I’ll put out posts everywhere to let everyone know that you’ll be performing again on the same street. Everyone is going to be so excited. I’m happy for you already, I know you’re going to make it.” You could only hope that she was right at this point, because even though she had said that the only way you could go was up, you knew that if she was wrong, you’d be deeper than rock bottom at the end of it. 

The date had been set up and the amount of people that were commenting about seeing you play was astonishing to you. You never would have thought that you’d become this popular, especially not as a street busker, but for some reason everyone loved you. Your friend was beside you the whole time, cheering you on from the front lines and keeping you calm just in case you started to panic a little. “There’s nothing for you to worry about, just do what you did the first time. I’ve heard you practicing and somehow you sound even better. They’re going to love it, they already love you.” Her words that were meant to ease your mind only made it feel like more weight was added onto your shoulders. 

When the day of the performance rolled around, that’s when the panic really set in. Your chest felt like it was tightening and your hands were shaking as you carried out the speakers and slid them into the back of her car. Your guitar had its own spot in the second row and so did your mic and it’s stand. Your friend was already treating you as if you were famous, handing you a pair of tinted sunglasses and a baseball cap as if you’d be noticed right outside your house. You weren’t sure if she was doing it seriously or if she was just trying to be funny, but the ridiculousness of it was enough to keep your mind busy long enough to calm down just a little. 

The car ride didn’t take long and once you had gotten to your destination that overwhelming feeling of anxiety took over once more. The amount of people that were crowded around this street corner could only be compared to a sold out show. People were shoulder to shoulder, traffic couldn’t even move through the street because there were so many people, not that it seemed to be a problem though because the road had been blocked off at some point in preparation for your performance. You didn’t feel like just some busker, you didn’t feel like a street performer, and you weren’t even sure what you had done to pick up such a following which had you believing that this entire thing had just been some very detailed, perfectly thought out dream that your subconscious was playing through in its entirety. 

Your hands were shaking as you grabbed the handle to open the car door, your stomach already flipping, that all too familiar nauseous feeling making itself known, but your friend was already climbing out of the car and grabbing the speakers out of the back. That in itself had the group erupting into a chorus of cheers and applause, they wanted to see you perform, they were waiting for you. “Do you hear that?” She called out, her voice barely audible through the noise of the crowd. Of course you heard it, but you knew that it was a rhetorical question, one that was meant to build your excitement instead of terrify you. 

It didn’t feel like you had much of a choice, you didn’t want to leave everyone waiting, so you reluctantly stepped out of the car, your small, hesitant movement had the crowd roaring. The welcome that you received was much like one that a famous idol would get when walking through an airport, it was one that you felt you weren’t worthy of receiving. You kept your head down as you grabbed your guitar and the mic stand from the backseat of the car, slinging the guitar case over your shoulder and heading over to the corner that had at some point been made your own. “This is a much bigger crowd than the first time…” You whispered to your friend as you hooked everything up behind you, but your worry seemed to fly over her head, your obvious statement only had her smiling wider as she looked out at all the people, clearly seeing and feeling something much different from what you were right now. 

“You’ll do great, just play and sing like no one is watching, like you played the first time. You’re going to do great, I know it.” She murmured back to you, and you really wished that it was that easy. It was easy for her to say it back she wasn’t the one performing in front of so many people, she got to join them in the crowds to watch you. Once everything was done being set up, it would only be you there, it was only you performing and potentially making a fool of yourself. You weren’t cut out for fame, you weren’t searching for the limelight, but somehow it had found you, and you weren’t sure if you’d be able to handle it. 

What seemed like a million flashlights were pointed in your direction as you finished up your setlist, another full setlist of Lucy songs, but this time around you had had time to practice, to perfect every note that you played on the guitar, to make sure you sang in perfect pitch. In the performance department, you had been more than ready, and that’s what everyone had been watching. No one seemed to notice that you had begun sweating bullets by the second song, and no one seemed to notice that your entire body was as tense as a statue as you stood in front of them. People said that things like this would get easier the more you did them, but it seemed like the first time you had performed was the easiest. The first time you had been unaware of just how many people had come over to watch you play. This time you had seen them, the multitudes of people who were waiting for you, and that visual had made it harder. How could anyone expect you to be some sort of idol when you couldn’t even handle seeing the fans that you apparently now had? 

“It’s rare to see a label use busking to promote their new artist, especially when the busking is being done by the new artist and they’re not even singing their own songs.” It wasn’t your friend's voice that had come from behind you as you were packing away your guitar, it was a males voice, and it had you quickly jumping to your feet and whipping around to face the man who was now standing face to face with you. Your quick movement had startled him though, making him jump back in shock from your sudden reaction. One thing that you absolutely weren’t ever going to be ready for was the possibility of male fans that could follow you home or find out where you live or try to talk to you when you were doing the most basic human things. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that.” He said quickly, bowing his head to you. 

The strangest thing was that you felt like you knew his face, even if it was shadowed by his wide brimmed baseball cap and the other half of it was covered by a face mask. It was the eyes, they stuck out to you, but you couldn’t be one hundred percent sure that you were seeing who you thought you were seeing. “I don’t have a label… I’m not an artist.” You murmured, already beginning to take apart the mic stand so you could pack it away and slide it back into your friend's car… Your friend who you couldn’t seem to find right now. “I’m just singing the songs that I love, and I feel like the songs that I’m singing deserve more recognition for how amazing they are.” You added, and it looked like the man's face lit up, at least that’s the way it looked in his eyes which were barely visible in the poor lighting of the street. 

“Well it seems like they’re getting the recognition that you feel they deserve… Their songs are good though.” He said, but it almost sounded like he was laughing, trying his best to hide the fact that he was, but it was audible in the tone of his voice and visible in the way that his chest shook slightly. “So… Do you have a favorite member? Do you have a bias?” You eyed him quizzically, mainly confused by the fact that whoever this person was wanted to have a conversation with you about your biases right now. “I like Yechan, his solos are so good.” He said, and for some reason it sounded almost fake the way he said, which was just another thing you couldn’t understand. You weren’t sure why someone would lie about their bias, but it didn’t really bother you, all you wanted to do was get home and go to sleep so you could wake up and most likely be bombarded by your friend about a new video being posted. 

You shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly, turning to face the man once more with a sheepish smile. “Uhm… I mean, I love Yechan and I learned some of his parts on my own violin but… Sangyeop is my favorite. I love the way he sings and… well, I’m not going to go into detail… But yeah, Sangyeop is my bias.” It was nice to be able to talk to someone about who your bias in the band was, you rarely found other people who enjoyed them the way you did, and whenever you tried to talk to your friend about them she only seemed to go along to make you happy. “Well…” You said sheepishly, looking around you and seeing that the crowd had already begun to thin out. “I should get going. It was nice talking to you… Whoever you are.”

He snorted softly, shaking his head as he started to fumble in his pockets. Your fight or flight reaction kicked in and you were leaning toward the flight part, a sense of panic and dread filling you as you watched his hand slowly pull out of his jeans. You almost laughed at yourself when you saw the little rectangular piece of paper and a pen, something that you didn’t think anyone really carried around nowadays, but it was almost comical that you had almost ran away from him because of that. “Here, this is my number… If you want to actually join a label or something, I could show the videos that people have been posting and have them get in touch with you.” Your eyes narrowed as you looked between him and the piece of paper that he was now holding out to you. You reluctantly grabbed it, finally looking him in the eye, and that’s when it hit you, the realization finally kicking in as you stared at him, but you couldn’t muster anything but silence. “It’s really nice hearing that I’m your bias though. I hope you’ll give me a call, maybe we can do a song together.” You couldn’t say anything, you were in a state of complete shock as you looked at him, your mouth hung open and your breath stuck in your lungs as you tried to come to terms with what you had just been told. “Get home safely, I’ll see you around… hopefully.” 

The shock wasn’t something that would wear off anytime soon. When you got home you couldn’t even speak, you couldn’t find the words to say and you didn’t even know how you’d tell your friend who seemed to grow even more worried with each passing second of your silence. It’s not just the shock that was keeping you silent though, it was also that you knew that if you told her about what had happened, she would be all over you. She’d be urging you and annoying you to call his number until you finally decide to do it just to shut her up and get her off your back. It’s not even that you don’t want to call him, it’s that you’re too nervous right now. The last thing that you expected when you were busking was for your bias to basically come up and compliment you on your performance and then give you his phone number. It wasn’t something that happened every day for buskers… right? 

“Can you just tell me what happened? You’ve been acting weird ever since you played and that’s been like… a week now.” Your friend said, sitting across from you at the kitchen table. You carried the small paper with his number around with you everywhere, worried that she’d find it and question what it was. You still hadn’t called it though, and you didn’t know if you ever would. It’s not like you hadn’t talked to her at all, the only reason she thought you were acting weird is because you still hadn’t told her about what happened. “Come on, Y/N! I’m your best friend, you’re supposed to tell me these things. I can cheer you up if you need it.” 

That was the funny part that she didn’t know though. You didn’t need to be cheered up, what you really needed was to be calmed down. There were random moments during the span of a day where you’d think about the conversation that you had with him and your heart would start beating way too fast to be healthy and you’d need to calm yourself down. You didn’t really know how to keep it from happening, but you knew that if you called him or texted him that those moments would happen way more often than even now. “I’m fine, really. Just thinking of what I can play the next time I go out.” You gave her the half lie, and it was only half because you did want to go out and play again, not for the same reason she wanted you to though, but because you thought that if you did, he would be there again. You weren’t actually thinking about playing though, you were thinking about meeting him again, you were thinking about texting him, you were only thinking about him. 

“You want to play again?!” She cheered out, all signs of her worrying seemed to disappear completely as if they were never even there in the first place. “I can set it up for you again, I can put out a couple posts. Your fans are going to be so happy. Can you believe that though? You’re not an idol, you’re just a street performer and you already have fans… Not that you don’t deserve them but… You know?” You nodded, although you had only been half listening to her rambling. “Alright, cool! I’ll go start putting out the posts and stuff and you can go practice the new songs that you’ll be playing. Maybe this time some producer or something will come along and see you play. That would be amazing!” She pushed herself up from her chair and ran to her room. She was none the wiser that something like that had already happened. 

Now that she was gone and you were left alone at the table, the little paper that was left in your wallet in your bedroom seemed to have some type of gravitational pull, like it was calling out for you to actually use it. You had been thinking about texting him for so long that it was the only thing you could think about at this point. It would be better to just get it done. You could only hope that he would still remember who you were. It’s been a week since he’s given you his number, you hoped that it wasn’t too late. 

You ran into your room, shutting the door and locking it behind you as you retrieved the paper from your wallet, falling down on your bed and staring at it, your reluctance keeping you from pulling your phone out of your pocket and texting him right that second. You knew that you needed to get it done before your friend finished putting out the posts, and you knew how quick she was with doing it. If you were going to text him, you needed to do it now. There was no time for hesitation, if your friend saw that you were texting someone she’d question you non stop about it. She was much like a mother to you, and while you appreciated her care most of the time, sometimes it was just annoying, although you’d never tell her that. 

“Hi, this is Y/N. We talked last week after my busking, you said to text you if I wanted to join a label or something and… Well this isn’t really a text about that because I… I’m not sure if I could handle that kind of fame. I kind of just wanted to talk to you about it….” You sent the text without even reading it over, but once it was on your screen in the little bubble, you let your eyes wander over the words that you had written and you realized that it probably seemed a lot like all you wanted to do was talk to him. That point isn’t exactly false, but you did want to know more about joining a label and being picked up by one, you wanted to know what it was like. You didn’t even know if he’d write you back, you hoped that he would though. 

The first day passed and you didn’t get a response, your initial thought was that he was busy, it wouldn’t be far fetched, he’s a busy guy and there were more important things for him to handle than texting you back immediately. The second day that passed had you thinking the same thing, you weren’t worried that he had forgotten you, although the thought lingered in the back of your head. The third and fourth day had your hope dwindling, and by that point you felt like it would be better to just give up, to stop worrying about it in general. You had a performance to prepare for in another two days and most of your practice time your mind had been occupied by thoughts of whether or not he’d text you back at all. 

By the sixth day you had practically forgotten about texting him, the paper that was still in your wallet didn’t carry the same power that it seemed to have before you had texted him at all. You had made your move and the ball wasn’t in your court anymore. If he didn’t want to text you back, that was on him and there was nothing you could do about it. Even if you wanted to do something about it, you didn’t have time, you had a performance to do in the evening and you needed to practice as much as you could before you had to head out. 

“Seems like you’ve loosened up a lot since that last performance, maybe your nerves just had the best of you.” Your friend pointed out as she loaded everything back into her car. You were on the passenger side putting your guitar and your microphone stand into the backseats, shrugging your shoulders as you shut the door. “You’re becoming a natural, that’s why you need to be picked up by someone. They’d be lucky to have an artist like you under their label, Y/N.” You hummed quietly, not trying to sound disinterested, but all you really wanted to do was get to the street corner that had somehow become your own and start playing. “I think even more people are going to be there tonight. Your fan base is growing which is really good. Big labels see that and would want to sign someone that already has a following.” 

She was trying so hard to hype you up as she got into the driver's side, her own body bouncing with her own excitement, her imagination running rampant most likely with thoughts of what it would be like if you did get famous. It still wasn’t what you wanted though, being famous wasn’t necessary, and you didn’t want to make music to make money, you did it because music made people happy and you wanted to be one of those artists that did it for the fans, not the money. “You know that being signed isn’t a big deal to me. What matters is that people like the music, that they enjoy it.” You mumbled, sliding down into your seat. She glanced over at you as she pulled up to the red light, her head tilted and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. 

“You’re acting weird again… not tense weird, but just… weird weird.” She said, shaking her head as the light turned green again, letting out a quiet sigh. “You know that you don’t have to do this just because I’m asking you to.” You nodded slowly, and you already knew that that was the case, but she didn’t seem to think you understood what she meant, or maybe she was just trying to keep the conversation going to fill the silence of the car. “I’m serious. I know that I seem kind of pushy, but if you want to go home right now I’ll turn the car around.” 

Your tongue clicked against the roof of your mouth as you thought about it, really letting what she said run through your head. You could go home, but that would also mean letting everyone who had come out to see you down. That wouldn’t be right, they had already been promised another performance and you weren’t going to be the type of person to change your mind last minute. It’s not like you didn’t want to do it, it wasn’t that at all, but you couldn’t tell your friend that. “No, you don’t have to turn around…” You let out a giggle that sounded way too awkward, but she didn’t seem to pick up on it at all, the corners of her lips pulling up into a small smile when she heard the sound. “I’ll be fine, it’s probably just my nerves getting the best of me again.” You used your nerves way too often as the reasoning behind your strange behavior and luckily your friend knew you as the type of person to get nervous often so she bought it. Maybe one day you’d be able to tell her that the reason you had acted so strangely was because you had met Sangyeop and that he had never responded to your message, but now wasn’t the time for that. As much as she tried to say that she wasn’t pushy and that she’d never make you do something you didn’t want to do, if she knew about him, she would most likely push you harder. You knew what you needed to do, and you knew that you were capable of doing it, you just needed to do it at your own pace on your own time. You’d get over what had happened, it would just take some time.

 The last note rang out of the speakers as you finished another set, another show to write down in the books and somehow the crowd had grown even more. You never expected to see so many people, but they all cheered for you when you had come up on stage, and they cheered when you finished a song, and the round of applause and the roar of the crowd after you had finished the show entirely was something that you had only heard in concerts for famous bands before. It felt like a dream and you weren’t sure if you’d ever be able to get used to the sound of it or the sight of so many faces looking up at you, you weren’t sure how anyone got used to the feeling. It was unreal, but instead of the nervousness that you had felt during previous performances, you felt… excited, you felt like you could smile, you truly enjoyed it. 

“You might need to book a venue if you play again. They’re gonna start wrapping around the street corner soon.” Just like before, the voice came from behind you as you were packing away your things, and just like before, it wasn’t your friend's voice. It was the same voice from before, and now you had a name to go with the voice and the face that went with it was one that you had dreamt of many nights. “You did great tonight. Sometimes I feel like you play our songs better than we do.” He was… joking… He was joking around as if he hadn’t left you with silence for the past week after you had texted him. He was acting like the two of you were good friends instead of what it really was. You were just a busker, he was an idol, you were just a fan and he was the star. You had tried to take him up on the offer that he had given you, but you were either too late, or he just didn’t care. Whatever the reason, it didn’t make it fair for him to give you the whiplash that you were feeling right now with the way he was acting. 

With a quick zip of your guitar case, you swung it onto your shoulder, turning on your heel and looking him straight in the face. Sure, looking at him this way had your heart racing, but he didn’t have to know that. “Yeah well, booking a venue might be kind of hard when you’re a nobody like me. Thanks for the recommendation though, I’ll be sure to try it out, although I didn’t get much of a response with the first one.” You said, the sharpness of your tone clearly taking him back, his eyes widening momentarily as he stared at you, but you weren’t going to give him much more of your time. You had wasted a week overthinking everything and wondering if you’d ever get a response from him and you’d be damned if you were going to waste another second of your time on him. “I need to go, have a good night.” 

With a wave of your hand you started walking away, but his footsteps quickly followed behind you as you walked to your friend's car. If she saw him, she wouldn’t let you sit with your thoughts during the car ride home or even when you got home. If you stopped to talk to him you’d have to face the embarrassment of the possible fact that he just hadn’t gotten the message and the fact that you wasted a week of your life worrying about a text that hadn’t even been seen or noticed. Both were awful, but you valued your peace and you valued your sanity that your friend would surely chip away at if she thought there was a boy in your life, so you quickly turned around to face him, your jaw set as you looked up at him. “Wh-” He started, but he quickly caught himself, blinking a few times as he racked his brain for what to say. “I feel like you’re mad at me, and I’m not really sure why…” Your arms crossed in front of your chest and your teeth sank down into your tongue to keep from ranting at him, waiting for him to try to figure it out himself… Hoping that he’d figure it out himself. “Did you… Did you try to text me?” You gave him a face that was your way of telling him that he’s onto it, that he’s getting somewhere, and then his eyes went wide, his mouth hanging open slightly as sudden realization kicked in for him. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry… I… My phone broke and I had to get a new one and I got a new number because I didn’t want to go through the hassle of switching over all my data and…” Your eyes narrowed at him, the story seeming almost fake, like an excuse to get out of having to say that he just didn’t want to text you back. “I’m serious. Look… If you texted me, and I was just ignoring you, why would I have come here tonight to talk to you?” His head tilted to the side and his eyes softened, and you could see it in his eyes that he was telling the truth, and that’s when that sudden wave of embarrassment washed over you. 

You sighed loudly, adjusting the strap of your guitar case that felt twenty times heavier on your shoulder now, and you couldn’t seem to find the words to say. “So… Now what? I messaged you and… I just wanted to know what comes along with being signed onto a label, I wanted to know if it was a good choice. I didn’t know what to do…” Now it felt like you were rambling, but as you kept watching him, it didn’t seem like he was getting annoyed with you, it didn’t even seem like he was bothered by it. If anything, it looked more like he was enjoying it, a look of amusement in his eyes as his lips twitched up into a small smile. 

“Well, if it’s alright with you and whoever you’re riding with, we don’t have to just talk about it over the phone or through messages. There’s a cafe that stays open 24 hours, so, if you’d like, we can go there.” The inner fangirl in you was jumping all over the offer, your heart thrumming uncontrollably in your chest at the mere thought of sitting across from him in a cafe. Of course, the rational side of you was stuck on the thought of having to explain to your friend what you were doing and where you were going and who you were with. You would never hear the end of it, especially if she knew who exactly he was and what he did. “It won’t take long, and if your friend wants to come too, they can.” Obviously you didn’t want that. Your friend would do all the talking for you, and while you loved her to death, you wouldn’t get a word in edgewise and it would ruin what could potentially be something good. 

“I’ll uhm… I’ll go tell her what’s up…” You whispered, suddenly shy again, walking backwards towards the parking lot where your friend's car was, keeping him in your line of sight until you got close enough to the road and then you started running. As soon as you were at the car you were sliding your guitar into the backseat, almost breathless from the mixture of excitement and the endurance from the running. “You can go home, I’ll be back later. I promise I’ll tell you all about it when I get back, but I have to go now.” You said it as quickly as possible, not even giving her a second to question what you were doing before practically slamming the backdoor shut and running back to where you had left Sangyeop. This was like a dream, at least that’s what it felt like, but even if it was, you hadn’t felt this excited, this hopeful in so long, you wanted to give yourself the time to revel in it. 

Sitting in the tiny recording booth, your back to the glass window behind you, the headphones covering your ears and relaying the instrumental track that you had worked for what felt like weeks on. Working on your first single was something that had both excitement and fear building up within you, the excitement of finally creating something that was your own and the fear of the reception it would receive. 

It was the last run in the studio, the final recording and then it would be mastered and edited to line up perfectly with the instrumentals and the closer it got to that final moment, the more you were beginning to relax. You could feel the eyes on your back as you sat on the stool and you didn’t have to turn around to see who was looking at you. They brought along with them a comforting aura that let you know that no matter what, you’d always have someone rooting for you from the sidelines. 

The song slowly faded out and your headphones became silent, the end of the recording process and the beginning of what could be a new path in your life. If the single was liked by the people, if your fanbase stuck around and actually enjoyed your songs, you could become someone, you could be something. “That was great, it sounded amazing.” The voice sounded from behind you, and before you turned around to see who it was, there was a hand placed on your shoulder giving it a light squeeze. “We can go get lunch or…” They paused for a second, letting out a soft chuckle before continuing. “Actually dinner. We can go get dinner. I don’t think you realize how long you’ve been in here.” 

You spun around to look up at him, that same familiar smile on his face that he’d wear when he’d come up to you after your street performances. It was crazy to think that it had already been half a year since that had happened, half a year since your last busking performance. Your fans stayed active and kept up on everything that you did and your friend had become something like a manager for your online accounts. She made sure to keep everything updated, especially when you had become so busy with planning out your first single and writing it and perfecting it. “Did I keep you waiting too long? I’m sorry… You could have gone to get lunch without me though.” You murmured sheepishly, the sound of his stomach growling making you feel even worse than you had before, but he only shook his head, leaning in to kiss your forehead. 

“I wasn’t just going to leave in the middle of your recording session.” He said it matter-of-factly, as if it were something that you should have already known, but his words had your heart skipping a beat. “Plus, since I was here, I got to download the raw demo which means that you and I can listen to it on the way to dinner.” He smiled proudly and you couldn’t sustain the giggle that was building in your throat at how mischievous he looked, as if he had just done something that he wasn’t supposed to do, but you knew as much as he did that nobody would have a problem with him having that kind of file unless he planned on uploading it somewhere. 

You shook your head, scooting off the stool and heading towards the door, letting out a sigh of content at the relieving feeling of being able to stretch your legs. “I don’t know if I want to listen to it yet…” You admitted, looking over your shoulder to see that he was following after you, his phone already in his hand as he pulled up the file that he downloaded off the computer. “I mean… If I hear it and I don’t like it then I’ll just go back into the writing process and it’ll take another six months of writing and rewriting and sleepless nights trying to figure out what to do.” You shuddered at the memory of all the sleep you missed out on, the way your eyes would burn after sitting at your desk in your room all night with only your desk lamp illuminating the notepad with full pages scratched out. Those were times that you knew you’d have to go through again, but you could only hope they’d get easier with each song you put out. The main problem now was that the first song had to be perfect or else you as an artist would be a flop. 

Sangyeop tsked his tongue, wrapping his arms around your waist and waddling behind you out of the recording room and down the hallway of the building towards the exit, his lips occasionally pressing against the crook of your neck to try to ease the nervousness that was building inside you. “You’re too hard on yourself jagi…” He whispered against your skin, and while his words had slightly helped with relieving the nervousness that you felt from your music, it had other nerves standing on edge and your stomach filling with butterflies. You knew it wasn’t really what he had said that was having this effect on you, it was more so the closeness, the feeling of his lips on your skin and his hot breath lingering against your neck. “I’ve listened to you sing, I’ve listened to you play, and I’ve listened to the entire recording process for your single. It’s perfect, and why would it not be when it’s coming from you?” 

The heat built up in you as his arms seemed to snake tighter around your waist, keeping you as close to him as possible. “Are you going to flirt with me the whole time or are we going to eat?” You teased, although you could hear your own voice wavering, failing to hide just how flustered he was making you. He laughed loudly, nuzzling his nose against your cheek before letting you go and moving to stand beside you, taking your hand in his own as you both headed out to the car. Even though it’s been five months since the two of you had started dating, you still couldn’t really believe that you were actually with him, that you had gotten that lucky. Sometimes you worried that at some point you’ll wake up and everything that you’ve done, everything that’s happened in the past six months will have all just been a very very realistic and detailed dream. It had you wanting to live in every moment, to fully soak it in, but it also had you terrified that if you enjoyed it too much that when you did finally wake up you’d only be more disappointed with the sad reality that you had to face. 

“I think I can handle doing both. I’m quite good at multitasking.” He teased back although his voice was more steady than yours was and what’s more, you could tell that he was enjoying it. His hand slipped out of yours to pull open the passenger side door and hold it open for you as you climbed in, smiling softly as you did and resting his chin on top of his arms that were propped against the top of the doorframe. “Do you think that you’d want to maybe do a collaboration with me? We can sing a song together or something and release it as our own single?” You looked up at him with narrowed eyes, questioning the seriousness of the proposition. You hadn’t even released your first single yet and he was already talking about collaborating with you. 

You giggled lightly, buckling your seatbelt and turning to look out the windshield as you waited for him to shut the door. “You’re funny. You don’t even know if people are going to like my single and you want to potentially ruin your career by collabing with me?” It wasn’t truly meant in a way to put yourself down, but that was the way that he must have taken it and he seemed more insulted by it than you would have been. He sighed loudly, rolling his eyes as he moved around the car door to lean inside, his face close to yours as he looked you in the eye, his expression almost stern. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” 

His eyes narrowed at your question, his head shaking slowly as he pulled back and shut the door to run around to the drivers side, climbing in quickly and starting up the car before pulling off. “Your career is going to take off with lighting speed, I don’t see how it couldn’t. Plus, if collaborating with my girlfriend on a song means potentially ruining my career then… well… I don’t really care. I’d get to do what I love to do with the person that I love, I don’t see a problem with that.” He was so serious about it, you realized just how much faith he had put in you, how much he believed in you, and how painful it was for him to hear that you might not believe in yourself. “Now, let's listen to your song on the way to dinner, I really do think you’ll love it. I know I do.” 

You nodded slowly, grabbing the phone that he handed to you and plugging it into the aux cord before starting up your song. It sounded strange hearing it through the speakers, to hear your own voice playing back at you, unedited, just you and no filters, no corrections, and what was even more strange was the way that Sangyeop looked when he listened to it. It was the face that you only could imagine one would make if they had heard a choir of angels singing to them, and while it was hard for you to hear yourself in that type of way, to know that someone else did, to know that he did, it just showed how much he loved you, how much he loved everything about you. It made you realize that it didn’t really matter if you had a world of fans out there rooting for you, as nice as it may be, all that really mattered was that you had him and your friend still standing there beside you no matter what happened. You didn’t need the world to love you because you already had two people who had a world of love to give and you didn’t need to be scared of the future anymore because you knew that in the end, they’d always be there with you, walking the path right beside you. 

[whatsk-poppinhomies]

Shin Yechan

Really, Really Lucky {Fluff} (6.0k)

Choi Sangyeop

The Busker {Fluff} (8.9K)

Cho Wonsong ~Coming Soon~

Shin Gwangil ~Coming Soon~

Group Headcanons / Reactions

[whatsk-poppinhomies]

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 : 𝐘𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐅!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 : 𝐍𝐨𝐧!𝐈𝐝𝐨𝐥 𝐀𝐔 ; 𝐅𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐓𝐖 : 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 ; 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 : 𝟔.𝟎𝐤

The sun hung high in the sky and the birds sang lightly outside of your window, the sounds of the city around you waking up had you stirring lightly, sitting up in your bed and stretching your arms above your head, letting out a quiet yawn as a smile stretched across your face. Another beautiful morning, although your room was slightly damp from the humidity of summer time, there was something comforting about it too. The light from outside illuminated your room, your violin case tucked neatly in the corner of your room, a proud display of all the work you had put into the instrument, all the years of training you had gone through, training that still hadn’t ended. Now you were playing with what some would consider the best, preparing for your first show in front of a wider audience. It had your heart racing with excitement, your dream finally coming true….

That’s how you would have woken up if you were living on your own, if the morning sun weren’t blocked out by the city buildings that towered high over your much smaller apartment building. The sound of birds tweeting was unheard of to you, a sound that you were sure you’d never hear due to your roommates who argued over everything and anything, as if it were their morning routine, as if it were your morning alarm clock. The only thing that brought a smile to your face in the morning was the dreams of playing in front of a large crowd on a big stage, center violin with a solo of your own that would have everyone standing from their chairs and cheering for you loudly. It was a dream that you had every night, and every day of practice led you closer to that dream. Nothing would hold you back, you were sure of that. You had paved this path for yourself, and you were going to walk the path until you reached the end.

“Early today, aren’t we?” Your boss asked, the open sign on the front door hadn’t even been flipped around yet. “Practicing again after work?” He asked, noticing the violin case that you clutched onto protectively, giving him a sheepish smile and a swift nod before placing it in your boss's small office. “How are those roommates of yours? Are they letting you get some sleep yet?” He asked, and you simply rolled your eyes, pursing your lips as you slipped on the apron and began setting up the counter.

The cool thing about your boss was that he was much more laid back than most of the other bosses you had dealt with. He was older, but he was kind, almost like a parental figure to you, making sure you ate and stayed hydrated, giving you breaks when you seemed worn out, and he always asked about how your days were when you were off work. You went to him for advice, and he’d always lend an ear when you felt the need to get things off your chest or when you were just worried about something. “I wish they were… but…” You let out a small yawn, shaking your head as you did before slumping over the counter. “They always find something to yell at each other about. I wish I could find some other place, but everywhere is so expensive.”

He hummed quietly, nodding his head in agreement as he poured a cup of coffee, sliding it across the counter towards you. No matter how much you had declined in the past, he would do it every morning, insisting that it was on the house. “Well, when you become a famous violinist, you’ll be able to afford a much better place… No roommates. Just make sure you come visit me.” You lifted your head to glance at him, your face expressing your disbelief as you scoffed. “Now now… I don’t think anyone’s dreams have ever come true with that kind of mindset. You’ve got to believe in yourself first, Y/N…” A soft knock at the front door had you both turning your head, and you couldn’t help the shy smile that tugged at your lips when you saw who it was. “Oh… Should we let him in? We’re not open yet… but-”

You stuck your tongue out at your boss who only laughed at your reaction to his teasing as you ran around the counter, quickly unlocking the door and pushing it open for the man who stood outside. “I really hope the heat doesn’t make it go too out of tune…” He mumbled to himself as he walked inside, his own violin case held at his side as he made his way to one of the empty tables, pulling the chair down himself before taking a seat. “Y/N said that I could come in early… I hope I’m not too early. I was on my way to the shop and-” He trailed off slowly when he realized that you and your boss were both looking at him, his head tilting to the side as his eyebrow raised. “Am I?”

“Don’t worry.” You reassured him, moving back around the counter to pull out a coffee cup, your heart hamming in your chest the entire time, but you wanted to be cool, or at least seem like everything was alright as you worked. “You’re the one exception… Uh… Because you’re my teacher.” You stumbled over your words, your hands shaking with your nerves as you poured his coffee, feeling two sets of eyes on you as you tried to work.

The man chuckled softly, bowing his head to you in thanks as you placed the coffee cup in front of him. “You make it sound like we’re not on the same level of playing, Y/N. You’ve been training just as long as I have. Plus, you’re not a child, you don’t have to call me your teacher. You’ll make me feel old.” He joked, smiling up at you making you feel far more flustered than you had already been. “You should be my assistant, I’m sure the rest of the group could learn a thing or two from you.”

His words had you gasping, shaking your head quickly. “Oh, no… I like learning from you. I wouldn’t be able to focus if I were standing next to you.” Your lips quickly snapped shut, realizing a little too late that you had said too much, your entire face burning up from embarrassment as you turned on your heel, rushing back to the counter as if it were a rock that you could hide beneath. You wished it really were at that moment.

“Ah… Well that’s too bad. I’m getting one of my tattoos touched up, so my arm will be kind of sore during class today. It would have been nice to have someone who’s just as good at playing up there to teach in my place.” He posed, eyeing you with a look that had your stomach flipping and it felt like you were going to melt where you stood. The mention of his tattoos had your head spinning, you had only seen a glimpse of one of them underneath the jacket that he usually wore in the practice room. “The offer will still be on the table when you come in for class today. Let me know if you change your mind when you come in.” He said, pulling out a couple bills and laying them on the table before picking up his case and his coffee cup, nodding to you and your boss before heading out the door.

It felt like your head was spinning, like you were floating on the clouds as you watched him walk out of the cafe. The only thing that brought you back to reality was your boss's hand waving in front of your face, his deep laughter reverberating off the walls of the cafe had you looking at him, your lips drawn into a thin line as you waited for his teasing to commence. “So that’s the Yechan that you’ve been swooning over the past… what had it been… five months? I don’t remember much about dating, I’ve been married far too long… But I do know that taking up his offer would give you the chance to get closer to him. I’d do it if I were you.” He patted your back as he walked past you to head over to the door, flipping the sign on the front door before turning to look back to you. “You’ve got a couple hours to think on it.”

The cafe was packed when your shift had finally ended, and the employee who was supposed to take over for you was stuck in traffic. By the time they had finally shown up, you had stayed an extra twenty minutes for them, twenty minutes that you had missed of practice. “I’m so sorry, Y/N.” Your boss apologized, shaking his head as he let out a sigh. “You didn’t have to stay.”

You smiled softly to him, shooting him a thumbs up as you ran out of his office, your violin case in your hand, swinging against your thigh as you rushed to the front door. “Don’t worry about it. The customers are most important, right?” There was no time to hear or even see his response as you ran out onto the street, your phone vibrating in your pocket as you picked up the pace, your feet carrying you fast towards the building that held the practice room right down the street.

The sun was hidden behind clouds that thickened as they moved across the sky, the promise of rain, a cool breeze that would last long enough to drench the streets and leave the trees glistening with rain droplets before the humidity worsened. You hoped that it would at least end before practice was over so that you’d be able to walk to the bus stop and get back to your apartment.

Yechan was already standing at the front of the room as you burst through the door, mid-tuning, his hand stopped on the fine-tuners as he watched you walk in. The rest of the “class” had turned to look at you, the immature snickering that came from them had you burning up with embarrassment, slowly making your way to your seat in the front. “Are you alright?” He asked softly, eyeing you with slight worry as you breathed heavily, trying to catch your breath as you nodded your head. “Do you need a drink or something? I won’t start without you.”

You swallowed thickly, shaking your head in response as you carefully pulled out your instrument, laying the bow on the music stand before placing your case on the floor beside you. “I’m fine.” You murmured, lightly strumming the strings to make sure your violin was still in tune. “And I think I’m going to take you up on that offer…” You said, remembering the words of your boss and hoping that he was right.

Yechan smiled wide, giving you a firm nod as he looked around at the others in the room. “Y/N is going to help me teach you today since my arm isn’t feeling too well.” You took a deep breath as you stood up, meeting the eyes of everyone else, their own eyes narrowed with suspicions at the reasoning for you being chosen. He must have seen their suspicions, read the assumptions as if they were written across their faces, and he shook his head with a sigh. “She practices vigorously, she’s well trained, she could play the music without even seeing the sheets. She’s always in tune, and she has a professional mindset when she plays, studies, and practices. That’s the kind of teacher you need.” He explained, and you saw the eyerolls of the others, their annoyance painfully evident. “Warm up, I’ll go have a talk with Y/N about the pieces we’ll be working on today while you do.”

Your eyes widened slightly as he placed his hand on your upper back, leading you out into the hallway as the sound of playing rang out in the practice room. “So… what pieces?” You asked, interested in what he had in mind. He leaned against the wall beside the door, crossing his arms across his chest, his finger tapping against his chin as he seemed to be deep in thought and it only intrigued you more.

“Well… That’s up to you. It’s your class today. That’s not really the reason I wanted to talk to you.” He said, and you were confused, highly confused about what he meant. What other reason would there be to talk to you in private like this? Was he upset that you had been late today? It was the first time you had ever been late to practice, and it’s not like you had done it on purpose. He knew that you were working today, you thought that he’d understand. “You looked upset when you came in today. Is everything okay?”

Your lips pulled into a thin line, your head cocking to the side slightly as you looked at him. Had you really looked upset? You didn’t think that you did… But there weren’t any mirrors in the room either, so you couldn’t be one hundred percent sure. “Oh… I’m fine, really. I was just running to get here. I ran out of breath.” You giggled nervously, rocking on your heels as you folded your hands behind your back. It was the first time you had been alone with him, his eyes solely on you, and it felt like you were about to pass out.

He snorted quietly, running a hand through his hair as he looked at you. “There’s no need to rush here. I know how busy the shop can get around this time, I’d much rather you stay there and help your boss than to leave him for practice. It’s not like you need it anyway.” You blinked a few times, letting his words sink in as you tried to understand them. “You’re the best player here, I wouldn’t have started practice without you. The sound of your playing and your passion makes it bearable. I’m not saying that the other players are awful, but I can tell they’re not as serious about it as you are. I like that about you.” Was it a compliment or a confession? You weren’t sure but it felt like your heart was swelling and freezing at the same time, your breath catching in your throat as you looked at him with a gaping mouth, jaw hanging open in shock. “Shall we go back in then?”

Your head nodded robotically as you blinked rapidly, following him back into the room as your brain tried to come to terms with what he had told you. There was a chance that you were overthinking everything, the chance of that higher than it being anything else honestly. He didn’t specifically say that he liked you, he said that he liked your passion, your love for playing violin, he liked your personality basically. That didn’t mean that he had to like you though, it didn’t mean that he liked you, just the way that you were. At least there was that though, at least he liked something about you… right?

The rain was hammering down on the roof, the sound of it drowning out the sounds of instruments being packed away into their cases and the soft murmurings of the people around you. It had been raining for a solid four hours, and you were sure that the roads were swamped along with the sidewalks and you dreaded the idea of having to stand out at the bus stop, the idea of having to walk to the bus stop, your shoes surely not made for this kind of situation.

As everyone ran to their own cars, some catching rides from the others, you stood next to the door, watching as the puddles became larger and larger. The lighting lit up the sky and the thunder boomed soon after, rattling the city with the sound and you could only let out a groan. This was your favorite type of weather, but you would have much rather been in your own apartment, curled up under your blankets with a nice book as you listened to the rain patter against your window. You surely didn’t want to be stuck in the practice building waiting out the storm.

“Waiting for a ride?” The voice startled you, and you quickly whipped around to face him. His umbrella was slung over his shoulder and his violin case was slung over his shoulder like a backpack. You were sure that he had already left with everyone else, you didn’t think that he would wait around while everyone packed up.

You shook your head, motioning out the door to the downpour. “Waiting for it to end.” You grumbled, glancing up at the clouds that only seemed to be getting darker, as if to mock you, to irritate you just a little further. “Doesn’t seem like it will… I guess I should have brought my sleeping bag since it seems like I’ll be camping out here.” You said dejectedly, moving away from the door so he could walk out, leaning against the wall beside it.

Tsking his tongue in thought, he shook his head, motioning to the door. “I can drive you home, it wouldn’t be a problem for me.” His proposition had your stomach flipping with excitement and your forehead sweating with your nerves. Would it be a way to get closer to him if you took him up on the offer, or would you just be a burden to him? He wouldn’t have asked if that were the case, right? You didn’t know how to respond, you could only stare at him, your lips parted just slightly as your breathing sped up. “I can’t have the best player getting a cold and missing out on practice. Plus, I’m sure your boss would be upset if you couldn’t make it in.”

The best player? He thought you were the best player? Your heart soared at the compliment, your ego boosted through the roof, and it was enough to have you nodding, agreeing to go with him. “I hope it’s not out of your way…” You murmured, glancing at him out of the corner of your eye. He shook his head in response, holding open the door and opening his umbrella so you wouldn’t get soaked when you stepped out. “It’s a… the umbrella is big…”

He snorted, and you quickly snapped your mouth shut, feeling like a fool for saying something so silly. “I guess it comes in handy right now, doesn’t it?” He said, stepping out right behind you and turning to lock up the door. “So, are you hungry? Did you eat?” He asked as he turned back to look at you, and before you could lie and say that you had, your stomach growled in response, the mention of your hunger causing you to feel more hungry than you had before. He chuckled softly, already leading you toward his car and opening up the door to the back seat so that you could place your violin in, copying the action shortly after with his own case. “I think there’s a ramen shop around here, it’s good, especially when the weather is like this.”

He was helping you into the passenger seat, holding the door open for you and making sure to keep the umbrella above the door that was swung open so no rain would get on it, but you were looking up at him from the seat, your eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “I uh… There’s no need for that, really. I’ve got food at home. You don’t have to…” You stammered out, your heart about to burst at the mere idea of sitting across from him and eating. He probably didn’t even know how nervous he made you, how flustered you got just from looking at him. He was just trying to be nice, that much you knew, but you also knew that your heart wouldn’t be able to handle something like that.

“Please? I mean, it’s the least I could do. You helped me today, took over the whole lesson, I could at least treat you for dinner, right?” He smiled at you, his head tilting slightly as he waited for your answer, and you didn’t really know what to say. The only thing you could think of was your boss's words again, it was like they were in a constant loop in your head. You wanted to get closer to Yechan, but simply thinking about the possibility of doing anything that would make that possible had your stomach flipping. He looked so hopeful though, and you couldn’t say no, he was just trying to return the favor for you helping him today, it wasn’t anything more than that, so you nodded in agreement, giving him the answer that he wanted before he shut your door and ran over to the drivers side.

The ramen shop had been packed with people who had just gotten off work, people who were trying to avoid the storm just like you and Yechan were doing. There didn’t seem to be a place to sit at all inside, and neither of you wanted to sit outside either. You had been so nervous about going to eat with him, but now that it was completely off the table, you were actually upset that you wouldn’t be able to. He gnawed on his bottom lip as he drove around, trying to find anywhere that the two of you could eat at, but the more he drove, the further he got from the direction of your house, you finally cleared your throat. “It’s really okay… I can just eat when I get home.” You assured him, giving him a smile to try to reassure him.

“Yeah… Alright.” He mumbled, and it seemed like he was just as upset about the outcome as you felt, he just wasn’t hiding it the way that you were. He made a quick U-turn at the end of the street before driving off in the direction of your apartment. The ride was awkwardly silent, not because of anything that either of you did, but the fact that you didn’t know what to say and he still seemed to be sulking about the fact that the rain ruined his plans.

As he pulled up outside your apartment building, your phone vibrated with a text from your roommate. “Are you kidding me…?” You groaned as you read over the text. Yechan looked over at you, trying to seem uninterested in whatever it was that seemed to have upset you. “It’s nothing…” You quickly waved your hand in the air, motioning indifference, but inside you were seething. “She just didn’t tell me that she was going to have her boyfriend over… I should have known. I’ll just wear my headphones tonight.”

His lips pulled together into a thin line as his fingers drummed against the steering wheel. He was thinking hard about something, and just as your hand reached for the handle on your door he spoke. “You can come over to my place… At least until her boyfriend leaves. It won’t bother me. We can have ramen, plus I have movies.” He was giving you the option, the chance to go with him, the chance to spend the evening with him at his own apartment… Or you could spend the night hiding out in your room, waiting for your roommate's boyfriend to go back home.

It’s not that it was a hard decision to make, it’s just that the decision you had already come to had your stomach performing acrobatics and the last thing you wanted to do was throw up in his car. “Mmhm…” You murmured, worried that if you opened your mouth it would end the worst possible way. You needed to give yourself time to calm down before you said any actual words, and luckily he seemed to understand your murmur well enough to put the car into drive again and start driving away from the front of your apartment towards his own.

You could feel his eyes on you every couple of minutes as he drove, your own eyes glued to the windshield, watching the rain drops race down the glass before getting wiped away, the soft squeak of wipers against the glass mingling with the sound of the puddles being splashed beneath the tires and the rain pelting against the roof of the car. It hadn’t slowed down at all, and while it had been annoying at first, the sound had become a comforting filler of the silence that enveloped the car. The both of you enjoyed it, and the lack of conversation was giving you the much needed time to calm your racing heart as you leaned back against the seat and closed your eyes.

Falling asleep had been purely accidental, and when the car finally came to a stop, your eyes flew open, looking around yourself in a momentary state of shock as you took in your surroundings. “It looked like a nice nap.” He pointed out as he pulled the keys from the ignition, a playful smile gracing his face as you dropped your eyes to your lap. “I don’t blame you. The weather is perfect for it. If you’d like to lay down when we get inside, you can. I’ll make the ramen.”

He was being so nice, it almost made you uneasy. The thought that he might actually like you hadn’t crossed your mind at all, you couldn’t see in yourself any reason why he would. “No, I’m fine… I’m sorry I fell asleep.” Your apology had him snorting, not humorously, but in a silent way of saying that it wasn’t something that you needed to apologize for.

“I would have fallen asleep too if I wasn’t driving.” He said, nodding to you to emphasize his words before opening his door and getting out, walking quickly to the passenger side and opening the umbrella before opening your door. “I can’t believe it hasn’t stopped raining yet. The streets are going to be flooded if it keeps going like this.” Small talk about the weather, it would have seemed so cliche with anyone else, but with him it felt natural, and you found yourself questioning your own thoughts about why his niceness had made you feel uneasy. He was just a nice person, and there was nothing wrong with that.

His apartment was warm, not just in temperature, but the way that it was decorated and furnished, everything about it just felt cozy. All the feelings of unease you had seemed to wash away as you walked inside, slipping your shoes off right next to the door before being led further inside, straight to the living area. “It’s nice…” You whispered, looking around at the art pieces that hung on the wall, most of them related to something musical. It had a feeling of home, his home, something that you weren’t able to do with your own apartment because of your roommates.

“Yeah? My mom helped me decorate it…” He hummed quietly, the sound almost sheepish as it built in his throat. “I’m gonna go make the ramen, is there any kind that you like in particular?” You shook your head in response, watching as he slipped his jacket off and draped it over the back of the couch, revealing the tattoo on the back of his upper arm along with the other tattoos that he had. There was something about seeing them now, you were closer to him, you were in his apartment, it was a strange feeling that completely overtook the way that you had felt earlier, it had your head spinning and you couldn’t seem to think clearly as you almost robotically fell back onto the couch.

You couldn’t exactly put your finger on just what you were feeling, but watching him move around his kitchen, even if the meal was as simple as ramen, the strange sense of domesticity rang out. It wasn’t something that you even knew that you were attracted to before right now, but you couldn’t seem to take your eyes off of him. You didn’t even know if he knew that you were watching. Could he feel your eyes on him right now or was he too far into what he was doing to even notice? You weren’t sure, but you were hoping that he didn’t notice, or maybe that he didn’t care so that you could continue to admire him from your spot on the couch.

“Did you want to help?” He asked, looking up from the pot of boiling water that he had on the stove, his fingers wrapped around a square baggie of ramen that he was just about to dump into the pot. It felt like your body immediately jumped to a thousand degrees under his gaze, you felt like a child getting caught doing something that you weren’t supposed to be doing and your mouth hung open, prepared to say the words that just wouldn’t come to mind. “You don’t actually have to help, but you can come closer if you want to watch.” He said, not even trying to hide the teasing tone that clung to his words, only making you more flustered.

“I uh…” You took a deep breath, shaking your head so fast that it made you dizzy. “I’m fine here…” Quickly turning your body in the direction of the tv screen, you could hear him laughing from behind you as the noodles were dumped into the pot. There was nothing to look at now, the screen was black and you didn’t want to be rude and pull out your phone, so you dropped your gaze to your jeans, your eyes following the patterns in the denim, trying to think of anything but how awkward you felt.

Before long, the soft padding of feet against the wood sounded, bringing him closer to you, your breath held as you prepared yourself for what he could possibly say next. “You’re so shy. If I didn’t know you, if I only saw you play, I wouldn’t have guessed that you were like this.” He mused as he sat your bowl in front of you before dropping down onto the cushion right beside yours, so close that his thigh brushed against your own. He didn’t seem to notice, but the barely there contact had all of your nerves standing on edge, a jolt of what could only be explained as electricity pulsing through you. “It’s alright though…” He must have taken your silence as you being upset by what he said, when in actuality you were just trying to calm your breathing so he didn’t catch on to how you were really feeling. “It’s cute. It’s a cute dynamic…” Your hands froze around the bowl that was on the coffee table. He said it was cute, again, not specifically stating that you were cute, just your personality. You didn’t know how to take it, and at this point you were done attempting to read into what he meant by it, not wanting to set yourself up to be let down. “Your boyfriend is lucky.” He posed, his voice hushed as he turned his focus onto his own meal, stirring his noodles around the bowl before taking a big bite.

To say that you were shocked would be an understatement. You were sure that you had never brought up having a boyfriend, and you weren’t sure why he would assume that you had one in the first place. “My boyfriend would be lucky… I guess… If I had one.” You retorted, letting out a small sigh and shaking your head before taking a bite of your own noodles. You couldn’t even look at him, not even sparing a glance as you waited for his response.

“Really? So I’ve been holding back… For no reason?” He let out a quick chuckle, and his words seemed to give you the courage, the boost that you needed to finally look at him, your eyebrows lowered and your eyes narrowed as you stared at him, waiting for him to explain what exactly he meant. “What? You’re cute, and you’re really good at playing the violin which isn’t really important, but it’s very attractive. I thought you noticed me looking.”

Your mouth was hung open, his words coming as the biggest shock to you because, while you had noticed him looking during practice, you just thought that he was taking mental notes of techniques that you could fix, watching to make sure that your finger placement was correct. You never thought that the reason was what he said it had been. “So your question… you were just fishing for information? You just wanted to be sure…” You sounded like you were accusing him, and in a way, you were, but you didn’t want it to come across that way, so you quickly added. “I thought you noticed me looking too… I guess you didn’t.”

He shook his head as he chewed his mouthful of food, quickly swallowing it and clearing his throat before answering. “I noticed, I just wanted to be sure…” He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly through his nose as he set his bowl down on the coffee table. “Now that I am sure though…” He leaned his elbow against his knee, resting his cheek against the palm of his hand as he looked at you, his eyes soft and sweet. “I’m not really sure what to do next.”

“I didn’t think I’d get this far…” You whispered, the words mainly meant for yourself, but the amused chuckle that vibrated the couch let you know that he had heard you. “What… what do you want to do next?” You asked, your voice barely audible as you looked at him. There were a million different ways this could pan out, and all of the scenarios that were playing out in your head were ones that you wouldn’t have minded at all, you just didn’t know which one, if any, would happen. Your teeth sunk into your lip as you watched him, anxiously awaiting what he would say, or what he would do.

Without hesitation, his free hand reached out, his thumb lightly pulling your bottom lip out, freeing it from your teeth, the small action had your body overflowing with anticipation. “I have a lot of things in mind… but I guess the first thing would be…” He didn’t finish his sentence, taking a moment to seemingly prepare himself before his hand slid to the back of your neck, pulling you closer so that he could press his lips against your own. It didn’t last long, but right now, it was enough. “Your boyfriend is really lucky….”

You shook your head, the short kiss leaving you breathless, your thoughts a flurry of repeats of what had happened just a second before, your head spinning leaving you feeling dizzy and lightheaded. “I don’t… there is no…” You stammered out unfinished sentences, still trying to come to terms with what had just happened.

“Yes there is… I should rephrase that…” He sat up just enough to look you in the eyes, his fingers seeming to mindlessly brush against the skin at the nape of your neck sending jolts of electricity down your back and coursing through your entire body. “I’m really lucky…” He smiled knowingly as he watched his words process in your head, your eyes blinking rapidly as you caught onto what he meant. He leaned in to kiss you once more, humming softly, the corners of his lips pulling up as they were pressed against your own. “Really really lucky…”