》The Storm Before The Dawn
For: @idxhaneul Word Count: 968 Plot: King is has a panic attack in the middle of the night before the Gayo and sees the guidance of his band member.
The morning couldn’t have come soon enough. King had lied in his bed, eyes wide and staring at the off-white void of his ceiling. The soft snores and breathing from his roommates and fellow band members were a constant reminder of the sleep he craved but could never get the night before a major performance. One would think that after almost 3 years of performing he might have felt more prepared for the Gayo Daejun. There was no doubt that the young musician was excited and thrilled for the experience. The concert preparations had gone well, for the most part. They only had two shortened songs to perform, but that didn’t stop them from working hard to put on their best performances. They had also used this opportunity to try and work on King’s particular phobia of performing in front of cameras. It had been a point of frustration for not only the staff but also the members, as they were forced to redo certain parts over again because of their lead vocalist. The extra time training had helped a little, but had done more to frustrate the members more than anything.
He felt his breath catch in his throat and his heart felt tangled in the mess of his fear and excitement. He untangled himself from his thin bedsheets and ungracefully hopped out of bed and bolted to the bathroom. His hands trembled for the door to the bathroom. He could hardly flip the light on as panic seized him and shook his core. He took a deep breath in through his nose and exhaled through pursed, chapped lips.
“Calm down,” he huffed to himself. His voice was hoarse from practice. His sweaty fingers gripped the edge of the small tap to turn on the cold water. The water sloshed angrily and loudly into the empty sink and he used both hands to scoop the cold water and splashed it up onto his face. He was thankful for the darkness of the bathroom so he couldn’t see his face. He drew in a few more measured breaths. The sound of the running water reminded him of his home in Pohang. He remembered waking up on early mornings like this; moments before the sun would rise. The sound of the wind pushing the water to rock upon the shore. He recalled the soft cries of the water fowl as they dived into the water for the early morning catch. The freshness of the salt water. As Yeongshik’s memories of home soothed him back to calmness. He felt his breathing regulate and felt the tension in his chest ease. While the feeling wasn’t entirely gone, he felt considerably better.
He turned off the water and wiped the droplets of water off of his brow and decided to go into the livingroom space rather than back into the bedroom. As he wiped his hands over his face and fumbled through the dark he felt his bare foot step on something soft in the dark. The texture he immediately recognized as a stray sock, but before he could register what was happening he felt the world slip out from under him. He swung his free leg out and tried to use the momentum to twist his body, so that he could catch himself on his hands. He was successful in landing in a push-up pose, but that didn’t stop the loud slap of his hands as they made contact with the wooden floor. The pain of the impact sent sharp pins and needles all the way up his arms and into his neck. He slowly lowered himself to the floor and pressed his forehead into the cool floor for a moment before he slowly rolled over. He huffed, now fully awake. He could see the clock hanging over the small television in the dim light from the streetlights outside. It was only 3am. He groaned and slowly sat up and rubbed the tingling sensation from his bare arms and chest. His muscles tensed as he shuffled across the floor, still sitting in the dark.
He made his way to the other side of the television where his old guitar rested against the stand. He reached for the neck and felt the strings hiccup with the sudden contact. He pulled the familiar weight into his lap and sighed as the light wooden body pressed against his bare chest. His fingers found purchase in the familiar chord that started their song ‘I Smile’. His right thumb gently strummed over the strings, muffling the fullness of the sound so as not to wake his roommates, but enough to hear the chord. He played the song quietly, but it still wasn’t enough to completely ease his nerves. He got up and returned to one of the rooms. He was careful as he turned the knob of the door and pushed it open. He peered into the dark room. Only the dim street lights from outside casted enough light to reveal the outline of the younger band member who appeared fast asleep in his bed.
Pride made Yeongshik hesitate at the door, but he knew he needed the young man’s help if he was going to survive this massive event. He wanted to better himself and get over his fear. If anyone could help him, it was Haneul.
Guitar still in hand, Yeongshik lifted the body of the guitar up and gave Hanel’s shoulder a soft nudge with the head of his guitar and hissed quietly. He held the door open with his foot so as not to make any noise from it needing to close and open again later. He hissed the boy’s name and gave him another poke with the guitar.
“Hanaeul, wake up. I need—“ he sighed angrily, “I need your help.”