Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.

-Plato

If there was one thing I couldn’t live without in life, it was music.

It was a part of my daily commute, filling up the rumbling silence of the subway train in the mornings where people were snoring and leaning slightly left and right as the train moved.

It was all I heard when I went for my solitary lunches, munching on one-person meals as I watched other tables engage in loud conversation, knowing I was unable to be like them.

It was in everything I felt when I was completely alone, to when I was completely surrounded by sound.

It was all I desired, and it was second to none.

Well, at least it was, until I met him.

***

The campus was a circus that day.

It was the annual extracurricular activity fiesta, showcasing all the interest groups in different booths, aiming to entice the new freshmen to join in the hopes of promoting their groups as well as to gain the new members.

The booths were swarmed by the freshmen, but it might have been empty for one. Right between the Cheerleading and the Hip-Hip Dance booths, both of which were teeming with new applicants, was the obscure, quiet, and stifled Rock Club.

Five members of the club sat in little stools, their instruments shoved to the back to the booth to give space for the cheerleaders to do their flips, and to the dancers in the other booth to showcase their b-boying skills.

You could say they had already given up hope for recruits.

One of the members looked past the crowd of people. “Where is he?”

“Who?”

“Our mascot, the traitor, where is he?”

Someone stood up, stuffing his drumsticks into his back pocket to cup his hands around his mouth. “PARK JAE HYUNG-HYUNG!”

His shout was drowned out by the loud cheers from the Hip-Hop booth, and they turned to watch a dance battle between the members as they did spins on the floor.

“I’m telling you, you’re doing really great!” the MC was shouting through the microphone, “Aren’t they, guys?”

The drummer turned, peering through the screaming crowd and spotting the blonde head peeking out under a chicken onesie. “Wait, isn’t that- it’s Jae!” he exclaimed, “He’s the MC!”

“WHAT?”

The other members scrambled to their feet, craning their necks as they scanned the crowd for him, their eyes falling onto the sickly yellow chicken onesie that its wearer had earlier suggested would attract attention to their club.

Trust me, he had said, we’ll be filled with so many people, they’d be fighting for spaces!

This was not what they had anticipated.

***

It wasn’t as though I chose to be my myself.

People talk.

People always talk.

I carried my tray of food across the school cafeteria, keeping my face composed as I bobbed my head slightly, feeling the soft pads of my headphones pressing on my ears.

I can hear well enough. Even through the deep bass, and the lilting melodies, and the ear-piercing silence, I can hear you talk about me.

Placing my tray on the table, I unhooked the straps of my backpack and heard the voices of the girls just behind my chair.

“It’s her.”

“What about her?”

“Nothing. Don’t you just think she’s a little, I don’t know, too quiet?”

I smiled to myself as I sat comfortably, shaking my head to myself as I pushed my guitar bag aside. The pads of my fingers were sore, following today’s advanced guitar lessons with Mr. Ji as part of the school module.

He believes in me, unlike the others, so the excessive practice is worth the time.

She sipped her drink thoughtfully, just as the girls’ voices floated her way again.

“Dude, it’s not as if she can help it. She’s mute, for god’s sake. Where is your brain?”

I picked up my hamburger and bit into it, relishing the bland taste of college cafeteria food.

The girls were now talking about the fiesta, reading out what was probably a list, based on how they seemed to be reciting something.

“What even is a Rock club? The rock as in stone or-”

“Don’t be such a bimbo, of course it’s not the stone!”

“Yeah but we do have a Fossil club. Why not a rock one?”

“Look there. It clearly states they’re looking for people who can play musical instruments.”

I perked up, my eyebrows furrowing.

“There’s only six members, HAHAHAHAHA what a bunch of losers.”

“Oh, look over here, there’s a dance crew! We should totally go!”

“We would have gone if you weren’t a slow eater! Come on, it’s already the last day; they’re going to end the fiesta in half an hour and we’re still here!”

My eyes widened as I finished my hamburger, glancing at the watch, before my eyes fell to my guitar case next to me.

Should I?

Nah. Six people in the group? That’s not really bad; I won’t have to explain my situation to every single person.

It wouldn’t hurt to ask about the meetings and other things.

***

“Whoa, but they were cool!” Jae complained, “I mean, did you see how he was doing them popping moves, I swear, that J-Hoe or whatever is going to win this year’s dance battle competition!”

“Yes, but you are aware of the fact that you’re supposed to promote our club and not someone else’s, right?”

“Oh, Brian, what are we gonna do with extra members, anyway? We’re already a complete band,” he insisted, sidling up to the bassist, who was keeping his guitar in its case, “Besides, you already complete meeeeeee.”

“Shove off, don’t try to distract me. Go take down the decorations or something,” came the answer, “And I told you not to call me Brian.”

Jae pouted, pushing his glasses up his nose as he ignored his friend. “Dowoon,” he said to the drummer, “Don’t you think we’re complete? You don’t think we need more people in the Rock club, do we?”

“Well, hyung, in all honesty-”

“I’ll give you a Mars bar if you are on my side.”

“I think we should have a good lyricist. They could organize our lyrics together-”

“See? He doesn’t want anyone in the club either! How about you guys get off my case?” he muttered, “Seriously, Junhyeok? You’re literally on my guitar case. Move over.”

“Whoops sorry.”

Someone shoved a guitar into his arms. “Just keep your guitar, Jae,” he muttered, “We have to clear the booth by six.”

“Whoa, Wonpil, that’s like five minutes.”

“I suggest you start now, then.”

Jae rolled his eyes. “You guys are pissed just because we don’t have new recruits? Are you serious?”

One of the members who was dismantling the decorations from the wall glanced at him. “It’s not that. We’re pissed because you ditched us instead of doing your job handing out flyers to the freshmen,” he deadpanned, brushing aside his hair to massage his temples, “At least leave some of the flyers so we can pass them round.”

Jae rolled his eyes, slipping his guitar in the case and zipping it shut. “Well, I’m sure someone signed up.”

Dowoon shook his head. “Not even one.”

“I gave a ton of flyers-”

“Language.”

“Yeah, Jae, language.”

“Shut up, Brian.”

“Don’t call me Brian!”

“The leader has spoken,” Junhyeok said solemnly, stuffing the decorations into the large black bag, “Come on guys. It’s Friday. Let’s pack up and have some dinner or something.”

Jae huffed. “It’s not even my fault,” he said, walking out of the booth, “I was already being enthusiastic and- oof!”

There was a sound of someone in a gasp of pain, and through the dull pain of his face, he blinked at the apparition in front of him.

It was a girl.

Specifically, a girl hugging a guitar bag in her hands.

Jae tilted his head as she lowered the bag, getting a good look at the petite-looking girl behind it as she bowed furiously. “Whoa, steady on,” he said, bending over and taking his glasses from the floor, “Man, you pack a punch.”

She pulled her turtleneck sweater higher up her neck, her bangs falling over her eyes as she looked down in embarrassment, proceeding to bow again.

“Hey, it’s cool. Don’t be afraid, I’m not mad at you,” he said, massaging his forehead, “It’s nice to get hit on by pretty girls from time to time. Usually it’s the other way around.”

The girl didn’t say anything, merely looking down at the ground with shut eyes.

Brian popped out from the booth. “Jae, stop flirting and get your here.”

“I’m not flirting!” Jae scoffed, noticing the girl was turning red, “Um-”

She bowed and grabbed onto her guitar case, scurrying away before he could create an excuse to save himself, and he reached for thin air, staring dumbly as she ran away from him.

He turned to s, none of which were looking his way.

He stared at the direction the girl must have gone.

Weird.

***

Arpeggio, the large word sat at the top of the whiteboard as Mr. Ji scribbled it at the start of the class.

“Alright, ladies and gents, do you remember what we did yesterday?” he asked with a fatherly smile as he looked around the class, “Mastering the technique of arpeggio is no easy feat; you will either do it very well…or you will fail, and by fail I mean fail badly. Who has tried to practice it so far?”

I looked around, noticing the few raised hands.

Mr. Ji clapped. “Well, then. You will all have a lot to learn,” he joked, making the class chuckle with him, “But that’s alright, because while we let our hands heal from yesterday, we shall visit what it is like behind the music. Now, your semester exam coursework consists of a self-composed song, and I urge you to begin on it if you haven’t already.”

I nodded as he turned to the whiteboard, writing down in scribbles that only he seemed to understand. Squinting, I could make out self-composed and coursework before I gave up.

Mr. Ji looked my way as I nodded to myself. “See? Eunjung’s probably started on it; she seems to be the only one who knows what I’m talking about- Oh, look here!” he exclaimed, turning to the door, “Jaehyung, what a pleasant surprise!”

The class looked up, seeing the source of interruption.

“Hey, cher,” came the affable reply, revealing a tall blonde who sauntered into the class, “Could I use two minutes of your time for some shameless advertising?”

The class, mostly the girls, turned to each other and fell into hushed squeals at the sight of the charming Jaehyung, whom I recognized straight away.

He’s the one I ran into that day.

I sunk lower in my seat, keeping my eyes trained on my notebook as I wrote in it.

Professor Woo chuckled, turning to us. “For those of you who don’t know this young gentleman, he won a national young musician competition last year.”

Jaehyung chuckled as he walked in, towering next to Mr. Ji as he shook his head modestly. “I had a lot of help from you,” he said, as Mr. Ji clapped his shoulder, “Anyways, I’m from the Rock Club, and we’re looking for more people to join the team as musicians. We take good care of our members, so don’t be afraid to reach out to me if you’re ever interested!”

Rock club? Wasn’t that the one I overheard about? With six members?

Hmm. Jae is one of them.

Suddenly I’m not sure I want to check it out.

“You can get my number from Mr. Ji, so hit me up if you’re interested, okay?” he asked, before his eyes fell on mine.

He frowned.

I in a breath.

He can’t have recognized me. He can’t have recognized me. He can’t have recognized me. He can’t have recognized me. He can’t have recognized me. He can’t have recognized me. He can’t have recognized me. He can’t have recognized me.

“I’ve seen you before haven’t I?” he asked, making the whole class look my way as he neared my table.

Oh, .

Mr. Ji smiled proudly. “Eunjung is my ace student.”

“I see. She hit me with a guitar bag the other day,” Jae said, making a few of my classmates gasp, “Not on purpose. I think she was rushing somewhere.”

“She does busking on the weekdays in Myeongdeong!” someone said from behind, and Jae’s eyebrow rose as he glanced at Mr. Ji, who nodded.

Jae leaned over my notes as he grinned. “And here I thought she was so shy she couldn’t say apologize for hitting me,” he joked, “Where in Myeongdeong do you perform, shy girl? I might see you around.”

I heard some of my classmates whispering and I blinked upwards at him, my thoughts erratic as I tried to find a way to reply him without seeming like I was at a disadvantage.

“Um…” Mr. Ji interrupted, looking at me.

Let’s get this over and done with.

“Eunjung can’t speak,” my teacher told Jae, almost apologetically, “She’s mute.”

Jae reeled back, glancing at Mr. Ji. “You’re joking.”

“It’s true!” my deskmate added, “But she’s still the ace of the class.”

I risked a glance at the tall blonde, seeing him turn red. The shocked expression on his face was almost amusing, if not for the fact that there was sympathy in his eyes as he met my eyes a little less certainly.

Yup. Guess you’ve found that out.

***

The whole stretch where the nightly entertainments were seemed to be full as I walked on the tiled ground. It was Friday, and I should have seen it coming, but we learned Statistics earlier and I was bad at it; I stayed back an extra hour just finishing homework before coming to Myeongdeong.

My usual spot was taken by an ahjumma selling keychains, and I sighed as I walked towards the end, where it was dimmer and less crowded. There were more pubs and food stalls at this side, and while it was not the best place, I did what I had to do.

Setting up my guitar at the empty space, I looked through my bag for some of my music class notes.

Mr. Ji said my arpeggio needs a little more speed, so I’ll just practice that tonight.

Halfway into strumming and playing, I realized it was futile. Drops of rain fell on my hands as I played alone. I was going through my notes at least five times without an audience when usually, I would have a few dollar bills by now.

I swear it didn’t seem like it would rain earlier.

Besides, the band a couple of spots down had a bunch of people and even they were stopping due to the oncoming rain.

I stopped for a moment, hurrying to pack my notes before they got wet, before doing the same to my guitar. Reaching behind me to drink water, I heard the sound of coins tinkling in an empty can and I whipped around, my eyes falling on a lone stranger, who was holding a drink in one hand while supporting his electric guitar in the other.

It was Jae.

I almost choked on my water as I stared at him, like a deer caught in headlights.

He really did find me.

How even?

Is he a stalker?

“I had a hunch it was you the whole time,” he said, “This is the only spot in Myeongdeong for busking, and I was remarking to the boys that you looked familiar, so I decided to walk by. I was right!”

My eyes widened as he pointed to the direction of the band.

Scratch that, he was here the whole time?

The band’s been there for, like, since I started busking.

Jae grinned, watching me, and was about to comment on something when the sound of thunder interrupted him. Lightning flashed, illuminating the landscape and I flinched.

Jae peered at me. “You don’t stay too far away, do you?”

I shook my head.

“Walking distance?”

I nodded my head.

“How far away?”

I held up my fingers. 2-0.

“That’s far enough,” he commented.

I shrugged, reaching down to wear my guitar bag. If I wanted to return home dry, now would be the best time to start walking.

I noticed that Jae was still standing there, and I frowned at him as he bit his lip in thought, looking back at me.

“Can I,” he began, as another roll of thunder drummed in the skies, “Can I accompany you back?”

Accompany me back?

I shot him a long hard look.

Jae let out a scoff. “I don’t mean it like that!” he blurted, “It’s dark out, and you never know what weird people might be out and about.”

I shook my head.

I can take care of myself, buddy.

“Yes, but you’re-”

I gave him another stony look.

Jae let out a groan. “I feel like you’re judging me so hard right now.”

I nodded, giving a small smile.

I glanced at his band, then back at him.

“We live in different directions,” he told me, “I live just around the corner, so I’ll go take a walk around and head back. I don’t mind walking you.”

I shook my head uncertainly, as more raindrops started to fall.

“I’m asking as a worried schoolmate,” Jae asked, “I swear, I’d be really concerned if I went home safely and not know you did too.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Yes, I know you can probably hold your own,” he agreed, as he held out a hand in offering to carry my schoolbag, “Just for tonight?”

I in a breath. This is going to be so weird, I thought, holding up one finger.

“Yeah, sure, just once.”

***

It turned out that it was a false alarm, because as the two began their journey back, the slight drizzle died down.

Jae watched the girl – Eunjung – walk next to him, and felt that this was the strangest thing he had ever done for someone, walking them home.

He hadn’t done it for his friends, and neither had he done the same for his girlfriends, but that was probably because he never had one.

“You ever think about joining the Rock Club, Eunjung?” he asked for what seemed to be the tenth time since they started walking, and for the tenth time, she shook her head.

“Aww, but it would be great to have a classical guitar in the team!” he whined, “I heard you play so many times, it’s really great. I see why you’re Mr. Ji’s ace.”

She shook her head again, waving her hand dismissively like she knew he was trying to flatter her. Which he was, of course.

“I’m serious,” Jae insisted, “We need new members. Good ones. And we could go busking after school together too. You come every Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, if I’m not wrong?”

She paused, giving him a suspicious look.

“I’m not stalking you, I swear!”

She shrugged, and it became silent between them for a few minutes.

Jae stuffed his hands into his pockets, sighing softly. “You must like performing if you go busking three days a week.”

She shrugged again.

“I think it’s admirable, how you persevere despite not being able to speak. That’s bomb.”

She slowed to a stop, turning to him with what seemed like a vulnerable gaze.

Jae stopped too. “I’m not making fun of you,” he assured her, as she searched his eyes for any sign of mockery, “I think you’re one hell of a chick.”

She rolled her eyes at him and continued walking, and he caught a hint of a smile on her lips as he peered in her direction.

“How do you even cope with school? Does anyone make fun of you?”

She nodded.

“What are their names? I’ll send them to detention for you. My drummer’s a school prefect.”

Her smile became wider as she shook her head at him, and he rather liked how she was being amused and flustered at the same time.

“Which one’s your house?” he asked, as they arrived at the stretch of houses.

She looked around as if she didn’t realize she was close to home, before pointing ahead.

“That one?” he asked.

She nodded.

Jae pouted. He barely had time to get to know her, and already she was going home. Passing her bag to her, he gave a grin. “I hope you join the Rock Club.”

She shut her eyes in mock-annoyance, and reached into her pocket, taking out a pen.

She jerked her head at him.

Jae blinked. “You want my number?”

She nodded.

“So you are going to join the Rock Club?”

She shrugged.

“Eunjung don’t play with my heart like you play your guitar,” he pretended to say sadly, but took the pen and wrote on her wrist his number nonetheless. “There,” he said, when he was done, “I’ll be expecting you to call- I mean, message.”

She gave a shrug that seemed more teasing than unsure, and Jae had to stop himself from staring as she gave him a wave goodbye, shutting the door faster than he could react.

Thunder echoed throughout the night again, and he cursed himself as he turned away from Eunjung’s doorstep.

But then his phone buzzed, and he took it out, expecting Brian to ask him if he had gotten home safely.

But it wasn’t Brian, but an unknown number.

His eyebrows furrowed as he opened the message.

I might…MIGHT…think of joining, so I’m hoping you won’t get too ecstatic.

But anyway, thank you for walking me back. It was too nice of you.

-E

Jae grinned.

Ahhh Day6. I wasn’t a fan prior to writing this story, but I did know who they were, so as you’d tell, I went to listen to their albums, watch crack videos of them, and scour the internet for their profiles and such.

Blood was the first song I listened to, and I was hooked. My goodness, their voices and the song blend in so well, and I was wondering why there was no music video for it; I love the emotion behind the lyrics and I love how natural sounding the music is as compared to the overproduced melodies in the kpop market these days.

I don’t think I’ve made this story as wonderful as a lot of other Day6 fanfictions but I hope you like this, Starr!