The light patter of feet could be heard making its way down the dim street, merely a few street lights and the moon illuminating the long, dark road. Kibum unconsciously fixed the loose strands of hair atop of his head for the umpteenth time that night, his breath coming in short, even puffs that wisped forward and fogged in the cool, winter’s air ahead of him.

Slipping his hands into the large pockets his jacket was donned with, Kibum kept his head down as he strolled briskly towards the shady, brick building by the corner of the street. This particular route, despite its gloomy atmosphere, had become a familiar one to Kibum, barely blinking an eye at the drunkards who roamed the sidewalks.

Upon reaching the splintered, wooden door, Kibum opened it quietly and slipped in unnoticed, smiling at the immediate change of atmosphere. The dim lighting had turned to faded, yellow lamps; and panelled, wooden flooring had replaced the mismatched cobblestone, lying vertically across the worn ground. The unsettling silence had disappeared completely also, mild chatter filling the fern green walls and lingering in a comfortable glow.

Kibum made his way through the cluster of chairs seated around the contrasting tables, trekking his way over to the crowded bar.

“Kibum, you’re back again this week.” stated the bartender; a tall man with a variety of piercings and a charming smile.

Kibum grinned in response, taking a seat at the counter and casually drumming his fingers along the chipped surface.

“Couldn’t help myself, I suppose.” he spoke, nodding slightly as the bartender held up a bottle of soju.

“Jonghyun often has that effect on people,” the man replied, pouring a glass of the alcoholic beverage with the swiftness of an experienced mixologist.

Kibum accepted the glass gratefully, lifting it to his lips and sipping on it slowly. The bartender was more than correct in his assumption, of course. A person such as Kibum wasn’t someone you’d usually see frequenting a bar like this, however he had first found himself there a few weeks back when he’d laid eyes on a poster advertising a live performance by ‘a new star’. Not that Kibum was that interested in music. Sure, he loved to dance, and sang along to all the songs on the radio, but he definitely wouldn’t call himself a music lover. That title was reserved for people like Jonghyun. The one who’s beautiful face had led Kibum to the cold and gloomy street in the first place. The one who’s beautiful face was situated right in the middle of the poster that had taken him to a whole new world. And sure, perhaps it was Jonghyun’s face that had attracted Kibum originally; however it was his gorgeous, emotional voice that had induced Kibum to return again and again.

Kibum took small sips of the beverage in his hands, checking the time on his phone nonchalantly as he waited in anticipation. 7:24pm, it read. He sighed in boredom and ran his finger over the rim of the glass, leg bouncing up and down impatiently as he waited for it to reach 7:30pm. The time ticked by slowly, like watching grass grow or paint dry, however half past soon came and Kibum couldn’t prevent the inevitable grin that spread over his face. The lights dimmed even more, and Kibum quickly paid the bartender before pushing his way politely through the crowd to stand before the stage. The 19-year-old’s heart sped up, and he mentally slapped himself for being so stupid. Here he was, sneaking out of the house whilst his parents were at work to go and see a boy who didn’t even know his name. Who didn’t even know who he was. Despite the absurdity of his decisions, Kibum didn’t regret it in the slightest, feeling like a young teenager with an old fashion school girl crush.

Finally, after what seemed like far too long for Kibum’s liking, the boy in question finally walked on stage, sporting an adorable hat (in Kibum’s opinion) and a wide, beautiful smile.

“Good evening everyone!” Jonghyun greeted warmly, sitting on a stool positioned in the middle of the stage.

Kibum smiled even wider, if possible, and bit his lip in excitement.

“This first song I’m singing for you guys is called ‘U & I’, I hope you enjoy it,” he introduced gently, grabbing his guitar which rested against the stool and strumming it experimentally.

As the first line of the song cascaded from Jonghyun’s mouth, Kibum swore he nearly fainted, chills running down his spine and an indescribable warmth flooding through his veins and filling his body. A light blush spread over the younger boy’s cheeks, looking up at the singer with pure admiration in his feline eyes. The song finished soft and breathily, and Kibum applauded loudly along with the rest of the crowd that had gathered.

Jonghyun began the next song almost immediately; a soft ballad that had Kibum’s heart clenching and a melodramatic wave enveloping his petite form. Not that the song wasn’t good. It was much more than that, with meaningful words and a sad yet beautiful tone. Jonghyun had called it ‘Diphylleia Grayi’, and looked almost in tears by the end, Kibum not far behind him.

‘How is he not famous?’ Kibum asked himself in disbelief yet again, mouth agape in awe at the pure talent spilling out of this young, handsome man.

Of course, there was no answer to his internal question, but that didn’t stop him from contemplating the unfairness of the situation. A few more songs went by and finally, much to Kibum’s delight, Jonghyun began to sing ‘Hallelujah’, Kibum’s favourite by far. Totally entranced in the lyrics of the song, Kibum began to sing along softly, thinking only of the male on stage as he did so. Shaking his head to rid his pathetic, romantic thoughts of the older male, he focused his attention back to Jonghyun’s face, flushing crimson as he realised that the man was staring straight at him. And smiling, nonetheless. Kibum bit his lip softly, gazing up at the singer shyly through his long eyelashes with the same blush still lying upon his cheeks. And if Kibum didn’t know any better, he could’ve sworn that he saw an identical pink hue upon Jonghyun’s face, before the male diverted his gaze abruptly. But no, of course he wasn’t blushing because of Kibum. That thought was absolutely ludicrous. Well…in Kibum’s point of view at least.

Much to Kibum’s chagrin, the time flew by quickly, and before he knew it Jonghyun was saying goodbye and leaving the stage with his guitar in tow. The school student sighed tiredly and rubbed his eyes with a yawn, checking the time on his phone once again and breathing a sigh of relief.

8:06pm.

Kibum knew he had to be home by 9:00 at the latest, and figured he had enough time to down one last drink. He sat himself on the familiar stool by the bar, smiling at the bartender as he nodded towards the bottle of soju from before. The pierced man placed a glass of the alcohol before Kibum, leaving the student to his own devices as he left to serve other customers. Kibum took the glass in his long fingers and downed a mouthful of the substance, scrunching up his nose as the liquor burnt his throat on the way down.

“Don’t you think you’re a little young to be downing soju the way you are?” came a playful voice from beside him, and Kibum snapped his head around so fast he swore he received whiplash.

His eyes widened at the sight that met him, and if it wasn’t for the liquor inside his mouth, his jaw would’ve dropped too. Sitting there, right next to Kibum, was Jonghyun, the man of his (not so pure) dreams. Kibum swallowed his drink with a gulp, an immediate glow forming on his cheeks at the mere sight of the singer.

“I um…turned 19 around a month ago,” he stuttered in reply, slapping himself mentally at how stupid he sounded.

“Oh thank God. I was worried you were underage,” Jonghyun smiled, his pearly white teeth showing in a way that reminded Kibum of a dinosaur.

It seemed his smile was contagious, because all of a sudden Kibum’s dimples were on display as an impish grin grew on his face.

“Worried? Why would you be worrying about me?” Kibum asked curiously, biting his lip shyly as he drummed his fingers against the rim of his short glass.

“Well I have to protect my number one fan, don’t I?” he asked rhetorically, and all Kibum wanted to do at that moment was shield his blush from the adorable smirk on Jonghyun’s face.

“I really wouldn’t call myself your biggest fan…” began Kibum awkwardly, placing his beverage down to reposition the wild hair on top of his head.

“I beg to differ. Nobody else comes every week to watch me perform like you. And they sure as heck don’t know the lyrics to my favourite song.” argued the older male, and Kibum’s jaw dropped in surprise.

“It’s your favourite song too?” exclaimed Kibum excitedly, and Jonghyun chuckled heartedly at the younger boy’s glee.

“Definitely. And besides, if you were underage, I wouldn’t really be allowed to ask you out for coffee, now would I?”

If Kibum had chosen to take a sip at that exact moment, he would’ve found it sprayed all over Jonghyun’s face. Thankfully however, Kibum had opted to leave his drink alone, but that didn’t change the fact that he was utterly and most doubtlessly shocked.

“E-excuse me?” questioned Kibum, and Jonghyun had to cover his face to prevent the large blush on his face from showing.

“You heard me,” he repeated cheekily, and Kibum felt as though his face was ablaze, cheeks heating up furiously.

“You’re asking me…out for coffee?”

“Last time I checked, yes.”

Kibum would’ve squealed had it been that Jonghyun wasn’t there, however he was and so the former had to push all of his excitement down to the depths of his stomach.

“W-well…sure I’d love to, I suppose.” he stuttered quietly, quite a contrast to the incitement he really felt about the situation.

Was he dreaming? Was Jonghyun playing a joke on him? But after pinching himself in the arm a numerous amount of times, Kibum came to the conclusion that this definitely wasn’t a dream. And he was more than ecstatic about it.

“Fantastic! I was afraid you’d say no, but I’m really glad you didn’t. Did you want to swap numbers then?” spoke Jonghyun, and Kibum had to force himself to not look at the older boy’s lips as he did so.

“Yeah, alright.” agreed Kibum happily, fishing his phone out of his pocket and passing it over to Jonghyun.

Jonghyun tapped in his number swiftly, before switching over to camera mode and walking over to Kibum.

“Let’s take a selca together, okay?” he suggested, and Kibum nodded enthusiastically.

Jonghyun crouched down from behind Kibum, resting his chin on the younger’s shoulder and placing his hand on the student’s waist. Kibum’s eyes widened as he flushed crimson, his lips nervously as Jonghyun held his other arm in front of them.

“Smile!” he proclaimed, before snapping the photo of the two of them, both with large grins resting upon their faces.

“Wow, you look so cute in this!” Jonghyun commented, unknowingly causing butterflies to go wild in Kibum’s stomach.

“T-thanks,” replied Kibum shyly, a small smile appearing on his cat-like face.

“No worr-“, Jonghyun began, only to be cut off as Kibum’s phone buzzed in his palm.

“Ah! Kibum…you’ve got a message,” he exclaimed, eyes widening slightly.

“Oh, thank you,” said Kibum, gently taking the phone out of Jonghyun’s grasp. “But how did you know my name?”

Jonghyun laughed softly, scratching the back of his neck in a cute manner.

 “Your mother seems to be rather angry…’Kibum, where the heck are you, young man? Answer me this instant!’” he imitated with a chuckle, Kibum’s eyes widening in horror.

“Oh no! I forgot all about my parents…they have no idea that I went out!” he spoke worriedly, paling considerably in horror.

“Aish…you little rebel. Do you want me to drive you home then?” offered Jonghyun kindly, eyes furrowed in concern.

Kibum blinked at the politeness of the older male, falling for him even more than he thought possible.

“Y-yes, please. I’d love that,” Kibum smiled in response, standing up and bravely wrapping his arms around Jonghyun’s torso in thanks.

Jonghyun looked surprised for a few seconds, before he sunk into the hug and wrapped his own arms around Kibum’s waist.

“No worries, Kibum. Let’s go then, my car’s parked out the back,” he stated, pulling away gently and ruffling Kibum’s hair.

Kibum blushed slightly before furrowing his brows in anger.

“God damn it, Jonghyun! Do you know how long it took to get my hair perfect?” scolded Kibum, trying desperately to fix each separate strand of hair as quickly as possible.

He was stopped in his failed attempt as Jonghyun grabbed his hands and took them in his own, successfully stopping Kibum in his tracks as well as reddening the boy’s cheeks for the umpteenth time that hour.

“Calm down…besides, your hair looks perfect either way.”

That comment shut Kibum up immediately, the student biting his lip with glee at the small compliment. How could someone seriously be so perfect? And why was someone so perfect being so nice to him in the first place? Kibum didn’t really understand the luck he’d been receiving that night, but decided not to question it. After all, it does no good to look a gift horse in the mouth.

“Come on then,” prompted Jonghyun friendlily, releasing one of Kibum’s hands but keeping the other locked firmly with his own.

With Jonghyun leading the way to the back door, Kibum couldn’t help but look down at their entwined hands, smiling brightly as his stomach did flips upon flips within itself.

Arriving at the older male’s car, Kibum nearly laughed aloud, not expecting the bomb his eyes were met with.

“This is your car? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Kibum exclaimed with a giggle, muffling the majority of his laughter in the sleeve of his jacket.

“Nope, this is definitely my car. I don’t get paid a whole heap for these gigs, you know.” he laughed in reply, unlocking it with a slight struggle.

Kibum hopped into the passenger seat with a small frown, earning a curious look from Jonghyun.

“You should, you know. Get paid more. You’re amazing. Better than half the celebrities out there these days.” he spoke softly, risking a glance at Jonghyun who was blushing furiously.

‘Cute.’

“No…I’m not that good. All those celebrities can dance and have stage presence, but all I can do is sing and write songs. Nobody would buy my albums.” replied Jonghyun humbly, starting the engine of the car and backing out of the parking lot.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. That’s what music is, you idiot! Meaningful songs and beautiful voices to go along with them. That’s exactly what you have, and you’re crazy to think otherwise.” Kibum argued, his diva side taking over and leaving no room for disagreement.

“T-thank you, Kibum. You truly have no idea how much that means to me.” whispered Jonghyun, just loud enough for Kibum’s ears to pick up on it.

Kibum smiled softly, and began to direct Jonghyun to where his house was situated. They reached it within a mere 5 minutes, and Kibum would be lying if he said he was happy to be home again.

“Thanks a ton for driving me home, Jonghyun. You didn’t have to,” thanked Kibum as they pulled up before his house, undoing his seatbelt and facing Jonghyun.

“No worries, Kibum. Besides, I couldn’t leave a pretty boy like you wandering the streets alone at this time of the night. Who knows what could’ve happened,” replied the singer, laughing heartily as Kibum shied away in embarrassment.

“Don’t say stuff like that. You’ll jinx it,” replied Kibum in a whine, playfully hitting the older male on the arm.

“Text me about our coffee date tomorrow,” reminded Jonghyun, just as Kibum was about to open the car door.

Kibum turned around, a cute smile displayed on his face.

“Date?” he asked cheekily, Jonghyun turning rouge as he realised his slip up.

“Y-yeah…that’s what all the kids are calling them these days, right?”

“Yeah, sure…whatever floats your boat, Jonghyun,” giggled Kibum, running a hand through his wind-blown hair.

“Oh and Kibum, before you leave…” started Jonghyun, reaching out for Kibum’s hand as he got out of the car.

“Neh?”

“I um…I like your dimples,” blushed Jonghyun, purposely avoiding eye contact with Kibum as the younger boy stared in astonishment.

“T-Thank you, Jonghyun. I like your nose…it’s a very cute shape.” responded Kibum awkwardly, running his hand through his hair again as he bit his lower lip.

Jonghyun laughed softly, nodding in farewell to Kibum as he started the engine.

“Good luck with your parents, Kibum.”

Kibum merely waved with a smile in reply, closing the door softly and walking briskly up to his front porch. Jonghyun waited until the younger boy was safely inside before taking off back home, a large smile on his face as he anticipated the text message he would receive tomorrow.