EIGHT

[7:00 a.m]
kkukkungie : good morning sweetheart, i know you are probably busy getting ready but i wanted to wish you luck

[9:56 a.m]
kkukkungie : love?
kkukkungie : theres just a few more hours til i get to see you
kkukkungie : and i hope you do your best today

me : ??
me : what are you talking about?
me : i've got nothing on today??

kkukkungie : you're a little off then love
kkukkungie : today's your vocal performance 
kkukkungie : remember

me :  vocal performance? 
me : thats not unt—
me : ajabsuaheusan
me : i slept through my alarms, oh my god
me : theres four hours left and im not ready!!

kkukkungie : adorable
kkukkungie : just relax love
kkukkungie : you'll do amazing, just like last year
kkukkungie : i'll be cheering for you, my precious angel

me :  you will be there
me : watching me?

kkukkungie : of course
kkukkungie : i'll be in one of the closer rows, right close to you
kkukkungie : i can't wait to see what song you perform this year

me :  one of the front rows...
me : i'll look for you

kkukkungie : i've learned to never underestimate you
kkukkungie : give it everything you've got, love
kkukkungie : show everyone how powerful your voice really is

me :  i will
me : and you will be on my mind for every second of my stage

kkukkungie : yabauMsgsyan
kkukkungie : im fine, totally fine
kkukkungie : my hearts just exploded, no biggie

❀

kihyun giggled madly as he pressed his face into the cinnamon fur of his wolf, his anxiety quickly seeping away as he buried his pink cheeks into the soft pelt, trying to muffle the sounds to not wake up his friends who were clearly still sleeping. he had slept so peacefully last night with the toy wolf curled in his arms, the spicy warm cologne making his heart dance in his chest. it had been the best sleep he had ever had, despite the sudden wake up by the buzzing of his phone on his cheek.

a sudden thought arose his head as his giggles died down, and he lifted his head with a confused expression at the idea yet the quirk at his lips showed that he was thinking it over. before he had known about the other male, kihyun had already chosen a song that would show off his vocals with the abilities to hit high notes even in it's simplest form. but he had him now, someone who was infatuated with him yet wouldn't reveal himself and it made him want to tease. maybe if he teased, he would crack under the pressure and reveal his identity. it wasn't much, but blood pounded furiously in his ears from the exciting possibility of maybe.

luckily yongguk, the male who organised the music for the event, had created a few different vibes for everyone's songs, allowing them to choose rather than just the actual song. he had given four to kihyun being the original, the slowed down version, a peppy upbeat version and a fourth that was a high risk. kihyun knew exactly which one he would choose.

pulling his phone from beneath his pillow where it had hidden away, he sent quick texts to the older male.

me : i've changed my mind
me : i'll go with the risk

yongguk : okay, i'll change it over now
yongguk : what about your outfit?
yongguk : it wont suit such a concept

me : dw 
me : i'm heading to the salon soon
me : i'll get an outfit while i'm there

yongguk : the salon? 
yongguk : just how much of a change are you making?

me : a huge one
 

kihyun sent his last message as he pulled an old white shirt over his head, getting himself dressed as soon as possible so that he could head to the salon. for the style that he was planning on getting, despite only being there four days ago, he knew it would take up half of the time he had left.

before he left, he pondered for a moment and reach back to grab his camera.

his friends had definitely changed their sleeping positions since last night and he quickly took a photo before smiling. hoseok had become the little spoon, the younger's long arms thrown across his shoulders and a leg secured around his hips to pull him back into hyungwon's body. jooheon and gunhee had finally changed their position, now lying down on the couch and kihyun sighed happily, knowing that they wouldn't have to deal with stiff backs if they'd continued to sleep in the position from last night. gunhee was on his back with jooheon on his chest, his hands resting on the small sliver of skin shown by the younger's raised shirt.

leaving a note explaining where he was going, kihyun slipped out of the flat and sprinted towards the salon. he only paused once when he accidentally bumped into a boy in his rush to weave around what felt like the entire university body, today was just not his day. muttering an apology and giving a short bow, he continued on his way without looking at the other's face, leaving a pink-faced cinnamon-haired male to stare at his back longingly. 

jennie greeted the panting male at the door, a hand on his back and laughing whilst he rested his hands on his knees. she had been his hair dresser for all three of the years he had been at university, and he couldn't be more grateful since she was one of the best. "your roots aren't back yet ki" she said amused, poking at his hair which was still completely brown. he just shook his head and laughed, standing up straight now that he had regained the ability to breathe properly.

"actually, i wanted to have my hair..." he whispered into her ear, explaining what he wanted done and pulled back to see her shocked yet appreciative face. jennie wasn't one to sugarcoat things, often telling kihyun went the colours he picked were a bad idea, like the sky-blue hair he had wanted in first year so her face relaxed his worries. "that sounds like a great idea, ki! i can give you hairspray to style it up or i can do it myself" she said happily and he paused before choosing the second option.

"everyone's expecting a simple and calm performance from me, so i really want to surprise them with what i can actually do" kihyun explained easily and jennie just nodded, ushering him over to one of the stations only to push him into the seat.

"a surprise, huh? i know a good outfit that will catch their attention and lisa can do your makeup while i'm doing your hair, sound good? if you need it, you can borrow my hoodie to hide your face and new hair" she helped and thank-yous rolled off of kihyun's tongue as nodded quickly to her proposal. jennie quickly ushered her girlfriend over since the salon was basically empty, explaining what kihyun wanted before chastely kissing the younger's cheek, lisa bouncing off to gather the makeup.

kihyun relaxed back in the seat as jennie ran her slim fingers through his hair, sectioning off and twirling his hair together with blue clips. the moment her hands left his hair was also the moment that lisa started applying makeup, warning him to stay still or she would mess up and kihyun complied.

"i won't add much" lisa smiled "you don't really need it since your skin is clear and who should ever hide these adorable freckles" she continued and gently poked the freckle on his forehead, causing him to scrunch up his face and make her laugh. "i'll just add a base of concealer, with brown eyeshadow and eyeliner for the eyes, and a two-tone lip bar for your mouth. sound good?" she continued and kihyun seeing the concealer close to his face, made a noise in his throat as a yes so that he wouldn't move too much.

"just rest kihyun, we'll wake you when it's over" jennie said gently and kihyun closed his eyes, internally wishing for his wolf in his arms again but he would take what he could get. before he could fall asleep however, he raised his camera.

"do you think you could take photos of my hair for me, i've got this photography portfolio due in a couple of days"

"sure, just sleep now and i'll take a couple when it's done"

"thanks"

closing his eyes, kihyun was lulled to sleep by the gentle music playing and the soft movements on his face and hair.

–•—•–

kihyun was woken two hours later with jennie shaking at his shoulders gently, lisa bouncing on the balls of her feet with a wide grin and a mirror in her hands. he could feel the makeup on his face, how his lips weren't as chapped and how his hair smelt like dye but also the coconut-scented conditioner they used.

"damn ki, i gotta say that lisa did a great job. you look y and this coming from a completely homoual female" jennie quipped and the three of them burst into laughter. a few of the other customers looked over at him, trying to see the face of the 'y' male, but due to where the couple were standing around him, all they got was a view of his muscular thighs in skinny jeans.

he was handed a oversized zip-up black hoodie and put it on quickly, zipping it up and obscuring his face with the hood. "about your outfit, just go to jisoo and rosé's shop next door. i've already messaged them with your sizes so it should be ready when you get there" jennie instructed and kihyun nodded, pulling out his wallet and paying for his hair, making sure to add in the largest tip he could manage for the girl's help despite the two trying to give it back.

customer's watched with hungry eyes as he got up, completely drinking his thighs and he just chuckled to himself, thinking of how they would probably react if hoseok or hyunwoo came here, their thighs easily twice as muscular as his (much to hyungwon and minhyuk's delight). he felt tempted to run his hands through his hair as he exited the store to enter the clothing one next door, to feel the new lengths but he had to stop himself, pushing his hands into his pockets and reminding himself of the performance tonight to diminish the thought.

like the pair had promised, a girl that kihyun presumed to be either jisoo or rosé was at the counter, with a plastic bag containing his outfit resting against the cashier. he smiled warmly as he entered, only slightly raising his head so that she would know it was him that she was waiting for. it seemed to work. "kihyun i'm guessing? hello, i'm jisoo. for your outfit, we've got a pair of..." she said and explained his outfit, pulling each piece out one by one. it was a great but he could feel something missing. then it clicked.

"do you have any chokers?"

–•—•–

there was twenty minutes left now until he had to go on stage and kihyun pulled on his leather jacket, spraying his hair with a little more hairspray as he styled it up with his fingers. the other five, now six that gunhee was able to come, where all waiting for him outside the changing room and expecting a lot different to what he was going to give. he'd come in half an hour ago with his newly bought outfit hidden beneath the one he was originally planning to wear, with minhyuk trying to pull at his hoodie.

but now it was time to go out, he couldn't stall it any longer and if he was honest with himself, he wanted to see the looks on all of their faces. so adjusting his black ripped jeans to show certain areas of skin, he checked his makeup one last time in the mirror and deeming it flawless opened the door.

exclaimed shrieks met him as the six pairs of eyes either focused on his hair, his outfit or what exactly was shown from the ripped jeans.

"what happened to your hair?"

"you're wearing a leather jacket?!"

"since when did you have tattoos?"

questions bombarded him for all angles, but it was the last one that attracted everyone except hoseok's eyes to his thighs were his two tattoos were now fully exposed.

"i've had them for two years. i got them when i went with hoseok to get his tattoos, i just cover mine with makeup" kihyun explained and watched as minhyuk poked them in innocent curiosity, checking his finger to see if they were makeup, but the diamond on his right thigh and the quote on his left stayed put.

hoseok whistled "you look hot ki, it's easy to see that you're trying to catch someone's attention" he said afterwards, everyone clambering to agreed and kihyun smiled widely at the compliments he was being basked in.

"yoo kihyun, you're on in two minutes" a new voice joined the conversation, belonging to himchan, yongguk's boyfriend. he smiled uneasily, the nerves starting to curl in his stomach despite the adrenaline that had fuelled most of his morning. hyungwon placed a calming hand on his shoulder and he leaned into the contact, easily placed in the middle of a cuddle party with the rest of them making sure that his hair or make-up wasn't messed up. kihyun was truly blessed with the bestest friends he could ever ask for.

two minutes later he was on the middle of a stage in the pitch black.

"and that brings us to our final performance of the night, yoo kihyun, who will be singing a cover of bruno mar's 'runaway baby' in a way you've never heard before. give it up for kihyun!"

a pale orange light focused on him and he started to walk around, rolling his head as he waited to for the music to start. he was met with excited screams from the crowd, who had been expecting him in a white shirt and long grey cardigan, to sing a slower version. they weren't expecting him with ripped jeans, a leather jacket, choker and lighter brown hair newly shaved on the sides. he was a stunner.

the music started and he awed them right off the bat, his voice matching the rock-version of the song perfectly. he hit all the high notes, showing his cuter side when he stepped from side to side in one part, his ier side through the head-banging and hip s.

boys and girls alike were going crazy, anyone that knew the lyrics were singing along with him.

his eyes constantly searched through the first three rows in the crowd, looking for kkukkungie which was hard considering he didn't know what he looked like and everyone was staring at him with love-struck eyes. he did notice how a certain cinnamon-haired male sitting next to jooheon was one of them, feeling himself blush underneath the makeup as he continued to sing.

the end of his song drew closer, and without thinking, he pointed to the male as he sung "see i ain't trying to hurt you baby" before focusing his gaze somewhere else as he shook his free hand with the next lyric.

it ended and kihyun panted hard, the lights dimming. with the yelling of the students becoming nothing but white noise, kihyun locked eyes with the male once again and still feeling the adrenaline rushing through his veins, winked at him and bit his lip seductively. he would have time to blush over this later, but for now he would drink in the bright red face caused because of him. the rest of the singers came onto the stage in a line, including hyungwon and hoseok that did a stage together performing hoseok's own song.

"it's been a long night, filled with many amazing singers but we have to choose one winner. so could our winner please step forward.... yoo kihyun!" his teacher exclaimed and his eyes widened as he stepped forward, the crowd applauding his win for the second year in a row.

"you've done an amazing job kihyun and by choosing a different-version of this song shows that you can expand your boundaries, you have great potential as a singer" one of the other teachers commented and kihyun nodded at the praise.

himchan quickly walked onto the stage, holding a small trophy as well as two flowers and a letter he knew was from the other male. kihyun beams brightly as he accepts the gifts, the teachers persuading him to read the letter, becoming common gossip around the campus that he had a loving admirer. he moved the small golden trophy to the crook of his elbow, holding his flowers in the same hand as he opened his letter to read in front of everyone.

his eyes watered a little as he read, and he had to move the letter away mid-read to make sure that none of his salty droplets ruined the intricate calligraphy marking the page.

hey love,

i chose this particular flower for you today, since it was a year ago today that you sang your own cover of that goblin ost. it suited to well as do the red and white stock flowers that you are holding in your hand which mean you'll always be beautiful to me' in the flower language. do you remember how you locked eyes with me that night? probably not since i was just one face among many. but i remember and it was the start of everything for me. 

yes i have liked you since highschool. and i may have lied a little about being biual, you have been the only guy i wanted and i wouldn't trade you for anything in the world. but it was at that vocal performance that i decided to start this, start all these letters filled with sweet words and compliments for you, and you only.

i like you, but can you come to like me back?

always yours,
xx