antagonism; an active hostility or opposition, as between unfriendly or conflicting groups

they say love is an unconscious competition, where rivalry is always plausible. it’s most evident in these 3, a straight up love triangle that puts kyungsoo up as the winner’s trophy. the winner of this lovers’ battle? we’ll find out.

it’s dark in the studio, almost all the lights are turned off, except the one in the recording studio and one dimly lit bulb where the control panel is. kyungsoo and chanyeol step into the unfamiliar set-up, though it performs pretty much the same job as any studio would. hyunsik’s sitting on the swivel chair, legs propped up on one of the desks, a pick wedged between his lips. he welcomes the two to his humble abode, where he spends most of his free time or work time at.

kyungsoo gets comfortable and sits himself next to hyunsik, chanyeol props himself up on the desk.

“so what have you two been up to lately?” hyunsik puts his guitar aside and his legs back on the ground. “evidently not much, since we’re here.” chanyeol answers, holding onto the guitar he brought over.

hyunsik had invited kyungsoo over to hang out in his studio, only to be told that chanyeol would be coming over since he’s free to tag along. not much of a surprise, though hyunsik would’ve much preferred some alone time with his long-time friend. having chanyeol around, they could even write some songs while they’re at it.

chanyeol gets up to give the studio a glance. there are several vintage LP records hung up on the walls, figurines on top of the speakers and on the desk, all sorts of equipments and instruments. it’s somewhat a musician’s dream to have a personal studio like that, which chanyeol is evidently jealous of.

“having the advantage of a personal space like that, wouldn’t it be better if you could actually, i don’t know, see?” chanyeol gestures sarcastically at the lack of lighting. hyunsik laughs and gets up to switch the lights on.

“sorry, it’s just the best environment for me to work on my stuff when i’m alone, how do you like it here kyungsoo?” hyunsik looks towards kyungsoo expectantly. “i love it, you must really take pride in decorating and keeping your studio up to date, it’s amazing.” kyungsoo says while gawking at the now well-lit studio. “well, you can come by and make use of it any time you want you know?” hyunsik smiles. chanyeol shoots him a dirty look, as if trying to say “back off.” kyungsoo tells him to cut it out, saying this isn’t what he invited him over for.

the lovers’ fight is put on pause and chanyeol starts experimenting on the keyboard, playing various chords. hyunsik catches on quickly, strumming on matching chords, trying to harmonize. kyungsoo hums along to the notes, as if he already knows the song. chanyeol messes up a little, missing the repeating beats that hyunsik leads him into. as they went along, hyunsik notes down the chords on paper, already halfway filled with scribbles. it’s what he does all the time when playing around with music. who knows? some of these scribbles could be turned into full songs. it’s the kind of magic hyunsik is capable of.

kyungsoo always says how impressed he is with hyunsik’s ability to compose like that, blaming himself for not attending composing classes back when he was a trainee. when hyunsik says he could always teach him, chanyeol would cut in, “i could do it too!” kyungsoo would shake his head, saying their styles are worlds apart, and chanyeol in fact has much to learn from hyunsik. chanyeol whines and kyungsoo threatens to punch him, hyunsik enjoys watching them bicker like that.

after a while they switch to acoustic, both hyunsik and chanyeol strumming on their own guitars. hyunsik always manages to add a twist to the arrangement, he loves to catch how kyungsoo smiles slightly whenever it happens. chanyeol’s strumming gets questionably more intense whenever he catches this. he likes to pause randomly and enter the arrangement with strength, shocking kyungsoo a little. he snickers teasingly when he catches kyungsoo’s reaction.

if you haven’t noticed by now, they both crave kyungsoo’s attention. it’s like a constant competition to see who can impress the protagonist more.

hyunsik grabs his electric guitar next, plugging it in. kyungsoo’s eyes widen with excitement and hyunsik smiles, knowing he’s got his attention. he starts with light strums, increasing with intensity as the melody goes. kyungsoo sinks further into his chair, eyes shut, mesmerized by the sounds. chanyeol’s sulking a little. he walks over to the drum set, a slight smirk hanging on the corners of his mouth.

the moment chanyeol strikes one of the snare drums, kyungsoo’s eyes light up, instinctively turning to see chanyeol jamming out on the drums. his hands move swiftly, drumsticks in his two hands, one foot tapping freely to the beat, head bopping to the beat. kyungsoo turns his chair to face chanyeol, staring in amazement. hyunsik catches on easily, sub-consciously strumming harder. kyungsoo doesn’t notice it but chanyeol and hyunsik are staring each other down, both playing more and more intensely.

the staring contest is broken up when one of the strings on hyunsik’s guitar snaps, kyungsoo jumps a little in his seat and chanyeol blinks, hands over his head.

“well, it has been a while since i switched these strings out,” hyunsik reassures them, laughing at his own mistake. “it seems the jamming session has to be put on hold my friends.” kyungsoo giggles, giving hyunsik a hand by holding onto the guitar and putting it aside. hyunsik reaches into one of the drawers to grab a spare string.

“it was fun while it lasted, huh?” chanyeol raises a brow at hyunsik. kyungsoo unknowingly nods, saying he enjoyed it. “of course!” hyunsik half shouts. he says they can feel free to go, he’ll fix the guitar. kyungsoo thanks him for inviting them over, giving hyunsik a tight hug. they don’t know when’s the next time they can meet like this. hyunsik gives chanyeol a wink over kyungsoo’s shoulder. as chanyeol and kyungsoo walk out the door, hyunsik waves them goodbye.

love’s a fight, be it constantly attempting to impress or stay ahead. in every fight there is a competitor, and in every fight there’s a winner. comparatively, the contestants of the fight for this love may seem equally amazing, talented, or gifted, but only one will remain the victor. can you make a guess who it'll be?