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three more minutes to four p.m.

he had already packed all his stuff in his bag. the moment this session ends, he is not going to wait for the lecturer to dismiss them. he will have to make a dash for the exit and run as fast as his legs can carry, to his favourite practice room.

“dude, i have to rush once the bell rings. please help me take notes if there are any after i leave. i will call you later or drop by the practice room once you are done, thanks!”

he looked at his watch, while anticipating the ringing of the bell to happen soon. his legs were shaking anxiously, and he is ignoring that annoying squeaky sounds the chair is making.

RRRRIINNGG!

like a jack-in-a-box, he sprung up from his seat immediately, made a dash for the nearest exit and started running across the relatively huge campus. he hates it that the recreation building is situated on higher ground because running up that slope is gonna drain his energy.

“im gonna make it there first today. past few days, i had to practise my dance in the smaller room because of that nerd. today will be my day” he thought to himself while he was running uphill.

as he reached the building lobby, he felt half-dead and panting like crazy dog on the loose. he stopped to catch his breath but started running up the stairs again, when he realised that he should not waste more time.

getting to level three seems like an eternity but the moment he stood right in front of his favourite room, he suddenly stopped himself from barging in.

through a clear, tiny glass panel on the door, he realised he had lost the room to kyungsoo again. but this time, instead of the usual verbal exchange they had about maybe sharing the room, scheduling their practice timings or hard negotiating room usage, he heard a melodious singing voice and for the first time, he felt a sudden rush of unexplainable tingling sensation all over his body.

he couldnt help but to continue listening in, as he leaned his ears closer to the wooden door. he quietly turned the doorknob and pushed the door slightly ajar and as he listened closer, he realised that kyungsoo was singing one of his favourite songs.

“…. honestly, i shouldnt waste time no more, eh yeah ‘cause all these little boys you’re chasing did they break your heart? i know you’ve been down, down, down down, down, down, down, down, down i wont let you down, down, down down, down, down, down, down, down …”

when he saw that kyungsoo had his eyes closed and his earphones on, he quietly sneaked into the room. he puts his bag down and couldnt stop staring at this singing angel.

he hung his head low, closed his eyes as he hummed along to the tune in his head, and without realising, he find himself moving together with that mesmerizing voice.

——-

fifteen more minutes to four p.m.

his class had ended early and he felt relieved as he made his way to the recreation building, because he was sure that today, he will get the rights to use the room. no need to argue and negotiate with that dancer boy.

he likes practising in that room because of the space. a bigger space means he has to learn more about voice projection while singing, which he felt was needed in order to improve himself this semester.

kyungsoo loves singing but lately, his voice seems to have changed and his range became somewhat limited. he knew that with enough practice, he will be able to join the year end competition and he wants to win the prize money so badly, for his family.

as expected, the room was unoccupied and he couldnt help but felt a sense of achievement being there first.

he settled down quickly, did some vocal warm-ups and the moment he plugged in his earpiece, he was in his own world. he loved this song so much but it was almost impossible to sing the high notes.

practice makes perfect, he told himself as he immersed himself in the rhythm and starts mouthing the lyrics.

he was so focused on singing well and hitting the right notes, that he didnt realised that someone was watching him.

suddenly he felt strange, like as if there was movement around him so he slowly opened his eyes although he was still singing, and he was shocked to see that dancer boy. but after observing for a few minutes, he felt different and warm inside, as he admires jongin’s fluid dance movements.

———

“… and the grand prize winner for this year’s year end talent competition is …. ‘crush’ by do kyungs.oo & kim jong.in for their amazing dance-song duo performance. congratulations! …”

they looked at each other and smiled widely before moving towards each other for a long embrace. since that fateful day, they no longer argue about the room - in fact, it has become their shared sanctuary, their “together” space.