Slowly nursing the dark liquor in front of him, Yongguk sat at the bar, doing his best to ignore the screeching vocals of the karaoke singers behind him. Of all the nights to need a drink, this had to be the worst. Everyone going up to the mic seemed tone deaf and the massacre of the classics was only getting worse with the more alcohol seemed to be consumed by the, for lack of a better word and meant very loosely, singers.

Groaning, he glared down at his half empty glass. All he had wanted was one damn drink to ease the stress of the day before he headed back to the studio to work on a song he knew was missing something, something he couldn’t personally provide it. The thought alone made him want to punch the nearest object into submission. It would be better if he knew exactly what the song needed but he didn’t and he couldn’t, no matter how long he thought about it, even begin to form a solution. Besides that one giant obstacle, the song was otherwise perfect.

“Come on. I already put your name down. You have to do it.” A voice whined from the table behind him where a group of drunk men sat together. “It’s my and Chanana Bread’s birthday.” Great. Another song he’d have to sit through, sang by another diva who thought they actually had talent. Yongguk wanted to scream, he wanted to very loudly tell every single one of them that they did not possess such a thing. Downing his drink, he ordered another, hoping to very quickly get drunk enough not to care anymore.

***

”I told you not to call me that, babe.” Himchan pouted, nudging Youngjae with his elbow before turning toward a very disgruntled Daehyun. “But seriously. Do it. Please.”

“I ing hate both of you and I hope you die mid- so neither of you ever get off ever again.” Standing, Daehyun nervously ran his fingers through his hair, having no faith in his own vocal skills.

“We love you too, Dae~” Youngjae cooed before shooing him away with the flick of his wrist. “Now hurry before you miss your turn.”

“We’re not friends anymore.” He warned as he turned, striding to the karaoke stage, wanting nothing more than to get the song over with as quickly as possible. Why had he even agree to be the couple’s third wheel for Himchan’s stupid birthday? Sure, they were his friends, but it was a little awkward sitting quietly as they flirted and made out. When the song began playing, he sighed, at least somewhat at ease by the fact it was a song he both loved and knew very well.

***

As the song began to play, Yongguk could feel dread creep into him. He loved this song, it was his favorite in fact, and now it felt like he was about to attend it’s public assassination. As his new drink was placed in front of him, he gulped down half of it before the bartender could even move away to get his next order. Excepting the worst, he nearly fell off his seat at the voice that came through the speakers. Sure, the voice was shaky and unsure, but it was maybe the most amazing thing he had ever heard.

Turning slowly, barely daring to believe it was reality, his eyes fell on the man standing on stage. Clearly nervous, he was still just as gorgeous as his voice that seemed to get steadier with every syllable. This was it. Yongguk had finally found what he had been looking for. Or had it found him? Either way, he now knew what his song was missing. He was missing this voice, something emotional and strong but still sweet and gentle to offset his deep, gruff rap vocals.

He barely noticed that his mouth was open in shock, not that he could have controlled it at this point, as completely stunned as he was. Was this man even human? He looked like an angel, he sounded like an angel, and when he moved to the beat of the song, he moved like an angel. Yongguk’s breath caught in his chest when beautiful eyes met his, both men watching each other for a long moment before the man on stage smiled and gave him a wink. If it was the last thing he did, Yongguk was going to speak to this man.

***

Heart beating fast, Daehyun began singing the lyrics, cringing at the tremors in his voice. This was awful and he didn’t want to do it. He sounded like a dying cat and it just wasn’t fair to the rest of the bar patrons to make them suffer through his sub par vocals. As soon as it hit midnight, he was going to deck both Youngjae and Himchan for peer pressuring him into doing this.

Eyes scanning the crowd, he hoped not to see too much disgust on the faces of the people watching him. All eyes were trained on him but the look of awe seemed far better than the anger he had expected. Finally, his eyes landed on a man behind where his friends were sitting. His mouth was open just a little and he seemed as though he wasn’t sure Daehyun was real. And damn was he handsome.

Winking, Daehyun found his confidence, and with a smile, managed to continue on with the song without any further hitches in his words. Ignoring the drunk Himchan and Youngjae cheering him on at the table near his feet, Daehyun allowed his eyes to linger back on the man who was still watching him with mouth agape. For some reason, knowing this man enjoyed his vocals enough to remained to transfixed the whole time was comforting.

***

The man on stage finished the song to an explosive cheer of his audience. Yongguk noted the blush creeping over the singer’s cheeks at the applause, as though somehow he hadn’t been expecting it. How could he not have with a voice like that. As thought his body was acting on it’s own, Yongguk was at the stage before he even thought to move, holding his hand out to help the man off the stage.

“Oh. Thank you.” His speaking voice was just as beautiful as his singing one and Yongguk would almost say he was falling in love if he hadn’t know that love at first sight was a fairy tale.

“No. Thank you. That was amazing.” Ensuring the man got off the stage safely, he looked him over, not able to find one flaw in the human standing beside him. Well, except for his height, but Yongguk didn’t really mind if he was short.

“It wasn’t that special.” The words shocked him and Yongguk let out an audible gasp, seeming to startle the man beside him. “Wh-what?”

“That was literally the most amazing thing I have ever heard and you have the audacity to say it wasn’t anything special?” Yongguk was almost insulted at the comment. How could someone not see their own calling when it was so obvious to the world around them?

***

“I’m sorry?” Daehyun bit his lip, looking the taller man over in confusion. Up close, he was almost certain he knew him from somewhere.

“Look. I’m a... Um... I’m a rapper and I was just wondering... Would you...” Seeming flustered, the man in front of him shifted nervously, not daring to look at Daehyun. “Wouldyoupleasefeatureonmysong?You’reexactlywhatitwasmissing.” Words coming out in a quick, space-less jumble, it took Daehyun a moment to decipher exactly what he had said. ‘would you please feature on my song? You’re exactly what it was missing.’ He, Daehyun, was what was missing? One more once over of the other man confirmed how Daehyun recognized him and he could feel his cheeks heat up as he tried to keep calm and play it cool.

***

“I don’t know. Isn’t ‘I’m in the music industry’ usually the sleaziest way to try to con your way into somebody’s pants?” The beautiful singer raised his eyebrows, seeming not at all phased despite the blush on his cheeks. “Sounds shady.”

“No, really. My name is Yongguk and I’m a rapper. It’s mostly underground stuff right now but I’ve been gaining more attention in the main stream.” Yongguk fumbled with his phone, looking through it for any sort of proof he could give the singer, desperately needed his vocals to finish his song.

“I’m just messing with you.” That stunning smile was back, coupled with a mild nervousness and Yongguk couldn’t help but muse about how endearing the other man seemed to be. “I saw you on tv a few nights ago. You were really good.”

“Really?” Excited, he grinned at the singer, relieved to be recognized and even more so to be treated in such a friendly and casual way despite his borderline idol status. “So.... Um... Will you help me? You don’t have to but as soon as I heard your voice, I knew what my music was missing and just... I don’t think I can find anything better suited for it.”

***

“First of all, my name is Daehyun.” Chuckling at the way someone so famous could seem so normal, Daehyun shook his head. “Um... I can’t promise I’ll be any good but yes. I’ll give it my best shot.”

“Really?” Seeming to not quite believe his agreement, Yongguk seemed to bounce on his heels in anticipation.

“What can I say? You’ve convinced me.” Giving him a small smile, Daehyun held out his phone. “Just call me when you want to get together.” Yongguk took the phone quickly, typing in something, Daehyun presumed was probably his cell number.

“I’ll definitely call you soon.” With a happy sound, Yongguk tugged him into a tight hug, checking his own phone. “. I gotta go. Thank you.” Bolting from the bar, Yongguk left Daehyun alone, Youngjae and Himchan too immersed in each other to have even noticed the exchange. As Daehyun sat down, he laughed, realizing that, while Yongguk had given him his number, he had never actually taken Daehyun. Typing out a quick text, he settled into the conversation between his two friends, excited for what was to come.

***

He had told his manager he would only be gone a half an hour at the most to unwind and Yongguk was well beyond that time frame. He was going to get chewed out so hard but he couldn’t help but feel it would be worth it. Finally, finally he was going to be able to complete his song with the help of someone he really hoped he could get to know better.

His phone chimed and he opened the text, sure it would be his manager ready to rip him apart for being late. What met his brought a smile to his lips and made the whole world feel lighter around him.

‘Hey. It’s Daehyun. You forget to get my number. Don’t forget about me, okay? Oh, there was no way in hell he would.