Living in Seoul turned out to be not as grand as what Donghae had imagined. At first, the brunet haired man was really enthusiastic when he decided that he would continue his study in the capital city of Seoul. But now, Donghae was starting to get used to the life and everything didn’t seem as exciting anymore.

Of course the twenty four-per-seven hustle-bustle of the city felt very foreign compared to how Mokpo always turned so quiet when the clock strikes eight in the evening, but that shock didn’t last for too long. Nor did his awe towards subway lines and other very practical public transport. After his first month living in Seoul had passed, Donghae’s days had fallen into a boring routine that felt monotone. It was as if he had lived in Seoul for a long time, no longer curious on everything surrounding him. Because of that, Donghae honestly had not felt enthusiastic when his cousin called and told him about a visit.

That day, Donghae had made a promise to accompany his cousin that had come all the way from Mokpo to tour the city of Seoul. Without him knowing, his cousin — Amber, had prepared her own touring plans even though this was supposedly her first time coming to Seoul. After a whole day of touring around, Donghae thought that perhaps Amber had known Seoul better than himself, even when he had lived in the city for a long six months by now.

Amber had researched all of the popular tourist spots through the internet before coming, and Donghae could only stare at her list in amusement realizing that he had not gone to more than half of the places. Luckily, Seoul had a very excellent public transportation system, so it was easy for Donghae to lead Amber towards those places via subway. In the end, the brunet had only joined Amber from one place to another, the first day of their tour quickly turning into a blur in his memory.

The day was starting to turn dark when Donghae’s plan to go home was stopped before he could even utter it out loud.

“There’s one more place that I want to visit,” Amber said while pulling out her mini-notebook from her jacket pocket.

“There’s more? But Amber, it’s is already-” Donghae paused to look at the clock shown on his phone screen. “Half to seven p.m! And I’m hungry! Can’t we just go there tomorrow?” Donghae grumbled.

“Oh come on, Donghae-oppa! And we can’t postpone this, because if we don’t manage to see it tonight, I would really miss the chance. The next show will be on next Wednesday and I will go back to Mokpo by Monday night,” Amber answered, and then pointing at her note as soon as she found the line she was searching for. “So, which line should we hop on to go to Hongdae?”

Donghae lifted one of his brows in confusion. “What’s going on in Hongdae? A show? Is there a concert going on?”

“My favorite band will be performing,” Amber replied lightly, her eyes already on the subway line boards. “Come on, we will be late! Their performance starts at seven!”

Donghae grumbled again, but didn’t deny her any longer. He used his subway card to get in the second line subway stop area; Gyeongui-Jungang, that went pass the Hongik Daehakgyo station. He then passed the card for Amber to use. “We only need ten minutes to go from here to Hongdae, there’s no rush. Where exactly in Hongdae, though? What band? You aren’t going to take me to some heavy rock band or k-pop idol concert wouldn’t you?” His last question sounded a skeptical.

“Mm? It’s good if it’s near.” Actually, Donghae wanted to comment that it was probably not as near as Amber had thought. It’s just that the subway speed couldn’t be compared to those of Mokpo’s regular busses. In the end, Donghae decided to keep the thought to himself. “It’s supposed to be near Hapjeong station. From what I found in the internet, the place was supposed to be a popular spot for gigs, it should be easily seen. You don’t have to worry, you know I don’t like heavy rock bands. Also, there’s no way a famous k-pop idol will hold a concert in the busy streets of Hongdae out of nowhere!”

What Amber said actually made sense, Donghae knew that and that was why he’s not too concerned. “I think I know the place. I rarely go there but it is quite popular indeed. Then, what band is this that you like?”

They were now standing just beside the subway stop, behind the lines as the rule stated. “They’re a pop-rock genre indie band. Although they sometimes performed ballads too. They perform in Hongdae every other Wednesday and Friday night, and have a quite popular fanbase in the internet too! I love their songs.”

“That sounds interesting,” Donghae commented half-heartedly.

“Hey, you liked one of their songs!” Amber interjected in offense. “You remember that song I love to sing? That’s their song.”

Donghae lifted one of his brows questioningly. “Which one?”

Amber only smiled, before starting to hum a tune and singing a short verse, “oh baby say goodbye, oh jamsiman goodbye.”

“Oh!” The tune sparked the memory of a song. Amber was right, she had sung that particular song so much that without even realizing it, Donghae started to memorize it as well. Well, at least that meant this band performance would be enjoyable for him. If each of their song sounded just as good, Donghae wouldn’t mind at all.

“Ah! The subway is here!”

Donghae turned to look at the end of the rail where a light shone towards the station, getting brighter as the subway got near. He exhaled, but then smiled a little.

It doesn’t sound too bad, for now.

.::~*~::.

Supposedly, they only need ten minutes to reach Hongdae. If it went according to plan, they will have a lot of time to spare before the performance start. But because both of them were to engrossed in talking about the band that was going to perform, they missed the station and had to spend extra time going back the same route. In the end, they arrived at Hapjeong station ten minutes later than planned, and had to hurry towards the place.

Amber was still busy cursing next to him, but Donghae ignored her as the MC’s voice boomed through the speakers, stealing his attention.

“Let’s welcome them to the stage; Lumière!” the MC announced loudly, followed by the audiences cheer. Donghae jumped a bit in surprise, realizing the crowd was bigger than he had initially thought.

Donghae saw how Amber also cheered in excitement, and they both had their eyes turned towards the stage, where the anticipated band members slowly showed up. The band had a quite unique name, albeit a bit hard for Donghae to pronounce.

Four people came up on stage, and by then Donghae realized that they didn’t manage to get to the center front row. Because they were a bit late, they were pushed to the rather corner, on the side of the stage instead. It was made apparent when one of the band member — A tall man with rather curly brown hair stood facing away from them, grabbing the microphone. Donghae assumed he was their singer. He was wearing a long coat on top of a black turtle-neck sweater; something that fits the autumn season so well — which was quite weird remembering that this was spring.

It seemed like Amber didn’t mind at all having to stand on the side area of the stage, though. On the contrary, Amber looked very happy because they were near a certain member with short blond hair that stood behind a keyboard set. The man didn’t look Korean, if Donghae had to be honest. The difference was very subtle, but he looked more Chinese. He was wearing a long sleeved black shirt, very casual.

Across the keyboard player stood a tall man with model like proportions and features. The man had sleek black hair that looked stunning, again, as if he just walked out from a magazine. Yet he was wearing very simple clothing; a white collared shirt and a pair of jeans. The man brought a bass on his hands, with one hand positioned perfectly on the chords.

“Ah, it’s starting!” Donghae heard Amber exclaiming enthusiastically, before the singer’s voice could be heard introducing their members briefly, and wishing the crowd would enjoy their performance. The singer’s voice sounded soft, and Donghae could understand why the female crowd went wild for him — a handsome face and a gentle voice.

There’s a sound of drumsticks being tapped together as beat, and Donghae turned his gaze towards the back of the stage. The only member he hadn’t seen yet, the drummer had started their performance.

Donghae could hear the first song playing, but he didn’t really pay much attention because he was still trying to get a good look at the drummer. It was a little bit hard to do; his position was quite far and the main spot-light only shone upon the singer. Even the higher and larger spot-light that spun around from time to time didn’t reach the drummer’s spot. Added with how the large drum set blocked his view, Donghae could only barely see him.

He could see the black leather jacket above a white shirt. A silver pendant necklace reflected light everytime the drummer moved. His hair was cut short on both sides, but the middle was kept fairly longer and giving more of a rebellious look, a stark contrast compared with the other members. Donghae couldn’t distinguish his hair color yet amidst the dim lighting though. The sides was clearly black, but the rest seemed dyed. Was it red? Or brown?

Thankfully Donghae didn’t have to wonder too long because the next second, the spot-light turned to light up the drummer for his view. For a split second, under that light, Donghae finally saw him. His hair color turned out to be copper, with a hint of orange, swaying with the beat of the drum. Underneath it, single-lidded eyes accompanied by plush lips. Yet the most notable feature was probably the very sharp jawline, sculpted to perfection.

To be honest, if he was to talk according to the public standards in South Korea, the drummer was quiet handsome, but not as the rest of the members. He was definitely above average, especially with the charming fashion sense. And yet he look pale in comparison of the other three model-like members. That was why, he didn’t really left an impression to Donghae. Donghae was just about to avert his line of vision.

But then, a new view appeared and stole his breath.

Another split second, but this time it was as if time froze. Donghae barely heard the familiar music playing in the background, the only song he knew and actually liked from the band. The singer’s voice flowing gently and beautifully, and all that only added to the moment.

The light had moved away completely. And yet now under the dim lighting, Donghae was stunned.

That single lidded eyes shone with energy and enjoyment, crinkling in delight. The plush lips formed a smile — a wide smile that show pink gums and white teeth. A very, very attractive smile. An expression of excitement and devoted passion.

Donghae knew that the light had long diverted away, that the drummer was supposedly back in the dim lights. And yet, somehow he looked so bright, even brighter than when the light had shone on him.

That very moment, Donghae realized.

On that split second, Donghae knew his heart had been stolen.

I just realized that this felt more like a prologue rather than a first chapter. Oops?

...I'll upload another chapter tomorrow