Cypher 3 — Stalking

Jaeyeol is biting his lower lips, fumbling with his hands and his hands would not stop shaking. As if he was living a life of a running man, he fears for his life.

The reason?

There was a woman following him. Her beauty know no bounds yet for some reason he felt scared. Her beautiful and slitting eyes that watched every step he makes and her lips that the lollipop on her broght red plump lips. It’s as if she brought the heaven before him.

Yet he didn’t know.

That that woman is far dangerous than he thought.

When did he start seeing her?

Right, it was 3 days ago.

Jaeyeol was forced to attend the school School of Performing Arts Seoul. A school renowned for its successful production of popular alumnus who are topping the stardom. That itself already gave Jaeyeol the negativity as he doesn’t want to be a popular person, not that he hated those who are already in the top of the idol world but he felt that such role is impossible for him. However, the face of his mother when he surprised him of this made him guilty. He does not want to skip school too so he started going to school albeit the heaviness of his chest, Ku Jaeyeol started going to school. He entered the Department of Practical Dance Music despite no interest as a transfer student. In his first day, Jaeyeol found everyone was easy to mingle with and despite his unenthusiastic demeanour, his classmates were friendly enough to add him, as a member of their group.

“Jaeyeol-ssi, what kind of dancing style do you have?” His classmates asked, when they were on their way to dance practice room.

“Ah... I don’t...” Jaeyeol trailed, he wasn’t expecting this. He was busy trying to fit in that he forgot about this. “Have no particular style.”

“Ah! As expected of Jaeyeol-ssi. You do freestyle, huh?”

(Freestyle? What’s that? I seriously need to think about this... What if they diss me about this later?)

Jaeyeol was about to answer the question but was saved by the sudden squeal of girls. She removed her earphones and shouted to them.

“Kyaa! There’s a V Live today! Come on, guys! Let’s finish up today. I need to watch Jin-oppa’s V Live!” One of his female classmate shouted and the rest of the girls repeated her wail.

“Who’s live today? Jin-oppa?”

“OMG, Jin-oppa!”

While the girls drown to their own worlds, the boys next to Jaeyeol sighed as they kicked the floor. From their expressions, Jaeyeol can see how they do not particularly like the said idols.

“Ah, really? BTS again? I’m sick of hearing their songs.”

The girls gave a nightmarish look at his classmate who gave a negative remarks on their favourite group. BTS, a popular South Korean group which topped most of the charts and even toppled the charts of the international countries. Jaeyeol knew about this group only by name and didn’t know yet each members of the group. He didn’t know about them until he saw them on the screen of his classmates phone. Seeing as Jaeyeol isn’t like the rest of the boys, the girls amicably shown them some of the videos of BTS dance practices.

(They’re like, gods, aren’t they? Are them even real? Fast movements and precise words when singing and then here I am, trying to be an idol. Is this really for me?)

“BTS, huh? Maybe I should listen to their songs.” When he said that, the girls recommended him songs of BTS. The boys next to him disappeared without him knowing while Jaeyeol feasted on the videos. It was the first time he listened to songs aside from ballads like Lee Gwang-jo’s “You’re Too Far Away to Get Close to” and even now, this song is still etched in his mind.

That is why, here in the noraebang, sits alone looking for the said song, is Ku Jaeyeol.

“It’s been awhile since I went to a noraebang. Wait, in the first place, can Ku Jaeyeol even sing?” He wondered, as he look for his favourite song. “I would not know until we try.”

“This! Ah, the folly of youth!”

Picking up the mic, Jaeyeol started to sing. As old as the song, Jaeyeol began to remember his past as a woman. The streets of his old hometown, the playgrounds, the merry faces of his parents and so on. When he finished the song, he was suddenly brought to a pause. He was remembering something from his past yet he cannot remember it anymore.

“My name, what’s my name again?” Jaeyeol’s knees weakened and he fell to the cushion the started sweating.

“Um, sir, your order is here.”

A head poked inside the room. It was the waiter who came to deliver the desert he ordered: a parfait. His worries dispersed after seeing the marvellous parfait.

“Three Extra large cups of purple parfaits.” The waiter said before leaving the room, although he gave a second look at Jaeyeol, the boy was busy gnawing the parfait to notice it.

---

“He is singing old songs?” With a mask and some make up to disguise himself, Taehyung wondered as he peered upon the door. “Jungkookie, I think he is the one! The one!”

“I do not know on what fact you are basing your judgements but hell no, I will not count on that one for sure.” Jungkookie said, about to end the call when Taehyung added, “He is singing DNA! Wait, I will end this call and record this.”

With a few beeps, Kim Taehyung was out of reach while Jungkook shook his head in disbelief. He still cannot leave things as it is. Choosing their own member was difficult as it is an issue in their group and 3 days have passed since their Yoongi-hyung was on AWOL. He did not know where he is now but seeing the last weeks V Live from him, he thinks his hyung is somewhere under cover.

“By the way, Jiminnie... Are you sure it is okay to do this?”

Poking and talking impolitely to the older boy in front of him, Park Jimin turned back to give the latter a rather cute angry look.

“Look here, Jungkook. I am trying to concentrate on picking which room has the highest score.” He puffed before turning his face back to the monitor.

The three maknaes were in a noraebang a week after the quest and only this noraebang is left in the whole Gangnam-gu to look for a potential new member. At first they were all reluctant but the maknaes were pretty energetic and so their group was divided by hyung and maknae lines, which by then, went on their own ways. Although after that, the maknaes decided to divide the tasks when visiting different noraebang but they joined together once again after the three miraculously found themselves one day coming to the same noraebang called Vox Epos. After making it inside as temporary employees, the three were able to serve as employees via Taehyun. Jungkook was supposed to be observing the clients but for some reason Jimin found the younger behind him. It relieved Jimin to see someone familiar next to him but he is worried that the manager may found that Jungkook is idling in the counter. While the two were busy looking for high scores, it did not took hours before a teenager who looked more like a girl than a boy came out. Taehyung soon follow him and grinned at the two.

“I got the video! I got a video! He’s good!”

The maknaes crowded over Taehyung’s phone, forgetting the jobs they have at the moment.

Meanwhile, the hyungs are out with a much better disguise. To say it as ‘much better’ is because the hyungs lost to rock paper scissors with the maknaes and so they have to do scouting in streets, unlike the maknaes who are on noraebang. Either way, Min Yoongi isn’t happy with things going like this. With a heavy stomp, he glared to no one and sighed. His manager who’s giving him a sympathetic look handed him a mirror to which he took albeit never used it. However, he changed his mind.

“Haah, is PD-nim punishing us? Don’t I look just... just so awesome in this get up? I think I’m falling in love with you, Min Yoongie.” Cooing to his reflection in the mirror, he heard a trifling sound behind him.

“Ah, this is bad. Everyone, HipHop is dead with us rappers cross dressing.”

Namjoon checked himself out in a large mirror with a few posing, he grinned despite his previous remarks. Then came out too a wild Hoseok who is like the other two is disguised as a girl. Their styles were given by their managers, as a part of the quest and none of them are to be found out or the purpose of their ‘scouting’ will be spoiled. The members understand about the importance of the disguise but what about being a girl?

“Isn’t that too ist?“ Suga spout off and plopped down the couch, not minding the fact that he is wearing a skirt which shows his family jewel every time he crosses legs.

“Ah! Ah! Yoongi-ah, close your legs.” Jin came out with food in his hands. “Where we’re you for the last 3 days?”

“Hyung, your face is an eyesore as usual.” Suga said while changing his position.

Despite Seokjin being the oldest of the group, no one gave a to his words and they have been constantly spitting insults to his face. Well, at least in front of him, he thought. This was the kind of friends he had that although they call out to him disrespectfully, he sticks around and helps them in times of hardships. Jin has been looking out for everyone like this since the trainee days as well as when they debuted and since the rappers are usually the strong-headed ones, he need to brief them about the new member they will scout. When Seokjin spoken out his worries, the three replied to him albeit the seriousness of their tone, he felt they were more of threatening.

“I’m not gonna diss him, of course. Since we got 3 months to train him, I’ll train him to be a better person, a better singer and a better rapper.” Yoongi said that he’s not being defensive about this.

“Well, I’ll train him hard. Harder than the years we have been trained by the company.” Hoseok’s comment gave Seokjin doubts that he’s planning something suspicious.

“I do not really like the time allocated to train him. It might ruin our group, I hope not, although we cannot refuse PD-nim’s plan of adding a new member, I decided that I will just do my best to work him like a dog.” Namjoon was the longest trainee of the group so Seokjin knew he cannot say anything to rebuke him so he did not comment on this anymore. He sighed and adjusted his wig.

“This is going to be a hard work.”

Just like the maknaes, the hyungs went on separate ways as Seokjin and Hoseok scouted down the streets while Namjoon and Yoongi scouted in the malls.

“Seokjin-hyung, I really cannot believe people does not realise despite my height that I am a boy. Jiminie should be the one wearing these clothes.”

Hoseok laughed, imagine if that chibi wears a girl’s clothes. He would look cuter than before. While Hoseok drowns in his otherworldly desires for Jimin to crossdress, Seokjin leads them inside a mall where they will reunite with Namjoon and Yoongi for the last rounding of the place.

“I guess short people like Yoongi-ah and Jimin-ah are perfect as girls.” Seokjin added. “We should get a fair heightened boy. Like... Like that boy.”

Hoseok followed Seokjin’s finger which is pointing at a teenage boy wearing a school uniform with headsets on and is eating a whole pizza by himself. Aside from his head moving up and down, his hands too are writing quickly on the paper. His eyes starts to swell up with tears and would frequently dry his cheeks with tissues. That continued until Namjoon and Yoongi appeared.

“Yah, you guys looked like unfinished statues. Stop making that face.” Yoongi spits insult the moment they reunited at the mall.

“Seokjin-hyung, you’re stuffing carbohydrates again.” He added and plopped down the chair.

“I may eat like this but my beauty is still over flowing.”

“Ah!”

The three covers their ears after hearing the lame response from Seokjin. Their hyung continued eating and as they see him eating without care, they also bought food for themselves. Yoongi who came back after buying his food saw the rest watching somewhere else. Thinking it might be a y girl, he sighed and took a bit of his food.

“Look at that boy. He’s writing so fast his hand is blurring.”

“Yoongi-ah! Yoongi-ah!” Seokjin who’s calling at him was ignored. No one interrupts Min Yoongi when he’s eating.

“Come on, we’re thinking of scouting him—“

“Wait, you mean you’re seriously scouting a boy that’s eating?”

“Huh? We had to be aggressive! It must be him!” Namjoon interjected. Yoongi’s face hardened even more. The boy at a table was indeed writing quickly.

(Ah, I am tired of this bull. Please, when I die I want to be a stone. Hmm, where have I seen that face again?)

“I’m going to the comfort room.”

The three looked at Hoseok who purposely walked to the direction of the boy. What he did next surprised them the most. He took out his phone and swiftly took a stolen picture of the boy. When he came back, Hoseok was speaking incoherently at them.

“That boy—that boy—we need that boy!”

Usually an exaggerated and the jovial one, Hoseok is usually like this but for him to say it like that, everyone crowded over the pictures. Their eyes widened at what they saw him. Yoongi’s expression was expected but he suddenly exclaimed.

“Ah! No wonder he looks familiar. I know this brat! This brat—he rejected my offer before!”

“You met him before? Was that when you left and did not came back for 3 day?” Namjoon asked and the latter was fuming in anger that he can only sigh.

“That brat is too impossible. I even told him that I can teach him how to rap even better.”

“Oh...”

Everyone know how Min Yoongi is when he is motivated. However, for the boy to actually reject Min Yoongi and for them to find him again, is this by chance cruel fate or a unfortunate coincidence? Albeit without cutting some slack for Yoongi, the three marched to the boy and handed him a calling card.

Ku Jaeyeol is having an existential crisis while he is brushing his teeth. Watching his reflection in the mirror, he cannot believe he would have such a marvellous face. It would even toppled the handsome men he had seen on TVs and movies, not that he was being arrogant. His height is not that short too, nor is he tall for his peers. His eyes were normally black too while his skin was paler than usual. However, what makes his doubt himself are his abnormal body. Firstly, his ability to memorise everything perfectly. Second, his inhuman strength which he learned only after he broke a bottle of milk after ‘accidentally’ putting strength to it. Third, his stamina and speed. And fourth, something that truly weirds hims out is his inability to sleep. Did he become an undead or is he just scared to sleep? Either way, both gave him a hard time coping up with his life.

“1 week has passed and I still cannot sleep. Mom is not home and Noona is busy too.” He muttered as he fell to the bed.

Jaeyeol’s mother and sister are not usually home as much as the previous week. Because of his past life, he’s also scared of getting along with others because they might find him weird. These insecurities led him to his new hobby, dancing and composing. Lately, the amount of dancing he has done is more than the times he had slept. He reads books about life and even though it’s not to his taste, romance books. In his previous life, he was a workaholic and also a loner. He has barely any friends. It could also be the reason why he’s enjoying his life in high school, relationships aside, Jaeyeol would rather read books or dance right now. While composing was his was to alleviate his boredom, dancing was a form of relaxation to him. It stretches his body and the patterns and styles he learned from school taught him to be broad minded. Like some actions where he had to move swiftly, it sends adrenaline to his body and makes him crazy.

“I should focus on dancing. There’s the upcoming test and I don’t want to fail at all.”

When he said that, he was sure he would study but he instead immersed himself with composing. It later occurred to him that composing is not an easy thing. The songs he had composed, when he put them to action, were like child songs. He only realised this when he had shown his compositions to his teachers. He knew he wasn’t a perfect person just the difference of his knowledge to his skills and abilities. He might have perfect knowledge and he has fast ability to cope up with everything the likes but the skills he had were next to none. Experience are the building blocks of skills.

“Maybe what that woman said is true...”

Why had he thought of this? It’s because of that woman. As he reminisced what happened to the food court in Mall A, the image of that woman with short hair and bright lips came up to his mind.

A short rude woman.

He first met somewhere in a quiet cafe where he is writing songs.

Suddenly, a rude weird voice broke his concentration.

“Yah, you call this songwriting? You composed this? Are you a children songwriter?”

That’s the first time someone talked rudely to him since the day he woke up from his comatose, so much that his mouth went hanging at the rude woman in front of him. The 40+ songs he had written were held by the same said woman and is constantly spitting insults at Jaeyeol.

“Too cheesy, ah this one is good but it’s too bland, mah this one isn’t even making any sense, blah this is good I like this but ahh man you need to get yourself together. Here, if you want to learn proper composing, call me on my number.”

When Yoongi handed Jaeyeol a calling card, he slaps his hands away and glared at him. Taking his papers away from Yoongi’s hands, Jaeyeol stormed out of the cafe where the two unfortunately met. Yoongi made a face and waved his two arms in defeat. This event was eventually told by Yoongi to his group members when they all came back home and they all looked at him albeit he assumed his mistake, he would not take back his words.

“His writing is pretty good, his techniques are pretty bookish, cliched and conventional. It’s as if a middle aged bachelor wrote it.”

“Everyone would runaway if they see such a woman, Yoongi-hyung.” Jungkook said to the latter.

“Yah! It’s not about the disguise you know! It’s the willingness to learn. The big why to a composer, he will have to answer that. So I followed him for the next 3 days until he one day shouted for police. That brat is so prideful and would not believe this genius.”

Everyone brought him to floor at this last rude remarks. They all decided by the next day to talk to him. Jaeyeol who’s practicing his dance steps somehow felt goosebumps over his body.

I'm still in the middle of creating chapter image for the fanfic. Thanks for reading~ Please upvote this~