“Thank you for auditioning, we will message you soon about whether you got in or not,”

 

Minjoo slowly tapped the of the pen on the table, letting her mind run as she silently watched the auditionee bow at them with a big smile before walking out of the room.

 

A nudge from her arm made her turn to the side, seeing Chaeyeon giving her a pointed look, she could also feel Yena’s gaze behind her since she’s sitting in the middle. “So, what do you think? Did someone finally get your attention?” The red haired woman asked, clasping her hands together on top of the wooden table.

 

Humming, Minjoo played with the pen, spinning it with her fingers as she quietly stared at the older woman who’s giving her a look full of expectation. She didn’t answer yet, roaming her eyes and looked up, meeting Eunbi’s gaze from the corner, also silently watching and observing from the corner. She couldn’t get her opinion on this because the oldest among them all already gave them the instruction that they will handle and choose one for the position of being their band’s new vocalist.

 

After all, Eunbi made a point. She might be their manager but it’s all up to them now because the new vocalist will be their bandmate, they’re the one who would know who will fit their style and other factors.

 

To Minjoo, watching the auditionees is kind of a pain because there’s a problem with her: she’s too picky. She doesn't criticize and judge, it’s just that, she compares a lot. All of the talented girls are nice and befitting, yes, also equally passionate and confident—just what they need for a vocalist. However, they all can’t beat the original vocalist—hold on, see, that’s the problem.

 

Ugh, why do Chaewon have to go to Canada at crucial times like this—gig offers are starting to pile up and they’re in need of a vocalist as soon as possible because of her sudden retirement. She just didn’t leave the band vocalist-less, but also left Yena with a broken heart.

 

Speaking of her poor friend, it looks like she’s having a hard time too because she’s trying to find someone that can surpass Chaewon, but it’ll be nearly impossible because for her, no one could beat their ex-vocalist’s angelic voice.

 

Minjoo pursed her lips together, taking a deep breath as she grabbed the clipboard with the resume of the girls who are auditioning for the vocalist spot for their band, eyeing Chaeyeon. “Who’s the girl that caught y’alls attention so far?” She replied instead, throwing another question and the red haired keyboardist sighed deeply because it means, no one still didn’t get Minjoo’s attention even in the slightest bit—which is something expected from her.

 

“Jung Jinsoul is nice, you could already tell that she’s a bubbly girl but despite that, she has a strong voice.” Chaeyeon replied, saying her honest opinion and Minjoo nodded, recalling the performance of Jinsoul from earlier. That girl indeed made a great impression on her because of her unexpected voice, in contrast to her aura and ever so curious gaze.

 

Nodding, Minjoo agreed, turning to their guitarist, Hyewon who’s just silently gaping at them. “How about you, Hye? Any particular auditionee that caught your attention?” She asked plainly. The blonde haired woman blinked, scratching her head as she tried to think.

 

After a few moments, their guitarist answered with a smile. “Choi Jisu, her voice is soft and sweet, I like it. She looks nice too.”

 

Minjoo took a mental note of that, she turned around, giving Yena, their bassist a look. And the woman already got the signal, rubbing her chin as she thought of it deeply, and soon, she replied. “I think Jung Jinsoul is a catch. Her voice fits our band so much.” She said, then threw their youngest a stern look. “But you know that it's still up to you, Minjoo. You have a keen eye on this kind of thing and your judgement matters the most.” Added by her.

 

Tilting her head, the pink haired woman just gave the bassist a confused look. It’s already an unspoken rule that Minjoo is the acting leader of the band even though she's the youngest—she’s the one who formed the band years ago and is very observant so the band members mostly rely on her judgement. It never fails her too.

 

“If you say so,” The youngest and the drummer of the band whispered, averting her gaze to look at Chaeyeon.

 

“Minjoo, we really need a vocalist sooner and out of the twelve auditonees, there are four left.” The red haired woman said, implying that she should choose fast which made Minjoo chuckle.

 

The pink haired drummer straightened her back, placing the tip of her pen to the corner of her lips, smiling cheekily. “You said it yourself, there are four more. We’ll see, don’t worry, Chae. I’ll be able to choose before the end of the day, so let’s continue the audition.”

 

With that, they’re back at it again.

 

Minjoo watched and listened intently, quietly observing the auditionees’ gestures and voice and not leaving any comment, she let the others do that—she’s not the one who likes to say anything unless it’s necessary but she’s impressed since they are all good.

 

As she watched, she couldn’t help but to think how far the band reached already after six years, they were just all teen-agers with big dreams and passion for music when they started but now, a lot of people are supporting them and watching their gigs regularly like those celebrity bands.

 

She will admit, they’re pretty well known around the area, and locals know them very well and enjoy their performance. They have a small fanbase too, which is something to be proud of. Minjoo couldn’t wish for more, this is her dream, and she’s currently living on it even though there’s something missing.

 

It greatly pains her because she got everything she wanted: a nice set of drums, performing with her equally passionate and talented close friends, never ending gigs, and a cute white cat named Luna. But still, she feels empty and she knew well the reason why.

 

She’s not living her dream with her, and it hurts so much. It’s one of her wishes, to live her dream with the most important and special person in her life. However, too bad, it doesn’t always go as planned.

 

And before she could drown in her thoughts, Chaeyeon called for her attention. “Minjoo, the next girl will be the last,” She informed and it’s not like Minjoo is well-aware, she can count but she just nodded, gesturing for Hyewon to let the last auditionee in.

 

The pink haired woman’s brow immediately shot up when the last girl entered the room, taking hesitant strides towards the middle and fidgeting, her shoulders are visibly tense and her expression is so stiff. Minjoo could see the nervousness and fear in those sparkly eyes.

 

She leaned back, crossing her arms as she scanned the last girl, brow still arched up because the latter won’t look at them in the eyes, her pupils are obviously shaking which made Minjoo let out a small amused scoff.

 

“She’s tall,” Yena murmured, looking amused because she could also feel the auditionee’s nervousness all the way from here. Minjoo mentally agreed with that, picking up the clipboard.

 

Chaeyeon cleared , looking serious as she gaped at the tall girl. “Hello, please relax, we don’t bite.” She tried to light up the mood, and the auditionee yelped, bowing three times while murmuring apologies under her breath. “Uhm, so, please introduce yourself and tell us the reason why you auditioned and why do you think you’re worthy enough to be Zone City’s vocalist?” Chaeyeon instructed softly, but the tall girl managed to catch it, nodding politely as she fidgeted on the platform.

 

“Uhh, my name is Ahn Yujin, twenty years old.” The black haired woman introduced herself nervously and gulped, swaying her body around due to nervousness. A habit, Minjoo concluded. The same habit she had before.

 

Yujin continued on, still nervous and tense. “Uhm, so, I discovered Zone City two years ago after the band made an appearance and performed in my school before. After that, I followed you guys and would watch gigs sometimes. I’m seriously in awe because you guys are so talented and passionate. So, when I learned that the band is searching for a new vocalist from my friend, I considered.” She shared and the six of them just listened to the story silently, waiting for her to get finished.

 

“I was hesitant because… I do have passion for singing, I love singing but I do not have any confidence. However, my friends pushed me to audition and so, I gave it a try. And I do think that it’s worth it. However,” She added, her lower lip and her soft eyes started to flame.

 

Minjoo was amused, resting her chin on her palm as she continued listening to the tall woman’s blabbers attentively.

 

Deep inhale and exhale, Yujin continued her answer. “I don’t know if I’m worthy enough to be Chaewon-ssi’s exchange since I don’t have any confidence and guts at all to sing but…” She paused momentarily, pressing her lips together. “I wanted to try. So please, I hope you all will consider me, at least.” She ended with a bow and Minjoo is quite impressed with her answer.

 

The answer might look common but she saw a flare in Yujin’s eyes, determination and passion. She lacks confidence, yes, but she could work on that and Minjoo thinks that she could help the young singer in that field.

 

Chaeyeon nodded, also a little bit impressed and gestured to the mic. “Then show us, Yujin-ssi, if you’re really worth it to consider. The stage is all yours.” The red haired woman said with a smile, shifting on her seat.

 

Yujin nodded furiously, getting the mic and almost dropped it out of nervousness. She gave the other band members an apologetic smile but they just shrugged the small cute mistake and soon, the music played.

 

Minjoo noticed the slight shaking of Yujin’s body which is okay, the latter is nervous after but much to her shock when the girl finally sang the first verse. Her singing voice caught Minjoo off-guard.

 

“When I wait for you alone

It’s like I’m on another planet

From here to where you are

How long will it take

I wonder, but cannot imagine.”

 

(Song: Across the Universe by Baek Yerin)

 

At first, Yujin was still nervous and Minjoo could tell because of her stiff voice and when she finally got the hold of it, Yujin sang with all her might, like the people around her disappeared. Just her and the mic.

 

“Come over to me a little faster

It’s so dark here for me

without you

Here I am with my arms wide open

Ready to hug you anytime.”

 

Minjoo’s lips parted, very amused as she watched and listened. Her heart warmed because of the auditionee’s strong yet soft voice, melancholy yet so sweet to her ears. It’s unexpected, really. She’s utterly speechless. She couldn’t properly describe Yujin’s voice as she sang.

 

It made Minjoo feel like she’s laying down on the clouds with rainbows, it’s a satisfying feeling. A lullaby. The voice that can make her feel sleepy in a very good way, it’s like an enchanting spell that would make every person present in the place turn to her and hypnotize them into focusing on her voice solely. Absolutely insane and magnificent. Her voice is heaven sent.

 

“Come across the universe between you and I

Would you like to come over to me

Come across the universe between you and I

Fly over to me, don’t keep me waiting any longer.”

 

Minjoo could feel herself breaking, Yujin also conveyed the emotions very well into the song. She’s just good at singing, she’s good at performing, she’s just seriously good at this.

 

Well, Minjoo might’ve found a rare gem with a taint of dirt called ‘lack of confidence’ in it. And she’s definitely going to pick it up and clean it, keep it, and treasure it. She’s sure of that.

 

“I’m waiting for you now eh eh

Baby I need you now eh eh

I’m waiting for you now eh eh

Baby I need you now.”

 

The pink haired woman almost winced when the song came to an end so Yujin also stopped, still feeling herself but when she realized that she just sang in front of people, she flinched, cowering once again.

 

The other band members were in absolute shock, still not recovering. Even Eunbi was in great awe because of the spectacular performance Yujin just delivered just a few seconds ago.

 

All of them just reacted when they heard a series of slow claps coming from Minjoo herself, an impressed smile formed on her lips which shocked them, especially Yujin who was lost because she got an applaud from the drummer—the said leader of the band and the one who’s hard to please.

 

“Hmm, great show, Yujin-ssi.” Minjoo commented for the first time, still clapping her hands and Chaeyeon’s eyes widened, mirroring Yujin’s reaction. “I might say, I’m more than impressed by your performance, and in general, just by you.” Added by her and finally stopped clapping, crossing her arms.

 

Their eyes met. Minjoo smiled, looking a little bit glad when she saw the glint on Yujin’s orbs. “You lack confidence, I can see that but that’s alright, we can fix that.” She said, and nodded, scratching her chin, still smiling.

 

If this rare gem has a removable stain, what if she doesn’t have anymore? Yujin will shine even more in the near future. This is not her full potential yet, barely half of it because of anxiety holding her back. Minjoo will surely not let this rare gem slip away from her hands.

 

“You’re now the new vocalist of Zone City, congrats, Ahn Yujin-ssi.”

 

That announcement made Yujin gasp, covering with her hands, her heart beating erratically as she couldn’t believe what she just heard from Minjoo, still not sinking in. Even the other band members were shocked at Minjoo’s sudden announcement but Eunbi just grinned, nodding as she agreed with the drummer’s choice.

 

Still staring intently at Yujin while smiling softly, she added. “Please go back tomorrow afternoon to this place so we could discuss things regarding the band. You greatly impressed me, Yujin-ssi. You may go home now.” She said, and with that, the audition finally came into an end.

 

Minjoo watched Yujin bow to them multiple times that Yena had to stop her and exited the room with a bright smile, and the gaze of gratefulness she threw to her, it didn’t go unnoticed to the drummer and it even made her smile.

 

When Yujin finally got out of the room, the members started to flock over her, agreeing with the choice Minjoo made. She just greatly fits the band which is a relief to them. “Well, I guess that’s it?” Hyewon beamed, munching on her sandwich.

 

Chaeyeon smiled at the pink haired woman who’s looking at the tattoos on her hand, tracing it with her thumb. “You saw something in her, huh?” She muttered and it caught Minjoo’s attention. The drummer looked at her with a smile, standing up from her seat and walked away while the others stared at her retreating figure.

 

“Yes, I did.” Minjoo answered, loud enough for them to hear and opened the door, peeking through her shoulders. “She’s definitely good, a rare gem like Yuri.” She added and with that, she exited the room.

 

Her answer left the other members in shock. They all looked at each other, not knowing what to say and Eunbi broke the silence, chuckling. “Well, Yujin is definitely something else. Minjoo even thought that she’s equally good as Yuri which is a shocker, but a good news, nonetheless.” She replied.

 

Yena nodded, giggling as she shook her head. “Definitely a big deal, she equally compared the girl to Yuri…” She whispered. “And this is the first time she did that…”

 

———

 

Yujin stood in front of the decent looking house, the same house she just visited yesterday for the audition. But now, she’s going inside as the member of the band, not as someone who will audition. She couldn’t help but to squeal at the thought.

 

After her audition, she immediately went to her best friend’s house, Wonyoung and excitedly delivered the good news. They had a small party, of course, with her other three close friends—Sakura, Nako, and Hitomi.

 

It’s one of Yujin’s goals, to perform in front of a crowd, and show them what she got.

 

Confidence. Of course, she doesn’t have that even though the people who know her talent kept praising her and all. Yujin doesn’t believe in herself, in her voice. That’s why she did nothing. Yesterday was the first time she sang in front of people she’s not even friends with, and on top of that, they’re members of a band!

 

She couldn’t even sleep properly last night because she kept thinking of what will happen soon, she’s excited yet anxious. It didn’t help that she always thinks negatively but she’s relieved that the band members don’t look mean or anything.

 

So, with one last deep breath, she went to the porch and pressed the doorbell, taking a step back as she nervously waited and soon, the door opened, with the manager of Zone City greeting her with a smile.

 

Yujin’s breath got caught on . “G-Good afternoon, ma’am!” She greeted, bowing which made Eunbi chuckle, gesturing her to stand up properly.

 

“Well, look who’s here, our dear new vocalist. Come in,” The older said, opening the door wider and Yujin silently slipped in, still a little bit shy.

 

Eunbi led her to a certain room, and when she opened the door, gentle strumming of the guitar blasted. Someone was playing inside and it made Yujin extra nervous. “Chill, Yujin—can I call you informally? You’ll be spending a lot of time with us from now on.” Eunbi said, turning to her and faced her properly as she crossed her arms, still smiling.

 

Yujin nodded, “Yes, yes! I’m okay with that, ma’am.” She answered energetically. She has no problems with that at all.

 

The manager laughed, shaking her head in amusement as she gestured to her to come inside the room and she did, they walked there while still talking. “Please, just call me Eunbi-unnie, or if you’re still off, then you may call me Manager Kwon. I prefer the former though.” She said. Yujin scratched her nape shyly.

 

“I’ll call you, Manager Kwon… It feels like I’m disrespecting you if I ever call you like we’re close.” She reasoned out, blushing.

 

“It’s alright, young one. Call me whatever you please.” Eunbi said, and they halted in front of the room. Yujin finally got the chance to roam her eyes around the place, it’s like their practice room. She then spotted the other band members circling around the drumset.

 

“Oh, newbie~ Yujin-ssi~” The bassist was the first one who noticed their presence, then Hyewon who’s gently strumming her guitar beside her and immediately perked up. It also caught Minjoo’s attention, looking at Yujin— their gazes met and the new vocalist yelped a bit, looking away and it made the drummer smile in amusement.

 

“H-Hello!” Yujin greeted, bowing once again. “Please, just call me Yujin.” She added and Yena grinned, walking up to her and gave her a side hug, barely reaching her, which caught the younger off guard.

 

“Okay then, you could always call us unnies. I assume that you already know us all?” The bassist exclaimed, grinning brightly.

 

The new vocalist nodded, giving them a smile and thumbs up. “Yes. I know you guys.” She answered and Yena nodded, also throwing her a thumbs up.

 

A clap was then heard, Eunbi did that to catch their attention. “Since we’re now complete. Let’s have a short meeting.” She announced, and they huddled to the table placed at the corner. Yujin felt a little bit shy and embarrassed but soon enough, she felt welcomed because the band members and Eunbi are very friendly and just comfortable to be with.

 

Minjoo didn’t talk to her though, only speaking when needed and Yujin was in awe seeing her up close. The drummer really looks more beautiful and gorgeous up close, no wonder girls and boys are throwing themselves onto the mysterious drummer, only getting themselves rejected.

 

She was so sure she almost lost focus there, her gaze was just on Minjoo and if Eunbi didn’t call for her attention then she probably drooled already while admiring the drummer across the table. When she realized it, she couldn’t help but to blush.

 

Minjoo noticed the piercing gaze though, smiling secretly.

 

And soon, the meeting ended, and they’re off to practice. They just mostly talked about Yujin’s schedule (which is not a problem since it’s summer vacation, she has no classes), and shared how things work in the band. They told everything the new vocalist needed to know and fortunately, Yujin is a very smart woman with sharp memory so it won’t be a problem.

 

Yujin is already pressured because her first gig will happen in two days, which is a little bit expected since she knew how urgent Zone City needs a new vocalist and they can’t cancel the gigs since it’ll be a waste. Then, the woman should really work twice harder.

 

She feels comfortable around now, Yena kept talking to her while Hyewon kept latching into her, giving her food which is her way of welcoming someone—she learned from Chaeyeon. The keyboardist is such a joker, also Yena, that duo would always make Yujin laugh and the latter—since she’s also a clown and playful by nature, she would play along.

 

They all instantly clicked and she’s glad, she just can’t seem to grasp Minjoo yet since the drummer looks so cold and not wanting to be bothered, but sometimes, she would also play along—Yujin learned that this mysterious drop dead gorgeous drummer is such a klutz and always getting teased by the other members since she was the youngest.

 

But now, Yujin is the youngest. She witnessed how close the other band members are with one another, she felt like she didn’t fit in but soon, she realized that she’s welcomed and belonged. That’s enough for her.

 

The practice ended up nicely and smoothly, Yujin didn’t feel nervous much since the band members were so supportive and always encouraging her, Eunbi would also shower her praises so she kept blushing throughout the afternoon.

 

While Yujin was tidying her things up, Yena and Hyewon immediately went to her and she gave them a confused look. “We’ll have dinner, Eunbi-unnie’s treat. Just a small welcome gift for you.” Yena said with a smile and Yujin’s heart softened, her eyes immediately looking for Eunbi and saw the manager at the corner, smiling at her.

 

“You guys don’t have to…” Yujin felt overwhelmed, she wanted to cry out of happiness because they are seriously nice, she’s really so welcomed to the group.

 

Hyewon waved it off, snaking her arm around her waist, Yujin didn’t mind the skinship. She observed that the guitarist is naturally clingy and that’s okay for her, Wonyoung is a clingy baby too so it’s nothing new to her, also, she isn't uncomfortable anyway.

 

“Aye, we don’t take no as an answer. We’ll take you to our favorite samgyupsal restaurant. Let’s goooo~” Hyewon excitedly said, dragging Yujin out with Yena while Chaeyeon is following them, also making some noises. The vocalist just laughed wholeheartedly.

 

Eunbi and Minjoo followed, just behind them while four happily talked about food. The manager looked at the quiet drummer. “She fits,” She whispered.

 

Minjoo briefly glanced at her, nodding slightly. “She indeed fits.” She whispered back, staring at Yujin’s back.

 

The oldest giggled, patting Minjoo’s head. “They’re getting along very well, you should warm up a little bit to our new youngest.” She said, and the drummer just chuckled, mentally adding that to her list.

 

After a few minutes of walking, they reached their favorite restaurant and thankfully, it’s not yet packed so they spotted a vacant table almost immediately.

 

The band had their dinner happily and full of joy, it was lovely. They were so talkative and they kept doting on Yujin, especially Yena. They also decided to order some soju bottles too, after all, it’s a celebration and they are legal to drink anyway.

 

Yujin is happy and glad since they are all welcoming, although Minjoo didn’t talk much throughout, she could feel that she’s welcomed through her gazes at her (which makes her blush every time). She doesn’t know why but Minjoo’s look always makes her nervous.

 

After an hour or so, most of them are already drunk, dozing off the table. Yujin and Minjoo only drank a bit with the reason that she doesn’t drink much for Yujin, while the reason of taking care of them for Minjoo.

 

The new vocalist was surprised because even though she’s the youngest, she’s reliable. She can’t help but to admire Minjoo even more.

 

And because of that, their table became silent. Minjoo is just silently sipping on her soju while Yujin is munching her lettuce, eyeing the empty bottles of soju scattered around the table, ignoring Yena’s snore. Hyewon fell asleep on her shoulders, using it as her pillow, and the taller woman could already feel her shoulders getting tired.

 

“You did well earlier at the practice.” Yujin almost choked on her lettuce when she heard Minjoo speak, she looked up, a piece of lettuce poking out of , blinking in confusion.

 

The drummer is staring at her softly, arms crossed and oof—Yujin could see the tattoos on Minjoo’s left arm, almost covering all the skin exposed on that part and somehow, Yujin found it, particularly, attractive. Her gaze unknowingly traced the permanent ink etched on her pale skin. Those tattoos on her arms are like snakes wrapped around the tree trunk but it looks so awesome.

 

Yujin is never a fan of tattoos, and piercings but when it comes to her bandmate, somehow, she found those things attractive. She gulped when she saw the piercings on Minjoo’s adorable yet huge ears, she could perfectly see it because the drummer tied her pink hair into a low ponytail which gave her a nice view.

 

Kim Minjoo is such a goddess despite those tattoos marked on her skin and piercings on her ears, however, the mentioned things made her more attractive and gorgeous. It’s not surprising that people are crazy over her. She’s a big catch, and Yujin is going to admit, the drummer is one of the most beautiful people she ever met in her life.

 

“Oh,” Yujin reacted, shaking her head while smiling. “I still have to improve so I’ll be really worthy. I believe that I’m not good enough.” She answered quietly, taking another piece of lettuce and ate it, hanging her head down low.

 

A sigh escaped Minjoo’s lips, clicking her tongue. “As I expected, you don’t trust your capabilities, yet. And anxious about many things.” She said, bringing her hand over her lips, playing with it—it’s a habit of hers that she couldn’t stop but not like it’s unpleasant.

 

“I can help you grow, I will help you with that.” Minjoo gently added and it made Yujin look up, a spark struck her heart when she saw that the drummer was smiling sweetly and softly at her. “I’m here, these four could also help you grow. No need to worry about lots of things, Yujin.”

 

———

 

Days passed by quickly, and it’s already the night where she would perform in front of a crowd. Yujin wanted to throw up so badly when they reached the venue and saw the people that kept waiting for them. She saw her friends but it didn’t help her to feel at ease.

 

The others kept comforting her, giving her a lot of encouragement. It helped but she couldn’t help but to cower, especially that she has a stage fright.

 

Two minutes before the show started, Yujin kept pacing around, taking a few deep breaths when Minjoo approached her with a smile. “Hey,” She greeted softly and the younger could only throw a weak and nervous smile.

 

“Yujin, look at me.” Minjoo demanded when Yujin hung her head down low, and the vocalist shivered, immediately tilting her head up to meet the drummer’s gaze and almost jumped when the latter cupped both of her cheeks, making her stay looking at her.

 

Yujin’s heart is racing, but now, she doesn’t know if it’s because of nervousness or it’s because of Minjoo. The intense gaze didn’t help her, Yujin felt dizzy all of a sudden when a scent of jasmine entered her smelling senses and, their proximity and the sudden gesture made her feel so overwhelmed.

 

“You can do this,” Minjoo said softly, and Yujin felt hypnotized, nodding along as she tried to encourage herself, and soon after, she felt a little bit better. The drummer noticed it and smiled. “Baby steps.” She whispered, patting the vocalist’s reddening cheek as she took a step backward. “Remember, this is just the start, Yujin-ah. We’re always here.”

 

The other band members then appeared, readying themselves and encouraged Yujin, and the latter soon felt a lot much better, however, the feeling of nervousness outweighed it. Minjoo’s concerned yet encouraging gaze made her feel tense, also, it made her feel reassured.

 

“Let’s burn the stage!” They all shouted in sync, and that shout somehow helped Yujin, she felt lighter. And with that, Eunbi already pushed them to appear on the stage.

 

And that's where Yujin’s world seemed to stop. She didn’t go first since she’ll be appearing last, it’ll be a suspense for the supporters, of course—especially that they know that Chaewon quitted Zone City already.

 

Chaeyeon did the usual greeting of the band, joking around for a few seconds and it gave Yujin time to calm down with Eunbi’s help but it didn’t last because a few moments after, the keyboardist finally asked for her and with one last deep breath, the vocalist went up to the stage.

 

The lights were blinding her a little bit when she walked in, and her ears rang because of the loud cheer, somehow—those cheers reminded her that they’re pleased. She awkwardly smiled, bowing at the audience and went to the middle, as planned.

 

“H-Hello, I’m Ahn Yujin, the new vocalist of Zone City.” Yujin timidly introduced herself, she could feel her heart beating against her ribcage, making it harder for her to breathe but she continued on since the crowd immediately cheered for her, she can see her friends taking a video too while roaring wildly for her.

 

She felt dizzy all of a sudden, she felt breathless, she felt so lost—she couldn’t grasp everything and she wanted to run away. She felt so small and terrified standing there in the middle, with lots of pairs of eyes glued to her, looking at her with admiration and amusement.

 

She couldn’t breathe. Everything felt heavy.

 

But then— “Yujin,” That made her snap back in reality, she turned around and saw Minjoo, giving her a pointed look, a look full of encouragement. The others are also looking at her worriedly, waiting for her signal since they want for Yujin to adjust first.

 

“You can do it.” The drummer mouthed, throwing her a reassuring smile and everything suddenly felt better. Yujin also smiled, giving her a sign to finally start before looking in front, taking a deep breath, closing her eyes.

 

“You can do it Yujin!”

 

The soft yet crispy noise of the sticks of drums hitting together entered her ears, and one, two, and one, two, three—clash!

 

Yujin’s eyes fluttered open the moment the edge of the sticks hit the drums, and soon, the strumming of the guitar and bass hit her ears, followed by the keyboard, creating a very nice yet energetic melody and music that one wouldn’t be able to resist bobbing their head along.

 

The crowd is hyped and Yujin is starting to get the hang of it, feeling her nerves pumping excitedly, getting washed by the adrenaline. She finally brought the mic close to her parted lips, tightly holding it as she looked around the happy audience and when the timing hit, she finally started to sing.

 

Few series of gasps could be heard but Yujin didn’t mind it, just singing wholeheartedly like she’s programmed to do so, slowly feeling herself as she finally got the grasp of it, her nervousness started to fade away. She sang the lyrics naturally, without a stutter.

 

And soon, when the chorus of the song came, she started to hop lightly around, feeling herself and getting hyped, also encouraging the crowd to sing along and she would look around to see her bandmates, grinning as they played their respective instruments.

 

In the middle of the performance, when she turned around, she almost stopped singing when she saw Minjoo staring at her with a smile while still playing drums, looking undeniably cool.

 

She just threw a smile at her and faced the audience again, continuing to sing happily.

 

Before she could even sink the recent happenings, it already ended, they already performed five songs in total. Yujin is panting heavily after the last song, also sweating hard. Singing and hopping around is seriously tiring, she realized.

 

“And that’s Zone City to you!”

 

The crowd howled, clapping while cheering loudly as the band finally bid their goodbyes and went to the backstage, absolutely thrilled and still hyped. The moment they entered the backstage, Yena jumped on Yujin’s back, pressing a kiss on her head while praising her for doing so well, the other four did too and as usual, Minjoo just silently watched the exchange, giving Yujin a proud smile.

 

“You did well, Yujin-ah!” Eunbi said, even hugging their youngest tightly, feeling proud. Even though Yujin just met them three days ago, they’re already close with one another.

 

Also, some people started to come flocking, and mostly trying to hit up on the drummer, but the latter looked unbothered, it seemed like they’re used to it already. Some guys actually went to Yujin also, trying to look charming and asking for her number but she politely declined, Yena talked about this to her before—Zone City is pretty known around the area so a lot of people are indeed going to approach them.

 

They all wrapped up after, and exited the venue, and while waiting for Eunbi to fetch them with the van, they all talked at the back exit. Yujin already met her friends earlier, but she decided to go with her bandmates since Eunbi will drive them home one by one. Perks!

 

Yujin was busy fumbling over her phone when she felt a presence beside her so she tilted her head to see who might be it out of curiosity and she lit up when she saw that it’s Minjoo. “Oh, Minjoo-unnie.” She greeted and the drummer looked up at her.

 

“You did great, keep it up,” Minjoo commented sincerely, then smiled at her sweetly, even reaching for her head to ruffle her hair even though she’s shorter. And after that, she turned around to talk with Chaeyeon.

 

Yujin’s eyes stayed still though, feeling her heart skip a beat because of the gesture Minjoo did and the smile—goodness, the smile.

 

And at that very moment, Yujin realized something. Oh god, she’s in trouble.

 

But before she could even think of it further, Hyewon latched onto her, talking to her as they waited for Eunbi to fetch them there.

 

She’s definitely in trouble.

 

———

 

It’s been almost two months ever since Yujin joined the band, and so far, she’s doing well and improving her skills, and other aspects with the other band members’ help, especially Minjoo who really became her guide.

 

She still gets nervous on the stage, but unlike before, it’s not extreme anymore. Minjoo’s comfort really helped her a lot, the drummer would silently hold her hand just a few minutes before they would appear on the stage. It’s a very effective gesture, although, it’s making her heart race even more—however, it would beat erratically in a good way.

 

Alright, she would admit but before entering the band, she already has this tiny bit crush on Zone City’s gorgeous drummer, well she means, who wouldn’t feel attracted immediately? Minjoo could make people kneel with her sharp gaze alone. She’s something to be worshipped.

 

And not just that, she’s just that charismatic and emits a very charming aura, she shines greatly even though she’s at the very back of the stage. She’s just always the center of attention, a head turner, she could catch one’s eyes easily. Yujin can make a whole report about how attractive and charming Kim Minjoo is and why she’s worth dying for.

 

That goddamn droopy yet sparkly pair of honey orbs, Yujin wanted to drown herself into those and get lost into that deep abyss. Her glance alone could make her weak. The same pair of sharp eyes that would haunt her in her dreams and daydreams, making her jolt awake while drops of cold sweat were rolling from her temple because of how intense that smoldering gaze alone could make her feel in the middle of deep slumber.

 

It’s a nightmare, Kim Minjoo is Yujin’s greatest nightmare.

 

“Yujin,” The vocalist flinched, snapping back into reality when she heard a familiar hoarse yet soft voice entering her ears. She cleared , looking up to see Minjoo approaching her while crossing her arms, and—wait up, she’s wearing a sleeveless tank top again. Oh Lord, Yujin is not your strongest soldier.

 

Those tattoos running on her arm and hands, permanently wrapped against her skin. It looks so magnificent and beautiful, it might look unpleasant to others but for Yujin, it looks so nice and perfect. She’s tempted to trace it with her fingertips, graze it and caress it as she admires it.

 

“Yujin, you kept spacing out.” Minjoo’s voice pulled her back into reality once more. The vocalist’s face started to flare, feeling embarrassed because of those thoughts lingering regarding her bandmate. She shivered.

 

For a second, Yujin forgot that she’s in the veranda of Minjoo’s house—yes, their practice happens in the drummer’s house. Minjoo just lives alone there anyway since her parents are staying in the States and working there.

 

Clearing once again, Yujin let out an awkward smile. “S-Sorry, anyway, what’s up?” She asked, giving Minjoo a space for her to sit and the drummer plopped there beside her with a small smile.

 

“Nothing much. I can see your growth, your confidence is slowly rising up which is a good thing.” She commented sincerely, sliding her fingers along her silky pink hair.

 

Yujin noticed it too, and that all thanks to the bandmates, her self confidence rose up dramatically, her skills also improved much. “I noticed that too.” She responded while giggling. “You guys helped me a lot, I owe you guys a lot.”

 

Minjoo chuckled, shaking her head as she leaned back to the bench, staring at the orange hues forming in the sky, it’s nearing dusk already. “Showing great performance and seeing that you’re always enjoying singing, that’s alright with us already.” She responded softly, taking a deep breath and closed her eyes, feeling the gentle wind.

 

Yujin smiled, not replying anymore and just stared at Minjoo, silently admiring her and somehow, she couldn’t still believe that she could go close with this woman. She’s unreachable like the stars before but now, she’s closer, like a sun to Yujin, but still very unreachable.

 

The pink haired woman then fluttered her eyes open once again so Yujin averted her gaze away immediately, turning around to face the view and rested her chin on top of her palm. She heard some shuffling beside her so she side-eyed Minjoo, trying to see what she’s doing and soon, a flicker and was then followed by the smell of cigarette started to cover the air.

 

Minjoo is smoking. Yujin just shrugged it off. She learned that the drummer occasionally smokes, well, she was surprised but she kind of expected it already, somehow. Although it will be a shock to other people too, Minjoo has the face of an angel that’s why seeing her smoke will shock you to the core.

 

It’s not like Yujin judges, it’s fine, not like Minjoo smokes that often too. That’s fine, as long as she knows her limit and thank goodness, she does or else, Yujin will be greatly worried for her health.

 

Speaking of health, Yujin should be worried about her own. She’s been feeling a lot of foreign stuff these past few days, and it’s concerning her because those feelings are just getting stronger and stronger, blooming and growing. Her heart kept beating irregularly too.

 

And the reason for all of that? Eh, just look at the person beside her.

 

Yujin watched Minjoo place the cigarette stick between her lips, sealing it lightly as she it in for a second before taking it away once again, huffing out the smoke, watching it spread through the thin air and vanish almost immediately. It’s a cute sight, rather than an unpleasant one.

 

Seeing Minjoo like that, relaxing and all, looking very peaceful makes her heart warm.

 

Throughout those two months, Yujin learned a lot about the band, the members and their history. They also learned a lot from Yujin. And seriously, they are one of the best people the vocalist met. They all possess different vibes, characteristics, behaviours, personalities, etc. but they get along very well.

 

Minjoo might look timid and cold, so mysterious and scary but she’s just also a huge cinnamon roll and cries whenever her pet cat, Luna disappears for an hour. She’s just lovely. She looks tough and unapproachable because of her aura and those intimidating tattoos on her left arm and hands, but still, she’s still an angel—so reliable and trustworthy, she prioritizes the others first before herself.

 

Minjoo is just a tattoo cladded angel that smokes and plays drums.

 

———

 

School started so soon, and Yujin was glad that the band considered her class schedules—they decided to take less gigs and let the vocalist focus on their school. Unlike them, they already graduated, especially Minjoo—who graduated very early. Yujin was rather not surprised when she learned that the drummer skipped a few grades.

 

Apart from the band, they still have other jobs and businesses. Eunbi is a barista in this certain cafe, Yena works from home as a graphic designer, Chaeyeon is a dance instructor, Hyewon works at her family’s restaurant, while Minjoo—she tutors people with instruments, be it guitar, drums, and piano and handling their family’s business at the same time.

 

That woman is surely talented and skilled, also smart and hardworking. Another reason why she’s so loveable and attractive.

 

Minjoo likes playing guitar as much as she likes playing drums, Yujin learned. The drummer would sometimes teach her how to play with Hyewon between their breaks in their practices.

 

Like right now. Yujin just came from the university, and it’s Friday so they decided to have a practice, they also got a gig tomorrow. The vocalist still couldn’t get the grasp of the said instrument, she couldn’t even strum it properly, earning loud laughs from the others, especially Minjoo who kept giggling while watching her struggle.

 

Soon, that short practice came to an end, Yujin surrendered, her fingers feeling icky after that session, and she concluded that she could only just sing and stick with vocals instead. She swore she almost broke the string of the guitar along with her nails not just once or twice because she strummed it so hard, accidentally.

 

Hyewon, Chaeyeon, and Yena decided to go to the nearest convenience store to get some food and drinks while Eunbi went out because of a sudden phone call, leaving Minjoo and Yujin there at the music room, doing their own businesses.

 

Yujin is doing her assignment in Physics when suddenly a soft strumming of guitar intensified around the place, she looked up and saw Minjoo playing her guitar gently across the room and humming along while spacing out. The tone of it sounded familiar.

 

Clouds by Before You Exit.

 

The vocalist knows that song very well since it’s one of her favorites. The hand that she’s using to hold her pen stopped, and she focused her attention on Minjoo, the drummer didn’t even realize that she’s already singing the song while strumming the guitar softly.

 

God, yes, Minjoo knows how to sing and Yujin is so sure that the drummer is much of a better singer than her. She rarely sings—sure, she sometimes sings along and sings playfully but Yujin heard her sing properly once and dear lord, she’s going to ascend. That’s probably what heaven sounds like. Her singing voice is so angelic and soft, yet so husky that would make one shiver, it’s the type of voice that she won’t ever get tired of listening. It’s almost like a lullaby to Yujin.

 

And when Minjoo sings, she’s good at pouring her feelings and her emotions into her singing.

 

Yujin’s heart ached a bit, from her seat, she could see the glint of sadness in Minjoo’s unhappy honey orbs and the way she sang the song emotionlessly struck a knife into her heart. She looked so gloomy.

 

For a moment, the vocalist realized that she’s definitely singing for someone.

 

There is still a lot of information that she doesn’t know about the band, and about Minjoo. Her past and all. And Yujin isn’t that dense, there is something. She could already tell that from the other band members’ stories before whenever they reminisce.

 

And there’s this certain girl that she keeps seeing on the picture frame with the band but the members never said anything about her. Judging the photos closely, they all look taken from years ago.

 

Yujin didn’t even realize she was spacing out also while watching and listening to Minjoo that the drummer noticed her unfocused gaze. “...one day we’ll meet in the clouds, up in the clouds…” Minjoo ended the song softly, still looking at the zoning vocalist and smiled, placing the guitar on the couch before walking up to her.

 

“Hey, do you need help with your homeworks?” Minjoo asked, leaning into her with a small smile. Yujin jolted, losing her grip on the pen and fell, rolling under the table which made Minjoo chuckle, bending down to get it and handed it back to the younger woman.

 

When Yujin finally collected herself up, she muttered a small ‘thanks’ to Minjoo and flinched away when the said drummer sat beside her without a warning. Why is she being so jumpy around Minjoo these days?

 

Heh, maybe because of the dreams, again, huh? Wait no, Yujin—snap out of it, no need to mention those alluring eyes, sharp gaze that burns her—okay, no, let’s not talk about those nightmares of hers. It’s something to be kept in the deepest part of her heart and not meant to be shared to others, especially Minjoo herself, the cause of those madness Yujin is going through.

 

“A-Ah, no, it’s alright. I got this,” Yujin refused, shaking her head before trying to focus on her homework once again but failed miserably because Minjoo kept staring at her, boring holes in her which made her sweat furiously. Hell, she couldn’t even write or read properly, she’s unable to comprehend the words and sentences written in her book.

 

Everything just got worse when Minjoo laid her head down to the table, still intently staring at her, watching her with a gaze that made the vocalist feel so weak, and on top of that, smiling lovingly at her! Oh sweet Jesus, she can’t survive this.

 

Yujin just gave her a glance, clearing when their eyes met briefly and Minjoo’s smile just got wider, moving her positions and rested her chin on top of her palm, her eyes never going away from the tense vocalist.

 

“You’re distracted, you’re thinking,” Minjoo suddenly said out loud and it caught Yujin’s attention. Pointing herself, the young vocalist was confused, a little bit nervous for no reason. “Me?”

 

“Who else, Ahn?” The pink haired drummer snorted, properly facing Yujin and the latter scooted lightly away. “Penny for your thoughts?” Added by the older, clasping her hands together then placed it on top of her lap, and crossed her legs. Yujin could see the tattoos peeking out from her long sleeved button up shirt, this particular simple and small animated frog tattoo placed on the back of her hand caught her attention. It reminds her of Minjoo, somehow.

 

Yujin brought her hand up to her nape, scratching it as she awkwardly looked at Minjoo, her homework long forgotten as she just paid her full attention to the woman in front of her. “The way you sang earlier, it’s so sad,” She muttered, lowering her gaze down. Technically, aside from those ‘nightmares’, she was also thinking of how emotional she looked earlier as she half-sung this certain song earlier while softly playing the guitar.

 

Minjoo smiled when Yujin didn’t dare to continue, shaking her head. “Well, I was singing for someone dear to me.” She said solemnly but her eyes went soft. Yujin was about to speak when the drummer looked away, staring outside the window near them, watching the skies with glittering eyes.

 

The vocalist could only observe silently. Someone dear to Minjoo…

 

———

 

Minjoo eyed Yujin, watching her intently as the younger woman sang with all her might.

 

It’s their usual gig but this time, the owner requested for the vocalist to sing a certain song, and will pay them extra for it. Yujin immediately took the offer since she knows the song, however, the band doesn’t know how to play the instrumental since they never tried practicing it before, even Hyewon doesn’t know the chords.

 

The vocalist said that the instrumental is available on the internet anyway and just asked the DJ to play it and soon, she performed there, solo.

 

The five of them stayed at the table, watching Yujin sing excitedly yet gracefully, pouring her all which put Minjoo in awe.

 

She can see the drastic changes of the young vocalist, she’s improving nicely and Minjoo is proud because she’s one of the people who helped the girl slowly raise her confidence and guided her.

 

Now, she’s shining brightly at the stage, singing alone without fear. Nobody will even guess that the charismatic vocalist performing in that very stage right now was one an unconfident girl who stuttered a bit while singing out of nervousness with stage fright.

 

Ahn Yujin is born to conquer the stage with her godly vocals. To entertain and hypnotize people with her singing abilities.

 

She’s seriously talented and gifted, all she just needed was a little push and now look at her, this is where she belonged— in the stage, holding a mic as she sang. She looked so happy performing.

 

A smile crept up on Minjoo’s lips, chest swelling in happiness. She watched her intently, her eyes never once looked away from her, eyes and ears only on Yujin. Watching her sing like that happily and feeling herself, it makes the drummer’s heart flutter.

 

“She’s really shining, huh.” Hyewon suddenly commented, and it caught Minjoo’s attention briefly glancing at the guitarist with a proud smile, nodding to agree.

 

“Indeed, it’s such a sight to see.” The pink haired woman responded and focused on watching once again. Hyewon stared at her close friend for a long time, observing her facial expressions and smiled, feeling satisfied.

 

The guitarist let out a sigh, the smile on her face never faced as she shook her head. It’s been a while since she ever saw Minjoo looking at someone like that. It makes her happy seeing the drummer smile like that while staring at Yujin.

 

“Hmm, hopefully, you won’t chicken out, Kim. Looks like Yujin is a keeper. Please, don’t hold back just because of her… She will be happy to see you happy again...”

 

———

 

“Yujin, Minjoo is going to fetch you there at the school since I’m not available today.” Eunbi’s apologetic voice could be heard on the other line and Yujin exploded into a pit of giggles, shrugging it off as she tidied her school stuff and slung her bag on her shoulders, entering the buzzing hallways of her university, hissing because people are flocking everywhere.

 

“Unnie,” The vocalist started off, yes, unnie now—she’s comfortable calling their manager like that now. Eunbi was so delighted when she first called her ‘unnie’ instead of ‘Manager Kwon’. “I told you, I’m okay taking a bus,” She added, taking a turn and saw her friends waiting for her, she then gestured for them to shut up

 

“Nonsense! Seriously, it’s okay to Minjoo since she fetched Luna’s cat food near your school so she volunteered. She’s probably waiting there now.” And before Yujin could open to speak, Eunbi already ended the call so she doesn’t have a say.

 

Biting her lower lip, a sigh escaped between her lips. “Well, a band member will fetch me.” She announced to her friends and they all walked towards the gates together.

 

Hitomi beamed, immediately latching to her and whispered, “Is it the drummer?”

 

A bitter sensation started to form in her chest. “Yes, it’s Minjoo,” She answered dejectedly and her friend squealed, shaking Nako excitedly while Sakura just looked at them weirdly while Wonyoung shifted closer to her.

 

“Oh? That pink haired one? Holy , Yuj,” She didn’t continue after Yujin gave her a pointed look, just pursing her lips and then nodded obediently before continuing walking.

 

Wonyoung certainly knows everything, about her huge fat crush on the drummer. Although the younger woman kept insisting that it’s love, Yujin remained in denial. There’s just no way, love? That’s too much, too absurd. She’s just attracted.

 

Soon enough, they exited the gates and Yujin stretched her neck to spot the drummer who might be waiting for her but Wonyoung nudged her, pointing a certain direction and crap, her heart suddenly stopped when she spotted a very familiar pink haired woman walking closer to them.

 

“Yujin,” It’s Minjoo with her usual small smile, approaching them and it feels like it’s a fashion show. The way Minjoo walks is just so attractive, well, everything about Minjoo is just so gorgeous and attractive, even the way she almost tripped on a small pebble.

 

And wow, she’s wearing a sleeveless black crop top which proudly showed the tattoo wrapped around her left arm, her flannel loosely tied around her waist and wearing high-waist black shorts paired with white converse. Her slick and long pink hair tied up into a high ponytail with a side bang.

 

She even got the other students’ attention without trying hard or making an effort, this is what Yujin meant when she said that the drummer is always the center of attention. People have their mouths agape as they follow the drummer with eyes full of adoration and amazement.

 

Bad for her health, Kim Minjoo is not too good for her heart and well-being. She felt breathless.

 

Her friends were stunned, frozen in shock as Minjoo got even closer to her, but the drummer’s eyes just remained on Yujin, and no one else. “Hey, let’s go?” The older woman said softly, her doe eyes sparkling and Yujin almost got pulled in, thankfully, Wonyoung pinched her elbow so she came back to the world.

 

Collecting herself, Yujin robotically nodded. “O-Of course,” She responded as she scratched her reddening cheek but then, someone cleared , she turned around and it was Hitomi. The vocalist grumbled something under her breath and sighed defeatedly. “By the way, Minjoo-unnie. They are my friends— Sakura-unnie, Nako-unnie, Hitomi-unnie, and this is Wonyoung.” She introduced one by one, each of them giving Minjoo a friendly wave while Hitomi threw a wink.

 

Minjoo grinned, bowing a bit before crossing her arms. It’s illegal to look so good like that without even doing anything. “Hello, I finally met Yujin-ie’s friends. Nice to meet you, I’m Zone City’s drummer, Kim Minjoo.” She introduced herself.

 

Hitomi immediately beamed. “Yes! We’re fans, thank you for taking care of our friend~” She sang while dreamily gazing at the drummer.

 

“Ah no, thank you for taking care of our vocalist,” Minjoo replied back softly and Hitomi giggled, hiding behind Sakura because the drummer smiled at her while Yujin was unusually grumpy, Wonyoung almost laughed at her.

 

Hey, Ahn Yujin is not that petty! Ever since the beginning, they all know that Hitomi admires the drummer of Zone City. And Yujin isn’t supposed to feel jealous because of that because first and last of all: Minjoo isn’t hers.

 

After exchanging their goodbyes, Minjoo and Yujin finally excused themselves and they walked together towards where the drummer parked her car. The vocalist walked behind Minjoo silently, staring at her back as she tightened her hold on the strap of her backpack, trying to calm her racing heart.

 

But then, her eyes caught something. She squinted her eyes, trying to look at it clearly and even went closer to Minjoo to eye the thing that she saw on Minjoo’s nape. It’s a lettering, it’s definitely a tattoo.

 

Yujin went closer, trying to read and see the new found tattoo when suddenly, Minjoo stopped and the vocalist softly bumped into her and yelped. “I-I’m sorry!” She apologized, and the drummer laughed out of amusement, opening the passenger seat of her white car.

 

The vocalist quietly slipped in, and Minjoo closed the door gently and circled around to hop inside to the other side. Soon, Minjoo the engine and maneuvered the car out of the parking space.

 

This is the first time Yujin ever rode Minjoo’s car. She eyed the interior, and it smelled vanilla. She couldn’t help but to smile when she saw a glued small cat toy on her dashboard. “Nice car.” Yujin complimented, glancing at Minjoo. She learned from Yena that this car is a 2014 Ford Mustang GT.

 

“Thanks, it’s my parents’ gift to me when I formed the band.” Minjoo answered with a small smile, and Yujin was in awe, so—six years ago? And Minjoo was still sixteen that time. Well, for the gift part, she wasn’t surprised since the Kim family is well-off. They have a decent sized business in Korea and the U.S.

 

Her parents manage the branch there at the States while Minjoo manages the one here in the country but still have the time to perform gigs and tutor people, also sometimes, still volunteers in this pet shelter. Such a hardworking woman yet she’s not glamorous and stayed humble.

 

Yujin is slowly falling deeper. Well, she can’t help it. Minjoo is just that wonderful.

 

Then silence, thankfully, the radio saved the day. The vocalist couldn’t function properly around the drummer so she didn’t say much, not wanting to look like a stupid fool in front of her. Yujin would just briefly glance at Minjoo who’s driving skillfully. She learned that the drummer is such a fast driver yet so careful, there’s no in between but nonetheless, she felt safe and good lord, she looks so fine driving like that.

 

Few minutes later, they reached Minjoo’s house already and even when they’re practicing already, Yujin couldn’t help but to think of the tattoo on Minjoo’s nape, seriously, that was the first time she noticed that ink though.

 

In the middle of the practice, Minjoo received a call from someone who works in their family’s business and had to ditch the practice because something urgent happened. Not like they couldn’t function without the drummer but Yujin’s day felt imperfect.

 

When they were having a break, Yujin finally asked the tattoo on Minjoo’s nape out of curiosity because it looked like it was all letters. She sat down beside Yena who’s gulping down a bottle of water while typing on her phone so she smoothly asked. “I didn’t know Minjoo has a tattoo on her nape…” Yujin murmured and it got the bassist’s attention.

 

“Ah, yes, that tattoo means a lot to her.” Yena suddenly answered, and Yujin looked at her, wide-eyed and a little bit surprised at the sudden revelation.

 

“Oh? Really? I saw that there are letters but I didn’t get to see it much…” She responded and Yena beamed, looking excited suddenly but Chaeyeon suddenly jumped on her, smiling at Yujin as she beat Yena to say it.

 

“It’s a name. That tattoo is certain someone’s name.” The keyboardist said with a soft smile on her lips.

 

That shocked Yujin greatly, a name? That tattoo on her nape? As far as Yujin knows, the words that are tattoo-ed on her body is the band’s name, Zone City. It’s the words that are on her skin on her upper left arm then the other tattoos are just animated animals on her wrist and hands and this huge awesome fox tattoo that literally wrapped her left arm.

 

“Name…?” The vocalist whispered under her breath.

 

Yena, this time, butted in with a grin. “That tattoo, it says,” She paused for a few seconds and Yujin saw how both of their eyes’ glimmered in sadness.

 

“Jo Yuri.”

 

———

 

Now, who the hell is Jo Yuri? And why is her name tattoo-ed on Minjoo’s nape? Is she that special to Minjoo and her name is permanently inked on the drummer’s nape? But… she never heard of that name before, from Minjoo nor from the other band members.

 

She was about to ask who Jo Yuri was that time when Eunbi suddenly barged in and delivered the good news that some organizer hired them to perform at a big event that will happen soon. And that topic didn’t get brought anymore even if Yujin is itching to ask who the girl is.

 

Let’s say, it’s not Yujin’s business. But still, it piqued her curiosity to know who this mysterious girl is and learn her identity and what’s her relationship with the drummer.

 

(Deep inside, Yujin is raging in jealousy and is so upset because that unknown girl’s name is permanently marked on Minjoo. But she’s not ready to accept that. Never.)

 

So, when the band decided to have a small celebration at Minjoo’s house because of their successful gig at this big event that gave them more exposure and all—Yujin didn’t hold back to ask.

 

Alcohol already got her, not that bad but she drank enough to make her sight hazy and mind clouded, and her boldness rising up. She didn't say anything much throughout the celebration which earned a lot of worried stares from her bandmates, it didn’t help that she kept downing drinks without grimacing nor complaining which is a shocker since she doesn’t drink much.

 

The others decided to go home now, and Minjoo volunteered to drive the tipsy Yujin home after they cleaned up.

 

Minjoo watched the vocalist space out, eyes droopy and unfocused while she puckered her lips. She giggled, finding her cute but soon, she shook her thoughts off and walked closer to inspect the younger woman more and finally take her home so she could rest.

 

“Yujin.” She softly called out but Yujin didn’t answer, still thinking deeply and Minjoo bit her lower lip, trying to suppress her squeal because the vocalist really looked adorable right now, especially with that red face of hers due to alcohol she took. “Yujin-ah~ I need to drive you home, let’s go.” She sang, chirping and walked closer to the vocalist.

 

However, Yujin did something that caught her off-guard.

 

When she got closer to the younger woman, she suddenly grabbed her arm, pulling her closer and made her sit beside her which made her yelp out of surprise. Yujin looks serious too and somehow, it made the drummer nervous but she’s curious why the vocalist is acting weird today.

 

“Who is Jo Yuri?”

 

Minjoo froze when she heard that name coming out from Yujin’s own mouth, she shivered—she didn’t like how her heart reacted when Yujin used that dark tone. She’s quite amused but most important of all, how did she know about Jo Yuri? She made a mental note to ask the others who told the vocalist about that.

 

“She’s someone dear to me.” Minjoo answered softly with a smile, and of course, Yujin isn’t satisfied. The vocalist frowned, brows furrowed deeply and staring at her intently.

 

“I-I can tell that, I mean, her name is tattoo-ed on your nape,” Yujin answered, stammering a bit because of the effect of alcohol and the way her expression darkened even more. Minjoo is not so sure what’s wrong with Yujin and why it is a big deal to her.

 

The drummer gave her a curious look, crossing her arms and tilted her head, observing the tipsy woman who’s not backing down and stared right back at her with the same intensity. For a second, Minjoo saw the galaxy in Yujin’s eyes.

 

“And I see no big deal with that,” Minjoo whispered, sighing as she shook her head. “Come on, you’re drunk, let me take you home.” She insisted but Yujin whined, stubbornly tugging Minjoo back to her seat and the latter giggled silently, facing the taller woman again but her smile didn’t last long because she saw Yujin’s eyes started to sparkle with tears and pure sadness.

 

“Is Jo Yuri…” The vocalist paused, hiccuping and sniffled before continuing while Minjoo just stared in shock. “...your girlfriend?” She finally asked.

 

Minjoo was seriously taken aback, but she said nothing because Yujin continued to blabber after spilling the question she badly wanted to ask to her. “B-Because I kept thinking of it ever since I learned it that day!” She exclaimed out loud, she grew restless when she learned it from Yena and Chaeyeon—nights where she would stare at the ceiling until dawn, thinking who might be Jo Yuri is.

 

“I-I,” Yujin stammered, her shoulders slumped in defeat, sighing as she hung her head down low while Minjoo silently gazed at her. “I’m upset, and I don’t know why…” She murmured quietly, absolutely losing all her ability function and control and just let it all out. A thing a sober Yujin will never be able to do.

 

The drummer inhaled, still staring at the defeated young woman with an unreadable expression on her face. And when a gust of wind passed by, Minjoo let out a soft sigh, standing up. “I’ll take you home, come on.” She gently demanded and Yujin looked up, gawking at her with eyes of disbelief.

 

“B-But—” Yujin was about to complain when suddenly Minjoo kneeled, grabbing her hand and tilted her head up to meet her gaze. The vocalist’s breath got caught on .

 

“I’ll tell you about Jo Yuri tomorrow, when you’re not under the influence of alcohol anymore. Sounds good?” The pink haired drummer softly said, bringing Yujin’s hand near her lips, pressing a small and chaste kiss on her knuckles. “Tomorrow. Hmm?” She repeated, and when Yujin was still in awe, she stood up and gently dragged her into the car.

 

Throughout the ride home, Yujin was silent, avoiding Minjoo’s eyes and the latter couldn’t help but to snort in amusement every time.

 

Finally, they reached Yujin’s apartment complex. Minjoo walked her to her exact unit and watched the taller woman wobbly punch the code of her door then when it opened, the pink haired woman was still standing there, looking at her. The vocalist gulped, facing her but she said nothing.

 

Minjoo blinked, chuckling wholeheartedly and walked closer to the silent tipsy taller woman and tiptoed to match Yujin’s height then flicked her forehead. Yujin whined, bringing her hand over her forehead while the pink haired woman giggled.

 

“I’ll fetch you tomorrow at the afternoon, remember that, drunkie.” Minjoo said, and Yujin robotically nodded, pouting. The drummer barked out a laugh, finally taking a step backward, playing with her car keys. “Have a good night. Don’t forget to drink some water.”

 

Yujin couldn’t verbally respond and just nodded, dashing inside her apartment and closed the door, leaving Minjoo there outside while smiling.

 

And when a few seconds had passed, the drummer exhaled, nibbling on her lower lip then turned around—walking to the elevator and finally went home. Tomorrow will be a long day.

 

———

 

A loud thud can be heard around the room.

 

Well, it’s just Yujin gently hitting her head on the wall of her living room continuously while regretting all of the things she had done and said last night around Minjoo. Christ, she will never drink again, her goddamn mouth betrayed her, her unstable heart and emotions betrayed her because she was intoxicated.

 

Fortunately, or unfortunately—when she woke up earlier this morning, she could remember what she did, all of it—playing in her mind repeatedly until she melts out of great embarrassment.

 

She literally indirectly confessed that she’s jealous because of it. And for what? Because her crush has a tattoo of another woman’s name on her skin? How pathetic, Ahn Yujin!

 

Groaning, Yujin threw her head to the wall again making a small noise of ‘thud’ due to the impact and then ruffled her hair in frustration, hissing at herself. “Stupid!” Muttering that to herself.

 

She decided to calm down and take a seat, not minding the throbbing pain on her forehead and just lifelessly walked to the couch then plopped herself on there, rethinking her life decisions and regretting most of it. Once again, she was thrown to the abyss of thoughts.

 

Her hand unknowingly crept up into her chest, where her heart is and when she realized that, she blushed, biting her lower lip so hard. Oh god, no one can see ‘that’, especially Minjoo. It’ll reveal every single thing, her feelings, her all. That’ll be so pathetic and would rather bury herself alive rather than Minjoo seeing that ‘thing’.

 

God, why did everything lead to this madness?

 

And when she glanced at the clock, it said 2:43pm and for sure, Minjoo is on her way here and that thought made Yujin panic. Should she pretend that she doesn’t remember everything? Good idea. But she doubts she can lie to Minjoo, she’s not that great of an actress either. She’s a dead meat!

 

Let’s calm down, Yujin, it already happened, time can’t be brought back again. Just go along with the flow. Come what may!

 

The moment she thought of that, the doorbell rang, making her jump in shock and her heart started to beat erratically again. She hesitated whether to open it or not but another ring came again and finally, with a sigh, she moved. As she walked towards the door, she fixed her hair, and straightened her shirt. Not long after, she shakily opened the door.

 

Her breath hitched, and her heart halted beating for a moment when her eyes landed on the person standing in front of her door, cheekily smiling at her.

 

She has her pink hair tied up into a messy bun with a side bang, and wearing a tank top with her favorite flannel shirt, ripped jeans, and sneakers. Simple but gorgeous. But enough of that, Minjoo is looking at her while smiling in a teasing manner which made her groan internally.

 

“I believe that you remember my words very well,” Minjoo sneered, moving her arms to cross it, tilting her head to ignite the fire even more. Yujin grumpily looked at her, not even saying anything and just walked outside, closing and locking the door.

 

Minjoo smiled in amusement. “Where are we going?” Yujin asked, murmuring it quietly as much as possible but the drummer still caught it, beaming brightly before they exited the building together.

 

Yujin just found herself at the passenger seat of Minjoo’s Ford Mustang, eyeing the older woman drive, thinking of the possible locations they might go to but to no avail, she couldn’t think of anything. Then, her eyes went to the dashboard, she saw a lone stem of sunflower resting on it, she couldn’t help but to wonder but she kept mum, not saying anything.

 

Minjoo also didn’t speak much throughout the ride, focusing on driving so Yujin just awkwardly sat there. The atmosphere between them is not thick or cold, it’s rather light and a little bit heavy but nonetheless, it’s not suffocating the vocalist, it’s just that she’s being aloof around Minjoo because of embarrassment.

 

Soon, buildings and establishments turned into trees. Quirking her brow, Yujin is confused because there’s a big chance that they will go to somewhere secluded or rural. Countryside, maybe? They’ve been driving for quite a while now too.

 

They then entered this spacious place, and Yujin intently stared at the surroundings, her face dropping when they passed through various gravestones. It didn’t take long for Yujin to realize that they’re in a cemetery.

 

But why are they here? Didn’t she say she’ll explain who Jo Yuri is? She thought Minjoo would take her to somewhere peaceful and quiet so they could talk properly. Technically, the drummer took her to somewhere peaceful, but cemetery? This isn’t the best place to have a chat. Besides, Yujin got a bad feeling about this.

 

However, before she could think of it further, the car came into a halt and Minjoo turned off the engine, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Let’s go,” She commanded softly, and took the sunflower from the dashboard.

 

Yujin wordlessly watched the older woman hop out as she unbuckled her own seatbelt, also going out. Chirping of birds and gentle gusts of wind greeted her. It’s so quiet and solemn, as expected.

 

“Follow me, Yujin-ah.” Minjoo said with a small smile, and started walking and Yujin followed her without hesitation, two steps behind the drummer.

 

As they walked, the vocalist roamed her eyes around, admiring the scenery and cherishing the quietness and peacefulness, she could see some birds flying around from tree to tree and the sky, it’s so blue and pretty today.

 

Minjoo soon halted her steps, and Yujin did too, she saw that she’s eyeing this particular gravestone under the tree and at the very end of the cemetery. She heard her sigh before walking there so the vocalist just followed, eyeing that particular white gravestone and she couldn’t suppress her gasp when she read what’s in the marble stone.

 

Jo Yuri

 

Oct. 22, 1998 - April 29, 2016

 

“Hi there, sorry I just managed to pay you a visit today,” Minjoo whispered, kneeling beside the tombstone and then placed the lone sunflower there before taking a seat on the side, still eyeing the gravestone with fondness. “I brought your favorite flower.” She added.

 

Yujin stayed rooted on her spot, eyes wide and shocked to the core, her gaze then went to Minjoo who’s still eyeing the tombstone with a smile, looking at it with sparkle in her eyes that warmed her heart. After a while, Minjoo looked up to her, gesturing to her to take a seat beside her and so, she did, walking there quietly and sat, also observing the gravestone, feeling guilty.

 

“Yujin, meet Yuri,” The drummer murmured then glanced at the gravestone once again, still smiling cheerfully. “And Yul, meet Yujin, the band’s new vocalist.” She added with a giggle, and Yujin smiled a bit, but shame creeping up to her.

 

Minjoo briefly glanced at her. “Yul, I know you will get jealous but I need to tell the truth. Yujin has a great voice as yours,” She whispered like she’s talking to Yuri and Yujin just watched her in awe, letting her. “She saved the band too... She’s a rare gem like you.” She muttered. “You two would get along very well if you’re still alive, both of you are cute lil’ puppies.”

 

Yujin silently listened, not interfering or anything, just observing her as she continued blabbering. Rather than weird, she found this action very heartwarming. She just sat there, watching Minjoo blabber a lot of stuff and she listened fondly, seeing how Minjoo’s eyes would light up every time. Yuri is surely someone dear to her.

 

And soon, silence, Minjoo stopped speaking after telling her how fun that gigs were and looked up at the sky, admiring it while Yujin admired the drummer, finding her more interesting than the pretty blue skies.

 

“Yuri…” Minjoo mumbled, and it earned Yujin’s attention and for a moment, she thought she was whispering for Yuri but when the drummer craned her neck towards her. “She was my best friend.” She added.

 

“She was my first love. She was my everything.”

 

“That’s why I have her name permanently marked on my skin. She’s something I shouldn’t forget even though I die and go to the place where I belong, be it heaven or hell. She was one of the most beautiful things to ever happen in my life.”

 

“She was also the first one who supported me getting tattoos and the first ever person who found these black ink on my skin, beautiful. Her dream was to get a tattoo on her nape because her parents were strict to her, so she could hide it. And that’s the reason why I placed her name on my nape.”

 

Yujin froze with that, feeling her heart ache a little bit but she never reacted, waiting for Minjoo to finish and just listened as usual while staring back at her. “When she died almost five years ago because of an illness, I was so broken and devastated to the point I couldn’t even play anymore. It felt like I lost my purpose to continue living on but she wouldn’t like that so I continued…” She said, caressing the grass underneath her with a small smile.

 

“I begged her cousin, Chaewon, to be our vocalist since she sometimes substitutes if Yuri was not available because she was in the hospital. And it was Yuri’s wish for Chaewon to replace her if she ever dies. That was why I was a little bit mad at Chaewon when she quitted to chase her dreams. I realized how selfish I was for holding my friend back because to me, Zone City is everything I got, not realizing soon that not everyone shares the same view as mine.” Minjoo continued sharing, hugging her knees as she grazed the tip of her index finger to the ground, doodling random stuff.

 

“Thankfully, you came to the band, Yujin-ah.” Minjoo said, briefly glancing at her and threw her a smile. Yujin’s heart skipped a beat. The drummer then reached for her hand, gently holding it and once again, placed a kiss on the back of her hand while the vocalist just stared at her with surprised eyes.

 

“Because of you…”

 

“... I found the light and purpose again that I never thought I’ll ever see once again.”

 

———

 

“I want to confess to Minjoo-unnie.” Yujin said with a serious tone.

 

Yena almost choked on her coffee, Chaeyeon stopped her movements, Hyewon stopped midway from taking a spoonful of her ice cream, while Eunbi just looked at her, amused.

 

After their trip to the cemetery two days ago, Yujin finally admitted to herself that she’s madly in love with Zone City’s drummer, the charming Kim Minjoo. She was just in denial, and scared but it didn’t take her that much, that’s why she immediately asked the other four if they could meet her without Minjoo for important matters.

 

Thankfully, Minjoo is away and clueless because she’s busy with tutoring and business. Yujin took advantage of that and immediately sought help from the other members because they know Minjoo well.

 

The four kind of expected this though, the way Yujin acts around the drummer, they can already clearly tell. And those heart eyes? Heh, they discussed it a lot without Minjoo.

 

“But I think I do not have the chance...” Yujin’s voice was sad, broken, and lonely.

 

They’re not against it, actually, they’re glad because even Minjoo is showing interest. At first, they were confused by Minjoo’s action, they thought she was showing those actions only out of kindness but time passed—they noticed how she changed for the better when Yujin entered the band.

 

All of them are witnesses of Minjoo’s downfall after Yuri’s death, and still couldn’t heal and stand up because of that. They knew how much Minjoo loved Yuri with all her might to the point it shattered her whole and only continued living on because Yuri said it. But when shy and unconfident Ahn Yujin entered the picture, they could see how Minjoo slowly stood up and opened up once again which is a relief.

 

Yujin has a chance, a big chance, actually. So, they will support them, especially that Yujin might be the key to unlock Minjoo’s genuine happiness once again.

 

“You have.” Eunbi answered, and all eyes on her, especially Yujin. Out of all, Minjoo’s closest friend is Eunbi so the manager knows the drummer so well despite being unreadable and mysterious all the time. They have known each other since birth, while the rest, they learned each other when they were younger.

 

Hyewon smiled, eating her ice cream, nodding in agreement. It gave a glint of hope to Yujin but she lowered her expectations, still.

 

Eunbi smiled when she saw how terrified Yujin looked. “Just like Minjoo herself always says to you,” She continued, crossing her arms. “Be confident of yourself.” She added softly and gave the vocalist a pointed look. “Go, confess and be confident of your capabilities. Believe me, the results won’t disappoint you.”

 

Biting her lower lip, Yujin shook that suggestion off, slumping her shoulders in defeat. “She already has Yuri in her heart.” She muttered and that alone made her shrink.

 

Yena softly sighed, shaking her head off and feeling hopeless for the gloomy vocalist. “Yeah, Yuri indeed holds a special spot in her heart, that’s a given already, Yujin. But why are you feeling threatened by her?”

 

Chaeyeon piped in this time, smiling sweetly at Yujin to reassure her. “Minjoo might have loved Yuri but that doesn’t mean she can’t love anyone else besides her.” She said.

 

Eunbi gave her a very serious gaze that made Yujin shiver, a drop of sweat rolling down from her temple and gulped. “Go, chase her.” The manager said, and added firmly. “We’ll help you.”

 

———

 

“A special performance?” Minjoo questioned, her brows furrowed as she stared at the manager who’s smiling at her.

 

“Yes, just a change of plans. Special performance of Yujin for the vocals, of course, with Hyewon playing the guitar and Chaeyeon with keyboard.” Eunbi added, walking to take a seat across her.

 

The drummer thought of it for a while, it doesn’t sound bad, after all— it’s just a small gig too. Not bad, her hands are also not in the best condition to play much because she fixed her car earlier. “Sounds good, what song will they play?” Minjoo asked, caressing the cute hamster tattoo placed on her wrist.

 

Eunbi shrugged, still smiling brightly which is unusual. “Up to those trio. Yena said they wanted to keep it as a secret.” The older replied which earned a laugh from the drummer and soon, that lively atmosphere was then placed by a silent and quiet one, but still comfortable.

 

There’s something with Eunbi today that Minjoo couldn’t point out so she was a little bit awkward around the older woman so she just silently stared at her while gently petting Luna who’s laying down on her armchair, resting.

 

“I heard that you took Yujin with you at Yuri’s grave,” Eunbi started off once again, stirring her iced tea with her straw, taking a sip on it before adding, “Did you finally introduce Yujin to her?” She asked softly.

 

That made Minjoo smile, looking at Luna as she played with the cat’s ear. “Yeah, I did. They would’ve been great friends…” She whispered gloomily with a sigh but the smile crept up to her lips again afterwards, recalling what happened five days ago. The manager intently observed her close friend that’s more like a child or little sister to her by now.

 

“So, I guess Yujin is someone special to you now?” Eunbi questioned sharply, nibbling on the straw of her drink and it caught Minjoo’s attention, turning to look at her with a confused look but she answered nonetheless.

 

Well, it seems like the answer isn’t obvious to them until now. “Yes. She’s someone important to the band, to me. The moment I announced that she’s a new member, I already started to treasure her.” She answered with a sweet smile.

 

Nodding, Eunbi couldn’t also smile at her answer, that smile—the older woman knows that smile very well. It’s the smile that emits a very genuine and sweet vibe that Minjoo unconsciously uses whenever they talk about Yuri before when she was still so in love with her.

 

“You know, I’m really grateful that we found her.” The drummer said, gazing through the window and spacing out but she continued. “When she auditioned, she looked like a stray puppy but now… look at her. Shining so brightly, and her goddamn vocals…” She unknowingly complimented, thinking of Yujin and her heavenly voice, suddenly getting lost into her own thoughts which made Eunbi giggle, shaking her head.

 

“Maybe, it’s fate that she will be our band’s new vocalist and will save us,” She paused. “And save you…” The manager said, muttering quietly the last part and isn’t so sure if Minjoo heard that.

 

The drummer smiled at her, resting her elbow on the other armchair and brought her hand over to her lips, biting the side of her finger, giggling. “It is.” She muttered, sharp eyes briefly meeting Eunbi’s look and there’s where the manager concluded that there might be a chance, after all.

 

“She did.”

 

———

 

Another day, another gig but today, Yujin is extremely nervous because of one thing that she doesn’t even want to mention. The look on her face, one can tell she’s nervous and anxious and the way she kept pacing around the backstage got Minjoo’s attention immediately.

 

Yujin looked restless. Minjoo grew worried.

 

The drummer immediately approached the vocalist, reaching for her arm and the younger woman flinched so hard that Minjoo had to suppress her laugh. “You good?” She asked gently and Yujin started to become a lot more sweaty, letting out a stiff laugh.

 

“Y-Yeah…” She answered, not meeting her eyes and it made Minjoo frown instantly.

 

“Are you nervous for the special stage?” Minjoo asked with a hint of curiousness, and Yujin froze at the mention of that, slowly nodding.

 

“K-Kind of, yea,” She honestly answered, her hands started to tremble once again.

 

The drummer heaved a sigh, feeling a little bit off. “Hey, why would you be? Hye and Chae will be right with you.” She tried to reassure her once more.

 

Well, yeah, but I will sing a confession song for you… Yujin thought, biting her tongue because she might slip, knowing herself, she might accidentally spill everything right now if she’s not focused. The way Minjoo looks at her already drives her insane.

 

Minjoo noticed the stare and also the endless shaking of her hands so she reached for it, intertwining their fingers together and somehow, the shaking stopped which made her smile. She then looked up at Yujin who’s still staring at her, but now, with fondness and something she couldn’t point out. That made her a little bit wary, feeling a little bit nervous too because that gaze is just so intense...

 

Yujin didn’t say anything, just tightening the hold, and they just stared at one another there at the corner of the backstage, loud music playing in the background with some murmurs from the audience and under the dim light. Somehow, they created their own world and they’re the ones who can enter it, have access to it.

 

They were getting too lost into each other’s orbs when Yena ruined the moment, loudly clearing that made the two flinch, averting their gazes away from one another. Yujin blushed furiously while Minjoo just glared at her, still holding the vocalist’s hand tightly.

 

The bassist’s eyes widened, raising her both arms to show that she’s surrendering because of the piercing gaze coming from the drummer. “Woah, sorry for breaking y’alls moment there, the show will start in less than a minute. Continue that later,” She snickered but yelped when Minjoo quirked her brow up, giving her a hiss and glare.

 

And soon, they went up to the stage to perform their usual songs and all. But after the fourth song, Yena and Minjoo went out of the stage, walking to Eunbi who reserved them a table at the front stage that gave them a nice view of the performers.

 

The others were excited for it, Minjoo too, she even rotated her chair to get a perfect view. She even cheered with the audience when Hyewon strummed the guitar for warm up while Yujin sat on the stool, still looking wary and nervous so when their eyes met, the drummer immediately gave her thumbs up and a bright smile.

 

A few moments after, the trio finally started, with Hyewon strumming the guitar and Chaeyeon followed after, perfectly combining with the guitarist, smiling like an idiot as she pressed the keys.

 

Yujin took one last deep breath before finally bringing the mic to her lips, and briefly glanced at Minjoo before finally starting to sing.

 

“Lady, I love you and I just want to show you, from the way you touch me

and kiss me to the sparkle in your eye.” She started off gracefully which elicited gasps and cheers from the audience because of Yujin’s low voice.

 

“Angel 2 Me by McKay and Jeff Bernat…” Minjoo whispered to herself, amazed because Yujin’s voice sounds so rich and deep, perfect for her natural strong yet husky voice. Shivers, she got shivers every line the vocalist would sing.

 

(A/N: there are two different versions of this song, Korean and International version. Yujin is basically singing the Korean one but I’m using the English translation of it. But the international version’s lyrics also fit)

 

Yujin continued singing so lovely. “Oh how I love you… I just feel so lost without you… With my love and intuition, you’ll never have to say goodbye.” She sang, pouring her all in it.

 

The drummer was in awe, focusing on listening to Yujin and it felt like they got pulled into a different dimension as the vocalist sang so gorgeously and softly. It’s almost as if she’s singing for someone, that thought made Minjoo perk up, her heart skipped a beat for unknown reason.

 

The question is… for who?

 

Minjoo could already tell if someone is singing for someone, she’s already experienced in this field so she can tell the difference if one is singing for the audience or for someone. And judging how the way Yujin sings this song, it’s for a certain someone. It made her almost look around the audience and spot who might be that person but her eyes stayed still, stubborn and firm, only glued to Yujin.

 

The drummer was so immersed that Yujin is already in the middle part of the song, and that’s where everything started to become a blur for Minjoo. Yujin suddenly fluttered her eyes open, tilting her head towards her direction and those smoky and droopy gaze stayed still there as she sang.

 

“Got me singing that I need you desperately, ain’t no reason that you gotta question me. It’s a fact that I want you in my life. No matter what, you’re an angel to me.” Yujin softly sang as she stared, and Minjoo swore she lost her breath that time. She tried her best not to assume but her heart suddenly became so stubborn, insisting that the vocalist was staring at her, singing for her.

 

Because she was too caught up staring back with Yujin’s voice clogging her ears. She didn’t even realize so soon that the vocalist’s performance came into an end, gradually.

 

“Oh how I love you I just feel so lost without you. With my love and intuition, you’ll never have to say goodbye.” Yujin’s eyes stayed still on her, burning her.

 

“The sound that comes in the morning, your voice that finds me, I love you...”

 

The song came into an end and that last line… Minjoo froze, her heart racing scarily. Her eyes remained glued to the vocalist who’s still staring at her from the stage, gently lowering down her mic as Hyewon and Chaeyeon gradually finished playing too.

 

Loud cheers and claps intensified, the audience surely enjoyed the performance so much, some even whistles and shouting for more. Minjoo ignored that, still having a staring contest with Yujin across the stage.

 

But before she could even move or anything, Yujin broke the eye-contact, giving a small awkward smile to the audience and a slight bow and ran off the stage, disappearing which worried the others.

 

“Minjoo.” Eunbi called for her and the drummer turned to her, a little bit shocked while the manager just gave her a smile, nodding her head. “Catch her. Do and say what you need to.” She said, then patted her chest. “Follow what your heart wants.”

 

That greatly confused Minjoo at first but then, her heart started to light up, and soon, she got it all. She was a little bit late to realize it all but she’s not that late isn’t she? There’s still time to fix everything up, talk everything out. How foolish of her not to realize so soon.

 

Minjoo nodded, eyes firing in determination and stood up, wordlessly running to where Yujin disappeared to, leaving the others there, smiling proudly and cheering for the potential couple silently.

 

———

 

Yujin found a perfect spot to hide and think, the venue’s rooftop. She will be safe here, for now, hopefully. She knows the others will find her soon.

 

She leaned to the cold, metal railings, pressing her head there as she bent down her knees while she bit her lower lip. She’s so frustrated because she didn’t manage to do the last plan, which is to say Minjoo’s name after that ‘I love you’ part but cowardice got her so bad so she could only manage to gaze at her throughout, hoping that the drummer got the message, got her sincere confession because she couldn’t do it directly so she conveyed it through singing a song for her.

 

It’s silent, although the muffled music from below can be heard, it’s calming. The sound of wind blowing gently, and vehicles passing through… it’s enough to make her calm down and think deeply for a moment.

 

She stayed for a while like that, maybe around five to ten minutes when she finally broke the silence, heaving a sigh. “You can come out now.” She muttered softly and soon, soft and gentle footsteps can be heard nearing, and her heartbeat’s pace became quicker.

 

A figure also leaned against the railings, leaving a nice gap between them. Yujin is thankful for that because if she settled closer then she might seriously lose it. “You have a good sense of awareness.” The familiar soft voice entered her ears that made her heart beat even more violently.

 

Yujin’s eyes stayed still at the view in front of her, not daring to look at the person beside her. “Yeah…” She could only mutter, a glimpse of pink showed through her peripheral vision.

 

Of course, she noticed that Minjoo had been hiding at the stairs, giving her time to think before appearing. Yujin is grateful for that though.

 

“Nice performance.” Minjoo commented after a short silence, not wanting for the tension around them to be awkward but who she is kidding? It’s already awkward, especially that Yujin is wary after that performance earlier.

 

The vocalist let out a breathless laugh, shaking her head. “Thank you, I guess. I’m glad you liked it.” She murmured, hanging her head down low, feeling defeated. She wanted to cry, her heart was aching painfully but she can’t—she can’t cry in front of Minjoo and worry her even more.

 

Pregnant silence, it’s suffocating Yujin so much. She felt like and heartbroken. She really thought she had a chance. Hopefully, this really won’t affect their friendship much. She would rather die than see Minjoo avoid her like a plague, that would be a slap to her face.

 

She sensed that Minjoo moved, and at that moment, she thought the drummer walked away but then—

 

Pair of arms slowly s around her waist from her back, and soon, she could feel a body being pressed against her back, chin tucking on her shoulders. Yujin’s heart froze, and she suddenly felt dizzy because vanilla and jasmine hit her nose, warmth spreading through her chest.

 

So warm, it’s so warm.

 

“Like the warm breeze that blows over, you fill up my days…”

 

Yujin’s eyes widened, she stiffened because Minjoo is singing—Minjoo is freaking singing while back hugging her! She’s malfunctioning, but still, her ears attentively listened as Minjoo’s hoarse yet beautiful singing voice filled up her ears.

 

She was too stunned to even move a muscle, while Minjoo continued singing, just right beside her ear. “I'm hesitating on what to say, so I keep looking at you.”

 

“All day, every time I think of you, my heart starts to race.”

 

Yujin was surprised, her breath hitched, feeling her soul leaving her body because Minjoo… Minjoo is implying something, and , she’s already assuming. Her poor, poor heart is beating erratically and she’s afraid that the drummer could feel it from there.

 

And the way Minjoo would tighten her hold around her waist every time, and how sincere her voice is, and goddamn, she sings, dripping with feelings and emotions. Yujin is struck and lost.

 

“Do you know? Like a small, blossoming flower, you grow day by day.” The drummer softly sang, feeling her breath hit against the exposed skin on Yujin’s neck, it made the vocalist shiver and the voice made her tremble slightly.

 

But then, Minjoo slowly detached herself from Yujin and the latter almost winced at the lack of warmth, and in reflex, she turned around to face Minjoo. The drummer was smiling at her, tilting her head a bit to meet her gaze and then, she continued singing.

 

“Love you love you, words I wish I could hear. Will you come a little closer to me?” Minjoo ended the song by reaching for her shirt, tugging her closer to her until there’s no space between them and moved her hand to the taller woman’s hip, trapping her but Yujin is so sure she will never dare to escape. She’s already jailed.

 

(Song: Spring Flower by LOONA Chuu)

 

Minjoo grinned at her, “This song is the song I badly wanted to sing to you but you realized your feelings and confessed first… I know I heard those words already, but can you say it once again?” She pleaded, desperately begging through her gaze and who wouldn’t be able to resist that? Yujin will never not obey when it comes to Minjoo’s words. And like a loyal hypnotized puppy she is, she slowly s her arms around the drummer’s slim waist.

 

“I love you.” Yujin whispered, and Minjoo’s grin went wider and brighter.

 

The drummer leaned in closer, to the point their breaths are already mingling with one another, whispering yet once again. “Repeat it again.” And Yujin immediately obliged.

 

“I love you, Kim Minjoo.” Yujin muttered once again, firm and clear. Minjoo’s arms s and wrapped around her nape, murmuring.

 

“I love you too, Ahn Yujin.” And she leaned in, finally engulfing the painful inch gap between their lips.

 

Yujin’s heart exploded rainbows and colors, warmth and satisfaction spreading through her whole being. It almost felt like a dream. Minjoo confessed back, and is even kissing her, god—if it's a dream then she doesn’t want to wake up.

 

It’s so surreal. The way Minjoo’s lips softly moved against her already made her crazy.

 

She just wants the time to stop. Everything felt so perfect that moment. Just them, succumbing into their own little world as they kissed under the night sky full of stars with the moon glancing at them.

 

———

 

“Do you mean that?” Yujin asked for the nth time and Minjoo frowned, glancing at her and answered her once again.

 

“Yes. Yujin, I love you, I have feelings for you.” She firmly repeated and giggled when the vocalist blushed once again, covering her face with her free hand because the other hand, well, Minjoo is holding it.

 

The drummer found her lover adorable, her actions and behaviour after her confession and their kiss… are just plain adorable because she’s so awkward and shy around her. She kept asking if it’s real and Minjoo would always reassure her.

 

The new couple stayed there at the rooftop for the time being, talking everything out as they sat on the ground while leaning against the railings.

 

“So, it means, you’re my girlfriend now?” Yujin quietly and shyly asked which made Minjoo bark out a loud laugh, shaking her head in amusement afterwards while the vocalist just cutely pouted at her.

 

Minjoo then tilted her head, looking at her with a pointed look and smiled.“I mean, I’m more than okay with that. But it’s up to you. Do you want me to court you first—?”

 

Yujin immediately cut her off, shaking her head furiously to show that she disagrees with the suggestion. “N-No! It’s alright, no need to court me, unnie.” She answered and Minjoo gave her a look, reaching for her face and pinched the vocalist’s fluffy dimpled cheek.

 

“Stop calling me, unnie. We’re lovers from now on so no need to call me that. I like it more if you just call me by my name.” The drummer said with a grin, and Yujin blushed again because of that.

 

“O-Okay then,” Yujin paused, a little bit hesitant but Minjoo’s expectant look pushed her. “Minjoo.” And the drummer threw her a smirk, satisfied before leaning on her broad shoulders, resting her head there.

 

They still have a lot to talk about, actually. And Yujin wanted to clear something before everything goes deeper, fortunately, Minjoo is more than open with it, ready to answer her questions for her honestly. Yujin’s feelings matter the most to her.

 

“How about Yuri?”

 

“What about Yuri?”

 

Yujin blinked, nibbling on her lower lip. “Do you still love her?” She questioned and Minjoo fluttered her eyes open, leaning away to look at her lover closely, smiling at her. So that’s what Yujin was worried about the most. Her dearest friend, Jo Yuri.

 

“Of course, I still love her and will never stop loving her,” Minjoo answered and she saw how Yujin’s face dropped, she felt guilty for pausing like that. “But not in that way anymore, hmm? So don’t worry.” She reassured, rubbing the vocalist’s chin to comfort her.

 

“I will be honest, I thought I wouldn’t love someone ever again like how I loved Yuri before but then, you came into my life.” Minjoo shared, she believes that this will make the vocalist more enlightened and reassured. “I was an oblivious and in denial prick, thinking that I will be forever trapped in thinking of my harsh promise to my best friend… I said to Yuri before, I will never love anyone besides her.” She continued, staring at the stars with a grin.

 

“And I've never been this happy to be proved wrong. Yuri was right, I will eat up my words. That girl laughed at me when I promised that. You know what she said to me after?” Minjoo muttered, and recalled the exact words her dear friend said to her back then.

 

“I might be your first, but I do not hope that I will be the last, Minjoo. I want you to be happy. Please, don’t be stuck to someone who doesn’t live on Earth anymore. It’s my wish for you to find someone that will mend your broken heart which is my fault. That’s my last wish. That person will come to your life like a wrecking ball, that person will create a huge impact on you, that person will save you and help you in many things.”

 

“Heh, I could feel that little grinning at us… and thanking you because you came into my life and fixed me.” Minjoo said, smiling as she shook her head in disbelief. Yujin also giggled a bit because of that.

 

It seemed like Jo Yuri was indeed a great person. She wished she just met her.

 

“I know, I know she’s happy for us while she sings with the angels in heaven, putting a good show for Jesus.” Minjoo joked and Yujin laughed, shaking her head because of that. But that might be true, actually.

 

Yujin couldn’t believe a cool girl like Minjoo still has a funny bone in them. She’s certainly not complaining though, she creates good jokes and even if it’s unfunny, she would still laugh because she’s just that smitten.

 

“Yuri was my best friend and will be my best friend until the end. We can’t also erase the fact that she became my first love, still,” Minjoo blabbered then became a little bit awkward when she added, “We also can’t do anything about the tattoo on my nape.” She muttered and it was Yujin’s turn to laugh.

 

The vocalist accepted those facts a long time ago, and after she learned about Yuri, she’s never bothered about the tattoo on Minjoo’s nape anymore. And she will never be upset and jealous because of that anymore.

 

“I’m more than fine with that, Joo. I understand very well, sorry if I was being a little at first but seriously, I don’t mind anymore.” Yujin reassured, feeling shy as she recalled the times where she whined because of that tattoo. But now, no hard feelings anymore.

 

And speaking of tattoos… Yujin might’ve gotten one… accidentally.

 

“Also, uhh,” The vocalist stuttered, her other hand unknowingly moving on her chest, avoiding Minjoo’s curious gaze. She doesn’t know if it’s the right time to tell this, but they’re lovers now so it might be a little bit embarrassing still.

 

Of course, Minjoo noticed the hesitance and immediately acted, doing her usual gesture—bringing their intertwined hands to her lips, and pressed a kiss on Yujin’s knuckles while staring at her. “Babe, we’re lovers now. No need to be hesitant. I will share all that concerns me to you without slightest hesitation and you will do the same, hmm? We’ll talk and fix it together.” She firmly said.

 

Yujin bit her lower lip, of course, now that they’re lovers—no need to be aloof and secretive with one another. They will learn a lot about each other more soon, as little time passes. Well, whatever, this ‘secret’ of hers will soon be out anyway.

 

With a sigh, Yujin wordlessly retreated her hand away from Minjoo and reached for the button of her shirt, ing it and the drummer was alerted, looking away while her cheeks were flaming.

 

“W-What are you doing?” Minjoo was so flustered, stammering nervously as she tried her best not to look at Yujin. She respects the vocalist so much that she will never dare to look.

 

“Haha, it’s okay, look here, Joo.” Yujin commanded playfully and Minjoo hesitated but soon, she finally moved her head, looking back at the vocalist while still blushing, hissing at herself. “Just what—” She paused, pressing her lips together into a thin line when her eyes caught something.

 

The vocalist blushed, scratching her nape as her other hand played with the collar of her shirt, looking away, feeling herself shiver as Minjoo’s sharp eyes stared at her, more like stared down below.

 

“I-Is that a tattoo?” Minjoo asked, leaning in closer to inspect it. Yujin heaved a sigh, nodding. “It is.”

 

“Tattoo of my name?!” Minjoo breathlessly asked, her eyes were shaking as she inspected the letters inked on Yujin’s skin.

 

The vocalist bit her lower lip, nodding slowly. “Yes.” She confirmed.

 

The drummer let out a snort of disbelief, still eyeing the tattoo on Yujin’s chest, just where the heart is. Her gaze racing the elegant black letterings, in awe.

 

KIM MINJOO

 

It’s just simple and small, yet readable. Minjoo couldn’t believe that Yujin has this tattoo of her name. Just why? She’s so overwhelmed that she couldn’t think properly.

 

She tilted her head up, staring at Yujin in shock and the vocalist immediately got that gaze and said, “Days after I learned that you got a tattoo of Yuri’s name on your nape, I got it… I was drunk, okay!? I-I was so jealous of it and it bothered me so much so my drunk self also got a tattoo of your name…” She confessed, pouting.

 

“And when I learned it the morning after, I finally admitted to myself that I’m in love with you. I didn’t regret it much. Until my very last breath, your name shouldn’t be forgotten.” Yujin added with a small smile, staring back at her lover who’s gazing at her with her sparkly honey orbs.

 

Minjoo didn’t say anything, just looking back at the tattoo of her name placed on Yujin’s chest and moved her hand, reaching for it and caressed it gently with her fingertips, still in awe and admiring it. The action caused Yujin to tremble slightly, gulping at the sensation to the point she got goosebumps all over and her heart literally fell because of what the drummer did next.

 

She leaned in and kissed the tattoo on her chest before looking up, caressing Yujin’s neck to pull her halfway. “I love it so much, and I love you.” She whispered before pressing their lips together again.

 

Yujin didn’t even get to recover when Minjoo kissed the tattoo and now, a second after, she pulled her for a soft kiss. Okay, the vocalist has no complaints, she kissed back anyway, equally passionate as her lover’s kisses.

 

The both of them knew that the other members probably left them already or worried for them, but they didn’t care anymore. What all matters is they got each other, kissing under the starry night sky as the moon shines brightly with them as the witnesses.

 

Yujin murmured against her lips. “I love you too.”

 

May their love last long, permanently like tattoos.

 

———

 

(In their first month of being in a relationship together, Minjoo has a surprise.

 

Just something that would make her vocalist girlfriend happy. It’s not a thing or she made an effort but surely, this would be enough gift for her? Well, yeah, hopefully.

 

“Yujin, come over here,” Minjoo called for her girlfriend who just entered the practice room while holding Luna on her arms, gesturing for her to come closer. The vocalist blinked, closing the door with her foot and walked over to her awaiting lover who looked a little bit restless.

 

That made her brow arch, thinking of the possible reason why Minjoo is acting like that today. “Yes, love?” She asked, taking a seat on the same bench where the drummer is sitting and scooted closer to the said woman as she let go of Luna so she can roam free around the room. She’s curious yet worried. It’s unusual to see her confident and charismatic lover like this.

 

Clearing , Minjoo looked at her girlfriend shyly while scratching her nape. “U-Uhh,” She stammered. “Close your eyes first.” Demanded by her, it came out soft rather than serious. Without the slightest hesitation, Yujin fluttered her eyes close, brows furrowed because it’s so random.

 

The vocalist tried to sense what the older was doing, she could hear some small shuffling sounds but that’s just it, and soon, Minjoo asked her to open her eyes once again so she did.

 

Giving her a curious look, she tried to spot what just happened. “Huh? What was that for?” She confusedly asked, still looking up to Minjoo like she’s a dog while her girlfriend is her owner—wait, technically, that could work, actually but not that it matters.

 

Blushing, the drummer gave her stern look, lowering her gaze as she tilted her head down. Yujin blinked, also following her and there’s where she realized that the three buttons of Minjoo’s shirt are now open—and yelp! She was about to look away out of embarrassment but she saw something.

 

Yujin’s eyes shook a bit when she saw it, she couldn’t suppress the gasp when she saw it and when she looked up to meet Minjoo’s gaze, the drummer was smiling at her. “Matching tattoos sound nice, hmm?” She softly said with a giggle and the vocalist immediately lunged forward, hugging her girlfriend tightly.

 

“S-Since when did you get it?” The vocalist asked, stammering as her gaze lowered down to Minjoo’s chest again, eyeing the new tattoo marked on her skin, just where the heart is.

 

AHN YUJIN

 

So, that’s the feeling of seeing your name tattoo-ed to someone, to someone who you treasure and love so much. It’s overwhelming yet so thrilling. Yujin loves it so much. She never expected this, actually. So she was more than shocked to learn it.

 

“Two days ago. But I’ve been thinking of getting it too to match yours, ever since you presented it to me last month.” The drummer answered cheekily, patting her cheek lightly, giggling because Yujin’s eyes are sparkling amazement.

 

Yujin was about to say something when suddenly, Minjoo started to sing. “Tattoos together, something to remember. If it's way too soon, it, whatever.” She sang cheerfully, tugging her closer and the vocalist grinned, she knows that song very well. Tattoos Together by Lauv.

 

“Give me shapes and letters. If it's not forever, then at least we'll have tattoos together.” Minjoo continued, leaning in closer as Yujin wrapped her arm around the older waist, grinning sheepishly.

 

The vocalist pressed a kiss on Minjoo’s forehead before joining singing with her. “Mhm, 'cause I love you, Mhm, 'cause I love you, Mhm, 'cause I love you…” They harmonized perfectly while staring at each other’s orbs, and soon, the both of them leaned in to meet halfway for a sweet kiss.

 

But it didn’t last because the other band members suddenly barged in, and soon, it was followed by Yena’s exaggerated screech of trauma.

 

From then on, the couple came into a silent agreement that they should always lock the door if they’re alone together.)

 

———