Today we are assigned to songwriting class.

Mr. Park is reading the partners. “Sooyeong, Minho…”  “Jaejoong, Jaerin…” and they high fived each other.

“Taeyeon, Jungsoo…” “Sungmin, Soyeon…”  

“Finally, Changmin and Seungmi. And that’s all for today! Good luck with your project, people!”

I was spacing off when someone tapped my shoulder and said,

“Hey, we’re assigned together!” Changmin said, smiling widely.

“Yeah. Never thought we would,” I said, smiling back.

“So when will we meet each other and start working with the project?”

“You can come to my house anytime when you can. Oh, wait; I should give you my address.” I wrote something in my book and tear away the page. Then I handed the paper to Changmin.

“See you around,” I said, holding my books tightly as I walked away.

Today, Jonghyun oppa is paying a visit to my house. I’m always happy when he comes and with the addition of my three other siblings, our house will be in a chaos. My siblings love Jonghyun oppa too. Everyone does.

“PIANO BATTLE! PIANO BATTLE!” the maknae, Seungri, screamed.

“Who with who?” Jonghyun oppa asked.

Seungrim ruffled Seungri’s hair and raised her hand. “I’m in,” she said.

“So am I,” I said. “Count me in.” 

I sat on the white grand piano sitting in the living room. Seungrim is sitting on the other piano, the black one, across mine. It’s kind of cool, the pattern these two pianos make, like some kind of yin and yang or something. Jonghyun oppa, Seunghyun, and Seungri are already settled on the couches near the pianos.

“You first,” Seungrim nodded her head at me. I agreed and started playing Sonata in A Major.

After I finished, Seungrim played Symphony No. 4 in G Minor.

When the song ends, I give a look to Seungrim, motioning her to play the same song as me. She didn’t have to ask me what song we’re going to play. We both have the same song in mind.

Without commando, our fingers swiftly pressed the keys to the notes of Secret at the same time. As I just finished and pressed the last note, the door of our house opened and there was a clap. Who would guess, it’s Changmin!

“Well, I’m so sorry for not knocking before but wow, your performance just now was wicked,” he said. I give him a little curtsey.

I hugged Seungrim, then we bowed at each other. It’s just so funny to keep matters in a formal way.

“You don’t tell me you can play the piano,” Changmin said.

“Well, now you know then,” I laughed.

“Wowowow. Who is this guy of yours?” Jonghyun oppa asked. “A boyfriend? I never seen him before, Seungmi. Spill the beans,” he ordered.

“There’s no need to spill the beans and no, he’s not a boyfriend, oppa. Changmin just transferred to my school this week. And we’re just starting to be friends,” I said, glancing at Changmin.

“Ah, I understand,” Jonghyun oppa said with a shy nod.

“Oh yeah, Changmin, this is my oppa, Jonghyun. I have three siblings; Seunghyun, Seungrim, and Seungri," I explained.

“It’s kinda chaos in here every day then, with the five of you in this house?”

“Oh, Jonghyun oppa is our cousin. He visits us often, though,” Seungrim said, as he hugged Jonghyun oppa.

“Nice meeting all of you,” Changmin said.

“Wow, man, you sure are handsome!” Seunghyun said.

“Seunghyun-ah! Who are you to say that? Ugh, don’t tell me you’re – “

“I’m not, nuna,” he said, smiling wickedly at me.

“I told you to just call me Seungmi a thousand times."

“Um, hey, where will we do the project?” Changmin asked.

“Well, Seunghyun and Seungri still want to do a guitar battle, right? So I guess we’ll be doing this upstairs,” I told him.

“Happy doing something I wouldn’t understand, then!” Seungri said.

I couldn’t help but rolled my eyes and chuckled as Changmin and I made our way upstairs.

But then I see Jonghyun oppa they let out the slightest bit of laughter he can’t stifle, staring at me and Changmin. Sheeeeeet.

“We are asked to make a song of our own,” he said.

This is something in music I just can’t seem to master. Songwriting.

Songwriting is different than writing. In writing, you can just pour anything you want to write. In songwriting, it brings you to a whole new level of writing. You should make the lyrics, the melody, find the right chords, the arrangement, and so on.

“You know, I’m pretty good at this thing,” he said.

“Oh man, thank God. I stink at songwriting. It’s just… different from writing.”

“You do writing?” he asked.

“Never told you, huh?” I asked back.

“You sure do surprise me. What else are you in?”

“Photography, travelling, tennis… I had a wide range of interests.”

“Should’ve known,” he laughed.

“And you?” I asked. “What are you interested in?”

“Ah, you know, I’m most confident in singing,” he said. “It’s my only talent, I guess.”

To brighten up the mood, I said, “Then sing a song for me now! Do you know the song ‘More Than Words’?” I’m practically beaming. I’m looking forward to knowing what talent this Shim Changmin might have.

“What kind of sorcery this is? That’s actually my favorite song,” he’s beaming as bright as me, as he walked to one corner of my room where I put my old guitar, and I am more than surprised to see him open its case and started tuning it.

“Whoa, you told me you only do singing?”

“Oh, actually I was just starting to learn guitar. It’s only been like, 5 months,” he said, now strumming the G chord and smiled because the guitar is now perfectly tuned.

“Oh my God you’re so – “

“Sssshh.” Changmin put one finger on my lips, which made me stop talking abruptly. “Just enjoy the song.” I swear I could see him smirk and I could feel the heat creeping up my neck. My face is probably really red now. I hid a smile as he started singing.

That, is the most beautiful version of the song I’ve ever heard. Listening to Changmin’s voice makes me drool. I feel like I’m in heaven. When the song ended, I’m snapped back to reality.

“That. Was. So. AWESOMEEE!” I shouted and clapped like a retarded seal.

“And I just got an idea for our song we have to write,” he said. “Looking at you earlier, a thousand ideas came to my mind,” he winks.

I was blushing like hell.