Being backstage at a concert was way too overrated, or Jongin had thought as he sat alone on an uncomfortably small stool provided to him in one of the many hot and cramped dressing rooms behind the large stadium. The room was bustling with various idols and artists slipping out of one sparkly outfit and into another just as flashy ensemble, before they were out the door and skipping their way up onto the large stage. Although Jongin was sure that many girls out there would literally die to be in the same room as some of the people he had seen today, he was really only here, tolerating everything for one reason—one person, to be exact. His attention was suddenly caught back onto the small monitor mounted onto the far wall of the room when a familiar beat began to play and the applause picked up exponentially to the point where he swore he could hear the muffled screams of the crowd resonating through the thick doors.

Finally, it was Luhan, his best friend and newly debuted idol’s turn as he stepped out onto the stage. Jongin watched intently as his Chinese friend began to sing, his body moving in sync with the heavy beats and synths of the music. The dance was a bit simpler than most, Jongin had made sure of it when he had choreographed it for the other, since Luhan’s skilled and purely soulful voice when he sang was the main focus of the performance. And as the last note rang out across the audience, Jongin couldn’t help but join in with the cheering that suddenly erupted (on the inside of course, since he would rather be caught dead than let Luhan see, since it would only add more fuel to his growing narcissism.)

Soon after Luhan had left the stage, the door of the dressing room burst open, letting in a gush of cold air and all that Jongin saw was a flash of silver before he was on the floor with a killer death grip crushing his ribcage against his lungs. “Jongin, you stayed!” The bright boy on top of him beamed, flashing him a huge smile, which crinkled his large bambi eyes. Jongin made a grunting noise before pushing his best friend off his chest and taking in a huge gulp of oxygen.

“Ugh get off of me Luhan, you’re all sweaty,” he complained as he rubbed his now aching back and stood up, “and of course I did. Someone’s going to have to get you back home safely since Kris couldn’t make it.”

“Ugh don’t even talk about that beast. You know, I’m actually kind of relieved that his van broke down before the show.” Luhan waved him off as he took out a few wipes from his bag on the table and started dabbing at his face.

“Hey, don’t talk about your manager that way,” Jongin made a face at the older as he shuffled on his coat and held out Luhan’s in front of him. “He’s just a bit… intense when it comes to his job.”

Luhan scoffed before snatching the jacket out of Jongin’s hands. “Well I’ll have you know that the other day, I was sitting there, eating a beautiful, lightly frosted, delicious, decadent, what could only be sent from my prayers from the high heavens, jelly filled—“

“Luhan.”

“Alright, I was innocently eating a donut when Kris came up to me and literally slapped it out of my hand!” Luhan squeaked, complete and utter betrayal colouring his tone. “So you know what? I’ve got one word for you Jongin: karma. Kar-ma.” Luhan made sure to enunciate each syllable with malice as the two of them made their way to the parking lot where his car was waiting. Jongin merely rolled his eyes with a smile before they climbed in and he started the engine.

“Be nice okay? It’s his job, as your manager. Besides, you really have nothing to worry about with him. I would know.”

Luhan pouted before slumping in his seat with a low mutter which Jongin could only deduce as a, "whatever. Stupid dragon.’" “But anyways, enough about Kris,” Luhan suddenly perked up and turned to the younger as he drove, “how’s the new album coming along?” Jongin’s light smile turned down into a small frown. Luhan furrowed his eyebrows for a split second before smiling back reassuringly, “still in a rut, huh?”

Kai let out a frustrated sigh. “It’s just—it’s just that I can’t seem to find any inspiration to write any new songs. I’m working on it though…”

“No, no it’s fine!” Luhan replied, waving his hands in front of his face, “my next comeback is months away anyways. I’m sure that we’ll be able to find something to get you back on track. As my official song writer, you’re my responsibility,” Luhan declared proudly.

“Is that code for ‘I’m going to as Kris what to do’?”

“Naturally.”

Jongin smirked. “And maybe we can get him a box of donuts on the way too.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“Put your fist away Luhan, I’m driving.”

-

As it turns out, Luhan really did inform Kris of Jongin’s ongoing predicament, and that was how he found himself the next morning, standing in Kris’ office at company headquarters. If Jongin had been anyone else, the other man who was sitting straight in his leather seat with his blonde hair gelled to perfection, primly dry cleaned suit, and sharp deadly eyes would have scared them less with a necessary trip to the bathroom afterwards. But no, he was Jongin, and he had stumbled upon the knowledge somewhere over the years that Luhan’s manager, the Dragon Duizhang Kris, spent fifteen minutes every morning grooming his eyebrows with hawk like precision. So with no fear and great black mail material always ready at his disposal, Jongin merely plopped down onto the corner of Kris’ desk and made himself at home. “What’s up?”

Kris looked up and unfolded his clasped hands, grimacing as Jongin began spinning the antique globe sitting on his desk. “So I heard from Luhan that you were still having troubles with your writer’s block?”

Jongin nodded, his black bangs flopping over his eyes. “And?”

“Well with Luhan’s comeback still a few months away, and still in the planning stages, we’ve thought up a plan to get you back up and composing for the next album.”

Jongin looked up in interest and met Kris’ gaze, “we?”

“Luhan and I of course. We’ve decided to send you off on a trip so you can explore a little and get some inspiration.”

A loud slap was heard as Jongin abruptly stopped the whirling globe with his palm. Kris winced and muttered something along the lines of "that is worth more than your life", but Jongin ignored him, eyes widening in surprise.

“Trip? To where?”

“Down to the beach house I bought recently,” a new voice joined in on the conversation. Both people whipped their heads around to see Luhan’s pretty little head popping through the door, his bleach blonde hair fluffed straight from the stylist’s chair, or so they presumed.

“Wait, what beach house?” Jongin asked in suspicion. He didn’t remember Luhan ever telling him about that.

“Oh you know,” Luhan waved it off as he entered the dark office, “the one I bought after I had a big cash in after all the paychecks for my CFs came in, you know, as a present for myself.”

“Wow, typical narcissist Luhan does it again,” Jongin remarked, earning a glare from the deer-like boy.

“Hey! I was going to bring you along with me the first time I got a break!” Luhan retorted indignantly with a stamp of his foot.

Before Jongin could snap back with an oh so witty comment, Kris cleared his throat before pushing an envelope with what could only contain plane tickets inside, over to Jongin. “In any case, it’s currently vacant, so please, take it.”

“Thank you, I guess I will.”

“And get your off my desk.”

“Nope.”

“But—“

“Eyebrows.”

“Have a nice trip Jongin.”

-

Jongin ended up on a flight the next morning with only one suitcase packed full of enough clothes to last him a month under the summer sun, and his music notes and scored all safely tucked under his arm. After he made it through the airport’s security, he immediately hailed down a taxi outside and promptly showed the driver the address Luhan had texted him that same morning.

The drive was longer than expected, but no one was complaining. The bright yellow sun radiated down onto Jongin’s skin in the most comforting way, and through the open window of the cab, he could see the rolling blue ocean waving at him as the salty air mussed with his black hair and blew past his thick lips, which were stretched into a smile. Soon, the streets became less busy and the houses became more far apart and cozy. Jongin realized they had nearly reached the limit of the town.

He arrived in front of a very pretty looking house. It’s exterior was freshly painted in a white wash and there seemed to be a colourful, albeit small, flower garden planted in the front yard with thin ivy vines tangling themselves over the lattice attached to the side of the house.

Stepping inside held no surprises either. Just as prim and proper as the outside had looked, the interior matched harmoniously with light blue colour schemes and white coloured furniture. High windows stretched as walls, illuminating the space, and giving Jongin a proper view of it all. Everything was so neat and clean, as if no one had ever stepped there before him, which was actually most probably true.

Jongin took a deep breath. “Home, sweet home.”

-

He spent the first few days of his trip unpacking and making himself at home, exploring every nook and cranny the house had. Jongin had to admit, Luhan really knew a great deal about real estate it seemed. But what Jongin was most glad to see was that the house contained functioning appliances, including a washing machine and dryer, which he knew he would sorely need in the future.  He had ventured out a few times too, but he hadn’t been sightseeing properly yet, only admiring the view from the empty living room. Jongin had also gone down to the local grocery store once, and looking at his fridge now, it seemed he would have to take another trip soon and stock up this time. Luhan would absolutely revel if he knew what kinds of food Jongin had been getting away with eating—nothing but sugar and carbs in the shape of twinkies and store bought cookies. In fact, Luhan would know, once Jongin gets around to sending him a picture of his breakfast, lucky charms and chocolate milk.

But Jongin knew that he was also itching to go out, and that he needed a proper meal sometime in the near future for proper cell function, so he threw on a pair of shorts and a plain white t-shirt and headed out the door.

-

The sky was cloudy, the air was humid, and Jongin got severely distracted on the way to the grocery store and wound up finding himself mixed amongst the visitors and locals alike as he decided what the hey, it was time to exploit his status as a tourist and visit the local market.

His gaze was tugged in every direction as he admired the array of different fruit stands, all fragrant and ripe with the season. Sparkling gems and shimmering scarves from the local craftsmen also caught his eye as he thought absentmindedly of what type of souvenir he would have to buy for everyone he knew. His walk was a slow saunter and his mind was up with the clouds before he was suddenly brought back to reality when a large piece of paper, carried by a sudden gust of wind smacked against his face. Ripping it away from his face and holding it at an arm’s length away, Jongin realized it was a flyer.

Music Boxes:

Your Destiny, Just 2 Steps to The Left.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Jongin looked to his left side and his eyes widened as he saw a doorway that he swore was not there before—not that he had been paying particularly close attention to his surroundings in the first place, but still—it almost looked as if the door had been shrouded in the darkness itself and only now decided to show itself. Shrugging off any eerie feelings that had developed at the look of the place, Jongin took two steps closer to the door, confirming that it was indeed the place the flyer had been advertising if the gold printed words, Happy Virus Music Boxes, hadn’t been of any indication.

Music boxes eh?

It seemed like a perfect opportunity to cross off a gift for Luhan early, so Jongin reached down to turn the knob and stepped inside with a clear tinkling of a bell, which announced his arrival.

Unlike how prim and proper the outside had looked, the interior did not match one bit as there were dust bunnies as far as the eye could see covering everything, including the one empty counter standing at the back of the dimly lit room. The walls were adorned with various sized gears, which seemed to gleam behind the dust. There was no sign of any music or boxes or even human life for years. It looked a lot more like a set from a horror movie where an axe murderer would appear from the darkness, than a store if you asked Jongin, and he was about to turn on his heel and run out before a deep voice came from behind him.

“Hi!”

Jongin nearly screamed. Clutching at his heart with an iron grip, Jongin backed away as his eyes widened and he turned towards the source of the sound, only to see a tall figure smiling down at him. The smile was wider and showing more teeth than he had thought was humanly possible. “Are you interested in my music boxes?”

Jongin was frozen. “I—Uh, I—"

The figure suddenly gasped and brought his finger up as if he had just been enlightened. “I’m so sorry, let me introduce myself first, shall we? My name is Chanyeol, and this is my humble shop,” Chanyeol held out his large hand and Jongin took it extremely hesitantly, eyes never leaving the twitch of the other’s eye and the brown flop of hair that fell in front of it.

“I—I’m Jongin.”

“Ah, so Jongin, tell me, what brings you here on this fine day?” Chanyeol asked, still beaming down at the shorter male with his hands clasped in front of his chest.

Having his heart beat slow down due to the confirmation that the person in front of him was most likely a human, and hopefully not an axe murderer (honestly, what were the chances?), Jongin regained his mobility and voice. “I saw a flyer and I was looking for a souvenir for my friend,” he answered.

“Oh, I see… the flyer…” Chanyeol mumbled under his breath as he walked towards the counter before turning to Jongin once more. “Well you came to the right place! You see, I only specialize in hand crafting the latest and most innovative music boxes on the market! Genuinely hand made and has the ability to play any song!” Chanyeol gushed out excitedly, resembling one of those infomercials that played at three in the morning; however, excluding any physical product.

Jongin scratched the back of his head, not sure what the correct following statement was supposed to be. “Well… can I see one?” He spoke hesitantly, trying to gauge out Chanyeol’s reaction to no avail.

Chanyeol’s smile faltered just a bit before it picked right back up again a millisecond later. “Well…” he began, “I don’t actually have any available right now… but if you place an order now, for a 30 day trial, I can have one ready by tomorrow.”

Jongin swallowed as he looked at Chanyeol’s expectant eyes. “Yeah sure, I’ll just… take the 30 day trial.” He honestly wasn’t sure why he accepted the offer, considering the bizarre and sketchy situation he was in, but Jongin deduced it was probably due to the fact that:

a) He had nothing to lose

and

b) He was afraid of being eaten by Chanyeol

It was 50/50.

If possible, the smile Chanyeol wore grew bigger as he thanked Jongin profusely, leaving the shorter boy exceedingly embarrassed as he all but ran out the door, promising to come by first thing tomorrow morning.

-

That night, Jongin fell asleep to the sounds of the lapping black waves, melting into a steady rhythm along with the dull roar of an applause.

-

The next morning, it was raining.

Hard.

But just as promised, which Jongin never breaks his promises no matter how sketchy they seem, Jongin made his way down the now familiar road towards Chanyeol’s shop, gripping his umbrella in his hand. He rounded the corner only to stop short as he saw a boy standing there in front of the store, thoroughly blocking the doorway. Curiosity took over his system as he approached the other boy. Jongin's breath stopped short as he stood in front of the other who was standing straight, facing him with his eyes closed and a sign taped to his t-shirt.

The mysterious boy was indeed beautiful; Jongin could not deny it. He was a little on the shorter side, and a little on the slim side, but there was just something about him that rendered Jongin unable to look away, no matter how creepy he must’ve seemed at that moment. His gaze slowly rolled down the other’s face and neck before landing on the sign taped to his chest and wait—does that say his name?

Jongin couldn’t believe his eyes but it was true. The sign stated clearly in bold letters:

JONGIN

Jongin furrowed his eyebrows. “What?”

And as if his voice had triggered something, the other boy’s eyes suddenly snapped open, causing Jongin to jump back and once again clutch at his heart in shock as he swore he saw something shift inside the other’s gaze before they started to twinkle in an odd light as he smiled. “Are you Jongin?” The boy asked, his voice clear as day. Jongin could only nod as the boy smiled wider, his eyes narrowing into delicate crescents. “Hi, I’m Baekhyun, and I’m your music box.”