Chapter 7 – Angel Beats

Baekhyun

   ‘Do you think Tao will be alright here on his own?’
   ‘I don’t know, he is the youngest…’
   ‘And the scariest’ voices bounced off the walls… (I guess that wasn’t the only thing bouncing off of things…)
I had just left Kris’ dressing room with my diva fashion walk, and confidently walked out of the double doors; only to walk into some of Tao’s co-workers.
   ‘Mianae’ I bowed down a couple of times to him.
   ‘Who...’
   ‘Friend of Tao...’ I answered awkwardly.
   ‘Right;’ he looked at me for a second, ‘will you tell him we’re going out?’
   ‘Um, okay...but...’
   ‘Great, thanks.’ One of them patted my shoulder and left the building with another one of the employees. I watched after them; they’re supposed to be working still right? I cocked my head at the situation but went along with it anyway. I found myself following the boy’s order anyway and made my way over to Tao who was working on mopping up the floor in front of the bar.
   ‘Hey Baek, where’d you disappear off to?’ he stopped mopping and asked.
   ‘Just looking around,’ I shrugged. ‘Your co-workers told me to tell you they’re going out’ I told him before he could ask me anymore questions on my whereabouts.
   ‘WHAT!’ he shouted. ‘NO NO NO NO NO!!!’
   ‘TAO!’ Minseok called out loudly.
   ‘Crap. Baek will you take this for me please?’ he gave me the mop.
   ‘What should I do?’
   ‘Just do anything!’ he told me and then sprung up stairs faster than a ninja would.
   ‘Okay...’ I looked around. Most of the work on the floor was done, save just a little bit. ‘Right then,’ seeing as I’m the only one here I might as well do what I can to help. I started mopping my way towards the stage, my main goal; in life as well as this, ironically. I started sweeping my way across the floor. In a strange sense it felt like dancing, my partner a mop; making our journey through life, waiting to reach that one main goal...but enough of that, I still need training. I made it to the end of my physical journey with the mop and swept everything I had picked up on the way into the corner, and then stepped up onto the stage. It was beautiful, it looks familiar I thought. I didn’t let myself get too caught up in the scenery though; I was supposed to be helping Tao. How could his co-workers just leave him like this? They should be doing this, not me! I pouted, but nobody could see it, so I swept and mopped away.

Tao

   ‘Tao!’ Minseok called me. Is he mad at me? Does he know his other employees have left the building?
   ‘You called?’ I entered his office with my head down. He’s a friendly guy, no doubt about it but when he gets mad he gets scary.
   ‘Ah yes, come; sit.’ He beckoned me towards a chair in front of his desk that was piled up with paperwork and receipts and stuff.
   ‘What is all this?’ I asked, letting the nervousness leave me. We’ve been friends for as long as I’ve worked here, if he gets mad he can’t stay mad for long.
   ‘Don’t worry about it. What you should be worry about is your friend down there. I caught him snooping around the building not too long ago.’
   ‘Baekhyun hyung’s fine, I promise.’
   ‘Yeah, but how well do you know the guy?’ he asked, fingers entwined and chin wresting on them.
   ‘Not very, but he’s sweet and innocent. Don’t mind him.’
   ‘Alright, alright.’ He waved it off.
   ‘What did you think he was up to?’
   ‘Well Kris is still here; I thought maybe he’s a fan of Kris and wanted to meet him or something. He has a lot of groupies you know, male and female...’ he wiggled his eyebrows cutely.
   ‘Ah I see. Baek doesn’t swing that way.’ Not now at least. ‘He has pure intentions, I promise. This kid is an angel.’ I grinned.
   ‘He’s your hyung you cheeky brat’ he rolled up some paper and hit me with it. ‘You never did treat your hyungs with respect.’ He rolled his eyes and chuckled.
   ‘Hey, I think you have more things to be worrying about hyung’ I told him putting emphasis on the “hyung”. ‘Two of your employers have just left, and with Taemin staying late with dance practice it’s just me and you.’
   ‘Don’t be so sure about that.’ He pointed towards the window. I went towards it and saw what he was looking at.
   ‘Baekhyun...’ He was out there doing my job for me
   ‘Maybe he is a good kid after all.’ Yeah, I told you he was an angel. ‘You should get back to work, I have stuff to do and so do you.’
   ‘Wait! But the others have left, I’ll be working triple my usual amount!’
   ‘No you won’t, you have Baekhyun-ssi’
   ‘But he doesn’t work here...’ something just sparked in my mind. ‘WAIT!’
   ‘What’ he startled.  
   ‘Sorry’ I smiled sheepishly. ‘Baek needs work, we have enough space right...do you think you could give him a job?’
   ‘Tao’ his eyes looked apologetic. ‘You know I can’t right now...We just don’t have to money, I mean, I still have depts that need to be paid back. We can’t afford to pay anyone else for the time being.’
   ‘Please, he’s desperate.’
   ‘Mian, I can’t. His gaze softened and he rubbed my shoulder.
   ‘It’s okay, I guess we’ll keep up the search tomorrow...’

‘As your guardian, I will block the stiff wind
Even though people turn their backs to you
If I could become the person
Who can wipe your tears on a tiring day
It will be paradise’

   ‘What is that?’ Minseok asked, after a moment of listening to a soft voice that carried through the building. ‘I thought all the equipment was turned off.’ He looked at me, and then out the window that looked upon the giant hall.
   ‘I thought they were too.’ I said passively, looking for the source of the angelic voice ringing though the air.
   ‘Isn’t that Baekhyun-ssi?’ he asked me.
   ‘Yeah, it is.’ My eyes grew. Well, he did say he wanted to be a singer. He was stood in the middle of the stage, a soft glow radiating behind him from the dim lights of the set. His eyes were closed as if he could feel the song taking over his body.
   ‘The kid’s good.’ Minseok smiled, it was the rare times you see him completely smile now days, where his cheeks looked fuller and his eyes would turn up into crescent moons.
   ‘Yeah, he really is.’
We stood outside of the office just to listen to him further, letting the lyrics take over our bodies as it did to him. He really sings like an angel.

Baekhyun

*Clap clap clap,* i heard as I finished singing my audition song. I bowed hesitantly before looking up. I saw Tao and Minseok looking down on me from the balcony, clapping as if they just watched the best musical performance ever. I’m hardly the best...
   ‘I didn’t know I had an audience.’ I felt heat rise in my cheeks.
   ‘I didn’t know I had a star in my building.’ Minseok smiled brightly.
   ‘You mean future star.’ Tao corrected him.
   ‘Tao don’t, you’re embarrassing the boy,’
   ‘I know’ he grinned at me. ‘I’ll be down in a minute to finish working.’
   ‘Alright’ I nodded at him. ‘You better, I’m doing your job for you here’ I said in my head.

My cheeks felt hot; maybe it’s better if Tao does take a little longer, but why am I so flustered? My friends have heard and seen me sing before, I’m sure – Karaoke:  never be a try-hard, learnt that the hard way. Fond of the memories I stabled the broom and leant on it in a way that wouldn’t have a comedic ending. I can admit; I’ve been out a few times with the boys, which usually ended up with underage drinking and me singing my heart out to a sad love song or something, leading to a day of teasing the next day. I had great friends…had... It was always fine for me to sing in front of them, and the people back home (I mean, the alcohol helped a lot) but to me, I was singing at home, the town, the bar, the people…they were all home. But here… here is not home. Yet somehow, I feel comfortable here, on this stage, in front of my new friend and his boss – it’s not exactly home, but it could be.

I took another look around the hall, took in my surroundings and just soaked it all in, mentally and literally – this place is so humid, it’s physically drenching me (sorry if TMI, you know… yeah)

Something about this place is really…familiar, as if I’ve been here before. It is possible but-

   ‘Minnie~~’ a large whiny sound interrupted my thoughts.
   ‘Tao!’ Minseok’s firm voice sounded.
   ‘You can’t blame me for trying.’ I could feel the shrug coming off of him from down here. Speaking of which, I knew the acoustics in here were great, just from singing but I don’t even think science knows how to pull that off – I mean, the sound is curving from Minseok’s office down to the main stage.
   ‘Min, how can you turn that down after hearing that angelic voice?’
   ‘Tao, we’ve been over this already; I don’t have the money to employ him right now, we barely have the money to keep this place open!’ I heard another loud – I want to say roar but Minseok-ssi doesn’t seem the type to shout at his employees – aimed towards Tao (who else right? The others left me to clean the debris!) ‘Look’ his voice softened ‘Byun’s good, but what else can he do other than sing huh? He has to be really worth my while to make me pay him. And that’s just If I had the money, which I don’t!’

Wait, are they talking about me?

   ‘How about this then? How about you have him sing here? He can be a filler, or support act that you won’t have to pay as much as you would normally. It will benefit all of us. Would you be willing to employ him then?’

Are you crazy?!

   ‘Tao, are you crazy? You saw how flustered he got just in front of us two? He will be singing in front of large crowds, would he be able to handle that? And does he even want to do that?’ his voice rose considerably.
   ‘Well, it’s what he came here to do, he wants to be a star, this is where he can start’ Tao sounded as if he was almost screeching.’

Suddenly, Minseok’s voice lowered, softened even to a point where I couldn’t hear where the conversation was going.

He’s right. Without the alcohol, can I really handle large crowds? I did get really flustered just knowing those two were listening…I suppose working here would boost my courage up though…but then it could be the complete opposite and scar me for life. Even so, I guess the decision is already pre-made; Minseok seems to be in a situation and I can’t push myself into that.

   ‘So you’ll think about it?’ I heard Tao holler so loudly there was a ring beating on the walls. The next thing I saw (which doesn’t match his ninja image at all) was him skipping down the stairs, almost floating off them every time he made it down a step.

   ‘Aww, Baek, you didn’t have to do this, you know?’ he smiled, and even I didn’t know the meaning behind the cat eyed smile he left me with. He pried the broom out of my grasp and left me standing there, baffled at his odd behaviour.

   ‘Tao, you didn’t have to do that; what you just did upstairs – whatever it was you did.’ I smiled after him and helped him finish cleaning the rest of the mess.  

Okay, so i'll start off with a very sincere apology for anyone who actually pays attention to this

i can't remember when i last posted but i for sure know that this chapter and the one after were pre-written when i posted the last chapter

and i don't know why i didn't post them.

so yeah, sorry

(for anyone who cares :p)