I re-read the letter over and over. This isn't right. Jisoo had written me tons of letters before and he'd always sign off even if the letter was just one sentence. I flipped the letter from back to front but saw nothing. I searched the envelope, my room, my house but nothing. I knew that he probably was in a rush so he didn't end off but I continued searching. To me, the letter was incomplete, just like our story. 

 

-----

 

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked the boys. We were sitting in our usual table in the cafeteria. Mingyu beside me, Mingming and Jihoon opposite us but this time, Jisoo wasn't there beside Jihoon. His space was empty, as if we were all waiting for him to come with his plate of pasta and sit beside Jihoon, engaging in another petty argument. 

 

"I could replace Jisoo but my voice doesn't have that vibe," Jihoon poked his salad. The boys nodded in agreement. 

 

"Which is why, I'm going to hold auditions for the lead singer," Mingyu pulled out a stack of flyers from his black bag. He placed them on the table. Written in big red letters were "Be the lead to my singer" I gagged, not wanting to look at the dumb flyer anymore. 

 

"Auditions? Who on earth could replace Ji-" Jihoon started,

 

"Soonyoung," I blurted out. Mingming stared at me. Mingyu started choking on his chicken, Jihoon hitting his back, trying to get Mingyu to stop. 

 

"Minji, I know you like him a lot but he's a soccer player. And by soccer player I mean that all he can do is kick balls and cause injuries," Mingyu coughed, explaining slowly. I wasn't having any of his . 

 

"Nope. Shut up," I said. Soonyoung had an amazing hidden talent and I was not going to let anyone insult him. 

 

Mingyu smirked, leaning in close to me, "Make me."

 

I made a face, he returned the gesture. The bell rang and we all stood up to leave. 

 

"When's the audition again?" I yelled at Mingyu who was going in the opposite direction, towards the lockers which was weird because his class was at the other wing. 

 

"Today, at 3pm. It's a walk-in audition!" He shouted. 

 

"Just you wait and see, Kim Mingyu!" I shouted back, determined to make the soccer boy audition. 

 

He continued walking without turning back, the rings on his fingers glinting as he waved his free hand. He had something in his other hand but I couldn't see what it was. All i saw was a flash of neon pink before he disappeared into the hallway. 

 

-----

 

"Nooooooooo," Soonyoung whined, back tracking towards the exit. 

 

"You are going to that audition no matter what," I told him as we passed by the soccer field towards the school's theatre. Some of his soccer teammates were there sitting on the bleachers. He noticed them and called out for Seunggwan. 

 

"You are not going to go play with him, you have an audition to attend," I tugged at his shirt. 

 

"No, wait. Can I ask him to come and sing with me?" I stopped and thought for a while. Seunggwan could sing and he did it very well so I was reluctant in letting him tag along for fear that he might take Soonyoung's spot as the lead singer. But, as Seunggwan approached us all bubbly and cheery which made Soonyoung a lot more calmer, I decided to allow him to follow us. 

 

I grabbed his hand pulling him towards the school's theatre. He flinched at the sudden skinship and looked down hiding his flustered face. Shy Soonyoung was easy to drag around, so we reached the theatre in no time. 

 

The school had a huge theatre with a seating capacity of 2500 (good students read up about the school's history). The theatre was filled with many hopefuls. There were groups of girls sitting on the cushioned seats, groups of boys on the floor with their instruments. Some were warming up their voices, some were practising their songs. The amount of talent contained in that room was overflowing. 

 

"You really think we should sing that?" Soonyoung asked Seunggwan for the millionth time. 

 

Seunggwan, annoyed, replied, "Yes we should. It's our best quality song." 

 

"I dont know. The other people all sound so good," Soonyoung said nervously as he watched the other contestants practise. This was the first time I saw him scared. He always looked so confident on the field. 

 

"You can do it. It's just like going to a game, you'll always emerge as the winner," I patted his back. He calmed down a little but he still wouldn't stop fidgeting with his belt. 

 

 

Mingyu thanked him and looked towards the crowd behind him. He tapped on the mic before saying, "Hello. How's everyone doing?" The theatre erupted with "hello"s and "good"s and the occasional "oppa saranghae" to which Mingyu laughed and gave a small wave. 

 

"We'll be starting the audition now so could the boys please line up on the right side of the stage and the girls on the other side," Mingyu instructed and immediateley people started rushing to the sides. 

 

"Queue up orderly please," Jihoon added. 

 

Seunggwan started towards the long line of boys but Soonyoung remained at his spot. I pushed him forward and he looked at me, unsure. I nodded, "Pretend you're singing to me. Come on." 

 

Hesitantly, he went forward towards the queue, getting a spot beside Seunggwan in the middle of the row of boys. I gave him a thumbs up. He breathed in a deep breath. 

 

I watched as one by one, contestants went up on stage to perform. Most of them could sing really well but their voices were shaky due to nervousness. "Confidence is the key," Mingyu had always told his band mates before they went up to perform in gigs. Those contestants, unfortunately, lacked confidence therefore they earned sad glances and pursed lips from Ninth Line. Some contestants were the opposite. They dressed tackily and were out of tune but they did have the confidence to go up on stage so props to them. I watched as the boys infront of Soonyoung got up on stage and got rejected, one by one.

 

Finally, it was Soonyoung and Seunggwan's turn. Everyone was shocked to see the sta soccer player and the rough defender on stage. They started whispering and some giggled. I cheered loudly and clapped my hands, ignoring the judging stares people were giving me. Soonyoung looked down, embarassed while Seunggwan bowed down to his adoring fan. 

 

Seunggwan swaggered up to the mic and said, "Hi. My name's Bu Seunggwan but you can call me tonight. " He winked at a group of girls in the front row causing them so go mad, "I think I can sing quite well," 

 

Soonyoung awkwardly went up to the microphone and introduced himself, "Hello. My name is Kwon Soonyoung. I, uh, do a little singing myself," 

 

"Do you have any past experiences in performances?" Mingming asked, genuinely curious. 

 

Seunggwan shook his head no.

 

Soonyoung laughed lightly, scratching his head, "I have concerts…" 

 

Jihoon nodded, impressed. 

 

"In the shower," Soonyoung finished. The theatre erupted in laughter. Seunggwan whacked his senior on his head. I couldn't help but smile, too. 

 

"The stage is all yours," Mingyu said as the instrumental played in the background. 

 

(listen/ watch this)

 

As the beginning notes started to play, Soonyoung stood there, staring at the audience. He looked like a lost puppy. He looked at me and I mouthed, "Have a little faith," He breathed in another deep breathe before starting. The moment he opened his mouth to sing, I was captivated by his voice again. I found myself deeply entranced everytime he sang even though I've heard him sing loads to times. The audience seemed to love his voice too. They were speechless, some girls squealed softly. Slowly, Soonyoung's confidence built up and he sang with all his heart. Ninth Line were impressed. Mingming's eyesmile appeared and Jihoon was swaying along to the song. Mingyu just stared at him, mouth ajar. 

 

Soonyoung pointed towards Seunggwan who had hidden behind the curtain because it wasn't his part yet. Seunggwan walked onto the stage, causing the audience to laugh a little, amused at the two's cute friendship. Initially, I thought that Seunggwan's vocals would overshadow Soonyoung's but I was wrong. The two of them circled around each other, harmonizing perfectly. Soonyoung reached his high note flawlessly and soon the music faded to a stop. The theatre broke out in clapping and loud cheering. Some people even gave them both a standing ovation. I felt so proud of them.

 

"Woah, you guys blew me away!" Jihoon said excitedly. Mingming nodded in approval. 

 

Soonyoung and Seunggwan smiled at each other. 

 

"Well… " Mingyu started slowly, teasing the audience. 

 

Mingyu breathed in a long, long breathe before saying, "I think that we've found our two new lead singers." The crowd went wild. Seunggwan and Soonyoung pulled each other into a friendly hug. I ran up to the judges table, and pecked Mingyu on the cheek. He looked back at me and winked. 

 

"I told you so," I stuck out my tongue. I was so so happy. 

 

"For once, you're right," He said. 

 

"Um, excuse me," Seunggwan suddenly said into the mic. Everyone shut up to let him speak. 

 

"I'm not really that interested in joining the band so you guys can take Soonyoung. He's better," Seunggwan said much to Soonyoung's horror. Seunggwan quickly ran down the steps, out of the theatre trying to avoid Soonyoung's menacing stare. 

 

"Okay. It's settled, then. Kwon Soonyoung, you're officially in Ninth Line," Mingyu clapped and everyone else followed. 

 

Soonyoung bowed and went down the stage. I waited for him at the steps and hugged him tightly, "I knew you could do it!" 

 

He nuzzled into my shoulder and I could tell that he was smiling, feeling proud of himself, too. 

 

-----

 

I walked towards my locker. The corridoors were empty because most of the students had already went home. Ninth Line had to rush to practise for another gig at Lovely day next Saturday. The audience loved them so the cafe decided to invite them again. Soonyoung needed to rush for soccer practice so I was left alone. They had apologised for not being able to accompany home but I waved them away. Being alone sometimes helped me think and that was what I needed to do. The thought about Jisoo's unfinished letter still lingered in the back of my mind. 

 

I unlocked my locker, putting in my textbooks. My locker was in a mess. Annoyed, I started pulling out books and dropping them on the floor, wanting to rearrange them. The books slammed on the floor one by one. I huffed, bending down to grab one. When I did so, I noticed a pink thing between my Math notebook and Literature Textbook. I don't remember it being there so I sat down on the floor to take a closer look at it. It was a sticky note just like the ones Jisoo used to give me. I detached the note from the Math book. I unfolded the note and began to read. 

 

He signed off. He always did.

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: vid credits to Tizzo Tran