Chapter 1

I Can Sing For Him, At Least

There was a knock, Kyungsoo was not expecting anyone for the night, he has been living in a rural town for two years now, but even though he has gained some friends in their neighborhood, he was not really expecting anyone to come at such late hour. Kyungsoo opened the door and to his surprise it was a stranger in a black coat with a serious look,

“Hello, Good evening! Are you Do Kyungsoo?”  The stranger asked.

“Yes! I am Do Kyungsoo, how may I help you?” Kyungsoo answered. Feeling a little cautious and doubtful, he thought that the stranger might be a serial killer or anything aligned with crimes and violence and it is all because of his looks.

“Well, I am Zhang Yixing, you can call me Lay, I am a novelist and I am here to find inspiration, and I think I have found it,”

“What do you mean?” Kyungsoo responded in confusion.

“It means that…… I was wondering if I can interview you to know your life’s story and possibly a part of your love story. I’ve been here for three days and most people that I have asked about where to find a person with a tragic life, points me to this house which then leads me to you,” The novelist explained.

“Sorry but I cannot help you!” He automatically thought of shunning the novelist down and was about to shut the door closed.

“Please! I am begging you! This might be my only way to become a successful writer and you are the key to that success, please?” Yixing pleaded as he prevented Kyungsoo from slamming the wooden access.

“Okay then,” he agreed but he was still doubtful. “Meet me here, 7 pm tomorrow,” Kyungsoo declared.

“Thank you sir! Thank you!” the novelist smiled and bowed a couple of times with glee. Kyungsoo thought that the novelist might not be what he thinks of who he can be – the murderer stuff from before.

The next evening the novelist came at the exact time for his scheduled interview. His happiness was very evident, bright smiles that lit the façade of the night and twinkling eyes like stars in the sky above.  He entered the house and was greeted by a very organized abode. He was directed to sit in the couch fronting the TV in the living room. He was offered with cookies and a cup of chamomile tea by Kyungsoo.

“So what will we talk about?” Kyungsoo sat and initiated the conversation.

“It’s about a memory you hold dear the most. I want to hear that story if it’s okay with you,” Lay said.

“I’m not sure………. but if it’s for literature and helping someone, it’s alright, I guess?”

“Alright then,” Lay smiled as he readied his stuff. “One more thing, I need to record our conversation, and don’t worry no one will know that the novel I will hopefully make is about you,” Yixing assured Kyungsoo that the whole interview-for-inspiration thing was confidential and solely for literary purposes.

Yixing prepared his video recorder, his pen and notebook. Meanwhile, Kyungsoo is on a verge of a nervous breakdown; he’s cold-sweating and his heart is beating so fast and everything seems to be twirling.

“Well, the first part would be to introduce yourself,”

“Huh?” Kyungsoo snapped from his thoughts when the novelist spoke. “I’m sorry.” He said as he faced the video camera and fixed himself.

“In three, two, one, go.”

Hello! I am Do Kyungsoo, I am 22 years old,” Kyungsoo said with a little hint of nervousness in his facial expression.

“So, what would you like to share with me? A memorable experience? Family drama?” The novelist inquired.

“I would like to share my love story,” Kyungsoo grinned shyly. “It’s not a perfect and a happy one, I just felt sharing it. It’s a figment of my memory that I want to live on forever,”

“Whoa! You have all the time in the world to narrate it, from the beginning till the end!”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo affirmed.

“Hello! I am Do Kyungsoo and this is my love story!” he introduced again. “Let me start when I was in my senior year in high school, it was my last year naturally. I was not socially active. I have friends and these people are those I know since I was in kindergarten. However, even though I don’t work well with the mingling and socializing, I was part of the school’s chorale and glee club.”

“So you’re a singer?” Lay asked in awe.

“I’d like to think that I am, but I lost my drive years ago!” Kyungsoo answered. “Let me continue, so like I said I was active in the school chorale, I was really a serious kid – and I mean serious – back then until I met a guy who changed my life forever, and that guy is Kim Jongin.” ……..

~~~~~

“Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo!” Baekhyun yelled in all his glory but Kyungsoo just wouldn’t mind. “Kyungsoo!”

“Yes? Yes!” Kyungsoo awoke from a daydream-ish like state.

“What are you looking at? Your focus is fixed but there’s nothing interesting there,” Baekhyun asked and walked towards Kyungsoo and looked around to see something worth of Kyungsoo’s attention.

“Baekhyun, it’s not ‘What were you looking at?’ You should rephrase it to, ‘Who were you looking at?’” Luhan said.

Kyungsoo blushed upon hearing that statement, “It’s nothing really, c’mon let’s just go!” Kyungsoo ushered.

“Luhan-hyung, there was no person around so how can you say Kyungsoo was gazing at someone? Wait a minute……………. there was someone, it can't be, c’mon hyung, was Kyungsoo looking at that Kim Jongin a.k.a. Kai like crazy?”

“I heard that Baek?” Kyungsoo said with a piercing gaze.

“Kyungsoo, of all the people in the world, you have feelings for that Kai! Hell no! He’s not worthy for you! Yes, he's gorgeous and everything, but Kyung, he's just not for you! He’s a jerk and a jerk he is,” Baekhyun voiced his protest.

“It’s not him! Totally not him! Just stop concerning about things that are non-existent Baek,” Kyungsoo denied.

The days passed and Kyungsoo’s round eyes was all glued to the Kai, Baekhyun was talking about….

~~~~~

“How did you first meet?” Lay asked.

“I think he first knew my existence was when…….. it was in a party, Luhan was invited by his boyfriend Sehun to come and Luhan asked me, Chen and Baekhyun to also come,” Kyungsoo answered.

“So what happened there?” Lay asked.

“It was rather an amazing night for them at least; I’m really not the type of person who indulges into crowded parties. Luhan introduced us to Sehun and his friends Chanyeol and Tao, Baekhyun easily came along with Chanyeol so as usual, I just sat in a corner and pretended I did not exist and wait until the party was over. I knew Kai is one of Sehun’s friends for they are both members of the school’s dance club. I asked Sehun if he knew why Kai wasn’t there, he said that Jongin and his girlfriend had a fight but he is here, savoring loneliness and aloneness, away from people so he can think,”

~~~~~

As Kyungsoo was going to the restroom, he stopped because he heard a sound of someone crying, he followed that distinctive sound and voila, he found a crying Jongin. Kyungsoo’s heart melted upon the sight of a weeping Kai, the guy he has always laid his eyes upon. He wants to comfort him, but he doesn’t know what to do. He was about to walk away when a single strand of idea came to his mind.

“I can sing for him, at least!” Kyungsoo thought to himself. “Bad idea Kyugnsoo,” and an mental monologue happened. “It wouldn’t hurt you and at least he’ll know you exist,”

Kyungsoo also thought of walking away, but he always rebutted that notion, so he decided to sing for a rather depressed Jongin without him knowing that it was Kyungsoo, well, he was thinking that he was just an ordinary person, so why and how would a famous person in the campus know it and will Jongin even remember that he sang for him by tomorrow. So Kyungsoo, with that said, decided to sing for Jongin.

“I hope you’ll like it,” Kyungsoo whispered but it is still audible.

Don’t hesitate another minute please take away my heart
Yes, the sharper the better, the night that even the moon has closed her eyes
If it were any other man, if it were a single verse taken from a comedy
Burn all the scars you’ve exchanged for that love

Baby don’t cry tonight after the darkness passes
Baby don’t cry tonight it’ll become as if it never happened
You’re not the one to disappear into foam, something you never should’ve known
So Baby don’t cry cry my love will protect you

The early sunlight comes down
A blinding force that reminds me of you comes down
At last my eyes that lost their way Cry cry cry

~~~~~

“At first I thought that Jongin was not listening to me, he was just sitting there without any reaction or any sign that he was in fact listening to me, so as I ended the song, he stood up from his seat by the door and walked away. I counted a good ten minutes before I went back to the celebration, I did not realize that he was waiting for me, gladly, he was not able to see me walking in the hallway to the ballroom,” Kyungsoo narrated.

“So what happened next?” Lay queried.

“Well I hid myself, of course, I was really shy to show myself but there was no other way to the party but that very hallway where Jongin was standing. I waited for him to go away but he was just standing there like a predator ready to ambush me. I had no other option, so I decided to just run as fast as I can.”

“Whoa! You really did that?!” The novelist asked.

“Yup, I was really timid at that time and I really had a great crush on Jongin and to avoid eternal shame I ran as fast as I can, I feel like I’m Ussain Bolt at that time, but he still got my left arm, but being runner-Kyungsoo I quickly shunned his grasp and as soon as I found myself in the party, I quickly blended in the sea of people and that quite worked fine,” Kyungsoo added.

~~~~~

“Where have you been and why are you all sweaty and panting?” Baekhyun asked.

“I went out for a walk!” Kyungsoo answered.

“A walk? You’re funny! It’s not like it is nearing boiling point outside?” Baekhyun added.

“Just don’t ask anymore!” Kyungsoo responded, his voice came out with a allusion of being in a hurry. “Can we go home now?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing! C’mon let’s get Luhan-hyung!”

~~~~~

“That night went like crazy,” Kyungsoo said.

“It sounded pretty perfect to me!” Lay rebutted.

A/N: I just thought of revising it, the grammar, added certain elements and the like. However, the story is the same, no changes. Tell me what you think about the revised chapter. Feel free to comment. I love you my subscribers, upvoters and all my silent readers. Thank you! I'll also do some changes in all the chapters so stay tuned.

Song: Baby Don't Cry by Exo (Translated lyrics)