Characters     : Kim Myungsoo (L) & Jung Soojung (Krystal)

Song                : 태어나줘서 고마워 (Thank You For My Love) - VIXX

Summary       : When Myungsoo transforms himself into a romanticist for his girlfriend.

 

Myungsoo heaves out a sigh in exasperation as he presses a hand against his chest, where his thumping heart lies. The band practice has come to an end and the others have left earlier, with him remaining solo in the studio, in the midst of scattered musical instrument and sheets. In the middle of his lone war where he has to fight the frustration building up inside. Threading his fingers through his raven locks, a gesture he often shows when he seems vexed, his eyes move to the printed, musical notes on the paper. He opens his mouth a tad wider and starts vocalizing the song he is recently working on, not his best work, however Myungsoo is proud enough. After all, writing and dedicating a self-composed and self-written song to a particular, special someone is not something he does everyday.

Soojung, the brunette, in charge of being a frontwoman and vocalist of the band, will turn twenty one in an hour. Has he mentioned that the latter always succeeds to mesmerize him? She doesn't have to do much. Even though all she does is just standing idly in the corner, her presence alone always makes an impact on the young man's soul. How can she look exquisitely fine at every occasion? Don't make him start dishing on either her aura or personality, because it will go on forever. He may equal to silence, but his mind is worth train of thoughts, that has lost track in numbers.

“… What do I do now?”

A pair of auburn spheres swerves to the watch that perched on his wrist, the shorter and longer hand signifies that it is presently fifteen minutes to midnight. The vulgarity in his language is inevitable and almost inaudible to be heard – once again, that is his own approach to cope with his stress, yet the resolution is nowhere to be found. Much to his dismay, his anxiety starts getting on his nerves. Everything should be flawless; zero mistakes are preferable, leaving a long-lasting impact for her shall be marvelous, but moving her to tears is one of his goals.

She and his mates – who have complied to Myungsoo’s demand and ask for help – are now somewhere out there, aimlessly roaming the bustling streets of Seoul in search of a nonexistent, music store. The male assumes that Krystal must have felt infuriated by now, since they can’t find the exact location of the shop. The former is easy to provoke after all. A sudden buzz from his phone garners his attention, the contact name dubbed as Yeol coming into his view. Swiping his screen, he brings the said gadget to his ear. “Hey. Where are you?”

In a hushed tone, the one on the other line speaks up after greeting back, “We almost reach the studio. You should prepare yourself.”

“Okay.”

Returning to his full posture, he abruptly collects his papers and places them on the desk. He inserts a CD into the player, pressing the “play” immediately. The gentle timbre emitted from the acoustic guitar comes first, followed by a familiar voice singing at the background, which actually belongs to him – not exceptionally impressive, however he manages to stay on key. If only his vocal were as pristine as his visual. He squirms out of embarrassment, smacking his palm against his face after hearing himself on the laptop.

Not to mention, the lyrics are somewhat cheesy to begin with.

“I should have asked someone to sing…”

His bitterness arises for a mere second, only to dissipate the next second he hears a knock on the door. After stopping the tune playing, he dashes to the locked entrance and frantically exclaims at the figure standing outside, telling her to wait. According to the proposed plan that he came up with, the others would stay out of the scene and leave the two alone. It’s been a while since the couple has private moment for each others, anyway.

“Hey, let me in now, please...”

“Wait.” A long, deep sigh makes its way out from his slightly-detached lips in attempt to ease the tension inside him. This is it, he tells himself.

Foolishly fumbling with the key for a split second, he eventually manages to unlock the door for her. “Sorry to keep you waiting.” He murmurs under his breath, welcoming her with the typical, laid-back look upon his face. The female’s visage is decorated with an indecipherable expression, a frown etched on her forehead as she steps inside the spacious workstation. “Where are the guys?” He prompts, since the other refuses to say a word.

“They want to check out this new café, they said.”

“Ah.”

Myungsoo plops down on the single, swivel, executive chair as the woman settles herself down on the loveseat across him. Like any other studios, the one the band is using has two separate rooms which are the recording booth and the mixing room. A desk with audio system and interface panels consisted of diverse buttons, high-end and touch screen monitors, and the previously mentioned stools are the only furniture in the second area – everything are set up and arranged in an organized and sophisticated manner. “Did you find the store?” inquires him, even though he knows the actual answer.

Soojung cutely scrunches up her nose, her arms folding in front of her bust. “No. It seems like the address you gave us is wrong.”

A mirthful laughter erupts from the older, feeling amused at the simple, innocent remark she gave him. “Sorry about that.” Her chocolate-colored orbs look back into his own eyes, silently questioning why he was laughing. “What’s wrong?” taunts him, his eyebrow quirked up.

“Did you plan this?”

“I may have.”

“Ah–”

The lad tosses his head back instinctively, meeting the backrest that is at the same level of his skull when a certain, square-shaped cushion lands on his face. “How dare you do that?!” He glowers at the feminine figure who playfully sticks her tongue out at him. “… If you keep acting like this, no presents for you.”

“Present?!”

“Yes.”

“What present?”

“Secret.”

“Hint?”

“No.”

Is she always this silly or is she just playing along now? He mulls over to himself as he gets up from his previous seat only to slip himself inside the recording area, ignoring her further inquiry, leaving her astounded. Through the glass pane that serves as a partition between the two spots, he notices from her body language that Soojung is about to follow him into the cubicle, however he gestures with his hands to stop her from moving.

Grabbing onto the standing microphone, he instructs the woman to stay still at the mixing area. His free hand reaches for a remote and he has his thumb hovered over the button, yet he seems hesitant. A wave of discomfort finds its way back into his systems, causing him to turn motionless at his position. He holds his chin up and stares at his beloved one through the transparent surface, meeting her perplexed yet expectant gaze.

“Mm… remember the song I was working on?” He says again after a pregnant pause. As she nods her head, he then continues. “I’ve finished it, but it’s… still a rough one. I may re-write some lyrics if you… well, dislike it. It’s an unplugged version and I sound terrible in singing… But, I need you to listen first.” Crap, did he just stammer in his speech?

Inhaling a great intake of oxygen, he tips his finger against the switch. Instantaneously, a piece of music echoes in the entire studio, reverberating into the thin air as Myungsoo turns up the volume. Not wanting to maintain an eye contact, the latter has his eyes dropped to the floor and instead, glues his attention on the wooden, tiled floor – which unexpectedly becomes the main focus of his interest at that moment.

…..

Four minutes that lasts forevermore – or at least, that’s what it feels like for him. Keeping his head down, he turns to the desk and unveils a round-shaped cake from a small package. The cake is not that special, quite the classic one honestly – but, he did request a thing to the pâtisserie himself to add in Soojung’s favorite fruit as the garnish. The gâteau has white chocolate-dipped strawberries adorn its brims as a “happy birthday” written with the help of chocolate paste glosses the center of the cream-layered cake. Lighting up the candles in a swift move, he then brings the cake towards her.

“Happy birthday, Jung Soojung.”

The edge of his lips twitch upwards into an abashed beam as the younger stands deep-rooted to the ground with a palm clamped over . The space may be dimmed, nonetheless Kim Myungsoo can effortlessly spot the obvious moisture pooled in the corner her eyes. His smile grows even wider at the sight of her tears, which he secretly anticipates. “Is it for me?” She croaks out quietly.

“Unless you know another individual who has the same name and identical birthday like you,” He chuckles playfully.

“You’re so stupid,” she whines in a child-like demeanor, punching his upper arm even. She clasps her hands in a praying gesture and inwardly makes a wish before blowing out the candles. A single tear trickles down her cheek, but she manages to speak more. “Thank you so much, Kim Myungsoo…”

A grin remains on his contented face.

“Yah...”

The girl spats.

“Hmm?”

The number of strawberries gradually decreases.

“… My strawberries!”

The thief casually pokes the tip of his tongue out.

“Come and get it.”

 

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