- Flashback: 1 month since the school year started -

If only Belle invested their easy earned money into actual useful things like an outdoor air conditioner. Yes an outdoor air conditioner. The heat today was unbearable. Jinwoo was a walking, talking sweat dog. A human water fountain. Though his mood instantly changed as Jinwoo walked through the glass doors of the music block, indoor air conditioning. Usually at this period Jinwoo would find himself stuck in the main school building learning about some algebra or some trigonomety that he had already learnt years ago to impress the teachers in charge of the Belle scholarship programme held at his old middle school. However, as much as he liked learning about numbers and all the other intellectually challenging subjects, Jinwoo much preferred being in the music block than in some classroom filled with half attention paying students. Make that none at all attention paying students that sit around tapping their expensive fountain pens against the expensive mahogany student tables and throw wads of cash at any equation they were required to solve. Not everyone in Jinwoo's class acted like that, infact the majority of his classmates were fellow scholarship holders, even some of the rich students were actually paying attention to Mr. Park's obnoxiously screechy voice as if the 24 year hasn't reached puberty yet. However, a few bad apples spoil the bunch. Kai being one of the more annoying ones, since every now and then the blonde would tap Jinwoo's shoulder and ask for his number, which Jinwoo would reply 'I don't have a phone'. Lie, he did have a phone. Though the Blonde would be persistent and annoy the living out of him which sometimes made Jinwoo wonder what would happen if he threw his Nokia brick phone at Kai's face.

1. Would the impact of his Nokia brick phone be enough to kill Kai's ego?
2. Would the impact of his Nokia brick phone be so powerful that it will tear a hole within the fabric of existance and kill anything and anyone?
3. Would Kai's face just absorb his Nokia brick phone and take his number?

Nonetheless, he was glad to have such a good record that Mr. Park let him out of the class to submit the music sheet composition that he was supposed to finish last week into the music block. Luckily Mark wasn't such a hassle that night. What was he asking me while I was doing my music sheet? I'm pretty sure he said something about liking someone. Or pastries. He always did love the pastries I bought him from Little France. Maybe I should teach him the pastries Mum used to make for me when I was little. Hah! I wonder if Mark could get a job there. Maybe they would hire Mark if he cooked some of Mum's pastries for them. They are really good after all. Jinwoo suddenly cut his thoughts off as he was getting too distracted.
I wonder what class Mark is in right now?
....
Oh my god Jinwoo focus and give your sheet in.
Wait, did Mark say something about me being popular? HAHAHA, yeah right. Me? Popular?
....
For Seunghoon's sake Jinwoo, stop thinking about stuff and hand in your sheet.

Jinwoo entered Studio 12. The room was big, not large but big. Belle must've paid for some high class builders and architects to pull off such design. Usually the floor to ceiling windows would reveal a breath taking view of Belle's international gardens, however today it was draped over by red curtains bigger than the floor plan of Jinwoo's entire apartment. And so the studio was dark, extremely dark. However a single light in the middle of the extremely high ceiling shone down, revealing a piano, a grand piano in the very centre of the room. And someone was playing it. This was one of the many private rooms the music block had, just like how the school gym had its own private workout rooms, the music block had various rooms for various things. It was also the room where Jinwoo would spend some of his afterschool learning how to play piano, with the exception of $150 per lesson, though being a scholarship holder had its benefits like all tuition and programmes paid for.

"Mr. Yang???" Jinwoo called out.
Though the figure didn't reply. Jinwoo walked closer and realised that it wasn't his piano teacher, rather than-

"I didn't know you play piano." Jinwoo smiled as he sat on the leather piano bench.

"I only play a little bit though." Mino muttered as he played around with the piano keys.

"Yah, be careful. Mr. Yang said those keys were hand crafted. Actually this whole piano was hand crafted." Jinwoo eyed out where Mino's hands were on the ornamental intrument. Jinwoo would've killed himself if he ever inflicted the smallest of scratches on the varnished wood. Heck, the wood that was used was probably from some ancient tree from 100000000000000000000 millions years ago considering how expensive it was. When Mr. Yang revealed the price Jinwoo wanted to rip his ears out. It actually made him want to stop learning at one time in fear of damaging the piano in anyway possible.

"I know. Relax. I can just buy a new one anyway." Mino replied as he kept playing around with the keys, annoying the older. Mino noticed how Jinwoo was grinding his teeth together, intently watching him. Mino smiled as he agressively pressed one of the keys as hard as he could, sending a ringing chime around the perfectly enclosed acoustic studio. Though inside the room, a small sneeze could make you deaf.

"YAH! YOU'RE EVEN WORSE THAN SEUNGYOON!" Jinwoo was about to smack Mino, but the other caught his hand as the both boys stared into each other's eyes.
...
.....
........
Their lips formed a small smile, eventually the two found themselves laughing together for no dam reason. Like two retarded seals clapping their fins together.

"No but seriously, why are you here?" Jinwoo asked the other as he took his hand away, rubbing where Mino had grabbed him.

"I could ask you the same thing." Mino smiled, earning an annoyed glance from the older.

"Actually, I was meant to submit this music sheet last week to Mr. Yang. But since all we did was go to your apartment every aferschool with Seungyoon, Seunghoon and Taehyun I kinda forgot about it. I actually finished it a few days ago. Finished it when you returned my shoes after we went to the beach"

"Oh yeah... when Seungyoon and Taehyun buried your shoes in the sand and then forgot to bring it back to you." Mino smiled as he recalled the event just a few nights ago. "Didn't we eat at Little Asia after I gave your shoes back?"

"Yeah, I brought Mark along remember?" Jinwoo nodded, though Mino's smile seemed to falter a bit at the mentioned name.

"Oh yeah."

...
....
......

"Can I look at your music sheet then?" Mino asked as Jinwoo handed the semi wrinkled piece of paper.

"Sorry, kind of got squashed in my bag." Jinwoo scratched the back of his head as he inched closer to Mino.

"Mm...not bad." Mino studied the sheet. "Actually, I'm here because I'm working on a song."

"Your song is gonna have piano in it?" Jinwoo's face lit up.

"No. I just got bored a started to play around with the keys." Mino smiled at Jinwoo's pout, squeezing the older's cheeks before continuing with his sentence. "My song, it's called Empty. It's not finished yet though." Mino nervously gazed at Jinwoo, though Jinwoo's eyes gave him a sense of confidence to share his work. Jinwoo read the small piece of paper containing the lyrics, the older was in awe at how meaningful the words were.

"Is this about a girl you like?" Jinwoo nudged the other beside him.

"Uhhhh.... want to hear it?" Mino nervously replied, cutting off Jinwoo's question. Though the older didn't seem to notice or was too busy reading the lyrics.

"Sure." Jinwoo smiled.

-Flashback end-

His hands, cold. Though no matter what Mino stopped himself from grabbing the older's hands.
The two had stayed much later than anticipated at the beach. It was well into the night, though time wasn't something the two boys wanted to concern themselves with. All they wanted to do was gaze under the night sky, watch stars twinkling as the moon shone down. The waves sand just a few metres from their feet. On the same comfortable and warm blanket Mino had always brought along with him whenever they decided to lie under the night sky. However as much as Jinwoo wanted to stay awake, the older had fallen asleep. Mino smiled as Jinwoo gently breathed in and out, resting his head on Mino's lap as the older drifted into sleep.

Silence suddenly filled the area.
Beach waves muted.
The gentle breeze dying down.
Various insect sounds gone.
The city's traffic a few kilometres behind them.
All gone.
All silent.
Mino felt his mouth dry as his saliva became thick and hard to swallow.











"My reflection in the mirror is so empty" Mino quietly sang, feeling his eyes get hot.
"I walk this street alone, and it feels so empty
Da ra dat dat dat dat dat dat, Baby don't worry
Waking up from a dream of you
This morning feels so empty."

"I realize once again waking up
I wake up to the alarm, not your voice." Mino began to rap. Silent tears dripping down his hot cheeks. He tried his best not to let his voice crack.
"Why is this bed so big?
In the vast desert of my heart, only cold wind blows."

"I'm an empty shell, a coward without you
People around me look at me with pity" Jinwoo joined in, waking up from his sleep. The older wiped Mino's tears away though they just kept coming and coming.

"It kills me
No! What a day
Before my day starts, I look without thinking." Mino blurted out. Unable to pronounce his words properly. Jinwoo sat up and turned around as he hugged the other. Mino pressed their bodies together as he hugged Jinwoo tighter, nuzzling his head into the older's shoulder. Silence was instead replaced with Mino's crying. 

"Jinwoo. I love you."

Author's note:
Youtube: WINNER - Empty / Missing You [Yu Huiyeol's Sketchbook] 
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