I once again got ready early for my session with Hongbin, and made my way down the hall, my guitar in tow this time. Instead of waiting in the hallway, I gathered the courage to knock on the door. Almost immediately I could hear the commotion on the other side. Finally, the door opened a crack, and I could see part of Ravi’s face peeking through.

“Yes, Ms. Halley Browne?” he asked innocently.

“I’m here to pick up one Lee Hongbin,” I bowed slightly, buying into his game.

“One moment please,” he said politely. I could hear stifled giggles behind him. He closed the door in front of my face, only to have it open again a shirt instant later. I could see both Ravi and N giving Hongbin a rough shove out the door, “One Lee Hongbin as ordered!” Ravi called after him as they closed the door behind him quickly.

Hongbin’s face showed some combination of fear, anger, and embarrassment. “Hi,” he said sheepishly.

“What was that all about?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh,” he started, rubbing his arm nervously, “I guess I was a little worried about today.”

I shifted my guitar on my shoulder as I thought quickly, “No need to be worried. Are you ready to go?” He nodded and moved to follow me. I led us down the stairs to the usual studio lobby, and selected the piano room again.

Hongbin sat immediately in the chair next to the piano, “What first?” he asked quickly, looking around the room.

I slowly closed the door behind me, watching him with a careful eye, “Hongbin,” I started, “are you afraid of me?”

“What? No!” he said a bit too quickly, waving his hands in front of his body.

I sat on the bench nearby, “You know, I was worried about getting along with Leo and maybe Hyuk, but not you.” I paused and watched him squirm under my gaze.

“It’s just,” he sighed heavily, “when I’m around you I understand how our fans must feel,” his voice grew quieter as he spoke until it was just above a whisper.

I couldn’t help but smile a little, “Are you saying you’re a fan, Hongbin?”

“Maybe,” he grumbled, looking away from me. Wow, this was unexpected, but also adorable. I thought quickly on how to properly handle this situation.

“Well, then I’ve got a deal for you,” I spoke as I removed my guitar from its case. This seemed to garner his attention. “A little birdie told me you’re a lefty just like me,” I started.

“You’re left handed, too?” he asked excitedly.

I laughed, “Some fan you are, you don’t even know that,” I teased. “As I was saying, that same little birdie told me you want to learn how to play guitar,” I looked at him expectantly and he nodded. “Well, maybe I’ll be able to give you some tips once we’re done testing out your vocals.”

He smiled at this, “Alright.”

“Now,” I said, shifting into work mode, “whenever I hear you sing in a higher register that isn’t falsetto, I feel like you’re straining. How low have you tested your range?”

“I’ve matched N hyung’s low end,” he said with a simple shrug, “never really tried lower than that.”

“Let’s give it a go then,” I started, but he suddenly looked uneasy, “What’s up?”

He sighed, “What if I’m a bass? There’s no room for a bass in a pop group.”

I rolled my eyes at him, “I would love for you to be a bass,” I corrected, “And in the future, there’s nothing wrong with you lending low end harmonies, falsetto, and your rap compliments as you have been. You will just need more practice to sing in the tenor ranges, is all.”

“I just,” he trailed off, clearly not exactly having his way with words.

I stood, setting my guitar aside for the moment as I knelt in front of him, “Why are you so insecure about this stuff, Hongbin?”

He nearly glared at me. Sure, my question might have been a bit too direct, but I wasn’t in the mood to pussyfoot around the problem. “Sometimes I’m not sure I belong here,” he stated.

I was honestly a little surprised he answered my direct question with such a direct answer. I raised my eyebrows at him, “And why is that?”

“N is great at everything, Leo and Ken can sing incredibly well, Ravi is a great rapper and dancer, and Hyuk is slowly becoming the next N,” he wouldn’t look me in the eye as he spoke, but I could feel his sense of loneliness. “I’m just a pretty face,” he practically spat the words.

With a huff I stood up and grabbed his chin to force him to look at me. He was startled, but didn’t fight me, “You have a strong chin and jawline,” I critiqued, “large eyes for a Korean, sure. What am I missing?” His face broke into a fake, but wide smile. “Nice smile,” I admitted, “And?” He pointed to his cheeks, “Oh, dimples? So what, I have dimples on my , am I hired?”

He suddenly broke from my grasp as he doubled over, sputtering in laughter, “Do you really?”

“Yeah, want to see?” I teased, turning around, toying with my jean shorts waistband.

He gave a little squeal, “No, no, no,” he continued to laugh, “Okay if you’re such the expert on our group dynamic, enlighten me.”

“It’s funny you mention that,” I said, turning back around and sitting on the bench beside him, “because after each session I’ve had with the other guys so far, I’ve asked what to expect of the rest of you.”

                His fidgeting started up again as I started to speak. “And?” he asked nervously.

                “I’ve watched all of you together, and you’re clearly comfortable with everybody, you even seem to make Leo relax quite a bit in group situations. N begged me to convince you that you’re a valuable asset to the team, Ken said you’re not only his best friend but also that you just needed a little push of direction, Ravi said you’re too insecure because of the whole visual thing, and even Leo wanted me to encourage you,” I paused to gauge his reaction. He still wouldn’t meet my gaze, “So will you let me find that special snowflake part of you that I can exploit to make my song way cooler?”

He stifled a laugh again, looking up at me briefly, but managed to mumble a simple “Okay.”

“Right,” I said, turning to the piano. “Throw out a low-ish note,” I instructed. He obliged, and I found it on the piano. “Good, now try to follow me down.”

We continued like that for an entire octave, and he seemed to his a low wall, but I wasn’t convinced. I stood and maneuvered behind him. It was reminiscent of what I did with Ken, but almost opposite. “Alright Hongbin, I want you to use your neck muscles and push on your voice box. Don’t mind me pressing on your shoulders, I’m just trying to get your chest positioned right for this. And don’t be afraid to go for it.”

He flinched under my hands, but seemed to relax. “You’re making me nervous again,” he said, but at least he was speaking.

“Whatever,” I said, giving him a little chop to the neck, “you’re doing fine. I know I’m not on the piano, but just keep going down the scale.”

He started up again and I rolled his shoulders a bit as he went, and suddenly it was like he found that comfortable zone in voice as a low, resonant note filled the whole room. We were both still and silent for a long moment. “Mira,” he whispered, “what was that?”

“That,” the word was just a breath as I was equally stunned. I had a hunch he had a low register, but I never dreamed it would be that pure. “That was fantastic.” It was like discovering a rare jewel. The sense of satisfaction I felt was nearly overwhelming.

He looked at me in wonder, as if he had just discovered sliced bread for the first time. He stood, and I followed suit, unsure of what to expect from him. He leaped at me, and by some miracle I was able to catch him. “Thank you thank you thank you,” he repeated over and over, his legs clinging to me like a baby sloth.

“No, thank you,” I insisted as I let him go before we toppled over. “So, will you sing like that for me?” I asked hesitantly.

He paused, “I’m not sure I know how.”

I sighed sadly, “Unfortunately, we’re going to have to explore this together. I’m not exactly a bass myself,” I said with a ghost of a laugh on my voice.

Thankfully, his smile remained as he nodded, “Let’s figure it out together, then.”

And figure it out, we did. It took several hours of trial and error to figure out exactly how his newfound bass powers worked, but one we did, it gave me chills. “Hongbin, will you keep this a secret?”

“What?” he asked, his face falling.

“I mean, I’m going to write the song, and do a run through with everyone. Can we make the big bass reveal as a surprise?” I asked hopefully. I had no motive except that I think it’d be really fun and a good moment for Hongbin to shine.

He thought for a while before nodding, “Alright, should be fun.”

“You’ve been very accommodating, Hongbin, so here,” I turned and retrieved my guitar, and handed it to him. He took it reverently, as if it would shatter under its touch, “Don’t be shy,” I encouraged. “It was custom made for me. It even has my signature etched into it with both my real and fake name,” I pointed to the back, “and it’s classy in all black except for the yellow accents on the neck and knobs.”

“It’s beautiful,” he whispered, turning it over in his hands and giving a few of the strings a pluck. “You’re so lucky,” he lamented, but his smile stayed on his face.

His face was like that of a young child receiving what they asked Santa for. I came to a decision, “Keep it.”

“What?” his head shot up to look at me.

“I’ll tell my manager it broke in my luggage. It’s not often I run into a left-handed guitar enthusiast who is clearly madly in love with my guitar.”

He looked down, embarrassed. “Are you sure?” he asked, peeking up at me through his hair.

“Yes, yes, it’s yours, but not until I’m done recording for the song, okay?” I reasoned, suddenly remember that I actually brought it for a reason. I still needed to record the instrumental for the track.

He laughed, “Of course,” he held it out to me, and I took it gingerly, returning it to its case. “Thank you,” he said sincerely once again, jumping up to give me a hug. I embraced him happily.

“Not afraid of me anymore, hm?” I couldn’t help but .

“Guess not,” he laughed as he continued to hold me. I knew he was only a little younger than Ravi, but something about him made him feel much younger. Or maybe Ravi just seemed older. Regardless, the embrace was innocent and comfortable.

“Good,” I said contentedly, happy to rest my head on his shoulder for another moment before giving a sad sigh, “I guess you’d better head back.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, though he was still grinning, “It’ll be hard not to tell the guys what we did down here.”

“Well, don’t give specifics, but you can tell them that you discovered how to be way cooler than the rest of them.”

He laughed again as he finally let me go, “I’ll tell them just that,” he gave me a little wink, then jerked his head to the door. “Let’s get out of here.”

Once I was getting settled back in my room, it only took a few minutes before my door burst open. I stood to see who was there, but arms were already firmly around me before I could even process what was happening. The man was too short to be Hongbin again. I finally came to my senses, “Hakyeon?”

“Thank you thank you thank you!” he was practically crying in my arms.

I felt a bit uncomfortable since I had no idea what brought this one, “You’re… welcome?” I asked hesitantly.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen him so happy,” N managed to squeak between shaky breaths.

Oooh, Hongbin. Right. I smiled and returned N’s hug. It was a very hug happy day apparently, “I’m glad,” I said simply. “What did he tell you?”

N pulled away and looked into my face, “Nothing, actually.” He pouted slightly, “But clearly something good happened down there.”

“It did,” I agreed, “And I’m excited for you to find out what it was.”

A shadow crossed the door, and I looked over N’s shoulder to see Ravi leaning against my doorway, “Well what do we have here?” he asked with a smirk.

“Shush Wonsik, we’re having a moment,” N didn’t even turn to look at the source of the snarky comment.

I gave N another pat on the back as he continued to cling to me, “Come on in, Ravi,” I said quietly, nodding to my desk, “I have my instrumental all written out.”

N sighed in my arms and finally pulled away from me, “Alright, I’ll get out of here before you two get into official business.” He gave me another wide smile before turning and punching Ravi rather hard in the gut on his way out.

“Ow,” Ravi whined, but his smirk remained, “What a horrible leader,” he groaned as he stepped into the room, collapsing in his usual seat. “Alright, let me see,” he reached toward the desk and I passed him the pages.

“I composed it digitally as well if you want to take a listen. Obviously I’ll need to record the instrumentation in a studio, but a lot of it is synth,” I spoke as he scanned the music quickly, “For what it’s worth, Leo took a listen last night and he seemed to approve.”

Ravi’s head shot up, “Leo came to see you yesterday?” the surprise and urgency in his voice concerned me.

“Yeah,” I said hesitantly.

“Did he-” Ravi stopped mid-sentence, apparently re-thinking his words before speaking again, “How was that?”

“It was strange, actually,” I admitted. “He was very… talkative.”

Ravi began to shift uncomfortably in his chair, “Anything interesting?” he was clearly prying for something specific, but I honestly had no idea what he was fishing for.

“Not really?” I said as more of a question, “He was interested in the sheet music and listened to my digital instrumentation.”

“That’s it?” he sounded oddly disappointed.

I raised my eyebrow at him. Something was up that I was not privy to, but I knew asking was not going to get me anywhere. “Yeah, and he gave me some tips for dealing with Hongbin which turned out to be VERY useful.”

Seemingly satisfied, Ravi let it go, “Yeah, I heard that went really well,” he looked at me expectantly.

I nodded, “Yeah, you’ll be surprised when he shows you what he’s got.”

“That’s a relief,” he sighed, crossing his arms behind his head as he leaned back in his chair. “Well, you going to let me hear that track, or what?”

“Oh! Right, right,” I swiveled around to my laptop and, as I did with Leo, started the tack for him to hear.

He nodded along, clearly deep in thought, “Well this is pretty epic,” he started, “not at all what I expected.”

“Really?” I asked curiously.

With a shrug, he leaned forward a bit, “I mean, you played that equally epic muse song, and it was a bit more,” he paused, thinking of words.

“Heavy handed?” I offered.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

I leaned back a bit, “Well I’m working so hard to perfect everyone’s vocals, I figured it’d be a shame to drown it in hard rock style instrumentation.”

“Seems reasonable,” he paused again, “I like it, though. Do you have a concept idea?”

I was hesitant to answer that, but I knew it was an important part of the process, “I was thinking something cyborg-y.”

His eyebrows knit together, “Really? That’s definitely not what I got from your instrumentation. There are a lot of real instruments here, I’d figure a cyborg concept would be more… electronic.”

“I know, I know” I held out my hands, “just hear me out. I want it to be a balanced distribution, and I want the lyrics to be the same way. It’s not about just some robot, but a guy who threw away his humanity to forget his pain.”

Luckily, he seemed to legitimately contemplate my idea, “Okay,” he said simply, “well with this beat and concept in mind, I’ll start on the lyrics, yeah?”

With a smile, I nodded, “That’d be great. Get a draft together and we can start hashing them out soon. I just have Hyuk tomorrow, then you guys have N’s birthday, and then we can get some work done.”

“Who told you about Hakyeon’s birthday?” he asked curiously.

“You should have,” I accused, jabbing him in the chest with my finger, “but it was Hyuk.”

“Figures,” he said with a bit of a smirk, “but the plan sounds good. No need to prepare you for Hyuk tomorrow, he’ll be a rewarding day for you.”

I chuckled a little, “He seems cooperative, at least.”

Ravi stood and stretched, “Alright then, Mira,” he groaned, “I’ll see you in the morning unless Hyuk decides to stake out in the hallway for you.”

“If not, I’ll see you soon anyway,” I said as I waved lazily at him.