When MiNyu got back to the A.N.Jell house, she gathered the guys and told them her news. “I met Lee TaeJin at the dessert shop and she invited us tonight to their event. She said she would reserve us a booth!” she smiled.

TaeKyung looked at her for a long moment and then away. He couldn’t believe that she would willingly put herself in that situation so easily. MiNam nodded, “Sounds like fun.”

Jeremy nodded, too, “I wonder what they’ll play tonight!”

ShinWoo, however, frowned and asked, “Did you tell her about my opinion?”

“Of course,” MiNyu replied and then looked at TaeKyung before she asked ShinWoo, “Should I not have?”

ShinWoo was quiet for a moment and then he replied, “That’s fine. Then, I should expect a challenge tonight.” He left first, knowing he would need a little practice before the evening. He had hoped not to encounter such a situation, or to control it, but it being out of his control, all he could do was prep in the only way he knew how.

***

When the members of A.N.Jell and MiNyu slid into their cozy booth that faced the stage, with several tables of people between them and the stage, although the booths were elevated, ShinWoo still couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. He watched the opening acts for various local talents and when the house light dimmed more than before, he was surprised when the spotlight opened on the lead guitarist in a black T-shirt and blue jeans. Her green electric looked powerful in her hands.

She stepped up to the mic and smiled, “Play me a C, Matty?”

The pianist placed a resounding C and then Ruth kicked the bass a few times, Jaci also checked a few bass lines, and TaeJin hummed along before playing a chord that harmonizes with the C. Ruth kicked the bass a few times more before Jaci picked a few notes and when Matt played a full C chord with both hands, TaeJin stepped back and nodded first to Jaci and Matt, and then to Ruth.

Ruth tapped four beats and when she smashed the cymbals, Jaci and Matt fell into a rhythm and TaeJin leaned forward and swung her long black ponytail once before she let out a ragged scream and the band followed her into a song fit as a war cry. As the music broke through everyone’s reverie, TaeJin grabbed the mic and shouted, “Shout with me!”

From their booth, Jeremy frowned and stated, “Their band seems very close.”

ShinWoo narrowed his eyes and then sat back, watching as TaeJin and led her band to a very high level of heavy sound and then they all dropped out and Jaci pulled a low note as TaeJin pulled her band into the Moonlight Sonata. She smiled and moved her fingers easily along the frets and when she hit the guitar solo, she took it easily and allowed her team to move along with her, expressing the true sense of rocking before she ended the piece with a soft song that her band followed along with before ending it in a siren call.

When she was done, she nodded to her team and they fell into the easy classical music that everyone knew, adding along bits and pieces that were filled with soul and emotion, but kept going despite it all. About halfway through the set, she stopped her band and pulled the mic to .

“Hi everyone, we are Smooth Edges and the beat-iful drummer is Ruth. The tickler of ivories is Matt. Jaci got the soul and bass in her capable hands. And I’m TaeJin, on electric. We have another set for you guys but before we get into that, I want to do something only a few others have seen done before,” she smiled and Jaci shook her head as SoLin stepped onto the stage, holding her double-string electric guitar. TaeJin smiled, “Is Kang ShinWoo from A.N.Jell here tonight?”

There were a few gasps and murmurs as the spotlight travelled the crowds. When it found the booth, ShinWoo waved and several girls cried out, seeing the A.N.Jell members. MiNyu looked up at ShinWoo and whispered, “Sorry, ShinWoo-hyung.”

TaeJin smiled, “Looks like he IS here. Kang ShinWoo, would you do me the honor and battle with me?” she asked.

Now, more camera phones and the like were pulled out as they watched ShinWoo slide out of the booth and stand. He made his way around the booths and then walked on to the stage. TaeJin took off her guitar and handed it to him. ShinWoo took the guitar and pulled it on, adjusting the strap to his comfort. TaeJin took her double-stringed guitar and looked up to see ShinWoo testing out her guitar.

“I’ll kill you if you break a string,” she joked, and then stepped back, away from the mic. “What’s your favorite go-to song?” she asked him.

ShinWoo replied, “Cold Love.”

TaeJin smiled, “I thought you’d say that.” TaeJin turned to her band, “Cold Love, CNBlue.” She, then, stepped up to the mic and stated, “For the first time ever, we will play together to prove that there is no other music played. Please enjoy,” she added and stepped back and away so that ShinWoo could take over the mic.

ShinWoo looked at her and then the other band members.

TaeJin smiled and reassured, “My band will follow you, don’t worry.”

So ShinWoo nodded to Matt first and he started with the piano as ShinWoo started the iconic sad love song. TaeJin listened and watched him as he led her band. And then, when he hit the chorus, she watched him carefully and backed up his singing with a wall of music that made him even look over at her, surprised to feel so supported. And then she fell into longer single notes that were high and piercing. She listened the song and played along, a counter melody for the chorus before she fell back into the wall of sound for the chorus.

During the bridge, she followed his lead before stepping up to him after he finished the last chorus and then she pushed him aside with her sudden presence and picked through a faster and complicated line that made him fall back into the wall of music. He played but his eyes were on her fast moving left hand as she picked along the frets, sometimes picking so fast each individual lingering note sounded like a chord being played at the same time.

She played the melody and then would fall back into a side melody she liked, but all of it was excessively fast. To the audience, she was playing chords and adding to the wall, but ShinWoo saw up close that she simply picked very fast, moving quickly so as to create the illusion of not doing much. Whatever she did, she knew what she was doing and never played a wrong note. And as she looked up at him, he swallowed and nodded, as if confirming that he saw it all.

And then she stepped back and so he stepped closer. She nodded at the mic and motioned to her band. “Third verse,” she mouthed and so he stepped up to the mic and sang but as he did, she also leaned forward and sang with him, harmonizing. He could hear her clearing and her voice was nice, but she also played her lines, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit intimidated. But as the song ended, the audience cheered loudly as TaeJin pointed at him and then the band. They bowed and ShinWoo took off her guitar as the band walked off the stage and the lights dimmed.

TaeJin took off her guitar and placed it on a stand before taking the guitar he had borrowed and placed it on another stand. When she turned to walk off stage, he followed and then asked, “Where did you learn to play?”

TaeJin looked at him and then replied, “I learned from my mother and figured things out on my own. You can go back to your seat now,” she added and turned to walk away.  She stopped and then turned back to ShinWoo, “Have I made my point?”

ShinWoo nodded, “Yes. You’re a very good guitar player. I’m sorry for insulting your skills.”

TaeJin scoffed and waved her hand dismissively, “Whatever. Have a nice evening.” She walked away. For the rest of the night, she didn’t look at him or anything like that, but he remembered how it felt to play with her, he remembered her gaze, and he remembered her music. Hot and wildly dangerous, he couldn’t forget seeing her face so close to his as they sang into the same mic.

Playing with her band felt like living in a world of music that seduced him. She didn’t do anything dangerous or , in fact, her gaze was analytical and all business, but he still found that he felt differently when playing with her. Whether it was because of her band or her very presence, he knew he wanted to feel it again. Or, maybe he just wanted to feel the excitement of being challenged again?