V-DAY

warnings: extreme cheese and sap. please close the tab if you're highly allergic to either

Valentine’s Day is a holiday for lovers, meaning Jongin should be spending it with Sehee, but it seems like he won’t be able to do that this year. Being in a band with his childhood friends Baekhyun, Jongdae and Chanyeol, Jongin knows how important it is for them to be invited to play on a holiday like that in one of the hotspots in Hongdae, a bar named Rumor. And rumor says a lot of top artists have been discovered there since scouts from big labels like to pay a visit there from time to time. Actually, it’s not a rumor. It’s a well-known fact amongst Hongik University’s students, so having the honor to perform there, Jongin has no choice but to follow his friends and join them.

To Jongin, it doesn’t matter if he is scouted or not. Music is just his hobby, a thing he has gotten into because of his highly talented friends. If it weren’t for them, he wouldn’t have learned to play the guitar and later bass guitar, and he surely wouldn’t have joined a band. To the rest of the band though, it’s a whole different matter. All three of them are dreaming of entering showbiz – all three of them want to stand on stage and perform in front of thousands and ten thousands of fans.

Of course, Jongin could have backed out, telling them he would pass this time. It’s not like he’s forced to do this because his friends have asked him for his opinion of course. It’s just that he feels obliged to help them purchase their dreams, not only because he is a good friend, but also because he owes Chanyeol a lot. Without Chanyeol, he wouldn’t have ever befriended Sehee in middle school and they wouldn’t have dated throughout high school and today, too. Because Jongin has fallen in love with the transfer student in his second year of high school, so Chanyeol, being Sehee’s neighbor and one of the first people to talk to her, has easily waved the girl over to join their table during lunch time once, twice, thrice, and after that she naturally joined their little group.

“We wouldn’t want you to cancel any plans,” Jongdae says. “I mean, we could always ask Kyungmi to take over Jongin’s place in case of emergency.“

“Wouldn’t that be difficult for you? Kyungmi’s not familiar with all your songs,” Sehee points out.

“True,” Baekhyun says with a little smile. “So you’re okay with it, right? Jongin says it’s up to you, but knowing you, you might not even want to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It’s just a stupid commercial thing, right?”

“Right,” Sehee agrees, and at her response, the whole band except for Jongin sighs in relief. Because Jongin knows that Sehee isn’t too happy about missing Valentine’s Day. She might be on the tomboyish side at times, her clothing more comfy than pretty and feminine, and her behavior and words rougher, too, but deep inside, she’s no different from other girls and Jongin is happy that he is the only one she shows her soft, weaker side, though that also means there will be misunderstandings such as this one, where Sehee wants a thing but can’t say it because it doesn’t match the strong image she has created of herself.

“Are you sure?” Jongin whispers to her when the topic is changed. While their friends break out into a heated debate on musical qualities and who’s the most promising candidate in this round’s Superstar K, Jongin leans in to kiss Sehee’s cheek.

“Very sure,” Sehee replies equally quietly, but the way she’s squeezing his hand tells him otherwise.

“We can still go somewhere else afterwards together,” Jongin promises. He’s not sure if that is enough to cheer her up, but he thinks he’s seen a faint smile on her lips.





Two weeks mainly spent with preparations for their big performance, Jongin is standing backstage with his friends. Earlier, Sehee has been there with them, helping with make-up and styling their hair, too, along with Kyungmi, but both girls must be standing at the front of the stage now. At least that is what Jongin hopes. He can pretty well imagine Sehee sulking somewhere because Valentine’s Day might be a stupid commercial holiday but it’s still a holiday for couples. She might just be back later so they can go have a drink – hot chocolate, not alcohol – somewhere before he will walk her home. At least that is the plan they have agreed on together.

“Nervous?” Chanyeol asks and Jongin chuckles.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking that? Tonight’s performance is important. I overheard the bar owner talking to a man saying he’s searching for new talents for SM Entertainment.”

“Oh, really?” Chanyeol replies, looking clearly impressed, but he chuckles, too. “I think it’s gonna be more important for you. Tonight’s gonna be a turning point in your life, too, more than for us actually.”

“I know,” Jongin mumbles. He forces a smile when Chanyeol pats his shoulder, trying to look less tense than before. His best friend’s words aren’t of any help as they only prove to Jongin how important this year’s Valentine’s Day is, not only for his friends, but for himself, too, and since it’s his life he is most concerned about, the insecurity he feels, not knowing what tonight’s performance will bring him, he feels almost nauseous from the pressure. He just hopes that everything will go alright for everyone – for his friends, for Sehee, for himself.





The Beagles, as they call themselves, play a wide range of genres, versatile as they are, but for today they have chosen cheerful melodies depicting young love, as well as a few emotional ballads promising eternal love. There’s a special song Jongin will perform for his girlfriend, too, which has been initially Chanyeol’s suggestion. Jongin wasn’t all too enthusiastic, knowing his singing is subpar when compared to any of his friends’ abilities, but the longer Baekhyun, Jongdae and Chanyeol kept talking, the more Jongin was convinced, especially, since he had been waiting for a good opportunity to proclaim his love for Sehee in a way that was on K-drama level.

“Don’t worry too much,” Chanyeol says, squeezing his shoulder a bit as they watch the band before them put away their instruments and equipment to make room for The Beagles to get ready. There’s not much time now to ponder. Baekhyun is patting his , a signal to get going, and within a few minutes Jongin sets up his bass and plug