There was a rumor floating around school. Something about an abandoned music room being haunted and whatnot.

Being a freshman in college and having idiots as friends results in learning the latest gossip as well as discovering useless and completely false rumors. Jongin despises such assumptions, doing his best to tune out Sehun and Chanyeol's annoying chatter whenever the two would go on about what they've heard or seen. Cluttering his mind with garbage wouldn't do him any good, seeing that he's a dance major and not a ing ghost hunter. He didn't believe in the supernatural anyway.

The three guys were seated outside on campus grounds, shielded from the sun as the large oak tree towers over them. Sehun and Chanyeol sat across one another, knees touching as they leaned in close to hear what the other has to say. Jongin rests his back on the tree's trunk as he blocks them out and tries to focus on writing an essay about the history of dance and how it impacts our modern world.

"Hey, I heard that eerie music can be heard late at night sometimes." Sehun whispers as if he were telling a secret.

Chanyeol's eyes widens in awe. "Bro, that's in' creepy as hell."

"Right?! Everyone avoids that wing of the building."

"Well they better damn do so if they wanna live."

"Do you guys really believe in that crap?" Jongin snaps, slamming his pen onto the paper that barely has an introductory paragraph written on it. He curls and uncurls his fists, crosses and uncrosses his legs. Jongin is frustrated to say the least. Unfortunately for him, sleeping at night is nearly impossible to do. And now he has to put up with his friend's bull. He feels a headache coming on.

Sehun rolls his eyes, glaring at the dancer. "Well yeah. Haven't you heard?"

"Heard what?"

Chanyeol face-palms himself all the while resisting the urge to smack Jongin on the head. A hand threads its way through his red locks before explaining the situation to him. "You've seriously never heard of the ghost that haunts the old music room in the Chaedo building?"

"No...?" Jongin trails off, still trying to find the logic in the elder's question. "Besides, there's a ton of music rooms you . Be more specific."

"Room 109." Sehun continues, cutting off the giant from insulting the other. "That's where all the old vocalists or used to practice. No one ever goes near that part of the building anymore though."

"Why not?" Jongin wonders as curiosity gets the best of him.

"Because some student died in that exact room like ten years ago."

"What? How?"

Chanyeol leans in close to Jongin for effect. It doesn't work. "Nobody really knows. Apparently some guy fell in love with the vocal instructor but she didn't love him back. Next thing you know, he corners her in the middle of the night in that very room while she was playing the piano and he stabs her in the chest."

"Oh," was all the latter could manage. Everything about that sounded extremely unbelievable.

"Ever since the incident, the course was taught in another part of Chaedo. Currently where it is right now. It's said that the sound of the piano being played echoes through the halls at night." As Sehun finishes off the story, his eyes assess Jongin's reaction.

"That's horse ," the tanned male says after a while. He ignores Chanyeol's and Sehun's abrupt protests, slipping in his earphones and drowning out their voices. Now is not the time to waste energy on fruitless things, Jongin thinks. The four sentences on the otherwise blank piece of paper is taunting him to finish the essay.

 

 

 

Jongin could never sleep at night.

He would lay down on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling for hours until he couldn't take it anymore. This was a regular occurrence for Jongin which always ends up with him falling asleep at 4AM while the rest of the day is him running on three cups of regular black coffee and a shot of espresso. His eyes drift over to the digital clock resting on the wooden nightstand. It read 1:43AM in bright red digits.

Despite his tousled platinum hair and the ever present fatigue lingering in his body, Jongin throws off the duvet, grabs a random jacket, puts on a random pair of shoes and heads out of the dormitory. He doesn't know where he's going, but he somehow makes his way into the semi darkened Chaedo building. A few of the lights illuminate the dim structure.

Somewhere in the back of his mind is the conversation Jongin had with Chanyeol and Sehun. The thought of the stupid ghost rumor almost makes him scoff.

Ghosts don't exist, Jongin smirks as he walks down the right wing of the first floor and makes his way towards the so-called haunted room. His eyes scan the door numbers, walking past closed rosewood doors and looking for room 109.

124, 123, 122...

Just as he turns the corner to where the room numbers continue to decrease, Jongin's ears picks up on the sound of music. Piano is being played gently in the halls, filling up the silence and sending shivers down his spine. His mind is telling him to stop where he's at and turn the around, but tiredness tosses out any common sense and Jongin finds himself inching closer to room 109. Knowing about pianos and classical pieces would have been handy, but he lets the music speak for itself. The music gets louder with each step, and he finds the piano piece to be haunting and beautiful in the dark of night (technically morning).

If this were a horror movie, Jongin would be the first to die because he absolutely has no common sense at this moment.

His feet stay planted in front of the supposed haunted room, listening to the bittersweet melody filling his ears. The sound almost lulls him to sleep as it soothes his senses and brings serenity to his mind.

Without much thought, Jongin opens the door to the room and looks around for any sign of ghosts. Except, there is no ghost. Moonlight filters in through the windows, giving off a pale reflection on the dusty marble floor. The music stops all of a sudden. Jongin first notices that the room is nearly empty. There are no chairs or desks, nor are there any musical equipment laying around. Not even a piece of paper is seen abandoned on the floor. However, signs of misuse is evident due to the collection of dust and spiderwebs adorned on any visible surface.

But that isn't what catches Jongin off guard.

A grand piano is the only thing taking up the room. He walks towards the instrument in amazement as the moonlight glints off of the glossy black surface.

"Who's there?" Jongin hears a deep voice break the thick silence. The sound resonates throughout the vacant room, making the voice sound louder than it actually is. Something scrapes against the floor and before Jongin can answer to the question, a figure emerges from behind the piano.

Jongin gulps upon seeing another person. One thing's for sure is that the room is most definitely not haunted.

"I said who's there!" The man exclaims, his voice trembling. He grabs something leaning from the side of the piano and s it into the air. "Speak!"

As Jongin nears the unknown person, his eyes adjust to the darkness and he takes in the appearance of the man wielding whatever it is he's holding. Now that he's up closer, he deems the man as harmless. The guy is quite short and has a thin build. From where Jongin stood, he had hair as dark as the night but as shiny as the surface of a mirror. With what little illumination shining through the window, the light hits his face giving off a pale glow to his skin. The guy's brown eyes are as wide as an owl with a somewhat large nose and heart-shaped lips. Jongin think's he's pretty for a dude. Pretty boy's weapon slams into Jongin's ribs, causing him to yell out in pain.

"OW!" He holds his left side where he was struck and tries to catch his breath. "What was that for?!" He wheezes.

"I-I'm sorry!" The latter stutters, his eyes widening. "You didn't say anything! I was scared, okay?"

"It's good, no worries," Jongin reassures as he regains his composure. "I'm sorry for scaring you... Um, who are you?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same thing? Are you gonna hurt me?" He asks.

"No, no. Of course not. Why would I?" The taller of the two tries to prove his innocence. He holds his hands up in defense in an attempt to show that he won't cause any harm.

Unconvinced, Pretty Boy still holds his weapon-stick or whatever-the-hell-that-is out. "Because... Because nobody ever comes in this part of the building. And it's really late out. Nobody's awake."

"But you're awake," Jongin counters.

The other rolls his eyes. "Yes I am. Now why are you here?"

Jongin sighs, raking his fingers through his matted hair. "I can't sleep. Ever. Well at least not at times that are considered regular. I think I have insomnia or something. And my friends told me about this room being haunted so I decided to check it out for myself. I heard music playing, just like how they said it would, and I got really curious."

"Aren't you afraid of ghosts?" He asks.

"Aren't you?"

The short male shakes his head. "Not really."

"Then was that you playing the piano?" Jongin muses, maintaining a two-feet distance for the safety of his other rib just in case. He has to dance in the morning and he can't afford any injuries.

For a brief moment, Jongin scans Pretty Boy's face and wonders what he's looking at. His eyes are looking passed him unfocused, and the thing he's holding is actually a white cane. It's then that it clicks in Jongin's head. The guy is blind.

"Yes, it was," he confirms.

Jongin's still in shock after having put two in two together. He can't help the admiration he feels towards him because damn, he was pretty great. "It sounded really nice."

"Thanks. And uh, you don't seem to have any vicious intentions so... I'm Do Kyungsoo."

"I'm Kim Jongin. A dance major."

Jongin walks up to Kyungsoo and grabs the hand that isn't holding the white cane.His slim, cold fingers wrap around Kyungsoo's smaller and warm ones. Not expecting the contact, Kyungsoo jumps at the touch and almost swings the long metal object at Jongin when he suddenly finds that the gesture is only meant to be a friendly handshake. They break away a few seconds later.

"It's nice to meet you Kyungsoo." Jongin offers a smile even though he's aware that maybe he can't see it. Am I being offensive right now? Jongin wonders and can't help feeling like he should be scolded.

Kyungsoo flashes a shy smile of his own. "It's nice to meet you too."

An awkward silence swallows the atmosphere with neither of them knowing what to say next.

"Well, I guess I should... Go..." Kyungsoo says. He walks forward with the white cane, the sound of metal hitting the marble floors. Jongin finds himself turning around and calling his name at the slip of the tongue. The tapping on the floor pauses as Kyungsoo waits for what he has to say.

"Do you want me to walk you back?" Jongin asks. His cheeks heat up as he realizes how offensive he sounds. He mentally kicks himself. "I mean, only if you want me to since I know you're fully capable of walking yourself back to your dorm. It's just that it's really dark out and kind of scary..."

The lack of movement makes Jongin think that maybe he's just as dumb as Sehun and Chanyeol but for different reasons.

"Hmm, so you've noticed that I'm blind." Kyungsoo states. He turns around to where he thinks he heard Jongin's voice. "I appreciate your concern, but I think I'm good walking on my own."

With that said, he turns on his heels and walks out the door without another word, leaving Jongin standing in the abandoned music room feeling dumbfounded.

 

 

For the past week, the dancer's attempts at running into Kyungsoo has all failed. Admittedly, Jongin slips out of his dorm and wanders into the Chaedo building at o'clock in hopes to catch the intricate sound of piano keys filtering down the deserted hall. Much to his dismay, no signs of the other has appeared and his hope is starting to diminish as the days pass by. 

Similar to any other night, Jongin finds himself unable to catch even a wink of sleep. The digital clock on his bedside is mocking him once again, flaring a red 2:33AM in the dark of the room. He rolls over to where he can see Sehun's sleeping figure on his side of the room and secretly envies the way he can drift off so easily. Jongin kicks off his cover in frustration before heading out in a pair of flip flops with the loose t-shirt and sweatpants he's wearing.

The early morning is especially cold, the breeze chilling his exposed arms as it sends prickles of goosebumps all over his body. For a moment, Jongin stops in his tracks in contemplation of whether or not he should search for a certain someone again. Deciding that he has nothing better to do, his feet enters the infrastructure he's become so accustomed to and makes his way towards room 109.

Immediately, the soft playing of piano keys reverberates down the desolate path leading to the room he's looking for. Jongin's feet pick up the pace as the melody energizes his aching stature. He can't afford to miss Kyungsoo again, not when he's so close. As he reaches 109, his hands slowly twists the door knob in a way that he hopes won't alert the other. 

The musical piece Kyungsoo's playing today sounds captivating and dreamlike. He let's the music swallow him in a world of peace as the song no longer sounds muffled from behind closed doors. It's when the music stops that Jongin realizes he's been caught.

"Who's there?" He hears Kyungsoo ask.

"It's just me Kyungsoo. Jongin? From last time?" Jongin closes the door behind him and walks over to where Kyungsoo is seated on the piano bench with his tiny fingers hovering just above the black and white keys. "Sorry. I never meant to disturb you. I thought I was being quiet enough."

The moon's gleam shines on Kyungsoo's pale complexion, giving off an ethereal glow that contrasts with the dark of his hair. His lips turn up into a soft smile. "Yeah, well when you lose one sense the rest are heightened." He scoots a little to his left and pats the remaining space on the seat. "Wanna sit?"

Wordlessly, Jongin shuffles over to where Kyungsoo sits and fills in the rest of the padded black piano bench. He plays with his thumbs a little. 

"So you really can't sleep, huh?" Kyungsoo questions, settling his hands on his lap as he stares past the top of the piano.

"No, I can't." Jongin confirms. "I know this sounds weird but I've been trying to catch up to you for the past week."

"Ah," Kyungsoo lets out, his eye brows raised and eyes enlarged in slight surprise. "Is it because I'm blind and can play the piano?"

"No! No! It's not that!" Jongin exclaims in a fluster even though he knows that he's somewhat lying. Somewhat. "Okay, maybe a little."

He breathes a sigh of relief when Kyungsoo chuckles.

"It's just that I find it pretty awesome?" He doesn't mean for it to come out as a question. "I don't know. I wish I could play the piano like that. Sorry if I sound offensive by the way. I don't mean to. Just call me out on it and correct me if I say something wrong, okay?"

"Okay." Kyungsoo nods. "And thanks. I wasn't always blind though. I've played the piano for so long and every note, every key has been ingrained in my mind. Now it just comes out like it's a part of me, you know?"

Jongin wants to ask him what happened that caused him to lose his sight, but he bites his tongue and scolds himself for being so insensitive to someone who has just opened up when they didn't have to. "Wow. That's amazing. It kind of reminds me of dancing."

"How so?"

"Well, like you said, it's kind of ingrained in my mind. But instead of keys and notes, there's the beat of the music and the movement of my body."

Kyungsoo hums in understanding. A comfortable silence fills the atmosphere.

"How come I've never seen you around?" Jongin asks.

"Because I'm a vocal performance major. And possibly because I'm a second year?"

"Oh," Jongin says. "I'm a first year."

Jongin's fingers linger on the piano keys, tempted to press down on one but refrains from doing so in fear of breaking the peace. "Hey Kyungsoo, what were you playing earlier?" He opts for asking.

"Clair de Lune," he answers. "Why?"

"Can you play it again? It-it sounded really nice. I'll even move off the bench if I have to."

"No," Kyungsoo affirms. "You don't have to."

Kyungsoo positions his fingers on the keys, even pressing down on a few before he settles on the correct chords. Jongin watches as his pale hands elegantly glides across the the instrument. He can't help but let his gaze drift to Kyungsoo's face, eyes trailing the dip of his nose and the curves of his lips. 

The peaceful expression embellished on his features along with Clair de Lune playing gently in the background makes Jongin think that beauty comes in all forms.

It can be the moonlight radiating from the window, casting a subtle light on any object it touches.

It can be the sound of laughter coming from loved ones.

It can be the heavenly tone of an orchestra performing on a stage.

But as of this moment, Jongin believes that beauty comes in the form of Do Kyungsoo.

___

 

As weeks pass with frequent gatherings in room 109, the two boys inevitably become closer to one another. Some days, they'd talk about their day and how it went. Other days were spent with little to no words said, just the sound of the piano filling the area. But most days were spent with sharing new information, forming a bond that would soon lead Jongin and Kyungsoo into inseparable friendship.

Kyungsoo never talked about the incident that caused him to go blind, and Jongin would never push him to answering a question that would make him uncomfortable. They've come to a mutual understanding for that.

But lately Jongin's been wanting more of the vocalist than just the meet ups in the abandoned room. He actually wants to hang out with the other; to bring Kyungsoo to places he's never been to before. Maybe even the casual movie night at the local theatre. Jongin thinks that's probably a terrible idea that'll bring Kyungsoo to dislike him, but he so desperately just wants to hang out with the guy.

"Hey Soo," Jongin says one day as Kyungsoo's fingers dance across the keys. The nickname was brought up randomly at one point and it stuck ever since.

"Hm?" Kyungsoo hums, continuing to play.

"Do you wanna... You know, grab something to eat sometime?" Jongin asks feeling more nervous now that he's actually anticipating an answer. He's been wracking his brain for the past week, weighing the pros and cons of asking Kyungsoo until he settled that the worst possible thing that could happen would be rejection.

Kyungsoo stops playing, his face lighting up. "Sure, I'd really like that. When?"

"Is tomorrow fine with you?" Jongin asks and smiles when Kyungsoo agrees. "Great. Where should I meet you?"

"Hm, here? At one in the afternoon? You can take me to wherever you'd like to eat." Kyungsoo offers as a soft smile plays on his lips.

"Tomorrow it is then."

 

 

 

"Kyungsoo?" Jongin calls out in the somewhat vacantly large room.

He peeks his head in through the rosewood doors, analyzing how different the room looks in the daylight. For starters, everything seems much brighter. Jongin can clearly tell the colour of the window sill which matches the rosewood door. The wallpaper is a light creme with a coordinated black swirl design, and the marbled floor has little cracks of grey and black scattered with no particular pattern. It's very sophisticated in his opinion. Kind of like a very small ballroom.

"I'm here!" Kyungsoo calls back with a hand stretched out from behind the piano.

Jongin saunters over to him and immediately notices how stunning Kyungsoo looks under the bright sunlight. The color he couldn't properly see at night now appears to be striking and vibrant. Kyungsoo's skin is just as pale as he imagined, but his hair now has brown undertones to it. His lips are tinted a light pink, his eyes the colour of hot chocolate. Unlike Jongin who's wearing over-sized grey sweats and a white tank top, Kyungsoo wears black jeans and an indigo button up that clings onto his form.

Jongin blows a low whistle. "Damn Soo, you look great."

Kyungsoo feels heat rush to his cheeks. "Shut up."

"Ready to go?" The youngest asks with an arm gently pulling Kyungsoo up.

"Mhm." Kyungsoo feels for the white cane sitting on the left side of the piano before lightly grasping Jongin's bicep. 

The walk over to the bakery just across campus is filled with small chatter and the occasional laugh, and Jongin can't help but feel giddy with Kyungsoo by his side. Being with him is like the sun's warmth on a cold autumn day. It's the feeling of relaxing after a day long of dancing. Kyungsoo is the cool breeze in the midst of summer. It's a feeling Jongin doesn't want to let go of anytime soon.

"We're here," Jongin announces as they stop in front of The Lucky One, the bakery he visits often when he isn't swamped with work. "Watch your step." He momentarily removes Kyungsoo's hold on his bicep and opens the door for him. He holds Kyungsoo's hand, guiding him inside of the bakery. The smell of sweet rolls and baked goods immediately invade their noses and Kyungsoo fights the moan from escaping his mouth. Jongin continues to hold his hand as he makes a beeline towards one of the table with a view from outside. As they take a seat, Jongin hands Kyungsoo one of the menus from the wooden table. He opens it with uncertainty, but surprisingly notices the familiar feel of braille as his fingers slide along the menu. 

"'The Lucky One.'" Kyungsoo reads the name of the bakery, flashing a heart-shaped smile. The sight makes Jongin's heart beat a little erratically.

"Yeah," Jongin speaks softly with a fond smile. "Pick whatever you like. I'll pay."

"It's okay Jo-"

"No opposing. It's settled; I'm paying." Jongin interrupts before the other can protest. Kyungsoo pouts a little but doesn't argue.

Not long after having their orders taken by the waiter named Joonmyun, the food arrives. 

"I've been meaning to ask you how you found out about room 109. Have you heard of the rumors too?" Jongin quizzes after taking a bite out of the strawberry cheesecake. He waits patiently for Kyungsoo to finish chewing.

"No, I haven't." He shoots down the idea. "I don't have a lot of friends, but my friend Baekhyun showed me. He took the same theory course as I did until he decided to move overseas to pursue his singing career."

"That's amazing."

Kyungsoo smiles at the thought of Baekhyun. "Yeah. We've kept in contact and he's doing really good."

Jongin stares out the window, looking at people walking by. "I find it kind of hard to believe that you don't have a lot of friends."

Kyungsoo's expression twists in confusion. "Why? I mean I'm blind."

The dancer shakes his head and frowns. He doesn't like the way Kyungsoo talks himself down because of his disability. It bothers him, knowing that the vocalist doesn't realize that being blind shouldn't be an obstacle in making friends. "Don't say that please. It doesn't matter if you're blind. Being blind doesn't lessen your value."

Kyungsoo's face burns. "Th-thank you."

"It's true."

Kyungsoo takes forks a piece of his lava cake into his mouth. "I've always wanted to dance." He says randomly after a while.

The confession catches Jongin off guard. "Really? I can teach you!"

Kyungsoo laughs, but it sounds sad. "Are you sure? I can barely even sway along to the beat. Besides, I can't follow along since... you know."

The thought hadn't occurred to Jongin at the time. "Ah, right. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Kyungsoo reassures.

The topic of dancing is dropped the moment a new topic comes along, but the idea never leaves Jongin's mind. When they part ways after agreeing to meet again in room 109, the only thing on his brain is the thought of teaching the small male how to dance.

 

 

 

Jongin is as restless as ever as he stalks down Chaedo at 1AM. The familiar sound of piano being played only causes him to grip his phone even tighter in his hands.

"Hi Jongin," Kyungsoo greets when he hears the door being opened.

Jongin's feet pound on the ground in excitement as he strolls over to his friend. His heart is beating a little wildly and his hands are slightly clammy with nerves, but it doesn't stop the enthusiasm he feels at the moment. Yesterday's events are still fresh in his mind and the idea he's been wheeling in his head continues to spur. He gently lifts Kyungsoo up off of the piano seat and the room is silenced with the absence of music. 

"Jongin what are yo-"

"I'm teaching you how to dance." Jongin exclaims cheerily. He leads Kyungsoo away from the piano and onto an unoccupied part of the room.

"What are you talking about?" Kyungsoo asks as he's being dragged along. The tanned boy halts and stills him from bumping chests. He takes out his phone and the pair of earphones and plays a slow song. Jongin places a piece in one ear. His hand gently cups one side of Kyungsoo's face and places the other earbud in his ear.

"Place one hand on my shoulder." Jongin instructs.

Kyungsoo wordlessly complies, still stunned by the sudden change in routine. Jongin holds the other hand not clutching onto his shoulder and lifts it up to his collarbone's length.

"Now move your left leg behind and move to the left. Now move your left leg forward and step to the right. Yes, like that!" Jongin laughs heartily. He feels warm all over and slightly embarrassed for doing such a cheesy thing. It doesn't matter, however, when he notices the joy that comes with displaying such actions.

Kyungsoo laughs along with him, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. "Jongin, this is ridiculous!"

"No it's not. Look, you're dancing!"

Kyungsoo fights the urge to throw his arms around Jongin in a hug because this is one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for him. As the laughter dies down and the song takes over the quiet, the two hold each other close. The small vocalist hums to the familiar tune and rests his forehead on Jongin's shoulder. They're so close, and he's positive that Kyungsoo can feel the wild pulse of his heart. He's never felt such strong feelings towards another being. It's overwhelming and wonderful, and he swears he's about to burst from all of the emotions being pent up.

"Jongin?" 

"Yes?"

They continue swaying back and forth to the song.

"What do you look like?" Kyungsoo wonders, his voice barely audible.

"Well," Jongin starts, "It's kind of awkward to describe how I look but... I'm a few inches taller than you. Uh... I'm tanned compared to your white skin. My hair colour changes every week and now it's back to being brown."

The song stops and so do their movements. It's as if they're frozen, stuck in their own little world as Kyungsoo's hand trails up to feel the rough of his hair. Jongin closes his eyes at the sensation and his stomach feels queasy.

"I have dark brown eyes, kind of shaped like an almond," he whispers, afraid that speaking any louder will break the spell. 

Kyungsoo's hands cup Jongin's cheeks, his thumbs caressing his eyelids.

"My nose is kind of flat. A little small."

Warm fingers trail down the tip of his nose.

"My lips are a little thin and chapped."

Jongin's heart is about to explode when Kyungsoo's fingers graze his lips. The atmosphere around them shifts subtly and everything about it just feels right.

"Can I kiss you?" Kyungsoo breathes. 

And Jongin doesn't even answer him as he closes in the space between them, their lips touching. It's just like any regular kiss, with their lips moving against one another. It's a little sloppy and inexperienced as Jongin assumes it's Kyungsoo's first kiss, but it doesn't matter because he's finally kissing Kyungsoo. His hands trail down the latter's waist, pulling him closer as the feeling of warmth spills in his chest. The kiss get's heated as Jongin's tongue swipes Kyungsoo's bottom lip, and he gladly gives the other access. The grasp on the dancer's shirt tightens, pulling him down and to the elder's height.

They come up for air when they run out of breath, resting their foreheads against one another. It's the happiest either of them has felt, and the smiles and chuckles they share leaves them grinning until their cheeks hurt.

Jongin knows a lot of things.

He knows that Chanyeol, Sehun, and everyone else who believes in that rumor is stupid.

He knows that room 109 is where he first met Do Kyungsoo.

He knows that everything about him is beautiful.

And Jongin knows that he has fallen for Kyungsoo.