Kyungsoo was certain that someone had just elbowed him and didn't even bother to apologize. He let out an annoyed huff and glared at his friend who was responsible for dragging him into that pit of sweating, screaming people. However, Minseok was as restless as the fangirls around him as he stared with his glazed eyes toward the scene, being thus totally oblivious to Kyungsoo’s discomfort.

The lights dimmed, and the first sharp blast of guitar riffs echoedfiltered through the overcrowdedstuffy concert hall. Kyungsoo was certain that his eardrums had just burst as the crowd went into a screaming frenzy which only further intensified once the vocalist appeared on the stage. He was a tall guy in a black leather jacket. His hair was blond, tousled and fashionably shaved at the sides.

“We’re The Rush!” he shouted and began singing to the overly aggressive tune of the fast beats of drums, jerky bass line and hardcore thrummingscratchy guitar riffs.

Kyungsoo decided that the music was absolutely dreadful. Chaotic and rowdy. He hated it and concluded that the band should have called themselves The Rash for their music was irritating to his ears. 

 “I’m going to wait outside!” He shouted over the loud music to Minseok.

“What?!” His friend leant over to him so that he could hear him better.

“I said I’m going to wait for you outside!” he repeated and this time Minseok gave him an okay sign.

Kyungsoo began to squeeze himself through the crowd to the nearest exit, watchful of people’s elbows and feet. When he finally found himself outside the hall he took a deep breath, proud of himself that he somehow managed to survive that madness. He couldn’t understand how Minseok could be a fan of this barbaric music.

He reached to the pocket of his black jacket and took out from it his phone with headphones. Leaning against the wall, he put the headphones onto his ears and the music.  His eyes slowly closing as the first sweet notes of the Chopin’s Prelude began to pour out.

A true balm for his soul.

♪ ♪ ♪

Kyungsoo was getting impatient. He couldn’t hear any music coming from the club for at least thirty minutes now, but Minseok was nowhere to be seen. He spent the last hour and a half of his life in a shady alley with only one source of light coming from a broken lightbulb. Pieces of shattered glass bottles, cigarettes butts and puddles of unknown substances decorated the ground around him, adding to the charm of the place. He felt something sticky under his shoe and he could only pray it wasn’t something too disgusting.    

That really wasn’t the best way to spendt his Friday night if you asked him.

It was nearing midnight already and even though it was April, you could still feel winter hwasn’t gone completely. Kyungsoo was wearing a light, black blazer with only T-shirt underneath it, and he cursed mentally at his choice of attire whenever the icy wind blew.

A group of drunk teenagers staggered past the alley. One of them bent over, throwing up to empty the content of his stomach in the corner. Kyungsoo’s face was contorted with disgust, and he turned around not to bear witness to theis display of utter indignity. He couldn’t understand how anyone couldcould anyone think that going to the parties and getting yourself wasted was fun.

After checking his phone for the millionth time for any missed calls, he considered going home and leaving Minseok behind. As apparently, that was exactly what his friend did to him. When he finally made up his mind and made his way towards the street, the door suddenly opened. Glancing over his shoulder, Kyungsoo stopped as he saw five men coming out from the building, one by one. He immediately recognized them as the members of the Rush due to the fact that they were led by the guy with bleached hair. It was the vocalist whose name slipped Kyungsoo’s mind. Some of the members were carrying music instruments, others had backpacks hung carelessly over their shoulders.

At first they were too engrossed in their conversation to notice Kyungsoo who stood only a few feet away from them. Thankful for that, he was ready to leave and ignore them when the bleached hair noticed him and spoke up.

“Hey! You’re not supposed to be here.”   

Kyungsoo let out a sigh. And here he thought it couldn’t get any worse.  

The vocalist came up to him, his band members close behind his back. “Oh man,” he whined, running fingers through his hair. “You fanboys are getting crazy.”

Kyungsoo squared his shoulders, raising his chin defiantly. “I’m sorry but I’m not--”, he tried to explain but the guy cut him off.

“Fine.” He held up his palm clad in a fingerless glove. “At least, you’re cute,” he said and flashed him a flirtatious grin.  

Kyungsoo’s brows creasedbunched up in confusion. One of the guys, the one with a ridiculous silver chain attached to a ring on his lip (he was the lead guitarist if Kyungsoo had remembered correctly), growled something under his breath which sounded like ‘Kai’. 

“Normally, I would give you just an autograph but since you’re such a devoted fanboy, I can make an exception and agree for a selfie as well,” the blonde guy said with an unwavering smile and winked at him.

Kyungsoo felt the heat risingaise to his cheeks. ‘What iwas wrong with this guy?’ He asked himself. He was so dumbfounded that he didn’t even react when the guy snatched his phone from his hand and flung his arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulder.

“Smile,” the vocalist exclaimed, pressing his warm cheek against Kyungsoo’s cold one.

After he took the photo, he looked at it with a  self-satisfied smirk painting on his lips. Then he gave the phone back to Kyungsoo. In the picture, the charming grin of the blonde musician contrasted with Kyungsoo’s wide-eyed confusion. It made him realize just how ridiculous he looked and acted. Finally, he composed himself and glowered at the cheeky guy.

“Listen,” he muttered lowly, stepping closer to the vocalist. The guy recoiled, staring at him with an amused expression that only further irritated Kyungsoo. “I am not your fan. My friend dragged me to this hell hole, but I left the moment I heard your atrocious…,” he paused, making a vague gesture with his palm. “I don’t even know how to call this, but surely it was not music. It sounded more like the dying noises of some poor animal.”

Kyungsoo’s tirade was suddenly interrupted by his vibrating phone. It was Minseok. He fixed the guy with a glare before turning around to answer the phone.

“Where the hell are you?” Minseok exclaimed into the receiver.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Kyungsoo retorted but quickly realized there was no point in arguing, so he added, “I’m in some back alley. I think I took the wrong exit.”

“Got it.” Minseok hung up.

“I think we should--,” one of the guys said behind his back said, but  left the sentence unfinished.

Kyungsoo smoothed the cuffs of his jacket and faced the band again. “Well then, since I believe we have cleared our little misunderstanding, I’ll be on my way.”

He was about to leave when he noticed Minseok running up to him.

“Geez, how did you even get here? I thought--,” Minseok fell silent when he noted the five men who stood in the shadows, staring at them awkwardly.   

His jaw fell and eyes widened. He began pointing to the band then back to Kyungsoo while moving his mouth soundlessly. He looked like a fish without water.

Kyungsoo sighed, crossing arms onat his chest. Even though Minseok had basically ruined his Friday evening, he was still his best friend and thus, Kyungsoo decided to save him.

“He is trying to say that he is your huge fan,” Kyungsoo explained to them in a monotonous voice.

Minseok nodded vigorously and regained his ability to speak.

“Totally,” he blurted out and then began rambling like a maniac. “I know all your songs by heart, and I even owned the extremely rare Adrenaline Rush EP. Chanyeol!” He shouted, pointing at the red haired boy and startling him. “Your drums were insane today.”

“Baekhyun!” Minseok’s gaze moved to the boy with the lip chain. “Same ‘bout your guitar solos, man.” Next was the tall guy in a studded vest who looked bored and mildly irritated. His face was pale and he had black smeared make-up around his eyes. “Sehun! Don’t be jealous. Your sick guitar thrumsriffs were freaking awesome.”

The guy rolled his eyes, and Kyungsoo decided that despite his gothic look, he was the most likeable one. Meanwhile, Minseok continued to sing his praises.

“Chen! Boy, you work magic on that bass. And finally…” he paused as he gazed at the blonde guy, bringing his palm to his lips as though he was about to cry.

Kyungsoo covered his face with his hand. That was just too embarrassing to witness.

“Kai, please be my vocal coach,” Minseok uttered.

It didn’t sound like he was joking, but that was what Kai must have thought as he began to laugh cheerfully.

“Boy, you two are damn entertaining. How ‘bout you join us on our after party?” Kai suggested, eliciting several reactions that all occurred at the same time.

Baekhyun reacted with a bewildered ‘what?!’; Minseok shouted a joyful ‘hell yeah’, while Kyungsoo responded with a firm ‘no, thank you’.

Kai silenced the members of his band with his held up palm.

Baekhyun scowled at him then lifted his guitar suitcase and strode away. Chanyeol quickly went after him. Then Chen and Sehun followed them.

“Come on, you won’t ditch your friend, right?” The corner of Kai’s lips lifted in a lopsided grin.

Minseok looked at Kyungsoo with his pouty-pleading expression. Kyungsoo knew that his friend would never forgive him if he didn’t go with him to that stupid party. He sighed.

“Fine. I’ll go,” he conceded, waving his palm dismissively.

And here he thought the evening couldn’t get any worse than this.