Wonshik rushed down to the next apartment's front door and rung the bell tentatively. He didn't even think his neighbour would answer. He rung the bell again and stepped back a pace or two, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking around, trying to look as casual as possible. He almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the sound of a lock being turned and the door was pulled open. 

It was a young man. He was tall, pale, broad; not the type you would usually expect to have tear tracks running down his cheeks and puffy, reddened eyes. Although, going by the scrunched up tissue in his hand, he had tried to cover all that up before he answered in a poor attempt at looking presentable. His auburn hair, like Wonshik's, was wet and messy, only matching the rest of his appearance. His white jumper was creased and covered in tear stains and he only had one shoe on his foot, the other lying haphazardly, Wonshik could see, in the middle of the sitting room. 

"Y- Yes?" He said shakily, sniffing loudly and roughly wiping his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "W- What is it?" 

Wonshik stood staring for a moment, eyes wide. He blinked rapidly, trying to work out what to say before he started to stumble over his words. "I- I'm  Won... Wonshik from next... next door." Too late. He sighed and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath "The walls are... are very thin and I heard you crying." His neighbour's mouth opened to reply but it seemed to get caught in his throat and he looked down. He seemed to then realise that Wonshik had been the one who had been knocking on the wall only minutes earlier. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, clutching the tissue balled up to his chest "It won't happen again."

He made to close the door again but Wonshik stopped him, flinging his arm out and catching it. "Wait!" He cried "Are you okay?"

There was a short pause. Wonshik stared with wide eyes, waiting for a response of some sort.

The young man looked up at him and bit his lip, before letting go of the door and stumbling back into his apartment. Wonshik followed him in, staying at the entrance as the man broke down in front of him. He couldn't help but notice that when he cried there was a rawness to it, like the pain was still an open wound and Wonshik's questions were simply salt being poured callously into it. He clasped onto the back of the nearby sofa for support, and then his whole body began to shake.

He blinked briny tears from bloodshot eyes, his thick lashes stuck together in clumps as if he'd been submerged in water. The tears made wet tracks down his face and dripped from his wobbling chin. Clear, watery snot streaked from his flaring nostrils down his red mottled skin to his quivering lips. His hands opened and closed, rhythmically clenching around the back of the chair as if there could be some violent solution to his pain if only he could find it. 

"Hey... Are you okay?" Wonshik idiotically blurted. The man was clearly not okay. He bit his lip and took a few tentative steps forward until he was stood behind him, rubbing his back softly. "It's alright," he tried to make up for his blunder "It's okay to cry." He wished he could do more. But all he could do was stand and wait until the sobs subsided and his neighbour could form a coherent sentence. 

Surprisingly, that wasn't too long a wait. When the young man had seemed to calm down, Wonshik moved to sit him on the sofa he had been clinging to and went into the kitchen to get him some water. However, as he was coming back, something caught his eye in the corner of the next room: a piano, hidden behind the corner. It was beautiful. 
Wonshik took slow steps towards the instrument and ran his hand along it's gleaming, black surface. He drew his hand back and looked at his fingers to see them coated in dust. It was clear it hadn't been played for a while. So his neighbour was musical too, huh?

A loud sniffle drew him from his stupor and he blinked, heading back into the sitting room and handing the glass of water to the young man, who sat up with his knees pulled to his chest. He took it gratefully and took a small sip as Wonshik sat down beside him stiffly. "Better?"

The young man nodded and swallowed. "Taekwoon," he muttered, staring off into space and taking another gulp of his drink. Wonshik gave a confused frown and tilted his head, caused him to emit a broken sort of chuckle. "My name," he coughed lightly as he tried to speak without having fully swallowed "It's Taekwoon."

"Oh," Wonshik murmured, sticking his tongue in his cheek. An awkward silence fell over them and he cleared his throat; he hated awkward situations. It was part of the reason he kept to himself usually. "If you don't mind me asking, why were you crying?" Taekwoon's sparkling brown orbs flickered up to him and he shook his head sheepishly "You don't need to hear about that," he snorted softly "It's pathetic."

"It had you nearly on your knees sobbing your heart out," Wonshik corrected with his left eyebrow arched skeptically "I wouldn't call anything like that pathetic. Come on, I can be sensitive- you can tell me."

Taekwoon shook his head again and ran his tongue over his chapped lips, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a folded piece of royal purple cardboard. He handed it to Wonshik with a small shrug and sighed heavily "It came this morning."

He took the paper warily and opened it up, gasping at the gold lettering: "A wedding invitation?" He asked, slightly puzzled by why Taekwoon would have such a reaction. His neighbour nodded and sniffled slightly, not willing to say any more for fear of bursting into tears again. He had already embarrassed himself enough. Wonshik set the invitation on the coffee table and swallowed thickly, deciding now was the best time to change the subject. "I like your shiny piano," he said lamely, pointing to the next room.

This time, Taekwoon could not hide his saddened, bitter chuckle. "Yeah," he scoffed "I bought it with a shiny little engagement ring." He looked down and Wonshik felt realisation dawn on him. His mouth formed an 'oh' shape and he bit his lip "I- I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be," Taekwoon denied, giving him a halfhearted smile "It's silly really. I bought it thinking playing would take my mind off her, but I haven't been able to touch it." Upon hearing this, Wonshik couldn't help but pout. No instrument should be just left unplayed and unloved- it was an insult to music and it's very existence. "I play too," he told him quietly, feeling his cheeks heat up as he spoke.

He watched as Taekwoon chuckled again, more genuinely this time, and jerked his head in the general direction of the piano. "Be my guest," he said. Without another moment to spare, Wonshik stood and led the way to the instrument, sitting on the bench and patting the place next to him. Taekwoon followed, running the tips of his supple fingers over the ivory keys.

As Wonshik began to play, he his lips and watched his hands move in fascination. He looked almost like a little child the way he had perked up, eyes widened and lips pursed. "It's pretty," he muttered.

Wonshik smiled "Thanks. It's something I've been working one for a while now. There are lyrics too but I don't really sing." He got out his phone and set it up on the notes stand, beginning to hum along to what he was playing as he resumed from where he had left off. He didn't have the courage to sing his lyrics to Taekwoon. The other man listened closely for a few moments, shifting his gaze to the words on the phone's screen.

"Saying I love you with all these words won't be enough but, still I will confess to you today..."

Wonshik's gaze darted to the young man sat beside for a second. Taekwoon's voice- It was smooth and clear and quiet yet powerfu despite the slight hoarseness caused by his earlier sobbing. It was soothing in a way; strange. He knew people didn’t typically call a man's voice 'beautiful', but his was. It was the promise of tomorrow. It was beautiful, and Wonshik wished that he would never stop.

Was this what his work had been missing all this time? The right voice?

"I wanna be with you, always from a step behind you~ Don't forget that I will never leave your side..."

"You're really good!" Wonshik complimented warmly, earning a deep blush from Taekwoon.

"I- I'm just an ameteur," he smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. Wonshik's smile widened and he ceased his playing once more, placing his hand on top of the other man's gently "Why are you blushing?" He laughed. But Taekwoon just shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut tightly and trying to calm himself down. He never did do well with compliments. But he wasn't quite sure why this particular one had him so flustered. He pulled his hand away, tensing for a second at the tingling sensation left on his flesh and Wonshik sighed, his eyes moving to the clock above the door.

His heart stopped. "I have a meeting in fifteen minutes!" He cried, leaping up and running towards the front door "I have to go and get ready properly!" He couldn't be late for this one or else the producer would kill him. Taekwoon followed him, too shocked to protest or say anything much other than "Goodbye then." He closed the door with a dull click and walked over to the coffee table, picking up the invitation and tearing it in half ready to throw in the bin. 

Despite him only being there for ten minutes or so, and them only knowing each other for that long, he felt a strange emptiness now Wonshik was gone. He seemed to bring out a side to him he didn't usually show; he felt a little more confident in his presence. He wouldn't usually sing like that to a stranger but when Taekwoon had heard the music it was like liquid adrenaline being injected right into his blood stream- not so strong as to freak him out completely, but just enough to make him tingle inside. 

He picked up the book lying on the table and settled himself in the corner of the sofa, ready to indulge himself in a bit of reading before the evening was spent. The binding creaked, its spine aching with age and years of service, only for there to be a little surprise when the doorbell rang again. Brow creasing, he got up and put his book to one side again, heading over and opening the door.

"Hello, again," Wonshik greeted, looking panicked as he fiddled with the hem of his shirt. Taekwoon stared at him in shock and he groaned, bouncing on his heels slightly. "Two things," he said "One: I left my phone here and two: I may or may not have locked myself out of my apartment."

Hey, thanks for reading. I hope you like it ^^