October 23

Sitting in the padded chair in his dorm with his headphones blasting his recently fine-tuned song, Changkyun nodded along with the beat, feeling pretty pleased with his work. He’d been pouring over this song for the past few days, ever since he first had heard the boy in the coffee shop sing with such passion. His initial feelings of embarrassment were long gone, and instead, he’d been trying to think of good ways to approach the boy and get him to sing for him for real. Pursing his lips in thought, Changkyun reviewed his lyrics, editing a few phrases and trying to imagine what it would sound like in the stranger’s voice. Muttering a lyric under his breath, Changkyun was suddenly hit by inspiration, and he reworded a few lines, a wide grin setting on his lips. He just wished he could get the vocals recorded that this song needed.

Back at the coffee shop, Changkyun blinked out of his daze, eyes darting over to the same boy that sat in the same spot every day, watching him sing to himself. He’d noticed lately that the boy had been singing the same song, the same lyrics over and over. Earlier in the semester, Changkyun had heard him sing a plethora of what appeared to be self-written songs, his voice low and barely-audible, but as the weeks progressed, he started singing one song exclusively, and with increasing passion. He’d long since memorized the lyrics, but still clung to the sheet music like his life depended on it, the paper becoming more crumpled with time. He wants to ask why he’s been doing this, why he’s abandoned his personal writing for the same tired song, but he can’t seem to find the courage to interrupt him while he’s so clearly focused. He watches as the boy bites his lip, tugging the pink skin between his teeth, and Changkyun feels his heart-rate increase. He can’t explain why he feels so flustered, and he doesn’t think about it too much, deciding it was probably just a weird coincidence.

October 25

Stepping into a reasonably small office, Hoseok looked around, trying to locate his teacher. He had set up a meeting with the man in one of his last efforts to get the solo, thinking that maybe by talking to him directly, he could figure out what he needed to improve on. Even if it was just a slim chance, he wanted to at least try. Walking into the correct door, Hoseok raps his knuckles against the wooden frame, alerting his teacher of his presence.

“Oh! Good afternoon, Hoseok. Come in,” he greeted, gesturing for his student to take a seat at one of the chairs pulled up around his desk. Smiling politely and sitting down, Hoseok looked expectantly over at his teacher. “So, what did you want to talk to me about, exactly?” the older man prompted, shuffling a few papers around his desk and smiling congenially. Taking a deep breath, Hoseok replied.

“Well sir, I was wondering if there was anything more I could do to prepare myself for the solo role,” Hoseok said, giving his teacher an honest look. Nodding his head, his teacher made a small noise of surprise, smiling nervously as he gave his student a tentative look.

“Oh, well,” his teacher began, chuckling a little bit. “I don’t think there’s anything more you can really do, I know you’ve been practicing hard. You’ve always been a good student, Hoseok. I’m sure you’ll do good with any role you get- even if it isn’t the solo,” he replied, raising his eyebrows and giving Hoseok a smug look. “And, let’s be honest, you aren’t planning on getting the solo, right?” he said, tone chilling Hoseok’s heart. He pouted his lip a little bit and looked away, his feelings clearly hurt, but not willing to vocalize this.

“Yes sir, I am still planning on trying out for the solo. Thank you for your advice,” Hoseok replied, bowing his head, and leaving the room. The conversation clearly wasn’t going anywhere productive, and he didn’t need to get insulted any more. Trying not to cry as he exits the building, Hoseok wipes his eyes. He starts looking for his own inner strength, and the will to keep going with his practice even though he just got completely shut down. Taking a deep breath, Hoseok decided he was going to do everything he could to still get this solo, he still had a chance. Even if his teacher didn’t believe in him now, maybe he could change his mind… he had to. He didn’t know what he’d do if he couldn’t get this part, it was his last chance this semester to prove he was a formidable vocalist before getting completely overshadowed.