Prompt 7

Jongup's new neighbor, who he has never met, sings all the time and he enjoys listening. One day he sings along and gets caught.

Jongup had a new neighbor, it’d been a few months and he’d never actually seen this neighbor. What he did know about this neighbor was his voice was absolutely beautiful and he’d sit in his room and listen to the other belt out Frank Sinatra in accented English. Some days he caught himself humming along to the other singing. He found himself waiting for the two hours a day his neighbor would sing. His eyes dropped as his neighbor sang Beyond the Sea in a sultry, silky voice, he tapped his fingers on his bedspread to the tune. He fell asleep halfway through the song.

One day his neighbor was singing Elvis and Jongup set the book he was reading down, just to listen. He was humming along, then slowly began to mouth the lyrics then he was singing along with his neighbor. Their English accented, but harmonizing with one another.

Like a river flows surely to the sea 
Darling, so it goes 
Some things are meant to be 
Take my hand, take my whole life too 
For I can't help falling in love with you

Jongup hadn’t even realized his neighbor stopped singing halfway through and had been listening to him instead. When he finished the song he heard applause from the other side of the wall causing his cheeks to redden and him to pull his blanket over his head. That was kind of embarrassing.

A few days later he was going to get his mail when a voice called for him to hold the elevator door. Jongup looked up and saw a man he’d never seen before, full lips, big expressive eyes, cute eye mole, and sun-kissed skin, the man looked like he belonged as some prince in a fairy tale.  Realizing he was staring he looked back down at his phone when the man started humming he froze, this was the mysterious neighbor with the beautiful voice and love for American oldies.

“I’ve never seen you before, I’m Daehyun,” The man, Daehyun, said while smiling brightly and Jongup blinked, his head cocking to the side. “Ah, I wonder, are you, my neighbor? I never heard you until the other day, you’re quiet, but when you sing it’s very nice.”

“I’m Jongup, but compared to you…I’m okay,” Jongup scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, avoiding eye contact, he was a bit of an introvert and conversations with strangers was hard. “I enjoy listening to you sing, it’s the highlight of my day.”

Well, that was a creepy thing to say.

“Give yourself more credit, you have a very beautiful voice,” Daehyun said stepping out of the elevator when the door opened to the lobby. “Also I’m glad I’m not annoying you, my friend, another singer mind you, always gives me crap because I am always singing.”

Jongup squinted a little, partly because he didn’t have his glasses on and partly because no one was allowed to be this attractive, this talented, or this humble, like who did he think he was? An angel, because Jongup would believe him if he said he was. Except according to the bible angels are actually terrifying and kind of ugly, so he couldn’t  be one.

“So, Jongup, how about we go out sometime? You’re really cute,” Jongup blinked at the man’s bluntness and tilted his head to the side. “You’re like a puppy. It’ll be my treat?”

“Well, my friends do say I need to get out more,” Jongup finally looked him in the face and was rewarded with a megawatt smile. Frankly, what did he have to lose? Nothing, but everything to gain. “Let’s do karaoke?”

“Wow, a man after my heart, you can sing, you’re handsome, I think I just won the lottery.”