Chapter 3: Unique Little Snowflake

From Haesol’s perspective…

Shutting the door behind, Kim Haesol paid the heavy air of the break room no mind as he scurried off to the worn-out leather couch he’d been sitting on prior to the performance. The walls around him were vibrating along with the beats that were playing in the bar, the music itself blurred out into a faint mass of sounds. For a moment, Haesol simply sat there, attempting to gather his thoughts as he rested his palms against each of his knees. A few deep breaths later, he reached up to pull his fedora off of his head, the shades coming off a moment later.

As a smoker usually does, Haesol would often resort to having a cigarette when under pressure. While his mind was heavy with thoughts, there was a flush of adrenaline pulsating through his limbs as a result of performing. Seeing as he’d decided not to have a drink, which would’ve helped to momentarily sedate his mind, a cigarette was his best option. He found himself holding the pack of Marlboro tobacco without having registered that he’d fetched it from his coat pocket, lips pursing as he stared the red and white packaging over.

After dishing out a medium amount of tobacco onto a thin piece of cigarette paper, he rolled the cigarette with automatic precision. It wasn’t something he was necessarily that proud of, but his hands had practically perfected the cigarette rolling skill to the point where he didn’t really need to watch what he was doing.  ‘I’ll quit once my album is released,’ he thought to himself, giving the edge of the paper a quick in order to seal it. Then again, ‘I’ll quit once I’m done with college’ used to be a promise he’d make to himself, too.

With the cigarette neatly tucked between two fingers, Haesol stared blankly at the wall before him. The Carpenters. He used to sing The Carpenters to HER. The song was supposed to be dedicated to her… She was supposed to be the one woman that stood out of the crowd tonight. His lips pursed firmly, gaze dropping to the floor as he refused to let his train of thoughts carry on in her general direction. They were through; there was nothing to gain from dwelling on it any further.

Tucking the cigarette behind his ear, Haesol rose from his seat one the couch to grab his trench coat. There was no point in lingering about in this humid backroom. He could still cram in a few hours at the studio if he left at once.

A moment later, the slender male found himself gazing at the way the puddles on the streets so beautifully reflected the gleams of the nearby streetlights, somehow brightening up the grey evening with it’s vivacity. It was pouring down like crazy, and of course he hadn’t thought to bring an umbrella with him to the bar. Deciding that he might as well finish his cigarette while under the roof of the exit, Haesol waited for the rain-shower to pass. He calmly tilted his body to the side, resting a shoulder against the brick wall as he carried on marveling at the soothing scenery, blocking out the noise of the bustling street, and his bustling mind.

The rain-shower had yet to pass as he pressed the bud of the cigarette against the wall, yet he decided that he might as well get going; people would usually wait inside for weather like this to pass, so in that sense it was the perfect timing for him to grab a cab without having to wait in line.  With rain dripping from the rim of his fedora, and the wind biting at the arms of his black trench coat, he strode across the street towards the taxi line. He kept his head lowered to avoid the rain entirely, popping the collar of the coat for extra protection. He was already at the other side of the street when he heard someone calling out for him,

 “Kim Haesol!”

 Haesol paused in his tracks, head turning to check. His eyes grew slightly as a young man came jogging straight towards him. The boy’s hoodie was completely drenched, his bangs laying flat against his forehead, equally as drenched as his clothes were. He wasn’t completely sure what to say, so instead he merely nodded his head in a silent response to the seemingly younger male. He must’ve been standing outside for a while, cause there was simply no way his clothes would’ve become this wet from merely running across the street.

“I’m- I’m Shin Hyosub-“ He briefly paused to bow at a 90 degrees angle before he stood himself back up, hands folding together as a feeble attempt at hiding the fact that they were trembling.  “I know this might come off as extremely rude, but I’m at a dead end,” each word came rushing out on inhale and exhale as he tried recover from running, the desperation radiating from his body. Haesol was about to respond, but before he could do so, he was cut off as Hyosub tugged a mixtape out from his coat pocket, his head lowering once more.

“Just please- take this and give it a listen! You don’t have to do anything about it if.. if it’s bad. But please- listen to it, just once.”

Haesol merely stared at the mixtape for a moment, both puzzled and surprised. He’d been part of the process of evaluating people’s work before, but he’d never been approached on the street like this. Realizing that the younger male was waiting for a response from him, he cleared his throat. While he wasn’t having such a good day, he decided that he wasn’t going to let this influence the way he responded to the boy. Reaching a hand up to tug his scarf down under his chin, he offered the other a reassuring smile. “Just once?” he murmured, raising a brow as he held his hand out to accept the item.

As a vitamin shot, the young man’s response was capable of brightening anyone’s day. It is said that happiness is a gift you enjoy giving; it’s contagious. The genuine spark in Shin Hyosub’s eyes as he eagerly handed the mixtape over, the nervous quiver on his lips as he gave his response, it warmed Haesol’s gloomy mind, injecting color to his black and white thoughts as the hard plastic pressed firmly against his palm. 

“Just once! You won’t regret it!”

Haesol had encountered a fair share of delusional, self-centered people with the absurd idea that they’re the most unique little snowflake, with the most amazing voice and talent. Shin Hyosub could very well be one of those, but Haesol had never wanted to believe the words of a stranger quite as much as he did in that exact moment.