It was already around thirty minutes since Jaeyeon sang on the stage and the manager told her to fill the empty slot for tonight. In the end, Jaeyeon had to stay until it was 9 PM. At first, she only wanted to sing two songs and went home after that, but the customers fell in love with her voice and told her to sing more songs. She thought, was her voice a curse or a gift? She didn’t feel tiredness consuming her, but she didn’t know what song she should perform. She glanced at the clock, hanging on the wall behind her – she had only seventeen minutes to perform.

Finally, a song was in her mind, and she thought of performing it. But the song in her thought was actually a duet, and wouldn’t it be odd to not have a partner to begin with? She sighed, remembering Sungyoon wasn’t here. Well, you sing this song by yourself when it came to your mind, right? her mind spoke and Jaeyeon agreed to her mind.

She didn’t know the chord nor had the instrumental in her phone – she had to do it with no music. When it was all set in her mind, her palms were gripping the microphone.

“The last song for tonight will be ‘No Better than Stranger’ by LOVELYZ’s Babysoul,” she said through the microphone and everyone clapped. This song was actually one of her favorites.

“Nae mal jom deureojullae, nae sasohan yaegideureul,” her soft melody filled the room. “Na oneul nugul manna tto museunil isseonneunji.”

As she sang whole heartedly, she began to close her eyes feel the lyrics as if she was telling them a story. Even though the song was for cornering the boys, she was actually feeling that everyone didn’t listen to her, couldn’t feel what she had been gone through, and wouldn’t believe whatever she said.

“Geuge mwo geuri eoryeopdago,” the chorus stared, “maebon simgakhae.”

“Geuge mwo geuri gwichantago,” her hands made a dramatic gesture, “kkeutkkaji deutjil anha.”

“Nuga neol deoreo haegyeolhae dallahaenni, geureonge anijanha”

Joochan finally arrived at the café and from where he stood up, he could hear the live acoustic. He knew the song that the singer brought, it was his sunbaenim’s song. When he walked to the café, he saw the singer and he instantly took Sungyoon’s guitar out from the case and strummed the guitar to get the chord.

“Naega himdeulttae,” Jaeyeon sang as she slowly opened her eyes, hearing a strum of guitar. “Eodie inni neon,” she was speechless as she found Joochan with a guitar.

“Cham swipge malhajiman, namjaneun jogeum dalla,” Joochan sang Hwiseung’s part smoothly. “Deutnen sungan gomin deogo, mwonga haeya hal deut hae.”

Joochan walked to the podium as Jaeyeon still singing her part but her eyes never left him and so did he. “Namdeul yaegin jaldo deureojudeonde,” her heartbeat increased as Joochan standing beside her. “Naegeman neul yabakhae.”

As the chorus came again, both of them sang their hearts out. Joochan helped the girl by playing the guitar and he also worked as Jaeyeon’s back vocal. He once heard her singing to INFINITE’s song, but to him, her voice sounded better singing this, as if she was the owner and the singer of the song. As Joochan’s gaze landed on the singing Jaeyeon, he studied Jaeyeon’s expression delivering the emotions to the audience, as if she was telling them an emotional story of hers. He knew that she was indeed a ball of talent. Each of them poured their hearts and soul and made it into a beautiful duet that they would never imagine.

“Gajang gakkaun saijanha, namboda motae neon,” she sang and Joochan also.

“Ipjang bakkwo saenggakhaebwa,” their eyes met.

“Nae saenggageun motaejwo,” they were lost. “daeche wae,” their harmonies filled the room.

“Geugeotdo motae I nappeun noma,” her voice went soft, “keungeol baradi.”

“Geugeotdo motae I motdoen noma,” both of them sing, “cheogirado haeyaji,” Jaeyeon took the highnote.

“Namdeul chaenggineun ban manirado haebwa,” Joochan completed her, “amu mal anhalkkeoya.”

“Yasokhadago,” they both came back, “cham mipdago,” Jaeyeon started.

“Cham mipdago niga nan,” Joochan helped Jaeyeon with the part.

“Naega gidaelden,” both of them met by eyes again and they were softened.

“Neo bakke eomneunde,” they ended the song with their harmonious voice and they were looking at each other eyes.

🍃

Because of Jaeyeon and sudden Joochan’s appearance performance, the manager gave them free drinks. They could take every drink or food in the café and Joochan, being a genius he was, ordered five big cups of lattes, four big cups of americanos, three big cups of espressos, and three loaf of chocolate bread. Jaeyeon only ordered a cup of hot ginger tea and the honey toasted bread she ordered earlier – she found that the flavor was very appetizing.

Both of them walked silently as the night became darker. Joochan happily brought the paper bags in his hands since he just robbed the café, while Jaeyeon was trying to find her cool because her crush was walking beside her. They were in their own minds and it wasn’t that long until one of them spoke.

“Are you a trainee, Jaeyeon-ssi?” the boy beside Jaeyeon asked a random question.

“W-what?” she answered, not hearing it quietly. “Me? A trainee?” she asked him more like herself.

Joochan shrugged, “your voice is different, as if you’re training a lot,” he uttered. “Don’t forget when you sing and dance to sunbaenim’s song when we were on the rooftop,” he added as he pointed her with his forefinger.

The girl with turtle neck laughed nervously as she sipped her tea, didn’t know how to respond such a random question. “Let’s say I’m in church choir, that’s where I trained,” she stated the fact and Joochan nodded.

“Touché,” he finally said.

Jaeyeon who was trying to find a topic to talk, asked him a question. “Why did you buy twelve drinks instead of eleven?”

The boy left to think. “Did I?” he asked her again and made Jaeyeon deadpan.

“Yeah, you ordered five lattes, four americanos, and three espressos which in total is twelve drinks,” she counted and Joochan’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape.

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