Jinki bit his lip. Twirling the edge of the curtain with one finger, he closed his eyes and imagine flying straight up: up, and out of the place altogether. The blue sky, the clouds, the wind rushing against him as he shot up… Jinki gasped, and snapped open his eyes. Somehow, doing that calmed him down. Not by a whole lot, of course, but it did. At least when he peeked out from where he stood behind the curtain, he could look at the crowds without feeling the need to throw up.

The crowd, all excitement and light sticks and expectations… Jinki ran his left hand nervously against his white blazer at the thought. Already he was having trouble keeping a steady grip on the microphone in his right hand; the excess moisture caused it to slip continually. He peered out again, just in time to see the spotlight – tinted bluish-pink – shine down on her. From behind, she looked like an angel: dressed in white, complete with a crown of blond hair. Jinki wasn’t sure if it was just the way the light hit her, but she looked as light as a feather… he was almost sure she would fly with him with ease if he brought her along next time he went…

Not that she needed it. Even while facing her back to him, she exuded confidence.

Yes… Jessica. Jinki couldn’t backtrack to the point where he became aware of Jessica, but he still remembers when they were told they would do a duet together. It hadn’t been too long ago, and Jinki was still unsure about how he felt about her. He didn’t know much about her, not really. Not to mention this was their first time performing together on stage... At that moment, Jinki felt a distinct need to be perfect.

Gazing at her from where he stood, Jinki noticed that she would sporadically click her heel against the stage floor, and briefly wondered why. Before he could expand on the thought further, however, he heard the tinkling sound of the first few notes of the song being played and the cheers of the crowd as they welcomed Jessica.

He watched as she stepped forward, nearer to the audience, and started singing.  

“It feels like I’ve been dreaming for a long time…”

Even after countless practices, Jinki still couldn’t get over her voice. It sounded so light, with just a right amount of lilt in it, and seemed to fill the whole stadium, wrapping snuggly around his ears. He loved it.

“JE-SSI-CA!”

The crowd chanted, in unison, and Jinki smiled in spite of himself. There was something about this moment – watching from afar as Jessica enchanted the crowd – that seemed magical to him.  Jessica continued singing the verse, the crowd continued chanting at appropriate intervals, his own stomach continued churning… until, before he knew it, the last line was being sung. It was time.

Jinki stepped out, and immediately the light hit his eyes. Singing tragic words he doesn’t feel, it felt to him like he was singing for the first time. Jinki paced his walking, so he would reach Jessica just at the end of his verse. The microphone still wouldn’t stay still in his right hand, but at least singing helped him regulate his breathing… In his head, Jinki gave a sigh; it must be those harsh lights, always causing him to be a nervous wreck…

In spite of his best planning, he still walked too fast. As he started on the chorus, he stopped to sing on the spot, just so he won’t be beside Jessica for too long. The crowd cheered, now only part of the background, and he looked up to see Jessica smiling slightly as she walked towards him.

“Do you feel as I do?” She asked in her lovely, lilting voice, and Jinki died inside. Then they were taking long strides in each other’s direction – with bright pink confetti beginning to fall from the ceiling - and Jinki couldn’t help but look right in her eyes. They sparkled and sparkled and just kept sparkling. If Jinki thought looking at her from backstage was magical, then this would have to be heaven.

When Jinki thought he might pass out from holding his breath too long, the song ended. As the last notes of the backing track trailed off, Jinki stood breathless and realized, then, there was only Jessica in front of him.

A second of awkwardness  - standing on one foot, wondering what to do – and then Jinki felt his face breaking out in a wide smile. When he saw his grin reflected in Jessica’s face, the only thing he could do was to laugh. At that instant, something came over him and without knowing it, he reached out to embrace her- but wait, wasn’t she reaching forward for him too-? Indeed she was, and as she leaned in against him, he extended his arms around her. It all happened so fast – just a moment and she was already pulling away from him, walking away – that Jinki wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t just part of his memory. But standing there, he was almost sure that Jessica had tilted her head up, as though wanting more than a hug…

The sight of Jessica disappearing backstage alerted Jinki that he should get going too. And with the thought of floaty white gowns and blond tresses weighing down on his heart, Jinki strode off after her.

________

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Chapter 2 will be up shortly :)