A/N: Song referenced is Loving Someone - 1975

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For Wendy, Seoul National University defined a love-hate relationship, the campus provided warmth and security but still had her hiding behind trees whenever a certain someone sauntered by for two years. However, this year has been different, Ms. Bae “Irene” Joohyun had graduated without a word and had set Wendy free from lingering feelings and paranoia.

In the three years leading up to now, a week before finals, she had decided to major in Vocal Music within the College of Music. Sure, classes like “Vocal Analysis 4” and “History of Western Music 4” had her wanting to have God just smite her already, but there were upsides. Primarily, two things kept her going: her god-given roommate and her baby.

Don’t get her wrong, her baby definitely did not resemble a human child in any way, but rather took the form of a song-writing and composition project she had been working on for the bulk of four months. According to her roommate, Jihyo, Wendy talked about the song like it lived and breathed. She poured her heart and soul into the little masterpiece who had been saved onto multiple harddrives and backup harddrives. Now, all she had to do was graduate.

Wendy ran her eyes over the lyrics that she was pretty sure were finalized, plenty of chicken-scratch handwriting littered the sides, but that just proved she had worked on it. Her focus was disrupted by Jihyo tugging the paper gingerly out of her hands and replacing it with a large-size of bubble tea.

“Grapefruit ade green tea with 30% sweetness.” Jihyo recited, beaming at Wendy as she set the lyrics sheet atop her unfinished finals study-sheets and abandoned notes. “Just how you like it.”

“Why are you awake… Last time I checked it was four in the morning.” Wendy grumbled, rubbing her eyes which suddenly felt heavy. She sipped her drink and chewed gently on the pearls.

Jihyo sighed, sipping her iced Americano, “I’ll lecture you about even being awake to see that its four am later, but it’s already nine and you have class at eleven.” She paused for a moment, eyeing Wendy who was more focused on trying to fit as many pearls in at once like a tiny chipmunk. “I know how much you care about that song… So I might’ve set you up with something.”

Wendy’s eyes widened comically and she spit her collection of boba pearls through her straw and straightened her posture. “What?!”

“Remember my girlfriend, Nayeon? She goes to Konkuk University, anyways, I sent your demo to her and after she got done squealing about it, she gave me an idea… Busking! So I set you up busking in the Starfield COEX Mall… Tomorrow afternoon, two.” Jihyo finished with a loud exhale and drank half her iced americano in her next sip.

Wendy’s eyes were getting teary. “You… I don’t deserve you.” She pointed an accusatory finger and Jihyo while tears were slipping out. “HOW DARE YOU BRING ME BOBA AND GOOD NEWS!”

    The song was more than just that, it had her love life written down in a series of metaphors and melodies that sought to untangle her mess of a heart. She wondered if she could make someone take her music seriously in a world so meaningless, and maybe she could make someone smile.

    Words had failed Wendy too many times, she had failed to convey her emotions and truest thoughts too many times before, maybe that's why she was so drawn to music.

    She spent the rest of the day sleeping through “History of Western Music 4” and preparing herself with her guitar to perform her song. Sure she had other covers that she could pull out of her at a moments notice, but this would be her finisher. The song that she hoped stuck with the people who stayed through her sappy love songs to the update K-Pop group covers.

The busking went fast, and she was shaking as she announced that for her last song it would be an original. She began to sing “Yeah, you should be loving someone…” She closed her eyes and sang her heart out, feeling her heart swell with unknown emotions as she reflected.

Seulgi, who had shown her that love stems from friendship. Yeri, who taught her not to be afraid of the childish sides of life. Irene, who showed her that love wasn’t always just romantic.

Now she had another addition onto that list.

Son “Wendy” Seungwan, who taught herself that she can’t love anyone truly until she loves herself.

She strummed the last note on her guitar and opened her eyes to a crowd that had phone cameras lifted and applauded broke out around her. The crowd was fairly small, only about fifteen to twenty. But it felt like she had the world carefully balanced in her hands at that moment.

    Wendy looked at every one of their faces in the crowd, and she was sure her mind was playing tricks on her when she saw each of the women she had loved at one point. “Thank you everyone.” She said quietly into the microphone as she began to pack up her guitar and microphone set-up. The crowd began to disperse as Wendy had a time-limit.

    Wendy picked up her guitar case and surveyed the crowd, she smiled. “Don’t forget this moment, Seungwan.”

    Wendy became her own philautia

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    In the back of the crowd, a monolidded girl in a cap and face mask disguise wiped away a tear. She smiled, “That’s my Seungwan.” She responded to her manager-oppa frantic text messages to her whereabouts.

    Hours later, a nursing resident and a new college student watched the video uploaded onto SNS and had the same thought.