The next morning, Mrs. Park had to go with Tony to attend a meeting at Seomse Tokyo. Since his check-up would still be in the afternoon, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo narrowed down their list to three songs.

Two of them were in English: “Love Yourself” by Justin Beiber (which Kyungsoo agreed on, because it didn’t require too much effort in stylistics) and “Billionaire” by Travis McCoy, featuring Bruno Mars (which Kyungsoo also thought suited Chanyeol’s voice).

The third song choice puzzled Kyungsoo, though. It was from the Korean rap and hiphop group, Dynamic Duo, with their song entitled “Guilty.”

“Who’s going to do the rap part?” Kyungsoo asked suddenly.

“I will,” Chanyeol confidently answered, giving off an eloquent twang from the guitar.

Kyungsoo didn’t know what to make of it, couldn’t seem to reconcile how rap and acoustic guitar would go together...

And then Park sajangnim performed a couple of verses, with his lower, raspy register but with very clear enunciation, and Kyungsoo’s jaw dropped to the ground.

Chanyeol was amused by Kyungsoo’s silence. Maybe he should stop now before he got too ahead of himself. “I sound ridiculous, don’t I?”

“Aniyo!” Kyungsoo immediately opposed, getting excited now. “I mean, if I was just passing by and I heard you, I would assume you’re a professional!”

Chanyeol laughed out loud. “I was into rapping when I was a teenager, and Guilty was one of the songs I performed at my school so I still remember the words by heart. However, I think the chorus would sound really good with your voice… and between the two of us, since you have better tonality, you should sing the opening lines, for all three songs.”

Silence.

“K-Kyungsoo-ssi…?”

“Um… I thought I would only be singing in the background…”

“Waeyo?” Chanyeol asked. “No, that can’t be. The vocals have to suit parts of the song, and yours is more flexible and has more range than mine.”

“But… I’m not the one people are going to see perform,” Kyungsoo tried desperately. “They want to see you!”

“Ah… but I can’t see them,” Chanyeol joked, chuckling to himself.

And then he realized he was the only one who found his comment funny.

“Sorry,” Chanyeol murmured, clearing his throat. “I don’t mean to push you into this.” He pressed his lips together. “You do know that you’re a talented singer, don’t you?”

“I… guess I can sing a little…”

Chanyeol’s lips cracked into a smile. He wondered if Kyungsoo was blushing. He imagined a vague image of him… the Kyungsoo in his mind was very cute… with flushed, squishy cheeks… “Everyone born with vocal cords can try to sing, but if they actually know how is an entirely different story.” He sighed. “Do you trust me, Kyungsoo-yah?”

Kyungsoo looked up to the CEO in surprise.

Chanyeol looked a little surprised himself. He just called the sous chef Kyungsoo-yah… as if… they were… close.

He decided to explain in another context instead. “Music is one of the things in this world that keeps me sane and balanced. Thankfully, Omma understands my passion for it, even if my late father didn’t. And when I come across something wonderful and unexpected while doing music… like you singing—and so well, too!—it feels like discovering the ninth Wonder of the World!”

His heart flipped when he heard the sous chef’s soft, breathy laugh. “Aren’t there only 8?”

“8, 9, 10… I have no idea.” Chanyeol shrugged. “Should we at least try the chorus once…?” He asked carefully, although his fingers were already hovering over the strings.

Only a few moments of pausing, and Kyungsoo whispered, “Let me look up the lyrics.”

Chanyeol bit his lip to constrict a grin, but he couldn’t help anticipating how Kyungsoo was going to render Gaeko’s lines…

He heard Kyungsoo cough a little. “I’m ready, Park sajangnim.”

Chanyeol nodded and began strumming the opening chords.

And his ears melted when Kyungsoo faithfully followed even Gaeko’s intricate adlibs and runs:

Naega jugil nomiji mwo uriga eogeunnal ttae myeon

(I’m the guilty one—whenever our opinions