He hadn’t been much of a farmer or a gardener before his last album’s release, too busy with the taxing pressures and responsibilities that came with his stardom. However, he always enjoyed the peace and sense of calmness associated with gardening: the soft breeze, the warmth of the sun and the faint chirp or chatter of wildlife. Spending hours breaking up soil to plant seeds, bringing color and life into this quiet neighborhood. That’s what Youngbae enjoyed the most if he was asked. It was a much needed respite from the bright lights and screaming fans. Not that he wasn’t grateful for all that because he was. Immensely so. However, sometimes he, just like many other stars, wished for a place where he could let everything go and be himself, with no prying eyes and flashing cameras. He thinks he finally found his Paradise, at least for now. So, here he is, in his backyard, digging away with a sweet tune on his lips. As he hummed, he got to his knees and used his hands to break away roots and rocks. “What a lovely sight they’ll be!” he heard spoken behind him and as he looked back, tilting his wide-brimmed hat up, he saw one of his more interactive neighbors: an elderly woman. 

 

“I can’t wait to see your lovely flowers when they bloom!” she said as she gained his attention. Youngbae gave her a shy, small smile and slightly bowed his head in thanks to her compliment. It seems that she was not done talking, for she walked around to a shorter part of the fence so she could see him more clearly. “I was talking about you to your other neighbors.” Youngbae had already stood up and started digging, but he acknowledged her statement with a gaze in her direction, much to her delight. “I told them you were famous and busy that’s why you have never introduced yourself properly,” she spoke loud and clear, so Youngbae wouldn’t miss a word, “of course when I mentioned ‘TaeYang from BIGBANG’ their eyes got all hazy on me!” Her chuckles could be heard afterwards, and if Youngbae didn’t know any better he’d think she was having a conversation with herself. He continued digging and getting on his knees to pull roots as she droned on and on, occasionally looking up to give the impression he was an attentive audience. He didn’t need any more strangers around his home as he had unfortunately alienated himself entirely from his neighborhood by his absence and desire for solitude when he made a point to actually go home. However, now that he had a garden it would force him to be here more often to care for it -- outside, near his home, among these ‘strangers.’ So, he sighed to himself as he thought about how even at his home, which was supposed to be his safe haven, he would have to continue to ‘keep up appearances.’ “So, what do you say, sweetie? Will you be there tonight?” 

 

Huh? 

 

Youngbae blinked his eyes a couple times, and slowly turned his gaze to the eldery woman that was still there, looking at him expectedly. “Sorry?” he asked, and she didn’t seem to mind repeating herself, “I was asking if you had dinner planned for tonight, but you didn’t respond… so, I took that as a ‘no’ and then asked you if you'd like me to bring you some of the dinner I had planned?” Youngbae was touched by her kindness and slightly regretted his earlier thoughts about her. Slightly. “Uh, I don’t have dinner plans,” he responded with a bright smile, “I’m touched by your thoughtfulness and would love to share a meal with you.” She looked excited and was already a couple feet away from the gate as Youngbae finished talking. She responded with something like ‘Alright! I’ll be back in a couple hours’, but he couldn’t be sure since she was already quite far when she spoke. He continued his assault on the tough soil as he continued his humming, and the time ticked on.

 

He finished all he could today since just the lamp’s light no longer gave him enough lighting and gazed at his watch. 9:15pm. Wow, it’s late, he thought. A few hours prior, his neighbor had brought his dinner and let him know that if he ever needed anything she was just a ‘phone call away.’ Youngbae made a mental note to find a way to thank her, perhaps a large bouquet of his homegrown flowers? Yes, that sounded nice. He took off his gloves and removed his gardening boots before entering the house. He stepped into slippers and headed towards his room for a quick shower before digging into the warm meal in his oven. After his quick shower, Youngbae walked into his kitchen and prepared himself a plate of dinner, then ate slowly as he gazed outside. It was so quiet here, he thought to himself. Without his schedules or s, the quiet sometimes got to him. He enjoyed the silence and quiet like most people, don’t get him wrong. However, sometimes, like tonight, it just feels quieter is all. Lonelier. He outwardly sighed and found he lost his appetite. So much for needing dinner, I’m not even going to eat it, he thought as he got up and set his plate in the kitchen sink. After wrapping up the rest of the dinner and sticking it in the refrigerator, he paced the living room, thinking of what to do now. It was 10:25pm, and he wasn’t even tired in the slightest. He grabbed his phone and scrolled through social media, commenting on a couple of posts. I wonder if he’s up for something?, Youngbae thought. Youngbae exited out of Instagram, then tapped on his ‘Messages’ app. This first ongoing conversation was the one he tapped.

 

[Bae]: you up for something right now?

 

Youngbae didn’t have to wait long before he received a reply from him. He knew that he would have his phone with him. He always had his phone with him 24/7, tapping away on that little device or interacting on his private social media accounts.

 

[Jiyongie]: hi to you too.. wait, right now?

 

Youngbae checked at the short reply, and snorted, I said that didn’t I? He thought, so he said just that.

 

[Bae]: Yes. I just said that ㅋㅋ

[Jiyongie] is typing…

[Jiyongie]: bae-ah why do you always want to hang out so late? I remember distinctly that i had texted you last week about meeting up in the morning to hang out, but you said you didn’t want too ㅜㅜ

[Jiyongie]: so why do you want to hang out now? Bored of the bachelor life already?? ㅋㅋ 

[Bae]: yah! I thought we agreed to not bring up sensitive matters like that.. You’re mean ㅜ_ㅜ

[Jiyongie]: sorry bae-ah~ 

[Bae]: No, you aren’t but whatever. Can you or not?

[Jiyongie]: I can

[Jiyongie]: *can’t

[Jiyongie]: I just took a shower, and it’s drama night.. Why don’t you come over instead? ♡.♡  I texted hyung, but he hasn’t responded yet

[Bae]: Seunghyun hyung? 

[Jiyongie]: mhmm, i also texted Daesung, but he said he’s ok

[Bae]: ah i see

[Jiyongie]: don’t wanna? Bae-ahh~

[Bae]: i’m good. Don’t really feel like driving.

[Jiyongie]: ㅠㅠ

[Bae]: you act this way on sns, but when you’re with seunghyun hyung, you always ignore me. No wonder Daesungie said no ㅋㅋ

[Jiyongie]: that’s not true!

[Bae]: Night, jiyongie. Have fun with hyung~ d(^_^)b

[Jiyongie]: yah youngbae-ah.. you’re no fun. I thought we were best friends ㅜㅜ

[Bae]: Goodnight~ 

[Jiyongie]: See you tomorrow?

[Bae]: d(^_^)b

[Jiyongie]: (>^_^)> <(^_^<)

[Bae]: ㅋㅋㅋ 

 

Youngbae sighed and set aside his phone, rubbing his face. He did think of going over to Jiyong’s because he still hasn’t seen his new place. But the thought of being around people was all of the sudden unappealing, even if it is Jiyong. Maybe I’m just tired?, Youngbae thought. 

 

Normally this wouldn’t be an issue. He would hit up a club, maybe hang with Jiyong -- although that option is out of the bag tonight -- or read a good book… but now nothing seems to be worthwhile. He stops pacing to sit on a lounge chair and rapidly taps his fingers on the arm rest. Time slowly ticks by and it seems as if everything becomes louder. Everything becomes too much. Then, it’s quiet. Hm, that’s weird, Youngbae thinks as he slowly blinks his eyes and tries to readjust his senses. At that moment, he hears a soft melody, almost like chirping. Am I going crazy? He emotionlessly laughs and runs his hands through his hair to attempt to release the tension. Then he hears it again. His eyes drift to where he believes the source to be: the window. He approaches the window cautiously before scolding himself for his childlike fears and behavior. Man up, Dong Youngbae, what’s this little creature going to do to you? It’s most likely a bird, he rationalizes in his head. 

 

The open clasp on the window solidifies his thoughts that it is most likely a bird, but his curiosity gets the better of him. He pushes the curtains aside slowly so as to not startle the small creature’s ballad. He opens up the window more and peaks through the small gap, slowly getting bigger as he wishes to expand his viewpoint -- to find the source of such a bright, calming tune. He sees nothing out of the ordinary. His whole yard remains the same, the flowers he planted swaying slightly in the wind and a few fireflies lighting up the environment. And he hears it again, soft, steady notes echoing calmly throughout his garden. He leans on the windowsill and stays still, listening. Eyes closed, a loose smile on his lips, he’s entranced with the melody. Time passes, Youngbae can’t bring himself to look down at his watch as he sees the fireflies and flowers sway to the tune of the music. Is it his imagination? He’s not sure, but it doesn’t matter, at least not right now. He rests his chin on his folded arms on the windowsill, enjoying the magical show being displayed right in his backyard! And he’s got a front row seat!

 

He tries to memorize every sound, every flicker and every pause. He’s not sure when this will happen again. If this will happen again. It seems like a once-in-a-lifetime moment. One of those that you experience and never have a device to capture the moment. A moment where you must rely on your mind to carry the precious moment and cement it to memory. So, that’s what Youngbae is doing. His gaze shifts down to the flowers and there’s a foggy haze over them, like the fireflies light keeps him from focusing. It all adds to the experience, making him feel like he’s stepped into some fairytale. And as he stays there, he notices the light peeking over the clouds. It’s almost morning? Youngbae stirs from his dreamlike state, noticing that the music has stopped, the fireflies gone. 

 

Before he has time to lament the absence of it all, he lets out a yawn and glances at his watch. It read 5:45am. He had some time to sleep before he had to go to work and face life. So, that’s what he does. Stumbling off towards the direction of his room, he realizes that he left the window up. He moans out loud, “Ugh.” He drags his feet back like a child, and closes the window, fixing the clasp. Nodding at no one in particular that it looked like a job well done, he walks towards his room once more. Oh, wait, the curtains, his mind reminds him, stopping him in his steps. He gazes back and sees how far the distance is. Eh, it’s fine, it’s just the yard view anyway, he thinks and shrugs his shoulders, reaching a quick conclusion. He enters his room and closes the door to sleep a couple of hours before he must leave. Hopefully, he’ll dream of last night’s otherworldly experience: his Midnight Lullaby. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A/N: Let me know what you think :) I've an idea of where this story will go, but it's still being played with. I'm still debating whether giving y'all a 'happy ending' or an 'unhappy ending' lol. Not sure how long it'll be either, so that's also up in the air. If you'd like music suggestions to listen to whilst reading, please let me know. I have several picks for this specific chapter as well as this overall story.

Live well,

Sol_Mundi