LACRIMOSA

For a few seconds, Jonghyun stood frozen in the entrance of the church, trying to understand his sudden hesitance to enter. With his black band hoodie, eyeliner, piercings and the messy hair that he considered his most prominent feature, he almost felt unworthy of walking the marble floors that spread beneath his feet.

Was it the sudden drop in temperature that made him shiver or something completely different? He wasn't sure and didn't have the capacity to think about it either, his brain too busy evaluating what his senses were registering.

In awe at the medieval architecture, his eyes followed the pillars up to the high, arching ceiling that was covered in images, painted by the great masters that lived in this city centuries ago. They were lit by warm light from invisible spotlights and the residue daylight that made it through the stained-glass windows, creating an atmosphere so completely different from anything he knew.

He only regained his senses when someone walked past him with a huff, reaching for a small leaflet available free of charge on a table next to the entrance. Now looking around on eye level, Jonghyun noticed that most people were already seated on the countless wooden benches, reading the leaflet or chatting with their company.

Was he supposed to take one too? He was unsure, but found himself searching for his seat with his hands tightly gripping onto one of these small leaflets as if his life depended on it.   

Between all the posh looking European people, he definitely stuck out; and for the first time since high school, he wasn’t comfortable in his own skin, suddenly wishing he had dressed up a little more.

Right when he finally found his assigned row and squeezed himself past some, already sitting, elderly people, everyone started clapping - indicating that something was happening. Despite not yet knowing what was going on, Jonghyun just joined them in doing so while sitting down on the wooden bench.

With furrowed eyebrows he had to realise, that he didn’t have a particularly good view of the stage, a huge, intricately decorated pillar covering the right half of it almost completely. This was a very unfitted place for concerts, he though, why were concerts even held in a place like this when on at least half of the seats the stage was barely visible? The bench was uncomfortable too – and he hadn’t even been sitting on it for two minutes.            

Next to him sat a middle-aged woman who was reading in the leaflet and an elderly man who mustered him with squinted eyes. It made him wonder if it had been a good decision to come. He didn’t belong here.

It was almost painfully obvious how misplaced he was.

But leaving wasn’t an option, feeling up the envelope he carried in the pouch of his hoodie.

He had promised to return the favour. He had promised to be here tonight.

“Wait outside the venue after the concert. There is an old tree right next the exit closest to the stage. I will find you there.”

Jonghyun had wrongly expected it would be easy to find him.

But as he watched with wide eyes as a sheer never-ending stream of people dressed in black formal wear entered the stage, he had to realize that finding Kim Kibum after the show would be anything but easy.

Jonghyun could feel his palms burning up from applauding, letting his gaze wander to see if anyone else had stopped clapping - which wasn't the case.

How much longer was this going to take?

Everyone around him seemed to have no troubles applauding for solid five minutes until, finally, the conductor walked up on stage, marking the end of their entrance with a deep bow. Jonghyun wouldn’t admit it, but he had been exhausted by minute two, palms tingling from the blood rushing through his fingers.

Throughout the entrance of the musicians, Jonghyun tried to find the beautiful man he had met in a café just this afternoon but with no luck. Kim Kibum was nowhere in sight and Jonghyun started to wonder if he had been pranked. Then again, why would the other just carry around random concert tickets?

It had been him who approached the raven-haired male, so it couldn’t be a scheme. Could it?

While he was reassuring himself that the possibility of being pranked was very low, the applause quieted down and was replaced by instruments playing weird progressions, Jonghyun eyebrows furrowing into a sceptical frown while he was trying to make sense of what he was hearing.

The embarrassment he felt upon realizing that they were simply tuning their instruments made him blush, and he prayed to God – as it was appropriate for the location – that no one had seen his confused expression.

The air inside the monumental interior of the church was tingling in anticipation when silence spread over them, completely engulfing every single person until you could have heard a needle drop on the marble floor.

Jonghyun stopped breathing, afraid of breaking the silence that seemed so fragile but so powerful.

The silence was majestic. Created by the conscious decision of hundreds of people.

People anticipating the first notes of a piece older than every single one of them.

It was as if the air was pulsing and Jonghyun couldn’t explain why his blood started rushing through his body.

Maybe it was minutes, maybe it was just a split second, but the moment the conductor’s arms moved together gracefully, and the soft sound of strings broke through the silence, Jonghyun barely remembering it.

The vast space that had been empty was suddenly filled with sound that made the hair on his arms stand up and send a shiver run down his spine.

It built up slowly and despite being considerably quiet, it completely filled out the medieval church, gentle vibrations of the sound being amplified by the stone walls and brought to their ears.

Maybe there was a good reason why the concert was held here after all.

A few minutes into the piece, Jonghyun didn’t know any longer if it was the music that was so great, so alive, or if the silence leading up to it had just been so empty that in comparison anything seemed overwhelmingly full.

While the music quieted down again, Jonghyun felt his thoughts travel to the encounter earlier that day that had led him here, the soft melody played by the uncountable instruments letting him drift off into his mind.           

Jonghyun had been sitting in the outside seating area of a café at one of the main squares of Vienna’s old town, writing lyrics for a new song when they crossed paths.           

His band mates had wanted to go shopping, an activity Jonghyun most definitely didn’t feel like taking part in. He had chosen a cute place right in the middle of the pulsing life of the old town centre, ordering a Cappuccino that was topped off with cacao powder painting the image of an angel.

He was observing the people who were passing by, fully immersing himself in the experience of sitting in midst of countless Europeans who were living their daily lives in a far less stressed manner than he was used to experience in Seoul.

Tough there were many people around and there was a lot going on, no one seemed to be in a rush. People were talking to each other, reading books in the café, meeting up with friends and the occasional tourist was taking picture of the countless historical buildings that surrounded them.

It was a strange experience, one that provoked many thoughts, making him wonder if there wasn’t something to learn from this.  

The words almost formed themselves, Jonghyun merely moving his hand to put them to paper as they were forming in his head.

Working until our souls witter
Running until our bodies break
Studying until our minds crumble   
Hiding until our hearts explode
To ensure a better future they said -
But haven’t we stopped living        
Somewhere along the way  
Somewhere along the way
 

He bit back a tear of frustration. Closing his eyes for a few seconds to collect himself.

Sometimes he wished he could start anew. Live a different life, one that was less heavy, less full.

He craved emptiness.

He craved emptiness because emptiness could be filled.

Every minute of the day
Every second serves a purpose
Every hour is planned out
serves a purpose      
The purpose to build a better life?  
But haven’t we stopped living        
Somewhere along the way  
Somewhere along the way

Give me a break
Let me breathe
Give me silence
Let me hear
Give me emptiness that I can f-----
 

A voice broke through his thoughts and Jonghyun lifted his head, the pen scratching over the surface of the paper of his notebook, leaving the last line incomplete. 

The voice belonged to a young man at the next table, his words easy for Jonghyun to understand as they were spoken in Korean. Pale, slender hands held a phone against his ear, his fingers disappearing in the deep black hair that framed his strong features softly creating the sort of contrast that Jonghyun only knew from poetry.

He was beautiful.

Jonghyun wasn’t someone who usually stared at strangers, but he couldn’t help but feel a strange pull towards the other man who – judging from his wording – seemed to be from Daegu. There was something about the way he sat on his chair, legs crossed, relaxed against the back of it, that entranced him.

The phone call lasted for a few minutes, The stranger casually drinking his coffee while talking to the person on the other end and Jonghyun barely understood a word he was saying, too busy watching him off the residing foam on his lips upon placing down his cup of coffee.

“You’re Korean?” Jonghyun blurted out without thinking when the stranger finally hung up the phone and he immediately groaned inwardly at his obvious statement.

The beautiful man tilted his head for a second, mustering Jonghyun with his fox-like eyes in a way that made the latter shudder before the corners of his lips pulled upwards just ever so slightly.

“Yeah. I am.” He replied as if it wasn’t obvious, gaze still lingering on Jonghyun’s face, leaving him speechless for a few seconds.

“That’s dope!” Jonghyun answered, hoping to overcome the sudden awkward silence. “I am here on tour with my band! Name’s Kim Jonghyun born in 1990. What are you doing in Vienna?”

“Kim Kibum. ‘91” the younger replied, seemingly calculating every single one of his words. “I work here.”

Jonghyun was suddenly painfully aware of the distance between them, and once again his mouth was faster than his brain, blurting out the second advance that afternoon:

“Do you mind if I join you?”

Kibum wordlessly gestured to the free seat across from him with a small nod and Jonghyun was happy to take the invitation, taking his things with him.

“You said you work here?” Jonghyun tried to start a conversation, hoping not to come across as weird.

“I am a singer. What are you writing?” Kibum replied upon setting his eyes on the worn-out notebook in Jonghyun’s hands.

“Oh… uhm… It’s just some lyrics I’ve been working on. Not much. You’re a singer too? That’s dope.” Jonghyun said, pushing the notebook to the corner of the table.

“Can I look?”

“Huh?” Jonghyun replied, completely puzzled. What was happening?

“At the lyrics.” Kibum’s way of speaking was clear, calculated and Jonghyun’s eyes widened upon realising that he would agree to anything the other asked of him.

“They are not finished at all. I… I am not sure if it is even worth reading… “

“That’s for me to decide, isn’t it?” The raven-haired male replied, making Jonghyun’s hands act on their own will, handing the notebook over, opened on the newest page.

He could feel his heart beating up to his throat, blood rushing through his veins while Kibum read over the lines he wrote just minutes ago, the latter’s gaze softening with every word he read.

Lips pulled into a tight line, a sad smile and Jonghyun could have sworn that the beautiful stranger blinked for a split second too long.

“I… It’s nothing special… It’s just a first draft…” Jonghyun broke through the silence that was already filled with the busy life around them.

“It’s good.” Kibum interrupted, not taking his eyes of the notebook for one more second until he continued: “It’s honest, real.”

Their eyes met and at that instant, Jonghyun knew that the other was struggling – just as he was.   

“I have a concert tonight. I would like for you to be there.” Kibum said out of nowhere and Jonghyun almost didn’t believe his ears. His eyes widened immediately.

“Concert? Huh? Me? Why? I mean… I would like to come. You don’t know me though. Like uhm… I could be a creep?” Jonghyun rambled before collecting himself, trying to appear more confident than he was. “And what makes me think I even want to go?”            

A chuckle escaped Kibum’s throat, the laughter reaching his eyes this time and Jonghyun realised that he was already in this a little deeper than he would have liked. He barely knew the man, but Kim Kibum could tell him to jump of a bridge and the chances that he would do it were high.

“What’s so funny?” He tried to re-establish his honour.

“You’re cute.” Kibum replied, the breath-taking smile still on his lips making Jonghyun wonder if he was actually dreaming. “It starts at eight.”

“Where?” Jonghyun replied, knowing that it was no use in playing hard to get. Kim Kibum held him in the palm of his hand, and he knew it.

“Do you have your phone on you?” Kibum had said and unlocked his own, looking for something.

“Of course.”

“Take a picture of this QR-code and show it at the entrance – the location and your seat are right below. Should get you inside easily. If not, tell them Kibum Kim invited you.”

Jonghyun did as he was told, taking a picture of the QR code on Kibum’s phone screen with trembling hands. He wasn’t usually this nervous around other people – but that didn’t matter because the other was clearly noticing how nervous he was.

As abruptly as their encounter had started, as abruptly it also ended, Kibum being picked up by a blonde woman who mustered Jonghyun with a frown on her face.

“Wait!” Jonghyun blurted out when the raven-haired male was getting up from his seat, making the latter halt in his movements.

“Huh?”

“Are you free on Friday? We’ll be playing at the Chelsea.” He shot his shot, his ice-cold fingers nervously fidgeting underneath the table.

“Wait outside the venue after the concert. There is an old tree right next the exit closest to the stage. I will find you there.” Kim Kibum simply replied, and then walked away by the blonde woman's side, his steps confident but surprisingly light, leaving Jonghyun with wide smile on his face and a racing heart at the table of a small café in the middle of Vienna's old town.

The harmonies resolved perfectly, and the notes faded into silence.

Immediately, Jonghyun brought his palms together to applaud for the orchestra and the choir - One single, embarrassingly loud clap filling the completely quiet church.

Several heads turned towards him and Jonghyun felt his face burning up. Was he not supposed to clap? Everyone had seemed so enthusiastic about applause before the concert even started, and now, after they had actually played music no one seemed to care?

With blood rushing through his ears, he pulled up his hood, wondering if he really should have come.

All those thoughts were washed away when he saw Kim Kibum walking onto the stage, holding a folder with sheet music in his hand, wearing an expensive looking suit and a thin bow around his neck.       

He looked jaw-droppingly beautiful with his hair styled up, the elegance Jonghyun had sensed in the café this afternoon seemingly oozing out of every part of the singer’s body. He was carrying himself  in a way that Jonghyun only knew from princes in historical movies. But it was the moment in which he finally he opened his mouth to sing, when Jonghyun officially knew that he was done for. His body bent forward, hoping that the few centimetres would give him a better view as he was engulfed by the vibrations of Kibum's projecting voice.

There was no microphone, but his’s voice was so full, so rich and so loud that it filled the whole church, carried through the air on top of the orchestra, making their incredible proficiency almost pale in comparison.

With wide eyes, not daring to move, Jonghyun watched the man he had met this afternoon sing verses in a language he couldn’t identify and even less understand.            

It wasn’t supposed to hit him this hard.       

He had always been someone who valued the lyrics of a song more than the actual composition, but there he was, not understanding a single word and being moved to tears - tears that he quickly wiped away with the sleeve of his hoodie, hoping that his make-up wasn’t all messed up.

The concert continued, not a single person disrupting the silence that existed in between the different parts of the composition. Sitting there in complete silence, he was reminded of a lyric in a Daft Punk song.

“The perfect song is framed with silence
It speaks of places never seen”

Jonghyun felt himself carried into an emotional and psychological place of his mind that he hadn’t found himself in before. The silence accessed a part of him that felt foreign and during the first few occurrences he was uncomfortable.

That was, until it finally clicked.

Give me silence
Let me hear  
Give me emptiness that I can fill

That’s why Kibum invited him. The words he had written this afternoon, more on a whim than anything else, Kibum knew. And he had invited him to let him experience it.  

The silence he was surrounded with right now was fundamentally different than the silence he had imagined when writing those words.

It was a conscious silence. Several hundred people were consciously deciding to stay quiet, filling the space around them with a kind of silence that was unlike anything Jonghyun had experienced before.

Before, it had been foreign and slightly uncomfortable, his instinct to applaud – to fill the silence – almost eating him up. But now, he found himself looking forward to it – the silence enabled him to enjoy the aftertaste of the music, vibrations resonating inside of him – taking him to places that have never been seen. Enabling thoughts and the kind of imagination that Jonghyun had been craving for.

It was magical, and the fact that he was experiencing this magic alongside hundreds of people he will never see again, in a place that had been built centuries ago through music that was written before any of these people was born, left the young man from Seoul breathless.

It was becoming physically straining to sit still on those hard benches after as short as twenty minutes, and to be quite honest, Jonghyun had no idea how long this was going to go on.

But did time really matter?   

Kim Kibum gave him what he wished for. And he-

- he recognised a melody.

How was this possible? He didn’t know anything about classical music, had never actively listened to any piece in his life. How could he recognise a motif?

It hadn’t been more than three seconds, just a tiny section of a sheer never-ending concert.

“Lacrimosa”

Was that what the choir sung?

Jonghyun’s brows furrowed, his head trying to put a finger on where he could have heard it before.

It built up a second time – there it was again, the familiar phrase; but before Jonghyun was able to make sense of it, it returned to silence.

The familiar part was over, the fullness replaced by nothing, a big vast nothing, leaving Jonghyun wanting more – needing more.

Silence.

A more ominous feeling filled the church when the choir was opening the next section of the concert; with incredible vigour the women and the men seemed to be talking to each other. And then, finally, they were joined by all soloists on stage, the four of them singing over each other that it seemed almost disorganised.

Jonghyun knew it was not. He knew that everything was intentional. He should listen to everything as a whole but he was unable to take his eyes of Kim Kibum whose voice was projecting on top of everyone else’s.

Jonghyun wasn’t familiar with this genre of singing but even he could tell that he was good. He was very good. If he wasn’t, he surely wouldn’t be given the opportunity to sing in this concert.

In fact, everyone was good. A master at what they did but Jonghyun couldn’t help but long to see Kibum on stage more often.

Sadly, big parts of the concert were performed by the orchestra and the choir. Kibum just returned to the stage twice more and then, after an especially bombastic choir segment, the following silence persisted.

Jonghyun waited for the next section to begin but the conductor stayed still, arms high in the air and this head thrown back.

He could feel his heart beating in his chest, the silence around them seemingly indestructible until someone broke it, thunderous applause echoing off the cold stone walls within seconds.

Jonghyun shot up from his seat, shouting over the applause without another though:

“GET IT KIM KIBUM YAAAS! WOOHOO!!” followed by well-rehearsed whistling, which, on a second thought, was very out of place and he immediately was painfully aware of the stares that were digging into his frame from all directions.

He did though, notice the small, amused, pull on the corner of Kibum’s lips, the other had clearly heard him. Which wasn’t a surprise because no one beside him was screaming their lungs out.

To his surprise, other people followed his example, standing up from their seats, the middle-aged woman next to him being the first to join. She was looking at him with a warm, slightly amused gaze and Jonghyun smiled hesitantly, glad that her reaction was encouraging instead of judging.

Compared to the applause after the concert, the one leading up to it almost seemed insignificantly short and quiet.

Jonghyun had lost track of how many times musicians walked off the stage, only to return again and bow before the audience while the audience applauded them with incredible vigour. And he had most definitely lost track of how many bouquets had been given out.

All he really cared about was seeing Kim Kibum with his arms full of flowers and a bright smile on his face as he was shaking hands with the conductor and bowed to the audience.

While performing with his band, he had always been unsure if standing on stage was what he was meant to do, but if there was one thing that he was sure about, it was that Kibum was born to be on stage. He was meant to do this. Jonghyun couldn’t remember the last time he saw someone glowing like this. It was especially surprising to see him like this after their encounter in the café where the younger had seemed rather reserved.

As he watched the other shine, Jonghyun was standing there amongst the masses, his hands burning, tingling, aching from sitting on that hard bench, wondering if he shouldn’t just leave.

This was Kibum’s world, and he didn’t belong in it. He was even ashamed of handing over the concert ticket that felt heavy inside of his hoodie’s pouch. There was no way they could compare to this.

After what felt like eternity, everyone had walked off the stage and people around him started speaking, packing up their things to leave.

To his surprise, the middle-aged woman next to him tapped his shoulder, saying something in what he guessed to be German.

“Sorry… No German…” He said in broken English, scratching his head.

“Ah no problem, I can speak English just fine! Is it your first time? Did you enjoy it?”

“Uhhm…” Jonghyun really wished he would have studied English harder. “First time?”

“Yes, seeing Mozart’s Requiem in concert? Have you been to a classical concert before?”

“Ah, Yes. I… First time. Yes.” Jonghyun rambled and the woman smiled at him, getting ready to leave.

“Did you enjoy it?” she asked and Jonghyun held up a thumb.

“It is nice!”

“I am glad. Mozart’s Requiem is really something else, especially when you experience it in the very walls where it was first performed in 1793. It is magical, isn’t it?”

Jonghyun understood only fragments of what the woman said but it didn’t matter - he simply nodded and soon enough they were walking towards the exit together and she asked another question.

“I recon you know Kibum Kim?”

“I know. Yes.” Jonghyun replied, following the slow stream of people outside.     

“He is a wonderful tenor. One of the greatest young talents that have come to Vienna in the past decade. To hear him live in concert really is a privilege.” She sighed, looking at Jonghyun as if she was expecting him to say something.

“Uhm… sorry?” The latter replied, scratching his neck again, ashamed he couldn't follow what she was saying.

“Kibum Kim is a great” she held her thumbs up “great singer.”

“Oh yes!! He is great singer.” Jonghyun agreed and they finally made it out of the church, people standing in small groups, talking, probably waiting for the musicians and singers who were coming out of a different door.

“I hope you have a good stay in Vienna.” The woman said and Jonghyun bowed.

“Thank you. Have good evening!” he replied before looking around to locate the tree Kibum had been talking about.

Standing there amongst hundreds of people who all seemed to know each other, Jonghyun once more felt misplaced. His hands in his pockets, hoodie over his head, he watched his feet as he kicked around the small pebbles that covered the floor, wanting to disappear.

He didn’t know anyone, didn’t understand what people were talking about and was starting to think that Kibum had forgotten about him as the time progressed and it was getting less crowded. He was close to leaving without seeing him, when, in the corner of his vision he saw someone walking towards him, carrying an incredible amount of flowers in their arms.

Upon turning his head, Jonghyun’s gaze met with Kibum’s, and he could feel his lips pulling into a shy involuntary smile. Immediately, he removed the hood of his head, running his fingers through his hair while Kibum was approached by a handful of people on his way over.

It was obvious that the other was keeping the interactions short, but it accumulated to several minutes that Jonghyun just awkwardly remained in his spot underneath the tree, waiting for Kibum to come over because it wasn’t his place intervene.

“Sorry for making you wait.” The raven-haired male’s voice pulled Jonghyun out of his thoughts.

“Don’t worry about it. I am sure many people want to talk to you.” The older replied before Kibum pushed the whole bunch of flowers into his arms, making his eyes widen in surprise.

“Hold these. My arms are dying.” Kibum groaned, shaking said arms while Jonghyun stared at him in disbelief. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Sorry…” Jonghyun said, feeling his cheeks heat up.

"How did you like it?" The younger asked sincerely and Jonghyun blinked at him a few times, overwhelmed by the smell of the flowers right beneath his face.

"It was unlike anything I have ever experienced." He replied truthfully, feeling an itch in his nose."It was kinda sad but also touching and beautiful! I can't really explain it. Sorry."

"Don't apologize. That's exactly what is intended with a piece like this. A Requiem is actually a Mass for the dead, written to be performed at funerals. It's praising life, what comes after, the lord and the heavens while mourning their passing."

"OH!" Jonghyun exclaimed scrunching his nose to keep himself from sneezing. ", did someone die? ...  I didn't know, I wouldn't have been disrespectful in the end if I knew oh my god I am so sorry." His eyes were wide in realisation.

There was a short moment of silence, Kibum's lips tightly pressing together before he finally released the chuckle he had been trying to hold back. "You have nothing to worry about. It might have been written as a mass for the dead but this is Mozart's Requiem, one of the most renowned pieces of classical composition, it is performed in regular concerts all over the world."

Jonghyun interrupted the younger's speech with a loud sneeze he couldn't hold back any longer.

"Oh gosh sorry." Jonghyun rambled, blushing hard - both hands occupied as he was holding the flowers.

This wasn't going the way he wanted it to go at all. Another sneeze.

"Are you allergic to flowers?"

"Not sure to be honest I've never had this many in my arms." Jonghyun said, eyes watering.

Kibum shook his arms one last time before taking the flowers back into his own arms, brushing Jonghyun's in the process.

Jonghyun was about to say something when another man walked over, engaging Kibum in a short conversation in English. He could barely understand what they were talking about but immediately averted his gaze, his hands pushed back into the pockets of his pants.

"Why are you standing there like that?" Kibum said right as the man left.

“Sorry, I just feel really out of place. Like throughout it all.” the older admitted with a shrug.

“Stop apologizing already. Music is for everyone. You belong here just like everyone else.” The younger said, taking the flowers back into his own arms, brushing Jonghyun’s in the process.

“Now stand up straight.” Kibum continued, nodding in his direction. “Good.”

“I am not a dog.” Jonghyun complained and the raven-haired male chuckled.

“I am aware of that.” The smirk on Kibum’s lips was worth the embarrassment and Jonghyun pulled the concert ticket he had brought out of his pouch.

“Here.” He said, holding it out. “As promised. Don’t expect too much though – we don’t come close to this. We are just a few friends having fun on stage. Like… you probably won’t like –“

“Put the ticket in the bouquet.” Kibum interrupted. “I’ll be there.”

“Uhm… alright… yeah.” Jonghyun stammered as he put the envelope into the bouquet, hoping it won’t fall out on his way home.

“Kibum!” A female voice interrupted their interaction. “Kommst du?”

“Ja, gleich!” Kibum replied, leaving Jonghyun puzzled.

“You speak German?” he asked.

“Not well. Picked up a few things here and there.” The raven-haired male chuckled. “I have to go now. Thank you for coming and I’ll see you on Friday?”

“Yeah.” Jonghyun mumbled, a little disappointed that the other was already leaving. He hadn’t even told him how amazing he had been tonight – then again, he had probably heard it countless times already, what worth did repeating it again even have?

“Get home safely - Kim Jonghyun.” Kibum said, bowing his head ever so slightly, Jonghyun reciprocating it immediately.

“You too.” He said and then, Kim Kibum already turned around, walking away as if their interaction had never happened.

“YO! KIBUM!” Jonghyun had no idea what overcame him but the younger turned around, their gazes meeting once more. “YOU ARE A WONDERFUL SINGER!”

This time, Jonghyun barely cared about the looks he received, the warm smile playing around Kibum’s lips being all that mattered. The latter slowly closed his eyes and nodded at him, expressing his gratitude, confidence in his stance.

Jonghyun watched as Kim Kibum disappeared into the twilight of the ending day, walking off by the blonde soprano’s side and took a deep breath before walking the other way - hoping that the younger would stand by his word.

A/N

I hope you enjoyed this!!
I finally managed to complete a Jongkey story - even if it is as short as this one.

if you liked it I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!!

the second encounter, you have to imagine yourself so sorry.

xx