“Rookie boy group Idyllic disbanded.”

That’s the top article I found after searching, and the title couldn’t be clearer than that. The compact post explained that Idyllic, after just three months debuting, went their own ways because of their agency’s financial difficulties. There are five comments - two cold ‘what a shame’, two ‘never heard of them’ and one spam. None of them indicated they were from an actual fan.

I input the group and song name to the search bar, and clicked on the music video. It was the one they shot in our school. The first scene already makes me press my lips together hard. The guy I met in the storage room with his black leather outfit and thick eyeliner is seen wandering on the clouds (with hideous CGI) until he accidentally hears the band playing in the club. He descends (not so gracefully with the same terrible CGI) and after a series of awkward stares (and bad acting) from the other members, he joins the band and they jam together. So much for their 'Idyllic' name.

“My God, who okayed this.” I mutter as I click stop and take off my earphones. The song is forgettable, but that guy does have a nice voice. I can tell he's the main vocalist.

After meeting in the common space earlier, he introduced himself as Do Kyungsoo. Oh, so that's where he got his stage name, Soo, from. Everyone was curious about how or why he knew me, but he just smiled enigmatically. I also didn't feel like going into details so I just told them I met him once and escaped to the library, my current location.

Yebin soon joins me at my table and she's still eager to find out my relationship with Do Kyungsoo. "Are you possibly his fan?"

"What? No. I don’t even know who he is, except the fact that the group shot their music video here.”

“Haven’t you watched the music video? Others did when it was released, because our school was featured.”

“Everyone was laughing or mocking it while watching so I didn’t want to. I finally found out the reason.” I glance at the paused screen on my phone.

“Yeah. It was terrible.” Yebin forces a smile. “Are you going to the freshmen’s welcoming party?”

I tilt my head and rub the side of my face. “Will the seniors be there?”

“I guess so.” Yebin bobs her head. “Why?”

“I don’t feel like meeting Choi Buyong.” I exhale deeply. Yebin’s face goes flat, and leans back to the chair.

“He can be a handful sometimes, yeah.”

He’s our senior, now in his last year. Juniors detest him because he likes to order us around. Come to think of it, it was partially his fault that I got trapped with Do Kyungsoo in the storage room that time because he was the one who told me to get his forgotten assignment properties at school. I had no power to refuse as a freshman, but I don’t plan to be as weak this year.

I put my earphones into my bag with extra strength as I think about it. I hate to meet him, but I want to meet my friends after winter break. “I have my part time schedule this afternoon, actually. I’ll go if I finish early.” I told Yebin.

*

I end up going, partially because I feel quite hungry after my shift. As soon as I enter the exuberant restaurant, I spot Do Kyungsoo on the seniors’ table, beside Choi Buyong. Well, good luck with that.

Kyungsoo meets my eyes as I look for a seat, and he throws a smile at me. I give back a thin one, and rush to find a chair. I got one that’s quite near the wall, and safely fit in there.

Everyone is eating and drinking happily when Choi Buyong’s booming voice grabs our attention. “Kids! Listen! We have a celebrity going to our school!”

I look at their table, and the seniors are pushing Kyungsoo to stand up. Strangely he doesn’t look uncomfortable at all. Someone hands him a wireless mic, and he takes it. He ends up introducing himself, and ends it with “Please note that I’m not a celebrity anymore.”

“But they said you’re an idol!” someone from his table exclaims.

“I’m no longer an idol. The group has disbanded.”

“Why? Did you flop?” a senior shouts, and it gets silent.

Kyungsoo’s face remains bright.  “F***ing true. Have you seen a song landed on #3000 before?”

The place erupts into laughter. Kyungsoo smiles and he lifts the mic again. “You know, I shot the video at the campus. You know it, right? It has a little over a thousand views. Most of it is from paid ads, and the rest was probably all of you who were curious about how the school is featured.”

The laughs get louder, and Kyungsoo seems to enjoy the cheers and attention he’s getting. Someone raises their hand. “What was your position?”

Kyungsoo suddenly stops smiling. “Can’t you see from one glance? I’m obviously the visual.”

It gets loud again, and he grins. “Look at the music video! I was the only one with different styling.” he laughs, then clears his throat. “I’m kidding. I was the main vocalist.”

Everyone oohs, and a freshman next to me starts chanting “Sing a song! Sing a song!”

The chant becomes noisier, and Kyungsoo raises both of his hands. “Alright, alright. I’ll sing something.”

People start  applauding, and Kyungsoo looks at the ceiling, preparing himself.

He then starts a short rendition of Rewrite The Stars, and every single person in the room is enchanted. I have to admit, it’s beautiful. His raw voice is even better than what I heard in the music video.

Enthusiastic clapping fills the air as soon as he finishes singing. Buyong comes up to him and embraces his shoulder. “You might no longer be an idol, but you’re our idol in this school.”

The students cheer, and Kyungsoo and Buyong high-fived each other. I watch the entire scene quietly between all this noise. He’s already comfortable, huh?

The party continues and after I get enough drink and food, I go out for some fresh air. A few students are also outside smoking, and I go to a farther side to avoid the smell.

“Oh, it’s Min Anna.”

I turn around, and Do Kyungsoo is walking towards me with a smile. The way he says my name is tickling my ears in a strange way. His voice is still deep and rough, but sounds so much happier now. 

“...hello.”

“I’m glad to meet you again.”

For some reason I let out a laugh, and he grins. I notice his lips somehow form a heart when he’s smiling. That’s quite unique. I snap out of it, and cough once. "Why were you making such a fuss, looking for me? It's embarrassing." I lower my tone on the latter part.

Kyungsoo is heard chuckling. "You were the only one I knew. Along with Kang Jinseok. But I didn't know his name back then, I just remember him as the one who was accompanying us until the end of the shooting."

“How can you remember? It was months ago.”

“I remember names pretty well.” he says. “And…”

He suddenly takes out his phone, and I follow his every movement in silence. He’s typing something, then waiting for a few seconds. After a few scrolls, he holds out his arm, showing his phone screen. I take his phone, and it seems to be an interview for something.

 

Q:

You recently made your debut. What gave you the most strength during this period?

 

Soo:

During our debut music video shooting, someone gave me candy. She was not a fan, a staff, or someone I’ve known before. I guess the person could see that I was having a hard time (laughs). It left a lasting impression on me.

 

I stare at the screen,  re-reading the texts a few times. I feel something in my chest for a second. I slowly give him back the phone, and blink twice. “Really? Just because I gave you candy?”

“That was one of the toughest times of my life. Getting trapped in that room was in fact a chance to breathe for me.”

So I was right. He didn’t want to get out if he could. I exhale and shrug. “Well, it’s good that the candy helped.”

“You gave me peach candy. But I don’t see you as a peach candy person… More like strawberry or blueberry.” 

I squint my eyes. “Are you drunk?”

He smiles again, and shakes his head. There’s a stark difference in his eyes compared to back then - they were soulless and tired, now they look so alive and eager. He must be enjoying civilian life. "So how's school life?"

"It's literally my first day, excluding the orientation." Kyungsoo snickers. "I'll tell you later when I experience more. Or do you want to tell me things I need to be careful of?"

I turn to him, and I just realize he's closer than I thought. My eyes are fixated on his neck, and I take a step back. "I'll let time speak for itself."

Kyungsoo's lips curve into a smile. "Alright then, Senior."

"Don't, we're the same age."

His eyebrows slightly raise. “How did you know? Or did you possibly look it up online?”

“No. A friend told me.” I quickly answer.

The corners of his mouth turn up. "So what should I call you?"

I turn my head away and stare at the empty street in front of me. "Just... Anna."

"Okay, Anna." he cheerfully says. "Still, you've been studying here longer. Can I go to you if I need help on something?"

I face his direction again, and his round, big eyes are shining with anticipation. I try to stay still. "You can, I guess."

Kyungsoo nods, satisfied. “I’m looking forward to it.”

I furrow my eyebrows. Someone calls Kyungsoo, and he leaves me to join them. I stare at his back longer than I realize, and I divert my sight away. I can’t believe it’s because a damn candy.