As soon as you're surrounded by fresh air again, you take a deep breath and let it fill your lungs with the oxygen you're craving for, taking a look around the streets. The sun is still shining but it's windy now, so you have to keep streaks of hair from constantly fluttering through your sight field. The perfect weather, and if you hurry up, you can even make it to school only a little late so you won't miss too many lessons.
 

You open your bag and take out the bottle of soda as well as your cell phone to give your mother a call. She suggested fetching you when you're done because she knows how excited you sometimes get and that you need someone to talk to if that's the case. And since you can't really talk to Baekhyun right away, she is willing to sacrifice herself to your urge to talk – even though you're sure you won't be able to communicate a lot. Your fingers shake a little from how concentrated you were before and you're glad your cell phone knows quick dial.
 

While you have to wait for your mother to pick up the phone you gulp down a few mouthfuls of soda. The cool liquid seems to calm your heated body a little and you close your eyes at the relaxing effect, the sun shining upon your face, supporting your relaxation. 'Hello?' You open your eyes again. 'It's me, Minseo. I'm … done now, I guess', you respond, your mother laughing a little at the end of the phone. You can hear dishes clattering in the background; she must've been washing up. 'Give me ten minutes?', she asks and you happily agree. Ten minutes should be enough for you to calm down. 'I'll come pick you up at the bus station near the SM building', your mother announces, then you hang up on eachother. You turn your head to orientate yourself. The bus station is a little off the center of attention so it wouldn't be too difficult to find a parking spot.
 

You slowly walk over, trying to empty your mind for the time being and empty the bottle of soda at the same time. You lean against a street lamp right next to the bus station and cross your feet to get a little comfortable. There isn't anyone waiting for the bus right now but you don't really feel like sitting down since you're still too excitedly cheerful to let your body sink down to a level of satisfied dullness. You glance up at the many windows of the building ahead and wonder whether Baekhyun's still in there. Are they talking to him, giving him their opinions right after the audition? You blink into the sunlight that graces the building's contours – until someone steps in and ruins the view.
 

Taken aback by the sudden change of lightning you slightly furrow your eyebrows and look into the direction the shadow is coming from, right into Baekhyun's face. You jerk a little at the sight of him, his facial features contoured by the sun behind him. 'Hey', you greet him out of a reflex. He raises his brows a little. 'Hey', he says, and the smile on his face doesn't seem to be too deep. You in some air and breathe out heavily, almost like heaving a sigh before facing the ground a little guility. This obviously is the moment you actually wanted to delay.
 

'When did you find out?', Baekhyun asks bluntly without even trying to build up a conversation before getting to the heart of it. His straight-forwardness instantly kills your urge to joke the situation away like you normally would have. 'Last thursday', you admit directly, 'I walked past your practise room.' Baekhyun pouts a little, scanning your face. 'You could have talked to me about it instead of just showing up out of nowhere', he complains, making you avoid any eye contact again. Yes, of course you could have talked to him – if it hadn't been for his last sentences. You blink and bite your lower lip. 'I know', you say, and after a moment of silence following, you hear Baekhyun inhale sharply and resigned and you know he just understood what you mean. But he doesn't say anything.
 

After a moment, you lift your head. A light breeze makes your hair flutter and you pin it back behind your ear using your fingers. 'I'm your friend, you know', trying to explain your actions, 'there's not much chance that I'd be disappointed if you fail. Unless you fail to trust me.' Your heart bumps against your chest as you speak, because as much as you know the words you speak are the right ones, you're afraid they might not reach Baekhyun the way they are supposed to. But they do, as it seems. His chest heaves and then falls again. 'It's not a question of trust', he says hesistating, 'I was just … I don't know.' His dark, round puppy eyes face the ground now and the wind makes his hair dance around his faces, drawing fine lines on its features. This is just what you expected the conversation to be like.
 

'Yeah, me too, I guess', you joke half-heartedly, but he still smiles a little, making your heart beat faster. You know exactly why you came, but you can't put it in words. And just as you're about to say something else, Baekhyun looks up again, locking eyes with you, the corners of his mouth shaking a little insecurely. You're almost a little anxious to hear what he's obviously about to say so you take a tiny step backwards, your heel reaching the cold metal of the street lamp.
 

'I wanted to become better before telling you about it.' Your eyes widen a little and you tilt your head to one side, a questioning look on your face. He notices it and presses his lips together for a second before he continues. 'I … - I wanted to be able to impress you', he confesses, and you open your mouth in surprise, your lashes fluttering before your eyes. You're not too easily taken aback, but his words instantly unfold their effect on you. Impress you? He was scared you'd be disappointed because he thought he wasn't good enough to impress you yet? With your mouth still slightly opened, you mutter something along the lines of 'you're an idiot, Baekhyun.'
 

He frowns in response. 'Ah, what were you -?'
 

Before he can even finish, you take a step forward and place one of your hands on his chest, surprised at how clearly you can feel his heart beat through his shirt. 'You are an idiot, Byun Baekhyun', you repeat your words, pointing out every single one. He grimaces dumbfounded. 'How am I an idiot?', he asks his counter question fiercely, standing up straight against your hand so you're even a little closer.
 

'You're keeping your talent a secret from me because you think it's not perfect enough to impress me? How did that even cross your mind? Have I ever complained about ... like, your crappy Super Mario Cart skills?', you hiss.
 

Baekhyun furrows his brows a little. 'You can't compare that. You always talk about all these boygroups and about how you love their voices, but they sound so different from what I sound like', he justifies his keeping things a secret from you, 'so I wanted to know that I was qualified to be a member of a boygroup as well before letting you hear it.' Even though you want to be mad at him, you feel a certain warmth grow in your cheeks, soon taking over your entire face and you have to look away in the end. The things he's saying hardly fit into your head and you have trouble getting through to his point.
 

'S- so you …'
 

'Yes. I guess I was afraid you wouldn't like my voice but I wanted you to like it.' He breathes out sharply and you feel some air getting stuck in your lungs but you refuse to cough it out. Instead you open your mouth yourself.
 

'I nearly cried when I heard you sing, you know that? I was sitting behind the door, praying you wouldn't notice me because I didn't want you to stop singing.' You exhale. 'Ever.' Baekhyun blushes as well, and you're sure that the two of you must seem pretty lost in reverie to those walking by. He raises his arm to run his fingers over the back of his neck, looking up at the sky. 'Stop it', he begs. Obviously he wasn't prepared to hear these things from you, but so weren't you. He has the right to know your thoughts just like you know his now and actually you plan on telling him every single one. But when he begs for release, you still laugh. 'Only if you promise never to keep me in the dark about your singing or any other talent again', you demand, half joking, half serious.
 

He raises his both his hands in surrender. 'I promise', he says, and when you're just about to nod satisfied, he continues, 'but only if you promise to listen to what I have to say next.' You raise your eyebrows.