They love him.
 

You smile to yourself as you glance back at the judges sitting there, listening to Baekhyun sing. His voice pierces the silence in a way that makes your hands tremble so you have to be careful not to let them slide off the keys. If he is nervous or upset in any way, he's good at not letting it show, and you're not surprised. He has always been good at hiding what he felt, even though he allows himself to be honest with you – normally. You shiver as he hits one of the high notes in the song and press the keys a little lighter so his voice would stand out more than it automatically does.
 

Of course they love him. He has a look on his face that tells everyone that he cares to succeed but that isn't greedy or sullen. You focus on the sheets most of the time, but whenever you can afford to look at him, he is facing the invisible someone he's singing to with a certain seriousness in his dark eyes, but the corners of his mouth are always slightly curled upwards. That's the Baekhyun you know, and you're glad the judges leading the audition get to know him as well.
 

He effortlessly fills the room with his mere presence, his voice softly echoing from the walls, spreading around everyone in a comforting way. The morning light that shines through the windows underlines his slight gesturing as it highlights the contours of his body. Everything is perfect, and even though you know he isn't exactly stoked about your showing up, seeing him perform so smoothly makes your heart beat faster, and when the song ends, you feel like playing it again just so he would raise his voice anew. But instead you fold your hands in your lap until his voice has faded, then you get up from the piano chair, quickly collecting your sheets and letting them fall into your bag again.
 

'Thank you, Minseo-sshi. You're a great pianist', one of the judges gives you credit, and you smile at him, bowing politely and thankfully. 'Thank you for letting me rush in', you say, then you nod at eachother and you leave. You purposely don't look at Baekhyun one more time, knowing that he is already stressed enough. You close the door behind you and shuffle down the stairs, avoiding the elevator again. The masses of contestants seem to have grown with people sitting everywhere now, and the receptionist looks pretty occupied by her job. You slightly wave at her before stepping out of the building – the air is thick enough even without you.