The doors slid open when I neared. The familiar smell of my company filled my nose, I quickly stepped in the elevator, pressing the button to the third floor, which held the composition rooms. My talk with Hye Sung cleared a lot of my mind, and I decided to start with the beginning. As soon as I entered my usual room here, I unpacked my laptop and music sheets. Searching through my map of work, I found the paper I was looking for I the back. While I readied the recording room, I pressed the play button on my laptop to listen to the last and first time I had recorded this particular song. While I heard the music, I read the paper. It was just a draft of the song that was being created in my mind while I was listening to it. But there was a beginning.

At least the next two to three hours I spend in the recording room, adjusting the melody until I was completely content with it. I stretched my arms and rolled the muscles of my back and neck. I grabbed a pencil, and while I put the song on automatic replay I closed my eyes and listened. The words which popped in my mind I wrote down, and after about hearing the song play for the fourth time the whole paper was filled with simple thoughts. Next step was to sort out the individual words in groups of subject, and to cross out irrelevant words. When I was finished I had pinned down the essence of the song pretty well. The main subject I wanted to tell was about a girl who was hopelessly in love with someone who wasn’t hers. About the irony of being loved, but not by the one person most important. I sighed, but instead of the tired or sad sigh, this was one of full content.

I decided to grab a cup of coffee, and I strolled down the hall. Since it had already been noon when I met Hye Sung it should probably be very late at night right now, but since most people practiced till late it was impossible to read the time from that. The rooms were crowded, and the halls were busy. While I strolled down the hall I took my time to observe the rooms I passed. There were not only recording rooms in this part of the building, also the smaller dance practice rooms were located here, mainly used by soloists or trainees who followed extra schedules. I had reached the coffee machine and was sipping my double espresso while I walked back to my room. I was feeling great, less stressed and happier too, just because I had made up my mind about how to handle the situation. It amazed me to realize how heavy it had burdened me when the feeling was lifted from my shoulders.

The next time I looked at the clock I realized it was five in the morning. I was shocked, this wasn’t the first all-nighter, but certainly the easiest. Except for the multiple empty cups of espresso the room was still clean, no food wrappings, no blankets. Also this had been one of the easier projects. Most of the exercises Yongguk had given me required me to place myself in a role. This time that wasn’t necessary, it was my role already. I blew the remaining’s of the eraser from the paper, and read it critically, slightly nodding as I progressed through the lyrics. At the bridge there was a part which made me frown, but I would just have to test it out, and look for a different wording.

Stretching my frozen muscles as I stood, I was wondering if I should grab a quick bite at the cafeteria down stairs. It would be very quiet at this time, but that was even better. I grabbed my coat and phone and locked the room behind me. The walk to the cafeteria didn’t take very long. It was located on the ground floor, but west from the entrance, the furthest away. They probably didn’t want the rich businessman to see the personals cafeteria. ‘Cause that’s what we are in the end, just income for the company. These thought probably came from the lack of sleep, I never though bad of my superiors. Not when they had offered me this big chance, they housed me, fed me and even paid my tutoring. I had absolutely nothing to complain about, but I just couldn’t shake the thought of cows being milked…

I reached the cafeteria, and I grabbed a bowl of cornflakes and another coffee. I had lost count of the amount of cups I had had last night. It gave me such a homey feeling, cornflakes and sweet milky coffee. I allowed myself to relax a bit. Just like I had expected, that cafeteria was almost empty. Only a few trainees were sitting together at one large table, and they seemed exhausted, but still managed to talk brightly with each other, a smile of nostalgia formed on my face as I though back to all the all-nighters we had pulled through together during our trainee days. It was rare to see a debuted artist pull an all-nighter at the company. Most of the time they rushed to shows and rushed to the next practice. You sure didn’t see them eating breakfast comfortably in the company cafeteria, I indeed gained a few stared, but no one talked to me, and for once I didn’t mind eating alone. I enjoyed my break on my own before standing to throw away the leftovers and head back to the recording room. Playing with the thought of recording the song with my voice, just to see if the arrangement fit, when I was interrupted. The same way he had offered to give me vocal lessons he appeared right now, when I needed him the most.

“Lian!” I threw out my leftovers and piled the dish when he yelled my name from the door. Like I got struck by lightning I turned around, he had grown taller and leaner since the last time I had really seen him walk. He seemed more confident and comfortable with himself. “Hi, Baekhyun.” He smiled wide, showing him gums. “What are you doing here so early?” He asked me, walking to the elevator with me. “I could ask you the same,” I smiled, looking up, “you’d better ask what I’m doing here so late.” He looked down at me, studying my face. “You look a bit pale, are you taking enough care of your body? You know what mister Kim says right.” I chuckled, and made a voice imitating the one of our health trainer, and also our cardio trainer. “Your body is your income take good care f it, yes I remember.” He looked down again, pushing the button to the third floor, like he had guessed where I had been practicing, though it wasn’t that hard to guess.

“So why are you so early?” He looked at the display reading the floors, 1…2…Ding! We reached the third floor and stepped out, I glanced at his face. “I wanted to practice the chorography before the others arrived.” He pulled a painful smile, “I can’t keep up.” I nodded, if you looked at it like this we were exact opposites. He was good in singing, great voice great feeling, but lack off dance rhythm. And on the other side me, beautiful dancer, good feeling for chorography, but lack of vocal range and emotions. I clapped in my hands, he looked down, with his eye brows raised. “I have an idea.”  I smiled at him, “how about you help me with my latest song, and I agree to help you with your dance, for say three weeks. That should be enough to let you catch up with the rest, if not surpass them.” He looked at me for a moment and smirked, “You are joking” I felt a blush heath my face, offended I replied, “Why would I?” He eyes me suspiciously, “What exactly do you want me to do?” I smiled, I had gained his interest, this would be a piece of cake. “I’ll show you.” I told him while I opened the door.

He sat there for a moment after the instrumental was finished, then he asked me to replay it and he stared at the wall in front of him, deep in thought. When I had replayed the song for the fourth time I stopped the music and looked at him. “You will you help me?” He looked up, “It’s not really helping right? We are more like collaborating… Are you going to officially release the song?” I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m not sure yet, maybe if it turns out well.” I looked away uncomfortably, “I didn’t write it to sell. I wrote it to express my feelings.” I felt him stare at me, I had never really talked about relationships with him, and it felt weird to discuss my feelings with one of my best guy friends. Luckily he didn’t ask any questions about the theme or lyrics of the song, instead he reread them and nodded a few times. “The lyrics seem to match the song, could you explain to me how you imagined the song to be arranged?” I thought for a moment, and there was a silence, though it wasn’t a uncomfortable one. “I think I would like to keep it simple and mainly acoustic.” I thought for another moment, getting a new idea, “Instead of you singing it alone, I think it would fit best if it was a duet.” I eyed his face, while he pondered my idea. He nodded a few times, “I also think that would be best.” He smiled widely as he looked up, “Let’s get started then.”

It was about lunch time when we had finished arranging the last details and finished practicing. Right now I was sitting on the recording side of the glass, and Baekhyun was standing on the other side next to the microphone, holding the paper with lyrics up. We had made a few minor adjustments and the part of the bridge which had made me frown before had been corrected to a more suitable wording. Baekhyun was studying the paper, his beautiful face concentrated but also relaxed, except the small frown between his eyebrows. I pressed the button to use the intercom to the recording room, “Baekhyun, are you ready?” He nodded and gave me a thumbs up. “Good luck,” I wished him, before I pressed the record button, and play for the background music, which had already been recorded.

It went better than I had hoped for, in about an hour we had recorded everything. And it was better like that, since Baekhyun had to go practice with EXO anyway. So I was left alone gain to arrange everything, to cut and to past and to tune everything. “Are you sure you will be okay on your own? You can wait and we’ll finish it together after my practice?” I smiled at him, always to helpful, “I’ll be okay, you go to your practice.” Somehow that last sentence sounded like I was sending my lover off, it felt weird, but not uncomfortable. I looked down at me, reluctant to leave. I stepped closer, giving him a small hug, “Thanks for your help. Just leave, I’ll be okay.” Instead of pulling away and leaving for practice he put his arms around me, and hugged me back. We just stayed there for a moment, in total silence, until he whispered, “I want you to know I will always be there for you. No matter when where or why. And…” he hesitated, “that the next time he hurts you I will kill him.” The determination in his voice was so clear I pushed myself away a bit to look him in the face. He looked down, “I know I can’t have you. You’’ll always see me as a friend.” He sighed, and looked straight in my eyes. I realized I should feel shocked, to hear my best friend confess to me, but somehow deep down I had always suspected something. I continued to look up at him. “Not now, I’m not yet over him.” He nodded, and let go of me, “I’ll come back after practice.” He promised before leaving.

I suddenly felt colder without his warm embrace. I sat back in the chair, stretching my muscles. One more run and I’m done. I told myself before throwing me at the arrangement of the recordings. The light of the day faded, and I the lights of the room again. My eyes grew heavy and my head started to ache. Finally I finished the last seconds of the song, leaving the untitled song finished. I couldn’t even finish listening to the fully completed song before my mind drifted far away in dreamland.

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I am so much happier with this chapter compared to the last one. I felt like it was total crap. xD

But please stick with me, this one is way better, and so will the upcoming chapters.

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Love all of my sweet readers <3 SeyahMyv