Chapter 27:

While I struggled to pull up my dress pants Jongin tossed me my shirt, which promptly hit my face and plopped in front of me. I only picked it up when I finished my intense brawl to put my pants on in a hurry. 

“Not ready for this,” I huffed at him, hurriedly attempting to button it and failing to the umpteenth power.

Jongin came over and waved my shaking fingers from the buttons with his palm. He then began to button it himself, not saying anything.

“I can’t do this,” I continued.

His eyes were fixated on the buttons.

“No really,” I went on. “You think I’m exaggerating but I’m known to have panic attacks at these things. I just-“

“Are you trying to get me to encourage you or to side with your self-destruction?” He finally snapped at me, pausing in mid action.

I stared into his dark eyes. God, I ing loved them but I almost couldn’t appreciate the beauty at the moment.

“I honestly don’t know,” I rambled. “I just need to keep talking to distract myself.”

Jongin just shook his head. He finished and then wrapped his fingers around my collar and then proceeded to fix it and make it appear decent.

“Hey,” he finally said. “At least if you fail you know that I won’t hate you.”

“Jesus, Jongin!” I shouted, slapping his shoulder a bit too hard. “Are you encouraging me or leading to my self-destruction? I don’t know!”

He cracked a smile, his dangerous, childish smile.

“Come on, Kyung,” he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “Let’s go find Baekhyun before he assumes something he shouldn’t.”

I allowed him to lead me out of the room. While we walked I began to calm down. It was just a talent show. I didn’t have too ridiculous high notes to hit or anything. That was left mostly to Baekhyun due to my inability (thanks to the pneumonia).

Just as I felt my body relaxing a pair of eyes was on me that caused my skin to tingle, almost an electric shock, but not quite.

“It’s him,” I whispered to Jongin.

He casually glanced over to the young boy staring at us, the one who had bullied Ren, the one who had gotten us into this hospital, the one who hit us with the car.

Park Jungwoo observed us with watchful eyes. However, he didn’t look angry. His eyes didn’t retain their usual vulgar passion. He almost looked sad and for a moment I wanted to reach out. I recalled that he had been ripped by his parents too. It’s not like his life was completely easy either. But he also did a lot of that drove me up the wall. that I couldn’t easily forgive.

So we silently strode past him and as we rounded the corner I turned, making contact with his solemn eyes, and nodded. He seemed to understand.

Jongin remained very quiet. I knew he was afraid that if he were to say something, he’d probably lash out in a hidden anger.

Soon Baekhyun’s face came into view. Chanyeol was near him, looking calmer than before. I wondered if he’d tried to sort things out with his father yet.

“Ready?” Baek asked me, slipping a microphone into my hands.

I nervously nodded, channeling my emotions into his. But I knew he’d understand even if I had tried to hide what I felt. He knew how I got at these things.

“You got this, Kyung,” Baek smiled at me endearingly, pressing our foreheads together. “Don’t forget you were the one who taught me to sing when we were just seven years old, when I was absolutely tone deaf.”

I let out a subtly cold laugh.

“Yeah, Baek,”I argued. “And now you have perfect pitch.”

This time his smile reached his eyes.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Well, look where we are now.”

I rolled my eyes at him.

The microphone was warm between my fingers. It must’ve been because they were hot and sweaty, unready and relentlessly salty. I ceaselessly ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to dry them. Jongin noticed and wryly glanced at me.

We walked back to the hospital room after finding one of the hospital managers and the play director’s wife, whose husband was directing the talent show.

She communicated with him on her cellphone, situating the camera in the room, literally doing all the work herself. I strongly suspected it was because she had control issues and was unconvinced of anyone’s ability to help.

Not that I minded. I was busy warming up my voice, growling a few times to make sure that it was clear. Jongin truly gave me puzzled glances this time. But before he said anything, he noticed Baekhyun doing some other odd warm up exercises.

I was still wiping my hands on the bed sheets and my pants. They could not be sweaty. I knew fingers would slip on the strings of the guitar and then really screw up.

“You don’t look too calm,” Jongin unwisely commented.

I shot a most annoyed glare at him before la-la-la-la-ing him away with my ignorant actions. But then he was rubbing my back comfortingly. To be honest, if it were anyone else they’d be thrown out the window by now but for some reason, I was okay with Jongin touching me even though I felt like I was going to explode.

“I lost my mind,” I hummed a few times, realizing that “mind” was a little too flat. I repeated it endlessly until Jongin told me that he couldn’t tell the difference.

“Yeah well,” I remarked. “Not everyone is as tone deaf as you.”

I felt bad for snapping at him but he didn’t seem to care. It surprised me but I reminded myself that Jongin was dealing with assortments of cruel insults for years now. Now I felt indefinitely remorseful, realizing what I’d said.

“Sorry,” I quietly murmured.

“It’s fine,” he responded immediately. “You’re just a little too nervous.”

I thought he seemed mad for a second but there was an incredibly amused look hidden in his expression that I was sure I could only find.

I started to tune my guitar, Baekhyun humming every pitch as I played it.

“Just a tiny bit higher,” he pointed out. “Right there.”

He finished with me and then walked over to Chanyeol. I thought they were going to engage in some sort of deep conversation because they momentarily looked too serious. But then they started their stupid ing handshake that they did whenever one of them was nervous for something. They did it before any major exams, to literally every teacher’s annoyance.

“Maybe we should do that,” I joked to Jongin.

“And look ing ridiculous?” He answered. “No.”

“I’m kidding, pabo,” I informed him, slapping his shoulder.

“Alright, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun! It’s time to figure out how to situate you two!”

“Good luck,” Jongin whispered, bending down and kissing my forehead. His lips felt nice, plump and not too juicy but not dry. Later, I reminded myself, I would have to tell him this.

While we were finding the perfect way to sit on the bed, I glanced at him and calmly remembered that the main inspiration from this song had come from him, motivated from his actions and how they inevitably drove me insane.

The director’s wife plopped the guitar in my lap and instructed me to sit about ten different ways. When she was finally okay with how I was situated she realized that it didn’t look good with Baekhyun’s position so she moved me again.

“This is crazy,” I muttered she finally padded away to fix the camera, chatting frantically with her husband, who was at school directing things.

Baekhyun nodded.

Jongin and Chanyeol sat with each other across the room. The two of them looked comical, the overly happy, hyperactive teen next to the dark, quiet one with few words and few expressions.

I hear Baekhyun snort next to me. Apparently he found it amusing also.

“Alright,” Director’s wife calls to us. “You have about two more acts.”

My hands remained buried under the covers for the remainder of the wait. I had to make some sort of last attempt to dry them.

“Don’t drop your guitar,” Baekhyun said, noticing I wasn’t holding it.

“I’ll try not to,” I replied. It was supposed to be sarcastic but I didn’t have it in me.

And then suddenly the camera light was on and my head snapped upwards.

“Alright,” the woman directed. “I’ll tell you when you’re live. Don’t forget to have a small intro so your classmates know what’s going on.”

I momentarily panicked. Introduction? They didn’t tell us anything about that.

“I got it,” Baekhyun winked.

I sighed again. He was always the talker. Besides, this was his thing. He was the one who forced me into this. It’s not like I necessarily didn’t want to. I loved singing, like loved it. However, I was such a nervous wreck and-

“In five, four-“

.

“Three, two-“

What am I doing with my life?

“One,” she whispered.

“Annyeong,” Baekhyun greeted. “It’s great to be able to perform for you guys tonight! Unfortunately Kyungsoo here,” he pointed to me and I sheepishly smiled at the camera, trying to remind myself that the whole school was watching me. “-got sick and couldn’t come. But it doesn’t matter because we can do it this way. We’ll be performing What Is Love, an original song written by him. Please enjoy.”

My eyes bulged. He told them I wrote it. I mean, I did but…now I was going crazy. Smile, I had to remind myself. Jesus. Kyungsoo. SMILE.

I began to strum, nearly messing up the first notes. My fingers, as predicted were a sweaty mess but I’d just have to deal with it.

“I can’t explain what I feel,” I lowly hummed.

Baekhyun and I exchanged turns to adlib, involving quite a few baby’s in there. I was pretty sure that some weren’t even supposed to be there.

We performed the first lines fine and I did surprisingly well.

“I lost my mind, from the moment that I saw you. Oh everything except for you gets in slow motion,”

I panicked slightly, realizing I’d gone a tiny bit sharp but Baekhyun didn’t seem to notice. I knew I was just being paranoid.

“I don’t know why…”

It took some staring at the camera to, again, convince myself that we were actually performing in front of a crowd we couldn’t see. I didn’t know if it made me more or less nervous. I did know that my heart was pounding inexplicably hard.

“I lost my mind…”

Baekhyun and I made eye contact during the second chorus and I was worried it became awkward because the two of us smiled at each other, almost laughing while singing. But I had to remember that we were performing for a school talent show not an idol company audition.

Despite my moments where I thought that I went a little too sharp or flat, I was surprisingly in tune. I found that the more nervous I was, the more my muscle memory took over. And thank god I practiced this a load of times with Baekhyun earlier. I’d have to thank him later for that because I harassed him about it every time but it was paying off.

“Happily ever after, ohh…”

During the bridge I suddenly made eye contact with Jongin and gave him a small nod during the part with no words and then he understood.

“I lost my mind…” I started at him before looking at the camera, wondering if he knew that this was about him.

Baekhyun and I were reaching the end and I noticed my fingers were still sweaty but not slipping around as much on the guitar.

“Baekhyun and I were reaching the end and I noticed my fingers were still sweaty but not slipping around as much on the guitar.

“My babe, babe, baby…”

“Oh what is love?”

Baekhyun, of course, hit the last note perfectly as if was meant to sing (which he was).

By the end I was nearly crying. Chanyeol broke out into enthusiast applause while Jongin clapped rather silently. I didn’t know what the students were doing but I was so thankful this was over, but also a little sad. Baekhyun and I were working months on that.

And I didn’t it up. I didn’t up singing in front of a crowd.

What the hell happened, holy ?

“Wah,” Director woman praised us, shutting off the camera. “You know I was doubtful about this but that was an amazing performance. I couldn’t take my eyes off of you. It-“

She was interrupted by a phone call. The woman answered it and then looked at us.

“Listen,” she said raising it and putting it on speakerphone.

A rupture of applause abused the speaker phones.

“They’re still clapping?” Baekhyun questioned, astonished.

My jaw was literally dropped.

“They’re still clapping.”

I felt tears rim my eyes but I’d cried too much lately. They didn’t fall.

Jongin came over and wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

“Good job, Soo,” he informed me. “But why were the lyrics almost…taunting me?”

“Because they were about you,” I admitting, quickly pecking his cheek while he blankly stared at me. “I wrote a song for you and this is what I get?”

“So you do admit it!” Baekhyun exclaimed, Chanyeol joining him.

“Oh leave me the hell alone,” I grumbled.

It was then that I realized that there were more people than I expect. About a dozen or so people were watching us through the doorway. Dr. Choi and some of his colleagues were in the back of the room. No wonder there was some extra clapping. I was so distracted that I didn’t even notice them there.

Once the buzz had calmed down and everyone had finally left, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Jongin remained in the room with me.

“Thanks guys,” I finally said. “That was a really good distraction from the that’s been going on lately. If you know what I mean.”

Like the fact my parents are thrown in jail.

“No problem bud,” Chanyeol laid a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Anything you two want, by the way?”

I glanced at Baekhyun.

“Well I don’t know about Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun said. “But I’m really craving some nice- sushi.”

“That actually sounds really good,” I added.

Chanyeol and Jongin looked at each other.

“I can’t believe I’m about to spend my money on this,” Jongin mumbled.

They took our orders and left together out the door.

Baekhyun made eye contact with me.

“God they look awkward together,” he observed.

“, I know right!” I yelled in agreement.

So I guessed that I wasn’t the only one who thought that Chanyeol and Jongin were a circus pair, more so than Jongin and I together. Yeah, sure we fought but we understood each other on such a deep level it nearly scared me less.

I mean hell. I wrote a ing song for him.

.

.

.

A/N: Omg I kinda update late. But yeah. Talent show es. It finally happened and stuff. I don’t know how you guys are bored with this. BUT it’s almost done. AND WHAT. A KAISOO STORY WITH A HAPPY ENDING WTF. But I’ve written other Kaisoo stories with not so happy endings so I was like what the am I doing with my life? I need to be a hipster by giving them a happy ending and . So yeah. Comment, subscribe. Be lovely. I love you all. *throws flowers and confetti for that fact that I didn’t make Soo’s voice crack*

AND DID YOU GUYS SEE LUHAN AND MINSEOK DOING ING SOCCER. DROPPERS. LIKE . HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT. Ahem. Anyway.

LOOK AT THIS ER

DAMMIT LUHAN STOP BEING COOL. YOU'RE RUINING MY LIFE. (i have a fettish for soccer players even though i don't necessarily like soccer that much)