The room was completely dark, save for the solitary lamp that illuminated the man sitting at the desk, hand dancing rapidly across the page as he printed words in ink, his breaths harsh but short before he tossed the pen aside, flinging it into the darkness and collapsing on the table. Even in the darkness, he could feel the multiple scars that lined his wrists and forearms, and biting his lip, he pulled the sleeves of his shirt down lower, completely covering them.

For a moment, he simply leaned over the desk, forcing his tears to remain hidden. He remained still … not moving even an inch, his breathing slowing, and growing shallower as he calmed down before he lifted his head and flicked a switch.

The simple action filled the room with light; the warm, golden glow lighting up the darkness but also revealing the bareness of the room. The walls were a pale, once-bright blue, and the small bed that was shoved against the corner was haphazardly covered with sheets and blankets while the lone bookcase that dominated a wall was filled with torn pages, crumpled sheets of paper, and books that looked like they’d never been opened.

The man at the desk covered his eyes, and keened lowly, the sudden brightness sending lines of pain through his head. He leaned back, giving himself a second of respite before hunching back over the sheet of paper on the table and continuing to scribble in rough melodies and lyrics.

“Kiseop?” a soft voice called through the door, and instantly, he scrambled to shove the piece of paper under a pile of textbooks and sheaves of notes. “Y-Yes?” he replied nervously, his voice trembling slightly. “There’s a call for you,” the gentle voice continued, its tone still tender. “I-I’ll be right there,” he replied, the relief in his voice obvious as he rose shakily from the table and left the room.

-             -           -

“Yeboseyo, can I know who’s speaking?” he said into the mouthpiece of the receiver. “Yah, Kiseop-ah, there’s an audition tomorrow at the auditorium, are you going?” the voice asked, and Kiseop let out a sigh as he slid down the wall until he landed on the ground with an ‘oufh!’. “I don’t think I am …” he whispered into the receiver as he covered his face with an arm. “Hey … you can’t think that everything’s over just because you didn’t make it after just one audition!” the voice on the other end was already rising, fury tingeing the tone as the masculine voice rose in volume.

Kiseop sighed. “Alright … I’ll be there … what time does it start?” he asked, already expecting the depressing comments on both his dancing and voice that were bound to come his way tomorrow.

-             -           -

He hung his head as he left the stage, the fleeting confidence that had filled him as he worked his way on the stage already deflating like a pin-popped balloon. He sank into the shadows that layered the back of the stage before plastering a calm, satisfied expression onto his face as he approached the exit.

“So … how was it?”

“It was fine … Soohyun-hyung … why do you keep bugging me about it?” Kiseop snapped to the older man as they left the building. Soohyun merely grinned to the younger man as they walked down the sidewalk, Kiseop absorbed in his own thoughts before Soohyun dragged him out of the comfort of his mind again.

“Yah, dongsaeng … why don’t we stop for a bite?” the black-haired man didn’t wait for a reply as he ducked into a small restaurant before Kiseop followed, shaking his head as he entered the small café.

-              -           -

Kiseop sighed as he the old computer in front of him, ignoring the countless scratches that lined the small screen as he made a pathetic attempt to brush the dust off it. The phone that had been plugged in beside his desk rang, and he took a deep breath before picking it up, his expression forced, but controlled as he spoke into the receiver.

“Hyung … what do you want!?” he hissed into the receiver as his eyes narrowed to cat-like slits as he heard the familiar baritone voice on the line. “Yah, Kiseop-ah, I’m just making sure that you’re keeping your promise!” Kiseop could almost hear the pout that the older man was obviously making on the line. “Alright, alright … I’m checking my mail right now,” Kiseop sighed as he worked the slow laptop.

The moment Kiseop opened the email, he felt himself slide out of his chair and onto the ground. The corded phone in his hand clattered to the ground, and faintly, he could hear the sound of a frantic Soohyun all but screaming into his end of the line. He ignored the sound, and closed his eyes for a moment, feeling tears prick at his eyes before he squeezed them shut, forcing himself to keep the tears at bay.

Please leave a comment and tell me what you think and if I should continue this or scrap it‼ Thanks, (:

xoxo