Jiyong tapped his foot impatiently, staring at the clock on the wall in front of him as he tried to tone out his professor’s words. He just didn’t care at this point – it was late, he was in a bad mood because he hated this class, and if he didn’t hurry up he was going to miss the sign ups for the open mic session that night.

He wasn’t even sure what he was going to perform, but he’d been doing this for so long that he was pretty well-adjusted to simply making things up on the spot. As long as the audience loved it, he was okay with it.

“Make sure you finish your homework before the next class. I’ll be collecting it,” his professor said, and Jiyong glanced around at everyone packing up and getting ready to leave. He grabbed his notebook, not even caring that one of his friends was calling for him as he ran.

This had become his routine: he would stay in class but rush out at the earliest possible moment, sometimes not even staying until the end, bolt down the street, make it to the little café with barely a moment to spare, and usually end up last on the list but that didn’t matter to him. As long as he had an opportunity to perform, he was happy. Sometimes he’d even be told that a talent scout was going to show up, or some big shot in the recording industry just happened to be in town.

All he wanted was a break.

Jiyong skidded into the café, glancing around as he walked up to the sign up sheet. It wasn’t a bad crowd.

“Probably because classes just started again,” he mumbled to himself, lips pursed as he looked over the name. He glanced around for a pen, even going so far to check in his pockets for one, before frowning. Jiyong cursed under his breath, about to turn around and leave before a pen very literally flashed in front of his eyes. He looked up, grabbing it and now faced with someone unfamiliar.

He looked like he worked there, but Jiyong had never seen him before and he was sure he knew everyone. He’d been coming to this place for years – at this point, Jiyong was on first name basis with the manager. Then again, he might have just been drunk and never really noticed him before; after a certain time of night, the café started selling alcohol, and Jiyong himself had taken part in drinking until he couldn’t talk more often than not.

Instead of asking who he was, Jiyong just sort of narrowed his eyes at him, brow arched as he signed his name and tossed the pen back to the man, who caught it, put it away, then took the sheet with him.

“Just in time again,” Jiyong mumbled with a smile, finding a seat and leaning back in it, beer in hand.

Like usual, the night was full of plenty of awful acts, a few good acts, and a couple that, in his mind, should have already made it in the business. Like usual, he spent the entire time critiquing everyone in silence. And, like usual, he was the last to take the stage. Sometimes, like tonight, it was a blessing to be last – everyone wanted one last good act to cheer them up before they left to go back to their own lives. Other times, half of the audience had left and everyone was already in a bad mood. Stepping on stage, Jiyong waved to a few of the girls by the stage, who tended to always wait for him to perform no matter what, and they all smiled, clapping for him happily.

At this point, Jiyong really didn’t bother saying much before he started to perform, instead just starting the background track and going. Tonight was no different. The song he’d chosen was upbeat, and before he knew it he was smiling, completely forgetting about how boring and monotonous his day had been. He completely zoned out, focusing just on the words and the music. By the time it was over and he’d returned to reality, he realized that the entire audience was clapping and smiling. The MC stood up, giving him a short nod of a bow and starting the closing speech as Jiyong slipped offstage silently.

“You have a really good voice,” came a voice from above him, and Jiyong looked up. It was the man he’d seen earlier, and he smiled at him as he put his hat and coat back on.

“Thanks. I’ve been doing this for years.” They both laughed before Jiyong started to speak again. “Are you new here? I’ve never seen you around the open mic before.” The man nodded.

“I just got hired at the café, so I guess you’ll be seeing me around more. I just transferred into the college down the road, and I needed a part-time job.” Jiyong looked at him blankly for a minute. “I’m Seunghyun. Nice to meet you.” Nodding, Jiyong smiled at him, both shaking Seunghyun’s hand and giving him an easy head nod in greeting.

“Jiyong,” he replied, picking up his notebook. He stared at it for a second, then sighed in irritation. “, what was my homework? Sorry, I… I forgot to write it down. I need to go figure it out; I guess I’ll see you around?” Jiyong turned to leave, and Seunghyun nodded, waving to him with a smile.

“See you next open mic session?” Seunghyun asked, and Jiyong nodded, grinning as the door closed behind him.

Jiyong never did figure out what his homework had been.

Instead, he had gotten home, played some video games with his roommate, and gone to sleep, completely ignoring his responsibilities for the night and instead getting some well-deserved sleep. He woke up the next morning groggy…

And having missed his first class.

Jiyong sat up in bed, running his hands through his mussed hair and looking around his room, still half asleep. He looked at the clock on his cell phone, sighing when he saw the time.

“ everything,” he mumbled, lying back down in bed.

It looked like he was taking a day for himself today.

Maybe it was just because the little café had become such a huge part of his life, but any time there was a mic night Jiyong mostly ignored class – his grades were slipping but he managed to keep them at a passable level, and this time he remembered to write down his homework before bolting from class. He made it to the café in record time, even managing to not be the last on the list this time. Seunghyun tossed him a pen before he could even ask for it, and Jiyong caught it with a smile, laughing to himself as he signed his name.

Jiyong tried to be a good audience member, simply watching the performances and enjoying them. Halfway through the show, though, Seunghyun came over and sat down behind him, scooting the chair close so he could lean forward and talk into Jiyong’s ear.

“She’s really good,” he said, and Jiyong cocked his head, arms crossed over his chest.

“She would be better if she learned how to focus her breath. She runs out of power and starts getting whiny at the long notes, and it makes her lose her pitch. She needs to channel her breathing and sing from her diaphragm, not her nose and throat.” Seunghyun stared at him, eyes wide.

“How long have you been singing again?” he asked, and Jiyong turned to look at him with a grin.

“Years,” he whispered, then held his finger up to his lips to quiet the other. “Let’s just watch.”

They were silent for the rest of the performances, Jiyong taking the stage near the end. Like usual, he was a crowd pleaser, though his song was a little more hushed tonight than it had been the first time Seunghyun had seen him perform. He returned to his seat to finish watching the show, though he did take a moment to get ready to leave beforehand.

When everything was said and done and the MC had said his goodbyes, Jiyong stood, stretching before turning to leave. He stopped, though, and looked back at Seunghyun.

“Hey, you said you went to the college near here, right?” he asked, and Seunghyun nodded, now behind the counter and clearing some of the glasses from the tables. “What year are you?”

“I’m in my third year,” he replied, though he quirked a brow a moment later as Jiyong rushed over to the bar area and sat down on a stool.

“Do you know how to do this?” he asked, flipping through his notebook and turning it around when he reached a page full of math. Seunghyun glanced at it. “I zoned out completely because I was trying to write lyrics and now I have no ing idea what to do.” Seunghyun couldn’t stifle the low chuckle that slipped out, and Jiyong frowned slightly.

“I can help,” he replied, and Jiyong’s face lit up as he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Great!” he exclaimed. He watched as Seunghyun continued cleaning, now working to wipe down the bar. Jiyong lifter his notebook so that it didn’t get wet, putting it in his lap.

“When’s it due?” he asked, and Jiyong thought for a moment before offering the other man a weak smile.

“Tomorrow.”

Seunghyun nodded slowly, obviously trying to work out a schedule in his head.

“Well, my first class isn’t until the afternoon tomorrow, so I guess I can come over and help tonight if you’ll wait for me to finish cleaning.” Seunghyun barely got the words out of his mouth before Jiyong had leaned over the bar and hugged him.

“Thank you so much,” he said in response, smiling brightly. “And I can wait. Should I wait outside, or is here okay?” Seunghyun watched him, brow quirked as he looked the other man over.

“Here is fine. I’m almost done anyway,” Seunghyun replied, putting away the last of the empty glasses and surveying the bar. “Just let me go clock out. I’ll be right back.”

Seunghyun slipped off into the back of the café, leaving Jiyong by himself for the moment. Maybe this was just what he needed – Seunghyun was making this whole open mic seem a little less stale. Now he actually had someone to talk to, other than the girls that always seemed to want to follow him home.

Seunghyun came back a moment later, coat on and school bag slung over his shoulder. Smiling, Jiyong looked him over.

He had a sense of style, considering the coat almost looked like something Jiyong himself would wear. He wouldn’t have known if he’d just seen Seunghyun in the café – the uniform had totally thrown him off.

“I like this,” he mumbled, playing absently with a corner of Seunghyun’s coat. Seunghyun looked at him and laughed softly, pulling the coat tighter around him as they walked toward Jiyong’s dorm. “Is it from around here?” Seunghyun shook his head.

“My dad bought it for me when he was out of town. I’m not even sure where it’s from.” They both smiled, the rest of the walk filled with idle chatter and complaints about how cold it was. When they finally got to Jiyong’s dorm room, he immediately turned up the heat, Jiyong tossing his jacket on the couch and Seunghyun laying his neatly on the chair next to it.

“You do what you can, and I’ll look over it and see what to fix,” Seunghyun said, looking around the room.

Jiyong had added his touch, it seemed. There were posters of bands on the walls. A guitar sat lazily in the corner. Pictures of him and who Seunghyun assumed was his roommate were scattered around the room. Absently, Seunghyun picked up a picture, looking it over.

It looked like Jiyong, though it must have been before he had come to college. His hair was still black as opposed to the blonde he now sported, and it looked like he was in a school uniform. The girl he was standing with seemed to match him. She was wearing glasses and Seunghyun smiled.

“Nice picture,” he said, and Jiyong looked up, smiling. “Sister?” Jiyong shook his head.

“Girlfriend.” Seunghyun nodded, setting the picture down. “But I haven’t seen her in a while. We used to talk every day – we were neighbors until I moved here.” Jiyong leaned back on the couch, scratching his head with his pencil. “She’s been acting weird since I moved, though… I don’t know. That’s my sister and I,” Jiyong added, pointing to a picture nearby. Seunghyun picked it up and glanced at it, smiling.

“You two are cute. You and your sister and you and your girlfriend. I hope it works out.” Jiyong nodded. “Did you finish the problem?” Seunghyun added, and Jiyong frowned, looking up at Seunghyun with a pleading and almost pathetic frown.

“No, because I have no idea what to do. Help?” Seunghyun sighed, taking a seat next to Jiyong and looking over the work he’d done. He frowned.

“Wow, you really are clueless about this…” he mumbled, picking up the notebook and taking Jiyong’s pencil from him. He erased almost all of the work that Jiyong had done, leaving only the beginnings of a problem. “I’m going to be here for a while, aren’t I?” Jiyong looked at him with a weak smile, brows furrowed slightly. Seunghyun just sighed.

“Alright.”

Seunghyun was there for most of the night, but finally Jiyong grasped what he’d missed in class. The sun was already peeking over the horizon by the time they finished, and Seunghyun yawned as he watched Jiyong shower and get ready.

“Mind if I just catch a nap here while you’re in class?” he asked, hair now mussed and unstyled. Jiyong nodded, gesturing into his room.

“You can use my bed, I don’t mind. Thanks,” he said softly, and Seunghyun smiled tiredly at him, opening the door to Jiyong’s room and shooting him a thumbs up.

“It wasn’t a problem,” he replied. “I hope you get an A,” he added, and Jiyong laughed.

“I hope I do, too.”

With that, Jiyong left and Seunghyun closed the door to the other man’s room, almost immediately falling asleep.

For the first time in a while, Jiyong paid attention in class and got an A on a pop quiz. And, for the first time in a while, Seunghyun slept in and missed class.