“Next up, we have a contestant who’ll be singing Noel’s ‘I Miss You’! Let’s give it up for Jung Daehyun!” The MC announced.

At the mention of his name, Daehyun felt waves of tremor in his body. He had been uncertain when he agreed to it, but there was no way he could turn back now. He took deep breaths to keep himself composed as he slowly stepped up on stage. ‘Have faith.’ Youngjae’s last words rang in his head. He finally stood in the center of the stage, facing the audience. The song began to play and Daehyun faced down with his eyes shut to keep his body and mind in balance. When it was almost his cue to sing, he gathered himself to stay as calm as possible, and when he was ready, he nodded slightly to assure himself before looking up. ‘Let’s do this, Jung Daehyun.’

He looked up straight into the audience and began to sing. His expressions changed from worried to wonder. Was he really singing? Daehyun was surprised to hear his own voice projected through the microphone, but there was something else to his surprise. He blinked his eyes a couple of times to snap out of what he thought was just a daze. ‘Minyoung…?’ He asked himself. His eyes shifted around to look for his friends, but he could only see her figure, gazing softly at him from a distance. For three whole minutes, his eyes were fixated on the only person visible to him, singing passionately as though he was singing to her; and her alone. Towards the end of the song, Daehyun realized his body hadn’t shivered at all. By the end of it, he felt relieved, but refreshed at the same time. His singing had left everyone watching in awe and he was given his first applause from a bunch of strangers. He had sworn it felt really good to get the response he got.

He walked off the stage, still amazed by the peculiar experience he never had. It felt like he had been possessed earlier. For the first time, he felt some kind of warmth embracing him, blanketing his fears. It was the kind of warmth he felt when… Whenever he saw Minyoung. He was aware now. It was Minyoung’s presence that gave him the strength and courage to do it. His mind clicked. ‘Minyoung. Is she really here?’ He frantically ran to the crowds and pushed his way through to find her, but to no avail. His head sunk in disappointment as he moved on to meet his friends, who were screaming in joy for his achievement.

“Hyung! Everyone was totally blown away by your voice!” Zelo complimented. Daehyun flashed a weak smile. “Thank you, Zelo. Thank you, guys. I wouldn’t have done it if all of you weren’t here.” ‘Including you, Minyoung.’

“I wonder what got into you while you were up there. I could see the burning passion in your eyes. You seemed to have given it your all.” Youngjae hooked his arm around Daehyun’s neck to pull him in for a hug. “I’m proud of you, bro. I knew you’d be able to pull it off one day,” he pulled back to smile.

“You have no idea, Jae,” his lips formed into a grin. Only he knew what got into him and he knew Minyoung was the reason behind it.

----

Yongguk watched from far as his brother was awarded the first prize on stage. He applauded along with the crowd, a fatherly smile plastered on his face. He could’ve been there to embrace Zelo when we stepped down from stage, but he preferred to keep his distance. As much as he loved to dote on his brother, he wanted to make sure he was growing to be independent and let him deal with his own social life. He had always been there, but he wanted Zelo to learn that he can’t always be there; and that when he isn’t, he would still be able to achieve whatever he wanted to achieve. Tonight, Zelo did just that by working hard and winning the competition all on his own. Yongguk couldn’t have been more proud.

He was still silently clapping for his brother when a voice startled him. “Is that how you look after your little brother? By keeping your distance?” She asked in an amused tone.

He let out a shy laugh when he realized it was Jieun. “I’ll be fine watching from here. I don’t think I blend well in a sea of youngsters,” he chuckled. “Did you drop by to watch your students?”

“I thought it’d be nice to see what non-academic talents they have. I must say Zelo’s pretty impressive,” she said, convinced.

“He does have knack for things that don’t involve studying,” he replied. “Can I get you something to drink?” He gestured at the drink stall nearby.

“I’d like that,” she smiled.

That night, Yongguk found himself to be more comfortable around Jieun. Besides sharing the same age, he learned about their common interests as well. He was growing fond of her, and there was no doubt about that. Zelo may have won the prize tonight, but he too figured he had something to win as well -something that has got to do with his heart and someone else’s, which only time would tell.