“There you go. Good as new. I’m sorry buddy.”

Chanyeol carefully pats the body of the guitar. After days of spending the limited free time he had on his hands on the guitar, he finally finishes fixing it. He places the instrument on his lap and hugs it close to his body. His fingers automatically start strumming a melody to try out its sound. It still sounds like it has never been broken before. Before long, he finds himself playing a song on it, and then another. Next, that unfamiliar yet unforgettable melody which has been locked in his mind for days. When he plays that song, her face immediately enters his mind. To be exact, her smile. Soojin’s smile.

Chanyeol shakes his head. He puts his guitar aside but reaches for a notebook. It’s still a melody he likes to listen to so he might as well jot down the notes.

As he put the thoughts in a written form, he finally reaches a point where he doesn’t know how the song goes anymore. Chanyeol shrugs and put aside the notebook. At the same time, a series of loud door knocks invade his peace. Then comes Baekhyun.

“Hey, Chan- Woah, what the hell happened?!”

Baekhyun rushes towards the guitar and crouches in front of it.

“I had the guitar with me a few nights ago. I was attacked by a robber so it got broken during that,” Chanyeol explains simply.

“Did you fix this?” Baekhyun reaches for the guitar and tries playing it. Chanyeol lets out a small ‘yeah’. Baekhyun nods in approval when the sound comes out well. And then he starts looking at Chanyeol’s face, wincing at the bruises that are still visible on his face even after a few days.

“The bruises look pretty bad too.”

“I’m okay now. Do you need food again?”

“Hah!” Baekhyun snaps his finger. He puts aside the guitar and turns his body so he can face Chanyeol, “we are finally hired as a permanent performer at this lounge called 188, so we’re all going to have a celebration tonight. We’re going to have lots of meat and you’re going to join us!”

Chanyeol chuckles.

“You sure that’s okay?”

“Of course, dude! After all the help you gave us, you have to come, okay?”

Chanyeol simply smiles.

-

For some reason, he feels a little nervous. He gets it that it is just a small, kindergartener convocation ceremony stage, and he’s just helping out by playing children songs on his guitar, but he is nervous enough to get clammy hands. He rubs the moist off on the fabric on his thighs and then places his fingers on the guitar again. The kids are jumping up and down behind the closed curtain, eager for the curtains to open again for them. He starts to think that this is a bad idea. If those aunts out there ever knew that he is a school dropout who ran away from home and makes just enough to supply instant noodles for himself for all his life, they might scream in horror and take away their children from being anywhere but near him.

But Soojin insisted that he will do great a few days ago. That the performance will be perfect. That he’s doing a great favor for her and how thankful she is to him. He can sense how sincere she is from the way she lit up after he played her a nursery rhyme on the guitar. Turns out her younger brother’s performance on the convocation day requires a guitarist. They had one but he has to back out because he was involved in a bad traffic accident.

The performance does go well. After all, all he’s got to do is sit there and play the children songs. The kids are in charge of everything else, singing and dancing, and all the parents are looking at them, and not him; which is a relief for him.

Chanyeol gives a small bow to the audience, along with the kids and exits the stage from the side. He quietly makes his way towards one of the doors along the side of the hall to get outside. Apparently, someone already knew that he would leave as soon as the performance ends.

“Hey, leaving so soon?”

Chanyeol jumps a little when she suddenly appears by his side. Seems like she has been waiting from behind the door.

They walk side by side. Soojin stretches her neck backwards to have a better look on the guitar.

“I’m no guitar expert, but the guitar sounds really great. Did you really fix it yourself?”

“Yeah. I did.”

“I can tell you take really good care of it.”

“I can’t say the same myself, but it is really important to me.”

There’s something in his voice which meant something deeper. Soojin tilts her head, trying to read the expression on Chanyeol’s face, but he is unreadable as always. His eyes are always lost somewhere in his  inner thought. The few times she had met him before, she finds that he always looks a little lost, as if he is unaware of his surroundings.

“Is it a gift from someone important?”

“Yeah. A very important, good friend of mine. We were always together,”

Soojin nods as she listens.

“...But not anymore?”

Chanyeol chuckles, but Soojin could sense the bitterness in it.

“Yeah. Not anymore. He died in an accident. So I have to take care of his baby right here.”

Soojin smiles, “you should play it a lot too. That’s the best way to take care of it, right?” she suggests.

-

Between thin walls and wall cracks, Chanyeol can hear Baekhyun’s voice singing to a loud rock song. He could imagine Baekhyun banging his head to the music while screaming his lungs out. Chanyeol grunts. At other times, that kid would have disturbed his limited time for sleeping with his singing practice, but right now, he couldn’t get to finish that song he has started writing.

Chanyeol knows better than staying there. He stops playing the guitar and zips it up in its bag. He throws the bag on his back and sets out.

-

Kris gets up from his sofa and walks to the door when it buzzes. He glances at the intercom and sees a familiar face waiting behind the door.

“Hey, Chanyeol. What’s up?” The college student opens the door wide, welcoming the tall guy. Chanyeol seems skinnier than the last time he saw him. That must have been at least three months ago. They have always known each other. They used to be very close back when they both worked at Starbucks together a long time ago. They are still on good terms now, but they rarely see each other. He wonders if Chanyeol has been living well these days.

Chanyeol steps in quietly.

“I need a quiet place. Do you mind?”

Kris shrugs, “help yourself.”

“Thanks.”

Chanyeol heads straight to the corner of the living room and sits on the floor. He pulls out his notebook and splays it open in front of him. He carefully cradles the guitar in his hands and tunes it for a bit. While he does so, he looks up at Kris.

“Are you staying home tonight?”

“Actually I’m about to head out for my part time job. Will you be fine alone?”

“Yeah, no problem,” Chanyeol looks down again, back at his guitar.

Kris takes a seat right next to Chanyeol and watches carefully as Chanyeol begins to play a song he’s never heard before. After a while, he finds himself nodding to the song. Once in a while Chanyeol would take a break and jots down some notes in his notebook. Sometimes he scratches some of the written notes and added new ones underneath the line.

“Are you picking up guitar again?” Kris asks.

“I don’t know. Suddenly I have this melody that is plagued in my head unless i finish it.”

“How long has it been? Since you last play?”

Chanyeol sighs and takes a break from his song writing. He throws his head back against the concrete wall. He chuckles bitterly.

“I don’t know... 8 months, maybe? A year? I hardly play since Kyungsoo is gone.”

“That’s not too bad if you’re starting again.”

“Is it?” Chanyeol looks at Kris and the two laugh lightly. Chanyeol adds more later.

“It’s still a little difficult though. I still remember what my father said about him on the day of his death. That he died useless, that playing music is a stupid dream. Those words hit me like a bullet. Stuck in my chest still. I thought by running away I might be able to prove him that Kyungsoo was not a bad influence as he claimed so, or that I’d do well with music. I’m doing neither right now. Pathetic, huh?”

Kris stays silent, allowing hanyeol to find more words.

“Lately I’ve been thinking though. I’ve been thinking... That I’m not doing Kyungsoo any justice. Maybe I should play again. I’m just... I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“You know that guy, Kai? The famous guy who used to attend the same school with me?”

“Yeah. What about him?”

“In a way, you two are kind of similar. Not that I know him that well but this is what I heard from the people close to him. He had issues with his father too. It goes on for quite a while, even after his debut. He never gives up his dream though. Don’t give up, Chanyeol. Kyungsoo is not here anymore, but you are. You can do the changes you guys have always dreamed of. I’d like it if you play again. And you should come here more often, and talk to me like this,” Kris ruffles Chanyeol's head, messing up his hair. Chanyeol stays passive but a genuine smile adorns his lips. That reminds Kris how bright and happy Chanyeol used to be. He probably loses those innocence somewhere between his grief and anger.

“Maybe I would, if you’re not busy all the time,” Chanyeol says with a smile, innocently like the boy he used to be and then resumes strumming the guitar. His words hit Kris hard.

Kris could almost literally feel the pang of guilt. He was so caught up with his own issues, he forgot about others’.

-

It’s just another day. Hop into the train at six, looking out the windows. The local supermarket is giving out free vegetables for every purchase of a bunch of squids. He should stop by that place someday, Chanyeol makes a mental note. More people left at the fifth station, but the school kids fill up the coach instead.

Chanyeol sees something similar. There’s an old lady, the one he saw before,  quietly persevering in the middle of the packed train. This time Chanyeol notices that her legs are shaking a little, and yet nobody notices. The kids are all too busy gossiping. Chanyeol walks towards the old lady and turns to the kid who is sitting right in front of her. He is sleeping with his earphones on. Chanyeol taps his shoulder.

The kid opens his eyes and looks up at Chanyeol questioningly.

“Hey, do you mind giving up your seat for this old lady?”

The kid nods and gets up immediately, albeit looking a little sheepish. The old lady smiles and takes the seat after she thanks both the kid and Chanyeol. Now that’s something. He feels peaceful somehow. What does that have anything to do with finding a seat for an old lady though? Chanyeol isn’t quite sure, but next time he sees this happening again, he will no longer hesitate.

At the tenth station, the familiar view comes into his sight. There she is, with the brightest smile on her face, as if she has never been hurt by the cruel reality while twirling around in her hanbok. He makes sure that his eyes never leave her because he has only so much time before the train moves again. He has always wished that he can watch her dancing a little bit longer.

But hey... Why not, right?

The signature sound of two-tone bell is played, indicating that the door is closing soon. Chanyeol takes a big leap through the closing door, barely makes it outside. People are bewildered at his action just now, but Chanyeol keeps his head down and ignores them. Once he leaves the station, Chanyeol stands proud by the roadside, facing the building which Soojin is at.

Chanyeol shakes his head, laughing quietly at himself. Of course he can see her as much as he wants. All he has to do is to take an extra step to get off the train and see her up close outside the building. Chanyeol walks towards the building and stands right in the middle of a small garden outside the building. Like an idiot, he just stands there quietly, watching the on-going practice session inside the building with a blank look on his face.

From outside, he could hear the faint shaman music that the girls dance to. Their movements light like the feather, and yet agile like the mink. It amuses him at how effortless they make the complex footwork seems, especially with those smiles on their faces. Soojin seems to catch his most attention. When the tempo of the music changes, so does the shape of her lips, but her eyes never cease having that spellbinding twinkle which keeps him watching.

Her eyes finally meet his. Her smile brightens, if that is even possible. She waves her hand at him, telling him to get inside. It takes a few seconds slower for Chanyeol to finally understand her intention. He shakes his head, insisting that he continues watching from there. Soojin laughs. She easily takes a break from her practice and exits the glass room and away from his vision. A few moments later she is running down the steps of the building’s main entrance, towards him. There’s something in her hands.

“Hey!” Soojin greets.

“Hey,” Chanyeol replies simply.

“How do you know this place?”

“I... I saw it on the way home.”

“This is where I practice dancing everyday.”

Chanyeol nods. I already know that.

“I’m going to be a professional performer one day. Are you surprised?” Soojin adds, “you can come over anytime. Anyways,” Soojin waves the thing she is holding in front of his face; a piece of paper.

Chanyeol takes it from her and examines the colorful details printed on the paper.

It says ‘Rock Festival’.

“It’s a band competition organized by the youth center here every year. The winner might get the chance to sign a contract with an agency. Neat, huh? I’m not sure if you’re involved in a band, but you can spread this to anyone you know who does too,” Soojin explains.

The winner ‘might’... Nothing is ever certain. Of course.

“Tell me if you’re joining.”

“Yeah. Thanks for the info.”

“I’m going back to practice. See you later!” Soojin waves at him and runs back inside.

-

At home, Chanyeol places the poster on his low table and stares at it in silence. Seconds tick away but he couldn’t stop mulling things over. He still can’t decide if he’s going to do music seriously. It was so much fun back then when Kyungsoo was around. Now that he’s gone and how things have come to, doing music leaves a bitter taste in his mouth everytime until recently.

Chanyeol looks at his side, where Kyungsoo’s guitar is propped up against the wall.

He can’t seem to bring himself to throw away that little buddy of his either.

Chanyeol sighs. He runs his fingers through his hair wildly, sending his long locks tousled in every direction.

“Whatever.”

He reaches the guitar and his notebook.

-

This is it.

Chanyeol picks up his notebook and stares at it in disbelief. He feels proud that he actually finishes a song on his own, without anybody’s help despite taking weeks to finish it. The last couple of days, the days when he doesn’t have to go to his night job, Chanyeol spends them all focused into finishing the song. He even locks the door so Baekhyun couldn’t barge in as he likes.

Suddenly, Chanyeol frowns to focus on that faint sound of vibration. He looks around and finds his bagpack strewn across the room.

He crawls towards it and pulls out his mobile phone from the bagpack. The call has ended, but what surprise him more is that there are ten missed calls from Soojin, counting from two days ago. He rarely uses his phone in the first place, but when he begins to spend his focus in music, he tends to ignore everything that goes on around him.

Chanyeol immediately calls her back.

“Hey, Soojin. What’s up?”

“Hey. I’ve been trying to reach you. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, sorry... I was too focused in finishing the song I was writing.”

Soojin laughs. Chanyeol could imagine the look in her face when she does that.

“Sounds great. Anyways, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I’m moving back into my aunt’s place on the day after tomorrow. The place is about five hours away. I actually submitted an application to an art academy nearby the area not too long ago, and they are calling me to attend an audition. I’ll be living with her for the time being. If I pass the audition, I’ll be enrolled into the academy soon, so I might not return to Seoul anymore.”

Silence.

It almost feels like he is dreaming. He almost opens his mouth to tell her to repeat to make sure that he hears her right. But he doesn’t, so he stays silent.

“Congratulations,” Chanyeol calmly tells her.

“Thanks,” she replies in the same manner. The smile on her face probably has faded away.

Chanyeol realizes that he isn’t truly happy. Maybe because he won’t be able to see her dance from the tenth station anymore. The bright smile on her face will only remains as a memory.

“Are you going to participate the Rock Festival?” She suddenly asks.

“I’m still thinking about it.”

“Oh, alright.”

“Hey, I just finished a song.”

“Really? Can I listen to it?” Her voice sounds light again.

Chanyeol takes a deep breath. Scratching his non-itchy neck at the back, he asks, “hey, um... Wanna go on a date with me? Right now.”

-

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Chanyeol replies. There’s an air of awkwardness hanging in the air about them. Both aren’t sure how to act, even though they have been together alone before. Maybe because this time, they are officially having a date.

Soojin lets out a sheepish laugh while scratching the side of her head. Chanyeol notices that she ruined her hair and dislocated the cute hairclip she has on. He chuckles and points to her head.

“Your hair...”

“Ah!” A sudden look of realization dawns upon her face. Her hand flew to the side of her head. She must have forgotten that she has a hairclip there. She rarely puts on those cute stuffs in her head. Soojin struggles a bit with her hairclip which is tangled in her hair.

“Do you need help?” Chanyeol raises his arm, but it staggers unsurely in mid-air.

“Yeah. If you could... a little...”

Chanyeol proceeds with untangling the hairclip from her hair, carefully so that he doesn’t hurt her. He even helps putting back the clip in place, and then gives a small pat on it. Soojin stays really quiet and still while he helps with her hair. That is her first time being really close to a guy. It makes her shy and a little nervous.

“There you go,” he says, putting his hand down again.

Soojin puts on a smile, a shy one, “heh, thanks.” She manges to steal a glance at the guitar on Chanyeol’s back, wondering if Chanyeol will actually plays a song for her.

“So...”

“So...”

They both say simultaneously, and then laugh awkwardly at the instance. Chanyeol makes a gesture for her to go ahead.

“Actually I was going to ask about what we should do next.”

“Ah...” Chanyeol clears his throat, “honestly speaking, I have no idea how a date goes.”

“Oh, me neither,” Soojin shakes her head to emphasize her agreement, a bit too enthusiastically at that.

“I’m not sure if you’re going to enjoy this, but I know this band which performs at 188 every Sunday night. They’re pretty good, so how about we go see them?”

“Sounds great.”

-

When the two arrives at the lounge, Baekhyun is already in the middle of the stage, performing for the visitors of the lounge. Most of them are young people from late teens to young adults. Everyone seems to be very pleased with his performance from the way they bobs down their heads to the music.

“That’s the guy I talked to you about, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol points to the stage, at the vocalist who has a guitar strapped to his thin body.

“Ah, the one whom you met at a gig, the one who found you that apartment, right?”

“Right.”

Soojin seems genuinely interested in the music. She stays quiet throughout the whole performance to focus on the music, and easily finds herself enjoying it. When the performance is nearing the end, Baekhyun finally realizes that Chanyeol is present amongst the audience. He almost choked at the fact that Chanyeol isn’t alone, and he’s with a girl nonetheless.

Baekhyun gets a few minutes break before he starts performing again, so he makes his way straight to Chanyeol’s table.

“Hey, buddy!”

The two guys exchanged a handshake.

“You didn’t tell me that you’re coming here, tonight. That’s rare. Miraculous even. Mind introducing me the girl?” Baekhyun smiles at Soojin.

“Soojin, Baekhyun. Baekhyun, Soojin,” Chanyeol does his part as simple as he could.

“Hi,” Soojin smiles and stretches out her hand, “I really enjoy your performance just now,” she adds as Baekhyun accepts her polite gesture.

“That’s great to hear! Thanks!”

Without trying to be subtle at all, Baekhyun leans closer to Chanyeol and whispers to him, “so cute girls like this turn you on?”

Chanyeol looks away, chuckling in disbelief. He gives Baekhyun a lazy, yet playful slap on his small face. It still looks like it hurts though, from the way Baekhyun winces afterwards. They sit together and have a light chat about their respective interests, until Baekhyun begins to perform again. Chanyeol and Soojin continue watching and leave after the performance ends.

-

They both sit at the front porch of the building where Soojin has her regular practices at. Soojin sits closely next to him, watching him strums the guitar. A catchy melody floats into the air, accompanied by his gentle voice. It’s a nice song. She already likes it from the first time listening to it.

“Are you going to participate in the competition with this song?” She asks, her eyes twinkle with hope, her lips smile brightly as they always do.

“I’m still not sure about it.”

“I have a feeling that you’ll do great with this song.”

“I have a feeling that you’ll do great with your audition too. And not coming back to Seoul anymore.”

Soojin lowers her gaze at the floor.

“I really hate the idea of leaving. I don’t want to leave my father and all my siblings, but I really want to get into that university.”

“I understand.”

“I think I’m going to miss you,” she looks up again and gaze into his eyes.

I think I’ll miss you too.

Chanyeol follows what the heart urges. He leans closer to her, and presses his lips onto hers. The peck gradually turns into a kiss. He pulls away shortly after, and then both turn away shyly. Soojin bites her lower lip, fighting back her blush. Before long, the two laughs together, albeit awkwardly so.

“Hey, let’s make a promise,” Soojin suggests.

“What is it?”

“Let’s meet again here. Let’s say... Too soon is no fun, right? How about five, no, three years later?”

“What’s the date today?”

“It’s December 15^th, 2012.”

“Okay. Let’s meet again on December 15^th, 2015, right here.”

Soojin lifts up her pinky finger, waiting for Chanyeol to wrap his own to it. It’s a little too childish for him, but he does it anyway.

-

As soon as Chanyeol gets back at the apartment, he doesn’t go straight to his unit. He stops by a door he rarely stops by. There’s a piece of paper -all wrinkled and worn out- in his hand. There are colourful details printed on it, saying ‘Rock Festival’ and ‘Rules’ and what not. He stares at it for a while and takes a deep breath.

Knock, knock.

“It’s not locked!” A familiar voice yells from inside.

Chanyeol opens the door and leans at the door frame.

“Chanyeol?”

Baekhyun’s eyes widen. Chanyeol knocking on his door is just another miracle happening that night. Something is not right. Or could it be the other way around? Maybe something has just fallen in the right place.

“Hey, Baek. I have this song I just finished writing. Mind giving it a listen?”

-