I swung my bag back and forth as I walked down the halls, humming a tune quietly under my breath. My surroundings were deserted; the usual hubbub that accompanied weekday mornings and afternoons was gone, replaced by serene silence that made the halls seem almost ghostly. The whitewashed walls that lined both sides of the hall were sparsely decorated, monotonous and painted with monochromic colours.

I passed through the main hall and headed towards the double doors nestled at the east side. The smell of floor cleaner attacked my senses as I stepped through the door, and I crinkled my nose slightly at how enclosed this section of the school was; there were windows but they were the kind that stretched from floor to ceiling, made of unmovable glass. 

 I crossed the threshold, taking the familiar route that led to the music room where Baekhyun and I were to meet.

My librarian duties today ended late, and Baekhyun had texted me that he would wait for me in the music room. Chanyeol wasn’t in school for them to play together, but Baekhyun still wanted to practice, even though he had to do it alone. I suspected that his determination had something to do with the pretty girl he had fallen for.

A small smile graced my lips as I recalled everything that happened two days ago with Luhan, and I quickly forced it out of my face. I would never hear the end of his teasing if I were to come in looking dreamy and occupied.

The sound of a lonely guitar made me stop in my tracks for a while. A melody floated out from behind the door I now stood before; soft, musical and sensual. I leaned forward to listen, pressing my ear to the wood.

Baekhyun’s powerful voice accompanied the guitar, crooning out lyrics to a song I didn’t know. It rose and fell with emotion, filled with passion and love. It was a beautiful song, heart-wrenching and painfully beautiful. Baekhyun’s voice floated perfectly with the lyrics, and his fingers coaxed a beautiful melody with the strings of the guitar, enhancing the magnificence of the song. I twisted the knob, pushing the door open to a tiny crack.

Baekhyun’s figure was illuminated by the light from the window, shadows dancing over his face. He had his eyes closed, pouring his all into the song that he sung. He was at ease with that guitar; it was an extension of his being, a completion of his soul. I had never seen him play like this. When he sung with Chanyeol, it was always happy, upbeat songs; songs that made you bop your head and smile. I knew Baekhyun’s voice was lovely, but I had never heard him push it to its full potential, hitting notes that required both skill and emotion to perfect.

The room sounded empty when he stopped. I was reeled out of my trance, and I blinked my eyes repeatedly as I wondered why he did.

“I’m just that good, aren’t I? To be able to hypnotise you like that,” his cheeky voice greeted me as he smirked.

“You egoistic fool,” I huffed in annoyance, stepping into the room and closing the door behind me.

He grinned and gestured for me to take the set across from him, setting the guitar on the stand behind him.

“What song was that?” I asked, placing my bag by the door next to his and crossing the room.

“I haven’t thought of the title yet. It was sort of a sudden inspiration,” he admitted, chugging down the water from the bottle he picked up from the floor.

“Is there a name for the inspiration?” I teasingly asked.

Baekhyun blushed and choked on his water a little. I laughed and patted his back as he continued to cough.

“Promise you won’t tell Chanyeol,” he said, looking up at me pleadingly. “That I wrote a song for a girl. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Fine. Speaking of Chanyeol, does he know?”

“Yes, he figured it out by himself. Confronted me about it during our last jam. That guy can seem goofy, but he’s more observant than you think.”

“You told him everything?” I asked, unwrapping the chocolate I had my pocket and offering him some.

“Had to. He won’t let me go home otherwise.” Baekhyun laughed and broke off a piece. “But there is something weird though, he was excited when I told him I liked a girl –he even yelled, “Finally!” –but when I told him her name was Soojin, he looked confused.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know. I guess he was expecting someone else.”

“Maybe. But who else could there possibly be?”

Baekhyun shrugged. “No one knows what goes on in his head.”

Both of us were silent for a while as we munched on our chocolates, thoughtful. I was the first to finish and reached out to take the guitar, absently plucking random notes on the strings. Baekhyun had tried to teach me to play it several times, but I never had the dedication to actually practice. I preferred listening to him play, watching him sing songs with that happy and contented smile in his place, watching him take a step further to his dreams.

“Anyway, was that it? The song you told me about?”

Baekhyun shook his head. “No. I told you, that was a last minute inspiration. The one that I wrote... well you might never even hear it,” he said playfully.

I frowned, crossing my arms and turning away with a frown. “Of course, since it is for your true love,” I said with a note of unhappiness.

“Hey now, you can’t be upset about that,” Baekhyun said. He reached out and placed a hand on my chin, turning my face gently to face him. His eyes shimmered with laughter when he looked into mine. They narrowed as a playful smile appeared on his face. “You are,” he said, chuckling.

“Well, you can’t blame me. I mean, I’ve been your best friend since forever, and I’ve told you everything about me. Heck, you even know the contents of my diary!”

Baekhyun laughed and placed his hands up to surrender. “Alright, alright. No need to get upset. How about this, I’ll sing something especially for you.”

I raised my brows. “How many songs did you write?”

“It’s not something I wrote,” Baekhyun said, gently taking the guitar away from me and positioning it on his lap. “But I think it’ll really suit you.” He winked and began to play a melody that I knew all too well.

I realised what he was planning to sing. “Oh, Baekhyun no...”

“You’re insecure; don’t know what for,” he sang, grinning from ear to ear.

I face palmed. I could hear that laughter in his voice as he continued on with the song, strumming out the chords and having the time of his life at my embarrassment. I couldn’t contain my laughter; my shoulders shook as a smile began to take over my face. Baekhyun took it as a good sign and sang louder, reaching the chorus:

“Baby, you light up my world like nobody else,

The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,

But when you smile at the ground, it ain’t hard to tell,

You don’t know oh oh, you don’t know you’re beautiful.”

I raised my head and helplessly watched as he continued to sing. His voice got more and more powerful with every note and his fingers flew up and down the strings. He looked like he was having the time of his life, and I admit, I beginning to enjoy this tremendously.

He winked at me as he sang, and I could only shake my head and laugh as I watched him enthusiastically belt out the lyrics. When he got to the end of the song, his voice got softer, gentler. His strumming began to slow and then finally stop as he hit the last note.

“That’s what makes you beautiful,” he said, looking directly into my eyes.

The last note hung in the air. As I sat there, staring at his smiling face, I realised that my fast-beating heart could have easily filled the room.

“What do you think?” he asked softly, almost in a whisper.

“You’re no One Direction but you’re good,” I admitted, averting my gaze.

“Writing a song for a girl. Is that a good way to make her fall for you?”

I glanced up and saw the hopeful look in his eyes, heard the waver of his voice. I in my breath and replied:

“Yes. It certainly is.”

The next day, I quietly hid behind one of the trees in the courtyard as I listened to Baekhyun singing to Soojin. He didn’t say it was for her specifically –only asked for her opinion and judgement –but it was obvious without saying. Baekhyun’s eyes seemed to have a golden light to it as he sang and looked into her eyes, fingers confidently strumming the guitar.

I couldn’t see the expression in Soojin’s face, but I knew she was happy, ecstatic at having the boy she liked sing the song he wrote for her. I withdrew my head and leaned it against the trunk of the tree. Both of them looked happy, content to be in each other’s presence. This was the first time I directly witnessed Baekhyun’s moments with her after the day they first met; I had no idea why my heart wrenched when I watched him sing for her.

No, this is Baekhyun, I thought, rubbing my forehead. Be happy for him; he has been trying really hard to court her.

With that thought in mind, I detached myself from the tree and trudged back to the school, deciding to take the longer route and go around it so that I won’t be spotted when I quietly slipped down the stone staircase. I glanced back at them and smiled, disappearing off on my way alone.

Author's note: Alright. Time to get on with the explanations on why on earth is a One Direction song doing in this fic.

In truth, I have planned for Baekhyun to sing something for Yoora ever since the start of this fic. I chose What Makes You Beautiful because it's fast paced, cheerful, and could easily be sung with the accompaniment of a guitar; a perfect fit to the cheery, cheeky character that Baekhyun potrays in this fic. Not to mention that the song carries a literal meaning that, in Baekhyun's personal opinion, makes it the perfect song to represent Yoora.

I'm sure a lot of you will be wondering about the nature of their friendship after this chapter, but I won't disclose any more than I have written ;) You just have to read on and wait and see.