chapter 13 | battle of the bands

 

Sunggyu goes home in a daze that day. Myungsoo walks him home, claiming that if his plan was going to work, they really needed to act the parts well. So, in other words, they needed to really look and act as if they were dating.

 

            Sunggyu refuses to cry over Woohyun. It was his own fault for going along with Woohyun even after knowing that Woohyun was a player. He shouldn’t be surprised because after all, they came from two different worlds and Sunggyu didn’t belong in Woohyun’s world.

 

            Sunggyu and Myungsoo walk in an awkward silence, their shoulders barely brushing by each other. Sunggyu feels like he needs to talk about something or the awkward silence will very soon kill him so he decides to ask something he’s been wondering ever since he got the note.

 

            “Why did you sign the note with the letter ‘L’?” Sunggyu asks quietly.

 

            “It’s a nickname,” he answers bluntly.

 

            They fall into an awkward silence and Sunggyu concludes that this makes the top-five-list of awkward moments Sunggyu’s been involved in. He fidgets uncomfortably, playing with the hem of his shirt. He tries to take his mind off of the awkward situation but it just gets him thinking about Woohyun and how stupid he’d been to fall for the guy. Sunggyu didn’t have much confidence (make that no confidence whatsoever) but it hurt to think that he was just a toy to Woohyun. Woohyun didn’t care about him at all.

 

            Sunggyu decides that thoughts about Woohyun will get him nowhere and at this rate he’ll never be able to get over him. So he tries to make conversation (for the first time) with Myungsoo. “So do you like the colour black?” Sunggyu asks, noting Myungsoo’s attire which is all black except for a few white and grey accent colours.

 

            Myungsoo shrugs. “I don’t really have a favourite colour. Black just looks good on me.”

 

            “That’s true,” Sunggyu says before he can stop himself. In all truth, Myungsoo would probably look good if you threw a superman costume on him; he was that handsome.

 

            Myungsoo smirks at Sunggyu’s raging blush. “I’m glad you think so.” There’s a silence before he speaks again. “I’m guessing you like the colour red?” he inquires, glancing up at the red mess on top of Sunggyu’s head.

 

            “Well, I guess so. The truth is that my friend kind of picked this hair colour for me without my consent… It’s fading anyways.”

 

            “It looks good on you but I think black would look better.”

 

            “Oh. I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

            The rest of the way they talk about hobbies, which Sunggyu thinks is still kind of awkward to talk about but he goes with the flow anyways. He learns that Myungsoo plays guitar and he asks if Myungsoo’s heard of the Battle of the Bands that would be taking a place in a week.

 

            “Yeah. I’m in it.”

 

            “Oh, really? I’m in it, too, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do it, to be honest,” Sunggyu admits quietly.

 

            Myungsoo raises his eyebrow. “I never pegged you for the rocker type.”

 

            “I know. I’m the lead singer but I have terrible stage fright. It’s not like no one else can sing, though. They just want me to break out of my shell.”

 

            “You should sing to me.”

 

            “Um, I don’t know about that but I guess you could always come to some of our practices? If that’s okay with you, of course. I mean, you don’t have to. I know you have your own life and stuff and I wouldn’t want to distract you from more important things like studying or—”

 

            “Do you always babble when you’re nervous?”

 

            “I-I’m not nervous…”

 

            Myungsoo chuckles. “Yes you are. I know I’m scary but you don’t have to be nervous. And I’ll come to some of your practices. Just tell me when.”

 

--

 

            “Did you hear?”

 

            “He’s dating L!”

 

            “Kim Sunggyu? Really? You’ve got to be kidding.”

 

            “L always turns down our confessions!”

 

            “Why Kim Sunggyu?”

 

            Sunggyu trudges through the hallway. He tries to block out the whispers with his earphones but it doesn’t work. He knows that he’s become the topic of the school. The loser Sunggyu is dating the hot and mysterious L? It can’t be true. Sunggyu wants to tell them that it isn’t true, it’s just a rumor. That would be a lie, though, unfortunately.

 

            Sunggyu makes it to the cafeteria in one piece (he swears that the girls are going to rip him to shreds for ‘stealing’ L from them) and takes refuge at their table. Hoya and Dongwoo had already interrogated Sunggyu that morning and Sunggyu wasn’t sure if he was allowed to tell them (or anyone for that matter) that their relationship wasn’t real and they were just using it to teach Woohyun some lesson. He told them that Myungsoo had asked him out (although they didn’t believe it one bit because Sunggyu is anything but cool) and that they really were dating. Sunggyu realizes that he’s lying much more now than he used to. He wonders if this is a part of growing up.

 

            Yongguk slides into the seat next to Sunggyu and Sunggyu notices that he looks a little down. He’s not sure why, though. “Hey,” Yongguk says.

 

            “Hey,” Sunggyu replies nonchalantly, popping a strawberry into his mouth.

 

            “I heard you’re dating L.”

 

            “Yeah. Dongwoo and Hoya don’t believe it but it’s true,” Sunggyu hates himself for lying. On one hand, Myungsoo and him aren’t dating. On the other hand, they are dating.

 

            “I thought they were rumors at first but I guess it’s true.”

 

            “Yeah, or so he claims. But he won’t give us the juicy details and besides, I haven’t even seen you with L.”

 

            “I couldn’t find him this morning,” Sunggyu says, which is true because he hadn’t seen Myungsoo that morning. It’s not like he went looking for Myungsoo either, but whatever.

 

            “Well, should we get to band practice?”

 

            Sunggyu nods, stuffing a strawberry in his mouth. He’s about to stand when two hands wrap around his waist from behind. He can see all three of his friends’ dropped jaws as they watch Myungsoo snake his arms around Sunggyu. “Hey,” Sunggyu hears Myungsoo breathe into his ear.

 

            “H-hi,” Sunggyu says almost breathlessly.

 

            “Where are you going now?” he asks.

 

            “B-band practice. You can join if you like.”

 

            “Of course I will. Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Gyu.”

 

            The nickname sends shivers down his spine as he remembers the countless times the nickname has rolled off Woohyun’s tongue. Truthfully, Sunggyu had cried over Woohyun at two o’clock in the morning. He couldn’t sleep too much; his mind constantly wandered to the depths of the hole he’d fallen in because of Woohyun. This morning he’d put on eyeliner and tried his very best to get rid of the dark circles that hung under his eyes. He drank way too much coffee to be considered a healthy amount so that he would have enough energy to get through the day. His heart still clenched painfully and he couldn’t stop thinking about Woohyun but he knew he’d have to get over it soon. He’d even told Hoya and Dongwoo that Woohyun was in the past now and he only had eyes for Myungsoo (which might have been going too far but it seemed to work with some effectiveness).

 

            Across the room, Woohyun watches as Myungsoo wraps his arms around Sunggyu and whispers in his ear. He can’t really see clearly from this far but he’s almost certain Sunggyu is blushing (when is he not?). Woohyun feels his chest tighten when Sunggyu and Myungsoo follow Sunggyu’s friends out of the cafeteria, Myungsoo’s hand playing with the hem of the back of Sunggyu’s flimsy shirt.

 

            “Woohyun, were you even listening to me?” Sungjong pesters beside Woohyun. Woohyun rips his gaze away from Sunggyu’s disappearing back and looks at Sungjong’s pretty face (which looks annoyed beyond hell).

 

            “What? Oh, yeah, of course.”

 

            “You know, if you’re going to be like this, just go up to the kid and talk to him.”

 

            Woohyun doesn’t answer. He’s too fixated on thoughts of flaming red hair and blushing cheeks to pay any attention to his surroundings.

 

            --

 

            “You know, Sunggyu, you look really hot as a rock star. You should dress like this more often,” Hoya says as he examines Sunggyu’s attire. Sunggyu doesn’t really get what’s so special about his outfit – he’s just wearing a black t-shirt and black skinny jeans (that Woohyun bought for him but he didn’t have anything else and he didn’t want to waste a perfectly good pair of jeans). He’d dyed his hair the colour he wanted before the red hair and it was styled simply. He lined his eyes with smoky carbon black and that was it. He didn’t think he looked as good as Hoya who’s styled his hair perfectly – partially up and falling to one side. Yongguk wore a simple wife beater that showed off his muscles appreciatively and Dongwoo wore a stylish black leather jacket. In Sunggyu’s opinion, they all outshined him.

 

            Sunggyu hadn’t seen Myungsoo yet. Myungsoo had texted him saying that he would see Sunggyu before the performances started but he had yet to even see Myungsoo’s band. The bands were starting to do sound checks and Sunggyu’s band was almost up for their allotted time.

 

            Sunggyu feeling nervous is an understatement.

 

            He was out of his mind freaking out and couldn’t focus on a damned thing. Yongguk senses this and slings his arm over Sunggyu’s shoulders. “You don’t need to be nervous. This is your song. You sound great and we’re going to knock it out of the park.”

 

            “I don’t know…”

 

            “Stop doubting yourself. When you get on that stage you don’t even need to think about the audience. Just pretend we’re in the music room.”

 

            Sunggyu nods, relaxing a bit. Having Yongguk there is really helping him and he’s so glad he met him. Yongguk, despite looking very scary, is one of the nicest guys Sunggyu knows (it’s not like he knows a bunch of people anyways but that’s not the point).

 

            Their band is called on stage to do a sound check and rehearsal. There aren’t that many people considering each band is focusing on themselves and the workers are just trying to get everything right so Sunggyu doesn’t have too many problems when he tests the mic and sings a few lines.

 

            When they’re finished, they exit and stand backstage with the other bands. Some are socializing with others but most keep to themselves. Sunggyu is just casually chatting with his band members when he gets a tap on the shoulder. He spins around and is met with Myungsoo’s charcoal eyes leaning close to his face. Sunggyu squeaks and jumps in shock. “Hey,” he says in a deep and low voice.

 

            “Hi, Myungsoo,” Sunggyu replies. He’d somewhat gotten used to talking to Myungsoo without stuttering, which was a great feat for him that he was pretty damn proud of.

 

            Sunggyu takes notice of how amazing Myungsoo looks. But then again, Sunggyu can’t expect anything less. Myungsoo always looks great. Myungsoo seems to be looking Sunggyu over, determing how great he looks (though Sunggyu knows he really can’t compare).

 

            Myungsoo comes to a final decision a moment later. “You look… hot. Eyeliner looks good on you.”

 

            Sunggyu blushes. He’s not good with compliments, escpecially from people like Myungsoo.

 

            “Are you ready for the battle?” Myungsoo asks, glancing behind him at Dongwoo, Hoya, and Yongguk who are awkwardly trying to leave the Sunggyu and Myungsoo alone.

 

            Sunggyu nods, though he’s not so sure. He knows the rest of the band will do brilliantly. He’s just not so sure that he’ll be able to do so well. He’s worried he will ruin it for them and he definitely doesn’t want that. “That’s good,” Myungsoo replies. “You know, you shouldn’t worry so much. You guys are pretty good.”

 

            Sunggyu scratches the back of his head nervously. “Thanks, Myungsoo.” Myungsoo had been surprisingly friendly – unlike the initial impression Sunggyu got off him – and was totally from what Sunggyu expected. He was kind, albeit stoic, but he definitely had the heart. He was also an outstanding actor and it definitely seemed as though they were dating. He even tricked Sunggyu a few times (but Sunggyu knew better after his experience with Woohyun).

 

            Myungsoo seems to hear something and he glances back before fixing his gaze on Sunggyu again. He leans in close and before Sunggyu knows, Myungsoo presses his lips to the elder’s for a short moment before pulling away. “Good luck, Sunggyu.”

 

            And then Myungsoo is off and Sunggyu is touching his lips. He’ll be honest; he doesn’t get butterflies like when Woohyun kisses him, but it shocks him all the same and leaves him in a dazed state. Sunggyu turns back to his band members. Hoya and Dongwoo are wiggling their eyebrows suggestively (Sunggyu wants to punch them) and Yongguk looks indifferent to the situation.

 

            The competition starts moments later and the announcer is razzing up the crowd with cool words and exaggerated phrases. The first band enters the stage and they start. Sunggyu immediately feels intimidated – they’re pretty good.

 

            Sunggyu grows more nervous with each band and he clings onto Hoya’s sleeve. Hoya tells him that they’ll do fine and advises him not to think about the other bands. Sungyu thanks Hoya gratefully but his advice doesn’t really work.

 

            Before they know it, the bands start leaving one by one. Sunggyu’s band happens to be last and there are barely any left now. Sunggyu realizes that the only bands left are Myungsoo’s and his and then Myungsoo’s band is being called on stage. Sunggyu is about to wish Myungsoo good luck until he sees Woohyun walk past him, literally taking Sunggyu’s breath away. He didn’t know Woohyun was in a band, let alone Myungsoo’s band. He knew Woohyun liked to sing but in a band? He supposes he can’t say anything, though, because no one would suspect Sunggyu to be in a band.

 

            Sunggyu realizes how much he hasn’t gotten over Woohyun. Even after everything, he was still in love with Woohyun and he doesn’t think that will change for a long, long time. 

 

Not proofread. Sue me. 

I don't even know what's going on anymore to be honest. 

Oh, and guess what I found at my school today? 

I was just walking to school and I have to pass through all the portables and I passed my friend's Religion portable which had a car parked through it. Like literally the car crashed into the portable and parked there. I kid you not. 

That was the highlight of my day. Feel free to tell me yours.