One More Day
Deep River
A few hours after dusk, he found himself lying on Byunghee's torso, hands clenching at the soft fabric of his oversized hoodie. Without thinking, he was one touch away from holding onto him, from wrapping his arms around that chest and never letting go.
It didn't occur to him then that it wasn't a pillow he was about to grasp, though, but one of his closest friends.
And as soon as he noticed, he immediately backed off. The vocalist didn't move an inch and was dead asleep.
It didn't occur to him then that it wasn't a pillow he was about to grasp, though, but one of his closest friends.
And as soon as he noticed, he immediately backed off. The vocalist didn't move an inch and was dead asleep.
Despite having to get up early, the dorm was eerily quiet.
How did he manage to get up before everyone else? After spending the entire night wincing and in pain and only clocking in two hours of sleep, Seungho should have been the last person to wake up, not the first. He sat up in bed and waited for a long few minutes.
How did he manage to get up before everyone else? After spending the entire night wincing and in pain and only clocking in two hours of sleep, Seungho should have been the last person to wake up, not the first. He sat up in bed and waited for a long few minutes.
"Byunghee." The name finally slipped between his lips several times as he slowly poked the other man's cheek, trying to rouse him from his dreams.
His head was spinning and a sharp pain coursed throughout his exhausted body, but he could have sworn he made out a groggy sound escape Byunghee's throat. It must have been the prodding. Slowly, the vocalist's eyes shuttered open and he staggered up out of bed, cursing and mumbling something inaudible as he shuffled his way down to the bathroom. Today they were going to meet up with Gyuri and Sumin in the rehearsal hall. He didn't bother helping Seungho get ready; he felt half-awake like a revived corpse.
As soon as everyone else was prepared, they waited inside the van for Seungho. He was still injured, they knew that, and would run later than the rest. When he arrived, he told them he skipped breakfast to save some time, and took the backseat beside Mir.
The ride to the rehearsal room was largely quiet--Cheondung was silently browsing through Twitter, Lee Joon was brushing his hair and doing his Make-Up and Seungho and Byunghee were lazily gazing out of the window--but Mir was the one outlier. He was bouncing in the backseat beside Seungho, singing (more likely a pathetic attempt) to whatever song the radio was playing, and it was clear that he was making an effort to lighten the mood.
Seungho said nothing as the constant movement agitated his pain, but he was thinking as his ribs ached. Byunghee seemed to catch onto the sign and separated the two by sitting between them, to spare Seungho from any more pain.
Seungho said nothing as the constant movement agitated his pain, but he was thinking as his ribs ached. Byunghee seemed to catch onto the sign and separated the two by sitting between them, to spare Seungho from any more pain.
"Hyung," the maknae suddenly said as he stopped singing. He poked Byunghee's side to show him a picture of Sumin on his phone. "It's the singer we're going to meet in a few minutes!"
She was smiling with a cup of bubble tea in one hand, large sunglasses and a gestured peace sign. She looked beautiful. Happy.
"She is," Byunghee agreed after a while. Seungho darted a look at the display. He couldn't hide the interested look and nobody noticed.
--
"I'm really happy to perform with you tonight!" Sumin chimed politely as she bowed down to them, but Seungho didn't miss it. Through her cascaded hair, he caught the glance she was holding onto him, that unblinking, involuntary stare she had no control over. She quickly corrected herself when he shot an unwavering look back, and a warm feeling split over his face.
"Seungho-ssi." Kevin, one of their managers, took a step forward beside Sumin and grabbed his arm. There was a clear look of concern scratched over his face and he didn't bother lowering his voice. "Look, we know what happened, and it's great you want to get back again... but you're not going to perform any dances in the next few weeks. I think you'd be better off staying back at the dorm. Give yourself time to rest."
What?
Was that it? They just decided he'd stay back? Without his input, they just waved everything and, there, done? The scrambled words were stuck at the back of his throat as he fought the frustrated tears away, and he didn't care that he was in pain, didn't care how damned rational or logical Kevin was being--he felt cheated, frustrated, like a let-down to his friends, the band, their fans and himself. The other members, including Sumin and Gyuri, just stared at him. Speechless. He felt so tiny with all their gazes down on him. He swallowed and took a step back.
"They told me I could perform! They told me I could sing my lines."
"...I think it is the best if we cancel all your schedules."
Seungho groaned, as he turned around and sat down on a chair in the corner of the hall, looking like some offended social outcast. He didn't even listen to what the manager said afterwards and only sat there by himself, watching the others begin the dance performance. He wasn't alone, he knew that, but being left out, watching them perform the dance without him, he felt like he was.
Without thinking, his eyes wandered, fastened and locked on to Sumin. First, he noticed her energy; so full of life, energetic, the way she encouraged everyone else. Then, he noticed her movements, the way she gasped in air, the way the sweat rolled down her skin and dripped from the ends of her hair. Minute after minute, he lost track of time and when Byunghee held onto her, something sparked in him. No, it's nothing. It's just a dance. They were so close to each other, lips almost touching. They looked like they were enjoying it-- Was he jealous? No, he wasn't even sure, but just thinking about it violently churned in his chest and head, forced him to keep watching even though he knew better not to. Seungho grimaced when they kept repeating the dance and begged himself to turn away. Gyuri, to his left, was performing all of Seungho's lines and dance. He had to admit, she made a good replacement.
But as the minutes drained to what felt like hours, his eyelids grew heavier and the noise started to muddle with each other. Watching the same thing over and over again dulled his senses and before he could sleep, a sudden vibration rang in his pocket. His phone. He snapped himself back to awareness and took the phone out, tired eyes reading the screen. An unknown number.
"Hello?"
Traffic noises, cars, the blurred, wordless commotion of people outside.
"Who's there?"
It took a while before someone answered.
"Yang. I'm still watching you."
A short breathe before he hung up.
Silence.
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