38 Pink is for the Mustang    It was a Sunday when Chanyeol kidnapped Soojung to take her to a remote studio downtown. It was a small studio which didn’t look like a studio at all. Chanyeol turned the key of the padlock and removed the chains around the knob. It took quite of his energy to push the door open which seemed stuck and rusting.

Looking inside, it might have been just a makeshift studio considering the barrels and crates scattered all over. It was empty except for the old, dirty couch against the wall, and if the drummer didn’t tell her beforehand, she’d be thinking he took her to a slump instead. The environment around wasn’t helping either – the alley you’d walk on and the abandoned shop surrounding it.

Chanyeol dumped his sports bag on the floor beside the couch, the thick heap of dust elevating, and stood his guitar case on the armrest. Slowly, he started picking up the crates, stacking and putting them aside. After dusting his hands off, he took his jacket off and laid it on the couch.

“Go sit down, Soojung,” he said.

Soojung smiled, let her eyes wander around as she took a seat gingerly. “What are we doing here, Chanyeol?”

“I want to show you where it all began,” he muttered as he turned the light on which surprisingly still worked looking at how old this studio might have been. “You’re my fan, right?” He winked and Soojung grimaced. Chuckling, he continued. “That’s why I want to show you how it started.”

“Where what started?”

“My love for music?” He took one of the barrels and placed it right in front of Soojung. Using it as a chair, he picked up his case and put out his guitar.

“I thought you do the drums?”

Busy tuning his instrument, he answered. “Yeah, but I started with the guitars. Back in high school I used to play here alone. My friend’s mom owned the shop in front and they let me use this storeroom for my practices. I grew to love music here, hence, my college major.”

She observed him, placing her chin on her hand. “You know, I’m quite amazed how your parents let you take Music. I see most parents want professional jobs for their kids.”

Chanyeol laughed through his nose. “Oh dear, they were so against it. It took a long convincing to do. If it wasn’t for Jinri, my dad would’ve kicked me out of our house.”

They both froze when they realized what Chanyeol had said.

“Sorry,” he breathed.

“You were best friends,” Soojung uttered, straightening up. “And you like her. I figured with the way you look at her. It is the same way I look at... Sehun.”

Chanyeol looked at her briefly. “Yeah, you can say that. But today,” his voiced cheered up, “is not about them. I didn’t take you here to talk about things outside our little circle.”

Soojung nodded. “Okay.”

“So, will you let me play for you?”

“Sure.”

He winked, shifted on his seat a little, and started strumming. He was smiling teasingly as he did so and Soojung rolled her eyes, but when Chanyeol started to sing, she almost forgot he was the drummer of his band because how could they let such a good-voiced idiot stick to the drums?   The studio was small and the only light inside was yellow and the bulb was dirty, letting the light cascade a very faint glow. But right at that moment, she didn’t know someone could be so beautiful.

And his voice. God, his voice.

And this is how it starts

You take your shoes off in the back of my van

Yeah my shirt looks so good, when it's just hanging off your back

And she said use your hands in my spare time

We've got one thing in common; it's this tongue of mine

She said

She's got a boyfriend anyway

Suddenly, she didn’t know why Chanyeol was laughing every interlude. It was as if he knew his effect on her and Soojung couldn’t help but roll her eyes. God, not the flirting again, she was thinking. Chanyeol was one heck of a flirt. A hot one, he seemed, but flirty (and a handsome ) nevertheless. And it strung her eyes how dazzling he looked. If this was how he managed to fill in a bar with fangirls hyperventilating every verse, then she finally understood.

Twenty minutes before I drop you off

All we seem to do is talk about

He said the word so eagerly she laughed out loud. Chanyeol was smiling like a retard, knowing just how hot he looked with that guitar on his lap and a thousand-watt smile on his face.  He always knew and it was irritating how much he took advantage of it to send every girl to a friggin' wet choco-heaven. At the same time, he was such a y dork she couldn't stand it. Just who could resist this guy?
Now we're on the bed in my room

And I'm about to fill his shoes

But you say no

You say no

Chanyeol wiggled his eyebrows weirdly and Soojung made a face at him. She didn’t know why he was singing a supposed-to-be romantic song (or not) and put so much ual innuendos in it like the flirt he was.

And I'm not trying to stop you love

If we're gonna do anything we might as well just

Chanyeol wetted his bottom lip innocently and she couldn’t help but curse. Still focused on his strumming, he thought she was just so annoyed so he chuckled stealthily, unaware of the sweating of the girl’s palms.

With the pale light striking his face, the tightness of his black wifebeater (hugging his lean torso) hidden under his ed shirt, his uncombed hair, and the way his fingers did wonders to the strings, Soojung’s mind wandered far off ahead. For a moment she forgot about Sehun or Jinri. She forgot she liked someone else and for a split second, she wished she’d just like this guy instead – funny, talented, uncomplicated, flirty, cheerful, and comfortable. But she was still far from that. Might be on her way, but not yet there. She didn't know what to feel about that.

You've got your tongue pierced anyway

You're in your high tops any day

You're in your skinny jeans anyway

You and your fit friends anyway

I'd take them all out any day

They all go back home anyway

You've all got boyfriends anyway

When the music stopped, he found her staring at him so he held the gaze. He smiled and Soojung reciprocated.

“How is it?” he asked, voice sending chills to every part of her body.

“Why are you singing me out of all songs, Chanyeol? Please,” she chortled.

He looked down and laughed. “I don’t know. It’s a good song though and you cannot lie. And it became extra special and hot because I sang it.”

She couldn’t agree more, but she wouldn’t say that of course. “I’m not sure, Chanyeol.”

He shook his head playfully with a grin.

“So, The 1975, huh?” Soojung asked smirking.

“What, they’re kinda cool, you admit it or not. Ran into them on one of our gigs. Matty’s a cool guy.”

“I never said he isn’t. And I’m not hating on them. I like their songs. But seriously, what’s up with the song? I thought you’re a ,” she playfully asked. ", wow."

He chuckled. “I am. It’s just that… I don’t know. Some girls have such a totally wrong outlook about guys. We’re not just all about physicals, you know.”

She laughed loudly. “Why are you saying this to me? I’m not like those girls. I’m not into physicals, too. And don’t mix me up with them.”

“I’m not mixing you up with them. I know you’re different. You’re not like them. You’re you and you’re special.”

Their eyes met, and for a moment, Soojung thought she, for once, was being complimented genuinely. That was something she’d been missing for awhile – someone to tell her about herself. Something about her that isn’t about her looks or career. Something different. Something new. But then she was reminded that he didn’t see her that way.

“She’s got a boyfriend anyway, huh?” she teased half-heartedly.

He groaned.

“Jongin?”

He groaned even more.

“Sorry,” she muttered. “Just have to ask that. You’re that upset Jinri had her own life when you went back? Sad that she continued living without you when the world stopped for you when you went far from her?”

Chanyeol bit the inside of his cheek. “At the beginning, yes. You see, we were so in love back in college. I liked her and she liked me. I didn’t have the balls to go up and talk to her about it, but I thought the fact that she knew was enough. When we parted ways I thought we had this unspoken rule we were going to wait for each other. But my mistake was I had a girlfriend then and I think that gave her an idea I wanted nothing to do with her, so she got her own life, moved on, and did her thing while I went to U.S hoping she was here waiting for me. I never met anyone in America, you know. No one, because I had her at the back of my mind. She’s waiting, I’d always think. But the thing is she isn’t.” He smiled painfully. “I was so dumb.”

She knew he needed someone to talk to about this. He’d been carrying this weight for too long and he had no one to share it to, and although she had enough load on her shoulders already, Chanyeol badly needed someone and maybe, Soojung could help. Even if it meant impairing herself.

“You may be dumb,” she said. “But you are in love. People who are in love are dumb. That’s the technicalities.”

“The only ones who’ve gone through the same path know,” he teased.

Soojung rolled her eyes. “Please, it’s different with Sehun.”

“Yeah, because the world's ed up. The people we like, like someone else. How stupid could that be?”

“It’s human nature to want something we cannot have.”

He chortled. “Sure thing.”

“But you’re okay now? Have you talked to Jinri about this?”

He looked at her. “Not yet. But I’m planning to… before I go back to U.S.”

Her eyes shot up. “You’re… going back?”

He nodded, looking at his palms while rubbing them together. “Yeah. I never really plan on settling here. I’m just visiting to… uh, catch up with old friends I guess, and meet up with relatives. I’m going back next week. My life’s in U.S now, with my band. I have to go back there.”

She frowned but nodded nonetheless. “You look so sure about your life there. It’s good you get to find where you belong to.”

“Not really. The struggle’s real.” He looked away, s