♫3♫ Someone To Fall Back On
♫ Rhythm of Epiphany ♫
* Haneul's POV *
I take a glance at the clock. It's almost the time.
"Time to go," I put down the guitar. "We need to go now."
"Do you think we're good enough?" Doojoon frowns. "I think we still lack practice."
I turn to look at him and answer honestly, "Good enough? Nope. We're bad enough."
Doojoon's eyes widen but I keep continuing my words, "Ah, we are messed up actually. We are far from good."
"Then why are we going?" Junhyung puts down the drumstick, annoyed with my answer. "We're just going to embarrass ourselves!"
"Do you want to know why do we can't be good enough?" I cross my hands. "Because I know why."
"Then spill it out!" Doojoon sighs with frustration. "I don't even understand why we pick a totally new song? It makes us more difficult to perform better!"
This guy is really annoying since he is a perfectionist.
Doojoon is actually a nice guy. He never tried to do something bad to me even though I always get on his nerve.
But when it comes for work, he doesn't want to finish things up without perfect result and I stand on the opposite of him.
Perfection isn't everything.
* Gikwang's POV *
Junhyung is right. I don't get what Haneul's intention is.
If we're not good enough, if we're actually messed up, what's the point to practice and take the challenge?
"Fine," Haneul shrugs and turns to me suddenly. "You, Lee Gikwang. You're way too concentrated with others when you're playing. Focus with your bass."
I flinch a little when she blurts out her words.
She is right. When we're practicing, I kept glancing at Haneul and Yoseob. Sometimes I even glanced at Junhyung or Doojoon once in a while. I was curious. That's all.
"You, Yoon Doojoon," Haneul faces Doojoon now, turning her back on me. "Stop nagging about perfection. The only thing you need to focus here is doing our best."
"But...," Doojoon tries to defend himself but Haneul cuts in quickly.
"Each of us has our own view of perfection and you can't force your perfection to us. Stop thinking that you can do the best and we can't," she explains.
I look at Doojoon and somehow I know what he feels, snapped by a girl who breaks the rules everyday. Ironic.
"Why did I choose this song? Because I know we will do mistakes within just less than an hour practice. If we pick a well-known song, they will know our mistakes. If we pick a new song, they will not know our mistakes even if we mess up," Haneul gives us her reason.
I let myself to agree with her.
That is a good reason.
* Junhyung's POV *
This girl has guts. Seriously.
I should have known it. We're not going to make it. How come five different people with complex personalities join in a group for a stupid challenge?
"Yang Yoseob," Haneul turns to Yoseob who is flipping the microphone. "Stop trying to vary the tones by yourself. Try to blend in with us. You have a great voice but it's not the time to show off."
To be honest, she is actually telling what we're thinking. I know it from their expressions.
"And you, Yong Junhyung," she looks at me directly. "Can you just please work with us here? You play as if we're not here."
I don't change my expression but I am annoyed by her words. What do you expect from me?
I met them because of coincidence. I am here because of a silly coincidence. And she wants me to work together with them?
"Cut it out," I stand up and walk to the door. I have enough with her.
"Yah, Junhyung ah," Doojoon tries to stop me but I toss away his hand.
"Running from your own trouble?" she mutters loudly, making me to stop my step right when I was going to open the door.
"I just need you to believe us," she mumbles. "For this one, try to believe your partners for this song. For only five minutes."
I clench my fists.
I'm dilemma.
* Doojoon's POV *
So here we are, waiting at the auditorium of the new school, ready to perform.
This is crazy. This is insane.
Five people who are nearly strangers want to perform as a band today. And we just practiced within thirty minutes.
My heart is racing. I'm even more nervous than when I was going for the election for Student Committee.
The whole students from the new school are gathering, watching the band from their own school.
They are good even though I can notice that they are amateurs, but at least they are better than us.
I turn to look at Haneul. She is leaning to the wall, having her usual confident smile on her lips.
When she mentioned our mistakes, a part of my heart was actually annoyed by her, but I know that she was just telling us the truth.
"Yah," Haneul speaks out, breaking the silence between us. "It's our turn now."
I sigh, feeling even more nervous now. What will we do if we mess up on the stage?
"We will be alright," Haneul says. "I just want all of you to believe in that. Just for five minutes, let's work together. Once and for all."
I don't know why but after I heard her words, even though really simple, I feel encouragement fills myself.
We step on the stage, taking our own positions while the audiences are looking at us with deadly glares, some of them are whispering.
"Focus," Haneul whispers to me while she stands in front of a standing microphone.
Here we go. Take it all down.
I take a deep breath and start playing the melodies.
Once I start, the silence fills the auditorium.
* Yoseob's POV *
I hold another microphone, looking at Haneul in silence. It's her part for the first verse till the refrain.
Honestly speaking, I was feeling irritated when she pointed out my mistake but I know I was doing too much variation on my own.
But when she said that my voice is great, I decided to go on with the plan.
I'm sure this will be more interesting soon.
Haneul checks the microphone once the others are done with their check sound. She flashed a smile to me before Doojoon starts to play the keyboard.
There she goes.
"I'll never be a knight in armor with a sword in hand or a kamikaze fighter
Don't count on me to storm the barricades and take a stand or hold my ground
You'll never see any scars or wounds
I don't walk on coals, I won't walk on water"
This song is quite good. Even though I'm not really good with English, I can remember the lyrics easily.
And Haneul's voice is beautiful. Not really beautiful, but it's beautiful. Her voice syncs perfectly with the melodies.
"I am no prince
I am no saint
I am not anyone's wildest dreams
But I will stand behind
And be someone to fall back on"
She takes her guitar and moves the standing microphone a little, giving a space on the center of the stage.
It's the cue.
I walk to the center and look at the audience. They are watching at us carefully, probably trying to figure out why there were only Haneul and Doojoon who perform on the stage.
I'm not planning to let Haneul steals all the spotlight.
Junhyung starts his drum play and Gikwang plays his bass. I smirk and hold my microphone.
"Some comedy, you're bruised and beaten down
But I'm the one who's looking for a favor
Still, honestly you don't believe me
But the things I had are the things you need
You look at me like I don't make sense
like a waste of time, like it serves no purpose"
I can feel the atmosphere has changed. Some of the students look amazed with our performances.
Even I'm actually surprised with our performance. Junhyung is doing much better than the practice and Gikwang is concentrating with his bass.
Haneul, in the other hand, is doing really good with her guitar, having her usual confident smile. Doojoon plays the keyboard, putting a slight smile on his face.
This is interesting.
"I am no prince
I am no saint
And if that's what you believe you need
You're wrong
You don't need much
You need someone to fall back on"
Haneul plays the melodies of the bridge as we are going to do the duet part together.
I look at her and she gives me a bright smile, as if she is showing me that she is enjoying this stage.
"And I'll be that
I'll take your side
If I'm the only one
I'm used to that
You've been alone
I'd rather be"
I take a glance at Gikwang and he has a smile on his face as well.
Even the audiences are cheering for us, enjoying our performance, as if they have forgotten that we are their enemies here.
"The half of us
The least of you
the best of me"
I exchange looks with Haneul and we sing the last refrain together, along with the sync of keyboard, guitar, bass, and drum.
"And I will be...
I'll be your prince
I'll be your saint
I will go crashing through fences
In your name, I will, I swear
I'll be someone to fall back on"
I flip the microphone quickly and sing the last part, stepping forward closer to the audience.
"I'll be the one who waits
And for as long as you let me
I will be the one you need
I'll be someone to fall back on"
The audiences cheer for us, clapping their hands with excitement.
The melodies slow down. It almost ends.
"Someone to fall back on"
I smile and close my eyes, singing the last line.
"One to fall back on"
The song ends.
The audiences cheer.
And I smile.
**********
♩♪♫♬ Author's Note ♩♪♫♬
The song is originally sung by Aly Michalka,
"Someone To Fall Back On", Bandslam OST
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