There is a difference between how people see you,

Slim fingers pressed down on ivory keys, a strong set of chords sounding from the keyboard. He played a variety of low chords, trying to set the tone slowly. Though he really was confused, wondering where and how he should begin. He usually started with soft, almost whimsical notes leading into peaceful melodies that garnered compliments along the lines of giving the impression of sunny days when you could spend the day walking outside in the park, or calming rainy weather where you would sit inside a café and have a cup of freshly brewed coffee. His compositions were sweet, tranquil, and perhaps even romantic in many cases, according to his classmates. He often created feel good mood music because that was always what he had felt. There was no point in creating a depressing work if it wasn’t what you felt. In fact, he avoided playing music with particularly dark connotations even for classes and performances. He had played angry, frustrated, and even stormy pieces during the rare moments he experienced those emotions, but this was a new sensation that he couldn’t quite explain.

The feeling that dwelled in him wasn’t heated, nor burning. It wasn’t bursting or even explosive. It just sat there in his stomach uncomfortably. It would scratch at his body occasionally, but it never stayed around long enough for him to figure it out. So, he left it there – unnamed and unresolved. He didn’t know what triggered it or how it even came to be in the first place, but he was aware of it. And for now, he guessed it would be enough to acknowledge it. It’s not like he was bothered by it. It didn’t even affect his everyday life. It just... unnerved him. He prided himself in the knowledge he had of himself, and knew exactly what made him tick, so to figure out that there was an anomaly may have put him in a small bind. Or maybe he should ask somebody...?

He turned off the keyboard and decided to go next door. He slipped on a pair of sandals and took his key with him as well before heading to the apartment next to him. He knocked on the door and waited for its owner to answer. His ears, however, could pick up some boisterous shouting from inside. Hm... Maybe he should go to his other neighbour instead–

“Soo Kyung-ah, what’s up?” A tuft of black hair met his vision first before he saw the male’s full face.

“Are you busy right now?” He tilted his head in a questioning manner.

“Actually–”

“Yah, Myung Soo-ah! You’re going to die at this point if you don’t get back here!”

Soo Kyung coughed, stifling a laugh, “I guess that means you’re busy. I’ll just talk to Min Ki-hyung.”

Myung Soo had to look up just the slightest in order to meet the younger male’s obsidian black eyes with espresso-hued irises, “Are you sure?”

Soo Kyung’s lips turned up a bit at the ends in reassurance, “Yeah. I’ll see you later.”

As soon as he opened his mouth to say something, he was called for loudly causing him to look back into his apartment.

“Myung Soo, you’re dead!”

He clicked his tongue in annoyance before turning back to his door to find Soo Kyung gone. He let out a heavy sigh, ruffling his hair before shutting the door. Turning back into his apartment, he went back in and sat down at the desk his laptop was on. He frowned at his dead character on the screen, wondering if he should revive him and continue playing. He opted out and shut down the game instead.

“You’re not playing anymore?” His tallest friend asked.

He shook his head, “My eyes are getting tired from staring at the screen for so long.”

The oldest of the bunch turned to the second youngest in the apartment, “Who knocked on your door?”

“Soo Kyung,” he replied.

“A girl?!” His closest friend of the whole group turned to him with his mouth wide open. The rest of them merely looked at him with wide eyes.

He shook his head, “Chae Soo Kyung from the music department. You might have seen him around. He’s majoring in piano and composition, if I'm not mistaken.”

“Ah, you mean Yiruma number two?” The group’s dance-obsessed member looked up from his screen.

Myung Soo blinked in confusion, “Yiruma number two?”

Hoya nodded in confirmation to what he said, “Yeah. His compositions are really like Yiruma’s – you know that sort of music that you can listen to and it just makes you feel calm? That type of music. I heard he doesn’t play sad songs a lot.”

“I see...” Myung Soo tilted his head. But he doesn’t really seem like that kind of person sometimes, nor does he look like it, he thought with a small pucker of the lips.

“So he’s your next door neighbour, Myung Soo-ah?” Sung Kyu asked their second youngest.

He nodded, “He moved here before me. He was still living with his parents until he decided to move out since this building is closer to the subway.”

“You guys must get along well.”

“Yep. He even lets me photograph him for my projects,” he leaned against the back of the chair with only his eyes showing, hiding his expression.

“Is he the one with the long hair?” The maknae asked in curiosity. “Because you were looking through some shots last time and there were a lot of that person.”

“He models for me if I ever need a subject.”

Woo Hyun raised an eyebrow, “So, it’s basically the cold city boy and a romantic pianist? I wonder how that works out.”

Myung Soo’s eyes narrowed on the athlete, “I’m not even going to reply to that.”

“Look, he went into ‘L’-mode,” his playful hyung pointed out with a joking grin.

Myung Soo stood up to go get himself a drink from the refrigerator, ignoring the teasing of his personality. Sung Kyu rolled his eyes at his hoobaes and stood up to join the boy at the fridge. He patted the younger male on the shoulder, “Ignore them. It’s good that you’re getting along with your neighbour, especially since its good networking. And it’s nice of him to help you out as well.”

The taller male smiled at him, “Thanks Sung Kyu-hyung.”

and how you see yourself.

Chapter 01: (com)posed.

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A/N: Funny enough, this is only a few words over 1000. I didn’t even intend for it to be this long... Hm... Well, this is more of a relief writing project when I’m not fully immersed in Maybe We’re Already Gone. Doesn’t mean I’m going to show it less appreciation, but it is going to be relatively shorter. Hope you guys don’t mind. Please subscribe, upvote, and comment!