I exhaled sharply as I practiced my nod and handshake again. Walk up, nod while smiling, shake their hands firmly, wait for them to say whatever they want and then exit. That's it. Breathe Jihye. I exhaled once again, trying to calm my nerves before walking on stage. I adjusted my dress again, smoothing out the wrinkles and flattening my collar.

"You look like you're gonna address the ing president, Jihye. Calm your ." Hyerin said, appearing relatively normal. I knew however, whenever she got nervous, she appeared inhumanly calm, but cursed like a sailor. 

"Whoa there, you sound like a Lil' Wayne song." I tried to joke, but she shut me down by pinching my arm.

"I can't do this." She cried, clinging on to my arm. "I'm gonna trip and then rip my dress, probably resulting in a nip sip, and then I'll be registered as a offender and I wont get a job! I WANT A JOB, DAMMIT!" She screamed again, earning her the attention of everyone who was backstage.

"Shhh, it's ok. I'll treat you to some hot wings and drinks after this and then we'll go home and marathon Harry Potter." I offered, which seem to calm her down somewhat. "Now stop behaving like a drowning cat and let go of me. I swear, you're gonna rip my skin off." 

Her grip around my arm loosened a little, but she still clung on. It seemed to keep her relatively stable if she thought of me as her anchor. I exhaled again and busied myself in patting my hair down, so that I wouldn't look like Simba along with his mane. Jungkook approached us then, looking incredibly hot in his suit and tie. His jet-black hair was a little poofy due to the humidity which made him look adorable, like a baby. That was a stark contrast to his body, the definition of his muscles making him look like an American body builder.

'Look at those thighs. They are about to burst out of those trousers. Can you imagine him and his bar-'

I felt my face burning with an unprecedented intensity, as he gave me a weird look.

"This just in. Jihye's face can now be used as a replacement for gas stoves. Call 1-800--FACE to switch to efficient heating now!" He joked, mocking the voice of a telemarketer.

Hyerin held a hand to my face. "Dude, your face is literally giving off heat. Are you all right?" She questioned me in a concerned tone.

"I-I'm good. Just nervous, I guess. Speaking of which, when do you go on, golden boy?" I stuttered, trying my best to change the topic.

"I think I go last." He said, clearing his throat. "I'm going to have to sing a song for the audience."

"Wait, why? Is it proof that you can sing?" I laughed, trying to swat Hyerin's hands away.

"Nah, the school jumps at any opportunity to showcase the talent of their students. Earns them more funding I guess." He said, shrugging his shoulders. Pfft, as if he didn't enjoy the attention.

Right then, we overheard the principal bid goodbye to students before us, signalling our entry onto the stage. Hyerin let go of my arm and put on her 'calm' face, while Jungkook gave me a reassuring pat on the back. I cringed internally, as the skin contact did not help my rising heart rate.

"Lee Hyerin and Choi Jihye, for their outstanding research in the field of genealogy! Please welcome them on the stage!" A voice boomed from the stage. 

The light was blinding as we walked out on the stage. Hyerin and I stuck together as we slowly approached the podium, where the principal stood, flashing the widest, creepiest smile I had ever seen. I tried to look out to see my parents in the audience, but it was too dark over there to make out anything. As he introduced us and our research, I looked over to my side and saw Jungkook giving me a thumbs up and doing a silly dance, which somehow put me at ease. I smiled to myself as the principal handed us our awards and practically shoved us off the stage. The next few minutes consisted of Hyerin screaming bloody murder backstage because she had tripped getting off the stage, causing a little tear in her dress.

"I paid precious money for this dress! Money that could've been saved for college!" She cried, curling up into a ball. "I have sinned!"

I sat on the floor in front of her. "Hyerin, snap out of it. Stop acting crazy. Snap. Out. Of. It!" I yelled, shaking her violently. "Go home and get some rest. I'll be over there as soon as the awards are done, ok?"

She simply nodded and waddled away to the exit. I chuckled as I watch her leave. It was strange, she was one of the most mature and grown-up friends I had, yet she acted like a little child sometimes.

"It's weird to see her so out of it." Jungkook said, walking up beside me.

"She rarely gets flustered, though." I sighed, remembering all the times she had helped me. "So when she does, her brain switches to extreme mode to make her extra crazy. She gets better pretty fast."

"So, what song are you gonna sing?" I asked him, examining my award.

"Please Don't, by K.Will." He replied, looking at the stage. "My mom loves that song."

"It's got a nice melody." I commented, humming the chorus. "The lyrics are really sad, however."

Before he could reply, the principal announced his name so he flashed me an adorable bunny smile and trotted up on the stage. "Wish me luck!" He said, turning around for a second.

I fetched my jacket and walked closer to get a better look. The principal congratulated him and handed him his award, requesting him to 'sing for the crowd'. Jungkook laughed a little and agreed, glancing very briefly towards me, as if to check that I was still there. I nodded slightly and gave him an encouraging smile. Right then, the music came on and he started to sing. 

Jungkook's POV:

I came on stage and was instantly blown away by the number of people that were present. Was this school that well connected? . I had to sing in front of these people. I had never sung in front of people before. Sure, there were countless parties where my parents had forced me to sing for their guests, but this was different.

The principal shook my hand firmly and gave me my award. While he gave my backstory to the crowd, I looked over at Jihye to see if she watching me, but she seemed completely engrossed in her award. Dammit Jihye, I thought. Look at me.

It might sound weird for me to say this, but I actually admired her. She had this ability to make people feel at ease just by looking or smiling at them. Even though I had known her for barely three months, I felt that I could trust her more than I trusted myself. I hadn't meant to come off as cocky or high-strung, but I guess your first impression is your last impression. If only I had introduced myself like a normal person, if I had just said "Hello, I'm Jungkook!" instead of brag, we would have a normal relationship. There wouldn't have been any awkwardness between us when we talked like normal human beings for once. Me and my big mouth.

I was so lost in thought, that I nearly failed to hear the principal's request for me to sing. I laughed nervously and took the mic from him, looking over at Jihye one last time. This time she was watching me, and she gave me her famous reassuring smile. I locked eyes with her, gladly taking all the encouragement that they offered, before turning to face and crowd. The music played just then, so I cleared my throat and started to sing.

"We sit next to each other in the car but there is no music, I always held your left hand but now you're picking at your lips."

I stared directly in front of me, which was quite unnatural for a singer to do. I felt like a rusty robot, who had been put on showcase all of a sudden.

"I know what you're going to say, please don't say it; don't know why, don't know why. I want to draw out each minute, each second, but the empty road rushes me on."

I started to ease up a little, especially since I heard a soft voice singing next to me. I looked over at Jihye and smiled, as held up a peace sign and sung with me.

"After going round and round, I arrive at your house that's so familiar and tears fall; After spending a long day finding this place, I feel like I am lost."

I looked back at the crowd again, but this time I closed my eyes and focused on the melody. Strangely, all I could see was Jihye's face when I had first met her. I had approached her after lunch, walking up to her desk. She had peeked up at me shyly, and given me a small, crooked smile, which I had subsequently ruined with my arrogant proclamation.

"Please don't, please don't leave; Don't know why, don't know why; It's not even raining but outside the window, you grow white and farther apart."

I grew bolder with each other word that I sang, my eyes still shut tight. I kept walking about the stage, occasionally looking at Jihye who kept singing with me the entire time. I finished off the song in a softer tone than the original, bowing deeply as the music faded. The audience applauded and roared, many getting to their feet for a standing ovation. I bowed again and quickly walked off the stage, nearly running her over.

"Earth to Jihye!" I said, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Huh? Oh..you're here." She said, furrowing her brows.

"Yep, I'm here." I laughed. "You look like your memories have zapped."

She shook her head and patted her cheeks. "Sorry, I kinda spaced out."

"How did you like my performance?" I asked quietly, not really looking at her.

"It was really good." She said, playing with her fingers. "You have a really good voice." She added, a soft smile playing on her lips.

"Oh, um, yeah." I said, unsure of how to behave friendly around her. I think she picked up the hint.

"Of course," She started, her shy demeanor fading. "My voice is like a hundred times better."

"Is not! I bet you can't even can't sing Do Re Mi without going off-tune." I scoffed, folding my arms. 

"Is that a challenge, -face?" She spat, folding her arms as well.

"Nope. You challenge someone who you think is worthy, which you clearly are not." I declared, feeling quite smug.

Jihye got very quiet all of a sudden. "You know what, whatever." She said putting on her jacket. "I don't wanna fight right now, I'm really tired. Great job on winning." was all she said before leaving.

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. "Yeah, Jungkook." I huffed, stuffing my hands in my pockets. "Great ing job."