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“Are you fuc-” Myungjun stopped himself halfway through the word, not daring to finish it and get reprimanded by his instructor. “-kidding me? I can’t work with him!” He flailed his arms around desperately, hoping it would accomplish something.
It didn’t.
“I don’t wanna work with you either, sunshine-” The other man, Jinwoo, spat back at Myungjun, chewing obnoxiously on his gum. “-but I’ll try.” Jinwoo shrugged his shoulders and looked at the instructor, blowing a bubble and letting it pop loudly before sucking the gum back in his mouth to continue chewing on it annoyingly, smirking at Myungjun.
Myungjun groaned loudly and picked up his violin case with a huff, turning on his heel to face Jinwoo. “Practise room seven. Fifteen minutes.” With that, Myungjun left the room after bowing to their instructor, another huff audible from the hallway.
“I’ll make it work.” Jinwoo offered, as reassuring as he could muster, before picking up his own guitar and bowing to the instructor. “Don’t you worry.”
Myungjun didn’t hate Jinwoo, no, not at all. It may seem like that because, well, he had a history with him. Albeit a very small history, if you could even call it that. Jinwoo probably wasn’t aware of it, he thought, but Myungjun sure was. They were complete opposites in almost every aspect. Jinwoo’s hair was orange now, fucking orange, Myungjun’s was a normal color, blond, Jinwoo’s face was sharp, Myungjun’s was soft, Jinwoo was immature, Myungjun was not. And that was the main problem Myungjun had with him. Maybe it was because he was younger and more popular, but whatever the reason for his immaturity, Myungjun didn’t like it at all.
There was a Halloween party a few months ago that Myungjun was dragged to by a few of his friends, insisting that it would be “fun” and that he needed to “loosen up” and get drunk or laid. Or both. Myungjun hated that. He hated people who did that, just because they could. Call him old-fashioned, but Myungjun valued real relationships, real connections, without drugs or alcohol involved.
Myungjun had been casually dressed, a pair of dark blue jeans and a lilac shirt, plain black shoes and belt, and a small gold necklace with a white jewel at the end of it. His outfit was rather plain and he didn’t expect anyone to really talk to him. Well, about a half hour into the party, Myungjun was approached by a man who was obviously drunk or high, or both. He had just been minding his own business, scrolling through his Twitter feed on his phone in a chair silently, sipping on a plastic bottle of pop, making sure to keep an eye on his two younger, clearly intoxicated, friends. This man wasn’t ugly, Myungjun thought, but the fact that he was drunk and smelled like an awful concoction of alcohol and cigarette smoke definitely made Myungjun think twice about his initial impression of the man.
After finding out the man’s name and age and a whole bunch of other unimportant tidbits, Myungjun said goodbye and scrambled to get away from the man, Jinwoo, who had gotten even more intoxicated over the course of their conversation and attempted to flirt drunkenly with him. Slurred compliments, lustful gazes, and many unintelligent sexual innuendos later, Myungjun finally removed himself from Jinwoo’s side, only to be found 20 minutes later by him again.
Myungjun found himself reluctantly giving in to the conversation since his phone battery was dying. It wasn’t as bad as he initially thought it would be. He discovered that Jinwoo was only a few years younger, dyed his hair often, played the electric guitar, was majoring in music like Myungjun, and he liked guys, specifically guys like Myungjun. Pretty, blond ones who looked delicate and soft. Jinwoo liked pretty things, and Myungjun was a very, very pretty thing.
He found himself gulping at Jinwoo’s bold statement, but he pushed it to the back of his mind as he remembered that the other man was drunk and probably wouldn’t even remember him after the party ended.
Myungjun couldn’t have been more wrong.
It was almost like Jinwoo had started purposely running into Myungjun after that. Going for coffee at the same time was the most annoying one, by far. The coffee shop inside the student union had a deal from 2pm to 6pm, all medium iced or hot lattes were $2.00 instead of $3.80, so Myungjun gladly went almost every day to take advantage of this deal. Jinwoo, he saw, had brown hair this time, a pleasant, normal colour. The now-brunet looked relaxed and comfy in a pair of black sweatpants and a plain, white shirt. Myungjun rolled his eyes every time the other man tried to get his attention, whether it be by waving his hands, whispering to him from his place in the line, or whatever, Myungjun just wanted to get his coffee and lock himself in a practise room.
He would be lying if he said he hadn’t checked Jinwoo out while his back was turned, though.
The run-ins got more and more frequent. Jinwoo found out which practise room Myungjun was in the most, and made sure to reserve it right after his time was up, waiting for him right outside the door, a guitar slung around his body.
Myungjun cursed at himself for looking a few seconds too long at Jinwoo’s shirt - or lack thereof. That skimpy, white tank top was a sorry excuse for a shirt, Myungjun thought. But that didn’t keep his eyes from observing as much as he possibly could, gaze lingering on something faint and black underneath the thin cloth covering the right side of his chest. Myungjun narrowed his eyes and concluded that Jinwoo had a tattoo. Great. Another thing he hated. But he was thoroughly confused as to why he hadn’t confronted the other man about his light stalking. Myungjun didn’t want to admit it, but he found Jinwoo wildly attractive.
He would never admit it.
No way.
Months later, Myungjun found himself caving and admitting to himself that he was attracted to Jinwoo. He mentally berated himself for weeks about it, convinced that Jinwoo didn’t even know his name, that he didn’t even care and just wanted a drunken lay at that Halloween party. Myungjun felt like shit every time he saw Jinwoo around campus, his bright orange hair bouncing with every step he took, an obnoxious smile plastered on his face each time he passed by a cute guy.
“He’s just a player. He’s not worth it.” Myungjun had to remind himself, sometimes slapping himself to get Jinwoo out of his head.
No matter how many times he tried to convince himself that Jinwoo wasn’t worth it, it only took a few more weeks before Myungjun’s knees went weak at the sight of Jinwoo’s smile, teeth crooked and eyes softening into half-moons.
Sadly, Myungjun knew that people like Jinwoo didn’t change. Jinwoo would always be someone you found at parties, drunk or high, hitting on people, taking them upstairs for casual sex, and Myungjun really didn’t like that. But who was he to dictate how someone else lived their life? If that’s what Jinwoo did, then that’s what Jinwoo did. He couldn’t do anything about it except mope from afar.
Of course, Jinwoo had no idea what was going on inside Myungjun’s head. He had no clue what kind of turmoil Myungjun was going through about him, so he had just been hoping to get the cute blond in his bed for a quick, hot fuck.
It seemed as though Myungjun was immune to Jinwoo’s charms, which greatly puzzled him. Not many people resisted Jinwoo, since he was so charming and smooth-talking; nearly everyone turned into putty in front of him after a few compliments.
Little did Jinwoo know that he was right. Myungjun was indeed putty every time he glanced over in his general direction.
Because of this, Myungjun was hesitant to work with Jinwoo. He couldn’t believe that a top student like himself got chosen to perform a duet with an electric guitarist? Myungjun was a violinist and a classical one at that, there was no way their styles could mesh well together.
It didn’t help that Myungjun was hopelessly attracted to his duet partner, either.
He wouldn’t go so far to say that he was in love with Jinwoo, no way. He just sometimes liked to imagine how a relationship with him would be if he wasn’t, you know, the way he was.
Myungjun set up his sheet music on the stand and waxed his bow, adjusting his violin against his neck as he started to play a few notes, huffing as he realised it was only slightly out of tune.
Right at that moment, Jinwoo decided to bust in through the door without a care in the world. Earbuds lodged deep in his ear, blaring rock music so loud that Myungjun could hear it from nearly across the room. He was chewing gum still, smacking his lips obnoxiously as he bobbed his head to the beat of the music. Upon making eye contact with Myungjun, he winked, walking forward before taking out his guitar and draping the strap around him comfortably. He pulled out his phone to pause his music, ripping the earbuds out of his ears and turning towards the blond boy whose cheeks were pink for some reason. Definitely not from the wink.
“So, how are we gonna make this work?” Jinwoo asked abrasively, stuffing the phone with earbuds wrapped around it into one of his front pockets.
“Just let me take care of it. I’ll write all the music for the duet, I just want to make sure you don’t suck.” Myungjun spat back, eyes narrow and brows furrowed as he focused on the orange-haired man who was mindlessly plucking at the strings on his guitar, the black gloss of the instrument glistening under the fluorescent lighting of the practise room.
Myungjun couldn’t help but think that Jinwoo resembled his guitar; it was black and spiky, and Myungjun was sure that was how his personality was too. He wasn’t looking forward to this.
“Why would I suck? We’re obviously both extremely good at what we do, otherwise we wouldn’t have been chosen to perform.” The younger shot back, a bit confused. They had been chosen because they were in the top of their classes, regarding talent. “Is it because of the instrument I play? Too different for you?”
Myungjun couldn’t lie; it kind of was a problem for him. How in the hell was a classical violinist supposed to sound good with an electric guitarist who played loud, rock music? Myungjun just didn’t think it was possible. “Honestly-” He thought carefully about his next words, not wanting to pick the wrong ones and have Jinwoo hate him and sabotage their performance later. “-a little bit. I just don’t know how we are supposed to sound good together. Our styles are too different, and our instruments!” He exclaimed, obviously exasperated. “This is probably my only chance to play in front of major orchestras and be invited to join and, knowing me, I’m probably going to fuck it all up.” His voice got small of a sudden, scared almost, and he set his violin down on a seat next to him as he slumped down himself, hands running through his hair nervously.
Well, Jinwoo didn’t expect that. “Are you not confident in your music-writing abilities?”
The blond shook his head.
“Do you just want to practise?” Jinwoo shrugged his shoulders and played a light-hearted riff. “We can do whatever.”
Myungjun found himself nodding and standing up to give it another shot.
The two played different types of music for nearly four hours, barely exchanging words as Myungjun’s glares toward the other man became icy again.
There was no way Myungjun could make this work.
Neither of them had a choice, so they met four times a week to practise together, sometimes playing for five hours at a time. Myungjun thought there was good progress being made, and Jinwoo agreed.
However, there was also progress being made in regards to Myungjun’s crush on Jinwoo. He had found out that Jinwoo was surprisingly different than he thought, but had second thoughts about it as he wondered if it was just a ploy to get him to like Jinwoo more. He really didn’t know what to think. He’d thought about bringing up the party and their meeting there, but he didn’t want to make their time together more awkward that it already was. Jinwoo seemed comfortable, but who really knew how he felt. Myungjun, on the other hand, blushed every time Jinwoo looked at him, so he opted for never locking eyes again.
The months dragged on and Jinwoo actually found himself slightly intrigued by his blond duet partner. Even though he couldn’t stand the type of music he played; that boring Vivaldi shit, he couldn’t help but look at how Myungjun’s face turned into one of pure enjoyment as he placed his violin against his chin and dragged the bow across the strings. His eyes were shut as he played, thin fingers gliding along the strings, his lips stretching into a small smile as he moved his head slightly to the music.
It was absolutely beautiful, Jinwoo thought, not the music, of course, it was boring as fuck, but Myungjun clearly enjoying playing his instrument, putting his emotions and expressions into the music, it was so simple and delicate and Jinwoo couldn’t help but smile.
Jinwoo had a philosophy that you were the music you played, and he was right most of the time. He himself played loud, rough, metal music and he was like that personality-wise. He drank, smoked, partied, and lived life on the edge and in the present, not thinking about consequences or too far ahead. Myungjun was the opposite. He played soft, calming music, and from what Jinwoo observed, he was like that in real life too. His clothes were always simple and unwrinkled, he seemed to put a lot of care into his appearance, most notably his face and hair, but his nails always seemed to be nice and trimmed as well. Jinwoo had never seen Myungjun do anything crazy or hang out with anyone questionable in all the months they’d been practising together, and that concluded Jinwoo’s philosophy.
“Man, that shit’s so boring, Myung.”
The blond just rolled his eyes and sat down, tapping at his violin as he thought of something to say. “Well, I’m boring, so, I don’t know what you want me to do about it” He replied, tone snappy.
“Whatever. Have you written anything for the duet?” Jinwoo sat down as well, his guitar in his lap.
“I have a little bit done, but it’s a rough draft and probably not very good. I had to work on a couple other pieces for the violin showcase in two weeks so this kind of took a backseat.”
“Violin showcase?”
“Yeah, all the violinists are going to perform a couple pieces for a-” Myungjun stopped. “Wait, why do you care?”
“Never said I did, babe. Just curious.” Jinwoo joked, sticking his tongue out as he plucked at some of his guitar strings.
“Ugh.” Myungjun crossed his legs and tried to get back on subject, trying to ignore the fact that that hot, orange-haired man just called him babe. “Anyways, let me show you what I have.”
He rummaged through his backpack and produced a blue folder, taking some sheets out from it and placing it on the stand in front of him as he stood up.
Jinwoo got up as well and went to stand over by Myungjun to look at the music.
“I thought you said you only a got a little bit of it done?” Jinwoo asked, very surprised that there were 4 pages of music in front of him. “This is a whole song.”
“It’s garbage.” Myungjun sat down again and let Jinwoo finish looking through the papers.
“I think it’s pretty good, but we’ll have to play it to know for sure.” Jinwoo smiled, urging Myungjun to get up. “Come on.”
“Fine.”
The two stood next to each other, readying their instruments, eyes on the papers in front of them.
Jinwoo smelled like cigarette smoke and cheap cologne next to Myungjun, who was trying his hardest not to cough or groan.
Myungjun smelled like laundry detergent and flowery deodorant next to Jinwoo, who was trying not to inch closer.
“Ready?”
Jinwoo nodded.
“Go.”
The room erupted with the sound of Jinwoo’s electric guitar, loud and rough and amp nearly shaking with the intensity. He rocked his head back and forth to the music, orange hair falling into his eyes occasionally.
Myungjun stood there with his violin in awe. Jinwoo played well, really well. He almost felt bad for doubting the younger at the beginning now. The way Jinwoo moved his head and body to the music, how his fingers slid over the strings, a smile on his face all the while, encaptured Myungjun.
It was Myungjun’s turn to play now, so he shut his eyes, not needing to look at the music since he wrote it and had already memorised it, and readied his bow.
His part was soft in the beginning, but got gradually faster and almost angry as he progressed, trying to match Jinwoo’s aggressive starting rhythm.
It was interesting when Jinwoo played again, since his part this time was uncharacteristically gentle and quiet. Well, it was supposed to be. Gentle and quiet doesn’t actually sound like that when the guitar is plugged into a giant amp. Nevertheless, Jinwoo tried to play it according to the markings on the papers, and he succeeded. He didn’t head-bang to the beat this time, instead choosing to tap his foot a few times and wiggle his shoulders.
Now it was probably the most difficult part; the actual duet.
Jinwoo unplugged his guitar from the amp and stood closer to Myungjun who was in front of the stand.
They played in unison, a soft melody coming from Myungjun’s violin and a slightly rougher one coming from Jinwoo’s guitar. They hit every beat in time, vibratos steady and expertly done by both.
Jinwoo was so immersed in the music that he didn’t notice a small audience beginning to grow in the room. Myungjun didn’t notice at all since his eyes were closed again, feeling the music as he played. They put every bit of effort into that part, Jinwoo a bit sad to see that the piece was coming to an end. Myungjun slid his fingers up the neck of his violin, high notes filling the room now as Jinwoo did the opposite; sliding his fingers down, almost to the base of his guitar, to play some really low notes along with Myungjun’s high ones. The two differing instruments and styles sounded really good together, that being the inspiration behind this piece, Myungjun knew, but would never admit. He wrote this piece with the thought of two completely different things, different styles, could maybe work when put together.
He had thought of himself and Jinwoo while writing this piece.
A light applause filled the room now, causing Myungjun to blink his eyes open to see a small group of students by the door. Jinwoo just smiled at the others and put his guitar down.
“That was really good! We heard it from our practise room and we just had to come and see!” One of the boys said excitedly.
“He wrote it. All him.” Jinwoo pointed to Myungjun, who was now bright red, from thinking about the reason behind the piece, from being complimented on his piece, and now from being put on the spot.
“Really?” Another boy spoke, eyes wide.
Myungjun nodded shyly.
“It seemed so emotional. What was the reason behind that piece? If there was one.” The same boy spoke again, looking at Myungjun.
“Um, no reason, really. I just had to write something.” Myungjun lied, hoping his quavering voice didn’t give him away.
The other boys looked satisfied with that answer, so they complimented the pair once again before making their way out of the practise room.
Jinwoo turned to Myungjun. “Was there a reason behind that piece?”
“If there was, why would I tell you of all people?” He snapped, tone acidic.
“What did I do to you?” Jinwoo asked angrily. “What did I do to make you hate me? Is it just because we play different styles of music or what?”
Myungjun felt bad now. “No, I’m just-” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “-having a crappy day. He lied again, hoping Jinwoo wouldn’t care enough to ask.
Unfortunately, Jinwoo did.
“What happened?” Jinwoo asked, stuffing his guitar into its case on the other side of the room. “I don’t even like you that much, but I can beat up whoever it was, you know.”
“Dear god, no, nothing like that.” Myungjun reassured, focusing his attention to packing up his violin safely.
“So…?” The younger continued, wanting a response.
“So, it’s really none of your business, with all due respect.” The blond snapped, tucking his violin case under his arm.
“Okay, okay, you got me.” Jinwoo held his hands up in mock defence. “I’ll back off.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you next week.” Myungjun let that statement stand in place of a ‘goodbye’ as he picked up his backpack and left the room.
Jinwoo just waved goodbye even though the other man wasn’t even looking.
The weekend was lonely for Myungjun, he didn’t really do anything except write music and play music and sleep.
It was completely the opposite for Jinwoo. He went to a party, got drunk, and hit on guys there. One of the guys he attempted to flirt with had a boyfriend, who wasn’t very pleased that Jinwoo was trying to chat him up.
Once the school week started again, Myungjun was excited to show Jinwoo the new-and-improved duet music. He’d been working on it all weekend long and he thought it was pretty brilliant.
Jinwoo’s then-bright orange hair was slightly faded now, flattering his sharp face to make it seem a little softer and gentler. He was wearing casual clothes, dark jeans and a white shirt, and Myungjun wondered how clothes that simple could look so fucking good. Well, he knew the answer but was still in denial, suppressing any feelings he had for Jinwoo as best as he could.
Jinwoo was surprisingly chirpy today. Maybe he got laid over the weekend. “So, how was your weekend?” He asked, setting his guitar down carefully.
“Boring, like usual.” The blond replied flatly.
“What happened to the party-animal Myungjun I used to know?” Jinwoo teased, raising an eyebrow.
“What the hell do you mean?” Myungjun shot back, eyebrows furrowed.
“Come on. You were at that Halloween party. I haven’t forgotten seeing you there; why weren’t you drunk?”
“I don’t drink. Two of my friends went and asked me to keep an eye on them and then drive them back home safely.” Myungjun answered, his tone sharp.
“Ah, a designated driver. I commend you.” Jinwoo pressed a hand over his heart exaggeratedly. “Renouncing the evils of alcohol. I wish I could.” He laughed.
“You can, you just choose not to.” Myungjun started, wanting to continue about this topic, surprisingly. “I’ve always wondered about people like you. The people who have to drink and smoke and use drugs-”
“Hey now, I don’t use drugs.” Jinwoo snapped, clearly offended at the accusation. “I never will.”
“Whatever. Drugs are just as bad as alcohol and smoking, to me. I just want to know why do people like you need it? Why do so many people need that shit to function or have fun? I just don’t get it.”
The atmosphere was tense now, Jinwoo’s eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed at the tone Myungjun was using towards him.
“You don’t get it? Neither do I. This is the only thing I’ve ever known. Ever since I was young, I was surrounded by that kind of stuff. I’m guessing you grew up in some rich, fancy house where your parents played that classical music shit with violins and pianos for you, sending you to fancy-ass rich schools where you scored top marks in everything you did, hmm? You got everything handed to you? Huh? I didn’t. My parents were drug addicts who sold on the side, and eventually I got sucked up into the whole thing when I turned 10, helping them sell on the streets because no one would suspect a little boy of selling drugs.” Jinwoo spat, face morphing into an expression of hurt. “Before you start classifying me as some kind of degenerate at least have the fucking decency to ask me about it.” Jinwoo scoffed in disbelief before continuing. “Now they’re both dead, and I’m only 22, trying to do everything myself, trying to survive with this reputation I have. People assuming I’m like this by choice. If I had a choice, I’d want to be like you.” Jinwo felt like crying now, but he blinked his eyes, forcing the tears back, not wanting to look pathetic in front of someone like Myungjun.
He hadn’t meant for it to all come out like that, but he hated being classified as one of those kids by people like Myungjun.
Myungjun really fucked up now.
“Jinwoo, I-”
“Don’t. Just please, stop assuming people are a certain way because they choose to be. If I could be like you, I’d fucking jump at the chance, believe me. You’re the kind of person I’d want to be, but nothing could ever be so far-fucking-fetched.”
“I’m sorry-” Myungjun’s voice was small and soft now, he cupped his face with his hands. “My gosh, you must hate me-”
“What? No-”
“I’m so sorry. For assuming, for accusing. I had these mean thoughts about you in the back of my head always, cursing you for the way you are. Cursing you for indulging in those habits that I always knew were supposed to be terrible and-” Myungjun groaned again, slumping down into his head, ashamed. “-please, forgive me. I had no idea.”
“Dude, don’t beat yourself up over it. It’s okay. Plus, I’ve heard worse.” Jinwoo just shrugged his shoulders and swept the incident under the rug.
“I- really?” Myungjun asked in disbelief, surprised that the other man seemed to forgive him so quickly and easily. “What have people said to you?”
Jinwoo just laughed. “What haven’t they said?”
The blond eyed the empty seat next to him. “Do you, um, want to sit? And talk? Maybe-”
The atmosphere was less tense now, almost friendly.
“Yeah, I guess I also owe you an apology.” Jinwoo said as he walked over, taking a seat next to the older man.
“For what?” Myungjun was confused. Jinwoo hadn’t done anything to him, so why would he need to apologise?
“What I said to you at that party. I know it was last year and all, but I clearly made you uncomfortable and I shouldn’t have talked to you like that; I definitely shouldn’t have followed you around after you rejected me too. I was just too, well, drunk-” Jinwoo sighed as the apology spilled out, an obviously distressed Myungjun to his right. “-sometimes I just can’t take ‘no’ for an answer, I guess. But it’s whatever now.”
“I- you- you still remember that?” Myungjun spluttered, surprised that he still recalled a party from last fucking year, remembering the fact that he probably went to multiple parties every week and hit on so many people.
“I mean, why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you probably go to tonnes of parties every week and flirt with lots of people?” Myungjun said back, voice unsure.
“I mean, yeah I guess, but the party I met you was a bit different. I felt really bad later after sobering up about what I said to you, all those gross jokes and stuff, and I didn’t want you to have that impression of me stuck in your mind. I honestly don’t usually do that.” Jinwoo ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “So I want to try and fix that, if you’ll give me a chance? Could you look past those thoughts you had about me?” His voice was hopeful as he looked to Myungjun.
Myungjun felt slightly guilty, but the tone of voice Jinwoo was using was kind of irresistible.
“Don’t worry about the party. We can just put it behind us. I’ve had a lot worse things said to me too, so don’t worry about what you said either.” Myungjun shifted slightly to face Jinwoo more. “I’d like to be friends. After all, we have to perform a kick-ass duet in a few months, might as well go on stage with some kind of chemistry.”
“Wait, what do you mean worse things?”
“You know-” Myungjun trailed off, hoping Jinwoo would get what he was trying to say without saying it.
“I mean, I don’t, that’s why I’m asking.”
“Nothing. It’s not a big deal.” Myungjun waved his hand dismissively and changed the subject. “Let’s practise. I think you’ll like the new version I wrote; I worked really hard on it.”
Jinwoo really didn’t want to let the issue go, but Myungjun seemed to, so he dropped it.
The pair practised for hours, adding notes and changing beats as they played through the song again and again. It actually sounded amazing, Jinwoo thought, Myungjun was really talented and he obviously put a lot of work into this piece.
“I think this is it, Myung.” Jinwoo was panting after they finished playing, he had used so much energy and enthusiasm to make it sound the best he possibly could. “If they don’t like this piece, they’re out of their fucking minds.” He sat down, still breathing heavily, placing his guitar on his lap.
“Do you think it’s good?” Myungjun asked feebly, his back turned to Jinwoo as he collected the papers from the stand, hoping to waste some time so the damn blush on his face would go away before he’d have to look Jinwoo in the eye again.
“Who wouldn’t? ” The other man practically screeched. “It’s great! It’s so emotional and rich, and you can feel what the piece is trying to tell you.”
“Oh-” Myungjun turned to Jinwoo now, kneeling down beside the chair next to him to stuff papers into his own backpack. “-thank you, that really means a lot.” He took a seat in the chair next to Jinwoo and crossed his legs.
“Is there really no reason behind it? It almost seems… sad.” Jinwoo’s tone was soft now, his eyebrows knitted together in what seemed like worry.
“I don’t really want to talk about it, Jinwoo. It’s just something I put together over the months, it’s not a big deal.” Myungjun tried to deflect the question again. “Plus, I’m tired and I need to get over to the student union for a coffee in the next hour before the deal runs out.”
“Can I go with you?”
“Um, sure.”
With that, the pair left the room, leaving their instruments and backpacks hidden inside safely as they made their way across campus in the cold. It didn’t help that it was windy too, the iciness hitting Myungjun’s cheeks harshly, causing him to have a permanent blush on his cheeks and the tip of his nose.
Jinwoo looked over a couple times and smiled; Myungjun’s pink face was impossibly adorable and he wanted nothing more right now than to cup the blond’s face in his hands. He wanted to do that more than he wanted a $2.00 coffee, and Jinwoo really loved coffee.
He held the door open for Myungjun and Jinwoo swore that he saw the blond’s cheeks flush a deeper shade of pink at the gesture. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, though.
They ordered two medium iced lattes, Myungjun’s with caramel flavouring and Jinwoo’s with hazelnut.
“So, do you want to sit here for a bit? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to walk all the way back there holding an iced latte.” Jinwoo joked, scanning the place for an empty table.
“Sure.” Myungjun followed the other man, sitting in a chair at a small table, across from Jinwoo. “Do you think we need to keep practising?” He blurted out, taking a long sip of coffee through his straw immediately after. “I think we sound pretty good.” Another sip.
“I definitely think we sound awesome, hell yeah.” Jinwoo smiled, his slightly crooked teeth on display. Myungjun was glad he was sitting down because he felt extremely weak at the knees right now. “I think we could do a couple more practises and then end it, if you want.” He shrugged, trying to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal, but he was slightly sad that he might not get to see Myungjun as often.
“Okay. We can do that.”
They finished their coffees in relative silence, Jinwoo occasionally blurting out random comments about the weather, the classes, the school, or that cute guy who just passed by.
“Damn.” Jinwoo sighed under his breath.
“What?”
“That guy is really cute, but he’s way too fucking tall.” He said sadly, taking a sip of coffee. “Such a shame, too. I’m, like, 98% sure he’s gay. And a bottom.”
“Bullshit. Don’t do that gay-dar thing, it’s not cool. Also, that’s really shitty to turn someone down because of their height.” Myungjun lectured, slightly touchy about the subject.
“Aw, did someone turn you down, Myung? Or did someone ‘gay-dar’ you wrong?”
Myungjun just blinked a few seconds longer than usual and sipped at his latte.
“Who was it? A girl?” Jinwoo pressed. “I bet I can ‘gay-dar’ you.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Myungjun.
“I don’t like girls.” The blond mumbled. “And try me.”
“Ah, a guy. You know, I know a lot of people who can help take your mind off him, if you know what I mean.” Jinwoo winked and nudged Myungjun’s arm from across the table. “And you, you’re a power bottom, aren’t you?” His eyebrows raised slightly.
It took all of Myungjun’s self-control to not blush furiously right then and there. He fucking managed to guess that? Myungjun almost spit out his coffee. Then this stupid idiot Jinwoo was offering Myungjun a casual fuck with a friend of his when the only guy Myungjun wanted to be with was sitting across from him right now. Guys really could be so dense.
Myungjun gaped at him. “Absolutely not. I have someone already, anyways.”
“Is he cute?” Jinwoo set his elbows on the table and propped his head up with his hands, looking eagerly at Myungjun.
Of course you’re cute.
“Yeah, to me.” Myungjun gave a short answer; he didn’t want to accidentally reveal too much and give away that his mystery man was actually Jinwoo.
“You’re not gonna tell me about him? Man, I thought we were friends.” The younger pouted, his tone goofy.
“Maybe one day.” He changed the subject as he noticed his coffee was nearly gone. “We should get back to the practise room and take our stuff before it gets stolen or something.” Myungjun drank the last bit of his latte and stood up to throw his cup away.
“Yeah.” Jinwoo polished his off as well and followed Myungjun out of the student union. “Man, it’s really fucking cold. Did it get colder?”
“I think so. We did spend nearly an hour in there, so.” Myungjun shrugged as he attempted to brave the cold, teeth chattering slightly.
“Fuck me.” The younger cursed, not happy about having to walk all the way across campus again. Walking with Myungjun made it a little better, though.
The only sounds heard through their trek back to the music building was the chattering of Myungjun’s teeth. Myungjun knew it too, he felt Jinwoo looking at him from the corner of his eye, probably annoyed by the sound. In face, Jinwoo wasn’t annoyed at all, he actually found it rather cute.
Myungjun’s cold hands were balled up into little fists on either side of him and Jinwoo had to fight the urge to grab one of his hands and just hold it.
No matter how hard he tried to hold back, he couldn’t. Jinwoo reached over to grab Myungjun’s hand, opening his fist up and letting his fingers intertwine with Myungjun’s.
Surprisingly, Myungjun didn’t pull his hand back.
“What are you doing?” The blond asked suspiciously, his walking pace slowed now.
“You were shivering. Your hand is really cold.” Jinwoo replied casually, like it was no big deal.
“Fair enough.” Myungjun gave in, it was nice anyways, Jinwoo’s hand was warmer than his own, so they walked hand-in-hand to the music building.
Upon arriving to their practise room, Myungjun awkwardly took his hand away and shoved it into his own pocket as he slung his backpack over a shoulder and tucked his violin under his arm, trying not to make eye contact with Jinwoo.
“So, I’ll, uh, see you tomorrow?” Jinwoo finally spoke.
“Yeah.” With that, Myungjun scurried out of the room, leaving behind a very confused Jinwoo.
When the next day rolled around, Myungjun didn’t feel too good, and he was pretty sure he looked even worse than he felt. Unfortunately, that was made rather clear by the first sentence Jinwoo said to him when they met in the practise room.
“Woah, you don’t look so good, Myung. What happened to you?”
Myungjun rolled his eyes. “I’m just a little sick, okay?” He got out the sheet music and placed it on the stand in front of him. “Let’s just make practise quick today, alright? And don’t stand too close to me.”
“Alright, you got it, boss.” Jinwoo joked with a mock-salute as he readied his guitar.
Jinwoo still didn’t like the type of music Myungjun liked to play. The duet music the older had written was a happy medium between their two styles, but still a bit too soft and calm and gentle for Jinwoo to be completely satisfied with it. He was pretty damn sure it also wasn’t exactly the style Myungjun wanted to play or even liked to play, but he accepted the compromise after thinking about Myungjun as well.
Sometimes, Jinwoo would think about how the duet would sound if Myungjun played with an electric violin instead.
Their practising was cut short multiple times by a sniffling Myungjun who had to stop and blow his nose every couple minutes.
After about the seventh time, Myungjun decided to speak up.
“I’m sorry Jinwoo, I think I caught cold from yesterday or something-” He looked disappointed as he said that, almost sorry, that he was sick. “-can we just cut this practise short and meet an hour earlier tomorrow?”
“Uh, yeah, sure. Sorry you got sick, Myung, but what if it doesn’t go away by tomorrow?”
He hadn’t thought about that. “Well, you can take the sheet music and practise by yourself if you want; I’ve memorised it already, so it’s fine if you want to take it.”
“Ah, okay. Sorry again, I hope you feel better tomorrow.” Jinwoo offered, looking at Myungjun pack up his violin.
“Me too.” The blond sniffled, waving at Jinwoo as he walked out the door.
Jinwoo slumped down in one of the seats and tapped at his guitar. Well, his entertainment for the day was gone so he had nothing to do until nighttime, really. The thought of Myungjun with an electric violin popped into his head multiple times as he sat there thinking about him. Finally, Jinwoo decided to leave the practise room, readying his keys and phone to direct him to the nearest music store.
He was going to buy Myungjun an electric violin.
He thought about how pretty Myungjun would look clutching a metal violin instead of a wooden one, how pretty he would look with his eyes shut as he played, the sound coming from the electric violin definitely different than what he was used to, what his facial expressions would be like. Would he even like it? Would he even want an electric violin?
It was too late now for ‘what ifs’ because Jinwoo was already inside the shop being asked what he was looking for.
A pretty blue one caught his eye, it was on display on a shelf high up, and it was from a good brand too. Jinwoo asked if he could have a look at it.
He ended up buying it. It was too pretty and just absolutely perfect for Myungjun, he thought. The blue colour of the violin wasn’t too bright or dull, in fact, it was right in the middle of the two, just enough to catch your eye, but not too much to the point where you have to keep staring.
Kind of like Myungjun, in a way.
Except for Jinwoo, after meeting the blond just once, albeit drunk, he couldn’t get him out of his mind. That explained why he dropped an insane amount of money on an instrument for Myungjun. His next course of action was to figure out who Myungjun’s mystery man was.
He could barely contain his excitement as he drove home, the blue violin in a black case on the passenger seat; Jinwoo had fastened the seat belt over the case as an added precaution.
He smiled the entire drive home.
He also smiled as he entered the practise room an hour earlier, delighted to find a healthier-looking Myungjun playing his violin.
“You look better already!” Jinwoo exclaimed, his guitar slung over his back and his hand clutching the new home of the blue violin.
Myungjun chuckled. “I literally slept all day yesterday and ate nothing but hot soup and tea. I feel great now. I’m lucky I have such good friends who would drop what they were doing to come take care of me.” There was a smile on his face and Jinwoo had never seen anything so beautiful, well, except for the rest of Myungjun. “Why do you have another instrument?” He asked, confused.
“Oh! Um, well-” Jinwoo walked towards the blond, arms outstretched, case in hand. “-it’s a little something for you.”
“Jinwoo, I-”
“Open it, please?” Jinwoo asked sweetly, knowing that Myungjun was about to spout off things like ‘I can’t accept this from you.’ or ‘I couldn’t pay you back.’
Hesitant, Myungjun reached out to take the case from Jinwoo, sitting down on a chair and placing it on his lap as the other man sat next to him, visibly excited.
When he opened the case, Myungjun nearly felt his heart stop.
“It-”
He couldn’t even get a complete word out, he was actually shocked.
Inside the black, velvet case rested a sky blue-coloured violin. Upon closer inspection, Myungjun realised it was an electric violin. He was absolutely stunned at the thoughtfulness of this gift, especially since he knew electric violins weren’t cheap. Why would Jinwoo buy this for him?
Jinwoo watched Myungjun just stare at the violin inside the case, a smile on his face all the while, while Myungjun’s mouth was just open in shock.
“Jinwoo-”
Myungjun shut his eyes briefly to stop a tear from rolling down his cheek. He was touched, really.
The blond turned his body to face Jinwoo, and without thinking, draped his arms around the other man, pulling him into an awkward chair hug.
“This is one of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever gotten.” Myungjun broke the short hug, turning his attention back to his new violin.
“Really? Do you like it?” The younger asked hopefully.
“I love it. I really do. I’ve always wanted an electric violin, but I can’t afford it.” His voice got slightly sad. “Jinwoo, I can’t pay you back quickly for this-”
“Ah-ah. This is a gift, okay? I don’t want anything in return. It’s simply something I saw that reminded me of a friend and decided to buy.” Jinwoo interrupted politely. He really didn’t want Myungjun to feel like he owed him something. “Let’s hear you play it?”
Myungjun looked slightly uneasy. “Are you sure? I don’t have a lot of money… I know what these cost, Jinwoo.”
“You don’t have a lot of money? I thought your parents were, like, rich or something.”
“Well, we weren’t talking about me that day. My parents are not rich, nor did I get sent to fancy ‘rich people’ schools.” Myungjun stated. It was true. He didn’t tell many people what his life growing up was like, but he felt comfortable with Jinwoo, almost like they had some kind of connection. Maybe it was because they saw each other for multiple hours a week; they did end up having some deep talks here and there, and a whole lot more light hearted ones.
“I assumed-” Jinwoo’s voice broke. He assumed Myungjun was some rich, stuck-up asshole, and he wasn’t. Jinwoo wondered if this is how Myungjun felt when he told him his story. “-I really owe you an apology now. I’m sorry, Myungjun.”
“It’s okay. A lot of people assume that, I just don’t bother to correct them because, well, I don’t really care. I know my personality can be kind of snobbish at times, but I can’t help it. I’ve worked really hard to get where I am today and I don’t think I want to give it up.” Myungjun sighed. “Well, it’s only fair. You told me your story, so I guess I’ll tell you mine.”
“Myung, you don’t have to-”
“It’s fine. I’m over it.” The blond replied flatly.
“O-okay.”
“A lot of people think I’m privileged and rich, and that my parents are some famous musicians somewhere making it big, but no. I didn’t grow up rich, I went to normal schools like everyone else, I didn’t have classical music playing in my house everyday while I took my violin lessons. I actually taught myself how to play. I couldn’t afford lessons so I stockpiled a bunch of lunch money my mother gave me and asked a friend to buy me a violin.” Myungjun chuckled at that, the memory of handing a wad of cash to his best friend after school playing in his mind, almost like some kind of fucked-up drug deal. “I was so happy when I got it, I hid it in my room and only practised at school, though. If my dad found out, he’d smash it to bits.”
“What? Why?”
“Oh, he thinks that music is useless and that science is the way to go if you want to make money when you get older. I’d agree, but I’d much rather be happy doing what I love than focusing on making a lot of money.” Myungjun shrugged his shoulders. “Anyways, my parents fought a lot and my father started drinking. He got abusive towards my mother multiple times and, well, look at me, I couldn’t really do anything. Um, one night, I saw him hit her in the kitchen, yelling about something that he didn’t like in the food she cooked, so I called the police. He got thrown in jail for a couple months, but when he came back, he just got drunk more and started beating me for calling the police on him. I was in the middle of high school at that time, actually. Had a few months until I became a junior. I was, like everyone else, figuring out my sexuality and going on dates and stuff, and, well, to keep it short, I came out to my parents and my dad kicked me out. He said he didn’t want to have a faggot living in his house, so I had to leave. I ended up staying with my friend, Dongmin, for a few months actually, while I tried to find a job and get my diploma at the same time. I needed to apply for university.”
Jinwoo’s heart broke into a million pieces after hearing that. That’s probably why Myungjun hated alcohol so much. He should never even approached him at that party. The first thing Myungjun probably thought of were those incidents, and Jinwoo just made it fucking worse. He felt like a monster for having feelings for Myungjun now.
“These past 5 or so years I’ve been trying to make all my jobs work with my school schedule. I don’t get a lot of sleep and I don’t have many friends. I like to think I’ve made the best of my situation; I like to think I play pretty well for having no formal lessons or training.” The blond chuckled. That sound, to Jinwoo’s ears, was even more beautiful than the music they played together. “Anyways, that’s my little story.” Myungjun’s shoulders rose and fell, a plain expression on his face.
Jinwoo didn’t say anything for a few moments before reaching his hand over to Myungjun, letting the blond hold it while Jinwoo pulled his up from his seat, violin safe on the floor. He held Myungjun in his arms, in a tight hug.
Myungjun sighed into the touch, arms wrapping around Jinwoo’s waist as he buried his face in the orange-haired man’s neck.
“Myung? You can cry if you need to.” Jinwoo stroked the blond’s back as comfortingly as he could, feeling tears seep through his shirt. “I’m so sorry, Myungjun.” Tears threatened to fall from his own eyes as he held the other man tight, not really wanting to let him go.
The two stood there in the embrace for what felt like forever, Myungjun’s soft sobbing filling the quiet room. Jinwoo just wrapped an arm around the blond’s waist, tight, pressing their bodies against each other as his other hand stroked Myungjun’s hair softly, reassuringly.
The sniffles seemed to be getting less and less now, so Myungjun took his arms off of Jinwoo, placing them at his sides and allowing Jinwoo to keep his hand on his waist. Myungjun looked into Jinwoo’s eyes, not realising how close they were, mere inches. He really thought about kissing him.
Jinwoo was thinking the same thing. Those plump lips in front of him looked so tantalising; he just needed to have a taste.
“Myung?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I kiss you?”
Myungjun just nodded as he closed his eyes, tilting his head and bringing his arms up to wrap around Jinwoo’s neck before his lips pressed against another pair. Jinwoo’s lips were surprisingly soft and gentle, unlike the person who owned them. Their kiss was simple and sweet, but it felt like so much more than that. It was electric for Myungjun and Jinwoo swore he saw stars.
The orange-haired man broke the kiss after a few moments, looking at a blushing Myungjun in front of him.
“Um, do you still want me to play for you?” The blond asked shyly, arms at his sides once again.
“I’d really like that.”
They spent the rest of their practise time like that, Myungjun playing with his new electric violin and Jinwoo just listening and admiring.
“Jinwoo, I can’t thank you enough. It’s amazing.” Myungjun’s smile was huge, he really did like the gift. Jinwoo was extremely glad he hadn’t fucked up the present. Seeing that smile on Myungjun’s face made his whole day better.
“I’m happy you like it.” Jinwoo smiled back, warm and genuine.
“Jinwoo?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you like me?” Myungjun’s voice was small and nervous, but he’d been wanting to ask Jinwoo for ages now and since they shared a kiss earlier, now is as good a time as any.
Jinwoo felt his face go hot. “I do.”
“Uh-huh. I do have to ask, at the risk of sounding very rude-” Myungjun chewed at his bottom lip. “-are you saying that because you want to have sex with me?”
“Honestly, before, I would have, yeah. But after spending so much time with you, and getting to know you, I really do like you, and I’m not even thinking about sex when I think of being with you.” It was true. Jinwoo was being honest. Before, at the party, he just wanted to get into Myungjun’s pants, but now he actually, genuinely liked Myungjun for who he was.
Myungjun blushed. “Really?”
Nodding, Jinwoo affirmed. “Yeah, really. I hope it doesn’t make things weird; I know you don’t like people like me-”
Myungjun cut him off right there. “Look, Jinwoo, I didn’t know. And you didn’t know about me either, so I think we’re okay.” He breathed deeply. “For what it’s worth, I like you too.” He admitted finally, the weight being lifted off his chest.
Jinwoo felt his heart soar. “Really?” His voice was hopeful.
The blond nodded. “When you approached me at that party, I thought you were really cute. Then I started seeing you around the student union getting coffee at the same times I would, and now we’re duet partners.” Myungjun laughed dryly. “I think we’ve learnt a lot about each other over these many months we’ve spent practising.”
“Yeah, I think so too.” Jinwoo agreed, his head nodding slightly, strands of orange hair falling into his eyes. “You’re a lot different than I’d expected, in a good way, of course.” A flirty smile spread across his face as he looked at the cute blond, his cheeks pink.
All Myungjun could do was blush at that.
Jinwoo ended up asking Myungjun to date him, vowing to never drink, party, or do anything Myungjun didn’t want him to do ever again.
Honestly, Myungjun knew this was coming because if Jinwoo didn’t ask, he would have. He was secretly happy that he didn’t have to ask himself because it never seemed to go as planned. Myungjun was a little awkward and completely useless around attractive guys.
It was amazing, Myungjun thought, their relationship. He had initially thought that he would have to deal with a flirtatious Jinwoo surrounded by other cute guys, but it was quite the contrary. Jinwoo was extremely respectful and often thought about how Myungjun would feel, so the younger man made it a sort of habit to bring up the fact that he had a boyfriend. He would hold Myungjun’s hand around campus and walk to classes together, not caring about the looks he got from other people.
As the months passed, their practise sessions were something to look forward to instead of dreading. Each meeting now consisted of half-serious playing and many stolen kisses.
They had both memorised the music Myungjun had written for the duet already, so they didn’t have to put too much effort into making it sound perfect because it already did.
“So, will you tell me now if there was a reason behind the piece you wrote?” The orange-haired man asked softly.
Myungjun was sitting on Jinwoo’s lap, the younger’s arms wrapped around him as they had finished their practising for the day. He felt his face go warm as Jinwoo held him tighter.
“I won’t let you go until you tell me!” Jinwoo teased, pressing a sloppy kiss to Myungjun’s cheek.
“It was nothing!” Myungjun argued, trying to squirm out of Jinwoo’s embrace.
“I’m going to tickle you if you keep lying!” The younger threatened light heartedly, hands resting on Myungjun’s stomach now, ready to tickle him.
“Okay, okay!” The blond squealed, moving Jinwoo’s hands away from his stomach, settling them into their initial position, wrapped around him. “Honestly, I feel like you already know the reason behind it.”
“Aw.” Jinwoo did know the reason, at least he thought. The piece Myungjun had written was supposed to showcase two extremely different styles and show how well how they could work together, despite being opposites. Jinwoo assumed this translated over to how the blond was feeling towards him, because, well, Jinwoo would be lying if he said he wasn’t thinking that himself. “I think we turned out pretty good together, hmm?” A smile grew on his face as Myungjun met his eyes.
Myungjun nodded, a shy smile on his lips as he adjusted himself on Jinwoo’s lap, bringing himself to straddle the younger man and pull him into a gentle kiss as he affirmed his words. “I think we did.”
The performance was closer than ever and the pair couldn’t be more prepared. Jinwoo loved how the electric violin sounded with this electric guitar, and he especially loved how pretty Myungjun looked playing it.
They were going to crush this performance, no fucking doubt.
“What should be our colour scheme?” Myungjun asked suddenly, fingers swiping through photos on his phone. “I think black is a little too boring, but it’s casual and classy, so I don’t know.”
“I think, okay this might sound stupid, but, I think we should match our instruments.” Jinwoo offered, thinking of how to explain it better after seeing a confused Myungjun arch an eyebrow at him. “Like, your violin is blue, wear something with that shade of blue. And my guitar is black, so I guess I’ll have to wear black, but I can add some blue to my outfit to match you too.”
“That actually sounds pretty cute.” Myungjun nodded. “We’d have to go shopping, though. Do you want to skip our practise for today and head to some department stores?”
“I’ll drive.” The younger replied, a smile on his face.
The drive was pleasant, Jinwoo resting his hand on Myungjun’s thigh as he steered with one hand.
Myungjun thought that was incredibly hot. Jinwoo with one hand gripping the wheel, glasses perched cutely on his nose as he rubbed Myungjun’s thigh gently. It wasn’t in a sexual way, though, and Myungjun really appreciated that about Jinwoo. Whenever Jinwoo would touch him, it was gentle and caring and he always asked if Myungjun was okay with it.
That happened the first time they had sex, too. Jinwoo was probably even more nervous than Myungjun was, but their first time together ended up being slow, careful, and full of love.
Upon arriving to the department store, Jinwoo made sure to grab his boyfriend by hand and lead him inside, their shoulders touching and arms brushing against each other as they scanned through rows of clothes.
“What about this blue?” Myungjun left Jinwoo’s side for a few seconds to pick up a pastel blue shirt with wide sleeves and a deep neckline.
Jinwoo raised his eyebrows. “I think it looks nice, but I’d have to see you with it on.”
Nodding, Myungjun took the shirt and found a room to try it on.
It really did look nice on him. It looked elegant and fit his body nicely. He twirled around in the mirror, sleeves dancing around him.
He was going to buy it.
He left the room and found Jinwoo waiting outside.
“It looks great!” The younger exclaimed happily, hands raised. “You should definitely buy it.”
“I will!” Myungjun said, giddy. “What about you? We need to find you something!”
“I actually have something I want to wear; I’ve already picked it out.” Jinwoo revealed as he walked to the register with his boyfriend. “I want it to be a surprise.”
“Ah, okay.” Myungjun flashed him a smile as he walked up to pay for his shirt. “I better love your outfit, because if I don’t, I’m not going to be happy.” He threatened light heartedly, waggling a finger at the younger man.
“I’m sure you’ll love it.” Jinwoo placed a kiss on his boyfriend’s lips as soon as he sat down. “I thought of you when I picked it out.”
“So mysterious.” Myungjun teased, pulling Jinwoo back to him into another kiss, deeper and more passionate this time. “I can’t wait to see it.” He smiled shyly as he pulled away from Jinwoo, the look on the other’s face clearly disappointed at Myungjun’s teasing kiss.
“I can’t wait to show you.” Jinwoo cooed, pressing a kiss to the tip of Myungjun’s nose before starting the car and driving them back to the university.
It was only a few weeks until their big performance, but neither of them were worried. They still practised their hearts out as much as they could, but they felt more than satisfied with how their performance was going to be like, having practised multiple times on an actual rehearsal stage in the music building. That was exactly how it would be like, except the venue would be full of people, important people, who could possibly decide their future after graduation.
After that thought passed through Myungjun’s mind, he felt slightly afraid, thinking that maybe he should practise even more.
Jinwoo reassured him by bringing him into a tight embrace, telling Myungjun that it was going to be okay and to not worry, stroking his blond hair as he pressed a kiss to his forehead.
“Promise?”
“I promise.” Jinwoo held Myungjun’s hands in his, bringing them up to his lips to kiss his boyfriend’s knuckles. “You’ll be great.”
“Thanks, Jinwoo.” Myungjun pressed his forehead against Jinwoo’s, the younger man’s hands falling to rest on his hips.
“Do you want to run through it one more time? I really love seeing you play.”
Myungjun nodded. “Let’s do it.”
It sounded amazing, better than when they played together in the first few months, probably due to the fact that they were a lot closer now. They shared sweet glances as they played, Jinwoo’s lingering just a little too long, encaptured by how beautiful Myungjun looked as he played.
“I think we’re ready.” The blond stated, the thoughts he had before about not being good enough were distant now as he ran to Jinwoo with his arms open.
Jinwoo wrapped his arms around his boyfriend for the millionth time that day, lifting him up into the air for a few seconds. “I know we are.”
The day of the performance finally rolled around and their instructor was expecting them to be nervous. He was extremely surprised to find the pair laughing and joking and stealing a kiss while the stage was being set up.
Myungjun got dressed in his sky blue shirt, tucking it in to a pair of simple white pants with a thin black belt. He accessorized with a couple of silver necklaces and a matching silver bracelet before fixing his hair, ensuring it was soft and fluffy-looking for the next several hours.
Jinwoo put on his mystery outfit, eager to go and greet Myungjun backstage, which ended up being a classy-looking black shirt embellished with accents the same shade of blue as the shirt Myungjun was wearing.
“Aw, you look cute!” Myungjun squealed, smiling as he saw Jinwoo’s shirt. “It matches my blue!” He pointed to his shirt happily.
“Of course I had to match with you; we’d look weird otherwise!”
Myungjun punched the younger playfully on the shoulder and rolled his eyes. “We’re one of the first ones to go, you know.”
“Yeah. Are you feeling okay about it?”
“I feel great-” Myungjun stopped abruptly. “-now. I don’t know how I’ll feel up there knowing that one flat note could ruin my future.” His tone was sombre and he settled for looking at the floor instead of at Jinwoo.
“I’d try to make you feel better by saying I’ll hold your hand out there, but, can’t exactly do that.” Jinwoo tried to lighten the mood, knowing how Myungjun felt. This was a bigger deal for Myungjun than it was for him and it really showed. Through how much time and effort Myungjun put into practising, writing the music for the duet, and generally just putting up with Jinwoo’s distractions, he knew that Myungjun was extremely committed to making this the best it could possibly be.
Myungjun felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips at that. “You being here makes me feel better.”
They sat together for a while, talking about other things like where they want to go after this, what they want to do. Myungjun had decided that he wanted to go for ice cream then spend the night at Jinwoo’s place.
“What kind of ice cream?” Jinwoo asked, warming up to the idea himself.
“Mmm, probably strawberry.” The blond smiled, nodding happily.
“And you want to stay at my place tonight?”
Myungjun nodded again. “Aren’t you going to ask me why?”
“Oh, why?”
Myungjun scanned the room before placing his hand on Jinwoo’s thigh, squeezing gently and inching higher as he leaned close to Jinwoo’s ear. “After we win this thing, I want you to fuc-”
“Park Jinwoo! Kim Myungjun! 10 minutes!” A voice called, startling Myungjun into sitting straight up.
They nodded and stood up to get their instruments, Myungjun’s face flushed red as he realised that guy who called them had seen what was going on. He groaned to himself, embarrassed, but pushed that aside as he got ready beside Jinwoo, subtle glances being exchanged.
Jinwoo walked out first, his guitar slung around the front of his body.
The lights were bright. Jinwoo had to squint to avoid going blind. The stage was hot too, hotter than he expected it to be, and suddenly, the neck of his shirt felt just a bit too tight.
Myungjun followed behind Jinwoo, clutching his blue violin in his hands. He took one look at all the people out there and felt very afraid. He shut his eyes for a few moments before he heard Jinwoo’s voice whispering to him.
“Hey, it’ll be okay. You’ll be okay, babe. Look at me.”
Myungjun nodded, eyes slightly wet, partially from the pressure and partially because of how fucking endearing Jinwoo sounded.
A voice bellowed through multiple speakers as the pair stood side-by-side at the front of the stage, instruments in hand.
“Here we have senior Kim Myungjun on violin and junior Park Jinwoo on electric guitar. They will be performing an original duet for us today and come highly recommended by their instructor. Please give them a round of applause.”
The audience complied, the sound of loud clapping filling the venue, anticipating the performance.
Jinwoo could hear how heavily Myungjun was breathing next to him and he got a little worried as the timer began, signalling his time to play.
He played smoothly, just like they did in their practise sessions, a smile on his face as he remembered some of the more fun ones, ones where they ended up goofing off or just sitting next to each other with Myungjun’s head resting on his shoulder. He hoped his seemingly carefree demeanour would encourage Myungjun to feel less worried, especially since he couldn’t say or do anything to comfort his boyfriend in front of an audience.
As Jinwoo’s part drew to an end, he saw Myungjun ready his violin in preparation for his own part out of the corner of his eye.
Myungjun looked quickly over to Jinwoo and smiled before closing his eyes and dragging the bow across the strings, the sound coming from the electric violin was just that, electric , and Myungjun loved how much it reminded him of Jinwoo.
Jinwoo felt relieved to receive a smile from Myungjun; it let him know that he was doing okay.
As always, Myungjun played beautifully, and Jinwoo had trouble keeping his eyes off his boyfriend, gaze flickering from the violinist to audience and back again until he said fuck it and kept his eyes glued to Myungjun, an expression of fondness never leaving his face.
It was time for the duet part now, which lasted a good two and a half minutes more, and Jinwoo had never felt so happy.
Myungjun looked at Jinwoo and gave a small shake of his head before scooting slightly closer and readying his bow.
They really did make beautiful music together. The audience, or just about anyone, really, could tell this piece was about two clashing, differing styles coming together as one and sounding damn exquisite as they did so.
Myungjun played his fucking heart out. His eyes were shut and his body was moving to the music, the expression on his face deep and emotional as he put his feelings into his playing.
Jinwoo did the same. His riffs weren’t crazy or obnoxious like usual, instead they meshed well with the sound of how Myungjun was playing, almost soulful.
The time seemed to pass by too quickly as Myungjun played the ending high notes, his fingers sliding up the neck of his violin, while Jinwoo did the opposite, his fingers gliding down to the base of his guitar to hit low notes. They ended with their respective vibratos, their fingers shaking slightly over the strings, projecting the quavering sound to the crowd through several speakers and microphones, not to mention Jinwoo’s amps.
Myungjun breathed heavily as he removed the bow from his violin, placing it at his side, looking at Jinwoo with a smile on his face.
The audience erupted into thunderous applause. Some of the people in the front row from the orchestra even stood up and clapped for the pair.
Myungjun felt tears form at the corners of his eyes and he turned to Jinwoo, wanting nothing more than to bury his head into his boyfriend’s neck and let the tears flow freely.
Unfortunately, Jinwoo had to stand there and look at Myungjun’s red face for several seconds before they bowed and made their way across the long stage.
He couldn’t hold back. Halfway through their trek across the stage, Myungjun let a tear fall and held his hand out to grab Jinwoo’s, squeezing it as a sob escaped his lips.
Jinwoo hurried backstage, a crying Myungjun attached to him by his hand.
“Babe? Please, don’t cry. You were amazing.” Jinwoo said sincerely, sitting Myungjun down on a chair. He kneeled in front of the blond and grasped his hands. “Look at me.”
Myungjun complied, looking down at his boyfriend with a flushed face and wet eyelashes.
“You looked so pretty out there.” The younger moved a finger to Myungjun’s face, wiping away a tear that had started rolling down his cheek. “So pretty, Myungjun. You played beautifully.”
“Do you, do you think so?” The blond hiccuped, eyebrows sad and knitted together in worry.
“Of course I do. Come here.” Jinwoo stood up off the ground to sit next to Myungjun, letting the older man rest his head on his shoulder. He ran a hand through his boyfriend’s blond hair, delighted when Myungjun let out a contented sigh. “You were great.”
The two stayed like that for what seemed like several hours as the rest of the contestants performed and intermissions were taken. Myungjun was feeling a lot better now, smiling every time Jinwoo looked at him.
Jinwoo was glad to see Myungjun with a smile on his face.
There was that voice again, coming through the speakers, loud and obnoxious and ordering all the contestants to come out on the stage.
Myungjun walked out to the stage with Jinwoo, their arms brushing as they did so. He never realised how little contestants there were, he thought he had spent hours waiting backstage after they performed. He looked around, slightly worried, until Jinwoo came into his line of sight, the familiar face causing Myungjun to blush
“No matter what happens, I think you did the best out of everyone here.” Jinwoo whispered, leaning over slightly towards Myungjun.
Myungjun felt his heart swell at his boyfriend’s words.
The third and second place winners were announced and Myungjun felt his heart drop when their names weren’t called. He looked at Jinwoo sadly, shrugging his shoulders.
Jinwoo was about to do the same until he heard his name.
“Park Jinwoo and Kim Myungjun are your first-place winners this year! Everyone, please give them a big round of applause!”
No way.
No fucking way.
Myungjun couldn’t believe it. He won first place with Jinwoo! Something about the piece he wrote must have been so good for the orchestra to like it that much and declare them the grand prize winners. He couldn’t hold back his tears this time. One rolled down his cheek as he looked at Jinwoo, throwing all care out the window and leaping towards the orange-haired man, arms outstretched and pulling him into a hug in front of everyone.
The audience continued their applause through the show of affection. It was obviously an emotional moment and they were both ecstatic or relieved, or both. Myungjun was definitely both. Jinwoo was just glad that his boyfriend was happy and in his arms.
They hadn’t only won the performance, they had won each other as well, and that was more important than anything else.
They had won.