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Hyunjin stumbles up the flight of stairs, her duffle bag swinging as she takes three steps with each stride. The school hallways have thankfully emptied out by this hour, so she doesn’t have to worry about any oncoming traffic as she barrels up each floor. She usually has to hop around a few stray students, but she usually isn’t late either. She finally reaches the entrance to the roof, and her last obstacle is the bike lock coiled around both handles of the ajar door. She scrambles with the lock as wind slips through the crack of the door, confused as to why the original passcode isn’t working.
It finally cracks open on her fourth attempt, and she tugs it cleanly off as she pushes the door open with her shoulder. She’s greeted with the oranging afternoon sky and the sight of a girl clad in an identical school uniform, strumming a snugly placed guitar in her lap.
“You’re late,” Heejin says when Hyunjin slings her backpack and duffle onto the floor and takes a seat next to her on the cold floor.
“I didn’t know you changed the passcode,” Hyunjin huffs, shaking the lock at Heejin, “and 1234? Really? You have so many numbers to make any possible combination and you do the simplest possible order.”
“So you spent 20 minutes trying to figure out the lock password?” Heejin asks with a disbelieving grin. “That’s pretty embarrassing.”
“There were other factors, and it was only-” Hyunjin waves dismissively before checking her phone, “15 minutes.” She smiles sheepishly before tapping her phone screen a bit to show Heejin. “Anyways, there’s this song that’s been stuck in my head all day, and I need you to figure out these chords.” She holds it up for Heejin to listen to as clicks the volume louder.
She watches as Heejins fingers slide along the fingerboard, pressing and fitting themselves onto the strings as Heejin tries to match the notes. It takes a few loops before Heejin’s gotten it down, and she mouths the words silently as the chords begin to cohere into a recognizable tune. It’s like magic, Hyunjin thinks, watching the music pour from Heejin’s fingertips and into the acoustic and flow out into the open air. It isn’t identical to the audio, there are hesitant pauses between the simplified chords and the singing’s been replaced by Heejin’s low murmurs.
“Sounds perfect.” Hyunjin smiles.
“It’s not,” Heejin sighs frustratingly as she thrums through the set of chords again after missing a note.
“You’re right, it actually sounds like a dying banshee,” Hyunjin admits, stone-faced. Heejin laughs, pausing her playing to shove her for the comment. “Oh, that reminds me,” Hyunjin leans over to dig in her bag, bringing out a flyer that’s been haphazardly jammed along with its original contents. ”For you.”
Heejin leans over closer to read the emboldened text on the flyer. “The school… talent show? What about it?” Her eyes search Hyunjin’s with confusion.
“You should play in it! It’s not until summer break, too - you have so much time to prepare. You could sing too!” Hyunjins lights up after each sentence, excited with the genius of her own proposition.
Heejin lets a chord ring for an extra beat as she lets the idea settle in, “I don’t think I’m good enough for that yet.”
“Pshhh, you’re better then half your competition already, and I didn’t say you should try to win. Jung Jinsoul’s probably going to take first place with her card magic gig again this year.” Heejin’s seemed to come to terms that there’s no possibility of her stopping Hyunjin’s snowball of ideas so she just lets her keep going. “You should just do it to have fun! It’ll be your first time in front of a crowd too, you can get a taste of stardom. You already keep track of all the songs you’ve learned in your notebook, right? We can just keep adding to that and you can just play any one of them for the show!”
“There’s an audition,” Heejin notes at the bottom of the page, and Hyunjin rolls her eyes.
“You can pass that easily,” she asserts confidently, crossing her arms.
“I’ll… think about it,” Heejin supplies, and Hyunjin breaks into a victorious smile.
“That’s what I like to hear.”
_
An upside to spring is the accompaniment of gorgeous skies, as Hyunjin comes to realize as she spends more and more of her afternoons out on the school rooftop. She’s laid back on the floor, her jacket folded into a makeshift pillow as Heejin strums away on her acoustic. Hyunjin’s never been a sucker for scenery, but she can’t help but snap a photo of the sky with her phone.
“Trying to be all artsy? Who still takes pictures of the sky?” Heejin snorts and Hyunjin takes a look at the photo.
“It just looks nice, I wanna remember it.”
Heejin cranes her neck to look at the small phone screen and compares it to the bright blue sky above them. “The real things always better though.” She hears the camera snap noise again and Hyunjin examines the pictures shes just taken of her.
“Yeah, the real thing’s better,” she agrees.
Heejin rubs her arms uncomfortably, pretending to hold down a gag. “Is there an opposite of your heart fluttering? Because I think that’s what just happened to me,” she ponders for a second. “Like everything living just withered away because of you, everything beautiful and good in the world just died a little from that.”
A downside to spring is its sudden and unexpected showers, Hyunjin also comes to find out, she blinks hard when she feels sudden droplets of cold on her arm.
“What the…” She mumbles to herself and Heejins already quickly zipping up her guitar case. The droplets grow heavier and they’re both rushing to the door back into the building. Hyunjin sighs once she snaps the lock back into place, the letter combination rescrambled. “Let’s go wait by the front entrance, hopefully the rain will die down soon.”
“I’m blaming you for this,” Heejin glares at her and puts two fingers up to jab at the air as they walk down the stairs.
“I didn’t do anything ,” Hyunjin throws her hands up defensively as they begin to walk down the stairs.
“You killed the vibe and it immediately started pouring,” Heejin visibly shudders at the fresh memory.
“Sure, yeah, of course,” Hyunjin dismissively shakes the dew off her hair.
“Read the room, match my energy,” Heejin groans and punches her shoulder, “or else it’s no fun.” Hyunjin grumbles something that sounds like “high maintenance” before robotically responding-
“You’re right Heejin! It’s my fault that I’m so cool and sexy that it started raining once I killed the vibe!”
Heejin pats her back approvingly and they finally approach the front entrance of the main school building and they both falter when they see that the rains only grown more intense.
“Did you bring an umbrella?” Heejin asks.
“That’s a really good question!” Hyunjin pauses. “And I don’t think you’ll like the answer! So when’s the next bus to the transit center again?”
“About 15 minutes,” Heejin calculates after checking her watch.
“Do you think if we just sing Rain Rain Go Away it’ll work?”
“I think you should definitely try that, and I’ll take the bus to cram school while that happens and let you know if the rain lets up.”
“Good idea! Here, I’ll even throw you into the rain so you get a head start,” Hyunjin nods with faux enthusiasm, and they both laugh as she pretends to grab Heejin’s shoulders and push her out of the covered roof. The mood dies once they both grow silent, as the rain doesn’t seem to let up at all.
“I think we’re going to have to make a run for it,” Hyunjin finally deduces in the face of their reality, adjusting the straps of her bags. She’s about to readjust her backpack to the front when she sees Heejin attempting to do the same. Having two bags each was going to be a clear inconvenience to both of them, and Hyunjin watches as Heejin visibly assesses the best position to run in with minimal rain contact on her guitar case.
“You look really stupid,” she says bluntly when Heejin twists it to her front. “Let’s trade bags.”
“Isn’t your sports duffle heavier than my guitar?”
“Maybe, but at least you won’t look stupid while you run in the rain.”
Heejin squints at her for a second, clearly conflicted before just shrugging the case off and giving in to Hyunjin’s idea. Hyunjin tugs the straps of the case tighter so that she can cover it with her front, and the weight is surprisingly light in comparison to her bag.
“Okay, let’s run out on 3.” Hyunjin jogs in place a bit to warm up her legs and Heejin gives her a thumbs up. “1, 2, 3!”
They barrel out into the rain and Hyunjin can feel the rain puddles splashing onto her sneakers and soaking through to her socks. The droplets are like freezing pearls seeping and soaking through her jacket, but it’s thankfully temporary as they finally reach the covered area of their bus stop, and Hyunjin can let out a sigh of relief.
“We made it out alive!” Heejin cheers, her hair wet and frizzy from the downpour.
Hyunjin can feel a few watchful eyes on them as they shuffle onto their bus, their shoes squeaking with every step and their obvious dampened state. She’s seated herself snugly into the window seat, ignoring the cold settling in her skin as she watches Heejin open up one of the Word Puzzle games on her phone. They usually take the same bus route, Heejin getting off first to get to her cram school, and Hyunjin a few stops later to catch her tennis lesson. Before Hyunjin had met Heejin, she’d spent her window of free time between her extracurriculars and school studying at a nearby library, which seems so blatantly boring to her now as Heejin elbows her to ask if she knows a “5-letter informal antonym to simple,” amidst a meticulous retelling of a childhood story. If she were honest, Hyunjin’s not sure she can recall her routine before meeting Heejin. She can’t remember the last time she clicked with someone this well, had someone who made little mundanities of her life all the more exciting.
“Complex?” She tries and Heejin shakes her head.
“Bzz bzz, that’s 6 letters. Try again.”
Hyunjin looks out the window to think, and she realizes that the rains let up already. The suns already brightly returned to the sky, and the condensation on the glass is already beginning to shrink away.
“Oh, it’s ‘fancy.’”
“That would’ve totally been my next guess.” Hyunjin turns to look at the next word on Heejin’s phone screen.
“Then can you guess this one?”
Hyunjin balks for a second, not yet processing the question on the screen.
“Of course I can.”
“What is it then?”
“Whoa hey, let’s not get too crazy with the questions,” Hyunjin puts her hands out as if to slow Heejin down. “I just want you to challenge yourself by not helping you.”
“Bull, you don’t even know it.”
“I do too-” Hyunjin looks up as the bus begins to speed past familiar scenery. “Wait, wasn’t that your stop?”
Heejins head snaps up from her phone in realization, and Hyunjin can’t help but laugh as Heejin scrambles to tug the pull-cord. The bus abruptly brakes to let her off in time, and Hyunjin blows a kiss through the window as Heejin flips her the bird in tandem. She smiles to herself a bit as the bus begins to merge back into traffic, and her phone pings with a text.
ed sheeran apologist
look out the window theres a rainbow
Hyunjin lifts her head to peer out the glass when her phone pings with another text.
ed sheeran apologist
made u look lol
u suck
is my contact still ed sheeran apologist?
kim hyunjin
yeah
ed sheeran apologist
wtf change it
kim hyunjin
but its true
ed sheeran apologist
i just like his music
kim hyunjin
why are you lying to me like this
he is british.
whats attractive about a man who cant pronounce his rs
ed sheeran apologist
i hope u miss ur bus stop
kim hyunjin
<3
___
They’d first met at the beginning of spring, where the mornings were still freezing and Hyunjin had to keep wearing gloves on her morning commute to school just so she could feel her fingers during first period. The rooftop had become a small niche spot for Hyunjin to hang around by herself when the library proved to be a soulless box filled with overworked and fatigued students. It was freezing and probably hadn’t been cleaned in ages, but it was nice. Somebody had locked the metal door with a bike lock, a pretty dinky one at that, like those alphabet ones that Hyunjin managed to figure out after a couple minutes of scrambling. She let the chain lock stay on the door, but she made sure to change the code every few days, just to be a minor inconvenience to its owner.
So she was surprised one day when she arrived to the top steps to find the lock completely gone. Hyunjin curiously pushed open the metal door to find a girl sitting out on the dirtied roof, strumming away on a guitar.
The girl hadn’t seemed to have noticed her at all, and Hyunjin didn’t really have anything particularly eloquent to say as she felt her feet drag her to where the girl was sitting on the floor. She attempts to greet the girl, but all she managed to blurt out was, “What happened to the lock?”
The girl turned around, long dark hair tucked behind her ears and eyes confused. “What?”
“The, um-” Hyunjin stammered as she pointed at the door behind them. “the bike lock-”
“Are you the one who’s been messing with my lock?”
Hyunjin had been caught red-handed.
“Yes?” She coughed awkwardly into her fist. “I mean, the roof is technically school property, so barring the entrance is already against the code of conduct.”
“Right, and the fact that you’ve been consistently busting my locks tells me you’re not one to even know what the code of conduct even entails,” Heejin grinned at her jokingly and Hyunjin felt her jumble of nerves immediately untangle themselves. An odd sense of security settled over her at the fact that they were both on an indescribable middle ground standing on this roof. This place was a sort of an escape for the both of them.
“That’s fair,” Hyunjin agreed, and before a veil of uneasy silence could fall over their conversation. She took a seat next to Heejin. “So... what songs can you play?”
__
“So,” Hyunjin drumrolls her lap. “what’re you going to do about the talent show?” It’s been a few weeks, and Hyunjin thinks she’s given Heejin more then enough time to decide on an answer.
“I don’t know,” Heejin shrugs, her attention still mainly on playing the makeshift bars of sheet music in her notebook.
“Do you like singing?” Hyunjin asks slightly unexpectedly after one of Heejin’s practice performances on the rooftop.
“It’s fun,” Heejin admits, her hands still busying themselves with her guitar. That’s a good answer for Hyunjin.
“You should try singing for the talent show, hit the judges with double the talent.”
“Like I should do two performances?”
“No, no, you should sing and play, two birds one stone,” Hyunjin explains, putting two fingers up and combining them into one hand. “Two talents, one performance.”
“I feel like singing and playing guitar is a really common talent,” Heejin posits, plucking the strings of her acoustic absentmindedly. “A ton of other kids are probably already doing it.”
“But most of them probably aren’t as good as you,” Hyunjin feeds into Heejin’s ego a bit and she can see the information permeate into her mind. Heejin’s talented, Hyunjin knows that as a fact - she’s good at a multitude of things, and she just needs a little mental boost every once in a while.
“But if I’m not good, and no one likes it, then my ego is crushed. Forever.”
“I’ve been crushing your ego every day, you should be used to it by now.”
“I’m serious,” Heejin groans.
“Okay, well if you actually suck then I would’ve told you by now. I haven’t, so no, you’re not bad.” Hyunjin says. Heejin lets the words sink in for a few seconds.
“You think I could do it?”
“I think you could do anything,” Hyunjin responds earnestly, barely missing a beat. She knows it’s the bit of sucking up Heejin needs to hear and she can’t help laughing when Heejin eyes her with a mix of exasperation and concern at the uncharacteristic comment. “Yeah, you can do it.”
There’s another moment of silence that Hyunjin rushes to fill before it gets too serious.
“And if it’s the solo act part that’s worrying you I can beatbox with you if you w-”
“I think I’ll be okay without it,” Heejin shuts down unapologetically.
“Are you s-”
“Positive,” Heejin affirms, causing Hyunjin to chortle before quieting down.
“It sounds fun,” Heejin admits, “but it’s also a lot of...pressure? I guess.”
“Well, does your passion for music outweigh your fear of failure?”
“Probably.”
“Exactly.”
“I just think I don’t like the idea of people perceiving me on stage, it feels so judgemental to even just stand on stage.”
“Isn’t kinda thrilling? I mean, you’re just there to play some good music for people, nothing else. And confidence-” Hyunjin snaps her fingers, “-just pretend to have confidence and your playing will be ten times better, guaranteed.”
“Reminding me that I might get publicly humiliated for this does not help, Hyunjin.”
“I think it also adds to the thrill!”
“No!” Heejin groans, “Whatever, I’m doing it, doing it for the music.”
“YEAH!” Hyunjin claps her hands together. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“If this goes awry…”
“If it goes all wrong, you can blame me and never talk to me again,” Hyunjin offers. “I can owe you my firstborn, a couple grand, you know, the usual.” She thinks for a second. “I don’t think your embarrassment is worth my first born though, maybe third.”
“You’re making me feel so appreciated and valued right now,” Heejin deadpans and Hyunjin laughs, jokingly pushing her shoulder.
“ No ,” Hyunjin says with a plasticly fake degree of concern, “I wanted you to feel horrible and demolish your self-worth!”
Heejin ignores her with a smile and digs through her backpack for her notebook. “Now help me pick a song to practice, I don’t want to show up to the auditions empty-handed.”
___
kim hyunjin
u should sing this for the talent show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
icsyv guest in the making
im going to delete ur number
<3
kim hyunjin
D:
___
The rest of spring blurs past, and Hyunjin spends her time after school blissfully listening to Heejin play in their comforting space on the rooftop. The days grow hotter, and the occasional spring showers eventually become replaced with the frequent beaming sun. Hyunjin’s liked spring, when sunset’s early enough for them to catch while on the bus, painting the sky with warm colors.
Hyunjin realizes that other then their rooftop meetings, the two don’t see much of each other throughout school, so she takes it upon herself to go check in on Heejin at her classroom after school instead of waiting on the roof as they usually do. Heejin’s last class is in a completely different wing from hers, and Hyunjin has to navigate her way through the now emptied hallways to Heejin’s class.
“Knock knock.” Hyunjin raps her knuckle on the door frame to get Heejins attention, giving a little wave when Heejin looks up from where she’s still packing up.
“This is new,” Heejin comments with a smile and Hyunjin takes a seat at the desk in front of Heejin, hugging the backboard so she can watch her organize all her stationary into her backpack. “You missed me that much?”
“That’s a really funny joke,” Hyunjin chirps along hollowly and motions at the empty classroom. “I think the audience is really having a hoot and a holler from that joke, Heejin.”
Heejin pretends to bow at the nonexistent audience and waves as if she’s on the set of a talk show.
“Hold on,” Hyunjin suddenly leans in and Heejin freezes in place when her hand comes up to quickly swipe an eyelash off her face. “You’re really cold,” she murmurs from the soft touch on Heejin’s skin before walking over to the open window in the classroom.
The moment feels dangerously delicate, as if they’re in that white space again - that middle ground where it’s just them inside the blank expanse of the world.
“You took my eyelash wish,” Heejin protests, but she’s smiling softly.
Hyunjin blows the eyelash out the window before pulling it closed. “I just made it for you.”
The moment doesn’t shatter, but it slips away slowly as Hyunjin grabs Heejins guitar case from the back of the classroom, standing at the doorway to wait for Heejin to finish zipping up her bag. Heejin slings her bag over her shoulder, but before she can step out into the hallway, Hyunjin reaches to cup for her face. The moment stays still.
“And you’re warm now.” Hyunjin nods enthusiastically, but she’s not sure if it might just be the sudden rush of heat she feels in Heejin’s cheeks. She laughs at the way Heejin’s face has completely reddened and she reaches for her hand instead. “What, did I make your heart skip a beat?”
The moments whisps away as Heejin grins, lacing their fingers together. “I think it actually died instead.”
Hyunjin sighs disappointedly. “Guess I have to try harder next time.”
Heejin just rolls her eyes and tugs her along the hallway. “Yeah, yeah, up your game, now let’s go practice.”
___
Hyunjin skims through the pages of Heejin’s notebook. “There’s a lot of just… Ed Sheeran and John Mayer…” She looks up at Heejin warily, “you know other songs, right?”
“Of course, but they’re staples in the soft acoustic genre, it’s the safest route to go,” Heejin hums as she fingers a melody.
“Fair,” Hyunjin nods and she tosses the notebook aside. “Alright, I’m your audience. Let’s go through the whole thing, beginning to end.”
___
Auditions quickly rear the corner, and Hyunjin finds herself waiting outside the school auditorium for Heejin to finish her audition. She isn’t too worried; Heejin doesn’t have crippling stage fright, and if anything. she’d think Heejin loved being on a stage - it seemed almost healing for her. She allows the music in her earbuds ease her boredom, wondering if she had=s time to buy some ice cream for the two of them by the time the audition’s finished. Heejin finally bounds out of the wooden double doors, and she’s got an unreadable expression on her face.
“How’d it go?” Hyunjin asks, taking an earbud out to hear Heejin’s answer.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Heejin starts walking and Hyunjin has to jog a bit to catch up.
“Can I get like, a thumbs up or a thumbs down?”
Heejin gives her a thumb angled straight in the middle.
“I bet you did fine.”
“Well it’s all up to God now.” Heejin taps her chest with a fist twice before making a prayer gesture at the sky.
“I thought you weren’t Christian.”
“Agnostic,” Heejin corrects as their bus finally arrives at their bus stop.
“Since when?” Hyunjin asks as they swipe their bus cards and settle into their seats.
“Like, when I was 11? I’m like Francis Crick, refuting religion in the pursuit of science.”
“I’m pretty sure he was a misogynist, too. Earbud?”
“Well I guess he and I have a lot in common already,” Heejin jokes as she takes the earbud gladly. “You know me, just always ‘Bah! Women ruining my day again! Harrumph.’”
Hyunjin barks out a laugh at the horrible impersonation. “Wow. That was… spot on,” she laughs airily, pretending to wipe a tear from her eye.
“Well he’s also a world-renowned scientist, and you’re…” Hyunjin trails off.
“Yeah? Why’d you stop talking? I’m also a world-renowned scientist,” Heejin says matter-of-factly.
“Yes, that you are,” Hyunjin responds as if her soul’s been sucked out, much to Heejin’s amusement. Heejin eventually falls asleep against the bus window as Hyunjin’s playlist shuffles on, and Hyunjin makes sure to shield both their eyes from the harsh sunlight passing through the glass.
___
icsyv guest in the making
the audition results are out :/
[file]
Hyunjin subtly pulls her phone out underneath her desk, angling her textbook so that it still seems as though she’s reading the excerpt they're following in class.
kim hyunjin
why :/ ??
icsyv guest in the making
i didn’t make it
Her eyes blow wide and her fingers rush to tap on the file Heejin’s sent. It’s a document of the finalized roster, and she scans the list for Heejin’s name, only to find that it’s smack dab in the center of the list. A notification banner slides from the top of her screen.
icsyv guest in the making
got u :p
She lets out a long exhale of relief, spamming a few celebration emojis before tucking her phone away so she can return her attention to class again. She can’t hold back the giddiness of the news though, and Hyunjin’s pretty sure she looks like an idiot to her classmates with the way she’s smiling.
___
kim hyunjin
are u nervous
icyvs guest VIP OFFICIAL
no
shut up
kim hyunjin
remember to not pee ur pants
drink a gallon of water before u get on stage
break both ur legs
if you get stage fright just jump into the audience i will catch you
icsyv gues VIP OFFICIAL
oml
kim hyunjin
just look for me in the crowd and we can lock eyes and the world will disappear like that scene in ur lie in april
i will be ur kaori miyazono
icsyv guest VIP OFFICIAL
if by that comparison you mean you die then yes
___
Hyunjin’s right with most of her assumptions regarding the talent show - Jung Jinsoul has some new unbelievable card trick that wows the audience straight out of their seats. The crowd murmurs in awe, and Hyunjin has to admit she’s still as impressed as last year. Heejin’s somewhere in the middle of the list, so Hyunjin tries to pay as much attention as she can until then. The auditorium’s too dimly lit for it to be socially acceptable for her to just take out her phone and pass the time. Two first-years - Im Yeojin and Choi Yerim - do a comedy routine that leaves her wincing in her seat at the cheesy slapstick, and a couple third years do a dance routine that looks unexpectedly complex. Nothing else really catches her eye though, and Hyunjin twists the flower she’s brought to celebrate Heejin’s performance. It’s a single rose wrapped in clear plastic - she isn’t sure if it’s real or not, she’d just asked for something simple. She thinks Heejin will like it.
She snaps out of her train of thought when she hears Heejin’s name announced over the speakers, and Hyunjin straightens her back in her seat, focusing her gaze onto the stage. Heejin walks out wearing jeans and flannel, her guitar strapped around her chest. Hyunjin thinks it's perfectly embodying the Caucasian-male-acoustic-singer energy that Heejin idolizes, and she gives herself a mental note to compliment her on it later.
The audience grows silent as Heejin quickly configures the microphone, and Hyunjin can see her count off the beats. It's the way they’ve rehearsed time and time again. It warms her heart in an odd way, watching such a familiar sight in such a new environment. She’s absolutely entranced by Heejins voice - it’s peculiar how she’s heard it dozens of times, but Hyunjin swears it sounds uniquely perfect every time. She always pauses at the same beats, sings a particular note a bit stronger every time, softly transitions from verse to chorus and it all merges into something Hyunjin can’t quite describe. It’s the walls and structure to their white space, their shared solace. It almost feels invasive, like the memory and space between them has become exposed to these strangers around them.
The spotlight highlights Heejin’s seat, and Hyunjin can’t help but unconsciously smile whenever she lifts her head to sing into the microphone. She trains her eyes on the details, ignoring the intangible ache as she watches Heejin glide with the music she’s creating. Even once Heejin finishes her performance and leaves with a quick bow and Hyunjin’s palms are throbbing from how hard she’s been clapping, a new awareness settles into her skin. It’s much more than the two of them, the space they’ve created, much more than Hyunjin can’t currently comprehend, but she notices it in the way a few audience members hum along to the songs or tap their feet to the rhythm. She wonders if Heejin can see it, the world they’ve wrapped around themselves.
___
kim hyunjin
meet me on the roof
Hyunjin walks aimlessly on the rooftop, tossing her phone between her hands, waiting patiently. The rooftop feels a different sort of empty, one that feels hollow. She tugs at the collar of her shirt, maybe the roof wasn’t the best place to ask to meet, she thinks as she feels the growing heat from being beneath direct sunlight. Or maybe it’s just her - she’s not entirely sure. Hyunjin can hear a faint stamping from the door, and it grows louder and louder until the door to the rooftop clatters open. Hyunjin turns around to see Heejin holding onto the doorframe, case strapped on her back, catching her breath.
“Someone’s out of shape,” Hyunjin laughs, and Heejin waves at her dismissively, still winded.
“I wanted- to get- my- cardio- in,” she says between wheezes. Hyunjin notices a few small flowers already in Heejin’s grasp, and she feels a warm twinge in her heart.
“Well, you may not be an athlete, but you’re definitely a musician,” Hyunjin pats her back reassuringly as she hands her the flower.
“For me?” Heejin asks, surprised, and when she turns to look at Hyunjin she has to avoid getting hit by Heejin’s case.
“Yeah,” Hyunjin nods, and she can feel warmth spread throughout her nerves, one thats starkly different to the blazing heat of the sun, one she still can’t quite describe. “How’d it feel? Performing in front of an audience larger than one?”
“Well, it didn’t feel all that different,” Heejin admits truthfully. “I think the excessive rehearsing was actually a good idea on your part. It felt like it was just us, I guess.”
Hyunjin frankly doesn’t know how to respond, so she just nods, and she kicks at the dust on the floor with her shoe. It’s one of those moments again, settling into the air around them and bubbling them in. Except Hyunjin has no idea what to say - surprisingly enough, she’s at a loss for words. But Heejin clearly seems unfazed by her silence, already swinging her case off her shoulders and taking out her guitar. It’s a comfortable silence, a new kind of emptiness for her to experience.
“Didn’t you just perform?”
“I like playing,” Heejin shrugs, already strumming a few set of chords.
Hyunjin lets Heejin’s voice fill the silence between them. It weaves the pieces of the moment together like stitches, and the world suddenly feels much more peaceful. The familiarity, the tranquility grows and expands around them, and Hyunjin’s sure that there’ll be more moments like this one.
More with Heejin.