Chapter Text
Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth
Pull on your finger, then another finger, then your cigarette
Well, the wall-to-wall is calling, it lingers, but still you forget
Oh-oh-oh-oh, you're a rock 'n' roll suicide
2005
June
The air backstage was stuffy; too many people: the stylists, staff, managers, and, of course, unresolved tension from ten years ago.
Just a few minutes before going on stage, Zhang Hao—now a thirty-five-year-old superstar— was locked in the bathroom, with his old bandmates outside trying to lure him out.
"Hao-ge, I’m not trying to be mean, but did you really come all this way just to bail on the show? Disappoint our fans? They've been waiting for this longer than we have. We can't let them down because you're being selfish right now."
“Just tell them I’m sick, we have a second vocalist anyway,” Hao muttered.
As the words left Hao’s mouth, the door slammed open. A young man stood there; not much younger than him, blond with an array of silver accessories, he was otherworldly and overwhelmingly gorgeous. Beside him, was a taller man; eyes big in surprise, face full of concern.
“Hao-hyung…” The taller one started, “We need you out there, you’re the face of the band, there’s…” He gathered his words, “No us without you.”
“I wasn't even sure you were going to come tonight. You do know you missed sound check, right? But look at you. You're here, and you're here for a reason. It's the last show we’ll ever do.” The blond one paused, “Also, you’re a grown man, Hao-ge. Do you genuinely think you won’t be able to do it? I know you can.”
“That’s not it, I know I could go out there and perform. The problem is that he’s going to be there,” He sighed, looking down, “I can't do this if he's there, I won't even be able to look him in the eye,” Hao admitted, voice heavy with grief.
“After all this time, Ge?”
Hao replied with silence. Ten years weren’t nearly enough to let go, to forget, to move past it all.
The blond one sighed and crouched down to Hao’s side. “You won’t even have to look at him, just sing your lines, he will sing his. Focus on the audience, I don’t know. Do whatever you have to do to stop yourself from thinking of him as anything but the second lead.”
But how could he? This was the first time in a decade that they shared a stage. Last time had been such a catastrophe that the band had broken up! Neither of them were meant to be together on the same stage, or together at all. At least not in this lifetime, not with the weight of their troubled past.
Hao barked a laugh, humorless. “How can I, Ricky? How could I pretend we’re nothing but strangers? You don’t understand.”
“Make us understand then, Ge. Let us help you.” Ricky offered. “Let’s just make tonight work, okay? You won’t have to see him again after this; you won’t see each other again if you don’t want to.”
“Won’t you do this for us, at least?” The taller one pleaded.
The look on his face made Hao’s stomach twist in regret; those two—Ricky and Gyuvin—were always secretly his favorites. In a way, he raised them. They met Hao at nineteen, and them being the youngest ones among the rest, made Hao have this innate sense of paternity; these were basically his children.
But as much as Hao loved them dearly, he was still hesitant to give in.
Was bailing on the show that bad? He —Hanbin, was good enough on his own, he could effortlessly handle all the songs by himself without compromising the fans' experience.
He seriously could just feign illness and leave, wasn’t that the better option?
At this point, a small crowd had gathered near the bathroom’s entrance. There was no doubt he was there too, or at least in eavesdropping distance.
This made Hao upset, the fact that he could listen to him acting like a miserable dog and feel no remorse. The way he could just live his life with no concerns made Hao’s blood boil in anger, it made him sick with anxiety, it made his heart race with adrenaline.
He stood up suddenly, taking by surprise the two men near him.
“Okay. Whatever, I’ll do it.” He spat, “But I better not see him again after this, you hear me?”
“Don’t let Hanbin near me if it’s not about the show,” Hao said loudly enough so everyone could hear.
Hao stormed off, leaving his concerned bandmates behind, a wave of emotions overcoming him. The impending performance hung over them like an ominous cloud on a ship at sea.
Zhang Hao was the force that lit up a room, even though sometimes he preferred to be a mere shadow; still, he dreamt of success.
He, who had been acquainted with music since his childhood, aspired to be like the artists he saw on TV. Though it wasn't until many years later that he would discover his love (and talent) for singing; he'd have to leave his country behind to pursue a new path.
One day he sat down for dinner, ready to break the news to his parents; it is safe to say they were both shocked. His dad didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and his mom didn’t say a thing. Still, Hao booked a flight to the heart of South Korea and didn’t turn back.
In mid-August, 1992, twenty-two-year-old Zhang Hao stepped in Seoul for the first time. With only his luggage and his violin, he was determined, no, he was sure that this city was going to bring him the life he always dreamt of.
In such a big city, Hao hustled to get by, scraping gigs here and there with his violin and lending his voice to a local church band. He wasn't much for religion, but the church put food on the table and a roof over his head.
He got along with his church bandmates, though he struggled to find fellow enthusiasts willing to dive into the world of Rock alongside him. It seemed nobody around shared his burning passion for the sheer thrill of Rock n' Roll.
It wasn't until an acquaintance of his introduced him to Shen Quanrui, (who preferred to go by Ricky) a boy four years younger than him with exceedingly high bass-playing skills. Ricky, being the troublemaker he is, agreed to join Hao’s Work-in-progress band, just to spite his family.
They stayed as a duo for a month or two, familiarizing themselves with each other. Hao found out that Ricky could sing too, but he loved the bass the most.
“No one ever cares about the bass players! But Hao-ge, I’ll make sure people notice me.”
Ricky never talked about himself, though. All Hao knew was that Ricky’s family was absurdly wealthy and ridiculously immersed in the church, and that’s where Kim Gyuvin, the band’s keyboardist, came in.
Both grew up together, though they pretty much disliked each other's existence for quite some years of their lives. But at one point, things changed.
Gyuvin started playing piano for church, and that’s when Ricky saw him in another light; he was just like him. He saw glimpses of a sleep-deprived Gyuvin, busy all night practicing over and over again so his performances were flawless. This kind of shook Ricky to his core, he didn’t know anyone else around him being so passionate about music.
Their shared love for music (even though Gyuvin was stuck to gospels and prayers and knew no better while Ricky was the rebel kid for a love of electric guitars and disgustingly good bass solos) made them closer, the two of them became inseparable.
So when Ricky left the church and joined Hao’s band, Gyuvin was right beside him as well. With years of piano expertise under his belt, Gyuvin seamlessly transitioned into the role of the band's keyboardist.
The last two to join were Seok Matthew and Kim Taerae. Rock wasn’t gonna Roll without a guitar, and he couldn’t have the Bass player play two instruments at once, so Hao decided on Taerae, the former guitar player from Hao’s old church band.
Back when they were together at church, Hao didn’t think much of Taerae’s musical skills, he was good, yes; Taerae was undeniably talented, but Hao hadn't seen anything that would have sparked his belief in Taerae's potential for pursuing a music career beyond their local church band.
It wasn’t until Hao saw Taerae playing the guitar for a local band in a bar. He went out by himself, even though both Ricky and Gyuvin pleaded to go with him, he denied. They were just babies!
“There’s no way they’re letting kids in!”
“Hyung we’re both… nineteen.”
But Hao was on a mission that night. He picked a day he knew live music would be playing, hoping to find potential band members. How was he going to convince everyone that they should leave their own bands and join him even though at the moment they were just a man and two teenagers? No idea.
As the lights dimmed and the amplifiers' hum grew louder, Hao fixed his gaze on the stage, although struggling due to his poor eyesight worsened by the dim lighting. He could vaguely discern four or five figures on stage.
Then, amidst the flickering lights and the start of a guitar riff, Hao was in shock. It was Taerae! The same Kim Taerae from their church days!
He was beyond surprised, glued to his place entirely. He had never seen him play so enthusiastically and with such charisma, this was a new side of Taerae that was kept hidden from him.
After the show, he shuffled through people to get to Taerae before he went backstage.
Hao called out to him. “Taerae?”
He turned around, and as soon as he met Hao’s gaze, he smiled.
“Hao-hyung!”
“Didn’t expect to see you here, like at all,” Hao said as he walked to him. There was another guy next to Taerae. “It’s weird seeing you in a bar. I thought you didn’t drink… or play rock music.”
Taerae laughed. “I still don’t drink, hyung, but music is music, isn’t it? If it’s good, I’ll play it.”
Taerae turned to the man beside him, “This is Zhang Hao, Matthew. We used to play in the same band at the same church.”
“Nice meeting you!” Matthew had the brightest smile he’d ever seen on someone, so bright that without realizing it, Hao was smiling as well. “Taerae has never let me hear any of his church band stories, I was starting to think he made it all up!.”
Taerae playfully hit him, “Why would I even lie about that?” He rolled his eyes a bit, then turned his attention back to Hao. “What brings you here anyway Hyung?”
“I’m glad you asked, Taerae.” He gathered his thoughts, “Well you see… Were the people you played with part of your band or…?”
Taerae shook his head. “Nah, they’re friends from uni. Why?”
“Wanna join mine?”
Matthew’s eyes widened, and Taerae’s eyebrows went up so high they almost flew out of his face. “Ah? You have a band? Since when?”
Hao smiled awkwardly, thinking it through, it wasn’t much of a band at all. “Kind of. We’re only three people now, we don’t have a guitarist nor a drummer…”
Matthew turned excitedly towards his friend, “Taerae! Let’s join!”
“Well he didn’t exactly ask you did he…”
“Yah!”
Hao smiled, it seemed as if these two were really close. He turned to Matthew, “Do you play the guitar as well?”
“Ahh.. didn’t you see me up there? I was the drummer!”
Hao had hit two birds with one stone!
“Ah! Really?”
Matthew nodded in response.
“I’m sorry, I forgot to bring my glasses today,” And you're comically short for a drummer… but Hao didn’t say that out loud. “But that’s great isn’t it? I mean, then you’re definitely free to join as well! I wouldn’t want to force either of you, but the offer is up!”
It was safe to say that both agreed.
So that was it. They were a band!
Kind-of, at least.
It took some weeks to get everyone comfortable with each other, but Hao was lucky that most if not all of them were extroverted people who had no problem making friends. Gyuvin was, in a way, the glue that stuck everyone together. It personally took Hao no time for him to be comfortable with him and see him as more than just Ricky’s friend.
He kept everyone entertained with his stories and made everyone coo at him because of how much love and admiration he seemed to have for his little cousin, Yujin. Everyone loved him so much it kind of made it easier to be around with everyone else. Hao even joked about eventually naming the band “The Kim Gyuvin Fanclub.”
It seemed as if they were meant to be together, as if the fates had written in their plans that the lives of these young men with a shared dream were meant to intertwine.
So once they became familiar with each other as people, they had to become acquainted with each other as musicians. Taerae and Matthew struggled the least, since they often played with friends in their bands in their free time— they often had no choice but to make it work, chemistry or not.
They stayed up late playing music together, trying out different tunes. Taerae and Matthew, being more experienced, brought a lot to the table and helped the group find its musical groove. It wasn't just playing instruments; it was about turning their friendship into a melody that people could connect with.
The studio where they practiced became a sanctuary, a space where dreams and melodies intertwined. The sound of guitars, drums, and laughter echoed through the walls, creating music that mirrored the bond they were forging
Looking for a name was difficult though, they—the members, were all quite different, and couldn’t come up with something they all agreed on.
“What about… Zhang Hao and The Stars?” He jumped up while exclaiming.
The room was all giggles.
“Yah, Matthew. That sucks.”
“Taerae you’re always so mean!”
“Why are we The Stars, though?”
Matthew’s sulking pout made Hao laugh even harder, “Thank you Matthew-yah, but… let’s keep thinking okay?”
After a round of ridiculous ideas, they collectively agreed to shelve the name hunt, half-expecting to circle back to one of Matthew's suggestions later.
In the end, (and thank God) it was Ricky who came up with the name.
It was one evening, while Ricky and Hao were eating out at a local Chinese restaurant, yearning, in a way, about home.
While Hao was in the middle of a bite, Ricky interrupted their silence with a gasp.
Mouth full of food, Hao managed to talk, “What is it? What's wrong?!”
“Hao-ge, I've come up with a name.”
Hao gulped his food down as quickly as he could, he then wiped his mouth and asked Ricky about it.
“Blue Rose.”
“Blue Rose?!”
“Cool isn't it?”
And so they became “Blue Rose”, sometimes shortened as “BluR”; not to be confused with the english-rock band, of course.
It had a nice ring to it, so they’d all agreed to it the next morning.
When Hao asked him about the reasoning behind it later, Ricky replied with, “Well it’s kind of romantic isn’t it? You don’t see blue roses in nature, we’re one of a kind.”
Hao’s mouth formed the shape of an ‘o’, “Aren’t you a smart one, Ricky!”
The first few months as a band were kind of a mess, Hao, being the oldest and also the vocalist, was pushed into the leading position, something he, to this day, thinks he wasn't good at. Nevertheless, he kept the weekly rehearsals going and even managed a few shows in bars and small festivals.
Thanks to Ricky and Gyuvin’s money they were able to afford to pay the studio they practiced at. Hao always mentioned how he’d repay all of it to them when they got famous. They both always denied politely, there was no need.
Then as the Seoul summer sky turned to foggy afternoons then to limb-numbing winter mornings, things were escalating a bit quickly. Obviously, they weren’t famous (or good enough) to be signed to a label yet, but Hao managed to get hold of a manager. He thought that would help them gain some traction, and get hired to gigs with more frequency now.
Turns out, it wasn't a walk in the park. Dealing with the music scene was tougher than Hao imagined. They were stuck in this in-between zone, far from hitting the big leagues. Caught between ambition and the harsh reality of the industry, the band found themselves at a bit of a standstill.
1993
February
It was another late night after a gig, and only Zhang Hao and his manager, Kim Jiwoong, were left in the venue's green room. It was a place they often played at, they were even familiar with the staff; still, it just wasn't enough.
They’d been having a rough couple of weeks, and the band’s relative success might as well have been a thing of the past then.
Because of that, Hao had been in the search for a second lead, or anyone who could spice things up; maybe that would make the people love them.
Just as the two men were about to start getting ready to leave, a voice could be heard in the distance; and whoever that was, they were singing.
“Who was that just now?” Hao asked, Jiwoong looking up, confused. Hao sighed, “Did you not hear the singing?” He stood up and got closer to the door. “I thought the guys had left.”
The rest of his bandmates were known for being obnoxiously loud after shows, not that Hao hadn't understood the excitement that came after performing, but he'd rather rest.
Closing the door behind him, Hao walked through the hallway, following the sound of music playing. A sense of wonder and curiosity overcame him. While the music got louder as he got closer, he could listen to the singing way better now.
The voice was heavenly, carrying emotion easily while they sang. Whoever was singing seemed to handle both high and low notes with ease, almost like a professional.
Hao found that the door near the exit was open, with a man sitting inside the room.
“Was that you singing?”
The man stopped abruptly, letting out a squeal at the same time. Hao looked at said man, he was wearing a flannel shirt, ( questionable fashion, Hao thought to himself) with a few buttons loose. His hair was silky black with bangs so flat they made him look like a wet kitten and with a flush on his cheeks from being caught. He cleared his throat and stood up to greet Hao.
“Sorry, was I being too loud? I thought everyone had left. I'm Hanbin, uhm, Sung Hanbin.” He apologized with a nervous smile, handshake slightly clammy.
The background music kept playing, Hao took a moment to look at him. He noticed the shape of his jaw and the way his eyes smiled before his mouth did. There was no denying that this man was good-looking, wet-kitten-look and all.
“Nah, it's fine. I was just surprised, I didn't know anyone else could sing that well around here,” Hao searched for his gaze, though it seemed he was avoiding it, clearly embarrassed. “I don't think we've met before. Are you new?”
The young man shifted in his seat. “I’ve been working here for a couple of days now, and it got too hectic with college as well, so I figured I could have some alone time after shows, but I forgot to double-check that everyone had left this time, sorry once again.”
Hao smiled at that. “It’s fine, don’t worry,” He sat down next to Hanbin, “Have you always had that talent? Is that why you’re working in this industry?”
Hanbin’s blush deepened at the compliment. “You're too kind! But, not really, no. I just sang for fun, but it wasn’t until last year that I discovered how fun performing was…”
Despite only meeting a minute or so ago, it seemed as Hanbin didn’t hesitate to keep up the conversation. His shyness had been only a result of being caught, not because he was of the introverted type.
Hao looked at him expectantly, motioning for him to go on.
“We have an end-of-the-year performance every December at my university, and suddenly the lead singer of the musical band fell sick, and no one else was willing to replace him, uhm... So I figured, why not give it a try? I had no idea what came over me; I had never sung in front of an audience.”
“I’m assuming it went well then?”
Hanbin nodded, smiling. “Yeah, I did better than I thought. People seemed to like it, and the band encouraged me to join them as a background vocalist! But I was too busy for that, so I said no.”
There was silence for at least a few seconds, and though this was immensely out of character for Hao (who usually tried to escape any attempts at small talk and so on), he wanted to know more about this man.
“What’s your major?”
“Oh um. Education”
“What were you doing with the art kids, though? I’m just curious.”
He smiled shyly, “ I guess I just liked watching them perform. I was always there at their practices after my classes were over, I wasn’t bothering them, I asked! And they let me stay..”
Hao nodded, that seemed reasonable enough. He then pondered for a bit, what if this Hanbin dude was their shot at success?
What's the worst that could happen? him saying no?
“Hanbin-ssi… would you be interested in joining our band?”
“Eh?”
“You know, you have a pretty good voice… you could be the second lead if you’re interested. We’d need to have a meeting with the rest of the guys if you are planning to join, though. Just letting you know.”
Hanbin could’ve stood side to side next to a tomato, and one wouldn't have known the difference.
“Uh, uhm. What? Hahaha. What? What do you mean join… your band?” He looked incredulous. Hao raised an eyebrow in amusement.
“Well, you heard me! The offer is up! I’m interested in you, Sung Hanbin-ssi,” Hao paused to look around for something to write with. “I'll give you my number, I’d give you Jiwoong’s, but the man doesn’t ever reply…”
Hao fixed his eyes on the crumpled piece of paper in the corner of the room and crouched down to grab it. “Do you happen to have a pen? Or anything that I could write with?” His eyes turned to Hanbin.
“Uhh.. Yeah, I think so,” Hanbin said while rummaging through his bag, which seemed quite stuffed. “Here.”
Hao muttered a thanks while he jotted down his number, adding a smiley face after. “Well, it’s getting late Sung Hanbin-ssi, I think you should head home.” He said while handing Hanbin the wrinkled piece of paper. “Get home safely! I’ll be expecting that call!”
On his walk back to the green room, he was met with a stern-looking Jiwoong at the door.
“Yah! What took you so long? I thought you’d been brutally murdered, or worse!! possessed by a ghost!” Hao let out a laugh, how was that worse than being killed?
“I think I found our key to success, hyung.”
Jiwoong looked at him, confused.
“I won't tell you about it though, I'm not jinxing this.” He said while entering the room and grabbing his bag.
“Could you give me a ride home, though?”
Jiwoong smiled and then sighed. “I am your manager, after all. Let's go, Hao.”
When Hao got back to his apartment, the first thing he did was throw himself face-first at his couch. Tonight’s show had been good nonetheless, but he was eager to find out if that Hanbin guy was willing to call him at all.
He was quite cute too... Hao had groaned into a cushion.
If this doesn’t work out in the end… I’d need to get a real job… I think I’ve disappointed my family enough…
Hao woke up the next morning still in his clothes from yesterday and with an ache in his limbs so awful that it could have only been from sleeping on his couch.
He got up and headed to the kitchen; his apartment was small but cozy. He was still amazed he had snagged such a good place without drowning himself in debt.
While grabbing a glass of water, he noticed it was still dark outside.
"Seriously? What time is it?" He checked the clock—it read 6:45. He groaned; it was way too early to be up.
As he shuffled towards his bedroom, the phone started ringing.
He was very thankful no one had been there with him because the way he ran towards the phone with no regard for the things that were in his way had been quite… embarrassing. He almost dropped his glass of water but remembered fast enough that it was fragile so he—very aggressively—left it on his kitchen table as he made his way to the phone in the living room.
“Hello?”
“Oh…I uhm” The voice in the other line paused, “I wasn’t expecting you to pick up.”
“Who is this?”
“Ah, it’s Hanbin. Sung Hanbin. I just wanted to check if this number was, heh, real. Is this… Zhang Hao?”
Trying to hide the smile in his voice as best as he could, Hao replied, “Yeah, hello Hanbin-ssi.”
“Sorry I know it’s early, I can call you back later if you want?”
“No! It’s fine, really…I was just waking up.”
“Well um, then I guess you know why I’m calling?”
“You’re interested in joining.”
Hanbin chuckled, “I guess I am.” He paused a bit, “…Where do we go from here?”
“I’d have to tell my manager, I’ll have to call you back later, though. He’s probably asleep.”
“It is quite early…” Hanbin adds.
“Don’t worry. I'll wake him up.” Before anything else happened, he grabbed a pen and wrote down Hanbin’s phone number on his arm. That’ll do for now, I'll add him to my contact list later.
“Are you sure it’s okay? This doesn’t have to be right now, I wouldn’t want it to be a hassle.”
Hao scoffed, lightheartedly. “I already told you it was fine! It’s really okay, Hanbin-ssi.”
Hanbin agreed with a hum, “Very well then, call me later?”
Hao smiled even wider. “See you soon, Hanbin-ssi.”
As Hao hung up the call, his mind buzzed with excitement at the prospect of Hanbin joining their band.
Hao immediately called Jiwoong, although it took quite a few rings for him to pick up his phone. When he did answer, Hao lost no time:
“Hyung, we need to have a meeting with the rest of the guys.”
“Not even a hello? Good morning? Sorry I woke you up this early?” He yawned through his words, his voice husky and low; Hao had clearly woken him up. “I’ll schedule one for tomorrow.”
“Can’t it be right now? It’s kind of urgent.”
Jiwoong paused for a moment, incredulous. “What? It’s… seven in the morning.”
“Success can’t wait!”
“Is this about what you mentioned last night?”
“Yup!” Without sparing Jiwoong a chance to think, he said, “Call the kids and let them know, ring me up when it’s all set.”
He hung up and went immediately to get himself ready, he was giddy with delight. Was he dreaming? Hao was fully convinced that Hanbin was the last puzzle piece missing in their band; their last chance at success.
A few minutes later, Jiwoong called him back, and he then contacted Hanbin. It was all set.
Hao got off the bus that left him near the studio, he saw Ricky and Gyuvin making their way there as well.
“Hey!”
“Hao-hyung!” Gyuvin gave him a quick hug, the boy was so tall he had to bend his knees a bit.
“Isn't it cold up there, Gyuvin-ah?” Hao teased, earning a playful swat in response.
As they all walked towards the studio, Ricky approached Hao.
“This was your idea, wasn’t it? I’ll kill you. I’ve never seen you up this early in the time I’ve known you, Ge.” Ricky said, slightly annoyed.
Hao stuck his tongue out. They were all gonna meet up with Jiwoong at the studio at eight, god knows how he managed to convince all of them that this–whatever Jiwoong told them it was–was very important and that it couldn’t wait.
When the trio finally arrived at the studio, Hao found Hanbin had already gotten there. He was talking to a very haggard-looking Jiwoong.
“Oh. You're both here already.”
Both Hanbin and Jiwoong looked up to see Hao standing on the door.
Both Gyuvin and Ricky tried getting in as well, but Hao motioned for them to wait outside for a second, and despite Gyuvin’s whining, he closed the door behind him.
“And I see you've met Jiwoong.”
“He's so much nicer than you, Hao.”
Hao stepped closer and kicked Jiwoong in his leg lightly. “When have I ever not been nice to you, Hyung?!”
“Today. You made me wake up at an ungodly hour.” He paused to look at Hanbin, “At least he apologized.”
“Hyung you're mean!” Hao said as Jiwoong broke into a fit of laughter.
“Okay I'm just kidding, Hao.”
“Hao-ssi… I told you this didn't have to be now! I don't want to be a bother.”
“Ah.. Hanbin-ssi… It's fine really, Jiwoong-hyung just finds teasing me fun.” Jiwoong stuck his tongue out at that.
He turned to Hanbin, “I’m happy you're here, I'm sure you won't regret this.”
Hanbin smiled nervously in response, “I won't, but I am quite nervous. Your band mates must be a million times better at this than I am, what if… they don't want me in?”
“You'll have to prove yourself, Hanbin-ssi.” He turned to look at the door. “I believe you're not as bad as you think you are, though.”
“I believe in you, plus you're here for a reason aren't you?” Hao opened the door as he spoke, met with four faces that were all looking in his direction.
“Sorry everyone, didn't mean to keep you all outside like that.”
“Ah, Hyung. It's fine.” Gyuvin replied.
While stepping in, Taerae inquired, “What's this about, though? I've never seen you up this early.”
“That's exactly what I said!" Ricky exclaimed.
He laughed, “You'll see.”
“Well, if he wants to join, could he sing something for us?”
“Well of course he's going to sing something for us, we wouldn't let any guy in without knowing what he does would we?”
As Taerae and Matthew bickered, Hanbin turned to look as Hao.
“I uhm. I actually…rushed out without really planning anything.” He confessed.
Hao’s eyes widened in amusement, “You didn't? Really?”
“I think I did everything on a whim.” Hanbin looked him in the eye. “Help me.”
Hao smiled in understanding. “Just sing that song you were singing last night, wouldn't that be easier?”
Hanbin’s eyes lightened, “I guess you're right!”
God knows if it was Hanbin’s voice or the song itself, but after he finished singing for them, Gyuvin was all tears.
“What are you crying for, Gyuvin?!”
“Ah… Ricky-yah you wouldn't get it at all!!”
Hanbin seemed a bit unnerved, “Are those… good tears? My voice couldn't have been that bad, right?”
Wiping his eyes, Gyuvin replied “Of course they're good tears! Hyung, you've got a voice that could lure fishermen onto their deaths!”
Hao smiled despite himself, Gyuvin and his habit of calling everyone older than him ‘Hyung’ just mere minutes after meeting them.
Hanbin smiled shyly at the teary-eyed Gyuvin, then turned to Hao. “Does that mean I’m in?”
Hao looked back at him, but instead of replying, he raised his voice, “Everyone in favor of Sung Hanbin-ssi joining our band, raise their hand please.”
Not a single hand that wasn't Hanbin’s was lowered