Chapter Text
It starts with humming. My best friend, Jamie, is sitting across from me, and he's humming a catchy tune. We're in a Texas-style pub, and he's on his phone. Terrible manners, by the way.
"Whatcha hummin'?" I ask, and the question sounds uninterested. Just something to fill the silence.
"Some song that blew up recently. It's actually kind of good." Jamie shrugs, raising his eyes to meet mine. My ears perk up at the mention of music. I'm a DJ at a few clubs occasionally, it's more of a hobby than a career. "Are you finally finished eating?"
"Yeah but now I wanna see this song," I say enthusiastically, and Jamie sighs.
"Bloody hell Sunwoo. You know how to change the subject." Jamie rolls his eyes playfully, his arms relaxed as he passes me the phone. I put it up to my ear.
And it's heaven in a song. I haven't even disgusted the vocals yet, but the guitar and the beat in the background alone have me hooked. Then, I clock the singing, and then I inhale sharply. It's the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard. Husky, but it sounds like an angel's. For a moment I wonder what this person did to be blessed with this song, but then Jamie takes the phone back.
"Okay. Can we go now? We've been here for almost two hours." Jamie says impatiently. I try not to show my absolute speechlessness at the song, so I glance at him playfully.
"Oh? Why? Can't handle a moment longer with me?"
"No, I can’t handle a moment longer in this pub, dickhead." Jamie snorts, and we get up. Jamie slips on his jacket, a simple leather one, and we get out of the pub without much pushback. We walk along a sidewalk, and I inspect the moon. It's high above the buildings, and it's a full moon. Beautiful.
"So what did you say that song was called?" I ask, trying to sound casual as if I won't go home later and play it on repeat and try not to think about anything else.
"Uh… something like "I go crazy"? It's by an artist called NJ."
NJ. That’s a… unique name. Not that I don’t go by a stage name. I do, but mine is Jett. Sometimes it's Jett, other times it's Wind. Depending on the night I’m having. If I want to distract from everything, it's Wind. If I’m just out to have a good time? Jett.
"That's… cool." I say simply, deciding that the fewer words I speak on this topic, the better.
"Why, did you like the song?"
"Yeah," I shrug, "I'm just thinking maybe it’d be nice to add to my playlist or something."
"Ah, cool, cool. Which playlist…?" Jamie trails off.
"Not my DJ-ing one, idiot. That song is too slow for DJ-ing. I mean, I guess it's not slow, but it's not the right type of music, Y’know?" I say, explaining my thoughts further.
"Oh… that's cool, that's cool." Jamie says. He doesn’t do DJ-ing, he's completely unfamiliar with it, but he understands what I’ve explained, and he comes to almost all my gigs. "That artist, she's actually got a small live performance coming up. It's pretty near here. She must live close."
"Are the tickets sold out?" I say, and Jamie answers my question with a sad nod of his head.
"Are you kidding? That shit sold out like it was water in a desert." He laughs, and I smile slightly. We walk in silence after that, and I stop at my apartment complex.
"Welp, here's my stop. Thanks bus driver." I say sarcastically, saluting Jamie. He smiles and waves, before walking away into the shadows of the sidewalk quietly. I hope he gets home safe. "Hey! Text me when you're home, huh?"
"Yeah no problem. You're such a worrier." Jamie sighs dramatically, far in the distance in almost a minute, before I turn and head in. The attendant that scans ids greets me politely, but I can tell he doesn't want to be up this late. My apartment number is number 149. I come up on the door after climbing a couple flights of stairs, and unlock it with my key. I walk in, and am immediately greeted by my cat, Omen. He's a black cat, burly, with blue eyes. I don't let him out, because the neighbouring houses have big dogs. Last thing I want is for him to get eaten.
I named my cat Omen because he's so cute and sweet. He's nothing like the negative meaning attached to the name Omen. I get a laugh out of it.
"Aww, did you miss me shadow boy?" I coo, reaching down to pet him. Omen purrs, rubbing against my leg. In the entryway, I kick off my shoes, and hang up my jacket. Omen meows demandingly, and I smile fondly. "You want more food boy? But I already fed you."
Omen looks at me imploringly, and I sigh, and make my way to the small kitchenette I have in the apartment. I'm quite lucky to have it, as most rooms in this complex don't have one. I open a cupboard, pull out Omens food bag, and I scoop a little bit into his bowl. He saunters over to the food and begins eating immediately, and I crouch to pet him.
"Your mama's the worst. Letting you snack so much? What is she thinking. Although you are really cute." I say, and even though I’ve always known Omen can't speak back, probably can't even understand me, I still talk to him. He's like my confidante. I get up, and stretch my arms. My lids flutter shut, and I feel a wave of tiredness envelop me.
"Bedtime, huh?" I ask the air, and of course, the air doesn't respond. I make my way over to my bedroom, and once I'm there, I get dressed in sleepwear. My room isn't huge, it's got a single bed, a desk and a nightstand. As soon as I lay on my bed, my body shuts down. But I pull out my phone instead. There's a text from Jamie.
Jammy: I'm home safe
Son (YOU): ok bestie now GO TO SLEEP
Jammy: you know I cant promise that
Son (YOU): no pulling another all nighter you cannot handle it
Jammy: but what if I have a breakthrough what then huh
Son (YOU): go to bed goodnight end of discussion
Jammy: ok night
I switch off my phone, but as soon as I close my eyes, my mind circles back to that song from earlier. I can hear it in my head, the keyboard, guitar and vocals meshing together perfectly. So I open my eyes once more, and look it up.
"I go crazy - NJ"
A bunch of results pop up, and I rifle through them before I find what I'm looking for. Ah, here's the song. I hastily get out of bed, and grab my headphones, before plugging them in and starting the song. I turn off the large light in my room, opting for the lamp on my nightstand to provide light instead. The song is just as mesmerizing as the first time I heard it. I close my eyes, and let my body relax as I listen to it. Ah, this is my favourite time of day. I get to lie down, put on a good song, and relax. My body feels almost like it's sinking into quicksand, if the quicksand was extremely breathable and warm.
So I relax, and by the time the song ends, I'm asleep.
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My eyes hurt. I'm at a small gig at a club, and the strobe lights are WAY too bright. It overwhelms me just a bit. You'd think the noise would be a problem, but I have noise canceling headphones that play the sound of my music quieter than it goes out, while blocking the noise from speakers. Still, after my set ends and the next DJ is up, I join the festivities, as it were, by sitting at the bar. I have my head in my hands, rubbing my eyes gently. Jesus Christ. Surely the lights didn't need to be THAT strobe-y, right?
Not to mention, this was the one time Jamie couldn’t make it to my gigs. Something about school. He's studying to become a lawyer. I sigh softly, out of frustration if nothing else. My eyes sting.
"Hey, you okay?" A husky, accented voice brings me out of my thoughts. I blink my eyes open to find a very, very pretty bartender looking at me with concern. Her eyes are a warm brown, her skin a little lighter than her eyes. Her hair, however, throws off the brown-ness of her appearance. Her hair is down to her shoulders, vibrant blue with yellow ends. She's wearing a white and black suit vest, that looks /way/ too good on her.
She's gorgeous.
"Yep- yeah. All good over here." I manage, and mentally curse myself out. Why must I do this with pretty girls?
"You sure? I know the lights here can be… not good on the eyes."
"Good god yes. I was up there DJ-ing and lord-" I snap my mouth shut, preventing me from complaining further to this woman that I’ve known for about thirty seconds.
"Oh, that was you? I didn't get to see you, but I heard it. Pretty impressive, huh?" She compliments, a gently smile on her face. In turn, I feel mine turning red.
"Oh. You think so?" I say, more asking her 'are you sure?'.
"Yeah. Definitely. Who knew people could be so pretty /and/ talented." The bartender smirks at me. We're so lucky no one else is at the bar right now. /I'm/ so lucky.
"O-oh. Uh- thanks…" I squint to read the woman’s name tag. 'Neon' "Thanks Neon."
"Oh please, call me Tala. Neon's my name to creepy old men who want to have sex with me."
"Wh- okay. Uh- I am not one of those." I reassure halfheartedly. Tala smiles sweetly.
"And would you happen to have a name, not-old-man-who-wants-to-have-sex-with-me?" She says casually, turning away to pour a drink for some guy who looks pretty anxious. After she comes back, I speak.
"Uh- it's Sunwoo." I say stupidly. Just use your fucking codename, stupid.
"Mm. I'm gonna call you Sun. That alright?" Tala says, her eyes smiling.
"Yeah that's alright."
"So, what's your story?" Tala asks, propping her head up with her elbows.
My story? I got kicked out of my house by my mom, work full-time as a sushi chef to make ends meet, and never had enough money to put me through college. DJ-ing is almost the only thing that brings me joy anymore, but it's losing its spark too. I have a cat that I love dearly, and a tight-knit group of friends that I’ve had since middle-school. Of course, I never made it past grade 11, having to drop out because of my living situation.
"It's nothing interesting." I dismiss casually, and I swallow hard. "What's your story?"
"Well, I moved here to study abroad from the Philippines a year ago. I'm studying Art history and digital art. My favourite things are drawing, making music, mixology, and also my dog from back home." Tala says this all so smoothly, her husky, almost deep voice almost lulling me into a stupor. I haven't even drank yet.
"Wow. That was… really interesting. Way more interesting than mine." I say, and I try for a smile. It might look weak, or not have enough gumption to it, because Tala's eyes flicker with sadness, before retaining their warm gaze.
"Try me."
"Maybe after a few drinks." I deflect. Tala raises a brow. She gestures to me.
"Really? Sure you don't just wanna get out of here?"
"Take me out to dinner first, Tala." I grin playfully, and Tala's eyes widen, her face painted with a pretty blush.
"No- I just mean- don't you have something better to do than talk to some random bartender?" Tala asks, her eyes questioning.
"Nope." I say, popping the p. "I have nothing better to do. Plus, you're cool, and pretty."
"I- okay Sun. What’re you looking for on this fine evening?" Tala says, and I find I quite like the look in her eyes when she's flustered. A wave of tiredness washes over my body. I should not be out this late.
"Hmm… maybe just some soju?" Tala scans the inventory. I see her frown.
"Don't think we have any. Sorry." Tala says, a sheepish smile seated on her perfect face. I shrug in response, and then speak,
"Okay. Just… surprise me, huh pretty girl?" I say, the term of endearment falling off my lips easily. Tala's eyes light up.
"Ooh. I like that." Tala says, as if she's a kid in a candy store. I watch her as she steps back to look at the inventory of the bar. I think it's a little cute. My eyelids droop as she moves and makes my drink, along with a couple of orders she picks up along the way. I find myself nodding off, my body succumbing to the pull of sleep.