White T-Shirt

스물 다섯

Yeona stands in front of the mirror in her room, tying her hair back in a high ponytail. She is wearing a cropped white t-shirt, and a pair of high waisted, black latex pants. She slings her handbag over her shoulder, and steps towards the door to answer the knocking that has just begun.

"Loey!" Yeona exclaims

"Yeona!" he replies with the same level of enthusiasm

She gestures him in, and he nods as he steps through the doorway, ducking his head just slightly to fit under the frame. Yeona giggles, sometimes forgetting how big the difference is between their height, Chanyeol sticks his tongue out at her, just causing her to laugh more.

"I'm sorry, my room's a mess." Yeona says

"It's not, it's fine! I'm just interested to see what a college dorm actually looks like." Chanyeol responds

"You can look around if you want." Yeona replies

Chanyeol kicks his shoes off, stepping into the room to quickly explore, peering into the bathroom, the kitchenette, and admiring the posters on Yeona's wall before he joins her again by the door. Yeona is almost finished tying her laces, as Chanyeol steps back into his own shoes.

He holds his hand out and helps pull her up to standing, letting go as soon as she is steady on her feet. Yeona leads them outside, locking the door behind them, and they walk together to the same auditorium that Yeona performed at the night before. Yeona feels sick with nerves, worse than she had felt before her own performance, knowing that more than likely she will see Jonghyun tonight, and she will finally hear him sing.

Yeona's phone vibrates in her hand, and she lifts it up so she can see the message notification flash across the screen.

Kibum
Are you going to be long? It starts soon.

Yeona
We're one minute away!

Kibum
I'm waiting out the front, Taem's already backstage.

Yeona doesn't reply, as her and Chanyeol turn the corner and walk up to Kibum. He smiles as he sees them both, and they follow him inside. They find seats a few rows from the front, and they talk amongst themselves as they wait for the show to begin. Yeona tries so hard to not let her anxiety override her, sitting between both Kibum and Chanyeol, she appreciates not being alone, but wants nothing more than to just run, far away.

———

The lights of the auditorium dim, and a single spotlight hits the stage. A man walks out into the centre, Yeona recognising him as the head of the music department, specialising in singing and songwriting, Kim Heechul.

He welcomes the crowd, and much like Yeona's dance teacher, he begins by introducing the concept of songwriting, and singing, and explains the way that he teaches his students. Yeona listens intently, so interested in the processes of songwriting, something she has never tried herself. Creating a dance choreography is like second nature to her, but scribing lyrics, and being that open, is something she does not believe she has the courage to do.

Once Heechul has finished his speech, he turns to walk side of stage, wishing well for his students who will soon be performing. Yeona anxiously awaits the first singer, and she sighs a deep sigh of relief as a girl walks out on stage. Yeona recognises her, from school, but doesn't know her well, and she watches politely as the girl introduces herself, giving a quick introduction to her two songs, before the music begins to play.

The night continues, singer after singer performs, Yeona quickly realising there should only be a few performers left. She has been impressed by the show so far, even getting up to dance with Chanyeol for a few of the songs, much to the embarrassment of Kibum next to her. The atmosphere in the crowd feels less intense than the dance night did, everyone is relaxed, cheering and dancing along to the music.