Body And Soul

8. Singing Through A Kazoo

Even though the second floor was essentially one long winding hallway, Jungkook still felt as if he were lost. Various smiling photos of Taehyung guided him down the hall as he eventually made it to a black padded looking door at the left end of the hallway. He reached out to wrap his hand around the silver handle, pushing it open.

He knew he shouldn't be amazed by Taehyung's place anymore at that point, but he was still finding himself shocked to be standing in a fully furnished recording studio. Hobi was sitting laid back in a swivel chair near the controls with Jimin sitting beside him feverishly writing something down in a notebook. Jungkook entered, letting the door slap shut behind him to indicate to the other two that he was there.

"Great! You're here already! That means we can get started early," said Jimin. "Go ahead and step inside. The lyrics we came up with for the chorus are already on your music stand."

The nerves that had been washed away in the shower were starting to make a reappearance. Jungkook tried to keep his hands still at his side as he merely nodded his head in reply. He walked towards the glass door, opening it before slipping into the padded room. A pair of headphones were draped over the microphone in front of him. He reached out to put them on his head, immediately feeling the world about him get muted slightly. The headphones were making it so when the beat sounded, they would be the only thing he could focus on and sink into.

Jungkook looked at the lyrics on the music stand in front of him as he stood in front of the microphone. He wasn't surprised to see that it was another love song. That seemed to be what Kim Taehyung was famous for. He was famous for pop love songs. He knew more of Taehyung's songs by heart than he cared to admit because of the amount of times Laylin blasted them in their apartment. Thinking about Laylin, the nerves within him mixed with sadness. He wondered where she was now and if she was okay. He was jerked from his thoughts by Jimin's voice sounding out in his headphones.

"Okay. We're going to try it through once. Just go with the flow. Work your magic."

"I'm a magician?" Jungkook asked, seeing Jimin eye roll in the booth.

"Everyone is a comedian..." muttered Jimin under his breath as Jungkook watched him adjust something on the sound panel; Hobi chuckling as he moved to flick a switch.

As the music played into his ears, Jungkook realized it was a tune he hadn't ever heard before. He didn't know why he was stupidly hoping it was a song he remembered Laylin playing. Jimin had mentioned the new album. Jungkook knew that he would just have to try his best. Taking a deep breath, he started to sing when Jimin was cuing him in with his hands like a mad maestro.

The moment Jungkook opened his mouth to try to sing the lyrics in front of him, he noticed Jimin and Hobi both cringe. Not only was Jungkook finding himself off beat, but he was also off key. The music playing in the headphones abruptly came to an end as Jimin stood up from his chair.

"What was that?!"

"My best..." said Jungkook sheepishly. "I...I mean...I can try again..."

"Yes, you're going to try again! You have the voice of an angel, but right then it sounded like you were singing through a kazoo!"

Jungkook watched as Jimin paced away from the sound controls.

"Cut him some slack, Jimin," said Hobi. "He just got discharged from the hospital this morning. Maybe he just needs some more rest."

"A kazoo!" said Jimin as he threw himself along the cushions at the back of the recording studio.

Jungkook felt his cheeks heat up. He had both hands at his side; each of them fisted into his pants. He was hoping that it would all come naturally to him when the music started since this wasn't his body, but it didn't seem like that would be the case. He had the voice, but apparently he didn't know how to use it correctly.

Hobi eventually convinced Jimin back over and they tried a few more takes. Jungkook really tried his best to get the sound the other two wanted - but after an hour of trying - it still seemed like he hadn't even gotten close.

"Lets just call it for today, Jimin," said Hobi. "Lets go home and let Taehyung rest for a bit."

"Fine," said Jimin as he grabbed up his notebook.

Jungkook draped the headphones over the microphone stand as he exited back into the room where Hobi and Jimin were. Jimin was anxiously scribbling things down as he uttered a brief 'afternoon' to Jungkook on his way out the door. Hobi lingered behind as Jimin disappeared muttering down the hall. He turned to look at Jungkook who had his head down slightly, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Tae. You just got out of the hospital. Rest up. Things will be okay."

Jungkook lifted his head, giving Hobi a small smile which was automatically mirrored back before Hobi disappeared out the door after Jimin. By the time Jungkook left the studio room and walked downstairs, he saw that they had already left the house. Now he was left alone in a home that was far too fancy and far too big for him to ever feel comfortable in. It was almost verging on creepy to see how silent the place was.

He occupied himself for the next half hour by wandering about Taehyung's place, but the more he wandered the more he got lost in his thoughts. Eventually - as supper approached - he decided that he wouldn't wait around anymore. He moved to grab up Taehyung's cell phone off the kitchen island where Jimin had placed it. Jungkook needed to get out and get back to the hospital.

"The codes..." he muttered as he came to an abrupt stop at the door, remembering how Jimin had to enter security codes into two separate pads before being allowed in. It would be careless to leave without them.

Jungkook spent an additional fifteen minutes wandering about the place looking in places where he thought Taehyung might have put the security codes. He eventually found them upstairs taped upside down in one of the dresser drawers in Taehyung's bedroom. He gently undid the tape, slipping the codes in his pocket before moving to head out the door. It was time to leave the unfamiliar behind for a bit and go back to something familiar, even if that were equally terrifying at the moment.