The Heroes

It Suits You

Ni-ki finally finds his way to the street he was on last night, panting he jogs to the house with an open garage. Ignoring the strange stare Jooyeon gave him, he blurts out, "I.. We... Gig, Flyer."

Jake perks up at the word flyer and excitedly says, "Show me."

Ni-ki fumbles into his pocket, pulling out the flyer, his earphones, and a necklace falling out in the process. He hands the flyer to Jake, who smooths it out and reads the details.

Jake gives an exciting look to Jooyeon, who has now stood up and is craning his neck to read the paper too. Ni-ki anxiously asks, "We should have enough time to finish before the date, right?" He wants them to be proud of him.

"That's if you come to practice every day from now," Jooyeon replies. Jake looks at Ni-ki, concerned about whether he can make it.

Ni-ki nods, determined, and puts away the fact that he'll have to sneak out. "Yeah, okay," he says, willing to make the effort.

Jake nods, "This is perfect," he exclaims. Jooyeon agrees with a nod, and Ni-ki sighs in relief.

Ni-ki steps inside the garage, giving Jake a strange look. "Shouldn't you be in school?" He quips. Jake simply answers, "No, dropped out." Ni-ki looks surprised and asks, "Why?" Jake picks up his keyboard, "I need to support my family. School was just taking up space," he explains. Ni-ki realizes what he had said and gets a tap on his shoulder. Jooyeon holds his items, which dangle from his hand. Ni-ki sees the necklace and immediately snatches his belongings back. Jooyeon goes to his guitar and challenges, "Can you keep up?", Ni-ki scoffs, taking the notebook from Jooyeon. "Like hell I can," he says, picking up the drumsticks and tossing them up, catching them skillfully. "The ladies will love that," Jake says sarcastically. Jooyeon chuckles and takes a guitar pick from his hair. They begin to practice the new songs, ready to rock the gig.

🎸🪗🥁

A few days pass by, and Ni-ki attends almost every practice, fueling the boys' excitement. "I told all of my friends to come," he said, handing out a flyer to a passerby. Jake chuckled, teasingly questioning, "You have friends?" He offered a flyer to a woman, and she blushed, taking it from him. Jooyeon pushed his hair back, encouraging them to focus on handing out more flyers. "Less talking and more flyers, and yes, I'm with Jake on that one," he said, giving a flyer to a guy passing by.

They continued handing out flyers for a few hours, taking breaks at the bar. Ni-ki distributed his last flyer to a guy with dark hair, who politely took it and continued on his way. "This is so awesome, right?" Ni-ki caught up to the boys, his excitement palpable. "I mean, we perform in two days," he said with enthusiasm. Jake smiled at Ni-ki's contagious excitement, saying, "We're going to be celebrities." Ni-ki seemed to have an epiphany, believing they would gain popularity quickly. Jooyeon playfully replied, "Not for a while, beanstalk," but the excitement in their hearts was undeniable.

🎸🪗🥁

On the day before the gig, Jooyeon hangs out at the venue, getting to know the owners while preparing for their performance. His phone vibrates, and he excuses himself to answer the call. "Hello?" he says, listening intently to the voice on the other end. "Yeah, I'm here," he responds. "Well then, hurry up," he says, a hint of annoyance in his tone. "Okay, fine, bye," he says before ending the call.

Seconds later, Ni-ki enters the room, his face lighting up in amazement. "Woah, this is the shit!" he exclaims, and Jooyeon sighs. "Come on, lunatic," he says, leading the way to the stage. Ni-ki eagerly follows suit, and they start practicing lightly until Jake arrives. "Sorry! Shift ran over time," he explains. "Might wanna take off the apron," Ni-ki teases, and Jake looks down, embarrassed. "I walked here in this?" he says in disbelief, causing Ni-ki to laugh. "Just get up here, pastry chef," Jooyeon says.