xᴅɪɴᴀʀʏ ʜᴇʀᴏᴇꜱ ː

ꜱɪʟᴇɴᴄᴇ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ꜱᴏɴɢꜱ - ᴊᴜɴʜᴀɴ

the room is filled with gentle chords—the occasional piercing screech of fingers readjusting their position feeling your ears. melodies are strummed effortlessly, like they've been played countless of times before; flowing smoothly from one note to the next, leaving an almost somber feeling. it's typical for the heaviness of the world to be shown through his guitar—for the worries that have trotted into his mind to find their release through his melancholic tunes.

it's around five in the afternoon, and the sky casts a gray tint to the world, seemingly matching hyeongjun's mood. his bedroom light is off, and his curtains are opened for the light to pass through.

the melody, which had started as a slow-flowing pace, has increasingly sped up, the chords causing your body to become tense.

"wanna talk about it?" you watch from your spot on his bed, the comforter made perfectly underneath your body as your head is laid on his freshly washed pillowcase. he sits at his desk, the lower bout of the guitar facing towards you.

"hm?" the boy turns his head softly, his melody becoming rather syncopated. his eyes meet yours, and you notice his pursed lips; a sign of stress, but also a sign of focus.

"your strums sound sad," you say, pointing to his guitar. "you only play sad tunes when you're feeling upset."

"oh."

hyeongjun looks down at his guitar, running his fingers softly down the frets. he inhales shakily. "i don't know how to talk about it."

sitting up from your position in his bed, you tilt your head to look at him, reaching out to caress his shoulder. you can feel the tension in his body.

"it's okay to not know. talk to me through music."

hyeongjun's head turns slowly. he gulps, nodding. so, you pull your hand back, watching as hyeongjun gathers his thoughts.
Inhaling deeply, he positions his fingers in their starting positions, strumming the first chord.

the same tune from before starts, but this time the build-up is different, and he seems more into it—like he's sure of the emotions he's feeling. when he reaches the end, he gulps again, looking up at you with quivering lips. your eyes meet, and you stand to hug him. he places his guitar against his desk, and embraces you tightly, breathing heavily into your chest.

"i'm sorry" he cries, his tears soaking through your shirt. his grip around you tightens.

"don't be, hyeongjun. please don't be sorry." you rub his back as the room is filled with broken sobs.