The Night View || Jeon Jungkook ||

CHAPTER 3

Back to present :

Hard work made us all ignore the suffocating feeling of not having enough air to breathe. I was choking on my tie, my only dream was to rip it away, open that too tight shirt and let out the deepest sigh. Each time a new client would enter, opening the door, those bunch of seconds where fresh marine air would do its way towards us, brushing softly our red burning faces was the most satisfying moment we could ever wish for.

Then summer hotness and human humidity would struck again.

But it was good for work, high temperature makes people thirsty, and i'll be the one to satisfy them.

Hearing each other was the hardest challenge, we had to make up hand signs to communicate in such a nutshell.

Only when lights turn off, and only the wooden made stage remains illuminated that the crowds would turn silent, not a single word, all eyes focused on the spectacle.

And all my existence here would finally make sense, the moment he appears.

His honey voice would clear up through the standing mic and then, into a sigh, almost like a whisper, he starts leading the piano by performing his song.

I have always considered his ability to shut everyone's up like magic, no one would disturb to pronounce a sound, too afraid they'd miss a part of his performance.

It was always the same song, sang in the same way, but i'd find myself singing along, reciting every lyrics as if it was tattooed on my mind without even having to think about it.

His voice was like my hand's work, it was inked in me.

Something about the way he stands there under the yellow light projector, tinting his pale skin into a warmer tone, his brown soft hair going with the flow of the AC, his eyes dancing through the audience with a slight smile on his arched lips everytime he'd hit a higher note made me think he was ethereal, almost unreal.

With time, his confidence grew stronger, he was more comfortable with all the eyes devouring him. I think he even grew to like it, but how could i blame him ?

It's when our gaze met in what seemed like a blink which was enough for me to lose the mind i was preserving from burning out. The crystal wine glass i was swifting slipped from my hand, hitting the ground in a deafening sound, breaking the dreamy atmosphere that was able to make us forget the humidity, the hotness and everyone's deepest sorrow.

His voice was like a healing therapy that i have ruined by the harness of the breaking glass.

My cheeks burnt even more as i felt their eyes on me, even his, but he continued singing until the song sadly came to its end. As he always does, he bows to the public, thank them for listening and disappears until next night.

For my part, it was also my last night as a barmaid.

But the next night, i climbed that hill again under the setting sun of August, ignoring the heat and taking the same path mechanically. When i said that the Night View had that beautiful power of stopping time, it was indeed what it made me feel, like back to the first night i came here : the same exhaustion, same view -or even prettier-, the same fancy cars parked the same way, the same faces. If it wasn't for my watch, i'd never tell which day we were.

I finally found myself sitting among the crowd, i had became one of them again. Changing point of view after such a long time was quite interesting, and for once, my dream came true, as i had switched from the too tight shirt and the choking tie to a silky fresh dress. And because the client has all rights, i was the one requesting the door to stay open.

From my seat, the closest to the stage and also the one facing the door, i had the mesmerizing view of the moonlight's reflect on the sleeping ocean waves, swinging from a dark blue to the illusion of a star's field.

Moment i have waited for finally came. As usual, the lights turned off, only the stage remained, he appeared in a black sequined suit, a black hat covering the side of his slicked back hair, his hands gracefully holding the microphone as the familiar sigh marks the first note playing on the piano, followed by the saxophone, and so the start of the performance.

Nothing different, the same overwhelming feelings as i found myself unconsciously singing along. It was like a lullaby, a moment of escape where the world would stop turning, people stop breathing, it was just his voice and the low on the horizon moon behind.

I swear i could hear it sing along too if she had the ability to.

Dancing my fingers through the edge of my full glass, i was forcing myself blinking as little as possible, afraid to miss a detail of him, a smile, a brow raise, a blush, anything.

His shinning doe eyes met mine, a dark yet clear gaze. My heart raced, like being pushed in deep water when you can't swim, my head spinned and my glass met the ground. Again.

However this time, i couldn't let the breaking glass distract me, or the stares i got, no i couldn't allow myself to miss any tiny bit of him. I couldn't break the contact, like a force pulling me like a magnet. It was out of my control, nothing was in control anymore. It wasn't a fantasy, it was a need.

Four minutes in heaven, that's what his voice, his presence, his song made me feel like. But it had to end.

Anticipating each move that i had memorized through time, after bowing and thanking his devoted audience, next thing i was expecting was him disappearing till the next day.

All the lights turned on the way it was, but the crowded didn't move an inch, voices still silent, too confused to come back to their random conversations. Only thing we could hear was the sound of his boots' heels against the floor, sound getting clearer, till i found him facing me.

Close, too close.

My heart was racing, ready to explode like an atomic bomb demolishing everything nearby. His eyes, oh his eyes were the hands around my throat, leaving me breathless.

All eyes were on us, but mine were on him, and nothing else mattered.

Another shy smile arched his lips before kneeling down to collect the broken glass, then taking sit on the chair beside me. The hubbub got back to its normal, but my body felt stiffed as i was not realizing the situation, my mind clearly losing fonction.

- I think i owe you an apology. He said, so low that i thought it was all in my head, but when i turned to him i saw his awkward smile while playing with the rest of his beverage on his glass.
- Why would you ? I arched an eyebrow, confused as i felt sweat forming on my forehead despite the open door.
- You dropped your glass ... twice. He chuckled, his dimples showing as well as the shine in his dark eyes.
- Im the clumsy kind. I giggled too, not able to take my eyes off him. It's okay, i don't even drink.
- Don't you ? He repeated, visibally surprised by his widened eyes, to which i responded by a nod. You work in a bar, but you don't drink ?
- Fascinating isn't it ? I teased him, blushing from the pleasure i was feeling while being with him, feeling close. I can't wait to see tomorrow's performance. He finished his glass and took a better posture on his chair, his back more relaxed on the bar.
- There won't be, he said in a exhale, like the one he did whenever the piano played its first note. He exhaled like the world's weight dropped from off his shoulders, like he was keeping the darkest secrets, like the exhale after your first kiss. Today was my last day of working.
- So you worked only for ...
- For summer yes, and you ? Why would you work so hard ?
- For you. Words left my mouth before i could weight them. It was a fact, embarassing for me to say, but he was the one to blush.

He stood up, faced me again and addressed me a smile that could heat up a fire and burn the entire place, turn my body and soul into ashes.

- My name's Jungkook, see you next summer.

Jungkook headed to the door and disappeared again like a dream, leaving behind him the sweet scent of a promise.