Closer and closer to your universe

1(english)

As a general rule, Hyeongjun uses his strengths to his advantage. Being a guitarist and a lead one at that is competitive to a point. He has to know how to play his solos, other people's solos, and sometimes even whole songs rely on his ability to remain on pitch, on time, with the right technique to keep the melody from going awry. It's why he was the one chosen to be lead guitar in the first place, his skills weren't enough to make him a vocalist like Jiseok or Seungmin, but his voice could carry through the squeals and chords of his guitar, his strength turned into notes and accents and staccatos on a page.

Hyeongjun knows he's not exempt from this rule. He's their lead, one of two guitar players in the team who sing through the notes he plays and the solo spots he resides in. He spends hours and hours in a small, dingy practice room, accompanied by nothing more than a small electric keyboard and more than enough outlets than he truly needs, playing solo after solo after solo. Hyeongjun plays and plays until his fingers turn rough and calloused, blooming an unnatural shade of ruby red underneath the imprints of metal strings that he's become so accustomed to.

This skill, however, doesn't save him from occasionally losing his mind. Getting the chords and progressions down was one thing, but going out in front of a crowd of screaming people and performing said chords and progressions was another thing entirely. Hyeongjun was good at playing guitar, yes, but he was never the type of person who could sway a crowd with silky smooth verses and even softer smiles. He prefers to be in the back, raised up just enough to see the crowd, but hidden in such a way that he wouldn't have to think about said crowd watching him.

Which is why he's currently sprawled out on the floor of their living room, staring up into nothingness. The only light that filters through the empty space is from the light Jungsu had set up in the corner, flickering with age and something else that Hyeongjun can't exactly pin down.

The other members were out somewhere in the dorm or surrounding area; Hyeongjun knows for a fact that Jungsu and Jooyeon went out to buy drinks for their camera staff and that Gunil went to the studio to shoot some short form videos in the golden hour lighting, but it's not uncommon for that to happen.

Their members always group up in certain pairs, whether it be by age or just by how familiar they are with each other; sort of like how Hyeongjun can always tell that Jungsu and Gunil are going out together based on the way Jungsu mirrors Gunil's outfit, or the way Jiseok and Jooyeon felt comfortable enough around each other to go out in just their casual clothes, having known each other for more than long enough to drop the long forgotten formalities between them.

Hyeongjun would join them on occasion, heading out to the bookstore to pick up new mangas to read, or even following them to the arcade in the hopes of picking up more bunny plushies for his growing collection.

Today though, Hyeongjun's held back. He feels a little bad, if he were to be completely honest. It's probably the only off day they're going to have in a long time, and here he is, drowning in his thoughts overtop a cold fake wooden floor.

He'd asked for Jooyeon and Jungsu to buy him a drink when they first left, preferably something with caffeine, but Jungsu had raised his eyebrow at him when he asked, so Hyeongjun doesn't get his hopes up, then again, the two of them are also the least reliable when it comes to navigating the streets of Seoul on their own, they both have a tendency to follow their instincts a little too often and the least reliable when it comes to returning in a timely manner, it seems.

Hyeongjun sighs, lifting up a hand only for gravity to pull it back down over his forehead with a loud smack. Gravity weighs down his every movement, keeping him pinned down to the floor like weighted chains. He can hear his armor ring click when he tries to move his hand again, the metal rising and falling with every little bend of his finger and he has no qualms in using the sound to fill the empty space around him.