strings of fate. | jake sim

5. a sudden encounter.

the 7, tall figures entered as they were all dressed in a comfortable, baggy attire just like they were yesterday. some of them had caps and sunglasses.

as they came out, the chanting could be heard loud and clear, even through our ear-ins. the members walked towards the centre of the stage, greeting the fans by bowing down and waving at them.

although the crowd was just in front of the stage, they were poweful enough to show big support. everyone was filming the members on their phones, jumping up and down to be noticed.

most of them had banners, some even crazier ones that said "Heeseung, can you slap me" or "i sold my kidney to be here". i couldn't help but let out a small laugh internally at the fans' creativity.

as we received our cue to play, we begun to play as a band. it was still daytime, the stage plain and empty. i adjusted the strap of my guitar, fingers flexing nervously over the frets.

i took a deep breath.

the opening chords of the first song were etched into my muscle memory, feeling easy on my body and mind. my hands were still felt unsteady as i strummed the first notes. the sound rang out, bouncing off the empty seats around the stadium, raw and powerful.

as i fell into the rhythm, it all felt familiar like i have been doing this for ages.

the members' voices cut through the air, clear and captivating, as they sang the opening verse. their voices carried the emotion of the song, harmonizing perfectly. they sounded great, singing as they walked around the stage and interacting with the fans.

i stole a glance at Jake as he stood somewhere on the side of the stage, microphone in hand, eyes focused, every note seemingly effortless.

as my mind was all occupied with him, i relied on my body and muscle memory to do it's job. even in this empty hall i couldn't help but feel a jolt of something i couldn't quite name — it felt great to be on the same stage with them. the rest of the band members played along, adding beats and sharp sounds, lifting the music higher.

my hands moved more confidently over the strings, carried along by the building energy. it was only the soundcheck, but it already felt like a taste of the magic that was to come. i raised my head, closing my eyes and feeling myself. i was lost in the melody, but as we played the last notes, the song had finished. i opened my eyes to take a breath from the immersive performance, suddenly catching a pair of eyes.

to be specific, Jake's eyes.

although we were far apart from each other, i clearly saw and felt his piercing gaze on me. he had his sunglasses in his hand and a microphone in the other, looking at me from the very edge of the stage. i looked back at him, out of breath from the endless strumming.

we stood, there staring at each other for a second or two, although it felt much longer than that.

our shared moment of eye contact was cut through by the sound of Jae clashing the cymbals together, followed by the backtrack starting to play.

i shift my attention back to the strings of my guitar, waiting for my cue to start. as the melody came about Jake turned back to the audience, walking closer to his members to start singing the next song.

just like that, the soundcheck was done.

me, Jae and the other band members stood there as we waited for Enhypen to exit the stage. we stood right next to the exit as they approached closer and waved to the audience, dissapearing backstage one by one. lastly came Jake, and as he waved at the audience he turned his back to them. before heading backstage, he quickly shot a glance my way, catching me off guard.