NIGHTMARE

09 | listen

it was friday lunchtime in the auditorium and kihyun was... rather deflated. the turnout for the revamped choir club was awful.

about six people had managed to show, if that, and the final person to walk through the doors was the last person kihyun wanted to see.

well, perhaps second to last.

"afternoon, sir!" said changkyun cheerfully. he came and leant against the grand piano, dumping his bag on the floor.

kihyun bit his lip as he looked at him. "changkyun, you did put the posters up, right?" he whispered.

changkyun grinned sheepishly. "i did," he said, "and then i took them all down again."

kihyun wanted to strangle him.

"what are we going to sing today, sir?" asked a bubbly younger boy questioned, "we used to do four part harmony stuff, but since there's not that many of us, we could do like a musical number or something?"

kihyun blinked at him. his mind was frazzled and everything the boy just said had gone in one ear and straight out the other. "sorry, what's your name?" he asked.

"oh, i'm chan," the boy replied, "i'm a freshman."

"and i'm minhyuk," another student cut in, "also a freshman. and actually i think we should do a whole new world. i can sing as aladdin, since i know the part."

"and i can sing jasmine's part," chan added, shooting the other boy a glare, "she's a more important role anyway."

"chan, the show is literally called aladdin," minhyuk argued.

"guys!" kihyun interrupted, taking a long sigh. "since it's the first time i'm taking this club, i was thinking we could all sing 525,600 minutes from the musical rent?"

the small crowd stared at him for a moment.

"so, is this, like, a musical theatre club?" one girl asked.

"well, i-i mean not necessarily," kihyun stumbled over his words.

"ugh, i only sing classical," the girl scoffed, picked up her bags and left the hall.

"great," kihyun muttered under his breath.

"okay, but what about jasmine?" chan cut in once more.

"what, are you obsessed with jasmine now or something?" minhyuk snapped at him.

"i have a friend who's obsessed with jasmine," groaned a foreign boy. "please never say that name again."

"shut up, hansol."

"can we start?" asked a shy looking girl, "uh... please?"

"of course," said kihyun, "thank you...?"

"soohyun," said the girl with a smile, "i'm a freshman too."

"is there anyone here who isn't a freshman?" kihyun blurted.

a short boy in the back raised his hand. and from the moment he opened his mouth he didn't seem to stop talking. "the name's myungjun, i'm a senior, though this is my second time resitting senior year, so i'm technically older, and i think rent is a great idea! i basically know all the songs 'cause i'm obsessed with musical theatre and also can we put on a show this year? we haven't done one since taeil set the curtains on fire two years ago, but i really want to do another one this year, and maybe i could actually pass my finals!"

kihyun sighed.

he probably could've done a better job taking the weightlifting club.

the students began to disperse once the bell rang and kihyun gathered his music, feeling altogether disappointed with himself. why couldn't he just be a little more outspoken, more confident in leading the club? it was like the students were telling him what to do.

"need a hand there, sir?"

and the last person he needed to deal with right then was lim changkyun.

"i'm fine, thank you, please head off to class now," kihyun rambled, leading the way out of the auditorium with changkyun in tow.

"you sure you're okay? you look kinda stressed out..."

kihyun ignored him and kept walking. his mind was too cluttered with choir club and homework to mark, and the two assignments he still hadn't finished for night school, and the dozens of missed calls that kept coming to his phone.

everything in kihyun's life was like a pack of dominos, fragile and carefully set up, and changkyun was the player who, with one tap, could send all of those precarious pieces into a downward spiral.

changkyun caught kihyun's wrist, making him turn back to face him. "if there's something worrying you..." changkyun said softly, "...i'll listen."

and in that moment, kihyun didn't care that changkyun was three years younger than him and a student. the sincerity in those eyes made all of kihyun's problems and worries tumble out of his mouth.

he would never understand. he couldn't. eighteen year old high school seniors don't get the stress that comes with living alone, new jobs, and old relationships. changkyun couldn't give advice, or offer empathy.

but at least he would listen.

kihyun tore his eyes away with a heavy heart. "i'm fine, thank you," he said politely, professionally, "off you go to class now, changkyun."

changkyun's fingers were tight around his wrist, as if letting go would mean letting the older fall. he pressed his parted lips together, and released his grip.

the young teacher scurried out through the heavy auditorium doors, struggling to push them open as he went. changkyun instinctively wanted to run over and hold them open for him, but he was frozen.

what did he feel for yoo kihyun anyway?

attraction? lust? surely not love.

perhaps all it was... was a challenge. changkyun was always up for a challenge, a dare. he'd joined the baseball team on a dare, and had proved to be talented at the sport. maybe mr. yoo was nothing but a dare he'd set himself.

"kihyun, kihyun, kihyun," changkyun mumbled on his way out of the auditorium and outside. he liked the way the name rolled off his tongue.

the sun was shining in the courtyard outside on that frosty winter afternoon. but the air was cold, and the glare of the sun was hard and unforgiving.

_______________________

chan is from svt and
minhyuk is from astro :)