Third Wheeling For Dummies | on hold

fifteen

"No, no, no," Doyoung grabs his hair. "Do it again. Again."

Taeil gives him a nervous look and turns to the microphone in front of him again. "On two?"

The black-haired male nods assent, and waves his hand towards the blond standing in the corner. "Jungwoo, back him up."

Jungwoo purses his lips and moves towards the male. "Now?"

"No." Doyoung rolls his eyes. "Don't be dumb."

Taeil raises his eyebrows at him before starting again, this time hitting the perfect note—but messes up the timing.

Jungwoo leans defeatedly against the wall and waits for him to explode.

"Why?" The ravenet grips his dark hair again, leaving a fistful and instead moving towards the guitars lined against one puke-colored wall of the recording studio. "Everything has to go wrong now, when we only have two weeks left for the dance!"

"Er," Jungwoo interrupts. "Taeil isn't the one at fault here, I mean, Ten was supposed to be doing the bridge instead—"

"Don't even get me started on that philistine." He grumbles, not giving him a chance to complete his statement. "Especially when I told him he had to be here by nine."

They all look up at the digital clock. It's ten a.m. already.

How ironic.

The blond hesitates. "Maybe I should step out and give him a call—"

"No." Doyoung interrupts him again, face grim. Taeil's wide eyes flick back and forth between them nervily. "We have to get back in a few minutes, anyway. We'll just do his part tomorrow."

"But—"

"Or over the weekend." He shuts Jungwoo off with an icy look. "The studio's going to be open, anyway."

Taeil slowly rests his hand on the stand next to him, looking around at the sheets spread over the floor at his feet, each scrawled on and crossed out. "What's with Ten, though? I know he's usually late, but not this late..."

The skittish tone of his voice makes the ravenet's face soften, and he rests his back against the wall, picking up the guitar and strumming a minor chord on it. "I really don't know. He wasn't in school for most of the past week, either."

Both of them look at Jungwoo for confirmation. He just nods, not exactly eager to be cut off mid-sentence again.

"All right, then." He purses his lips, and sets down the guitar. "Pack up, boys. And Taeil, just go over the bridge a couple of times just in case that dickwad backs out at the last moment."

It's hardly the last moment, but both of them know better than to argue. Jungwoo nods, and keeps his lips zipped as he picks up the sheets and makes his way to the door. As he closes the door behind him, he catches Doyoung's voice, relatively softer as he speaks to Taeil.

He sighs, exiting into the sunny street. Even in recording sessions, it seems like he's stuck as a third wheel.

Maybe a normal person wouldn't have caught it, but he finds the look on the ravenet's face pretty obvious. The way he barely ever interrupts their shorter third singer the same way as he does Jungwoo speaks volumes for him.

Jungwoo squints as he looks up, gripping the music sheets tighter and holding his arm closer to himself as he moves to cross the road.

A hand lands on his shoulder, puling him back, and his eyes widen in response, arm windmilling backwards to a. keep his balance, and b. to attack the offender. Unfortunately, his hand hits the person in the face, who lets out a strangled cry and smacks his butt in response.