Strings

5| Jungkook

Jungkook felt lighter after spending time with his hyung. They weren't close in age, but Yoongi had always been easy to get along with. The two had met when Jungkook was in middle school. A mentor program for troubled students paired juniors with young, delinquent children. Jungkook was not delinquent, but, because of his tendency to avoid socializing, he had been added to the program. Yoongi had been his mentor and had introduced him to the piano. He would always be grateful for that.

In the silence of his apartment, Jungkook kicked off his shoes and cooked himself a bowl of ramen. He did some work, occasionally checking his phone. Should I text Taehyung? ...Nah.... He gathered his homework, sliding it back into his bag and pulled his t-shirt off over his head. His phone displayed 8:23p.m. Regardless of how early if was, Jungkook was tired and he was scheduled to work in the morning after his classes. He pushed the covers of his bed all the way down and flopped on top of his mattress. He fought a battle against the thoughts of his tired brain, finally succeeding in quieting them after twenty minutes of struggling.
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The next day he attended a nine o'clock lecture before heading over to The Jazz Café. Jin needed him today because Hobi had requested off and the others had classes to attend. He was excited to have the time to himself. Playing alone seemed all the more ethereal--not that he minded playing with the others, there was just a certain appeal to having the option of changing his mood, tone, and tempo without being scolded later.

The cafe was mildly crowded today. People stopping in for late breakfasts and early lunches huddled around the tables, chatting and laughing contentedly. He ignored them, because, well, he didn't know them-- he didn't come here for them. He slipped discreetly behind the counter and into the kitchen. Jungkook greeted Jin in the kitchen, eating a light lunch before he began his shift. Jin was bent over a pot, adding ingredients and stirring a stew that smelled too good to be real. He listened to Jin ramble about the customers without interrupting until he uttered a startling bit of information.

"--so he'll be starting today! We already set up the mic!"

"What?" Jungkook choked on his gimbap.

"A new guy. Singing. Play songs with lyrics." Jin paused his mom-like dictation to check his watch. "He's coming in around noon."

The carefree and weightless feeling that had accompanied Jungkook's morning sank, dragged down by an anchor of paranoi. Who was the singer? Why did they even need a singer? Good jazz doesn't even have words!-- At least that's how Kook saw it. He ignored the invasive memories popping into his head, the ones that brought to mind the music his parents danced to I'm their living room on Thursday evenings, the songs his mom sang. The wonderful jazz with words. He didn't want to think about it. He wanted to be upset. He threw out the rest of his unfinished lunch and excused himself.

He saw the microphone on the stage and had to restrain himself from kicking the damn piece of metal over. He didn't want this. He felt suffocated. He sat down and opened his beloved box of hammers and strings. His fingers hovered over the keys and he chewed his lower lip. This could be the last time he ever played alone. He pushed the thought away, closing his eyes against the harsh sight of that damn mic. His fingers greeted the keys, a gentle hello, hoping to convey his sorrows to the piano. He urged it to understand what he could never put into words.

________________YERI_________________

Yeri's breath caught in her throat as Jeon strode into the dining room. His eyes burned into the newest addition to the stage's setup. Yeri's heart went out to him. She could see his struggle to maintain calm as plainly as if he'd begin trashing the place. The bunched up tension in his shoulders mirrored the stress in his eyes. Instead of a tantrum, he reached for his voice. He reached for his piano. She could hear the distress in his notes. In the way his eyes clenched shut. The way he slumped on the bench, almost crying for the piano to hold him up.

Damn that Kim Taehyung.

Him and his voice. Undeniably, Taehyung's voice was attractive. It was a deep husky base voice that was perfect for jazz. Still, Yeri watched Jeon play his mournful bluesy jazz with a feeling of helpless despair. She so desperately wanted to console the man she'd fallen in love with. she wanted to hug him close and tell him it would be alright.

But Yeri could never do that.

Yeri was just the girl in the corner booth.

She went through the motions of fussing with her blouse. Smoothing her hair. She straightened her tableware and took a small bite of her food despite the unsettled butterflies dancing in the pit of her stomach. She listened in a daze as the notes washed over her, sinking into her skin like water sinks into the porous earth. She stared relentlessly at the man behind the piano, her silent plea being the same as always. Look up. Look at me. See me. Please. But as always, nothing changed. His eyes remained tightly shut, his fingers flourished across the keys, he swayed slightly to the sounds ushering forth, and he didn't feel the heaviness of her wistful gaze.

She'd never blame him for it. It was her fault she fell in love with a stranger. It was her fault that his music drew her in the way she let it. Slowly, as the minutes ticked by, she could feel the subtle shift in his notes. His playing became less sad and more drained, as if confiding in the piano had taken all of his energy. She could tell he was feeling better and her spirits lifted in that knowledge -- that is, until she spared a glance out the window and saw Kim Taehyung rounding the corner.

Hi! I hope you guys like this chapter, I like Red Velvet and lots of other groups so they'll prolly randomly pop up throughout. This was hastily edited and since the pov was split in the chapter, it's kinda different, hope you don't mind. Also, I was running late so it was hastily edited, sorry. I said that twice... Sorry :)

❤❤Thank you so much for reading it❤❤