Work of Art || Luwoo

15

•Sicheng•

"You're good to go, Sicheng. We got a really nice take." Sicheng's manager spoke through his mic and the voice rung in Sicheng's headphones. He gave a thumbs up through the glass and stepped out of the recording booth.

"You think it's going to turn out good?" Sicheng's eyes widened with excitement. He had finally finished his first recording. His heart fluttered at the thought of being heard on the radio and people listening to his voice through their headphones.

"You've got potential, kid. We'll start putting the clips together tomorrow, Winwin." Sicheng's manager smirked after calling him by his stage name. Winwin. The name echoed in Sicheng's head. He had never been addressed by that name before and hearing someone else say it made his heart beat a little faster. He was excited to publish his first song and hoped that even though he wouldn't be well known right away, that people would learn about him and begin to enjoy his music.

"Go take a break. We'll keep going in two hours." Sicheng's manager closed the files being displayed on his computer screen and stood up from his chair. Sicheng followed his manager out of the room and headed down the corridors that led to the large food court in the Lee Productions building. He went to an order window and purchased a small plate of fries. He wasn't very hungry but he knew that if he didn't eat, he would regret his actions later. Sicheng took his plate of food and sat down at an empty table near the large windows. The sun shone brightly outside and it warmed the inside of the building. The sun rays fell against Sicheng's face, washing away some of his tiredness. The room was fairly empty so the blonde boy pulled out his phone and plugged in his earbuds, drowning out his surroundings. He began eating in peace, looking outside at the sunny view. He picked up his can of pop and lifted it to his mouth when a finger tapped his shoulder. He raised his eyebrows, looking toward the direction of the touch. Mark Lee, the CEO's son, stood beside his table. Sicheng could see Mark's mouth moving, but his voice was covered up by the music playing in Sicheng's ears. He stopped the music and tucked his phone back into his pocket.

"Sorry, Mark, I couldn't hear you with my music." Sicheng looked up at the younger boy and gestured to his phone.

"I was just wondering if you were sitting with anyone?" Mark pointed at the empty seat across from Sicheng.

"No, go ahead. To be honest, I was feeling a little lonely." Sicheng sniggered and pushed the chair out with his foot. Mark sat down with an intricate pastry.

"You're supposed to publish your first song soon, right?" Mark questioned.

"As long as everything goes to plan, it'll be released within the next few weeks. We still have to record a music video but things are coming along pretty well." Sicheng nodded and explained.

"It's going to be pretty cool to hear yourself get called WinWin." Mark encouraged the boy. Sicheng grinned with excitement and continued to eat his food.

The two boys soon finished their food and decided to head outside into the back gardens of the company. They paced around the plants while they waited for Sicheng to return to work, enjoying some of the bright sun - a welcome change to the light rain that had laid over New York for the past few days.

"So, how are you and Yuta doing? Haven't you been staying at his house more often?" Mark began making small-talk with the familiar boy.

"He always asks me to stay the night but I still get really nervous after what happened with my ex." Sicheng started with a smile, but by the time he finished his sentence, he was frowning at the grass beneath his shoes. Mark raised a brow in question.

"My ex used to invite me over, which I didn't see a problem with. I stayed over pretty often actually, but I always had this weird feeling whenever I stayed over. I always just ignored it, figured I was just worrying to much. The one night he picked me up and when we got to his house, he kept texting people and he seemed really focused. I kept trying to ask him what he was doing but he wouldn't tell me. I tried to go home and he wouldn't let me leave, either. Turns out, he was taking mental notes of every valuable thing in my house every time he came over. When I got home the next day, my house had been broken into and everything was gone. My TVs and game systems weren't in the house and most of my recording equipment and instruments were gone, too. He used me to get money and it cost me thousands to replace the stuff. I still haven't replaced everything." Sicheng's eyes were watering and his vision became blurry. He began blinking rapidly to clear his sight.

"Hey, look at me, dude." Mark stepped in front of Sicheng and placed his hand against his chest to stop his walking.

"I wish that never happened to you, but you can't let it ruin your life. You even said yourself that you always had a bad feeling about that guy. You love Yuta and you know he wouldn't do that to you. You've known him for almost two years and it doesn't matter that you've only been dating for one. He's never done anything to you or to that one guy he's been friends with since public school."

Sicheng smiled at Mark. He knew what Mark was saying was true. Sicheng already thought what Mark said to him, but hearing it from someone else was comforting. He knew being able to trust again would take work, but he believed that he could, with a little effort.

"Speaking of his friend, his name's Lucas and he can't stop thinking about some photographer that was at his fashion show. He says that he's straight but Yuta thinks he's into that guy." Mark's eyes narrowed and he peered at Sicheng.

"A photographer? What did he look like?"

"I'm not too sure but I think he works for Caller Magazine. He didn't say very much, why?"

"I think I know him."