What if...? || Markhyuck

-5-

[late june 2019]

[donghyuck]

"Two cheap beers, please," I said quietly because the party was really the last thing I wanted to do now. Fatigue gave me a hard time and all I wanted was a warm bed.

"And the ID is?" the saleswoman asked, eyeing me vigilantly.

"No," I replied without thinking. She didn't answer me, she just took the money, looking wry. I knew she would do so. Takings have dropped quite significantly since the mall was opened nearby.

I walked forward sourly. Friends can be really tiring. Normally, I would refuse but for the past year they have been touring the coast and don't often run into old rubbish. Added to this is the constant same old story of your friends in style you won't drink with us? Come on man. We'll see you in a month. Therefore, with a huge heartache, I took an hour by bus to the beach, where they were supposed to perform at the festival opening the summer. It was quite sad because I didn't even know about such an event. I was nineteen and I was only on the work-home route. I had absolutely no knowledge about the cultural events that were happening in my city, although I was once up to date with all of them.

Before leaving for a larger world, I only made sure that Marco wouldn't call me unexpectedly. I gave him an oral report about what I am currently doing and said that I wouldn't be on the phone that evening and whether this was a problem. The boss just murmured that I don't have to come by the end of the week because it will be crowded here and then he plans to change my position. Did I ask for what kind? Not at all. I would be scared and daren't asking. If Marco decided it, it was clearly right. Even if this idea turned out to be the failure of the century, I still had to vote it a success. 

That's how a life of a least talented among the less talented looks like.

I came into the sand in shoes because I never liked to have it between my toes. Besides, events at this place can never be trusted. You enter here fully dressed, you wake up in your pants and socks somewhere near the shore. To all this I was adding dog shit, beer caps and other things of this world that people could never clean after themselves.

"Hm?" I picked up the phone.

"Where are you?" asked Sam. "We can't wait for you."

"At the fourth descent, what about you?" I asked, looking around.

"Well, same" he said in surprise. "Why can't I see you?" he said.

"I have no idea. I raise my hand with beer," I announced, waving my hand lightly in the air. I almost had to scream because I came out just near the makeshift stage and I was effectively drowned out by someone's reharsal. "Hello" I sighed. "Can you see me or not?"

I looked at the display, but Sam hung up. It upset me a bit at firt but I noticed it wasn't his fault. As I approached the water, I lost signal. I headed towards the stage because if they were to perform around midnight, they should be circling somewhere in these areas. And as usual, my intuition did not disappoint me. I honestly smiled to myself for the first time in a long time. I realized how much I missed this band of infinite kids who were always surrounded by chaos on the stage. Sam rushed Kevin with gestures to connect the microphone faster and he, as usual, was making his sleeppy movements with the same boredom having deep in the ass Sam's choleric state of mind.

"Check, check," the vocalist murmured, attracting the attention of a few people who were hanging around. "Attention please," he said firmly. I watched him fascinated from the side, because he still didn't have such confidence in dealing with others just as he used to. Few years of performing changed nothing. "I lost a child on the beach," he announced and I rolled my eyes at this world-old number.