To Heal a Broken Soul [Chapter One/?]
Title:To Heal a Broken Soul [Chapter One/?]
Pairing:DaeJong, ninja!BangHim
Genre: Attempted!Angst, AU, Attempted!Crack/Comedy, Fluff, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Everyone in the studio has had their own rotten past, but they've all been saved the moment they stepped inside. Daehyun finds Jongup, an abandoned soul with an unstable heart that Daehyun wishes to heal.
Daehyun was never the type to get involved with somebody else’s business. He was the kind of person who kept to himself and did everything on his own. He owned a decent apartment and worked part time at a pastry shop; the money he earned there wasn’t much, but it was enough to make a living. Daehyun lived alone, and every week day, he would return home to nobody after a hard day at work. He spent his weekends at his hyung’s music studio-the place where he really felt at home. The studio was like a beautiful sanctuary to Daehyun and if he could, he would certainly live there for the rest of his life. Everyone in the studio had such a strong passion towards music, be it playing instruments, dancing, or singing. Every time the boy’s feet came in contact with the hardwood floor of the studio, Daehyun’s worries would be put to rest and he would finally feel at peace.
Daehyun is extremely thankful towards Yongguk-hyung. He was the one that caught the boy when he was falling into his own despair. Yongguk was like a brother he never had-the support that he needed, but was deprived of. Yongguk found Daehyun alone in the streets when the boy escaped from his home. He welcomed Daehyun to his studio warmly and helped the boy restart his life without ever asking what went wrong. It took a long time before the boy chose to finally open up to him, and when he did, Yongguk placed a hand on his shoulder and promised him, “Everything will be alright.”
Yongguk started the studio so that he could be around people who enjoyed music like he did. However, there was no such thing as applying to this studio. Yongguk would find the people with the same strong dedication that he had and he would welcome them. The members that he recruited could also help add more members, but usually, they left the task to the hyung himself. Because of this, many shunned the studio. Musicians would enter the building once in a while to ask to join, but Yongguk would only glance at them before refusing with a silent nod of his head and a simple apology. The people weren’t like his dongsaengs. They grew up with their parent’s support and never experienced hardships-these strangers did not deserve to attend the studio because they were never broken. However, every member in the studio appreciated what they were granted with and was extremely grateful towards their hyung. Yongguk didn’t believe in having to pay to fulfill musical dreams either, so no member of his studio was required to pay a single dime. But everyone had a great attachment to the studio and they would all pitch in and donate for the place to stay available. The members were like close brothers that all shared a similar past. They were all humans that were separated from the rest of the world and were only attached to one single thing: music. They had no one else’s support except for the ones that attended the studio with them.
It was a Saturday night in late August, 8PM. Daehyun opened one of the building’s doors and stepped inside the room. He noticed Yongguk with a notepad, jotting down a few scribbles before clicking around a few times on his laptop. A long table filled with recording equipment sat in front of him, and a wall with a large window stood behind it. It was a recording studio. Apparently, the older male had not noticed the presence of another person beside him yet as he was still occupied with his composition. Magnae Junhong stood on the other side of the window with a microphone and headphones. He noticed Daehyun and smiled at the male before looking at Yongguk once more for a cue.
“Let’s record the rap once more, Zelo, this is the last take for tonight,” Yongguk announced as he slid a few levers around on the mixing equipment.
Junhong’s passionate voice rang through the studio, partly muffled by the wall. Daehyun stared at the boy in admiration as the kid rapped the lyrics to some new song that he and Yongguk probably wrote themselves. Junhong had his eyes closed and he surrendered to the beat that was booming through his headphones. He rapped like he was born to, and Daehyun waited and watched with great concentration, as the magnae’s lips moved in an unbelievable pace while his voice preached about the flaws of society, a topic that Yongguk often liked to write about.
The recording ended in a minute and Junhong immediately switched his gaze towards Yongguk for approval. When the hyung nodded and flashed a gummy smile, the kid placed the headphones on the stand before exiting the recording location and meeting back up with Daehyun and Yongguk.
“I’m going to go practice the choreography now and then head back home!” Junhong exclaimed as he made his way towards the door. “I’ll check the song out first thing tomorrow morning! Bye, hyungs!”
The boy disappeared and that was when Yongguk finally noticed Daehyun’s presence. The leader raised an eyebrow. “What’s up, Daehyun-ah? Did you want to record something?”
“Not at all,” Daehyun smiled. “I just wanted to tell you I’ll be heading back now.”
“Are you sure?” the blonde male asked, causing Daehyun to second-think himself. It took a while, but he finally gave in and opened the door to the other side of the window. Daehyun placed the headphones on and with that, the rest of his surroundings were blocked out as he sank into what he did best: singing. Yongguk watched from the other side as the vocalist drowned himself into a sea of emotions, singing about an impossible love. He hit each note straight from his diaphragm, dropping into perfect falsettos and alternating from forte to piano with unbelievably skilled timing. Yongguk was always amazed with Youngjae’s singing, but when he heard Daehyun, there was a different light that shined. He wouldn’t say it was worse or better, since both singers had their own unique style that the leader respected, but for sure, Yongguk could easily admit that Daehyun’s voice had an ability to touch hearts.
He didn’t notice that the vocalist was done until Daehyun appeared beside him, asking for feedback. Yongguk was still in a daze, but the younger male was able to shake him back to reality before laughing at his hyung’s stupidity.
“That was great! I’ll have it ready for you to hear by tomorrow,” Yongguk said as he played with a few keys on the laptop’s mixing program. “I’ll be editing Zelo’s take first.”
“Junhongie is amazing,” Daehyun commented as he stood up and grabbed his bag from the chair.
“He’s so devoted to dancing and rapping,” Yongguk nodded in agreement. He dragged the cursor around as he spoke. “The kid has a bright future.”
Daehyun hummed and made his way to the door. He bid farewell to the leader before leaving the room and exiting the entire music studio. He found Junhong outside the door still sweating lightly as he adjusted his helmet with a foot on his skateboard to keep it in place. Daehyun smiled and approached the magnae before sighing.
“Sometimes, I forget that you can skateboard as well,” the older male stated. “You’re just so good at everything.”
“I can’t sing like you, hyung,” Junhong replied with a smile before he rode away without waiting for Daehyun’s answer.
Daehyun cursed to himself as he watched the magnae disappear down the street.
Junhong had a family to return to, unlike the rest of the studio’s members who lived alone. However, the kid would constantly remind everyone that he would do anything to leave that house. Junhong had parents who would only provide him with a room to sleep in and money for school. There was never food waiting for him at home, because his parents didn’t care where he disappeared off to. All they needed to know was that their son wasn’t in a gang, and they were content. However, they were never aware of the fact that Junhong attended a music studio every chance he had, because they never bothered asking, because they never cared. They eliminated the music elective from his class schedule and signed him up for a business class instead, claiming it held a better future for the boy. Of course Junhong was against this, but he respected his parents too much to talk back. Yongguk found Junhong skateboarding home when the boy was in his first year of middle school. Junhong held a stack of papers from his business class in his hands as he rode over to a garbage can, discarding of each sheet one by one, tearing them all up before tossing them into the trash. This happened on the first day of school, when Junhong discovered that his desired elective was snatched away from him and replaced with a stinky business class, without his approval. The boy was enraged that day; he abandoned the trashcan and hurried home on his skateboard, forcing the contraption to move as fast as it could go. Yongguk approached the trashcan once he was sure the boy was gone and grabbed one of the papers from the garbage. He examined it and realized that everything was scribbled out. He noticed some kind of pen work in the blank spaces and as he retrieved more and more papers from the garbage can to look at, he realized that the scribbles all had something in common: they were all names of inspirational rappers. That was when Yongguk knew the kid had been taken away from his dreams, just like the leader himself. He found him the next day and brought up his offer, which Junhong took with no objections, with no doubts towards the stranger that had confronted him. His parents were never informed about this, but they never asked Junhong where he went off to on the weekends either. Junhong lived with a family that didn’t take the time to ask their son about anything or support him in any way. All they wanted was a successful son that could get them what they wanted, but what Junhong himself wanted was to dedicate his life towards music. Yongguk decided that he would be the support the kid needed.
Daehyun decided that it was time for him to head back to his apartment as well. He made a turn down the streets and walked home, admiring the colorful city lights of Seoul. It was a shame that the music studio wasn’t as attention-grabbing with its lights that were dim and barely flickering. But maybe it was better that way for Yongguk. No one would be attracted to the music studio, thus, no one would ask for admission. But Daehyun had to admit that it sucked-a building that looked so old and unpromising was actually amazing once one walked through its front doors.
The vocalist was about to make a turn into the neighborhood when he noticed a loud beat booming from speakers on the other side of the street. It was a strange event to Daehyun, because never had he heard music on this route that he had always taken home. The boy gazed across the road out of curiosity, but realized that a few city trees were blocking his view. Attracted to the music, Daehyun decided to cross and find out where the music was coming from. Cautiously, he paced to the sight behind the tree and as he neared the location, the music grew louder as it entered his ears.
Finally, Daehyun noticed a presence. It was a boy, but Daehyun was unable to make out his face as the boy wore a large black hoodie that casted a shadow over his face. The boy was dancing, popping and locking his limbs to the rhythm behind the beat of the music that screamed out from the speakers. Daehyun was mesmerized at the stranger’s talents-his style was so different from Junhong’s; this boy was rolling his body almost like liquid, krumping as if his heart would fall out, and shuffling his feet into an untraceable blur. He was performing any type of dance style that Daehyun could possibly think of-the boy was a genius.
But what was he doing on the streets when he had such talent? Daehyun noticed a backpack tossed messily on the ground beside the speakers. He realized that the stranger’s sweat pants were below decent condition and that his black hoodie was faded. The clothes were not complimenting the skills the boy had one bit. A few others strolled by the dancer as Daehyun observed him, but no one bothered to take a glance at the incredible talent the boy had. The vocalist turned his gaze, finally noticing the can also beside the speakers. He approached the can and took a peek inside-nothing. It was empty.
And that was when Daehyun understood that the boy was like himself. No one cared for the unique musical talent he had. The only difference between the two was that the stranger had not found his support yet.
But Daehyun was willing to be it.
Daehyun remembers the day that Yongguk found him. He would never forget it. The vocalist had just run out his door and down the streets, tears staining his cheeks and earphones blasting through his ears to shield him away to the ones that were against him. The boy didn’t notice a car accelerating quickly down the street as he crossed without looking. That was when Yongguk arrived. He noticed the boy and the danger advancing towards him. And that was when Yongguk leaped forward. He jumped into the street and hugged the poor kid before pushing them both to the edge of the sidewalk. They had barely made it. The car zoomed right past, not caring about the murders it had almost committed. But Yongguk knew that that was the way society worked. Not everyone bothered to give a damn about anyone. Yongguk looked at the boy below him as he got off. The kid was still in shock with his eyes wide open, his tears still falling and his earphones still attached. Yongguk removed them and asked if the kid was okay, receiving an almost invisible nod. The older male took one of the earpieces and leaned closer to it. A ballad was playing and as Yongguk took a moment to absorb the sad lyrics that discussed being isolated from the world, the man knew that this kid had had his dreams crushed.
“What can you do?” Yongguk questioned as the boy sat up and wiped his tears.
“I can sing.”
“Show me.”
And the boy sang. His voice flowed like a calm stream of water despite the slight quiver from the boy’s previous crying. That was when Yongguk knew the boy had potential.
“Let me take you to my music studio,” Yongguk declared as he helped the boy stand. “Let’s achieve our dreams together.”
The boy stared at the older male in puzzlement, but when he heard the man’s next words, he did not hesitate to accept the offer.
“I’ll be your support that you never had.”
The singer dug around in his bag before he found his wallet. He retrieved a twenty dollar bill from this and leaned down to drop it safely into the can, but a hand on his wrist stopped him. Daehyun looked up from the can below him to notice that the dancer had approached him with his hood down. The boy was slightly tan, his bangs wet and clinging to his forehead as he panted lightly, and as Daehyun stared quietly at him, he noticed that the stranger’s eyes were silently lost and looking for answers.
“That’s too much,” the dancer said after he managed to steady his breathing. “Take it back.”
Daehyun was unable to utter a word. The boy’s voice rang like music to his ears. Sure he was probably just a dancer and couldn’t sing, but Daehyun was sure he could listen to the boy talk. The vocalist finally nodded his head no as he dropped the money into the can with no hesitation.
“W-Why?” the stranger stuttered as he watched the other male’s actions. “No one has ever dropped any more than a dollar.”
“Because I want to,” Daehyun replied with a smile. “I’m going to be the first to notice and appreciate your talent. My name is Jung Daehyun.”
“M-Moon Jongup.”
The dancer watched as the stranger’s eyes formed crescents to compliment the upward curve of his lips. His smile was captivating, and Jongup’s mind blanked out for a moment.
“A dancer shouldn’t be out in the streets,” Daehyun commented as he picked up the speakers and iPod on the ground. “You’ll get a cold and grow weaker. How would you dance then?”
Jongup was unable to reply as he speechlessly watched the male clean up his equipment.
“Follow me,” Daehyun beckoned with a motion of his head that pointed towards his neighborhood.
Jongup hesitated, not willing to trust a stranger just yet. Daehyun noticed this and he grinned once more. “I won’t hurt you like the ones in your past had. I’ll be here to support you because I’m like you. I love music, too.”
And that was when Jongup agreed that it was okay to trust a stranger, just this once.
Pairing:DaeJong, ninja!BangHim
Genre: Attempted!Angst, AU, Attempted!Crack/Comedy, Fluff, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Everyone in the studio has had their own rotten past, but they've all been saved the moment they stepped inside. Daehyun finds Jongup, an abandoned soul with an unstable heart that Daehyun wishes to heal.
Daehyun was never the type to get involved with somebody else’s business. He was the kind of person who kept to himself and did everything on his own. He owned a decent apartment and worked part time at a pastry shop; the money he earned there wasn’t much, but it was enough to make a living. Daehyun lived alone, and every week day, he would return home to nobody after a hard day at work. He spent his weekends at his hyung’s music studio-the place where he really felt at home. The studio was like a beautiful sanctuary to Daehyun and if he could, he would certainly live there for the rest of his life. Everyone in the studio had such a strong passion towards music, be it playing instruments, dancing, or singing. Every time the boy’s feet came in contact with the hardwood floor of the studio, Daehyun’s worries would be put to rest and he would finally feel at peace.
Daehyun is extremely thankful towards Yongguk-hyung. He was the one that caught the boy when he was falling into his own despair. Yongguk was like a brother he never had-the support that he needed, but was deprived of. Yongguk found Daehyun alone in the streets when the boy escaped from his home. He welcomed Daehyun to his studio warmly and helped the boy restart his life without ever asking what went wrong. It took a long time before the boy chose to finally open up to him, and when he did, Yongguk placed a hand on his shoulder and promised him, “Everything will be alright.”
Yongguk started the studio so that he could be around people who enjoyed music like he did. However, there was no such thing as applying to this studio. Yongguk would find the people with the same strong dedication that he had and he would welcome them. The members that he recruited could also help add more members, but usually, they left the task to the hyung himself. Because of this, many shunned the studio. Musicians would enter the building once in a while to ask to join, but Yongguk would only glance at them before refusing with a silent nod of his head and a simple apology. The people weren’t like his dongsaengs. They grew up with their parent’s support and never experienced hardships-these strangers did not deserve to attend the studio because they were never broken. However, every member in the studio appreciated what they were granted with and was extremely grateful towards their hyung. Yongguk didn’t believe in having to pay to fulfill musical dreams either, so no member of his studio was required to pay a single dime. But everyone had a great attachment to the studio and they would all pitch in and donate for the place to stay available. The members were like close brothers that all shared a similar past. They were all humans that were separated from the rest of the world and were only attached to one single thing: music. They had no one else’s support except for the ones that attended the studio with them.
It was a Saturday night in late August, 8PM. Daehyun opened one of the building’s doors and stepped inside the room. He noticed Yongguk with a notepad, jotting down a few scribbles before clicking around a few times on his laptop. A long table filled with recording equipment sat in front of him, and a wall with a large window stood behind it. It was a recording studio. Apparently, the older male had not noticed the presence of another person beside him yet as he was still occupied with his composition. Magnae Junhong stood on the other side of the window with a microphone and headphones. He noticed Daehyun and smiled at the male before looking at Yongguk once more for a cue.
“Let’s record the rap once more, Zelo, this is the last take for tonight,” Yongguk announced as he slid a few levers around on the mixing equipment.
Junhong’s passionate voice rang through the studio, partly muffled by the wall. Daehyun stared at the boy in admiration as the kid rapped the lyrics to some new song that he and Yongguk probably wrote themselves. Junhong had his eyes closed and he surrendered to the beat that was booming through his headphones. He rapped like he was born to, and Daehyun waited and watched with great concentration, as the magnae’s lips moved in an unbelievable pace while his voice preached about the flaws of society, a topic that Yongguk often liked to write about.
The recording ended in a minute and Junhong immediately switched his gaze towards Yongguk for approval. When the hyung nodded and flashed a gummy smile, the kid placed the headphones on the stand before exiting the recording location and meeting back up with Daehyun and Yongguk.
“I’m going to go practice the choreography now and then head back home!” Junhong exclaimed as he made his way towards the door. “I’ll check the song out first thing tomorrow morning! Bye, hyungs!”
The boy disappeared and that was when Yongguk finally noticed Daehyun’s presence. The leader raised an eyebrow. “What’s up, Daehyun-ah? Did you want to record something?”
“Not at all,” Daehyun smiled. “I just wanted to tell you I’ll be heading back now.”
“Are you sure?” the blonde male asked, causing Daehyun to second-think himself. It took a while, but he finally gave in and opened the door to the other side of the window. Daehyun placed the headphones on and with that, the rest of his surroundings were blocked out as he sank into what he did best: singing. Yongguk watched from the other side as the vocalist drowned himself into a sea of emotions, singing about an impossible love. He hit each note straight from his diaphragm, dropping into perfect falsettos and alternating from forte to piano with unbelievably skilled timing. Yongguk was always amazed with Youngjae’s singing, but when he heard Daehyun, there was a different light that shined. He wouldn’t say it was worse or better, since both singers had their own unique style that the leader respected, but for sure, Yongguk could easily admit that Daehyun’s voice had an ability to touch hearts.
He didn’t notice that the vocalist was done until Daehyun appeared beside him, asking for feedback. Yongguk was still in a daze, but the younger male was able to shake him back to reality before laughing at his hyung’s stupidity.
“That was great! I’ll have it ready for you to hear by tomorrow,” Yongguk said as he played with a few keys on the laptop’s mixing program. “I’ll be editing Zelo’s take first.”
“Junhongie is amazing,” Daehyun commented as he stood up and grabbed his bag from the chair.
“He’s so devoted to dancing and rapping,” Yongguk nodded in agreement. He dragged the cursor around as he spoke. “The kid has a bright future.”
Daehyun hummed and made his way to the door. He bid farewell to the leader before leaving the room and exiting the entire music studio. He found Junhong outside the door still sweating lightly as he adjusted his helmet with a foot on his skateboard to keep it in place. Daehyun smiled and approached the magnae before sighing.
“Sometimes, I forget that you can skateboard as well,” the older male stated. “You’re just so good at everything.”
“I can’t sing like you, hyung,” Junhong replied with a smile before he rode away without waiting for Daehyun’s answer.
Daehyun cursed to himself as he watched the magnae disappear down the street.
Junhong had a family to return to, unlike the rest of the studio’s members who lived alone. However, the kid would constantly remind everyone that he would do anything to leave that house. Junhong had parents who would only provide him with a room to sleep in and money for school. There was never food waiting for him at home, because his parents didn’t care where he disappeared off to. All they needed to know was that their son wasn’t in a gang, and they were content. However, they were never aware of the fact that Junhong attended a music studio every chance he had, because they never bothered asking, because they never cared. They eliminated the music elective from his class schedule and signed him up for a business class instead, claiming it held a better future for the boy. Of course Junhong was against this, but he respected his parents too much to talk back. Yongguk found Junhong skateboarding home when the boy was in his first year of middle school. Junhong held a stack of papers from his business class in his hands as he rode over to a garbage can, discarding of each sheet one by one, tearing them all up before tossing them into the trash. This happened on the first day of school, when Junhong discovered that his desired elective was snatched away from him and replaced with a stinky business class, without his approval. The boy was enraged that day; he abandoned the trashcan and hurried home on his skateboard, forcing the contraption to move as fast as it could go. Yongguk approached the trashcan once he was sure the boy was gone and grabbed one of the papers from the garbage. He examined it and realized that everything was scribbled out. He noticed some kind of pen work in the blank spaces and as he retrieved more and more papers from the garbage can to look at, he realized that the scribbles all had something in common: they were all names of inspirational rappers. That was when Yongguk knew the kid had been taken away from his dreams, just like the leader himself. He found him the next day and brought up his offer, which Junhong took with no objections, with no doubts towards the stranger that had confronted him. His parents were never informed about this, but they never asked Junhong where he went off to on the weekends either. Junhong lived with a family that didn’t take the time to ask their son about anything or support him in any way. All they wanted was a successful son that could get them what they wanted, but what Junhong himself wanted was to dedicate his life towards music. Yongguk decided that he would be the support the kid needed.
Daehyun decided that it was time for him to head back to his apartment as well. He made a turn down the streets and walked home, admiring the colorful city lights of Seoul. It was a shame that the music studio wasn’t as attention-grabbing with its lights that were dim and barely flickering. But maybe it was better that way for Yongguk. No one would be attracted to the music studio, thus, no one would ask for admission. But Daehyun had to admit that it sucked-a building that looked so old and unpromising was actually amazing once one walked through its front doors.
The vocalist was about to make a turn into the neighborhood when he noticed a loud beat booming from speakers on the other side of the street. It was a strange event to Daehyun, because never had he heard music on this route that he had always taken home. The boy gazed across the road out of curiosity, but realized that a few city trees were blocking his view. Attracted to the music, Daehyun decided to cross and find out where the music was coming from. Cautiously, he paced to the sight behind the tree and as he neared the location, the music grew louder as it entered his ears.
Finally, Daehyun noticed a presence. It was a boy, but Daehyun was unable to make out his face as the boy wore a large black hoodie that casted a shadow over his face. The boy was dancing, popping and locking his limbs to the rhythm behind the beat of the music that screamed out from the speakers. Daehyun was mesmerized at the stranger’s talents-his style was so different from Junhong’s; this boy was rolling his body almost like liquid, krumping as if his heart would fall out, and shuffling his feet into an untraceable blur. He was performing any type of dance style that Daehyun could possibly think of-the boy was a genius.
But what was he doing on the streets when he had such talent? Daehyun noticed a backpack tossed messily on the ground beside the speakers. He realized that the stranger’s sweat pants were below decent condition and that his black hoodie was faded. The clothes were not complimenting the skills the boy had one bit. A few others strolled by the dancer as Daehyun observed him, but no one bothered to take a glance at the incredible talent the boy had. The vocalist turned his gaze, finally noticing the can also beside the speakers. He approached the can and took a peek inside-nothing. It was empty.
And that was when Daehyun understood that the boy was like himself. No one cared for the unique musical talent he had. The only difference between the two was that the stranger had not found his support yet.
But Daehyun was willing to be it.
Daehyun remembers the day that Yongguk found him. He would never forget it. The vocalist had just run out his door and down the streets, tears staining his cheeks and earphones blasting through his ears to shield him away to the ones that were against him. The boy didn’t notice a car accelerating quickly down the street as he crossed without looking. That was when Yongguk arrived. He noticed the boy and the danger advancing towards him. And that was when Yongguk leaped forward. He jumped into the street and hugged the poor kid before pushing them both to the edge of the sidewalk. They had barely made it. The car zoomed right past, not caring about the murders it had almost committed. But Yongguk knew that that was the way society worked. Not everyone bothered to give a damn about anyone. Yongguk looked at the boy below him as he got off. The kid was still in shock with his eyes wide open, his tears still falling and his earphones still attached. Yongguk removed them and asked if the kid was okay, receiving an almost invisible nod. The older male took one of the earpieces and leaned closer to it. A ballad was playing and as Yongguk took a moment to absorb the sad lyrics that discussed being isolated from the world, the man knew that this kid had had his dreams crushed.
“What can you do?” Yongguk questioned as the boy sat up and wiped his tears.
“I can sing.”
“Show me.”
And the boy sang. His voice flowed like a calm stream of water despite the slight quiver from the boy’s previous crying. That was when Yongguk knew the boy had potential.
“Let me take you to my music studio,” Yongguk declared as he helped the boy stand. “Let’s achieve our dreams together.”
The boy stared at the older male in puzzlement, but when he heard the man’s next words, he did not hesitate to accept the offer.
“I’ll be your support that you never had.”
The singer dug around in his bag before he found his wallet. He retrieved a twenty dollar bill from this and leaned down to drop it safely into the can, but a hand on his wrist stopped him. Daehyun looked up from the can below him to notice that the dancer had approached him with his hood down. The boy was slightly tan, his bangs wet and clinging to his forehead as he panted lightly, and as Daehyun stared quietly at him, he noticed that the stranger’s eyes were silently lost and looking for answers.
“That’s too much,” the dancer said after he managed to steady his breathing. “Take it back.”
Daehyun was unable to utter a word. The boy’s voice rang like music to his ears. Sure he was probably just a dancer and couldn’t sing, but Daehyun was sure he could listen to the boy talk. The vocalist finally nodded his head no as he dropped the money into the can with no hesitation.
“W-Why?” the stranger stuttered as he watched the other male’s actions. “No one has ever dropped any more than a dollar.”
“Because I want to,” Daehyun replied with a smile. “I’m going to be the first to notice and appreciate your talent. My name is Jung Daehyun.”
“M-Moon Jongup.”
The dancer watched as the stranger’s eyes formed crescents to compliment the upward curve of his lips. His smile was captivating, and Jongup’s mind blanked out for a moment.
“A dancer shouldn’t be out in the streets,” Daehyun commented as he picked up the speakers and iPod on the ground. “You’ll get a cold and grow weaker. How would you dance then?”
Jongup was unable to reply as he speechlessly watched the male clean up his equipment.
“Follow me,” Daehyun beckoned with a motion of his head that pointed towards his neighborhood.
Jongup hesitated, not willing to trust a stranger just yet. Daehyun noticed this and he grinned once more. “I won’t hurt you like the ones in your past had. I’ll be here to support you because I’m like you. I love music, too.”
And that was when Jongup agreed that it was okay to trust a stranger, just this once.