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It’s been a few weeks since Youngjae moved back to the city to be closer to his parents, but also the university he’d chosen to study his master’s degree.
Today he’s set on exploring more of the shopping mall he’s only visited twice this entire time. He makes full rounds of the first two levels of the centre before his stomach growls. Great timing, too! The food court was on the third level, but Youngjae spots something in the distance as he’s standing on the escalator. A standalone karaoke booth situated in the middle of a busy walkway caught his attention, and he spends an embarrassing amount of time staring at it until it draws him inside.
Youngjae wasn’t hungry anymore, tossing his bag onto the empty seat next to him and cracking his knuckles.
Just one session.
His eyebrows are furrowed as he struggles to navigate the karaoke system, figuring out how to search for songs manually. By now the knuckle he was using on his index finger was growing sore, scrolling through the endless list of songs sorted by alphabetical order. With the timer blinking away in the corner of his eye, Youngjae grows nervous and quickly settles with the first one he recognises, tapping on it and just hoping for the best.
There’s no apparent way to adjust the volume of the music the moment it starts, and Youngae cringes at how loud it is. He wonders what would happen if he changed his mind and tried to escape through the door.
“This was a mistake,” he sighs, barely able to hear himself without the microphone close to his mouth. Taking a deep breath in, Youngjae closes his eyes in an attempt to drown out the blinding lights that filled the booth, as well as the outside world beyond the glass surrounding him.
It takes little to no time before Youngjae tunes into the music, immersing himself in it as it blasts from the two tiny speakers. He chuckles at the choppy lyrics on the screen, but it was still better than nothing. Half an hour passes and Youngjae manages to power through five more songs, just before the timer runs out.
The panel blacks out just the way it was when Youngjae had first stepped into the booth, and he stares at his reflection along with all the fingerprints he’s made. There weren’t that many to begin with, since he used his knuckle to tap around at the beginning. Youngjae wonders how many of them actually belonged to him, pressing his thumb next to some to match them up. He remains seated, still in a daze before eventually forcing himself up, almost forgetting his bag on the way out.
He can’t believe he just did that.
Aside from a few curious stares once he emerged from the booth, it was almost as if nothing had happened at all. Youngjae felt stiff from sitting, so he stretched, quickly snapping back into place after he felt the tiniest bit of tummy showing. Embarrassed, he’s unable to shake the feeling that he’s being watched, turning around abruptly just to make sure that he wasn’t. But aside from the whir of the blenders from the juice stand nearby and murmuring chatters, Youngjae figures he’s just being paranoid. He decides he’s had enough of the mall and immediately makes his way back to home.
He passes an ad for a wedding singer for the upcoming year, but without a date specified. It was neatly taped to the wall, weathered down slightly and yellow on the edges, but still readable.
Youngjae doesn’t think much of it, other than the fact that the last few digits of the number listed were very similar to his own. Seems sketchy overall.
The rest of the night was spent poking at his dinner, squinting at it and wondering if the karaoke booth had all his other favourite songs. Back in the small town he lived in, Youngjae had to catch the bus whenever he needed some retail therapy, but in hindsight the motion sickness that came along with it never made any of the trips worth it. Especially since he was stingy with his own money, and rarely ever came home with anything other than groceries. This shopping centre was twice as large as the one he was used to, and Youngjae envied his parents for living so close to it. He also wanted to check out the massive arcade that's supposed to be on the fourth floor.
What he needed to do was prioritise his endless to-do list, unpacking some more, exploring the new campus, maybe apply for some jobs, find a new go-to coffee place, get back to his friends on organising a catch-up... Instead, Youngjae binge watches another season of a new anime his brother had nagged him into starting, falling asleep on the sofa and somehow waking up in his bed.
A couple more days pass, with Youngjae actually getting a good portion of tasks done. He’s somewhat settled down in his parents’ home, and much to their delight has even considered staying a while longer. On Thursday morning he unpacks a few more boxes, trying to find the sweater he felt like wearing to his next trip to the mall. It’s the most productive he’s been in a while. Youngjae convinces himself that he deserves another karaoke session after all that effort.
After much deliberation, he makes the sensible decision to eat lunch at home before he heads out. The last thing he wanted was for the booth to become an addiction, especially since he was set on maintaining a low profile for the time being. It was probably too late, anyway.
Youngjae feels dread as he approaches, spotting a piece of paper taped from the inside from the distance. He reluctantly opens up the door to the booth, locking himself in and swiveling the chair around to take a proper look at the sheet.
It was the similar ad he saw the other evening, only handwritten in a dying purple marker and a different number from before. There’s a pair of lopsided wedding rings and a smiley face drawn at the bottom, which both looked so funny it made Youngjae chuckle. He unlocks his phone to snap a photo of it, to add to his album of bizarre things he’s seen since he moved to the city.
Relieved that it wasn’t an out-of-order sign after all, Youngjae swings himself around, ready to proceed with what he was really there for. But he couldn’t concentrate, and it was almost as if the smiley face from the ad was watching him from behind.
Who knows what compelled him to call the number on the paper, but Youngjae does it anyway. The phone picks up after a few rings.
“Hello?” a bright, peppy voice answers, startling Youngjae and causing him to grip his phone a little tighter. A cute voice, not what he expected at all. “Who’s this?”
Youngjae was confused too, maybe he dialed a different number by mistake?
“Hi, um…” he trails off, quickly realising that this could be his last chance to back out. “Sorry, I think I’ve called the wro—”
“Oh! You must’ve seen my sign in the booth!” the person cuts him off excitedly.
Shit, here we go. “Yes… I’m actually sitting in it right now,” Youngjae admits, laughing nervously.
“Really? What’s your name?”
“Youngjae?” he answers. There wasn’t a point in using a fake name, but he didn’t need to tell him his surname as well, right?
“Nice to meet you, Youngjae! I work in the shopping centre too.”
Youngjae forgets he’s in a call, nodding in response without realising. Luckily the person on the other end of the line continues speaking. “I finish in half an hour if you’re still free then, maybe we could meet?” they replied, sounding hopeful.
“Uh… sure.”
“Great! Can you meet me in the food court around 5?”
Youngjae nods yet again, slowly this time until he hears a thud and someone swearing in the background. “What was th—”
“Ah, I need to go now Youngjae, but I’ll see you then!”
“Okay… yeah, I’ll um… I’ll see you then,” he repeats.
The stranger was the first to hang up, leaving Youngjae staring at the ad in front of him, dumbfounded. Scratching his head, Youngjae wonders what even came over him in the first place. He didn’t have enough time for a session, but now he needed something else to do in the meantime. Would it be weird for him to just stay there in the booth?
Youngjae realises that the person over the phone didn’t even introduce himself, now growing even more wary. Suddenly being inside the booth made him feel uncomfortable, he needed to get himself out and away from there.
Meanwhile outside the booth, something else was going down. Youngjae steps out to more chaos and confusion.
“It’s okay, it’s okay I got it! Don’t worry, keep serving,” someone calmly speaks up, breaking up the string of panic and apologies from a young staff member. It was all coming from the same loud ass juice bar that constantly had its blenders running. Youngjae pitied her, even though he wasn’t entirely sure what was going on.
Youngjae hears another loud thud, and so does everyone else around him. Everyone turns their heads around to witness what seemed like a poorly stacked tower of palettes come crashing down. Now there’s fruit rolling everywhere.
Soon after a head pops up behind the counter, the body attached to it chasing after some of the escapees headed in all sorts of directions. Youngjae stares at the tall man dressed in baggy jeans and a white tee, topped with a crumpled apron. He had sharp features, especially his eyes and nose, broad shoulders and pretty bow-shaped lips.
Something lightly taps Youngjae’s shoe, who finally tears his gaze away from the poor man to find a rogue orange by his feet. Unfortunately his first instinct was to slowly crouch down and roll the fruit back towards him, instead of picking it up and handing it over.
Confused, the man quickly lifts his head to see where the orange was coming from. Staring at Youngjae for a moment, he becomes visibly flustered as he leans forward to collect it and add it to his crate. Now that he was directly facing him, Youngjae even spotted a nose piercing, almost twinkling in the afternoon sunlight. He starts to panic a little.
Orange man mouths a small ‘thank you’ to Youngjae, holding it close to his chest with both hands. Youngjae watches in awe as he turns his attention away from him, accepting help from some eager and excited children, smiling brightly and thanking them too. Some of their parents watched the odd sight filled to the brim with pride, others... not so much.
Youngjae turns to leave the commotion, close to stepping on a squished lime that had fallen victim to another shoe. From now on, he was going to have to abandon the karaoke booth. There was no way he could stomach any more awkward run-ins with the hot worker at the juice stand. The second-hand embarrassment he felt just now made him wish he could forget that it happened at all.
But eventually it was time for Youngaje to drag himself back to the food court.
He didn’t know the person’s name, or what they even looked like. The centre would be closing in an hour, so naturally there weren’t as many customers as there were before. Scanning the tables, Youngjae figures that it would be sensible to sit near other people, although the elderly couple probably wouldn’t be able to help if something did happen to him.
He could always call the number again to let them know where he was seated, but Youngjae still had a few minutes to himself. Surely they weren’t going to make him audition in public, right? Was it too late to back out? Block the number and go back home?
“Hello!” A familiar voice breaks through his bubble of thoughts. It was the guy he rolled an orange to, who somehow looked even bigger without an apron on. Close up, he was prettier too.
“I’m Jaebeom… from earlier,” he grins, seemingly unfazed. “Can I sit here?”
Youngjae stares at some crumbs on the edge of the table, blushing furiously. Why him of all people and why now of all times? Jaebeom takes a seat anyway, gingerly sliding one of the drinks in his hands towards him, almost like a peace offering. He tries his best not to gawk at Jaebeom as he looks up to face him.
“Hope you like watermelon,” he smiles.
Youngjae had no clue what to do in a situation like this. He wasn’t really a juice person, but he cautiously takes a sip from it to be polite. There definitely weren’t any watermelons rolling around the floor earlier, so that’s fine. The elderly couple looked like they were about to leave, too. Youngjae throws them a side glance at their betrayal.
He was still mindful of the time though, checking his lock screen. It wasn’t long until he had to meet up with the mysterious person over the phone. With a heavy heart, he gears himself up to turn Jaebeom away, for whatever reason he chose to approach Youngjae in the first place.
“Um, Jaebeom... I’m really sorry, but I’m actually expecting someone in a bit.”
Jaebeom blinks once, tilting his head adorably. “You mean me?” he asks.
“No, I wasn’t expecting you at all,” Youngjae answers from the very bottom of his heart. “They’ll be here soon.”
“Wait, I think you’re talking about me,” Jaebeom replies. “I’m just a little early, that’s all.”
“...”
“Youngjae, I’m not the type of person to just approach strangers in the mall, I promise. I’m the one that put the ad inside the karaoke booth.”
Now Youngjae was absolutely devastated. He looks at Jaebeom and lets out a tiny “oh”. Jaebeom chuckles softly, seeing right through Youngjae’s response.
“Thank you for earlier, by the way.”
“I didn’t really do anything,” Youngjae says quietly. “You don’t need to thank me.”
“You saved me from walking a couple of metres.”
“Still…”
Jaebeom clears his throat, not wanting to dwell on the incident any longer. “I’ll cut to the chase, then. Are you free on the 19th of September?”
Right... What on earth were you thinking about, stupid? Youngjae thinks to himself bitterly.
“Is that when the wedding is?”
Jaebeom nods. “I was actually hoping you’d be the one to call.”
“Wh— What do you mean?”
“That was quite the performance you put on the other day.”
“You watched me sing?!”
“The booth is right in front of our shop,” he defends himself earnestly. “You’re telling me you wouldn’t look at someone singing their absolute heart out while you have nothing else to do?”
Shouldn’t you be doing your job?
“But... the booth is soundproof. It’s soundproof, right?!”
Jaebeom breaks out into a huge smile, watching Youngae freak out. “It is,” he says after a while.
“Then... why…”
“I can just tell, Youngjae,” Jaebeom interrupts, grinning. “I know a singer when I see one. You’d be paid too, of course.”
“This isn’t a prank?”
“Of course not, I’ll prove it. Gimme a second.”
Jaebeom pulls out his mobile and calls someone who picks up almost immediately.
“Hey! So I might have found someone to sing at the wedding,” he says, no greeting whatsoever. Youngjae watches Jaebeom as he listens to the person over the phone, humming every now and again. He wonders what’s up when Jaebeom purses his lips together with a troubled expression on his face.
“What time is it?” he whispers to Youngjae, tapping a finger at his wrist to make himself clear.
Youngjae scrambles to unlock his phone, sighing in relief that his wallpaper wasn’t anything incriminating. That wasn’t always the case.
“The centre will close by the time you get here,” Jaebeom says eventually, returning to the conversation. “Uh… I’m not sure. I’ll ask and call you back.”
Hanging up, Jaebeom sets his phone on the table and gives Youngjae another gorgeous smile. He’s mad at his heart for skipping a beat, especially over an engaged man. Youngjae focuses on sipping the last of his drink, almost going cross-eyed looking at the lid and accidentally making a horrid slurping sound.
“Hey, Youngjae? Do you have any plans for the rest of tonight?”
“...”
“We’d like to listen to you sing, but Jackson won’t make it to the centre before we get kicked out. He asked if we could meet at the park across the fire station since it’s like a halfway point for him, he doesn’t get off work until another fifteen minutes.”
...Jackson? All Youngjae could do was blink at him, and Jaebeom gives him a reassuring look. “You can call a friend and bring them along, if that makes you feel more comfortable. I promise we’re not shady or anything.”
“I don’t have any friends,” Youngjae replies, instantly regretting his choice of words. “I just moved here.”
“Then I’ll walk you over. My car is parked nearby too, so that works out great for me.”
“Oh it’s fine, I know where the park is.” More specifically, Youngjae literally has to walk through it if he didn’t want to catch the bus home.
“But Jackson doesn’t know what you look like,” Jaebeom counters. “I recommended you to them,” he grins. “I wanna hear you sing too.”
Wait, what? “Them?”
“The couple?”
“You’re... not the one that’s getting married?”
“Me?”
Youngjae lets out a shaky exhale, and Jaebeom bursts out laughing, causing a few odd looks in their direction. “I’m sorry,” he apologises, wiping a tear away. “There seems to be a huge misunderstanding, I guess I should’ve been more clear.”
Jaebeom leans closer into the table to pat Youngjae lightly on the shoulder. “I’m extremely single,” he adds, chuckling to himself and shaking his head. “They’re both really nice though, so don’t worry too much. You’ll only be meeting Jackson today, I think.”
“Jaebeom… Maybe not today, I’m...”
“Nervous?”
“No, not that...”
Youngjae pauses mid-sentence to reevaluate. He knows he could sing, and takes great pride in his own voice. Sometimes it was the only thing he felt like he had going for him... Maybe he should actually take the opportunity while it’s still being offered. Besides, the park was always filled with people around this time.
“You know what? Nevermind.” Youngjae takes in a deep breath before he continues. “I can do it.”
Jaebeom claps his hands together in excitement. “Great! I’ll call him back, then.”
+++++++
The two head begin to head out of the mall, with Youngjae awkwardly stopping Jaebeom to quickly buy some toothpaste and a new water bottle. Jaebeom happily follows him around the supermarket, and Youngjae can’t help but steal glances at him as they walk past the fresh produce aisle. He immediately regrets it when Jaebeom starts chewing on his bottom lip, fidgeting slightly.
It was cool outside, and Youngjae feels better after breathing in some fresh air. They’re officially on their way to the park now, walking in a comfortable silence that Youngjae appreciated. Jaebeom initiated small talk every now and then, but for the most part he was on his phone.
Jackson was very handsome, a little shorter than Jaebeom, and dressed up in an expensive-looking suit. Youngjae does his best to smile naturally as Jackson extends out a hand for him to shake. Greetings were pleasant, and the three of them moved towards an empty bench to hang around. Jaebeom helps himself and immediately sits down, Jackson stands behind it and leans on it with his elbows. Youngjae just… stands there.
“And how’s the beloved?” Jaebeom asks, turning his head around to look at Jackson and pretending to retch. “Did you get your bathroom lights fixed?”
“He’s at home, he took a half-day today.”
Youngjae's mind wanders off trying to guess how old they all were. He really needed to find a job sometime soon, feeling a little left out.
“Anyways! Youngjae!” Jackson directs all the attention back to him. “Beomie over here says you’re interested in singing for our wedding? Can you show us?”
Not really... that ship sailed and sank long ago, but Youngjae has no choice but to nod. Every thought and opinion that occupied his brain has already been violently shoved aside and replaced with ‘Beomie’.
“Just sing any song you want,” he says, bringing him back to his senses. “You don’t have to be at full volume.”
Jackson nods in agreement. Youngjae didn’t want to be marked down as a public nuisance, either. “O-okay.” he replies, taking a deep breath in. “I’ll start then.”
He sings a verse from the same song he did for his brother’s wedding a couple of years back, one of the most stressful but happiest days of his life. Youngjae serenades the lucky tree behind them, just enough to get the point across.
It’s over a lot faster than he imagined it to be, and Jaebeom was the first to speak. “He’s perfect,” he murmurs.
Youngjae believes he’s starting to hallucinate a little, was Jaebeom blushing?
“And you found him at the mall?!” Jackson half-shrieks, grabbing Jaebeom’s shoulders. The relief that crashed over Youngjae was overwhelming, to say the least. He doesn’t have the energy to replay Jaebeom calling him the p-word so casually, even if he was only talking about his voice. The less he thought about it, the better.
“You’re okay with singing in front of an audience?”
Jaebeom seems to be the one interviewing him more than Jackson, who reaches into his wallet to fish out a business card. He hands it to Youngjae, and after he puts his wallet away he puts Jaebeom in a playful chokehold.
“We haven’t decided on a song yet,” he explains to Youngjae, ignoring Jaebeom’s wails in protest and the stares from people passing by. “And I'd really like my fiance to hear you too, before we proceed with anything.”
Youngjae nods carefully. If he played his cards right, maybe there wouldn’t be anything else to worry about. It’s not like he’s been booked in completely. Even if he were to tell them the truth, Jackson’s overall demeanour led Youngjae to think that he’d be very understanding about it.
Nevertheless, both Jackson and Jaebeom looked very pleased.
“I need to go soon to make it home in time for dinner, but this has been great! Youngjae-yah, we’ll be in contact again soon, I hope. Thanks for taking the time to meet with me!”
Youngjae nods, and Jackson slaps Jaebeom hard on the back before he heads off. They watch him in silence and once he’s gone, Youngjae meekly turns around to look at Jaebeom.
Jaebeom is staring at him with a dreamy expression that makes Youngjae’s heart flutter… even if it was all in his head. His eyes are back on the concrete below, because he couldn’t trust himself to maintain a straight face. Nothing about Youngjae was straight, and too many things have happened today that served as brutal reminders. It was time for him to go home and scream in the shower.
“Wanna grab dinner?”
“...”
“My shout.”
“Jaebeom—”
“How do burgers sound?”
Burgers. Youngjae sure as hell won’t accept free things twice in a row. But he’s speechless, and worried that Jaebeom would somehow find a way to convince him to. Sure, Youngjae could prevent that entirely by continuing to stare at his shoes… But...
Well...
“There’s a place I’ve always wanted to try,” Jaebeom keeps going, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “They opened up a few months ago and they’re supposed to be really good.”
“The one with the bear?”
“Yeah,” he beams, shyly glancing over at Youngjae. “You’ve been there before?”
He hasn’t, but Youngjae passes it every time he walks to the petrol station for snacks. Now Youngjae wanted burgers. “We can walk there from here,” he catches himself saying before his brain even processes it.
“You don’t wanna take the car? We can drive there.”
“I’m not getting in a car with a stranger,” Youngjae says quietly.
“Alright then,” Jaebeom answers, biting his lip. “Lead the way.”
Youngjae was embarrassed for making Jaebeom walk around with him everywhere, but he did say to do what made him comfortable. Once they’re out of the park, things start to become a little livelier, especially the noise that came from the busy roads during peak hour. Now seemed like a more appropriate time to speak up.
“Jaebeom?”
“Yeah?”
“Before I give you guys a definite answer...”
Jaebeom raises an eyebrow. “What’s up?”
“Well the weekend of the wedding is actually…” Youngjae pauses to think. “My birthday is on the 17th… the same month. I usually spend the closest weekend to it with my family.”
“Ah...”
“I know it’s literally next year like... way in the future and all. But I’m not sure if I can commit myself to this so early. My parents wouldn’t really approve if they think I was trying to pursue a career in singing… and they know I don’t exactly have friends here to spend my birthday with,” Youngjae grumbles, having said too much already. “It might be worth looking into someone else for that night. I feel like I’ve already gotten your hopes up.”
Jaebeom silently mulls things over, but he gives Youngjae yet another grin. What’s left of his brain melts a little more, and he even considers begging Jaebeom to stop looking at him while he’s talking.
“I’m glad you two liked my voice, that makes me really happy. It feels like those stories those idols tell in their interviews, randomly getting scouted at a mall or whatever. I didn’t expect this would happen to me at all.”
“But I can tell you’re not in it just for the money. You want to sing,” Jaebeom replies. “Wouldn’t you rather get paid to do that instead of the other way around?”
Youngjae’s cheeks flush, feeling very called out. Technically, he’s only done it once, opening his mouth to argue before Jaebeom cuts in.
“Youngjae, I actually have something to tell you.”
Whether it was poor timing or just Youngjae’s imagination, the two end up approaching a pedestrian crossing just as Jaebeom finishes his sentence. Eyeing the footpath as they came to a stop, Youngjae remains silent and waits for him to continue on his own.
“I was supposed to sing for the wedding,” Jaebeom confesses. “Well... actually...”
“You were?! Wait— You sing too?”
“Yeah,” he grins, finally getting Youngjae to look at him. “Although it’s nowhere near as good as yours, my voice isn’t too bad.”
“Then why were they looking for someone to replace you?”
“They weren’t. I was always meant to be the one singing.”
“But… then why...”
“I’ve never performed in front of an audience before. You, however... You can sing in the middle of a busy mall.”
Finally arriving at the burger joint, neither of the two seemed to mind the tiny line formed outside the venue. It looked hectic on the inside, the two staring at each other and then back through the glass. They’re asked how many people will be dining, and if they were okay with the wait, both men answering the server at the same time. Things kinda felt like they were getting awkward again.
“That’s because it’s soundproof… Ah, thank you,” Youngjae says softly as he’s handed a menu, flipping through it.
Jaebeom is also given one but chooses to ignore it for the time being. He was more interested in looking at Youngjae instead. “It’s soundproof, but it’s also made of glass. Everyone can see you singing your heart out and you don’t seem to be bothered by it at all.”
Youngjae turns away from Jaebeom slightly, in an attempt to hide the corners of his mouth from turning upwards. Out of the many options laid out in front of him, one particular burger catches his eye, and he’s set on ordering that along with some fries. They’re both seated inside not long after.
“I guess I should make my own intentions clear,” Jaebeom murmurs, stirring his straw and poking around the ice in his drink.
Youngjae prays Jaebeom wasn’t another hot weirdo he’d have to tell his sister about once he got home. Jaebeom laughs silently through his nose this time, using his hands to cover the bottom half of his face. “Am I freaking you out?”
“Not sure,” he answers. “Please… if you could elaborate.”
“It’s just that... Things lined up a little too well for me to pass up a chance like this. Finding a way to talk to you.” Jaebeom stares at Youngjae for a few more seconds, gauging his reaction so far.
“...”
“That karaoke booth appeared out of nowhere, and I think you might have even been the first person to use it. I wanted to know what songs you were singing that day, you were so into it… It was really hard not to look.”
Youngjae’s eyes visibly light up, telling him about how he prefers to use his knuckles more on the screen, and how he did notice the small number of fingerprints on it that day.
“Maybe you’re right, I think those were all mine.”
Jaebeom listens intently, with a soft smile on his face. “Wish that were me,” he says, barely in a whisper, but Youngjae was sure he heard him clearly.
“What?”
Confused, Youngjae tries to visualise his sister nagging him to grab the entire plate and power-walk back home. It didn’t work. Jaebeom leans an elbow on the table, resting his cheek on the palm of his hand. “For all I care, you could have sounded like a beached whale. It wouldn’t matter to me... You seem like a really fun person to be around.”
“What are you saying?”
“I never expected you to actually call from the booth, but I’m really glad you did. Please don’t take it the wrong way,” Jaebeom pleads.
“I don’t know which way to take it. Jaebeom, was it you that put the one ad up for me?”
“The ad already existed before the karaoke booth came along. All I did was make another one with my phone number on it.”
“...I actually noticed. The last four numbers on the ad I saw on a telephone pole were almost the same as mine.”
“But you called it anyway,” Jaebeom replies, smile returning to his face.
“Seems very elaborate. You could’ve just said hi first.”
“Yeah, I could’ve.”
“How... old are you, Jaebeom?” Youngjae asks, squeezing his fist into a tight ball.
“26, 27 next month,” he answers. “Does that bother you?”
“Not at all,” Youngjae admits. “I think I interrupted you before you were about to say something else.”
“I was, but you keep looking at the exit behind me,” Jaebeom pouts, squishing a packet of ketchup with the tip of his pinky. “I work Monday to Thursday until 5PM and on Friday and the weekend I work at our other branch next to the library. I can’t change my schedule, but at least you’ll know when to avoid me if you wanted to. My breaks are from noon to 1. We can pretend like this never happened.”
Youngjae feels a little sorry for Jaebeom, because he could tell he was really trying. He spends a moment returning to his food and mentally formulating a response. Maybe it was best if Youngjae changed the topic and revisited this one later.
“I appreciate the effort you’re going through for me, Jaebeom. Landing a potential gig is really cool and all, but... I just think it would mean a lot more to your friends if they had you singing at their reception.... instead of a complete stranger like me, you know?”
“Well…”
“Weddings are already so expensive. It’d be one less thing they’d have to worry about paying for.”
“Money isn’t an issue for them,” Jaebeom replies nonchalantly. “I’m not just saying that.”
“Maybe I could help you somehow… with your stage fright,” Youngjae suggests. It was the least he could do at this point.
“It’s not stage fright. I could do it if I wanted to... but I don’t. You, on the other hand,” Jaebeom replies, pausing to take another bite from his burger. Youngjae remembers his own and also takes one. “You’re perfect for this,” he mumbles through his food, fortunately with a hand covering his mouth. “And you’ve already done it before.”
“You can sing anywhere. More importantly,” Jaebeom paused again, picking up a fry and pointing it at Youngjae. “You’re spotlight material.” He eats the fry as Youngjae feels his cheeks warming up for the millionth time that day.
“I don’t want to sing, because I don’t want to go on Instagram that night before bed to see myself on everyone’s stories filmed at every possible angle. If I make eye contact with anyone while I’m singing it’s over for me. I’ll probably laugh or blank out, my memory sucks.”
Well, that was a dead end. Youngjae tries his luck again and moves onto the next topic.
“How do you know the couple?”
“I bartended at a gay club a few years ago. Watched them fall in love. Was gross, actually.”
The push for extra information had Youngjae’s head spinning more than he needed it to. All his brain wanted to do was pick out and rearrange Jaebeom’s answer to one it liked the most. Now it had to clear some room for Gay Bartender Beomie.
“How many people will there be?”
“Not sure, I’ll have to ask one of them.”
“But I guess if things don’t work out between us I could just sing. It works out either way.”
“You’re not going to continue to look for other people?”
“I want what’s best for the couple. If there’s a chance that you’ll do it I’m willing to risk getting made fun of.”
“I don’t think that’s your call to make, Jaebeom. It’s not your wedding,” Youngjae chides, instantly regretting his choice of words.
Please don’t ask me to sing at your wedding.
Jaebeom smirks. “You’re right. Well, in any case… Please don’t feel pressured to take up the job. Give it some more thought.”
Youngjae nods, thankful for the reminder. He stops worrying about whether or not he still fitted into his dress pants. “I’ve had a very eventful week,” he sighs. Eventful was just putting it lightly.
“A lot can change in nine months,” Jaebeom says.
“Thinking about the future makes me even more exhausted.”
“Then you should let me give you a lift home.”
“I’m not getting in the car with you,” Youngjae mumbles.
“Fine, fine,” Jaebeom laughs, accepting defeat. “Let’s go after you finish your food.”
“I hope I’m not being rude, it’s just that this is just so… out of nowhere.”
Jaebeom cocks his head to the side, amused. “Is it though? You’re the one that called me, remember? None of this would’ve happened if you didn’t.”
“You’re right… but it also seems too convenient.”
“You think so? If you were in a position to accept it immediately, then yeah. You obviously think I’m suspicious, but you’re also worried about what your family will think about it. Your birthday is close to the day of the wedding too.
“...”
“On top of all that, and most importantly, you’re scared you’ll want more after you get another taste of what it’s like to sing in front of an audience… one that can actually hear and appreciate the sound of your voice.”
It wasn’t really that deep at first, but now that Jaebeom had put those words out into the universe… that last part kinda hit a little too hard. Youngjae doesn’t know what to say back.
“No one stands in front of a karaoke booth for that long without just walking away in the end. Except you, and you deserve to be heard. You can move and sway around on a dancefloor instead of being confined to a tiny, stuffy booth. Sing as loud as you want with a microphone that doesn’t excessively echo. I could go on, you know? I have more things to say.”
Youngjae doesn’t doubt that for one second anymore, almost giving into accepting more praise and kind words from Jaebeom. But he’s already said enough to last Youngjae a lifetime and a half.
“Man… you must be great at upselling your drinks,” he says instead.
Being sexy probably also helps tremendously.
“I am,” Jaebeom proudly confirms, puffing up his chest.
You are.
“You should swing by, I’ll give you a discount.”
“I couldn’t possibly accept more free things from you. You’ve already done so much, I’ll pay next time,” Youngjae replies, ripping up a napkin without even realising. When will ‘next time’ even be? By now he’s sort of grown used to being stared at by Jaebeom, although he wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing yet.
On the other side of the table, Jaebeom does a rather poor job at hiding a satisfied grin. “Don’t worry about it,” he says eventually. “Thanks for not running away.”
+++++++
Later that night, Youngjae receives a text from an unsaved number. He opens it, rubbing his temples once he realises who it’s from. His parents across the room wonder what their son could possibly be all smiles about after just sulking over losing a game. Youngjae saves the number in his contacts, and replies to the message after.
🍊 jaebeom 🍊
[10:33pm] What if i got into a car with you instead??
i can't drive, jaebeom 😭😭 [10:38pm]