Chapter Text
"G major is the key of everything rustic, idyllic and lyrical, very calm and satisfied passion,
every tender gratitude for true friendship and faithful love,--in a word, every gentle
and peaceful emotion of the heart is correctly expressed by this key."
- Christian Schubart
Sometimes Hyungwon caught himself pondering about the wonders of life. About the ecosystem, how each and every single element and organic being influenced one another. About how the tiniest details of nature were codependent. It was mind blowing to him.
It was also strange how the string of fate worked at times. The odds of people meeting one another and spending their lives together while others stayed for a while before drifting away, leading to other encounters that impacted one’s life in many different ways. It varied from pointless things to more significant ones, like magically gaining something one was unconsciously searching for while listening to a song for the first time or stumbling upon a job offer when one needed it the most.
And as Hyungwon was sitting in the university’s library, watching the scenery offered by the window view, he marvelled at the fact that the path he had followed up until now in his life had brought him to this seat at that very moment.
He could have chosen to join the volleyball club in high school instead of attending music lessons, could have decided that his mother’s collection of various classical music composers wasn’t as cool as Big Bang’s songs, could have never met his lifelong friends. The multiple choices he had made throughout his life, be it out of pure chance or deliberation, led him to be the person that he was in the present.
And it was the same for everyone else. It was impressive to think that every soul on Earth had their own unique path.
With these thoughts lingering, the young man watched the snowflakes falling gently on the other side of the window. Tchaikovsky’s ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ was blaring from his headphones as he was comfortably sitting by the heater. It was early in the evening yet the lamp posts outside were the only source of light making him able to catch a glimpse of the scenery before him.
Christmas was around the corner and it showed, distressed students crowding the library as the finals were approaching at an alarming rate. Rare were the times the room was as full, everyone usually focused on practising their instrument rather than doing assignments, but deadlines eventually piled up and the library was always the most popular place during the first weeks of December. Hyungwon was one of them and so he was very much acquaintanced with the pattern.
Thoughts lingering without much direction anymore, the young man’s gaze was locked on the scenery, half done assignment long forgotten at his side as he pondered whether he should get galbi for dinner or get a pack of ramyeon at the convenience store. After all, he was running low on budget.
His pair of headphones suddenly being yanked from his ears made him jump in fright, barely able to contain a shriek. He heard chuckles at his right, Hyungwon instantly recognising by the voice alone the only person who could do such a stunt. “When will you stop doing shit like that?! I almost got a heart attack!” he whispered not so subtly towards the nuisance he called a best friend.
While turning around, his eyes met the dark blue haired man’s ones, which were turned into crescents, a mischievous smile on his face like it always did whenever he managed to annoy Hyungwon. “If you die now at least you won’t have to cram for all the classes. Plus, I won’t get to see your ugly face everyday anymore. I think it’s a win-win situation for everyone.”
“Shut up, you wouldn’t even survive a whole day without contacting me at least once,” Hyungwon retorted back, hands over his heart as it thumped loudly in his chest. He will definitely get back at him for that.
Kihyun lifted an eyebrow, “Is that a challenge? By the way, you are the one who could never spend a day without complaining about Ms. Lee’s lectures and Sora’s ego she slaps on everyone’s face every rehearsal.”
Hyungwon’s opportunity to deny his friend’s claims was short lived since the latter covered his own ears with the headphones. A few beats passed before he stared at Hyungwon, removed the device and gave it back to its owner. “‘The Nutcracker’? Again?” he asked while taking the free seat next to black haired man.
Hyungwon closed the music app on his phone and put his headphones beside his laptop. “You know it’s basically my life’s soundtrack every winter.”
The smaller man hummed, “Are you going to see the ballet this year too?”
Hyungwon sighed, ruffling his hair. Every year since he was a child, he went to see ‘The Nutcracker’ with his family. It was a deeply rooted tradition he was always looking forward to, just like them visiting him in Seoul, but his parents were considering travelling to New Zealand to meet with some old friends they hadn’t seen in years. “I’m not sure because of the trip abroad my parents are thinking about.”
“Right, I forgot about that.” Kihyun put his arm on the table, chin resting over his palm. The latter’s eyes scanned the open document on the laptop, reminding Hyungwon that he still had a few pages left to write.
Throughout high school, Hyungwon foolishly believed that if there was one field that wouldn’t require that much studying and essays to write, it was classical music. Alas, his ignorance bit him in the ass once he crossed the doors of Seoul’s Music Conservatory. Performing was the main focus but he still had his fair share of assignments and studying to do.
Another sigh escaped his lips while he tried making up a reason to procrastinate a little bit more. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t done it enough but his exhaustion from the past week of intensive orchestral rehearsals started to kick in and it was hard to stay focused. Even his own practice sessions for the upcoming individual performance exam weren’t as efficient as usual.
“What are you doing here anyway?” Hyungwon asked.
“Well, someone hasn’t been reading my text messages,” Kihyun eyes settled on him, giving him a look full of judgement, but the crease on his forehead softening along with the tone of his voice betrayed his fake annoyance, “so I came here to ask if you wanted to go grab a bite?”
Hyungwon didn’t have to think twice as he gathered his belongings and gave up on his assignment for the day in a heartbeat.
O
The weather was colder than it appeared to be from the windowsill at the library. The biting winter wind seemed to pick up as minutes passed, ruffling Hyungwon’s hair and making goosebumps rise all over his nape as he hadn’t brought his beanie nor his scarf. The past days had been warm enough not to wear any.
It earned him a few insults from his shorter friend, calling him an idiot for risking catching a cold during finals. But Hyungwon just shrugged, used to Kihyun’s tendency to insult him.
“It’s actually pretty stupid honestly. I’m with Kihyun on this.”
They ended up sitting at Kihyun’s favourite samgyeopsal restaurant, their friend Jooheon joining them a few minutes after the duo had started grilling the meat. The delightful smell alone made the three men salivate.
Hyungwon frowned, “You’re always on Kihyun’s side, that’s not fair!”
“The perks of being high school friends,” Kihyun teased, holding the pair of tongs as he was in charge of preparing the meat.
Hyungwon’s stomach growled and he decided that he had the right to dig into the japchae until there was nothing left, aware that it was Kihyun’s favourite side dish along with the oi sobagi. But Hyungwon wasn’t the biggest fan of the latter so he settled on taking a piece of kimchi afterwards instead. Kihyun stared at him menacingly, Jooheon laughing at their antics and ordering seconds of the empty plate of japchae.
“So, how are you guys holding up?” Jooheon asked as he opened their bottle of soju in one swift, practised movement, thanking the waiter once he put the full plate of the side dish next to the grill.
“I’m basically living off caffeine.”
Hyungwon nodded with empathy, “Same.”
“Who thought it’s a good idea to have intensive orchestra rehearsals two weeks before class recitals and individual exams?” Kihyun added.
The musicians groaned, the shorter man cutting the chunks of meat in smaller pieces over the fire.
Orchestra rehearsals meant no time to work on assignments, focusing entirely on the orchestral pieces rather than personal repertoire, and performances two days in a row. It was a lot of fun, but also the equivalent amount of stress and lack of preparation for the final exams.
Jooheon poured the alcohol in his friends’ glasses, “It’s reassuring that I’m not the only one suffering. My class recital is on Monday.”
Kihyun flinched, “Damn, that’s rough.”
“Tell me about it.” Jooheon lifted his glass, “To success in our finals and the holidays in which we can pass the fuck out for two weeks.”
Putting the utensils on the table, Kihyun took his glass. Hyungwon followed the lead and as the trio briefly glanced at each other, they cheered and downed their first shot.
The three music majors devoured the perfectly grilled samgyeopsal, relishing in the warmth spread in the small restaurant and relaxing with the delicious smell of barbecued meat lingering in the air. More bottles of soju and beer were ordered throughout the evening, Hyungwon and Kihyun somehow extending their outing to a competition about who would get drunk first after lots of useless provocation about who had the best alcohol tolerance, Jooheon staying out of their childish game as he watched them pointlessly emptying bottles.
Jooheon had to drag them into their respective flats, neither of the two drunk men quite remembering who the winner was the next morning.
O
It turned out that getting drunk on a Thursday night wasn’t the brightest idea. Hyungwon’s rehearsal with his accompanist at ten o’clock in the morning made him regret drinking as much as he did while simultaneously cussing Kihyun out for not having schedules that day. The lucky bastard.
Despite arriving half an hour earlier to warm up before meeting his accompanist, his fingers were way too slow and his body too sluggish to properly hold his double bass, but at least he and the pianist were more coordinated than at their last practice session. It wasn’t Hyungwon’s first practice with a hangover; the music student was very acquainted with the orchestra’s long established tradition of concerts post-drinking rehearsals. Nevertheless, once the hour passed, Hyungwon’s head was hurting so bad he struggled seeing the notes on his score.
He also realised how bad of an idea it was once he opened the door of his workplace, a strong whiff of coffee mixed with sweets hitting his nostrils and making him almost puke right at the doorway.
“Good afternoon, hyung.”
Too focused on not emptying his guts all over the floor, Hyungwon closed his eyes and took deep breaths, grumbling a lazy greeting back once he felt good enough to take a few steps towards the counter.
His coworker Changkyun watched him, gaze unimpressed. “Wow, you look like a truck hit you on the way.”
“In the form of booze, kind of.”
A scoff resonated, “I guess I’ll give you the counter for today. Unless you want to take care of making the orders either way?”
‘Definitely not’, Hyungwon thought. A mere glance towards the desserts displayed on the counter made his stomach churn in distaste. He wouldn’t be able to bring the sweets from the kitchen or walk around the cafe giving the orders. “I’d rather take a twelve hour nap but my wallet would cry. You might have to clean up yesterday’s samgyeopsal if I move around too much.”
The younger man’s nose scrunched upwards, disgust written all over his face. “Yeah, I’ll take care of the orders while you stay at the cash register.”
“Thanks, Changkyun.”
His coworker shooed him away, urging him to get ready since the cafe was starting to get busier as it was lunch time. He would definitely need the extra help, although Hyungwon doubted his capacity to be functional enough to actually be a helping hand. It was going to be a rough shift.
Working at a café was surprisingly more pleasant than he had thought. Blue Moon was a small, friendly coffee shop. It had a celestial theme, strings of lights shaped like stars circling the whole place along with a few tasteful moon decorations and paintings hung on the walls. The wooden furniture gave the café a humble and relaxing atmosphere.
It was the best in the evenings, the lighting dimmed and the playlist switching from the usual indie folk and bossa nova to smooth or rhythmic jazz. Quite frankly, the music was a huge reason for Hyungwon to apply there. He could blame his classical music major but the overall vibe of his job, including the music he had to listen to for hours, was a deal breaker for him.
His job at the café paid his bills just enough for him to get by, made him listen to music he enjoyed and it was close to both his flat and the conservatory. Moreover, his coworkers were really nice. He had nothing to complain about.
Aside from the swarm of customers during the majority of his shift. While having a hangover.
Time flew by and the evening finally came, to the student’s relief. Hyungwon yawned while wiping a table, eyes blinking away the water that had accumulated. The familiar bell rang as someone entered the café, “Hutgaesoo delivery for Chae Hyungwon!” the person called out.
Hyungwon turned around hearing his name. It took him a moment in his daze to recognise the dark blue haired man holding a plastic bag and smiling at him. He squinted menacingly before stifling another yawn, annoyance spiking at the sight of his friend all happy about not being as in a bad shape as him. The little fucker.
“Hi Kihyun,” the owner greeted.
“Hey Hyunwoo. Is Changkyun here as well?”
“He finished a few hours ago since he took the morning shift,” Hyunwoo replied, busying himself behind the counter. “Are you taking the usual?”
Kihyun hummed, “I’d love that.”
“Coming in a few. Oh and Hyungwon, you can leave the table to me and clock out. Get some rest now, you worked hard enough today.”
Ignoring his friend’s scoff at the last comment, Hyungwon did as ordered and went straight to the employee’s room, changing his attire while trying not to doze off. It was only seven o’clock but he felt like crashing into bed right this instant.
Kihyun was waiting for him with a coffee in hand and the hutgaesoo he had mentioned earlier in the other, handing the second one to him. “Here, we went kind of hard yesterday so I thought you might need it after you ignored all my messages on Kakaotalk.” He shook his arm, the sound of a ruffled plastic bag echoing in the almost empty cafe. “I also got you a haejangguk because you’re shit at taking care of yourself and the only thing you can eat here are sweets.”
It was hard to stay mad at Kihyun when he was presenting himself like a prince ready to save the damsel in distress when Hyungwon had, indeed, not eaten all day and was starting to crave food. He accepted the offering with a grunt. "How come you're not hungover at all?"
They took a seat by the window, taking in the view over the street they had from the second floor. Kihyun took a sip of his coffee, humming in contentment. “I slept in this morning so I took it slow and practised a bit only after lunch. I’m not feeling too bad now.”
If looks could kill, Hyungwon would be the master of it. Chuckling, Kihyun elbowed him, “You’re throwing knives at me again with your eyes.”
“Too bad I can’t do it for real. I never have Fridays off,” Hyungwon replied before downing the drink in one shot and opening the box full of the hangover soup.
“Me neither but I really needed to take some time off to finish my assignment. I actually just sent it, like, twenty minutes ago before coming here. I didn’t even take a shift tonight because I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish it otherwise.”
Hyungwon’s hand froze all of a sudden, a spoonful of soup hanging in the air in front of his mouth. He felt the muscles in his body tense all at once, eyes widening in realisation.
"Fuck! The assignment!” he almost shouted, getting a curious look from Hyunwoo.
The assignment. The one he had abandoned half-way the day before. The assignment he had to complete because the deadline was midnight on this very day.
At that moment he felt a rush of blood pumping in his veins. And he felt like throwing up again.
“Didn’t you send it already?” Kihyun asked.
“No, I- I was planning to but I got side-tracked and then I got hungry and- and then you arrived and we left to eat and I wanted to write it after dinner but we drank and- shit!”
“Oh, right. Hey, it’s barely past seven, you still have time to write it.”
Suddenly the smell of the soup tightened the knot in his stomach, the mere thought of eating repulsing him. He felt a hand rubbing his shoulder and it somehow made him feel worse, on the receiving end of pity because he was doomed and there was no way out.
“I can’t believe I forgot about it.” A heartfelt groan left Hyungwon’s lips, the spoonful of soup long forgotten as he put it back in the container.
Thinking about spending the entire evening in front of a screen, typing an essay while being hungover, struggling to keep his eyes open and hoping he could send it in time made him want to cry. He covered his eyes with his palms, fighting back the emotions creeping up over him. How could he have been so thoughtless?
The hand on his back retreated, the shuffling sound of a bag resonating next to him. Hyungwon took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm his racing heart and lifted his head up. Kihyun was opening his laptop, waiting for it to boot before typing his passcode in. “You wrote it in the university’s student account, right? Not your own personal one?” The shorter man opened the internet tab.
Hyungwon hummed affirmatively, “Yeah.”
“What’s your ID?”
“Huh? Why?”
Kihyun’s eyes met his, strangely determined. “Just tell me your ID.”
“Let me type it,” Hyungwon replied, suspicious. They exchanged a few glances, Hyungwon typing his student’s information on the student’s portal with hesitation.
It only took a few clicks for Kihyun to select their musicology class on the list and to find Hyungwon’s hard drive in which his university’s assignments were saved. Hyungwon eyed him cautiously, wondering what Kihyun was planning on doing.
The familiar document he was dreading seeing again popped on the screen, the ‘Performance Practice in the XIXth Century’ in bold letters making Hyungwon’s stomach twist with the stress hitting like he had received a punch in the gut. “Wait, are you making me write it? Like, right now?”
“Just shut up and eat while I’m doing you a favour.”
“What?”
“There’s no way you can write something decent in the state you’re in. And it’s kind of my fault too.”
Slowly, Hyungwon pieced the pieces together. “Wait, are you saying you’ll write the assignment?!” He asked in disbelief.
Kihyun’s eyes never left the screen as he read the table of contents and ignored his question, then scrolled to the introduction Hyungwon had written. The bassist read the half done assignment over his friend’s shoulder, knot in his stomach intensifying with each page scrolling down. “I’ll consider my coffee refills on you for the entire evening as payment.”
“You’re fucking crazy, Kihyun. Didn’t you finish your own assignment today?!”
Hyungwon protested in vain, the shorter man proceeding on typing the last paragraph of the section he hadn’t completed in the library. Watching in disbelief, Hyungwon complained a little bit more, insisting that he could deal with it once he would get home.
“For fuck’s sake, just shut up and eat your soup, it’s getting cold. I can’t concentrate when you're whining.”
Kihyun was the kind of person whose thoughts and values were unwavering. And once he put his mind into something, he wouldn’t draw back until it was done and up to his standards. It was a trait Hyungwon quite frankly admired; Kihyun was an outstanding musician for this very reason, amidst many others. Hyungwon, on the other hand, wasn’t as disciplined as him, his devotion to his instrument being the only exception. Although he could admit that being a perfectionist to this extent could be overbearing. He felt like his friend was going too far this time, but he knew that talking him out of it would be a waste of energy. As if he had any left at that moment.
And so Hyungwon settled on eating the soup. In between each bite, he eyed his friend who was silently typing, facial expression serious. Sighing, Hyungwon ate the whole content in the container and stretched once he was done, arms and legs extending as he yawned and cracked a few bones.
Gaze locked on the street by the window, Hyungon observed the crowd consisting of mostly students walking and chatting outside, Christmas lights illuminating the pathway and buildings.
He realised he was spacing out when he felt a push on his arm. Kihyun was pressing his empty cup of coffee against him, “Refill?”
Groaning in protest at the prospect of getting up, Kihyun squinted threateningly, daring him to argue. Hyungwon sighed and took the cup. Hyunwoo didn’t comment and smiled while handing the cup of americano, claiming that this one was on the house.
Kihyun instantly grabbed the coffee and took a huge gulp once Hyungwon returned to his side. “I managed to write this on my own because it was basically the conclusion to what you already wrote. But I’ll need your help for the rest.”
Ten o’clock hit quicker than expected, an over-caffeinated Kihyun dragging his half asleep friend to the latter’s flat since they couldn’t overstay at the cafe after closing time. Hyungwon was grateful for Kihyun’s ability to type at a runner’s speed and for deciphering what Hyungwon mumbled incoherently about the main points of each section he had yet to complete.
The Gods must have been on their side since Kihyun managed to send Hyungwon’s assignment at eleven fifty-seven. They freaked out for a moment when the document wouldn’t load for three minutes straight. Hyungwon couldn’t deny that he almost shed a tear of relief once it was successfully sent.
It was past midnight when the two men lay on Hyungwon’s bed, the latter sporting a headache that kept intensifying. His head was almost pulsing with the amount of stress and the lack of food intake for the entire day accumulated. At this point, he just wanted to be one with his bed and wake up in a week. He was exhausted.
“You owe me big time,” Kihyun said, splayed on the bed and reluctant to move.
“I don’t think I could ever repay you.”
Kihyun hummed in thought, “I’m sure we’ll figure something out. Later. When we’ll be functional humans.” He yawned loudly, eyes turning into crescents. “Fuck, I could fall asleep right now but I drank too much coffee. I can feel the sugar rush in my veins.”
They basked in silence for a while, Hyungwon’s thoughts straying as he suddenly remembered the documentary about amphibians he had watched a few weeks back to procrastinate. Struggling to keep his eyes open, he squinted at the ceiling and sank a little more in his bed.
“In my next life I want to be reborn as a frog.”
The shorter man scoffed, “You already look like one, I guess it’s fate.”
“No but, just imagine, minding your own business, just jumping around on the grass and sleeping on lotus flowers in ponds. Living the best life.”
“Knowing you, you’d get eaten after a day.”
“Not if I hide well.”
Kihyun glanced at him, seemingly in thought, and sighed while looking at the ceiling instead. “I don’t even have the strength to deal with your nonsense.”
Hyungwon hummed, eyes half closed as he took deep breaths, feeling his tense muscles loosen along with his consciousness. “Thank you. Really. I don’t know what I would have done without your help today.”
Kihyun wanted to reply with a sarcastic remark that he had, indeed, saved his tiny ass, but halted once he noticed that Hyungwon had drifted off.