Archive of Our Own

The Lacking 5's band, Mido and Falasol becomes the main talk at the university after their first public appearance at the biggest festival. From students across faculties, lectures, and even the security guards able to recognize them easily. Their performances were so popular amongst the other performers, they acquired numerous invitations for collaboration or performing at the upcoming faculty events with various dates to the next year. With an overwhelming response and a long period of discussion and consideration between themselves, the Lacking 5 finally picked their next performance at the year-end concert with the Faculty of Music and Art.

Seokhyeong at first was against the idea of performing again as he almost overdosed with sedatives just for 20 minutes playing the keyboard on stage. But after Ikjun and Songhwa persistently persuade him, he has no choice or in other words tired of hearing the same topics every time they meet. Now, he's more worried about his problem than thinking about the concert like the rest.

"Don't be late for the first meeting with the concert staff tomorrow" Songhwa reminds the boys for the 10th time today while munching her dinner. Ikjun softly nudges her to eat thoroughly before saying anything.

"Is it a must to attend there?" Junwan groans at the announcement, as he is already planning to catch some sleep from tied-up schedules and assignments he just finished earlier.

"It's that crucial. First impressions and meetings are vital in every collaboration project. We can see and expect what kind of songs we will be performing" Ikjun explains with high spirits, even though it is already evening. 

"At least we get to know the people we will be working with and we can organize our schedules efficiently," Jeongwon recalled their consideration terms before officially accepting the offer. As the others continue talking, Seokhyeong remains quiet and reluctant to join in the conversation, as he is already dealing with his nervousness about tomorrow's meeting.

The next morning, Seokhyeong is still unwilling to attend the meeting and suddenly comes up with a plan to run away. However, his idea is shattered as Ikjun arrives at his place and forcefully drags him out of his house. Seokhyeong remains seated and busy with his phone as one by one new faces arrive at the location meeting, filling up the available seats and making the atmosphere lively.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" A gentle yet bubbly voice greets Seokhyeong's ears, earning him to turn his head towards where the source comes from. A tall figure stands beside him with a soft tosca blouse and white pants. Her face is covered by the mask, but he can notice that she puts on some bright makeup around her eyes which is a bit extravagant for him.  

"Oh, annyeonghaseyo" The person that Seokhyeong focuses on immediately bows deeply, causing him to copy the same movement. "Ahh… hm… annyeonghaseyo. Yes, this seat is vacant" Seokhyeong replied softly. He is taken by surprise as the person quickly makes herself comfortable beside him, instead of moving the seat away to somewhere else.

"I'm Chu Minha by the way. Sunbaenim must be from the Mido and Falasol" The person who sits on Seokhyeong’s right side greets him again after sorting out her items on the table. "Ahh.. yes.." Seokhyeong keeps stuttering and then loses his momentum to introduce himself properly.

"Oh, Chuchu.." Luckily the awkward first moment between them is saved by Ikjun calling his interlocutor. "Annyeonghaseyo Sunbaenim" With a bright smile, Minha swiftly moves towards Ikjun who just came back from the restroom. Seokhyeong watches how Ikjun, as expected from a social butterfly, interacts with the person named Minha who he just knew earlier, or Chuchu whom he just heard from Ikjun pleasantly. 

"Hey guys, this is Minha. The one who invites us to collaborate with. This is Jeongwon, Junwan, Songhwa, and Seokhyeong" Ikjun excitedly introduced them to one another. "Thank you so much for accepting the offer Sunbaenim, although you are already really busy with studying and other activities. But I hope we can cooperate well and create a spectacular performance later on" Minha bows again for being thankful for the Lacking 5 available. 

As Ikjun, Songhwa, and Jeongwon continue talking with Minha, another person taps Minha's shoulder and whispers into her ear. "The meeting will be held shortly, Sunbaenim. Please have a seat as I greet the conductor first." Minha bids her dismissal and rapidly walks towards the other side of the room to the person who looks older than anybody in this room.

"I can see your eyes following someone" Seokhyeong grunted at his annoying friend, hearing his teases in a soft voice. "Mind your own business saekki ya" Seokhyeong replies back, which doesn't offend Ikjun slightly.

"If you are interested, I can formally introduce you to…" Instead of talking back, Seokhyeong only puts his hand on Ikjun's mouth and acts as if choking his friend.

Just then Seokhyeong completely stops what he's doing as he notices Minha sitting right back beside him. He coughs lightly and acts as if nothing happened while Minha is away. She can only faintly smile at how miserable yet funny Seokhyeong tries to act calm when she sees him quarreling with Ikjun as walking back to her seat. Finally, the first meeting the Lacking 5 attends begins.

Seokhyeong is enduring his flustered as he's sitting right next to the head project officer of this event, Chu Minha who's leading today's meeting. Although he's not the audience’s main focus, he can see and feel all the eyeballs directly heading toward him, causing him to feel cold sweat forming on his back. Seokhyeong tries to remain calm and gains his focus on the topic they are discussing, the special collaboration between the orchestra with Mido and Falasol.

"As some of the staff including myself attended the univ festival last month, we encountered Mido and Falasol’s performances which were unexpectedly highly praised at the event and became a hot topic amongst the university society. I immediately suggest collaborating with them. One of the main reasons is that music is a way to unite people despite the opposite from their studies or occupation which aligns with this year's concert theme. These sunbaenim deul are from medical school who became a band because of their interest in music regardless of studying tirelessly to become the top doctors in the future. Therefore, I would like to have this moment to introduce Mido and Falasol. Please give them a round of applause" The Lacking 5 suddenly became shy and dumbfounded for a moment, especially Seokhyeong feeling light headed. After formally introducing themselves to the other staff, the meeting continues discussing more serious topics.

"Alright, so far we'll stick with 3 songs with Mido and Falasol, and 1 encore song" Minha wraps up their discussion points. "If anyone wants to send their arrangements, please email me," Minha informs the rest of the audience.

"Is there anything else, Seonsaengnim?" Minha politely asked her lecturer as well as the conductor for this event. "I’m thinking of adding another song before transitioning with our collaborators. Who knows it can be played by our finest pianist with the pianist band" Seokhyeong widened his eyes, disbelieving that he was mentioned. Ikjun nudges Seokhyeong lightly, either trying to gain his friend’s focus or liking the idea a lot already.

"Ahh.. nae, Seonsaengnim. We can try to discuss that in the future" Minha tries to reply with a stable tone, taken aback by her teacher's idea. She then quickly ends the meeting, as it passes the time she promised at the beginning. Minha sits down and lets out a sigh, feeling beaten from standing and continuous talking throughout the meeting. Seokhyeong accidentally hears her expressing exhaustion, and somehow feels empathy for her.

"Chu Minha ssi" Seokhyeong unconsciously calls her name, making him and the owner of the name surprised. "Hmm… you did a good job earlier. Please take care of us in the future" He turns the chair facing Minha and slightly bows at her, as he has no other choice but to go forward in this conversation.

"Ahh, thank you Sunbaenim… please don't be too formal with me, I'm one year younger than Sunbaenim. Please take care of us as well, hmm… Sunbaenim" Minha changes her way of sitting politely and bows deeper than him while trying to remember his name.

"It's Yang Seokhyeong" He finally introduced himself correctly. It's better to be late than never he thought. "Ahh, nae Yang Seokhyeong Sunbaenim. Thank you for coming and see you soon when the practice schedule and music sheets are settled." Minha's bubbly voice touches Seokhyeong's heart, making him energized and restful at the same time.

Later that evening, Seokhyeong finishes his assessment and debt reading the journals when a notification comes in. "Seokhyeong ah, I'm about to put you into the concert performers group for further updates about the music scores and practice schedule with them" Seokhyeong reads Songhwa's text quickly and replies at the same time.

Seokyeong puts down his phone and tidies up the books and piles of papers, shuts down the computer, and cleans his desk. Before he walks away from the table, another notification vibrates on his phone.

"Hey Gomtaengi, since we are in the same group chat with other performers, I'll inform you that there's Minha as well."

"So I don't need to help you by sending her contact information."

"Good luck "

Seokhyeong just sighs, staring at the unnecessary message from Ikjun, and just leaves it without giving any reply.

Days later, news about the Lacking 5 performing again spread widely amongst the people, even to the teacher's ears at the medical school. The higher anticipation and attention the Lacking 5 receives, the more pressured and worried they become, especially Seokhyeong who wants to hide away from anyone for good. 

"Kyaa… do you guys know that people are talking about your next performance these days? You guys are basically a rising star right now," Kwanghyeong begins the topic while hanging around with the Lacking 5 before the next lecture starts. Ikjun responded to his classmate's comments in a funny way, earning loud feedback from around them. Seokhyeong only watches his closest friend being the main attraction to other people who pass by them. He started to feel lightheaded and cold sweat as people got closer to Ikjun, which basically made him also the center of the circle.

"I should get going," Seokhyeong whispers to Songhwa, needing to get away before everything becomes overwhelming for him. "Arraseo, take Jeongwon with you." Songhwa taps Jeongwon's arm, earning his attention to inform him about Seokhyeong. Naturally both of them are able to pass through the crowds and walk away while looking at Junwan and Songhwa calming Ikjun to climb down from the bench.

"What should I do? I'm easily getting cold sweat these days from nervousness" Seokhyeong and Jeongwon finally sit down in the peaceful garden, far away from the medical students. "Should we take down the offer then? I can't let you suffer more than this" Jeongwon puffs out his cigars, feeling sympathy with his childhood friend’s state.

"We can't, right? I don't want us to be framed unprofessionally by the whole university here. It will make everything worse" Seokhyeong sadly replied, even though he really wanted to drop out of the event. Just before Jeongwon can reply, a familiar voice echoes Seokhyeong’s mind.

"Annyeonghaseyo Sunbaenim, what a coincidence to meet here" Minha greets the medical students in such a lively tone. It's been a while since the last time both of them met, making it awkward for both parties. Yet to Seokhyeong, seeing and hearing her seems calming him down.

"Ahh, Sunbaenim, this is Jang Gyeoul from the art theory department. Gyeoul ah, this is Jeongwon Sunbaenim and Seokhyeong Sunbaenim, the Mido and Falasol members" Minha introduces a person who is hiding behind her. Jeongwon and Seokhyeong hear mumbling and whispers coming out from Minha and their new acquaintance.

"Ahh, of course, you know them. Uri Gyeoulie is also part of the concert crew as a stage decorator. She's a bit shy with new people, please note that Sunbaenim" Minha gives little information about her friend that Seokhyeong nor Jeongwon didn't ask for in the first place. Now, he understands why Ikjun called and talked to Minha casually the other day, they are quite similar.

"We should get going Sunbaenim, we don't want to disturb your resting time any longer. See you soon" Minha and Gyeoul bow and bid goodbye to the boys and continue walking their way. Jeongwon and Seokhyeong’s eyes continue to follow them wherever they go until Seokhyeong lets out a sigh and gets up.

"Kajja Jeongwon ah, the class is about to start" Seokhyeong turns his head at the un-responded friend. He watches his friend still tailing along with the girls they talked earlier with. Seokhyeong seems amused at his longest friend's quiet behavior. "Ahn Jeongwon, come on we are getting late" Seokhyeong waved his hand in front of his face, stealing his attention before running to the classroom.

After a month of waiting, they finally receive further information about the practice schedule and the music scores. The Lacking 5 sits down at the wooden table in Seokhyeong's basement and thoroughly checks the file together.

"So the songs are the ones we played before as we requested. Canon, Oh! What a Shiny Night, and Superstar. The encore is Butterfly, which we also knew…" Songhwa summarizes the whole thing after quickly scanning here and there.

"The performance day is on the 17th of December… The practice schedule with them is 10 times… I think we can manage it well" Songhwa smiles at the boys, feeling excited about the event. However, they heard a hard sigh coming out from Seokhyeong as he looked at his phone. "The conductor is really adding the duet piano song" The other Lacking 5 searches for the list of songs and finds Seokhyeong's name displayed there beside the familiar name, Chu Minha.

Seokhyeong puffs out his breath heavily, who knows how many times already as today is the first practice with other performers. Since Seokhyeong takes care of his nervousness, he doesn't realize that he arrived way too early at the practice hall. Instead of heading somewhere else, he unconsciously goes into the hall room. Seokhyeong slowly walks further away from the door as he hears one-by-one notes echoing throughout the room. He strolled along the stairs and towards the grand piano on the stage, eyeing someone with a pink color top playing the instrument stiffly.

"Oh Annyeonghaseyo Sunbaenim, you're here early" the person stands up and greets Seokhyeong. He's startled to be greeted after taking a few steps at the stage. "Sunbaenim must be surprised right? I have sensitive hearing, therefore I can hear your footsteps vividly." The person keeps rambling her words in one breath. "It's ok, Minha ssi…" Seokhyeong doesn't know what to say afterward, leading them to another awkwardness.

"Sunbaenim, have you practiced the songs already?" Minha tries to save them from the uncomfortable quietness between them, as she understands how shy he is, just like Gyeoul. "Ahh yes, we already practiced all of them. All it left is adjusting with you guys and cross-checking here and there" Seokhyeong explains the Lacking 5's progress. He sees an amazing expression exude from Minha's face as her reaction. "Daebak… even with heavy and tight coursework, sunbaenim-deul finish practice all of them. That's amazing"

Seokhyeong suddenly feels shy at Minha's high compliment. "Ahh nae, Thank you… we just used them as our regular practice the other day. Therefore we are able to learn them before today" Seokhyeong tries to clarify as it's not a big deal. Minha just nods her head, still amused by the fast progress they are making compared to the orchestra.

"We should speed ourselves then, so we can practice together efficiently" Seokhyeong only nodded his head, copied by Minha as well. Another silence between them, pushing Seokhyeong to continue talking "Minha ssi…"

"Nae?" Minha stares at Seokhyeong, who is fidgeting his fingers and quivering lips as if he’s thinking hard about something. But those aren’t her main focus, as she feels at ease to hear her name called from his voice, although it’s still in formal form. "Should we practice together for the duet?"

They spend time practicing and discussing the music sheet of their duet. "It should've been like this Sunbaenim" Minha plays the part beautifully, able to take his breath away while watching her in the zone playing the piece. It's been a while since he shared with someone else and sat closely on one piano. The last time he could remember was with Jieun a few years ago before she passed away. Now, he is doing it with an acquaintance or more preferably as a fellow pianist by now and who has no problem being this close with him.

"Isn't it much better to do it that way, Sunbaenim?" Seokhyeong shakes his head, finding himself daydreaming instead of paying attention to her playing the song. "Probably we can play our own style since I'm not fully a musician like you, Minha ssi" Seokhyeong suggested his idea.

"I think that’s a good idea, but we need to discuss this with the conductor, asking his advice on what kind of emotion and how we can elaborate more" Minha wrote down on the paper to remind her later on. Seokhyeong remains quiet and continues playing the song. Minha quickly keeps up, and plays them until the end. They startled simultaneously hearing applause and a few whistles after they finished the song. Seokhyeong suddenly feels nervous with an unexpected audience, causing him to produce cold sweat on his back and turn pale.

"Sunbaenim, are you alright?" Minha was startled to see Seokhyeong with a colorless face and a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. "I… uhmm… I'm… a bit mortified with people's reaction and attention… hmm…" Seokhyeong tried hard to explain with a stammering voice. He sees how worried Minha looks now, feeling guilty for making her sympathetic toward him. 

"It's alright Sunbaenim, just take a deep breath and slowly count from 1 to 10." Minha demonstrates first, hoping he will follow along. Strangely, her technique works efficiently and he is back in normal state "Thank you Minha ssi, but I think I can’t hold you any longer. Someone is waiting for you," Seokhyeong points towards the few people not far from them, waiting to steal her to discuss something else. Minha signals them and faces Seokhyeong again.

"Thank you Sunbaenim for the practice together. Hope we can do it again soon" By that Minha walks away towards the few staff waiting for her without waiting for any reply from him. Seokhyeong glued his stare along her figure until unable to see Minha in his sight. Little do he know that his words earlier affect her thoughts, developing a hunch that he wants to spend more time with her.

"I heard that Seokhyeong arrived here a bit early," Ikjun slurps in his ramyeon casually reporting his newest discovery. The other 3 look at Seokhyeong and are amazed by the news. "Well… I'm just here to practice the duet with Chu Minha" Seokhyeong looks at them sullenly while stirring his cup of ramyeon.

"So you initiate in the first place?" Songhwa's voice suddenly goes up, delighted by his clarification. "Since she was there when I arrived, I was trying to use time wisely by practicing together" Seokhyeong feels himself starting to blush at his friend's teasing since he rarely initiates anything before.

"Good job Gomtaengi"

"Keep the progress upwards"

"Ohh~ Nice~" All of them praise Seokhyeong for being social without them by his side. A sudden progress of their introverted friend.

After taking a short break, The lacking 5 watch the orchestra practice some of the songs seriously. Although it is not a full team yet able to amaze at how it turns out to be way better compared to the audio they listened the other day. After 2 hours of watching, they finally joined in practice. Seokhyeong walks his way to the piano and finds Minha still writing notes on her music paper. "Minha ssi…" Seokhyeong softly calls while tapping her shoulder, causing her to flinch in surprise. "Ohh Sunbaenim, sorry for blocking your way…"

"Anii, it's fine… you can sit there, but please scope along a little bit" Seokhyeong tries to act friendly despite the awkwardness lingers in him. Minha rapidly tidies up her stuff and is ready to walk to the side of the stage, when suddenly stopped by a hand holding her arm from going anywhere. "Sit with me, hmm?"

Minha is dumbfounded by his request and unconsciously nods her head. She feels her heart skips a beat when she sees a soft smile coming out from Seokhyeong and notices her arm suddenly feels cold once he releases his warm grip around her arm, and slowly fades away. He begins preparing his music sheets and adjusting himself to the piano. While waiting for Jeongwon to set up the drum, Seokhyeong takes a peek at Minha a couple of times. "You did well earlier" A soft voice enters her left ear, bringing a gentle rush to her nerves.

"Hmm… did I? It's my first time playing it fully. I barely have time to practice ever since the scores are out" Minha whispers back to Seokhyeong, slightly leaning on him. "Then you must be an excellent sight reading" Seokhyeong replied in an amazing tone with her fast learning ability.

"Aniyo Sunbaenim…" Minha becomes shy with his compliment, and she feels even more sheepish from sudden eyes directly looking in front of her "Hmm… you should go now, Minha ssi. I assume you are tired and need some rest" Seokhyeong looks at Minha's face closely, able to see symptoms of tiredness on her face.

Minha feels herself to have been bright red-faced with his intense yet worried stare. "I'm fine Sunbaenim. Besides, the conductor is here, how can I ditch him like that" Minha notices her voice cracks a little from nervousness, but luckily he doesn’t respond to it or rather play cool with it. 

“Arraseo, please don’t get yourself sick. Especially critical days to the concert” From that sentence, gives her some sort of strength and calmness that she didn’t know she needed. 

Another day passes by so quickly for Seokhyeong as he finds himself arriving at his room after undergoing a tough schedule today from preparing his internship, endless material to study, and selecting his top options for his specialty. There are many specialties he wants to pursue, but all he can choose is one. Although he can fit in another one, that could be problematic and stressful for him in the future. Nevertheless, he must make up his mind before everything becomes a deadline and end up choosing recklessly.

After having a quick shower, he takes his phone and lays down on his bed giving him a break before reading a few journals later on. While surfing on the internet, he receives a message from an unknown number.

“Annyeonghaseyo Sunbaenim, this is Chu Minha. Sorry to bother you, but is it possible for Sunbaenim to come to practice tomorrow? The conductor wants to see our duet song progression”

Seokhyeong lightly sighs, it's been 2 weeks since the last interaction with her yet her message is able to give him a smile on his face. On the other side, Minha takes a huge amount of air into her lungs and bites her lower lip, seeing Seokhyeong is online right now but doesn’t reply to her text for the last 2 minutes. She quickly types again, somehow worrisome for not responding and might have offended him.

“I’m sorry if I text you at this hour. It’s understandable if Sunbaenim already had an agenda for tomorrow. I’ll talk to the conductor about the absence”

She lets a huge amount of air from her lungs, unconsciously holding her breaths earlier. As she tries to calm herself, her phone vibrates indicating an incoming message.

“I’m sorry for the late reply, Minha ssi. I was checking my schedule for tomorrow. It looks like I’m able to be there. What time should I go?” He put a white lie there, as he was controlling his emotions and scrambled the sentences multiple times before pressing enter. He quickly reads the journals that he promised himself earlier and goes to sleep earlier than he planned.

The next morning, Seokhyeong arrived before the time he should have, again. If last time he came here with worries and nervousness, now he feels very excited to practice. There’s hidden happiness while on his way to the practice room. Seokhyeong quietly walks into the hall and finds out that someone is already there. With a lightweight step, he moves forward to the piano and curves a small smile to the person who plays the instrument beautifully.

“Annyeonghaseyo Sunbaenim”

“Annyeonghaseyo” Seokhyeong quickly prepares himself and sits on the piano chair beside Minha who’s already warming up. “I knew Sunbaenim would come early” Minha begins the conversation after he settles.

“Well… I assume we would practice together before the actual practice begins” Seokhyeong replied cheerfully yet carefully, making Minha feel his bright mood that was completely different from the last time they met. “Ahh… have you eaten yet?” His question surprised her, as it was a personal and out of the blue one. “I rarely have breakfast. How about you, Sunbaenim?”

“Why did you skip breakfast? You should at least fill something for your digestion” Seokhyeong changed his tone to worriedness surprising her once again. “Don’t worry about that… Sunbaenim… I’ve always been like this since my school days. So, probably my body is already used to it” Minha explains rapidly in one breath, causing him to be less worried and amused at the same time.

“Thank you for worrying me, Sunbaenim” Seokhyeong froze from what he just heard, slowly turned his head to his right, and returned looking at his hand in shyness. “Hmm… hmm… you're welcome. I think… it’s my… habit of asking about people’s condition since my study asking about their health. Uhum… let’s begin practice shall we?” Without further ado, Seokhyeong tries to change their topic and gain his focus on the music sheet.

The practice went really well, being able to play them thoroughly without a slight mistake for the first time. Unconsciously, they celebrate it by high five and suddenly freeze as it’s the first time they touch directly to the skin.

“I… um… good job Minha ssi, we did well” Seokhyeong stuttered from the earlier contact. “Op… Sunbaenim too… did a good job. Hmm… now we must improve it more” Minha was still fazed with the touch, and tried to compose herself quickly from slipping out of informal form.

“Should we… become more casual? It’s becoming awkward to be called Sunbaenim all the time”

“Nae?” Minha is dumbfounded by his suggestion and didn't see that coming at all. Just before Minha can answer, the conductor arrives earlier than the scheduled, causing them to be startled by his appearance. 

“We should run through the duet then while waiting for the others, Minha ssi?” The firm yet flat tone from the conductor gave Minha to keep in her toe. Even Seokhyeong is stern by his strict aura, similar to his own father.

“Again” The conductor repeats the same word for unknown times, giving the two pianists a rough time. “It should be softer here. Think of it as if you are falling in love. You become gentle with it, there’s a sense of wanting to cherish and protect it. Again” Even with further explanation, both of them still have a hard time expressing what the conductor wants, causing him to stop them multiple times.

“You two… have you guys fallen in love? I’m sure you do, it’s impossible not to” The conductor begins his monologue while massaging his temple hard, feeling stressed with the player. “That’s your homework from now, ok? It needed to be given the message correctly since only you two play it. Now everyone…” Seokhyeong and Minha sigh heavily at the same time, feeling a huge burden placed on their shoulders. Somehow this specific emotion request from the conduct is quite a challenge for them as they seem to be confused with how to express it.

While Minha continued practicing with the rest of the orchestra, she scanned any trace of Seokhyeong’s existence in the room. But she assumed that Seokhyeong had already left the place. As time goes by, the practice is finally over and Minha feels her energy drained to the last drop. She slowly tidies up her papers and spots Seokhyeong’s music sheets, probably because he must have wanted to run away from the conductor asap that he accidentally left them. Minha just sighs and continues packing up her belongings along with his. While saying goodbye to the others, she continues her next agenda which is a small meeting with the staff for a quick update so far. Since there is so much to do in the production and management parts, Minha is making sure everything comes together at this point. 

After sorting out the problems and the drama part, she isn't aware that it’s already in the afternoon and realizes she skipped her lunch. No wonder she’s starving right now. As she walks out of the practice room, she spots a familiar figure sitting in the hallway while reading something on his tablet.

“Oh Sunbaenim, why are you still here?” Minha walks her way to the person happily, somehow feeling energized right now “I was waiting for you since I am aware you need some booster from a hard battle earlier” Minha giggles about how he mentioned the practice earlier. Seokhyeong hands out a plastic bag containing various foods he could think of. “Omoo! Tteokbokki!!” He chuckles seeing Minha’s facial expression in surprise with wide eyes and mouth open. Minha slightly gasps, scanning the rest of the dishes she receives.

“Thank you so much Sunbaenim” Minha said with a small voice, feeling grateful for his kindness. “But this is a bit too much for me. Care to join in with me, Sunbaenim?” Seokhyeong raises his eyebrows in surprise, then lets out a soft smile and nods his head.

“Hmm… this is sooo gooodd” Minha scrunching her face in a delighted mood, feeding herself to the fullest. Seokhyeong looks at Minha with glee, happy to see Minha in good mood and eating well. They sit on the highest floor in the building with a beautiful scene of the sunset and avoiding people. “Sunbaenim, you should eat too” Minha reminds Seokhyeong again.

“I already ate, I brought this just for you.” Seokhyeong softly replied, looking away at the golden view that he was amazed by. Minha isn’t satisfied with his answer, therefore she tries to force him. He tilts his head, then chuckles at how persistent Minha is trying him to eat. Without any choice, Seokhyeong opens his mouth and eats the spoonful with gusto. “That’s good, although it’s already cold. I should’ve brought it just before you finish practicing”

“Oh? How long did Sunbaenim wait then?” Minha begins to be curious about his words. “I bought it after I left the room, I thought that you’ll be gone before I arrived so I quickly went back to the room. But found out that you already practice without taking a break” Minha is touched by his effort to bring the food that she didn’t expect. “I once again want to say thank you so much Sunbaenim I should repay you soon…”

“Anii, you don’t have to. See it as a present for your hard work till this day” Minha feels softened again by his words, and tries feeding him again. Seokhyeong grins at her cuteness and receives it happily.

“You shouldn’t accompany me all the way here, Sunbaenim. I’m worried about burdening you too much today” They slowly walked down the alley toward Minha’s accommodation. She’s somehow confused yet comfortable by his company, having no idea that someone who she thought avoided any kind of social interaction except his closest friend is taking her home. “It’s ok, besides I’m more worried if you walk by yourself at this hour” Seokhyeong looks at Minha with an assured face.

“It’s still 7 pm, it’s not even late yet Sunbaenim. I always arrive at my room around 10 or 11 pm” Seokhyeong is dumbfounded, but understands as he also goes home around 10 pm. “Then I must be exaggerating it then, sorry” Seokhyeong looks sullen with his action right now, causing Minha to regret what she said.

“Aniyo, Sunbaenim. It’s nice though. It’s been a long time since someone has accompanied me and made sure I’m home. Thank you Sunbaenim” Seokhyeong giggles at how Minha is able to change his mood drastically from worried, regretful, and now blushing in mere seconds. Although they walk at the slowest pace they finally arrive at Minha’s building. Minha starts to feel sad about being apart from Seokhyeong, same goes for him.

“Go inside, and have plenty of rest. You’ve worked hard today” Seokhyeong bids his goodbye with his gentle voice. He sees how her body sways side by side softly and looks down to the ground, “Sunbaenim, can I casually call you one time?” Her question is able to make Seokhyeong take back in amusement. He slowly nodded in agreement and waited to see her next move.

“Thank you for accompanying me, Oppa.” The way he hears her calling him is like showering with gallons of sweet honey to his heart and ear “And please go home safe too, Oppa” The second time she calls him, he feels thousands of butterflies swimming around in his body giving him a new wave of emotion that he almost forgot. Minha sees how Seokhyeong reacts, smiling sheepishly and scratching his head lightly, causing her to blush as well.

“Arraseo, Oppa will get going then, goodnight Minha ya” It's her turn to be taken by surprise and fazed by the way her name sounds in his voice. Somehow it fits perfectly like a classical piece of music, able to take her away to magnificent scenery just like the sunset they shared.

Weeks went by in a blink of an eye, as Seokhyeong and Minha met regularly through practice days as usual. However, they were unable to spend time together alone like before as they focused on their own after the practice ended. But the good thing is that they still spend time together by sitting on one bench, observing each other practicing and talking, or more likely whispering to each other during the session.

Seokhyeong has been on standby at the university clinic for the past two weeks now. He becomes worried as the day to the concert gets closer each day, and he isn't able to practice again for a week. Seokhyeong cross-checks his schedules and other appointments for the big day, trying to fit in time to practice alone or with the other Lacking 5. As he almost finishes the timetable, a few voices can be heard at the entrance. 

"Female, 22 years old, fainted while walking to her class. From the quick exam, slightly pale face and sweats heavily, possibly due to exhaustion." Seokhyeong eavesdrops on the summary of the patient's condition.

"Is she on her cycle?" His colleague asks the guardian. "Not sure, but she has been busy for the past few days. Probably that's the issue" Seokhyeong barely catches what the patient's acquaintance says. Even though he is curious, he must remain seated and out of his colleague's way.

"Yang Seokhyeong Seonsaeng. Please take some exams for the patient, I've been called by Kim Gyosu" Seokhyeong just nodded his head and prepared the essential equipment. He walks to the patient's bed while gaining his focus and awakeness.

"Let me check a few…" Seokhyeong freezes as he sees someone he misses lying down on the bed.

Minha slowly opens her eyes and blinks a couple of times to adjust to the light that shines bright above her. As starting to gain consciousness, she begins frowning her eyebrows looking at the unfamiliar ceiling, and hearing several faint voices. She moves her eyesight around, guessing where she is.

"Chu Minha ssi, do you feel any pain? Do you want something?" An unfamiliar person starts asking questions after she's awake, and Minha can only reply with a head shake.

"How long was I here?" Minha with her hoarse voice asks. She remembered that she was on her way to the classroom when suddenly everything went black.

"You were treated around 9 am and now it's almost 10 pm, so above 12 hours." The person explains while checking her chart. Minha sighs faintly, disbelieving that she passed out that long.

The staff clinic excuses herself and leaves Minha alone. She closed her eyes, still feeling tired although slept more than she usually had. A few minutes pass, and she senses someone coming near her. "Excuse me, but I want… oh Sunbaenim, annyeonghaseyo"

Minha is red-faced to be seen in this state by a person she misses since the last time they met since the person was unable to attend several practice sessions. She looks at his face radiant with indescribable emotion, making her worried. He walks closer to her and slightly bent down, decreasing the distance between their faces. "Are you ok? Do you still have cramps? Or still feeling tired?"

Seokhyeong's sweet voice enters her sense of hearing. Instead of answering his question, she suddenly burst into tears causing him to be confused and panic simultaneously. She whines even harder, breaking the clinic's quietness.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying? Are you in pain?" Seokhyeong randomly asked her questions, flustered by the scene. "Do you want female staff to take care of you?"

"Aniiyo… Sunbaenim…. I just… want to cry… Don't call anyone" Minha replied in between her tears, leading Seokhyeong into more confusion. "Nae?" In the end, Seokhyeong accompanies her until she runs out of tears.

With the energy she has preserved, Minha walks to the administration to check out and pay any kind of bill she has. As she receives the medicine and instruction to rest for a couple of days, she frowns upon hearing the words coming from the staff "Your bill has already been paid"

The person points somewhere, and Minha follows the direction of a person standing outside the clinic with a long gray jacket and holding a brown-looking jacket in his arms and an umbrella on his other arm. Minha lets out a faint smile seeing Seokhyeong looking like waiting for her.

"Sunbaenim, why are you still here?" Seokhyeong turns around and lets out a soft smile looking at the person who he sees as different from the time Minha passed out. Without replying to her words, he gently helps Minha to put on the jacket he's been holding on and makes sure she's comfortable and warm. "Let's go, let me take you home"

No words are exchanged throughout the journey, either it's better to spend the time quietly or they have no topics to talk about. Or maybe, Minha who usually initiates the conversation between them is more focused on how their hands entwine perfectly. She feels how his hand radiates warmth as if he's hugging her tight, how his thumb gently rubs the skin he can reach, and how he makes them close to each other. Minha abruptly stops walking as his voice breaks the silence. "We are here, Minha ya"

Minha looks around her and sure enough, they arrive right in front of her place. She was amused that Seokhyeong remembered precisely and was able to lead her home. "Take a good rest and eat plenty of delicious food, hm? You must drink the medicine I prescribed, ok?" Seokhyeong smiles at the way her brows wrinkle, almost joining them into one line.

"I'm the one taking care of you and prescribing your medicine earlier. So basically, I'm your doctor now and you're my patient. I'm making sure you'll be bright and healthy again, if you follow my instructions, ok?" 

Minha is speechless right now, because of this person's kindness and warmth to her. As if she's a precious person in his eyes. "Oppa, can I hug you?" Minha requests with the softest voice she can, feeling overwhelmed and grateful. Seokhyeong carefully steps forward, wipes out the tears coming out on her face, and nods softly as well. Later on, he finds his arms wrapping around her entire back, making sure that the cold didn't touch her. He also feels her arms starting to crawl up to his shoulder and firmly grips the jacket. He sometimes patted her hair faintly, causing her to snuggle even closer to his neck, ending up with him tightening the hug until no space was left between them.

It’s D-7 until the concert day, and everybody is busy preparing to practice, except Minha. After a long and fierce debate last night, Seokhyeong was able to order Minha to rest this weekend, which means not present for today's event. He tries to hold back from arguing with the conductor as he watches the person flare up knowing Minha's absence. "Hey, the pianist from the band"

Seokhyeong looks up while controlling his facial expression by sending sharp arrows to the conductor. "Back up the piano for today, or even better to start practicing some of the music in case that student collapses again at the D-1 concert. God… this is stressing me out…" Seokhyeong plainly replied, approving the conductor's order. The Lacking 5 watches how Seokhyeong behaves trying to compose himself from talking back and being aggressive toward the conductor. They are even surprised that he accepted the tough request.

All of them take back how Seokhyeong smoothly plays the pieces almost perfectly as if he is part of the orchestra. Little do they know that Seokhyeong watches and listens to Minha play the music since the first day of practicing together, earning him the ability to pick up easily on his own. "For the piano…" Everybody turns their attention to today's pianist.

"You did well despite it being your first time playing them. I'm quite surprised. Probably we should change the pianist from Minha to you after performing the duet song. Hope that's approved by the project officer." Seokhyeong frowns as he somehow hears a soft snort coming out from the conductor. Maybe he's just being sensitive with that person and hating everything he does.

As Minha is chatting with other performers who attend today's practice, a phone call comes in from someone she didn't expect. "Annyeonghaseyo Sunbaenim, is there something wrong?" She is indeed surprised and confused that Seokhyeong calls her at this hour. And it's their first time talking on the phone. " Minha ya, Did I interrupt your resting? I'm just going to hand over tteokbokki for you."   Instead of going to his room, Seokhyeong arrives in front of Minha's accommodation with food he brought along the way after finishing the practice. Even himself are dumbfounded at how he ended up here rather than going home and resting.

"Hmm Minha ya, are you there? It's ok if you don't want to…" Just before he finishes his sentence, the door in front of him opens. He sees Minha on the other side with the cute bunny pajamas she is wearing. "Come in Oppa, you must be tired now. Why bother coming here rather than going home, hmm?"

Seokhyeong was astonished at Minha taking the food away from his hand and didn't bother to look at him a single time. "Are you going to stare at that and not at me Minha ya?" She moves her sight toward him and giggles at how he looks sullen being ignored. "Aigoo Oppa, do you need my attention as well? Come here then and have tteokbokki with me" Both of them giggled at how lively their conversations were.

"Jinjja? The conductor told you that?" Seokhyeong nods while chewing the tteok in his mouth. At first, Minha doesn't believe what her colleagues told her that she's only to play half of the music lists and the rest to Seokhyeong. But hearing it in person shocked her brain. All her sleepless nights training her muscles to memorize the pieces crashing down into nothing.

"But don't worry Minha ya, I'll help you to get your rights as the pianist of the orchestra. Maybe he was just mesmerized by how good I was playing the songs" Seokhyeong bragged to himself proudly, but only earning a laugh from her. "Being arrogant isn't you Oppa, it looks utterly awkward" Seokhyeong goes red-faced from her teasing.

Even though the food is already empty, neither of them wants to say goodbye now. Seokhyeong looks around the interior of her room, which is simple yet it has a charm to it. While Minha just stares at him, tracing the details of his upper body. "Oppa, do you want to practice the duet?" Seokhyeong switches his focus to Minha and smiles slightly. "Ok, let's go."

Hours fly away as they continue sharing the piano together to practice. Seokhyeong also shares the notes and demonstrates the changes from other songs, and Minha quickly adapts to them. They finally ran through all the song lists in less than 3 hours. Since there's nothing to do left, he prepares his leave " I should probably get going then…" Suddenly a lighting streak appears, and within seconds a heavy rain crashes down as if the world won't allow them to be apart just now. "Or not…" 

Minha smiles as her hot chocolate finally arrives after waiting and seeing Seokhyeong wandering here and there to prepare them. He also makes himself an iced americano and sits down beside her, facing towards the windows with a blurry scene outside due to pouring rain. "Oppa, why did you choose medical school?"

Seokhyeong turns his head towards Minha who's looking out the window, calling him casually. He turns his head to the window and puts down his cup. "It originated from being away from business or economy my father forced me to pursue. But now, I just want to help people with my ability." Minha just nods her head faintly hearing his short story. It looks like he has some issues with his father. "How about you Minha ya? Why do you attend music school?"

He looks at her again and meets her stares as she looks at him. "I want to be a musical theater and movie songwriter since I want to elaborate people's feelings through music while watching" Seokhyeong was amused at her dream since he never thought about it at all. "You'll be a fantastic one, I'm certain about it" He carefully reaches out his hand towards her and softly cherishes them. Minha smiles hearing him support her goal and making their hands clasp together. Later on, they quietly enjoy the calmness and hear the sound of the rain while entwining their hands tightly.

The day after tomorrow, Minha arrives at the university to begin her day after resting well just like her personal doctor told her. As morning changes into the afternoon, Minha prepares herself to focus on handling the concert. Since the concert is D-5, they have little time to practice and sort things out. Luckily, through the time of her absence, the staff goes under control and even ahead of their schedule. Right now, the orchestra is undergoing practice with high focus, as the conductor becomes fiercer if one note is incorrect. Whereas the Lacking 5 will arrive later in the early evening, as they still have afternoon classes.

Minha finally sees the members of the Lacking 5 coming into the room and quickly preparing themself. Minha is almost mesmerized by the style of the medical students with formal clothes and hairstyles neatly. She almost has a heart attack as she spots Seokhyeong walking towards her in a cream-top button shirt and black suit pants. His hair is still the same without styling, but that doesn't reduce his dashing appearance. 

"Minha ya…" Even the way he calls her turns into a masculine tone in her ears, or maybe that's her imagination. "Are you ok? You look red" Minha shakes her head, as her daydream turns hotter than it should be, earning her red face in embarrassment. "Aniyo Oppa. Just ignore me" Seokhyeong lifts his eyebrow, and notices how odd she is right now. He let her be and focus on practicing the songs. 

"I think that is left for the duet, I let you two have a 10-minute break. I assume everyone else can go home now. And I would like to give an off day practice tomorrow until this Friday. Please take a rest for the remaining days. Good work everyone" After the conductor gives orders, everyone packs their belongings and quickly leaves in happy mode, except for the pianists. Seokhyeong hangs out with the Lacking 5 before they leave.

"I think we will do well in the performance, right?" Ikjun begins their mini conversation, while everybody is preparing to leave. "I think so… ahh, don't forget the outfit. Suit and bow tie for men, so start looking for the bow tie all of you" Songhwa reminds them as she puts on her backpack.

"I have just enough for us at home. But the question is, when do I have time to go home" Seokhyeong drinks up his water bottle until the last drop. Then, Junwan starts filling in his water. "I want to lose some weight from my bag, and it looks like you're thirsty" Seokhyeong just narrows his eyes and stared soullessly at Junwan.

"Don't worry, I can go there. Just tell me where you put it." Jeongwon volunteers to help his childhood friend. "It's in my parent's room Jeongwon ah. It will be easier if my parents are at home" Jeongwon is taken aback by the answer and begins busying himself to head back home. "So we will see you tomorrow then Seokhyeong. Good luck and take care Minha for me" 

Ikjun bids his annoying goodbye, earning the other abominations with their vocalist's words except for Seokhyeong. "Arraseo, just go home you guys" With a little push from Seokhyeong, they finally walk out of the room.

"Do you think our Gom has fallen for the project officer?" Songhwa whispers to Ikjun after walking out of the building. "100% I'm sure he does. Don't you see how he changed? He's really into her" Ikjun, with his giddy smile, replied back.

At last, another day of practice ends, with a slight smile on the conductor's face. "It looks like you two already figure out what falling in love feels like. Good work and keep it up till the D day. Let's call it a night" The pianists bid their goodbye to the conductor and hurriedly pack their bags to go home.

Seokhyeong rushes toward Minha, who has been quiet throughout the rest of the practice. Her unusual behavior tickles his curiosity and wanting to know the problem this instant. "Did something bad happen before I came here?" Seokhyeong holds her arm firmly, causing her to get hotter with the touch.

"Anii… nothing is wrong with the practice" Minha softly replied with her head bowing down. She isn't ready to see his face closely or be near his presence. "Did I do something that makes you uncomfortable?" Seokhyeong asked again, but with a softer voice compared to the last one. His voice earned him the ability to see Minha's face covered in red color, all the way to her ears and neck. He stops gazing down any further and quickly looks away to the window.

"Yes… you making me uncomfortable Oppa" Minha's honest reply amused him, not thinking that he was the problem for her quietness. "The way Oppa looks tonight makes me uncomfortable." Seokhyeong scans his outfit, seeing nothing weird from it. "Oppa should know that I'm weak when seeing someone with this style… It makes me nervous. Mianhae Oppa, if I sounded like a freak"

Seokhyeong was amused once again by how honest she is now. "It's fine Minha ya. You don't look weird to me. I wear this because I had a presentation with the others, so that's why I must wear it like this" Minha remains silent after hearing his words. She looked at him one last time and stopped as she landed on a pair of his eyes staring at her.

"Kajja, let me take you home Minha ya" Seokhyeong softly says and offering his hand to her, which she accepts it trembling. Just like before, no words can be heard throughout the journey. 

"Oppa, I have a question"

After taking her time, she finally takes the courage to start the conversation. Seokhyeong paused the walk and faced her, who is still shy seeing his face. "What's your plan after the concert ends?" Seokhyeong tilted his head, hearing an unexpected question from her. He hums lightly, somehow feeling nervous all of sudden. "Probably thinking about the specialties I want to take and preparing for the exam. Why? Do you have something in your mind?"

Minha takes a peek at his face but is still not brave enough to look even longer. "I was wondering how and when I can see Oppa after the concert ends. Will Oppa still take me home like this? Or straight away being apart from each other?" Minha pauses her speech, feeling emotional all of sudden.

"Mianhae Oppa, from being too emotional today. I'm feeling like… I want to be close to you after the show ends. Maybe I'm just too comfortable being with Oppa for the past 3 months" She can feel her tears falling, adding drama to this moment. Minha shakes her head, not wanting a stream of her tears to flow down even more. But she landed her eyes on his face.

A whole new facial expression she never saw before, his brows frowning low, his eyes glistening with emotion as well, and a faint smile on his lips. Minha can't tell if he is happy or sad right now. As he steps forward closing the gap between them, she gasps looking at small white dots floating above them. "Oppa, it's snowing"

Seokhyeong glanced up and sure enough, white snowflakes softly falling down. He was bemused as it was the first snow of the year, and he got to share this special time with someone beside him. Seokhyeong looks down, tracing her face thoroughly, how her honest eyes look at the snowflakes one by one, cheeks blushing from the cold air, and her plum lips with a little gap between them.

"If you want to watch them, you should probably head back inside. Look at you, your face is all red" Seokhyeong slightly squishy on her face, giving her a loud squeal as a response. "Come and watch the snow with me Oppa" Seokhyeong shakes his head at her invitation, earning her to pout her lips slightly.

"I have papers to deal with. We can do it some other time" Although Minha is aware that there's little time left for them, she fully trusts and holds his words in her heart.

Two days later, they met again through the touch-up rehearsal making sure that everything went smoothly. Even though Minha is working extra hard right now, she can't let off her worries about Seokhyeong who's been quiet since before the practice began. He becomes even more silent when the conductor scolds him for missing some of the chords. Minha really wants to talk to him, but she feels like everyone is looking for her to discuss things or inform her about something.

Although the conductor really wants to haul off the coals to Seokhyeong, he must save his and the performer's energy for tomorrow's event. "I assume we need to rest properly for the show, especially Yang Seokhyeong, I dismiss the practice now…" Seokhyeong didn't hear the rest of the words coming from the conductor as he was really trying to control his nervousness. Then, a soft texture lays above his hand and gives a little squeeze. He looks at Minha, the owner of the hand above him, focusing on the conductor's instruction and words. 

"Seokhyeong ah, are you alright?" Songhwa dashes toward the piano area where Seokhyeong remains seated while everyone is packing up. Jeongwon arrives next and immediately squats down in front of him. "Your illness is coming back right?" Minha is shocked when hearing the drummer's question.

"Is he sick?" Junwan arrived 3rd, folding his hands around his chest, empathizing with his friend's condition. "Hmm, looks like those 4 illnesses come too early" Minha begins to panic hearing their conversation, and immediately touches his hands. "Oppa, are you really ok?" 

The other Lacking 5 is taken by surprise by Minha calling him and doing skinship in front of them. It looks like something between them behind their back all this time. "Is nothing too serious, Chuchu. His home-based person, self-isolate, social phobia, and what's the last one…" 

"A coward"

"Yep, that one relapsed . He self-diagnoses it, so don't be too worried." The tiki-taka between Ikjun and lifeless Seokhyeong confuses Minha even more.

"What should we do?" Minha gets more worried as she sees cold sweat on his neck. "It's fine Minha ya, you should head back home, ok?" Seokhyeong looks at Minha, trying his best to look fine although he knows he has failed miserably.

"Arraseo Oppa, I should pack my bags. Should I do yours as well, Oppa?"

"It's alright Minha ssi, we can take care of him" Songhwa calms her down, with an insurance smile.

"Don't forget ChuChu, we are medical students." Ikjun joins in as well. With a heavy heart, Minha bid her goodbye and settled other things for tomorrow.

"We can talk about this after the concert, ok? I really need to sleep now" Seokhyeong stares at his friends surrounding him. All of them just nod and help him to head home.

After taking a hot and long shower, Seokhyeong was able to calm down for a moment. He checks his outfit and things for tomorrow when a phone call comes in. “Ohh Minha ya, why did you call?”

“Mianhae Oppa, I’m just making sure you’re ok right now.” Minha's worried voice enters his ear. Seokhyeong inhales a large amount of air and faintly smiles. “I’m fine Minha ya. Maybe I was too worried about tomorrow’s performance.” He replies with a firm voice, trying to convince her. Then, the silence between them as they only hear their breathing through the phone. Neither of them wants to end the call yet doesn’t know what to talk about.

“Oppa…”

“Hmm Minha ya”

“Don’t worry about tomorrow, ok? Just imagine someone who can make you calm and energize Oppa at the same time. By that, I’m sure Oppa can be less nervous when performing, you got it?” The way she gives him advice is somehow able to picture someone who really can give both emotions at the same time.

“Gomawo for your advice Minha ya” Minha smiles slightly, feeling relief to hear his voice in a much better state. Then, another silence between them, hearing just their normal breaths through the line.

“You should get some more sleep Minha ya. Tomorrow it’s your big day” Seokhyeong started to bid her goodbye. “It’s Oppa’s big day as well too. Don’t make me feel that I’m working all this by myself. Oppa also contributes a big part to this event.” Minha’s tired voice started to come up.

“Arraseo, it will be our big day tomorrow then. So goodnight Minha ya” Seokhyeong lay comfortably on his bed. He can hear some kind of bedsheet sound coming from her side as well. “Goodnight to you too Oppa, see you tomorrow”

Minha with her unconscious self, finally turns off the alarm from her phone. With a little stretch, while still laying down on her bed, she forcefully picks herself up and gets ready for today’s concert. After a quick shower and applying light makeup on her face, she is ready to head out to the concert hall. But then, she froze and tilted her head in confusion as she spotted a familiar figure right in front of her accommodation door. “Oh, Oppa!? Why are you here?”

Seokhyeong turns his body and greets her with a faint smile. He takes a few steps and lifts the items that she’s carrying in her hands. “I’m helping you of course. I am aware that you need a ride to the location while holding this stuff. Come on, I brought my car with me. Let’s go”

She trails along behind him while controlling her surprise at his appearance earlier. Her amusement continues as she sees the car he is driving and is aware that it is a costly brand. “Come on Minha ya, you’ll be freezing cold just standing there.” Seokhyeong watches Minha just standing with a wide distance between them. After putting her belongings at the back of the car, Seokhyeong escorts her to the co-pilot seat and quickens his footsteps to the other side of the car.

“I made some tea and biscuits that I found at my house, feel free to consume them to warm you up. You need some energy in the morning.” Seokhyeong buckles up his seat belt and is ready to turn on the engine when it suddenly stops as he feels a lightweight on his arm. “Why don’t we take some time now Oppa? It will be too early to arrive at the concert hall. Have some tea with me Oppa” Minha’s voice halts him, causing to malfunction in his body. He just realized that there’s a person, specifically a woman in his car beside his mother or the lacking 5. Her voice echoes not only in his eardrums but in a space where there are only two of them. Well, it’s not their first time being alone but the previous ones are in public areas and in Minha’s room. Now, they are in his territory.

After spending a pleasant morning with drinks and light snacks, Seokhyeong drives them to the concert hall for tonight’s event. He swiftly turns off the car and lets out a light sigh. Neither of them prepared to head out or talk to each other, just simply taking their time before busy with their own problems.

“Good luck for today Minha ya. Don’t get too tired before the concert starts. If you need some place to sleep, just let me know and I can adjust my car for it.” Minha turns her head to the driver seat, seeing how this person somehow changes her life and feeling grateful for it. 

“Oppa too, don’t be too nervous and enjoy performing later. I’ll see you later Oppa” Seokhyeong widely smiles and nods his head. Then, they prepare themselves and drown with their own stuff.

“Oh Seokhyeong ah… did you bring the bow?” Ikjun with a crumpled face calls him just after he steps inside the men’s changing room. “It’s still in my car along with my suit” Seokhyeong currently wears a purple hoodie and casual gray pants. He wears them for own comfort and does not want Minha to be pressured like the last time. He seems to be the last one to arrive as the boys are already here.

“Seokhyeong ah, do you feeling good right now?” Jeongwon with worried eyes scanning his childhood facial. “Surprisingly, I feel fine, not like last night. Perhaps I’m mentally ready today.” Seokhyeong replies firmly and in fact adding a confident smile at the end, earning his friend’s gesture to relax and sigh lightly. “That’s a relief. Keep up this spirit till the end” Jeongwon pat Seokhyeong’s shoulder and exit himself to have some cigar with Ikjun. While waiting for the time, he set himself to study and chose his future specialty into 2 options.

Time slips away quickly that his study is being cut off by a call for sound checking as the concert begins in less than 3 hours. Seokhyeong confidently walks to the piano where Minha is already sitting with a different outfit. “It seems that you change already”

Minha startled from the whisper coming through her left ear. She stares at Seokhyeong and reply back “It seems that Oppa still wearing the same outfit since this morning” Seokhyeong feeling embarrassed about it, as he scans the room that everybody is already getting changed up. 

“I recently just finished studying earlier that I didn’t look at the time. Mianhae Minha ya, I’ll change immediately after this…”

“Oppa still able to study at this time? Such a hard worker.” Minha accidentally cuts him off, feeling amazed with him.

“Hey pianists” Both of them go silent as the conductor calls them.

“You two can have your date later after the show ends. But for now, I need your attention and focus on this. Especially Minha who easily gets sick, and Seokhyeong who played awful yesterday. Right…” The conductor was still being mean at this time, but both of them bothered to respond. Just as Seokhyeong said, he went straight back to the car to pick up his suit and change up. He didn’t forget the bow tie for his friends and returned to the backstage. 

With the show starting in less than one hour, Minha begins the final check through the entire rundown. After making sure everything is perfect, begins her makeup and prepares the last bits. She reads the opening speech as the head project officer, making sure things are excellent.

“Minha ya…” The soothing voice dispersed her focus and unconsciously turned towards Seokhyeong. “Mind to take photos with us?” He points out that with the other Lacking 5 members behind him, Minha smiles widely at the offering, covering up her disappointment to take pictures with him only.

After a couple of poses, they quickly check the result. All of them laughed at how funny each other’s poses were. “Let’s take turns taking photos with our project officer, while all of us are dashing and beautiful” Ikjun steps away and grabs his phone from his other friend. Songhwa quickly catches what he meant and pulls Junwan and Jeongwon away, leaving Seokhyeong and Minha standing beside each other.

“Uri Gom and Chuchu, smile at the camera” Ikjun begins clicking away, not wanting to miss a pose from his cupid target. Seokhyeong and Minha naturally pose and try to candid, earning cute pictures and giggles from the rest of the Lacking 5.

After the photos, Seokhyeong remains standing close to Minha, trying to be supportive before the show begins. “Don’t forget to smile, ok? You got this” MInha nods her head firmly, feeling her energy rise up from his voice. “I’ll see you later then” Seokhyeong nods his head now, knowing it’s showtime.

Everything went smoothly just like the rundown and the countless simulations before. Seokhyeong started to feel his hand moist and continued wiping it off. He tries to stay focused, not letting his unique self diagnose illness concour him now. He listens once again about the sequence from the staff, as he will be the first member in Mido and Falasol appearing on stage.

“You’ve got this Gom” Ikjun shaking Seokhyeong’s shoulder to give him strength, followed by the other soft voices cheering each other.

“Thank you for allowing this to happen guys, it was out of what I expected” Seokhyeong smiles warmly, feeling grateful for being friends. All of them smile back and do a small enchantment just before Seokhyeong’s turn entering the stage.

Seokhyeong takes a deep breath and confidently walks onto the stage. His eyes directly look at Minha’s form, knowing it’s his calmness. Minha moves slightly, giving space for Seokhyeong to sit down. Both of them exchange glances and smiles, ensuring each other before performing their duet song. The song started at the lower notes by Seokhyeong, opening the story gloomy. Few bars afterwards, Minha comes in with a higher case resembling a new light into the song. Their duet escorts the video that is being displayed on the screen for the viewers. Slowly the tempo speeds up and lively tunes echoing the concert hall, bringing a joy of falling in love to the audience's ears and eyes from the short video. At last, the song ends as the two people on the video are together forever in marriage. Immediately Seokhyeong and Minha hear a massive applause from the audience, making them blush and quickly bow deeply in gratitude.

The concert continues with Mido and Falasol as well as the orchestra performing their collaboration. Ikjun as all ways, giving a good on stage act earning an enjoyable response from the audience. Seokhyeong somehow savored this moment as well, playing the piano at ease. This is what Minha’s favorite moment throughout the concert, hearing him singing his part of the song and exuding his charm. She couldn’t hold her joy anymore and cherish it in her deepest memory cord.

Finally the curtains close meaning that the concert has finished. All the performers were screaming and congratulating each other, able to release those stresses for the past few months. Minha was being dragged here and there for congratulating, taking photos with her, and simply chit-chatting. There are some medias interviewing her about the concert, and all of this were Seokhyeong’s eyeing on her whereabouts.

“You should stand by her side if you want” Ikjun once again to Seokhyeong. But to his amusement, he watches Seokhyeong walk straight away and try to hold some of the flowers from her hands.

“Never ever thought Seokhyeong could be boyfriend material. Just look at him making Minha comfortable talking to her friends” Songhwa also watches how Seokhyeong checks Minha if she is ok.

“I won’t be surprised if Seokhyeong already dated her” Junwan form a light smile on his face.

“I will be blessed to the God that he finally has a girlfriend” Jeongwon links his arm around Junwan’s shoulder, which the latter shrugs off.

“At least he’s braver than you who is just staring at one person from far away” The others start picking Jeongwon and his secretive crush.

“YA! You better shut that mouth”

“Who is it Ikjun ah? Tell me please”

“Jeongwon has a crush?! This cheapskate roommate never told me”

"Minha ya, do you have plans next week?" Seokhyeong softly asks after they arrive at her boarding house. He waits patiently while she thinks of any promise she made in the previous days. "Anii, I don't have any plans, why?" Minha looks at Seokhyeong innocently.

"Let's have dinner together next week." Seokhyeong firmly invites Minha, giving her pit-pat heartbeats. "Like a date?" Minha asks again in disbelief.

"Yes, like a date. Go out with me and be mine, Minha ya"

Just as he firmly confesses, another snow falls slowly decorating above them, giving the moment more romance than it could've been. Minha smiles brightly and nods her head, earning Seokhyeong reflect her wide smile.

"Come and watch the snow fall with me Oppa" Seokhyeong smiles and nods her invitation, carefully dragging her inside her room.