Author's Note: It has taken me a little bit to figure out where I want this story to go and how to start it. It may take some time to get it up and going. If you've read my stories before, let me know you're with me. And as usual, give me some ideas!
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Kang Shin Woo sat in front of the keyboard, music running through his head like a steady brook. Usually Tae Kyung was the one that composed, but every now and then he and Jeremy would write something that they would use. It wasn't too often considering Tae Kyung had a habit of being stingy with the music they wrote and produced. He was a prodigy so they let it go, but if a song was better than one of his, he admitted to it and used it.
He could hear the score as it rant though his head. His fingers found the keys and he wrote the notes on paper as they flowed out. Music wasn't the issue. It was penning the lyrics that he had trouble with. He wasn't able to say what he was feeling very well so he had trouble writing decent lyrics. The ones that came out were usually a garbled mess that no one could understand, not even the one who wrote them.
Tae Kyung had tried his best on multiple occasions to help him, but he had always lost his temper. Even Min Nyu couldn't stop the barrage of attacks when her boyfriend lost his temper with someone. She always felt sorry and apologized to Shin Woo when he was on the receiving end.
Shin Woo didn't take it to heart. Tae Kyung had been that way for as long as he could remember. If they felt he was out of hand, they would tell him. He took reprimands better now than he used to. Usually it would resort in another bout of temper and pouting.
They had a new album coming out that he should be working on, but his song was stuck in his head and he couldn't get it to go away. He played the tune over and over and over. It felt like it was engrained in his soul. Nothing was going to get it out until it was finished.
Finally, he cut the demo on the computer then put it on a CD and his phone. He tucked both into his bag and headed home. They were supposed to be having a dinner, but he didn't feel like going. He was the only one single. Tae Kyung had Min Nyu, Jeremy was dating one of his British friends, and Mi Nam was seeing Yoo Hee Yi. They were all lovey dovey and sometimes that made him sick.
He hadn't driven his car to the studio so he was at the mercy of rush hour traffic. He couldn't risk getting caught by fans so he hurried down the sidewalk as safely and quickly as possible. He checked himself from running but it wasn't easy.
Unfortunately, he couldn't get through without trouble. Halfway home, he slammed into someone hard enough that his teeth rattled. His bag went flying, spilling the contents all over. He apologized quickly and grabbed his stuff from the other person's hand before heading home. He caught a cab and sighed as soon as the door closed him into silence.
Fifteen minutes later he was staring at the house he shared with his band mates. He didn't want to go inside because he knew the three couples would be hanging all over each other. Gathering up enough courage, he finally went inside.
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Jaye stepped out into the warm night and sucked in a huge breath. She had been sitting in a stuffy practice room for four hours so the fresh air felt nice. Teaching music lessons to students who wished to pursue music was only one thing she did to put food on the table and to pay rent, but it was always rewarding.
She had moved to Korea six years earlier to attend school for management. After graduating, she had remained because she loved the quietness even though she lived in the city. She'd had dreams of one day joining a big name entertainment business, but after failing the employment interviews twice due to a speech impediment, she had decided that teaching music was much better suited to her. And maybe one day she would be able to perform or write lyrics for some big name band.
As it was, she was content to teach piano and guitar lessons and work at her favorite café right around the corner from work. She also took on the occasional odd job for her boss, some of which included fixing drain pipes, furniture and walking his two Samoyed dogs. He paid her well for both jobs so she didn't complain much.
The street was already packed as people were finally getting off work and heading home for dinner. The traffic was backed up four lights down and horns were incessantly honking. She had dinner plans with a friend of hers and didn't want to be late, but traffic was going to be another beast to conquer. She didn't like to be late but it was looking like that was going to be the case. Next time she would just bring her bike. It was loud but it would allow her to weave in and out of traffic quickly.
She was halfway to her dinner plans when she crashed into someone. The sidewalk was packed so it was amazing she hadn't hit someone already, but this person was rock solid. Her teeth clattered together, making her jaw hurt. Cologne flooded her nostrils as their things went scattering across the sidewalk. Instantly she leaned down and started picking up the papers and pens and things at their feet.
The other pedestrian cursed slightly as he shoved things back into his bag. He muttered a quick apology that left her grasping what he had just said. Six years and she was still deciphering dialects. His was definitely from Busan.
Jaye picked up her guitar then noticed a plastic CD case lying under it. She picked it up and read the scribbled words on it. The guy must have dropped it. She didn't know his name nor where he lived so she shoved it in her bag on the off chance she would ever meet him again.
Gasping in shock when she checked her watch, she hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address. She was going to be late to dinner no matter how much she didn't want to be. She really shouldn't be going to dinner anyway since she had a new song she wanted to listen to and learn, but she couldn't deny her friend. Tae Kyung had been adamant that she show up. He had a nasty temper and wouldn't be afraid to use it on her if she didn't make an appearance. She didn't fancy a fight with him that night.
A few minutes later the car pulled up to the house with all the lights on. She really didn't want to get out of the car but Tae Kyung wouldn't hesitate in calling her. She paid the driver then walked up the drive. No matter how many times she saw the house, it always amazed her that this place housed one of the best bands in Korea. Four men who were so different they meshed called this place home.
She rang the doorbell and only had to wait seconds before the door was wrenched open. Tae Kyung glared at her with that irritating raised eyebrow that she reached up and flicked him in the forehead. He reeled backwards with a slight curse.
"I'm getting tired of you doing that," he growled.
"And I'm getting tired of you trying to intimidate me. You should know by now that it doesn't work. Now move." She pushed him aside and kicked her shoes off. "Where should I put this?"
Tae Kyung grabbed the guitar case and set it in the corner by the coat rack. "Everyone is already here. We were waiting on you."
She pinched his belly as he passed by her. The two of them had been friends since they were little. She had known him from the time he had come to New York with his father and stayed with her family for a little bit. Her father and his had been friends from the time when they played in the orchestra. After Tae Kyung's father had returned to Korea, the two men kept in touch, and Tae Kyung frequently traveled with him to New York to visit. Her fondest memory was the two of them playing piano during the Christmas holidays.
When she had first moved to Korea for schooling, Tae Kyung had offered her his place but she had declined, opting to stay in the dorms for the experience. He had made sure she stayed fed and warm by sending supplies every now and then. She would never forget the time he had gotten made at her for returning the heating pad he had sent for her bed. She didn't like being hot and the heating pad had made sure she was. They had argued for hours over that until they were blue in the face. They only stopped to have some tteokbokki and kimchi. After eating, the fight was completely forgotten and they had fallen asleep in his living room.
Tae Kyung led her to the dining room where six other people were already gathered and drinking. Jaye recognized the Go twins immediately. It wasn't hard considering they were the only two who shared the same face and were standing side by side. She knew the blond was Jeremy simply by the way he acted, but the others were new to her.
"Finally our last guest has arrived," Tae Kyung said with obvious disdain. She rolled her eyes at him. "You know who Jeremy, Mi Nam, and Mi Nyu are. The other three people are Melissa Andover, Yoo Hee Yi, and our guitarist Kang Shin Woo. This is Jaye Bondurant, daughter of Christopher Bondurant, first chair violin of the New York Philharmonic (he's completely made up!). Christopher and my father have been friends for nearly thirty years. I've pretty much grown up with Jaye. She was the only sister I had."
Jaye nudged him in the ribs. "Don't forget that." She used the word dongsaeng because Tae Kyung was nearly a year younger than her, but after that moment they would never call each other by noona or dongsaeng. They never had in the past and they weren't going to start.
She glanced between the twins and Tae Kyung. "How in the world did she tame you and your mouth? I remember a spoiled brat who didn't know how to keep that trap shut even when he was losing in a round of piano quiz."
Immediately Mi Nyu came to his defense. "He's not that bad."
The poor girl hadn't known Tae Kyung as long as Jaye. She knew how horrible he was. "Are we talking about the same person, because the person I know throws vases at people who tick him off?"
Tae Kyung looked at her. "That was one time and I apologized after the glass cut your cheek."
"I still have the scar!"
The front man patted her cheek in a mocking manner then shoved her towards the table. "You're irritating me. Go away."
"You're the one who wanted me to come to this when I wanted to go home," she muttered.
With everyone gathered together, they sat down to have dinner. Jaye wasn't very hungry but she knew better than to not eat. She ate the food she liked, which wasn't much, and ignored the rest. She scribbled in the notebook she had next to her, writing and revising lyrics she had written earlier in the day.
She felt a heavy presence over her shoulder when they were all sitting out on the porch with drinks. She looked up to see Shin Woo standing behind her. He wasn't looking at her, instead looking over her shoulder. She followed his gaze and saw him watching the couples intently.
"I guess that's what happens when you're the only two single people at a party," she muttered. Then she tilted her head backwards. "Hey, sit down before you annoy me. I can't stand people hovering behind me. It reminds me of my old piano teacher who used to slap my shoulders with a ruler if I got things wrong."
Shin Woo laughed at the expression as he pulled out a seat and sank into it. "Have you really known Tae Kyung for a while?"
She nodded. "Nearly twenty years. I'm the only one who knew that his mother was a crazy drunk who blamed her child for being born. He and I spent a lot of time talking about mean mothers and what they meant to us. I still want to hit that woman for everything she's done to him."
"How did you know when no one else did?"
"We met when we were nine. His dad was working with the New York Philharmonic with my dad. My dad opened our house to them so they wouldn't have to pay rent or anything. Because we were two homeschooled kids, we didn't have much to do other than talk to each other. He's always been a jerk but at least at that age he was a nice jerk. We shared a room for a few months and that meant we shared secrets no one else knew. But now I guess now he doesn't really need me."
Shin Woo read the underlying pain in her expression. She was the only one who truly knew what Tae Kyung was like when he was a child. They had been friends for nearly twenty years. That meant she was the oldest person in the house if she was nearly a year older than Tae Kyung.
"When's your birthday?" he asked just he would know the time frame.
"October 25, 1986. I lack nearly three months being a year older than Tae Kyung. Not that it matters. He's never acted like I was older than him."
The man laughed. "That sounds just like him. He takes charge even though he's not the oldest. He hasn't mentioned you before though."
"That's because I don't want to be in the public eye. I was lucky enough to be raised away from it, but if I get involved with Hwang Tae Kyung, it's inevitable that it will happen. He's honored my wishes until now. I don't think I'll be as fortunate in the future."
They lapsed into comfortable silence. The others left them alone at the table to sit under the starlight. Jaye wrote diligently, marking through words that she didn't like and replacing them with words that made her feel better. Shin Woo watched his friends as they talked and laughed together. Never had he felt so far off from them than he did in that moment.
Jaye yawned and stretched back in the chair. She stood and headed back into the house to gather her things. She was the only one who didn't live in the house and it was well past midnight. She had to be at the café at ten and required at least four hours of sleep. By the time she got home and showered it would be closer to two, and it would take a couple of hours to fall into a deep sleep.
"Are you going to leave without saying goodbye?" Tae Kyung asked as she was gathering her things.
Jaye rubbed her eyes as she tossed her bag over her shoulder. "I need to go home and go to bed. You were having a good time."
"You still have to say goodbye. Didn't we swear that we would always say goodbye no matter where we were?"
She laughed despite being so tired and held up her fist. He knocked his against hers then smacked the back of his hand against hers twice before lacing their fingers together and pulling her close. She hugged him back then took her guitar from him. She waved once more as she stepped into the night, knowing he wouldn't follow because he couldn't see.