Chapter Text
Seungmin
Seungmin had spent his entire life working towards becoming a model, and he never even thought about doing anything else. From the first time he was a male model in one of his elder sister’s magazines, he fell in love with the high maintenance and luxurious lifestyle. Throughout high school, instead of hanging out with his classmates, he would be found either at the mall, analyzing the latest trends, or in the gym. And while this had the unintended consequence of isolating himself from other kids his age, he was willing to risk it all for his dream. Even now as a sophomore in college, he put his all towards his degree in fashion design, forcing him to pull all-nighters creating pieces for his upcoming runway. One such project has Seungmin so engrossed that he didn’t notice one of his roommates slowly creeping into his room.
“Seungmin?”
Upon hearing his name, Seungmin instantly raised his eyes only to be met with those of one of his roommates, Kwak Jiseok.
“Hm what’s up?”
Jiseok fidgeted with his fingers before replying
“I have a favor to ask….”
Seungmin didn’t even look away from his laptop before replying
“No”
Jiseok frowned at Seungmin’s deadpan reply
“Come on, at least hear me out” The elder said with a pout.
Despite being five months older, Seungmin always felt like Jiseok's older brother. On days when Jiseok’s band would stay late for practice, Seungmin would cook for them, and when Jiseok would find himself in trouble with one of their classmates, which was common due to his rather extravagant pranks, Seungmin would use his charming voice to sweet talk him out of any real repercussions. Even though he could get a bit overwhelming at times, Seungmin loved him. But he also knew that every time he asked for help, it would come at a price. Nevertheless, his curiosity overtook his rationale.
“Fine, what is it?”
“…I need you to join my band”
Seungmin stared at Jiseok with a blank expression
“What?”
The elder sensed the shock in the other boy’s voice and hurriedly explained
“Look I know it sounds crazy -and I wouldn’t ask because I know you can’t play any instruments- but Jihoon dropped out last minute and we need one more person in order to sign up for Melody Madness"
Seungmin sighed and closed his laptop, he knew all about Melody Madness, it was all his roommates Jiseok and Gunil would talk about. The premise of the competition was simple: 10 bands would join, facing off in 1v1 battles where the voter was decided through voting within an app Jiseok’s friends in the IT department helped to create. With the winner being given 5K and a record deal with JYP ent. Seungmin stood motionless for a minute before replying. Choosing his words carefully, trying his best to let his friend down easy.
“Look, I know this is important to you, but I don't know how to play any instruments and I don’t want to risk your chances at winning”
Jiseok's eyes flashed with a sense of desperation as he walked closer to the younger boy
“Please, I promise I'll try my best to help you learn, and Gunil is an amazing teacher i’m sure you’ll learn in no time”
Seungmin wavered for a second, he knew that if he had to learn an instrument from anyone, Gunil would be his best bet. Like how Seungmin acted as Jiseok's older brother, Gunil did the same for him. Whenever he had a problem, one conversation with Gunil would solve anything and he would leave feeling a renewed sense of confidence. Gunil even helped Seungmin learn a bit of English for an overseas exhibit he held. Sensing that he is getting somewhere, Jiseok continued
“All I've ever wanted was to be in a band, and this is probably the best chance I get of achieving that dream, I know this isn’t what you want to do, and you can drop out whenever you feel like it’s too much, but if I had to choose anyone to chase my dreams alongside it would be you and Gunil”
His words made the younger boy smile, it wasn’t common that Jiseok was sappy.
“And if you do this I promise I'll be a model for one of your runways”
Seungmin laughed before closing his eyes and replying with a sigh
“Fine, I’ll join your band”
Jiseok beamed with happiness, embracing the other boy.
“Oh my god, thank you I was so worried you would say no”
The two boys laughed for a minute before pulling away.
“So…what instrument do I have to learn?”
-
Jiseok stood in front of his two best friends, notepad in hand, ready to present the slideshow he stayed up all night working on.
“This isn’t just a competition, it’s life or death. Every decision we make decides whether we live to see our dreams come true, or if we die trying”
Seungmin and Gunil looked at each other before bursting into laughter. Jiseok pouted before clearing his throat, gaining his roommates attention once more.
“This isn't a laughing matter. This is going to be one of the hardest decisions we are going to make, so I broke down the data of our competition.”
He clicked and suddenly the screen was filled with various stats of the other bands they would face.
Woah.
“Looking at the data, most of the other bands have a similar composition: one guitarist, one drummer, and a keyboard player, with either one of them being a vocalist or a separate member entirely.”
Gunil nodded along as Jiseok spoke
“This is with one exception though” The boy said as he clicked to the next slide.
Gunil and Jiseok simultaneously groaned as a picture of three boys came into frame. There was a tall blond boy Seungmin instantly recognized, Jooyeon, he has a reputation similar to Jiseoks, being known across campus as a prankster who had the tendency to take his jokes a little too far. Next to him was a boy, a little shorter, with golden hair and a cute eye smile that reminded Seungmin of the childhood cat he had. But Seungmin's eyes instantly gravitated to the boy on the edge of the screen. He had shoulder length brown hair that covered his eyes and wore a baggy sweater over a long flowy skirt. Ethereal was the only word that came to mind.
“These are our biggest enemies…Xtrodinary ”
The words snapped Seungmin out of his trance. Jiseok pointed at the tall blonde
“This is Jooyeon, he’s probably the best frontman in this competition, honestly I would like him if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s annoyingly good at everything”
Jiseok then pointed at the ethereal boy, causing Seungmin to straighten up
“This is Hyeongjun, I couldn’t get much information about him, but what I do know is that he’s a god-tier level guitar player and it’s gonna take a lot to even compete with him”
Lastly Jiseok pointed at the blond boy in the middle.
“And this”
He glared at the screen before continuing.
“This is my number one enemy Kim Jungsu”
Seungmin burst into laughter
“He looks so cute though”
Jiseok stared at Seungmin before replying
“Don’t let his looks deceive you, behind his gorgeous smile, sparkling eyes, perfect body, golden hair that glistens in the sun, and slender hands that play the piano in ways that haven’t been possible since Mozart himself.”
Seungmin and Gunil looked at each other trying to hide their laughter
“Hides an evil prick. And i’ll do anything in my power to beat him”
His words stunned Seungmin, Jiseok had never spoken so poorly about anyone before.
What exactly had Jungsu done to him?
“While their arrangement seems lacking compared to other groups, their performances are the opposite and they are easily the front runner of this competition, meaning we have to build our team in direct opposition to them.”
Gunil leans in, intrigued by Jiseok's presentation
“So exactly how can we set ourselves apart?”
Jiseok smiles brightly before replying
“I have no idea”
Seungmin lets out a giggle prompting the elder to defend himself
“Well I had a few ideas! I think a piano might be too basic, so maybe something like a violin”
Gunil sighed
“There’s no way I can teach him something like that in such a short time frame.”
Jiseok frowned
“Hm, what were you thinking then?”
The eldest sat back
“I was thinking something like a trumpet, I mean Seungmin is already that loud, so it’ll come natural to him”
Seungmin playfully hit Gunil’s shoulder
“Hey, I’m not that loud”
Jiseok laughed
“The last time the three of us played mario kart together we almost got kicked out of the dorm because you screamed every time you got hit with a shell”
“That’s only because I know you guys were cheating”
The youngest whined
“Being good at a game isn’t cheating,”
Jiseok teased,
“Guys come on, let's focus”
Gunil motioned Seungmin to sit back down, causing Jiseok to stick his tongue out at the boy.
“Seungmin, you’re the one playing the instrument so is there anything you’ve always wanted to learn?”
The boy sat for a minute, thinking about every instrument he’d ever heard about, when suddenly he was transported back to 9th grade.
-
His sister had begged their parents to let her go to a concert, and after numerous desperate, and rather annoying, pleas their parents agreed on the condition that she brought Seungmin along with her, much to the dismay of both Seungmin and his sister. Reluctantly, he agreed, expecting to cancel out the music in favor of analyzing the most recent Vivienne Westwood drop. What he didn’t expect was to become hooked with the sound of a specific instrument. Its low hum cut straight to his soul, immersing him into the music, and its sudden shift to a high pitched electronic tone in the next song fascinated him. By the end of the concert he had forgotten all about the jewelry, and fell for the band, or more specifically the synth player.
-
“Hm I don’t think any band has a synth player.”
Gunil said pondering on the suggestion for a moment
“and it would be fairly simple to teach you the basics”
Jiseok excitedly jumped
“Having a synth player in our band would be so cool”
Gunil smiled
“Then it's settled”
He looked over at Seungmin
“Is there a way you can find a synth by next week?”
Seungmin nodded, it would be just like finding a piano, how hard could it be?