Kim Hajun

Maybe it was because I didn’t get to see him all day, but Jisu Hyung looked more attractive than usual standing on stage to make his opening speech before the festival’s grand finale began. Despite the auditorium being packed with students and teachers, not a hint of anxiety could be found on his face. Did he even know how many eyes were on him right now? Or were my eyes the only ones that mattered?

It was subtle, but you could call it a boyfriend’s instinct. The way Jisu Hyung’s gaze shifted around the room along with his modest steps back and forth around the stage told me that he was looking for me. I wished I could wave my hands and tell him I was here way at the back…

“Now for the prizes this evening,” Jisu Hyung started. “Three acts will receive a thirty thousand won gift certificate, while the first-place act will receive a fifty thousand gift certificate.”

Collective roaring and applauding came at the mention of there being a monetary prize this year. Apparently, last year there had only been a certificate awarded by the principal. A lot of seonbaes must have put in complaints about it afterward.

Once the reactive sounds settled, Jisu Hyung said, “Then, I’ll leave the rest of the show to the MC. Let’s have a fun night, everyone.”

My eyes followed him as he stepped down from the stage and went to sit with Jiwoo Seonbae at the judges’ table. They were the only students allowed to judge, being the student council president and the stand-in for the vice president respectively. The vice president had to pass on the opportunity because she was one of the acts performing tonight. The rest of the judges were the art and music teachers as well as the vice principal, who also used to be a music teacher.

After introducing himself, the student MC went on to announce the first act of the evening, a singing duo. Our group was one of the last acts to go on. It wasn’t exactly because we registered late, but rather that Hyunwoo was able to pull some strings with the order from being in the student council. Complete abuse of privileges, but he was that desperate.

He really went through a ton of preparation for tonight. And with that last bit of encouragement he got at the fortune-telling booth, he seemed readier than ever. That was good on him. I, on the other hand, couldn’t help feeling a little nervous now that we were so close to actually performing. I didn’t think I was the type to get stage fright, and had it been under a different circumstance, I probably wouldn’t have gotten it.

Just what would he think when he’d finally see me out there?

I wished I could wash the wax out of my hair and get it back down to its regular un-styled way—the way Jisu Hyung was used to. I felt so out of place with my hair pushed back and in this barista getup. Although, it was hard to consider it a barista uniform anymore. I now only had part of my white button-up shirt tucked into my black slacks, and half the buttons were undone. I had nothing on underneath this. I doubted the teachers would have approved of my partially exposed bare chest. However, with how short some of the performing girls’ skirts and pants were, it seemed no one cared about following the dress code today.

Our turn was slowly approaching, and it became increasingly harder to enjoy the other acts in the midst of waiting. I sneaked a peek at Jisu Hyung whenever I could. However, when it was just about our time to get on stage, I couldn’t look at him anymore.

It was the guilt that got me. Perhaps I should have just told him I’d be performing beforehand. The words of the grandmaster came back to me.

“A lack of transparency can easily bring a relationship to an end.”

Could she have meant tonight?

My mind was being filled with so many anxious thoughts when Hyunwoo tapped me on the shoulder. “Come on, man. We’re up next.”

“Uh, yeah…”

There were seven of us in total. While a few were setting up the chairs on stage to be used as props, the MC did a brief interview with Hyunwoo.

“So, your group is called HTS,” the MC began.

“Yes,” Hyunwoo replied. “It stands for Hyunwoo Sonyeondan.”

“Ah, I see. And who is Hyunwoo?”

“Oh, that’s me.”

A few laughs came from the audience. I could only imagine what Jiwoo Seonbae was thinking seeing him on stage right now. But I drew a total blank when it came to considering what might be going through Jisu Hyung’s head as well.

Getting the signal that we were all set to begin, Hyunwoo said, “This performance is dedicated to someone very special to me.”

Amidst the awes of most of the female students, the seven of us took our positions on each chair with our mics ready at hand. Those same female students were now squealing hearing BTS’s “Just One Day” come up on the speakers.

To be honest, we were all better dancers than we were singers or rappers, not that any of us had actual training in dance, either. With that said, the many hours spent at karaoke rooms did seem to prove effective. No one’s voice cracked, at least.

With Hyunwoo being the main in all this, he naturally was given the center seat as Jungkook’s part. The other members’ parts were then up for grabs by whoever wanted them, although I didn’t exactly have a choice when it came to my position as Jin. I was supposed to be the face of the group, and that explained why only my chest was revealed to the audience. I didn’t want to think about how many girls were staring at it at this moment. But that didn’t stop my mind from wondering whether Jisu Hyung was staring at it too—marveling at it like he did in his bedroom…

How I wanted him to kiss and run his tongue over it later tonight.

I could not believe I was thinking this in the middle of our performance. I was glad Jisu Hyung sat at the side of the auditorium where he was difficult to be seen from the stage.

Then came my solo.

After passably singing the chorus all on my own while standing on this shaky chair, instead of us singing together for one final time like in the original, the six of us pulled out a fake rose that had been hidden in our back pockets. Meanwhile, our center man, Hyunwoo, got up from his chair and moved to the side of the stage toward Jiwoo Seonbae. We all turned our bodies and roses in sync with him. And that was when I saw my boyfriend.

Despite Hyunwoo being the focus, Jisu Hyung’s eyes were solely on me. He was trying so hard to keep a straight face. It was too cute. I bit my lower lip to keep myself from smiling too widely, only to realize how seductive that might have appeared, especially given my current state of dress. I seriously had to stop thinking about stuff like this in front of all these people.

“Jiwoo Noonim!”

Hyunwoo’s overly loud voice was just what I needed as a distraction. This was it, his big moment.

“I know I made a huge mistake, and I will take any punishment you want. But please, give me a chance. See me as someone more than your lackey.” His gulp was big enough to be picked up by the mic. “I love you, noonim!”

The song ended.