King of hearts • d.sc

17

happy jaehyun day^^

🥂
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The event hall was cold. Despite the fur jacket that wrapped around her body the chill spread, leaving goosebumps along her skin. Haneul tried to ignore the eyes that fell on her as she attempted to pay attention to the speaker on stage. Blocking out the whispers that were only getting louder by the second. The only thing that managed to distract her was Chinese that the speaker was using, it challenged the skill she had buried in the back of her mind. Not having to use it for a few years. It used to annoy her how they would they would say the same speech in two different languages, but now she understands why they do it.

She was fighting the urge to run as small beads of sweat began forming on the back of her neck. It wasn't just the feeling of being watched or being talked about. What made her stomach lurch the most was the hand that found itself on her thigh. She took a deep breath, picking up the glass of cold water shakily as she sipped it carefully, trying to pay attention to the way the liquid flowed down her throat. The keys that she had tucked away in her jacket pocket felt heavy as it told her the very words she wanted to hear.

I can give you a way out of here.

"And now we will proceed to a performance from our very on Jasmine Chou and Zhong Chenle!" The mc announced as the sound of clapping began to welcome the two onto stage. Haneul let out a sigh of relief. She had been looking forward to Chenle's performance, as she's always found his voice very calming, she could really use it in this horrid situation. She had no idea it would be a duet, but she was in no place to complain.

Chenle sat himself in front of the piano as Jasmine picked up her vilolin, bringing to her neck as the two began to play their instruments as Haneul let the song save her for a second. Feeling every note from the two instruments as if it was a small nudge of reassurance. Chenle opened his mouth, his soothing voice singing through the mic. Haneul's shoulders fell at the sound, making sure the only thing her mind can do is process the beautiful sounds that take her somewhere far far from here.

It wasn't long until Chenle finished, carefully playing the last of the song on the white keys, Jasmine stringing out the last note that echoed through the room. Reality seem to hit hard when the sound of clapping pooled into her ears. She moved her leg, now that Ryu was busy clapping. Moving her chair towards her sister, making it harder for him to do anything. When he stopped, he gave her a side glance, showing her a grin as Haneul felt a twitch of anxiety run through her spine, looking down at the glass of water.

The last of the speeches and award giving went by without attention from Haneul, despite her father receiving something that she couldn't care less about. It was finally time for the last performance before dinner starts, which was when she planned to leave. Haneul's mind had been in a blank state until she saw the familiar faces that made their way onto the stage.

Her eyes widened. Sitting up, she watched as they readied themselves, her eyes immediately falling onto her soulmate. In a way she couldn't explain, seeing him made her feel so much better. A rush of relief waved over her. It was like she could breath again after being suffocated for too long. She followed him as he moved across the stage, absolutely mesmerized by his entire existence. The song was an upbeat one, something that never really pulled her in but she realised what made her so amazed by their performance was their talent as a whole, but especially, him. Chenle's voice took her to someplace else for a second, but just looking at Winwin was enough for her. The way his body fell into rythmn with every beat of the song, the way his eyes shined under the spotlight felt like a world of it's own. He was turning the lock on her caged heart, simply by being there when she needed him to. Though she really didn't want him to know she was there, watching him as intently as she could.