☆ ᴏɴᴇ sʜᴏᴛs ☆

༶ ᴀᴅ ʟɪʙ ༶

It's 7 PM and the PA system is almost all setup. It's not Jungkook's first time busking but he's never done it in Hongdae before, where crowds are allowed to be picky because there are simply too many street venues to choose from.

The one-man band takes one last look at his gear and strums his guitar softly to assess the volume on his acoustic amp. After making a few adjustments on his DI box, he turns. Jimin is standing a short ways off, camera already rolling. Good. If the performance goes well, he'll upload it on his channel which, granted, isn't exactly trending yet but who knows? Sometimes one song going viral is enough to boost the number of subscribers.

Let's hope tonight gives him that song.

Pulling out his phone, he checks the announcement he posted a few days ago about this gig, sighing at the little attention it received. It's okay though. The streets are always busy here so passers-by are all potential listeners who could perhaps turn into supporters. It all depends on him really.

Well, no. That's not true. It depends on the crowd too. You see, besides the few covers he likes to sing and the occasional original song he shares, Jungkook's brand is "Golden Improv." Anyone may pick a genre of music, an overall theme, and a word and he must somehow come up with lyrics and a tune on the spot that fits the given criteria. Let's say that some nights are easier than others.

Ad lib time is his idea, his trademark, the one thing that hopefully makes him standout among all the numerous talented solo artists on social media. And no matter how hard he finds it to please his audience, he'll stick to it. There have been some happy results that have turned into decent compositions. Most nights, Jungkook pulls it off. His vast repertoire as well as his ability to churn out melodies and lyrics like that do facilitate the exercise. But it takes him six days to recover.

It's unfair, how unbalanced this giving and receiving thing works. Every single performance of his leaves him drained and a little empty, despite the applause and shy shouts of encouragement. So he spends the rest of the week studying the performance, spotting the flaws, practising some more to get it right next time. The learning curve is endless. Imagine taking a weekly exam and never knowing your actual score. Is he any good? Sometimes, he wonders if this is who he is meant to be. But when he thinks too hard about it, he figures there's nothing else he would rather be doing. And so he trusts his friend when Jimin assures him he did well and the audience was pleased.

Speaking of which, the crowd is fairly thin. The show's leading man gulps, the echo of his nervousness amplified by his sound setup which has him chuckle awkwardly.

Right. The mic is on.

And so without further ado, he bows and introduces himself to the few gathered around. He has no idea what kind of crowd he has tonight, what sound will set it alight. The first few songs are crucial to determine whether he has room to go hard and rock the soul out of them, or whether they prefer being lulled to sleep with mellow melodies and velvety vocals. He opts for a light-hearted upbeat fun track to set the mood.

"People say they know me well.

From what I see, they know nothing.

But if you think that's all that counts

I'll stop talking from now on."

credit: Dickpunks, Man on the Moon

The crowd thickens, heads start bopping in sync with his strumming, and Jungkook cannot help but smile. "I knew you guys had taste!" And they clap for who doesn't love a compliment.

After a few more covers, Jungkook feels — more than he sees for night has fallen — the audience warm enough for extempore singing. Dusk, however, doesn't settle for long as nearby lampposts suddenly set the street aglow.