Exactly As It Sounds • Young K • Day6

i.

A/N: "pilda" means to wish/to pray

Staring up into his dark eyes, you feel your heart rate increase. His grip on your arm is tight as you watch the rapid rise and fall of his chest. As he leans closer, his expression intense, your gaze travels over his features, taking in everything. The glossy sheen of pomade on hair that's been styled perfectly. Eyeliner that's been slightly smudged from a full concert's worth of performing. The slight indent of a guitar strap where his shoulder meets the curve of his neck. If it were any other situation, you might have even fallen head over heels.

But you never expected tonight would end like this...

/-/

Pil-da: You're coming right?

You snort as you read the tenth message from your childhood friend Wonpil.

               Chae-rini: Yes! I left already

               Chae-rini: I'll be on time

               Chae-rini: Stop worrying!

You type back quickly.

Rushing along the crowded streets of Seoul, you make your way towards the venue where Day6 is playing. As you approach the front doors, you dig the ticket from your purse, relieved to see you have plenty of time before the show starts. A scan of the bar-code and a flight of stairs later, you find yourself sitting on the second floor, front row and center. People always want the pit, mere meters separating them from the stage, but you know better. If you really want to take in a performance and get the best acoustics, you can't beat the balcony.

As the theater begins to fill, you look at your surroundings, excitement coursing through your veins. Growing up you'd watched Wonpil perform more times than you could count, but tonight is the first time you'll get to see him live as a member of Day6. Back when you met him in the seventh grade, the two of you had daydreamed about being idols together. Now he was part of a successful band while you had chosen a different path. Yet somehow music had still managed to bring the two of you together.

It was hard to believe it had been seven years since you had moved to the U.S. Being back in Korea again was bittersweet. It was amazing how much was the same as you remembered; it was amazing how much had changed.

After he became a trainee, you and Wonpil had fewer and fewer chances to talk. With an ocean between you, and a schedule that became more and more intense, it still amazed you that the two of you had remained close. But that was just the kind of friend Wonpil was. The type that never forgets you and picks up exactly where you left off. It didn't matter how much time had passed.

As the lights dim and the band takes the stage amidst deafening screams, you can't help but smile proudly. The lead guitarist strums the first chord and you get that feeling, the one that starts deep in your chest and reverberates all the way to your toes. Tonight is going to be breathtaking, an unforgettable memory.

You had listened to the albums Wonpil sent you, but admittedly you didn't know much about his bandmates. Wrapped up in your life in California, you hadn't given KPop much thought after graduating high school. The lead singer, Sungjin, has a powerful voice, disarming and husky. The tall boy next to him, Jae, has a voice to compliment, as smooth as it is sweet. DoWoon, the drummer, sits at the back of the stage, grinning energetically as he sets the pace. You feel your whole face light up as you watch Wonpil, closing his eyes as he sings into the mike, his fingers dancing over the keyboard. You liked every song he sent you, but seeing them live was another thing entirely.