My Other Half [Jaehyungparkian] (suspended)

Chapter One - 1

"Come to the studio asap"

Jaehyung re-read the short message for the umpteenth time of the day. He did not know what to expect. Sammy, his best friend had this nerve-wracking tendency to send him the scariest messages for the dumbest matters, but it did not mean he wasn't a bit worried.

He felt a shiver down his neck and tightened the knot of his scarf. It might not be winter yet, the weather was still too cold for his Californian self. Being born and raised in Los Angeles until he was old enough to move alone, he couldn't say he was very comfortable with the low temperatures they could reach in Korea.

Despite his weak resistance, he enjoyed the fresh breeze on his face, well-protected by three layers of clothes. As usual, he wandered in the street on his way to Sammy's studio. Headphones covering his ears and guitar hanging on his back, he shook his head in rhythm as he hummed the song along with the tune. He reached the building quicker than usual.

When he passed the door, he stroked his hands together, feeling a chill run down his spine because of the sudden warmth. Right at the entrance was the old caretaker, who greeted him warmly. Jaehyung interrupted the music and took off the headphones. Through the three years he had been coming here to practice, the man had been nothing but kind to him.

"Good morning~ is everything going well today?" Jaehyung greeted with courtesy.

"Jaehyung-ah!" The old man smiled widely every time he saw him. "Oh, you know there's not much surprise around here."

"That's true. Nothing ever happens here in this side of the city," he joked.

The man nodded and a short silence took place. The building wasn't far from the Korea University of Arts, way out of the centre of the city. Most residents were art students, just like his friend and beside some occasional performances at very odd hours, it was peaceful.

"Aren't you early, young man? I can tell you rushed to come here," the caretaker checked the clock on the wall and laughed at his unmatched clothes and messy hair up slightly amused.

Jaehyung frowned. He had been awakened awfully early. He was not a morning person and it was easy to notice with a single glance.

"I did. Woosung woke me up to talk about something," he explained, using his friend's Korean name for the sake of the older man. "He asked me to come as soon as possible so I didn't have much time to get ready."

"I see... I hope it's good news then."

"I hope too! Have a good day," Jaehyung waved him goodbye.

"Play well!" the watchman added as Jaehyung was already rushing to the stairs, climbing the steps two by two.

Had he not been in a rush, Jaehyung would have talked a bit more. He liked how supportive the man was of his and his friends' projects despite not knowing anything about their music at all. The simple talks they shared were enough to convince him of his dedication. He even stated loud and clear he was ready to attend one of their gigs once they perform, but Jaehyung had not yet been able to satisfy his curiosity.

He felt bad about it, but he had no solution so far. When one sees him at first glance, he did not match the traditional image of a shy person. Maybe he was not. He was not afraid of interacting with people, even if he sometimes struggled to express himself properly in Korean. He might be moderately sociable, he had no problem making friends and could be rather talkative.

It was something entirely different in front of a crowd.

Playing the guitar – his first love – for many people was not much of a problem. A speech or a presentation, though a lot more difficult, was still doable. Singing in public, however, was clearly impossible.

So far, only four persons heard him sing. One being his mother and the other three his closest friends. Sammy was the very first person he open-up to. They knew each other since their high-school days in America when they were still fighting with puberty and identity. When they first met, they were two Korean-American teenagers with a shared passion for music. None of them thought they would still stick together for the next ten years playing the guitar and singing most of the time.

When Sammy first moved to college as a Music major in Korea, he easily convinced his friend of the benefit of studying abroad. Not daring to follow the same course with his phobia, Jaehyung picked literature as his major and music became his hobby.

He liked to read almost as much as he liked music, therefore it seemed like the best compromise. He did not regret his choice, yet he frequently found himself dreaming of a life where his music would be his only income; his voice in everybody's head and his lyrics on their lips.

Only a few people knew about this deep passion he hid for singing as well as his delusional dream.

"SamSam!" he called when he finally entered the unlocked apartment.

"Oh Jaehyung, already there!" Sammy said, jumping up from the couch. "I didn't expect you to come so fast."

His voice seemed insecure. Sammy was never insecure. He was confident and sometimes goofy. Jaehyung looked at him from head to toe, trying to understand what makes him act this way. As an answer, Sammy gave him his brightest smile, the one he was only using on special occasions, and made a sign for him to sit on the couch. His strange behaviour bothered Jaehyung a lot and he frowned while he followed the demand.

"What happened?" He asked a bit anxious.

"Nothing!" Sammy exclaimed. "Nothing you should be afraid of. No murder, no accident, everything is all right... I just wanted to talk."

Jaehyung sighed of relief, successfully stopping him from imagining another bloody scenario.