University.

A quadrivial place to meet new friends, make fresh bonds and have space to become the young adult version of yourself. It is a varied community to grow, mature, and expand the horizons of what I previously believed impossible. For some people it could be a warm cocoon from which they intended to fly, others tend to find their quiddity. 

This institute pilled little steps that will form a firm path one day. Equivocally this path does work out, those remaining find major hindrances from four sides of the wind which is ultimately fine. 

The blasting festival music awakened me from my usual daydreaming, a VIP access pass hanging around my neck as I stood in front of the steel barricades. My eyes with the crystal pearls patched underneath them peeked up to see two distinct guys, Big & Small as I used and still use to call them. 

The reminiscing thought made me emotional, tear-jacked while they played that mundane tune I had heard a thousand times before.

Where did the unbelievable journey all start? Let me tell you that this is not the usual story. As a second-year university student I had pretty normal credentials, an ordinary attendance rate and financial stability. 

Although I was not pompous popular around campus, people always seem to come to me with their problems. Whether it was about lectures that they had missed or about life issues that they wanted to share. I had the sweet manner with a voluntary listening ear which made me the in-house therapist.

Little did they know that I used their striking stories for something else, my self-written lyrics to be exact. Being an aspiring songwriter back in high school, I gave this facetious dream up at one point as I did not want to waste my life while there was enough better talent out there. The writing however was still a much-loved hobby of mine, spending leisure time in the music studios at the university was part of my daily routine. 

I tapped my pencil on the doodled paper as I found myself in a writer's block situation again. For my own good I wanted to finish this song by the end of the day. A full-bodied sigh left my mouth, taking the reusable water bottle with me as I stepped outside for a couple of minutes to get a fresh start. 

Walking back towards the facility, I did not pay attention that I walked straight into the wrong studio, meeting eye with someone who everyone knew at our campus. 

Lee Jihoon, a.k.a. Woozi that he used as an acronym for his self-composed productions. Those brilliant music pieces were well known around the site as they played them religiously on the radios and during university fests. 

I bowed instinctively and apologized for the inconvenience until I heard him speak. 'Wait! Aren't you the one who was singing in the room next door? If you were, then you were probably the same person that sang the other day too.'

I stopped my escape route immediately, turning around to hear Jihoon clicking rapidly while he used ProTools on the two computer screens in front of him. Shifting bar by bar like the producer knew exactly what he was doing, my dry lips mumbled something under the breath. 'The rooms are supposed to be soundproof.'

Jihoon halted for a second, declaring that I am the only dummy in the room right now. 'Yes, that is true except that rule does not go between the walls of the studio's themselves. Nevertheless, I used your voice for something. Check this out.'

My eyes shot up in complete surprise to where he was seated, jaunting to him as I basically complained my astonishment. 'What?!'

He met my disheveled look, grinning while Jihoon pushed the spacebar to play the apparent track he was working on. 'Listen.'

That dangerous mundane voice.

They were really my vocals on that record, but the program made it sound much more rounded and complete. I never had thought that I could make myself capable of singing in that way. Bopping my head to the beat that Jihoon had created, I unintentionally smiled throughout the whole track. 

And when the computer showed that the song was over, I had to give the producer an unavoidable standing ovation as I clapped my hands like a happy child. 'Oh wow, why did that sound so amazing? I cannot believe my own ears right now. How did you even manage to get such clean recordings of my voice? I mean...'

Sentences that were about to be finished got ceased, a huge bean pole trespassed the studio in rapid movements. His overly confident presence made the whole air suffocating, scoffing harshly while I gave the tree-like human a side eye. 'And what is this nutjob doing here?'

The tall guy clicked his tongue mockingly as he folded the arms with little tattoos suiting them, indicating that he felt intentionally offended. 'I can ask you the same, nerd.'

Jihoon, who had not turned around at the arrival of this mega twit, asked the obvious that he might had the answer to already. 'Do you two know each other?'

My mouth opened while the both of us apparently had to respond at the same time, making me gawk at instant. 'Academic rivals.'

This was the only truth though, Jihoon snickering repeatedly while he still had not turned around. 'That makes sense. Wait, let's make a song on it.'

As the tall guy crouched himself down on the black bean bag, stomping around with his long legs in frustration while he still had not taken his baleful glare off of me. 'Why do you always see inspiration in everything you see, eat or breathe?'

While I could easily be the designated one for this description, I wanted to hear the genius producer's answer. 'That is why I cannot pinpoint a particular situation or event. The influences come from diverse sources in various measurements every time, any time. Stop diverting my attention and let me work. You guys surely hate each other, right? What is that one thing that you do like about one another?'

This small guy really thought that he was the host of some kind of dating show as I swore under my breath again. I grabbed a desk chair from behind while Jihoon got through some drum samples, him ignoring the fact that the remaining two in the room were eating each others' guts. 

The man on the bean bag exhaled mediocrely while standing up. 'What is your point here, Lee Jihoon?'

Grabbing his can of Coke Zero, Jihoon finally turned around as he pouted while shaking his head in engrossment. 'To help people understand their true meaning in life, Park Chanyeol.'

Oh, and if I hated that guttural name. Rhetorically speaking, most songs that I have written since I enrolled in this university are about him. The hate, anger and resentment diverted towards the beanstalk made my lectures way more difficult than it was supposed to be. 

Jihoon woke me up by snapping his fingers in front of me, waiting for my response as I murmured something out of my inner thoughts. 'His big...'

The moment I pronounced the words, Jihoon laughed his ass off while almost falling of his chair as he grabbed his tummy. 'Let me stop you right there.'

Chanyeol still wanted to hear what I was referring to, coming near my chair while protesting his curious need. 'What, why? I want to hear it. Spill the tea nerd.'

Ignoring his tall acquaintances again, the producer settled the recording device in front of my face while he clicked a couple of bars. 'Sing for me, little one.'

My own words got stuck in my aching throat, not knowing if I should elaborate to this or not. I had never sung in front of anyone else before. My parents were the only ones who heard my singing voice, and they never appreciated its worth. 

I could hear Chanyeol move to the back, the pressure laying down on my slender bony shoulders. It is now or never girl. While I gave the specific words emotions that permitted them their souls, the singing was the only sound that was heard throughout the studio. 

And after the freestyle melodies were recorded, I could see Jihoon nodding his head in acknowledgement and clear approval. 'I am honored to hear this voice finally right next to me.'

Chanyeol frowned as I looked back, still wanting a bit of his insight as his jaw kind of dropped. 'Okay, I am not going to lie. Your sound is pretty unique. Why did you choose to become a pedagogue instead? With this voice, you could have easily been a singer-songwriter.'

My bittersweet smile betrayed what I genuinely thought on my career choice, shrugging my shoulders as I answered. 'Because I love children and music is just a hobby.'

I met his big, rounded eyes as I glance sidewards, a genuine beam suiting his lips as Chanyeol shared the same emotion. 'Well, same here.'

Jihoon turned around for the second time, folding his hands on his lap while he fixated on what he really wanted. 'And same here. We could make this a side gig of ours. I bet that people want to hear something produced out of this formation. What do you guys think? Should we act on our believes or not?'

Months later we found ourselves brainstorming after landing our first major project, without any inclusive ideas to start the production. We hang around a playground with exercising courses, Chanyeol dangling his tall body on a pull-up bar. The beanpole tried to show off his mind-blowing trick that he apparently succeeded in while demonstrating it the other day to his nephews. 

This time however he fell flat on his face which got me laughing and worried simultaneously, continuing my biking course without helping him back to his feet. 'Park Chanyeol, what were you even trying to do?'

The tall idiot who snorted his attempt to make himself appear dandy, bit the upcoming pain away while gnashing his teeth. 'I hate it, I hate myself, I just...'

My eyes grew bigger in excitement as I finished the sentence for him. 'You want to kill yourself? No pressure.'

The two of us got instinctively closer the past couple of months after spending time together with the genius producer in the studio where we had manifested our team. Our bickering was an unavoidable part that came along with it. 

Chanyeol slumped his way down to where I was getting healthier as he panted midway before pointing at my cynical state. 'I seriously want to strangle you and get myself another side chick.'

What did he just say? My legs pushed back and took a break from exercising, yielding my annoyance towards the tall man. 'Side chick? How dare you call me that?! Come here and I will teach you...'

The producer who had his eyes closed and his legs folded as if he was meditating, interrupted my attempt to make Chanyeol's life more miserable. 'Can you guys stop for a second? I might...'

If finishing sentences were a competition, I would have won the gold medal at the Olympics. 'Oh my god Jihoon, you got an idea? What is it? Is the melody good? How about the timbres? Will it be a real-life experience-based song? Or just a random thought about your pet beetle? Maybe about a protein-filled shake?'

Jihoon stood up from the bench where he previously settled on, clicking his head to the right while folding his arms that stopped me from rattling. 'Too many questions little one, too many.'

We both heard a groaning man as he continued his journey towards me before leaning against my left shoulder. 'No, but on a serious note. What is the spectacular idea? I might have to go to see a doctor at any moment so care to speed it up?'

Naturally shrugging Chanyeol's touch of my upper body part, the tall guy stumbled backwards to prop against the other equipment. 

Jihoon could not help himself to snicker at his two friends. 'Your magnificent drop might have woken up something in me Chanyeol. I want to write a song about falling in the deep, failing at the uttermost but eventually standing up with immense power. Life is about going in endless circles, and we will have to meet those tricky situations again. That is the thing, just remember that it will be all right in the end. People need to hear such a song, to hear music that can mitigate their sadness and push them to face challenges together.'

I raised my eyebrows high up as I snickered an honestly laugh out of my mouth. 'Sounds like something straight out of a textbook. You got that all by this idiot's fall? You are a genius, Lee Jihoon.'

We got our big man eventually to the infirmary, finding out that he caught himself a minor concussion. After a couple of days, Jihoon asked me to produce the vocals, Chanyeol on the keyboard creating the main tune while he directed the whole song as the usual procedure. We included a children's choir, and that one melody is now known as one of the best comforting songs ever made. 

Although that was years ago, those friends of mine are letting millions of people listen to their beautiful productions.

On the other hand, I got a casual job as the director of a day care while I still often take part as what Jihoon liked to call "a side gig". This may sound like cliché backstory, but it was predicted by the genius producer himself. 

Something was indeed going on between his best friends, officiating their marriage at the most extravagant way. Jihoon shook his head in disapproval when he heard that he got forcibly assigned as the wedding officer. The tall guy and I said our yesses during a spontaneous night out, our witnesses being random people we met during drinks. Sometimes, you need to be a little reckless in life. 

My eyes saw them both gazing in my way, Chanyeol blowing multiple kisses to me while I roll my eyes instinctively. Cheesiness is not something I would ever get used to, sticking my tongue out to him while he acted like his heart ached. Jihoon met my gaze shortly after, smiling brightly and sending one message. 

Two words. 

We succeeded.

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Honestly, sincerely honest...this imagine is a real life story. My high school experience and how I met amazingly talented musicians. I got to learn a lot from them, locking ourselves up in those crazy small music rooms while composing random melodies. I am not in contact with any of them anymore, but what I do know is that they are doing well. One even released their stuff on various platforms, an other one is now a full-time DJ. One is getting protected by the angels in the sky...

That pull-up bar scene, it happened right in front of my eyes and I can still feel the pain in my stomach and how much I laughed that day. If this story ever feels familiar, yes it is me.

I am one an emotional rollercoaster nowadays so the stories probably will not get any happier lol.

Note: I had to use Chanyeol (not me walking around in high school saying that I will become Mrs. Park one day) because he accurately describes that one idiot I and basically the whole school had a crush on.

Woozi, I just love your mind and you obviously. Thank you Jihoon, for making such amazing songs and please continue on doing that <3

Love,

dahliainjeolmi01