"Cause you and I got what it takes to make it"

Patience

The next day was June 14th. It was warm and sunny outside, which Byeol took as a good omen.

Her mom had to go to her office today to turn in some paperwork, which meant Byeol might be able to sneak out of the house unnoticed and avoid any arguements or questions.

She quickly dressed in the clothes she'd laid out the night before: dark tights and a simple black dress with a turtleneck and long sleeves. Not the best for the weather, but it was cute at least.

She called into work as she was doing her makeup, leaning over her vanity as she did her eyeliner one-handedly. She cleared her throat to try and make her voice raspier when she heard the line ring.

"Jonhwahaeso mianhaeyo, Jun-Seo nim. Uh, oneureun momi apaso chulgeunhal ssuga opssoyo..."

"Sorry for calling you, Mr. Jun-Seo. Uh, I can't come into work today because I'm sick..."

She coughed for added emphasis.

She could hear her manager sigh deeply on the other end of the line. This wasn't the first time Byeol had pulled a stunt like this, at this point he was used to it.

"Geungyang naeil dasi oseyo."

'Just be back by tomorrow.'

Byeol grinned. "Gamsahaeyo, Jun-seo nim! J-je mareun, gamsahaeyo. Jalgayo."

'Thank you, Mr. Jun-seo! I-I mean, thank you. Goodbye.'

She hung up her phone, humming a tune to herself and trying not to worry too much about her work.

She sure hoped this gig would work out. Otherwise she'd probably have to find a new job, huh?

She finished her makeup off with some red lipstick, standing up and adjusting her nylons. Her eye makeup was bold yet a bit more neutral than normal, the light grays stark against her pale skin and light dyed hair. Most days, she did her makeup smudgy and black and grungy, but today she'd put in considerable effort to make it neat.

After all, she wanted to make a good impression.

She quickly grabbed her wallet from atop her dresser and looked to make sure she had money for the bus, before checking the time on her phone to see that it was a quarter to 9. If she remembered correctly, which she did, auditions started up at 11.

She slipped on her boots and went over to her closet, opening up the French doors and parting the heavy curtain of dark clothes.

At the back of her closet sat a teal guitar case. Inside it was Byeol's most prized possession, the very first thing she'd bought with her very first paycheck all the way back when she was just 15.

Her Yamaha Pacifica 112V. She treasured it.

The mint green body had been polished til it was blinding, the strings tuned to perfection, everything immaculately cleaned. You could tell how much Byeol loved it just by looking at it.

She pulled the case out of the back of her closet, her hands nearly shaking with excitement as she made sure the clasps were fastened.

She took the pink flyer from her bedside table and pulled on her jacket. The house was still cold and quiet, the curtains drawn and the lights off. Her mom was still out. It was the perfect time to head out.

She crept out the front door, her guitar case over her shoulder and the flyer in her hand.

She'd wanted to join a band since she was a little girl, but she'd never been brave enough to audition for one.

That, and her mother's disapproval of Byeol's love for music had discouraged her greatly.

But her mom didn't have to know, right? Byeol just wouldn't tell her.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Ji-yeon was just coming through the back kitchen door when she heard the front door creaking shut. She shook her head as she unbuttoned her work blouse.

No doubt it was that daughter of hers. Ji-yeon sighed at the mere thought of Byeol.

That girl had always been troublesome. She'd never did her homework, she'd never did her studying, she'd skipped school, she'd stayed up to all hours of the night blaring that ghastly music she liked.

She wore tiny clothes and heavy makeup, she ate too much, she spoke too loudly and too often.

Ji-yeon had always struggled with raising her. She often thought that it would be easier if she had a husband to help her, but Byeol wasn't one to easily accept big changes in her life and would probably never welcome a father into her life.

Ji-yeon sighed, letting her dark hair back fall out of her low bun and walking out her door. She walked down the hall, but she paused when she passed the door to Byeol's bedroom.

She stepped inside the room, folding her arms as she laid her blouse over her forearms.

Byeol's bedroom was small, with a big window looking down into Ji-yeon's garden right over the bok choy patch. The walls were painted the most awful shade of raspberry and covered with posters, flyers, and photographs of Byeol's favorite bands.

Her daughter's bed was piled high with as many pillows and blankets as she could fit on it, all in varying shades of black and gray. There were CDs and vinyls laying about everywhere, makeup was scattered across the vanity, and all around the room there was a feeling of clutter and familiarity.

Ji-yeon huffed, bending down to pick up one of the throws that had fallen off the bed in Byeol's sleep.

If her daughter wouldn't keep her room in a tidy way, Ji-yeon would just do it herself.

"If that girl doesn't start growing up soon, I'll-" She inhaled deeply. "Oh, I'll murder her, I swear..."

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

The Vieux Carre was a popular nightclub among the neon-punks and rock'n'rollers of Seoul. Byeol had never been to it, nor any nightclub, since her mom never allowed it, but Byeol had always wanted to go.

She rode the bus to the other end of town, reading over the sheet music she'd printed out last night. It was an old song by one of her favorite bands, one of the first she'd learned to play on the guitar. She could play it with her eyes closed at this point, which made it perfect for today.

A few minutes later she stood outside the club on the front steps, awkwardly shuffling her feet. She took a deep breath and entered, feeling her heart hammering against her ribcage.

The inside of the building was dark, the walls and tiles deep gray. Band posters plastered the walls. The neon lights were off, but Byeol could easily imagine how much of a vibe the place was at night, all lit up.

An older lady sat at the front desk, filing her nails and chewing gum. She nodded at Byeol and held out her hand.

"Got an I.D, sweetie?" She asked in English, popping a gum bubble.

"Um, yeah, just a sec..." Byeol began to dig through her purse.

"Anythin' works, honey. School I.D, driver's license, work I.D..." The receptionist drawled, examining her manicure.

"Uh-" In her hurry to find something, Byeol knocked her flyer out of her purse. It floated down to her feet. She quickly swooped down to snatch it up, but was interrupted by the receptionist.

"Oh, hol'up- You here for auditions, sweetie?"

Byeol nodded.

"Well, in that case, lemme walk you back, darlin'!"

The lady stood up, her bangles jangling as she walked back to a small stage area. Byeol followed her closely, trying no to wrinkle her nose at the heavy scent of cigarettes and cheap perfume that wafted from the lady.

The stage area was dimly lit, save for the pale pink ambient lights on the small performing stage. Byeol tried not to trip over herself as she walked across the black tiled floor over to the stage.

Byeol could see a girl sitting on a chair in front of the main performing area, a clipboard in her hand. She nodded her head to a silent beat only she heard, her auburn space buns bopping.

"Hi! Are you here for auditions?" She asked. She spoke in English, but Byeol noticed she had a strong Japanese accent.

Yokohama maybe? Byeol thought.

"Yep! Should I start now, or-"

"Head to the room in the back, please!"

"Oh, okay," Byeol turned and opened the stage door to the backstage area.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

She was greeted by the sight of probably 17 girls and young women. Some tuned their guitars, others twirled drumsticks, she even heard one girl doing vocal warmups.

Byeol looked around for a place to sit, but almost all the chairs were occupied. She noticed an empty seat next to a small woman with lilac hair cut in a jellyfish cut. She was bouncing her leg and gripping a pair of drumsticks in her hand. Byeol walked over to her, smiling warmly.

"Hey, do you mind if I take this seat, Miss?" Byeol asked cheerfully.

The girl jumped, holding her drumsticks in a vice grip.

"Oh! Um, sure. I don't mind..."

"Thanks!" Byeol plopped into the seat next to her. "So, what position are you going for?"

"Drummer," She said meekly.

"Oh, sick! Hey, what's your name? I'm Byeol Seong!"

"Lilliana Hanabrooke. It's nice to meet you..." She trailed off.

"Nice to meet you! So, what kinda drums do you play? Like, what are they called and stuff?"

Lilliana seemed surprised that Byeol had asked about her drums. Clearly she wasn't used to people taking much interest in her music. "Are you sure you wanna know? Drumming stuff can be pretty boring for people that don't get it-"

"Nah, I'm sure! Go ahead, I wanna know."

"O-oh, well, I've got a set of Tama Starclassic shells- that means it's just the drums- and a set of Sabian cymbals. What about you? What position are you auditioning for?"

"Guitarist!" Byeol stated, patting her guitar case with great affection. "A Yamaha. My pride and joy."

Lilliana cracked a small smile. "I hope you get the part. You seem nice, Miss Byeol."

The pair settled into silence, watching as all the girls finished preparing.

After a while, a young woman came backstage, calling for all the drummers to come to the front.

When Lilliana stood up, Byeol could see that her hands were shaking.

She tugged the smaller girl's sleeve, flashing her a smile. "Good luck out there, Miss Lilliana!"

Lilliana smiled back at Byeol. "Thank you. Good luck to you, too...!"

"Knock 'em dead!" Byeol called as Lilliana left with all the other drummers.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

It wasn't too long until the stage exit opened and the same young woman walked backstage. Her sharp, heavily made-up green eyes scanned the crowd of girls.

"All guitarists, please come to the front for their auditions please!" She called out and turned, her long, dark ponytail swaying as she walked out the stage exit door.

Byeol stood up, slinging her guitar case over her shoulder.

She had to wait for quite a while for her audition. She heard some really cool solos and some great riffs from some girls, and she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous and self-conscious about her own playing. Would she even be good enough to compare to some of these chicks?

Finally, her turn came, and she rushed to the stage with shaking hands.

The Japanese girl and the dark-haired woman looked up at her with expectancy in their eyes, making an uncomfortable tingle go up her spine.

Byeol cleared her throat, clutching her bright pink guitar pick with white fingers that shook with nerves.

"Um, I'll be doing the guitar solo from Candy Heart by Kimi and The Holograms..." She hated how the statement came out sounding like a question.

The space-buns girl nodded excitedly, clapping her hands. "Ooh, I love that one! Go ahead."

The dark-haired woman nodded in agreement and gave her a wave, and Byeol was off.

She really hoped this would impress them...