╭                                                                 ╮
━━━ " 📂  " ‍..⃗. ༉

𝙍 𝙊 𝙈 𝘼 𝙉 𝘾 𝙄 𝙉 𝙂

! chapter sixty-nine ─── ʚĭɞ

╰                                                               ╯

Jugyeong reunited with the group a short while later, having taken medicine and a short nap on the bus until she felt better.

And soon enough the darkness had fallen on their last day on the trip. And what better to do on the final day then organise a talent showcase.

Oh My Girl's Nonstop played through the speakers, a group of five girls up on the raised wooden stage performing.

Sat between Sooa and Jugyeong, Miyeon and Sooa were having quite the time doing some of the choreography, wide smiles on their faces as they danced and sang along.

It came to an end with a roar of applause from the students, the girls exiting the stage and the MC appearing once more.

"Next up. The Rainbow Team will show their Super Strength Show. Let's welcome them to the stage." Jaerong announced. Just down the row from them, surrounding Seojun, his group of friends were dressed in brightly coloured tracksuits - hence the name.

A song played in the background, crowd cheering as they watched them do various things. One of them, dressed in the bright orange one, had a string in his mouth and was pretending to pull something along, his friend helping him pull it to reveal his friend on a bicycle.

They crushed up plastic bottles, crushed balloons with their bare hands, eliciting laughter and clapping from the crowd. It finished with a group pose, and was followed by a group of girls dressed up in older ladies clothes, doing a dance to a song, half the crowd joining in within seconds.

With that group having finished, Jaerong stepped back out onto the stage. "I hear Saebom High has not one, but two celebrities." Confused noises could be heard from the crowd, and Miyeon glanced around, wondering who these celebrities could be.

"Apparently, these two students used to be k-pop trainees." Jaerong continued, and Miyeon's head jerked back towards the stage, realisation sinking in. Glancing down the row, she met Seojun's eyes, raising her eyebrows slightly, the boy nodding as if confirming it. "Where are they?" Jaerong asked.

"Here!" Sooa yelled, joining the others as they pointed at Miyeon and Seojun.

"So the rumour is true! Handsome and charismatic, beautiful and confident." Jaerong continued, Miyeon digging her nails into her palms, feeling very nervous all of a sudden. "Let's bring them up here."

And that was why. Miyeon leaned forward once more, trying to see if Seojun was going to do it. Hyunkyu stood up, joking around as if it was him before moving to the floor again.

"What else can we do but bring them up on this stage?" Jaerong continued into the microphone. Seojun moved forward suddenly, meeting her eyes.

"I'll do it if you will." Miyeon said, watching as Seojun's eyes moved over to Jugyeong.

"I'd love to hear you sing." The Im girl was saying, turning and looking to Miyeon. "I would love to hear you as well."

With a smile on her face, Jugyeong began chanting their names, one at a time. And the other students quickly joined in. Miyeon had pushed herself up to her feet before Seojun could even agree, figuring that he would agree.

And he did, standing up as well after confirming that Jugyeong wanted to hear him sing. He even got her to promise him a wish, Miyeon watching with her arms folded across her chest.

"Han Seojun, stop giving her ultimatums and just get up here. I won't do it if you won't and then they'll have no show." Miyeon tutted, Jugyeong agreeing to grant him a wish and the boy stood up.

"I haven't sung for a while." Miyeon worried as they made their way to the stairs, climbing up them.

"I'll go first then. You should get ready to go next." Seojun smiled at her. "You'll be fine - stop worrying and think about what you'll perform."

As he was speaking, a microphone stand was set up in the centre of the stage, a red guitar handed to Seojun upon his request.

"Good luck." Miyeon called after him as he moved onto the stage, standing in the centre.

"You and me under a starlit night." He began, playing a slow, soft melody to accompany it. "Making me anew and bribing me warmth."

His voice seemed to match the lyrics, so warm and almost honey-like, gentle and just so pretty.

Miyeon swayed along in time with the crowd, eyes glued to the performance as she did so. She had decided what song to sing almost instantly after Seojun had begun his song.

It would fit well with her mood, something more personal perhaps. A song that she had begun to write herself, maybe.

Something to make herself proud. To do something for her for once, instead of someone else.

As Seojun finished performing, he made his way off of stage, the smile on his face evidence that even if he had been reluctant to go on, he had enjoyed it all the same.

"Now it's your turn." He said, turning to the girl. "Have you figured out what to do yet - no wait, you should surprise me. I haven't heard you sing properly for a year, I should go get back to my seat."

Miyeon stared at him for a moment, and Seojun suddenly realised how much he had just said - in a tone that didn't exactly belong to him.

"Actually-" Miyeon stopped him just before he made his way down the stairs. "Can you play the guitar for me? You're the only one who knows any of the melody?"

"Me? Wait - did you finish it?" Seojun's eyes went wide, a steady smile growing on Miyeon's face as she nodded.

"Well.. almost. I finished writing it, mostly. There's bits I want to change - but it's almost there." Miyeon nodded. "So, will you play?"

"Of course." Seojun nodded, picking the guitar up again. They arranged a second microphone for him, the settings altered so it wouldn't be too loud and set up the stage.

Miyeon was stood in the centre within no time, unhooking the microphone from the stand. "Sorry for the wait.. I'm actually going to sing a song that I began to write with an old friend of mine. We never got to finish it together, so I only have two verses and a chorus." Miyeon began, getting a reaction from the crowd from her speech.

Many new it was Seyeon she was taking about, and those who didn't soon would. "It's called Clarity - thank you."

And with that, Seojun began to play, a familiar tune that he had developed upon hearing the beginnings of Seyeon and Miyeon's song. He was the only one who could play it for her, and it made him oddly glad.

A few seconds after Seojun started playing, Miyeon would begin to sing, her voice somewhat quiet with nerves. "One day, one day, do not love me for a day." It was strange, performing after all this time.

But it felt so right to her, and the confidence began to grow. "Also I don't even know where to go. I still keep searching for my heart."

"I can't help if I know my heart too." With the last line of the first verse, Miyeon's nerves had completely melted away. Which was good, because the chorus was something that needed the confidence.

"Cause you are the piece of me I wish I didn't need." She continued, the chorus completely in English, and in a much higher pitch. "Chasing relentlessly, still fight and I don't know why."

"If our love is tragedy, why are you my remedy?" Miyeon sang, emotion flowing through into her voice. "If our love's insanity, why are you my clarity?"

The second verse seemed to pass so quickly, and Miyeon was repeating the chorus, before the song completely faded away. She bowed, greeted with applause.

The exhilaration that came with the performance just seemed so unreal. She hadn't felt that alive, that purely happy in months. Any troubles she had in the world - her parents, her confusing new feelings - they all disappeared.

And that feeling would play in the back of Miyeon's mind relentlessly, returning when she was bored, or daydreaming or just trying to get to sleep.

It felt so natural to her, felt comfortable in the stage even after months of not singing properly.

But it seemed that the high would end quickly for that night. Because when she returned to her seat beside Sooa, the Choi girl squealing over her best friend, Jugyeong, Suho and Soojin had gone.

And so had Seojun, even though he had been on stage with her just moments before.

❛ AUTHORS NOTE ━━ idk if anyone knows but clarity is originally by zedd! jisoo has done covers of it before and they're absolutely incredible and i thought some of the lyrics could relate well so i picked it out.
also bc of how it was set out there was no way for her to have a backing track so i improvised and included seojun

here's an performance of it!

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]