At the Karaoke
In the dim, cramped room, washed in a soft ambient glow, Chiwon and I sat facing each other, just the two of us, both wearing oddly flushed expressions. I reached out carefully and ripped open the plastic wrapper lying on the table. Inside was something shaped like a little pouch, with a rounded rim. I spread the hole at one end open with my fingers and slowly sheathed it over the tip of the thing standing stiffly upright.
...Described that way, it sounds like we were up to something indecent, but in truth, all we'd done was come into the karaoke room and put a cover on the microphone.
"Why are you putting the cover on like that?"
"Like what?"
"...Nothing."
Watching Chiwon sneakily avert his eyes, I giggled to myself. Sure, I'd struck that pose and worn that expression on purpose, but he was reacting a little too honestly, wasn't he, Chiwon?
"Then I'll go first!"
"Okay, okay. Here's the remote."
Feeding bills into the machine, Chiwon handed the remote over to me. I leaned back against the wall and swung my legs back and forth. This was my first time at a karaoke room wearing Yu Haeun's skin—what should I sing? Yu Haeun's voice was thinner and higher than Park Yerim's, so something heavy on the high notes would suit it. And there was a perfect song for exactly that. The moment I punched the number into the remote, a familiar melody came flowing out of the machine.
♪ Taeyeon — I ♪
"Chasing the light, sky—"
My crystalline high notes rang through the room. Where Park Yerim's voice was a touch husky, low, and powerful, Yu Haeun's was transparent and clear—though by no means frail. Maybe it was the smaller body, but drawing deep breaths felt a little awkward. Still, I figured I'd get used to it the more I sang.
"A story I've heard somewhere before—"
Oh, right—this song had a male part, didn't it. As I hemmed and hawed, unable to sing, Chiwon grabbed the mic and carried the line for me. He stumbled over the rhythm a little, maybe because he didn't know that part, but for someone who'd barged in halfway through, he sang surprisingly well. Thanks, Chiwon!
"...Flying so brilliantly—?!"
Ah, my voice cracked. And of all places, right at the climax. Clutching my throat as a cough burst out of me, I forced the song onward while Chiwon gently patted my back. The patting wasn't bad, but it would have been even nicer if he'd stroked it instead.
My first song came out to a 96—higher than I'd expected. If not for that crack, wouldn't I have hit a perfect 100? The regret lingered. Still, this was a perfectly respectable score. Oh—a good idea just came to me. Should I float it past Chiwon?
"Want to bet on our scores?"
"A bet?"
"Yeah. Whoever scores lower has to grant the other one wish."
"You're only saying that because you just pulled a 96, aren't you?"
"Aw, scared?"
"I'll make you regret those words."
With confidence practically radiating off his face, Chiwon keyed a number into the remote.
♪ Park Hyo Shin — Wild Flower ♪
"Seriously?"
"Why are you so surprised..."
How could I not be? I'd never once seen Chiwon sing this song. He always stuck to songs built on low notes—he could really sing something like this?
"That one's hard, though."
"Judge me after you've heard it."
As if it were second nature, Chiwon calmly brought the mic to his lips and readied himself. Half worry, half doubt, I sat back and listened to the intro. Three, two, one. The song began.
"A single ice flower, blooming white—"
Huh? He's good. It was only one line, but it was plenty to judge him by. The pitch landing dead-on every note, and even emotion spilling out of him, natural as breathing. He never used to sing this well—did he secretly take lessons somewhere?
"Only the good memories, only the aching heart—"
I waited the whole way through for him to slip up, but the song stayed rock-steady right up to the end of the first verse. He was good, no denying it—but my pride refused to let me admit it.
"Ugh..."
When I kept glaring at him with a sulky face, Chiwon reached over and gave my cheek a long squeeze. Ah—I'd laughed just now! Did he think I wouldn't notice the laughter seeping into my voice? I wanted to pinch him right in the thigh, but the world of competition is a cold, cruel place. For the sake of fair judging, I swallowed the impulse. Besides, even without me sabotaging him, he was bound to mess up at least once. Could he really make it through the climax unscathed?
"Scattering as it flies away—"
Forget it. This was hopeless. The high notes bursting out of Chiwon at the climax were flawless. If he could hit high notes better than me—a woman—then what on earth was the point of my skin? Completely oblivious to the storm inside me, Chiwon carried the song to its very last note without a single mistake. When the backing track died away, the score that floated up on the screen was... 100.
Wh-what, 100 points? No way. Sure, he'd sung well, but wasn't 100 a bit much? Wondering if my eyes had deceived me, I rubbed them and looked again, but the number on the screen hadn't budged. When I glanced sideways, there was Chiwon, wearing the smuggest of smiles.
"I won, huh?"
"Ugh..."
I couldn't exactly take it back—I was the one who'd proposed the bet. No, wait. In moments like this, the only move was to march forward with your head held high. I lifted my chin and put on a face that feared nothing, and Chiwon quietly smiled and said to me,
"Then I'll save my wish for later."
"Huh? Why? You're not using it now?"
"It doesn't have to be now, does it? I'll keep it tucked away safe and spend it when I really, truly need it."
He wasn't wrong, exactly... but something about it made me uneasy. When he really, truly needs it—what on earth is he planning to make me do?
"By the way, what were you going to make me do?"
"That's a secret~"
"Guess we're even, then."
I'd called it a secret, but the truth was I hadn't thought of anything. I'd only blurted out the bet on a whim the second I saw my score, after all. I figured I'd cross that bridge if I won—who knew it would end up like this?
"Anyway, it's your turn again, right?"
Chiwon handed me the remote. Just as I was about to key in a number, I grabbed his hand tight.
"How about a duet?"
"A duet? Like what happened earlier?"
"That just kind of happened by accident. I want to sing one together properly."
"Okay. A duet, hmm... nothing's really coming to mind. Do you know any good ones?"
I sifted through the duets I knew. This one's too short, that one I don't even like, and what else was there... Right. This one will do.
♪ Urban Zakapa — I Don't Love You ♪
Chiwon stared at me with an odd, unreadable look. Only then did it dawn on me that something about my song choice was... off. I'd picked a song I listened to all the time without a second thought—but we were on a date right now, weren't we?
I snatched up the remote in a panic and went to hit pause. No—tried to. Chiwon intercepted it a beat faster than I could. He's not mad, is he? Phew. His expression said he wasn't. If anything, he looked a little delighted...?
"What should I say—"
Before I could even begin to puzzle out that smile, Chiwon started to sing. His gentle voice and the softly rippling guitar were lovely to listen to, but my restless heart wouldn't let me enjoy a second of it.
"Even the words 'I'm sorry'—"
My voice trembled. Not quite a crack, but unsteady, I suppose you'd call it. Maybe because my heart wouldn't settle—barely half my real skill seemed to be coming out. All I had to do was power through with confidence, but a nameless anxiety kept snagging at my heels, sinking my mood little by little. Perhaps, buried in the deepest part of that feeling, lay the guilt of deceiving Chiwon.
When the song ended, silence hung over the room for a moment. Wading through the awkwardness, I carefully spoke first.
"Um... sorry."
"For what?"
"It's just—picking a song like that on a date is a bit... you know?"
"Don't worry about it. I know perfectly well you didn't pick it thinking that. You just grabbed it without a thought, right?"
"I mean, yeah..."
I mean, yeah—but that makes me sound like the simplest person alive. Simple-minded... which, okay, fair?
"Also, your flustered face was hilarious. I wanted to snap a picture and show it to you. Such a shame."
"Hey!!"
I raised my voice at the giggling Chiwon. It wasn't that I was angry. It was just that while I'd been squirming and agonizing all on my own, he'd been sitting there smiling at the thought of my face... I simply felt like I'd lost, somehow. With just a hint—just the tiniest hint—of feeling behind it, I smacked Chiwon's thigh with my palm.
"Ow, ow! Okay, okay, I'll stop laughing."
That's what he said, but the smile refused to leave his lips. Hitting him any harder wouldn't even hurt, so how was I supposed to flip the mood and seize back the initiative?
"Ahaha, haha... ha?!"
The answer was simple. All I had to do was do something he'd never see coming. I stopped hitting and slowly drew my palm down Chiwon's thigh. The smile drained from his face. Watching it quietly freeze over made me feel a little better. Should I keep going?
"Hey, hold on... isn't this a bit sudden... ngh..."
While my fingers teased at his thigh, my other hand slipped gently up under his shirt. As I carefully kneaded his stomach, I could feel Chiwon's breathing slowly turn ragged.
"...You do know there are cameras in here, right?"
"So what?"
I flashed him a sly smile as he stood there, struck dumb.
"And? Did you forget Lotte World already?"
"That was... that just kind of happened..."
I pressed my face in close to the stammering Chiwon. The composure he'd worn just moments ago was nowhere to be found, and somehow, the sight of him now, wound tight with tension, looked awfully cute. It had started out as half a joke—but now I was getting... a little worked up too.
"...Want to?"