Catch-22, HAECHAN

05 | out of my limit

The car honks loudly as it comes to a stop by the curbside of her apartment building, and Chaerin lets out an annoyed huff as she approaches the vehicle, swinging open the door to enter.

"Was that really necessary? I was right there," she snaps.

"Just in case." Donghyuck shrugs. "So, Cherry, are you ready?"

"How could I be when I don't even know where we're going?" She mutters sourly.

When Donghyuck had given a call to let her know he'd be taking her out tonight, the boy had refused to tell her exactly where he'd be taking her. Chaerin had had a hard time trying to figure out how to dress, that is until she decided she didn't have time to play Donghyuck's games anymore and resorted to wearing a random blouse with jeans.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just say, I think you'd be in tune with it pretty soon," he snickers to himself.

The growing smirk on his lips is obviously telling of something, and Chaerin narrows her eyes at him suspiciously.

In tune. Tuning. Tuning has something to do with music. And music... that could only mean one thing.

"Are you bringing me to a concert?" She blurts.

Donghyuck spares her a glance as he chuckles. "You're a smart girl, huh?"

"Wha- you could have told me! I'm not dressed to go to a concert," she hisses, but the boy only waves her off dismissively as he takes a right turn.

"Chill. You look nice, alright? He wouldn't mind."

Chaerin grunts as she lets herself lean back into her seat, deciding to just stare out of the window for the rest of the ride. If she had known that Donghyuck was bringing her out to meet a musician, she would have put a little more effort in her outfit today.

She had expected to end up at a concert hall or a stadium, so when Donghyuck ends up pulling in to a random parking lot in the middle of Hongdae, Chaerin finds herself getting visibly confused. Even as he guides her through the crowd, their destination is still unclear, that is until they finally come to a stop at a circular opening in the middle of the busy street.

People lounge around the area— some standing, some sitting— their attention trained on the sole man with a guitar in the middle of a circle.

It was a busk.

Donghyuck brought her to watch a freaking busk.

"Are you serious?" She hisses, pulling his arm so that he could bend down to hear her. "I thought you were bringing me to a concert!"

"This is a concert, and Jaehyun hyung is a musician!" Donghyuck says defensively.

Chaerin looks back to the performer, the one Donghyuck had addressed as 'Jaehyun hyung' as he strums the opening tune of the song on his guitar.

"This is an original," Donghyuck says into her ear before joining in on the chorus of cheers, a huge grin on his face at the sight of his friend performing.

She tears her gaze away from the boy, choosing to focus on the star of the show instead as she lets herself bask in his melodious voice that stands out even despite the hustle and bustle of the busy street.

The song eventually comes to an end, and Jaehyun offers the crowd a small bow along with a dimpled smile for the applause. Chaerin doesn't hesitate to join in, her annoyance from prior having long dissipated at the lovely performance.

If she had someone as handsome as Jaehyun, she's sure she wouldn't be angry a day in her life.

"Hyung!" Donghyuck calls out as the crowd begins to disperse, and Chaerin's eyes widen.