- Who wants to get some food? I'm starving.
- Sure, let's all go.
- You killed us today, Chan. I didn't even know I had muscles here and here. Everything hurts.
- If it hurts, you just have to work harder. Dance through the pain!
- You maniac.
A bunch of dancers exits the studio into an empty hallway. They've been dancing till 11 pm, and the building is all empty by now.
The moment they exit the studio, they become just a group of average young men, no different than any other men you see on a street. You wouldn't know one of them is the most promising artist in the company. His body is currently insured at millions dollars, everything about him is a piece of art.
Chan wraps his arm around him and leans in:
- So, Hyunjin, what's going on with you? Anything new?
- Nothing new. How can there be anything new when all we do is dance and record songs all day? You keep us all as prisoners.
- Oohh but you love it! I know you love it!
- I do... I love it.
So, I was thinking... if you want... I could show you, one day, one of my new songs possibly, maybe?
- Possibly, maybe?? Show me now!
I love your stuff.
- Sure, ok, let me see....
Hyunjin waits for other dancers to exit elevator and spread out before he opens up his little black Moleskine notebook.
He's nervous, but also can't wait to hear Chan's feedback.
- Come on, don't keep me in suspense.
Hyunjin stares at the open book, and looks in disbelief. What the heck is this??
He angrily scrolls through pages, refusing to believe he has someone else's book in his hands. And where is HIS book??
- This is not my book!
He puts his backpack on a ground and takes everything out.
There is no other book in there.
- Look at the first page, it surely has a name on it.
- Name, name, name... no, there's nothing!! No name, no phone!
- Oh well, maybe you should save songs on your phone like everyone else does.
- No, I like writing in a notebook! I like paper, and drawing sketches, and making little notes on a side.. damn!
- Oh well, do you remember anything about the song?
- I think I do, I'll try to remember.
- There you go.
And you probably wrote your name on your book, right?
- No!!
- Why not?
- Because I didn't plan to lose it!!
- Well, too late to cry now. I'll get you a new notebook tomorrow, okay?
The rest of the evening is ruined for Hyunjin who just can't get over his loss. His notebook looks exactly like this one from outside, but inside is... ahhhhh!!!!
Whatever... he opens the first page and takes a look.
————————————————————-
Hi J,
It's been two months since the big move. It's not easy, ngl. At least I found a nice place to stay and a cool job.
I kept this little notebook you gave me for my birthday. In it, I'll write about things I experience. I'll share everything with you, good and bad. You are still big a part of me and I need this to stay sane.
Want to know what it's like
to finally be here?
Anything you want to buy,
experience, taste... you name it - they have it. I have no idea how people make their salary last till end of a month.
Food is delicious!
Can you get addicted to rice cakes?
I just had three, and I'm now going to get more because fuck it I need them.
Or maybe rice cakes need me, and I'm doing them a favor. We don't know.
————————————————————
Hyunjin takes a deep breath and lets out every possible English curse he absorbed by hanging out with Chan. Somehow he finds English curses even juicer than Korean, and Chan is like a walking thesaurus for dirty English. His never ending repertoire is almost never repeated.
So, it seems this broke ass horror left him with its stupid diary, and took his book away!
This is so bad, he could die now. Literally.
He whines in a big style.
Chan, trying to fix Hyunjin's latest crisis, orders a few extra rice cakes for him.
This, for some reason, just makes Hyunjin whine even more.
*****
Ok, now you get the idea of how Hyunlix is going to happen 😏.
I hope you like it.
*****