BUSKERS
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Prologue for Buskers
Sweat tickles down my forehead as the sun angrily shines above us. Seoul can be very hot and humid during the summer, and today is no exception.
Along the busy buzz of people on the streets of Hongdae, soft music plays, accompanied by the sound of a beautiful, breathy voice, his melodic voice giving the hot day a refreshing feel, inviting a short breeze that cools us down even if it's just for a few seconds.
As the song comes to an end, the boy bows to the crowd and turns around to unplug his phone from the speaker. The crowd dissipates with a small round of applause and I immediately approach him, rummaging through my bag to hand him a bottle of water.
With a grateful nod, he gives me a small smile and mutters a quiet 'thanks', taking the bottle and almost chugging the whole thing in one go.
"I saw more people stop by today," I say with a smile as my friend wipes his sweat away with a towel.
"Really?" He asks, his face brightening up at the comment. "I'm surprised," He adds, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. "Today is especially hot."
"Yeah. You don't say." I say wiping the sweat from my forehead with another towel, my lips curving into a smile as I watch him laugh at my comment.
"Since it's so hot today," he starts, "do you want to go get some ice cream? My treat!" He adds bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, his bunny smile making it impossible to say no.
"I would love to get some ice cream."
"Awesome!" He says crushing the plastic bottle with his hands and throwing it in a nearby trash can as we walk by it. "Shall we head to our usual place?" He asks and I respond with a nod, adjusting the straps of my backpack which had started to slide off.
Our walk is mostly silent, with Jungkook humming a tune to himself, his doe eyes watching every other busker we pass by with interest and admiration, making us stop twice before we reach our destination.
Much to our dismay, the line is pretty long, considering it is one of the best ice cream places in Hongdae, but we know that it's worth the wait, so in the mean time, we watch a nearby busker dance away to the beat of the music on his speakers, mesmerizing the crowd with his every move, and in no time, it's our turn in line.
"Here you go," Jungkook says handing me the creamy chocolate ice cream with a smile.
"Thanks," I say taking the cup, tapping his shoulder to get his attention as I point to an empty table outside the shop. It's not our usual place, but at least it seems like the day has calmed a bit, sending a stronger breeze our way.
Jungkook, however has been quieter than usual, his gaze lost as we reach our table.
"Aigo," Jungkook softly sighs plopping down on his chair, his hand slightly tugging on the back on his hair. "I really wish I had money to give to some performers, they are really good." He says resting his cheek on his fist, a small pout on his lips as he absentmindedly pokes his ice cream.
So that's what's on his mind. I think to myself with a small smile.
"What did the ice cream ever do to you?" I ask trying to bring him back to his senses.
"Huh?" He says, eyes wide as he blinks once, pupils coming back into focus before his head tilts back and he lets a breathy laugh. "Nothing, just thinking out loud." He says flashing me his bunny smile, which soon disappears as a big drop of mint chocolate ice cream falls on his white shirt.
"Awe man." He exclaims placing his spoon back in the cup, frantically looking around for a napkin.
"Here," I say handing a wipe I had in my bag, "it should work better than a napkin."
"Thanks." He mutters, quickly wiping the stain from his shirt.
The wind starts picking up more as we eat, blowing several plates and cups away, including an important paper of mine.
My hand desperately reaches out to grab the paper, but it seems like the wind has other plans for me, blowing it farther and farther away until it is completely out of sight.
"Wait!" I yell in frustration, as if the wind could actually listen to me, putting my thing on the side and rushing after it, leaving a confused Jungkook behind.
By the time I reach the paper, I'm out of breath, both my hands resting on my knees as I try to get air back into my lungs.
Then I slowly slide my feet to the side, letting out a relieved sigh when I see the paper underneath.
I got it.
With a smile, I quickly bend down and pick it up, turning on my heel to head back to the shop, my feet coming to a complete stop when my ears pick up a sweet melody.
My head does a complete turn in search of the sweet voice, interrupted by the sound of heavy breathing and quick steps.
"Are you okay?" Jungkook asks giving me a worried glance, dawning on me that I left him behind without saying a word.
"Yeah, everything's fine." I say with a smile, safely putting the pice of paper back into my backpack. "Sorry about that," I add with an apologetic smile. "I almost lost something important."
"Did you get it?" He asks surveilling the area behind me in search of the object.
"Don't worry, I got it back."
"Good." He says smiling. "We should probably get going though, it's getting dark and we still have to study for tomorrow's test."
"Ugh." I say with a groan. "Did you have to remind me?"
"Only cause you're helping me study."
"Alright, let's get going." I say following behind him as he starts to walk.
I glance back one last time in the direction of the melody but it already stopped. The sweet sound leaving the atmosphere with a sense of emptiness.
I wonder who that was?
Whoever it was, hopefully I hear it again...
Status: work in progress
Hi lovelies! I hope you are doing well and I hope you enjoyed this preview for 'Buskers'. It's an idea that I've had for a while now, but I'm still working out the details of the plot, so for now, I'll share with you what I've written so far :] I would love to hear what you think! Oh and if I do end up writing the story, it would more than likely be a short story, just some fluff and sweetness~
What do you think? Would you be interested in the story?
~Van