To Byul (Omegaverse)-Chapter 150: What brought you guys backstage?

"What do I do?" Chin-hwa asked as he panicked, and Kang-woo, who was supposed to feel sorry for him, felt the urge to laugh.

He was so cute even while he was panicking like this.

"Then, will this make you feel better?" Kang-woo looked around and when he was sure no one was looking, dropped a quick peck on Chin-hwa’s lips.

Chin-hwa’s face blushed.

"I figured it would help you calm down a bit. Do you feel better?" He asked and Chin-hwa nodded. "Atta boy," he patted his head but was careful so he wouldn’t ruin his fine hair do. "And also," he leaned in and whispered in his ear. "You look so pretty, and even more so in a white suit. It suits you."Chin-hwa was embarrassed at the streams of compliments. This was enough to get his mind off his nervousness.

"We’ll do great. We practiced a lot, remember?" Kang-woo said and adjusted his collar, stretching his shoulders as though he was straightening a few wrinkles. "You just need to remember that feeling. That feeling that makes the word invisible, like there’s no one else in it but us."

Chin-hwa’s eyes glimmered. Kang-woo was so good at calming him down.

Chin-hwa let out a sigh, his eyes scanning the audience as he heard, in particular, the voice of his family.

And then he spotted them. Five people were wearing nose masks and big sunglasses, trying to act nonsuspicious as they held up big banners with his name and Kang-woo’s on them, but mostly his name.

It was as if they were in a concert.

Chin-hwa was sure as hell that it was all Woo-bin’s idea.

"Hwa, you can do it! We’re here to support you!" He heard Si-woo’s energy-filled voice and almost threw his face away in shame.

They were so embarrassing, but he did not hate it. He was just shy. He told them he was doing this just so they wouldn’t keep worrying about him being apathetic to everything in school.

He didn’t particularly ask them to come see him perform. They were literally celebrities and he wasn’t ready to let the school know that he was their child. His peaceful life would completely crumble in an instant.

But of course, he didn’t exactly expect them not to come. Asking them not to come to see him perform would be like asking a moth to stay away from the fire. His family were just... Like that.

Lee Ga-ram was also there with his legs crossed like a sassy model but funny enough, he was holding a billboard with Kang-woo’s name boldly written on it. He, too, was wearing a nose mask, trying to blend in with the crowd.

Kang-woo noticed two empty seats next to him that were probably being kept for He-Nari and Tae-won.

Were they too busy to come to see the presentation? Well, it couldn’t be helped.

It wouldn’t be his first presentation and probably not his last either so they could make up for it another time.

But just then, he saw two masked people walking towards the seats. They sat down and were even talking as though they were close.

Kang-woo was sure it was them but... He didn’t know when they had patched their relationship to the extent they could talk like that. However, it felt like He-Nari was being a bit dismissive about what his father was telling him.

’Is he being a nag?’ Kang-woo thought but couldn’t help but smile. Maybe he should talk to them after this was over.

He needed to know their thoughts on this whole inheritance situation. He-Nari’s thoughts to be precise. He already knew his Hyung had eyes on the company but he wanted to hear it straight from him how he planned to carry on.

"Oh my, look at you bunch," they heard Dong-cha’s voice and looked back to see their friends approaching. "Chin-hwa, Kang-woo, your calvary, has arrived." She grinned.

"Hello," Kang-woo waved with a friendly smile.

"What brought you guys backstage?" Chin-hwa asked.

"Oh, we wanted to cheer up someone who might be a nervous wreck," Seoung-bo teased and tittered. "But I guess we didn’t have anything to worry about."

"Where’s Yun-tae?" Chin-hwa asked.

"He said a friend of his who wasn’t familiar with the place had arrived so he went to get them." Beom answered. "He should be back by now. He’ll be at the seats."

"Okay,"

"So, Hwa, is that your family up there?" Seoung-bo asked, glancing at the big hammers and Chin-hwa covered his face. "Gosh, they’re such suckers for you. Is this why you never like to talk about them?"

"No, it’s not it." Chin-hwa shook his head.

"They’re all wearing masks and trying to hide their faces. Are they celebrities by chance?" Dong-cha asked and Seoung-bo gasped.

"Chin-hwa, do you come from a family of celebrities?"

"Well, something like that."

They all paused. Chin-hwa did not evade the question or try to change the subject either. Was it finally time for him to open up about his family.

"After the festival," Chin-hwa said quite shyly. "I’ll... Introduce you."

Hearing this, their faces lit up in excitement.

"Oh boy, now I can’t wait till the festival is over." Dong-cha exclaimed. "Come on, guys, let’s go to a spot where we can watch the performance clearly."

They waved and Chin-hwa waved back.

"I think it’s time," Kang-woo said to Chin-hwa who took one more deep breath and then walked to where the piano was.

Yoon-woo stood up to her stage, standing with a proud grin as she announced, 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"The first performance will be done by Lee Kang-woo and Park Chin-hwa, who will be playing "Happiness" by Stephen Sondheim."

And then, she walked down from the stage. The lights went off almost every time, and the stage lights came on, its rays directed at the red curtains that were still not lifted.

But slowly, the curtains lifted, first exposing the legs of the piano, then Kang-woo’s legs till it was up completely, and Chin-hwa squinted at the stage light. He couldn’t see the audience that had gone silent, nor his family who were meticulously supporting him.

He couldn’t see anything. Just the beam of light blinding his vision.

"Hwa, remember what I told you." Kang-woo whispered to him. He was standing four feet to the right, away from him and the piano. "Imagine it’s just you and me."

"Yes,"

There was a mic attached to the top of the piano but it was in a way that it wouldn’t obstruct Chin-hwa at all. All of this was to amplify the beauty of Chin-hwa’s heavenly voice.

He raised his hands and then pressed them on the keys for long before taking his hands off.

What came next was his gentle voice that sang into the mic as his fingers stroked the keys, dancing softly and gently, all while taking brief glances at the keys on the score sheet.

Kang-woo, with his eyes closed, allowed the music to wash over him, his form swaying subtly to the rhythm. His violin, poised and ready, waited for its cue.

"You’re a pin dropping in a puddle of rain,

You’re a leaf that’s fallen, but you’re not alone,

There are hundreds, maybe thousands, just like you,

And before you know it, you’re a pool of blue..."

The lyrics of "Happiness" seemed to take on a new meaning as they flowed from Chin-hwa’s lips, his voice a masterful blend of emotion and control. The music swelled, a delicate balance of piano and violin that seemed to capture the very essence of longing and joy.

As the song built towards its crescendo, Kang-woo’s violin sang out, its notes soaring and dipping in perfect harmony with Chin-hwa’s voice. The music filled the space, a warm and golden light that seemed to envelop all who listened.

The audience, entranced by the beauty of the performance, seemed to hold their breath as if hoping it would never end, but alas, the final notes faded away and left them with a certain fulfillment and, at the same time, a feeling of want.

In the silence that followed, it was as if time itself had stood still, leaving only the lingering memory of the music and the emotions it had evoked. Chin-hwa’s deep emotions.

Chin-hwa panted. He had done his best. He knew he had done his best, and Kang-woo did too. His eyes met Kang-woo’s, and for a moment, they just looked at each other, before a smile played on Kang-woo’s lips and he said,

"You did it!"

At the mention of that, the entire crowd went wild with cheers. Some were even reading up on how beautiful the performance was.

Chin-hwa was taken aback but he guessed they felt the kind of spark he felt when he was making the performance.

It was as if they had created something truly special, a moment of beauty that would stay with them forever.

They both stood in front of the crowd and bowed.

Two people walked up the stage with bouquets in their hands and handed them to the two who had performed, clapping their hands afterward.

"Thank you," Chin-hwa said. He was touched, but he needed to hurry up and get off the stage before any of his family came up the stage to kidnap him.