Chapter 12: Storm

Summary: Ryan's band meets the mysterious producer he's been talking about for the audition that could change their lives forever.

AN: Hiiiii sorry it's been literally months since I updated. I have two illustrations for this chapter planned but I wanted to get this chapter out before I post them because it would take a lot longer. Please enjoy the chapter!

Min-Gi held his pillow close to his chest wondering when Ryan would return. He said he just went to see Grace about something, but it was nearing 3 in the morning. He stirred at the sound of footsteps approaching his door.

“Ryan?” He sat up. Sure enough, Ryan was there. He looked exhausted. He wordlessly made his way into the bed and collapsed into Min-Gi’s arms.

He let out a simple, “Hey.”

“What midnight rendezvous did Grace call you over for?”

“Some stuff with Kez. Apparently the train comes for people who’re trying to run away from something instead of tackling their problems head-on. And… something…weird happened with Grace… Something weird’s been happening to Grace. I’m worried about her.” Ryan shifted so his head lay directly on Min-Gi’s chest. The latter wrapped his arms around Ryan’s waist gently.

“Well what’s going on with her? Is she sick and not telling us? Because if it’s contagious–”

“It’s not that, Min,” Ryan chuckled. “It’s something else…almost as if it’s something supernatural.”

“What do you mean, supernatural? Like, is it train related?”

“It kinda is. I barely know the gist of it. She’s been seeing weird things that make her, like, dissociate for a bit and I’ve gotta ground her.”

As they lay together, Ryan relayed everything Grace told him about her visions and what had happened tonight. Min-Gi sat there in silence as Ryan talked, occasionally rubbing the side of his face gently.

Ryan held back a yawn, causing Min-Gi to chuckle.

“Someone’s tired.”

“Am not.” he huffed, stifling another yawn.

“C’mon, we’ve got a big day ahead of us. Don’t want to be falling asleep during our audition,” he teased. His smile fell when he realized Ryan was frowning. “You nervous?”

Ryan looked up and mustered up a grin. “Me? Nervous when we are about to play for what could become the biggest gig of our lives? Never. But I guess… I am a little tired.”

“Let’s get some sleep then.” Min-Gi pulled Ryan up close to him and got comfortable on the bed. He listened to the sound of Ryan’s breathing growing slower and slower until he was sure that his boyfriend had fallen asleep before he too started to nod off.

The next morning, Min-Gi found himself alone in bed, clutching a pillow. Ryan must have woken up pretty early. When he stumbled down to the kitchen, Ryan was already fully dressed, with his guitar in his lap.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” Ryan teased, leaning in and brushing a strand of hair out of Min-Gi’s face.

“Hey yourself,” Min-Gi laughed, batting Ryan’s hand away. “Ready to knock some socks off?”

“You know it.” Ryan pressed a kiss to Min-Gi’s forehead. The latter pulled him into a passionate kiss on the lips. When they pulled back, Ryan stood a few meters back in awe. Min-Gi’s mother entered the room, already in her nurse uniform.

“You boys are up early for once,” she commented, heading towards the fridge to pull some supplies out.

“Just getting psyched up for our audition tonight,” Ryan said, pulling Min-Gi close by his shoulder. “We’re going to dominate for sure!”

He flexed a little, causing Min-Gi to laugh. His mother gave the two a small smile.

“As long as you two aren’t out too late,” she said, packing some sandwiches into her lunch box. “Oh, Ryan! I forgot to tell you I ran into your sister Riley at the store the other day.”

Almost instantly, Min-Gi felt Ryan freeze up next to him.

“And… what’d she say?” he asked pensively.

“She said the family misses you and wishes you’d come home. I assured her you’d be back whenever you’re ready. Of course, please don’t feel pressured to leave so soon if you’re not,” she said, slinging a bag over her shoulder and straightening out her uniform. “I’m going to work now. There’s plenty of food in the fridge if you two want breakfast. Bye now!”

She gave Min-Gi a kiss on the cheek and headed out. As soon as she left, Ryan breathed a sigh of relief, but the tension remained in his body.

“It’s only been a few days, a matter of time before your parents catch on,” Ryan sighed. “Or worse, mine… I can’t face them right now.”

“They really miss you and want you to come home, Ry,” Min-Gi said. “I’m sure they’ve gotten over whatever made you leave in the first place.”

Ryan let out a noise that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a scoff.

“I doubt that,” he says, hopping off of the counter.

“Did… something happen with your family?”

“It’s in the past, Min. Don’t worry about it,” he said. Min-Gi wanted to say something more, but decided not to press Ryan on the matter any further. He knew talking about his family was a sore subject for Ryan for a few years now.

“Well, you know if you’ve got anything on your mind, anything at all, I’m here to listen. Even if you think whatever you have to say isn’t great,” Min-Gi assured him, squeezing his shoulder. Ryan’s lips were pulled into a grim, uncomfortable line. He swallowed and nodded.

“You got it, Min,” he said weakly. Now Min-Gi was really concerned. He’d almost never seen Ryan so anxious about anything.

“So…” Min-Gi trailed on, trying to change the subject. “What time’s the audition?”

“7 pm tonight,” Ryan said. “We should get there by 6:30 to set up, though. We should call Grace and Simon over to practice. Let’s hope they’re not too rusty.”

This time, Ryan managed a little chuckle, nudging Min-Gi with his elbow.

Hours later, the four of them found themselves in the garage, setting up their instruments. Grace spun and danced around as she performed her mic check. Ryan repeated quotes from David Bowie as his warm up. Simon sat behind his drumset with his arms crossed.

“You’re not gonna warm up?” Grace asked him.

“It’s just hitting things with sticks, how hard can it truly be?” he said.

“But you haven’t been practicing,” Ryan said with an eyebrow raised. “How do I know you're gonna be able to keep up with us?”

“Says who? You don’t know what I’ve been up to while you’ve been doing fuck all in god knows where,” Simon challenged.

“I’ve been working on my music career,” Ryan snapped back, moving closer to the drumset. “At least I have something going for me in my future.”

“Whoa, hey!” Simon held his hands up. “And Grace says I’m the one constantly on edge.”

“You are,” Grace replied with a slight smirk. She quickly sobered up and turned back to Ryan. “But seriously, Ry, what’s up with you today?”

“Today’s our audition,” Ryan answered bluntly as he tuned his guitar.

“Which you didn’t tell us about until the night before,” Simon said, a deadpan look in his eyes.

“Well it’s not my fault, things got all busy with us trying to figure out that train stuff.”

“You still had ample time to maybe, I dunno, say something like ‘hey guys we’ve got an audition coming up in the next few days by the way’?” Simon retorted. Ryan narrowed his eyes at him, moving even closer towards Simon.

“Well you’ve been told. Now, we’re gonna practice in the hours before we have to go on stage and hope that we don’t bomb this,” he whispered as he smiled disparagingly. Simon blinked for a few seconds before rolling his eyes.

“Let’s just get this over with,” he finally said, his eyes never leaving Ryan’s. Ryan then turned to Min-Gi, his expression softening almost immediately.

“Min, you ready?”

“Yeah, just need to get my fingers warmed up,” he said, taking his place behind the keyboard. He plugged his keyboard into a nearby socket and began playing. As his hands glided across the keyboard, he could feel a sense of familiarity slip back in through his fingertips. He felt at home with the keys underneath his fingers. He was surrounded by his friends and his boyfriend, playing music like they used to years ago. When he stopped playing, he looked up to see the others looking at him with approval. Ryan looked like he was practically bursting with awe and adoration.

“See? Someone’s taking this seriously,” Ryan said, reaching out and patting Min-Gi on the back. This elicited a scoff from Simon and another giggle from Grace.

“Come on, I’ve been singing all this while,” she sang to demonstrate her point. “Can’t let those singing lessons my parents signed me up for go to waste.”

“Well then, let’s get to practicing! Everyone remember how ‘Midnight Masquerade’ goes?” Ryan asked. Grace grinned and clapped her hands together excitedly.

“The solo is my favorite part,” she said.

“You’re the one who does the solo,” Simon teased her.

“I know, aren’t I awesome?” she grinned back at him. The others chuckled and got into position to start. They spent the next three hours practicing before Ryan decided it was time for a break.

“Ryan and I are going to get snacks for everyone,” Grace announced before anyone said anything else. Ryan’s face was unreadable as he followed Grace out of the garage. Now it was just Min-Gi and Simon in the garage.

Well, him, Simon, and One-One. The little robot peeked through the main door, much to Min-Gi’s alarm.

“I heard music!” he chirped. “Are we having a pa\rty down here?”

“One-One, I told you to stay upstairs under my bed,” Min-Gi chided him.

“Ah, so I wasn’t invited? Story of my life,” One-One said somberly.

“No we’re not having a– how did you even get down here?”

“I rolled down the stairs…?”

“Fine... just keep a low profile. My parents aren’t home but I don’t want them walking in on us with you out in the open,” he warned. One-One rolled over to Ryan’s guitar case and remained there.

“That little robot giving you any trouble?” Simon asked.

“Not really, he’s just been either sleeping or rolling around in my room. My parents haven't spotted him yet, but it’s only a matter of time before we get caught.”

“Like Ryan said, just say it was a gift or something,” Simon answered as he scratched the back of his head with the drumstick.

“I dunno if my parents would fall for that.”

“Can’t hurt to try.”

Grace and Ryan came back carrying an armload of bags of candy and bottles of lemonade.

“Didn’t your singing instructor tell you ice cream coats your vocal cords? That’s singing 101!” Ryan was saying as they placed the snacks on the table. Grace rolled her eyes in response.

“Yeah, yeah, but I’m sure a teeny tiny little ice cream sandwich wouldn't hurt,” she said, leaning obnoxiously on Ryan’s shoulder. He laughed and gently shoved her away.

“Sorry, Gracie. Can’t risk it with the audition so close,” he said. He laughed again when Grace pouted at him. “Alright guys, eat up. We got everyone’s favorites.”

Simon and Min-Gi joined Ryan and Grace at the table as they began to dig into the snacks. Min-Gi found his way over to Ryan, who was downing a bottle of lemonade.

“Hey, Ry. Feeling a little better about our audition tonight?” Min-Gi murmured. He wrapped an arm around Ryan’s waist and pulled him close from behind. He could see Ryan starting to smile and blush from behind the bottle.

“Yeah,” he finally admitted. “I guess some of the pre-audition jitters are out of my system. We’re totally going to kill it tonight.”

“That’s right.” Min-Gi leaned down and gave Ryan a kiss on the lips. He could taste the tangy remains of the lemonade he’d drunk. “Huh. Lemon flavored.”

After eating, the band went on to rehearse for a few more hours before Ryan decided everyone could go home and rest before the audition.

“Grace can bring the van over here so we can pack our instruments up to go. Then we’re gonna drive to the town community center in the auditorium,” Ryan said, as Grace and Simon were leaving. “Take a shower, nap, whatever, and get ready for the audition of our lives!”

Grace and Simon said their goodbyes and exited the garage. Ryan sighed and sank to the ground, leaning on the wall. Min-Gi hurried over to sit next to him.

“Adrenaline wear out?” he asked. Ryan didn’t answer, but put his head on Min-Gi’s shoulder. The two sat this way for a while and only got up when they heard the sound of someone’s car.

“I hope you boys didn’t cause any noise complaints,” Min-Gi’s father said lightheartedly as he opened the garage door and spotted the musical gear littered everywhere.

“No, dad,” Min-Gi said. “We were perfectly well behaved.”

“Good. You two can come in and help me make dinner. Your mother is very tired from work today. Let’s make things easier for her tonight.”

“Yes, dad.”

“Sure, Mr.Park.”

After putting their instruments out of the way, Ryan and Min-Gi followed Min-Gi’s father into the kitchen to wash up and prepare dinner.

“Your mother tells me you have an audition coming up? I hope you have been practicing a lot. It’s very important,” Min-Gi’s father asked as he made his way to the stove to cook.

“Yep. We’ve been practicing all day, Mr.Park,” Ryan answered for Min-Gi. “Our audition is in an hour.”

“I’m sure you both are going to make us proud,” his father said, his back to them. Min-Gi could feel his heart swell just a little from that.

“You boys want me to drive you there?” Min-Gi’s mother offered.

“No thanks, we’ll catch a ride from our friends. Grace’s family has a van where we can put all our instruments,” Ryan said. “But thanks for the offer, Mrs.Park.”

“Well, at least get some food in your belly before you perform tonight,” she said with a smile. “I’ll even pack you boys some snacks for the road.”

“Mom, it’s fine, please. You just got back from work, I wouldn’t want you to stress yourself out more.”

“I can do it, then,” his dad insisted. Min-Gi sighed. There was no way his parents would ever let him leave without a little something to snack on.

“Alright, dad,” he relented as he sat at the table. Dinner was pleasant and mostly quiet. After dinner, Min-Gi helped clean up with his mother before he went to take a quick shower and find a change of clean clothes to wear; a casual gray and white button-up t-shirt and a dark blue jacket, plus some nice jeans he found in the closet. He combed back his pompadour and sighed at the sight of himself in the mirror. He then picked up the snack baggies his father left on the kitchen counter and met Ryan outside.

When Grace and Simon pulled up in the van, Ryan and Min-Gi made their way to the garage to pick up their instruments.

“Where’s One-One?” Ryan asked. Min-Gi froze.

“He’s not in your guitar case?” Min-Gi asked. Ryan opened the guitar case, only finding his beloved guitar there. No sign of the little robot ball.

“Oh crap… we better find him before we go. Don’t want your parents to spot him.”

“Yeah, but… where could he be?” Min-Gi said, running a hand through his hair in distress. He really hoped that One One hadn’t strayed far from the garage.

He and Ryan started searching the room more thoroughly, checking every corner and every potential hiding spot. It wasn’t until they heard a giggle coming from the top of a shelf that they found him, curled up between boxes of old trophies.

“You found me!” One-One chirped.

Min-Gi heaved a sigh of relief. “You can’t do that, One-One, we were so worried,” he said sternly.

"We gotta take him with us," Ryan said. I don't trust him alone with your parents in the house."

“If one of them sees him, we’ll be totally busted. Come on, he’s coming.” Min-Gi agreed.

"Alright, let's go then!" Ryan said, leading them out of the garage.

Grace was sitting shotgun as usual while Simon sat near the left window. Ryan and Min-Gi took the middle and right window seats. One-One was tucked safely into Ryan’s guitar case while Ryan held his guitar in his and Min-Gi’s laps. Grace’s chauffeur said nothing to the two boys as they entered the van.

The ride over to the community center was relatively uneventful apart from the nervous energy the band all felt. Min-Gi fidgeted with the hem of his shirt while Ryan tapped his foot to the rhythm of a song in his head.

By the time they arrived, Min-Gi found himself with butterflies in his stomach. This was it. Everything they’d been working towards came down to one performance. There was no room for even a single mistake. Ryan’s hand found Min-Gi’s and gently squeezed it.

As they made their way to the auditorium, someone caught Ryan’s eye. Min-Gi followed his gaze to find a stylish individual with circular glasses and a dyed white mullet. They looked to be in their early 40s, if not late 30s. The individual noticed Ryan, grinned, and strolled over. Grace and Simon split off to get everything set up in the auditorium.

“Mr. Akagi!” They said cheerfully. “You made it! So, is this the band I’ve been hearing so much about?”

"Min, this is Reign Sangster. They're the one we're doing this audition for,” Ryan said, gesturing to the producer. “Mx.Sangster, this is my band. Well… it’s just Min-Gi and me right now. We've got Grace as lead singer, Min-Gi on the keys, and Simon on the drums. And I'm the guitarist and leader."

Reign smiled politely. “It’s a pleasure to meet you officially. I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ve got to offer. My associates are already in the auditorium. I just wanted to take a look around. This is a lovely town, I must say. Almost makes me question why you’d want to leave it, Mr.Akagi. Almost.”

“Great to meet you, too… a-and thanks,” Min-Gi said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I can’t lie, I’m a little nervous. We kinda found out about this gig really last minute, but this is a big deal, you know?”

“I get it,” Reign said with a nod. “I remember my first concert in my hometown. I almost ran off the stage in fright!”

Reign laughed at the memory, while Min-Gi chuckled nervously in return. He definitely felt the same way at the moment.

“Oh wow, that must have been embarrassing,” Min-Gi said, trying not to let his voice catch in his throat. Reign seemed unphased by his nervousness.

"Hey Ryan, do you mind if I speak to Min-Gi for a bit?" Reign asked. Ryan shrugged.

“Sure thing,” he said. “I’ll check on Grace and Simon in the meantime. Don’t steal him away for too long.”

With a wink, Ryan walked into the auditorium and left Reign with Min-Gi in the hallway.

“Let’s take a walk, Min-Gi,” they said. Min-Gi obediently followed Reign down the hallway, away from the auditorium where his band was setting up. The idea that Reign was a secret serial killer luring him away from witnesses briefly crossed his mind, but he brushed it off as paranoia.

As they walked, Reign said, "I'm sure you understand what a big deal this is. Ryan’s told you about what’s going to happen with this audition. Whatever decision we make at the end of the night will change your band forever."

“Of course,” Min-Gi answered, his mouth growing dry.

“I may be a bit biased and already have my eyes set on Ryan,” they admitted. “But I’m not the only one you guys need to impress.”

“I’m gonna give you some honest advice: A good performance means nothing if your head’s not in the game. The guys in there,” Reign gestured back to the auditorium, “only care about what they can hear and see. So give them something great to hear and see. If I don’t see at least one person in my team’s jaws hit the floor, I will personally have to give you a hard pass.”

Min-Gi stiffened at the last sentence. "Noted..."

“But don’t let that dissuade you,” Reign added. “You have the potential to be great, from what Ryan’s told me. He speaks highly of you in particular.”

“He does?” Min-Gi felt his stomach do little flips at that.

“You’re surprised? The way he’s talked about you on the phone, he thinks you’re something special. And I’m sure you’ll prove him right.”

“Geez… I’m really happy he said that.” Min-Gi felt himself start to blush at the compliment.

"Now let's get in there and make this an audition you'll never forget," Reign said, leading him back to the auditorium.

“Yeah… let’s do this.” Min-Gi steeled his nerves as Reign pushed open the auditorium door. On the stage, Grace, Simon, and Ryan were setting up their instruments and tuning them. Ryan spotted Min-Gi and waved excitedly.

Reign’s associates were sitting in the audience. The two of them were casually chatting among themselves, not paying much attention to the band setting up in front of them. Min-Gi swallowed hard.

“These are my associates, Mr. Damian Dumont and Mr. Gabriel Day. Damian’s in charge of the designs for mine and many other clients and Gabriel is a tour publicist. I make sure the music gets made while they make sure it’s appealing to the public.”

Damian and Gabriel looked to be the same age as Reign. Damian was a dark-skinned man with strong features and dark locs that draped his broad shoulders. Gabriel was wispy, pale, and had curly, jet black hair that gathered in the front of his head. Damian’s face carried a more neutral demeanor, while Gabriel’s was more pinched and critical.

Min-Gi got up on stage and took his place with the rest of the band. Reign took a seat in the audience, joining their associates in waiting for the performance to start. Min-Gi swallowed hard, his heart beating so fast and hard that it felt like a kick drum in his chest.

Ryan took his mic and stepped forward, “5, 6, 7, 8!”

As the rhythm started to take form, he hesitantly started to play. Over time, Min-Gi’s hands started to feel steadier. Everything was starting to fall into place, coming together more seamlessly as they went on. Grace and Ryan’s voices weaved together like the threads of a scarf created by one’s grandmother.

For a moment, everything felt right with the world. The only things in the world seemed to consist of the music, Min-Gi’s fingers dancing across the keys, Ryan’s smile as he played, Grace's voice, and the beat of Simon’s drumsticks. Everything felt perfect.

As the song went into the last chorus, Ryan and Grace started to play off of each other, improvising as they continued. A cocky smirk formed on Ryan’s face as he looked into the audience. His fingers continued to skillfully strum the guitar strings, showing off the years of practice in his technique.

As the final few notes echoed around the auditorium, Min-Gi felt sweat running down his face as he stared at Ryan. Ryan stood there, his chest heaving, a cocky smile on his face and a light in his eyes.

Reign and Damian politely clapped once the song was over. Gabriel was the only one who remained unmoved, filing his nails. Reign elbowed him but he ignored them. Grace and Simon had smiles on their faces as they gathered their instruments to head off the stage. Min-Gi was still coming down from the high of the adrenaline, his hands trembling. Ryan gently nudged him and he snapped out of his haze to follow Ryan off of the stage.

"Just give us a couple minutes, and we'll get back to you with our decision," Reign said.

As they all started to file out of the auditorium, Min-Gi turned back to look at Reign, Damian, and Gabriel as they discussed amongst themselves. His stomach was twisted in knots. Ryan walked over to him and winded his arms around Min-Gi as he gave him a long searing kiss. Min-Gi kissed him back as well. After a long moment together, they pulled away.

“You were incredible.” Ryan rested his head on Min-Gi’s chest, who was sure his heart was beating so loud his boyfriend could hear it. “There’s no way they won’t take us all.”

Min-Gi was a little confused by the wording. “Take us all? Why wouldn’t they take us all?”

Ryan paused, raising his head off of Min-Gi’s chest as he seemed to be thinking of a reply. Before he could answer, the auditorium door opened again and Reign popped their head in. “You guys can come back in now. We’ve made a decision.”

With those words, the nervous knots in Min-Gi’s stomach began to coil again. He had no time to dwell on Ryan’s statement. He swallowed hard, holding Ryan’s hand as they made their way back into the auditorium.

“So… how’d we do?” Ryan asked with a more nervous energy than Min-Gi had seen before.

"Before we tell you what our decision is, we thought we'd point out some strengths and weaknesses,” Damian said.

“And trust me, there were a lot of weak points,” Gabriel said. Reign cut him a look, but Gabriel’s disparaging stare was unrelenting and particularly fixated on Min-Gi. He swallowed nervously.

At that, Min-Gi's grip on Ryan's hand tightened nervously, causing Ryan to wince.

Reign began. "Let's start positive. All of you showed a lot of emotion onstage. You all have great musical skill."

“Oh, thank you!” Grace smiled, but Reign held their hand up.

“However…there is some room for improvement in all of you.” they started. “I’m gonna start with you, Grace.”

“Ok… what’s up?” she asked.

“You have a beautiful voice with a powerful tone. The control you have over it is admirable, and your stage presence is fantastic. It's clear that singing is your passion, and there's a lot of potential in you,” Reign praised. “However…There are times where your singing is a touch too powerful for the tone of a song and it can come off as a bit overbearing. You need to work on when to reign in your power and when to push it. When done wrong, you can drown out the rest of the instruments and the rest of the music gets lost.”

“O-oh…” Grace shrank, looking embarrassed. Damian started on Simon next.

“You’re a very talented percussionist, Simon,” Damian complimented. “Your beat keeping is very solid, and you stay on time with the music. However, I did notice times where there were some noticeable tempo changes. You need to work on your consistency.”

“As for you, Min-Gi” Gabriel began, his gaze piercing, “Your musical ability onstage is solid. You have skill, your technique is good and you have a nice sound. But you’re clearly not as confident in your skills as your counterparts. Even if you’re not aware of it, you play in such a way that makes you seem like you’re afraid to take the spotlight or take risks. You’re hesitant and you’re timid. You’re too much in the background. And that’s the drummer’s job!”

“Hey!” Simon interjected.

Min-Gi winced. He had a feeling he would get criticism like this. But hearing it stung, since it was completely true. He couldn’t help but shrink back, trying to make himself smaller under the weight of Gabriel’s stare.

“And now we get to Ryan,” Reign said with a frown. “I’m going to be honest, Ryan, I feel like you didn’t give it your all in this performance. And I think you know that.”

Ryan reddened and opened his mouth in an attempt to make a rebuttal.

“I just–”

“I’m not finished,” Reign interrupted, keeping their eyes trained on Ryan. “You have a talent with the way you play the guitar, it’s undeniable. But there seems to be a bit of restraint there. You’re holding back on your talent for whatever reason, either holding yourself back on purpose, or there’s something in the way that stops you from letting loose. Either way, something’s stopping you.”

“I… I know…” Ryan sighed.

“Nevertheless…” Reign continued. “Despite my grievances with your performance, there’s a fire in you and you have a gift with music. I may be seeing less than ten percent of your full potential, but that ten percent is promising. The way you played in the last act is what I’m looking for. I'm gonna help you bring it out more."

“Y-you’re saying…?” Ryan asked.

Reign nodded.

“Ryan, I have a proposition to make.”

Grace let out an excited cheer, surrounding Ryan with a hug. Simon half-heartedly clasped a hand on Ryan's back. Min-Gi was still frozen in shock.

"I-I..." Ryan stuttered. Grace just kept squeezing him tighter in celebration and cheering.

They walked up to the stage and handed Ryan a paper. "You'll have a week to let me know your decision.

"Wait, where are our papers?" Simon asked. Reign's smile dimmed, and something terrible was beginning to dawn on Min-Gi. His eyes widened. He and Simon shared a look, which seemed to be a precursor to an oncoming train wreck he saw happening in real time. Grace looked confused as well, looking between Reign and Ryan. Ryan looked like a deer caught in headlights. For once, he was speechless.

“Ah I see…” Reign mused. “He… hadn’t told you.”

“Told us what?” Min-Gi stepped forward. “Ryan…what’s going on?”

Ryan looked guiltily at Reign and let out a shaky breath.

"At first when Reign and I first talked, they seemed willing to take us all on board if we impressed them," Ryan started.

“And… what changed?” Min-Gi asked. His throat tightened with each passing second.

“But then… they said they could only take one of us on,” he admitted. At that, both Simon and Min-Gi’s faces went white. Grace slowly looked between Ryan and Reign in shock.

“I… I can’t believe it!” she said. Something about her demeanor felt off to Min-Gi, but he was too busy reeling from the shock of Ryan’s revelation. The shadiness around the “gig”. The secret phone calls. The growing apprehension as the audition date grew closer. Slowly, everything began to fall into place. Min-Gi’s heartbreak soon burned into anger.

“Can you excuse us for a moment?” Min-Gi said calmly to Reign and the two men before ushering the band outside in the hallway.

Reign and the other two gave them space as they all exited the room. Once the door shut behind them, Min-Gi turned on Ryan.

“You didn’t tell us they’d only take one of us” Min-Gi’s eyes were now wide with both anger and hurt, staring at his boyfriend. “Why?”

“I didn’t know…” Ryan whispered, refusing to look at any of his bandmates. “I didn’t know… how to tell you.”

“And you thought not telling us was the best solution?” Simon asked. He looked less mad and more…smug? “This has gotta be the dumbest thing you’ve ever done. Well, aside from–”

“Shut up, Simon,” Min-Gi warned. He turned back to Ryan. Ryan finally looked up at him, his eyes filled with remorse and sorrow.

“I know, I messed up badly, and I’m sorry, but–”

“We’re supposed to be in this together! You should’ve at least talked to me first!” Min-Gi was fighting to keep his voice level, but he was unable to keep the hurt out of it. “Did you know and just not tell us because you knew it’d be you?”

“No, I–”

“Ryan, you said you had a plan for this!” Grace interrupted. “What happened?”

“I had a plan! I figured if we were all good they’d have no choice but to take all of us together!” Ryan snapped.

“Wait, you told Grace before you told me?” Min-Gi interjected, another realization hitting him.

Ryan opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out.

After an awkward pause, he finally said, “I…I didn't mean to.”

Min-Gi then turned on Grace. “And you knew this whole time and said nothing to the rest of the band? To me? His boyfriend?”

"I didn't! Not the whole time. He told me last night when we went to go talk to Kez…I didn’t think it was my place to say anything. I… thought he was going to tell you himself!"

Min-Gi shook his head and started to pace. This was all starting to hit him like a ton of bricks. He was trying to process this huge, life-changing bombshell while also trying to work through the hurt and betrayal of his boyfriend's dishonesty.

“So he lied to us–”

“I did not! I just didn’t tell you everything. And look at it this way. They still had lots of nice things to say about you guys!” Ryan tried to salvage the conversation, but Min-Gi was not having it.

“Oh yes, because 'nice comments' are so much more important than the potential of getting a huge chance with an incredible opportunity like this," Simon said snarkily. Min-Gi shut him down again with a glare.

Min-Gi turned back to Ryan with hurt and rage in his eyes. "We. Are. A. Band. We're a team! We work together! And most importantly, we communicate. You know, the one thing you seem to suck at."

He began to angrily pace up and down the hallway, trying to calm himself down. Grace was looking between the two of them, looking incredibly uncomfortable. Min-Gi continued to pace. His mind was in turmoil, his body was full of adrenaline from anger, and his heart ached more than he thought it was even possible to ache. He just felt so...betrayed . He knew Ryan was impulsive and had a hard time thinking things through. He also knew that Ryan often didn’t like to communicate, despite how much Min-Gi had been encouraging him to get better at it.

But he never would’ve guessed Ryan could do something so selfish and stupid.

"I know, and I'm sorry, again," Ryan said after a long pause. "But I promise I'm gonna fix things. I have a plan."

“I don’t want to hear any sort of plan from you right now,” Min-Gi grumbled. He threw his hands up in frustration. “I just… I can’t with you right now.”

Grace reached out and gently touched his shoulder. “Maybe we should hear Ryan out…”

Min-Gi shook her off with a scowl. “What, you know his plan too? Anything else he told you he isn't telling me?”

Grace recoiled, looking hurt. "No, he didn’t–"

A scoff came from Simon.

"And you wonder why he didn't tell you. You're way too sensitive," Simon said, but he quickly shut up with a glare from both Grace and Min-Gi. The latter turned back to Grace.

“You know a lot about not telling people things, Grace," Min started back on her. "You won't even tell us about those freaky train powers you've been getting."

He knew it was a low blow, but he was too hurt to think straight at the moment and felt himself lashing out at anything and anyone. Simon looked surprised, but Grace let out an offended gasp at the accusation.

"You have every right to be upset with Ryan and I, but you can’t just throw what’s been happening to ME back in my face. It’s none of your business," She shot back. “Ryan, I told you I didn’t need anyone else worrying about me. Why the hell did you tell Min-Gi?”

“Apparently he can talk to me when it comes to other people but not when it directly affects us,” Min-Gi scoffed.

"Guys, please!" Ryan begged, but got quickly ignored.

“Grace, what ‘freaky train powers’ is he talking about?” Simon asked, no longer finding the situation amusing. Grace scowled and looked away.

“I said it was nothing to worry about,” Grace said.

“Oh yeah, because claiming to have weird visions about some train and seeing other people’s memories of said train is clearly ‘nothing to worry about’, right.” Min-Gi said, giving Grace a hard look. “You're hiding things just like Ryan has.”

Simon’s mouth dropped open. “Whoa, wait, what?”

“This isn’t even about me! This is about Ryan not saying anything about this audition until it was too late,” Grace hissed. “My ‘freaky train powers’ have nothing to do with you. Or anyone else.”

“No, but I’m just pointing out that you’re not completely innocent either,” Min-Gi shot back, folding his arms. “You’ve been hiding things about this…train thing, just like Ryan’s been hiding the truth about this audition with Reign.”

"I don't have to take this," Grace growled.

“Neither do I,” Min-Gi retorted.

A tense silence fell over the four of them.

Min-Gi looked from Grace to Ryan and back again, before letting out an annoyed huff. “I’m going for a walk.”

He turned and walked down the hall, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets.

“I’m going home,” Grace said, turning on her heel.

“Yeah, same here,” Simon grumbled. No one waited for Ryan’s response. They left him standing at the doors of the auditorium. Out of the corner of Min-Gi’s eye, he could see the doors opening and Ryan walking back into the auditorium.

He stood outside of the community center, his legs trembling. He sat on the steps, putting his knees close to his chest. After a few minutes, he felt something nudge his side. He looked up to find One-One standing next to him, dragging along the little bag of snacks his dad made for him.

Min-Gi quickly tensed at the sight of One-One, but didn’t pull away. He picked up the little bag and started to eat quietly.

“Hey,” Min-Gi whispered. “I thought you were in Ryan’s guitar case.”

“I was, but I heard fighting. When Ryan came back for his guitar, I snuck out. I can tell you’re feeling a bit down. What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… I’ve had a very stressful evening,” he admitted. “What are you supposed to do when your own boyfriend lies to you about something that would’ve changed your lives forever?”

One-One listened patiently, bobbing his body up and down in comprehension. He didn’t try to offer comfort, he didn’t try to give advice, he just listened.

“I see…”

Min-Gi sighed and buried his face in his hands.

“I know him…he has a habit of keeping things to himself. He does it because he doesn’t want others to stress. He’s also very impulsive and doesn’t always think before acting. But that doesn’t make any of this okay! He left me for a year only to come back and string me along!” He stood up suddenly, his hands balled into fists. The sky began to darken and the roll of thunder soon followed. The wind began to blow with its typically cold chill, and it began to sprinkle. One One stepped back at the change in the weather.

“Min-Gi?” the little robot called out, looking up at him. “Can you control the weather?”

Min-Gi sighed. “No, it’s just about to rain. We should get going.”

He took One-One in his arms and ran off into the streets, not stopping until he was in front of his house. The rain was now pouring down, with lightning and thunder joining in the onslaught. By the time he arrived home, he was drenched. He went inside and rushed upstairs into his room without saying a word to his parents.

One-One was still in his grasp, held closely against his chest while leftover rain streamed down his face and clothes. He gently tossed the little robot onto the bed and flopped next to him. He groaned and covered his eyes with his arm, not even caring about his wet clothes or if Ryan had returned yet. He couldn’t tell if the droplets running down his face were residue from the rain or his tears.