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sxfterhearts · 5 days ago

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never too late pt 1

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨��˚ idol!youngk x hair stylist!reader ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

♡ genre/warnings: slight angst, fluff (soon! in pt 2)

♡ word count: 2,152 words

♡ author’s note: i went to day6 concert 2 weeks ago and now im officially a myday HAHA i love them sm. i wanted to write for them (specifically wonpil) but i got this idea first so here's the first of a twoshot (maybe more?) for youngk :") also pls forgive me i havent wrote in eons so im v dusty but day6 songs give me great inspo!! also ty pinterest for the great pics <3

♡ listen to: still there by day6

“Thank you for joining us today, Young K. Wow – bassist, vocalist, lyricist, composer extraordinaire, Kang Younghyun from the globally-renowned band Day6, is here in the studio with us today. Young K, welcome.”

“Thank you, and thank you for having me. It’s great to be back here to promote our new album.”

“Let’s get straight into it, shall we? Here’s an exclusive listen to the highlight medley of Day6’s new album, Band-Aid.”

The cameras go off, as Young K and the interviewer exchange pleasantries amongst the voices of Day6 in the background. As the highlight medley finally drew to a close, applause filled the studio.

“Wow, wow, wow!" The interviewer, a long-time colleague of Young K from his days as a radio DJ, clapped his back in awe. “Just – the musicality, the lyricism, everything came together so nicely. Young K, you’ve outdone yourself, yet again.”

“I couldn’t have done it without the members, of course. We all had a hand in creating this album.”

“Young K, always so kind; so humble. Tell us,” He leaned in, as though he was about to expose a big secret. The cameras zoomed into the two of them sitting side by side on the sofa, a replica of a cozy living room. “What’s your secret? How do you manage to write banger after banger?”

Young K laughed politely, shaking his head. “There is no secret.”

The interviewer gasped, faking annoyance. “Stop it, tell us! We must know, MyDays want to know – where do you find inspiration to write such heart-wrenching and soul-touching rock ballads? You’ve been told in the past that you write as though you’ve been through multiple divorces – is that true?”

“Hyung!” YoungK laughed at that comment, recounting that particular interview. “You know me well enough to know that I have not, in fact, been married or gotten divorced.”

“Then how? We are all at the edge of our seats, dying to know. Those words, those lyrics – they must come from somewhere.”

“Well, if you must know…” Young K mulled over his words as comfortable silence fell between them. The soft instrumentals from their title song played in the background as he thought carefully about his response. “I consume a lot of media. Books, movies, videos, poetry… Everything inspires me. I take time to immerse myself in art so I can draw inspiration from it and create my own art. Of course, the members and I bounce off each other’s ideas and energies as well. Even something as simple as a walk in the park or a trip to a café can bring about unexpected scenes that can be inspiration for a tune or melody, which can eventually become a song on one of our albums.”

“Wow…” The interviewer clapped his hands in amazement once more. “Of course, as expected, you’re a true artist. Although… is there really no one special in your life that inspires you to write these songs? A girlfriend, or a crush, perhaps?”

“Hey…” Young K tutted, playfully shoving his colleague. “Like I said, you know me, there’s nothing like that.”

Your scissors rested heavily against your palm as your fingers carded through her hair, re-evaluating the length with great consideration.

“Eonnie!” Your current client, Seulgi, gasped. “Isn’t this…”

Her words trailed off as she raised her phone towards you.

The moment you laid eyes on the video, you hushed her.

“Ah, so it is him…”

“Seulgi, please, you need to stay still, otherwise the cut will be uneven.” You muttered, your mood turning sour at the slightest mention of him.

“With you as my stylist? I don’t believe it. You’d never let me walk out of here without my hair looking absolutely immaculate.” She retorted. “How long has it been, a year?”

You gently fixed her posture before picking up a chunk of hair on her left side, diligently snipping away to give her face-framing layers. You mulled over her question, purposely making her wait. Sometimes you regret confiding in her. The lesser people knew about whatever happened between you and Young K, the better. “Hmm, a year and a bit.” You responded nonchalantly.

“Do you still think of him?” She asked, full of curiosity. She was half-paying attention to Young K’s live-streamed interview, half-listening to your replies.

You considered this for a moment. It was a hard question to answer. In some ways, you had moved on. Your waking thoughts were no longer consumed by him. You took down the shared photos stuck on your fridge. Your head no longer turned at every indication of a customer walking through your salon’s doors, hoping that it would be him. You could finally listen to Day6 songs without having to skip over his parts.

And yet…

You still kept his unopened messages in KakaoTalk, unwilling to delete them. His hoodie from the previous world tour occupied a permanent space in the very edge of your closet. The bungeoppang vendor in front of your salon never stopped asking about ‘the tall, handsome young man’ whenever you bought a bag of red bean stuffed-pastries on cold winter days. You had to walk a different route every morning towards your bus stop to avoid the convenience store you frequented together on one too many late date nights filled with soju and ramen. Even now, as the harsh winter transitioned into spring, you couldn’t bear to throw away the plane tickets you kept from your trip to Jeju two autumns ago.

“Y/N eonnie?”

“Hmm?”

“I think he’s talking about you.”

You scoffed, combing through Seulgi’s soft locks.

She persisted. “I’m serious – didn’t you two go on that trip to Jeju? He’s talking about it now.”

“I love travelling, but personally for me, the purpose of the trip really matters. Say, for example, a trip I take with the members for a performance is vastly different to a holiday.”

“Of course, that makes sense. You can relax properly on a holiday because it’s not work.”

“Yes, and that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy touring and seeing MyDays from all across the world. But the intention is different. There’s a lot of things on my mind when I’m on tour – do I have all my music equipment? How am I gonna play this particular song, or what adlibs should I do for this performance? Questions like that constantly pop up in my head, and it’s hard to quiet them down.”

“Yes, you want to perform and do your best.”

“Exactly, but the trips that I take for leisure, that is my true healing time.”

“You mentioned going to Jeju?”

Young K nodded, pausing for a drink of water. “Yes.”

“Tell me about that trip. What did you do? Did you still think about music?”

“Well, it was very healing. In fact, it was one of the only trips I’ve taken in the past few years where I could truly let loose and be myself. I think that’s why I could come back and write all these songs.” Young K admitted.

“Ah! So you wrote songs for this album on that trip two years ago?” The interviewer asked, intrigued.

Your breath hitched, fingers pausing its work on Seulgi’s hair.

“Not all of them, no. Since the start of Day6 I’ve realised how important it is to be constantly writing, constantly thinking of new songs, to ensure that we have melodies ready, on the go, that we can pull out at any time. So subconsciously, I’m always thinking about music.”

“Wow, as expected of a talented musician like yourself.”

Young K laughed it off humbly. “No, but seriously, it is so helpful to have a few melodies in the arsenal. Inspiration can strike at any time, and an unfinished melody could turn into a song at the drop of a hat.”

“Right, it’s almost like it was waiting for the right timing to come into fruition.”

“Yes, and that happened to me several times in Jeju.”

“Which songs did you finish on that trip, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Bits of the title song were written in a little hut next to the sea.”

Your breath hitched at the mention of the hut you stayed in with YoungK. The linen bed sheets, your tangled bodies, the smell of fresh saltwater and lingering scent of Hallabong oranges – the memories crashed over you in relentless waves. You set your scissors down as you and Seulgi watched YoungK’s interview with unwavering concentration, hanging off every single word.

“So we have Jeju to thank for this wonderful title song! Anything else?”

A sad smile flashed across Young K’s face. You blinked, and in the next second, it was gone. Young K, ever the camera-trained idol, buried his true feelings and memories under layers of professionalism.

“Songwriting has several stages to it.” Young K explained matter-of-factly, eyes wandering into a distance. “Melt Down was already near the stages of completion, and only needed a tiny push to get it over the line. Other songs like Help Me Rock&Roll had started a long while ago, so I brushed off the dust and progressed it further.” He paused for another sip of water. “She Smiled and Still There… I didn’t finish them until much later, but you could say they were conceived during that trip.”

The interviewer let out several gasps, praise after praise falling off his lips at Young K’s talent and creativity. As the conversation meandered towards more mundane questions such as Day6’s touring schedules and their plans for the upcoming year, you found it harder and harder to listen to his voice.

“Eonnie…” Seulgi’s voice was soft.

She set her phone down and handed you a tissue. Unknowingly, your cheeks were stained with fresh tears. “Ah, thank you, Seulgi…” You always had your suspicions that those songs were related to your time together, but hearing him admit it out loud triggered an emotional response deep within you.

“What happened?”

“Honestly… I don’t really know.” You sighed deeply. “Things just kept getting in the way. He’d be busy, and so was I, and we kept fighting over the same things, over and over again. Until one day, I just… I don’t know. I stopped answering his messages. And I guess he stopped trying to reach me.”

“Oh, Y/N…”

“I messed up, didn’t I? I’m so messed up…” You dabbed the corners of your eyes before they were filled with another round of tears. “I let him go…”

“No, it’s not all your fault. Relationships go both ways. If anything, he’s equally as responsible.” Seulgi reminded you, pulling you into a comforting hug. “Also, it’s never too late to fix your mistakes.”

You hiccupped, lips forming into a pout. “Isn’t it?”

“Of course not, look.” She nudged you to watch the television which was coincidentally playing the highlights from Young K’s interview that just ended.

The timing was immaculate.

“Tell us, Young K, do you have any advice for those who resonate with your songs, especially the heartbreaking ballads? What do you hope MyDays will take away from your songs?” The interviewer asked his final questions.

“Comfort, of course. We hope that Day6 songs can provide comfort to anyone out there who is hurting.” Young K turned to look at the camera with a sincere, piercing gaze. “No matter what happened in the past, just know that you and that person both tried your best. Sometimes things don’t work out for various reasons – perhaps it’s incompatibility, or maybe it’s timing. Call me a romanticist, but I believe that love conquers all. We have a song called The Power of Love, don’t we? Time heals all wounds, and maybe with a bit of luck, everything will turn out okay. Until then, Day6 and our songs will be right here with you.”

Seulgi shook her head at her fellow idol in mock disbelief. “I can see why you fell for him, he has such a silver tongue. Even I was convinced – and I work in this industry!”

“Me and all the other MyDays, I’m really not that special when it comes to vying for his attention.”

“Are you joking?” Seulgi laughed at your denial. She cocked her head towards your phone, buzzing in front of the mirror. “You owe me 5 bottles of soju if he just texted you.”

You rolled your eyes, fingers shaking in trepidation as you picked up your phone.

[12:09pm] yk: hey, i know it’s been awhile. sorry it took me so long, but what are the chances that you’re free tonight?

[12:09pm] y/n is typing…

[12:10pm] yk: dinner’s on me.

[12:10pm] y/n is typing…

[12:11pm] yk: and drinks

[12:11pm] y/n: ok

“I should’ve bet more soju!”

“Aren’t you supposed to stay off alcohol before your comeback?”

“Who cares? There are other more important things in life, like seeing my best friend and genius hairstylist happy.”