Baekhyun stared at himself in the mirror, breathing in and out slowly as he tried to calm himself. He played with the sticker attached to his shirt, a number printed on it that represented when it was his turn to perform. Looking into his own eyes, a warm smile grew on his face, comforted by a special memory.

"This is for you Grandma."

He was startled a little as the door to the bathroom opened behind him. Quickly grabbing his belongings, Baekhyun started to make his way out of the room, but stopped once he recognized the person who had just entered. Junmyeon was standing behind him, it seemed like he wanted to talk to him.

"Oh, hi." Baekhyun smiled, noticing that Junmyeon's expression was more pleasant than usual.

"Hi." Junmyeon answered, smiling back at him warmly, "I've been looking for you. Sehun really wants to talk to you before you preform."

"...He does?" Baekhyun asked with a slight hitch in his voice, a nervous pound in his heart at hearing Sehun's name.

"Yeah. Here, follow me. I know where he is." Junmyeon waved his hand as he turned around, starting to leave.

"Ok." Baekhyun smiled again, quickly following after Junmyeon. He clutched tightly onto the music sheets in his hands, wondering what Sehun wanted to say to him. He was honestly glad Sehun wanted to talk to him, he knew it would help calm his nerves. Sehun always had a way of making him feel relaxed.

Junmyeon led Baekhyun to another room, opening the door for him so he could step inside. It seemed like a storage room of some kind, and Baekhyun was a little confused as he looked around, not spotting Sehun anywhere. Suddenly he heard the door slam behind him, and Baekhyun abruptly turned his head to see that Junmyeon hadn't come in the room with him. Panicked, Baekhyun rushed to the door to try and open it, but he was too late as he listened to the sound of Junmyeon locking the door.

"What are you doing?!" Baekhyun shouted, relentlessly pulling on the doorknob.

"What do you think?!" Junmyeon shouted back, anger clearly present in his voice, "You'll never understand what Sehun and I go through! I've always been the one who's been there for him, because I'm the only person he can relate to! I won't allow you to take everything from me! Not Sehun, and not this competition either!"

Baekhyun listened helplessly to Junmyeon's footsteps running away, leaving him trapped in the dark storage room. There were no windows, and Baekhyun didn't have his phone on him to contact anyone. He crumpled against the door, a painful feeling growing in his chest at thinking he wouldn't get to perform. He had spent so long practicing, the motivation behind it something much more meaningful than winning.

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Sehun stared down at his ticket, trying to find his seat number. He scooted through the narrow aisle, looking at the numbers labeled on the chairs. Before he could find it however, he suddenly was approached by Chanyeol and Jongin.

"Need something?" Sehun asked, noticing it looked like they had something to say.

"Have you..." Jongin started, reluctance in his voice at having to ask Sehun this question, "...Seen Baekhyun?"

"Baekhyun?" Sehun replied in surprise, "...No I haven't, isn't he suppose to be backstage?"

"Yeah...But we can't find him anywhere." Chanyeol added, clearly distressed, "We thought you might know."

Sehun glanced around the auditorium, his face quickly becoming concerned as well. He could see Baekhyun's parents getting arranged in their seat, a bouquet of flowers in his mother's hands.

"You tried texting him?" Sehun asked.

"No, he doesn't have his phone. None of the competitors are allowed to have them."

Sehun nodded, stepping back with a determined look on his face, "I'll help you look."

Splitting up, Sehun and Baekhyun's friends searched around the entire backstage. However, they were eventually kicked out as it became time for the performances to start. The auditorium went dark, the announcers getting everyone's attention to begin the competition. Heading outside, Sehun, Chanyeol and Jongin continued their search. They split up again, running around the exterior of the building.

Sehun was careful to hold onto a flower concealed in his jacket, a surprise gift for Baekhyun he had prepared. As he ran along the building, he tried to think of where Baekhyun might have gone. He knew how important this performance was to Baekhyun, there was no way he would leave. Besides, Baekhyun was such a strong willed person, Sehun knew he wasn't the type to bail out on a performance. It didn't make any sense.

Making a turn around the corner, Sehun came to an abrupt stop. He held his breath, witnessing a vision he had never seen before. A young beautiful woman was floating in front of him, smiling at him tenderly despite the concern in her eyes. A soft glow surrounded her, the warmth from it tangible to Sehun as he stood close to her.

Sehun knew very well that she wasn't a ghost, he had seen enough of them to realize that. This was the first time Sehun had seen one of her kind, and after examining her face, it became clear to him what exactly he was seeing. Mesmerized, he stared into her eyes, at a loss for words for the celestial being before him.

Waving her hand, she summoned Sehun to follow her, her long dress flowing around her as she floated backwards. Sehun didn't hesitate to chase after her, knowing he could trust her. She began to fly as Sehun ran behind her, no words between them needed to understand where she was taking him.

Stopping in front of a door, the woman turned to face Sehun, a sad expression on her face. Sehun rushed over to the door, grabbing on the doorknob in an attempt to open it, but it was locked.

"Hello?!" Sehun heard Baekhyun sob from the other side of the door, his voice fragile and desperate in tears.

"Baekhyun! I'll get you out of here, don't worry!" Sehun shouted, giving the doorknob a few more aggressive tugs.

"Sehun?" Baekhyun asked, his voice lightening in relief.

Sehun let go of the doorknob, turning his head to look at the woman who lead him here, but she was already gone. He glanced down the hall desperately, wondering what he should do.

"Yes, it's me." Sehun spoke warmly, "I'll be right back, ok? I need to find someone with a key."

Baekhyun hesitated, wondering how Sehun would react to his words, "...Junmyeon has it."

There was a pause before Sehun replied, clearly confused why Junmyeon would have the key, "Junmyeon?"

"...Yes...He's the one who locked me in here."

There was a long moment of silence as Sehun thought over Baekhyun's statement. Junmyeon had been his friend for the majority of his life, he had never known him to do something so cruel. Still, Sehun had noticed Junmyeon was upset about his date with Baekhyun. He thought Junmyeon might have just been angry that they'd spend less time together if he was dating, but this put it in a whole new perspective.

"I'll go find him." Sehun answered, backing away from the door slowly, "I promise I'll be back."

"Thank you Sehun." Baekhyun responded, realizing this must have been hard on him.

As Sehun ran off, an announcement could be heard on the speakers throughout the building, the next number called to come on stage. Baekhyun looked down at his own sticker, knowing that his turn was close.

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"Junmyeon!" Sehun shouted, running towards him through the crowd of contestants backstage.

A few adults tried to stop Sehun, but he managed to get past them as he approached Junmyeon. Junmyeon smiled at him, happy to suddenly see Sehun.

"Sehun, what are you doing here?" Junmyeon asked in a chipper voice, a hope quickly flashing through his mind that Sehun wanted to wish him some luck before he went on stage.

Sehun glared at him, suddenly grabbing his jacket and feeling his pockets for the key. After quickly finding it, Sehun ripped it out of his jacket, holding it up for Junmyeon to see. Junmyeon was stunned, he figured there was no way Sehun could have possibly discovered where Baekhyun was locked up, or that he was the one who did it.

"I came for this." Sehun spoke in a harsh tone.

"...But...How..." Junmyeon stuttered, not even sure where to begin.

"Baekhyun told me." Sehun interrupted, his breath heavy with frustration, "So this is what you're really like huh?"

Junmyeon's eyes widened in fear at hearing Baekhyun's name. He tried to think of an alibi for himself, but there was no getting around the fact that Baekhyun was locked in a room, and Junmyeon had the key. He decided to abandon the idea of covering up the truth, and spoke the words he had wanted to for a long, long time.

"I hate him." Junmyeon started, his voice trembling a little in a mixture of anger and sadness, "You've never shut up about him. I thought I was finally rid of him when you moved, but now it's only gotten worse! I can't stand to see you with him!"

Sehun paused, clutching tightly onto the key in his hand, Junmyeon's words sinking in slowly. This was a side of him Sehun had never seen before, but obviously these had always been Junmyeon's secret feelings.

"This is not the way to handle this." Sehun answered, anger and sadness in his voice as well, "You could have talked to me about your feelings. Even if my answer isn't what you want, you need to accept that and move on. I love Baekhyun, I always have. I'm sorry that's painful for you, but taking it out on him won't gain you anything. It's only made you lose a best friend."

Junmyeon's clenched his teeth tightly, fighting back his overwhelming emotions, the anger and sadness only continuing to grow inside him. Another number was called as they stood staring at each other, and Sehun sighed as he turned to leave. Junmyeon had nothing else to say, and watched as Sehun ran off, his eyes filling with frustrated tears.

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Sehun rushed towards the door, jamming the key in the lock as soon as he reached it, turning it quickly. Swinging open the door, Baekhyun was revealed standing behind it, a fragile look on his face. Sehun reached forward, grabbing onto his hand to pull him out of the room.

"Come on." Sehun spoke in concern, looking at Baekhyun's sticker and realizing how close he was to being called.

Baekhyun nodded, and started to run with Sehun as he continued holding onto his hand. Baekhyun tried his best to keep up with Sehun's long strides, running faster than he ever had before to try and make it back in time. He was worried how winded he might become, but even if he was out of breath, he still wanted to perform.

He glanced over at Sehun happily, speaking to him as they ran together, "How did you find me?"

Sehun was taking heavy breaths as well, and tried his best to answer in-between them, "Your grandmother. I saw her."

"What? But isn't she-"

"An angel or something, I don't know. I've never seen one before. But she's here Baekhyun, she's watching you."

Baekhyun felt his chest tighten, the assurance of his grandmother's presence bringing him a rush of shock and happiness. He remained silent in awe as they finally made it backstage where the other contestants were waiting in line. Sehun helped him find his place, looking at everyone's stickers before he found Baekhyun's spot. Baekhyun smiled at Sehun, squeezing his hand before letting go.

"Thank you."

"Of course." Sehun smiled back, a tender expression on his face, "Good luck Puppy."

Baekhyun nodded, continuing to smile as he watched Sehun leave. Once he was out of sight, Baekhyun took a deep breath, trying to get his heartbeat and breath back to normal. As he concentrated on breathing in and out slowly, he noticed the person standing in front of him, recognizing his face. After staring at him for a little while, Baekhyun tapped the boy's shoulder lightly, getting his attention.

"Kyungsoo?! It is you!" Baekhyun smiled brightly.

Kyungsoo stared at Baekhyun for a moment, analyzing his face as well, "Baekhyun?"

"Hi! I haven't seen you in so long."

Kyungsoo smiled back at him, turning his body to face him better, "Yeah, it's been like four years right? I should have guessed you would enter this competition though. I'm kind of worried now."

Baekhyun giggled, smacking Kyungsoo's arm, "Me too. I would have practiced more if I had known you'd be here."

Kyungsoo laughed lightly, and went to speak again but was abruptly cut off as his number was suddenly called. Kyungsoo tensed up nervously, gulping before he turned to look at the stage. Baekhyun patted his back, comforting him as he spoke.

"I know you'll do great!"

Kyungsoo's smile returned, and he nodded at Baekhyun before he started to walk off, making his way onto the stage. He stood silently in front of the microphone, waiting for his accompanist to start playing.

Chanyeol and Jongin rushed back into the auditorium, just receiving a text from Sehun that he had found Baekhyun. Sehun felt bad approaching Baekhyun's parents to get their numbers, but he knew that it would be important to Baekhyun for his friends to be there when he preformed. Chanyeol and Jongin quickly sat down in their seats, just in time for Kyungsoo to start singing.

The moment Kyungsoo opened his mouth, they were both instantly enthralled by his voice, mesmerized by his presence on stage. Kyungsoo's talent easily poured into every note, the entire audience becoming impressed with the most challenging performance of the night. His skill was unmatched by the competitors before him, and the other's still waiting for their turn quickly fell into despair at the thought of singing after him. Baekhyun however felt a little differently, inspired by and proud of his old friend. He smiled happily watching him, actually finding comfort in the performance.

A loud cheer of clapping and shouts filled the auditorium once he finished, a majority of the audience standing, including Chanyeol and Jongin. Kyungsoo bowed to everyone, a smile on his face in joy that he had done well. As he made his way off stage, Baekhyun's number was called out on the speaker.

Baekhyun closed his eyes, taking one more large breath as he felt his nerves return. Hesitating for a moment, he suddenly felt a warm sensation on his shoulder, as if someone was touching him. He quickly turned to look behind himself in surprise, but there was no hand on him, only the other students waiting for their turn. He smiled to himself as he continued to feel the warm touch, and reached up with his hand to hold onto it. Baekhyun treasured the feeling, keeping his hand on his shoulder before it eventually faded.

Taking a step forward, Baekhyun let out a long breath. He walked slowly onto the stage, going towards the piano. He placed his music sheets down on the piano before seating himself, adjusting the microphone to reach his height. Closing his eyes, Baekhyun spoke inside his mind, hoping his grandmother could hear him.

"This is for you Grandma. I love you."

His hands slowly raised to the keys, finding their position as he delicately placed his fingers down. Staring at his own hands, he gently began to play. The notes were soft and long, enchanting the audience until Baekhyun's voice joined them, melding with them to create a beautiful harmony.

His talent was obvious with every trill and fluctuation he made with his voice, but that's not what captured the audience. In contrast to Kyungsoo's performance, it wasn't the difficulty of the notes that were impressive, but rather the feeling behind them. Baekhyun was communicating something much deeper than just music, a story that needed no words and could only be understood with emotion.

His voice rang clearly as he reached the higher notes, a mixture of sadness and hope drenching over them that was able to pierce everyone's hearts. The audience was hanging on every word, getting goosebumps each time he maintained a long note. Eventually his voice slowed down, coming to a stop as he played the last few notes on the piano.

There was a silence in the audience, not one cheer as Baekhyun finished. However, it didn't take long until Baekhyun's spell on them faded, and the entire audience stood up to cheer for him. Baekhyun had almost forgotten he was on stage, and turned to look at the audience in surprise as he listened to their loud shouting. He stood up, bowing to everyone as he closed his eyes.

Sehun was cheering the loudest of all, and even though his voice got lost in the ocean of applause, Baekhyun found him amongst the audience and focused his attention on him, smiling at him warmly. They both maintained eye contact for a moment before Baekhyun bowed again, excusing himself from the stage.

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The judges had a hard time picking a winner from all the outstanding performances, but in the end it was Baekhyun's that stuck in everyone's hearts. After announcing him as the winner, Baekhyun received an award on stage, granting him another round of loud applause.

His parents couldn't have been more proud of him as they met him backstage, handing him the bouquet they had brought for him, regardless if he won or not. They were soon joined by Chanyeol and Jongin, both of them hugging Baekhyun to congratulate him. They stood and talked to each other for a long time, Baekhyun smiling happily as he clutched onto his flowers.

Sehun watched him from afar, pulling out his own flower from his jacket. The majority of the petals had fallen off, and the stem was snapped in half. Disappointed, Sehun hid it back in his jacket, realizing he couldn't give Baekhyun such a sad gift. After all, it wasn't just the flower he wanted to give him.

Sehun approached Baekhyun slowly, waiting for Baekhyun to notice him before he said anything. Baekhyun quickly spotted him, and smiled as he stepped closer to him.

"That was beautiful Baekhyun, you really deserved to win."

"Thank you." Baekhyun blushed, hiding his face a little with the flowers.

Sehun smiled, stepping towards Baekhyun to wrap his arms around him, hugging him gently so he wouldn't crush the flowers. They held it for a long moment, everyone staring at them as they shamelessly enjoyed each other's embrace.

Chanyeol and Jongin's eyes suddenly shifted to the person standing behind Baekhyun, their hearts fluttering as they recognized the boy. Kyungsoo was talking with his family as well, also getting congratulated for winning second place. Eventually Chanyeol and Jongin noticed that they were both staring at him, and they looked at each other curiously.

"...Don't tell me..." Jongin started, glaring at Chanyeol, "...Not again."

"Seriously?" Chanyeol sighed, "Why do we always do this?"

"Do what?" Baekhyun asked, stepping away from his hug with Sehun.

"Nothing!" Chanyeol answered nervously, his voice cracking as he shouted his response.

Baekhyun stared at him curiously, not noticing as Sehun leaned towards him. Hidden from everyone's view, Sehun placed a secret kiss on Baekhyun's cheek, whispering to him quietly.

"Have a good night Puppy."

Baekhyun blushed again, unable to stop the giddy smile from appearing on his face. He quickly hid it, embarrassed that he wasn't able to stop himself.

"Have a good night Sehun." He shyly responded.

Sehun smirked, slowly stepping away as he looked at Baekhyun hiding his face, his blushing cheeks visible through the flowers. He couldn't wait until tomorrow, hoping to see a similar expression on Baekhyun's face.

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Another update!! I've had a lot of time on my hands lol, so voila! I hope I'm not overwhleming you guys ha ha