Wishzen

Battery 1%

Yushi: My battery is at 1%

Sion: Then stop using the cell phone

Yushi: I can't

Jaehee: Why?

Yushi: Because I'm looking for the charger

Ryo: And where is it?

Yushi: I don't know

Sakuya: Have you looked in your backpack?

Yushi: Yes

Riku: Under the pillow?

Yushi: Yes

Sion: In the plug?

Yushi: …

Yushi: Wait

(Everyone observes how Yushi looks at the charger already connected to the wall)

Yushi: Well

Riku: Well?

rock, paper, scissors

Riku: Let's make rock, paper or scissors to decide who washes the dishes

Sion: It seems fair

All: Rock, paper or scissors...

[All shows their choice]

Riku: Tie!

Yushi: Again

[They tie again]

Jaehee: How is it possible?

[Third round. Another tie]

Ryo: This is already scary

Sakuya: I have an idea

All: Which one?

Sakuya:The one who proposed to play... washes the dishes

Riku:...

the one rule

Manager: I'm only going to ask one thing

NCT WISH: Yes

Manager: Don't wake up Sakuya. He fell asleep at five in the morning

NCT WISH: Understood

[Five minutes later]

Riku: Hey, Sakuya...

Sion: Riku

Riku: I was just going to ask him one thing

Yushi: Riku

Riku: It's important

Jaehee: Riku...

Ryo: He already opened his eyes

Sakuya:...

Sakuya: I hope the question is worth it

the plan

Riku: I have a plan

Sion: Is it a good plan?

Riku: I have a plan

Yushi: That didn't answer the question

Jaehee: Is it safe?

Riku: I have. One. Plan

Sakuya:...That means it's not safe, right?

Ryo: I'm going to get the medicine cabinet first, just in case

Sion: Good idea

Riku: Why doesn't anyone trust me?!

wrong person

Ryo: I need someone to give me an honest opinion

Sakuya: Me

Riku: Me

Yushi: Me too

Jaehee: Count on me

Sion: Forward

Ryo: Do you think I'm good at making decisions?

[Everyone is completly silent]

Ryo:...

Ryo: Why doesn't anyone answer?

Riku: We are trying to decide who tells you

mission failed

Manager: I only have one rule while I'm away

NCT WISH: Understood

Manager: Don't do anything that forces me to come back early

NCT WISH: We promise

(Ten minutes later)

Sion: Does anyone know why the alarm goes off?

Ryo: Good question

Yushi: Wait... what was Riku cooking?

Riku: Was the oil supposed to catch fire?

Jaehee:…

Sakuya: I already called the manager

Sion: To ask for help?

the betrayal

Riku: If one of us was a ghost, how would we find out?

Yushi: Easy. I would do something suspicious

Jaehee: How to suddenly appear behind someone

Sakuya: Or talk alone

Ryo: Or stare at you for too long

(Everyone slowly turns towards Sion)

Sion:…

Sion: Why are they looking at me?

All:…

Sion: guys

All:…

Sion: STOP DOING THAT!

who’s the adult here?

Sion: Guys, we need to act with maturity

Yushi: Totally agree

Jaehee: We are responsible adults

Riku: Yes, we are no longer children

(Five seconds of silence)

Sakuya: What if we run down the aisle in socks?

Ryo: The last to arrive washes the dishes!

Riku: I ACCEPT!

Yushi: It's not worth pushing!

Jaehee: SION, GIVE THE EXIT!

Sion: ...Three, two, one...

(Screams are heard, slipping steps and a loud blow)

Manager (entering): ...Weren't they talking about being mature?

The school festival was coming to an end and most of the students had gathered in the main courtyard for the closing bonfire. However, you had escaped the noise and were in the music room on the third floor, which was completely empty. You sat near the window, watching how the sky was tinged with orange and violet tones.

The living room door opened slowly, breaking the silence.

“Ah, I knew I would find you here” Jaehee said, poking her head out with a shy smile.

He was wearing an impeccable uniform, although he had taken off his tie and the sleeves of his shirt were slightly rolled up. In his hands he held two cans of cold soda. He walked towards you and handed you one of them.

“Thank you, Jaehee. Shouldn't you be downstairs with the rest of the group?” you asked, taking the can.

“Too many people for today” he admitted, sitting on the edge of the desk that was next to your chair “In addition, the committee had me running all day with the sound equipment. I needed a little peace... and a good conversation”

Jaehee looked at the grand piano that rested in the center of the living room. He got up, approached the instrument and pressed a couple of keys gently, letting the notes resonate in the empty space.

“Do you remember the melody we were practicing last week?” he asked, looking at you sideways with a spark of enthusiasm in his eyes.

“Of course, although it was difficult for me to keep up in the second part” you replied, approaching too.

“Come, I'll show you how it was going” he said, making a space for you on the piano bench.

You sat next to him. Jaehee placed her hands on the keys and began to play a soft and leisurely melody. The sound was warm, fitting perfectly with the sunset light that came in through the window. As he played, his usually cheerful expression became concentrated and calm.

“Now you, enter the third half” he said in a low voice, without stopping playing.

You placed your hands next to his and began to play the accompaniment chords. Although at first you doubted a little, Jaehee's constant rhythm guided you easily. His hands crossed a couple of times on the keyboard, and in one of those transitions, his fingers brushed yours, sending a slight shock of nervousness down your arm.

They finished the piece at the same time, letting the last note vibrate in the air until it disappeared. The living room was silent again, but this time it felt different, much closer.

Jaehee removed her hands from the piano and turned to you, resting her back on the keyboard. He looked at you with a sincere smile, one of those that made his eyes narrow slightly.

“You see, it wasn't that difficult” he said, breaking the silence “You just needed a quieter environment. You play very well when you don't have the pressure of the whole class looking at you”

“It's easier when I play with you” you confessed, feeling that your cheeks warmed up a little under the reddish light of the dying sun.

Jaehee widened his smile and nodded softly, keeping your words in his mind. He got up from the bench and walked to the window, contemplating the last rays of light before night fell completely.

“The festival is over, but the music room will remain free on Mondays after classes” he commented casually, although his tone betrayed the expectation “We could continue practicing that song. What do you say?”

You looked at his silhouette cut out against the sunset sky and smiled, knowing exactly what your answer would be.

The school festival was already in its last hours, and the sky had turned a dark blue sprinkled with the first stars. After spending the whole afternoon running from one side to the other helping in the organizing committee, you finally had a free moment. You were walking through the central courtyard, enjoying the cool breeze, when a familiar voice called you from the dessert stand.

“Hey!”

It was Sion. He was behind the bar of the cotton candy machine, wearing an apron that was a little tight on his shoulders and with a wooden rod in his hand, trying to decipher the operation of the device. When he sat you, his face lit up with that calm and reliable smile that always managed to calm anyone.

“Thank goodness you show up" he said, sighing with relief “They left me in charge of this for the last thirty minutes and I think the cotton candy has intentions to take over the post. Look at this”

You approached and held back a laugh. The machine was extruding pink threads everywhere, and Sion had a small pink cloud stuck on her cheek and a little in her hair.

“Let's see, let me help you, "expert"” you said, taking another wooden rod. With quick and circular movements, you caught the loose threads to form a perfect sphere.

“Wow... you make it seem very easy" he admitted, looking at you with genuine admiration as he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand “You're definitely better at this than I am. Let's take a break, it's almost time to close the post anyway”

Sion turned off the machine and prepared two huge cotton candy. They left the crowded area and began to walk towards the back gardens of the school, where the gardening club had installed a maze of low-intensity LED lights for couples and friends who wanted a quieter atmosphere.

They walked side by side in a comfortable silence, sharing the candy that melted in the mouth. The yellow and warm lights of the ground illuminated the path, creating soft shadows around it.

“It's been a long day, hasn't it?” Sion asked, breaking the silence while looking at you sideways “I saw you running through the corridors all afternoon. I wanted to give you this so you can relax a little”

“Thank you, Sion. I really needed it” you replied, smiling “Although seeing you covered in sugar was already the best part of the day”

He let out a soft laugh, the kind that came from the chest "Hey, I did my best. Also, it was worth it if I managed to make you laugh after such a stressful day”

They arrived at the center of the small labyrinth, where there was a wooden bench under a large tree decorated with small light bulbs that simulated fireflies. They sat there, contemplating the reflection of the lights on the floor.

Sion turned a little towards you, resting his arm on the back of the bench. His eyes, dark and bright under the lighting of the festival, crossed with yours with a seriousness that made you hold your breath for a moment.

“The festival ends today, but... I hope we continue to spend time like this after class" he said in a low voice, with a sincere and determined tone “Not only to save myself from candy machines, but because I really enjoy being with you”

You stared at him, feeling how the heat rose up your cheeks, much sweeter than the cotton candy they had just eaten. You nodded, unable to erase the smile from your face.

“I would love to, Sion”

The school festival was at its highest point. The main courtyard was a boiling place for students, food stalls, loud music and colorful lights that began to shine brightly as sunset fell.

You were in charge of the photography club, with the camera hanging around your neck and the memory full of photos of your classmates, but you lacked the main capture: the school band concert.

You made your way through the crowd towards the gym stage, looking for the best angle. It was backstage where you ran into him.

Ryo was leaning against one of the sound boxes, with the electric guitar hanging on his shoulder and an expression of total concentration while reviewing some notes in his notebook. He was wearing a denim jacket over his uniform and his hair perfectly combed for the presentation.

“If you keep looking at that paper so intensely, you're going to set it on fire” you joked, approaching carefully so as not to scare him.

Ryo looked up, and his serious expression immediately transformed into a warm smile and a little relieved to see you.

"Thank goodness you came!" he said, closing the notebook “There is a chord on the bridge of the last song that is driving me crazy. I feel that if I touch it wrong, I will ruin the whole atmosphere”

"Please, Ryo, you are the best guitarist this school has” you said, lifting the camera to adjust the lens “People are already shouting your name outside and you haven't even gone on stage”

"That's what makes me nervous" he confessed, scratching the back of his neck while his cheeks were dyed a light pink tone “But... that you are here to take the photos gives me a little more confidence. Make me look good, okay?”

A few minutes later, the gym lights went out completely and the shouting of the audience became deafening. You stood in the press area, right in front of the stage, with the camera ready.

When the spotlights lit up, they revealed the band. Ryo stepped forward, the shyness he had shown backstage disappeared completely the second his fingers touched the ropes. The sound of his guitar filled the place with incredible energy.

Through your camera's viewfinder, you focused completely on it. You captured the intensity of his gaze as he played, the way the sweat shone under the blue and purple lights, and the genuine smile he released every time the audience chanted the melody.

Towards the end of the last song, just during the guitar solo that worried him so much, Ryo walked to the edge of the stage, exactly where you were. While playing the perfect notes with absolute mastery, he looked directly at your lens and gave you a bright and complicit smile. The click of your camera immortalized that exact moment.

When the concert ended and the applause still echoed on the walls of the gym, the band came down from the stage exhausted but happy. You searched for Ryo among the sound system and found him drinking a bottle of water, trying to catch his breath.

"You were amazing! I told you, there was nothing to worry about” you said, approaching him with enthusiasm.

Ryo put down the bottle and looked at you with his eyes lit up by the adrenaline of the moment.

"Did the bridge go well? I really tried to concentrate there”

"It sat was perfect. In fact... look at this “ you told him, showing him the digital screen of the camera.

On the screen was the photo of the end: Ryo in the foreground, with the neon lights in the background creating a beautiful blurred effect, his guitar in action and that gaze fixed on the camera that overflowed with charisma.

Ryo stared at the image in silence for a few seconds, amazed. Then, he looked at you with a soft smile, one of those that he saved only for quiet moments.

"You're really good at this” he said softly, taking a step closer “Thank you for capturing that moment. I think it's the best photo I've ever taken”

"It's easy when the model does all the hard work" you replied, feeling a slight tingling in your stomach.