Chapter Text
Jun haphazardly swung open the front door of his apartment building using his forearm, on account of both hands being full. He used the heel of his foot to prop the door open, fumbling with his right hand to retrieve his keys from the lock, all the while trying not to drop the shopping bag in his grasp.
His left arm was held out of the way of the metal security door as he gripped onto the neck of his latest purchase. A used Yamaha acoustic guitar.
After spending too many nights laying on the couch, scrolling through his phone, Jun decided he needed a bit of an impulse purchase to keep himself busy. Afterall, he had been spending less of his time in the afternoon at the arcade ever since Thame got himself a boyfriend to fawn over.
Jun didn’t mind some of his best friend’s attention being taken away from him in lieu of his new relationship, but he was starting to get bored since Thame didn’t hit him up to go out nearly every evening like he used to.
So, as Jun maneuvered his foot to kick the door further open, he was careful to swiftly get his new guitar through the entrance without it getting banged up. It may have already had a few scuff marks here and there, but that just added to its allure, as the shop attendant had told him.
Maybe she was just trying to charm Jun into moving their pre-owned inventory, but he didn’t care too much. Besides, he had also been playing up his own charm a bit, hoping for her to give him a good deal, indubitably.
And apparently it worked a little too well, as when he left the shop and looked down in the bag containing his new picks and capo, he noticed a phone number scribbled at the bottom of his receipt. Jun smiled to himself and took note to send her a message soon.
That small gesture boosted his ego just a bit higher than it already was. He wasn’t a particularly vain guy, but he prided himself in his ability to circumnavigate situations simply by flirting around.
Learning how to play guitar would probably turn him into one of those guys at a house party that everyone rolls their eyes at when he pulls an acoustic out on the couch. Although Thame would most likely reel in some of that conceit by proactively banning any mentions of Wonderwall.
Jun stomped up the flight of stairs, got through his front door, and swung it shut with his hip. As he shrugged his jacket off his shoulders, he threw the bag on the couch and laid the guitar against a table.
Pulling the sleeves fully off his arms, Jun walked his jacket back to the entrance and hung it on the rack by the door. He barely turned back around before he heard muffled voices coming from the hallway.
“Careful! Take a right. No- MY right!” He heard someone behind the wall anxiously shout.
“Okay, okay! Here. Apartment 5, we made it.” A second, deeper voice reassured the other as the sound of shuffling feet passed by Jun’s door.
Jun breathed a small laugh as he went to spy a bit through his peephole. As he suspected, two guys were walking past, carrying furniture towards the newly empty unit next to his. He supposed he would be gaining some new company - that is, if he ever actually talked to the other tenants in his building.
Maybe I should introduce myself. Jun thought to himself. He couldn’t get a good look at the two men while they lumbered past the distorted view of the peephole lens.
Jun would eventually have to talk to people if he ever wanted to make more friends besides Thame, but then he figured he’d probably just be bothering them during their move.
There was an article Jun read somewhere once about the theory that a move was the true test of strength for a relationship, and in his own past experience, that absolutely held true.
Based on the way one of the voices sounded, it seemed to have been a stressful afternoon for them going back and forth hauling boxes. Moreover, Jun’s social battery had already run out for the day, so he decided to postpone the welcome party to another time.
Instead, he kicked off his shoes, picked back up his new guitar, and sat on the couch. Time to get right into it. Jun pulled up the first video he found after searching ‘beginner guitar lessons’ and paid close attention as the woman on the screen talked. She began by explaining the anatomy of a guitar and how to hold it properly before getting into actually playing the instrument.
Jun heard more muffled voices passing by his apartment but kept his attention on the tutorial. The instructor started to get into how to tune your guitar, and she pulled out a tuner. Damn. Jun didn’t have that.
“You’ll want to have one of these around,” the woman in the video spoke through the speaker, holding up the tuner on display. “There are ones you can use online, but they aren’t super accurate. I’d suggest picking up a physical one.”
He inwardly groaned both at himself and the shop attendant for not remembering to include one with his purchase.
Jun sat the guitar back down next to him, picked up his phone, and placed a quick order online for the first tuner that popped up with good reviews. He looked back at the guitar beside him and considered downloading a tuner app, but the thought was interrupted by the sudden growling of his stomach.
Jun hadn’t realized how long it had been since he last ate, so he chose to put his new hobby on pause and take in some sustenance.
He decided the guitar lessons could wait a few days until he got a real tuner, so after putting together a meal, Jun opted to retreat to his room for the rest of the day. He spent the night scrolling social media whilst making a mental list of all the songs he wanted to learn to play once he got started.
Did Jun know a single thing about playing an instrument? Hell no. But who knows? Maybe he had a hidden, innate talent for playing which he was about to uncover, Jun thought to himself.
Either way, he had a moderate amount of determination and a new guitar at his disposal, so what could go wrong?