Pairing: Jo x Harua
Setting: College campus, open mic café
Vibe: Mystery, quiet pining, soft discovery, and a love song with Jo's name on it (literally)

Scene One: The Voice

It was a random Thursday night when Harua first heard him.

He'd stopped by the campus café just to charge his phone, maybe grab a muffin, definitely not to stay. But then the lights dimmed, the host walked on stage, and a name was called:

"Up next: anonymous—again."

Some people chuckled knowingly. The café did a monthly open mic, and "anonymous" had been showing up for weeks now. No name. No intro. Just music.

Then he stepped onto the stage. Baseball cap pulled low. Hoodie hiding half his face. And a guitar he handled like it was the only thing he trusted.

He didn't speak. Just started playing.

A soft, acoustic set. Voice low, smooth, quietly aching.

Harua froze mid-bite.

He didn't know who this guy was, but the way he sang felt like an exposed nerve. Raw and careful all at once.

The song ended.

Harua clapped before anyone else. Loudest.

Scene Two: Obsession Begins

He started coming every week after that. Quietly. Sitting in the same spot near the back, pretending to study, pretending not to be waiting.

Anonymous always played two songs. Never stayed after. Always dipped the second the set was done.

Harua asked the barista once, casually:

"Do you know who he is?"

She smirked. "If I did, I wouldn't tell you."

Fair.

Scene Three: The Best Friend Problem

"Hey, Jo," Harua said one night as they were walking back from class. "You ever go to the café open mics?"

Jo, walking with his hands in his jacket pockets, shrugged. "Nah. Too many theater kids trying to go viral."

Harua laughed. "There's this one guy though. Anonymous. He's actually insane. Like, full goosebumps every time. You'd like him."

Jo side-eyed him. "Yeah?"

"Totally your vibe. Moody. Brooding. Probably cries in the rain."

Jo snorted. "Sounds dramatic."

"He is. But in a hot way."

Jo tripped slightly on the sidewalk.

Scene Four: The Reveal (Almost)

It happened by accident.

Jo left his guitar case open one day in their shared dorm.

Harua wasn't snooping, exactly. But there was a crumpled piece of paper inside—lyrics. The exact lyrics from one of Anonymous's songs.

Harua froze.

He heard the door click open behind him.

Jo stared at him. Harua stared back.

"You wrote this," Harua said.

Jo didn't respond.

"You're him."

Still silence.

Harua's voice dropped. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Jo rubbed the back of his neck. "I liked that you liked the music. I didn't want you to stop once you knew it was me."

Harua stepped forward. "So what—were you going to keep singing anonymously forever while I spiral in the audience like a groupie?"

Jo cracked a smile. "You were giving groupie."

Harua punched his arm.

Then hugged him.

Jo froze for a second.

Then hugged him back.

Tighter.

Scene Five: A Song for One

Next open mic night, Jo didn't go on as "anonymous."

He went on as himself.

The crowd murmured. Some clapped. Harua sat dead center, heart loud in his ears.

Jo looked up. Straight at him.

"This next one," Jo said, "is for the guy who kept showing up before he even knew it was me."

He played.

It was a love song. Quiet. Hopeful. A little shaky in the second verse, but Jo didn't stop.

Neither did Harua's smile.

Scene Six: The Rise

After his "coming out of anonymity" performance, Jo's name started circulating fast.

Clips went viral on campus TikTok. Someone made a fancam. The café booked him for a featured set. People started using words like "industry plant" and "mystery heartthrob."

Harua watched it unfold with a mix of pride and creeping unease.

Because suddenly, Jo wasn't just his soft-spoken roommate with hoodie hair and a hidden talent—he was the guy everyone wanted to talk to, hear, post about.

One afternoon, Harua opened his phone to a flood of comments under a clip of Jo performing.

@heartonfire: "does anyone have his Instagram?? asking for science 🫠"
@cutebutfake: "he's single right? RIGHT???"
@yourfuturehusband: "i would fake an injury to have him sing to me in the ER"

Harua quietly locked his phone and laid face-down on his bed.

Scene Seven: Quiet Jealousy

At lunch, a girl from the drama club leaned over their table and smiled at Jo.

"You were amazing the other night. Like... main character energy."

Jo nodded, polite. "Thanks."

Then she turned to Harua and said, "You're so lucky to be friends with him."

Harua blinked. Friends?

Jo didn't correct her.

Later, walking back to the dorm, Harua said, "You could've told her."

Jo looked confused. "Told her what?"

"That we're not just friends."

Jo stopped walking. "Wait. Is that bothering you?"

Harua stayed quiet for a second. Then:

"I guess I just thought... once it was real, we wouldn't have to hide anymore."

Jo exhaled. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Scene Eight: The Song

A week later, Jo posted a new video: just him, his guitar, and a song captioned "For the boy who didn't know it was me."

Harua clicked play.

It was about the first time they met—before the open mic, even. A passing moment in a hallway, when Harua held the door open for Jo without looking up. How Jo remembered it anyway. How that one small act made him feel seen on a day when he really needed it.

"He didn't know me yet / But he let the light in
Just a door, just a second / But it was enough to begin..."

Harua sat in silence after it ended.

Then messaged:

[Harua]: I didn't know you remembered that
[Jo]: I remember everything when it's about you

Scene Nine: The Turning Point

At Jo's next café gig, the place was packed. Girls in the front row. Flashing lights. Flirty comments yelled between songs.

But partway through the set, Jo looked straight at Harua—back of the room, hoodie up, trying not to be seen.

Jo cleared his throat.

"This next one's for my boyfriend," he said, loud and clear into the mic. "The one who liked my music before anyone knew my name."

Gasps. Whispers. A few shocked blinks.

Harua's ears burned. His heart? Wrecked in the best way.

Jo strummed the first chords of their song.

Scene Ten: The Aftermath

That night, they walked back to the dorm together.

Harua nudged him. "You realize you just shattered like five people's fantasies in one sentence?"

Jo smirked. "Yeah. But I'd rather sing for the one who made it real."

Harua bumped his shoulder. "You're lucky I like you."

Jo stopped walking. "No, I'm lucky you stayed."

End.