kim myungjun

19

somewhere between fake and real

NCT'S DOYOUNG

personality

protagonist. caring, cheerful, gentle, confident, hardworking.

antagonist. childish, overprotective, dependent, mawkish, two, um, multi-faced.

 

myungjun, to put it simply, is the male counterpart of the school's sweetheart. he's everything that everyone wants in a friend, really. he's outgoing, he's friendly, he jokes a lot, and he's unbelievably funny with all the playful narcissism. the girls at school call him an actual sunshine, and technically, they aren't wrong.

 

but little did they know that the sunshine persona is only one of the many roles that myungjun could do perfectly.

 

yes, ladies and gentlemen, kim myungjun is an expert in changing personalities and getting in character. as quoted from a katy perry song with a title that i do not remember, myungjun changes personality like he changes clothes.

 

it's almost scary how he could change from a total fluff to a menacing bully without breaking a sweat. this ability is something that he's both proud of and scared of.

 

proud, because it's something that he's extremely good at. scared, because it makes him feel like he's slowly losing himself.

 

well, generally, myungjun is the cheerful, confident, and hardworking sunshine that he is. not confident enough to take on the role of a main character, not yet, but it's still there. he really cares a lot for his friends or practically anyone around him; he always wants them to be happy, hence why he always try to make them laugh with his jokes and strange antics. despite being such a jokester most of the time, myungjun could be a gentleman too.

 

behind the bright image that he sports everyday, myungjun is actually a very soft-hearted person. he can be really childish, especially around his parents. his fear of being left behind causes him to be quite overprotective and dependent towards the people that he's grown attached to. also, contrary to popular beliefs, kim myungjun is quite the crybaby. he cries when he feels overwhelmed and when the nightmares woke him up in the middle of the night. he could be really mischievous and not afraid to do outrageous things with his friends.

first meeting

"everything about him captivated her, and from that moment, she knew that he's the one."

it was a rather warm spring day when sumin first saw myungjun. the school's drama club was invited to an important event - something along the lines of 'the annual national celebration of children day' or some sort. the student council, along with other students, came to watch the play that the drama club prepared for the event.

 

sumin was there, of course, only because hongseok forced her to come so he'll have somebody to be bitter with. her mind was too muddled with the upcoming arranged marriage meeting that his father had set up for her that she didn't realize that her it's already time for joongdong's performance.

 

and of course, the play just had to be snow white. sumin sank into her seat even more with a look of distaste on her face, but the look didn't last long.

 

because the moment the huntsman entered the scene, sumin was captivated. she didn't know who this brunette guy was, but she knew that he's extremely talented. he made it seem like the huntsman role was made for him and only him; his acting made sumin forget that it's a play and not a real life scene happening in front of her eyes.

 

she remembers nudging an equally captivated hongseok beside her and asking who the heck that guy is. his reply was, "that's kim myungjun, drama club's scene stealer and hidden ace. he's in your class, i'm surprised you don't know him - everyone does.".

 

sumin didn't answer. she was too busy thinking of ways to talk to the boy without scaring him off to reply to hongseok, and he merely shrugged at the lack of response before focusing on the play again.

 

it turns out that getting myungjun to talk to her in private is harder than she thought. the boy is always surrounded by people, and sumin wouldn't want to make him sufer from the rumors. you know how society works; being caught talking in private with someone that everyone dislikes could ruin someone's good image. sumin doesn't want that to happen to him. her alone is enough.

 

fortunately, the universe was being nice to her, because ms. ahn suddenly appeared like an angel sent from above to fetch her and myungjun, announcing that both of them will be a part of the prom committee.

 

she's been waiting for that moment for nearly two months and she's not going to waste her time. that's why they ended up in this position; face to face and only inches away from each other with sumin practically kabedon-ing myungjun onto the wall. compromising, i know, but sumin's brain had gone haywire with 'last chance' written in capslock, bolded, and red in color blinking in front of her eyes like a warning sign.

 

"okay," sumin started, voice shaky as she feels myungjun's warm breath fanning her forehead, "this may sound like it came from a 7pm k-drama - cliche and stuff - but i need your help."

 

she took a deep breath, eyes finally locking with his, who's staring down at her full of curiosity.

 

"be my fake boyfriend. get me out of these arranged marriage meetings. please."

 

"he knows that she's much more than what people say, and he's willing to face any kind of danger to prove that."

he doesn't know why, but the universe seems to like putting myungjun and sumin together. god knows how they've been classmates since day one, yet myungjun never really paid attention to her before and vice versa.

 

she only started to intrigue him after the underclassman incident; where her sweetheart status was snatched away and her personality changed drastically. he remembers watching sumin calmly studying with her earphones on during a free period, not bothered by the blatant stares that she got from the gossiping girls and boys around her.

 

he remembers listening to his friends complaining about how much they liked her before when she's still the goody-two-shoes sumin that everyone loves. he remembers thinking; trying to put himself in her shoes so he could try and understand her way of thinking like how he did it with the characters that he acted as, but in the end, he still can't understand her.

 

the curiosity grows even more when myungjun found her staring at him during drama club's performance in that one children day event. she had an unreadable expression on her face as she clapped alongside the rest of the audience - it was like she was thinking about something.

 

his curiosity that day was answered when sumin grabbed his wrist after the first committee meeting, trapping him against the dark room's wall and asking him a favor that sounds a lot like a line from a script that a shoujo manga enthusiast wrote back in 1st grade.

 

but he knows that the whole fake dating thingy could be his chance to know sung sumin more. that's why, he answered her without any hesitation.

 

"okay, i'll help you."

 

interactions / love story

"the rule says don't fall in love, but will their hearts comply?"

that night after the two agreed to fake date, sumin finds herself sitting across jimin while eating her dinner. you know how jimin is - he doesn't talk to sumin unless it's about the arranged marriage meetings that he's set up, so yeah. usually, sumin would despise this, but today, the timing felt like a blessing.

 

to sum everything up, sumin had cut her father off before he could say anything and told him about her having a boyfriend. the next thing she knew, in a manner that's identical to her on the daily, jimin told her that he'll cancel the meeting and that she has to introduce her boyfriend to him when she can.

 

you may think that their act is over just like that, but no. fake dating is much more complicated than that, especially when you're the sung sumin.

 

keeping the fake dating status a secret to outsiders to protect myungjun, waiting for the right time to introduce him to her father, juggling her responsibility as the committee leader and the act until the prom ends and until the right moment to break it off - sumin had expected that this will put more stress onto her shoulders, but she didn't expect that it'll be this much.

 

thankfully, like a hero that came straight from a marvel movie, myungjun saves the day. when he offered to perform during the prom to "save a bit of the budget" (don't forget a sheepish 'no offense' to mari and sumin) as long as he has a partner, sumin understood what he's trying to do. the look in his eyes when he let his gaze linger on her confirmed her suspicion. so, with a sigh, sumin writes down their name into her pocket note reserved for prom stuff with "performance" written in capitals beside it.

 

"okay, i'll perform with you."

 

boy, the look in the committee members and ms. ahn's face deserved a spot in her camera roll.

 

no lies, sumin is extremely worried about the performance, but just one look, a reassuring smile, and a gentle squeeze on the shoulder from myungjun made her feel like everything's gonna be okay.

 

little did she know that from that moment onwards, the brunette with a beautiful smile has captured her heart and shes about to fall. hard.

 

"the feelings seep through the creviches of their hearts, nestling there until it blooms or withers."

as both of them are now in charge of performing, the two always stay back at school to practice together. they either practice in the band room or in the dance clubroom; they practiced in the auditorium hall too, at one point - myungjun was feeling rebellious and sumin doesn't really mind the change of location nor the adrenaline that rushed through her veins as they sneaked into the usually closed off hall.

 

myungjun told her that he usually go there when he skips class. sumin reprimanded him for doing so, but she must admit that the auditorium stage does feel like a great place to have a nap on.

 

and yes, they got kicked out not too long after myungjun started to sing taeyeon's i at the top of his lungs. that idiot. sumin had a lot of  fun, though - she can't help but subtly smile as she walked behind myungjun who rambled about how they should let the auditorium hall open for everyone instead of closing it off like that.

 

(she didn't notice the slight caught-off-guard tone in myungjun's voice as he rambled. that's good, because he wouldn't want her to notice how the subtle smile on her face took his breath away)

 

after the auditorium hall incident, they decided to practice at myungjun's house instead. sumin isn't ready to let him meet her dad yet and he respects that.

 

during their practice sessions, they start to find out more things about each other. their practice sessions are filled with long conversations, a whole lot of playing with jun, and occasional appearances of myungjun's parents. they make her constant visits even more enjoyable with their cute bickerings, witty jokes, and funny stories - which mostly centers around myungjun.

 

(she doesn't mind, but he does, because the stories are so embarrassing to the point that it's inappropiate to be told to a friend)

 

soon, the practices become a part of sumin's daily life. she would wait for myungjun and vice versa before walking together to his house. the thought of people misunderstanding their closeness crossed her mind a few times, but sumin never really paid attention to them because hey, they're duet partners anyway. duet partners becoming closer to each other as they practice could be considered as normal, right?

 

with the thought programmed into her mind, sumin lives her life without any worries. just like the other committee members, she's slowly warming up and letting her guard down, accepting the warmth and happiness from everyone around her. sumin finds herself smiling and laughing more at her friends' stupid antics every meeting - it makes her heart squeeze in a delighted manner; like she's the happiest girl in the world.

 

unfortunately, the happiness didn't last long as it's soon replaced by confusion. one evening, the committee kiddos decided to have a 'stress-relieving time' after they finished the decorations and rehearsal and someone (sumin couldn't remember who) thought that it's a good idea to play truth or dare in the auditorium hall - the access there courtesy of none other than kim myungjun himself.

 

the empty soda bottle's mouth points towards her. someone that sounds a lot like jiae squeals out the magic words that sumin answers with 'truth'. sumin giggles as mark and mari boo-ed her, changgu exclaiming 'truth is so lame, don't you think so, sweetie?' from his spot beside joori. sumin likes to play safe in games like these, that's why she chose truth.

 

sumin's hand was halfway down the bag of chips that myungjun held out for her when jiae drops the question - the bag slipping out of myungjun's grip and onto the stage out of sheer shock.

 

"are you two dating? we've been very curious about this for a while, please answer us truthfully."

 

the two glance at each other, making everyone lean forward in anticipation. unfortunately for them, when sumin is about to answer, the door to the auditorium hall opens, revealing the grumpy janitor who's in charge of checking up on the hall.

 

and just like that, the committee members dropped the matter as they all scurry away from the hall, ignoring the grumpy janitor's yells while they run. with a whole lot of things occupying her mind, sumin lets myungjun take her hand like always, taking her to wherever the other kids want to go. her eyes can't help but glance at their intertwined hands, wondering about them and her feelings towards the taller guy.

 

"it's blooming - really fast. now it's up to them, whether they'll let it grow even more or let it painfully wither."

sumin thinks. a lot. usually it's about the student council, her own studies, or the prom committee, but now, the majority of her brain's space is taken up by myungjun and myungjun only.

 

she thinks about his eyes. his smile. their conversations. everything. she thinks about how close they've got since the first time they agreed on the deal. she thinks about how stupid she was thinking that their interactions won't cause misunderstandings just because they're duet partners.

 

now that she thinks about it, their interactions for the past few weeks do look very rumor-inducing.

 

i mean, them walking home together almost everyday is already suspicious enough to the people outside the committee, and the suspiciousness is heightened by the way they act around each other.

 

well, who would've thought that myungjun, their smiley angel, is really close with the devil? for the past three years before the committee happened, no one has ever seen sumin and myungjun talk so intimately with each other like now. sumin, the resident b*tch face extraordinaire, smiles and laughs whenever she's with myungjun - heck, they always seem like they're in their own world everytime they talk. if i were to make a comparison, you can say that they went from rhea-yuto kind of awkward to changgu-joori kind of clingy. that's a very huge progress, y'know.

 

sumin's eyes widen in horror as she realizes how clingy they've been with each other for the past few weeks. her head drops onto her palm remembering how myungjun likes to drape his arm around her shoulders and how she always leans back into him when he does. he also likes to hold her hand, for goodness sake. what if the 'magnetic hands' whisper that she heard when they were walking to the student council room wasn't referring to taeyong and sungmi or changgu and joori or wenrene or jeti? sumin feels her brain overheating the more she thinks about it.

 

sumin hates how she overthinks even the littlest things such as how smiley myungjun was when he told her that she looks like a cat and when he patted her head, messing with her bangs; how he scolded his friends for talking bad about her; how comfortable he makes her feel whenever he's around; how he always manage to make her feel happy with everything that he do. she hates how her brain immediately told her that he likes her in a non-platonic way, the thought feeding her heart with (false?) hopes. she hates how he makes her feel not only butterflies, but the whole damn zoo. she hates the fact that she broke the rule.

 

sung sumin has fallen.

 

(and in the place that she now calls her (second?) third home, myungjun also realizes that he has fallen, too)

 

"she asks him, what are we? and here's his answer: i don't know either."

the next day, sumin wakes up to myungjun's daily good morning text. she can't help the stupid, lovestruck smile that appears on her face seeing the message - it's a myungjun thing, making her happy without even trying.

 

"young love, huh?"

 

she whips her head to the direction of her father's voice so hard she almost got a whiplash. the man is sitting in his usual seat, right across sumin in the very long dining table while sipping on his morning coffee. sumin feels her blood rising to her cheeks, painting them a bright, embarrassed red.

 

"i know it's your boyfriend, no need to tell me otherwise." he said, making her eyes go wide in astonishment because wow, that's the longest thing that he said to her that's not about an arranged marriage meeting, what the frick. "also, i know that he's a fake one. i'm not stupid."

 

that made her drop her phone onto the table. so all this time, her father knew... sumin felt like her life has been a lie hearing his words. the look on jimin's face tells her that she can't lie to him anymore; he knows.

 

jimin stands up from his seat, his mug in hand. "bring him here after school. i have a few words to tell the both of you."

 

and with that, he takes his leave, leaving sumin in the dining room.

 

when she told myungjun about her father's words, the boy almost spat out his made-in-sungmi cookie in shock. sumin pats his back, waiting for him to finish coughing like a mad man before talking again. "i can't believe it either. how come he could find out about us faking it when i haven't introduced you to him before?"

 

"i think it's because he's a lot like you and he's your dad." myungjun says, gently moving sumin's hand away from his back and intertwining it with his instead, sending a hoard of elephants stomping over her insides, "i mean, you can see through everyone, so i'm not surprised that your dad could see through you too."

 

"...you talk like you know my father."

"please, sweetie, i've heard a lot about him from you. that's enough for me to guess his personality."

"mhm, whatever you say, sweetie. i'll wait for you and we'll go together later, 'kay?"

"roger that, ma'am."

 

no lies, she's scared. this is the first time she ever rebelled (kind of) against her father and the fact that her cover's been blown makes the fear grow even more. in a time like this, sumin hates how little her knowledge is of her father. she doesn't know what will he do to her and myungjun, but she hopes that everything will be just fine.

end game

"the confusion got her picking on flower petals and him having a lot of sleepless nights."

jimin noticed everything. how his daughter changed from an emotionless living doll to the cheerful, smiley teenage girl she really is. how she suddenly look forward to go to school - rushing to get ready instead of taking her time. how the air around her became much happier. how she always smile at her phone. he noticed.

 

he knows that the committee members have big impact on the change, but he knows that there's someone who has bigger impact than the others.

 

his prediction is proved in the form of her fake boyfriend, this sunshine-y kid named kim myungjun. he's really bright - a stark contrast to sumin's darker personality, for the lack of better words. to put it simply, they're like the sun and the moon.

 

an amused smile almost appeared on his face when he noticed how comfortable they are with each other. he's right; they've vroomed past the fake dating line already. it's obvious seeing how genuine and natural their interactions are. there's no way a fake couple could intertwine their hands so naturally if they haven't crossed the line yet.

 

without wasting any more time, jimin immediately dropped the game-changing question.

 

"what's your relationship with her? fake dating won't do since i already know about you two."

 

both of them became silent. inside, sumin's sure that she wants to be myungjun's special someone, yet she feels like she's not ready for it. myungjun also feels the same way - he's not sure that sumin would reciprocate his feelings, heck, a tiny part of him even whispered that it's better for them to be just friends.

 

jimin sees right through them. the internal conflict, the unsureness. he knows that feeling - the feeling from back then.

 

that makes him sigh, standing up as he says, "i'll let you two sort everything yourself," he casts a glance at the two's conflicted expression one last time before turning around to leave, "don't make decisions that you'll regret. i believe you guys are smart enough to do just that.""

 

sumin is silent as she stands before the front door, waiting for myungjun to finish tying his shoelaces. she gazes at his smiling face once he's done, a frown adorning her face.

 

"hey, don't think too much about it. we'll be fine." myungjun says, cupping sumin's cheeks in an affectionate manner. she automatically leans onto the touch, letting myungjun's fingers poke gently on the flesh. "mhm, you too. be careful on your way home."

 

he smiles that bright, heartstopping smile of his as he ruffles her hair. sumin smiles back, albeit not as wide as his, but it's enough to make him grin wider.

 

"see you on prom day, darlin'."

"see you. hope you've prepared a suit for d-day."

 

as myungjun's back disappears behind the tall gates of her house mansion, sumin can't help but think. does he feel the same?

 

"their eyes met, and suddenly, it clicks. she's the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with."

d-day has finally come, but it's not as cheerful and exciting as sumin had thought before.

 

apparently, oh jiae is missing from the bunch, and everyone's panicking because there's no way someone like oh jiae would miss out on the fun. everyone looks devastated - even jiae's ex-frienemy, mari, too.

 

out of all of them, hongseok looks like he's the most worried one. he looks tenser than usual, if that's even possible. sumin stares at him, his eyes finally meeting hers after a few moments of silence amongst the committee members - the one after inha came rushing into the backstage area to tell them about mingyu and jiae. sumin offers him a small lopsided smile, gesturing towards the entrance as she says, "what are you waiting for? go get your girl, boss."

 

(sumin didn't know that her statement was translated to 'punch the light outta kim mingyu' in hongseok's head, but that's a story for another day.)

 

"you guys ain't coming?" taeyong asked, pointing to the others that are already making their way to jiae's house. sumin and myungjun glance at each other, wearing a smirk on their face like some mafia couple in an action movie.

 

"the show must go on, am i right?"

 

taeyong scrunched up his face in mock disgust, chuckling as he makes his way towards a pouting sungmi near the door.

 

"have fun, you two. slay them all."

 

and with that, the couple left. ms. ahn heaves nervously while sumin and myungjun gets ready with their mics and stuff."you guys aare next, are you ready?"

 

sumin links her arm with myungjun, gripping her mic tightly in her other hand. he gives her a comforting smile, easing the nervousness in her without needing to say anything else.