When Donghyuk left, he never handed in his key. The result of this is that he doesn’t leave their dorm, not entirely at least, and the seven of them get used to finding him dozing on the couch when they get back from rehearsals.

No one minds, because Donghyuk’s easy to get along with and he’s far tidier as a house guest than a host; but as the company line drifts further and further into idol territory, Yoongi can’t help but view him as something of a ghost of the career they never got to have.

Then they move, and Donghyuk doesn’t have the key any more. Yoongi assumes that will be the last word on the matter, but two weeks later he comes home late and finds him and Namjoon giggling over a bottle of soju in the living room.

“What’s he doing here?” Yoongi snaps, harsher than he intended.

Namjoon’s face immediately resolves into a frown, “I invited him over. You got a problem with that?”

Yoongi doesn’t reply, but he makes sure that both of them see how his mouth flattens into a disapproving line as he crosses the flat to his bedroom. He feels the sting of something a little bit like guilt follow after him, putting in his headphones to drown it out. he has nothing to feel guilty about, and Donghyuk has no right to be here.

 

“You free this evening?”

“Nope,” Namjoon’s voice is terse, he doesn’t look up from his coffee. Yoongi holds his breath waiting for an explanation but none is forthcoming.

Groaning internally, Yoongi takes a seat at the other side of the kitchen table, “why not?”

“Filming.”

Namjoon always seems to be filming something or other these days. He doesn’t brag about his new found popularity, which Yoongi is grateful for, but they all notice how he’s taken to rolling his eyes at the prospect of further concert rehearsals in a manner that the rest of them can’t sympathise with.

Namjoon is tired. Hell, Yoongi’s tired, but they both know who’s got the rougher sleeping schedule.

Setting his coffee down, Namjoon meets Yoongi’s gaze, “what’s you’re problem with Donghyuk?”

“I don’t have a problem with Donghyuk.”

“Yoongi…”

“I don’t!” Yoongi looks down at his hands, “I was just tired last night. I wasn’t expecting him here, it’s no big deal.”

Namjoon clicks his tongue and shakes his head, “you’ve always been weird with him. I know you’re not the most sociable guy in the world but you’re never happy to see him, which is kinda awkward when we have to work with him so much. I just…” he looks round the room like he’s searching for his next line written somewhere on the wall, “I need to know if he did something wrong or if you’re just bitter.”

“Why would I be bitter?” Yoongi frowns.

Namjoon sits back, takes a long swig of coffee, and treats the kitchen to a sarcastic bark of laughter, “oh please.”

 

Donghyuk’s in the main studio that night when Yoongi goes in to get his laptop. There’s a curly straw poking out of the can of Red Bull he has sitting on the mixing desk and his hair has been rather haphazardly shoved under a beanie, blonde flyaways sticking out at odd angles.

He sits up rather straight when Yoongi comes in and yawns loudly, “whatcha doing here?”

“Laptop,” Yoongi says, reaching down to pick what he needs up off the sofa. He tries a smile in Donghyuk’s direction but the diminutive producer seems too out of it to respond.

He’s just about to leave when he gets called back, “can you take a listen to this for me?” Donghyuk shakes a pair of headphones in Yoongi’s direction.

It would be rude not to, Yoongi supposes, he slips them over his ears and reaches forward to hit the playback button. It’s a good beat, energetic and bass heavy without falling too far into the ‘derivative trap’ category. He nods along appreciatively and hands the heaphones back with the same awkward half smile from before, “it’s good, as expected.”

Donghyuk makes a face, “you think? I reckon it needs some type of melody over it after the first chorus break. It’s tricky though, don’t want it to detract from whatever’s going on on top of the beat, ya know?”

Yoongi doesn’t know, so he shrugs, “you’d know better than me.”

“Yeah but it’s not like you know nothing.”

“I don’t know much,” Yoongi can feel his patience slipping. He has his mixtape to work on, and he’d like to get a head start on lyrics for the next Bangtan album before Bang PD starts riding them too hard about it. Meanwhile Donghyuk sits ensconced in the Big Hit studio, content to work at his own pace.

Donghyuk frowns, “the hell does that mean? You know plenty, you’re stuff’s good.”

“Maybe. It doesn’t really matter though.”

“How d’you work that one out?”

“It’s like…” Yoongi finds himself looking round the room like Namjoon over breakfast, the words don’t spring into life in front of him, “people aren’t really listening to the music, ya know? They think we’re cute, everything else is a bonus."

For a moment, Donghyuk doesn’t react, then a shadow crosses his face and he audibly growls under his breath, “are all idols this ing stupid? Jeez”

“Well no one asked for your opinion,” Yoongi snarls before he can think better of it.

Donghyuk gets to his feet and steps forward, for a moment Yoongi thinks he’s going to punch him, but he just raises an accusatory finger, “I’ve had it up to here with Namjoon whining about that ‘style over substance’ bull, I’m not going to listen to you spouting the same nonsense. People don’t buy your albums to listen to your cute face! And even if they do, who cares? They’re still buying them, aren’t they? They’re still encouraging you to keep making music.”

Yoongi opens his mouth to interject but Donghyuk barrels on, “give yourself some damn credit for your success, blaming everything you’ve accomplished on the fact that you’re pretty is a sure fire way to get complacent,” he nods towards the laptop, still tucked under Yoongi’s arm, “so you better be giving that mixtape your best shot. Namjoon sure as didn’t slack off making his.”

“Who said I wasn’t working hard?” Yoongi tries not to sound wounded, but given the way Donghyuk’s frown flickers with concern he’s not sure he’s managed it.

“No one, but you’ve been taking you’re sweet time with it and I’m pretty sure that if you were actually happy with what you’ve got so far it wouldn’t be taking so long.”

Humming in agreement, Yoongi pulls up a second chair as Donghyuk crumples back into his seat by the main monitor. The track he’s been working on stares back at them, accusing, but he genuinely doesn’t know how to make it work. If Donghyuk’s not happy with it then that’s it’s problem, but it sounds fine to him.

“Will you listen to some of it? Just to let me know what you think?” The words are out of Yoongi’s mouth before he realises that he had decided to ask.

Donghyuk looks round, “to your mixtape you mean? Sure.”

“Be honest with me, tell me if it’s crap.”

“Of course I will,” Donghyuk passes Yoongi the cable to hook his laptop up to the studio speakers, “it probably won’t be though.”

Yoongi manages a more genuine smile this time, “I’m only gonna play you the good stuff.”