018

“A-Are you serious?” Daehyun stuttered, leaping off his couch. He looked around, at the mess of his apartment, and immediately went to clean up, panicking.

“Yes,” the voice, Youngjae’s voice, answered. “But Daehyun-ssi… I’m not doing this because I want to. This is for a friend. I hope you understand that.” He sounded nervous, but also truthful.

Daehyun faltered, disappointed. Of course Youngjae wasn’t coming because he wanted to, he made it perfectly clear yesterday that he wanted nothing to do with the idol anymore.

“It’s okay if the song isn’t available anymore…”

Daehyun’s eyes widened and he immediately blurted, “It’s fine. Do you want to come over? Now?” He cursed at himself for sounding so eager. “Just to check out the song. Maybe sing a few lines?”

“May I?”

“Of course!” Daehyun was grabbing everything from the kitchen table and dumping them in a cupboard, closing it shut. His heart raced, already excited at the prospect of seeing the omega again. It had only been a day, for God’s sake.

 “I’ll be over in twenty.” There was another pause, before Youngjae asked tentatively, “Is that okay?”

“That’s great!” Daehyun said cheerfully, his voice louder than before. He coughed and repeated. “That would be great. See you soon, Youngjae.”

Youngjae’s voice was quiet. “See you soon.”

Youngjae was bundled in a scarf when he arrived, staring in amazement at Daehyun’s apartment building. The lobby seemed like a hotel – it was only slightly smaller than the Bang Building – and there was a terrifying receptionist glaring at him. He suddenly so much more thankful to Hyerim, at least she was kind and welcoming. The glare on the receptionist’s face kind of made Youngjae want to run out of there.

“I’m here to see Jung Daehyun…?”

The man actually scoffed in his face, “Yeah, sure you are. He doesn’t live in this building.” That was expected, Youngjae supposed. He wondered how many fans came to this building looking for their idol on a regular basis. He hoped that it wasn’t too many – Daehyun didn’t deserve that.

Youngjae sighed, “Look –”

“No! It’s okay!” there was a yell. Youngjae saw a familiar figure sprinting from the elevators, running towards them. As soon as Daehyun stopped, a relieved grin broke out on his face, and he said a distracted thanks to the receptionist before guiding Youngjae up the building, to his unit. His hand was warm against Youngjae’s shoulder, pushing him gently into the elevator.

“How have you been?” the singer asked, as he pressed button 16. He looked at Youngjae, finally realising that the omega was actually here, with him. It felt unreal, almost as if Daehyun’s dream had come true.

“Um, I’ve been doing well,” Youngjae said shyly. He tugged on his scarf, suddenly feeling warm. “Daehyun-ssi, thank you for this. You didn’t have to.”

“I don’t mind doing it for you, Youngjae. It’s your song anyway,” Daehyun admitted. “After I heard your voice, I couldn’t think of anyone else singing it.”

Youngjae blushed a pretty pink that went up to the tips of his ears. Daehyun’s eyes were fond as he gazed upon the younger male, wishing he could see that blush more often. He committed the image to his memory, his heart warming.

“It’s still called ‘Bleed’, right?” Youngjae asked, flustered. He covered his face with his scarf shyly. Daehyun’s eyebrows furrowed, not understanding why it mattered, but also inwardly cooing over the younger’s cuteness.

“Well, yeah.”

“Please don’t change it,” Youngjae said quickly, holding onto Daehyun’s sleeve. “That’s my only condition.”  Even though he was confused before, the singer only melted into the touch and agreed immediately, a warm smile lighting up his features. This was going to be the highlight of his whole life.

Youngjae let go of his arm almost immediately after, looking embarrassed for touching the idol so suddenly. “Um, actually, there’s something else…”

“What is it?” Daehyun asked curiously. He really wondered why Youngjae decided to come back, especially since he had so many requirements. He didn’t want to ask though, in case he accidentally scared him off – that would be the worst thing that could happen.

“C-Could I do this anonymously?” Youngjae asked nervously.

“Anonymously?” Daehyun repeated in bewilderment.

“Y-Yeah?”

Now the alpha was even more curious. “Sure?”

“Okay, good,” Youngjae smiled to himself, rubbing his hands together.

He looked so pleased that Daehyun found himself unconsciously smiling. He would’ve expected Youngjae to fight for rights to the song, like most duet partners would. Other artists would surely fight about royalties and whose name came first as the song’s artist. Daehyun was glad that Youngjae didn’t want fame, but he wouldn’t have minded if he did; after all, anyone with a voice like the omega’s should’ve debuted years ago.

Although he felt like anyone with a voice like Youngjae’s should be known to the public, Daehyun wasn’t going to insist. The elevator opened with a ding, and the alpha led him out.

“We don’t have to do anything too big today, we can just look over the lyrics?” Daehyun suggested as he unlocked the door to his apartment. He walked in and told Youngjae to sit anywhere, before going to the kitchen to grab him a drink.

“Sounds good,” the omega sat down on the couch, looking nervous. Daehyun couldn’t help but think about how perfect Youngjae looked, just sitting there. Like he belonged.

He shook his head, fetching a glass to fill. He was being a creep.

“Do you get a lot of time off?” Youngjae asked him curiously, looking around. The apartment felt kind of empty. He spied a notebook peeking out under the cushion beside him and reached towards it curiously, seeing that it was labelled LYRICS. He pulled it onto his lap, tracing the cover and wondering if he could sneak a peek before Daehyun returned.

“Not usually,” Daehyun’s voice called, “but since the company is preparing my album, I can’t really do anything right n–” His voice cut off, and Youngjae looked up in surprise, only to see the alpha gaping at him. Daehyun’s eyes were wide with panic, but his feet were frozen to the floor.

Youngjae immediately pushed the notebook back under the cushion, heart racing. “I-I didn’t read it,” he muttered, mortified that he’d been caught. He didn’t mean to do it. Not really.

He was just curious and excited. Even if Youngjae was trying to put some space between them, Daehyun was still the man he idolised for two years. His eyes guiltily met Daehyun’s, but the man only leaned over to give him a glass of water, smiling warmly.

Unbeknownst to Youngjae, Daehyun pushed the book even further below the cushion. He was extremely embarrassed that the omega had almost seen the contents of his book. If Youngjae had seen them, he probably would run away and tell him to forget about the duet – the lyrics were that bad.

(Daehyun may or may not have dedicated two and a half of the cheesiest, most cringe-worthy songs to a certain secretary, and doodled his name at least thirty times. In hearts. He felt like he was in high school all over again.)

The alpha took a few sheets of paper and passed them over, letting Youngjae look over them. A couple of days ago, the morning after he had heard Youngjae’s voice for the first time, Daehyun had gone over the lyrics and color-coded them, based on how he thought their voices would sound together. Youngjae was silent as he read the papers, nodding his head every once in a while.

Daehyun didn’t expect to see Youngjae’s face flush red, and the omega to hide his face in his scarf.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, concerned.

“These lyrics…” If possible, he went even redder. “They’re really…”

“ual?” Daehyun guessed, looking at his own copy of the lyrics. He didn’t think it was that bad when he read through them, but judging by Youngjae’s embarrassment, the younger wasn’t used to singing such promiscuous songs.

Youngjae nodded, looking nervous. He wasn’t going to reject the song because it was so ual – he didn’t really mind that aspect – he just doubted he would be able to sing it well. He didn’t want to let Daehyun down.

“I have the demo on my phone, so we can listen to that,” Daehyun offered. “See if you’re comfortable with it?”

Youngjae looked relieved, and he shuffled closer to the alpha, “I haven’t done any serious music work since high school, so… I think I need help reading these notes.”

Daehyun’s eyes softened, “No problem, Jae.” Was he even allowed to call him that? Youngjae looked visibly startled, but he didn’t reject the nickname. “You’ll do great, I know it.”

“Thanks, Daehyun-ssi,” the smile that Youngjae wore lit up his face.

Daehyun grinned back, moving closer to him, until their sides were pressed together. At first, Youngjae wanted to move away, but Daehyun’s skin was warm, comforting. Eventually, he stopped thinking about it and let himself relax, almost leaning into the figure of the alpha.

Maybe getting closer to Daehyun wouldn’t be so bad.

Junhong found it harder to listen in his lectures than normal. There wasn’t even a distracting alpha beside him, taking out snacks at every opportunity, but he still couldn’t focus.

He frowned and tapped his pencil against the desk.

His phone hadn’t stopped beeping with notifications from Yongguk, but he already decided to return after one more night; after all, he couldn’t stay with Youngjae forever. He just hoped Yongguk would answer all of his questions by then.

At the end of his lecture, he put all his belongings into the bag he borrowed from Youngjae and left. He was out of the door before most of his classmates, wanting to go to Youngjae’s house before it got too late. Classes on Wednesdays always ended at six, so he hoped he had enough time to go grocery shopping and make dinner before Youngjae got home, as a surprise. He guessed that the elder didn’t cook very often, judging by his fridge that was filled with only alcohol and soda, and the dozens of takeaway brochures scattered around his house.

The omega was wondering whether Youngjae had any allergies, when he noticed a familiar black car parked in front of the university steps. He couldn’t see through the tinted windows, but he already knew who it was – how could he forget the car he had ridden in every morning for years?

The omega didn’t move away as the door opened, and he watched the alpha take a hesitant step forward, uncertainty written all over his face.

His grip tightened around his bag straps.

“Junhong,” Jongup started, looking unsure of himself. He hesitated, seeing Junhong’s betrayed expression. The omega didn’t say anything, the frown surfacing on his face speaking all he wanted to say. He didn’t think Jongup would actually leave the hospital.

The alpha swallowed, looking down at his feet before looking up at the omega.

“I think I owe you some answers.”

The two were seated at their usual table at COFFEE SHOP café, across from each other. Junhong ordered a hot chocolate, but Jongup ordered coffee. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days.

The alpha didn’t order anything for his new bodyguard, an older man who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. The bodyguard didn’t speak to him at all, preferring to stare suspiciously at everyone who walked past.

Junhong missed Himchan.

“Okay,” Jongup finally said when they’d gotten their drinks. His hands were curled around the mug, holding it tightly. “Yongguk told me what happened yesterday, at the breakfast. He seemed pretty upset.”

“If you’re here to guilt me into going back…” Junhong muttered, but Jongup shook his head.

“No. Um, the opposite actually.”

The omega raised a brow.

“I think you should know the whole truth before you make your decision about going back to Yongguk.”

Junhong set down his drink and nodded seriously.

“So, you know Yongguk and I were married.” The alpha paused, as if thinking about what to say. “Firstly, it wasn’t his idea, or mine. Obviously. I was only sixteen, and he was twenty-one; we didn’t have any interest in each other, at all. I was kind of more interested about graduating from high school, and he was more interested in… well, you know.”

“I don’t. He hasn’t told me anything,” Junhong scowled bitterly.

“Right. Well he was like a regular twenty-one-year-old, I guess. Drinking, smoking, sleeping around,” Jongup seemed uneasy about that part, but continued anyway. “Even after the marriage, he never stopped. Um, it annoyed me a lot.”

Junhong narrowed his eyes. “Did you have feelings for him?”

“No!” Jongup exclaimed, his face screwed up. “Not at all. I was confused, I think. I wanted him to at least like me, but I didn’t love him.”

“But then why would you care…?” Junhong questioned, confused.

“I was only sixteen, Junhong. I was frustrated.” Jongup muttered. “He wasn’t kind to me, like he’s kind to you. He hated me, since I took away his freedom.”

Junhong looked down, where his hands were holding onto the hem of his shirt. For him, marrying Yongguk was being given freedom. At least, that was what he thought before.

“He told me that he would never fall for me because I wasn’t good enough. At sixteen, those words were,” the alpha swallowed, looking conflicted about what to say.

“Scarring,” Junhong murmured.

“He said I wouldn’t be good enough for anyone,” Jongup shrugged, like it was no big deal.

“He was a to you.” The omega looked annoyed. “No wonder you got angry seeing him again.”

“Well, there’s also the fact that he sued my family for a million dollars to get out of a marriage with me,” Jongup sighed, finishing his coffee. He gestured at the waiter to get him another.

“What.”

“My mother… well, her persuasion techniques could also be called illegal obtainment of evidence,” the alpha said grimly. “Blackmail and bribing sound familiar?”

Junhong was already dreading the story.

“Obviously my mom wouldn’t want me to marry someone who sued her, so she cancelled it. And also banned him from ever entering the estate, or contacting me ever again. That’s why I had Himcha–a bodyguard.” Jongup took a shaky breath. “But then she heard that Yongguk got engaged to someone else, and got really pissed. She wanted revenge. But mom never had anything against you, Jun. Just Yongguk.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier, then? You could’ve stopped this all from happening,” Junhong’s eyes narrowed.

Jongup shrugged, “My mom wanted revenge, but I just wanted to forget. You seemed happy, and Yongguk did too – he’s definitely changed, Junhong. I… I was happy too. I found someone.” He whispered the last part, his eyes falling to his lap.

Junhong’s eyes widened, as he connected the dots.

Himchan.

Suddenly it made so much more sense why Jongup had been staying in hospital to be with Himchan; not just because he was his bodyguard, but because he was Jongup’s lover.

“I’m sorry, about not being here for you for the past two days,” Jongup said solemnly. “And not telling you sooner.”

“I-It’s okay. I’m not angry at you anymore,” Junhong shook his head. Now he was angrier at Yongguk – not only had he lied about his past, but he had never apologised to Jongup, even after all the trouble he had caused.

“No, it’s not okay,” Jongup frowned. “You can stay with me until you figure out what to do. I’m not going to live at the hospital anymore,” he stated firmly, determined to stick to his plan. He missed Himchan, but… Junhong needed someone to stay with. Jongup was going to act like a best friend should.

Junhong’s eyes softened, and he nodded, agreeing.

“Just wait one more night,” he got up, taking a glance at his phone for the time. It was nearing 7 o’clock. Youngjae would probably already be home. “I need to say thanks to someone.”

Bang Yongguk: Just tell me when you’re coming back.

Bang Yongguk: I’m worried about you.

Junhong’s fingers trembled as he typed out one last reply.

Choi Junhong: I’m not coming back.

i make stuff @junhng! like this (x) and this (x)!! 

... honestly if i spent all my time writing this fic instead of giffing and editing on photoshop, i would've finished this + another fanfic by now lol

thank you for the comments on the previous chapter! i decided that i probably won't do one chapter for each couple but they will be more incorporated into the story, so there's actually going to be even more daejae and himup!