five.

Dear Happiness

The ice cream parlor is oddly quiet these days. The small upright piano in the corner is dusty from disuse, and Kyungsoo’s been avoiding the place for awhile now. It seems strange for him to keep returning considering the whirlwind of events that happened recently, and he hasn’t seen Minseok here lately either.

In fact, he hasn’t been seeing much of Minseok at all lately.

 


 

A month before Luhan arrived, Chanyeol was contacted by some big record company in Seoul. They wanted his talent in their studio, they said, and Chanyeol had practically combusted.

“They want me, Soo! You think they saw my YouTube video?”

“No, they just called you out of nowhere.”

“Okay, I know you’re being sarcastic right now but I’m way too excited to care!” Chanyeol gushes, gripping his phone tightly, perching on the couch like a wound spring.

“When do they want you to go?”

“Next week! Kyungsoo, I’ve only ever dreamed about this and now it’s really happening. Just imagine all the equipment they have in the city studios! Oh my god, my hand is shaking.” Chanyeol sticks his hand out. “Look!”

 

***

 

“Can you just be happy for him for once?” Minseok sighs through the phone.

“I’m happy for him all the time,” Kyungsoo frowns.

“Okay, but you really need to show it this time. You’re younger than him but he still looks up to you. He’d be crushed to know you don’t think he should go.”

“What? I never said that!”

“Yeah?” Minseok raises an eyebrow. “I read between the lines.”

“You mind not doing that?”

“Yeah,” Minseok scoffs, “Sure. I’ll just stop being your best friend of like, twenty something years.”

He laughs, and Kyungsoo does too.

 

***

 

“I dont understand,” Kyungsoo complains, lugging a gigantic suitcase. “What could you possibly have in all these bags?”

“All of my worldly possessions,” Chanyeol says in complete seriousness.

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand your logic.”

“I’m an artist!” Chanyeol proclaims.

“See what I mean, Seok? He hasn’t even left yet and he’s got a big head already.”

“Hasn’t he always been like this?” Minseok grins, squeezing Chanyeol’s arm.

The taxi doesn’t take long to arrive, and soon enough Chanyeol is sliding into the passenger seat after a couple of bone-crushing hugs and teary-eyed moments.

“Wish me luck!” He calls, sticking his head out of the window.

“Good luck, Chanyeol!” Minseok yells back as the taxi takes off.

Kyungsoo waves and watches as Chanyeol is swallowed up by the horizon.

 

***

 

In some ways, Kyungsoo thinks Luhan is a distraction for Minseok. Something to pass the time with. Something to help take his mind off of what happened to Chanyeol.

Or maybe Minseok really does fancy Luhan and Kyungsoo is just bitter.

 

***

 

The news comes out of nowhere. Kyungsoo can hardly believe what he reads, but then he looks again and there it is, printed in bold ink on the front page of the newspaper.

“Rookie Celebrity Producer Park Chanyeol Admitted to Rehab for Substance Abuse!”

There’s an entire article after the title, and it feels like a fever dream, reading through it. Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to do once he reaches the last sentence. Cry, maybe. It would be the appropriate response, he supposes.

Instead, Kyungsoo goes around town and buys all the copies of the newspaper he can find. It costs him a paycheck and a half, but he doesn’t care. He loads piles of newspapers into his truck and drives far into the field, as far as he can go before the road ends, and dumps all the papers into the dirt.

He lights a match and tosses it into the middle. The articles catch fire, a blurry photo of Chanyeol smiling on the front cover burning at the edges and curling in on itself. Smoke rises, and after awhile all that’s left is a charred mess, the remnants of Chanyeol’s dream catching on the wind and disappearing.

Kyungsoo sinks to the floor, entire body feeling cold despite the heat. There’s another tear in his heart now, and alone in a field, far away from anyone else, he cries.

 

For Chanyeol.

For Junmyeon.

For Jongin, for Sehun.

For Minseok.

For Yixing.

 

And, selfishly, for himself.

 

***

 

No one hears from Chanyeol, but Kyungsoo isn’t surprised. He’s probably not allowed to have a phone right now.

Kyungsoo wonders if Sehun and Jongin know. He wonders if Junmyeon knows.

He hopes, in his heart of hearts, that they don’t.

 

***

 

Alone at a table for two, Kyungsoo wonders why he dislikes Luhan so much. Luhan is change, Luhan is different, Luhan isn’t Kyungsoo. And maybe that’s it, maybe what excites Minseok about him scares Kyungsoo.

Luhan is adventure, and Kyungsoo has never quite developed a taste for it.

 


 

Fate brings Kyungsoo to a crossroads, puts him in a position he never thought he’d be in to make a decision he never thought he’d make. Fate brings Luhan to him, looking like a kicked puppy, features downcast and hair messy.

“Have you seen Minseok around lately?” Luhan says, and Kyungsoo’s heart skips a beat.

“Why?”

“He hasn’t been talking to me for the past few days.” Luhan bites his lip. “I thought…well, maybe I said something to upset him. Maybe he’s mad at me.”

“Huh. That’s odd. You two were glued together at the hip just a couple days ago.”

Luhan blushes and Kyungsoo smiles, lips pressed together.

“Yeah? I mean, I guess. He’s a great guy. I don’t know him like you do, though. You guys are best friends, right?”

Kyungsoo shrugs.

“Since forever.”

“So I was wondering if he’s been talking to you…about things. Is he mad at me? Should I go see him?”

Fate is a funny thing, Kyungsoo decides.

“Luhan,” he begins slowly, “I don’t think you’re a bad person, so I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t think Minseok wants to see you right now.”

Kyungsoo looks directly into Luhan’s eyes as he speaks and finds there’s nothing compared to the feeling of seeing the spark in them die while knowing he was the one who put out that flame.


Notes:

oh jeez

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marrymemary
#1
Chapter 7: ohmygod kjakdgksc /cries/ sooo beautiful and heartbreaking. I hope Minseok's love for Kyungsoo would be enough reason for him to forgive. And I hope Chanyeol, Jongin, Sehun, Junmyeon, Yixing and Luhan would find their true happiness as well. ㅠㅠ

Thankyousomuch for this story ㅠㅠㅠ
Lovexiu16 #2
Oh wow. This is so beautiful and why am I crying? I don't know what to say, but I really enjoyed it. Thanks.
QueenSensei
#3
Chapter 7: Ohhhhh. Its ended. Ah! I was wondering what minseok would say! But either way this was good.
QueenSensei
#4
Chapter 6: I have a feeling luhan is gonna come back, and Minseok is gonna find out about the necklace, and it's just gonna be be one ugly storm. *-*
Lovexiu16 #5
Chapter 5: The story is good that I actually don't know what to comment Hahaha.
QueenSensei
#6
Chapter 4: Poor kyungsoo. ;-;
marrymemary
#7
Chapter 3: The latest chapter broke my heart--- ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
Yamiko-chan #8
Chapter 2: Poor suho. I think your writing is really good.
I can't wait for the next chapter :)
QueenSensei
#9
Chapter 2: Dang. This is really good. I'm curious at how both Minseok's and Kyungsoo's viewpoints will cross when the time comes. *^* I'll eagerly wait for the next update