So ... I /genuinely/ forgot that I had started posting this in AFF. Hence the lack of update for eons.

Oops. I'm so, so terribly sorry.

One month had passed.

Since that day, Donghae had found out everything he needed to know to be a proper Lumière fan. He also had followed all the member’s social media accounts, and the band’s official account. Not to forget, Amber had bestowed her knowledge upon him too. Or to be exact, Donghae had nagged her about it and she was being interrogated for the whole three days of her stay before she ran back to Mokpo by Monday evening.

Donghae had heard every single song the band had sung and memorized a huge portion of them. Every spare Wednesdays and Fridays, he would take the five pm subway towards Hongdae to watch their performance. One single performance was all it takes to convert him into a hardcore fan.

Today too, with light hearted steps Donghae entered the station, taking the second subway line. It was a free Friday for him, or what Donghae loved to call as Freeday. There were no assignments to be done for the weekend, and thus he could spend as much time as he wanted to have fun watching Lumière. The subway that day was quite empty, and Donghae quickly sat on an empty seat, smiling politely at the middle-aged lady across him.

Donghae took off his back-sling bag so he could lean on the seat comfortably, sighing in relief as the weight on his shoulder was lifted. He didn’t manage to go home first today because his class ended at four. He only had the time to eat a very late lunch before taking his leave towards Hongdae. His bag was still filled with a few notebooks and other necessities.

At least that meant Donghae also had his earphones with him. He took it out of the bag, connecting it to his smartphone and immediately started sifting through his music player, smiling when he pick out the complete playlist for all songs by Lumière.

The singer’s voice greeted his ears. Donghae listened as he recalled everything Amber had told him. The singer’s name was Cho Kyuhyun, a tall twenty one years old man with brown and slightly curly hair. Quite surprising to Donghae, because initially he had thought that the singer was older than him. But no, Donghae who would be celebrating his twenty fourth birthday this coming October was definitely older. The singer was also arguably the most famous member, could be seen by the number of followers his social media account had. Aside from being a part of the band, Kyuhyun also frequently covered famous ballad songs that made countless women swoon. Weirdly, there’s no news about him being in a relationship.

The next song begun with a soft keyboard melody, and a ballad that Donghae quite liked started playing. Ah, Lumière’s keyboard player had a pretty interesting background. His name was Henry Lau, and yes he’s indeed not Korean. From Amber’s story, Henry’s parents were Taiwanese that had moved to live in Canada. Funny enough, the man fell in love with Korean’s culture after his family went there for a long vacation during his younger years. Henry then decided that he wanted to live in Korea, and three years ago the music genius had finally been accepted in Seoul National University, taking the art major’s music department. He just turned twenty, and was the youngest member of Lumière. Amber had talked long about him, and Donghae was well aware of his cousin’s little crush by now.

Donghae faintly heard the subway transit announcement as the song came to a stop before a change. He un-plugged one earphone away from his ear to listen it better. He was almost at his destination, the next station will be his. So Donghae zipped his bag back up, and slung it over his shoulder once again. He turned the volume of his music player down to make sure he didn’t miss his stop.

Amber also told him about Lumière’s bassist, even when not as detailed as her long story about Henry. The bass player’s name is Choi Siwon. There were quite a few rumors surrounding the man—one mentioning that he is rich, very rich. That he is the future heir of a very huge company, and something alike. There were also photos of him riding the latest series of Audi taken by fans. And yet, no one knew for sure about those rumors.

Donghae’s day dream got cut short as his stop arrived. He stood up, approaching the door while clutching on his bag a bit tighter—a habit that appeared during rush hour transport. When the subway stopped and the automatic door slid open, Donghae stepped outside and walked towards square. He took a quick look at his phone, and upon seeing the time—still ten minutes to six—the brunet slowed down his steps a little, knowing that he had ample time to spare. With easy steps, his thoughts flew once again.

Even with countless rumors surrounding his wealth, Choi Siwon is also known for his kindness. Fans referred to him as the true gentleman. He is always friendly to them. And yet, all the female fans had to sigh in pity because said gentleman is already taken. If Donghae had to go with the rumors again though, it was said that the gorgeous lady often seen with Choi Siwon isn’t just a girlfriend, but a fiancé. Fans could only pray for their happiness. But if anything, it only fueled his popularity and strengthen Choi Siwon’s image as a real life fairy tale prince.

His image was pretty much a one hundred and eighty degree difference with the other, and the final Lumière member. The one that had stolen Donghae’s heart. The person that Donghae immediately asked about to Amber as soon as the concert on that day ended. The drummer with a captivating smile named–

“LEE HYUKJAE!”

A woman’s screech could be heard yelling out the name that Donghae just thought of, giving him a shock. Coincidentally, it was at the exact same moment as when a song just ended through his earphones. Donghae exited his music player application, and pocketed his earphones. His brown eyes then swept over the rows of chair by the side of the place.

He had arrived to his destination—the square near Hapjeong station, a place often used for public performances by the locals of Hongdae. Because of the place’s popularity, many food stalls opened around the place, and wooden benches and tables were provided for people to just lounge around and enjoy their meals.

Donghae spotted a figure he had memorized by now, after a month of watching Lumière’s performances. He was sitting on one of the benches on a rather un-populated corner a few meters away. The drummer, Lee Hyukjae, was wearing a black leather jacket similar to the one he wore when Donghae first saw him, but this time a top of a red shirt instead of white, with a pair of sunglasses hiding his single-lidded eyes. He was staring at the fuming woman in front of him with a rather tired expression, the faint smile on his thick lips looked fake.

Unlike her attention grabbing screech before, though, the woman wasn’t shouting anymore so Donghae couldn’t hear what she was saying. But just from her expression and body language, he could guess the gist of the conversation.

As he predicted, the woman looked even more exasperated as the conversation went on. Probably because the drummer wasn’t responding as much, by what seemed to be short one worded answers. On the final straw, Donghae gaped in shock as she grabbed a cup of water laid on the table near them, and tipped it over the drummer’s head in anger, before turning and leaving him there just like that.

The stunned brunet stood still for a second from what he just witnessed. The drummer also seemed to be quite surprised, but then only sighed heavily and took off his sunglasses, combing his wet hair backwards with his slender fingers and pulling on the collar of his shirt that now stuck uncomfortably to his skin.

Donghae snapped out of his shock and thought with a sigh.

Ah … he just broke up. Again.

And seems like this time, he was dumped pretty harshly too.

Donghae was quite sure that the woman just now was a different woman from the one he saw a month ago—the one that clung to the drummer’s arm as soon as he went down the stage. At that time, the view made him disappointed. Donghae thought that his blooming feelings had been immediately shot down as soon as it grew. Amber noticed his gaze, and had absentmindedly thrown out a few comments surrounding the man’s rumor.

Turns out, Lee Hyukjae is infamous for being a playboy. It is somewhat of an open secret among Lumière fans. It was also the reason why his fanbase is currently the smallest, even compared to Choi Siwon who was clearly unavailable. But the open secret also says that Lee Hyukjae never rejects any woman that come and confess to him. Even so, his relationships usually lasts around a week or two, a month at most. Donghae really doesn’t understand why. The habit just seemed bizarre, and it made him curious.

The drummer seemed to be really troubled by his wet clothes, and Donghae pitied him. He remembered that he actually had a small towel in his bag, that he didn’t get to use since today’s plans changed. Although a bit hesitant, Donghae decided to gather his courage and approached the man.

“Excuse me, Hyukjae-ssi,” Donghae called out softly, and the drummer lifted his head to stare back at him in confusion. Donghae took out the towel from his bag and handed it to him. “I have a towel … I mean, if you want, you can use it …?”

Hyukjae looked confused, but he clearly tried to be polite even when smiling awkwardly. He asked cautiously, “Sorry, do I know you?”

“U-um, I’m a Lumière fan!” Donghae answered quickly. “Sorry if I’m being impolite,” he added with a slight bow.

However, the smile he received turned a lot friendlier, very different with the expression he saw before. It was a breath of fresh air compared to the one that he showed to the woman from before.

“Oh!” the drummer exclaimed while holding out a hand to accept the towel given to him. “No, no! It’s okay. In fact, I’m thankful for this. Ah, I’ve been quite pitiful in front of a fan, this isn’t good,” he added the last sentence as a light joke.

“I’m glad to help,” Donghae replied. “I wasn’t supposed to see that, was I? I’m sorry, I just happened to be close by earlier, I really didn’t intend to watch.”

But Hyukjae only waved his hand. “Not your fault, don’t fret,” he replied simply. He wiped his neck with Donghae’s towel. “Are you here to watch our performance tonight?”

“Yes,” Donghae nodded. “I never missed the band’s performance this last month,” he stated proudly.

“I see, you’re a very dedicated fan. It’s rare for me to see a male dedicated fan like you. Most of them don’t even bother watching our live performances, and just download our songs illegally.” It was clearly another joke, even with some truth in it. “What’s your name?”

“Donghae. My name is Lee Donghae,” the brunet replied. “To be honest, I haven’t been a fan for long.”

“Well, still, thank you for being our fan, Donghae. My name’s Hyukjae, but you know that already, hm?” Hyukjae chuckled softly. “Let me return your towel after I wash it, okay. It’s fine right?”

“Of course!” Donghae replied quickly. “Actually, it’s okay even if you don’t return it. I bought it cheap off GMarket.”

From the honest statement, Hyukjae laughed harder. “Thank you for the fan gift, then. Did you bring this with the thought of such incident?”

Donghae’s eyes widened. He wasn’t sure if he really just hear Hyukjae making fun of his own rumors, or his ears were deceiving him. Afraid to have offended Hyukjae, Donghae shook his head harshly and denied it. “N-no! It’s just a coincidence, I swear! Today, I was supposed to have a drama rehearsal in campus, and that’s why I brought a towel. But the rehearsal got cancelled so …” Donghae fidgeted nervously, deciding to cut off his explanation before it turned into a gibberish rant.

“I was only joking, Donghae-ssi!” Hyukjae quickly explained, feeling guilty for making the brunet flustered. “Besides, believe it or not this was the first time that I got drenched like that. Usually, women aren’t as ridiculous.”

Donghae frowned. “What did you do until she got that angry?”

Hyukjae shrugged. “Honestly, I didn’t do anything.” He scoffed before continuing, “But perhaps, that’s exactly why she’s mad.”

When Donghae only stared at him with a blank, confused look, Hyukjae smiled once again. “Oh well, it’s not important. Do you want to see the other members? I need to change my clothes now, there’s no way I’m going up on stage like this. And we were supposed to gather before the performance start anyway. I also want to repay your help.”

Donghae got excited from the offer. After a month listening and watching Lumière’s performances, he really had became their loyal fan. “I want to, but is it really okay? I don’t want to intrude.”

Hyukjae stood up, Donghae’s towel in his hand. He slipped his sunglasses in one of his jacket’s pocket. “It’s fine! Besides, it’s a rare chance for us to meet a loyal male fan. They will be very happy to meet you too,” he winked playfully with a chuckle.

He didn’t knew that it made Donghae’s heart skip a beat. But Donghae managed to hide it with a smile and a nod. Hyukjae walked ahead, with Donghae following his steps. The brunet soon realized that they weren’t walking towards the center of the square where the stage was located. Instead, they walked towards the rows of shop buildings across the square.

“Where are we going?” Donghae asked.

“The studio where our band practice.” Hyukjae smiled at him. “Siwon owned a place that we used as a gathering spot. We also turned a room into a studio for practice and recording. It’s near, so it’s very helpful. Before we perform, we usually gather since afternoon to practice there. We also practiced today, but after we finished I got hungry and decided to look for food, hence why I was at the square.”

“I see …” Donghae mumbled with a nod.

They walked in a comfortable silence. It wasn’t awkward since the place was indeed near, not enough for a prolonged silence. Donghae wondered if the ease was because Hyukjae had done this kind of thing a lot before—bringing fans in to the studio.

“Here it is,” Hyukjae said out loud as they arrived in front of a two story building that looked quite modern. From a glance, it looked like just another shop, but if you look closely the entrance is like a house entrance, and it’s more well kept compared to the other buildings on that street, with white paint that looked fresher.

Hyukjae walked up the porch, Donghae following him timidly. The drummer took out a key from his pocket and slotted it in, opening the door.

“This was supposed to be a shop, but we renovated it into more of a house, including the studio and living room to just lounge in,” Hyukjae explained. “Oh, you can take off your shoes here.”

Donghae copied Hyukjae’s actions and took off his shoes, tidying it by the door. They then stepped inside to what seemed to be the living room. It was quite spacious, a long sofa on top of a soft synthetic fur carpet facing a wide LCD television, with a short table in between. Besides that long sofa, there was a smaller one for a single person, seated by a handsome male.

The man had a guitar on his lap, different from the usual bass he held on stage as Donghae had grown accustomed to see. Lumière’s bassist, Choi Siwon, turned his head at their arrival. One of his brow lifting comically high when he spotted Hyukjae’s wet clothes.

“What on earth happened to you?” he asked. His gaze then drifted towards Donghae and the eyebrow shot even higher, if possible.

Hyukjae took off his jacket, and Donghae failed to look away from the now-exposed biceps. “Short story? I got dumped, both figuratively and literally with water.”

Siwon seemed amused by the answer, not really surprised by it. “Almost two weeks, that’s an improvement,” he joked.

“Ha ha,” Hyukjae mocked laugh. He was definitely playing around, though. “Oh, and this is Donghae, our fan.”

“H-hello,” Donghae greeted timidly. “I hope I’m not intruding …”

“Hello!” This time, Siwon replied with a friendly smile that showed his dimples. He seemed more surprised by this than the previous answer. He glanced at Hyukjae for a split second before looking back at Donghae. “Please don’t be shy. We rarely meet a male fan, so it’s an honor. Take a seat, Donghae-ssi, make yourself at home!”

Donghae nodded with a shy smile, sitting on the long sofa while mumbling a soft thank you.

“Right?” Hyukjae took a red shirt that looked identical with the one he was wearing from a shelf by the room, near a long corridor that seemed to lead towards another room at the back. Then, very nonchalantly, he started changing right then and there—Donghae had to look away before his cheeks flush. “I told you they would love meeting a male fan.”

As soon as he ended his sentence, another door on the south side of the room opened, and two people walked out from it while chatting loudly. At least, until they spotted Donghae sitting on the sofa.

One of them—a man with blond hair—smiled widely and greeted him cheerfully, even when looking a bit confused at the same time. “Hello!” he greeted with a loud voice in a perfect, accentless English. “Who are you?”

The tall man with slightly curly brown hair beside him snorted in amusement, but didn’t say anything and only stared at Donghae in question.

“Henry,” Hyukjae groaned, even before Donghae could react. “Please, act normal,” he warned, half jokingly.

“His name is Donghae. He helped me and lent me a towel, so I brought him here.” Even to Donghae, Hyukjae’s explanation didn’t really make any sense. “He’s our fan. So be nice.”

“Oh, hello!” Henry’s cheerfulness didn’t waver the slightest.

But the brown haired vocalist—the more sane one, Donghae assumed—turned to look at Hyukjae in confusion. “Towel? What happened to you?”

Hyukjae shrugged in response, expression lazy and fed up, not wanting to answer the same question again. Siwon did the honors for him with a laugh. “He was dumped.”

“Again?” Henry laughed loudly, flopping down the sofa that Donghae sat on, but on the other end of it. “Hey, maybe it’s a sign! You should just find a boyfriend, and stop hooking up with girls!”

With that said, his head whipped back to stare at Donghae in a quick move, startling the brunet that felt himself shivering slightly under Henry’s calculating gaze. “Hmm, you’re quite cute … and handsome too. Donghae, was it?”

“Y-yes?” Donghae stuttered doubtfully.

“Donghae is quite gorgeous!” Henry turned back to look at Hyukjae. And to Donghae’s horror, continued with a question. “How about you try dating him?”

“Henry, you’re chasing our fan away,” Kyuhyun finally decided to cut in, slapping the back of Henry’s head and moved to sit between them. He looked at Donghae, about to apologize for Henry’s behavior, but was surprised instead seeing the faint flush on Donghae’s cheeks.

“Hm … should I? What do you think, Kyuhyun-ah?” Hyukjae was clearly joking. There was a teasing lilt in his tone, but Donghae didn’t realize that it wasn’t directed at him. ”You’re the expert in this.”

Kyuhyun watched how Donghae turned slightly redder at the joke, but chose to not comment on it. Instead, he looked back at Hyukjae with a sharp gaze. “I think, you both should cut it out before we lose a fan for good,” he grumbled.

Siwon laughed. “Okay, okay! That’s enough. Cut it out, guys.”

“Donghae, how old are you?” Henry’s attention was back on the brunet, making him surprised.

This guy is really … energetic.

“Uh, I’m twenty three, turning twenty four by October.”

“You look younger!” Siwon commented kindly. “I thought you’re Henry’s age.”

“Then I should probably call you hyung,” Henry nod to himself.

“You’re turning twenty four this year?” Hyukjae also sounded surprised. “Wait, didn’t you say that you’re still in college?”

Donghae rubbed his nape in a gesture of nervousness. “I get that a lot. Umm, after I finished high school I didn’t immediately enroll in college the year after because of some … family issue. I finally decided on a campus in Seoul by the middle of last year. So yeah.”

“You’re the same age as Hyukjae and I.” Siwon switched a look between Hyukjae and Donghae. “You’re not from Seoul?”

“I’m from Mokpo. I just moved to Seoul like, six months ago, when college year started.”

“You just moved in to Seoul? Then how did you become our fan?”

“To be honest, I just started becoming a fan about a month ago. My cousin forced me to watch one of your performance live and I loved it. Since then, I never missed a single show.” Donghae chuckled a little before deciding to add, “Actually, my cousin had been talking about you guys since long. She seems to have a crush on you, Henry-ssi.”

“Is she pretty?” Henry asked shamelessly. “Do you have her picture?”

“Hey! Last time I checked, I was the playboy. I should be the one asking that!” Hyukjae chimed in, yet he didn’t seem interested at all when Donghae took out his phone and opened the gallery application to look for Amber’s picture, very different from Henry who was waiting impatiently.

“Don’t lump me in with you. I don’t change girlfriends every other week. I’m picky because I’m looking for a stable relationship, and not accept everyone that came to me,” Henry retorted without even glancing at Hyukjae’s direction. “Hm? Her style definitely isn’t those of average cute girls, but she looks cool,” he remarked after he saw the picture Donghae shown.

“Her name’s Amber. Her mother, who is also my aunt married a Taiwanese man. So she’s half Taiwanese. She also spent a few years living there. She fits you quite well, right?”

“Oh, you know that I’m of Taiwanese descent?”

“Amber told me a lot about Lumière, but more so about you,” Donghae chuckled softly.

“Bring her here next time,” Henry smiled. Then, he fell back into his joking nature. “So, your cousin likes Lumière and has a crush on me. Do you have a crush on one of us too?”

Donghae’s eyes widened. The question came to sudden, and for a second Donghae was at a lost on what to say. He couldn’t lie so suddenly like that, yet of course an honest answer was not something he could utter too. “I–”

Suddenly, a phone that was laid on the table started vibrating and ringing loudly, surprising everyone in the room.

“That’s the alarm.” Siwon reached out to take the phone, turning it off. “We should get ready. I’m going to grab my bass guitar.” He walked through the long hallway towards the back.

“Oh, there’s something I want to bring too!” Henry also stood up to get ready.

“I’m going to get my drum sticks. Wait here.” Hyukjae followed Siwon’s steps.

And just in the blink of an eye, the previously chatty room turned deathly silent, only with Donghae and Kyuhyun sitting on the same sofa. All of a sudden it started to feel very awkward, Donghae silently hoping that Kyuhyun need to go and grab something too. But then he realized that Kyuhyun was a vocalist—he didn’t need to bring anything other than his own body.

“Donghae-ssi.”

Donghae jumped slightly in his place at the call of his name, and Kyuhyun watched him in amusement. At least, it made him look friendlier and not as scary.

“Y-yes?”

“You know about that rumor of Hyukjae always accepting love confessions that came his way, right?”

Donghae stared at Kyuhyun in confusion. “Yes?” he answered hesitantly.

“The rumor is true,” Kyuhyun stated flatly, before the corner of his lips lifted to form a smirk. “So I suggest you confess to him quickly, before someone else found out that he was just dumped and moved first.”

Donghae’s face flushed red, and Kyuhyun’s smirk only widened. “Wh- wha–…”

“No need to deny it, I can see through it pretty clearly.” Kyuhyun then leisurely stood up, patting his shoulder encouragingly.

If Donghae didn’t know how to react, it wouldn’t matter. Because Henry had returned and urged them to hurry depart with a loud cheer.

.::~*~::.

Lumière performed brilliantly, as usual. But Donghae was too busy with his own thoughts to be able to watch their performance properly. Donghae was given a good spot to watch from, very near to the stage, yet he was too busy figuring out how Kyuhyun had known about his feelings for Hyukjae so quickly.

Was I too easy to read?

Did Hyukjae also found out?

But no, seeing how Hyukjae and Henry had joked around, Donghae was sure that they didn’t realize anything. Siwon didn’t seem to have any weird reaction either. Even so, Kyuhyun had known, although he was kind enough to not say anything in front of the others.

Donghae’s head was starting to hurt from thinking. He decided to stop for now and concentrate on the band’s performance instead. It would be very rude of him if he didn’t enjoy the spot given to him at the fullest. After all, this is his favorite band.

They had just finished performing the second song. Donghae’s gaze fell upon Hyukjae once more, who was spinning the drumstick with his long slender fingers before starting the cue for the next song.

Donghae tilted his head slightly as an unfamiliar intro started playing. He was sure he had never heard this song before. The song sounded quite mellow, with a bittersweet melody. The limelight around Kyuhyun dimmed slightly, creating a sadder atmosphere that felt even more real when the vocalist closed his eyes and started singing. Donghae looked at Henry, and saw how he was also showing a calm expression, very different to his usual playful self. Siwon also played his bass guitar meticulously, the deeper tone giving depth to the song.

And then Donghae looked at Hyukjae, that was once again blanketed in darkness. However, once in a while, his silver necklace reflected a glint of light when he moved. Donghae could see his expression, even through the faint lighting. A small, soft smile—as his feet played the deep rhythm on the bass drum, and his hand moved almost elegantly to tap his drum stick against the snare drum. Really—he looked so captivating.

“What if … geudaega nal saranghal geotman gatda …”*

Donghae smiled bitterly. He had only known Kyuhyun personally for about two hours now, but it seemed like the tall brown haired male had succeeded in being his life narrator for more than three times now.

Maybe there’s indeed no harm in trying, rather than regretting later on.

*"What if … It seems like you’re going to love me …"

If anyone hadn’t caught on yet, the last song they’re performing is SJ’s What If.

So as mentioned in the a/n above … I genuinely forgot I already started posting this English version of the fic to AFF. (It was originally written in Indonesian. A completed version I uploaded on wattpad). I guess it was because I got into writing the 100 drabble challenge in twitter with one a day post thing? Honestly can’t even recall.

But yeah I’ll try finish this ASAP now. I’ll be working on translating chapter three as soon as I post this. No promises on when to post because I at keeping them. But wish me luck (more like, motivation)!

Btw, this isn’t proofreaded because I was too lazy. I’ll probably edit it later to fix the minor typos / grammar errors.

Feed me love please <3