After Effects 

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“Heechul ah”

That voice again, Heechul’s heart skipped a word hearing the boy calling his name. His name sounded too comfortable on Kyunhoon lips.

“oh Hoonie ah,” trying his best to hide the confusion rising in his heart, Heechul answered the boy who was now walking towards him.

“you are going home early today?” that smile, Heechul wondered how those dimples always appear so easily; every time he smiles, those dimples would appear as if they were teasing Heechul. And that is exactly what is happening; everything about this boy was teasing him, not in an uncomfortable way, but in a way that Heechul could no longer bear. And he always wondered how fun it would be to bite those baby cheeks of Kyunhoon playfully.

That would definitely make his ears go red too. Heechul’s heart fluttered with the thought of imagining Kyunhoon’s ears go all red.

He wondered what will happen if it was something more, not a bite on his cheeks. But maybe a kiss, a sloppy one, like how he always imagined when he was on his bed alone—touching himself while Kyunhoon’s images played in his head.

Kyunhoon seems inexperienced in the subject of love. Heechul was sure he was a complete amateur in the subject of too.

And Heechul was more than willing to help him to teach it.

But…

“Heechul ah,” he was pouting now, a clear indication of displeasure, but more adorably.

“you are spacing out again; what is with you these days? What’s troubling your pretty little head.” 

You, everything is about you these days.

“nothing. Just thinking about tomorrow’s schedule.”

“you want to go out for a drink tonight.”

“Now?”

“Yeah, let’s have a drink with me: we haven’t gone out in a while.”

That is because I am trying to distance myself from you.

“common Heechul ah, I know you don’t have any work tomorrow, well not anything that would not allow you to go out with me tonight.”

Go out with you tonight. You are playing with words now, aren’t you?

“Tonight, you are mine,” and he gave that innocent smile that Heechul could never say no to. How can he say no to the man who looks at Heechul like a kid who looks at candy?

“Ok, but we can’t drink much tonight” Heechul’s words widened the smile on the other man’s face.

“Why not?”

I would do something very, very bad if I get drunk with you, and I don’t know if you would like it.

“What if I get drunk and kiss you?” Heechul playfully answered, thinking his honesty would at least make Kyunhoon change his mind about the drinks.

“I would kiss you back then, isn’t that the normal way?”

Kyunghoon’s dimples were the deepest now, and the smile on the boy’s face and his answer made Heechul’s heart almost stop.

“I am kidding Heechul ah, you should have seen your face” Min Kyunghoon was laughing again.

Such a tease. But the boy’s laughter eventually made Heechul laugh too.

“where do you wanna go?” Heechul asked the boy who was still laughing.

“Let’s go to my place Heechul ah, I drove here today, you can ask your manager to leave, I will drop you home afterward, or we can call a taxi if I get too drunk to drive you back.”

“don’t you think we should go to a pub or a bar?”

“you are too popular hyung, and I won’t be able to have you all for myself if I go to a crowded place with you,” he sounded almost sincere.

“yah, sometimes you forget that you are a singer too. You are an idol too, pretty successful one”

And a very, very pretty one.

“You are more popular Chul ah. I am just a failed singer, who once held the fame, and now, nothing.”

Kyunhoon had a habit of degrading his own self, and no matter what others would say.

“that is not the truth.”

“it, not a lie too Heechul, now, we don’t want to waste any more time over this right; lets go”

“what do you want to drink today, wine?”

Wine is too romantic. Heechul was thinking.

“let’s stick to soju and beer today.” And that was his final answer. its safe anyway. With wine, you never know when the liquor hits you.

“oh I like it. We can make soju bombs” he sounded too excited, just like a kid.

They got into Kyunghoon’s car, and Heechul smells the familiar scent that he always got from Kyunhoon. Being in a tight space, it was more prominent now.

“shall I play a song?” Heechul wanted his mind to wander on something other than the scent and how close they were in this small car.

“Yeah yeah, go ahead” Heechul press the stereo to play whatever the song that was in the pen drive attached to it. When the music fills the car, his face glows with a big smile. It was his and Jung Hoong’s song. “Breakups are so like me.”

“that is one of my songs.”

"I have been listening to that song for the past days Heechul, you and Jung Hoon did well there. I wonder why it was not a hit."

 Heechul could only smile and sing along to the song because that is what Kyunghoon was doing now.

*

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*

Parking the car in the apartment car park, both men quickly got out of the vehicle. Kyunhoon was smiling, awfully cheery about something and Heechul was slightly concerned whether this was the right thing to do.

It’s night, two men alone in an apartment, drinking. Heechul made a mental note to be in extra guard tonight. What if he really couldn’t control himself? What if he really ends up kissing or doing something intimate with the young man. What if… what if something like that happens and if he couldn’t handle the aftermath. How could they continue on the show after that?

I shouldn’t have agreed to this. Heechul’s mind was busy with thoughts while he took small steps with Kyunghoon. The elevator ride to the 12th floor was silent, and Kyunhoon punched the numbers to the small device installed on the door to open the apartment.

“no one has been here other than my family, welcome to my humble adobe Heechul ah” He guided them in. apartment was just like Kyunghoon, simple, but still there was something about it that