Waiting outside the doors of the press conference, Daesung could not take his eyes off the man sitting across from him. Ever since they left the airport yesterday, he noticed that Vick had been acting strange. Not the typical heartless actor that’s caused him nothing except trouble, but the Vick he first met 8 years ago.

 Daesung and Vick went to college together and ended up becoming friends over a class project. Granted back then he wasn’t known as Vick, his real name is Seunghyun, and he used to be a quiet antisocial person. After hanging out a couple times for the project he and Seunghyun began to form a bond, which turned into this 8 year friendship.

He was the only person Seunghyun talked to about his modeling jobs and how he was just doing it to pay for school. He was first person Seunghyun told that he was wanting to quit school and just focus on being a model. He was the first person Seunghyun told about being asked to act in a commercial, about being asked to sign an acting contract, and the person Seunghyun asked to his be manager.

Daesung was also the only person Seunghyun told that he was gay.

He was the one person who had been with Seunghyun through all his up and downs over the years. He helped him through his parents drama, and was there when he talked to his mother for the last time. He was the one who suggested using a stage name and start a new life so Seunghyun could try to move on.

Back then, Daesung would have said there was no way in hell that Seunghyun would turn out to be the arrogant, rude, obnoxious, Vick that he is today. However, he got used to it over the years because he understood it was just a defense mechanism. But when Vick started acting weird at the airport yesterday, he would have never guessed he would be seeing “Seunghyun” for this long.

Whenever Vick would stop talking and basically shutdown, Daesung liked to call it the “Seunghyun” side. It was very rare for Vick to act like this for such a constant amount of time. Usually when something would happen, he would snap back and forth between the two personalities during a couple hours of the day, but this time it lasted for over 18 hours and counting.

The event planner walked up and told Daesung that the press conference would be starting in five minutes, and to get ready to walk in.  Once he left, Daesung crossed the room and went to sit next to Vick. Vick looked up at the approaching man knowing exactly what he was going to say, and before he could, he spoke first.

“Look, I know I haven’t been acting like ‘myself’ since yesterday. And I know you don’t want me to go out there like this.” Vick motioned to his slouched position as he continued, “All I’m asking is for you to trust me. I’m going to go in there and act like the person they want me to be for the last time. Yesterday I realized something, well not just something, but I realized who I have become. And I don’t like him.”

Daesung raised an eyebrow and said, “So you finally noticed how much of an you’ve been these past couple of years?”

Vick looked over at him and saw the small smile playing across his face, knowing that Daesung was messing with him. But he knew that there was truth in the man’s statement. He smiled back and continued, “Yes. I know, I’ve always known. But as I look back at how these years have been, and how my future might be because of them, I’m just tired. Tired of hating myself everyday and being alone.”

“Well, thanks. Guess I don’t count for anything,” scoffed Daesung.

Vick glared at him for a second and said, “You know how much your friendship means to me, and besides I would never end it because you have too much information to black mail me with.”

“Oh you have no idea how much I actually have. Did you know you talk in your sleep?”

Vicks face paled as he stared at Daesung, with a million thoughts running through his head. Daesung chuckled at Vicks’ reaction and said, “Now there’s something one doesn’t see every day, ‘The Great Vick’ scared.”

Vick relaxed and pushed Daesung away, both of them quietly laughing. Then he started talking again, “But really, in all seriousness, I will change. I don’t know how long it will take but I want to be myself again. Like how we first started out. I want to be Seunghyun.”

The event planner walked back into the room and said, “The press conference is starting, if you would please follow me.” He bowed and motioned for Vick and Daesung to walk through the door he entered from.

Daesung got up first and lowered his hand toward Vick helping him out of his chair. Before moving to follow the event planner Daesung whispered to Vick, “No matter what you decide to do, or what happens because of it, I will always be your friend. Your brother.”

Vick wrapped his arm around the younger man, giving him a small hug, and whispered back, “Why do you always have to be so cheesy?” He pulled away and started walking toward the door and shouted back, “Come on, I want to get this thing over with so I can get some more sleep.”

Daesung stared in awe at the retreating figure and thought it was scary how easily Vick could slip through personalities so quickly. But as Vick turned to walk through the door, Daesung noticed the same slump in his shoulders that he had at the airport yesterday. He could tell change was coming to Vick, he just didn’t know if it would damage him more or not. He knew he would be there for Vick when he needed him, and really that’s all he could do for now.

With that in mind, he followed Vick into the press conference.

The press conference was for a Japanese brand of clothing he was endorsing and to talk about his future projects. True to his word, Vick acted like Vick and everyone was enthralled by him. He answered all the questions in his own way and got through the press conference without anyone suspecting anything.  

After talking to Daesung some more on the way back to the hotel, he realized that he needed to be alone for the rest of his stay in Japan. He wanted to sort out everything that he had been feeling since he left Korea, like his family problems and how he was going to change. But mainly he wanted to think about how he was going to deal with Jiyong, now that he remembered who he was.

His only childhood friend, the person who he thought would be beside him forever. But he was also the person who Vick had a dark place in his heart for. No matter how many memories he remembered from the past of them being best friends together, one memory stood out the most.

The day that Jiyong disappeared.

All he could remember was one day they were on the playground having a great time, but the next day, Jiyong and his family disappeared without telling anyone where or why they left.

His best friend had abandoned him without a trace. And then two days later, his parents told him they were splitting. Jiyong was the start of it all.

That week from his childhood, that anger and resentment, was the fuel that kept Vick going all these years. But now that Jiyong had appeared in front of him again, after all this time, the fuel seemed to have run dry.

Instead of being angry with Jiyong he realized today that he didn’t want to dwell in the past any longer. He just wanted to get to know the present Jiyong, become friends with him, and start over.

And maybe one day he would reveal who he really is to him.

Not Vick the actor, but Seunghyun. The real Seunghyun.

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A quick shout out to fish-n-chipsontuesday and ajajelly for being my beta readers!