Setting: Sunday night, Yongsan Station
The snow had finished falling for the night and the streets were covered in thick blankets of white winter wonder. Some families were outside helping the streets and shoveling snow off their properties. A large truck zoomed by with a plow at the front to push the snow off of the road and create paths for citizens driving at night. Not much life existed that night, the snow scaring off many people to avoid leaving the comfort of their own households.
Sungyeol and L arrived at street level from their subway, both of them letting out a sigh from having to deal with walking home. It was a rough night for them, not only in weather but with their newly formed band fighting with each other. They both struggled to walk through the snow, lifting their knees to plod through the thick snow. Between the two of them, L struggled the most trying to keep his balance. During their walk he would pull down on Sungyeol's jacket hood to prevent himself from falling, making Sungyeol falter a little with each step. Sungyeol did not complain though, for he was bothered by many other things that did not involve the weather.
"It's really cold tonight, huh? At least it stopped snowing or else we could have been stuck at that building all day," L remarked, trying to start a conversation. He wanted to know how he felt about Sunggyu and Woohyun's altercation, but at the same time he did not want to push it all on him.
Not right now Myungsoo. Sungyeol heard his words loud and clear but did not bother to answer him, his hands swaying with each step he made to try and get off the streets and back home as fast as possible. A chilly wind brushed against his back, frustrating Sungyeol to no end. He hugged himself and viciously rubbed his shoulders to warm his body. He felt another tug on his jacket hood and stumbled back, but before he could slip he bent forward with fast reflexes to shrug L's hand off of his clothes. Sungyeol continued walking without saying a word and L followed closely behind.
"What are you gonna do when you get home? Homework?" L asked.
Sungyeol once again did not contribute to any dialogue, looking down and only concentrating on his footsteps. He shoved his hands in his pockets to shield them from the cold.
"I think I'm gonna visit Dasom sometime this week, do you want to come with me?" L asked, gently elbowing Sungyeol on his side. It had been a quiet journey back home and although he was used to Sungyeol being hushed, L could not restrain himself from finding out if he was ok after the tension during their meeting. Don't be like this right now bastard.
No words came out of Sungyeol's mouth.
"Talk to me Sungyeol," L begged, reaching out to touch Sungyeol's shoulder.
"I don't know," Sungyeol finally said, shrugging his shoulders to get his hand off. He continued to look down at his shoes.
The boys continued walking silently, the only sound came from their footsteps and the whistling of the cold nighttime breeze. Suddenly Sungyeol stopped in his tracks and yanked on L's shoulder to also stop, pulling him back to look at him. Sungyeol and L stared at each other, Sungyeol's eyes bleak and withdrawn. Not a single glimmer or reflection could be seen in Sungyeol's eyes.
"Are you thinking about Woohyun and Sunggyu right now? None of this was your fault, and you shouldn't feel bad about it," L tried to convince.
Sungyeol took a deep breath that could be seen in the air and turned to the side to avoid eye contact with him. "Maybe this was a bad idea to put us together like this," he admitted, shoving his hands down his back pockets for warmth.
"Bad idea to make the band?" L questioned.
"Maybe." Sungyeol his lips, his eyes had completely dulled out to black. His face had turned pale, and his expression was drained of any emotion. "I caused their fight."
"No, you didn't do a single thing at all." L rubbed Sungyeol's shoulder and tried to cheer him up, but once again Sungyeol immediately shrugged him off.
"I don't know," was all Sungyeol could say again. "Everything in theory seemed like it would work out, but you know Hoya is right. All of our personalities are too strong for each other. I don't know why I thought we would all get along and be a band."
"It's only been a day, so you can't expect 7 stubborn s to be civilzed immediately," L argued.
"Do you honestly think this is going to work out?" Sungyeol asked bluntly.
L looked at Sungyeol, unsure of the right words to say to appease his guilt. "I mean..." he stumbled his words, thinking back to everything that occurred. How Sunggyu tried to force his song onto everyone, how the leader and Woohyun got into a heated argument, and finally how his best friend laid a punch of Woohyun. "It can, you know?" was all L could say doubtfully.
Sungyeol sighed, looking up at the infinite sky. He opened his mouth as he gazed into the endless atmosphere. "Help me find a star Myungsoo."
L stayed silent and crossed his arms. He leaned his head back and fulfilled Sungyeol's request by trying to find a star in the middle of Seoul. Within the city's light pollution and the soaring clouds above the skyline, it was difficult to spot any kind of shining star in the sky. "I don't see one."
"I thought so," Sungyeol said disappointedly, accepting the fate of the stars. "I'm sorry Myungsoo. I feel like I forced all of this without thinking of the consequences. I just really want this to work out."
"I understand how you feel, but you can't give up hope. At the end of the day there's one reason we were all together in that room, and it was for music. Obviously people who never liked each other aren't going to immediately become best friends, but-" L stopped talking and noticed a moving cloud reveal one twinkling star. "A star!" L proclaimed, jumping up and down and pointing at the sky.
Sungyeol looked up and squinted his eyes, eventually spotting L's star. "It's really there!" His eyes twinkled, showing some life for the first time that night.
"This might be the first time I've even spotted a star in this winter weather!" L stated. He felt accomplished for helping Sungyeol find his star.
As he lowered his head, Sungyeol spotted L's smile b from cheek to cheek. Sungyeol thought it was absolutely adorable how excited L was for helping him find the star, and it only made him smile like a gummy idiot. "When I'm stressed, I try to spot a star in the sky for encouragement. It usually makes me feel better," he explained, grinning and looking up at the night sky.
"Well how do you feel now?" L asked, reaching out one last time to rub Sungyeol's shoulder. This time, Sungyeol allowed for his touch and let L caress it.
"I feel a little better than I did earlier. Maybe I was too optimistic, but I really think we can all become really good friends," Sungyeol confessed, revealing an earnest smile to L. "I felt this for the first time at Hoya's party."
"You mean, the one that happened a couple weeks ago?" L questioned, scratching his head.
"Yeah," Sungyeol agreed, pulling L's hand off his shoulder and lacing his fingers with his. He tugged on L's hand to motion him to start walking, feeling a lot more at ease than he was earlier. Sungyeol used his other hand to pull his hoodie back on his head, shading his eyes as they continued their journey back home trudging in the snow while holding hands. He felt a lot more confident that one bad day would not set the precedent for Infinite's future. "I really like Dongwoo. I get this vibe from him that he's very perceptive and can always anticipate when something is going on. I never talked to Sunggyu and Sungjong, but I DJed with Sungjong."
"I remember a little of that," L remarked.
"It was the most fun I had DJing since..." he stuttered from a chilly wind, prompting him to pull L close to him and wrap his arm around his shoulder affectionately. L wrapped his arm around Sungyeol's waist, the two of them sharing their warmth in the winter cold. In that moment of their nuzzled walk, a car passed by the both of them and flashed what seemed to be their high beams at both Sungyeol and L. Both of them blinked, blinded by the bright lights of the flash. The car zoomed by quickly even though the streets were icy and slippery, coming as a surprise for the visuals. They opened their eyes back up and watched as the car speeded into the distance, shrugging off the incident as nothing.
"Where was I? Oh, I haven't had that much fun DJing since the first time I started," Sungyeol continued.
"I think that you and Sungjong would get along really well," L started, pressing his lips together thinking about something. "You're both multi-dimensional people, and I never know what to expect with you guys. Between Sunggyu and Sungjong, Sungjong would be the first to warm up to you."
Sungyeol smirked, nodding his head. "I'll keep that in mind. I wish I could say the same for Woohyun and Hoya, but they're a much more difficult puzzle to solve. Hoya is still a little bitter about you, and I'm unsure how long it would take for him to open up to you."
"Oh believe me, I know," L laughed. "I swear, I don't think I've had anyone stare me down like Hoya does. Everytime he's behind me, it feels like he's going to strangle me."
"That's Lee Ho Won for you," Sungyeol snarked, hugging L tighter. "It would be a miracle if you can figure out a way to talk to you."
Setting: Monday lunch at Woollim High
With another snowy day, lunch took place in the cafeteria once again. Woohyun, Hoya, and Sungyeol sat down for lunch at their same window spot from last week, trying to make it a usual spot for them. Hoya and Sungyeol sat on opposite sides with Woohyun sitting in the middle, who sported a black eye and swollen eyelid, which was the talk of everyone at school. "Did you hear about the fight that Infinite had over the weekend?" "I knew that having them in a group together would be a problem." "No, my poor Woohyun got punched in the face by Sunggyu." "Sunggyu-oppa wouldn't do that for any reason. Woohyun probably deserved it." "A battle between former leaders, it was bound to happen. Who do you think will come on top?" "I just want them to get along with each other!"
Hoya and Sungyeol tried to forget everything about last night, not even talking about the situation when they met each other at the lockers earlier that morning. They acted normal, neither one of them bringing up anything about the band or Sungyeol and L's relationship, but talking with their usual banter of music and the girls at Woollim High. Woohyun sat bitterly with his lunch that Hoya cooked for him: a delicious bowl of jajangmyun. He had requested Hoya to make his favorite dish for him after the night before, hoping it would make him feel better. The taste was phenomenal, but the feeling of Sunggyu's sting was hard to fade. He used his chopsticks to play with the noodles, pick one up and dropping it back into his bento.
Sunggyu, Dongwoo, L, and Sungjong approached table with cafeteria-bought lunches. Dongwoo dragged Sunggyu to the table, who was struggling to get away from him and trying to push back. Sungjong was holding two lunches in his hand, one for himself and one for Sunggyu.
"No, no. Get this away from me," Woohyun demanded, slamming his fists on the table. His eye still hurt from the pain of Sunggyu's punch, twitching every so often. Looking at the one who did this to him only made him more frustrated.
"No, everyone is going to sit here and we are all going to have a harmonious conversation with each other," Dongwoo announced, forcing Sunggyu down on his seat. He held his shoulders down in case he tried to move, and Sungjong placed Sunggyu's lunch in front of him to settle him down. L sat down on the edge of the table next to Dongwoo and immediately across Hoya.
Woohyun squirmed in his seat uncomfortably at Sunggyu's presence, the thought of last night making him want to return the favor. "So how do we start off this peaceful conversation?"
Sunggyu crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, trying to hold back from talking to Woohyun. Sungjong elbowed him hard, prompting yhe leader to finally speak. "I rewrote the song!"
Hoya and Sungyeol both turned to look at Woohyun, who raised his eyebrow after hearing that the song was rewritten. The former Strawberry Fields leader let out an exhale, curious what Sunggyu had to say. "Go on."
"I did it after our practice," Sunggyu responded.
Dongwoo jabbed Sunggyu in his waist, wanting him to elaborate more on his words. "You better talk more."
"AISH-" Sunggyu whined and raised his hand to pretend to slap Dongwoo in the shoulder. He stopped himself, dropping his hands in his lap. "The lines were a lot more evenly distributed. I'll admit Woohyun, I'm a little cocky at times. I did go overboard with the song and that was all my fault. After some time being lectured..." Dongwoo held his elbow back to hit him again. "... I mean after some time discussing everything and thinking back, I am sorry. I think that we do have potential to be a great band. Everyone here is an important piece of the band. I'm sorry again."
Everyone looked at each other nervously, every member not saying a word to each other. Sungyeol looked at Woohyun, who was taking in everything Sunngyu just said and trying to formulate a response. Dongwoo and Sungjong side-eyed their leader, who was tapping his fingers on the table after his apology. He was not used to ever apologizing about anything and always saw himself as right, so the change shook him up. Hoya and L caught each other sharing glances, the other person looking away after making direct eye contact.
After some time in silence, Woohyun finally opened his mouth to talk. "Sorry is not going to cut it."
The other members were shocked, the tension heating up at their cafeteria table. A lot classmates around them stayed silent, trying to listen in on their conversation.
"Excuse me?" Sunggyu raised an eyebrow.
"It's gonna take more than a new song for us to be friends," Woohyun sneered, taking a sip of milk. "There is some unfinished business."
Everyone around the table groaned at Sunggyu and Woohyun, once again having to deal with another petty argument between them. Hoya and L looked at each other nervously, both of them expecting that something like this was bound to happen during lunch. Sungyeol made eye contact with Sungjong across the table, rolling their eyes at the situation. "Are you serious right now?" Dongwoo complained, throwing his chopsticks on his tray.
"I know, I just apologized. Why can't you just accept it?" Sunggyu asked.
"You punched me in the face! Why would I?!" Woohyun stood up from the table over Sunggyu.
"You called all of my friends terrible singers, and I'm not complaining!" Sunggyu also stood up to stand at Woohyun's level, and at that point Woohyun grabbed onto Sunggyu's uniform collar and pulled him to meet in the middle of the table.
"Oh for goodness sakes, both of you need to get off of your high horses and shut the hell up!" the maknae shouted, his voice echoing throughout the whole cafeteria.
Everyone turned their heads to watch Sungjong speak about the incident. The school life had come to a screeching halt with students stopping midway to getting their lunches and other students turning at their tables to look at Infinite and see what would happen next. Sungjong was always full of surprises, speaking and acting at the most pivotal moments. Dongwoo's mouth gaped open at the shock of it all as well as Sunggyu and Woohyun, who were still holding onto each other. Hoya gave L a confused look, as if to ask if this happens often. L just shrugged his shoulders, smirking at Hoya and nodding his head. Sungyeol sat on the side covering his mouth and trying to contain himself from laughing hard. Even though Sungjong was doing a great job at trying to be serious, Sungyeol could not help but giggle. He was amused yet proud of Sungjong for speaking up.
"Just because the both of you were leaders of our bands before doesn't mean the both of you get to act like this. You both can't be fighting, especially at our damn school. You guys are idiots and gonna get all of us kicked out. Both of you were wrong, both of you need to start getting along, or else I will personally deal with the both of you with my bare hands." Sungjong said it all under one breath, letting out a satisfying exhale after. He smiled and sat back down as if he had done absolutely nothing this whole time. He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of his kimchi.
Sunggyu and Woohyun looked at each other and let go, feeling a little awkward that the youngest member of the group had told them off. They slowly sat back down, Sunggyu adjusting his seat and Woohyun fixing his uniform tie as if nothing embarrassing had just happened to his self-esteem. The other members were still in awe at everything that happened, Hoya and Sungyeol both completely impressed by Sungjong. This was something Dongwoo and L were used to, so the both of them looked at each other and smiled.
"Everyone eat your lunch. NOW!" Sungjong commanded.
"YEAH, oh yeah food." Everyone panicked and fumbled to pick up their utensils, returning to eating their lunches. Sungjong looked at everyone in the room, obeying his orders, letting out a small smirk.
Setting: Thursday, company study room
Due to their recent status, the boys had to go to the studio immediately after school for idol training. Their first class started with voice lessons, each member attaining their own vocal coach to improve their singing. That class lasted an hour and a half, and now the boys were given an hour break until their dance practice. During this hour break many of the members kept to themselves, taking the time to sleep like Sunggyu or Hoya alone in the practice room.
At this time L and Sungyeol continued their weekly tutoring sessions in the company study room. Sungyeol explained the first 5 chapters of Taebaek Mountain Range, who was already halfway done with the book. L sat reclining in his chair with his feet at the edge of the table, trying to hold his pencil in between his nose and upper lip to create a mustache. With another new book to read, L had no intentions of starting it or caring about it.
"Are you paying attention to anything I'm saying?" Sungyeol asked, closing his book and putting his thumb in between the pages he was previously talking about.
L tried to respond, but realized he still had the pencil in his scrunched up facial expression. As he opened his mouth to talk the pencil fell down in his lap and bounced off to the ground, L hesitating and trying his best to catch the pencil in the air before it fell to the floor. He missed the mark and the pencil rolled under the table.
"You didn't read the book yet, huh?" Sungyeol confronted.
Trying to get his pencil back, he ignored Sungyeol and crawled under the table to reach and grab it.
"How many times do I have to tell you to read the damn book Myungsoo?! The competition is over, but now that we're trainees we still have to do well in school!"
"Hey, I'll read it eventually! It's not like Dongwoo's read it yet either!" L crawled back to his seat with his pencil in his hand, climbing on top of it to sit back down. He looked at a frowning Sungyeol and smiled at him. "We have too many things ahead of us. Also, the book is just plain boring," he admitted.
Sungyeol shook his head and scratched his neck hard, frustrated with tutoring L. It had never been an easy task to try and get him to read, and after reading the book it was still a difficult task of getting L to pay attention during their tutoring session. This was something Sungyeol was used to now, and even in the struggle he still had a good time tutoring L.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," L announced, putting his headphones around his ears.
"Sure. We're not getting anywhere anyways," Sungyeol said, ruffling his hair and pouting his lips.
L snickered and walked towards the door, fixing the collar of his blazer before walking out. He opened the door and suddenly ran into Sungjong, who was also trying to open the door. The both of them looked at each other and laughed momentarily until L bolted out to run to the restroom.
Sungyeol looked up at saw Sungjong holding several math textbooks in his hands, looking ready to do some homework himself. He smiled as Sungjong took a seat across the table from Sungyeol, quietly setting down his backpack on the table and unpacking his supplies. Sungyeol watched him as Sungjong placed his laptop, math book, and notebook in front of him. Sungjong looked up and caught Sungyeol staring at him, so he turned away to pretend he did not do anything. Sungjong shrugged, opening up his laptop.
"Do you mind if I play music while I do homework? I forgot my earphones today," Sungjong shrugged.
"Yeah, sure. If anything I have my own headphones with me so if it bothers me later you can use those," Sungyeol suggested, opening his book to continue reading.
Sungjong nodded his head, clicking on a folder on his desktop called "Creations". Sungjong his lips, trying to find a good song to play while he studied. Sungyeol watched him, curious what he was going to play.
It started off as a slow acoustic intro to 2ne1's "Lonely", a song at a good slow pace for studying. As the intro ended, Sungyeol recognized Hyorin's voice overlaying the song instrumental. "Alone". Sungyeol nodded his head to the song, really impressed with his mix as he watched Sungjong opening up his notebook. "Did you make that?" Sungyeol asked.
Sungjong looked up, a little startled that Sungyeol was talking to him. He had never had a one-on-one conversation with him, and during their DJ battle they had no real interactions except drunken pushes with each other. "Yeah, I made this a couple months ago."
"I noticed that you like to mix girl bands a lot," Sungyeol remarked, looking down at his book.
"Yeah," Sungjong agreed, starting on a homework problem in his math book. "I really like the variety that girl bands have. Over the summer, I started experimenting with mixing soft songs and party songs. The results are surprising," Sungjong explained, tapping his pencil on the desk.
Sungyeol turned a page in his novel and used a highlighter to mark an important part of the story. "How long have you been DJing?"
"About 2 years. You?"
"Only 1 year."
"Wow, you've barely started and you're better than me!" Sungjong commented, looking up at Sungyeol.
"Wait, not really," Sungyeol looked up, a little surprised that Sungjong said that. "You're really good too!"
"No, remember Hoya's party? My skills are subpar to yours," Sungjong admitted, pushing his book aside to continue the conversation with Sungyeol. He could not help but feel like one of Sungyeol's fangirls.
Sungyeol also pushed his book side, closing it with the highlighter as a bookmark. "Hah, I don't know about that."
"Good with the bass, singing, and with DJing, no wonder why Jong Yeop-sshi asked you to become an idol first."
All Sungyeol could do was blush, feeling flattered by Sungjong's unexpected praise. Deep down he craved the attention from everyone about his looks, music, and overall self, and any compliments like this were welcome with opened arms. At the same time, Sungyeol could not deny that Sungjong was also very skilled at the DJ craft. L was right in that fact that Sungyeol would get along with Sungjong, and he definitely wanted to learn more about him. "We should really make a set together," he suggested, smiling back at him.
"You want me to make a set with you?" Sungjong was shocked, after never spending any alone time with Sungyeol he invited him to hangout. In a way, he was really excited that he would even offer something like that to him.
"Yeah, sure!" Sungyeol smiled. He figured that the way to get the band to unite was to slowly go through each person and make a sincere connection with them. Even though they were once rivals, Sungyeol saw something in Sungjong. "Let's do it next week!"
Sungjong smiled, returning to his laptop to try and find another song to play. "Sounds good."
This was a start, and though there was a little slight tension in the room from being in rival bands they were both willing to try this out.
"Great," Sungyeol affirmed, looking back at Taebaek Mountain Range. I guess I should read this now.
((((())))
L had finished going to the bathroom and walked down the hallway with his hands in the air, stretching his body from side-to-side and letting out a loud yawn. It had been an exhausting day going straight from school to the company studio. All L wanted to do was go home with Sungyeol and relax by sitting on the rooftop and playing their guitars together. L passed the practice room windows which had a loud song booming from the soundproofed room. He was intrigued, seeing the back of someone dancing into the wall mirrors, scratching his eyes so that his vision would be less blurry. The song was "Gotta Talk to U".
In the mirror, Hoya danced with much precision as he hit hard movements in his self-made choreography to the song. He practiced by himself, stripping down to only a tanktop and basketball shorts with his uniform tossed to the side. Each move was intricate and original to every beat and matching to every lyric of Seungri's song.
L could not deny that Hoya's moves were captivating, putting on a show even when he practices. He continued to stare at his dance and admired Hoya's perseverence, his personality reflecting on his evident work ethic.
In the mirror's reflection, Hoya caught the shadow of someone watching him dance. He quickly stopped and turned around, seeing L staring straight at him. The both of them looked at each other and immediately turning the other cheek when they shared looks.
Their quick glance showed two people who both cared about the same person, yet could not care to like each other. Hoya saw L and saw the eyes of someone who his best friend fell for, trying to understand why he did yet not being able to comprehend his own charm. L saw Hoya and saw the eyes of someone who is best friends with his boyfriend, yet cannot get why Sungyeol would ever be friends with him.
L hurried down the hallway to get to the study room, leaving Hoya looking blankly at the window. They still had a long way to go.
Setting: Saturday, Seoul National University Hospital
Sungyeol had been kneeling down next to Dasom's bed for 10 minutes waiting for her to wake up. She had fallen asleep after taking medicine, and Sungyeol arrived just in time for Dasom's visitor hours and her drowsiness to wear off. He leaned over on her bed and rested his chin at the edge of the mattress, waiting patiently for her to wake up. A shadow clouded her eyes. Dasom stirred and blinked her eyes several times for clarity, her vision finally seeing Sungyeol's head peaking at the top of her bed.
She beamed. "Sungyeol!"
Her arms sprung out to welcome Sungyeol with a tender hug. Sungyeol leaned over the bed to reach and hug Dasom, her body very delicate to his touch. He wanted to hug her tighter but her grasp was a lot weaker now, so he let go to make sure he did not suffocate her. "How are you?"
"I'm good!" Dasom leaned on her pillow and reached her hand behind, grumbling to herself as she was trying to retrieve something. After a struggle to find the right spot, Dasom pulled her hand out and opened her hand to reveal Sungyeol's green guitar pick on her palm.
Sungyeol was touched that L really did give the guitar pick to her, but he never had a doubt he would not. "You got it!"
"I do! Oppa says it's good luck. But it didn't work for him," she pouted.
"No, it only doesn't work for people named Myungsoo. But it works for all people named Dasom," Sungyeol winked.
"Really?"
"Of course!" Sungyeol grinned and reached over to take a pinch of Dasom's cheek.
"I've missed you! Where's oppa?" she asked.
Even in her most fragile state, she displayed such a vibrant spirit that Sungyeol could not get enough of. "He's back home right now. I came to visit you on my own," Sungyeol chuckled, his own spirit rejuvenated by her presence. "Myungsoo is going to visit you with your mom and dad tomorrow."
"I see," Dasom nodded. "I like you better than Myungsoo-oppa anyways."
Sungyeol blushed from ear-to-ear, covering them with his hands. "Why do you say that?"
"Because your cheeks puff up when you smile, and I want you as my boyfriend," Dasom bluntly confessed, grinning back at Sungyeol.
"I don't suppose you want to go on a date now, do you?" Sungyeol chuckled.
"I want to go to the park with you again and get ice cream!" She reached over and grabbed onto a piece of Sungyeol's long hair, playing with it and twirling it between her fingers. Sungyeol smiled, leaning his head forward for her so it's easier to play with. Suddenly, Dasom snickered and violently tugged on Sungyeol's hair.
"Ah, my hair!" Sungyeol tried to shake Dasom's hand off his hair but instead she grasped onto it harder and pulled him closer, causing him to scream out loud in the hospital room.
Finally Dasom let go of his hair and grinned, closing her eyes and pretending to fall asleep like she was completely innocent.
"You little! You better wake up right now Dasom!" Sungyeol groaned. He glared at her intensely, rubbing his head where the hair pain came the most.
Dasom lay emotionless on the bed with open and let out a loud snore, ignoring any of Sungyeol's comments.
"AISH-" Sungyeol ruffled his hair and sighed, his hand moving from the top of his head and slowly drooping down his face until his hand fell from the tip of his lips. He was completely indifferent to Dasom's play, whining at her little prank. Sungyeol rested his chin on top of the bed again and pouted, continuing to stare at the breathless Dasom. Her skin was so pale compared to the last time he saw her and her cheekbones had become more prevalent. To Sungyeol she might as well actually be sleeping, but he knew what she was really doing. "Wake up or you don't get candy!" Sungyeol teased, of course not having any kind of candy with him.
Not a single movement came from Dasom's tired body, uninterested in his offer.
Sungyeol raised an eyebrow and scratched his head, initially doubting her. No way, is she actually sleeping? He blinked several times, staying completely silent so that the only noise in the room was the sound of her slow breath. Sungyeol observed her, testing her every limb to see if she was actually sleeping.
Suddenly, he got a text from Hoya. "I think you took home my drumming pad. Can I stop by your place?"
Sungyeol looked at the text, mindlessly sending him the address to his apartment, and in the process thought of L as his neighbor. At this point in their relationship, Sungyeol was head-over-heels in love with L and every little thing was a reminder to him of how much he cared about him. He never expected to fall so fast for him, but it just happened. "I gotta talk to you about something," Sungyeol started, trying to see if she would say anything.
Dasom did not move a single inch.
"It's really important," Sungyeol grinned.
Once again, Dasom excellently tricked Sungyeol into thinking she was sleeping.
Sungyeol tried to think of a good way to wake her up, putting his hands under his chin and resting his elbows on the edge of the bed. He bit his lip, on a mission to get her to wake up. "I gotta talk to you about Myungsoo."
After successfully acting for some time around Sungyeol, Dasom finally showed signs of alertness when she wriggled her fingers after she heard Sungyeol call out her brother's name. She continued to stay quiet and pretend to sleep.
"There's a reason I can't date you Dasom, and that's because I like like your brother."
Even at his confession Dasom continued to sleep, but at this point, Sungyeol let his confession spill out to L's sister.
"I like him a lot, in fact it's passed like a while ago. But I'm still struggling trying to warm up with his friends. You know, Sunggyu, Dongwoo, and Sungjong. I'm trying to make it work though. He makes me really happy, probably just as much as he makes you happy, and I've never felt so fulfilled since my mom died a while ago. I..." A single tear fell down his face, feeling emotional thinking about everything he had been through. "But who am I kidding? Telling this to a preschooler, I don't even know if you understand what I'm talking about. I don't normally admit this to anyone, even my own best friends." Sungyeol wiped his tear and smiled, closing his eyes. "You're a precious kid Dasom, I hope you have a great sleep." Sungyeol could not help but chuckle to himself awkwardly as he pushed himself from the bed to stand up.
Suddenly, Sungyeol felt a slight pressure on his palm. "Sungyeol-oppa," Dasom called out for the first time in 10 minutes.
Sungyeol looked down to Dasom holding onto his hand and Dasom wide awake, sitting up on her bed. "What's up?"
"Myungsoo is the best brother in the world. When I'm gone, can you take care of him?" Dasom asked, smiling angelically at Sungyeol.
Sungyeol's heart dropped from hearing her speak so casually about her future. He could not understand how accepting she was at everything, realizing her innocence and how it affects the way she perceives the world. Any other person would be fearful of their own death, but Dasom only cared about living life to the fullest. When I'm gone. How could she say that so freely? He could only imagine how much Dasom probably hated being confined in her hospital room for hours on end, only hoping that she would live her last days in the comfort of her own home. Sungyeol smiled, reaching over to give Dasom one last hug before he left. "You have my word."
Setting: L and Sungyeol's apartment rooftop
As the snow finished its fall for the day, the melting ice froze the rooftop floors to a glossy finish. L sat in his usual corner of the rooftop edge playing melodies of random songs on his acoustic guitar, relaxing during his day-off as a trainee and unwinding to the sound of music.
L heard the footsteps of someone walking up the metal staircase, each lingering step the person stomping harder. He had been waiting for Sungyeol to get home the whole day since his parents were out at a party, and L wanted to spend quality alone time with his boyfriend. L stopped playing his guitar as the footsteps, patiently waiting for Sungyeol to arrive with a dimpled smile on his face and his eyes as wide as a puppy, but as the person arrived his expectations were tricked with reality.
"Hoya?" L was shocked seeing it was Sungyeol's best friend at the foot of the stairs, putting his guitar down and keeping his guard of. "How did you find this place?"
"I asked Sungyeol for his address." Hoya answered, stepping onto the rooftop. He brushed his jeans and shoved his hands down his pockets, looking at his shoes to avoid any eye contact with Sungyeol's boyfriend. "He uh... he has my drumming pad."
L was unsure if Hoya was there to start something with him, not immediately believing his excuse. Whenever Hoya was around him he feels a sense of insecurity and hostility, understanding that he is having a difficult time getting used to L and Sungyeol. L wanted to be friends with him and convince him that he was not that bad of a guy, but he also knew that Hoya was capable of making his life a living hell. He picked up his guitar as a shield. "Sungyeol's actually not home right now," L replied, strumming another chord on his guitar.
"Oh." Hoya scratched his head and stared down at the icy ground. A chilly wind sent Hoya hugging himself and rubbing his sides for warmth. The weather was calling for him to leave, and he was fine with it. If he had no excuse to be on the rooftop, he did not want to be around L because it made him very uncomfortable. "If Sungyeol's not here, then I'm gonna go now." Hoya looked up at L and made eye contact with him for the first time that night, giving a small bow with his head before stepping back to go back downstairs.
It would be a miracle if you can figure out a way to talk to you. L remembered what Sungyeol said the week before, thinking this would be a good opportunity for him to get to know Hoya and make a connection with him. No person had ever felt him feel more awkward than being around Hoya, and he desperately wanted to overcome that and potentially become friends with him. He was Sungyeol's best friend, and though he accepted their relationship Hoya had yet to accept L. "Uh, Hoya," L called out.
Hoya took a step down the stairs and turned around hearing L's voice. "Yeah?"
"If you want you can just stay up here and wait for him. He should be coming home soon," L encouraged, looking down at his guitar and plucking a string. "If you're up for it."
Hoya did not know what to think of L's invitation. It was no doubt in his mind that they have had weird interactions with each other since the band formed, and though he feels bad for putting pressure on Sungyeol he cannot help but feel an internal grudge on L. Hoya looked around the rooftop as the sun set, no one else but the two of them. Hoya looked down at his shoes and made a decision to take a step and stay on the roof. He slowly inched his way towards L at the corner of the rooftop, who was strumming random melodies on his guitar. Hoya reached L and looked down on him as he played the guitar, deciding to sit down right next to him.
No situation in their lives had been that awkward until that moment and even though they wanted to try and talk to each other they refused it in their minds, Hoya and L being prideful in who would speak to the other person first. Both of them sat on the rooftop without saying a word to each other, L continuing to play melodies on his acoustic guitar while Hoya looked to the distance and watched the setting sun on the Seoul skyline. L looked down at his guitar and watched himself strum, choosing different melodies to play to forget in his head that Hoya was there. Sungyeol had talked to Hoya about this scene before and he also had to admit that it was a gorgeous view as if it was a painting. He could not help but stare blankly into the distance, falling in love with its beauty.
"This is a really nice view," Hoya muttered under his breath.
L turned to look at Hoya whose eyes were hypnotized by the dancing clouds and warm colors of the sunset. "It is," he nodded, not really knowing what else to say to him.
Once again it was back to an awkward silence between the both of them, sitting close to each other yet acting as if they had no idea of the other's existence. They had a lot of words to say without a single word told to each other, hiding within them an internal struggle they wanted to solve without initiating a solution.
L remembered earlier in the week Hoya dancing to "Gotta Talk to U", the title and lyrics had never been so appropriate in his life. Yet, he still had nothing to say. Hoya rendered him speechless, and he had no idea how to resolve their tension. There's only one way to connect with him. That was when L started to strum.
Hoya looked off into the distance when he heard L start playing a familiar tune, turning his head to look at L delicately pluck the strings of his guitar. It was a song Hoya knew very well. "Gotta Talk to U". He played the song instrumental without saying a word, even though L had never played the song in his life he was able to improvise something to what the song sounded like. Hoya did not know how to feel with L playing the song flawlessly, listening to every intricate strum and nodding his head. The music was like chocolate, sweet and leaving a little taste for more.
That was what L's playing sounded like.
"Na oneul geudaeege
halmari neomuna manhayo
Budi nae yaegil deureojul su innayo.
Geudae hoksi innayo
Naega deureogal su inneun got innayo ojik."
Hoya finished singing, not expecting for anything to come out of his mouth. He loved the song, and with L playing it beautifully Hoya surrendered to his charms and skills.
L was shocked hearing Hoya start singing the song, not expecting that he would even say a word. This is exactly what I wanted. L continued the song.
"Geudaewa na dan duriseoman.
Duriseoman.
Duriseoman .
Naega neohanteman hago sipeun mal.
Mal geu mal uri jigeum nanwobwayo."
Finally, they sang the last line together.
"Na jigeum halmal isseoyo."
L placed his hand on the mouth of the guitar to stop the song vibrations, taking a deep breath after singing a duet with Hoya. He was taken aback, the idea that Hoya actually sang a song with him settling in his head. Their voices blended together well, an unlikely match. L smiled.
Hoya was equally as shocked, biting his lip nervously after the song ended. Though he did not want to admit it, he really liked singing with L. Hoya smiled.
At that moment, Hoya and L heard the footsteps of someone climbing the stairs to the rooftop. The both of them looked towards its direction to watch.
"Sungyeol's home," L commented, putting his guitar down between the middle of him and Hoya.
The steps grew louder as finally, an unfamiliar figure arrived at the top of the stairs. The figure was as skinny as Sungyeol yet a lot shorter in stature, wearing a pair of red heels to look taller. The person had medium-length, curled brown hair with bangs. Their face was round in shape and sported much eye makeup to accentuate her eyes. It was a woman.
"Myungsoo?" she called out.
Hoya looked across the rooftop at the girl who arrived and looked back at L, his face completely devoid of any life.
L bit his lip. "Yerim?"
Sungyeol and Sungjong's moment.
Hoya and L's moment.
Didn't see that coming? The next bonus chapter is called Past. Every scene in this chapter is relevant to the next chapter and beyond. What was your favorite? Who has guesses on what this one will be about?!
Comments