Far Away

For one_over_3

Pairing: Myungyeol

Prompt: After having a concert in _____ country (you decide what country you want to talk about), while everyone is tired and sleepy after the concert Myungsoo and Sungyeol go exploring and sneak out

“I’m so sleepy.”

Seven Infinite members yawned and stretched as they filed into their van. They took their customary seats in the vehicle, waiting to be driven to their hotel for the night. Hopefully, the fans wouldn’t be following them. They had performed for the last three hours in Yokohama, Japan and they were exhausted. They enjoyed their concert to bits, of course, but the aftershock of exhaustion came much too quickly this time around.

Well, except for two certain members.

Myungsoo and Sungyeol were the least tired of the members, if they were tired at all. Sungyeol was just so happy afterwards he could barely sit still while Myungsoo had been a bit jumpy ever since his solo stage. He was singing Love U Like U to the Inspirits, his stage going as normally as usual. It was during the last bit of his performance, that his normal stuffed bear had been replaced with a life-sized human teddy bear. The person in the bear suit had demanded for a kiss. He had complied and took off the bear’s head to reveal his very own Lee Sungyeol.

Ever since his stage, his heart had been beating a little faster than normal, giving him double the energy he usually had. He sat next to the said member, looking at him curiously. Though his face was tired, his eyes were still bright and happy. That was one of the things Myungsoo loved about him.

Sungyeol caught his eye and grinned at him. “Tonight was fun,” he said, keeping his voice low.

He nodded. “Yeah – definitely fun. I love performing for our fans.”

“And the fans love it when we perform,” Sungyeol laughed softly. “Tonight was especially fun though,” he murmured quietly.

He wasn’t sure, but Myungsoo thought he was hinting towards the little surprise during Love U Like U.

“It was,” he agreed.

Sungyeol smiled at him. “You’re probably–”

“Quiet!” their leader barked, evidently exhausted.

Woohyun stifled a laugh as Sungyeol closed his mouth. Myungsoo snorted inwardly, rolling his eyes. It was so interesting to see that nearly half an hour ago, their leader was smiling and bouncing happily on stage and yet now he was back to his grumpy self.

“Take it easy, Gyu,” Woohyun chuckled. “We’re all tired too, you know.”

A muffled groan of exasperation came from their leader, and everyone chuckled softly. It was different from the usual loud and boisterous laughs that usual rang through the air, but they were all very tired. Their three-hour concert passed with excitement and fun, but afterwards, they were definitely feeling the repercussions of their energetic stages.

They arrived at their hotel quickly and safely, miraculously not followed by fans. They all went departed into their respective rooms, some going directly to the shower, others going straight to bed.

Myungsoo had gone for a shower, the warm and soothing water calming his nerves. It gave him time to breathe and think – think about Sungyeol. Maybe that performance really triggered his feelings for him. Or maybe it was Sungyeol’s way of showing his feelings. He didn’t know what to think. The night had been overwhelming, to say the least.

He finished his shower promptly, stepping out to dry his wet hair. It was rather chilly outside and he didn’t want his wet hair to get him sick. He pulled on his clothes and exited the bathroom.

“Yeol?” he said, surprised to see his roommate fully dressed and waiting on his bed. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

“Let’s go out and play!” he said excitedly, clutching the sleeves of his thick hoodie. “Everyone is asleep, including the managers. So let’s just sneak out!”

Myungsoo glanced at the clock on the stand. It was barely midnight. “At this time?” he asked. “Isn’t it a little late?”

“We’ve stayed up way later before.”

“But we just finished our concert. Aren’t you tired at all?”

His hyung pouted. “If you’re tired I can just go by myself,” he said.

Myungsoo blinked. There was no way that he would let him go out at this time all by his lonesome. Absolutely no way.

“No,” he said, grabbing his fluffy jacket from a nearby chair. “I’ll come. Where are you planning to go?”

“As far as the local bus can take me,” he replied, standing up. He grabbed his phone and shoved it in his pocket. “Just in case,” he whispered. Along with that, he grabbed a small Polaroid camera. “I have only thirteen photos left, I think. I want to use the rest of the film tonight before we get on the plane tomorrow.”

Myungsoo grabbed his camera. “I guess I could take a few pictures here and there. You know, to remember our time.”

Sungyeol nodded. “Come on, let’s go!”

They both slipped on their shoes and opened the door quietly. Myungsoo looked up and down the hall, making sure that the coast was clear. He signaled to Sungyeol and they both tiptoed quietly down the hallways and down the stairwells. They arrived at the ground floor and exited out the back, breathing the fresh night air into their lungs.

“There’s a bus stop around the corner,” Sungyeol said. “I saw it on our way here.”

True to his word, there was a bus at the corner of the street. And luckily for them, the last bus was arriving in two minutes. Sungyeol was practically bouncing up and down in pure excitement as Myungsoo stayed stationary at his side, fiddling with camera’s settings.

With a soft click, the camera’s shutter snapped. Sungyeol looked over in surprise. Myungsoo peeked at him behind his large camera, smiling softly. The taller of the two smiled as well and took out his Polaroid camera. With another click and flash, Myungsoo’s smile was captured on a small photo that slid out of Sungyeol’s camera a second later.

The photo was still developing as the bus drove up to the corner. Spotting the vehicle, Sungyeol stopped fanning the picture in the air and shoved it into his jacket pocket instead.

The two boarded the bus, and Myungsoo ( having the better Japanese of the two ) greeted the bus driver politely. They sat down in the front and were the only two on the bus.

“Where are you two headed?” the driver asked in Japanese.

“Far away,” Myungsoo replied in the same language. “Somewhere remote and with as little civilization as possible.”

The old man smiling, deep wrinkles surrounding his dark eyes. “Got it,” he said softly.

He started up the bus with a soft rumble, and they pulled away from the curb. They rode down the quiet streets with the sound of nothing but the soft hum of the bus.

“Myungsoo,” Sungyeol said, tugging on his sleeve lightly. “How long will it take?”

He turned towards the driver. “How long will it take to get there, sir?” Myungsoo asked.

“Twenty-three,” he replied in his old, wise voice.

“Twenty-three minutes,” he said back to Sungyeol who smiled his thanks.

They sat in a comfortable silence when a flash surprised the younger. He glanced over and a smile broke out onto his face when he saw another Polaroid print out of Sungyeol’s camera. Sungyeol held it gingerly in his fingers and fanned it in the air, waiting for it to develop.

“Hey, don’t take my picture if I’m not ready!” Myungsoo said playfully, poking his head.

Sungyeol pouted and fanned the picture aggressively on his face. “But that’s when you look the most handsome!” he mehronged.

Myungsoo just chuckled as the picture finished developing. The Polaroid showed him zoning out as he stared ahead. He made a face at it.

“Eugh, my face! I look awful – get rid of it!”

“I look awful in nearly half of your pictures but you still don’t delete those! I’m going to scan it and upload it to Twitter for all of the Inspirits to see,” he teased, placing the picture into his pocket.

Myungsoo just rolled his eyes and sat back into the fabric-covered seat as Sungyeol silently counted the film he had left.

“I should have eleven more photos left for tonight,” he said, nodding to himself.

Myungsoo stared at his smiling face, thinking back to earlier that moment during the concert again. He was smiling the same way he was then like he was now.

“Yeollie,” he spoke suddenly.

Sungyeol turned to him and smiled. “Yes?”

“I just wanted to ask… earlier tonight. When you came during my Love U Like U performance and dressed as a bear… what was that for?”

Sungyeol stared at him for a second before saying, “Does it have to be for anything? I can just do things for fun, right?” He smiled again and leaned closer. “But I did do it for a reason, you know.”

Myungsoo leaned in. “And what reason would that be, may I ask?”

Sungyeol tilted his head like a curious puppy and gave a childish grin. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” he chuckled.

“I would actually.”

Sungyeol just suppressed a grin and sat back on his seat. “Nah, I won’t tell you. It might completely change the way you look at me.”

“It can’t possibly be that life changing,” he snorted.

“But what if it is. What if what I say totally ruins our friendship.”

Myungsoo had a hunch as to where this was heading. “Come on, Yeol, just tell me.”

“Maybe a little later,” he responded. “I’m not sure if right now is the right time.”

“There’s no one here but us, though,” Myungsoo countered. “And the bus driver, but he doesn’t speak Korean.”

Sungyeol still looked around the bus, making sure there were no hobo stragglers or something.

“I don’t know…” Sungyeol murmured.

“Come on, Yeollie,” Myungsoo prodded, tugging his elbow. “You can tell me.”

Sungyeol opened his mouth when the empty bus started to slow down. It took a twisty and dry road through a forest when it came upon a small village like town. It wasn’t a traditional village, but it was a small and quaint town that was bursting with energy. The houses were stringed with lights and it was like a small carnival or fair in the town. Sungyeol’s mouth gaped open as he saw the golden, glimmering lights that burned against the night sky.

Myungsoo was in awe as well, an appreciative smile on his face. He glanced over at Sungyeol – his face was in absolute amazement and the golden lights lit his face in such a warm way. Myungsoo captured the scene with a click of his camera.

“Where are we?” he asked the driver.

“In my town,” the man replied as he pulled closer. “We don’t get many tourists, but we’re very lively. We have things like this a lot. Our town loves to cook and give people joy and happiness so we have these small parties twice a week. Not many people come though.” The man shook his head sadly. “Bad for publicity.”

Myungsoo nodded and translated the basic meaning of the message to Sungyeol. Sungyeol frowned.

“That’s not fair,” he said. “This place is so beautiful and it’s placed in the middle of such a nice area.” His eyes lit up, telling Myungsoo that he had an idea. “Myungsoo-yah!” he cried, “let’s take a lot of pictures here and post them on Twitter so that our Inspirits can visit this place, okay?! They’ll definitely at least check it out.”

Myungsoo nodded. “That sounds like a plan.”

The bus pulled up to the edge of the town and the double doors cranked open. The sounds of laughter filled the air. A few tourists were here and there enjoying the minimal nightlife. The town’s children were running around barefoot in some mud, chasing each other with sparklers. It looked so celebrative, it was a shame that only a few people could witness it.

Sungyeol and Myungsoo stepped down onto the lush grass surrounding the edge of town. Sungyeol turned around and pulled out his Polaroid, posing in front of the town behind his back.

“Smile!” he said to Myungsoo.

The other leaned in and smiled and Sungyeol captured the photo. The Polaroid came out seconds later and it was shoved into Sungyeol’s pocket before it could even be developed.

“Let’s go play,” he said, pulling Myungsoo along by his hand.

Together, they ventured into the town, going up to one of the food-stands first because honestly, Myungsoo was starving at this time. The stand they had come up to was a small stand that sold all sorts of fried vegetables and meats barbecued onto skewers. They bought one for each of them.

Myungsoo captured a picture of Sungyeol attempting to order two in his semi-decent Japanese. He laughed – he thought it was kind of cute. Sungyeol came back with two skewers in hand, giving one to the other. Just the smell of the food was mouth-watering enough.

They sat on a nearby bench to finish their sticks, and while Myungsoo was eating ravenously, Sungyeol nibbled a little bit, thinking to himself. Maybe now was a good time to tell the other…

Myungsoo stared at him curiously, his nearly finished skewer in his hand. “You know,” he said, “if you’re not going to eat your food, then I will.”

Sungyeol stuck out his tongue and bit off a large piece of meat. “I’m eating!” he said. He swallowed thickly. “I just… remember when we were on the bus? How I was going to tell you something, but I kind of didn’t want to?”

Myungsoo blinked at him. “Do you still not want to?”

“Sort of…” he admitted. “I’m just really scared, to be honest. What if…” he stared at his feet, “…what if it’s not the same anymore? What if we’re not the same anymore?”

He laughed sort of – in an almost nervous, but light-hearted way. “What could you possibly say that would make us not the same anymore?”

Sungyeol stared at him for the longest time, trying to figure out whether or not he could trust himself with revealing the truth of the matter. He looked down and bit his lip. No one could over hear them and spread gossip; no one could listen to them and judge them – they were far away, and it was just them.

“What if,” Sungyeol started slowly, “I told you that… that…”

Myungsoo leaned closer. “That what?”

Sungyeol squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them. He stared Myungsoo straight in the eye. “Would you believe me if I told you I liked you?”

He was silent for a moment. Then he cracked a smile and tried to laugh. “Well, yeah – we’re friends, Yeollie.”

“No,” he said. “I mean like-like. As in, a relationship,” he said as softly as possible.

Myungsoo swallowed. So that was the reason behind the whole teddy bear get-up from earlier that night. Sungyeol liked him.

“Yeol, I–”

“Look, I know that it’s stupid and that you don’t feel the same, and that I’m just probably going through a phase, it’s just…” He took in a shallow breath. “I don’t want it to be a phase. Because I know if you just reject me – which, you probably will – I’ll get over you eventually and you’ll just be a phase in my life… and I really don’t want you to be a phase.”

“Yeol, listen,” Myungsoo spoke suddenly. “Even if I said yes, we can’t really realistically date. There’s Infinite, and the fans, and the whole media out there that would be waiting for us when we get back.”
Sungyeol smiled bitter-sweetly at his hands. “Yeah, I know…” He suddenly turned to the other, an almost desperate look in his eyes. “Then can I ask you something totally and completely selfish?”

“…uh, ask away.”

“Just for tonight… can we pretend? Just one night and I swear we won’t ever have to speak of this matter again. Let’s just pretend that we were a couple… pretend we’re on a date or something…”

Myungsoo opened his mouth to speak.

“It’s stupid, isn’t it?” Sungyeol interrupted suddenly. “Sorry, let’s just forget I ever said that, okay? We can just forget–”

“Sungyeol.”

“…yeah?”

“You talk way too much,” he chuckled.

Sungyeol blushed. “I’m sorry – I’m just nervous. I didn’t think–”

“Let’s do it.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s pretend,” Myungsoo said with a smile. “I don’t mind pretending to be your boyfriend for the night. It’ll be fun.”

“You mean… you’re not–?”

“Yeollie, if I have to be completely honest, I think I might like you a little bit, too,” he said softly, pecking the other’s nose. “And so tonight – since we’re far away – let’s just… let it go.”

Sungyeol broke out into a blush a smile, not even able to look Myungsoo in the eye. “…thanks,” he said quietly.

“But I’m not joking when I say,” Myungsoo started, “that if you don’t plan on finishing your skewer, I will.”

Sungyeol just laughed and handed him the skewer with half of the meat and vegetables still on it. “Knock yourself out,” he laughed. He then took out his Polaroid camera and aimed it at the two of them. “Smile!” he said, snapping the shutter button. Myungsoo was mid-bite, but he tried his best at a grin anyways.

The picture slid out afterwards, and Sungyeol giggled at the completely developed picture. “I like it!” he said, placing that in his pocket as well.

Myungsoo had just finished the snack as he stood up and threw away the empty skewers. He held out his hand to Sungyeol. “Come on, yeobo, let’s go explore this little town, shall we?” he winked.

Sungyeol flushed pink. He knew it was just pretend for that night, but it still made his heart beat like he was drinking a gallon of coffee. He took Myungsoo’s hand almost shyly and got up from the bench. Myungsoo enclosed his fingers around his hand and slipped their linked fingers into his own jacket pocket. Pretend or not, it was still nice.

They went around to various booths, playing games and buying items. Many more Polaroid pictures were captured. They played a game where they had to knock over three blocks with a soft ball (neither of them won). There was a game where a prize was a white bear identical to Myungsoo’s during Love U Like U, but he failed to win that game, as well. And there was another game where they had to use a foam-dart gun to shoot a target. One of the prizes was a stuffed giraffe toy, and Myungsoo promised to win it for him (which he did.) He and Sungyeol posed with it, making peace signs as another Polaroid was captured.

They talked and played with the kids of the town, laughing as Myungsoo chased everyone blindfolded. They ran barefoot in the mud with a crowd of six and seven year old boys, and they couldn’t have been having more fun. Myungsoo eventually captured one of the little boys in a slippery tackle and he was laughing the whole time. Myungsoo took a break to take at least a million pictures of Sungyeol playing with the kids and he felt his heart flutter. Even if they were a pretend couple and held hands, he might’ve liked him a lot more than he suspected.

Half an hour later ( after they had cleaned up with a hose the boys had gestured to ) they were playing with different animal headbands at one of the vendors. Sungyeol picked up one with black cat ears and placed it on Myungsoo’s head.

“There,” he said happily. “It’s cute!” He said, and clicked a Polaroid.

Myungsoo just laughed and picked up a headband with white bear ears. He placed it over Sungyeol’s chocolate brown hair. “Perfect,” he said, “you’re my teddy bear again.”

Sungyeol blushed as Myungsoo took his Polaroid and snapped another picture. “I like your blush,” he said. “It makes you look cute.”

Sungyeol only smacked his arm as he shoved the undeveloped picture into his pocket. Myungsoo took his hand and they just walked. After such a fun night, it was pleasant to just bask in a comfortable silence. They arrived at a small ledge that overlooked a pond teeming with various fish.

“It’s a shame,” Sungyeol said, sitting down and setting his Polaroid next to him, “that this place doesn’t get many visitors. People are definitely missing out.”

“You mean like the rest of the members?” Myungsoo asked, tickling the other’s cheek with his hand.

Sungyeol smiled. “Yeah, like the rest of the members. But honestly, I would’ve taken them all here if I could’ve. It’s such a great place,” he sighed. He fiddled with his fingers then looked at Myungsoo. “Thanks for tonight – pretending to be a couple and all – it was really nice,” he added softly.

“It’s not a problem,” Myungsoo replied with a gentle smile.

Sungyeol smiled and faced forward. Myungsoo just stared at his profile, noticing how his eyes were a beautiful shade of deep brown, how his eyelashes fluttered so beautifully, how his nose created a slender arch on his face, how his lips were perfectly pink and pouty and how his round, soft cheeks were dusted a pretty shade of rose.

He couldn’t really help himself at this point anymore. Throughout the night, he only found Sungyeol more enticing and endearing by the second and maybe – just maybe – his feelings for the other were growing larger.

“Yeollie,” he said. The other turned towards him. “You know what else couples do on dates?” he asked.

Sungyeol smiled softly, his eyes making crescents. “What do they do?”

With a smile and no other words, Myungsoo leaned forward to place his lips on Sungyeol’s. They stayed like that for a second or two, tasting the blissful sweetness of an innocent kiss. It wasn’t long, but Myungsoo couldn’t help but adore the feel of those soft petal-like lips on his own.

They pulled apart at the sudden sound of a click.

They turned their heads behind them to notice a little girl holding up Sungyeol’s Polaroid camera. With a giggle and a spin on her heels, she ran off and let the Polaroid fall gently onto the surrounding grass. Sungyeol picked up his camera and laughed lightly at the picture the girl had taken.

“Look,” he said, flipping it around for Myungsoo to see, “she got our kiss.”

Myungsoo grinned and stared at it. “She might be a potential paparazzi photographer.”

Sungyeol only shrugged and stood up. “You never know.” He checked his camera. “Well, it didn’t scratch or anything, but she used the last bit of film left,” he said. “Oh well – a night well spent.”

They travelled together again back to where the main excitement of the fair was. Suddenly, Sungyeol’s phone rang in his pocket, the ID showing that it was Sunggyu. They shared a nervous look before answering.

“WHERE IN THE NAME OF KIMCHI ARE YOU TWO AT THIS HOUR?!” Sunggyu’s voice came blasting out of the phone and the two winced. “WHAT IF YOU TWO GET HURT. WHAT IF YOU TWO WERE SPOTTED. WHY DID YOU EVEN THINK TO LEAVE THE HOTEL?!”

Sungyeol began. “Gyu-hyung, calm down–”

“Calm down? Calm down?! Don’t you dare tell me to calm down, Lee Sungyeol! I have no clue where you two are! Moreover, you two need rest after our concert so what are you two doing playing at this time of night?! What if manager-hyung wakes up and finds you two missing like I did?! Where are you two?!”

Sungyeol grinned to himself. “We’re somewhere far away. Hyung, you’ll never believe–”

“You know what? No–don’t say anything. Just tell me where the hell you two are so I can come pick you up. Hopefully the managers won’t notice anything.”

With a sigh, Sungyeol stated their location and Sunggyu hung up, saying he would be there quickly. Clicking his phone off he stared at Myungsoo bittersweetly.

“Looks like our night as a couple is coming to an end soon.”

Myungsoo smiled. “Well, it was nice while it lasted. I liked this place – far away with no responsibilities, no cameras up in my face, no people judging me – I liked it.”

“I did too. I really did.” A silence ensued before Sungyeol suddenly perked up. “Myungsoo, look over there!” he said, pointing an excited finger.

Myungsoo turned to see what looked like a giant piece of paper. Many people were taping their pictures and writing messages on it.

“Let’s go leave something behind so they remember us,” Sungyeol said, tugging the other’s wrist in that direction.

They arrived and Sungyeol pulled out all of the night’s polaroids from his pocket. He smiled fondly at them. “Let’s leave these, okay? It’s the story of our one night as a couple.”

They took to one corner of the paper, kneeling in the soft dirt to tape their picture story. They taped them in chronological order, starting with their fun photos at the bus stop to the last one of their kiss. They stared fondly at it, glancing back upon the events with a certain feeling of nostalgia.

Sungyeol took one of the markers nearby and wrote The End at the bottom of their small adventure.

“This marks the end, doesn’t it? As soon as we leave, we’re just friends again,” he said, looking at their small masterpiece. He turned to Myungsoo. “It was a lot of fun while it lasted.” Hesitantly, he leaned in and quickly placed a kiss on his cheek. “Thanks for the night, Myungsoo. I’ll never forget it.”

“You’re welcome,” Myungsoo responded. “And for the record, I had a great time also. I wouldn’t have wanted this to turn out any other way.”

Sungyeol’s phone chimed and he fished it out of the depths of his pocket. He glanced at the lit screen that adorned a text from their leader-hyung telling them to get their asses to the road because he was waiting in a taxi.

“Come on,” Sungyeol said as they turned away. “Time to get back to the real world and leave our fantasy land far away.”

Sungyeol walked ahead, but Myungsoo stayed back for a second. He turned around, and taking a marker, he quickly scribbled out the The End beneath their pictures and wrote something else.

“Myungsoo-yah!” Sungyeol called from farther up the road. “Are you coming?”

“Coming!” he said, nearly tripping over his own feet to catch up.

He learned a lot that night. He learned that Sungyeol was an amazing person, and that maybe – just maybe – he didn’t want to stop pretending. A smile lifted his face as he grabbed Sungyeol’s hand in his own and shoved it in his pocket. It wasn’t the end for them. It would never be.

Sungyeol walked ahead, but Myungsoo stayed back for a second. He turned around, and taking a marker, he quickly scribbled out the The End beneath their pictures and wrote something else.

The End To Be Continued…

StarlightSpirit: Myungyeol! One of my favorite kpop pairings ever! I love this because it's Myungyeol and because it's real and because it's fluffy without being totally sickly sweet and it's also thoughtful! I love idol!verse fics and this one was done so well!~