~*~

Chapter III

Note of Gold

09년 6월 9일: Woollim practice rooms

“Hey, Myungsoo?  Are you okay?”

Myungsoo looked up as Woohyun walked into the practice room where he was standing alone.  “I’m okay, hyung,” he said softly.  Both of them were new trainees, living in the mold ridden dorm with Sungjong, Sunggyu, Hoya and Dongwoo.  The CEO had told them that another trainee would join them soon, they had met briefly the other day, a tall young boy, Sungyeol.  

“Why are you standing here all alone?” Woohyun asked.  “It’s late, we should be back at the dorm.”

“It isn’t like anyone would miss us,” Myungsoo pointed out.  “There’s at least another dozen trainees making too much noise in the dorm right now.”

“But we’ll miss you,” Woohyun said gently.  “We’re already a team, we need to stick together.”

Myungsoo smiled.  “A team, I like that.”

Woohyun grinned back and looped his arm around Myungsoo’s shoulders, guiding him out of the practice rooms.  “We’re going to be Infinite, just like our team name, we’ll have no limits.”

“Did you make that up, hyung?” Myungsoo asked. 

“No, Sunggyu told me that,” Woohyun said with a laugh.  “He hates me.”

He laughed along with Woohyun.  “It’s going to be exciting,” Myungsoo said.  “You know, when we debut and share our music with everyone.”

“I know.”  Woohyun bounced on the balls of his feet as they walked down the chilly street. “It’s going to be so cool.  I’ve always wanted to do this.”

Myungsoo smiled.  “Let’s go home, hyung.”

“Home is where you’re the most happiest,” Woohyun said, looking at the dark sky above them. 

He looked sideways at Woohyun.  “Did Sunggyu say that?”

“No, I did,” Woohyun said, his voice dead serious.

“Oh,” Myungsoo looked at the ground in front of him.  “Then my home is where Infinite is.”

~*~

10월 4일

Everything was blurry.

His eyes felt like someone had stuffed them with cotton and taped them shut.  His lungs felt like a sandstorm had passed through, each breath painfully tearing from his lungs.

Myungsoo moaned as he took another painful breath.

“Myungsoo-ssi?  Can you hear me?” 

He tried to open his eyes and after a long struggle, he succeeded in opening them into tiny slits.

His vision was fuzzy, he could only make out a blurry outline of someone standing over him.

“Can you speak?  It’s okay if you can’t, just nod or shake your head, yes or no.”

Myungsoo tried to make his lips and vocal chords work together, but failed miserably when only a louder exhale of air and a moan exited his lips.

The frustration must have shown on his face because the other gently brushed his hand.  “It’s okay.  Are you feeling okay?  Any pain or discomfort?”

He let out a slow breath and attempted to talk again.  “M… b… t… th…” Myungsoo nearly cringed when his words came out as a jumbled mumble.

“Is the pain in your chest?”

Myungsoo closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

“I’ll get you something for that, you’re family will be right in shortly.”

He reopened his eyes as the doctor left the room, watching the door for his family.  He was struggling to keep his eyes open as his mother stepped into the room.

Myungsoo smiled weakly and tried to reach out for her, his hand trembling with the effort.

His strength disappeared.  His hand landed with a soft thump on the bed, completely void of strength.

Before he lost his grip, he felt his mother’s hand on his, holding him close.

He slipped away, holding onto his mother and with a childish thought that she could protect him from anything.

~*~

12년 8월: Ranking King filming

Myungsoo shone his flashlight around the rafters of the room, looking around for the groud.  Suddenly, behind him, there was a rustling sound from the window.  Myungsoo turned around in the small ‘haunted’ kitchen and lunged across the room, pushing the window open.

“Ah!”  Hoya jumped back avoiding the windows.  “Hello,” he said casually as if Myungsoo hadn’t just caught him snopping.

“What are you doing here?” Myungsoo asked.

“Watching you?” Hoya offered weakly.  “How are you doing?”

Myungsoo turned to look around the kitchen.  “Still looking.”

“Too scared to go find more ghosts?” Hoya asked.

Myungsoo hesitated.  In truth, yes, he was scared.  They were wandering around a ‘haunted’ village in the middle of the night with their CEO jumping out at them dressed as a ghost.  If it was just him and Hoya in the room together, he would’ve said that he was scared and Hoya would’ve offered to stay with him, but Myungsoo felt the cameras behind him, watching every move.  “No,” he said flatly.  “Are you?”

“Of course not!” Hoya said.  He looked at Myungsoo more closely, his eyes searching and warm.  “Do you want to come with me?”

Myungsoo shrugged and shook his head.  He did want to follow his hyung, he would stay safe if his hyung was beside him, but still, he was on camera and he was L. 

“If you want to catch up later.”  Hoya waved and left.  “See you soon.”

~*~

10월 6일

Myungsoo opened his eyes slowly.  The room was dim and warm, light by the lamp on the side table.  Outside, the rain patted on windows, streaking tears down the glass.

“Myungsoo?”

He turned his head to look to his left, letting the world focus again as everything fell out of focus as he moved his head to fast.  Someone was sitting in the chair beside his bed, someone very farmiliar.

“Howon?” he whispered, trying to get his vision to focus on his hyung.

Hoya smiled in relief and nodded.  “Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

Myungsoo closed his eyes and nodded.  Even just opening his eyes for a little while was making him tired.  “Where… is Umma?” he asked as he opened his eyes again.

“She left about half an hour ago for dinner with your family.  She’s been really worried about you,” Hoya said.  “She’ll be back soon.”

Myungsoo sighed and looked around.  He was hooked up to a IV line on his left arm, a clear tube running underneath his nose, feeding him oxygen.  His whole body felt sore as if he hadn’t stretched out properly before practice, which reminded him…

“What happened?” Myungsoo asked.

Hoya rubbed Myungsoo’s arm, gently soothing away his worry.  “It’s nothing bad, Myungsoo, you’re going to be okay, you just need some rest and some medicine and you’ll be just fine.”

He nodded, too tired to ask him what he came down with.  “Sorry,” he whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“I… should’ve let you… worry about me more…” Myungsoo muttered as he fell to sleep slowly.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it, everything’s going to be okay now.”

~*~

12년 11월 12일: Rehersal for Second Invasion Evolution Concert 

Sungjong glanced around for a waterbottle or a towel as they finished the rehearsal of the concert, all of them chorusing thank you’s to the staff around them. 

Myungsoo was standing behind them, inspecting the camera in his hands.  He had dropped out of the rehersal earlier, despite his protests, when he had slipped on the slippery stage and twisted his ankle.  Myungsoo has insisted that he was alright, but all of them basically pushed him off the stage, saying that he should rest. 

“Hey, Myungsoo-hyung,” Sungjong called.

He looked up and smiled at him.  “Good practice,” he said.  He patted his head and handed him a water bottle.

Sungjong took it gratefully and smiled at Myungsoo.  “Are you okay?” he asked, seeing a slight limp in his step.

Myungsoo nodded and put his arm around Sungjong.  “Let’s go and eat, okay?”

“Are you sure?”  Sungjong asked, following him to the snack table. “I mean, are you sure that you’re okay?  I know you’re sure that you want to eat.”

He nodded and ruffled Sungjong’s sweaty hair.  “I’m always going to be okay,” he said.  “Don’t worry about me, Sungjong, but take care of your other hyungs, okay?”

Sungjong smiled at Myungsoo.  “Of course,” he promised easily.  “I’m always going to look after my hyungs and that includes you.”

~*~

10월 7일

He opened his eyes again, letting go of the last whispers of sleep.

“Myungsoo?” a farmiliar voice asked.

He looked over to the source, blinking sleepily.  His mother gently smiled at him and touched his forehead.  “Are you okay?” she asked softly.

Myungsoo leaned into her touch, savouring the feeling of her love coming from her simple touch.  “Where… am I?” he whispered.

“You’re in the hospital,” his mother said gently.  “What do you remember last?”

Myungsoo closed his eyes, racketing his mind for the last thing. “Woohyun-hyung… Sunggyu… it hurt…”

His mother reached over and rested her hand on his chest, rubbing slow circles above his heart, her love soothing the faint burn in his throat and chest.

“What happened to me?” Myungsoo asked.

“You came down with pneumonia, you had a high fever and chest pains.  The doctors gave you medicine and you’re going to be just fine.”

Myungsoo sighed and looked closely at his mother.  “Sorry for making you worry,” he muttered.

“Aigoo, Myungsoo, nae adeul, it’s a mother’s job to worry,” she said. “Just sleep now, I’ll take care of you, do not worry.”

~*~

13년 5월: Destiny MV filming in Los Angeles Universal Studios

Myungsoo wandered aimlessly around the street in Universal Studios, holding his pink blanket around him.  They had been filming for hours, their last shots would happen when the directors decided it would be dark enough to be night.

“Myungsoo-yah!” Sunggyu called.

He turned around and waited as Sunggyu caught up with him, wrapped up in his own pink blanket.  It was fun to be in LA, but it was tiring to try to understand and talk in English everywhere.  It felt so relaxing to speak in Korean to Infinite, their managers and some other staff on scene. 

“Where are you going?” Sunggyu asked as they started walking own the street again.

Myungsoo shrugged and looked up at the sky again.  Sunggyu followed his eyes and smiled.  “There’s a lot of stars here, more than at home,” Sunggyu commented, looking at the many stars above them.

Myungsoo nodded silently.  “I love the stars here,” he whispered.  “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”

Sunggyu nodded. “Have you made a wish yet?” he asked the younger.

Myungsoo shook his head. “Did you?”

“No, how about we make one together?”

Myungsoo nodded, his eyes closed.  Sunggyu smiled, finding Myungsoo’s rather kidish actions cute. 

“I wish that our world tour will go well and we will get home safely,” Sunggyu said to the stars above them.

Myungsoo opened one eye and looked at his leader.  “You know they won’t come true if you tell someone.”

Sunggyu shrugged, putting his arm around him, holding him close in the cold night, keeping him warm, just like he always did.  “But I think this wish will.”

~*~

10월 10일

“Do I have to?”

Sungyeol nearly laughed as Myungsoo asked the same question he had been asking since he had woken up.

He had woken up nearly 3 days ago and was doing much more better.

Obviously, because now he was wearing Sungyeol and his mother’s ear off with his complaining.

“I don’t want to!” Myungsoo whinned.

Sungyeol sighed.  “Really, Myungsoo, get your act together, you’re getting blood drawn no matter what.”

Myungsoo scowled and looked like he wanted to run away as the nurse approached his bed.  The doctors needed to draw some blood so that they could check that he was okay. 

“The sooner you get this done, the sooner the results get in and then you can go home,” the nurse said kindly.  “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt.”

Myungsoo watched her as if she was holding a time bomb.  Sungyeol admired her confident movements as she tied a rubbed band around his arm and waited for a vein to pop.  As she did, she cleaned the nook of Myungsoo’s arm and took out a needle.

Myungsoo shifted nervously.

“Myungsoo, don’t be too afraid,” Sungyeol said from his spot near the window.  “It’s nothing!”

He glared at him. “Then you do it!”

“But I’m not sick!”

The nurse shot a pointed look at Sungyeol and turned back to Myungsoo. “Straighten your arm please, on the count of three.  One, two, three.”

Sungyeol and Myungsoo winced as the nurse drew the blood.  She set the needle back down on the tray and placed a bandage on the puncture.

“There you go, I’ll be back with some medications later.”  She packed up her cart and left the room.

Sungyeol grinned at Myungsoo, sitting down on the foot of the bed.  “Was that so bad?”

“Yes! It hurt a lot!” Myungsoo nearly yelled.

“Shhh, you’re in the hospital,” his mother reminded, looking up from her book by the corner.

“Sorry,” the boys apologized immediately.

Sungyeol looked back at Myungsoo.  “You didn’t get a lolipop for being a good boy though,” he whispered cheekily.

“If I did, it would be up your right now,” Myungsoo muttered.

“Myungsoo!”

Sungyeol laughed as Myungsoo’s mother scolded him.

“That reminds me, we got you something,” he said, reaching into his bag. He drew out a teddy bear, dressed in a black jacket and carrying a camera.  “Here you go!”  He tossed the bear at Myungsoo who caught it easily.

“Because you’ve been such a good boy in the hospital.” Sungyeol grinned knowing that Myungsoo was going to poke at him.

Myungsoo grinned and looked at him over the head of the teddy bear. “You’re in for it…”

Sungyeol laughed. “Sure I am.”

He nodded and threw the bear at him.  Sungyeol raised his arms to fend off the attack, the bear bouncing off of him and back into Myungsoo’s lap.

Myungsoo smiled sincerely. “But thank you for the teddy bear,” he said, playing with the arms. “It’s actually very nice.”

Sungyeol smiled back. “Taking care of each other is what we do.”

~*~

13년 7월 29일: Filming for SBS Star Date in Hongdae

Myungsoo looked up at the glider with wide eyes, watching the riders soar through the sky.  Dongwoo walked up to Myungsoo, following his eyes up to the ride. 

 “Do you want to go up there?” he asked.

Myungsoo ripped his eyes away to look at Dongwoo, his expression telling Dongwoo that he hadn’t been listening the whole time.  “What?”

“Do you want to go on that after?” Dongwoo asked again.

He blinked and looked up again.  A wistful look running over his face, something in his expression causing him to look like he was so much younger.  “I miss flying,” Myungsoo whispered.

Dongwoo tilted his head to the side.  “What do you mean?”

Myungsoo shook his head.  “Never mind.  Do you want to go on next?” he asked.

Dongwoo laughed nervously.  “Sure.  I guess.”

Myungsoo grinned and looped his arm around Dongwoo. “Come on, hyung.  It’ll be fun.  Let’s fly!”

~*~

10월 28일

Myungsoo stepped out of the van, shrugging on his jacket, balancing his camera bag in one hand.  It was nearly three weeks since Myungsoo had come down with pneumonia.  He had stayed in the hospital for a few days and fourtunetly, there was minimal fuss and rumors with the press about why Myungsoo was in the hospital.  For Myungsoo, it was a quick recovery, after another day of rest, he was back to his schedules, not that he minded, because that was the path that he chose, and that’s the life of an idol.

They worked hard together for their comeback, finishing up the recordings, going to press conferences and other things like that. Sunggyu was gently nagging all of them constantly, Woohyun and Sungyeol cheered them up, Hoya and Dongwoo helped them wth the dance steps and Sungjong looked after all of them.

That’s how Infinite worked, all of them looked over each other and made sure that they would live to see another day.  Although many times, Sungyeol would say that he was dead from all the practicing that they were doing, they would still get up to keep on going.

“Do you need help with that?” Dongwoo asked, pointing to Myungsoo’s camera bag that he was holding underneath one arm as he pulled on his sweater with the other.

He shook his head, holding his camera safely under his arm.  Myungsoo never liked having his camera out of his sight for very long.  His camera was more than just his camera, it was more of a symbol of his dreams, because with each picture he took, he would take the memory of yesterday and the dreams that he had even if he didn’t have the dream today.  Myungsoo wasn’t sure why he had decided to take his DSLR camera that day, he usually just brought a smaller digital camera because it was easier to carry around, but that day, he decided to bring along his DSLR camera.

They walked towards the doors of the building, the fans walking with them, taking pictures and handing them presents.  Myungsoo smiled and accepted the gifts as he followed Dongwoo and Sungjong into the building.

A soft hand shot out from the crowd, handing him a golden envelope.  He followed the hand back, meeting the eyes of a young girl.  She smiled back at him and disappeared back into the crowd.

As they waited as the cordi noona arranged their outfits, Myungsoo tugged out the golden envelope and slit it open.  The letter was on plain sheets of paper and the writing a grade school level, which made Myungsoo smile.

Dear L,

My name is Yoon Haneul, I’m a big fan of yours.  My sister, Eunyoung, delivered this letter to you.  She’s a big fan of Sungjong-oppa.

I’m a patient at Seoul University Hospital, I was diagnosed with APL, Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia, two years ago.

Every day I listen to your songs, and I watch your performances.  You give me strength to fight the leukemia.  You are one of the reasons that I’m still alive today, still alive to live with my sister.

Thank you for everything.

-Haneul

~*~

13년 9월 10일: Infinite’s dorm

Sungyeol gently pushed back Myungsoo’s fringe covering his face.  Myungsoo was sleeping on his desk, his papers and pictures strewed out all over the surface.  Myungsoo was working hard, not meaning that the others weren’t working hard as well, but in Sungyeol’s opinion, Myungsoo was working the hardest.  On top of their world tour, practicing for Request and other promotions, Myungsoo was working hard to release his new photoessay book.  A lot of the time while the others were sleeping, Myungsoo would be working away with his camera, making sure that all of the pictures were looking their best.

“Myungsoo.” Sungyeol gently pushed his shoulder, calling his name softly. “Myungsoo-yah, wake up.”

He mumbled in his sleep and tried to swat him away.  Sungyeol laughed as Myungsoo turned his head away from Sungyeol and drapped his arm over his head as if that would block him out.

Sungyeol grinned, resisting the urge to tease his friend once more. “Myungsoo,” he whispered instead.  “Here’s some tea, it’ll help you think.”

He placed the hot cup safely out of reach from the papers just in case Myungsoo happened to knock it over when he rolled over in his sleep. Sungyeol looked down at the pictures as he brushed aside some of the pictures so that there was room for the cup on the table.  He smiled as he found a picture of the other six members of Infinite.  It was a picture of them taking a break in the practice room, all of them were laughing together, they looked like brothers.  Sungyeol grinned as he saw something written on the bottom left corner.

Infinite, fighting! I love you.

Sungyeol gently rubbed Myungsoo’s shoulder as the younger continued to sleep.

“Don’t stay up too late, okay?  Make sure you get enough sleep.  Work hard.”

~*~

“Myungsoo,”  Sunggyu called.  “Come on, they’re ready.”

He smiled and picked up his stuff.  Sunggyu put his hand on his shoulder. “You ready for this?”  he asked.

Myungsoo nodded. “I’ll always be ready.”

Sunggyu smiled back. “You know what Sungjong always says ‘If you stand up on stage and give it all you’ve got, like it’s the last time, you will have no regrets.’”

Myungsoo nodded again, a smile creeping onto his lips. “I know, hyung.”

Sunggyu grinned and held out his hand.  Sunggyu wasn’t the one for skinship, but he knew that Myungsoo liked it so he offered his hand. “Let’s go then,” Sunggyu said.

So many things would happen in the next few hours that it would be just a blur to them later, but there was one thing that it was never: it was never a regret.

Myungsoo would never regret this stage, he would always look at that day, October 28^th, as the day that Infinite became something else, something stronger.

Maybe, he would think that it might have been better if something else had happened, but he would never want to rewind on it.

That’s how your destiny is.  Sometimes, things fall apart, but there’s always someone there beside you and somewhere to spread your wings to fly off to.

Everyday, you wake up to find something waiting for you, it might be there right beside you, right in your hand or in your heart.

It might be somewhere down the road.

And that’s where Infinite would find their destiny.

~*~

14년 5월 23일: Last Romeo Showcase 1.2.3. Seoul

“Here we go, showcase in Seoul,” Sunggyu said. 

Myungsoo nodded as he looked around at the other members.  They were all ready to go, even though they had been traveling non stop for nearly three days now.  First Japan, then Taiwan, and now Seoul.

For the first time since their One Great Step tour stop in Seoul, they were going to preform in front of only Inspirits.  They were all excited and nervous just like they always were before a performance. 

“The Inspirits have been waiting for us since we left the stage back in our first OGS stop,” Sunggyu said.  “We need to how that we’ve been working hard while we’ve been away from them.”

Sunggyu looked around the circle and smiled at all of them.  “Let’s do our best.  I know that we’ll all do our best.”

“They said that they’ll wait,” Woohyun said.  “Let’s not keep them waiting for any longer.”

“Let’s go!” Dongwoo shouted out in English. 

“Ready?”  Sunggyu yelled out.  “One, two, three!”

“FIGHTING!” They all threw their hands in the air at the same time, shouting out in unison.  They hurried to the stage, ready to preform for the Inspirits. 

Yay!  I'm alive! Not really though, sort of brain dead now.  Finals are over!!!! technically I still have one left, but it's art and that doesn't really count.  

Well, who's updating faster now?  Me~ School's over and I'm free so I'll be updating much more frequently now! Seriously so excited about summer, writing fics, relaxing, drawing, everything except for school... that's the life... Here's a chapter of fluff~ Most fluff that I've ever written for one chapter. Hopefully you didn't find this chapter too boring, the next chapter is very exciting so please look forward to it! 

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