Myungsoo doesn’t expect to spend the first hour of his birthday camped outside in the cold behind a few bushes with his camera out and ready, but here he is. He supposes he shouldn’t be surprised—birthdays don’t really matter if you’re taking pictures of stars that could potentially ruin their career—but it’s freezing and he’d rather be in his nice warm bed.

It’s when he hears footsteps that he perks up, the word finally running through his mind. He feels as if he’s been waiting out here forever for someone, anyone to walk out of the building. Preferably with someone else, of course, co-stars holding hands or subtly touching or giving each other looks, something that can make a good enough article so he doesn’t get fired.

He lifts his camera to his eyes and aims it at the crowd exiting the building, pulling his muffler higher up his neck. Iris is a spy action-thriller that Myungsoo honestly doesn’t know about (he doesn’t watch those types of movies, he’s more of a melodrama person), but what he does know is the cast is a good one. Just one little thing can make his article a hit and he’ll finally get the credit he deserves at the company. His mother will be proud of him.

Myungsoo notices something out of the corner of the lens and he can’t help the grin that forms at his findings, zooming in. Im Siwan and Son Naeun, holding hands. And not just normal handholding, Myungsoo knows his zoom is good enough to spot the way Siwan’s thumb is rubbing Naeun’s knuckles and he snaps a few quick pictures, trailing the camera up to get a good look at their faces.

Or he tries, due to the sudden new face in his view and his smile fades as Lee Sungyeol’s eyes stare right into his lens.

.

He manages a small squeak and shoots up from his hiding place, making sure his camera is secure around his neck before he attempts to run for it. There’s a flurry of noises behind him and he thinks he’s home free, but long, skinny fingers wrap around his wrist and he curses under his breath. This really isn’t how he wanted to spend his birthday, unable to be excited at the fact that Lee Sungyeol is holding onto him.

“Yah, what do you think you’re doing?” Sungyeol’s voice is cold and firm, nothing like Myungsoo’s ever heard before except when he plays a role that calls for it—he always sounds so cheerful and lively in interviews and shows and Myungsoo doesn’t like that these are Sungyeol’s first words to him.

“I—” Myungsoo doesn’t even know how to defend himself. He thinks it’s quite obvious what he was doing, but how is he supposed to tell Sungyeol that?

Lee Sungyeol.

He’s been a fan since Sungyeol started acting, back when he was nineteen and had starred in the sitcom While You Were Sleeping, then moving onto the hit series Love Potential where he played a nerd (a damn good one, if Myungsoo must say) and—

“Answer me,” Sungyeol hisses, his grip on his wrist tightening and Myungsoo almost winces.

“I think it’s obvious,” Myungsoo says, clearing his throat. He keeps his free hand clutching his camera to his chest, lest Sungyeol tries to take it away.

Sungyeol lets out a laugh, releasing Myungsoo’s wrist to cross his arms over his chest. “Pathetic,” he snaps. “You’re pathetic.”

It isn’t the first time Myungsoo’s heard that word, of course not—he’s a tabloid reporter, they’re the lowest of the low, the bottom of the ladder, dirt on the bottom of your shoe—but to hear it from Lee Sungyeol of all people...

Myungsoo avoids Sungyeol’s eyes, feeling his own begin to sting and he thinks he’s never been cut out for this job, but it’s been three years and he can’t back out now. When he graduated university with a degree in journalism and too many photography classes to count under his belt, he was sure he’d have his own studio one day and he could go around Seoul taking pictures of everyday things and just do freelance and perhaps put out his own photo essay eventually but—

“Delete those pictures,” Sungyeol speaks up, glaring down at Myungsoo. “You have no right to take those and no right to publish them. Are you that desperate to get a good scoop that you’ll just ruin Naeun-ssi and Siwan-ssi’s lives?” he asks. “They’ve done nothing wrong.”

Myungsoo digs his nails into his camera, swallowing. He knows Sungyeol is right. He does, but it’s not that easy to just delete the pictures and go to his boss and say he didn’t get anything.

Myungsoo doesn’t say a word, turning around and walking away.

“I can’t stand people like you, you know!” Sungyeol calls out after him and Myungsoo can’t help but flinch at the words, quickening his pace until he’s at a run and the tears are burning at the edges of his eyes, waiting to fall down. He wipes at them quickly, almost laughing at how ridiculous this is.

It’s his birthday and actor Lee Sungyeol nearly made him cry. He’s a total wimp. He’s heard worse than that, he’s been called numerous names but he doesn’t know why this matters.

He goes to sleep with a heavy heart, Sungyeol’s words like a broken record through his head, and the first thing he does when he wakes up is delete the pictures off of his camera.

He knows he’s going to regret it.

Myungsoo takes his time to work, walking as slowly as he possibly can but still making sure he won’t be late. He’s not looking forward to turning nothing in to his boss and doesn’t even want to imagine the lecture he’s going to get, and on his birthday, no less.

He sighs, walking into the building to his right and gripping at the strap to his bag tightly. No matter what he does, his encounter with Sungyeol runs through his mind and it’s all he can think about. He’s pathetic, he knows he is, he knows Sungyeol is right, but Sungyeol doesn’t understand—

“Oppa!”

Myungsoo’s so into his thoughts that he nearly bumps into a box extended into his view and he blinks, rubbing at his eyes. “Jiae,” he greets with a nod.

Yoo Jiae is Myungsoo’s partner in crime—or so she and their boss say. When Jiae first interned at the company, she was put under Myungsoo’s care and honestly, she’s one of the only people Myungsoo can call his friend.

“It’s your birthday,” Jiae says and clears , gently shaking the box in her hands. “So here,” she replies, then frowns. “You look like , oppa.”

She’s always been too blunt.

“Thanks,” Myungsoo mutters, in reference to both the comment and the present. He grabs the box and enters the elevator, Jiae trailing behind him and pressing the number ten.

“Oh! Weren’t you supposed to go tail Iris’ after-party?” she asks, tapping her manicured fingernails against the wall.

Myungsoo thinks that’s at the top of his list of things he really doesn’t want to talk about now. Or ever, for that matter. So he just nods, figuring if he keeps his mouth shut it’ll make him less obliged to blurt out everything that happened—although he knows Jiae will find out sooner or later.

She stares at him. “And? Spill,” she orders.

Myungsoo sighs and that’s when the elevator stops at the tenth floor and his shoulders nearly sag in relief. “I’ll open your present later, okay? Thanks,” he repeats, reaching over to ruffle her hair and she squeals loudly in protest, immediately trying to pat it back down, and her eyes narrow as she storms out of the elevator with her heels clicking against the floor.

Myungsoo shakes his head and gives a glance to the camera bag hanging from his right shoulder.  He’s not looking forward to this.

“Nothing? You’re seriously telling me you got nothing?”

Myungsoo thinks the floor is quite interesting at the moment, compared to looking up to see the livid face of his boss.

“This better be a joke, Kim, or I swear—”

“I-It’s true, sir,” Myungsoo clears his throat. “I couldn’t get anything, it was too dark and everyone was being rushed into the vans, even with my camera the pictures wouldn’t have turned out well enough.” The lie rolls off his tongue too easily and he knows it’s not that believable at all with how expensive his camera is, but if it keeps him from getting demoted or a ton of extra assignments to make up for this...

Mr. Lee stares at him with narrowed eyes and Myungsoo swallows, about to cross his fingers behind his back. Anything so he can get out of this.

“Fine,” Mr. Lee says. “I’m letting this get by because you’re my best photographer, alright?” he snaps, tone none too friendly and Myungsoo quickly nods. “But I have another assignment for you.”

Myungsoo doesn’t know why, but he suddenly has a bad feeling about this. “Yes?”

“Lee Sungyeol, the actor I’m sure you know of...considering he was supposed to be where you were sent to last night,” Mr. Lee replies, placing a folder on top of his desk. “Find whatever you can about him. He’s been extremely careful about revealing his private life but I’m sure you can get something. I’m counting on you to get something,” he adds.

.

Myungsoo’s fingers fumble with the hem of his sweater and Sungyeol’s words are going back through his head. “L-Lee Sungyeol?”

“Yes, Lee Sungyeol,” Mr. Lee repeats, sounding quite annoyed and Myungsoo thinks he’s about to have a panic attack with how his breathing quickens. “Since Iris just premiered he’ll be all over variety shows and the like doing interviews so I don’t think you’ll have a problem finding where he’ll be. I expect him to slip up eventually, with all those eyes on him it’ll have to happen.”

Myungsoo doesn’t want to do this. Last night’s events aside, he thinks waiting for someone to crack just to write an article and get the views and comments is just—

“I’m giving you a month. I think that’s a generous amount of time, don’t you?” Mr. Lee leaves no room for argument as he shoves the folder closer in Myungsoo’s direction. “A month. This will be your only assignment for now—Jiae and Soojung will take over your usual...area of expertise.”

Myungsoo wonders if he should feel relieved. It’ll be like having a long vacation, maybe, but on the other hand, he knows Mr. Lee is making his whole job ride on this. Even if he hasn’t said it, he knows it’s either he gets dirt on Lee Sungyeol or he’s done for.

“Good luck.” It’s obvious Mr. Lee is done with him now, so Myungsoo bows deeply and takes the folder. He exits Mr. Lee’s office and shuts the door behind him, leaning against it and exhaling sharply.

What a lovely birthday this is turning out to be.

It’s easy to get Lee Sungyeol’s schedule since it’s on his official Facebook page, but Myungsoo still feels disgusted with himself as he types the events the actor has for the next two weeks into his phone. If he bumps into Sungyeol again he’s just going to be hated even more and that’s the last thing he wants but he guesses it’s inevitable.

“You look miserable, Myungsoo-yah,” Soojung says as she takes her seat at the little desk across from Myungsoo’s, a worried expression on her face.

Soojung is another one of his friends—she’s the same age as Myungsoo so they get along pretty well, and she and Jiae are usually inseparable. She’s been working for the company just as long as Myungsoo has, but she’d always had dreams of being a singer. Things didn’t work out and led her to here.

“Miserable doesn’t begin to describe what I feel,” Myungsoo mutters under his breath, staring at his laptop screen where a Sungyeol picture is plastered across it. He looks so happy, the exact opposite of what he was the night before.

Soojung grimaces, biting her lower lip. “Mijoo, Jiae, and I are going out for a little night out since it’s Friday. Myungeun’s sick so she can’t come...but you can come along and invite someone, maybe Sungjong?” she asks with a smile. Myungsoo knows she’s just trying to be polite and as much as he likes them, he really doesn’t want to spend his Friday night out with a bunch of women that spend their time giggling and talking about guys.

“Ah!” Soojung exclaims, giving Myungsoo no time to answer. “We have a surprise for you.” Her smile widens and Myungsoo’s slightly scared. “At lunch.”

“A party,” Myungsoo guesses and keeps back a sigh. “You all do this every year, I don’t know why you think I never realize it,” he retorts with a raised eyebrow.

Soojung gives him a pout. “At least pretend you’re surprised? Maybe it’ll make you cheer up. I haven’t seen you look so down in a while, Myungsoo-yah,” she says with a frown.

Myungsoo thinks she would be too if she had to find out stuff about the actor that just told her she was pathetic and hated everything she did the night before.

“It’s nothing,” Myungsoo says quietly, waving his hand around. “Just tired.”

Soojung studies him and she obviously doesn’t believe him, but she lets it go. “Alright. Just go to the break room during lunch, that’s where Jiae’s setting everything up.”

Myungsoo just nods, knowing there’s no use in arguing because when Jiae has her mind set on something she’ll do it no matter what.

Myungsoo walks home later that day with his stomach full of too much cake and sweets and he wonders how long Jiae and Mijoo spent baking everything they tried to shove down his throat. The party was a nice gesture, it really was, but...he’s never been a big fan of sweets, only eating them when absolutely necessary, and he feels like he’s going to be sick.

That’d be the icing on the cake (so to speak) for his birthday. Throwing up and spending the rest of the day in bed due to a stomachache. It would honestly be just his luck.

Myungsoo sighs and takes out a key from his back pocket, trudging up the staircase and making his way to apartment number 301, shoving the key into the lock and turning the doorknob. He walks in and drops his bag, immediately flopping onto the couch and groaning loudly into a cushion.

He has no idea what to do. Okay, he does, because he can’t afford to quit right now, but he doesn’t want to spend a month tailing after Lee Sungyeol. Sungyeol already hates him and Myungsoo doesn’t want to make that worse.

Myungsoo sits up and rubs at his eyes, smiling as a black kitten jumps up onto his lap. He gently scratches her behind the ears. “What do I do, Rin?” he asks quietly with another sigh. “I can’t quit, it’s hard enough finding a job and I can’t risk losing this place...Mother’s in a home so where would I go?” he mumbles.

Rin purrs and nuzzles her face into his stomach. Myungsoo lets out a chuckle and her fur. “You’re so much help,” he says dryly.

He has a month to get dirt on Lee Sungyeol. A month to please his boss, a month to make sure he doesn’t screw up.

Myungsoo thinks it’s going to be hell.