A Beginner's Guide to Idols

                                                                                                                  

Summary: Their fieldtrip in China didn't go exactly as planned.

---

 

 

Kyungsoo could not believe his luck. He rubs his eyes a fourth time that day, not believing that they are in front of him. Maybe it's just a trick of the eye by being too far away from home, but the two of them are tangible, definitely not a mirage brought by homesickness. He recalled that he shouted a wish while he was in the Great Wall of China the day before. Victoria, Luna's best friend, had told him while he was preparing his things for the field trip that if you scream a wish there really loudly, it would come true.

Kyungsoo isn't much into believing in wishes, he would like to believe that he is a man of reasons, but he also believes that it wouldn't hurt to try new things. Besides, he wouldn't lose anything; he'll just gain an experience.

Kyungsoo scanned the place and there were only a few people there, his classmates and a few other tourists. He deemed it as the ideal time for him to shout his wish. He placed both hands bracketing his mouth and screamed at the top of his lungs with inhibitions nonexistent.

"I WANT TO MEET LUHAN AND XIUMIN!!!"                

It was a bit embarrassing considering all of his classmates' attention zeroed in on him. Some other tourist, a few of them were also Korean, had also heard him. Kyungsoo shrunk into himself, suddenly more aware of what he just did, but he soon shrugged it off. He was in a foreign country anyway. It's not like he would meet the other people there again. He could lose his tact every now and then. Besides, his classmates are kind to him. They wouldn't change the way they interact with him by just one capricious scream alone.

"What was that suppose to be?" Yixing asked him with a thin smile. He was busy taking pictures of the place with his phone when Kyungsoo did it.

"I made a wish." Kyungsoo smiled back. Yixing, already used to Kyungsoo, did nothing but snap a picture of him. Kyungsoo continued smiling even after he grabbed Yixing's phone to see his face, but Yixing was faster as he grabbed Kyungsoo and took the camera back to snap a picture of them together. Yixing had made him forget about the wish he just shouted.

At that moment though, Kyungsoo remembers it clearly. His wish came true. It was supposed to be just a joke, a YOLO moment spur kind of thing, but Luhan and Xiumin are now both looking straight at him. Kyungsoo rubbed his eyes a fifth time. They were still there.

Kyungsoo's mind tries to remember the events that transpired leading into this.

So there he was waking up a bit too early in the cheap hotel that they were staying at. Jongin and Sehun, his roommates, were sleeping like logs (no surprise there). He peeked outside and the sun was already shining over Beijing. The sun's light sipping through the tall skyscrapers, Kyungsoo’s eyes crinkled at the light. He crumpled his bed sheet to the side and wrote a note addressed to his roommates to be back in a jiffy.

Why was he out again?

It has something to do with a gift. Yes, a gift for his cousin. A gift for Luna. He was just supposed to buy a limited edition Exo album that could only be bought on China. Luna really wanted to buy that album, and there he was being a good little cousin, sneaking out from the hotel. His Teacher Yifan had almost seen him, but he was able to dodge his gaze by hiding to a corner. Maybe, he'll return with an angry teacher with an equally angry glare.

But that's not the concern. The concern is why Luhan and Minseok are in front of him.

There he was on the street.

He had seen a music store there yesterday on the way to the hotel, it was now open.

He carefully made his way inside.

There was only one of those albums left on the display.

Kyungsoo slowly approached it.

He never did realize what luck that lone album could bring him. Kyungsoo grabbed it. He inspected the cover. He inspected the track list. Kyungsoo smiled and made the line, and he was supposed to go back to the dorms already after that.

But that did not happen.

What happened was…

"Congratulations Sir! You had just bought the final copy of that album worldwide, you have a special once in a lifetime price coming your way." The cashier smiled at him. That was a wait, what?!  moment. The other salesmen and salesladies formed two parallel lines in front of him, popped confetti, and started clapping. For a moment, he was blinded by the paper's color and dizzy at the fast pacing of events.  He did not believe them. It was too fast. It was too sudden.

They made him stay there against his will. That was legitimate kidnapping, he thought. But then again, he never did voice his want of going back to the hotel. They never told what 'once in a lifetime price' he got. It was supposed to be a secret.

The gravity of his price did not occur to him until Luhan and Xiumin appeared all in their slick attire. Kyungsoo rubbed his eyes for the first time.  His jaw dropped. Was he already hallucinating things? They were real and no longer pixels on his tablet screen. Any sane person would think first that they were just dreaming, how could that happen? China has the most population of any country, and the possibility of him meeting those two people out of the bunch (over a billion) is almost as close to impossible.

But the impossible is now in front of him.

Kyungsoo rubs his eyes a sixth time.

That's when one of them started talking.

"We're not aliens, you know." Luhan says with voice he had once only heard on earphones and speakers. They had been silent in front of him for a while now.

"Honestly, I was expecting our date to be a girl." Xiumin says with a gentle smile. "What's your name by the way?"

Kyungsoo looks at him and answers "Kyungsoo."

Fortunately they knew Korean or this date would've been a big language barrier fiasco

Kyungsoo's mind drifts back to his classmates. They are surely waiting for him, Jongin and Sehun most especially. He had said that he would be back in a jiffy, but that jiffy might turn out to be a whole day. Yifan will be angry of him, there's no question about it, but subduing his teacher's ire is already an easy pie for him. There's Baekhyun. There's Yixing. There's Tao. Oh yes, Tao. Tao had promised him to take him to their old house. Maybe Tao could understand enough to know that there are some circumstances that he simply could not let go of. Maybe he'll just pay for his forgiveness by watching a film or two with him in the cinemas.

Kyungsoo wouldn't want to miss this opportunity. Their class was supposed to visit the Palace Museum today, but he wouldn't trade a bunch of historical artifacts with his two idols. Besides, he could always visit China again if ever he could save a lot of money (assuming that he would only eat instant noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until the money goal is achieved, but even with that, it might take years.).

"Ummm...so where are we going?" Kyungsoo is curious.

"The company already set an itinerary for us; let's just visit them one by one." Minseok smiles.

"We're ready to start if you are."                                                

Kyungsoo's mind drifted back to Korea. Somewhere in Ulsan, his cousin has no idea that he is in close proximity with both Luhan and Xiumin. Not only in close proximity, but he also scored a date with them. This day might make it first to the list of the most memorable yet random day he ever had.

"If you ever meet Luhan or Xiumin or any of their members, don't forget to ask an autograph for us," Victoria said over reading a magazine. That was supposed to be a joke at that time. Oh boy, were they the joke now.

"Yeah, and please tell them to marry already." Luna couldn't resist her shipping nature, helping his little cousin pack his things.

"Or better yet, make the both of them like you, and they might visit you here, so that we could also meet them."  Victoria looked at Kyungsoo briefly before returning her attention to the magazine and flipping the page.

Luna rolled her eyes. "That would be impossible, Vic."

"Well, for all we know, Kyungsoo had made his teacher and his classmates fall for him. He might tingle at least a bit of interest from them."

"Wait, My classmates and what had fallen for who?" Kyungsoo didn't know how Victoria could deduce that. She doesn't even know any of his classmates.

"Oh, Kyungsoo. That was just a joke" Victoria chuckled, winking at her best friend. Luna was silent and didn't want to bother herself with her friend.

"Wait, I have to give you something of a guide just in case you meet Luhan and Xiumin," Victoria continued rather excitedly. It's as if Kyungsoo's sole purpose on going to China was to meet Exo. She placed the magazine she was reading on the stack and went to a table with a pen in tow.

Moments later, Victoria gave him a note.

There's a prophetic glint on her eyes, so sure that Kyungsoo would meet Luhan and Xiumin.

A Beginner's Guide to Idols

1. A picture or video of them could be interpreted a lot of ways, some strays from truth.
2. They have lots of stalkers, be careful.
3. They have a dating ban, but you know what to do. ;)

 

"Is this supposed to be useful, how?" Luna was incredulous of her friend. Kyungsoo placed his note in a pocket of one of the jeans he packed.

"Who knows? That very paper might someday contain Luhan's and Xiumin's autograph."

Victoria smiled, looking at the two cousins.

Looking back at it now, Victoria's smile was eerie more than anything. Kyungsoo placed a hand on his pocket, and sure enough, the jean that he was using was the jean with the note. Kyungsoo couldn’t believe that he was using it.

Luhan and Minseok are still in front of him, waiting for him.

No need to rub his eyes now.

"Umm...I guess we could start this date."

 

1. A picture or video of them could be interpreted a lot of ways.

 

Before going out to start their date, the manager of the music shop snapped a picture of them. It's rare for two famous idols to visit a music store like theirs. That was his chance to attract more customers and increase sale. One of the idols placed his hand right across the winner's shoulder while the other is close to them. The three smiled for the picture.

When they went out, the manager posted the picture online, not knowing that it would help a certain group of people with their dilemma.

---

The car that they are riding skims through Beijing towards their first destination which Kyungsoo heard is an amusement park. So in a way, he did have his field trip of the place, a microcosm of what he originally intends there to do. He even has a tour guide, somewhat.

Minseok fortunately has been quite talkative, telling him things he knows about some of the famous landmarks they happen to pass upon. He also points at some place where they sell delicious dishes complete with his own anecdotes about the place. That place was the restaurant I went to before we debut. That one right there is where they sell really exotic foods and believe me when I say exotic. Oooh...that place right there is where I stayed my first night here in China...aah, it still brings back the memories before my debut. At first, he thought Minseok kept talking to him so that he would not feel awkward, but he soon realized that that is Minseok. He wants to talk, it's like there's a thousand of words within him wanting to spill from his little mouth.

"I'm sorry. Am I talking too much?" Minseok considerately asks him once he realized that he was already blabbering.

" Ummm... no. I actually like listening to your stories," which is true. Kyungsoo has always loved listening to other people's story. He had endured listening to Yixing's ridiculous stories a lot of time, Minseok was a more toned down version of him.

Minseok smiles, it was brief but apparent.

 "Good, I like good listeners." He lightheartedly comments. For a moment, his gaze flicks to Luhan before returning his attention back to Kyungsoo to continue his previous story that he interrupted himself.

The car is slow and he is sitting between his two idols. Every penny spent for this trip and every effort he had done convincing his brother for him to come was worth it.

Luhan, in contrast with Minseok, is quiet beside them.  Kyungsoo attributed it as to him being tired. He has a headphone plugging his ears and he is leaning to the car's side with a lazy slouch and closed eyes. He never smiles or gives a bit of fanservice, but he wasn't entirely cold either, he had asked Kyungsoo if he had already asked permission to his teacher when he had told them he was a Korean in China for an educational tour.

That's the problem though, Kyungsoo had not. He realized too late that his phone's battery was dead and he no longer has the time to go back to his hotel. He was feeling a bit guilty, maybe this caprice could lead to the sabotage of their trip, but he did leave a note and he kept convincing himself that time is relative. What's a jiffy to some might actually be a drag to others. With that thought, he was able to delude himself out of the guilt and into thinking that there's no problem.

Kyungsoo looked at Luhan and he is already asleep. Kyungsoo pouted to himself.

"Do you think Luhan dislikes me?" Kyungsoo leaned in to whisper to Minseok. It was a random question, and Minseok blinked once then twice before answering.

"Umm...no. Luhan is just a quiet person." Minseok giggles lightly, “"Funny how I too think of that sometimes, but I guess I'm now used to him."

"Really?" Kyungsoo is surprised. Luhan and Minseok seemed so close from all the pictures and video he had seen of them together. Maybe Luna was just influencing him to think that they were closer than what they really are. That and the number of fanfictions he had read of them together just to have a reference for writing his own story of Jongin and Sehun. They seemed so believable.

"Well, yeah. He's colder in person." Minseok strayed a glance to Luhan. “"But he's a very cool person to be with, less drama and nonsense. He's also honest, maybe a bit too honest. If he didn't like you, believe me, he would tell that straight to your face." Minseok smiles and ruffles Kyungsoo's hair. "You're a very curious kid aren't you?"

"I'm not a kid. I’m just a few years younger than you." Kyungsoo fakes a scowl as he combed his hair back neatly with his hand.

"That means you're still a kid, but it's okay. I love fluffy kids." Minseok smirks then placed an arm around him like what he did when they took a picture back at the music shop.

"Ugh...Either you just insinuated that I'm a chubby toddler or you just admitted that you're a cradle-robber." Kyungsoo removes Minseok's hand from his back, and then fakes another scowl.

"I'm not a cradle-robber," Minseok chuckles.

Kyungsoo raises a brow at what he just said.

"And here I thought you were a shy kid." Minseok shakes his head.  "You're a little devious, aren't you?"

For the rest of the ride's duration, Minseok and Kyungsoo just joked around with each other. They had almost even woken up Luhan. Kyungsoo likes it how easy it is to be at ease with Minseok. It's as if they had known him for a long time already, like an old close friend that he has reacquainted.

Before they knew it, the car already stopped and they were at the amusement park. Minseok is the first to go down. Kyungsoo just stares at him. On the other side, Luhan too is already awake and have gone down from his side of the car as well. He yawns then looks at Minseok and Kyungsoo.

"You're really a kid, aren't you?"” He could hear Minseok say to him. Minseok removes Kyungsoo's seatbelt, leaning close into him from outside the car, and helps him go down. Kyungsoo couldn't help but blush as Minseok is guiding him down with his hand. He is still, after all, still one of his biases.

"I know how to get down from a car, you know." Kyungsoo deadpans after he's right there beside Minseok, pink tinging his cheeks.

Minseok smiles thinly at him. "Well, this is technically supposed to be a date and all, so I'm acting like a Prince Charming of sort." Minseok places his hand again across Kyungsoo's shoulder, a growing habit of his. "So where are we off to now, Princess?"

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. "Great, now I'm not only a devious kid but I'm also a dependent princess?" Kyungsoo laughs lightly. "How does the roller coaster sound?"

"Then to the roller coaster we go."

Luhan is still looking at the two, quietly observing them. Minseok and Kyungsoo must've gotten along really well while he was resting. Luhan shrugs before following the two to the roller coaster, walking at a slow pace behind them. Hands comfortably snug in his pockets.

---

Jongin stirred in his sleep. The lights are threatening to spill to his eyelids. He could hear some rustling and then there's someone shaking him awake. Jongin is not in the mood for this. He grumbled out of annoyance.

"Wake up you log!" A voice says, "Tell me, have you seen Kyungsoo?"

Jongin keeps his eyes closed, too tired to talk, but the voice was not giving up on waking him. He figures that he could no longer have his peace. He sighs, opens his eyes, and sees Sehun in front of him. He clutched the pillow he was hugging tighter and yawned.

"I don't know, look at his bed." Jongin rasps out, still sleepy.

Sehun gives him a riled look, his hands bracketing his hips. You could trust Sehun not to have a good mood every morning. Jongin scratches his head and sits up.

"Nice suggestion, Sherlock." Sehun is now annoyed of him. "You think I haven't checked there in the first place?"

Jongin looks at the bed beside his, and sure enough, the boy in question wasn't there. Jongin stands up and approaches the bed. He shakes the blankets and a paper falls from it to the floor. He knows Kyungsoo always leaves notes. Jongin gives Sehun a look and then bends down to grab the paper. The paper was slightly crumpled, but Kyungsoo's thick penmanship is clear.

"I'll be back in a jiffy,” the note says. Jongin then passes the paper to Sehun so he could have his turn reading it.

"Where do you think he went to?" Sehun asks, the irk on his voice is already gone.

Jongin shrugs.

"I don't know. He could be at Baekhyun's, Yixing's, and Tao's room?"

With nothing else to do, the two decided to go there next.

Three knocks to the door and then Baekhyun opens it.

"Oh, it's you two."  Baekhyun says, sounding disappointed. "What brings you here?"

"Did by any chance, Kyungsoo came here?" Jongin asks carefully. He wasn't in a mood to argue just after waking up.

Baekhyun looks blankly at them.

"Do I look like I'm in a good mood to you?" he curtly replies.

Jongin has no idea how that connects to his question, but he nonetheless shakes his head no. Looks like Sehun was not alone on having a sour mood every morning, but then again, Baekhyun is always in a sour mood.

"Good, then he's not here." Baekhyun pauses. "He's your roommate," he continues with emphasis on the roommate part, bitter to the word. Baekhyun was about to close the door right on their faces, but Sehun was able stop him by extending two hands to push it back.

"Wait, Kyungsoo is not in our room."  Sehun says.  Baekhyun looks at him.

Sehun gave him Kyungsoo's note. Baekhyun's face is blank, but he receives the note with no hesitation. He looks at Kyungsoo's roommates.  "He said he'll be back in a jiffy."

"Yeah and we thought he went here."

"Well, he's not," Baekhyun sighs. "I guess you could come in to see for yourselves."

When they went inside, there was indeed no Kyungsoo there. There was Yixing on his phone browsing the net, and there was Tao brushing his teeth with eyes still a bit droopy. Tao hums to them in acknowledgement while Yixing raises his head.

"Where's Kyungsoo?" Yixing asks, eyes scanning for him.

Baekhyun passes him the note.

"He could be anywhere." Jongin says, the worry within him is now starting to build after knowing that he wasn't there.

"You could call his phone?" Baekhyun suggests.

"We already did, but you know Kyungsoo. He always put his phone on silent and he never bothers checking it."

"He could be with our other classmates or maybe with Sir Yifan? We know how close they are." Yixing supplements. They shivered at the thought; hopefully he won't be with Yifan.

Maybe they are just reading too much into things. They shouldn't worry.  Kyungsoo is already a grown man and could take care of himself, but they are on a foreign country where only a few speaks their tongue. They know Kyungsoo has a capricious knack for exploring and that's a bit worrisome.

Tao went to the sink to gurgle. Yixing returns his attention to his phone. Baekhyun is looking for a shirt in his baggage, ready to take a bath. Jongin and Sehun both sits on a bed, the former tries again to contact Kyungsoo.

Soon, there's another knock on the door.

"Hello guys, Chanyeol here. I'm here to check your attendance." Their class representative's booming voice announces as he peeks into the door. He walks into the room. He has a board with their names clutched on his hand, and he got the pen he placed comfily on his ears. "Let's see. Jongin. Sehun. Baekhyun. Tao. Aaaand...Yixing."

He checks all of their names one by one. "That leaves us with Kyungsoo."

Chanyeol then looks at them; he doesn't have to say anything. They know already that he was asking them where he is.

"Kyungsoo went exploring. He is with Sir Yifan?" Sehun guessed.

"Hmmm..." The class representative is suspicious, his eyes narrowing into a squint. "He's neither with Sir Yifan nor any of our other classmates. Believe me, I would know where Kyungsoo would be if I had seen him."

"He's here in the hotel, just frolicking somewhere." Tao said, grounding it as the truth. He's the best liar there as his emotions rarely betray his face. Chanyeol, however, has the knack for being attentive. He can easily separate the lies from the truth, whether it is from the tone of your voice, the slight tilt from your gaze, a curve from your lips, or maybe he just knows a lot of truth so he could easily separate the lies.

But right now, no one knows that truth. For all they know, Tao might be right. Kyungsoo could still be there in the hotel.

Chanyeol shrugs, not wanting to push the topic any further.

"We'll assemble in 10 minutes to eat our breakfast. I suggest you guys prepare your things now," Chanyeol says before leaving. The sound of the door closing reverberated; the sound after it is the silence of still not knowing where Kyungsoo is. 

Jongin tries to contact him again, but his phone could no longer be reached. They then contemplate on searching the hotel for him, but there's no longer a use for that as Yixing's watchful eyes was caught by a picture on his phone.

"Guys, I think you should see this." He showed his phone to all of them. There's a picture of Kyungsoo with two boys smiling for the pose. "This was shared just now by a friend of mine, and the original post was just posted a few minutes ago."

Great, now Kyungsoo is hanging out with foreigners.

What trouble had Kyungsoo got himself into now? If ever something happened to him, it's on them. They would face Junmyeon's wrath, and well, that's a rather intimidating thought. They had promised Kyungsoo's older brother to take care of his younger brother for the trip. They had done a lot of convincing to help Kyungsoo be on the trip because Junmyeon was more inclined on not letting him go to another country.

If ever something happens to Kyungsoo...

If ever something happens to him...

Well, they would rather not entertain that thought for now, but Kyungsoo is a walking magnet for disaster. For heaven's sake, we're talking about the person who had almost drowned and died right under their noses.

Sehun inspects the picture; there is a mandarin sign behind.

"Do you know these guys? Are they Chinese? Where is this place?" Sehun gave Yixing's phone to Tao who was living in that city until recently. He's the expert there when it comes to Beijing.

"Well, they do look familiar, but I can't say I know them." Tao says after inspecting the picture. "But this place is in a music store nearby. Kyungsoo must have seen it when we were going here. I guess we should go there, maybe Kyungsoo's still there."

"Is a music store open this early?" Jongin asks.

"I don't know. Maybe, they have an event or something?" Tao absentmindedly answers. He is still looking at the picture, but then his face suddenly paled upon realization. "Oh , I now remember who these guys are. They're both famous here. They're idols."

"Idols?" The rest echoed.

"Great, what is Kyungsoo doing with idols?"

 

2. They have lots of stalkers, be careful.

 

Being a possible target for stalkers is one of the upset of being an idol, and Luhan was already too aware of that. He already has almost three years of experience in the industry, and he has a fair share of trouble with fans. He knows that their manager had already asked the regulation of the park's guest just for them, but he couldn't help but still feel paranoid. He periodically scans their surroundings. Maybe it's because they have no guards now protecting them that his senses heighten. It's just Minseok, Kyungsoo, and him. Someone out there might already be observing their moves without him knowing.

Kyungsoo softly tugs at his shirt.

Luhan met wide eyes and a smile. He blinks, looking at the boy.

"Is something troubling you, Luhan?" Kyungsoo's smile falter.

Luhan shakes his head in reply.

They had almost tried every ride there is in the park. Kyungsoo is very adventurous, an adrenaline junkie. The scarier the ride is, the better and more fun it is for him. Minseok always hovers close to Kyungsoo, following him wherever he wants and sticking close to him. Luhan had never seen Minseok genuinely have a really great time as much as he is having right now. Out of all their members, he is the closest to him. He couldn't exactly say that they are friends because they're not, as much as he thinks, but they aren't just colleagues either. Although they don't know much about each other besides those that they divulge on interviews and stray conversations, Minseok had trusted him enough to admit to him of his preference to boys. They also spend time with each other the most out of their members, sharing a room and going to variety shows together.

In a way, they are close, and Luhan already knows Minseok enough to know that he had already developed a crush on Kyungsoo. Minseok is the type of person who put his heart on his sleeves, and Luhan knows that Kyungsoo fits his type. If that's not enough, Luhan would also catch lingering gazes and his puppy-on-leash attitude.  Luhan is glad that it was Kyungsoo who had won the price, he could be nice break for Minseok amidst their busy schedules and their next comeback's pressure

"Kyungsoo, you're too energetic. I'm tiiiiiired!" Minseok whines as he half-hugs Kyungsoo from behind, slouching his body into him for support. Luhan could see a tired puppy tugging his master's jean who is still overtly enthusiastic to walk in the park.

"But I'm just living this day to the fullest. Why don't we just rest at that bench for a minute before we try the twister? That ride sounds fun."

With that, they found their way into the bench. Kyungsoo was still as ecstatic as ever. They only sat for a while before Kyungsoo got distracted by a man selling cotton candy near them. Kyungsoo says that it is an essential part of the 'amusement park experience', and he is still living that day to the fullest, so he left the two idols to buy it.

Minseok sighs dreamily right after Kyungsoo was out of earshot.

"I think I'm in love." Minseok is smiling stupidly as he was observing Kyungsoo lining up to buy the cotton candy. He was the only adult in the line that was made entirely of kids.

"It's too soon." Luhan comments, looking at Kyungsoo as well.

"It was just a joke,” His smile thins, "but I really really like him."

"I could see that."

"Was I too obvious?" Minseok diverts his attention to his bandmate.

Luhan nods. "To me, I guess. I think he still haven't notice it though."

The two kept looking at Kyungsoo in silent contemplation. He was indeed a nice breath of fresh air.

After they had eaten the cotton candy that Kyungsoo had bought for them, they did try the twister. Kyungsoo got really dizzy from the ride, and Minseok swore he was too cute for his own good. He earned a slap for what he thought was a compliment, but he was rewarded soon after by Kyungsoo clinging into him for support.

"That was more dizzying than fun." Kyungsoo says, head leaning into Minseok's shoulder as the idol stiffens. Luhan found it amusing how red Kyungsoo had made Minseok feel just because of that.

"Are we still going to go somewhere or are we gonna stay here for the day?" Kyungsoo asks when he regained his composure.

"Well, after this, we're supposed to grab lunch then you'll get to meet the rest of our members and that's it." Minseok answered.

Luhan wasn't paying attention as there were a group of people in the distance that were taking pictures of them. Thankfully, they were just regular fans, but still, you couldn't be too careful. Luhan drew closer to Kyungsoo and Minseok who were both oblivious to his paranoia.

Minseok is pulling Kyungsoo to take a picture with him on his phone. Minseok is still in his lovestruck phase. Luhan awkwardly looked at the two. He knew that Minseok was a lightweight in the field of love, easily falling for anyone, but he never knew that he was this fast.

"Oooh...you look good here." Minseok is smiling widely, pointing at one picture.

"Nooo, I'm ugly there. I look better on that one." Kyungsoo points at another picture. "Send it to me, send it to me." he sounded excited, grabbing his phone from his pocket but he soon got disappointed. "Bummer, I forgot that my phone's dead."

"Don't worry, I'll post this on my instagram."

"But I don't have an instagram," Kyungsoo pouts, and soon after, his stomach grumbled. The cotton candy they ate wasn't enough. He had not yet eaten his breakfast after all.

"Looks like someone's hungry," Minseok chortles. "I'll buy something to fill that stomach of yours."

Kyungsoo wants to say that he's alright, but Minseok already left before he can even utter a single syllable. Luhan and Kyungsoo are left alone. It was their first time being just them together and Kyungsoo didn't know what to do. He had no people skill like what Yixing have, and he's even more awkward than Sehun. Kyungsoo glanced at Luhan. Luhan's eyes are roaming in the distance. His face is blank, not bothered that they were alone together.

"Umm, Luhan...are you looking for someone?" Kyungsoo tried to ask.

"No, I'm not," Luhan looks at him, eyes then scanning around them. "Where's Minseok?"

"He left to buy food," Kyungsoo answers.

"You left Minseok alone? That guy has no sense of direction." Luhan raises his voice slightly. "He'll end up being out of the park before he could return here."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know that."

"It's okay, it's not your fault." Luhan sighs, his voice now back to being gentle. "Come on...let's find him before he gets lost." Luhan grabs his wrist. The two walked together. By now, there is already a build-up of people in the park. Luhan pulls Kyungsoo closer to him for them to not get separated. They are walking in silence, and sometimes, Luhan's eyes would flicker looking at one direction. They're pace gradually became swifter until the both of them were running. They both skim through the crowd.

"Some people are following us," is all the explanation that Luhan gave him.

They run faster until Luhan pulled both of them into an empty room. Luhan closed the door and placed his index finger to his mouth to signal Kyungsoo to stay quiet. Both boys were then silent. The only sound that could be heard was their panting. For a while they stayed at their position. Both boys could barely move because they are too close. The room where they are hiding is very narrow.

"I think they are gone now." Kyungsoo says after quite a while. He could practically smell Luhan's perfume due to their proximity.

"I think so too." Luhan answers, looking straight to Kyungsoo. He just then realizes that they were too close, face merely a few inches apart. Luhan blushes, Kyungsoo was looking straight back at him. "Ummm...this is kinda akward," Luhan said. They were still practically strangers after all.

"Uhh...yeah." Kyungsoo agrees, looking down so that he won't be practically face to face with Luhan.

Luhan then tried to open the door for them to finally have space but he could not. He looked at Kyungsoo again, worry is evident on his face.

"What's the problem?" Kyungsoo got nervous too.

"The door is locked."

---

They were so close at finding Kyungsoo again. As a matter of fact, they had found him already, but now they lost him again. The idol that was with Kyungsoo had looked at them suspiciously and had ran away from them, pulling Kyungsoo with him. They couldn't even catch up to their speed.

"They were just here a moment ago," Baekhyun grumbles. "Oh god, I swore that I would beat that idol's pretty face if I ever saw him again."

"Temper, Baek. Temper" Jongin chuckles at Baekhyun. He's always akin to a y girl on period. "I'm sure that there's an explanation for all of this."

"Yeah, the explanation is that those two boys gave a love potion to Kyungsoo and now they are kidnapping him." Baekhyun couldn't resist being angry, he is supposed to sit with Kyungsoo on the bus together. He had promise it to him. "The nerve they have. Kyungsoo is mine and..."

"Kyungsoo is yours?" Tao, Jongin, and Sehun all interjects, caught by Baekhyun’s words.

"Yeah, I thought that there's a silent deal between us that we share him. He's ours." Yixing said with face still glued on the phone.

"Ours?" Tao repeated. "I'm pretty sure that I did not agree to share Kyungsoo with you guys."

"Well, you couldn't share him in the first place because he's not yours. If he is, he would've chosen you as his roommate." Jongin smirks challengingly to Tao.

"Guys, let us stop arguing already. We have two common enemies. We need to cooperate." Sehun attempts to ease the tension between them.

Their day that was supposed to be already set by Yifan was now filled with detours. Of course, they made up an excuse to their teacher on why they couldn't come with them. They had texted both Chanyeol and Yifan that they all had an 'emergency' so they couldn't join them for the day. The two of them unsurprisingly did not believe in any emergencies, so their phone was then bombarded by angry messages and deliberately missed calls. Fortunately, Tao was later able to convince them to go on with the fieldtrip without them.

After they had gone to the music store earlier, Kyungsoo was already not there. The music store owner wouldn't even divulge any information about them. Good thing that Yixing was connected to fast internet and he kept tracking the twitter logs for both Luhan and Xiumin and he also kept tabs with their fansites after a quick research on the identity of the two idols. Soon, pictures of Kyungsoo with the two idols surfaced on the net. Thank god for fast connection. Tao knew where the place is and they all went straight there.

Now, they were already there but that Luhan guy and Kyungsoo got lost again.

The five guys are in an impasse, not knowing what to do next. Yixing tried to check the internet again for any updates, but there was none. He grimaced at the chatbox of one Korean fansite where a previous photo of Kyungsoo with the idols was posted.

 

Mys_Freezilla: Who's that boy with Xiumin and Luhan? Gaahh...what a er.

Chocoboo96: But he's kinda cute though. Maybe he's a friend?

143KrizzieF:  I don't think so... maybe he's a boyfriend? LOL…

Xiuminforevs: I wouldn't mind shipping that boy with Minnie-oppa tbh.

Chocoboo96: Me too!!! He would also look good with Luhan. <3 <3 <3

Mys_Freezilla: I just couldn't see it... :/

B1A4Fanboy: Come on @Mys_Freezilla! Join the dark side, ship that cute boy with Xiuhan.

Xiuminforevs: #Xiuhan+Cuteboy2016. Finally... a Xiuhan that I actually like.

Mys_Freezilla: Fine, that boy is kinda cute too.

143KrizzieF:  Woohoo... @Mys_Freezilla joined the dark side!

 

Yixing couldn't resist creating a username to leave a comment of his own. He wouldn't let these stupid fangirls ship Kyungsoo with anyone. They don't even know Kyungsoo.

 

B1A4Fanboy: I wonder who that boy is though????

Chocoboo96: OMG guys... look at Xiumin's latest instagram update! You'll be happy.

Xiuminforevs: Gaahh...I fainted.

yZhangLay: You are all stupid idiots. That boy is my property!

 

Yixing felt satisfied with his comment. He logged out, not caring what the others would comment back to him. He then checked Xiumin's instagram update to see what the fuzz is about, but yuck, his selfie with Kyungsoo at the top of the great wall was a hundred times much better than what he saw.

"Guys, look at that guy over there." Jongin pointed to one man who looked lost. "Isn't that Xiumin?"

The other guys looked at who Jongin pointed. Yixing placed the phone adjacent to the man and the face in the instagram update was indeed the same person Jongin pointed.

"That's him alright."

The five guys all went to the idol and they soon surrounded him. Minseok looked at each of them, not having a clue why they are trying to intimidate him.

"Who are you?" Minseok asks. He has a plastic with black bean noodle inside that he is supposed to give to Kyungsoo, but he and Luhan was no longer there in the place where he left them. Now, he's being surrounded by five strangers.

"Where's Kyungsoo?" One boy asks in Korean.

"How do you know Kyungsoo?" Minseok replies carefully. Were they his classmates? Most probably.

"We're his boyfriends." Another boy answered.

"Am I supposed to believe you?" Minseok said. He knew that Kyungsoo was not in a relationship (Let alone, with five guys)   and he see no reason as to why he would lie to him. These guys are clearly lying.

"Are you mocking us?"

"No, I think you guys are lying. Besides, Kyungsoo is not in danger and you don't need to worry over him. He came with us voluntarily. Now, if you don't mind, I'm looking for them." Minseok walks pass Kyungsoo's classmates to look for his companions. One boy pulls him back by grabing the front of his shirt before he even has the chance to get away. The boy's eyes are angry, boring into him.

"You would be sticking with us until we found them. Call that band member of yours and ask them where they are."  Minseok forcefully removes the person's hold on him. He could tell that Kyungsoo's classmates, as opposed to Kyungsoo himself, are not the friendly kind.

The man who grabs him must have a jinx in his words because a call from Luhan reached him. Minseok hastily accepted it while looking at Kyungsoo's classmate purposefully.

"Luhan, Where are you? Some idiots here are surrounding me." Minseok asks loudly. Kyungsoo's classmate is not the least bit bothered by his insult (they had been hurling insults far longer with each other), they were just glad that Kyungsoo could now be contacted.

"We're still in the park. Some jerks were also chasing us and we ended up trapped in a small room."

"In a small room? Where are you exactly?"

"I don't know. I wasn't paying attention, all I could think was to get Kyungsoo and me into safety." Luhan answers.

One of Kyungsoo's friends grabbed the phone from Minseok's hand. "Please give the phone to Kyungsoo," he said almost immediately the moment his ear pressed on the phone.

"Who are you?" Luhan asked. It has the same Korean accent but it's no longer Minseok on the other line

"Just give the damn phone to Kyungsoo." The guy repeated. Luhan shrugged internally and then gave the phone to Kyungsoo. "It's for you."

"H-hello?" Kyungsoo asked, cradling the phone to his ears.

"Kyungsoo," His friend said breathily, "Where are you? We're gonna get you."

"Sehun? Why are you with Minseok?" By then, Kyungsoo's other friends had surrounded Sehun, all trying to listen to the phone. Minseok looked at them. They were claiming that they were Kyungsoo's boyfriends. It's obviously a lie, but it has to mean something. Is it possible that they all like Kyungsoo? If yes, it didn't help that they were all handsome. Kyungsoo might have a crush on one, two, or all of them. Minseok unexpectedly felt jealousy surging inside him. He had found himself several times falling a bit too fast in the past, but he had never felt jealous ever.

When the call was finished, another guy returned the phone to him.

"Thanks for the call. We're sorry if we're rude and demanding. We've just been looking for Kyungsoo for hours."

Minseok nodded, taking his phone. Perhaps, Kyungsoo's friends weren't as bad as he thought.

"So where are they?"

"They are in a locked room somewhere in the park," Jongin answers.

"Yeah, and that man better not touch our Kyungsoo," Yixing adds, still glued to his phone fighting another group of fans who also wanted to ship the idols with Kyungsoo.

Tao sighs.

"Have I not told you already that he's not ours?"

 

3. They have a dating ban, but you know what to do. ;)

 

They have been silent for quite a while now. The sound from the other side of the door of people having fun on the amusement park feels so distant. They tried to arrange themselves in the crumpled up room so that it wouldn't be too uncomfortable but they ended up in a more uncomfortable position, closer to each other.

Kyungsoo has wider eyes up close. Luhan couldn't help but met his gaze.

Kyungsoo smiled, Luhan blinked.

"You know," Kyungsoo starts “If I told myself last week that I would be stuck in a small room with you right now, I would've thought I was delusional."

Luhan blinked again, Kyungsoo was contemplative, talking more to himself than to him. It reminded Luhan that Kyungsoo was an entity himself whose life is as vivid and complex as his, like what each person has, filled with a wide array of unique and shared experiences. Right now, they are sharing an experience no matter how small it is. It was brief, but there's a part of Luhan that wondered what other experiences Kyungsoo is made of.

"I might also have thought that I was delusional if I told myself as a kid that I was going to be an idol." Luhan decided to reveal a piece of him.

Kyungsoo is placid, looking up at him, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Well, Mr. Idol, could I ask for an autograph? My cousin and her friend would want that."

Luhan chuckles.

"Why are you asking now? You could've asked sooner. "

"Half of me had though that you weren't feeling well and another half of me thought that you didn't like me so-” Luhan’s calm expression morphed, surprised at what Kyungsoo just said.

"Wait, why did you think that I didn't like you? As a matter of fact, I do like you."

"Really?" Luhan could see the sparkle in Kyungsoo's eyes, happy that he actually liked him, but it soon got lost into a frown. "But you were keeping your distance from Minseok and I, and your attention always wanders off somewhere. I thought you were bored of me."

Luhan could see why the confusion. His paranoia for stalkers and him giving way for 's crush must have been misinterpreted by Kyungsoo.

"I was just distancing myself to give Minseok your time. He seemed to have developed a huge crush on you."

"M-Minseok has a crush on me?" Kyungsoo stutters, eyes enlarging in disbelief.

"Really? You don't have a clue?" Luhan chuckles again, but admittedly, he already knew that Kyungsoo was clueless. "It was too obvious; he was like a puppy for you."

"Maybe he was just friendly," Kyungsoo pouts, not believing that his idol has a crush on him. Luhan's eyes are drawn to Kyungsoo's lips forming the syllables. "I mean, he treats me the way my friends do, there wasn't anything particularly extraordinary."

Luhan kept quiet, barely hearing what Kyungsoo is saying, distracted by the lips mouthing the words. It must be because they are so close and things to focus on are limited that he was easily distracted. Kyungsoo's lips are so thick and so plump and so kissable and why is he thinking about this? Luhan wills himself to look away from Kyungsoo. He's already Minseok's property as far as he is concerned. However, Kyungsoo is just with them for a day, and obviously nothing serious would happen with Minseok and Kyungsoo for just that short of a time span. He is also allowed to have a crush on Kyungsoo, isn’t he? After all, it's just a crush.

"K-kyungsoo?" Luhan cleared his throat.

"What?"

Luhan was always direct with his feelings.

"If you don't mind, I think I have a crush on you too."

Kyungsoo's throat went dry. Did he just hear what he heard? This is the first confession he had ever received, but surely there's a punchline there that he must not have heard. It's just a crush, but still it's from an idol that he's a big fan of. Luhan's gaze on him is unwavering, and it made blood settle to his cheeks.

"A-are you not joking?" Kyungsoo stuttered, voice low.

"Well, yeah. I'm usually honest with my feelings." Luhan smiled. "I wish that Minseok and I would get to spend more time with you, a day wouldn't be enough. You're one of the rare people I come across with that I want to know more of, but tough luck," Luhan sighed, "you're just here for the day. You're just a temporary break for us, I guess."

Kyungsoo was speechless, this was too sudden. Why did he have to confess to him somewhere he couldn’t run?

"Gosh, I don't know what to say. T-thank you, I'm really flattered and---"

Suddenly, there's a knock on the door.

"Kyungsoo, Luhan, are you there?" Minseok's voice called from the other side. Luhan and Kyungsoo looked at the door.

"We're here," Luhan called back, somehow disappointed that their 'rescue' arrived so soon. He was enjoying a flustered Kyungsoo after confession. Keys rattling could then be heard, and soon lights crept open and Minseok was there with a few other guys whom Luhan assumed are Kyungsoo's friends. Almost immediately, the five guys had pulled Kyungsoo to the middle of them. They were too glad to finally be with Kyungsoo again, what a clingy bunch they are. It left Minseok and Luhan looking at the sidelines.

"It turns out that Kyungsoo has a fanclub of his own," Minseok comments as Kyungsoo was being surrounded and interrogated by his friends.

"I'm sorry," Luhan suddenly said.

Minseok raised a brow to his bandmate.

"I got distracted by Kyungsoo, and the next thing I know, I confessed that I have a crush on him."

Minseok shakes his head.

"What are you sorry about? Having a crush is totally normal, but of course, I guess I need to confess too. I won't lose to you that easily." Minseok smirks. Summoning his courage, he advanced a step at a time to Kyungsoo and his friends.

"K-Kyungsoo... I need to tell you something."

Kyungsoo's eyes landed on him. Minseok extends his arm to give Kyungsoo the black bean noodle that he previously bought. "You still haven't eaten yet." Kyungsoo smiles and got the food from Minseok after saying his gratitude.

Minseok rubbed the back of his head. "Uh... that's not what I'm going to tell you."

There's a question on Kyungsoo's eyes. Behind Kyungsoo are his friends who were also all eyes on him.

"I've heard that Luhan had confessed to you, and ummm... he's not the only one." Minseok pauses, testing the waters, looking at Kyungsoo’s attentive expression. It seemed that Kyungsoo's friends are more expressive with their surprise. "I think I like you too. You're pretty and kind and fun to be with. I see no reason why I should not have a crush on you. I mean, aside from my dating ban and the fact that you live in another country and also five guys are claiming to be your boyf-" Baekhyun was quick to cover Minseok's blabbering mouth.

"I think you have heard enough, Kyungsoo."  Jongin chuckles weakly.

"Sir Yifan and Chanyeol are gonna be so angry of you," Sehun tries to change the topic. Jongin and Sehun both subtly distance Kyungsoo from Minseok.

"Don't you dare confess to Kyungsoo, we haven't even done that yet." Baekhyun whispered menacingly, hand still covering Minseok's mouth. "Ouch!" Baekhyun shouted as Minseok bit his hand.

"Well... too bad for you because I just did." Minseok grumbles. He then runs towards Kyungsoo because damn it, he was still not done with his impromptu confession speech.

---

Aside from it being late, lunch couldn't get any crowded. It was supposed be just the idols and Kyungsoo, but the latter's friends shamelessly insisted on coming, refusing to leave Kyungsoo with the two of them especially since the two had already confessed that they like Kyungsoo, an action which they have yet to do. Table for three turned table for eight, and competition was oozing more than usual. Kyungsoo's friends were already used to it while the two idols were caught in the middle. Glares were being passed around underneath the food.

"What are you looking for, Kyungsoo?" Luhan asks, noticing Kyungsoo restlessly trying to look for something in his pocket.

"Just a stupid piece of paper." Kyungsoo complained, "I still haven't gotten your autographs, you know. That was the only paper I have."

Minseok looked at Kyungsoo. "You don't need our autograph, we're already your friends."

Kyungsoo blinked.

"…but this is for my cousin. Besides, I might not able to see you guys again."

Luhan and Minseok shared a smirk.

"I don't know about that. After promotions for our next mini-album, our agency is gonna give us a very long break. Luhan and I have decided to visit you for that duration. Are you okay with that?"

Kyungsoo's friends were all disappointed with what the idols have just said. As if stealing Kyungsoo for the field trip they were excited of wasn’t enough, they would still latch themselves to Kyungsoo like bloodsucking leeches.

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, felt excitement surging inside him even if his teacher and their class representative will be angry once he returned back to the hotel. Even if his two idols had confessed to him and he still hasn’t answered. Even if he had become pseudo-famous since his photos with Luhan and Minseok had gone viral within the fandom. His problems could wait some other time though because the prospect of Luhan and Minseok coming to his house is all that he could focus on.  "Are you kidding me? Of course I'm mighty fine okay with that."

 

 

 

 

---

Junmyeon thought that he was about to have his lone time with his little brother again once he had returned from China since their parents were out of town. Maybe they could have a little brotherly date or two? He could cook him his favorite meal or they could play board games in the confines of their house all day long. Maybe, he could teach him tricks in taekwondo? All his plans though were ruined since Luna has a knack for always being a party pooper. She zapped into their place with her friend Victoria once Kyungsoo had his first step on Korean soil. They still have classes in their university, what's so important for them to leave it all behind?

"Kyungsoo, we should've gone to China with you!"

“We have seen the pictures!”

"Have you told them to marry?"

"What happened on your date?"

"How are they? Were they kind? Were they cute?"

"Kyungsoo, I'm jealous of you!"

Kyungsoo were bombarded with questions by the two girls and Junmyeon had no idea what they were talking about. What’s annoying was the two girls keep coming back to their house every damn weekend anticipating for Kyungsoo to have famous visitors or whatever they mean exactly. One Saturday, when Kyungsoo had gone out with Tao to watch for a movie, Luna and Victoria were both expectedly there.

A doorbell rang and both Victoria and Luna stood up and went to the door. Junmyeon shrugged, it might turn out to be the mailman or the milkman again and the two girls might come back dejected like always.

Luna and Victoria opened the door, expecting to be disappointed, but...

"Ummm... is this Kyungsoo's house? Is he here?" It was Luhan, and beside him was Minseok.

"Kyungsoo forgot something in China," Minseok was holding a paper, and with a smile, he gave it to an awestruck Luna.

A Beginner's Guide to Idols

1. A picture or video of them could be interpreted a lot of ways, some strays from truth.

2. They have lots of stalkers, be careful.

3. They have a dating ban, but you know what to do. ;)

 

Below the paper were two autographs. The curvature of the signature tmatches the curve on the idols' lips. It made the two girls faint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry if it's too late. To be honest, I have almost given up on writing this chapter because I clearly have no direction with how the story in this update would go. Hansoo and Minsoo deserve more so I’m writing a bonus chapter right now that I would be posting soon. There’s also Chansoo on that chapter to establish the dynamics between the two. I’ll post this bonus soon.

Chanyeol, Luhan, and Minseok were all formally introduced here, so I guess Chen is the only one left who haven't made his debut.

Thanks for reading. Comment and upvotes are appreciated.

 

boredpanda98