Kyungsoo wakes up at dawn. Rays of sunlight trails through the windows and illuminates the room. It helps very little though, because he’s still so tired he can barely keep his eyes open. They got back two -half three in the morning and he knows it was just hours ago. Knowing there’s no reason to complain, he makes his way over to the bathroom and a shower, which, to his horror he notices won’t run any water. Something must have happened with the pipes. Again.

“Hyung, the there’s something wrong with the shower again.” He remain in his spot, eyelids close and listening as the older male makes his way over. Small curses escapes his manager as he tries to fix the problem. But whatever he does, it seems to work because water is running, splashing against the tiles and back up at his legs. Kyungsoo shivers, not expecting the coldness as he backs away. His manager tells him to hurry up as they need to leave in half an hour. He is to participate in some kind of show. There’s a lot now. TV shows, radio appearances, music stages, and drama filming. It’s a wonder his body hadn’t given in yet.

The water doesn’t get warm and Kyungsoo’s forced to shower in lukewarm water. It could’ve been worse, he thinks, as he wraps the towel around his petite form. A loud bang catches his attention soon after and he listens as his manager let out a torrent of words that didn’t sound too nice. The older is cursing under his breath yet again and Kyungsoo can’t help but to wonder what’s happening. It sounds as if he’s tearing the building down. Pushing the bathroom door open, he sticks his head out and catches sight of what’s going on.

“You need to wiggle the pipe.” He says whilst he exits the bathroom and head over to the tap. It’s not just the water in the bathroom they’re having problems with, but the ones in the kitchen as well. Obviously there’s got to be something with the pipes.

“I’m getting so tired of this.” Kyungsoo agrees without a second thought. The whole place is so rundown he’s surprised it hasn’t started falling apart. There is still no water and the older man gives the pipe one last shove, hoping that it would do it. Nothing. It’s completely silent and Kyungsoo heaves a sigh before he return to the bathroom, where he dries himself off and then goes to look for the clothes he’s been assigned to wear. No fancy stuff, just jeans and a shirt.

“Come on. We need to leave now.”

They arrive at the location and Kyungsoo realizes, as he steps into the studio, that it’s a variety show. There are already several other people there. Some of which he knows of. His heart plummets when he sees Seulgi and what he thinks is the rest of the Red Velvet members. He makes a mental note to stay clear from them as best as he can. He doesn’t want it to look obvious though, in case someone might misunderstand.

“Can I get everyone’s attention, please. The filming will start in a few minutes and I’d like for you all to take your places.” Kyungsoo is so used to this, to taking orders, that he makes no big deal out of it. Some might find it bothersome to always be pushed and ordered around. Luckily he’s never had any problem with that. Something he did not like however, was the fact that his seat was right next to the members of Red Velvet. The glance Seulgi sent his way could not be mistaken and he hurries to take his place. As he does, he bumps into the person on his other side.

“Sorry.” He apologizes, only to notice that the male is someone he’s run into before. They’ve met at the drama filming, he thinks, just as the other gives him a brief smile and a hello. Kyungsoo clears his throat and shifts his attention elsewhere. He’s not certain, but he believes the other male is an idol as well.

“One minute left.” Someone shouts and he gulps because he’s still far from used to this. Training can only do so much and although he’s glad to be a singer -idol, he’d rather not have to participate in TV shows. It was all a part of promoting his mini album, he knew that. But still.

“Ten seconds.” Kyungsoo prepares himself of what’s to come and takes a deep breath. The show starts and he’s listening as the MCs’ introduce themselves and the show. It’s a game show, that’s about as much as Kyungsoo know. He starts to understand, as the program progresses and an explanation is provided, what the show is about. Riddles and word play. He’s not very good at any of them and would rather have been a guest somewhere else. Like that would happen. And as Kyungsoo sits there, listening and trying to come up with clever answers, he wonders how long it’ll take before it’s over. He has Inkigayo left to film in a couple of hours and there’s at least half an hour ride, if they’re lucky, to the recording. After that he has drama filming.

Kyungsoo’s mentally exhausted by the time the game show is concluded and he’s able to leave. But before doing so he manages to exchange a few words with INFINITE’s Hoya. The latter is talkative and friendly and Kyungsoo’s positively surprised for he’s been slightly worried that no one would want to befriend him. In fact. Hoya’s the first one besides Kai that’ve given him a chance. Everyone else he’s passed by have barely looked at him, or when they did, all he received was a quick bow. Kyungsoo understood them though, for being an idol meant constant stress and endless demands.

“A plumber will come and inspect the pipes either today or tomorrow, and after that we’ll see what happens. We might have to move if it’s impossible to fix the problem.” Although Kyungsoo want to move to a better place, he also wonders when it would be possible. It’s not like he’s got time to pack and help transport the stuff to a new apartment. His manager doesn’t have time for that either, which probably meant someone else would have to do it.

“Where would we live then?” Kyungsoo hopes this new apartment would be better than their old one, that if they were to move. He’s tired of faulty pipes, bad isolation, and various things that makes living there bothersome.

“Don’t know. We’ll see what happens first before we decide anything.” His manager says. But Kyungsoo’s already deep in thought. His imagination running wild as he dreams about an apartment where he could have a bedroom all by himself. A place he could just be him, Do Kyungsoo. No pressure, no nothing. It’s all dreams and wishes because he knows the company doesn’t have the money to spend on a larger, better apartment. He’s been promised an upgrade though, if his album manages to sell over fifty thousand copies. An enormous amount considering he debuted a week ago, under an Entertainment that practically no one’s heard of. It’s as close to an impossible task as it can get. Last time he heard of his album sales, which was a few days ago, the numbers had only reached a little more than one thousand five hundred. Not a lot to be honest and Kyungsoo’s already come to understand that there wouldn’t be an upgrade unless something spectacular where to happen.

The place was buzzing with life when Kyungsoo arrived. Chaotic like usual. He was soon motioned over to a room, and the person that came into view when he stepped inside was no one he’s seen before. Not that he could remember. Kyungsoo’s suddenly well aware that the room is overcrowded. There is barely any room at all and the reason why downs few minutes later, when his manager returns.

“There is no electricity in three of the rooms.” In other words that meant the remaining rooms, those that were in use, were filled to the brim with people. At least that seemed to answer why the hallways were a lot more crowded than usual.

“What about this room then? There’s no place to do anything.” He’s surprised anyone can even move because it’s that crowded. Then again, it’s not like they have any choice. Idols must be ready to please fans at any given time. Electric faults, poor sleep, or overworked. There were no excuses. He’s seen his fair share of collapses. Not being able to eat because you’re on a diet, a killer schedule that give you no time to sleep, and constant stress to please everyone on top of that is a disaster waiting to happen. Kyungsoo’s just lucky it hasn’t happened to him.

A harsh and sudden shove in the back sends him flying to the floor and he’s just able to lessen the fall with his hands. He hadn’t seen that one coming and was surprised to say the least. Splayed out on the floor, Kyungsoo glances up and feels his breath halt as he meets Kai’s gaze. Way to go, he thinks. It’s the second time you manage to embarrass yourself in front of him. Flustered, he gets to his feet and stand up.

“You seem to have an admiration for the floor. You don’t dance, do you?” Kyungsoo wants to escape and hide and not talk to Kai. But running away would be rude and he doesn’t want to come off as that. And so he stays, his cheeks pink and he’s suddenly thankful for the make-up that seems to hide the blush. Or Kai’s just very good at keeping his composure.

“I can’t dance . . . Like, I’m not good at it.” Why must he always blabber about unnecessary things when he’s embarrassed. It’s not like it makes his embarrassment any better.

“Oh. So you just stand there then.” The expression on Kai’s face tells him everything, and Kyungsoo realizes he’s probably the only one without a set choreography. He can pretty much do whatever he feels like. Almost.

“Anyways. I heard we’re going to share car to the drama filming.” That was more than Kyungsoo knew. He hadn’t heard anything about them travelling together, and because of that, he did not know how to respond. Well. His first reaction was to glance back at where his manager stood, as to ask if this was true. The older man, who was occupied with other things, remained unbeknownst of Kyungsoo’s stare. Turning his attention back to Kai, he gave the male an awkward smile.

“Great.” He doesn’t know what else to say incase he might say something he’ll regret. It’s going to be hard, he knows that, for he’s used to get some sleep between schedules. To catch up the hours he misses at night. Still. He also knows the thirty to forty-five minutes they’ll be on the road is an opportunity to get to know Kai better. Whatever he does, he’ll lose sleep.

Kai heads off and Kyungsoo’s left uneasy and exhausted before he’s ushered to change into his stage clothes. Make-up soon follows and it isn’t long until he’s standing on stage. Cameras are pointing at him, recording everything he does. Fans cheers him on as he sings and it’s getting better and better. Kyungsoo no longer feels that bubbling sensation in his stomach that normally gives him a forewarning when he’s about to throw up. He is beginning to enjoy this in a way he’s never done before. A feeling that dies as soon as he’s back in the chaos going on behind the stage. Kyungsoo has to shove himself forward and receives several blows to his side and back. It’s painful. But he’s got no time to feel sorry for himself because he has to hurry.

“I have some errands to take care off, but I’ll be at the filming as soon as I’m done.” His manager informs him.

“What should I do then?” Kyungsoo remembers Kai’s words from earlier just as the older male replies.

“You’ll have to wait for Kai and his manager. They are going to give you a ride to the set. Okay. Good.” Like he has any other choice. Kyungsoo heaves a sigh as he moves about to get out of the way. There’s too many people around him and he’s feeling uncomfortable as he stands there, watching as his manager disappears down the corridor and out of sight.

“Kyungsoo sshi, over here.” Someone’s calling his name and he turns to the voice, his gaze falling upon a male in his thirties. He’s unfamiliar to Kyungsoo, whose eyes then meet Kai’s. The latter is standing next to the older male and he wonders if it’s Kai’s manager. Probably. Either how, Kyungsoo makes his way over and greets the two. He’s met with smiles and a bright hello from what he believes is the manager in question. It’s all nice and welcoming but it’s seems a bit fake. Like Kyungsoo’s an ordeal he’d rather not have to deal with. Kai on the other hand looks rather okay with the fact that they’ll be sharing the same ride.

“Should we go then.” It’s more of a demand than a question and Kyungsoo trudges behind Kai as he follows with them. How he wishes his manager could be present. Wishes he didn’t have to do this. Sure it could’ve been worse. A lot he realizes when he takes his place in the van, because Kai is friendly and talkative and the complete opposite of Kyungsoo.

Out of habit, he leans against the window, his gaze fixed on a lampost. It’s a bit comforting even though he feels slightly out of place. His eyelids are heavy and he’s just about to drift off when something soft brushes against his hand. Sleepy, Kyungsoo shifts his attention and looks down at his hand before he glances up and meets Kai’s gaze. The latter is staring at him in such a way that he wonders if there’s something wrong. Kyungsoo even finds it a bit creepy and . . .

“Do you want to listen?” His thoughts are briskly interrupted as Kai encourages him to take one of the earphones. Music. Kyungsoo reacts before he’s able to think and reaches for the piece, which he plugs into his ear. A soothing ballad, one he’s familiar with, greets him and he’s suddenly feeling at ease as the car swerves out of the parking lot. Kyungsoo would be lying though, if he said he wasn’t a bit surprised by the choice of music. He’d been expecting dance music. Maybe because it was close to the style Kai was promoting. Not that you couldn’t like other genres. But Kyungsoo . . . Yeah, he didn’t know what he was trying to confirm by bothering himself with Kai’s music preference.

Kyungsoo doesn’t remember any more of the conversation and he understands why the second his eyelids flutter open at the slight nudge in his side. Kai’s looking down at him and he sits up, flustered because he realizes he’s fallen asleep with his head resting against the other’s shoulder. Kyungsoo clears his throat and glances out the window, only to be a bit taken aback when he sees that they have arrived. It didn’t feel like he’d been sleeping for long yet forty-five minutes had already passed.

The two males step out of the vehicle and make their way over to the dressing room. Kyungsoo is still embarrassed and he refuses to look at Kai as the latter is talking. Kai seems to have forgotten all about it though, because he’s asking Kyungsoo questions. Questions he does his best to answer.

“nJOY Entertainment. It’s quite small right? I don’t think I’ve heard of them before.” Kyungsoo isn’t the slightest surprised because he’s their first artist. His boss has put so much money into training him that Kyungsoo is glad he doesn’t know just how much. It’s money he know has to pay back through his activities. That’s why he’s got so many of them and why he can’t complain. To breach his contract would be devastating for him and it’s nothing Kyungsoo thinks about. But it’s harder those days were he just want to be himself. A normal teenager and not an idol.

“Yeah. I’m the only artist under nJOY right now.” There were other trainees as well. In fact. There’s been a few rumours going around that his boss would debut a boygroup the coming year. Kyungsoo isn’t sure if there’s any truth to those rumours or if it’s simply gossip. Either how, it doesn’t affect him. At least not at the moment.

“Really. Isn’t it boring? I mean, do you even have anyone to talk with? Someone around your age?” No. He has no time to make friends. He barely has time for anything besides his schedules nowadays. It’s sad, he thinks. But also something he’s come to accept.

“Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve been too preoccupied with myself I guess.” Regrettable for some. But not Kyungsoo. He knew there would be sacrifices when training and becoming an idol.

“Oh. Well. If you ever want someone to talk to you can always talk to me.”

Whether it’s something he said just to be polite, Kyungsoo doesn’t know. He doesn’t even ask, and instead prepares himself for his role. He goes through the script for the umpteenth time as he’s sitting in a chair getting his hair and makeup done. His eyelids almost fails him as he sits there. His energy is close to drained and he wants nothing more than to sleep. To forget about his responsibilities for a few hours. It’s not that he dislikes being an idol. Being able to stand on stage and sing plus meeting his fans are the two things that makes everything worth it. But still. He’s human and sometimes it gets to a point where not even that helps.