Job Perks

            So, you’re probably wondering what the vacation package is like.  I mean, a job like this, it’s got to have decent vacation time.  Right?  Not exactly.  I mean, I have taken the occasional trip here or there, but most of it was work related and the couple real vacations I’ve taken lately—to Greece and to Germany—were with Kyuhyun and Ryeowook.  I believe that’s what you’d call bringing your work with you.  And then you’d think that when the time came to leave for my mandatory service time, I’d totally be free from the job for a couple years…yeah, not really.

            During one of my breaks, in May of 2016, Donghae and I went out to lunch with Siwon and Ryeowook.  It was supposed to be a kind of informal get-together to talk about what Ryeowook could expect once he enlisted, so he would be less nervous about it, but joining the military was honestly the least of his concerns at that moment.

            “When the company suggested that I leave first and then Kyuhyun not start his enlistment until I was nearly finished, he absolutely lost it,” Ryeowook said, picking at his food.  “I’ve never seen him get so upset before.”

            Well, I’d seen Kyuhyun throw a number of tantrums over the years, some of them for much smaller reasons than being separated from his husband for three or four years, but I kept my mouth shut and just kept eating. 

            “I had to eventually send in Leeteuk and Heechul to negotiate with the company about it.  That’s why they agreed to postpone the start of my enlistment by half a year and finally give me my solo album.  They weren’t planning on that until my return, originally, but they needed to do it in order to have a reason to postpone the enlistment.  They scheduled some of my tour dates around the time I would have left so we’d have to push it back.”

            Siwon smiled knowingly.  “It’s cute.”

            “It’s going to get us in trouble with the government,” Ryeowook reminded him.

            “They shouldn’t have planned on you two being apart for so long to begin with,” I told him.  “They should have consulted with you before making decisions.”

            “They were just doing what they thought was best for the group.  If I leave later, then you’ll have to either postpone the next album or put one out without Kyuhyun or I involved, which is what the company was trying to avoid by staggering our enlistment times.”

            “You don’t think we can manage an album without you two?” Donghae asked, winking at me.

            Ryeowook sighed.  “I’m not saying you’re bad singers, I’m just…okay, fine, you’re not as good as us, that’s what I’m saying.  Happy?”

            “But we have Siwon, who’s the best looking part of the group,” I argued and Siwon smiled his dazzling smile to prove my point.  “Donghae and I will be back, so we’ll have the two best dancers.”

            “So, the video will rock as long as they watch it on mute,” Ryeowook said, smirking.

            Donghae put Ryeowook in a headlock.  “What’s that?” 

            I sighed heavily.  We did rely an awful lot on the maknaes for main vocals.  The rest of us didn’t get that many singing parts, compared to them.  “Well, at least we’ll still have Yesung.”

            Siwon rolled his eyes.  “He’s going to let that go to his head.”

            “Probably,” I agreed.

            Donghae finally released Ryeowook.  “You’re not mad at Kyuhyun for delaying your enlistment, are you?”

            Ryeowook shook his head.  “I want to just get my enlistment over with, so the sooner I start, the better, but I don’t want to be away from Kyuhyun for three years or more either.  That’s a long time to be away from your spouse.”

            I glanced over at Donghae at the same time he looked over at me.  We were sitting at opposite ends of the table.  It was just better that way, for now, at least when we were in public.  The government had breathed down our necks a little about our flirting onstage together before our enlistments, reminding us that gay relationships were frowned upon and although they knew such behavior was normal in the kpop community, they recommended that we curb it before enlisting.  We had to go to the extreme of asking our fans not to ship us together before we left, just to appease the government, but honestly, the government never really suspected us of anything. 

            I didn’t get that impression from Kyuhyun and Ryeowook though.  Rumors of them have been going around inside the entertainment world for some time.  The government had probably caught wind of it.  Ryeowook and Kyuhyun would not be enlisting at the same time, as Donghae and I had.  And they certainly couldn’t join the same service.  I wasn’t blind to the fact that Donghae and I had it much easier than they would.  We were even able to take breaks at the same time.  I’m not sure if that was going to be possible for them.  If they government suspected they were real lovers, they might deny their requests.  They might actually be apart for a very long time.

            Still, Donghae would be apart for nearly two years by the time it was finished and that’s a long stretch to be living apart when you’re used to spending nearly all your time together. 

            “Would it make you feel better if I said it goes by quick?” Siwon asked.

            Ryeowook pressed his lips together and shook his head. 

            Siwon was full of anyway.  It doesn’t go by that quick.

            I decided to stop by and see Kyuhyun one night when I knew Ryeowook wasn’t home.  It wasn’t as easy as it once was, since he wasn’t deejaying anymore and Kyuhyun is constantly busy, but I didn’t want Ryeowook to know I was stopping by to give Kyuhyun a pep talk.  He’d probably try to talk me out of it.  But I know, after all these years, when to hold my tongue and when to say something.

            I knocked on the door loud and waited.  After a few seconds, the door opened and Kyuhyun stood there, giving me a confused look.  “Hey.”

            I nodded.  “What’s up?  Thought I’d pop in and say hi.”

            “I thought you were coming over tomorrow for dinner.”

            “I am,” I said, walking into the apartment.  “I thought I’d just come chill for a little while.  Everyone wants to spend time with me, but I need a break.”

            “You didn’t want to go visit your parents?”

            I shrugged my shoulders.  “I get depressed when I’m there now that Choco is gone.”  It wasn’t a complete lie, after all.

            “I’m just watching television,” he said.  “Do you want something to drink?”

            “Sure, I’ll get it,” I said, heading into the kitchen. 

            Most people would assume that I knew my way around the place like the back of my hand, because we told the public that Kyuhyun and Ryeowook were still living in the dorm.  But they weren’t.  They were in the same apartment building as the old dorm, but they were living in a completely different apartment.  It was a two-bedroom apartment with one bedroom they shared and one office.  They only even bothered leasing a two-bedroom so it didn’t look like they were lovers.  All the same, I had visited the place many times and they were keeping a bunch of mine and Donghae’s clothes in their storage area for us.  I knew my way around well enough.

            I grabbed a soda and walked back into the living room, sitting down beside the maknae.  I wrapped my arm around him and squeezed tight.  He shut his eyes and whined.  “I missed you, too.  Now stop.”

            I opened my can of soda, taking a long drink, and then sighed, putting my feet up on the coffee table.

            “You better hope Ryeong doesn’t come back home early or he’s going to kick your for putting your feet up on the furniture,” Kyuhyun warned. 

            “You are so whipped!” I accused.  “He has all sorts of rules for you, doesn’t he?”

            Kyuhyun’s eyes narrowed as he turned towards me.  “Since he does most of the housework, I can hard