It had been one of his rare free days and Kim Minseok had already made plenty of plans, mainly consisting of cleaning the house, going to the soccer field and working on his latest chaptered KyuMin fanfiction(his favorite one out of all his stories). The weather was nice, his morning coffee tasted great, the distinct smell wafting through the kitchen and lifting his spirits with it's mere presence.
And of course he was texting Chen. They were kind of permanently chatting via Skype whenever they had time to spare. Unlike most mornings(if you considered 9AM as morning which was nothing to be ashamed of) Chen was not replying in the usual drowsy and typo-induced manner Minseok was used to though.
And very slowly every incoming text message took away a bit of his wide smile until it had vanished completely.

From: ChenChen
[9:07]
Though I wouldn't mind a lapdance from him.

Minseok stared.
And the spell was broken. Suddenly, the coffee didn't taste all that great anymore.
That day, he didn't go out to play soccer.
He didn't clean the house either.
In fact, no one heard a thing from Kim Minseok for the rest of the day.

Website: asianfanfiction.com

Title: About Dorothy
Author: IcyEyes

Description:
Sungmin was leading a simple life. He had a few common hobbies and a common job. He was diligent when he had to be, relaxed when he could and had no overall exciting ambitions. He wasn't unhappy though, not at all.
Cho Kyuhyun was very different from him. Leading a chaotic life full of self-induced problems due to his laziness and bad luck he aimlessly tumbled through every day.
Kyuhyun was an enigma to him.
Unfortunately he was neither the tin man nor the lion and therefore not able to accompany his Dorothy on her strange journey.
-> couple: KyuMin

Comments:

SungMinSung
Chapter 17:
you did NOT just do that D:
is this gonna be a hankyu fic after all??
why didn't you tag this

readingKyu
Chapter 17:
OMG
This chapter really got me! I didn't expect Hangeng to appear so suddenly o_o
You can't do this to us though! KyuMin were almost together!
They're PERFECT for each other!
Don't be blinded Kyuuu....! Sungmin fighting!

coffee-fee
Chapter 17:
ot3?
OT3??
pleeease!

KyutieMinnie
Chapter 17:
!!
A wild rival appeared! I can see why Kyu is impressed though. I mean... Hangeng is hot af.
And sweet. And kind. And his accent is extremely y.
STILL! This is just a fling, I know it! I'm really hoping that Hangeng doesn't have mutual feelings... >_<
Don't break poor Hannie's heart, alright?
Or Sungmin's. Or Kyu's.
Or MY heart! ;o;

Married-to-the-music
Chapter 17:
where did he come from all of a sudden?!

Xiumin looked up from his phone with a bitter little smile. At least his readers were rooting for the mature and strong but cute-looking Sungmin who had been friends with Kyuhyun for years instead of the handsome Chinese Hangeng who had appeared all of a sudden. Unfortunately the sassy but caring Kyuhyun begged to differ, being a complete goner for the handsome Chinese guy.
...Not that Minseok actually knew whether this Lay person was gorgeous or not but there was no way Chen had a horrible taste.
He sighed quietly.
So frustrating.

It didn't help that he was a rational person.
He didn't cry and he didn't throw a fit. He didn't sulk and didn't try to discourage Chen.
Because to Minseok it was obvious that it was his fault alone for not saying anything, for taking so long. He had indulged himself in the illusion that there was still time left which was kind of preposterous in retrospective.
Especially with Chen being single ever since he had met him online five years ago. But what was he to do? Back then he had just seen him as a friend. A very witty and entertaining friend indeed, but that was it.
The progress had been very gradual but he could still remember the moment when the actual realization had struck him.
That particular christmas eve now lay in the past - almost 18 months so, to be exact.
18 months in which Kim Minseok could have done a move on Kim Jongdae.
It was ironic to say the least; more than one year he had spent trying to ignore his crush which only stubbornly turned into an increasing infatuation and ended up with him being so far gone that he finally gave in about two months ago and decided to finally pursue his charming friend. Just for a miraculous prince to enter the scene a few weeks later.

Minseok had been hesitating a lot for obvious reasons. After all they had been very close friends for a long time - he could only hope that Chen didn't actually see him like a brother. That he still had a chance, no matter how small.
He could just take baby steps, one at a time, and it would be alright.
Or so he had thought.
Minseok had been beyond relieved when their first meeting went perfectly.
Maybe this isn't such a horrible idea after all, he had thought.
Well, and then Lay appeared completely out of the blue, sweeping Chen off his feet. Just like that.
He wasn't going to complain about life being unfair, but that didn't mean it hurt any less to hear him gushing about how hot that guy supposedly was.
And even though he was in no way self-conscious about his appearance -after all, Chen had over the years expressed nothing but love for his slightly chubby cheeks(which he considered his only weakpoint)- but what good did it do when Chen found his neighbor hot instead?

Minseok tried to refrain from ruining his hair and shrugged on his jacket to leave for his afternoon shift at the coffee shop he was managing.
Sometimes he wished he was a little more childish.
With the way things were at the moment he felt like a masochist - secretly training his rusty Chinese so he could teach Chen and help him woo this guy. What a silly thing to do.
Every other person he knew would have refused or come up with a flimsy excuse.
Well, everyone besides Chen, he thought ruefully.
Because Chen was just nice like that.
He almost groaned at how hopelessly gone he was.
But now it was too late.
He'd had his chance and missed it.

"Okay... I think I got it, gimme a minute." Chen hummed and lowered his gaze to the workbook on his desk with his tongue peeking out between his lips - a habit Chen showed when he was lost in deep concentration.
Minseok only hummed in encouragement and tried not to stare. His screen resolution definitely didn't do Chen's appearance any justice. Occasionally he regretted having found out about this.
He teared his gaze away and took out his phone, checking for any new story updates or subscribers. It was mostly to keep him busy and restrain him from staring.
To his surprise, he had received two new comments on his story. It wasn't the KyuMin version though, but the one he had posted on fictionpress - a platform for non-fanfiction stuff where his characters weren't named Sungmin and Kyuhyun but Shinya and Kiwoo. After all, Minseok wanted to write first and foremost and getting feedback from non-biased people was always interesting. Still, he tended to not stray from the name's capital letters to avoid confusion. Therefore Sungmin became Shinya and Kyuhyun became Kiwoo. And Hangeng...

 

FeatherHeather
Chapter 17:
Interesting. I didn't expect a love rival so late into the story. It could be the stereotypical forced conflict towards the end but I don't pick you to be THIS type of author tbh.
Actually it could be pretty cool if Kiwoo just went with Huang instead. For the plottwist, ya know.
Anyway, keep it up! I really enjoy this~

gold_platedbread
Chapter 17:
Oooh, this new guy seems hot. Much more interesting than his friend, actually! With the mysterious job and the whole language barrier...
(Besides, accents are y. But that should be beside the point.)
Ah, now I really want Kiwoo to get together with Huang.
I knoooow Shinya has known him for ages and liked him for a while now, but... isn't it a bit boring like this?
I probably sound like an but on top of him being rather bland in comparison, he just took waaaay too long for everything. I'm kinda out of second lead pity for this guy, it's like he WANTS to be friendzoned.
Looking forward to what's gonna happen next :P

Minseok blinked at the sight of this two elaborate comments and instinctively tried to keep the emotions off his face. It wasn't too hard since he was good at it.
They think Sungmin is boring in comparison to Hangeng.
They think I'm boring. That I shouldn't be with Chen.
So that was the way unbiased people saw it.
He had taken too long and was bound to pity himself for not acting sooner for the rest of his life as it was now too late.
He smiled bitterly.
I'm just not fit to be the heroic main character, am I?
I'm too reasonable, to impassionate, too... simple.
Minseok knew it wasn't the end of the world and if he wanted Chen to be happy, he would continue to support him, no matter what. After all, it was just a crush and he had never been an impulsive teenager to begin with.
That was the right thing to do. He knew he'd move on eventually. That's what people did.
"Xiu?"
He was a grown adult. This shouldn't affect him the way it did-
"Minseokkie-Mouse!" Chen crooned into the headset, making silly faces.
"What?" he mumbled, tearing his gaze away from the phone screen.
"Gee, I didn't take THAT long for you to just fall asleep on me!" the brunette playfully said with an accusing look.
"I finished number 4, should I read it out loud?"
Minseok smiled as he agreed and even he himself wasn't sure whether it was forced or not.
It was because he had the urge to find out and to finally come to terms with the situation that he actually made the offer when Chen whined about finally wanting an outdoor date with the Chinese man.
To come by with Lay one day to study in his coffee shop.

Minseok might indeed be a masochist but there was no helping it.
If he wanted to come to terms with this, he had to see it with his own eyes. Had to see how well they suited each other and how happy they were.
And even though a traitorous little voice inside him had hoped for Lay to be horrible, he got disappointed when he found himself standing by their table a few days later, a notepad in hand and a professional smile on his face.
Zhang Yixing -or Lay as he was nicknamed- was indeed handsome with soft features, a gentle but intelligent expression and a slim, but nonetheless toned body. Everything from his brunette hair, his casual style to his complexion screamed natural beauty. And he was taller than Chen.
It's impractical. Being the same height is more preferable.
Minseok was not happy. Not at all.

"Alright, what do you want to have Lay?" Chen asked with purposefully slow speech and a wide, kittenish smile as he offered him the menu.
The brunette thoughtfully pursed his lips which didn't hide those dimples Chen kept talking about day in and out. They were cute indeed.
"Uhm... I would like to have an cappuccino please. No. A cappuccino. I'm sorry." he corrected himself, looking much younger when he looked at him sheepishly. It was endearing. There was absolutely nothing to hate about this man.
This was the cue for him to feel relived and happy for Chen, right?
So why did it only sting more?
"Of course. Would you like a dessert?" he asked, not even needing his notepad as he tilted his head and regarded him with a polite smile.
"Oh! Do you have cake?" he asked hopefully and Minseok was happy that his mind was set on autopilot-waiter-mode as he listened to the automatic response leaving his mouth.
"Why yes we do! Many different ones, actually. We have cheesecake, black forest cake, mississippi mud pie, mole cake and petite fours."
Lay shot him a blank look and blinked. Minseok internally facepalmed. The poor lad probably hadn't gotten a word he said.
Still, he pushed forwards bravely.
"Is there a cake with fruits?" he asked, looking more than a bit overwhelmed.
"Yes, of course. You like strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate?" Minseok replied, more careful about his choice of words this time around.
"Yes, I like that." he politely replied and Minseok turned to face Chen, who had observed the exchange with a somewhat proud smile.
"So what can I bring you?"
He had to resist the urge to add a random nickname or since he didn't know whether it was appropriate with Lay being around.
Chen seemed unconcerned however, and patted his arm in excitement.
"You're so formal and so cool, Xiu! All professional with the apron and everything - I've been wondering about your working place forever! This place is amazing, thanks for having us!"
Everything sounded so nice until the last two condemning letters. And Minseok smiled gracefully.
"Of course I'm professional, this is basically my shop here. I'm glad you like the uniforms since a staff member designed them. So what can I offer you? I could recommend you number 17 - raspberry white chocolate ice cream shake." he smoothly threw in. He knew Chen's preferences like the back of his hand. In fact, he had designed one or two drinks just according to his friend's likes which prove to be a bestseller(among teenage girls).
He was thrown off however when the brunette hesitated and his eyes flickered to Lay who was attentively watching their exchange with clueless albeit polite interest.
"Uhm. Nah... I'll just go for a latte macchiato today. Still, thanks for the recommendation. Maybe next time."
That's not the Chen I know. He'd never miss out on a sugary treat. And the lively twinkle in his eyes is gone as well.
"Oh. Okay. Sure. Any dessert?"
"Sure, surprise me?" he asked and the twinkle was back. Minseok smiled.
"You will regret this~" he singsonged while making his way to the back and ignoring the dramatic gasp of his best friend.

It felt so familiar yet so far away. And maybe it was because he was confronted with the problem in real life for the first time but it hurt. So much.
He hadn't expected it to be that painful, seeing him laugh and act all lovesick and silly around someone that was not him.
And the way Chen's eyes lit up when he took a sip of the drink and immediately caught on to the generous amount of white chocolate syrup Minseok had silently included didn't help at all.
The way he gratefully flashed him a secret smile made his insides twist.
Suddenly, Minseok really wished he could just go home.
He grabbed the bottle of the expensive chocolate syrup and almost fled to the storage room where he leaned his back against the door, all the chattering and clinking of silverware reduced to a dull buzzing in the background.
He felt restless, with his thoughts running in continuous circles.
Lay is a good person. I can see what he likes about him.
I'm a good person, too. But it's not me he wants.
He closed his eyes, enjoying the semi-darkness of the storage room which was only lit by a tiny ceiling window in a far corner.
The air was pleasantly cool but his eyes burned at the memory of Chen's behavior.
This wasn't the real Chen. I know him better, I've known him for ages.
But this doesn't give me any privileges. It doesn't work that way.
He sighed deeply while his grip on the glass bottle tightened.
But still. Still.
I still like him.
But I'm just the second lead.
I'm merely reading about Dorothy, I'm not part of her world.
A sudden rush of frustration overcame him and before he knew it, the bottle had hit the wall and was smashed into a thousand pieces of uneven glass shards laced with thick syrup that was dripping down the wall and into a puddle on the floor.
His heavy breathing couldn't outdrown the voice in his head.
I hate this. I really, really hate this.
"Minseok Hyung?" a muffled voice came from the door behind him and he quickly stumbled towards the bottle, holding the cool back of his hand over his eyes before one of his waitresses poked her head inside.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yeah. The bottle just slipped out of my hands. No worries." he tiredly replied and the girl nodded, choosing not to question this rather far-fetched explanation, considering the angle the syrup had splashed against the wall.
"The till is acting up again but if you don't have time I-"
"No, no. It's ok. I'll check." he calmly intervened.
"Alright... I'll clean this up in your place, then!" she added with a comforting smile.
"Thanks Wheein."
Nothing was off when he strode back behind the counter and quickly fixed the notorious malfunctioning till. At least nothing anyone would be able to spot.
Well, except maybe Chen but he was obviously busy laughing over something with Lay.
He was about to go back to the store room to busy himself somewhere quiet when his phone vibrated in his back pocket.
That's right, he hadn't muted it in case Chen didn't find the shop.
It was only an incoming mail though, alerting him of a new fictionpress comment.
For once not really caring about his high working moral Minseok stopped halfway to the store room and checked it.

GlassForest
Chapter 17:
I just read this and I must say I don't prefer any of the guys(though we didn't see a lot of Huang so far).
I realize that people might dislike Shinya for being so hesitant but if he decides to pursue him now he could still make it! I mean... There's no such thing as being too late as long as Kiwoo isn't in a relationship, right? I'll support this story, no matter which couple it's gonna feature!
After all, even if Shinya is NOT gonna get into a relationship he's still a main character I really enjoy reading about. If he doesn't make it, it will just be another lesson for him, right?
I'm rambling. Sorry. Too invested in this.

The lines struck a chord inside him. No such thing as being too late?
That was a comforting thought... But it weren't those words that caught his immediate attention.
A main character. Right.
Shinya was the main character. Sungmin was the main character.
HE, Kim Minseok was the main character in this story. This was his story.
And he shouldn't care whether literary cliches told him he had no chance or was too ordinary.
For once in his life Minseok wanted to cast aside rationality. He had always been mature, calm and reasonable.
Just this once, couldn't he be a little selfish?
So what if his friendship didn't give him any privileges? Lay didn't have privileges either!
In the end it was Chen who had to decide.
There was nothing wrong with trying to appeal to him until then. Yes, Minseok decided then and there, he was going to try.
Just like he had initially acknowledged the fact that he had fallen for Kim Jongdae, he was now accepting the fact that he couldn't give up just yet. After all, he didn't want to look back on his story and be disappointed in Sungmin who had chosen to be the good fairy, only helping his Dorothy from afar.

With this thought in mind he waited until Lay had left the coffee shop and swiftly stepped over to Chen, casually sinking into the seat the Chinese had abandoned with a wide grin.
"Well, your Chinese obviously still !" he easily said, laughing when Chen protested with a pout.
"No it doesn't!"
"You sure HE's not the one teaching YOU?"
"Thanks for encouraging me."
Minseok laughed and leaned towards him.
"You know I make a great cheerleader. Seriously though, you could use a few more lessons. How about you come over more often? I could teach you face to face after my shifts. I'm pretty sure the employees don't dare to charge me for coffee, except for Moonbyul maybe. And I know for a fact that the coffee here tastes great."
"Wah, really? Coffee dates with Minseokkiiie~!" Chen replied in an imitation of a fangirl.
"Study dates with Minseokkie.", he corrected mock-sternly, "You better don't slack off!"
"Sir YES, Sir!" Chen quickly replied with a salute and Minseok laughed.

There sits my lively Dorothy, he thought - all caught up in her weird journey, traveling this strange and foreign paths I know nothing about.
And no matter where she's heading... Right now she's looking at me.

KyutieMinnie
Chapter 18:
Gee, thanks to all the Dorothy stuff I'm now imagining Kyuhyun with pigtails.
I'd be okay with that and I'm not okay with that.

    Reply by IcyEyes[author]
    Ahaha, sorry! Though Kyu would make a gorgeous woman indeed.

    Reply by coffee-fee
    CROSSDRESSING? PLZ?

Wah, I'm so LATE. Sorry, guys. But I was busy making advent calendars and taking care of actual personal issues. I'll try to get back to updating on Fridays as soon as I can.
Slowly I'm throwing in a few possible love lines but I refuse to tag everything just yet - after all, I want it to be a surprise! D:
Were you surprised? No? Well, I'll have to try harder~!

This has been the MOST troublesome chapter so far even though(or maybe because) I was so excited about it.
I didn't delve into it too much but be prepared to see more of Xiu's fanfictions!
Actually my SuJu bias is Ryeowook; second are Heechul and Hangeng.
But still, KyuMin(with rival Hangeng) is basically the equivalent of Xiuchen!

The whole story was inspired by Super Junior KRY's "Dorothy" which somehow wormed it's way into my heart after running in the background a little too often.
Listen to iiit here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVB86WJKoTE

Love,
Sugar-and-Salt c:

P.S.: Yes, the Mamamoo quartett works in Xiu's coffee shop! c:
P.P.S.: I vow to dedicate the person who can tell where I got the name Shinya from a one shot.