again and again
Apartment Block 17
[APARTMENT #607; Wen Junhui, Xu Minghao]
Minghao had forgotten how empty it felt to live in an apartment alone. It’d been a while since he occupied a space by himself.
Apartments in Apartment Block 17 weren’t even particularly big; two bedrooms (though in their apartment, the spare bedroom became an office/storage room), one bathroom, living room and kitchen. The basics. Junhui had hung up various polaroids and random paintings on all the walls, and they’d bought some minimalistic decor to fill up the spaces; but it was only recently that Minghao realised it wasn’t the furniture that filled up an apartment. It was the people living in it.
Minghao definitely wasn’t an attention seeker; he was comfortable only around his friends and family, and didn’t speak out too often in public situations. Only recently had he begun to break out of his shell; that is, until Luhan triggered his past insecurities and he started to withdraw into himself yet again.
Junhui’s absence had hit harder than he expected; waking up in an empty, cold bed scared Minghao sometimes. He never realised how large of a presence Junhui was. Even with his infuriatingly teasing smirks and weird habits, Minghao really missed him.
He had his friends though; Mingyu would come over and compete over games with him, Soonyoung would intrude and work up a storm in the small space and Hansol and Seungkwan would occasionally bring up some instant ramen and they’d have meaningless conversations into the night. He loved them all so much.
He sat on the bed, sheets twisted, turned and crumpled in every direction, rereading through group chat messages until a new message from Junhui himself popped up. Minghao smiled stupidly to himself; Junhui always managed to text at the perfect times.
Today 5:55 PM
junhoe<3
> HAOOOOOOOOOO
> omgomgomg
me
> what
junhoe<3
> i got my script for tomorrow’s filming just then
> i have a makeout scene...
me
> ummm how could u not know this before?!?!?
junhoe<3
> IDK
> THE WRITERS ARE LITERALLY STILL WRITING THE ENDING OF THIS DRAMA LOL
> we get our scripts the day before, sometimes even like an hour before filming omg
> i mean... ever wondered why i’m only filming here for a week?!
> when a drama is normally shot over months lol
me
> does ur character get killed off or something lol
junhoe<3
> just between u and me
> YEAH HOLY
> WHY ME
> WHY IS IT MY CHARACTER WHO’S KILLED OFF
> FIRST THE PLAY, NOW THIS DRAMA ???
me
> i can’t wait to watch this drama<3
junhoe<3
> you minghoe
me
> i know u would
junhoe<3
> o.O
> anyway, isn’t the play starting soon??
me
> yeah but hang on
> we’re off topic
> who where why how
> ur makeout scene
junhoe<3
> i cant tell u too much but i have some last minute love interest before i die lol
me
> is she the one who kills you
junhoe<3
> .... maybe ....
me
> how steamy
> rate from 1-10
junhoe<3
> let me just tell u what the script says
> [i] push [her] down roughly onto the floor, lip-locked passionately as [my] hands run up her inner thigh and she’s gasping for air
me
> STOP
> THATS ENOUGH
> god help
junhoe<3
> sorry:( im cringing really hard rn
> its almost like script writers are ex-fanfiction writers
> this is gonna be so awkward tbh i haven’t actually met the girl yet lolol
me
> if anything you better make it hot ok so then your acting will at least be praised lol
> anyway, i can hear soonyoung at my door
> it’s probably time to go sso
> take care.....
junhoe<3
> junhoe<3 sent a photo.
> tell me about it after !!
Minghao scoffed at Junhui’s trademark ‘I’m-hotter-than-you’ smirk and half hand heart in the photo he sent and got up reluctantly to answer Soonyoung’s incessant knocking. Junhui always tended to send random selfies at arbitrary points in their conversation, and as much as Minghao acted like he hated them, the reality was that had a folder in his phone dedicated to all of the China Prince’s narcissism.
“Why do you look so tired?” Soonyoung commented immediately after Minghao opened the door.
“Not everyone can be as energetic as you,” Minghao gave him a tired smile and joined him outside, greeting Jihoon as well.
Soonyoung slapped his back firmly. “Well, I’m sure watching some quality entertainment will wake you up a bit,” he said animatedly.
The three of them met up with Seungkwan, Hansol, Jeonghan and Jisoo in the elevator; the seven of them squished together in close proximity and the smell of freshly baked pizza invading Minghao’s nostrils.
“Who smells like pizza?” Soonyoung asked as they reached the first floor, fresh air surging through as the doors opened.
“Here,” Seungkwan took a paper bag out from his backpack and it into Soonyoung’s hands. “We got pizza. You can have the rest.”
“Is this Hawaiian?” Soonyoung frowned as he withdrew a slice from the bag.
“What do you have against Hawaiian?” Jisoo said defensively.
“I’ll take it,” Minghao lunged and snatched it from Soonyoung’s hand. He scarfed it down and smiled cheekily.
“I love Hawaiian,” Soonyoung looked up at Minghao with a face of betrayal. “But Jihoon hates it so we hardly order it.” Jihoon nodded and scrunched up his nose, seemingly connecting with Jeonghan as the two of them gave each other understanding looks.
“There’s still more in there,” Hansol said reassuringly.
Minghao and Soonyoung fought over the last piece; Minghao earning it after winning an impromptu game of scissors, paper, rock. The group met up with Jisoo’s parents on the way to the university, a flurry of polite bowing and handshakes halting the group’s progress to their intended destination.
Hansol began conversing with them in English, though they were both fluent in Korean; Seungkwan tried to keep up, but Minghao gave up trying to comprehend after ‘Hello, I’m Hansol, but you can also call me Vernon’. Maybe this is how everyone feels when Jun and I go off in Chinese.
They finally made it to Fronting Theatre, where a massive amount of people were already milling about, buying food and tickets and trying to find their friends.
Minghao greeted others along the way; a good friend of his from a compulsory Korean culture class who went by the name ‘BamBam’, several of Junhui’s mutual Chinese friends, as well as other Apartment Block 17 residents like Jungkook and Yugyeom, whom he met through Mingyu.
“Everyone’s here,” Jungkook smiled. One of Wonwoo’s friends, Taehyung joined them, a boy with a wide grin and pale orange hair following behind.
“Reminds me of Chinese New Year family reunions,” Minghao shuddered, feeling the pressure of his loud surroundings.
“I can’t believe Jin-hyung’s actually doing this,” the orange-haired boy commented excitedly to Taehyung and Jungkook.
“And they even managed to rope Namjoon-hyung into it as well,” Taehyung added, the three of them laughing together. Minghao left awkwardly, bowed politely to another one of Junhui’s friends - Yixing, probably? He had trouble keeping up with Junhui’s ever-growing social circle - and found Soonyoung again amongst the crowd, thanks to his outstanding bluish hair.
Soonyoung handed him a ticket, which Minghao forget he even needed to buy, and they filed into the theatre and found their seats. Apparently, Mingyu had given Soonyoung the tickets earlier, before rushing off backstage.
“Pretty decent seats,” Soonyoung said happily, discreetly munching on a bag of popcorn from his bag.
“Don’t start eating now,” Jihoon gripped his hand and pulled it out of the packet, “You’ll finish it all before the play even starts.”
Soonyoung didn’t put it away and instead showed Jihoon the contents of his backpack; which was a never ending supply of popcorn. Jihoon rolled his eyes and sat back, though he snuck his hand into Soonyoung’s bag and grabbed a handful of popcorn for himself.
On the other side of Minghao, Seungkwan and Hansol were arguing about video ideas for their Youtube channel, and Jisoo was trying to explain the health benefits of pineapple to a sceptical Jeonghan. He continued to glance around, freezing when he saw Luhan walking towards his row with a few other boys.
Luhan caught Minghao’s stare and stuck his hand up in a small wave. Minghao faltered, not knowing what to do; did he glare and look away, like he always did? Or did he at least try to be civil and smile back politely? He instinctively looked for Junhui to help, but of course, Junhui wasn’t anywhere near.
Luhan ended up looking away hastily and talking to the boy next to him in a hushed whisper. Minghao spotted the guy he believed was named ‘Yixing’ trailing behind them as well; one of Junhui’s Chinese friends he’d introduced at some point in the past few months. Minghao wondered how many connections Junhui had unknowingly held with Luhan.
Luhan’s group broke apart as they all found their seats; two of them entering Minghao’s row and taking the seats next to Jihoon. Minghao caught some of their hushed conversation.
“Chanyeol-- no, give it to me, you’ll spill it everywhere,” one of them chided.
“O-oh,” came Jihoon’s voice. Minghao peeked over Soonyoung and saw that Jihoon was holding a fast-food drink up in the air, cola dripping down the sides.
“Jihoon, you right?” Soonyoung asked, producing tissues from his bag and helping clean up the mess. The lights were starting to dim as the play’s beginning loomed closer, and Minghao struggled to see what was happening in the dark.
“I’m so sorry,” came a deep voice, “I’ll buy you new jeans or something. Oh man. Wait, Jihoon?”
“Yeah?” Jihoon said, scrubbing furiously at his jeans and sweater. Cola stains definitely weren’t pleasant.
“You’re Jongdae’s friend from Pledis? The one who wanted the SHINee albums?” the deep voice asked.
“Wait, what?” Jihoon stopped scrubbing and looked up in confusion.
“SHINee?” Soonyoung caught the magical word.
“That’s you, isn’t it? I’ve heard so much from him about you,” the deep voice said in amazement, “I’m Chanyeol. I don’t think Jongdae would’ve mentioned me, but--”
“You’re the guy from SM?” Jihoon exclaimed. “The one who got the SHINee albums?”
“Yeah,” deep voice - Chanyeol - answered perkily. “It’s cool to meet you.”
“Oh, were the SHINee albums from you?” Soonyoung lit up. “Thank you!”
“No worries!” Chanyeol grinned, “Jongdae said Jihoon seemed pretty desperate for them.”
“Chanyeol?” Minghao interjected before his brain could stop him, “Isn’t that the same name--”
“Yeah,” Chanyeol sighed, “Playwright-noona named the characters after my friend and I,” he gestured to the boy sitting next to him, who bowed his head.
“I’m Baekhyun,” he said softly.
“Wow... that’s... um, nice to meet you?” Minghao stuttered. “I hope Gyu and Wonwoo do justice to the characters.”
“I’m sure they will,” Baekhyun laughed. “They’re both really cool. Though, Wonwoo’s jokes--”
Minghao was about to ask if they met them, but the lights suddenly darkened and a male voice informed everyone the play was about to begin.
There was shuffling in the row behind as people were still trying to find their seats; someone a phone and the light drew the entire theatre’s attention.
“,” a voice cursed directly behind Minghao. In the instance when his phone was on, Minghao recognised him as the boy who was talking with Luhan; though Luhan wasn’t with him at the moment.
The shadow of the boy moved away from Minghao, stopping at Jeonghan’s seat and tapping his shoulder.
“Hey, have you seen Junmyeon? He said he was in Row 7,” the boy whispered to Jeonghan.
Jeonghan looked back in confusion and the boy suddenly flinched back. “Oh, -- Sorry, wrong person-- I thought you were someone else--” he stuttered.
“Hey, you’re blocking the stage,” someone called out from a few rows back. The boy looked back and bowed hastily as he hurried back a few rows to, Minghao assumed, his seat.
“Who was he?” Minghao heard Jeonghan ask in confusion.
“I think he’s a senior,” Jisoo whispered back.
The buzz throughout the theatre died down as lights illuminated the stage, the narrator’s voice echoing through the large speakers hanging from the walls, signalling the beginning of the play. Minghao settled back in his seat and snuck some popcorn from Soonyoung’s bag.
Love is the basis of a multitude of stories and tragedies. This one begins with one boy, and one girl.
The spotlight swung to the edges of the stage; Mingyu on the left, Eunji on the right.
Mingyu looked... good. Even Minghao was surprised; he knew Mingyu was handsome, but in the spotlight, on stage, in front of a full-house theatre, he was glowing. He stood confidently, and stepped toward the middle of the stage with confidence.
His confidence was matched by Eunji’s, the two of them mirroring each other’s stage presence perfectly. A school bell sounded and both of them pulled a worried expression, hurrying off in different directions, as if they were rushing to their next lesson. The stage fell into darkness.
Main characters need names, do they not? In this case, let’s name them Byun Baekhyun, and Jung Yerin.
Minghao heard nudging and shuffling beside him, and real Baekhyun chuckling softly.
Childhood friends. They were both popular and lively individuals, with bright futures ahead of them. Everything was working out in their lives.
A darker light suddenly shone towards the middle of the stage, where a parting curtain revealed Sohye. She looked beautiful; her black hair swept up in a neat ponytail and eyes glowering under dark makeup that highlighted her features.
But once love is involved, that’s when things start to get complicated.
Mingyu reentered from the right of the stage, holding some books in his hand and glasses adorning his face. He walked across to the other side nonchalantly, the light following him. Sohye eyed him cautiously. Eunji came out from the other side and met with Mingyu halfway, the two of them smiling as they passed each other.
Sohye sighed as she watched Mingyu walk away and followed him off the stage, the light trailing her movements and plunging the stage back into darkness once she exited.
Let’s call her Kim Sojung. A very pretty girl, well liked for her looks. But her twisted obsession with Baekhyun forms the basis of this story.
A light was cast upon the back of the stage, where a table and two chairs were set up. Wonwoo sat sprawled out in one chair as he read a book, a relaxed expression on his face. Minghao whistled inwardly; Wonwoo’s hair was parted to the right, somehow making him seem more attractive, and his dark clothes perfectly complimented his pale complexion. Whoever the stylists were, they knew what they were doing.
Footsteps were heard from the side of the stage, and Sohye’s figure emerged into the light as she stalked over to the table and sat down opposite Wonwoo.
She either simply took off her jacket or she was really quick at changing clothes, because her outfit looked different to what she was wearing moments before. She took out a file from her bag and slammed it down onto the table, as well as a fat envelope.
”You’re a hitman, aren’t you? I want you to kill her,”
she demanded.
Wonwoo picked up the envelope gingerly and emptied its contents.
”Jung Yerin?”
he questioned, eyeing the picture in his hands. He slid out cash from the envelope and counted it expertly with deft fingers.
”Alright. You have yourself a deal.”
he agreed, shaking hands with Sojung.
The lights shut off and scuffling was heard on the stage.
Love drives some to extremes. Kim Sojung is a prime example; hiring a hitman to kill the girl she believes Baekhyun is in love with, all because of her twisted infatuation. But violent, blind rage never bodes well in the end.
And thus, ladies and gentlemen, Pledis University is proud to present to you
the tale of ‘Again and Again’.
-------------
"Wonwoo, stop jittering so much," Hyungwon chided, attempting to reapply light eyeshadow to the creases of his eyelid.
Mingyu glanced over; which proved to be difficult as he, too, had makeup being reapplied to his upper cheek; and saw Wonwoo's hands clasped tightly into fists and his eyelid flickering as his makeup artist poked at his face with a flat brush.
"Wonwoo," Mingyu whispered, catching the boy's attention. He boldly reached over and forced his hand into Wonwoo's, intertwining their fingers. Wonwoo's hand was all kinds of clammy, cold yet warm and slick with sweat, and trembling uncontrollably.
"You're going to be fine," Mingyu said softly, "Just focus on me, not the audience."
"That won't really help much," Wonwoo muttered, looking away. But he didn't let go of Mingyu's hand.
"We're back on in 5!" a frantic voice called out from the stage.
Jihyo finished touching up Mingyu's makeup with a smile. She reached up and fixed a loose strand of his hair and said, "Ready to get back out there?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Mingyu grinned, squeezing Wonwoo's hand simultaneously.
------------
Somehow, they were able to make it through half the play without any incidents or noticeable mistakes. Frankly, Mingyu thought it was a miracle.
Mingyu could tell that Wonwoo was much more nervous than he was in rehearsals. There was a slight tremor in his voice that contradicted the cocky confidence that his character, Chanyeol, was meant to have.
"Then what about you? Who do you like?"
Baekhyun asked teasingly, leaning over the table with a smirk and nearly knocking over his untouched cup of black coffee.
Wonwoo leant forward with an equally playful smirk. To the audience that was metres away from the stage, they surely wouldn't have been able to see the slight quiver of Wonwoo's bottom lip (but of course, Mingyu being an observant boy who was mere inches away from Wonwoo, was able to pick up the small motion).
"What if I said I liked you?"
Chanyeol said without hesitation.
Mingyu could hear gasps in the audience as Wonwoo uttered his line. Just as in rehearsal, Mingyu's heart leapt and he couldn't help but wish it was Wonwoo saying that; not 'Chanyeol'.
"Excuse me?"
Baekhyun flinched back in response to Chanyeol's declaration.
"I--"
Chanyeol stuttered.
Mingyu looked at Wonwoo expectantly. The next line was "I like you", so Mingyu wasn't sure why Wonwoo was stuttering. Did he forget his line?
The audience grew expectant and restless, murmurs rising as Wonwoo continued to remain silent and instead stared intensely at the table. Mingyu noticed Wonwoo gripping the sides of the table tightly, so tight his veins became visible through his pale, almost translucent skin.
Mingyu frowned and reached out slightly to touch Wonwoo's forearm, breaking character. "Wonwoo," he whispered urgently.
Wonwoo began breathing heavily and resorted to shutting his eyes tightly as he usually did when he was frustrated or tired. He retracted his arms from Mingyu's touch and buried his face in them.
Mingyu looked out into the audience helplessly. He caught Minghao's eye in the crowd, and in his peripheral vision, he saw Jeonghan standing up slightly.
Wonwoo stopped trembling and finally spoke in a low tone. "Mingyu, I--"
A sudden scream erupted from the crowd, followed by a loud cracking sound above. As Mingyu looked up, something hard crashed into him and he flew across the stage, grazing his elbows in the impact.
"Wha--" Mingyu coughed, eyes not adjusting, the light suddenly blinding.
All he saw before darkness overcame his vision was Wonwoo lying, unconscious, on top of him, and a large steel beam - part of the lighting equipment, maybe? - pushing down onto his lower body.
------------
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Mingyu!" a woman's voice called out.
Opening your crusty eyes to the blinding light of the sun isn't always an easy feat. Mingyu certainly struggled with this every morning.
"Breakfast is ready! Don't make me have to wake you again!"
Mingyu forced his eyes open and rolled over to slam his alarm off. But his hand missed and he ended up hitting the wooden frame of his bed.
"Ouch," Mingyu groaned, nursing his now-bruised thumb.
He rolled over and rubbed his eyes, attempting to sit up. But then he realised: his current bed frame was metal, not wood.
He shot up and glanced around his surroundings. His bed sheets were the ugly yellow ones his grandmother had knitted for him. His bedside table was on the left, not the right. Old movie posters were stuck up haphazardly on the faded white walls.
And his mother had just called out to him.
Mingyu stumbled outside, nearly slamming into the door as he fumbled with the door handle.
"Mingyu, why do you look so panicked?" his mother chided as he entered the kitchen, hair a rats' nest and eyes wide open like a rabid animal.
"Mum?" Mingyu took a deep breath, on the verge of hyperventilating. "What am I doing here?"
Mingyu's mother turned to him, abandoning the pancakes she was in the midst of flipping. "What?"
Mingyu rubbed his eyes and grabbed his mother by the shoulders. "Why am I here? I was performing the play... Wonwoo was..."
His mother shook her head and turned back to the stove. "Another one of your weird dreams? Sit down, these pancakes will be done soon, so--"
"Dream? No, mum, you don't understand--"
"What's the matter this time?" a familiar cocky voice entered the kitchen, announcing the arrival of Mingyu's younger sister, Kim Minseo.
"Minseo... please tell me you kidnapped me overnight and--"
"Oh my God. It's official. You've actually gone crazy," Minseo laughed and sat down, immediately cutting into the stack of pancakes placed upon the table.
"Eat up, Gyu. I made these just for you," his mother smiled warmly and pushed him gently into the seat, leaving the room shortly afterwards.
Mingyu stared at the pancakes, at his surroundings. He was home.
But he didn't want to be.
"I wish mum would do this more often," Minseo sighed, chewing through a thick layer of pancakes and maple syrup. "Once you're gone, she's going back to plain old milk and cereal."
"Once I'm gone?" Mingyu narrowed his eyes. He felt a surge of déjà vu at his sister's words.
"Yeah, did you forget to pack? You're leaving for Seoul tomorrow, aren't you?" Minseo said dismissively, waving her fork around.
"Seoul-- tomorrow--" Mingyu stuttered, "Ha, this is real funny, Minseo. My friends put you up to this, right? This is definitely something Seungkwan would do..."
Minseo stopped eating and stared at her brother strangely. "Seungkwan? Like, Boo Seungkwan? The guy who sings with that Vernon guy? I never knew you listened to them too."
"I--" Mingyu shook his head. He stood up abruptly and stumbled outside to clear his head, leaving his sister utterly confused in the kitchen. But her weird older brother wasn't going to stop her from finishing off her pancakes.
Mingyu couldn't believe his eyes as he opened the door and stepped outside: the neighbourhood was exactly the same. His neighbours still hadn't fixed their mailbox; the pothole in front of his house was still there; and the weird tree in the distance still hadn't been cut down.
"This can't be happening..." Mingyu clutched his head tightly and sunk down onto his doorstep. Before he could stop himself, he could feel his eyes burning and unwanted tears escaping.
He barely heard his mother calling his name repeatedly, telling him to come back inside before the sun went down; he didn't realise the entire day had passed since he sat outside on the doorstep.
But nothing seemed to matter to Mingyu anymore.
-------------
Mingyu stared at the train timetable. 8AM; he still had 20 minutes to get to the nearest train station.
He felt empty. There was no other way to describe it.
Moreover, he was also just plain confused. All he could recall was a scream, and Wonwoo's weight on top of his torso. What in the actual hell happened?
The date was July 20th; according to his phone, computer, parents, sister, and everything he had checked to make sure it wasn't just an elaborate joke.
Drowned in his mess of thoughts, Mingyu made it past the train part of the journey and was soon paying the taxi driver and stepping out into the warm, humid air of midsummer Seoul.
A tall, looming building stood in front of him, a large '17' on the front wall, sided by automatic doors that led into a bare, yet pristinely kept lobby.
Mingyu just stood and stared. He couldn't figure out why a building that should be familiar to him seemed so foreign all of a sudden.
The longer he stood and stared, the more attention he was beginning to attract. He was just an average teenage boy standing in the middle of a sidewalk staring up at a building, yet within minutes, a small crowd had formed.
"Oh my God, he's got a suitcase!" a girl exclaimed.
"Is he a new resident? I heard Seungcheol mention something about a new guy coming here..."
"I hope he lives on my floor!"
"What's his name? Do you think he's a model?"
Mingyu rolled his eyes internally at the crowd that was gawking at him like he was some zoo attraction. Before he could speak up, the crowd parted and let through a boy with dark auburn hair, round cheeks and a comforting aura. Everything about his demeanour screamed a sassy attitude and a friend you could talk to for hours and never get tired.
"Hello. Are you new here?" he asked, his tone slightly interrogative yet friendly all the same.
Mingyu nearly cried and refrained from reaching out and hugging the boy.
"I guess," Mingyu shrugged, trying to be nonchalant.
"What do you mean, 'I guess'?" the boy looked at Mingyu weirdly.
"I have a feeling we're gonna get along, Boo Seungkwan." Mingyu smiled. "Do you think you could take me up to Apartment #417?"
— THE END —
[a/n]
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAH JK
HAPPY APRIL FOOLS <3
the second part of chapter isnt actually canon i promise !!! (most of the first part is, though! i'll reupload when i've finished the full REAL chapter lol)
ok but real talk, i'm sorry i've been gone for like a month?? main reasons were school, and my lack of motivation :(
i'm sorry for making you guys wait at such an important part of the story lmao i
here's meanie to make up for it :)
ill be back soon!! maybe!! i hope!! the status for this fic will remain as an indefinite hiatus, though :(
(hiatus message below, if you’re interested)
i've never been stressed about school before but being my final year, the workload has really gotten to me and i need a timeout to pick myself back up.
also, this fic has become harder to write as the plot goes on. i will never abandon this fic though, since i definitely want to see it finished one day.
i have holidays coming up in april but there's no promises i will be able to write anything then.
thank you everyone for continuing to support this fic. i love you guys a lot <3
seventeen imminent comeback ?!?!?! i'M HYPE BUT ALSO VERY SCARED FOR MY HEALTH xD
u can contact me if u want on snapchat (wingyis) or twitter (soonyons) :))
see ya (hopefully) soon!
if worst comes to worst... after i graduate in november this year, i have like a three month break to do absolutely nothing :))
(aka write fics lmao)
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