netflix and cheol
Apartment Block 17
a/n; wth it's been 1.5 years since the last update iM SHOOK
time really flies... i've graduated high school and completed one year of uni already lol
if you're still here, thank you so much :'0
please enjoy this 8000ish trash chapter :')) i hope i still remember how to write lol
[APARTMENT #811; Lee Jihoon, Kwon Soonyoung]
Soonyoung sighed loudly, catching the attention of Jihoon, who was across the room at the dining table furiously erasing portions of his latest composition.
“What?” Jihoon snapped up, eraser clutched tightly in his hand.
“Woah, Jihoon. Slow down,” Soonyoung laughed lightly. “I was just talking to Mingyu. The boy got another 3 offers from talent agencies.”
“That’s great,” Jihoon said rather bluntly, but he really was happy for Mingyu. Ever since the play, both Mingyu and Wonwoo had received great critical reception and had been offered many roles and contracts with entertainment agencies.
“Ahh, him and Wonwoo are so cute,” Soonyoung sighed dreamily, sinking into the couch. “Ever since I met them I knew they’d end up together.”
“Yeah,” Jihoon replied absentmindedly, staring intently at his composition.
Soonyoung pouted, upset at the lack of attention from his roommate. Swinging his feet off the coffee table and bouncing up from the sofa, he bounded across the room and parked himself behind Jihoon, looking over his shoulder.
“Is this for the showcase?” Soonyoung asked.
Jihoon visibly tensed, probably because he was so concentrated on his work that he didn’t notice Soonyoung moving across the room. Whenever he got into his ‘work mode’, Soonyoung knew not to disturb him. But at that particular time, Soonyoung felt restless and wanted attention.
Jihoon tilted his head upwards to make eye contact with Soonyoung. “Yeah. Do you think you could give me some advice? There’s just been one part that’s been bothering me, and Cheol keeps telling me to change it up.”
Soonyoung blinked. He took a while to process what Jihoon just said. “Wait, you’re asking me for advice? But... you never do that!”
“Haven’t I?” Jihoon said innocently. “Anyway, for the bridge, should it go like this--” He sang a few notes, followed by the alternative melody.
“Um, personally I like the second,” Soonyoung said, a little hesitant at first, “But both sound great!”
“Good. I’m finally done,” Jihoon sighed and relaxed. “Now, rehearsal time. But Ailee is hardly ever free, Hansol’s always filming stuff with Seungkwan and Seungcheol’s always sleeping somewhere...” he muttered to himself. Jihoon had recently teamed up with a senior music student named Ailee to perform with him, Seungcheol and Hansol for the annual Pledis Showcase.
Soonyoung laughed and patted Jihoon firmly on the back. “I’m sure it’ll work out!”
Jihoon’s initially tensed face relaxed visibly. His usual intense look of concentration disappeared as his skin became plump with a peaceful expression. He looked years younger. “Yeah. Thanks, Soonyoung,” he said with a gentle, soft voice.
Soonyoung blinked, again, unable to think clearly. “Jihoon... are you okay? You’ve been unusually agreeable lately--”
Before he could continue, ‘Ring Ding Dong’ by SHINee blasted out from his back pocket, indicating an incoming call. [a/n: Jonghyun, you did well.]
“Hello?” Soonyoung answered. “Oh, Mr. Yoo! You’ve paired me?”
Jihoon watched Soonyoung’s expression carefully. His face didn’t show much emotion - which made Jihoon all the more confused as Soonyoung was usually a very expressive person.
“Alright, yeah, I’ll go meet her tomorrow. Okay, thank you. Bye.”
Jihoon waited for Soonyoung to explain himself. But he just dropped his phone onto the sofa and sank down next to it. “What’s wrong? Did you get your partner for the showcase?” Jihoon asked.
“Yeah. It’s Yuju,” Soonyoung frowned.
“Yuju?” Jihoon tilted his head, the name not familiar to him. “Should I know her?”
“Probably not. She’s a trainee in Pledis...” Soonyoung hesitated. “I know Seokmin has a massive low-key crush on her.”
“How can a crush be massive but low-key at the same time?” Jihoon asked in confusion.
“I don’t know! But this isn’t good,” Soonyoung sighed.
“It’s just a showcase performance,” Jihoon said, unaware of the gravity of the situation.
“I know, but... Seokmin likes her! It feels weird to do some intimate dance with a friend’s crush.”
“You’re both entirely professional in this collaboration,” Jihoon reassured. “It’ll be fine, I’m sure Seokmin will--”
There was a sudden bang, the sound of a door opening and heavy breathing coming from the apartment’s entrance. “I heard my name!”
“S-Seokmin?” Soonyoung said, partly confused, partly startled.
“Did you forget to lock the door again?” Jihoon half-whispered to Soonyoung.
“Oops,” Soonyoung laughed nervously. “Um, what are you doing here?” he asked Seokmin, trying not to sound confrontational or as if he just interrupted an important conversation - which he did.
“You told me to come up to play video games!” Seokmin said, indicating disappointment that Soonyoung forgot. “Well, that was like an hour ago, but I’m here now!”
“Oh my God, I completely forgot,” Soonyoung said sheepishly. “Sorry, I got a bit caught up... Um, I was paired up for the showcase today.”
“Oh, really?” Seokmin said excitedly. “I totally forgot about the showcase! It’s like in a month, isn’t it? Oh man, I should really figure what I’m gonna do...”
“Are you going solo?” Soonyoung asked.
“Probably, unless I find a partner. I was thinking about asking Seungkwan to do a duet, but he doesn’t even go to Pledis Uni yet.”
“You can invite outsiders though. I’d love to hear a duet with you two!” Soonyoung said encouragingly. Jihoon felt awkward standing in the middle of the conversation, so he walked to his room quietly.
Sometime later, Jihoon heard Soonyoung telling Seokmin that he was paired up with Yuju. There was a small silence, followed by Seokmin’s awkward laughter and assurance that he was okay with it. To be honest, Jihoon was expecting a more dramatic reaction. He was slightly disappointed.
After drifting off to sleep (his favourite past time), he woke again a few hours later and walked outside groggily, rubbing his eyes furiously in an attempt to get them adjusted to the light quicker.
Soonyoung and Seokmin were in the living room, playing some game on a laptop. Is that a goat? Why is it climbing a building-- you know what, I don’t care.
He poured himself a glass of milk, which only ended up making him feel drowsier. He watched Soonyoung hitting Seokmin in the head playfully, shouting, “You should’ve hooked onto the guy using your tongue! What are you doing? the guy!” Seokmin retaliated with a hearty laugh, shoving Soonyoung lightly with his shoulder. The two continued bickering and shouting as they played.
Jihoon felt something break in him, ever so slightly.
-------------
Seokmin left sometime later, and Soonyoung knocked on Jihoon’s door softly.
“What is it?” Jihoon groaned, rolling over in bed but not making an effort to get up. Soonyoung cracked the door open, letting eye-searing light into the room.
“I was just wondering what you wanted for dinner,” Soonyoung said with a soft smile. It was so unfair that Soonyoung could get away with anything with just a smile. “I’m probably gonna head over to the mall, so tell me what you want!”
Jihoon sat up, which took way too much effort. “I don’t really care. I’m not that hungry.”
Soonyoung sat on Jihoon’s bed, crossing his legs comfortably. “You need to eat, Jihoonie! I don’t know about you, but I was feeling like pizza...”
Jihoon smiled weirdly and said, “Then let’s get pizza for dinner! I’ll pay.”
Soonyoung squinted and poked Jihoon’s stomach. Jihoon flinched back, but otherwise didn’t make any other retorts. “It feels like you. It sounds like you,” Soonyoung leant forward slightly and took a big whiff of the air near Jihoon, “Smells like you, too.”
“What?”
“You’re...” Soonyoung stuttered, “Acting kind of weird. I thought someone else was pretending to be you or something.”
“What?” Jihoon repeated, clearly unable to say anything else. He shifted his position on the bed to face Soonyoung. “What do you mean?”
“Like... lately you’ve been so nice and you never scold me for anything,” Soonyoung began uncertainly, “You don’t cringe when I compliment you... and you even... compliment me. More than usual!” he added the last bit in a hurry before Jihoon misunderstood.
“Um... and that’s a bad thing?”
Soonyoung stared for a while. It was rare that someone as loud and bubbly as him got rendered speechless, but this was what he believed to be the Lee Jihoon effect.
Back before Soonyoung met Jihoon, he was a stressed teenager struggling to decide what to do for his future. He had an important dance competition coming up and he was completely out of it, suffering from what he decided to call “choreographers’ block”. If writers could get writers’ block, then choreographers should have an equal term, he thought. The pressure of success and the added stress from his parents asking him to pick something more practical than dance as a future career became too much for him, and he ended up dropping out of the competition right before the final round.
Practically everyone at school had encouraged him. His friends and teachers at the time had nothing but praise for Soonyoung. To them, he was the Great Kwon Soonyoung, a genius choreographer and dance extraordinaire. But Soonyoung was human. It sounds good to have so much support behind your back, but that support and the expectations that came along with it ultimately pressured Soonyoung to his breaking point.
But that was when Jihoon came along.
While everyone around him said, “You can do it, you’re Kwon Soonyoung!”, Jihoon would say things like, “Did you really think that move would match that beat?” Jihoon was blunt, critical, and rather harsh in everything he said, but he was the only person who ever helped Soonyoung improve.
In slightly over-exaggerated words, Soonyoung idolised Jihoon. Jihoon gave him the motivation to improve his dancing and continue it on as a career. It was Jihoon’s idea to start teaching dance lessons at Rock Studio, and it was always Jihoon who critiqued his choreography which allowed him to take it to another level he would’ve never achieved by himself. What Soonyoung had needed his entire life was for someone to push him. Someone with a different personality who could bring out the best in him.
But lately, Soonyoung had felt a slight shift in Jihoon’s character. Soonyoung considered himself good at reading people, but Jihoon was always an enigma. From being blunt and straightforward, Jihoon had suddenly become complex; he felt almost fake, with his forced smiles and compliments.
It was as if Jihoon was trying to be a more cheerful person. Jihoon himself was never miserable or extremely introverted. He was generally quite a serious person, but he would have his regular spells of cheekiness and mischief. However, it seemed like Jihoon had been forcing himself to stay bright and upbeat for the past few weeks.
No one can keep their brightness up forever. Like a phone, your charge would run out eventually.
“No, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing...” Soonyoung said hesitantly, “It’s just not... you. I feel like you’re forcing yourself to change or something.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Jihoon scoffed, “I’m Lee Jihoon. Always have been, always will be.”
Soonyoung pressed his lips together tightly. “Okay. As long as you’re alright,” he said reluctantly. He suddenly thought of something. “This doesn’t have anything to do with Seokmin, right?”
Jihoon looked taken aback for a split second before returning to his cool exterior. “What?”
“I feel like you’ve only been acting like this since I begun hanging out with Seokmin,” Soonyoung said, immediately regretting his accusation. It felt too selfish to assume Jihoon was friendship-jealous or something.
Jihoon stayed silent for a while. “N-no.”
Soonyoung frowned. “You seem a bit upset, though...”
“Maybe I feel like I’m being replaced, okay?” Jihoon burst out, his voice louder than Soonyoung had heard in a long time.
“Replaced?” Soonyoung replied in a small voice, shrinking away from Jihoon, who seemed to be towering over him in his anger.
“All you ever do is hang out with Seokmin, it’s Seokmin this, Seokmin that, and you’ve only known him for... weeks?” Jihoon said quietly, slightly trembling. “I haven’t talked to you properly in so long. Remember last week, Soonyoung? You said you’d buy me dinner, because I was starving in my studio after staying up to finish my composition assignment.”
Soonyoung had no words. He looked at the ground, clenching his fists in an effort not to tear up. He’d never seen Jihoon so upset. It wasn’t anger at this point; Jihoon just sounded sad, and it broke Soonyoung’s heart.
“But you didn’t come back until past midnight. Why? I probably would’ve accepted it more if you had just begun playing that stupid Pokémon game again,” Jihoon laughed bitterly, reminiscing on the times Soonyoung would recklessly stay out all day catching Pokémon, “But no. You were out with Seokmin. And you didn’t even bring back food!”
“I’m sorry, Jihoon,” Soonyoung whispered, “We were at the arcade, and--”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Jihoon sighed. “I’m probably being unreasonable, and the stress has gotten to me lately...” he trailed off slightly. “Sorry.”
“I...” Soonyoung wasn’t sure what to say. He never expected Jihoon to get so upset over him spending time with new friends. Maybe he really did neglect Jihoon a lot lately. “Am I... a bad roommate?”
“No!” Jihoon said hurriedly. “I love having you as a roommate-- wait, love is a bit...”
Soonyoung smiled slightly. “I’m sorry if I ever ditched you for Seokmin or anyone else. As your roommate, it is my #1 priority that you are happy and cared for.”
Jihoon laughed a little. “Don’t be silly, Soonyoung. The only thing roommates are obliged to do is pay the rent. And wash their share of the dishes.”
“Oh no, have I paid this month’s rent?” Soonyoung’s eyes widened.
“You did,” Jihoon chuckled. They both stared at the ground for a while, following the awkward silence that hung in the cold air.
“Uh, anyway...” Soonyoung started, gaining more confidence when Jihoon looked up with a neutral expression, “I’m sorry I said you were acting weird. I guess I was so used to your blunt personality that anything slightly out was too much for me,” Soonyoung laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, “But I like you being more agreeable! When you soften up you’re even cuter than usual~” he said with a slight teasing tone.
“How can you say such things so easily?” Jihoon muttered to himself, unheard by Soonyoung. “Okay, I’ll try be more like this in the future,” he said, louder.
“As long as you’re still Lee Jihoon,” Soonyoung smiled, “I’ll love my best friend either way!”
There was an indescribable expression on Jihoon’s face.
-------------
[JIHOON’S PHONE]
Today 5:01 PM
me
> Wonwoo, i think i’m gonna need that gay guy’s guide to living with a male roommate
wonwoo.
> tbh we should really think of a better title for that book
[a/n: HEY GUYS IF U HAVE A GOOD TITLE PLS SHARE AND IT COULD APPEAR LATER ON!!! :)]
> what’s wrong? did something happen?
me
> i really just wanna disappear rn
wonwoo.
> if u disappear can i tell soonyoung that u love him
me
> oh god ok i changed my mind i’m staying
wonwoo.
> i’m sure it’ll work out!
me
> wow look at u being all positive /rolls eyes/
> we gET IT, you’re in a relationship
wonwoo.
> wow ok calm down jihoon
me
> sorry. im gonna go write a song or something
wonwoo.
> OK. where’s soonyoung though?
me
> he left to go shopping
wonwoo.
> oh okay
> btw, wanna watch a movie sometime? i’m gonna go to ah yeah videos later and pick something out
me
> um, you’re RENTING a video?
> people still do that???
wonwoo.
> i’m not all for illegal streaming okay shut up
> fine don’t join us, your loss
me
> ‘us’? as in, you and mingyu? no thanks i don’t like third wheeling
wonwoo.
> lol actually mingyu’s at jisoo’s watching some drama, idk he didn’t say
> i was gonna watch something with jun
me
> jun’s back from japan??? what
wonwoo.
> he came back like a week ago, where have you been
me
> sleeping. composing.
wonwoo.
> lol true
> anyway, gotta go!
me
> where to?
wonwoo.
> mall. if i see soonyoung i’ll say u were tearing urself apart not being able to confess to him >.<
me
> actually u
> bye have fun
-------------
[SHINING DIAMOND MALL]
Soonyoung wasn’t someone who ever used grocery or to do lists. It wasn’t that he didn’t like being organised, but it was more like he didn’t feel the need to do such things. He was someone who would jot down extensive notes on choreography ideas but wouldn’t bother writing down what food they needed for the week.
But it was because of his ‘go-with-the-flow’ attitude to grocery shopping that often caused him to stay at the mall for hours trying to figure out what he needed to buy.
“Cereal? I think I need cereal,” Soonyoung muttered to himself. He’d gone up and down the cereal aisle approximately 10 times trying to decide what cereal both he and Jihoon would like to eat (a topic of debate between the two for as long as they’d known each other). He was also pushing a trolley with terrible wheels, causing the trolley to veer left if you weren’t able to push it right, which didn’t make his situation any easier.
“Oh, I’m so sorry--” Soonyoung apologised profusely as he had run into a woman while he was lost in thought about whether Jihoon would be okay with Oreo O’s. Slightly embarrassed, he decided to move on to the vegetable section because he was sure that both him and his roommate needed some fresh food for a change.
Soonyoung thought a bit about what happened earlier, still confused by Jihoon’s sudden change in behaviour. He wondered if he overreacted by thinking that Jihoon was acting too nice, and maybe that was Jihoon trying to change for the better. Whatever it was that happened, he hoped that Jihoon was truly okay.
”Maybe I should buy him a present,” Soonyoung thought. ”Well, I’m not going to find anything in the vegetable aisle...”
As he paid for the few groceries he did end up getting, it came to him that Jihoon really needed a new pair of shoes, since the soles of his current ones were close to falling off.
He his phone to check what shoe size Jihoon was (as Jihoon had given Soonyoung his measurements in the past for the purpose of Soonyoung buying Jihoon’s clothes when he himself was too lazy to go out), but found that he had missed notifications from Minghao.
-------------
[SOONYOUNG’S PHONE]
Today 2:45 PM
> savagehao created this group and added 2 members <
> savagehao named this group ‘soonyoung-sunbaenim’ <
savagehao
> hey soonyoung, chan and i need your help !!!!
> u know the upcoming showcase? anyway we decided to partner up
> i was wondering if u could help us out
> i mean i was gonna ask u to join us and make a trio but i heard ur with some girl :((
dano
> wait really? soonyoung’s with a girl?
savagehao
> yeh he was paired up with some trainee from pledis entertainment
dano
> damn Hyung ;)
Today 5:05 PM
me
> o sorry i was playing goat simulator with seokmin
> ITS SO FUN HAVE U GUYS EVER PLAYED
Today 5:09 PM
dano
> no, what’s it about?
me
> YOU PLAY AS A GOAT
> IT’S THE BEST GAME EVER INVENTED
dano
> .... lol ok
> anyway like minghao-hyung said, we need your help!!
me
> on what
dano
> did you even read the previous messages
me
> not really lol sorry
> oh ok!! u need help for the showcase
> yep yep i can do thar
dano
> since minghao-hyung has dance with u tomorow is it cool if i show up too?
me
> omg!!! you’re coming to my dance class??（๑✧∀✧๑）
dano
> sure yeah
me
> speaking of which where is hao?
dano
> hes at work i think
me
> wAIT YEAH HE WORKS AT AH YEAH VIDEOS RIGHT
> IM AT THE MALL NOW I’LL GO VISIT HIM >:)
dano
> wow yes i’m sure he’ll be happy to see you
me
> i don’t like ur tone young man
dano
> sorry sunbaenim
me
> i’m gonna tell seokmin ur being mean
dano
> you’re such a child AHAHAAHHA
> seokmin’s a child too, u guys r perfect for each otehr
me
> wAIT BRB
-------------
“Wonwoo!” called a loud voice, only warning Wonwoo a second before he was pushed forward by the force of a teenage boy’s body.
“Soonyoung,” Wonwoo greeted the boy, slightly stunned. He wasn’t used to being greeted so... enthusiastically. Soonyoung’s usually baby blue hair had now faded to a creamy blonde, and honestly, Wonwoo thought it suited him really well.
“What’re you doing here?” Soonyoung asked brightly, slightly out of breath, indicating he probably had sprinted to catch up with Wonwoo.
“Just running some errands. I kinda want to buy new clothes too...” Wonwoo noticed Soonyoung’s bag of groceries and couldn’t help peeking in. “Why did you buy so much... cheese?”
“We ran out,” Soonyoung said sheepishly. “Also, do you think Jihoon would like Oreo O’s? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him eat them so I wasn’t sure if I should’ve gotten them...”
“Why don’t you just ask him?”
Soonyoung seemed to hesitate for a second. “I don’t know, he’s honestly been acting a bit off lately.” When Wonwoo didn’t say anything, Soonyoung continued, “Not that it’s a bad thing! It’s just that Jihoon’s seemed a lot happier than usual. But knowing Jihoon it’s also a bit weird... to see such a sudden change, you know?”
Wonwoo remained silent for a few seconds as their walking pace came to a stop outside a clothes store. He smirked to himself, but quickly recovered before Soonyoung saw. “Did anything significant happen recently?”
Soonyoung frowned slightly. “I mean, I did ask him if it was because I’ve been hanging out with Seokmin a lot lately. He said he felt like he was being forgotten, or something.”
Ho ho ho... Lee Jihoon cracked. “Well, bingo. He doesn’t want Seokmin to steal all of your attention and so has decided to become Seokmin in an effort to win you back,” Wonwoo said suggestively. “You know, look like Seokmin, smell like Seokmin... be Seokmin.”
Soonyoung laughed. “That’s stupid. Jihoon isn’t like that all.”
“Woah, not even Mingyu laughs when I try to be funny,” Wonwoo said in wonder. “But for real, didn’t Jihoon say it himself?”
Soonyoung stayed quiet. “I don’t know.” His mood had shifted from 100 to 0, and Wonwoo had never seen Soonyoung look so serious and deep in thought. Though he had heard from Mingyu, who had gone with Minghao to one of Soonyoung’s dance classes, that when Soonyoung was in the middle of choreographing a routine, he was almost unapproachable. Wonwoo was convinced that serious Soonyoung and bubbly Soonyoung were two different people.
“Oh, shoes!” Soonyoung immediately perked up when he spotted a high-end sneaker store at the end of building. “I was thinking about buying Jihoon new shoes. Wanna come?”
“Uh, alright,” Wonwoo agreed, deciding to drop the whole Jihoon thing for now. I’m sure he’ll realise soon enough...
“Do you think these will suit him?” Soonyoung held up a sleek black shoe with gold stripes.
“How do you know they’ll fit him? Clothes for presents don’t often turn out well because they either don’t fit or aren’t the person’s style,” Wonwoo said.
“I know his sizes, it’s alright,” Soonyoung said dismissively. “He normally just asks me to buy him clothes if I’m shopping myself. I think these shoes look great, don’t you?”
“You decided that fast?” Wonwoo said, shocked. He picked up the other shoe in the pair and turned it over to see the price tag on the sole. “250 000 won?! Are you sure, Soonyoung?”
“It’s a present after all,” Soonyoung said nonchalantly, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. “Jihoon likes shoes he can wear to any occasion and ones that will last him for a few years at least.”
“O-Okay,” Wonwoo, a careful and meticulous decision maker, wasn’t sure if he admired or was disgusted by Soonyoung’s quick choice.
“You know, if he’s gonna have such nice shoes, he really needs new pants too...” Soonyoung muttered.
They exited the store with the shoes and a membership to the store (Soonyoung claimed he’d come back to use its benefits, but when Wonwoo saw how many membership cards Soonyoung had in his wallet, Wonwoo was sure he wouldn’t) and Wonwoo straggled behind as Soonyoung fluttered from store to store, picking up matching clothes for an outfit he supposedly planned in his head.
“Don’t you see, Wonwoo? The off-grey checkers on this shirt perfectly complement the embroidery on the side of these pants--” Soonyoung rambled on.
“No wonder you’re friends with Minghao,” Wonwoo sighed. “Honestly, that boy’s been transforming Mingyu into some Instagram model lately. His closet doesn’t fit all his new clothes anymore so he’s started using up my closet too.”
“I bet Minghao could transform you too,” Soonyoung said with a smile. “I think he’s working right now actually, let’s go!”
They scrambled up an escalator, taking them straight up to the small corner shop that was Ah Yeah Videos. It was clearly one of the oldest stores in the mall, with its outdated tile flooring and ugly beige walls. Numerous sale bins decked the front of the store, and behind a long counter on the right side of the store stood a tall, bored-looking teenage boy.
“Hey, Minghao!” Soonyoung waved as they approached the store.
Wonwoo nodded at Minghao, who understood the greeting, and perused the store’s selection while Soonyoung talked with him about some showcase dance that was coming up. The store wasn’t too updated but still offered a selection of movies that were released on DVD in the past year. He wasn’t exactly sure what movie he wanted to watch. Maybe I’ll just rewatch Miracle in Cell no. 7...
As he picked up what seemed like an interesting romance movie, his cellphone buzzed multiple times at once.
-------------
[WONWOO’S PHONE]
Today 5:52 PM
your one and only junhui<3
> yOOOOO BROOOOOOO
> I GOT A PREVIEW OF MY DRAMA
> WANNA SEE HOW HOT I LOOK
> ???
me
> uh no
> but I’m here with minghao, I’m sure he’d love to
your one and only junhui<3
> what, isn’t he working?
me
> yeah, i came to rent a video
> actually soonyoung dragged me here but it’s ok, i was going to come anyway
your one and only junhui<3
> HAHAHAHA wonwoo, you’re the only one in this generation who’d actually rent a dvd
> you’re cute
> bring soonyoung and minghao over
me
> actually shldn’t we show everyone?
> mingyu’s at jisoo’s right now. jisoo has that huge tv doesn’t he
your one and only junhui<3
> ooh good idea
> cool i’ll meet you guys there then
me
> ok
> text jisoo for me please
-------------
Junhui went offline so Wonwoo put his phone away, returned the romance movie he was looking at to its rightful place on the shelf and walked up to the counter, where Soonyoung and Minghao were still talking.
“Hey, Junhui got a preview of his drama and wants to show us. When are you off work, Hao?” Wonwoo interrupted them.
“Oh, really?” Minghao said excitedly. He looked at his watch. “Like, 5 minutes. The next worker should be coming in soon.”
“We’re gonna go to Jisoo’s house,” Wonwoo said.
“I’ll call Jihoon!” Soonyoung whipped his phone out and began dialling.
As Wonwoo watched Soonyoung excitedly telling Jihoon to meet them at Jisoo’s house, pausing periodically to tell him to “wake up”, he couldn’t help but smile to himself.
-------------
[APARTMENT #104; Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo]
“Jeonghwa, we need to talk.”
“Oh shoot, he’s actually breaking up with her,” Mingyu clung on to Jisoo’s shoulder.
“No way he’ll choose Hani over her though,” Jisoo asserted. The two unconsciously leaned closer to the TV as the gorgeous male lead stared at the ground, snow dotting his pitch black hair. The camera zoomed in slowly, but the man didn’t utter a word. The music swelled in the background.
“You know, apparently when dramas need fake snow they use cheese--” Jeonghan said loudly from the kitchen, but was immediately shushed angrily by the two.
“What is it?” Jeonghwa said softly, the sky darkening behind her, creating greater contrast with her snow-white skin. There was a wobble in her voice, tears already beginning to form in her deep brown eyes, just about to roll down--
The man took a breath, ready to speak. Jisoo and Mingyu were leaning so far forward they were on the verge of falling off the sofa.
“I’ve made a decision, and I just wanted to tell you,” the man whispered in a low voice. Though Jisoo and Mingyu were already taken, they definitely fell hard for his raspy voice.
“Spit it out!” Mingyu groaned. Four more angles of their faces were shown before the girl spoke again.
“You’re breaking up with me, aren’t you?” Jeonghwa said, tears already rolling down her perfectly smooth cheek. “I knew you were going to choose Hani! Why did you ever lead me on like this?”
“Jeonghwa, it’s not what you think--” the man tried to console her, but she slapped his hand away.
“I’ve had enough!” Jeonghwa turned and ran in a blind rage. It was a dark night.
“Jeonghwa!” the man reached out to grab her hand, but he just missed, and she ran out onto the road. A road with a car approaching.
Time slowed down. She turned and saw the car’s light shine brightly against the dark sky, and a loud horn sounded. Then, a frozen screen. Theme music. Sponsors rolling out.
“What the hell,” Mingyu sighed, leaning back in the couch.
Jisoo barely caught himself from falling off the sofa. “Not very realistic. When I got hit by a car, it happened like BAM. Time didn’t slow down at all.”
“No flashbacks of your life? Of my beautiful face?” Jeonghan scoffed as he plopped down on the sofa next to Jisoo.
“Nope.” Jeonghan looked offended.
“I still think he’ll choose Hani,” Mingyu sighed, pulling himself up to refill his glass with more milk.
“Jeonghwa’s way better for him though! Did you hear him as he called out to her, he was totally going to confess,” Jisoo argued.
“Yeah, I have to agree with Jisoo on this one,” Jeonghan nodded thoughtfully.
It took a second, but both Mingyu and Jisoo turned to him simultaneously. “You don’t even watch this drama.”
“I know,” Jeonghan shrugged, got off the sofa and disappeared into his room. A silence followed, but was soon broken by loud knocks at the door.
“Guess who’s here~” a voice floated through the door.
“Is that Soonyoung?” Jisoo said in confusion, having not checked his phone in the past few hours. He opened the door to not only find Soonyoung, but three other boys behind him.
Soonyoung burst into the apartment, followed by Wonwoo (who was greeted very happily by Mingyu), Junhui and Minghao.
“Is Jihoon here yet?” Soonyoung scanned the apartment but caught no sight of his lavender-haired friend.
“Uh, what are you guys doing here?” Jisoo asked.
“Didn’t you read my message? Jun’s drama previews got released!!” Soonyoung said excitedly.
Jisoo found his phone hidden in the folds of the sofa and turned it on. “Oh, haha sorry.”
Soonyoung smacked Jisoo lightly on the head before bounding over to the TV and plugging in a USB.
“Wait, already? I thought the drama hasn’t finished filming yet,” Jisoo said.
“Yeah, my role ended in the second episode, but they’ve already prepared the first episode to air in a few weeks. The drama’s still filming its final episodes,” Junhui said.
“Haha, you die in episode two? Lame,” Wonwoo smirked.
“It was a very heroic death!” Junhui argued.
The doorbell rang and in came Jihoon, just as they were trying to get the preview to play. “At least Jihoon knows how to use a doorbell,” Jisoo muttered to himself, as the other boys tended to knock obnoxiously loudly instead of simply pressing the doorbell.
After fiddling around with the TV remote, they finally got the preview to load. Immediately they were bombarded with loud action music and tonnes of captions.
Jeonghan poked his head of his room and came to join them. A couple of generic zombie-fighting scenes played, and whenever Junhui’s face popped up, all the boys shouted.
“Our Junhui’s so handsome~” Soonyoung teased, Junhui bowing smugly in his sitting position.
“Hyung, I’ll watch your back so you don’t have to,” TV Junhui said, panting heavily, drenched in sweat and wielding a blood-soaked machete.
“Whaa~” the boys chorused.
TV Junhui swung his machete with great skill, easily tearing through any zombie which stood within his arm’s reach.
“Yaa, how come you don’t look this cool in real life?” Wonwoo grinned, earning a light punch from Junhui.
Another closeup of TV Junhui. His eyes were narrow, determined. A girl stood behind him, with an equally fierce look on her face. TV Junhui turned back slightly and said in a low voice, “Keep up with me if you want to live.”
“Whaa~” Minghao said, but no one could tell if he was genuinely amazed or second-hand embarrassed by his boyfriend (truthfully, he was a mixture of both).
Junhui hid behind his hands, embarrassed. But he secretly soaked up all the praise he got from the other boys. Just as the trailer ended with a dramatic shot of all the main leads, there came more loud knocking from the door. Jisoo sighed.
“Are we expecting anyone else?” Jisoo asked.
“Don’t think so...” Soonyoung said.
Jisoo opened the door and was immediately addressed in a stern tone by none other than Choi Seungcheol.
“I swear, whenever you have friends over you’re always loud enough for me to get noise complaints from the apartments next to and above you,” Seungcheol sighed, stepping into the apartment and seeing the others huddled around the TV. “Of course Soonyoung’s here too.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Soonyoung said, slightly offended.
“Hey Cheol,” Jeonghan waved from the sofa, where he had fallen into his usual laid-back position. Somehow, he also had a bag of chips in his hands.
“What are you guys doing here? Your neighbours keep telling me to get you guys to shut up,” Seungcheol sighed.
“Watching Jun’s drama preview! Have you seen it?” Mingyu said.
Seungcheol’s face immediately switched from stern to excited. “No way, it’s already out? Why didn’t you tell me?” He shook Junhui by the shoulders roughly.
Somehow, the apartment got even louder after Seungcheol arrived.
-------------
[APARTMENT #118; Choi Hansol, Boo Seungkwan]
“I’m bored,” Seungkwan complained, swinging into Hansol’s room without knocking. The latter was too busy jamming out on his headphones to notice his roommate.
“Oi,” Seungkwan said louder, tapping his shoulder, making him jump slightly and quickly take off his headphones.
“Seungkwan,” Hansol greeted, the music he was listening to audible even through the earphones.
“I’m bored,” Seungkwan repeated. “Come shopping with me.”
“Eh, I’ll just end up spending money on clothes I don’t need,” Hansol said sheepishly. “Wanna go watch a movie instead?”
“Sure. What’s on?”
“Not sure. Ask Cheol and the others, maybe,” Hansol suggested.
“Ooh, good idea!”
-------------
[SEUNGKWAN’S PHONE]
rapper hoes (plus vocal hoe) >
Today 6:30 PM
me
> yo cheol im bored
> wanna go to boom boom cinemas and watch something?
dicaprio
> y did u ask in the group chat kwan
scoops
> oh lol i’m at jisoo’s
me
> ...and?
-------------
Today 4:22 PM
horsemin
> yoyoyo seungkwan gotta ask
> wanna be my partner for the pledis showcase?
> I was gonna do solo but I think singing with a friend would be much more fun! :)
Today 6:31 PM
me
> omg sorry i didn’t see this, i was watching volleyball but i got bored
> yeah sure i’ll sing with you!
> also do you want to go to the movies, i’m bored
> oh nevermind youre probably training or something
-------------
Today 6:31 PM
me
> HELLO SOONYOUNG COME IN
soonshine
> what
me
> finally someone replied
soonshine
> what
me
> i’m bored
> come watch a movie with me and hansol
soonshine
> im watching one right now at jisoo’s lol
> ok gtg jihoon’s telling me to get off my phone
me
> um, wht?
> where was my invite
> rude
-------------
Today 6:31 PM
me
> oi jisoo
> why is everyone at ur place
jisoos christ
> idk
me
> ?????
jisoos christ
> They just barged in randomly
> We watched Jun’s drama preview lol
me
> without me???
jisoos christ
> You can probably blame Soonyoung
> Now they’re watching train to Busan
me
> ....
> without me????????
jisoos christ
> haha just come over
me
> no thx
> i don’t need y’all to have fun
-------------
“You look annoyed,” Hansol laughed, watching Seungkwan frown at his phone screen.
“Let’s just go by ourselves,” Seungkwan said.
Hansol flopped lazily onto his bed. “We don’t have to go out, do we? We can just watch one here.”
“But it’s more fun to go out,” Seungkwan whined.
“I should probably get some work done for the lock in though,” Hansol yawned.
“Oh, right,” Seungkwan said, defeated. Pledis High had an annual event for the seniors called the ‘Lock in’. It was basically when everyone spent a night at the school to finish their group projects for the end of the year. But most of the time, students didn’t bother and just played movies for the whole night.
“Are we vlogging for it or nah?” Hansol asked, opening his laptop. “We haven’t filmed a vlog in a while and people keep asking.”
Sometimes, Seungkwan wished he could just disappear from the internet for a while. But since his channel was also Hansol’s, he knew that by giving up he’d greatly affect Hansol as well. So he tried his best to feel motivated to make new content.
Honestly though, he’d been feeling rather lethargic lately. He found it harder and harder to record new covers, vlogs and other videos. Hansol had been planning and editing most of them while Seungkwan tried to pass time by watching endless volleyball and asking friends to go out. He knew that their Youtube channel was a big commitment to both of them, as well as their prime source of income, but he couldn’t help but feel so bored of it all.
He wasn’t sure what was happening to him. He used to be so motivated and optimistic about everything. He loved interacting with their fans and planning new ideas for future videos.
But now, all he saw were the negative or judgemental comments. People he didn’t even know calling him fat, insulting his voice, calling him a girl, calling him and Hansol gay.
So what if I’m gay? Seungkwan always thought bitterly. Strangely, none of the comments about his appearance or his voice bothered him too much. He could always lose weight or improve his voice. But bringing uality into this? There were so many comments. So what if I’m straight? Why do people care...
“Yo, you okay?” Hansol noticed Seungkwan blanking out and waved a hand in front of his face. “You look really tired,” he added, worried.
“Yeah, I’m okay. The volleyball watching is probably catching up to me,” Seungkwan said quietly.
“You’re not,” Hansol said firmly. He knew his best friend. “I’ll go with you to the movies another time, so don’t feel bad, okay? You should rest for now. Don’t worry about the video stuff, I’ll figure it out,” he said softly.
Ugh, I don’t deserve you, Seungkwan thought. He nodded, refusing to make eye contact with Hansol. Returning to his room and plopping onto his bed, he checked his phone for a distraction.
-------------
Today 6:36 PM
horsemin
> haha i don’t have training today :D
> yay!! we should meet up to practise sometimeee
> and decide the song!!
> im thinking of ‘say yes’ if u know that song, but we can do whatever idm
> also did I tell you that soonyoung is paired with yuju :((
me
> what no way???? you loVE HER
horsemin
> yeah, apparently pledis paired them bc they’re both great dancers :(
me
> you’re great too
horsemin
> lmao thanks seungkwan :))
me
> hey
horsemin
> whats up?
me
> um so i know we don’t know each other too well but i just needa talk
horsemin
> WHAT?? here I was thinking we were best friends ;-;
me
> oh REALLY ok that was awkward, ignore what i said
> glad to be friends :-)
> um but yeah so
horsemin
> you alright, seungkwan?
me
> no lol
> i don’t know what’s wrong with me
horsemin
> nothing!!!!!
> youre an awesome human being
me
> thanks
horsemin
> you can always talk to me about anything :)
me
> we have this school thing coming up
> lock in
horsemin
> sounds scary :O
me
> nah, it sounds really boring
> we’re locked in the school overnight to finish our group projects
horsemin
> ewwwwwww
me
> yep.
> hansol and i are in the same group
horsemin
> oh, that’s great!
> lucky you have a good friends in your group
> I ALWAYS get the group with slackers and I end up doing it all -.-
me
> daaamn
> but yeah uh
> idk
> i don’t want to go
horsemin
> that’s understandable
> no one wants to be forced to do work overnight in school :/
me
> no it’s not that it’s like...
> ugh
> UGH
> it’s a bunch of things
horsemin
> take your time
me
> hansol was just asking me if we should vlog it and i really don’t want to vlog because i’m sick of making videos and idk what i’m doing anymore, i’m so tired and sad and don’t love what i’m doing anymore and somethings wrong with me, and honestly i think if i’m going to be sleeping literally nEXT to hansol all night i’ll say somethin g i regret and ruin my life even more and i dont know wHAT to do help
horsemin
> nooooooooo seungkwan I never knew you were feeling this bad :’(
> thanks for telling me!!
> i don’t know if you’d want to hear this, but i feel like this really often too
> it’s really hard to get yourself motivated when all you want to do is sleep
me
> yess
horsemin
> have you talked to hansol about this?
me
> no
> i don’t think i can
horsemin
> you said you might do something you regret if you’re next to him
> duuuuude do u ...
me
> dont say it
horsemin
> yOU LIKE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> actually wait why am i surprised lol u guys r perfect together
me
> omg please don’t
horsemin
> maybe this is why you’re so out of it lately
> hormones are a funny thing
me
> theyre not funny theyre annoying
> i don’t think hansol is the reason i’m having a creative block
horsemin
> yeah, but it’ll definitely affect your overall mental state!
> i think if you can get past the hansol thing, it’ll be easier for yourself to recover from this lack of motivation:)
me
> ok, but how do i get past this hANSOL THING
horsemin
> tell him!!!!!!!!
me
> are you crazy
> seungcheol kept telling me the same thing..
horsemin
> hES RIGHT
> wait
> you told him?????
me
> yeah, i just needed advice haha
horsemin
> i see
> well seungcheol and I are on the same page then!!
> what could possibly go wrong
me
> everything?
> our whole friendship doWN THE DRAIN???
> and it’ll just prove all the fangirls right
> we really are gay
horsemin
> and so what?
> if you love each other, you love each other !!!
> who gives a dAMN about the fangirls
> they don’t control your life
> i think hansol’s worth it, no matter what happens with your ‘fans’
me
> yeah
horsemin
> take this lock in as your chance, dude
> he can’t run away ;)
me
> nah hansol wouldn’t run, he isn’t like that
> he’d proabbly just reject me on the spot and laugh it off
horsemin
> don’t say that!!!
me
> brb
-------------
There was a knock at the door which startled Seungkwan so much he nearly dropped his phone. Hansol poked his head around the door.
“Hey, I’m sorry if I was pushing you to film when you didn’t want to,” he said, leaning against the doorframe. “Also, why aren’t you resting?”
“Shut up, you’re not my mum,” Seungkwan tried for a laugh. But his conversation with Seokmin was still running through his mind.
“How dare you speak to your mum like that,” Hansol said in an incredibly ridiculous high voice. Despite the situation, Seungkwan laughed a little.
“I know that caramel fudge ice cream cheered you up last time, but I feel like this is a lot different,” Hansol said gently. He looked so damn attractive leaning against the doorframe in a long shirt and ridiculous dog-patterned shorts.
Seungkwan couldn’t do it. He felt his insides twist painfully. “Sorry. Yeah, I think I’ll just take a nap.”
Hansol walked forward a little, seemingly wanting to comfort Seungkwan. “Hey, are you--”
“I’m fine!” Seungkwan said a little too loudly, quickly pulling the blanket over his head.
“Okay. Goodnight,” Hansol said softly. He didn’t know what to do.
Neither did Seungkwan.
a/n; i’m not sure if i’m getting too serious with this stuff but i would never try to portray the real seungkwan as struggling like this!! (any of the members for that matter). all idols struggle heaps but yes this is completely fictional and i don’t intend at all to assume this is the real idol’s personality. i feel like for the story, seungkwan [the character] would be someone who is known as a bright and happy personality but also has moods very often behind closed doors. i’m sure some of you can relate 3
okAY but yes, in regards to the rest of the fic, i’m not even going to try promise a return date lol. BUT, it will be eventual! I have quite a lot planned for the next arc and it’s kinda just jumbled ideas so it might take a while to make coherent. I hope I don’t forget how to write lmao
i’m also heading to korea in a few days for two weeks, very excited!!! gonna find all them oppas ;)
anyway hope y’all have a great christmas, new year, and happiness all around!!!!!! see u next time <3
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