Sorry for the huge wait. I wrote this a year ago without any idea of what I was going to do afterwards... Also, I was 13. There were some strange ideas in my head. Nonetheless, I'm sorry for the wait.

Please tell me of your ideal ending. I have one planned out, but I want to know what you think! Thank you!! 

--

“Did you follow me here?” Sungjong murmurs under his breath, and Sunggyu realizes how this situation makes him look like a stalker, a person who followed one of Korea’s biggest idols into a club.

Sunggyu is quick to refute this, “No, no! I didn’t… I was having a rough day and just happened to come here…”

Sungjong looks a tiny bit relieved, with his suddenly still hands. He nods. “So, you won’t tell anyone that this is what I’m really like?”

Sunggyu is shocked. What he’s really like? No, Sungjong is all innocence and smiles and sweetness-

And he realizes that he honestly knows nothing about Lee Sungjong. The real Lee Sungjong.

But even so, Sungjong isn’t like this, I’m sure of this… At the fanmeeting, that seemed like the real Sungjong.

But what do I know about Lee Sungjong?

Ignoring the internal turmoil going on in his much-intoxicated brain, Sunggyu speaks, “I won’t. Just. Please tell me why.”

Sunggyu hates this feeling. This feeling of knowing both everything and nothing at the same time.

Sungjong smiles, all bitter and cold and not like Sungjong at all. “At this club?” Sungjong reaches over to grab Sunggyu’s phone that’s peeking from his pocket and taps it a couple times before tucking it back into Sunggyu’s outreached hands, “Maybe one day, Sunggyu-hyung. I need to go.”

When he looks down, Lee Sungjong’s number has been inputted into his phone. This would normally have made him shout with joy, but in this situation, it means almost nothing to him.

Before Sungjong can slip into the ‘Staff Only’ section, Sunggyu hurriedly speaks, “Sungjong-ah! Just know… I’m here. You can rely on me. Even though I’m just an old male fan… I’m here.”

Sungjong pauses and turns, and Sunggyu can see a hint of a tear running down Sungjong’s pale cheeks, from those unnatural bright blue eyes. 

“Thank you, Sunggyu.”

Even now, Sunggyu doesn’t know if those words were real.

--

Sunggyu sees Sungjong again at 4 a.m. the next day at the same supermarket, with the male idol looking much more worse for wear than their previous encounter. Sunggyu’s about to fall asleep himself, with only the supermarket’s bitter coffee aiding him.

His hair is, thankfully, untied, and his eyes are back to that normal deep honey brown color. However, the boy seems a lot more tired, with no concealer hiding the dark, purple shadows under his eyes.

The order is still ramyeon, along with several packages of caffeine pills. Sungjong doesn’t strike up a conversation, but that’s fine. He looks like he hasn’t slept for days.

“Are you okay?” Sunggyu worries and Sungjong flinches at the sudden sound. He exhales shakily, and Sunggyu can tell this is a bad day for him. Thankfully, his shift is about to end.

Sungjong looks up to him. “Sunggyu-hyung…”

His voice is so sad, so desperate and wanting and everything and Sunggyu just wants to reach over and tell him that he’ll protect him, no matter what.

“Sunggyu-hyung, do you want to go drinking?” Sungjong says out of the blue, in a lighter tone, and Sunggyu is shocked at the sudden subject change. The boy's 19, and Sunggyu's pretty sure he cares more about his career than this. Sunggyu loves to drink, of course, but he’s more worried about Sungjong’s health and how he’s eating too much ramyeon for it to be healthy. The idol’s thin wrists don’t alleviate his worries at all.

“Sungjong, have you eaten yet? How about we meet up with the rest and go eat if they're still awake?” Sunggyu asks, trying to turn the subject back onto his health, which is the most important. The boy smiles at the question and shakes his head.

“It doesn’t matter, though. Let’s go drinking.”

As Sunggyu is tugged out of the store with his bag by Sungjong, they turn into a soju stall with barely anyone but a drunk, happy couple. 

“Miss, can we get 2 bottles of soju? Thank you,” Sungjong calls out, though Sunggyu interrupts him at the end, “Miss, also some chicken and hotteok? Thank you!”

Their orders come in relatively quickly, and Sunggyu briskly hands the food to Sungjong. “Eat first before drinking, Sungjong. You’ll feel better that way.”

Sungjong doesn’t interject, though he does give Sunggyu a soft look, and bites into the sweet honey hotteok. He smiles at the sweet taste, and Sunggyu feels some sort of relief after seeing the much skinny idol eat again, right in front of him.

He eats quietly, starting with the hotteok and ending with the chicken, and reaches for the soju until Sunggyu stops him, grasping his wrist.

“Sungjong, maybe you shouldn’t drink today,” he firmly says, although he’s quite sure that he’s overstepped his fan boundaries.

Come to think of it, is Sunggyu even a fan anymore? He's met with Sungjong's friends. He’s seen Sungjong in a setting that would for sure ruin him if he released it, and Sungjong’s given him his number (which he hasn’t even used once.) Hell, they were eating together right now, and he even stopped Sungjong from drinking!

Sungjong blatantly ignores him, wrenching his wrist from Sunggyu’s hand and drinking straight from the bottle. He manages to get a few swallows down before laughing, sticking his tongue out teasingly at Sunggyu.

“Wait, Sungjong-ah-” And the opening of the bottle connects with the idol’s lips as he drinks it down, and Sunggyu reaches over and grabs it from Sungjong’s long hands, with much drunken whining from the other. The entire bottle is empty now, and Sunggyu tries not to think about how Sungjong just consumed a whole bottle of heavy alcohol like it was nothing.

“Sunggyu-hyung~ What are you doing? I… was drinking that,” Sungjong hums out, and he spots the second soju bottle, only for Sunggyu to snatch it out of his hands quickly. He pouts, and Sunggyu sighs and points at the half-eaten chicken and hotteok. “Eat that.”

Sungjong complies with ease, nibbling on the soft ends of the pancake as Sunggyu gives the alcohol back to the stall owner. When he walks back to their small table, Sungjong’s head is rested on the blue table, and his hair is almost touching the chicken dish. 

He pulls the younger away from the table, ignoring how he mumbles random words and lyrics under his breath. “Sungjong, you have to go. Where should I drop you off?”

Sungjong lets out a lengthy hum, before loudly saying, “Don’t! Leave! Gyu-yah, I gotta tell you… tell you something. I… haven't told anyone else this, even… Myung-myungie.”

Sunggyu sighs for the umpteenth time that night. His house it is. He hails over a taxi, and with much difficulty, lugs the smaller body into the seat as the younger starts mumbling about ice cream and lemon candies.

“Gyu-zizi…” Sungjong suddenly drops his head onto Sunggyu's shoulder, making the older flinch from the sudden action.

“Yah, Sungjong-ah… Sungjong, wake up,” he whispers under his breath, shaking the younger softly. He got a few quiet exhale in response.

“Sir? We're here.”

“Ah, okay. Thank you.” Sunggyu takes off his coat and rests it on Sungjong's shoulders, before grabbing a cap and mask from his bag and placing it on Sungjong, ruffling his hair and hooking the elastic straps around his ears. He had to take measures in order for Sungjong to not be recognized by any bypassers; he wouldn't want a huge scandal happening to his favorite idol, after all.

Sungjong had woken up by now, still in a half-drunken state. Fortunately, because of that, he could stumble himself up the stairs to Sunggyu's apartment. 
Sunggyu trails after him, making sure that the younger wouldn't fall back and hurt himself. When they got to the top, he fetches the key from his bag and places it in the keyhole, turning it while linking his arm with Sungjong's to keep him balanced.

Once the door was open, Sungjong went ahead, kicking off his shoes and running towards the couch drunkenly. Sunggyu soon follows after, setting the younger’s and his shoes on the rack when he noticed something.

“Pff- insoles?” Sunggyu couldn't help but snort and laugh at that, before turning his attention back to Sungjong, who had thrown his cap and mask onto the black couch. All that was remaining was Sunggyu’s dark coat that enveloped his frame, his thin black sweatshirt, and his ripped skinny jeans.

“Sunggyu-yah! I have to tell you something,” Sungjong says, slurring his words. 

Before Sunggyu could answer, Sungjong interrupts him with a voice a tad lower than a shout, “I hate my company.”

Huh? Last time I heard, the entertainment company was good…

Sungjong continues to ramble, “It's like a prison, Sunggyu-hyung… Taking all my appearance fees, album sales, everything… There's a reason I live off ramyeon when I'm off camera, hyung. That's why you saw me… there, too, hyung. And when I don't give them it, or say no…” Sungjong takes an obvious look at his arm, and Sunggyu wonders what's wrong until he remembers…

Sungjong's arm in that club, wrapped in bandages, hints of bruises on his legs…

As Sunggyu tries to come up with comforting words for Sungjong, the younger seems to brighten up within a second. “But! Sunggyu-hyung, my contract is ending soon. In 6 months. This May, remember? Of course, you would; you're my fan, Sunggyu-hyung!” 

He giggles cutely afterward as Sunggyu tries to comprehend what the younger had just said.

Then, Sungjong drops his head on the leather couch, emitting soft snores a couple seconds later.

What just happened?

--

Sungjong's company took all of Sungjong's earnings, all the money that Sungjong had made for the past 3, almost 4 years.

That's why Sungjong had to eat ramyeon for his meals when he wasn't on camera. 

That's why Sungjong had to do… that in order to get money.

They hurt him when he tried to get out of it.

Their Sungjong, who was a worldwide star… the company dared to treat him like that? Even though he immediately became a hit at 15, immediately became a popular idol as soon he debuted?

But… why didn't Sungjong tell the others? Even though Nam Woohyun acted like a greasy boyfriend most of the time… Sunggyu could tell he really cared for the others.

Sunggyu rolls over in his bed, still not getting a wink of sleep after repeating in his mind that the real Lee Sungjong is sleeping in his home.

After the man had gone to sleep, Sunggyu had let him rest in one of the guest rooms. He took a quick shower and went to go to sleep before the previous conversation popped up in his mind.

And here he is, looking and fuming over Sungjong's situation. He had wanted to yell in frustration over him but instead decided to roll over and go to sleep.

The next morning was going to be hell for him, he could just sense it.