Is it possible for a monster to end up with a hero?

Jongwoon pondered to himself as he looked at the handsome man in a white royalty-inspired attire before him. The gallant knight held his legendary sword firmly before pointing it at him. His brown hair and red shoulder cape fluttered slightly from the wind. Sharp brown eyes looked directly at him before the charming knight bravely declared.

"Accept your defeat, you evil monster! I won't let you harm any more innocent children!!"

"Yaaah! Go! Sir Reinhardt!!"

"Finish the monster!!!"

"You must win!!!"

"Take that ugly fish down!!!"

Well, I guess that answered my question.

Jongwoon inwardly sighed before focusing back on his character.

"Gah! Rarrrrrrrrrrrr!!"

He roared like a wild animal and ran at the brave knight with his fins spreading wide. However, the handsome knight skillfully dodged him and used his sword to stab him from behind. Jongwoon faked a whimpering cry in pain and masterfully fell down on his side on the stage, pretending to be dead. He kept lying still while the knight moved to stand in front of the crowd.

"The light of justice shall never be defeated!"

After that, Jongwoon waited for the cheering and clapping noise to disappear before pushing himself up to sit. While he was adjusting the head part, a large hand showed up in his field of vision behind the net hidden inside the monster's mouth.

"Good job, Jongwoon, though I have to say that your roar was more cute than scary."

"Thank you, sunbae..."

He mumbled shyly and placed his fin in the knight's offered hand, letting the man pull him up from the wooden stage. However, the ridiculously big head of the monster made him lose his footing and swayed left and right. Luckily, the handsome knight quickly caught him and let him lean on his body. Then, the knight whispered teasingly to him.

"What's wrong, Jongwoon? Did you fall for me?"

"!!?"

Jongwoon pushed himself out of the man's embrace and ran away while gripping the head part tightly so that it wouldn't fall off. His heart wouldn't stop jumping crazily even after that charming chuckle slowly faded into the distance.

.

.

.

Jongwoon ran away to his hiding spot, a deserted corner near the storage room. He sat down on an abandoned couch after making sure that his tail didn't get in the way and took off the heavy head part. With a tired sigh, he placed the monster head on the floor in front of him and stared at it absentmindedly.

"Two months... huh?"

**************************************************

Two months ago...

"Excuse me, what do you want me to be again?"

"Megalodonosaurus."

The older man pointed at a poster behind him and Jongwoon turned around to look. It was the theme park's promotional poster that featured a knight and a monster fighting. The monster had an upper body of a shark but a lower body of a dinosaur.

"Megalodonosaurus, or Megasaurus in short, is the arch-enemy of Sir Reinhardt the Knight of Justice who is our theme park's mascot. We hold a performance every weekend and you're to play as the villain. You must wear a heavy mascot suit in the hot weather and children will either hate you or afraid of you. Do you think you're up to it?"

"Of course!! I love children and I'm a very patient person, so I'll make a great Megasaurus!"

Besides, he really could use some part-time job that didn't take up much of his time. He had a final thesis to do before graduating from college in months which was his top priority.

"I like your enthusiasm. Alright, you're hired."

"Thank you so much! Jungsu-ssi!"

"No problem, but, can you start today?"

"Eh...?"

.

.

.

This mascot suit is heavier than I thought!

Jongwoon complained to himself as he tried to move around and got used to the suit before the showtime. Turned out the last person in charge of playing Megasaurus resigned without giving any notice so the theme park was in need of a new employee. No wonder the owner accepted him almost immediately!

"So, you're the new guy Jungsu hyung talked about?"

Jongwoon snapped his head up at where the unfamiliar voice came from. However, he forgot that he wore a heavy mascot suit now, so he lost balance and fell down on the floor. He couldn't help but wish for the earth to swallow him after hearing laughter and giggle around him.

"Are you alright? Here, let me help you."

The same unfamiliar voice offered to help him and Jongwoon was pulled safely back on his feet. He wanted to take a look at his hero but the net that gave a breathing room somewhat blocked his vision. He could only discern that his hero was a brown-haired man taller than him.

"Thank you for helping me."

"No big deal. We have to work together so we'd better get along well."

He didn't understand what the man meant by that until he was standing on a stage.

.

.

.

"Megasaurus! I'm here to stop you!"

So, his hero played as Sir Reinhardt? Well, it sure suited him. He said that they should get along well because they worked together, and he seemed to take his role seriously. So, he should show his hero that he wanted to get along with him too!

"Rarrr—"

Jongwoon tripped on his own foot and fell down to the stage.

"Hahahahahahahaha!!"

"Oh my god! Did Megasaurus just trip!!?"

"Stupid fish!!"

The crowd's laughter was enough to make Jongwoon tear up from embarrassment. He just got his job but he already doomed it, simply wonderful. He didn't want to do anything but lay there sobbing, hoping for the show to end and for his boss to kick him out.

"Children! Don't let the evil monster trick you!"

What? Jongwoon's ear perked up at the familiar yet unfamiliar warm voice.

"Megasaurus pretends to trip and tricks us to let our guards down. Don't fall for its scheme!"

"Really...?"

"Sir Reinhardt is right! We know how strong Megasaurus is. It can't be defeated by just tripping!"

"Yes!!! The monster must plan something!"

"Sir Reinhardt! Fighting!!"

Jongwoon didn't want to believe it but his hero saved him yet again. Biting his bottom lip, he pushed himself to stand up. He wouldn't waste this chance that his hero gave him! Getting back on his feet, he tried to make himself as big and as scary as possible, before roaring loudly and running towards the white knight.

"Roarrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!"

"Sir Reinhardt is right! Megasaurus faked it!"

"It tried to trick us!"

"Sir Reinhardt! Don't lose to the ugly fish!!"

Ignoring the children's hurtful words, Jongwoon slapped his fin full force but the knight caught it easily. His hero pulled the suit's fin and got him to stumble forward, before stabbing the back of the suit with a fake sword. He let himself fall flat to the stage, knowingly this time, with a long and painful cry. Jongwoon pretended to be dead and just lied there until the noise of the crowd was replaced by his hero's light-hearted chuckle.

"The audience is all gone. You can stop playing dead already."

"Oh, alright."

Jongwoon tried to push himself up but instantly fell down again. Damn, the head part was too heavy!

"Need my help?"

"... I'd like that."

He could feel his face burning at his hero's low chuckle when he was pulled back on his feet. Although he felt really embarrassed about his silly situation just now, he didn't let it get in the way of showing his gratitude to his hero.

"Thank you so much for saving me, not once but twice, I'd have been in trouble if it wasn't for your quick thinking th—"

"Watch out!"

While he was rambling on, Jongwoon somehow forgot that he was still in a heavy mascot suit and tried to bow down. The result? The heavy head part made him lose balance and stumble forward. His hero tried to save him but the monster's huge head made them both fall to the stage with him on top of his hero. The position they were in was quite comical too, what with the knight's head in the monster's jaw. Jongwoon would love to laugh too if he wasn't the one who got caught in this ridiculous situation. Literally, the only thing that prevented his lips from touching his hero's lips was a mere thin net hidden inside the monster's jaw.

"Oh? Aren't you an aggressive monster? Not that I mind though."

His hero playfully despite being squashed alive now. Although Jongwoon couldn't see the other man's face clearly, he still saw those eyes twinkling in pure mischief and instantly had a bad feeling about it.

"What now, Megasaurus? Are you going to eat me? If so, I suggest you hurry up and do it now, or else I might turn the table and eat you myself~"

His hero whispered in a voice lower than usual and it was enough to shock Jongwoon to his sense. He pushed himself up with power that he didn't know he processed and ran down the stage. He kept running until he no longer heard that charming voice and his heart had settled down to a gentle beat. Looking around, he found himself in a deserted corner of the backstage with no one in sight but one lone couch. He sat down on it and (finally) took the damn heavy head off. He was basically drenched in sweats and panting for oxygen, though it was hard to tell whether it was the mascot suit or his hero who stole his breath...

"There you are, Jongwoon-ah!"

Jongwoon literally jumped up in his seat from surprise. Turning back to look, he saw his boss was heading his way with a handsome middle-aged man falling into casual steps not far behind the theme park owner. His eyes immediately caught the brown hair and knightly attire of the latter man, and he knew without asking who that guy was— his hero. His boss was about to introduce them to one another but he couldn't let that happen, not when he was still blushing and looked like a mess! Without a second thought, Jongwoon quickly grabbed the head part and put it back on. However...

"..."

"..."

"...Pfft!"

Because he was in a hurry, Jongwoon didn't take a better look at the suit head and simply put it on. So, now he was wearing the back facing forward while the face facing backward, and he couldn't see anything for the life of him!

"Hyung, what should we do?" His hero immediately . "It seems like our Megasaurus has gone through a drastic transformation!"

Jongwoon had never felt like biting his tongue and just committing suicide this much before in his life.

"Kyuhyun-ah, don't . Jongwoon-ah, here, let me help you take that—"

"No, I'll do it!"

His hero, whose name was probably something-Kyuhyun, volunteered himself and got to work before Jongwoon got to protest. He yelped when the head part was suddenly taken off of himself. Bright light threatened to blind his eyes so he squinted them shut, before slowly opening them after a while.

"Hello," a handsome brown-haired man greeted him with a dashing smile, "we finally met."

Jongwoon's eyes were blinded instantly.

*************************************************

"So, it's been two months since I fell in love at first sight with Kyuhyun sunbae, huh?"

Jongwoon murmured while staring at the shark in front of him. The mascot suit stared back at him blankly and he could only sigh. He was in love with his senior who was way out of his league. That day after he went home, he did some research and found out that his hero, Kyuhyun sunbae, was no ordinary man. In fact, the older man was a famous musical actor who had played many main roles in many plays. He was very popular and well-off. So, his Sir Reinhardt role was purely out of his charitable mind that wanted to see children's smiles. All in all, his senior was a perfect, good-looking gentleman. Him? He was an average college student and a hard-working person at best. He didn't deserve to be with senior Kyuhyun at all.

But Jongwoon never gave up on this precious feeling.

***************************************

After making sure that the head part was perfectly in place, Jongwoon took a deep breath to calm down his crazy heartbeat and cheered himself up. He went back to the staff room and saw the man whom he was looking for in a second. As usual, his senior was surrounded by people. Taking another deep breath, Jongwoon braced himself and walked through the crowd until he stood in front of his crush.

"K-Kyuhyun sunbae," he said with a shaky voice, "I-I bought a hot chocolate for you..."

Through the monster's jaw, he vaguely made out his senior's teasing smile and gentle gaze, and his heartbeat immediately quickened up. The older man chuckled and took the plastic cup from him.

"Thank you, Jongwoon, but why don't you take that off and talk with me face to face? It must be really heavy, right?"

"N-No!! I'm fine!!"

Jongwoon instantly held the shark head when his senior reaching out as if to take the head part off for him, and only lowered his hands when the older man took his hand back.

"Alright, if you prefer staying like this. It's a shame though that I can't see your cute blushing face."

"S-Sunbae! Please don't tease me..."

"Sorry, sorry~ By the way, Jongwoon, are you free tomorrow after the show?"

"Y-Yes, I do, but why...?"

C-Could it be that... his senior wanted to ask him out...?

"Nothing. I was just curious!"

Jongwoon accidentally let out a meek cry while dropping his head dejectedly, though he gingerly looked up when he heard his senior's laughter.

"I'm kidding! Sorry, Jongwoon, you're just too cute that I can't resist teasing you!"

"Sunbae...!"

He whined while flapping his fins furiously, though it only fueled the older man's laughter more.

"I was kidding when I said that I was just curious. Jongwoon, I actually want to take you to dinner together. Are you fine with that?"

"I-I won't fall for the same trick twice!"

"I'm serious about it." The older man said with a firm voice. "Jongwoon, would you like to spend time with me tomorrow evening?"

The shark suit stood still as if the monster got cursed into a stone, though the truth wasn't that far off. Jongwoon was too stunned to even move a muscle. His poor brain was trying so hard to make sense of what his senior just said. Did... his sunbae just... ask him out...?

"S-Sunbae," Jongwoon stammered, "did you j-just ask me out...?"

"Yes, I did. Let's have dinner together and go to see some movies after that."

"Yes... Yes, I'd love to!!"

"Then, let's exchange phone numbers and see you tomorrow, Jongwoon."

"Yes, sunbae!!!"

Jongwoon was so happy that he didn't look where he was heading and ran straight into the wall.

***************************************************

The next day...

Last night, Jongwoon was so excited that he barely got any sleep. He kept imagining all kinds of situations in his head while grinning stupidly to himself. He finally caught his hyung's attention after trying (poorly and pitifully) for a whole two months. Although he had no idea how his silly attempts worked, he was glad nonetheless and would never waste this chance! That's why he spent hours after hours choosing his outfit and writing a script for tomorrow's dinner. In the end, he got to sleep for only two or three hours but his enthusiasm made up for the missing sleep. He breezed through the day with a huge grin stuck on his face all the time (albeit no one saw it because of the mascot suit). He even successfully finished the play without any mistake today!

"Jongwoon, I have to go meet the children for a photoshoot. Wait for me at the waiting room, alright?"

Jongwoon nodded and happily waved his hand sending off his senior back onto the stage to meet his fans. It probably took a while before the children let Sir Reinhardt go, so he might as well seize the chance to take a short nap!

"Found you!"

Someone suddenly grabbed his fin and he almost stumbled backward. Turning around, Jongwoon saw a young boy glaring at him while holding the shark's fin firmly.

"Megasaurus, you must come with me, now!"

"What? How did you get in here—"

Jongwoon immediately shut up after realizing that he just talked with the boy, even though Megasaurus supposed to be a monster. However, the little boy only rolled his eyes and continued to drag him along.

"I know you're a person wearing a mascot suit. However, my best friend really believes that Megasaurus is real so you'd better do your part!"

"Your best friend? Wait, who are you and where are we going?"

"I'm Hyukjae and you're about to meet my friend Donghae. Donghae is a big fan of Megasaurus so I'll take you there to see him."

Although Jongwoon understood nothing, he let Hyukjae drag him out from backstage to the theme park.

**********************************************

Jongwoon followed the little boy until they were at the garden area. Hyukjae let him go and ran to see another boy who was sitting on a bench.

"Hae-ah! Look who's here with me!"

"Who...? Eh!!? Megasaurus!!?"

The brown-haired boy gasped after seeing the monster behind his friend. Jumping down from the bench, the boy ran straight to Megasaurus and threw himself at the monster. Jongwoon hugged the boy back after Hyukjae nodded at him. The boy, Donghae, was b with happiness that he couldn't stand still while chatting with the monster.

"Megasaurus!! It's really you!! Did you know that I've always been your fan!!?"

"Eh... Rarr?"

"Of course you know! You're the Great Megasaurus, after all!!"

Donghae somehow understood him and looked even happier. The boy let go of his beloved monster and turned around to beam at his friend.

"Hyuk-ah, you actually take Megasaurus here!! I thought you were kidding with me!!"

"It's your birthday wish. Of course, I'll do my best to make it come true!"

Hyukjae said while glancing at him and Jongwoon immediately got it. Hyukjae's best friend is a fan of Megasaurus and today is his birthday. So, the boy snuck backstage to find him and take him here to meet his friend. Although he found that to be really cute and he was quite fond of Donghae (not to say that Donghae was the first kid who actually liked Megasaurus), he didn't forget that he had a date with his crush who was probably wondering where he was. He just had to find a way to get out of here without hurting the boy's feelings...

"Megasaurus! You'll play with me until Teukie hyung comes to take us home, right!!?"

...He couldn't do that, turning down the boy, not after Donghae looked at him with those bright eyes full of admiration. Quietly sighing to himself, Jongwoon turned to Hyukjae and hoped that the boy got his signal, which he did.

"Hae-ah, come here for a sec."

"Huh? What? Why?"

Hyukjae pulled Donghae away and slightly nodded at him. Jongwoon nodded back and seized the chance that Donghae didn't look at him to call his senior from within the mascot suit.

"Jongwoon? Where are you? You're not in the waiting room and I've been looking for you everywhere."

"Sunbae... I'm truly, really sorry but I can't make it to our dinner now..."

"What? Did something happen to you?"

"Nothing! It's just... I've got something urgent to take care of and I really can't go... Kyuhyun sunbae, I'm really, really sorry for breaking the promise, even though you asked me out... m-maybe the next time? Only if you still want to see me, of course! B-But I understand if you don't want to see me again after all of this! A-Anyway, I'm really sorry sunbae!!"

"Jongwoon—"

He wasn't brave enough to wait for his senior's reply so he quickly ended the call. He also turned off the phone like a coward he was. Jongwoon took a deep breath to stop tears that started to form at the corner of his eyes and nodded at Hyukjae. The boy nodded back and let his friend go. Free from his best friend's hold, Donghae ran to him and tackled him into a bear hug again while beaming brightly.

"Megasaurus!! You'll stay and play with me, right!!?"

"Rarr!!"

Jongwoon made the monster's signature roar and carried both kids up into his arms. Although his heart still ached from the lost opportunity, Donghae's joyous laughter and Hyukjae's genuine smile did a great deal in healing the wound. He headed further into the garden area per Donghae's direction while leaving his broken heart there, hoping for the wind to bring it along with his apology to senior Kyuhyun.

*************************************************

By the time Donghae and Hyukjae let him go, it was already two hours late for the appointment. Yet Jongwoon still ran with all his might to the waiting room, foolishly hoping that his senior might still be there. However, nothing but silence and darkness greeted him when he slammed the door open. His senior Kyuhyun probably had left already... Jongwoon didn't even bother to take off the mascot suit as he slumped down on a couch and cried quietly. He did it. He messed up with his own hands and utterly crushed the golden opportunity that his senior offered, all for two stranger boys whom he probably never met again. Despite the sadness in his heart, he didn't regret his choice. Even if he could turn back time, he would still choose to go with Donghae and Hyukjae instead of senior Kyuhyun. He loved the older man, very much so, but he would never prioritize his own selfish need over those children's innocent smiles. So, Jongwoon didn't blame those children for what happened and didn't happen. Instead, he blamed himself and his own misfortune. Maybe it was the sign from the universe that he shouldn't be with senior Kyuhyun? If that was the case then so be it.

As he thought, no matter how hard he tried, monster and hero could never end up together.

"I knew it. You're here, Jongwoon."

Surprised, Jongwoon looked up and saw his senior approaching him. The older man who had already changed his outfit into a casual one sat down beside him and smiled softly. Jongwoon was glad that he hadn't taken the mascot suit off yet so his senior didn't have to see his ugly crying face.

"S-Sunbae? W-Why are you here? I thought you already left..."

"Why would I? We made a promise, right? Besides, you were just accompanying Donghae and Hyukjae while Jungsu hyung was busy, of course, I can wait for you."

"Eh? Sunbae, you know those two kids...?"

"Yeah, Donghae is Jungsu hyung's younger brother and Hyukjae is the neighbor kid. Jungsu hyung was the one who told me that he saw you playing with them in the garden, so I went to hyung's office and took a nap while waiting for you."

Kyuhyun's tone softened at the next sentence.

"I tried calling you but I couldn't reach you. I wanted to tell you in person but I know that Donghae doesn't like Sir Reinhardt. So, I thought that I'll just wait until you were done. I'm sorry, Jongwoon, I didn't mean to make you cry..."

Jongwoon tried, really hard, too, but tears still trickled down his cheeks more and more as he cried louder. His sobbing agitated the older man as he tried to comfort him.

"Jongwoon, don't cry, it's all my fault. I'd have told you about it instead of leaving you in the dark—"

"N-No, sunbae, it's not your fault a-and I'm crying now because I'm really h-happy!"

"I'm glad to hear that, but, a smile suits you more, Jongwoon, so, please take off this suit and let me wipe those tears away."

Jongwoon gripped the head part firmer.

"I can't t-take it off! I'm crying like a baby and all sweaty now so I must be really ugly! I-I can't let you see me like this..."

"Nonsense. Jongwoon, you're the most beautiful person I've ever met, inside and out. You've worked hard to maintain Megasaurus's image even though most children hate you, punching and kicking you whenever they saw you in the theme park. You trip and fall and make mistakes, but you never give up. If anything, you work even harder to be the perfect Megasaurus that children can't help but genuinely dislike because your acting is that real to them, you are that real to them, Jongwoon."

Kyuhyun gently peeled the smaller hands off of the mascot suit and held them dearly, intertwining their fingers and bringing their palms closer.

"People might see the hideous Megasaurus when they look at you, but I know better than anyone that, underneath this monster's skin, it hides the most beautiful, kindest, and the most hard-working person."

"Sunbae..."

Jongwoon let his senior take off the mascot head revealing his puffy eyes and reddened nose. Far from his worry, senior Kyuhyun didn't seem to mind his messy look. The older man gently brushed his thumbs on his tear-stained cheeks and kissed his forehead.

"See? You're still beautiful despite everything."

"Kyuhyun sunbae..."

Pretty much like his tears, Jongwoon couldn't stop words that slipped out of his lips, words that he had kept hidden for two months. He threw himself at the older man and hugged him tightly, just in case that his words weren't enough to convince his senior.

"Kyuhyun sunbae, I love you! I know I'm still lacking in many ways but I promise I'll work even harder to be worthy of standing by your side!"

Still hugging the older man, Jongwoon glanced up at his senior with puppy eyes and pouted. Something shifted in Kyuhyun's brown eyes. The warm gaze he once knew turned sharper and burned brighter, and Jongwoon suddenly got goosebumps all over. Senior Kyuhyun's large hands on his face were still as gentle as ever, but the way those thumbs grazing his cheeks made him moan unintentionally.

"Jongwoon,"

"Y-Yes?"

"Promise me that you'll never show that adorable face to anyone but me."

"Eh? Yes, I promise."

"Good. Now, I know that we definitely can't make it to the restaurant that I made a reservation. However, my dinner invitation still stands so I want to take you to my place and have dinner together."

Jongwoon's hunch told him that there was some hidden meaning in those words but he happily nodded nonetheless. With his senior's help, he took off the mascot suit for good and put it back in the storage room. Before closing the door, he took another look at the mascot suit and smiled.

Monster and hero could never end up together? On the stage, perhaps, but behind the curtain?

"Jongwoon, let's go."

"Yes, sunbae!"

Jongwoon beamed brightly and caught up to his senior who was waiting for him with a fond smile on his face.

*******************************************

Extra 

"Am I imagining it or did we have more female audience?"

Jungsu murmured to himself while peeking from behind the curtain to the stage where Kyuhyun and Jongwoon were performing. One young girl staff heard him and explained to him with a light giggle.

"Boss, could it be that you haven't heard about "that" yet?"

"About what?"

"Something awesome! Let me show you!"

The girl showed her phone to him and Jungsu's brows tied into a knot at what he saw.

"Sir Reinhardt X Megasaurus? What is this?"

"As its name suggested, it's a club devoted to Sir Reinhardt and Megasaurus pairing!"

"WHAT!!?"

"Yep, you heard it right boss! There are people who ship Sir Reinhardt and Megasaurus! Though it all started with Kyuhyun oppa and Jongwoon oppa, not the characters themselves."

The girl showed him the website's gallery and clicked on one picture. It was a candid photo of Kyuhyun and Jongwoon at a secluded place. Jongwoon was leaning on the older man with a shy smile on his face, Megasaurus head resting by his feet. At the same time, Kyuhyun who was in Sir Reinhardt's outfit had his arm protectively around the younger man's slim figure while kissing Jongwoon's chubby cheek.

"Ever since this cute photo got leaked, more and more women took an interest in our mascots and play, hence the increase in the female audience!"

Jungsu didn't know how he should feel about the fact that many people shipped the hero and the monster together. He looked at the audience and frowned after seeing many women cooing at Kyuhyun who sneakily and secretly helped Jongwoon so that the younger man didn't fall down too hard onto the stage.

Jungsu shrugged.

Well, everyone was happy so he saw no problem with it. Besides, he would never say no to more profits!