iii.




“Hurry up,” hissed Junhyung, eyes livid as he glared at
everyone and held the door open. 

Doojoon rolled his eyes and grinned. “Calm down, Jun.
You’re not the only one who cares about Kikwang.”

That being said, Doojoon chuckled and strolled out of the
bedroom liesurely, a box tucked under his arm as Junhyung
scowled, face flushed. Hyunseung giggled and picked up
another box, stepping past the younger lad. Dongwoon followed
close behind, long arms laden with colourful streamers as he
frowned in concentration, trying not to trip over them. His gaze
fell on the calender pinned to their wall. March was finally coming
to an end, he noted with a soft smile.

Yoseob was last, face scrunched up thoughtfully as he stared
at the cake in his hands, a small pout on his lips. “Think he’ll like it?”

Junhyung glanced down at the visual maknae and raised an
eyebrow, shrugging and smirking faintly. “As long as it’s edible,
he’ll be happy.”

Yoseob snorted and walked out of the room, Junhyung close
on his heels as he made his way to the kitchen before sliding the
cake into the refrigerator. The five of them had been planning
Kikwang’s birthday for a while now. It had already passed, but busy
schedules and lack of time had made it impossible to do anything
until now and they had taken the first opportunity they found to
arrange a surprise party for the dark haired dancer. 

“When is he coming home again?” questioned Hyunseung, already
tired from his day’s work as he gracefully flopped down onto a chair
and tapped his fingers against the metallic counter. 

“Hyung said he’d be home by eleven,” quipped Dongwoon, helpfully
buzzing around to fill the dorm with decorations. He seemed to be the
most enthusiastic about the whole thing and he smiled from ear to ear
as he did everything he was told to do, nimble fingers working on each
task with careful precision. 

“We still have about an hour then,” nodded Doojoon, taking a seat
beside Hyunseung as he stretched lightly, biting back a yawn. He smiled
fondly at the thought of the second youngest member and shook his head
as he leaned back into the chair, gaze falling on the cans of coke
Junhyung was lovingly rearranging on the table. 

He snorted and grinned, rolling his eyes as he turned to Dongwoon
and struck up a conversation.

Yoseob meanwhile was sitting in the living room, pouting slightly.
He’d wanted the day to be more special. He’d wanted a nicer cake,
balloons, good food and the best of everything else. Sliding down into
the plush leather of the couch, he huffed quietly under his breath and
sighed as Junhyung came and rolled onto him on the couch lazily,
before poking the younger’s cheek.

Smiling faintly, Yoseob flicked Junhyung’s forehead and raised an
eyebrow as he looked up at the coke cans not too far away.
“Too much, don’t you think?”

Junhyung scoffed and sat up straight, running a meticulous hand
through his dark hair. “No such thing as too much coke,” he murmured,
grabbing the remote from his friend, earning a laugh from the brunet.

An hour passed by slowly and Hyunseung was more than half asleep,
sprawled over the kitchen counter as Doojoon absently threw small
balls of rolled up tissue at him, eyes half shut. Dongwoon was the only
hyper one as he anxiously flittered from room to room, making sure
everything was alright for their small surprise. Junhyung had already
fallen asleep, cushion clutched in his hands, and Yoseob was sprawled
somewhere between the couch and the floor, blinking up at the ceiling
in interest as he admired its perfect shade of white. 

Everyone was too distracted when the lock finally clicked open and the
front door swung forward, beckoning Kikwang into the dorm. It was only
when he blinked in confusion at the bright decor and mass of junk food
that Kikwang spoke up and startled the rest of his bandmates. Hyunseung
snapped up straight, eyes widening as he whirled around to face Kikwang.
Stumbling off the chair, he tripped and fumbled his way to the light switch
before turning off all the lights, enveloping the room in darkness. 

Kikwang blinked once more, confused and worried about his hyung as
he took a tentative step forward in the dark. Everything else happened in a
rushed blur as Hyunseung flipped the lights back on again, before pressing
his nose to Kikwang’s and smiling brightly- Kikwang almost swore he had a
heart attack- as he hugged the younger tightly. “Surprise! Happy birthday, Kiki!”

Kikwang blinked for what seemed to be the umpteenth time as Doojoon
slapped a hand to his forehead hopelessly and shook his head. Snorting
and smiling, the leader stepped over to the perplexed youth and laid a hand
over his head, ruffling his hair. “Happy birthday, kid.”

Dongwoon was next to rush in as he tackled Kikwang into a bear hug, all
arms and legs and messy brown hair as he laughed and clung to his friend.
“Happy birthday, hyung!”

Kikwang was almost dizzy with lack of air as Dongwoon squeezed his ribs
in a tight hug and he couldn’t help the silly smile that crept its way up his
lips. Junhyung and Yoseob stepped into the kitchen soon after, peering
in sleepily before jolting awake and breaking into wide smiles. Junhyung
grinned widely as he threw an arm around Kikwang’s shoulders and pulled
him in for a tight hug, earning a giggle from the shorter male.
“Happy birthday, Kiki,” he whispered before ing a can of coke into his
hands and winking playfully. 

By now Kikwang’s cheeks were starting to hurt by the sheer force of his smile
and he was all bright eyes and gleaming white teeth as he laughed and greeted
s, blushing in gleeful embarrassment as Dongwoon pulled them
all in for a group hug. Yells were sounded from the five of them, followed by
whines and protests as they found themselves squished together by the
youngest. 

Yoseob smiled faintly as he stood off to the corner of the kitchen,
surveying the scene before him happily. Plastering a bright smile onto
his features, he let out a yell before throwing himself into the circle of
friends, earning a chorus of laughter and ruffling of hair. 

It was well into the night when everyone finally trudged off to their
beds, half dressed and minds buzzing with sleep and adrenaline, smiles
pulling at their lips as they slid into their respective beds and slowly fell
asleep amidst quiet giggles and hushed chatter.

Kikwang chuckled softly to himself as he stared up at the bunk above him.
He blinked curiously as the bunk shifted and a tousled head hung down
from above to peer down at him. 

Tilting his head, Kikwang flashed Yoseob a warm smile, recieving a wide
smile in return before the elder carefully made his way down and crawled
onto the former’s bed. Hovering over him, Yoseob smiled and leaned down to
press his lips against Kikwang’s, whispering a quiet, “Happy birthday,” before
giggling as the younger rolled over and tackled him into the sheets in a
frantic hug.



“Thank you.”





iv.


The lights dimmed, the air thickened and the crowd roared. Kikwang put
on his signature smile as the stage lights hit him, screams and shouts
resonating off the stadium walls as he gripped his mic tightly. Adrenaline rushed
through his veins and his heart hammered beneath his ribs; anxiety before a
performance was a mandatory emotion for him despite having performed
live so many times.

Sweat rolled down his forehead in small beads of perspiration, leaving thin
tracks of pale skin between powdered makeup. He danced his parts, sung
his lines and moved his body fluidly, gaze set on the audience but mind lost
in another dimension. Dongwoon moved past him and threw him a concerned look,
smiling unsurely as he glanced at Hyunseung who shrugged in response and
plastered on a smile as well as the camera swung to focus on him. 

Doojoon belted out his own lines, all sweat and veins and knitted brows as he
moved across the stage like a pro, catching the eyes and hearts of B2UTYs all
around. Junhyung practically spewed charisma, rapping out self-executed lyrics
with precision and class, brown hair falling over his eyes as he smirked against
the mic, fingers elegantly folded over the cool metal. 


And then there was Yoseob. 

Yoseob, who stole the spotlight over and over again. His voice echoed off the
stadium walls with confidence as he doubled over, mic pressed to his lips, lungs
belting out high note after high note as the crowd went wild. He danced, he sung,
he winked, he smiled, he showed ‘aegyo’ and he did it all better than Kikwang. 

Kikwang, who put a hundred percent effort into everything but was never
good enough. Kikwang, who the fans claimed to like, but was always
overshadowed. Kikwang, who everyone accused of stealing the spotlight with his
figure and dance skills, but who was always somehow left behind. Kikwang, who
was bright and smart and serious in his own way, but who was assumed to be
an imbecile.

Dark eyes fluttered shut momentarily as Kikwang blinked, drowning out the
noise of the music, the fans and the air around around them. He focused on
himself and himself alone as he stepped back, smile fading, and broke into a
routine dance, earning a cheer from the audience as he forced another bright smile.
This was temporary. This attention, this moment; soon it would all be taken away.
And for what? For him. And Kikwang knew that he could never compare to the elder;
never be good enough in anyone's eyes. He had the figure, he could dance; what
else? Did anyone truly like him for who he was? He sighed shakily. The sound
echoed through the stadium and screams once again echoed through the dim hall
as Kikwang smiled faintly, waiting for his few seconds of attention to fade away.

And he was right. The music dimmed, his legs came to a halt and he spun to
a stop as the lights flickered. When the music started up again, it was all
Yoseob Yoseob Yoseob and Kikwang was pushed to the background once more,
heart slowing down before racing again as he breathed in and breathed out. 

His gaze fell on the elder brunet, eyes hardening for a split second before
softening once more as he sighed, hair matted to his forehead and clothes clinging
to him like a second skin. He watched as Yoseob stole the stage once more. He watched
as the other members fluttered about him, showering him with affection as the crowd
went wild once more. Here, Yoseob threw a hand over Doojoon’s neck and pulled
him close, a bright smile etched onto his features, and Kikwang’s gaze dropped to
his feet as he clutched his mic more tightly. 

Perhaps it wasn’t the crowd he feared being invisible to; maybe he just wanted
Yoseob to notice him a bit more.