“Fundraiser?” Joon asked as he sat down in Hyunsik’s office.  He had wondered why he had been suddenly called over.

Hyunsik nodded as he sat down as well and took off his glasses.  He massaged his eyes before he said, “It’s the annual Lee-Song Group Fundraiser.  Executives from their top subsidiaries and affiliates attend with their fat chequebooks to meet and donate large amounts of money to non-profit organizations.  It’s a pretty big publicity stunt that Lee-Song puts on every year to try and project the image of a kind and socially responsible organization.”  He sighed and shook his head.  “In actuality, it’s the subsidiaries that do the donating; Lee-Song doesn’t give out a single cent,” he muttered.  He leaned forward and looked at Joon.  “I’ll be representing KTA this year and the fat man told me to bring you and a few of my favourite trainees,” Hyunsik said, “I’m afraid I can’t really say no.”

Joon felt the hair on his neck stand on end at the mention of Kim Dongmin.  A month had passed since he had secretly met with Jin.  The things he had learned that night… he hadn’t told anyone, not even Seungho.  Now that he knew of his origins, he was terrified that it would somehow change everything.  Would people treat him differently if they knew that he was the original heir to the Lee-Song throne?  Would Song Bangna come back and try to kill him again?  Would Seungho’s love for him change? 

He had debated whether or not he should tell Seungho.  The only secret he had ever kept from Seungho was his then-friendship with Hyunwoo… and look where that got him.  But… if he told Seungho the truth about his identity, would anything change between them?  Knowing Seungho’s personality, Joon doubted anything would change.  Seungho had stood by him even when he had felt worthless and dirty… Joon had faith that Seungho would do the same again.  But even still, he hadn’t mentioned a word.  Seungho’s health had only just begun to adjust to his crazy schedules.  He was finally starting to look healthier, even fitter.  Burdening him with all of this information now would likely send him spiralling back into another period of poor health; Joon didn’t want to risk the possibility.

“Did…” Joon asked slowly, “Did Kim-sajangnim say why he wanted me to attend?”  Surely it wasn’t because Dongmin still suspected him… was it?

“I’m not sure,” Hyunsik said, sighing, “He seems to be quite fond of you despite having met you only twice.  He said something about how you reminded him of someone he used to know.”  He rolled his eyes and said, “Honestly, that man gives me the creeps.”

Joon nodded and bit his lip.  He reminded Dongmin of someone he used to know?  He was probably talking about Lee Sukgyun…

“Anyhow,” Hyunsik said, “I was thinking of taking Seungho and Cheondoong as well.”  

Joon’s eyes widened.  “Why?” he asked, “Why bring them?”  He felt a twinge of worry at the thought of exposing them to Dongmin.

Hyunsik sighed and said, “They’re both excelling in training and have been recommended to me by their trainers.  I also thought you would want Seungho to be there with you.  Was I wrong?”

Taken aback, Joon cleared his throat and said, “I… Why would you think that?”  Did Hyunsik know about their relationship?  They hadn’t told anyone about it yet; they had no plans to in the near future.  But… Hyunsik was unusually sharp…

Hyunsik raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair.  “Joon-ah,” he said, twiddling his thumbs, “Do I look like an idiot?”  His tone was light-hearted but his words obviously implied that he knew.  “Actually,” he said as if remembering something important, “That reminds me.  I wanted to talk to you about that.”

“Hyung…” Joon started but Hyunsik promptly interrupted him.

“Don’t tell me; I don’t want to know,” he said, “I just wanted to warn you that, whatever your relationship is with Yang Seungho, you should keep it to yourself.  I don’t have any ill-feelings towards it myself.  Hell, if it made you work harder and earn more money, then I say carry on.  But…”  He trailed off and sighed.  “We’re not in a society where ambiguous relationships between men are readily accepted,” he warned, “And although we don’t have a policy to restrict romantic relationships amongst our talents, you can be sure that management will raise a stink about it if they find out.  If it really comes to that, even I will have a hard time protecting you.  Understand?”

Joon nodded, and looked at his hand.  He felt guilty for keeping Hyunsik in the dark about his relationship with Seungho.  After all, it could cause serious trouble in the agency.  However, Joon was confident that he could keep it a secret.  They were very careful with their interaction outside of the dorm and did their best to avoid making loud noises.

Hyunsik’s expression relaxed as he nodded.  “Now,” he said, “Back to the issue at hand.  The fundraiser will be held next Friday at the Haneul Hotel grand lobby.  You won’t have a schedule and I can have the other two excused from training.”  

Joon nodded silently.  There was no way he could turn this down; it was a request Dongmin had made directly to Hyunsik.  If he turned it down, Hyunsik would be in a bad position and there was no way Joon could do that to him.  He would have to risk it…

“Make sure your coordinator dresses you up nice,” Hyunsik added as he stood and stretched, “The queen of Lee-Song will be there so we need to make a statement.”

Joon felt the bottom drop out of his stomach.  Queen of Lee-Song?  Song Bangna was going to attend the fundraiser?  He felt his heart palpitate at the thought of coming face to face with the woman who had plotted to kill him.  Would she recognize him? 

“What’s wrong?” Hyunsik asked, noticing that Joon had turned a shade of gray.

Joon looked up at Hyunsik as a mental debate took place in his head.  Should he tell Hyunsik about his past?  He wanted to; it would be a load off of his shoulders.  But… how would Hyunsik react?  Would he betray Joon like Dongmin had betrayed his closest friends?  He was a top executive at KTA after all… he may be forced to even if he didn’t want to.

When Hyunsik raised an eyebrow again, Joon spread a fake smile across his lips and shook his head.  “I’m fine,” he said, “Just… a little tired.”  He stood as well and bowed.  “If that’s everything, then I’ll be on my way,” he said softly.  When Hyunsik nodded, Joon made his way to the door.

“Joon-ah,” Hyunsik called him again, concern barely hidden in his voice, “You sure you’re alright?”

Joon turned to him and nodded again.  “I’m fine,” he said.  With a bow, he exited the office and closed the door behind him.  His heart thudded in his chest as he walked down the hall in a daze.  “I’m fine,” he murmured to himself, “I’ll… be fine, right?”

Cheondoong leaned his head against the wall as he sat down in the corner of the dance studio.  His T-shirt had soaked through with sweat by the afternoon and had left him feeling grimy for the rest of the afternoon.  He had skipped lunch, opting to practice on his own while their instructor was down with the flu.  Now, at near dinner time, he was feeling the consequences of skipping lunch.

He took a few gulps of his water and wiped the sweat from his brows.  He was exhausted, despite it being a Saturday.  Balancing a full day of class with practice had been tough but he had learned to adjust.  His grades were still at their best despite the long days.  His high school had gotten wind of his trainee status and often gave him leniency that other students would be jealous of.  Still, Cheondoong did his best to stay on top of his studies and so far, things were going well.

He was brought out of his daze when his phone beeped.  Grabbing it, he was surprised to find a text message from Changwook.  The boy had kept in contact with him throughout the two months he had been at the agency and often enthusiastically texted Cheondoong about his day.  A smile spread across Cheondoong’s lips as he opened the message and read the contents.

[Hyung!  Let’s have dinner!]

The message was short and to the point; it was just like Changwook to send such a message.  Cheondoong glanced at his watch; it was nearly 6:30 PM.  Since he did have the day off… why not?  Setting down his water bottle, he began typing the reply, [Sounds good.  What do you want to eat?]

A reply came within seconds, making him chuckle at the kid’s enthusiasm.

[Gochujang-jiggae!]

Cheondoong grinned as he responded, his stomach already growling with hunger.  [Great, I can meet you at the restaurant in an hour.  Sound good?]

Changwook’s next message suddenly made his heart skip a beat.

[Deal!  But Soyun-noona is coming too… is that okay?  I tried to get out of it but I can’t go anywhere without her tagging along.]

Cheondoong’s eyes widened as he read the message.  He couldn’t help the sudden rush of excitement at the prospect of seeing Soyun.  Eagerly, he replied, [Of course it’s fine.]

Jumping up in excitement, Cheondoong grabbed his duffle bag and nearly skipped his way back to the dorm.  Settling himself, he entered the dorm and kicked off his shoes.  He felt his eye twitch when he spotted Yongjae’s lazy form sprawled on his bed.  

Yongjae looked up from his dirty magazine as Cheondoong walked over to the closet.  Raising an eyebrow, he went back to his magazine without saying a word.

Thankful for the silence, Cheondoong dumped the duffle bag at the foot of his bed and grabbed a change of clothes.  Shuffling into the shower quickly, he scrubbed all of the sweat from his body and dried off.  Changing into fresh clothes, he blow-dried his hair and ran his fingers through it.  Nodding in approval at his reflection, he walked back out to the main area to find Yongjae in the exact same position.

Yongjae glanced at him again, this time setting the magazine down and sitting up with raised eyebrows.  “What are you getting all dressed up for?” he asked sarcastically.

“I’m going out for dinner,” Cheondoong replied shortly.

“I thought you trainees had training until morning?” Yongjae yawned, throwing his legs up onto Cheondoong’s bed, “Who said you could go out for dinner?”

“Us trainees got the day off,” Cheondoong said, dumping his duffle bag onto his bed, right on top of Yongjae’s feet.  The latter scowled and removed his feet from the bed.  “If there’s nothing else,” Cheondoong said, bowing dramatically, “I’ll be on my way.”  Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked to the door.  Slipping on his shoes, he grabbed his winter jacket and stepped outside.

As he stepped out onto the streets, Cheondoong took a deep breath of fresh air.  He could feel the excitement tingle through his body as he walked to the bus stop.  He hopped on the next available bus and grabbed a seat by the window.  The bus ride seemed much longer than it was, making him unable to sit still as the bus rumbled to his destination.

Arriving a few minutes early, he climbed off the bus walked to the front of the restaurant.  Changwook and Soyun hadn’t arrived yet, giving him a few minutes time to check his reflection in the glass.  Tucking his hands into the pocket of his coat, he leaned against the wall and waited.  It wasn’t a long wait, however.  Soon, a black sedan pulled up to the restaurant.

Changwook climbed out, practically bouncing with excitement.  His eyes lit up as he spotted Cheondoong and ran over to hug him.  Behind him, Soyun climbed out with an exasperated expression on her face.

Cheondoong chuckled as Changwook plowed into him.  “Oh Wook-ah,” he teased, ruffling the boy’s hair, “About time you got here.”  

Changwook looked up with a dramatic sigh.  “Soyun-noona took forever,” he complained, throwing her an eye roll, “Women.”  He nodded as if he was well-versed in the subject of women, making Cheondoong laugh.

“As if,” Soyun said, crossing her arms, “I took all of five minutes so stop your whining.”  She turned to Cheondoong and smiled.  “Good to see you again, Cheondoong-shi,” she said, “Sorry to call you on such short notice.”

Cheondoong felt his heart skip a beat as he cleared his throat.  “No problem at all,” he said, trying to appear cool and collected, “I was starving anyways so it was good timing.”

Soyun smiled and teased, “You look good.”

Taken aback, Cheondoong stuttered, “Ah… er, y-you too.”  And he meant it.  Unlike the first time they had met, Soyun had discarded her business casual skirt for snug jeans and knee-high winter boots.  And rather than a blouse, she had on a fluffy pink sweater.  Her hair was left flowing freely down her back and her face was made up with minimal make up.  She looked breathtaking, which probably explained why Cheondoong had difficulties speaking.

Changwook scowled at Soyun and tugged on Cheondoong’s arm.  “Stop flirting,” he called out, making Cheondoong flush a brilliant shade of red, “I’m starving and cold.”

Soyun laughed at Cheondoong’s reaction and said, “I’m cold too.  Let’s get inside.”  With a grin, she ushered Changwook inside.

Hoping the cold air had cooled his face, Cheondoong followed them inside and took a seat.  When the waitress came over, they placed their orders and were served hot tea.

“So,” Changwook said, “When are you going to invite me over to your house?”  He looked at Cheondoong with expectant eyes as he waited for a sincere answer.

“Changwook,” Soyun scolded, “That’s rude.”

Cheondoong chuckled.  Things hadn’t changed between them at all in the last two months.  “My place isn’t really suitable for company,” Cheondoong admitted, sipping his tea, “I have a roommate who’s… less than pleasant.”

“Eh…” Changwook pouted.  He sipped his tea with a frown on his face before it suddenly lit up with an idea.  “Then how about you come to my house?” he asked, bouncing in his chair, “I have games that we could play… you could even sleep over!”

Cheondoong blinked in surprise.  “I can’t just come over,” he laughed, “Your parents wouldn’t be happy.”

“It’s okay,” Changwook insisted, looking at Soyun for support, “My mom lets me do what I want anyways.”

“It’s probably not the best idea, Wookie-yah,” Soyun said softly, nudging Changwook in the ribs.  She glanced at Cheondoong apologetically and said, “It’s just that Changwook’s mother isn’t fond of strangers and… she’s very protective of Wookie.”

Cheondoong smiled reassuringly and replied, “Don’t worry about it; I understand.  My father was like that as well.”

Soyun paused and hesitated briefly before she asked, “Was?”

Cheondoong nodded.  “He…” he said, “He passed away about a year ago from cancer.”  He looked at his tea solemnly, his fingers fiddling with the cup.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Soyun said, reaching a hand over and placing it on his arm.

Cheondoong jumped in surprise at the contact.  His heart raced as he looked at Soyun with a surprised expression.  It must’ve embarrassed Soyun because she quickly retracted her hand and cleared .  A soft blush crept up her neck as she sipped her own tea.

“What about your mom?” Changwook asked, interrupting their awkward atmosphere.

Again, Cheondoong was taken aback by Changwook’s straightforwardness.  “My mom…” Cheondoong said, thinking back to his mother.  It had been over eight months since the last time he saw or spoke to his mother.  It was before Dara’s accident, when things had been rough between them.  At the time, Dara had rescued Joon from the basement of their home… leading to a horrific murder attempt.  Even after the accident, she never showed her face at the hospital in fear that she would be arrested for her crimes.  Until now, Cheondoong lived as if she didn’t exist.  It was the best for him and her.  “My mom isn’t really in my life,” Cheondoong said, smiling at him.

“Is she never around too?” Changwook asked, his face sad with empathy.  He blinked when Soyun elbowed him in the ribs again.  “What?” he asked, scowling.  Dismissing her, he turned to Cheondoong and said, “My mom’s never around either.  She’s always at work or in her study…”

They fell silent as the server brought them their orders.  They stared at their soups in silence in the depressing atmosphere.

Suddenly, Soyun clapped her hands and took a deep breath.  “What’s with this dull atmosphere?” she asked, nudging Changwook and kicking Cheondoong lightly in the shins, “The food smells great and the weather is beautiful!  The company’s not too bad either.”  She winked at Cheondoong as he chuckled in response.

“Yeesh,” Changwook said, making a face at Soyun, “If you were any cheesier, they’d sprinkle you over pizza.”  Shaking his head dramatically, he picked up his spoon and grinned at Cheondoong.  “Hyung,” he said, “Next time, let’s go ride a rollercoaster!”

“Rollercoaster?” Cheondoong replied as he dug into his food, “You like rollercoasters?”

Soyun snorted as Changwook nodded.  “He’s terrified of them,” she said, earning herself a glare from Changwook, “I was lucky I brought him an extra pair of pants the last time we went-”

“Noona!” Changwook yelled indignantly, his mouth full of rice and soup, “At least I wasn’t puking corndogs everywhere-”

“Yah,” Soyun said, flicking his forehead, “Who cried about going to the zoo after peeing his pants?”

Cheondoong laughed as the two bickered endlessly throughout dinner.  Before he knew it, the night passed by in a blur.  Soon, the skies grew dark.  As the three left the restaurant, they were feeling especially giddy from the delicious food and each other’s company.  After a few minutes of chatter, the same black sedan pulled up in front of the restaurant.

As they bid farewell, Changwook hugged Cheondoong tightly.  He held on for a long time before Soyun tugged him away gently.

“Let’s meet again soon, okay?” Changwook said, his face a bit sad, “Not in another two months…”

“Soon,” Cheondoong said, holding out a pinky, “I promise.”

Changwook’s face cracked into a grin as he hooked his pinky around Cheondoong’s and sealed the promise.  With a wave, he crawled into the back of the vehicle.

“Thank you for dinner,” Soyun said, bowing politely, “Please do invite us again next time.  Changwookie… he gets lonely sometimes.”  She smiled softly, and said, “It’s great to see him so happy.”

“I will,” Cheondoong agreed, suddenly feeling nervous again without Changwook by his side.  As Soyun turned towards the car, Cheondoong blurted out in a moment of courage, “Soyun… noona.  Changwook isn’t the only one that can text me.”  When Soyun looked back at him in surprise, he quickly added, “It… It’d be nice to get a text from you too… once… once in a while.”  He felt his neck flush as he muttered the last few words.  Embarrassment flooded through him as he mentally kicked himself for sounding so foolish.

To his surprise, however, Soyun also flushed a shade of pink before she smiled and nodded shyly.  With one last look at him, she climbed into the vehicle and closed the door behind her.  

Cheondoong watched as they drove off.  His heart thudded in his chest as he felt a sense of euphoria in his head.  He couldn’t help the grin that broke across his face as he made his way to the bus stop.  Like a school girl in love, he grinned like a fool for the entire bus ride home.

Author's notes:

A lot of you wanted more of Changwook so here he is!  A bit of SoDoong fluff for you to lighten things up!