Taesun had been getting quite used to being woken up by Hyunsoo, so this time he didn’t even bother yelling. He just sat up, opening his eyes slowly to look at Hyunsoo that stood at the foot of his bed. Hyunsoo’s expression looked so exited that it hurt. There was a large smile on his face that created wrinkles around his eyes. His eyebrows were knit together tightly, and his hands were tightly balled into fists, bent at a 90 degree angle. He was nearly shaking.

Taesun blinked at his strange energy before tentatively speaking. “What happened?” Taesun spoke slowly, slightly scared that Hyunsoo would pounce on him any moment. What he wasn’t prepared for was how loud he was going to be. All of the pent up energy in Hyunsoo’s body seemed to come out of his mouth when he let out a long, loud, high-pitched squeal. Taesun’s eyes opened even more.

“Hyung! I just had a meeting with CEO-nim and he said he has been watching me very closely” another squeal “He said I’m really talented and that he wants me to prepare for debut right away!” Hyunsoo’s words left his lips at a rapid pace, his body beginning to bounce with the excitement that wasn’t released with his words. Even when he finished talking all of his energy seemed to build right back up into his body like it had been when he woke Taesun up.

Taesun grinned at him, genuinely happy. He was glad Hyunsoo had gotten such high praise. That’s what they were here for anyway, to debut. Taesun pulled himself out of bed and wrapped his arm around Hyunsoo’s shoulders. Hyunsoo jumped slightly at the contact and stared at Taesun with wide, bright eyes.

“Good Job, Cassanova. Are you preparing solo?” Taesun asked, still smiling.

Hyunsoo shook his head, still looking as if he were on the brink of convulsing.

“No. A duo. We are going to be called ‘huMEN’. Our concept is that while we are celebrities, we are still human men. It’s a hip-hop duo.” Yet another squeal.

Taesun removed his arm from Hyunsoo’s shoulder, putting his index finger in his ear to protect his eardrum. He took a step back and opened his bedroom door.

“Well, let’s celebrate. I have class this afternoon so let’s go out for breakfast now.” Taesun smiled back at Hyunsoo. The curve of his lips fell when he saw Hyunsoo’s expression. His shoulders had dropped, all energy mystically gone. Hyunsoo looked at the ground, lifting an arm up to rub the back of his neck.

“Ah…. I can’t.” He mumbled.

Taesun let out a ‘huh?’ as he turned his body to face the younger male.

“What do you mean? Why can’t you?” He asked, looking at Hyunsoo.

Hyunsoo sighed and looked up to meet Taesun’s eyes.

“I have to move out. I’m moving in with my member. CEO-nim wants me to move today…. So I should really start packing.” Hyunsoo explained, the beginnings of a frown forming on his features.

Taesun nodded his head. He was surprised. He didn’t really think of the inevitable time when he and Hyunsoo wouldn’t be living together. Granted, it was inevitable, but it felt way too soon. Taesun pulled another smile. He didn’t want to hold Hyunsoo back from being excited.

“Then dinner. We will go out to a cool place, maybe go to karaoke.”

Hyunsoo only nodded, directing his gaze at the floor. Taesun laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

“Stop. You are being depressing. This isn’t a drama.” Taesun pulled Hyunsoo towards the door. “Go pack.”

Hyunsoo nodded again and followed Taesun’s instruction, leaving the room to pack up his belongings.

Taesun had left the dorm by the time Hyunsoo finished packing. Hyunsoo pushed all of his boxes into the living room before he left. After slipping his shoes on he looked around the living room, trying to remember anything that he might have forgotten. He shrugged his shoulders after a moment. If he really forgot anything he could always just call Taesun. It’s not like he was moving to a different country or anything.

Hyunsoo picked up a backpack that had a bunch of clothes in it and opened the door, stepping out. He was told that someone would pick them up for him later. Everything was beginning to feel so surreal once his excitement wore off. He was right there, preparing for debut. It had only been close to a year since he became a trainee and he was already preparing to live his dream. His first instinct was to call his family and tell them he was preparing. But, his phone in his pocket as he made his way to his new dorm, he quickly decided against it.

He wanted his father to be proud of him no matter what, but he knew that just beginning preparations wouldn’t change his father’s mind. He hadn’t really spoken to him since he got accepted as a trainee. He knew his father didn’t have a millimeter of support for Hyunsoo trying to become an idol. Hyunsoo could understand what his father meant when he said that it wasn’t something that would provide him with a stable future; but it didn’t mean that he agreed. The way Hyunsoo thought about it is that it has potential to become a stable career, but you need to have the passion and the talent. He felt that the only way he would flop and prove his father right was if he didn’t have the drive or talent. He would call when he debuts.

Hyunsoo stopped in front of a door, double checking the number on it before pulling a piece of paper out of his front pocket. He looked back and forth between the paper and the electronic number pad as he typed in the code to unlock the door. When he heard the ‘click’ he twisted the handle and stepped inside, slipping off his shoes after he locked the door.

The dorm was nearly identical to the one he shared with Taesun. The only difference was that this one looked like nobody lived in it. Every surface was clean to the point that it almost sparkled. Hyunsoo stepped into the living room and peeked down the hallway.

“Hello?” He called. When he didn’t get an answer back he assumed wasn’t here yet.

A small smile crept onto Hyunsoo’s face when he decided to claim his bedroom. He opened the first door in the hallway and stepped in, instantly claiming his room in his mind. He swung his backpack from his shoulders and tossed it on the floor, hurriedly making his way to the bed. Hyunsoo flung himself onto the bed, becoming comfortable quickly.

“Ah….” He sighed, closing his eyes.

“Why are you on my bed?” a voice came from the doorway. Hyunsoo sat up, scared, and turned to fave the voice.

A boy stood in front of him, dyed hair dripping onto his bare chest. His eyes were dark and hard as he stood there, silently waiting for Hyunsoo to answer. Hyunsoo jumped up from the bed and bowed a full 90 degrees.

“Hello, I think I’m your member. I didn’t think anyone was here yet.” Hyunsoo spoke to the floor. He straightened his back after a few seconds of silence from the other boy. When he looked up he saw the other boy’s eyes scanning his clothes carefully. Hyunsoo felt slightly awkward at that, he hadn’t really put much thought into his outfit today. He had only thrown on a pair of black drop-crotch pants and a tank since he figured he wouldn’t be doing much other than moving and training. He didn’t usually care what he wore, but the way this boy was scrutinizing him made him feel like he should have dressed up more.

After what felt like minutes the other boy stepped across the room, opening up a drawer that, Hyunsoo only now noticed, was full of clothed. He pulled out a tshirt with the sleeves cut off and a pair of underwear. He slipped both on, not seeming the least bit concerned that Hyunsoo was still in the room. Reaching in another drawer the boy pulled out a similar style of pants as Hyunsoo and slipped those on as well before finally turning to face him.

“Seong Haeri.” It was a short introduction, but it was really all that was needed. Hyunsoo nodded his head in response, offering his own name. Haeri spoke again as he bent over and picked up Hyunsoo’s backpack from the floor.

“Is this yours?” He asked, holding it out.

Hyunsoo really wasn’t sure how to treat this guy. He wasn’t being rude but something about him just made Hyunsoo feel like he should be on his best behavior. Hyunsoo nodded, giving a light ‘Yeah’ and taking it from Haeri’s hand. Haeri smiled a bit, which strangely looked more like a smirk.

“Please don’t touch my things anymore. That includes my clothes, and my bed.” There it was again. Hyunsoo could only nod to this. Haeri’s voice wasn’t harsh, and his tone didn’t sound like he was angry, but his words felt like they were…. Demanding.

Hyunsoo turned and left the room, thinking he would be incapable of standing in the room with Haeri much longer. Before he closed the door behind him Haeri spoke again.

“When you finish putting your bag down in your room meet me in the second floor dance studio. CEO-nim said we are going to begin preparing today.”

Hyunsoo didn’t answer and just closed the door.

This Chapter Features Song Haeri _(Aistudio)

So what are you guys thinking so far?

how do you like the name huMEN? I thought it was kinda funny _{(yaknow..... since human and huMEN basically sound the same?)}