Story number: 1/30

Title: Strength

Pairing: Hyungsik-Dongjun

Song: Be My Girl

 

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    "Yah Kwanghee, you did mistake again."   "I didn't"   "You were dozing off just now didn't you?"   "Nooo. Well, just a little."   "Yah Kwanghee hyung, stop making trouble and make us practice longer than we had to."   "...okay fine...I'm sorry."     I could only watch the normal daily exchange between our choreographer specially hired for the coming concert, Kwanghee hyung and Heecheol hyung. Truthfully, it was a little irritating that we had to prolong our practice sessions because of minor careless mistakes. But on the other hand, I can kind of understand Kwanghee hyung's situation.   I'm tired too. Lately, I just realized how tiring it must've been for Kwanghee hyung all these years. No wonder he lose focus easily in dance practices. I'm surprised he barely complained about it. Well, maybe he did...but not to us. Dongjun too must be tired. He and Kwanghee hyung worked the hardest before Siwan hyung became popular too. Well, not to say the rest of us didn't. Just that, they had more personal schedules for as long as our first two years of debuting lasted, even until now, and they couldn't reject any offer because if they did, then we'd all be out of job. And people would forget about our existence. Sometimes I felt bad. I wanted to do anything that could make them feel better, but I didn't know how. I rarely see Kwanghee hyung, especially ever since we moved to two different dorms and the hyungs lived together separately than us, even though we just lived next door.   But even with Dongjun, who stayed in the same apartment as myself (though in different room), I never knew how to ease his burden.    Because he always seemed so strong. Even now, he was not affected at all by the scene that had managed to distract myself. Even now, he's still so focused in his dance moves without making a single mistake when I'm struggling with all the life in me to not make mistake even though I'm sleepy as hell. Now that I know how it felt to be popular, it made me wondered even more, how did Dongjun looked so alert? So energetic? So... fresh? So alive? Is he even human or is he a robot?       "Hyungsik hyung, Hyungsik hyung...wake up."   "Huh...?"   "Hyung...hahahah" He suddenly laughed heartily; his funny trademark laugh, even though I was so sleepy I could just go on sleeping forever, the laughter made me want to wake up.   "What...what time is it?"   "Hmm...fifteen minutes to twelve."   "Am...am I forgetting something? Do we have practice?" My eyes wandered. Nobody else was inside the room. Were they practicing? How could I be sleeping here? Shame filled every part in me, but I was just so tired I almost didn't want to care. But him...   Eyes so bright, smile so wide, spiky hair standing up so straight, entire presence that's just so...fresh. But...how? He's more tired than I am. All his shows are the ones that require so much energy. All I have to do at the moment is just act cute in my small drama role, and the only time I use all muscles to do draining activities like a real man would be when I'm filming for Real Men. Haa, how fitting. But...but...Dongjunnie...how? I can't understand.   "Not yet. Practice will begin later than scheduled. Maybe around one o'clock because Kwanghee hyung called and said his filming was delayed and he'd only be back earliest at one. Are you alright by the way? You look terrible."   "I'm just...I'm...alright." Tired or sleepy would be an understatement. I felt like I could melt into a puddle of nonsticky jelly. Felt like even if I eat a mountain of fried chicken or swim in a gigantic pot of ramen(with eggs) and a tower of burgers, wouldn't be enough to bring back the life in me to move a finger. Even to mutter a word now, was difficult. It's a miracle I could even answer him. Omma said if you woke up feeling so tired, it must be because you had done something tiring in your dream like travelling to another country, because when you sleep, your spirit goes out of your body, so if you dreamed of going to another country, it most probably really happened to your soul. That probably was what just happened though I couldn't recall any dream. I remembered the last time I felt so tired after dreaming of going to India to eat their curry and I was woken up before I could eat it.    How disappointing. Anyway...yeah. I'm...tired.   But really, how could I tell him how tired I am? Of all people, not him.   "Yah, get up, everyone else have eaten. I've saved food for you. Go eat them before they disappear."   "Oh..."       It was nearly five o'clock. We have to get up at six because there's morning schedule. Since time is so little, we decided to just sleep in the practice room, a normal occurence whenever there's nearing concert date. Most of them were already snoring.   But Dongjun hadn't. In fact, he just came back in after throwing the rubbish we made from all the midnight snacks.   He still, looked fresh.   "Oh...you're not asleep, hyung?"   "Yeah. Maybe because I've slept before coming here."   He nodded.   "Come lie down here. You only have one hour to sleep."   He complied and casually slid himself onto the floor without anything as pillow. And I closed my eyes, wanting to make the most of the little time we're left with. But my eyes kept threatening to open themselves to see how wou