For 4DPrince_Seung
~Infinite Secret Santa 2013~ *Santas Revealed!*For 4DPrince_Seung
Couple: Woogyu
Prompt: Woohyun advertises himself as a boyfriend for rent.
“He’s doing it again,” Myungsoo sighed, rubbing his forehead as he went on to sign the last autograph for the fan in front of him.
“Thank you, oppa!” she squealed, and Myungsoo flashed a short smile at her before motioning her to move along.
“Who’s doing what again?” Sungyeol, who was sitting next to him, asked. He quickly autographed the girl’s album cover, shot a nice smile, then moved on.
It was a chilly December morning, and Infinite had finally come back to Korea for a fan-signing event. Their return from their One Great Step world tour had brought back huge success, and even that more many fans. Everyone did a job well done, from the makeup artists to the Infinite members to their managers and even to Woolim’s CEO. Alas, their world tour was over and things were slowly drifting back to normal. As promised by their CEO, Infinite would receive a few weeks of holiday vacation soon, after this last fan-signing among a few other events to leave off on the winter holidays.
The members were overjoyed at the aspiration of a winter holiday, something that most idols would never receive at all. In just a few days, Infinite would return home to their families, a flurry of ‘welcome home’s and hugs and reunions scheduled to take place. Thus, after all these years of hard work and effort, Infinite was more than looking forward to their first time off.
“Woohyun,” Myungsoo answered. “He’s acting overly greasy today, even for him.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Dongwoo, who sat on Myungsoo’s other side, asked. The fansigning event was almost over, and although there was still a huge line of fans in the back waiting to meet their idols, the managers had to hold them back with sincere apologies. Infinite had been signing autographs for almost two hours now, and they needed to leave.
“Myungsoo says that Woohyun’s acting awfully greasy today,” Sungyeol answered.
“Just look at him,” Myungsoo whispered shortly, jerking his head over to the main vocal.
The three members’ heads snapped over to Woohyun’s direction in laughable synchronicity, causing even Sungjong, who sat at the end of the row, to turn his head also.
There Woohyun was, the cheesiest smile on his face, holding a girl’s hands in front of him and whispering things that the members could not distinguish. He then blew her a kiss, but that wasn’t before handing her a rose, from his big pile of roses to his right.
“Where did he get those flowers?” Hoya was looking now, pointing at the pile of roses next to Woohyun.
“Beats me,” Sungyeol shrugged. “Maybe he asked one of the managers to get them.”
“Look at them,” Dongwoo stared at the main vocalist in awe. “The Inspirits are falling for him like the plague.”
“Does that even make sense?” Sungjong cut in. “Doesn’t look too abnormal to me. Woohyun-hyung is just being Woohyun-hyung. He’s just pleasing the fans.”
“Well, isn’t he going above and beyond,” Myungsoo scoffed. “Sunggyu must be pissed.”
Hoya laughed, “I think he is. Look at him.”
And again, in that strange sense of unison, the five members’ looked towards Sunggyu’s direction.
The said leader of Infinite sat next to Woohyun for the fan-signing event. His face was strangely stoic, as he averted his gaze from Woohyun’s blatant shows of affection to the fans next to him. When an Inspirit came his way, we would automatically ask for her name, sign a short message, give a practiced reply, and crack a half-efforted smile. The members knew that Sunggyu must have been tired that morning, and most probably Woohyun wasn’t making things better.
“He’s just tired,” Sungjong said, shrugging. “It’s difficult to be leader of Infinite.”
“I agree,” Dongwoo nodded. “The world tour must have been especially tiring.”
“Thank goodness we’ll be on holiday vacation in a few days,” Sungyeol sighed, stretching his long arms above his head. “I can’t wait to go home.”
“Me too,” Hoya sighed. “It’s been a long time since I got to see my family.”
“I bet a bunch of these Inspirits have gone to your parents’ restaurant,” Sungyeol snickered. “You’re bringing popularity to their business, Howon.”
“Yeah,” Hoya closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. “Of course. I’ve been on the phone with my mom. It’s good business for them, I guess.”
“Did you have any crazy-fan stalkers?” Dongwoo snickered. “I’m sure there were a few ones who asked creepy things about you, right?”
“Well, yeah,” Hoya answered shortly, shrugging. “But my parents aren’t giving anything away. I don’t know them, and they don’t know them either.”
“That’s good,” Myungsoo nodded.
“How about you, L?” Dongwoo cracked a curious gaze in Myungsoo’s direction. “You probably have all the crazy- fans in Infinite, right?”
“Yup,” Sungyeol answered for him. “All the Myungsoo-fans are still riled up over that scandal a while back.”
“It wasn’t even big enough to be considered a scandal,” Myungsoo grumbled. “It’s not like I had with her or anything.”
“Nope, but it looked like the great Kim Myungsoo was dating someone!” Sungyeol pointed out, laughing a bit at the absurdity. “The great Kim Myungsoo is supposed to be a girl’s perfect ideal type, so of course he’s not allowed to date!”
“We have to remain single for the fans,” Sungjong scoffed, almost bitterly. “It’s part of our job. We have to embody their ideal types.”
“Well I’m happy to say that I just kissed a girl not too long ago,” Sungyeol bragged, a grin shining brightly on his face. “It was wonderful, did you guys see it?”
“That was just for filming,” Hoya pointed out.
“Yah, at least I wasn’t playing someone who was gay,” Sungyeol pointed out. “Her hair and lips were very soft...”
“Stop, I don’t want the details!” Sungjong covered his ears. “We’ve heard you brag about it enough in the dorm.”
“I mean, 4Minute, can you believe it? I’d like to date her any day,” Sungyeol declared in amusement. Myungsoo just facepalmed himself, and Dongwoo jabbed at Sungyeol’s side.
“Someone might hear you,” Dongwoo forcefully whispered. “Stop, or a scandal might break loose.”
“I don’t even think small things like these even deserve the title of a scandal!” Sungyeol groaned, letting his arms loose at his side.
Sungjong shrugged, “Korea is more scandal-sensitive, I think. Our fans are very sensitive.”
Sungyeol crossed his arms, “Well, I’m a man and I want to be with girls. It’s a perfectly logical explanation.”
“You know we can’t,” Sungjong stated, as if it was fact.
“Isn’t it funny, that we have hundreds of thousands of Inspirits swooning at our feet, and yet we’re not allowed to have a single one?” Sungyeol said.
“Inspirits get very jealous,” Hoya shrugged. “I just can’t wait until we can go on vacation.”
“Oh!” Sungjong exclaimed, changing the topic. “I’m looking forward to going home too! I can’t wait to see my brother again. It’s been too long since I’ve tasted my mom’s cooking.”
“Ah, don’t remind me,” Dongwoo gushed, staring dreamily at the sky. “My mom’s cooking is the best.”
“When I come home, I’m going to sleep in all day,” Sungyeol declared. “I’ll stay in my pajamas all day and watch television, all day.”
Myungsoo’s nose scrunched, “You’re so lazy, Yeol.”
“It’s been too long since I was able to do that! Do you know how sleep deprived I am, coming back from One Great Step?”
“Yeah,” Myungsoo nodded in understanding. “Everyone’s tired.”
“Well, when I get home, I’m going to sleep all day. Then probably I’ll help my mom with some errands….” Sungyeol thought aloud, pondering.
“What a good son you are!” Dongwoo patted Sungyeol on the arm. “I have to say, I’m impressed.”
“Then I think I’ll catch up with some old friends,” Sungyeol pondered further. “I wonder where Soomin is at right now…”
“Who?” Hoya asked in curiosity.
“Nothing.” Alarmed that he had been thinking aloud, Sungyeol waved his arms. “So, when are we leaving?”
“When Woohyun finishes handing out all the roses, I guess,” Sungjong trailed off, glancing in Woohyun’s direction to find the main vocalist gone from his seat, Sunggyu next to Woohyun’s empty seat looking sour, with an unreadable look on his face.
Although their managers have blocked the Inspirits from the fan-signing, there Woohyun was, handing out the rest of his roses to the remaining Inspirits. Gasps and squeals could be heard from the crowd. For one particular Inspirit, he went on his knees to present a rose as if he were presenting a wedding ring.
“Why, isn’t he popular among the ladies,” Hoya observed, arms crossed.
“They’re falling like birds at his feet,” Sungyeol blanched.
“That’s just Woohyun,” Sungjong just shrugged. “He likes pleasing the Inspirits. So just let him.”
“We’re going soon,” an authoritative voice cut through the members’ conversations. Looking behind them, Sunggyu stood, high and proud, with that serious piercing gaze that he always had when things were getting down to business. “Get ready to leave.”
“Will do, Leader Gyu,” Sungyeol happily got up and clapped the leader on the back. “I’ll be waiting in the van.”
Sunggyu nodded at the choding, a slight frown on his face. “Geonam just called me; we’re due at Woolim headquarters to meet the CEO in half an hour.”
“Are we being let off for holiday early?” Dongwoo questioned the leader, hopeful as he got up to throw his water bottle away.
“No,” Sunggyu shook his head. “Just an update on the latest news, talk about salary, business and the such.”
Dongwoo nodded, understanding. “Alright.”
“Get the members in the van, I’m going to go get Woohyun.”
Dongwoo nodded at Sunggyu’s specific orders for him, and then proceeded to rally the rest of Infinite to go to their manager’s car, all the while Sunggyu had not lifted his gaze from Woohyun in the crowd.
“Are you coming, Sunggyu-hyung?” Sungjong asked, as Dongwoo pushed the rest of the group towards the van.
Sunggyu spared a gentle glance at the youngest. “I’ll be there in just a minute.”
“Alright, we’ll be waiting in the car!” Dongwoo announced, ushering the members down the aisle of the stage. “We’ll see you soon!”
Sunggyu nodded, still eyeing Woohyun in the crowd of Inspirits. When Woohyun had just conveniently run out of roses, Sunggyu took the chance to go down the steps of the stage to where the man was still throwing hearts, albeit being out of roses to give.
“We’re going,” Sunggyu tapped Woohyun on the shoulder impatiently. “We have a meeting at Woolim headquarters in half an hour. The members are already in the van.”
“Just a second,” Woohyun held up a hand to halt the leader, before turning back to the crowd of girls to throw a few more hearts before waving.
“We’re leaving,” Sunggyu growled in annoyance, grabbing Woohyun’s arm and dragging him towards the van.
“Inspirits! Don’t forget my loving words!” Woohyun called behind him with a wink (which Sunggyu did not fail to notice). “One of you will be very lucky! I hope to see you soon!” Woohyun blew one last kiss at the crowd that had the girls swooning (and Sunggyu blanching).
“You’re horrible. Absolutely horrible,” Sunggyu grunted once the Inspirits were out of sight.
“They’re all such sweethearts,” Woohyun gushed, grinning at the leader. “They adore me.”
“Because of you, we’re going to be late,” Sunggyu gritted out, checking his watch. “We’re already way behind schedule because of you and your ty roses.”
“Roses are romantic,” Woohyun defended. “The Inspirits loved them. I was just doing my job to please the fans.”
“My ,” Sunggyu growled when they arrived at the van. He pulled open the door, shoved Woohyun inside, shut the door, and opened the passenger side to let himself into the front seat.
“Let’s go,” he said shortly to Geonam, at the driver’s seat.
The engine started up, and in less than a minute Infinite were on their way to Woolim headquarters.
“Gyu-hyung doesn’t seem too happy with you,” Sungjong whispered to Woohyun in the back seat.
“He’s just jealous that girls love me and not him,” Woohyun threw a smirk at Sungjong. “Girls love romantic guys and Gyu is anything but romantic.”
Sunggyu threw a backward glance, one which had Sungjong shushing him in the back seat.
“What were you even doing back there, anyways?” Myungsoo asked under his breath at Woohyun. “Even for you, didn’t that display seem a bit too...much?”
“We’ll be on our vacation soon,” Woohyun simply said. “I need to compensate for all of you guys’ lack of grease since the world tour.”
“Aren’t you full on energy,” Hoya muttered.
“It’s the time of holidays. It is the time of giving,” Woohyun explained. “I am just giving out my love. What’s wrong with that?”
“Shut up back there,” Sunggyu commanded in the front.
Sungjong shot Woohyun a blaming look, and Woohyun shrugged innocently back.
“I can hear you guys clearly back there, you’re disturbing my sleep,” Sunggyu grumbled.
“See, Woohyun? You’re disturbing Leader Gyu’s sleep,” Sungyeol nudged Woohyun in the ribs. “He doesn’t seem very happy today. Go apologize to him later.”
Woohyun prepared a comeback to say back, but shut his mouth before the words could come out. The manager was shooting him a warning look through the rearview mirror now, and Woohyun knew that this wasn’t a time for arguing.
∞
It was after Infinite’s meeting with their CEO that Woohyun pulled Sunggyu aside to talk him personally.
Throughout the meeting, Sunggyu assumed a cold front to him, speaking only when necessary and avoided looking in his direction at all costs. The only looks that the leader ever sent him that meeting were glares. It seriously bothered Woohyun, to see the leader treating him like that even after all that they have been through. He wondered if it was because he held Infinite up in coming to headquarters that day, or if Sunggyu was just having a bad day. After the meeting, Woohyun pulled Sunggyu to a corner in the hallway, shooting a look at the manager that said that the two will be downstairs with the other members in a few minutes.
“Are you mad at me?” Woohyun asked, gripping Sunggyu’s shoulders in the empty hallway.
“No,” Sunggyu automatically answered, shooting a cold look at Woohyun. “Let go of me.”
“Was it because I held up Infinite in coming here?”
“I’m not mad at you. Let me go.” Sunggyu pulled Woohyun’s hands off of him.
“You were ignoring me the entire meeting. And when you weren’t you gave me those scary-Gyu eyes.”
Sunggyu lifted an eyebrow at Woohyun’s naming convention of his expression. “Leave me alone. I just don’t feel very happy today.”
“Why aren’t you happy today?”
“Do I have to feel happy everyday?” Sunggyu was crossing his arms now, tapping his foot impatiently. “I have a lot of things on my mind, and you’re not helping.”
“Things? Like what?” Woohyun wanted to know all of Sunggyu’s thoughts, whatever they may be.
“What was with you today?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The fans. The freaking roses,” Sunggyu spat the word like poison. “Wasn’t that a bit much? You’re misleading them on.” He seemed to say the same thing as Myungsoo.
“I’m not,” Woohyun defended. “I just thought it would be a nice thing to do for our fans.”
“And what was that thing you said before? About one of them being lucky?”
“Oh!” Woohyun brightened up in remembering. “I’m going to do something special for our Inspirits for the holidays.”
“Like you haven’t already,” Sunggyu snorted, crossing his arms.
“For the holidays, I’m going to be a boyfriend for rent!” Woohyun announced proudly, as if it were the best idea he ever had.
...And Sunggyu just stared in bewilderment.
And stared.
And stared.
“What?” Sunggyu blanched, and Woohyun didn’t know whether the leader was angry or shocked. Probably both. “You’re joking.”
“What?” Woohyun looked at the leader curiously. “It was brilliant when I thought of it. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of it before.”
“T-That’s ridiculous!” Sunggyu stuttered, his lisp suddenly coming back to him. Woohyun almost looked hurt. “Are you crazy? You can’t do that!”
“It’s just for the Inspirits who got my roses,” Woohyun frowned at the leader. “I put my number on the back of them. I think it’ll be fun for the holidays.”
“Y-Your n-n-number?” Sunggyu stuttered as if he feared the word, lisp coming back, crisp and clear. “O-On the b-back?”
“Stop stuttering. Your lisp is scaring me,” Woohyun stated. “I’m charging $100 for one day with me. I think that should be an okay amount. Or maybe I am worth more? Maybe $200? Oh, maybe I can do an auction! Highest bidder gets a date with Nam Woohyun!”
Sunggyu’s eyes, even bigger than Woohyun could have ever thought was possible, stared at the main vocalist with a mad look on his face. “You’re crazy.”
“I’m not.”
“Please tell me you’re lying.”
“The holidays are a time of giving,” Woohyun argued. “I’m being generous for this Christmas. I’m giving them a day of my time for a very reasonable price.”
“Change your number. Call it off. Never do that again. Do you hear me?”
“We all get a holiday vacation and I decide what I want to do with it,” Woohyun frowned at the leader. “This is something to show my love and thanks for our Inspirits. It is something from me that they would love, and it is not too out of my way to do it. I don’t see any reason to call it off.”
Sunggyu suddenly gripped Woohyun’s shoulders and looked at him in the eye. “You can’t be serious.”
“Will you stop taking me as a joke?” Woohyun’s annoyance was peaking. “It’s not that big a deal, anyways. I’m just spending my holiday vacation on a few dates with girls. It’s not like I’m marrying them or anything.”
“But they’re just not any girls,” Sunggyu pointed out, face already reddening. “They are our Inspirits.”
“So what? They love me and I love them,” Woohyun said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I just want to have a good time.”
“But a good time is not just all they want,” Sunggyu pointed out.
“What are you talking about?”
“You know girls? They don’t just want a good time, they want a commitment. And idols can’t give commitments.”
“Why do you act like you know girls?” Woohyun frowned. “It’s not like you are one.”
“Trust me, I’ve had enough experience to know,” Sunggyu looked coldly down at Woohyun. “I still can’t believe you’re doing this. I’m going to tell the manager.”
“No!” Woohyun gasped, inwardly cringing at the thought. “You can’t tell anyone! It’s my holiday vacation!”
“It’s going to affect the group!” Sunggyu hissed. “You can’t even have a girlfriend!”
“The Inspirits are already my girlfriends,” Woohyun defended.
“You know what I mean!”
“No, I don’t,” Woohyun asserted.
“You can’t have a girlfriend,” Sunggyu ground out every word with a fire behind them, his eyes piercing Woohyun’s gaze with a newfound seriousness. “You can’t.”
“It’s just for the holidays,” Woohyun glowered. “I don’t see why not.”
“I think you know very well why,” Sunggyu growled darkly at the man in front of him, implying so many things that Woohyun was not sure about. Sunggyu had a mad look in his eyes, one that made Woohyun shiver in fear and excitement, as the leader closed in their proximity in an act of intimidation. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Woohyun’s glare matched Sunggyu’s piercing gaze, and Woohyun challenged, “Watch me.”
And before Woohyun could even comprehend, Sunggyu’s lips were on his own in a needy crash of desperation. It has been a while since the two of them had shared a kiss like this one; it wasn’t soft nor delicate, but violently passionate.
Sunggyu’s teeth bit at Woohyun’s lower lip, and Woohyun instinctively wrapped his arms around the elder’s neck to push themselves flush against each other. Woohyun’s fingers threaded through Sunggyu’s hair, pulling harshly when Sunggyu bit his lip even harder, enough to bleed. Woohyun let out an animalistic growl deep in his throat, and soon enough their tongues were in a battle for dominance.
Woohyun knew vaguely in the back of his mind that they shouldn’t be doing this, right outside the CEO’s office, no less, but Sunggyu tasted too damn good to even stop. He couldn’t even remember what they had been talking about before, he could only feel. Feel Sunggyu’s lips that were far from gentle like a girl’s, feel Sunggyu’s arms around his waist that made Woohyun feel safe and protected, feel Sunggyu’s soft hair in between his fingers as he pulled at them with a grip that would have had a girl complaining, if he were doing the same to her.
But since this was Sunggyu, since this was Kim ing Sunggyu who could take all of Woohyun’s hits, who doesn’t mind Woohyun’s hard grip on his hair nor the messiness of their kiss, since Sunggyu was a man, it was okay. He was not a delicate girl who would break, so Woohyun was able to do as he pleased as the two went at each other, growling and harshly breathing like animals.
Woohyun had Sunggyu’s back pressed against the wall before they heard a door opening along the hallway.
Instantly, Sunggyu pushed Woohyun violently away from him as if the man had been on fire, a wild look in his eyes.
“Sunggyu-hyung? Woohyun-hyung?” It was Sungjong, as he came around the corner and looked at the both of them curiously. “We’re leaving now. They’re all waiting downstairs.”
Sunggyu shot a glare Woohyun’s way before Sungjong could see. Flattening out his crinkled shirt, he tried his best to straighten up, and in his best leader-voice, “Thanks, Sungjong. We’ll be right down.”
He hoped that Sungjong didn’t notice anything, but nevertheless he knew that the youngest wouldn’t pry. Sunggyu clapped a hand on Sungjong’s shoulder, “Let’s go.”
Jerking his head to the end of the hallway, Sunggyu guided Sungjong to the elevator, not even sparing Woohyun a glance. He did not want to talk to Woohyun at all.
The elevator ride down was awkward and silent, as Sungjong found himself sandwiched between the leader and the main vocalist. No words were exchanged, and by Sunggyu’s cold look, no words were to be exchanged at all.
When the elevator reached the first floor, Sungjong breathed a sigh of relief as the doors opened, to more lively Infinite members in front of him.
“You’re back!” Dongwoo came up and clapped Sunggyu on the shoulder. “What took you so long?”
“Nothing,” Sunggyu said. “So, are we ready to leave?”
“Yeah,” Sungyeol waved from where he sat in the lobby. “We were waiting for you. We have one last photoshoot for the day.”
“Alright,” Sunggyu nodded, decided to just ignore Woohyun and push him into the back of his mind for the rest of the day. “Let’s go.”
∞
The holidays have arrived, and Infinite were finally on their holiday vacation. All the respective members have gone back to their homes, reunited with their families and old friends again for the winter holidays. Indeed, it was a season for celebration.
The first thing that Sunggyu decided to do on his holiday vacation was cut his hair short. He knew that it was something that his fans would not appreciate, and ignored all of them when he walked into the salon. His hair was short, very short, now, and honestly, he liked it. Over his vacation, he is no longer Kim Sunggyu, leader of Infinite. With this new shorter hair, he felt no longer an idol, just Kim Sunggyu, the person. It will grow back by the time his vacation is over, and for the time being, he enjoyed the practicality of his short hair. No longer would it get in the way of his eyes, and truthfully, short was how his parents liked his hair, also.
Sunggyu had come home to an ecstatic mother and a silently proud father. Contrary to how he had left home all those years ago, he had proved to his family the successful career he was able to lead as a singer, and as Infinite’s leader. Infinite was renowned worldwide, and especially after the success of One Great Step, he knew that it would be impossible for his father to belittle his dreams any further.
Thus, the weekend after he came back home was a time for celebration. Sunggyu met his older sister again, and finally had a chance to meet her dearly beloved. His mother cooked all of his favorite dishes for dinner, which Sunggyu thoroughly enjoyed. And, afterwards as his mother was washing the dishes, he shared a meaningful talk with his father over a bottle of beer, which spoke volumes to the leader.
Although he and his father had left off on difficult terms when he left to pursue his dream in singing, with his father denouncing that he’ll never be able to find a job in the industry, Sunggyu came back a successful man, and his father readily admitted his prejudices. Indeed, it was in that moment that Sunggyu knew that he and his father were equals, as men, father and son, and that his father was proud of him.
It was a weekday morning, and his father had already left for work. Sunggyu’s mother had asked him to pick up a few groceries for him at the marketplace, which he had agreed to. Despite its strangeness, Sunggyu did not have many chances to run errands for his mother; his job as an idol prevented him from doing so over the years. So, in his efforts to be the best son on his holiday vacation, Sunggyu smiled gently at his mother, took the shopping list, pulled over his winter coat and boots, and left the house. That is, not before his mother stopped him to put on a hat and scarf. (It was cold outside, and she didn’t want him to be run over by any fans that may recognize him.)
He went to the outdoor market that he knew his mother always went to when he was a child; despite all the concerts he’s given around the world, the market still stayed the same where it was. It held the same bustle as it did before he left for Infinite, and coming in with a grocery list, Sunggyu felt an odd sense of nostalgia. Despite such feelings, however, Sunggyu nevertheless pulled out a grocery basket, knowing by heart from all those years ago just which aisles where his mother’s groceries would be.
“Woohyun-oppa, let’s get some ice cream!” a higher-pitched voice suggested somewhere behind Sunggyu, which made him freeze in alarm.
Was that…?
“Ah, of course,” Woohyun’s voice, also right behind him, sounded, and in that moment Sunggyu wanted to be anywhere but there.
“I love you, oppa!” she squealed.
“U-Uh, thanks.”
Sunggyu cringed.
So, the bastard had come through with his ridiculous plan after all. After that incident outside the CEO’s office, Sunggyu never approached Woohyun on the topic again. Woohyun was right; what he did on his holiday vacation was his own choice, and Sunggyu had no leader-power or anything like that to tell him otherwise. As long as Woohyun didn’t damage the group, he was free to do what he wanted.
...And what he wanted to do was advertise himself as a boyfriend for rent. Sunggyu winced, shaking his head in confusion. He will never understand the logic behind Woohyun’s ludicrous behavior. Woohyun is obviously showing that he does not belong to anyone, not to one Inspirit, and hell, not even to Sunggyu himself. Sunggyu did not know whether he was doing this to just get attention, or if he wanted to make Sunggyu jealous (jealous?! Sunggyu was certainly not jealous. He was beyond pissed.), or if Woohyun really was a player and wanted something more than a date. Either way, to pull something like that...Sunggyu shook his head, and silently vowed to teach that bastard a lesson when Infinite gets back.
He hid his head down low, and stayed frozen until the two voices have faded away and were long gone. Finally daring a peak, Sunggyu pushed up his scarf to cover part of his face and turned around.
...and instantly regretted it. There Woohyun was, at the far end of the marketplace, staring right at him as the girl next to him was ordering some food at the nearby counter.
It was as if time had frozen in that moment, and Sunggyu hated that he thought of it that way. But he didn’t have any other words to describe it, the moment in the air between them when Woohyun just stared at Sunggyu and Sunggyu just stared at Woohyun.
Woohyun just watched Sunggyu; there were no looks of bragging, no in-your-face attitude that said that Sunggyu was wrong in his decision. And Sunggyu just watched back, no disgusted look on his face...no nothing.
Sunggyu vaguely took note that if Infinite had never formed, they would not be in this situation. Right now, Sunggyu was staring at Woohyun very much like a stranger. On holiday vacation, he and Woohyun were no longer idols, with their idol responsibilities and their idol image. On vacation, Sunggyu wouldn’t give a second thought to leave the house makeup-less, hair not professionally styled. He was on holiday vacation, and to those things, he didn’t give a damn.
It took everything in Sunggyu’s brain to tell him to just ing move away and break that gaze that Sunggyu’s legs finally started moving, taking him away from the gaze of the man across the way.
By the time Sunggyu reached the rear corner of the market, he let out a breath that he didn’t he had been holding. His heart was beating abnormally fast in his chest, and he blamed the exercise for that.
...So what if Woohyun is selling himself to be someone’s boyfriend? He didn’t care. Some Inspirit can have her day with him if she liked, if she were willing to pay for it. He didn’t care. Sunggyu wondered if Woohyun had made an auction to date just one Inspirit for a day or if he would date more. He inwardly facepalmed himself for even thinking about it. He didn’t care. Let Woohyun have all the girls he wants. He didn’t care.
After picturing all the horrid ways to make that man suffer when Infinite came back together, Sunggyu crossed off the rest of his mother’s grocery list in a calmer peace. When Infinite gets back...Yes, Sunggyu will do horrible things to Woohyun. He simply couldn’t wait for Woohyun to feel his wrath.
Paying for his items went by fast, and Sunggyu was surprised to see that no one recognized him. Or maybe, they were around but choosing not to come up to him. Maybe it was his haircut, and Sunggyu chuckled at the thought. Maybe if L shaved his head, then his fans would stop chasing him down the streets. Poor visual couldn’t even leave his house without getting stampeded. Sunggyu hoped that Myungsoo was having a good vacation, wherever he was.
On his way out and happily content in his thoughts, Sunggyu suddenly stopped short.
There Woohyun stood, blocking the exit to the marketplace. The girl that he was with was nowhere to be found.
Sunggyu cursed his luck. Grocery bags in hand, all he wanted was to go home and help his mother make lunch. That was all! But no, Woohyun just had to come back and block his way at the exit of a freaking grocery store and-
“Hi,” Woohyun said dumbly, carefully looking at Sunggyu up and down.
“ing move,” Sunggyu gritted out. He was pissed.
“How is your holiday going?” It seemed as if Woohyun were trying to converse with him. Normally, Sunggyu may have complied, but not today.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” Sunggyu spat out the word. “Aren’t you supposed to be on a date with her?”
“I left her,” Woohyun answered.
‘Well, aren’t you the perfect boyfriend. How much is she paying you to do that?”
Woohyun kicked at the ground. “For your information, I apologized and gave her money back.”
Sunggyu frowned, “Why? Because you know that I’m going to kick your and tell you out when we get back?”
“No! It’s just-”
An elderly lady made her way around Woohyun at the exit. Remembering that he still blocked the exit, Woohyun motioned for Sunggyu to move their conversation elsewhere.
“Let me help you carry those,” Woohyun offered, eyeing Sunggyu’s grocery bags.
“Thanks,” Sunggyu huffed, dumping all of his bags on Woohyun, taking satisfaction in treating Woohyun as his servant. “My mother’s car is that way.”
The two of them started walking along, and silence fell in between the two until Sunggyu finally decided to ask a question on his mind.
“So tell me why you left her,” Sunggyu asked again as the two of them made it to the car.
“Uh, I realized the error in my ways and that you were right?” Woohyun offered, behind the grocery bags and trying his best to get into Sunggyu’s good graces.
Sunggyu scoffed, “Highly unlikely.”
“I don’t know, it just didn’t feel right.”
“The date didn’t feel right?”
“Yes. She was being all clingy, as if I were her boyfriend.”
“You are her boyfriend.” For the day, at least.
“She talked about me meeting her parents and going to her house and-” Woohyun sighed, shaking his head. “She’s keep on saying ‘I love you’ everywhere we go.”
“Well, who wouldn’t love Nam Woohyun of Infinite? You’re an idol!”
Woohyun shook his head, “Not today, I’m not. The whole day. It just felt...weird. I was just taken by surprise.”
Sunggyu huffed, “Well I hope you learned your lesson. Fans are fans.”
“She wanted to make out with me.”
“There are many Inspirits who wouldn’t mind making out with all of Infinite combined.”
“I am not making out with her.”
“Well, that’s what girlfriends and boyfriends do,” Sunggyu rubbed in Woohyun’s face, opening the trunk of his car. “I told you this was a bad decision.”
“It wasn’t bad,” Woohyun just said, loading up the trunk before closing it. “She was a very sweet girl.”
“You rejected her.”
“I couldn’t make the commitment.”
“What did I tell you!” Sunggyu raised his hands in the air to make a point. “She probably took fancams and pictures throughout the date. And who knows what other people along the way might have seen. You’re going to be on the tabloids soon, Nam Woohyun, I told you!”
“Stop it!” Woohyun tried to shush the leader as they stood in an empty lot. “I made sure that she wasn’t taping anything…And we didn’t even do anything.”
“Woolim is going to have to issue another apology because of you,” Sunggyu cursed under his breath. “What did I tell you!”
“There was no one taking pictures of us!” Woohyun argued.
“After our world tour, who knows,” Sunggyu snorted disbelievingly. “I told you that you couldn’t make the commitment! She’s just a fan, for goodness sakes!”
“I know, but it’s not like you were completely right. She’s a nice girl and all, it’s just...I can’t.”
“I told you that you couldn’t get a girlfriend,” Sunggyu said stubbornly. “I told you.”
Sunggyu then opened the door to his car and got in.
“Where are you going?” Woohyun suddenly asked.
“I have to go home and help my mom make lunch. Bye.”
“Wait!” Woohyun stopped him before Sunggyu could drive away. “We still need to talk.”
“My mom is expecting me home,” Sunggyu answered quickly. “Lunch is waiting to be made.”
“I know! But...” Woohyun paused, biting his lip now and it didn’t go unnoticed by Sunggyu. “I feel like I should apologize.”
“What? That you didn’t listen to my words?”
“No. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”
Sunggyu scoffed, scowling, “I have no feelings.”
“I’m sorry if I made you mad the other day…It was for nothing, it didn’t end very well...And for that, I’m sorry.”
“You can stop now,” Sunggyu said, shutting his car door and rolling down the window. “My mom is expecting me. I’m late.”
Just as Sunggyu was about to start the engine, Woohyun bursted out, “The date didn’t feel right because I felt like I was betraying you.”
Sunggyu froze.
Woohyun took a deep breath. He let out those words because they were the truth; throughout the date he kept on thinking about what Sunggyu said, and what had happened that day. He knew that Sunggyu didn’t approve of what he was doing, and he went along with it because he could. But as the girl (Woohyun didn’t even remember her name) clung to his arm, cuddled up to him, Woohyun couldn’t help but think about Sunggyu’s strong arms...His arms around him. And, when Woohyun saw Sunggyu at the grocery market, in their shared moment Woohyun knew: he just knew where he would rather be.
“Betraying me?” Sunggyu asked in a low voice. Was Woohyun implying what he thought?
“Outside Jung Yeop’s office….” Woohyun looked a bit uncomfortable by now, reddening a bit. “You said that I couldn’t have a girlfriend.”
“I did...” Sunggyu nodded. “Of course, idols like Infinite can’t have girlfriends.”
Woohyun shook his head, “You were implying something else, that day.”
Sunggyu knew exactly what he was talking about, but he wanted anything more in the world to not talk about that right now, in the grocery store parking lot of all places. “What was I implying, then?”
“You implied that I was already committed. I am already committed to you,” Woohyun finally said it, his eyes serious.
Sunggyu froze, an unreadable expression on his face. “Are you?”
Woohyun’s gaze lifted, looking out into the distance.
Finally, he nodded, “I think I am.”
“So we have a...thing between us?” Sunggyu asked coldly.
Woohyun just stared at the man, out of words to say.
The leader scoffed, “What are we, anyways?”
“I don’t know what we are,” Woohyun said carefully, watching the other man. “There is no title for...whatever this is. All I know...is that throughout my day with that girl...I couldn’t stop think about you.”
Sunggyu tried to suppress the fluttery feeling deep inside of him. “You couldn’t?”
“As much as I liked her and all the Inspirits,” Woohyun stated carefully, “I would rather spend a day with you.”
A thousand minutes suppressed into one seemed to pass between them, as Sunggyu was left to process Woohyun’s words. He was stunned, to say the least. He never thought Woohyun would share something like this with him out loud. The two of them never exactly vocalized their feelings or emotions to each other before, but now with Woohyun being so honest with him...It touched Sunggyu. It really did.
“My mom is expecting me at home,” Sunggyu finally said. Which was true, it was already past noon and his mother must be getting hungry waiting for him to bring home the groceries, though that may have been the wrong words to bring up to Woohyun at that moment. “We should talk later.”
“I’ll call you,” Woohyun said abruptly, and Sunggyu nodded, lifting an arm in goodbye, before rolling up his window and starting the engine.
Sunggyu had a lot to think about, but he was thinking one thing for sure.
That, between any girl, he maybe would rather spend a day with Woohyun, too.
Just maybe.
∞
It was that night, that Woohyun, true to his words, finally called him.
Sunggyu is not going to admit that he was waiting for the call, but around 8 pm his phone was ringing and in the next few minutes, he agreed to meet up with Woohyun downtown for a chat.
The wintertime always had cold nights, as Sunggyu pulled his coat closer to his body as he walked to their meeting point. The streets were littered with lights, and Christmas lights glittering in a few areas. The holiday atmosphere was all around, with the bustling nightlife of Seoul, one things that Sunggyu had missed over his term as Infinite’s leader.
A huge Christmas tree was erected at the center of downtown, to which Sunggyu took a moment to admire. At night, the lights were truly beautiful, and with holiday music playing in the nearby stores, Seoul’s Christmas spirit was alive. It was enlightening, and with all of the celebration going around for the coming new year, Sunggyu finally felt a sense of contentedness, a sense of peace, which he haven’t felt in a long time.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” A voice shocked Sunggyu out of his thoughts.
It was Woohyun.
“Yeah,” Sunggyu recovered quickly, taking in Woohyun’s form, illuminated only by the streetlamps and holiday lights. Woohyun donned a thick black coat. His hood was up, and his hands stuffed deep in his pockets. To put it simply, he looked like an average civilian. “What did you want to talk about again?”
“Just catching up,” Woohyun motioned for the two of them to start walking. It was cold, and they could only warm up through exercise.
“It has only been a week since Infinite left.”
“I know,” Woohyun nodded. “You didn’t tell me how your holiday is going.”
As they walked along the streets, they just talked. Sunggyu didn’t think that he would have many words for the other man, yet he surprised himself when he went off on a tangent of things that he has been doing. He described his homecoming, the celebration, his better relationship with his father, his life at home, helping his mother, spending time with his parents, and Woohyun just listened, adding in commentary here and there. It was relaxing, surprisingly relaxing to share all of these things with Woohyun, as Sunggyu relayed his thoughts to the younger. He probably would never tell these things to his parents; Sunggyu has always been a private person, but with the person who he shared a room with for years in Infinite, the leader could talk on and on.
When it was Woohyun’s turn to talk about his holiday, the both of them had reached the Han River. It was darker, the water seemed almost black in the night, but the moon shown brightly above them, and the stars twinkled more clearly that Sunggyu has ever seen before.
Woohyun let out a visible breath in the cold, “I decided to move out, just for the holidays.”
“What?” Sunggyu was mildly surprised. “Why?”
They have reached the middle of a bridge, and Woohyun leaned over the railing to peer at the dark waters below, “I stayed with my parents for the first few days, but then it got a little boring.”
Sunggyu, joining Woohyun at the edge of the bridge, looked ahead at the dark horizon to listen.
“I loved seeing my parents again,” Woohyun chuckled. “My brother came home that weekend. He brought his girlfriend, and we had a huge family dinner. We all cooked something up and ate together as a family. It was great!”
Woohyun paused before speaking again. “Things went back to normal soon enough though. My brother has his own life elsewhere, and my parents go to work during the day. It was a little boring at home.”
He looked at Sunggyu, “I got my own place just for the holidays. There are a lot of things to do in Seoul, so I figure that I should do them while I’m wild and free.”
Sunggyu nodded, looking out into the distance. “Don’t your parents want you at home?”
“I stayed with them for almost a week, and things went back to normal really quickly,” Woohyun sighed. “I’m not used to being so bored. Back in Infinite, life was always hectic.”
“I see,” Sunggyu agreed. “What time do you wake up in the morning?”
It was very often that Infinite had 3-5 hours of sleep per day. During comeback months and promotions, Sunggyu could remember waking up the members as early as 4 in the morning, to come back to the dorm at 1 that night to get a few measly hours of sleep. Life as an idol was tough at those times, but in the end, it was also rewarding.
“I sleep in,” Woohyun chuckled. “Maybe 10 in the morning?”
Sunggyu scoffed.
“For the rest of my holiday vacation, alarm clocks will mean nothing to me!” Woohyun declared, a slight grin on his face. “I hate alarm clocks. They never give me enough sleep.”
“They’re supposed to wake you up, Woohyun,” Sunggyu chuckled. “I remember when you wouldn’t get up from the alarm clock. I always had to wake you up myself instead.”
“Hey, I survived,” Woohyun smiled taking a deep breath of cold night air. “But damn those things, I never want to wake up to a siren ever again.”
Sunggyu knew that Woohyun was a sensitive sleeper; he would wake from just a slight disturbance, but on some mornings, when Woohyun was particularly grumpy and stubborn, he would not get up at all; the leader would have to grapple and drag him out of bed. L once got an alarm clock from a fan that echoed an deafening emergency siren, which, by Sungjong’s brilliant idea, had been placed in the living room to wake all the members up at exactly 5 in the morning. Apparently the plan had failed, as Woohyun had come to absolutely abhor that sound, and ended up destroying the poor thing in his sleep.
Sunggyu laughed lightly at the memory. “Even if you used an alarm clock, you’d just shut it off and go back to sleep anyway.”
“True,” Woohyun smirked, resting his elbows on the concrete of the bridge. “I’m not the only one who does that, though. Dongwoo is worse than me.”
Sunggyu hid a smile. “I hope the others are having a good time.”
“Myungsoo is probably stuck in his own house,” Woohyun chuckled. “He always gets the crazy fans.”
“We should call them, see how they’re doing,” Sunggyu said. “Maybe have an Infinite Christmas dinner.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Woohyun murmured, reaching out his cold fingers deftly to touch Sunggyu’s warm ones. “And maybe make a Christmas music video for the fans.”
“Like Lately?” Sunggyu smiled, glad that the darkness of the night hid the blush that was fighting to rise to his cheeks. “Filming that was fun.”
“Yeah,” Woohyun agreed, intertwining their fingers together. “The filming crew is on holiday vacation though. We’ll have to film it ourselves.”
Sunggyu laughed, “I’m really bad at filming.”
“Hey, I am too. But I think it’ll be fun.”
“So we’ll just video-record something for our fans?”
“Yeah,” Woohyun shrugged. “Just to let them know how we spent the holidays. Let’s have Myungsoo do it.”
“Why Myungsoo?”
“He likes taking pictures. So taking video should be the same, right?”
Sunggyu laughed, nudging Woohyun lightly with his elbow, “I doubt it.”
“It the closest we have.”
“So tell me your ideas,” Sunggyu chuckled, and unknowingly squeezed their hands together.
“Let's invite everyone to have a big feast on Christmas Eve.”
“And where is this going to take place?”
“Who has the biggest house out of all of us?” Woohyun asked. “Or we can always crash the CEO’s house.”
“I can only imagine,” Sunggyu shook his head in amusement. “We might as well invite the managers over as well, with their families.”
“Our filming crew too. They are very nice.”
“You might as well invite all of Woolim over for a celebration,” Sunggyu laughed.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Woohyun beam at the leader. “I hope there’s enough space.”
“We’ll see,” Sunggyu felt a sudden surge of gratitude within him. He was glad that he got to talk with Woohyun tonight.
“I love Christmas,” Woohyun said, turning to fully face the other man. “It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.”
“You should sing that for the fans,” Sunggyu suggested. “They would love to hear your holiday voice.”
“My English is very bad,” Woohyun grinned.
“It’s better than me. They won’t mind, I’m sure.”
“Maybe I will…” Woohyun trailed off, eyeing Sunggyu with interest. “If you’ll sing it with me.”
The look that Sunggyu gave him almost made him laugh, “Nonsense.”
“I love your voice.”
“You love a lot of things.”
“There’s nothing wrong with loving a lot of things. There are so many things to love and be thankful for.” Woohyun took a step closer to the elder, which made Sunggyu pause a bit.
“Oh?” Sunggyu breathed. “Like what?”
“I’m thankful for my family,” Woohyun was smiling that smile that made Sunggyu take a closer glance. “I’m thankful for Infinite. And, I’m also thankful for you.”
“Me?” Sunggyu found himself looking into Woohyun’s eyes now, with a newfound feeling that he could not explain. Woohyun’s eyes were dark, but profound. They held a thousand feelings inside of them, only some of which that Sunggyu was able to decipher. There was no one around on the same bridge as them, and maybe it was the darkness of the night, illuminated by the faint street lamps, or maybe it was the faint glow of the Christmas tree across the river that Sunggyu found himself very attracted to Woohyun’s eyes.
Woohyun hesitated for a moment, before quickly tilting up his head to give the man a kiss on the cheek. “I really like your company.”
A flutter went through Sunggyu’s being, and he found himself looking at Woohyun in a different way now. Woohyun looked happy, very happy, and that was making Sunggyu feel something close to similar deep down inside as well. As much as Sunggyu hated to admit it, he really felt like kissing Woohyun right now.
So that was what he did.
Softly, he felt his eyes drifting close as his head leaned in, brushing a tender kiss to Woohyun’s lips. It was out of pure instinct, and Sunggyu knew that his job as Infinite’s leader always prevented him from acting out of instinct, to think wisely before he acted and be the wise leader for Infinite to look up to. But in that moment, he was on a holiday vacation. In the moment, he was not Infinite’s leader anymore, but just Kim Sunggyu. He decided to act out on his feelings just this one more time, out of selfishness and because no one around was watching.
Woohyun wrapped his strong arms around Sunggyu’s from, Sunggyu found himself kissing the man in a new tender way, under the moon, stars, and Christmas lights. The weather was dark and cold, but their embrace was warm. It was a new experience, and for once, Sunggyu thought that if there was anyone that he would want to spend the holidays with, it would be Woohyun.
"I like your company too," Sunggyu whispered, breaking their kiss to rest his forehead gently on Woohyun's.
Woohyun tightened his arms around the leader and leaned back in for another sweet kiss.
It was in that embrace, with Woohyun kissing him back just as tenderly, with those arms bringing them even closer and instilling in the him a new sense of contentment and reason, it made Sunggyu happy beyond words, to know that Woohyun felt exactly the same way:
Contentment. Gratitude. Comittment. And most of all, a new fondness that may, in one way or another, be classified as love.
∞
Updates will be just me adding direct links as they come in and adding the santas to the chapters, don't worry too much :3
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