Mnet Asian Music Awards 2013, also appropriately titled MAMA 2013, is one of the largest Korean popular music end of the year award shows in the country. This year hosted in Hong Kong, many international artists were invited to perform at the event through collaborations with this year's most popular kpop groups.

One of these groups would be Ylvis. Little did people know, their performance with Crayon Pop would change the hearts of one Busan boy forever.

A round of applause roared throughout the Asia World Arena, everyone from Korean celebrities and fans jumping up and down and flailing their arms for the Norweigian artists in furry fox costumes wearing helmets. Ylvis and Crayon Pop took a bow, and a standing ovation waved in the theatre. Everyone stood up to show their support for them.

Everyone except for Hoya.

"Woo! That was amazing!" Woohyun yelled out, grabbing onto Myungsoo's shoulder to shake it from starstruck.

Hoya leaned against the table with his chin resting on his hand, his thoughts jumbled at the befuddlement that graced his presence. He squinted his eyes, staring intently at the humongous inflatable fox in the background also sporting a helmet. 

"Hoya!" Woohyun sat back down in his seat and tapped Hoya on the shoulder. "Did you enjoy the performance?" 

Hoya stayed quiet, enchanted by the scene in front of him and contemplating why this is all happening and what exactly is happening. He was checked out of everything around him. 

"Yo!" Woohyun snapped his fingers, breaking Hoya's gaze. "That was pretty cool, right?"

Hoya sat up in his seat, crossing his arms and watching as the lights went down to prepare for the next stage. His lip quivered, a mix from being absolutely appalled and amused. 

"Hoya, are you ok? Woohyun pestered, elbowing him to say something.

Finally, Hoya opened his mouth. "Does a fox really say cha cha cha cha cha cha cha?"

Woohyun blinked his eyes, unsure how he was going to even answer that question. 

"Or does a fox say ha chi ha chi ha chi ho?" Hoya looked at Woohyun with serious eyes. 

Woohyun cleared his throat, looking around to see if anyone actually heard the words that came out of Hoya's mouth.

"Really though, what does a fox say?" Hoya leaned in to get an answer out of him.

"Are you serious right now?" Woohyun stammered his words.

"How can a fox make so many sounds?" Hoya wondered, leaning back in his chair mindblown. 

Woohyun opened his mouth with his upper lip wavering, almost looking disgusted by what Hoya just said. "Hoya, I think you're really tired right now. I mean, I haven't had that much sleep either since we came back from America. Just..." Woohyun put his hand on Hoya's shoulder and squeezed. "Just enjoy the show."

Hoya glared at Woohyun, who took his hand off him and leaned over to talk to Myungsoo on the side. He was unsatisfied by his answer, not even close to solving the multitude of questions Hoya had. He looked up at the ceiling, not paying attention to anything that was going on in the show. The only thing on his mind was the moment the inflatable fox rolled up into the background of their performance. But what is the real sound a fox makes?

Hoya was delusional.

 

(((())))

 

Hoya waited at the hotel coffee shop lobby after the show, going through Youtube on his phone to find the song "The Fox" by Ylvis. After the show ended, majority of the Infinite members either went out to hang out at a nearby bar or went straight to bed. Hoya, on the other hand, chose to stay back by himself and drink a coffee to stay up. He wanted to practice a couple of parts for Infinite's upcoming concert in London, but after his cup of caffeine Hoya was distracted by something else.

The coffee shop door rang, and popping into the lounge was Eunji. Infinite and Apink were luckily staying at the same hotel that evening and after reconnecting with Hoya after months being apart, the both of them agreed to meet after the award show to talk more intimately. Eunji smiled on her way to his table, sitting down in a comfortable seat right across from Hoya.

Hoya did not notice anything at all, finding the original music video to "The Fox" and starting it up.

"Hey!" Eunji leaned over and pulled on Hoya's ear to pay attention to her.

"What?!" Hoya dropped his phone on the table from being startled, almost frantic when the video showed on the table. He was about to push her away, but after realizing it was Eunji, Hoya leaned in to give her a warm hug and kiss her on the cheek. "Aish, when did you get here?"

"I got here 30 seconds ago." Hoya and Eunji sat back down in their seats, happy to enjoy each other's company. Eunji looked down at Hoya's cellphone and pointed at it, giggling to herself. "Is that 'The Fox'?"

"Huh?" Hoya looked down at the music video as different people in fox costumes pranced around in a forest. He felt a little embarrassed, snatching the phone immediately to shove in his pocket and hide the contents. Hoya let out a nervous laugh and blushed in front of her. "Yeah, they performed today."

"I know! Wasn't it amazing?" Eunji hummed the song and did several hand motions for fun to imitate fox ears.

Hoya laughed at her, the both of them missing hanging out with each other again. He felt much more at ease. "I know, that was the first time I ever heard the song."

"No kidding. Do you even live in Korea?" Eunji joked, making fun of Infinite's most recent world tour. "And you're going to London next."

"Tell me about it. I can't remember the last time I slept for more than 6 hours." Hoya looked at his pocket, the backlight from his phone peaking through the seams of his jeans. He remembered the song again and how much it confused him. "Hey, I have a question."

"Hit me."

"What sound does a fox really say?"

"Listen to the song! You'll find out," Eunji laughed.

"No, really." Hoya took Eunji by her hands and leaned, staring straight in her eyes with conviction. "I really need to know. What is the real sound a fox says?"

Hoya's grasp frightened her, shocked that his head was so closeto her. She could feel Hoya's warm hands shaking as they held onto her fingers, leaving Eunji confused as to why he is asking the question so seriously. "Are you ok Hoya?"

"I'm fine! I'm perfectly fine!" Hoya let go of Eunji's hands and leaned back in his seat, taking his phone out once again to unpause the music video. He sli it across the table for Eunji to look at, pointing at various scenes in the music video that appealed to him. "At this point the the fox is communicating with a horse through morse code, but now at this part the fox is saying rakyikyikyakyirakyikyara. I've been trying to figure out this song since the show ended."

"Umm." Eunji placed her hand on Hoya's forehead, checking to make sure his temperature was fine. "You seem fine right now," she muttered to herself. 

"Can a fox even speak morse code?" Hoya wondered.

"It's just a song. It's a funny song that spread on the internet." Eunji scratched her head, glaring at Hoya searching through different clips of the song to show her. 

"It's not just a song Eunji!" Hoya slammed a fist on the table, treating it like a pressing issue. "I don't get this song! Why is it about a fox anyways?"

"How much sleep have you gotten lately?" Eunji asked, noticing the black eyebags from under his eyes. She did not know how tired he must have been, especially since he was wearing makeup during the show. "Hoya, you need to take a nap!"

Hoya clasped his hands together, staring down at his phone with determination. "I'll sleep when I figure this out."

 

(((())))

 

"Sungjong, Sungjong. Wake up."

Sungjong turned in his bed, taking a pillow to cover his ears.

Hoya crouched by Sungjong's bed, shaking the maknae to wake up. The two of them shared a room at their hotel in London, and a day before the show everyone was fast asleep.

Everyone except for Hoya. He downloaded the song before his flight to London, and the whole plane ride there he listened to the song. He tried to go to sleep tonight listening it, but instead he stayed up in his bed listening to the song over and over, analyzing its lyrics and the meaning. The song continued to blast on repeat through his headphones as he tried to wake Sungjong up.

"Sungjong, you have to help me right now," Hoya begged, tugging on Sungjong's arm.

"Hoya, go to ing sleep," Sungjong ordered, readjusting his pillow to cover his head again.

"You have to help me with something. It's important, I swear."

"Hoya. For the 100th ing time, no I don't know the real sound a fox makes. Now go to sleep, we have a concert tomorrow." Sungjong's voice muffled through the pillow, frustrated that Hoya was trying to get him out of bed for such an idiotic reason.

"There are so many mysteries that need to be solved!" At this point, Hoya was out of his mind and delirious.

"Please go to sleep Hoya and shut up. This song isn't that big of a deal. It's a joke."

"I've been listening to this song, and I'm starting to notice a lot of inaccuracies to the different sounds assigned. The fish goes blub, but really it's not the actual fish sound making a blug with its mouth and gills but it's the sound of the bubbles popping as it comes to the surface of the water. I'm starting to think that maybe a lot of these animals might also be like the fox, in which they have multiple sounds that could be made."

"HOYA!" Sungjong twisted his body and knocked Hoya out with his pillow. Hoya's headphones flew off his neck as Hoya fell to the floor, bumping his head on the end table in between their beds. "GO TO ING SLEEP!"

 

(((())))

 

Almost 10 hours before their London concert, and Infinite gathered at the Hammersmith Apollo for one last rehearsal before their show. Everyone was practicing their solo stages for the show, and up next were Dongwoo and Hoya for their set of Infinite-H's songs. Everyone else sat in the first row of the audience, waiting for them to complete their songs by going on their phones or talking to each other.

Hoya looked absolutely miserable, having only 30 minutes of sleep the day before their concert because he was replaying "The Fox". His eyebags were as dark as ever with his eyes bloodshot. It was an understatement to say he was obsessed with the song, humming the song and performing the movements subconsciously in his daily routine. The song became his life.

"Are you ready for 'Victorious Way'?" Dongwoo asked, the both of them standing in the middle of the stage to await the song.

Hoya nodded his head slowly. "Yes I'm fine." He stretched his neck and jumped up and down, pumping himself up for their set.

"We're good!" Dongwoo yelled out to the sound technician, giving him a thumbs up to start the song.

"LET'S GO!" Hoya yelled out.

The spotlights flashed on Infinite-H, both of them running to opposite ends to get their song ready.

But that was when something terribly went wrong.

The electronic intro of Ylvis's "The Fox" started to play through the speakers.

Much to everyone's surprise, the rest of the Infinite members stopped everything they were doing to look up on stage to see what was going on. Dongwoo scrunched his face, looking around the theatre to see everyone's reactions. He caught a glimpse of Hoya across the stage. "I thought you gave him the right song!" Dongwoo complained.

Hoya wrapped his arms around himself, digging his fingers into his arms and opening his mouth in the horror of hearing the song. The song reached the top of his list of most played songs within the past few days of hearing it, and Hoya nodded his head like a zombie to the song. 

"Hoya, you gave them the wrong song! Go fix it!" Dongwoo demanded, pointing to the soundbox in the middle of the theatre with his mic.

Hoya continued to stand there with his face completely pale, looking confused at everyone around him. His managers and other members looked a him worriedly, as if he was going to pass out in the middle of the stage.

"Hoya!"

Dongwoo walked over to Hoya and tapped him on the shoulder, sparking Hoya to twist his body around and hit Dongwoo in the crotch with his microphone on accident. Dongwoo dropped his mic and fell on his knees in excruciating pain.

"Egumonina!" Hoya yelled out, noticing everyone running towards the stage to help Dongwoo. He panicked, trying to run off stage and go to backstage.

Dongwoo grabbed onto his ankle and pulled him to the floor, Hoya falling face down on the stage. Dongwoo crawled on the stage to turn him around and climb on top of him, desperate to get in his head that he was getting out of control. Everyone was tired of Hoya's antics.

"Get off of me!" Hoya yelled, trying to resist Dongwoo's hands and escape.

"No, you listen to me Hoya!" Dongwoo leaned over Hoya and choked his neck with his arm, pressing it at the right pressure to get him to shut up. He used his other hand to point straight at his nose, leaning his head close to get in his head that he was being ridiculous. "You need to stop right now. That song was a joke! A joke, ok? We have a concert tonight, and you need to get some sleep and stop listening to this song! You're not supposed to take it seriously!"

Hoya squirmed on stage, Dongwoo's body crushing him down. "But, I don't understand why the fox can go from ding ding ding to pow pow pow-"

Dongwoo slapped Hoya hard in the face.

"What the hell was that for?!" Hoya screamed.

"Stop questioning the damn song and just take it as it is!" Dongwoo pleaded.

At that moment, Sunggyu and Sungyeol climbed on stage to pull Dongwoo off him and seperate the two. Once his body was off, Hoya pushed himself back up to stand. He held his cheek from the throbbing pain of Dongwoo's slap. "Break time. NOW," the leader declared.

 

(((())))

 

"But there are way too many inconsistencies in the song!" Hoya held an ice pack on his cheek to alleviate the pain. The members took him to the back waiting room to try and calm him down, but instead he stood in the middle of the room to try and convince to each and every member that this was a concerning issue that everyone needed to care for.

"Oh my god!" Everyone groaned. The members were trying their best to get the song out of Hoya's head as it was becoming a detriment to their practice and their upcoming concert. 

"I'm thinking that maybe the sounds that a fox says depend on its age, because obviously a baby fox is going to make a different noise that sounds more yappy than a mature fox."

"This can't be happening right now," Woohyun said, face palming himself one of the couches. 

"I'm back." Dongwoo opened the door softly to make sure he was not interrupting anything with them. He had a cup of water for Hoya to drink. "How's everything going?"

"Everything is going great right now," Hoya answered.

"NO IT'S NOT!" Everyone else sighed. This was going nowhere.

"Here." Dongwoo walked up to Hoya and gave him a cup of water. "Your face is still pale, so you should drink up."

Hoya grabbed the cup and took a sip of water. It was just was Hoya needed, the purity and splash quenching the thirst he had. "This water is great."

"Awesome. Now we need to talk." Dongwoo pointed at Hoya's chest. "You're not ok right now."

Hoya finished his cup of water and his lips, dropping it to the floor. "I'm perfectly fine."

"No he's not!" Everyone turned to look at Sungjong, almost looking traumatized from the night before. "Hoya forced me to stay up and help him google song analyses!"

"Why didn't you just sleep like everyone else?" Sunggyu started to get angry, almost furious that no one seemed to be taking their upcoming concert seriously. "We have to perform tonight, and you should have gotten a good night's rest!"

"I just wanted to know what the fox says! Why does every other animal have an official sound but no one can figure out what a fox sound? It doesn't make any sense!" Hoya let out a yawn, scratching his eye and and continuing on with his sentiment. "I think that we have to consider that maybe a lot of animals are versatile like the fox, in which they have more sounds that we really think."

"Is this guy ing serious," Sungyeol whispered in Myungsoo's ear.

"It's not going to be the end of the world if the fox doesn't have one sound," Dongwoo moaned.

Hoya yawned one more time, his vision getting a little more blurry in every passing second. "After watching some videos last night, I think that I've come to a conclusion that the general noise that a fox makes is like a piercing scream. The fox sound is a little bit high pitched, more like an 'YAHHHHHH'."

Infinite covered their ears at Hoya's terrifying shriek. No one was in the mood for his .

"It also brings me to another point, that maybe different species of foxes have different sounds." Hoya continued to yawn, walking towards one of the couches to take a free seat next to Woohyun. He leaned back in the couch comfortably and continued. "Foxes in Korea would be different in any other country because of the climate and different aspects of their habitat." Hoya started to slur his words, talking a little slower and closing his eyes. "Now, I think that.' Hoya struggled to speak. "I think that..."

"You think we should what?" Sunggyu tried to clarify.

"I think that... we... should..."

"What?"

"We... I... the fox..." Hoya was speaking nonsense, drooping down on the couch and falling into a slumber. "Sleep."

And with that, Hoya rested his head on the arm rest and snoring in his sleep. His body was practically lifeless, his chest moving up and down slowly. Their precious Busan boy was fast asleep.

Everyone was shocked to see Hoya suddenly fall asleep after almost days straight of restless insomnia over the song. Their eyes turned to Dongwoo, who was standing in the middle of the waiting room with a silly grin on his face.

"Heh, sleeping pills are fun aren't they?" Dongwoo picked up the cup Hoya drank from and waved it around in front of everyone. "He'll be out for a good 3 hours at least."