To truly enjoy this story, please watch Gone, Agape and It's Okay, That's Love. Things will be funnier if you do.

Also, there are spoilers of It's Okay, That's Love (up to episode 4) inside the fic, so... stay away if you aren't up to date yet :)

---

Minseok looks about dazedly. He takes in the white walls, the leather armchairs and the grand piano, a faint sense of nostalgia hitting him.

 

It does not hit Minseok as hard as Luhan flinging his arms around the next moment though, and Minseok struggles valiantly for breath as Luhan violates his personal space without thought.

 

Face not three inches away, Luhan asks in a voice straining on hysterical, “Where are we, Minseok? One moment, we were in the dorms and the next, we are here!”

 

“I—“ Minseok breaks off as he tries to gather his thoughts. He waves vaguely around him, “I don’t know. But all this, they look very familiar.”

 

“There are sweets here, hyung,” Tao, who Minseok did not was even there till that second, speaks as he pops a red candy into his mouth.

 

And Minseok in a deep breath then, because that simple action triggers a memory in Minseok’s mind. It finally occurs to Minseok why everything looks so familiar, because he was filming in a set just like this 5 months ago.

 

Minseok breathes, eyes widened, “Holy . I think we just got teleported to Gone’s MV set.”

 

 

 

 

 

Hell descends in the form of a crying Tao who finally catches up with the situation and understands that they have just been sprung from one location to another in the matter of seconds by some unknown power. He first crouches down and sobs silently to himself in a corner, but has progressed to wailing while rolling about the floor within minutes.

 

Tao blubbers and cries that Jongin’s evil powers have finally shown themselves, while Minseok does his half-hearted best to calm him down because hey, he is not the only one who just had weird happened to him.

 

Luhan, meanwhile, attaches himself like a limpet to Minseok’s arms and pretends that touching anything in the room other than Minseok (and the floor because Luhan is only human and can’t float in the air) is hazardous.

 

That includes a sobbing manchild by the name of Huang Zitao.

 

Minseok can feel a dull throbbing in his head and he knows he did not sign up for this when he agrees to be part of the new idol group SM was training.

 

The dull throbbing turns into a full-fledged headache when the door is flung open, and Minseok finds himself face-to-face with himself.

 

Minseok freezes and stares at the clone. The clone stares right back. Somewhere in the background, Tao continues crying and Minseok swears he just heard Luhan muttered along the lines of jackpot! 2 Minseoks in a room! But Minseok does not have the time to correct Luhan’s creepy tendencies, because holy , Kim Minseok, meet Kim Minseok!

 

The clone faints.

-

 

Kyungsoo needs Tylenol. He really, badly needs Tylenol.

 

When Kyungsoo heard that sudden clap of thunder in their dorms, he knew that something bad was about to happen. Because thunder clouds do not form indoors, and Kyungsoo has the basic common sense to know that when nature starts going bat crazy, your life is going to be bat crazy too.

 

And so, it is only human nature to grab whoever is closest (by this, Kyungsoo means physically, and not emotionally) to you in times of panic and Kyungsoo really regrets the decision. Because, right now, Jongdae and Yixing are standing beside him, and being suddenly teleported by the force of Mother Nature to a deadbeat MacDonalds together with them does not give Kyungsoo any reassurance at all.

 

Kyungsoo should have grabbed Minseok. Or even Joonmyun will be fine.

 

But now he is stuck with Jongdae and Yixing, and Kyungsoo’s sense of anxiety only worsens when he notices a familiar-looking female employee servicing a customer.

 

“Victoria-noona!” Yixing cries out happily, pushing the customer aside with little regard.

 

‘Victoria-noona’ stares at Yixing as if he is crazy. She then opens and speaks to Yixing. While Kyungsoo may be standing a good distance away, he is distinctly aware of the fact that she is not speaking Korean.

 

In fact, it sounds like Chinese.

 

In fact, it sounds like everyone in this MacDonalds is speaking Chinese.

 

Kyungsoo pinches the bridge of his nose. He knew something is up the moment the thunder clapped. But Kyungsoo does not think he is equipped to handle the question of a lifetime that was just upon him because why in the world is Victoria-noona working in a Chinese restaurant in the middle of the night?

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t think he will ever be able to come up with an answer, because this is obviously screwed up. And Kyungsoo is sure he does not have the answer to Mother Nature’s screw-ups. Jongdae decides to speak next though, and Kyungsoo wishes he didn’t.

 

“Hey, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae quips cheerily, “Doesn’t this reminds you of Liyin-noona’s Agape?”

 

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen and he begins feeling faint. Meanwhile, Yixing has already switched to Mandarin and is getting along like a house on fire with ‘Victoria-noona’.

-

 

Joonmyun determinedly holds on to the hands of Chanyeol and Jongin. He then forces Sehun, who is holding hands with Jongin, to also hold hands with Chanyeol so that they form something vaguely looking like a prayer circle.

 

Joonmyun subsequently guides the group into a gap between two houses. There is something they have to attend to before anything else can be done, and Joonmyun whispers urgently to his charges.

 

Joonmyun says, “Guys, we have to hide our faces.”

 

Sehun, however, going through the rebellious phase that he is, looks faintly hysterical, “We just got teleported out of our dorms and you want us to hide our faces, hyung?”

 

Joonmyun feels annoyed, because he is not too sure how he likes this insubordination. However, Joonmyun still has a reputation to uphold (even before his band members because life is a stage and there’s no such thing as BTS) and he does not allow his annoyance to show. Guardian Suho, remember?

 

“We are still in Seoul—in fact, I think we are in Gangnam—so unless you want to get run over by a stampede of fangirls,” Joonmyun points out kindly, “You have to hide your face.”

 

Sehun remains unconvinced and Joonmyun wishes he was not watching TV with Sehun when all this happened. Tao should be here. He is more obedient and easier to bully—wait, Joonmyun did not just say that.

 

“We just got teleported by some strange powers and—shouldn’t we be panicking? Why are you guys so calm?” Sehun’s voice gets a little shriller.

 

Joonmyun’s response is cut off when Jongin sends a sharp glare to Sehun. “Keep your voice down, Sehun,” he hisses, all the while pulling up the hoodie of his sweater, “And hyung is right, we need to hide our faces.”

 

Joonmyun nods approvingly at that answer before he helps Chanyeol readjusts his sunglasses. Jongin tucks his hair behind his ears and tries to pull his hoodie down as much as possible without flashing his back.

 

Eventually, everyone are safely hidden behind hoodies and sunglasses except for Sehun, who stands (gaping most unattractively, Joonmyun notes) in his bed-haired, unobstructed-face glory. Joonmyun sighs good-naturedly (all a show, really) and moves to help Sehun pull up the collars of his polo T.

 

Really, what will Exo do without him? (Joonmyun hopes that the collars of Sehun’s shirt are big enough to hide his face, but he has a niggling feeling in his stomach that it is a lost cause because the collars don’t look particularly wide and Sehun’s face isn’t particularly small.)

 

“Oh my god, what’s wrong with you guys?” Sehun begins to babble as Joonmyun’s collars worries get realised, “We just got ing teleported and you are behaving like this is just a field trip to Gangnam—“

 

Sehun’s outburst is stopped short when Jongin clamps a hand over his mouth. Jongin glares daggers, “Shut up, Sehun.”

 

Sehun’s words are muffled. Joonmyun cannot make out any words.

 

However, Jongin seems to understand and he shakes his head darkly. “You don’t understand, Sehun. Sometimes, there are more important priorities other than freaking out,” Jongin says, the hoodie casting shadows over his face, “You are not marketed as the symbol of the group. So, you do not know how it feels to have a group of girls chasing you, waving their —some of them don’t even look a day over twelve—and all the whistles and catcalls—the way they seem to be stripping me with their eyes—“

 

Jongin begins choking up at this point and Joonmyun stops in his futile attempts in order to pull Jongin into his embrace. Obedient boys should get rewarded; Joonmyun is a staunch believer in being generous to your minions because that’s the only way to cement loyalty.

 

“It’s alright, hyung understands,” Joonmyun pats Jongin’s head as he allows the dancer to bury his face into his chest, “Hyung is here for you. Don’t worry.”

 

Joonmyun hopes Jongin does not leave any snot behind.

 

 

 

 

 

When Jongin has finally stopped crying and Joonmyun has given up on his ill-advised attempts to strangle Sehun’s neck while trying to conceal Sehun with his collar, Chanyeol decides that that is the right moment to notice a man striding down the pathway.

 

He points out excitedly to the rest of the group. “Look, look,” Chanyeol’s fingers jab in the direction of the man.

 

He is impossibly tall, gifted with long limbs and a lean body that will make anyone envious, and even though the night is kind of dark, Joonmyun thinks he can see the aura of literal handsomeness emanating off the man. It does not help that the man swaggers than walks really, and Joonmyun comes to the conclusion that he is a hunk. Joonmyun won’t even be surprised if he turns out to be celebrity.

 

But he most likely isn’t, because Joonmyun thinks he lacks a special something—a X-factor—that can really dazzle people. It’s not the fault of the man though, because not everyone can be as gorgeous as Joonmyun.

 

“Don’t point, Chanyeol,” Joonmyun says lightly, “It’s rude—“

 

“It’s Jo In-Sung sunbaenim!” Chanyeol squeals. He bounces on his feet as a completely star-struck look adorns his face.

 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Chanyeol,” Jongin sniffles, still hasn’t fully recovered from his vulnerable moment, “It can’t be Jo In-Sung sunbaenim.”

 

“But it is!” Chanyeol’s voice gets louder as he gets more and more excited, “I collect all of sunbaenim’s work! I can recognize him just from the way he walks!”

 

“Chanyeol, I know we are tired and all. But let’s just try and get back to our dorms, alright?” Joonmyun’s voice is gentle, “I will send you to a doctor once we are safely back home.”

 

“But it’s really Jo In-Sung sunbaemin, hyung. Can’t I just ask for an autograph—“ Chanyeol frowns, “Wait a moment, I don’t need a doctor, hyung.”

 

Joonmyun makes a voice at the back of his throat as if to say ‘poor, poor (delusional) boy’ and he puts a placating hand on Chanyeol’s arm. “If you say so, Chanyeol,” he says patronisingly.

 

“It’s really Jo In-Sung sunbaenim,” Chanyeol repeats, insists really. “How can you not recognize that Adonis on earth.”

 

“Alright, it’s him. I believe you, Chanyeol,” Joonmyun says soothingly, “But we can’t have you exposing our identities, Chanyeol. So, why don’t we ask Kyungsoo to get you an autograph from Jo In-Sung sunbaenim the next time he goes for a filming?”

 

“But—but I want an autograph from sunbaenim in person—“

 

“Chanyeol, I understand. But we really have to get back to the dorms—“

 

“It’s different if Kyungsoo gets it for me. I need to breathe the same air as Jo In-Sung sunbaenim, hyung. It’s my lifelong wish—“

 

“And I understand that too, Chanyeol. But you know how dangerous it is for celebrities to gather. It will set off fangirls’ radar—“

 

“It’s alright, hyung. Sunbaenim will save us. He knows judo, hyung. Jo In-Sung sunbaenim can—“

 

“Jo In-Sung sunbaenim can’t, and Jo In-Sung sunbaenim won’t. Besides Jo In-Sung sunbaenim has just stepped into his house, so you can forget about getting his autograph,” Sehun cuts in finally. He snaps, voice a notch louder, “And why the are you guys so calm about the entire thing? We just got ing teleported and all we are talking about are Jo In-Sung!”

 

Jongin startles at the loud voice and jumps a foot in the air (all that springy youth, Joonmyun observes with jealousy). He starts tearing up again, and Joonmyun pulls that young boy into his embrace again with an almost imperceptible troubled air.

 

Joonmyun admonishes, less gentle words this time round because Sehun is trying his patience. “Don’t curse in public, Sehun. You just made Jongin cry.”

 

Meanwhile, Chanyeol’s eyes widen to a comical degree. “You did not just call sunbaenim by his name,” he whispers in an appalled tone.

-

 

“We carried you in,” Minseok says when the clone opens his eyes and begins looking around frantically. “I mean, the sofa looks more comfy than the floor and so we carried you in.”

 

The clone still looks unsettled though and he flicks an eye at Minseok as Luhan trails a hand up his arms, murmuring such beautiful, soft skin. Minseok can feel goosebumps rising on his neck and he hastily pulls Luhan away.

 

“I didn’t let Luhan do anything to you while you were knocked-out. Don’t worry,” Minseok reassures, but Tao spoils it all by uncurling from his foetal position to poke the clone in his cheeks.

 

Tao has snot running down his nose, red-rimmed eyes and his infamous eyebags. Minseok thinks Tao looks a little like a murderous baby and he sympathises intensely with the clone when Tao begins crying as he pokes the clone’s cheek mechanically.

 

“He is real, hyung,” Tao wails. He reaches out his other hand to Minseok’s cheek and begins poking too, “And this Minseok-hyung is real too. Ge, what are we going to do? Minseok-hyung is going to die.”

 

“Tao, stop it,” Minseok swats Tao’s hands away from both his and the clone’s cheeks. “And what are you talking about? I won’t die. No one will die.”

 

“But—but you just met your doppelganger, hyung,” Tao looks up with tear-rimmed eyes.

 

Minseok feels like throttling his maknae. He doesn’t show it though, and instead allows amazement to colour his voice, “How do you know about the doppelganger theory, Tao?”

 

Tao doesn’t answer. Rather, he slowly returns to his foetal position on the floor, weeping all the while. Minseok feels irritation rising up from his throat like bile, and he wonders if he is going to die from stomach acid reflux.

 

Because the two members he has been teleported with is giving him a major headache and Minseok does not think he gets paid enough to chaperone them. This is all too much, and very unfair. Minseok doesn’t know how he has offended the bastard who pulled this thing off so much so that he gets teleported to a MV set with this group.

 

The clone decides to speak them, adding on to Minseok’s pain.

 

He says in a troubled voice, polite even when frightened. “Please get him off me.”

 

Minseok looks over and discovers that Luhan has someone escaped from his hold and is now draping himself over the clone. And he doesn’t move when touched. How nice, Minseok thinks he can hear Luhan whispers throatily.

 

Minseok can feel the world blacking out and he feels a sudden flare of anger before he faints.

 

He is really way too young to have a heart attack.

-

 

“Oh my god,” Jongdae tightens his grip around Kyungsoo’s wrist, “Oh my god. Look, it’s Tao.”

 

Kyungsoo turns and he sees Tao in a grimy old sweater staring like a creeper at ‘Victoria-noona’. This scene is all too familiar and he remembers the entire group laughing at Tao when they watched the MV together a few days back.

 

“Oh my god, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae does not seem to think his grip around Kyungsoo has gotten him sufficient attention. He nudges Kyungsoo hard in his ribs, whispering excitedly, “Oh my god, I think we are really in Liyin-noona’s MV.”

 

Kyungsoo makes a sound that is halfway between a whimper and a sob.

 

“Look, look, and he is glowering at Yixing now!” Jongdae chortles, “Oh my god, Tao looks like such an idiot.”

 

Kyungsoo puts his head into his hands. If this is a dream, he really wants to wake up now.

 

 

 

 

 

10 minutes later, and Kyungsoo has come to the correct conclusion that this is not a dream at all, no thanks to the sharp ribbing he received from Jongdae when he feels that Kyungsoo is not paying him enough attention.

 

Kyungsoo stands up to his full height and decides that if this is not a dream, the least he can do is to face it like a man. He may be small, but he is not a pushover. Kyungsoo is not going to let Mother Nature have his way with him.

 

One saving grace of this entire fiasco is that at least he has Yixing and Jongdae with him. They are obviously in China and Kyungsoo cannot speak a of Mandarin so he will be pretty much screwed if he got teleported here with members of Exo-K.

 

Communication will not be a problem now that he has Yixing and Jongdae with him. Or Yixing really, because Jongdae’s Mandarin is crap and he can’t say much other than wo ai ni to fans.

 

Kyungsoo doesn’t think that knowing how to say ‘I love you’ will be really helpful in situations like this.

 

But then again, Kyungsoo reflects, he doesn’t think anything will be helpful in situations like this. What are they even supposed to do?

 

Just when Kyungsoo is beginning to panic from the lack of a reasonable plan (maybe they can make a phonecall and get manager-hyung to pick them up, but are they even in the world where Exo exists? Or maybe they can hire a magician to send them back to their world, but where can Kyungsoo find magicians? Or maybe they should just burn incense sticks and pray to Mother Nature to let them off--), Jongdae speaks, effectively shaking him out of his reverie.

 

“Oh hey, Tao is leaving,” Jongdae emphasizes with another jab to Kyungsoo’s vulnerable tummy.

 

Kyungsoo looks up and is met with the scene of Tao’s slouched shoulders and lethargic footsteps as he walks away from the MacDonalds, feeling very down. Kyungsoo can guess why. The woman of his dreams (or rather, the splitting image of his mother) is now talking very animatedly to a handsome young man.

 

Tao must be feeling crushed.

 

Kyungsoo is suddenly infused with a strong sense of mission and he knows what he has to do next.

 

He has to set this right.

 

The plot of the MV is going awry and the very least Kyungsoo can do for the sad man that Tao plays is to make sure he at least experiences a summer of love.

 

Mind made up, Kyungsoo moves forward and grabs hold of Yixing. He sends an apologetic look to ‘Victoria-noona’ for ending the conversation abruptly and makes to say something in Mandarin, before he stops.

 

The only phrase Kyungsoo knows in Mandarin is wo ai ni.

 

Kyungsoo simple shakes his hand even more and widens his eyes marginally. It is the most innocent and kicked-puppy look Kyungsoo has up his sleeves, and he knows it works wonders on the ladies. Mother instinct, and all.

 

Kyungsoo, however, does not hang around to check if ‘Victoria-noona’ seems appeased by his silent apology. Rather, he drags Yixing out of the MacDonalds immediately and sets off in the direction he knows he has seen Tao leaving in.

 

Kyungsoo will force Yixing explain the entire situation to Tao.

 

Yes, he will.

 

 

 

 

 

They walk for a good 5 minutes before they chance upon the grey silhouette that is Tao. Jongdae has caught up by then (Kyungsoo has accidentally left him behind in the MacDonalds, but not out of any bad intentions, he swears), and Kyungsoo heaves a sign of relief because it will be hopeless if Tao has taken a turn.

 

“Why must Tao walk so fast?” Jongdae complains, having to jog to catch up for the first half of the journey and brisk walk for the next half as Kyungsoo sets a punishing pace.

 

“His heart has just been broken,” Yixing says reasonably, “Of course he will be running away from his pain.”

 

“If you know, why did you even break it in the first place?” Jongdae says belligerently.

 

“I didn’t know,” Yixing pauses. He tags on as if it is any explanation for his behaviour, “Besides, Laili-jie is really pretty.”

 

“Laili-jie?” Jongdae frowns. He has missed out on the conversation when Kyungsoo made sure Yixing was up to date and Yixing told Kyungsoo about all that he had learnt about ‘Victoria-noo—no, Laili-noona.

 

“Yup, that’s the name of Victoria-jie in this world,” Yixing nods. He adopts a befuddled look a beat later, “I don’t get why Laili-jie is working in MacDonalds though. She’s so pretty.”

 

Jongdae snorts, “Probably so that Tao can find her and they can romance the hell out of each other.”

 

Kyungsoo frowns. That’s no way to refer to a heartbreaking love story.

 

Kyungsoo cuts into the conversation, unwilling to hear any more sacrilegious talk about Tao and Laili-jie’s romance. “Tao is getting away.”

 

Kyungsoo catches Yixing and Jongdae’s attention with that. Both of them refocus their attention on Tao’s back and they can see that the distance between them has widened considerably.

 

That damnned brat, Jongdae murmurs darkly under his breath. He then breaks out in a sprint towards Tao and Kyungsoo wants to cry out idiot! Because Jongdae is running across a road now, jayrunning like a fool.

 

Kyungsoo’s words get caught up in his throat though, when a truck suddenly appears around the corner, catching Jongdae right smack in the middle of its headlights.

 

Kyungsoo’s body jerks as if he is trying to run to save Jongdae somehow. But it’s too late, much too late, because the truck is just a metre away from Jongdae now and—

 

Tao leaps in suddenly, a grey heroic silhouette casting long shadows across the road. He catches Jongdae in his embrace and the two flies across the air, and Kyungsoo swears that the pair paused briefly in the air for half a second, matrix-style, but he is distracted when Tao and Jongdae lands in a pile on the pedestrian walkway.

 

Tao must be an iron man in this world though, because he recovers almost immediately and is soon cradling Jongdae in his arms.

 

“Are you alright?” Tao asks, calm and unruffled. Yixing winces beside Kyungsoo from all the cheese, but Kyungsoo ignores him.

 

Kyungsoo is panicking now, and for an entirely different reason other than worrying for Jongdae’s life. Because if Kyungsoo is correct, Tao is supposed to save a pretty girl named Laili, and not a Korean boy by the name of Jongdae. The MV’s progression is all messed up, and Kyungsoo does not know what to think.

 

However, as Kyungsoo watches Tao brush a strand of Jongdae’s hair, Kyungsoo sure as hell knows what to feels. Kyungsoo feels like puking.

 

Kyungsoo sends a silent prayer to the skies that they have not just ruined Liyin-noona’s song.

-

 

“Room 1001, sir,” the concierge hands the cardkey over with a professional smile, “Enjoy your stay in Hyatt.”

 

Joonmyun nods and accepts the cardkey. He pauses only to return his black credit card back to its place in his wallet before he leads the way to the hotel’s elevator.

 

Despite the fact that they have been miraculously teleported into an alternate world, the Hyatt Grand Hotel remains the same, and Joonmyun is thankful for small comforts like the familiarity of hotel lobby. However, he is vaguely irritated by the babble that is following him and he is about to turn around and give them a sharp look, before Joonmyun remembers himself and remembers his image as Suho.

 

They have already confirmed with Kangwoo that Exo does not exist in this world, but Joonmyun feels that it is still better to be safe than sorry.

 

What if an entertainment agent wants to scout him?

 

As such, Joonmyun turns around with a soft smile on his face. He adopts a tender tone, “Guys, please quieten down. We can talk when we are in the suite, alright?”

 

The group ignores him though.

 

“—So you are saying that you have seen sunbaenim’s ?” Chanyeol asks excitedly.

 

Kangwoo blinks a few times before he looks Chanyeol up and down, as if evaluating him. “I don’t think you stand a chance, Chanyeol-ssi,” he says carefully.

 

“How many times must I tell you, you can just call me Chanyeol. We are good friends,” Chanyeol slaps Kangwoo’s shoulder playfully. His face darkens a second later though and Chanyeol murmurs under his breath, “And I will beat Gong Hyojin. You see if I don’t.”

 

Sehun jabs a sharp, manicured finger to Chanyeol’s arms, “Stop scaring Kangwoo-hyung. Can’t you see that he is confused?”

 

Kangwoo looks between Chanyeol and Sehun and appears as if he wants to run away anytime soon. However, that is not made easy, given that Jongin has his arms tightly wound around Kangwoo’s shoulders. It did not make walking easy for the pair, but at least, Kangwoo cannot run off.

 

“Hyung, just ignore the idiots,” Jongin says happily as he forces Kangwoo into skipping into the elevator. “They are always like this.”

 

“Erm… Jongin-ssi, can you please let go of me?” Kangwoo has come to the right conclusion that Jongin is the biggest threat in the elevator and is now focusing his energies on removing the leech.

 

“But I miss you so much, hyung,” Jongin lets go of Kangwoo’s shoulders to squish his cheeks, “You are so much cuter in this world than the real one, hyung!”

 

“I agree,” Chanyeol nods his head eagerly, “And this world is so much better than the real one too.”

 

Sehun snorts, “You say that only because your precious Jo In-Sung sunbaenim is holding a fansign tomorrow and Kangwoo has promised to bring you backstage.”

 

“He is Jang Jaeyul sunbaenim now, Sehun.” Chanyeol corrects sharply.

 

Sehun rolls his eyes, “I will just like to remind you that we are currently in It’s Okay, It’s Love and none of this is real.”

 

Chanyeol’s hackles rise and he spits at Sehun. Joonmyun frowns at the barbaric act, wondering again for the hundredth time, why didn’t he oppose to the member roster when he had the chance?

 

But it is too late now. Exo is already famous and people have already grown attached to the existing lineup. Joonmyun can no longer kill s and bribe his way out of prison.

 

The group reaches the suite and Joonmyun opens the door with a “Viola”. He is ignored once again though, and Joonmyun is beginning to feel a slight bit underappreciated.

 

Exploited too. Because hey, Joonmyun is the one footing the bill for this suite (why does the credit card work is a mystery beyond Joonmyun, but Joonmyun has decided it is not worth the trouble to sweat the minute details), all just for the sake of finding out how well Kyungsoo of this world can cook.

 

Because, you see, an hour earlier, Kangwoo had apparated out of nowhere, in front of Jo In-Sung sunbaenim’s (or should Joonmyun call him Jang Jaeyul sunbaenim?) house. Sehun is the one who spotted him this time round, and his sudden cry of surprise coupled together with the familiar wide eyes and small stature has Joonmyun’s stomach sinking.

 

Oh no, looks like Kyungsoo got teleported here too. Joonmyun has yet another member to look after.

 

But it turned out that Joonmyun was severely wrong and that his assumptions were incorrect. That was not Do Kyungsoo from Exo, but rather Han Kangwoo from the drama series.

 

The supposed reunion with Kyungsoo turned into a messy introduction instead, and it somehow ended with Kangwoo coming along to Hyatt’s suite because Chanyeol and Jongin and Sehun want to see how well he can cook.

 

(“Oh, but he looks sweeter than Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol gushes, “Look at his smile.”

 

“It looks the same as Kyungsoo’s,” Sehun deadpans.

 

“You don’t get it,” Chanyeol shakes his head before moving on to pinch a stunned Kangwoo’s cheek. “Kyungsoo here lets me pinch his cheeks without hitting me!” Chanyeol crows jubilantly.

 

“I am sorry, but my name is Kangwoo?” the poor boy is starting to look overwhelmed.

 

“And he lets me hug him too,” Jongin says with a derpy smile as he snuggles into Kangwoo.

 

“But we cannot possibly bring him back and have him take over Kyungsoo, for goodness sake!” Sehun bursts out. He struggles to come up with a reason, “For one, what if he doesn’t have a good singing voice?”

 

Two pairs of eyes turned to look at Kangwoo and he shrinks a little into himself, “I am not too sure what you mean by a good singing voice, but my mom says I am a lovely singer?”

 

Jongin and Chanyeol breaks out into triumphant smiles as if that validates their point of bringing Kangwoo back to the real world.

 

Sehun rolls his eyes at their excited reaction. “Please, all mothers think their children are geniuses. My mum praised me for my singing too.”

 

Chanyeol opens his mouth as if he is about to retort before he reconsiders. “Your mom praised you for your singing?” he frowns.

 

“Yes,” Sehun shrugged.

 

“Maybe all mothers are tone-deaf,” Jongin suggests, “Taemin-hyung said his mother used to say he was a gifted singer too.”

 

“Taemin is a good singer now though?” Chanyeol tilts his head.

 

“Now is now. Hyung was horrendous in the past.”

 

“Jongin, Chanyeol, Sehun,” Joonmyun enters the conversation with an indulging voice, “Let’s stop talking about Taemin sunbae and—“

 

“So you see, that is not a valid reason for bringing Kangwoo-hyung back with us!” Sehun cuts Joonmyun off without a thought.

 

Chanyeol looks despondent for half a minute as he looks mournfully at Kangwoo, pawing at him as if he has just been told that he is not allowed to keep the stray puppy he found. However, he brightens up soon enough and Chanyeol says excitedly, “But, Kyung—Kangwoo, can you cook well?”

 

Kangwoo seems to consider that for a moment before he straightens up and says with a tad bit more confidence than his previous answers, “If it is cooking, I think I am fairly good at it.”

 

“That’s hyung for you,” Jongin hugs Kangwoo again.

 

“How well can you cook?” Sehun questions skeptically.

 

“I can make a good omelet and nice kimchi soup. My mum loves my kimchi fried rice too?" At seeing the encouraging nods from Chanyeol and Jongin, Kangwoo continues, "And I am pretty good at ramen as well. I think I make the best ramen in the entire Seoul.”

 

Sehun can feel his resolve weakening and it shows on his face too. He has always like savoury dishes over sweet desserts, and the Kyungsoo in his world always seem to prefer making sweet desserts over savoury dishes for some reason.

 

Chanyeol cackles evilly, he can see the end in sight. “And what sort of ramen are you better at? Dry or wet ones?”

 

“Dry ones, I guess? I make a special sauce for them and they taste really good—“

 

“Alright, alright! You can bring Kangwoo-hyung back,” Sehun interrupts, annoyance evident in the lines of his face but Jongin and Chanyeol knows that it is all contrived, because Sehun isn’t glaring with his usual intensity. “But he has to prove himself first. I can’t just trust your words blindly,” Sehun looks pointedly at Kangwoo.

 

“Wait a moment—I didn’t say I want to go with you—“

 

“Hyung, can we go to your house?”

 

“Huh? No, my house is too small—“

 

“That’s true. Kangwoo's house is a bit small, and it looks dingy too,” Chanyeol wrinkles his nose, “I don’t really want to go there.”

 

“How do you know how my house looks like? And don’t insult—“

 

"I am an avid fan," Chanyeol winks.

 

A silence descends and Kangwoo begins edging away from Chanyeol. Joonmyun sighs because the lack of tact, oh the lack of tact. It's a wonder that Chanyeol is even considered a good variety idol in Exo. More often than not, Joonmyun thinks Chanyeol seems like a creeper, but he supposes the Korea population has a vastly inferior taste compared to him.

 

The tension (and quiet) is only broken when Jongin suggests helpfully, “We can rent a kitchen?"

 

At this, the 3 boys immediately turn to look at Joonmyun and Joonmyun wants to cry. Is he only remembered when money is needed? Is Joonmyun simply an ATM machine?

 

 

 

 

 

Halfway to Hyatt, Sehun stops in his steps suddenly.

 

“Wait a minute, isn’t Kangwoo a figment of Jang Jaeyul’s imagination?” Sehun asks.

 

Chanyeol shushes him immediately and Jongin glowers at him. Joonmyun agrees with the pair for once and he whispers softly into Sehun’s ears. “It’s rude to put someone into an existential crisis, Sehun.”)

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