Hoya finds Myungsoo sitting on their living room couch with his eyes glued to the TV. He's on the edge of his seat, a look of awe on his face. Hoya walks up behind his oblivious roommate and sits on the back of the couch. On the TV screen two men are in a heated exchange, their faces inches from each other and breathing heavily.

"Is this what you're into?"

Hoya grins at the incredibly high squeak the other lets out. It's always fun scaring Myungsoo. He swings his legs over the back of the couch and drops down next to the younger man. Myungsoo glares at him after pausing the show.

"Doesn't that ever get old?" Myungsoo is sure he must have lost twenty years of his life from Hoya sneaking up on him. It's a wonder he doesn't have wrinkles or gray hair.

"It really doesn't," Hoya sighs. If Myungsoo is losing years then Hoya is gaining them. He probably enjoys scaring the crap out of his roommate and friend a bit too much. There's just something so entertaining about Myungsoo's reaction when Hoya surprises him as he's coming through the front door or when he sneaks up behind an unsuspecting Myungsoo and makes him jump five feet in the air.

"But that's not the point," Hoya says as he remembers where the conversation started. "Is this what you do when I'm not around? You don't have to hide it. I won't judge you. If it makes you feel any better, I watch this stuff too—well, not this kind of thing, but, you know, it's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Myungsoo stops glaring, but the frown stays on his face. "What the hell do you think I'm watching?" Hoya rolls his eyes and gives him a look as if it should be obvious. "I'm not—­you think—" Myungsoo stumbles over his words once he realizes what his friend had inferred. "It's the middle of the day."

Hoya shrugs. "Different for different folks, you know?"

Myungsoo can only wonder how he ended up sharing an apartment with this guy. He must have been desperate. Yeah, that's probably it. "So I'm just going to forget you said that," he says. "And tell you what's actually going on." He takes a deep breath as he starts to recount his first encounter with the Lee Sungyeol. "So you know how I got that internship at that TV station where Dongwoo works?"

It had been Myungsoo's first day at the station. He was excited enough to be there, but the fact that this was a paid internship made getting up at five in the morning so much more worth it. His boss, Sunggyu, had been showing him and the other two interns around the building and brought them to the set of one of the station's many dramas. Myungsoo hadn't recognized any of the actors or even the title of the show. He was too busy observing the lighting and set design to pay attention to the scene being filmed until the director called cut. As he finally noticed the people in front of him, his eyes fell on a man in a body suit and mask holding a fencing sword. From there it was like everything started moving in slow-motion. The man had pulled off the mask to reveal a mop of brown hair and the most beautiful face Myungsoo was sure he'd ever seen.

There was a bit of awe and breathlessness as he stared at the way the man whipped his hair out of his face with a swift flick of his head. He had no idea who that person was, but he intended to find out.

"So you haven't tried to talk to him even though you see him every day, but you've spent the last two weeks fanboying over him at home," Hoya asks when Myungsoo's finished. Myungsoo and smooth aren't the best of friends, but Hoya is still disappointed his friend didn't seize such a golden opportunity. The helpless shrug Myungsoo gives him only further convinces him that he should be responsible and pass on some of the dating knowledge he's gathered so far in his life.

"I doubt going up to him and saying 'I like your face' will go over well."

"Well, no," Hoya rolls his eyes at his friend's sarcasm. "You shouldn't show your weirdness too early." Myungsoo scowls, but Hoya ignores him "But you could at least let him know you exist."

"So you're advising me on my love life now?"

"It's a tough job," Hoya answers with an exaggerated sigh. "But someone has to do it."

Myungsoo doesn't know what he did in a past life to deserve a friend like Hoya, but it couldn't have been anything good. Yet, as wary as he is about letting Hoya of all people get him a date, he must admit that without the other he'd probably just continue to admire the actor from afar. Surely this must be the best option.

\\\

After all of Hoya's coaching, Myungsoo still freezes at the sight of Sungyeol. He and Jiae, another intern, are walking through a hallway when the actor turns the corner. His first instinct is to turn around and run as far away as possible. But Sungyeol's eyes just happen meet his and he panics. He doesn't give himself time to think before he rushes into the nearest room, pulling Jiae in with him. Slamming the door shut, he rests his forehead against it. His heart's pounding in his chest and sweat is already starting to form on his palms.

"Uh, Myungsoo?" Jiae places a gentle hand on his shoulder and he jumps slightly. He'd kind of forgotten she was there. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah," Myungsoo answers and he clears his throat when it comes out higher than he would like it to be. "I'm fine. I just need a minute."

"Well, I think you might want to do this somewhere else since, you know, this is the women's bathroom."

Myungsoo's head shoots up at that. He spins around to finally take in his surroundings. There are no urinals in sight, only stalls. His already red cheeks turn even redder as the realization sinks in.

Jiae doesn't ask him why he needed a minute in the women's bathroom (for which he's grateful), but she does mercilessly for the rest of the morning. (He's not so grateful for that.) Sunggyu and Sujeong, the other intern, don't necessarily get all of the jokes, but that doesn't stop them from laughing. A reprieve finally arrives in the form of Dongwoo. He invites Myungsoo to have lunch with him and the younger boy accepts almost instantly.

The station's cafeteria has a whole floor all to itself. It's designed to look like a trendy café with wood tables and low lighting and mood music. Myungsoo is still fairly awed by all of it.

He and Dongwoo have just sat down with their food when the older man spots someone he knows and waves him over. Myungsoo doesn't realize that someone is none other than Lee Sungyeol until the actor is standing above him in a perfect-fitting suit. He nearly tips his cup over as he shoots up out of his seat. A long silence settles over the table while Myungsoo just stares at the man in front of him. It feels like he's tumbling head-first into Sungyeol's eyes.

"Hi," Sungyeol says quietly. Myungsoo's eyes are immediately drawn to the way one side of his mouth turns up slightly. That counts as a smile, right? His blatant staring and embarrassing speechlessness haven't weirded the other out? Hoya's voice pops into his head briefly, reminding him not to be too weird too early. It's a bit too late for that.

"Hi." It comes out as more of an exhale, but Myungsoo's just happy his voice didn't crack or fail him completely. He drops back down in his chair, feeling his cheeks heat up. He stuffs nearly half of his sandwich into his mouth to give himself something to do and to avoid embarrassing himself further.

Dongwoo has a knowing smirk on his face as he introduces them. (Hoya had filled him in on Myungsoo's fanboy crush with way more enthusiasm than necessary. Myungsoo's pretty sure he's not the only one who could use a date.) "This is my friend Myungsoo. He just started interning here."

Sungyeol takes a seat at the table. Myungsoo can feel his eyes on him, but he refuses to look up from the table. He might do something stupid. "Don't look so star struck," Sungyeol tells him. (Myungsoo tries not to choke on his food.) "I'm not that famous."

At this, Dongwoo jumps in to defend the actor's fame. That starts a conversation between the two of them that Myungsoo is more than happy to just observe. It's much more interesting to watch Sungyeol as he talks. The little dimple that forms when he smiles really wide, how expressive his eyebrows are, the sound of his voice. Myungsoo feels lucky enough to be able to witness all of it up close.

All too soon Sungyeol is pushing back his chair and standing up. "Crap, my break was over ten minutes ago." He points a finger at Dongwoo. His face seems stern, but there's a playful twinkle in his eyes. "I know you still have my number, so you better start calling me more."

"Who's the top star who's always working and doesn't have any time for his friends?"

Sungyeol rolls his eyes, up the last of the iced coffee he'd brought with him. "I'm not that busy; I can make time. And stop calling me that. I'm not that famous." Dongwoo laughs while Sungyeol looks like he's barely stopping himself from stomping his foot. Myungsoo smiles to himself, finding the actor's frustrated expression incredibly cute. The smile freezes when Sungyeol turns his attention to him. "It was nice meeting you, Myungsoo. Hopefully I'll be seeing more of you around here."

God, yes, Myungsoo thinks. He doesn't say anything, though. It probably wouldn't be coherent anyway. Sungyeol gives him one last bright smile before leaving.

"When exactly were you going to mention that you knew Lee Sungyeol of all people," Myungsoo asks once Sungyeol is far enough away. He gives his friend a light shove that does nothing to dim the smile on the other's face.

"You never asked," Dongwoo shrugs. The younger boy gives him an incredulous look, obviously not satisfied with that explanation. "But I think he might like you."

For the rest of the day, all Myungsoo can think about is the possibility of Sungyeol liking him. It's not that he actually believes someone like Lee Sungyeol could be attracted to him. But the idea has been planted in his mind (thanks to Dongwoo) and it shows no signs of leaving. His co-workers don't seem to notice any change in his behavior, but that's probably because he has a tendency to space out if he doesn't have something to focus on. So no one gets suspicious when he starts thinking about Sungyeol smiling at him or telling him he hopes to see him again. He tells himself it's just the actor being nice. Lee Sungyeol is a nice person.

His mind is still preoccupied when he, Jiae and Sujeong are heading to the elevators at the end of the day. The two girls are chatting behind him as they wait, but he's not really paying attention to the words. His mind is busy conjuring all of the different ways he might bump into Sungyeol. When the elevator finally arrives, he steps on without a glance at the two people already standing in it.

"Oh, it's you."

Myungsoo would recognize that voice anywhere. He looks up to see Sungyeol standing just a few feet away from him. His stomach flips at the smile on the other's face. It's even brighter than he remembers it. The taller man is dressed more casually in jeans and a t-shirt, but Myungsoo thinks he looks just as good as he did in the suit. Better, even.

"You know him?" The surprised question comes from Sungyeol's co-star, Nam something-something (Myungsoo can't remember at the moment). He's in a corner with his arms crossed and his eyebrows up to his hairline.

Jiae and Sujeong are standing close to Myungsoo, just as surprised and eager to know what's going on.

Sungyeol ignores the other actor. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon."

Myungsoo is all too aware of Nam Woohyun's (that's his name) eyes on him as well as his fellow interns' attentive ears. He smiles up at Sungyeol and fights the urge to cover his flushed cheeks. Maybe Dongwoo's right. The way the other man's looking at him is the same as when he looks at the female lead on his drama. (Now he can stop being jealous of Nam Jihyun.)

Sungyeol seems to notice their audience as well because he only smiles back at him before turning to face the doors. Myungsoo wishes the other man would continue talking to him. The rest of the ride passes in a palpable silence. When the elevator reaches the ground floor Myungsoo turns to say a quick goodbye to the man next to him and then hurries out. Jiae and Sujeong are silent for all of ten seconds before they start hounding him for answers. He makes them buy him dinner in exchange for telling them everything. (Well, not everything--he doesn't need two more people meddling in his love life.)

\\\

Myungsoo rubs at his eyes. The words on the computer screen have started to blur. He's been stuck fact-checking for the last two hours and he was supposed to clock out half an hour ago. The girls have already finished their work and left while Sunggyu disappeared to who-knows-where some time ago. There's still a good-sized stack of articles to go through, but Myungsoo doesn't think he has the energy to read anymore. He's just laid his head on his desk when the door to the interns' shared office opens. He picks his head up to see Sunggyu's own peeking past the threshold.

"You're still here," the older man asks. Myungsoo holds up the stack of articles in response. "Don't worry about that. You can finish it tomorrow." And with that he leaves just as suddenly as he came. The intern doesn't have to be told twice that he can leave. He makes quick work of saving his work and shutting down the computer and straightens up his desk. The energy that he had been lacking just moments before seems to have come back to him with the almost tangible image of the food waiting for him at home as well as the very comfortable spot for him on the couch.

Out in the hallway, he's just shut the door behind him when he notices someone standing over by the elevators. But it's not just anyone. Lee Sungyeol is leaning against the wall as if he does that often. He glances up, meeting Myungsoo's eyes, and stuffs the phone he'd been tapping on into his pocket.

Myungsoo checks behind himself when the actor waves in his direction. Has he been waiting for me? He makes his way over to the other man slowly. He's not completely sure he didn't fall asleep in the office and is currently dreaming. He hasn't seen so much as a glimpse of Sungyeol since running into him in the elevator a week ago. This couldn't possibly be really happening.

"Were you waiting long?" He feels awkward asking the question. Like it's something only couples ask each other.

Sungyeol doesn't seem to feel the same way, though. He smiles down at him with the same odd excitement as the last time they'd met. "Not too long." Myungsoo nods in acknowledgement. He's probably just being polite. It's still hard to believe that the other man came to see him. "I was waiting to ask if you wanted to grab something to drink downstairs before I had to go back to filming, but it's too late for that now."

Myungsoo bites down on his lip. He wants to feel happy to hear that the actor wanted to spend time with him. Just a month ago he hadn't even known who Lee Sungyeol was. And now he's somehow managed to catch the other man's eye. But the feeling is dampened knowing that they won't be spending any time together. And it's because of him.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes quietly. "I didn't know you would be waiting for me."

Startled by the other's serious tone, Sungyeol rushes to reassure him, his tone placating. "It's not your fault. I should have said something sooner or, I guess, checked to see how long you'd be. But it's too late to worry about that, anyways, so now I'll have to go with Plan B."

"What's that?"

"Walking you to the door."

Myungsoo feels ridiculous for blushing, but it sounds like such a chivalrous and romantic thing to do. "I'd like that." He doesn't know how much hotter his face can get before it melts off.

Sungyeol waits for him to step into the elevator first when it finally arrives. Their fingers touch when they both reach out to press the button for the ground floor. Myungsoo pulls his hand away quickly, unsure if the spark of electricity he'd felt had been real or not. Sungyeol doesn't flinch. He sticks his hands in his pockets and turns to face Myungsoo.

"I hope you don't mind that I asked Dongwoo about you." The intern shakes his head, his voice failing him. He can only hope Dongwoo hasn't told Sungyeol anything embarrassing. "Good," Sungyeol smiles. (Myungsoo kind of wishes he would stop doing that. It makes his stomach flip like crazy.) "I was wondering if—"

Whatever the actor had been about to say is interrupted when the elevator doors open and a couple employees Myungsoo recognizes from the marketing department get on. The two men step to one side to make room for them. Sungyeol gives Myungsoo an apologetic look, but the shorter man silently assures him that it's okay. The rest of the ride goes by quickly, the silence in the car punctuated by the quiet music playing from speakers overhead. Sungyeol lets the other occupants exit first and then he and Myungsoo step out. It's late enough in the day that the lobby is close to empty as they walk across it to the front doors. The actor has his hands stuffed back in his pockets while the other's empty hands are clasped in front of him.

"I guess I'll see you around," Sungyeol says when they're standing at one of the doors. The confidence he'd exuded earlier seems to have deserted him. He looks as nervous as Myungsoo feels. He offers only a small wave as goodbye before turning away.

Myungsoo's left wondering what the actor had been about to ask back in the elevator as he watches the other man leave. He doesn't want to believe that Sungyeol was going to ask him out on a date. Despite all of the signs pointing to yes (Sungyeol remembered him, asked his friend about him, and even said he wanted to see him again), Myungsoo doesn't think someone like Lee Sungyeol would be interested in him. It's not his face that he's worried about. He's heard about his looks enough times in his adult life that he's come to not care anymore. What he's unsure of is why Sungyeol took an interest in him. He would be kidding himself if he assumed the other wasn't the least bit physically attracted to him. But aside from that, he can't help wondering what else piqued Sungyeol's interest. Or if there was anything else. The actor could have anyone he wanted and Myungsoo can't seem to figure out why he would want him out of everyone else.

\\\

Somehow Myungsoo has managed to get Hoya to watch Sungyeol's show with him. They're sitting side-by-side on the couch and completely engrossed in the latest episode. Myungsoo had thought his friend would have trouble understanding what's going on, but he seems to be keeping up just fine. He must've secretly binge-watched the earlier episodes, Myungsoo thinks as Hoya yells at one of the characters on the screen.

"Are you going to get that?"

The question comes near the end of the show when Myungsoo is too into it to hear anything else. After a pause he realizes that, yes that is his phone ringing. He reaches for it where it sits on the arm of the couch and slides his thumb over the screen to answer it without checking the caller ID.

"Hello," he says absently. On the TV Sungyeol is doing a monologue and he's finding that he might be falling for the character as well as the actor himself.

"Myungsoo?" It takes him a second to realize that the hesitant voice in his ear is the same as the confident one coming from the TV. When it connects he nearly drops the phone on the floor. It falls onto the couch instead as he jumps to his feet. Hoya's looking at him like he's crazy (and maybe there's a touch of annoyance in there too because the show isn't over yet, so what the hell?).

"What are you doing?"

Myungsoo looks from his roommate to his phone and back again. Maybe he really has gone crazy because he thinks that was Sungyeol's voice on the other end of the phone, but that can't be possible. Sungyeol doesn't have his number.

When he gets no answer, Hoya picks up the fallen phone. "Hello," he says cautiously, suspicious of whoever made his friend react like that.

"Uh, Myungsoo?" The voice on the phone is hesitant.

"Who's this?"

"S-Sungyeol."

Hoya mentally pats himself on the back for being intimidating even over the phone. "Who," he asks. The name is familiar; he thinks he's heard it recently.

"Lee Sungyeol," the guy on the other end answers quickly. "I, um, I work with Myungsoo."

"Lee Sungyeol—" The name has barely left his mouth before Myungsoo lunges at him and snatches the phone out of his hand.

The younger man hurries off to his room without another word, the phone pressed against his ear. "Hi, Sungyeol," he says (sighs) once he's closes his door. He starts pacing the tiny expanse of his room. There's silence over the line for a moment as if Sungyeol isn't sure if he's really talking to Myungsoo.

"So I do have the right number."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was surprised so my roommate was just making sure it wasn't some creep on the phone." Myungsoo stops his pacing to fiddle with the stuff on his dresser. "He's not always like that, I promise."

Sungyeol laughs softly and the sound makes the younger man's stomach do somersaults. "I get it. And I can guarantee you I'm not a creep at all."

Myungsoo is grateful there's no one else around to witness how stupid he must look at the moment with a grin stretching across his face. "I believe you. But you should know only creeps make it a point to say they're not creepy." Maybe it's because the actor isn't right in front of him, with his eyes that seem as deep as the ocean and his perfect everything, but Myungsoo finds that he's not as nervous talking to Sungyeol this time. The other's voice is warm in his ear and he can't imagine ever getting tired of it.

"Would a creep admit that he asked your friend for your number?"

Myungsoo makes a mental note to kiss Dongwoo the next time he sees him (or just hug him; he's fine either way). He lays down on his bed, feeling a lot like a teenage girl as he hugs his pillow. "Maybe," he answers slowly. The smile on his face grows when he realizes he might actually be flirting with Lee Sungyeol of all people. Hoya would be so proud. "Were you planning on listing all of the creepy things that don't make you a creep or was there some other reason you called me?" He laughs at the indignant squeak the other man lets out. Sungyeol stutters a bit as he tries to deny the first part of the question and agree with the second part.

"I was calling because there was something I wanted to ask you yesterday." Myungsoo's heart speeds up as he remembers the careful way the other had started his question. He's pretty sure he knows what the question's going to be. "So, I kinda wimped out yesterday after we got off the elevator," Sungyeol admits. "But I was going to ask if you wanted to go out with me sometime, you know, on a date."

"A date," Myungsoo repeats. He had been expecting it, but he's still a bit thrown. "That's—yeah, I'd love to."

Sungyeol's relief is almost palpable. "Okay, great, it's a date. Ah, we already established that, didn't we? I should go now. I'm starting to sound like an idiot."

"Only a little bit," Myungsoo agrees with a small laugh.

"Well, I'm pretty busy the rest of this week so maybe we could meet up sometime next week?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Okay. Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight, Sungyeol." Myungsoo hangs up the phone and lets his arm drop down to his side. He lays on his bed staring up at his ceiling for a moment before breaking out into a happy dance. Considering he's horizontal, it looks a lot more like an imitation of a worm on the sidewalk. His celebration is cut short when the door to his room swings open and Hoya walks in.

He takes one look at his roommate wriggling about and says, "I can't believe you got a celebrity to ask you out when you act like this."

\\\

Myungsoo doesn't usually go out this late. He's more comfortable spending late nights curled up on the couch or tucked into bed with the blue glow of the TV or his laptop lighting up the room. But he wouldn't rather be anywhere else at the moment. Even though he's never been to this part of the city at any time of day, he's still incredibly excited. As he walks up the steps from the subway he doesn't realize Sungyeol is waiting for him until a tall man grabs onto his arm. He turns around, a rude comment on the tip of his tongue, when he gets a better look under the baseball cap the man has pulled low.

"Sungyeol," he asks just to make sure.

The other man pulls the cap up to reveal his face. He smiles at Myungsoo as he surreptitiously steers the younger man down the sidewalk with his hand still wrapped lightly around his arm. "I thought you'd still recognize me," Sungyeol says. He pouts slightly and Myungsoo has to look away to keep himself from cooing at how cute the other man looks.

"What happened to you being not that famous?"

"I'm not," Sungyeol insists. (Myungsoo adds his pouts to the ever-growing list of things the actor does that make his stomach flip.) "This was just a precaution. In case there's someone who wants to know what I could be up to at a time like this."

Myungsoo nods in understanding. He's never had anyone following him and taking his pictures, but he knows what it's like to have unwanted eyes on him. He looks around the street they're on. There's a good amount of people out and most of the stores are open, their neon signs painting the sidewalk. He then looks down at their outfits. "At least we match," he says. They're both wearing black pants and Sungyeol has on a dark blue hoodie while Myungsoo had gone with a simple black sweater. (Hoya had tried to talk him out of the ensemble, but the younger man had stubbornly insisted that he didn't need to dress up for a late dinner date.)

In one smooth move, Sungyeol links their arms at the elbows. Myungsoo pretends not to notice. "Great minds think alike."

"Is that a compliment for me or for you?"

Instead of an answer, Sungyeol leads him into a restaurant on the corner of the street. He greets the middle-aged woman behind the counter with a smile and sweet words as he takes off his hat.

"Oh my, you've gotten so skinny," she says as she brings him in for a tight hug over the counter. "You should put it in your contract that they have to feed you three times a day no matter what."

"And I'll get all my meals from here, right?"

The woman smiles up at the actor and smacks him playfully on the shoulder. "Of course. Where else would you go?" She starts to say something else, but then her eyes fall on Myungsoo. "Oh, who's this?"

Myungsoo had been standing off to the side observing their exchange and wondering how often Sungyeol must come here (and with whom) to be on such friendly terms with the owner. He steps closer to the other two when he realizes their attention is on him now. Sungyeol casually wraps his arm around Myungsoo's shoulder as he introduces him. The younger man smiles at the woman, trying not to think too much about the contact. "This is Myungsoo."

"Wow, where did you find him?" Myungsoo lets out an embarrassed laugh. Older women tend to be the most taken by his looks, fawning over him and showering him with compliments. He's mostly used to it.

Sungyeol doesn't hide his amusement at the enamored look on the woman's face. "Be careful," he warns her happily. "What would your husband think if he heard you right now?"

She waves him off easily. "He wouldn't blame me one bit. Now I know you didn't come all the way here just to chat up an old lady and unlike some people, I'm still on the clock. I already know what you want so go sit and I'll bring it to you."

Sungyeol smiles over at her, his gums showing. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Only every time I give you food."

She shoos them away and they head to a table near a back corner of the restaurant. They pass a handful of customers on the way, mostly couples and late-night workers, but no one gives them so much as a glance. Despite the lack of attention, the table Sungyeol chooses is partially hidden by a tall potted tree. Sungyeol pulls out Myungsoo's chair for him before sitting down himself.

"Okay, I'll be honest," the actor says after a long minute of them staring expectantly at each other. "I've never really done this before."

Myungsoo tilts his head to the side in confusion. "What, dated a fan? Dated a male fan? Dated any guy period?" The words come out quicker than he means them to, his curiosity about the other's answers fueling them. He's tried not to concern himself with who Sungyeol is attracted to (which is hard when he appears to be on that list), but he has often wondered if the actor might be interested in men. Or if he wasn't until he met Myungsoo and that could explain the way the older man looks at him or be the reason why they're sitting like this now.

It takes Sungyeol a moment to make sense of the questions. He meets Myungsoo's eyes evenly, not embarrassed in the least. "I have dated a fan before, though not one who was also a man. But in general, I like men, too, so yes, I've dated them before."

Myungsoo mentally strikes out his earlier theory. He's not the first guy Sungyeol's liked. But he is the first one who's also a fan. He's not sure if that's a good thing just yet. "Am I special then?"

"Asking all the tough questions first, huh," Sungyeol sighs. He doesn't seem uncomfortable talking about his personal life to someone he hardly knows, but Myungsoo wouldn't blame him if he was. "This is going to sound really cliché, but I think you're very interesting. You looked really nervous the first time we met. Like you were afraid I might talk to you or that you'd say something stupid. People get like that with me sometimes, so it's not anything new, but with you... I don't know, it felt different. I could tell you knew who I was and that you obviously had a crush on me." Myungsoo flushes slightly at the mention of how transparent he'd been. "But I wasn't as worried about that as I usually am. You looked like more than just a fan. I wanted to talk to you—I still want to talk to you and I want you to talk to me, without feeling nervous or scared or whatever. I want to get to know you. Get closer to you. If you'll let me?" Myungsoo nods, a smile breaking out on his face. Sungyeol reaches out to poke the dimple that forms in one of his cheeks. "Plus, you're really cute," he adds. Myungsoo looks away, placing a hand on his cheek as if that's going to make it less red.

"Are we interrupting?"

Sungyeol freezes at the new voice. The smile falls off his face so fast it's like it hadn't been there at all. Myungsoo turns to see who could get that kind of reaction from the actor. He finds Nam Woohyun standing a couple feet away with a taller man next to him. They're both holding trays with steaming plates of food and bottles of soju.

"What're you guys doing here," Sungyeol asks with a defeated sigh and slouches in his chair.

The other two men finally approach the table and start unloading their trays. When Myungsoo counts six bottles of soju he first questions how the two of them are supposed to drink all of that. Then he realizes the other actor and his friend are planning on joining them.

"You didn't think you could go on a date at my family's restaurant and I wouldn't find out about it?" Woohyun puts his empty tray on a table nearby and pulls up a chair right next to Sungyeol. His tall friend follows suit and pulls up a chair next to Myungsoo.

Sungyeol wastes no time twisting open one of the soju bottles. "I was hoping that would be after the date," he says as he pours himself shot.

Woohyun plucks the glass from the other's long fingers before he can drink it. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Woohyun, Sungjong, this is Myungsoo. Myungsoo, these are my so-called friends."

From there the atmosphere goes from a slightly romantic first date to a casual gathering. Woohyun and Sungjong turn out to be nicer than Myungsoo had expected them to be. They're friendly and just as interested in getting to know him as Sungyeol. He had thought they might consider their friend to be out of his league, but they've proven him wrong. The two seem genuinely happy for Sungyeol.

Somewhere between the third and fourth bottle of soju Woohyun and Sungjong start an embarrass Lee Sungyeol contest. Sungjong, who Myungsoo learns is a model, has a number of stories from when they'd worked together during the actor's brief stint as a runway model. Most of them involve ruined clothes, offended designers, tripping, and general cluelessness. Similarly, Woohyun can recall a lot of instances of Sungyeol embarrassing himself. He's known the other actor longer, so his stories start from when they were both rookies with barely a minute of screen time between the two of them. Myungsoo feels bad for laughing as hard as he does.

Sungyeol protests at first, most likely not wanting whatever impression Myungsoo might have of him to be ruined, but gives up when his friends ignore him. He gets through half of the fifth soju bottle by the time Woohyun and Sungjong are done. Myungsoo assumes that's why he's been staring at him from across the table. And probably why he makes a show of checking his watch and says a little too loudly, "Wow, is it that late already? Myungsoo, why don't I walk you home?"

The restaurant is empty by now with just them and the owner (Woohyun's mother apparently). Myungsoo hadn't realized how late it had gotten. He's a little reluctant to call it a night, but he can tell his date is eager to leave. He agrees easily, figuring Sungyeol has suffered enough for the night. Plus, this way it can finally be just the two of them. "We should probably go now then," he says as he pushes his chair back. "Otherwise we might miss the last train."

That's all Sungyeol needs before he's hurrying the two of them out of the restaurant. Woohyun and Sungjong get quick goodbyes (the model complains about not getting Myungsoo's number) while Mrs. Nam makes the actor swear to eat more often as he pays for their meal.

Out on the street, most of the stores have closed and there's only a couple of people still walking around. As they walk toward the subway station, slowly despite the alleged time restraint, their arms brush against each other. Myungsoo hopes Sungyeol will be braver than him and hold his hand.

"So let's never do that again," Sungyeol sighs. He has his hat pulled down low again.

"I thought it was fun."

"You're just saying that because you weren't the one being made fun of."

Myungsoo hums but doesn't deny it. "How about a do-over?”

"What do you have in mind?"

"I haven't thought that far," Myungsoo shrugs. "I'll let you know when I do." He has to remember to keep putting one foot in front of the other when Sungyeol smiles down at him, his stomach doing another flip.

"I'll look forward to it."

The conversation ends there as they reach the station. They make it through the train's doors just in time and wind up being the only two people in the train car. Sitting side-by-side at the back of the car, Myungsoo finally musters enough courage to reach over and rest his hand on top of Sungyeol's. The older man jumps, looking from the hand on his own to the man next to him, but quickly recovers from his surprise. He turns his hand over so their fingers fit between each other. The car is silent save for the hum of the train. It seems like it gets impossibly quieter as Sungyeol leans in. Or maybe that's just because Myungsoo is holding his breath.

Their lips brush at first, the touch light, as if Sungyeol isn’t sure if he should keep going. Myungsoo clears up the uncertainty by pressing his mouth more firmly against Sungyeol’s. The actor’s lips are as soft as Myungsoo had imagined they would be. (Not that he’s spent that much time thinking about them.) They stay like that for a few seconds before Myungsoo pulls back slightly. As he looks up at Sungyeol, he says the first words that come to mind.

“You’re really cute, too.”

Sungyeol is speechless for a moment. “That’s not what people usually say after I kiss them.” The smile that settles on his face is a cross between amused and embarrassed.

Myungsoo turns in his seat to face the other man, placing their joined hands in his lap. “What do they usually say?” Sungyeol seems to catch onto the playful note in his voice as he leans in again. Myungsoo closes his eyes in anticipation of feeling the other’s soft lips when Sungyeol keeps leaning in.

“Guess,” the actor says softly just before he closes the distance.