author's note: for this prompt - “You fainted…straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

Kibum concludes that Soyou must have saved a country in her past life to deserve a friend like him. Because seriously, who else would be blessed with the good fortune of having him as a friend who will wake up at 6 in the morning just to accompany her in her adventures as a fangirl and make sure they secure the best spot at a red carpet premiere scheduled to start at 6 in the evening? Only Kibum would. Alright, fine, he may or may not want to get a glimpse of Tom Cruise too. After all, it’s not often you get to see a Hollywood star in Seoul. Yet that isn’t who Soyou wants to see. She’s there to see (or rather, scream for) her latest obsession, model and actor, Choi Minho.

Kibum knows who Choi Minho is. Anyone who isn’t living under a rock would. He’s handsome, works with numerous high fashion brands, doesn’t act too bad, excels in sports and just really likable on a whole. Still, Kibum can’t understand why Soyou wants to waste an entire day just to see Minho for what would clearly only last for a minute or so. In fact, as the venue gets more crowded by the hour with Kibum and Soyou being squeezed and pushed by other enthusiastic fans behind them, Kibum is on the verge of losing his mind and shouting at everyone to snap out of their irrational behaviour. He holds it in though; he’s still rational enough to know that one of him can’t go up against what must be at least a hundred fans. Besides, considering the circumstances, he can’t just leave Soyou alone to fend for herself.

Kibum can’t explain how they have managed to last through the long waiting time but amazingly, they’ve survived. The premiere is finally starting. He knows this when Soyou grabs his hand and squeals while the fans surrounding them start screaming and pushing again. As the stars begin to arrive one by one, the venue turns into a mad house. Although they are packed like sardines, someone miraculously squeezes her way between Kibum and Soyou just to get a better view of her idol. They get separated from each other but Kibum can hardly do anything about it as he sways with the crowd, unable to stand properly by himself. He ends up moving further away from Soyou with more people coming in between them. Perhaps because he hasn’t eaten well and drunk enough water the entire day, Kibum can’t find the energy to fight back.

Suddenly, the venue becomes all stuffy and warm. It seems like there’s hardly any fresh air to breathe. Kibum is sweating, finding it difficult to breathe and starts to feel lightheaded. There’s so much happening around him, cameras flashing everywhere, media and fans shouting to get the attention of the stars but all noises begin to fade away. In the next moment, Kibum’s vision goes blur. Before he knows it, his legs give out and the last thing Kibum registers is a sudden rush of dizziness.

When Kibum opens his eyes, he’s still surrounded by people, albeit considerably much less than before. He finds his view blocked by three pairs of legs and then realises it’s because he’s sitting down on a carpeted floor, back resting against the wall and legs stretched out in front of him. Now inside an area of the cinema where access is restricted to invited guests, Kibum is finally able to catch his breath.

“How are you feeling?”

The person who asks the question bends down and kneels on one knee to check on him as well as offer him water. Kibum can tell that he’s a medic and simply nods while he takes the water and slowly takes a few sips.

“What happened?” Kibum asks after taking a deep breath.

The medic is about to reply when another voice answers for him.

“You fainted… straight into my arms.”

Kibum turns to the voice and is caught by surprise when he sees Choi Minho crouching down to his level. Seeing that he isn’t needed anymore, the medic excuses himself with a bow and resumes his duty elsewhere. Kibum’s eyes remain on Minho but from the corner of his eye, he notices the last pair of legs moving away as well (of which he assumes belong to Minho’s manager).

Left alone with each other, the actor-model then leans in a little closer as he says in a low, deep voice, “You know, if you wanted my attention, you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

Kibum’s eyes widen in shock.

“I wasn’t-”

“It’s okay, I understand.” Minho interrupts him with a charming smile, “My fans attempt to do this all the time but I must say, you’re the most successful.”

Contrary to what he believes, Minho clearly doesn’t understand.

“Hey, I wasn’t feeling well and-”

“Ahh.” Minho cuts Kibum off again, “Will you feel better if I give you my autograph? Or would you like a selfie together?”

“Choi Minho-ssi.” Kibum calls out politely but with a stern expression, “I am only going to say this once, so please listen carefully and don’t make me repeat myself. I. Am. Not. Your. Fan.”

“You aren’t?”

“No…” Kibum replies first but then Soyou comes into his mind and so he adds as an afterthought, “But my best friend is… so about that autograph…”

Minho lets out a chuckle, a smile reaching his eyes, and Kibum can’t help but think that the actor-model, although slightly obnoxious, is well, kinda cute (and charming).

Later on, as Kibum walks out of the restricted area to reunite with Soyou, he realises that Minho has not only given him his autograph but also slipped him a note with a telephone number on it. As if he has been given something illegal, Kibum quickly stuffs the note into his pocket. It’s also then he decides he’ll have to leave some details out when he recounts to Soyou what happened after they were separated in the crowd.