infinite: troublemaker

[rustle]

Troublemaker
— Myungsoo/Woohyun, and some others. PG-13. 6237 words.
— L. Kim is 2011's Rookie of the Year, and is a contender for 2012's Artist of the Year. Cue Nam Woohyun whose face is a complete rip-off of Takagi Masamune's, L. Kim's favorite manga character and ideal partner. The worst part? They work for the same company, and L. Kim has to do a collaboration with Woohyun.
— Thank you so much to my fair anon who took time to look this over and spot my mistakes. As usual, thank you, R, for always being there to serve as my shock absorber, even if you don't stan Infinite as much anymore. Thank you, always ♥ | Prompt @ seoulfulness

This has gone out of hand. Myungsoo wakes up to the sight of Watanabe Shinjou plastered to his ceiling. It's a poster of him singing his heart out at Ok Beat's last concert, and if Myungsoo squints hard enough he swears he can see Takagi Masamune, Shinjou's greatest rival-slash-secret lover in the background. If it was any ordinary day, he'd laugh at his childishness and overt fondness for Shinjou, Masamune, and the manga "Rock Right Now", but today is sleepover day and, if he doesn't want to be on the receiving end of Dongwoo's teasing, he'd better take down that poster on his ceiling and every single Rock Right Now (fondly referred to as RockNow) merchandise he has in his room. That includes the posters on his wall, the RockNow wall clock and alarm clock, the signed RockNow manga (all twelve volumes), among many other things. He quickly scrambles to his feet, eager to put his things away before his friends come over and wreak havoc on his room, but he takes a step back for a while, ganders at the sight, and takes a deep, deep breath. If Dongwoo finds out about this, Myungsoo will never live it down. It started as a dare — Dongwoo and Howon challenged Myungsoo to buy Kanemura Ginchyou's latest manga, Rock Right Now, in exchange for concert tickets to Gackt's Korean concert. It was a fairly easy task, until he was spotted by Sungyeol whose comment was loud enough for everyone to hear. "Kim Myungsoo buying shounen-ai manga? Really now, Kim Myungsoo buying shounen-ai manga?? He ended up grabbing the manga, rushing to the counter to pay for it, and bumping against the glass door in the process. He'd resigned to giving it to some random girl in his class, except it was much too risky, given that the manga was a shounen-ai manga, and the plot was actually nice. It was a story about pursuing one's dreams despite all the obstacles. It was a story about pushing limits and crossing boundaries. In a nutshell, it was the story of Myungsoo's life, sans the rival rockstar-slash-boyfriend. "It's one thing to associate oneself with a fictional character, but this is too much," he remembers Dongwoo telling him when he starts narrating the story to the latter and Howon. "We get it, you want to be a rockstar even if you can't even remain onstage for five minutes without bursting into nervous laughter, but seriously—" "If I hear one more comment about me liking shounen-ai manga, I'm going to flip." Howon gives him a squeeze on the arm. "We just don't want you to keep living in this fantasy world of yours." Fast forward to eight years after and he's been signed to a five-year contract with Woolim Entertainment. A struggling artist at the age of twenty. His phone goes off, ringing to the tune of his manager's ringtone. "Just because it's your day off today doesn't mean you get to slack off and divert Dongwoo's calls to my number." "You're my manager, Sunggyu. It's part of your job. Besides, how do you even know what I'm doing right now?" "I have powers, okay." Static in the background, then some mumbling that Myungsoo's pretty sure is about his schedule in the coming weeks. "Also, I'm your manager, not the victim of your call divert. I left some food on the table. Now eat up and clean your mess. They'll be there after lunch." Myungsoo utters a sound of affirmation and pads to his kitchen, quickly making work of the breakfast Sunggyu has prepared for him, then proceeding to tidying up his room. They're in their twenties and they're still doing sleepover parties. Some things never change. The break flies by quickly, and soon Myungsoo finds himself being pulled to different shows left and right, his schedule more packed than ever. L. Kim, his stage persona, is releasing the follow up single to "Rock, Paper, Scissors", his first album, and more than having too many recording sessions, this entails appearing in too many shows to promote his music. "Please support my upcoming single," he says, beaming at the camera despite smiling with teeth not really suiting him — he's been told he looks rather creepy when he does so, but then that's Dongwoo talking. "It will be much better than the previous ones." "And will we be expecting more rock songs from you, L?" Myungsoo laughs. "What's an L-song without some rock?" The host nods, then calls for a commercial break. Sunggyu gives Myungsoo a thumbs up — another stellar performance. The company building becomes a safe harbor when moving places becomes too overwhelming and tiring. Sometimes, Myungsoo would lock himself up in a practice room, just singing his heart out. Sometimes, he'd be in the guitar room, composing another song. Other times, he'd be watching other trainees or spying on Tablo and Mithra to take a peek at Epik High's new material. Sometimes, he watches aspirants audition and fail miserably. "A new kid's debuting soon. Remember the guy who got in while you were promoting in Japan?" Sunggyu slips somewhere in the conversation. "He's really good, if I may say so myself. I think you've got yourself a rival." Myungsoo chuckles. He's been garnering awards left and right. It shouldn't be too much of a problem. "Challenge accepted." --- Volumes One and Two: Watanabe Shinjou and Takagi Masamune The new talent is Nam Woohyun. He's not much older than Myungsoo, has a poor excuse for a hairstyle, has a morbid fascination with bright, skinny jeans, and v-neck shirts, and has a voice any singer would die for. "You will be doing a collaboration with Myungsoo. Two songs, actually." The president runs his index finger through a document that Myungsoo cannot seem to make out. "One is a rock song, of course, and the other is a rap-off of sorts." "But you know I can't rap, sir," Woohyun says. "He can't, either," the president replies, pointing at Myungsoo, and smiles at Woohyun. "It will be perfect." The president soon excuses himself for another meeting, and Woohyun's manager picks up from where the president left off. Woohyun's debuting in nine months, and Myungsoo's new single is coming out in a month; in those eight months that they'll be able to meet halfway, Myungsoo has to find a way not to let his apparent dislike for Woohyun's overall charm show. That, and his fondness for Woohyun's face. "He looks like Takagi Masamune." Dongwoo's mouth foams with the whipped cream on his drink, a product of not being prepared for something like this. "Takagi Masamune, that guy from RockNow?" he asks, and Myungsoo nods his head slowly. "Takagi Masamune, Watanabe Shinjou's greatest rival and lover. Takagi Masamune, my favorite manga character of all time." "That sounds a bit too fan-ish, doesn't it?" Myungsoo frowns. "Shut up. I'm paying for your milkshake." "So what if he looks like Takagi Masamune?" Dongwoo's right — so what if Woohyun looks like Takagi Masamune? So what if he possesses a voice that rivals that of Myungsoo's? So what if he has the charm and wit Myungsoo can only dream of? So what if Woohyun is the perfect manifestation of everything Takagi is, everything Myungsoo has been secretly looking for in a partner? "We're doing two collabs. I need to make sure I don't accidentally shove his face in the mixer while we're working." "Accidentally." Myungsoo winks. "But of course." Myungsoo's single is a hit. "Better than the previous", "Redefining Korean rock music" — Myungsoo relishes in the good feeling until Woohyun peeks from the practice door's room, signaling his arrival with three soft knocks on the door. "We need to work on that collab soon, and we won't get anything done until you write a song." Myungsoo winces. "You can't force genius out of me, okay. And I'm working on it, if it makes you feel better." Woohyun pads closer, looking over Myungsoo's shoulder to take a peek at whatever Myungsoo is doing. Myungsoo shields the sheet of paper from Woohyun's view, slightly sticking out his tongue as he shoots Woohyun a blank look. If it was any other person, they'd probably be throwing a fit now or calling Myungsoo a diva, but Woohyun is Woohyun, Takagi Masamune incarnate, that amazing singer who's got swag onstage but is actually nice and sweet, the type of person you'd love to hate. "Rockstar Wannabe is a terrible title, just saying," Woohyun comments, then turns on his heel to leave. Myungsoo crosses out the working title and replaces it with, "Nam Woohyun is the worst," instead. But really, Woohyun isn't, because his voice blends well with Myungsoo's, and they make excellent music on the off-chance that they actually get along. Woohyun's bass-playing exceeds expectations, and of course Myungsoo rocks that electric and lead guitar. They switch to different instruments from time to time, Woohyun going for the sax and Myungsoo going for the piano. "Seems like you love instruments playing sex instruments." Woohyun blows a bit harder than the usual on the saxophone, making sure that Myungsoo gets the full blast of it. "Each and every one of them, baby. I can play them all." Much later, Woohyun pushes Myungsoo against the wall and presses his knee on Myungsoo's crotch. Myungsoo grabs a fistful of Woohyun's hair, pulling him closer in the process to whisper, "You're fucked up." Woohyun laughs and shakes his head and nips on Myungsoo's lower lip, anyway, then his earlobe, then trails kisses down Myungsoo's neck, to the expanse of his shoulders. "You know that if we get caught—" Woohyun chuckles. "The doors are locked." "If we get caught, Nam Woohyun, I swear this will be the end of my career and your career will never happen—" "Relax, Tablo hyung and Mithra hyung do it, too. It's not a sin to have fun from time to time." Myungsoo shakes his head. Woohyun's stubbornness will get him far in this industry and further south, down to Myungsoo's pants where Woohyun slips an innocent hand in, and gives his member a quick squeeze. Woohyun is entertaining to a fault, Myungsoo thinks as Woohyun makes quick work of him, setting off explosions at the back of eyelids. --- Volume Three and Four: Troublemaker Takagi Myungsoo comes up with a draft three weeks later. The piece is still missing a bridge, but the story is there, more or less. "Even I can write about unresolved sexual tension better," Sunggyu comments, scribbling notes on the lyrics sheet. "Or were you meaning to write about your love-hate relationship with work?" "He's right, you know," Woohyun adds. "I like how blunt the intro is, though. Running such a long time, hiding from the truth. Nice shit." Myungsoo rolls his eyes. He should've known better than to show Sunggyu the lyrics before seeking help from the composers. He remembers Dongwoo and Howon's sound advice — "Never let Sunggyu near any of your masterpieces. He's too serious. Nothing will ever be good enough in his eyes until he gets laid." "Poor thing. He's cute, though," Myungsoo recalls Dongwoo commenting, to which he winces and squirms in response. "It's about breaking away from something, if anyone's interested to know." Myungsoo starts pacing around the room, each step holding out longer than the other. Sunggyu's eyes still haven't left the lyrics sheet, and Woohyun twists his torso just so so that he's facing Myungsoo. "Going your own way, finally standing up to someone—" "Are you starting a movement against me, Myungsoo? Because I won't appreciate that, I really won't." "You're not the only "someone" in my life, Sunggyu. Deal with it." Woohyun laughs a little. "Who is it, then?" They have an all-out staring game for the next few seconds, with Myungsoo furrowing his eyebrows and narrowing his eyes, trying to get past that the piercing stare. Woohyun's eyes are hollow, empty, yet somehow cut through him. Myungsoo's only reminded of Takagi all the more. Myungsoo snarls. "It doesn't have to be a specific person, does it?" There might have been a flash of disappointment in Woohyun's features before he replies, "Well, you're right." Sunggyu sends the draft back for rehashing. Three sleepless nights, a week spent with Woohyun in the music room, and some awkward fucking after, he comes up with something better — a song still about breaking away, but now written with a specific person in mind. The second version gets approved, but not without having to put up a fight with Sunggyu. "This doesn't sound like you," Sunggyu says, and the tight-lipped half-smile translates to, "You took this from another song, didn't you?" Of course Sunggyu would think he'd copied the lyrics from an existing song. How couldn't he, when the only thing Myungsoo can write about is road trips and dysfunctional families and regretting your childhood? How couldn't he when the closest Myungsoo can get to writing something resembling happiness is writing about his cat? "I was inspired." Sunggyu scoffs. "Dish out songs like this everyday and you'll end up in the hall of fame in no time." Woohyun plays a melody shortly after reading the lyrics. "This will work, won't it?" Woohyun asks, playing the notes on loop, and Myungsoo takes it all in, closing his eyes as he bobs his head to the beat, the movement of Woohyun's hands on his skin. When he opens his eyes, Woohyun's lips are already on his, and he's humming the same melody under his breath, on Woohyun's skin. The problem isn't so much about the way Woohyun treats him. Woohyun is a year older than him, after all, and that essentially cancels out his superiority by virtue of tenure in the entertainment industry. He has issues with Woohyun's inability to respect his need for private space and time, always sitting too close to him and rubbing against him, lips on lips, thigh on thigh. "Making out won't take us anywhere," Myungsoo says in between heavy breathing and gasps. Woohyun then looks up from where he is — comfortably on his knees, with his lips wrapped around Myungsoo's cock only minutes ago and now swollen — and furrows his eyebrows. "This clearly makes you come up with good songs. I don't see anything wrong with it." "I don't need your mouth around my cock for me to compose something good," Myungsoo says between gritted teeth, and Woohyun just scoffs, breath tingling Myungsoo's skin. "Stop lying." "Then stop playing around with me." "Your fault, not mine." Myungsoo doesn't have time to come up with a retort because Woohyun surfaces to capture his lips in a kiss, to erase all logic and screw up with his well-thought thought process. He closes his eyes, eases into the kiss, and thinks, He's not Takagi. Not Takagi. Not— And he is not Watanabe Shinjou. Not at all. --- Volumes Five and Six: Keep Believing, Shinjou! （信じる、シンジョウ!) The second song Myungsoo composes is about suppressed emotions, cleverly titled, "Trying Not to Love You". The melody's already complete and Woohyun quickly gives it a thumbs up — it's different from the songs that Myungsoo has composed in the past. "Maybe something that will get the listeners thinking? The title is, well, you know, very in-your-face." Sunggyu scribbles a question mark beside the title, then a sad face. It means it's a nice song and he doesn't want Myungsoo to butcher it with a title that crappy. "How about "Trying"?" "Too short and vague. You may be trying to get a splinter out of your thumb or trying to get your cat to the vet." ""Un-love"?" "Cliche. Cheesy. Doesn't make any sense. Are you seriously considering that option?" The opening sequence of "Trying Not to Love You" plays faintly in the background, with Woohyun playing the music by ear. "I think it's perfect," Woohyun comments, eyes still fixed on the keys, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "It's straightforward. Love songs tend to complicate things. I like how in-your-face the title is." Sunggyu takes a deep breath and gives Myungsoo a look that says, "If this doesn't work, I'll kill you." He's left with Woohyun again, and there's a risk of getting into trouble so early in the morning, but Woohyun stays fastened to the piano, fingers moving deftly on the surface. Myungsoo watches as Woohyun plays the song, adding some notes here and there. "You have to work on that last note," Myungsoo comments, settling into the space beside Woohyun. "And this is how it's supposed to sound like." They play side by side, harmonization perfect, with Woohyun nailing that last note perfectly and punctuating it with a bite on the lip, a heavy sigh. Myungsoo gulps down hard. "I remember telling you that your second song should be a rap." "I'm sorry, sonsaengnim. The music just came to me and I couldn't get it out of my head until I actually recorded it—" "I love it. I love the song." "And Sunggyu actually liked it right off the bat so— What?" "I said I love it." A small smile, a nod of approval. "You didn't let me down." Myungsoo nods slowly, still taking everything in. Only when the president gives the go signal to record does everything start becoming clear — he's successfully secured approval for the new song, and he's finally outdone Woohyun. --- Special Edition, Volumes Seven to Ten: Trick Tunes - Watanabe's Realization Myungsoo's recording gets scheduled for last. Recording something of his own makes the entire process harder and takes more time because he tends to get extra nitpicky, the slightest breaking of his voice causing him to wince and redo the recording from the top. Eleven in the evening and he finally nails the last part right — that second voice will have to be lowered next time. That is, if there will be another collaboration. He finds Woohyun asleep on the couch outside, head cradled in his arms, lips poised in a tiny "o" — pink, soft, kissable. Myungsoo takes a sharp intake of breath, then bites the inside of his cheek. There's a scene like this in RockNow, where Watanabe and Takagi collaborate on a few songs and Takagi waits for Watanabe to finish recording. In the scene, Takagi wakes up, smiles weakly at Watanabe, and Watanabe turns away sharply, mumbling, "I'm not carrying you home." And he doesn't, but he does end up taking Takagi home. Then you have your classic car sex scene, except it's not the type you'd easily skim over because it's where Takagi slips for the first time and says, "I love you." Myungsoo shakes his head. He's got to grow up. "Hey, you're done." Woohyun looks up at him, eyes still half-lidded and voice laden with lethargy. He looks much younger like this, without the make-up and the teasing glint in his eyes, no trace of sarcasm in the undertone of his voice. "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? You shouldn't be skipping meals." "I'm not carrying you home," Myungsoo blurts out, then quickly covers his mouth with the back of his hand. "I mean, yeah. I just got carried away with the recording. I'll grab some take-out on my way home." "Oh, don't you always?" Woohyun chuckles. "Get carried away, I mean." Myungsoo presses his lips firmly together and quickly exits the recording room. Things don't quite go as planned. He doesn't order take-out but, instead, has dinner with Woohyun in a highly unconventional Korean restaurant in Myeongdong. He does follow the story, though, and drives Woohyun home, gets pushed against the car door by Woohyun, gets swept away. The game resumes when Woohyun finally gets to unlock his flat's door after much fumbling and cursing under his breath, and Myungsoo just curls under the Woohyun's warmth, yielding completely. He waits for the punchline, the surprise confession, but it never comes. Woohyun slips his arms around Myungsoo's waist and pulls him close, nuzzling against Myungsoo's neck; still, it doesn't come. He's not Takagi, Myungsoo tells himself again and again, each repetition louder than the previous in his head. He's Nam Woohyun, his greatest rival — nothing more, nothing less. Five months into knowing Woohyun and Woohyun has already secured himself a place in Myungsoo's flat. Woohyun makes himself comfortable in Myungsoo's music room, possibly too comfortable since Myungsoo can still hear music at two in the morning. Myungsoo would go to the room, turn on the lights, and Woohyun would still be there, eyes bright, smile even brighter. "I couldn't sleep," Woohyun would reason out. In Myungsoo's too-sleepy state, he'd usually give up and just wave Woohyun off, but this has been going on for quite a while already. "That doesn't give you the license to not let other people sleep," Myungsoo snaps. Woohyun is unmoved, though; another losing fight. Myungsoo is about to go back to bed when Woohyun grabs him by the wrist and pulls him close. Woohyun slips an arm around his waist and they're too close again, their lips only a few centimeters apart. "I'm sleepy," Myungsoo mumbles, trying to make a point, but Woohyun just smiles and kisses him. They make love in the music room, Myungsoo's sacred place. He's specifically told Woohyun to stay away from the piano, but Woohyun fucks him right there, hands pushing against the piano's body. His body aches from all the rough contact, the twists and the turns, but Woohyun wakes up with neither a sore bodd nor a headache. "I'm hungry," Woohyun complains, still curled up against Myungsoo. "I'm not having Sunggyu come over to make us breakfast. Too risky." Woohyun rolls his eyes. "It's not as if he doesn't know about this." "Wanna bet?" "One of your best friends is fucking your manager. Said best friend is a bit of a screamer, so I won't really bank on him not squealing. And just to make things clear, I saw them doing it. It's not as if I actually, you know, did it with any of them." Woohyun winces. "Ew." Myungsoo's eyes widen. "You shit me not." Woohyun ends up cooking breakfast, using whatever can be cooked in Myungsoo's fridge. The confrontation with Dongwoo is a disaster, partly because calling Dongwoo at six in the morning isn't the best thing to do, and because Sunggyu's the one who picks up the phone. "What the fuck are you doing in Dongwoo's apartment at six in the morning?" "Why the fuck are you even calling him this early?" Sunggyu's voice drops to a whisper. "Ah, shit. Dongwoo, get off me—" Myungsoo hangs up, then pushes his phone away from himself. As if on cue, Woohyun arrives with the food and carefully lays down the dishes on the table. The look of confusion in Myungsoo's features slowly turns into that of amusement as Myungsoo ganders at the sight. "Did you just cook traditional Korean breakfast?" "So, how long have you been getting it on with Dongwoo?" Sunggyu shrugs, eyes fixed on the cold drink in front of him. "A couple of months, give or take." Sunggyu starts drawing figures on the table, occasionally sneaking a glance at Myungsoo. "We may or may not have shared a moment or two when you got drunk as hell during last year's end-of-the-year awards." Woohyun sighs. "I always thought Dongwoo and Howon had something going on. I liked them together, I really did." Sunggyu chuckles. "Howon's going out with that cute barista in CBTL, not Dongwoo." Woohyun's opinion normally doesn't matter and usually disagrees with that of Myungsoo's, but Myungsoo finds himself nodding and actually supporting the idea. The weirdest mental image occurs to him — Sunggyu's arm around Dongwoo's waist, Dongwoo's free hand curled around Howon's neck, and that cute barista (Sungjong, was that his name) clutching Howon's hand close to his chest. He shakes his head. He's been reading too much manga. And this is probably true, because he soon finds himself identifying Woohyun's smile with that of Takagi's, the peculiar curve of the lip visible now more than ever. There's also the way Woohyun's bangs fall on his eyes, much like how Takagi fashions his hair. He pushes the image of Takagi and Woohyun at the very back of his mind. "Don't mess with Dongwoo, okay," Myungsoo says, instead of commenting on Woohyun's statement earlier or Woohyun's many similarities with Takagi. He then excuses himself for a bit of fresh air. Sunggyu and Dongwoo. Takagi and Watanabe. Him and Woohyun. It would be much easier if life was a manga — an extensively long and cheesy one. But then nothing's ever easy, especially when the door opens and Woohyun comes running after him, when Woohyun reaches for his wrist and says, "Want to talk about it?, when he turns around and sees concern written all over Woohyun's features. He takes a deep breath and offers a small smile. "Coffee. It's on me." Woohyun soon becomes more than a rival, or a co-worker — Woohyun's his closest friend, possibly the only one who understands him at this point. Woohyun's name appears first in his mobile contacts, always appears first in the list of people he's sent messages to. Woohyun becomes a constant in his life, a vital character in his story. Then Woohyun debuts and, suddenly, everything changes. They never get to spend much time together anymore. Myungsoo promotes in Japan while Woohyun builds his career in Korea. Narita and Incheon aren't that far from each other but, somehow, the miles seem much longer, and the occasional text messages sent to each other carry more meaning than the usual. "Good luck" translates to "I want to perform with you". "How are you?" actually means "I miss you". Ellipses now speak of how much Myungsoo's unwilling to admit that he misses Woohyun's company. "China's next," Sunggyu informs Myungsoo, and shows him the schedule for the month. It'll be another two good weeks before he goes back to Korea. Myungsoo nods and smiles a little. "Got it." --- Volume Eleven: Takagi - Playmaker, Moodmaker Woohyun pays Myungsoo a visit. Myungsoo's on his last day of promotions in China when Woohyun appears on his hotel room's doorstep, a trophy in one hand and a basket of what seems to be sweets in the other. "I won the Mutizen," Woohyun blurts out, the grin on his lips lighting his features. "I actually won!" Myungsoo examines the trophy carefully, smiling when Woohyun's reflection catches on its surface. "You sure did," Myungsoo replies. Myungsoo invites Woohyun inside shortly after, and they have the longest conversation about working hard and winning mutizens and crying faces caught on camera. Myungsoo's thankful that Sunggyu has blocked off this day for packing, souvenir-shopping — and, now, spending time with Woohyun. "Sunggyu extended your stay in China, by the way," Woohyun casually mentions. "You're stuck with me for three more days." Myungsoo raises an eyebrow and laughs a little. Sneaky manager. "I'm stuck with you, alright." Day One has them walking along sidewalks, hoods pulled over their heads so they won't get noticed. They get sidetracked from time to time, when the occasional fan catches sight of Myungsoo and asks for an autograph. Myungsoo's generous when it comes to shamelessly promoting Woohyun. "He sings well," Myungsoo says in perfect Mandarin. "But I sing better." "I don't need to be good in Mandarin to know what that means, L." Myungsoo chuckles, then turns to the fan again. "Together, we make a pretty good team." Woohyun whips out a list of restaurants to eat at, and they map out their schedule for the rest of the day. Myungsoo does the talking, despite his inability to hold long conversations with people other than his very close friends, but only because Woohyun's Mandarin still needs to be improved. Woohyun picks out the food for them. It's a fair game. "I hope you're having fun," Sunggyu says via text. Myungsoo smiles and types, "Sorry, I couldn't bring Dongwoo with us. And thank you," and sends the message as soon as he's done. From: Sunggyu >( - China # To: Kim Myungsoo (China) Ur BFF's here already. Brought him here while u were sleeping haha ;) From: Kim Myungsoo (China) To: Sunggyu >( - China # I'm so proud of you!!! Use protection pls, ty ty :* They spend half of Day Two in bed, deciding if they should actually get up or just stay in because it's the perfect time to just lounge around. Eventually, Woohyun suggests that they visit the Olympic village, taking particular interest in the Olympic Forest Park. "We get to be one with nature; don't you like that?" Woohyun asks, and Myungsoo just stares at him blankly. "My goal is relaxation, not uniting with Mother Nature." "Whatever. You're getting up, lazy ass." They tour the Forest Park, and Woohyun tells Myungsoo all these numbers and information that Myungsoo can't be bothered to take in all at once. He notes the glint in Woohyun's eyes, though, replacing the once-hollow look Woohyun usually fashions. He makes sure to note the parallelism between their park tour and Takagi and Watanabe's visit to Odaiba Amusement Park — the similarities are the glaringly obvious, from the set up to how they ended up in the Forest Park. Sans the greenery, of course. The evening comes much too soon, shortly after Myungsoo finds himself enjoying nature. Woohyun turns to him with a grin on his lips, though, and says, "It's almost time." Woohyun grabs him by the wrist and tugs him closer. "Let's go back to the Olympic Green." People have already flocked the Bird's Nest stadium by the time they arrive. The Bird's Nest starts to light up in thick layers of red and yellow, as if flaming up. The light casts a warm glow on Woohyun, illuminating the upward curve of his lips, the way his eyes crinkle as he stares at the scene in wonder. So this is what you wanted me to see, Myungsoo wants to say, but his cheesiness is contained to songs and music so he says, "This is beautiful," instead. Woohyun looks at him for a good five seconds before nodding slowly and whispering, "Yes, it is." When they get back to the hotel, Myungsoo traps Woohyun against the wall and kisses him on the lips, rough and hard. Woohyun doesn't retaliate, nor does he say anything, but he lets his arms circle Myungsoo's waist, pulling their bodies closer to each other, igniting a flame bright enough to make Myungsoo see everything clearer than before. On Day Three, they spend the whole day moving from one coffee shop to another. They spot Sunggyu and Dongwoo on their way to a quaint coffee shop, and they quickly change directions, making sure they don't get discovered. Woohyun laughs funny, much like a crazy kid who has had too much sugar, and Myungsoo's equally weird laughter makes for a good mix. "Well, that was sweet. Wiping off icing from Dongwoo's lips, huh?" Myungsoo texts, and they just laugh when Sunggyu's reply comes in. "What where r u? U r going to pay for this, Kim Myungsoo!" At the end of the day, they finish a new song. Myungsoo hums the melody under his breath as Woohyun falls asleep on his shoulder on their way back to the hotel. --- Volume Twelve: The Tall Tree of Firm Belief Woohyun finally releases his first album. Critics give it an 8.5/10, deeming the title track, "Born a Star", as the best track and possibly the most promising song of 2012. "They did point out that there was one forgettable track. Luckily, it's not our collab," Woohyun comments, relieved. "I have a huge emotional investment in those two songs, I'm telling you." Myungsoo snorts. "Not as much as Sunggyu, I presume." Woohyun chuckles. "Sunggyu's too invested in everything. I bet you he's so invested in the food he prepares, he'll cry if we say it's not good." They burst into laughter, and Sunggyu bursts into the living room, saying "Hey, I heard that!" The management eventually puts Woohyun under Sunggyu's care. Woohyun and Myungsoo's promotions never coincide, keeping Sunggyu sane enough to last a few more years, but they do appear together in some shows. The collaboration pieces are well-loved, securing their very own spots in the music charts. At the end-of-the-year awards, they perform both songs. Woohyun goes home with the Rookie of the Year award, and Myungsoo emerges as the Artist of the Year. Their collaboration manages to make the shortlist for the Song of the Year, and Myungsoo remembers Sunggyu getting all teary-eyed when Myungsoo goes up the stage to receive the award and thank the people who have helped him get this far. "And, of course, to my amazing manager, Sunggyu — thank you for bearing with me for two long years. I never thought we'd make it this far." Myungsoo tries not to tear up, but tears start welling up at the corner of his eyes, betraying him. "Thank you for being too emotionally invested in me. You'll always be my favorite manager." When the camera pans to Sunggyu, Sunggyu doesn't even bother covering his face and just laughs and mouths, "You'll always be my favorite, too." Halfway through the preparations for Myungsoo's second album, he gets called to the president's office. Sunggyu shoots him a glance upon receiving the news, asking, "What did you do again?", and Myungsoo just shrugs and quickly gets on his feet. "You asked for me, sir?" The president arranges the papers on his desk in a neat pile, then turns to him with a smile. "Ah, yes. Take a seat, Myungsoo. "We've seen tremendous growth in both you and Woohyun these past few months. Your collaborations we really received well, too; I'm surprised they even charted." Myungoo tries not to furrow his eyebrows; he's not sure if he should take that as an insult or a compliment. "Thank you, sir." "Anyway, I've already discussed this with Sunggyu, and I'm thinking of making you and Woohyun a singing duo. You still get to compose your own songs and do your solos from time to time; Woohyun still gets to do his own thing, too. I've seen your chemistry, and it's off the charts. It'll be a waste to not make full use of that." Myungsoo takes a deep breath. He has a couple of options — he can accept the offer and prepare himself to endure Woohyun's day-to-day quirks. He can decline and stick to his solo career, a tried-and-tested track to take. He can ask to be put in a rock band like he's always wanted, albeit the chances of this request being granted being slim. Myungsoo runs the chapters of RockNow through his mind, trying to look for a reference, something to make the decision-making process easier, but RockNow was never finished and was left off with Takagi offering a proposal to form a band with Watanabe. Myungsoo nods slowly and takes a deep breath. The last volume of RockNow is underway. --- Volume Thirteen: Nothing's over Woolim has given Myungsoo a stage too big for a tiny person like him. It seems to stretch on forever and, even with the spotlights fixed on him, he feels so cold. He can see Sunggyu peeking from backstage, giving him a thumbs up. It's now or never. Myungsoo grabs the microphone, drawing it closer to his lips, and looks over his shoulder to signal at Woohyun. Familiar music soon fills the stadium and Woohyun steps into the spotlight, grabbing the other microphone. "Hello, everyone! We are Rock Right Now!" --- a/n: 1. Rock Right Now and its characters are completely fictional. LAWL. 2. 信じる、シンジョウ! is Shinjiru, Shinjou! when romanized. It's a bad, bad pun, I know. 3. The first song Myungsoo wrote is Jack's Mannequin's "Release Me" (a small tribute since they'll be disbanding soon ;___;). The second song is Nickelback's "Trying Not to Love You", and the third song is "Don't Let It End", also from Nickelback. 4. "The Tall Tree of Firm Belief" is a poor, poor attempt at putting together Takagi and Watanabe's names in one title. 5. "I c u doing a Toy Story 2 reference in Volume 12!" Oh yes. Yes, you did. :)

Comments

[senbonsakura.livejournal.com]

Really cool solid writing!
Love the chapter feel... kinda like reading a real manga
Love how you weave Myungsoo's love for manga into this...
Love the dreamy feel...
I could go on all night with compliments you know... lol
Anyway... Keep writing!
I ship Woosoo so much more now

[onyu.livejournal.com]

Sorry for the terribly late reply! Thank you so much! I'm really glad you like it, and that it made you ship Woohyun/Myungsoo more :)