[PG-13] Lights, Camera, Action (2/2)
Title: Lights, Camera, Action
Characters: Kyuhyun/Zhou Mi
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst, Life, Friendship, Romance
Summary: AU. Where Kyuhyun is a top star and Zhou Mi is a manager.
And here we are. 2/2. Finally. Sorry for the delay. I got stuck for a bit then I got distracted for another fic, but I forced myself to get this back on track. But then it became longer and longer. Anyway, the ending sucks so I apologize for that.
lights, camera, action
“You like him.”
Sungmin peered at him through round, puppy-cute eyes. It made Zhou Mi want to turn around and throw all the contents of his stomach out. He had that effect on people sometimes and it wasn’t any different for his friends.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Zhou Mi answered back, making a face.
“You do,” Sungmin squealed, clapping his hands in delight. “Oh my god! Can I meet him?” He turned to Hangeng, who was seated beside Zhou Mi, listening in to their conversation in amusement.
“No,” Zhou Mi immediately said, while Hangeng answered, “Sure.”
“No,” Zhou Mi insisted, slapping Hangeng’s arm. “He’s going to make this an even bigger deal than it is. Plus, Kyuhyun doesn’t like people ogling at him. He’ll just be rude to you when you do and then you’ll hate him.”
Sungmin pouted.
“He is right,” Hangeng agreed. “He’s really not the most likeable person in the world.” Zhou Mi shot Sungmin a triumphant smile. “But it is interesting just how much you can stand him, Mi. I mean, I know you’re a pretty patient person. But no one is that patient.”
The best friends exchanged a look and Zhou Mi knew that Hangeng knew every single thing that had transpired in the past weeks he had been assigned to Kyuhyun.
There was Kyuhyun yelling at some of the staff for accidentally blocking his way.
There was Kyuhyun saying such hurtful things to him when he forgot to bring the articles of clothing that he had asked him to.
There was Kyuhyun throwing an angry fit because filming got delayed because of the rain.
There was Kyuhyun partying every other night and arriving at filming late.
There was Kyuhyun almost biting Qian’s head off when she tried to calm him down.
It really was such a wonder how the real Cho Kyuhyun was kept under wraps. And it was such a wonder how he was able to maintain such a perfect façade in public.
Nothing was really as it seems.
Zhou Mi shrugged as if it was nothing. “You just get used to it,” he told them. “It just becomes white noise after a while.”
“That’s because you like him,” Sungmin continued to tease. “You know what they say, we end up making excuses for all the faults of the one we like.” He giggled.
“I am not in love with him,” Zhou Mi stoutly repeated. He ignored the widening eyes of his best friend at his Freudian slip and the looks that his two friends exchanged with each other. Because he really wasn’t. There was no reason to be.
---
He shifted on his bed as the doorbell rang, ignoring it completely. It was Sunday, which meant there was no filming. To add to that, Kyuhyun had mentioned that he should take the time to relax as well, which meant that he wasn’t going to be accompanying him to any personal things either. And so he was sleeping. Because that’s what he did when he wanted to relax.
But the doorbell rang again. And again. And again.
He abruptly sat up on his bed, the blanket sliding down his bare torso, eyes still closed. Everyone, even the staff and his talents, knew better than to disturb him on his day off. They also knew better than to ring him up in his apartment. It was his haven.
The doorbell rang once more. He got out of bed and padded towards the front door, ready to bash the head of whoever had the gall to disturb his rest day and his sleep. He pulled the door open in a rather harsh manner, ready to slit the throat of whoever was at the door, but the words died in his throat.
“Took you long enough,” Kyuhyun said as his way of greeting. He pushed Zhou Mi aside and walked into the apartment, looking around. “So this is where my manager lives. Pretty decent.”
“What-what are you doing here?” Zhou Mi sputtered, now completely awake and forgetting the lividness he was feeling earlier.
“I thought it would be good to see where my staff worked,” Kyuhyun stated with a shrug. He helped himself towards the living room and took a seat on the couch.
“I’m not your staff,” Zhou Mi immediately countered, frowning as he merely stayed standing. There were times when Kyuhyun seemed almost nice and then he would take everything back and more by saying something really offensive.
Kyuhyun merely shrugged. He looked him up and down that Zhou Mi realized that he wasn’t wearing a shirt and felt self-conscious. “Aren’t you going to get dressed then?” he demanded, smirking.
“But I’m not going anywhere,” Zhou Mi pointed out.
“Oh yes you are,” Kyuhyun contradicted. “You’re going with me.”
“But you said that I wouldn’t be accompanying you for anything personal today,” Zhou Mi reminded him in almost a whine. He really didn’t fancy translating anything for Kyuhyun on a day when he was supposed to be sleeping in.
“Just get dressed,” Kyuhyun directed and Zhou Mi had not choice but to do so.
When Zhou Mi had followed Kyuhyun out of his apartment and to the parking lot, he stood still as he watched him enter the driver’s side of the car. It wasn’t until Kyuhyun opened the passenger door that he realized he was staring.
“Are you getting in or what?” Kyuhyun barked.
Zhou Mi scuttled into the car, closed the door and buckled himself in. “You’re…driving?” he cautiously asked, looking at him.
“I gave my driver the day off,” Kyuhyun shared as they drove away from Zhou Mi’s apartment building. “It is Sunday after all.”
“And yet I’m not getting any,” Zhou Mi muttered, looking out of the window.
“What do you usually do on your days off? Except from sleeping,” Kyuhyun wanted to know, his eyes on the road. “What would you want to do on your ideal day off?”
“Sleeping not included? I don’t know…” Zhou Mi mused, suddenly thinking about it. “I haven’t really had a decent one since…ever.” He chuckled. “Maybe go to a theme park or go shopping. Or go to a museum. I need some nourishment.” He looked at Kyuhyun, who had glanced at him. “Why do you ask?”
“I can’t go to a theme park and I don’t do shopping,” Kyuhyun listed. “So… museum it is.” He turned a corner to go to the nearest museum.
Zhou Mi coughed. “We’re…going to a museum? Why?”
“Because you said you wanted to,” Kyuhyun answered simply. He shrugged uncomfortably when Zhou Mi continued staring at him. “It would be good for me, too.”
---
“You’re doing what?” Hangeng asked, the pitch of his voice high with shock. He stopped what he was doing, which was signing some documents on his desk, and looked at his best friend as if he had just sprouted tentacles.
“Watching a movie,” Zhou Mi answered, his eyes wide and innocent. “I am in this industry after all. I think I should be allowed to watch a movie or two at my leisure time.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Hangeng questioned, an eyebrow raised. “You’re more interested in what happens behind the scenes than the actually film. Besides, you can always watch movies here at the studio, what with the special screenings and all that.”
“Sometimes I like watching in cinemas,” Zhou Mi replied calmly. He couldn’t help but berate himself in his mind. He should never have come to Hangeng’s office (his friend was a workaholic and went to the office even on Saturdays) to check on him before he left. Now that he had committed such an error, he was being subject to questions like some criminal. “There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“This is just strangely out of character for you,” Hangeng explained, frowning a bit. “I mean you never-.” His eyes narrowed into slits. “You’re seeing someone, aren’t you?”
“I am not,” Zhou Mi heavily denied, looking affronted, but ruffled at the suggestion. “I’m just…doing things I wouldn’t normally do.”
Hangeng looked at him for a second. Such second felt like eternity to Zhou Mi because he knew that his best friend knew everything that’s been going on with him even though they’d never talked about it, even though he’d never said anything. When realization crossed Hangeng’s features, Zhou Mi looked away. He had been caught and there was no going around that. He could never lie to his best friend.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Mi,” Hangeng quietly maintained. “I’ve heard things about him from his manager and-.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Zhou Mi interrupted quietly. “I know all of those things. I’m with him everyday.” Hangeng leaned back on his chair and let out a breath. “Besides, you’re mistaken. Nothing is going on. Our relationship is still strictly professional.”
“Except that he takes you out to dinner and asks you to go to the movies with him and makes you his date to events,” Hangeng listed. “I don’t want you to get hurt. You know how movie actors are. They’re all the same.”
“I can’t completely say that you’re wrong, but...I don’t think he’s the same as the others,” Zhou Mi told him softly.
He understood why Hangeng was worried about him. He had gone out with other celebrities before; all of which hadn’t lasted and not one had even ended well. And he was afraid as well. But still. This thing with Kyuhyun, whatever it was, wasn’t anything to begin with. Sure, they spent a lot of time together, more than they should have, going out and doing things a manager and client never really do. But that didn’t really mean anything.
In the two months that he had spent with Kyuhyun, he had gone on more dinners and movie dates than he had with all the celebrities he had gone out with in the past. Sometimes, he felt like he could get used to it, because it was fun, being able to go out and rub elbows (more often and outside of work) with the hot shots of the industry. Then there are times when he gets tired of it. Because no matter how many times they go out, Kyuhyun still keeps him at arms length. Always.
“Mi, you know that I’m just looking out for you,” Hangeng began again. “When all this ends, when the movie filming and promotions are finally over, he will go back to Korea and forget. I hope you know that and I hope you’re ready.”
“Of course I know and of course I’m ready,” Zhou Mi retorted coolly. “Like I said, our relationship is still and only professional.”
Hangeng merely looked at him, but Zhou Mi knew what his best friend was asking. For how long?
---
He did his best to ignore the warnings and advice of his best friend. But it was hard, considering that he was with Kyuhyun all the time. It was easier to fall into the trap, rather than remember why he shouldn’t.
“What are we going to do today?” Zhou Mi asked cheerfully as he opened the door of his apartment to let Kyuhyun in.
Kyuhyun, his hands in his pockets, looked around and stared pointedly at the direction of the living room. “What do you say we just stay in today? Work through your stack of movies,” he nodded towards Zhou Mi’s ginormous DVD collection.
“Sure,” Zhou Mi easily agreed, although he gave him a curious look. Kyuhyun had never asked to stay in, never invited him over to his apartment and always declined when Zhou Mi was the one who invited. “I’ll get us some snacks. You can go and pick a movie. Make yourself comfortable.”
Kyuhyun threw a smirk his way, one that had Zhou Mi blushing. “I intend to do just that.”
As soon as he entered the kitchen, he grabbed his phone in his pocket and searched for Hangeng’s number. He dialed it and got a busy tone. Panicked, he tried again but wasn’t any more successful. As he was about to call Sungmin, his phone rang.
“Henry,” he gasped, glancing at the doorway to make sure Kyuhyun was out of earshot.
“Is everything okay?” Henry’s concerned tone came through the line.
“Kyuhyun’s here, in my apartment,” Zhou Mi told him without hesitation. “What do I do?”
“Doesn’t he come over like all the time?” Henry asked.
“But he never stays,” Zhou Mi explained. “He comes over to pick me up and take me home, but that’s it. Henry, what do I do?”
“Well what do you guys plan to do while he’s there?” Henry asked, chuckling.
“Watch DVDs,” Zhou Mi answered.
“Then that’s what you do, you watch DVDs,” Henry maintained. “Look, gege, there’s a reason why he wanted to stay in. Maybe you should be prepared for that.” He snickered.
“That isn’t part of the setup,” Zhou Mi hissed. Whatever that was.
“You’ve been going out for a while now,” Henry reminded him. “It’s bound to progress into something more. Unless…you don’t want it to?” There was a pause. “Gege, it’s so obvious that you have feelings for him.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Zhou Mi responded, staring at the kitchen counter as he traced the patterns on it. “It shouldn’t happen.”
“Who says it shouldn’t?” Henry demanded. “And please don’t cite company regulations. That doesn’t apply to you. He’s not really your talent. Did he say so?”
“He doesn’t have to,” Zhou Mi relayed. “It’s just always there. It’s so blatant at times that words aren’t necessary.”
“Well, he’s there now,” Henry told him. “That’s got to mean something.”
“Did you drown in some soup or something?” Kyuhyun’s voice, which was alarmingly near the kitchen, floated towards him.
“I have to go,” Zhou Mi rushed to end the call. He immediately pocketed his phone and flashed a bright smile just as Kyuhyun entered the kitchen. “Hey,” he greeted. “I was just getting us snacks.” He walked to the cupboards and started taking some chips and dips out.
“You said that,” Kyuhyun acknowledged. He watched as Zhou Mi fumbled through things. “Everything okay?”
“Yes,” Zhou Mi beamed, raising a bag of chips up.
“Let’s go then,” Kyuhyun took his hand in his own and led him to the living room.
---
Zhou Mi didn’t know how it happened.
One minute they went out a lot, still platonically, still professional, then suddenly they were more than that. Seemed more than that.
It worried him and bothered him because they never talked about it. So many things could go wrong with such a relationship, professional and whatever personal relationship that already had. To add to that, he wasn’t sure if people would be ready to accept such a friendship.
He worried about all of those things, and more. But when Kyuhyun kissed him, all those worries flew away, right out of his mind and into oblivion.
“Stop thinking,” Kyuhyun murmured through his lips.
Zhou Mi reached up and cupped his face, eagerly kissing him back.
---
“You’re not his slave, Mi,” Sungmin told him through the phone.
“Who said I was?” Zhou Mi countered, nodding as an assistant got some papers that they asked him to sign. He moved the phone to his left ear. “I’m doing my job. You forget Hangeng, you know my boss? He assigned this superstar to me.”
“To manage,” Sungmin clarified. “Not babysit.”
“Same thing,” Zhou Mi dismissed.
“You’re his boyfriend,” Sungmin specified.
“I’m not sure we’re both ready to label each other that way,” Zhou Mi responded at once. He glanced up and saw Kyuhyun gesture to him for some water. “I have to go. My baby needs something to drink.”
“Mmm, from where?” Sungmin teased.
“Perve,” Zhou Mi rolled his eyes and ended the call.
He got bottled water from the cooler, wiped it dry then handed it to Kyuhyun, who had just come off the set. Kyuhyun was about to get the bottle from him when he suddenly stopped in his tracks, staring at something behind him. Zhou Mi turned around.
“So…” A man with perfectly styled very black hair stepped out of the shadows of some other staff and approached him. “You must be Zhou Mi.”
“I am,” Zhou Mi confidently replied. “And you are…?”
“Kim Heechul,” was his introduction. He raised his hand up to shake his.
“Oh,” Zhou Mi greeted back with a smile, shaking his hand in return. “You’re Kyuhyun’s-.”
“Manager, that’s right,” Heechul immediately confirmed.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Zhou Mi genuinely stated, smiling brightly. After months of being assigned to Kyuhyun, he only had glimpses of his manager at certain events. He was someone whom he highly looked up to. He’d always wondered how he was able to make Kyuhyun into such a big star and one with very few scandals at that. Not even tabs of how real personality. His life was really kept very safe.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Heechul responded, smiling a little as he glanced at Kyuhyun. “I’ve heard quite a lot about you from Kyuhyun.”
“Hyung,” Kyuhyun called him in a warning tone. He had seemed to want to say more, but he was called back to the set right at that moment.
Zhou Mi watched as Kyuhyun returned to the set, smiling as Qian joined him. They exchanged a few words and laughed. Laughter was an interesting thing to see on Kyuhyun’s face. He was always so serious, even in premieres and events, and always so sarcastic to the people who had the chance to work with him. So seeing him laughing and smiling genuinely, which was apparent in his eyes, was always a sight to behold.
Heechul chuckled beside him. Zhou Mi turned to him, still smiling from the exchange between the lead characters of the movie that was being filmed.
“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into,” Heechul began. There was look in his eyes that Zhou Mi recognized as pity, but he couldn’t be sure when there was a smirk on his face as well.
“What I’m getting myself into…?” Zhou Mi repeated, confused. But Hangeng’s words came back to him.
“There is a reason things are kept under wraps,” Heechul shared, almost nonchalantly. He looked towards the set, where Kyuhyun and Qian were still talking to each other. “There is a reason why you only see what you see.”
Zhou Mi blinked, still confused. “I still don’t-.”
“Be careful, Zhou Mi-ssi,” Heechul went on, not letting him finish. “You might get dropped like a hot potato. Everyone who gets in too deep in Kyuhyun’s life experiences it. There’s still chance for you to back out.”
He squeezed his eyes shut as patronizing words seeped right through him. He clenched his fists tightly to prevent them from shaking any further than they already were. He wanted nothing more than to get out of there. But, for now, he had to stand there and endure. It was part of his job.
“Besides, he’s an actor,” Heechul continued. The words coursed right through his heart. “An exceptionally famous one at that, an international one, almost. And you’re…”
He opened his eyes and met pitying ones.
The sentence remained unfinished. Instead, he received a smile that was meant to be comforting but had made him feel small and a pat on the shoulder. He didn’t need the sentence to be finished anyway. He knew who he was.
He was a celebrated actor, well known and well loved. And he… he was him.
There was nothing more to that.
---
It was quiet. Unnervingly so. It was cold enough as it is. But with the way Kyuhyun acted around him, stiff and distant, it was like hell had frozen over.
Zhou Mi looked out of the window as their vehicle whisked past other cars, trees and streetlights. He willed for the time to go faster just so he could end the endless awkwardness that stemmed from him and Kyuhyun being in such close proximity with each other. Kyuhyun probably couldn’t understand why things were so tense between them. But Zhou Mi was thinking again. He supposed that he hoped for too much. Yet again. Despite, Heechul’s warning. Hope bred eternal misery after all. He didn’t even know why he agreed for Kyuhyun to bring him home, which was unusual once he realized it. The actor had never asked (or demanded) to bring him home after work (the times when they went out didn’t really count).
He had just quietly taken a deep breath to help relax his nerves when Kyuhyun spoke.
“Did you want to get something to eat before I took you home?” were Kyuhyun’s first words.
Zhou Mi whipped his head so fast that Kyuhyun felt wind rushing past him. “What? You’re asking me out to dinner?”
“It’s not like this is the first time,” Kyuhyun reminded him, a smirk forming on his lips. “I’m feeling hungry and you look like you could use something to eat as well.” When Zhou Mi didn’t say anything and just continued staring at him, Kyuhyun boldly reached out for his hand and squeezed it.
“I don’t understand what we’re doing, Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi finally spoke, admitting some form of feelings for the first time since they started “dating”. Somehow, he couldn’t shake off Heechul’s words to him no matter how hard he tried to. It bothered him a lot and he wanted to know more.
Kyuhyun withdrew his hand and kept them on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. “What do you mean?” His tone was frosty and uninviting.
“Do you normally do this?” Zhou Mi asked.
“This,” Kyuhyun repeated, his brows furrowing.
“Do you normally go out with staff, date them? A lot of people have been coming to me, warning me that I should be careful, that I should know what I’m getting into with you,” Zhou Mi suddenly had so many things to say. Henry, after hearing about Kyuhyun from a Korean actor friend, had stepped up to warn him as well. “I ignored it for a time, but now I wonder… Although I really shouldn’t because, well, this is probably nothing for you.”
Kyuhyun didn’t say anything. He stared straight ahead, watching the road as they turned corners and sped through other cars. He bit his lip, seemingly deciding what he could and should say.
It was quiet in the car for a long time. He then suddenly pulled over to some sidewalk, stopped the car and turned the engine off. Zhou Mi looked at him, almost a bit afraid of what he was going to say.
“I don’t know what Heechul hyung told you,” Kyuhyun began, his voice dangerously low. “And I wouldn’t normally care to explain anything to anyone, but, just this once, I’m going to.”
“I’m sorry,” Zhou Mi blurted out before Kyuhyun could continue. “You don’t have to explain anything. I know it doesn’t mean anything to you. It’s the same for me. You’re doing your job and I’m around to help you do yours. Just that, nothing more.” He paused when he realized that Kyuhyun was staring at him, eyes hard and piercing. He gulped. “Right?”
Kyuhyun pursed his lips into a grim straight line. With an abrupt nod, he briefly replied, “Right.” And before Zhou Mi could respond, he added, “I’m not hungry anymore.”
---
Zhou Mi tried to prepare himself as best as he could for such time that Kyuhyun would drop him like a hot potato as Heechul put it. He told himself again and again, everyday, that they (he couldn’t even put a label to their relationship) weren’t permanent. It was inevitable that it would end. If not sooner, then definitely later.
But he didn’t expect it to be so soon. And he didn’t expect it to hurt so much.
He had approached Kyuhyun on set to discuss their plans for the evening when the actor deliberately turned away from him, deciding to talk to Qian instead. Qian, who was startled at the obvious snub, questioned Zhou Mi through his eyes. Zhou Mi merely smiled and shrugged, putting it off as another one of his tantrum days, and had walked away.
He left the filming early that day, walking away and trying not to look back.
---
“I’m curious,” Heechul began quietly. “Why are we talking about this again?”
“I just want to know if Kyuhyun mentioned something to you,” Hangeng asked, almost pleading. “He’s been doing badly at filming recently and the director’s getting frustrated.”
“Every actor has their off days,” Heechul pointed out.
“Seems highly unlikely for Kyuhyun,” Hangeng mentioned.
Heechul looked at him for a couple of seconds. “You’re not worried about Kyuhyun,” he finally said. “This has something to do with Zhou Mi.”
“He hasn’t been answering my calls. I’m worried. Something happened with them,” Hangeng pressed. “If Kyuhyun told you anything…”
“Didn’t I tell you?” Heechul prompted, frowning for a second. “This is something that Kyuhyun does. Besides, I’ve never interfered with his life before. This isn’t going to be some special case.”
“Really?” Hangeng asked, meeting his eyes. “Even if I’m the one who asked?”
Heechul smirked, shaking his head. “You ask me way too many favors, Hangeng,” he responded. “Kyuhyun is acting in this movie because you offered sex. That only goes so far.”
“So what, you want me to pay you?” Hangeng challenged, looking angry. “Just for a yes or no answer? Just like how you do it to shut everyone up about Kyuhyun?”
Heechul’s eyes shuttered, his features becoming tightened and hard. “You know nothing about what I do in order to protect Kyuhyun from everyone and you know nothing about Kyuhyun. And don’t lecture me about things you’re doing yourself. I thought a relationship between a talent and a manager is not allowed in your company, but I’ve seen how you’ve turned a blind eye just because it’s your best friend.”
“They’re not in a relationship,” Hangeng clarified. “Zhou Mi made that clear to me.”
The look that Heechul gave him then made him confused and curious. He wasn’t sure but Heechul looked almost surprised when he said those words, like it wasn’t what he was expecting to hear.
“Well, I guess we never truly know anything,” Heechul finally said.
---
Qian watched as Zhou Mi sat on the couch and stared at the white ceiling. She had come over to see how he was doing after being absent in the office for almost a week. She had heard rumors, mostly from Henry, about what had happened, but she wanted to know firsthand.
“Will you look at me and answer my questions?” Qian spoke once more, tone more demanding.
He lifted his head from the couch and looked at her for the first time since she arrived. He blinked a couple of times to make sure that she was actually there.
“What are you doing here?” Zhou Mi asked her. “Don’t you have filming today?”
“No,” she answered. “Filming today was canceled. But you would know that if you bothered to come to work. Or returned my calls, or Henry’s, or Liyin’s. Or Hangeng’s, or Sung-.”
“I get the point,” he cut her off, sounding annoyed. “Why is filming cancelled? Did you throw another tantrum?”
“I didn’t,” she answered in almost a singsong voice. He sat up straighter and pinched the bridge of his nose. “But Kyuhyun did.”
He looked up and met her gaze. He knew he shouldn’t delve any deeper into the discussion, knowing it could just be something that she just said to make him listen. But against his better judgment, he did. Because it was Kyuhyun.
“What?” he asked.
“He hasn’t been feeling up to par this past couple of days,” she explained with a shrug. “Han Geng had the filming canceled so he could fix himself up.” He leaned back on the couch and let out a breath. “What happened, Mi?”
“Since when do you call me Mi so lightly?” he inquired, eyebrows raised in amusement.
She made a face at him. “You’re only my manager when you’re actually my manager,” she reminded him knowingly. “And right now, you’re not my manager. Jia jie jie is.” She sighed when he merely made a face back at her. “Look, I don’t know what happened with you and Kyuhyun or what’s going on with you two but-.”
“Nothing’s going on,” he hurriedly corrected her.
“Of course there isn’t,” she confirmed too quickly in Zhou Mi’s opinion. “But I’m not blind. No one is that blind. I know that you two have made some sort of connection, whatever that is. Please don’t deny it,” she prompted when he opened his mouth to do exactly just that. “Please don’t lie to me.”
“I haven’t even admitted it to Geng,” he finally responded.
“Geng doesn’t know Kyuhyun,” she told him as if saying it didn’t matter when he admitted it to his best friend or not. “Not like I do anyway.”
“You’ve only known him for as long as we both have,” he pointed out, standing up and walking to the kitchen. “How can you know him more than Geng does?”
“Well, for one, Geng isn’t co-starring with him in a movie that has filming every single day,” she listed down, following him. “Second, he hasn’t met Kyuhyun before, hasn’t he?”
He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. “You’ve met Kyuhyun before?”
“Way before I got scouted and way before he became the actor that he is now,” she filled him in.
“So when you said that he’s different from what you see on-screen, you actually knew what you were talking about?” he pressed. She half shrugged. “So how is he different? He’s not the prince charming that he’s projected to be? That’s nothing new to me. He’s an actor so of course he’s different in real life. Everyone puts up masks and I believe actors do that better than anyone in the world.”
“You’re insulting me right now, you know that right?” she grimaced, hurt.
“I don’t mean to,” he apologized. “I’m just…saying, what ever connection you think we have, it probably isn’t real.”
“How do you know?” she demanded.
He shrugged. “Because. That’s the reality of things. We’ve never talked about it. He’s never said anything. Sure, we go out, we kiss, but so what? He goes out with you too. And don’t you like him or something? Why are you pushing me to him?”
She shook her head, giggling a bit. “It’s nothing like that. You know how I act giddy when I’m happy. Besides, we definitely don’t kiss,” she immediately quipped. “We go out because we need to be seen together.” She rolled her eyes at him. “You know that’s part of our job. Goodness, after all these years you still think I fall in love with every actor I star with.”
“Well Kyuhyun doesn’t exactly make it difficult,” he remarked.
“Listen,” she began, “it’s true that not everything is at it seems, most especially in this business. But that’s not always a bad thing. It’s not always people pretending to be good or nice and then being the total opposite behind the scenes. Sometimes, it’s the other way around.”
“What are you saying?” he prodded.
Qian gave him a long look. “He’s terrified, Mi,” she told him earnestly, reaching out for his hand and squeezing it. “He’s broken and he doesn’t know how to handle it. He hasn’t been handling it all this time and he’s doing what he could do to protect himself.”
“Protect himself from what?” Zhou Mi wanted to know.
“Scary stuff, of course,” she declared seriously. “Something that a lot of people are afraid of. It’s what makes him push people away.”
---
Zhou Mi and Kyuhyun never really got around to talking about “them”. In fact, they never got around to talking at all. Hangeng, sensing the tension between the two, removed Zhou Mi as Kyuhyun’s temporary manager and reinstated him to Qian, Henry and Liyin once again. Jessica had already finished her project in Beijing and had gone back to Korea, therefore leaving Heechul to be able to focus on Kyuhyun. With that arrangement, they rarely-or never-saw each other anymore.
“Has Qian talked to you, gege?” Liyin curiously asked Zhou Mi in the car, on their way to one of her shoots.
“About what?” Zhou Mi absentmindedly asked as he typed something on his Blackberry.
“About Kyuhyun,” she straightforwardly answered. “Henry told me that you two had talked, but I’m questioning whether she really did.”
Zhou Mi lifted his attention from his phone and stared at his talent, her pretty eyes looking back at him inquiringly. “Don’t you guys have anything better to do than discuss my love life?” he asked, rolling his eyes and turning his attention back to his phone. “Yes, Qian and I have talked about that. But really, what does she want me to do?”
“Uh, go and talk to him?” she suggested as if it was the most obvious thing to do in the world.
“We really don’t have anything to talk about, though,” he insisted.
It was her turn to roll her eyes. “Really, gege. You know there’s something you two need to talk about, or else why would you be so evasive about it?”
“I told Qian this and I’m sure she’s relayed it to you and Henry, but I’ll just say it again for emphasis,” he slowly dictated, looking at her once more. “Kyuhyun was never big on words. We went out on what I think were dates, we became a bit intimate but he never said anything. Those things could mean nothing to him so why go and push for something that isn’t there?”
“But you don’t even know if there is something there or not,” she persisted. “You never even asked him! Besides, did you even tell him how you felt? Because two people are needed to make a relationship work. Did you do your part? Did you actually say anything?”
Zhou Mi opened his mouth then closed it again, frowning. Thinking about what Liyin said, he realized that he never did tell Kyuhyun anything about his growing feelings for him. He just immediately assumed that it wasn’t important, that if Kyuhyun had said something, everything would follow.
“You always tell me that I always need an explanation for everything, that I over think things too much,” Liyin went on, watching as her words have their effect on him. “I think, in this case, you’re the one who needs to stop doing that. You’ve been given all the explanations in the world and yet you still have to stop and think on what you should do. You already know what you should do. Stop thinking about it and just jump.”
“Just jump,” Zhou Mi blindly echoed.
---
“Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Cho Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi responded with a tinge of uncertainty, looking around the lobby.
“Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked pleasantly, giving him a once over.
“I don’t, actually, but I’ve worked with him in Beijing,” Zhou Mi explained, taking out his card and handing it to her. “I’m Zhou Mi. I was just wondering if I could see him for a bit. I won’t take long.”
The girl studied the card then gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Cho only ever sees anyone that’s on the approved appointment list or if his manager allows-.”
“And his manager is here,” Heechul’s voice echoed across the hall. He gave a dismissive smile towards the receptionist as he ushered Zhou Mi inside the offices. He gave the taller male a pat on the back, which looked awkward because Zhou Mi was, well, taller. “What are you doing here, Zhou Mi?” He gave him a knowing smile.
“I came to see Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi told him uncertainly. “I know we haven’t really had the chance to make things…okay, but…” He sighed. “I’m just sorry. I don’t even know if he will see me.”
“Took you long enough,” Heechul commented as they turned several corners.
As they halted outside of one of the many doors, Heechul turned to Zhou Mi, his face serious and determined.
“Look,” Heechul began again. “I am only giving you a chance because I know I helped you screw this up.”
Zhou Mi scrunched his face up in confusion. “What-?”
“I meddled and I told you things, gave warnings, that I should never have given because it really wasn’t my place,” Heechul interrupted him. He looked at the taller male straight in the eye. “I only did it because I care about Kyuhyun.” He paused for a second and glanced at the closed door. “This has happened before. People come to meet him, to get to know him because they think they’re in love with him, with the person that they think he is. And then they do actually get to know him and they realize that he was better off in their heads than in real life. That’s where most people start packing their bags.”
“I…don’t know what to say,” Zhou Mi finally spoke. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest.
“Just...you flew all the way to Seoul for a reason,” Heechul stated. “I hope you don’t suddenly get cold feet and rethink about what you wanted to do when you got here. Coz if that’s what you’re going to do, I’d rather you not see him anymore and just leave.”
“I…this isn’t pressuring at all,” Zhou Mi muttered.
“Just go in,” Heechul demanded, opening the door. “Fair warning: if you hurt him…” He let the unsaid threat sink in before pushing him inside and closing the door.
---
Zhou Mi stared. Kyuhyun stared.
No one spoke for a while. Zhou Mi was plain speechless to have been thrusted in front of Kyuhyun’s face without so much as a warning. Yes, he had come to see him, but he wasn’t expecting it to be so soon and to be on the first try. He had expected to be rebuffed several times before he actually got to see him.
Kyuhyun, on the other hand, was just as shocked. He and Zhou Mi hadn’t exactly parted on friendly terms. In fact, they hadn’t done the whole parting and closure thing at all. It was something that he’d gone to great lengths to avoid because he hated how unnecessary it was. Why should he make such effort for something that wasn’t anything to begin with?
“What are you doing here?” Kyuhyun demanded when he found his voice.
“I…I was,” Zhou Mi stammered. He blew out his breath. “I came to see you.”
Kyuhyun stood up from where he was sitting, reading through scripts, and smirked. “Why would you do that?”
Zhou Mi’s answer got Kyuhyun’s attention. “Honestly, I don’t really know,” he said.
The actor stood still and looked at him. “Why are you here, Zhou Mi?” he repeated.
Stop thinking and just jump, Zhou Mi thought to himself. He looked at Kyuhyun, biting his lip and taking another deep breath. “This is me taking a chance,” he started, tightly clenching his fists to stop his hands from shaking. “I’m sorry I didn’t make much of an effort to fix things between us before you left Beijing. I-.”
“You came all the way from China to apologize?” Kyuhyun interrupted him glibly. “You couldn’t have called or have had your boss contact my manager? I hear they’re quite close, you know.”
Zhou Mi blinked at him, distracted for a second. He had known about Hangeng and Heechul for which he gave his best friend an earful for it. It had apparently started out as a means to an end, to get Kyuhyun to star in one of his films, and just blossomed into something more. He didn’t think he’d seen Hangeng leave the country for Seoul as much as he did in the past couple of weeks.
“I couldn’t,” Zhou Mi replied, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t. Because this isn’t about them. It’s about us.”
“What are you talking about?” Kyuhyun retorted. Zhou Mi thought he’d noticed how the other man stiffened.
“Okay, I’m just going to say it,” Zhou Mi declared. “I came here to see you because I wanted to know something.” He paused for a beat then went on. “I know you said that you’re not one for long term relationships and that you don’t fall in love, but I was wondering…” He met Kyuhyun’s eyes. “I was wondering if, maybe, something had changed when we-when you and I-Do you feel anything more than friendship for me or do you see me as more than a manager?”
Kyuhyun’s laughter wasn’t the reaction that he expected to get.
“That’s your reason for flying all the way from China?” Kyuhyun chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re weirder than I thought.”
“So is that a no?” Zhou Mi blurted out, swallowing the sob that was forming in his throat.
Kyuhyun stilled and just looked at him. “Why do you want to know about my feelings? I mean, what’s the point of me talking about my feelings?”
Zhou Mi looked away, his eyes trained on the tiled floor. “I should go. I’m sorry to have wasted your time,” he mumbled. He walked to the door and reached for the doorknob.
“Fine. Go,” Kyuhyun spat, gesturing him away angrily. “That’s what you do best.”
“What I do best?” Zhou Mi retorted, turning around to face him again. “That’s rich, coming from you. In case you don’t remember, you’re the one who left-.”
“In case you don’t remember, I left Beijing because my job there was done, but I’m not the one who walked away from this,” Kyuhyun almost growled, gesturing between the two of them. He looked away and leaned his weight on the table, his head bowed down. “Just go.”
“What are you talking about?” Zhou Mi asked in disbelief. “I never have walked away from anything, especially from this.”
“Right. I suppose you don’t remember telling me that you were just doing your job by being with me,” Kyuhyun prompted his memory.
Zhou Mi’s eyes widened and he almost gasped loudly as he remembered that night in the car. He now realized how that must have sounded to him, how he had misinterpreted it in a very wrong way.
“Kyuhyun,” he began.
“Look,” Kyuhyun interrupted him, straightening up. “It doesn’t matter anymore. You should go home.” He gathered the papers on the table and packed them in an envelope. After which, he walked towards the door, not even sparing a glance at the other male.
“No,” Zhou Mi stopped him, grabbing his arm. “No. I only said that because-.”
“I don’t really care anymore-.”
“Will you stop interrupting me?” Zhou Mi snapped.
“I think I’ll keep on interrupting you so long as you keep on sprouting nonsense-.”
Zhou Mi kissed him.
He figured that he didn’t have anything more to lose. He didn’t know what else to do, how else to express what he was feeling, because it didn’t seem like Kyuhyun would believe just words. Words weren’t enough for him because of the many lies he had heard and had been hurt by in the past. So maybe if he kissed him, he could show him how he felt, how he had felt all this time.
Kyuhyun froze as soon as Zhou Mi’s lips met his. Of all the things he expected to happen, kissing was far out of the equation. Because, well, he and Zhou Mi were done. They had parted ways and never actually solidified anything. At the beginning, he just stood there, taking in the way Zhou Mi’s lips felt soft against his. He didn’t want to return the affection because why should he? It was pointless. But he was weak. And so he kissed him back.
“Zhou Mi,” Kyuhyun exhaled, his eyes fluttering open. “I-.”
“I didn’t mean what I said then. I only said it because I was afraid that it was nothing to you. But it was everything to me. You’re everything to me. I love you, Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi breathed out as they pulled away from each other. “I’m in love with you.”
Kyuhyun’s eyes were wide and bright. Zhou Mi closed his eyes as he waited for the rejection to come. He couldn’t help but think what a big mistake he’d made.
“Who’s interrupting now?” Kyuhyun smirked. He swallowed. “I love-I’m in love with you, too, idiot.”
“What?” Zhou Mi asked, his eyes now open in shock. “You are?”
“Didn’t I just say so?” Kyuhyun almost scoffed. “If you had actually stopped to listen to me that night, you would’ve known a long time ago.” He made a face and shook his head. “Idiot,” he murmured.
Zhou Mi didn’t say anything. He just went ahead and attacked Kyuhyun with more kisses.
---
“I thought it was a good movie. And I’m saying this not because my best friend owns the company that produced it.”
A snort. “Except for the part where I awkwardly kiss Qian.”
“It wasn’t that bad. I thought you two looked cute together.”
A stare. “Are you serious?”
“What?”
“You’re a weird idiot, you know that?”
“But you love me.”
“The sad reality of my life.”
END.
---
Author's Notes:
1. This was harder to finish that I thought it would be. You know how you already know what's going to happen but you just can't seem to write it? That's what happened to me. orz. Anyway, I'm just happy that I was able to finish it. I hope you like it.
2. Just for further explanations, just in case, Kyuhyun was about to refute Heechul's warning to Zhou Mi. He had really started to fall for Zhou Mi because he cared about him enough to be patient with him and all that. But he was also scared because, like Qian said, he was broken because he had been broken over and over again. Nobody bothered to stay long enough to really know him and who he was. And he felt that Zhou Mi did that and accepted him.
3. Zhou Mi is assuming. LOL. That's the explanation for his behavior. He always thinks the worst case scenario and doesn't even bother to verify. And he's scared. Hehe!
4. I love Song Qian and Kyuhyun. KyuToria. Hehe! That's why there's sort of a little bit of them here.
5. This fic has a total of 14,028 words. CRAZY!!!
6. /runs away
Characters: Kyuhyun/Zhou Mi
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst, Life, Friendship, Romance
Summary: AU. Where Kyuhyun is a top star and Zhou Mi is a manager.
And here we are. 2/2. Finally. Sorry for the delay. I got stuck for a bit then I got distracted for another fic, but I forced myself to get this back on track. But then it became longer and longer. Anyway, the ending sucks so I apologize for that.
lights, camera, action
“You like him.”
Sungmin peered at him through round, puppy-cute eyes. It made Zhou Mi want to turn around and throw all the contents of his stomach out. He had that effect on people sometimes and it wasn’t any different for his friends.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Zhou Mi answered back, making a face.
“You do,” Sungmin squealed, clapping his hands in delight. “Oh my god! Can I meet him?” He turned to Hangeng, who was seated beside Zhou Mi, listening in to their conversation in amusement.
“No,” Zhou Mi immediately said, while Hangeng answered, “Sure.”
“No,” Zhou Mi insisted, slapping Hangeng’s arm. “He’s going to make this an even bigger deal than it is. Plus, Kyuhyun doesn’t like people ogling at him. He’ll just be rude to you when you do and then you’ll hate him.”
Sungmin pouted.
“He is right,” Hangeng agreed. “He’s really not the most likeable person in the world.” Zhou Mi shot Sungmin a triumphant smile. “But it is interesting just how much you can stand him, Mi. I mean, I know you’re a pretty patient person. But no one is that patient.”
The best friends exchanged a look and Zhou Mi knew that Hangeng knew every single thing that had transpired in the past weeks he had been assigned to Kyuhyun.
There was Kyuhyun yelling at some of the staff for accidentally blocking his way.
There was Kyuhyun saying such hurtful things to him when he forgot to bring the articles of clothing that he had asked him to.
There was Kyuhyun throwing an angry fit because filming got delayed because of the rain.
There was Kyuhyun partying every other night and arriving at filming late.
There was Kyuhyun almost biting Qian’s head off when she tried to calm him down.
It really was such a wonder how the real Cho Kyuhyun was kept under wraps. And it was such a wonder how he was able to maintain such a perfect façade in public.
Nothing was really as it seems.
Zhou Mi shrugged as if it was nothing. “You just get used to it,” he told them. “It just becomes white noise after a while.”
“That’s because you like him,” Sungmin continued to tease. “You know what they say, we end up making excuses for all the faults of the one we like.” He giggled.
“I am not in love with him,” Zhou Mi stoutly repeated. He ignored the widening eyes of his best friend at his Freudian slip and the looks that his two friends exchanged with each other. Because he really wasn’t. There was no reason to be.
---
He shifted on his bed as the doorbell rang, ignoring it completely. It was Sunday, which meant there was no filming. To add to that, Kyuhyun had mentioned that he should take the time to relax as well, which meant that he wasn’t going to be accompanying him to any personal things either. And so he was sleeping. Because that’s what he did when he wanted to relax.
But the doorbell rang again. And again. And again.
He abruptly sat up on his bed, the blanket sliding down his bare torso, eyes still closed. Everyone, even the staff and his talents, knew better than to disturb him on his day off. They also knew better than to ring him up in his apartment. It was his haven.
The doorbell rang once more. He got out of bed and padded towards the front door, ready to bash the head of whoever had the gall to disturb his rest day and his sleep. He pulled the door open in a rather harsh manner, ready to slit the throat of whoever was at the door, but the words died in his throat.
“Took you long enough,” Kyuhyun said as his way of greeting. He pushed Zhou Mi aside and walked into the apartment, looking around. “So this is where my manager lives. Pretty decent.”
“What-what are you doing here?” Zhou Mi sputtered, now completely awake and forgetting the lividness he was feeling earlier.
“I thought it would be good to see where my staff worked,” Kyuhyun stated with a shrug. He helped himself towards the living room and took a seat on the couch.
“I’m not your staff,” Zhou Mi immediately countered, frowning as he merely stayed standing. There were times when Kyuhyun seemed almost nice and then he would take everything back and more by saying something really offensive.
Kyuhyun merely shrugged. He looked him up and down that Zhou Mi realized that he wasn’t wearing a shirt and felt self-conscious. “Aren’t you going to get dressed then?” he demanded, smirking.
“But I’m not going anywhere,” Zhou Mi pointed out.
“Oh yes you are,” Kyuhyun contradicted. “You’re going with me.”
“But you said that I wouldn’t be accompanying you for anything personal today,” Zhou Mi reminded him in almost a whine. He really didn’t fancy translating anything for Kyuhyun on a day when he was supposed to be sleeping in.
“Just get dressed,” Kyuhyun directed and Zhou Mi had not choice but to do so.
When Zhou Mi had followed Kyuhyun out of his apartment and to the parking lot, he stood still as he watched him enter the driver’s side of the car. It wasn’t until Kyuhyun opened the passenger door that he realized he was staring.
“Are you getting in or what?” Kyuhyun barked.
Zhou Mi scuttled into the car, closed the door and buckled himself in. “You’re…driving?” he cautiously asked, looking at him.
“I gave my driver the day off,” Kyuhyun shared as they drove away from Zhou Mi’s apartment building. “It is Sunday after all.”
“And yet I’m not getting any,” Zhou Mi muttered, looking out of the window.
“What do you usually do on your days off? Except from sleeping,” Kyuhyun wanted to know, his eyes on the road. “What would you want to do on your ideal day off?”
“Sleeping not included? I don’t know…” Zhou Mi mused, suddenly thinking about it. “I haven’t really had a decent one since…ever.” He chuckled. “Maybe go to a theme park or go shopping. Or go to a museum. I need some nourishment.” He looked at Kyuhyun, who had glanced at him. “Why do you ask?”
“I can’t go to a theme park and I don’t do shopping,” Kyuhyun listed. “So… museum it is.” He turned a corner to go to the nearest museum.
Zhou Mi coughed. “We’re…going to a museum? Why?”
“Because you said you wanted to,” Kyuhyun answered simply. He shrugged uncomfortably when Zhou Mi continued staring at him. “It would be good for me, too.”
---
“You’re doing what?” Hangeng asked, the pitch of his voice high with shock. He stopped what he was doing, which was signing some documents on his desk, and looked at his best friend as if he had just sprouted tentacles.
“Watching a movie,” Zhou Mi answered, his eyes wide and innocent. “I am in this industry after all. I think I should be allowed to watch a movie or two at my leisure time.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Hangeng questioned, an eyebrow raised. “You’re more interested in what happens behind the scenes than the actually film. Besides, you can always watch movies here at the studio, what with the special screenings and all that.”
“Sometimes I like watching in cinemas,” Zhou Mi replied calmly. He couldn’t help but berate himself in his mind. He should never have come to Hangeng’s office (his friend was a workaholic and went to the office even on Saturdays) to check on him before he left. Now that he had committed such an error, he was being subject to questions like some criminal. “There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“This is just strangely out of character for you,” Hangeng explained, frowning a bit. “I mean you never-.” His eyes narrowed into slits. “You’re seeing someone, aren’t you?”
“I am not,” Zhou Mi heavily denied, looking affronted, but ruffled at the suggestion. “I’m just…doing things I wouldn’t normally do.”
Hangeng looked at him for a second. Such second felt like eternity to Zhou Mi because he knew that his best friend knew everything that’s been going on with him even though they’d never talked about it, even though he’d never said anything. When realization crossed Hangeng’s features, Zhou Mi looked away. He had been caught and there was no going around that. He could never lie to his best friend.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Mi,” Hangeng quietly maintained. “I’ve heard things about him from his manager and-.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Zhou Mi interrupted quietly. “I know all of those things. I’m with him everyday.” Hangeng leaned back on his chair and let out a breath. “Besides, you’re mistaken. Nothing is going on. Our relationship is still strictly professional.”
“Except that he takes you out to dinner and asks you to go to the movies with him and makes you his date to events,” Hangeng listed. “I don’t want you to get hurt. You know how movie actors are. They’re all the same.”
“I can’t completely say that you’re wrong, but...I don’t think he’s the same as the others,” Zhou Mi told him softly.
He understood why Hangeng was worried about him. He had gone out with other celebrities before; all of which hadn’t lasted and not one had even ended well. And he was afraid as well. But still. This thing with Kyuhyun, whatever it was, wasn’t anything to begin with. Sure, they spent a lot of time together, more than they should have, going out and doing things a manager and client never really do. But that didn’t really mean anything.
In the two months that he had spent with Kyuhyun, he had gone on more dinners and movie dates than he had with all the celebrities he had gone out with in the past. Sometimes, he felt like he could get used to it, because it was fun, being able to go out and rub elbows (more often and outside of work) with the hot shots of the industry. Then there are times when he gets tired of it. Because no matter how many times they go out, Kyuhyun still keeps him at arms length. Always.
“Mi, you know that I’m just looking out for you,” Hangeng began again. “When all this ends, when the movie filming and promotions are finally over, he will go back to Korea and forget. I hope you know that and I hope you’re ready.”
“Of course I know and of course I’m ready,” Zhou Mi retorted coolly. “Like I said, our relationship is still and only professional.”
Hangeng merely looked at him, but Zhou Mi knew what his best friend was asking. For how long?
---
He did his best to ignore the warnings and advice of his best friend. But it was hard, considering that he was with Kyuhyun all the time. It was easier to fall into the trap, rather than remember why he shouldn’t.
“What are we going to do today?” Zhou Mi asked cheerfully as he opened the door of his apartment to let Kyuhyun in.
Kyuhyun, his hands in his pockets, looked around and stared pointedly at the direction of the living room. “What do you say we just stay in today? Work through your stack of movies,” he nodded towards Zhou Mi’s ginormous DVD collection.
“Sure,” Zhou Mi easily agreed, although he gave him a curious look. Kyuhyun had never asked to stay in, never invited him over to his apartment and always declined when Zhou Mi was the one who invited. “I’ll get us some snacks. You can go and pick a movie. Make yourself comfortable.”
Kyuhyun threw a smirk his way, one that had Zhou Mi blushing. “I intend to do just that.”
As soon as he entered the kitchen, he grabbed his phone in his pocket and searched for Hangeng’s number. He dialed it and got a busy tone. Panicked, he tried again but wasn’t any more successful. As he was about to call Sungmin, his phone rang.
“Henry,” he gasped, glancing at the doorway to make sure Kyuhyun was out of earshot.
“Is everything okay?” Henry’s concerned tone came through the line.
“Kyuhyun’s here, in my apartment,” Zhou Mi told him without hesitation. “What do I do?”
“Doesn’t he come over like all the time?” Henry asked.
“But he never stays,” Zhou Mi explained. “He comes over to pick me up and take me home, but that’s it. Henry, what do I do?”
“Well what do you guys plan to do while he’s there?” Henry asked, chuckling.
“Watch DVDs,” Zhou Mi answered.
“Then that’s what you do, you watch DVDs,” Henry maintained. “Look, gege, there’s a reason why he wanted to stay in. Maybe you should be prepared for that.” He snickered.
“That isn’t part of the setup,” Zhou Mi hissed. Whatever that was.
“You’ve been going out for a while now,” Henry reminded him. “It’s bound to progress into something more. Unless…you don’t want it to?” There was a pause. “Gege, it’s so obvious that you have feelings for him.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Zhou Mi responded, staring at the kitchen counter as he traced the patterns on it. “It shouldn’t happen.”
“Who says it shouldn’t?” Henry demanded. “And please don’t cite company regulations. That doesn’t apply to you. He’s not really your talent. Did he say so?”
“He doesn’t have to,” Zhou Mi relayed. “It’s just always there. It’s so blatant at times that words aren’t necessary.”
“Well, he’s there now,” Henry told him. “That’s got to mean something.”
“Did you drown in some soup or something?” Kyuhyun’s voice, which was alarmingly near the kitchen, floated towards him.
“I have to go,” Zhou Mi rushed to end the call. He immediately pocketed his phone and flashed a bright smile just as Kyuhyun entered the kitchen. “Hey,” he greeted. “I was just getting us snacks.” He walked to the cupboards and started taking some chips and dips out.
“You said that,” Kyuhyun acknowledged. He watched as Zhou Mi fumbled through things. “Everything okay?”
“Yes,” Zhou Mi beamed, raising a bag of chips up.
“Let’s go then,” Kyuhyun took his hand in his own and led him to the living room.
---
Zhou Mi didn’t know how it happened.
One minute they went out a lot, still platonically, still professional, then suddenly they were more than that. Seemed more than that.
It worried him and bothered him because they never talked about it. So many things could go wrong with such a relationship, professional and whatever personal relationship that already had. To add to that, he wasn’t sure if people would be ready to accept such a friendship.
He worried about all of those things, and more. But when Kyuhyun kissed him, all those worries flew away, right out of his mind and into oblivion.
“Stop thinking,” Kyuhyun murmured through his lips.
Zhou Mi reached up and cupped his face, eagerly kissing him back.
---
“You’re not his slave, Mi,” Sungmin told him through the phone.
“Who said I was?” Zhou Mi countered, nodding as an assistant got some papers that they asked him to sign. He moved the phone to his left ear. “I’m doing my job. You forget Hangeng, you know my boss? He assigned this superstar to me.”
“To manage,” Sungmin clarified. “Not babysit.”
“Same thing,” Zhou Mi dismissed.
“You’re his boyfriend,” Sungmin specified.
“I’m not sure we’re both ready to label each other that way,” Zhou Mi responded at once. He glanced up and saw Kyuhyun gesture to him for some water. “I have to go. My baby needs something to drink.”
“Mmm, from where?” Sungmin teased.
“Perve,” Zhou Mi rolled his eyes and ended the call.
He got bottled water from the cooler, wiped it dry then handed it to Kyuhyun, who had just come off the set. Kyuhyun was about to get the bottle from him when he suddenly stopped in his tracks, staring at something behind him. Zhou Mi turned around.
“So…” A man with perfectly styled very black hair stepped out of the shadows of some other staff and approached him. “You must be Zhou Mi.”
“I am,” Zhou Mi confidently replied. “And you are…?”
“Kim Heechul,” was his introduction. He raised his hand up to shake his.
“Oh,” Zhou Mi greeted back with a smile, shaking his hand in return. “You’re Kyuhyun’s-.”
“Manager, that’s right,” Heechul immediately confirmed.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Zhou Mi genuinely stated, smiling brightly. After months of being assigned to Kyuhyun, he only had glimpses of his manager at certain events. He was someone whom he highly looked up to. He’d always wondered how he was able to make Kyuhyun into such a big star and one with very few scandals at that. Not even tabs of how real personality. His life was really kept very safe.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Heechul responded, smiling a little as he glanced at Kyuhyun. “I’ve heard quite a lot about you from Kyuhyun.”
“Hyung,” Kyuhyun called him in a warning tone. He had seemed to want to say more, but he was called back to the set right at that moment.
Zhou Mi watched as Kyuhyun returned to the set, smiling as Qian joined him. They exchanged a few words and laughed. Laughter was an interesting thing to see on Kyuhyun’s face. He was always so serious, even in premieres and events, and always so sarcastic to the people who had the chance to work with him. So seeing him laughing and smiling genuinely, which was apparent in his eyes, was always a sight to behold.
Heechul chuckled beside him. Zhou Mi turned to him, still smiling from the exchange between the lead characters of the movie that was being filmed.
“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into,” Heechul began. There was look in his eyes that Zhou Mi recognized as pity, but he couldn’t be sure when there was a smirk on his face as well.
“What I’m getting myself into…?” Zhou Mi repeated, confused. But Hangeng’s words came back to him.
“There is a reason things are kept under wraps,” Heechul shared, almost nonchalantly. He looked towards the set, where Kyuhyun and Qian were still talking to each other. “There is a reason why you only see what you see.”
Zhou Mi blinked, still confused. “I still don’t-.”
“Be careful, Zhou Mi-ssi,” Heechul went on, not letting him finish. “You might get dropped like a hot potato. Everyone who gets in too deep in Kyuhyun’s life experiences it. There’s still chance for you to back out.”
He squeezed his eyes shut as patronizing words seeped right through him. He clenched his fists tightly to prevent them from shaking any further than they already were. He wanted nothing more than to get out of there. But, for now, he had to stand there and endure. It was part of his job.
“Besides, he’s an actor,” Heechul continued. The words coursed right through his heart. “An exceptionally famous one at that, an international one, almost. And you’re…”
He opened his eyes and met pitying ones.
The sentence remained unfinished. Instead, he received a smile that was meant to be comforting but had made him feel small and a pat on the shoulder. He didn’t need the sentence to be finished anyway. He knew who he was.
He was a celebrated actor, well known and well loved. And he… he was him.
There was nothing more to that.
---
It was quiet. Unnervingly so. It was cold enough as it is. But with the way Kyuhyun acted around him, stiff and distant, it was like hell had frozen over.
Zhou Mi looked out of the window as their vehicle whisked past other cars, trees and streetlights. He willed for the time to go faster just so he could end the endless awkwardness that stemmed from him and Kyuhyun being in such close proximity with each other. Kyuhyun probably couldn’t understand why things were so tense between them. But Zhou Mi was thinking again. He supposed that he hoped for too much. Yet again. Despite, Heechul’s warning. Hope bred eternal misery after all. He didn’t even know why he agreed for Kyuhyun to bring him home, which was unusual once he realized it. The actor had never asked (or demanded) to bring him home after work (the times when they went out didn’t really count).
He had just quietly taken a deep breath to help relax his nerves when Kyuhyun spoke.
“Did you want to get something to eat before I took you home?” were Kyuhyun’s first words.
Zhou Mi whipped his head so fast that Kyuhyun felt wind rushing past him. “What? You’re asking me out to dinner?”
“It’s not like this is the first time,” Kyuhyun reminded him, a smirk forming on his lips. “I’m feeling hungry and you look like you could use something to eat as well.” When Zhou Mi didn’t say anything and just continued staring at him, Kyuhyun boldly reached out for his hand and squeezed it.
“I don’t understand what we’re doing, Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi finally spoke, admitting some form of feelings for the first time since they started “dating”. Somehow, he couldn’t shake off Heechul’s words to him no matter how hard he tried to. It bothered him a lot and he wanted to know more.
Kyuhyun withdrew his hand and kept them on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. “What do you mean?” His tone was frosty and uninviting.
“Do you normally do this?” Zhou Mi asked.
“This,” Kyuhyun repeated, his brows furrowing.
“Do you normally go out with staff, date them? A lot of people have been coming to me, warning me that I should be careful, that I should know what I’m getting into with you,” Zhou Mi suddenly had so many things to say. Henry, after hearing about Kyuhyun from a Korean actor friend, had stepped up to warn him as well. “I ignored it for a time, but now I wonder… Although I really shouldn’t because, well, this is probably nothing for you.”
Kyuhyun didn’t say anything. He stared straight ahead, watching the road as they turned corners and sped through other cars. He bit his lip, seemingly deciding what he could and should say.
It was quiet in the car for a long time. He then suddenly pulled over to some sidewalk, stopped the car and turned the engine off. Zhou Mi looked at him, almost a bit afraid of what he was going to say.
“I don’t know what Heechul hyung told you,” Kyuhyun began, his voice dangerously low. “And I wouldn’t normally care to explain anything to anyone, but, just this once, I’m going to.”
“I’m sorry,” Zhou Mi blurted out before Kyuhyun could continue. “You don’t have to explain anything. I know it doesn’t mean anything to you. It’s the same for me. You’re doing your job and I’m around to help you do yours. Just that, nothing more.” He paused when he realized that Kyuhyun was staring at him, eyes hard and piercing. He gulped. “Right?”
Kyuhyun pursed his lips into a grim straight line. With an abrupt nod, he briefly replied, “Right.” And before Zhou Mi could respond, he added, “I’m not hungry anymore.”
---
Zhou Mi tried to prepare himself as best as he could for such time that Kyuhyun would drop him like a hot potato as Heechul put it. He told himself again and again, everyday, that they (he couldn’t even put a label to their relationship) weren’t permanent. It was inevitable that it would end. If not sooner, then definitely later.
But he didn’t expect it to be so soon. And he didn’t expect it to hurt so much.
He had approached Kyuhyun on set to discuss their plans for the evening when the actor deliberately turned away from him, deciding to talk to Qian instead. Qian, who was startled at the obvious snub, questioned Zhou Mi through his eyes. Zhou Mi merely smiled and shrugged, putting it off as another one of his tantrum days, and had walked away.
He left the filming early that day, walking away and trying not to look back.
---
“I’m curious,” Heechul began quietly. “Why are we talking about this again?”
“I just want to know if Kyuhyun mentioned something to you,” Hangeng asked, almost pleading. “He’s been doing badly at filming recently and the director’s getting frustrated.”
“Every actor has their off days,” Heechul pointed out.
“Seems highly unlikely for Kyuhyun,” Hangeng mentioned.
Heechul looked at him for a couple of seconds. “You’re not worried about Kyuhyun,” he finally said. “This has something to do with Zhou Mi.”
“He hasn’t been answering my calls. I’m worried. Something happened with them,” Hangeng pressed. “If Kyuhyun told you anything…”
“Didn’t I tell you?” Heechul prompted, frowning for a second. “This is something that Kyuhyun does. Besides, I’ve never interfered with his life before. This isn’t going to be some special case.”
“Really?” Hangeng asked, meeting his eyes. “Even if I’m the one who asked?”
Heechul smirked, shaking his head. “You ask me way too many favors, Hangeng,” he responded. “Kyuhyun is acting in this movie because you offered sex. That only goes so far.”
“So what, you want me to pay you?” Hangeng challenged, looking angry. “Just for a yes or no answer? Just like how you do it to shut everyone up about Kyuhyun?”
Heechul’s eyes shuttered, his features becoming tightened and hard. “You know nothing about what I do in order to protect Kyuhyun from everyone and you know nothing about Kyuhyun. And don’t lecture me about things you’re doing yourself. I thought a relationship between a talent and a manager is not allowed in your company, but I’ve seen how you’ve turned a blind eye just because it’s your best friend.”
“They’re not in a relationship,” Hangeng clarified. “Zhou Mi made that clear to me.”
The look that Heechul gave him then made him confused and curious. He wasn’t sure but Heechul looked almost surprised when he said those words, like it wasn’t what he was expecting to hear.
“Well, I guess we never truly know anything,” Heechul finally said.
---
Qian watched as Zhou Mi sat on the couch and stared at the white ceiling. She had come over to see how he was doing after being absent in the office for almost a week. She had heard rumors, mostly from Henry, about what had happened, but she wanted to know firsthand.
“Will you look at me and answer my questions?” Qian spoke once more, tone more demanding.
He lifted his head from the couch and looked at her for the first time since she arrived. He blinked a couple of times to make sure that she was actually there.
“What are you doing here?” Zhou Mi asked her. “Don’t you have filming today?”
“No,” she answered. “Filming today was canceled. But you would know that if you bothered to come to work. Or returned my calls, or Henry’s, or Liyin’s. Or Hangeng’s, or Sung-.”
“I get the point,” he cut her off, sounding annoyed. “Why is filming cancelled? Did you throw another tantrum?”
“I didn’t,” she answered in almost a singsong voice. He sat up straighter and pinched the bridge of his nose. “But Kyuhyun did.”
He looked up and met her gaze. He knew he shouldn’t delve any deeper into the discussion, knowing it could just be something that she just said to make him listen. But against his better judgment, he did. Because it was Kyuhyun.
“What?” he asked.
“He hasn’t been feeling up to par this past couple of days,” she explained with a shrug. “Han Geng had the filming canceled so he could fix himself up.” He leaned back on the couch and let out a breath. “What happened, Mi?”
“Since when do you call me Mi so lightly?” he inquired, eyebrows raised in amusement.
She made a face at him. “You’re only my manager when you’re actually my manager,” she reminded him knowingly. “And right now, you’re not my manager. Jia jie jie is.” She sighed when he merely made a face back at her. “Look, I don’t know what happened with you and Kyuhyun or what’s going on with you two but-.”
“Nothing’s going on,” he hurriedly corrected her.
“Of course there isn’t,” she confirmed too quickly in Zhou Mi’s opinion. “But I’m not blind. No one is that blind. I know that you two have made some sort of connection, whatever that is. Please don’t deny it,” she prompted when he opened his mouth to do exactly just that. “Please don’t lie to me.”
“I haven’t even admitted it to Geng,” he finally responded.
“Geng doesn’t know Kyuhyun,” she told him as if saying it didn’t matter when he admitted it to his best friend or not. “Not like I do anyway.”
“You’ve only known him for as long as we both have,” he pointed out, standing up and walking to the kitchen. “How can you know him more than Geng does?”
“Well, for one, Geng isn’t co-starring with him in a movie that has filming every single day,” she listed down, following him. “Second, he hasn’t met Kyuhyun before, hasn’t he?”
He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. “You’ve met Kyuhyun before?”
“Way before I got scouted and way before he became the actor that he is now,” she filled him in.
“So when you said that he’s different from what you see on-screen, you actually knew what you were talking about?” he pressed. She half shrugged. “So how is he different? He’s not the prince charming that he’s projected to be? That’s nothing new to me. He’s an actor so of course he’s different in real life. Everyone puts up masks and I believe actors do that better than anyone in the world.”
“You’re insulting me right now, you know that right?” she grimaced, hurt.
“I don’t mean to,” he apologized. “I’m just…saying, what ever connection you think we have, it probably isn’t real.”
“How do you know?” she demanded.
He shrugged. “Because. That’s the reality of things. We’ve never talked about it. He’s never said anything. Sure, we go out, we kiss, but so what? He goes out with you too. And don’t you like him or something? Why are you pushing me to him?”
She shook her head, giggling a bit. “It’s nothing like that. You know how I act giddy when I’m happy. Besides, we definitely don’t kiss,” she immediately quipped. “We go out because we need to be seen together.” She rolled her eyes at him. “You know that’s part of our job. Goodness, after all these years you still think I fall in love with every actor I star with.”
“Well Kyuhyun doesn’t exactly make it difficult,” he remarked.
“Listen,” she began, “it’s true that not everything is at it seems, most especially in this business. But that’s not always a bad thing. It’s not always people pretending to be good or nice and then being the total opposite behind the scenes. Sometimes, it’s the other way around.”
“What are you saying?” he prodded.
Qian gave him a long look. “He’s terrified, Mi,” she told him earnestly, reaching out for his hand and squeezing it. “He’s broken and he doesn’t know how to handle it. He hasn’t been handling it all this time and he’s doing what he could do to protect himself.”
“Protect himself from what?” Zhou Mi wanted to know.
“Scary stuff, of course,” she declared seriously. “Something that a lot of people are afraid of. It’s what makes him push people away.”
---
Zhou Mi and Kyuhyun never really got around to talking about “them”. In fact, they never got around to talking at all. Hangeng, sensing the tension between the two, removed Zhou Mi as Kyuhyun’s temporary manager and reinstated him to Qian, Henry and Liyin once again. Jessica had already finished her project in Beijing and had gone back to Korea, therefore leaving Heechul to be able to focus on Kyuhyun. With that arrangement, they rarely-or never-saw each other anymore.
“Has Qian talked to you, gege?” Liyin curiously asked Zhou Mi in the car, on their way to one of her shoots.
“About what?” Zhou Mi absentmindedly asked as he typed something on his Blackberry.
“About Kyuhyun,” she straightforwardly answered. “Henry told me that you two had talked, but I’m questioning whether she really did.”
Zhou Mi lifted his attention from his phone and stared at his talent, her pretty eyes looking back at him inquiringly. “Don’t you guys have anything better to do than discuss my love life?” he asked, rolling his eyes and turning his attention back to his phone. “Yes, Qian and I have talked about that. But really, what does she want me to do?”
“Uh, go and talk to him?” she suggested as if it was the most obvious thing to do in the world.
“We really don’t have anything to talk about, though,” he insisted.
It was her turn to roll her eyes. “Really, gege. You know there’s something you two need to talk about, or else why would you be so evasive about it?”
“I told Qian this and I’m sure she’s relayed it to you and Henry, but I’ll just say it again for emphasis,” he slowly dictated, looking at her once more. “Kyuhyun was never big on words. We went out on what I think were dates, we became a bit intimate but he never said anything. Those things could mean nothing to him so why go and push for something that isn’t there?”
“But you don’t even know if there is something there or not,” she persisted. “You never even asked him! Besides, did you even tell him how you felt? Because two people are needed to make a relationship work. Did you do your part? Did you actually say anything?”
Zhou Mi opened his mouth then closed it again, frowning. Thinking about what Liyin said, he realized that he never did tell Kyuhyun anything about his growing feelings for him. He just immediately assumed that it wasn’t important, that if Kyuhyun had said something, everything would follow.
“You always tell me that I always need an explanation for everything, that I over think things too much,” Liyin went on, watching as her words have their effect on him. “I think, in this case, you’re the one who needs to stop doing that. You’ve been given all the explanations in the world and yet you still have to stop and think on what you should do. You already know what you should do. Stop thinking about it and just jump.”
“Just jump,” Zhou Mi blindly echoed.
---
“Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Cho Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi responded with a tinge of uncertainty, looking around the lobby.
“Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked pleasantly, giving him a once over.
“I don’t, actually, but I’ve worked with him in Beijing,” Zhou Mi explained, taking out his card and handing it to her. “I’m Zhou Mi. I was just wondering if I could see him for a bit. I won’t take long.”
The girl studied the card then gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Cho only ever sees anyone that’s on the approved appointment list or if his manager allows-.”
“And his manager is here,” Heechul’s voice echoed across the hall. He gave a dismissive smile towards the receptionist as he ushered Zhou Mi inside the offices. He gave the taller male a pat on the back, which looked awkward because Zhou Mi was, well, taller. “What are you doing here, Zhou Mi?” He gave him a knowing smile.
“I came to see Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi told him uncertainly. “I know we haven’t really had the chance to make things…okay, but…” He sighed. “I’m just sorry. I don’t even know if he will see me.”
“Took you long enough,” Heechul commented as they turned several corners.
As they halted outside of one of the many doors, Heechul turned to Zhou Mi, his face serious and determined.
“Look,” Heechul began again. “I am only giving you a chance because I know I helped you screw this up.”
Zhou Mi scrunched his face up in confusion. “What-?”
“I meddled and I told you things, gave warnings, that I should never have given because it really wasn’t my place,” Heechul interrupted him. He looked at the taller male straight in the eye. “I only did it because I care about Kyuhyun.” He paused for a second and glanced at the closed door. “This has happened before. People come to meet him, to get to know him because they think they’re in love with him, with the person that they think he is. And then they do actually get to know him and they realize that he was better off in their heads than in real life. That’s where most people start packing their bags.”
“I…don’t know what to say,” Zhou Mi finally spoke. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest.
“Just...you flew all the way to Seoul for a reason,” Heechul stated. “I hope you don’t suddenly get cold feet and rethink about what you wanted to do when you got here. Coz if that’s what you’re going to do, I’d rather you not see him anymore and just leave.”
“I…this isn’t pressuring at all,” Zhou Mi muttered.
“Just go in,” Heechul demanded, opening the door. “Fair warning: if you hurt him…” He let the unsaid threat sink in before pushing him inside and closing the door.
---
Zhou Mi stared. Kyuhyun stared.
No one spoke for a while. Zhou Mi was plain speechless to have been thrusted in front of Kyuhyun’s face without so much as a warning. Yes, he had come to see him, but he wasn’t expecting it to be so soon and to be on the first try. He had expected to be rebuffed several times before he actually got to see him.
Kyuhyun, on the other hand, was just as shocked. He and Zhou Mi hadn’t exactly parted on friendly terms. In fact, they hadn’t done the whole parting and closure thing at all. It was something that he’d gone to great lengths to avoid because he hated how unnecessary it was. Why should he make such effort for something that wasn’t anything to begin with?
“What are you doing here?” Kyuhyun demanded when he found his voice.
“I…I was,” Zhou Mi stammered. He blew out his breath. “I came to see you.”
Kyuhyun stood up from where he was sitting, reading through scripts, and smirked. “Why would you do that?”
Zhou Mi’s answer got Kyuhyun’s attention. “Honestly, I don’t really know,” he said.
The actor stood still and looked at him. “Why are you here, Zhou Mi?” he repeated.
Stop thinking and just jump, Zhou Mi thought to himself. He looked at Kyuhyun, biting his lip and taking another deep breath. “This is me taking a chance,” he started, tightly clenching his fists to stop his hands from shaking. “I’m sorry I didn’t make much of an effort to fix things between us before you left Beijing. I-.”
“You came all the way from China to apologize?” Kyuhyun interrupted him glibly. “You couldn’t have called or have had your boss contact my manager? I hear they’re quite close, you know.”
Zhou Mi blinked at him, distracted for a second. He had known about Hangeng and Heechul for which he gave his best friend an earful for it. It had apparently started out as a means to an end, to get Kyuhyun to star in one of his films, and just blossomed into something more. He didn’t think he’d seen Hangeng leave the country for Seoul as much as he did in the past couple of weeks.
“I couldn’t,” Zhou Mi replied, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t. Because this isn’t about them. It’s about us.”
“What are you talking about?” Kyuhyun retorted. Zhou Mi thought he’d noticed how the other man stiffened.
“Okay, I’m just going to say it,” Zhou Mi declared. “I came here to see you because I wanted to know something.” He paused for a beat then went on. “I know you said that you’re not one for long term relationships and that you don’t fall in love, but I was wondering…” He met Kyuhyun’s eyes. “I was wondering if, maybe, something had changed when we-when you and I-Do you feel anything more than friendship for me or do you see me as more than a manager?”
Kyuhyun’s laughter wasn’t the reaction that he expected to get.
“That’s your reason for flying all the way from China?” Kyuhyun chuckled, shaking his head. “You’re weirder than I thought.”
“So is that a no?” Zhou Mi blurted out, swallowing the sob that was forming in his throat.
Kyuhyun stilled and just looked at him. “Why do you want to know about my feelings? I mean, what’s the point of me talking about my feelings?”
Zhou Mi looked away, his eyes trained on the tiled floor. “I should go. I’m sorry to have wasted your time,” he mumbled. He walked to the door and reached for the doorknob.
“Fine. Go,” Kyuhyun spat, gesturing him away angrily. “That’s what you do best.”
“What I do best?” Zhou Mi retorted, turning around to face him again. “That’s rich, coming from you. In case you don’t remember, you’re the one who left-.”
“In case you don’t remember, I left Beijing because my job there was done, but I’m not the one who walked away from this,” Kyuhyun almost growled, gesturing between the two of them. He looked away and leaned his weight on the table, his head bowed down. “Just go.”
“What are you talking about?” Zhou Mi asked in disbelief. “I never have walked away from anything, especially from this.”
“Right. I suppose you don’t remember telling me that you were just doing your job by being with me,” Kyuhyun prompted his memory.
Zhou Mi’s eyes widened and he almost gasped loudly as he remembered that night in the car. He now realized how that must have sounded to him, how he had misinterpreted it in a very wrong way.
“Kyuhyun,” he began.
“Look,” Kyuhyun interrupted him, straightening up. “It doesn’t matter anymore. You should go home.” He gathered the papers on the table and packed them in an envelope. After which, he walked towards the door, not even sparing a glance at the other male.
“No,” Zhou Mi stopped him, grabbing his arm. “No. I only said that because-.”
“I don’t really care anymore-.”
“Will you stop interrupting me?” Zhou Mi snapped.
“I think I’ll keep on interrupting you so long as you keep on sprouting nonsense-.”
Zhou Mi kissed him.
He figured that he didn’t have anything more to lose. He didn’t know what else to do, how else to express what he was feeling, because it didn’t seem like Kyuhyun would believe just words. Words weren’t enough for him because of the many lies he had heard and had been hurt by in the past. So maybe if he kissed him, he could show him how he felt, how he had felt all this time.
Kyuhyun froze as soon as Zhou Mi’s lips met his. Of all the things he expected to happen, kissing was far out of the equation. Because, well, he and Zhou Mi were done. They had parted ways and never actually solidified anything. At the beginning, he just stood there, taking in the way Zhou Mi’s lips felt soft against his. He didn’t want to return the affection because why should he? It was pointless. But he was weak. And so he kissed him back.
“Zhou Mi,” Kyuhyun exhaled, his eyes fluttering open. “I-.”
“I didn’t mean what I said then. I only said it because I was afraid that it was nothing to you. But it was everything to me. You’re everything to me. I love you, Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi breathed out as they pulled away from each other. “I’m in love with you.”
Kyuhyun’s eyes were wide and bright. Zhou Mi closed his eyes as he waited for the rejection to come. He couldn’t help but think what a big mistake he’d made.
“Who’s interrupting now?” Kyuhyun smirked. He swallowed. “I love-I’m in love with you, too, idiot.”
“What?” Zhou Mi asked, his eyes now open in shock. “You are?”
“Didn’t I just say so?” Kyuhyun almost scoffed. “If you had actually stopped to listen to me that night, you would’ve known a long time ago.” He made a face and shook his head. “Idiot,” he murmured.
Zhou Mi didn’t say anything. He just went ahead and attacked Kyuhyun with more kisses.
---
“I thought it was a good movie. And I’m saying this not because my best friend owns the company that produced it.”
A snort. “Except for the part where I awkwardly kiss Qian.”
“It wasn’t that bad. I thought you two looked cute together.”
A stare. “Are you serious?”
“What?”
“You’re a weird idiot, you know that?”
“But you love me.”
“The sad reality of my life.”
END.
---
Author's Notes:
1. This was harder to finish that I thought it would be. You know how you already know what's going to happen but you just can't seem to write it? That's what happened to me. orz. Anyway, I'm just happy that I was able to finish it. I hope you like it.
2. Just for further explanations, just in case, Kyuhyun was about to refute Heechul's warning to Zhou Mi. He had really started to fall for Zhou Mi because he cared about him enough to be patient with him and all that. But he was also scared because, like Qian said, he was broken because he had been broken over and over again. Nobody bothered to stay long enough to really know him and who he was. And he felt that Zhou Mi did that and accepted him.
3. Zhou Mi is assuming. LOL. That's the explanation for his behavior. He always thinks the worst case scenario and doesn't even bother to verify. And he's scared. Hehe!
4. I love Song Qian and Kyuhyun. KyuToria. Hehe! That's why there's sort of a little bit of them here.
5. This fic has a total of 14,028 words. CRAZY!!!
6. /runs away