[PG] Hello, Dream [EXO] (1/2)
Title: Hello, Dream
Author: airplanewishes
Fandom: EXO
Characters: D.O./Kai, D.O./Suho
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Fluff
Rating: PG
WC: 10,219
Summary: No matter how many times his friends pushed him, Kyungsoo still wouldn't go out and date.
A/N: This may be read as a side-story to Someday Dream.
Beta'd by the awesome khrysallis1106. She's the best seriously. I don't know anyone else who can put up with the amount of typographical errors that I have.
Hello, Dream
Do Kyungsoo was a simple guy. He lived in a pretty nice apartment with one of his friends, was a manager at a coffee shop across the street from Xiao Lu Designs, and walked to and from work everyday. Occasionally, he went across the street to help Luhan, the owner of the store, out and Baekhyun, who was another one of his famous friends.
He liked his life. It was quiet and uncomplicated. He was content with what he was doing and being with friends, although they constantly complained that life could be more exciting for him.
“I am not going to go through this…” Kyungsoo trailed off and pursed his lips. “…this and look for a date.” He stared at the black binder placed on the counter of the café like it was going to jump up and attack him at any moment.
“Aww, c’mon, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae complained quietly. He was wearing a cap and a pair of sunglasses. “This is a good thing. You need some excitement in your life.”
Kyungsoo sighed in obvious annoyance. “Why do you keep pushing people to do this dating escort thing? First Luhan, now me.” He narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you getting commissions out of this?”
Jongdae’s eyes widened, even though Kyungsoo couldn’t really see them, and put a hand over his heart in mock hurt. “How dare you even insinuate that,” Jongdae emphatically let out. “I do this for the love I have for all of the people I care about.”
“Right,” Kyungsoo scoffed. He gave him a pointed look. “Now, are you going to order anything? Because I’d rather you not bother me. I have work to do.”
“Kyungsoo,” Jongdae whined. He opened the binder and showed him all the beautiful men and women’s photos lining up the pages. “It wouldn’t hurt to try and see, right? One of these could be your one true love!”
Kyungsoo leveled a stare at him and Jongdae cowered a bit. Kyungsoo was generally a nice guy, but, once in a while, his normally wide and cute eyes, turned steely.
“They’re escorts, paid to be whomever you want them to be,” Kyungsoo pointed out. “I am not going to pay someone just so I could pretend that I’ve found the man of my dreams.”
“So you are looking,” Jongdae caught him, grinning widely. “I can leave this here and you can-.”
“Seriously, Jongdae,” Kyungsoo hissed, leaning across the counter to glare at him. “If you don’t get out of my face right now, I’m going to squeal like a girl and tell everyone around here that Chen, ohmygod, Chen is here! And then you’ll be mobbed and what are you going to do about it?”
Having come out with a couple of hit songs, Jongdae was easily recognized whenever he was out by himself. He was normally mobbed and really couldn’t get to places unless he got his manager to lie about his schedules on his website and went out with a cap that covered his hair and sunglasses that covered practically his whole face.
They used to tease him about being so cliché about the celebrity life. He was always going to the café or Luhan’s clothing store or Baekhyun’s studio when he didn’t have any schedules. In one of those teasing sessions, Jongdae gave them a look that had them shutting up about it forever. It was only then that they understood. It was a hard and lonely life. And so they indulged Jongdae’s antics. But not this, Kyungsoo thought.
“You wouldn’t,” Jongdae’s eyes were wide with fear. He shuddered when Kyungsoo shot him an evil look, one that he recognized was exactly like Luhan’s. He frowned and was about to say something when his mobile phone started ringing, his ringtone one of his famous songs. Kyungsoo fought the urge to roll his eyes at this.
“Yeah,” Jongdae answered in the way he only did when a friend is the one who was calling. Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow and he mouthed that it was Luhan.
Kyungsoo merely watched as Jongdae listened to whatever it was that Luhan was babbling about. He could practically hear the happy notes in Luhan’s voice. He was starting to get bored just watching and was about to go to the back to check some things when Jongdae suddenly smiled his wicked smile and he immediately knew that something was up.
“What is it? What did Luhan say?” Kyungsoo wanted to know when Jongdae had pocketed his phone.
“Oh nothing,” Jongdae innocently smiled. He eyed the binder and tucked it under his arm. “I’ll be bringing this with me since you obviously don’t appreciate it.”
“Jongdae, if you’re going to bait some poor soul into this escort thing-,” Kyungsoo started to say.
“It’ll be fine,” Jongdae assured him. He winked then left the café.
Kyungsoo rolled his eyes as he wiped the counter with a dry cloth. Sometimes he really didn’t understand how Jongdae managed to even think of doing such things when he was already so busy with being one of the famous singers in the country. If only people knew what kind of guy he really was… He made a face and shook his head.
“Everything okay?” a voice asked him.
Kyungsoo looked up and was met by a handsome face. He was almost pretty with his porcelain skin, sparkling eyes and pink lips. He also had on the most amazing smile.
“Uh,” Kyungsoo gurgled intelligently.
“Was that guy bothering you?” he then asked, a concerned furrow in his eyebrows.
“Oh,” Kyungsoo managed to find his voice back, “No. No,” he repeated, smiling. “That was a friend of mine, actually. He was just being irritating, as usual.” He put the cloth under the counter and smiled once more. “What can I get you?”
“Just one hot caffe latte,” he told him, taking out his wallet and taking a few bills out, handing it to him.
Kyungsoo got the money and punched in the code in the computer, then prepared his change and handing it back to him. After which, he proceeded to make his caffe latte. Minseok, one of the staff, was in the back, doing some cleaning.
While he waited a bit for the coffee to get done, he glanced around and happened to meet the eyes of the customer, who seemed to be watching him. He almost averted his gaze, not wanting to get caught staring, when he spoke.
“So… that guy was just a friend?”
Kyungsoo involuntarily blushed.
His discomfort was gone and his smile was back when he turned back to the handsome customer to hand him his coffee. “Here you go,” he said. “Enjoy your coffee!”
The customer smiled, only one side of his lips going up, before taking his leave and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but think about how it was one of the sexiest smiles he had ever seen.
-
Kyungsoo unlocked the door and walked into his apartment, removing his shoes and hanging his coat on the rack. As he padded through the hallway, he sniffed around for any sign that his apartment was or had been on the verge of being set on fire. Luhan wasn’t the best person to be let near the kitchen and so he was on constant guard whenever he returned home.
“Luhan?” he quietly called.
“I’m here!” Luhan announced from the living room.
Luhan was seated on the sofa, legs under him, eyes focused on his mobile phone. Kyungsoo almost rolled his eyes because he was pretty sure that it was another one of Luhan’s conquests that he was texting.
“Who is it this time?” Kyungsoo asked, setting his bag on the floor, and taking a seat beside him. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a bit.
“Kris Wu,” Luhan answered without skipping a beat. “Tall, blonde, hot. Son of a billionaire.”
“So he’s boyfriend of the month?” Kyungsoo teased, turning his head to look at his friend.
Luhan was beautiful, to put it simply. He was tall, with dark blonde hair, pretty, wide entreating eyes, really nice skin and kissable pink lips. He almost always got mistaken for as a girl, but far from a girl he was. He was commanding when he wanted to be and was firm with his decisions and, just because his frame resembled that of a girl’s, didn’t mean that he couldn’t hold his own in a fight. Kyungsoo remembered Baekhyun crying when Luhan punched him in the face back when they were younger. There was only one tiny, possible, flaw in him: he didn’t go for steady relationships. He flitted around with girls and guys, mostly guys, and never stopped to see if it could be something more.
“Maybe,” Luhan told him, looking him with a bright smile. He put his phone down on the table and leaned back, readjusting his position on the couch so that Kyungsoo had more space. “How was your day?”
“Fine,” Kyungsoo shared, thinking back to how he really enjoyed the rush of customers coming in and out of the shop to order their favorite coffee, coffee that made them relax and feel comfort. “You know, Jongdae came by the other day with this ridiculous binder of-.”
“Escorts,” Luhan finished for him, eyes twinkling excitedly. “I know. He told me.”
“Honestly,” Kyungsoo shook his head. “Did he really think I would go for it, that any of us would go for it?” Luhan blinked and merely smiled. Kyungsoo sat up, sensing that he had to brace himself for whatever was coming. “Oh no, you didn’t.” When Luhan didn’t say anything, he continued on, rather desperately, “Luhan, you know I don’t go for blind dates or anything like that.”
Luhan laughed, a hand coming up to cover his mouth. Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes when he realized that he was just playing with him.
“You should’ve seen your face,” Luhan giggled. “You looked like you were going to cry.” He reached out and patted Kyungsoo’s head like a dog. “What’s so wrong with a blind date, Kyungsoo? It’s a nice way to meet people. You’re not obliged to go out with them if you don’t like them after one date.” He shrugged. “You could just be friends.”
“If you and Jongdae keep pushing this, I’m going to have to find new ones,” Kyungsoo commented.
Luhan frowned for a second then gave him a curious look. “What’s really stopping you from going out with people, Kyungsoo? I mean, you’re attractive and I know you have your fair share of admirers. Why aren’t you going out and dating people?”
Kyungsoo understood what Luhan was saying. He did have people seeking him out, even strangers, if that customer from the café the other day was any indication. People they knew had asked him out, wanted to get to know him better, wanted something more. Even Jongdae had asked him out in college. But there was just something he was waiting for, something he thought he’d already found, but had lost and was yearning to find again.
“I’m just not interested in it right now,” Kyungsoo merely shrugged nonchalantly. “Besides, you guys are dating enough for me and that’s so much more exciting.”
Luhan gave him a look, one that Kyungsoo had to avert his from because he was afraid that Luhan could see right through him.
-
Kyungsoo wrinkled his nose as a sticky arm grated the back of his shirt as a couple of people returned to their seats from the dance floor.
“Why am I here again?” Kyungsoo yelled across the table as Baekhyun passed him a drink. The music was loud and the lights were blinking. He found that his own head was pounding with the base and that he couldn’t really hear much, except for that.
“Because you need to get laid!” Baekhyun yelled back.
Jongdae and Luhan both snickered as Luhan’s flavor of the month slid onto the empty seat beside him. Kyungsoo watched as Luhan scooted closer to Kris, who put an arm around his waist.
Kyungsoo looked away and decided to look around. It was one of the more popular bars in the city. It was packed with people, who all looked like they were all just there to really unwind, judging by the way the bodies writhed against each other on the dance floor.
He was about to turn his attention back to his friends when someone caught his eye by the bar. His eyes widened slightly when the said stranger slightly waved and then smiled at him. It was the customer from the coffee shop. The guy tilted his head, a question hanging in the air, and Kyungsoo had to think about it.
It was true that he wasn’t looking for anything at the moment that wasn’t remotely close to what he was actually searching for. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun. There were at a bar after all. Besides, there was nothing wrong with meeting new people and maybe making new friends, just like what Luhan had said.
“Where are you going?” Baekhyun asked him as he moved to stand.
“I’ll be right back,” Kyungsoo assured them before making his way towards the bar.
He wasn’t exactly sure why he was doing what he was doing. He was never brave, never the one who actually came up to people whom he found attractive, was never someone who pursued someone. Yet, here he was, coming up to someone who hit on him once at the place where he worked. He didn’t even know his name and yet, something just felt right.
“Hi,” Kyungsoo took a deep breath when he was finally in front of him. “I’m Kyungsoo.”
“Hi,” he greeted back with a blinding smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“What’s your name?” Kyungsoo then asked.
“Junmyeon,” he answered. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
-
Junmyeon, Kyungsoo found out, owned a dance studio down the street to the coffee shop. Apparently, he had taken a certain love to dancing, but didn’t have the body for it, so he decided to just put up a dance studio and employ teachers to teach dance to other people, young and old alike. He also found out that he devoured his food very slowly, as if giving homage to it, and that he took care of people well. Also, he was always, always smiling.
Kyungsoo found himself hanging out with Junmyeon almost regularly a week after they met at the bar. It was a nice, new uncomplicated thing that was added to his life. Junmyeon was nice and sweet and never pushed him or forced anything on him.
“You sound like you like him,” Baekhyun observed as Kyungsoo talked about the time when he and Junmyeon went to get ice cream after work, while he was cooking them some dinner.
“I do,” Kyungsoo confirmed without hesitation. “He’s a nice break from all of you to be honest.”
Luhan made an affronted sound but didn’t say anything, as he was busy with his phone. Jongdae decided to be the one to back Baekhyun up.
“No, he meant that you seem to actually like him,” Jongdae emphasized. Kyungsoo turned around to face him. “You know… like boyfriend material.”
Kyungsoo’s eyes widened for a bit and he shook his head. “Oh,” he realized. “It’s nothing like that. I mean, Junmyeon is nice and everything, but no, nothing like that.”
“Again,” Luhan finally looked up, piping into the conversation, “I’d have to ask, why not? He’s a catch. He’s handsome and funny. Plus, he has this amazing teeth that would seem like they would feel good on-.”
Baekhyun reached up without hesitation and covered Luhan’s mouth with his hand before Kyungsoo got scandalized. Because, between the four of them, Kyungsoo was the most innocent. While Jongdae and Luhan enjoyed dating and, even playing, around, Baekhyun had long admitted to himself that he wanted love. And he knew that Kyungsoo wanted the same thing. But it was almost like he was saving himself for someone.
“Not all of us have the same exploits as you do, Luhan,” Baekhyun teased him.
Luhan slapped his hand off and made a face. “As I was saying, Junmyeon seems to be a great guy! Why won’t you go the next step with him?”
“Because,” Kyungsoo merely stated, rolling his eyes at them. He turned his attention back to his cooking.
…he isn’t Jongin.
-
If Kyungsoo would have to choose, he’d pick high school as one of the best years of his life. He’d always been an achiever, getting the best grades, being at the top of the class. But it was in high school that he’d met people he saw the potential to be his friends forever, people he knew he could trust.
He’d met Luhan first out of all of them. He was coming out of the library, books in hand for some research, when some guy practically flew into him, a whirl of blonde hair. He stopped running, sensing he had almost killed someone in his hurry and immediately apologized. Kyungsoo remembered being so tongue-tied because damn Luhan was so attractive. He had felt his whole face getting red and he probably had muttered some incoherencies because he just couldn’t think straight back then. Luhan had merely laughed at him, put an arm around his shoulders, and brought him to the cafeteria so he could buy him something to eat, the least he could do for him.
It was there that he’d met Baekhyun. Apparently, he and Luhan had been friends for far longer and it really was evident with how they mercilessly teased each other. Baekhyun had winked at him and Kyungsoo had begun to wonder how Luhan and Baekhyun were just friends because they were both so attractive.
“That’s a disgusting thought,” Luhan had said. “Don’t ever bring it up again.”
And he hadn’t. Because no one ever argued with Luhan and because Baekhyun had looked green the moment he’d asked. But, later on, he’d find out that the two had a moment where they kissed due to Baekhyun being drunk. It was at that time that they realized that they really were just going to be friends, and that was that.
Jongdae, meanwhile, he met a couple of days later. The school had the school choir on an out-of-town competition and Jongdae had been with them because he was the lead singer. He had returned, taking a seat in between Baekhyun and Luhan, one arm around each of them. The most vivid memory that he had of his first meeting with Jongdae was that he had the warmest smile.
Then there was Jongin.
One thing he got from being friends with Baekhyun, Luhan and Jongdae was the fact that he got to meet a lot of people and managed to maintain a certain form of friendship with some of them. It was like networking at such a young age. His three friends made it really easy because they were so well-liked. So when he was dragged to a school soccer game, he didn’t even protest anymore, even though he wasn’t really sure how the game was played.
He was standing at the side of the field, right by the foot of the bleachers when he saw one of the players behind the bleachers, reaching over towards something on his back. He frowned and hesitated for a second before coming up to him.
“Are you okay? Do you need help with anything?”
The athlete looked up and a handsome face immediately assaulted Kyungsoo. And by handsome, he meant chiseled features, dark intense eyes, long lashes, plump lips, and lovely tanned skin. Such handsome face then broke into a shy smile and he just had to blink.
“Do you think you could help me put on these pads on my back?” the soccer player asked uncertainly. “I just can’t seem to put it on properly.”
Kyungsoo took the soothing pads from him, lifted his shirt, taking in the smooth expanse of bronze skin, and placed them side-by-side on his lower back. He pressed lightly to make sure they were sticking properly.
“There,” Kyungsoo said, smiling a little.
“Thank you!” he said, smiling more comfortably this time. He stood there for a second as if deciding what to say. “Are you watching the game?”
“I am,” Kyungsoo said, taking in his uniform. “I assume you’re playing?”
“Yeah,” he responded with a shy chuckle. “I… I’m Jongin.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head. And he remembered how nice his hand felt in his. “I’m Kyungsoo.”
“Kyungsoo,” Jongin repeated as if testing how it sounded from his mouth. He grinned.
“Good luck on your game,” Kyungsoo told him.
Jongin nodded gratefully. “I’ll see you around.”
Right after the game, which their school won, Jongin came to find him in the stands. Baekhyun’s mouth hung open, while Luhan snickered and Jongdae looked on interestedly as Jongin unabashedly asked if Kyungsoo wanted to grab something to eat with him. His eyes had widened then, his heart beating fast, as the realization that this could possibly be a date, his first date, and hadn’t immediately responded. Jongdae had to kick him before he remembered to say, “Yes, I’d like that.”
He’d had a lot of firsts with Jongin. First date, first boyfriend, first kiss. First heartbreak.
Jongin had left the country right after high school to pursue another one of his loves: dancing. Soccer was just something that he did because he was also good at it, but after years of contemplation, he decided that dancing was something he wanted to do for far longer, maybe even all of his life.
Kyungsoo didn’t stop him because he hadn’t had the heart to. He could see how dancing lighted up Jongin, how he loved it, how it completed him, how it was him. They broke up because high school long distance relationships weren’t practical and never really lasted anyway.
But Kyungsoo never really did get over him. He still missed him everyday.
-
Kyungsoo leaned his head sideways on one of his arms, which were propped on his knees, as he sat on the floor and watched Sehun, one of the dancers that practiced in Junmyeon’s dance studio. He was moving fluidly to one of those popular hip-hop songs, the type of songs that Jongin liked to dance to back in the day.
“Hey, what’s with you?” Luhan poked his cheek with a long finger.
Kyungsoo lifted his head to look at him. “I’m fine,” he said. Then he straightened up and frowned at Luhan. “Why are you here?” He’d brought his friends along when Junmyeon had said it was okay. He only just realized that Luhan had been tagging along more often than the others.
Luhan pouted at him in mock offense. “Is it so bad for me to want to hang out with you more, Kyungsoo? Am I not allowed to do that anymore?”
“We never hang out by ourselves, Luhan,” Kyungsoo reminded him amusedly. “Except when we’re at the apartment.”
Luhan opened his mouth then closed it again when he realized that he was right. It was like they were already so sick of seeing each other at home that they decided not to hang out outside by themselves anymore. Luhan frowned a bit at this thought.
“Well, I’m changing things then,” Luhan proclaimed with a big grin. “Every time you come to the dance studio, I’ll go with you.” He put his hands on Kyungsoo’s arms as he faced him. “Isn’t that a great idea?”
“You’re just using me to get to Sehun,” Kyungsoo deadpanned.
Luhan let go of Kyungsoo and leaned back against the wall to blatantly watch Sehun as he danced. “He’s very sexy,” he remarked softly.
“What happened to Kris?” Kyungsoo asked. “It hasn’t even been a month-.”
The music stopped and Luhan was off the floor and beside Sehun in an instant. He watched in amusement as he fussed over the younger kid and made him blush. He looked away when Junmyeon slid down on the space beside him. There was a wary expression on his face as his eyes trailed after Luhan and Sehun exiting the studio.
“Don’t worry,” Kyungsoo assured him, patting his knee. “Luhan’s… Luhan may seem like a player-okay, he is a player. But he knows when to stop. It’s usually right before anyone gets hurt.”
It was something he actually admired in Luhan. Despite having gone out with so many people, more than he probably ever would in his own lifetime, he’s managed to maintain friendships with all of them.
“Do you dance?” Junmyeon suddenly asked.
Kyungsoo chuckled, looking at their reflections on the wide foot-to-ceiling mirror across from them. “I wish,” he told him. “I’m a bundle of uncoordinated limbs.”
“A cute bundle of uncoordinated limbs,” Junmyeon corrected, making him blush.
Kyungsoo tucked his chin towards his chest to hide his pink cheeks. For some reason, every compliment that Junmyeon gave him made him like a giddy schoolgirl. His words had that effect and it made him wonder at times if that was a sign that it was time to give someone else a chance in his life.
“I used to wish that I could, though,” Kyungsoo admitted, clearing his throat and his face of embarrassment.
Jongin made him wish that. Because he wanted to be a part of Jongin’s everything, to be able to support him properly in anything. When Jongin brought him to a dance studio and showed him the dance that he was going to use for his audition in the U.S., he’d never been so in awe in his life. Jongin’s body was like liquid, being willed to move so flawlessly. It was a memory that he’s always treasured. It was then that he saw just how passionate he was with dance, just how badly he wanted it. Which was why when it was time for him to go, all he could do was wish him luck and greatness, because that was what he truly deserved.
He wondered if Jongin ever got to be great at dance the way he wanted to be.
“So who is he?” Junmyeon prodded, his fingers brushing against his lightly.
“Who?” Kyungsoo asked, blinking, his eyes on their hands.
“That guy who you were just thinking of, the one who made you wish you could dance,” Junmyeon pressed.
“I wasn’t-,” Kyungsoo tried to explained. He didn’t think they were at that stage of their “relationship” already where they could talk about exes. He’s pretty sure he doesn’t want to hear about Junmyeon’s ex yet. He’s just at that point where he hasn’t started to care about that.
Junmyeon chuckled. “I don’t mind, Kyungsoo,” he assured him. “It’s just… your eyes sort of glazed over and it was like you weren’t here.” He smiled at him. “He must be pretty special.”
Kyungsoo leaned his head back and closed his eyes, sighing. “He was. Is,” he corrected himself. “Jongin has always been special.”
“Who?” Junmyeon asked, pressing.
“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, turning to look at him, smiling. “His name’s Jongin, Kim Jongin. I used to go out with him back in high school. I haven’t seen him in a long time. He’s probably famous in the States right now or something.” He turned his palm up when Junmyeon started tracing the lines on them. “He went there to pursue his dream.”
“And is he your dream?” Junmyeon asked softly, his eyes on their hands.
Kyungsoo wondered about this. Jongin has always been in the back of his mind ever since high school. He was always something that he still hoped would be someone he had a future with. It didn’t even have to be that they ended up together.
“I’d give anything to see him again,” Kyungsoo whispered.
-
Part 2
Author: airplanewishes
Fandom: EXO
Characters: D.O./Kai, D.O./Suho
Genre: Romance, Friendship, Fluff
Rating: PG
WC: 10,219
Summary: No matter how many times his friends pushed him, Kyungsoo still wouldn't go out and date.
A/N: This may be read as a side-story to Someday Dream.
Beta'd by the awesome khrysallis1106. She's the best seriously. I don't know anyone else who can put up with the amount of typographical errors that I have.
Hello, Dream
Do Kyungsoo was a simple guy. He lived in a pretty nice apartment with one of his friends, was a manager at a coffee shop across the street from Xiao Lu Designs, and walked to and from work everyday. Occasionally, he went across the street to help Luhan, the owner of the store, out and Baekhyun, who was another one of his famous friends.
He liked his life. It was quiet and uncomplicated. He was content with what he was doing and being with friends, although they constantly complained that life could be more exciting for him.
“I am not going to go through this…” Kyungsoo trailed off and pursed his lips. “…this and look for a date.” He stared at the black binder placed on the counter of the café like it was going to jump up and attack him at any moment.
“Aww, c’mon, Kyungsoo,” Jongdae complained quietly. He was wearing a cap and a pair of sunglasses. “This is a good thing. You need some excitement in your life.”
Kyungsoo sighed in obvious annoyance. “Why do you keep pushing people to do this dating escort thing? First Luhan, now me.” He narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you getting commissions out of this?”
Jongdae’s eyes widened, even though Kyungsoo couldn’t really see them, and put a hand over his heart in mock hurt. “How dare you even insinuate that,” Jongdae emphatically let out. “I do this for the love I have for all of the people I care about.”
“Right,” Kyungsoo scoffed. He gave him a pointed look. “Now, are you going to order anything? Because I’d rather you not bother me. I have work to do.”
“Kyungsoo,” Jongdae whined. He opened the binder and showed him all the beautiful men and women’s photos lining up the pages. “It wouldn’t hurt to try and see, right? One of these could be your one true love!”
Kyungsoo leveled a stare at him and Jongdae cowered a bit. Kyungsoo was generally a nice guy, but, once in a while, his normally wide and cute eyes, turned steely.
“They’re escorts, paid to be whomever you want them to be,” Kyungsoo pointed out. “I am not going to pay someone just so I could pretend that I’ve found the man of my dreams.”
“So you are looking,” Jongdae caught him, grinning widely. “I can leave this here and you can-.”
“Seriously, Jongdae,” Kyungsoo hissed, leaning across the counter to glare at him. “If you don’t get out of my face right now, I’m going to squeal like a girl and tell everyone around here that Chen, ohmygod, Chen is here! And then you’ll be mobbed and what are you going to do about it?”
Having come out with a couple of hit songs, Jongdae was easily recognized whenever he was out by himself. He was normally mobbed and really couldn’t get to places unless he got his manager to lie about his schedules on his website and went out with a cap that covered his hair and sunglasses that covered practically his whole face.
They used to tease him about being so cliché about the celebrity life. He was always going to the café or Luhan’s clothing store or Baekhyun’s studio when he didn’t have any schedules. In one of those teasing sessions, Jongdae gave them a look that had them shutting up about it forever. It was only then that they understood. It was a hard and lonely life. And so they indulged Jongdae’s antics. But not this, Kyungsoo thought.
“You wouldn’t,” Jongdae’s eyes were wide with fear. He shuddered when Kyungsoo shot him an evil look, one that he recognized was exactly like Luhan’s. He frowned and was about to say something when his mobile phone started ringing, his ringtone one of his famous songs. Kyungsoo fought the urge to roll his eyes at this.
“Yeah,” Jongdae answered in the way he only did when a friend is the one who was calling. Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow and he mouthed that it was Luhan.
Kyungsoo merely watched as Jongdae listened to whatever it was that Luhan was babbling about. He could practically hear the happy notes in Luhan’s voice. He was starting to get bored just watching and was about to go to the back to check some things when Jongdae suddenly smiled his wicked smile and he immediately knew that something was up.
“What is it? What did Luhan say?” Kyungsoo wanted to know when Jongdae had pocketed his phone.
“Oh nothing,” Jongdae innocently smiled. He eyed the binder and tucked it under his arm. “I’ll be bringing this with me since you obviously don’t appreciate it.”
“Jongdae, if you’re going to bait some poor soul into this escort thing-,” Kyungsoo started to say.
“It’ll be fine,” Jongdae assured him. He winked then left the café.
Kyungsoo rolled his eyes as he wiped the counter with a dry cloth. Sometimes he really didn’t understand how Jongdae managed to even think of doing such things when he was already so busy with being one of the famous singers in the country. If only people knew what kind of guy he really was… He made a face and shook his head.
“Everything okay?” a voice asked him.
Kyungsoo looked up and was met by a handsome face. He was almost pretty with his porcelain skin, sparkling eyes and pink lips. He also had on the most amazing smile.
“Uh,” Kyungsoo gurgled intelligently.
“Was that guy bothering you?” he then asked, a concerned furrow in his eyebrows.
“Oh,” Kyungsoo managed to find his voice back, “No. No,” he repeated, smiling. “That was a friend of mine, actually. He was just being irritating, as usual.” He put the cloth under the counter and smiled once more. “What can I get you?”
“Just one hot caffe latte,” he told him, taking out his wallet and taking a few bills out, handing it to him.
Kyungsoo got the money and punched in the code in the computer, then prepared his change and handing it back to him. After which, he proceeded to make his caffe latte. Minseok, one of the staff, was in the back, doing some cleaning.
While he waited a bit for the coffee to get done, he glanced around and happened to meet the eyes of the customer, who seemed to be watching him. He almost averted his gaze, not wanting to get caught staring, when he spoke.
“So… that guy was just a friend?”
Kyungsoo involuntarily blushed.
His discomfort was gone and his smile was back when he turned back to the handsome customer to hand him his coffee. “Here you go,” he said. “Enjoy your coffee!”
The customer smiled, only one side of his lips going up, before taking his leave and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but think about how it was one of the sexiest smiles he had ever seen.
-
Kyungsoo unlocked the door and walked into his apartment, removing his shoes and hanging his coat on the rack. As he padded through the hallway, he sniffed around for any sign that his apartment was or had been on the verge of being set on fire. Luhan wasn’t the best person to be let near the kitchen and so he was on constant guard whenever he returned home.
“Luhan?” he quietly called.
“I’m here!” Luhan announced from the living room.
Luhan was seated on the sofa, legs under him, eyes focused on his mobile phone. Kyungsoo almost rolled his eyes because he was pretty sure that it was another one of Luhan’s conquests that he was texting.
“Who is it this time?” Kyungsoo asked, setting his bag on the floor, and taking a seat beside him. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a bit.
“Kris Wu,” Luhan answered without skipping a beat. “Tall, blonde, hot. Son of a billionaire.”
“So he’s boyfriend of the month?” Kyungsoo teased, turning his head to look at his friend.
Luhan was beautiful, to put it simply. He was tall, with dark blonde hair, pretty, wide entreating eyes, really nice skin and kissable pink lips. He almost always got mistaken for as a girl, but far from a girl he was. He was commanding when he wanted to be and was firm with his decisions and, just because his frame resembled that of a girl’s, didn’t mean that he couldn’t hold his own in a fight. Kyungsoo remembered Baekhyun crying when Luhan punched him in the face back when they were younger. There was only one tiny, possible, flaw in him: he didn’t go for steady relationships. He flitted around with girls and guys, mostly guys, and never stopped to see if it could be something more.
“Maybe,” Luhan told him, looking him with a bright smile. He put his phone down on the table and leaned back, readjusting his position on the couch so that Kyungsoo had more space. “How was your day?”
“Fine,” Kyungsoo shared, thinking back to how he really enjoyed the rush of customers coming in and out of the shop to order their favorite coffee, coffee that made them relax and feel comfort. “You know, Jongdae came by the other day with this ridiculous binder of-.”
“Escorts,” Luhan finished for him, eyes twinkling excitedly. “I know. He told me.”
“Honestly,” Kyungsoo shook his head. “Did he really think I would go for it, that any of us would go for it?” Luhan blinked and merely smiled. Kyungsoo sat up, sensing that he had to brace himself for whatever was coming. “Oh no, you didn’t.” When Luhan didn’t say anything, he continued on, rather desperately, “Luhan, you know I don’t go for blind dates or anything like that.”
Luhan laughed, a hand coming up to cover his mouth. Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes when he realized that he was just playing with him.
“You should’ve seen your face,” Luhan giggled. “You looked like you were going to cry.” He reached out and patted Kyungsoo’s head like a dog. “What’s so wrong with a blind date, Kyungsoo? It’s a nice way to meet people. You’re not obliged to go out with them if you don’t like them after one date.” He shrugged. “You could just be friends.”
“If you and Jongdae keep pushing this, I’m going to have to find new ones,” Kyungsoo commented.
Luhan frowned for a second then gave him a curious look. “What’s really stopping you from going out with people, Kyungsoo? I mean, you’re attractive and I know you have your fair share of admirers. Why aren’t you going out and dating people?”
Kyungsoo understood what Luhan was saying. He did have people seeking him out, even strangers, if that customer from the café the other day was any indication. People they knew had asked him out, wanted to get to know him better, wanted something more. Even Jongdae had asked him out in college. But there was just something he was waiting for, something he thought he’d already found, but had lost and was yearning to find again.
“I’m just not interested in it right now,” Kyungsoo merely shrugged nonchalantly. “Besides, you guys are dating enough for me and that’s so much more exciting.”
Luhan gave him a look, one that Kyungsoo had to avert his from because he was afraid that Luhan could see right through him.
-
Kyungsoo wrinkled his nose as a sticky arm grated the back of his shirt as a couple of people returned to their seats from the dance floor.
“Why am I here again?” Kyungsoo yelled across the table as Baekhyun passed him a drink. The music was loud and the lights were blinking. He found that his own head was pounding with the base and that he couldn’t really hear much, except for that.
“Because you need to get laid!” Baekhyun yelled back.
Jongdae and Luhan both snickered as Luhan’s flavor of the month slid onto the empty seat beside him. Kyungsoo watched as Luhan scooted closer to Kris, who put an arm around his waist.
Kyungsoo looked away and decided to look around. It was one of the more popular bars in the city. It was packed with people, who all looked like they were all just there to really unwind, judging by the way the bodies writhed against each other on the dance floor.
He was about to turn his attention back to his friends when someone caught his eye by the bar. His eyes widened slightly when the said stranger slightly waved and then smiled at him. It was the customer from the coffee shop. The guy tilted his head, a question hanging in the air, and Kyungsoo had to think about it.
It was true that he wasn’t looking for anything at the moment that wasn’t remotely close to what he was actually searching for. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun. There were at a bar after all. Besides, there was nothing wrong with meeting new people and maybe making new friends, just like what Luhan had said.
“Where are you going?” Baekhyun asked him as he moved to stand.
“I’ll be right back,” Kyungsoo assured them before making his way towards the bar.
He wasn’t exactly sure why he was doing what he was doing. He was never brave, never the one who actually came up to people whom he found attractive, was never someone who pursued someone. Yet, here he was, coming up to someone who hit on him once at the place where he worked. He didn’t even know his name and yet, something just felt right.
“Hi,” Kyungsoo took a deep breath when he was finally in front of him. “I’m Kyungsoo.”
“Hi,” he greeted back with a blinding smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“What’s your name?” Kyungsoo then asked.
“Junmyeon,” he answered. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
-
Junmyeon, Kyungsoo found out, owned a dance studio down the street to the coffee shop. Apparently, he had taken a certain love to dancing, but didn’t have the body for it, so he decided to just put up a dance studio and employ teachers to teach dance to other people, young and old alike. He also found out that he devoured his food very slowly, as if giving homage to it, and that he took care of people well. Also, he was always, always smiling.
Kyungsoo found himself hanging out with Junmyeon almost regularly a week after they met at the bar. It was a nice, new uncomplicated thing that was added to his life. Junmyeon was nice and sweet and never pushed him or forced anything on him.
“You sound like you like him,” Baekhyun observed as Kyungsoo talked about the time when he and Junmyeon went to get ice cream after work, while he was cooking them some dinner.
“I do,” Kyungsoo confirmed without hesitation. “He’s a nice break from all of you to be honest.”
Luhan made an affronted sound but didn’t say anything, as he was busy with his phone. Jongdae decided to be the one to back Baekhyun up.
“No, he meant that you seem to actually like him,” Jongdae emphasized. Kyungsoo turned around to face him. “You know… like boyfriend material.”
Kyungsoo’s eyes widened for a bit and he shook his head. “Oh,” he realized. “It’s nothing like that. I mean, Junmyeon is nice and everything, but no, nothing like that.”
“Again,” Luhan finally looked up, piping into the conversation, “I’d have to ask, why not? He’s a catch. He’s handsome and funny. Plus, he has this amazing teeth that would seem like they would feel good on-.”
Baekhyun reached up without hesitation and covered Luhan’s mouth with his hand before Kyungsoo got scandalized. Because, between the four of them, Kyungsoo was the most innocent. While Jongdae and Luhan enjoyed dating and, even playing, around, Baekhyun had long admitted to himself that he wanted love. And he knew that Kyungsoo wanted the same thing. But it was almost like he was saving himself for someone.
“Not all of us have the same exploits as you do, Luhan,” Baekhyun teased him.
Luhan slapped his hand off and made a face. “As I was saying, Junmyeon seems to be a great guy! Why won’t you go the next step with him?”
“Because,” Kyungsoo merely stated, rolling his eyes at them. He turned his attention back to his cooking.
…he isn’t Jongin.
-
If Kyungsoo would have to choose, he’d pick high school as one of the best years of his life. He’d always been an achiever, getting the best grades, being at the top of the class. But it was in high school that he’d met people he saw the potential to be his friends forever, people he knew he could trust.
He’d met Luhan first out of all of them. He was coming out of the library, books in hand for some research, when some guy practically flew into him, a whirl of blonde hair. He stopped running, sensing he had almost killed someone in his hurry and immediately apologized. Kyungsoo remembered being so tongue-tied because damn Luhan was so attractive. He had felt his whole face getting red and he probably had muttered some incoherencies because he just couldn’t think straight back then. Luhan had merely laughed at him, put an arm around his shoulders, and brought him to the cafeteria so he could buy him something to eat, the least he could do for him.
It was there that he’d met Baekhyun. Apparently, he and Luhan had been friends for far longer and it really was evident with how they mercilessly teased each other. Baekhyun had winked at him and Kyungsoo had begun to wonder how Luhan and Baekhyun were just friends because they were both so attractive.
“That’s a disgusting thought,” Luhan had said. “Don’t ever bring it up again.”
And he hadn’t. Because no one ever argued with Luhan and because Baekhyun had looked green the moment he’d asked. But, later on, he’d find out that the two had a moment where they kissed due to Baekhyun being drunk. It was at that time that they realized that they really were just going to be friends, and that was that.
Jongdae, meanwhile, he met a couple of days later. The school had the school choir on an out-of-town competition and Jongdae had been with them because he was the lead singer. He had returned, taking a seat in between Baekhyun and Luhan, one arm around each of them. The most vivid memory that he had of his first meeting with Jongdae was that he had the warmest smile.
Then there was Jongin.
One thing he got from being friends with Baekhyun, Luhan and Jongdae was the fact that he got to meet a lot of people and managed to maintain a certain form of friendship with some of them. It was like networking at such a young age. His three friends made it really easy because they were so well-liked. So when he was dragged to a school soccer game, he didn’t even protest anymore, even though he wasn’t really sure how the game was played.
He was standing at the side of the field, right by the foot of the bleachers when he saw one of the players behind the bleachers, reaching over towards something on his back. He frowned and hesitated for a second before coming up to him.
“Are you okay? Do you need help with anything?”
The athlete looked up and a handsome face immediately assaulted Kyungsoo. And by handsome, he meant chiseled features, dark intense eyes, long lashes, plump lips, and lovely tanned skin. Such handsome face then broke into a shy smile and he just had to blink.
“Do you think you could help me put on these pads on my back?” the soccer player asked uncertainly. “I just can’t seem to put it on properly.”
Kyungsoo took the soothing pads from him, lifted his shirt, taking in the smooth expanse of bronze skin, and placed them side-by-side on his lower back. He pressed lightly to make sure they were sticking properly.
“There,” Kyungsoo said, smiling a little.
“Thank you!” he said, smiling more comfortably this time. He stood there for a second as if deciding what to say. “Are you watching the game?”
“I am,” Kyungsoo said, taking in his uniform. “I assume you’re playing?”
“Yeah,” he responded with a shy chuckle. “I… I’m Jongin.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, shaking his head. And he remembered how nice his hand felt in his. “I’m Kyungsoo.”
“Kyungsoo,” Jongin repeated as if testing how it sounded from his mouth. He grinned.
“Good luck on your game,” Kyungsoo told him.
Jongin nodded gratefully. “I’ll see you around.”
Right after the game, which their school won, Jongin came to find him in the stands. Baekhyun’s mouth hung open, while Luhan snickered and Jongdae looked on interestedly as Jongin unabashedly asked if Kyungsoo wanted to grab something to eat with him. His eyes had widened then, his heart beating fast, as the realization that this could possibly be a date, his first date, and hadn’t immediately responded. Jongdae had to kick him before he remembered to say, “Yes, I’d like that.”
He’d had a lot of firsts with Jongin. First date, first boyfriend, first kiss. First heartbreak.
Jongin had left the country right after high school to pursue another one of his loves: dancing. Soccer was just something that he did because he was also good at it, but after years of contemplation, he decided that dancing was something he wanted to do for far longer, maybe even all of his life.
Kyungsoo didn’t stop him because he hadn’t had the heart to. He could see how dancing lighted up Jongin, how he loved it, how it completed him, how it was him. They broke up because high school long distance relationships weren’t practical and never really lasted anyway.
But Kyungsoo never really did get over him. He still missed him everyday.
-
Kyungsoo leaned his head sideways on one of his arms, which were propped on his knees, as he sat on the floor and watched Sehun, one of the dancers that practiced in Junmyeon’s dance studio. He was moving fluidly to one of those popular hip-hop songs, the type of songs that Jongin liked to dance to back in the day.
“Hey, what’s with you?” Luhan poked his cheek with a long finger.
Kyungsoo lifted his head to look at him. “I’m fine,” he said. Then he straightened up and frowned at Luhan. “Why are you here?” He’d brought his friends along when Junmyeon had said it was okay. He only just realized that Luhan had been tagging along more often than the others.
Luhan pouted at him in mock offense. “Is it so bad for me to want to hang out with you more, Kyungsoo? Am I not allowed to do that anymore?”
“We never hang out by ourselves, Luhan,” Kyungsoo reminded him amusedly. “Except when we’re at the apartment.”
Luhan opened his mouth then closed it again when he realized that he was right. It was like they were already so sick of seeing each other at home that they decided not to hang out outside by themselves anymore. Luhan frowned a bit at this thought.
“Well, I’m changing things then,” Luhan proclaimed with a big grin. “Every time you come to the dance studio, I’ll go with you.” He put his hands on Kyungsoo’s arms as he faced him. “Isn’t that a great idea?”
“You’re just using me to get to Sehun,” Kyungsoo deadpanned.
Luhan let go of Kyungsoo and leaned back against the wall to blatantly watch Sehun as he danced. “He’s very sexy,” he remarked softly.
“What happened to Kris?” Kyungsoo asked. “It hasn’t even been a month-.”
The music stopped and Luhan was off the floor and beside Sehun in an instant. He watched in amusement as he fussed over the younger kid and made him blush. He looked away when Junmyeon slid down on the space beside him. There was a wary expression on his face as his eyes trailed after Luhan and Sehun exiting the studio.
“Don’t worry,” Kyungsoo assured him, patting his knee. “Luhan’s… Luhan may seem like a player-okay, he is a player. But he knows when to stop. It’s usually right before anyone gets hurt.”
It was something he actually admired in Luhan. Despite having gone out with so many people, more than he probably ever would in his own lifetime, he’s managed to maintain friendships with all of them.
“Do you dance?” Junmyeon suddenly asked.
Kyungsoo chuckled, looking at their reflections on the wide foot-to-ceiling mirror across from them. “I wish,” he told him. “I’m a bundle of uncoordinated limbs.”
“A cute bundle of uncoordinated limbs,” Junmyeon corrected, making him blush.
Kyungsoo tucked his chin towards his chest to hide his pink cheeks. For some reason, every compliment that Junmyeon gave him made him like a giddy schoolgirl. His words had that effect and it made him wonder at times if that was a sign that it was time to give someone else a chance in his life.
“I used to wish that I could, though,” Kyungsoo admitted, clearing his throat and his face of embarrassment.
Jongin made him wish that. Because he wanted to be a part of Jongin’s everything, to be able to support him properly in anything. When Jongin brought him to a dance studio and showed him the dance that he was going to use for his audition in the U.S., he’d never been so in awe in his life. Jongin’s body was like liquid, being willed to move so flawlessly. It was a memory that he’s always treasured. It was then that he saw just how passionate he was with dance, just how badly he wanted it. Which was why when it was time for him to go, all he could do was wish him luck and greatness, because that was what he truly deserved.
He wondered if Jongin ever got to be great at dance the way he wanted to be.
“So who is he?” Junmyeon prodded, his fingers brushing against his lightly.
“Who?” Kyungsoo asked, blinking, his eyes on their hands.
“That guy who you were just thinking of, the one who made you wish you could dance,” Junmyeon pressed.
“I wasn’t-,” Kyungsoo tried to explained. He didn’t think they were at that stage of their “relationship” already where they could talk about exes. He’s pretty sure he doesn’t want to hear about Junmyeon’s ex yet. He’s just at that point where he hasn’t started to care about that.
Junmyeon chuckled. “I don’t mind, Kyungsoo,” he assured him. “It’s just… your eyes sort of glazed over and it was like you weren’t here.” He smiled at him. “He must be pretty special.”
Kyungsoo leaned his head back and closed his eyes, sighing. “He was. Is,” he corrected himself. “Jongin has always been special.”
“Who?” Junmyeon asked, pressing.
“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, turning to look at him, smiling. “His name’s Jongin, Kim Jongin. I used to go out with him back in high school. I haven’t seen him in a long time. He’s probably famous in the States right now or something.” He turned his palm up when Junmyeon started tracing the lines on them. “He went there to pursue his dream.”
“And is he your dream?” Junmyeon asked softly, his eyes on their hands.
Kyungsoo wondered about this. Jongin has always been in the back of his mind ever since high school. He was always something that he still hoped would be someone he had a future with. It didn’t even have to be that they ended up together.
“I’d give anything to see him again,” Kyungsoo whispered.
-
Part 2