Not A Kid
Title: Not A Kid
Author: chocolet89
Pairing: slight!Suhoon/Jihwan
Rating: G
Length: One-Shot
Genre: General
A/N: A SuHwan oneshot that I was supposed to have written for Yuutong’s birthday back in December OTL I’m sorry Yuutong T____T
Setting: Set during their debut days :)
Summary: Have we ever wondered how Jihwan really felt about his red hair back in their debut days? Did he really like Mickey Mouse, or was it just something that was pushed onto him just because he was the maknae? Jihwan is frustrated at how people keep thinking of him as a kid. Suhoon decides to cheer him up
~
Suhoon lifted his head as Jihwan entered the room and practically threw himself onto the couch in the corner. Knowing that something was bothering the maknae, Suhoon slid his headphones off, placing them on top of the music sheets he was working on before walking over to take a seat next to the pouting boy who was currently lying face down on the couch.
“What’s the matter Jihwan?” Suhoon asked as he reached out and threaded his fingers through the maknae’s bright red hair.
Jihwan grabbed a cushion, hugging it to his chest before replying, “Everyone treats me like a kid!”
Suhoon sighed, knowing where this was going. “Were Hyunchul and Hyunmin teasing you about your Mickey Mouse accessories again?”
Jihwan let out a huff, staring straight ahead as he replied, “Sort of …”
Suhoon stayed silent, waiting for the younger to elaborate.
After a few seconds of silence, Jihwan sat up, discarding the cushion and hugging his knees to his chest. “Manager-hyung came in just a few minutes ago with gifts from some fans. We all opened our gifts - yours is still sitting out there wrapped up by the way - Hyunchul-hyung got a necklace and Hyunmin-hyung and Injun-hyung got some earrings and bracelets. But when I opened my gift, I got a set of Mickey Mouse pyjamas with matching socks to go with it.”
“You don’t like your gift?” Suhoon asked.
Jihwan sighed as he tried to find the right words to say without sounding offensive. “It’s not that I don’t like it, especially since we’re still rookies and I really want to treasure every single gift given to us. But why do all the fans assume that I like Mickey Mouse? Just because I wear a Mickey Mouse shirt and shoes for our promotions, it doesn’t necessarily mean I like it that much in general.”
Suhoon nodded his head in agreement, listening to the younger boy rant out his feelings.
“Injun-hyung kept saying how cute it was while Hyunchul-hyung and Hyunmin-hyung said it really matched me. But I don’t want to be treated like a kid, I want to have adult gifts like jewellery too!”
Suhoon smiled at the last comment, it was such a cute statement, but of course he knew better than to voice that thought out right now. Wanting to cheer the boy up, Suhoon suddenly thought of something.
“Hmm … do you have any plans for today Jihwan?” Suhoon asked.
“Ehh?” Jihwan replied as he turned around to look at the leader in confusion at the sudden change of topics. Suhoon just smiled back at him waiting for a response.
“Umm … not really, I was originally planning on going out to see a new movie with the others, but I don’t feel like it anymore.”
“Want to go out with me then?” Suhoon asked.
“Ehh?” Jihwan repeated for the second time that day. “Umm … but don’t you have other stuff to do? I overheard manager-hyung talking to you about our schedules and other plans again last night. I don’t want to bother you more than I already am.”
Suhoon let out a chuckle, ruffling the younger boy’s hair. Jihwan was always so thoughtful and caring towards him, knowing not to bother Suhoon if he was busy. But Suhoon had come to treasure the younger boy and when Jihwan was troubled (like he was now), Suhoon would always find time to be there for him and listen to his problems.
“It’s okay Jihwan, it was nothing. Besides right now, cheering you up is more important.” This earned a small smile from the younger boy and Suhoon knew he’d said the right thing.
Getting up off the couch, Suhoon then took a hold of Jihwan’s hand before pulling the younger boy off the couch. “Go get changed into something comfortable and we’ll go watch that new movie you were planning on seeing.”
Jihwan grinned as he was ushered out of the work room and into his own. “I’ll be real quick!” he shouted as he closed the door behind him.
Suhoon smiled as he went to his own room to change out of his sleep clothes. The good thing about being rookies was that they were still able to walk down the streets without many people recognizing them. Of course, he wanted their group to become more well known, but for now, Suhoon wanted to enjoy the freedom while he could.
Stepping out into the living room in a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt with a random print on it, Suhoon picked up the box on the coffee table that had his name on it. He assumed this was the gift Jihwan was talking about that had been addressed to him?
“Going out?” Hyunmin asked from the kitchen where he was pouring a glass of water.
“Yeah,” Suhoon replied walking over to the kitchen counter and unwrapping the gift on the way. Scrunching the wrapping paper up into a ball, Suhoon threw it at Hyunmin hitting him lightly on the shoulder.
“That was for making Jihwan unhappy,” Suhoon said as a way of explaining his actions as he opened the gift box. Inside was a simple ring bracelet with a small chain on it connecting the ends together (bracelet). Suhoon smiled at the gift but then his smile turned into a frown as he thought back to the gift Jihwan had received.
“What’s the matter?” Hyunmin asked, noticing the frown on the leader’s face.
Suhoon shut the box and put it into his bag with a sigh as he leant against the counter. “Jihwan doesn’t want the fans treating him like a kid.”
Hyunmin smirked knowing what the leader was thinking. From Singing in the Rain, to Xing, to their current group Dae Guk Nam Ah, Hyunmin and Suhoon have stuck together through it all and been close ever since. Suhoon didn’t need to go into detail for Hyunmin to understand what he was saying.
As Hyunmin was about to give his own opinion on it all however, Jihwan bounded out into the living room in a pair of jeans and hoodie, eyes falling onto the leader straight away.
“Hyung I’m ready!” he exclaimed as Suhoon turned around to greet him.
“Eh, you’re both going out?” Hyunmin questioned.
Pulling on the leader’s arm, Jihwan tugged him towards the front door while saying, “Yes we are. We’re going to watch the new movie I was talking about yesterday. I don’t want to watch it with you anymore - meanie!”
Hyunmin chuckled as the door shut behind the duo leaving him alone out in the living room. With nothing else to do now that Jihwan had found someone else to spend the day with, Hyunmin contemplated his options before heading in the direction of Hyunchul’s room. He would bug the older member into sharing his secret stash of food with him that he knew he kept hidden in his bedroom.
---
“Is my hair noticeable hyung?” Jihwan asked as they stepped off the bus station in front of a shopping centre building that had four levels all together.
Suhoon shook his head as they walked through the doors of the building. Jihwan had been fussing and adjusting the black beanie on his head ever since they had gotten onto the bus. Since flamboyant red wasn’t exactly a popular colour for teenagers these days, Jihwan always hid his hair when they weren’t out for promotions.
“So where do you want to go first? It’s too early to watch the movie now,” Suhoon said as they stepped onto the escalators to go up a level.
“Well if you don’t mind hyung, I sort of want to go shopping for new clothes. I swear almost ¾ of my wardrobe is filled with Mickey Mouse clothing and I really want to get new clothes.”
Laughing and sympathizing with the poor boy, Suhoon nodded his head in agreement. “Clothes shopping it is then! Come on,” Suhoon said as he led Jihwan by the arm to one of the stores on this level that he frequented for clothing.
After browsing the store for awhile, Suhoon settled on a few pieces of clothing that he thought might be Jihwan’s style. Spotting the boy on the other side of the store, Suhoon quickly walked over to him, tapping a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
“Here, I picked out some clothes for you,” he said showing Jihwan the pile of clothes slung over his arm.
Jihwan already had a few pieces of clothing slung over his own arm so they decided Jihwan should try what they had now before looking for more. Suhoon quickly ushered Jihwan into a changing room before closing the door after him.
“You have to come out and show me what you look like for each piece of clothing okay?” Suhoon said from outside the changing room. Jihwan muttered an okay in response and then all was silent.
A few minutes later, Jihwan emerged from the changing room in a pair of black skinny jeans (skinnies) and thin off-white zip up hoodie with a white top on the inside (hoodie+top). Suhoon thought he looked amazing. The beanie was lying on the floor and Suhoon guessed Jihwan probably had to remove it when he was getting changed.
“So … what do you think hyung? Does it look weird?” Jihwan asked self-consciously. This was one of the outfits that Suhoon had chosen and wasn’t something the maknae normally wore.
Suhoon chuckled at the younger boy’s insecure feelings, it was kind of cute. “Of course it doesn’t look weird Jihwannie, it looks great. I knew my taste in clothing was good! Now go try on the others. I’m sure they’ll look just as good!”
Jihwan smiled at the compliment and uttered a thanks as he was pushed back into the changing room.
After trying on all the outfits, Jihwan settled on the first outfit he had tried on, plus another pair of dark jeans and three other t-shirts. Walking up the counter to pay for the clothes, Jihwan pulled out his wallet but was stopped by Suhoon who looked at him with a smile.
“It’s okay Jihwan, I’ll pay for these.”
Jihwan pouted. “But these are my clothes hyung, I should pay for my own clothes.”
As the sales assistant scanned the barcodes and placed the clothes into a bag, Suhoon replied, “It’s okay, as a leader I’ve never really bought you anything so just let me pay for these okay?”
Using the leader card always worked and as the sales assistant gave them the total price, Jihwan put his wallet away and Suhoon paid for the clothes.
“Thanks hyung,” Jihwan said as they walked out of the shop.
“You’re welcome dongsaeng,” Suhoon replied ruffling the boy’s hair.
It was then that Jihwan noticed he wasn’t wearing his beanie.
“Ahh,” he cried out, hand going immediately to the top of his head.
Suhoon smirked. “Looking for this?” he asked holding the beanie out that he’d been holding since they’d walked from the changing rooms to the cash register.
“Yahh!” Jihwan cried out as he tried to reach for the beanie. But Suhoon lifted his arm up and since Jihwan was shorter than him, he was unable to reach it.
“Hyunnggg,” Jihwan whined eventually giving up and opting instead to flip his hoodie over his head.
Suhoon sighed as he put the beanie into the bag of clothes and then flicked the hoodie off Jihwan’s head. “Leave it off Jihwan, who cares if people see your red hair.”
Jihwan looked up at Suhoon but then quickly looked back down again. “But hyung, it’s so bright and everyone’s going to look at me weirdly. They’ll look at you] weirdly because you’re with me.”
Suhoon cringed inwardly at the maknae’s thoughts. Jihwan was never self-conscious of his looks before. But ever since the stylists had dyed his hair red and given him a bunch of Mickey Mouse clothes and accessories to go with the cute image, Jihwan had started to get insecure of himself everywhere they went.
“Jihwan,” Suhoon called catching up to the maknae who’d decided to speed up his pace a little. “Jihwan,” he tried again, this time reaching out to grip the maknae’s arm and pull him to a stop.
Jihwan stood unmoving but refused to meet the leader’s eyes.
“Jihwan, look at me,” Suhoon commanded turning the boy around to face him. Jihwan turned but still kept his eyes lowered. He was being childish, he knew it, but he didn’t care. He was sick of everyone staring and pointing at his hair.
Sighing, Suhoon pulled the boy into a hug, surprising the latter in the process.
“Don’t worry about what people think of you okay? No one is born to treat others in a nice manner. No one in this world have an obligation to treat you or me or anyone else well. As long as you, your family and your friends know the real you, who cares what strangers think.”
Jihwan sighed before relaxing into the leader’s embrace as he nodded his head in agreement. “I’m sorry hyung, I just feel so insecure these days, I can't help it. I’ve been acting childish haven’t I?”
Suhoon only tightened his hold on the maknae before saying, “It’s okay, we all go through this stage of insecurity at least once in our lives.”
When they finally broke apart, Suhoon still kept an arm around Jihwan’s shoulders as they continued walking in a comfortable silence.
---
“So what did you think of the movie?” Suhoon asked as they settled down to eat at one of the cafes in the upper levels of the shopping centre.
“It was … okay,” Jihwan replied as he picked his chopsticks up. The movie didn’t end up being as good as he thought it’d be. It was one of those movies where it kept you guessing what happened to the main character in the end. Jihwan hated those types of endings.
“Maybe we should’ve watched some comedy movie instead,” Suhoon suggested as he dug into his food.
“No no it was fine,” Jihwan said quickly, afraid that Suhoon was feeling bad over it. “It was good, it’s just I didn’t like the ending.”
“Oh I see,” Suhoon nodded in understanding. “I know what you mean. The ending sort of annoyed me too. I would like to think the main character survived, but then on the other hand, they didn’t really confirm it.”
“I know right,” Jihwan exclaimed as he poked at his food. It might seem like a small matter for everyone else, but it really irked him whenever he watched movies like that.
Deciding to change the topic to get his mind off it, Jihwan asked, “So where should we go next hyung?”
They had already walked most of the levels in the building before going to watch the movie and Jihwan was starting to feel a bit tired. He was even tempted to doze off during the movie if not for Suhoon there beside him commenting on the movie every now and then.
“Hmm we should probably head back after this. Although today’s a day off for us, manager-hyung still doesn’t want us to stay out for too long I think.”
Jihwan nodded his head in agreement and they continued to eat in a comfortable silence.
As they were heading back down to the entrance of the shopping centre each with a cup of Starbucks chocolate mocha frappucino in hand, Suhoon suddenly stopped at the side at the escalators that would lead them to the ground floor before turning around.
“Hmm hyung? What’s the matter?” Jihwan asked.
“Umm … I think I left my phone back at the café,” Suhoon said as he handed his drink to Jihwan. “Hold this for me, I’ll be back in a few minutes. Just wait for me over there at the bench,” Suhoon gestured towards a bench just a few meters away and stepped back on the escalators before Jihwan could even utter a word of protest.
Frowning, Jihwan went over to the bench and sat down, hoping Suhoon’s phone was still there at the café.
---
As soon as he reached the upper level and was out of sight from Jihwan, Suhoon quickly turned in the direction of the jewellery shop he had noticed on their way down before. Quickly entering the shop, Suhoon went over to a sales assistant and asked to see the piece of jewellery that was on display on the window that had caught his eye earlier.
Smiling, the assistant walked around the counter to retrieve the piece of jewellery to place in front of Suhoon. Lifting the bracelet from its case, Suhoon smiled as he imagined how beautiful it would look around a certain someone’s wrist.
I’ll take this one,” Suhoon said as he placed the bracelet back and took his wallet out. The sales assistant smiled and went to the back of the store to bring him out a new one and after checking that there were no scratches on it, Suhoon paid for it thanking the sales assistant once again as he made his way out.
Putting the gift away in his bag, Suhoon then quickly walked back to the escalators, pulling his phone out on the way. When he stepped off the escalators he saw Jihwan sitting on the bench with a distant look on his face.
Taking a seat beside the boy, Suhoon slipped his drink out of Jihwan’s grip and took a long sip.
“Hyung! Did you find your phone?” Jihwan asked turning around in surprise.
Suhoon lifted up his hand that was holding the phone. “Yeah, one of the waiters saw my phone and kept it for me.”
“Ooh lucky,” Jihwan replied.
Smiling, Suhoon stood up and together they made their way out of the shopping centre and to the bus stop. There was still another ten minutes until the next bus arrived so they finished their drinks quickly and by the time the bus arrived, they had discarded their drinks in the bin.
When they were about two stops off from their destination, Suhoon signalled for the bus to stop and quickly got off, tugging on Jihwan to follow him. Confused at what his leader was up to, Jihwan frowned before quickly stepping off the bus lest he get left behind.
“Where are we going hyung?” Jihwan asked, voice laced with curiosity.
“Hmm? Oh I feel like taking a walk around the park before heading back,” Suhoon replied as he took a hold of Jihwan’s hand to pull him into step with him.
“Oh okay,” Jihwan replied. Looking around, he saw there weren’t many people in the park. Just a family near the playground and a few elderly couples taking a stroll. It actually felt quite relaxing and Jihwan smiled despite the fact that his legs were starting to ache from all the walking around they did previously.
As they neared the fountain in the middle of the park Suhoon tugged on Jihwan’s hand and pulled him to a stop. Reaching into his bag, Suhoon pulled out the box he had purchased from the jewellery shop earlier before opening it up and presenting the piece of jewellery inside to Jihwan.
Jihwan gasped as his eyes locked on the contents in the box. “I-Is this for me hyung?”
Suhoon nodded and lifted the silver bracelet (bracelet) out of the box. Placing the box back in his bag, Suhoon then unclasped the bracelet and put it around Jihwan’s wrist. After securing the bracelet together Suhoon looked into Jihwan’s eyes before asking, “Do you like it?”
“I-I do hyung, it’s beautiful. I love it! Thank you so much. But why?” Jihwan asked still confused.
Smiling Suhoon took a seat by the fountain and tugged on Jihwan to follow suit.
“You’ve been so unhappy lately because you think people are treating you like a kid. So I bought you something grown up to show you that I think you’re a very fine young man. Besides you did mention earlier this morning that you wanted jewellery too as a gift.”
Jihwan blushed and berated himself inside for blurting out stupid things. “But you’ve already done more than enough hyung. You spent the whole day with me, paying for my clothes, the movie and even lunch. You didn’t have to buy this.”
Suhoon chuckled at the maknae’s words. Even though on the outside Jihwan was protesting, Suhoon could tell that on the inside Jihwan was really happy and he was once again glad that he had gone back at the last minute to buy the bracelet.
“It’s okay Jihwan,” Suhoon said reassuring the boy again. “Besides lately I’ve hardly been spending any one-on-one time with you due to our schedules, so maybe you can think of this as a gift of apology too to make up the for all the lost time. Just don’t tell the others I got you this gift or else they’ll all whine and complain about why I didn’t get them anything.”
Jihwan smiled, he supposed that was a good enough reason. Fingering the bracelet on his wrist, Jihwan whispered, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell them. Thanks hyung … for everything.”
Wrapping an arm around the younger boy, Suhoon smiled and said, “You’re welcome Jihwan.”
--
Later that night when their manager announced they were going to go out for dinner, Jihwan changed into the outfit Suhoon had picked out earlier for him at the shops and smiled at his reflection in the full length mirror in his room. Picking up the bracelet on the dresser beside him, Jihwan wound it around his wrist before clasping the ends together.
Glancing at the beanie that was in the bag from where Suhoon had put it in back at the shops, Jihwan reached a hand into the bag to grab it before pausing mid-action. He thought back to Suhoon’s words back in the shopping centre and smiled as he pulled his hand back, leaving the beanie lying in the bag.
Checking his reflection one last time, Jihwan stepped out of his room to join the others in the living room. As all eyes turned in his direction, Jihwan bit his lip and tried to fight off the nervous feelings that were trying to surface.
Hyunmin grinned and said, “Nice clothes Jihwan, you should wear this kind of style more often.”
Injun just stared at Jihwan’s legs which were clad in the black skinnies while Hyunchul embraced the younger boy in a hug. “Wow you look so grown up in these clothes Jihwannie.”
Jihwan’s face was beaming with joy and he glanced over to Suhoon who just smiled at him in return.
“Oh?” Hyunchul exclaimed as he gripped Jihwan’s wrist in one hand while he traced the bracelet on it with his other hand. “When did you get this Jihwan? Did you buy this yourself or was it a gift?"
Jihwan grinned eyes meeting Suhoon’s before saying, “I got it today, it was from a fan.”
- End -
@Yutong: If you read this here, again I’m so sorry for delaying this fic for so long T____T hope you like this =] and thanks for inspiring this idea (even though you weren't really aware of it at the time) hahahaha XD I love our serious discussions on the boys ^^ I promise I'll have the other SuHwan fics finsihed soon >< ILY :D
A/N: Wow I think this is my first fic where there wasn’t any relationships LOL just bffs maybe? This fic was inspired by Yuutong and sort of by her fic Fire Engine. I personally liked Jihwan wearing the Mickey Mouse accessories, but then on the other hand, what if he had wanted a more mature image? This fic just gives us a different point of view in things, hope no one got offended LOL ~
Comments and feedback as usual will be greatly appreciated ^__________^ ♥
Author: chocolet89
Pairing: slight!Suhoon/Jihwan
Rating: G
Length: One-Shot
Genre: General
A/N: A SuHwan oneshot that I was supposed to have written for Yuutong’s birthday back in December OTL I’m sorry Yuutong T____T
Setting: Set during their debut days :)
Summary: Have we ever wondered how Jihwan really felt about his red hair back in their debut days? Did he really like Mickey Mouse, or was it just something that was pushed onto him just because he was the maknae? Jihwan is frustrated at how people keep thinking of him as a kid. Suhoon decides to cheer him up
~
Suhoon lifted his head as Jihwan entered the room and practically threw himself onto the couch in the corner. Knowing that something was bothering the maknae, Suhoon slid his headphones off, placing them on top of the music sheets he was working on before walking over to take a seat next to the pouting boy who was currently lying face down on the couch.
“What’s the matter Jihwan?” Suhoon asked as he reached out and threaded his fingers through the maknae’s bright red hair.
Jihwan grabbed a cushion, hugging it to his chest before replying, “Everyone treats me like a kid!”
Suhoon sighed, knowing where this was going. “Were Hyunchul and Hyunmin teasing you about your Mickey Mouse accessories again?”
Jihwan let out a huff, staring straight ahead as he replied, “Sort of …”
Suhoon stayed silent, waiting for the younger to elaborate.
After a few seconds of silence, Jihwan sat up, discarding the cushion and hugging his knees to his chest. “Manager-hyung came in just a few minutes ago with gifts from some fans. We all opened our gifts - yours is still sitting out there wrapped up by the way - Hyunchul-hyung got a necklace and Hyunmin-hyung and Injun-hyung got some earrings and bracelets. But when I opened my gift, I got a set of Mickey Mouse pyjamas with matching socks to go with it.”
“You don’t like your gift?” Suhoon asked.
Jihwan sighed as he tried to find the right words to say without sounding offensive. “It’s not that I don’t like it, especially since we’re still rookies and I really want to treasure every single gift given to us. But why do all the fans assume that I like Mickey Mouse? Just because I wear a Mickey Mouse shirt and shoes for our promotions, it doesn’t necessarily mean I like it that much in general.”
Suhoon nodded his head in agreement, listening to the younger boy rant out his feelings.
“Injun-hyung kept saying how cute it was while Hyunchul-hyung and Hyunmin-hyung said it really matched me. But I don’t want to be treated like a kid, I want to have adult gifts like jewellery too!”
Suhoon smiled at the last comment, it was such a cute statement, but of course he knew better than to voice that thought out right now. Wanting to cheer the boy up, Suhoon suddenly thought of something.
“Hmm … do you have any plans for today Jihwan?” Suhoon asked.
“Ehh?” Jihwan replied as he turned around to look at the leader in confusion at the sudden change of topics. Suhoon just smiled back at him waiting for a response.
“Umm … not really, I was originally planning on going out to see a new movie with the others, but I don’t feel like it anymore.”
“Want to go out with me then?” Suhoon asked.
“Ehh?” Jihwan repeated for the second time that day. “Umm … but don’t you have other stuff to do? I overheard manager-hyung talking to you about our schedules and other plans again last night. I don’t want to bother you more than I already am.”
Suhoon let out a chuckle, ruffling the younger boy’s hair. Jihwan was always so thoughtful and caring towards him, knowing not to bother Suhoon if he was busy. But Suhoon had come to treasure the younger boy and when Jihwan was troubled (like he was now), Suhoon would always find time to be there for him and listen to his problems.
“It’s okay Jihwan, it was nothing. Besides right now, cheering you up is more important.” This earned a small smile from the younger boy and Suhoon knew he’d said the right thing.
Getting up off the couch, Suhoon then took a hold of Jihwan’s hand before pulling the younger boy off the couch. “Go get changed into something comfortable and we’ll go watch that new movie you were planning on seeing.”
Jihwan grinned as he was ushered out of the work room and into his own. “I’ll be real quick!” he shouted as he closed the door behind him.
Suhoon smiled as he went to his own room to change out of his sleep clothes. The good thing about being rookies was that they were still able to walk down the streets without many people recognizing them. Of course, he wanted their group to become more well known, but for now, Suhoon wanted to enjoy the freedom while he could.
Stepping out into the living room in a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt with a random print on it, Suhoon picked up the box on the coffee table that had his name on it. He assumed this was the gift Jihwan was talking about that had been addressed to him?
“Going out?” Hyunmin asked from the kitchen where he was pouring a glass of water.
“Yeah,” Suhoon replied walking over to the kitchen counter and unwrapping the gift on the way. Scrunching the wrapping paper up into a ball, Suhoon threw it at Hyunmin hitting him lightly on the shoulder.
“That was for making Jihwan unhappy,” Suhoon said as a way of explaining his actions as he opened the gift box. Inside was a simple ring bracelet with a small chain on it connecting the ends together (bracelet). Suhoon smiled at the gift but then his smile turned into a frown as he thought back to the gift Jihwan had received.
“What’s the matter?” Hyunmin asked, noticing the frown on the leader’s face.
Suhoon shut the box and put it into his bag with a sigh as he leant against the counter. “Jihwan doesn’t want the fans treating him like a kid.”
Hyunmin smirked knowing what the leader was thinking. From Singing in the Rain, to Xing, to their current group Dae Guk Nam Ah, Hyunmin and Suhoon have stuck together through it all and been close ever since. Suhoon didn’t need to go into detail for Hyunmin to understand what he was saying.
As Hyunmin was about to give his own opinion on it all however, Jihwan bounded out into the living room in a pair of jeans and hoodie, eyes falling onto the leader straight away.
“Hyung I’m ready!” he exclaimed as Suhoon turned around to greet him.
“Eh, you’re both going out?” Hyunmin questioned.
Pulling on the leader’s arm, Jihwan tugged him towards the front door while saying, “Yes we are. We’re going to watch the new movie I was talking about yesterday. I don’t want to watch it with you anymore - meanie!”
Hyunmin chuckled as the door shut behind the duo leaving him alone out in the living room. With nothing else to do now that Jihwan had found someone else to spend the day with, Hyunmin contemplated his options before heading in the direction of Hyunchul’s room. He would bug the older member into sharing his secret stash of food with him that he knew he kept hidden in his bedroom.
---
“Is my hair noticeable hyung?” Jihwan asked as they stepped off the bus station in front of a shopping centre building that had four levels all together.
Suhoon shook his head as they walked through the doors of the building. Jihwan had been fussing and adjusting the black beanie on his head ever since they had gotten onto the bus. Since flamboyant red wasn’t exactly a popular colour for teenagers these days, Jihwan always hid his hair when they weren’t out for promotions.
“So where do you want to go first? It’s too early to watch the movie now,” Suhoon said as they stepped onto the escalators to go up a level.
“Well if you don’t mind hyung, I sort of want to go shopping for new clothes. I swear almost ¾ of my wardrobe is filled with Mickey Mouse clothing and I really want to get new clothes.”
Laughing and sympathizing with the poor boy, Suhoon nodded his head in agreement. “Clothes shopping it is then! Come on,” Suhoon said as he led Jihwan by the arm to one of the stores on this level that he frequented for clothing.
After browsing the store for awhile, Suhoon settled on a few pieces of clothing that he thought might be Jihwan’s style. Spotting the boy on the other side of the store, Suhoon quickly walked over to him, tapping a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.
“Here, I picked out some clothes for you,” he said showing Jihwan the pile of clothes slung over his arm.
Jihwan already had a few pieces of clothing slung over his own arm so they decided Jihwan should try what they had now before looking for more. Suhoon quickly ushered Jihwan into a changing room before closing the door after him.
“You have to come out and show me what you look like for each piece of clothing okay?” Suhoon said from outside the changing room. Jihwan muttered an okay in response and then all was silent.
A few minutes later, Jihwan emerged from the changing room in a pair of black skinny jeans (skinnies) and thin off-white zip up hoodie with a white top on the inside (hoodie+top). Suhoon thought he looked amazing. The beanie was lying on the floor and Suhoon guessed Jihwan probably had to remove it when he was getting changed.
“So … what do you think hyung? Does it look weird?” Jihwan asked self-consciously. This was one of the outfits that Suhoon had chosen and wasn’t something the maknae normally wore.
Suhoon chuckled at the younger boy’s insecure feelings, it was kind of cute. “Of course it doesn’t look weird Jihwannie, it looks great. I knew my taste in clothing was good! Now go try on the others. I’m sure they’ll look just as good!”
Jihwan smiled at the compliment and uttered a thanks as he was pushed back into the changing room.
After trying on all the outfits, Jihwan settled on the first outfit he had tried on, plus another pair of dark jeans and three other t-shirts. Walking up the counter to pay for the clothes, Jihwan pulled out his wallet but was stopped by Suhoon who looked at him with a smile.
“It’s okay Jihwan, I’ll pay for these.”
Jihwan pouted. “But these are my clothes hyung, I should pay for my own clothes.”
As the sales assistant scanned the barcodes and placed the clothes into a bag, Suhoon replied, “It’s okay, as a leader I’ve never really bought you anything so just let me pay for these okay?”
Using the leader card always worked and as the sales assistant gave them the total price, Jihwan put his wallet away and Suhoon paid for the clothes.
“Thanks hyung,” Jihwan said as they walked out of the shop.
“You’re welcome dongsaeng,” Suhoon replied ruffling the boy’s hair.
It was then that Jihwan noticed he wasn’t wearing his beanie.
“Ahh,” he cried out, hand going immediately to the top of his head.
Suhoon smirked. “Looking for this?” he asked holding the beanie out that he’d been holding since they’d walked from the changing rooms to the cash register.
“Yahh!” Jihwan cried out as he tried to reach for the beanie. But Suhoon lifted his arm up and since Jihwan was shorter than him, he was unable to reach it.
“Hyunnggg,” Jihwan whined eventually giving up and opting instead to flip his hoodie over his head.
Suhoon sighed as he put the beanie into the bag of clothes and then flicked the hoodie off Jihwan’s head. “Leave it off Jihwan, who cares if people see your red hair.”
Jihwan looked up at Suhoon but then quickly looked back down again. “But hyung, it’s so bright and everyone’s going to look at me weirdly. They’ll look at you] weirdly because you’re with me.”
Suhoon cringed inwardly at the maknae’s thoughts. Jihwan was never self-conscious of his looks before. But ever since the stylists had dyed his hair red and given him a bunch of Mickey Mouse clothes and accessories to go with the cute image, Jihwan had started to get insecure of himself everywhere they went.
“Jihwan,” Suhoon called catching up to the maknae who’d decided to speed up his pace a little. “Jihwan,” he tried again, this time reaching out to grip the maknae’s arm and pull him to a stop.
Jihwan stood unmoving but refused to meet the leader’s eyes.
“Jihwan, look at me,” Suhoon commanded turning the boy around to face him. Jihwan turned but still kept his eyes lowered. He was being childish, he knew it, but he didn’t care. He was sick of everyone staring and pointing at his hair.
Sighing, Suhoon pulled the boy into a hug, surprising the latter in the process.
“Don’t worry about what people think of you okay? No one is born to treat others in a nice manner. No one in this world have an obligation to treat you or me or anyone else well. As long as you, your family and your friends know the real you, who cares what strangers think.”
Jihwan sighed before relaxing into the leader’s embrace as he nodded his head in agreement. “I’m sorry hyung, I just feel so insecure these days, I can't help it. I’ve been acting childish haven’t I?”
Suhoon only tightened his hold on the maknae before saying, “It’s okay, we all go through this stage of insecurity at least once in our lives.”
When they finally broke apart, Suhoon still kept an arm around Jihwan’s shoulders as they continued walking in a comfortable silence.
---
“So what did you think of the movie?” Suhoon asked as they settled down to eat at one of the cafes in the upper levels of the shopping centre.
“It was … okay,” Jihwan replied as he picked his chopsticks up. The movie didn’t end up being as good as he thought it’d be. It was one of those movies where it kept you guessing what happened to the main character in the end. Jihwan hated those types of endings.
“Maybe we should’ve watched some comedy movie instead,” Suhoon suggested as he dug into his food.
“No no it was fine,” Jihwan said quickly, afraid that Suhoon was feeling bad over it. “It was good, it’s just I didn’t like the ending.”
“Oh I see,” Suhoon nodded in understanding. “I know what you mean. The ending sort of annoyed me too. I would like to think the main character survived, but then on the other hand, they didn’t really confirm it.”
“I know right,” Jihwan exclaimed as he poked at his food. It might seem like a small matter for everyone else, but it really irked him whenever he watched movies like that.
Deciding to change the topic to get his mind off it, Jihwan asked, “So where should we go next hyung?”
They had already walked most of the levels in the building before going to watch the movie and Jihwan was starting to feel a bit tired. He was even tempted to doze off during the movie if not for Suhoon there beside him commenting on the movie every now and then.
“Hmm we should probably head back after this. Although today’s a day off for us, manager-hyung still doesn’t want us to stay out for too long I think.”
Jihwan nodded his head in agreement and they continued to eat in a comfortable silence.
As they were heading back down to the entrance of the shopping centre each with a cup of Starbucks chocolate mocha frappucino in hand, Suhoon suddenly stopped at the side at the escalators that would lead them to the ground floor before turning around.
“Hmm hyung? What’s the matter?” Jihwan asked.
“Umm … I think I left my phone back at the café,” Suhoon said as he handed his drink to Jihwan. “Hold this for me, I’ll be back in a few minutes. Just wait for me over there at the bench,” Suhoon gestured towards a bench just a few meters away and stepped back on the escalators before Jihwan could even utter a word of protest.
Frowning, Jihwan went over to the bench and sat down, hoping Suhoon’s phone was still there at the café.
---
As soon as he reached the upper level and was out of sight from Jihwan, Suhoon quickly turned in the direction of the jewellery shop he had noticed on their way down before. Quickly entering the shop, Suhoon went over to a sales assistant and asked to see the piece of jewellery that was on display on the window that had caught his eye earlier.
Smiling, the assistant walked around the counter to retrieve the piece of jewellery to place in front of Suhoon. Lifting the bracelet from its case, Suhoon smiled as he imagined how beautiful it would look around a certain someone’s wrist.
I’ll take this one,” Suhoon said as he placed the bracelet back and took his wallet out. The sales assistant smiled and went to the back of the store to bring him out a new one and after checking that there were no scratches on it, Suhoon paid for it thanking the sales assistant once again as he made his way out.
Putting the gift away in his bag, Suhoon then quickly walked back to the escalators, pulling his phone out on the way. When he stepped off the escalators he saw Jihwan sitting on the bench with a distant look on his face.
Taking a seat beside the boy, Suhoon slipped his drink out of Jihwan’s grip and took a long sip.
“Hyung! Did you find your phone?” Jihwan asked turning around in surprise.
Suhoon lifted up his hand that was holding the phone. “Yeah, one of the waiters saw my phone and kept it for me.”
“Ooh lucky,” Jihwan replied.
Smiling, Suhoon stood up and together they made their way out of the shopping centre and to the bus stop. There was still another ten minutes until the next bus arrived so they finished their drinks quickly and by the time the bus arrived, they had discarded their drinks in the bin.
When they were about two stops off from their destination, Suhoon signalled for the bus to stop and quickly got off, tugging on Jihwan to follow him. Confused at what his leader was up to, Jihwan frowned before quickly stepping off the bus lest he get left behind.
“Where are we going hyung?” Jihwan asked, voice laced with curiosity.
“Hmm? Oh I feel like taking a walk around the park before heading back,” Suhoon replied as he took a hold of Jihwan’s hand to pull him into step with him.
“Oh okay,” Jihwan replied. Looking around, he saw there weren’t many people in the park. Just a family near the playground and a few elderly couples taking a stroll. It actually felt quite relaxing and Jihwan smiled despite the fact that his legs were starting to ache from all the walking around they did previously.
As they neared the fountain in the middle of the park Suhoon tugged on Jihwan’s hand and pulled him to a stop. Reaching into his bag, Suhoon pulled out the box he had purchased from the jewellery shop earlier before opening it up and presenting the piece of jewellery inside to Jihwan.
Jihwan gasped as his eyes locked on the contents in the box. “I-Is this for me hyung?”
Suhoon nodded and lifted the silver bracelet (bracelet) out of the box. Placing the box back in his bag, Suhoon then unclasped the bracelet and put it around Jihwan’s wrist. After securing the bracelet together Suhoon looked into Jihwan’s eyes before asking, “Do you like it?”
“I-I do hyung, it’s beautiful. I love it! Thank you so much. But why?” Jihwan asked still confused.
Smiling Suhoon took a seat by the fountain and tugged on Jihwan to follow suit.
“You’ve been so unhappy lately because you think people are treating you like a kid. So I bought you something grown up to show you that I think you’re a very fine young man. Besides you did mention earlier this morning that you wanted jewellery too as a gift.”
Jihwan blushed and berated himself inside for blurting out stupid things. “But you’ve already done more than enough hyung. You spent the whole day with me, paying for my clothes, the movie and even lunch. You didn’t have to buy this.”
Suhoon chuckled at the maknae’s words. Even though on the outside Jihwan was protesting, Suhoon could tell that on the inside Jihwan was really happy and he was once again glad that he had gone back at the last minute to buy the bracelet.
“It’s okay Jihwan,” Suhoon said reassuring the boy again. “Besides lately I’ve hardly been spending any one-on-one time with you due to our schedules, so maybe you can think of this as a gift of apology too to make up the for all the lost time. Just don’t tell the others I got you this gift or else they’ll all whine and complain about why I didn’t get them anything.”
Jihwan smiled, he supposed that was a good enough reason. Fingering the bracelet on his wrist, Jihwan whispered, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell them. Thanks hyung … for everything.”
Wrapping an arm around the younger boy, Suhoon smiled and said, “You’re welcome Jihwan.”
--
Later that night when their manager announced they were going to go out for dinner, Jihwan changed into the outfit Suhoon had picked out earlier for him at the shops and smiled at his reflection in the full length mirror in his room. Picking up the bracelet on the dresser beside him, Jihwan wound it around his wrist before clasping the ends together.
Glancing at the beanie that was in the bag from where Suhoon had put it in back at the shops, Jihwan reached a hand into the bag to grab it before pausing mid-action. He thought back to Suhoon’s words back in the shopping centre and smiled as he pulled his hand back, leaving the beanie lying in the bag.
Checking his reflection one last time, Jihwan stepped out of his room to join the others in the living room. As all eyes turned in his direction, Jihwan bit his lip and tried to fight off the nervous feelings that were trying to surface.
Hyunmin grinned and said, “Nice clothes Jihwan, you should wear this kind of style more often.”
Injun just stared at Jihwan’s legs which were clad in the black skinnies while Hyunchul embraced the younger boy in a hug. “Wow you look so grown up in these clothes Jihwannie.”
Jihwan’s face was beaming with joy and he glanced over to Suhoon who just smiled at him in return.
“Oh?” Hyunchul exclaimed as he gripped Jihwan’s wrist in one hand while he traced the bracelet on it with his other hand. “When did you get this Jihwan? Did you buy this yourself or was it a gift?"
Jihwan grinned eyes meeting Suhoon’s before saying, “I got it today, it was from a fan.”
- End -
@Yutong: If you read this here, again I’m so sorry for delaying this fic for so long T____T hope you like this =] and thanks for inspiring this idea (even though you weren't really aware of it at the time) hahahaha XD I love our serious discussions on the boys ^^ I promise I'll have the other SuHwan fics finsihed soon >< ILY :D
A/N: Wow I think this is my first fic where there wasn’t any relationships LOL just bffs maybe? This fic was inspired by Yuutong and sort of by her fic Fire Engine. I personally liked Jihwan wearing the Mickey Mouse accessories, but then on the other hand, what if he had wanted a more mature image? This fic just gives us a different point of view in things, hope no one got offended LOL ~
Comments and feedback as usual will be greatly appreciated ^__________^ ♥