iss 2011: for tokidoki_sama
To: tokidoki_sama
From: Your Secret Santa
Title: Dust (as in, Earth plus Wind)
Pairing/Focus: Sunggyu/Woohyun
Rating: PG
Word count: 5,000+
Summary: Woohyun the college student moves into the apartment across from Sunggyu’s, serious, uptight, office worker Sunggyu, who is irritated by Woohyun from the get-go.
…..
Beep, beep, beep.
Beep, beep, beep.
A groan. Sunlight is starting to flood the room from the window by the queen sized bed, livening up the usual paleness of the off-white walls, and though the figure inside the cocoon of red sheets currently slapping at the alarm clock in attempts to quiet it down has never been very sensitive to light, he’s far too responsive to sound, especially when asleep.
Beep, beep, be-
He manages to hit the off button dead on, effectively silencing the alarm. Another groan is heard before the figure disentangles himself from the mess of sheets and gets out of bed, sleep still evident in his practically shut eyes and languid movements.
A third groan.
Kim Sunggyu is an average, plain young man who leads an average, plain life. This life revolves around the concept of routine, day in and day out. He wakes up to an empty apartment and a steaming cup of Italian roast coffee, which he programs the machine every night to have prepared for the next morning. He takes a quick shower and attempts to tame his hair before he’s out the door, headed for work. Usually, with time to kill, he stops by the café next door, where he grabs breakfast and an extra cup of coffee, for a boost. His regularity has acquainted him with the morning shift baristas, Lee Sungyeol and Kim Myungsoo, who have, over time, become his closest friends.
At the office, Sunggyu works a mundane job - he’s the secretary, but he doesn’t like declaring so himself. He answers the phone, takes messages and files whatever paperwork he finds on his desk after updating the database through his computer. He doesn’t remember exactly how long he has been here for - it can’t have been too long - nor does he want to stay here much longer. But Sunggyu knows the steady income it provides him with, a paid rent and a comfortable lifestyle, is enough to keep him from complaining too seriously. His degree in songwriting exists forgotten in the business world, where he hasn’t been able to find a more appropriate job.
Lunch is an equally humdrum event. Sunggyu heads down to the cafeteria and grabs whatever is on the menu for that day, perpetually unfazed by the lack of options. His coworkers lead separate lives - lives in which they have someone to eat lunch with - so Sunggyu eats lunch alone, always at the corner table by the windows. He takes this time to disconnect, to think entirely about nothing, and just eats.
When work is over and Sunggyu has reached his apartment building, he exits the elevator at the top floor with tentative steps, playing with the notions of missing and more and, sometimes, what if. He comes to a stop before his apartment door, often staring at the one directly in front of his. He has practically lived on this floor by himself since he moved here some years back, the only other apartment occupied being the one next to the elevator by an elderly lady who never really shows signs of life. Every now and then, Sunggyu lets himself think that it gets lonely, not having neighbors to liven up the floor and coincide with on the elevator rides, to share possessions with in times of immediate needs and invite for dinner periodically.
But then he’s locked up in his apartment again, cooking up an attempt of a healthy dinner and eating as he watches the news, if only to fill the silence. When he’s done and everything has been cleaned up, he sits by the window at his workstation, overlooking the endless span of the night lit city. Composing music fits into his routine, but the actual process is the only time during the day in which Sunggyu allows himself to break free from it. He never sticks to the same beat, never relies on the same melody, and never writes the same lyrics. He plays with the endless possibilities, provides for his needs and changes tracks to better suit his wants.
It’s the only situation in which Sunggyu loses track of time, hunched over provisional lyrics to his latest song or strumming his fingers along the guitar strings, cleaning up beats on the computer or adding momentum with the synthesizer. He goes to bed at an ungodly hour every night, eventually withdrawing from his trance to check out the time. Sunggyu never regrets it, though, nor does he feel the need to perfectly shape this aspect of his routine, for he always catches up on sleep during the weekends, when he lazes around and does as he pleases - which rarely includes going out.
…..
Today is one of those rare weekend days in which Sunggyu leaves the confines of his apartment, forced by a worrisome lack of toilet paper and dairy products to go shopping. He takes his time but moves at a gingerly pace, ignoring unneeded products altogether. He’s out of the convenience store and nearing his apartment building in a relatively short time, as per usual.
He’s fixing his grip on his reusable shopping bag - Sunggyu doesn’t believe in much, but he definitely believes in recycling - when he spots his third floor neighbor and good friend, Lee Sungjong, heading out of the apartment building with his customary jaunty step.
“Hey, Sungjong,” Sunggyu greets, and said boy bounds over.
“Oh, hey hyung! How are you? I haven’t seen you in forever!”
Sungjong is wearing a hoodie too bright in color for Sunggyu’s taste, and his light-wash jeans fit his skinny legs like a second skin. He’s sincerely interested in Sunggyu’s wellbeing, and the concern in his voice is genuine. Sungjong is everything Sunggyu is most definitely not, and he admires that.
“I’m alright, I guess. I’ve been spending a bit more time than usual composing lately…” Sunggyu trails off, scratching at the side of his face, and Sungjong lets out a hearty laugh.
“More time than usual? That can’t be healthy, hyung. You should come over sometime! Or, actually… maybe I should come over. I haven’t heard any of your stuff since that last song about, um-”
Sunggyu heaves an internal sigh, but only attempts a smile for Sungjong. His songs are never really about anything other than the monotony that fills his life, and attempts at remembering what his last love felt like, or his last heartbreak. But what is Sunggyu to do about that?
“Uh… do you want to come up now? I mean, you know I’m not up to anything.”
Sungjong’s features immediately turn apologetic. “But I kind of am. I promised my research group we’d visit the museum of Korean history today, since I always seem to be the one backing out of plans last minute…” He giggles in an attempt to sound regretful, but Sunggyu cracks an intuitive smile this time - he knows Sungjong better than to fall for that. “But I’ll be free tomorrow! Can I invite myself over for dinner then?”
Sunggyu doesn’t ever resign to accepting, because there’s no saying no to Sungjong. There is only saying yes and instantly being rewarded with the wide grin that brightens up his already vivid, beautiful face, all glee and mirth and, um, rainbows, Sunggyu often thinks.
“Of course,” Sunggyu says, laughing softly at the scheduled grin that ensues. “I’ll try to make something good for you.”
Sungjong is beaming, patting Sunggyu’s arm affectionately. “Thanks hyung, but now I gotta run! I’ll see you tomorrow!”
And as Sungjong is skipping away, bright hoodie disappearing around the corner, Sunggyu raises his hand in a light wave, shaking his head fondly. “Bye Sungjong-ah…”
…..
Ding.
The elevator reaches the top floor, and Sunggyu steps out, still submerged in his own world.
He bought everything he needed, but, if Sungjong is going to come over for dinner the next day, and Sunggyu promised him something good, then he is most definitely going to have to return to the convenience store and stock up on pasta, or beef, or chicken, and maybe even that red bean ice cream carton that Sungjong really likes. It’s not like he even promised Sungjong he would make something good for dinner - he didn’t - but there was just something about the younger boy that made you want to try your best for him, every time, even if it meant slaving over dinner, and Sunggyu was sure-
“Huh?”
Sunggyu’s foot collides with a solid object, sending it sliding a few feet away until it collides with another object of its kind. Confused, he emerges all at once, looking down, and then looking straight ahead.
There are boxes of various sizes scattered all along the hallway, from the elevator door to Sunggyu’s apartment door, where they are stacked in piles that almost reach the ceiling. Sunggyu’s confusion only grows for a couple of seconds before it dawns on him that someone must, finally, be moving into the apartment right across from his, after years of it being vacant.
He feels excitement bubble up in his chest as he walks forward with curious steps, all plans for Sungjong’s dinner forgotten. The door across from his is slightly ajar, a bright light pouring out through the opening into the much dimmer hallway. Sunggyu takes a peek as he stops right in front, but is unable to see much more than a white wall and more boxes. He strains his senses, but he can’t hear a sound - no distinct voices, no sign of movement. Sunggyu’s confusion is back, but he feels too intrusive to give the matter much more dedication, fishing his keys out from his back pocket and making to turn around.
Well, it was his intention to turn around and unlock his door before the one on the opposite wall slams open all the way and a young man with the most dazzling smile Sunggyu has ever seen bounces out, hair well done, pullover crisp clean, and jeans perfectly fit. Sunggyu is a bit struck, to say the least. He doesn’t know what he was expecting when he imagined who his new neighbors could be, but he certainly didn’t expect a man around his age, probably younger, with impossibly handsome facial features and a surprisingly thin frame to match. Sunggyu has a second to wonder whether his new neighbor came alone, with a roommate - perhaps his girlfriend - or maybe even his parents, when said person opens his mouth and somewhere in the world, possibly in a parallel universe, metaphorically, a dam breaks loose.
“Hi! Do you live here? You must live here, right? What a silly question…well, yeah, hi! I’m Woohyun! Nam Woohyun. I’m your new neighbor! I just got these guys to help me bring up all my stuff really quickly, I’ve barely been here for ten minutes!”
The man - Woohyun, Sunggyu notes, repeating the name in his head, and doing so several times - lets out a startling laugh, deep and somewhat raspy with an indescribable edge, his head rolling back slightly. Sunggyu stays rooted in his spot. He’s a bit stunned. He doesn’t know whether it’s the blinding smile or the engrossing laughter, but something is overwhelming Sunggyu. He decides on the man’s irritating monologue because, frankly, Sunggyu didn’t even ask for an introduction.
“And now I have all this stuff to bring in and unpack, and I’m gonna be going at it forever!” A dramatic sigh, and Sunggyu takes the pause to wonder when Woohyun will stop talking. “And thank Sundays I don’t have any classes tomorrow, right? It would suck to have to go to class after a late night of unpacking.” Another laugh, and this time Sunggyu finds it obnoxious. He’s starting to get annoyed, and Woohyun doesn’t seem to be picking up on it.
“Anyway, what’s your name?” Woohyun finally asks, fixing his gaze on Sunggyu’s slightly hardened one.
Sunggyu forces an awkward smile, his irritation growing by the second, rendering him unable to detect the genuine interest in the other’s kind eyes, and he replies with a curt “Sunggyu.” He drops the smile to stare back monotonously, and then Woohyun seems to falter. At last, Sunggyu thinks.
“Sunggyu…” Woohyun’s vocals linger on his name, testing it.
“Kim Sunggyu.”
Woohyun’s uncertainty seems to be growing, and Sunggyu feels remotely pleased. He doesn’t want to be rude, but if this is the tactic to avoiding conversation with the annoying new neighbor, then so be it.
“Oh. Okay. Are you my… I mean, I’m 21, I don’t know if I should-”
Sunggyu suppresses the instinct to roll his eyes. Is Woohyun always this irritating? Maybe I’m just on edge today, Sunggyu thinks. “I’m your hyung, so you can start addressing me as such... I guess. And I have to go now. I’m… busy. Right, I’m busy. Bye.”
He doesn’t even spare Woohyun a glance as he turns abruptly and lets himself into his own apartment, slamming the door shut on the man with the dejected eyes.
“Well, nice to meet you, hyung…”
…..
That night, Sunggyu is forced to skip out on composing entirely.
When he sits down to work on his latest song, he draws a blank. His fingers won’t move over the keys, his mind won’t come up with the words. It’s frustration - Sunggyu knows - and it frustrates him further. He never comes out of composing empty handed, never without a new verse or, at least, a revised line.
Never, unless something outside of his composing is frustrating him personally. Something outside of his cocoon, outside of his routine.
That night, Sunggyu dreams of a hazy smile and a crinkle of unfamiliar eyes.
…..
When Sunggyu leaves his apartment the next morning, there are still a considerable number of boxes littering the hallway. Sunggyu snorts, making his way through to the elevator. He wonders what the hell Woohyun did all day yesterday to still manage to leave that many boxes out in the hallway, unprotected from sketchy neighbors. Like the ones on the floor below them, Sunggyu thinks.
He gives Woohyun a lot more thought as he heads to the convenience store, running in circles around the adjective annoying and the adverb infuriatingly and subconsciously taking detours to what a beautiful smile, though before checking himself and running back on track.
Sunggyu ends up buying more food than he planned on, strolling through the aisles with unusual care. He buys Sungjong three different flavors of ice cream, takes frozen packages of both beef and chicken, and even backtracks to grab a bag of rice cakes, feeling the need to make some ddeokbokki. He’s about to chuck two cartons of ice cream and the bag of rice cakes off to the side, when he pictures Sungjong’s smiling face and remembers how much the younger likes it when Sunggyu makes ddeokbokki.
Back at the apartment building, Sunggyu steps out of the elevator, reusable shopping bag heavy in his hand, when he notices the hallway of his floor is now empty, as clean as it was before he came across this Woohyun character. He lets out a noise of surprise, unable to believe his new neighbor - Woohyun’s really his neighbor now, isn’t he - moved all of the boxes inside in the short time it took Sunggyu to go shopping for today’s dinner. Reaching his own door, he rolls his eyes at the sound of Woohyun’s distinct laughter floating through the cracks. There’s a second, much more muffled voice and Sunggyu instantly knows Woohyun has coaxed someone into helping him out.
He proceeds to actively put much effort into not thinking about Woohyun as he lets himself into his apartment, puts the groceries away, and starts tidying up the living room in an effort to make Sungjong think he has much higher standards than he actually does. Sungjong knows him better, but Sunggyu tries anyway.
…..
Sunggyu hasn’t even set the table when he hears knocking at his door - a telltale sign that it’s Sungjong because, while others will use the doorbell, Sungjong prefers to knock. Sunggyu leaves the rice cakes boiling and heads to the door, opening it with his usual smile.
Except that usual smile was usually reserved for Sungjong, and not his irritating new neighbor, who happens to be standing next to Sungjong, a small, cautious smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Woohyun,” Sunggyu deadpans, shooting Sungjong an accusing glance.
“Hyung, why are you giving me that look?” Sungjong asks, scrunching his nose in response and pushing his way inside past Sunggyu, leading Woohyun by a firm grip on the wrist. Woohyun seems rather skeptical and ducks his head as soon as Sunggyu’s gaze is on him again. Sunggyu snorts to himself, following the pair as they make their way to the couch with his eyes.
Sungjong, ever so intuitive, responds before Sunggyu even has to ask the question. “I came to see you this morning, but you were out somewhere, right? And then I met Woohyun when he came out to bring in his boxes, so I decided to help him out!”
Sungjong turns to send Woohyun one of his trademark blinding smiles and Sunggyu swears he feels his blood start to boil. Which reminds him of the rice cakes, which he scrambles to check on.
“Isn’t he nice, hyung? He goes to the same college I do, but he’s in his last year. We talked so much, it ended up getting really late! He wanted to invite me for dinner as thanks, but I thought it would be a better idea to just bring him over since he told me you two had already met. You don’t mind, right?”
Sunggyu pauses in stirring and looks back to his couch, where Sungjong is now directing the trademark blinding smile at him, and Woohyun is raising a cautious eyebrow. Sunggyu swears he sees a glimmer of hope in those crinkly eyes, but it sounds really ridiculous. He snorts to himself for the millionth time that day.
“We could be really good friends!” Sungjong exclaims, standing up from the couch.
Sunggyu wants to express otherwise, but he needs to drain the rice cakes, and keeps his protests to himself, more for Sungjong than Woohyun.
“You’re being awfully rude tonight, hyung. Haven’t you met Woohyun already? Do you need help?” Sungjong is already at his side, worrisome tone in place, and Sunggyu can’t find it in himself to hold a grudge against Sungjong, his little Sungjong, because of Woohyun, irritating Woohyun.
He sighs. “No, I just… I have a lot on my mind, Sungjong. I’m sorry.” Sunggyu glances back in the direction of the couch, where Woohyun is standing, looking rather uncomfortable. Sunggyu thinks he should feel bad. He turns back to Sungjong. “If you can set the table, I’ll finish dinner in a bit… there’s enough food for three.”
Sungjong beams at this and tells Woohyun to sit back down as he goes about setting the table, already familiar with the location of everything. Sunggyu begins heating up the chicken dish he had prepared earlier on and resigns himself to pouring the rice cakes in the sauce when Sungjong suddenly squeals, making Sunggyu almost lose his grip on the colander.
“I forgot to bring the sweets my mom made yesterday for you!” Sunggyu sets the colander down and turns to see Sungjong bearing an almost comical expression, hands on his head. “I don’t even have my phone on me! I spent so much time with Woohyun, I didn’t even go back home to get my stuff. I’ll be right back!”
Sungjong is already halfway out his door when Sunggyu realizes he’ll be left alone with Woohyun, again. He makes to stop Sungjong, but he doesn’t really know what to say.
Sungjong pokes his head in before closing the door, all smiles and rainbows. “Woohyun, can you finish setting the table? I’ll be right back, hyung!” And with that, he closes the door, leaving Sunggyu in his apartment, with Woohyun, alone.
He stares at the closed door for a while before he decides to pick the colander back up and resolutely ignore Woohyun. That is, until Woohyun tries to engage him in conversation.
“Hey, you compose music?”
Sunggyu can pick up the excitement in his voice. He’s surprised by the question, but only gives a noncommittal grunt in response, not bothering to turn around as he finishes working on the food.
Woohyun, who had caught sight of Sunggyu’s makeshift studio in the corner of the living room, is discouraged by the lack of response, but Sunggyu doesn’t see it. He makes his way to the corner, inspecting the equipment and sneaking glances at the messy lyrics scribbled on papers covering the desk, the keyboard, and even the chair.
“You even write your own lyrics?” Woohyun asks more out of desire for conversation than actual surprise, for it is quite obvious that Sunggyu does, indeed, write his own lyrics.
The surprise, however, is written all over Sunggyu’s face when he snaps his head back to shoot Woohyun a wary glance, not having expected his interest in such a touchy subject.
“Look, could you…not?” He speaks, voice snappy. Woohyun looks confused, and Sunggyu frowns, turning around. “It’s kind of personal, you know? I don’t like it when others read my lyrics or… just, ask about my compositions.”
Woohyun mirrors his frown, stepping away from the equipment in caution. “I just asked because I like writing, too,” he says, in a solemn and raspy tone that tugs strangely at Sunggyu’s chest. “I don’t know why we got off on the wrong foot yesterday, Sunggyu. You… don’t seem to like me very much. But I just want to get along. You seem interesting, and I just want to be friends.”
Sunggyu doesn’t know what to say to that. Suddenly, he feels at fault, rather silly and immature. Woohyun is back to looking hopeful, but Sungjong bursts back into the apartment before Sunggyu can say any more.
“Here we go!” Sungjong exclaims, setting a platter of colorful pastries on the counter. He turns to the table and, finding it exactly as he left it, sends Woohyun a questioning glare. “Hey, you didn’t even finish setting the table! What did you even do, hyung?”
It’s not as much of a question as it is a conversation starter, and Woohyun gives Sunggyu one last inquisitive glance before he walks to the table, where Sungjong is setting the table.
Sunggyu sighs inaudibly, shuffling back to the stove. The situation with Woohyun had gone from irritating to irritatingly confusing, and the only word that ever makes sense around Woohyun is irritating.
…..
Dinner ends up being a surprisingly smooth ordeal. Sungjong asks enough questions to keep awkward silences at bay, alternating between Sunggyu and Woohyun to prevent them from asking prying questions to each other.
Sunggyu learns through Sungjong’s questions that Woohyun is majoring in nutrition, and is actually very picky about the foods he eats, but ends up devouring every portion of Sunggyu’s cooking that is served on his plate by Sungjong. Woohyun looks mildly surprised when Sungjong asks Sunggyu about his office job but, as if by an unspoken rule, doesn’t comment on it. Sunggyu starts getting the right hang of Woohyun, and part of him is glad Sungjong auto-invited him for dinner.
Things only start to get turbulent again once dinner is over and Sungjong, finishing the last of his ice cream - he ended up having all three flavors - asks Sunggyu about the latest song he has been composing. Sunggyu, who had been staring at Woohyun as he played with the empty carton of green tea ice cream, sees the other tense, carefully lifting his head to meet Sunggyu’s gaze.
Sunggyu breaks, having waged a quick battle inside his head. He decides sharing his music with Woohyun (Sungjong in Woohyun’s presence and, therefore, Woohyun) can serve both as an apology and as bonding material, a common ground to start over with.
“I guess I could show you guys…” he mumbles.
Sungjong quits licking his spoon in favor of squealing in delight. “Go on then!”
Woohyun keeps quiet, but bares a small smile. Sunggyu feels a tugging at his lips, but stands up abruptly, heading to the corner of the living room, where his makeshift studio is settled. During the quiet small talk Sungjong makes with Woohyun while Sunggyu turns on his computer and checks through his files, he thinks of Woohyun and the side he presented of himself tonight, a quiet, intriguing side of Woohyun.
Either Sunggyu spends too much time thinking about Woohyun or he has too many files to rummage through, because suddenly Sungjong is whining into his cellphone, standing up from the table and directing apologetic glances towards Sunggyu, who stares on dumbly.
“What’s up?” he asks Sungjong once the younger hangs up.
Sungjong scoffs. “Mom says I need to take Tofu out for a walk before they go to bed, so she wants me to go back down now.” He rolls his eyes, turning to wave at Woohyun.
“Wait, you’re leaving then?”
Laughter. “Yeah, hyung. I’m sorry. I’ll be up again as soon as possible to listen to your stuff. See you later, then!”
Sunggyu stares after Sungjong until the door has closed. He then turns his eyes to Woohyun, who’s taken to cleaning up the table by mounting dishes together and piling the utensils on the top.
“Woohyun, hey,” Sunggyu says, voice much warmer and steady. Woohyun looks up, and Sunggyu returns the slight smile he had received earlier. “Just leave that. Come here.” He motions to the empty seat next to his, the one he usually uses to leave all his lyrics on. Woohyun makes his way without hesitation, without a word, eager to be let into Sunggyu’s private world of composition.
In a surprisingly bold move, Sunggyu starts playing the track he had been working on the day before, the one he had felt too frustrated to continue working on. He then shoves a particularly crumpled piece of paper into Woohyun’s hands, and proceeds to look away.
The music plays out of the small speakers, and Sunggyu focuses his attention on a profoundly interesting misplaced thread of his sweater. He can hear Woohyun tapping his fingers on his thigh to the beat, and imagines he’s following along with the lyrics. The provisional song ends and Sunggyu lets the silence take over, scared of what the other’s response may be.
“What made you change your mind?” Woohyun asks, voice soft and respectful.
“Huh?” Sunggyu asks dumbly, turning to Woohyun. Woohyun is smiling, and Sunggyu gets it. “Well, you were right… I was unfair to you, wasn’t I? I don’t know what came over me yesterday. You seem… incredibly nice, and really… sweet?”
Woohyun’s eyes widen a fraction and Sunggyu regrets his words immediately.
“I mean, like, it was just irritating. You came off a bit irritating, and it rubbed me the wrong way. But I was wrong, I know. And I’m sorry. So I guess letting you into my most private of possessions is as good an apology as I have…” he trails off, rather pathetically in his own opinion, but when he looks back at Woohyun again, his smile is sort of infectious.
“I really liked it,” he says, eyes crinkled.
“What?” Sunggyu asks just as dumbly.
“The lyrics seem a bit superficial, but the music is where it’s all at. It’s fresh and emotional. I think if you just gave your lyrics a bit more depth to match the music, you’d have a work of art here.”
“Oh,” Sunggyu says, staring at the paper in Woohyun’s hands. He takes notice of all the creases and folds in the fingers, and suddenly feels inspired.
“If you want,” Woohyun starts, waiting to catch Sunggyu’s gaze with his own inviting one, “I could help you out with that. I’m not the best at composing music, but I’ve been told I’m a natural when it comes to writing heartfelt lyrics.”
Sunggyu holds the gaze, willing to grow accustomed to it.
“How about it, Sunggyu?”
Sunggyu smiles, and Woohyun follows suit. “Yeah,” he whispers, “that’d be nice.”
…..
Not even a full week passes before Sunggyu can safely admit that the mundane ordeal he was used to having his life be turns into a much more exciting string of occurrances.
Woohyun texts him during lunch, having acquire his phone number from Sungjong, and asks how his song is going, after having showered him with tips and pointers the night before.
Woohyun is then waiting for him the next morning as Sunggyu steps out of his apartment to go to work, and walks with him to the café, where he orders a caramel macchiato and introduces himself to Sungyeol and Myungsoo. The baristas send playful smiles Sunggyu’s way when Woohyun walks away to grab some napkins, and Sunggyu can’t help but blush.
It all culminates with Woohyun being over in his apartment for dinner again, this time without Sungjong. Woohyun convinces Sunggyu to let him cook while Sunggyu sits in his corner, occasionally glancing up to observe Woohyun’s presence. He manages to write more lyrics in half an hour than he has in weeks, and when Woohyun calls him over to eat, he stares at the paper in satisfaction.
“Woah, woah, what is that face? Let me see what you wrote,” Woohyun says excitedly, scurrying over to Sunggyu’s side. The usual wave of shyness washes over Sunggyu, just like it does whenever he shares his work with Woohyun.
“Oh.” Woohyun looks a bit stunned, and Sunggyu feels his cheeks heat up. “Is this about-”
“Yeah,” Sunggyu says simply, cutting him off. “Yes.”
The lyrics were, indeed, about Woohyun. About the frustration, but mostly the intrigue and the following attraction. Subtle, but an expert writer like Woohyun would be able to pick up on it right away. He taught him the pointers, anyway.
“I.Wow.”
“Yeah,” Sunggyu agrees. “Hey, Woohyun?”
Woohyun looks up, eyes warm. “Yeah?”
“Thanks,” Sunggyu says before leaning in to plant a chaste kiss on the other’s lips.
From: Your Secret Santa
Title: Dust (as in, Earth plus Wind)
Pairing/Focus: Sunggyu/Woohyun
Rating: PG
Word count: 5,000+
Summary: Woohyun the college student moves into the apartment across from Sunggyu’s, serious, uptight, office worker Sunggyu, who is irritated by Woohyun from the get-go.
…..
Beep, beep, beep.
Beep, beep, beep.
A groan. Sunlight is starting to flood the room from the window by the queen sized bed, livening up the usual paleness of the off-white walls, and though the figure inside the cocoon of red sheets currently slapping at the alarm clock in attempts to quiet it down has never been very sensitive to light, he’s far too responsive to sound, especially when asleep.
Beep, beep, be-
He manages to hit the off button dead on, effectively silencing the alarm. Another groan is heard before the figure disentangles himself from the mess of sheets and gets out of bed, sleep still evident in his practically shut eyes and languid movements.
A third groan.
Kim Sunggyu is an average, plain young man who leads an average, plain life. This life revolves around the concept of routine, day in and day out. He wakes up to an empty apartment and a steaming cup of Italian roast coffee, which he programs the machine every night to have prepared for the next morning. He takes a quick shower and attempts to tame his hair before he’s out the door, headed for work. Usually, with time to kill, he stops by the café next door, where he grabs breakfast and an extra cup of coffee, for a boost. His regularity has acquainted him with the morning shift baristas, Lee Sungyeol and Kim Myungsoo, who have, over time, become his closest friends.
At the office, Sunggyu works a mundane job - he’s the secretary, but he doesn’t like declaring so himself. He answers the phone, takes messages and files whatever paperwork he finds on his desk after updating the database through his computer. He doesn’t remember exactly how long he has been here for - it can’t have been too long - nor does he want to stay here much longer. But Sunggyu knows the steady income it provides him with, a paid rent and a comfortable lifestyle, is enough to keep him from complaining too seriously. His degree in songwriting exists forgotten in the business world, where he hasn’t been able to find a more appropriate job.
Lunch is an equally humdrum event. Sunggyu heads down to the cafeteria and grabs whatever is on the menu for that day, perpetually unfazed by the lack of options. His coworkers lead separate lives - lives in which they have someone to eat lunch with - so Sunggyu eats lunch alone, always at the corner table by the windows. He takes this time to disconnect, to think entirely about nothing, and just eats.
When work is over and Sunggyu has reached his apartment building, he exits the elevator at the top floor with tentative steps, playing with the notions of missing and more and, sometimes, what if. He comes to a stop before his apartment door, often staring at the one directly in front of his. He has practically lived on this floor by himself since he moved here some years back, the only other apartment occupied being the one next to the elevator by an elderly lady who never really shows signs of life. Every now and then, Sunggyu lets himself think that it gets lonely, not having neighbors to liven up the floor and coincide with on the elevator rides, to share possessions with in times of immediate needs and invite for dinner periodically.
But then he’s locked up in his apartment again, cooking up an attempt of a healthy dinner and eating as he watches the news, if only to fill the silence. When he’s done and everything has been cleaned up, he sits by the window at his workstation, overlooking the endless span of the night lit city. Composing music fits into his routine, but the actual process is the only time during the day in which Sunggyu allows himself to break free from it. He never sticks to the same beat, never relies on the same melody, and never writes the same lyrics. He plays with the endless possibilities, provides for his needs and changes tracks to better suit his wants.
It’s the only situation in which Sunggyu loses track of time, hunched over provisional lyrics to his latest song or strumming his fingers along the guitar strings, cleaning up beats on the computer or adding momentum with the synthesizer. He goes to bed at an ungodly hour every night, eventually withdrawing from his trance to check out the time. Sunggyu never regrets it, though, nor does he feel the need to perfectly shape this aspect of his routine, for he always catches up on sleep during the weekends, when he lazes around and does as he pleases - which rarely includes going out.
…..
Today is one of those rare weekend days in which Sunggyu leaves the confines of his apartment, forced by a worrisome lack of toilet paper and dairy products to go shopping. He takes his time but moves at a gingerly pace, ignoring unneeded products altogether. He’s out of the convenience store and nearing his apartment building in a relatively short time, as per usual.
He’s fixing his grip on his reusable shopping bag - Sunggyu doesn’t believe in much, but he definitely believes in recycling - when he spots his third floor neighbor and good friend, Lee Sungjong, heading out of the apartment building with his customary jaunty step.
“Hey, Sungjong,” Sunggyu greets, and said boy bounds over.
“Oh, hey hyung! How are you? I haven’t seen you in forever!”
Sungjong is wearing a hoodie too bright in color for Sunggyu’s taste, and his light-wash jeans fit his skinny legs like a second skin. He’s sincerely interested in Sunggyu’s wellbeing, and the concern in his voice is genuine. Sungjong is everything Sunggyu is most definitely not, and he admires that.
“I’m alright, I guess. I’ve been spending a bit more time than usual composing lately…” Sunggyu trails off, scratching at the side of his face, and Sungjong lets out a hearty laugh.
“More time than usual? That can’t be healthy, hyung. You should come over sometime! Or, actually… maybe I should come over. I haven’t heard any of your stuff since that last song about, um-”
Sunggyu heaves an internal sigh, but only attempts a smile for Sungjong. His songs are never really about anything other than the monotony that fills his life, and attempts at remembering what his last love felt like, or his last heartbreak. But what is Sunggyu to do about that?
“Uh… do you want to come up now? I mean, you know I’m not up to anything.”
Sungjong’s features immediately turn apologetic. “But I kind of am. I promised my research group we’d visit the museum of Korean history today, since I always seem to be the one backing out of plans last minute…” He giggles in an attempt to sound regretful, but Sunggyu cracks an intuitive smile this time - he knows Sungjong better than to fall for that. “But I’ll be free tomorrow! Can I invite myself over for dinner then?”
Sunggyu doesn’t ever resign to accepting, because there’s no saying no to Sungjong. There is only saying yes and instantly being rewarded with the wide grin that brightens up his already vivid, beautiful face, all glee and mirth and, um, rainbows, Sunggyu often thinks.
“Of course,” Sunggyu says, laughing softly at the scheduled grin that ensues. “I’ll try to make something good for you.”
Sungjong is beaming, patting Sunggyu’s arm affectionately. “Thanks hyung, but now I gotta run! I’ll see you tomorrow!”
And as Sungjong is skipping away, bright hoodie disappearing around the corner, Sunggyu raises his hand in a light wave, shaking his head fondly. “Bye Sungjong-ah…”
…..
Ding.
The elevator reaches the top floor, and Sunggyu steps out, still submerged in his own world.
He bought everything he needed, but, if Sungjong is going to come over for dinner the next day, and Sunggyu promised him something good, then he is most definitely going to have to return to the convenience store and stock up on pasta, or beef, or chicken, and maybe even that red bean ice cream carton that Sungjong really likes. It’s not like he even promised Sungjong he would make something good for dinner - he didn’t - but there was just something about the younger boy that made you want to try your best for him, every time, even if it meant slaving over dinner, and Sunggyu was sure-
“Huh?”
Sunggyu’s foot collides with a solid object, sending it sliding a few feet away until it collides with another object of its kind. Confused, he emerges all at once, looking down, and then looking straight ahead.
There are boxes of various sizes scattered all along the hallway, from the elevator door to Sunggyu’s apartment door, where they are stacked in piles that almost reach the ceiling. Sunggyu’s confusion only grows for a couple of seconds before it dawns on him that someone must, finally, be moving into the apartment right across from his, after years of it being vacant.
He feels excitement bubble up in his chest as he walks forward with curious steps, all plans for Sungjong’s dinner forgotten. The door across from his is slightly ajar, a bright light pouring out through the opening into the much dimmer hallway. Sunggyu takes a peek as he stops right in front, but is unable to see much more than a white wall and more boxes. He strains his senses, but he can’t hear a sound - no distinct voices, no sign of movement. Sunggyu’s confusion is back, but he feels too intrusive to give the matter much more dedication, fishing his keys out from his back pocket and making to turn around.
Well, it was his intention to turn around and unlock his door before the one on the opposite wall slams open all the way and a young man with the most dazzling smile Sunggyu has ever seen bounces out, hair well done, pullover crisp clean, and jeans perfectly fit. Sunggyu is a bit struck, to say the least. He doesn’t know what he was expecting when he imagined who his new neighbors could be, but he certainly didn’t expect a man around his age, probably younger, with impossibly handsome facial features and a surprisingly thin frame to match. Sunggyu has a second to wonder whether his new neighbor came alone, with a roommate - perhaps his girlfriend - or maybe even his parents, when said person opens his mouth and somewhere in the world, possibly in a parallel universe, metaphorically, a dam breaks loose.
“Hi! Do you live here? You must live here, right? What a silly question…well, yeah, hi! I’m Woohyun! Nam Woohyun. I’m your new neighbor! I just got these guys to help me bring up all my stuff really quickly, I’ve barely been here for ten minutes!”
The man - Woohyun, Sunggyu notes, repeating the name in his head, and doing so several times - lets out a startling laugh, deep and somewhat raspy with an indescribable edge, his head rolling back slightly. Sunggyu stays rooted in his spot. He’s a bit stunned. He doesn’t know whether it’s the blinding smile or the engrossing laughter, but something is overwhelming Sunggyu. He decides on the man’s irritating monologue because, frankly, Sunggyu didn’t even ask for an introduction.
“And now I have all this stuff to bring in and unpack, and I’m gonna be going at it forever!” A dramatic sigh, and Sunggyu takes the pause to wonder when Woohyun will stop talking. “And thank Sundays I don’t have any classes tomorrow, right? It would suck to have to go to class after a late night of unpacking.” Another laugh, and this time Sunggyu finds it obnoxious. He’s starting to get annoyed, and Woohyun doesn’t seem to be picking up on it.
“Anyway, what’s your name?” Woohyun finally asks, fixing his gaze on Sunggyu’s slightly hardened one.
Sunggyu forces an awkward smile, his irritation growing by the second, rendering him unable to detect the genuine interest in the other’s kind eyes, and he replies with a curt “Sunggyu.” He drops the smile to stare back monotonously, and then Woohyun seems to falter. At last, Sunggyu thinks.
“Sunggyu…” Woohyun’s vocals linger on his name, testing it.
“Kim Sunggyu.”
Woohyun’s uncertainty seems to be growing, and Sunggyu feels remotely pleased. He doesn’t want to be rude, but if this is the tactic to avoiding conversation with the annoying new neighbor, then so be it.
“Oh. Okay. Are you my… I mean, I’m 21, I don’t know if I should-”
Sunggyu suppresses the instinct to roll his eyes. Is Woohyun always this irritating? Maybe I’m just on edge today, Sunggyu thinks. “I’m your hyung, so you can start addressing me as such... I guess. And I have to go now. I’m… busy. Right, I’m busy. Bye.”
He doesn’t even spare Woohyun a glance as he turns abruptly and lets himself into his own apartment, slamming the door shut on the man with the dejected eyes.
“Well, nice to meet you, hyung…”
…..
That night, Sunggyu is forced to skip out on composing entirely.
When he sits down to work on his latest song, he draws a blank. His fingers won’t move over the keys, his mind won’t come up with the words. It’s frustration - Sunggyu knows - and it frustrates him further. He never comes out of composing empty handed, never without a new verse or, at least, a revised line.
Never, unless something outside of his composing is frustrating him personally. Something outside of his cocoon, outside of his routine.
That night, Sunggyu dreams of a hazy smile and a crinkle of unfamiliar eyes.
…..
When Sunggyu leaves his apartment the next morning, there are still a considerable number of boxes littering the hallway. Sunggyu snorts, making his way through to the elevator. He wonders what the hell Woohyun did all day yesterday to still manage to leave that many boxes out in the hallway, unprotected from sketchy neighbors. Like the ones on the floor below them, Sunggyu thinks.
He gives Woohyun a lot more thought as he heads to the convenience store, running in circles around the adjective annoying and the adverb infuriatingly and subconsciously taking detours to what a beautiful smile, though before checking himself and running back on track.
Sunggyu ends up buying more food than he planned on, strolling through the aisles with unusual care. He buys Sungjong three different flavors of ice cream, takes frozen packages of both beef and chicken, and even backtracks to grab a bag of rice cakes, feeling the need to make some ddeokbokki. He’s about to chuck two cartons of ice cream and the bag of rice cakes off to the side, when he pictures Sungjong’s smiling face and remembers how much the younger likes it when Sunggyu makes ddeokbokki.
Back at the apartment building, Sunggyu steps out of the elevator, reusable shopping bag heavy in his hand, when he notices the hallway of his floor is now empty, as clean as it was before he came across this Woohyun character. He lets out a noise of surprise, unable to believe his new neighbor - Woohyun’s really his neighbor now, isn’t he - moved all of the boxes inside in the short time it took Sunggyu to go shopping for today’s dinner. Reaching his own door, he rolls his eyes at the sound of Woohyun’s distinct laughter floating through the cracks. There’s a second, much more muffled voice and Sunggyu instantly knows Woohyun has coaxed someone into helping him out.
He proceeds to actively put much effort into not thinking about Woohyun as he lets himself into his apartment, puts the groceries away, and starts tidying up the living room in an effort to make Sungjong think he has much higher standards than he actually does. Sungjong knows him better, but Sunggyu tries anyway.
…..
Sunggyu hasn’t even set the table when he hears knocking at his door - a telltale sign that it’s Sungjong because, while others will use the doorbell, Sungjong prefers to knock. Sunggyu leaves the rice cakes boiling and heads to the door, opening it with his usual smile.
Except that usual smile was usually reserved for Sungjong, and not his irritating new neighbor, who happens to be standing next to Sungjong, a small, cautious smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Woohyun,” Sunggyu deadpans, shooting Sungjong an accusing glance.
“Hyung, why are you giving me that look?” Sungjong asks, scrunching his nose in response and pushing his way inside past Sunggyu, leading Woohyun by a firm grip on the wrist. Woohyun seems rather skeptical and ducks his head as soon as Sunggyu’s gaze is on him again. Sunggyu snorts to himself, following the pair as they make their way to the couch with his eyes.
Sungjong, ever so intuitive, responds before Sunggyu even has to ask the question. “I came to see you this morning, but you were out somewhere, right? And then I met Woohyun when he came out to bring in his boxes, so I decided to help him out!”
Sungjong turns to send Woohyun one of his trademark blinding smiles and Sunggyu swears he feels his blood start to boil. Which reminds him of the rice cakes, which he scrambles to check on.
“Isn’t he nice, hyung? He goes to the same college I do, but he’s in his last year. We talked so much, it ended up getting really late! He wanted to invite me for dinner as thanks, but I thought it would be a better idea to just bring him over since he told me you two had already met. You don’t mind, right?”
Sunggyu pauses in stirring and looks back to his couch, where Sungjong is now directing the trademark blinding smile at him, and Woohyun is raising a cautious eyebrow. Sunggyu swears he sees a glimmer of hope in those crinkly eyes, but it sounds really ridiculous. He snorts to himself for the millionth time that day.
“We could be really good friends!” Sungjong exclaims, standing up from the couch.
Sunggyu wants to express otherwise, but he needs to drain the rice cakes, and keeps his protests to himself, more for Sungjong than Woohyun.
“You’re being awfully rude tonight, hyung. Haven’t you met Woohyun already? Do you need help?” Sungjong is already at his side, worrisome tone in place, and Sunggyu can’t find it in himself to hold a grudge against Sungjong, his little Sungjong, because of Woohyun, irritating Woohyun.
He sighs. “No, I just… I have a lot on my mind, Sungjong. I’m sorry.” Sunggyu glances back in the direction of the couch, where Woohyun is standing, looking rather uncomfortable. Sunggyu thinks he should feel bad. He turns back to Sungjong. “If you can set the table, I’ll finish dinner in a bit… there’s enough food for three.”
Sungjong beams at this and tells Woohyun to sit back down as he goes about setting the table, already familiar with the location of everything. Sunggyu begins heating up the chicken dish he had prepared earlier on and resigns himself to pouring the rice cakes in the sauce when Sungjong suddenly squeals, making Sunggyu almost lose his grip on the colander.
“I forgot to bring the sweets my mom made yesterday for you!” Sunggyu sets the colander down and turns to see Sungjong bearing an almost comical expression, hands on his head. “I don’t even have my phone on me! I spent so much time with Woohyun, I didn’t even go back home to get my stuff. I’ll be right back!”
Sungjong is already halfway out his door when Sunggyu realizes he’ll be left alone with Woohyun, again. He makes to stop Sungjong, but he doesn’t really know what to say.
Sungjong pokes his head in before closing the door, all smiles and rainbows. “Woohyun, can you finish setting the table? I’ll be right back, hyung!” And with that, he closes the door, leaving Sunggyu in his apartment, with Woohyun, alone.
He stares at the closed door for a while before he decides to pick the colander back up and resolutely ignore Woohyun. That is, until Woohyun tries to engage him in conversation.
“Hey, you compose music?”
Sunggyu can pick up the excitement in his voice. He’s surprised by the question, but only gives a noncommittal grunt in response, not bothering to turn around as he finishes working on the food.
Woohyun, who had caught sight of Sunggyu’s makeshift studio in the corner of the living room, is discouraged by the lack of response, but Sunggyu doesn’t see it. He makes his way to the corner, inspecting the equipment and sneaking glances at the messy lyrics scribbled on papers covering the desk, the keyboard, and even the chair.
“You even write your own lyrics?” Woohyun asks more out of desire for conversation than actual surprise, for it is quite obvious that Sunggyu does, indeed, write his own lyrics.
The surprise, however, is written all over Sunggyu’s face when he snaps his head back to shoot Woohyun a wary glance, not having expected his interest in such a touchy subject.
“Look, could you…not?” He speaks, voice snappy. Woohyun looks confused, and Sunggyu frowns, turning around. “It’s kind of personal, you know? I don’t like it when others read my lyrics or… just, ask about my compositions.”
Woohyun mirrors his frown, stepping away from the equipment in caution. “I just asked because I like writing, too,” he says, in a solemn and raspy tone that tugs strangely at Sunggyu’s chest. “I don’t know why we got off on the wrong foot yesterday, Sunggyu. You… don’t seem to like me very much. But I just want to get along. You seem interesting, and I just want to be friends.”
Sunggyu doesn’t know what to say to that. Suddenly, he feels at fault, rather silly and immature. Woohyun is back to looking hopeful, but Sungjong bursts back into the apartment before Sunggyu can say any more.
“Here we go!” Sungjong exclaims, setting a platter of colorful pastries on the counter. He turns to the table and, finding it exactly as he left it, sends Woohyun a questioning glare. “Hey, you didn’t even finish setting the table! What did you even do, hyung?”
It’s not as much of a question as it is a conversation starter, and Woohyun gives Sunggyu one last inquisitive glance before he walks to the table, where Sungjong is setting the table.
Sunggyu sighs inaudibly, shuffling back to the stove. The situation with Woohyun had gone from irritating to irritatingly confusing, and the only word that ever makes sense around Woohyun is irritating.
…..
Dinner ends up being a surprisingly smooth ordeal. Sungjong asks enough questions to keep awkward silences at bay, alternating between Sunggyu and Woohyun to prevent them from asking prying questions to each other.
Sunggyu learns through Sungjong’s questions that Woohyun is majoring in nutrition, and is actually very picky about the foods he eats, but ends up devouring every portion of Sunggyu’s cooking that is served on his plate by Sungjong. Woohyun looks mildly surprised when Sungjong asks Sunggyu about his office job but, as if by an unspoken rule, doesn’t comment on it. Sunggyu starts getting the right hang of Woohyun, and part of him is glad Sungjong auto-invited him for dinner.
Things only start to get turbulent again once dinner is over and Sungjong, finishing the last of his ice cream - he ended up having all three flavors - asks Sunggyu about the latest song he has been composing. Sunggyu, who had been staring at Woohyun as he played with the empty carton of green tea ice cream, sees the other tense, carefully lifting his head to meet Sunggyu’s gaze.
Sunggyu breaks, having waged a quick battle inside his head. He decides sharing his music with Woohyun (Sungjong in Woohyun’s presence and, therefore, Woohyun) can serve both as an apology and as bonding material, a common ground to start over with.
“I guess I could show you guys…” he mumbles.
Sungjong quits licking his spoon in favor of squealing in delight. “Go on then!”
Woohyun keeps quiet, but bares a small smile. Sunggyu feels a tugging at his lips, but stands up abruptly, heading to the corner of the living room, where his makeshift studio is settled. During the quiet small talk Sungjong makes with Woohyun while Sunggyu turns on his computer and checks through his files, he thinks of Woohyun and the side he presented of himself tonight, a quiet, intriguing side of Woohyun.
Either Sunggyu spends too much time thinking about Woohyun or he has too many files to rummage through, because suddenly Sungjong is whining into his cellphone, standing up from the table and directing apologetic glances towards Sunggyu, who stares on dumbly.
“What’s up?” he asks Sungjong once the younger hangs up.
Sungjong scoffs. “Mom says I need to take Tofu out for a walk before they go to bed, so she wants me to go back down now.” He rolls his eyes, turning to wave at Woohyun.
“Wait, you’re leaving then?”
Laughter. “Yeah, hyung. I’m sorry. I’ll be up again as soon as possible to listen to your stuff. See you later, then!”
Sunggyu stares after Sungjong until the door has closed. He then turns his eyes to Woohyun, who’s taken to cleaning up the table by mounting dishes together and piling the utensils on the top.
“Woohyun, hey,” Sunggyu says, voice much warmer and steady. Woohyun looks up, and Sunggyu returns the slight smile he had received earlier. “Just leave that. Come here.” He motions to the empty seat next to his, the one he usually uses to leave all his lyrics on. Woohyun makes his way without hesitation, without a word, eager to be let into Sunggyu’s private world of composition.
In a surprisingly bold move, Sunggyu starts playing the track he had been working on the day before, the one he had felt too frustrated to continue working on. He then shoves a particularly crumpled piece of paper into Woohyun’s hands, and proceeds to look away.
The music plays out of the small speakers, and Sunggyu focuses his attention on a profoundly interesting misplaced thread of his sweater. He can hear Woohyun tapping his fingers on his thigh to the beat, and imagines he’s following along with the lyrics. The provisional song ends and Sunggyu lets the silence take over, scared of what the other’s response may be.
“What made you change your mind?” Woohyun asks, voice soft and respectful.
“Huh?” Sunggyu asks dumbly, turning to Woohyun. Woohyun is smiling, and Sunggyu gets it. “Well, you were right… I was unfair to you, wasn’t I? I don’t know what came over me yesterday. You seem… incredibly nice, and really… sweet?”
Woohyun’s eyes widen a fraction and Sunggyu regrets his words immediately.
“I mean, like, it was just irritating. You came off a bit irritating, and it rubbed me the wrong way. But I was wrong, I know. And I’m sorry. So I guess letting you into my most private of possessions is as good an apology as I have…” he trails off, rather pathetically in his own opinion, but when he looks back at Woohyun again, his smile is sort of infectious.
“I really liked it,” he says, eyes crinkled.
“What?” Sunggyu asks just as dumbly.
“The lyrics seem a bit superficial, but the music is where it’s all at. It’s fresh and emotional. I think if you just gave your lyrics a bit more depth to match the music, you’d have a work of art here.”
“Oh,” Sunggyu says, staring at the paper in Woohyun’s hands. He takes notice of all the creases and folds in the fingers, and suddenly feels inspired.
“If you want,” Woohyun starts, waiting to catch Sunggyu’s gaze with his own inviting one, “I could help you out with that. I’m not the best at composing music, but I’ve been told I’m a natural when it comes to writing heartfelt lyrics.”
Sunggyu holds the gaze, willing to grow accustomed to it.
“How about it, Sunggyu?”
Sunggyu smiles, and Woohyun follows suit. “Yeah,” he whispers, “that’d be nice.”
…..
Not even a full week passes before Sunggyu can safely admit that the mundane ordeal he was used to having his life be turns into a much more exciting string of occurrances.
Woohyun texts him during lunch, having acquire his phone number from Sungjong, and asks how his song is going, after having showered him with tips and pointers the night before.
Woohyun is then waiting for him the next morning as Sunggyu steps out of his apartment to go to work, and walks with him to the café, where he orders a caramel macchiato and introduces himself to Sungyeol and Myungsoo. The baristas send playful smiles Sunggyu’s way when Woohyun walks away to grab some napkins, and Sunggyu can’t help but blush.
It all culminates with Woohyun being over in his apartment for dinner again, this time without Sungjong. Woohyun convinces Sunggyu to let him cook while Sunggyu sits in his corner, occasionally glancing up to observe Woohyun’s presence. He manages to write more lyrics in half an hour than he has in weeks, and when Woohyun calls him over to eat, he stares at the paper in satisfaction.
“Woah, woah, what is that face? Let me see what you wrote,” Woohyun says excitedly, scurrying over to Sunggyu’s side. The usual wave of shyness washes over Sunggyu, just like it does whenever he shares his work with Woohyun.
“Oh.” Woohyun looks a bit stunned, and Sunggyu feels his cheeks heat up. “Is this about-”
“Yeah,” Sunggyu says simply, cutting him off. “Yes.”
The lyrics were, indeed, about Woohyun. About the frustration, but mostly the intrigue and the following attraction. Subtle, but an expert writer like Woohyun would be able to pick up on it right away. He taught him the pointers, anyway.
“I.Wow.”
“Yeah,” Sunggyu agrees. “Hey, Woohyun?”
Woohyun looks up, eyes warm. “Yeah?”
“Thanks,” Sunggyu says before leaning in to plant a chaste kiss on the other’s lips.