Tense
Disclaimer: This is purely a work of fiction and artistic license and a vivid imagination were used to the fullest, to the music of TVXQ's 'Tense' (click to buy) album in the background. Any coincidence to real-life is unintentional.
A/N: To aid readers who may not be familiar with the use of cinematic techniques (switches between viewpoints and narratives), Changmin's portions are in bold. I've also mostly used the English translation (webpage) of 'Something' (click to stream) as I feel it relates to the atmosphere I was going for in this one-shot better. I've also purposely not named the characters until the end to retain a feel of 'mystery' and 'vagueness'. This one-shot was prompted by a mini-Twitter conversation inspired by this picture.
When night falls, the true character of the city awakens. Beneath the rigidity and cleanliness of Seoul lay a whole underworld of grit and roughness. Like how the police kept order in the day, at night, it was an unspoken rule that order was handed over to the Korean triads that kept to their turfs; unspoken and fragile alliances and treaties keeping the peace. The police tried not to intrude on the triads' turfs when 'incidents' happened, preferring to keep out of the way of the '사장' or 'The President' as the press had nicknamed him. If there was a 'king' of triads, that would be him. His family had been one of the longest-surviving and most-established Korean triads since the golden days of the chaebol. In fact, he was chaebol, the heir to one of the biggest conglomerates in South Korea, with large subsidiaries in Japan and China. His grandfather had sent his father overseas to study, and like his father, he too, had been educated overseas. The press called them 'the most forward-looking modern business empire' of the 21st century. And they had no problem at all with living double-lives. Running both legal and illegal businesses were the same to them - one just had to be discreet, careful and above all, trust no one.
So when he walked into Club Tense with his entourage, the red carpet had been laid out for his arrival. The VIP section was cleared out and his table prepared with expensive liquor, the owner himself waiting to receive him. One of his more important business contacts had just bought over the club and revamped it with a new 'Las Vegas-style' concept. Having been taught from a young age how to maintain long-standing business contacts, a necessity for all successful businessmen, he had duly agreed to show up for the launch. The media representatives were already eagerly lined up aside, cameras flashing as they caught sight of him at the entrance. His entourage quietly went on ahead, taking up their positions amongst the crowd and inside the club. He posed for pictures for a few minutes, flashing his trademark smile and making some of the female journalists and staff present fidget nervously. To the general public, this was one of Asia's most eligible bachelors under 30 and the only non-celebrity in South Korea with an actual fan-club. His partner and Club Tense's owner bustled up to him and quickly ushered him inside to his table, brushing aside shouts from the media for a few words.
Inside the club, a magnum bottle of champagne was popped open and the first round of celebratory drinks downed. He glanced around, making eye contact with his bodyguards who were seated at various tables around him, blending in with the crowd. Usually he would decline such public settings, preferring the closed-doors of private functions and events. However, his interest had been piqued when he had casually mentioned his partner's invitation to his best friend, Lee Donghae. Donghae's eyes had widened in excitement and he had immediately cut off his manager and brought him aside. 'You have to go! I heard they have a new concept now. A 'big band' type of entertainment, and they brought in overseas-trained performers for the show!' Donghae was almost jumping up and down as he went on. 'I think you'll like it, and god knows, you need some excitement in your life, Mr Double-Trouble.' Donghae winked knowingly. 'They brought in that star from Japan. He's Korean but he's been in Japan for ages and he's got his own following there. I went to watch him a few times when I toured in Japan, and he's amazing. Sings like a dream and dances.. you should just go and see for yourself. Seriously, I'll go with you.'
And so there he was, with Super Junior's Donghae next to him eagerly prattling on about the performer. The buzz over him had heightened significantly when the press caught sight of the celebrity coming in after him, and there was now a huge crowd outside the club trying to get in. He had known the man since they were kids back in Gwangju, and he was one of the few that stayed with him through the years, refusing to judge him for his double-life. That was one of the reasons he preferred to stay so low-profile, he didn't want anything to potentially come up and affect the few loved ones he had. It was also one of the reasons he had been single for so long, refusing to let anyone come close enough to be hurt because of who he was. He looked back at Donghae, who was now whispering into the ear of a waiter. The club was decked out in a 1950s' style, all gold and black. He wondered if his father should have come instead of him.
'It's starting!' Donghae said next to him, taking a gulp of his champagne. 'You can thank me later.' He looked quizzically at his best friend but his attention was on the stage down in front of their table. The lights dimmed.
A husky whisper broke the silence. 'She's got that Something, she's just a beautiful.' Spotlights turned on and focused on the centre of the stage. Dancers dressed in suits and top hats were encircling something in the middle. Then the music started. 'Shhhhh..' a soft male voice started. Lights flashed and the strains of 'Something', the show's theme song started playing. 'Watch out.' and the lights came on.
He was enraptured. Those big doe eyes, the brown curly hair, the long legs. The light brown suit that the male performer wore looked like it was sewn just for him. The light technician seemed to know exactly how to showcase the man.
Jebal najom kkaeujima
Eojetbam hansumdo motjatdanmallya
The dancing. He looked back at Donghae. Donghae was watching him and smirking at his reaction. He blushed and elbowed his best friend, before turning his attention back to the stage.
Soljikhi deomdeomhangibun
Eonjena naege kkochyeobeorinsiseondeul
The male performer looked up as he turned. He had been informed by the owner that Super Junior's Lee Donghae and a very, very important guest were present. Soon after, a waiter had come up to tell him that Donghae had requested something special for the VIP in question. He was used to such requests from the bigwigs that came to watch him in Japan so he knew a refusal was out of the question. The owner had specifically impressed upon him the importance of the guest, and such guests, well, they usually had more to them than met the eye. He spotted Lee Donghae first, and then his eyes moved to the man beside. And he was gone.
The man's features were perfect. A pair of almond eyes that seemed to see right through him. A smirk that lay casually upon his cupid's bow-shaped mouth. Hair swept upwards and to the side. A black and white suit with an oxblood pocket square. The man was strikingly handsome, but most of all, he reeked of confidence and power. Japanese men were androgynous and good-looking enough, but this man easily took the crown.
Dodohae boijiman nareul hyanghan nunbichi heundeulliji
Jomdeo bunbalhaeya doelkkeol
You may look haughty, but I can see you staring at me. You’re going to have to do better than that.
The performer seemed to be singing it to him. Sure, challenge accepted.
And then the VIP winked directly at him. He felt his heart pound frantically inside his chest as he took a deep breath. His dance break in the show was coming up. Time for the special request to take place.
The music stopped. He pointed at the VIP and crooked his index finger. Come.
Donghae quickly turned to him. 'Go!' he whispered urgently. 'Trust me, just go, you'll really thank me later.' He shot a murderous glance at his best friend before turning to the performer. The audience was watching him, he had an image to upkeep. Nothing ever ruffled his feathers. Urgh, I'll kill Donghae later. Be cool. He thought to himself as he stood up. Donghae gave him a friendly shove for luck and he rolled his eyes.
A chair had been brought out onto the stage. He was ushered to it by one of the dancers, and the music started again. The performer came closer to him.
He's got that something. Eyes locked onto each other.
If you hesitate, I’ll cry baby. That smirk on his face.
If you smoothly approach me without getting caught. His hip thrusts, side-to-side.
I might just turn a blind eye and play along. His legs crossed casually over each other, watching.
If I’m a bad guy. His fingers as they float through the air.
If I’m a guy who makes girls cry. His palm on his knee.
It might be better for you to step away before you get hurt. His doe eyes.
Though I know you’d never be able to refuse me. His scars.
Normal and average. His full lips.
If you’re sick of guys like that. His quiet confidence.
Then come put it all in, a dangerous come in. His mischievous sparkle.
The two of us will burn like a fire. His jawline.
He came closer as the show drew to an end. He slowly straddled the man and sang softly, almost as if he was whispering into his ear:
If you smoothly approach me without getting caught
I might just turn a blind eye and play along
A gush of warm breath followed the words, caressing his ear lobe gently before the lights dimmed and the sound of catcalling (most of it likely from Donghae) and loud applause filled the room.
'Thank you.' The weight was lifted off of him as the performer got up, and a hand was held out in front of him.
'No, thank you. That was really good.' He took the hand, firmly grasping it, feeling like he didn't want to let go of it yet.
'Haha, It's my job, I better be good at it.' Their hands remained clasped together, hints of smiles and electricity buzzing in the air around them.
'What is your name?' He wanted to get to know this man. For crying out loud, that couple of minutes on stage had him feeling emotions he had thought he had forgotten how to feel.
'Changmin. What's yours?' A shyness had enveloped the other as he gazed down briefly to the floor. He swallowed briefly, waiting for a response.
'Yunho.'
- continues to 1B-
A/N: To aid readers who may not be familiar with the use of cinematic techniques (switches between viewpoints and narratives), Changmin's portions are in bold. I've also mostly used the English translation (webpage) of 'Something' (click to stream) as I feel it relates to the atmosphere I was going for in this one-shot better. I've also purposely not named the characters until the end to retain a feel of 'mystery' and 'vagueness'. This one-shot was prompted by a mini-Twitter conversation inspired by this picture.
When night falls, the true character of the city awakens. Beneath the rigidity and cleanliness of Seoul lay a whole underworld of grit and roughness. Like how the police kept order in the day, at night, it was an unspoken rule that order was handed over to the Korean triads that kept to their turfs; unspoken and fragile alliances and treaties keeping the peace. The police tried not to intrude on the triads' turfs when 'incidents' happened, preferring to keep out of the way of the '사장' or 'The President' as the press had nicknamed him. If there was a 'king' of triads, that would be him. His family had been one of the longest-surviving and most-established Korean triads since the golden days of the chaebol. In fact, he was chaebol, the heir to one of the biggest conglomerates in South Korea, with large subsidiaries in Japan and China. His grandfather had sent his father overseas to study, and like his father, he too, had been educated overseas. The press called them 'the most forward-looking modern business empire' of the 21st century. And they had no problem at all with living double-lives. Running both legal and illegal businesses were the same to them - one just had to be discreet, careful and above all, trust no one.
So when he walked into Club Tense with his entourage, the red carpet had been laid out for his arrival. The VIP section was cleared out and his table prepared with expensive liquor, the owner himself waiting to receive him. One of his more important business contacts had just bought over the club and revamped it with a new 'Las Vegas-style' concept. Having been taught from a young age how to maintain long-standing business contacts, a necessity for all successful businessmen, he had duly agreed to show up for the launch. The media representatives were already eagerly lined up aside, cameras flashing as they caught sight of him at the entrance. His entourage quietly went on ahead, taking up their positions amongst the crowd and inside the club. He posed for pictures for a few minutes, flashing his trademark smile and making some of the female journalists and staff present fidget nervously. To the general public, this was one of Asia's most eligible bachelors under 30 and the only non-celebrity in South Korea with an actual fan-club. His partner and Club Tense's owner bustled up to him and quickly ushered him inside to his table, brushing aside shouts from the media for a few words.
Inside the club, a magnum bottle of champagne was popped open and the first round of celebratory drinks downed. He glanced around, making eye contact with his bodyguards who were seated at various tables around him, blending in with the crowd. Usually he would decline such public settings, preferring the closed-doors of private functions and events. However, his interest had been piqued when he had casually mentioned his partner's invitation to his best friend, Lee Donghae. Donghae's eyes had widened in excitement and he had immediately cut off his manager and brought him aside. 'You have to go! I heard they have a new concept now. A 'big band' type of entertainment, and they brought in overseas-trained performers for the show!' Donghae was almost jumping up and down as he went on. 'I think you'll like it, and god knows, you need some excitement in your life, Mr Double-Trouble.' Donghae winked knowingly. 'They brought in that star from Japan. He's Korean but he's been in Japan for ages and he's got his own following there. I went to watch him a few times when I toured in Japan, and he's amazing. Sings like a dream and dances.. you should just go and see for yourself. Seriously, I'll go with you.'
And so there he was, with Super Junior's Donghae next to him eagerly prattling on about the performer. The buzz over him had heightened significantly when the press caught sight of the celebrity coming in after him, and there was now a huge crowd outside the club trying to get in. He had known the man since they were kids back in Gwangju, and he was one of the few that stayed with him through the years, refusing to judge him for his double-life. That was one of the reasons he preferred to stay so low-profile, he didn't want anything to potentially come up and affect the few loved ones he had. It was also one of the reasons he had been single for so long, refusing to let anyone come close enough to be hurt because of who he was. He looked back at Donghae, who was now whispering into the ear of a waiter. The club was decked out in a 1950s' style, all gold and black. He wondered if his father should have come instead of him.
'It's starting!' Donghae said next to him, taking a gulp of his champagne. 'You can thank me later.' He looked quizzically at his best friend but his attention was on the stage down in front of their table. The lights dimmed.
A husky whisper broke the silence. 'She's got that Something, she's just a beautiful.' Spotlights turned on and focused on the centre of the stage. Dancers dressed in suits and top hats were encircling something in the middle. Then the music started. 'Shhhhh..' a soft male voice started. Lights flashed and the strains of 'Something', the show's theme song started playing. 'Watch out.' and the lights came on.
He was enraptured. Those big doe eyes, the brown curly hair, the long legs. The light brown suit that the male performer wore looked like it was sewn just for him. The light technician seemed to know exactly how to showcase the man.
Jebal najom kkaeujima
Eojetbam hansumdo motjatdanmallya
The dancing. He looked back at Donghae. Donghae was watching him and smirking at his reaction. He blushed and elbowed his best friend, before turning his attention back to the stage.
Soljikhi deomdeomhangibun
Eonjena naege kkochyeobeorinsiseondeul
The male performer looked up as he turned. He had been informed by the owner that Super Junior's Lee Donghae and a very, very important guest were present. Soon after, a waiter had come up to tell him that Donghae had requested something special for the VIP in question. He was used to such requests from the bigwigs that came to watch him in Japan so he knew a refusal was out of the question. The owner had specifically impressed upon him the importance of the guest, and such guests, well, they usually had more to them than met the eye. He spotted Lee Donghae first, and then his eyes moved to the man beside. And he was gone.
The man's features were perfect. A pair of almond eyes that seemed to see right through him. A smirk that lay casually upon his cupid's bow-shaped mouth. Hair swept upwards and to the side. A black and white suit with an oxblood pocket square. The man was strikingly handsome, but most of all, he reeked of confidence and power. Japanese men were androgynous and good-looking enough, but this man easily took the crown.
Dodohae boijiman nareul hyanghan nunbichi heundeulliji
Jomdeo bunbalhaeya doelkkeol
You may look haughty, but I can see you staring at me. You’re going to have to do better than that.
The performer seemed to be singing it to him. Sure, challenge accepted.
And then the VIP winked directly at him. He felt his heart pound frantically inside his chest as he took a deep breath. His dance break in the show was coming up. Time for the special request to take place.
The music stopped. He pointed at the VIP and crooked his index finger. Come.
Donghae quickly turned to him. 'Go!' he whispered urgently. 'Trust me, just go, you'll really thank me later.' He shot a murderous glance at his best friend before turning to the performer. The audience was watching him, he had an image to upkeep. Nothing ever ruffled his feathers. Urgh, I'll kill Donghae later. Be cool. He thought to himself as he stood up. Donghae gave him a friendly shove for luck and he rolled his eyes.
A chair had been brought out onto the stage. He was ushered to it by one of the dancers, and the music started again. The performer came closer to him.
He's got that something. Eyes locked onto each other.
If you hesitate, I’ll cry baby. That smirk on his face.
If you smoothly approach me without getting caught. His hip thrusts, side-to-side.
I might just turn a blind eye and play along. His legs crossed casually over each other, watching.
If I’m a bad guy. His fingers as they float through the air.
If I’m a guy who makes girls cry. His palm on his knee.
It might be better for you to step away before you get hurt. His doe eyes.
Though I know you’d never be able to refuse me. His scars.
Normal and average. His full lips.
If you’re sick of guys like that. His quiet confidence.
Then come put it all in, a dangerous come in. His mischievous sparkle.
The two of us will burn like a fire. His jawline.
He came closer as the show drew to an end. He slowly straddled the man and sang softly, almost as if he was whispering into his ear:
If you smoothly approach me without getting caught
I might just turn a blind eye and play along
A gush of warm breath followed the words, caressing his ear lobe gently before the lights dimmed and the sound of catcalling (most of it likely from Donghae) and loud applause filled the room.
'Thank you.' The weight was lifted off of him as the performer got up, and a hand was held out in front of him.
'No, thank you. That was really good.' He took the hand, firmly grasping it, feeling like he didn't want to let go of it yet.
'Haha, It's my job, I better be good at it.' Their hands remained clasped together, hints of smiles and electricity buzzing in the air around them.
'What is your name?' He wanted to get to know this man. For crying out loud, that couple of minutes on stage had him feeling emotions he had thought he had forgotten how to feel.
'Changmin. What's yours?' A shyness had enveloped the other as he gazed down briefly to the floor. He swallowed briefly, waiting for a response.
'Yunho.'
- continues to 1B-