[oneshot] you are the only exception.

[xoriginalgirlx]

you are the only exception.
pg-13. hyungjoon/shark, kyujong/jungmin.
hyungjoon knew he shouldn't have gone through with doing a show like progamer. it only caused him problems. like falling in love.
3,950 words.



hyungjoon was positive it was some weird infatuation, an admiration of sorts. that was it. just a stupid admiration he would get over soon enough, once this show was over. once this show was over, he could go back to being a singer, back to being an idol, a celebrity. he could forget about starcraft, about mutalisks and zerglings and building hatcheries...

he was just afraid he wouldn't forget this infatuation. the subject of his admiration was his...teacher. mentor, you could say. seo gyungjong, also known as shark.

hyungjoon didn't know why damned butterflies started fluttering in his stomach whenever he was around the older man. he felt like a fucking teenager, to be honest, and he hated it. he was twenty-three, he shouldn't be acting like a lovesick schoolgirl over some guy. he wasn't ...he was pretty sure he liked women. if you took into account how much he fawned over them, he definitely wasn't...

it was some stupid infatuation he hoped he would get over soon.

"yah, hyungjoon!"

he almost jumped, startled by the shout.

jungmin sighed, rolling his eyes. "about time you came back to earth." he said under his breath. "something wrong?"

hyungjoon quickly shook his head, then swallowed. "i....maybe." he murmured. "how did you know....how did you know about your feelings for kyujong hyung?" he questioned.

jungmin blinked, shrugging. "i don't know, we just..." his voice trailed and he suddenly grinned. "is our little maknae falling for someone?" he piped up. "who? i can keep a secret---"

"bullshit." hyungjoon grimaced. "n-nothing, just curious." he dismissed the subject, taking a glance at his watch. "i have practice in half an hour so i should go." he bit his lower lip and took out his wallet.

"it's on me." jungmin mused. "shoo, go attempt to be a progaming genius." he sent the younger musician a smirk, which soon faded. "i might not be the ideal person to talk to, but if you ever...need someone to speak to, you do know i'm here, right?"

hyungjoon let out a light laugh. "of course i do. th-thanks for the coffee and i'll see you at practice in the morning." with a small wave, he rushed out of the building.

jungmin stared after the maknae, eyes filled with confusion. something was up with the younger man, and he needed to find out what.

it was time to play park detective.

hyungjoon opened one of the doors to the mbc game hero practice room, finding it to be almost empty.

"sit." shark spoke from his place at the computer. "courage is in two days, if you want to have a good chance of beating someone..." his voice trailed.

the singer swallowed and took a seat beside the progamer, biting his lower lip. "ne, shark." he murmured.

"yeah?" shark's hands moved furiously across the keyboard and mouse.

it was now or never, really.

"would you...like to have dinner together sometime?" there.

he saw shark's eyes blink in the reflection of the computer screen. "sure?" he shrugged. "i mean, we've had dinner together before so that's fine but....why the sudden invite?"

hyungjoon tried not to wince. "i-i don't know, just think of it as a thank you gift." he said quietly. "for...taking time out of your day to teach me all of this. i know i'm not the easiest person to work with either, so thank you." he managed a smile. "w-we only have three more weeks until this ends, so i figured i might as well try to repay you now."

he even acted different around him too. hyungjoon was normally loud and playful but around shark, alone, he was...the opposite. it was like he acted around girls. shy and quiet and he did not like shark like that. it was impossible and an idiotic idea.

shark smiled. "it's no problem, hyungjoon. we've become pretty good friends. i'm happy about that."

pretty good friends.

he kept back a sigh and nodded. "next monday? the concerts are on saturday and sunday, courage is also saturday, so...monday?"

"sure." shark kept his smile. "so you're paying, then?"

hyungjoon grimaced. "i've paid for practically every dinner we've had together, you know, shouldn't you---"

"only joking, i'll take the bill this time." shark interrupted with a laugh. "three weeks, huh?" the laugh faded as he frowned. "we can...still keep in contact, right?" he questioned.

hyungjoon blinked. "of course." he blurted a bit too quickly for his liking but to hell with it. "i mean, i'll be busy after this with the comeback and all but i can call you and you can call me and we can meet up if you want---" he was rambling and god that must mean he really did like this man.

shark grinned. "sounds good to me. i just don't want this to feel like it never happened, you know?" he shrugged a shoulder. "i like you, hyungjoon, and i would hate for this show to end and us never speak again." he murmured.

like. just what kind of like did he mean...?

"and i like you too." more than you ever know, really, hyungjoon thought. "monday it is." he smiled.

"good. now play. we need to strengthen your hatchery building."

hyungjoon could only nod and take hold of the mouse. it was a start, at least.

"what are you doing?" kyujong sighed, looking over at his boyfriend who was typing quite fast on the laptop placed ontop of his legs.

"hyungjoonie's been acting strange lately." jungmin pointed out. "and i'm going to find out why."

kyujong snorted. "i...don't think that's a good idea." he murmured.

jungmin raised an eyebrow. "says you. i had coffee with him today and he barely said a word. he spaced out pretty quickly. so i think that only means one thing." he mused.

kyujong let out another sigh. "hyungjoon's business is his own, jungmin, it---"

"he's in love, duh." jungmin chose to ignore kyujong's remark. "with who, i haven't figured that out yet. but! i will, because park detective is on the case." he sent a wink to the older man, whose lips formed a grimace.

"if he murders you for invading his privacy, don't come crying to me." kyujong replied.

jungmin rolled his eyes. "i won't come crying to you, i don't cry." he cleared his throat. "i just need some clues. he's practicing world of warcraft right now---"

"it's starcraft." kyujong corrected with a roll of his own eyes.

"same thing." jungmin dismissed. "he's practicing for starcraft right now which means he's at the mbc game hero...building...place. his apartment---"

"you aren't breaking into his apartment. his brother does live there, you know." kyujong replied. "why does it bother you so much anyway?" he raised an eyebrow.

"he's our maknae." jungmin simply answered. "fine, i won't break into his apartment but i'll get it out of him. somehow."

"sometimes." kyujong spoke. "i wonder how i ever put up with you." he sighed.

jungmin smiled, putting the laptop down on the coffee table in front of them. "because you love me." he pointed out.

"true." kyujong said quietly. "sometimes i don't know why but then you do something...utterly you and---"

"you're so damn cheesy, you know that?" jungmin questioned with a groan. "just shut up and let me do the talking."

kyujong opened his mouth to retort back but a pair of lips pressed against his.

for some reason, these moments were why he had fallen in love with the younger man.

the weekend passed and monday rolled around. hyungjoon was getting nervous -- this was the night he had invited shark out for dinner. and he believed he should say something, anything.

the show only had two weeks left now and he'd be damned if these two weeks were the last he spent with the progamer. he'd accepted the fact that he had fallen for the older man, he just...was afraid of how the other man would react.

he stared at his reflection in the mirror and fixed the collar to the shirt he was wearing underneath a sweater. tonight was now or never.

god, he sounded like a stupid teenager.

he kept back a sigh and walked out of the bathroom, turning off the light.

a loud whistle nearly made him jump and he slammed a hand to his chest, inwardly cursing himself for letting a thing called park jungmin into his house. the older man had showed up at his doorstep blurting out that he knew something was wrong (more like, he had shouted out that he was in love with someone and he demanded to know who) and if he didn't tell park detective what it was he would find out himself.

hyungjoon figured for his own safety it was better to tell.

jungmin had exclaimed that he knew it and then started telling him tips about confessing (he had said that surprising the other will do the trick, it had worked on kyujong) and barged into his closet, throwing out clothes and shoving him into the bathroom.

hyungjoon sometimes wondered why he called the taller man his friend.

"you look -- dare i say it and i swear to god if you tell kyujong i will murder you --- hot." jungmin spoke from the couch with a wide grin. "you'll knock your world of warcraft friend off of his feet."

hyungjoon sighed. "it's starcraft, you idiot." he said under his breath.

jungmin shrugged. "whatever. to the point, if he doesn't like you already then he should now." he mused. "what you need to do is pick an amazing restaurant. private room will do, pay the bill. while you're eating suddenly say you have to tell him something and bam." he replied.

"...isn't that how you confessed to kyujong hyung?" hyungjoon frowned, crossing his arms.

jungmin's eyes narrowed. "it could work twice, okay?" he snapped.

hyungjoon snorted. "i'll do it how i want to. and if you don't mind..." he shot a glance to the clock on the wall. "i need to get going. what you need to do," he mocked the actor. "is show your way out. there's the door. use it." he pointed.

jungmin stood up and let out a whine. "you're so mean to me, my god." the childish look on his face faded as he grinned. "good luck though, alright?" he reached over to ruffle the younger man's hair.

hyungjoon yelped and slapped his hand away with a glare. "i just fixed that!" he blurted. "go, go, go!" he pushed the man in the direction of the door.

jungmin rolled his eyes. "if it wasn't for me you wouldn't be looking like you do. and this is how you repay me." he scoffed and opened the door. "just call me after---"

"jungmin." hyungjoon growled out.

the older man sighed. "alright, alright. good luck and make sure he's a good kisser before you do anything, because that is---"

"goodbye, jungmin." hyungjoon cleared his throat.

a pout. "fine. goodnight." sticking his tongue out, the man walked out of the apartment and slammed the door.

hyungjoon let out a groan. bandmates.

he shook his head and tugged on his shirt. his heart was pounding loudly in his chest and he prayed and hoped this would work out the way he wanted it to.

hyungjoon slid into a small booth in the back, nervously glancing at the watch on his wrist. he was five minutes early. it was okay. he had thrown on a pair of sunglasses, just in case someone spotted him. he knew sunglasses weren't enough, but the restaurant was dimly lit and nobody had said anything yet, thank god.

he didn't really want this evening (he refused to call it a date because what if he was rejected?) to be ruined due to screaming fangirls. that'd be just what he needed, really. and he also didn't need pictures being taken and sooner or later this whole evening popped up on the internet and he was screwed.

he kept back a sigh and looked at his watch again.

"can i get you something to drink, sir?" a waiter questioned.

he swallowed and bit his lower lip. "glass of water, please." he knew alcohol would be better, he wouldn't be as nervous, but he didn't think he could stomach soju or beer right now.

damn this man.

the waiter nodded and walked off.

he tapped his fingers absentmindedly on the wooden table, trying to take deep, calming breaths. he went over what jungmin said in his head (god, it was a first, listening to that moron) and decided that was...probably his best bet. leading into a conversation about it wouldn't work, he'd end up rambling and spilling stuff nobody knew. so just going out and saying it was his choice.

he wasn't even sure on how shark would respond. but he only had two real weeks left with the older progamer, and he might as well say it now before he chickened out and didn't say anything at all. the show would end and he would never speak to shark again. he would play starcraft when he was bored, that was it.

but perhaps if he said something, it would end differently.

he looked at his watch again. three minutes past seven.

he was being stood up. shit.

his water came by and he took a long gulp of it, the cold drink nearly numbing his mouth. but he didn't care. he knew this would happen, he just knew---

"i'm sorry, coach was...you know how he is." an out of breath voice muttered as suddenly the seat across from hyungjoon was occupied.

he almost let out a sigh of relief but stopped himself, managing a smile. "it's alright. papa bear is...something." he chuckled.

shark laughed. "yeah." he bit his lip. "did i make you wait long?" he gestured to the glass of water on the table.

eight minutes.

"n-no, not at all." hyungjoon kept his smile. "i can flag over the waiter if you'd like---"

"it's okay, i'll wait." shark shrugged, then raised an eyebrow. "isn't it a little too dark to be wearing sunglasses?" he questioned with a smirk.

hyungjoon's face flushed as he quickly took off the offending object. "just to be safe, i...forgot." he mumbled.

shark frowned. "you think even---"

"perhaps." hyungjoon shrugged. "the five of us have been at a sports bar before, just hanging out when we suddenly find ourselves on the internet hours later." he sighed, then shook his head with a smile.

shark winced. "it must suck, being in the spotlight all the time." he said quietly.

hyungjoon smiled. "i'm used to it, five years and all." he then shook his head. "how was your day?" he questioned. "i'm...sorry i failed at courage." he swallowed. "it's no use. i practice all the time and i can't do it."

"it's alright. you're busy too." shark mused. "you can't expect to get far on your first couple of tries." he pointed out.

the smile faded. "i got paired with the european champion, it must be god's way of telling me something." he sighed. "just my fucking luck." he said under his breath.

shark chuckled. "it's fine, you aren't doing this professionally anyway." he replied.

the younger man opened his mouth to say something but a waiter suddenly walked up. "what can i get for you, sir?" he asked.

"water, please." shark answered.

"are you ready to order?" the waiter asked.

"we'll share kimchi-- if that's okay." hyungjoon blurted to the man across from him.

shark nodded and the waiter walked off.

hyungjoon bit his lower lip. he had to say something, and quick. it was now or never but he was way too nervous and he only got this way around girls, damnit, not guys---

"are you okay?"

he snapped out of his thoughts to find shark waving a hand at him.

the singer's face flushed immediately. "s-sorry, i was just thinking." he managed a smile.

shark laughed. "i've been around you enough to know that's not a good thing." his lips formed a smirk.

hyungjoon inwardly cursed as his face reddened. "i..." it was now or never. just blurt it out (it was better that way because if it backfired, he could blame it all on jungmin) and get it over with.

shark raised an eyebrow. "seriously, are you alright? you've been...quiet." he mused. "that's not like you at all." he laughed.

hyungjoon swallowed, letting out a deep breath. "we've known each other for a few months, right?" he started. god, it really was now or never and if he was rejected...

his heart clenched in fear.

shark blinked with a nod; at the same time his drink arrived. the waiter walked off without a word and hyungjoon had kind of wished he hadn't, then it would've given him an excuse to not do this at all and chicken out.

"i...i don't know how to say this, actually." hyungjoon murmured.

shark blinked again. "say what?" he frowned.

"i like you." hyungjoon blurted.

there. it was out in the open (he prayed there were no stray fangirls with cameras lurking about the restaurant otherwise he'd be as good as dead) and all he had to do was...

"i...don't understand. i like you too." shark raised an eyebrow. "we're friends, hyungjoon." the younger man noticed shark's chuckle had a nervous undertone.

hyungjoon's throat was feeling way too dry at this point. he took a sip of his water and bit his lower lip. he knew it. just knew it, it was a rejection.

"i-i know but i...it's not..." hyungjoon had trouble forming words. shit. shit, shit, shit.

shark frowned. "what do you mean? you aren't making any sense, you know." he managed a smile, trying to make the mood lighter.

"i like you." hyungjoon tried to stress the word. "as more than a friend, i think, and i'm sorry, so sorry, if you hate me it's alright but---"

"more than a friend?" shark's face turned red and he tilted his head. "you mean, like..."

"i told you, it's okay to hate me. i-i'm sure it isn't something you hear every day...oh, idol kim hyungjoon is gay. what a report that would make, right?" he was rambling out of nervousness -- the butterflies in his stomach were swarming like crazy.

"hyungjoon---" shark spoke.

"but then again i'm not the only one, jungmin and kyujong are dating and shit i'm dead for that but it doesn't matter, i just wanted to get this over with because we only have two weeks left and i'm---"

"hyungjoon." shark raised his voice.

"afraid of your reaction and you can hate me, so...." hyungjoon's voice trailed off.

"hyungjoon!" shark exclaimed.

the maknae blinked. "yes?"

shark let out a sigh. "you're...quite dense, you know that?" he raised an eyebrow.

hyungjoon blinked again, becoming utterly confused. this wasn't going the way he planned. dense? really...?

"huh?" he winced.

shark laughed. "you're too conceited at times but you're also a bit dense." he pointed out. "i...think..." he seemed to be in thought. "i don't know what i feel, to be honest, but...i do like you." he murmured. "and not just because of your celebrity status, but because of you."

another blink. he was positive he was dreaming, now. absolutely positive.

"that's cheesy." was all he could think up of.

shark chuckled. "a bit, yeah, but it's the truth."

hyungjoon frowned, pinching himself on the arm. he kept back a yelp of pain as nevermind, he definitely wasn't dreaming. "so...what does..."

"two weeks." shark murmured. "if i don't hear anything from you after these two weeks, i'm hunting you down." he threatened with a grin. "because, after all, what kind of boyfriend doesn't speak to me just because a show ends?"

boyfriend, huh.

hyugjoon's frown faded as he smiled. "clever. so fine." he nodded his head. he then let out a quiet "fuck" under his breath. jungmin had given him the right way to confess so that meant he owed the man. or not, if he made up another story about how he confessed...

"hyungjoon...?"

the maknae blushed. "sorry, just thinking." he mumbled. "so this our first date?" he grinned. "i don't think the other outings didn't count, considering we were surrounded by cameras." he pointed out.

shark nodded. "true. no cameras this time." he agreed. "so it is our first date, then."

hyungjoon tried not to sigh in relief. it worked. thank god, he had been afraid of the worst.

the dinner went along well. they had talked about many things (what hyungjoon needed to improve on, life, the concerts, courage, the list went on) and ended up walking out of the restaurant, arms brushing and hyungjoon would be damned if he blushed at the skinship. he was acting like a teenager, god if the others knew he'd never live it down.

"i'll see you tomorrow for practice, then." hyungjoon murmured. "uh...so do we hold hands now or something?" he frowned. "i was a trainee ever since i was twelve so i've...never had a real relationship." his face heated immediately.

if he ever had any relationship problems, he always went to youngsaeng, who they called 'the love doctor'. hyungjoon never asked about youngsaeng's...relationships, he never asked why youngsaeng knew so much. but now he had a feeling he'd be visiting the man more often, praying he wouldn't fuck up this...this relationship or whatever it was.

shark let out a laugh. "we don't have to yet, if you don't want. it's alright." he shrugged. "tomorrow, bright and early for practice."

hyungjoon nodded and managed a smile. "bright and early." he repeated. without a warning, he leaned over and kissed the older man's cheek.

shark's face heated up and so did hyungjoon's.

"i'm sorry, it was an impulse." hyungjoon's voice rose an octave.

shark shyly laughed, running a hand through his hair. "an impulse i like, so don't worry about it." he replied quietly. "you said you were awkward with relationships, so am i." even his grin was shy. "training for starcraft....takes up a lot of time." he shrugged weakly.

hyungjoon sighed. "so does practicing. our comeback is in a couple of months." he mumbled. "but we'll make this work, right?" he flashed a bright smile at the other man.

shark nodded, and extended his hand.

hyungjoon blushed (it seemed like that was the only thing he'd done all night) and slowly grabbed his hand.

the teenage feeling came back but he didn't give a damn. right now, you could probably call him the happiest man on earth but it didn't matter how much of a sap he was being. he had gotten all he ever wanted and more. he was going to make this relationship work, no matter what it took.

but for his (and shark's) safety, he needed to keep it away from his idiotic bandmates for the time being.

with a smile, he kissed shark's cheek again. "you're with an amazing man, you know. he can sing and dance and he has muscles to prove the latter. he's in a band and he even hosts his own radio show. he's also pretty damn good at imitations." he smirked.

shark let out a loud laugh into the dark night. "god, how am i going to put up with you?"

hyungjoon grinned. "you've done it for three months, i'm sure you can do plenty longer." he answered.

shark's sigh sounded a bit overdramatic. "i guess i'll have to then, huh?" but a smile lingered on his lips.

hyungjoon's grin widened and he knew he wouldn't have this any other way.

This was originally for gween_taiyou, who just wanted a...'Sharkby' fic. :D The end is probably super cheesy but I suck at writing endings so yeah. :( Hope you enjoyed~