[B.A.P.] Celestial Alignment (1/1)
Title: Celestial Alignment
Fandom: B.A.P
Author: chiharu
Characters/pairing: n/a
Rating: PG
Wordcount: ~1.4k
Summary: Daehyun works at Madam Jung's fake psychic hotline to make extra money. AU. Because Dae's Madam Jung impersonations give me life. Also because Brownie the husky is the best thing ever.
"Yes," Daehyun says, nesting the phone between his ear and shoulder as he summons a mystical tone. His voice comes out nauseated-sounding, but it's the most he can do after getting three hours of sleep last night. He spins around in his chair and refreshes Naver. "Yes, the stars are telling Madam Jung that you should make that investment."
The woman on the other end of the line thanks Daehyun repeatedly before hanging up. He logs the call and peers over his cubicle. Madam Jung's Psychic Hotline is unexpectedly popular tonight. Daehyun thinks it must be those late night infomercials his boss has been paying for. This is probably the exact type of gimmick Daehyun's mother would fall for, but Daehyun is not one to complain. Money is money, regardless of how many sob stories Daehyun has to listen to every week.
"You know what else is money?" He boss had asked once, leaning over Daehyun's work station. "Time. So keep them on that line as long as you can." Daehyun is also not above breaking into his rapid fire Madam Jung accent if the need arises.
It started as a means of paying for his tuition, but when his parents had defaulted on his tuition for a second semester, the hotline became Daehyun's main source of income after requesting a study leave at his music conservatory. Living the dream, Daehyun thinks, one paycheck at a time. That is, if "the dream" consists of him living in a cardboard box while working two jobs.
Daehyun can go back to Busan and take over his father's hardware store, but singing is his passion, even if it means taking semesters off just to pay the tuition that will allow Daehyun to emerge himself in the music modules day in and out. Passion, Daehyun has learned, is something worth making sacrifices for. Currently, his biggest sacrifice is sleep as he shuffles from his night job to being a waiter at a pretentiously expensive cafe during the day.
His last call of the night is from a sweet lady seeking advice about her sons. Daehyun lets her talk about one son's sub par life choices and the other son's reluctance to pursue a real career. They're 45 minutes into the conversation before Daehyun makes up some crappy suggestions as guided by the stars. Madam Jung knows best, he reminds her before suggesting that she call back in a few days with an update.
It's 4am by the time he collapses onto his pillow. He's rolling out of bed a few hours later and at the cafe by noon, serving chaebol heiresses overpriced beverages while they flirt shamelessly with him. Then it's a quick dinner from the grocery store before catching the bus to Madam Jung's hotline office.
Distraught Mom calls Daehyun again two days later. Son number one has apparently stopped returning her phone calls. Daehyun does some ~celestial math~ while logging into maplestory and reassures her that nothing terrible has happened to him. Son number two, on the other hand, still refuses to find a real job and won't take money from her. Daehyun spends another hour reassuring her that neither of her sons are engaging in illegal activities in order to make ends meet.
The next day, Daehyun calls his own mother between shifts and promises he will never do anything stupid. He also advises her to never call any informational hotlines. She just laughs and tries to lour him home with the promise of his favorite foods. Daehyun thinks about his mother's jjigae for a moment but decides that he can daydream later.
Daehyun becomes slightly alarmed when Distraught Mom calls him three more times that week. Her stories get increasingly more frantic, but when Daehyun tells his boss, he's told to keep her on the line longer. Daehyun rolls his eyes at the Madam Jung posters taped on the wall, secretly making fun of her ridiculously long nails and nauseous television personality. Madam Jung is petting her equally psychic and magical pet dog Brownie in the photo. Daehyun wonders how much they're paying this random lady to masquerade as a psychic on late night television.
"Assistant-sshi," Distraught Mom weeps into the phone the next week. "I feel like you know me more than my sons. Why won't you tell me more about you?"
After two weeks of listening to her life story, Daehyun reluctantly tells her his name. He thinks nothing of it and enjoys his day off from the cafe. He even washes his waiter uniform and records a demo of his favorite ballad off his second-hand studio mic.
The next night, Daehyun finds a package waiting for him at Madam Jung's Hotline Office. He opens it behind his cubicle and nearly falls out of his chair when stacks of cash fall out. Attached to the cash is a plea for Madam Jung to knock some sense into her sons.
"Mam'n, I can't take this money. Even Madam Jung cannot tempt faith with money," he tells Distraught Mom over the phone, crouched over his table to avoid being overheard. If his boss knew Daehyun was trying to return this money instead of handing it over, Daehyun would be out of a job. Then he thinks about his own mother and convinces Distraught Mom to meet him at a park tomorrow to return the cash.
The next day, Daehyun trips over his dirty laundry and finds the ipod he's been missing since last month. He stuffs it into his pocket and catches the bus to the park. Daehyun sings to a popular English song as he strolls through the grassy areas, finally taking a seat by a bench. A few dog walkers pass him by, but Daehyun doesn't catch sight of any middle-aged mothers.
He continues to sing to himself, the weight of the cash heavy in his backpack. There are so many things he could be doing with that money: saving up for another semester of tuition, sending it home to his parents, or even buying real groceries for once. Daehyun ignores these thoughts when a dog comes dashing towards him, dragging its leash behind it. It stops in front of Daehyun, barks once, and leaps happily onto him.
Daehyun grins when the husky paws one of Daehyun's earphones off, petting it behind the ears and checking his collar. Brownie, its tag reads. Daehyun has a good laugh about this and summons his best Madam Jung voice, lecturing Brownie to stop running away from its owner.
"That's okay," a deep voice says nearby. "He always comes back when I whistle."
Daehyun looks up to find an familiar man standing near him. Brownie yelps excitedly and bounds over to him, doing circles around the man's leg until he picks up Brownie's leash. "I walked by you a few times and heard you sing," the man says. "You have a fantastic voice."
When Daehyun gives him a peace sign in response, the man continues. "I think you're waiting for my mother. She called me this morning about an emergency."
"Ah," Daehyun says, taking in the slightly uncomfortable expression and gummy smile. He pulls out the package full of cash and hands it over. "You answered your phone. That means you're son number two."
"Thank you," the man says, his voice sincere as his accepts the package. "My mother thinks money can solve anything in the world, but that's hardly the solution."
"I don't know about that," Daehyun replies, standing up and stretching. "I sure wish I had more money."
The stranger is silent for a moment. Just when Daehyun is about to leave, he adds, "why are you working at that ridiculous hotline?"
Daehyun shrugs. "Someone's gotta pay so I can get professional training for my fantastic voice." Daehyun thinks that's the end of the conversation and is about to walk away when the man grabs his arm.
"If you want to do something with that voice," the stranger says, handing him a business card. "I can return the favor."
Daehyun looks down at the card and swallows.
Bang Yonguk,
TS Entertainment Music Producer
A/N:
the only thing I like more that brownie/b.a.p. is secret/b.a.p. And loll I have a whole byg!music producer verse planned. I'm just ... too lazy.
♥ Want to talk B.A.P? Meta? B.A.P. Meta?? Talk to me on twitter!
Fandom: B.A.P
Author: chiharu
Characters/pairing: n/a
Rating: PG
Wordcount: ~1.4k
Summary: Daehyun works at Madam Jung's fake psychic hotline to make extra money. AU. Because Dae's Madam Jung impersonations give me life. Also because Brownie the husky is the best thing ever.
"Yes," Daehyun says, nesting the phone between his ear and shoulder as he summons a mystical tone. His voice comes out nauseated-sounding, but it's the most he can do after getting three hours of sleep last night. He spins around in his chair and refreshes Naver. "Yes, the stars are telling Madam Jung that you should make that investment."
The woman on the other end of the line thanks Daehyun repeatedly before hanging up. He logs the call and peers over his cubicle. Madam Jung's Psychic Hotline is unexpectedly popular tonight. Daehyun thinks it must be those late night infomercials his boss has been paying for. This is probably the exact type of gimmick Daehyun's mother would fall for, but Daehyun is not one to complain. Money is money, regardless of how many sob stories Daehyun has to listen to every week.
"You know what else is money?" He boss had asked once, leaning over Daehyun's work station. "Time. So keep them on that line as long as you can." Daehyun is also not above breaking into his rapid fire Madam Jung accent if the need arises.
It started as a means of paying for his tuition, but when his parents had defaulted on his tuition for a second semester, the hotline became Daehyun's main source of income after requesting a study leave at his music conservatory. Living the dream, Daehyun thinks, one paycheck at a time. That is, if "the dream" consists of him living in a cardboard box while working two jobs.
Daehyun can go back to Busan and take over his father's hardware store, but singing is his passion, even if it means taking semesters off just to pay the tuition that will allow Daehyun to emerge himself in the music modules day in and out. Passion, Daehyun has learned, is something worth making sacrifices for. Currently, his biggest sacrifice is sleep as he shuffles from his night job to being a waiter at a pretentiously expensive cafe during the day.
His last call of the night is from a sweet lady seeking advice about her sons. Daehyun lets her talk about one son's sub par life choices and the other son's reluctance to pursue a real career. They're 45 minutes into the conversation before Daehyun makes up some crappy suggestions as guided by the stars. Madam Jung knows best, he reminds her before suggesting that she call back in a few days with an update.
It's 4am by the time he collapses onto his pillow. He's rolling out of bed a few hours later and at the cafe by noon, serving chaebol heiresses overpriced beverages while they flirt shamelessly with him. Then it's a quick dinner from the grocery store before catching the bus to Madam Jung's hotline office.
Distraught Mom calls Daehyun again two days later. Son number one has apparently stopped returning her phone calls. Daehyun does some ~celestial math~ while logging into maplestory and reassures her that nothing terrible has happened to him. Son number two, on the other hand, still refuses to find a real job and won't take money from her. Daehyun spends another hour reassuring her that neither of her sons are engaging in illegal activities in order to make ends meet.
The next day, Daehyun calls his own mother between shifts and promises he will never do anything stupid. He also advises her to never call any informational hotlines. She just laughs and tries to lour him home with the promise of his favorite foods. Daehyun thinks about his mother's jjigae for a moment but decides that he can daydream later.
Daehyun becomes slightly alarmed when Distraught Mom calls him three more times that week. Her stories get increasingly more frantic, but when Daehyun tells his boss, he's told to keep her on the line longer. Daehyun rolls his eyes at the Madam Jung posters taped on the wall, secretly making fun of her ridiculously long nails and nauseous television personality. Madam Jung is petting her equally psychic and magical pet dog Brownie in the photo. Daehyun wonders how much they're paying this random lady to masquerade as a psychic on late night television.
"Assistant-sshi," Distraught Mom weeps into the phone the next week. "I feel like you know me more than my sons. Why won't you tell me more about you?"
After two weeks of listening to her life story, Daehyun reluctantly tells her his name. He thinks nothing of it and enjoys his day off from the cafe. He even washes his waiter uniform and records a demo of his favorite ballad off his second-hand studio mic.
The next night, Daehyun finds a package waiting for him at Madam Jung's Hotline Office. He opens it behind his cubicle and nearly falls out of his chair when stacks of cash fall out. Attached to the cash is a plea for Madam Jung to knock some sense into her sons.
"Mam'n, I can't take this money. Even Madam Jung cannot tempt faith with money," he tells Distraught Mom over the phone, crouched over his table to avoid being overheard. If his boss knew Daehyun was trying to return this money instead of handing it over, Daehyun would be out of a job. Then he thinks about his own mother and convinces Distraught Mom to meet him at a park tomorrow to return the cash.
The next day, Daehyun trips over his dirty laundry and finds the ipod he's been missing since last month. He stuffs it into his pocket and catches the bus to the park. Daehyun sings to a popular English song as he strolls through the grassy areas, finally taking a seat by a bench. A few dog walkers pass him by, but Daehyun doesn't catch sight of any middle-aged mothers.
He continues to sing to himself, the weight of the cash heavy in his backpack. There are so many things he could be doing with that money: saving up for another semester of tuition, sending it home to his parents, or even buying real groceries for once. Daehyun ignores these thoughts when a dog comes dashing towards him, dragging its leash behind it. It stops in front of Daehyun, barks once, and leaps happily onto him.
Daehyun grins when the husky paws one of Daehyun's earphones off, petting it behind the ears and checking his collar. Brownie, its tag reads. Daehyun has a good laugh about this and summons his best Madam Jung voice, lecturing Brownie to stop running away from its owner.
"That's okay," a deep voice says nearby. "He always comes back when I whistle."
Daehyun looks up to find an familiar man standing near him. Brownie yelps excitedly and bounds over to him, doing circles around the man's leg until he picks up Brownie's leash. "I walked by you a few times and heard you sing," the man says. "You have a fantastic voice."
When Daehyun gives him a peace sign in response, the man continues. "I think you're waiting for my mother. She called me this morning about an emergency."
"Ah," Daehyun says, taking in the slightly uncomfortable expression and gummy smile. He pulls out the package full of cash and hands it over. "You answered your phone. That means you're son number two."
"Thank you," the man says, his voice sincere as his accepts the package. "My mother thinks money can solve anything in the world, but that's hardly the solution."
"I don't know about that," Daehyun replies, standing up and stretching. "I sure wish I had more money."
The stranger is silent for a moment. Just when Daehyun is about to leave, he adds, "why are you working at that ridiculous hotline?"
Daehyun shrugs. "Someone's gotta pay so I can get professional training for my fantastic voice." Daehyun thinks that's the end of the conversation and is about to walk away when the man grabs his arm.
"If you want to do something with that voice," the stranger says, handing him a business card. "I can return the favor."
Daehyun looks down at the card and swallows.
Bang Yonguk,
TS Entertainment Music Producer
A/N:
the only thing I like more that brownie/b.a.p. is secret/b.a.p. And loll I have a whole byg!music producer verse planned. I'm just ... too lazy.
♥ Want to talk B.A.P? Meta? B.A.P. Meta?? Talk to me on twitter!