[FANFIC] [ENG] [Infinite] Möbius band 1/1
Title: Möbius band
Rating: G
Fandom: Infinite (OT7)
Word count: About 4.500 words
Summary: Infinite is getting closer to their 1000 days anniversary since debut. - dashidorawa
·> To laeryn, neko_90 and crdbsarmiento for having helped me so much ;__; Love you, girls ♥
·> This is kind of unbeta-ed, and considering it's my first fanfic /ever/ (I wrote a drabble while I was writing this though), I think you'll notice it a lot oTL Also, English is not my mother tongue, so expect lots of typos and/or grammar errors (yeah, totally selling this =_=). Anyway, hopefully you will like it. Also, Infinite, congrats on your 1.000 days ;A;~♥
·> I've been working on this fanfic since December, so there might be some changes in the writing style I used. Also, some of the members were way easier for me to write than others. The fanfic is based on real events (I mean, their schedules) and things that were said in interviews or are known. If you see something that it's not true, please, tell me ;__;
When the producer called to say Woohyun had been chosen to be in ‘Dramatic blue’ and Howon in ‘Dynamic black’, Myungsoo couldn’t help pouting because of frustration. He was the one with the well-known black addiction -‘Dynamic plaid’ sounded weird and well, black was indeed one of the colours of the Korean flag which obviously had no plaid pattern-, not Howon. Howon could create his own sub-group, ‘Satooric purple’ or something similarly sounding. But black? Black was absolutely his colour.
And really, it’s not he couldn’t be as dynamic as Howon. Yes, he wasn’t as great in dancing as him, but at least his singing voice evolved from the anime tone it had around debut. And maybe if he were given the option he would spend all day long hugging his bamboo wife - or Sungyeol, who was way noisier and bonier than said pillow but who in cold days offered a warmer touch. And what if he took a while to get up? Dongwoo was more difficult to wake up and he was the most energetic among the seven of them. Too energetic, sometimes.
He had already proved that he could be a quite convincing killer in those fight scenes he shot for Jiu, and had showed some hyperactive moments in front of cameras, so it’s not like he was known to be a lazy ass.
(not that there was anything wrong with being one. With all those schedules, individual’s and Infinite’s, it was a bit difficult not to be a tired L. His long-time-proved-false-but-still-on-full-mode-in-front-of-the-camera ice-prince character made his tiredness quite easy to be seen. But a lazy ass? Try being one in a group known for its synchronicity)
So, why not him?
*
“There, have one,” said Sungyeol, while giving Myungsoo two big spoons and the ice-cream they had stored in the freezer for The Grand Occasions.
“Why?”
“Because of MBC going all Edward Scissorhands on your drama. I heard that girls like eating tons of ice-cream this way to feel better, and I kind of wanted to experiment if it was applicable to boys. It didn’t really do the trick with me though, I just managed to get a bloated face next morning. Sunggyu-hyung got really angry, but hey, it’s not like I’m not used to his continuous nagging. And well, at least I think this might be better than drinking soju with him…”
“Ah, that. Well, yeah, I suppose that I should say thanks?”
“At least you were able to have more lines than in Jiu. Wouldn’t it be considered an improvement?”
“Probably. It will take me years to have a lead role, won’t it?”
“With your handsome face? Nah, I don’t think so. And hey, at least you’re being offered roles. I am not.”
“But it’s not that I’m a better actor than you.” said Myungsoo, while taking one of the spoons and giving Sungyeol the other one.
“Try saying this to all those casting directors.”
“Not kidding. I honestly think you’re the best actor among us.”
“What about Dongwoo-hyung? Howon-hyung says he is the best, not me, and considering he is the one with a hit drama…”
“Dongwoo-hyung? He might pass as a woman when cross-dressing, but I don’t think he would be able to stop being his usual self. Same with Sungjong-ie, he wouldn’t be able to tone down his bratty confidence.”
“You were given the main role for Sunggyu-hyung’s music video. And you’re a good photographer. Even if you weren’t, you could probably live, I don’t know, staring into people’s souls or something like that. I couldn’t do that.”
“Yah, Sungyeol, I thought you were trying to cheer me up. This is not helping. My place is in Infinite, with the six of you, and you’re not in any ways worse than me. Except being clingy. No wonder fans are surprised when you show a bit of affection towards one of the members, even if it’s only fanservice.”
“But I thought you liked vanilla, that’s why I brought it to you. Everybody loves vanilla!”
*
Sungyeol was happy the other members were getting roles in dramas. He truly was - it meant more recognition for Infinite and, specially, they were his friends so how could he not be happy for them. But, somehow, he couldn’t help being very envious of that fact. He was the one who started his idol life by being an actor trainee, in SM Academy. His acting in While you were sleeping was quite fine, as people said he did well for such a role for a newbie, cameos not counting. He even managed to take part of Boys over flowers (he was just an extra, but he was aware fans had already made some gifs of his short appearance - not that he saved every one he could find, naming them BOF_extra1.gif or something along those lines, nope, not at all).
He knew he couldn’t really ask for more lines in their songs - his voice was quite unstable, and even though he was taking vocal lessons since before they debuted, he wouldn’t be able to sing like the vocal line, nor rap like Infinite H. Sungjong and Myungsoo didn’t have very powerful voices, but their colours were pretty, unlike his. And even if he were offered more lines, he wasn’t sure he wanted to do them - what if his voice broke, and then people believed all of Infinite was like him, and then fans loved them no more?
Acting, though, was on a different level. Or so he thought. Considering that so many casting directors didn’t call him back, maybe he was the one wrong. Of course he wasn’t the main visual, nor the main greasy one (shivers), but he had his own kind of charisma, best seen during variety shows. And he was the tallest! Actors ought to be tall, take Hyun Bin sunbaenim, Jung Il-woo sunbaenim, or most of the White Christmas guys.
So he was happy when he got to be the lead actor in ‘Nothing’s over’, in spite of not having any solo lines. But that was also the reason he wasn’t that happy when Myungsoo was chosen to be the actor for Sunggyu’s debut music video. Myungsoo was currently starring in a sitcom! He was not!
He was in need of some sign that showed him he was improving, but how could he improve without starring in anything for months - years, actually? He knew he was lacking a lot, probably the most out of all of the Infinite members, but he was earnestly trying to do his best.
So, why not him?
*
“Aaaah, how I wish we were shooting a variety show again,” said Sungyeol while changing the TV channel for the nth time during the past ten minutes.
“Yeah, me too. Inspirits might be missing my grease.”
“I don’t think so, they’re probably still digesting your first batch. Also, shouldn’t you be wishing for calmer days? Don’t you have enough with your appearance in Immortal Songs 2, MC-ing Melon Awards, the ‘The colours of k-pop’ thing, aside from regular practices and Sonata’s rehearsals?”
“But it’s not the same. You can’t exactly, I don’t know, run away from our manager hyungs to stroll around Hongdae, for example.”
“That was fun. Although I don’t think we would be able to do it now. Specially, because Sunggyu hyung’s hair stands out too much.”
“I know, right? I thought red hamsters were an extinct species, or at least, a dying one.”
“Maybe we have discovered a brand new species! We so need to write a report and submit it as soon as possible to a prestigious, scientific magazine!”
“Phodopus sunggyu , discovered and studied by geniuses Woohyun and Sungyeol from Infinite. I like the way it sounds. Let’s do it!”
“Do I want to know why on Earth do you remember the scientific name for hamsters?”
“I’m a curious guy, that’s it. Also, did you know that the word ‘hamster’ might come from the Persian word ‘hamaēstar’, meaning ‘oppressor’?”
“Oh, it fits well. Still, you are so weird, knowing all these facts.”
“Talk about weird.”
*
Woohyun didn’t like hospitals that much, especially when he was the one receiving treatment there. He didn’t mind going there if it was because of a good thing, like births, but if it was possible, he tried to avoid them.
So he wasn’t really in his best mood when the nurse connected him to an IV drip.
He might have been stressed, yes, but he had survived more stressing times before just needing Sunggyu’s ginseng and vitamins thingies, given to him in industrial quantities by their fans, combined with his own healthy stuff. And yes, he wasn’t probably eating that well and that’s why he got thinner, despite not having to do it for a comeback like he did when they released ‘Before the dawn’. Right now, he wasn’t preparing a concert or a fanmeeting as he was when he first received his first IV drip back in August 2011, nor he was a regular member of Immortal Songs 2 as he was in the past - now it was Sunggyu’s turn for it. Actually, he was only practicing for the end-of-the-year specials, and that wasn’t as hard as their concerts; for MC-ing the Melon Music Awards, which wasn’t physical at all, and had to record their Christmas songs, but so did the other members. He didn’t even have to take any planes going back and forward from Korea to Japan and vice versa for the Gwanghwamun Sonata rehearsals!
It probably had nothing to do with his body. It was probably a true mental breakdown - not the kind that was funny to watch in variety shows. And he knew it was stupid to feel that way, but one thing is to rationally know something and another one to emotionally accept it.
Woohyun thought that, out of the seven members of Infinite, the one who probably deserved the most having a solo album was Sunggyu. He was the one who didn’t join Woollim because of his aim to be an idol but his love for Nell and the hope of being the second Kim Jong-wan - well, maybe that needed a better wording.
But, somehow, he wished it was him, the chosen one. Knowing that INFINITE H were releasing a duet album around January next year wasn’t helping either. He was more envious of Sunggyu, though - he felt as if his hyung was leaving him behind.
Had he been able to voice his opinion before Sunggyu entered their room all happily and shyly to tell him about it, he would have said he would have preferred an album with the two of them. If INFINITE H could exist, so could INFINITE G, for example - taking the G from Grease and Gyu, of course, although INFINITE V, from Vocal, sounded more plausible. But after seeing Sunngyu’s face, almost to the verge of tears because of the emotion (Sunggyu!), he hadn’t been able to, because how could you not want to hear what he would able to do? He loved ‘Because’ as much as, or even more, he knew Sunggyu loved ‘Time’.
Still, he was the one who got badly hurt while shooting ‘BTD’, but still said in the BTS that it was funny. With a huge smile, the one he liked to show to Inspirits. Those Inspirits for who he had lost so much weight then, for who he might be losing so much weight now, and for who he was a big ball of grease 24/7.
So, why not him?
*
“Woohyun, do you remember where did I put that white T-shirt with a black collar? I can’t seem to find it,” said Sunggyu, after checking the pile of his clean T-shirts for sixth time.
“Beats me. I’m always telling you that you should be less untidy, yet you continue to scatter things around. Have you checked inside the washing machine? Maybe it’s there.”
“Yep, it wasn’t there though. I’ll ask Dongwoo later when he returns home, maybe he knows.”
“You know, if it was a fully black T-shirt I would suggest checking Myungsoo’s drawer, but it’s not…”
“Whatever, I’ll wear another one. In any case, it won’t be probably seen. It looks like it’s going to snow one of these days.”
“Indeed. Be careful not to catch a cold while going to the TV and radio stations. Hyung, we can’t really afford having our leader ridiculed in that aspect too.”
“You clearly think otherwise while we’re on air though. If I’m not mistaken, you’re one of the first ones to join the let’s-say-untrue-and-exaggerated-things-about-Sunggyu bandwagon.”
“Don’t you know I’m doing it out of consideration for you? That way, you have more screen-time.”
“I gladly refuse this extra exposure. I would rather be, I don’t know, dancing to girl groups’ songs or counting numbers in that cute way that BtoB guy showed to his avid fans.”
“I’m sure the Weekly Idol staff will be more than happy to hear that if you go there to promote Another me. Maybe they, I don’t know, would like to make you count numbers cutely with that BtoB guy, together. I shall be your manager so this happens. ”
“Enough with your evilly happy speech, I was joking.”
“I know, but that won’t stop me. I am not joking. Everything so Inspirits are happy!”
*
It was hard, promoting all by himself. He didn’t know how soloists were able to stand it. He felt even worse than those pre-debut days in which he was taking part-time jobs after moving to Seoul from Jeonju. During the backstage for his first performance, while he was being interviewed by two members of Boyfriend and the rest of Infinite popped out of behind a curtain, he was truly relieved they were there, even if they weren’t actually on stage singing with him.
It was hard, not being able to rely on Dongwoo’s smile nor Woohyun’s greasiness during interviews. Howon’s side comments and Sungjong’s cool attitude were quite useful, so was Myungsoo’s stupidly good-looking face. He even missed Sungyeol’s weirdness. If the person who interviewed him wanted some aegyo, he had to do it. If they wanted him to rap, he was the one butchering the song - there was a reason he was a vocalist and not a rapper, even if he was the one featured in Myungsoo’s solo at Second Invasion Evolution.
He wondered if INFINITE H would feel the same way. Probably not, as they could split roles and do whatever they preferred doing. Howon could be, sometimes, not that much talkative, but having their favourite, most energetic Dino ever by his side would balance it.
Dongwoo was one of a kind. He was the second oldest, but mentality-wise he could perfectly fit in the maknae line - Myungsoo was equally weird despite it being because of different reasons, but Sungjong was way too mature for a 93-er, particularly if you compared him to other members. Dongwoo was loved by everyone, because it was almost impossible not to love him. Really, was there any person who didn’t want to cuddle and pet him forever?
He completely changed in stage though. Dongwoo transpired charisma.
They all changed when performing, that was true, but probably nobody did it the way Dongwoo did. Instead of a warm, reliable and attentive brother - younger than him but older than the rest of Infinite -, you got a hot, charismatic and talented guy. Like hearing ‘Because’ sung by Dongwoo for the first time, it was kind of weird but in no way unlikeable. More than that, like suddenly changing the tempo in a song, it was sometimes disconcerting.
But he thought he kind of changed too? He wasn’t as bossy as their variety programmes seemed to show - yes, he liked to boss Sungjong around, but he was the oldest and he the youngest. He wasn’t as grandpa-like as the others said in interviews. And he wasn’t as a good confident as Dongwoo was, but he thought he was reliable enough. He also wished to hear the other member’s problems too, if that meant Infinite was going to be better.
So, why not him?
*
“You know, I thought I would have been the only one with bright red hair out of all of us. And I definitely didn’t think you were the one to have your hair dyed with such an unnatural colour,” said Dongwoo, in the backstage he, Howon and Sunggyu-hyung were sharing for M!Countdown.
“Not my choice, and you know it. Your pink hair is going to steal my spotlight though.”
“Will it? Nah, hyung, we’re still not releasing anything until mid-January, so I don’t think it will.”
“Well, at least Jung Hyungdon and Defconn sunbaenims won’t tease you about it. They love both Howon and you.”
“You perfectly know they do care about you too, don’t you? You’re being too negative again. It’s not good to be a pessimist, your eyes look smaller and you’ll get wrinkles that way.”
“My eyes are smaller because promotions are tiring, not because I’m a pessimist or anything like that. And you’re too positive.”
“Hey! That’s my main charm!”
*
But Dongwoo wasn’t as positive as the others thought he was. Despite taking care of everybody like he was their mum -except cooking, because why on Earth would you want to cook having Woohyun in the dormitory? -, he still was a member of Infinite and wanted to spend some time on his own, to stop worrying about everybody and everything. When one of these rare moments happened, he tended to do a couple of things: either surf the Internet hunting for fashionable clothes and accessories, either go to the dance studio.
He didn’t find practices to be a burden, because he really liked to dance. People said he wasn’t as good as Howon, but it didn’t matter, as Howon was truly a dance machine and it was proved that Dongwoo could dance very well too. Together they had probably killed some fangirls because of excessive bleeding in their dance stages, hadn’t they? And even non-fans were then in awe.
The truth is he did enjoy looking after the rest of Infinite, but in some occasions he couldn’t cope with everything at once, as it was quite difficult to stay positive for the others when he was otherwise in his inner thoughts. And then, he kind of wished his role was more like Sungyeol’s, for example - simply being the ‘choding’, the impulsive one, somebody more emotionally independent.
(if he were to be taller it would be nice too)
At the same time, though, they were quite similar. Sungyeol probably didn’t project that image, but he truly cared about the other members - for example, he was the first one to get to Woohyun when the latter got hurt filming the music video for the Japanese ‘She’s back’ in Jeju-do, and it wasn’t because of his long legs. And when watching Ranking King, he noticed Sungyeol copying him at least thrice - considering the show was edited, he might have done it more times. Moreover, the episodes shot at the traditional village showed they were the scaredy-cats from Infinite.
However, he was the one that had to be more responsible as the second oldest - it didn’t really matter his birthday was almost as close to Sunggyu’s as it was to Sungyeol’s. He was the ‘mother’ of the group, not the annoyingly loud ‘son’, but sometimes he wished he hadn’t got that extra weight on him, even if it was an extra weight he might have taken without anyone asking him to.
Thus, he was a bit envious of him when he heard two of their coordi-noonas saying that rumours appointed Sungyeol to being casted for the third season of The Romantic & Idol.
Dongwoo considered himself to be quite a romanticist. Before being in Infinite, he had a girlfriend for four years, who he was still in touch with after his debut. When they were given the plot of Special girl, he had no objections about his role because really, it suited him. Inspirits would probably call him ‘bias-list wrecker’ after its release. However, Sungyeol wasn’t truly the affectionate kind, at least in front of cameras, and even less with people he might not be acquainted with - if he didn’t mind being the bamboo to their resident koala or the fanservice disciple to the greasy tree, it was because they were friends. And even if he were, he was really a failure when treating them - poor Bomi-ssi, she can’t really face them because Sungyeol always laughs at her. Were they improbably able to cast his ideal type, Taeyeon-sunbaenim, Sungyeol would be too hyper or too shy to approach her.
So, why not him?
*
“Howon-ah, do you think that the kids will be fine without us around there?,” asked Dongwoo, after they gave themselves the first break during that day’s dance practice.
“Well, Sunggyu will not be promoting then, and overall we’re taking this comeback in a lighter way than others, so yeah, I think they will be fine.”
“But Woohyun-ah seems to be losing a lot of weigh lately, I’m worried.”
“Of course you are. However, I think you will need to take care of yourself first. You’re not that extreme as him, but you might also get thinner now because of promotions.”
“Not happening! And it won’t happen to you either because I’m going to make sure you eat a lot so your family doesn’t worry about it.”
“Dongwoo, please, think a bit about you.”
“I do! But I’m doing what I want with people I like, and my parents know that despite the fact that this lifestyle is quite hard, I love it, so they’re fine and I’m happy about it.”
“Do you think we can go to your family’s restaurant today?”
“I’m not sure, I think we’ll better ask manager-hyung. They will be happy to see you.”
*
One of the things Hoya discovered about himself when he was shooting ‘Reply 1997’ was the fact he didn’t really have that many female idols as friends. Well, it wasn’t that he was terrified by them or anything like that - it was simply that he didn’t feel the urge to befriend them in those rare free moments they had. Not even with A Pink, whom with they were probably the closest during that time because of being casted for ‘Birth of a family’ together, living in the same building and sharing the same beauty salon. He got close to the easy-going Eunji simply because of the series, not because anything else.
Thus, he kind of found himself paying more attention to the other members to see if they did the same. Of course Woohyun wouldn’t, being the social butterfly he was. And Dongwoo, with his privileged mind quite able to read emotions, was fairly able to start talking with whoever was around him.
But the seemingly-distant Sungjong was very well loved by girls too. During the recording of the last Idol Athletics thing, he spent a lot of time of the Hello Venus girls, specially Nara and Alice, which was probably a normal thing considered they were part of the same team - it happened the same when they were in the same team as Miss A, for example.
Still, it was fascinating to watch him interacting with them. Did girls think he was a nice friend or brother, or wanted to flirt with him? Was Sungjong trying to have a sister to talk to when being tired of the testosterone in their place?
People thought Sungjong was as pretty as a girl, so girls maybe thought he was easier to approach to than manlier boys? That could explain why he wasn't approached too...
But he could be cute too! He wasn't called Hoaegi for nothing, was he?
So, why not him?
*
"It will be weird not having you around in the same room," said Sungjong, after taking a couple of plushies and putting them in a box.
"Same here. If you ever feel alone you can come with Dongwoo and me any time. I'm sure he won't mind it, at all, and our rooms are next to each other, so there won't be any problems."
"Probably not. We're talking about Dongwoo-hyung."
"Yep. Also, our rooms are next to each other, so if you don't want to the other four won't know."
"No problem. I remind you I can't be quite scary. It would be fun to go inside their rooms while they're not expecting me so I can take my revenge."
"Well, as long as you don't make them bump into furniture or something like that..."
"Hyung!"
*
Sungjong didn't like his hyungs having birthday parties - well, not counting Dongwoo, who was like a child. The reason wasn't because he didn't want them to have a 'special' day, but because he then felt too young.
Did he voice out these thoughts, people would think he was weird and the hyungs would laugh at him. But it was quite rational, wasn't it? He was Infinite's maknae, and having his hyungs being a year older made him feel a bit uncomfortable. In other countries, age was just a number, but there in Korea it did matter. A lot.
In his last birthday day, they were in Japan. He was able to celebrate it the day before it with the Japanese Inspirits, along with the other hyungs. But they also celebrated Sungyeol's birthday, and he could only talk with his family through a telephone. Work was more important than his wish to be with them on that special day.
Not entering his room, as they had that unsaid rule of not invading others' privacy, he watched Woohyun's bed, who was currently with his parents and his brother, probably eating a fancy meal. They had no schedule that couldn't be postponed - the two of them had to record next Wednesday MBC Magic concert 'This is magic', but nothing else -, so he was allowed to go to his family's home, and Sungjong was kind of envious of that fact. He also wanted to go to Gwangju, even if it was only for a day. He was the maknae, couldn't he have been able to invite at least his mother?
So, why not him?
*
"Are you sure you don't want me to come to your graduation?," asked Sungjong to Myungsoo.
"Nah, you better stay here and rest."
"I'll probably train with Woohyun for the Busan fanmeeting and the rally."
"Don't overdo it."
"You kind of sound like Dongwoo-hyung right now."
"Well, he has already left to their schedule, somebody needs to be your second mother here."
"Yah, hyung, you'll be late if you don't hurry a bit. Why are you still on bed?"
"Because it doesn't let me go."
"Totally like his owner."
*
Lots of Koreans would be celebrating the so-called 'Samgyeopsal day' but, for Infinite, that wasn't exactly relevant.
It was their thousandth day since debut.
The hardships, the sweat, their hurting bodies... Had been all of that worthy of it? All those days separated from their families and friends...
Thankfully, they had been able to make it big. The effort they had put in each of their choreographies, the never-ending lessons, that final sprint when they were tired.
But those thousand years weren't the end. If anything, they were going to be a new start.
Because they aimed to be infinite. So, why not them?
*********
Hope you liked it ;_; In case you didn't get the 'chains' that were written here:
Rating: G
Fandom: Infinite (OT7)
Word count: About 4.500 words
Summary: Infinite is getting closer to their 1000 days anniversary since debut. - dashidorawa
·> To laeryn, neko_90 and crdbsarmiento for having helped me so much ;__; Love you, girls ♥
·> This is kind of unbeta-ed, and considering it's my first fanfic /ever/ (I wrote a drabble while I was writing this though), I think you'll notice it a lot oTL Also, English is not my mother tongue, so expect lots of typos and/or grammar errors (yeah, totally selling this =_=). Anyway, hopefully you will like it. Also, Infinite, congrats on your 1.000 days ;A;~♥
·> I've been working on this fanfic since December, so there might be some changes in the writing style I used. Also, some of the members were way easier for me to write than others. The fanfic is based on real events (I mean, their schedules) and things that were said in interviews or are known. If you see something that it's not true, please, tell me ;__;
When the producer called to say Woohyun had been chosen to be in ‘Dramatic blue’ and Howon in ‘Dynamic black’, Myungsoo couldn’t help pouting because of frustration. He was the one with the well-known black addiction -‘Dynamic plaid’ sounded weird and well, black was indeed one of the colours of the Korean flag which obviously had no plaid pattern-, not Howon. Howon could create his own sub-group, ‘Satooric purple’ or something similarly sounding. But black? Black was absolutely his colour.
And really, it’s not he couldn’t be as dynamic as Howon. Yes, he wasn’t as great in dancing as him, but at least his singing voice evolved from the anime tone it had around debut. And maybe if he were given the option he would spend all day long hugging his bamboo wife - or Sungyeol, who was way noisier and bonier than said pillow but who in cold days offered a warmer touch. And what if he took a while to get up? Dongwoo was more difficult to wake up and he was the most energetic among the seven of them. Too energetic, sometimes.
He had already proved that he could be a quite convincing killer in those fight scenes he shot for Jiu, and had showed some hyperactive moments in front of cameras, so it’s not like he was known to be a lazy ass.
(not that there was anything wrong with being one. With all those schedules, individual’s and Infinite’s, it was a bit difficult not to be a tired L. His long-time-proved-false-but-still-on-full-mode-in-front-of-the-camera ice-prince character made his tiredness quite easy to be seen. But a lazy ass? Try being one in a group known for its synchronicity)
So, why not him?
*
“There, have one,” said Sungyeol, while giving Myungsoo two big spoons and the ice-cream they had stored in the freezer for The Grand Occasions.
“Why?”
“Because of MBC going all Edward Scissorhands on your drama. I heard that girls like eating tons of ice-cream this way to feel better, and I kind of wanted to experiment if it was applicable to boys. It didn’t really do the trick with me though, I just managed to get a bloated face next morning. Sunggyu-hyung got really angry, but hey, it’s not like I’m not used to his continuous nagging. And well, at least I think this might be better than drinking soju with him…”
“Ah, that. Well, yeah, I suppose that I should say thanks?”
“At least you were able to have more lines than in Jiu. Wouldn’t it be considered an improvement?”
“Probably. It will take me years to have a lead role, won’t it?”
“With your handsome face? Nah, I don’t think so. And hey, at least you’re being offered roles. I am not.”
“But it’s not that I’m a better actor than you.” said Myungsoo, while taking one of the spoons and giving Sungyeol the other one.
“Try saying this to all those casting directors.”
“Not kidding. I honestly think you’re the best actor among us.”
“What about Dongwoo-hyung? Howon-hyung says he is the best, not me, and considering he is the one with a hit drama…”
“Dongwoo-hyung? He might pass as a woman when cross-dressing, but I don’t think he would be able to stop being his usual self. Same with Sungjong-ie, he wouldn’t be able to tone down his bratty confidence.”
“You were given the main role for Sunggyu-hyung’s music video. And you’re a good photographer. Even if you weren’t, you could probably live, I don’t know, staring into people’s souls or something like that. I couldn’t do that.”
“Yah, Sungyeol, I thought you were trying to cheer me up. This is not helping. My place is in Infinite, with the six of you, and you’re not in any ways worse than me. Except being clingy. No wonder fans are surprised when you show a bit of affection towards one of the members, even if it’s only fanservice.”
“But I thought you liked vanilla, that’s why I brought it to you. Everybody loves vanilla!”
*
Sungyeol was happy the other members were getting roles in dramas. He truly was - it meant more recognition for Infinite and, specially, they were his friends so how could he not be happy for them. But, somehow, he couldn’t help being very envious of that fact. He was the one who started his idol life by being an actor trainee, in SM Academy. His acting in While you were sleeping was quite fine, as people said he did well for such a role for a newbie, cameos not counting. He even managed to take part of Boys over flowers (he was just an extra, but he was aware fans had already made some gifs of his short appearance - not that he saved every one he could find, naming them BOF_extra1.gif or something along those lines, nope, not at all).
He knew he couldn’t really ask for more lines in their songs - his voice was quite unstable, and even though he was taking vocal lessons since before they debuted, he wouldn’t be able to sing like the vocal line, nor rap like Infinite H. Sungjong and Myungsoo didn’t have very powerful voices, but their colours were pretty, unlike his. And even if he were offered more lines, he wasn’t sure he wanted to do them - what if his voice broke, and then people believed all of Infinite was like him, and then fans loved them no more?
Acting, though, was on a different level. Or so he thought. Considering that so many casting directors didn’t call him back, maybe he was the one wrong. Of course he wasn’t the main visual, nor the main greasy one (shivers), but he had his own kind of charisma, best seen during variety shows. And he was the tallest! Actors ought to be tall, take Hyun Bin sunbaenim, Jung Il-woo sunbaenim, or most of the White Christmas guys.
So he was happy when he got to be the lead actor in ‘Nothing’s over’, in spite of not having any solo lines. But that was also the reason he wasn’t that happy when Myungsoo was chosen to be the actor for Sunggyu’s debut music video. Myungsoo was currently starring in a sitcom! He was not!
He was in need of some sign that showed him he was improving, but how could he improve without starring in anything for months - years, actually? He knew he was lacking a lot, probably the most out of all of the Infinite members, but he was earnestly trying to do his best.
So, why not him?
*
“Aaaah, how I wish we were shooting a variety show again,” said Sungyeol while changing the TV channel for the nth time during the past ten minutes.
“Yeah, me too. Inspirits might be missing my grease.”
“I don’t think so, they’re probably still digesting your first batch. Also, shouldn’t you be wishing for calmer days? Don’t you have enough with your appearance in Immortal Songs 2, MC-ing Melon Awards, the ‘The colours of k-pop’ thing, aside from regular practices and Sonata’s rehearsals?”
“But it’s not the same. You can’t exactly, I don’t know, run away from our manager hyungs to stroll around Hongdae, for example.”
“That was fun. Although I don’t think we would be able to do it now. Specially, because Sunggyu hyung’s hair stands out too much.”
“I know, right? I thought red hamsters were an extinct species, or at least, a dying one.”
“Maybe we have discovered a brand new species! We so need to write a report and submit it as soon as possible to a prestigious, scientific magazine!”
“Phodopus sunggyu , discovered and studied by geniuses Woohyun and Sungyeol from Infinite. I like the way it sounds. Let’s do it!”
“Do I want to know why on Earth do you remember the scientific name for hamsters?”
“I’m a curious guy, that’s it. Also, did you know that the word ‘hamster’ might come from the Persian word ‘hamaēstar’, meaning ‘oppressor’?”
“Oh, it fits well. Still, you are so weird, knowing all these facts.”
“Talk about weird.”
*
Woohyun didn’t like hospitals that much, especially when he was the one receiving treatment there. He didn’t mind going there if it was because of a good thing, like births, but if it was possible, he tried to avoid them.
So he wasn’t really in his best mood when the nurse connected him to an IV drip.
He might have been stressed, yes, but he had survived more stressing times before just needing Sunggyu’s ginseng and vitamins thingies, given to him in industrial quantities by their fans, combined with his own healthy stuff. And yes, he wasn’t probably eating that well and that’s why he got thinner, despite not having to do it for a comeback like he did when they released ‘Before the dawn’. Right now, he wasn’t preparing a concert or a fanmeeting as he was when he first received his first IV drip back in August 2011, nor he was a regular member of Immortal Songs 2 as he was in the past - now it was Sunggyu’s turn for it. Actually, he was only practicing for the end-of-the-year specials, and that wasn’t as hard as their concerts; for MC-ing the Melon Music Awards, which wasn’t physical at all, and had to record their Christmas songs, but so did the other members. He didn’t even have to take any planes going back and forward from Korea to Japan and vice versa for the Gwanghwamun Sonata rehearsals!
It probably had nothing to do with his body. It was probably a true mental breakdown - not the kind that was funny to watch in variety shows. And he knew it was stupid to feel that way, but one thing is to rationally know something and another one to emotionally accept it.
Woohyun thought that, out of the seven members of Infinite, the one who probably deserved the most having a solo album was Sunggyu. He was the one who didn’t join Woollim because of his aim to be an idol but his love for Nell and the hope of being the second Kim Jong-wan - well, maybe that needed a better wording.
But, somehow, he wished it was him, the chosen one. Knowing that INFINITE H were releasing a duet album around January next year wasn’t helping either. He was more envious of Sunggyu, though - he felt as if his hyung was leaving him behind.
Had he been able to voice his opinion before Sunggyu entered their room all happily and shyly to tell him about it, he would have said he would have preferred an album with the two of them. If INFINITE H could exist, so could INFINITE G, for example - taking the G from Grease and Gyu, of course, although INFINITE V, from Vocal, sounded more plausible. But after seeing Sunngyu’s face, almost to the verge of tears because of the emotion (Sunggyu!), he hadn’t been able to, because how could you not want to hear what he would able to do? He loved ‘Because’ as much as, or even more, he knew Sunggyu loved ‘Time’.
Still, he was the one who got badly hurt while shooting ‘BTD’, but still said in the BTS that it was funny. With a huge smile, the one he liked to show to Inspirits. Those Inspirits for who he had lost so much weight then, for who he might be losing so much weight now, and for who he was a big ball of grease 24/7.
So, why not him?
*
“Woohyun, do you remember where did I put that white T-shirt with a black collar? I can’t seem to find it,” said Sunggyu, after checking the pile of his clean T-shirts for sixth time.
“Beats me. I’m always telling you that you should be less untidy, yet you continue to scatter things around. Have you checked inside the washing machine? Maybe it’s there.”
“Yep, it wasn’t there though. I’ll ask Dongwoo later when he returns home, maybe he knows.”
“You know, if it was a fully black T-shirt I would suggest checking Myungsoo’s drawer, but it’s not…”
“Whatever, I’ll wear another one. In any case, it won’t be probably seen. It looks like it’s going to snow one of these days.”
“Indeed. Be careful not to catch a cold while going to the TV and radio stations. Hyung, we can’t really afford having our leader ridiculed in that aspect too.”
“You clearly think otherwise while we’re on air though. If I’m not mistaken, you’re one of the first ones to join the let’s-say-untrue-and-exaggerated-things-about-Sunggyu bandwagon.”
“Don’t you know I’m doing it out of consideration for you? That way, you have more screen-time.”
“I gladly refuse this extra exposure. I would rather be, I don’t know, dancing to girl groups’ songs or counting numbers in that cute way that BtoB guy showed to his avid fans.”
“I’m sure the Weekly Idol staff will be more than happy to hear that if you go there to promote Another me. Maybe they, I don’t know, would like to make you count numbers cutely with that BtoB guy, together. I shall be your manager so this happens. ”
“Enough with your evilly happy speech, I was joking.”
“I know, but that won’t stop me. I am not joking. Everything so Inspirits are happy!”
*
It was hard, promoting all by himself. He didn’t know how soloists were able to stand it. He felt even worse than those pre-debut days in which he was taking part-time jobs after moving to Seoul from Jeonju. During the backstage for his first performance, while he was being interviewed by two members of Boyfriend and the rest of Infinite popped out of behind a curtain, he was truly relieved they were there, even if they weren’t actually on stage singing with him.
It was hard, not being able to rely on Dongwoo’s smile nor Woohyun’s greasiness during interviews. Howon’s side comments and Sungjong’s cool attitude were quite useful, so was Myungsoo’s stupidly good-looking face. He even missed Sungyeol’s weirdness. If the person who interviewed him wanted some aegyo, he had to do it. If they wanted him to rap, he was the one butchering the song - there was a reason he was a vocalist and not a rapper, even if he was the one featured in Myungsoo’s solo at Second Invasion Evolution.
He wondered if INFINITE H would feel the same way. Probably not, as they could split roles and do whatever they preferred doing. Howon could be, sometimes, not that much talkative, but having their favourite, most energetic Dino ever by his side would balance it.
Dongwoo was one of a kind. He was the second oldest, but mentality-wise he could perfectly fit in the maknae line - Myungsoo was equally weird despite it being because of different reasons, but Sungjong was way too mature for a 93-er, particularly if you compared him to other members. Dongwoo was loved by everyone, because it was almost impossible not to love him. Really, was there any person who didn’t want to cuddle and pet him forever?
He completely changed in stage though. Dongwoo transpired charisma.
They all changed when performing, that was true, but probably nobody did it the way Dongwoo did. Instead of a warm, reliable and attentive brother - younger than him but older than the rest of Infinite -, you got a hot, charismatic and talented guy. Like hearing ‘Because’ sung by Dongwoo for the first time, it was kind of weird but in no way unlikeable. More than that, like suddenly changing the tempo in a song, it was sometimes disconcerting.
But he thought he kind of changed too? He wasn’t as bossy as their variety programmes seemed to show - yes, he liked to boss Sungjong around, but he was the oldest and he the youngest. He wasn’t as grandpa-like as the others said in interviews. And he wasn’t as a good confident as Dongwoo was, but he thought he was reliable enough. He also wished to hear the other member’s problems too, if that meant Infinite was going to be better.
So, why not him?
*
“You know, I thought I would have been the only one with bright red hair out of all of us. And I definitely didn’t think you were the one to have your hair dyed with such an unnatural colour,” said Dongwoo, in the backstage he, Howon and Sunggyu-hyung were sharing for M!Countdown.
“Not my choice, and you know it. Your pink hair is going to steal my spotlight though.”
“Will it? Nah, hyung, we’re still not releasing anything until mid-January, so I don’t think it will.”
“Well, at least Jung Hyungdon and Defconn sunbaenims won’t tease you about it. They love both Howon and you.”
“You perfectly know they do care about you too, don’t you? You’re being too negative again. It’s not good to be a pessimist, your eyes look smaller and you’ll get wrinkles that way.”
“My eyes are smaller because promotions are tiring, not because I’m a pessimist or anything like that. And you’re too positive.”
“Hey! That’s my main charm!”
*
But Dongwoo wasn’t as positive as the others thought he was. Despite taking care of everybody like he was their mum -except cooking, because why on Earth would you want to cook having Woohyun in the dormitory? -, he still was a member of Infinite and wanted to spend some time on his own, to stop worrying about everybody and everything. When one of these rare moments happened, he tended to do a couple of things: either surf the Internet hunting for fashionable clothes and accessories, either go to the dance studio.
He didn’t find practices to be a burden, because he really liked to dance. People said he wasn’t as good as Howon, but it didn’t matter, as Howon was truly a dance machine and it was proved that Dongwoo could dance very well too. Together they had probably killed some fangirls because of excessive bleeding in their dance stages, hadn’t they? And even non-fans were then in awe.
The truth is he did enjoy looking after the rest of Infinite, but in some occasions he couldn’t cope with everything at once, as it was quite difficult to stay positive for the others when he was otherwise in his inner thoughts. And then, he kind of wished his role was more like Sungyeol’s, for example - simply being the ‘choding’, the impulsive one, somebody more emotionally independent.
(if he were to be taller it would be nice too)
At the same time, though, they were quite similar. Sungyeol probably didn’t project that image, but he truly cared about the other members - for example, he was the first one to get to Woohyun when the latter got hurt filming the music video for the Japanese ‘She’s back’ in Jeju-do, and it wasn’t because of his long legs. And when watching Ranking King, he noticed Sungyeol copying him at least thrice - considering the show was edited, he might have done it more times. Moreover, the episodes shot at the traditional village showed they were the scaredy-cats from Infinite.
However, he was the one that had to be more responsible as the second oldest - it didn’t really matter his birthday was almost as close to Sunggyu’s as it was to Sungyeol’s. He was the ‘mother’ of the group, not the annoyingly loud ‘son’, but sometimes he wished he hadn’t got that extra weight on him, even if it was an extra weight he might have taken without anyone asking him to.
Thus, he was a bit envious of him when he heard two of their coordi-noonas saying that rumours appointed Sungyeol to being casted for the third season of The Romantic & Idol.
Dongwoo considered himself to be quite a romanticist. Before being in Infinite, he had a girlfriend for four years, who he was still in touch with after his debut. When they were given the plot of Special girl, he had no objections about his role because really, it suited him. Inspirits would probably call him ‘bias-list wrecker’ after its release. However, Sungyeol wasn’t truly the affectionate kind, at least in front of cameras, and even less with people he might not be acquainted with - if he didn’t mind being the bamboo to their resident koala or the fanservice disciple to the greasy tree, it was because they were friends. And even if he were, he was really a failure when treating them - poor Bomi-ssi, she can’t really face them because Sungyeol always laughs at her. Were they improbably able to cast his ideal type, Taeyeon-sunbaenim, Sungyeol would be too hyper or too shy to approach her.
So, why not him?
*
“Howon-ah, do you think that the kids will be fine without us around there?,” asked Dongwoo, after they gave themselves the first break during that day’s dance practice.
“Well, Sunggyu will not be promoting then, and overall we’re taking this comeback in a lighter way than others, so yeah, I think they will be fine.”
“But Woohyun-ah seems to be losing a lot of weigh lately, I’m worried.”
“Of course you are. However, I think you will need to take care of yourself first. You’re not that extreme as him, but you might also get thinner now because of promotions.”
“Not happening! And it won’t happen to you either because I’m going to make sure you eat a lot so your family doesn’t worry about it.”
“Dongwoo, please, think a bit about you.”
“I do! But I’m doing what I want with people I like, and my parents know that despite the fact that this lifestyle is quite hard, I love it, so they’re fine and I’m happy about it.”
“Do you think we can go to your family’s restaurant today?”
“I’m not sure, I think we’ll better ask manager-hyung. They will be happy to see you.”
*
One of the things Hoya discovered about himself when he was shooting ‘Reply 1997’ was the fact he didn’t really have that many female idols as friends. Well, it wasn’t that he was terrified by them or anything like that - it was simply that he didn’t feel the urge to befriend them in those rare free moments they had. Not even with A Pink, whom with they were probably the closest during that time because of being casted for ‘Birth of a family’ together, living in the same building and sharing the same beauty salon. He got close to the easy-going Eunji simply because of the series, not because anything else.
Thus, he kind of found himself paying more attention to the other members to see if they did the same. Of course Woohyun wouldn’t, being the social butterfly he was. And Dongwoo, with his privileged mind quite able to read emotions, was fairly able to start talking with whoever was around him.
But the seemingly-distant Sungjong was very well loved by girls too. During the recording of the last Idol Athletics thing, he spent a lot of time of the Hello Venus girls, specially Nara and Alice, which was probably a normal thing considered they were part of the same team - it happened the same when they were in the same team as Miss A, for example.
Still, it was fascinating to watch him interacting with them. Did girls think he was a nice friend or brother, or wanted to flirt with him? Was Sungjong trying to have a sister to talk to when being tired of the testosterone in their place?
People thought Sungjong was as pretty as a girl, so girls maybe thought he was easier to approach to than manlier boys? That could explain why he wasn't approached too...
But he could be cute too! He wasn't called Hoaegi for nothing, was he?
So, why not him?
*
"It will be weird not having you around in the same room," said Sungjong, after taking a couple of plushies and putting them in a box.
"Same here. If you ever feel alone you can come with Dongwoo and me any time. I'm sure he won't mind it, at all, and our rooms are next to each other, so there won't be any problems."
"Probably not. We're talking about Dongwoo-hyung."
"Yep. Also, our rooms are next to each other, so if you don't want to the other four won't know."
"No problem. I remind you I can't be quite scary. It would be fun to go inside their rooms while they're not expecting me so I can take my revenge."
"Well, as long as you don't make them bump into furniture or something like that..."
"Hyung!"
*
Sungjong didn't like his hyungs having birthday parties - well, not counting Dongwoo, who was like a child. The reason wasn't because he didn't want them to have a 'special' day, but because he then felt too young.
Did he voice out these thoughts, people would think he was weird and the hyungs would laugh at him. But it was quite rational, wasn't it? He was Infinite's maknae, and having his hyungs being a year older made him feel a bit uncomfortable. In other countries, age was just a number, but there in Korea it did matter. A lot.
In his last birthday day, they were in Japan. He was able to celebrate it the day before it with the Japanese Inspirits, along with the other hyungs. But they also celebrated Sungyeol's birthday, and he could only talk with his family through a telephone. Work was more important than his wish to be with them on that special day.
Not entering his room, as they had that unsaid rule of not invading others' privacy, he watched Woohyun's bed, who was currently with his parents and his brother, probably eating a fancy meal. They had no schedule that couldn't be postponed - the two of them had to record next Wednesday MBC Magic concert 'This is magic', but nothing else -, so he was allowed to go to his family's home, and Sungjong was kind of envious of that fact. He also wanted to go to Gwangju, even if it was only for a day. He was the maknae, couldn't he have been able to invite at least his mother?
So, why not him?
*
"Are you sure you don't want me to come to your graduation?," asked Sungjong to Myungsoo.
"Nah, you better stay here and rest."
"I'll probably train with Woohyun for the Busan fanmeeting and the rally."
"Don't overdo it."
"You kind of sound like Dongwoo-hyung right now."
"Well, he has already left to their schedule, somebody needs to be your second mother here."
"Yah, hyung, you'll be late if you don't hurry a bit. Why are you still on bed?"
"Because it doesn't let me go."
"Totally like his owner."
*
Lots of Koreans would be celebrating the so-called 'Samgyeopsal day' but, for Infinite, that wasn't exactly relevant.
It was their thousandth day since debut.
The hardships, the sweat, their hurting bodies... Had been all of that worthy of it? All those days separated from their families and friends...
Thankfully, they had been able to make it big. The effort they had put in each of their choreographies, the never-ending lessons, that final sprint when they were tired.
But those thousand years weren't the end. If anything, they were going to be a new start.
Because they aimed to be infinite. So, why not them?
*********
Hope you liked it ;_; In case you didn't get the 'chains' that were written here:
- 'Chronological chain': L * L+Sungyeol * Sungyeol * Sungyeol+Woohyun * Woohyun * Woohyun+Sunggyu * Sunggyu * Sunggyu+Dongwoo * Dongwoo * Dongwoo+Hoya * Hoya * Hoya+Sungjong * Sungjong * Sungjong+L * (L/Infinite)
- 'Jealousy' chain: L > Hoya * Sungyeol > L * Woohyun > Sunggyu * Sunggyu > Dongwoo * Dongwoo > Sungyeol * Hoya > Sungjong * Sungjong > Woohyun