Chapter Text
Chaos with a capital C was born on Sunday, October 25, 2023, at the very precise time of 9:15 a.m. KST.
It's almost a year to the day after the Choi "Beomgyu's not my type" Yeonjun disaster, which in itself is almost poetic.
At that moment, the whole world was about to learn the news that would lead to nothing less than the near-literal explosion of the great company that was HYBE Entertainment.
And, come to think of it, Yeonjun should have seen it coming.
He should have known that the whole fanservice thing was just the beginning.
It was so logical, though. It was predictable, inevitable, predestined. Perhaps it was even written in the stars, written in indelible ink in the great book of fate - and incidentally, of the condemnation of the last vestiges of Yeonjun's sanity.
He doesn't know how they've lasted this long without unleashing major disasters, either.
God help him.
Although he wonders if the Great Mister Up There, the one who observes the world from the comfort of his cloud (yes, Yeonjun knows he has a particularly naive view of God. It somehow reassures him to visualize such a powerful being as a kind of affectionate, endearing grandfather living on a cloud) wouldn't have actually decided to wait all this time to punish him, precisely today. Like, he would have patiently waited all these years, meticulously noting down all Yeonjun's sins and setting up the very precise and cruel details of his punishment, making sure to set up a kind of divine sanction so well thought out, so well adapted to Yeonjun's weaknesses that the young man would have absolutely no chance of coming out unscathed.
Yeonjun doesn't know if his reasoning even makes sense. It doesn't matter.
In any case, he doesn't know how he could utter a coherent thought, when this divine pseudo-sanction takes on the tempting and absolutely devastating guise of Choi Fucking Adorably Perfect Beomgyu.
Really, Yeonjun should have known. He should have guessed from the moment he laid eyes on teenage baby Beomgyu, from the moment he saw the quiet, shy little boy of the time observing the world with his big, curious eyes, that he had just signed his own end.
He should have known, when he first spoke to him at that HYBE trainee photo shoot, and discovered that the boy who'd seemed shy the day before wasn't actually that shy and had literally been ranting non-stop all day, that Choi Beomgyu was the kind of person who would sink him claws deep into his weak little heart.
He should have known that all the teasing, all the times Beomgyu tried to get his attention by being too loud, all the "accidental" touches that furiously made Yeonjun blush, all the times Beomgyu had pressed himself against him in a way that was anything but innocent, it was all up to something.
And, of course, Yeonjun hadn't even realized it. In fact, he'd been completely oblivious, blinded by the love and adoration he felt for Beomgyu. Because all those times when that little demon was working with the sole aim of causing Yeonjun's downfall, the elder's eyes were too drinking in the sight of the younger, lingering on his long, slender legs, on the milky skin of his thighs, on his tiny waist, on his even tinier buttocks, on his pretty pink lips that he dreamed of nibbling and kissing until he lost his breath.
Yeonjun had fallen in love so quickly, it was downright ridiculous. And the worst part was that it had literally taken him years, one of Beomgyu's Machiavellian schemes, a live near-kiss in front of thousands of spectators and a two-week live (read here life) ban to finally realize that he was as addicted to his teammate as an addict is to his drug.
(For anyone wondering, yes, Yeonjun and Beomgyu had problems after that night in Busan.
Yeonjun had actually been pretty sure that their manager was going to murder them both, dump their bodies in the sea and lie to the company by making up a very convincing story about how they'd both had some kind of epiphany leading them to leave their comfortable idol lives and instead go live in the wild forest with bears and foxes.
Soobin, Taehyun and Kai would surely have served as his accomplices, given the looks Yeonjun had seen on their faces the next morning, when he and Beomgyu had finally had to resolve to leave the older boy's room and face the outside world. Not that Yeonjun could blame them. He too would surely have looked at least as flabbergasted, had he seen any of his members turn up in the early hours of the morning with their lips red and swollen, their hair so tangled it looked like a bird's nest, their clothes ill-fitting and hickey marks protruding from the collar of their pyjamas.
At least, that's what Beomgyu looked like. Yeonjun hadn't had the decency to mark the youngest in places that would later be easy to conceal.
Beomgyu, as far as he was concerned, hadn't been at all polite to him.
Yeonjun remembered all too well the impressed look on Taehyun's face, for once a little less impassive, and the heat that had ignited his own face when his impertinent teammate had muttered, mouth slightly open: "God, you really let him do what he wants with you.")
Yeonjun is such a loser.
Maybe that's why, really, he didn't see it coming. Although he definitely should have.
Things could have ended there, of course. He's got Beomgyu now; even though they had to fight with the protocol team pretty much the entire day following their torrid reunion, the company inevitably got wind of their little story, and it led to a ridiculous number of meetings with pretty much their entire staff about how they were being asked to please be discreet about their... newly adopted dynamic, Yeonjun feels the situation is pretty satisfactory.
Now, no one comes between him and his baby bear in private, although sometimes the members are forced to slap their hands more or less discreetly when they have an agenda and one of them can't keep his gay hands to himself (if you ask Yeonjun, this has only happened once or twice. Okay, maybe three. However, if you ask Soobin, he'll start giggling nervously, and probably start crying about his life decisions and "Why did I even agree to become leader of this group, I swear to God I'm not paid enough to handle all this crap-").
Anyways, the most important thing to remember is that Yeonjun now has the freedom to do as he pleases with Beomgyu, which both he and the youngest enjoy.
They kiss a lot, in particular. Yeonjun has discovered that he loves kissing Beomgyu. The younger one makes the prettiest noises when he's kissed, uttering delicate meows and soft moans when Yeonjun runs his fingers along his thighs, gently nibbles his bottom lip or sucks a mark in a place that's particularly sensitive for the younger one.
Yeonjun loves these little noises. In fact, he dreams of being able to record them on his phone and make music just for him, compiling the cutest noises he's been able to get out of Beomgyu and listening to this haunting melody all day long.
Yeonjun thinks it's romantic, of course. As for Taehyun, he judges him deeply for it, and Kai finds him disgusting. As for Soobin... it's best to keep his opinion to himself.
So Yeonjun and Beomgyu kiss a lot. Whenever they can. Anywhere, anytime, as long as they're sure no one's about to sneak up on them and berate them because they're constantly acting like horny teenagers around each other.
Yeonjun should probably think that being so obsessed with the youngest wasn't normal. That he shouldn't want to kidnap him in a huge hug and never let him go again, that he shouldn't want to keep Beomgyu close to him, just for him. That he shouldn't think so much about how much he wants to kiss every square inch of his body every time he sees him, or just as soon as Beomgyu does something as random and natural as breathing in and out.
(Yes, Yeonjun is weak. You should have figured that out by now. Literally, Beomgyu could just sneeze or even just breathe a little too hard, and Yeonjun would die instantly of a fondness overdose).
But he can't worry about this detail every time he manages to pin Beomgyu up against a wall at the bend in a corridor, whispering the sweetest words in his ear as he traces a burning line of kisses all along his jaw. Or when he comes to claim his daily morning kiss - a habitual gesture that has settled between them in a terribly natural way for a few weeks now. It always starts with the innocent intention of exchanging a simple smooch, but almost inevitably ends with Yeonjun pressing Beomgyu against the kitchen counter, and the two of kissing deeply until one of them catches them in the middle of a passionate making out session.
Typically, Soobin makes a strange noise halfway between a grunt of exasperation and a desperate sob, Kai screams while covering his eyes, and Taehyun throws just about anything he can get his hands on at the time in their faces.
And every time, Yeonjun takes the blame. Of course he does. Because as far as everyone's concerned, he's always the one behind every kiss the two of them exchange - and of course, Yeonjun can't even defend himself. He's painfully aware that his weakness for Beomgyu is a known and common fact - and everyone knows that of the two, Yeonjun is the one who has no shame and no problem with public displays of affection. He's also the one who seems to be the more whipped of the two. So he understands why he's always the one who gets the blame, as well as the comment like "My God, you really can't keep your hands off him. Can't you leave him alone a little?"
Well, Yeonjun wonders what all the people who think he's the obsessive lover of their dynamic would think if they could witness this.
It's a quiet evening in the dormitory. They don't have a program the next morning, so the five of them allow themselves to hang out a little longer before going to bed for once.
Soobin, Taehyun and Kai are probably watching a movie in the living room, or playing cards - Yeonjun honestly has no fucking idea, and he doesn't care. He doesn't see why he should bother to care what anyone else is doing when he himself is busy with other happy activities.
He can't help laughing when Beomgyu eagerly pushes back the blanket they're lying under, clearly tired of settling for the tiny kisses they'd started sharing about ten minutes into the film. A film they had obviously decided to watch in Yeonjun's room, so as to have some privacy away from the other three members.
In Yeonjun's room, on Yeonjun's bed. In other words, their movie night was already destined to turn into something completely different before it even began.
"You wanted this so badly" Yeonjun smiles as Beomgyu crawls up his thighs, scaling him like a little house cat. He tenderly combs the younger boy's bangs before placing his hand on his cheek, letting Beomgyu snuggle against his palm.
"Yes, because you were more focused on that stupid movie than on this boy right here." The pout Beomgyu makes as he points at himself is too adorable for Yeonjun to bear. "I need hyungie to take care of me."
Yeonjun wants to laugh, but suddenly realizes he's unable to utter a sound as his throat tightens painfully. He's completely transfixed by the way Beomgyu looks so cute, so perfect, settled like that on his thighs.
He is barely aware of the distant noise coming from the film still running in the background, his computer now permanently forgotten in the corner of his bed (and dangerously close to the edge). All he feels now is Beomgyu, sees only his beautiful brown eyes staring back at him from behind his glasses, feels only the warmth of his skin beneath his hand and his steady, hot breath, so close that his breath tangles with hers.
And when Beomgyu leans in to connect their lips again with a hungry little moan, Yeonjun feels so overwhelmed by all the feelings he has for him more that he instinctively slips his hands under the younger man's sweatshirt (correction, Yeonjun's sweatshirt), clinging to him as if Beomgyu were a lifeline.
His lifeline.
His blunt nails lightly scrape Beomgyu's soft skin as he gently, lovingly caresses his ribs. Through the fog that clouds his mind, Yeonjun feels his foot strike something hard as he twists to pull Beomgyu closer, bending his knees slightly to slide the younger man along his thighs until he straddles his waist properly.
The thud of something hitting the floor is surely Yeonjun's computer, which he himself has just ejected from his bed, but the alarm that goes off in his brain about this is quickly extinguished when Beomgyu lets out a soft moan, immediately bringing all the older man's attention back to the beautiful boy on his lap.
Beomgyu's hands move from Yeonjun's chest to wrap around the elder's dark locks, tugging lightly. The sting elicits a muffled grunt from Yeonjun. He can feel Beomgyu's satisfied smile against his lips as he kisses him, and Yeonjun retaliates by biting his lower lip a little harder than they're both used to. Beomgyu gasps in response, a high-pitched, sexy noise, and Yeonjun swears his heart races when he hears it.
Never straying from the kiss, the elder's hands slide from Beomgyu's waist to hook under his thighs, lifting him effortlessly. He squirms again, trying to find a comfortable position for both of them. Even though Beomgyu's kisses have the incredible power to make him feel like he's in a dream, he can't quite ignore the pain that begins to burn up his back as his body is bent uncomfortably, half leaning against the wall behind him and half lying against the mattress of his bed.
"Hyung, what the hell are you doing" Beomgyu finally groans as he feels Yeonjun continue to stir beneath him, unable to find the right position.
Frustrated, Yeonjun presses a quick kiss to his lips in apology, before pushing Beomgyu away slightly. The younger man's bored expression, combined with Yeonjun's absolutely sinful vision of him from his position - his chest rising and falling with rapidity, his tousled brown hair falling before his black eyes of desire, the slight blush staining his cheeks and above all, the younger man's quick breath escaping through his half-open lips, red and swollen from kissing, instantly makes Yeonjun regret having interrupted their torrid moment.
"Sorry, baby. Just, give me a minute... let me just... there. There." Yeonjun lets out a small sigh of satisfaction when he manages to find the right position, finally. Beomgyu gauges him with his eyes, arms crossed and still looking bored. "Come here."
He doesn't give the younger man time to reply before pulling him in for another kiss, immediately drowning in the sensation of his lips against his own. Despite the attitude Beomgyu tries to give himself, he can't resist for long and almost immediately melts into Yeonjun's touch, snuggling into his arms as the older man pulls him closer.
Beomgyu's thumbs rub gentle circles on Yeonjun's cheekbones, and he swears he probably couldn't feel better at this very moment. Here he is, with the most beautiful boy in the world wrapped around him and clinging to him as if his life depended on it. The realization of the position they're in now, the warmth radiating from Beomgyu's body, his hands on him, the love he's receiving and flooding him, all these feelings almost suffocate Yeonjun.
He suppresses a desperate groan, instead tightening his grip on Beomgyu's waist until his fingers dig into the younger man's lower back. What he doesn't realize until too late is that Beomgyu inevitably arches his back at the sensation, as responsive as ever to Yeonjun's touch.
The universe is suddenly reduced to a single point when Yeonjun feels Beomgyu's hips rolling against his.
They break the kiss at the same time, pulling apart to let out a long, unison moan.
Oh.
The fact that they're both dressed only in jogging bottoms makes what's just happened all the more real, as the thin fabric of the garment leaves little to the imagination.
Damn.
Crap.
Yeonjun almost wants to beg Beomgyu to do it again. He's dying to, in fact, and has to mentally tell himself several times to take slow, deep breaths, barely restraining himself from moving his hips to try and repeat the movement.
Instead, he tries to chase away the veil of desire that clouds his mind, and forces himself to think with his brain rather than his cock.
You'd think that of the two, Yeonjun would be the one with the most experience in this sort of thing. He knows that fans tend to associate him with the strong, dominant member, his character and natural flirtatiousness making him the obvious target of the "Who gets to shoot the biggest fuckboy in TOMORROW X TOGETHER" debate?
Yeonjun would be lying if he said he'd never had sex. He's a twenty-four-year-old with wants and needs, after all. However, he's never really had a real relationship. To be fair, he's only had one girlfriend: that was before he started with the band, when he was too young to do anything. And during those years as a trainee, he'd been too busy focusing on his debut to worry about that sort of thing.
And since then? Maybe a few partners now and then, but that's about as far as it goes. He's always been the kind of person to put his career ahead of his own feelings, content with the love that fans and his work bring him, and convincing himself that he doesn't feel the chasm that's opening up in his heart.
But Beomgyu.
Okay, don't get me wrong. Yeonjun isn't saying here that his boyfriend is some kind of insatiable, sex-hungry creature. Far be it from him to hurt his precious Beomie with such a judgment.
However, everyone in their group knows that Beomgyu has already had several boyfriends, and more importantly, that he's certainly not a virgin. Beomgyu must surely in fact be the one with the most experience when it comes to romantic relationships, as well as all that entails. Yeonjun was actually quite surprised to discover that, behind the closed doors that is the intense Korean entertainment industry, many of their fellow artists had quickly succumbed to Beomgyu's irrefutable charm.
Not like Yeonjun could really blame them. Seriously, look at Beomgyu. This boy literally embodies what anyone could dream of: he's kind, funny and entertaining, but he also has that deep, sensitive side that makes him the great romantic that he is. He's a musical prodigy, an incredible dancer with breathtaking facial expressions, and has the talent to write the most heart-rending lyrics.
He simply has this aura that makes it so easy to look at him, to be drawn to him as if a real physical force were pushing people to gravitate around him, making Choi Beomgyu the center of their universe.
He's so easy to love. Yeonjun is so in love with him.
And of course, Yeonjun wants to do things to her. He's thought about it, many times. More times than he should allow himself, if he's honest with himself.
But he also knows that not all Beomgyu's previous relationships have gone well. He knows that some of his ex-boyfriends hurt the younger Beomgyu more than he'd like to admit. He remembers those nights when he'd come home late, only to feel his heart break as he passed the closed door of Beomgyu's room, muffled sobs reaching him through the thin crack between the door and the floor.
He'd tried to get in once. He'd gently pushed open the door, only to see his little boy huddled against Soobin, his face buried in the leader's shoulder. His tears were soaking Soobin's sweatshirt, but he didn't seem to mind as he turned to Yeonjun, shaking his head in his direction as discreetly as possible.
The message was clear. So, despite the irrepressible urge to take Beomgyu in his arms and hug him until he choked, as if holding him close to his heart had the power to take away his sadness and keep it to himself, Yeonjun had closed the door.
That night, he had gone to bed alone, his heart in pieces.
Now that it's his turn, he wants to make things right. Rushing doesn't seem right in their situation. He doesn't want Beomgyu to feel pressured into anything, or to think that Yeonjun only wants him for his body or his pretty face.
He wants to show him that he's worth more, so much more. Beomgyu deserves the universe, the mountains and oceans, the stars shining in the sky and the cosmos spinning endlessly behind. And above all, he deserves to know it. He deserves to be treated with all the love and respect he deserves.
This is what Yeonjun wants for himself. This is what he wants to give Beomgyu, his baby bear, his love, his everything.
With his forehead pressed against Beomgyu's, he forces himself to place his hands on the younger man's waist in a vigilant gesture. He's acutely aware of every movement, every touch, every friction as he cautiously moves against Beomgyu and away, taking great care not to provoke any further ungodly movements.
"Beomie, I don't think-"
Whatever he was thinking of saying, his train of thought is sucked into a deep black hole when, without warning, Beomgyu again grinds his hips against Yeonjun's in a slow, incredibly sensual gesture.
The sensation hits Yeonjun with the violence of a fucking train. He feels the hairs on his arms stand up as goose bumps shoot through his body, followed by a wonderful wave of heat that spreads a burning fire in the pit of his stomach.
He could feel Beomgyu's gaze on him. He knows he's watching his reaction, noting his every move, and that his little head is already planning his next move with frightening speed.
Yeonjun guesses that his reaction seems to satisfy Beomgyu, as he repeats the same movement just right, with a lascivious slowness that threatens to drive Yeonjun completely mad. His body sags against the cushions, and he gets a little approving noise from Beomgyu.
"Jjunie-hyung" Beomgyu coos with admiration. "My lovely hyung, adorable hyungie. How does it feel? Does it feel good? Is Beomie good for you, hyung?"
Yeonjun can only respond with a small, broken moan.
He doesn't realize he's closed his eyes until his eyelids open slightly, fighting the wave of pleasure that threatens to overwhelm him. He searches his eyes for Beomgyu, and when his gaze finds the younger man's, Yeonjun swears he could die right here and now and he wouldn't mind.
Well, yes, it would bother him a little, because then he wouldn't be able to enjoy the absolutely sinful vision Beomgyu is giving him right now. He'd no longer be able to admire the deep red that splashes across his cheeks, the way his hair falls over his forehead and covers his face, or how his pupils are suddenly almost fully dilated, staring at Yeonjun under his long, thick, black lashes.
Without really thinking, Yeonjun raises his hand to press his thumb against Beomgyu's shiny pink lower lip. When Beomgyu captures his finger between his lips and nibbles lightly on the tip, Yeonjun swears he can feel his soul leaving his body.
He makes an inhuman sound, halfway between a strangled sigh and a plea. He doesn't know if he's still in this world.
There's only Beomgyu. His boy, his baby, his angel. The one he'd risk everything for.
He's a goner. Completely, irretrievably ruined.
Something warm and wet rushes up to tease the tip of Yeonjun's thumb, and the elder lets out another desperate moan as he feels the younger man's tongue wrap around his finger. Eyes twinkling, Beomgyu slowly releases his finger with a small wet noise, before tilting his head to the side with a little innocent air that completes the awakening in Yeonjun's pants.
"...Yeonjunnie?" he whispers close to Yeonjun's lips, so close that the elder can feel his lips brush against hers in the most delicious way, and their breaths intermingle. Beomgyu's fingers tighten on the collar of Yeonjun's sweatshirt, play with the drawstrings. "Oh, my Jjunie... you're all red, hyung."
Yeonjun doesn't even have the strength to deny it. He buries his face in Beomgyu's neck to moan dramatically, his arms wrapping around his waist again as he lets his lips run down his throat, the warm skin pulsing gently where his pulse beats strongest.
Beomgyu lets out a small gasp as he feels Yeonjun gently nibble his sensitive skin, instinctively tilting his head to give him better access. His fingers cling firmly to the elder's shoulders, clinging desperately to him as he lets his head tilt back, eyes half-closed. As if by reflex, Beomgyu's hips jerk again, drawing from them both the same misty moan of pleasure.
"Hyung... more..."
Yeonjun doesn't need to be told twice. He deepens his caresses, tracing a burning path of kisses down Beomgyu's neck until he reaches the line of his collarbone. He gently sucks the tender skin between his teeth, his head dizzy as the younger man's addictive taste tingles his tongue and delights his palate, soft and sweet like some kind of heavenly-tasting drug.
Beomgyu arched slightly under his touch, his hands coming to lose themselves in Yeonjun's dark locks to tug gently on them, just enough to send an electric wave of pleasure down the elder's spine.
Then Beomgyu's fingers slide down his face, his neck, caressing his chest through the now suffocating fabric of his sweatshirt, his belly... before sinking feverishly beneath Yeonjun's sweatshirt, moving slowly up against his torso, tracing delicate fingertip shapes on his burning skin. Yeonjun shudders, feeling his breathing become more irregular as each of Beomgyu's touches consumes him a little more.
He raises his head, capturing Beomgyu's lips again in a deep, hungry kiss. Tongues intertwine, breaths quicken.
"Beomie," he murmurs between kisses, his name rolling off his tongue like a mantra. His voice is husky, almost pleading, as his hands in turn slip under the younger man's sweatshirt - again, his fucking sweatshirt - to explore the delicate curve of his waist, the soft, perfect grain of his skin.
Beomgyu's fingers skate against his skin, tangling in the fabric of his sweatshirt as he begins to tug insistently.
The little sound of frustration that escaped him made Yeonjun smile between kisses. A smile as amused as it is amorous, despite the fever eating away at his loins and clouding his mind. His baby wants to get rid of this cumbersome garment, and he lets it be known - his fingers slip over the hem, cling to the fabric, tug, tug again, to no avail.
"Off," he finally mumbles between jerky breaths, demanding and annoyed.
Without missing a beat, Yeonjun hastily removes his hands from Beomgyu's soft skin and raises his arms just enough to help his tear off the garment.
But their mouths meet again in a long, eager kiss, even before the sweater is removed. The gesture then becomes clumsy, feverish, and the fabric gets half caught around the elder's arms.
Beomgyu grunts in exasperation, breaking the kiss with a wet pop to free Yeonjun's head from the sweater. He looks up briefly, meeting his hyung's misty eyes. And in those dark brown irises, he perceives a gleam on the borderline between despair and adoration.
It consumes him, Jesus Christ.
"Hurry up," he growls in a voice too low for his usual timbre.
"I'm trying," Yeonjun defends himself, squirming.
However, impatience makes him clumsy; his fingers get tangled inside the sweatshirt, his arms get caught in the sleeves. It takes an equally feverish helping hand to finally wrench himself from the garment's embrace, and by dint of pulling, the fabric finally slips from his shoulders.
Beomgyu throws the garment somewhere - he doesn't care. The whole universe suddenly fades away, and all that's left is Yeonjun's skin, exposed, warm and tingling.
And Beomgyu wants to touch it, taste it, mark it with his fingers, lips and tongue.
"Hyung" he murmured, his voice even hoarser. Even hungrier. "My beautiful hyung. You-"
But his hands are already running over Yeonjun's torso, and what he was about to say dies in the back of his throat. His fingers cling to his abs, then move slowly up his chest, before dropping down to the V-shaped line of his pelvis.
Fuck, Beomgyu was barely breathing. And so was Yeonjun, obviously, if Beomgyu were to bet by the way the little noises escaping him became more and more breathless, higher and higher pitched, as Beomgyu's fingers continued their exploration, lower and lower.
Lower and lower.
Soon, he met the too-thin fabric of his jogging suit, playing with the band of the garment.
"Beomie" finally bellows Yeonjun, throat tight. His head falls back against the pillows, closing his eyes for a moment to catch his breath. "Baby..."
Beomgyu doesn't let him finish. His hand curls around the base of his neck, drawing his hyung to him, to kiss him so hard, so intensely, that they both nearly topple backwards. They cling to each other, breathless, breaths interspersed with deep, languorous kisses.
Beomgyu's hips move in a reflex motion, making him moan into Yeonjun's mouth. Yeonjun moans too, again, a delicious sound that makes Beomgyu's heart - and crotch - tingle.
"I love you so much," Yeonjun manages to yelp. His heart drums so hard he thinks it's going to break. "My baby bear, my angel. My perfect boy. You drive me crazy, I love you, I love you, I love you-"
The younger man smiled against his lips. A small, cheeky smile. Victorious.
"I know," he replies simply.
Then, without warning, he puts one of his arms around Yeonjun's shoulders pulling himself up against him, looking for more friction.
Yeonjun loses his balance for a second. He barely catches himself by grasping Beomgyu's waist firmly, letting out a sound halfway between a groan and a sob.
And, when Beomgyu's gaze falls once more on the ruined face of his hyung, when his gaze veiled by need falls on the beautiful eyes of the boy beneath him...
Beomgyu can't help but coo as she sees the tears beading at the corners of Yeonjun's eyes, clinging to his lashes like dewdrops on fresh grass in the early morning.
"Aww, hyung... you're so sensitive," Beomgyu laughed softly, his arm coming off Yeonjun's shoulder to reach his cheek, gently wiping the moisture from the corner of his eyes.
Yeonjun's lips pucker into an adorable pout, and Beomgyu wants to scream. Instead, he leans in to kiss the corner of his lips, then that pout that makes his heart twirl.
"I love you," Yeonjun repeats, in a voice so low that the three words barely come out in a breath.
But Beomgyu hears him.
He can still hear her.
"I love you, Yeonjun-hyung."
He presses a kiss under his jaw, delicate, his touch as airy as a feather.
Then another under his ear, making Yeonjun shudder with anticipation, delight, perhaps everything and nothing at the same time.
Yet another, on the ridge of his cheekbone. On the tender skin of his cheek. Between his eyes. On the tip of his nose.
Gently, gently. With reverence, love, adoration.
"My Jjunie," he bellows.
Beomgyu could stop there. Be content to savor this moment, now soft and slow again, almost suffocating the fiery passion that had seized them just a few minutes ago.
The problem?
Beomgyu is a greedy little thing.
He wants more of Yeonjun. More of his sighs, more of his skin, more of his words that make him feel unique. So he goes on, running his mouth down to the elder's earlobe, catching it with the tip of his teeth, just enough to wring out another strangled sound.
"Baby," Yeonjun moans at once - always so responsive to me, Beomgyu thinks happily. "I... oh, angel..."
His head falls back, defeated, onto the pillow as Beomgyu descends again, dotting his neck with little butterfly kisses, punctuated by playful bites.
"Say it again," he begs, his voice broken, his eyes shining with renewed tears.
"I love you," Beomgyu immediately repeats, without hesitation, immediately understanding what he wants. "You know I love you, hyung."
Yeonjun stifles another sob, shaking his head.
He leaves Beomgyu to it as his fingers join the elder's waist, venturing lower, tugging at the elastic of the jogging suit. Beomgyu's lips drift over Yeonjun's taut throat, in perfect sync with his fingers, his beautiful artist's fingers, finally slipping under the barrier of his jogging suit...
And, just like that, they're interrupted by a ringing telephone.
Beomgyu almost jumps out of his skin when the chorus of Happy Fools (aaaw, their song) starts screaming in the quiet of the bedroom, the happy, catchy song like a stab in the sexy, intimate atmosphere they'd managed to create.
Then he wants to scream when Yeonjun suddenly opens his eyes, his breathing suspended as if he were expecting someone to jump out of nowhere at any moment.
Soobin, their manager-hyung, maybe even Bang PD-nim himself, pointing at them and howling like a demon because, curiously, that seems to be the first reaction of anyone unfortunate enough to see them together lately.
"Ignore," Beomgyu growls as he leans his lips again, determined not to have his libido slaughtered by a phone call from a jerk who doesn't know when to pick his moments. "They'll leave a message if it's that important."
HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, FOOLS!
HAPPY, HAPPY, FO-OLS...
HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY... ♪
Their two voices (if that's not fucking ironic) finally stop their annoying little chorus, letting the music fade into the night just before expensive Coi Leroy and her Gucci coats take over.
Beomgyu sighs with relief, while below him, Yeonjun blinks, looking perfectly confused.
Beomgyu gives him a reassuring little smile, and gradually he can see the hesitation fading in his hyung's eyes.
He's about to ravish his lips again, determined to get what he wants tonight...
As if to prove him wrong, Yeonjun's phone lights up again, louder than ever, as if some kind of demon possessed him and he was trying to exorcise himself.
HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, FOOLS!
HAPPY, HAPPY, FO-OLS... ♫ ♪
And, as if that weren't enough, sitting right next to Yeonjun's, Beomgyu's phone also comes to life as it begins to vibrate. Once. Twice...
And then it doesn't stop.
"Noooooooooooooooooo-," Beomgyu growls, dramatically dropping his forehead onto Yeonjun's shoulder. His blood turns to acid in his veins, but it's too late; already, Yeonjun is struggling to reach his phone on his hair table, still shirtless, Beomgyu still on his lap, as if they weren't both still hard and about to have the best night of their lives.
"It's... it's probably important," Yeonjun mumbles, carefully avoiding the murderous look Beomgyu gives him, as if somehow he's responsible for this situation.
"No kidding. I hate my life."
An easy shortcut, you'll agree, but Beomgyu is hardly dramatic at this point.
They were so close.
And now Yeonjun is half-hung out of bed, groping, arm outstretched toward his phone, the latter relentlessly repeating the enthusiastic chorus of Happy Fools as if they were in a fucking nightclub.
Beomgyu, still sitting on his haunches, watches him do it with an air worthy of an outraged prince who has had his throne and divine rights taken away from him.
I mean, really? He's seriously considering throwing the damn phone out the window. Or Yeonjun. Or himself. Tough choice...
"Are you really going to answer that right now?" he asks, his voice as flat as a soulless desert. "Can't it wait two minutes?"
Two hours? All night? The rest of my life?
Against all odds, Yeonjun finally retrieves the device. He takes a look at the screen.
And turned pale.
"This is Jisoo-hyung."
Despite the subtlety awakening in his stomach at this news, Beomgyu's cheeky, unruly and frustrated side can't help but blow brutally, so hard that it lifts the hair that falls in front of his eyes
With all the ill will in the world, he in turn reaches for his phone, and almost snatches it out of Yeonjun's hands when he hands it over, lips pressed together so tightly that they now amount to a thin line.
Beomgyu can almost hear the cosmos chuckling behind his back, proud of his little joke, as his phone screen lights up before his eyes, revealing an uninterrupted scroll of messages from the groupchat the five of them share.
Crying emoji cobblestones by Kai.
Philosophical quotes from Taehyun advocating calm and positivism.
And only one message from Soobin, sent on their private Kakaotalk thread.
"Oh, great. He must have seen you through the walls. That pervert's got like a sixth sense that kicks in whenever your torso's exposed." quips Beomgyu, his fist lightly hitting Yeonjun's shoulder in frustration.
Even so, he can't help frowning at his leader's brief and mysterious message.
"Please don't kill anyone."
Yeonjun doesn't reply, too busy reading the notifications. His face, already pale, becomes even more livid with each new line that appears.
Twitter mentions. Staff messages. Naver notification. English translations. Japanese translations. A tag from a fanbase account, TRINITY International.
"What's that."
Beomgyu leans in, reads over his shoulder. And that's when he sees the article. The headline, close-up, seems to taunt Beomgyu in five hundred and fifty-three different ways.
And the picture. The fucking picture.
Beomgyu blinks.
Once.
Twice.
Then he screams.
Not a squeal of surprise. Not an outraged exclamation. No.
A howl. Brutal. Hard-hitting. Primal. As if he'd just learned that someone had stolen his place on Earth, his hyung and his dignity, all at the same time.
Which was fundamentally the case.
"NOW WHAT THE HELL IS THAT??"
"I can't be involved in a fake relationship," Choi Yeonjun announced valiantly a few minutes later to HYBE's crisis team.
Choi Soobin, the tired leader of the successful band TOMORROW X TOGETHER, twenty-two years old, with a lot on his mind, feels like an antagonist in his own band.
He's trying. He's really trying. He's even trying with all the strength of his ridiculously long limbs, in fact. And believe you me, it's a huge effort, because as the wise Kang Taehyun once so rightly pointed out: God gave Soobin size, but not the athletic ability that was supposed to come with it.
Maybe God is testing him. Yes, that must be it. It's got to be. This whole situation is in fact a test, a trial that God (or, as Yeonjun caricatures himself, the kindly, affectionate, touching grandfather living on a cloud up there) is imposing on him in order to test how far his limits can go.
Now, why God suddenly decided he needed to assess Soobin's limits as a leader, idol, human being and desperate, exasperated bachelor was totally beyond the man in question.
Or maybe Soobin is being punished.
Maybe there's someone in this world who hates him - maybe that boy who, in elementary school, declared war on Soobin because he'd stolen his lover. Don't look at him like that, it's not Soobin's fault that this little girl had taste even back then. He literally had to do nothing for the child to fall right into his arms. A flutter of the eyelashes, an innocent smile, add to that a shared snack, and that same afternoon she was writing a love letter to Soobin with crayons of all colors and pretty pink heart-shaped stickers... and a break-up letter to her former lover, tactfully declaring, "GOOD DEBAR I'M IN LOVE WITH SOOBIN NOW, ANYWAY YOU'RE TOO POOR TO BE MY LOVER SO GET OUT."
Who knows? Maybe today, that boy is still suffering from the trauma that Soobin was responsible for - indirectly, if you ask him - and is working in the shadows to make Soobin's greatest misfortunes come true.
But, as mentioned earlier, it's not even Soobin's fault. Have you ever seen his baby me? A real little angel. That girl never had a chance.
Soobin is in no way at fault. He hadn't even done anything - he didn't deserve this.
So why, of all possible forms of punishment, did his sentence have to be this one?
Why in the form of the absolutely sickening, honey-dripping and borderline scandalous vision that were, together, Choi "Beomgyu is the most adorable and babygirl and beautiful boy ever and don't you understand how incredible and unreal he is and-" Yeonjun, and his self-proclaimed baby, his darling, his treasure, Choi "Bami baby bear boo boo boobooboo"... anyways, Beomgyu ??
He was meant to be perfect, of course. But he was only human, and a man at that; like everyone else, he committed a few sins. Okay, maybe he lied more often than should have been acceptable - like when he asserted to Taehyun that it wasn't him who drank his protein shakes, when he assured Kai that he adored his molang plushies... and fuck, maybe he really should have held his tongue that time Yeonjun had forced him to admit that Beomgyu was absolutely adorable.
Which Soobin had done... under the compulsion of said boyfriend's devilish gaze, while their hyung, completely oblivious to the fact that his baby bear was a spawn of Satan, giggled and swooned like a hormonal teenager under Soobin's tired gaze.
In Soobin's defense (he'd usually never admit that Beomgyu was adorable, what the fuck, he'd been around the kid for years after all, and had a pretty clear idea that she was a creature of the underworld), they were at one of those meetings with the protocol team, who had literally been scrutinizing them with hawk-like attention ever since the scabrous live-action incident where Yeonjun had come this close to kissing Beomgyu. And, after the disaster of the Busan trip, the agency had finally realized that trying to separate these two idiots stupidly in love would have no effect other than chaos - as Yeonjun had magnificently proved on that famous day, turning into a sobbing failure in the middle of filming a show, and all for what?
Because the agency had had the good sense to try and drown out their relationship, even before they'd made it official.
Soobin loses a little more life expectancy every time he thinks back on this tragic episode - surely one of the most painful of his life.
In short, Yeonjun and Beomgyu somehow managed to convince the agency to let them live their relationship - even if, for them, the "beomjun" subject was more of a time bomb than a love between two young boys with sincere feelings (yuck), and the protocol team seems on the verge of syncope every time they get wind of the two lovebirds' constant PDA (Soobin too).
And really, he's out of luck. For, as leader, Soobin was the one tasked with keeping an eye on his two members. Making sure they kept their hands to themselves when they had to (which failed eighty percent of the time), that they didn't blow their secret by foolishly flaunting themselves on camera, and in the process doom the reputation of their entire group, or even their agency.
So yes, when Yeonjun gleefully proclaims that his Beomgyu is the cutest, easiest, wisest, most wonderful creature in the world, and Beomgyu bats his eyelashes with the innocence of a holy virgin, AND the managers stare Soobin down as if to make him understand the consequences that will follow if he doesn't confirm that the two lovebirds are under control... yeah, Soobin has no choice but to admit it, through gritted teeth.
Beomgyu is fucking adorable, Yeonjun is a whipped, blind fool, and Soobin is definitely not paid enough.
Soobin disagrees. He's asking for a complaint. He needs a serious talk with his guardian angel, now, because there's absolutely no way he can endure this ordeal for another second.
Soobin swears he's trying. He's really trying, as best he can.
But he also swears that it's hard to stay sane when two members of his band seemed to take a malicious pleasure in making his existence miserable, ever since one fateful day when those same two idiots decided that flirting and obnoxiously groping each other right in front of the camera (and millions of fans) would be an intelligent and perfectly normal way of doing each other in.
Soobin is not an antagonist. He's definitely the victim in this story, and he's on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
But he has to curb his murderous impulses by forcing himself to take deep breaths, even as he listens to Yeonjun whimper and plead like a soul in pain in the middle of one of HYBE's meeting rooms, as he tries to explain to the protocol team a mindless story about the beauty and sincerity of his love, valiantly interjecting into his speech all the words that precisely shouldn't intervene.
Next to them, their manager seems to be seriously considering sending in his letter of resignation.
That's good, because Soobin does too.
"You can't do this," pleads Yeonjun, an expression so pained on his face that he literally looks like a puppy that's just been kicked. "Beomgyu would kill me. Then he'd kill everyone. Then he'd resurrect people, just to kill them again. And you know it."
If Beomgyu had been there, he'd surely have cooed and kissed that pout... although, when he and Yeonjun had left the dormitory in a hurry some twenty minutes earlier, the scene looked more like something like Yeonjun hiding behind Soobin and Jisoo, and Taehyun and Hyuka having to physically restrain Beomgyu because he seriously wanted to pounce on his boyfriend to tear him to pieces.
A poignant, tragic scene that could have inspired a painting with a title like - The Fury of the Betrayed Lover. Painted by Kang Taehyun, eventuallyy, because he is the second psychopath in this group sufficiently deranged to entertain himself with a scene like this, and turn it into a work of art.
Facing them, the PR manager - a woman in her forties whose impeccably coiffed hair didn't move a millimeter and whose face remained perfectly impassive, despite her obvious annoyance - took a deep breath and briefly closed her eyes.
"Yeonjun-hyung, stop it," Soobin hammers in a low voice, praying he'll manage to appease his hyung before the entire protocol team loses patience for good. "Beomgyu won't kill you - he's, like, obsessed with you."
Yeonjun gives him an absolutely dirty look in response, looking as if to say "Oh, who are you FOOLING?"
"Of course he'd kill me. But like, in a cute way. Kissing me first, then strangling me with my shoelaces. Probably when I least expect it. And- oh wow, he'd be adorable, even like that."
"Nobody wants to know that," mutters someone in the room, while another lets out a pained noise, and their manager actively massages his temples.
Soobin relates all these reactions.
Soobin is absolutely certain that he's going to commit murder.
Soobin is going to murder Yeonjun, if Beomgyu doesn't do it first.
The small army of strict, impassive faces belonging to their agency's protocol and PR teams stared at them, each second wearing a little more thin on their patience - which, Soobin had to admit, was being sorely tested. These people were clearly not here for fun, let alone to waste their time.
The only problem was that they had forgotten to tell the people concerned about their so-called genius plan.
Behind the protocol team, displayed large and wide on a screen that took up almost the entire width of the wall, was the article that had awakened Soobin in the middle of the night, and incidentally, had plunged their entire dormitory - sorry, HYBE, into chaos.
DISPATCH EXCLUSIVE - Choi Yeonjun (TXT) and Kim Seira (TRINITY) spotted together: an unexpected romance?
With, of course, the blurriest photo of all time, where a girl is smiling at the vague silhouette of a boy barely recognizable as Yeonjun, while he's holding the door for her.
On some level, Soobin understands the sorry state his hyung was in. Not only is he dating Choi Terrifying Psycho-Cutie Patootie Beomgyu - a being halfway between an angel fallen from heaven, a cuddle-hungry baby puppy and a demon straight from the bowels of chaos, but their agency, HYBE, the people who are supposed to protect, mentor and defend them - has decided, without telling anyone, to fake a love affair between him and another of the label's female idols.
It had taken barely four minutes and a few seconds for the staff to explain to Soobin and Yeonjun the inner workings of their absolutely Machiavellian plan - they had sold Dispatch the photo currently displayed before their tired eyes, more or less slyly hinting that maybe, just maybe, a romance is blossoming between two of their label's artists, in the highly publicized persons of Choi Yeonjun and Kim Seira.
And now, the next step in their plan is to issue a press release attesting that yes, indeed, Yeonjun and Seira are getting to know each other more personally - which, in their industry, is pretty much the same as news of a wedding.
Soobin wants to laugh, scream. Cry.
But most of all, he's frustrated. He has vaguely heard of TRINITY, a new girlgroup formed under Jewel Entertainment, the latest addition to the HYBE group.
Well, vaguely... to put it mildly. He read the name. Maybe seen a teaser video on YouTube, perhaps featuring the band's logo. And heard Jake from ENHYPEN talk about it once or twice during their recent lunches, eyes shining like a fanboy in a trance.
But for once - and this is the actual problem - Soobin hadn't had the time to find out. Too busy with preparations for their upcoming comeback, he had barely bothered to remember the band's name, as well as the following information:
- The band is still in its early stages, but is already generating a lot of buzz in the HYBE corridors, and even on KakaoTalk.
- There are a lot of members. Like... really a lot. A dozen? Thirteen? An army?
- Most of them aren't even Korean. HYBE had apparently decided to throw all nationalities into a shaker and create the most visually devastating band this industry has ever seen, according to Jake.
- And finally, that one of the members - Seira, apparently - has a vocal and stage presence that makes almost half the technicians faint during rehearsals.
But Soobin?
Soobin, leader of TOMORROW X TOGETHER, self-proclaimed professional gossip, certified girlgroup fan?
He knows nothing.
All he knows for sure is that this situation is delusional. It's on the level of "let's hide a gas leak with neon pink tape, and hope nobody lights a lighter."
(The gas leak being Yeonjun and Beomgyu's relationship, the neon pink tape Yeonjun and Seira's fake relationship... and of course, Beomgyu is holding the lighter. Better still, he is the lighter.
Soobin doesn't know how their agency can't be sweating. Can't see that they are literally flirting with danger - and that the consequences will be dire).
Yeonjun may be a professional drama queen, but he's also deeply sincere. The kind of sincere that means he cries as he reads a fan letter, or memorizes the birthday of every designer on the label.
And Beomgyu? Beomgyu is a hurricane in human form, as gentle as a kitten when he wants to be, but capable of starting a civil war if he senses that Yeonjun is being hurt.
So now, with the agency on the brink of taking the combined might of a collapsed Yeonjun, and a Beomgyu probably sharpening a knife somewhere in the dormitory, Soobin feels...
... A little shiver of satisfaction.
He crosses his arms, observes the frowns of the head of protocol, the embarrassed glances of the juniors, the manager on the verge of breakdown.
Well done. You deserve every microsecond of this logistical nightmare.
They were the reason it all started. And yes, Soobin is a vindictive hater.
Beside him, Yeonjun is literally pleading his case with full acting: hands clasped, voice trembling, definitely looking as if he's about to throw himself on his knees.
"You can't do this to me," he moans. "You don't understand... my sweet baby... Beomgyu is really going to kill me."
A collective sigh rolls across the room as Yeonjun keeps yapping, sending to hell any shred of dignity that might have remained in him.
"He's going to hug me, kiss me on the forehead, tell me he loves me, and then he's going to kill me."
He points to his own throat.
"Or he'll emasculate me. With the cheese grater in the kitchen cupboard."
Soobin immediately prays for an earthquake. How on earth is it humanly possible for someone to spew so much nonsense?
"And the worst part is, I'm going to let him! I'm even going to help him. Because I'm an idiot in love and weak and... and I can't be in a fake relationship with Seira! I already have a REAL boyfriend, who holds my hand and warms my feet under the sheets and cuddles me when I'm scared of thunderstorms!"
Someone sniffs around. Their manager, probably. Or maybe Soobin. Maybe God.
"Can't you put out an official denial? You can't make the whole world believe I'm in love with someone else. I'm already dating Beomgyu!"
Soobin closes his eyes. Addresses a prayer to all available deities.
"You have no idea what this means. That boy... he feeds me. He covers me at night because I always take my comforter off when I sleep. He massages my temples when I'm stressed, he wears my sweatshirts because it comforts him, he makes me playlists. He even bought a houseplant and said it was our child!"
Soobin wants to die. He wants to die immediately.
"He also cried when I forgot our first official kiss anniversary as a couple, and then gave me a Powerpoint about the timeline of our relationship."
Someone in the room lets out a strangled laugh.
And of course, Yeonjun - the very embodiment of modern tragedy - ignores them all. Instead, he raises his arms to the sky, gazing up at the meeting room's aggressive white ceiling. Soobin thinks this is the right moment for the earth to open up beneath their feet, burying them all alive.
"I'm a good person," Yeonjun whispers, his eyes filled with tears. "Why is this happening to me?"
Soobin sighs so loudly that he triggers a mini-breeze. Then he grabs a bottle of water, drinks half of it, before facing the PR army, his desperate gaze literally crying out for help.
"Honestly, I'm not sure that's a good idea either. Have you seen the state it puts him in?" he adds, pointing to Yeonjun who, as if to add even more drama to this scene, collapses on the table at the same moment. "I know you dread the media fallout our members' relationship might get if it were to become public - but you also gave them your consent. And by following your rules, they've managed to keep it a secret for a year. Forgive my boldness, but to resort to such measures seems disproportionate - and dangerous. If the situation get out of hand-"
"Are these threats?"
Soobin glances at Yeonjun - still slumped over the table, his cheek glued to the wood as if slowly fusing with it.
"No, of course not. I'm just trying to find some common ground-"
"Soobin-ssi" interrupts the PR manager, "Yeonjun-ssi and Beomgyu-ssi, as well as your entire group, must understand that the main reason we have taken this decision is to silence the rumors that are gaining momentum among fans. Since... the live incident last year, even our official statements and denials have failed to calm the situation."
"You're the one who wanted to fan the flames by asking Yeonjun and Beomgyu to do this fanservice thing," Soobin replies dryly.
"We asked them for fanservice, indeed," the director immediately retorts in the same tone. Not a scandal."
There's a new silence, during which Soobin takes great care to challenge each member of the protocol team with his gaze.
Even Yeonjun looks up, blinking as if emerging from a post-traumatic trance. Soobin, on the other hand, clenches his jaws. He crosses his arms, and straightens in his seat with the cool, calm authority that makes him the undisputed leader of TOMORROW X TOGETHER.
"And how, exactly, do you qualify faking a romantic relationship with another idol, to silence rumors about a relationship that actually exists?"
The director doesn't even bat an eyelid. She simply places her hands on the table, her perfectly manicured fingers calmly tapping the smooth surface.
"A strategy."
Yeonjun lets out a barely human squeak as Soobin lets out a short, dry laugh.
"That's funny. Because I call it manipulating the truth to the detriment of people who trust you."
Nobody says anything. Not a breath. Not a movement.
And then Yeonjun speaks again, in a voice far too soft to be reassuring:
"Do you know what Beomgyu did last time?"
Before Soobin as the time to sign him to shut the hell up, all eyes are already on Yeonjun.
"He made me pancakes. Heart-shaped. He put red berries on them, and he wrote Hyungie with maple syrup."
Soobin must shut him up. At all costs.
He can't believe he's about to say this - so, before he can come to his senses, he drops the bombshell that knows it will absolutely rock this whole crisis cell with horror.
"Maybe we should just make Yeonjun and Beomgyu's relationship public."
From where he was slumped on the table, Yeonjun suddenly straightens up, with the expression of a kitten who's finally been allowed to climb onto the sofa.
"Oh my god," he bellows, looking blissful. "That's the best idea I've ever heard."
No one listens to him, of course.
"Excuse me?" bellows a young member of the communications team, her voice barely higher than a horrified whisper.
The director doesn't move. She freezes. Literally.
"Are you serious?" asks someone else, clearly out of breath.
Soobin nods, very calmly. "I mean... Everyone loves Beomgyu. Everyone loves Yeonjun. Why not just tell the world that they love each other too? And it's better that the MOAs hear it directly from us, rather than from some devastating Dispatch breaking news. It would completely shatter the trust they have in us - and it would be even worse if we lied to them, feeding them a tall tale about a completely false relationship between one of our members and some random girl."
The manager, on the other hand, slowly begins to take his phone out of his pocket. Perhaps to call an exorcist. Or his own mother, to say goodbye. Soobin doesn't know, and he doesn't care. His gaze sweeps over the restless crowd in the crisis room. Most people have the same preoccupied look on their faces; some are clearly exasperated, while others are talking amongst themselves, in voices too low for Soobin to hear.
He's losing them. He can feel it. Soobin hesitates for a moment, then... oh, fuck it.
"And then, even though our fandom has a lot of boys... there are more girls. And girls love gays these days. That's a golden marketing opportunity."
A very uncomfortable silence ensues, so that Soobin can hear a fly flying.
Or maybe it's Yeonjun suddenly gasping next to him, already mentally living out the surprise coming out of their relationship on Weverse, imagining the teddy bear, fox and heart emojis that would flood the comments.
Then, since it's Yeonjun, and boy obviously can't keep his mouth shut:
"Yah, I'm not gay. I'm Beomgyu-sexual."
Soobin kicked him under the table, and Yeonjun had the good sense to stifle the yelp of pain that almost escaped him.
"If I understand correctly, Choi Soobin-ssi" the director hisses, "You are proposing that we... formalize a romantic relationship between two male members, within the same band, at the peak of their careers, with a worldwide comeback scheduled in two weeks?"
Soobin blinks calmly. Realizes how bad his idea is, now that someone else is saying it out loud.
"Absolutely."
He pretends not to see Yeonjun beside him, who is adressing him a heart-shaped gesture with his hands.
"Soobin," whispers their manager, his voice trembling, as if he's witnessing a war crime. "I beg you. For the love of all that is holy, be quiet."
But Soobin is on a roll.
He's crossed the Rubicon, and there's no turning back. His legendary calm has been burned to a crisp by the nameless bullshit of this meeting, and now all that's left is the benign chaos of a leader tired of it all.
"If you think the public can't handle the truth, it may be because you've spent the last five years serving them lies."
"It's absolutely out of the question," drops the director, voice laden with poison. "The agency has already made its decision."
Yeonjun dies a little more inside, as the last crumb of hope fades forever from his face. He shows it by sliding slowly, very slowly, under the table.
"You're making this a lot harder than it really is. As I've already told you several times, this situation is temporary. A few months at most. It's just to appease the media and calm the fans. The TRINITY team has already agreed to this."
Soobin sees her raise her hand as she utters these words, waving it curtly in the direction of her team's door as if to give a silent order.
Immediately, a team member rushes to the door of the meeting room.
As for Soobin, already exasperated, he turns to protest. Probably to say something like "You're totally irresponsible" or "You'll see, Beomgyu will reduce you to ashes by tonight"-.
Except that the words die in his throat.
Because this. What's standing in the doorway, as the protocol team member opens it wide, takes his breath away. Literally.
He can't breathe.
Soobin swallows, blinks once, twice, wondering whether he's dreaming or fainting. He vaguely realizes that he's now half standing, half sitting, one knee against the table and the other still wedged in his seat. The most ridiculous position in the world. But he can't move.
"Soobin, what the hell are you doing" whispers their manager, while on Soobin's other side, Yeonjun also freezes.
That's absolutely ridiculous. Soobin is used to idols. He sees them every day, and has come across a hundred beautiful faces. HYBE is literally full of them.
But now he doesn't understand. Perhaps it's the context? Fatigue? The angle of the light? The fact that she has literally just appeared at the most critical moment of this meeting, like some kind of divine sending?
Soobin can't help staring at her. And, as the girl enters the room followed by her own manager, eyebrows furrowed and expression annoyed beyond belief, Soobin can't help but be brutally aware that his idea of the feminine ideal had always been very, very... limited.
Because she's literally exceeding all his criteria - even the criteria he didn't know he had. Which shouldn't even be possible, but clearly is anyway.
The chestnut-blonde curls of her hair cascade down to her shoulders, bouncing to the rhythm of her confident steps. Her tan, almost caramel complexion glows golden under the harsh light of the meeting room, vaguely reminding Soobin of an ancient statue. Her eyes - large, expressive - flash as she grits her teeth, fulminating, and Soobin feels his heart miss a beat.
He forgets Yeonjun, Beomgyu, HYBE, the impending apocalypse, everything.
Because this girl... Soobin doesn't even have the words to describe how sublime she is.
Yes, she's beautiful.
And she's furious.
Soobin felt his stomach twist. He'd like to flee. He'd like to hide. He'd like to hand her a blanket, offer her hot chocolate, kneel down and recite a poem. All at once.
But instead, he just stands there, mouth ajar, like a moron.
"Kim Seira-ssi," the director greets her with a tight smile. "Thank you for joining this meeting."
"I'm not here of my own free will," corrects the young woman as she strides into the room, as sharp as a razor blade.
Shit, thinks Soobin, then his last brain cells totally shut down as much as the voice - assured, firm, vibrating with anger - of the girl... of Seira.
Yeonjun's fake girlfriend now.
Soobin can't help thinking that if Yeonjun doesn't want her, then he'll be happy to take his place - before remembering that he's not the one who has to quash rumors of a relationship with Choi Fucking Demonic Babygirl Beomgyu, thank goodness.
But her? How the fuck can someone so beautiful exist? Is this even legal?
Seira doesn't even glance at him as she takes her place around the table. Instead, her eyes catch Yeonjun's, and Soobin thinks he's going to die when he realizes what they look like.
They're stormy, deep, and yet still shining as some jewels. Golden sparkles dance in the neon light, spiked with amber, warm brown and the subtlest green, all hemmed in with a fringe of lashes so long and thick, Soobin wants to cry.
She watches Yeonjun silently for a moment, her full lips pursed as if she's not quite sure what attitude to adopt towards him.
Then, finally, she lets out a heavy sigh, and turns back to the director.
"I've been asked to come, yes," Seira resumes, her graceful fingers mechanically combing her curls to gather them at the top of her head in a sloppy bun. Her accent is light, impossible to place exactly - a mixture of Korean, perhaps English. It's as if she'd grown up between several countries, and retained traces of each language.
Soobin stares at her, hypnotized.
"Mind to explain why Dispatch called me earlier to congratulate me about my new relationship?"
Oh my God, she's crazy, Soobin immediately thinks, as Seira furiously points her thumb to the screen, where the cursed article still hangs.
One of the PR team clears his throat, attempting a desperate intervention:
"Seira-ssi, we were planning to call you, actually, to-"
But she raises her hand. Stops their sentence short. Incredible authority, for someone who hasn't even officially started yet. Or maybe she's just inherently stupid.
"I already know the plan," she grumbles. "And I've come to say that I categorically refuse to act."
Soobin's heart is racing.
Not just because he admires her guts, but because the way she stands up to the PR, the way she overflows with confidence (and controlled rage) is just... fascinating.
"Seira-ssi," tries the PR manager, "this is only a temporary situation. A few weeks at most. Just to calm down the networks, you understand?"
Seira clenches her jaws.
"Temporary? You think you can manipulate public opinion by snapping your fingers? And above all, you involve my name without even asking my opinion. You're presenting me with a fait accompli, and do you really think I'll take it kindly!"
Her voice is firm, confident. She speaks with her hands, and each of her curls comes to life with every movement.
Oh, Soobin's screwed. He figured that if she decided to bang her fist on the table, he'd surely fall even deeper in love.
"We've asked you if you'd like to play the game," shyly intervenes someone from the team.
"No, I was vaguely informed by SMS," she retorts immediately, scathingly. "Which is still not an agreement on my part."
She lets out another sigh, before running a weary hand over her face. Soobin thinks he hears her mumble something through her teeth - before realizing that she's speaking in a language... well, that he doesn't understand at all.
"Listen, Seira-ssi," one of the PR managers chimes in, attempting a conciliatory smile. "We realize it's sudden. But the label thought... you'd be delighted to get a bit of media coverage even before your official debut. It's a huge opportunity..."
The young woman's eyebrows immediately raise in outrage.
"Oh, amazing. So, in addition to inventing a fake lover for me, you want to make me look like an opportunist?"
Soobin noticed Seira's hands clasped around the folder she'd been given on arrival, similar to those distributed to Soobin and Yeonjun, as if she were holding back from throwing it in someone's face.
"Does Yeonjun-oppa even agree with this? What about Beomgyu-sunbae? Does he know?"
Soobin wonders, legitimately, who rather don't already know.
Then he notices.
Yeonjun...oppa???
Before he could connect anything, the PR director's gaze, hitherto focused on the file in front of her, slowly rose.
"I understand that this situation is not immediately convenient for you, Kim Seira-ssi. However, it's important to consider all the advantages we could gain from this situation. Like diverting attention... from other rumors."
She doesn't even look at her frankly. Her tone is carefully neutral, her smile measured, her expression perfectly controlled.
Seira didn't react immediately. She just stares at her, without a word.
And that's when Soobin notices. He sees the subtle trembling that passes over the girl's lips. The little nervous twitch of her fingers tapping against the cover of the folder.
"I beg your finest pardon?"
Hmm, the way she just said it... she might be French for sure. Soobin is adamant.
The manager keeps her fingers crossed.
"I'm just saying that this fake relationship could be a good way to control the narrative. To refocus the spotlight on ground we can mark out. And... keep the focus away from... unapproved relationships, which could be problematic in the future."
Yeonjun, hitherto slumped, suddenly straightens up.
"Wait a minute. You're not-"
But, once again, Seira only has to raise her hand to interrupt him.
Then she swivels slowly towards him, and asks with unearthly calm:
"You agree with this plan, oppa?"
Yeonjun stares at her. Shakes his head.
"Absolutely. Not."
"Perfect. Then I propose we slam the door together."
The meeting room explodes in a chorus of protest - the PR director, the protocol team, their managers, everyone.
But Soobin's brain has already switched off, too busy mentally updating his diary.
- Surviving the damn reunion.
- Exterminate Choi Yeonjun - because why on earth does Kim Seira call him oppa?
- ... Convince HYBE to marry him to Seira instead.