Work Text:
Kyungsoo was known for being kind.
Kyungsoo was known for his patience and perseverance.
Kyungsoo looked like he would kill anyone who would dare to speak to him. Many of the people who worked with him wondered if it wasn’t due to the strict training he went through for his mandatory service.
He was mad as soon as the manager of his marketing team told him they planned a collaboration with a soloist for his return to the scene after two years of hiatus. Kyungsoo was fine with the collaboration until he heard the name.
Loey.
Kyungsoo hadn’t heard anyone say that stage name near him in ages. Mostly because the owner left him to grow big in the U.S.A.
Park Chanyeol.
Kyungsoo’s first reaction was to remember Chanyeol’s wide smile whenever they would go out after training to buy snacks, have fun, and just be together. He was literally Kyungsoo’s only crush. Kyungsoo was so smitten with the tall man that when Chanyeol left with a simple note, his heart broke enough to make him uninterested in anyone.
“I got you water,” Junmyeon, his direct manager, said as he set the bottle of water in Kyungsoo's sight. Junmyeon knew what was going on. He was a trainee with them, almost 7 years before them, and instead of debuting, Junmyeon applied to be a manager. He wasn’t surprised by Kyungsoo’s attitude with the collaboration and tried his best to help the man.
Kyungsoo was thankful the man didn’t push him to talk about it or to answer the questions anyone had for him. He was thankful he didn’t have to talk the entire time.
As he finished his bottle of water, three men got in the meeting room Kyungsoo and his team were waiting. Kyungsoo was glad he was done drinking or he would have choked on it as a ball-like sensation clogged his throat. Chanyeol came in last, formal and imposing. He still stood tall, bowing his head to everyone with a bright smile and Kyungsoo bowed back, ignoring how Chanyeol didn’t seem to react to seeing him.
He tried though.
Thankfully for Kyungsoo, they were given files to read about the collaboration plan and he tried to focus on it. Junmyeon spoke on his behalf most of the time until a familiar voice said: “Does Mr. Doh have anything to add?” Kyungsoo looked up to meet Chanyeol’s eyes, his heart roaring as soon as he did, and the latter added, “Do you have any objection?”
Kyungsoo tensed and looked at Junmyeon for his anchor. He took time to control his voice before saying simply, “I trust Junmyeon’s decisions.”
“That seals it, I guess,” Junmyeon said quickly, trying to divert the attention toward himself, “Kyungsoo trusts me with everything. I mean, I’ve been his manager for ten years. At this point, I can tell what Kyungsoo needs, when and where.”
Kyungsoo nodded, looking back at Chanyeol and giving the man the coldest expression he could master.
Chanyeol’s smile toward him faltered, he even looked uncertain, but didn’t change his attitude. The meeting was over about an hour after that. Chanyeol made sure everybody knew what he wanted which made Kyungsoo, as he too wanted to voice his opinion but feared to burst out anytime, so mad.
Chanyeol was given a tour to the building and Kyungsoo asked Junmyeon to take him to his next schedule right then: An hour early. Junmyeon didn’t object.
The next time Chanyeol and Kyungsoo saw each other was to brainstorm about the songs. Kyungsoo prepared himself emotionally for it. He truly did, but as soon as he saw the cuddly, sleepy, Chanyeol in a hoodie, black sweatpants, and a basketball hat, a wave of emotion hit him hard.
It felt like ten years ago. Chanyeol would skip a few hours of sleep just to stay and practice song making. It felt like those times when Kyungsoo would stand aside and enjoy listening to Chanyeol playing guitar or even join him.
It felt like ten years ago when Kyungsoo’s feelings for Chanyeol were overwhelming. Chanyeol looked at him and smiled kindly, only to be ignored as Kyungsoo sat as far as possible. “Did you start brainstorming already?”
“Yes,” Chanyeol told him as he was sitting beside the sound director. “I have some songs already made and I want you to tell us which one you would prefer.”
Kyungsoo bit his lips and nodded. The first song was fine, it was upbeat, kind of jazzy, and did fit what he would think Chanyeol would have in mind. The second one they played made him freeze.
It was a song Chanyeol composed 10 years ago.
He couldn’t forget it as it was the song Chanyeol promised they would sing once they debuted. “I don’t like this one,” he darkly commented and they skipped to the third song. He didn’t hear much of it as there was a ringing in his ears. He felt like he would cry at any moment if he stayed. “I’ll go to the restroom for a moment,” he excused himself, running even, to the restroom where he got in a small cubicle. He leaned on one wall, and allowed himself to shed tears. “The fucker… he is playing me, he is taunting me, and he is aware of it,” he hissed to himself, as he dried his tears.
Chanyeol, on the other hand, didn’t know why Kyungsoo hated the song so much. The way he commented on it made it sound like it was the ugliest sound he had ever heard. He expected it to be something Kyungsoo would love to hear and would remember their time with.
Chanyeol wondered how he would feel if the roles were reversed. Would he be mad at Kyungsoo for choosing a solo career in the US over their possible duet career in Korea? Betrayed maybe, but he won’t take it to heart for a whole decade. Kyungsoo was probably not seeing things the same way he did or maybe he was clueless.
Kyungsoo returned and despite his serene attitude, Chanyeol realized the man had cried. It made him frown, wondering what made Kyungsoo cry. Was it the song? Was he hurt? Did he really still feel betrayed by what he did?
They worked a little on the lyrics and before they knew it, it was a break. The team planned to eat out except some. “some” was including Kyungsoo who didn’t feel like eating anyway.
He stayed in the cafeteria of the level, playing with his phone as he had an orange juice. He was so into it that the sound of plates resting on his table startled him and he looked up to see Chanyeol.
“Can I sit with you?” Chanyeol said with a bright smile. Kyungsoo turned the phone off and stood to leave but Chanyeol held his shoulder, barely enough to make Kyungsoo flinch. He looked like Chanyeol slapped him in the face and the taller one stuttered in worry, “hey, I am not… I just…”
“What?” Kyungsoo asked him harshly, “What do you want from me? After 10 years, you…” Chanyeol did let him go and Kyungsoo sat down, with a frown. “what is it?”
Chanyeol looked like a kicked puppy, which is why Kyungsoo’s anger melted, and served food to Kyungsoo, “I wanted us to bond. We can’t work together if you are avoiding me.”
“Indeed,” Kyungsoo said, closing his eyes for a moment, “I guess this won’t work unless we communicate. Thank you for the food, Mr. Loey.”
Chanyeol frowned but sighed still, commenting, “Guess you calling me Loey is better than not hearing anything from you.” Kyungsoo didn’t react to that, picking at the food and eating. He chewed slowly, avoiding Chanyeol’s eyes. The taller man spoke instead, “I loved your albums,” Kyungsoo paused at the unexpected statement, Chanyeol pressing forward despite the silence, “I bought them all and played them whenever I could.”
Kyungsoo couldn’t say that he didn’t do the same because he did, and he cried over Chanyeol’s mini album which was released six months before his debut. “Thank you,” he simply said.
“I think you grew to learn about your style and perfect it,” Chanyeol commented, “considering you don’t perform with dancers most of the time.” Kyungsoo looked up to meet Chanyeol’s eyes and the man looked startled, his wide puppy eyes blinking at him cutely which made Kyungsoo look away, “Did I say something wrong?” he asked for Kyungsoo to shake his head.
“I like the first song more. The upbeat tempo and the jazz is something my audience isn't used to hearing from me,” Kyungsoo said, as he tried not to think of how knowledgeable Chanyeol was of his career. It only meant Chanyeol was keeping up with him as much as he was keeping up with Chanyeol. “I want something like this too, if possible.”
“I will look for a way to add our both styles for the main title,” Chanyeol promised with a bright smile and Kyungsoo stood at that, “oh?”
Kyungsoo bowed, “It was nice to talk to you, Mr. Loey,” he said formally, “if you will excuse me.” Chanyeol didn’t even have time to object, ignorant of Kyungsoo who run to the roof where the heartbroken man knelt, boneless, and sobbed silently.
Chanyeol noticed how Kyungsoo had barely eaten and he pouted, bringing it back and eating. “He is still mad at me,” Chanyeol mumbled sadly, “I didn’t think reconnecting with Kyungsoo would be this hard.”
Because Chanyeol was in love with Kyungsoo, he believed he would manage to reconnect with him. How naive of me , he thought. Kyungsoo obviously changed drastically. He wrote in the letter that he wanted to be someone better, to reach the dream Kyungsoo had for him: International recognition. Why was he then so mad at him?
He found Kyungsoo in the studio, wearing glasses, looking tired and worn out; “Let us continue?” He asked only for Kyungsoo to nod without looking at him.
Working on the song was going to take days so Chanyeol was hopeful Kyungsoo would open up. He worked on the song hoping to make Kyungsoo hear his heart, but as they exchanged lyrics, Kyungsoo’s word choices were striking.
“If you wanted to walk your own road, why did you drag me with you?
Leaving me bleeding alone as you stole all the stars above my head.
I could only try to keep up and live a life with no light shining ahead.”
The composer who was with them was surprised by the words. “You sure are heartbroken, Mr. Doh,” he commented and Kyungsoo smiled a little.
“I thought I could add some melancholic songs, like I am used to,” Kyungsoo commented confidently. “Happy songs on their own aren’t enough to make the audience connect with the album. It should be able to ease their sadness, make them feel…” Kyungsoo noticed how Chanyeol was actually intensely looking at him, “understood.”
Chanyeol looked thoughtful for a while, as the composer and Kyungsoo discussed the lyrics and the song which would fit them. Kyungsoo worried he was being vulnerable and exposing himself. Chanyeol on the other hand realized the words were meant for him but in which way did he drag Kyungsoo? Wasn’t Kyungsoo eager to be a singer? How did he steal the spotlight from Kyungsoo? The offer to the US was given to him exclusively.
He was confused and more than that, he was slowly losing hope that Kyungsoo would treat him like before as obviously, Kyungsoo was holding a grudge against him. They were done for the day, Kyungsoo had another schedule to attend and Chanyeol had to stay. He was surprised to meet Baekhyun, a trainee with them who debuted in a small group that had big success in Japan.
“How is working with Kyungsoo after so long?” Baekhyun asked him after a long discussion about their career, “he just returned from his mandatory service and people said he changed a lot.”
“He indeed changed,” Chanyeol commented with a sigh, “You know we planned to debut as a duet? I made the choice to accept the Job in the USA because I thought he would approve, but I guess he was hurt. He barely spoke to me since I came back.”
Baekhyun nodded, understanding, “I guess he felt betrayed you didn’t discuss it with him first?” Baekhyun said which made Chanyeol look sadly at his notes. “You seriously should discuss it with him, considering your puppy love for him.”
“What puppy love?” Chanyeol was flustered which made Baekhyun chuckle, “I had just a tiny crush.”
“And it’s over now?” Baekhyun asked with a smirk which Chanyeol ignored, looking at his clock.
“Oh, I am late for an appointment,” he said in a hurry. “See you later, Baek!”
Baekhyun chuckled as the man ran off and Chanyeol made his way to his car where he tried to catch his breath. He knew he was obviously avoiding the question of if he still loved Kyungsoo and he knew the answer to that was “yes!” but he didn't want to admit it to himself. Kyungsoo clearly wasn’t ready to even talk to him like two civil people.
He couldn’t blame Kyungsoo for that, however, as he felt Kyungsoo was heavily affected by his career choice. He remained in his car, just thinking when Kyungsoo’s van parked a bit ahead of him in the dark parking lot. Chanyeol looked at the tired looking Kyungsoo who followed Junmyeon, looking like life was sucked out of him, not even smiling.
It made Chanyeol wonder how happy Kyungsoo was.
It made Chanyeol question all his decisions to that point.
The next day, Kyungsoo noticed that Chanyeol looked tired. He even looked irritated so at lunch, Kyungsoo sat in front of him. “Are you okay?” Kyungsoo asked.
“Are you happy?” Chanyeol asked him back, “Were you happy to debut alone? Why didn’t you debut in a group?”
Kyungsoo who was sitting, stood shocked and angry, “you left me behind, Chanyeol. Did ever you care if I was happy back then?” He spoke enough loud to startle everybody around. “Don’t you think you are late?” he spat.
“Soo, I…” Chanyeol started, but Kyungsoo just left his food and dashed out of the room. Kyungsoo ignored Chanyeol completely since, speaking to the composer or Junmyeon only. At that point, nobody was surprised.
Chanyeol observed Kyungsoo leave for his schedule and he packed to work in his hotel room. He didn’t expect a visit at one a.m. so when Junmyeon showed up holding a sleepy Kyungsoo, he took a second to react. “He drank his weight after schedule and kept calling you so I brought him here.”
Chanyeol allowed them in, leading Kyungsoo to the bed. Junmyeon simply took off his shoes and socks, before looking at Chanyeol who looked back at him with confusion.
“Talk to him,” Junmyeon simply said before leaving the room, leaving the shoes by the door. Chanyeol sat by Kyungsoo’s side, pushing his hair away.
Kyungsoo slept for a moment before waking up, still drowsy and felt a weight on his forehead. “Here,” he was handed a cup of water and confused, he picked it up and sat up to drink it.
He soon noticed Chanyeol and pushed the man away, dizzy.
“Soo,” Chanyeol tried to hold Kyungsoo who pushed him harder, “you are drunk. Come sleep, I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Kyungsoo looked at him suddenly and said the only thing his mind could conjure, “You betrayed me. Fuck off.”
Chanyeol felt like he was slapped. So Kyungsoo indeed felt betrayed? How could choosing a different path be so bad that Kyungsoo still couldn’t forgive him? Confused, he pulled Kyungsoo back to bed and the man slept automatically after.
Chanyeol could only curl by the bed, thinking over and over. What did he truly do that Kyungsoo considered a betrayal? Chanyeol could consider many and he didn’t know what to do with himself.
Kyungsoo woke up much too early in the morning, a habit he picked from his training, to find Chanyeol sleeping on the floor. The sight surprised him at first before he left the bed in a rush. He picked his shoes to wear the socks when Chanyeol sat up. “Where are you going?” he asked confusedly.
A splitting headache was already making it hard for Kyungsoo to bend and wear his shoes so Chanyeol’s voice only added to his irritation. “Home or work, anywhere far from you is great.”
“Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol called with a sudden heartbroken tone, “I am sorry I made you think I betrayed you.”
“Because you didn’t?” Kyungsoo yelled at him. “Didn’t you go to the US without telling me? Didn’t you keep the proposal as a secret? What? You expected me to be jealous and ask you to refuse that? You thought so low of me that you didn’t even bother to let me know?”
“I knew you would be happy to see me grow as a musician,” Chanyeol curled in his spot, “I just knew that you would be happy for me, whether I told you or not.”
“My happiness for you was given,” Kyungsoo said bitterly, “but your disregard to our friendship was something I'll never forgive you for.”
“I am sorry! I am sorry I didn’t think talking about it mattered,” Chanyeol yelled loud enough to make Kyungsoo wince, “I didn’t want it to be something that would push us apart. I didn’t want my departure to cloud the way you acted around me. I didn’t want to say goodbye either.”
“Why not?” Kyungsoo hissed before opening the door, “you know, I don’t want to know anymore.”
Once the door slammed shut, Chanyeol looked at the space ahead and whispered, “Because I love you.”
Kyungsoo was in the worst mood at work and seeing Chanyeol that evening made things even worse. There was a thick tension despite their professionalism. They worked together but there was a growing heavy and tense atmosphere as time passed.
At lunch break, Chanyeol sat in front of Kyungsoo who held himself from throwing his chopsticks. “I’ll complete my service after this duet and then leave for the USA,” the man said softly, “We are getting close to finishing the songs and we will record soon…”
“What are you trying to do,” Kyungsoo asked him coldly, “make me consider forgiving you? Saying sorry isn’t going to heal a ten years old wound, Chanyeol.”
Chanyeol and Kyungsoo looked at each other and the shorter man could tell Chanyeol was beyond hurt.“I missed you a lot, you know. I tried to reach you but I lost your number and you didn’t answer the emails in the first few years so I stopped trying to reach you through it.” Chanyeol looked down with a regretful smile, “I still have the plushy you bought me on my birthday. It is in my bed in LA.”
“Chanyeol…”
The man acted as if he didn’t hear Kyungsoo and added, “I bought your first mini album, I sent you gifts but I don’t think you got them, I listened to every song you made, every day, because I missed you.” Chanyeol looked up to meet Kyungsoo’s wide eyes, “I am sorry I broke something I can never fix, Kyungsoo, but you still mean a lot to me. Perhaps more than you can even imagine.”
With that he left the table while Kyungsoo remained there, shocked. Chanyeol didn’t look at him when he rejoined the team. They were working on the melody, which is something Kyungsoo wasn’t great at and the man observed as Chanyeol focused on perfecting it, using a guitar. They asked Kyungsoo’s opinion about it from time to time, but it looked like Chanyeol was done talking to him.
The hurt returned once Kyungsoo was alone in his apartment. “You mean a lot to me, perhaps more than you can even imagine,” Chanyeol had said and Kyungsoo poured himself a drink, scoffing, “Then why did you leave me without talking to me once?”
The recording for Kyungsoo’s solo songs started first and he focused on that for what seemed weeks until Chanyeol was satisfied with the melody of their duet.
Recording in one studio meant for them to sing side by side for the chorus and the closeness made Kyungsoo feel all the old emotions rush in, harder this time.
He sang the chorus as emotions took over him and Chanyeol shot him a look. “Can we take a minute break?” Kyungsoo requested before he rushed out to breathe. He felt tears tickle his eyes as he looked through the window.
“Are you okay, Soo?” Junmyeon asked him worriedly.
Kyungsoo looked at him, as a tear ran down his cheek, “I still… I still have feelings trapped inside,” he commented, “I don’t think this duet is going to work.”
Junmyeon approached him and patted his back softly, trying to reassure the man. “You can make it work if you just let go, Kyungsoo. It had been ten years already,” Jumyeon said with a smile, “you need to stop holding that weight and move on.”
“I don’t know how,” Kyungsoo admitted, “letting go of Chanyeol means a lot of things.” Junmyeon nodded and held him as they returned to the studio. Chanyeol was busy recording his own part when Kyungsoo got in.
The chorus part was pushed to the next day and Kyungsoo could go home as Chanyeol focused on the melody a little more. Junmyeon gave him a look and Kyungsoo knew what it meant.
“Can we talk?” Kyungsoo asked Chanyeol, the others left the room forcing them to be both alone. “I heard your songs too. I bought every album you made.” Chnayeol looked at him in shock, words still flowing out of Kyungsoo’s lips, “I didn’t forget you, not even a single day, and I worked hard to outdo you. Meanwhile, the pain you left behind in me only grew and I can’t toss it away just like that.”
“Was talking to you about the USA proposal that important to you?” Chanyeol asked him sadly.
“Everything about you was important to me, Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo said bitterly. “You were my only friend when I first joined, you were the reason I didn’t give up on my dreams, but when I came one day only to hear from strangers that you left to debut in the USA, I felt like our friendship, relationship or whatsoever, was a lie. You betrayed our friendship, Yeol, and I can’t understand why. If I meant so much to you, why didn’t you tell me about the proposal? Why didn’t you tell me about the USA trip? I would have at least prepared myself for the idea of not seeing you again.”
“I couldn’t,” Chanyeol simply said looking away, “I told you I didn’t want to say goodbye.”
“That makes no sense,” Kyungsoo commented, bitter yet again, “you are just … looking for excuses, aren’t you?”
He left the room to the bathroom where he found Baekhyun washing his hands. “You must be happy,” Baekhyun asked Kyungsoo, “I heard you and Chanyeol had some solo time,” he added, “I hope he told you about the crush he had on you already, because that poor pup was dying to say that.”
“Crush?” Kyungsoo stiffened. None of this made any sense! He rushed out of the bathroom, noticing Chanyeol’s team walking away, with no sight of Chanyeol in the studio. “Where is Chanyeol?”
“He went back to his hotel, in a rush. He didn’t look good either,” one man said and Kyungsoo could only run out, calling Junmyeon.
“Hello?” Junmyeon sounded extremely confused.
“Take me to Chanyeol’s hotel now!” Kyungsoo ran to the parking lot, “I’m by the car, hurry.” Junmyeon didn’t question what happened as he drove the car to Chanyeol’s hotel. The walk in from the emergency exit allowed him to be there without being noticed.
“Do you want me to stay?” Junmyeon asked and Kyungsoo just shook his head, shaken. He waited until Junmyeon left before knocking the door, once, twice.
At some point, he kept knocking, hitting his head on the door. He was dying to talk, to ask, to make sense of what Baekhyun said. “Soo?” He lifted his head to see Chanyeol, holding a huge bag of snacks and beers. “What are you doing here?”
“Can we get inside and talk?” Kyungsoo spoke rather breathlessly and Chanyeol frowned before opening the door anyway. Kyungsoo rushed to the nearest sofa, noticing how his heart raced and soon a cold surface touched his forehead. He looked up to meet Chanyeol’s worried expression.
“What is it, Soo?” Chanyeol asked as he sat on his bed, which was far enough from Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo sighed, “Baekhyun told me you had a crush on me, an old one that is.” Chanyeol went livid and looked away, obviously trying to hide his expression, but Kyungsoo was determined. “Is it true?”
“Does it matter?” Chanyeol asked, before wincing because that wasn’t a denial. Kyungsoo stood and Chanyeol stood as much when the love of his life threw him a punch in the chest. “Ouch, Soo! that hurts.”
“Fucker! Why do you claim to be in love with me if you left me without even blinking twice? Is this love for you?” Kyungsoo kept on hitting Chanyeol, less and less hard, until Chanyeol held his wrists, “let me go!”
“I went because I wanted to be a great musician! I went because that was my dream,” Chanyeol said openly, “but to reach that dream, I had to leave you and I wrote you a note. I told you in it that you mean a lot to me and if I had to say goodbye to you, I wouldn’t be able to leave.”
“What does that even mean?” Kyungsoo hissed angrily, “I would have encouraged you!”
“That would have hurt me more,” Chanyeol smiled as he teared up. “You don’t know how many nights I spent crying while hugging a teddy bear, because I wished I could see you one more time. I kept saying to myself,” Chanyeol sniffed as tears ran down his cheeks and continued his ranting, “Kyungsoo would be happy if I succeed, Kyungsoo would be proud of me, Kyungsoo would debut soon and we would work together like we promised we would.” Chanyeol was crying heavily at that point, “Yes, I left without telling you, but I couldn’t bear to see you happy to see me gone nor could I say goodbye to you. I can’t say goodbye to you even now… because like a fool, I still love you.”
Chanyeol leaned on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, crying on it.
“I would have said see you soon,” Kyungsoo said suddenly, “I would have said you need to make it big in the USA so when I make it big in South Korea, we will be the most powerful artists together. I would have told you back then that I had a huge crush on you and like a fool, I still love you too,” Chanyeol looked up, shocked and Kyungsoo added with a broken tone, “that is what hurts the most, Chanyeol, I was in love with you back then, and you left me behind. It was the worst part of my life and I still can’t forgive you for it.” Chanyeol was about to speak but Kyungsoo’s hand found his lips and sealed them. “You will go back, so our feelings don’t matter anymore. I can’t hold you back from a career you built and you can’t force me to give up on what I built now.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Chanyeol whispered as he pulled Kyungsoo closer, “what matters me is to heal the wound I left in your heart, my career be damned. I already fulfilled every dream I had except one. Our duet is everything I worked for, please let us make it work.”
Kyungsoo observed the man and somehow nodded before Chanyeol pecked him softly. He was about to pull back before Kyungsoo kissed him avidly. The kiss became messy at some point, but when they pulled away from it, Kyungsoo felt much better. “I should go,” Kyungsoo mumbled in a daze, but Chanyeol only pulled closer.
“Sleep over,” Chanyeol offered, “I got tons of snacks and beer and we can play something on Netflix.” Kyungsoo hesitated for a second, until Chanyeol asserted, “I insist; unless you’ve got something to do for real, stay.”
Kyungsoo didn’t and soon found himself laying in bed, wearing Chanyeol’s hoodie as pajamas after a much-needed shower, with food in his tummy as Chanyeol laid beside him, stuffing his face. A movie was on but neither of them focused on it. They confessed but it seemed that not everything changed between them. There were still the different lives they built in ten years and each man wondered how to live with their confession on top of that.
Kyungsoo and Chanyeol cleared the bed and Chanyeol pulled Kyungsoo close as they laid down to sleep. He looked at the man who looked at him and smiled, “I missed you, Soo.”
“I missed you too, Yeol.”
The recording on the following day went smoother, everybody noticed that. Chanyeol spoke to Kyungsoo who still ignored him, somehow, and despite that the tension wasn’t high. Junmyeon looked quite happy for Kyungsoo who rolled his eyes at his manager.
The song got modified five times before Chanyeol and Kyungsoo found it perfect for the album. “I just want the best for you,” Chanyeol whispered into Kyungsoo’s ear as they walked out of the studio.
Kyungsoo wasn’t the type to be flustered, but his red ears and neck gave him away and people smiled at his reaction. They discussed with the marketing team about the schedule for the mini album promotion, the possibility of a promotion in the USA that Chanyeol welcomed warmly.
On their showcase, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol sat opposite, while the MC asked them about the album, the feel of the songs, but when it came to the duet, Kyungsoo looked at Chanyeol.
“Chanyeol and I dreamed to debut together as a duo, so this is a dream come true for us,” Kyungsoo noticed the warm expression on Chanyeol, “he worked on it so hard, he supervised every single aspect of it, and even made us modify the song seven times before he was satisfied. He is hard to please.”
The audience laughed but Chanyeol said instead, “You know what would please me the most, Soo? Tasting your food after ten years.” He looked at the audience, “When I was a trainee with him, Kyungsoo and I used to sleep over his place and he cooked for us and his parents.” He looked back at the shocked Kyungsoo before asking, “Kimchi spaghetti, right?”
Kyungsoo scoffed, “I cook much better dishes than that. I’ll make you try some soon.” It made the audience scream, wild, and the MC included himself to the dinner date.
Kyungsoo eyed Chanyeol who smiled at him sweetly. It was a moment that went viral on the internet, although some people considered it friendship, some could see the love in it.
Chansoo trended on social media and Chanyeol, who was sitting with Kyungsoo’s dog, shared a picture of him and the cute little bundle of love, with the caption: “waiting for the chef to serve us dinner, @DoKyungsoo.” Satisfied, Chanyeol followed the singer on instagram before turning off his phone, aware that his manager would call him soon. “You need to follow me back on Instagram.”
“I forgot the password,” Kyungsoo didn’t bother to look away from the stove and Chanyeol pouted before focusing on Kyungsoo’s dog. Kyungsoo looked at Chanyeol who spoke to the dog as a baby and smiled, shaking his head. He served the food and Chanyeol rushed to help him, filling their bowls with rice.
Chanyeol sniffed the stew first, “damn, it smells good.”
“Eat well,” Kyungsoo simply said as he picked his bowl. They ate without saying a word, Chanyeol making noises of delight from time to time which pleased Kyungsoo.
“I don’t think I’ll ever taste a stew like this one,” Chanyeol said, finishing his second bowl of rice and half of the stew on his own. Kyungsoo chuckled and picked the dishes when Chanyeol stopped him. “You cooked, I’ll clean,” Chanyeol insisted, which made Kyungsoo focus on packing the food properly.
He observed Chanyeol’s lean body from behind before hesitantly wrapping his arms around the man's waist. “When are you going back to the USA?” he asked, resting fully on the man’s back.
“In three days, but I’m back for my military service,” Chanyeol said in a mysterious monotone voice and Kyungsoo frowned but didn’t push as Chanyeol had finished and turned to hold his chin and kiss him softly. “Can I have you for these three days?”
“Sure,” Kyungsoo agreed as they both promoted the song for a whole month now and had a lighter schedule for a few days. “I can ask Junmyeon to push my schedule if you want.”
“No need, I’ll be with you regardless.”
They hadn't done anything remotely intimate before so when Chanyeol held Kyungsoo’s butt and lifted him to sit on the counter, they kissed avidly. The leverage made them grind better into each other, but at some point, Kyungsoo mumbled, “not on my counter.”
Chanyeol laughed and took Kyungsoo to the bedroom, locking the door on Meokmul, before lifting his shirt and throwing it aimlessly. Kyungsoo was slower, taking his time to undress, mostly because he was nervous, before noticing Chanyeol picking his bag. Chanyeol had left his hotel room to live with Kyungsoo in his secret flat and they cuddled whenever they managed to reach home.
Therefore it wasn’t a surprise to see Chanyeol pick a bottle of lube and condoms from his own clothes. Kyungsoo had assumed Chanyeol had an active sex life.
He didn’t expect Chanyeol to say, “I… I never did this before, but I thought it might happen between us so I got these.” Chanyeol had noticed the intense gaze Kyungsoo gave his bottle of lube.
“You never slept with a man before?” Kyungsoo asked him in surprise.
“Have you?” Chanyeol asked back and Kyungsoo simply laughed, pulling Chanyeol close enough for a kiss.
They made out for hours, skin on skin, lube making their frictions orgasm inducing, until they shuddered in pleasure and laid there, looking at each other as if it was the last time.
Chanyeol didn’t say goodbye when he drove to the airport. “See you soon.”
“See you soon,” Kyungsoo said with a smile. As he watched Chanyeol walking into the airport, he realized how the pain in his heart had torn sobs out of his lips. He cried silently on the way back. Kyungsoo was relieved Junmyeon was the driver.
He was home, moping after a long week of tight schedules, when a widely smiling Chanyeol got in, surprising him. “Yeol?”
Chanyeol had more bags when he closed the door, welcoming the dog first before approaching rushing to hold Kyungsoo and kiss the hell out of him. “I told you,” he said as he made Kyungsoo look at him, “that you mean a lot to me. Did I say so?” Kyungsoo nodded so Chanyeol announced, “I am opening my studio in South Korea. It will be operational after my service and I hope by then you have a few ideas for our next duet.”
“Are you serious?” Kyungsoo asked him, breathless, happy and quite relieved.
Chanyeol kissed him before hissing, “dead serious.” Ever since that night, Kyungsoo realized that Chanyeol did mean it when he said all those things. He left for his dreams and stayed for him.