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It’s Mingi’s lucky day.
That statement has been declared and proven untrue in the past countless times. Like when he’d seen ice cream in the freezer, made a plan to eat some after his nap, taken said nap, and come back to Seonghwa, Hongjoong, and Yeosang practically licking their spoons clean of the delectable dairy product. Or when he’d managed to order a limited hoodie, rejoiced upon receiving it, and cried out of anger when Jongho had accidentally spilled kimchi and noodles all over it within two hours of having worn it (don’t ask).
This time, however, he knows it’s real. Here’s why.
First, he wakes up half an hour before the alarm in his phone can yank him out of his dream. This in itself is a miracle considering that he’s a big fan of the snooze button.
Second—and this is a rather nice surprise—he feels absolutely refreshed, a newborn babe who happens to be 183 centimeters tall. Who has ever opened their eyes in the morning with enough zeal and positivity in their bones to want to rule the world? No one. Not until Song Mingi.
Third, the bathroom smells like a field of flowers. It’s neutral on most days, but someone must’ve remembered to use the spray their manager had bought for them, so now Mingi can’t help but take deeper breaths to make the most of the fragrance lingering in the air as he splashes water on his face.
Last but not the least, Seonghwa has gotten up earlier than him and is already cooking breakfast by the time he arrives at the kitchen. When he peers over the other’s shoulder, he sees what appears to be a spinach and cheese omelet sitting in one frying pan, thin cuts of Spam browning up nicely in another, and rice being mixed with peas, diced carrots, and corn kernels in a wok.
“Congratulations, Mingi-ya,” says Seonghwa without looking at him or pausing in his task. “You won’t be the unfortunate recipient of everyone else’s leftovers today. Go get a bowl. I’ll be done in a minute.”
With a big smile on his face, Mingi shuffles to the nearest cabinet to his left and grabs two bowls for himself and Seonghwa along with a flat serving dish. He also takes spoons and chopsticks out of a drawer.
Seonghwa fills the bowls with fried rice and transfers some of the Spam and a portion of the eggs onto the plate. Mingi takes it upon himself to bring those to the table while the other fetches glasses of water and the untouched plastic container of mixed berries from the fridge. The managers had gone grocery shopping the other day.
Mingi considers the mini feast in front of him yet another sign of his luck for that day.
“You seem perky for someone who woke up at 6 AM on a Saturday without an agenda,” remarks Seonghwa as he sits down across Mingi.
“The day’s too beautiful for me to stay in bed,” says Mingi, wasting no time in spooning rice into his mouth twice before following it up with egg. “I think I’ll work out after this; I’m full of energy for some reason.”
Seonghwa raises an eyebrow in slight confusion and plenty of amusement. “The more you talk, the more reason for me to believe you’re an impostor.”
“Ya, hyung, shouldn’t you be proud of me instead of being suspicious of me?” complains Mingi. “When was the last time you saw me like this?”
“Never, which is why you have to convince me not to scream for help within three seconds. One—”
Like a kid, Mingi sticks his tongue out and picks up his phone. “Nope, you’re not going to ruin my mood today. YouTube will help me maintain the good luck vibes I can sense all around me.”
“Good luck vibes?” Before Seonghwa can ask for an explanation, his phone starts buzzing, and ‘Mom’ appears on the screen. “I’ll be right back,” he says and leaves the dining room to go to the balcony.
“Better if you don’t,” Mingi mumbles under his breath and chuckles softly at his own joke. His laughter grows, however, when the funny animal video he’s watching ends up more hilarious than he’d expected. While he knows that everyone else is still sleeping, the volume of his laughter naturally increases to the point of overtaking every inch of silence in the dorm. Upon realizing how much noise he’s making, he covers his mouth to contain himself.
A few moments later, he hears a door open and close, followed by the appearance of someone with disheveled hair and the posture of a man half asleep.
“Oh good, you’re up,” says Mingi when Wooyoung walks into the dining area. “There’s more omelet and Spam on the stove. Better get your share before the others come for breakfast.” After stuffing himself with more food, he resumes watching the video playing on his phone. However, he realizes that Wooyoung isn’t moving or speaking, so he gazes back up and nearly spits out rice and egg.
He’s heard of that look. It’s the look. It’s never been directed at him, but it is now, and his blood runs cold.
Wooyoung starting his day in a rotten mood is among the scariest phenomena in the dorm. His viciousness increases tenfold, and the already scant amount of mercy in his body becomes nil. Yunho and Seonghwa had been the first ones to discover and experience it, and it had taken them almost a week to gather enough courage to warn the rest of the members about it. The one other person who’s encountered it is Hongjoong, and he has admitted that he’d had to tap into his inner brutal leader to live to tell the tale.
According to the three, it’s impossible to appease Wooyoung when he’s like this. The bad vibes go away on their own, and the only things the members can do are to wait for him to settle down and get out of his way as much as possible.
That is, if they’re aware of his waking up on the wrong side of the bed beforehand, which isn’t the case for Mingi, who stands up from his chair out of sheer fear. “W-Wooyoung-ah…”
“No taping, no practice, no nothing,” hisses Wooyoung in an unusually deep register and slow manner, “yet here I am, out of bed, just because you decided to transform into a shrieking, cackling banshee for no other reason than to ruin my weekend.”
“But there was a d-dog that was a-angry at an iron and…and—”
Though seemingly impossible, Wooyoung’s glare gets even darker, resembling that of a predator waiting to rip its prey’s head off. “Do I look like I care about such a stupid thing, Song Mingi? Do I?”
Mingi shakes his head so much he swears he feels his brain jiggle, which could be a good thing because all he wants at this very moment is to cancel his subscription to life. He stumbles backward when Wooyoung takes a small step toward him and mentally apologizes to God for being cowardly despite having been blessed with impressive stature. Then again, like Chihuahuas and Dachshunds, shorter people are closer in proximity to hell, hence their demonic nature.
“So which do you value more,” starts Wooyoung, “your phone, or the bones in your hand I’m going to break even if you choose the first option?”
“Let’s talk this out, Wooyoung-ah, please!” begs Mingi, carefully increasing the distance between him and the fuming monster. “And I’m sorry, I truly am. I won’t ever do it again if you could just—”
“Who are you to give me conditions, huh?” spits Wooyoung, deep lines forming between his eyebrows. “In what universe do criminals have the freedom to negotiate their punishment? Because the last time I checked, we’re living in a world where acts of malice come with corresponding consequences.”
In spite of his growing distress, Mingi has to admit that Hellhound Wooyoung is far more articulate and poetic than Ordinary Wooyoung. Would this Wooyoung be willing to write lyrics for the next album? A verse or two would be adequate—oh shit, he is pissed.
“Any last words, Song Mingi?” asks Wooyoung in a tone as dead as Mingi’s sure to be very soon.
“Well, I—”
“Young-ah, good morning!” chirps San, who appears out of nowhere and drapes himself over the back of the person he’s just greeted. “Good morning to you, too, Mingi-ya!”
Having been interrupted right before his public-yet-private execution, Mingi has no idea how to respond to San or if he should respond at all. He’s already thinking of asking for help when he notices something he finds hard to believe at first.
Wooyoung’s no longer in Diablo mode.
Or at least he doesn’t look that way anymore.
Even more notable is the fact that he’s blushing. And petrified to the point that he could pass for an actual fossil. When San starts playfully shaking him from side to side and cooing in his ear, Wooyoung looks about ready to launch himself into space.
Mingi decides that whatever’s happening at the moment is scarier than facing Wooyoung’s wrath for the sole reason that it’s a completely unexpected turn of events. But it’s his ticket out of the nightmare he’s gotten himself into, so he runs with it.
“Good morning, San-ah!” he greets with as much sincerity and bubbliness as he can sift through his debilitating nervousness. “Seonghwa-hyung prepared a big meal for everyone, and by ‘everyone’ I mean whoever arrives first and devours all the food. You and Wooyoungie should join the two of us.”
“Okay!” San makes his arms overlap against Wooyoung’s chest, effectively tightening the embrace, and says to the motionless boy, “Hey, are you still sleepy? C’mon, I’m hungry.” He drags out the last syllable in a singsong manner, which for some reason prompts the redness on Wooyoung’s face to grow.
“Uh, you go ahead,” says Wooyoung in a bizarrely meek tone. “I need to wash my face.”
“Alrighty.” Fortunate in his cluelessness, San goes to the kitchen while humming an upbeat song.
Although there’s no wall dividing the two areas of the dorm, San’s back is turned to Mingi and Wooyoung, so the former doesn’t feel any safer even with the presence of another person. The tension in the air is so thick that he finds it difficult to breathe properly. He begins calculating how many milliseconds it would take for him to shout, Wooyoung to pounce, and San to respond to his cries in order to determine his next move.
He’s so close to getting the answer when it dawns on him that Wooyoung’s no longer facing him and has taken several steps in the direction of the bathroom.
What the—?
Thinking that the whole thing could be a ploy to get his guard down, Mingi goes, “Wooyoung-ah?”
Wooyoung stops, looks back at him, and asks in response, “Yeah?”
Mingi checks all the features of Wooyoung’s face—including the godforsaken mole below his left eye—for signs of latent anger or irritation.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
He’s back to normal.
“Uh, nothing,” says Mingi with a goofy grin. “Come back soon?”
Wooyoung throws him a blank expression before resuming his short journey. “You’re being weird.”
Mingi refuses to move so he can listen for sudden noises in case Wooyoung’s real plan is to create enough distance for him to gain momentum and run toward Mingi to give him a fatal body slam. But he hears nothing except for the bathroom door swooshing open and shut, followed by the sound of the lock.
That’s the only time he allows himself to sink to the floor in utter disbelief of his fate.
“Ya! Are you okay?” demands San at the sight of his fellow member sitting on the ground and staring into space. He quickly places his and Wooyoung’s bowls of rice on the table prior to approaching his friend and squatting down next to him. “What’s the matter? You look like you’re about to pass out.”
“I’m good,” stammers Mingi despite the coldness rushing through his veins.
“What’s going on here?” asks Seonghwa upon returning to the dining room. He frowns at the paleness of Mingi’s face and sets his eyes on the other boy. “What’d you do to him?”
“I didn’t do anything!” protests San. “I was in the kitchen getting food, and he was talking with Wooyoungie.”
The befuddled expression on Seonghwa’s face immediately neutralizes. “That explains a lot.” He then casually sits down and commences breakfast as though it’s just another day in the dorm.
Mingi internally pulls himself together and stands up with San’s help. Once he’s seated, he takes a couple of deep breaths prior to picking up his chopsticks. Although his hands are still unsteady, he does his best to ignore them. He can’t help but wince, however, when Wooyoung reenters the dining area and sits next to Seonghwa and across from San.
“Let’s go to the gaming café later?” suggests San. Even without mentioning a name, everyone at the table knows whom he’s talking to.
“Sure,” replies Wooyoung, chewing a bit. “I have to go to the gym first, though.”
“Oh, I’ll accompany you, then. We can go straight to the café from there after showering.”
Wooyoung nods in agreement. He’s about to have a spoonful of rice when his eyes dart to Mingi, who flinches at the sudden attention. “I know I’m hot, but you don’t have to stare,” he remarks, smirking.
Seonghwa and San simultaneously look at Mingi with the same questioning gaze.
Truthfully, the fear in Mingi’s body hasn’t dissipated, and his paranoia’s telling him he should remain vigilant. But given that Wooyoung’s mood has done a complete 180 and the other two have no idea what has happened, he decides to let go of the previous situation and bind himself to the present.
“You’re one to talk,” says Mingi. “You can barely keep your eyes off of someone these days, can’t you?” As soon as he utters the last word, he regrets activating his vocal cords in the first place. Dread creeps up his spine when Wooyoung’s smile drops to be replaced by a visage of…oh fuck, that’s panic in its purest form, and it intensifies when San turns to Wooyoung.
“Y-you like someone?” asks San, the softness of his voice conveying so much more than what he’s saying.
The color drains from Wooyoung’s face. Seonghwa mimics a statue, with only his eyes shifting back and forth between San and Wooyoung. Mingi purses his lips to stop himself from making additional bad choices.
“Do I know this person?” probes San further. “Is it an idol?” Silence. “Staff?”
“There’s no one!” says Wooyoung in a hushed tone. “I don’t know what Mingi’s talking about.”
San isn’t convinced. “I think you’re lying.”
“Why would I lie about this?”
“I don’t know,” says San, sounding more suspicious. “Why would you?”
For the first time in a long time, Wooyoung’s rendered speechless.
If not for the earlier incident, Mingi would’ve pushed Wooyoung out of the frying pan and into the fire with a teasing remark. But if he’s learned anything today, it’s that the biggest threat to his longevity is himself, so he saves the mischief for another time and says, “I was just joking, San-ah, though you should know that Wooyoungie’s biggest crush happens to be the person he sees in the mirror.”
Wooyoung scowls at him. “Ha. Ha. Ha.”
“That’s a relief,” comments San. It’s his turn to get flustered when his fellow members stare at him. “What I mean is,” he adds with urgency, “if any of us were to start dating, some of the fans might…you know…be shocked and…uh…stop supporting us or…um…”
“Enough of that,” says Seonghwa. “It’s like every word you’re saying’s hurting you.” San’s cheeks flare up. “Mingi-ya, stick with jokes that don’t incite unnecessary tension, please?” Mingi nods.
The rest of breakfast is peaceful, with random chitchat and the occasional friendly banter popping up between pockets of quiet. Afterward, since it’s San’s turn to wash the dishes, he doesn’t have to be told to clear the table. Wooyoung helps him out, while Seonghwa returns to his and Hongjoong’s bedroom.
Mingi stays at the dining table so he can figure out what he should do for the day. He’s inclined to ask Yunho to hang out somewhere, but he’ll have to wait for him to wake up. While he’s mulling over his options, his gaze drifts to Wooyoung and San seemingly playing at the sink but are actually attempting to finish the chore at hand. Their murmurs and giggles barely cease, and their bodies are practically super glued to one another.
The scene brings a smile to Mingi’s face. He’s always thought that it’s San who’s more attached to Wooyoung, but apparently that’s not the case—they’re exactly on the same level. What’s taken is also given, and in the midst of every argument is a bond no word is harsh or cruel enough to sever. Even now that their friendship is moving in a different direction, their feelings are mutual through and through, which Mingi finds incredibly endearing.
What’s not endearing, however, is the hostile expression on Wooyoung’s face when he spots Mingi looking at them. He does the I’m-watching-you hand gesture before going back to fawning over the boy right beside him.
So maybe Mingi isn’t 100% in the clear just yet. But finally knowing what can extinguish Wooyoung’s fiery fury is enough to give him peace of mind that he won’t be stabbed in his sleep anytime in the near future.
He’s definitely one lucky bastard today. And as long as the human version of sunshine named Choi San is there to keep Wooyoung’s raging alter ego in check, Mingi’s certain he won’t run out of good fortune.
Which means he’s in luck forever.