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One idol is hiding underneath the stairwell.
This idol’s name is Kim Rok Soo.
And he’s very, very hungry.
He’s so hungry he could eat a man.
There’s a plastic bag in front of him, double-tied to keep its contents safe. Kim Rok Soo is so hungry that he’s struggling to untie it with his long red nails. Curse the management for making him keep long nails. Curse the management for making him participate in this group diet. Isn’t he skinny enough? Do they want him to be a walking skeleton? Do they not believe in human rights?!
The longer he struggles, the more upset he gets. He contemplates using his teeth to try and rip the plastic apart. But it’d mess up his makeup entirely, and then his manager would get suspicious.
“Aghhhh,” he groans.
Damn this makeup. Damn this backless shirt. He might have long red hair, but his back still feels cold.
At that moment, someone notices the wavering light emanating from underneath the stairwell. This person is an idol named Lee Soo Hyuk. Curious, he steps closer to the stairwell.
It’s not a ghost, right? Choi Jung Soo had whined about the company being haunted on the days they had to practice late. The lights would flicker in the hallways on those days, similar to the strange light underneath the stairwell.
But then he sees a person squatting there. A person with a familiar pale back and familiar red hair. And he recognizes it’s Kim Rok Soo, who’s busily trying to open a plastic bag. His phone is on the floor. The lit screen provides a weak light source that’s barely noticeable from a distance.
Mischievously, Lee Soo Hyuk tip-toes closer without making a sound. Usually, Kim Rok Soo would’ve noticed him by now, but the younger idol seems to be preoccupied with the plastic bag.
He reaches out with his finger. Then he draws a long stroke down Kim Rok Soo’s smooth, exposed back.
“Aah, fuck!” Kim Rok Soo yelps. He drops the plastic bag instantly and falls on his butt. He blinks, stupefied, at the person who scared him.
“Leader-nim, why are you here?”
“I think I should be asking you that,” Lee Soo Hyuk says with a wry smile.
He knows Kim Rok Soo isn’t up to any good, as he usually isn’t when he calls Lee Soo Hyuk ‘leader-nim’. He can’t help but stare at the smoky eye makeup Kim Rok Soo is wearing. It looks incredibly good on Kim Rok Soo. He had almost missed his line when their eyes met on stage.
“Why are you hiding here like a gremlin? Are you trying to scare Choi Jung Soo again?”
“Shhh!” Kim Rok Soo puts a finger against his lips. He shushes his leader urgently and reaches out to Lee Soo Hyuk. “Come in.”
Lee Soo Hyuk grabs the offered hand and enters the small space, squatting as well.
Two idols are squatting underneath the stairwell.
Now that he’s closer, Lee Soo Hyuk takes a better look at the plastic bag. It looks incredibly familiar. He raises an eyebrow.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“Well… what does it look like?” Kim Rok Soo raises an eyebrow as though it couldn’t be more obvious. He pushes it toward Lee Soo Hyuk. “Now that you’re here, can you open it for me, hyung?”
“Rok Soo. We’ve only been dieting for three days.”
“And that’s three days too long.”
A huff that’s a mix of exasperation and amusement escapes Lee Soo Hyuk’s lips.
“How did you even-”
Before he finishes his question, they hear a familiar voice speaking near the stairwell.
“I smell it! The smell of chicken! Where are you hiding, Kim Rok Soo?!”
Kim Rok Soo groans. That’s one more person who’s finding out he’s cheating on the diet. But it’s more important to get Choi Jung Soo to stop yelling and exposing him further, so he pops his head out of the stairwell.
“Hey. Over here. Stop yelling, you idiot.”
“Oh! I knew it!” Choi Jung Soo rushed over with a grin. “You got yangnyeom chicken, didn’t you?”
…
Three idols are crammed underneath the stairwell.
“Hey, scoot in a little more. Your shoe is showing.”
“Oops.”
Choi Jung Soo shifts his foot further into the shadows as Lee Soo Hyuk unwraps the plastic off the box of yangnyeom chicken delivery Kim Rok Soo got (illegally). The scent immediately hits their nose, causing all three boys to groan.
They’re gathered in a little triangle of sorts now, with the box of chicken between them as though they’re about to perform a ritual.
“How did you even know to come here?” Kim Rok Soo grumbles. “Our practice room is on the other side.”
Choi Jung Soo snickers. Even in the low light, his smug expression is insufferably clear. “I saw Han on my way here and he was acting really dodgy. He told me he came here because he had a delivery to do IN THE AREA when he was IN OUR COMPANY. It didn’t make sense at all. That’s how I knew something was up.”
Choi Han is Choi Jung Soo’s distant relative, and he’s working part-time at a nearby chicken restaurant as a deliveryman. Kim Rok Soo had cashed in on a favor and texted him to send over a box of chicken on the down low. It’s probably a good thing that Choi Han is working as a deliveryman instead of an actor because he probably has the worst acting skills in the world.
“You used cash instead of card, right?” Choi Jung Soo asks as he breaks apart a pair of disposable chopsticks. “Your purchases can be tracked by the company.”
“Of course,” Kim Rok Soo scoffs as he shoves a big piece of chicken into his mouth. His voice is muffled as he continues, “Do you think I’m stupid?”
Lee Soo Hyuk smiles at the sight of them stuffing their cheeks in a hurry. His dongsaengs look very cute with their bulging cheeks. He says in a low voice, “Oho, the two of you seem used to doing this.”
“Urk! Kgh!” Choi Jung Soo coughs as he chokes on a piece of chicken. Lee Soo Hyuk pats his back to help him. The coughing fits subsides after a few seconds. Choi Jung Soo’s eyes tremble in their sockets as he looks at Lee Soo Hyuk with wide eyes.
“Ahem, no?? This is my first time cheating on a diet?” Choi Jung Soo lies terribly. He’s just as bad at acting as Choi Han.
Kim Rok Soo smirks at Choi Jung Soo’s struggle and maximizes the opportunity to eat more pieces of chicken than Choi Jung Soo. He moans in bliss as the flavor coats his tongue.
Meat. Delicious meat. This texture. He’s ascending to heaven. He can die happy now. Fuck making it big as an idol. What’s the point of making big bucks when he can’t even eat what he wants?
He’s so happy. Chickennnnn…
“Aigoo, our poor maknae must have been starved in his past life,” Lee Soo Hyuk sighs. He’s so helpless toward the younger members of the team. He’d do anything to make his dongsaengs happy. “Just this once, okay?”
He smiles when Kim Rok Soo grabs a piece of chicken and lifts it to his lips. “No, I’m fine. You eat it.”
“No,” Kim Rok Soo shakes his head slightly. “You caught me, no, us eating. You need to eat too. Come on.”
If they all eat, they’ve all cheated on the diet together so they can’t snitch on each other.
Lee Soo Hyuk caves and eats the proffered piece. His eyes widen. It’s really fucking delicious. Fuck. Sticking with the diet of chicken breast and salads is going to be incredibly hard now.
“Delicious, right?” Choi Jung Soo grins. “This is the famous Choi family recipe. It’s been passed down from generation to generation. You won’t find better chicken in all of Seoul!”
While Choi Jung Soo is busy bragging, Kim Rok Soo is busy stuffing himself.
By the time Choi Jung Soo realizes, it’s too late. The box is almost empty. “Wait, hey, Rok Soo! How many pieces have you eaten?”
Kim Rok Soo swallows another big mouthful. “Many. It’s all supposed to be mine anyway. I paid for it.”
With that, he picks up the last piece of chicken and puts it into his mouth.
He didn’t expect Choi Jung Soo to lean forward and grab him, a large warm palm across the naked skin of the small of his back. The touch distracts him, makes him shiver as he’s pushed forward.
Their lips press together, heated, familiar, and then Choi Jung Soo parts his lips and steals the last piece of chicken out of his mouth with a flexible tongue.
Kim Rok Soo gasps as Choi Jung Soo backs away, chewing victoriously.
Did he really…?
The disgusting bastard.
“You stole my chicken!”
“You should’ve defended it better.”
Damn his backless shirt. Damn these tight leather pants. Kim Rok Soo frowns as he experiences the 5 different stages of grief at losing his piece of chicken.
Damn his boyfriends for being so much more buff than he is that he ‘has to highlight his other features’. Like this shirt that’s supposed to show off his small waist and s-line back. He can’t count on one hand the number of times he’s dyed his hair. Long hair is so annoying. Maybe he should start hitting the gym like they do. He’s been too lazy to do it so far, but he’s been suffering for it for far too long. The management always assigns him weird concepts. Right now he has to have long red hair for a ‘devil’ concept. Can they get a ‘lazy sloth’ concept, please?
“Aw, come on, don’t be angry, Rok Soo. You ate most of it, didn’t you? I’ll buy you more when the diet ends, yeah?” Choi Jung Soo pokes Kim Rok Soo’s cheek, but he has to quickly withdraw his finger when Kim Rok Soo turns his head and tries to bite it. “Ooh, feisty.”
When will he get to eat chicken again? Kim Rok Soo is beginning to feel depressed.
Lee Soo Hyuk reaches out to ruffle Kim Rok Soo’s hair. “I’ll talk to the management about relaxing our diets a little.”
“Really?” His words make their maknae perk up a little.
Quite frankly, Lee Soo Hyuk doesn’t see the need for them to go on a diet. Choi Jung Soo looks incredibly good in his sleeveless black turtle neck shirt with his muscular arms, and Kim Rok Soo is already very slender- almost too skinny. Both of his hands can probably cover Kim Rok Soo’s whole waist.
“Of course. You guys deserve better.” Lee Soo Hyuk cups their cheeks and presses warm kisses against their lips, first Kim Rok Soo then Choi Jung Soo.
“I’m going out first to make sure the coast is clear. Jung Soo, did you bring your phone?”
“Nope!” Jung Soo happily answers as he sucks the remaining sauce off the tips of his chopsticks.
“Then I’ll text Rok Soo when it’s okay to come out.”
“Leave already,” Kim Rok Soo says with a small pout.
Lee Soo Hyuk laughs and leaves, but not before throwing them one more fond look.
When Kim Rok Soo blushes, it’s not just his cheeks that turn red, but also his ears, neck, and even his back. It’s always incredibly obvious. Lee Soo Hyuk wants to give him time to cool down by leaving first, which he always does after they kiss in secret at places throughout their company and performance venues.
“Pfft. Look at you,” Choi Jung Soo snickers, pinching Kim Rok Soo’s heated cheek. “Our little tomato.”
“Stop. You’re not helping.”
“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. I don’t want us to be stuck here for the rest of the day.”
Kim Rok Soo punches the side of Choi Jung Soo’s arm. It hurts him more than Choi Jung Soo because of how muscular Choi Jung Soo is. Fucking gym rats.