Work Text:
when the elevator doors open, ahn dongmin is met with the sight of his senior whistling a tune.
stepping inside, he gives kiho an odd look. “sunbae, you’re in a good mood today. did something happen?”
lee pd does not give much of a response, merely shrugging his shoulders and replying with a brief, “not really.”
but from the slight curve of kiho’s lips, dongmin knows that something good has definitely happened. the assistant director racks his brain for what could have possibly put his senior in a good mood.
a light bulb goes off in his head. “ah, that’s right! isn’t seo mokha-ssi coming down today for a music show recording?”
dongmin leans towards kiho with a teasing lilt to his voice. “is that why you’re so excited, lee pd?”
kiho rolls his eyes and shoves the man away. “stop talking nonsense.”
dongmin chuckles. there has been a running rumour within their department that there was something going on between the producer and the diva who recently shot to fame. the rumour was stoked by the fact that whenever seo mokha had a schedule at ygn, the two would always be spotted together. it was also rumoured that mokha was somehow entangled with the lee family during their identity theft scandal.
for lee kiho to be in a good mood to the point of whistling, and its alignment with seo mokha’s arrival…the coincidences were only growing stronger.
the elevator doors opens.
“i’m getting off here,” kiho announces.
“see you!”
without a second glance at his coworker, kiho walks out. finally by himself, he pulls out his phone. the first message notification he sees is enough to put him in an even better mood.
mokha: see you later :) <3
after lunchtime, kiho heads to music show set the very first chance he gets. unfortunately, he bumps into a rather pesky presence yet again.
“oh, sunbae! what are you doing here?” ahn dongmin greets. kiho internally groans, already knowing what his junior is thinking.
“could it be…you’re here to see seo mokha-ssi?” he asks with a shit-eating grin.
kiho sighs. “no, i’m not. hong-sunbae just asked me to pass something to the new director of the music show.”
it is not entirely a lie; it is however, an excuse. he did not have to come down to the studio at this exact time.
“and what are you doing here?” he counters with eyebrows raised.
“ah, you know, just passing by since i have some time,” dongmin says with in a carefree wave. “it’s always fun to see who is appearing on the music show.”
kiho clicks his tongue. “if you have time to be a busybody, go help hong-sunbae. her head is about to explode trying to find another artist for heyday again.”
dongmin pouts. “okay…you’re no fun, lee pd.”
“yes, yes. anyway, who’s the new director for the music show? the one i’m looking for.”
“ah, that’s right, you haven’t met him yet. it’s the guy talking to seo mokha-ssi,” dongmin answers, pointing towards the stage. “jeong dongwook.”
kiho turns to look, and his eyes promptly land on the sight of mokha bursting into laughter with another young man.
his gaze softens. the busy schedule that comes with mokha’s most recent comeback meant that he had not seen her in a while. he missed her. while still stunning, she looks like she had lost some weight, and it makes him slightly worried.
after throwing a quick thanks to dongmin, he jogs off towards the stage.
“jeong dongwook-ssi?” kiho calls out. from the corner of his eyes, kiho sees the way mokha’s expression brightens.
“yes, that’s me.” the young man turns around at the sound of his name. “you are?”
“i’m lee kiho, producer for heyday again,” kiho politely introduces himself while holding out a thumb-drive. “hong yeonkyung-sunbae wanted me to pass this to you.”
“ah, yes! i’ve been waiting for this,” director jeong accepts the thumb-drive and places it in his pocket.
kiho takes the chance to greet mokha. he flashes her a small smile. “seo mokha-ssi, it’s good to see you again.”
mokha beams, and kiho has to fight the urge to reach out to her, maybe pull her into his arms and tell her how pretty she is.
“kiho — ah, lee pd!” mokha greets before quickly correcting herself, her cheeks glowing pink. “it’s great to see you too.”
director jeong looks back and forth between the two of them. “ah, i guess the two of you met on the set of heyday again?”
the new director turns to mokha. “speaking of which, your appearance on heyday again was amazing, seo mokha-ssi! you did such a good job.”
“o-oh, thank you so much!”
like a train, the man continues enthusiastically without stop. “the moment you appeared on stage was unforgettable! it was so touching that i nearly cried.”
mokha gestures at kiho, and their eyes linger on one another for what was a bit longer than what they would normally deem appropriate. “yes…i have to thank lee pd for making me look so good on stage.”
director jeong fails to notice the exchange between the pair, instead relentlessly continuing his shower of praises. feeling the need to appease the director, mokha sheepishly accepts every compliment, until she finds herself taking small steps backwards while the director (whether intentionally or not) inches closer towards her.
the sight leaves a bad taste in kiho’s mouth.
he scans the stage for yonggwan, mokha’s manager. to his displeasure, he sees yonggwan caught up discussing things with another staff member.
so when director jeong gets too close to mokha for comfort, kiho places a firm grip on his shoulder and pulls him back.
“jeong dongwook-ssi, i think it’s about time you start preparing for the live air? i believe seo mokha-ssi needs to start getting ready as well.”
a sliver of annoyance flashes on jeong dongwook’s face at the interruption, but upon seeing kiho’s stony gaze, he clears his throat and excuses himself.
though they do not move any closer to one another, mokha gives kiho a subtle nod to which he returns. he knows it is her way of thanking him.
figuring that it would be strange if he stayed around any longer, kiho decides to take his leave. “i’ll see you around, mokha-ssi.”
it takes almost everything in him to turn away from her.
when five pm rolls around, kiho ‘coincidentally’ decides to take a break in the lounge room, where there is a big tv airing the ygn channel.
kiho has watched many of mokha’s live broadcasts before, and yet his heart still beats in anticipation whenever she has a new one. when mokha finally appears on stage, armed with her favourite guitar and a calm but determined expression, he cannot tear his eyes away from her for a single second.
his mind drifts to the night fifteen years ago, when their younger selves sat side by side in the darkness of her father’s restaurant, and the only light in the room came from the glow of the small tv box. it was the moment kiho realised that he wanted nothing more than for mokha to never have a dark day in her life, to be as radiant and without worries as the yoon ranjoo they watched on a live broadcast together.
so when mokha begins to sing her heart out on the wide screen, kiho has the urge to reach into the past, and tell mokha’s younger self not to worry because you made it.
after her performance inevitably ends, kiho gets up and returns to the editing suite, knowing there would still be time before the conclusion of the music program. he wraps up his work before taking a trip to the studio wing, hoping to catch another glimpse of mokha before she leaves for the day.
this time around, kiho really has no excuse for visiting the studio wing, and he can only hope his nosy but lovable junior has not decided to venture to the wing as well. when he arrives, the corridor along the dressing rooms is oddly quiet, and kiho concludes that all the idols must still be in the studio recording the finale. he waits around the corner, trying to stay out of sight.
eventually, sounds begin to trickle through the corridors. kiho takes a peek, and sure enough, staff and idols alike fill the corridors as they return to their dressing rooms.
amidst the sea of people, he spots mokha’s petite figure, busy making conversation with the other idols around her. not far behind, yonggwan holds a small trophy in his arms.
“mokha-ya, don’t forget about the interviews that we have to film later…” yonggwan calls out.
“okay!”
kiho watches as mokha bids the people around her goodbye, and turns to enter her dressing room. at that very moment, he catches her eyes. they widen ever so slightly.
she looks around for a bit, before mouthing ‘wait just a bit.’
when mokha disappears into her dressing room, he lets out a soft sigh, which makes him feels a bit silly. as a music show producer, he of all people should be aware about the hectic lives of celebrities. so why does he still feel disappointed?
thirty minutes of waiting turns into an hour, which turn into two. patiently, he stays in the floor lounge until the building turns quiet and dark with barely anyone present. whenever fellow coworkers leaving for the day spot him, he gives them a flimsy excuse that he’s waiting to meet with someone working late. no one seems to question it.
finally, his phone lights up with a message from mokha, asking him to come to her dressing room. when the corridor leading to her room is devoid of anyone, he quietly enters the room.
she is sitting on her chair, humming a pretty tune, and when she hears the door open, she immediately looks up. her face lights up at the sight of her boyfriend, lips splitting into a kilowatt smile.
“you made it,” she chirps. standing up, she opens her arms wide and kiho grins, moving towards her to accept her hug with a hug of his own. with her in his arms, suddenly everything feels right.
he leans back, arms still around her. “did you think i left?”
she shakes her head, her smile turning apologetic. “no, but i wouldn’t have blamed you if you did. i’m sorry my interviews took so long.”
“why are you apologising? you’re working hard.”
“i know, i just feel bad for making you wait…you must be really tired.”
kiho studies her face. mokha still has her makeup on, yet the dark circles beneath her eyes are telling. he pulls her into a tight hug, resting his chin on the top of her head.
“i am, but you’re probably even more exhausted. have you been getting enough rest?”
“i’d be lying if i said i was,” she sighs. “but what can i do? ranjoo-unnie and yonggwan-sunbae fought really hard to increase the budget for this comeback, i can’t let their efforts go to waste. but don’t worry, i’ll only give ninety-nine percent.”
kiho chuckles, nodding his head. then, he looks around the dressing room, realising something.
“where is yonggwan-ssi?”
mokha stills. “ah, about that…”
kiho looks down to see mokha looking away shyly, blushing slightly. “i asked him to leave the room for around an hour.”
she glances up at him. it takes less than a second for kiho to understand, and a smile tugs at his lips.
he leans closer towards her. “did you think i wouldn’t also want it this way?”
she playfully shrugs her shoulders, instinctively shifting to meet him in the middle. “it’s just a bit embarrassing…”
lips ghosting over hers, he smiles, “you don’t know how long i’ve waited for this.”
finally, his lips capture her own, and they move with practiced ease. languidly, sweetly, taking their time to savour the taste of each other.
he tilts his head when she lets out a tiny gasp, taking the chance to kiss her harder. he thinks he might be addicted to the feeling of her lips and the little sounds she makes.
arm around her waist, he lifts her up onto the nearby dressing table. she wraps her arms around his shoulders, deepening the kiss as her body curves into him.
it feels so right it drives him crazy.
they eventually break apart, breathless and panting. kiho rests his forehead on mokha’s, murmuring, “you looked beautiful on stage.”
she laughs softly, teasingly. “only on stage?”
he shakes his head. “no, but i guess i just love seeing you sing.”
“you were also really cool today, lee pd,” she giggles.
they fall silent, simply gazing at each other, memorising the other person’s features as if a few days apart was an eternity and enough to forget.
mokha raises a hand to cup his face, fingers gently stroking his cheekbones. he wraps his own hand around hers, holding it closer to his cheek and relishing in the comfort it provides.
“i missed you so much,” she whispers, gently drawing him towards her and pressing a kiss to his lips.
again, and again, and again.
he could kiss her forever.
“are you going anywhere after this?” he cannot help but ask.
the smile on her lips falters. she grimaces. “i have to go back to the company to finalise some things. i’m sorry.”
a heavy feeling settles in his heart from the disappointment, but kiho simply shakes his head, assuring her it’s alright and to “just take care of yourself.”
when he looks at her again, there is a fiery and determined look in her eyes. it reminds him of the one she showed him in the ferry when she promised to take care of him, or the one he had seen the night he had gotten beat up by his father.
she nods her head vigorously, as if making a resolve to herself. “i’ll work hard to get things done quickly. i’ll ask yonggwan to drive faster—“
“that’s dangerous—“
“just a little bit!”
“mokha…”
“so just wait a little longer,” she softly exclaims. “and i’ll come find you.”
“it may not be a lot of time together, but in that moment, i’ll be yours and only yours.”
he wonders if mokha is aware of the effect she has on him. the way his heart beats a little faster at the things she says.
suddenly all the disappointment turns into anticipation. it compels him to bring her close and press a kiss to her forehead. eyes gleaming, he accepts her words with a nod of his own.
“i’ll be waiting.”
for her, he would wait forever.