Archive of Our Own ^beta

“You’re all set,” the makeup artist says as she sets her brush down. 

Wonwoo quietly thanks her and stands up from the makeup chair. 

He’s on the set of a commercial for Cartier, dressed in regency clothes. 

Cartier casted a bunch of celebrities, and the idea is for them to be dancing at a ball in the 1700s, decked out in their finest jewels. He’s done a few commercials before, but this is the first one he’s done with so many famous people.

Wonwoo enters the set and tries not to make eye contact with any of the other cast members. He recognizes most of them, but doesn’t personally know anyone. There are seventeen cast members total, and he’s the only pro gamer there. The rest are either super models, actors, or musicians.

Everyone around Wonwoo is happily greeting each other as they’re shown to their marks. He stands where he’s told, next to a tall, beautiful girl from one of the kpop girl groups that he’ll be dancing with in the commercial. He vaguely recognizes her, has probably seen her on a billboard or on tv at some point. But he can’t remember her name so he stays quiet. She doesn’t seem to mind, chatting with the girl from the pair next to them. 

“Quiet on set!”

Wonwoo relaxes as soon as the camera start rolling. As long as he has direction and knows what to do, he’s not worried about having to socialize with anyone.

His publicist, Lee Seoyeon, worked hard to get him casted in this commercial. She’s been trying to book him for any modeling or acting opportunities she can find. 

So far he has an ambassadorship with Burberry and has had small roles in a few dramas. Seoyeon insists that the public reaction has been positive, and he needs to ride this wave of popularity for as long as possible so he has options for what he can do after gaming. 

This will be his last year on the T1 national team. He’s planning to continue streaming on his own, but his doctor told him he has the early signs of carpal tunnel, and he needs to think carefully about how much time he spends gaming.

“Cut! Let’s take a quick break.”

Wonwoo jolts from his thoughts at the sound of the director’s voice and looks around the room. The rest of the cast immediately breaks into their different friend groups, laughing and chatting amongst themselves. 

While he appreciates being here from a business sense, nothing makes him more uncomfortable than being in a room full of people he doesn’t know.

He finds a chair in the corner and pulls out his phone. He’s playing a game and is in the middle of a level when suddenly a shadow falls over him. 

“Hi! I’m Mingyu. You look like my husband!” 

Wonwoo looks up to see famed rapper and model Kim Mingyu towering over him. 

“Oh… um… that’s nice. Is he here?”

“What?” The smile on Mingyu’s face is replaced by a look of confusion. “No I meant you look like you could be my husband. Sorry, that came out wrong. I don’t know what I was thinking.” 

Wonwoo smiles tightly and goes back to the game on his phone. He’s not sure if Mingyu is making fun of him or not. 

Mingyu’s face falls and his shoulders hunch forward as though he’s trying to make himself look smaller. 

“Sorry to bother you,” he says quietly before walking to the other side of the room. He joins a cluster of other models who are standing and watching the conversation that had just unfolded. 

When Mingyu reaches the group he says something, then the whole group erupts in laughter. One of the models Wonwoo recognizes as Yoon Jeonghan claps Mingyu on the shoulder, and out of the corner of his eye Wonwoo can see Mingyu bury his face in his hands and shake his head. 

Wonwoo turns his attention back to the game on his phone. He can feel the tips of his ears turning red with embarrassment. He feels as though he’s been made fun of, or isn’t fully in on a joke. 

Kim Mingyu is a celebrity amongst celebrities. He used to be in the kpop group SVT along with Choi Seungcheol, Hong Joshua, Kim Taehyung, and Jeon Jungkook. Seungcheol eventually started his own company, (KkumaCoups Entertainment, or KCE)  and signed his former members as solo artists. 

Mingyu is now a solo rapper and model. His face is on the cover of a different magazine every month and he’s walked at Paris Fashion Week. He attends every party and social event, and is regularly seen walking home from the gym, surreptitiously lifting the hem of his shirt to wipe his face, showing off his abs in the process. 

Mingyu seems nice enough. Everyone around him always says he’s as nice in person as he appears to be on camera. 

But Wonwoo can’t imagine having anything in common with Mingyu. 

Wonwoo plans to do what he does best. Lie low and be invisible whenever he crosses paths with Mingyu. Soon he’ll forget all about Mingyu and his weird pickup lines.

▪️🖤▪️

The summer passes by, full of video game streams and shooting for a small role in an upcoming kdrama. 

His part in the drama includes an action scene, and Wonwoo has to take a few stunt classes to learn the choreography for the fight sequences. 

He finds himself enjoying it, much to Seoyeon’s delight. He thinks Seoyeon might be stressing more about his upcoming retirement from the T1 team than he is. 

“It’s healthy to have a passion!” she always tells him. “You can’t just sit at home eating Buldak ramen and energy drinks.” 

Privately, Wonwoo thinks that sounds like a wonderful time, although he’d never voice that opinion out loud in front of Seoyeon.

He sweats away in the gym, pretending to punch and kick his opponents. 

On set, the director pulls him aside to praise him. 

“You definitely have talent if you want to continue acting. Especially in a darker role or a character that isn’t fully good or fully evil. If I see anything come across my desk I think will suit you I’ll forward it to your publicist.”

Wonwoo thanks the director profusely. He had taken some smaller roles just to try acting and see if he liked it. It was nice to hear someone in the industry say they think he has a future in this.

Seoyeon is thrilled to hear about the praise from the director.

“See! I told you you’re a natural at this! Plus your face is too handsome to be behind a computer screen your whole life,” she tells him. 

Wonwoo rolls his eyes the way he always does when anyone brings up his face. “There’s nothing special about my face,” he says as he digs into his cup of Buldak ramen. 

“Lots of people would beg to differ,” Seoyoeon counters. “And they’re willing to pay you a lot of money to use photos of your face.” She eyes his cup of ramen. “Do you think you could get abs? If so would you be willing to take off your shirt?”

Wonwoo chokes on the bite of noodles currently in his mouth and sets the ramen down. “Umm,” he pauses to wipe his mouth. “Maybe? Why?” 

Kim Mingyu and Jeon Jungkook just signed an ambassadorship with Calvin Klein, and the word on the street is they made a LOT of money. If you can get some abs I might be able to get you in there as well.”

Wonwoo flushes a little at Mingyu’s name. It’s probably best that they stay away from each other after their last encounter.

“Maybe,” he says, picking up his ramen again. “I’ll think about it.”

▪️🖤▪️

In August, the T1 team goes to Hawaii for a promotional event. 

Wonwoo makes plans to stay a couple extra days afterwards so he can relax at the resort before heading home. 

The day before his flight back home, Wonwoo decides to spend the afternoon at the pool. 

Wonwoo grabs a book he’s been reading and heads downstairs. He finds a lounge chair under an umbrella and orders a drink, something sugary that fits the Hawaii vibe. 

He’s reading his book with the background noise of kids playing in the pool when he senses someone approaching. 

“Hi! You’re Wonwoo, right? I’m Mingyu. We were in that Cartier shoot together back in May!”

Wonwoo squints up, and up, and there stands Kim Mingyu. 

He’s glistening in the sun, water dripping from his hair and swim shorts. His tan skin and sculpted Calvin Klein worthy abs are on full display, along with his bright white teeth. 

“Oh. Hi.” Wonwoo brings a hand up and shields his eyes from the sun so he can look Mingyu in the eye. 

Mingyu doesn’t seem affected by Wonwoo’s lack of enthusiasm. 

“I’m sorry for saying you look at my husband. It was supposed to be a pick up line but after reflecting I realize how that would be an odd thing to hear from a stranger. My friends are always telling me I need to think more carefully before I speak.”

“Oh. That’s ok.” 

Wonwoo looks at Mingyu, who just looks back at Wonwoo, still grinning widely.

“Would you like to sit down?” Wonwoo asks, unsure of what Mingyu’s intentions are.  

“Yes, I’d love to!” Mingyu drags the lounge chair closest to Wonwoo even closer, then flops down on it. He shakes his hair like a dog, and cold drops fly out. Wonwoo can feel the drops hit his face and he shrinks back away from Mingyu. 

Mingyu doesn’t seem to notice any of this. Instead he just sighs and leans back against the chair. 

He turns his head to look at Wonwoo. 

“Isn’t it a beautiful day? We’re so lucky that we get to be here right now. What brings you to Hawaii?”

“I had an event with the T1 team,” Wonwoo replies. 

“Oh that’s right! You’re so talented. I don’t play video games that much but my friends who do say you’re unbelievable! But I’m sure you hear that all the time.” 

Wonwoo smiles in response, a little uncomfortable with the praise. To change the subject he asks, “How about you? What brings you to Hawaii?”

“It’s my friend Seungcheol’s birthday!” Mingyu replies brightly. “He’s actually one of the friends I mentioned who plays League. A group of us came to Hawaii for a few days to celebrate. You should hang out with us if you don’t already have plans!”

“That’s ok, I’m pretty busy. Thank you for inviting me though.” 

Wonwoo isn’t actually busy, but that’s on purpose. He wants to relax during the few days he has off here. He can only imagine what kind of wild parties Mingyu and his friends throw. 

Unsure of what else to say, he turns back to his book. 

“What are you reading?” Mingyu instantly asks. This guy can’t seem to catch a hint. 

Wonwoo shows him the cover. “The Chancellor. It’s about Angela Merkel, the former chancellor of Germany.”

“Woah.” Mingyu’s eyes grow huge and he looks at Wonwoo in wonder. “You must be so smart. My friend Hansol keeps telling me to read The Creative Act by Rick Rubin, but I haven’t read a book since I was in high school,” he confesses. 

“I spend a lot of time on planes, so I try to do something other than stare at a screen since I do that so often,” Wonwoo explains. 

Mingyu nods sagely. “That’s so healthy. You’re incredible.” 

He says this so seriously, as if it’s a universal truth. 

Kim Mingyu thinks Jeon Wonwoo is incredible. 

Wonwoo begins to feel uncomfortable under Mingyu’s unwavering stare. 

“I’m gonna…” he tapers off and lifts the book, indicating that he’d like to go back to reading. 

“Oh! Yes! Don’t mind me! I’ll just hang out for a bit!” Mingyu says, enthusiastic as ever. He lays back down with a contented sigh and closes his eyes. 

Not even a minute later Wonwoo hears a snore coming from Mingyu’s direction. 

Wonwoo feels a flash of irritation before he glances over. Mingyu’s face is completely relaxed, and he looks younger, more innocent. He must be exhausted to be able to fall asleep so quickly. 

He doesn’t know if Mingyu has sunscreen on, and his lounge chair is in direct sunlight. So Wonwoo gets up and rolls another umbrella over so it blocks Mingyu from the sun. 

Then he settles back into his chair and goes back to reading. 

It’s peaceful, and he finds he doesn’t mind having Mingyu next to him while he reads. 

An hour later Wonwoo starts to get hungry. So he packs up his belongings and steals one last look at the still sleeping Mingyu before heading inside. 

▪️🖤▪️

“Hey! Wonwoo!” 

Wonwoo is waiting by the elevators the next day when he hears someone call his name.  He looks over to see Mingyu walking in through the front doors, grinning and waving at Wonwoo. 

Mingyu walks quickly over to him and says, “Thanks for putting that umbrella over me yesterday. I would’ve gotten a horrible sunburn if you hadn’t!” 

“No problem,” Wonwoo says, and uses a finger to push his glasses further up his nose. 

“Would you like to get dinner tonight? I saw a taco place a couple blocks over that looks cool.” 

“Sorry, I’m leaving in an hour to go to the airport.” Wonwoo replies. 

Mingyu deflates, and Wonwoo suddenly feels bad. “Maybe another time?” He adds quietly. 

Mingyu instantly brightens. “Yes! I would love that!” 

They stand there a little awkwardly until the elevator doors open with a chime. 

“I guess I’ll see you around,” Wonwoo says as he enters the elevator. 

“For sure! Have a safe flight back!” Mingyu replies enthusiastically, and the last thing Wonwoo sees as the doors close is the bright smile on Mingyu’s face. 

▪️🖤▪️

In September, Wonwoo gets invited to attend a celebrity charity event hosted by actor Kim Seokjin. He doesn’t have any close friends going, but Seoyeon insists he goes, saying it’s a for a good cause, great for his image, and an opportunity to network all in one. 

The event is an auction to raise money for art programs in schools, which Wonwoo is happy to support. But Wonwoo isn’t sure how he’s supposed to network, since he’ll likely sit in a corner by himself the way he usually does.

Once they arrive, Seoyeon plucks Wonwoo’s glasses off of his face and nudges him towards the red carpet

Wonwoo sighs internally, knowing the next few minutes are going to be uncomfortable.

Sometimes Wonwoo feels like a fraud. 

He’s loved playing video games for as long as he can remember. He started streaming when he was in high school and his talent (and face) quickly earned him a large following. With that following he was able to get some sponsorships and eventually join the T1 team. He’s been well known in the gaming world for years, but after he joined the national team his popularity exploded. 

All he’s ever done in life is be born with this face and like video games. He’s put the hours into his gaming, but he loves to game. He probably would have spent hours gaming even if he wasn’t as good. Random paparazzi pictures of him have gone viral over the years, building his fanbase and leading to opportunities in other fields.

Both acting and modeling require a lot of networking. Something Wonwoo isn’t very good at. He hired Seoyeon to filter out the opportunities that suit him best and point him in the right direction. That apparently includes events like tonights charity auction.

Wonwoo walks down the red carpet, pausing to look out at the sea of reporters and their flashing cameras, blurry since he’s not wearing his glasses. 

He finally makes it to the end where Seoyeon hands him his glasses and pats him on the back. “You did great!” she says, and leads him through the doors to the event hall where the auction will take place.

Once inside the venue Seoyeon leaves him to join the other staff and assistants. Since the event is being filmed they want all the celebrities seated at the tables up front. 

Wonwoo is handed a pamphlet with the itinerary for the evening and he looks it over.

The event is supposed to start with a speech from Kim Seokjin, then the guests will be able to look at the pieces in the silent auction. After that, they’ll be served dinner before the larger items are announced for the live auction at the end of the evening. 

Wonwoo sighs, and looks around for an empty table, preferably on the side of the room. 

"Wonwoo!” 

Wonwoo looks up to see Mingyu waving at him from across the room. 

Mingyu’s loud call caused everyone else to stop talking and look, and his long arm waves dangerously close to the glass vase filled with flowers on the shelf beside him. 

Wonwoo winces internally at the sudden spotlight, and gives a small wave back. 

“I saved a seat for you!” 

Mingyu pulls out the chair next to him and pats the empty seat enthusiastically. 

Wonwoo sighs again, pushes his glasses farther up on his nose, and walks over, head bowed down to avoid making eye contact with anyone staring at him. 

It feels like everyone is watching him as he sits down, then thankfully they go back to their conversations now that the disruption is over. 

“How have you been?” Mingyu asks, his ever present grin stretched wide across his face. 

“Good, how about you?” Wonwoo replies quietly. 

“I’ve been great! Thank you for asking!” Mingyu’s smile grows even wider, which Wonwoo hadn’t thought was possible. 

The other people at the table looks between them, amused, and Wonwoo can feel the tips of his ears burning and he looks down at his hands. 

“These are my good friends, Seungcheol and Joshua,” Mingyu introduces gesturing to the two men sitting to his left. 

Wonwoo looks up and nods a hello towards them. He recognizes Choi Seungcheol and Hong Joshua, who were once in the idol group SVT with Mingyu. 

“Hi I’m Jeon Wonwoo. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Oh we know who you are,” Joshua says with a smirk. He reaches out a hand and says, “I’m Hong Joshua, and I am absolutely delighted to make your acquaintance.”

Wonwoo isn’t quite sure what to make of Joshua’s tone. He feels like there’s a joke he’s not catching. But he shakes Joshua’s hand, then Seungcheol’s, who also has an amused look on his face. 

Wonwoo settles back in his seat, and looks down again, desperately hoping they focus their attention elsewhere soon. 

“Isn’t this such a great event?” Mingyu asks, posing the question to everyone at the table but only looking at Wonwoo. 

He continues, “I love being able to support art classes for kids. The music program at my school was amazing! My music teacher is the one who pushed me to audition as an idol, and I can’t imagine how my life would have turned out otherwise!” 

He’s still only looking at Wonwoo, so Wonwoo feels like he has to respond. 

“Yes, art programs are important.” He internally cringes at the awkwardness of his tone. But Mingyu nods emphatically, as though Wonwoo had said something ingenious. 

Wonwoo noticed Seungcheol and Joshua exchanging an amused look. Wonwoo once again feels as though he’s being left out of a joke everyone around him is in on. 

The screech of microphone feedback cuts through the room, and Kim Seokmin smiles apologetically as he takes the stage. 

“Sorry about that,” he starts. “Hi everyone, I wanted to start by saying thank you for coming. This is the third year I’ve been able to do this event, and it’s so rewarding to see how the proceeds have been able to make a difference. We have a lot of great items for auction tonight, so please take a look around. We’ll gather here again at 7:00 for dinner before the live auction begins.” 

Seokjin gives updates about schools and students who have benefitted from the event. Despite his earlier trepidations, Wonwoo finds himself growing excited to contribute. He can tell this means a lot to Seokjin, and it’s cool to see how the proceeds directly impact someone’s life. 

As soon as Seokjin is done speaking and the doors to the silent auction room open up, Wonwoo is on his feet. 

“Wonwoo! Wait!” Mingyu clambers out of his own chair, tripping on the table leg in his rush. 

Wonwoo pauses so Mingyu can catch up to him, and he sees Joshua and Seungcheol still at the table, failing to hold in their laughter.

“Is there something you’re hoping to bid on?” Mingyu asks. 

“I didn’t get a chance to look at the catalogue that came with the invitation. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it,” Wonwoo replies.

“I have my eye on a couple things,” Mingyu says. “Last year I got a ski vacation for a week at a villa in Vail. I thought there was no way I’d have time to go, but I ended up being able to go with my family and we had the best time! Have you ever been to Vail?” 

Wonwoo shakes his head, and it’s enough for Mingyu to keep talking. “We should go together sometime! It’s so pretty there! I bet you’d love it. Do you like to ski?” 

“I’ve never been,” Wonwoo says. 

“Now you really have to go! Even if you don’t want to ski there’s plenty of other things to do. Sledding and ice skating and driving snow mobiles!” 

“That sounds nice,” Wonwoo says, pausing in front of a glass sculpture. It would look beautiful in the front entryway of his home. He writes a price and his name down on the slip for the silent auction. 

“This is beautiful,” Mingyu says, admiring the sculpture. He stands a few feet away from it with his hands firmly clasped behind his back. “But I’d probably find a way to break it though if I had it in my house,” he adds, sounding a bit forlorn. 

“Are you clumsy?” Wonwoo asks. Mingyu brightens again at Wonwoo’s question. 

“So clumsy! I break everything. I don’t mean to, it just always seems to happen.” 

They stop in front of a table sponsored by YSL. 

“Seungcheol said Jeonghan convinced YSL to donate all of this,” Mingyu says, gesturing towards the table. 

Yoon Jeonghan is YSL’s top model, so it makes sense. 

There’s a set of perfume and two bags available for auction. Wonwoo writes his name down for each of the items, knowing they’ll make great gifts if he gets them.

“Did you hear YSL is throwing Jeonghan a birthday party next month?” Mingyu asks. 

“Oh, yes. My publicist said I got an invitation for that. But I’m not sure if I’ll attend.”

“What? Why not? It’ll be a lot of fun! It’s supposed to be white tie, and pictures of that always do well on social media!”

“I don’t have any friends that are going,” Wonwoo explains. 

“I’ll be there! And my friends Seungcheol, Hansol, Seokmin, Taehyung, Joshua, Jungkook, and tons of other people will be there as well! Would you feel better if we went together? You can be my date!” 

“What?” Wonwoo blinks. 

“Yeah! It could be a date. I promise I’ll stick by you the whole time!” 

“Okay, sure. I’ll go with you.” Wonwoo has a feeling if he turns Mingyu’s invitation down he’ll get those sad puppy dog eyes again. 

“Really?” Mingyu asks, eyes wide as though he can’t believe what he just heard. “You want to go on a date with me?” 

“Sure,” Wonwoo repeats. He isn’t sure why Mingyu is so excited at that the prospect of spending an entire evening with him. So far Mingyu has had to carry their conversations due to Wonwoo’s awkward shyness.

Wonwoo suddenly notices the logo of a watch brand his brother likes a couple tables over. He heads over to see what’s available and place a bid on one of the watches.

After he finishes writing his name down, he looks up to see Mingyu still standing where he had left him, a smile slowly growing across his face. When Mingyu notices him looking, he seems to break out of a trance and heads towards Wonwoo, nearly tripping over his feet on the way over.

“It’s a date!” Mingyu says brightly once he reaches Wonwoo. “I’ll have my assistant reach out to yours once I have more details.” Then noticing the watches he says, “Oh these are nice. I better bid on one before Seungcheol sees them. He’s obsessed with watches.”

▪️🖤▪️

The live auction features several art pieces. Wonwoo manages to get a beautiful Australian Aboriginal dot painting of a tree at sunset. It’s huge, and he can’t wait to put it on the wall behind his dining room table. 

There are two small sculptures of Japanese cherry blossom trees in full bloom. They’re made of bronze, rose quartz, and pearls, and a murmur goes through the crowd as soon as they’re revealed. 

“My sister would love those!” Wonwoo hears Mingyu say, and glances over to see his eyes focused on the sculptures.

Mingyu grabs his paddle and prepares to join the bidding.

The sculptures are beautiful, and the price rises far beyond what Wonwoo would have expected, even for this crowd.It gets down to Mingyu and one other person. They’re going back and forth for what feels like forever, but Wonwoo can tell by the look in Mingyu’s eye that he won’t give in.

Finally, the other bidder backs down, awarding Mingyu the sculptures.

“Yes!” He exclaims, as Joshua and Seungcheol reach over and offer fist bumps of congratulations. 

“My sister just moved to a new apartment and was saying she needs to do some decorating. Those will go perfectly on the end tables next to her couch.”

Joshua and Seungcheol nod in agreement, but Wonwoo stares at Mingyu.

Mingyu had just dropped so much money on those little trees that it would have been enough to send several kids to a private college in America. But instead of putting those trees somewhere special, he was going to just hand them over to his sister so she could decorate her apartment?

“That will be a lot of money sitting on those end tables,” Wonwoo finds himself saying before he can stop himself. He flushes, a little in embarrassment. Mingyu is free to spend his money however he wants to. 

But Mingyu doesn’t seem to take offense to Wonwoo’s comment.

“Oh she doesn’t need to know how much they are. Besides, look how cute those trees are! They should be brightening up someone’s home, not sitting on display in a museum somewhere.”

Wonwoo can’t imagine dropping as much money as Mingyu just did on anything except maybe real estate. Certainly not on something he would then hand over to his little brother without a second thought.

Maybe Kim Mingyu really is as generous as his friends always say.

After the end of the live auction, everyone is milling around to say goodbye and check the results of the silent auction. Wonwoo gets one of the YSL purses and a voucher for a custom set of golf clubs. 

He immediately gifts the purse to Seoyeon whose jaw drops in shock. 

“Are you sure?” she asks, carefully holding it in her hands. 

“Of course,” Wonwoo replies. “You work hard and it’s for a good cause.” He’s looking forward to gifting the golf club voucher to his father. 

Wonwoo sees Kim Seokjin as he and Seoyeon are heading for the exit, and stops to greet him.

“Thank you for hosting this. It’s incredibly to see what you’ve built,” Wonowoo tells him.

“Thank you so much for coming,” Seokjin replies as they shake hands. “I hope to see you here again next year.” 

“I’ll look forward to it.” Wonwoo’s surprised to find he genuinely means it.

▪️🖤▪️

The day of Jeonghan’s birthday party arrives, and Wonwoo is nervous. 

Seoyeon is supposed to come by at 3 with his outfit and a makeup artist to help him get ready. Then Mingyu would be picking him up at 7.

This will be Wonwoo’s first time hanging out with Mingyu for an extended period of time, and he’ll probably have to talk to all of Mingyu’s friends as well.

Seoyeon was ecstatic when she heard about the “date”. She says Mingyu will be a great connection to have, and a great place to start networking.

Wonwoo felt a little weird when she said that. He hadn’t thought about Mingyu as a “networking connection”. Is that how Mingyu saw him? As access to another industry?

That could explain why Mingyu is so persistent in approaching Wonwoo. 

He pushes the thought to the back of his mind as he showers and cleans up his apartment before Seoyeon and the makeup artist arrive. 

The makeup artist, Park Jiwon, turns out to be an old friend of Seoyeon’s, so the two women chatter away as they get Wonwoo ready. Wonwoo doesn’t mind at all, glad he doesn’t have to make small talk with someone new. 

They both squeal and gush over him once he’s dressed, Jiwon’s hands flying towards his face with a makeup brush to fix whatever imperfection she’s spotted.

Wonwoo glances at himself in the mirror and stops short. He looks good. His hair is pushed back and the smokey eye makeup makes his features look even sharper. 

“Mingyu’s gonna be speechless,” he hears Seoyeon say, and Jiwon laughs. 

“I did Mingyu’s makeup for a music video one time,” she tells them. “That man loves to chat. But he’s so kind! I hope you have a great time!” 

Right on cue, the doorbell buzzes. 

“That must be Mingyu! I’ll let him in!” Seoyeon calls, already heading for the front door. 

Wonwoo trails behind, putting on his shoes as Seoyeon opens the door. 

“You look incredible!” Is the first thing out of Mingyu’s mouth when he seems Wonwoo. 

Their suits are coordinated, black with white trim for Wonwoo and white with black trim for Mingyu. 

Thanks, so do you,” Wonwoo replies, and that’s all it takes for Mingyu to beam at him. 

“Are you ready? The car is waiting downstairs,” Mingyu says, offering his arm. 

Wonwoo looks back at Seoyeon who ushers him out the door saying, “We’ll clean up here before we head out. Have a great time! Tell me all about it!”

Mingyu waves a greeting at Jiwon as Wonwoo assures Seoyeon he’ll call her tomorrow morning, then takes Mingyu’s arm before they head down the hallway to the elevators. 

“This building looks a lot like mine,” Mingyu comments on their way down. 

“Really?” Wonwoo asks. The building he lives in is nice, but nothing like the luxury apartments of Gangnam where he assumes Mingyu lives. 

“Yeah,” Mingyu continues as they enter the lobby, “In fact, I’m pretty sure my lobby has that exact same couch!” He points to a long, nondescript couch sitting along the side of the wall next to a fire place. 

Mingyu’s manager is waiting in front of the building, and he gets out to open the door for them. 

The car looks like one of the KCE company vans, and the seats inside are large and comfortable. 

“I asked my manger to drive so we don’t have to worry about drinking tonight,” Mingyu explains, and Wonwoo nods. At least he’s responsible.

On the drive over, Mingyu makes small talk, asking Wonwoo about his time with T1 and the dramas he’s been in.

Wonwoo does his best to be friendly, and it must be working because Mingyu’s attention is solely on him. 

They arrive at the party, and Jeonghan immediately sashays up to them. 

“Jeon Wonwoo! I’ve seen you at shoots before but I don’t think we’ve ever officially met. I’m Yoon Jeonghan.” Jeonghan holds out a hand to shake Wonwoo’s. He’s clearly a couple drinks in, but is at that sweet spot where he’s confident and fun without being too sloppy. 

Wonwoo shakes his hand, then greets Seungcheol who approaches them with two drinks that he hands to Mingyu and Wonwoo. Mingyu waves someone over from across the room, then leans in to explain to Wonwoo, “That’s Hansol! I want you to meet him.”

Wonwoo’s mind blanks for a second before realizes Hansol is Vernon, another producer and rapper from KCE. 

Wonwoo likes Hansol. He’s quiet and chooses his words carefully before he speaks. Him and Mingyu get caught up in a conversation about music, so Wonwoo takes the chance to glance around at the venue. 

YSL rented out a studio for the party, and it’s packed with celebrities. Models and singers and actors and a few athletes, each person more attractive than the last. It’s like YSL plucked up their after party from Paris Fashion week and brought it to Korea.

Wonwoo can’t help but feel a little insecure. He’s always gotten praised for his looks, but his face is nothing special here. Even Mingyu and Hansol could easily be full time models with their looks if they wanted to be.

As the party goes on, Wonwoo is aware of their picture being taken but doesn’t think much of it. As promised, Mingyu stays by his side all night. He introduces Wonwoo to countless people, and every person greets Mingyu enthusiastically. 

Mingyu makes an effort to include Wonwoo into every conversation. Wonwoo does his best, but he can’t do much more than stand awkwardly off to the side once his usual talking points are used up. 

He tries, he really does. He can hear Seoyeon in his head commanding him to network. But this is a lot of successful, attractive people, and many of them are already well acquainted with each other. 

A surprising number of people recognize him from gaming and wish him luck at the upcoming World Championships. 

Wonwoo hadn’t thought this crowd would follow gaming that closely. Mingyu beams proudly every time someone acknowledges Wonwoo’s success. 

Time passes, but the party shows no sign of slowing down. Wonwoo can feel his social battery draining to its last dregs, and he wonders if he can fake a low level emergency to excuse himself. 

He looks up from checking his watch- it’s almost an hour after midnight- and catches Mingyu’s eye. 

“Do you want to go home? We can leave whenever,” Mingyu tells him. 

Wonwoo smiles a little sheepishly. “I’m getting tired,” he admits. “But I can get home on my own if you want to stay.”

“No!” Mingyu blurts out quickly, then pulls out his phone. “Let me just text my manager that we’re ready to go. Then we can say good bye to Jeonghan and get out of here.” 

Wonwoo spots Jeonghan across the room, dancing ridiculously while a crowd of people  cheer him on. Seungcheol is amongst them, so Wonwoo heads towards his direction, Mingyu following close behind. 

“Hey,” he calls out, tapping Seungcheol on the arm. Seungcheol swings around, then lifts his drink in a greeting.

“Hey! Wonwoo! Mingyu! Join us!” 

Mingyu laughs. “We’d love to but we’re about to head out. Some of us have work tomorrow.” 

Seungcheol rolls his eyes. “Don’t blame me for that. You know you can set your own schedule!” Then he calls Jeonghan over. “Birthday boy! Come say good bye!”

Jeonghan stops dancing and comes over with a pout. “Don’t leave!” He says as he drapes himself over Wonwoo. 

Wonwoo pats him on the back. “Thank you so much for inviting me,” he says. “I had fun!” And he means it. The party had been fun, if a little loud.

“We have to hang out sometime. Especially if you’re gonna be hanging out with Mingyu now!” 

“Sure, anytime.” Wonwoo says, laughing a little awkwardly. He isn’t sure what sort of relationship Jeonghan thinks he has with Mingyu, but Wonwoo wouldn’t describe anything they’ve done as “hanging out”. More like running into each other at work events. 

Mingyu peels Jeonghan away from Wonwoo and tells him, “Don’t scare Wonwoo away just yet! But happy birthday. We both had a great time.” 

Then Mingyu hugs both Jeonghan and Seungcheol before taking Wonwoo’s hand and leading him towards the door. 

Outside it’s blessedly cool and quiet. 

“Oh wow, look,” Mingyu says, looking up at the sky. 

It’s a rare clear night, and the stars are sparkling in the sky. As Wonwoo looks up their shoulders brush, and his heart skips a beat. He can feel his face flush for a second before he pushes the feelings to the side and schools his expression back to neutral before Mingyu can notice. 

Their car is waiting at the curb, and Mingyu opens the door for Wonwoo to get in first. 

The ride back to Wonwoo’s apartment is quiet except for the soft music coming from the car speakers. Wonwoo leans back and shuts his eyes, too tired to try and make any conversation right now. 

They get to Wonwoo’s apartment and Mingyu tells his manager, “Hang on. I’ll just walk Wonwoo up then be right back.”

“Sure, take your time,” the manager replies and Mingyu opens the door to let them out. 

They walk up to the front door, Mingyu rushing forward a step so he can open the door for Wonwoo. They get to Wonwoo’s floor, and as they step out of the elevator Mingyu says, “I had so much fun! Do you want to go on another date? We could get dinner!” 

“Another date?” Wonwoo asks. “I thought this more of a casual, networking thing."

Mingyu’s smile freezes, and then his face falls.

Mingyu’s quiet as they continue down the hallway, and Wonwoo instantly regrets what he just said. 

“You have to know,” Mingyu says quietly once they reach Wonwoo’s front door. “I know you’re smart. There’s no way you’re this oblivious.”

“Know what?”

“How into you I am! I’ve been trying to ask you out for months now!”

Wonwoo does know that Mingyu’s enthusiasm means he’s likely interested in Wonwoo on some level. But he keeps waiting for it to wear off. 

Mingyu can date anyone he wants to. He’s friends with everyone he meets. He goes to all the social events and movie premiers and music award shows. He’s always traveling and posting about his adventures on social media. 

Looking back at their first encounters Wonwoo could see how Mingyu was at least interested in getting to know him. But Wonwoo figured once Mingyu realized Wonwoo wasn’t going to match his enthusiasm they would become casual acquaintances. Maybe a good contact for Wonwoo to have. 

But it’s been months since they first met, and Mingyu still hasn’t given up. 

Wonwoo takes a deep breath. 

“I’m afraid you just have an idea of me in your head that you like,” he begins. “I feel like I’m on a pedestal, and I’m just waiting until I do something that disappoints you and you’ll lose interest.”

He adds quietly, “We don’t actually know each other very well.”

“You haven’t given me a chance to get to know you,” Mingyu blurts out, sounding more bitter than Wonwoo had ever heard him. “Sorry,” he quickly adds, looking down and scuffing his shoe against the floor. 

“I tried to ask you out at that Cartier shoot but it didn’t go the way I thought it would. I thought you would either agree to go out with me or say no and we could just be friends. Usually I don’t have a problem making my feelings clear. But you’re hard to read. You don’t seem super interested in me, but you don’t seem repulsed by me either.”

Repulsed? Who could ever be repulsed by Kim Mingyu? 

“Honestly I thought you’d give up trying to talk to me after the first couple times,” Wonwoo says. 

Mingyu takes Wonwoo’s hand in his. “I really want to get to know you more. I think about you all the time, but when I’m with you my mind is finally quiet. Not just quiet of thoughts about you, but everything. Stress about work and family life doesn’t seem to matter as much when I’m next to you. I know I should have made it more clear that I wanted this to be a formal date. I’d really like to take you out again if you want. I know these type of events aren’t your favorite thing, but we could do something else. Anything you want. What do you like to do?”

Wonwoo thinks for a moment. 

“I sometimes take my camera to the park. I like to take pictures of the animals, especially the ducks in the pond.” 

He flushes, a little embarrassed by his confession. Taking pictures of ducks sounds so mundane compared anything Mingyu had suggested. It certainly isn’t skiing at a resort in Vail or dinner at a Michelin star restaurant. 

But Mingyu just smiles, his eyes soft. It’s a warm smile. Not a grin overflowing with energy and enthusiasm. It’s the nicest smile Wonwoo has ever seen. 

“That sounds perfect.”

▪️🖤▪️

Two days later, Wonwoo is leaving a meeting with the T1 team where they’re discussing the travel logistics for Wold Championships. 

He’s walking out of the building with Faker and Keira when he gets a text from Mingyu. 

Hiii! Are you free next weekend? Would you want to come over to my place around 4 on Saturday? We could go to the park to take pictures and then get food!

Wonwoo stops in the building’s entrance to reread the text. 

Keira runs into him from behind and exclaims, “Hey! Why’d you stop?”

“I bet he’s texting that guy he just went to that fancy party with,” Faker teases. 

“I think he just asked me out,” Wonwoo says, still looking at his phone. 

“What?!” Both Keira and Faker shout, then look around to make sure no one can overhear them. 

“Let me see,” Faker demands. Wonwoo had just typed out ok as a response and was about to hit send when his phone is snatched out of his hand. 

“Dude you have to put more than ok!” Faker exclaims, and Keira nods in agreement while reading over Faker’s shoulder. “At least put an explanation point or a smiley face or something.”

“You think?” Wonwoo asks. 

“Yes!” Both Keira and Faker insist. 

“Here, put this, I promise I won’t send it,” Keira says as he takes Wonwoo’s phone from Faker. 

He types something then hands it back to Wonwoo.

Wonwoo looks at it to see sounds good! let me know what your address is ready to be sent off. 

“Is that too much?” Wonwoo asks. He hardly ever sends texts that require an exclamation point. “Is it weird that I’m asking for his address?”

“Not at all.” Keira reassures him. “You are interested in this guy right? Show it! Plus he literally told you to come to his house. You can’t do that if you don’t know his address.”

“Ok,” Wonwoo says, a little uncertain, then sends the text before he can overthink it. 

Mingyu replies immediately. 

great! Here’s my address. If it’s confusing when you arrive at the building just call me and I’ll come down to get you. 

He includes a pin with the location of his apartment. 

“Now what?” Wonwoo asks, showing Faker and Keira the response. “Can I just like it?” 

The two other gamers look at each other and sigh simultaneously. “Yeah, that’s fine,” Faker says. 

▪️🖤▪️

Mingyu’s home is nothing like the luxury penthouse bachelor pad Wonwoo had pictured. In fact, it’s almost identical to Wonwoo’s place. 

It’s a three bedroom apartment, with a primary suite, guest bedroom, and the third bedroom converted into an office. 

The one difference is that the kitchen is stunning. Mingyu explains that he loves to cook, so a nice kitchen was his priority when choosing a place to live. 

The large windows in the living room overlook river, and Wonwoo can instantly picture himself curling up with a cup if tea in the evening, watching the sun set. 

Then he blushes at the domesticity of the idea. 

He turns to see Mingyu already looking at him with a smile that can only be described as fond, and Wonwoo blushes even more.

The sun is just beginning to set, so they walk to a nearby park with a duck pond.

Wonwoo has his camera and takes pictures of the trees and ducks and flowers they see on their walk. He makes Mingyu pose for him and Mingyu happily obliges. 

Wonwoo knows that Mingyu likes to have pictures for his social media as much as Wonwoo likes to take pictures. 

The last of the light is fading when they finally exit the park and head to a small restaurant that Mingyu swears has the best samgyeopsal.

They chat over grilled meat, soju, and side dishes. Mingyu grills the meat and cuts the best pieces for Wonwoo. 

It’s nice. Mingyu isn’t brimming with enthusiasm the way he usually is. Instead he gives Wonwoo time to process his thoughts and answer his questions, and Wonwoo finds himself opening up a bit. He even manages to make Mingyu laugh a few times, which makes his heart flutter. 

After dinner, they walk back to Mingyu’s apartment. The city is still humming with people out enjoying themselves on a Saturday night. It’s quiet between them until Wonwoo speaks up first. 

“Can we take things slowly?” Wonwoo asks quietly. 

“Of course! Whatever you want.” Mingyu reassures him. They’re walking side by side, close enough that their shoulders brush every few steps. 

It’s quiet for a few beats, then Wonwoo decides Mingyu deservers to know everything. 

“I’m demisexual.”

“Oh!” Mingyu pauses, thinking. “Is there where you like, need to get to know someone before you’re attracted to them?”

“Yes, exactly,” Wonwoo replies, surprised Mingyu knows what demisexual means. 

He keeps going, this time quieter. “I’m not ready for anything physical. I’m sure I will be eventually. But I don’t know when.” 

Wonwoo looks down and watches his feet as they walk along the sidewalk. His heart is racing. It’s the first time he’s ever talked about his sexuality with someone he’s interested in. 

Mingyu is quiet for a minute, which is the last reaction Wonwoo expects. 

Wonwoo looks up at Mingyu to see him blinking quickly. Is he… crying?

“I’m sorry,” Mingyu chokes out a laugh, pulling the sleeve of his sweatshirt down over his hand before reaching up to wipe his eyes. 

He sniffles a little then laughs again, “Thank you for trusting me. It’s silly but I always get so emotional when people come out to me. I know how scary it can be to feel different from everyone around you and it’s an honor to be trusted with that.”

“It’s not silly at all,” Wonwoo says fondly. It actually the best possible response he could have gotten. 

Mingyu is proving to be as warm and kind as everyone around him always says. 

He reaches for Mingyu’s hand and intertwines their fingers together. 

Mingyu beams at him, his eyes a little red, then squeezes his hand in response. 

“We can go as slow as you want. I’m just happy to spend time with you.”

▪️🖤▪️

Over the next few weeks Wonwoo and Mingyu text nonstop. They’re both busy with work, but they communicate throughout the day and manage to fit in several more dates. 

They go to the park again, disguised in dark hats and masks. They go to the movie theater and even a karaoke room. Wonwoo is surprised to find he enjoys singing. Maybe he’ll take advantage of being around Mingyu’s friends and ask for some tips.   

Mingyu also cooks for Wonwoo at both of their apartments. 

It’s their seventh date when Mingyu asks Wonwoo if he can kiss him. 

They’re at Wonwoo’s apartment and they’re cleaning up after dinner. Mingyu is about to head for the front door to put his shoes on when he hesitates. 

“Is it ok if I kiss you?” Mingyu asks. Then he rushes out, “Is it too soon? You can say no! I never want you to be uncomfortable.” 

Wonwoo laughs, “Yes, you can kiss me.”

Mingyu cups Wonwoo’s jaw in his hands and leans down to place the gentlest of kisses against Wonwoo’s lips. 

Wonwoo never considered himself a delicate person, but Mingyu touches him as though he’s a precious artifact made of glass. 

It’s a moment he’ll cherish for the rest of his life. 

▪️🖤▪️ 

In November, Wonwoo has to go to New York to compete with T1 in the World Championships. 

Mingyu tags along. He’s working on a new album, so he makes plans to get some work done and record while he’s in New York. 

T1 gets gold at championships, and the team goes out to celebrate. Wonwoo joins in the festivities, and he’s happy to celebrate with his teammates who he’s known for years. 

But he also finds himself preoccupied with wondering about Mingyu. Mingyu hadn’t been able to make the party since he was meeting with a producer that was only in town for the day. 

Mingyu had apologized profusely and kept saying he wouldn’t mind canceling the meeting.

But Wonwoo insisted he go. There would be plenty of other parties for them to attend. 

It’s just past midnight when Wonwoo gets a text from Mingyu. 

All done! Heading back to the hotel now

Wonwoo types out see you there and says his good byes before finding the team’s manager and asking him to drive him back to the hotel. 

“How does it feel now that you’re officially all done?” The manager asks once they’re in the car. 

“Honestly?” Wonwoo starts, “Not as sad as I thought I’d feel. I think I’m ready for a new chapter in my life.” He looks out the window and can’t help the small smile that spreads across his face as he thinks of Mingyu waiting for him back at the hotel. 

There’s no one else he’d rather spend time with. 

▪️🖤▪️

Mingyu and Wonwoo are out at dinner the following night when Mingyu’s phone rings. He glances at the screen and frowns slightly. 

“It’s Jihoon,” he explains. “He never calls me.”

“Take it,” Wonwoo encourages, focused on cutting the steak on his plate. 

Mingyu excuses himself, pushing back from the table and heading outside to talk to Jihoon. 

Wonwoo looks through the window of the restaurant at Mingyu, trying to gauge the seriousness of the situation based on Mingyu’s expressions. 

Mingyu frowns in confusion, then his face falls. Wonwoo feels his gut twist in anxiety as his mind races, thinking about what bad news Mingyu could be receiving. But suddenly Mingyu’s face lights up with a grin, and he nods emphatically as he agrees with whatever Jihoon is telling him from the other side of the world. 

Wonwoo relaxes, and his anxiety turns to curiosity. 

A few minutes later, Mingyu bounds back inside the restaurant and rushes to plop back down in the chair across from Wonwoo. 

“So you know Hansol? The guy from Jeonghan’s party?” Mingyu starts.

Wonwoo nods, cutting another piece of steak and popping it into his mouth. 

“He wrote a love song for this guy named Seungkwan that’s a friend of Jihoon’s! And Jihoon asked me to help Seungkwan record a song in response!” 

“Huh?” Wonwoo asks. Why would Mingyu help this Seungkwan guy record a song when they’re in New York? Besides, Jihoon is the award winning producer. Shouldn’t he be helping his friend?

Mingyu waves his hands as if trying to erase what he had just said. 

“Ok so remember that Cartier shoot where we met?” 

Wonwoo nods.

“Right after that I went to an album release party for Jihoon. While I was there I talked to Hansol. Hansol made a joke teasing me about my crush on you,” at this Mingyu’s face turns red before he continues, “but I guess Seungkwan overheard part of it and thought we were making fun of him instead. So Seungkwan’s been mad at Hansol ever since, but Hansol had no idea and has been trying to find a way to ask Seungkwan out! I guess they got into an argument right before Seungkwan left for New York to visit his family, so he’s here now!”

Mingyu pauses to take a breath, and Wonwoo stares at him, trying to comprehend everything he’s hearing. 

Mingyu continues, “Hansol wrote a song for Seungkwan and released it on his SoundCloud, and Jihoon just called to say that Seungkwan wants to release a song in response. He asked if I could let Seungkwan into one of the KCE studios here in New York and help him record. Of course I said yes! So Seungkwan’s going to meet me at the studio on Sunday night if you want to go too.”

Mingyu grabs his water glass and takes a gulp, then coughs a little at the amount of water he just tried to swallow. He finds his discarded napkin on the table and wipes his mouth. 

Wonwoo laughs a little, endeared by how clumsy Mingyu gets when he’s excited about something. 

“Sure, that sounds fun. I want to meet the guy who has Hansol head over heels.” 

Mingyu nods seriously. “I want to officially meet him too,” he says. “Also I need to apologize to him. Do you think a car would be a nice gift? The new Lamborghini Urus looks cool. Or maybe a watch? Seungcheol just got this Richard Mille watch that looks really nice.” 

Wonwoo thinks back to the auction where Mingyu had spent an obscene amount of money on artwork just because he thought his sister would enjoy it. He knew Mingyu was seriously considering buying a watch that costs as much as a house for an apology gift. 

“I don’t think any gifts will be necessary,” Wonwoo says, reach over to pat Mingyu on the arm. “A genuine apology can mean more than any gift. Plus it sounds like he wants to record this song, so helping him with that will be a nice gesture.”

“Okay,” Mingyu agrees. Although he seems a little disappointed to not be able to go shopping for a luxury car or watch. Wonwoo is learning that while Mingyu lives fairly simply himself, he loves to go shopping and gift his friends with extravagant things. 

He’s sure Mingyu will find a reason to buy someone a Richard Mille watch soon.

▪️🖤▪️

Boo Seungkwan is the most adorable human Wonwoo has ever met. He’s down to earth and doesn’t get flustered in the presence of Wonwoo or Mingyu. He’s kind and funny and approachable, and Wonwoo finds himself genuinely wanting to befriend him. 

Mingyu apologizes to Seungkwan and ends up offering to buy him his favorite volleyball team before Wonwoo can stop him. Seungkwan laughs it off, but Wonwoo can tell Mingyu was being perfectly serious.

Wonwoo doesn’t know Hansol very well, but he can easily see how Seungkwan would compliment each other well. They’re like the sun and the moon.

Seungkwan is childhood friends with Jihoon but works as a flight attendant. He also has an incredible voice. 

“I need to get him on a song with me one day,” Mingyu tells Wonwoo while Seungkwan is in the recording booth. “He’s incredible!” 

After Seungkwan finishes recording, he helps Wonwoo clean up the studio while Mingyu puts the finishing touches on the song.

“Why aren’t you a professional singer?” Wonwoo asks Seungkwan. “You have a great voice, and if you’re friends with Jihoon you must have plenty of contacts in the industry.” 

Seungkwan blushes a little and looks down at his bag as he shoves papers into it and zips it shut. 

“My dad left when I was young, so my mom raised me and my sisters on her own. Her and my sisters worked so hard to make sure I had a happy childhood. I wanted to get a stable job so I could help give back and support them if they ever needed it,” Seungkwan explains. 

“You’re a good son,” Wonwoo says gently. “But it’s never too late to try, especially if you feel that you’re in a more secure place. You don’t even have to quit being a flight attendant. Just put out songs here and there. I’m sure people would love your music. You gained two new fans today!”

Seungkwan looks up at him and grins. “Thank you, that means a lot. I hope it works out for you two,” he says, eyes sliding over to Mingyu who’s putting away the producing equipment. 

“I think he’s more invested in me and Hansol than anyone else,” he adds with a small laugh. “I’m glad I was wrong about him. He’s a nice guy.”

“Yeah,” Wonwoo replies, smiling fondly at Mingyu. “He is a nice guy.” 

▪️🖤▪️ 

A week later, Wonwoo is lying on the couch in Mingyu’s apartment, reading through a script Seoyeon had sent him. Mingyu is in his office on a call, and when he finishes he steps out into the living room. 

“I have a song,” Mingyu states. 

“Okay?” 

Mingyu has lots of songs. 

“It’s about you,” Mingyu continues. “It’s about when we first met. I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and I always write lyrics whenever I get ideas.”

“I’m sure it’s wonderful,” Wonwoo says, setting the script aside and giving Mingyu his full attention. No one has ever written a song about him. The idea is exciting, especially considering Mingyu is an award winning artist. 

“It’s not a rap song.” Mingyu sounds like he trying to stall. He’s still standing near the doorway to his office, and Wonwoo can see him fidgeting with his hands. 

“Mingyu, I’m sure I’ll love it. I love everything you create,” Wonwoo reassures him. 

“You know how Jungkook is having his concert here in Seoul next week? And he asked me to be a guest? We’ll sing one song together and then I’ll do one on my own. And I want to do this one.”

“That sounds cool,” Wonwoo says. “Do you want to show it to me beforehand or wait and have me hear it live?” 

Mingyu’s reply is instant. 

“Wait. I just wanted you to know it will be about you so you aren’t blindsided.” 

Mingyu comes over and picks up the script Wonwoo had been reading. 

“Have you read anything you like recently?” He asks. 

“A couple,” Wonwoo admits. “I really like the action stuff. I had fun learning the stunt choreography in that one drama I did.”

“I could totally see you playing an assassin or something,” Mingyu says, his eyes shining with excitement. “Or like, maybe you work for the mob and you dispose the dead bodies of their victims. You character is called something scary like The Butcher. But then they’re like “just don’t ask him about his cats.”” 

“What?” Wonwoo bursts out laughing. “Where did that come from?”

“No think about it,” Mingyu continues. “You’re like this scary killer guy, but then on the side you rescue cats. And you never talk or smile, but then if someone asks you about your cats you get really excited. Wow, I’m a genius! Someone needs to write this drama!”

“You’re ridiculous,” Wonwoo says, his eyes tearing up with how hard he’s laughing.

▪️🖤▪️

The day of the concert, Mingyu has to head to the venue early to prepare. Wonwoo has a meeting with a director in the morning so he goes back to his own house afterwards to get ready.

Seungcheol and Jeonghan are planning pick up Wonwoo so they can drive over together. The three of them will be seated in a box for the concert along with Joshua, Jihoon, and Hansol. 

Wonwoo has yet to formally meet Jihoon, and he finds himself looking forward to it. So far he’s enjoyed meeting everyone in Mingyu’s circle, and he’s curious to see if there’s any update on Hansol and Seungkwan. 

“I heard you met Seungkwan.” It’s the first thing Wonwoo hears as he slips into the backseat of Jeonghan’s car. Wonwoo looks up and meets Jeonghan’s mischievous eyes in the rear view mirror. He glances over at Seungcheol who’s busy typing away on his phone in the passenger seat. 

“Yeah,” Wonwoo says, feeling as though he’s about to be interrogated. “Do you know him?” 

“We’re good friends!” Jeonghan puts his blinker on before pulling out onto the main road. “We met though Jihoon a couple years ago, and now Seungkwan, Seokmin, and I meet up when we can. Usually he’s an open book but we can’t get two words out of him about Hansol.” 

“You probably know more than I do,” Wonwoo states. “I only met him that one time.” 

“Hmm.” Jeonghan clearly isn’t satisfied with that answer. “Cheollie, what do you think?” 

Seungcheol immediately looks up from his phone at the sound of his name. “I think Seungkwan and Hansol will tell us when they’re ready. It’s likely they don’t even know where they stand with each other right now.” 

Jeonghan sighs. “You’re always so mature, Cheollie.” He sounds almost petulant, but the fond smile on his face says otherwise. “I guess I’ll have to bribe Hansol into telling me tonight.” 

They arrive at the concert venue, and a staff member shows them to the box. Hansol and a smaller guy Wonwoo recognizes as Jihoon are already there, talking quietly to each other. 

“Hansol!” Jeonghan bounds in, causing Hansol to startle and jumps up. “What are your intentions with my Seungkwannie?” Jeonghan gets right to the point. 

Hansol turns red and splutters while Jihoon rolls his eyes from behind him. “Your Seungkwannie? You’ve only known him a couple years. I’ve known him since elementary school!” 

Jeonghan brushes Jihoon’s comments aside, sharp gaze still fixed on Hansol. 

“I didn’t realize Seungkwan was so popular,” Wonwoo says to Seungcheol as they watch from the doorway in amusement. 

“He’s a good kid,” Seungcheol replies, and goes wrap his arm around Jeonghan’s shoulders. Now both Seungcheol and Jeonghan are watching Hansol, and Wonwoo thinks they look like parents interrogating their child’s potential boyfriend. 

Hansol is clearly trying to come up an answer that will appease them both. 

Finally he lands on, “I want to take him on a date and get to know him a little better.” 

He blinks his wide brown eyes at Jeonghan who coos and reaches out to lightly pinch Hansol’s cheek. “I think you two will work out just fine,” Jeonghan says.

 Jihoon nods in agreement which draws Jeonghan’s attention. “Mingyu and Wonwoo finally figured it out and Seungkwan and Hansol are gonna be boo’d up in no time.” He pauses to smirk at his pun. “Next up is you and Soonyoung.” 

Jihoon turns bright red, and sharply turns towards stage, crossing his arms. “Not now, Jeonghan,” he says with a note of finality in his voice. 

But Jeonghan is undeterred. “This is Jihoon,” he faux whispers to Wonwoo. “He looks mean but is actually a big softie.” 

“Stop teasing the kids or they won’t want to sit with us anymore,” Seungcheol pouts. “Speaking of, where’s Joshua?” 

“I think he went backstage to talk to Jungkook and Mingyu. He should be back soon,” Hansol replies. 

Then he turns towards Wonwoo. “It’s nice to see you again. Would you like to sit here?” Hansol gestures to the seat between him and Jihoon. 

Wonwoo steps forward, a little hesitant of Jihoon after his reaction to Jeonghan. 

But to his surprise, Jihoon smiles warmly at him and says, “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve seen a couple of your streams. I was sad to hear you’re retiring from the T1 team.”

“Thank you,” Wonwoo says as he sits down. “I’m sad to be leaving T1, but my doctor has been pushing me to cut back on gaming for a while now.” 

The arrival of Joshua cuts into their conversation. Joshua greets them and passes out snacks he brought from backstage. 

They all chat easily amongst themselves, and Wonwoo feels as though he fits right in. They make him feel included in their conversations without pressuring him to talk.

Jeonghan, Joshua, and Wonwoo are swapping stories about a particular photographer they’ve all had the misfortune of shooting with when the lights dim, signaling the start of the concert. 

Wonwoo knows Jungkook is a global pop star and an incredible performer, but he’s in awe of how he’s able to hold the audience’s attention. 

Jihoon points out the infamous Soonyoung, along with the other KCE dancers they’re close friends with- Junhui, Minghao, and Chan. His gaze softens as he watches Chan perform a solo part in the choreography. He explains that Chan and Soonyoung knew each other growing up, and Chan lived with him and Soonyoung for a bit when he first moved to the city. 

Wonwoo is able to recognize more songs than he thought he would. He's nodding along and finds himself cheering with the rest of the crowd. 

About two-thirds of the way through the show, Jungkook announces that he has a special guest. 

Wonwoo’s heart begins to race, and the crowd screams their approval as Mingyu rises up from one of the stage lifts through a haze of smoke. 

Wonwoo’s never seen Mingyu on stage in all of his glory. His enthusiastic puppy personality is gone, and in its place is an intimidatingly cool rapper. 

He raises his mic and starts to rap his verse from an SVT song. Wonwoo can hear Seungcheol and Joshua screaming out the lyrics along with Mingyu, their arms thrown around each others shoulders. The crowd is going crazy, and Wonwoo feels his chest burst with pride as he watches Mingyu perform. 

Jungkook joins Mingyu when it’s time to sing, and the two circle each other on the stage, barely able to suppress their grins. 

As the song ends, Mingyu waves to the cheering fans. The stage lights soften and Mingyu motions to the crowd to quiet down before raising his mic to speak. 

In an instant, the crowd is silent, waiting respectfully to hear what he has to say. 

“First off, I want to thank Jungkook for inviting me on stage. I hope you guys had as much fun watching as we did performing!” He stops as the crowd cheers, and he smiles widely. 

Wonwoo’s chest feels warm at the sight of Mingyu’s smile. 

“I have a song I’d like to share with you,” Mingyu continues. “It’s very different from anything else I’ve written, but it’s about someone precious to me, so I hope you enjoy.” 

Wonwoo blushes at Mingyu’s words, and he feels Hansol and Jihoon both nudge him from either side. 

The lights go back down until there’s just a spotlight on Mingyu in the center of the stage. 

The crowd goes silent as the opening notes of the song start to play. It’s a complete change from the heavy hitting hip hop song Mingyu had just performed. 

Then, he starts to sing. 

There I was again tonight 

Forcing laughter, faking smiles

Same old tired lonely place

Wonwoo feels everything around him fade away.

His eyes are glued to Mingyu, wide and unblinking. 

Mingyu looks up towards the box Wonwoo is seated in and he swears their eyes meet. 

It feels as though there’s no one else in the venue, and Mingyu is singing just for Wonwoo. 

I was enchanted to meet you

As the final notes of the song fade out, the crowd cheers their approval, and Jeonghan reaches over from where he’s sitting on the other wise of Hansol to lightly punch Wonwoo in the arm. 

This breaks Wonwoo from his trace, and it suddenly registers how loudly everyone around him is cheering. 

“That boy is in love with you,” Jeonghan says, laughing brightly. “Seungcheollie, write me a song like that,” he pouts at his boyfriend. 

“You already have an entire album dedicated to you,” Seungcheol replies dryly from his seat on the other side of Jeonghan. 

“But you haven’t released anything new in so long,” Jeonghan whines. 

“I’ll get on it,” Seungcheol plants a kiss on Jeonghan’s cheek which seems to appease him.  

Back on stage, Mingyu bows and waves to the crowd before exiting. 

“How do I get backstage?” Wonwoo asks, suddenly desperate to see Mingyu. 

“There should be a staff member outside. They can show you,” Joshua says, and Wonwoo hastily says good bye to everyone before heading out the door. 

The staff member leads Wonwoo through a maze of hallways to get backstage. 

As soon as Wonwoo spots Mingyu talking to some of the crew members, he breaks into a run. 

Mingyu is holding an open bottle of water he had been drinking from, but he sets it down before catching Wonwoo who leaps into his arms. 

Mingyu laughs as he spins Wonwoo around. 

“That was incredible,” Wonwoo whispers into Mingyu’s ear. “I loved it. I love you. So much.” 

He can hear Mingyu inhale sharply, and he stops to set Wonwoo gently back on his feet. He presses his forehead to Wonwoo’s and looks him in the eyes. 

His dark brown eyes are unbelievably warm and open. 

“I love you too. More than I’ll ever be able to describe.” 

Suddenly remembering they have an audience, Wonwoo clears his throat and takes a step back. 

Mingyu takes his hand and interlaces their fingers. “We’re gonna head home,” Mingyu tells the crew, “but good luck with the rest of the show! Tell Jungkook I’ll text him later.” 

They say their goodbyes and one of the bodyguards leads them to the exit of the venue where a car is waiting to take them home. 

All the way back to Mingyu’s apartment, Wonwoo looks out the window, admiring the city lights at night, but keeps his hand tangled with Mingyu’s. His mind is racing with thoughts and emotions, but he doesn’t want to voice them out loud until they’re alone. 

Mingyu helps him out of the car once they reach the apartment building, then they say goodbye to the driver and head inside. 

The second they get through the door, Mingyu presses Wonwoo’s back to the wall and leans down to kiss him. 

Wonwoo pushes himself off the wall and tries to guide them towards the bedroom, Mingyu’s shirt disappearing in the process. 

In the bedroom, Mingyu fumbles for the bottom of Wonwoo’s sweatshirt then lifts it up and over his head, Wonwoo’s shirt coming off with it. 

“Is this okay?” Mingyu whispers, leaning his forehead against Wonwoo’s and tracing a finger down his jawline towards his chin. 

“More than okay,” Wonwoo replies with a smile, reaching up to drag Mingyu down for another kiss. 

▪️🖤▪️

Wonwoo wakes slowly the next morning. He’s on his side, and Mingyu’s arm is heavy around his waist. He stretches, taking note of any stiffness in his body. He’s sore, but in the most delicious way. 

The covers on the bed have been pulled up so Wonwoo’s feet poke through when he stretches his legs out. He wiggles his toes a little and lets out an uncharacteristic giggle at the sight. 

Mingyu stirs at the sound and blinks his eyes open. He smiles when their eyes meet, and moves his arm so his hand is now splayed across Wonwoo’s stomach. His thumb rubs gently across Wonwoo’s skin, and Wonwoo basks in the intimacy of the moment. 

“How are you feeling?” Mingyu’s voice is still husky with sleep.

“Amazing,” Wonwoo rolls to face Mingyu and brings his arm up so his head is resting on his elbow. 

“Not sure if I mentioned it yesterday, but I really love the song,” Wonwoo says with a slight smirk as he traces his finger across Mingyu’s chest. 

“I figured,” Mingyu says, blushing slightly, looking around the room where their clothes were strewn about everywhere. 

“In fact,” Wonwoo says as he scrambles to sit up then swing a leg over Mingyu’s torso. “Let me show you again how much I loved it.”

Mingyu sucks in a sharp breath as Wonwoo ghosts a kiss over his lips before making his way down Mingyu’s body. 

▪️🖤▪️

Some time later, they’re both lying on their backs side by side, and Wonwoo is suddenly hit by how gross and sweaty he feels. 

“Ugh,” he says, kicking the sheets away. “We need to shower and wash these.”

“Mmhm.” Mingyu makes a noise of agreement but makes no move to actually get up. 

“I’m serious!” Wonwoo says, turning his head to look at Mingyu. 

Mingyu is already looking at him, and just smiles when their eyes meet, before his gaze traces over Wonwoo’s face and lands on his lips. 

“No!” Wonwoo uses the palm of his hand to gently shove at Mingyu’s face which only causes him to burst out laughing. 

“I’m can’t help it,” Mingyu says with a slight pout. “I want to stay here all day. I don’t care how gross we get.”

“Well I care,” Wonwoo states, and gets out of bed before Mingyu can persuade him to stay any longer. 

“I’m showering first, so you have fifteen more minutes before I’m making you get up.” 

“Okay,” Mingyu sighs out, rolling over and propping his head up so he can watch Wonwoo disappear into the bathroom. 

After showering, Wonwoo finds his phone in the pocket of his jeans that had been discarded on the floor. He sees Mingyu’s shirt lying a few steps away, and he hesitates for a split second before grabbing it and slipping it on. 

Mingyu watches him through hooded eyes from where he’s still laying on the bed. He smirks when he sees Wonwoo put his shirt on, and Wonwoo can’t help the blush that spreads across his cheeks. 

“Shower’s all yours. I’m gonna go make breakfast,” Wonwoo says before fleeing. 

His phone is dead, so he goes to the kitchen and sets it on the charger before popping two slices of bread in the toaster. He can hear Mingyu shuffling around getting ready to take his own shower so he prepares enough coffee for two cups.

The toast pops out of the toaster, slightly burnt. Most of it is salvageable, so he scrapes off the charred edges before smearing peanut butter on both slices. 

He’s sitting down to eat when his phone has charged enough to come back to life. It starts chiming, blowing up with notifications. Wonwoo swipes at it and sees serval missed calls from Seoyeon along with a text saying to call her. 

He calls Seoyeon and puts her on speaker before taking a bite of his toast.

“Good morning!” Seoyeon chirps when she answers. 

“Good morning,” Wonwoo replies. “What’s going on?” 

“What’s going on?” Seoyeon asks incredulously. “What’s going on is you and Mingyu are the number one trend on every social media site that exists!”

“Oh.” Wonwoo’s brain tries to catch up. “Is that… okay?” 

“That depends. The response is mostly positive. Plus it’s hard to deny anything when Mingyu sang that song then was seen getting into a car with you right after.”

“We weren’t trying to hide anything,” Wonwoo says, then stops. Should they? He and Mingyu hadn’t even talked about what they want the public to know about their relationship. 

Just then, Mingyu comes into the kitchen. His gaze softens when he sees Wonwoo and he drops a kiss on top of Wonwoo’s head as he passes by on his way to the counter where the coffee pot is sitting. 

“Mingyu just came in,” Wonwoo explains to Seoyeon. 

“Mingyu, hi! It’s Seoyeon, Wonwoo’s publicist.”

“Good morning,” Mingyu says, grabbing the slice of toast that Wonwoo had left on a plate in front of the seat next to his. He pours a cup of coffee before sitting down next to Wonwoo and asking, “What’s up?”

“I was just telling Wonwoo about how you guys are the trending topic all over the world right now. Do you want to release an official statement or anything? I can spin this however you want.”

Wonwoo and Mingyu look at each other. 

“I’m fine with it if you are,” Wonwoo says, and Mingyu nods. 

“I’m fine with it too. I’ll put you in touch with my publicist Song Hayoung. Could you please draft up a statement announcing our relationship? Nothing crazy, just the truth.  That we’ve been seeing each other for a while and recently made it official. Does that sound okay?” He raises his eyebrows in a questioning look at Wonwoo. 

“Works for me,” Wonwoo says as he takes another bite of his toast. Maybe it’s fatigue from the late night before, but he finds that he doesn’t care at all if the world knows about them. This is something he’d typically stress over, but he lets go of his usual fears and anxieties. 

He wants this with Mingyu, whatever it turns out to be. 

“Great! I have Hayoung’s number from when you went to that party a couple months ago, so I’ll reach out to her now. Wonwoo, your accountant wants to meet with you to discuss some tax stuff related to your income from T1 since you’re no longer with the team, and I have scripts for a couple dramas you should take a look at. Plus Burberry wants to schedule a fitting for you since you’ll be attending their winter fashion show. I’ll text you later to schedule a meeting. Until then, congratulations you two! Enjoy the rest of your day!” 

Thanks Seoyeon,” Wonwoo says before hanging up. “Ugh I forgot about work,” he groans as he leans back in his chair and looks up towards the ceiling. 

Mingyu reaches over and rubs a comforting hand along his back. “It’ll be fine. We’ll just take it one day at a time.” 

“You’re right,” Wonwoo agrees as he gathers his plate and coffee mug to place in the sink. “And we’ll start this day by washing those sheets.” 

▪️🖤▪️

“Ok, I’m done,” Wonwoo says as he exits the bathroom. 

“Great,” Mingyu replies, a little distracted as he types something out on his laptop. 

It’s the end of December, and they’re at Mingyu’s place getting ready to leave for Joshua and Taehyung’s joint birthday party. It will be their first time at an event as an official couple. 

Wonwoo walks around the table to see what Mingyu’s looking at, and sees a tab open to a real estate page. 

“Are you moving?” Wonwoo asks, quirking an eyebrow. 

Mingyu flushes a little before saying, “My lease in this place is going to end soon. I can always renew it, but I was also thinking maybe you’d like to get a new place together.” 

Wonwoo’s eyes widen and he pushes his glasses further up on his nose as he thinks. It would make sense for them to move in together, especially since he’s been spending more time at Mingyu’s place than his own recently. 

“Okay,” he says, nodding slowly, quickly warming up to the idea. “Let’s look around.”

Mingyu beams at him and jumps up to plant a kiss on Wonwoo’s cheek. “I have some places saved already. Look through those and see if you like any. I’m gonna go shower now!” 

He bounds off towards the bathroom and Wonwoo smiles after him before sitting down and looking through the apartments Mingyu has saved. 

He’s clicking through the pictures for one when he notices another file open behind the web browser titled “W🖤”.

Curious, he clicks on it to see a bunch of short notes written out. As he reads closer, he realizes they must be song lyrics. 

Coffee at midnight 

The light reflects 

the chain on your neck 

There’s a paragraph talking about instruments and references to files that must be melodies. Then a little further down he reads

You can hear it in the silence 

You can feel it on the way home 

Wonwoo blushes, suddenly back in that car on the ride home from Jungkook’s concert. He feels as though he’s invading something private even though it’s his own relationship. 

Mingyu writes about them as if they’re the only two people in the world. 

It looks like this will be another song similar to Enchanted rather than a rap song. 

Wonwoo is glad to see Mingyu exploring other styles of music. Mingyu was trained as a rapper, and Wonwoo knows he loves the bold performances that go along with those songs. 

But lately Wonwoo’s had the privilege of witnessing another side to Mingyu. The Mingyu that the world sees is fun and charming and almost untouchable with how handsome he is. But Wonwoo is discovering that Mingyu is also clumsy in the most endearing way. And he often gets so excited about an idea that his mind moves faster than he can speak. He’s not always “cool”, but Wonwoo loves these parts of him even more. 

Mingyu is so soft and warm, especially with his close friends and family. Wonwoo is certain Mingyu’s fans will enjoy seeing that side of him as well. 

He goes back to the web browser, knowing Mingyu will show him what he’s working on whenever it’s ready. 

▪️🖤▪️