Chapter Text
For a thousand times
Chapter 1
“No.”
His answer was clear, direct, and indisputable. Junmyeon shot his manager a sharp look through the mirror, as if trying to kill him with his stare.
“Junmyeon, I’m afraid you’re not in a position to reject this project.”
Kyungsoo replied, staring back at him while the coordi noona applied his makeup and the hairstylist prepared him for his band performance. Junmyeon was a rising rock star who had only recently started his career. Releasing music in an uncommon genre in a country known for K-pop was certainly a challenge. It was fortunate that SM Entertainment was willing to invest in him after so many agencies had rejected him.
“Noona, can you give Junmyeon some glitter eyeshadow? We need to make his eyes look bigger.”
Kyungsoo, his manager, didn’t understand why the pretty boy wanted to reject such a huge offer. It was obviously a good opportunity for his career if he wanted to make it big in South Korea.
“I said no. And why does it have to be me? You know I don’t act.”
Junmyeon replied with both eyes closed as the coordi noona brushed glitter eyeshadow over his lids.
“Junmyeon, listen. Management is starting to question whether they should keep promoting your music after how poorly your first EP performed on the charts. They think this is a good strategy to promote you as an artist. And let’s be honest—people would kill for the chance to act with Park Chanyeol. THE Park Chanyeol!”
Kyungsoo heard Junmyeon let out a deep, harsh sigh. He knew it was a sensitive topic, talking about how his music had performed in the market. The music wasn’t bad—in fact, it was great—but the genre didn’t seem to fit the country’s mainstream taste.
And on top of that, why did this project irritate Junmyeon so much? It wasn’t as if he hated acting, he had done a few minor roles in web movies before.
“Junmyeon, as I said, I don’t think you have much freedom to choose this time. Besides, your songs will be featured in the movie, and that’s a huge opportunity too.”
Kyungsoo noticed how tense Junmyeon became after hearing that. It was the first time he had ever seen him so rigid. Junmyeon was usually a calm person, even during his first performance on a music show.
“Why Park Chanyeol?”
Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows, perplexed. Junmyeon wasn’t the complicated type. He had never been picky about whom he worked with, not until Park Chanyeol’s name came up.
“What’s with him?” Kyungsoo asked curiously.
“Why does it have to be Chanyeol?”
Kyungsoo stared at his talent through the mirror. Judging from his expression, it was clear the manager was confused. Kyungsoo tried to read the pretty boy’s expression, but he couldn’t quite tell what he was thinking. One thing was certain, Junmyeon looked upset, or rather, angry.
“I mean, isn’t it obvious? He’s at the top right now. It would be good for your name too, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, sure, but what about Kim Seon Ho? Or Park Bogum?”
“But none of them are from our agency, Junmyeon. And why do you have an issue with him?”
“I don’t.” Junmyeon huffed in frustration, throwing his head back and slumping deeper into the chair, causing the coordi noona to gently instruct him to sit up straight again.
“Then why? Aside from his dating rumor with actor Oh Sehun, he seems like a nice guy. Wait—do you know him? I mean, of course you do. You’re both in the same agency, but I’ve never seen you with him.”
His manager’s question dragged Junmyeon’s memory back ten years. He closed his eyes, trying to push away the poignant flood of pain, happiness, love, and betrayal.
He slipped his hand beneath his shirt, where the pain remained imprinted on his body. His index finger traced the horizontal scar on his lower belly, reminding him that he would always be trapped by the painful memories Park Chanyeol had created. He let out one last deep sigh.
“No.”
=================================
“Well, the story is kind of bittersweet, in my opinion. Suho, your character, is married to a poor man named Charlie—or, well, Chanyeol. The two of you face obstacles in your marriage because of poverty and your parents’ disapproval, but despite everything, you still love each other. I think it has a sort of When Life Gives You Tangerines' vibe.”
Junmyeon wasn’t paying much attention to his manager. After realizing he had no leverage to reject the project his agency had assigned to him, he had accepted it without saying so. Now he was sitting in the car on the way to his first reading with a script titled For a Thousand Times—Act 1 in his hands.
His head rested against the car window as he watched people outside walk around doing God knew what. The sight seemed far more entertaining than listening to his manager talk—or thinking about the fact that he would meet Park Chanyeol in fifteen minutes.
“The script is so cliché. Who the hell wrote this?” Not really, the script was fine. It just reminded him too much of the life he once shared with Chanyeol.
Kyungsoo let out a chuckle. “You sure? It’s your fiancé’s.”
Of course it was his. How could Junmyeon not know? Minho, his fiancé, was hired exclusively to write scripts for the agency’s movie and drama projects. Of course he would be the one writing Junmyeon’s project too.
“Does Minho know I’ll be playing this?”
Kyungsoo turned to look at Junmyeon. “No, I’m not sure about that, Jun. But why didn’t you talk to Minho hyung about this? You two are getting married in a few months. Isn’t this something you would normally discuss with your soon-to-be husband?”
Kyungsoo was right. In fact, it had been three weeks since Junmyeon last messaged the older man. Their relationship was calm—almost too calm. It wasn’t as reckless or passionate as puppy love. It was steady and full of trust, and Junmyeon believed that as long as he felt safe and calm, it was enough.
“Will Minho hyung be there?”
“Uh... I think he was supposed to be, but I’m not really sure.”
“Yeah, he has too many projects. I think it’ll be difficult for him to join the first reading, too.”
Kyungsoo shrugged, unconcerned. “We’re here.”
His voice pulled Junmyeon out of his trance. Junmyeon inhaled deeply, preparing himself for whatever would happen after he stepped out of the car.
Junmyeon walked through the building, his mind overwhelmed. He could barely feel the ground beneath his feet, his whole body tense. He hugged the script tightly to his chest, feeling small against the wave of emotions rising from the anticipation of seeing Chanyeol—the person he had once loved—for the first time in ten years.
Kyungsoo and Junmyeon stopped in front of a large white door. Kyungsoo knocked three times before opening it, announcing their arrival to the people on the other side. Junmyeon kept his head low, finding the floor more interesting than facing whoever was in the meeting room.
“Oh, hey, you guys finally arrived.” The voice came from a man Junmyeon believed was Jongin, Chanyeol’s manager, and it successfully made Junmyeon look up to see who was inside the room.
And there was Chanyeol, dressed in a denim jacket, sitting on a chair at the center right beside of the meeting table. His body was tense, his spine straight, and his gaze fixed on Junmyeon with yearning eyes.
For a moment, Chanyeol’s presence stole Junmyeon’s breath. His body reacted before his mind could comprehend. It felt as though time had stopped, trapping him and his feelings in place, until nothing else existed in the world but him and Chanyeol. ‘The light of his life, the fire of his loins.’
Those familiar round eyes—the ones Junmyeon used to love—were staring at him with longing. He realized those deep brown eyes no longer shone as brightly as they used to be. He looked more mature now, Chanyeol seemed to lost the spark Junmyeon remembered.
Junmyeon eyes locked to the man he had once loved so passionately. He hated that he could still feel the man’s warmth despite standing two meters away. He hated how Chanyeol’s scent feels so oddly familiar, seeping around his body hugging him, calming his nervous system as if it were telling him he is safe and he had finally come home.
“Junmyeon, this is Chanyeol. And Chanyeol, this is Junmyeon.”
‘Young Master Jun, this is my son, Chanyeol. Chanyeol, go greet Young Master Jun.’
For a moment, Jongin’s brief introduction pulled Junmyeon’s memory back to the first time he met the tall and handsome teenage boy he had never expected would destroy his life forever.
***