Chapter Text
Seonghwa needed to pee. He really needed to pee or else he was going to explode.
It wasn’t like the flight from Tokyo to Seoul was particularly long but he had spent all of his remaining time before the flight saying goodbye to his host family. And peeing on the flight was not a thought he would like to entertain further.
So it was him and his big suitcase against time while he desperately looked for a bathroom sign. Rushing down a hallway that definitely didn’t look like it was leading to the exit, he finally spotted a nearby sign.
There was no-one else in this restroom which didn’t surprise Seonghwa in the slightest since he was the only one walking in that direction. Relieved, he made quick work of his deed, finally feeling like he was able to think more clearly again now that he wasn’t about to burst anymore. Okay, he could finally leave and meet up with Wooyoung and San who were probably waiting for him already. As sad as leaving his host family and Japan after a year had been, he was excited to finally see his roommates again.
Humming to the song distantly playing on a speaker above him as he was washing his hands, he didn’t notice the door behind him being ripped open suddenly. Only when it fell shut, he jerked up, instantly making eye contact with the stranger staring back at him wide-eyed.
He was dressed in a very stylish outfit; ripped jeans which showed off the fishnet tights he wore beneath and a sweater that had definitely seen better days but probably cost more than Seonghwa’s rent. Besides those details, the most striking feature was the bright blue hair the stranger was sporting. He looked straight out of a fashion magazine and yet, all he could think about was how these pants couldn’t possibly be comfortable but to each their own, Seonghwa figured.
The stranger was still looking at him as if he had seen a ghost and it hadn’t been him barging into a random public restroom. After a beat of silence, he seemed to have collected himself enough to shoot him a winning smile though.
“No pictures and only one autograph, okay?”, the stranger suddenly said, walking up to the mirror and eventually standing right next to him.
What the fuck?
Seonghwa didn’t think he heard him correctly. This couldn’t be right. Why would he- Was he insinuating he had hit on him just because he had looked at him for a second too long?
Bowing and apologizing quietly instead, Seonghwa turned around again to continue washing his hands. The stranger didn’t seem to move for a moment and then turned to the mirror to check himself out.
Catching secret glances, Seonghwa could make out the stranger’s features up close: he had a pointy nose and pouty lips that lent him somewhat of a delicate look if it wasn’t for his cut jawline and a certain look in his eyes. His ears were littered with piercings and he seemed to wear make-up, guessing from his perfectly matte and even complexion. Overall he looked objectively attractive but who the hell was this guy? And why did he act like he should know?
Whisking away an invisible hair, Seonghwa noticed several rings on his hand. One of his nails was painted but the rest were left bare. Somehow this was the final detail that managed to tip him off. Oh, this guy really thought he was someone special. Barging in here, acting like the whole world belonged to him and anybody who looked at him for longer than a second somehow meant that they were begging for his dick… And these clothes–
Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Seonghwa reached for the paper towel dispenser. He hadn’t slept well the past few days before his return, he was clearly too exhausted to handle such an odd encounter. It was time for him to get out of here.
Though the stranger somehow figured that this was the perfect moment to attract his attention, pointing to Seonghwa’s suitcase next to him with the clearly indicated label of the airport he was coming from.
“You just returned from Japan? I’m going there. I’ve never been outside of Korea.”
His voice was more pleasant than Seonghwa had expected but there was still a certain aura about him that rubbed him the wrong way. Was he trying to do small talk now? In a bathroom? After mocking him for looking at him a moment too long? Deciding to entertain him in his delusion that this was somehow a normal thing people did, Seonghwa replied as calmly as possible:
“I’ve studied in Japan for a year actually and only came back today.”
The stranger’s eyes became impossibly big. Was this guy always this animated? Why did he react like he was in a cartoon? Seonghwa wasn’t able to turn off the constant nagging commentary in his head which only caused him to be more pissed off by the second.
“Oh, I get it now.”, the guy replied, bringing his hand up to his mouth to hide his grin before he broke out in laughter.
The sheer audacity of laughing so openly in front of him because of something he just said, paired with that damn painted nail which kept attracting his gaze, made Seonghwa’s already short fuse short circuit. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he didn’t hide his scowl any longer and said:
“What’s so funny about what I just said?”
The stranger looked at him with a mixture of amusement and concern. He opened his mouth to say something in return when the song on the speaker suddenly changed, adding yet another grievance to Seonghwa’s long list.
That song. Not again.
That annoying clapping sound and that stupid voice repeating To the beat, to the beat move your body to the beat over and over again until your ears start to bleed…
Seonghwa liked music, in fact he really liked a lot of the songs he randomly came across on social media or the radio. But this song had managed to make him click away every single time it came on in the background, simply because it was so fucking annoying.
Glaring up to the speaker in the corner of the bathroom, Seonghwa was completely taken aback by the irritating noise that he had forgotten the stranger wanted to say something before. So his voice ended up startling him when he spoke again:
“I take it, you don’t like this song?”
Snapping his head back to him, Seonghwa was met with an amused expression which had nothing to do with the almost playful and innocent expression on his face moments ago, his eyes piercing through him with a look Seonghwa could only describe as challenging. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Seonghwa finally allowed himself to let his irritation run free.
“It’s just… so annoying. I’ve been back in Korea for less than two hours and this is the third time I’ve heard it already. It’s as if everyone is obsessed with this song for some reason.”
Before the stranger could interject, Seonghwa already continued, unable to stop his own rant about the weirdly popular song:
“And what even is that rapper’s name? no1likeme, seriously? That guy acts so cocky and for what? He’s had one hit.”
Seonghwa knew he was going off on a random guy about a song that didn’t even matter because who cares that he didn’t like this type of music? And yet, he somehow couldn’t stop himself, all of his bittersweet feelings about leaving his host family behind whom he’d grown so close to and the relief about finally being home again to see his family and friends culminating in his irritation about a stupid song he hadn’t liked from the start.
Looking back at him while barely being able to hide his enjoyment, the stranger still tried to listen attentively but it was obvious that he was about to burst out laughing, completing Seonghwa’s shameful outburst and turning into a humiliating experience all around. To his relief, the stranger seemed to collect himself again though and replied:
“I also think he has way better songs, actually.”
This isn’t what Seongwha had expected to hear after his rant which is why he was at a loss for words for a moment but the guy just shot him an excited smile, openly laughing again as he wasn’t able to hold back his amusement about this whole situation any longer.
Both of them jerked up when a phone started ringing in the otherwise vacant bathroom, making Seonghwa aware of where they were. What the hell was he still doing here? The stranger hastily took his phone out of the small bag hanging off of his shoulder and dangling against his sides, casually picking up while Seonghwa kept holding his gaze.
“Yunho?... Yeah, I’m fine! I’m hiding in the bathroom right now with- no, I’m sorry, okay! I just started running after- yeah, I’m sorry for leaving, I thought- I have no idea, actually but I’m sure I lost them by now, yeah I’ll come back to- hmm, fine, okay bye.”
The talk lasted no more than a minute and Seonghwa was barely able to follow this guy’s hushed conversation. When he looked up again, his face was almost rueful, even if he still looked very entertained by him.
“I would love to continue this conversation but I guess I need to catch my flight. But you could give me your number and rant some more about why you don’t like no1likeme.”, the stranger said, his voice taking on a smooth undertone Seonghwa couldn’t really pin down.
Too shocked to say anything at first, Seonghwa just stared back at him in confusion before letting out an incredulous laugh. This guy wanted his number so he could continue to hate on an idol rapper?
“Oh, and you could also give me some sightseeing tips for Japan, you’re basically a local after all!”, he added cheerfully, clearly encouraged by Seonghwa's laugh.
Closing his eyes in defeat, Seonghwa grabbed the stranger’s phone to add his number to his contacts, rolling his eyes at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. Whatever. This moment couldn’t get any weirder anyway, might as well indulge him a little longer…
“Here you go.”, Seonghwa said hesitantly as he handed him his phone back.
He wasn’t sure if this had been the right thing to do but seeing the way the stranger genuinely smiled at him, Seonghwa couldn’t help but mirror it.
“Thank you… Seonghwa, what a pretty name. I really have to go now but I’ll recommend better no1likeme songs later!”, the stranger said and after one last glance in the mirror he turned to the door, though not without sparing him another look over his shoulder to shoot him a wink and then he was gone.
Everything happened so fast, Seonghwa couldn’t even process what happened and it took him several moments to come back to himself again. Shaking off his irritation, Seonghwa washed his hands another time to clear his head, which frustratingly didn’t work in the slightest.
Grabbing his suitcase and searching the path to the exit as well, careful not to accidentally bump into the stranger again, Seonghwa was so confused about what happened that he almost missed Wooyoung’s excited shriek.
His best friend was clinging to him in the next second so he was left with no choice but to snap out of it, pushing his irritation aside for the time being. How could he not when Wooyoung was the perfect person to keep his thoughts at bay, asking him about twelve questions in one sentence while he eagerly pulled him towards the exit of the airport?
He received San’s hug as they were waiting in front of the elevators to the car park which felt like coming home and he finally let himself become aware of the fact that he was back with his two favorite people in the world. He missed them so much.
“Oh my god, Hwa. We almost thought you didn’t make it on the plane, you sure took your sweet time. Everyone else has already walked past us!”, Wooyoung chatted away in the elevator, finally talking slowly enough so Seonghwa could interrupt the flow of light-hearted nagging.
Taking a deep breath to put his weird encounter with this guy into words, Seonghwa opened his mouth to talk but was distracted by his phone buzzing in his pocket. Reflexively checking the screen, he was met with an unknown number which just said:
xxx-xxx
Precious is a much better song btw
Huffing out a laugh, Seonghwa had a funny retort in mind but immediately schooled his expression when two sets of eyes were fixated on him with questioning looks that seemed like vultures on the hunt. Curiosity kept them mid-air and gossip was their prey.
“It’s- oh fuck . I met this weird guy at the restroom before. I really needed to pee, that’s why I was late, by the way.”, Seonghwa tried to explain and wasn’t surprised at how miserable he sounded.
Wooyoung’s eyes narrowed, suddenly becoming quiet and Seonghwa knew what this meant. Silence always meant suspicion with his best friend.
“You met… a guy… in the bathroom? Who texted you just now?”, Wooyoung asked, his obvious confusion written all over his face as they left the elevator to passively search for Wooyoung's car.
The loud noise of his suitcase in San’s hands care getting stored into the back of the car was the only sound accompanying them when Seonghwa tried again:
“Listen– this weird guy just barged in while I was washing my hands, acting like he was… irresistible or whatever.”
He rolled his eyes again at the way the stranger had acted towards him in the beginning. When they were finally standing in front of Wooyoung’s car, Seonghwa continued:
“Anyway, then that stupid no1likeme song started playing on the speaker in the bathroom and we ended up talking about how I don’t really like the song and-”
Wooyoung’s head snapped up from the inside of his car and he stared back at him wide-eyed. San, who just successfully placed the suitcase in the trunk without even breaking a sweat, audibly muttered under his breath:
“Here we go.”
Almost grabbing him by his collar, Wooyoung’s voice was a dangerous whisper when he said:
“You talked about how you don’t like no1likeme? I told you not to share your opinion so openly once you’re back, hyung. People will hate you for it.”
Seonghwa let out a snort at that. Sure, Wooyoung might have said something similar to him on the last facetime call but to be fair, he mentioned the rapper all the time and as much as he loved Wooyoung, he couldn’t bring himself to care enough to retain all of the info. He knew Wooyoung was a huge fan of his but Seonghwa hadn’t really been able to be excited for his friend when he was constantly bombarded with that song.
“He didn’t disagree with me! We just had… an interesting talk.”, Seonghwa defended himself, knowing he sounded stilted. Looking back, it was weird that the stranger had managed to capture his attention despite basically just laughing at him for being irritated by a random hit which was getting overplayed.
“He just gave me his number, so we could… continue our conversation, because he had to leave.”, he finished explaining and was met with Wooyoung’s suspicious scowl which made it more than clear that he didn’t really buy it.
So, Seonghwa showed him his phone screen where the message was still displayed. Wooyoung’s eyes stayed narrow but he sounded more inclined to believe his unusual story when he said:
“Well, he’s right. Precious is his best song. Now let’s go, the others are waiting.”
San’s amused sigh was audible across the distance when Wooyoung quickly turned on his heel to get into the driver’s seat. Seonghwa couldn’t hold back his laugh either when he walked around the car to join Wooyoung in the passenger seat beside him. As soon as they were finally out of the car park and on the road, Seonghwa picked up his phone again to reply to the message.
Seonghwa
I wouldn’t know but I assume it’s
similar on the ‘annoying song’
scale as To the Beat .
“Funny how you suddenly start talking to a random guy you ran into in a public bathroom of all places now that you’re back in Korea.”, Wooyoung casually pointed out, making Seonghwa look over to him in surprise.
He was right, this whole situation was very unusual for him since he rarely started conversations, let alone arguments about topics that weren’t important. His best friend didn’t seem upset about this but rather curious and amused which Seonghwa couldn’t really fault him for.
“I don’t know why…”, Seonghwa started but got interrupted by his phone vibrating in his hand yet again.
xxx-xxx
Listen to it and tell me what
you think. :)
xxx-xxx
Boarding the plane now,
talk to you later!
He couldn’t suppress the chuckle coming out of his mouth when he immediately came up with a reply which rivaled how he felt about To the Beat:
Seonghwa
I will do no such thing <3
Enough no1likeme for today.
Pleased with himself, he put the phone back down in his lap but soon felt his smile fall when two sets of eyes were expectantly looking at him showing just how curious they were and made Seonghwa throw his hands up defensively.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”, he demanded to know, making both of them throw their heads back in unison when they broke out in laughter and Seonghwa got reminded once again of how uncanny their likeness was, especially ever since they started dating.
Wooyoung seemed to be able to catch his breath first since he just shot him a suggestive look before he taunted:
“I didn’t know it was this easy to pick you up. All this guy had to do was to agree with you that no1likeme is overrated and you’re giggling into your phone like you’re a giddy teen.”
San made a flustered sound in the backseat, clearly aware that he was out of reach for Seonghwa and if Wooyoung hadn’t been the one driving, Seonghwa would have swatted his arm until it hurt. How dare he?
“He… that’s not even- This guy was so cocky, I would never, oh my god. Also, he has blue hair, he’s so not my type!”, Seonghwa huffed, maybe sounding a bit overdramatic but if it got his point across, he was happy.
Wooyoung’s head perked up as he sent him a look Seonghwa couldn’t decipher. San helpfully chimed in from the back:
“Don’t mind him, no1likeme has blue hair too right now so he’s currently a little crazy about it.”
San kept his voice monotone but Seonghwa could tell he was keeping his amusement about all of this to himself. Putting his head in his hand, Seonghwa let out a defeated sigh.
“Can we stop talking about this guy for a minute, please !”, he begged which made both of his roommates giggle again.
Luckily, Wooyoung was nothing but fantastic at changing topics so for the rest of their drive, he happily talked about everything he had somehow missed filling him in on during their weekly facetime sessions.
Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to head straight to the restaurant to meet his family and friends welcoming him back from Japan because Seonghwa felt his energy dwindling faster than the battery of his old phone. Soon he was sitting in his chair while people around him were idly chatting away as he asked himself if it was rude to be the first one to leave when the party was in his name. Scrolling on his phone, he somehow clicked on the chat of the stranger who hadn’t texted him back yet. By now he must have arrived in Japan a few moments ago but he couldn’t help himself and texted him again:
Seonghwa
btw what’s your name?
I don’t have anything to save you
in my contacts as.
Seonghwa
Well maybe except
weird toilet guy…
Seonghwa
Which isn’t the best name I guess.
He was too tired to question himself about the messages he just sent without thinking about how potentially desperate they came across but for some reason the guy and his strange behavior wouldn’t leave Seonghwa’s mind. Just as he was about to lock his screen again, the stranger sent him a text back.
xxx-xxx
Call me Joong.
Joong
And I’m wounded that you couldn’t
come up with a better name.
Joong
I mean blue hair guy was right there
or blueberry.
Joong
Or smurf even…
Smiling into his screen, Seonghwa couldn’t stop himself from replying immediately, no matter how that might make him look:
Seonghwa
How’s Japan, smurf?
Joong
I’ve seen the grand sights of the airport
and the hotel so far.
Joong
And you still need to give me some
sightseeing tips, you promised!
So insistent, Seonghwa thought but was smiling to himself as he continued to list off popular sites that he grew to like over the past year, sprinkling in his favorite café and in which parks he used to go to study. And surprisingly, Joong actually seemed interested, asking follow up questions in between the light teasing that came naturally between them.
Only when some of Seonghwa’s friends started saying goodbye did he notice that he had texted with Joong for over an hour. With the promise to give him feedback on what he thought of his tips if he listened to Precious , Seonghwa sent a final text to Joong before taking his leave with Wooyoung.
Stumbling into their dark apartment, pushing his suitcase into a corner with the intent to unpack the following day, Seonghwa didn’t bother looking around too much except for his room which had remained the same over the last year. It had been sublet to another student for a few months but there were no signs of someone else having lived here which was a relief. He missed his space more than he realized…
“We’re so glad to have you back, Hwa.”, Wooyoung sighed behind him when Seonghwa remained still in the doorway.
Hugging him out of nowhere, Seonghwa tried not to let his emotions get the best of him as Wooyoung slowly rubbed his back. Unable to reply in his overwhelmed state, Wooyoung seemed to take pity on him and said:
“Let’s talk tomorrow, you had a long day.”
Grateful for the sentiment, Seonghwa just nodded and wished Wooyoung a good night, waving at San before ridding himself of all of his clothes. Feeling the familiar sheets slide over his skin as he settled in his bed, he hoped to doze off quickly but for some reason, he wasn’t able to fall asleep. The strange encounter with Joong replayed in his mind over and over but eventually he did finally drift off.
Waking up in his own room was weirdly disorienting, especially since everything was exactly how it had been a year ago. For the first few minutes, Seonghwa struggled to adapt to the fact that he was in Korea again and he wouldn’t just wake up in his room in Japan if he pinched himself hard enough.
All of them were off for another few weeks before uni would pick back up again and Seonghwa decided to go easy on himself, deciding to do some housework and unpacking his suitcase while he refamiliarized himself with the rest of the apartment. As predicted, the rest of their living space hadn’t really changed either, Seonghwa was pretty sure that he could still see the same cobwebs on their head lights in the living room. All was well.
A bit after that, Seonghwa was making breakfast while Wooyoung and San were making out on the couch. They spent the entire morning laughing and talking about his stay in Japan which made him feel as though he had never left. The only difference was the constant buzzing of his phone, indicating every new text from Joong.
It was strange how quickly they fell into the routine of texting but it was easy, light-hearted, fun.
Joong
Sorry, I wasn’t able to visit the
café today, I had work I needed
to get done first and the day just flew by.
Seonghwa
You went there for work?
Joong
Partly yeah, but I also really wanted
to see Japan on my own!
Did you settle back in well?
Seonghwa found it easy to just tell him about his day, way too easy. It was like Joong was a totally different person while texting. He seemed attentive and oddly caring which is why Seonghwa subconsciously started to anticipate his follow up texts.
Joong
[image.png]
Visited Sumida Walk! It's really pretty!
I demand a detailed reaction to Precious
in return.
Seonghwa
Funny you say that, my roommate
bugged me to let him play no1likeme.
All morning…
Seonghwa
Brb ig.
Wooyoung was delighted to be able to show him his favorite songs and sent him one of his signature suggestive looks when he mentioned Joong’s text. For some reason he omitted his name, it seemed like he was overstepping a line they silently agreed on: staying as vague as possible when it came to their private lives.
Seonghwa had no idea what Joong’s occupation was and what truly led him to Japan in that outfit and if he was honest, he didn’t even care about knowing. Well, maybe a little…
He’d let him open up on his own terms and not push any further since what they had going on was fun as it was. He wasn’t going to get obsessed with this random guy he had met in a public restroom who seemed to have a weirdly strong interest in getting him to like no1likeme’s music for some reason.
The song both Wooyoung and Joong seemed to like the most wasn’t that bad, Seonghwa had to admit, no1likeme’s darker vocal tone and the experimental flute drop complemented his rap style really nicely. It was definitely better than To the Beat but to be frank, the annoying hit set the bar very low.
But still, the song wasn’t what he’d call his type of music. Of course Seonghwa was aware of everyone’s taste in music being very subjective just like someone’s unique fashion sense was but something about the way Wooyoung started telling him about the meaning of the song, still managed to irk him.
Seonghwa
Listened to the song and it’s-
Seonghwa
Alright?
Decent ig…
Seonghwa
My question remains tho-
Seonghwa
Why is he so fucking pretentious?!
Joong
I think the word you’re looking for
is ambitious.
Seonghwa
No, I'm pretty sure I said it right.
Seonghwa
Also, my roommate said he is the same height
as him, which… Why so cocky Mr. Tiny?
Joong
…
Joong
What does his height have to do
with anything?
Joong
You know what?
Joong
When I’m back from Japan, I can show you
some tracks that have nothing to do with
pretentiousness.
Joong
If you’re looking for something more…
sophisticated.
Seonghwa wondered if he had gone too far with his comment about no1likeme’s height after Joong’s initial message had taken him several minutes to follow up with another one. But now he was suddenly presented with an opportunity to meet Joong again, which- wait, why was he so excited about that particular prospect? It wasn’t like he actually liked this guy… Right?!
Seonghwa
no1likeme has sophisticated songs?
He couldn’t help the provocative questions, feeling like he shouldn’t just accept Joong’s offer off the bat. It took Joong even more time to reply this time and when he finally did, he just said:
Joong
Well, I do.
Seonghwa
You write songs?
Joong
I write and produce songs for a living, yes.
Joong
And I’m sure you’d enjoy one or two of my tracks.
Seonghwa
Is it better than no1likeme?
Joong
Better come and see for yourself, handsome.
If you dare, of course…
Zeroing in on the word handsome , Seonghwa couldn’t shake the feeling that the mood of their conversation had suddenly shifted. What was happening? Were they still talking about no1likeme?
Seonghwa
As if you could stop me!
When will you come back and where
do you work? I’m ready!
Joong
Easy there tiger, I’ll only be back in
12 days.
Joong
But I’ll send you the address once
I’m back in town.
And just like that, the two of them had settled on a meetup which Seonghwa didn’t really know how to feel about. But their daily texting continued, mainly instigated by Joong sharing the sightseeing he did, sometimes in the middle of the night or very early in the morning which had Seonghwa wondering what kind of schedule Joong had on his work trip. Surely, a music producer had regular working hours just like any other job?
Seonghwa would have never guessed Joong to be a producer but looking back, it seemed to fit him, clothes and all. He didn’t know what he actually thought about no1likeme though, feeling like he was missing something important as everyone around him kept bringing the newly popular rapper up. And what had Joong meant with sophisticated? But he would find out soon enough, he guessed…
He spent most of his time until then getting back into his routine, rearranging his room and ignoring Wooyoung and San’s very loud love proclamations. He had completely forgotten how used he had been to all of their shenanigans before leaving for Japan where everyone was adamant about keeping spaces quiet. And even if he could afford to move out, he would never trade living with his two best friends for the world.
Wooyoung and Seonghwa had been roommates ever since they started university and their need for another roommate was solely caused by the rent going up. San had been the solution to their monetary problems and the answers to all of Wooyoung’s prayers, as he himself had loudly stated on one of their drunken karaoke sprees. Seonghwa was genuinely happy for them though, even if the thin walls were an issue.
Ignoring all those lewd sounds for the time being, the day of Joong’s arrival had come since he texted him in the morning, saying he’d be back home by 5 and asked whether he was free the same evening. Seonghwa tried to ignore the growing excitement inside of him, telling himself that they would simply hang out while Joong showed him some of his songs, nothing more.
Except that their conversations had quickly steered into different directions ever since he had called him handsome. Other than music and pretty parks in Tokyo, Joong had Seonghwa smiling into his pillow by the end of each day, convinced that Joong seemed to flirt with him more often than not. So, the two of them would definitely just hang out and talk the way any other couple of guys would… Sure .
Struggling to fool himself any longer, Seonghwa reminded himself that flirting as a queer man in Seoul was usually limited to gay clubs or, when you were more introverted like Seonghwa and extremely dependent on reading the signs right, openly queer friendly cafés or spaces were more foreigners gathered. To end up texting with a stranger and their conversations organically leaning into a more flirtatious tone wasn’t something Seonghwa had ever experienced so he didn’t dare to assume anything. Maybe it was just the way Joong talked to anyone; bold, overly confident and charming-
Seonghwa hadn’t lied when he told Wooyoung that Joong wasn’t even his type but by the way he was blushing anytime Joong called him handsome, he wasn’t really sure if he could still claim as much… Trying not to get his hopes up, Seonghwa reached for an outfit he would usually wear to go to a café to study.
But it was impossible to sneak out of the house past nosy Wooyoung, who immediately spotted his look when he walked past the living room to their shared bathroom. A second later, his ever so curious roommate was in the doorframe, asking with a raised brow:
“Are you going on a date?”
Seonghwa tried to remain as unfazed as possible as he applied some cologne, just to make himself feel good as the nice scent always boosted his self-esteem. At least that’s what he told himself.
“Oh, it’s not a date, just a casual hangout.”, Seonghwa murmured, his heart pounding for some reason.
He hadn’t really kept his roommates updated about the many texts they continuously sent back and forth but it also didn’t matter because they didn’t need to know everything he did in his spare time. And it wasn’t even a date, so it didn’t matter anyway.
“Who are you going to hang out with?”, Wooyoung asked, his face looking more and more suspicious.
Seonghwa wasn’t really the type to ‘hang out’ with people, if he met up with someone it was for a purpose; either to study or to shop, the hanging out part mostly took place at home with his roommates, so Seonghwa couldn’t blame Wooyoung for getting suspicious. Staying as transparent as possible, he replied:
“Remember the guy I met in the public restroom at the airport?”
What a ridiculous question to ask and if Seonghwa thought about it from an outsider’s perspective, it probably was but he reminded himself of the frequent lengthy texts he received from Joong during the night, telling him about the place he had visited on his recommendation but he quickly shoved these thoughts to the back of his head. This was no-one’s business but his and Joong’s, he decided. At least for now.
“Oh, you’re so going on a date. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you giggling into your phone the last two weeks, please .”, Wooyoung said, barely holding back a laugh.
Before Seonghwa could reply, let alone get defensive, Wooyoung added:
“Have fun and don’t forget to use protection, sweetie!”
Pushing San backwards who just wanted to join and shoving him into his former turned living room, Wooyoung didn’t leave Seonghwa any chance to respond. Which was probably for the best anyway, he thought. He didn’t know what he would have shot back anyway. Maybe he was turning up to a booty call without overtly knowing or maybe it was about music, who’s to say? There was only one way to find out.
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He hated how clammy his hands were as he lifted one up to the door and knocked, instantly regretting that he came here in the first place. Why couldn’t they just stick to texting, since it kept things casual and light? But Seonghwa was already here now and it would be even sillier to turn around and so he waited, looking anywhere but straight ahead to keep his mind busy.
He was standing in front of a non descriptive door to a random company building close to Hongdae, which didn’t tell him much other than whoever Joong must be working for, probably wasn’t one of the big entertainment companies.
Sweeping his gaze up to the corners of the tall doorway, he almost forgot why he was suddenly so nervous but then someone opened and immediately he was reminded again; Joong.
The first thing that stood out to him was the other’s casual outfit, the oversized two-toned hoodie looking stylish paired with the black baggy jeans he wore and once Seonghwa had spent looking at his sneakers a few seconds too long, he awkwardly laughed and finally looked up at Joong, spotting the black and blond split hair as well.
No one he had ever seen managed to pull this look off as well as he did, especially since he seemed to have chosen the hoodie to complement his new hairstyle and the see-through frames he wore suited him too…
Was there no annoying detail he could focus on and calm his stupidly high heart rate? Mentally eye rolling, Seonghwa swiftly lowered his head to greet Joong but that was quickly met with a laugh.
“No hello, how are you?”, Joong teased and stepped to the side to let him in.
Perplexed, Seonghwa walked into the narrow hallway and said hello under his breath, apologizing for not doing so right away. He should have, of course… This wasn’t a date, why did he suddenly feel way too hot in his clothes and struggle to maintain eye contact with Joong when he was just some dude he was hanging out with?
Maybe it was his warm smile and the instant light-hearted mood he broke the ice with, reminding Seonghwa of the many texts they had exchanged and felt just as giddy staring at his screen while he waited for the reply to pop up within seconds.
Clearly both of them had been eager to keep their chats going but now that they were actually together again in person, something was different. Really different.
Judging by the confident and relaxed way Joong carried himself, he didn’t seem to sense that though, so it was just him. Great .
They made their way through some dimly lit hallways and Seonghwa already wanted to ask if they had to walk for much longer when Joong made a right turn to open a door which had the lettering ‘Studio 8’ on it.
“Thanks for coming, I know my invite was a bit out of the blue and kind of out of spite as well to be fully honest.”, Joong admitted and shook his head a bit while he smiled, turning the office chair around so he could take a seat.
In front of it was a comfortable couch but besides that, the space seemed quite small. Joong did make the most of it though, seeing as he had several screens in front of his keyboards, there was a mini fridge as well and a few decorations were sprinkled here and there to lend the studio space more of his personality, Seonghwa assumed.
There was so much to take in that he completely forgot to ask what he was getting at when he said he invited him over out of spite but surely enough, he spoke up again:
“You know, because you kept bashing no1likeme’s music… Want me to give you a tour of the studio or would you rather hear the beats I wanted to show you?”, Joong wondered and kept grinning at him knowingly.
It was somewhat unnerving him how perfect the large, two toned hood looked draped over his dishelved hair of the same colors and the way his frames slid down his tall, pointy nose bridge… What did he say again?
“Huh?”
“Are you okay?”, Joong asked right after the perplexed sound had left his mouth.
Why did he have to be such an embarrassing excuse of a human being? This is casual, this is nothing but chill so why can’t his mind behave just like that?!
Joining in on Joong’s laughter, he finally snapped out of this weird daze and apologized for being weird.
“I’ve had a long day, I’m sorry… It’s past 10 pm already so I’m probably just tired, but please, share your music. I’m all ears and ready to give my brutally honest opinion.”
Playfully crossing his arms in front of his chest, Seonghwa slid down on the couch and truly got comfortable as Joong spun around and clicked around in a very busy looking program. He had no idea what to expect but since he was open to most genres, chances were high that he could boast with his own knoweldge of music while he used it to mock Joong of course.
It was their thing to teasingly make fun of each other but somehow Seonghwa never ended up feeling bullied and more like the opposite actually… At first he doubted his read on Joong’s text but his eyes definitely didn’t play a trick on him when he saw him bite his lower lip before he turned his back on him.
Oh, he was flirting with him. There was no other explanation for his behavior, well, he could just be a very extroverted and charismatic guy.
Before Seonghwa could lose himself in his own thoughts though, the speakers filled the room with an interesting guitar opener. For some reason he had expected vocals but there were none, only the instrumental was playing.
“Good?”, Joong asked while the beat was still continuing, keenly watching him as he listened.
Shushing him, Seonghwa closed his eyes to force himself to focus and not to get distracted by his looks, wanting to have something to talk about once the instrumental had reached its end. And to prevent more clueless sounds from spilling out of him too, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to stick around for much longer.
As much as he wanted to call his work amateurish and continue the banter they had going on, the beat was genuinely good and pushed the boundaries of what he knew. Seonghwa couldn’t quite put his finger on why but he couldn’t say that he heard anything like this before.
So, when the last notes had faded out and Joong expectantly looked at him for some feedback, he shared exactly that:
“That was… new. It’s experimental for sure but not in a bad way I guess.”, he offered but actively phrased it in an annoying way which did garner him a frustrated sigh.
“Are you a music snob or do you just enjoy irritating me?”, Joong asked with an incredulous look on his face but the grin remained on his lips.
A clash Seonghwa found oddly attractive but he decided not to dwell on that too much because yes, he did have a lot of fun riling the producer up since he was clearly confident in his work and he probably was one of the first ones to critique him. Even in a joking manner.
“Hmm, probably a bit of both.”, Seonghwa shot back and watched how the grin transformed into an amused smirk.
Fuck . Something about Joong’s energy changed just then and he didn’t even intend to push his buttons that much. What he had said wasn’t even half as direct and derogatory compared to what To the Beat got out of him back in the restroom.
“I wouldn’t have guessed…”, Joong taunted right back and faced the screen again, clicking around a few times, leaving Seonghwa to stare at the back of his head, “As the self-proclaimed music nerd that you are, did you pick up on the country influences I used when I made the track?”
Joong went on to replay isolated bits of the guitar melody and used other music jargon he had never heard of but he absent-mindedly nodded at everything he said, too busy fixating on the small things he hadn’t noticed about the producer before.
Selecting more excerpts of the drums specifically, he moved the mouse across his desk while keeping his painted pinkie lifted and in the meantime the hood had been pushed off of his head, revealing the new piercings he had bedazzled his ears with.
And if those details hadn’t been enough to make Seonghwa want to groan out loud because he had been this easy to impress, Joong kept playing with his mouth and chin whenever he was looking for a specific sound he wanted to show off.
Small gestures like that were his undoing and he wished he could go back to thinking Joong was lame at best…
Then the silence stretched on for a bit too long and made him realize that he was expected to answer to something which had completely passed him by. He couldn’t possibly blame the late hour again and so he simply conceded:
“Fine, the track is solid. You made a good case.”, he admitted and couldn’t even convincingly act as though he didn’t mean his words because it was true.
Once the song was finished, he had a feeling that it had potential to do well on the charts. If he was planning on publishing it of course. He could be making this track for another artist, Seonghwa still only knew vague details about his job after all.
“Ha, I told you so!”, Joong replied in a smug tone which instantly went under his skin.
“Don’t get too full of yourself, Joongie –”
“Are things this informal between us already?”, he asked after almost interrupting him, “I prefer Hong-ah over Joongie, just so you know.”
Stunned at the witty and revealing response, Seonghwa blinked at him a few times. Why hadn’t he asked for his full name before? So far he had always only called him by the one syllable he had offered him weeks ago while he had freely given out his full government name. Had that been a mistake?
Hongjoong.
Why did even his name have a handsome and impressive ring to it? This was getting ridiculous but instead of shaking off his initial flustered reaction to getting called out like that, he let out a laugh and stuck to his honest reaction instead.
“Hongjoong, I like your name. It suits you–”
“Thanks, I already told you that I think yours is pretty as well, Star.”
Okay, honesty might not have been the best call to lessen the tension between them because the producer's gaze only grew more intense as the silence got longer and longer. The way he managed to turn every compliment around and effortlessly made his stomach feel all fluttery was stupid.
A random pet name other people had called him before shouldn’t have such a strong effect on him and yet here he was, digging his fingers into his thighs harder than he should just to distract himself from the growing feeling inside of his chest.
But it didn’t help for long because Hongjoong came a little closer with his office chair and kept looking at him as if there was something on his face that he wasn’t telling him about… He desperately needed to change the topic and get him to talk again, he couldn’t stand the silence.
“About your Japan trip, did you–”
Already struggling to come up with a question which would get Hongjoong to ramble, he was interrupted by a soft shush and the sound of the office chair inching even closer. So Seonghwa stayed quiet and expected him to say whatever was on his mind but instead, he simply stayed quiet.
Observing him with a certain glint in his eyes which Seonghwa couldn’t put into words, the fluttery feeling in his stomach slowly changed into a heat he was all too familiar with. How was he doing this? Or rather why?
They were exchanging light-hearted messages and he sat on his studio’s couch in a basic outfit, giving him snappy responses, nothing about his demeanor was screaming desperate date who’s dying for his cock and yet this was exactly how he was looking at Hongjoong.
As if he knew what he was thinking and how hot he was… A nervous giggle bubbled up in Seonghwa’s throat but couldn’t even feel embarrassed about it since he was glad to hear anything other than his own quick breathing.
“Get up.”, Hongjoong suddenly said in a calm tone and left it at that, offering no explanation as to why Seonghwa should get to his feet but instinctively, he did.
No questions asked, if he was talked to in such a way, disobeying seemed like it would have consequences and he wasn’t sure he could match the producer’s witty replies anymore. Not when Hongjoong was still his cocky self, looking up at him in such a pleased way as if he had aced a trick question.
Shortly after, he got up as well and both corners of his mouth curled up into the smirk which had shown Seonghwa that something between them had shifted. This wasn’t a way a new pal grinned at their friend, no, especially not while he was slowly closing the gap between them and making him back up against the bit of empty wall behind him.
He should’ve asked what Hongjoong was doing or insisted on being told what he wanted instead of wordlessly letting his every move get commanded by him but somehow Seonghwa couldn’t. He was completely under his spell and couldn’t take his eyes off of him.
So dark and intense while he still had his boyish charm, it was startling how his aura should have clashed and not come together in such a confident one but it did and when Seonghwa’s back finally hit the wall, Hongjoong still stepped closer.
It turned out to be a common thread during this ‘hangout’ for Seonghwa to continuously get surprised by what was going to happen but this time, he simply waited, his curiosity too strong to maintain a physical boundary between the two of them.
With ease he would have been able to push Hongjoong away or strongly assert himself with a few words but deep down, he wanted to know just how close he would come if he let him and as it turned out, as much as he could.
There was barely any space left as their bodies almost aligned and Hongjoong leaned to the side so he could directly whisper in his ear, his lips almost brushing the sensitive shell:
“Drop your ‘hard to get’ act already, I can tell you want me…”
“What?!”, Seonghwa got out as his eyes went wide and something inside of him almost buckled at the low, smooth tone Hongjoong had delivered his bold line with.
“You heard me.”, he mused and brushed his hand up Seonghwa’s forearm, amusedly exhaling against him at the flinch he must have felt through his light sweater, “I enjoy the banter between us too but did you really come here, expecting me to only play a few tracks for you?”
What else should he have expected, Seonghwa wanted to ask right back but hearing the silky quality Hongjoong’s voice had taken on, he didn’t want him to stop talking, nor did he have it in him anymore to act like he didn’t feel this spark too.
“Y-Yes?”, he said a bit delayed and his voice was definitely shaky.
This was his chance to lighten the mood again, to bring a bit of distance between them but at the same time, the low chuckle Hongjoong let out made him feel rooted to the spot and aroused instead.
“Really? You’re all bark and no bite, aren’t you?”, Hongjoong teased and let his light touch travel to his waist, not fully grabbing him just yet.
How smug he looked as he waited for a response that Seonghwa couldn’t bring himself to say, wanting to be defiant in a funny way so badly but he was right. He had no issues being blunt about the things he didn’t like, especially non important stuff like songs topping the charts but when it came down to it, he was weak for assertiveness.
Which Hongjoong exuded a ton of right now, keeping his hands from fully committing to a hard clasp and sweeping his gaze across Seonghwa’s face as if he was searching for something. Or rather trying to make him even more flustered which was working like a charm.
“No response? I can sit back on my chair and show you another track but I have a feeling you’re not interested in my music… at least not right now.”, Hongjoong said close to his ear, his breath feeling hot and husky.
The faint moan that escaped Seonghwa then made him want the floor underneath him to open up and swallow him whole. Especially when Hongjoong tipped his head back a bit to look at him again, showcasing his pleased surprise and his stupidly hot smirk which kept getting wider and wider.
“Are you waiting for me to make an even bolder move? Come on, get a word out, Star.”, Hongjoong cooed and appealed to the frustration which had long been overtaken by sudden horniness and embarrassment.
“Maybe?”, he weakly replied which made both of them giggle since he might as well have said yes, please, grab me harder.
And as if he could read his mind, Hongjoong did shortly put his hands on his waist the way he had wanted him too, forcing him to bite his lower lip hard to suppress another lewd sound. He wasn’t that touch starved, at least Seonghwa hadn’t been aware of just how desperate he was for this kind of intimacy but here he was, getting hard in response to a few whispered words and small hands gripping at his middle.
A roll of Hongjoong’s hips against his completely tore him out of his thoughts then, not having expected actual pressure and friction and he almost crumbled at the contact. All to the amusement of the producer who looked more devilish by the second.
“Someone’s easy to excite…”, he pointed out and shamelessly moved a hand between them, seeking Seonghwa’s front and hummed in approval when he felt what Seonghwa was trying not to acknowledge.
Getting felt up like this definitely wasn’t what he had expected but holy shit did it feel amazing, especially since this certain spell he was under made him feel dizzy in a whole new way and Seonghwa didn’t want them to stop whatever they were doing.
Casual could also include two guys getting frisky, it didn’t have to mean much, so why had he been fighting this so much before? Not that he could dwell on that train of thought at this moment when Hongjoong pressed the heel of his palm against his hard cock and shifted against him in time.
All the while watching him closely, as if he was trying to memorize every single change his expression went through and got off on the effect he had on him alone.
“ Ahh– ”, Seonghwa sighed when Hongjoong replaced his hand by slipping his leg between his and promptly made him shift against his thigh.
He had caught a glimpse of the producer’s toned legs through the ripped jeans he had worn back in the airport restroom but he didn’t think it would feel so good pushing up against them, even in the subtle ways he went about it. Seonghwa couldn’t bring himself to fully rut against him just yet, shame burning through him alongside the need for more which kept growing and growing.
“How sweet you look, trying to stay polite while you hump my leg…”, Hongjoong taunted and stood still as he kept shifting ever so slightly.
Sweet wasn’t the adjective he would use to describe how he felt right now but he didn’t protest either, only focusing on what his body was craving and that was more friction, more pressure, more of him.
So, Seonghwa started being bolder with his hips, lifting them away from the wall and making use of the entire span of Hongjoong’s thigh which he watched with a dark glint in his eyes. As he kept going, Seonghwa closed his own since it flustered him too much to see how he was basically fueling Hongjoong’s already huge ego.
Turning his face to the side, he heard his own sighs and sobs in the soundproof space while the heat in his lower abdomen was reaching its boiling point but when he felt as though he was about to tip over the edge, the excitement turned into panic and his eyes suddenly flew open.
Instinctively, Seonghwa pushed his palm against his chest and stopped what they were doing all at once. Something about the prospect of coming in his pants as Hongjoong was watching him with that look hadn’t been enough for him to forget that they had only spent time with each other twice before.
Shortly, mind you, and without genuinely getting to know one another. They were still strangers and yet Seonghwa felt strongly attracted to him and felt his heart pounding in his chest, matching the intense throb between his legs but he needed to get out. He desperately craved fresh air. Anything to make this dizziness go away and think things over–
“Have I overstepped?”, Hongjoong asked right after he caught Seonghwa by his wrist and made him look back.
Right, storming out without saying a word wasn’t fair either but his mind felt like it was scrambled, racing and melting at the same time.
“No, I… I just need some air.”, he truthfully answered and saw confusion written all over the producer’s face, “You did nothing wrong. I think we just went too fast…”
Neither of them could argue with that and so Hongjoong eventually let go of him and watched him leave, not without saying sorry under his breath and asking him to text him as soon as he got home though.
Using his phone to call a cab, Seonghwa felt a bit shaken. It had started raining as well, drenching his light sweater in no time while he was waiting for the car to arrive. How the electric tension between them had changed and eventually ended on such a low was beyond upsetting to him but it was partially his fault as well.
On his way home, he kept scrolling through their past chats which were nothing but light-hearted and fun, much like the beginning of this hangout was. Hongjoong wasn’t just nice online, he was just now too, pushing his buttons right back and even showing his work at an early stage. None of his behavior should have made him want to run, well, he had to acknowledge that their old texts were definitely littered with flirty remarks now.
Why else did he corner him against a wall and whisper things in his ear while he touched him like–
Seonghwa shook his head and locked his screen, needing to think about something else desperately because he felt himself get flustered yet again. He needed to feel more at ease if he wanted to get past his roommates without having to explain why he looked beside himself and walked sideways.
To hide his semi of course but he really didn’t want to explain to Wooyoung how easily Hongjoong had wrapped him around his painted finger and how it had been even easier to get him to moan and sigh while he was rutting against his thigh.
So he did his best to keep his head low and luckily, San was already keeping Wooyoung busy by feeding him some dessert while they were watching a movie. Disgustingly cute couple shenanigans, good, so Seonghwa could pretend that he simply didn’t want to interrupt them.
His phone vibrated in his pocket while he fended any conversation off, telling the two lovebirds to get right back to their couch date and that they didn’t have to worry about him catching a cold. Their care was sweet but Seonghwa just wanted to be alone for a while and to his relief, Wooyoung didn’t insist on more details since he was being fed cake at the moment.
Letting out a deep breath, Seonghwa let his jacket fall to the ground of his room and got ready to take a shower. When he placed his phone on his desk, he did see a few messages pop up on his screen and he couldn’t keep himself from reading them right away:
Joong
I’m sorry for coming onto you so strong.
I usually have a good read on people
but clearly I didn’t do a good job.
Joong
Please tell me what I did to upset you
so I can properly apologize to you.
Joong
I’d hate for us to stop talking because
you still have a few music opinions
I need to change…
Seonghwa laughed after reading the last message and felt how relief cleared some of the tightness in his chest as well. Getting respectful texts followed by one which mocked his music taste was so smurf of him and he would also miss their random chats a lot.
Even if he wasn’t ready to unpack his feelings for Hongjoong just yet, he knew that they had a good thing going before the whole… leg humping incident and he was glad that he thought so too.
His worry did look sincere when he stopped him before he left, so it shouldn’t have surprised him too much. With those texts, he kind of handed him the chance to dictate how things would continue to go between them and he still was too overwhelmed to come up with a proper reply.
Once Seonghwa had showered and slipped into his comfy sleep shirt, he got cozy under his blanket, listening to the rain which softly pattered against the window. The lovely atmosphere didn’t help him come up with a text though and so he continued to stare at the screen, rereading Hongjoong’s words over and over again.
It was weird how he assumed that he had done something wrong when in reality it was him who gave into his needs and then bailed before they could do anything about them. Only then Seonghwa realized that he must have left Hongjoong with a bad case of blue balls too, oh no…
After all of this, how did he stay this nice and even offered to apologize again? Seonghwa let out a frustrated groan and lightly hit his head a few times, mentally scolding himself for ruining the moment as much as he did.
Just before he tried to formulate a sentence, someone knocked at his door. It had to be Wooyoung since San probably fell asleep in front of the TV as he usually did towards the end of a movie. Old habits die hard but both of them were endeared by that.
“Come in.”, Seonghwa invited and sat on the edge of his bed as soon as he saw that it was in fact Wooyoung who was on the other side of the door.
“You seemed a bit off when you snuck past us, is everything okay?”
*Yeah… I think so.”, he said and let Wooyoung take a seat beside him, feeling the mattress dip as soon as he did.
“That doesn’t sound convincing… Did something happen at the ‘hangout’?”, he suggestively asked, teasing him by pinching his waist which tore a giggle from him.
“Ya, stop that!”, he insisted, shielding his middle from more attacks but it was his defeated tone which made Wooyoung drop his mischievous act, “I just had a very long day.”
“Do you not want to talk about it?”
Huffing out a breath, he considered passing the conversation up and seeking him out at a later point but he knew he wouldn’t get a wink of sleep if he didn’t talk things through with someone. So, Seonghwa reluctantly started opening up:
“The hangout went fine at first. It was fun even…”, he truthfully recalled, “His hair wasn’t blue anymore which was a surprise, his hair’s half blond and half black now but I guess that’s besides the point.”
Clearly, his mind attempted to lighten the mood and clung onto unimportant details which Wooyoung acknowledged with a faint smile and by soothingly caressing his arm.
“He showed me some of his work and teased me the way he had done when we first met. We laughed and he let me tease him right back. Everything was fine.”, Seonghwa shared but his voice was spoiling how things went by the end of their time together, his tone flat.
“Let me guess, he hit on you and you weren’t feeling it?”
“No… No. I think I was feeling it too much and he picked up on that.”, Seonghwa confessed which captured all of Wooyoung’s attention, his lips curling up into an excited grin, “Something about his energy changed and I was drawn to that even more. He told me to get up and I just did… I didn’t think that this was a booty call, I swear, but his eyes got so dark and he ended up cornering me against the wall without even touching me.”
“Ooh, how dominant. Good for you!”, Wooyoung interjected, all giddy.
That remark somehow unsettled him because he hadn’t thought to describe his strong confidence with this adjective but that’s what it was. Dominance.
“Go on, I feel like you’re leaving out the juicy bits. I want to know everything!”
“Well… he did end up touching me but before he whispered into my ear and his voice sounded so silky, I felt all dizzy and weak.”, he admitted and would have felt overwhelmed by embarrassment if he had said that out loud to anyone who wasn’t Wooyoung but there was no need for a filter between them since they wouldn’t judge each other either.
“And then? Don’t make me beg for all the details!”
Feigning annoyance, Seonghwa made a frustrated noise before he carried on telling this raunchy bedtime story:
“Stop being so impatient, I’m getting to everything!”, he said and quickly tickled Wooyoung’s ribs to stall some more time before sharing the unfortunate end of his evening, “I liked what he was doing, what he said to me… When he moved his hand between us and offered some pressure, I knew that this was escalating fast but I wanted it too. At least until I started rutting against his leg like a dog in heat and I was about to come in my pants… I panicked Woo…”
“You did what? Don’t tell me you shoved him away because you were too proud to make your jeans sticky–”
“It’s not that! I didn’t know whether he was flirting with me or not, nor was I sure what I wanted from him either. I was having fun teasing him and joking around. He was mysterious and still is, I barely know him, so when things got heated and real, I bailed…”
“You just left?”, Wooyoung asked incredulously but also seemed sincere.
Seonghwa knew he wouldn’t shame him in a playful way when he was serious and needed comfort, so he decided to stay honest.
“Yeah… I got soaked in the rain, waiting for a cab and he sent me a few texts a few minutes later.”, he shared and reached for his phone beside him, showing them to his roommate, “He’s genuinely kind but I don’t know what to reply. I don’t even know how to feel right now.”
“Sexually frustrated?”, Wooyoung joked but dropped his smug grin when he shot him a glare, “Fine… Let me read these again.”
While he carefully went through Hongjoong’s lasts few messages, Seonghwa felt a bit lighter, feeling like he finally processed what happened more after summarizing it but of course, there was still a bit of lingering shame.
At no point did Hongjoong force himself onto him, so why didn’t he simply have the urge to apologize right back and call it a day? Things could get resolved in the span of a few back and forths but instead, his mind was making everything complicated. Well, and his dick too.
“If I were you, I’d be honest and tell him that you need a bit more time to think things over but that you appreciate his follow up texts.”, Wooyoung suggested as he handed his phone back.
“You make it sound so simple…”
“Isn’t it? Like you said, whatever you guys have is at the beginning stage and it doesn’t have to be this serious. Just tell him you like your banter too and that you should meet in public somewhere next time.”
“To keep myself from humping his leg?”
“Exactly. Horndog prevention.”, Wooyoung grinned and patted Seonghwa’s thigh to taunt him some more.
“You’re too much sometimes, you know that?”, he said with utter adoration in his voice.
“You love me.”, he proudly claimed and got up from his bed.
Nobody was immune to Jung Wooyoung’s charm and unfortunately, he was well aware of that. Seonghwa just shook his head in defeat and laughed.
“Sure…”, he eventually said and added, “Thank you, I feel much better. I think I’ll text him back and try to sleep.”
“Sounds like a good plan. Good luck and sleep well!”
Cheerful as ever, Wooyoung closed the door behind him and left him to his own devices, leaving him to formulate the text but this time he felt much lighter and level-headed. His fingers almost flew across the keyboard and before he knew it, he hit send:
Seonghwa:
I meant what I said, you didn’t
upset me at all, so no need to
say sorry.
Seonghwa:
If anything, it should be me to
apologize for running out on
you like that. I hope, I didn’t
ruin your night…
Seonghwa:
And ditto. I also still disagree
with some of your takes too.
Maybe we should get into a
new genre together.
Seonghwa:
I don’t think anyone can
turn me into a no1likeme fan
though, just give up already.
Smiling to himself while he typed the last message, Seonghwa could already imagine Hongjoong’s mildly offended expression. Good, because he definitely wasn’t the only one who enjoyed riling the other up and maybe he would wake up to a slew of texts trying to prove him wrong. He would like that…
▶• ılıilılılılılılılılılı. 0
Slinging his backpack over one shoulder, Seonghwa finally made it out of his room and was ready to tackle his day. Kind of at least, he hadn’t slept the best and his mood was pretty foul too because he woke up to no messages and couldn’t help the constant self-doubt he was spiraling in at the sight of the notification-free home screen.
It didn’t help that San and Wooyoung’s classes would only start in the afternoon and they were able to take the morning slow, giggling and laughing while Wooyoung was cooking something and San distracted him from his tasks.
At least that’s what Seonghwa expected to see when he stepped out of his room but no, they were both sitting on the couch and staring at each other in disbelief while they clutched onto their phones.
“–blue and then he said his hair changed to half blond half black…”, Wooyoung hurridly shared which made San gasp for some reason.
Did he really want to get involved in this? Whatever drama was entertaining them would only zap his already low energy, so Seonghwa decided to grab a leftover kimbap roll and head out instead.
“Are you sure?”, San shot right back, making Seonghwa’s ears perk up as he opened the fridge to look for his quick breakfast, “Maybe he’s just a really devoted fan… You know he has many of them.”
Shaking his head for even getting invested in their chat, he closed the fridge again and was glad that they didn’t instantly fill him in on what was going on with no1likeme. Not only did the rapper annoy Seonghwa, he now also reminded him of Hongjoong and he really didn’t want to think about him right now.
“Hey Hwa, do you have a minute?”, Wooyoung asked while he was busy slipping into his light coat.
“Sure, what is it?”
“So about Joong… Did he tell you how big of a fan he is of no1likeme? It seems like he’s copying every hairstyle.”
He sighed at the question and simply shrugged in response. How would he know? All he was certain of was that he liked his music enough to advocate for his talent but you didn’t need to be a die hard fan to do that.
“Why are you asking? And why are you so shaken by it? I thought the guy just recently blew up and has a massive fandom now?”
“He does but it’s weird how he knew about his new hairstyle before no1likeme posted a selfie…”, San pointed out which did strike Seonghwa as weird too.
“Maybe he has worked with him before? He’s a decent producer and probably has ties to his company, maybe that’s why… Anyways, I have to go–”Wooyoung’s high pitched laugh filled the room then, as if he was relieved after his explanation and could breathe again. Sometimes he wished his dear roommates wouldn’t be this invested in an idol rapper, who cares if a fan copied some celebrity’s style?
“Psh, I bet Joong wears his armband too when really, he should be wearing the collar instead.”, Wooyoung tauntingly stated scrolling on his phone with a wicked grin while San nodded in agreement.
These two gossip queens were having a grand old time and Seonghwa would rather distract himself with light-hearted entertainment than to go to uni but he genuinely didn’t understand what Wooyoung was going on about and at this point, he was too afraid to ask. And running late as well…
Something defensive in him made him mutter a whatever under his breath before he waved them goodbye. For some reason it felt wrong for someone other than him to mock Joong but maybe he shouldn’t feel weird possessive when he hadn’t even heard back from him.
The day couldn’t have started off more irritating and his classes were boring and never ending too. He kept doodling in his notebook and sporadically taking notes on his laptop but his mind wandered to the small studio space instead.
What else had he expected to do today, being productive? Letting out a defeated sigh, Seonghwa checked his phone underneath the small table and only learned about the current time and nothing more.
It’s not like Hongjoong owed him to text back as soon as he could and he seemed to be a busy guy, Seonghwa seriously needed to relax. He clearly hadn’t embarrassed himself too much if the producer cared enough to check on him before he left altogether and followed it up with another apology.
They were fine, they were great!
Bracing himself for another two hour long lesson, he moved through the busy hallways and listened to music while he made his way to the right room. If only he could focus on each task and not remember how the catchy guitar instrumental sounded, wishing that he had the full version of Hongjoong’s song to stream already.
One day he’d be able to, regardless of the state of their relationship if he could call whatever they had going on as such already. But why did San sound so suspicious when he made that hairstyle comment?
Placing his backpack next to his table, Seonghwa unpacked his laptop and kept recalling how he claimed that Hongjoong had changed his hair to no1likeme’s current look before the rapper showed it off publicly–
All Seonghwa had focused on was how Wooyoung mocked the producer for liking the rapper so much which is why he didn’t think anything of their exchange but fixating on this little detail he finally understood why his roommates looked so shaken:
Did they think Hongjoong was no1likeme?
There was absolutely no way that was possible… He had completely shit talked the rapper the first time he had met Hongjoong, why would he give him his number after essentially slandering his work?
The lesson had begun all the while Seonghwa’s mind continued to race and tried to add everything up, thinking back to all of their text messages, the short times they hung out together and he still came to the same conclusion: it just couldn’t be possible.
Or maybe it could and denial was getting the best of him. The irony wasn’t lost on him if it was true and Hongjoong really was not only a random producer but also the rapper who recently achieved mainstream fame. Out of all of the possible idols he could have run into, of course he would develop a crush on the guy who made one of the most annoying songs to date.
With his head in his hands, Seonghwa gave up on even appearing like he was paying attention to the professor and wanted to be back in his bed, preferably under every blanket he owned.
He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t possibly date an idol, let alone one whose discography couldn’t have interested him less.
Time slowly went by but eventually the lesson was finally over and he was allowed to leave his uni, heading back home straight away so he could do what he had put off for so long: research about no1likeme.
For a split second he had considered simply googling the rapper’s name just to see what face would look back at him in the search results but the slim chance that a wall of Hongjoong would stare right back at him while he was still in public prevented him from doing so.
Once he was back in his bed though, nothing stopped him. His hands felt oddly cold and clammy as he tiped in the idol’s name and hitting the enter bar was even harder but after a few deep breaths, Seonghwa did.
He couldn’t wait to have a good laugh as soon as a different, conventionally attractive guy’s face would pop up and he could feel at ease again, knowing that Hongjoong truly was just a random producer.
When the page finally loaded, the silly grin which had spread on his face fell instantly because nothing about the many pictures littering his screen was remotely funny to look at:
One shot of Hongjoong after another greeted or rather mocked him, some depicting him mid performance and others looked like magazine spreads.
Seonghwa couldn’t believe this as he unmovingly stared at his laptop. He needed to find out more about the rapper just to be sure they were the same person and not related in some way. What harm could there be?
Opening twitter and typing in no1likeme’s name was like opening up Pandora's box, showing him one wild thread after another but he couldn’t stop scrolling…