Mimic

(So, I’ve had this idea for a while now but after starting to watch some K-Dramas for the first time, I thought it would be fun to give this specific version a shot. “ Italic speaking is Korean after the first part of the chapter“ :3  )

“Hey kid. What exactly are you doing here? You circled none of the options on the sheet that you’ve been trained on, yet you’re at this audition. Why should we even listen to you?” 

He didn’t know. He’d seen the sign outside. Seen the posters and ads up on billboards promoting the audition for over a month. Promoting the fame. The Fashion. The money. He needed that money, so his feet took him there the night they were to take place. They took him to the stage he stood upon at that very moment. 

His worn shoes, torn jeans, and unkempt hair made him feel inadequate in the giant auditorium in front of so many handsome, well-dressed people, but he didn’t hesitate when he took a deep breath and offered a worried smile. 

“I think I sing along to the radio really well… do you have a song that you’d like to hear me sing?” 

The judges all looked at each other. The six people clearly unimpressed with his response to the question posed to him. “I’ll choose one, then.” He said with a slight hitch to his words. 

Swallowing down his fears, Teller straightened his shoulders and took one more deep breath before closing his eyes and running the song’s lyrics through his head quickly. When he opened them again, he began to sing Taylor Swift’s Blank Space. 

It was a very popular song and the lyrics and tune were known by just about everyone. The judges didn’t seem impressed, at first. He was just another boy singing a song by an overly-popular artist. 

When one of their hands began to reach for a red button that Teller could only assume was a dismissal, he forced himself to focus harder. As the chorus returned, Teller shifted his voice from that of an eighteen year old boy, to that of Taylor Swift. 

The man’s hand settled on top of the button, but as his mind registered the change, it halted from pressing down. The group of people stared at each other for a long minute as Teller continued to sing, then one of them signaled for him to stop. 

“Do you know Prince’s Purple Rain?” The man asked. 

Teller nodded, running the song, which he’d only heard a few times, through his head before beginning to sing it. He managed to switch his voice to Prince’s completely by the time the first chorus came around. Another hand rose before the second chorus, silencing him. 

“Can you do that with just about any song, kid?” A different judge asked. This one, a woman. 

Nodding slowly, Teller licked his lips and fought to keep his eyes on the group instead of dropping them to the polished floor beneath his feet. 

“I believe, with a lot of hard work and practice, that we might just have a place for you.” The man, whom Teller would later learn was to be his guardian in the industry, said with a grin on his pale lips. 

With wide eyes, Teller stuttered a thank you to the judges, then hurriedly ran off stage before his legs stopped supporting him. 

“Wake up, kid. We’re going to land soon.” Mr. Canzoni said as he shook Teller awake hard enough to jar his head against the window pain. 

The bump brought Teller out of his memory as he pushed himself back upright in his airplane seat. It was coach, even though the rest of the group he’d come with had gotten first class tickets. Thankfully, no one was sitting beside him.

“Don’t forget to keep absolutely silent when you get off of the plane. I don’t want to see you in anymore pictures with them, either, got it? You stay with me.” He asked, the strong cigarette smoke on his breath making Teller  nearly gag. 

He was smoking in the bathroom stall. 

Keeping his mouth shut, Teller just nodded. He was wearing a plain pair of blue jeans, a dark red jacket, and a black shirt that had absolutely nothing on it. He didn’t think that he could be more inconspicuous if he tried, besides the sunglasses and black hat.  

His manager got up to leave, but then leaned down again and quickly whispered. “Remember, you know no Korean. I don’t care how much you studied to be able to visit here one day. This trip is not going to be fun for you, got it? Just do your job and grandma’s bills get paid.” 

Clenching his teeth, Teller nodded again, nudging his dark sunglasses further up his nose to hide his bruised left eye, then tugged down the black hat that settled over his light brown hair. 

“Put your hairpin in, too.” Mr. Canzoni said as he reached into Teller’s shirt pocket and pulled out the small gold flower pin and dropped it into Teller’s hands. 

At first, Teller hadn’t understood why he had to hide that he was a boy. Well, he didn’t really hide it, but he didn’t announce it, either. After a strategic haircut and a bit of make up, he could easily pass as a tomboy, and the company had gladly used that to their advantage. Everyone loved a mystery. That was him. The random, mute, girl and or boy that followed the group MiMiC around like a puppy, but seemed to have no specific duty within the company besides being somewhat cute.

He had more rumors about him online than he could count, so he’d stopped trying. It didn’t matter what people said about him as long as he could pay for his grandmother to get the treatment she needed. He was a nobody in high school, too, so he had no reputation to care about, either.

Smiling to himself, Teller slipped the pin into his shoulder length, wavy hair and looked out the window at Incheon airport sprawled before him in the afternoon sunlight.  At least I finally am getting a chance to visit. It wasn’t going to be a vacation, by any means, but he knew that this was his only chance. With the medical bills he’d have to keep paying, there would be no spare money for such a trip in his future. 

The intercom came on overhead, alerting the passengers in English to buckle their seatbelts and prepare to land. Teller leaned back in his chair but kept his head tilted so that he could watch the descent as he listened to the woman speak the same notice in Korean. He understood her easily, but he had to hide his smile. He didn’t want to give his manager any reason to make him accidentally trip again. 

As the wheels touched down, Teller pursed his lips, reminding himself repeatedly that he couldn’t talk to anyone or show that he understood anything they said if it wasn’t in English. He waited silently as the plane emptied, then grabbed his small carry on and made his way to the exit. 

He knew that the band wouldn’t get too far before the paparazzi found them, and sure enough, when he disembarked, they were already surrounded about twenty yards away.

Teller managed to catch Mr. Canzoni’s eyes for a brief moment as the man glanced around, no doubt looking for him without trying to draw attention. Nodding an acknowledgement, Teller found himself waiting near a large support pillar a few yards away from the band, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched people come and go. A good portion of them caused the commotion around the band to grow as they realized what was going on. 

They finally got to do their tour… they’re definitely eating up the attention. Too bad they don’t deserve it. At least, Ike, the main lip-syncer, doesn’t. 

One thing that Teller was glad about with his position in the band, or really, not in it, was that he didn’t have to do all of the publicity things they did. He wasn’t expected to meet people. He wasn’t one of the faces of the band. He was an enigma. A silent shadow that the paparazzi sometimes got a bad photo of to refuel the questions about who he was.

Sighing out a tired breath, Teller leaned his head back against the pillar and tried to relax. His eye was starting to throb pretty badly and the jet lag wasn’t helping calm the headache it was creating. After a few minutes of the flashes from the cameras and the rising volume in the area, Teller took out his cell phone and texted Mr. Canzoni. 

Bathroom. Be back in a few minutes. 

He didn’t receive a reply after he saw his manager check his phone, so he hurried down the walkway to the restrooms. He waited until the family restroom was vacant, which was a single room allowing both male and females, before stepping inside and locking the door. 

Walking over to the sink, he tucked his sunglasses up onto the brim of his hat, then leaned over and washed his face with cold water. It didn’t help much, but it did wake him up a little. Fishing through his pocket, Teller frowned when he came away with nothing. 

I didn’t take them before I left… did I? 

Groaning, he washed his face again, then looked up into the mirror after turning off the water. Tired, moss green eyes stared back at him. Dark purple surrounded one, reminding him that he had a time limit. 

Need to get back. 

After wiping his face, Teller tugged his sunglasses back down and offered the tired young man in the mirror a reassuring smile before turning and unlocking the door. He didn’t get a chance to open it, though. 

The heavy metal door flew back so fast that Teller had no time to react. It slammed into his face, making him stumble back into the tile wall, then slide to the floor. His hands jerked up to clutch his nose. Wincing, he looked up to see who had come in so suddenly as blood dripped down onto his shirt.

Two young men stood staring down at him. A third appeared behind them a moment later, after locking the door. They looked familiar, but Teller’s head hurt too much to think straight at that moment. It was a wonder that he was still able to bite his tongue and not speak. 

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to hurt you.” One of them said, a boy with silver hair styled into a messy bowl cut that was mostly covered by a hat. Several earrings adorned his left ear. He was wearing sunglasses, though, so his eye color was lost to Teller. 

“Does he not know Korean?” The man asked as he looked over at his friend, drawing Teller’s eyes in that direction. 

The man beside him appeared to be a little younger, yet taller, but not by much. His hair was black and styled up. He, too, was wearing sunglasses and a hat. “Doesn’t seem so.” The man replied before looking down near Teller’s feet. When he began to reach toward him, Teller scrambled back into the corner. 

“You’re going to make him piss himself.” The third person said from where he stood close to the door. Teller could feel his glare even through his sunglasses. His hair was styled well and the color actually was quite similar to his own light brown, though it held a few soft blond highlights here and there where it peaked out from beneath a dark brown fedora. “Give this to him and let’s go. We should have slipped the reporters following us by now.” He said, offering a wad of paper towels he’d taken from the dispenser on the wall to the black haired boy who was now kneeling in front of Teller.

Taking the paper towels, the young man offered them to him with a cautious smile. “Sorry.” He said with accented English. 

Teller’s eyes widened at the change in language, drawing a grin from the other man who was now squatting beside his friend. “So he’s a foreigner, looks American. That explains why he doesn’t know what we’re saying. He’s probably here on vacation or something.”

Swiping the paper towels, Teller hurried to wipe his hands, then pressed them against his nose. It hurt, but thankfully he could tell that it wasn’t broken. Something did feel a bit odd, though.

“The left side of his sunglasses snapped off. I don’t think he realizes that they’re crooked on his nose.” The silver haired boy said as he picked up the item his friend was likely going to retrieve before scaring Teller. 

He held up the piece of plastic that used to be attached to his sunglasses, making Teller realize that they were tilted on his nose and would likely fall off if he moved much. As if his situation wasn’t bad enough already, his phone vibrated with a text message at that moment, the tone of the chime telling him that it was Mr. Canzoni. 

With shaky, blood-stained fingers, he tugged his phone from his pocket, silently thankful that it hadn’t gotten damaged. 

We are leaving, get back here!

Jumping to his feet, Teller felt the ground shift abruptly and lost his balance. Several sets of hands grabbed him, keeping him from dropping right back down to the dirty tile floor. 

“Damn, should we call the airport medic for him?” The silver haired boy asked as Teller’s head lolled forward and his glasses slid from his face to clatter to the floor. 

“We can’t be here if we do, the headlines would be horrible.” The brown haired boy said as he reached over to grab Teller’s chin, then tilt his head up. 

“Wait. Why is his eye like that?” The black haired boy asked, his hand starting to reach up to possibly touch the black mark around Teller’s eye. 

I need to get out of here. 

Jerking back, Teller managed to stay on his feet and give a slight bow of his head. The motion brought his broken sunglasses into view by his feet. He started to reach down and grab them, needing to hide his eye before he could leave, but a strong hand grabbed his arm and forced him to stand back up. When he looked to see who had done it, there was suddenly a pair of sunglasses being pushed onto the bridge of his sore nose. 

A moment later, he was pulled over to the sink and his face was hurriedly wiped with wet paper towels until the blood was gone, or faded enough to not be seen easily. When his jacket was pulled off, however, Teller tried to jerk away. Thankfully, his phone was clutched tightly in his hand and his passport and wallet were both in his pants pockets.

“Just hold the idiot.” The brown haired boy said. 

His two friends hesitated, but then grabbed each of his arms as the brown haired boy slipped off his own expensive-looking coat. When he leaned closer, Teller squeezed his eyes shut, expecting to gain another black eye to match his current one. When he just felt the heavy leather jacket settle over his shoulders before the two guys behind him removed their hold, he blinked open his confused eyes. 

The brown haired boy was still leaning over him, his hands now at the base of the jacket, zipping it up over the blood that stained his own clothing. When he had finished, he straightened back up, their eyes meeting as he did so. 

Ice blue. His eyes are beautiful, just like winter. 

Looking down at the jacket that now hugged his body, Teller frowned, then glanced back up at the group that had returned to his front. 

Wait. He’s not wearing sunglasses anymore.

The brown haired boy was missing his pair… which had to be what Teller had on. 

“Come on. He’ll be okay. I’m sure he’s got someone waiting for him. He doesn’t look like he’s even out of high school yet. They’ll take care of him.” 

Pursing his lips, Teller gave another awkward bow of his head. He expected the group to leave at that point, as they had begun to crowd around the door, but when the brown haired boy turned back to face him, he fidgeted. It took physical effort to not step back when he stepped up to him and tapped his chest with his finger. 

“Return them.” He said in English before grabbing Teller’s arm and pulling back the sleeve on his jacket, then pulling out a marker from a pocket in the jacket. 

Pulling the cap off with his teeth, the young man leaned forward. His eyes caught on the pin settled into Teller’s hair and his eyebrows rose, then narrowed, but he seemed to shrug off his confusion because he gave his head a slight shake and hurried to scribble down an address, then phone number, before recapping the marker and putting it in his own pants pocket. “Return them.” He stated again, earning a quick nod from Teller. The address was in Korean, of course, but he could always pretend that he had shown it to someone who told him where to go to return the items, so he didn’t have to give away that he understood the language. 

When he looked back up, the group was just disappearing out the door. He moved to follow, but when a roar of screams echoed toward him, he ducked back against the wall. He couldn’t make out what was being said well, but he had a feeling that it was his group causing the comotion. After a moment, he peaked around the corner, only to see the three people who he’d just met darting toward the exit of the airport. A horde of mainly women followed after them, screaming loudly. 

Hesitantly stepping out of the bathroom, Teller spotted his boss stomping in his direction with the band close behind him. They still had an entourage, but it looked like a good half of the people from before were now following after the three boys who’d just left. When Mr. Canzoni finally stopped before him, Teller could feel anger radiating off of him. He’d have to be careful later that night. 

“I can’t believe Ello was going to be here at the same time!” He ground out, grabbing Teller’s arm as he hurried him toward the exit with the band and reporters in tow. “They totally messed up our big arrival.” 

Wait. Ello? The band? 

His mind struggled to put the pieces of the puzzle together. He was a fan of the band, of course. They were extremely popular, and for a good reason. They were all extremely talented musicians and their main vocalist was incredible. Their images flashes before his eyes as he was pulled. Immediately, his tired mind replaced the photos he’d seen on the internet concerts he’d watched to the three people he’d met in the bathroom. 

Oh my god. I just met them in person! 

He was dragged out to a limousine that was parked at the curb and shoved inside once the band got in. Normally, he’d cower on a corner to try and keep any attention away from him, but he was having trouble focusing on anything besides what had just actually happened. Dazedly, he pulled back the sleeve of the jacket he’d been lent and scanned over the address and phone number written on his right arm. 

Wait. I have their number… and address.

Looking down at himself, Teller felt his face heat with embarrassment. 

I’m wearing Tay-Yun’s jacket! 

He hadn’t expected anything good to happen on this trip besides getting paid, yet he could already go home happy having met one of his idol groups. 

Eyeing the writing, he read through the address and number one more time, committing them to memory, before tugging the sleeve back into place carefully and turning his attention outside the window while his manager, the band, and their translator all slipped into a loud discussion that he wanted no part in. 

(Not sure where this is going yet, but hey, that’s my writing for ya :3)

Imitate

“What are you wearing?” Mr. Canzoni asked as he let the band into their hotel room. It was a large suite with several rooms, so everyone had their own… except for him, he had already been told that he only got the couch. 

Looking up from the jacket his eyes kept straying too as the door closed, Teller forced himself to hide the smile he didn’t doubt kept slipping onto his lips on the drive over. “Someone lent it to me at the airport.” He said, not wanting to give away too much information if he could help it. He wasn’t sure how Mr. Canzoni would react if he knew that he’d gotten hurt, then helped, by Ello. 

“Someone just lent you that? It looks expensive… take it off.” 

Wait, what? 

“Don’t give me that look. You’re way too prone to accidents. You’ll destroy it. Give it to me.” 

Without thinking, Teller stepped back. “I can’t. It’s not mine.” He said, already knowing that his excuse wouldn’t help. Mr. Canzoni was starting to turn red, like he always did when Teller said anything that wasn’t yes sir . 

“You are supposed to barely be seen! You can’t go around wearing something that looks that expensive! And those sunglasses, too. Where’s your old pair? Those look like they cost a lot, too.” 

Honestly, Teller hadn’t even thought about the price of the items he’d been given. He had no real reason to. He never planned on keeping them, or doing anything but making sure they remained in good condition and returning them. 

“They were also lent to me when my other ones broke. I need to return them.” He said right before Mr. Canzoni snatched the glasses off his face. 

Teller wanted to grab them back, but didn’t want to earn a second black eye. “These are made by Gentle Monster. Just who the hell did you run into that they had this kind of money for a simple pair of sunglasses?” He asked as he slid the glasses onto his own face after removing his own crummy pair. 

When Teller didn’t respond, but just looked down, Mr. Canzoni grabbed his chin and yanked it up. “Answer me, boy. Who did you get these items from?” 

“Better talk, kid. You don’t want to get even more bruises for being an idiot.” Ike said as he walked back into the den area with the other band members behind him. 

They were all grinning, used to his predicaments and beatings by their manager. Hell, sometimes they used him as a punching back, too, but thankfully there were rules. He couldn’t sing if he was half dead. 

“I…” Teller stuttered, blinking back tears that only made the band converge on him more, snickering. One of them slipped behind him while Ike leaned forward and yanked the zipper on Tay-Yun’s jacket down. The man behind him jerked it off his shoulders, nearly making Teller stumble into Mr. Canzoni. 

“That’ll look good on you, Davis.” Ike said to the slightly shorter boy with blond hair, as he stepped back to stand beside Mr. Canzoni, arms crossing over his chest with a smirk on his face. 

Teller wanted to yell at them. To tell them that they had no right taking Tay-Yun’s things, but like usual, he couldn’t find the courage to take the beating that would come with the reprimand. 

“If we didn’t have a show soon you’d have a matching pair of eyes for this. Now get busy practicing.” Mr. Canzoni said as he shoved Teller toward the sofa. “We’re going out. The song set better be perfect by the time we get back after all the practicing we’d done back in America.” He said before gesturing for the boys to follow him out of the hotel. 

The words and numbers inked onto his arm almost felt as if they were beginning to burn and his hands turned numb from nerves as he rolled back the sleeve of his blood-stained jacket to read the writing. They actually took Tay-Yun’s stuff… And it was probably extremely expensive, too.  There was no way he could afford to buy even one of the items back, let alone two. Not to mention the possible sentimental value they might have. He could rarely remember a photo of Tay-Yun that didn’t show him wearing at least the jacket. 

Grabbing his hair, he tugged on the strands as he paced over to the window, then began circling while his panic built. So much for a positive experience. Now I have to tell him that his items were stolen and I can’t afford to replace them! 

Numbly, he walked into the bathroom and shrugged off his ruined jacket into the garbage. That’s the only one I brought, too. He’d only been allowed his carry-on, and he hadn’t planned on ruining the jacket so soon… or at all, really. 

Staring into the mirror, Teller licked his lips and reached up to brush his fingers over the discolored skin around his eye. He couldn’t even remember what he’d done wrong to earn the injury, or if he had even done anything at all, and Mr. Canzoni had just been in a bad mood and decided to take it out on him. 

Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment to calm his nerves, Teller fished his phone from his pocket and dialed his grandmother’s number. He’d had to buy her a cell phone after she was admitted to the hospital, because she didn’t believe in having one with a landline. She picked up on the fourth ring, making him sigh with relief. 

“Hello, grandma.” He greeted, putting as much enthusiasm into his voice as he could muster. 

He could hear the machines monitoring her in the background before she replied with a frail, yet excited tone. “Hello, my sweet little Teller. Do tell me what you’ve been up to?” 

Her little joke about his name always made him smile. “I’ve been good. I’m finally visiting Korea!” He said cheerfully, earning a hoot from his grandmother. 

“I’m so proud of you! You’ve been wanting to go for so long!” Her excitement halted abruptly as she coughed hard a few times, but she continued right after she was able to catch her breath. “Is it beautiful? Have you been able to talk to some people there yet? Did you try the Kimbap or any of those other dishes you were so excited about?” 

Sliding down the wall to sit against it as she spoke, Teller took in her words like a balm on his tired mind. His headache faded to the back of his thoughts as he told her that he hadn’t gotten quite that far yet and was just going to relax at the hotel till the next morning, since he wasn’t permitted to leave, anyways. 

“Oh come now. Since when do you waste an opportunity! Get your backside out there and enjoy the day!” She chided, earning a quiet laugh from him that happened to slip out before he could catch it. 

“Alright, alright. I’ll give it a try. I guess I’m just nervous.” He said, an idea hatching in his brain at his grandmother’s words. 

“I’m glad. Now get your butt out there. It’s late here, but I know that it’s probably early morning or afternoon there, so don’t waste the day away. Push through that jet lag.” 

Giving another chuckle, Teller replied. “Yes ma’am. Get some rest, grandma. I’ll call you soon.” 

“Good night, Tell. Enjoy yourself.” She said before the line went dead. 

He sat staring at the phone for a long while before blowing out a breath and pushing himself to his feet. “Well, you have no sunglasses and your jacket is useless.” Teller mumbled as he eyed himself in the mirror. When his attention focused on the small circular pin in his hair, his eyes widened a fraction. 

What if…

Hesitantly, he reached behind his head and pulled his hair back, then secured it with a tie he kept in his pocket. Leaving some of his bangs free, he then dug into his bag for the small amount of makeup he’d been forced to bring. 

“Never thought I’d actually want to use this stuff outside of working.” He told himself as he began adding thin layers of concealer and blush to his face. His injured eye was hard to fade, but after about ten minutes working on it, it looked much less noticeable. 

“Not perfect, but not bad.” 

Putting away the makeup, he pulled out a pair of tight fitting faded jeans and changed, then tugged off his black shirt and began wrapping his chest. He overlapped the fabric to make it look like he just might possibly be a female. He’d honestly brought the fabric in case he fell again and sprained a wrist or ankle, but it worked decently well as a fake bra, too. Once he was content with his work, he put on a white, long sleeved shirt with the word LIVED on it in large black letters. 

“At least I’ve still got my hat.” That, along with his makeup and bandage made him feel like he just might be able to pass as a female. 

Grinning to himself in the mirror as he slipped his shoes back on, Teller knew he just had one more thing to change. Clearing his throat, he spoke a few words randomly before his voice began to rise until it sounded like a young female singer he had heard a few times. He couldn’t place her name, but that wasn’t a bad thing. Hopefully no one else could catch the similarity, either. 

“Alright. Let’s get out of here.” 

He wasn’t sure exactly what he was going to do, but after checking his bank account on his phone, then looking up the items that had been taken, the exact information on them found through one of his fan pages, he knew that he had to find some way to make money. And quickly. 

Stepping outside without Mr. Canzoni felt strange. Pulling the brim of his hat down further, Teller hurried across the street from the hotel. He made sure that he moved quickly but calmly, not wanting to make anyone look at him if he could help it. 

When he got about three blocks away, he finally slowed down to start looking around. There were little shops everywhere and several help wanted signed in different windows, but he couldn’t think that such simple jobs would be of an use. He also couldn’t leave normally, especially if he got caught coming back on his current outing. 

Probably won’t be able to walk if I do. 

Shaking off the disturbing thought, he continued on his way until he came across a large wall leading to an opening further down the sidewalk. Kids were milling about, going in and out of the entrance between the wall. 

When Teller walked closer and looked through it, he realized that he’d come upon a huge high school. I don’t miss that aspect of my previous life. He hadn’t been bullied, really, but he just didn’t care for anything that had occurred there. It was all a boring blur. For some reason, though, seeing a school in Korea felt much more energetic. No one was moping about, everyone seemed to have a purpose. There also seemed to be a lot less smoking, but that could have just been because his school had been pretty trashy.

“What are you doing standing around staring into an all girls school, kid?” 

Looking over his shoulder, Teller felt his stomach sink as he looked up at a mountain of a man. “I…” The man’s eyes narrowed as he leaned closer. Teller flinched, but bit his tongue to keep from talking. 

“Wait. Are you a girl? You don’t look Korean and I know all of the exchange students.” He said. Teller folded his hands behind his back and offered a wary smile. 

“I’m sorry, American.” He said in his chosen female voice. 

The man shook his head on a sigh and offered a small smile. “American. That explains it.” Pointing down the sidewalk, he gestured for Teller to keep going, then said in broken English. “Go on.” 

Not wanting to make the man upset, Teller nodded and continued on his way. He felt eyes on his back, but didn’t dare look back until he turned the corner. A sign across the street caught his attention when he turned back around to continue walking. 

ARCADE

Below the bright green sign was a board promoting a day long tournament for a shooting game. The prize money was 5000 won per victory, payable as many times as you were challenged. It wasn’t much money, but the place seemed packed, nearly out the door. 

Maybe…

Slipping his hand into his pocket, he felt the 100,000 won he had and licked his lips. He wasn’t bad at shooting games… Deciding that it couldn’t hurt to try, he headed across the street and found himself in line to give the tournament a go. It took about twenty minutes before he was able to pay and sit down in a large leather chair. The place was far different than the arcades he’d seen in the U.S., mainly because it was a computer lounge of sorts instead of old fashion arcade games, but it was still pretty cool and they did have a few classic machines in the back. The lights were dimmed just enough, too, allowing the screens to keep everyone’s focus. 

“Alright. The rules are first to five kills wins. It is timed. Victor takes the left seat and accepts all challengers. Any questions?” The organizer asked. After both boys shook their heads, Teller turned his attention to the screen. 

It loaded quickly, and after a short countdown, they were off. Teller didn’t do all that well at the beginning, losing three lives right away. But, he somehow managed to come from behind as he got used to the controls. The game ended right before the time limit ran out. He’d won by a hair. 

Slumping back into the seat, Teller took a calming breath and reached across to the other boy, who was holding out his hand. “Good game.” The boy said, earning a nod in return from Teller before he got up and left. 

Teller took his seat and waited until his second round started. The next player was extremely easy to defeat, as well as the next two. After that, several good players stepped up, making Teller focus much harder. He managed to beat them, but after his tenth win, his nerves were beginning to make his hands shaky. 

“All you guys are getting bested by a girl. Come on, let’s see who can unseat her!” The organizer called to the crowd still pouring into the place. A loud roar went up, followed by some surprised shouts that drew teller’s attention away from the screen right as someone else dropped into the challenger chair. 

Out of habit Teller offered his hand before they were to start, but when it was gripped by Sahn-Re, the boy from the airport with silver hair, and one of the members of Ello , he jerked it back abruptly. 

“Oh, do I sense a bit of a rivalry starting? Let’s see if one of our regulars, and amazing musician, Sahn-Re, can take down this impressive girl!” 

Shrinking back into the chair, Teller did his best to keep his face hidden from Sahn-Re, but the guy seemed determined to watch him until the very last second of the countdown. Jerking his head up at the sound of the start buzzer, Teller did his best to focus on the screen. Where his other opponents had been somewhat predictable and just required some focus, besides the first, Sahn-Re was one hell of a challenge. 

The battle came down to the timer. Teller won, three to two, but he’d had to work his ass off for every single one of the kills. When the game announced the winner, Teller reluctantly glanced quickly at Sahn-Re before dropping his gaze and offering his hand to shake. 

“That was pretty amazing! What’s your name?” Sahn-Re asked as he shook Teller’s hand, then got up and stepped aside so that the next challenger could sit down. 

The sound in the arcade seemed to dwindle as everyone waited for a response, but when he just hunched his shoulders a little, the organizer stepped in. “Well, seems she’s shy. We’ll just keep going and see if someone can manage to stop her winning streak!” 

Relieved that he didn’t have to talk, Teller leaned forward to watch the clock tick down. He ended up winning thirty matches before he got too stressed out by the amount of people and noise, to focus. 

Before people could surround him, he made his way to the counter and got his winnings. The arcade kept 5% of it, leaving him with a payout of 1,520,000 won. 1,410 dollars. It might be enough… for one item. 

Pushing his way outside after shoving the money in his pockets, Teller took a deep breath. The air had gotten crisp while he was inside, and with a glance up at the sky, he could tell that it was due to the rainstorm clouding over. 

I better get back soon. 

In fact… Taking his phone from his back pocket, Teller turned the screen on, then flinched at the message there. 

Get the hell back here! How dare you leave! Do you want to be able to walk tomorrow?!

Well, that’s a great incentive to go back right now. Not. 

“Hey.” 

Before he could turn toward the voice, someone was grabbing his arm and tugging him closer abruptly. Teller stumbled a bit, then scowled as he looked up… only for his expression to drop completely at the sight of Sahn-Re staring down at the marker on the inside of his arm. 

“You… you’re…?” Sahn-Re stuttered as he raised his head. Teller couldn’t see his eyes because of the sunglasses he’d added after exiting the arcade and the hat, but he didn’t need to in order to know that he was stunned. “You’re a… girl?” 

Oh. Crap. 

(I’m having fun XD)

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Forgive me for this. 

Jumping forward, Teller jammed his foot down onto Sahn-Re’s shoe, making the young man release him abruptly with a yell. He didn’t hesitate before he was off running. The sound of footsteps behind him didn’t help him move much faster, though, mainly because he was really feeling the jet lag now and after having stared at the computer screen for hours, his headache was humming back to life. 

Thank god they gave me large bills or money would be falling out of my pocket. Now IJust need to get there. A little further. 

The sound of girly teenage squeals spurred him on until he came to a skidding halt in front of the high school, desperately needing to catch his breath. The sidewalk swayed before his eyes, but he managed to stagger and stay on his feet… right before he felt San-Re hit him from behind. His arms wrapped around his front, forcing Teller back against the man’s quickly rising and falling chest. 

“You’re a fast kid.” Sahn-Re panted beside his ear, making Teller squirm. “Okay. Let us try again.” He said in a slightly less accented English than Tay-Yun had used. “Hello, my name is Jun Sahn-Re. What is yours?” 

Teller squeezed his eyes shut and ducked his head, determined not to speak. He’d hoped that the large man from before was still lurking about and could help him, but when he didn’t come, Teller’s stomach twisted into a worried knot. 

“Guess I’ll just-”

“Oh my gosh. Is that…?” Came a whispered voice from Teller’s left. 

He felt Sahn-Re’s arms loosen slightly and his body turn a little, as if he were looking in the same direction the voice had come from. “Oh no.” Before Teller could consider what he meant, they were surrounded by squealing fan girls. At first, he was terrified by the sudden swarm of females, but when he realized that Sahn-Re’s grip was loosening even more with each question about who Teller was and what they was doing in front of the school, and why he was embracing her , he knew that it was his chance.   

Stomping on the singer’s foot, again, he tried to dart off through the crowd when Sahn-Re’s arms dropped from the pain of the hit, but the guy was faster than he’d expected in the claustrophobic space. His hand snagged Teller’s left wrist and yanked him right back next to him. 

“We aren’t done talking.” He said quickly before changing his expression to that of an enthusiastic star being greeted by his fans. Teller tried to hide his face as the crowd grew in size, but each way he turned there were cell phones being shoved in his personal space, trying to get a picture of Sahn-Re’s girlfriend. 

His heart thundered painfully in his ears and against his rib cage as time seemed to slow down, making his headache spin the sidewalk once more. Teller honestly thought that he was about to hit the ground when he felt Sahn-Re’s grip on his arm disappear, only for two hands to grab him by the shoulders and spin him around. One slid down to his back while the other gently pressed his face into Sahn-Re’s chest. 

“Let’s not crowd my friend, please. She’s not used to so many people.”  He said with a warm, yet slightly-chiding tone. 

Teller felt the press of bodies retract a bit, but as the shouted questions continued, he could feel the situation returning quickly, and after a few minutes, it was getting worse. He barely felt his phone vibrating in his pocket a moment later, followed by the ring tone that told him that he was likely dead when he got back to the hotel. He couldn’t even pick it up and try to lie, either, because there were just too many people around him and the noise alone would make it impossible to converse. 

He felt Sahn-Re’s hand press against his hair and his chest shift slightly a few times, likely trying to look over the sea of high schoolers. It didn’t occur to Teller that he was actually crying against his shirt until he felt Sahn-Re’s hand on his head turn gentle, removing the pressure that came with the tension of the situation. 

“Hold on.” He whispered against Teller’s ear before abruptly scooping him up and shoving through the crowd. 

Teller tucked his face into the crook of Sahn-Re’s neck as his arms wrapped around his neck. It felt like it took forever to be free of the crush of people, and not a second after fresh air hit him, they were lunging into a cab. Teller’s grip slipped when they landed and he dropped across the back seat as Sahn-Re swung back around and slammed the door shut, shouting for the owner to drive. 

After a few minutes of silence where they caught their breath, Sahn-Re gave the driver the address Teller knew was scrawled on his inner arm. 

I can’t go there.

Teller couldn’t get his body to respond, though. He knew that he had to get up and get the man to pull over and let him out, but all he could manage was to lift his arms and cross them over his eyes as his body shook from the stress and adrenaline. 

“Hey, Tay-Yun?” 

There was silence for a moment as Teller put together what was going on and that Sahn-Re was on the phone with Tay-Yun at that moment. 

“Yeah, I actually found the girl we ran into at the airport.” 

Another bit of silence, then a small laugh.

“Evidently he was a she. Either way, we got mobbed by fans in from of Daishi High. She’s really shaken up, so please keep your cool for a bit.”

Teller slowly pushed himself up on the seat, then moved to the opposite side from where Sahn-Re was sitting, watching him as he listened to Tay-Yun speak. 

“She doesn’t. I’m not sure where they are.” 

He sighed, pushing a strand of hair back behind his ear. 

“Yes, I know. We’ll figure it out, but just let her calm down first, okay?” 

He hung up right after that, so Tay-Yun had probably not wanted to hear anymore. 

I hope his attitude isn’t as bad as some of the tabloids had said. He always seemed so nice, but then again, Ike and the rest of the band did too, until I learned their real personalities. 

The cab stopped a few moments later, drawing his attention outside to a large building. The front half was mainly a beige wall, with a tall black spiked fence around the other half. A gate stood in the middle of both structures, an electric keypad beside it.

“Come on.” Sahn-Re said as he handed the driver money, then grabbed Teller’s wrist to tug him from the car. 

Honestly, Teller would rather have stayed in the taxi, but the moment his feet touched the pavement outside, the car took off. So much for a possible escape. He returned his gaze to the large building in front of him as he was lead up to the gate and Sahn-Re punched in a code. 

Well. Even if Tay-Yun is mean about me not having his things, it’ll probably be better than returning to the hotel. Probably. 

It hurt to think that one of his idols was going to be angry with him, but there was nothing he could do as he trudged up the stairs in front of Sahn-Re. No doubt he thought that he might try to run off so he was walking behind him, but Teller was at the end of his energy reserves. There would be no running for a while. Sleeping, however, sounded amazing. 

Before they even got to the top of the staircase he could see Tay-Yun standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing a dark red long sleeved shirt and black slacks. He looks so different without his jacket. Or really, Teller had almost never seen him in a photo without it. 

“Where did you find her?” Tay-Yun asked as he stepped aside to let them in.

Teller’s fingers felt like they were being poked with pins and needles as he slowly followed Sahn-Re down a few small stairs into a den area as he replied,  “Arcade”.  

A large screen television was fastened against the wall with a surround system that would have made Ike drool a river. The walls were painted a soft, slightly dark blue, while the hallways Teller could see were a cream. He wouldn’t have been surprised if each room had a different color scheme. 

He was just about to drop down onto the white sofa and, hopefully, pass out before questioning could start, when his phone began to ring. The tone told him that it was his grandmother, but he hesitated in answering it. Tay-Yun and Sahn-Re were both watching with raised eyebrows, and Sahn-Re even had a grin on his face. 

Right before the call could go to voicemail he jerked it from his pocket and accepted it, then raised the device to his ear. 

“Hello dear. I’m sorry for calling again, but your dear friend Mr. Canzoni contacted me to try and figure out where you are. He’s dreadfully worried about you.” Her words ended on a cough, and Teller could only imagine how late it was right then. 

Or early. How dare he call her. 

Looking over his shoulder at the two boys, Teller ground his teeth together and pointed at them both, then mouthed the words Stay right there , before darting off down the hall. He could hear them following after him not a second later, with one actually giving a quiet laugh, but thankfully he made it inside of the bathroom he found down the hall and managed to lock it before they could slip inside. 

Immediately, he ran over to the shower and turned it on full, then the sink, and finally, the exhaust fan. It was loud, but that also meant that they wouldn’t be able to hear him very well. Crouching down near the shower, he finally replied. 

“I’m sorry, grandma. I forgot to tell him where I went but I’ll be heading back soon. Please put your phone on silent and get some rest.” 

A loud bang rang out as one of the boys kicked the door, then shouted for him to open it. 

Of course I’ll open it right away, because the exhausted little pig obviously doesn’t think that the angry wolf outside the door is anything but friendly. You aren’t getting a bite out of this bacon until it’s done on the darn phone. 

“What was that noise? Is everything alright, Tel? It’s actually quite loud where you are.” His grandmother asked, making Teller stifle a sigh as his body hunched against the porcelain bathtub. “Yes, someone just tripped and hit a door with their foot and I’m standing in the bathroom with some water running, I’m going to go help him. Please, turn off your phone for me, okay? I promise that I’m fine.” 

There was a short pause before his grandmother replied with a sleepy tone. “Alright, sweetheart. Call me when you have some free time, but don’t go out of your way. Enjoy your time there.” 

“I will, grandma. I love you.” He replied, earning an “I love you, too.” back, before his grandmother hung up. 

Covering his mouth on a yawn, Teller got to his feet. It took him a moment to get his balance before turning and shutting off the shower. Once that was done, he walked over to the wall and turned off the exhaust fan, but instead of turning off the water coming from the faucet, he pocketed his phone and reached down. It was cold, chasing away the numbness he felt pricking at his fingertips as he cupped his hands beneath the water flow, then leaned down to splash it over his face. 

 It got rid of some of his fatigue, but increased his headache. Deciding that doing it again wouldn’t be beneficial, Teller straightened and grabbed a towel hanging on the wall to dry his face. Instead of glancing in the mirror again, he turned off the water and turned toward the door, determined to face the two boys he knew were waiting for him on the other side. 

Swallowing down his nerves, he turned the lock. The door flew open, giving him just enough time to stumble backward before the front of his shirt was grabbed and he was dragged out into the hall. Sahn-Re had his hands on Tay-Yun’s when they stopped moving, seemingly trying to calm him a little, though it didn’t seem to be helping too much. 

“Where are they?” Tay-Yun asked with narrowed eyes. 

At the hotel, most likely. 

Teller shrugged and looked down, only for one of Tay-Yun’s hands to release his shirt and grab his shin, jerking it up. “Did you sell them?” He asked. 

Finally something I can technically answer. 

Pursing his lips, Teller shook his head quickly. 

Sahn-Re and Tay-Yun looked at each other, then back to him, as if they couldn’t believe that they had actually gotten an answer, even if it wasn’t spoken. Tay-Yun blew out a breath and seemed to be thinking, before he spoke again. “Still have them?” 

Reluctantly, Teller slowly shook his head. 

He could see anger flare in Tay-Yun’s eyes, but when the front door opened and two sets of footsteps could be heard coming closer, Teller was released and Tay-Yun stepped aside so that they could all see who was coming. 

Their manager and the last member of Ello, Tan En-Ti. They were both wearing big grins until they saw the predicament they had walked in on. 

“What’s going on?” Their manager asked as he paced forward, putting himself between Teller and the rest of the group. 

“She’s the kid we told you about, Wan-Nu. The one we met at the airport.”  Sahn-Re said as he leaned back against the wall with a small smile. En-Ti joined him, but seemed to be indifferent about the situation at the moment. Probably because he didn’t know what was going on yet. 

Tay-Yun wasn’t smiling. His face held a scowl, his eyes refusing to leave Teller’s as he replied. “She won’t speak.” 

Their manager turned to him, a hint of surprise in his expression before he offered a reassuring smile. “You look very tired.” He said with the heaviest accent Teller had heard so far. It took him a minute to actually figure out what the man had said before giving a hesitant nod. 

Gesturing for him to follow, their manager headed toward the kitchen. Unsure what he should do, but knowing that if he stayed around Tay-Yun, it might end up being bad for his health, he hurried after Wan-Nu. 

Stepping down into the kitchen area, Teller was surprised to see that it almost looked unused. Do they not cook in here at all? As if to answer his question, En-Ti called out that he was going to order food and to tell him what they wanted. 

The idea of eating didn’t sit well with him, so when Wan-Nu asked if he wanted anything, he quickly shook his head. The man didn’t look happy with his decision, and ordered a large portion of what he wanted, possibly with the intention of sharing, but Teller knew that food wouldn’t help him once he got back to the hotel. It would just be something to throw up after he got hit. 

“You don’t look good. Come, sit.” He said after taking something down from a cabinet and taking Teller’s arm gently. The moment he dropped onto the sofa Teller heaved out an exhausted sigh. 

“Here.” Wan-Nu said, offering up a small tube of what looked like medicine. 

Teller took the tube and eyed the words on it, reading them quickly before looking back up at the man with a questioning glance. “Eye.” He said, gesturing toward his own with a frown. 

Ah. Right. My black eye. I washed the make up off. 

Bowing his head slightly, Teller squeezed a bit of the medicine onto his fingers, then gently began rubbing it on his damaged eye. It was cold at first, but slowly began to warm the area until it was blissfully numb. He capped the medicine when he was done, then handed it back to Wan-Nu. 

When he got up to return it to the kitchen, Tay-Yun dropped down onto the sofa on Teller’s other side. “Phone.” He asked as Teller turned to face him, reaching out his hand, palm up, to receive the device. 

I don’t think so. 

Shaking his head, Teller crossed his arms over his chest, then yawned. He knew that Tay-Yun wouldn’t dare try to get into his back pocket and retrieve the phone himself. Even if he knew that he was a boy, it was highly unlikely to happen. So, when he sighed in frustration and retracted his hand, Teller grinned triumphantly… until Tay-Yun grabbed his wrist and turned his hand palm up, then dropped his own phone into it after unlocking the screen. 

“Answer me.” He said as he pointed down at the phone with his free hand, then released Teller’s wrist so that he could type on the texting screen that was open. 

Oh. Wow, can’t believe I didn’t think of doing that. 

Looking down at the phone, Tay-Yun’s phone, Teller slowly nodded. 

“Where are my things?” He asked. 

Right to the point. 

Sighing, Teller began typing on the phone, grateful that Tay-Yun had turned it to an English keyboard for him. 

They were taken. 

Tay-Yun scooted closer and leaned over to read the response, his leg brushing against Teller’s, though neither of them seemed to notice.

“Do you know where?” He asked.

He didn’t bother leaning away as Teller typed out his response. 

Yes. 

 A small bit of hope found its way into Tay-Yun’s eyes, making Teller’s stomach twist uncomfortably. He didn’t want to let him down…

“Where are they?” 

Sighing, Teller started to type out his reply at the same time his phone rang with Mr. Canzoni’s ring tone, making him jump. Tay-Yun caught his phone before it could drop to the floor, leaving Teller to slowly pull his own phone from his back pocket. He didn’t dare answer it, but the ring tone made his heart hammer anxiously against his chest each time it repeated its set of notes. It was just about to go to voicemail when Tay-Yun grabbed it and slid his finger across the screen, silently answering the call as he lifted it to his ear. 

“Teller, you dumbass! Get your sorry excuse for a singer self back here before I find you, because I promise you you’ll be coming to the performances in a wheelchair for the rest of the tour if you don’t! If you get back here within the next fifteen minutes, I’ll make sure to only give you a matching black eye, so get your ass back here, fast!” 

Teller didn’t realize that he’d been cowering away from his manager’s booming voice through the phone until he felt the arm of the sofa pressing against his back. Tay-Yun’s eyes were slowly narrowing over the time it took for Mr. Canzoni to finish his threat, then they glanced sideways to him, making Teller fidget and look down quickly. 

His eyes slowly traveled to the television when Teller peaked back up, which had been turned on at some point and put on mute, though Teller hadn’t noticed until just then. 

“I know you can fucking hear me, you little brat!” Mr. Canzoni shouted, breaking the awkward silence. 

Tay-Yun licked his lips slowly, as if he were thinking about what he wanted to say carefully. When he seemed to decide, he leaned back into the sofa and rolled his head on his neck for a moment, before giving a quick smile that disappeared a second later when he replied with a simple, “Hello?” 

There was a long silence on the other end of the line before Mr. Canzoni’s voice returned, this time sounding much differently. “Hello? Who are you? What happened to Teller?” 

Odd, it almost sounds like he’s actually worried now. 

Teller leaned a little closer, wanting to hear what he was saying since he wasn’t shouting any longer. 

“She is asleep.” Tay-Yun stated simply as he observed the nails on his free hand, as if he hadn’t just gotten screamed at for a solid minute, then gotten the complete reverse attitude right afterward. 

“Ah, she is. Okay. Where are you? I’ll come pick her up. She really should be back here with us.” 

Teller felt his face pale as his head swam. He didn’t want to go back. He couldn’t. If Mr. Canzoni didn’t get at least a few hours to cool off, he really would be in a wheelchair during their next performance. 

“Tay-Yun, do not tell them where we are.” Wan-Nu said as he dropped down on the other side of Tay-Yun, earning a scowl from the young man. 

“I am sorry, I cannot say.” He replied. 

The second those words were out of his mouth Teller felt his whole body slump sideways against the couch, all of his energy suddenly completely drained. The cool fabric felt wonderful on the side of his face. Honestly, it was more comfortable than any pillow he’d ever had at that point. It was probably his lack of sleep, jet lag, stress, or a big pile of all of those things that had him slowly sliding down against the fabric until he felt his right cheek hit the soft cushion, but Teller couldn’t make himself care at that moment. He didn’t even bother to think what was pressing against his hair as he yawned, though it was highly likely that it was Tay-Yun’s leg.

“I will have her get in touch with you tomorrow, good night.” He said before hanging up as Mr. Canzoni began to ramble. 

When the phone began to ring again, it was stopped abruptly, then it vibrated once. 

He turned it off. 

He should have been worried, but Teller just smiled after another yawn, then stretched out a little. His head pressed a bit more against Tay-Yun’s leg during the action, but the young man didn’t seem to care as the television volume was turned on. Humorously enough, it was a story about Sahn-Re’s new girlfriend, but Teller didn’t bother paying attention to it, or the conversation it spawned between Tay-Yun and Wan-Nu. He drifted off in minutes, finally able to relax for the first time since leaving America. 

(Okay, I gotta start updating other stuff XD)

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(Wow, the amount of votes and comments on the last chapter was crazy considering the amount of reads, thanks so much for reading :) )

Waking up in a strange place was always a little unnerving. It was still dark, though the room had no windows in it. Teller knew that Ello wouldn’t just leave him be, with the lights off, if everyone was already up. Tugging his phone from his back pocket, he clicked the screen on, but when it didn’t light up, he realized that his phone had died. 

Guess I won’t be getting in contact with Mr. Canzoni this morning. 

That meant that he’d have to go back as soon as he could. Sighing, he pressed his phone to his forehead. Better to go now then to keep him waiting even longer and risk a worse punishment. He didn’t want to leave the front door open, though. 

Alright, let’s see if someone might be awake so that they can lock it… and maybe let me borrow their phone to call a taxi. He was just walking around the couch to do just that when he realized that calling on someone else’s phone wouldn’t even work. Yes, let me just have your phone and walk away with it so you can’t hear me talking, don’t worry, I’ll bring it back, just like I brought back Tay-Yun’s things. 

Shoving his phone back into his pocket, Teller decided to just go relieve himself, then figure out what he was going to do. He finished quickly and washed his hands, then face, but couldn’t think of any way to leave without one of the boy’s help. 

He was about to just go back and turn the TV on low, when he heard a sound coming from down a different hallway. Narrowing his eyes in that direction, he realized that there was actually a bit of light coming out from beneath one of the doors. 

Go back to the couch… or bother a random member of the band. 

He had never been very wise in his decision making, so when he hesitated for a moment, his feet decided to move him toward the small bit of light. Stopping in front of the door, he reached up to knock, but hesitated again. 

What if they just sleep with the lights on? Or fell asleep doing something? 

His knuckles rapped on the door quietly, but when he got no response, he stepped back and folded his arms over his chest. He could definitely hear music from beyond the door, but it sounded muffled, almost as if there was a sound room…

Of course. 

Without a second thought, Teller grabbed the handle and pushed it open slowly. Thankfully, the door didn’t creak at all and he entered the large room silently. White was the color of choice for the walls and the furniture was a mix between grays and dark reds. A few random paintings hung on the wall, all of which involved music in some way, but besides that, and a large glass coffee table in the center of the step-down area, there was a surprising amount of free space. 

Walking along the outside of the room, away from the sunken den with all of the furniture, Teller took in the area with only half his attention. As he got closer to the far side of the room, he could hear the music a tiny bit better, but it still sounded way too far off. 

“Oh.” 

Turning the corner to look behind what looked to be an alcohol bar, he came across a set of tight spiral stairs dropping downward into the floor. A sound room… down those stairs? How could that have even been possible with such a tight fit on the steps. Of course, he realized a moment later, as he began to carefully descend them, that there was likely another entrance and this one was just for personal use. 

He crouched on one of the higher steps and peaked down to see what was on the floor below. Teller grinned when he saw a thick pane of glass off to the left down a short hall that lead to a large pair of double doors. They were cleverly painted to blend into the wall color. Scanning the rest of the room, he noted a few tan armchairs and one long tan sofa, but what caught his eye was what was in front of the sofa. Like several of the rooms upstairs, part of the room was sunken in by a few small stairs, making it feel a bit bigger than it was… even though the room was actually giant. Nestled in front of the furniture was a large, white, grand piano. 

His heart sped up just looking at it, an eagerness he always felt when he wandered upon instruments welling up in his chest. He’d always wanted to try playing, but no one in the band ever let him near theirs, and he didn’t have the money to even consider a small, cheap version of an instrument. 

Would they mind if I tried playing? 

Slowly making his way down the stairs, Teller kept an eye on his surroundings and made sure that he still heard music coming from the sound room, but kept far away from it to keep from being noticed. 

Once he stepped down into the den area, Teller felt a bit more relaxed. He paced for a few moments before finally making himself walk over to the piano. It was in pristine condition and absolutely gorgeous. 

Looking over his shoulder, he pursed his lips and listened as the music continued from the sound room. Just a few minutes, then I’m leaving. He told himself sternly as he sat down on the comfortable bench. The keys called to his fingers, drawing his right hand up to gently press down on one of the white bars. He didn’t know what key it actually was, because even after joining the band, he was denied any kind of actual musical training, besides better controlling his voice, but as he pressed it down until its sound chimed, he knew right away where he’d heard that note in a million songs before. 

His other hand rose to settle on the keys, his pointer finger pressing down as the one on his right hand lifted. The note was just as familiar, but he could place it as being a little deeper than the previous one. They were a few spaces apart on the piano, and as he began to press keys in either direction, he quickly noted that every single time his hands got further away from each other, the sounds got deeper or higher. 

Of course, he’d assumed that was how it worked from watching Davis play, but to confirm it felt amazing. Teller’s mind appreciated how things worked, from the basic simple things in life, to the intricate, mind-numbingly complicated.  

He spent the better part of an hour learning every single key, what sound it made, where it was placed in accordance to the others, then what sounds each made when combined with different other keys. 

A huge smile stretched his lips as he played. Most new students would consider learning in such a way tedious and useless, as they wouldn’t remember every single sound or space, but Teller had no problem forming a piano in his mind and placing each and every detail where it needed to go. 

By the time the blue clock on the far wall struck six, he had most of the combinations decently memorized. Sitting back, he licked his lips. His mind was buzzing with all of the different sounds as he replayed what he’d done on fast-forward over and over. 

Okay. A song…

Taking in a calming breath, Teller nudged aside the information he’d been working on and allowed himself to relax. The song that had been being worked on during the time he’d spent at the piano started up again, having stopped off and on for a few minutes here and there. 

Maybe I should try playing that? 

It wasn’t familiar, but as he focused on the notes, he easily picked out their places on the piano keys and began putting the pieces together in his mind. After barely touching the keys for twenty minutes, Teller began to play small pieces of the song. He didn’t start in order, but actually pieced together different stanzas as he went. Some parts actually didn’t return to their normal spots in the song, but were changed slightly and moved to a place he thought they fit better. 

When he finally stopped, content with the song and panting quietly, Teller felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. I finally got a chance to play. Deciding not to push his luck any further and risk being found in an area he likely wasn’t allowed, Teller stood and hurried over to the staircase. 

He got back to the sofa he’d slept on right as the clock on the DVD player showed 7:30 A.M.. 

No one is up still…

Dropping down onto the sofa, Teller let his eyes slide closed as he settled his head on the armrest, dozing off a few minutes later. 

“Hey, Tay-Yun.” 

A soft knock on the glass of the sound room brought him out of his thoughts. He hadn’t actually heard the gesture, but he’d seen the faint shadows moving, giving away that someone was there. He’d been up all night, but that was nothing new when he had a song he needed to get out of his head. It wasn’t going too well, but he was making some progress. 

He nodded to Wan-Nu that the door was unlocked, and waited as he slipped inside. En-Ti appeared a moment later, then Sahn-Re, who still appeared to be half asleep. 

“What’s going on?” He asked as he shut off the electric keyboard he’d been working on. 

Before he could even move out from behind it, Wan-Nu had his phone out and was pulling something up. “I saw something surprising on the security cameras earlier.” He said, drawing everyone’s attention suddenly, making them gather uncomfortably around him to try and see what he had pulled up. 

Tay-Yun recognized the tune of his new song right away on the truncated footage, but what shocked him was that it wasn’t his electric keyboard making the sound, which he’d had running on repeat so that he could fill in notes and rerun each fixed version, but the grand piano that Teller sat at. He also began to pick up several small differences, and a few larger ones as the song continued to play.

When the video stopped, all eyes turned up to Wan-Nu. “She was playing for a long time before that, testing each sound of the keys… and she didn’t even seem to know that there were pedals that could be used, too. I don’t think she’s ever touched a piano before tonight, boys.” 

“So, she’s some kind of musical genius?” Sahn-Re asked as he hid a yawn with one hand, then ran his fingers through his messy silver hair, just making it stick up even more. 

“I think it could at least be the reason why the man on the phone earlier wanted her back so desperately. Unless she’d somehow gotten to the sound room while I was in the bathroom around one  this morning, she couldn’t have even seen the music in my notebook.” Tay-Yun added as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

En-Ri seemed the least surprised by the news, but he did look upset.  “I don’t want to give her back to that man.” He stated with a calm determination.

They all looked at each other, then back to the clip, which was beginning to repeat on mute, from the security footage. 

“He’s going to hurt her, guys. He even promised to do so over the phone.” Sahn-Re said quietly, his normally cheerful disposition lost in the heavy atmosphere. 

Wan-Nu stopped the clip and slipped his phone into his pocket as he blew out a stressed breath. The man was barely thirty-five with a full head of styled brown hair. He looked after his band as if he were one of them, and they relied on him, too, but…

“We can’t just take her, and you saw the way she reacted. Yes, she knows she’s going to get hurt, but there’s a reason she’s going to go back, and unless we do something stupid and illegal, we won’t be able to stop her.” He said, hating that he couldn’t do anything.

Tay-Yun nodded after Wan-Nu had finished speaking. “He’s right. She’s not mute, either. Whoever called her is holding something big over her. She’s going back, and considering all of the shows and our upcoming recordings we have to get ready for, we can’t afford to pry into her life.” 

Sahn-Re stepped forward, clearly frustrated with Tay-Yun’s answer. “So you’re saying that we should just ignore her? She’s getting abused and we should just look the other way?” 

En-Ri stepped between them before Tay-Yun could reply. Putting his hands on Sahn-Re’s shoulders, he gently pushed the boy back until there was a safe distance between the two. 

“Tell her that you’d like to help, but he’s right. We know nothing about her besides where she came from and we have no proof of what he’s doing to show the police. A black eye doesn’t mean that he gave it to her. The man that called clearly controls her somehow, and we just don’t have the time right now to push into someone else’s life, especially if they refuse our help, which she is likely to do.” 

Sahn-Re spun around and stomped from the room, earning a head shake from Wan-Nu as he turned his attention to the other two boys. “She still has your things, Tay-Yun… or, I bet you, the man who called has them. You have a reason to stay in contact with her.” 

Tay-Yun glared down at his electric keyboard. “I’ll watch her, but I’m not interfering. Once I get my things, I’m backing away from the situation.” 

Wan-Nu gave his shoulder a squeeze and nodded. “Thank you. She’s asleep upstairs right now. I’m going to go wake her up and see if she’ll eat, then we’ll take her back.” 

Tay-Yun simply returned the nod before sitting back down at his keyboard. 

Right as Wan-Nu was walking out of the sound room, Tay-Yun spoke up quickly, but didn’t take his eyes from the notebook he was writing in. “Send me that recording.”

Clone

(Happy New Years :3)

The V.I.P. tag hanging around Teller’s neck felt more like a leash than anything else. Their first concert was in a little over an hour, so the whole band was getting ready with their outfits and the make up artists. Except for him. There was no need for such things when you weren’t even showing your face. 

At least you can walk. 

It had taken him a lot groveling to be able to keep that privilege after what he’d pulled with Ello.  When he was dropped off, Mr. Canzoni had been waiting right inside the hotel, and of course, had seen the group, besides Tay-Yun, who had stayed behind, bid him farewell. 

The only reason he probably didn’t actually do much more besides make my eyes match is because we’re likely to meet Ello again along the length of the tour. 

They had several venues they shared during that time, and he thought that they opened for at least one of Ello’s

shows, too. 

As he walked toward the back of the venue, the crowds of people around him began to slowly dwindle. Fans weren’t allowed in the back areas, and all of the doors were heavily guarded for the performer’s safety. 

Turning toward one such set of double doors, Teller paced toward them, only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder from one of the large guards. “Sorry kid, no access for fans.” 

Fan? 

Fighting to keep from rolling his eyes, Teller lifted up his V.I.P. pass. That got the man’s attention, but after he looked over at his partner, then back down at Teller, he still shook his head. 

“That’s a nice fake, but you’re not going in.” 

Scowling, Teller looked at the card hanging around his neck by a lanyard. It most definitely wasn’t fake. It looked exactly like the ones Mr. Canzoni had passed out to the rest of the band. Not that he could explain that… without talking. 

Oh. Wait! 

Pulling out his phone, he quickly typed out a message in Korean, then held it up for the guards. 

I am a friend of the group Mimic. Mr. Canzoni, the manager, gave me this pass and told me to meet them before they went on. 

“What, are you mute, too? That doesn’t mean anything to me. Why don’t you call him and have him come bring you in, then?” 

The idea of doing that made Teller’s eyes throb. Mr. Canzoni would absolutely not like having to do that, even though he was just relaxing in the make up room laughing it up with the band as they got ready. 

“It’s okay, Fen-Won, she’s with us.” 

The guard looked over his shoulder at the sound of Wan-Nu’s voice, but Teller forced himself not to turn around. 

“Of course. Though, she said she was a friend of one of the other bands performing, Mimic, not you guys.” The guard said as Ello

approached from either side of Teller. 

“Did she now?” En-Ti asked, a smirk on his handsome face as he leaned over, using Teller’s shoulder as an armrest so that he could move closer. “I didn’t know you knew English that well, Fen-Won.” He stated, raising an eyebrow up at the guard before returning his attention to a visibly nervous Teller. 

“She typed it in Korean.” 

And… there goes one of my rules down the toilet. 

“Wait. You can understand Korean?” Sahn-Re asked, suddenly appearing on his left, a look of shock and excitement on his face. 

Instead of opening his mouth, Teller lifted a hand and gestured that he knew a very small amount. That earned him a glare from Tay-Yun as he stepped in front of them, triggering the guards to hurry and open the double doors. 

“You know very little, hm? Then I assume you just put something like ‘Mimic, friend’ on your phone?” He asked as the group ushered Teller inside. 

Teller offered Tay-Yun a sheepish smile that only earned him a raised eyebrow. 

“Hey, Teller?” 

Wan-Nu took Sahn-Re’s spot as the group headed for a set of rooms down the hall they were walking through. When Teller turned his attention to the man, Wan-Nu pointed at his own eye. 

“Is okay?” 

Sweet guy. 

Nodding, Teller offered him a smile, but didn’t move to take off his sunglasses, even though it was somewhat dim where they were. Wan-Nu seemed a little hesitant to believe him, considering his body language, but let it go after a few moments. 

“That is good. Are you singing?” 

The abrupt question made Teller misstep and trip himself, nearly earning him a place on the floor. Thankfully, Wan-Nu had great reflexes and caught him before he could make the tile’s acquaintance with his face. 

“Thank you.” 

Teller only realized what he’d done when his arm jerked back where Wan-Nu was still holding him. The man had stopped in his tracks, forcing Teller to halt when Wan-Nu refused to release him. 

In seconds Teller felt his body beginning to shake, but he knew that he couldn’t let himself make another mistake. Instead of bolting, like he wished he could do, he lifted a finger to his lips and gave Wan-Nu his most pleading look. 

Please don’t say anything, please! 

A look of frustration crossed his face before he sighed it away. “I know you’re being hurt, and were also told, for some reason, not to talk.” He said quietly, making Teller try to pull his arm free of his grasp. 

Wan-Nu shook his head and released him, allowing Teller to take a few steps back before continuing to speak. “I won’t say anything, but here…” He reached into his coat pocket and took out a small business card, offering it to Teller. 

“Take this. If you ever need me, or if I’m not available, one of the boys, just call or text.” 

It took a moment for Teller to work up the courage to take the card. He’d have to throw it away later. If Mr. Canzoni found out that he had Ello’s manager’s card, he would really be in trouble. 

Slipping the paper into his back pocket, Teller gave the man an awkward bow before running off in the opposite direction. 

“Wan-Nu!” 

Sahn-Re ran up right as Teller hurried to disappear around a corner. Honestly, he wasn’t sure where he was going, as the backstage area seemed a lot more complicated than how they’d come in before. Thankfully, after a few wrong turns and more than a couple odd looks, he managed to find his band’s dressing rooms. 

It was utter chaos inside. Only two of the four looked even remotely ready, and of course, Mr. Cazoni was stalking right toward him with a face as red as a tomato. “Where the hell have you been?” He yelled, raising his hand. 

You told me to go for a walk…

Thankfully, he seemed to remember that there were other people in the room who weren’t accustomed to seeing the beatings he got nearly daily, and he quickly dropped his hand to Teller’s shoulder. It was squeezed hard, but the pain wasn’t nearly as bad as what he had been about to get. 

Raising an eyebrow at the question, Mr. Canzoni glared behind him at the make up artists present and grumbled. “Don’t fucking answer that. If you’re ready to go, get to your spot.” He said as he shoved an earpiece microphone into Teller’s hand.

Nodding, Teller hurried out of the room and down the hall. He needed to find a place to stand backstage where no one else was. Mr. Canzoni was supposed to take care of such a spot, so Teller snooped around different areas as the crews finished setting everything up. He got stopped a couple times, but thankfully his I.D. badge worked and wasn’t considered a fake. 

“Hey, Teller!” 

Please, just go away until after the show!

Biting his lower lip, Teller turned around to see Ello

heading toward him. Most of them were walking, but Sahn-Re was already skidding to a halt a few feet in front of him. 

“Are you here to help with Mimic ?” He asked, surprising Teller that he had guessed their band correctly. 

Wait. Of course he knew which band it was, it’s the only American one here tonight and the guard at the door had mentioned that he’d said he was here for them. 

Deciding to play along, Teller nodded and offered an awkward smile. 

Please, just go. 

“Great, we can watch together since you are likely done setting up with the performance starting soon?” Sahn-Re said cheerfully as he swung one arm around Teller’s shoulders and began to steer him toward a waiting area. 

Teller clenched his teeth as he tried to figure out a way out of the situation. After a moment, he shook his head and ducked away from Sahn-Re’s arm, then pointed off in a random direction. 

“Ah, you have to bathroom first?” 

What… bathroom?

Looking over his shoulder, where he’d pointed, Teller felt his face turn white. 

Why am I not surprised? 

Turning back to Sahn-Re, he bowed his head, then hurried toward the bathrooms. When he stopped outside and glanced over his shoulder to see if Sahn-Re had left or not, the guy came to a stop near the men’s bathroom.

“I’ve gotta go to. I’ll wait for you here, okay?” 

Before Teller could respond, Sahn-Re was gone. Looking back toward the rest of the group, Teller noticed that they were almost to him. No. I can’t deal with them anymore right now!

He hurried and turned, taking off running. He could hear a few people calling his name as he ran, but he didn’t dare slow down or look back until he was safely tucked between two sets of curtains. 

No one’s here. Perhaps this is where Mr. Canzoni wants me?

He didn’t get much time to consider moving, because right as he stepped closer to get a good view of the stage, the lights began to dim and the band rushed out from the opposite direction. 

Teller made eye contact with Ike for a split second, nodding as he ran by and took his spot at the mic center stage. He slid his own mic into place, then worked on calming his breathing. As the crowd began to roar, Teller took it as his sign that they were starting soon and turned on his mic. He focused completely on Ike, and when the beginning music to Matchbox Twenty’s If You’re Gone started playing, he squared his shoulders and gently pressed his fingertips to his throat. 

As Ike opened his mouth, so did Teller. They synced up quickly, and soon Teller was swept away by the song. He did have to hand it to the band, they knew what they were doing on the instruments, and Ike was very convincing with his lip syncing. 

A faint nudge of jealousy slipped into Teller’s mind as the song seamlessly slid into Imagine Dragons’ Dream. The roar from the cheering crowd made his lips split into a smile as he began the first chorus of the song. He let himself believe that they were cheering for him, and not Ike. As the song wound down, then began to transition into Taylor Swift’s Blank Space , he turned to face the crowd, only to notice something moving in his peripheral vision. The words of the song felt like a sadistic backdrop to the predicament he suddenly found himself in. 

I can read you like a magazine. 

Tay-Yun and En-Ti stared at him, eyes wide and mouths open. 

Aint it funny, rumors fly. 

Teller wanted to run, but he had to force himself to stay still and remain calm as he continued to sing for Ike. 

And I know you heard about me. So hey, let’s be friends. I’m dying to see how this one ends. 

The two began to come toward him, forcing Teller’s heart to hammer in his chest angrily. His voice wavered, but he made himself recover as he stared back at Ike. He was doing his choreography, and had likely heard the tiny slip up, be cause he sent Teller a nasty glare before he returned to the front of the stage. 

Grab your passport and my hand, I can make the bad guys good for a weekend. 

Jerking his eyes away from Ike, he nearly gasped when Tay-Yun and En-Ti were only a few feet away. Without thinking, and because he clearly couldn’t talk while singing, and with his mic on, Teller yanked off his sunglasses, dropping them to the floor. 

So it’s gonna be forever, or it’s gonna go down in flames. 

Both of them stopped abruptly, looking uncomfortable. No doubt his new black eye was a surprise. Hopefully they would connect it to what could easily happen if they made him mess up… or worse. They stared at each other. En-Ti seemed to calm down a little, but Tay-Yun’s hands balled into fists. They remained that way while Teller finished Taylor Swift’s song and transitioned into Daughtry’s Home. 

Teller was ready for him to come force him to stop fooling everyone when Wan-Nu suddenly slipped between the two and walked right up to him. His heart made him breathless, making him struggle to keep up with Ike as Wan-Nu approached. 

Hinder’s Without You began as Teller squeezed his eyes shut. He expected to be reprimanded as he struggled to keep his voice steady, but when he felt a gentle hand settled on his shoulder and give a soft squeeze, his eyes opened wide and he looked up at Wan-Nu. 

The chorus started up, allowing him a chance to get himself back on track. 

Cause something changed, you were acting so strange, and it’s taking its toll on me. 

As Teller turned his attention back to Ike, he felt Wan-Nu take his left arm in his hand. A moment later, the feeling of a marker running across his skin drew his attention to his arm for the briefest of seconds. 

He’s writing a number down? Does he know that I was going to throw away his card? He did have Tay-Yun’s in his phone, but he’d never call him considering the death glare he was currently getting from him. 

Wan-Nu capped his marker, then made a call-me sign with his hand before ruffling Teller’s hair before turning back toward Tay-Yun and En-Ti. Tay-Yun looked livid, but En-Ti was offering a small but encouraging smile as Wan-Nu took them both by an elbow and lead them away. 

Some how, I’m saved, hopefully. For now. 

He had no doubt that Mr. Canzoni had heard his mistakes, and even if he hadn’t, Ike would definitely point them out. The idea of getting a beating before the band went out for celebratory drinks ruined any of the previous joy he’d felt when starting the show.

Double

(Splitting this into two kinda)

“You were in the wrong fucking spot, you idiot!” Mr. Canzoni yelled in Teller’s face the second the door to their hotel sweet was closed. He hadn’t told him what had actually happened, but he didn’t really need to, either. He messed up, and the only time he ever messed up during practices was when he got distracted suddenly. 

The only way he could have gotten distracted during the performance, was if someone had found him. 

It wasn’t like he’d given me detailed directions to which set of curtains I had to stand between. 

The first hit was barely felt as Teller stared down at his scuffed shoes. Honestly, Mr. Canzoni wasn’t very strong. That, or he’d just gotten so used to his punches that they didn’t really hurt much anymore. The rest of the band seemed like they wanted a go at him, too, just for the fun of it, but Mr. Canzoni had told them before they got up to the room that Teller was strictly his. They couldn’t have bruised knuckles before their next performance. 

Counting himself lucky that he was only going to have to deal with one person, Teller let himself be pulled into the back bedroom. The hits to his shoulders and legs, neither of which were needed to sing, came swiftly after the door was closed. Teller found himself leaning back against it so that he didn’t have to support his weight from the kicks. Mr. Canzoni wasn’t great at punching, but his legs did pack a decent amount of force behind them. 

Not ten minutes later he was beginning to feel himself drop, no longer able to stand, when Mr. Canzoni’s phone began to ring. He backed off just in time for Teller to sag down to the floor. He didn’t bother looking up and just focused on catching his breath as he heard his manager grumble about some wrong number and end the call without picking it up. 

He was just lifting his leg, huffing like he’d actually been the one taking the beating and wasn’t just terribly out of shape, when his phone began to ring again. Stomping his foot down on the carpet, he grabbed the device and canceled the call again, only for his text message notification to chime a few moments later. 

“What the hell?” He rasped, drawing Teller’s curiosity, even though it hurt to lift his head. 

Mr. Canzoni was sneering down at the phone and him, then suddenly threw it, hitting Teller in the forehead before he could reach his hands up to block. 

“You better get yourself cleaned up and get your ass down to the lobby in five minutes or I’ll skin you for this mess up! Those assholes that found out who you are just texted me a threat to reveal you if you didn’t meet  them right away. If that happens, you can kiss the money keeping your granny alive goodbye, do you hear me you little shit!” 

Mr. Canzoni yanked him up by his shirt and shoved the door open, then threw him into the bathroom next door. “Five minutes!” He yelled one more time, then added. “And you better hide your little bruises or you’re going to get it much worse than I already owe you when you get back!” 

Before Teller could think about any kind of response, Mr. Canzoni slammed the bathroom door shut. “What… just happened?” He whispered to himself as he grabbed onto the edge of the sink and used it to help him pull himself up. 

When his eyes rose to look at his reflection in the mirror, he winced. He had a mark that was bleeding slightly from where the phone had hit him on his forehead, but what he definitely would need to hide were the bruises starting to show on his shoulders and collarbone area. 

Do I even have something to hide that area? He wondered as he hurried to scrub his face off, then put a small band-aid on his forehead. It would bring attention to the injury, but it would also hide what it really was. He could just say that he bumped his head. 

Tugging his pants down a little, he winced as the fabric brushed against fresh bruises. Tonight is going to be horrible. Pulling them back up after quickly relieving himself, he washed his hands and walked out of the bathroom right as Mr. Canzoni stomped up to him and wrapped a black scarf too-tightly around his neck, then shoved a pair of sunglasses on his face, even though it was night time. 

“Get the hell out of here, now.” He hissed, shoving him toward the door and nearly making him fall as his aching legs sent jolts of pain through his system. 

As he stepped out of the hotel room, he loosened the scarf just enough to be able to get a decent breath in without choking. He didn’t need to think much to know who had called Mr. Canzoni. It was Ello, but how had they gotten his number? 

When he stepped off the elevator on the ground floor, Sahn-Re was waiting with a huge grin on his face. Does he ever get tired? I don’t think he does… The young man grabbed his wrist and tugged him quickly toward the electric front doors. “We got your boss’s number from Fen-Won. All of the security staff have access to the performer’s contact information in case of an emergency.” 

Am I an emergency? 

His body ached, especially since his arm was being pulled, but Teller didn’t really see himself as someone who needed saved. He felt pretty satisfied that he was helping his grandmother so much by singing. Just the thought of her getting well at the hospital had him smiling as he was pulled into a waiting car. 

To his surprise, En-Ti, Tay-Yun and Wan-Nu were all there. Tay-Yun didn’t seem that happy about it, but he wasn’t scowling at least. En-Ti offered him a slight smile, and Wan-Nu grinned from the driver’s seat. 

“Hello guys.” He said sheepishly, not really sure what else he was supposed to say as he got himself buckled in the back beside Sahn-Re. He also was hesitant to start talking again. Ello already knew about his circumstances so he didn’t think that he could get in any more trouble by talking to them, but he did make sure that his voice sounded a little more feminine than masculine. 

When the car started moving, Sahn-Re grinned over at him. “We had good timing, right? I saw you get dragged away by your manager. It didn’t look like it was going to be good so I ended up getting your number after promising Fen-Won front row tickets to our sold out concert for his daughter.” 

you were just a little too late. 

Offering a tired smile, Teller nodded. “Thank you.” 

Sahn-Re returned the nod, then paused as his smile fell and he reached forward. When his fingers brushed against the band-aid on Teller’s forehead, he flinched back, but tried to hide his reaction with a chuckle. “I bumped into a door.” He mumbled, brushing his bangs in front of the band-aid a little. 

Retracting his hand slowly, Sahn-Re hunched back into his seat as he watched him. “So I was too late.” 

He’s going to hate himself if he learns what really happened. 

Forcing a smile, Teller shrugged his throbbing shoulders. “It’s just a bump. You helped me out.” 

He seemed to relax a bit at that, letting Teller also calm himself a little. They rode in silence for nearly fifteen minutes before the car pulled up to a drive-thru window. Teller didn’t recognize the restaurant, but he didn’t intend to eat anything anyways. 

Everyone ordered different kinds of kimbap, but he refused to order anything. Wan-Nu raised an eyebrow at him and returned his attention to the person taking the order, getting two more meals, before he moved forward and paid. 

When they finally arrived back at their home all of the boys were clearly starving. The food barely touched the counter before the bags were torn apart and over half of the container vanished. Sahn-Re remained with Teller and Wan-Nu as he unwrapped one of his two containers and began stuffing his face, while Tay-Yun and En-Ti went into the den to eat on the sofa. 

Wan-Nu set out the other four containers, then looked over at him. “You need to eat.” 

Teller opened his mouth to say that he’d eaten earlier, which, he technically had, but it had just been a bit of rice that was left over from the rest of the band’s lunches. Wan-Nu didn’t let him make an excuse as he took his hand and tugged him closer to the containers sitting on the counter, then began pointing at each. 

“Kimchi, carrots, spinach, pickled radish and crab.” 

Teller involuntarily licked his lips. Wa-Nu immediately nudged that container aside, then continued pointing. 

“Egg, fish, sesame, garlic.” 

The next one was, “Kimchi, carrots, spinach, soy, radish.” 

He moved his finger to name the last one, watching Teller’s expression instead of the container. “Crab, fish, chicken, sesame, kimchi, soy.” 

Teller looked away, trying hard not to let his stomach growl. All of them sounded delicious. When he felt something nudge against his arm, he bit back a wince and turned, only to have the first and last container handed over to him, along with a pair of wooden chopsticks. 

Wan-Nu took the other two containers and headed for the den. Teller was about to set the food back on the counter, but Sahn-Re, with his chopsticks between his teeth, grinned at him and grabbed his free hand, tugging him out of the room. 

The news was turned on and everyone was digging in. It was awkward. Sahn-Re had opened one of his containers and tried to get him to just taste some, but Teller just couldn’t bring himself to eat. As time went on, his legs and arms began to make him painfully uncomfortable, and he could tell that the boys were starting to notice. 

Should I just ask for some medicine and say it’s a headache? 

It seemed like the best idea, so he reached over and tapped Wan-Nu on the shoulder, getting his attention away from the television. “Um, do you have medicine for a headache?” 

The man nodded quickly and got up, taking his empty containers with him to recycle. When he returned with a glass of water and two small pills, Teller held out his hand. To his surprise, Wan-Nu closed his hand around the pills and set the glass down on the table in front of Teller. 

“These are strong. You need to eat.” 

Sagging back against the sofa, Teller looked down at the untouched containers of food in his lap. They smelled like heaven, but he didn’t trust his stomach, or Mr. Canzoni when he got back to the hotel. 

“Oh.” He said after a few moments of only the television for background noise. “I suppose I shouldn’t take them then.” 

“You really are annoying.” Tay-Yun said all of a sudden as he dropped down next to Teller, a half-eaten container of food in his hand. 

He picked up one of the pieces in it with his chopsticks and held it up to Teller. 

“There is nothing but rice and soy. If you are hurting so badly that you asked for medicine, you need to open your stubborn mouth.” 

Teller scowled up at the guy glaring down at him before Tay-Yun nudged at his lips with the piece of kimbap. “Open, stubborn kid.”

He wanted to keep his mouth shut just to spite him, but his head was honestly starting to hurt and his arms and legs were only getting worse. Returning Tay-Yun’s glare, Teller took the piece of food between his lips. He chewed slowly, savoring the flavor, even if it was only rice, soy and the seaweed wrapper. The second he swallowed the food, another piece was being nudged between his lips. 

He took it, too, but made sure to bite the fancy chopsticks Tay-Yun had grabbed for himself out of a drawer at the same time, earning himself a scowl. The same chopsticks poked him in the cheek, making him jerk his head to the side and try to snap at them again, only to bite thin air. 

“Okay okay, no fighting.” Sahn-Re said right as Wan-Nu’s phone began to ring. 

He spoke for a few moments, then handed the headache medicine to Tay-Yun, then pointed to the remaining few kimbap in the container, then to Teller. Tay-Yun glared back, but Wan-Nu completely ignored him as he hurried off to another room to resume the phone call. 

“I’m going to shower.”  En-Ti said as he got up, taking his empty containers to the kitchen before turning down the hall behind where they all sat. 

Sahn-Re was the next person to leave, though Teller desperately wished that he’d stay. “I still have to practice the changes we made to our last song for the upcoming concert. Take care of Teller?” 

Before Tay-Yun could even reply, Sahn-Re was running off. Teller envied his energy. “Hurry and eat so I can get my own work done.” Teller rolled his eyes and reached for the container in Tay-Yun’s lap. 

“Just give me the medicine, I know you don’t want to share your food.” Teller said, earning an odd look from Tay-Yun. 

Did he not understand me fully? 

Sighing, Teller pointed to the hand Tay-Yun had the two pills in. “Give me them.” 

That got Tay-Yun to raise his eyebrows, then smirk. “No.” He replied in English, earning a glare. “Yes.” Teller replied back in Korean, holding his hand out for the pills. Tay-Yun held them away, making Teller even angrier. 

“You hate me, so why are you wasting your time doing this?” Teller growled, earning a head tilt from Tay-Yun as a thoughtful look came to his ice blue eyes. “That’s quite a big sentence for someone who only knows a little Korean.” 

This guy! 

Tay-Yun set the remaining kimbap on Teller’s lap and grinned. If I wouldn’t hurt myself more trying to smack him… Grabbing the remaining pieces with his fingers, Teller hurried and ate them. With his mouth still full, he held his hand out again. 

The look on Tay-Yun’s face gave Teller just enough time to glare before he started laughing like crazy. How did I ever like this guy? Teller asked himself as he chewed his food quickly, then leaned forward to take a swipe at the pills again. 

Tay-Yun lifted his hand out of reach just in time, but Teller was determined. He’d eaten the darn food, even though Mr. Canzoni will likely see to it that it’s thrown up later. He at least deserved some pain medication! 

With a quiet yell, he lunged for the medicine, only to overshoot himself. His hands landed on the other side of where Tay-Yun sat. He tried to lean back and correct himself, but before he could think, he was on his back and Tay-Yun’s free hand was pinning him down… right on his aching shoulder. 

The look on the young man’s face shifted dramatically in that one second, though Teller couldn’t understand what had triggered it until he felt a hot tear run down his left cheek. No! No, stop crying! No matter how loudly he yelled at himself in his mind, Teller couldn’t keep the tears from multiplying as Tay-Yun unknowingly pushed down on his injury. 

“You’re seriously crying… dammit.” 

Tay-Yun pushed himself up off the sofa, the added bit of pressure to his shoulder making Teller wince and make the faintest sound. Unfortunately, it was enough to freeze Tay-Yun where he stood now leaning over Teller. His eyes narrowed, but Teller ignored him as he slowly pushed himself up, using only his other arm, though it still hurt, too. 

They remained silent until Tay-Yun leaned forward and gently pressed his fingers against Teller’s shoulder, forcing him to lean back against the sofa cushion. A few more tears slipped from the contact, making Tay-Yun frown, but quickly mask the expression as he shoved the two pills into Teller’s hand. 

Without hesitating a second, Teller tossed the pills back, then chased them down with the entire small glass of water. Tay-Yun took the time he did that to turn the television off, but when Teller finished taking the medicine, it looked like he was going to be questioned. 

Perfect. Now I have to try and figure out a way to avoid him, fast. 

“Hey Teller! Come listen to me practice!” Sahn-Re shouted from down a far hall. 

Bingo. 

Jumping up, then staggering slightly as pain shot up through his legs, Teller bowed his head slightly to Tay-Yun, then hurried down the hall to find Sahn-Re. He knew that he wasn’t out of the woods with Tay-Yun, but he hoped that the guy was more annoyed with him than he was worried, and wouldn’t seek him out.

Replicate

“Um, Wan-Nu, why did you give her sleeping pills?” Sahn-Re asked as he sat down on his bed beside a passed out Teller, poking her jaw without a single reaction. The kid was out cold, having fallen asleep barely twenty minutes after Sahn-Re had started practicing. 

Wan-Nu looked down at Teller and shook his head, dropping down to the bed as well, so that he could reach over and check for a fever. “They weren’t sleeping pills, just the pain medication I was prescribed for my back. She looked like crap and probably felt even worse considering how badly she was fidgeting, so I gave her the recommended dose for someone who’s around sixteen. I can’t imagine her being any younger than that.” 

“She’s a little warm, but that’s probably because she’s still wearing a jacket and scarf in here.” He said as he nodded to Sahn-Re. “Help me get them off.” 

Sahn-Re carefully lifted Teller’s upper body and leaned her against his chest so that Wan-Nu could remove the jacket first. The scarf came undone as the jacket was shed, making it easy to unwrap a few times, then toss aside. 

“Okay, what should we do Wan-Nu? I doubt her manager wants her to stay overnight here, but she had to be exhausted to be knocked out by those pills so quickly.” 

When Wan-Nu didn’t answer, Sahn-Re  began to speak again, but his manager lifted his hand abruptly, silencing him. After a moment Wan-Nu’s hand slowly lowered back to press gently against a patch of discolored skin peaking out from beneath the neckline of Teller’s shirt. 

“What’s that?” Sahn-Re asked in a tone that made it clear that he knew exactly what it likely was. 

Wan-Nu hung his head as he let out a tired sigh. 

“What’s going on?” En-Ti asked as him and Tay-Yun stepped into the room and walked over to see what they were doing. 

“You knocked her out? Thank you.” Tay-Yun said with a grin, earning a glare from both Sahn-Re and Wan-Nu, making his smile drop in confusion. “What? What’s wrong?” He asked as he leaned over to look down at Teller. 

“What’s wrong with her neck…?” He asked as he noticed the discoloration.  

Shaking his head, Wan-Nu reached up and took off Teller’s sunglasses, then set them on top of the jacket and scarf they’d removed from her beside her. 

“I think she needs to go to the hospital.” He said as he carefully lifted Teller into his arms. Sahn-Re nodded and hopped up right away, intent on coming along. 

He ran ahead to open the door, but when he heard a curse, he hurried back to the room to see Teller struggling in Wan-Nu’s arms. The kid still looked half asleep, and was now crying, but she still somehow managed to give Wan-Nu a hard time. It didn’t help that Tay-Yun and En-Ti were just watching, either. 

“Clearly, she doesn’t want to go anywhere with you.” Tay-Yun said as he stood leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the struggle. 

Teller-

Teller slipped from Wan-Nu’s arms and dropped back down to the bed after elbowing the man in the ribs. He tried to push himself up, but his arms refused the weight. His legs weren’t much better, though he did manage to land a decent kick to Wan-Nu’s hand as he tried to reach for him again. 

“Dammit. This kid’s getting beaten to death and she doesn’t even want help?” He growled out of frustration as he dug his hands through his short hair and dropped down to sit on the edge of the bed. 

Teller didn’t try to kick him again. Mainly because he couldn’t lift his leg without crying more. The pills had worked miracles, but feeling people touching him had brought back the memories of being hit, pushing aside the soothing affects of the medicine with panic. Now that he was able to calm down and realize what was actually going on, he forced himself to take a few deep breaths. 

“I’m sorry, but don’t try to do that again.” He said with a raspy whisper as his eyes stared, half-lidded, up at the ceiling. Since the situation had calmed down, the medication was kicking back in, making it hard to stay awake as his body began to numb again. 

A gentle brush against his bangs brought him back to the present, but he couldn’t manage to open his eyes any further. 

“En-Ti, don’t you have some topical medication that could help with her bruises?” Wan-Nu asked as he brushed aside a few strands of hair from Teller’s face. 

He couldn’t see or hear if En-Ti responded, but when he felt hands grip his lower arms, he flinched away. “We just want to help you. This medicine should numb whatever those pills haven’t been able to, and it should also help heal you.” 

Reluctantly, Teller forced himself to sit up. It took some effort, but since they already knew that he was hurting, he didn’t bother trying to hide it. When he was finally upright, he sagged to the left, leaning against Wan-Nu, though he hadn’t meant to. 

“Hey, Sahn-Re? Can you maybe call your sister and see if she can come over and help us with her? I don’t think Teller would be very comfortable with us putting on the medicine.” 

Uh, let’s not do that. Enough of this fake female thing. I don’t want to give Sahn-Re’s sister a heart attack. 

“I’m a guy.” Teller mumbled into the silence as Wan-Nu waited for a response from Sahn-Re, possibly because the guy was checking his phone to make the call, if the little beeps from it were any indication. 

The sound of a cell phone hitting the floor, and another hitting the bed, made Teller chuckle quietly. Did they really not see that coming? They had even assumed that I was a guy before guessing that I was a girl. He grinned. No wonder the media eats that crap up, I’m not half bad at pretending to be female, even when I’m not really trying all that much. Didn’t even wrap up my chest today. 

“Wait. You are a boy?” Wan-Nu asked, earning a nod against his shoulder. 

“Damn.” He sighed before letting a quiet laugh slip. “I don’t think I’m really surprised, though.” He said after a few moments. 

“Me neither.” Teller added, earning a louder laugh from Wan-Nu. 

When an awkward silence took over, Teller pushed himself to his unsteady feet and turned to Wan-Nu. “Can I just go back to the hotel, please?” He was no longer a damsel in distress, so he couldn’t see a logical reason why they would worry over him more than simple gestures. 

“No.” Came Sahn-Re’s response, surprising Teller as he turned his attention to the young man climbing out of the bed to stand beside him. “You look like you are about to fall over.” His words came out nearly as loud as a shout, making Teller’s eyes widen slightly. 

When Sahn-Re tucked his head, Teller frowned. “And I wasn’t fast enough to keep you from getting hurt… but I can make sure you don’t go back.” 

I’m pretty sure that’s called kidnapping, and it’s hopefully as illegal here as it was back in the United States. 

“Don’t scare him like that, Sahn-Re. You know we can’t keep him here against his will.” En-Ti said, finally stepping into the conversation. 

Sahn-Re only glared at him, but when he turned his attention back to Teller, he seemed a little more deflated. Where did all of his energy go? 

“I’m sorry I’m worrying you all, but I need to go.” Teller said before turning and forcing himself to ignore the pain shooting through his legs as his feet move. 

He was halfway to the front door when he leaned against the wall to his left, needing to take a break and catch his breath. If I can just show them that I can walk out on my own, they should hopefully consider that I’m well enough to return. 

“Take another step toward the door and I’m going to kick you right in the knee.” Tay-Yun said, stepping up beside him and leaning over as he spoke so that Teller could hear the threat loud and clear, and see the smirk and eagerly raised eyebrows that went along with it. 

You…

“You wouldn’t.” Teller hissed out unintentionally, the pain he was feeling changing the tone of his voice. 

Tay-Yun’s grin widened for a fraction of a second, then disappeared as the rest of the group appeared from Sahn-Re’s bedroom and began heading toward them. 

“Glad that we come to agreement.” Tay-Yun said in broken English as he abruptly reached over and scooped Teller up into his arms. 

“Hey!” Teller yelled at the same time he buried his face against Tay-Yun’s neck, trying not to literally scream from his legs brushing against Tay-Yun’s sides. 

He felt his arms tighten around him as he turned away from the hallway leading to the front door. Teller felt him stop walking a moment later. “Just give me the medicine, and don’t give me any crap about this. Sahn-Re, you need to practice, and so does En-Ti.” 

Wan-Nu started saying something, but Tay-Yun cut him off quickly. “If he dozes off again, he can just use my bed. I have a song to work on anyways, so I probably won’t be sleeping much tonight.” 

No one argued, so Tay-Yun continued on his way after likely taking the tube of medication. Teller felt himself slip in and out of consciousness as he walked, until he felt himself being laid down. 

Forcing one eye open, he gave a big yawn, then blinked Tay-Yun’s image into focus. “Can you get your shirt off?” 

Nodding, Teller slowly pushed himself up, then grabbed the hem of his shirt. He was a bit off-balance and swayed back and forth, but painfully managed to get it off. He let it drop to the side, then fell right back down on his back with a hiss. The crisp, cold sheets felt amazing against his hot skin, coaxing him to close his eyes again. 

He didn’t blink them open again until he felt something chilly being rubbed against his bare shoulders. “Don’t stare at me like that, it’s weird.” Tay-Yun said as he hurried to spread the medicine over Teller’s many bruises. Wan-Nu hadn’t been joking about how well it worked. While the pills had definitely been great, the medication was just heavenly. 

“I don’t want to know what that face is. Change back to the other, less creepy one.” Tay-Yun said as he finished up, then sat back on his knees beside him. 

“Feels good.” Teller slurred, feeling a tad bit high from the sudden relief the medication brought. 

Heaving a loud sigh, Tay-Yun reached down and began unbuttoning Teller’s pants, instantly drawing him out of his happy cloud. He couldn’t push himself up anymore, but he did glare and shift his hips to try and keep his pants on. 

“The hell do you think you’re doing!” Teller shouted, trying his best to lift one of his legs and kick Tay-Yun, but barely managing to even lift it a few inches off the bed. 

The sound of footsteps darting down the hall allowed him to calm down a little and drew another frustrated sigh from Tay-Yun as he stood back up and turned to face Wan-Nu, Sahn-Re, and En-Ti. All Teller could do was turn his head to stare at them, his mouth slightly open to pant, his lack of breath caused by the surprise of nearly losing his pants. 

“What are you doing to him?” Sahn-Re growled as he began walking forward, only to be shoved aside as Tay-Yun walked over to Wan-Nu and whispered something in his ear. 

Their manager didn’t look happy, at all, but he nodded and gestured for Sahn-Re and En-Ti to leave. Neither looked willing, but when he pointed to the door and said “We need to do something important. I promise we won’t hurt him, Tay-Yun just spooked him by mistake.” 

Spooked him my ass! He was trying to take my pants off! 

Unfortunately, Sahn-Re and En-Ti only gave him an apologetic look before leaving the room. Wan-Nu walked over and locked the door, making Teller’s heart twist like the mechanism that just took away any slim possibility of help he’d had. 

“It’s going to be okay.” Wan-Nu said as he turned around, likely seeing Teller’s terrified face. “We need to put medicine on your legs.” 

Teller forced his head back and forth, but neither of them seemed to accept him declining their help as they stopped in front of him, then Tay-Yun returned to sit beside him. The idea that Tay-Yun would just hold him down while Wan-Nu removed his pants had Teller’s heartbeat skyrocketing, but when he just met his eyes and both men remained still, Teller slowly began to calm down. 

“If you don’t let us do this, we will have to take you to the hospital.” Wan-Nu said while looking down at the floor. He looked ashamed, but also worried and nervous. 

Tay-Yun remained silent, but when Teller’s breathing finally calmed completely, he reached back down to the button of Teller’s pants and carefully undid it. He wanted to fight, but his body just couldn’t find the strength anymore, and his mind was so stressed out that it couldn’t fully comprehend half of what was happening by the time they had his shoes and pants off. Thankfully, they didn’t touch his boxers, but it still freaked him out to be nearly naked in front of complete strangers. 

“I will do it carefully, so tell me if I’m hurting you and I will do it lighter.” Wan-Nu said, having taken the tube from Tay-Yun. 

Teller fidgeted a little when Wan-Nu reached toward him with a bit of medicine on his fingers. He immediately retracted his hand and looked at Tay-Yun the same time the guy stared up at him with an annoyed expression. 

“I’ll just do it.” He said, taking the tube and adding a large amount of medicine to his hand. 

He wasn’t gentle, and Teller had to bite his tongue on a few choice curse words before he was halfway done. Wan-Nu watched his leg in case he needed to reach down to keep him from trying to kick, and told Tay-Yun to be more gentle, but it was like the guy couldn’t even hear him. 

To Teller’s surprise, Tay-Yun finished both of his legs in less than five minutes. They still ached badly from his strength, but as the medicine began to kick in, Teller couldn’t say that he was upset. His mind actually turned to mush as his eyelids drooped. 

“Ah, I think it’s working.” Wan-Nu said as Tay-Yun’s weight disappeared from the bed beside Teller. 

He was about to pass out right then and there, when he felt the bed dip next to his head. Strong hands carefully held him around his armpits to keep from grabbing onto any of the bruises, and slowly pulled him back. His head was lifted a moment later and a pillow slid beneath it. 

“He’s going to be asleep any second now.” Came Tay-Yun’s voice as the weight beside him disappeared again. 

Wan-Nu responded, but Teller couldn’t make sense of it as he drifted between being awake and asleep. Some time later, whether it was seconds, minutes, or hours, he heard the door open and close, then the lock click. A few moments later, the bed depressed somewhere to his left. His heart picked up as a feeling of  unease and confusion swept through his body, pushing him to try and remember where he was and who could be beside him, but when the sound of blankets rustling was the only thing he heard for the next several minutes, he slowly felt himself beginning to calm down again. 

“Go back to sleep.” 

Tay-Yun… He couldn’t find a reason to decline as he remembered what happened. There would be no getting away with having not gone back to the hotel, so Teller decided to not worry about it till morning. With a barely-there smile, he whispered on a near-silent breath. “Night.” 

He didn’t expect a response, and after a few moments he was already slipping back into the blissful darkness of sleep. 

“…night.”

Emulate

(Thanks for all the comments and votes :))

The sound of a phone constantly ringing was going to drive Tay-Yun insane. He always shut his off at night, so he knew that it couldn’t be causing it. His ring tone also wasn’t the default one playing right then. 

When the song finally stopped for the hundredth time, and didn’t repeat, Tay-Yun felt his heart finally begin to relax again. Only for the chime to return seconds before he was back to sleep.

“I’m going to break that damned thing.” He growled as he sat up and looked around the dark room. It was far larger than any other area in the house and only became his bedroom because they had run out of them. 

No one else wanted the responsibility of keeping such a large room clean, either. He was a neat freak, so it didn’t bother him, and it had its own bathroom attached, but he had wished that he’d been able to get a smaller space, if only to save time keeping it in order. 

Slipping out from underneath his blankets, Tay-Yun headed down to the small sitting area by the tucked in mini bar wearing a light pair of checkered blue pajama pants. He swiped the phone he found there from the coffee table. It had just stopped ringing when he picked it up, and to his surprise, didn’t start again as he stared at it. 

There was a long list of missed calls, mostly from someone named Mr. Canzoni. He couldn’t quite remember, but he thought that Sahn-Re had mentioned that name when talking to Fen-Won earlier in the day when he was trying to get Mimic’s manager’s number. 

The dots connected quickly once he’d allowed himself to wake up a bit more. “So, Sahn-Re had guessed correctly. Your manager is likely the one attacking you.” Tay-Yun mumbled quietly as he dropped down onto the sofa behind him and scrolled through the full missed calls list. 

“Hm. This one isn’t him, and it’s pretty recent.” 

He stopped on a different name in the sea of Mr. Canzoni’s. “Ike?” 

Glancing over his shoulder at the small four foot wall that hid his bed from the rest of the room, Tay-Yun pursed his lips, then licked them as he stood up and walked around the sofa.

 Stopping by the foot of his bed after stepping up onto the raised platform, Tay-Yun looked back down at the phone, then up to Teller. 

“Teller?” 

When the kid lying in his bed didn’t budge at all, he walked over and got back in on his own side. Stretching out his legs, Tay-Yun took one last glance at Teller before pushing the dial button for Ike, since it didn’t require him to unlock the phone to do so. 

The call was picked up after three rings, but no one spoke. There was a lot of background noise, though he couldn’t sift through it all to place any of it specifically. It sounded like they were possibly at a club or party of some sort. 

“Hello?” Tay-Yun questioned. 

There was no response for another few moments, but then all of the background noise suddenly got much quieter, as if the person had left the room. 

“Teller?” The other person finally responded. “Mr. Canzoni is going to kill you if you don’t get back to the hotel.” 

“Teller is asleep.” Tay-Yun replied calmly. 

There was a pause on the other end, then a hesitant response. “Um, I’m sorry I don’t understand what you’re saying. Who is this?” 

Tay-Yun sighed up at the ceiling as he leaned back against his stack of pillows. “My name is Tay-Yun.” He said with a heavier accent than normal, as he was still quite tired from working most of the night. 

“Okay. Why do you have Teller’s phone? Where is he?” 

Grinning, Tay-Yun decided to have a bit of fun with the slip up the guy just made. 

“He?” He asked as he stretched out a bit more. At the same time, he felt the bed shift beside him, then a warm forehead press against his right arm, drawing his attention down to the boy. 

A stressed sigh came through the phone but Tay-Yun didn’t take his eyes off of the kid in the dark room. 

“Listen, I don’t care what you think he or she is. It’s all fake. You already know his secret, so what does it matter? He really needs to come back, though. Mr. Canzoni is going to cut his pay as it is. If he doesn’t come back soon, he won’t be able to make the hospital payments this month.” 

Frowning, Tay-Yun tilted his head, eyeing Teller as he considered the new information. He wouldn’t have been surprised in the least if he had to go to the hospital for what his manager did to him, but the fact that he would cut his pay just because he didn’t return to get hurt again…

“What if I said… that I won’t give him back?” Tay-Yun said. 

Another pause from the other side of the phone, then the man replied in a much more worried tone. “Dude, you can’t. You don’t understand. He needs the money he’s getting from this.” 

A few of the guys muffled words slipped Tay-Yun’s sleepy memory, but he managed to get the gist of what he was talking about. It was a bit odd, though, that he didn’t even mention anything about kidnapping. Unless he was smarter than Tay-Yun almost gave him credit for and realized that they could get themselves in just as much trouble by reporting him considering the injuries on Teller’s body. 

“How much does he make?” He asked, honestly curious. Teller’s ability, from the little bit he’d seen on the security camera and when they’d met him at the show between the curtains by mistake, was definitely worth a good amount to any right-minded producer. 

“About one thousand five-hundred a month” Ike replied. 

Tay-Yun had to focus on the numbers for a few moments to convert them into won. 1,602,522.

“That is it?” Tay-Yun asked, drawing another pause from the man on the other side of the phone. 

“I know he should be paid more, but I can’t do anything about it…” Ike said, sounding a lot more worried. 

Tay-Yun smirked and shook his head. He bet the guy regretted giving him the real number. 

“Listen, Tay-Yun, I’m not Teller’s friend and I’m not going to pretend to be, but he needs that money, and we have a small show tomorrow, too. If he doesn’t show, that money is gone.” Ike said, drawing Tay-Yun’s smirk down into a frown. 

He took a few moments to absorb what the man was telling him. Of course, Ike was leaving out exactly what hospital bills needed constant payment, or if it was a debt from a previous issue, but either way…

“If I give him back, how much worse will his current injuries get?” He asked as he looked back down at Teller’s face tucked against his right arm. 

The bruises around his eyes were slowly beginning to turn a sickly green and yellow, and the ones on his visible shoulder were now black and blue. He already looked horrible, but if he returned to his manager, Mr. Canzoni, it would undoubtedly get worse. 

When the other man didn’t reply, Tay-Yun took a deep breath and dropped his head back on the pillows. “We can give him that much money to stay away from you people, so he would no longer have any use for your group.” Before Ike could respond, Tay-Yun hung up the phone, then silenced it before setting it on the nightstand next to him. 

The deafening quiet that followed the conversation left him confused and a bit worried. He’d never stuck his neck out for anyone who hadn’t been useful to him and earned his trust. Turning his head on the pillow, he stared down at the kid still out cold beside him. He was snoring quietly, unsurprisingly still asleep even after the phone conversation held right beside him. 

He knew a little bit of what the kid could offer. The song he’d fixed up while just learning how to play the grand piano downstairs… the kid would could be big. Huge, even. Teller would be able to sell out stadiums just standing on his own two feet with a microphone in his gentle hands. 

The issue came down to trust. Whether the kid was friendly or not didn’t matter. Someone could be nice one second, and cause all hell to break loose the next. Tay-Yun knew that very well. 

“Tay-Yun?” 

The quiet, sleep-laden voice had Tay-Yun blinking out of his thoughts to refocus on soft green, half-lidded eyes that now stared up at him with hesitant curiosity. 

“Yes?” He asked, expecting some sort of question about why he was there or what was going on. 

Instead, Teller just gave a dopey, sleepy grin and snuggled into the sheets his head rested upon, closing his eyes. “Your bed is nice.” 

Tay-Yun slid down the pile of pillows until he was lying normally beside Teller, though he didn’t bother pulling the blankets up. He wasn’t used to being beside someone and the kid put out some serious heat. 

“That hotel is four stars, I’m sure their beds are better.” He replied, making Teller chuckle, though he didn’t open his eyes again. 

“They probably are.” He replied, his indirect confession not surprising Tay-Yun in the least. Why would they give a bed to the kid who pretty much paid all their bills for them with his sole talent? 

He could easily get Wan-Nu to find one hundred musicians that could easily play all of the songs that were on Mimic’s set earlier that evening, but he’d bet his salary for a year that there wasn’t another person who could do what Teller did. 

“I normally can’t stand someone else in my bed.” Tay-Yun said as he looked off toward the far wall where the television hung, the edge of it just barely visible from his side of the bed. 

He felt the bed move beside him and looked back in time to see Teller getting out from under the covers. When he noticed he had Tay-Yun’s attention, he bowed his head slightly and gave an awkward smile. “Sorry for intruding. I should be getting back now any-”

Tay-Yun yanked the blankets up over Teller’s head, then pushed him over. He hadn’t realized that he might hit his injured shoulder until he heard the kid yelp when he landed.  

“Shit.” He hissed as he threw the blanket back to see Teller roll off his injured shoulder and begin rubbing it carefully. 

Tay-Yun wasn’t sure what to do. He knew that touching the kid wouldn’t help. “Wait…” 

Reaching over to his nightstand, he grabbed the tube of medication he’d put on Teller’s injuries earlier and sat down beside him. “Here, move your hand.” He said as he squeezed some into his palm, then reached over right when Teller hesitantly moved his hand away from his discolored shoulder. 

He flinched at the contact, but as the medicine quickly began to do its job, he settled down with a tired sigh. “I’m sorry, Teller.” Tay-Yun said quietly as he slowly moved his hand along the boy’s hot skin to spread the medicine around. 

He continued to work until his hands stopped on Teller’s chest as it lifted and fell with the rhythm of sleep. Jerking them away abruptly, Tay-Yun stared down at the kid, narrowing his eyes on his sleeping form in the dark. When Teller didn’t move at all, Tay-Yun blew out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. 

“You are a strange kid.” 

Granted, he knew the guy had to at least be eighteen, if not a little older, but he looked too young to be in his twenties, like himself. Shaking his head, he grabbed the blanket and pulled it up to Teller’s shoulders, then slid one of his many pillows beneath his head. 

When he was sure that the kid was as comfortable as possible, he stretched out on top of the blankets and closed his eyes, intent on resting for a while longer, but not falling asleep.

Echo

(Couldn’t have found a better song for the lyrics I wanted XD)

“Is he not up yet?” Sahn-Re asked as he walked in the door, already home from his early morning interview. 

Taking off his hat and sunglasses, he walked into the kitchen. “Hey Tay-Yun, what’s up?” He asked, setting his things down to grab some orange juice from the refrigerator. 

“He’s still asleep.” Tay-Yun said as he leaned against the counter, eating a protein bar. He was already showered and dressed for the day, but had no work scheduled. 

“By the way, Tay-Yun. When I saw Teller’s manager drag him away before, I swear the man was wearing your sunglasses, and the guy beside him had your jacket on.” Sahn-Re said as he leaned against the opposite counter near the black microwave. 

The wrapper from the protein bar crunched in his fist as Tay-Yun sent a glare toward San-Re. “You saw them, and you didn’t even try to get them?” He asked, his anger clearly growing by the second as he stalked over to Sahn-Re. 

“Hey, I was more worried about Teller than your stuff. At least we know where it is.” Sahn-Re said as he raised his hands to try and calm Tay-Yun. 

Right before he could get close enough to react, Sahn-Re ducked away and was just about to run out of the kitchen when he noticed Teller standing sleepily in the doorway. “Hey! Good morning!” He chimed, his earlier smile right back on his face. 

Tay-Yun watched the kid rub at his eye, then yawn, clearly still not quite awake enough to register Sahn-Re’s level of energy. 

“It’s almost two in the afternoon, Teller.” Tay-Yun said as he grabbed the container of orange juice Sahn-Re had left out and poured a small glass, then walked over to nudge it into Teller’s free hand. 

Teller-

“Two?” Teller questioned as he stared down at the glass of orange juice, as if the drink was somehow to blame for him sleeping in so late. 

When Sahn-Re just nodded enthusiastically, Teller pursed his lips and took a sip of his drink. The chill and tartness of it woke him up a bit more, then the added note from Tay-Yun right after he swallowed finished clearing his cloudy mind. 

“You are standing in the kitchen in your underwear.” 

Looking past the cup he was still staring at, Teller felt his face heat. All of his new bruises didn’t look any kind of good, either. He hadn’t really caught everything Tay-Yun had said, but at least he’d understood the important word. 

“Don’t worry, come, you can borrow something.” Sahn-Re said as he grabbed Teller’s wrist and gently tugged him away from the kitchen. With no reason to argue, Teller let him pull him along after setting down his mostly untouched glass of juice, but couldn’t help feeling like he was being watched. 

When they got to his room, Sahn-Re released him to dive into a closet larger than the bedroom Teller had back at his grandmother’s house. He hesitantly walked closer and peaked inside, only to have a mound of clothing shoved into his arms. 

“Go go, try them on!” 

Teller bit back a frown and turned on his aching legs to head down the hall to the bathroom, only to see Tay-Yun leaning against the doorway to Sahn-Re’s room with a frown of his own on. “You want a guy covered in bruises to try on outfits?” He asked as Sahn-Re stepped up beside Teller, probably wondering why Tay-Yun was there, too. 

When his friend spoke, Sahn-Re’s happy expression immediately disappeared. “Oh… right.” He mumbled awkwardly before looking sideways at Teller, as if he might be mad that he’d even suggested such an outrageous idea. 

Teller couldn’t help but smile at the guy. He was cute, in an overly-excitable way. And he knew that he hadn’t meant any harm. “It’s alright. Normally, I’d love to try on new stuff, but I am hurting a bit and doing it now probably wouldn’t help.” He said, giving Sahn-Re his best reassuring smile. 

Walking into the room, Tay-Yun grabbed the bundle of clothing from Teller and set it down on the bed, then grabbed his wrist. “I’ll take him to En-Ti. My clothes will probably fall off of him for the most part, but his should be just a little too big.” 

“But En-Ti’s wardrobe is so boring.” Sahn-Re complained, even as he followed after them, his grin returning slowly. 

Tay-Yun ignored his comment as they stopped outside of a light tan door. After a knock, they were called in. Wow, his room is completely different from both San-Re’s and Tay-Yun’s. Granted, neither of theirs were similar, but where Sahn-Re’s was bright and colorful, and Tay-Yun’s was calm and spacious, En-Ti’s almost felt like walking into a warm cave. The lights were dimmed, giving a shadowy glow to everything in the room. 

He even has a small space heater. 

The area was tastefully decorated with a few small framed awards, an older poster of Ello’s, possibly from one of their first shows, and several different kinds of clocks. “What’s the occasion?” En-Ti asked as he stepped out of a closet at the far end of the room beyond his large, black-blanketed bed. 

“We’re trying to find something that will be loose on him, but not fall off. Got anything a little older that he could borrow?” Tay-Yun said as he started heading for the closet. 

En-Ti tilted his head a little as he eyed Teller, making him squirm a bit, as he was still in just a pair of boxers. “I actually have an outfit that might work. It’s a little small on me, but it should be just a little big on him.” 

Tay-Yun stopped at the entrance to the closet and nodded, waiting as En-Ti ducked back inside. He returned a few moments later with an outfit that looked somewhat similar to his own. There was a black turtleneck tank top with a type of thick cotton fabric, a pair of pale grey slacks, and a dark red jacket. 

The second the clothing was in his hands, Teller set the shirt and jacket down on the bed, then hurried to pull the pants on. It hurt whenever the fabric brushed against his bruises, but when he got them up, then buttoned, they sat perfectly on his hips and would stay up with a little help from a belt, which was handed to him quickly. Once it was threaded through and situated, he began reaching for the shirt, only to be tugged back by a finger in his back belt-loop. 

He turned to see who had pulled him when Tay-Yun leaned over and tugged at the waistband of the pants. “Not bad at all. They should work.” He noted before nudging Teller back toward the bed to get the shirt. 

Holding back a scowl, Teller finished getting dressed, then turned to show Sahn-Re with a grin, since the guy still seemed a bit down. “Does it look okay?” Teller asked as he turned around once, earning an eager clap from Sahn-Re. 

“Perfect!” He said before they heard the front door open. 

“Wan-Nu is back, let’s head out.” En-Ti said as he walked between them, leaving his room to disappear around the corner. 

They’re leaving? 

He really didn’t want to go back just yet, but he definitely needed to. 

“Oh. I need to check my phone… but I didn’t see it earlier.” He mumbled, more to himself than to Sahn-Re, who was already running after En-Ti to greet Wan-Nu, or to Tay-Yun, who was slowing heading for the door. 

When he’d spoken, however, Tay-Yun’s feet halted abruptly. The man’s sudden stop had Teller slowing his own steps, then drawing his attention upward. “Tay-Yun?” 

Teller noticed the guy’s fingers on his left hand twitch toward his front pocket, but Tay-Yun seemed to catch himself and shrug. “Mess with it later, we’ve got to get going or San-Re will throw a fit.” Tay-Yun said as he hurried around the corner, leaving Teller standing in the entrance to En-Ti’s room, confused. 

Wan-Nu appeared a few moments later with Sahn-Re on his heels. “Hello, Teller. Feeling better?” He asked as he walked forward and handed him something wrapped in foil. 

“Is um, mung bean…” Wan-Nu seemed to get stuck on the last word to describe what he’d handed him. 

“Like American pancake, but salty, not sweet.” Sahn-Re said as he walked over and took Teller’s free hand. “Come, eat in the car.” He said as he began pulling him gently out of the hall and toward the door wear Tay-Yun and En-Ti were clearly waiting. 

Tay-Yun must have run to fetch his shoes, because they were also waiting for him, along with a pair of clean socks. Not bothering with questions, because he doubted they’d be answered, Teller hurried to hand off his wrapped food to Tay-Yun so that he could slip on the socks then shoes. He was just straightening back up and taking a step forward to follow an overly-eager Sahn-Re out the door when he felt Tay-Yun shove something against his chest. 

“Don’t hand me something, then not take it back. I’ll eat it next time.” He said with a raised eyebrow before heading out the door, En-Ti right on his heels, snickering. Wan-Nu chuckled at them before turning his attention to Teller. 

“Don’t mind them.” He said as he ruffled Teller’s hair. “Let’s go have a bit of fun, hm?” 

He gestured for Teller to step out first, then locked the door behind them before walking beside him as they descended. It wasn’t the most comfortable activity on his sore legs, and Teller appreciated Wan-Nu staying behind to keep an eye on him as he went down the stairs. Once they were all situated in the van and heading on their way, Teller unwrapped what he’d been given. 

It smelled delicious and did look like a pancake of some sort. He could easily smell the kimchi in it, along with see some possible onions and ham. His stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he didn’t eat nearly often enough, or as much as he should. 

Still… when I go back I’ll probably just throw it up if I eat it now. 

He stared down at the food, contemplating exactly what he should do for several long minutes as they drove. When the food was suddenly swiped from his hands, Teller’s head jerked up to see Tay-Yun taking a bite from one of the small pancakes. He noticed him looking and grinned as he chewed, then swallowed. 

“If you aren’t going to eat it…” 

Teller could see Sahn-Re about to get up, likely to intervene, but without thinking, he responded first by reaching over and grabbing his food back. He immediately popped one of the pieces of pancake into his mouth, scowling at Tay-Yun before turning his attention to the food. It was savory, salty, and a little bit spicy, and to his empty stomach, it was absolutely delicious. 

He finished eating right as they pulled up to a large building, the drive having only taken five or ten minutes. Curious, he followed the boys out of the van and walked around it to read the large sign hanging above the doorway. 

“Karaoke.” Teller read out loud. 

Wait. Karaoke? Why? 

Wan-Nu walked around the car and put a hand on Teller’s shoulder. “Time for a bit of fun?” He asked as he settled a black cap on Teller’s head and a lightly tinted pair of sunglasses on his nose, then lead him toward the building with Sahn-Re nearly hopping with excitement beside them. 

To Teller’s surprise, even En-Ti and Tay-Yun looked eager to go inside. He knew that he was already likely dead when he finally got back to the hotel, so Teller decided to push aside his worry as he stepped inside of the dimly-lit building and try to enjoy himself. 

Music hummed comfortably from several giant speakers fixed to the walls above eye level. The lighting was relaxing, with several different dark colored bulbs giving off a warm atmosphere. The stage was made of what looked to be refurbished wood, its polish shining just enough in the dim light to draw his eyes to it. 

It wasn’t anything like the giant stages he’d watched Mimic perform on. The wood was worn and as he slowly approached by himself, he saw the scuff marks that years of enthusiastic, and probably some less enthusiastic singers, wore into it. 

Reaching up, he ran his fingers along the soft marks, a smile forming on his lips as he walked along the length of the stage. He’d only ever stood on one behind the scenes besides his first audition for his current company, and that didn’t seem to really count in his mind. 

As he turned back around, he realized that the place wasn’t very busy. In fact, most of the different shaped dark gold and black tables were empty at the moment. “Most customers aren’t allowed in until three.” Sahn-Re said as he stopped beside him. 

Teller nodded, a little relieved that it was going to remain quiet for at least a little longer. He didn’t mind people, but he was still nervous, even though he’d thought that he would be able to try and relax a bit. 

 “Teller.” 

Blinking out of his thoughts, Teller looked up, realizing that Sahn-Re had climbed onto the stage and was now reaching down toward him, offering him a hand. When he didn’t reach up to take it, Sahn-Re grinned wider and wiggled his fingers. 

“I… I don’t think I should be up there.” Teller mumbled sheepishly as he took an awkward step back, only to bump into someone. 

Before he could turn around, he felt hands settle on his shoulders, the touch of them just light enough to not hurt his bruises. When En-Ti leaned over to grin at him, Teller leaned his head away slightly, confused. 

“Shame.” He said, then looked up at Sahn-Re with a strange grin. “I guess we’ll just have to have fun on our own.” 

En-Ti suddenly moved around him and jumped up onto the stage, the action so fluid one would think that he’d been doing it his entire life. Sahn-Re seemed to take that as his cue and ran over to grab the microphone from its place in the holder at the middle of the stage. 

The faint muffled sound that came from the speakers told everyone in the room that he’d just turned the device on. 

“Test test test.” He said into the mic, grinning when he heard the sound come from the speakers. “Melani, can we get a song?” 

Teller followed Sahn-Re’s gaze up to a booth on the second floor of the room where a disc jockey seemed to be setting up. “Please, Mel? Just one before you guys open?” Sahn-Re begged, holding the mic with both his hands. 

When the intro to one of the few Korean songs Teller knew started playing, BTS’s  Boy in Luv  started coming through the speakers, he couldn’t help but smile. He enjoyed listening to Korean songs in his free time, but he didn’t have too many memorized because of the language still being a little unfamiliar. Thankfully, he did know the one playing. 

En-Ti took the lead, beginning to sing as soon as Sahn-Re tossed him the mic. Teller smiled up at the guy as he tore the song up. Sahn-Re chimed in for all of the rap parts, bouncing around to the beat while he wasn’t doing his parts. They were both really getting into the song and just watching them made Teller’s energy level rise. He was bouncing on his toes as they got close to the middle of the song.  

Glancing around the room, he noticed that there still weren’t many people. The front door was also closed, too… His heart pounded hard against his ribs as he hesitantly took a step closer to the stage, then awkwardly jumped back, shaking his head, when Sahn-Re motioned for him to come up. 

The next few lyrics of the song made him chuckle a little as En-Ti sang them. 

“I’m getting nervous. I’m getting nervous.” 

They offered him the mic again, but he quickly declined, even though he loved the next part of the song. En-Ti continued on as his eyes glanced behind Teller, making him turn around, wondering what he was looking at. 

Tay-Yun? 

He stopped right in front of him, then reached an arm up just in time to catch a mic. Teller glanced over his shoulder, surprised to see En-Ti sticking his tongue out at them, his hands help up, empty. Turning back around quickly, Teller was just opening his mouth to question Tay-Yun when the guy began singing, continuing the song looking directly at him. 

“I will be your man, just watch…” 

When the mic was suddenly shoved nearly right against his lips, Teller fidgeted, but couldn’t help himself from continuing the song since no one else could without the microphone. 

“So that my heart can touch yours.” 

Sahn-Re suddenly appeared to his left and leaned in, both of them singing the next few lines together. 

“I will run to you right now. Hold me tight before I kiss you. Before my heart lets you go.” 

En-Ti appeared to Teller’s right, a huge grin on his normally-stoic face as he stepped in to do the English part with Teller. 

“Say what you want. Say what you want.” 

Tay-Yun snatched the microphone and stepped into the group, his eyes narrowing on Teller as his lips quirked up slightly. “What is it that you really want?” 

They sang the rest of the song together, but Teller couldn’t shake the idea that Tay-Yun was actually asking him that question, even though it was part of the lyrics. When the music finally ended, there was a small applause, drawing his attention to the few people that had come inside while they were singing. 

Blushing, he reached for his pocket to check his phone, only to realize that he still didn’t have it. Without thinking, he reached forward and grabbed Tay-Yun’s wrist, checking his watch. 

3:10. 

That’s why more people were there. Inching his way behind En-Ti, Teller felt himself begin to panic. He had just used his regular voice instead of changing it to match the singer’s, but he still felt exposed with people’s attention on him, even if they were likely just focusing on Ello. 

“Come on, they’re officially open now, so let’s have some fun. Teller, pick an American song to do.”

Sahn-Re said as he took the mic from Tay-Yun, who then headed off toward the bar area. 

When it was offered to him, Teller shook his head, only to hear a few encouraging cheers start up from the few people that had sat down. 

“No one knows who you are, and with that hat and those glasses, you’re a nobody today. Why not enjoy yourself a little? I know you loved singing that BTS song.” 

The guy’s cheerfulness was addicting, and he was right that he really did love singing with the group, but still…

“Um, maybe later. I’m going to go get some water.” Teller said, bowing his head a little before hurrying off in the direction Tay-Yun had gone. He felt bad about leaving Sahn-Re, but he just couldn’t get up on that stage yet. Teller knew that the guy hadn’t meant what he said the way he had interpreted it, but the words still solidified his decision. 

He was just a nobody… and nobodies weren’t meant to stand up in front of others.

Repeat

(Why is this song so addicting?!)

Teller envied Sahn-Re’s energy as the guy sang song after song. He began with En-Ti, but after about ten songs he hopped off stage, joining them to take a break and get a drink. 

Sahn-Re wasn’t left alone for more than one song, however, as the place had filled up and there were quite a few fans that were courageous enough to stand on the stage beside him… a few, though, seemed to have some extra liquid courage . 

All in all, though, Teller was actually having a lot of fun. He didn’t have much to say, as the conversations going on around him were in Korean and he wasn’t that great at focusing in loud areas, so he couldn’t pick up on what was being said nearly well enough to understand more than a few sentences here and there, but the atmosphere alone was just what he’d needed. 

A gentle touch to his shoulder drew his attention away from the stage and up to a face he had hoped not to see for at least a few more hours. 

“Ike…”

He looked tired, which was a surprise since he tended to be the last one up every day. Teller slid from his chair, lifting his arms slightly to be ready in case he decided to try something. Tay-Yun was standing beside him a second later, then En-Ti slipped into the space on his other side, closest to the bar they’d all been sitting at. 

“If it isn’t fake Mimic.”

Tay-Yun stated, getting straight to the point. 

Ike flinched, looking around to see if anyone reacted before narrowing his eyes on Tay-Yun. “You’re the guy I talked to on the phone… but seriously, keep quiet. I heard you guys go here often and knew you had him, so I figured I’d come here first and bring him back before our manager found him.” He hissed, reaching for Teller, only to be blocked as Tay-Yun stepped partially in front of him. 

“You really think that we’re going to let you take him back?” He said in Korean, drawing a frustrated glare from Ike. 

“Dude, I don’t know a damn word of your stupid language, so-”

“Hey guys, what are you doing?” Sahn-Re asked as he jumped into the spot next to Tay-Yun, only to realize who was standing in front of them. “Hey! You better stay away from him!” He all-but-yelled, putting his fists up. 

“I didn’t come here to fight you guys.” Ike sighed, stifling a yawn behind his hand. 

“Then leave.” En-Ti said, stepping up to stand beside Tay-Yun, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned slightly against the bar. 

“I can’t. Guys, if I go back and our manager finds out that I knew where he was…” 

Peaking around Tay-Yun, Teller frowned at the look on Ike’s face. He didn’t hurt him, did he? Glancing at him from head to toe, he couldn’t see any noticeable signs of being injured. Teller didn’t like him, at all, but he never wished for other people to be hurt. 

“Come and try to take him, then. You’ll learn your lesson fast.” Sahn-Re growled, surprising even Tay-Yun, considering the way he looked at him with widened eyes. 

While he wasn’t one to start things with other people, at least when they weren’t in his favor, Ike seemed about ready to try and fight, if only to save himself from a possible beating from Mr. Canzoni. Not wanting Ello to be caused any trouble for helping him, and because he really did need to go back, Teller stepped around Tay-Yun and put himself between them, turning his back to Ike with his arms hesitantly out to the side. 

“I’m sorry, but I do have to go back.” He said, trying to keep his worry from his voice. Thankfully, the music was loud enough to hopefully drown out any that slipped through. 

None of the boys looked happy with his decision, and when Tay-Yun lifted his hand and gestured to someone he couldn’t see, Teller felt his stomach twist nervously. 

“What’s up, Tay-Yun?” Wan-Nu asked as he pushed his way through the crowd. He followed Tay-Yun’s nod toward Ike, frowning when he recognized the man. 

“You aren’t leaving with him.” 

Teller moved his hands to Wan-Nu’s chest as the man started forward, keeping him from getting too close to Ike. 

“I need to go back. I need to do my job.” He said, making himself stand tall, even when Ike wrapped an arm around his shoulders that squeezed a little too tightly against his neck. 

Teller watched as the group before him leaned closer together, Tay-Yun keeping an eye on him while the rest turned their heads to quickly talk. When they all turned back to face him and Ike, Teller knew that something was up. 

Wan-Nu was the one to speak, his frustration clear in the tone of his words. “You can take him back, but Tay-Yun will be coming with you.” 

He doesn’t look happy about that decision in the least. 

“Hell no. Teller’s old enough to make his decisions on his own, and he said that he is going back, not him and that guy.” Ike growled, removing his arm from around Teller’s neck to point at Tay-Yun. 

“True, it is his decision.” En-Ti replied, turning his attention to Teller as the rest of the group did the same. None of them looked happy, but Sahn-Re, in particular, looked like he wanted to have a boxing match right then and there. 

The stress of the entire situation made Teller drop his head, shaking it slowly side to side on a sigh. When he lifted it again, everyone seemed a little more calm, but the tension was still in the air, even with the excited atmosphere surrounding them. 

“En-Ti’s right.” He finally said, his words almost too quiet to hear over the older man up on the stage belting out a Maria Carry song that made Teller’s ears ache.  

He met each of the band member’s gazes before looking over his shoulder at Ike’s glare. It was a simple decision, once he thought about it. Grinning up at Ike, he turned his attention back to Ello, and specifically, Tay-Yun. 

“I’d be happy to accept your company, if you wouldn’t mind, Tay-Yun.” 

He didn’t look happy, himself, but he did nod. Sahn-Re appeared like he’d rather be the one that went, but Teller could kind of understand why Wan-Nu would pick Tay-Yun instead. He looked like he could handle himself in a fight much better. Not saying that Sahn-Re couldn’t, but he was smaller and honestly, Teller didn’t want to put the sweet guy through what he might see back at the hotel. 

“I don’t want to take him.” Ike grumbled, wrapping his arm back around Teller’s neck, only for it to be removed and tossed down to his side by Tay-Yun. “And I don’t want to go with you, but it seems that we both have to deal with our situations. If you want him, you’re also getting me.” 

The chime of a cell phone drew Teller, Tay-Yun, and Ike’s attention down to Ike’s phone as he pulled it from his pocket to check the message. Squeezing his eyes shut, he hissed in a breath, then blew it out as he he hurried to respond to whatever was written. When he was done, he shoved the phone back in his pocket and grabbed for him, only to be swatted away by Tay-Yun again. 

“He can walk on his own.” He said, raising an eyebrow as if to challenge Ike to try and grab him again. 

When he just scowled and turned on his heels to stalk out, Teller chuckled, only realizing at that moment that Tay-Yun’s chest was pressed right up against his back. Awkwardly, he stepped forward, then looked over his shoulder to nod toward the group, mouthing a mute thank you before hurrying after Ike. 

Tay-Yun was right on his heels as they exited the building. When he went to get into the car Ike had clearly rented, Tay-Yun held him back, sliding in first, before gesturing for him to get inside. 

“He looked like he was going to drive away the second you sat down and not give me a chance to get in.” He said, making Teller’s mouth go dry as he buckled himself in, feeling as if his body was moving in slow motion. 

He’d been hesitant to accept Tay-Yun’s help, but now he knew that he had made the right decision. It took them almost no time to get to the hotel, though his legs were stiff when he slid out of the car, aching as if they remembered that they were walking into a trap. 

Ike grabbed his wrist and began rushing him inside. He could hear Tay-Yun running after him, but he didn’t catch up until the elevator was nearly close on him. 

“You are seriously getting annoying.” Ike hissed at him, earning an overly-excited smile from Tay-Yun. 

“I aim to please.” 

Ike growled. “Fucking English!” 

Teller bit back a snicker, but Tay-Yun seemed to notice anyway, because he quirked an eyebrow at him before turning to lean against the side wall, allowing him to see both of them easily, and whoever came inside. 

The second the door opened, an arm reached inside, grabbing Teller’s shirt and yanking him out in a blur. He saw the punch coming, but could only wince in anticipation. 

When it didn’t happen, Teller blinked his eyes open. He expected to see Tay-Yun having blocked the attack, but to his surprise, it was Ike who had caught Mr. Canzoni’s first. His manager looked about ready to blow a fuse, but when Tay-Yun stepped off the elevator and stopped right next to him and Ike, his face immediately went from dark red to bleach white.

“You’re… that guy.” He stuttered, slowly lowering his hand as Ike released it. 

Tay-Yun bowed his head, offering a sadistic grin. “Hello, asshole, my name is Tay-Yun.” He said in Korean, then added. “Nice to meet you.” His head tilted slightly as he inspected Mr. Canzoni. His grin stretched as he leaned forward. “Those sunglasses… where did you find them?” 

If it was possible, Mr. Canzoni’s face got even more white as his eyes slowly moved to meet Teller’s behind his borrowed glasses. The silent question was there, and Teller had to bite back a smirk as he gave a hesitant nod. 

“Oh, Just… on the ground… right outside the hotel.” Mr. Canzoni hurried to say as he yanked them off, then set them in Tay-Yun’s waiting hand. 

“Thank you.” Tay-Yun said as he slipped the glasses into his jacket pocket. 

Mr. Canzoni gave a stiff nod, then started walking toward their hotel room. Teller hesitantly followed behind Ike, checking several times that Tay-Yun was still walking with him. When they got to the hotel room, Mr. Canzoni was standing in the doorway, so Teller hit the breaks, not trusting the man to not close the door on Tay-Yun once he stepped across the threshold. 

“Thank you for bringing him back. You now have your glasses, so have a good rest of your day.” Mr. Canzoni said as he reached forward, grabbing Tay-Yun’s arm as he swung it in front of Teller. 

His manager immediately let go, seeming even more nervous. “He needs to come inside.” 

“Okay. I will come too.” Tay-Yun said, adding in a bit of an accent just for fun as he smiled. 

Mr. Canzoni sent a glare to Teller before smiling at Tay-Yun and gesturing for him to enter. “Of course.” He said, closing the door once they were all inside. 

Tay-Yun saw the small blanket on the sofa and frowned, then turned his attention back to Teller right as Mr. Canzoni grabbed him and began dragging him down a hall toward a back room. 

“Hey!” He yelled right as two other guys appeared from two other rooms to block his path. 

The shorter of the two stole his attention immediately as he crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s mine.” Tay-Yun said, his eyes narrowing on the guy as he took a step closer. 

“Yours? I don’t see your name on it.” The guy said, making Tay-Yun’s lips quirk up into a grin. 

“Look harder.” He stated as he pointed to the back of his own shirt, where the tag would have been if he hadn’t cut it off long ago. 

Both young men looked at each other, then the shorter one slowly shrugged off the jacket, then both of them stared at the worn tag on the collar. “I can’t read it…” The shorter guy said, making Tay-Yun chuckle as he reached forward and pointed at the faded Korean words. 

“To my boyfriend, my love. Tay-Yun.” He said, his smile fading as he spoke. 

The guy seemed conflicted, but then his eyes widened as he pointed at Tay-Yun with his free hand. “Wait. You said Tay-Yun?” 

Tay-Yun nodded slowly, earning worried looks from both guys as Ike walked over to them and grabbed the jacket, handing it over to him. “He’s from Ello, and this is his jacket. Just let him have it back.” 

Neither of the two men argued as Tay-Yun took his jacket and draped it over his shoulder. He was about to thank them for returning it, as was appropriate since he hadn’t had to fight for it or get anyone else involved, when he heard the sound of something hitting a wall down the hallway. 

Ike tried to step in front of him, but Tay-Yun didn’t give him the chance. He shoved through the other two in the hallway and ran down to the last door on the right. It was locked, but that was no surprise. Instead of hesitating, he stepped back, then slammed his foot against the door, easily breaking the lock. 

The door swung in, slamming against the wall, clearly startling Teller’s manager where he stood over Teller, who was slumped against the wall to the left, his arms up to clearly try and shield himself. 

“It’s not what it looks like.” Mr. Canzoni said as he reached down, likely to jerk Teller back to his feet, but Tay-Yun stepped in and grabbed Teller’s arm before he could, pulling him up and out of Mr. Canzoni’s reach. 

Turning him around slowly, he settled one hand gently on his shoulder, then used the other to lift his head until he could see the small split on the edge of his lip that hadn’t been there before. A thin line of blood was slowly running from the injury down Teller’s chin. 

Without waiting, he pulled Teller from the room and pushed Ike, who was trying to stop him, right into the two others behind him as he hurried to get himself and Teller in the bathroom. 

When he heard the handle begin to turn, Tay-Yun shoved the door and clicked the lock, earning a kick to the other side of it that startled Teller enough to jump forward… right into his arms. Tay-Yun froze, unsure what to do with the situation. 

He knew one thing, however, was that Sahn-Re and Wan-Nu wouldn’t forgive him for leaving Teller there, even though he already got back both of his stolen items. 

“You’re not staying here. You shouldn’t have come back.” He said, pulling out his phone and pushing a speed dial number before lifting it to his ear as another loud slam rocked the bathroom door. 

He pulled Teller closer as he stepped back, putting some distance between them and the door in case they managed to kick it in. “Hello? Yes, please come pick us up at room 401! Yes, thanks!” Tay-Yun said loudly enough to easily be heard outside of the bathroom. 

Several curses could be heard from outside of the bathroom, then the sound of stomping feet before the front door was slammed. They remained exactly where they stood until a loud knock sounded on the door some twenty minutes later. The second he heard it, Tay-Yun released Teller and took his hand, pulling him quickly out of the bathroom and straight for the door. 

Thankfully, everyone else seemed to have left earlier, making a wave of relief flood Teller’s body. Stopping in front of the door, Tay-Yun peaked through the peephole before yanking the door open. 

Sahn-Re was the first one inside and immediately jumped Teller, nearly knocking him down as he checked him, from head to toe, in a blur. 

“I’m okay.” Teller said to get the guy to calm down, but it only earned him a scowl, which looked completely out of place on the handsome young man’s face. 

“Don’t you go telling me that you’re okay! You weren’t gone more than an hour and you’re already bleeding!” Sahn-Re said as he walked around Teller, tugging at his silver hair, as if that might calm him down. “I can’t believe those people think that they can treat you like that.” 

En-Ti stepped forward, setting a hand on Sahn-Re’s shoulder to stop him. “You’re making me dizzy. Calm down. We tried to give them the benefit of the doubt with Tay-Yun accompanying him, but clearly, it didn’t work.” 

Teller frowned, only catching half of what En-Ti had said. 

“Teller?” He said as he walked toward the sofa. 

Turning to follow him with his eyes, Teller pursed his lips and replied. “Yes?” 

“Pack up your things.” En-Ti stated, his tone brooking no argument. 

Frowning, but finding no energy left to argue, Teller nodded. He wasn’t sure exactly what he was going to do about his job, because he did desperately need the money. 

“I need help with finishing up that song you started working on earlier.” Tay-Yun said as he walked over while Teller was shoving his few belongings into his small luggage bag. 

His words drew his attention up to him. At first, he was confused, but then he realized that the only possible time he could have done anything with one of Tay-Yun’s songs would have been when he’d sneaked down to play the piano. 

“I’m sorry I touched your piano without asking!” He said, worried that Tay-Yun would be mad, even though he didn’t seem so. 

Wan-Nu walked over, taking his bag with one hand while ruffling his hair with the other. “He’s not mad. He wants you to help him out… and I think that it’s a great idea. Considering what you’ve already done, I believe he already owes you a bit, right, Tay-Yun?” He asked, raising his eyebrows at the other man as he grinned. 

Rolling his eyes, Tay-Yun walked over, taking the bag from Wan-Nu before looking over his shoulder at Teller. “Hurry up.” 

Wan-Nu shook his head, but Teller couldn’t help but give a tired laugh as he hurried out of the room, his new friends following and surrounding him like the shield he’d secretly dreamed of having since Mr. Canzoni had thrown the first punch months ago.

Match

(This songgg)

Stepping out of the hotel, Teller felt a little light-headed. Thankfully, Sahn-Re hadn’t let go of his hand the entire walk down, so when he stopped to catch his balance, he had him to lean on for support. 

“Are you alright?” Sahn-Re asked, drawing En-Ti to a stop since he was close enough to hear the question. He turned around, watching them with a questioning stare.

Nodding, Teller straightened back up and grinned. “Yes. I guess I’m just in shock a little bit.” He said as he slowly started walking toward the car again. 

Sahn-Re returned his smile as he swung their arms, clearly trying to release a bit of the tension he probably couldn’t hide. “Don’t worry, things will work out.” He said as they slid into the company’s van after En-Ti. 

“Hey, kid.” 

Looking behind him into the back seat, Teller noticed Tay-Yun holding his phone out to him. Knew he had it. He thought as he took the device and turned it on. Unsurprisingly, there were over twenty calls from Mr. Canzoni and a few from Ike and the other band members. 

Ignoring all of them, Teller scrolled through his call list, relieved that his grandmother’s number hadn’t come up. He quickly pulled up her number and pressed it, then held the phone up to his ear. 

When his grandmother’s nurse picked up the phone instead of her, Teller felt his stomach drop. “Um, hey.” He said, his voice barely a whisper. 

“You must be Ms. Zan’s grandson?” She asked, earning a nod from Teller. When he realized that she wouldn’t see it, he hurried to stutter out a “Yes.” 

“Wonderful!” She chimed, making Teller scrunch his eyebrows in confusion. 

“What?” He asked, wondering why the nurse answering his grandmother’s phone could be anything but bad news. 

He caught Sahn-Re staring at him with a curious look from where he sat across the tiny isle from him, but he just gave the guy a smile as the woman on the other end began to reply. “She’s signing her release paperwork right now and going over things with the doctor. There was some man who was calling her nonstop a few minutes ago but she wanted to get the paperwork done so that she could call you, first.”

Wait, she’s being released? 

“I’m really glad to get that information, but why do you have her phone?” He asked. 

“Oh, right! There are no phones allowed when patients are doing their final meeting with their doctor and handling the paperwork, but she was so worried she might miss a call from you so I said I would watch her phone since I’m on break at the moment.” 

Oh, well, that explains it I suppose. 

“Can I speak with her by chance? Is she almost done?” He asked. 

The woman told him to wait just a moment so that she could check. A minute later his grandmother’s ecstatic voice came over the phone. “Oh my little Teller! Let me tell you something!” 

Unable to help himself, Teller let out his first real laugh since landing in Korea. His smile was genuine and made his eyes shine. “Please do, grandma. I was wondering why you had someone else picking up your phone. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”  

His grandmother’s trademark cackle came through the phone loud and clear, drawing a quiet chuckle from Sahn-Re. “Well, the doctor said that I’d had an infection in my lungs after they finally got the result back on the last test last night, but it’s all cleared up and I’m healthier than an ox now so long as I take the last few doses of my medicine.” 

“Does that mean I’ve got to feed you grass from now on? That stuff can be expensive in large amounts.” Teller replied, earning a scolding that made him laugh again, though he tried to stifle it behind his hand as to not bother the others in the van. 

“So, how is my Teller doing? Are you enjoying your time? Your friend has been calling me a lot, especially in the last half hour, but I didn’t want to pick up because of what happened last time. I didn’t want a misunderstanding, so I decided to get the information from you.” She said. 

I love you, grandma. 

“Actually, I ended up leaving the group I came here with.” 

The gasp on the other end of the phone made him a little worried that she might be mad at him, but when she replied, he felt himself relax. “Oh, thank heavens. That man was driving me crazy and I couldn’t imagine how frustrating he was to deal with in person. He always pretended to be so sweet, but he reminded me of your great uncle Jeremy. That guy… Well, we won’t get into his story. Let’s just say that I’m glad you went on your way.” 

Teller shook his head, then leaned it against the window. “So then, who are your new friends? I know you’re not crazy enough to face that whole country on your own.” 

I’m glad I never told her about my singing, but now that she’s doing better, her social security could go to what it was intended instead of hospital bills. 

The idea of not having to pay them anymore was also a huge relief that Teller let relax his stressed heart. He wouldn’t have to sing now, he could get a normal job when he got back. “Would you believe me if I told you who they were, grandma?” 

There were a few muffled sounds, likely from his grandmother heading out of the building, before she replied. “Well, why not have them tell me, then? Better I hear their voice, at least, in case they kidnap you and I have to come rescue you… after this week’s book club, of course.” She said. 

Okay, grandma. Whatever you say. 

Raising his eyebrows at Sahn-Re, he offered the guy the phone. “My grandma wants to know who’s kidnapping me, just in case she needs to come to the rescue after her book club ends Thursday.” 

Sahn-Re took the phone eagerly and pinched his nose with the biggest grin Teller had seen on the guy so far. “Hello, my name is Sahn-Re and I’m the main orchestrater of this kidnapping. Nice to meet you, grandma.” He said in a deep, mumbled voice that didn’t suit him in the least, which made it that much funnier. 

En-Ti reached between them and tapped Sahn-Re on the shoulder, gesturing to the phone. When it was handed to him, he put it up to his ear. “Hello, my name is En-Ti and I’m the dangerous, yet oddly reliable one in this heist. Good evening, grandma.” 

Tay-Yun snagged the phone from him right after he’d finished speaking. “Your grandson’s a pain in the ass but at least he doesn’t snore loudly. Hello, grandma, from the band Ello.” 

He reached over Teller’s head and dropped the phone back into his hands, letting Teller lift it back up to his ear to hear his grandmother’s hearty laughter. “You are hanging out with Ello!” His grandmother all-but screamed into the receiver. “I’m so glad you got to meet them! They seem like an interesting bunch. I almost don’t mind that they’re kidnapping you.” 

“They are, I like them… wait, you approve of me being kidnapped?” He replied as Sahn-Re leaned over and gave him a side hug, then messed up his hair with a laugh. “I’m sure they’re all sweet guys, they sound like it. I’m going to get going since I drive slowly enough to make people mad. I don’t need to go even slower because I’m trying to talk on the phone, too.” 

Always to the point. 

“Alright. Love you, grandma. I’m glad you’re finally out of there, and don’t worry, I’ll send the last bill payment so we won’t have anything to worry about after today.” He said. 

“Thank you, sweetheart. Behave, Tell, and I’ll talk to you later. And don’t worry, I’ll add that man that keeps calling me to my block list. The nurse showed me how to do it.” 

“Perfect.” Teller said before they both hung up and he sank back against his chair. What a relief. 

Not wanting to accidentally forget, Teller leaned forward and tapped Wan-Nu on the shoulder. “Could we stop by an international bank by chance?” He asked. 

“Sure, we are close to one now.” He said as he went through a few short lights, then pulled into a large parking lot. 

“We go get food. Meet us?” Wan-Nu said as everyone began getting out of the van. 

Teller followed where he was pointing and nodded before turning and running into the bank. Thankfully, one of the people knew English decently well and he managed to get everything dealt with easily concerning the money he’d earned at the arcade and getting it transferred for the hospital bill.  

Once he was done, he thanked the bank teller and turned, only to see Tay-Yun leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at him. 

Has he been staring at me this entire time? And waiting for me? 

Awkwardly, Teller walked over, only to be taken by the hand and hurried from the bank. He nearly had to run the first few steps before he managed to set his pace to Tay-Yun’s, only to be suddenly jerked back when a car flew in front of them. 

“Pay attention.” Tay-Yun said, drawing a blush from Teller. He’d been so focused on keeping up that he hadn’t seen the crazy driver. 

This is a parking lot. Crazy people should slow down, or at least watch where they’re going. 

Sighing, he let Tay-Yun pull him and didn’t bother trying to keep up, deciding to just run intermittently until they got to the restaurant. He was panting quietly when they finally stepped inside. The air conditioner was definitely working well and he felt his body give a shiver as he followed Tay-Yun to the table the others were already sitting at. 

Oh, he left his special jacket in the car. He realized as they sat down and he ordered warm tea. Teller couldn’t blame him, he’d want to wash it before he wore it again, too. Besides, he had one already on. 

Picking up the menu, Teller squinted at all the writing. He could read it, but it was taking him a while, especially with the descriptions of the dishes. 

The waitress was back with their tea and asking if they were ready to order before he’d even gotten to the third page. 

“A few more minutes.” Wan-Nu said as En-Ti leaned over and began pointing at dishes on the list and explaining each one with basic English. When he described the Japchae, sweet potato noodle dish, Teller knew he wanted to try it. 

The waitress returned soon after he made his decision and they all ordered. He finished off his tea right as their food arrived and accepted a refill from the waitress. He had warmed up a bit, but it felt like they were under the air conditioner, even though it was a few tables away blowing down from the ceiling. 

Another shiver ran down his spine as he reached for the pair of chopsticks in front of him. His hands shook as he tried to reach for a bite of his food, only to have the chopsticks taken from his hand and set back down. 

Blinking, Teller looked up at the same time Tay-Yun slipped his jacket from his shoulders and draped it over his. It was warm from his body heat, making him eagerly slip his arms inside and settle it correctly over his body. 

“Thank you.” He said, knowing that the guy would probably be more upset if he tried to decline his hospitality. 

Tay-Yun just nodded as he leaned over to start eating his own dish that looked something akin to sweet and salty beef stir fry, or from what he remembered from the menu, it was likely Bulgogi. It smelled delicious, but so did his own food. 

Warmer, and with much less shaky fingers, Teller reached for his chopsticks again and began digging in. He didn’t have to worry about being hurt to the point of throwing up anymore, so he didn’t hesitate to enjoy his meal. 

He felt eyes on him as he got down to the last few bites. Teller was just glancing up, curious, when he saw chopsticks set a few pieces of pork and vegetables onto his plate. He looked up at En-Ti, unable to hide his smile as the guy gave him a small smile of his own before going back to his meal. 

“Thank you.” Teller said as he turned his attention back to his own plate, only to see another couple of pieces of food there, this time it was a few dumplings that he knew Sahn-Re had ordered. 

He’d really wanted to try as much different food as he could while visiting the country, so he was very grateful for the chance to taste both of theirs. “Thank you, Sahn-Re.” He said before taking one of the dumplings and trying a bite. 

Wow. 

The pork inside was spicy and mixed with garlic, soy sauce and onions. It was absolutely delicious! With a big grin, he tried what En-Ti had set on his plate. It was a bit sweeter, but still amazing. In minutes, he had everything cleared from his plate, and was doing his best holding back from licking it clean. 

“Hey.” Tay-Yun said from his right, drawing his attention to him right as a pair of chopsticks nudged a small piece of warm beef between his slightly parted lips. 

Feeling his face heat, Teller bowed his head slightly in thanks, but then bit down on the chopsticks, earning a scowl from Tay-Yun as he grinned around the utensil. Not wanting to cause trouble, however, Teller released them and chewed the piece of meat he’d been given. It was also spicy, but had a nice bit of soy mixed in for the salty flavor. 

“Waitress, can we please have two orders of hotteok?” Sahn-Re said, making Teller wonder what he’d ordered. He understood that much, that he’d gotten something else, but he wasn’t too sure what hotteok was. 

He didn’t have to wait long to find out. Two plates of pancake-looking donuts were set down in front of them. Sahn-Re and En-Ti grabbed one right away, while Tay-Yun just sipped at the tea that he’d been drinking throughout the meal. 

Come to think of it. 

Narrowing his eyes on the guy’s hand, Teller bit back a frown when he noticed it shaking ever so slightly. 

He’s cold. 

“Teller, try it. They are very good!” Sahn-Re said with an enthusiasm that made Teller’s lips quirk up as he turned his attention to the dessert. 

They did look delicious… Reaching over, he carefully picked up one of the warm sweets and took a tentative bite. The filling was a bit too hot, but he fought through it for the delicious flavor. 

“Wow. These are great.” He said as he finished off his first one, then reached for a second. 

When he was finished with his second one and realized that Tay-Yun still hadn’t even touched them, he looked over at him. “You don’t want any?” He asked. 

“Tay-Yun doesn’t like sweets very much.” Sahn-Re said, drawing a frown from Teller’s, as well as his attention. 

“Oh, that’s odd.” He said, earning a look from Tay-Yun that made him turn his full attention to the next pancake he grabbed. 

When he didn’t feel the man’s eyes leave him, he hesitantly glanced up at him, the pancake still in his mouth as he held it much like a squirrel would. 

“What is so odd about it?” Tay-Yun said, leaning a little closer. 

Before Teller could respond, Sahn-Re chimed in. “He used to love these.” 

Oh? What changed? 

The glare Tay-Yun sent Sahn-Re silenced the hyper boy, ending the present conversation as everyone quietly finished off the dessert. He was offered to take the last one back to their place for later, as everyone else was already full, so he agreed. 

Once they got home, it was decided that he would stay on the sofa for at least a day or two, until things got sorted out. He’d been offered Tay-Yun’s bed again, but that was his personal space, and he didn’t want to invade it again so soon. 

He did, however, slip inside the room and leave the small bag with the last hotteok in it, on Tay-Yun’s nightstand, along with his folded jacket, before heading off to the bathroom to shower and get ready for bed.

Reverberate

The soft pillow beneath his head felt the same, but as he snuggled into it, he felt the crisp, cool sheets of a bed beneath him instead of the fabric of the sofa he’d been lying on. 

Mumbling something he’d intended to sound like a curse, Teller forced his tired eyes open. The sound of the piano comfortably drifting through the air told him that he was definitely in Tay-Yun’s room, again. 

Pushing himself up, Teller rubbed at his eyes until he could somewhat see in the large room. He looked down first, noting the familiar bed he was sitting on. He carried me in here… when? Why didn’t I wake up? 

Granted, he’d passed out cold the moment his head had hit the pillow on the sofa, likely because of all of the stress of the past few days and a large meal in his stomach, but he didn’t think that he was tired enough to sleep through someone carrying him. 

Yawning, he slid from the bed, only to lift his feet back up when they touched the chilly tile floor. Who tiles a bedroom? Oh, wait, this wasn’t supposed to be a bedroom. Looking around, he noticed a pair of house slippers and decided to just borrow them. Tay-Yun wasn’t in bed, so he clearly didn’t need them yet, and he shouldn’t cause any damage to them just walking downstairs. 

Slipping them on, he walked awkwardly toward the small staircase behind the minibar at the far end of the room. The shoes were too big, but at least they stayed on well enough to move in. 

Shuffling to the stairs, Teller crouched down and lowered his head to look below. Unsurprisingly, Tay-Yun was sitting at the piano, a pencil between his lips as he played a portion of a song Teller hadn’t heard before. When he went through a small part, he reached forward and made a few marks on the paper before him, then tried again. 

Smiling, Teller got himself situated on his belly, his shirt taking away some of the cold bite of the tile, and crossed his arms near the opening so that he could rest his chin on them and still just-barely see Tay-Yun. He started, then stopped playing quicker than before, and made another correction. Teller could hear several notes that weren’t quite to his liking, but he decided to just relax and watch for a bit. Besides, it was Tay-Yun’s song. The only person who had to like, in all honesty, was him. 

“You’re going to get sick if you sleep there.” 

Blinking, Teller pushed himself up, confused. “Why didn’t you just come down?” Tay-Yun asked from the bottom of the stairs. The words went over his fuzzy mind, making the guy sigh and switch to English. “Why not come down?” 

“Oh.” Teller replied, but didn’t move as he covered a yawn. 

He heard Tay-Yun moving below and opened his eyes back up to see him return to his seat at the piano. Considering his options, Teller decided to just go down since he had already been discovered. 

The stairs weren’t as easy to walk down as before. Each step and turn made the house shoes slip on his feet, making him have to grab the middle support pillar more than a few times. By the time he got about three-fourths of the way down, he was considering just jumping the rest of the way… or taking the shoes off and freezing his feet for a few seconds. 

Neither situation occurred, however, because Tay-Yun was suddenly there, nudging him to sit down before he leaned down and slipped the shoes off his feet. “You are going to give me heart attack.” He said in slightly broken English as he tossed the shoes down the rest of the way, then slipped one of his sneakers from his feet. 

He quickly slid it on Teller’s foot, then tied it tight enough to keep it secured. While he worked on the second shoe, Teller quietly watched him, noting that he’d definitely had a shower, as his hair was no longer styled but laid a bit messily against his head. He’d also changed into more comfortable clothing. A loose grey T-shirt and a pair of checkered pajama pants.

“There.” Tay-Yun said, snapping Teller back to their current situation. 

Standing up after Tay-Yun backed down the few remaining stairs and slipped on the house shoes, Teller carefully followed. The tennis shoes were much easier to walk in and he hurried to thank him before stopping next to the piano bench, where Tay-Yun returned to. 

Where should I go? 

He hadn’t thought very far ahead. He looked around for a chair, only to hear the sound of the piano bench being tapped. Turning, he looked down as Tay-Yun moved his hand from the bench and reached forward to grab the sheet of paper in front of him, only to nod back to the spot next to him. “Sit.” 

Hesitating for only a moment, Teller nodded and awkwardly sat at the edge of the bench. The piano, itself, was intimidating, but sitting next to one of the people he admired was even more so. 

“What do you think?” Tay-Yun asked as he handed over the piece of paper he’d been marking up earlier. 

Teller took it, but frowned when he noticed that it was all musical notes and not a single words was on the page. It looked like he’d made quite a lot of fixes to the piece, but Teller knew that he’d be useless when it came to what was on the paper, so he offered it back. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know how to read that.” 

He’d wanted to learn, but while he had a great memory and seemed to get the hang of things pretty easily if he practiced, he just hadn’t been able to teach himself how to read the notes. 

“You don’t? But you played the piano very well the other night.” Tay-Yun said, making Teller shift a little on the padded bench. 

“I never learned… I just heard you playing that song in the sound room, so I tried to copy it.” He said, shrugging his shoulders nervously. 

Silence took over for a few moments before Tay-Yun pulled out his phone and hooked it up to a tiny speaker that was sitting on top of the piano. He pressed a few buttons, then the sound of the song from the other night began playing. 

“Can copy it again?” He asked as he scooted over, then tapped the spot he’d just vacated. 

Teller slowly scooted over. Without thinking, his mind was already going over the song, filling in any parts he had forgotten since hearing it last. Wait. This is the version that I’d done… 

Unable to hide a smile, he closed his eyes and focused on each note and the order they were being played in. The song repeated two more times before he lifted his hands to the piano. Blocking it out for a moment, he pressed each key, from left to right, then did it again before settling his hands in the middle. 

The first few tries came out off, but soon he found his rhythm. Nodding his head as he went, he slowly began to mimic each stanza of the song, until the entire thing was being played fluidly. 

When he started it again, Tay-Yun leaned over slightly, reaching his foot over to the peddles that Teller had no idea how to use. The first time Tay-Yun stepped on one, to extend the sound of a set of keys he’d just hit, Teller stumbled a bit, but he quickly picked right back up where he’d made the mistake. 

Soon, they were both going through the song with him using the keys and Tay-Yun working the peddle. He was having an absolute blast. 

“Okay. Take a break.” Tay-Yun finally said after they’d played it three times together in perfect unison. 

Chuckling quietly, Teller leaned back on his hands and smiled up at Tay-Yun. “I really like that song.” He said, earning a small smile from Tay-Yun before he was nudged over a bit so that Tay-Yun could sit in the middle. 

“Listen for me.” He said as he began playing what he had written on the paper he’d placed on the piano. 

The song was quite different, but it, too, was very good. There are notes I want to change… He held back saying that as Tay-Yun played the song two more times, then finally moved his hands from the keys and looked at him. 

Does he want me to comment on it? 

“Um, I like the song.” Teller said, looking down at his hands for a second before glancing back up at Tay-Yun, then back down. His mind was already going over the fixes he could do to it, but he felt bad about it. It was Tay-Yun’s song, he should be the one to decide what was good and what needed changed. 

The sound of a wrapper of some sort drew his attention back up, only to see the bag they’d gotten from the restaurant to take home the last hotteok. “Eat.” Tay-Yun said, dropping the bag into Teller’s hands the moment he lifted them to take it. 

“You’re sure you don’t want any?” Teller asked as he took the pastry from the bag. 

Tay-Yun eyed it for a moment, but when he lifted his hand toward it, he just grabbed Teller’s wrist and raised it until he was forced to take a bite. “No. You eat it.” 

I really want to know why he won’t eat them anymore, but it’s not really my place to ask. He did usually have some type of candy or sweet when he was being interviewed a while ago. I wonder what changed. 

Teller slowly worked on the dessert as Tay-Yun replayed his song, erasing and adding a new note on the page he had in front of him after getting halfway through it. He then went back to playing, only to stop around the same area, and replace another note. 

He’s close, but he’s still putting in notes that don’t really match the pattern he seems to want. Teller thought as he took a big bite of the pastry, unintentionally dropping a piece. 

His free hand shot out to catch it before it hit the bench, but Tay-Yun managed to grab it first. “Don’t get food on the bench.” He said as he lifted the piece to Teller’s lips. When he opened them just a slight amount, Tay-Yun nudged the bread inside, then brought his fingers to his own mouth to lick the sugar from them before returning them to the piano. 

Teller hurried to finish up his treat, wanting to keep anymore awkward situations from happening. His face was burning as he swallowed the last piece, then turned his attention completely back to the song after tossing the bag in a small trashcan off to the side. He listened to Tay-Yun play it two more times before he scooted away and patted the seat he’d vacated again. 

“Try this one.” 

Nodding, Teller scooted into the spot Tay-Yun had given up and lifted his hands to the piano. It took him a few more tries to get the hang of the melody on the newer song, but soon he had it down. Without really thinking about it, he also started making changes to the notes that had bothered him before. 

“Why are you changing that there?” Tay-Yun asked after Teller played through the third change he’d made. 

His hands froze on the piano, then he jerked them away, nervously looking down. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to change it.” He hurried to said. 

Seeing Tay-Yun shaking his head from the corner of his eye made Teller’s stomach feel strange, but when the guy just gave him a bright smile and reached over, rubbing his hair softly, he felt even more uneasy. 

“Is okay. I just wanted to know why you thought that note was better.” Tay-Yun said, making Teller relax a little. 

“Oh. I, well, with the beat it has and the pitch… it didn’t seem to fit.” He said, making Tay-Yun draw a hand up to his chin, clearly thinking over what he’d said. 

“I wanted that note, but I think the pitch is off at that spot, but I can’t bring myself to move it higher.” He said, nodding to the far right side of the keyboard, where the notes grew higher in pitch. 

“Well, what about lower?” Teller wondered out loud as he reached forward and played the stanza with the notes they’d been focusing on, reaching down to the deeper sounding keys when the problem area came up. 

It didn’t sound quite right. He played it again, moving the note he’d originally switched with another, but that, too, didn’t quite sound right either. 

“Hmm.” 

Looking under the piano, Teller reached forward with his foot and tapped the pedal. When it did nothing, he played a small stanza of notes while holding it down. The extending affect of the pedal drew a smile along his lips. The loud sound of a sudden clap made Teller jump, only to be hugged a moment later. 

“Not a bad idea kid!” Tay-Yun said as he leaned forward and hurried to write down a note on the paper he’d been editing the song on. 

Tay-Yun took over after that as he continued to work on the next part of the song. There were more things Teller would change, but he decided to get up and go rest on the couch while Tay-Yun worked on his piece. The man was good at what he did, and caught a lot of his mistakes quickly. 

It was actually really enjoyable listening to music being created. Teller relaxed into the sofa as the time passed, falling asleep somewhere around three in the morning. 

The feeling of being carried did wake him this time, as Tay-Yun easily lifted him into his arms. He shifted until he was let down, but took a moment to regain his balance. His eyes refused to focus much, but when Tay-Yun gestured for him to follow him back upstairs, Teller made his feet move. It didn’t help that Tay-Yun had turned all of the lights off except for the one hanging above the emergency exit by the large double doors, leaving little light to navigate, especially if your eyes didn’t want to let you wake up. 

“You are going to end up on your face.” Tay-Yun said as he walked back over and took Teller’s hand. 

With the added support, Teller managed to make his way back upstairs. He dropped down onto the edge of the bed and slowly began to fiddle with the laces on Tay-Yun’s shoes to get them off, only to have his hands gently pushed away. Tay-Yun made short work of both shoes, then nudged Teller over until he fell near the middle of the bed, allowing Tay-Yun enough room to climb in and get beneath the covers. 

“Thank you, by the way.” 

Having been distracted by the rustling covers as he got himself beneath them, Teller scooted closer and leaned in. “Huh? I couldn’t hear you.” 

Rolling over, Tay-Yun opened his mouth to speak again, only to close it when their noses brushed against each other. 

Unsure of what to do, Teller remained silent and slowly retreated. Tay-Yun copied him in reverse until their backs were too each other in the darkness. He didn’t sleep well that night, though he wasn’t sure why.

Reiterate

(You guys know this is already chapter 13? I swear I just started this story.)

The sound of Tay-Yun talking on the phone slowly brought Teller out of his slumber. He didn’t want to interrupt, though, so he let himself doze until the call ended some ten or fifteen minutes later. 

“Good morning, kid.” 

Ah, he knew that I wasn’t asleep. 

Smiling, Teller opened his eyes and stretched his arms over his head on the pillows. His back arched a bit as the muscles pulled, then he relaxed with a content sigh. 

“Morning.” He said, then glanced up at Tay-Yun where he sat against a mound of pillows near the edge of the bed. “Why did you bring me in here again last night?” 

Tay-Yun raised an eyebrow at him. “You walked up the stairs.” 

Smart ass. 

Sitting up, Teller matched Tay-Yun’s expression. “Before that.” 

“You snore loudly on the sofa.” 

Teller scowled. “I do not! You said I didn’t before.” 

The guy looked hesitant, but after a moment he took his phone from the nightstand where he’d set it a few moments ago and pulled up a video. When Teller was offered the phone, he took it. 

It showed him sprawled out over the sofa, mouth open, snoring loud enough to wake the dead. 

Hello embarrassment, my name is Teller. Nice to meet you. 

He handed the phone back, then reached up and scratched the back of his head. “I didn’t wake up anyone else, did I?” He asked, worried that the others had all heard him, too. 

Tay-Yun shook his head, making Teller sigh with relief. “But.” Looking up, Teller frowned. But what? 

Holding up his phone, Tay-Yun grinned and leaned over, putting them a little too close after what happened the previous night. “I’ll keep the video, just in case.” 

In case? Is he blackmailing me? 

“In case what? I’m a nobody. Who will care if they see that video?” He said as he climbed out of the large bed. 

The look on Tay-Yun’s face started off as something akin to agreement, but then he grinned and tossed his phone back onto the nightstand. “You know. You don’t have to be a nobody.” 

Of course he didn’t have to be one. Anyone could be famous if they did something dumb enough, but he was content just being himself… and finding a job. He didn’t have to pay for his grandmother’s hospital bills anymore, but he still had to pay for himself. He didn’t want to have to rely on her anymore. 

“Hey,” he said as he turned to face Tay-Yun, shifting his feet a little because of the chill from the tile floor. “Can you drive me around a bit later so that I can look for a job?” 

It might just be short term, since he was only visiting for a month or so, but maybe he could get lucky and find something that just wanted an extra person to fill in a spot for a short time.

“No. Ask Sahn-Re or En-Ti, I have to go in with Wan-Nu later.”  Tay-Yun said as he got up, too. “And I’m using the shower first.” 

Hah. 

Teller was out the door before Tay-Yun could even blink. He ran to the living room and unzipped his backpack, startling Wan-Nu, who was sitting in the recliner with a cup of coffee, watching the news. 

“In a hurry?” He asked with a warm smile. 

Teller gave him one in return before darting off toward the bathroom with a pair of boxers in his hand. His legs still hurt, but he wasn’t going to let Tay-Yun win after the guy tried to mess with him. He slid inside and locked the door right before the handle shook. 

“You brat! Open the door!” 

Grinning, Teller quickly tugged off his clothing, relieved himself, and hopped into the shower. He only spared his dark bruises a slight glance before getting busy cleaning himself. Honestly, he wasn’t sure whose soap he was using, since there were several bottles of each, but he liked the one that smelled like eucalyptus. 

He was just soaping up his body when he heard the unmistakable sound of the lock clicking open. Uh oh. “You’re dead, kid.” Tay-Yun said as Teller peaked around the edge of the curtain. 

“Actually, I’m naked, but close.” 

Not really, though. 

Tay-Yun grabbed a towel from a small shelf on the wall and held it out to him. “Get out.” He grumbled. Teller was about to reply when he noticed En-Ti step into the doorway, a curious expression on his face and a red toothbrush in his hand. 

He doesn’t just leave it in here? 

“What are you doing to the poor guy, Tay-Yun?” 

Yeah, leave this poor guy alone. 

Tay-Yun glared over his shoulder before turning his attention back to Teller and shoving the towel closer. “I was going to shower and he ran in here. He needs to get out.” 

The chuckle from En-Ti brought both of their eyes back to him. “He already washed his hair and I can smell Sahn-Re’s body wash. Just let him finish rinsing off. The more you stall him, the more hot water you’re wasting.” 

Before Tay-Yun could turn back around, Teller ducked back under the water and hurried to wipe the soap away. Not twenty seconds later he was grabbing the towel from Tay-Yun, who had remained standing there with a scowl on his face. 

“You know, you aren’t as nice as they make you out to be on all those interviews.” Teller noted as he wiped the water from his body, then wrapped the towel around his waist before stepping out of the shower and onto the soft floor mat in front of it. 

A whistle brought his eyes over to En-Ti, who had moved to brush his teeth by the sink. From the looks of it, he had just finished putting toothpaste on the brush. 

“A bit skinny, but not bad, kid.” 

His compliment drew a blush to Teller’s face. He wasn’t sure what to say in response, and thankfully, his phone decided to ring from the living room before he could find something stupid to utter. 

Hurrying from the room after grabbing the boxers he’d left on the back of the toilet, he was careful not to slip on the floor as he made his way to the sofa and quickly fished his phone from his bag. Ike. He let the call go to voicemail, then checked the mail once it had finished recording. 

“Hey Teller, please call me or text me an address so we can at least meet up and talk. I swear I won’t tell Mr. Canzoni. I just, I know you need the money from this, and honestly, I really do to. I can make a deal with you, though. We have a show tonight, and I’ll pay you half of what I get. I did get Mr. Canzoni to accept to still pay you if you show up, so that’s over double what you would normally make. So please, just get in contact with me.” 

Blinking as the recording clicked off, Teller wasn’t sure what to make of it. He stared at his phone until he felt a hand settle onto his shoulder, making him jump a bit before looking over it to see a smiling Sahn-Re. 

“You smell good, but why do you look so worried?” 

Licking his lips nervously, Teller held up his  phone for a second, then realized that he was still quite naked besides the towel around his waist. 

“Um, can I get a moment to change?” He said as he reached down and grabbed his bag. 

“Sure, you can just use my room if you want.” Sahn-Re said, earning a nod from Teller and a thanks as he walked in and shut the door. 

He was changed in a pair of dark faded jeans and a black T-shirt a few moments later. He’d also dried his hair somewhat well with the towel, but as he walked back over to Sahn-Re, the guy grabbed the towel and began scrubbing his damp hair with a quiet laugh. 

“You are going to get a cold if you don’t dry your hair better, Teller.” 

Digging his hands into his pockets, Teller let the guy do what he wanted until the towel was suddenly removed and tossed over Sahn-Re’s head by En-Ti as he walked by. 

“You’re nagging at him, Sahn.” He said as he headed for the kitchen. 

Teller couldn’t help but grin when Sahn-Re pulled the towel from his head, a scowl on his face until he turned back to Teller. His smile returned that second, making him realize that they probably just picked on each other in such a way often. 

“You said you would say what the phone call was?” Sahn-Re reminded him. 

“Ah, right. It was Ike.” 

The happy expression immediately dropped from Sahn-Re’s face, turning into fury. “I’ll beat him up if he tries to get near you again!” 

Teller chuckled and reached forward, messing up Sahn-Re’s styled hair before heading for the kitchen. He heard the guy hot on his heels, so he didn’t bother slowing down until he needed to reach up into a cupboard to take a cup for water. 

“He wants to meet up. He offered me my normal salary to sing tonight, plus half of his own.” 

“No.” Tay-Yun said as he stepped into the room in just a pair of dress pants and a towel around his shoulders. 

Well, at least the photos they’d taken of him at their beach shoot hadn’t been fake, like part of his personality. The guy had a nice body. Not that he was checking him out or anything. Just an observation. 

“I can make my own decisions.” Teller said as he crossed his arms over his chest, only to earn a look from Tay-Yun that made him feel like he was eight instead of eighteen. 

When the guy walked over, Teller forced himself to stay where he was, though he felt the need to back up. “You got yourself into such a terrible situation that you could barely walk, yet you want to say that you can make your own decisions? Yes, you probably can, but you’re an absolute idiot if you think that we’ll let you walk right back there without tying you up first.” 

To Teller’s surprise, Sahn-Re and En-Ti bother nodded in agreement. Then, when Wan-Nu walked in a few moments later, he just grinned. “Are we scolding Teller? I heard a bit of it from the living room.” 

The group nodded while Teller scowled at his cup of water. “It can’t hurt to meet him in public.” He mumbled, earning a glare from Tay-Yun. 

Before anyone could respond, his phone began ringing in his free hand. He checked the caller I.D. right before Tay-Yun swiped the device and answered it with a growl. “Hello?” 

“Put Teller on, Tay-Yun.” Came Ike’s voice, loud and clear through the speaker in the silent room. 

“So glad you remember my name.” Tay-Yun said with a sarcastic smile on his face as he leaned against the counter and crossed his legs. 

Teller expected Ike to start arguing with Tay-Yun, so he wasn’t surprised when he immediately asked for him. Of course, Tay-Yun decided to be difficult. 

“No. You can talk to me.” 

Ike growled. “He can make his own decisions!” 

Funny how I just said that. 

“I will be making this decision.” Tay-Yun replied in Korean, making Ike even more angry judging from the yell on the other end of the phone. 

When the guy had calmed down a few moments later, he replied. “Fine, I got it. I’m talking to you. Can you set up a time where I can meet with him? I don’t care if you guys are with him, but I need to talk to him. We have a show tonight.” 

“I guess you will just have to fake sick.” Tay-Yun said, drawing a chuckle from Sahn-Re and a grin from En-Ti before he sipped at the tea he’d made. 

“Dude, I know he needs this money and I need it to. Come on, it can’t hurt to just meet with me.” Ike said, his voice sounding close to pleading. 

I didn’t know Ike could beg. I like the sound of it. 

Tay-Yun looked over at him with a raised eyebrow, making Teller shrug. He was right, as long as it was just Ike, and he had Ello with him, it couldn’t hurt. Pursing his lips, Teller thought about it for another moment before slowly nodding. 

“Fine. You may come here, right now. I have to leave in an hour, so move.” Tay-Yun said before giving Ike the address, then hanging up. 

Teller was a bit shocked that they’d given him their own address, but then again, they always likely had reporters lurking about, and cameras everywhere. If anyone from Mimic tried anything, they’d be arrested quickly. 

The group disappeared out the kitchen door once Tay-Yun tossed him his phone back. Deciding that he shouldn’t just stand around waiting, Teller went to the fridge. Hopefully they didn’t mind him taking something for breakfast. 

Opening the door, he looked inside, then frowned. Why is it all take out containers and juice or alcohol? Wait, there were a few eggs on the door, and what looked like an old bag of flour, but that still didn’t really help much. 

“Just eat which you want. We don’t cook much.” Wan-Nu said, having already returned. He looked sharp in a dark blue suit and dress pants. The slim black-framed glasses made the outfit look even more classy. 

“Oh, okay.” Teller said, looking back into the fridge. He really couldn’t decide if he wanted to check them all and risk taking someone’s food though. He always hated it when someone ate something that he’d been looking forward to. 

His grandmother loved taking his food, just to get him frustrated. He could swear that it was a past time that she treasured. 

“Here. You should like this.” Wan-Nu said from right next to him, making Teller jump when the other man leaned into the fridge and pulled out a container that looked to have a decent amount of weight to it. 

Not knowing how to decline, Teller took the container, then the proffered chopsticks that Wan-Nu handed him a moment later. “Eat up before he comes.” He said, making Teller nod as he set the container on the kitchen counter and opened it. 

Oh, kimbap. 

He had a feeling that the house was never without the easily-obtainable food. He wouldn’t complain, though. If he could, he’d eat it daily. There were so many different varieties that it couldn’t possibly get old. 

The one Wan-Nu had given him tasted like shrimp, kimchi, avocado, and sesame seeds with a spicy paste. It was delicious, and Teller had to keep himself from drooling as he quickly ate several pieces. He hadn’t realized that he’d been so hungry until he slowed down after half the container had been emptied. 

“I picked a good one?” Wan-Nu asked, a hint of humor in his voice as he picked up one of the pieces and popped it into his mouth. He winced, then chewed and swallowed. “Too spicy for me.” 

En-Ti walked in then and headed straight for them, borrowing Teller’s chopsticks to take a piece of the kimbap. “Has to be one you ordered.” Wan-Nu said, getting a nod from En-Ti as he clearly enjoyed the spicy bite. 

Sahn-Re bounced in next. He was wearing a normal set of clothing, jeans, a white and orange T-shirt and an orange and black jacket. He walked over to the food, too, and Teller, knowing what he likely planned, lifted a piece of the kimbap up with his chopsticks. Sahn-Re beamed at him and took the bite from the untesil happily. He seemed to have no issue with the spiciness, just like En-Ti. 

The doorbell rang before Tay-Yun showed up, triggering a mad dash for it. Teller wanted to get there before anyone else, especially Sahn-Re, to keep a fight from breaking out. He managed to make it there first, only to be picked up from behind and toted backward by En-Ti, allowing Wan-Nu and Sahn-Re to answer the door. 

Ike looked about ready to lift his arms and defend himself, and Teller couldn’t blame him. If Wan-Nu wasn’t resting an arm against Sahn-Re’s chest, the slightly shorter guy would have likely gone after him. 

“Hello. Come in.” Wan-Nu said, taking a step back, moving Sahn-Re out of the way just enough so that Ike could slip inside. 

“Come on. We know he’s just hear to drag him back to that hell. Let me hit him a few times and he’ll leave with his tail between his legs.” Sahn-Re growled, though it sounded far cuter than it should have from such an angry guy. 

They all followed Ike toward the living room. Tay-Yun was standing by the sofa with his arms crossed and, thankfully, a white, long-sleeved dress shirt on. He nodded to the seat on the couch and Ike hesitantly sat. Sahn-Re jumped over the back and took the spot to his left while Wan-Nu slid into the spot on his right. 

He looks absolutely confused. Hilarious. 

Grinning, Teller sat on the arm of the sofa when he saw En-Ti do it on the opposite side. Tay-Yun sat on the coffee table after pushing it back a bit. Ike was thoroughly surrounded and clearly feeling it. 

“Okay… well, I just wanted to make a deal with you guys.” He said, his eyes darting around, not sure whose they should meet. 

Wan-Nu leaned forward, his arms on his knees as he turned his body slightly to look at Ike. “What kind of deal? He will not go back with you for anything.” He said, taking the words right of Teller’s own mouth. 

“That’s okay.” Ike mumbled, staring down at his hands twisting in his lap. 

“Then why are you here?” Tay-Yun asked, clearly already annoyed with the situation. 

Ike lifted his head and narrowed his eyes on Tay-Yun. “You’re that guy that keeps answering his phone.” 

Grinning, Tay-Yun shrugged. “So what if I am?” He answered in Korean. 

Ike immediately began grinding his teeth, trying to hold back a cuss. Teller tensed a little, ready to defend himself out of instinct, since Ike had joined in a few times when Mr. Canzoni had decided to use him as a punching bag, but to his surprise, Sahn-Re reached up and flicked him in the left cheek, immediately braking his focus as he turned his head to face Sahn-Re as his hand came up to rub the sore spot. 

“Do not look at my friend like that.” Sahn-Re growled as he crossed his arms over his chest. His jacket was a bit too long, because one of his hands disappeared into the sleeve as he completed the gesture. 

I know you’re trying to look tough, but you still just can’t pull it off. The guy was just cute, in a hyper way. 

Ike seemed to be considering his words before Tay-Yun snapped his fingers in the guys face, drawing his attention back to him, as well as earning himself a scowl. 

“What do you want here.” He stated with a finality that told Ike that if he didn’t answer correctly, that the conversation would be over. 

Huffing, Ike leaned back against the sofa. “I came to ask if you guys can bring him tonight to perform. You can take him back immediately afterward, stand with him while he sings, whatever you want. We’ll pay him his salary, and I’ll give him half of mine, too.” 

“How much do you make?” Tay-Yun asked. 

Ike looked down at his lap and shrugged. “Enough to make me an asshole for not sharing in the first place.” 

“He finally says something worth hearing.” En-Ti said, adding a slow, sarcastic clap as his sentence ended. 

Teller hadn’t realized that several eyes had turned to him until Ike lifted his own to meet Tay-Yun’s. “Well, Teller? What do you think?” 

I suddenly get to make a decision now? 

He could definitely use the money… and if the whole Ello group was going to be there. His eyes lowered as he thought hard about his decision, only for them to catch something he hadn’t noticed before. 

“What’s wrong with your neck?” He asked. 

Ike immediately jerked his left hand up to tug his shirt back into place, covering his right collarbone area. “Nothing.” He said with narrowed eyes that told Teller to leave it alone. 

Too bad you’re in my territory now. I don’t have to listen to you. 

“Hey Sahn-Re, wanna help me get his shirt off?” ’ He asked, earning a mischievous smirk from the singer. “Leave it to me.” He said right before he shoved Ike. Wan-Nu jumped out of the way just in time for Ike to fall into the spot he had been sitting in. 

“The hell, dude!” Ike yelled. 

He tried to push himself up, but En-Ti’s boot pressed down onto his right shoulder, making Ike yelp and immediately drop back down to the cushion. 

“En-Ti, why are you wearing your shoes in the house?” Wan-Nu asked randomly, drawing a chuckle from Tay-Yun as he stood up and leaned over Ike, helping Sahn-Re remove his jacket and shirt. 

Like Teller had suspected, there was a dark purple mark on Ike’s right shoulder that ran down half his arm in an awkward pattern. He’d gotten himself between Mr. Canzoni and his fury at me being gone. 

Teller wondered how the other band members were doing, but he had a feeling that Mr. Canzoni wouldn’t try anything with them. They actually had to play instruments. All Ike had to was hold a microphone, which only required one arm, and pretend to sing. 

The whole group had fallen silent as they stared at the guy. He could tell that Sahn-Re was having a hard time accepting what clearly happened. Teller knew that he didn’t like the guy, at all, but he also knew that he hated people getting hurt, too. 

“I’ll be there tonight. Go back.” Teller said as he took Ike’s shirt from Sahn-Re and picked his jacket up off the floor before handing him both. 

En-Ti silently removed his boot from Ike’s shoulder and Sahn-Re returned to his own seat, allowing the guy to get up easily. Ike pulled his shirt on with just a slight wince, then added his jacket and stood up. 

“It’s at the Twin Tree convention center.” Ike mumbled before hurrying out of the room. The front door was heard opening and closing a moment later, leaving the group in silence once again. 

A collective sigh left everyone a few minutes later. En-Ti got up first, making his way to the bathroom. Wan-Nu stood a few moments later, nodding to Tay-Yun. “I’ll go get the car.” He said before disappearing down the hall, then out of the house. 

Teller slowly got to his feet and walked to the kitchen. He poked at his remaining kimbap, but couldn’t find his previous appetite. Tay-Yun walked over a few minutes later and stole his chopsticks to take a piece. His eyes widened as soon as he started chewing the food. Then they began to water. Oh. He doesn’t like very spicy stuff? Well, he did get the plain rice one before… 

“It’s really spicy.” Teller said, deciding to state the obvious as Tay-Yun poured himself a huge glass of cold water and began swishing it around his mouth. 

He got a glare in response to his words, but Teller couldn’t help but grin. “Good to know your weakness, Tay-Yun. Have a good day at the office with Wan-Nu.” He said before picking up his remaining food and waiving bye as he walked out of the kitchen, intent on hanging out with Sahn-Re and En-Ti until it was time to go to the concert.

Redo

“Go go go!” Sahn-Re yelled as he jumped up and down on the couch, the controller for the racing game in his hand swinging around violently, making his car swerve every which way. 

Teller was grinning as he stood in front of him, swinging his own controller more carefully as he tried not to laugh too hard at Sahn-Re. The guy had made him crack up so hard he was crying the last race, and of course, he lost since he kept having to wipe away tears. 

The blaring of Shinee’s Lucifer probably didn’t help calm Sahn-Re’s energy levels at all as it pumped from the stereo system they had hooked up all around the room. Teller had never played such a hyper version of Mario Kart before. Granted, En-Ti was just steering his kart peacefully where he was perched on the armrest of the couch, since Sahn-Re had already accidentally stepped on him twice. 

Even with Sahn-Re’s yelling and theatrics, En-Ti manages to snag first. Sahn-Re skidded into second a hair behind him, making the guy groan and flop over, his arms draping over Teller’s shoulders, making him stagger with half his weight, then drop them both to the floor. He didn’t see where his own kart went, but he doubted that it crossed the finish line.

“I think it’s time for a break before Sahn-Re ends up sending one of us to the hospital.” En-Ti noted as he stood up and walked over, switching the game off right as Sahn-Re sat up on Teller’s back. 

“Hey! You turned it off right after it saved!” Sahn-Re grumbled, earning a grin from En-Ti. 

“Of course. Now I’m ahead of you in total points.” He said before setting his controller down and heading off to his room. 

“Can I get up by chance?” Teller asked as he turned his head to look over his shoulder at Sahn-Re. 

“Oh. Right.” Sahn-Re said before getting up, then offering Teller a hand. 

Taking it, Teller gave his thanks. “Your hand’s a bit warm.” He noted, earning a grin from Sahn-Re. 

“I get a little hyper playing that game.” 

A little? 

Shaking his head, Teller walked into the kitchen, hungry for a snack after the craziness they’d just dealt with. “Want to split something?” He asked, not wanting a whole container. 

“Sure!” Sahn-Re answered in English, making Teller chuckle. His accent was adorable. 

They settled on a spicy roll that Sahn-Re had ordered. It had kimchi, spicy beef, egg, and the same spicy paste as the one he’d had earlier. “I should ask Tay-Yun to try this.” Teller said with an evil grin that made Sahn-Re chuckle. “He would hate you forever.” 

“I’m not sure how much he likes me now, anyways. You know, he tried to blackmail me with a video of me snoring?” Teller said, laughing a little at the insignificant attempt. 

Sahn-Re’s eyes widened but he didn’t reply until he finished chewing his food, then swallowing. “I wanna see it! I’ll ask him for it later.” 

That wasn’t what I intended to happen. 

“Can you not do that?” Teller mumbled, his face turning slightly red. 

Sahn-Re reached over with his free hand and mussed up Teller’s hair before taking another piece of food with his chopsticks. “I will think about it.” 

The next few hours passed in near-silence. They’d turned off the stereo after finishing up their meal, then just decided to relax on the couch reading. It had been a while since Teller had been able to use the Kindle device on his phone, so he quite enjoyed the quiet time. 

With the silence, though, he did hear  Sahn-Re sniffle a few times. When he asked if he was feeling okay, he just said that it was the spicy food making his nose run, so Teller just shrugged it off. It made sense, anyways. 

When the front door opened sometime later, Teller was nearly asleep. He pushed himself up, covering a yawn as he looked over at Sahn-Re, who seemed completely focused on his book, because he didn’t even seem to have heard the door. 

“Wow, Sahn-Re isn’t jumping up to greet us?” Wan-Nu asked with a chuckle as he stepped into the living room area, removing his coat to drape over his arm. 

Teller smiled at him, then looked behind him when he heard the door close and lock. Tay-Yun appeared a few moments later, shaking his head as he brushed his fingers through his hair quickly. 

Was it raining? 

“We will leave soon for your show, since it will take a bit to get there. Are you going in that?” Wan-Nu asked, earning a nod from Teller. 

Sahn-Re perked up at that, hopping over the back of the sofa. “Gotta get ready!” 

“Seems like he’s fine.” Teller said with a laugh that Wan-Nu echoed. “It would seem so.” 

They all split up to get changed, leaving Teller alone for twenty or so minutes. In that time, he made sure to use the restroom, wash his hands, then get a drink of water. Tay-Yun met him in the kitchen first, dressing in a pair of distressed greyish-blue jeans, a black long sleeved shirt and his signature jacket. He hadn’t been wearing it earlier, and it kind of smelled like it had been through the wash. 

Good idea. 

Tay-Yun walked over to a drawer and took a cloth from a small packet, then began cleaning his sunglasses. Once they seemed sufficient, he slid them onto the bridge of his nose. Teller had to admit, he did look good. Especially since he had his trademark jacket and glasses back. 

“Don’t faint. I won’t catch you.” 

Teller frowned, missing one of the words Tay-Yun had said, but catching the general idea of what he’d just said. 

“You wish.” He mumbled, earning a half-grin from Tay-Yun before En-Ti and Wan-Nu walked into the room. 

“Alright. We’re all set.” Wan-Nu said before turning around, only to turn back around and look them over. “Wait. Sahn-Re isn’t here yet? He’s always the first one ready.” 

“Let’s go!” Sahn-Re shouted as he literally hopped over the threshold of the kitchen entryway. 

Tay-Yun and Wan-Nu both chuckled, but En-Ti just stared at him before sliding a pair of normal glasses onto the bridge of his nose. Everyone headed out to the car and soon they were on their way. It was damp outside, so Teller’s guess about it raining had been true, but thankfully it had subsided before they started driving.

He would have been nervous going near Mimic again, but with the entire Ello crew behind him, he couldn’t find it in himself to be stressed. Of course, he was a little shaky because he had to perform, but standing behind a curtain wasn’t too hard. If he had to go out in front of others? That would end badly. 

Arriving, Teller gasped at all of the people waiting outside. The lines were long, even though it seemed like they were already allowing some in. There were just that many people. 

“We’ll need to go in around the back.” Tay-Yun said as Wan-Nu already began turning the van. 

Thankfully, their car was unmarked, so it was impossible to tell who they were unless someone got a good look. Wan-Nu got them around back and dropped them off right at the entry door. 

As Teller hurried inside, he felt a hand slip into his and grip it like a vice, keeping him from going too far ahead. He couldn’t see very well since they were soon in the backstage area, so he didn’t bother looking back until Mr. Canzoni, Ike, and the rest of the band stepped out of seemingly nowhere to block his path. 

The hand gripping his hauled him backward so fast that he stumbled right into a firm chest, drawing his attention up to Tay-Yun’s face for a split second before returning it to Mr. Canzoni. 

“Where do you want him?” Wan-Nu asked as he stepped forward, slightly shielding him from the glare of his former manager. 

“Just put him between the first two sets of curtains, and make sure no one goes back there until the show is over.” Mr. Canzoni growled. 

Teller thought that was it, but then En-Ti stepped forward, arms crossed over his chest. “Pay him first.” 

The red tint to Mr. Canzoni’s face was easily visible, even in the low light. He was about to start yelling when Tay-Yun stepped back and tugged Teller with him. “We can leave right now.” 

The red got deeper, but Mr. Canzoni shoved his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a checkbook. Soon he was handing a piece of paper to Wan-Nu. Ike followed with his own promise of money afterward, handing Wan-Nu a second check without a single word. 

After Wan-Nu checked both, he had Teller take out his phone and take pictures of them with the flash on his camera, then send them to his bank. Once that was all finished, he slid the checks into his pocket, then nodded. 

“He will be ready. Thank you, gentleman.” He said with a smile as he turned and started walking toward the curtains on the left side of the stage. 

From there, everything thankfully went off without a hitch. Ike was surprisingly easy to work with that night, making Teller wonder if he’d purposefully given him trouble in the past or if Mr. Canzoni had wanted him to make him slip up. Either way, he was glad that they easily synced, allowing him to relax and just enjoy singing. Even with Ello watching him, he wasn’t too nervous. 

Sahn-Re’s energy as he silently cheered or sang along was awesome, and the fact that everyone stayed with him for the entire thing was really appreciated. The moment the show finished Tay-Yun had his hand again and was pulling him away from the stage. 

“Hey guys, wait a second please!” Ike yelled from behind, making Teller stop, and in turn, pull Tay-Yun to a stop. The guy looked annoyed, but relented and turned. 

The rest of Ello was slower to stop, but they all did. Not a single one of them went down the short few stairs to the main floor. 

“I just wanted to say thanks for showing up.” He paused for a moment, scratching at his hair nervously as he added. “And sorry.“He then darted off back across the stage after the front curtain had fallen. 

“Didn’t think I’d ever hear that out of him.” Teller said as he was tugged off the stage and they all hurried out of the building. 

He hadn’t realized how loud it had been inside until they stepped into the cold night air. It was actually pretty chilly after a minute, making him shiver as they waited in the faint drizzle for Wan-Nu to run and get the van. It was just appearing around the corner a few moments later when Teller felt something heavy settle over his shoulders. 

Hm? Oh, Tay-Yun’s jacket.

Before he could thank him Tay-Yun was pulling him forward and into the van. They took the two middle seats, while En-Ti and Sahn-Re slipped into the back. They skipped picking up dinner, probably because the fridge was already full of a million takeout containers, and just headed straight back to their house. 

Teller was glad. Even without being in front of the audience, he was still exhausted. Singing wasn’t easy, especially when you had to coordinate with other people. He ended up nodding off a few times in the car, but awoke when Wan-Nu parked. He followed Tay-Yun out, yawning as he quickly headed up the stairs, eager to rinse off in the shower, then pass out. 

Wan-Nu got the door open, but when Teller didn’t hear anyone behind them, he turned to call out to Sahn-Re and En-Ti, only to have a few fingers lightly press against his lips. They weren’t preventing him from being able to talk, but they were sending the clear message to stay quiet. 

Teller realized why a second later, when En-Ti carefully climbed out of the van with Sahn-Re held carefully in his arms, the smaller guy’s arms wrapped around his neck as his head rested on his shoulder. En-Ti reached forward and pressed a button so that the van door would close on its own, then turned and slowly began heading up the stairs. 

“He doesn’t feel well, like we thought.” Tay-Yun whispered before En-Ti silently slipped past them. 

They followed him inside, Teller running ahead as quietly as he could. He wanted to ask if Sahn-Re would be okay and what he could do to help, but when En-Ti stopped near the small hallway leading to Sahn-Re’s room and looked at him with a tired smile, Teller realized that he was being dismissed. 

“Got him, Tan?” Wan-Nu whispered, surprising Teller by using En-Ti’s family name, which normally wasn’t used. 

When En-Ti nodded, Wan-Nu reciprocated the gesture. “Good night.” He whispered before En-Ti turned and disappeared into Sahn-Re’s room. 

The gloomy atmosphere vanished a few moments later when Tay-Yun stepped out of the kitchen to lean against the doorjamb there, a  half empty glass of water in his hand. “En-Ti will take care of him tonight. If he still isn’t doing well tomorrow, we’ll take him to the doctor.” 

That’s a relief. They’re taking it very seriously. 

It was probably just a small cold, but just the idea that it could possibly be more made him nervous. He didn’t want to see Sahn-Re sick. The guy was a walking ball of sunshine and he really made Teller, and likely everyone else around him, happy. 

“Let’s go sleep.” Tay-Yun said as he finished his cup of water and disappeared into the kitchen, only to return a moment later without the cup. 

“Okay. I’m going to rinse off in the shower real quick. I’ll meet you in your room?” Teller said with a tired smile. 

Tay-Yun nodded, then paused. “I need to brush my teeth.” 

“That’s fine. Just give me a second to get in the shower.” Teller said as he handed Tay-Yun his jacket back, grabbed a change of clothing, and headed for the bathroom. 

He hurried to get undressed and under the water. The door opened a few seconds afterward and he soon heard the sound of Tay-Yun brushing his teeth. As soon as he heard the door shut a few minutes later, telling him that Tay-Yun had likely left, he turned off the water and ran his hands over his body to get the majority of the water off, then climbed out. Grabbing the towel, Teller hurried to dry himself, as well as wipe his face. He looked up toward where he’d left his clothing on the side of the sink when he decided that he was dry enough to start getting dressed, only to find Tay-Yun staring at him with a small bit of what appeared to be skin cream in his hand that had paused halfway to his face. 

Why… is he still in here? 

In a blur, Teller yanked the towel around his waist and turned around, already feeling the blush begin to color his face and ears. The sound of the door being opened and closed abruptly made him jump, then look over his shoulder. 

Thank god, he left. 

He hurried into his clothing before anyone else could walk in, then scrubbed his teeth and slipped out the door. Thankfully, Tay-Yun wasn’t in bed when he stepped into his room. Teller could hear the piano coming from down the spiral staircase, but didn’t dare follow the sound. Instead, he dropped down into the bed and buried himself beneath the covers. Even with his heart still pounding, he found himself drifting off after only a few short minutes.

Mirror

(Had this song on repeat the whole time lol. Opening theme to Goblin, the Lonely and Great God)

Too hot. 

Teller cracked one tired eye open, only be greeted by complete darkness. He let out a quiet groan and tried to get up, but couldn’t. Keeping himself calm, he focused on what he could hear and feel, without actually reaching out with his arms, which felt mostly pinned beneath weight. 

He soon figured out that he was still in Tay-Yun’s bed, and that Tay-Yun was likely the weight holding him in place. Judging by his calm breathing, he was out cold, leaving him between a bed and a slightly muscular, hard place. 

I could just shove him off, but then he’d likely wake up. If I tried to carefully move him, he also might wake up. 

It didn’t help that every few breaths from Tay-Yun tickled his neck, making Teller squirm. That had probably been what woke him in the first place, along with the added body heat beneath the blankets. He was considering his options, pros and cons, when he heard something from the hallway. He couldn’t quite figure out what it was, but curiosity had him carefully nudging Tay-Yun until he was free of the guy, then hurried to slip from the bed. 

Once out in the hallway, Teller knew exactly what was going on. He hurried to the kitchen and got a glass of warm water, mixing in some honey before carefully carrying it to the bathroom where Sahn-Re was hunched over the toilet, shivering and coughing in En-Ti’s arms. 

Aw, this isn’t good at all. Poor Sahn-Re. 

The guy’s normally perfectly styled hair was an absolute mess and hung limply, shielding most of his face as he wretched into the toilet. He set the cup down quietly on the edge of the counter, catching En-Ti’s eye long enough for the guy to nod before he was silently dismissed as his attention returned to comforting Sahn-Re. 

Not wanting to intrude, Teller hurried from the room and found himself perched on the sofa watching the TV with the volume low. He knew that it was embarrassing to be heard throwing up, so he made sure that it was just loud enough to hopefully make Sahn-Re feel a little less stressed about being sick. 

“Hmm. We’ve got a show tomorrow night.” Wan-Nu said quietly from behind him, nearly making Teller jump as he came around the side of the sofa and sat beside him. Neither him nor En-Ti looked like they had slept much, if at all. 

Sahn-Re definitely won’t be okay for tomorrow’s concert if he doesn’t feel better soon, and that doesn’t look like it’s about to happen. 

Teller wasn’t sure what to say as he focused on the television broadcasting the weather for the next few days. When he felt a nudge to his arm, he looked over at Wan-Nu. Immediately, he was hesitant considering the look on the guy’s face. 

“Teller…” Wan-Nu said slowly, making Teller fidget. 

“Yes?” He asked, hesitant. 

“Do you know any of our songs?” Wan-Nu asked, a tiny flicker of hope in his eyes. 

Uneasily, Teller nodded. “About eight?” He said as he leaned back discretely, only for Wan-Nu to lean forward. 

“I know you don’t know to play instruments.” He said in slightly broken English. “But, you learn very fast and already know them…” 

He’s insane. I can’t learn eight songs so quickly! 

A gentle hand sifting through his hair for a brief moment brought his attention up to Tay-Yun as he came into view heading toward the kitchen. “That’s unfair, Wan-Nu. One day to learn how to play for Sahn-Re?” 

Wan-Nu sighed and leaned back into the couch. “Yeah. I got ahead of myself. We’ll just have to cancel the show.” 

Frowning, Teller looked back toward the bathroom. He hadn’t heard Sahn-Re throwing up anymore, but they also hadn’t come out yet, either. Ah, I think I hear the shower running. He’s probably rinsing off. 

He got up from the sofa when Tay-Yun walked over to take the other spot beside him. “I think I’m going to go rest a bit more.” He mumbled before heading back toward Tay-Yun’s room. 

Teller knew that it was stupid to even consider trying, but he found his feet walking over to the spiral staircase at the far end of the bedroom. This is stupid. You’re stupid. Even so, he carefully walked down the dark staircase, then searched along the walls with the help of the faint emergency light by the sealed double doors until  he found a light switch. 

It was a dull glow around the piano area, but not too bright. There were several more switches, but he didn’t want to accidentally push something besides a light or turn on too many. Okay. Just sit down and prove that you can’t do this, then go to bed. Nodding to himself, Teller slowly walked over to the piano, stifling a small yawn as he sat down. 

His fingers went through the keys quickly, remembering each of their sounds much easier after having played a few times before. I don’t have the beats memorized yet. He realized, getting up from the piano to wander over to the sound room. Unsurprisingly, there were several stacks of CD’s sitting just inside the room. 

Checking the doorknob, he grinned when it turned easily in his hand. Even less of a surprise when he started sifting through the CD’s, was that they were all different versions of Ello’s songs. Some were remixes, works in progress, and so on. He finally found what he was looking for after a few moments. 

Their third CD. D.N.A.

Taking the case, and a small CD player likely kept for studying, considering it looked ancient but well taken care of, he made his way back out to the piano. Tucking the earbuds in that were already connected to the device, he slid the CD from its case and put it in, then hit play. 

For nearly thirty minutes he just replayed the first song on the disc. After that, he began singing the lyrics, easily remembering them after a few tries. Alright. Got that down. Now for the music. He lifted his hands to the keys after lowering the volume just enough so that it would mesh with what he played, but he could still tell the two sounds apart. 

His first try was hilariously funny, but keeping the smile on his face, he forged onward. It took him about an hour before he could turn off the CD player and go through the entire song without a single mistake, besides what his tired mind sometimes slipped in here or there. 

Okay. That wasn’t so bad. 

Pursing his lips, he then licked them and turned the CD player back on, this time going through the second song. Since the first one had warmed him up to all of the keys’ sounds, he managed to get through the second song in about thirty minutes. 

Covering his mouth as a yawn slipped out, Teller stood from the bench and stretched his arms over his head. He was getting really tired, but he wanted to know what was going on with Sahn-Re. Setting aside the CD player and headphones, he hurried back upstairs. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or more worried when he noticed that the bathroom was empty. 

“En-Ti took him to the hospital. He’s got a pretty bad fever.” Tay-Yun said as he walked over with a cup of what appeared to be tea in his hand. 

He pushed it forward until Teller was forced to take it. The cup was warm to the touch and when he brought it to his lips, Teller faintly tasted mint and honey. “Mmm.” He took a few more sips before the cup was taken back and Tay-Yun took a drink from it. 

Hey… wasn’t that supposed be mine? 

“I was just letting you taste.” He said, giving Teller a smirk before turning on his heels and heading toward his room. Teller stalked after him, scowling at his back as his hands balled into fists. 

He expected Tay-Yun to climb into bed after finishing his drink, but instead, he headed toward the stairs and descended. Teller stayed at the top of them, weighing his options. He was tired, and the clock on Tay-Yun’s nightstand told him in dimmed lights that it was close to three in the morning. 

“Come here.” Tay-Yun’s command drifted up to him, drawing a frown on his lips. 

Just to spite Tay-Yun, Teller turned and walked back over the chilly floor toward the bed. He was almost there when he felt a strong arm wrap around his waist, easily halting his steps. Grumbling, he turned to glare up at Tay-Yun in the darkness. 

“What do you want? I’m tired.” 

When Tay-Yun didn’t respond, Teller  turned back around and struggled to get away, but Tay-Yun just added his other arm to hold him, the cup he’d previously held clearly absent. “Come on. Let me go Tay-Yun. I want to go to sleep.” He said, frustrated. 

He was just about to start trying to stomp on the guy’s feet when he felt Tay-Yun’s forehead press gently against the back of his head, making him freeze. “We are going to make roughly around fifty-thousand American dollars for this concert. It’s not a big one, but it’s important because a lot of the tickets were gifted through different programs to those who normally wouldn’t have been able to afford to come normally.” He said as his arms gently tightened around Teller’s belly, forcing him back against Tay-Yun’s chest. 

“I will pay you if you can learn those eight songs.” Tay-Yun added quietly. 

Teller frowned, staring down at the floor as he tried to focus on the guy’s words and not where his hands were. 

“But a concert is almost always longer than eight songs.” Teller mumbled. 

I do owe them for all their kindness, though…

“Yes, we intended to play more.” Tay-Yun replied. “But, they will understand if Sahn-Re’s sick, but to just cancel… I really don’t want to do that.” 

“Can’t you play all of these songs on the piano easily enough?” Teller asked as he stepped forward, finally being allowed out of Tay-Yun’s grasp so that he could turn around and look at the young man in the darkness without being restrained. 

“Yes, but I have to play the guitar for most of them, as En-Ti is our drummer.” 

Teller knew that the guy also played the guitar, but then that would leave one of them off drums, piano, or guitar. Most of their songs incorporated all three and wouldn’t sound the same without one of the instruments. 

His shoulders hunched and he returned his eyes down to his feet. “I’m not a musician, Tay-Yun. I don’t want to stand up in front of people.” He didn’t have the enthusiasm Sahn-Re did. The charisma Tay-Yun did. The poise that En-Ti did. Hell, even Ike looked pretty content when he was performing. 

I’m not a performer. I just want to stand behind a curtain and do my job without people looking at me. 

Feeling Tay-Yun’s hands gripping his shoulders, Teller lifted his head again. 

“Just those eight songs. I’ll pay you double what you earned yesterday, including what Ike added on.” 

That’s a lot of money… 

He still felt his stomach twist nervously. To learn six more songs, then perform them later that night. It was a daunting task to think about. Especially because he had to play in front of hundreds of other people. 

“Would… it help if we kept the piano just out of the audience view?” 

Teller licked his lips, thinking his words over. If he didn’t have all of those eyes on him… perhaps it wouldn’t be nearly as hard. He was used to hearing all the cheering, music and singing. 

“I… might be able to do that.” He said, his words quieting as he spoke them. 

His nerves had his arms shaking slightly at just the thought of doing it, though. He was just about to open his mouth and decline, when Tay-Yun leaned over and wrapped him in a tight hug, then pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Let’s try.” He said as he hurried to take Teller’s hand and tug him toward the stairs. 

In a daze, Teller let himself be pulled. They spent the next several hours listening to each of the eight songs Teller knew through the large speakers Tay-Yun turned on. He had assured Teller that no one was sleeping until they got the OK that Sahn-Re was doing well, so they could use the speakers to study. 

They did help, because they allowed for the bass of the songs to come through like it would on stage, allowing him to catch the beat much faster than before. As they worked, they shared the tea until it was empty, then Tay-Yun ran upstairs to refill it and bring down a container of spicy beef for Teller and plain rice and ham kimbap for himself. Teller stole a few pieces of his food as they worked, just because he could… and he knew that Tay-Yun wouldn’t dare touch the spicy beef. 

“You are a brat, you know that?” Tay-Yun reminded him for the fourth time as Teller popped another piece of kimbap in his mouth happily.

He couldn’t help picking at the guy. Even with his slightly frustrating attitude, he was still kinda nice, especially when they were working on something. They spent another hour on the fifth and sixth song before Tay-Yun’s phone began ringing. 

Teller immediately stopped playing when he picked it up, then listened in, since it was clearly impossible not to in such a quiet room. 

“Hey Tay-Yun, Wan-Nu might have fallen asleep waiting, since he didn’t answer his phone. The doctors want to keep Sahn-Re for at least two days. His fever is high and he’s dehydrated. I’m going to stay with him. Let me know what Wan-Nu has decided for the concert tomorrow night.”

“It might still be on, but we’ll see. Take care of Sahn-Re and be careful not to get sick. We’ll talk again tomorrow.” Tay-Yun said before hanging up. 

“I hope he gets better fast.” Teller whispered before covering his mouth on a yawn. 

He shook his head to try and push away the clouds of sleep starting to weigh down his mind, but he could feel himself falling asleep sitting there. 

“Come, you are tired.” 

Before Teller could respond, Tay-Yun took his hand and pulled him up from the bench. “We will clean up tomorrow.” He added before tugging him carefully up the stairs. 

There was nothing that could have felt better at that moment then falling into Tay-Yun’s bed. “I will go check on Wan-Nu. Good night, Teller.”  

He mumbled something unintelligible in response, then shut his eyes. Not a second later, he was out cold. 

He awoke some time later when the bed shifted. Sleepily, he rolled toward Tay-Yun and opened his eyes, only to see the guy sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning over, holding his head with one hand. 

What’s wrong? 

Immediately, Teller jerked himself upright, thinking that something could have possibly gone wrong with Sahn-Re. “Tay-Yun?” He didn’t respond right away, so Teller scooted closer and leaned over, trying to see his face. “Tay-Yun? Is everything okay? Is Sahn-Re okay?” He asked, trying to keep from overthinking the situation until he actually knew what was wrong. 

Hm? Is he wearing his jacket? Did he go out? 

Looking down, he noticed that Tay-Yun was barefoot and wearing pajama pants, from what he could see with the minuscule light from his alarm clock. So he wasn’t going out, but then why the jacket? 

After waiting several minutes for some type of response, Teller gave a silent sigh and carefully climbed out of the bed. He wasn’t  happy with the frigid feeling from the tile on his bare feet, but he ignored it as best  he could as he walked from the room, down the dark hall, and toward the kitchen, feeling along the wall as he went. 

When he turned on the kitchen light, then looked back into the living room, Teller noticed Wan-Nu asleep on the sofa. En-Ti would get a hold of him if something happened to Sahn-Re… Reluctantly, he went over and picked up Wan-Nu’s phone. He clicked it on and quickly swiped through the few recent messages that he was allowed to see with the device still locked. 

No calls from En-Ti since earlier. Thank god. 

He quickly set it back down, then took one of the folded blankets from under the television stand and draped it over the guy. Teller then went back to the kitchen and looked through the teas, only to find none that said mint. Did he use it all? Or maybe make it himself? Come to think of it, it didn’t taste very strong at all. 

Opening the fridge, Teller grinned as he found a bag of mint leaves pushed behind a few takeout containers. The honey bottle had fallen over, but it was right next to the bag. Taking both, he nudged the fridge shut, then got busy heating up some water, then carefully measuring out the drink and testing it until it tasted pretty close to what he’d had earlier. 

I hope he at least will sip this. He thought as he turned off the lights and navigated his way back to Tay-Yun’s room. To his surprise, Tay-Yun wasn’t there, and there was a faint light from the stairs. 

Just let him be. 

It was hard not to go down and try to comfort him since he appeared so hurt for some reason, but if he hadn’t talked before, he probably just wanted to be left alone for a while. Deciding to just set the cup of tea on the nightstand, Teller did just that, then climbed into bed. His frozen feet warmed quickly after he climbed beneath the blankets, drawing a tired sigh from him as he nuzzled into the pillows. He never usually slept with more than one, but he found that it was actually quite comfortable to have several. He even grabbed a smaller one and hugged it to his chest with one arm, while the other rested next to it. 

He was asleep in minutes, but it felt like barely an hour had passed before he was awake again. Teller didn’t open his eyes when the bed dipped next to him, however, signaling that Tay-Yun was finally coming to rest. He thought that he’d just lie down and go to sleep, but when he heard him lift the mug he’d placed on the nightstand, then take a barely-audible sip, he had to fight to keep himself from smiling a little. 

It was quiet for several long minutes as Tay-Yun likely nursed the drink. When it was finally set down quietly, Teller forced himself to relax more, in order to appear like he was still asleep. He felt the bed shift close to him, but only near the upper portion. 

He’s not lying down? Is he sitting next to me, then?

His question was partially answered when he felt the bed dip a little closer to him, then the faint feeling of fingers brushing against his messy hair. Teller nearly caught his breath at the touch, but managed to steady himself before he gave any clear signs that he was still awake. 

Tay-Yun’s touch was gone a few seconds later, leaving silence before the sound of rustling filled the large room. A warm weight that had to have been his jacket, considering it held the same weight and was very warm from his body heat, settled over the blanket Teller had pulled up to his shoulders. 

He felt Tay-Yun get under the blankets soon after, then the faintest of touches against his hand that was just barely sticking out from the top of the blanket near Teller’s face. 

He’s resting his arm over mine beneath the blanket… and pressing his fingers to the palm of my hand, almost as if he’s thinking about- Tay-Yun’s fingers slowly, ever so slowly, danced along Teller’s skin, up the base of his fingers, until they all slid over just enough for him to then bend them, grasping his hand gently. 

Tay-Yun released him after a minute, a sigh escaping his lips before his weight shifted and the blankets pulled a little, silently telling Teller that he’d rolled over to give him his back. 

Teller felt his own body relax as time passed slowly in the darkness. He couldn’t tell if Tay-Yun was asleep or not, but neither of them moved or made any indication that either of them were still awake… until Teller slowly scooted a little closer. 

He inched his way forward over several long minutes, being sure to keep the jacket over himself, until he leaned forward and pressed his forehead faintly against Tay-Yun’s back. He felt the young man’s muscles tense immediately, but forced himself to stay still until Tay-Yun released his breath a few moments later. When he didn’t move away or speak, Teller allowed his eyes to finally close. It was surprisingly easy to fall back to sleep next to him.

Replay

(Little chapter Tay-Yun wouldn’t let me skip) 

The faint sound of music tugged at Teller’s conscious. For once, he was actually quite comfortable, even with the excess warmth he felt snug up against him. He sure likes to cuddle. 

Yawning, Teller grabbed the arm around his waist and began tugging it off, only for it to tighten around him. “Tay-Yun?” He hadn’t expected the guy to still be awake… but then again, he wasn’t even sure what time it was. 

“Go back to sleep. It’s Wan-Nu setting up the track order for tonight.” Tay-Yun said, his voice quiet, yet Teller couldn’t hear a hint of sleep in his words. It almost sounded as if he hadn’t actually fallen asleep yet. 

He tried to shift around so that he was facing the guy, but Tay-Yun kept a strong hold on him until he realized that Teller was too stubborn to back down. When he rolled over onto his other side, Teller was surprised to see how close they really were. Especially their faces. 

A flashback of the previous night made his face warm. He ducked his head against Tay-Yun’s chest, feeling the young man’s warmth even through the fabric of his shirt. He smells good. 

Feeling a faint brush against his hair, Teller looked up curiously. Tay-Yun’s arms were both wrapped around him now, with one hand at his waist and another settled against his lower back, so he couldn’t have brushed his hair with them…

Teller got his answer when he saw Tay-Yun’s shadowed face lean down and press a kiss to his forehead. The gesture was so light, that he barely even felt the brush of lips, but the gesture definitely couldn’t be ignored. Unfortunately, Teller’s mouth wasn’t functioning when he opened it, considering no sound could be heard before it closed. 

When he gave up speaking and just pressed his lips together, Tay-Yun chuckled. He didn’t hear it as much as he felt the rumbling sound vibrating through their touching chests. 

“Don’t pout, Teller. Did you want me to kiss a little lower?” 

Teller’s heart jerked in his chest as he quickly gave his head a slight shake, his forehead brushing against Tay-Yun’s shirt again. 

“Hmm. Are you sure? You may never get the chance to kiss one of your idols again.” Tay-Yun said as he nudged Teller’s hair with his chin gently. 

Kiss? He’d never even thought about doing such a thing… most days. He couldn’t say that he’d never thought about boys, either. It had just been a phase, mainly, though. 

He turned back around in Tay-Yun’s arms and was about to try and make himself go back to sleep when he heard his phone begin to ring. He must have been more tired than he’d thought, because he wasn’t nearly fast enough to get to his phone before Tay-Yun had it answered and held up to his ear. 

“Hello?” He said calmly as Teller landed on his chest, his arms outstretched toward where his phone had been moments ago. 

When his brain caught up with the fact that he was way too late, he slumped over, his arms hanging over the side of the bed as Tay-Yun settled his free arm across his back nonchalantly. 

“Ah, grandma. Good afternoon.” 

That accent. Is he doing it on purpose? 

Scooting back a bit, Teller folded his arms on Tay-Yun’s chest and got somewhat comfortable as he settled his head on top of them, facing the guy who was schmoozing his grandmother.

“That sounds lovely, ma’am.” 

Teller huffed, earning a quiet chuckle as Tay-Yun lifted his free hand to settle on his head.

“Yes, he’s right here with me in bed.” 

Don’t say that! 

Teller scrambled forward, trying to grab the phone. Tay-Yun only turned it on speaker, then lifted it in the air with one hand while holding Teller against him with the other. 

“Oh, that boy. I knew he’d do well for himself one day.” His grandmother said, making Teller pause in his struggles and drop his mouth open. 

What on Earth is she talking about? 

“What do you mean, ma’am?” Tay-Yun asked, earning a frustrated groan from Teller. 

Stop with that accent! It’s… 

He stopped himself from thinking anything and just turned his head away, only to earn a light pat against his hair. 

“I mean, it’s about time he realizes that he’s bi.” 

My grandma did not just say that. 

“Bi?” Tay-Yun asked, seemingly not catching the meaning. 

With his last bit of effort, Teller lunged forward to grab his phone, but was suddenly flipped onto his back and pinned before Tay-Yun flipped the phone off speaker, then pressed it back to his ear. Incidentally, that brought the phone far too close to Teller’s own mouth for comfort. 

Teller quickly clamped his hands over his mouth, trying to keep his startled panting from being heard through the phone. 

“Yes dear, it means that he likes both boys and girls.” His grandmother said, her voice easily audible in the silent room, even without the speaker function on. 

“Ah. I see.” Tay-Yun said as his attention turned to him. 

Teller couldn’t see his features too well, but he could swear that he was grinning at him. 

“Hmm. It seems that you’re… distracted. Do me one favor before you hang up, Tay-Yun, so that I have something to talk about during my book club that will make all the other old ladies jealous?” His grandmother asked, making Teller fidget. He didn’t trust her any longer. She had betrayed him!

“Of course, ma’am.” Tay-Yun replied, adding a bit more honey to his already disturbingly sweet voice. 

When Teller’s grandmother replied in a hushed, conspiratorial whisper, Teller felt his body break out in a nervous sweat. 

“Give him a kiss for me please, sweetheart. Good night.” She said.

Tay-Yun said his goodbyes, then hung up the phone and tossed it somewhere off to the side on the bed. When he just returned his focus to him, but didn’t move, Teller tried to roll over, but the guy was too heavy to budge easily. 

“Your grandmother wanted me to give you something for her.” 

That darn accent, and I could hear her fine. 

He couldn’t make himself hate it, even though he knew that it wasn’t completely natural. Tay-Yun was totally changing it a bit on purpose. 

“I don’t need it.” Teller mumbled through his hands, making Tay-Yun tilt his head slightly, then lean in to the point of nearly pressing his lips against the back of Teller’s fingers where they covered his mouth. 

“What? I cannot hear you through your hands, Teller.” 

I know what you’re going to do if I move them. 

His eyes narrowed on the guy above him, but he couldn’t see his features, and it was getting frustrating. Glancing sideways, he noticed the clock shown dimly as six in the morning. 

We’ve only been asleep for barely three hours. 

He could feel it, too. If he was going to perform, he definitely needed more sleep. The chime to his phone started playing again, and in a split second, he turned as best he could with Tay-Yun still lying on him and reached for the device. His fingers closed around it in a second and he grinned in triumph. 

Hah! Not this t-

His thoughts vanished in an instant as his eyes jerked wide. Tay-Yun’s lips were pressed against his. He’d leaned down when Teller had looked toward his phone to grab it, and somehow managed to get the perfect position in the darkness for their mouths to meet. 

The kiss only lasted a couple seconds before Tay-Yun pulled back just enough to bump his nose against Teller’s. When he didn’t respond, Tay-Yun ran a hand through Teller’s hair, tugging gently every few moments until he turned his head. Teller was trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened, but Tay-Yun was relentless in trying to get some type of response from him. He kept nudging his nose with his own and tugging at his hair.

“Stop…” Teller whispered finally. 

Tay-Yun did, but then slowly leaned back down and pressed his lips to Teller’s cheek, then leaned back a little. Is he waiting for me to tell him to stop again? Teller opened his mouth to do it, but no words came out. 

It felt like a full minute had passed before Tay-Yun leaned back down and softly covered his mouth with his own. The kiss was longer, but too short at the same time. Tay-Yun pressed light kisses along the edges of Teller’s lips, then ghosted his mouth along them before covering them again. 

Teller felt his heartbeat accelerate with every second he didn’t push Tay-Yun away. He lifted his right hand to do just that, but he only got as far as to nervously set his fingertips against the side of Tay-Yun’s face. 

He was too hesitant to respond to any of the kisses besides a shiver from his lips every couple of seconds. Tay-Yun seemed to pick up on his worry because he leaned back after one final kiss, then got off the bed. 

“I’m going to go help Wan-Nu. Get some more rest. We’ll be busy later.” 

Teller sat up in a daze, his eyes fixed on Tay-Yun’s shadow standing before him. He could still feel the pressure of lips against his own, making him shiver a little and tug the blanket up around himself. 

“Your hair is so messy.” Tay-Yun mused as he leaned over and ran his fingers back through it, then stole one final kiss. “Sleep.”  He whispered against Teller’s mouth. 

Unable to argue, Teller got himself situated under the blankets, then watched Tay-Yun’s shadowy back disappear down the stairs across the room.

He tried to sleep. He really, really did, but his eyes kept blinking open every ten or fifteen minutes. Each time, he felt a slight bit of disappointment, though he couldn’t place the reason for the feeling. 

When the bed finally dipped with Tay-Yun’s weight and he was gently tugged up against him, Teller felt himself finally relax. He thought that it should have given him the opposite affect after having been kissed earlier, but he might have possibly, maybe, unintentionally… developed a small crush.

Mime

From the moment Teller woke up, he was busier than a bee. Tay-Yun was already up and dressed, making himself breakfast in the kitchen, or likely heating something up, when Teller sleepily padded into the room. He hadn’t bothered with a shower yet, or really anything besides just tugging on some clothing to appear decent. 

Seeing the guy standing there made something tickle his stomach. “Morning.” Teller whispered as he awkwardly walked into the room and got himself a glass of water. 

He nursed it while watching his feet, unsure what he should say. Is there even something to say?  “Wan-Nu went to check on Sahn-Re in the hospital and bring En-Ti home. 

Wait… so we’re here alone? 

Pursing his lips, Teller swallowed his small mouthful of water and smiled sheepishly. “Okay. I’m going to go get a shower real quick then.” He said, his voice scratching a bit at the end of his sentence.

He was just turning and walking away when Tay-Yun’s arms loosely draped over his shoulders. Teller froze until he felt fingers press beneath his chin, slowly tilting it to the side and nudging his head back until he met Tay-Yun’s beautiful eyes. 

“You smell like Sahn-Re.” 

Yeah, he said that…

“Use the mint soap. Don’t mix in any other scents.” Tay-Yun said before giving Teller a light push toward the bathroom. 

Fighting himself not to glance back over his shoulder, Teller hurried down the hall after grabbing himself some clothing to change into and a toothbrush. He got the shower going and quickly got in once it had warmed up. 

The water felt amazing. He could have just stayed under the spray all day, but he knew that it would be impossible. He had work to do for Ello, and the hot water heater would force him to get out once all of the water was used up, anyway. 

Staring at all of the different soaps, Teller felt his lips tug up into a grin as he reached for the one he knew was Sahn-Re’s. I’ll teach him to tell me what to do… and kiss me randomly in the dark. His heart sped up suddenly as the memory flashed in his mind, drawing a blush to his cheeks. 

Not the time to think about that kind of stuff! 

Snapping open the bottle, Teller poured a bit of shampoo into his hand, then set the bottle back down before scrubbing his hair. He didn’t mind the scent, but it was a bit strong now that he really thought about it. He probably would prefer the mint if it wasn’t as powerful. 

He was just tugging on his shirt, finishing getting dressed, when he heard the door open a few minutes later. Tay-Yun walked in with a toothbrush between his lips, but when he paused and his eyebrows creased, Teller knew that he’d been caught. It was always easy to tell what scent someone used right after showering, especially if you walked into the bathroom. 

Instead of saying anything, Tay-Yun just set his toothbrush down on the counter and walked over. Teller fidgeted, but managed to not retreat. Mainly, because that would mean that he had to step back into the shower, and he knew that Tay-Yun would likely turn on the water again if he did so, ruining his faded blue jeans and red and blue long-sleeved shirt. 

“I think you got the soaps mixed up because they are not written in English.” Tay-Yun said, his words not even a question, but sarcasm. 

Teller pursed his lips, looking sideways at the toilet before turning his attention back to Tay-Yun. 

“I liked this smell better.” He mumbled, not even sounding honest to himself. 

Reaching over, Tay-Yun grasped a small part of Teller’s wet hair and leaned down, sniffing it with a look of distaste on his face. 

“Now, don’t lie to me, Teller. What do you think of that shampoo compared to mine?” Tay-Yun asked.

Licking his lips nervously, Teller shrugged. “I didn’t try it…” 

Huffing, Tay-Yun grabbed his shoulders and turned him around, then added pressure until he was forced to kneel on the dry bathmat. 

Tay-Yun followed him down, then leaned over him, making him press his belly against the cold porcelain, the chill from it easily sinking through his shirt. The water was turned on, then Tay-Yun’s partial weight disappeared just long enough for him to grab his bottle of shampoo and conditioner. 

“Take off your shirt, then lean over more.” 

That doesn’t sound creepy at all. 

He found himself doing as told, however, even leaning closer to the water to make Tay-Yun’s job easier. Teller knew that he’d insist on scrubbing his hair with the mint products as soon as he pushed him down to his knees. If he fought him, he’d probably just pin him, so Teller just lifted his arms over the edge and let himself relax with his head down right next to the warm water. 

It actually felt pretty nice with it misting up against his face as Tay-Yun began scrubbing the mint shampoo into his scalp. 

His mind slipped away as the steam built back up in the room. I forgot how nice it feels to get your hair washed by someone else. He’d only ever had it done for himself once, when he’d gone with his grandmother to a hair salon the first week after he’d moved in with her. 

When he felt a towel drop over his head and begin to muss his hair, Teller grumbled, but only received a chuckle from Tay-Yun as he dried his hair well, then stood back up. “Much better.” 

Teller got himself up and took a pinch of his hair between his fingers, then brought it to his nose. The smell was indeed a lot lighter than the eucalyptus products, but still smelled good. 

“I guess it’s okay.” He said, earning an eye roll from Tay-Yun before the guy turned his attention to brushing his teeth. 

Teller did the same, but took a bit longer, leaving him alone in the bathroom. When he finally stepped out and returned to the kitchen, it was empty. He must have gotten what he wanted. Maybe he’s waiting downstairs so that we can continue practicing. With that thought in his head, Teller heated up a container he found that had half a serving of spicy beef, greens, and rice in it. After grabbing it from the microwave and getting a pair of chopsticks, he headed downstairs through Tay-Yun’s room, since he never really found the other way down… or looked for it, for that matter. 

By the time he was steeping off the stairs, Tay-Yun had the speakers all hooked up and was sitting on one side of the piano bench. “Shall we?” He said with a smirk that made Teller grin. 

“Yeah. Let’s get to work.” 

He’d never seen so many people waiting for him before. 

Them. They’re all waiting for Ello. You’re just helping for tonight. 

It honestly felt unreal. Sitting back, Teller forced himself to take a deep breath, but he couldn’t manage to calm his shaking hands that were balled into fists at his sides. They were driving around to the back of the building at a decent distance, but the fans still seemed to know they were there, because they began to flow toward them like a wave, their screams getting louder the closer they got. 

“He doesn’t look so good.” Wan-Nu said after glancing back at him for a second as he drove. 

Teller felt someone shake his shoulder, but he couldn’t bring his wide eyes away from the huge crowd. There are so many people. What am I doing here? 

“Teller, you need to calm down. Just think of this as another Mimic performance.” Tay-Yun said from beside him. 

His words drew Teller’s attention, but they didn’t help the nervous twist in his belly, making him struggle to keep down what he’d eaten for lunch. They were just getting out of the van, being let into the back area, when he felt his stomach give up. Without so much as a warning, he bolted toward the bathroom as fast as his feet could take him with his dizzying vision. 

He was shocked that he managed to make it to the trashcan just inside the door before he began throwing up, his shaking having increase tenfold as his hands gripped the edge of the can hard. A strong hand began rubbing up and down his back in soothing circles as a second hand brushed his hair back from his face. 

His heaving continued for about a minute before his body felt too drained to keep itself standing. Thankfully, Tay-Yun easily caught him, then helped him walk into the large handicap stall and  kneel down near the toilet in case he needed to keep throwing up. Which he definitely did. 

“How is he doing?” 

Wan-Nu…

“He’s not playing. He’s just too stressed.” Tay-Yun replied. For once, Teller couldn’t argue. He really wanted to help, but his stomach was incredibly upset, making him dizzy and weak. 

“Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out. I know a few songs on the piano, kind of, so we’ll see what we can do.” Wan-Nu said hesitantly, as if he wasn’t too sure of his own skill… or hadn’t practiced in forever, most likely. 

Teller spit several times into the toilet after he felt that his stomach had no more left to get rid of, then was helped up to rinse his mouth out in the small sink in the stall. He also splashed some water on his face, immediately feeling a little bit better as it took away a bit of his dizziness. 

A paper towel was waiting for him from Tay-Yun, but instead of letting Teller have it, Tay-Yun leaned over and gently wiped his face, then nose, before tossing the towel. “Come, rest in our waiting room.” Tay-Yun said as he helped Teller get an arm around his shoulder, then began slowly walking toward the exit of the bathroom. 

With Tay-Yun’s help, Teller only tripped over his own feet twice, but thankfully didn’t fall a single time. The room was already unlocked when they got there, and they found En-Ti inside on the phone. The young man nodded to them, then continued speaking. Teller could tell immediately that he was talking to Sahn-Re, considering how excitable the other voice sounded… even though the phone wasn’t even on speaker.  

Glad he’s feeling better. 

The moment he was helped onto the sofa and laid down, he felt a little better. The cool fabric felt great and being able to just close his eyes and relax stopped most of the rocking he had felt while trying to stay standing. 

Feeling a gentle stroke against his cheek, Teller shielded his eyes with an arm just above them, then looked up as Wan-Nu stepped inside and dimmed the lights a bit, making the hand against his cheek disappear. “Sahn-Re is going to make a short video from the hospital for his fans that we can play on the projector.” En-Ti said, suddenly appearing next to Wan-Nu and Tay-Yun. 

“He wants them to see him in that awful hospital gown? Our fashion sensitive Sahn-Re?” Wan-Nu asked, surprised.

En-Ti shrugged. “He’s not feeling that great yet, so his judgement is probably a bit off. I’m sure our fans will just feel sorry for him and think he’s adorable either way, though.” 

Wan-Nu shook his head, but he was smiling. Teller gave a small one of his own when the group turned their attention down to him. “How are you feeling, Teller?” Wan-Nu asked as he knelt down beside the sofa. 

Tay-Yun copied him, but didn’t lift his hand to touch Teller’s face again. He looked worried, but Teller understood. They definitely weren’t a couple, or anything close, so no need to confuse everyone else. Especially not tonight. 

 “Better. Sorry I let my nerves get to me.” He said, making Wan-Nu reach up and rustle his hair a bit. 

“It is okay. We have to go to sound checking. Stay and rest, okay?” 

Teller gave a small nod, closing his eyes once the group disappeared out the door. He hadn’t realized he’d fallen asleep until his phone began to ring. He answered it without looking at the caller I.D.. 

“Hello my sweet Teller, does your backside hurt today?” 

Oh my god. Grandma, please. 

“Sorry to disappoint, but he just kissed me.” He replied with as bland a voice as he could manage. 

A lot. 

 “Oh, don’t you worry. I’m not disappointed. I can tell that you’re trying to not sound affected, but I’m going to guess that you two at least had a nice make-out session last night before going back to sleep.” 

I… no comment. 

“Well, anyways, how are things going today? Anything interesting happening with you and your new friends?” His grandmother asked, making Teller smile. 

“I was supposed to help them perform.” He said, earning a surprisingly loud excited yell from his grandmother. 

She paused for a moment as if realizing something, then replied. “Wait. Was? What’s wrong, sweetheart?” 

Teller felt his eyes begin to well with tears, but quickly blinked them away. “I got too stressed. I threw up and am just now starting to feel better.” 

“Oh, boy. Are they already playing?” His grandmother asked, making him move his phone from his ear to look at the clock on it. 

When he returned it to his ear, he sighed. “Yeah. They probably already did at least one or two sings by now.” 

Which means that Wan-Nu is probably running out of songs that he had memorized well enough to play. 

“Why not go have some fun, Tell? I know you’re good enough to hang out with that group. They wouldn’t have asked for your help if they didn’t think that you could do well.” 

His grandmother’s words had him slowly sitting up, testing his balance. Thankfully, his previous sickness had passed and the room was stable in his vision. 

“I don’t know. I practiced a lot last night, and today, but…” 

His grandmother chuckled. “Yes yes, I’m sure that boy definitely doesn’t mind staring at your butt, but now isn’t the time for buts. Now then, get yours out there and give your friends a hand, sweetheart.” 

Teller stood up and walked a few steps, testing to make sure that his legs were caught up with the rest of his body’s healing. All good. 

“Oh, by the way, hun.” His grandmother said, making him pause as he reached for the doorknob. 

“Yes, grandma?” 

There was quiet on the other end of the phone, followed by a light sipping sound, as if she were taking a drink of tea. Then she calmly replied before hanging up. “Use protection later.” 

Staring at the Call Ended notice on his phone, Teller couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. Okay, freak out about your grandmother’s secret perverted side later. He told himself as he opened the door and headed toward the backstage area. 

He arrived right as Wan-Nu stepped away from the piano and bowed sheepishly to the cheering crowd. Tay-Yun was panting quietly, a huge smile on his face as he turned to wave as Wan-Nu headed off stage, only for his hand to pause mid-action as he saw Teller approach. 

Of course, he didn’t let his feet go past the edge of the curtain, but he did offer a hesitant smile before looking over at the piano, then back to Tay-Yun. Slowly, Tay-Yun’s hand lowered until it was at his side, then he hurried over to him, stopping right before he could go out of view of the audience. 

Reaching up, Tay-Yun switched the mic fixed around his ear off, then leaned over and pressed a kiss to Teller’s forehead. “Are you feeling okay? You don’t have to do this, Teller.” He said as the crowd began to cheer. Clearly, they knew he was talking to someone, and judging from his body language, it wasn’t just anyone. 

“I’ll give it a try…” Teller said as he looked down at his feet, his words so quiet that he wasn’t sure Tay-Yun had even heard him. 

Tay-Yun reached over and mussed up his hair, then hurried toward the piano as he turned his mic back on. “We have a new friend we met recently who would like to see if he can help us out on the other songs for our set. He’s new to this, so he’d like to play off stage, but I’m sure you guys are still going to love him. So, how about it? Wanna give our friend a shot?” He said in a voice so enthusiastic that it even made Teller feel better about his skills, even though he was still very nervous. 

The crowd roared to life as Tay-Yun carefully set down his guitar, then wheeled the piano they had set up right out of the audience’s view. It was in a spot that would allow Teller to watch Tay-Yun and En-Ti, though, which was a relief. 

As soon as the bench was brought over, Teller sat down and began trying to calm himself down as much as possible. His hands were getting sweaty and shaking, but he forced himself to focus on Tay-Yun as he made his way back to the middle of the stage and retrieved his instrument. 

The song they started with, which was the fourth one of the set, took him a few seconds to remember, but soon he was able to sync his piano playing with En-Ti’s drums and Tay-Yun’s guitar and vocals. It was a lot harder playing the instrument with all of the cheering and extra stimulation, but somehow, Teller found himself able to keep himself together. 

By the time the final song drew to an end, Teller was back to shaking. He’d managed the songs well enough, and Tay-Yun even got him a standing ovation, though he wasn’t too sure he deserved it. He’d slipped up quite a few times. 

Stop being so negative. You did well for only working on the songs for a day plus a few hours. 

It was hard to be positive, though. He just couldn’t keep his body from shaking. The venue almost felt too cold, when while he was playing, it felt far too hot. 

“Hey, it’ll be okay, Teller. You did really well.” Wan-Nu said as he set a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, grounding Teller enough for him to force a small smile up at him. 

“I do hope that you all will excuse us early this evening to pay our sweet Sahn-Re a visit in the hospital.” Tay-Yun asked the crowd. 

A resounding round of cheers and agreements were yelled back at him, making him beam and bow his head before turning his smile to Teller. 

That smile… it’s almost as dangerous as his accent. 

To keep himself from shaking so much, Teller stood up and crossed his arms tightly over his chest. Him and Wan-Nu waited there until the group was all ready to head back to the van. Teller literally sagged into his seat, barely managing to get his seatbelt on before he leaned back and clenched his teeth silently to keep them from clicking together. He was still cold and shaking a little, but he knew that it was just the last of his nervousness. 

“Here.” 

Opening his eyes, Teller turned his attention to Tay-Yun right as the guy nudged a giant brown stuffed dog into his arms. 

What? 

It looked old, but very well taken care of. The fabric was soft, the fur somewhat long. Beans, or some type of movable stuffing filled it, making it somewhat pose-able. Leaning forward after a hesitant glance to Tay-Yun, Teller buried his face into the soft stuffed animal and inhaled shakily. 

It smells faintly like mint. 

  “That belongs to an old friend who used it to calm his nerves when he was stressed, but I’m sure that he wouldn’t mind if you borrowed it for a little while.” 

He almost sounds… sad. 

Teller wasn’t sure what to say, so he just nodded into the stuffed animal he was hugging tightly, already feeling much better as they headed off to the hospital, none of them speaking in the dark.

Multiply

The hospital was somewhat quiet as they entered through the main doors. A few people seemed to recognize the group, but they didn’t slow down to give anyone a chance to make noise. It wasn’t the place. 

They made it to Sahn-Re’s room after a couple minutes of walking and an elevator ride up to the third floor. The guy seemed to have been waiting for them, because he was already sitting up in bed with a tired scowl on his face.

“How could you guys let me do that video dressed like this?” He wined, making the group chuckle as En-Ti walked over and pushed his head jokingly. 

“Glad to see that you’re back. You had me worried.” He said, turning Sahn-Re’s scowl into a pout. 

“I want to go home.” He said quietly as he dropped his gaze, only for his eyes to widen as they landed on something near the bottom of the bed. 

Teller blinked, looking down to where Sahn-Re’s gaze had stopped. “Mi-Yoh?” Sahn-Re whispered, his voice barely audible in the quiet room. 

“Tay-Yun let him borrow the stuffed dog because he was really stressed.” Wan-Nu said quickly, then diverted the conversation. “You look like you’re feeling better. Are they still planning to keep you overnight?” 

Pursing his lips, Sahn-Re nodded slowly, only removing his eyes from the dog when Wan-Nu questioned him. “Yes, but can I please come home? I don’t like it here at all and I don’t feel nearly as bad as I did. I haven’t even thrown up all day.” He pleaded. 

En-Ti looked at Wan-Nu, who sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I will go talk to the doctor, but if he insists you stay, then you will.” He said before turning to disappear out the door. 

The awkward silence was a bit unnerving, so Teller hesitantly stepped forward and lifted the stuffed animal a little. “It’s name… is Mi-Yoh?” He asked quietly. 

There was a sound behind him of someone walking, or shuffling their feet, but Teller kept his attention on Sahn-Re. The guy seemed to get depressed for a moment, but then forced a small smile and nodded. “Yes. He is very important, so keep him safe, okay?” 

Teller nodded quickly. “I will.” 

“So, I saw the show!” Sahn-Re said, changing the subject. 

Teller knew he looked surprised when Sahn-Re gave a tired laugh. “I asked one of the cameramen to stream to my phone.” 

“Oh?” Teller said, surprised that they could do that. 

Sahn-Re nodded. “It was really good. You did great on the piano.” He said, making Teller blush a little. “Thank you.” 

Wan-Nu walked in at that moment, giving Sahn-Re a scolding look. “He said that you can only go home if you take the medication you fought him over earlier.” 

En-Ti cracked up at Wan-Nu’s words, seemingly not surprised that Sahn-Re had refused to take his medicine. With the promise to go home earlier, however, Sahn-Re leaned over and swiped the small paper cup on the nightstand by his bed and downed it all in one gulp. The face he made afterward told Teller that it was disgusting, but he himself, had to find a medication that tasted better than drinking vinegar. 

“He’ll send a nurse in soon with the discharge papers, since he figured that you’d drink the medicine right away if he let you go early.” Wan-Nu said with a relieved smile. 

Sahn-Re was already getting himself out of the bed, gesturing for En-Ti to grab his clothing so that he could change out of the papery hospital gown. Teller turned around as En-Ti helped him get back into his clothing. By the time he was changed, the nurse was walking in with a couple forms on a clipboard. 

“Just get these filled out and bring them to the desk around the corner to turn them in. Then you should be good to go.” She said before handing him a small bottle of liquid medication. “Be sure to take this for the next three days. Once in the morning and once at night. Follow the directions.” 

Sahn-Re made a face, but En-Ti took the bottle. “I’ll force it down his throat.” 

The nurse’s eyes widened slightly and a slight blush crept up her cheeks as she nodded, then quickly disappeared out the door. En-Ti smirked as he turned back to sit down beside Sahn-Re, watching him carefully as he filled out the paperwork. 

Teller took one of the uncomfortable plastic seats against the wall and waited, hugging Mi-Yoh, the stuffed dog, to his chest. Tay-Yun was beside him a moment later, but they both remained silent as Tay-Yun leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He seemed stressed, but Teller knew that now wasn’t the time to talk about it. He also had a feeling that it had something to do with the stuffed dog. 

When Sahn-Re was ready to go, they all made their way outside after En-Ti ran the discharge forms to the person he’d been told to drop them off with. Back in the van, Teller waited for Sahn-Re and En-Ti to get comfortable in the back before climbing in after Tay-Yun to take the two most front seats, like usual. 

It’s almost becoming a routine, being with them. 

Hugging Mi-Yoh to his chest, he smiled into the dog’s soft fur. I like them. It was unfortunate that he had to go back to America, but he’d definitely try to enjoy himself until then. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the vibrating of his phone in his back pocket. Pulling it out, he read the text message from Ike. 

Can we meet tomorrow to discuss the next show? Same payment would apply. I can come over there. 

Teller frowned at the text. He’d honestly been hoping that they would move on and stop contacting him, but that had likely just been wishful thinking. 

“They want me to do another show soon. Ike wants to come over to discuss it.” He said, looking up at Wan-Nu as the guy glanced back at him for a second in the rear-view mirror. 

“I don’t mind. It went fine the last time. Just make sure the show doesn’t conflict with something we all have to go to.” Tay-Yun said, earning a nod from Wa-Nu in agreement. 

“Okay. I’ll let him know. Should I tell him to come by early evening?” Teller asked, getting a nod from Tay-Yun. 

“That should be fine.” 

He sent the message, then when the phone showed that it had been read and there was no response, Teller slid the phone back into his pocket. The rest of the ride was quiet and Teller found himself being shaken awake gently when they arrived back at the house. 

Lifting his face from the stuffed dog, he blinked up at Tay-Yun, who had seemingly climbed over him to get out, then offer him a hand. “Thanks.” He said sleepily as he took Tay-Yun’s hand, carrying the stuffed dog against him using his other arm. 

Wan-Nu was already ahead of them and opened the door, leaving it unlocked. Teller followed him toward the kitchen when he stepped inside, letting Tay-Yun help En-Ti with Sahn-Re. The guy might have been feeling better, but he was half asleep as he was helped inside and to his room. 

He set Mi-Yoh on the counter away from any food, then got busy helping Wan-Nu make dishes for everyone. It was pretty late, but there had definitely been quite a few stomachs growling in the car, and Teller didn’t doubt that Sahn-Re hadn’t eaten at the hospital. Most food served at them in the U.S. was terrible. 

When they were just about finished setting up a decent buffet on the counter-top, Teller took the dog and turned to smile at Wan-Nu. “I’m going to go put him in Tay-Yun’s room for now. I’ll be right back.” 

The look on Wan-Nu’s face was hesitant, but he didn’t argue and just nodded his agreement with the decision. 

Hugging the stuffed animal to his chest, Teller made his way down the hall and to Tay-Yun’s room. After turning a set of lights on, he walked over to the bed and sat down with the dog in his lap. 

“You’re quite good looking for such an old stuffed animal.” He said, knowing that the dog had to have been around for a while, because it had that vintage look that only came with being carried around and washed frequently. 

“You probably filled up a washing machine just by yourself, if he ever put you in one and didn’t just clean you by hand.” He said with a smile as he patted the big stuffed animal. 

He was about to set it down and go back out for their late dinner, when he noticed that the dog actually had on a super thin collar. It’s a real dog collar. They must have added it. A metal dog tag hung from a tiny ring at the front, but when he grasped it and leaned over, trying to read it, he frowned. 

It’s blank? 

He turned it over, but the other side didn’t have anything on it, either. As he was setting it back the way it was, a bit of light from overhead caught the tag, making letters and numbers flash on the surface. 

Oh. There is something on the tag. But why make it practically invisible? 

Turning the tag toward the light, Teller tilted his head and squinted. 

Mi-Yoh

2/7/1996

2/6/2015

The tag slipped from his fingers to silently fall back against the dog’s fur. 

Tay-Yun… your friend. 

Swallowing down his shock, Teller carefully settled the stuffed animal against the pillows, then stood up on shaky legs. He had to stand there for several minutes to make sure that he didn’t start crying. 

I shouldn’t have brought him into the hospital… or in here. It has to be hurting him horribly to see the dog again. I should have let it in the car. 

Pressing his hands against his eyes, Teller forced himself to take several deep breaths, then sniffed a few times until he felt himself calm down. You can’t do anything about it now. You brought him in here, just don’t make it worse. 

Staring down at the stuffed animal, Teller hesitantly reached over and picked it back up. I don’t think you should be there… but where could I put you that would be okay? 

He looked around for a few moments, then smiled when he saw the stools over by the minibar near the spiral staircase leading downstairs. That should be okay for now. Until I can take you back to the car. He thought as he walked over and set Mi-Yoh down on one of the stools. 

“You look like you need a drink.” Teller whispered as he pet the dog’s fuzzy head. “I think I just might tonight, too.” 

With one final look at the stuffed animal, Teller sighed and turned to head back to the kitchen. He really did want to drink, though he never had and wasn’t of legal age to do so, even though it was only nineteen in Korea. Sucks that I’m still eighteen. They might have let him have some of what they were drinking if he’d asked, but he didn’t want to chance getting in trouble. 

Unsurprisingly, Tay-Yun drank the most. Teller kept an eye on him as everyone slowly began to disappear for the night. Sahn-Re was asleep after eating a small amount of food, so En-Ti only stayed in the living room with them long enough to eat his own meal and have one drink before disappearing back into Sahn-Re’s room. 

Wan-Nu relaxed in the recliner as they watched a movie that was playing on television, but about halfway through, he, too, decided to retire for the evening. Teller remained beside Tay-Yun, not really watching the movie, but counting the number of cans that were adding up on the coffee table. 

He wasn’t surprised when Tay-Yun began leaning forward and groaning, holding his head and tilting slightly, as if he were dizzy. Taking the half-drunk can from him, Teller set it down on the coffee table with the others, then carefully got Tay-Yun up off the sofa. 

They made their way to the bathroom just in time for Tay-Yun to drop to his knees beside the toilet. Teller carefully tied his semi-short hair back, then sat beside him, rubbing his back soothingly as his body forced out all of the alcohol and dinner he’d eaten. 

I’m sorry. 

He knew that he hadn’t done it on purpose, bringing the dog out of the car twice, but Teller still felt horrible, even after he’d helped Tay-Yun get back up to brush his teeth and wash his mouth out, then got him tucked into bed. He tried to sleep, but after nearly an hour of tossing and turning, he was worried that he might wake up Tay-Yun, and just decided to get out of bed. 

I can go turn the TV on low, or…

His eyes traveled to the stuffed dog, then to the staircase it seemed to be staring at. With a small shrug, Teller padded across the cold floor and made his way downstairs. Instead of going to the large piano, however, he ducked inside of the sound room and shut the door. He’d never used a keyboard, but he figured that it was just like a piano in the way it was played, and he didn’t want the piano to bother anyone else who needed to sleep. 

Yawning, Teller sat himself down in the chair in front of the keyboard and began pressing random buttons. When no sound was made, he frowned and looked over the machine. 

I guess I have to turn this one on? 

He pressed a few buttons on the top portion before finding the correct one. It definitely sounded different. Almost as if it was more a toy than a piano, but after playing around for an hour or so, he managed to begin playing the songs he had learned of Ello’s. 

Teller wasn’t sure how long he worked, but after a while his head began bobbing, his eyes drooping closed every few moments. He eventually found himself curled up in the far corner of the room with a small throw blanket he’d found folded near the soundboard, fast asleep.

Persist

Teller yawned and nuzzled into the soft pillow beneath his head. Wait. I swear I fell asleep in the sound room. His eyes blinked open after a few tries, taking in Tay-Yun’s bedroom and the expanse of the empty bed beside him. 

Sitting up, he looked around the dim room and frowned when his eyes came upon the empty barstool where Mi-Yoh had been sitting. It must still hurt too much to see him. He thought as he stiffly got out of bed. The floor had definitely not been his best decision to sleep on, and he made a mental note to take the sofa next time he felt Tay-Yun needed some space. 

Grabbing some clothing, he headed for the bathroom, surprised that he didn’t hear the TV on or anyone practicing. In fact, he didn’t hear anyone at all. Perhaps they went out? He thought as he got himself situated in the bathroom, relieved himself, and then got busy washing. 

Once he was done, he got himself dressed and brushed his teeth, then put away his dirty clothing from the other day. He’d need to do laundry soon. Hm, I think I actually saw a laundry machine tucked away downstairs somewhere. With that thought, he picked up his bag of dirty clothing and headed down to find the machine. 

He located it tucked into a little nook beside the sound room. Thankfully, the washer was empty and he hurried to load it and get it started. He didn’t change any of the settings, not wanting to cause any problems if someone didn’t think to look to change them back before doing their own laundry. 

Straightening back up, he pulled out his phone to check if anyone had called when he heard the sound of several sets of footsteps above his head. They’re home. He hurried to the spiral staircase and headed up, meeting them near the kitchen as they all came in with bags. 

“Teller!” Sahn-Re yelled as he dropped his bags and ran over, wrapping him in a too-tight hug. 

Thank god he seems like he feels much better. 

The guy released him a moment later, a giant smile on his face. “We got you some stuff!” 

Stuff? 

“You are feeling okay now, yes?” He asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet before he turned to the bag he’d set down and quickly pulled out a nice dark red hoodie with blue arms and a white hood. 

He nudged it against Teller’s chest, then jumped. “It’s going to look so good!” 

Sahn-Re pushed the hoodie into Teller’s arms, then turned and grabbed the bag Tay-Yun was carrying. “Tay-Yun said he could guess your size pretty well, so he picked out a few of the other things, but it was a team effort on the wardrobe.” 

What? Wardrobe? As in, multiple sets of clothing? 

He had money to technically pay for it, though possibly not, since what Sahn-Re started pulling out looked to be from an expensive brand. 

“Better just let him play dress up with you. We haven’t let him do it in forever and he’s finally feeling better. He’ll get you one way or the other.” En-Ti said, clearly holding back a smirk as he turned into the kitchen, leaving the bags he was carrying next to Sahn-Re, who immediately switched to digging in them. 

When he seemed content with what he had managed to pile into his arms, and Teller’s, he ran toward Tay-Yun’s room. Teller frowned and looked over at Tay-Yun as he came out of the kitchen with a container of food. 

“He always uses my huge room when he’s serious. Have fun. We’ll watch… and probably laugh a few times.” He said, making Teller scowl at him before turning to walk down the hall. 

I’ll just lock them out. 

He did just that before carrying all of the new clothes over to set them down on the sofa. He’d never been great at figuring out things to wear together, so he just stood back as Sahn-Re descended on the pile of clothing, pulling this and that out until he set down the first outfit Teller was to try on onto the big coffee table. 

Wait. Is he expecting me to strip right here? 

The door handle jiggled after he finished his thought, making him smirk until it turned and En-Ti, Tay-Yun, and Wan-Nu all walked in. “You can open the door with a coin.” Tay-Yun said, his accent strong as he spoke in English. 

Stupid cheap doorknobs. And stupid cute accent. 

Crossing his arms, Teller watched the group take spots on the sofa around the clothing, and the other seats available. He stared at each of them, then returned his gaze to Sahn-Re. 

“I’m not stripping in front of you guys.” He grumbled. 

Sahn-Re seemed confused as to why, but after a moment of thinking, he pointed over to the bar. “That should be high enough to change behind, yes?” He asked. Technically, it would block his lower half… at least. 

“I guess.” Teller conceded. 

The gleam in Sahn-Re’s eyes told him that he likely wouldn’t get away with not letting him dress him up. Taking the outfit that was already in his arms, Teller walked over behind the bar, then began tugging off his clothing. 

He was pleasantly surprised that the pants did fit him really well. He didn’t even think that he’d need a belt for them, like he usually did. Accompanying the black jeans was a dark green shirt with an extremely loose collar that opened enough for the top of his chest to be seen. It seemed weird, but when he looked into the tiny mirror above the bar area, he was surprised to see that it really did look good. 

Teller walked out carrying the hoodie, only slipping it on after Sahn-Re had walked around him a few times, his smile growing every time he completed a circle. When he added the hoodie, Sahn-Re stopped and clapped his hands together once. 

“Perfect!” He said in English, making Teller chuckle. 

Another outfit was suddenly pushed into his arms. Resigned that he was going to be putting on a fashion show for a while, Teller hurried back behind the bar. He glanced over at the guys as he tugged his shirt off, a bit surprised to see that Tay-Yun was staring, his head leaned back against the sofa, turned just enough to look straight at him. 

Teller felt his heart start pounding immediately and turned away to finish changing. The feeling of being watched didn’t leave as he turned back around after having pulled on a pair of slightly torn blue jeans and a long sleeved shirt with the elbows cut and partially laced back up. 

The sleeves covered his hands a bit, but when he tried to roll them up after walking back over to them, Sahn-Re stepped forward and swatted at his hands playfully. “No no. Is right that way.” 

Oh. 

It felt a bit weird, but he didn’t bother arguing. Sahn-Re looked like he was having too much fun, and had felt so badly before. They went through four more outfits, two pairs of shoes, and two hats. He didn’t need to try on the sunglasses, but there were two pairs of those, too. Both definitely more expensive than any pair he’d ever owned. 

“Great! I like all of it. You can keep.” He said when Teller had finally finished and changed back into the first outfit, per Sahn-Re’s request. 

Wait. 

“I can’t afford all of this…” Teller said, only to get a chuckle from Wan-Nu and En-Ti. 

Sahn-Re grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “Keep. I was feeling down and wanted to buy things, but I have too much. So you made me feel better, so you keep it.” 

Not sure what else he could say, Teller nodded. “Thank you.” He said awkwardly as he tugged at the sleeve of his shirt unconsciously. 

“You are welcome!” Sahn-Re chimed right as the buzzer for the doorbell sounded. 

Ike. 

He’d lost track of time. Stealing a glance at the clock on the wall, Teller noted that it was, indeed, time for Ike to come over. 

They all gathered in the living room, taking the same spots they had before while Wan-Nu went to open the door. Ike came in, smiling slightly and shaking his head when he saw the same set up. Without arguing, though, he settled himself in the middle of the sofa and nudged his sunglasses a bit further up the bridge of his nose. 

After Wan-Nu took his spot, Ike drew in a deep breath, then relaxed back into the couch. He looked really tired, but Teller kept quiet and just scanned what he could see of Ike’s body. 

There are new bruises. I bet he’s got at least one black eye, too. 

Ike was wearing a long sleeved shirt, which Teller knew he highly disliked. A faint purple mark was peaking out from beneath the fabric covering his left wrist. 

“What day and time is the next show?” Wan-Nu asked, drawing Ike’s gaze with his question. 

“In three days. At the convention center.” 

Teller thought that they’d be fine with it, but Wan-Nu actually seemed to hesitate. “We will have him text you our decision.” He said, surprising Teller, and Ike. 

He looks worried, or really… scared. 

He’d know the look of fear anywhere, and Wan-Nu seemed to catch it, too, even though Ike was wearing sunglasses, because he stood up and offered Ike a hand up, which the guy took without really changing his expression. Wan-Nu gave him a small smile and looked toward the kitchen, drawing Ike’s attention in that direction. At the same time, Wan-Nu moved his free hand over to Ike’s wrist and pushed the sleeve up. 

Everyone’s gazes turned to the dark purple marks moving up Ike’s arm before he jerked the sleeve down again. “Just text me if he can come or not. As soon as you know.” He said as he turned and started for the door, only to be tripped intentionally by Tay-Yun’s foot. 

His shirt rode up a little as he fell, revealing another large smudge of purple and black on his lower back that drew a hiss and wince from Teller and Sahn-Re. Ike seemed to have trouble just getting up from the simple fall, making Teller’s stomach twist with worry. He’d never liked Ike, but the guy didn’t deserve to get beaten half to death. 

Tay-Yun was just leaning over to help Ike up when Wan-Nu stepped in, waving him off. “I’ve got him. En-Ti, can I borrow your room for a bit?” He asked as he carefully got Ike’s arm over his shoulder, then helped him lift his weight. 

Did he lose weight? 

“Yeah. I need to go force Sahn-Re to take his medicine, anyway.” En-Ti said, immediately triggering Sahn-Re to dash toward his room. 

En-Ti waited until the door slammed shut and they all heard the click of the lock before he fished a small coin out of his pocket and flipped it in the air before catching it. 

“Have fun.” Tay-Yun joked, earning a chuckle from En-Ti as he slowly sauntered down the short hall to Sahn-Re’s room, picked the lock, then let himself in before shutting the door. 

Teller stood awkwardly in the living room for a moment before Tay-Yun laid down on the sofa, stretching out with a tired sigh. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, drawing Tay-Yun’s eyes up to him. 

He looked tired, or stressed. Probably both. 

When Tay-Yun gestured him closer, Teller hesitantly took a few steps, until the fronts of his brand new black and white striped shoes pressed against the fabric of the sofa. His heart was beating harder and harder as Tay-Yun motioned for him to lean over as he leaned up on his elbows to be able to whisper in his ear. 

“Go get something to eat.” 

Blinking, Teller leaned back up, frowning as Tay-Yun chuckled. 

I think he just played me. 

Turning his frown into a scowl, Teller turned and stomped off to the kitchen. 

Wan-Nu found the medicine he needed sitting right on En-Ti’s desk. Thankfully, the guy hadn’t put it away just yet after needing it for Teller, or he’d needed it, himself. Either way, he was grateful not to have to dig through his things or try and get him, because it sounded like he was having quite a lot of trouble trying to get Sahn-Re to take his medicine, if all the sound they were making in the other room was any indication. 

Turning back to Ike, who had settled on the bed on his belly, Wan-Nu pursed his lips. If his face wasn’t pinched slightly from pain, he would have thought that he’d already fallen asleep. 

“Can you take your shirt off, please?” Wan-Nu said, trying to enunciate his words as clearly as he could, knowing that he wasn’t too easy to understand when he spoke in English. 

Ike opened one eye to glare at him, making Wan-Nu assume that he didn’t want to cooperate. He sighed, walking over to the edge of the bed next to Ike. 

“I suppose I will have to call hospital.” He said with a raised eyebrow, using the same trick he’d used on Teller to try and get Ike to just cooperate. 

The guy scowled for several seconds before reaching down to the bottom hem of his shirt and awkwardly pulling it over his body. He got it about halfway off before he had to stop and catch his breath. Wan-Nu couldn’t blame him. He looked surprisingly worse off than Teller had. His entire back was either black, purple, or on its way there. The only unscathed skin Wan-Nu could see in that area was the back of his right shoulder. He only needed one arm to hold the mic…

“Your boss is garbage.” He growled in Korean as he leaned over and gently began working the shirt over Ike’s head. Thankfully, the guy made it easier on him and stretched his arms forward, allowing him to pull the fabric straight toward the headboard of the bed. 

He tossed the shirt aside onto a nightstand once he got the it off, then squeezed a good bit of the medicine onto his hands. Setting the tube aside, Wan-Nu leaned forward onto the bed with one knee and began working the medication into Ike’s skin as carefully as he could. 

The guy tried to act tough, but Wan-Nu could feel his muscles flinching under his fingers as he moved them along the dark bruises. They were both silent as he worked. Wan-Nu was considering how he could possibly get Ike to stay with them for at least the night, so that his body could heal a little, but he didn’t seem to have needed to worry. 

Ike’s quiet snores drew Wan-Nu’s lips up into a slight smile. He carefully finished up Ike’s back, then softly, as to not wake him, massaged some of the medicine into his injured left arm. 

When he had finished, he capped the medicine tube and set it back on En-Ti’s desk, then walked back over and slid Ike’s sunglasses from his nose to set on the nightstand. He wasn’t surprised in the least to see a black eye and dark circles from lack of sleep beneath both of them. 

Shaking his head, he made his way to the door and turned off the light. He’d talk with Ike when he awoke. This abuse had to stop, and he was going to make sure that he did his best to be the one to bring down their pathetic excuse for a manager. Even if he didn’t have photos of the bruises, he could use the surveillance cameras he had around the house. They would have definitely picked up Ike’s back when he’d been tripped, at least. That would get police attention, and then they could go from there.

Twice

Teller did the few dishes in the sink after Tay-Yun left for a meeting at the company. Wan-Nu ended up staying behind, making several phone calls that Teller only slightly overheard. He had a feeling that he was going to go after their manager now, but he couldn’t find any reason to tell him not to. Sure, he could use the money from the next show, and Ike said he needed it, but the cost was starting to become dangerous. 

When he’d finished up his calls, Teller was just wiping down the last of the counter space with a damp cloth. “I called the police to investigate the situation with your manager. They are already heading over to the hotel they are staying at to check on the other two members of Mimic.” 

Nodding in acknowledgement, Teller walked over to sink and rinsed the cloth he’d used, then set it over the middle metal section of the double sink to dry before turning to Wan-Nu. “Thank you, and sorry that I had told you not to get them involved in the first place.” He said, his voice quieting as he spoke. 

Wan-Nu walked over and patted his shoulder, then gave it a gentle squeeze for reassurance. “I understand, Teller. Would you be willing to talk to the police if they want to ask you questions?” He asked, making Teller fidget. He was quiet for a few moments before he gave a hesitant nod. 

“Yeah. I’ll talk to them…  but can you please make sure that they don’t contact my grandmother?” He asked, worried what she would do if she found out that he’d been getting hurt by his manager. 

Probably fly over here and castrate him. After her book club, of course. 

Reaching up to rub at his neck, Wan-Nu hesitated, then licked his lips nervously before replying. “Technically, you are still a child here in Korea, though not in America anymore, I believe? It really depends on what the police want to do with that information, because you must be nineteen to be a legal adult here.” 

I should have known that after having studied. 

“Okay. Hopefully they can see my side of it and not call her, but we’ll see.” He said, trying to sound optimistic. 

Wan-Nu gave him a reassuring smile and walked over to the fridge after grabbing a cup from the cupboard. He filled it halfway with orange juice, then grabbed a container from the fridge after checking what was in it. 

“I’m going to assume he doesn’t like spicy things.” Wan-Nu asked as he turned around, making Teller grin. 

“No. He hates them.” He said. 

“I should put hot sauce on it then.” Wan-Nu said more to himself than to Teller as he grabbed a fork from a drawer, but Teller still chuckled as he headed for the living room, intent on cleaning as much as he could. They’d let him stay, after all, so the least he could do was keep the place nice and clean. 

Wan-Nu stepped back into En-Ti’s room, not surprised to see Ike sitting up against the headboard with a few pillows between it and his injured back. 

“Feeling any better?” Wan-Nu asked as he walked over, handing the container of garlic chicken and sticky rice to Ike, along with the fork. He set the juice on a coaster on the nightstand.  

The guy flipped the lid open and sniffed at the meat, hesitant to try it. “Is not spicy.” Wan-Nu said, holding back an eye roll as Ike scowled at him. 

Ike poked at a piece of chicken a few times, making Wan-Nu want to smack him. He’d never felt truly annoyed by someone unless they played around with food. It was meant to be eaten, and he wouldn’t lie to the guy about the heat. He didn’t even know Ike and while he was told by Teller that he could be an ass, he couldn’t just treat him badly. 

When Ike poked at the food again, Wan-Nu grabbed the fork from him and put a piece of the chicken into his mouth. “Is garlic flavor. Eat it or not, but don’t push food.” He said, making Ike raise an eyebrow at him, though he didn’t understand why. 

“Push food?” Ike said, his tone sarcastic. 

Wan-Nu knew he wasn’t perfect at English, but Ike didn’t even know a word of Korean from what he understood, so he wasn’t sure why he was poking fun at him. 

“Yes. Push, like this.” Wan-Nu said as he leaned over and pushed Ike’s head slightly to the side. 

He’d never instigated someone on purpose, but Ike was really starting to annoy him. It was obvious that Ike wanted to retaliate right away, but the guy seemed to think better of it. Instead, he set the food aside on the bed and moved to get up, but Wan-Nu refused to step back, blocking him unless he moved to the foot of the bed. 

“Dude, just let me up. I need to piss.” Ike growled. 

Wan-Nu considered making him move, but he knew that such a thought was childish. He wouldn’t stoop to Ike’s level. Stepping back, he let him get up, then lead him out of the bedroom and down the hall to the right. 

“There.” He said, gesturing to the closed bathroom door. 

Ike said nothing as he walked past him, nearly slamming the bathroom door as he stepped inside. 

“Having fun?” Teller asked as he walked by with a broom, dustpan, and container of disinfectant wipes. 

Wan-Nu gave him a look, but there was no hostility in it as he moved to lean against the wall and wait for Ike. “He’s driving me crazy. How did you ever deal with being around him?” He asked, drawing a grin from Teller. 

“He’s a brat, but sometimes he wasn’t terrible.” 

The look Wan-Nu gave him made Teller stifle a laugh as he waved, disappearing into Tay-Yun’s room to clean. 

That left Wan-Nu alone and the guy took a few moments to sigh out his stress as he rustled his hair with his hands. He needed to remain professional. He never got angry or frustrated at people. It just wasn’t his personality. 

When Ike stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later, Wan-Nu was back in control of himself. “Do you have more of that stuff you used on my back?” Ike asked as he walked right past Wan-Nu toward the bedroom. 

Wan-Nu followed him, pointing to the computer desk where he’d left the tube. Ike went to it immediately, but instead of asking him to help put it on his back again, he squeezed a little bit into his right hand, then began lifting it toward his black eye.

“No!” Wan-Nu yelled, grabbing Ike’s wrist right before the medicine could touch his skin. 

“The hell dude! It fucking hurts, let me use it.” He growled. 

Wan-Nu shook his head and jerked Ike’s hand back down. “No. Is not for eyes.” He said, remembering how badly En-Ti said it burned when he accidentally rubbed his eyes after using it. 

“I won’t get it in my stupid eye! How old do you think I am that I would be dumb enough to rub this shit into my eye?” Ike nearly yelled, making Wan-Nu exhale in frustration and turn around, stalking back to the desk just to lean on it and grasp the edge, trying to keep himself from overreacting. 

“I think you’re twelve, you fool.” He ground out. 

Ike was suddenly beside him, grabbing his shoulders and spinning him around to shove him against the wall beside the desk. They were nearly even in height, allowing Ike to lean in and snarl in Wan-Nu’s face. 

“What the fuck did you just say?” 

Wan-Nu glared up at the ceiling for a moment before lowering his gaze back down to Ike. 

“I think you are twelve.” He stated, leaving out the last little part. 

What he said seemed to have made Ike mad enough anyways, because he was visibly grinding his teeth when he replied. “I’m fucking twenty-seven!” 

“Congratulations. I’m thirty-five and have never met such a unnecessarily aggressive child.” Wan-Nu hissed right back between gritted teeth. 

The door to the room creaked just then, drawing their attention to Teller, who stood there, his eyes wide with surprise and worry. 

“Did you hear what this asshole said just now?” Ike yelled, making Teller fidget, but nod. “You understand him?” Ike added, earning another slight nod. 

When neither of them spoke for a moment, Ike shoved Wan-Nu harder against the wall as he yelled at Teller. “Fucking translate it, you idiot!”

Wan-Nu could only think that the furious guy in front of him was the idiot, but he bit his tongue and pleaded with his eyes to Teller not to repeat what he’d heard. It had been inappropriate, even if it wasn’t nearly as bad as what Ike had been yelling. He just highly disliked being negative to people, even if they seemed to deserve it. 

Teller licked his lips, clearly trying to think of something else to say besides what Wan-Nu had actually spoken in Korean. When Ike released Wan-Nu and started for him, he stumbled backward and squeaked. “He said he thinks you’re cute!” Then slammed the door shut. 

He expected at least one of them to yell run out of the room, but when silence met his ears, Teller slowly backed away until he was near the kitchen. I think I just locked a lion in with a fox… but the fox is by far smarter, so maybe it will survive? 

The front door opened just then, making him jump slightly before looking around the corner to see Tay-Yun. “Hey!” He said excitedly as he ran up, wrapping his arms around the guy for no apparent reason. 

“Miss me?” Tay-Yun questioned, clearly taken aback a bit. He wrapped his arms around Teller after a moment, then leaned in and stole a quick kiss from the top of his head. 

“I think I might have killed Wan-Nu.” Teller mumbled against Tay-Yun’s chest, making him tilt his head curiously and look down the hall. 

“How so?” Tay-Yun asked, clearly not really believing him for a second. 

Teller looked back down the hall, pointing. “Him and Ike were fighting and I uh, kinda translated something a bit wrong, then shut the door abruptly… but it just got really quiet afterward.” He said as he grabbed the hem of Tay-Yun’s shirt with his other hand. 

Tay-Yun smiled and grasped Teller’s hand that was holding his shirt, then tugged him down the hall toward the room. “I’m sure it’s not bad. Wan-Nu never looses his cool.” 

They stopped in front of the door and Tay-Yun reached for the knob. It turned right before he could grab it, then Wan-Nu stomped out, his face red with anger. Tay-Yun could just gape and stare as he stormed out of sight. 

It took him a minute to pull himself back together. When he’d gotten over the fact that his manager just actually got furious at someone, he turned his attention into En-TI’s room. Ike was lying on the floor, trying to push himself up, but clearly in too much pain to do so. 

He should have gone to help, or allowed Teller to do so, but instead, he kept his hold on Teller’s hand and leaned in the door. “Welcome to the real world. Fix your attitude, or it will make you fall.” He then shut the door, content with the warning he’d issued to the idiot.

Repetition

Ike remained in En-Ti’s room until Wan-Nu told everyone they had to get dressed for a trip to the studio. Teller followed Tay-Yun into his room, helping pick out an outfit he liked before heading downstairs to grab a few of the demo CD’s Tay-Yun had been working on while he changed. 

When he came back up, Tay-Yun was just tugging his shirt down, giving Teller just enough time to see a well sculpted torso, though not to the point of being a six pack. He fought himself to not avert his eyes as he walked over and handed Tay-Yun the CDs. 

“Are you blushing?” Tay-Yun asked as he tilted his head, tossing the CD cases on the bed. 

Why is he smirking like that? 

Without warning, Tay-Yun reached down and lifted the side of his own shirt with one hand, making Teller’s face burn as he hurried to jerk his eyes away. Neither of them moved for a few moments, then Tay-Yun stepped behind him and wrapped his arms loosely around Teller’s shoulders. 

“Are you bi, Teller?” He asked, making Teller furrow his brow in confusion as he looked over his shoulder at Tay-Yun. “What?” He asked, having not understood what he’d asked. 

Tay-Yun chuckled, then switched to English. “Do you like men, Teller?” 

I like that accent. He thought absentmindedly, before he realized what he’d just been asked and his mouth dropped open. His grandmother had taunted him about it a few times in the past couple days, but he hadn’t actually thought of it in all honesty. 

“I…” He pursed his lips, thinking hard about the question. Did he like men? In general?  No, not really? Though he did like hanging out with guys more than girls? He’d never really bothered trying to date in high school… but he’d never really looked at guys before. He really hadn’t paid too much attention to girls, either, though. 

Confused, he frowned, then looked back up at Tay-Yun. “I don’t know, but I like you.” 

Tay-Yun smiled, his white teeth making Teller’s heart stutter in his chest. The guy smirked a lot, but he’d rarely seen him give a full smile. Well, I get one right now. He thought, returning it with one of his own before Tay-Yun leaned down and pressed his lips against Teller’s. 

The kiss was gentle and slow, but it still made Teller’s heart stumble around in his chest, unsure what it should be doing with its new quick pace. It only sped up when Teller felt Tay-Yun’s right hand lower from where it had settled against his chest, sliding down to the hem of his shirt, then under and up. His fingertips brushed against his skin, warming it as they journeyed higher and higher, not stopping until his palm rested over his pounding heart. 

“I think you like me very much.” Tay-Yun whispered against his mouth in between more kisses. 

Teller couldn’t focus very well. His mind was going a mile a minute trying to process what was going on. Tay-Yun had started rubbing his thumb against the skin above where his heart pumped overtime, sending little shivers down his body. Teller didn’t pull away, but instead started to kiss him back. Tay-Yun’s hand was just beginning to slide downward when they heard Wan-Nu’s voice right outside the bedroom door in time with a knock that had them jerking apart. 

“We’re waiting on you guys!” 

Teller stumbled a bit, falling onto the bed, while Tay-Yun closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, clearly trying to calm himself down. 

Grabbing the CDs, Teller hopped up, hurrying to the door. “Coming!” He yelled back, reaching for the handle, only for his wrist to be grabbed. He was just looking up at Tay-Yun, wondering why he’d stopped him, when he felt the man’s lips on his again. 

“I think I like you, too.” He whispered before opening the door and handing the CDs to Wan-Nu. “Those are the ones that I think are ready for review.” He said before taking Teller’s hand and tugging him along down the hall. 

Teller stopped short when they got to the van, surprised to see Ike in the front passenger’s seat. He was scowling at the dashboard, paying no one any attention as Wan-Nu walked around to the driver’s side and got in. 

Is he really coming with us? 

Tay-Yun opened the back sliding door and climbed in, taking the far seat like usual, leaving the closer one to him. Teller hopped in, then slid the door shut before dropping down into his seat and tugging on his seatbelt. 

The studio was about twenty minutes away, making the ride awkward and quiet since Ike was there, putting a damper on the mood. They all got out as soon as Wan-Nu parked, waiting for him inside, except for Ike, who decided to wander off. No one was going to try and stop him. He was still fuming from Wan-Nu having easily knocked him off his feet earlier.

“Do you like it, Teller?” Wan-Nu asked as they walked through the huge halls, then headed up a flight of spiral stairs that were so white they seemed almost unreal. Nothing ever stayed that clean. 

“It’s really cool. I’ve only ever been inside of one studio, and only a few times when I first started in Mimic. It definitely wasn’t this clean, and didn’t have all of the supersized posters of their talent.” He said, unable to keep himself from looking around at all of the people coming and going. It had been nothing even remotely close to how amazing this one looked, though.

There were also groups of people behind large glass paneled windows. He didn’t have to guess that each of the rooms were soundproof. Several of the groups in them were dancing or working on vocals and instruments, yet he couldn’t hear anything. 

He was just turning to look at the other side of the upper floor when his foot missed a step, making him stumble forward until Tay-Yun caught him by the upper arm. “Careful.” He said as he easily lifted Teller back up. 

“Sorry, thanks. Got distracted…” He said as his eyes began to wander again, even though he knew that he should be paying attention to where he was going. 

He heard a sigh beside him before Tay-Yun’s hand took his, his fingers tightening around Teller’s slightly smaller ones as he guided him, allowing Teller to look around without having to worry about falling. 

They walked for another minute before Wan-Nu stopped in front of a set of double doors and knocked. Teller, his curiosity finally sated for the moment, turned his attention to the plaque on the door. 

CEO T-S Entertainment 

Wait. Why are we going to meet the CEO? 

Teller tried to step back, but Tay-Yun had a solid hold of his hand, and when the door was opened and they were gestured inside, he didn’t give Teller a chance to try and get away. 

“Good afternoon.” The man, who appeared to be in his early forties said in a heavily accented English, said. He almost sounded similar to Wan-Nu, but had a head of grayish blond hair and gray eyes. 

Teller mechanically moved to a seat when the man nodded to the large armchairs in front of his desk. He felt his face beginning to heat, but definitely not from embarrassment. He was beginning to feel faint.

He felt something cold nudged into his hand and stared down at it without really thinking. Tay-Yun knelt in front of him after a few seconds and took the small paper cup, then lifted it to Teller’s lips. 

“Drink, Tel. It is okay.” He said, his accent making Teller smile just a little as he took a hesitant sip of the ice water. 

He finished the small cup, taking it from Tay-Yun with a shaking hand. Teller felt the guy’s fingers softly petting along his hair soothingly, but he just couldn’t calm himself much more. 

“You’re not in trouble, hun.” Tay-Yun said as he gently lifted Teller’s chin so that their eyes could meet. 

He knew that he wasn’t. Even if he was sitting in front of the CEO of Wan-Nu’s company, he couldn’t be in trouble with them. He didn’t work for them or steal anything from them in terms of the songs he’d helped Tay-Yun with, so he really wasn’t worried about that. It was just, he was sitting in front of someone who was absolutely huge in the music business, and owned the band he admired. 

“Could I speak with you for a moment, Mr…?” The CEO asked, making Teller quickly stutter. “Z-Zan. And yes. You can, sir.” 

Why can’t I stop shaking and why is it so cold in here? 

“Hello, Mr. Zan. My name is Don-Wei, and I’m sure you figured this out already, but I’m the CEO for this company. Wan-Nu is one of my top recruiters and of course, the main manager for Ello.” 

Teller nodded stiffly, licking his suddenly dry lips. 

“Well, I do hope that you won’t be upset about it, but Wan-Nu had forwarded me the videos for a few of your Mimic shows, as well as the surveillance video when you started teaching yourself the piano…” Don-Wei said with a hopeful, welcoming smile. 

Teller felt himself begin to become faint again. Wan-Nu had showed someone so high up his simple mimicking routine? 

He felt his stomach twist in his belly, making him very glad that he’d skipped eating a big lunch. 

The CEO sat back in his large padded chair and turned his attention to Wan-Nu. Just having the guy’s eyes off him made Teller relax a tiny bit. 

“How did the show with him as a replacement for Sahn-Re go?” 

Teller tucked his chin against his chest, listening in as Tay-Yun grasped his hands and soothingly rubbed his thumbs along the backs of Teller’s shaky hands. 

“Great. He made a few mistakes, but he’d never played the piano before that week, and he doesn’t know how to read the music, so he taught himself by listening. Tay-Yun helped him the evening before and the day of, but that was all the time he really had.” Wan-Nu answered. 

When he felt the man’s eyes on him again, Teller hesitantly straightened a bit in his seat and looked up. 

“This seems stressful. Why don’t you, Sahn-Re, En-Ti, and Tay-Yun go have some fun in one of our sound rooms? We have quite a few set up with all sorts of different instruments and soundboards. I’m going to order an early dinner soon, too, if you guys wouldn’t mind us feeding you?” 

“Does Japchae, Bulgogi, fried chicken and rice sound good?” Wan-Nu asked Teller after getting an imperceptible nod from the CEO. 

Teller licked his lips without even thinking about it, making both Don-Wei and Wan-Nu chuckle. “Then it is settled. Head off for a bit, and we will call Tay-Yun’s phone when the food is here.” He said, shooing the group out the door before shutting himself back inside to continue talking. 

The group found a sound room just down the hall that was empty of people but filled with instruments that Teller was just itching to try. After all, Don-Wei had said that they could relax and have fun. He probably wouldn’t get another chance to play around with so many different things again. 

He immediately went to a guitar hanging on the wall and carefully took it down. Teller was unaware, but his face looked like that of a kid who had just walked into a candy store. Tay-Yun watched him as he began teaching himself every single sound that the instrument could make. His hands fumbled at the beginning, having never used a pick or anything else relating to a guitar, but soon Teller was learning chords and keeping a decent tempo with Sahn-Re on the drums. 

En-Ti picked up another guitar, matching their beat, then adding a bit more to it to try and coax Teller into trying the same thing. It took a lot of focus to keep up with the two and he made several mistakes, but there was no wiping the smile off of his face. 

Tay-Yun took over the guitar as En-Ti and Sahn-Re took a break, leaving the drums open for Teller to steal. He dropped down into the seat and grabbed the sticks for it, eager to learn more. 

En-Ti stalked down the hall, pulling Sahn-Re behind him, making the guy stumble a few times trying to keep up with his long legs. “En-Tiiii, slow down!” Sahn-Re pleaded, already panting because of the cold he was still finishing fighting. 

En-Ti checked a few doorknobs before finding one that was open. Thankfully, there was no double-sided glass window, allowing them privacy as he pulled Sahn-Re inside, then shut the door, blocking it with his body in the darkness. 

Sahn-Re scowled at him, his expression barely visible in the dim light that leaked from beneath the door. En-Ti ignored the expression and held up the bag he’d been carrying, taking out the bottle of medicine out from it. Sahn-Re immediately darted away from him, but En-Ti didn’t seem to mind. He’d needed to get Sahn-Re alone and locked up somewhere, or he knew the guy would have darted at the first sight of the bottle of medicine. 

“Just take it. The food will be here soon and you’ve been sniffling all day.” En-Ti said, trying to hide the hint of begging in his voice as he stepped toward Sahn-Re, blocking most of the minuscule light in the room. 

When Sahn-Re just backed up further, En-Ti sighed. The guy always did that. He hated taking medicine, which was normal, but to literally run, and fight, and cause such a problem out of something that would only take five seconds to do…

Shaking his head, En-Ti slowly began approaching. He slipped the medication back in the bag, then slid his arm through the look so that he could move it freely. 

“I will tackle you.” En-Ti warned a final time. 

Sahn-Re began to crouch, readying himself to dart around him, but En-Ti knew what he planned. He waited, approaching just slow enough to be sure that he would trigger Sahn-Re to react at any second. 

When the guy darted to the right, En-Ti intercepted him easily. Sahn-Re redirected, trying to go around him the other way, but En-Ti quickly turned, shoving Sahn-Re up against the wall and easily pinning him there with his body. 

He’d give it to him, Sahn-Re was fast and decently strong, but he was smaller than him, allowing En-Ti to easily control him when they had their little squabbles. 

Biting back a grin, En-Ti took the container of medicine back out of the bag, then dropped the fabric to the floor so that he could remove the cap. “Just open your mouth and take the darn stuff. You can go eat right after, or to the bathroom and wash out your mouth.” He said, trying to nudge the bottle against Sahn-Re’s lips, but the guy just kept turning his head, nearly making the liquid spill several times. 

After his fifth try, En-Ti was about ready to clock the guy. He wasn’t a babysitter… Narrowing his eyes, he took a small mouthful of medicine from the bottle, then grabbed Sahn-Re’s chin and leaned in. 

It did taste absolutely foul, but he made sure to completely cover Sahn-Re’s mouth and tilt his head back a little, allowing enough of the liquid to slip inside to be considered a reasonable dose. He tried to close his lips, but En-Ti forced his tongue inside, and wisely, Sahn-Re didn’t dare bite it. Actually, he completely froze, which made things much easier. 

They broke apart after nearly a moment. En-Ti backed off, wiping away a line of medicine that had run over the edge of his lower lip. He could feel Sahn-Re’s seething gaze on him, like usual, but he didn’t expect the guy to lunge forward and shove him flat on his back before darting from the room. 

En-Ti slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position and wiped his mouth one more time, feeling his lips tingle oddly. He’d never had such an affect from taking medication. He also didn’t understand why Sahn-Re had freaked out so badly on him this time. He’d forced him to take his medicine many times over the years. Maybe not in such a specific way, but did it really bother him that badly?

Moments

En-Ti walked into the meeting room he’d been called to after Sahn-Re had run off. The rest of the group was there, sitting around a large wooden table with different entrees spread out for dinner. The bag with the bottle of medicine felt much heavier in his left hand as his eyes met Sahn-Re’s for the briefest moment before the guy diverted them down to his folded hands in his lap. 

Lifting his gaze to the table, En-Ti frowned when he noticed that there was no food on Sahn-Re’s plate. He walked over, intent on taking a seat next to him, only to realize that he already had Teller and Wan-Nu on either side. 

En-Ti tried not to worry about it. They always sat together, but he was the last one there. It was only logical that everyone sit down so that they could eat. “Why don’t you have anything on your plate?” He asked. 

“He’s not allowed to have anything until he takes his medicine.” Wan-Nu said, giving Sahn-Re a pointed stare. “He said he already did, but we know him too well to believe that.” 

Pursing his lips, En-Ti scratched at the back of his head for a moment before replying. “He took it. Let him eat.” 

Wan-Nu stared at him, then lifted the bottle he’d brought of the medicine. “But I have the bottle right here.” 

En-Ti took the one he’d bought himself out of the bag he’d brought and lifted it so that Wan-Nu could see it. “I bought one. He took some from this one.” 

Seemingly satisfied with that, Wan-Nu nodded to Sahn-Re. “Sorry for not believing you. Eat up.” 

En-Ti found himself a seat next to Tay-Yun on the other side of the table, but even as he put some food on his plate, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Sahn-Re. It felt wrong to be so far away from him. That, and he only put a few pieces of kimbop on his plate, and then just set his chopsticks down. 

Neither of them did more than push their food around over the course of dinner, drawing a few stares, but no comments. The CEO had changed out of his suit and put on a more casual outfit before dinner, likely trying to make Teller feel more comfortable talking to him. It seemed to work to a point. En-Ti noted that he was much less nervous, but still seemed hesitant to talk about his talent in a very positive note. 

The moment Sahn-Re got up from his seat, En-Ti grabbed the armrests on either side of him and narrowed his eyes on the guy. He counted to ten in his mind before jumping up and hurrying after him. He could feel eyes on his back as he moved, but he didn’t care. Everyone knew that he worried after him, and there was something clearly wrong when Sahn-Re didn’t dig into his food. For once, En-Ti knew that it was probably completely his fault, too.

He followed Sahn-Re at a distance. When he turned into a small bathroom at the far end of the hall, En-Ti sighed and jogged to the door. After a quick scan around, he ducked inside. There were only three stalls, and only one door was shut, so it was pretty obvious where Sahn-Re had gone. 

Before moving any further, he turned around and locked the door. He didn’t need someone else coming in and messing things up more. 

Walking over to the closed stall, En-Ti licked his lips once, then lifted a hand to knock on the door. “Sahn-Re, please come out and talk to me.” 

When there was no response, En-Ti let out an audible sigh and leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the cold door. “I’m sorry, I did something without thinking. I didn’t mean to upset you, I just want to make sure that you get better… even if you get a little mad at me for it.” 

Another round of silence answered him, making him straighten back up and run a hand through his hair. “Can you say something? Yell at me? Hit me? Just please don’t ignore me, Sahn.” 

When he heard nothing, En-Ti looked up at the florescent ceiling light. He had to blink a few times to keep his cool. After counting to a full sixty seconds, he turned and walked toward the door, having gotten the message that he wasn’t wanted there. 

He was just reaching for the door to unlock it and leave when he heard the sound of sneakers on the tile floor, then a sudden weight hit his back, knocking him against the door. En-Ti felt some of the air forced from his lungs as he was held against the painted metal. 

Sahn-Re was a bit smaller than him, but with the element of surprise, he could evidently pack a very decent punch. His arm was worked behind his back and lifted slightly, making En-Ti wince and hunch to try and ease the strain. He was proud of the brat for catching him off guard, but he’d be more than a little mad if Sahn-Re accidentally broke his arm. 

“Don’t you do that again, you got it, En-Ti? It wasn’t funny.” Sahn-Re finally said in a surprisingly stern voice. 

This had to be the second or third time since knowing the guy for over five years, that he used such a tone. “I won’t do it again, I’m sorry.” He said, only to earn another shove against the door. “Promise.” Sahn-Re said. 

En-Ti nodded, then said “I promise.” 

He was released after he heard a quiet sniffle from behind, making him turn around right away. His mouth dropped open and his heart started hurting at the sight of Sahn-Re wiping at his red eyes, trying to hide that he’d been crying. 

En-Ti lifted his arms, wanting to wrap Sahn-Re in a hug, but made himself halt just in time. The guy was mad at him. Why would he want a hug? When Sahn-Re sniffled again, En-Ti felt his restraint slipping. He fidgeted, reaching awkwardly for the guy, but forced himself not to touch him. That’s about the time Sahn-Re gave him a teary-eyed scowl and stepped into him, wrapping En-Ti in a tight hug. 

He kept his arms up until Sahn-Re squeezed him harder, lowering them to wrap around the guy and nuzzle into his hair. His body finally relaxed as he released the breath he’d been holding, rustling Sahn-Re’s hair a little. 

“I’m sorry. I owe you.” En-Ti said, realizing his mistake the moment he said it. 

Sahn-Re leaned back with a smirk that would have made the devil proud. 

Teller noticed Wan-Nu glancing at his phone, then grinning. “Is everything okay with En-Ti and Sahn-Re?” He asked, having a feeling that the text had been from one of them. 

Wan-Nu nodded, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “Yes. They are going to call a taxi and go to the amusement park though, so they won’t be coming back here.” He said, making Teller raise an eyebrow. 

“The amusement park? That’s a bit random.” He thought aloud. It was also starting to get dark. 

“Sahn-Re always makes En-Ti take him to the amusement park when he’s upset. It’s kind of their thing.” Tay-Yun added. 

“Teller?” Don-Wei said, bringing his attention back to the CEO. 

“Yes, sir?” Teller said as he tried his best to remain sitting straight and not hunch his shoulders. 

Don-Wei leaned back in his chair, relaxing his posture enough to make Teller stop fidgeting. “Ello has a big show coming up but one of the back up vocalists has come down with a pretty nasty flu. Would you be interested in subbing for them? You can wear a disguise if you don’t want to be recognized, perhaps sunglasses and a hat?” 

Teller looked up at Wan-Nu, wondering why he hadn’t been the one to ask.

“We would appreciate your help.” Wan-Nu said. Teller looked down for a moment, then over to Tay-Yun, who just grinned and winked, making Teller’s heart skip a few beats. 

“I… I guess I can try.” He finally said to the half-eaten plate of food in front of him, unable to lift his eyes back to the CEO. 

Tay-Yun was suddenly beside him, pulling him up into a hug that made a few of Teller’s bones pop a bit. It felt pretty darn good, but made it a bit hard to breathe. 

“You’re squishing him a bit, it seems.” Wan-Nu said with a chuckle, making Tay-Yun release Teller and take a step back, blushing faintly. 

Teller glanced sideways at the CEO, noting the look he was giving them, though he couldn’t quite figure out what it meant. When the guy got up and walked around the edge of the table, putting one of his hands on his shoulder, Teller hunched a bit. 

“Let’s get you an I.D. badge so that you don’t have any problems with security or staff, okay?” Don-Wei said, making Teller give the slightest of nods. 

The man lead them from the room, down a few halls, then up a flight of stairs before arriving at a large office space. A young woman looked up from a desk when he walked in, offering a welcoming smile. 

“What can I do for you today, sir?” She asked. 

“One I.D. please, for this young man.” Don-Wei said, gesturing for Teller to step forward. 

He did so awkwardly, unconsciously holding onto Tay-Yun’s pinkie finger, tugging him along beside him. When Don-Wei told him to step next to the small white screen hanging down a few paces to the right, Teller couldn’t find a way to make his feet move. He really didn’t think that singing for Ello was such a good idea, even just as backup. 

Tay-Yun didn’t give him much time to worry about it, however, as he slid his hand the rest of the way into Teller’s and gently guided him toward the screen. He stood just out of range of the camera as Teller nervously fought himself until a weak smile found its way onto his lips. The flash triggered, blinding him for a moment as his photo processed. 

He was tugged away a few seconds later, after providing his name for the I.D.. Tay-Yun ducked out of the room with him, guiding him down the hall until they stepped into a small dark room. Tay-Yun flicked one of the lights on, illuminating the area with just a dim glow. 

Before Teller could ask him what he was doing, Tay-Yun pulled him into his arms for a strong hug, then moved one arm around to press his fingers beneath Teller’s chin and tilt it up. 

“Please lean on me if you are worried about this situation. Wan-Nu should have told you that he was speaking with the CEO about hiring you.” 

Teller tried to step back as he gasped, but Tay-Yun’s arm held him firm against him. “He said that I was just filling in for someone who is sick!” Teller said, unintentionally yelling. 

Tay-Yun leaned in with that smile he’d used on Teller earlier, claiming his mouth with a short kiss that had teller leaning forward as Tay-Yun leaned back, making the slightly taller man chuckle. 

“Do you like kissing me, Teller?” He asked, knowing that his accent was clearly becoming one of Teller’s weak spots, allowing him to change the topic. 

Ducking his forehead against Tay-Yun’s chest, Teller gave a quiet sigh and shrugged. “That accent is cheating.” 

The rumbling laugh that reverberated through to Teller’s body had his toes nearly curling in his sneakers. “What if I like to cheat?” Tay-Yun whispered into his ear. 

Teller was trying to get enough of a breath to respond when he felt Tay-Yun’s lips begin to suck softly on his earlobe. 

This isn’t fair! He thought right as a groan slipped from between his lips. 

Tay-Yun’s assault paused for a moment, allowing Teller enough time to suck in a breath before he felt teeth gently skin his ear. 

“I found something nice.” Tay-Yun hummed, sending a shiver through Teller’s body as he was hugged even tighter. 

Grumbling, Teller scowled up at Tay-Yun as he pressed his hands to the guy’s chest, pushing him until he reluctantly let him take a step back, removing his mouth from his ear. 

“Weren’t you supposed to bring me in here to try and calm me down?” Teller asked, drawing a smirk from Tay-Yun that made his ice blue eyes shine in the dim light. 

“I never said that.” 

Teller looked off to the side for a moment, needing to gather his thoughts. When he returned his gaze back to Tay-Yun’s, his had to clasp his hands behind his back to keep his nerves in check. 

“I didn’t get a chance to answer your question…” He whispered to the ground, no longer able to hold eye contact. 

Tay-Yun was silent for a long moment before he repeated what he had said a few minutes prior. 

“What if I like to cheat?” 

Teller nodded slowly, making Tay-Yun tilt his head and body a bit, allowing him the slightest view of Teller’s downcast eyes. When he didn’t speak, Tay-Yun squatted down, looking up into Teller’s soft green eyes. 

“What if I like to cheat, Teller?” He asked, cocking his head slightly to the side like a cat. 

Licking his lips a few times, Teller glanced away, then back, forcing himself to hold Tay-Yun’s gaze. His hands grasped each other tightly as he finally brought up enough courage to answer the question. 

“Then… Just… Just don’t cheat on me.”

He’d squeezed his eyes shut right after he’d finished speaking, his face burning with embarrassment, but he’d seen Tay-Yun already beginning to move forward and up beforehand. The kiss was gentle. The softest brush of lips he’d gotten from him so far. Yet it felt like it was the most important kiss he would ever receive.  

“I would never.”

Recreate

Staring down at his phone, Wan-Nu just shook his head. He wasn’t surprised to see a text from Tay-Yun about him taking Teller somewhere. “Have your boys abandoned you already?” Don-Wei asked as he leaned back in his chair, nibbling at a piece of beef. 

Wan-Nu nodded, then rubbed at his temples with a sigh. “All of the ones I want to deal with.” He said, making Don-Wei lift an eyebrow. “You brought another person with you?” He asked, getting a nod from Wan-Nu in response. 

“An old member of Teller’s fake band. The main singer. Though, from what I know, he can’t sing at all.” 

Don-Wei frowned, fishing out his phone to send a text. “Why did you bring him here, then?” He asked as he finished typing, then sent the message and put his phone on the table. 

“Because, their manager was beating them up. When we took Teller away from him, he turned his attention to Ike. I have the police looking into it right now.” 

Don-Wei tilted his head, seemingly in thought since he didn’t respond right away. 

“I see.” Was all he said until his phone chimed with a message. 

Picking it up, he scanned the screen, then grinned up at Wan-Nu. “Your last boy has found his way onto the roof. Best go fetch him.” He said.

Hanging his head, Wan-Nu just couldn’t find the words to use. Of course Ike would have gotten himself into an area that was clearly marked off-limits, even in English. “I am just not surprised. I will go get him.” 

Wan-Nu made his way out of the room, doing his best to ignore Don-Wei’s quiet laughter behind him. As luck would have it, the elevator was out of service being worked on, so Wan-Nu cursed his lack of an exercise routine and made his way slowly up the several flights of stairs until he reached the slightly ajar door to the rooftop. 

It was a bit chilly outside and being up so high had the wind blowing surprisingly hard. “Ike?” Wan-Nu yelled as he stepped out onto the pavement, squinting against the wind to try and find the guy. 

He found him after a moment of looking around on top of one of the large air conditioners at the far side of the roof. The only reason he’d managed to see him was because of his legs hanging over the edge. 

“Ike!” He shouted again over the wind, this time receiving a simple acknowledgement as the guy lifted his hand in the air, then dropped it back down. 

Scowling, Wan-Nu walked right up to his legs and grabbed an ankle, tugging enough to making the guy sit up with his own unhappy glare. “The hell do you want?” Ike growled as he tried to tug his leg away, but Wan-Nu kept his grip firm. 

“Time to go.” He said, grabbing Ike’s other ankle and pulling them both hard enough to force him forward. 

He didn’t pull him all the way off, though, because that would likely get the guy hurt pretty badly. Wan-Nu did, however, not release his right ankle until he was sliding down from the air conditioner himself. 

“There, happy old man?” Ike grumbled after his feet his the rooftop. 

Wan-Nu forced himself to not roll his eyes, and instead, gave a slight nod before gesturing Ike to follow him toward the door. It was a relief when he finally stepped back inside, the walls cutting off the harsh windchill. 

“You really need to put some weight on that thin body of yours if you’re that cold from just being outside for a minute.” Ike said, poking Wan-Nu’s shoulders before his hand was promptly swatted away. 

“I am healthy weight.” Wan-Nu returned as he began heading down the steps. 

He could hear Ike’s lazy pace behind him, but didn’t bother looking back up until he was on the first floor landing. 

“Why are you taking so long? Let’s go.” Wan-Nu called up to Ike, who was meandering slowly down the flight of stairs to the second floor’s landing. 

When he paused and leaned over the railing to grin down at him, Wan-Nu pursed his lips, biting them to keep from saying anything he shouldn’t. 

“You don’t look too happy. Cheer up, you get to hang out with me. How much better could your day possibly get?” Ike said with a egotistical tone that had Wan-Nu marching up the stairs and grabbing his wrist. 

“My day was going very well when I forgot you were here.” He said in Korean, earning an annoyed grunt from Ike that made him happier than it should have. 

“If you want to hold my hand, you could just ask.” Ike said as he moved into step beside Wan-Nu and walked down onto the first floor, heading for the door. 

As if on cue, Wan-Nu released his hand, shoving it away at the same time. “hardly.” He said as they stepped through, then started for the exit. 

“So, what did you guys do while I was outside?” Ike asked after a few moments of silence. 

Wan-Nu didn’t really care to tell him, so he kept quiet. The silence clearly began to irk Ike, because he started poking him in the shoulder of his suit, then nudging him with his own shoulder when Wan-Nu just kept stepping aside or slowing down his pace, only to speed up abruptly. 

“Aw, come on. You wouldn’t have come here if you didn’t have some sort of business. And where the hell is everyone else, anyways?” 

Wan-Nu ignored him as they came up to the exit doors. He tugged his suit around himself a bit tighter, then began buttoning the few buttons it contained. He was just finishing the last one when he felt something settle over his shoulders. “Hurry up, old man.” Ike said, drawing Wan-Nu’s glare up to see the guy go sauntering through one of the glass exit doors. 

Staring down at the new weight, he noticed the jacket Ike had been wearing. Not thinking about it, Wan-Nu slid his arms through the sleeves and hurried after Ike, not wanting him to get out of sight. 

“Hey!” He yelled, making Ike finally turn around. 

At first, his expression was smug, but after a moment he tilted his head and narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he were considering something. 

Either way, Wan-Nu was glad that he’d stopped, giving him enough time to run over. He was panting quietly, but at least Ike hadn’t disappeared on him again. 

“I know I’m out of shape. Stop looking at me like that.” Wan-Nu said as he straightened back up, realizing that Ike was still staring at him strangely. 

His change in language seemed to snap the guy out of his odd stare, because he quickly scowled and growled something about stupid Korean . 

Taking his small victory, Wan-Nu lead him back to the car, then slid into the driver’s seat as Ike took passenger. “Put your seatbelt on.”

Wan-Nu said as he shifted the car into reverse, but didn’t lift his foot from the brake yet. 

Ike reached for the belt, but then seemed to think better of it, because he let the strap go and shrugged. “Nah, I’m good.” 

The guy knew that he was annoying him. There was no reason why he would wear his seatbelt on the way, but not on the way back, unless he was trying to get under Wan-Nu’s skin… and it was working wonders. 

“Put the belt on, Ike.” 

When he was ignored again, Wan-Nu put the car back in park and leaned over, grabbing the belt. He was just leaning back to connect it when he felt an abrupt gust of wind against his ear. His response was definitely not what he’d planned. He jerked back so hard that he smacked his head against his window. 

“Shit!” He yelled, making Ike whistle as the guy nonchalantly clicked his belt into place. 

“The window didn’t deserve that, and I’m going to guess that what you just said means something similar to shit.” Ike said, ending his sentence with a tsk tsk. 

Wan-Nu pursed his lips and held his breath for a moment, making himself calm down while he rubbed the back of his head with his left hand and the other gripped the steering wheel to drive. 

The ride was blissfully quiet, making Wan-Nu curious enough to glance over at Ike when they stopped at a red light about ten minutes later. His brows furrowed at the young man’s stillness, then his eyes lowered to see a ridge in Ike’s pocket that looked exactly like a small bottle.

“He took pain pills?”

When they stopped at another red light, Wan-Nu reached over, fishing the little bottle out of Ike’s pocket. Reading the label, he frowned, then turned the bottle to read the side effects. 

“This is some powerful stuff… had he gone and gotten this after he’d left us earlier, then come back?” 

Looking back over at Ike, Wan-Nu hesitated for a moment, then reached over and pressed two fingers to the guy’s neck. When he felt a strong pulse, he sighed with relief and leaned back, pocketing the bottle of medication. He didn’t mind if Ike used the pills, but he’d at least feel better if he knew how many doses he was taking. It was very easy to overdose when you were in as much pain as he likely was. 

They pulled up to the house a bit later. Wan-Nu tried to shake his shoulder to wake him up, but didn’t even get a hint of a response from the guy. Sighing, he slid out of his seat and walked around the car, opening Ike’s door before leaning in to undo his seatbelt. Thankfully, the guy didn’t weigh too much, and he managed to lift him without hurting himself after he locked the car. 

Nudging the door closed, Wan-Nu carried Ike up the flight of stairs to the door, then somehow managed to open it without dropping the guy. When he got that door closed, he headed toward the living room, only to stop when he saw who was already there. 

En-Ti sat with Sahn-Re cuddled in his lap, the slightly smaller guy clinging tightly to a large stuffed teddy bear that En-Ti had to have won him at the amusement park. Wan-Nu nodded to En-Ti, not saying anything even when the guy lifted his eyebrow at him and Ike, because Sahn-Re was snoring quietly and neither of them wanted to wake either person. 

Moving as quietly as he could, Wan-Nu made his way to his own room. It wasn’t really meant to have been a bedroom, just like Tay-Yun’s. Where Tay-Yun got the larger of the two makeshift bedrooms, Wan-Nu had claimed the smallest one. He didn’t stay all the time since he had his own home and liked to try and date, sometimes. It was hard to impress a woman if he was competing with Ello’s guys, so he did his best to keep them out of his meager personal life. 

Shaking his head, Wan-Nu nudged his door open and brought Ike over to his small twin bed. Once he was all tucked in, he hurried to turn off the light, then leave, shutting the door quietly behind him. He was just turning around to go find En-Ti when the guy stopped next to his door, Sahn-Re in his arms. The teddy bear was nowhere to be seen, having likely been left on the sofa. 

“He got worn out quickly. Probably because he’s still a little sick. I’m going to be with him tonight, if you could bring us some bland rice when everyone decides to eat later?” 

Wan-Nu nodded right away, reaching forward to settle a hand over Sahn-Re’s forehead. 

“Yeah, definitely a little warm.” Wan-Nu whispered. “Take care of him. I’ll bring you guys some stuff in a bit.” 

En-Ti nodded, then silently gave Wan-Nu an awkward small grin. 

“Best to change that jacket.” He said before carrying Sahn-Re to his room. 

Frowning, Wan-Nu glanced down, only to suddenly remember that Ike had given him his jacket when they’d left the company building. He quickly shrugged out of it and draped it over a chair, then dropped down onto the sofa and picked up one of the books he’d left there for the few rare minutes he got to himself. He made himself comfortable against the large stuffed bear that had, indeed, been left, but before he allowed himself to get lost in his book, however, he pulled his phone to check for messages. 

There was one small one from the police officer he had contacted saying that he’d gotten statements from the other two members of the band and that one of them could possibly be used as a witness, along with Teller and Ike, if they were willing. He said that he’d need more time to really put together the case, but he should be able to manage something before the end of the month. 

Glad that the police were taking things seriously, Wan-Nu flagged the message, then wrote a text to Tay-Yun. 

En-Ti is back with Sahn-Re. He’s not feeling well so they’re both in his room right now. Ike took some really strong pain killers so he’s out like a light. The police let me know that they’re moving along with the case, so hopefully we’ll get something on that soon. Let me know when you two are on your way back and I’ll start heating up some dinner. 

He turned his attention to his book after finishing the message and got about twenty pages in when he got a response. 

We’re staying at a hotel tonight. 

Wan-Nu’s mouth dropped open as the book fell from his other hand. He was just scrambling to respond with something similar to hell no! when the screen lit up again with a new message. 

Just kidding. We’ll be home in about twenty minutes. Enjoy your book and momentary free time… and possible heart attack. 

Cursing in his mind, Wan-Nu leaned his head back against the sofa and gave a quiet sigh. All the Ello boys, plus a few, were going to be the death of him. He just knew it. 

(Kinda enjoying letting anyone have a point of view without having to separate everything. It’s pretty fun and more relaxing.)

Parts

The muffled sound of the front door closing nudged Sahn-Re out of his sleep. He stretched his one arm that wasn’t being restricted by something, and yawned. The blankets kept him perfectly warm, while the fan overhead cooled him just enough. 

Smiling sleepily, Sahn-Re opened his eyes slowly, only to see En-Ti’s sleeping face. He nearly jerked himself up, surprised to see him so close, but then he realized that he wasn’t even on the bed. En-Ti was kneeling on the floor, and seemed to have fallen asleep without intending to. 

Looking down at his arm in the dim room, Sahn-Re noticed En-Ti’s hand gently wrapped around it, near his wrist. His thumb was resting over the pulse point. 

“Were you that worried? I said I would be okay after a little more rest…” He whispered, more to himself then with the intent to wake En-Ti up. “You have circles under your eyes.” 

Sitting up, Sahn-Re leaned over and gently brushed his fingers against En-Ti’s cheek. “En-Ti?” He asked as he moved to run his hand through the young man’s hair. “En-Ti, you can’t sleep like that.” 

“Why n…” En-Ti mumbled, his mouth barely moving. 

“Because, you’ll catch a cold if you aren’t in a bed.” Sahn-Re pointed out, as if it wasn’t common knowledge. 

He knew that En-Ti never slept very well if he wasn’t tucked into his bed. Whenever he wound up falling asleep on the sofa, he tended to not feel well the next morning. 

“Go to bed, En-Ti.” 

En-Ti chuckled quietly, but didn’t move or respond after several moments. 

“En-Ti? Hey, Enteiii.” Sahn-Re said, joking about the guy’s name sounding like the fire Pokemon because he knew that it tended to bug him. 

That taunt got the guy to open one eye, making Sahn-Re grin. “En. Tee. I am not a dog.” He mumbled, earning a pat on the head that made him scowl. 

“Stop petting me.” En-Ti grumbled, earning another pat that had him pushing up from the ground and climbing into the bed, only to drop down onto his side, nudging Sahn-Re a bit. 

“Hey, this is my bed. Not yours.” Sahn-Re mumbled as he tried to shove En-Ti away halfheartedly. 

His efforts earned him a chuckle, making Sahn-Re give an unintentionally cute grunt. “Gotta push a little harder, kiddo.” En-Ti teased right before Sahn-Re flopped down over his chest, making En-Ti grunt. 

“Rude.” En-Ti said before blowing a breath of air toward Sahn-Re’s face, rustling his hair as he turned his head so that their eyes could meet. 

“You climbed into my bed.” Sahn-Re reminded him, earning only an eye roll in response. 

“Um… I, brought food?” Teller said from where he was standing in the doorway, awkwardly holding up two plates of reheated food. 

Sahn-Re immediately moved off of En-Ti, allowing the guy to slip from the bed and retrieve the plates. “Thanks.” He said, lifting them with a wink that made Teller’s eyebrows lift slightly. 

“No problem.” He said before turning around and promptly leaving, unsure what he’d actually walked in on. 

“Everything okay in there, Teller?” Tay-Yun asked as he walked into the kitchen. 

Teller settled on one of the kitchen stools as Tay-Yun heated up some of the leftover rice and vegetables in a frying pan, having not wanted to use the microwave for once. 

“I think there are a lot of sad fangirls out there right now… or maybe, happy ones?” 

Tay-Yun glanced at him over his shoulder, giving Teller a look that was half confused and half shocked. “Did you walk in on them doing… things?” He asked, making Teller’s face warm slightly. 

“I don’t think so? Technically?” 

“Technically?” Tay-Yun replied as he turned off the burners, then filled both of their plates with food and turned around, bringing them over to the counter near where Teller sat, then taking a seat beside him. 

“You two know that Sahn-Re has a crush on En-Ti, right?” Wan-Nu said nonchalantly as he walked into the kitchen, heading for the fridge for his likely mid-day piece of fruit. 

Teller stared at Tay-Yun, earning a look right back before both of them turned their attention to Wan-Nu. “What?” “What?” They asked in unison. 

Wan-Nu shut the fridge, an apple in his hand as he turned to face them, leaning back against the counter. “You really didn’t notice, Tay-Yun? After how much time they spend together?” 

Tay-Yun’s mouth had dropped open, but he quickly shut it, then tried to speak, but ended up closing it several more times before he could find words to speak. “I thought, maybe, En-Ti? But not Sahn-Re.” 

Wan-Nu took a bite of his apple, remaining silent as he chewed, then swallowed. Teller and Tay-Yun took that opportunity to dig into their own food, quite hungry since they hadn’t eaten much. 

“I’m sure En-Ti likes him just as much, but you know how dense he can be.” Wan-Nu said, getting a nod from Tay-Yun right away. 

Teller was just opening his mouth to ask another question when a knock interrupted him. Considering the amount of strength behind it to make it loud enough to rattle the door, Teller could only assume who was there. 

“I got it.” Wan-Nu said at the same time Tay-Yun jumped from his stool and stalked toward the door on Wan-Nu’s heels. 

Teller stayed back far enough to be out of the way but still see who was standing on the doorstep when they opened the door. “Wait.” 

His brows scrunched together as he ran forward, stopping right before he could take a step outside. “How? Grandma?” 

“Oh, you look so good! I was worried, my little Tel!” 

How in the world is she here? And how did she just knock so hard on the door? What does she really do at book club?

“You look surprised. That’s okay, you never were the best at catching hints.” She said, as if he wasn’t standing right there with two of his friends, mouth open from shock. 

Stepping inside, she gave both Wan-Nu and Tay-Yun a short bow, then grinned up at Tay-Yun, making him fidget a little. “Hello.” Tay-Yun responded after an awkward minute of silence. 

His simple greeting sparked a light in Teller’s grandmother’s eyes, bringing a smirk to her lips. “I recognize your voice. You must be the one whose stolen my grandson’s heart… among other things.” 

“Grandma!” Teller yelled unintentionally loud, earning a glare from his grandma that could have made a lumberjack cower. 

“Did you make your bed this morning? No, I don’t think so. Did you sweep the room, too? Put your shoes and clean clothes away? Or are they still packed and you’re just living out of your bag?” 

Teller’s mouth slowly closed. “That’s what I thought. I should have skipped book club, you’re a mess, Tel. Go, clean up. I have things to talk to your friends about.” 

But they’re my friends! 

Scowling, Teller turned and stomped down the hall, hearing a chuckle from Tay-Yun before he got out of hearing range. He spent the next hour cleaning up Tay-Yun’s room, finding a spare drawer in his dresser to put his things for the moment, then making the large bed. 

He was tempted to just crawl into it and hide from what he knew his grandmother was probably spouting to his new friends… and boyfriend. She’s going to ruin whatever this is, before it can even begin. He groaned in his mind miserably before falling into the bed. The soft blankets and scent of his boyfriend slowly calmed his frantic mind, but he didn’t hear the door creak open, so he jumped slightly when a gentle hand settled on his shoulder. 

“Teller?” 

Tay-Yun. 

Turning his face into the blanket, Teller decided to be childish and not respond. There was silence from the man leaning over him for a moment before he felt his weight suddenly drop onto his  back, making him grunt. 

“Hey! You’re heavy.” Teller grumbled as he glared over his shoulder at a grinning Tay-Yun. 

“How many of my deep, dark secrets do you know now?” Teller said, trying to keep up his frustration. 

Tay-Yun rolled off of him, but then pulled him into a hug against his chest before nuzzling into Teller’s hair. “Nothing.” 

Teller blinked in surprise, lifting his gaze to Tay-Yun as the man leaned back so that their eyes could meet. “What do you mean? I know my grandmother loves to talk way too much about me…” 

Leaning in, Tay-Yun claimed his lips for a long kiss before barely moving away enough to reply. “I want to learn about you, from you. I loved some of her stories, but I told her I want to hear your secrets and special memories you think worth sharing, from you.” 

Is this guy real? 

Trying to hold in a grin, Teller leaned back in and pressed his lips against Tay-Yun’s. “Sorry, I was pouting. I just wasn’t expecting to see her here and was worried you wouldn’t care for some of the strange things she says.” He said. 

Tay-Yun nodded, rustling Teller’s hair enough for the guy to try and get away from him, only to be stopped by his arms. “She said that she had saved a little money before she fell ill and got a ticket when you bought yours, but could only afford a few weeks, not the entire month. The ticket was not something she could return, and she wanted to surprise you and spend some time with you.” 

“That accent is really distracting and sexy… and I just said that out loud.” Teller said, his words dying in volume until they ended in a scratchy whisper. 

Tay-Yun was looking at him with a thoughtful expression that made Teller’s belly feel like it was filled with little angry birds, because butterflies just wouldn’t have been able to make him feel so uneasy. 

“I’m not sure I see sexy.” Tay-Yun said as he leaned in and brushed his nose against Teller’s. “But I very much see distracting. Cute. Sweet. Kind.” He paused for a moment, then leaned over Teller on his knees and hooked his thumbs into the waistband of Teller’s pants, raising one eyebrow as he did so. 

“But I am sure I can find sexy very easily if we lose these?” 

Before Teller could get his mouth to work, Tay-Yun burst out laughing. 

“Hey! That’s not funny!” Teller growled, only to be silenced as Tay-Yun climbed over him and pressed their mouths together. 

Teller returned the kiss without hesitation. He might be throwing a bit of a fit, but he couldn’t ever resist Tay-Yun. The guy was so much more than what the television showed him as, even though he was gorgeous, handsome, and smart on TV all the time. 

Teller’s mind began to swim as he focused his hardest on just keeping his breathing even. When he felt fingers trace up beneath his shirt, he felt his heart pound hard against his chest. I hope he can’t feel it. He thought as he hesitantly inched his own hands around to Tay-Yun’s back, gripping his jacket for a moment before thoughts of Miyo had his eyes opening partially. 

As odd as it seemed, remembering Tay-Yun’s likely past love didn’t make Teller want to retreat. Instead, he licked his lips when they took a few seconds to catch their breath, then spread his fingers out along Tay-Yun’s firm back, pressing softly into the fabric of the coat. 

“I think I might love you.” He whispered, drawing a cocky smirk from Tay-Yun that he was beginning to love just as much as his accent when he spoke in English. 

Tay-Yun let out a breath, then shook his head before leaning in for a quick kiss. His thumbs rubbed along Teller’s belly beneath his shirt, making him squirm. 

“I think you just might.” Tay-Yun replied before moving away abruptly to stand beside the bed. 

“As much fun as that was, your grandmother’s stories are quite intriguing. We can continue where we left off tonight, okay, little Tel?” 

Teller bristled as he got off the bed and fixed his shirt, then tried to smooth down his messy hair. “I’m sleeping on the couch.” He grumbled before stomping out of the bedroom door, Tay-Yun’s laughter, once again, following him down the hall.

Pieces

There you are sweety, come now, help your amazing grandmother cook for your friends.“ 

Teller tried to backtrack as he stepped into the kitchen, but was nudged further inside by Tay-Yun. “I would love some home made food.” He said, putting a hand on Teller’s shoulder to help lead him even closer to his grandmother. 

“As soon as I noticed your fridge, I knew I had to make something.” She said to Tay-Yun, smiling at the bags of groceries that had somehow appeared on the counter within the time it took Teller to throw his tantrum. 

He hesitantly walked over to them and peered inside of each, his eyebrows rising with each new item he saw. “We’re cooking all of this? Right now?” He asked as he turned to give his grandmother a worried stare. 

“Oh hush. You love cooking, and it’s all of your favorites. Now get some pots and pans out, we’ve got work to do.” 

Sighing in defeat, Teller followed Tay-Yun around as he showed him where everything was. They ended up filling each burner on the stove, two with two pots and the other two with two pans, as well as the oven. One pot held a mountain of pasta while the other one was used for chicken and dumplings. One pan was sauteing vegetables and the other was going to be for alfredo sauce… as soon as Teller could finish grating the Parmesan cheese and mixing together the spices. In the oven was a giant glass pan full of lasagna and halfway through cooking, they slid in a tray of garlic and cheese bread.  

They worked together for the better half of two hours before Ike decided to grace everyone with his presence as he found his way to the kitchen. “Something smells really good.” He mumbled as he scratched at his belly, just beneath his T-shirt. 

When Teller saw his grandmother turn around with a glare that would have made a moose cower, he realized that she probably remembered his voice, though how, he wasn’t sure. 

“You. Your manager is a piece of garbage.” She said, wagging her finger at him as she walked forward. 

Ike wisely shrunk back a little and averted his eyes, but the submissive gesture didn’t save him. “And you called me several times, while I was in the hospital, no less! Have you no respect for your elders?” 

Wait, Mr. Canzoni had made Ike call her, too? 

“Do you really think this old lady will tolerate you trying to guilt trip her into guilt tripping her grandson?” She grumbled, waving a wooden spoon at him. 

Ike fidgeted and backed away. When Teller’s grandmother, who was named Ethel, didn’t follow, and instead slowly turned back around to tend the food, Ike sighed with relief. His eyes searched the room briefly before he turned to catch Wan-Nu stopping right beside him. 

“Hey. Did you take my pills?” He asked, clearly holding back saying something else, likely because of Ethel watching him over her shoulder. 

Wan-Nu nodded, but when he didn’t move to produce the medication bottle, Ike bristled. “Well? Give it to me.” He said, earning a shake of the head. 

“You already took the safe dose. You can’t take more until after noon.” He said, earning a scowl from Ike before he stepped closer, trying to clearly intimidate Wan-Nu, even though they were close to the same height. 

The sound of Ethel’s wooden spoon smacking Ike’s side rang through the kitchen, quickly followed by Ike dropping with a loud yelp. 

Probably not the best place to hit him, grandma. 

Wan-Nu dropped to his knees right away and gently lifted Ike’s shirt to reveal a nasty bruise. He was soon joined by Ethel, her spoon pointed down at Ike’s cringing face. “You know you deserved that. Not the beating, but the wack you got. Trying to intimidate an elder is uncalled for.” She said, huffing before standing back up, letting Wan-Nu help Ike to his feet. 

He tried to get him to the sofa, but Ike kept missing his steps or hissing from the pain, so Wan-Nu just swept the guy’s legs out from under him and carried him quickly back into his room. Of course, the guy was yelling the entire time about being able to walk on his own, but Wan-Nu just ignored him until he got his bedroom door shut, then dropped Ike onto his bed. 

He grunted and tensed as his back throbbed from the fall, but recovered after a few moments and sat up, a toxic scowl on his face. “Give me the damn pain pills, you asshole! I’m dying here!” 

“It would be a blessing if I could finish you off by simply withholding the pills.” Wan-Nu mumbled as he headed for the door, only to turn around and point at Ike. 

“Stay there. I will be back.” He said, then disappeared. 

He returned not a minute later with a new tube of the numbing cream, having gotten it when they’d taken Teller’s grandmother shopping. 

“Oh man, is that what I think it is?” Ike said, his voice nearly a groan as he hurried to remove his shirt, then roll onto his belly. 

Wan-Nu thought the scene would be rather awkward if he had any other kind of cream in his hand as he unscrewed the lid and removed the safety foil pealing. He climbed onto his bed once he was ready, straddling Ike’s waist just below where he knew the bruises stopped. 

“Hey man, don’t sit on me. That’s weird.” Ike grumbled as he glanced over his shoulder at Wan-Nu, only to get an eye roll in response. 

After squeezing the cream into his hands, Wan-Nu set the tube aside and leaned over to begin rubbing it into Ike’s damaged skin. His hands began to feel numb as he worked, but, while he hated the guy to near-illogical levels, he was relieved to see him begin to relax as his body stopped aching. 

 Wan-Nu figured that he was asleep after a few more minutes, since his breathing had evened out and his eyes were closed, so when he removed his hands and started moving to get off of him, he was surprised to hear Ike’s whisper to him. “Don’t stop.” 

Smirking, Wan-Nu was about to comment about how bad that sounded when his phone began to ring in his back pocket. Shifting a bit where he still sat on Ike, he fished his phone from his pocket and answered with a formal greeting. 

When the voice of his recent crush replied, his mouth curved up into a smile. “Hello! How have you been?” He asked. 

She greeted him in return, then briefly spoke about her past few weeks. When she asked him if he had some free time later that evening, Wan-Nu couldn’t help but give a full smile. 

“Yes. I can do something later!” He replied, his excitement making her giggle a little on the other end. 

They set up a time, around nine in the evening, to meet up for coffee, then ended the call. 

“Someone’s got a date.” Ike mumbled against his pillow. 

Wan-Nu couldn’t help but keep his smile on, even as he got off the guy and dropped down to sit beside him on the edge of the bed. “You know, I’m happy enough to not even be mad at you right now.” He said, staring down at Ike as a small chuckle escaped his lips. 

Ike scowled at him, then turned his head away. “I don’t care. Go away, I’m tired.” 

He wanted to remind Ike that it was his room, but Wan-Nu decided not to bother pushing his buttons anymore that night, not when he finally had a date to go to later. Being mad up until then wouldn’t help at all. 

“Okay, bye.” He said before getting up and heading back into the living room. 

He eyed the small dinner table that they often stored, because they tended to eat more on the sofa or their rooms, set up with plates, silverware and huge bowls of food. 

“Come on, food’s ready.” Ethel said to him as she carried in several glasses of cold water. 

Teller and Tay-Yun followed her with a cup in each hand, too. Wan-Nu hurried to help out, getting napkins and anything else that might be needed. They all sat down five minutes later and immediately began piling food onto their plates. 

They tended to stay away from American food, especially the fast service places because of the ingredients, but Wan-Nu did love their home cooked meals. “This is amazing.” He said, smiling at Teller’s grandmother, who returned his compliment with a bob of her head, since her mouth was currently full. 

“We cooked a lot before she got ill.” Teller said, sending his grandmother a warm smile. “I’m glad you’re back to your annoying self.” He said. 

“I bet you are.” She replied back after swallowing her bite of food. “Now then, tell me how you ended up with such a handsome boyfriend? I remember you have a poster of him on your wall at home, so I recognized him immediately.” 

Wan-Nu felt the secondhand embarrassment right away, but could only smile when Teller’s face turned bright red. Tay-Yun was trying to hide a chuckle behind his hand as he reached beneath the table with the other to settle on Teller’s leg, giving a reassuring squeeze. 

“So, when is your next show, boys?” She asked right as En-Ti sauntered out of Sahn-Re’s room, his hair way more a mess than it had been. He ran a hand through it a few times before blinking at the food, seemingly surprised that the table was out and there was actual food on it. 

Ethel chuckled and motioned with her fork toward an empty chair. “Sit down, hun. We made plenty.” 

En-Ti hesitated, looking back toward his room, only for everyone’s attention to shift to Sahn-Re as he sleepily walked from the room, rubbing at one eye before yawning quietly. 

When he finally looked at the table, and those sitting around it, he smiled a little. “Hello.” He said, nodding to Teller’s grandmother, though seemingly a bit confused. 

“She is Teller’s grandmother. She decided to pay an unexpected visit.” Wan-Nu said, getting another nod from Sahn-Re before he walked over to the only remaining empty seat. 

He paused after pulling it out, then looked up as En-Ti walked over. Sahn-Re was going to offer the seat to En-Ti, but his friend quickly settled a hand on his shoulder and guided him to sit. 

“I’d rather stand for now. I have been sitting for a while.” En-Ti said before Sahn-Re could try to argue. 

Wan-Nu saw the faint blush on Sahn-Re’s face before he turned away and awkwardly began filling his plate with food. En-Ti did the same, after making sure that Sahn-Re had enough for himself, first. 

As dinner progressed, Sahn-Re ended up scooting to the edge of his seat. En-Ti noticed, but after trying to make him move back without drawing attention to themselves, he bit back a sigh and dropped down onto the half of the seat he’d been offered. 

“Can I ship it?” 

All eyes turned to Ethel in the silence as she looked away from En-Ti and Sahn-Re, raising her eyebrows. “That’s what kids in America seem to say when they like something.” She said, not really explaining what she meant all that well. 

Wan-Nu looked down at the remains of their meal and smiled. “Me too.” He said, making Teller bite back a laugh. They talked quietly for a while later before everyone helped clear the table. 

Alcohol was then distributed to everyone but Teller. Wan-Nu and Ethel declined, leaving En-Ti and Tay-Yun to drink most of it. Sahn-Re was allowed to have one can, but no more since he was still sick. 

When it was time to head out, Wan-Nu told everyone that he had a bit of business to attend to and would be getting home late. No one considered it odd, and just bid him a good evening since he often worked longer, or more random hours, than everyone but Tay-Yun. 

He met up with the young woman, Soo-Jan, at a little restaurant that often stayed open late for adults that wanted a quiet environment. She ended up being a lawyer, which was a little intimidating. Wan-Nu didn’t dare tell her that he was anything more than a manager for a small company. Granted, the company was one of the largest music producers in the country, and he had one of the biggest bands, but that wasn’t something he wanted anyone he dated to know about. 

He picked at the tteokbokki, or spicy rice cakes they’d ordered to share, but his appetite just wasn’t there, for some reason. He hadn’t even eaten much at dinner. His phone chimed a moment later, but he decided to ignore the text. It was rude to have a phone out at dinner. 

“You aren’t going to check it?” His date asked. She’d looked at her phone a few times, but never replied to any of the messages. 

“Nah. If it was important they would call.” 

As if on cue, his phone began to ring, making Wan-Nu frown. 

“It’s okay. It must be important.” Soo-Jan said. 

Sighing quietly, Wan-Nu gestured for her to excuse him for a moment before he answered his phone. “Hello?”

“Ethel is going to kill Ike if you don’t get back here soon. He’s ranting about his pain medicine, but we can’t find them anywhere.” Tay-Yun said, making Wan-Nu run a hand over his face. He still had them in his pocket. 

Soo-Jan gave him a knowing smile and motioned for them to get the check. “It’s alright. You have to go, right?” She said. 

Reluctantly, Wan-Nu nodded. Soo-Jan smiled and stood up as the bill was placed on the table. “Alright. Thanks.” She said, clearly dismissing him as he walked out the door, leaving him to pay for their drinks and small meal. 

He stared at the piece of paper and rolled his eyes. He would have paid anyway, but she seemed in more of a hurry to get away from him than he realized. 

“Oh well. Time to get back and take care of that pain in the ass.” He mumbled as he fished out some money and tossed it on the table, then headed for the door. 

When he arrived back at the house, he was surprised to not be greeted by anyone. The lights were dimmed, only two in the living room were on, and left at a low glow. He closed and locked the door, then went straight to his room to check on Ike. When he found his bed empty, Wan-Nu hurried from the room and looked around. 

A faint glow beneath the bathroom door drew his attention there. He was about to go knock when it swung open, revealing a half-naked Ike. He was wearing a pair of loose pajama pants that he’d definitely taken from Wan-Nu’s room and a small towel around his neck, but nothing else. 

Their feet halted when their eyes met, and for some reason, Wan-Nu had trouble talking until he bit his lower lip and forced himself to. “I brought the pills back.” He stated dumbly, having no idea what else he should say. 

Ike simply nodded, looking a little nervous as he slowly headed for Wan-Nu’s room. Once the young man had disappeared around the corner, Wan-Nu gave his head a shake, then followed. 

After closing the door behind him, he took out the bottle of medicine from his pocket and handed Ike two pills. The guy must have been feeling horrible because he didn’t even try to argue about Wan-Nu keeping the remaining medication. Instead, he just tossed the pills in his mouth, then forced himself to swallow. 

“Um, have you eaten?” Wan-Nu asked as Ike dropped back down onto his bed and lifted the towel that had been hanging around his shoulders to finish drying his hair. 

Ike shook his head, but instead of asking for something, he just tossed the towel and flopped down on the bed with a tired sigh, then closed his eyes. “I don’t want anything.” 

Wan-Nu frowned, setting the bottle of pills on the nightstand as he replied. “You have to eat. Is part of medicine rules.” He’d meant to say directions, but it really didn’t matter. 

Ike just chuckled though, and scooted over a bit. “Get in bed and go to sleep. I don’t need you worrying about me, old man.” 

As much as he wanted to yell at the guy, he knew that waking up Sahn-Re, in the room next door by doing so, was not appropriate. So, Wan-Nu bit his tongue and went to the kitchen. It took him a bit of digging, but eventually he found a small take-out bag of hotteok pancakes. 

Taking them back to the room, he tossed them onto Ike’s chest, earning a quiet curse. Instead of bothering to watch him after that, Wan-Nu headed for the bathroom and got himself ready to sleep. He didn’t want to share his bed with Ike, but sleeping on the sofa wasn’t the most comfortable thing. 

When he returned to the room about fifteen minutes later, he wasn’t surprised in the least to see the small bag completely empty, sitting on the blankets with Ike’s back turned to it. 

Grinning to himself for the small victory, Wan-Nu changed into a pair of pajama bottoms and a light T-shirt, tossed the bag into the little trashcan near the nightstand, then climbed into the bed. The moment his head hit the remaining pillow Ike wasn’t hoarding, he was out cold.

Connection

Stepping through the rows of backstage curtains, Teller honestly felt pretty good. He was supposed to fill in for a backup singer using his own regular voice and Tay-Yun had worked him like a slave driver to get him ready… but he had secretly loved it. Not only had he gotten a lot of time by himself with him, but he’d also received voice lessons from his idol! 

“You’re grinning adorably again. I might have to kiss you if you keep doing that.” Tay-Yun said as he reached over and tugged softly on Teller’s bottom lip. 

Turning his head quickly, Teller nipped the tip of Tay-Yun’s finger, making the guy jump slightly. He knew that he didn’t do it hard enough to hurt, but the look of mischief that came to Tay-Yun’s eyes made him think that he might have given the wrong response. 

“Can I take that back?” He asked awkwardly as they stepped behind a curtain to be out of the view of prying eyes. 

Tay-Yun’s grin grew as he reached forward, taking Teller’s jaw gently but firmly between his fingers. “I’ll allow it… if you trade me.” He said, making Teller tilt his head just a bit, as far as Tay-Yun would allow him since he was still holding his jaw. 

“What do you mean?” He asked. 

Chuckling quietly, Tay-Yun licked his lips slowly, then leaned in. The kiss only lasted a moment, but Teller couldn’t help but sigh at the contact. He really couldn’t argue that he liked Tay-Yun, very, very much. 

When they broke apart, Tay-Yun slipped his hand into Teller’s and began tugging him toward the stage. “Everyone is already set up. Let’s have a fun show, then have even more fun later tonight, hm?” 

Teller’s face burned as he was pulled up the stairs, his eyes turning down to his scuffed tennis shoes as each step took him closer to standing in front of hundreds, or really, thousands, of people. 

His palms began to sweat and he tried to tug the one Tay-Yun was holding away so that he could wipe it on his jeans, but his boyfriend held him tight. They stopped right before the edge of the curtain, which was the exact moment Teller realized that he had forgotten the basic sunglasses and hat he’d been offered as a disguise. 

“Teller?” 

Blinking through his panic, Teller lifted his eyes to Tay-Yun’s. He was shaking a little and trying to keep his breathing even, but it was getting hard. 

“It will be okay.” Tay-Yun said as he slipped his free hand into his pocket to remove the pair of sunglasses Teller now knew had been gifted to Tay-Yun by Mi-Yo. 

When the glasses slid up the bridge of his  nose, Teller immediately felt a little better. The stage lights above them were no longer too bright and part of his face was hidden from curious eyes. 

“We forgot the hat in the car. I can go get it?” Tay-Yun offered, making Teller’s heart thump happily against his chest. 

Shaking his head, he grinned. “This is good enough. I’m not worried.” 

Of course, he was, but the sunglasses did really help calm his nerves. 

“Are you sure?” Tay-Yun asked right as someone yelled “Five minutes!” 

Teller nodded quickly, then after a glance left and right, leaned in and slid his arms beneath Tay-Yun’s jacket for a tight hug. “If my boyfriend can stand in front of so many people as the center of attention, I can learn to stand steadily behind him.” 

He felt Tay-Yun take a deep breath before his arms tightly wrapped around him. “I hope you don’t plan to go back to American, Tel. Because I don’t think that I could let you.” Tay-Yun whispered against his hair before reluctantly pulling away and winking, then jogging onto the stage. 

There was still one large curtain in front of them, so Teller hurried to his own spot in front of a microphone back behind Sahn-Re and En-Ti, getting a hug from Sahn-Re, who had been feeling much better recently, and a pat on the head from En-Ti on his way there. 

He gripped the microphone as the curtain slowly began to rise. His heart was pounding hard and his hands were shaking a little, but he just kept his eyes focused completely on Tay-Yun’s back. Possibly a little lower a few times, but mainly on his back. 

They began after the crowd quieted enough for Tay-Yun to be heard over them. Teller slipped up a few times during the first few songs, but thankfully he could hear the other back-up singers covering easily enough for him, and he greatly appreciated it. All of them had been told that he was new and would possibly have a little trouble, but when they shot him encouraging smiles and didn’t hesitate to help him when he made mistakes by raising their voices just enough, he was extremely grateful. 

The show ended well and Teller couldn’t have been happier, though not for the reason he would have thought when they’d started. He was grinning from ear to ear as he sat down with the other back-up singers right there on stage. Ello always did a short question and answer session after their concerts for the fans, and the backup always just sat quietly and listened. 

I’m so proud of him! 

Of course, Sahn-Re and En-Ti did amazingly well, too, but they weren’t his boyfriend! 

As the crowd settled down, many of the fans crowded around the lower portion of the stage, all of them raising their hands in hope that they’d be picked. The first question went to Sahn-Re, asking him how he was feeling. 

“I’m great now! En-Ti took really good care of me!” He chimed with a playful grin for the crowd. 

There were a lot of awwww s   from the audience before the next question about the band’s future concerts. Tay-Yun answered that, then took another question from the far left side of the stage. 

“I noticed you guys didn’t have Beek-Do singing for you today, when you normally keep the same people. Is he okay? And is the person who took his place perhaps the same one who helped with the piano last time?” 

Teller’s mouth dropped open slightly, unintentionally spurring the crowd’s curiosity. When Tay-Yun looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, he wasn’t sure how to react. He didn’t want to make Tay-Yun lie…

When the silence dragged on, Tay-Yun turned back to the crowd to respond, when someone pushed through to the front. Teller couldn’t see his face, but the moment he started speaking, he knew exactly who it was. 

“I can tell you exactly who that guy is.” Said Mr. Canzoni. 

Teller jumped up and ran forward to stand beside Tay-Yun, his eyes wide behind his sunglasses. He looked up at Tay-Yun at the same time he looked to him, but they couldn’t talk because Tay-Yun had his microphone on and was only feet away from the crowd. They would hear him anyways. 

Mr. Canzoni was messing with his phone for a minute before seemingly finding what he’d been looking for and turning to the crowd, holding it up. “This is who that guy is!” 

Several fangirls grabbed the phone and hunched around it as others leaned over their shoulders. Tay-Yun glanced over at the security guards who were making their way toward the commotion, but there was no way they’d be able to stop whatever photo Mr. Canzoni was already showing off. 

“What is this?” One of the girls asked to no one in particular. 

Another one grumbled. “Yeah. You can’t even tell who’s in the picture!” 

Teller felt his shoulder relax slightly as Mr. Canzoni snatched the phone back and started waving it around. “Of course it’s them! Are you all blind!” 

Tay-Yun pursed his lips and stepped forward, his eyes narrowing on Mr. Canzoni. Right before he could speak, again, however, Ike stepped out of the crowd and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I can tell you exactly who this guy is.” He said, repeating Mr. Canzoni’s words.

Several squeals came from some of the girls around him, then traveled further and further into the crowd when the word that was there Mimic spread. 

This isn’t good! 

They’d brought him along to help out backstage, which he had, but they definitely wouldn’t have if they knew that he’d try to help Mr. Canzoni! 

Ike grinned and hopped up onto the stage, inciting a roar from the crowd. Some were even shouting for a collaboration, which made Teller chuckle beneath his breath a little. That wasn’t going to happen. 

“Lend me your mic, Tay-Yun.” Ike said, drawing a cheer from the group of people close enough to have heard him. 

Tay-Yun hesitated, clearly unsure of what Ike was going to say. And of course, they didn’t trust him one bit. 

“Fine. Don’t give it to me, but at least translate, okay? Cause I’m not gonna say it again.” He said before turning his attention down to where Mr. Canzoni stood smirking up at him. 

Sighing, Ike stepped aside and straightened his shoulders, then pointed at Teller, making him fidget and fight himself to not back up and hide behind Tay-Yun. 

“I can tell you exactly who this guy is.” Ike said before looking back to Tay-Yun, waiting to see if he would translate. He knew that a lot of the people present probably could understand him, but without a mic, there was a high chance that by the time his words got back to the full crowd, they’d be skewed. Telephone was one messed up game. 

Tay-Yun was silent for several more seconds before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then turned toward the crowd. 

“I can tell you exactly who this guy is.” 

Ike grinned and turned his attention down to Mr. Canzoni while still pointing at Teller. 

“This is the young man who was beaten by his manager, over and over.” 

Tay-Yun licked his lips and narrowed his eyes on nothing in particular as he relayed the words. 

“This is the young man who was beaten by his manager, over and over.” 

There was a collective gasp at the same time security finally made it to Mr. Canzoni, surrounding him and preventing him from moving, or from anyone getting to him. 

Ike moved his arm so that he was now pointing at him, then continued. “His manager didn’t like the way he looked or acted, so he decided to just push him behind the scenes and use only his skills.” 

Tay-Yun repeated his words calmly into the mic, watching as more and more eyes turned toward where the guards were hiding Mr. Canzoni. 

“He paid him next to nothing and hurt him more times than I could count.” 

Teller did retreat behind Tay-Yun as he continued to copy Ike’s words into the mic. He definitely hadn’t been ready for any of this, and especially not Ike taking his side. 

“I was an ass for not helping him, so I’m saying this now…” 

Ike sighed, squeezing his eyes shut as he grimaced for a second, before opening them with a small but sad smile. 

“I’m not Mimic. I’m nothing. I was full of myself for my looks and I let myself be greedy and turn a blind eye to the real person who deserved to be a star…. but Tay-Yun didn’t turn away from him.” 

Mr. Canzoni’s face had gone completely white and his mouth was hanging open, inviting in any flies that happened to be hanging around.

Tay-Yun’s lips tilted upward into a smirk as he gladly translated, slipping his left hand behind himself to slide into Teller’s and squeeze reassuringly. 

The crowd murmured amongst themselves for a short while before someone raised a hand, asking their question when Tay-Yun nodded to them. 

“What about the picture he showed us? Can you tell us what it is? Now that I think about it, he looks very much like the person who was with Sahn-Re on the news a while ago, too.” 

Tay-Yun frowned, motioning toward the guards to get Mr. Canzoni’s cell phone from him. When it was yanked away from him and handed up to Tay-Yun, his frown deepened. 

“Like I would unlock it for you!” Mr. Canzoni shouted, only to begin getting toted away by the group of buff men. 

Ike chuckled and walked over, taking the phone and pushing six buttons, then handing it back with the screen unlocked. “He messes with it enough in front of us. It wasn’t hard to remember the code.” 

Tay-Yun thanked him, then opened the photo section. The picture was definitely not great considering how dark it had been backstage, but Tay-Yun recognized it immediately, and couldn’t hide his smile as he glanced sideways to Teller. 

Leaning forward a little, Teller looked at the photo, his stomach sinking with unease when he realized what it was immediately. 

“Is that you… and him?” The fan who had asked the original question asked, her voice a little nervous. 

Licking his lips, Tay-Yun turned his back to the crowd and reached up to silence his mic, then lean in to whisper to Teller. 

“What do you want me to do. I will tell them whatever you want me to.” 

Looking down, Teller absentmindedly fidgeted with Tay-Yun’s hand, then lifted his eyes back to his. 

“What do you think? What do you want?” He asked curiously. 

Tay-Yun tilted his head and chewed on his lower lip a little as he thought. 

“Well… I know I want you. I’m proud of you and I want to show you off, because you’re amazing. But I only want to do that if you are ready.” 

Teller felt his cheeks warm at Tay-Yun’s words, but something was nagging at the back of his mind. He wasn’t sure that this was the proper time to ask it, but they had kind of run out of time to really talk about it. 

“Are you sure?” He paused for a moment, running his free hand through his messy hair. “Are you sure you’re okay with me? I don’t want to replace Mi-Yoh in your heart if it’s too soon, but if, if you really want to be open to everyone about this, then I’d like to find a spot for myself there, too, and stand beside you from now on.”

 Grinning from ear to ear, Tay-Yun leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Teller’s forehead, immediately making the crowd roar with cheers. Reaching up, he turned his ear mic back on, then slid his hand down to Teller’s back to guide him around so that they were both facing forward and he was right up against his side in a one-armed hug. 

“This is Teller, the true talent of Mimic… and my boyfriend. He had just met Sahn-Re first, but I have no intention of sharing, sorry, Sahn.” He joked with a wink back at Sahn-Re, who stuck his tongue out and gave a chuckle before Tay-Yun turned his attention back to the crowd. “ I do hope that you will all wish us well…“ He paused for a moment, grinning when Teller moved the sunglasses up to his forehead and stared up at him with adoration, and an adorable smile. That’s what did him in. 

Leaning forward, Tay-Yun paused right with their lips centimeters apart. “Because I really do believe that I’ve fallen so hard for him.” He said just loud enough for the mic to pick up before pressing their lips together to the overwhelming sound of excited yells and cheering. 

(I read this chapter out loud… man that’s a feels-trip.)

Segment

(This song just reminds me of Sahn-Re for some reason lol and sorry, no R stuff :P)

Stretching on his belly beneath Tay-Yun’s blankets, Teller felt his backside throb uncomfortably, reminding him of what they’d done after skipping the party the previous evening. It had been for Ello so they’d been asked to come, of course, but he just hadn’t felt up to it right then. Probably because of all the reporters Tay-Yun had warned him would be there, just waiting to ambush him for an interview. 

Coming back home early to have sex probably wasn’t the best back up plan, though. 

Granted, that hadn’t really been what they’d intended to do, but it just sort of happened. He’d been curious and honestly, quite smitten with Tay-Yun after watching him perform right in front of him for over an hour. Thankfully, he’d been more than gentle and absolutely sweet. The lube helped, too. Quite a bit. 

“Hello, sweetheart.” 

Tay-Yun’s quiet whisper accompanied the sound of him returning to bed and slipping beneath the blankets. Teller was tugged into his warm arms a moment later, happily nuzzling against his chest as  they got comfortable. 

“Are you feeling alright?” Tay-Yun asked as he raised one arm to run the back of his fingers along Teller’s cheek, inciting a blush that was thankfully invisible in the dark room. 

Fighting himself to not tuck and hide his face, Teller nodded, his forehead brushing against Tay-Yun’s chest. “I think I really like you.” He whispered with a small grin on his lips. 

Tay-Yun chuckled, the deep sound reverberating through where Teller’s forehead was still pressed against his chest. “I believe you do.” He replied. 

“How did the meeting go?” Teller asked after a few minutes of content silence. 

Once the rest of the band had returned later in the evening they’d all had a meeting about how they’d performed and their upcoming shows. That was the reason Tay-Yun had needed to leave after they’d finished enjoying each others’ company. 

I really missed him, even for such a short period of time. 

The thought made him shake his head a little in disbelief.  

He’s one of your idols, but that doesn’t mean that you were literally supposed to fall in love with him. 

His lips turned down into a frown. Another minute passed before he realized exactly why he was suddenly confused. 

I really like him. He told himself, only to feel like that thought wasn’t quite truthful. 

“It was fine, but there seems to be something else on your mind, Tel?” Tay-Yun asked as he pressed a few soft kisses to Teller’s hair and allowed his left hand to slowing stroke down along his back, ending its journey gently grasping his clothed backside. They hadn’t exactly wanted to put their pajama pants back on, but Sahn-Re had a habit of getting into Tay-Yun’s room. He knew how to unlock the main entry door and if he had to, he’d go all the way around and up the stairs if he really wanted to bug him. 

I really… He couldn’t bring himself to think of the word again. Even though he’d looked up to the man for a long time, he’d only actually known him for less than a month. Can I really fall in love with someone so quickly? His heart hummed happily at his thoughts as he felt himself pulled tighter against Tay-Yun’s chest, the gesture drawing his eyes up at the same time Tay-Yun tilted his head down to steal a kiss. 

Perhaps…

“Oh, I think they’re doing dirty things in there.”  Sahn-Re whispered as he leaned away from pressing his ear against the door. 

En-Ti stood at the end of the hall by the bathroom, a toothbrush hanging from between his teeth as he scowled at Sahn-Re and uncrossed his arms over his chest to hold the brush near his lips. 

“You should be in bed, not snooping around them when they finally get a moment to enjoy themselves.” En-Ti said, not even trying to hide his chastising tone. 

Pursing his lips, Sahn-Re walked back to him, meeting his eyes with his own narrowing ones before he reached up and snatched the toothbrush. 

“Not when you’re s-” His words died on his tongue as Sahn-Re began brushing his teeth with the brush. He quickly made a face at how much paste was on it, but En-Ti just glared. 

“Why take it when you know I use a lot of tooth paste in the flavor you hate?” He grumbled as he turned back to the bathroom to wash his mouth out. 

Sahn-Re was right there a second later, nudging his head out of the way, making En-Ti lean back up as he filled his mouth to rinse out the foul tasting paste. 

“You are such a pain.” En-Ti mumbled as he shoved Sahn-Re aside and leaned back down to fill his own mouth and rinse. 

By the time he’d finished, Sahn-Re was nowhere in sight. He went through the house and finished switching off the remaining lights, since Teller’s grandmother had left for her hotel after the concert, Ike and Wan-Nu had both disappeared right after the meeting, along with Tay-Yun, leaving just him and Sahn-Re to watch TV for a little while. He figured no one else was going to be up again till morning.

He thought about checking on Sahn-Re one last time before heading to sleep, but if he was hyper enough to eavesdrop on Tay-Yun and Teller, as well as steal his toothbrush, he was probably fine. 

Shaking his head, En-Ti walked into his room, flicking on one of the black light lamps he had on his desk before slipping into the seat there. 

He wanted to sleep but had to go through his emails  first, since he’d put them off while Sahn-Re had been sick. After about an hour, he’d finished up answering the few he hadn’t deleted right away as spam, then got distracted a bit looking up news about their earlier concert. The reviews in general were great, but then it got a bit iffy when the reports swung to Tay-Yun and Teller’s relationship. 

The reception of Tay-Yun dating a man wasn’t the issue, as En-Ti knew that the public had known he was bi for quite a while since they’d figured there was something going on with him and Mi-Yoh. The reason some of the commentary was negative was because Teller was a nobody American. He looked like a fanboy who had somehow gotten lucky. Add Mimic, the band that had practically lied to all of their fans, onto his resume, and he was definitely not favored by most reporters. 

Running a hand through his hair, En-Ti sighed, going through a few articles before turning his laptop off and just leaning back in his desk chair, closing his eyes on a sigh. It wasn’t Teller’s fault that he had been a part of Mimic’s fall, but he was going to take the negativity from it either way. 

Lifting his arms over his head, En-Ti stretched and yawned. He’d help them out if they needed it, but he had a feeling that Teller had a pretty decent backbone beneath his cautious, shy personality. 

A light weight settled in his lap suddenly, making En-Ti blink open his tired eyes to see the stuffed animal he’d won Sahn-Re at the amusement park staring back at him. 

“Where’s your owner? I’m not babysitting. He’s enough work to keep an eye on.” He said to the toy, tilting his head slightly as if he were expecting a response.

When silence met his ears, En-Ti glanced toward his closed door, expecting to see Sahn-Re, but no one was there. He glanced behind himself as he tugged the stuffed animal off his lap and let it drop to the floor, but again, the guy was nowhere to be seen. 

“Sahn-Re…” He grumbled, about to get up and turn around to hunt the problem child down when he felt arms wrap his neck in a hug. Soft hair brushed against the right side of his face a moment later, drawing a near-silent chuckle from him as he turned his head against Sahn-Re’s. 

“You used my shampoo again… you make such silly mistakes when you’re just waking up.”  En-Ti whispered against his ear. 

Sahn-Re mumbled something unintelligible, his head moving slightly to rub against En-Ti’s cheek. 

“You should get to bed, and did you take your medicine?” En-Ti asked. 

Sahn-Re was quiet for a moment before he leaned his head back just enough to tilt it slightly and meet En-Ti’s eyes.  

“I did.” He barely whispered. 

“Oh.” En-Ti mumbled back. “Then, you’ll be heading to bed now?” 

Sahn-Re hesitated for a moment, then gave his head a slight shake. 

Mimicking the gesture with a shake of his own head and a quiet chuckle, En-Ti turned in his chair until he was able to pull Sahn-Re down into his lap and wrap his arms around him lightly. 

“Then what, pray tell, are your plans for the evening?” He questioned as he leaned over just enough to meet Sahn-Re’s averted gaze. 

“Hm?” En-Ti  mumbled as he gave him a gentle nudge. 

When his friend finally looked up a little, En-Ti smiled, a hint of mischief in the gesture. 

“You’re not very smart, En-Ti.” Sahn-Re said quietly, making him tilt his head and blink, thinking that he’d heard him wrong. 

“I’m… not very smart?” He repeated, frowning. 

Sahn-Re shook his head, drawing En-Ti’s expression even deeper as he tried, yet failed, to figure out what he could mean. 

“I don’t understand. I was valedictorian in high school. Got six scholarship offers for physi-” His words were cut off when Sahn-Re’s lips pressed softly over his own, drawing En-Ti’s eyes wide from shock. 

The moment Sahn-Re leaned away, En-Ti opened his mouth to speak, but needed two more attempts before he could form actual words. 

“You said… not to do that. You told me not to do that.” He mumbled as his eyes darted around nervously, not understanding why Sahn-Re had just done what he’d gotten so angry about earlier in the week. 

When Sahn-Re just rolled his eyes, En-Ti pursed his lips and continued. “But I’m not stupid. I graduated from Seoul National University and am going to return to get my master’s de-” His words were cut off again when Sahn-Re leaned up and sealed his mouth with his own. 

The kiss lasted much longer this time, sending a message that En-Ti finally managed to finish deciphering as Sahn-Re leaned back a little. They were both panting quietly, their breath mixing in the air between them. 

When Sahn-Re leaned back in for a third kiss a few moments later, En-Ti relaxed back into his chair, moving his left hand hesitantly to Sahn-Re’s slim waist while his right one drifted over his desk until it landed on its target. 

With a slow twist from his fingers, he turned the dim black light off, leaving them both to the darkness.

Projection

(I have a bad habit of torturing my characters a bit) 

“I swear… will you stop stealing the damn blanket? There are two for a reason! And the reason is not for you to have both!” Wan-Nu hissed as he tugged on his comforter for the tenth time. 

“I’m gonna kick you off the bed if you don’t chill out.” Ike grumbled, his voice nearly unintelligible with sleep. 

Glaring at the clock, Wan-Nu let out a frustrated sigh and reluctantly pushed himself up. He knew that he wasn’t going to be getting anymore sleep besides Ike. He’d taken the guy in as a favor until he was somewhat recovered from his injuries, yet it almost seemed like he’d moved in, claiming Wan-Nu’s tiny room, and everything in it, as his own. 

Climbing out of bed, he stalked over to the closet and pulled down his last extra blanket. It wasn’t nearly as comfortable or warm as his comforters, but it would do. 

Hugging it to his chest, Wan-Nu slowly made his way out of his room and to the sofa. He didn’t hesitate to stretch out on it, rolling up in the thin blanket to keep the chill from the air-conditioner at bay. 

He awoke three hours later, always the first to get up so that he could make sure everyone else was ready for their scheduled days. Well, not recently, but it was one of his main duties. 

Wan-Nu stretched carefully, worried that he might fall off the sofa if he moved too much, but when his chest pressed up against something warm, and definitely not a blanket, his eyes jerked open. 

This darn brat. 

Ike had taken the outer portion of the sofa and brought along one of the large comforters to settle over them, as well as a single pillow they both managed to share, barely. 

His face is way too close. 

“Did I miss something?” Teller asked as he leaned over the sofa suddenly, making Wan-Nu jump and shove Ike right off the sofa. 

The guy landed with a loud thunk, then a grown as he stretched out on the carpet mumbling something that sounded similar to “Asshole.” 

“Why were you on the couch with me?”   Wan-Nu grumbled. 

Ike snorted and yawned before replying with a mumbled. “English.” 

Rolling his eyes, Wan-Nu leaned over the edge of the sofa, glaring down at Ike. “Why are you out here?” He asked again, this time in the idiot’s own language. 

“Ah. I was cold.” Ike replied as his eyes finally opened a little, though they seemed unfocused. 

“Cold?” Wan-Nu asked with incredulity. “You took both my good blankets, yet you were cold?” 

It took Ike a moment to process the words before he slowly rolled onto his side and stared up at Wan-Nu, then answered with a quiet, sleepy rasp. “Yeah.” 

The smell of food cooking made Wan-Nu glance toward the kitchen, allowing him to break the awkward tension that had built without him even realizing it. He hurried to his feet, careful to not step on Ike as he made his way toward the kitchen. 

He could hear the guy start to get up behind him, but he didn’t expect him to follow for a few moments. He was clearly still waking up. 

“Smells good.” Wan-Nu said as he walked over to the stove to see what Teller was cooking. 

The smile he got in return was a bit surprising, but it was nice to see him so happy. “I’m making pancakes. Grandma bought some ingredients for them.” He said, making Wan-Nu lean against the counter as he watched Teller flip one of the disks. 

“Ah, are you okay with coming to the studio with us later?” Wan-Nu asked, making Teller send him a look that told him that he wouldn’t be fooled twice. 

“Okay, okay. Don-Wei wanted to speak with you again about a possible contract signing…” 

Teller was in the middle of flipping a pancake when Wan-Nu spoke, sending the sweet dough sailing somewhere over his shoulder. A surprised yelp echoed in the room a second later, drawing Wan-Nu’s attention to Ike, who had seemingly just managed to catch the food, only to realize that it was extremely hot. 

He quickly threw it onto the counter, then ran to the sink to run his scalded hands under the faucet, a scowl on his face. “The hell you throw a pancake at me for, idiot?” He asked, his eyes narrowed on Teller. 

“Sorry. I think I startle him.” Wan-Nu said before staring back at Teller at the same time Tay-Yun walked into the room. 

He couldn’t help but think that he, too, looked overly happy, but he didn’t comment on it and instead pointed at Teller. “I told him Don-Wei wanted to possibly sign him… and I think I broke him.” 

Chuckling, Tay-Yun walked over to Teller and leaned over his shoulder as he reached around to poke his right cheek, turning his head just enough to steal a kiss. 

“Good morning, again, love.” 

Teller seemed to snap out of his shock immediately, a bright blush and dopey grin on his face. “I’m making pancakes.” He stated without bothering to look at the one he was currently burning in the pan. 

Wan-Nu took it upon himself to nudge Teller out of the way and take over the cooking, also technically pushing him into Tay-Yun’s waiting arms. 

“You are going to come with me to the studio, right, Tel?” Tay-Yun murmured against Teller’s ear, making a shiver run down his spine, then zip right back. 

He couldn’t even help the nod that Tay-Yun’s question incited, drawing an excited smirk onto his boyfriend’s lips. 

“Good. Now go get changed. Wan-Nu should have breakfast done by the time you’re ready. Then we’re going to leave.” He said as he gave Teller’s backside a hard tap. 

“I did not need to see that.” Ike grumbled as he watched Teller run from the room, making Wan-Nu reach over and swat him on the side of the face with the spatula. 

“Leave them be.” He chastised, only to have the spatula stolen from his hand abruptly before Ike used it to swat him on the backside. 

“Hey!” Wan-Nu yelled, only to be pushed out of the way from in front of the stove by Ike’s hip. 

“Get the table set. I’ll finish making the food.” He said as he poured in more batter after removing the burnt pancake, then adding some blueberries. 

Wan-Nu wanted to argue, but he knew that it would be useless. Ike was an idiot who did what he wanted, whether he should or not. 

So, with a frustrated slur of curse words, in Korean, of course, he got busy setting up the table with glasses of water, plates, the remaining blueberries, and syrup. 

Everyone besides Sahn-Re and En-Ti, who hadn’t come out of their rooms yet, were present after ten minutes. Teller was visibly nervous as he pushed his one cut up pancake around on his plate. If Tay-Yun wasn’t feeding him every few moments from his own, he probably wouldn’t have eaten at all. 

When everyone else had finished at least two pancakes and appeared to be decently full, Tay-Yun and Teller got up and cleared the dishes away, allowing Wan-Nu time to get ready. 

He hadn’t planned on asking Ike to come after the last time he’d had to go find him, along with his attitude, but when they all headed for the door, the guy was hot on his heels in a clean, light blue long-sleeved shirt and khakis that had clearly been borrowed from his room. 

“You want him to come along?” Tay-Yun asked as Wan-Nu slid into the driver’s seat and Ike took passenger, leaving the back for Teller and Tay-Yun. 

“Hell no, but do you want to fight him on it right now?” He replied as he started the car, giving Tay-Yun a pointed look from the rear-view mirror. 

When the guy shook his head, Wan-Nu got them on their way. The atmosphere was a bit awkward, but after Ike leaned forward and turned on one of the decent radio stations, everyone settled in for the drive. 

The moment they got there and filed out of the car, Wan-Nu grabbed Ike’s wrist, not wanting to allow the guy a chance to wander off again. They headed straight up to the CEO’s office, knocking twice before being let inside by an assistant. 

Don-Wei was behind his desk like before, but he was relaxing back in his chair this time, a shut laptop and half-drunk cup of coffee in front of him. 

“Good morning, everyone.” He said with a welcoming smile. His lips turned down after a moment, however, once he noticed Ike. 

“Is that the young man you brought last time who happened to wander off, Wan-Nu?” He asked, drawing a faint blush from him as he practically forced Ike to take a seat, then dropped into the one beside him. 

“Yes.” 

Don-Wei’s attention returned to Ike, his head tilting slightly as he took in the man’s appearance. 

“He was the singer for that fake band, Mimic?” He asked, earning a nod from Wan-Nu. 

“He’s got an attitude on him, too.” He added, getting a chuckle from Don-Wei as he continued to look Ike over. 

“Why is he staring at me like that?” Ike asked, sending a sideways glance at Wan-Nu. 

Instead of answering, since he really didn’t know, Wan-Nu continued to address Don-Wei. “I told Teller that you might be interested in his talents. Did you want to offer him anything today?” 

“Yes. I want him. He seems to be in a bit of a bind with his current situation, and you said he likely has to return to America soon, so we’ll have to figure out a way around that.” Don-Wei noted, switching his attention back and forth between Ike and a very nervous Teller. 

“I think we already have a good enough reason for him to want to stay.” Wan-Nu said, grinning a little as he stole a glance at Tay-Yun. 

The guy seemed oblivious, his attention completely focused on Teller. He was even holding his shaky hands in his, rubbing soothing circles along the backs of them. 

“So it would seem.” Don-Wei replied, matching Wan-Nu’s grin before returning his focus to Ike. 

“I think I want this one as well. Do you know if he has any history in modeling?” Don-Wei asked, making Wan-Nu’s jaw drop. 

He had absolutely no idea about the guy, besides the fact that he was a handful to deal with and an asshole at times. 

“No idea.” He said bluntly, only to see Don-Wei’s eyebrows lift. 

That wasn’t good. 

“Young man?” Don-Wei said to Ike before Wan-Nu could stop him. 

Ike glared up at him, lowering the cellphone he’d taken out to mess with. “Yeah?” 

“Have you ever done modeling work?” 

The look on Ike’s face as that question processed was absolutely comical. “I… what?” He asked, his mouth not quite working well enough to not slur the two simple words. 

Don-Wei leaned forward on his desk, chuckling quietly. “I need a model for some projects. Can you do as you are told without causing problems?” He asked without an ounce of nonsense to his words. Clearly, he wanted someone who wasn’t going to be an idiot. 

Boy did Wan-Nu have something to say about that… but he bit his tongue. He knew that once Don-Wei decided on something, it was nearly impossible to change his mind. 

Ike’s mouth opened and closed several times as everyone’s attention, finally including Tay-Yun and Teller’s, jumped back and forth between him and the CEO. 

“I… I can try to behave?” Ike said awkwardly, rubbing at the back of his head with a hand as his eyes flicked around the room nervously. 

Wan-Nu wanted to smack him. “He is a troublemaker, we can find someone else.” He said, only to see Don-Wei shake his head. 

“I want an American, and it’s hard to find younger ones that aren’t already full of themselves or unwilling to stay in Korea long term.” He said, making Wan-Nu nearly combust. 

“He is the definition of full of himself!” He said in a clipped tone, trying his best not to yell. 

Don-Wei leaned back again, eyeing him with his signature raised eyebrow. When his arms crossed over his chest, Wan-Nu felt his heart sink into his stomach. 

“You’ve been managing him decently well…” 

He saw what was coming. 

“No I haven’t!” Wan-Nu replied, only to see Don-Wei lift his right hand, officially silencing him. 

“Teller, I want to sign you for some projects, too. We’ll go into detail about that a bit later. Would you and Tay-Yun mind heading down to the cafeteria for an early lunch, on me?” He said. 

The two boys didn’t need to be asked twice. They jumped up from their chairs. Tay-Yun grabbed Teller’s hand and they were off, the door closing near-silently behind them. 

The traitors. 

“Now then, Wan-Nu, meet your new talent.” Don-Wei said, nodding to Ike with a smile that leaked poison. 

“Welcome to our agency. Wan-Nu will be your manager while we see your skills and decide if you are what we are looking for. Please follow him to the office to get your badge. You may stay with Mimic at their home for the time being while we find accommodations for you.” 

Ike seemed to have trouble speaking after that, so when a full minute had passed and he still looked like a fish out of water, Wan-Nu sighed and got up, grabbing his wrist to pull him out of the room. 

“I’ll deal with him… and I hate you.” He said back to Don-Wei before stalking out of the room with Ike. 

They both stepped into the elevator, which had thankfully been fixed, then stepped back as the doors closed and they headed upward. 

“Dude… did you just get a modeling deal with an actual agency?” Ike finally said, his eyes unfocused and wide. 

Wan-Nu was about to tell him that he had done no such thing, and actually had tried to break the deal, but when Ike jumped him with a tight hug that had him staggering back against the wall, his words died on his tongue. 

“I swear I’ll behave from now on!” Ike nearly yelled, his words muffled by the fact that his mouth was pressed against Wan-Nu’s shoulder. 

A quiet ring tone began to chime as the elevator doors slowly opened, but even though Wan-Nu knew it was one of his hopeful dates for the evening, since he’d asked for her to call him during the day to set up a time to meet, he couldn’t find it in himself to unwrap Ike from the hug to answer it. 

He also wasn’t sure when his arms had even reciprocated the gesture. 

“I must be going crazy.” He mumbled as he moved one of his arms so that he could lead Ike from the elevator. 

“I don’t know what you just said, but I fucking love you right now, grandpa.” 

“Please shoot me. Anyone. Please.” Wan-Nu nearly cried as they disappeared through the office door to get Ike set up as an official trial member of the company.

Logic

(A bit of fun lol) 

“Are you behaving, Tel?” Ethel asked over the phone. 

Teller had been in the middle of his first actual rehearsal at the company when his phone refused to stop ringing. He’d known it was her ringtone but figured that she’d leave him alone until after he’d finished. No such luck. 

Leaning his head back against the wall outside of the small studio room, he took a moment to close his tired eyes. “Yes. I am being an absolute angel.” He said, knowing that she’d have something to say either way, so he didn’t bother trying to go into all the details of how unangelic he’d been recently… especially in Tay-Yun’s bed. 

“So you’re using condoms and being extra careful? I’ve seen the way that boy looks at you. You can’t tell me that you two aren’t connected by more than just cellphones when you disappear into his room.” She said. 

Teller pursed his lips and glared up at the ceiling. Thankfully, no one was around to see his face turn bright red. He was about to answer her, somehow, when he heard some cackling on the other end of the line that definitely wasn’t his grandmother’s psychotic laugh.  

“Grandma…?” He mumbled in disbelief, terrified of what she might say to explain that laugh. 

“Oh, don’t mind her. That was just Et-Tal, but I just call her Ethel two. She’s one of the eight members of this book club.” His grandmother said with an excitement that terrified him. 

“Wait. You said book club… and eight members…” Teller half-whispered, half-groaned. 

His grandmother replied with even more excitement. “Oh, yes! These ladies are so sweet! Oh, and Et-Tal seems to know English, oops. I think she might be telling the other ladies what I was talking about to you.” 

Teller slapped a hand against his forehead. “Oh, don’t worry. I didn’t tell them that your boyfriend is Tay-Yun, that singer from Ello.” 

Please, stop. 

“Well, you just did. I’m actually very busy trying to keep my sex life out of the ears of the elderly, so if it’s alright, can we talk later?” He asked, already moving the phone from his ear, then hitting the end call button. 

She’d get revenge on him for that later, or… his phone began ringing right away, making him wince and put it on silence. 

“Ready, Teller?” His instructor asked as he poke his head out of the door to the studio. 

Nodding, Teller hurried back into the room, tugging his headset on as he sat himself in front of the keyboard they had set up. They weren’t sure what instrument he was going to end up with as his main one, but he was being taught the piano first. It was an absolute blast to learn, and much easier than the others so far, but that’s probably because Tay-Yun had already helped him out so much with it. 

Wan-Nu glanced into the room Teller was using to practice, smiling when he saw the guy’s fingers fly over the keyboard as if he were already a pro. He was just turning away to go find his new and most-frustrating ward when he felt strong arms wrap around his shoulders and tug him away from the small window and right back into a chest he was unfortunately becoming familiar with. 

“Hello Wan-Nu. Mine good Korean now?” Ike said brokenly, making Wan-Nu roll his eyes as he pushed his way out of Ike’s arms, then turned on him to point at him. 

“English, please.” He said, earning a scowl from Ike. 

“Come on, I studied! How far off was I?” Ike wined, making Wan-Nu start walking away, shaking his head. “So far, and you studied for twenty minutes before getting drunk and passing out last night.” He said as Ike ran up to match his pace. 

“Same difference. Still studied.” He said as they turned the corner and got in the elevator. 

He had a fitting in a few minutes so that the company could start getting him things to wear that could make him stand out to advertisers. Wan-Nu had set up the time, and made sure that it was nice and early to be sure that Ike would have no choice but to be responsible and get up, hangover or not. 

Yeah, as if that had happened. He’d had to drag the guy out of bed, only to be grabbed and tripped. Five minutes of struggling on the floor later, and he’d finally managed to free himself and scold the idiot that if he was late to his first fitting, he’d recommend that he be fired to Don-Wei. 

That had thankfully lit a fire beneath Ike’s backside, until they got to the building twenty minutes early. He took the extra time as a sign that he should get a bit more sleep, and had refused to get out of the van after Teller was long gone to his own appointment. 

“Hey, how many minutes until we’re late?” Ike asked as he leaned against the side of the elevator. 

They might have fixed the thing, but it sure was going slow. 

Wan-Nu glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “You will be the one who will be late, in…” He glanced at his watch. “Four minutes.” 

When he looked back up at Ike, the guy was staring at him with an expression that he actually couldn’t read. He’d crossed his own arms and had his eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were concentrating on something, though Wan-Nu had no idea what he could possibly be thinking so hard about. 

Before he could be bothered to ask, the bell above the doors chimed and they slowly slid open. Ike ran out, grabbing Wan-Nu’s hand and forcing him to stumble after him. “Slow down, idiot .” He said, as Ike pulled him down the hall, around a corner, and halfway down another hall. 

“At least he’d paid attention when I was telling him how to get to the right room.” Wan-Nu said, earning a lifted eyebrow from Ike as they finally stopped outside of the door and the guy cleared his throat, then lifted one hand to tap lightly.

Wan-Nu eyed him, drawing Ike’s attention. 

“What? I’m behaving.” He said with a faint redness to his face. 

Wan-Nu was about to reply when the door opened and they were greeted by one of the modeling department’s wardrobe specialists. 

“Hello. Ike is here for a fitting appointment.” Wan-Nu said, gesturing to the frustrating guy standing beside him who was putting on his best awkward smile. 

The woman looked Ike up and down, then gestured for him to come in. “Does he speak Korean?” She asked as she went over to a table and picked up a loose measuring tape. 

“No, and please don’t ask him to try.” Wan-Nu replied. 

The woman turned to Ike. “Hello, my name is Rachel. Please remove your jacket and shirt.” 

“Wait, you have an English name?” Ike said without thinking. 

Wan-Nu wanted to strangle him right then and there. He stomped over and yanked the jacket off of Ike’s shoulders, clearly making him realize that he was an idiot and need to just do what he was told. 

“Okay okay. I’ll shut up.” Ike said, sounding a little confused as he hurried to pull his shirt over his head. 

Wan-Nu looked over his upper body, glad that he found very little evidence of the bad bruises Ike had sported earlier in the week. He’d been helping him put on the medication En-Ti had given them, but also gotten him a prescription to help them heal better. 

Stepping forward, he pressed his hand to the only really visible one left on his chest, relieved that Ike didn’t even flinch. It must not be hurting anymore. He gently grasped his shoulders and turned him slowly after a moment. His back was another story, but the few remaining bruises were at least healing up nicely, and should be gone after a few more days. 

“Wan-Nu.” Rachel stated, her voice slightly frustrated. “Play with your boy later, I have another appointment in a bit.” 

Embarrassed, Wan-Nu hurriedly stepped away, crossing his arms over his chest as he sent a scowl to Rachel. She completely ignored it, of course, and walked up to Ike to begin running the tape around him every which way. 

His fingers fidgeted as she touched Ike more times than he could keep count. When she glanced back at him to ask a question, he looked away, pretending to be very interested in the clock hanging on the wall above the door. 

“He looks pretty decent. Just keep him off fatty stuff and don’t allow him too much sugar and these measurements should be perfect.” 

Wan-Nu looked back at her, relaxing as she finally stepped away from Ike after giving him a pat on the shoulder. “All done. Good job.” She said, pointing to Ike’s shirt, signaling that he could get dressed again. 

“Thanks for your time.” Wan-Nu said with a slight bow of his head. 

She waved him off with a smile. “Off you go, and good luck. Seems like you will need it with this one.” 

Pursing his lips, Wan-Nu stifled a sigh and nodded as he took Ike’s arm once he’d gotten dressed, and tugged him from the room. 

“That’s it for today, right?” Ike asked, the look in his eyes telling Wan-Nu that he wanted to go get into trouble. 

“Yes… Tay-Yun said he will pick up Teller when he is finished later.” Wan-Nu replied as they got back into the elevator. 

The doors took nearly ten seconds just to slide closed, making him feel a little nervous. As if reading his mind, the elevator decided to jar, then the lights flickered off. 

“Shit.” He cursed, making Ike laugh. 

“I know what that one means!” He said, as if it only mattered that he cussed and not that they were now stuck in the elevator. 

Sighing, Wan-Nu leaned against the wall by the small emergency light and pulled out his phone. Thankfully, he had reception, and called Don-Wei to let him know about the elevator. Evidently, they had scheduled another maintenance on them and he just hadn’t been told. 

“Just wait about fifteen minutes. They said they were just replacing something.” Don-Wei said. 

Wan-Nu wanted to ask why they couldn’t just turn the elevator back on for the few minutes it would take them to get off, but the guy excused himself to take another call before he could even open his mouth. 

“Shit.” He grumbled for a second time, earning another chuckle form Ike. 

“I like hearing you cuss, even if it’s in a different language. You always seem so stuffy and old.” Ike said, making Wan-Nu scowl at the man’s dim shadow. 

“I am only a couple years old than you!” He said with only a slight mistake, before slowly sliding down the wall, figuring he might as well sit and wait. 

Ike walked forward, stopping right in front of Wan-Nu before flashing a faint smile. “Offering me something down there?” He asked with more than a hint of heat to his voice. 

Wan-Nu jumped to his feet faster than they could even react, making him stumble forward into a quietly laughing Ike. He easily caught him, but then wouldn’t let him go as his arms slid down, hands grasping each other behind Wan-Nu against his waist. 

“I want to go get some ice cream.” Ike said, clearly not realizing how uncomfortable he was making him feel. Or, more than likely, not caring. 

“You can’t have any, and get off.” Wan-Nu said, squirming in Ike’s arms as he pushed against Ike’s chest. 

“I would have, but you got up, so I figured the silent invitation was retracted.” Ike mused, clearly being sarcastic. 

Frustrated, Wan-Nu gave Ike a particularly hard shove, finally forcing the guy to step back. At the same time, the dating app on his phone decided to notify him of a new contact. He couldn’t have been less happy with the timing, but looking at who it was would at least help pass the time in the dark elevator. 

He was just reaching for the device in his back pocket when he saw Ike lean forward and reach around him, his hand brushing against his backside as he easily snatched the phone.

“Hey!” 

Ike held it up, just out of reach as he punched in the code Wan-Nu knew he had never given him. 

“You really shouldn’t put in your code when people are clearly watching you.” Ike noted. “Oh, she’s not bad looking. Not bad at all.” He said, a big smile on his face that was only half visible in the dim light. 

“I swear, I’m going to leave you at your first photo shoot and make sure that I take your phone with me!” Wan-Nu yelled as he furiously tried to get a hold of his phone as Ike began typing after somehow figuring out the button to switch the keyboard to English. He shouldn’t have used that, either, while the guy was around. 

Wan-Nu got his phone back, but not before Ike had messed with it a bit more. 

“There, I fixed the problem with those annoying notifications.” He said as Wan-Nu quickly checked over the device for damages. 

His jaw dropped when he saw that Ike had removed the two dating apps he had on his phone. Granted, he didn’t use one of them all that much, but he’d gotten to meet some somewhat decent people on the other! 

“Hey! Why did you mess with those? This is not your phone!” He said, shaking the device in Ike’s face before turning and leaning his head back, intent on smacking it into the wall in the hopes that it would wake him up from the nightmare he was dealing with. 

A strong hand pressed against his forehead right before it could make contact with the metal, then slowly guided him backward until his head bumped into Ike’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” Ike said in a whisper that was partially cut off as the elevator music and lights suddenly turned back on. 

Not wanting to cause a scene when the doors finally opened, Wan-Nu shrugged him off and turned to face them. 

“I shouldn’t have deleted those stupid apps.” Ike mumbled as he, too, turned toward the doors. 

Against his better judgement, Wan-Nu glanced sideways at him, then replied. “Then why did you?” 

The monotone elevator music took over the silence that stretched between them until the chime above the doors finally rang. As they slowly began to open, Ike shrugged his shoulders and looked away. 

“You’re really warm when we sleep next to each other.” 

The explanation made absolutely no sense to Wan-Nu, but before he could even ask Ike to clarify, the guy was halfway down the hall, heading toward the exit doors. 

“I swear Don-Wei put me in charge of him on purpose… and it was strictly to torture me!”

Decline

(Little mini chapter Ike wanted me to write. Really catchy song :3 )

The feeling of arms wrapped around his upper body was beginning to feel familiar. Way too many things were beginning to feel familiar. Sighing, Wan-Nu stifled a yawn as he reached toward the night stand. Ike’s arms around him kept him from just barely being able to brush his fingertips against his cellphone. 

“Come on, Ike.” He whispered as he stretched his arm just a little further. 

It took a moment and a bit more effort before he finally managed to grab his phone. He then relaxed back against Ike’s bare chest as he brought the phone closer to unlock it and check what notifications he had. Wan-Nu felt the guy’s arms bring him even closer, but just figured that it was an automatic response from him having pulled away since his breathing was still even and he seemed asleep. 

He turned his screen brightness down, then began checking through his emails. Some of them were for possible shoots for Ike, fill-ins and little parts in concerts for Teller, and of course, plenty of people begging for Ello to perform at their locations. 

Deciding to mess with those when he was more awake and it wasn’t… he glanced at the little clock at the top of the phone, three-thirty in the morning, he shook his head a little on the pillow he was somehow sharing and opened one of the apps he’d reinstalled after Ike had deleted them earlier with his weird excuse. 

Pushing the thought from his head, he went through the notifications. He’d actually gotten quite a few messages to check out people’s profiles and see if he wanted to meet up with them. The edges of his lips tilted up slightly as he tapped on the first picture. 

His eyes widened slightly at the beautiful photo of a woman staring back at him. He was usually contacted by nice looking women, but never one so surprisingly hot. She was a little young, at twenty-eight, but he couldn’t help but stare. She was absolutely gorgeous and had written that she liked his photo, which had just been him smiling a little sheepishly in one of his suits. Tay-Yun had taken the photo, and also messed with his hair a bit to make him look a little different than, as he’d put it, all the other guys. 

His thumb moved to hover over the accept button, which would allow him access to view her profile and contact information, which was usually an email to start with. He was just about to press the button when he felt one of Ike’s arms lift from his chest and glanced down, only for his eyes to follow his arm up until his hand slid along the back of his. Ike’s fingers ghosted over his own until he extended his pointer finger to gently tap against the Decline  button. 

“Hey.” Wan-Nu growled, looking over his shoulder to try and scowl at Ike, but the guy just scooted even closer, somehow, and buried his face in the back of his neck. 

When he didn’t do anything else for several seconds, Wan-Nu huffed and turned his attention back to his phone. He looked at the next person who had contacted him, but considering Ello was one of her interests, he didn’t dare even consider it and just hit decline . 

The next person was cute, and when he didn’t see any bands he knew as interests, he smiled and clicked accept. Their profile was quieter than the others he’d seen so far, but he kind of liked that. Nice and quiet and not like a certain person that was insistently sticking himself to him more and more often. 

“They look boring…” Ike mumbled sleepily by his ear, making Wan-Nu jerk what little he had of the blankets up as a shiver ran down his back. 

“Give me some of the blankets.” Wan-Nu said in Korean, then accidentally switched to English halfway through his sentence before realizing that he had needed to talk in English for Ike to understand him. 

Instead of making fun of him, Ike chuckled and squeezed his arms a bit tighter before reaching back with one hand and pulling a blanket from his side of the bed to swing over them both. 

Wan-Nu nuzzled beneath it and sighed, surprised that he had actually been pretty cold… or he was just getting too used to Ike’s body heat paired with them. 

“Why are you so interested in those people? I’m right here.” Ike said quietly, still refusing to give him any slack with his vice-like hug. 

Wan-Nu couldn’t help but laugh a little at his words. “What are you talking about, you strange kid?” Wan-Nu asked, trying to roll over, but unable to move. 

“You’re not the brightest, grandpa.” Ike grumbled, earning an eye roll from Wan-Nu, even though he couldn’t see it. 

Hearing a grunt from Ike, Wan-Nu glanced over his shoulder, only to watch as Ike finally released him and rolled over against the wall, giving him his back. 

“Oh god. Are you pouting?” Wan-Nu asked as he rolled over and pushed himself up to a sitting position. 

He tried to squint in order to see him better in the dark room, but Ike just grumbled again and yanked a blanket over his face. 

“And now you’re hiding from me? What are you, five?” He asked before reaching over and tugging at one of the thick blankets, only for Ike to hold it tightly. 

“Will you grow up? You said that you would start behaving. Why not act your age now?” Wan-Nu said, clearly frustrated, though he really didn’t understand specifically why he was so annoyed. 

There was silence for a few moments before Ike finally replied from beneath the blanket, making Wan-Nu lean closer so that he could hear his muffled words. 

“Will you take responsibility if I do?” 

Wan-Nu’s heart jumped awkwardly before he replied. “I’m already responsible for you, so I don’t think it would matter if I accepted responsibility for your age, too.” 

There was suddenly a blanket being swung over the upper half of his body, and head, as Ike shoved him down onto his back. “What are you doing, you idiot?” Wan-Nu said as he glared up at Ike. 

Their heads and upper bodies were enclosed by the blanket, blocking out the minuscule light and making his heart hammer hard against his chest. The only sound he could hear was their quiet breathing picking up as the seconds stretched between them. 

“You said you would take responsibility, grandpa.” Ike finally said in a breathy whisper, making Wan-Nu suddenly feel cold enough to shiver again, even though the guy was nearly lying on him and they were partially beneath a heavy blanket. 

Unsure of what to say besides the obvious response, Wan-Nu turned his head to the side. “I will.” 

“When?” Ike asked, his breath ghosting against Wan-Nu’s cheek, startling him with how close he suddenly was. He jerked his head back to glare at Ike, even though he couldn’t really see him, but when he felt a soft brush against his nose, then along his skin until it was at the edge of his lips, he froze. 

“When?” Ike asked again, his lips moving against Wan-Nu’s as he spoke. 

It was becoming really hard to form solid sentences in his mind, and Wan-Nu feared that if he tried to actually say them, that they’d come out as a completely different language… besides Korean or English. 

Ike waited, shockingly patient, until he was able to figure out how to put words together again and reply. 

“I… some… now?” Wan-Nu said so quietly that he couldn’t even really hear himself, but Ike seemed to catch his words well enough. 

“I’ll behave, for now… but not entirely.” He said as he leaned just a tiny bit closer and sealed his mouth over his. 

(That grandpa kink… he’s only 35 and Ike’s 28 or so but he refuses to change his nickname XD)

Remove

(Now Sahn-Re took a small chapter >.> this song though)

“We’re going to be late if you keep coming out in a new outfit, only to go right back into your closet when you realize that you don’t like it.” En-Ti mumbled as he watched Sahn-Ri disappear back into his closet for what felt like the hundredth time. 

When he walked out about five minutes later, En-Ti tilted his head slightly and licked his lips. Sahn-Re’s expression changed instantly as he gave a quiet cheer and literally leaped onto him. Before En-Ti’s back even hit the bed, Sahn-Re’s mouth was on his. 

The guy got way too excited over things that he rarely even understood. His case and point being their current situation. Sahn-Re finally let him have some air and sat back, his backside firmly planted on En-Ti’s chest as he stared down at him, a giant smile on his face. 

“I’ve been waiting to see you look at me like that. This outfit is perfect!” 

Blushing, and still trying to catch his breath, En-Ti turned his head to the side, not really sure that he agreed with Sahn-Re’s way of thinking. 

“Is something wrong?” Sahn-Re asked, easily picking up on his unease. 

En-Ti pursed his lips and nervously looked back up at his boyfriend. 

“I… well.” 

Sahn-Re raised an eyebrow and tilted his head curiously. 

“Full sentences, En.”   He said, making En-Ti swallow his stuttering and force out what he wanted to say. 

“I don’t want you to look like that in front of anyone but me.” 

The look in Sahn-Re’s eyes made him squirm right before the guy leaned over, pinning him to the bed. “What if I like seeing you get jealous over me?” He asked. 

En-Ti choked on his words, his mouth opening but nothing but quiet panting came out. Sahn-Re’s grin narrowed as he leaned down to nuzzle his nose against En-Ti’s throat. It was his weak spot, as they’d discovered earlier in the week… and Sahn-Re had been ruthless about using it to get laid. 

He honestly didn’t mind, at first. Topping was quite fun and Sahn-Re was more than adorable in bed, but the guy’s energy was absolutely insane. 

“We have to get to the studio.” En-Ti finally managed to mumble. 

Sahn-Re leaned back and frowned at the information, then glanced over to the alarm clock he had sitting on his messy nightstand. “We should be fine.” He said, drawing a frown onto En-Ti’s face. 

“Yeah… we should leave now?” He asked, wondering why Sahn-Re wasn’t getting off of him. 

When the guy just cocked his head to the side and smirked, En-Ti knew that he had to abandon ship or they would be more than just late. Exhausted, too. Fidgeting a bit, he awkwardly tried to push himself enough to start scooting back, but barely got a foot before Sahn-Re was biting at his neck, making En-Ti’s head drop immediately, his hair fanning over the edge of the bed as rough gasps  left his lips. 

He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but he was without his shirt a minute later and Sahn-Re absolutely refused to give him a break to even catch his breath. His mouth was persistent as it roamed along his throat, down to his nipples, then right back up again. 

En-Ti shakily lifted his hands to press against the guy’s chest, hoping to get through to him that they really did need to leave and not have sex right then, but Sahn-Re completely ignored the futile attempts. Instead, he turned his attention to En-Ti’s pants, undoing the button and zipper with a simple flick of his fingers. 

The sound of his phone going off on the nightstand broke Sahn-Re’s focus just enough to allow En-Ti to try and lift his head from where it was now draped over the edge of the bed. His hand shook as he did his best to reach it, but Sahn-Re just pinned his wrist down, refusing to even let him consider answering the call, even though it was Wan-Nu’s ring tone.

It went to voicemail after a few more chimes, then once the message was recorded, began ringing again immediately. After the fourth sequence, Sahn-Re finally sat back, grumbling with frustration before picking up the phone. 

“Hello?” He asked, his voice completely innocent, not giving away a single hint as to what they had just been doing. 

“Sahn-Re, you and En-Ti need to get your butts here! You’re already late and I have a feeling that you haven’t even left yet.” 

En-Ti took the distraction Wan-Nu’s call provided and pushed himself up so that Sahn-Re was sitting in his lap. “Oh, sorry Wan-Nu! We got distracted. We’ll be on our way now.” 

En-Ti heard Wan-Nu mumble a few more things over the phone before Sahn-Re ended the call, scowling at the phone before he tossed it aside. 

Unable to help himself, En-Ti grinned and lifted his fingers to brush against the frown Sahn-Re wore. “Don’t pout.” He said, earning a scowl in response before Sahn-Re hopped off of him to stand beside the bed. 

“We better go.” He said as he ran his fingers through his silver hair, clearly trying to tame it a bit, but failing miserably. 

Licking his lips involuntarily, En-Ti fought himself to keep from staring as he awkwardly stood up. His pants were uncomfortably tight as he forced his zipper back up, then buttoned them. 

He could see Sahn-Re’s fingers twitching from the corner of his eye. Pervert. He raised his head when he had finished straightening up his clothing. That’s when he realized what the guy was actually wearing, and that he would be going outside in it. In front of other people. 

“You need to change.” He said, earning a frown from Sahn-Re. 

“No. You like this outfit.” He said, gesturing to the baby blue tank top, faded black jacket, and torn skinny jeans. 

Of course he liked the outfit. It was absolutely perfect on him. He looked adorable. He didn’t want anyone else staring at him.

Of course, he knew that they would anyway, since they were pretty famous and Sahn-Re, next to Tay-Yun, were the main faces of the band. 

“Change.” He said as he nodded toward Sahn-Re’s unnecessarily big closet. 

When Sahn-Re just crossed his arms over his chest and stuck out his chin, En-Ti wanted to do things to him that would definitely make them later for their practice. 

“Change, Sahn-Re.” He tried to order again. 

Sahn-Re shook his head, then seemed to realize something since a grin spread across his lips as he stared up at him. “Change my clothes yourself, if you don’t want me wearing this so badly.” 

Huffing, En-Ti was halfway through turning toward the door, intent on walking away from the crazy guy, when he spun back around abruptly and grabbed Sahn-Re’s upper arm, dragging him into the walk-in closet. He could not let him wear something like that outside. No matter how many times he’d done so in the past.

Pacing through the disturbingly large closet, he picked out several things, only to put them right back with a shake of his head. He’d never really cared what he wore, let alone what someone else did… 

Eventually he settled on a white, long-sleeved shirt with a lattice stitch going from the elbows to the wrists for the upper part of the outfit. With shaky hands, his slid Sahn-Re’s jacket from his shoulders and then lightly gripped the bottom of his tank top. 

When the guy refused to even lift his arms to help remove the shirt, En-Ti made a face and grabbed one arm, raising it to wrap around his neck. He then took the other and did the same. 

Sahn-Re didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the situation and steal a deep kiss as En-Ti awkwardly struggled to get the shirt off of him. He finally managed to duck under his arms and yank the shirt at the same time while stepping backward. 

Blowing out a frustrated breath, En-Ti straightened and tossed the shirt aside as his eyes rose to Sahn-Re’s bare chest. He was panting quietly from the kiss, the rise and fall motion holding his attention as if he were hypnotized by it. 

Sahn-Re walked forward and began to lean up for another kiss, thankfully snapping En-Ti out of his daze. He leaned to the side and grabbed the shirt he’d picked out, then yanked it down over Sahn-Re’s head. 

The guy looked like one of those inflatable arm-waving machines for a moment as he squirmed into the shirt. When his head popped out of the top hole, a scowl already furrowing his brows, En-Ti couldn’t help but grin a little. 

“You are a brute.” Sahn-Re grumbled as he turned and hurried from the closet, not giving En-Ti a chance to give him the boring pair of tan slacks he’d found shoved far into the depths of the little room. 

“Wait! I’m not done!” He shouted after him before running to catch his wrist right as he got into the hallway. 

Sahn-Re spun on him, poking his chest with a finger. “We’re going to be late.” He grumbled. “Your phone is in there, too.” He added, making En-Ti look back toward the room, hesitant to let Sahn-Re go. 

“But you said that I could dress you…” En-Ti said, his voice growing more and more quiet as he spoke. 

His shoulders slumped a bit and he averted his eyes to the floor after a few seconds of silence, his normal shyness slipping in. “Hey…” Sahn-Re nudged him, but En-Ti just released his wrist and ran his hand through his own hair. 

Sahn-Re disappeared toward the bathroom a moment later, leaving En-Ti to lean against the wall with a worried frown on his face after he’d quickly fetched his phone. He didn’t have to wait long, though. Sahn-Re appeared beside him after only a minute or so. 

En-Ti glanced at him. Just a quick glance at first, but when he realized what he was wearing, he couldn’t help but smile a little. He very much liked seeing his sweatshirt on his boyfriend. It was a little big on him, but that made it even better. 

“You can’t go out like that, either.” Sahn-Re said as he reached up and pulled a dark red sweater down over his head. 

When he’d finished sliding his arms through the sleeves, En-Ti reached forward and wrapped Sahn-Re up in his arms, tugging him tightly against his chest for a hug. 

He felt Sahn-Re’s sleeve-covered hands on his shoulders before a kiss lightly touched his cheek. “I love you. Let’s get going.” Sahn-Re whispered as En-Ti let him pull away, only for Sahn-Re to take his hand and tug him toward the front door. 

They’d been band-mates for years, and friends for even longer, but as he watched the guy happily lead him outside, he couldn’t believe that it had taken him so long to see them as a possibility. 

  “What’s that look for, En?” Sahn-Re asked as they paused just inside of the open doorway. 

En-Ti tilted his head, running his eyes from the guy’s shoes, up to his eyes. He liked what he saw. He really did. His lips quirked up again at the thought and he leaned forward, pressing Sahn-Re against the doorjamb easily with his body. 

“You.” He replied, his lips brushing against Sahn-Re’s bangs. 

“No one else?” Sahn-Re asked with an uncharacteristically quiet tone to his voice as their eyes met again. 

En-Ti shook his head, replying with his own whisper before they headed out. “No one else.”

History

(The lead singer has my exact bdayyyy XD And this song is so cute. CNBlue. This book will be ending soon but I have another Kdrama one I wanna start :D)

“Why did you freak out on them to get to practice quickly if you were just going to leave before they got there?” Ike asked as he stretched his legs out in front of him in the front seat of the band’s van. 

Wan-Nu was quiet for a moment as he continued to watch the small law office they’d parked outside of. Ike had asked him why they were there, but the guy had just told him to keep completely quiet. Of course, he wasn’t exactly doing as told, but that was no surprise. 

When a car pulled up beside them with tinted windows, he turned to Ike and raised a finger to his lips. “Be quiet. Please.” He said, his voice sounding almost like begging. 

Ike was about to ask what he could get for behaving, but when he saw Mr. Canzoni step out of the driver’s side of the car, his jaw dropped and he scowled. 

If Wan-Nu hadn’t reached over and grabbed him, he probably would have gone and beaten the asshole to death right then and there. 

“Please! Ike, not a word! Nothing!” Wan-Nu said, his eyes pleading. 

Ike fidgeted, rubbing at the back of his head before pursing his lips. “Does hitting him count as talking?” He mumbled, already knowing the answer when Wan-Nu squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. 

“Alright alright. I got it. I’ll behave.” He said as his eyes wandered to where Mr. Canzoni was heading into the lawyer’s office. 

His attention was just returning to Wan-Nu when he felt the guy’s mouth hurriedly press against his own, forcing his eyes to jerk open wide. 

“No talk.” Wan-Nu warned him one last time before jumping out of the car and shutting his door before heading inside. 

Ike remained seated for several minutes afterward, unable to process what his shy, nervous grandpa had actually done. 

Wan-Nu strode into the lawyer’s office with a determined expression and his back ramrod straight. He’d been preparing to deal with Teller and Ike’s manager for the past week, and he hadn’t left anything out. 

He gave a slight bow to the guard standing just inside of their meeting room and stepped inside. Mr. Canzoni was sitting across from the lawyer Wan-Nu had hired, looking far too smug. 

Ignoring the look on the man’s face, Wan-Nu walked over and took a seat beside his lawyer after giving him a quick greeting bow. 

“We all set?” Wan-Nu asked. 

“Yes. I don’t think he realizes how badly his contracts are written.” His lawyer said as he leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. 

“Hello, Mr. Canzoni. We would like to discuss breaking the contracts for Teller Zan and Ike Jersey.” 

Mr. Canzoni was just opening his mouth to speak when the door opened and the guard let Ike inside. Wan-Nu gave him a look, but thankfully Ike didn’t say a single thing and just sat beside him silently. 

“Hello, Ike. How have you been enjoying your vacation?” Mr. Canzoni sneered. 

Wan-Nu licked his lips and glanced at Ike sideways, but the guy just leaned back in his chair and pulled his phone out to start playing a game. 

“We would like to discuss ending the contracts now, Mr. Canzoni. If you could show me the two papers that were signed by your talents.” His lawyer stated with a smile. 

Mr. Canzoni grunted as he fished out the papers he’d been required to bring, clearly having wanted, and expected, a haughty response from Ike. He smacked them down on the table, then slid them over to Wan-Nu’s lawyer to look at it. 

They’d already been given copies of the documents, but those could have easily been doctored to say what he’d wanted them to. Wan-Nu wasn’t sure that the guy was that smart, though, because the papers they had been sent seemed to be far too simple. It was almost like he didn’t expect Teller or Ike to ever consider leaving him for anything better. 

After seeing what he’d done to both of them, he was shocked that he’d managed to keep them so long. They must have been desperate, and he’d heard bits and pieces about Teller’s grandmother medical issues, but he wasn’t sure why Ike had been so determined to stick out the contract after he was turned on and attacked. 

“It looks like the cancellation fees for these two contracts are five thousand dollars each. Is that correct, Mr. Canzoni?” His lawyer asked, clearly trying to hide a smile. 

It wasn’t a large sum of money, compared to what they had been earning him. Granted, he’d paid Teller garbage, and even if the salary was doubled, plus some, for Ike, it wasn’t much for all of their work. He knew that Ike didn’t exactly sing that well, but choreography was a bitch to do if it wasn’t practiced continuously, and switching songs while doing it? The guy had talent, just not with his mouth. 

Wan-Nu glanced sideways at Ike again and unintentionally licked his lips as he watched the guy nip at his thumbnail while he focused on the game of solitaire he’d pulled up on his phone. 

He was a damn good kisser, though… Shaking the thought from his mind, Wan-Nu took out his checkbook and scribbled his signature, date, and filled in the monetary amount to buy out both contracts. 10,710,900.00 won, or ten thousand dollars once converted. 

His lawyer took out a sheet of paper and a pen, then slid the items over to Mr. Canzoni. “My client is buying out both contracts immediately.” 

Mr. Canzoni was beginning to turn red as he quickly skimmed through the release form for both Teller and Ike. When he’d finished, he shoved the paper back across the table and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I won’t accept it. They are my talents. You just want to steal them so that they can make you rich, instead.” He grumbled. 

Wan-Nu had to bite back a chuckle at his stubborn excuse. He was the manager for one of Korea’s biggest pop groups, and he thought that he was wanting money? 

So much money above what you really need is only nice if you have someone you want to spend it on. 

His eyes cut sideways to Ike again and his heart gave an odd nudge against his rib cage before he refocused on what his lawyer was saying. 

“It doesn’t matter if you accept the money or not. Wan-Nu has gotten both talents’ signatures on the piece of paper I sent to you, and in case you lost it, I have a copy. They agreed to be removed from your company immediately, and Wan-Nu had signed that his company agreed to pay the termination fees. If you do not accept the ten thousand dollars, you need to sign on these papers that state you were offered it, and did not want the money.” He said, removing a few pieces of paper from his folder and sliding them across the table. 

Mr. Canzoni picked up the papers and read them, but instead of signing, he looked like he was about to shred them. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I have cameras in here, and if you shred that, I have proof that you clearly denied to end the contract on logical terms. You would forfeit the cancellation fee.” His lawyer said, making Mr. Canzoni stop right before he was about to tear the first sheet of paper. 

He slammed his fist down on the table and pointed at Ike. 

“How the hell could you do this to me after I stuck my neck out for you, you moron?” He screamed, making Wan-Nu clench his fingers into fists under the table. 

Ike looked up from his game before slipping the phone into his pocket and sitting up straight in his chair. “I’ll admit, you helped me a lot.” He said nonchalantly. 

Mr. Canzoni didn’t seem to catch that he wasn’t bowing down to him and smirked, holding up the piece of paper that Ike had signed earlier. “Then redact this. You owe me for giving you a job where you could make enough money to pay off all the fines you’ve collected.” 

Licking his lips, Ike crossed his arms over his chest and looked down, seemingly thinking for a few moments before looking up at Wan-Nu. 

“Hey grandpa…” 

Wan-Nu wanted to be mad that he’d used that stupid nickname in front of other people and had spoken when he’d told him to be quiet, but right then wasn’t the time to let his emotions get the better of him. 

“Yeah?” He replied. 

Ike grinned softly, making Wan-Nu fidget a little. “What would you like me to do? I’ve heard that I’m a handful , and can get into a lot of trouble.” 

Shoving aside the insinuated innuendo, Wan-Nu massaged his temples with one hand before glancing back at Ike. 

“I believe I am already used to your strange self.” He said, then added. “Though, I wouldn’t mind you staying around so that… we can try to work on keeping you away from trouble.” 

Wan-Nu knew that he was probably blushing, but he forced himself to keep his focus as Mr. Canzoni butted in abruptly. “So you two are fucking? A little old for you, isn’t he, Ike? I’m probably older and can do you as much as you want, since that’s clearly what you’re after. Did he offer to pay you per time or are you just a packaged deal?” 

“Calm down, Wan-Nu. If you do not sign the papers immediately, the money will be considered forfeit, Mr. Canzoni.” His lawyer said, though the other man didn’t seem like he was done yet. 

“You think that your past will just go away, Ike? You have a damn record that spans years! Criminal mischief, carjacking, theft, aggravated assault…” 

Ike shoved his chair back and stood abruptly, his breathing having become labored as Mr. Canzoni went on with the list of charges he knew he’d had in the past several years. 

He’d been a bad kid. And a terrible adult, at times. He’d put his parents through hell and back, and it had taken him losing his mother from a stress-related illness that he knew was his fault before he finally started get his shit together last year. 

At that point, though, his father wanted nothing more to do with him, so he’d had to scrounge the lowest of the low jobs to make ends meat and survive. His record was terrible for someone so young. The only thing it was likely missing was attempted murder. 

Closing his eyes, Ike forced himself to take several deep breaths and go over all of the reasons why he wasn’t that person anymore. He might still be an ass sometimes, but he’d done so well… until Mr. Canzoni had picked up Teller. 

He’d reverted like the coward that he was and when Mr. Canzoni had invited him to teach the kid a lesson, he’d hit him, too. It had only been a few times, and each time, he saw his mother’s face in his mind, begging him to stop and telling him that she loved him and wanted him to succeed, not hurt himself by getting into trouble all the time. 

Swallowing hard, he turned and walked rigidly out of the room. He was halfway down the street when he realized that he’d grabbed one of the  lawyer’s pineapple dotted pens and broken it in two in his grip. 

“I guess I’m back to square one.” He mumbled as he tossed the pen into a trashcan as he trudged by. 

After a few minutes he could hear footsteps following him, but he didn’t bother to look behind him. It was probably just a random person. He made it three blocks before he felt tiny raindrops begin to pat his hair. Tilting his head back, Ike closed his eyes and let the growing number of droplets meld with his tears. 

What perfect timing. Now no one will notice that I’m crying. 

“Ike.” 

Blinking his eyes open, Ike lowered his head, but didn’t turn around. Instead, he took a step forward, only to feel a single finger slip along one of his, just barely hooking it enough to make him hesitate. 

The rain took over any previous sounds until he felt his finger gently being tugged to the side. He struggled with what to do, but couldn’t help looking over at Wan-Nu in the growing darkness of the oncoming storm. 

His eyes lowered to their entwined fingers, then lifted back to meet his gaze. When he didn’t say anything and the rain continued to pick up, Wan-Nu tugged him again, finally getting him to take two steps closer, putting him just-barely underneath a store overhang. 

“Whatever happened, I’ve already agreed to deal with you, and your problems come along in that agreement.” Wan-Nu said, his words accented just enough extra to make Ike’s lips flinch into the phantom of a smile. 

“You don’t want my problems, grandpa. I’m a horrible person.” Ike said, his voice sounding dead, even to his own ears. 

Wan-Nu blew out a breath and reached up, flicking Ike’s forehead before tugging him into his arms. “Idiot. Just cry it out. I’m more used to dealing with your stupid side.” 

He normally wouldn’t say such things, even jokingly, but when Ike’s wet cheek nuzzled against his own, then his forehead dropped to his chest as his arms went around his torso tightly, he knew that they were just what he’d needed to hear. 

They remained like that until Wan-Nu heard Tay-Yun’s ringtone chime from his phone in his back pocket. They needed to be picked up soon and they were a ways away. 

“Let’s go, Ike. We’ve gotta get everyone.” Wan-Nu said as he took the guy’s hand tightly in his own and towed him back to the van. 

He felt eyes on his back the entire walk, but Ike said absolutely nothing. When he silently sank into the passenger’s seat and Wan-Nu took the driver’s, Ike reached into the back and retrieved one of the spare towels they left there for such a situation. 

Wan-Nu expected him to dry himself off, but when the fabric was suddenly being settled over his hair, then gently rubbed, he looked over at Ike. His face was mere inches away, a sad smile on his lips. 

“Thanks, grandpa.” He whispered before leaning in for the most careful kiss Wan-Nu had ever had. 

Ike pulled away after only a few seconds, then took the damp towel down from Wan-Nu’s head and began rubbing his own to remove some of the water. 

Unable to think of a response, Wan-Nu got the car turned on and put the heaters on full before backing out of the parking space. He tried several times to figure out what he wanted to say, but when he finally found the words and glanced over at Ike while stopped at a traffic light, he couldn’t help but shake his head. 

Ike was out cold, curled up with the towel, using it as a partial pillow against the window. His eyes were red from crying, but seeing him relaxing after such a stressful situation made Wan-Nu feel so much better. 

He  now knew that Ike wasn’t anywhere near perfect, and it was going to be a bumpy road getting him jobs at first, with his record, but it was possible. Besides… he was one of the self-proclaimed best managers in Korea.

You picked the right grandpa, idiot kid.

Finale

“Are you ready yet, Grandpa!” Ike shouted across the stage, drawing more than a few eyes toward Wan-Nu as he talked in a hushed voice on the phone. 

Teller felt the secondhand embarrassed but couldn’t help failing at biting back a grin. Ike had actually gotten better after they’d announced that they were together. They’d all been speechless, at first. Well, for several hours, actually. They’d all kind of just disappeared into their rooms and talked about how the world had ended up in such a state, but once dinner had been ordered and everyone’s stomachs brought them to the small table for their meal, they decided to just shrug it off. 

If Ike, somehow, made Wan-Nu happy, then they’d support them… from a few steps away. 

Flashing lights drew Teller’s attention upward just long enough for his boyfriend to sneak up behind him and tug him into a strong hug. 

“Hello, Tel. Ready for your first show?” He asked as he rested his chin on Teller’s shoulder, both of them staring out at the empty rows of seats that his sold out concert would fill with people soon. 

“No, absolutely not.” He replied, his nerves making his voice crack a tiny bit. 

Tay-Yun took a step back, only to grasp his shoulders and turn him around to face him. 

“Teller, you can do this. You’ve already sung on stage with Ello! This is going to be nothing.” Tay-Yun said in his accented English, drawing an unwilling smile from Teller before he stepped into him for a hug. 

“You’re right. I’m just so nervous that I’ll mess up…” He mumbled against Tay-Yun’s shirt. 

He felt his boyfriend chuckle, then was gently nudged away until they could meet each others’ eyes. “I’ll lend you something that’s always helped me, alright?” 

Teller raised an eyebrow when Tay-Yun took a step back, then tugged his jacket form his shoulders, only to drape it over his. Looking down at the worn fabric, Teller licked his lips and slid his arms through the jacket. 

Tay-Yun snickered a little before reaching forward and taking Teller’s right hand. “Let’s roll these up a bit.” He said as he did just that with the cuff, revealing the rest of Teller’s hand after two turns of the fabric. 

He released his hand, just to grab the other and do the same, then lean forward to steal a quick kiss. “Now, get your backside up to the mic for soundcheck, hun.” He said before nudging Teller toward the front of the stage. 

When his boyfriend finally, awkwardly, made his way to the microphone, Tay-Yun hopped off the stage and ran over to Wan-Nu, who was just hanging up his phone. Their eyes met as he tucked his phone into his jacket pocket, but Tay-Yun could tell that he seemed a bit more stressed than usual. 

He wasn’t sure what might be the cause, though. Mr. Canzoni had finally left them alone after their lawyer had gotten the authorities involved and forced him to either take the money or leave them be. Tay-Yun knew that he was probably a bit stressed about Teller’s first show, even though it wasn’t a huge venue and should have been relaxing, considering that Ello regularly plays far larger groups, but then what could it be? 

When Wan-Nu ran a shaky hand through his hair and frowned down at where his phone was tucked into his coat pocket, Tay-Yun stepped forward. “Is everything okay, Wan-Nu?” 

His friend looked up at him, forcing a smile. “Yes, just didn’t realize something was going on later this evening.” He said, making Tay-Yun tilt his head in thought. 

He couldn’t come up with anything important they had to do besides Teller’s first concert that day. “What?” Tay-Yun asked, honestly drawing a blank. 

Wan-Nu seemed to relax a tiny bit when he reached over and patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay. You wouldn’t know. Heck, I was just told a few days ago and I’m still really nervous about it.” 

Tay-Yun crossed his arms over his chest. “And it is…?” 

“Oh, right. Well, my young newphew is going to America tonight on a teaching abroad program for the coming semester.” 

He wasn’t sure why that was supposed to be stressful.

“Why are you so worried? Is something wrong with the situation?” Tay-Yun asked, confused. He thought it was a cool idea and a great opportunity. 

Wan-Nu twisted his hands together in front of him and shrugged. “The situation, I suppose, is okay, but… My nephew can barely walk at times. He needs a cane and sometimes, a wheelchair.” 

Well, that’s the first Tay-Yun had heard of the young man’s disabilities. He’d heard Wan-Nu talk about him off and on over the years, but they’d never met. The guy taught a few hours away from where they lived and Wan-Nu had said that he can’t travel very far. 

Now he knew why, and why Wan-Nu was stressing so much. 

“I’m sure he’s taken the right precautions?” He asked. 

Wan-Nu shook his head right away, drawing a frown onto Tay-Yun’s face. 

“He said he didn’t tell them he was handicap. The campus has plenty of access points for a wheelchair, but the apartment they got him? It’s on the damn second floor!” 

Now he could understand why he was freaking out so much. 

“I’m sure they can give him one on the bottom if he just explained himself.” Tay-Yun mentioned, earning a worried nod from Wan-Nu. 

“I told him to call them and make sure they do that, but I don’t know if he did or not. He’s kind of talking around the subject and just keeps going on about how excited he is to go visit America.” 

Tay-Yun stepped forward and wrapped the guy in a light hug, then patted his back before stepping away. “It will be okay. From what you’ve told me, he’s a really smart guy and has been taking care of himself really well. If you’d like, we can skip the after-party tonight and go see him off? We tend not to stick around for those much, anyways.” He suggested, getting a hopeful look from Wan-Nu. 

“Really? Are you sure Teller wouldn’t mind? It’s his first solo concert.” He asked. 

Back when Ello had first started, Tay-Yun, along with En-Ti and Sahn-Re, would have freaked out about missing their first few after-parties, but… Looking up at Teller, he caught his eye and licked his lips suggestively, making his boyfriend’s face burn before he turned his attention back to going over the song he was practicing. 

“I’ll make it up to him later.” Tay-Yun said, turning back to Wan-Nu. 

The look on his manager’s face was priceless, but Tay-Yun just laughed and gave him one more strong pat on the back. “It will be fine. We’ll go as soon as the concert  and question session are done.” He said before running off to get situated behind one of the stage curtains. 

He thought it was funny when he found a place that was perfect to watch the show from, that he was the one behind the curtain and Teller was center stage now. His boyfriend deserved it, and so much more. He was a musical genius and his talent was limitless. Granted, it did take him a hell of a lot of practice to be able to stand where he was right then, but his previous agency was absolutely idiotic to overlook him just because he wasn’t as hot or sexy as people like Ike. 

Tay-Yun licked his lips again as he stared at Teller. He was definitely sexy in his eyes, and adorable, and hot. The second they got home from the airport later, he’d show him just how much he thought of him. 

Soon enough, the lights were dimming and the audience was flooding in. Tay-Yun felt his own body humming with adrenaline as he watched Teller stand off to the side behind the opposite curtain. He wanted him with him, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself if he had Teller right in front of him. 

When his boyfriend met his eyes in the soft lighting, Tay-Yun lifted his hand and gave him a thumbs up  gesture, along with an encouraging smile. 

“You’ve got this.” He said, though he knew Teller couldn’t hear him. 

As the lights began to grow in brightness, Tay-Yun bowed and gestured toward center stage, then straightened and winked. 

Teller started the show with a quick greeting and thank you  for coming, then immediately began on one of his favorite starter songs, Taylor Swift’s Blank Space. He moved through his set decently well, though Tay-Yun could tell that he was nervous until the third song was transitioning because his voice shook a few times. 

Once he got into the beginning of his Korean set, the crowd really got going. He hadn’t known any of the songs when they’d first planned this concert a few weeks ago, and he wasn’t even sure that he’d be able to stay in Korea for it, since his contracted time had run out, but Wan-Nu had pulled quite a few strings. They wouldn’t let him run away. Wan-Nu had even helped Ethel be able to stay just long enough to see it, likely paying out of his own pocket for her room and board so that Teller could have his grandmother there. 

When he started his last song, Tay-Yun couldn’t help but grin and tilt his head back a little, closing his eyes as he listened to Ello’s first hit, It’s Not Just a Romance. They had each taken turns singing different verses, and Teller did an exceptional job mimicking each of them. 

As the song came to an end, Tay-Yun ran onto the stage, the thunderous applause growing twice as loud when he appeared and scooped up his boyfriend, spinning him around once before setting him down and stealing a quick kiss in front of thousands of flashing cameras. 

He gently grasped Teller’s hand, and the microphone along with it, then lowered it away so that he could speak into Teller’s ear and not be overheard. 

“We need to head out early for something important. We’ll be waiting outside after your question and answer session?” 

Teller nodded quickly, raising the microphone back to his mouth as Tay-Yun gave a wave to the crowd and began walking away. Only, he made it just a few steps before the noise from the crowd doubled and he felt his arm being tugged back, forcing him to spin around. His boyfriend’s lips were on his for just a second before Teller stepped away and spoke into the Microphone. 

“I love you, Joon Tay-Yun.” 

Tay-Yun felt his face burn and without realizing, he raised a hand to cover the bottom half of his mouth, spurring the crowd to somehow go even louder. 

He was unable to move for what felt like forever, before someone tugged on his arm from behind and pulled him off stage. Once outside, the crisp air managed to clear his head, but couldn’t remove the dark blush on his face. Tay-Yun was just glad that it was already pretty dark out as he hurried to the car and hopped in. 

Wan-Nu, Sahn-Re, and En-Ti were already inside, so Wan-Nu got them pulled around to the back doors of the building, where Teller appeared about twenty minutes later. He looked out of breath, but the second he was inside, seated, and had his seat-belt on, Tay-Yun reached over and grasped his jaw, then pulled him into a deep kiss. 

“Face sex later, kids.” Ike grumbled from the front, making them break apart, surprised that he was there. They hadn’t expected him to come.

“Stop looking at me like that, I didn’t want to take a taxi home.” Ike mumbled before turning back to face forward. 

They all settled into a content silence until they pulled into the parking lot at the airport. Teller was snoring quietly in his seat and refused to wake when his shoulder was shaken twice, so Tay-Yun decided to stay with him while everyone else went in. 

Ike hadn’t wanted to, but it was clear that he was following Wan-Nu around like a puppy, like it or not. En-Ti and Sahn-Re walked slowly behind the other two, swinging their arms, hands connected. They hadn’t come out as a couple yet publicly, but they also didn’t hide it. It could also be that reporters were just to scared of En-Ti’s harsh glares when they tried to bother them about it, too.

Wan-Nu strode inside quickly, checking his phone for the time and gate number. “Just in time.” He said as he hurried to the fifth gate. 

It was loading, but his face lit up right away when he saw his nephew sitting in his wheelchair near the boarding area. “Roh-Ahn!” Wan-Nu shouted before running up to him. 

Roh-Ahn grinned from ear to ear as he carefully got up from the wheelchair and wrapped his arms around his uncle. “Hello, uncle Wan-Nu. Thank you so much for coming to see me off.” He said happily. 

Wan-Nu squeezed him tightly, then slowly helped him back into his chair. His cousin looked really tired, but he knew he likely planned to just sleep on the plane. It was a very long flight, after all. 

“How are you doing, Roh-Ahn? Are you ready for your new adventure?” He asked as he ran a hand through the twenty-two year old’s styled hair, making it start to stick up oddly. 

Roh-Ahn chuckled and swatted Wan-Nu’s hand away. 

“I am, uncle. I can’t wait to get there.” He said right before the airport worker called for any last passengers to board. 

Wan-Nu walked behind Roh-Ahn and grabbed the handles for his chair, pushing him up to the boarding ramp, then taking a step back. 

“Be careful over there, kid. Call me if you need anything at all.” 

He wanted to add that he shouldn’t strain himself too much and be sure to bring his wheelchair with him places, even if he wanted to walk for a little while, but he knew he’d just get scowled at, so he bit his tongue. 

“I will, uncle. Take care!” Roh-Ahn said before wheeling himself into the tunnel leading toward the plane. 

Wan-Nu watched him go, sighing. 

“Someone’s going to be calling a certain someone a lot.” Sahn-Re joked as he poked Wan-Nu in the side. 

He couldn’t deny it. They might not have lived close enough to hang out often, but he really did love his nephew, and wished him the best. 

Once Roh-Ahn was out of sight, Wan-Nu turned around, only to be pulled into an award hug by Ike. 

“Someone didn’t like his grandpa touching someone else.” Sahn-Re joked as he started pulling En-Ti toward the exit. 

Wan-Nu rolled his eyes, but returned the hug before slipping his hand into Ike’s. “Let’s go, strange kid.” He said, earning a scowl as Ike quickened his pace to keep up. 

“I showed you I wasn’t a kid yesterday, grandpa… or did you forget? I can help refresh your memory when we get home.” Ike taunted. 

When Wan-Nu didn’t give him a haughty response back, like he usually did, Ike’s cheeks turned a little red and they both slowed their pace a bit. 

“Hey…?” Ike asked when they finally stepped outside, En-Ti and Sahn-Re already almost to the car far ahead of them. 

Wan-Nu glanced over at him briefly before refocusing on where they were walking. 

“Yeah?” He asked as a soft brush of cold air made him shiver a little. 

Not a second later he had Ike’s jacket on his shoulders, and an arm gently settled around his waist. The action had him stopping, turning his full attention to Ike as the guy stepped forward, hugging him and resting the side of his face against his chest. 

“Don’t catch a cold, okay, grandpa?” Ike whispered, making Wan-Nu frown before the guy suddenly took a step away, grabbed his hand again, and began walking toward the car. 

Wan-Nu shook his head, but didn’t argue. Ike was an absolute asshole most of the time, but sometimes… some very rare times, he could be sweet. He wasn’t really sure what would come of their situation, or really, any of his close friends’ in the long run, but he decided to just relax and let things play out. He’d worry about the future when it started happening. Tonight? He might just take Ike up on his offer to remind him of certain things… or just sit down once they finally got home and enjoy a nice cup of decaff coffee before passing out. 

One or the other. 

End-

(There probably won’t be an epi cause I’m sure these guys will shove their way into the next story somehow lol and I love Tay-Yun’s last name “June” :D.) 

I’ll also be putting my Ko-fi link at the bottom of the final chapters of my books from here on. It’s totally optional, of course :) See you guys on the next story!)

Tips always appreciated :) https://ko-fi.com/theorykierei

Book 2

There is a second book with some new characters and some returning, if anyone didn’t know yet :3 Solid Ground.