Legends aren't the most popular. They're the ones who leave a mark so hard to erase, people just adopt them and carry on with their lives.
- Song Mingi, Vlive 210128
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Mingi wasn't angry. He wasn't disappointed. No, he was fuming.
Everything had been going perfectly well. After his conversation with Jongho, who had entertained him much more than he expected, Mingi said goodbye to San, who had told him he'd stay for a while longer at the practice room to perfect some choreography details, and he trotted to the studio while silently praying for the broken couple to have fixed themselves in the time-frame San and Mingi had given them. Even though Hongjoong had deleted the file and all their progress was completely gone, he had somehow retrieved it, and Mingi, though mad, had still helped him out, though he had already planned on sleeping over at the studio, having set his mind on finishing at least one of his thousands of songs sitting on his laptop. Maybe if he finished, he'd release it as a single. A little surprise for his Mingkis. But that is only and only if the company allows it.
Thankfully, when he arrived at the studio, Hongjoong and Seonghwa were nowhere to be seen, and Mingi presumed they had left together, probably to celebrate their newly formed relationship. In the best possible scenario, Hongjoong stays with Seonghwa the rest of the night. In the most probable scenario, Hongjoong comes back to the studio and keeps working. Which is exactly what happened.
Stumbling through the door, Hongjoong looked like a different man. No frowning, no wrinkles, no slouching; Mingi was convinced Seonghwa had bewitched him. But he didn't complain, and no words were exchanged between the two —except the occasional complaining from Mingi— focusing solely on each other's tasks. Unlike what Mingi had told Jongho, he didn't choke his hyung. He would've felt bad for interrupting Hongjoong's blissful state. The urge was still there, though. But he managed to control himself by distracting his mind with the lyrics, and like he had told Jongho, he did text him asking for help, in which the younger —more than happily, if he may add— complied, and the two stormed ideas for hours, Jongho telling the rapper everything he knew about love and Mingi somehow transcribing those experiences into lyrics. It had taken some time, and some obstacles appeared on the way —Mingi found it extremely difficult to handle Jongho's curious nature, for Mingi almost disclosed his true identity— but they finished. Quite early, too, in Mingi's opinion.
Then, if everything had gone perfectly well, why was he so mad?
"What the fuck is wrong with some interviewers?" Mingi asked Seonghwa, who was driving both of them towards Mingi's second haven: his apartment. His manager had been kind enough to pick him up from the studio —peking Hongjoong's lips right in front of his virgin eyes, which earned a "You're gross" from the rapper— and take him to all the schedules for the day, and in all honesty, Mingi had been in fairly good mood. He had finished the lyrics for the love song (obviously dedicated to Seonghwa, though Hongjoong was too damn stubborn to admit it), he had advanced on some of his many songs that still sat in his laptop and nowhere near close to being released, and he had texted Yun again when he was moments away from passing out. Thankfully, his friend had been awake to distract him. Not so thankfully, his friend yelled at him to sleep, though Mingi paid no mind to those messages, only using them as fuel to further annoy Yun. It may or may not have become Mingi's favorite hobby. Yun was too easy to fluster, even if he says otherwise.
"They want money," Seonghwa answered, eyes on the road and, to Mingi's relief, driving slowly. "They won't stop until they get what they want."
Mingi's nose flared. "But did they have to be so intrusive? They were asking me about my love life when my fans damn well know it's nonexistent."
Seonghwa shrugged, stopping the car when they came across a red light. He took the opportunity to glance at Mingi, who was visibly shaken at what had happened in the interview.
"And it was a live interview, too. A live interview," Mingi added, feeling like crying.
"Look," Seonghwa began, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. If I had known what they'd ask, I would've never said yes in the first place."
"It's not your fault." Mingi refused to look at his manager in the eyes, or else the tears threatening to fall would fall. "I just felt so... humiliated, that's all. They were asking so many questions, and I was just there thinking, 'I'm literally gay for Yunho.'"
Seonghwa wheezed, but a glare from Mingi shut him up. A few chuckles left his mouth, nevertheless.
"It's not funny," Mingi complained, looking at the scenery outside the window once the car began moving again. To his luck, there were still a few minutes left to arrive at his apartment. Mingi craved the feeling of being miserable on his bed. "Stop laughing."
Seonghwa, of course, didn't listen. "It is funny. You were frozen on the spot. It was as if Yunho came and proposed to you."
"Sometimes I miss the Seonghwa who didn't give a shit."
"For your information," Seonghwa corrected, "I did and still do give a shit about you. I was never... the best at showing it, that's all."
Though Mingi felt absolutely amazing right now, because it was rare for the Park Seonghwa to compliment someone other than himself (and now, possibly Hongjoong), he was still doubtful. He suppressed the childlike grin threatening to pop out at any moment.
"How is slamming my apartment door open caring for me?" Mingi retorted.
"If I remember correctly, I said 'I give a shit about you', not 'I care for you'."
Mingi scowled. "I don't understand what Hongjoong-hyung saw in you."
His manager smirked.
"Please do not answer that."
His manager's smirk remained.
"Shut up."
"I'm not saying anything?"
"You're thinking too loudly. Shut up."
Thankfully, they had arrived at Mingi's apartment, and Mingi wasted no time on exiting the suffocating atmosphere Seonghwa had created. He fixed his mask and his cap as per Seonghwa's orders —more like barks— and dashed towards the apartment complex's entrance, fumbling with his things because of the absolute desperation he felt to throw himself on the bed. After what happened at the interview, Seonghwa cancelled the rest of today's schedule and allowed Mingi to rest, something Mingi deeply appreciated, for it let him do whatever he wanted. And since he was feeling more unmotivated than ever, all he wanted to do was stream Yunho's vlogs. It was indeed one of those days.
He promised himself to stay away from social media. No doubt the interview would spread like wildfire, and from his peripheral view, he could already see Seonghwa making phone calls every 5 seconds to settle things. And, now that he thought about it, their conversation in the car was most likely his manager's way of cheering him up, even if he was drowning in work from the messy aftermath of that goddamn interview.
Mingi sighed. If only he hadn't frozen, if only he hadn't woken up, if only he had begged Seonghwa to leave the interview earlier; all of this would've been avoided. He had his Mingkis to back him up, so that soothed his nerves a bit, but the terror of the entire world knowing the one secret he was keeping under lock and key petrified him to the core. It scared him to admit it to Yun, someone who doesn't even know his true identity. How much will it scare him to admit it to the whole damn world? He knew he shouldn't be ashamed of admitting it publicly. He's known for supporting everyone. But people knowing he is gay? Sounded like a heavy burden he did not want to carry. Not yet, anyway. Besides, he didn't want to disappoint his Mingkis, nor did he want them to suffer, for he knows how badly the industry and the country treats people with his taste.
Mingi really felt like crying now. The reasonable part of his brain tells him that everything will be alright, that he shouldn't be scared of finally showing who he is. The more... emotional part tells him to hide away and never come out. And sure, maybe he's being a bit overdramatic, because he didn't explicitly say he was gay, but he did indirectly hint at it. No regrets, though. He couldn't stand the interviewer's questions anymore. One more "Who's your celebrity crush? IU? Irene? Jihyo?" and he would've thrown the chair at the window and performed a Spider-man stunt. He has nothing against the idols she mentioned, though. They are queens.
His phone buzzed like crazy, but he ignored it. It was probably Hongjoong asking if he was okay, or maybe it was San calling him to check on him. Yun could also be spamming his Twitter, screaming about the whole interview—
Yun. Something about his name slightly cheered Mingi up.
"Let's go inside before you start crying like a big baby."
Mingi frowned, but still allowed Seonghwa to drag him towards the elevator. "I'm not a baby."
"Says the guy who cries when the dog dies in a movie."
"That's because you're an emotionless alien!"
"Wow," Seonghwa said flatly, "I'm insulted."
Mingi huffed. "See? Emotionless."
From the corner of his eye, Mingi observed Seonghwa's fingers rapidly move across the screen, no doubt typing emails and texting JQ Entertainment employees to handle the situation. A pang of guilt attacked Mingi's stomach, but he knew he shouldn't intervene and instead let Seonghwa take care of it. Only once has he tried to help, and once was enough. Mingi shuddered at the chaos that he may or may not have caused that one time.
The elevator dinged. Seonghwa turned off his phone and turned to Mingi, flashing a comforting smile that expressed, "Everything will be alright." Mingi, however, caught the slight hesitation in his eyes, and though the smile seemed convincing, he didn't miss the deep scowl that overpowered his refined features when he exited the elevator and trotted towards the rapper's apartment. What a great escort, Mingi thought.
He gazed downwards all the way to his apartment door, sighing at his misfortune. He believed nothing could lift his spirits up, not even—
"Excuse you, you're the one that hates oranges! Who even hates oranges?"
"My pet bear."
"You don't even have a bear!"
"Mr. Ribo is offended."
Mingi froze. Holy shit.
Even if it were a thousand feet away, Mingi would recognize the voice from anywhere. How could he not? It's the voice he hears when he's happy, when he's sad, when he's stressed, when he's tired. The other one sounded unfamiliar —his brain told him it was probably Jongho— but he couldn't care less at the moment. Not when his mind is shutting down at an incredible speed from how freaking close the voice was in the first place.
Because there, next to his frozen body, seconds away from opening his door, stood Jeong Yunho, who stared right back at him.
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i'll try to do a double update today!! i'm sorry for not posting yesterday :(