When I meet Yunho, I'll make sure to tell him he's the most precious human being ever. What do you mean I'll stay frozen? It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Of course I'm taking it.
- Song Mingi, conversation with Park Seonghwa
♫♪.ılılıll|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llılılı.♫♪
Silence.
No sound other than his own wiring thoughts swarmed his ears. His ability to rationalize disappeared on him, and Mingi is more than certain that, if it weren't for his frozen body, he would be blabbering like a fish out of water, and Mingi didn't know which one was more embarrassing. What's not embarrassing, though? The one and only Jeong Yunho stood one door down from him, his hands clutching the door's handle and his eyes stuck on Mingi's face.
Mingi forgot how to breathe. All this time, Jeong Yunho was his neighbor. All this time, Jeong Yunho lived right next to him. All this time, Jeong Yunho had been breathing next to him. And only now had Mingi realized this information because of his unbreakable habit of staying at the studio. Mingi promised himself to come home more often. There was simply no way he'd let this slide, not when he felt like the luckiest Yunhopower alive for having the literal Jeong Yunho live right next to him.
He felt himself blushing crazily under the mask, and he thanked Seonghwa for barking at him to wear it, or else Yunho would've had a VIP display of his messy face. Yunho, on the other hand? He didn't have a mask. Nothing covered his beautiful face —Mingi concluded that pictures don't do Yunho's beauty justice— and Mingi almost swooned right then and there. Mingi saw the faintest blush tint the taller's cheeks, but he immediately discarded it. Probably his imagination playing games with his feelings.
For a moment, Mingi forgot the aftermath of the interview. For a moment, he didn't mind if the world found out he was gay. For a moment, he didn't care if people threw hate at him. Because now that he had Yunho in front of him, he came to the conclusion that he was totally gay for him. And he was fucking proud of it.
Though he wanted to stare for a bit longer, he knew that, if he did so, he'd look like a creep, and he didn't want Yunho to acknowledge him as one. Riling up his one working brain cell —the others were equally as frozen as his body— and pulling his shit together, he smiled at the other. Yunho widened his eyes.
"Hey," Mingi greeted, surprisingly calm even though his heart sped faster than the Flash himself. "Fancy seeing you here."
The rapper suppressed the urge to face-palm. Really? Fancy seeing you here? What was he, a gentleman from the 1800's? Sure, that sounded hot, but they're in the 21st century. What if he thought he was weird? What if he—
His brain stopped working when Yunho returned the grin. "Same goes for you."
Oh god, his smile is too dangerous.
His mind went haywire trying to come up with possible conversation starters, but alas, nothing came up. He opted for doing the next best thing in the situation.
Mingi detached his hand from his apartment handle, turning his body to directly face his idol. The smile on his face was more prominent than before, and though he probably shouldn't do it to protect the small dignity he had, he pulled down his mask. Yunho's grin appeared to widen the moment Mingi revealed his entire face.
"I'm Mingi," the rapper said, extending his hand.
The taller got the memo and extended his own. "And I'm Yunho."
Mingi was sure he had never felt something as soft as Yunho's hand. That, or his judgement was too clouded right now, his mind dysfunctioning because of the fact that he had just presented himself to Yunho, which meant that Yunho now knew who he was. He didn't want to imagine, but what's the probability of his idol choreographing for him, Song Mingi, now? San would most likely decapitate him from jealousy, but he didn't care. The present was here and now, and right now, he was holding Yunho's hand and the taller was smiling so softly at him. Mingi's knees were close to breaking down.
A voice coming from Yunho's apartment startled the two, unintentionally breaking their contact.
"Jeong Yunho, you better bring your ass back in the apartment right now. The bathroom's clogged and my hands are too beautiful to unclog it and Jongho doesn't want to do it! What's taking you so long, c'mon— wait, who's that? It looks like... IS THAT SONG MINGI?"
The one and only Jung Wooyoung jumped out of the apartment, standing besides Yunho and bouncing excitedly. Mingi grinned disorientedly. Though it wasn't as big as the smile he'd given Yunho, he felt happy to meet one of his idol's friends. Wooyoung reminded him of Yun's friend, coincidentally named Wooyoung as well, and Mingi wondered what Yun would say if—
No. Mingi's with Yunho right now. There's no reason to be thinking about his internet friend.
But... It wouldn't hurt sending Yun a message, right?
"I saw you come out of the elevator last week!" Wooyoung exclaimed, and Mingi forced himself to focus on him instead of the angel standing besides him. "I was so sure about it. I told Yunho and the others, and Yunho freaked when I told him the Song Mingi was living—hmph!"
Wooyoung glared at Yunho, who had stopped his rambling by covering his mouth with his hand. Mingi wouldn't have minded for the younger to keep going. But that's something he wouldn't tell. Ever.
Yunho smiled sheepishly. "What Wooyoung means to say is I was surprised you lived here, too."
"I don't come home often," Mingi felt compelled to explain. "I wasn't coming home today because of... you know... schedules, but something happened and now I'm here."
Yunho's mouth opened as if to say something, but he closed it after a second thought. He did remove his hand from Wooyoung's mouth, however, when the little rascal licked it. Mingi thought Yunho, though scowling, looked absolutely adorable.
Wooyoung was about to speak when a new voice entered the conversation. "Mingi, I need you to come here for a bit."
His manager popped his head out, first looking at Mingi with an unreadable expression that Mingi knew meant nothing good. Something must've happened while he was out here with Yunho, and though he had felt happy for meeting his idol, the familiar pang of guilt came rushing back, and the big smile he wore lost its brightness. He still smiled, though. He didn't want Yunho nor Wooyoung to notice. Unluckily for him, Yunho did notice, though the taller one kept quiet. It didn't stop Yunho from glancing worriedly at the rapper from time to time.
Seonghwa's eyes scanned the other two, and once he processed who they were, his eyes instantly widened. At that, Mingi turned away, too nervous to see what his manager would do, and missed Yunho's worried yet starstruck expression that lay directly on him. Seonghwa, however, didn't. The manager smirked knowingly.
Out of respect, Seonghwa bowed at the other two. "I'm Park Seonghwa. It's a pleasure to meet you both."
Wooyoung's eyes shone in recognition. "You're Mingi's manager, right? Yunho told us about you!"
The mentioned one coughed and turned away, blushing at Wooyoung's raw honesty.
"I am, yes," Seonghwa replied. "And Mingi and I would love to talk more, but we have some business to attend to. Right, Mingi?"
Mingi really wanted to say no. "Sadly we do."
"That's fine," Yunho said, eyes landing on Mingi a few seconds longer than on the manager. "We're neighbors. We'll meet each other again."
Right. They're neighbors. They live in the same complex. They're literal seconds away from each other. Was this a dream that Mingi'd wake up from? He didn't want to wake up. It's too nice.
"That's a promise," Mingi said, and he looked at Yunho straight in the eye while doing so. The other two bystanders didn't dare mention the obvious tension between the two. They'll figure it out, they thought.
The two formed a silent promise. They felt it. Now that Mingi had Yunho at hand's length, he wasn't letting him get away. This person is someone he's admired for years, someone who's given him strength in his darkest times. Whenever he felt like giving up, he'd get back on his feet, and it was mostly because of Yunho. Both of them had begun their careers at similar times and ages, so having someone struggle like him, persevere like him, it made his trainee and debut days much more bearable. And now, the person he's wanted to meet the most stood in front of him.
Thousands of words swarmed his mind, all of which he wanted to tell Yunho. Thank you for existing. Thank you for working so hard. Thank you for helping me stand. Thank you for never giving up. Thank you for being such an amazing role model. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
He could already see himself vomiting all of his thoughts to Yun. Thinking of his internet friend, his excitement returned. How would he tell him? What would he tell him? Though Yun's not a Yunhopower, Mingi wanted his friend to feel jealous. Because though Yun's worked with Yunho before, Mingi met him first. Extremely petty from his part, but it's a behavior only Yun (and sometimes Hongjoong) generated.
"I don't wanna interrupt the moment," Seonghwa stated, clearly already interrupting it, "but we need to go. San's coming here, too."
Wooyoung and Yunho's ears perked up at the name.
"San's coming?" Mingi asked, confused. "I thought he was practicing."
"Was," Seonghwa pointed out, "but not anymore. He's too worried about you."
Mingi frowned. "He didn't send me a message."
"That's because he knows you guys don't message each other a lot. He didn't want you to use your phone."
So San did know about the situation, and he probably thought Mingi checking his phone would do him more harm than good.
"That's nice of him," Mingi mused, smiling.
"He's your best friend, Mingi. Of course he's gonna come when something happens. He worries about you more than I do, and I'm your freaking manager."
Mingi grinned softly. That was true. San always took care of him much more than Mingi took care of himself. And now, Mingi felt compelled to somehow return all the care San has given him throughout the years. Messaging him more often wouldn't hurt.
"Sorry to interrupt," Wooyoung squeaked, "but San's coming? As in Choi San?"
Yunho, though less than Wooyoung, looked intrigued. And Mingi wasn't stupid; he recognized the dreamy expression on Wooyoung's face. He's seen it way too many times on his own features whenever he thought of Yunho.
Yunho... who stood right in front of him. Holy shit.
"The one and only." Mingi ignored his racing heart.
Unlike how the rapper expected —Mingi expected screaming— Wooyoung stayed quiet, though his dreamy expression didn't fade. No, nothing like that. It became much more prominent after Mingi's confirmation.
And when the sound of running footsteps clouded the hallway, Wooyoung looked close to passing out.
"Song Mingi, you idiot!" none other than Choi San yelled, halting besides Mingi and smacking his head angrily. "I was so worried about you! Why didn't you text me anything to know you're still alive?"
"Surprise?" Mingi replied hesitantly, which earned him another smack. Great. Getting beaten in front of his idol. Definitely not embarrassing.
"I." Smack. "Hate." Smack. "Surprises." Smack.
Mingi whined in pain. "Okay, okay, I get it, I'm sorry!"
"Your ass better be sorry," San huffed. "My choreographer scolded the living— wait, is that Jeong Yunho?"
At long last, San had noticed Yunho. About time, Mingi thought. Any longer and his arm would be numb from the pain. Because even though San looked tiny, his strength was not to be underestimated. He worked out much more frequently than Mingi did, and it was clearly noticeable.
"That's... me?" Yunho said doubtedly. He looked at San, then Mingi, then Seonghwa, and finally left his gaze pondering over Wooyoung, who looked extremely distressed. And Mingi didn't blame him. Choi San, his idol, in the flesh. He wouldn't doubt him looking like that when he first saw Yunho.
Though San was a very big fan of Yunho, his love didn't come close to Mingi's. It took him a few seconds to study the situation: Yunho and Mingi standing in front of each other, Seonghwa standing besides Mingi, and the unfamiliar boy standing besides Yunho who, to San's luck, was extremely cute. He let his gaze fall on the boy's figure for a bit longer, and Mingi recognized that look. It's the look. The look where San's face activates its grin, innocent to others but cheshire to Mingi, and he just... stares. He tends to do it whenever he sees something he likes. And now, with him staring at Wooyoung? Mingi's interrogation would come first, then San could question him as much as he'd like.
"What's your name?" San asked the boy next to Yunho, who looked close to shitting his pants.
If it weren't for Yunho's indiscrete push, Wooyoung would've still been frozen, goggling at San.
"I'm— I'm Wooyoung," he stuttered, and as if someone clicked the unfreeze button, he began rambling. "I'm a fan. An extremely big fan. I'm a beautiful wood! I love your dances and your performances and your songs and your expressions so much. My favorite song is Inception, because oh god the choreography of that song is my guilty pleasure. Of course the song is perfect, but the dancing? You're on another level! And did I mention how much I admire you? I'm a dancer myself, and I get inspiration from all of our stages. How is it possible for someone to pour so much emotion to a performance? I honestly aspire to be as good of a performer as you are, and—"
Wooyoung's rambling got cut off by San's giggling, and for a few moments, it was the only sound that could be heard.
"Cute," San sighed, his eyes twinkling. Wooyoung's breath hitched. "It's nice to meet you, Wooyoung. You're a friend of Yunho, I'm guessing?"
Wooyoung rapidly nodded. "Yeah, he's one of my best friends. I'm at his apartment 120% of the time."
San glanced at Mingi, then at Yunho, and finally at Wooyoung. Mingi disliked the shudders his teasing gaze caused. "Then I'm sure we'll be meeting again."
With no notice whatsoever, San grabbed Mingi's hand and pulled him towards the apartment, leaving Mingi no time to say goodbye to Yunho nor Wooyoung.
"Hey!" Mingi exclaimed. "I haven't— SAN!"
Mingi's complaints fell deaf to San's ears, so Mingi was left to silently cry over his sudden cut interaction with Yunho. He didn't even get to tell Yunho how much he admired his persona. But hey, at least he got to actually meet him in real life, and never did he expect his idol to be his actual neighbor. And the best part? Yunho already knew Mingi lived in the same complex, meaning that Yunho was already aware of his existence. He's pretty sure he's the luckiest Yunhopower alive.
He gave one last glance at Yunho, who looked a bit saddened —though Mingi didn't have the slightest idea why— before his apartment door shut. And that's when reality sunk in.
"Holy shit. Yunho's my neighbor. I just met Yunho."
"No shit, Sherlock. Now sit down and spill," San hissed.
"Not before you spill yours first. What the fuck was that with Wooyoung?"
"You already told me about him! Wasn't he the one who had the worst luck?"
"But that's a different Wooyoung!"
"Is it? Is it really?"
Seonghwa rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna go talk to Hongjoong. Don't kill each other."
Mingi didn't know when he'd be meeting Yunho again, with fate playing alongside them. But he knew that this was definitely not going to be their last encounter. Not on his watch.
Before the two friends began their questionnaire, Mingi quickly grabbed his phone and opened his official account on Twitter. Was he sure about this? No. Was he going to do it? Fuck yes. If it meant the entire world finding out they're neighbors, then screw it. He knew Yunhopowers would go crazy, and judging from what Yun's told him, Mingkis will too. It all depends on their fandom's crazy deciphering abilities to find the truth.
@MINGIofficial: hey neighbor ;)
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