I'm fascinated by the bright light of your beauty
-Shine forever,
Monsta x
The next day when I was having lunch in the university cafeteria with an accounting book lying in front of me I felt someone sit on the opposite direction in the empty table I was occupying myself alone, like the queen or the antisocial rat I was.
"I hope you wouldn't mind me sitting here," The chirpy voice made me look up to a mess called hot pink.
It was actually a man, a very buff man with a charming smile and a head filled with dazzling pink hair.
I would've dramatically spit my soup out now if I was an idiot on top of being a rat.
"You dyed your hair," for some reason I stammered on my word, which I never do actually. I would either speak like a bitch or be mute but the bubblegum head genuinely surprised me.
"You said pink would look good on me," Wonho gave me an eye smile as he stirred his ramen with his wooden chopsticks. "While you were talking about movies yesterday you know I thought..."
The words floated in the atmosphere but did not reach me. I watched the bright pink on his head, brighter than anything I had seen if I removed the sun from the list. It contrasted with his pale complexion, rosy cheeks, and blushing lips, giving him a look that would make any living being turn around and look twice before minding their own.
"Are you listening to me?" His small voice took me back to reality. "So we are watching a movie tonight?"
"I'm sorry what?" I tried not to let his hair distract me and looked at the man smile at me again.
"Hyungwon wanted to rent some DVDs so I thought, you could join too."
Wouldn't I just be a third wheel here? And truly I did not even know these guys enough to watch movies with them.
"Too bad I wouldn't be able to join too," The sudden voice from the side gave me a jump-scare and this time, I did spit out some of my food to my bawl.
"Hi!" The spooky senior from my major waved at me as he sat right beside me and I immediately packed my book in my bag as if it was a reflex action my brain had prepared to prevent any unfortunate event.
My throat burned for the spicy soup when I tried to speak so I decided to keep it short. "I have an afternoon class," and I immediately pivoted on my heels after that.
"See you tonight then," Wonho's voice trailed behind when I practically ran away.
Even after telling myself it was enough running away for me, I guess it wasn't.
***
When the night arrived and I arrived at the clan club I was wondering what my actual purpose was here again, what they had planned for me because I still lacked much of a clue and it was entirely their fault not to be clear-cut in the first place.
Today perhaps I'd really have to question them, I thought as I pushed past the door with the X. And I reminded myself that I did not have one bit interest in them.
My immediate response was to look at the minibar as soon as I had entered as that particular smoker boy would always laze around that area. I was not disappointed when I did not find him there.
"Hi Daisy!" Even in the dark of the room Wonho looked as bright in pink as he did earlier when the sun shone over the glass walls of the cafeteria and reflected on his porcelain skin. I felt out of place hearing my name coming from him, or any of these strange lads.
"Come here," He motioned me to come near the sofa where he was shuffling something on the table before him. When I grew closer I saw the other couch occupied with Hyungwon, his body curled like a ball of cotton and his head resting on one of its arms. A woolen scarf covering his tall body that looked small and frail at that very moment.
"He fell asleep and I did not want to wake him up," Wonho looked up at me with a bunch of DVDs on his hand. "The others are at work. So-" A bright smile crept upon his handsome features showing the front two rows of his perfectly white teeth and gum. "Chick flicks or Disney?"
He held out the boxes before his face adoring them one by one. "If Hyunwon was awake he would probably want to watch a romantic tragedy, probably, his favorite movie love rosie again but I would prefer some Disney right now."
If I told him that I did not want to watch movies with him would he be heartbroken?
Because the sheer excitement and glee on his face told me he would.
"I'm alright with Disney as long as it's not the live actions but the animations." A small sigh escaped my mouth and Wonho's eyes became as wide as I never thought it could.
"The originals are always better right?" He shrieked, this time showing me two sets of DVDs. "Frozen or tangled?"
I let out another small breath. "Tangled is better than frozen."
He looked a bit offended but put down frozen anyway. "If you say so," there was a bit of sarcasm in his tone or perhaps it was just me.
I sat down on the sofa a good few centimeters away from the pink head after he had fixed up the huge screened tv in the room. The room lit up in colors, some of them falling on Hyungwon's innocent face as he slept. The sound was as low as it could get, and I could hear Wonho huffing exasperatedly to himself.
"Frozen has the best songs you know," He finally let it out.
"I won't deny that."
The scene of the lady stealing Rapunzel from the castle played on the screen. I had watched this movie four times before because my mom really liked it.
"I'm glad you acknowledge that," A soft sound of giggling came from his side. "I thought you would argue with me."
"I would've if you were not valid in your point," I muttered and he giggled again. And it was hard to deny it didn't sound like some form of music. From the very beginning, I had noticed that Wonho was really soft spoken and careful in his words, but his voice had a tendency that it could leave an imprint on anyone.
Why was I analyzing him. I had no interest in them, I reminded myself again.
"You are not questioning why I asked you to watch a movie with us today," he said against the low volume of the animated movie.
I stayed quiet and so after a second, he spoke, "I thought you would like to know us better. Personally," his voice got quieter the next but I could hear him. "I find that you are a lot like me."
He then cleared his throat. "Of course it's only first impression but if that was the case, I wanted to help you a bit to get adjusted to us. Because for me, I always have a hard time trusting people. But after I get to be an insider I get really comfortable with them," He laughed a little by himself. "Perhaps, sometimes a little bit too comfortable."
Did I ever want to befriend them? His perception was wrong but I did not correct him.
"Though sometimes I think you have a lot of similarities with Minhyuk too."
This time his word hit a chord. The same words I had heard from the said person himself too, and I felt a bitter taste starting to spread in my mouth.
"If you don't mind me asking, who's the leader of you?" I turned to face the pink one who was wearing a grey hoodie and sweatpants. "Is it all seven of you or a particular one of you?"
"Shownu hyung," he took no time to answer unlike I thought he would.
"But sometimes Kihyun gives the decisions too," he nodded to himself. "Actually a lot of times, nonetheless, we all partake in all of the important decisions."
"Oh," I simply answered. "Can I ask why you prefer Wonho when your real name is something else?"
"Hoseok," he said with a smile on the corner of his lips. "My real name is Lee Hoseok. Shownu hyung too, his name is Hyunwoo."
"Yes." I wondered why I was asking him these questions that had been bubbling inside me for some time.
"Each one of us has their own stories." Wonho's eyes were on the movie but mine were fixed on him, I saw how his joyous smile turned into a somber one.
"Just like Rapunzel and Flynn you can say that we all have different backgrounds but it was the very thing that brought us together."
"I see that you are slacking in your works and watching movies instead." A sudden voice interrupted as the owner of the voice, Kihyun sat on the empty space of the sofa beside me.
Before that he had put a stack of files on the table in front of us creating a small mountain there. "What were you two yapping about?" When he turned to us that familiar scent of cigarettes and cologne hit my nostrils.
"Just wondering which one was better, tangled or frozen," Wonho answered with his voice chirpy again, so unlike the one he was speaking with just a minute before.
"Obviously tangled, though frozen is better music wise." Kihyun turned to the screen and I saw Wonho staring at him in surprise just like I was.
"Also you," Kihyun turned again but this time his eyes trained on me alone. "Do some work and study about our finances that I worked hard to get in files for you."
So that was the purpose of the mount of papers just inches ahead of me.
"That's a lot," Wonho's voice quivered beside me. Kihyun stayed quiet, his eyebrows furrowed and arms crossing his chest.
But he did not go away, and even hours later he sat right there watching the movie with us in silence but in interest. And when the ending credits rolled I could feel Wonho sniffling beside me.
When I turned my head to his side he had already hidden his face in the sleeves of his hoodie. "I swear... I am not crying..." The tremble in his voice gave away that he indeed was.
Kihyun scoffed and went away only to come back with a box of tissues. And when he placed it on the table before leaving again I could tell he was not surprised, not one bit.
I could not remind myself anymore that I was not interested in them.
Because I definitely was now.
---
A/n: quick question, do you want faster and more updates?
Because of the lack of people reading this I thought I'd go slow with the updates but I literally have nothing do rn. Quarantine sucks.
Anyway, a lot is happening both in this story and irl cause guess what??
NCT DREAM FIXED UNIT BITCH
GOT7, MONSTA X, NUEST, ASTRO COMEBACK NEXT MONTH I AM NOT READY AT ALL