Prompt: People wanted a continuation of "Glow: Take 2" with the Myungyeol couple

Sungyeol remembers the first time he glowed. Every single detail of that moment is seared into his mind, and he unconsciously replays it every-so-often. It quickly becomes a reoccurring nightmare.

He was with Myungsoo and Sungjong in Japan, filming for their music video. Sungyeol was already a bundle of raw nerves. He would think that after 4 years, music videos would become routine, but this wasn’t an ordinary shoot. It was for their new sub-unit. A sub-unit formed with the members mainly praised for their looks and not talents. And for that reason, Sungyeol felt pressured. Pressured to prove himself to the faceless mass of netizens ready to tear him apart for the slightest misstep. But he wasn’t going to let them. He was going to be perfect.

If only if his leg would stop shaking. That would help a lot.

Myungsoo, who was sitting next to him and was also getting his make-up done, put a hand on Sungyeol’s restless knee. Sungyeol looked at the other out of the corner of his eye (he was too afraid to do anything more lest the make-up artist chastise him for moving). The corners of Myungsoo’s mouth picked up into his usual tight-lipped smile before he closed his eyes and apparently fell asleep in the chair.

“Stop smiling,” the make-up artist warned as she painted Sungyeol’s lips with a thick gloss. Sungyeol grimaced at the waxy feeling of it. There are some things about this job that he’ll never get used to. “Stop frowning.”

“Aish! You want me to stop breathing next?” Sungyeol joked. The woman smiled and laughed, shaking her head at the idol. His chest finally felt looser; his nerves were growing calm. However, he still felt hot, and quite possibly getting warmer. His chest tingled, as if it was being tickled by a flame. What the—Sungyeol looked down. He was glowing.

He immediately jumped out of his chair, causing the make-up artist to draw a red line across his cheek. But he ignored her yells and curses; he ignored Sungjong who he had accidentally pushed onto the floor. Sungyeol was wholly concentrated on finding the girl that glowed like him. And in Japan! Who would’ve thought?! His mind and heart was racing. His feet padded loudly on the pavement as he ran down the street outside of the salon. She’s here. She’s finally here. Sungyeol had no idea how long he’d been waiting for this moment until it finally happened. And things felt like they were falling into place.

But then it all fell apart. Sungyeol had to stop at the crosswalk. The light was red, taunting him. It ends here. Sungyeol looked down. His chest was cold and normal. “F***ing !” Sungyeol cursed. Several heads turned towards him, and girls gasped. Sungyeol winced. Fangirls, they probably had followed him out here.

Sungyeol’s eyes snapped open, and he whipped himself around. The gaggle of girls (and a few boys) yelped slightly at the firey look in his eyes. “Did any of you glow?” he demanded.

The group of fans began to murmur to each other. “Was Sungyeol-ssi glowing?” “I don’t know. I was just following you. I couldn’t see him.” “I think he was, but Sungyeol-oppa always shines.” “I didn’t see him glowing, but I have his shoe!”

“Give that back!” Sungyeol growled as he tore the shoe away from Korean girl in long pigtail braids. He hadn’t even noticed that it had fallen off in his pursuit.

“HYUNG!” Sungjong was running down the street towards Sungyeol and was closely followed by one of their managers and Myungsoo. “What do you think you’re doing?” He made his way passed the fans and went up to Sungyeol’s side. “You have to think of our image. You can’t just run off,” he whispered into the other’s ear.

Sungyeol sighed, not in the mood to be chastised by the maknae. “I was glowing.”

Sungjong’s eyes widened. “What?!” he exclaimed. He then looked down at Sungyeol’s chest and then about them. “But where’s—“

“Gone. I couldn’t find her,” Sungyeol answered curtly. He pushed his way through the fans and back to the salon.

“Yeol…” Myungsoo began, watching his friend carefully with his black eyes.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Sungyeol hissed as he brushed past Myungsoo. He hated acting so cold towards Myungsoo, but he was one of the few people who could handle Sungyeol’s unpredictable temperaments. And one of the very few who will drop a subject when asked. Myungsoo just walked back with Sungyeol  with a hand on the other’s shoulder, a small comfort after a wave of disappointment.

Later, Sungyeol was plagued with  “What ifs?” What if he had stayed in the salon? Was she there? What if he ran in the other direction? Would he have met her? What if he was just one step quicker, on second faster? If he had just been able to cross that street in time…

But then it happened again in Korea, when he was walking into a broadcast station for a music show, and then again when he and Myungsoo had snuck out to eat ganjanggejang. That time he and Myungsoo had split up in pursuit of Sungyeol soul mate. But even with the new strategy, they still failed.

“Have you ever thought,” Myungsoo asked as he was panting. The two of them collapsed on a park bench after running around the area, looking for a glowing girl. “That it might not be a girl?”

“What do you mean?” Sungyeol asked. He tore off his hat and was wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. “My soul mate?” Myungsoo nodded as he looked away, probably still looking for someone glowing for his friend. “Why should I? Shouldn’t it be a girl?”

“Well, we keep looking for a girl, but we can’t find one,” Myungsoo answered coolly. His dark eyes flitted back to his friend. “Maybe it’s a guy.”

Sungyeol swallowed hard. “N-no. I don’t think so,” he stammered out an answer.

“Would it really be that bad?”

Sungyeol turned to face his friend and studied his face. Myungsoo was hard to read when he wanted to be. Normally, the visual was an open book, wearing his heart on his sleeves, but sometimes, he would close the book shut and stare with a hardened, blank gaze. He became L. And Sungyeol hated every time the other would stare at him like that. They were friends, close friends. And close friends shouldn’t hide things (especially friends of Sungyeol. He absolutely hated when others hid things from him, when he was the last to know).

Sungyeol lightly shoved the other, breaking Myungsoo’s shell and bringing a small smile to his face. “Of course not. That would be fine, after all it’s my soul mate,” he spoke in a happier tone. “But,” he chewed on his lower lip before continuing. “I just have this feeling, you know? I’m sure it’s a girl.”

“I have a feeling too,” Myungsoo declared. “About mine,” he finished with a shy smile.

“And?” Sungyeol challenged, raising an eyebrow. Myungsoo just looked at him, grinning cheekily. “What is it?” Sungyeol tried again to get an answer from the other.

Myungsoo suddenly stood up and faced the other. “It’s a person,” he announced and then broke out into an innocent chuckle, laughing at his own joke as he walked away.

“This kid,” Sungyeol hissed watching Myungsoo’s silhouette, lit up by the lamplights against the dark of night, walk away from him. But then Sungyeol blinked a couple of times at a new realization. “Y-yah! Does this happen with animals too? What if my soul mate’s a monkey?” Sungyeol quickly got up and chased after his friend.

“Didn’t you always want to be the Monkey King (Goku)?”

“Yea, but not like this.”

“Myung…soo. Yah! Asleep already?” Sungyeol scoffed, kicking the feet of his friend who had fallen asleep, and on the floor of his bedroom. It looked as if the visual did not have enough energy to climb up onto his bed, but after surveying the scene for a few seconds, Sungyeol quickly found the truth. A camera was lightly held in Myungsoo’s hand, and there were some photos spread out on the ground. “Making another photobook?” he asked his dozing friend. He knew Myungsoo wouldn’t answer; he slept like the dead. Sungyeol laughed softly, seeing Myungsoo smack his lips in his sleep, and he took that as an answer. The elder squatted down an sifted through some of the disorderly photos. “You know, you have more members than just Sungjong? Why do you always—Whoa!” Sungyeol yelped after coming across a photo that he wanted to immediately erase from his memory. With his eyes tightly shut, he reprimanded Myungsoo, “Yah! What the Hell do you have a picture of Dongwoo-hyung? Why the Hell did you even take it? Aish!” He rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe the image away. “You scarred me for life.”

“Yeol?”

Sungyeol opened his eyes again and turned his neck. Myungsoo was looking at him with heavily lidded eyes. His fingers began twitching and wrapping around his camera. Sungyeol felt like a deer caught in the headlights, frozen. Dongwoo’s picture slipped through his fingertips. He knew, deep down, Myungsoo wouldn’t mind (he was always so eager to show others his photos, to show others the world as he saw it), but why did it seem wrong? Why did it seem invasive?

Sungyeol swallowed down the lump in his throat. “H-hey doofus,” he croaked. “Why aren’t you sleeping in your bed?”

“Bed?” Apparently, Myungsoo wasn’t quite awake yet.

Sungyeol smiled and waddled up to the other. “Let’s get you into bed. Come on,” he urged, hooking his arms underneath Myungsoo’s shoulders. Myungsoo contributed little effort into crawling unto his bed; Sungyeol basically dragged him all the way up there on his own, the other being like dead weight in his arms. In spite of that, only groans fell from Sungyeol lips and no curses at the other. He was well aware why Myungsoo was tired. Like himself, Myungsoo was also filming a drama, but unlike Sungyeol’s, Myungsoo had to film two episode’s worth of material every week. And it was the biggest role the other had to date, a second male lead going up against much-loved Krystal and their senior Rain. It would only be natural to this exhausted. Too tired to wash up properly or even get into bed which was only a few inches away.

After Myungsoo was in bed and Sungyeol haphazardly threw a blanket on him, Sungyeol gazed down at him and sighed. That blonde hair, he wasn’t quite used to it yet, and it somehow made Myungsoo look younger and more cheerful instead of edgier like it was supposed to. But it was already growing out; the dark roots were peeking out behind the bleached ends. Sungyeol then pat the other on the head as he gently removed the camera from his hand. “Night Myung.” He began to make his way out of the bedroom.

“Yeol…night,” the Myungsoo garbled. Sungyeol gave the other one last glance before closing the door. But he froze. His hand gripped the doorknob tightly.

Myungsoo was glowing, dimly, but still.

“So he does glow,” Sungyeol whispered in shock. All of the members had mocked the visual, saying that he was so spacey that he wouldn’t even be aware of when he was glowing. And here Sungyeol was here to witness it.

His first instinct was too look down at his own chest. Nothing. He then let out a deep breath and shook his head. Knowing how obsessive Myungsoo could get, his soul mate would probably be the same. She’d probably be a sasaeng fan, following the other around everywhere like a shadow. And that’s probably why Myungsoo was glowing so faintly. She was probably outside of their buildings, several floors down.

Sungyeol looked at the sleeping visual again. Myungsoo’s chest was already back to normal. Sungyeol  will have to tell the other about his theory in the morning, but for now, Myungsoo needed his sleep. And like Sunggyu always said, “Soul mates can wait. They’ll always be there. So take care of yourself first.”

But Sungyeol couldn’t wait. He wasn’t exactly known for his patience anyways. He grabbed his coat and hat and went out the door.

Without the members knowing, Sungyeol recently had been sneaking out at night in search for his. He was close. He was glowing brighter and for longer spurts. Even his heart seemed to realize this. Instead of the excited, nervous fluttering, his heart just grew warm whenever he glowed. It was a comforting warmth, like being wrapped in a cashmere blanket.

In fact it was how he was feeling right now. Sungyeol ped his coat a bit, and light spilled out. “Yes!” he cheered and began jumping up and down in the elevator. He quickly stopped, noting how the whole elevator was shaking. He tried hard to calm himself down as he zipped up his coat, but he couldn’t smother the light burning bright underneath it. “This…this is it.”

Right as the elevator doors opened, he dashed across the lobby and out of the doors. “This is it!” he repeated. A broad grin was spreading across his face.

“Oppa! Lee Sungyeol!” a sweet voice called out to him. Sungyeol quickly turned around to see that girl who had picked up his shoe in Japan. She even still had the braids, still had that goofy naive smile. Sungyeol snorted, wondering if this was some sort of reverse Cinderella story, with his soul mate finding the lost shoe of an idol prince. But there was only one problem: she wasn’t glowing.

Once Sungyeol had faced her, the girl jumped up and began searching through her pockets. “Wait, wait. Just a second,” she begged. She then giggled as she pulled out a remote from her pocket. She pressed the button on it, and her shirt lit up behind her jacket. “Jjang!” she announced proudly.

 Sungyeol scoffed and rolled his eyes at her. “Do you think I’m a f***ing idiot?”

“Nope,” the girl answered. She put her arms behind her back, hiding the remote, as she rocked back and forth on her heels, trying to be cute. “I think that you’re my soul mate. Look,” she pointed to her chest and then his. “We’re both glowing!”

“I’m glowing. You’re not,” Sungyeol argued, crossing his arms over his chest. The fan began to pout and gasped at the accusation. Sungyeol uncrossed his arms and stomped up to her, bringing his face closer to hers. She couldn’t fight the smile forming on her face. Sungyeol groaned and yelled, “I saw you press a f***ing button!”

The fan shook her head and lied, “No I didn’t.” Sungyeol reached behind her and quickly grabbed the remote from her hands. He showed it to her. She laughed sheepishly and bit her lower lip. “Okay, I did,” she confessed looking down at her feet. “But does it really matter?”

“Does what matter?”

The fan raised her head and looked Sungyeol defiantly in his eyes. “Oppa, I like you. Do we have to be soul mates in order to be in love?” she challenged.

Sungyeol was taken aback, literally. He took a step back and looked at the girl again from head-to-toe.  He had to admire her tenacity and audaciousness (to be honest, he was impressed and surprised that he hadn’t seen Woohyun trying to pull off a trick like this. That kid was just as desperate). But then he looked down at his chest. The light was gone, whereas the girl was glowing brightly with false light. Sungyeol shook his head. She wasn’t it. “No, but why would I want you when I’m obviously close to mine?”

“Eh,” the girl spat, stomping her foot. “Soul mates aren’t all what they are cracked out to be.”

“What do you mean?”

“I met mine,” the fan curtly replied, shocking the idol. “He’s…alright,” she remarked with a shrug, but then she looked up at Sungyeol with her eyes sparkling. “But he’s no you.”

“You met yours?!” Sungyeol repeated in disbelief. This girl is insane.

“Yea.”

How is it that this sasaeng had found hers and not even care? Sungyeol couldn’t believe it. But…maybe this soul mate thing isn’t what it’s all cracked up to be. In fact, Sungyeol just may be resenting his for never showing up, for giving him false hope. He looked down at his chest, still and cold. Why do you even bother when she’s not coming at all?

Sungyeol looked up at the girl, patiently waiting for the idol as she picked at the ends of her pigtails. “Oi,” he caught her attention. “What’s your name?”

The girl immediately dropped her braids and answered cautiously, “Hyekyung.”

Sungyeol took a step closer to the girl. All of the sudden, she started to look smaller and younger. She probably wasn’t much older than a high schooler. “Hyekyung-ssi?” he spoke her name.

“Yes!” she chirped excitedly.

Sungyeol reached over and gave her a quick pat on the head. “Treat him right,” he chided her. Then he put his hands in his pockets and his heels to walk back to his dorm. But before he reached the lobby door, he yelled out to the girl again who was stilled in her spot from shock, “And go home. It’s late.”

“Yes, oppa!”

Sungyeol walked into the elevator and slammed his back against the side. Once again, he missed her, his soul mate. He chewed on his lip and hit the wall with his fist. Not a single person was actually glowing for him. He hadn’t seen anyone glow that night…except for one.

The next morning,  Sungyeol was woken up by the sound of dishes softly clinking against each other and the smell of coffee in the air. Sungyeol was a notorious light sleeper, but this person, he knew, was trying his best to be as quiet as possible. Sungyeol smiled to himself as he heard a plate crashing to the floor and hushed curses. Being completely silent is nearly impossible when you’re a klutz. But Sungyeol didn’t mind. He wanted to catch the other before he left anyways.

With a small smile, Sungyeol threw his covers off and shuffled into the kitchen. He was met with the sight of Myungsoo bent over, mopping up the mess that he just made. Sungyeol quickly grabbed some paper towels and joined him. “You have an early filming today?” he asked.

Myungsoo looked up at him with his jaw slightly unhinged and wide eyes. “Yeol…You’re awake?” He then looked down at the mess at his feet. “I didn’t mean to wake you. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, just as long as some of that,” he nodded towards the coffeemaker which was brewing, “is for me.”

Myungsoo nodded sleepily and rubbed his eyes, which you could barely see because his black hoodie was drawn low over his face. “Of course.”

“Oh, I meant to tell you,” Sungyeol began as he got up from the ground and helped Myungsoo up too. “I saw you glowing last night.”

Myungsoo nearly tripped standing up. “I did?” he asked. All of the sudden, he looked more awake and alert and…embarrassed? “W-wait,” he stammered as he processed this new information. His darting eyes then fell upon his friend. “Did you—“

“I didn’t see anybody,” Sungyeol remarked, leaning against the counter and rubbing Myungsoo on the shoulder. “Sorry buddy.” The other looked dejected, completely, and being in a depressed mood isn’t the optimal condition for filming. “But,” he drawled out his words, trying to give the other encouragement. “It was only a dim glow. So it’s probably some fan, waiting outside. That’s good…isn't it?”

But for some reason, Myungsoo didn’t look so excited. The dark circles under his eyes seemed to deepen. “I guess,” he mumbled. He then looked at the clock. “I got to go soon.”

“Good luck, Myung,” he wished his friend as Myungsoo got his stuff together to leave. Sungyeol could see the manager in the hallway, waiting to pick up the actor. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.”

“What do you think it means when one person glows, but stops, and then someone else glows right after? But then that stops too?”

Sunggyu cocked an eyebrow. “Are you speaking in Korean?” the leader teased.

“Hyung…” Sungyeol whined. He and the rest were practicing their dance while Myungsoo was still filming. Woohyun was still filming too. Sungyeol had been dismissed early and was shuttled back here to practice. But now, they were taking a quick break before starting again.

“Okay, okay,” Sunggyu relented, seeing that Sungyeol wasn’t in the mood. “So you’re both glowing, but not at the same time?”

“Yea,” Sungyeol nodded, and he drank from his bottle. With a hard swallow, he asked, “Is it possible that—“

“You’re soul mates?” Sunggyu finished for him. Sungyeol gave a short nod. The leader tilted his head to the side and shook it. “I don’t think so.”

“Can I?” Dongwoo slid next to Sungyeol and pointed at the water bottle. Sungyeol handed it over to the elder, and soon Hoya appeared next to them too and was also drinking from the bottle.

“When it happened to you, hyung, did it happen at the same time?” Sungyeol asked Sunggyu.

Sunggyu looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. He never really liked talking about his soul mate back home. The members didn’t even know her name. Sometimes Sungyeol wondered if Sunggyu himself knew her name. “Uh, maybe there was a few seconds difference, but we were definitely glowing at the same time. Isn’t that how it happened with you guys?” He then shifted Sungyeol’s focus on the two rappers.

Hoya chuckled a little out of embarrassment. “I can’t really remember. It was so long ago.”

“I think I did,” Dongwoo said, looking at the ceiling as if the answer was written there. “But I wonder…”

“What?” Sungyeol prodded the other.

“Well, Sungjong says that his happened late because they weren’t ready for it before,” Dongwoo began. He looked at the others with a cocked head. “But I wonder what happens when one person is ready and the other isn’t?”

“They wouldn’t glow,” Hoya curtly declared. “There would be no point.”

“Would there? I don’t know,” Dongwoo said, but the look on his face made Sungyeol think that the elder did have an idea. It looked think Dongwoo thought that would be a point to it, to everything.

Later that night, Sungyeol was sitting with Sungjong and Sunggyu on the couch, watching some sort of drama. Sungyeol wasn’t paying too much attention, which probably is the reason why he was the first to notice the apartment door opening up. “Oh, Woohyun-hyung. You’re home!” he announced to the others, seeing Woohyun shuffle into the apartment and shedding coats, bags, and shoes.

“Hyun, come watch with us,” Sunggyu goaded him.

Woohyun looked at the leader and sighed. “Sorry, hyung. I’m just going to bed. I’m tired.”

“O-okay. Oh, Yeol, where are you going?” the leader asked when Sungyeol got up from his seat.

“I, uh, have to ask him about filming tomorrow,” Sungyeol lied as he left the living room and headed for Woohyun’s bedroom. The thing was, he had a question that he could only ask Woohyun. Woohyun was the only one without a soul mate, the only one who had never glowed. And for some reason in Sungyeol’s twisted mind, that made Woohyun unbiased.

“Hyung?” Sungyeol called to the other as he knocked on the bedroom door. Woohyun told him to come in, recognizing his friend’s voice. Sungyeol walked in and saw Woohyun laying on his back on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. “Bad day?”

Woohyun craned his neck to look at the other. “Just…tiring. My shoulder is acting up,” he answered, rolling the said shoulder while wincing. But then he looked up at Sungyeol with knowing and tired eyes. “But that’s not why you came. What is it?”

Sungyeol leaned against the door frame and said in a hushed tone, a little embarrassed to be asking this, “Do you think you have to be soul mates to be in love?” But before Woohyun could answer, loud footsteps were resounding down the hall. Sungyeol looked out the door and saw Sunggyu scurrying off into the bathroom. Sungyeol poked his head out of the door and yelled at the leader, “Hyung! I was about to use it.”

Sunggyu gave the other an apologetic smile. “It’ll only be a second,” he promised as he ducked into the bathroom.

“Aish,” Sungyeol cursed turning back towards Woohyun. “Doesn’t he know that this isn’t his apartment? Why does he even come here?”

Woohyun’s eyes were fixed on that bathroom door with a gaze akin to longing. He then turned his attention to his shoulder again, rubbing it tenderly. “No,” he replied. He looked over at Sungyeol, who was visibly confused. “No, I don’t think you have to be soul mates,” he clarified in a small voice.

A toilet flushing broke the silence that had formed between Sungyeol and Woohyun. The bathroom door opened up, and Sunggyu popped out. He walked up to Sungyeol with a satisfied smile. “It’s all yours now, Yeol,” he said with a pat on the taller’s shoulder. Afterwards the leader brushed past Sungyeol and into the bedroom. “Hey. How’s your shoulder?”

Woohyun shifted over in his bed, making room for Sunggyu who came to sit next to him. “It’s fine, hyung,” he lied between gritted teeth. He then shot a look to Sungyeol, and the other got the message.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Sungyeol said as he left and went into his own bedroom.

The word love was practically synonymous with soul mates, at this point. After all, why bother having those feelings if it wasn’t for ‘the one’? But after talking with Woohyun, Sungyeol realized something. Sometimes you can’t help having those feelings, feeling love for someone else even when you weren’t supposed to. Woohyun loved Sunggyu, and that fan Hyekyung loved him. But who did Sungyeol love? Did he love anybody?

Sungyeol closed his eyes as he laid on his bed rubbing his chest. His mind was whirring as he analyzed s’ relationships.

Love is…getting along with someone well like Hoya and Shiwon. Knowing i each other ntuitively and how they would react in every circumstance.

Love is…being excited to see the other, no matter how many times you’ve already met, like Dongwoo and his soul mate. Wanting to run up and hug them immediately after catching sight of them.

Love is…being patient like Woohyun is with Sunggyu. Waiting and never pressuring the other to return your affections.

Love is…unexpected like Sungjong’s. It can take you by surprise and happen with your closest friend.

“,” Sungyeol cursed, sitting up and resting his back against the wall. “Am I…but…I can’t. Not with him,” he grumbled as he brought a hand down his face. Tonight was going to be a sleeplessness night.

Sungyeol was the first to get up that morning. He was just waiting on the couch for his manager to come pick him up for their schedules that day. He was going to film for the drama, and then return to practice. Practice until our feet fall off. Or at least that’s what it felt like at times. But he was grateful for it. It will keep him distracted. He needed to be distracted from his own thoughts.

“Morning,” a voice garbled. Sungyeol stiffened. This isn’t helping. Myungsoo shuffled next to his friend, and then fell onto the couch, onto Sungyeol. He leaned against the other, placing his head drowsily on the taller’s shoulder.

“Y-you have to film today too?” Sungyeol asked quietly, not wanting to awake anyone else in the dorm (but Woohyun should be up by now too. They were supposed to go together). But most of all, he didn’t want to startle Myungsoo. Myungsoo nodded, his cheek and hair brushing against Sungyeol’s sensitive shoulder.

“I don’t want to go,” Myungsoo whined.

Sungyeol chuckled. “I don’t want to go either.” He looked down at the other and raised his shoulder causing the other to fall off. “Hey, let’s run away.”

Myungsoo straightened up and smiled at Sungyeol the way that the CEO and the managers hated, the smile that made him look like an excited dork who could barely contain himself. “Eung,” he agreed. “We could go to LA again. I never got to go to the Hollywood hill. And you can get kissed by that Catwoman again,” he broke out into a laugh. “Oh! And the Grand Canyon! That’s close to LA, right?”

Sungyeol’s smile broadened. “I don’t think so, but let’s go there anyways. Let’s go everywhere except our damn schedules.”

Myungsoo’s laughter abated, and all that was left of it was a small smile. He shook his head. “Sunggyu-hyung would kill us. They all would. And I have to go.” He gave a proud grin. “I’m the second male lead.”

“So am I!” Sungyeol argued. Then he sighed. “Someone’s got to try to steal Seulbi from Woohyun.”

“I don’t know who would pick Shin Woohyun over Hwang Sungyeol. The second male leads are always better,” Myungsoo joked.

But to Sungyeol, it seemed like it was more than just a joke. The way Myungsoo’s eyes darted immediately to the corner of the room, the way he bit his lip afterwards, he was holding something back. “Myung,” Sungyeol spoke softly, and Myungsoo’s head perked up. Their eyes met. And that’s when Sungyeol began to lean in, bringing his face closer to the other until they were about 5cm apart.

 “Sungyeol,” Myungsoo said like a whimper. He leaned back, almost toppling over the armrest. “Wh-what?” His eyes were wide with shock. He was scared.

Sungyeol pulled back to his original spot. He looked down at his fists gripping at the knees of his pants. “I-I…is it not okay?” he asked.

“But we’re not.”

Sungyeol looked over at the other daringly. “Do we have to be?”

Myungsoo avoided his gaze and fixed his eyes on his laps. “I want it to be,” he mumbled. “I want it to be special. I want it to be with my soul mate.” He glanced quickly up at Sungyeol. “Is that weird?”

“No,” Sungyeol shot back, knocking the back of his head against the wall. “It’s what everyone does. It’s just me. I’m weird.”

Right then, before things could worsen (or get better), their manager burst through the door. “Myungsoo-ah! Sungyeol-ah! Time to go! And Nam Woohyun, get your out here! You better not be still sleeping!”

Later that day, after all of the filmings were complete, the three joined the others at dance practice. Woohyun’s steps were even heavier now after seeing Saeron finding her true love. And when Sungyeol tried to comfort him, he wouldn’t take it. “At least you’ve glowed before. You’re close! At this rate, I’m never going to meet mine.” True, Sungyeol wanted to say in response. But at this point, I don’t know if I want her anymore. I’m starting to hate her for always leaving me.

And Myungsoo seemed to be more in a daze than usual. The mental exertion of acting and dance practice was finally taking its toll. He was just a shell.  

After a few run-throughs, they got their first break. Sungyeol walked over to sit next to his dazed friend. Luckily, Myungsoo didn’t hold his actions this morning against him. Sungyeol was lucky that Myungsoo was forgiving because he tended to mess up a lot. But for now, he wanted to crack a smile across that stoic face, and so he was telling Myungsoo stories from the set. How Woohyun refused to eat any of the chicken that Saeron’s soul mate brought and kept calling it “her love chicken.” Occasionally, the other would laugh, but he’d stare off into space again. Sungyeol sighed. What Myungsoo really needed was rest. And that was the one thing that he wasn’t going to get.

“You f***ing liar!” Woohyun’s cheeky exclamation echoed throughout the room. Sungyeol looked up. Woohyun was glowing…and so was Sunggyu. And now Woohyun was chasing Sunggyu around the room like the young lovers they were. And eventually Woohyun had caught up to Sunggyu with Hoya’s help, and was now planting kisses on the leader’s cheeks. And Sunggyu, despite his protests, was enjoying it, if the wide smile on his face said anything.

Sungyeol then felt a nudged at his side and saw an open palm being in front of his face. Right. He had forgotten that they had made this bet during their trainee years, when Sunggyu and Woohyun were constantly butting heads. Myungsoo had sworn that they would become soul mates, and Sungyeol swore that they were going to kill each other. Wedding or funeral, those were the terms. Wedding it is. “Aish!” Sungyeol curse as he pulled out his wallet and began putting bills into Myungsoo’s hands. “I can’t believe it. You were right. I wonder why it took so long.”

“I don’t know. It’s probably just the right time,” Myungsoo responded in a distracted voice as he counted the bills.

The right time. Sungyeol looked back at the newly formed couple. Woohyun looked as if the black rain cloud that had been hanging over his head had finally lifted. The two were now in a corner, whispering excitedly, probably saying the things that they had been meaning to say for a while. Sungyeol’s eyes drifted down to their interlocked hands. His eyes widened. But wait…they are soul mates. This whole time. Woohyun was in love with…

“Oh I’m glowing.” Sungyeol stiffened at Myungsoo’s statement. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing and saying prayers to any divinity that was listening. Then he felt warm lips press against his cheeks. Sungyeol opened one eye curiously. He could see half of Myungsoo’s face, grinning like he couldn’t contain his happiness. He kept trying to bite it back, but it kept spilling over. Sungyeol then opened his other eye, noticing how the both of them were practically enveloped in a halo because they were glowing so brightly.

 “Finally.”

Sungyeol pulled the other in and took the kiss that he was robbed of earlier, and this time Myungsoo was more than happy to oblige. And perhaps a bit too eager, as he was squeezing Sungyeol so hard that he was afraid that a lung was going to burst. But Sungyeol didn’t mind one bit. His love was his soul mate. Things were exactly the way that they should be.

“So this is getting ridiculous,” their manager commented after see four of his wards falling in love in less than 5 minutes. “That’s it! Practice is over. It’s ruined anyways. Go home.”