Behind The Scenes 1/2 [Oneshot]

[darkyulate]

Title: Behind The Scenes
Pairing: D.O./Kai
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 13,532
Summary: Kim Kai is known for being a talentless brat among the acting industry. For him to be able to work with Do Kyungsoo, award winning actor, should be an honor, and yet the young actor does nothing but infuriate Kyungsoo to no end. Kyungsoo is determined to change things.
Notes: For kyudos2you who won my bid on exorelieffund

The door blasted open, making a loud banging sound as it announced to everyone on the set the arrival of a certain someone. Kyungsoo kept his gaze on the script in front of him even though his grip on it had significantly tightened. Clacking could be heard all over the set, almost as if everyone in the production crew had stopped just to stare at whoever it was that was making his presence pronounced. Kyungsoo resisted the urge to seethe and decided to just take deep calming breaths. “Good morning, Kyungsoo.” Kyungsoo’s eyebrow twitched and he exhaled painfully slowly as if to let all the anger out. He muttered a few encouragements to himself, soft enough so the other person wouldn’t hear and put on the friendliest smile he could muster. “Good morning, Kai-ssi.” “You look constipated, Kyungsoo.” Kai smirked, leaning closely even as Kyungsoo stepped back. Kyungsoo sighed and dropped the smile he was wearing previously. He softly pushed Kai backwards and glared at him. “I really would prefer it if you stop addressing me as if we’re friends. You’re a year younger than me and at the same time, you’re my junior.” Kai opened his mouth as if to reply but Kyungsoo was quick in shushing him with a finger on the younger’s lips. “Please, if you’re going to tell me that I have no right to be called sunbae, then you can just leave me alone.” Kyungsoo glared at Kai for good measure before walking away, back straight and gait strictly poised. Once the door to Kyungsoo’s dressing room clicked shut, he immediately slouched on the chair in front of the mirror. The actor let out a sigh of relief before reclining back and closing his eyes. He allowed himself a few seconds of relaxation before he had to face Kai again, a time that made him anxious. To say Kyungsoo hated Kai was an understatement. Kyungsoo abhorred Kai. Kai’s very existence disgusted Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo shuddered just by thinking about the younger actor. He couldn’t help but sigh as his mind began to wander because it wasn't always like this. In fact, when Kyungsoo first heard of Kai, he kind of pitied the kid. Kai had a bad reputation around the business. He was the son of EXO Entertainment’s CEO, the biggest acting agency in all of Korea. After his debut a year ago, rumors began to spread about his (non-existent) talent. Kyungsoo wasn’t unfamiliar to these rumors and he paid them no mind, until he met Kai himself. There was a soft knock on the door that roused him from his thoughts. “Come in.” His manager peeked inside before fully opening the door and letting himself in, sitting on the couch stuck to the wall adjacent to Kyungsoo’s chair. “The director said shooting starts in 10 minutes, and he wants you to go over the lines with Kai one more time before the cameras roll.” Kyungsoo nodded as he stared at his manager from the mirror. “What’s wrong?” His manager asked. “Baekhyun,” he started. “You don’t think Kai is as bad as they say, right?” Baekhyun met Kyungsoo’s eyes through the mirror as he placed a finger on his chin. “You’ve been throwing lines with him for the past week and I don’t think he’s that bad but he’s definitely not as great as they say. He’s also too cocky for a rookie, that’s for sure.” Kyungsoo scoffed. He wanted to attest to that statement after having suffered Kai’s cockiness firsthand but his manager was already shoving him out the door so he could practice with Kai before the actual shoot. Kai was already standing in front of the director, script no longer in hand and branded suit replaced with clothes handpicked by the crew to match his role as Kyungsoo’s best friend. Kyungsoo took a deep breath. This was going to be another long day. Kyungsoo plopped down on his bed face first and sighed. His back hurt from all the standing he’d had to do; his throat hurt from all the talking and occasional screaming and his head was throbbing from all the things that occurred that day. He turned over, his head on the pillow as he could feel a small headache starting to form at the back of his skull. He stared at his ceiling, going over the events of the day. The first day of the actual shooting had been successful with only minor setbacks. But what made his mind throb was the fact that Kai had blamed him for all of these setbacks, when in fact it was the younger’s fault that some of the scenes met problems. He let out an exasperated shout and proceeded to punch his pillows out of frustration. It was a good thing that the director knew that Kai was just making excuses for himself and didn’t tell Kyungsoo off. Kyungsoo would never be able to live it down if a director scolded him. It had happened once and he had made sure thus far never to make it happen again. He shook his head to dismiss the memories, deciding not to ponder on them anymore. He pulled the pillow he’d been punching close and embraced it, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep. He closed his eyes to maybe fall asleep but all he could think of was Kai and how the kid made his blood boil. Kyungsoo immediately opened his eyes and groaned. He had a problem and that problem wasn’t going to go away if he didn’t change tactics. He’d been acting tough around Kai and that only seemed to fuel the younger’s ego some more. He needed to do something, something that would possibly throw off the younger. And as he lay down in bed, eyes wide open, it came to him. He knew what he was going to do, what he needed to do. An evil laugh almost escaped his lips. He grabbed his phone by the nightstand and dialled his manager’s number. “Baekhyun,” He greeted, voice sounding too excited, even to him. “I know how to solve our Kai problem.” The solution was simple. Kyungsoo was going to win Kai’s heart with an overwhelming amount of kindness, love and aegyo. “Let’s see if that kid doesn’t feel even a little bit of guilt when he disrespects this face,” Kyungsoo said with vigor, eyes alight with a burning passion. “I didn’t win Best Actor for nothing.” This time he did let out an evil laugh, already seeing the fruition of his plans in his mind. “Just you wait Kim Kai, I’m going to make you suffer!” Kyungsoo grumbled as he paced back and forth in the set, paying no mind to his surroundings at all. He was going over his plan for his Kai-problem and muttered a few words of encouragement to himself while he waited for the other's arrival. Every once in a while, he'd take a a few deep breaths before continuing the routine. It was something he did often when he was internalizing a role, and the crew had learned not to bother him anymore after that one shooting for a motion picture production. After letting out the last air he'd just inhaled, he looked at his watch and saw that it wouldn't be long until Kai would appear —who arrived, always just on time and never early, unlike him. Kyungsoo wanted to scoff, but shook his head instead because better on time than late. And so he continued his pacing, waiting for the telltale signs of Kai's arrival. The banging of doors made Kyungsoo stop for only a fraction of a second before continuing once more. The clacking of shoes on the ground mixed with the murmurs of the crew didn't go unnoticed but Kyungsoo pretended he wasn't hearing what they were saying. He wanted to smirk at that moment. Of course, Kai would be the only one to bother me when I'm like this, he thought. As the clacking got closer and closer, Kyungsoo slowed his movements and kept his face stoic. He cleared his mind of all hatred and thought of the romantic movie he saw this morning, the clear blue sky and the delicious breakfast he had that morning. Immediately, a smile was beginning to form on his face. "Kyungsoo," Kai singsonged from behind him and Kyungsoo couldn't help the twitch in his eye at the tone, making his smile look strained. Kyungsoo didn't turn around until his expression had been schooled into his signature heart shaped smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. It was the smile he'd practiced in front of the mirrors when he was 6, the smile that won the hearts of young Korean girls, and the smile that couldn't be any faker than the next faux fur coat. But Kai couldn't and wouldn't know that because Kyungsoo is an award winning actor. "Good morning, Kai-ssi," Kyungsoo greeted, his tone deceptive even to him and he mentally smirked when he saw confusion flickering in the younger man's eyes. "Good morning," Kai replied tentatively, eyeing him like he'd just grown another head. Kyungsoo opened his mouth to say something but the stylists were already calling them to change their clothes for their shoot. Kyungsoo couldn't help the triumphant smile on his face as he walked back to his dressing room, dismissing the feeling like someone was watching him. Once changed and ready, Kyungsoo greeted Kai once more with the same enthusiasm as they met in the middle of the set. "Did you practice your lines already?" Kyungsoo made sure to sound like every bit of a caring sunbae. Kai just eyed him suspiciously before nodding and getting out a soft 'yeah'. "That's good!" Kyungsoo clapped for emphasis. "Then we can go right ahead to shooting, you up for it?" He teased and Kai laughed, a sound he'd heard for the first time that it made him stop thinking for a moment. "I'm always up for it, hyung," Kai teased back and for some reason, Kyungsoo couldn't help the blush that colored his cheeks. Hearing their discussion, the director gave them his instructions, foregoing line throwing and heading straight for the shoot. They were filming one of the more dramatic scenes today and Kyungsoo couldn't help but to anticipate Kai's acting skills. After 2-3 scenes, the director finally called for a break and Kyungsoo found himself slouching on where he sat. Acting on and off the job was going to take a toll on him. "You okay, hyung?" Kyungsoo would have glared at the way the younger emphasized the last word but that would defeat his purpose so instead he took a deep breath and put on a tired smile. "Yeah, just tired from all the acting." He chuckled slightly for good measure and this time, Kai looked more amused than suspicious. "I'll go get us some energy drinks then." Kai smiled at him but something about the way the younger smiled made him shudder. He cringed when the younger turned his back on him and hoped that Kai wouldn't poison his drink. When Kai returned, he handed Kyungsoo an unopened (thank fucking God) bottle of Gatorade and sat beside him on the lounge couch, a little too close for comfort. Kyungsoo watched him from his peripheral vision, wondering what Kai was up to because there was no need to be sitting so close to each other. Their thighs were pressed so close to each other and his arm was brushing against Kai’s even though the couch could sit 3 more people. Thinking harder on it, Kyungsoo decided he'd use it to his advantage. Kyungsoo gulped before placing a hand on Kai's thigh, feeling the younger stiffen. He smiled and turned to face the younger, hoping his smile didn't come off as amused. "Are you okay, Kai-ssi?" He began slowly rubbing his hand up and down Kai's thigh making Kai splutter and choke on his drink. "Y-yeah," he managed to squeak out because Kyungsoo’s hand was treading dangerous waters and Kyungsoo tried his best not to laugh at Kai's panic stricken expression. "That's good," he replied as he took his hand off of Kai's thigh, dragging it slowly to make the feeling linger. Immediately, Kai was seating with at least a foot's distance away from him. "Let's go," Kyungsoo invited him, his smile a little more natural. "Break time's over." Kai eyed him for a moment before standing up and walking side by side with Kyungsoo back to the set. For the first time since shooting began, Kyungsoo felt like he didn't want the day to end. By the end of the day, Kyungsoo was already slumping on his chair in his dressing room, physically and mentally tired from the events of the day. He sighed as his mind raced with thoughts of how fast his plans had backfired on him. Kai seemed to have felt as if Kyungsoo was just pretending to be nice around him and began to find ways to piss him off even further during the shoot. It had taken all of his willpower to not walk away and instead smile as if he didn't mind. And just like that, his good mood had gone away only to be replaced by fatigue and stress. He was massaging his temples to fight off his growing headache when there was a knock on the door taking him away from his thoughts. "Come in," Kyungsoo said with a little sigh, as if speaking added to his exhaustion. "You ready?" Baekhyun appeared and Kyungsoo took a deep breath before nodding. He grabbed his things and followed Baekhyun out the door. Before leaving, Kyungsoo took a deep breath and made sure to muster up all the strength he had left to walk to where Kai stood and say goodbye to him with a smile on his face, not bothering to wait for his reply before turning away. "I don't know how long I'm going to last," Kyungsoo muttered in the car to his manager and to his surprise, Baekhyun laughed. "What? Why are you laughing?" Kyungsoo asked sounding mildly offended. "Well, I get that it's tiring to play two roles in one day but you're Kyungsoo, who is technically only mean to Kai." Kyungsoo opened his mouth to retort but realized that Baekhyun was right. He was only mean to Kai. "But that's because he’s not taking this job seriously. Sure, he’s not late but he’s not early either. And every time he gets scolded, he blames it on me. He doesn’t even ask the director what he wants and just does something completely different. He’s cocky and arrogant and I hate those things the most in a rookie. He won one award, so what?" Kyungsoo defended. "Okay, okay," Baekhyun said. "Don't sound so defensive. I'm just trying to say that maybe you should get to know him better. Maybe he has his own reasons to be arrogant and cocky. He seems like a decent kid. You should give him a shot." Kyungsoo huffed, he hated how Baekhyun always seemed to be right. But then again, Baekhyun was older than him, so there was probably wisdom behind those thoughts. "I guess," Kyungsoo replied as he began to drift away with his thoughts. “But if this backfires one more time, I’m giving up.” He crossed his arms and made a stern face to prove his point, which made his manager laugh and ruffle his hair. “It won’t. I have faith in you. You aren’t Do Kyungsoo for nothing,” Baekhyun replied, cheeky smile on his face as he drove along the highway. Taking Baekhyun’s words into consideration, all throughout the week, Kyungsoo found himself observing Kai, either from the sidelines or from the times they were shooting. He was still acting and playing nice with the younger actor but now he was trying his best to get to know the kid as well. Sometimes they'd still bicker and banter because Kyungsoo couldn't help himself and would fight back. But as the week passed by, Kyungsoo noticed that Kai would provoke him less and less. Kyungsoo also noticed that within that week, Kai’s whole attitude was changing. Kai had begun to show up early for work instead of just on time. Sometimes he would even help the crew out with some of the work, but what surprised Kyungsoo (and probably the rest of the crew) the most was when he began to ask pointers from the director. And as days past, Kyungsoo found himself slowly warming up to the younger, liking the way Kai would sometimes ask him for help. Soon, he wasn’t just acting nice towards the younger. He was genuinely being kind to him. I guess Kai isn't such a bad person after all, Kyungsoo thought as he went over his script, peeking at Kai as he read through his. There was small smile on Kai’s face that made Kyungsoo’s cheeks feel warm. There was something about the way Kai would smile. Sometimes he would smile triumphantly as he fulfilled the director's demands or sometimes it would be a small curl of his lips that indicated he was just happy. And along the way, it became a habit of Kyungsoo’s to watch out for these smiles and learn the meaning behind them. "Kyungsoo hyung," Kai called out, drawing Kyungsoo out of his thoughts and Kyungsoo felt his cheeks redden a tad bit more at being caught looking. But Kai didn’t seem to notice as he smiled down at him, and so Kyungsoo shook his head and smiled up at the younger, liking how Kai stopped emphasizing the word hyung. It was one of his favorite changes. "Let's go?" "Yeah, okay." And as they sat side by side, shooting their movie, Kyungsoo wondered what had happened to have caused this change in Kai. Kyungsoo had already lost count of the weeks that past as he got to know Kai. They had exchanged numbers sometime in those weeks and at first the younger would just text him about work, asking him for some tips but as Kyungsoo replied, questions were asked and topics were changed, texting with Kai had become a habit. Sometimes, Kyungsoo would text first, just a random message either in the morning or in the middle of the day. Most times it was Kai who would text with stupid little questions that sometimes dumbfounded Kyungsoo, but nonetheless made him smile. Which was why he wasn't questioning the message he had just gotten. From: Kim Kai Hyung, do you know what dreams are? Pretending he couldn't feel the flush of his cheeks at the word hyung, Kyungsoo typed in a quick reply. To: Kim Kai Depends, what kind of dreams? The one you see when you're sleeping or the kind of dreams that are your goals and hopes? The reply was instantaneous, making Kyungsoo wonder where the kid was. Kyungsoo looked out the car window to see if they were near the set and to his surprise they were. He had a feeling Kai might have been at the shoot already and decided he'd read the message now and just reply to the younger face to face. From: Kim Kai Haha I should have seen that coming from you. Take your pick, hyung This time Kyungsoo leant his head on his hand to fight the blush from making him look like a tomato. Whenever Kai would text him and type in the word hyung, it felt like Kai was whispering the word in his ear, with the same respectful and light tone. For some reason, it always made him blush. "We're here," Baekhyun announced drawing him away from his thoughts and smirking at him. "What?" Kyungsoo asked defensively, knowing his manager and his smirks were always bad news. "You've been blushing since you checked your phone. Who is it?" Baekhyun asked, eyes glinting mischievously. Kyungsoo wanted to say it was just Kai but then Baekhyun would tease him about it so he kept his mouth shut. "Is it Suho?" Kyungsoo almost choked on air. "What? No," Kyungsoo replied, obviously flustered. "Suho hyung wouldn't text me when he's out of the country." And as he realized what he just said, he felt his stomach drop. "Besides, he's in a 'relationship'." Kyungsoo made air quotes gesture at the last word. Baekhyun, sensing the way Kyungsoo's mood dampened, didn't bother asking about it anymore. "Fine fine," Baekhyun ushered Kyungsoo out of the car. "Hurry up and go to the set." Kyungsoo exited the car, feeling his happy mood take a sudden downhill making him a little bit more depressed. He hadn't even thought about Suho in the weeks —months?— they'd been shooting. And it's been a long time since the older had contacted him. Not even an email to tell him how he was doing. As Kyungsoo thought more and more about it, the more the grey clouds blocked the sun from shining on his heart. "Good morning, hyung," Kai smiled, upper teeth showing and eyes crinkling at the corners. This was the smile Kai would throw at him when he was expecting something from Kyungsoo. Usually, it made Kyungsoo smile as well. Just at the word 'hyung', Kai would have Kyungsoo smiling but today was different. Kyungsoo could barely lift the corner of his lips up and return the enthusiastic greeting in the same manner. "Hey, Kai," Kyungsoo managed, cringing internally when it sounded so pathetic to his own ears. Immediately, the smile on Kai's face disappeared and his eyes shone with concern. "What's wrong, hyung?" Kyungsoo waved his hands and tried to smile so the worry would disappear on Kai's face. "Nothing, just, I was thinking of something depressing. Don't worry, I'm fine." Kai eyed him for a few seconds before nodding. "Okay." After a few seconds, the smile was back on his face. "You still haven't replied to my message." This time, Kyungsoo laughed. The sudden change in Kai's mood amused him. He lightly smacked the younger at the back of his head and said, "I just got here and you're already asking things from me." Kai laughed, the sound that always reminded Kyungsoo of warm mornings making his heart skip a beat. "I'm a brat, what can I say." Kyungsoo glared and smacked Kai again. A smack that was definitely harder than the last one. Kyungsoo sent him a playful glare before rolling his eyes and walking away from the younger to go to his dressing room. "I'll tell you during the break!" He called out before closing the door to his dressing room. When he got to the dressing room, all thoughts of Suho were out of his mind, replaced by thoughts of his script for the movie and questions about dreams and their meaning. By the time the director called for a break, Kyungsoo had almost completely forgotten about Kai's question. He was on his way to his chair, ready to close his eyes from the world when suddenly Kai was beside him, shaking him lightly by the arm. "Hyung," Kai singsonged, a tone Kyungsoo would hear when the younger was trying to get what he wanted. Kyungsoo forced himself to keep his eyes open and turned to the younger, seeing him with a bright smile on his face. "What?" Kyungsoo asked a little irritable because the scene he’d just finished shooting was heavy with emotion and therefore left him slightly fatigued. Kai chuckled, muttering something Kyungsoo couldn't decipher. "You still have to answer my question." Kai smiled at him, a challenge sparkling in his eyes as he pulled his seat closer to Kyungsoo's. For a moment, Kyungsoo was tempted to ask him what question but then he remembered that it was about dreams. Kyungsoo thought about it for a moment before smiling at Kai, the answer on the tip of his tongue. "For me, a dream is like this." Kyungsoo gestured to the set. "All my life, I've been dreaming about becoming an actor and even though it's been more than a year, everything still feels like a dream." Kai's smile was soft and thoughtful. It was a new kind of smile, something Kyungsoo hadn't seen before and, as beautiful as it was, there was something about it that felt melancholic. "That's very nice, hyung." Kai's tone was sincere as he averted his gaze to his laced hands in front of him. "Very nice," he whispered. Kyungsoo could tell that the smile on Kai's face was more melancholic than happy, even though it was hard to see. Worry overcame him and before he knew it, he was reaching out a hand towards the younger, grasping his arm to ask for his attention. "What's wrong?" Kai opened his mouth but before he could get a word out, the director was calling them back to the set. The younger looked up at him and smiled. “I’ll tell you later.” Instead of comforting Kyungsoo, the smile on Kai’s face just made him worry even more. It was a wonder how Kyungsoo could focus as they were shooting with his mind recalling the way Kai solemnly smiled. If he had forgotten about the meaning of dreams in the morning, he certainly couldn't forget it now. A lot of questions rang through his mind but the most frequent one was 'What had made Kai so sad about the word dreams?' When the shoot finally finished, Kyungsoo had made his way towards Kai to tell him he'd change as quickly as possible so they could continue their conversation from before. Kyungsoo hurried to his dressing room, haphazardly taking off and putting on his clothes. He didn't even bother taking off his make up as he made his way towards Kai who was already waiting by his door. "That was quick," Kai commented with a smirk and Kyungsoo panted before he could reply, all that rushing took his breath away. "Apparently, not fast enough." Kai laughed and said something about how he was just a quick changer. "So how about we go to dinner and I'll tell you then?" Kai offered and Kyungsoo felt his cheeks burn as he nodded, the thought of eating with Kai alone sending butterflies to his stomach. Kai had taken him to a small restaurant not too far from the set but a place where paparazzis still swarmed them on their way out of Kai's car. The number of flashing lights would have given Kyungsoo vertigo if Kai had not taken him under his arm and led him to the restaurant, blocking the lights from Kyungsoo's side with his hand. Once inside the restaurant, the staff had closed the doors on the paparazzis and ushered the two of them to a private booth. "My dad and I eat here a lot," Kai said with a smile. "He often meets other actors here because the restaurant specializes in privacy." "That's pretty cool," Kyungsoo responded, amazed because he rarely ate out. The waiter assigned to them gave them their menus and left them to discuss what they wanted to eat. "What do you want to eat?" Kai asked, his foot colliding with Kyungsoo's under the table. "What do you suggest?" "Their pasta here is great but I always order the chicken." Kai laughed a little embarrassed, hiding his mouth with his hand. It reminded Kyungsoo of puppies. "Okay, I'll get a pasta and you get your chicken, that way we can try each other's dishes," Kyungsoo suggested and Kai smiled. "Sharing food now, are we?" Kai smirked and Kyungsoo blushed which made Kai laugh. "I'm just teasing, hyung." Kyungsoo huffed and kicked Kai under the table, rejoicing in the yelp that came from Kai's mouth. Kai called the waiter not long after and placed their orders. There was a moment of awkward silence where Kyungsoo didn't know if it was the time to start talking about what Kai wanted to tell him or if he should wait some more. "What are you thinking of?" Kai asked, hands clasped in front of him and a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "I was thinking about our conversation a while ago," Kyungsoo said truthfully, avoiding Kai's eyes. Kai hummed and nodded before turning his gaze away from Kyungsoo to look at the window beside him. “When I was six,” Kai started, a fond smile playing on his lips and eyes looking far into the scenery outside. “My parents took me to see ‘The Nutcracker’. There was something about the way the male lead moved that intrigued me.” Kai’s eyes shone as he spoke, leaning on his seat to look at Kyungsoo with a smile like a child’s. “And ever since then, I’d fallen in love with ballet.” Then his expression turned solemn. “So I asked my dad if I could learn ballet,” he paused and rubbed his nape, looking down at the table in front of them instead of looking at Kyungsoo. “But my father told me I could only study ballet if I took acting lessons, too.” Kyungsoo gulped, somewhere inside of him, he knew where this was going. Kai sighed and brought his hands together, keeping his eyes trained on his clasped fingers on the table. “I didn’t really have a choice at the time, and all I wanted to do was to dance, so I took the offer. It wasn’t so bad at first, until I started getting really good at dancing.” Kai looked up at Kyungsoo, a sad smile on his lips. “I got casted as the male lead once for a recital and my father threw a fit because how can his son be a great dancer and not a great actor.” Kyungsoo bit his lip, lifting his hand a little before bringing it back down. He’d wanted to reach out to Kai, to hold his hand and squeeze it in an attempt to comfort him but it wouldn’t have been right. “What did you do?” Kai laughed, the sound humorless and bitter. “I had to give my role to my understudy and I was forced to drop out of the class so I could focus on my acting.” “Ouch.” Kyungsoo winced making Kai chuckle. Kai shrugged and smiled; a soft smile. “It just made me strive harder. I decided I’d just learn ballet on my own but then my father became concerned because I wasn’t auditioning or getting roles for anything.” Kai sighed. “So, I was forced to stop dancing for a while to focus on auditioning and getting more lessons.” “How long has it been since you last danced, then?” Kyungsoo asked and at the question Kai smiled. “Last night, actually.” Kai laughed. “I recently struck a deal with my dad.” He leaned closer to Kyungsoo, like a child who would share a secret with his best friend and it amused Kyungsoo as he also did the same to listen. “Because word has finally gotten to him that I’m a brat in the industry and he struck me another deal. He said that if I won another award and did my ultimate best so rumors about my ‘bad’,” he made air quotes to emphasize the word bad, “acting and attitude would dissipate, I could go back to doing ballet.” Kai laughed, the sound melodic, as he leaned back on his arms. The look of a free man etched on his face. “That’s so great!” “Yeah, it is,” Kai whispered, a real smile appeared on his face before his lips pursed into a straight line, licking them as he spoke. “I also wanted to tell you I was sorry about the way I acted before.” Kai laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair. “I was being mean and bad in acting intentionally because I wanted to get fired and stop getting hired for acting gigs.” Kyungsoo spluttered. “I’m not really as bad as you originally thought. It was very intentional.” Kai smirked making Kyungsoo guffaw. “That’s kind of stupid though.” Kyungsoo retaliated and Kai just laughed. “It worked on my dad.” Before Kyungsoo could say anything to that, their food had arrived and the rest of the night molded in to a night filled with laughter and two people getting to know each other. The ringing of his phone distracted Kyungsoo from his original plans of changing out of his clothes. He plopped down on his dressing room chair and grabbed his phone from the table and swiped the screen to answer the call, not bothering to check the caller ID. “Hello?” He answered and the other line took some time to answer. Kyungsoo could hear the bustling from the other line and he wondered momentarily what was going on. “Kyungsoo!” Kyungsoo should’ve expected the leap his heart did but then again, Suho always caught him off guard. Not being able to fight the smile that made its way to his lips, Kyungsoo let out a breathy, “Suho hyung.” “Hey, what’s up? How are you?” Suho asked and the question made Kyungsoo’s heart pound. It was very much like Suho to ask Kyungsoo how he was. “I’m doing fine,” Kyungsoo said softly, laughing as he continued. “I’m actually just about to finish shooting my movie with Kai.” ”Oh, that’s so cool! Then, do you think you have time to meet with us?” Kyungsoo bit his lip, feeling his excitement disappear like grains of sand falling from the spaces between his fingers. There was something about the word ‘us’ that stung Kyungsoo’s heart and he fought the jab in his heart as he tried to search for a reply. “I —uh, yeah sure, why not?” Kyungsoo lightly face palmed, knowing he was going to regret this. Then as if recalling something, he sat up straight in his chair and asked, “Does this mean you’re done with your tour?” “Yup! We’re on our way to our dorm, actually. When do you think you’ll have time to meet up?” Kyungsoo could hear more bustling from the other line and some muffled words coming from Suho that Kyungsoo couldn’t make out. “I’m not sure but I think I’ll have time this week. I’ll just text you.” Kyungsoo bit his lip, wishing —hoping, that Baekhyun would tell him he didn’t have any time at all this week. ”That’s great! I’ll look forward to your text then. Take care, Kyungsoo! By the way,” Suho laughed, “I missed you.” And Kyungsoo just knew his cheeks were on fire. “I missed you, too, hyung,” Kyungsoo whispered, but Suho had already put down the phone. Kyungsoo sighed, he was going to have to ask Baekhyun about his schedule, but deep down he knew he had time because their shooting was coming to an end. He would have no excuse. He bit his lip and gripped his phone tightly. Why did I agree to meet up with them? When Kyungsoo exited his dressing room with Kai already waiting for him by the door, he couldn’t hide the worry within him. Biting his bottom lip and keeping his gaze on the floor, his mind was filled with thoughts of different scenarios that he completely ignored the younger who had called his attention once he closed the door. “Kyungsoo hyung?” Kai muttered once more, slowly noticing the downcast expression his friend was sporting. He gently held onto the older’s arm and caught his attention. “What’s wrong?” Kyungsoo looked up, heart skipping a beat, that it made him bite his bottom lip. There was so much concern in Kai’s eyes that it overwhelmed him. He sighed, he had no right to be acting this way and with all the strength he could muster, he put on a smile. “Nothing. I’m fine.” Kai glared at him, eyebrows furrowed as his grip on Kyungsoo’s arm tightened in a way that didn’t hurt. “Don’t lie to me, hyung. You might be an award winning actor but there are just some things you can’t hide.” Kyungsoo sighed and he slumped a little, ignoring the way Kai made his heart jump a little with the way he read him. “I’ll tell you at the restaurant.” It had become a habit to eat dinner with Kai after their shoot so getting to the restaurant where they first came to had gotten a lot easier, with Kai making the necessary reservations to accommodate them faster. Once they were settled in the familiar booth, Kyungsoo took a deep breath and relayed to Kai his problems. “So, you’re telling me that the guy you like is making you eat dinner with him and his lover?” Kai confirmed to which Kyungsoo winced because the way Kai phrased his sentence made him see things clearly in his mind. “Well,” Kyungsoo began, playing with his fingers. “They’re not exactly lovers. More like, friends with benefits —” Kai laughed, effectively cutting Kyungsoo off and the elder glared. “I’m sorry,” Kai said as he wiped pseudo tears from his eyes. “But just because they don’t tell you they’re lovers doesn’t mean they aren’t. For all you know, they’re keeping it a secret from you because they don’t trust you enough.” “No,” Kyungsoo retorted, not liking the idea one bit. “Suho hyung tells me almost everything!” “Almost.” “You’re such a brat.” Kyungsoo seethed. Kai just chuckled and shrugged. “Never said I wasn’t one.” Kyungsoo groaned and buried his head in his hands. “What am I going to do?” There was a tapping on his head and Kyungsoo swatted the finger away, knowing Kai was just going to continue being a brat. “Hyung,” Kai cooed and Kyungsoo couldn’t deny the way his face heated up at the way Kai called him. “Come on, stop sulking. Just because I’m a brat doesn’t mean I can’t help you.” “You’re really going to help?” Kyungsoo asked, voice slightly muffled by the table because he refused to lift his head up. Kai laughed; the sound carefree and beautiful. “Only if you promise to stop burying your head further into the table.” Kyungsoo huffed and moved to untangle his arms from his head and glared at Kai. “Okay, so here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to call a friend and bring that friend to your dinner with Suho and his ‘lover’,” Kai made air quotes at the last word. At the words of advice, a light bulb had lit in Kyungsoo’s mind and he nodded eagerly at the idea. “I know!” Kyungsoo excitedly said, taking his phone out and dialing Suho’s number. “I’ll bring you with me!” Kai spluttered, not expecting the turn of events and made to speak about declining the idea but Kyungsoo was already talking on the phone, ignoring Kai completely. “Suho hyung! Would you mind if I bring a friend with me?” Kyungsoo let out an excited ‘thank you’ once Suho had said yes and promptly ignored the exaggerated wailing Kai was doing in front of him. Their food had arrived then, effectively stopping Kai as the food stole his attention. Kyungsoo laughed at the quick change and something churned in his stomach. The thought of having Kai with him on his dinner with Suho and his lover was making him excited all of a sudden.

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