So he heard (@lgckit ) moved out of the dorms and got his own place. This meant it was an excellent opportunity to do some debt collecting. Daehyung’s memories were at a state of constant haziness, unless his career or sex was involved. Granted, as discussed, he wasn’t out to hit it this time and was merely interested in collecting what he was promised.
As for why Vroom came with him on this inappropriate debt collection...well, she seemed to be itching for an outing. Kept on following him around while he was grabbing his stuff and looked thoughtfully at the cat backpack he used to take her around. Daehyung was the indulging type of cat dad and who could possibly deny his little princess when she looked at them with those beseeching eyes?
Luckily for him, the other two cats did not show any interest to come with. David, the orange cat he adopted at the charity event, was an old soul and preferred lying on the couch listening to his dad’s 1960s music. He tried to name the cat Zoom at first, but he refused to answer to anything other than David (long story, don’t ask). Cupid, also known as Subin’s cat that he was taking care of for him, was still angry at him for trying to put a tutu on him for pictures. Though Cubey’s been gaining weight due to Daehyung’s diligent feeding schedule, he was still on the skinnier side. Daehyung just wanted to keep a photo collage of him as he become plump and fluffy to demonstrate to Subin how good he’d been at cat raising.
His hot pink cat backpack and the sweet furbaby inside made a lot of people coo as he walked past. Some of the elderly wanted to smile at him, only to be stopped by his deadpan expression. Sharp contrast, it really was. If it was up to him, the back pack would be black but his mother allowed his sister to help pick it out and she insisted on pink.
Kit’s door pass was so easy to guess that it was a miracle that he had not yet been robbed. “Sup,” Daehyung called out, shutting the door behind him and letting the cat loose. “I am here to see you naked. Get ready to-” Except the apartment was unusually quiet. Shit, maybe a crime did take place and poor Kit was already dead within the first two weeks of moving out.
Vroom found Kit before he did. She climbed onto the bed where the other laid and curled up contently at his neck. “You sick?” Daehyung touched a hand to Kit’s forehead. Sure enough, it was burning. No wonder Vroom was so eager to cuddle.
(...) This wasn’t what Arin had expected when she thought about visiting. “No, thank you.~” She responds to his question. Quickly trying to get her mind off of what had just happened, she looks over at the cat once more, avoiding any sort of eye contact with the male for now. “Do you mind if I hold her?~”
Oh, she actually believed him for a second. Guess this acting path he was on wasn’t a terrible choice after all. Luckily for everyone, Choi Daehyung wasn’t interested in putting his hands on anybody in a violent way and murder was pretty far down on the list of crimes he was likely to commit. If anything, most of the damage he dealt out in this life time was via trash talking, emotional manipulation and the good old silent treatment. Depending on who his target was, the method he employed would be different to maximize the pain inflicted.
“Sure, go ahead and hold her.” Vroom looked like she didn’t mind a bit of attention and Daehyung liked it when people showered his cat with love and compliments. “She is friendly.”
His presence was making girl scout uncomfortable, but Daehyung gave no sign that he had any intentions of leaving until he heard the bathroom door open upstairs. Oh, the Kit must be done showering and ready to receive his guest.
“Kit!” He yelled. “You have a visitor. It’s a girl.” She never introduced herself, but Daehyung sorta had a idea of who she might be. “Hurry up and come down before something bad happens.” Casually threatening, because he didn’t know how to talk to people any other way. “If you are becoming a baby daddy, you need to let my parents know asap. I don’t think they are ready to watch over a baby in addition to my younger sister and my cat.” (@lgckit)
(...) What was worse was Daehyung was sly and that was the problem. If Kit wanted to keep his promise to Mrs. Choi, he would have to offer up something that would actually be of some value to the other. “I’ll let you kiss me if you behave. I won’t try and run again, and I won’t complain… you just need to… not. Not do anything stupid while we’re in Paris, okay?”
See, Kit was capable of being intelligent when the time called for it. At the very least, he was making offers in the right direction. Still a little off, of course, because Daehyung didn’t want kisses. Those were nice sometimes, but only when he viewed them as an appetizer served in preparation for the main meal. The way this discussion was going, it sounded like Kit wasn’t offering a whole Chinese wedding feast, just the first course of cold jellyfish. Even in his tipsy state, Daehyung knew it was time to push for more.
“Interesting proposal, here is my counter offer.” He stretched lazily on the bed, mimicking the movement of his beloved cat, who was on the other side of the room. Having tired herself out with the wine bottle, she is now taking a grooming break. “I’ll be on my best behavior at Paris and in exchange, you let me see you naked.” Daehyung yawned, perfectly relaxed even though he was in the middle of making indecent propositions.
“I just want a look - no touching, I promise.” Then again, how much was his promise actually worth to Kit? “I don’t like negotiating more than it’s necessary so no more back and forth. You take it or leave it.” His lips tilted at the corners in a smile. “It is a terrible deal, if you are doing this for my career. It is a bad deal, if you are doing this for my mother and out of consideration for her feelings.” He paused there, letting his words sink in. “However, it is an excellent deal if you are doing this because...well, you are interested.” He left it at that, because there was no point in elaborating. In a way, Daehyung already know Kit was interested because otherwise the kid wouldn’t have offered to endure kisses. The details rarely mattered - Daehyung didn’t need to know if Kit was interested in his face, exploring his sexuality or whatever else. In the end, he only cared about getting what he want.
Vroom had finished licking her paws and scurried back to the humans. She hopped onto the bed and nuzzled her fluffy head against Daehyung’s open hand. “Deal or no deal?”
A dream, yes, that must be where he had seen this scenario before. The same room, featuring the same instructor. The words that were spoken to him about his sword wielding capabilities felt so familiar that for a second, Daehyung didn’t know how to respond.
“Choi Daehyung?” The instructor snapped his finger, trying to pull his attention back.
But what was that dream about?
“Choi Daehyung?”
He was pretty sure it had a shitty ending. That after they all practiced to the point of exhaustion and were lying on the ground, mulling over the mistakes they’ve made, something terrible happened.
“What are you thinking about?” The staff member stepped closer, now with a concerned voice instead of an irritated one. Guess Daehyung’s strange lack of response inspired him to worry.
“First, those two fell.” Daehyung pointed towards his right, where two acting trainees were practising physical combat. The two of them were doing their best to look like aggressive fighters at first, but eventually broke character and rolled onto the ground laughing. It happened right on cue. “Then, someone asks if anyone brought an extra towel.” Daehyung turned towards the other side of the room and sure enough, a girl who had sweat rolling down her forehead was making the inquiry.
Holy shit.
“And finally, when the clock strikes noon...” Daehyung gazed up at the clock, which was ticking up to that cursed 12. “Zombies rushed in through that door to kill us all.” He said it in a soft, slightly eerie voice as he turned his gaze towards the door. The instructor turned with him and they both stared for a while.
12:01.
“Ah, I guess I haven’t developed a super power after all and it was just a dream.” Daehyung shrugged with disappointment. The instructor, now fed up with his shit, told him to go take his lunch break and stop watching tv right before sleeping.
(...) Acting in dramas or movies was definitely different from just singing on stage, or even just doing the small bit of acting he had done in music videos. This type of acting was something he would have to actually get used to if he wanted to actually become something in the world, to become somebody.
Apologetic, cute, no matter how you look at it, this guy was the puppy type. That said, he was trying and that expression was fairly convincingly angry. Aaron had elevated from happy puppy - wagging tail and ready to play - to grumpy puppy.
“That was really good.” Daehyung complimented and clapped. For him, the difficulty of these stunt classes lied in a different aspect. He was familiar with aggression and well adapted to fighting. Back when he was younger, he had fights with the other kids every other day, to the point it was becoming a bit of a routine. That was, of course, before he started dating. See, once you start dating, you don’t have time to fight bitches anymore. All of your attention and energy would end up being sucked away by one individual.
Anyway, getting back to the topic, fighting in real life well didn’t mean you’d fight on screen well. For one thing, you had to look good and in case anyone was curious - real life fighting looked sorta hideous. Clothes never tore up prettily and usually end up crumpled and dirty. People shed more tears and snot than they did blood and typically, when people yelled at each other, their voices would blend together and become indistinguishable. In shows, they needed to make the dialogue clear.
“I am thirsty, want to go get tea?” Now that Tk was nowhere to be found, Daehyung needed a new tea boy. Perhaps this one would do.
(...) “ and maybe you could help me with cooking them – i’ll round up the kids because they need to be fried and i don’t want them getting burnt. ” meng points out. she was also sure that daehyung would take an opportunity to stray away from the kids, while meng would take charge. “ but it’s only fair you make your own pancakes. ” she points out with a smile as she starts flattening her own. “ teamwork, you know ? it’s important we all do our equal share. ”
She certainly wasn’t letting him get away with doing nothing. Pretty neat - Daehyung had always been more interested in the women who could hold their own in projects and make what they want known. Interested, however, didn’t often associate with compliance. In fact the more people asked Daehyung to do something, the less likely he would be willing to indulge. He was a brat at the core, you see, and the desire to challenge was a difficult one to fight against.
However, if he acted out today, he would not be challenging her only, but the camera as well. His behaviour was being watched and the company could punish him for deliberate assholery. The question then became, did he care?
“Pancake!” The girl child tugged at his sleeves, jumping up and down in excitement. She reminded him of Vroom when she was in her more playful years, batting his sleeve for attention with her little round paws. His eyes softened a touch, which made it easier to nod. “Alright, don’t want these hands getting burned.” He nearly said paws when he patted on Yiyang’s hands, trying to get her to let go for now. Which...of course she didn’t.
“I am beginning to sort of like this one.” Daehyung gave the clingy kid’s head a pat, which his own sister was only allowed the privilege of every other day. “You too, yeah.” He forgot the boy and added the sentence as an after thought. No pets offered though.
“Hey kids, you got any chili sauce in the house?” He asked, and then turned towards Meng. “If I am making my own pancakes, I might as well try to put in a bit of a flair. I hope onion pancakes taste good flaming hot.”
Actions speak louder than words and as much as Choi Daehyung would love to continue denying it, a part of him was becoming attached to this career. Originally picked up as a means to get close to a girl who was playing hard to get, Legacy ended up influencing him...considerably. For example, it was a relatively cold afternoon and he was standing on Dongho bridge where the wind was uncomfortably chilly. Why? For a stupid video that he was supposed to film, introducing Seoul.
At least, the view was truly wonderful up here.
See, Daehyung had always been a fan of sunsets. The sky would look as pretty as a painted canvas, featuring shades of blue, purple, violet and orange. He would watch the light fade little by little, the sun taking the vibrant colours with it and leave behind nothing but darkness. Calming, that was how he felt when the breezes tousled his hair, bearing with it the last hint of warmth from the sun. Normally, he would stand here alone. Today, he came with a camera and declared himself as his own camera man with the intention of taking whoever was watching this video on an sunset viewing adventure.
Why this? Because he was sure other trainees would have food and popular tourist attractions covered. Their videos weren’t meant to be a stand alone anyway and multiple snippets would be crammed together, so he was trying to show off a part of Seoul that maybe other trainees wouldn’t focus on.
“Look,” he said to the camera as he turned it towards the descending orb of light, following it down until it disappeared behind the buildings. He let the view linger for a moment on the Han River, hoping for a pleasant contrast of the dark water and the brilliant orange earlier. “I am sure there are better sunsets elsewhere, but this one is my favourite.” He turned the camera back towards himself. “Come visit Seoul, if you want to see it with me.”
“Your mom wanted me to keep an eye on you when we’re in Paris.” Wasn’t this something you asked of an older brother? Kit released as he spoke. He was almost two years younger. “So you do know that doing something stupid will get you in trouble. Does this mean you’re not going to do anything stu– I mean, something you’ll regret, right? You’ll be good?”
Be good.
He wondered if his biological mom said that, when she took him to the orphanage and passed his hand to one of the staff members there. Two-years-old, Daehyung was too young to retain any useful memory about what happened that day but perhaps that was a blessing in disguise.
“You want me to be good for you?” He glanced up, his smile holding as much of a loaded question as his words did. “You know, Kitty...” He leaned closer, until his flushed face was hover no more than an inch or two above dear Kit’s. “Trouble is fun. Nice kids like you who never experienced it don’t know what you are missing.” Daehyung brushed at the other’s bangs with his thumb, sweeping aside the dark strands so he could get a better look at the one who sought to chaperone the devil.
“Being known as the bad guy makes people worried about you...maybe it would also encourage some people to stay away. It is worth it, though, because there’s freedom that comes with all the chaos-” His speech was interrupted by the sound of Vroom knocking the wine bottle against his bed frame. Rude kitty, she truly was, but Daehyung never had the heart to scold her. “Anyway, I lost my train of thoughts, but I think the final point was supposed to be this...”
And this was where Daehyung tried to sit up a little but ended up sort of failing because his head was spinning. “I like causing trouble and being good does not come naturally. If you want me to behave, I can try, but what am I going to get for all my efforts?” Judging by the look in his eyes, even one as clueless as Kit here should know what he wants. “Back when dad needed me to behave for family dinners, he’d bribe me with candy.” Except now he was too old for the regular old caramels.
Daehyung knew he was being pretty unfair about this. It wasn’t like Kit was trying to save his own skin - no, the only one at risk here was Daehyung. Still, did you expect anything better from him?
Mrs. Choi’s request still resonated in his ears as he made his way towards Daehyung’s room, nervous bubbling in his chest as if he were to enter a lion’s den. Surely he would get eaten if he let his guard down.
Taking the knob into his hand, Kit knocked before slowly opening the door, and prayed he wasn’t going to walk into something weird. “Daehyung, are you busy? Can I talk to you?”
He cared about his adoptive parents.
Not a whole lot, he thought, but enough to keep himself seated at the dinner table, phones tucked away despite the uncomfortable conversations they sometimes introduced. He never knew what to say when they told him they were proud of what he did this year. When his mother said I love you, he always gave a non-committal mmhm instead of echoing the words back to her as it was appropriate. A part of him never understood how to properly reciprocate people and the longer he remained at home, the more aware he became of that unfortunate fact.
So he drank because alcohol had a way of making time pass faster. When Kit entered the room, he had just put down the wine bottle, having drained every last drop.
“Hey baby,” he said in greeting. “Sure thing. Talk to me about anything.” Daehyung put emphasis on that last word. “Tell me about your dreams, if you want. Like the one you had last weekend.” He laughed, a little too loudly. Vroom looked up at him, judging her human for his behavior. She meowed softly at Kit and circled his ankles in a quick hello before turning her focus on making a fine toy out of the wine bottle.
“Why are you standing so far away? I can’t hear you talk like that.” So Daehyung reached out and yanked Kit down beside him on the bed. “See, this is better.” Much better.
Rolling onto his side, Daehyung dragged a pillow over to cushion his head. “Don’t worry, I am not drunk. In fact, I think I can guess why you are here.” He pretended to think and tapped a finger along his chin. “Mom is worried that I’ll cause trouble in Paris? Get down with all the hot chicks in the club and get kicked out of Legacy?”
(...) " thanks?“ the gratitude is more like a question - mostly because he doesn’t understand the wording. checking him out? what’s that supposed to mean? ” do you usually ask people to be friends after staring a hole in their back for hours?“
Mmm, prickly.
“Actually, yes.” Daehyung shrugged, digging his water bottle out of his backpack and taking a sip. He put strawberry slices into his water this time to give it flavor. Never before did he consider putting fruits into his bottle until the little sister introduced the idea. He scolded her for her petty prank, but did actually enjoy the end product. Having little slices of red floating in his water didn’t suit his style or reputation, but eh, taste was more important. “Want a sip?” Because of course he would offer.
Daehyung patted the empty space beside him invitingly.
“Your definition of friendship and mine might be different, though.” He smiled, the sweetness in his eyes only there because he was on a mission. “Mine is very straight forward and action focused.”
I just want attention, I don't want your heart
I am just making sure you are never getting over me
Unpacking done, and other than the manager in the room, there was nothing protecting Kang Dongwon from Daehyung’s full attention.
Right on cue, his stomach growled.
Okay fine, maybe his hunger was also a factor to consider. You cannot harass your ex to the full capacity if you are starving to death from not having eaten on the plane. It wasn’t Daehyung’s fault - he felt sick in most moving vehicles unless he was the one at the wheel. Plane, sadly, was no exception.
“Take me out for food,” he demanded impetuously at his ex, who was likely pretending to not exist. Daehyung didn’t blame him - this really was an awkward situation. “Please?” He flashed a smile, but it was really a threat. ( @lgcwon )
(...) meng asks, brows raised with a beaming smile. dongyue smiles back up at her in what meng assumes is a yes – “ let’s read about space then, yeah ? maybe you can help daehyung-ssi understand the book as well ? ”
Oh, she was back. Excellent. Daehyung shuffled subtly to the side, unintentionally giving Meng more space so she could get closer to the grabby little ones.
With Meng there to support, the kid called Dongyue read Daehyung a book in Chinese. Of course, Daehyung had no idea what the heck he was saying most of the time and sort of just kept a blank face. At one point the little boy did stop and try to make him repeat a word after him. Just to entertain him, Daehyung did as requested. Apparently his pronunciation wasn’t the worst, all things considered. The girl child Yiyang clapped for Daehyung’s effort and he rewarded her with a half-smile. Hey, nobody minded being liked and this kid was clearly a super fan.
“Time for onion pancakes?” The book was done and Daehyung stood up. “The...um...cong you bing?” See, he learned one whole dish name. Already, this show was going better than his last. At least he wasn’t feeling nauseated.
“How about you guys go for it and I’ll wash the dishes after?” He poked at the dough mixture Meng made with a chopstick, just because he was the naturally destructive type and couldn’t resist doing this sort of stuff. Immature, yes, but nobody was getting hurt and his super fan seemed amused.
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