tokyo ↔ seoul

not maki. member of seoulessrp.

[huunies]

the gym had become one of those places where running into maki wasn't surprising anymore. somewhere between overlapping schedules and the occasional workout, it had turned into an easy routine neither of them really questioned. after finishing the last set, sunghoon drops the dumbbells back into the rack with a quiet exhale before reaching for the towel hanging around his neck.

❝alright,❞ he says suddenly, turning toward the younger idol with a look that suggests he's already made up his mind about something. a grin tugs at the corner of his mouth as he folds his arms across his chest. ❝we've been doing this for months now. it's time to settle something important❞ his expression remains completely serious for all of two seconds before amusement breaks through. ❝let me see. whose arm gains are winning right now?❞ @makiroom

[makiroom]

maki had been halfway through taking a sip from his water bottle when sunghoon's question made him pause. "you serious?" the bottle lowered as he looked sunghoon up and down, clearly sizing him up with far more scrutiny than necessary. his eyes narrowed slightly before he clicked his tongue.despite the accusation, a grin was already threatening to appear. he set the bottle aside and rolled one sleeve of his shirt up, immediately lifting his arm into an exaggerated flex.

"i mean, i don't usually like making people feel bad about themselves, but if you're asking..." his expression remained completely straight for all of half a second before he broke into another laugh. "actually, hold on." stepping closer, he pointed between the two of them. "are we judging size? definition? overall aesthetic? because those are very different categories." he glanced down at his own arm, gave it a thoughtful poke, then looked back up.

[zhaojxmes]

james groaned immediately because maki was annoyingly right. "oh my god," he muttered, dragging a hand down his face. "you need to stop watching dr. phil clips"

his shoulder bumped lightly against the elevator wall as he stared at the floor numbers overhead. anything was better than looking directly at maki right now. the worst part was that he'd known the second the words left his mouth that asking eunchae had probably been a mistake.

it had sounded normal in his head. even harmless, then she turned him down. not even harshly, which somehow makes him feel ten times worse.

james shifted his weight, trying to ignore the lingering embarrassment still sitting heavily in his chest. he hated how obvious he must've looked. hated that maki had apparently clocked it immediately. "and for the record," he started, lifting a finger, "i did not look like someone told me my dog died. maybe a goldfish."

years of friendship made it impossible not to fall into the familiar rhythm. maki had seen him through enough embarrassing situations that joking back almost came automatically, even when james wanted to crawl into a hole somewhere.

the second question hit harder. or was the problem that you wanted her to come with us? james felt his stomach twist. because yes, obviously yes. but saying that out loud felt like voluntarily stepping in front of a moving train.

"i asked her because she was standing there," he said, far too quickly. "she's very helpful." the excuse sounded weak even to him. he exhaled quietly. "i just..." his voice trailed off before he shook his head. "never mind." because explaining it would only make things worse.

he wasn't even upset with eunchae. she hadn't done anything wrong. she'd probably thought nothing of it. meanwhile he'd somehow managed to spend the last thirty seconds replaying the interaction like it was a career-ending scandal. "let's just find the stupid camera and forget it all happened, alright?"

[makiroom]

maki stared at him with a not so subtle smile. "wow. that might've been the worst lie i've ever heard. do yourself a favor, and don't switch your idol career for an acting job. you won't go very far." he crossed his arms over his chest, shaking his head.

"'she's very helpful,'" he repeated, doing a surprisingly accurate imitation of james' voice. "yeah, okay." the elevator dinged as it passed another floor, but maki barely acknowledged it. "you know who else was standing there?" he continued. "me. sunoo. ni-ki." his brows lifted. "but somehow the very helpful person you wanted to go with you was eunchae?" he let that sit for a second before grinning. "interesting."

despite the teasing, there wasn't any judgment in his voice. if anything, he looked entertained by the whole thing. when james cut himself off with a never mind, maki noticed immediately. he always did. years of friendship made it pretty easy to tell when james was trying not to say something.

"right," he said, drawing the word out. his shoulder bumped lightly against james'. "for someone who wants me to forget this happened, you're doing a terrible job convincing me there's nothing to remember." the elevator finally slowed. maki pushed himself off the wall as the doors began to slide open. "don't worry, though." his grin widened. "your secret's safe with me." he sighs loudly before he steps out, "unless ni-ki asks."

[yum-nyang]

[makiroom]

@zhaojxmes

the elevator doors slid shut, sealing them into an almost painful silence. maki stared at the numbers above the doors for all of three seconds before letting out an exaggerated sigh.

"wow," his head tipped back against the wall. "this is probably the worst elevator ride i've ever been on." he shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, glancing sideways toward james.

"seriously though." he nudged the other lightly with his elbow. "what was that back there?" his brows lifted. "you looked like someone told you your dog died when eunchae said to take me instead." then he pointed at himself. "which is kind of offensive, by the way. i'm great company. a few seconds pass before a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. "or was the problem that you wanted her to come with us?"