I woke up today with lovely messages re: Stand By and just my work in general! Thank you so much for your support!!
I have to confess that these couple of weeks where my writing was dry, I was actually losing interest in writing for MX TT____TT I’m not into kpop as I was before, but I do enjoy writing every now and then and these guys are hard working folks who inspire people to strive for their next goal ... so, listening to their songs again got me pumped up to write again and the support I’m getting from you (even the silent readers who click ‘like’) are making my time and effort spent writing on MX fics all the worthwhile.
Reader x Monsta X
Where the readers decide which member will ultimately stay.
How to play: This is the second part of the new series! I've given each member more depth to their character and some dialogue between ‘you’ and them. People will have to vote for which members they want to keep and which member will (unfortunately) have to leave the series. All votes will be submitted through pm/messenger and cannot be anonymous (so as to prevent any rigging).
If you have any questions, my inbox is always open for ya (:
Now let’s find out who was our first member voted out ...
“May I have the following stand by passenger come up to the counter?” The airline staff announced what would be the final stand by passenger for that flight.
“Mr. Chae Hyungwon.”
Your eyes were immediately drawn to the tall, lean figure who rose from the seating area. He walked past you just as he answered the phone and greeted the caller with an almost deadpan ‘guess who just got on a flight’. A smile was about to creep on your lips, but you didn’t want to seem like a weird stranger who overheard another person’s conversation .... or make yourself appear like you were just checking the guy out.
The airline staff issued the last ticket out for the flight, confirming it fully booked. They regretfully announced that it would be the last flight for the day and instructed all stand by passengers to re-enlist themselves on the list at their service desk located elsewhere in the terminal.
A sigh escaped you as you grabbed your belongings and walked towards the service desk to do as the staff said. There were about twenty or so of you left, judging by how many were standing in line. Six of the seven good looking guys were left, which was oddly something to look forward to to the following day while you waited to get on a flight out to Los Angeles.
As you stood in line, you dialed up the nearest hotel to the airport that you last stayed in and inquired about its vacancy. They gave you the great news of how you took the last available room, mentioning how there were a surge of inquiries just over the past couple of minutes. You chuckled with the staff, asking if any of those last minute guests had blamed any of it on full flights, and they had a laugh themselves of how you happened to repeat their reason verbatim.
The queue didn’t take as terribly long as you thought you would, but the outside temperature was a lot lower than you expected. You didn’t actually believe the night would be that cold just yet, but it was biting onto your cheeks. You rushed to the cab line and internally groaned at the long wait. Waiting outside was not ideal, however, at least one of the six guys were in front of you and they unknowingly provided substantial coverage from the breeze flowing through the exterior of the airport.
You crossed one arm over yourself as the other hand held onto the carry-on luggage. Your shoulders were hunched as you tried to keep your body warmth to yourself and not lose it to the wind. Had it not been so late in the evening, you would have picked up one of the hotel’s shuttles.
It was as if the line was moving one inch per minute. In fact, it was starting to feel like it was moving up one person per five minutes with how scarce the cabs were that evening. At that rate, your expected departure time from the airport would just brush an hour.
The guy in front of you, who you remembered as ‘Minhyuk’, was shivering right after he finished his call with (who you assumed) a co-worker. “Man, it’s freezing out here.” He hugged his coat tighter around his frame, eyes glancing past you to see if there were any cabs en route. He happened to lock eyes with your briefly, sending you a smile. “The last thing anyone would want after spending a whole day in the airport, waiting to sneak on a flight back to sunny LA.”
You grinned and nodded in response. “I can just feel their warm ‘winter’ air already.” Then a cold breeze flew by. “And now it’s gone.”
Minhyuk laughed heartily. “Yeah, I was with you for a second and then that breeze just picked up.”
“Sorry you couldn’t make it on that flight before.” You smiled sincerely, referring to the flight he walked out of just as quickly as he walked into.
Minhyuk shook his head. “It’s alright. I managed to finish all my work before the deadline set in LA’s time. Now, I get to stay in a nice hotel for the night. And hopefully, it’ll just be for one night.”
“Same here. Thankfully the Grand Hyatt still had availability when I called them.”
“You managed to get a spot there too?” Minhyuk’s lips spread into a wide grin. “I called them right after they announced the full flight.” He clicked his tongue, though still in a positive manner. “I can’t begin to imagine how their lines get busy every night with floods of guests hoping to get a room after a flight cancellation or an overbooked flight.” His eyes trailed after a cab that just arrived, then he snapped his attention back to you. “Hey, since we’re going to the same place, want to just share a cab? It’ll save you from this cold night.”
You blinked several times at his offer, realizing how very right he was. Since the two of you had the same destination, you two could also split the fare. And as for the cue of possible ‘stranger danger’, the cab driver would be there and they usually wired their vehicles with video and/or audio recording devices; so, safety was quite strong.
A bright grin spread across your lips as you nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.” You shuffled forward with the line as another cab picked up someone from the queue. “Thanks for the offer.”
“Yeah, no problem. Figured it would be more convenient that way.” He nodded his chin back to the line of people behind you. “Plus, they’ll get to their destination faster if the two of get out for one cab.”
“Yeah. Thank you, again, really.”
“It’s no problem.” He smiled as he rubbed his hands up and down his arms to generate some warmth. “It feels like it’s about to snow here or something. I haven’t felt this cold since I was in New York for winter.”
“You travel a lot?” You were curious as to what sort of guy, with such a strong work ethic as his, would have as a job.
Minhyuk nodded. “Yeah, I’m a lawyer for a Korean-American firm. We have offices in LA, New York, and Seoul, so I travel often between those three cities.”
“Wow, you must be really quick with your words and thought process.”
He shrugged, brushing off the compliment. “It’s really all the drilling and practice they make you do at school. All that hard work paid off and the study habits never seemed to fade once I started on actual work.”
“That’s good! You don’t slack off, so work doesn’t pile up.”
Minhyuk grinned, eyeing a cab that was now arriving for you two at the front of the line. “Yeah, but work will always pile up regardless of how fast I work.” He then opened the door to the car that just stopped before you two. “Get in first.”
“Thanks,” you quickly replied as you ushered yourself in, bringing your luggage with you.
Minhyuk closed the door after you, then slipped into the front passenger seat. He told the driver your destination and you couldn’t help but think of how very kind of him he was to give you your space in the backseat.
The driver tried to start up the conversation, asking if you two were together, to which Minhyuk smoothly denied, detailing a very hilarious, yet insightful, story of how you were part of a group loitering around the airport to try to get on a flight. He even brushed off his failed ‘attempt’ at sneaking on one after a late confirmed passenger came running in and kicked him out. Minhyuk seemed to be a very positive person who had a sort of air that was filled with diligence and fortitude with whatever he came across.
The trip to the hotel flew by and before you knew it, you were paying Minhyuk for half of the fare and he was refusing to accept it.
“I offered to share a cab with you so we could get the both of us here and get the line moving. You don’t have to pay,” Minhyuk wasn’t hiding his hands and briskly entering the hotel so you couldn’t get a chance to hand him your half.
“Yes, but by accepting, I also agreed to paying for half of the fare.” You, too, were also insistent. You couldn’t let the guy just pay for the fare. Considering how late the trip was and how the demand was at the airport, the total was not a stellar sight.
Minhyuk laughed, finally stopping to take your money
only to return it back to you. “Last time I checked, I was the lawyer here, right? Anyways, the fare is billed to my company. I used a company card, so you’re essentially paying me for sharing a ride with you.” He arched a brow in a teasing manner. “Is that how you want us to end our night?” Watching you fumble with your words, he chuckled and nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow, hopefully with one of us getting on a flight to LA.”
You shook your head with dismay, but with a wide smile at Minhyuk’s end to your argument. “Have a good night,” you told Minhyuk before you approached one of the available check-in desk attendees.
Minhyuk had already left to his room by the time you were done checking in. You gripped onto your fourth floor room key as you headed to the elevator.
You were about to press on the ‘up’ button, but a hand beat you to it. Your eyes trailed up the person’s hand, their well sculpted arm, their shoulder, and then to that handsome face you recognized sitting next to that morning. It was the guy who declared his abstinence on alcohol (or was it his sex life?) over the phone: Hoseok.
He happened to catch you staring and flashed you a warm smile. “You got a room at the last minute too, huh?”
“Yeah,” you grinned, probably a little too brightly. You could feel your ears redden and were glad your hair covered them.
The elevator ringed its arrival and Hoseok extended his arm toward the empty cart, letting you enter first. Wow, the gentlemen amongst the seven guys was a higher number than you anticipated.
You smiled in response and entered in first, pressing the ‘4’ button. “Which floor?” you asked Hoseok.
One glance at the numberpad and he was already smiling. “You already got it covered.”
You realized that you two were assigned to the same floor and you just could not thank the heavens enough that your hair was perfectly covering your ears that evening.
“They said they were running out of rooms when I called them,” Hoseok mentioned as the elevator started its ascend up to the designated floor. “You must have gotten the last one.”
“I did, actually.” You chuckled. “I called them while I was in line. Did not expect everyone to call that hotel right after they announced the flight booked.”
“Not your first time traveling on the stand by list?” He was curious … and possibly sending you a flirtatious smile … or he could just be really friendly.
“Yeah,” you nodded right when the elevator arrived at the fourth floor. You exited first and glanced back at him. “I’m guessing you’re a seasoned stand-by-list-traveler.”
Hoseok laughed warmly at your choice of words, then nodded as he left the elevator and stood with you at the fourth floor elevator lobby. “Yeah, as a fitness trainer, I get a lot of perks and decent pay, but that doesn’t mean I skimp out on deals like stand by list opportunities.” He shared another smile with you, then glanced at the numbers posted on the wall noting which direction the rooms were. “I’ve got the left wing.”
You looked at your card’s sleeve and then the numbers. “So do I.”
Hoseok tilted his head towards the left side with his smile still intact. “I’ll walk with you.”
“Well, aren’t you a gentleman,” you teased (surprisingly).
“I’ve been told that I’m a friendly guy.” He remarked in the same teasing tone as your’s while his eyes scanned the doors you two were passing. “This must be a huge wing, because my number isn’t even close to these.”
“More walking. Shouldn’t you be happy about that?” Yet another teasing remark from your end.
“Sometimes, a fitness trainer wants to be a lazy civilian too.” Hoseok chuckled. “Especially when he sees some of his clients after a holiday break. With all the weight they regretfully gained, I wish I could give them some slack, but they pay me to be strict with them.”
“You don’t seem like a strict guy.”
“Only when I’m working. Though, when it comes to nutrition and diet, I have to adhere to a strict schedule just to keep a strong image for my clients.” He snickered softly. “Highly doubt any of them want to have a lazy bum ordering them to do fifty lunges, right?”
“No, they sure wouldn’t like that.” Your eyes finally spotted your room number and you slowed to a stop. “My stop’s here.”
Hoseok chuckled, garnering curiosity on your end. He never left his eyes and his smile from you when he walked to the neighboring room and waved. “Hi, neighbor.”
A lighthearted laugh came from your end as you unlocked your door. “Please tell me you won’t start blasting music and work out all night.”
He feigned a pout. “How else will keep my body in shape?” He unlocked his door with one hand. “Care to be my workout partner? I’m sure I can get you in shape for a triathalon.”
Your cheeks must have gotten red at that point with how warm they were getting. Was he actually inviting you to exercise with him or was he insinuating that you two would have …
His smile was back on his lips as he gave you a curt nod. “I’ll keep my music low. Have a good rest.”
“Y-Yeah. You too,” you managed to mutter with your shocked state. You quickly shuffled into your room and closed your door, calming your nerves with alarmed eyes. How embarrassing would it have been if he caught on to what you were thinking he was insinuating to?
You shook your head, not wanting to think about it anymore, then plopped onto your bed. Your comfy bed.
Sleep came well to you that night. You woke up the next morning with the exciting idea of free breakfast down in the dining area. You headed straight down after you packed up your belongings, knowing you could squeeze in a quick breakfast before catching the hotel’s shuttle to the airport. However, it seemed like just about everyone else had the same idea; the tables were practically filled to the brim with guests and their luggage.
You figured you could get a plate first, then sort out your sitting situation after. You headed straight towards the bagels and saw that there were none. You asked one of the passing servers and they regretfully informed how their next batch wouldn’t come out for another fifteen minutes. In fifteen minutes, you needed to be on your way to the airport.
Without you knowing, one of the guests had to be hovering around and happened to have two bagels on his plate. He walked up to your side and placed down one of them on your plate. “Don’t worry, I just picked it up with their utensils a couple seconds ago and nothing else has touched the bagel.”
Your eyes rose to your bagel savior and you found the kind man from the airport before you: Hyunwoo. “Oh! Really? I can’t take your bagel. You got it first.”
He smiled and shook his head. “No, it’s fine, really. I’ve been told to cut back on carbs, but it’s just habit for me to get loads of them instead. So, you’re really just helping me out.”
“O-Oh, okay.” You returned with a bright smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And, I’m being honest when I said I just picked it up and nothing’s touched it.” He quickly clarified.
“Thank you,” you chuckled then smiled again as he left you to your bidding.
You perused the breakfast bar to see what else was left and managed to scrap some eggs, bacon, and a cream cheese spread. Now, it was just the issue of finding a seat. You stood almost defeated by the sidelines as your eyes scanned for an empty table.
“You need a seat?” Hyunwoo appeared by your side once again. He could read your eyes for your answer, nodding towards the right. “I have an empty chair at my table. You’re welcome to sit with me.”
“Thank you. I really don’t want to be a bother, though, especially after you gave me a bagel-”
“It’s completely okay. You’ve got to head to the airport soon too, right?” He guided you to his table and removed his belongings from the chair across from his.
You settled down your luggage and plate, then settled in the seat. “Yeah, thought I could squeeze in some free breakfast.”
Hyunwoo flashed you a smile as he cut a slice of his pancake. “You and everyone else on the stand by list who’s staying here.”
You looked around and did notice a few familiar faces, none of which were Minhyuk or Hoseok. Did they leave already?
“Not to scare you,” Hyunwoo continued. “But most of them already took a shuttle back to the airport.”
“Guess we better finish up soon,” you remarked as you applied the spread to your bagel.
“Just not too fast. Wouldn’t want you choking on me.” Hyunwoo teased. “But if you did, just know, that as a certified lifeguard, I’d be able to help.”
You grinned at his comment. “I feel safe just knowing. Are you a lifeguard?” You asked before taking a bite out of your bagel.
Hyunwoo shook his head. “Athlete. Swimmer.”
You nodded as you continued to eat your food. It seemed pretty obvious now to you that he was, with his broad back and undeniably built frame.
“I’ve got to head back to the pool before a meet next week,” he added between bites. “Wouldn’t want my team waiting on me.”
Considering where you were numbered on yesterday’s stand by list, you were confident he would get on a flight before you did. “I’m sure you’ll be back soon.”
The two of you continued to eat while slipping in a few sentences to your conversation between bites. Hyunwoo was sharp on time, counting down the minutes to the next shuttle. You two managed to wrap up your morning meal and arrive at the shuttle pick up area right on time.
“Thank you, again,” you told Hyunwoo as you entered the shuttle.
“For the bagel? That was nothing,” Hyunwoo chuckled.
“Not just for that, but for the seat and keeping an eye out for the shuttle.”
“My pleasure. Wouldn’t want you stranded here.” He flashed you a smile then nodded towards a vacant seat. “You can take this one, I’ll take the one in the back.”
“Okay, thanks.” You probably tired out the word to the guy, but you really couldn’t help but feel grateful for his grand gestures of kindness.
You rested your eyes during the ride to the airport, opening them once the shuttle came to a complete stop and announced its arrival. You carried your belongings down and went straight to the check in kiosks to get your new stand by ticket before going to the security checkpoint.
The security line was pretty long, but it was moving at a steady pace. It didn’t take a while before you got to the front and began unpacking your laptop and removing your jacket.
“Excuse me, but your ticket dropped,” a male voice approached you.
You turned around and saw your ticket slip as the man said and quickly thanked them, finding out it was the guy with the great voice: Kihyun. He seemed to also realize who you were too.
“Oh, hey, you were waiting for the flights to LA too?” He greeted you with an even warmer smile. “Day two.”
“Day two,” you repeated with just as bright of a smile. “Is your trip back urgent?”
Kihyun unloaded his belongings onto the trays and the conveyer belt. “Me? Nah. I’m still on my vacation. And honestly, anytime spent outside of the kitchen is a vacation for me.”
“Oh, are you a cook?” You filed into the line for the security’s metal detector.
“Head chef, as of last month.” He nodded as he queued behind you. “After a couple years of schooling and working up the kitchen ladder, I happened to land a gig at this new restaurant.”
“That’s amazing! Congratulations, I’m sure you deserve it.”
“I think I was just lucky,” he chuckled while the two of you moved up in the line.
“I heard new restaurants work their kitchen staff really hard,” you commented as you got to the front of the line.
“They do, but I’m really grateful for the opportunity to cook and to even have a break so early in the restaurant’s career.”
It was your turn to go through the detectors and you walked through without any trouble. You headed to the conveyor belt and waited for your items to clear through the screening.
“You pack light,” Kihyun remarked as soon as he joined you on the other side. “How long were you here for?”
“Just a week. I mostly used the same coats and varied my layers.” Your items finally emerged and you quickly gathered up your belongings. “How about you?”
“A little over a week.” Kihyun hoisted up his luggage off the belt then walked with you towards the appointed gate for the first flight out to Los Angeles. “I was supposed to relax and enjoy the scenery, but I ended up visiting a bunch of different restaurants every chance I could get.”
“Wow, you are really dedicated to your career. Scouting out what other chefs are doing and tasting different styles.”
Kihyun shook his head with his warm smile spread over his lips. “It’s just out of habit, honestly. I’ve also got to keep my metabolism up by frequently eating.”
“I’m jealous,” you chuckled.
“You should swing by the restaurant when you get back.” Kihyun dug into his backpack.
“If I ever get back,” you joked.
Kihyun breathed out a chuckle at your remark, then handed you a business card. “I’m always there. Make a reservation over the phone and let them know to inform me of who you are so I can give you some special plates.”
“Aw, thank you so much.” You gladly accepted the card and grinned upon reading the restaurant’s name aloud. “I’ll be sure to stop by and refer this place to all my friends and family.”
“I’d greatly appreciate that.”
The two of you changed the topic of your conversation over to the types of dishes Kihyun’s kitchen cooked up and what sort of flavors you enjoyed the most. The morning foot traffic in the terminal wasn’t as bad as the day before, but there were still times where you had to squeeze through groups.
Arriving at the gate, you two were presented with a sight of a completely full waiting area. You scanned for any empty seats, spotting familiar faces instead.
“I’ve got to charge my phone,” Kihyun said as he pulled out his charger. “Good luck on getting on this flight.”
“Thanks, you two,” you waved after the young chef as he headed towards an available outlet.
Your eyes were back on the waiting area, but they were finding it difficult to peruse the vicinity from where you were standing. You dragged your carry on luggage with you as you slowly walked further into the seating area and looked around, making sure to avoid any legs or bags.
You happened to lock eyes with a very familiar face from the day before, and you two shared a smile.
“I should probably put my bag on the floor,” he said, offering you the seat beside him. “It was fairly empty when I got here, but I must have lost track of the population when I was reading.”
“Thank you,” you settled down on the newly available seat and placed your backpack on your lap. “Changkyun, right?”
Changkyun smiled and nodded. “You remembered. And you’re (Y/N)?”
“Yep, that’s me.” Your eyes briefly fell onto the book he held in his hand then teased him. “What has you so immersed in its pages that you didn’t notice the tremendous amount of people here?”
“Aha, this.” He raised his book, showing you the cover of what was a computer programming book. “Keeping up with the times.”
“Does it have today’s weather in there too?” You continued with your teasing.
“Not precisely.” His smile crept higher. “But it does have a great way of explaining how I could create a code for it.”
Chuckling, you asked, “Are you a student?”
Changkyun shook his head. “Recent graduate and recently employed. Got hired right after university from the same company I interned at.”
“Nice! Congratulations. You must be a great … computer programmer?” Your voice wavered a bit at the end when you realized how unsure you were of his job title.
“Yeah, or just ‘programmer’. I’m glad I got into the internship while I was in school or else the competition would have been far too stiff with how many graduates who were pining to get into the company.”
“What sort of programming do you do?” You inquired, eyes trying to understand the text inside the book.
“Just managing the system and improving the database’s efficiency with other programs.” He then cracked another smile. “That sounded pretty vague, but I wouldn’t want to bore you with the details. I just cover a lot of grounds.”
“Sounds like a lot of hard work.”
“We do have to sacrifice some hours of our social life at times, but it’s all for the betterment of the company.” He chuckled. “The number of times I’ve actually slept at the office to finish some work far exceeds the number of fingers I have.”
Your eyes widen with shock at his statement. “Really? Do you get paid extra for that?”
Keeping his smile on his lips, he shook his head. “No. We have a set salary.”
“Wouldn’t you prefer to clock out at a regular time and just continue with your work the next day?”
“I could do that, but the work would pile up and some of the projects are more difficult than others. But I really like what I do and honestly don’t mind spending my time there working.”
“Really?” Your tone was more firm than before.
“Yeah, I’m learning a lot. And from what I learn, I can apply to future projects that would make it easier for me to tackle.”
“Well, don’t you have a strong will. And a generous heart.”
Changkyun grinned at your compliment.
The airline staff then announced the start of sitting passengers on the aircraft, asking confirmed guests to file in their respective lines for their seats’ group number. The two of you watched as a large amount of the guests rise from their seats to line up for the staff. Concerns about the number of available seats for the stand by list were shared and tasteful remarks of missing this flight were joked about.
The confirmed passengers were all in the plane in a timely manner and it was now time for the stand by list announcement. You wished silently for a seat, but that hope dwindled down when they shared that only one seat was available. The first stand by passenger was called out, then the rest of you internally groaned when it wasn’t any of your names.
“Next flight, huh?” Changkyun cracked his book open after the staff announced the next departing flight and its gate number.
“I hope so.” You rose from your seat; your body was begging for some caffeine. “I’ll see you at the next gate, then.”
Changkyun smiled and nodded before you left the seat and walked out of the gate’s waiting area.
Thankfully, the nearest cafe was just the next slot over and you were standing in line with strong intentions of getting a caramel latte. You ordered your drink then scouted the cafe’s vicinity for a spot to sit at. There were some counters with bar stools where people had their coffee and laptops out and there were small tables scattered about the floor. You decided to take one of the counter spots after you got your drink and successfully managed to nab the last one that had a view of the airport outside.
You placed your coffee down first then took off your backpack, accidentally knocking your elbow on your paper cup. “Oh no!” You hastily grabbed the cup and brought it up to its standing position then reached out for the napkins on the counter to clean up the small pool of coffee that were dangerously close to the other person’s laptop. “I’m so so sorry,” you frantically repeated as you dabbed up the spill.
The other person chuckled softly as they helped to clean up the small mess … and that was when you realized that it was the second time apologizing to the guy. “It’s okay,” he grinned, wiping up the last bit of the spill. “It just got on the table, so don’t worry.”
“Are you sure none of it got on your laptop?” Your brow furrowed as you assessed the electronic.
“Completely. You don’t have to apologize, again.” He chuckled once more. “It was an accident and everything’s okay. Well, except for the level of coffee you have left in there.”
You shook your head, gathering the wet napkins from him. “It’s not much. I shouldn’t be drinking that much anyways.”
He nodded at your belongings. “I’ll watch your stuff.”
“Thanks,” you said before making a brief trip to the nearest trash bin and tossing the used napkins.
“Guess my day at the airport can’t go without us bumping into each other,” the guy teased.
“I’m sorry-”
“No, no. No more apologizing,” he laughed softly, then offered his hand to you. “I’m Jooheon. Looks like we’ll be seeing each other more often than not until one of us gets on a plane.”
“Hopefully, this will be the last time,” you accepted his hand for a shake. “I’m (Y/N).”
Jooheon’s lips formed a small pout. “Already tired of me?”
It took you a few seconds for you to register what he meant, then you quickly shook your head. “Oh no, I was just saying that I hope we could get on the next flight.”
Jooheon let out a hearty laugh. “I was just kidding with you, Y/N.”
Your cheeks burned with embarrassment as you finally settled down on the stool with your laptop and coffee safely atop the counter. “Right.”
“So are you waiting to go home or to a vacation spot?” He inquired as he picked up his drink.
“Heading back home. You?” You turned on your laptop, quickly typing up the password as soon as it turned on.
“Business meeting. At least, I hope so.”
“Yeah?” Your eyes innocently wandered onto Jooheon’s screen and you saw a music production program.
Jooheon sipped on his drink, then nodded as he set his cup down. “Someone over in LA sampled some of my work and is interested in talking music with me. I’m hoping I can get a good gig with either producing, writing, or rapping.”
“Wow! That’s amazing! You must be extremely talented with music and the art.”
“I like to think so, too.” Jooheon grinned.
“Are you working on a piece right now?” You raised your cup to your lips for a sip.
“Sorta. Just trying to enhance it and make it different from the other bits they listened to.” He returned his attention to his screen briefly before glancing at your laptop. “And what are you up to to pass the time until our next flight?”
You smiled sheepishly. “Honestly? Just random videos.”
Jooheon grinned. “What sort of videos do you tend to watch the most?”
“Dance practice ones. I can’t really dance that well, but I like watching others.”
“Ah, I see.” Jooheon nodded. “Hey, if you’re open to suggestions, I know a group that has some great choreo.”
“Yeah?” You opened up YouTube with your fingers ready to type on the keyboard.
“Yeah, they’re called Monsta X. It’s ‘monster’, but with an ‘a’ instead of the ‘er’ at the end. And then, just the letter ‘x’,” Jooheon guided you as he watched you type up the group name. Then, when the page loaded he waved a finger at a couple of the videos listed. “All of them are great.”
“Thanks!” Your eyes gravitated toward a video titled ‘Hero’ for it’s screencap, but thought it was safer to choose another video where there wasn’t a thumbnail of a guy lifting his shirt up.
“No problem.” Jooheon was about to return to his work until his phone rang on the counter. “I’ve got to get this,” he said as he closed his laptop. “I’ll see you at the next gate.”
“See ya,” you grinned as he answered his phone then gathered his belongings before he left.
Without Jooheon beside you to judge your first choice, you went ahead and clicked on the ‘Hero’ video.
One video led to another and, soon enough, it was time for you to head to the gate. You figured you could squeeze in one more video while you finished up your coffee, so you did and later arrived at the gate right as they announced their start of the stand by list.
“We have several seats available for our stand by passengers. First guest, Mr. -”
[ A/N : First guy out! Wowza! Don’t worry, there were votes to keep him, but there were also votes to boot him. Guess he wasn’t that impressionable. Okay, so onto our next vote ~ Send in your votes (not anonymously) to my inbox and tell me who you want to keep (list up to four names only - but only one person will leave) and who you want to vote out. Which of these guys do you not want sticking around? Which of these guys do you want to learn more of and get a chance to learn about? ]
whoa, stand by is truly a masterpiece! don't stop writing, you definitely have talent!
Thank you so much! ^^I hope you’ll be voting for which members to stay and which one will leave ;;I want to clarify also that although I asked for up to 5 members, only one guy will be leaving in this next part. Also, there’s just one person who will be leaving each part, until the final part when only 3 remain and I’ll reveal who will be the last one who will be paired up with the reader.SO the POWER of who the reader will be with REMAINS IN YOUR HANDS.Vote, everyone! Even if you just put one name to stay or leave, it all helps!
Reader x Monsta X
Where the readers decide which member will ultimately stay.
How to play: This is the first part of the new series! I have introduced the members briefly and gave you hints at their personality types. People will have to vote for which members they want to keep and which member will (unfortunately) have to leave the series. All votes will be submitted through pm/messenger and cannot be anonymous (so as to prevent any rigging).
If you have any questions, my inbox is always open for ya (:
Let the games begin ~
Your tired eyes glanced up at the monitor for that gate’s flight before snapping wide awake when you noticed that some of the names on the stand by list had check marks beside them. You hastily pulled out your earphones and immediately tuned yourself to the announcements made by the airline’s staff regarding the flight load.
It seemed like you had no chance in getting on that flight … or even any that day, considering how there was even a second page to that standby list. And, much to your luck, your name was towards the bottom of that 40+ names.
You let out a sigh as another name was called from the stand by list. Well, at least there would be one less person in front of you for the next upcoming flights.
Crossing your arms, you leaned back against the chair, not realizing your phone was barely balancing on your lap until your earphones dove straight to the floor with your phone. You were quick to reach down for it, but the handsome fella sitting to the right of you happened to be even faster.
Hands slightly blushed, causing a quick exchange of apologetic smiles (and a thankful one mixed in with that from your end) once the guy handed you your phone. “Thank you,” you bowed your head, trying to keep your eyes steady on his warm orbs instead of his attractively dark complexion and his pierced ears.
“No problem,” his surprisingly deep voice responded.
Your brain rapidly registered your surroundings and the deduced with his presence still sitting there beside you instead of on the plane: the guy was on stand by as well. “You’re on the stand by list too?” Your voice didn’t give in to your blushing heart.
“Yeah,” he replied with a nod. His eyes scanned the rest of the waiting area where just about thirty or so people appeared to also have little hope in getting on that plane. “With the rest of these folks.”
Your eyes did the same and you even noticed how the six other good looking guys were either paying attention to their phones or to the airline staff. The long day ahead of you was turning out to be a tad less bad than expected.
The airline’s staff took over the PA system, announcing the full flight’s departure. A sea of silent sighs reigned the gate’s waiting area as the staff shared they would be transferring the remaining stand by passengers on to the next flight load, pending for departure in two hours.
Your stomach made a slight grumbling noise, reminding you of its lack of a breakfast meal that early morning. You squirmed in your seat to mask the sound, then slipped your backpack over your shoulders. Flashing a smile over at your new acquaintance, you rose up from the chair. “Guess I’ll be seeing you at the next flight’s gate.”
“Yeah,” he nodded, remaining comfortably seated. He then extended his hand out to you, “I’m Changkyun, by the way. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too, Changkyun.” You accepted his hand and gave it a friendly shake. “I’m (Y/N).”
Changkyun gave you a curt nod, repeating your name with that deep voice of his, leaving you to your bidding.
With one hand wrapped around your phone, your free hand grabbed your wheeled carry on. You turned on the soles of your shoes in the opposite of Changkyun to head out the gate, only to be met with a stuffed duffel bag blocking your path. Not a moment too soon did that duffel bag get raised by its owner who wore a warm smile over his face. You hoped your cheeks didn’t reveal how flushed you were by his kind manners and handsome smile.
Thanking the man, you briskly walked past him and went on your way to the closest map of the terminal. Though your mind was trying to figure out what your body wanted for breakfast, the image of the man’s thick thighs and chest made apparent with his black attire had your mind fanning over him. You had to physically shake your head in order to stop your mind from vividly picturing his milky skin and the bulging biceps of his.
You spotted the map of the terminal rather quickly and weaved through the airport’s crowd. You walked up to it and scanned its list of restaurants and cafes. You mentally asked your stomach what it was craving and it shouted for coffee and a bagel.
Quickly, you headed towards the cafe-
And straight against a guy.
His belongings spilled onto the floor and you were quick to kneel down and collect his items, repeatedly apologizing for not looking. The guy only chuckled in response, adding in a ‘no worries’ and a ‘all is forgiven’ when you met eyes with him. His crescent shaped eyes. You instantly recognized him as one of the good looking fellas in the gate you were waiting at earlier, but didn’t let that stop you from keeping a poised smile.
Inadvertently, you were still holding onto his notebook. He had to pass on another light hearted chuckle when he pointed at the small padlet in your hands.
You glanced down and caught sight of his student ID sticking out of the notebook as well. ‘Jooheon’ appeared on his card as you handed the notebook back to him and you sang another series of apologies.
“Seriously, you don’t have to apologize.” The guy grinned. “Though, it did seem like you were in a rush.” He made a step to the side. “Don’t let me keep you from your destination.”
Flustered, you said sorry again and paired it with a ‘thank you’ before you went on your way to the coffee shop. The low growl of your wheeled carry on accompanied you through the hustling terminal. One particular gate was spilling out to the walkway that you, and the river of visitors flowing around, had to weave around them. You had to squeeze yourself through what small space was left and overhead a honey-like voice drifting through the space. Your eyes spotted the source right in front of you and recognized the owner as one of the attractive guys waiting earlier at the other gate. And as quickly as you saw him, you also quickly lost him.
You finally arrived at the cafe on the other side of the terminal. You stood third in line, eyeing the menu and figuring out just what sort of drink you wanted. Did you want a latte or just straight coffee? You were debating between the two, and suddenly you were about to be next in line.
The customer before you, with his rather large build and chiseled arms, flashed the cutest eyesmile towards the worker, wishing them happy holidays, then walked off to find a seat. You greeted the cashier and went for a simple medium sized cup of that day’s brew, requesting they leave about an inch of the cup so you could pour in milk and cream. You also added a muffin (scraping the bagel earlier desired by your stomach) to the list and paid accordingly.
As you stepped to the side, you skimmed the small cafe for available seats and found one right beside the display of cakes and goodies. How delightful.
You settled down on the two-person seating table and whisked out your laptop, connecting to the wi-fi immediately to amuse yourself for the next hour and a half.
‘Hyunwoo’ was called out from the counter and your eyes identified the eyesmiling man to yet another one of the seven fine men at the earlier gate. Your name was called shortly thereafter, spotting the man with the sweet vocals ordering at the cashier. You went over to the coffee condiments bar to sweeten up your coffee, then returned to your spot.
Back at the table, you open up a web browser and searched for dance practice videos as you sipped your hot cup of coffee. You plugged in your earphones into their respective jack and managed to match the man with the soft singing voice with his name, Kihyun (thanks to the barista), before you put on your earphones.
Without you knowing it, the hour and a half flew by and it took the Hyunwoo figure to key you on the time. You noticed a large build leaving the cafe and realized he was probably heading out to the next gate for the flight out to Los Angeles. You tugged off your earphones, hearing him thank the baristas for the good cup of coffee and jokingly telling them to wish him luck on getting on that flight out.
The Kihyun guy overheard when he was tossing out his trash right beside the counter after almost bumping into the guy. He smiled warmly, stepping back to let the guy go first, then thanking the Hyunwoo character for passing on his wishes too.
You and your wheeled carry on were back in the bustling terminal hallway, walking towards the next designated gate. You spotted the confirmed seats already filing into the arch towards the airplane then searched for a vacant spot to wait at.
The only spot available was by a thick round pillar, already accompanied by a rather tall male who appeared to have walked straight out of a manga with his physical appearance. The two of you made quick eye contact, flashing the other with a friendly smile, then resumed to your own bidding. Though your eyes flickered away towards the monitors, you couldn’t help but bring your eyes back on the guy (who surely had to be more than six feet tall) and saw how disinterested he was in his surroundings, keeping his eyes on his phone.
Leaning against the pillar, you watched as the gate gradually empty itself out, leaving only the familiar faces of those waiting at the earlier flight. You counted all seven of the good looking men there along with the twenty plus others idling around as well.
It was time for the stand by announcement. One person was called at about a minute’s pace. Totalling to a grand count of six people who were successfully able to get on the flight.
The airline counter staff spoke with another staff member about another seat having been yet to be filled.
“Minhyuk,” the airline staff announced. “Lee Minhyuk.”
Everyone’s heads were turning left and right to spot for the chosen guest, but there didn’t seem to be any movement.
“Lee Minhyuk. Last call.”
Suddenly, a man shot up from his seat with a laptop in hand and a cell phone cradled between his ear and shoulder. “Here! Sorry, I was on a call for work.” He quickly closed his laptop shut and slipped his phone into his pocket, then grabbed his backpack and jogged over to the counter to retrieve his newly assigned ticket. He smiled merrily at the staff and thanked them profusely, quickly confirming with them that the flight would have wi-fi because he had work to finish, then disappeared into the hallway towards the aircraft.
The staff then announced the flight officially full, earning a wave of ‘tsk’s and groans from the rest who were waiting. They shared the next flight out in the next three hours, garnering a more vocal sea of undelightful sounds from the crowd.
You heaved out a sigh, unsure just what you were going to do now with your time. You brought out your phone to glance at the time and figured you could go get lunch somewhere and stay there for the time being.
A body abruptly ran past you and the manga-like man, shouting out her name for the flight that was just officially closed. The woman had everyone’s attention on her and in no more than a couple minutes did the Minhyuk guy emerge from the arched hallway from the aircraft. Minhyuk chuckled with a shake of his head when the woman apologized and ran inside to take her originally assigned seat back. The staff apologized for taking him back out, but Minhyuk smiled, telling them not to worry: “I had work that needed the internet anyways. So you’re helping me out.”
You noted the handsome fella with a ‘good work ethic’ tag for even putting his work first above all else, as well as ‘optimistic’ for not sporting a frown when he got switched out of the flight.
The tall male beside you clicked his tongue, now paying attention to what just occurred. You overheard him dial up his mother and telling her that he didn’t make it on that flight, consoling her with a relaxed tone that there was still another flight out that night.
“Hyungwon. Chae Hyungwon.”
The guy beside you told his mom to hold as he walked around you towards the counter. Curious, and with apparently all the time in the world, your eyes trailed after the guy to see what he was called for. Straining your ear just a bit, you learned that Hyungwon had been apparently been kicked out of the list during the stand by list transfer. He needed to go to the main customer service desk to put his name back on the list.
Figuring he would have been pissed off by the news, the guy merely nodded and asked for directions for the service desk. He walked past you again, telling his mom that she didn’t have to be mad for him since he did have some sort of seniority on the list and his place should remain the same. You had to applaud the guy for keeping his cool and not finding anything too awful or interested to his liking.
Back to the directory you went, this time on the lookout for a restaurant with feasible pricing on their meals. A fast food joint called your name and were now on your way there (which happened to be conveniently located on the other side of the terminal). Before you made the trek, you decided to go stop by the restroom.
Though there was no queue, there was a ‘no enter’ sign for both doors because it was being cleaned. The honey-like voice entered your ears again with another sweet song. You looked to the right and saw the muscular guy who was sitting beside you at the first gate, then watched as the owner of the sweet voice have his eyes glued to his phone (who you remembered the barista calling him as Kihyun) almost walked straight into the sign had it not been for the muscular guy’s tug on the other’s arm. Kihyun abruptly step back, blink several times, then thanked the other guy for stopping him. The three of you shared a round of chuckles; you boldly complimented on his singing and the muscular guy joined in with his praise. Kihyun smiled (that practically made your heart melt) and thanked the two of you. A janitor then emerged from the restroom and took down signs from both doors, letting the three of you enter.
After leaving the restroom, you stepped aside to check your phone for any messages.
The muscular guy came out of the restroom shortly after you and answered his phone. “Hoseok, here.”
Your eyes fluttered away from your phone screen and towards the built guy, trying your best not to ogle to much at the man’s physique. You eavesdropped on the guy’s conversation and immediately felt embarrassed when you heard him tell the caller that there was no way in hell he would talk about his sex life over the phone at the airport and also confirmed that he had not been intoxicated in over six months. You quickly left the spot so as to leave the guy alone, then went off to the restaurant.
You got yourself an appropriately priced meal set and sat yourself down at the only open table to enjoy your meal. The table was able to seat six others, which is why the Hoseok guy gave you a friendly smile and asked if he could take the seat on the other end of the table. You said it was available and he sat himself down, thanking you.
Your mind kept your eyes glued to your meal.
Until the Minhyuk guy asked the two of you if he could sit at the other end of the table. You both said yes and he set down his meal then brought out his laptop.
“Sorry to hear that you didn’t get on that plane, dude.” Hoseok remarked to Minhyuk.
Minhyuk shook his head, smiling. “It’s nothing, really. I was more stressed out about not having access to the internet for thirty minutes when the plane takes off. Now, I’m able to finish up my project before the deadline.”
You wanted to make a comment too, but you didn’t want to beat up a dead horse on Minhyuk’s ‘missed’ flight situation and definitely didn’t want to blatantly reveal to Hoseok of what you overheard in his conversation. Though, it did give you some wonder as to how a guy with such a body and alluring vibe could sustain from alcohol for so long; you pictured him as one of those regular drinkers or a party guy, but he proved you wrong.
Kihyun was the last to ask for permission to sit at the table. He was welcomed with another round of compliments again for his singing. But he was being absolutely modest to your’s, Hoseok’s, and even Minhyuk’s words. “It’s just okay. I’m not fantastic or anything.”
“Well, you sure have a better range than me,” Minhyuk commented before returning his attention back onto his work.
“Are a singer or a vocal teacher?” You inquired in between bites.
Kihyun smiled, shaking his head. “I enjoy singing, but I don’t do anything related to it.”
“You should definitely consider it,” Hoseok grinned. His eyes then flickered to an elder who was carrying their meal in search of a seat. He immediately rose from his seat and gathered his belongings, cleaning the table as well. “Here, ma’am, you can take my seat.”
“Oh, no, I shouldn’t. You were still eating here with your friends.” The elderly woman said.
“No, I was finishing up.” Hoseok even held the chair out for the woman to take a seat in. “Really. I’m going to go walk around, so please take this seat.”
You labelled Hoseok as a man with regal manners as you watched the woman take his seat before he walked away. You, Minhyuk, and Kihyun shared a smile with the woman, to which she complimented Kihyun for his handsome smile.
“No, I’m not that good looking.” Kihyun chuckled. “I’m average, especially sitting next to that guy.” He jutted a thumb towards Minhyuk who was way too into his work to pay attention.
“Ma’am.” Hyunwoo appeared out of nowhere with a cup of water. “You forgot your drink.” He placed the cup down for the elder, being well receiving to her thanks and sharing her warm wishes for the rest of her day, then returned to his seat at another table.
“How kind of him,” the elderly woman laughed softly.
You nodded in agreement with the woman, finishing up your meal then cleaning up the area to toss out the trash. You returned to your seat and opened up your laptop to help pass the next few hours.
After several tens of videos later, you were packing up your belongings again and heading off to the next gate. You spotted the Hyungwon guy walking far ahead of you, but he happened to be walking at a much slower pace to the side of the hallway with his phone pressed against his ear. It didn’t appear that the guy was in a rush to get to the next gate and was probably even lackadaisical of whether he got on that next flight or not. You had to stifle your chuckle when you walked past him and heard him telling the person on the other end of his line that he’s already been waiting for over a day and how there’s really no big deal if he got on that flight or not because it would mean one less day spent with his overbearing relatives.
You arrived at the gate right as the last group of confirmed passengers were walking in towards the aircraft. You looked at the screen to see the seating chart of the plane and counted seven seats that were unaccounted for, meaning it was available. The screen then changed to the list of names on the stand by list and you were still way towards the bottom. There was really no guarantee that your name would get called, but at least you could say you waited before your name got transferred to the next flight.
The airline staff began to call names from the stand by list. Nothing really piqued your interest as you just wanted the whole process to be done with so you could get on your way. However, there appeared to be three people called who didn’t show up; this meant that you were moving up the list at a much faster rate than you thought.
You counted as six people were now taking up the seven seats on the flight, kicking them off the stand by list and increasing your chances of getting on the next flight. With one seat left, the group was anticipating who would get called and (especially those who were just shy of being at the top of the list) who wouldn’t show up so the next person would get the seat.
Tapping your fingers against your carry on’s handle, you kept your eyes on the airline staff and watched as they called out the next name on the list.
“May I have the following stand by passenger come up to the counter? Mr.-”
[ A/N : YAY ~ So now you can send in your votes (unanonymously) to my inbox and tell me who you want to keep (list up to five names only) and who you want to vote out. Which of these guys do you not want sticking around? Which of these guys do you want to learn more of and get a chance to learn about? And also ... which guy is paired up with which of the seven heavenly virtues (because, that’s right, I paired them up with one) ?? ]
I'm liking the new series. I'm excited for the next update. Do u know when u will update it?
Thank you! I’m hoping by tomorrow (Sunday) since I have more free time then. But honestly, I’ve been feeling very off for the last few days with everyone stressing about the election and such. But I’m going to power through so we can bring some good vibes up in this place!!
