Hundred Broken Hearts - L.HS [Part 1]
Lee Heeseung, the flex and quiet heartthrob going by the nickname of Evan, beloved singer amongst all, is an insecure man underneath it all. All those glorious music awards mean nothing to him, since he feels…empty. The man everyone swoons over, whose one glance is enough to put someone to their knees, doesn’t feel the happiness off-stage, even if he is pitch perfect.
Ayumi Nishikawa is one of the rising Japanese stars, known popularly for her siren singing and catchy lyrics in her songs. Though not widely known for it, but she’s a great guitarist off-stage, who takes great happiness even in honorable mentions. Her voice isn’t just her career to her, but more like a first love that one cherishes all throughout their life.
What happens one day when these polar opposites collide to collaborate on an album?
singer! Heeseung x singer! Ayumi, opposites attract
Tags (probably warnings too):
Emotional detachment, angst, toxicity, other side of the industry, mentions of dating rumors [more to come]
rioko says: hey, so this is one of my first ffs, [internally screaming out of joy] and part 2 will hopefully be uploaded soon enough. constructive criticism is accepted!!
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The loud noise of the crowd echoed in the massive stadium of Coachella, the music blasting through the speakers like background as they sang along to the lyrics of the song blasting through the speakers. On the stage, amongst the lights and other instrumentalists, was him.
Heeseung Lee, or more popularly, Evan Lee.
The beholder of precious music awards worth flexing, of having his pitch perfect. Everyone, from teenagers to adults, everyone loved him. His latest hit, ‘Dial Tragedy’, was being sung by him, his hair glimmering under the spotlight as he sang his heart into the microphone. The crowd cheered him on, for it was the last day of his tour in Coachella and the last song on the decided song list.
The in-ear speaker was hanging loosely against his shoulder as he listened to the crowd sing along with him. Every vein, every voice added to the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins. Every word that rose to a crescendo as the night deepened slowly came down as the song winded to the end.
Heeseung smiled once, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he took in the swerving bodies of the crowd, some with posters and some with their phones on and recording. He bowed respectfully to the crowd and after a few words of acknowledgement, ended the stage performance with loving words.
As soon as he stepped down the first stair of the staircase to the backstage, the smile instantly dropped from his face. As if it were an act all this time. He sighed heavily as the staff helped him take off his in-ear monitors and helped him cool off the sweat beading on his forehead. His manager, Yuki, patted him gently on the back and gave him a small smile. “Great work up there, Lee. You can go home for the night now. We’ll be leaving as early as possible.” He just nodded and went to the changing rooms to take off the stage outfit he’d been given to wear.
The back of the shirt was already soaked through with sweat and his phone on the table tinged with a notification from his manager.
Yuki nim: “$9.3 million transferred from yukixxx….”
Heeseung had changed into a comfortable pair of jocks and a Bastards hoodie, his cap and mask already on to avoid being recognized as he took his bag and phone to the car waiting outside for him. The car itself was a drape of black, the first car he’d earned with his own earned money. Even the seats were custom-made, the ivory color selected by himself. The city of California passed by in a blur of lights and buildings as the car sped across the roads and lanes to the residence hotel booked by his company.
The hotel was a luxury in itself, with a grand chandelier hanging from the ceiling and filling the space with warm light. The 7000 square feet of infrastructure screamed expensive as the disguised rockstar stepped into the marvelous structure and made his way to the lift, completely ignoring the swarming trail of paparazzi who had discovered him leaving from backstage and had followed him, now being stopped by the hotel guards and his own bodyguards.
The glass lift doors had opened and it led straight to the seventh floor, where his room had been nothing extravagant but also not too modest to scream money. The opulent interior designing consisted of two well-furnished bedrooms, two grand bathrooms with bathtubs, and a kitchen island. Heeseung was tired; who wouldn’t be though? After performing endlessly for 4 hours straight and having to put on a happy act just so rumors about him not enjoying his fans’ company wouldn’t arise, anyone would be tired.
The mattress dipped as he put down the bag on it, the phone already put to charge as he walked with heavy steps to the bathroom. The steam from the shower had fogged up the glass walls of the shower as he stripped bare, his lean muscles on full display as he stepped into the spray of warm water. The water soaked into his hair and dripped down his back, dribbling down into the drain as he stood under it. After a few minutes, he’d come out looking fresher than before but the hollowness in his eyes was not to be missed. His phone warmed up on the nightstand as it flooded with tags and mentions from every social platform, videos of his performance spreading like wildfire. Every video added to his rising fame.
Heeseung laid down on the bed, the mattress dipping slightly as he sighed, exhaustion mixed with sleep taking over him.
Madison Square Garden had been raving all night.
Rising star and J-pop singer, Ayumi Nishikawa, was performing on stage surrounded by her other bandmates. But even as the spotlight stayed on the main singer now hitting the high notes, the crowd screamed for her. Ayumi, who was singing in the background in the siren voice that caught everyone’s attention. Even if you tried to ignore her, you’d eventually give in, because since when could people ignore a siren’s lull?
Her voice hit the single low note that made the entire crowd go silent. The climax of the song just approached, building up from the entirety of the song. There was a pause for one, two, three seconds before the ending chorus of the song played again. The best part of the song, the lone instrumental was enough to make the crowd go crazy. So, they did. The arena’s screams rose to a crescendo as they sang along the singers on the stage. This was the same as in Coachella a few hours ago, but with a bit more energy and crowd.
Finally, the song wound down and the crowd erupted in a hoot of applause and cheers as the seven girls bowed, all of them smiling even though they were breathless because this was their dream. To perform in front of such a large crowd and showcase their talents. Fan chants were still being heard as they bid the fans a happy night and left the stage. Their staffs burst a party popper as to celebrate their dream being fulfilled and cut a cake, clicking pictures to cherish the moment. Ayumi smiled seeing her bandmates so happy. She herself was so happy that she herself clicked a few candid pictures of them, all smiling and covered in cake.
Their manager, Misuyi, pulled her aside and gave her a small, congratulatory smile. “Congrats on fulfilling your dream.”
“Thank you, Suyi.” Ayumi smiled warmly but then furrowed her eyebrows. “I suppose it isn’t the only reason you called me here?” Misuyi laughed gently and nodded. “Always the smart one, isn’t it? Anyways, yeah, so producer Hitomi just called he said that he wanted you to release a collaborate album with a singer. He’ll be leaving for Korea tomorrow and he’s riding in the same flight as us. So, you need to go and have a talk. Alright?”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Who’s the singer though?”
The next day arrived in a frenzy. The weather was already enough, cloudy enough that it looked like it would rain any minute. After waking up from a dreamless sleep, Heeseung was already moving on autopilot, brushing, showering, and getting ready. A black hoodie with black cargo pants with a mask that couldn’t hide shit about his fame.
The bodyguards surrounding him couldn’t stop the swarming sasaengs flooding the gates. Their flashlights almost blinded him but he was used to it. Not habituated, used to it. The constant unwanted crowd was something he had to make up his mind about. “Move aside, please!” or “Don’t crowd the gates!” were frequent phrases being heard. Soon, his boarding pass had been checked and he’d passed by, delving into first class and immediately finding his own seat. His hood draped over his face as he let out a tired sigh.
Meanwhile, another person had sat down beside him, reaching up to put their bag in the overhead container. Unknowingly their tank top had ridden up, exposing a bit of stomach before settling back down on their hips. The person sat back down, taking their mask off to let out a sigh and put it back inside their purse. The movement caught Heeseung’s eye, his gaze focusing on the chrome heart ring on their fingers. The specific one he’d been searching for. It was sold out. On every website.
“Hey!” The person next to him turned toward him, smiling brightly. The thin straps of their tank top were sitting loosely on their shoulders, the soft edge of their collarbones visible. Caramel hair spilled against their arms as they looked at him. Heeseung momentarily froze. ‘What the hell?’ was the first thought that came to his mind as he took her in. It took a minute for him to register her talking to him.
“Oh, hey.” He said, as nonchalantly as he could, but his eyes betrayed him as they followed the hand which had the chrome heart ring. She noticed, of course. Smiling cheekily, she leaned her chin on her palm, her fingers tapping a rhythm against her cheek. Heeseung’s eyes flicked to hers, which were already staring at him. His cheeks flushed slightly, his eyes flicking away for a moment before meeting her constant gaze. “You’re Evan, right?”
He froze, and turned to her, now a detached and clinical look in his eyes. “If you’re a fan or paparazzi, I’m not going to do shit right now.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’d like to see you try, Mr. Lee, considering we have a collaboration ahead.” She crossed her arms against her chest, leaning back against the seat as she pulled out her Sony headphones from the duffel bag on her seat. Heeseung’s eyebrows furrowed. A collaboration? He quickly checked his emails. Of course. Yuki had sent it to him one week prior; he just hadn’t checked. Going through the details, he quickly saw a picture of her, most probably from a photoshoot. It was a photoshoot of Joocyee, with her in a pink bodycon dress and holding a jelly tint container in between her index finger and thumb. Her hair was freshly curled, seemingly curling around her face in soft brown waves. Her lips were stuck in a pout, coated in a layer of pink lip gloss.
The thought surfaced as soon as his eyes traced the curve of her pout and glancing back at her beside him, now nodding her head to the rhythm of whatever song she was listening to, he confirmed it. Her lips looked plump and soft, still coated in a lip gloss that was cherry in color. He closed his phone and leaned back against the seat. He was the ambassador for the same brand and he had advertised the same product few months ago. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the thought of kissing her from his mind. “So, Ayumi Nishikawa, is it?” He asked trying to talk to his seemingly attractive collaborator. She looked up and smiled, nodding. “Yes, and you’re Evan.”
Heeseung unknowingly felt a smile tug on his lips seeing her smile. “Yes. I’m Evan.”
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