Chapter One
Jostled from the crowd that packed around him and made him feel claustrophobic to no end, Donghae murmured slight apologies as he tried to cut through the masses to escape to baggage claim. The airport was bustling and chaotic, giving Donghae a headache that pounded his skull irritably. He was rather jetlagged, having been unable to get even a minute of sleep on the rickety flight from Seoul to Los Angeles. His longtime friend from Mokpo, Kibum, had chuckled over the fact that the only time Donghae traveled to the busiest city in Korean to leave only a few hours later. The small town boy had gone into culture shock merely by stepping out of the taxi and into Seoul, but as soon as he had arrived in the United States he was practically paralyzed.
He had to remind himself continuously that he had come here in pursuit of his dream. He wanted to become famous, to put it blatantly. He would close his eyes and saw himself seated beside some bubbly talk show host, posing question after question at how he had skyrocketed to fame. The audience would be captivated by every word he said and girls would doodle his name in their notebooks with squiggles and hearts.
Interrupted from his reverie, Donghae reached over to pick up the only bag he had packed. The small piece of luggage carried every possession he had deemed necessary for traveling abroad. Living in a foreign country was something that churned his stomach over numerous times. Leaving the luggage carousel, he hurried towards the exit. The flight had been slightly delayed and the last thing he wanted was to leave a poor impression on his new roommate. He was merely grateful that the male had even agreed to pick him up from the airport. Having to explain instructions to a taxi driver would have taken much longer than being driven by the man that had already been living at the apartment for a year.
The roommate in question leaned across his car with folded arms and a nonchalant expression. Slightly nervous, Donghae headed over to him with a shy wave. He introduced himself in uncertain English - having spent over twelve hours on a plane he had focused as much effort as he could at practicing his very crude speaking skills - the other male seemed to loosen up and gave him a small, assuring smile.
“Come on.” The man, apparently named Hankyung, patted the hood of his car before crossing over to the driver’s side. Donghae stuffed his bag in the back before seating beside Hankyung. On the way to the apartment, the two made as much small talk as they could. Their limited English made it a challenge to support a particularly deep conversation; however they got along well enough to earn content grins splashed across their faces. Perhaps Donghae really had a chance at adapting to his surroundings.
The apartment was cramped but gave off a friendly vibe and Donghae was glad to at the very least have a room to himself. The two had to share a bathroom, but besides that there was little of a downside to rooming with each other. Donghae rummaged through his bag to shove the clothes he had brought into the rickety dresser that was in the room. He also had a comfy looking bed,
despite the few springs that popped out from the sides. Continuing to dig in the bag, he unloaded his iPod onto the mattress along with his phone. His out of date phone definitely needed to be replaced, but the wallet that came out along with it did not have even half enough money to buy something decent. Besides the clothes and electronics, the only remaining items were faded photo frames. He took them out and placed them on top of the dresser gingerly. A nostalgic smile crossed his lips as he ran his hand over the picture of him and his father posing cheerfully towards the camera.
Taking a deep breath, Donghae poked his head through the door to announce to Hankyung that he would be retiring early to bed.
The jet lag was weighing on him and the yawn that followed his announcement caused Hankyung to chuckle. “You seem like you need it.” The older said simply, before gesturing towards the fridge, “There are some leftovers in there if you get hungry later.”
Murmuring a small thank you, he slipped under the unfamiliar covers. His eyes drooped instantly before he gave into sleep completely. The blares of car horns from the traffic that rushed below him would have made it a challenge in any other circumstance; however he was exhausted and easily slipped into unconsciousness for the night.
***
Startled awake from the sudden thud below him, Donghae glanced reluctantly up to see Hankyung kneeling on the foot of the bed. “Were you planning on sleeping in until noon?” He asked with an eyebrow raise. It took a few moments for the younger to register the words in his head before he sat up with a jolt. Flopping out of bed and feeling quite disoriented as he headed over to wash up. His mouth practically watered when he distinctly smelled whatever was frying on the stove as he crossed the hall and went into the bathroom.
His hair was a chaotic mess, strands jutting out from all angles and it took him several minutes to get it to fall into place. He did not have much of an agenda for the day, however his apartment was only a short walk away from Hollywood - and that was certainly calling his name. Making perfectly sure that he looked presentable, Donghae entered into the kitchen with an introverted grin. Although it seemed that his roommate was fairly easy to get along with, the brunette was still not completely comfortable around the other.
“Ah, Donghae.” Hankyung glanced up from what he was working on in the kitchen, pointing towards the small tray set up in front of the couch. On top of it was a meticulously set up plate of breakfast. Seemingly proud of his work, the older grinned, “There was a lot of food, so I thought we could split it.”
Donghae once again was overwhelmed by the other’s hospitality. “Thank you so much.” He said sincerely, before adding in sheepishly, “Can I return the favor?”
Hankyung waved away the idea with his hand. Cocking his head to the side thoughtfully, he momentarily paused. “You just got here.” He pointed out, giving a shrug of his shoulders, “I thought I could help you get settled.”
Picking up the fork laid in front of him, Donghae still felt indebted to the older. He made a mental note to prepare a worthy thank you gift whenever he got the money to do so. Taking a seat beside him, Hankyung shoveled the fried rice into his mouth. Donghae raised a slight eyebrow, but realized guiltily that the other must have waited for him to wake up before eating. Forced away from his train of thought, Donghae blinked at the question that was presented to him.
“How do you expect to get famous?”
Donghae took a moment to process the other’s words before biting his lips. His eyes studied the floor embarrassedly, analyzing each thread of the barber carpet. “Do I make it that obvious?” He voiced concernedly. He might be a rookie searching for his place as a star, but he did not want to stick out so blatantly.
Hankyung merely chuckled. “Isn’t that what everyone is here for?”
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