Title: Shining Star (Chapter 1)
Paring: Kangin/Leeteuk
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don’t own them, only the plot.
Summary: It all started when Jungsu and Youngwoon were still the trainees.
(For Ch.1) Jungsu went to a club without Yougwoon, and got deadly drunk.
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Chapter 1
Jungsu remembered well the first time he had met Youngwoon at a lesson studio in SME building. A senior trainee introduced some newly joined trainees to Jungsu, and Youngwoon was one of those rookies. Jungsu greeted them with dimple smile and offered his hand, then Youngwoon was the one who held back the hand promptly with an unexpected strength.
“Hi, I’m Kim Youngwoon, and I wanna be your friend.”
Jungsu was startled by the frankness and intenseness of the younger man’s words and gaze, but simply smiled back and nodded in agreement.
Speaking honestly, however, Jungsu was not expecting the word would come true at that time. He found the young man likable, but Jungsu was not particularly an outgoing type of person but kind of shy. He was very generous and kind to everyone so people got to like him, but he was a little careful to others, needed time to get close to someone and open up himself. He was comfortable within a small circle protecting him from the external world, and people unconsciously refrained from crossing the invisible line around him.
Youngwoon was different, however. As they getting to know each other, Youngwoon began to drag Jungsu out of his small world. He jumped over the line with his wide smile and teddybear-like hug at once. With his natured laid-back attitude, Youngwoon easily made Jungsu’s solid guard down and got the position next to him, the special seat always reserved only for him. Nobody had expected those two to be such close friends, because they seemed to have almost nothing in common. As days and months passed, however, people got to recognize those two as buddies, and Jungsu also found himself feeling strangely easy and comfortable when he was with that mischievous yet pleasant young man.
One day, Jungsu was spoken to by a boy at the entrance of SME building after all lessons were over.
“Hey, Jungsu hyung! I didn’t see you these days. Are you doing good?” A tall, young boy was standing with a bright smile on his handsome face.
“Hi, I’m doing fine, uh, you?” Jungsu smiled back, but he was feeling awkward inside, because he couldn’t recall the young boy’s name. Maybe from some dance lesson, he guessed.
“Good. Hey, by the way, do you have any plans tonight?”, asked the boy.
“No, not especially.” The older answered honestly, unable to see where the conversation went.
“Great! I’m really lucky to run into you here, because there’s a big party tonight at a club in the third street, and a friend of mine runs the party so I’m free to invite people. You have to come with me!” The young boy smiled to the other.
“Well, I don’t know…” Jungsu hesitated, because it still felt uncomfortable for him to go to some big parties and be surrounded by strangers, especially without Youngwoon on his side.
“Come on, hyung! Can you just spare some time for dongsaeng? Not only for Youngwoon hyung?”
That remark surprised the older because he didn’t expect to hear the name in the conversation there.
“Oh, you know Youngwoon?” He asked to the other, unconscious smile on his face just hearing the said name.
“Yap, I have the same voice lesson with him on Friday. And I see every time he finishes the class, you are waiting for him at the elevator hall and you two go somewhere together”, said the younger one, and the voice somehow sounded emotionless to the other.
That was true, Fridays were the movie nights for Jungsu and Youngwoon. Because they didn’t have any lesson in the next morning, Jungsu often went to the other’s place, watched some DVDs and stayed over. He felt uncomfortable at the fact that someone was paying an attention at his habit though he did nothing wrong actually.
“Uh, yes, Youngwoon is a very fun person to have around, I know him since the day he joined to SM, so…”
He cursed in himself mentally for making meaningless excuse to the boy who looked a lot younger than him. Why did he have to excuse for the relationship with his dongsaeng to someone? But Jungsu somehow felt like he was accused by the boy in front of him.
“Anyway,” the younger changed the subject, “so will you please make time for me this time? I and my friends will be really happy if you come, because we all respect you, hyung. Maybe you can help us get to know better about this world, SME, as the elder. We have a lot of questions about lessons or these stuffs, you know. You can be a real help to us. Please?”
The tall boy gazed the older with puppy-eyed look, which made Jungsu feel guilty for declining the beg from dongsaeng. So he gave up finally.
“Fine, it sounds fun so I’ll come with you.”
“Great! Let’s go, it’s gonna be a great night tonight!”
With a smile on his face, the younger boy swung his arm on the older one’s shoulder and walked him to the place the party held. Jungsu slid out his cell phone from a pocket considering to call Youngwoon and invite him to the party, but soon put down the phone remembering that Youngwoon said he had a part-time job that night at his uncle’s liquor. Sighing under his breath, he let the younger boy drag him to the destination.
The rush of music, lights and people were filling the club. Jungsu felt a little dizzy from the sudden busyness surrounding him once he stepped into the place. The tall boy introduced Jungsu to his friends, and the older could recognize some of their faces from lessons. Catching that all of them seemed much younger than himself - they must have been their middle or late teens, he felt uneasy a little.
“Looks I’m out of place a bit, doesn’t it?” The elder needed to rather yell at the tall boy’s ear to make him heard among the noise.
“Nah, make yourself relaxed, hyung. You’re very welcomed”, the younger one replied with smile. “If you feel uncomfortable”, the tall boy continued, now whispering into the older one’s ear, “then you stay around me.”
Before the older could react, the tall boy flushed a smile with “Let’s go get some drink”, and took the older to the direction of bar counter. The tall boy and his friends received several shot glasses at the bar counter and passed around. Jungsu also took one, then he noticed something.
“Hey, are you guys old enough to take these?”
Hearing that, all the boys burst into laughter.
“Hyung, come on! We’re having a party here! And I think you look as young as us. It’s not fair you’re allowed to take some alcohol and not us!”
One of the boys patted on the oldest on his shoulder, pleading. Jungsu shrugged, and gave in after all.
“Fine. I’m not here to babysit you guys anyway.”
A burst of “Yeeees!” occurred from the boys, and they bumped the glasses each other.
“But don’t get drunk too much, okay!?” Jungsu yelled over the loudness attempting to perform his duty as the elder, it seemed that no one was paying an attention though.
“Are you listening, guys!? Don’t let the alcohol get you!”
One hour later, however, it was Jungsu himself who was taken by alcohol. Chatting with those boys was nice, but he still felt slightly uncomfortable being surrounded by almost unknown people alone, especially without Youngwoon. To ease the nervousness, he took much alcohol than usual and it started to affect in his nerves.
He and some boys were now gathering around a counter near the dance floor. Most were gone to the hall for dancing, and only a few were left, sipping some drink and chatting vacantly.
“Hyung, are you enjoying?” The tall boy who invited Jungsu asked to the older one, passing another shot to him.
“Um…what? Can’t hear you.” The older replied and took the given shot absentmindedly.
“Never mind.” The younger boy chuckled, putting his arm on the other one’s shoulder to drag the one nearer.
Among the vagueness in his mind, Jungsu found himself leaning on the tall boy’s shoulder. His knees were weakened affected by alcohol and made it quite difficult to stand by himself. He thought he needed the elimination of alcohol from his body.
“Bathroom”, he murmured abruptly, pushing the tall boy aside.
“Oh, do you need some help?”
The tall boy instantly offered his hand for a help, but Jungsu declined it by “I’m not a baby” and made his way to the bathroom, swinging side to side.
Jungsu splashed cold water on his face at the sink in the lavatory. He looked into the mirror before him and found a miserably drunken and wasted man.
“You look pathetic, Park Jungsu”, he chuckled to himself. It was apparent that alcohol still had strong effects on him.
He saw in the reflection of the mirror that a small guy came out one of the private rooms, so he slid to one side to give the person some space. The smaller one bowed slightly for thank-you, and then gasped in surprise catching the face of the drunken guy.
“Jungsu hyung!? What are you doing here!?”
The spoken one recognized the other one’s face and also made a surprised expression on his face.
“Sungmin-ah!! Happy to meet yooooooou!!”
The drunken one hugged his dongsaen wildly, giggling like mad. Sungmin was one of a few friends Jungsu really relied on regardless of the slight difference of their ages. Jungsu appreciated the younger’s thoughtfulness and kindness, and always loved that quiet but lovable boy.
“Umm… Sungmin-ahhh, what are you doing here?”
The older asked, now almost hanging on the smaller boy’s shoulder, with his eyes closed. He felt the rush of the effect of alcohol was coming back again, causing him dazed.
“Ah, there’s one of my friends’ party out there.” Sungmin answered, now trying hard to hold up the older one on his shoulder. “And what are you doing here? I didn’t expect to see you at the place like this. You’re terribly drunk, hyung. Where’s Youngwoon hyung?”
“What? Nah, Youngwoon is not here.” Jungsu replied with a chuckle. He wondered why people always assumed Jungsu and Youngwoon as a pair, as if they were inseparable.
“You’re not with him? Then who are you-“
Sungmin was cut in in the middle of the question because the door of the lavatory swung open and the tall boy came in.
“Ah, Jungsu hyung, I said you need a help.”
The tall boy took back the elder one clinging on the shoulders of Sungmin, who was staring at the sudden intruder in silence.
Jungsu was too wasted to utter a word or make a movement, so he just let the tall boy take him.
“I prepared a seat for you, hyung. You’ll feel better there.”
Whispering into the eldest’s ear, the tall boy took the drunken Jungsu out of the lavatory, leaving behind Sungmin who clouded his face with concern.
The rush of noise and crowd again out of the lavatory, and Jungsu felt almost sick.
“I don’t really feel good, I need to get out.”
He murmured to the boy holding him and tried to get free, but the grip on his arms was too tight.
“There’s a sear for you, you can take a good rest there.”
The tall boy guided the elder to the second floor where was a small dim room with a sofa and low table. The entrance of the room was covered with a thin veil which provided some more privacy to the guests.
“Here we are, hyung.”
With that, Jungsu found hid body landed on the soft seat of the sofa, feeling dizzy.
“You took really too much, huh?”
The boy chuckled and placed himself next to the elder, with his arm around the other one’s body.
In the vagueness, Jungsu felt a hot body pushed against his and a hand on his waist. It was not like he was not accustomed to the physical contact with dongseans or anything, but it felt strangely uncomfortable this time. He had shared hugs, taps on the shoulders or even much closer contact with dongseans (it was actually with a particular person if he became honest to himself). This time in this situation, however, he felt it wrong. Even a bit disgusting, more to say.
“I’m fine, so just leave me…”
He tried to push back the other one’s body, but he was too weakened to do that. His eyes were becoming teary when the veil over the entrance of theroom flipped open and the hot body against his disappeared suddenly. With the eyes clouded by tear and alcohol, Jungsu saw the board back of a man towering over the tall boy who was now sitting on the floor.
“Youngwoon…?”
The said man was just about to throw a punch on the tall boy’s face when he heard his name called. Looking back and finding the state of Jungsu who was completely worn-out on the sofa, however, he withdrew his clenched fist and helped the drunken one get up.
“Come on, we gotta get out of here.”
As being pulled by the massive arms, Jungsu noticed Youngwoon was panting heavily as if he just finished some laps. He also spotted the visible sweat on the forehead, which told him that the younger one must have run to this place for him.
“How did you…”
Jungsu managed to throw a question popped up in his head as being dragged to the exit hastily.
“Sungmin called me.”
Youngwoon answered shortly without looking at Jungsu as he took the drunken body of the elder out of the club and walked to a small van parked at the side of the road. Hot, sultry air of early summer surrounded them, but it was still better than the inside of the club.
Jungsu’s legs were totally weakened by alcohol, and he wound’t have made his way to the vehicle if it had not been Youngwoon’s strong arms holding him up. As their bodies pressed against each other tightly, Jungsu could feel the heat and sweat of the other through the thin fabric of their t-shirts. He felt the firm grip around his waist, and their faces were only inches away, but the closeness never offended him in any way. It never felt wrong or disgusting. It felt really right this time.
As they reached to the van, Youngwoon opened the door of passenger’s seat roughly and pushed the drunken one into there. He got into the driver’s seat, inserted the key and started the car without a word. Even though his brain was affected by alcohol, Jungsu knew that the silence from the younger one could never be a good sign, but he didn’t know what to say.
“Youngwoon-ah, I’m sorry, I-“
“I’ll drive you to your apartment.”
Youngwoon shut the conversation with a snap. The jaw clenched tightly and the tense on the muscle of the arms handling a wheel told Jungsu that the younger one was deadly mad at him. Not knowing what to say or what to do, Jungsu closed his eyes and let the drunkenness take over him.
Once in Jungsu’s apartment, Yougwoon threw the elder’s body on the couch and freaked out finally.
“What the hell do you think you were doing!?”
He pulled his short hair violently with irritation. He was all sweaty and exhausted by carrying a drunken man up to the room on his shoulder, but it didn’t really matter now. He was not sure if he could restrain this great anger. He was already starting to regret that he had not torn that bastard into pieces.
“Ya, answer me!”
He grabbed Jungsu’s shoulders forcing to face him, then he notice the elder looked pale and sick. Clicking his tongue, Yougwoon laid the elder’s body on the couch, softly and carefully this time, walked to the bathroom and came back with a glass of water and some aspirins in his hands.
“Here, take these.”
Hearing the soft voice, Jungsu opened his eyes finally and sit up in the couch.
“I’m sorry, Youngwoon, I’m so sorry…”
“…Just take these.”
Yougwoon was helping the elder take the water and tablets when he felt his cell phone vibrating in his back pocket.
“Shit, it’s my uncle, I skipped job and took his van without explanation so he’s gonna kill me.”
He stood up and hurried to the door. Without giving Jungsu any more chance to apologize or explain, Youngwoon made the elder promise he would surly lock the door, and left.
Dragging his heavy body, Jungsu managed to lock the door, and then his body and mind finally gave out. He fell into a dead sleep as he heard the sound of Youngwoon’s van leaving.
...to be continued.
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This is my first chaptered fic XD
Tell me what you think, comments are always loved <3