(02) Masquerade
Title: Why?Pairing: Kyusung, Eunhae, YeHyuk
Genre: drama, tragedy
Summary: Yesung's whole life, he's worn a mask. Will this eventually crumble due to stress or will he finally be free of it as he remove it compliantly? Sequel to The Lost Child
Rating: PG-13 for abuse
Beta: angelye
“Are you seriously Yesung? The Yesung?” Kyuhyun asked for a millionth time to which the singer answered with a nod. Kyuhyun felt like he won the lottery because he felt so lucky to have met his idol again for the second time.
“Why are you here by the way? Don’t you have a comeback in two days?” Kyuhyun interrogated. Hyukjae glanced at Yesung from the rear view mirror for a second. He too, wanted to know why the popular singer was in Cheonan. There wasn’t any news yet of a missing superstar so he assumed the media didn’t know a thing yet.
They were driving across town until Donghae spotted the diner him, Hyukjae and Kyuhyun frequented. It was a small diner, yet the smell coming from it was heavenly it almost made Yesung’s mouth water.
“Ahjussi! Are you open?” Donghae yelled enthusiastically.
“Aigoo, Donghae my boy! Why are you up so early?” A black-haired man in his mid-40’s opened the door. He was wearing eyeglasses, a white shirt and a pink apron. He was holding a broom on his left hand and on his right was a towel.
“Jaesook-ahjussi! Good morning! We were woken up by Heechul-hyung because he needed Hyukjae,” Donghae answered enthusiastically while pulling a yawning blond with him. Kyuhyun rolled his eyes at his friend while Yesung wasn’t even listening to the conversation. His attention was on an advertisement with him on it.
It was a recent one where he had to pose for a car advertisement. He was wearing a plaid shirt, a scarf and dress pants. A pair of non-lens glasses was on his face to make him look even more mysterious. His hands were tucked on his pockets as he leaned on the car with a blank expression on his face.
Blank.
He masked himself with blankness to ensure no one would be able to decipher him. He managed to polish that mask through time but somehow he felt as if a dent was formed in it. His perfect mask was no longer perfect and because of that, he became scared. If his mask was dented, it would only be a matter of time before it shatters completely-leaving him vulnerable for everyone to see.
Jaesook ushered them inside and told them that he was always open for Donghae and his friends. Kyuhyun was about to enter the small diner when he spotted Yesung lost in his own little world while staring at the poster. He walked near the Singer and stood beside him.
“Do you miss being on the spotlight?” Kyuhyun asked.
Yesung was about to nod his head but stopped when the question sank in. Did he miss being on the spotlight? If he was to be honest with himself, after years of being under it, it became stressful to the point where he didn’t want to stand on it most of the time.
After a minute of contemplating, Yesung finally shook his head to answer the question. It was true though-he really didn’t miss that spotlight. In fact, he loathed being in it. It took him a long time to finally realize how the stage no longer excited him.
“Hey, you two. Come inside now or Hyukjae will eat everything. You know how much of a glutton that monkey is.” Donghae called with his head popping out the door. His comment earned a whine from his boyfriend and a chuckle from Kyuhyun.
“Shut up, you gluttonous monkey! Hey! That’s mine!” As Donghae went back inside, the other two made their way inside the diner with Kyuhyun chuckling. Yesung stopped half way to the door and went back to remove the poster from the wall. He crumpled it, chucked it inside his pocket then walked towards the diner.
The four of them ate breakfast quietly due to Kyuhyun’s request because he didn’t want to make his idol feel left out. The couple respected his request and tried their best not to start any conversation but they couldn’t help but laugh at the simplest things like two kindergartners. Even things that weren’t even funny like the kimchi in Donghae’s plate.
Watching the two happily eat their food, Yesung wondered if the two ever fought. He could tell by the way they looked at each other that they love one another and that they’re close. But if a couple wanted their relationship to last, a big fight was needed-according to what Yesung have seen in movies and dramas.
Noticing that someone was watching them, Hyukjae looked up from what he was eating. When he saw it was Yesung, he smiled at him making the latter blush and look away. The blond-haired male chuckled before taking a bite from his food, completely oblivious of the glare Donghae sent them. Once they were done with breakfast, they started bombarding Yesung with questions.
“What brings you here?”
“Are you hiding from the media?”
“Did you get someone pregnant?”
“Did you lose your voice?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“What’s it like to be famous?”
“Why did you choose Cheonan instead of overseas?”
“Are you on drugs?”
And the questions continued until Yesung couldn’t remember what the first question was. There were a lot of questions and Yesung’s attention shifted from Donghae, to Hyukjae, to Kyuhyun then to Heechul. Upon noticing that another person was there, his attention flew back to the music shop owner and so did the rest. They all sat in silence with one question on their minds.
“Heechul hyung, what are you doing here?” Kyuhyun finally broke the silence-confusion written all over his face. All eyes were still on Heechul as they waited for his answer. The eldest took a sip from his coffee, then another.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
Kyuhyun slammed his palm on the table in an attempt to break Heechul’s trance-like state. It worked. The eldest eyed him with a ‘What the hell’ look on his face but Kyuhyun disregarded it. “So? What are you doing here?”
“Why? Can’t I come here to drink my coffee? Or is there a rule that says I’m not allowed here anymore?” Heechul retorted which made Kyuhyun sigh. There he went again with the dramatics.
“Hyung, it’s not like that. I mean, aren’t you supposed to be watching your shop?”
“Ah, I see. I thought you don’t want me here.” Heechul answered then he took another sip from his coffee. Kyuhyun and the couple had a ‘you think?’ look on their faces while Yesung’s remained blank.
“Anyways, I was hungry so I decided to join you guys but you never noticed me. I feel so neglected right now.” Heechul mocked sob and wiped a non-existent tear from his left eye.
“Stop doing that, hyung, please! It’s disturbing,” Hyukjae begged then shivered to prove his point.
“Do you know this hyung?” Donghae brought out a comb from his back pocket then continued, “This is a comb and it’s used to keep your hair in place.” He handed it to the eldest annoyed at how unhygienic Heechul was.
Heechul rolled his eyes at him and disregarded the hair remark-though he took the comb and slid it inside his pocket. He turned his attention to the one who never uttered a single word since they got here then smiled. “So, are you gay?”
Yesung blushed at the question then looked away while Kyuhyun and Hyukjae reprimanded the eldest that the question was too personal and that they didn’t want the singer to feel out of place just because his sexuality wasn’t what they wanted. Heechul shushed the two and urged the black haired singer to answer.
I don’t know.
Heechul seemed satisfied with the answer if the nodding of his head was of any indication. He knew the answer even before he asked it. A lot of thoughts were already running on his mind but he disregarded everything. He wanted it to happen naturally without anyone intervening. He also wanted Yesung’s mask to be taken off by Kyuhyun himself. They’ll definitely end up helping each other.
A phone ring brought the eldest back to the real world. He saw that Kyuhyun was up on his feet and running towards the door. He noticed the Singer scribbling away in his sketchpad or notepad as Kyuhyun said a rushed goodbye to all of them.
Where is he going?
“His son must’ve called him. The adorable little guy should be up by now,” Donghae answered a bit too coldly which Yesung ignored. Hyukjae scoffed.
“Those two are like husband and wife. Sheesh, if I didn’t know any better I’d say that guy is whipped,” Hyukjae remarked.
“Oh, come on Hyuk. At least he’s changed. You said so yourself that you’re happy with how he’s turned out to be,” Donghae tried to reason.
“But it isn’t enough. He needs someone,” Heechul responded, emphasizing on the word ‘need’ on purpose and trying his best not to look at the Singer’s direction.
“Yeah, he does. I can tell he’s lonely whenever he’s with us. I try to lessen out flirting but when I’m with you, I lose all inhibitions and forget where we are,” Hyukjae said as he eyed his lover who had a longing look on his face. And then they kissed-not the innocent one. They were trying to eat each other’s faces and Yesung felt awkward sitting across them. He didn’t know if he should watch or not but there was one thing he was absolutely sure of-he wasn’t disgusted.
His thoughts then flew back to when he had his first kiss. It was back when he was 15 and he had a girlfriend. She was really pretty and nice and when they shared kisses, he felt like he was on top of the world then.
His daydreaming was interrupted by a loud cough. He turned his attention to Heechul who was looking annoyed at the couple still making out. He swore to himself that he saw a tongue action there which made him cringe. He saw it in videos before-he’s not that innocent but he’s never seen couples making out in real life.
“Seriously, you two. If you don’t separate now, I’m putting a chastity belt on both of you,” Heechul threatened and the two immediately separated. “One of these days, I’m kidnapping Donghae.”
“Why me?”
“Because you are a lot cuter than your blond boyfriend,” Heechul reasoned. Hyukjae tried to protest but the eldest cut him off with his hand. “You guys go with Yesung to the salon to have his hair dyed. I need to go back to the shop and maybe buy a pack of cigarettes on the way,” Heechul suggested before standing up. “I’ll pay the tab. Now shoo.”
The salon they entered was relatively small compared to what Yesung was used to seeing in Seoul. It wasn’t as busy as the ones in Seoul either. There were a few customers waiting for their turn but that was just about it. There was neither any fan outside nor photographers waiting for a celebrity to come out.
“Hey, it’s your turn now,” Hyukjae whispered.
“Good morning sir. Any style you have in mind?” The stylist asked as he settled down on the chair.
“Can you dye his hair and maybe trim the area on the back of his head?” Hyukjae suggested to the stylist then turned to the Singer. “Is that alright?”
Yesung nodded and the stylist took that as her cue to start her job. While the stylist was dying Yesung’s hair, Donghae suddenly remembered his question earlier and turned to his lover to ask him. Hyukjae was surprised that he didn’t know the answer. He forgot to ask the Singer when they were in the train together.
“Hey, Yesung,” Hyukjae called. Yesung looked up from the magazine he was reading with a raised eyebrow. “I was wondering… were you picked up by your friend somehow, back in the train station?”
A nod.
“And you’re going to stay with them?”
Yesung contemplated for a moment. When Soyeon’s face popped out of his mind, he shook his head instantly. That child was too much of a brat and he knew that he was unwelcomed there. He was still curious as to how two kind people ended up with a demon of a child.
“Where are you staying then?”
A shrug.
“Stay with us!” Hyukjae exclaimed excitedly. “You can stay in the guest bedroom and then we’ll have Kyu and Jongwoon have dinner with us!”
Thank you but I will have to decline. I don’t want to come between you two.
“Yeah. You must’ve forgot how loud you could be.” Donghae mumbled which made Hyukjae blush.
“Hey! You’re louder than me! Besides, you always take it in your-”
“OK! TOO MUCH INFO GUYS!” Yesung screeched. He threw the magazine at the couple and glared at them. “Nobody wants detailed information about your sex life you know.”
“Sorry about that. We even made you talk,” Hyukjae apologized. “How about Kyuhyun’s?”
“What about him?” Donghae asked. Yesung eyed him, genuinely curious.
“You can stay with him. I know he’ll be thrilled to have you in his ‘humble abode’.”
Without waiting for the Singer’s answer, the Blond dialed his friend’s number and asked if Yesung could stay with him for a few months. After a few exchange of words, Hyukjae turned to Yesung with a thumbs up. It would begin-a new chapter of his life and Yesung knew that it’ll change him in ways he wouldn’t be able to describe.
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Yay! finally, an update! i'm so happy for myself. lol. anyways, sorry this is crappy and a bit too short. I promise that it'll get better. I have uni stuff to attend to. hehehe.
Oh and if you guys have a question to me about anything, just go here to this website: Click here.
I haven't started the next chapter yet. I'll do my best to do it fast so you guys won't have to wait for forever. :)