Chapter Text
Promotions were always so long, especially the first week after a comeback. There was stage recordings, variety content, busking events, findings, video calls, and so much more to work on behind the scenes still. Sometimes it got too much, especially when the energy wasn’t quite there yet. As much as twilight loved performing and meeting fans, it sometimes was too much too fast during promotions. It was nice to see a familiar face or two amongst the crowd, at least it meant that there was less people to try and memorize from scratch. It was barely their second in person fan sign for the comeback and it was already starting to get too much. Too many odd requests or weird comments being made. It was getting to all of them, but they were just happy to be back.
“Oh! It’s you again, Minho-ssi right?” Seungmin asks, a smile spreading across his face at the boy sitting down in front of him. Minho just nods in response, gently pushing his open album towards Seungmin. His eyes are focused on the table, suddenly more interested with his rings than the idol sitting in front of him. “Did you want me to sign the group photo or was there a specific page you wanted?” Seungmin tries again, hovering his marker above the page with all four of the members on it. There were sticky tabs on the edge marking what page each member should sign, the only name missing was his.
It takes a moment before Minho registers the others words. “Any photo is fine, you can sign the group one if you want to.” His voice is low, practically a mumble laced with indifference as if he truly had no interest in being here. Seungmin’s expression falters at his response. He takes a breath in before deciding to just sign on the group photo and slide the album back towards Minho.
“I hope you’re enjoying the comeback this time. I know it’s not our normal concept.” Seungmin tries again, hoping to at least get the other to acknowledge his words. Minho looks up from his hands, blinking slowly as if he wasn’t expecting Seungmin to continue talking after signing the album.
“Oh, yeah. It’s definitely different.” His words are so quiet, it’s a miracle Seungmin’s able to pick them up. Minho’s eyes are darting around, trying to focus on anything but the idol before him.
“I hope that means it’s a good type of different for you, Minho-ssi. Please keep supporting us!” Seungmin beams, his smile coming back to his face for a second. Minho opens his mouth to respond back but closes it quickly as the staff begins ordering everyone to move onto the next member in line. “It was nice seeing you again!” Seungmin says, watching as the older one slides over to the open spot in front of Hyunjin. If his gaze lingers a second too long, that’s for only himself to know.
For a moment, Seungmin hears laughter to his right. Curiosity gets the better of him for a moment, his eyes stray from the girl in front of him. He watches as Minho throws his head back, laughing at whatever comment Hyunjin made. His smile wide and his whole face glowing, a complete one eighty from how he was in front of Seungmin. An ugly feeling creeps into Seungmin’s stomach at the sight.
Maybe Minho really did just hate him.
It shouldn’t bother him as much as it does. After all, Minho is just another fate, another fan in the crowd. Seungmin knows there are plenty of people who don’t like him, who hate him just for being a public figure, an idol. It really shouldn’t bother him. However, for some reason, it just doesn’t sit right at all to him.
Maybe it’s because Minho has been at almost every event in Seoul since their debut showcase.
Maybe it’s because when he sees Minho in the crowd, it almost seems as if his attention is solely focused on Seungmin.
Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because Minho intrigues him in a way no other fan has.
-- + --
Minho wants to slam his head into a wall, wants the earth to swallow him whole, wants to move to the middle of nowhere and be unreachable for the rest of his life. Unfortunately for Minho, he has a job and friends who would really prefer if he stuck around a bit longer. That fact is how he finds himself face first on the couch, screaming out his frustrations into the cushion.
“Oh, come on. It couldn’t have been that bad, hyung.” Jisung speaks up from his spot on the floor across the room. He’s been watching his roommate lose his mind for the better of twenty minutes now. The moment the older got home, he threw himself on the couch mumbling about being ‘the absolute worst fate and sky to exist’.
Minho turns his head for a moment, glaring at the younger. “Yes it was! I’m the worst Seungmin stan to ever exist. How could I mess up one of the simplest things for a fansign?” Minho practically whines before burying his face back into the cushion.
“What did you possibly do this time? Did you accidentally threaten him when you were finally trying to talk to him?” Jisung asks, going to lay back on the floor, finally becoming slightly disinterested in watching his roommate lose it. Minho mumbles a reply into the cushion, refusing to lift his head again. “Can’t hear you with your face full of fabric, idiot.”
Minho huffs, pushing himself up and rolling off the couch onto the floor with a thud. “I didn’t realize his sticky tab fell off. He signed the group page, he probably thinks I hate him! I’m the worst fan ever, how could I mess that up?” Minho rambles out. “When he asked where to sign, I panicked and said wherever was fine, all because I didn’t notice! He probably is already tired of seeing me and interacting with me, now he thinks I hate him. I should just run away to the countryside and never come back! I didn’t even actually talk to him again!”
Jisung cackles at Minho’s rant, taking a while before he actually calms down. “Hyung, it’s really not that serious. I don’t think he thinks you hate him because of that. If anything, it would be from that time you called him stupid by accident.” Jisung giggles again at the memory. He remembers having to drag the older by the wrist away from the photo area because he was mortified.
Minho groans, dragging his hands down his face. “Why would you remind me of that? He definitely thinks I’m some kind of anti. He probably thinks I only like the other three and only interact with him because I have to if I want to see the others. Oh my god, who does he think my bias is?”
“Well, as much as I would love to lay here and have a crisis with you, some of us have work to do. I need to close tonight, Jay called out and I really don’t want to call Sunghoon at the last minute. Want to come with?” Jisung asks, picking himself off the ground extending a hand out to the older.
“I want to rot here for the rest of my life.”
“So, that’s a yes?”
Minho huffs but still grabs Jisung’s hand regardless, letting himself be yanked up.
-- + --
Congratulations!
You’ve been selected for twilight’s 1:1 video fan sign event with Seungmin! Please have your identity verification ready prior to your designated call time of 19:35 KST. If you are unable to make your call time, we will try an additional time at the end of all other calls. The length per call is 3 minutes each, please try your best to not hold over time. Thank you for your participation and support!
Minho stares at his phone in disbelief. The email practically mocking him after yesterday’s in person fan sign. He only bought two albums from them, specifically for the exclusive photocards, not expecting to actually win anything from it. He wanted to scream, to cry, to melt into the floor. What kind of sick joke was the universe playing on him? The first time he gets into a video fan sign and it’s a one on one call with the one member he freezes up in front. Maybe he should’ve just done an order with Jisung or Changbin so they could’ve had a bigger chance to win a slot with their bias. A message notification draws his attention away from the announcement email, craving a distraction from it.
B.I.T.C.
seo cb
guess what !!
i won a call with hyunjin
be happy for me >.>
LMH
soooo happy for you
hopefully you embarrass yourself
seo cb
i’m not you lol
did you or sung get anything?
J1
me and my twin are meeting again <33
i need to get more info on how to woo my wife
LMH
felix is going to think you’re obsessed with him
or using him
J1 disliked two of LMH’s messages
LMH
the universe hates me
seo cb
so you did???
who did you put omg
LMH
don’t ask stupid questions
i didn’t expect to get in
i just wanted the pc’s
seo cb
have fun freezing up again <3
LMH
choke
seo cb loved LMH’s message
cbc
happy for all you
do i want to know how much you’ve spent
J1
It’s better to live in ignorance channie hyung
seo cb and LMH emphasized J1’s messaged
cbc
as long as you’re happy i guess?
-- + --
Papers were being placed in front of each member, a list of fan names and time slots lined the sheets. The four of them were tired, restless even at this point. This was the last schedule for the day and they all wanted nothing more than to go back to the dorms and crash. The members were skimming over the names, trying to see if there was anyone they recognized, good and bad.
“Oh! Jisung’s back on my list this time! I’m starting to steal your favorite dumpling, better win him back soon.” Felix teased, watching Hyunjin’s reaction to the information.
“That’s not fair, you can’t just take my fans!” Hyunjin whined, a pout settling on his face.
“I mean, he’s always going for the one on one calls with Felix Hyung now, maybe he really did switch sides.” Jeongin joins in, laughing when Hyunjin’s pout deepens. Seungmin tunes out their teasing, his eyes trained solely on one name off his list.
Lee Minho at 19:35
Maybe it was a different Minho, he tried telling himself. There was no reason or way that the Minho who always ignored his attempts would want to win a one on one call with him. The same Minho who could never meet his eyes, could never say more than a few words, who behaved so differently with all the members. There's no way he would ever willingly want to talk to Seungmin. It definitely had to be someone else with the same name, right? Right.
“We’re starting in about five minutes, is everyone good to go?” Their manager announced, clapping his hands to get their attention refocused. The members nodded, ready to get through this and get home.
The video calls went by fairly fast at the start. Luckily for Seungmin, there weren't really any super weird demands or requests on his calls. The worst he had to do was pretend to bark for one fan who seemed a little too fixated on the idea. He watched the clock on the wall between each call, the time ticking closer and closer to 19:35, until it was finally Minho’s designated time slot. He glanced over at the staff handling his calls, noticing a frown on their face.
“I’m sorry Seungmin-ssi, Lee Minho isn’t answering the call and hasn’t done verification yet. We’re going to push him to the end and see if he picks up then. Enjoy a few minute break until your next call.”
All Seungmin could do was sigh and nod in response because of course . Of course, it really was the same Minho as always. Why would he want to talk to Seungmin after all? He couldn’t linger on it for too long, he still had five more calls to get through before they would start calling back everyone who missed their time slots. When the last call disconnected, he glanced over at the staff to see how many calls they’d have to try again. Only two this time.
“Seungmin-ssi, we’re going to try Kang Jisoo first. If they don’t answer, we’ll go straight to Lee Minho so you can leave as soon as possible, okay?” Seungmin nodded, stretching his arms above his head.
The first call failed to go through, Kang Jisoo lost their spot. The staff member fumbled with the tablet one more time, inputting Minho’s ID. Seungmin watched the clock again as the call started to ring, his eyes widening slightly when he heard the staff begin to speak.
“Hello Lee Minho-ssi, thank you for answering. Do you have your form of identification ready?” There was a moment of silence before the staff spoke again.
“Perfect thank you so much, Minho-ssi, please give us one moment while we finalize some details. We’re going to put you on a hold and Seungmin-ssi will connect when ready. Thank you for your patience and cooperation, it’s greatly appreciated.” The staff waited a moment before gesturing for him to go ahead whenever he was ready. Seungmin could feel his nerves increase, wondering if it actually was someone new for a change or not. Taking a deep breath, he took the call of hold, waiting for the screen to load. Seungmin could practically feel his heart jump into his throat when he finally heard the voice on the other end.
“- hard not to freak the fuck out right now. Wish me luck Jisung or I’ll make sure you never see the light of day again.”
Seungmin cleared his throat, startling the man on screen, if the way he jumped, nearly falling out of his chair, was anything to go by. “Hi, Minho-ssi right?”
“Oh, uh yes hi that’s me, Minho. I am so sorry about that. My roommate was um, saying something stupid.”
Seungmin raised an eyebrow at his words, finding the whole interaction amusing. “Stupid enough to warrant a death threat? That must be really rough living with him.” He really hoped his tone came across teasing, he couldn’t fumble this one chance to talk to him properly.
“It’s a lot harder than you think. He’s always talking and yet, it’s never anything important. Oh god, that’s kind of mean, I meant like in a joking way. I’ve been friends with him my whole life, I swear I don’t hate him.”
“Don’t worry honestly, I get it. I’m the same way with the members.”
“Thank you um for not being upset about that. Oh! I had a question I wanted to ask you, if that’s alright?”
“Yes, of course, why wouldn’t it be? I mean it is your video call, Minho-ssi.”
“Oh, huh, I guess that’s true. I was just wondering if there are any b-side songs that you would ever want to have some choreography, if any? Does that make sense? If not, I can always try to reword it.”
“Choreography for a b-side? Like one that doesn’t already exist?” Minho nodded in confirmation. “Hmm, maybe Phobia? Is there a reason why?”
“It’s just something for work, some of my students found out I’m a fate and now they’re begging me to do one of your songs for the end of the year showcase. I figured why not use the chance to ask one of the members, you know? I’m so sorry I feel like I keep rambling.”
“Don’t be, it’s nice, honestly. Are you a dance teacher? You should show me it when it’s finished, Minho-ssi.”
A blush spread across Minho’s face as the timer went off in the background.
“I will, I promise. You’re doing amazing this comeback by the way, I’ll keep cheering for you”
“Thank you, Minho-ssi. Don’t be so quiet next time, cutie.”
Seungmin found himself smiling as the call disconnected and the screen went blank. That was unexpected, but yet, not entirely unwelcome.
-- + --
B.I.T.C
LMH
you guys so owe me
J1
don’t listen to him
he’s delusional
seo cb
????
why do we owe you
LMH
because all of you doubted me
had no faith in me
cbc
not me though right
J1
there’s no favoritism here chan
cbc disliked J1’s message
J1
they booed me bc i’m right
LMH
anyways
i made it through an entire conversation this time
and he called me cutie
which like doesnt matter at all
seo cb and J1 disliked LMH’s message
cbc
good job ^^
i’m proud of you for finally doing it
J1
but like what did you even say for that
“oh my god seungmin i love you so bad sorry im too emotionally constipated to ever say anything marry me”
LMH disliked J1’s message
seo cb
or was it more like
“seungminnie have my kids and i won’t be mean to you ever again”
LMH disliked seo cb’s message
LMH
…. watch your backs
especially you Han Jisung
we share an apartment don’t forget
J1
jokes on you i’m crashing with chan tonight
cbc
…?
doors unlocked then?
J1 loved cbc’s message
LMH
i asked him for a song to choreograph
like of theirs
he said phobia <33
my passion project for the next few weeks
seo cb
anyways
hyunjin asked about my tattoo designs again today
i think he’s in love with me
J1 disliked seo cb’s message
J1
get away from my wife??
seo cb
he’s literally MY wife ??
cbc
everyone’s delusional here but me
LMH, J1 and seo cb disliked cbc’s message
cbc
oh fuck all of you
J1
it’s whatever, bc you know why?
felix told me the way to hyunjin’s heart
i just have to get sexier and muscular
which is crazy bc im already quite sexy and buff
seo cb
what’s crazy here is im more buff and sexy
should be me instead