Chapter Text
December 1st
Monday
Listen to “The First Snow” by EXO for this chapter
Changbin would have to admit that he is grateful. Considering his predicament, it could have been a lot worse.
When he arrived in the human world almost two years ago, he had been worried that due to his unusually short stature, he would’ve been discovered immediately. Which is not an uncommon fear amongst Alpha elves when they venture out into the human world to finish their training.
But being even shorter than the already short elven average, he had been fearful.
Fearful that they would see right through him. That they would immediately figure out who he was and why he was there.
The average height for a human male is around 175 cm, which isn’t even that much taller than his own 163 cm. But he had had the - in hindsight obnoxiously optimistic - idea to finish his mission amongst Idols. More specifically K-pop Idols.
Why they - in an otherwise fairly average country, heightwise - seemingly all had a tendency to tower over everybody else, was beyond him.
They must be a different kind of breed.
So it had been with terror in his eyes and dread in his heart that he had entered one of the big entertainment companies to try and fulfill his duties as an Alpha elf of the royal family.
But he had gotten insanely lucky. He had miraculously managed to team up with a group of four other young men who seemed to defy the whole Idol idea in general.
Not only were they weirdly independent, but also unusually short. The tallest member being 178 cm was unheard of, especially considering that he wasn’t even fully human.
First Changbin had met a human Alpha named Chan. Or rather Chan had sought him out.
He was a fellow trainee and had told Changbin about his dream of creating a self produced group.
Apparently he had seen Changbin’s rapping and asked him if he wanted to be a part of a trio with him and another Alpha named Jisung.
When Changbin first met Jisung he had been disappointed to learn that despite both of his new friends’ short statures, he was now in a three member group with two humans.
The whole idea of this mission was to find halflings - the offspring of elves and humans - and bring them home to the North Pole.
Changbin might have been a little greedy. But can you blame him?
When you are the first and only male Alpha son of the king's brother, isn’t it only natural that you want to make your parents proud?
He always dreamed about a position in the royal army, preferably the right hand man of his uncle Minho, the General - not to be confused with Changbin’s cousin the Crown Prince, who was named after him.
But to even claim a spot for training in the royal army you would have to do an outstanding job on your halfling-mission.
He would have to be insanely fast or bring home more than one halfling. Both of which had previously, according to other elves, proven to be extremely hard. Most elves used the full two years to complete their mission and still ended up only bringing one halfling home with them.
Changbin had gotten extremely lucky though.
Not long after he had met Chan, two more members had joined their group. One was another Alpha - quiet, but stubborn - and the other an Omega - clumsy and theatrical. Changbin had been forced to hold back his glee when he realized that not only was one of them a halfling, but both of them.
He had gone for a long run that night. All the way to the Gang-Dong Bridge and screamed a long and joyous roar out over the Han River.
What he hadn’t foreseen though, was how quickly after that the group would debut and had been caught off guard when their trainee contracts had been swapped with new ones.
Weirdly enough, that possibility hadn’t even occurred to him when he initially planned his mission.
But no matter how inconvenient it was for him, or how he felt like a complete fraud, this was his reality.
Which brings us to the present:
December 1st, Changbin wakes up, for another day of Idol training and music production that he would like to say that he never signed up for. But that would be a lie.
“Happy first of December!” Jisung cheerfully greets as Changbin makes his way out of his shared room with Chan. He offers Jisung a friendly nod. He’s not a morning person. Jisung usually isn’t either.
Normally Jisung wouldn’t even be anything near human before his morning coffee.
On any other Monday Jisung would be hunched over his Totoro mug, filled with more sugar and oat milk than actual coffee. Which is why it usually takes about two cups before he’s ready to even pretend to be agreeable and one more to start thinking about being creative.
“Did you see?” Jisung asks him with sparkling boba eyes, his happy chocolate scent invading Changbin’s nostrils.
This is concerning.
“Jisung, I just opened my eyes. I haven’t seen much of anything.”
“Ugrh hyung, you’re such a buzzkill sometimes,” Jisung says with a glint in his eye, no bite in his words. “Look out the window,” he says excitement seeping into his tone again, pointing towards one of the windows in their tiny dorm.
Changbin turns his head to follow Jisung’s finger. But as soon as his eyes focus on the outside, his stomach drops.
It’s snowing. The first snow.
A normal person would be happy to see the snow. Especially on the first of December, bringing a promise of a white Christmas with it.
It would be comforting seeing all the beautiful lights hanging from light poles and buildings, being reflected in the white streets. It would’ve filled him with a feeling of belonging and a sense of home had the situation been any different.
But it isn’t.
The fact of the matter is that Changbin is running out of time.
This is the first snow of winter and it’s going to be his last.
Or at least his last in the human world for a long, long time, if not ever.
Alpha elves' halfling-mission can take up to two years, but no more than that. If he stayed away from the North Pole for any longer, the elf magic within him would dwindle and die, taking him with it. The elf people might be a strong one, but there’s always a weakness.
To make matters worse; he can’t just give up either, because halflings are the same.
Well not exactly the same. Being mixed with less superior blood, halflings are in some ways weaker than elves. Once they turn twenty they have to stay at the North Pole for the rest of their lives. And of course it just so happens that Hyunjin - the Omega halfling in his group - is turning twenty not long after the start of the new year.
The 25th will mark exactly two years since Changbin left the North Pole to venture into the human world for his mission. Thereby it also marks the day that he has to have succeeded by.
The snow serves as a reminder of that. Not that he was trying to forget. Not really.
Changbin creeps closer to the window and places his hand on the glass, feeling the coolth seeping into his skin, his bone, maybe even his very soul.
How the Hel is he going to figure this out?
“Why do you look all gloomy?” Jisung asks, sounding confused, understandably so. “Like, I know you haven’t had your morning coffee, but still. I thought you loved the snow.”
Changbin does love the snow. He always has. But it’s different now. The snow isn’t just snow. It’s a promise of hardship and struggle. It’s almost like it’s mocking him through the window.
He turns to Jisung, trying to calm him with a smile.
“Sorry. Chan and I stayed up late last night working on a track for the comeback,” he says, making his way to the kitchen. It’s technically not a lie.
“Uugghh. You worked on the comeback without me?” He’s trying to sound hurt, to get a reaction out of Changbin. Or maybe he’s just doing it to get attention. Or maybe even because he’s seeing right through Changbin and is trying to cheer him up.
Either way, it’s working.
“We all know you need your beauty sleep, Jisung,” he says as he grabs the younger and tickles his side. “No one wants to work with you when you’re all sleep deprived and irritable."
Jisung giggles loudly as he tries to wrestle his way out of Changbin’s hold.
“Hey, no fair.” Another fit of giggles. “You’re way stronger than me.”
“Guess you should’ve thought of that when you said no to going to the gym with Chan and me.” He lets go of him, nudging him with his shoulder instead.
“Are Hyunjin and Jeongin still in their room?” he asks as he scoops a couple of spoonfuls of coffee grounds in the coffee machine. “Or did they already leave?” He pours in some water and turns the coffee machine on and faces Jisung. “Do you know?”
“They already left,” Jisung answers. “Is Chan still sleeping?” He’s eyeing the coffee machine, as if he just remembered that he’s supposed to be sleepy in the morning and can’t function without his caffeine.
“No. I’m awake.”
They turn around as Chan enters the kitchen. He looks dead tired. His hair is pointing in every direction, but mostly upwards, and the dark circles under his eyes are visible even from all the way across the room.
Changbin would make a comment about how he should go back to sleep, about how there is such a thing as running on just fumes. But he knows it wouldn’t change anything. Chan cares too much about his work to take breaks.
It’s only their first comeback and idol training is already taking its toll on him.
But Changbin isn’t going to dwell on it too much. He has other things to worry about. Like the fact that he won’t even be here when their comeback rolls around. Which in turn makes him feel even worse. How is he supposed to leave them behind like that?
The ding of the coffee machine pulls him out of his thoughts.
He pours himself a cup and then one for Jisung too, but only after he makes puppy eyes at him. He pours one for Chan as well. He probably needs it more than anyone.
It isn’t long before they’re making their way to the company. Trudging through the thick snow, Jisung is marveling at the snowy streets as he chats with Chan.
They are probably talking about the comeback but Changbin can’t focus as he trails behind them.
He keeps thinking about Hyunjin and Jeongin. They’re probably in a singing class or maybe Hyunjin is practicing his rapping. He’s been so diligently working on his pronunciation ever since he and Jisung got into a fight about skills and talent. Or maybe it was about something else. But even now, over a year later, he’s still trying so hard to improve.
How is he supposed to tell him that he has to leave all of that hard work and struggling behind.
Then there’s Jeongin, who’s still young. He’ll only be turning 19 next year. He can’t ask him to leave his home. Since when did caring for someone mean asking them to do the impossible?
Not to mention that he has to make them believe him in the first place. They’re going to think he’s gone insane.
Maybe he has.
Maybe lying to your friends for two years will do that to you.
Maybe knowing you have to ask two of your friends to uproot their entire lives for their own survival, will do that to you.
Maybe knowing that in doing so you will effectively be leaving your other two friends behind, will do that to you.
Maybe feeling like an absolute fraud will drive you insane.
Yep. He’s definitely going insane.
“Changbin hyung!” Jisung squeals and it polls him out of his dispirited thoughts “Look!”
“What?” he asks, looking up from the frozen ground. Jisung and Chan hang back to let him catch up. He hadn’t even noticed how much he’s been falling behind. Chan puts a hand on his shoulder when Changbin falls into step with them, a silent question in his touch and on his nougat scent.
“Look at that Christmas decoration!” Jisung commands as he points at a big light fixture hanging over the street between the surrounding buildings. The star shaped lights are covered in fake pine branches and fresh snow.
“Isn't that just the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?” Jisung asks. It’s not a question. It’s a statement. Jisung’s like that. He’s full of wonder and amazement. But he’s also steadfast and stubborn. Changbin likes that about him.
Chan is the exact opposite of that. He’s calm and agreeable and always so agonizingly worried. Always looking after everyone else. Taking care of everybody’s needs before his own.
Just like right now, with his heavy hand on Changbin’s shoulder. A promise of a conversation later.
Maybe Changbin hasn’t been as good at hiding his bad mood as he’d hoped.
“I mean it doesn’t feel as real, but still. You know?” Jisung continues.
“What do you mean?” Changbin asks, amused. Is he referring to the fake pine in the obnoxious decoration itself?
“No, because you know I love Christmas,” he says as he tilts his head. “I’m just so sick of it being turned into this capitalistic, romance nightmare.”
Changbin and Chan both turn to look at him with furrowed brows.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he says with wide eyes. “All I’m saying is: When did Christmas go from being about closeness and intimacy with friends and family to waiting to be kissed under the mistletoe?”
Changbin stifles a laugh as he presses his lips into a thin line. Chan removes his hand from his shoulder and Changbin hears a quiet snicker from him.
Jisung. The lover of romance. The absolute sappiest of them all doesn’t like the romance aspect of Christmas?
“What?!” Jisung exclaims, irritation creeping in at the edges of his voice.
Chan puts a hand in front of his mouth. “No, no. I’m sorry. We shouldn’t be laughing.”
And maybe they shouldn’t, but how could they not? They all know that Jisung is a hopeless romantic. So what the fuck is he on about. It must be something else.
“Is it really that bad?” Changbin asks, barely holding it together. “Like, I know that you share a wall, but I didn’t know they were being that loud.”
That’s when Chan can’t take it anymore. He bends in half laughing in the middle of the street. Jisung turns bright red, all the way up to his ears and all the way down his neck. Or at least as far as Changbin can tell, with all of them wearing big coats.
“That’s not it at all. What the fuck guys,” Jisung says a bit too loudly, as he crosses his arms. “Nobody fucking understands me in this group. You guys are the worst.” And he’s off, stomping towards the company building.
The image of it reminds Changbin of when he was a kid and playing games with his cousin Minho. How he would get mad when he lost a game, stormed off and later pretended that it had never happened.
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After apologizing when they caught up to him - Chan looking like he actually meant it, and Changbin putting a lot of effort into pretending - they made it to dance practice.
Jisung sends him an evil eye after Changbin catches him watching Hyunjin and Jeongin in the mirror. Maybe he should apologize properly later.
For now he’s going to focus on the task at hand; learning this new choreography.
It’s for a performance at one of the end-of-the-year awards shows. SBS Gayo Daejeon to be precise.
Much like Hyunjin, Jisung has also made an effort to overcome his shortcomings. And he quickly gets the choreography down. Whether he's putting in extra effort because he’s mad at Changbin and Chan or if he just really wants to perform well, Changbin has no idea.
It isn't long before it becomes clear that Changbin’s falling behind though. Chan, as always, is doing a phenomenal job. Watching the instructor diligently. Hyunjin is a natural and he’s helping Jeongin.
But it’s hard to focus when you’re not even sure you’re gonna make it to the performance. Who knows how long it’ll take him to succeed, if he’ll even make it that far.
No! He will not be thinking like that! He has to succeed. He just has to figure out how he’s going to tell Hyunjin and Jeongin, how to convince them he’s not taking the piss and persuade them to travel with him to the North Pole, knowing full well that they can never leave again. And he has to do it within the next 24 days.
Who is he kidding? There’s no way.
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Later in the studio, after Hyunjin and Jeongin make their way back home, Changbin and Jisung are sitting on the sofa, staring at Chan work.
It’s their typical dynamic. Changbin and Jisung being allowed to lounge around and be creative, while Chan does all the heavy lifting.
It’s not something he’s particularly proud of, but he’s pretty sure Chan wouldn’t want it any other way. And this way he gets to tease Jisung, so they don’t interrupt Chan.
Not today though. He’s still clearly annoyed from earlier.
It’s almost awkward sitting on the couch next to him. Watching him mope and listen to Chan mixing on the computer. But only almost.
Jisung has a special place in his heart. He’s like the little brother he never got. Being an only child he always wanted a younger sibling.
His younger cousin Felix had kinda filled that role for him back home. But this is different. Felix is an Omega, which is fine. It’s just not the same as having an Alpha dongsaeng. It’s just not.
So despite having to sit close to him and smell his otherwise nice scent of chocolate turn rotten, he has a hard time being irritated. He’s actually quite endeared at the way Jisung pops his bottom lip out into a pout.
“I was being serious, you know,” Jisung almost whispers.
Chan miraculously still hears him over the music playing. He presses the space bar and turns around in his chair.
“As much as Hyunjin and Jeongin have been getting on my nerves with their sappyness lately, that’s not why I said it,” he continues.
Chan and Changbin don’t say anything. They both know that Jisung needs to say his piece and then they can all talk about it.
“It’s not that I hate romance. You guys know that. It’s just…Christmas is so much more than that,” he says, looking down at his hands as he’s obsessively rubbing them together.
Oh, poor Jisung. Always taking things too seriously.
“We know, Jisung,” Chan says. Putting a hand on top of Jisung’s. “We were just being dicks.”
Jisung looks up at Chan and then turns to look at Changbin.
“I’m sorry for kinda blowing up on you guys. It’s just that you are kinda right,” he says, pink dusting his cheeks. “I can hear them through the wall.”
The room erupts into a fit of laughter at that. Changbin leans into Jisung, giggling. Chan leans back in his chair with his hands on his stomach, laughing like Santa Clause. The back of his head hits the key board and their music starts roaring through the tiny room.
Chan quickly turns around to turn it off, followed by another round of laughter.
“But I get it though. They’re in love and all that. It’s just so annoying,” Jisung says after the laughter has died down a bit. “And romance is nice I guess. But I still hate capitalism.” He nods affirmatively and crosses his arms in front of him, but there’s a glint in his eye. And Changbin is sure then, that everything will be fine. Not that he was ever actually worried. That’s a Chan thing. Worrying.
“I hate to break it to you,” Changbin says, feeling like the night has been turned around. They might get some actual work done. “Our careers kinda depend on it.”