Chapter Text
Adrenaline was rushing in their blood as the time was coming. They were all gathered In their recording studio, checking the laptop in front of them.
One minute later, a champagne popping sound was heard. Yunho and his band’s new single has been released and they were celebrating with some nice champagne San had brought earlier. It tasted so good after all these hours of work. This single was announcing the next album, with hints on the ambiance and the concept that it was going to bring. They hoped their fans would get some of the hints and start making theories, because they all loved reading these. And seeing people go crazy about the hints they missed after they released an album was so fun for them.
Yunho, laid back on his couch, sipping a little in his glass. He felt really happy with this release and it was one of the rare times he felt like the work was entirely finished. He didn’t have this lingering sensation of unfinished or unpolished work that brought self-doubt to his train of thoughts.
The morning after their small party, he took his time to wake up, stretch, drink his tea and sit on the couch before taking his phone to read a little bit of immediate feedback of that song.
When they weren’t doing any live performances, the fan’s comments were what reminded him that everything was worth it, that people liked what they did and kept coming back after all these years. It made him smile and laugh because somehow, his community was funny and even sassy about them. They weren’t afraid to make fun of them or call them out, which made him grateful. Having a sincere audience was so much better than having brainwashed groupies.
One comment ended up catching his attention.
“They put hellfire on the lyrics sheets and threw it in a rocket to send that motherfcking recording studio through the stratosphere”
Wow. Damn. That was creative.
He looked at the author of this tweet and was kind of drawn by the colorful profile picture. The user affirmed having been listening to the band’s music for four years, which was impressive since they started around five years ago. And it seemed that the person was a really outspoken one, who liked to ramble about Yunho and his band with others on social media.
Yunho would gladly admit that he cracked a smile at some of that person’s comments on him. He decided to follow him, just after checking if he was on his private account. The others didn't know he followed fans on his private, but that was his way to stay grounded and in touch with the community, so it was fine.
That same morning, Mingi was losing it.
He had been a fan of the band for some time now, and he was finally listening to their latest single. Mingi couldn't contain his excitement when he started playing it. It was kicking just right. The bass was so satisfying, and so in phase with the drums that it felt almost too good. And of course he went on social media to yell about it to his mutuals.
Later that day, Mingi saw a bunch of likes on this post and a following request by another user. That day was great.
_
In Mingi’s city, a fan-made event was hosted in honor of the single’s release.
He had to go. He had to get out of that small flat, out of the sight of his pile of flashcards and course readings, out of the smell of smoke crawling around sometimes (often). The stress was not something he was good at handling and maybe this event was the perfect reason to distance himself from university.
He simply put his black band shirt on and made himself look clean before saying a quick goodbye to Jongho who was still drinking his coffee, looking cranky.
After a twenty minute walk, he arrived at the location which was amazingly decorated. A sigh escaped his lips when he saw the already long queue but it was still early so it was worth it.
Getting out of his own mind for a bit, he chatted with some people while waiting for his turn. It turned out that they were just letting people in slowly, not to create a wave of people. There were big posters of the members of the band on the walls and some of their promotion posters too. The decoration really matched their core and it was obvious that lots of money had been put in the event. There were some stands to buy merch and albums over the corners, and in the last big room was a mini stage where a DJ was supposed to perform with their songs a little bit. It was still too early for that though. The food buffet had just started setting.
Mingi was contemplating on what merch item to buy, as he already had all the albums. The posters were incredibly appealing, but he had a penchant for keychains. There were also these beautiful bandanas with the logo on it, and of course some t-shirts.
He ended up buying a bandana and a keychain, because he liked the idea of being recognized as a fan outside. It gave him a sort of pride, and an excitement, knowing that even if he didn’t know it, some people might recognise the logo. And just the idea of making someone’s day like that was enough for him. But right now, it was the event that made his day. He was talking to people, never saying too much about himself because he didn’t need to, sipping on his drink that was apparently personalized to Yunho’s tastes, and enjoying the music when the DJ got there.
He spent around two hours there, then got home to annoy Jongho about the amazing time he had there. These days were not easy for Jongho and him, especially since he was in his last academic year and projects were piling up. The stress was equally weighty and it was harder each day not to smoke a little bit. He knew it wasn’t healthy, but at times like these when Jongho and he didn’t have time to escape often to decompress, he had to find a way to cope and forget.
Mingi always wanted to be academically smart. He sought that academic validation and he was doing everything in his power to get that.
University was a wonderful concept, a place of knowledge, research and sharing where people could grow, learn and form communities during those years. But the way it kind of put you in situations that made you believe your life was at stake destroyed the whole enjoyment for many. Instead of living a fulfilling academic life, you had to constantly worry about your worth and competences among other sleep-deprived people.
And one thing Mingi needed was sleep. So if that greenish mixture could prevent him from taking sleeping pills, he would gladly smoke that.
But that day, he was feeling content with himself, and went to finish that presentation with way less apprehension than usual. He stepped out of his bedroom, with a slight relief. Jongho was working on some text at the dinner table when he saw him.
“Will you be done soon ?”
“No but I don’t have the will to finish today, I’ll just write a few notes and call it a day.”
“Kay.”
As he was done, he sat on the couch with Mingi.
“I’m gonna make rice tonight. And maybe put like an egg and some kimchi with it. Do you want some too?”
“Sure, it’s good for me.”
Mingi ended up being the one making the eggs to help and they sat down watching YouTube videos. It was a peaceful night, and seeing that Mingi didn’t take the usual drug, Jongho rewarded him by silently offering a chocolate bar.