A pale pink skirt softly draped over even paler thighs, slightly too short to be comfortable but pretty nonetheless. A plain white shirt covered by a grey vest, fitted enough to show off the slim figure beneath it. A soft pink blush lightly brushed over already flushed cheeks. Kyunghoon stared at his reflection in the mirror and wondered what type of strange turn his life must have taken for him to end up here, dressed as a school girl and preparing himself to appear like this on national television. His stylist chuckled to herself as she attached a white pompom to one of his pigtails, and he couldn't help but wonder what the Min Kyunghoon of ten years ago would say if he could see his future self. The old Kyunghoon was much quieter and altogether more cool, a true rockstar of his time, praised for his vocals and looks by men and women alike. But even back then he had a few strange charms and an all too frequent habit of speaking without thinking first – perhaps he was destined to end up in this position after all.
"There you go Kyunghoon," she laughed lightly, tapping his shoulder, "I think it suits you!" He could feel the tell-tale blush of embarrasment creeping up his face, and covered it with his hands. He could only laugh. Just then the door of the waiting room opened and a familiar face leaned into the room. Kyunghoon swivelled around in his chair, facing away from the mirror in front of him and instead towards the entrance at the opposite side of the room.
"Woah... Heechul..." was all he could manage, looking at the man in front of him in disbelief.
"Actually that's Heemi unnie to you!" Heechul winked, almost skipping into the room, making it obvious just how much he was already enjoying the theme of this week's episode. He sat down on the grey sofa against the back wall, facing the chair where Kyunghoon was seated. He crossed his legs in a lady-like manner and brushed the hair of his long, dark wig behind his shoulders. They stared at each other for a moment in silence, both examining the other's outfits, before simulatneously bursting out laughing.
"Yah, hyung, you actually look really pretty," Kyunghoon managed to say in between fits of laughter.
"Hey! What do you mean? I've always been pretty!" Heechul exclaimed, looking serious for a moment, before laughing uncontrollably once again.
Heechul's looks weren't something Kyunghoon had paid particular attention to over the years, instead choosing to focus on girl groups and the few long-term girlfriends he'd had. But Heechul never let anyone around him forget just how attractive he was apparently considered to be, and who was Kyunghoon to disagree with him? Kyunghoon himself had always been attractive too, of course. His perfect skin, delicate features and tall, slim build blessed him with a sort of prince-like quality, one which could be described as equal parts pretty and handsome. In this situation however, his facial hair which could never be removed for longer than a couple of hours, prevented him from pulling off looking like a woman with quite the same level of perfection as Heechul. Just as they managed to calm their laughter, Kang Hodong himself strode into the room, pouting with his hands beneath his chin in a vain attempt to look cute, and that was all it took to set them off laughing again.
"Yah, you two, stop laughing," he shouted across the room, "you two look just as ridiculous as I do."
"You must be joking hyung," Heechul replied with sincere confidence, "we're both prettier than half of the IOI members, isn't that right Kyunghoon?"
But Kyunghoon didn't reply, suddenly feeling embarrased he let out a light chuckle and sat forward, fidgeting with the back of his skirt whilst looking at the floor. After a moment he looked up again at Heechul who was continuing to bicker with their eldest hyung. He took a little more time just watching, and was still slightly dumfounded by just how convincing Heechul looked as a girl group member. He scoffed at the thought, and shook his head, standing up and heading towards Hodong who was still stood in the doorway.
"You coming Heemi?" he asked Heechul over his shoulder. Heechul jumped up out of his seat, walking towards Kyunghoon and linking arms with him, which again made Kyunghoon blush slightly. He wasn't particularly close to Heechul yet, despite the on screen 'bromance' between them that the producers where trying to encourage. They'd only crossed paths a handful of times over the years and most of those were back when Buzz were at their most popular, whilst Super Junior were still considered rookies. In other words, they'd never had the opportunity to become friends. However this didn't stop Heechul from frequently trying to hold his hand, place his arm around him or touch him in some other friendly manner. He assumed that Heechul must simply enjoy skinship and use it as a way to get closer to people, and in all honesty Kyunghoon was indifferent to it, it just surprised him.
He felt that same surprise again an hour later after he had fallen to the ground in embarrasment during their 'dance battle' segment, and he felt Heechul's hand lightly smack his ass whilst he encouraged him to stand up. Kyunghoon's face was beetroot, and he failed in covering it with his hands before Heechul grabbed both of his wrists, shouting to everyone to look at how embarrased he was. Kyunghoon had been made to dance, which is entertaining enough in itself, but he suddenly found himself surrounded by the young members of IOI and he just couldn't take the attention. He practically ran to the corner of the room, his embarrasment all too evident in his bright pink cheeks. That was one thing he always disliked about himself, his inability to hide his true feelings – at least in this instance it provided some quality entertainment for the viewers.
In large group episodes like this Kyunghoon often found himself left out of the action unless he was specifically called upon to join in. Maybe he'd become more confident eventually, but he hadn't quite developed the right chemistry with his hyungs yet, and after all he was an introvert at heart. Standing alone at the back, unobserved, gave him some time to relax and watch what was going on in the room. They had set up a pillowfight on top of a balance beam where the MCs and guests would be paired up and try to knock each other off, either with genuine strenghth or in the most humourous way possible. His eyes would normally be drawn to the female guests, but in this case most of the IOI girls were still kids, so instead he kept scanning. He watched Hodong dissing the other hyungs in a voice louder than could ever be considered necessary, Youngchul who was quietly encouraging the girls to get involved and enjoy themselves, and Janghoon who was simply enjoying the view he accessed by towering over everyone else in the room. At last he found Heechul, who at that moment was making his way up to the beam. Kyunghoon paused for a moment, not really thinking of anything, just taking in the sight before him.
Heechul's legs were longer and more slender than they appeared when covered by the baggy tracksuits he usually chose to wear, he had pretty ankles too, and his calves and thighs were both toned just enough to show slight muscle definition when he moved. His waist was well defined, even beneath the school clothes he was wearing and his shoulders, although narrow, were in perfect proportion to the rest of his lithe physique. His pretty and delicate fingers gripped the pillow in his hands as he sat down opposite his opponent, and Kyunghoon was suddenly reminded of the sweet, yet floral scent they usually exuded, owing to Heechul's favourite handcream. The way the light fell onto Heechul from above only enhanced the features of his face. Despite being covered in makeup thicker than usual, it was obvious that his soft skin was glowing, his high cheeckbones catching the light and emphasising his delicate bone structure. His wide eyes glimmered with genuine excitement as he began to fight his opponent. His jawline was sharp and became further accentuated as he clenched his teeth with determination. And lastly his lips, which were coloured a beautiful rosy pink, stretched to form a wide smile as he swung his pillow through the air. For some unknown reason Kyunghoon couldn't take his eyes off his hyung. He really was pretty, but there was also something different about him that made his beauty unique. Kyunghoon was enjoying admiring him silently from across the room, and admiring him made him feel... nice? That was the only way he could describe it. He was brought back to reality when Heechul suddenly came striding towards him, panting after being knocked off the beam.
"Ahhh that was hard work," he sighed, suddenly draping himself over Kyunghoon's shoulder, wrapping his arms around him and resting all of his weight upon him. Kyunghoon stiffened, not sure how to react at the sudden intrusion into his personal space, but his body relaxed and he let Heechul sink into his arms for a moment. Heechul pulled back then, taking a moment to run his hands down Kyunghoon's arms as he shifted his weight back onto his own legs, before smiling gently and turning around to join in with the group once more. Kyunghoon stared after him, slightly confused by their short interaction, but again, he felt a little warmer after feeling someone elses body pressed against his own. It's not as though he had experienced much skinship recently; he hadn't had a girlfriend in over a year and even before the breakup, their relationship had been rocky for a couple of months. He wasn't one to go out of his way to touch strangers or casual acquaitances, but with people he felt a genuine connection to, skinship was one of Kyunghoon's favourite things in the world. He loved to be cuddled whilst watching TV or have someone sat in his lap whilst he played his favourite video game, and of course he loved sex too, when it was with the right person. As he considered this, Kyunghoon suddenly felt a little thankful for Heechul's appearance in his life. He may not be a girlfriend, but at leat he could offer some kind of physical contact, and perhaps they would even become close friends one day.
As the epsiode was supposed to be a humorous take on Produce 101 they of course had to end with a segment demonstrating the skills of an idol. If it had just been a case of singing a chosen ballad Kyunghoon would have been more than comfortable to demonstrate his abilities, but yet again it just had to include dancing. Assinged to three groups they went their separate ways and prepared a 'routine', if you could call it that, in Kyunghoon's case using his own song 'Coward'. He had been red in the face with embarrasment almost constantly throughout the eight hours of filming, and this was likey only to make matters worse. The one thing making him feel a little better is that the brothers had all agreed beforehand not to take the challenge too seriously, after all, their job was to entertain the viewers, not prove that they were cut out to be idols.
It quickly became obvious however that the groups had a different idea of what taking things seriously actually meant; whilst Kyunghoon's group put together a messy set of movements that enabled them to fully make fools of themselves, Heechul and Hodong decided to put in a little more effort. As they took to the stage for their performance of SNSD's 'Genie', Kyunghoon's eyes were once again drawn to Heechul. His hair was now fixed above his head in a neat top knot, showing off his elegant neckline. Kyunghoon was immediately reminded of an ex-girlfriend he once had with a similarly long and pale neck. He loved the smell of the floral perfume she used to wear and would often hug her from behind, burrying his face in the crook of her neck just so he could inhale her scent. He equally enjoyed leaving hickeys all the way down it while she whined his name, pinned down and writhing beneath him in their bedsheets, and the contrast of the red and purple blotches against her white skin the morning after. Suddenly the music started, and Kyunghoon snapped out of the indecent scene that was being replayed in his head. He sat up straighter and fidgeted in his seat as he turned his attention to what was going on in front of him. He shook his head, firstly in embarasment at what he'd just been imagining, but also in confusion as to why his mind had wandered there at all.
Watching the group's performance, he was shocked by just how in sync they were. From the IOI girls it was to be expected, and Hodong wasn't bad, if a little less precise than the others. Heechul however was a sight to behold. From his accurate arm positions to the fluid motion of his hips, it was fascinating to watch, particularly from the perspective of someone who had never paid attention to the dancing ability of a male idol before. On top of this he pulled it off with a particular charm and charisma that only Heechul was capable of, and by the time he had made his way to the centre to seductively bite at his finger whilst swinging his hips, Kyunhoon's dimples had well and truly made an appearance. Once again Kyunghoon wasn't sure why he was enjoying watching this quite as much as he was, it wasn't as if their performance was funny, it was just impressive. Perhaps he was envious of the way Heechul could move his body so effortlessly, or his ability to captivate an audience, or how good his legs looked in that skirt.
After their shoot finally ended Kyunghoon was looking forward to going home and spending some well deserved time alone, but he was called back to the waiting room to interview the IOI members for an online video.
"Remind me again why I have to do this?" he asked one of the producers, sighing as he collapsed into one of the available chairs in the room.
"Becuase," he replied, "our show isn't as popular as it could be. We still need an extra push to increase the ratings, and seeing as most IOI fans are young people who spend a lot of time online, an exlusive video will be a great way to drum up some attention."
Kyunghoon nodded, and began to flick through the cue cards he had been handed. Just then Heechul entered the room and found himself a seat next to Kyunghoon, collapsing onto it with a similar sigh. He immediately reached across the space between them and held Kyunghoon's wrist, stroking his thumb across it gently as he lay his head back for a moment and closed his eyes. Kyunghoon chuckled to himself and turned his head to look at his hyung, noticing that other than a couple of patches where his makeup needed touching up, he looked no different from that morning. He looked down at his wrist which was still between Heechul's soft fingers, and smiled to himself, just enjoying the brief moment of calm and the warmth of another hand against his skin. The silence was broken after a few moments by the IOI girls running into the room, and both men sat up in their seats, too distracted by the loud voices of the girls to feel disappointed at being interrupted.
Kyunghoon asked a few basic questions about the girls' experience filming the episode, and blushed every time he was interrupted by one of them squealing "ah Ssamja is so cute!" – which happened several times. He only became further embarrassed when one of them pointed out he was sitting with his legs spread too far apart. It wasn't this fact alone which caused his face to flush; he was wearing shorts under the skirt so as to ensure he wouldn't expose himself, but the fact that Heechul took it upon himself to reach across and tuck the skirt in for him, his hand gently brushing the skin of his inner thighs, dangerously close to his crotch. Kyunghoon's body gave an involuntary flinch and his eyes widened slightly despite his attempt not to react in front of the camera. The moment only lasted mere seconds but Kyunghoon felt as though he'd just been caught in a compromising position. It was quite obviously blown out of proportion in his own head, as he felt astounded that none of the girls seemed to have noticed Heechul's action, and Heechul himself simply sat back in his chair as though nothing had happened. Kyunghoon's face was burning and his heart rate had jumped considerably. He was slightly panicked by the way his body reacted and kept stealing glances at Heechul whilst the girls laughed amongst themsleves in an attempt to process what had just happened. He figured it must simply be the fact that he'd never had a man touch him like that before, as well as the fact that it came out of nowhere, and tried to push the weird feeling he was experiencing to the back of his mind.
The interview continued with just as much skinship, including Heechul declaring himself to be Kyunghoon's wife and kissing him gently on the cheek, causing Kyunghoon to giggle and blush once more, the feeling of Heechul's lips remaining on his skin for much longer than it should have. By the end of it all Kyunghoon was worn out, and quickly went to the bathroom to change into the shorts and plain white tshirt he felt most comfortable in, happy to finally be leaving the studio. He washed his hands and took a moment to examine his reflection in the mirror above the sink. The feminine makeup he was still wearing looked out of place with his casual clothing and the stubble now showing more prominently through his foundation. He chuckled to himself, and was about to look down to turn off the tap when he noticed a glossy pink stain on his right cheek – the stain of a lip print to be exact. He reached up and touched it gently, feeling the stickiness of the lipgloss even beneath his wet fingers. He remembered Heechul calling him 'honey' and the light press of his lips, and suddenly felt in an even better mood.
He exited the bathroom to collect his belongings from the waiting room, so busy smiling to himself whilst looking at the floor that he almost bumped into Heechul who was heading down the hallway in the opposite direction.
"Yah Kyunghoonie! Watch where you're going!" he laughed, placing a hand on Kyunghoon's arm to steady himself after their near-collision.
Kyunghoonie. He liked that.
"Sorry hyung I'm just a little tired, can't wait to go home, wash all of this makeup off and grab something to eat."
"I think you should consider leaving it on Kyunghoonie," Heechul replied. He leaned closer, looking Kyunghoon directly in the eyes, "you look pretty like this."
He stepped back and smiled sweetly, before walking towards the exit of the building, humming a Twice song as he went. Kyunghoon turned to watch him leave, that familiar blush rising up his face once again. All he could do was stand still for a moment and wonder what exactly had been making him feel so embarrassed all day. He hardly knew Heechul but seemed to already feel a connection with him, which was strange considering how difficult he normally found making friends. Regardless, he felt the happiest he had felt in a while, and decided not to dwell on the subject any longer, instead choosing to turn towards the exit of the building, a slight smile still lingering on his face.