Work Text:
Ok, don't panic. Breathe.
Dong Wook stood there, in the middle of the room, with the roll call in his hands looking at the cast for the upcoming drama they were about to shoot.
The director had chosen him personally for the lead, saying that no one else could've played the Nine Tailed Fox role but him, in his mind. He had been reading the choices for the rest of the cast and when his eyes had darted on the 'Lee Rang’ character, he had stopped breathing.
Almost two years without any sign of him, and now this?
What are the odds??
He jumped on the couch, pulling the strings of his hoodie enough to cover his entire face, leaving out only his nose.
His chest was heavy and he had chills everywhere, his butt cheeks included.
He felt a big toothy smile creeping up before he could stop it.
Months and months shooting together?
I won't fuck it up this time.
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Kim Beom was half sitting on the kitchen table, fidgeting nervously with the script in his hands, his heart threatening to beat out of his chest.
A drama together. Someone must really love me up there.
He thought sarcastically, one hand pressed on his chest, breath uneven.
I won't be able to hide this stupid crush I've been harboring if I'm with him every day.
He thought, flipping the pages.
Fighting scenes too, Jesus.
He rubbed a hand over his face, resting on his mouth, still shocked.
He exhaled through his fingers.
I'm so screwed.
The following week Kim Beom was waiting for the other castmates outside the door of their rehearsing room.
He had arrived earlier to prepare himself mentally, the signs of stimming clear in his body; leg bouncing and nail picking.
I'm sure he forgot about… that.
We were drunk, right? Right.
Well, I was, at least.
Ugh, I even asked permission to call him like that, what the hell was I thinking?
He breathed deep, hearing the rustling of feet against the floor coming his way, interrupting his self-deprecating internal monologue.
He saw a small crew turning the corner, composed of the producers, directors and writers walking towards him; behind them his fellow actors, a few of them he recognized, others were new faces, all chatting excitedly.
He scanned them intently, trying to find him, but in a split second, they were rushing him inside before he could spot him, a blur of timid introductions and pleasantries.
They were just taking a seat when Dong Wook crossed the threshold.
"I'm sorry I'm late, I apologize", he stated solemnly in his deep voice, bowing to the others.
Beom's heart gave a somersault.
His hair was longer than the last time he saw him, dark locks casting shadows over his eyes, and wearing an orange oversized shirt, the low neckline uncovering sharp pale collarbones.
He looked impossibly soft.
God, you're beautiful.
He caught his jaw before someone else could see his expression, while he watched him taking the last empty seat and opening up the script, before lifting his head and start smiling politely at his future coworkers and castmates, fully owning his place in the room, his charisma never faltering.
His eyes scanned the room and stopped on him, sitting on the opposite side of the table.
Beom's stomach jumped in his throat.
Dong Wook’s smile grew bigger, bowing his head a bit, with a small wave of his hand.
breathebreathebreathebreathe
He waved back trying to behave like a normal human being, instead of a teenager in front of his crush.
They soon started reading, the compelling storyline distracting him from his anxiety; the character was perfect for him, he felt it perfectly matching his tastes, jumping out of the page; he teared up in some places, and he took it as a personal victory when he made Dong Wook laugh out loud after a brotherly banter particularly well executed.
He always covers his face when he laughs.
Pity, he has such a blinding smile.
Once they reached the end of the rehearsal the whole cast was euphoric, the director thanked them all and he wished for good work and chemistry for the months of shooting ahead of them.
Beom was ecstatic, he couldn't wait.
Maybe it won't be too bad after all.
He felt a delicate pressure on his shoulder.
"Kim Beom ssi".
He turned to his left, eyes meeting, the other man looking impossibly soft, cocooned in that shirt.
Say it. Don't chicken out.
Please tell me you forgot.
He cleared his throat.
"..Hyung", he ventured, an unsure tone tinging his voice.
He saw the older man's eyes widen like saucers, his ears dusting pink.
Ok he remembers. Damn.
He saw his full lips hanging loose for a moment before speaking.
"Yes. I'm..." he closed his mouth swallowing, eyes casting down before setting on Beom again, "I'm happy that you're here, I hope we're gonna work well together", he added, the hand on his shoulder sliding off, grazing his arm on the way.
Beom nodded, trying to contain his smile, and failing spectacularly.
"I'm happy to be here too, hyung, I can't wait to start" he answered back, awkwardly, his hand on his own neck.
"I-"
"Dong Wook ssi!" a voice interrupted them from the corridor, making the older man jump, startled.
He sighed.
"I have to go. See you on set..?" he asked, waving.
As if I could ever say no to that face.
The first days on set could be described only with pure joy. The lines flew organically, the vibe was fun, and if it wasn't, they could leave it to their personal mood maker to lift the spirits.
Seeing Dong Wook on set was a remarkable experience.
He had such an effortless sense of humor, spitting ad-libs as easy as breathing, every cast member had to be on their toes, ready to play the game with him.
Most of the time, the "cut!" yelled by the director was met with booming laughter from the crew and cast, sometimes it was hard to finish shooting even a single scene, Dong Wook always being the cause of it, with a small innocent smile on his face.
This is a special project, I can feel it.
He stood up and got ready to change. They had a shooting for the official posters in a few, and he was starting with his singles.
Dressed in a red suit, he looked at himself in the mirror, eyes scanning the clothes for any imperfection, until he was called on set.
He sat on the sofa and smiled.
Every time he had to do a photoshoot he remembered their first meeting: he hears his advice in his ears like it was yesterday, and not 8 years prior.
He had never felt something like that in his life, he thought, and that encounter did nothing to snuff out the tiny professional crush he already had on the man.
If anything he turned it into a fully-fledged pining.
I can't believe I'm still like this after all this time.
The photographer gave him a few directions, and he started posing. Immediately he heard an uproar among the crew, with a collective "wow", making him smile embarrassed.
I guess he would be proud.
As soon as he was done with the singles he had to wait around for the other castmates to finish theirs, so he decided to wander about and ended up snooping around in Dong Wook's photoshoot.
He walked silently between the focused crew members, trying not to disturb anyone, until he saw the pair, standing in front of a printed panel.
The older man was holding Bo Ah bridal style, face to face, her hand grabbing his lapel.
The photographer was calling Dong Wook's attention to some details, and the actor turned his head, spotting Beom among the small crowd. He licked his lips on reflex, quick, and turned back to his co-star.
Beom felt his heart sink, looking at the display of pure flirt he was witnessing.
He knew that Dong Wook was popular among his co-stars, he had known that for a while now. He always seems to be flirting with anyone, and he had made peace with that.
This time it felt real though.
The way his face got closer to hers, noses almost touching, his head tilting left, like a feline seizing up his prey.
Beom felt his heart (and pants) grow tighter, and scurried out quickly.
He needed some fresh air, so he stepped outside the door, leaning against the wall.
He knew that this crush wasn't going anywhere, but it hurt anyway.
He had spent years trying to get him out of his head, he had tried to be with someone else, and he had almost managed it, until that night two years ago.
He looked down at his hands: he could still feel his soft skin under his palms, while the other man stayed so still, like he wasn't even breathing.
Maybe he’s a vampire.
He thought, smiling inwardly.
He walked to the fitting room, a bit crestfallen, and after changing into his black suit, he stopped to buy a water bottle from the vending machine, downing half of it in one go.
He heard some steps behind him and he looked up to see a nervous intern, calling him back on set, he was needed for the double shooting.
The double shooting with him, of course.
He entered the room and took the stage next to Dong Wook, who was waiting for him while talking to the director, making sure that everything was perfect.
...and I'm the control freak.
He smiled, bowing to the crew, and standing a few feet away from his co-star, waiting for directions.
They were given a sword, and they were holding it tight in the middle, fingers brushing.
Dong Wook smiled briefly, Beom's heart moments away to escape from his chest.
"This should be an action scene", the director explained the concept, "you're fighting, Rang you hate your brother".
Pfffff good luck with that, he thought, amused.
They both started moving as if they were mirroring each other, his right foot moving back, following Dong Wook's left one, taking a fighting stance, breaking into laughter at the awkwardness of the situation.
Dong Wook had the look of who was having the time of his life.
So different that the one you had with her, he thought, with a pinch of bitterness.
"Ok now get closer", added the director after a few pics, walking over to them to switch the sword for a knife.
Closer? he thought, panicked.
Before he could process what was happening he felt Dong Wook hovering on him, their height difference making his stomach knot, frozen by the display of charisma exuding from his co-star.
His eyes were heavy, burning into his, and he felt his mouth drying up.
"Closer, you're too far apart, we need a close up. Think about the script, the scene on the rooftop".
Beom had barely the presence of mind to feel Dong Wook's hand finding its way behind his neck, leaving a trail of goosebumps, before being pressed delicately against his broad chest, his left hand wrapping around the older man's right one, still holding the knife.
Dong Wook pushed gently his head closer, hiding him from the crew, turning to the director, asking if the pose was ok.
Beom was afraid he could hear his heartbeat going crazy, being this close.
"Ok perfect, stay still, keep the pose" the photographer yelled, as Dong Wook turned his face back, hovering above the younger’s shoulder.
His neck was so close, he could almost feel the heat of his skin on his face, the fingers tightening on the nape of his neck were making his knees buckle, so close he could hear the other man's puffs of breath.
He was in sensory overload, his lips parted on their own accord, exhaling on the older man's neck, seeing goosebumps appear under his eyes.
The click of the camera reminded him that they weren't alone and he straightened his head ready to pull out of the hug to change position, but Dong Wook kept him closer, turning on themselves instead of leaving him, spinning 180 degrees, making them all laugh.
"Hi~" Beom said weakly to the crew once he faced them, smiling, starting to pose, but his face wasn't answering his commands.
"If you smile it will become a very loving relationship, Beom ssi", the director laughed.
Beom gave a brief laugh, rearranging his features in a more pained expression, not much different from what he was feeling at the moment, but for an entirely different reason.
"Ok, we got it" came the yell from the photographer, and Beom almost jumped out of the hug, a polite smile on, afraid that his body could betray him with the proximity, while peeking at the man in front of him, who was looking anywhere but him, starting to walk away.
A shrug. At least I have these moments to treasure, even if they're not real, he smiled bitterly.
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