"donghyuck, it's me!" doyoung called, entering the house. as usual, donghyuck was still sleeping when doyoung walked in his bedroom to check on him. the young manager chuckled nervously as the two guests behind him frowned down at the resting boy disapprovingly. 

   "donghyuck ah," one of them pushed past doyoung, looming over the sun kissed male, "you're still sleeping even at noon?" her voice was stern and sharp. whether it was because of the familiar voice or the words that came out, donghyuck's eyes snapped open. his eyes adjusted from the sleepiness, and he slowly looked around the room, taking everything in. then, after visibly cringing, he ducked his head under the covers, curling his body into the fetal position. 

   "you didn't tell me you were planning on visiting!" he whined, voice coming out slightly muffled. "if that's your excuse, you need to find a better one," his mother scolded. "come on, up now, son," his father joined in, moving to stand next to his mother. doyoung, feeling slightly awkward, excused himself to make some tea for the guests. 

   "i slept so late last night, the sun had already come up. give me another hour and then you'll have my full attention," he stuck his head out of the covers now, pouting his lips childishly.

   his mother only frowned even more, "don't tell me you were up playing video games again?" "no no no," he pushed. "i'm an adult with a job now! i was busy memorizing my lines... with a side of daydreaming," he mumbled the last part.

   "well that's on you, you need to start managing your time better. get up and get ready, then come give your parents a hug," his mother said finally. with no response from donghyuck, she added in, "hurry up now." donghyuck let out one more exasperated whine, but it fell on deaf ears as he watched his parents trail out of the room.

   he rolled over, and then rolled back over, finally deciding that as an adult he should actually start listening to his parents. he stuck one foot out of the covers and threw it over the side of the bed. his barefoot met the cold floor testily. then he forced his other leg to copy the action until both feet were planted on the ground, and his torso rested horizontally on the mattress.

   maybe it was the presence of his parents that made him want to act like a child again, because he dramatically stepped forward with his legs without moving his torso until his whole body landed on the floor with a thud. he groaned and forced himself to stand up. "oh god, i think i'm dying," he muttered to himself dramatically.

   fortunately getting up was always the hard part, and getting tasks done went a lot smoother. he stepped in his bathroom and washed his face, waking his senses. then he tried to tame his hair, eventually getting frustrated and leaning over the tub to wet it. when he finally finished styling it, he brushed his teeth and got dressed in basketball shorts and a random michael jackson tee-shirt which he probably wore about four times a week.

   yes, even as a top celebrity in korea, donghyuck preferred basketball shorts and michael jackson tees over branded clothing and items any day.

   donghyuck stepped out of the bathroom, glancing at his messy bed and opting to leave it that way. then he joined his guests and manager in the living room. his parents smiled at his presence, and he hugged his father before pressing a kiss to his mother's cheek.

   donghyuck had his mother's face shape and lips, meanwhile his eyes and nose resembled his father's. seeing the three of them together, anyone could tell that they were a family. his parents aged well, he thought. though people often mentioned how similar in looks donghyuck was, it was obvious that his personality came from his mother. she was bubbly and talkative while his father was empathetic and quiet. they balanced eachother so well, it was no surprise that neither of them had ever faced marriage-related issues. 

   doyoung cleared his throat carefully, gaining everyone's attention. "i have a busy day ahead so i'm afraid i'll have to get going now. feel free to contact me if you need my assistance, and donghyuck," he turned to said male, "make sure you're ready for tomorrow at a decent time."

   donghyuck rolled his eyes at the playful nagging that he received from doyoung, nodding his head to let him know that he would definitely be ready.

   "have a good day mr and mrs lee," doyoung said finally, closing the door behind him after he exchanged a few words with the parents. "such a sweet boy," his mother smiled approvingly. she continued to praise doyoung even as she pulled out containers of food that she'd clearly prepared before setting off to meet donghyuck.

   "...with the way you're living," she suddenly shook her head, "i wonder when the last time you had a home cooked meal was." "doyoung hyung cooks for me all the time," donghyuck confessed. instead of being even more impressed with doyoung as donghyuck had expected, she slapped his shoulder with the hand towel in her hands. "i taught you how to cook and you're making that hardworking boy do it for you!?"

   his father chuckled, but when his mother shot him a glare, he sipped at the tea doyoung prepared for them. "your mother is right," he coughed.

   "dad!" donghyuck had expected some form of support from him, but got none.

   "come on," his mother moved on, setting utensils in front of him, along with a plate dished with food from the (now empty) containers, and a bowl of soup. "let's eat."

   "you seemed to find your way through the kitchen just fine," donghyuck mused, noting the way he'd never shown his mother where the dishes or untensils were. somehow she'd still managed to get everything she needed. "do you want me to go into detail about how unorganized your kitchen is, or will you be quiet and eat your food?" his mother tested, placing a piece of pork belly onto his plate.

   in response, donghyuck added kimchi to the piece of meat and used his spoon to scoop it up with rice, stuffing his mouth. "wow," he sighed after swallowing, "you're the best cook, mom." she beamed and then went into a lengthy description of how he needs to work on better habits. he blissfully tuned her out, eating as much as he could. 

   "there was so much dust on your bookshelf, the consistency was thick enough to be used as a replacement for foundation...," this caused donghyuck to laugh out loud at how exaggerated his mother was being.

   when he'd recovered and calmed down, the table grew silent, his father not-so-secretly trying to hide his smile. donghyuck then took it upon himself to carry on the conversation, "what do you guys plan on doing while you're in seoul?" his mother looked at him as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "we're staying with you of course."

   donghyuck choked. "you can't stay with me, work starts again tomorrow!" his mother only frowned. "we came to seoul to see you. since you've become so famous and glamorous that you won't come visit us yourself," his father explained.

   "i have a camera test tomorrow, and even if that doesn't work out, i'll need to prepare for a different upcoming drama," donghyuck now shared his side of the story. "a camera test?" his mother piped up, interest showing through his eyes. "you didn't tell us about that. we'll go watch you." the youngest male began shaking his head, eyes pleading desperately. "i'll lose my focus and i think it's meant to be more of a private thing. plus, for the first time in a while it'll be like an audition, and i prepare auditions with solitude time."

   he couldn't bring himself to mention what kind of drama he was auditioning for either. surely that would become an awkward topic. 

   "donghyuck," his father said calmly, "let us watch you, it's been so long. then i'm sure your mother and i will stay out of your hair for the rest of our time here." his mother nodded in agreement, liking the idea.

   unless donghyuck mentioned how sexual the lines and drama was meant to be—which he certainly didn't plan to do—he had no other reason to tell them no. with a tired sigh and slumped shoulders, he nodded his head, "okay... just for tomorrow." 

   his mother smiled and his father pat him on the back. donghyuck pushed his dishes away, having lost his appetite. "posture, donghyuck," his mother didn't fail to remind him.

---

   the next morning was a busy one. in all honesty, donghyuck would've slept through his alarm had his mother not come in and woken him up. after five minutes of childish arguing, donghyuck crawled out of bed, proceeding with his morning as he usually would. his mother cooked him a full breakfast for his 'big day', and his father sat quietly at the table, reading the newspaper and drinking coffee. 

   as he ate, his mother complained about the stiffness of the mattress, claiming that donghyuck needed to buy a new one. she nagged him so much that he ended up ordering two new ones—one for his other guest room, because against his mother's comments, he quite liked the mattress that he slept on—in the middle of breakfast. 

   once donghyuck finally manged to finish eating, his mother made him change clothes because 'he didn't look professional enough to land the role'. she only seemed satisfied once he stepped out of his bedroom dressed in khaki slacks with a black belt, and a tucked in button up white shirt.

   the outfit was something donghyuck would never wear, and he was surprised to even find the said clothing items in his closet. "now you look ready," she kissed her son on the cheek. 

   doyoung came by the house right on time, and the lee family piled into the car. donghyuck sat in the passenger's seat while his parents sat in the back, once again impressed. as promised, his parents didn't bother him during the drive which gave him time to rehearse the script in his mind, playing out how the scene should unfold. 

   by the time they arrived, there was a fluttery feeling in donghyuck's stomach. it took him a minute to process what it was since it had been so long since he last felt it, but the realization soon dawned upon him that he was nervous.

   donghyuck hadn't been nervous for anything related to acting in a long time. whether it was an audition, a camera test, or even the first day of filming, the nerves never bothered him. it was a combination of emotions, leaving him unsettled. he felt the slight twang of dread in his chest along with the urge to shrink himself in his seat due to anxiousness. the erratic rhythm of his heartbeat also told him that he was excited. for the camera test or for mark? he wondered, almost shamefully.

   "are you ready?" doyoung asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. being an actor, donghyuck played off his nerves, grinning. "i'm so ready," he replied, in a nearly cocky voice. he looked in the backseat towards his parents and shot them each a smile before unbuckling his seat belt.

   his steps out of the car radiated confidence, and as he walked in the building, up into the elevator, arriving on the floor where the camera test would be held, it didn't falter. he escaped the hallway and entered the spacious room where people were scattered around, a white backdrop with multiple cameras pointing at it was left unattended and neglected. he greeted directors, screenwriters, light assistants, location managers and many others, never letting his brave demeanor fade. his parents observed him as they spoke with the director for the day, expressing how excited they were to watch donghyuck as he worked.

   donghyuck hadn't noticed it then, but as he made his way through the staff present, he was looking for mark. he was only mildly aware of the words that were spilling out of his mouth as he shook one hand before moving on to the next. feeling slight disappointment that mark was no where to be seen, donghyuck excused himself to the restroom.

   the second he closed the door behind him, he bumped into a firm chest, letting out a quiet squeak as he stepped back. "i'm so- oh it's you," he realized. "you're running a little late, aren't you?" donghyuck asked, raking his eyes up mark's figure. the older was wearing a black turtleneck with black slacks. the look matched his raven hair, and donghyuck had never been more intrigued by such a simple outfit.

   "sorry, i was in court," mark replied flatly, though his eyes also looked donghyuck up and down.

   the younger flushed when he noticed mark's gaze before recovering his confident attitude and then processing what mark said. "you were what?" he asked, eyes widening. "in court," mark shrugged. "i didn't even know that miyong filed anything against you," donghyuck admitted, wondering how bad the case must have gotten. "it's been kept private, and really, it's nothing to worry about," mark pat donghyuck's hair, surprising the both of them. 

   then he cleared his throat and pulled his hand back. "the trial wasn't supposed to start so soon, but she paid extra money for it to start faster." donghyuck's hopes dropped. he felt that it was all his fault that mark was into this mess. "how is it going?" he held his breath. mark shifted his gaze elsewhere, "the court's in her favor i guess."

   "what's the penalty?" donghyuck inquired, voice near a whisper. "it hasn't been decided yet, of course," mark explained, "but as of right now i'm only looking at a fine. i can pay it, it won't even put a dent in my account." donghyuck still felt unsettled, but he decided to let it go. he opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when johnny stepped out of the elevator.

   "hey haechan," johnny greeted. mark grew distant at that moment and coughed, nudging his head towards the side so that donghyuck would step out of the way. donghyuck shot johnny a fake but friendly tight-lipped smile and left, heading to the bathroom without another glance. once he was alone, he splashed water on his face, telling himself to get a grip. he wouldn't let mark's presence ruin his performance.

   by the time donghyuck returned to the filming room, it seemed like that staff was ready to begin. his parents shot him looks at mark as if wandering what he was doing there. donghyuck sighed, he would have to explain that later, but for now he needed to start. 

   "alright, mark and haechan," the director waved them both over. the two actors only stared at eachother from across the room before walking in the director's direction. 

   "today we'll have both of you film these three scenes," he demonstrated on his clip board, "and we'll take five in the middle." donghyuck and mark nodded, it looked simple enough. the director continued, "the first scene we shoot will be the scene that introduces the male lead; haneul. he walks into the club and shamelessly starts flirting with the bartender, so bring out all the confidence and self-assurance you can."

   "the props are in position," another staff member interrupted. in front of the white screen now was a plastic fold up table and a paper cup. "use those to emphasize the scene, okay?" the director reminded them. "got it," mark smiled cockily, seemingly already in character.

   "i'll explain the other scenes when we get to them, so who will go first?" donghyuck wanted to be first, just so that he could prove that he wasn't scared of the competition at all, but mark beat him to it. "i'll do it," he said.

   while cursing mark out in his head, donghyuck moved to the side with his parents who now burst with questions. "you never told us that mark would be here," his mother whispered as they watched mark get in position and the cameras start flickering. "not like it matters," donghyuck mumbled. 

   mark read off the lines smoothly, without a single mistake. he replied to the staff who read the script of the bartender off-screen as if he was really trying to get in her pants. he repeatedly brought the empty cup to his lips, but it was done in such a way that was almost hypnotic.

   when the scene ended donghyuck's parents clapped quietly, but mark heard it and shot them a grin. "he's such a talented and handsome young man," his mother smiled fondly. "keep him close donghyuck, you're lucky to have a good friend like him."

   the statement caught donghyuck off guard as realization hit him like a truck. he'd never really told his parents that he and mark had stopped being friends, so of course with all of korea pretty much promoting their friendship, his parents would believe all of it too.

   "wait actually-," donghyuck began but didn't get to finish. "haechan, it's your turn," doyoung dragged him away.

   donghyuck sighed. this was going to be extremely tough to explain.

   donghyuck walked himself to his position behind the table and looked down at the paper cup he would use as a prop. his eyes zoomed in on something else as he noticed a small piece of paper next to it. seeing that the director wasn't exactly ready yet, he picked up the paper and flipped it over. in neat handwriting, the english words, "good luck," were scribbled onto the paper.

   the sun kissed male looked up, instantly locking eyes with mark. "thanks," he mouthed in korean to which mark smiled at. donghyuck folded up the paper into an even smaller size and slipped it into his back pocket.

   "positions please," the director then clapped. the lights dimmed, camera's adjusted, and then donghyuck began doing what he'd always been good at.

   when the scene ended, he received as much applause as mark did and shyly thanked everyone. "take five everyone," the director announced.

   "you did great," doyoung handed him a bottle of water. "thanks," donghyuck lifted the corners of his mouth before drinking. he'd intended to explain the situation with mark to his parents, but when he looked over, he saw them happily conversing with the canadian already.

   donghyuck stopped walking in his place and doyoung mirrored his actions. "what am i witnessing?" the manager asked, eyebrows furrowing at the sight. donghyuck shook his head, "i have no idea."

   doyoung split up with him to check a few arrangements with the crew while donghyuck wondered over to his parents and mark. "hey," he stepped in almost awkwardly. "donghyuck," his mother beamed, "we were just talking to mark about all the wonderful things we've heard about you two since we arrived in seoul." this caught the youngest off guard, "were you?"

   he shot mark a questioning look, but mark only smiled smugly as if enjoying the near-panicky state that donghyuck was in.

   suddenly, donghyuck's mother clapped. "what if we have mark over for dinner?" donghyuck's eyes widened and he immediately shook his head. he turned towards his parents, "i'm sure mark has a really busy schedule, and that would be tedious for him." the older put a hand on his shoulder to stop him, steering the conversation into a direction that donghyuck wasn't expecting, "actually i have the next two days off."

   donghyuck glared at him, what was he doing? "you don't have to clear your schedule, it's okay if you don't have time."

   "no, really," mark pushed, now gripping tighter onto donghyuck's flesh, "i don't have any plans at all for the next two days. i'd love to have dinner with you."

   donghyuck's parents seemed to have fallen for the trap because his mother suddenly added, "well in that case, how would you like to stay over?" 

   donghyuck felt mark tense beside him and he was tempted to laugh at how far this was getting, and how mark wasn't prepared for this extension. "oh i wouldn't want to be a bother," the ravenette struggled to turn down the offer. donghyuck smirked, placing his hand over mark's which was still on his shoulder, "no, if you stay for dinner, you might as well spend the night."

   it was mark's turn to glare at donghyuck as he ran his free hand through his hair and exhaled, plastering on another fake smile. "in that case, thank you. that would be great."

   "mark and haechan, i'll be explaining the next scene now!" the director called. the actors excused themselves and the whole situation sunk in. "what were you thinking?" donghyuck questioned at the same time mark asked, "you never told your parents that we weren't friends anymore?" they both groaned, hopelessly.

   "since you were so bold as to accept the invitation of dinner at my house, no funny business, okay?" donghyuck muttered. "i'll dress in a suit and tie and be there at seven. how does that sound?" mark retorted. the brunette rolled his eyes, "don't be stupid."

---

   the three different shots had been filmed, but mark and donghyuck hadn't been given the signal that it was okay to go home yet. the set only held donghyuck with his family and manager, and mark with his manager. all the other staff had left the room to hold a "quick" meeting. fifty minutes later, there was still no update.

   since the first filming interlude, neither mark nor donghyuck had made the move to speak with eachother again.

   donghyuck noticed his parents falling asleep and gently tapped his father on the shoulder. "why don't you two go ahead and go home, you've had a long day," he suggested. his father nodded, "i'll bring your mother."

   as his father woke his wife up, donghyuck went over to his manager and explained that his parents would be going home. doyoung quickly jumped to his feet and walked donghyuck's parents to the door, thanking them for their support. "actually, it must be a nuisance to call a taxi, i'll give you a ride home," he suggested. they thanked doyoung, accepting his offer, and donghyuck only had time to give them a quick wave before they were gone.

   almost immediately after, the whole crew walked back into the room. the director called mark and donghyuck over, and they went, hoping to hear the words, "you're done for the day and free to go home."

   instead they got, "we'd like to film just one more scene since someone from the crew gave a great suggestion."

   mark and donghyuck groaned. it was already two in the afternoon, and they'd been there since early in the morning. camera tests weren't even supposed to take that long.

   "which scene?" mark asked, flipping through the script. the director took the papers from him, flipping to the page himself. "scene twenty-seven, where haneul admits that he wants to sleep with soojin, but that he wants her to know that he'll never love her." 

   "okay," mark nodded, tiredly. the older walked to the filming spot while donghyuck took a seat off camera, closing his eyes to rest for a short while. "wait a minute," the director called, making donghyuck open his eyes. "we want haechan to film with mark. we're trying something out."

   without energy to question further, donghyuck stepped on set, next to mark. "how are we doing this?" mark asked. the director cleared his throat nervously, "well, we want mark to read the lines of haneul for now, and haechan, do you think you can read the lines of soojin?" "s-sure," donghyuck stuttered, being caught off guard.

   "what's with the sudden change?" mark furrowed his brows. the director again cleared his throat, "we're thinking of changing the drama entirely. both of you played haneul so well that it's hard to decided which would be a better fit overall. mark makes haneul more of a hot character, while haechan makes him more of a sexy one, and at the end of the day, both of them appeared great."

   mark nodded but was still obviously confused, "then what part of the drama are you changing, exactly?" a screen-writer stepped in, joining the conversation to answer mark's question. "we discussed this for a long time and thought that perhaps having both of you as male leads would be great, and maybe making the characters queer instead could take this whole production further."

   "as in gay?" donghyuck blurted out, taken aback. the director and screen-writer winced, "it's in consideration for now," the writer mumbled lamely. 

   an uncomfortable silence settled before the director spoke up again, "after talking about it, we thought mark might make a better 'top', so we've temporarily given soojin a different name; dongmin. we're hoping you can show us what kind of character he might be, haechan."

   donghyuck flushed red. if all of this was exactly as it sounded, he and mark were potentially going to play each other's love interests. and as if that wasn't bad enough, he was the 'bottom'.

   "unless this makes either of you uncomfortable of course, then we might just have to talk all of this over again and decide which one of you to cast," the director added. "no," there was clear hesitation in mark's voice, "i'm fine with it." everyone turned to donghyuck, as if to see if he would be the one to turn down the change up. one look at mark's almost mocking face, and donghyuck gave in. "it wouldn't hurt to try," he shrugged coolly as if that hadn't been one of the hardest questions he'd received since debut.

   the director grinned, "this is great." he turned around, yelling out in his booming voice, "positions everyone. get ready for scene twenty-seven, take one!"

-----

word count: 4341

thank u to those who helped me choose my book covers <3

i knew what i wanted to write for this chapter, but had such a hard time actually WRITING it, which is why this update took so long. i hope the time i spent on it didn't go in vain :D

✎ ---- dreaminghyuck⤾