lost boy

it always came as a surprise when gold star would give origin some schedule’s that were not just group related. it brought a breath of fresh air, to see and meet his friends, as well as other idols. as patient and hardworking as jakyung was, he still enjoyed spending having some sort of downtime, even if it involved being at an animal shelter. 

“wish i could adopt some.“ the idea of having a pet was something he thought about often, but he was very aware that he couldn’t afford one. time was always precious and their company was making the most out of them. the thought actually made jakyung shake his head, to get it out of his system. however, when the other pointed out about the cats in the room, he couldn’t help but smile, fingers running through the fur of the one in his hands “this room is like heave if you asked me, wouldn’t mind staying here for days on end.“

while charm was still a group that did a majority of any schedules as a group, there were some members who had extended out to have some sort of solo career, including aidynn himself. it wasn’t wild to do non-charm related things but still he mostly spent time with the other twelve members of charm and not on his own somewhere.

“are you a cat person?” jongho asked as he got settled down on the floor near the taller male, making kissing noises to catch a few of the kittens’ attention. he rubbed his hand against the top of the kitten in his arms’ head, smiling when it started purring at his action. aidynn was someone that jongho was actually familiar with. not only were the two of them label mates and he had seen him quite often over the past few years since aidynn had joined bc entertainment, but the two of them had become something similar to that of party buddies. he had to admit that the younger was good company to have. 

“do you already have kittens at home?” he was curious to know, especially because the cats that aidynn played with were obviously comfortable with him and he seemed to have a good dynamic with them already. “they seem to like you a lot. maybe they smell your other cats on you?” he glanced up at him for a second before his attention was given back to the kitten in his arms. “i don’t have any pets, unfortunately.. i want one. maybe i’ll end up adopting one from here today.” 

“yeah cats are cool,” aidynn responded, fingers scratching behind one of the cats ears to see if they appreciated the scratches, smiling some to himself as their hand moved as if trying to get closer to his hand and get more of the affection they wanted. “i like most animals in general,” he eventually tacked onto his previous statement. in his mind it’d always be animals over people, they were just better to have around if you were to ask him about it. 

if there was anyone who hyunsoo could relate to the most in charm, it was probably aidynn. they both hadn’t really wanted the idol life but had no clue what else to do with themselves other than that, and now here they were, performing for crowds of screaming fans and doing all sorts of things that they probably would have never imagined for themselves. it could be worse, he guessed. “i definitely would have,” hyunsoo laughed. it was mostly hilarious because hyunsoo knew how unimpressed aidynn would be throughout his hypothetical rapping tree performance. he’d pay good money to see a stoic giant tree spitting bars. another laugh left hyunsoo’s lips at aidynn’s response, his hand moving to scratch under salem’s little chin before scooping him up into his arms like a baby and kissing the cat’s nose. “you’ve dealt with him for the past six years and beyond that, i know you’ve got it in you to sit next to yuanjun for three hours and watch me perform,” he smiled, “but besides, it wouldn’t be too bad. you’re not supposed to talk during musicals so at least you’ll get some peace and quiet to enjoy the show. after it’s finished is a different story though.”

“oh fuck off.” andy laid down on the floor, a foot still propped up, to welcome the introduction of this friendly cat into his space. “not my fault if they can sense i’m the better owner of the two of us. not everyone has the skills to be able to train cats like yours truly. they can sense it.” in actuality, he’d met this cat earlier in the day, and they were one of the much more friendly types overall, it seemed. nonetheless, he still took the extra precautions to wait with his hand near the cat, until the cat decided to rub themselves against his hand. only then could he take that as a sign it was okay to give the cat a good petting.

life wouldn’t be so painstakingly horrible if his daily life was just this. andy sighed. “selina’s gonna have a little bitch fit at me when i get back home.” smelling of dogs, she never had an issue, part of her daily life as it was anyway, but smelling of any other cats? you’d think she was abused for that hour she was being a pain in the ass.

aidynn didn’t hold back in the scoff that left his mouth as he rolled his eyes in reaction to andy’s words. “they can’t sense shit, i don’t wanna hear it,” he responded. really he didn’t care, the cat was getting the pets they deserved either way either way. he had made his rounds around the shelter, visiting a variety of pets, but he had a bit of a soft spot for cats in comparison to others.

hyunsoo could only let out a laugh in disbelief. sometimes he really wondered how his life ended up like this. he thought by now he’d be on a hockey team with at least one olympic experience under his belt, but instead he was here singing and dancing on stage. it wasn’t that he totally hated his life though - he had his sweet little pets, his friends, and idol life brought him yuanjun too, but he still sometimes wished he had the best of both worlds. he gently continued to pet salem too, who seemed to be loving the attention, and he laughed once again. “maybe they’ll cast you as a tree or something - you’d be great, you just have to stand there and be tall and maybe do the occasional rapping. i’d come and see it,” he smiled, the thought amusing. if there was a member of charm who was grumpier about everything than he was, it was aidynn. “i mean technically i do get married in the musical, but the story is less about romance and more about arthur anyway.” he shrugged. there was a kiss scene during one of the musical numbers, but nothing too crazy at least. “you’ll be front and center but you’ll probably be sitting with yuanjun - he’s insisted on coming to as many of the shows as he can.” 

things had changed over the years, surely, only reminding yuanjun how long it had been since he had first come to korea but overall, the establishment still had the same vibe to it as it had back in the day. “i’m not sure who took me here the first time honestly.” yuanjun admitted, turning to aidynn with a smile. “but i’m glad they did. i like coming here, and the place is pretty lowkey so there isn’t much to worry about in terms of exposure though i prefer to be a bit careful still.” an odd combination of words to leave yuanjun’s lips, he wasn’t exactly known for being cautious but he did value his privacy.

gaming was a fun way to pass the time, yuanjun had learned that pretty early on, and as an idol, it was an accessible pastime as well, no need to leave the house most of time and at times at schedules even his phone was enough to kill some time. “how could you possibly win! i’ve played this game so many times.” yuanjun protested, feeling properly challenged at this point and pressing play to start the game, lifting up the gun-shaped controller up to the scream. “lets see how good you are huh?” 

“seems like a nice enough place,” he commented, looking around. admittedly there was once a time where aidynn was one of the charm members who probably went out the most to places where he could easily be seen and recognized, but even with that information, he was one of the most notoriously private members of the group. where others were more forth coming and open about some bits of information he chose to dodge questions or give fake answers. for example, he didn’t talk about his niece to the public because aidynn didn’t want her to have to deal with the unwanted attention that could bring her way for whatever reason just because they’re related. so he kept quiet. 

all the plans that gold star had in store for them were really pilling up, but even so, jakyung was ready to enjoy as much of these random activities as possible. as much as he loved origin and their managers, he really appreciated the opportunity to be around other people and idols. even with the jam packed schedule, he planned on attending everything they could, and it would be a lie if he didn’t enjoy the animal shelter the most.

jakyung was a cat person. he loved animals, but cats had a soft spot in his heart. the idea of adopting one was always at the back of his head, but it was impossible. so the fact that he made his way to the cat room and claiming a place on the floor wasn’t a surprise. weirdly enough, it didn’t take that much for a cat to approach him, the word traitor capturing his attention as he looks at the person who said it. “aww, my bad dude.” the rapper says, apologetic smile tugging on his lips. the statement doesn’t stop him from reaching out to the cat, gently picking it up in his arms, scooting close to the other “i’ll be in close proximity if you want to pet it, quite the fluffy guy.” he adds, smile sill placed on his lips. 

it wasn’t a secret that aidynn hated a majority of schedules and events bc shipped him or charm members off to, but money talked and so did good publicity. if he was going to be “encouraged” to volunteer at least one of the days, the clear option was the animal shelter. old people weren’t his favorite people in the world when he barely liked others to begin with, and an orphanage would be just fine without him around honestly. the shelter would do just fine.

jongho was definitely what one would consider to be an animal lover. ever since he was a little kid he had a strong appreciation for animals - the cute ones, that is. he didn’t like the creepy, crawly ones that bit people and were poisonous, or rodents of any kind. he liked dogs, cats, bunnies and other little furry creatures of the like, but he, like anyone else, had his limits when it came to other creatures. he was just glad that the particular animal shelter they had been assigned to volunteer at only had the cute animals and nothing that could possibly make his skin crawl. 

the dancer had arrived at the shelter a little bit behind schedule; he had slept through his first alarm that morning, sue him. but even though he was late, he was more than ready to get his interactions with the animals started. he was pointed in the direction of a random room by one of the employees there, and his expression practically melted when he saw that it was filled with cats and kittens. he immediately cooled, getting down on the ground without a second thought, almost not registering the other figure there before him. “sorry,” he chuckled, although the smile on his face as he petted the cat wasn’t apologetic in the slightest. “looks like the cat chose who they like best,” he teased.

ever since he was little aidynn had a preference for animals: both of the standard house pet variety like cats and dogs but also the creepy crawly ones like spiders and snakes. there had never been any sort of fear of getting hurt at the hands of an animal in his mind, even now as a grown adult who knew some things were poisonous or harmful in some way. still he loved them. though with his own cats at home, he clearly had a bit of a preference at the time.

hyunsoo could only let out a sigh. aidynn was right - when was it ever not about money? it was obvious that after start again ended up being a hit, bc were pushing him more than ever to do solo stuff. now, after sweet home ended up being a hit too, he probably should have seen this coming. “yeah, fair point,” he replied, “money makes the world go around and all that.” hyunsoo couldn’t help but laugh at aidynn’s next point, though. there was no way he could imagine the elder boy singing and dancing in a musical. “well, i think they’d know not to put you in a musical, hyung,” he laughed in response, “but there’s other people who’d enjoy it more than me. at least they gave me a musical that was fun and not one of those cheesy lovey-dovey ones. i don’t think i’m made to act out romance.” it wasn’t that he couldn’t, it was more so that he just found it too cringy and awkward - half of the time it wasn’t very natural, and simply he also just much preferred action or horror instead. another smile appeared on hyunsoo’s face as he continued to pet salem in his lap. “thanks hyung, i’ll make sure you get a good seat when you come, then.” 

out of the three volunteering days they had set up for the next few months the only one aidynn planned on attending was the one at the animal shelter. honestly he wasn’t the biggest fan of old people, and there was more than one occasion where they weren’t a fan of him either from when he was younger, and visiting the orphanage really wasn’t something he felt like attending. though he wouldn’t admit that it maybe hit a little too close to home for his comfort. though, animals were right up his alley.

yuanjun wasn’t one to be detered by a sullen response to his boundless enthusiasm. it was something he had gotten very used to over the years, not just from aidynn but from most of charm, almost no one in the group matching his constant high energy level. so he had taught himself to not read too much into lukewarm responses, only letting himself get shooed away by explicit statements that his company wasn’t wanted. hanging out with aidynn was no different from that, the other didn’t seem to be briming with enthusiasm but that was okay, he had come out to hang out with yuanjun, that was the only indicator he needed.

“i used to come here a lot when i was a trainee.” yuanjun explained with a wide smile. “it’s one of the first places i got really familiar with when i came to korea so i like coming here, it always feels a bit like coming home.” he couldn’t go as frequently as he used to back in the day of course, charm was a busy, high-demand group but he liked stopping by whenever he could and he liked sharing that experience with his friends. “okay awesome! zombies it is!” he beamed triumphantly, leading aidynn the way with little effort, more than familiar with the layout of the arcade by now. when they got to the game machine, yuanjun slid a coin into the machine before picking up one of the guns. “i’m totally gonna kick your ass though i’m suuuuper good at this one.”

the type of energy and joy for life and activities that yuanjun had were never traits that aidynn had ever been in possession of even as a young child or teen. he really wasn’t sure how the kid did it really. though the younger had never really bothered him in any particular way, they just weren’t the closest out of the members, but it was nice to occasionally spend time with the youngest member. plus, he enjoyed video games, there were his main source of entertainment outside of work, and it’d been a long time since he step foot in an arcade of any kind so why not join in on the fun.

There was a stark difference between writing lyrics and producing music. While it wasn’t easy to write lyrics, it was much easier in the sense that it came from within. Daisuke wasn’t a big talker. He didn’t like to voice his feelings and thoughts too often, mainly because he didn’t feel comfortable with speaking about how he was feeling. It was not a very good quality of his, he knew that. He knew that it made him harder to get to know, and that it made him appear to be standoffish and reticent, like he was a mean person, but habits were hard to break. Especially when they were bad. However he had a much type putting his thoughts and feelings into lyrics. 

He knew that it’d be difficult trying to put his thoughts and feelings into beats. Especially when he had no idea how to work the equipment. But he did have melodies and sounds in his head that always accompanied the lyrics he wrote and he was almost desperate to learn how to bring what he heard in his head to life. He nodded once, watching as Aidynn motioned towards the function that would play the guitar sounds. He reached over and fiddled with the soundboard, the sound of a random guitar note feeling his ears after a few seconds of messing around. “I see,” he murmured under his breath. “How do you usually start your process?”

it’d been so long since aidynn has first attempted to write some shitty lyrics or create a melody, something along the lines of a decade. the memories were fuzzy now, his brain long fried from the drug problem he recalled to be starting around a similar time. the only thing he knew for sure was that once he started to try, he couldn’t remember a time where he had stopped and ceased all activity. even as a trainee under bc in his late teens he still had stacks of notebooks tucked away in drawers or under his mattress. for a long time it was the only thing he was good at, but now he had more means to share what he created with the world.

when he was denied a kiss yet again, he couldn’t help but frown and pout at him for the umpteenth time that night. it took him a moment to process the words that aidynn had said to him, and he thought about the offer for a moment. he had been at the pool party for quite some time. it wasn’t like the party had just started and he was at a risk of missing out on something that would happen in the next few hours. and he had already mingled and talked to more than a dozen or so other idols. there wasn’t really much of a reason for him to stay any longer, or at least not that he could see. it took him just a few moments to come to an answer. 

“hm, let’s go,” he mumbled, his hand sliding down the older male’s arm until it met his hand, and he locked their fingers together before tugging him in the direction of the exit. on some level, beneath his alcohol induced state, he felt a little bad about his behavior that evening. “sorry,” he murmured under his breath, still using aidynn’s larger form to help keep him elevated while they walked. “didn’t mean to force you to leave the party,” he added on after a second thought. “were you ready to leave?”

parties had lost their appeal a long time ago for aidynn. most of the reason he had continued to attend things like this originally had been to meet someone new to fill his bed with or find an old flame for the same purpose but now he seemed very much attached to a very needy younger boy. it was more than okay in his book if they headed out to somewhere more private than stay there with everyone else to witness whatever he and ting would get up to.