All My Idols Ch 35: Not The Right Time for Us, But Time to Raise Hell

“Hi,” Kyungsoo greets bashfully, opening his front door, I’ve never seen the man look so awkward. “Hi Oppa,” I respond back, dancing on my toes. “Come in!” He opens the door fully, allowing me to step pass him and into the quiet townhome, the only sound coming from the speaker playing softly in the corner. I slip off my shoes, a pair of pink slippers is sitting there for me to step into. Kyungsoo takes my jacket from me, he hangs it up in the nearby closet before leading me farther into the beautiful apartment. “Thank you for coming over,” He mumbles sweetly, leading me into the kitchen.

“Thank you for being so flexible with our plans. Again, I’m so sorry about Jiyong oppa, he isn’t usually this crazy,” I grimace at the memory of this morning. Kyungsoo, thankfully, just laughs it off, “I knew what I was signing up for when I asked you out on a date. If I’m being honest, I’m happy that we moved it here. More private.” “I agree, it’s hard enough to go out in public as us but with a price on our heads I don’t imagine it would have been fun.” “This also give me a chance to show off my cooking skills,” He gestures to the pots and pans on the stove. I take a moment to fully appreciate the full kitchen that isn’t usually in Korean apartments, I can only assume the man had it installed himself. I breath in the scent of seasoned meat and something spicy, not Korean spicy though. “Pulled pork tacos,” He pulls all lid off one of the pans revealing frying pork. I raise a brow at him, not knowing it is part of his cookbook. “You had mentioned to Yixing hyung that you were craving more western foods so I thought I would give it a try, so please be kind when trying it. It is my first time.” I can’t hold back the smile spreading across my face, “Thank you Oppa.” “Anytime.” “I’m going to take you up on that offer, I hope you know that.” “I really hope you do,” He hums as he stirs the meat a bit, “Now tell me something though. How did you escape Jiyong and the rest of big bang?” I chuckle, “Oh that was a tricky thing. Seunghyun oppa helped me out a lot after lots of fatherly warnings, he was able to hold Jiyong and Seungri back while I gave the other two puppy dog eyes that they couldn’t refuse.” “I should expect nothing less from you, the greatest escape artist. You alluded me and the other members for almost a year, I have personally experienced your amazing skills.” “Yea,” I awkwardly rub the back of my neck, guilt settles in the pit of my stomach, “I’m still sorry about that. I was just so over whelmed with the idea of meeting all of you I panicked every time you guys appeared.” “No need to apologize, we are here now.” His smile melts my heart like it always does, making me smile like an idiot, “But there is something else I should apologize for.” “What?” “The randsome for your capture.” “For mine? Yours is twice as valuable!” He whips out his phone, the announcement clear on his phone, “’For bringing back our princess unharmed you will receive a prize of $100 and a group photo with Big Bang.’ The price on mine is only $50.” “This is ridiculous.” “Now it’s ridiculous?” The usually sweet man mocks. “When would you have drawn the line?” “When I started receiving more than twenty messages for not answering back.” Those doe eyes slide over to my phone which is sitting silently on the counter, silent but not dead sadly. You have 13 missed calls You have 32 unread messages “Oh my god.” “Are they all from the same person?” “I’m just assuming from at least five different people if not more.” “And here I thought I was popular,” He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly as if trying to push away the blush crawling up from under his shirt. “I’m probably distracting you from some important people.” “You are not distracting me from anyone, my phone is taking away from me focusing on you,” Without any hesitation, but a small amount of anxiety, I turn off my phone and hope for the best. Setting it to the side I look back up at Kyungsoo, “You have my full attention.” “And I have no idea what to do with it,” He blurts out without much thought. “You’re the one who asked me on a date.” “I didn’t think you would actually say yes! I figured you would have let me down gently since Minseok hyung is your favorite.” “What does that have to do with me dating anyone?” “He’s your bias!” “He was my bias since 2013! My lack of dating is more to do with my lack of interest in it than in my casual obsession with boys who I thought would never know I existed.” “So Minseok hyung?” “To be honest I’m a little in love with him, but I’m a little in love with every idol I knew about before all of this, that does include you by the way. But that is a different kind of love, okay?” “Okay.” “Now can we have a normal conversation about each other and not someone else? Please?” “Okay, what do you want to talk about?” I hum, “What is your favorite childhood memory?” Time flies faster than I expected, playing an interesting version of 20 questions breaks the ice easily. I find myself asking more personal questions as time goes on and he does the same in turn. Before long, he is dishing out our meal on to expensive looking plates like he did it for a living. If I could I would take a picture but instead of opening that can of worms I opt to just memorize the picture in front of me. The tortillas lined up loaded with pork and different toppings, from cabbage to carrot to cilantro, and a few other things I couldn’t name. The different colors brightened the dish and put into a whole other category of delicious, I almost don’t want to eat it. Kyungsoo eagerly encourages me, or gently pressured me, into taking a big bite, his eyes the size of the moon and just as white, until I smile in appreciation, “It’s delicious Oppa!” He lets out a breath, “Thank goodness.” “How about you try a bite?” I hold out the small taco to him, I flip it around, so he can have the uneaten end. The man nervously licks those full lips before opening his mouth, allowing me to feed him. It is the most date like thing we’ve done all day and it ended exactly how I expected, with the filling landing on the floor in between us. Neither one of us can hold in a laugh at the loud splat that echoes through the kitchen that has us clutching our stomachs. “Delicious,” He agrees when he can catch a breath. “I’ll clean it up.” “You’re my guest, I should do it!” I chuckle, “I recommend cleaning up yourself,” I hand the man a napkin to clean off his chin. I duck under the counter with another napkin to clean up the small mess before dumping it in the trash. “Did I get it?” He wonders holding up his chin for me to inspect. I gently guide his chin with my hand, tilting his head in many different, dramatic directions before pulling away with a smile, “Yep, as handsome as ever.” We throw a few more jokes at each other before continuing our meal. The man’s surprisingly dark sense of humor brightens my day more than it should. I barely have time to take bites in between his contagious laughter and never ending snide comments. Seeing his heart shaped smile in person for so long is doing serious damage to my soul and my cheeks, I don’t smile this much. Things are going great until there is a knock at the door. We share a confused look as we put our food down and shuffle into the hall, “Are you expecting someone else?” He shakes his head, “No but that never stopped anyone before.” We go closer to the door, stopping just shy to turn on the little monitor on the wall. Kyungsoo quickly gets the camera to show Kai and Sehun standing on the other side. The man next to me literally growls, “Those idiots.” The two seem to realize the camera is on and quickly begin shouting at it, “Hyung! We know you are home! Is Charlie here? She isn’t responding to anyone and since you turned your phone off I’m assuming she’s in there with you! Hyung!” “I’m going to kill them,” Kyungsoo reaches for the microphone button but I catch his hand. “Maybe if we ignore them, they will go away,” I suggest. They bang on the door together, “I mean they will have to use the bathroom eventually and leave.” “You would think they could leave us alone for one day.” “You would think that, but I knew this would happen. I’m sorry Oppa, this is all my fault,” I groan as I rest my head on his shoulder, groaning at my own blessings. “Don’t look so hopeless, maybe you’re right and they will go away.” Their timing is so perfect I’m half sure they can hear us, Sehun informs us, “We told Jiyong where you are.” “Fuck,” I blurt out, dropping to the ground in utter hopelessness. Kyungsoo chuckles sadly, “Well I guess that’s game over. It was nice to have all of your attention for at least a few hours.” He joins me on the floor, we lay side by side in the hallway and stare at the ceiling for a moment to collect ourselves. “To be completely honest,” Kyungsoo hums, “I should have known better than to ask you on a date. It was kind of an unspoken rule for this reason alone. I figured I could get away with it since you said I was one of your bias but I guess I was thinking too highly of myself.” “I am going to throw you out there to them if you don’t shut up. We are both amazing. We both deserved a quiet afternoon, not just two hours of hiding out. This is all fucking ridiculous. I love everyone but I just really wanted to go on a date without being hounded or stalked. Now I see why you guys don’t date, sneaking around sucks!” “It really does, but don’t worry, as time goes on you’ll get more freedom. Trust me, that’s why you’ve only received a few threats here and there compared to people trying to break down the door for me. You just gotta be patient.” I look at him, “Patient?” He nods. I look back up, my eyes narrowed into slits as my anger begins to set in. It’s not even for myself but for my many friends and idols who have to deal with this on a regular bases. They have to be patient with their heart, sell it away in their company until their contract allows. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, not wanting to get myself all worked up. “Let’s go,” I jump to my feet. Kyungsoo slowly sits up, he stares up at me confused, “Where are we going?” “If I have to be patient and not date, this no longer a date and that means we are no longer targets so we are going out and having fun. Now get up because we need to get out of here before the mob arrives.” I grab my own shoes and a pair of his that match his outfit well enough before heading towards the back for a way out. “The back door is to your left. Let me turn everything off!” Kyungsoo yells from the kitchen as I pull on my shoes. He joins me a few moments later and pulls his shoes on faster than I expected, the normally shy, quiet man bounces one his toes happily. Ready to run. “I think they are getting suspicious. I wouldn’t be surprised if Chanyeol and Baek are hanging out in the alley way.” I stand there for a moment next to this man, staring up at him with obvious adoration at the fact he is ready to go on the run with me away from his friends and colleagues with a price on his head. It feels like the plot to some cheesy romantic drama but I don’t mind, I just smile as I grab his hand lead him out the door.

I hold Kyungsoo’s hand in a death grip as we run down a random alley, finally out of sight of our captures. Our chests are heaving, our feet ache, and our legs are barely holding us up but the massive grins on our faces tell each other that it was so worth it. We hold our breath as we see Baekhyun and his giant accomplice sprint by the alley, our eyes lock after about 30 seconds, we let the breath out as our laughs fill the busy alley away. “I guess I got my cardio for the month out of the way,” “For the week? I’m good for the year!” We slouch against the wall with a deep sigh of relief. My aching legs force me lower, I wrap my arm around Kyungsoo’s, he looks at me with raised brows, “If I’m going down I’m taking you with me.” He laughs, “I don’t think I would mind that too much.” We huff out a breathless laugh together as we take a quick moment to relax. But when my eyes land on an older woman eyeing us suspiciously I tense and spin around to face the brick wall behind us, forcing Kyungsoo to do the same. “We probably should have put on some kind of disguise.” Kyungsoo glances over his shoulder as casually as possible, absolutely failing to make it casual. I struggle to hold in a laugh as he looks at the woman with his large eyes, her thin, heavy bagged eyes study him in return but she shows no reaction if she does recognize us. She looks back down to the stone bowls boiling in front of her, she flips the fish grilling to a crisp, she pays our strangeness no mind and I silently thank her lack socialite knowledge. I once again release a breath, this one I didn’t know I was holding. “I’ll be right back,” He tells me as he leans me up against the wall of an alley restaurant. Before I have the chance to even question him, he is answering with a smile, “We need disguises, and one of us is easier to spot than the other.” I look down at myself, my blonde curls fall into view, “Fair enough.” He nods as he peeks out of the alley and quickly slips away into the full afternoon crowd. I sigh. The lady looks back up, “You and your boyfriend are interesting. You look cute together but act very strange.” I smile warmly at her honest compliment, “Thank you ma’am, but we aren’t dating.” “You’re not? Why?” She snaps back, “He’s really handsome! You aren’t going to find a better looking man, sure he isn’t very tall but he has strong shoulders and that is what is important!” “He is very handsome!” I quickly agree, “But we both decided we aren’t going to date, we aren’t in the right spot in our life.” She snickers, “You’ll die alone if you are waiting for the right time.” “Ma’am, I am only 23.” “I was married with two children at your age! How else are you supposed to be the youngest grandmother in the neighborhood?” “You can’t be a grandmother!” I click at her, earning a smirk from the older woman, “You don’t look a day over 25!” “You little sweet talker,” She playfully pretends to swat at me with her stirring spoon, “I remember when I was young, I thought I was indestructible. I would do all sorts of crazy things, drove my father insane but it was amazing.” “I see how you ended up with two kids at my age.” “Watch that mouth of yours,” She warns with her spoon pointed at me once again, “What I’m trying to say before your-not-boyfriend comes back is that if you are young and have no responsibilities yet, have fun, be crazy, don’t care what other people think, okay?” “Okay.” Kyungsoo appears with a shopping bag in hand, “Okay I think this should keep us from being spotted by anyone, I don’t think anyone has come back this way, so we should have an opening to sneak away.” “I see you are already doing something crazy,” The lady hums, staring back at her cooking. “Did I miss something?” Kyungsoo questions. I shake my head, “Nothing really, just some information from a wise young lady.” The woman huffs. “Let’s get this stuff on and head to the han river.” “The river? We are going straight to the most public place?” I can tell he isn’t going to say no but he isn’t going to hold himself back from questioning my decision. “I figured fuck it! Why not?” He nods, “Okay! Well than let’s bundle up and do this.” The sweet man wraps a large scarf around my neck, followed by a hat and a face mask, the go to for idols hiding in the open. He then puts the same things on himself, blending in perfectly with crowds on the street while I still stand a part with my tan skin and my curls peeking out from my hat. “Just keep your head down and your hands in your pockets, I’ll keep my eyes ahead and lead us there okay?” “Yes, sir!” I salute him before shoving my hands deep into my pockets, Kyungsoo locks his arm with mine as he leads the way back on to the street. We blend in with the crowd, shoving and being shoved as we make our way to the closest subway station. We don’t talk the whole way there, on the subway platform our eyes are searching for our captors. On the train Kyungsoo blocks me from the rest of the train car by positioning me into the farthest corner, his height and wide shoulders easily hide me from any possible prying eyes. Our stop is announced over head, he pulls me along off the train and up to the street. Even in the chilly weather people still litter the grass, couples and groups huddling together to stay warm while they chat and munch on snacks. It’s so full of people that I almost consider removing my face mask, I doubt anyone would suspect we would come here but just to be sure I leave it on. Kyungsoo leads us to the edge of the river, we sit together on the cold stone bench few away from the water. We sit there for a while just enjoying the people walking by and the each other’s company. Every time a person comes to close we both tense slightly, but each time the stranger continues on their way, unaware of who we are. Kyungsoo relaxes once again at my side, his shoulders slumping. He sighs, “I feel like an escaped convict. Like we are just waiting to get busted.” “We are,” I agree, eyeing people inconspicuously over my shoulder. “Someone is probably going to find us by the end of the day, how long do you think we have?” “My money is on 10:00.” I hum, “I give us until midnight to raise some hell.” “It’s going to be getting dark soon so that will give us a little bit more cover. We have about three hours until my bet will loose, do you think we can do it?” “Three hours? Damn right we can! But we might as well enjoy the hunt too,” I pull out my phone and turn it on. I quickly put it on do not disturb before pulling Kyungsoo close and snapping a picture of us. “Would it be cruel for me to just tease them?” A large grin spreads across his face, “As you said, we might as well enjoy it.” With our agreement on the subject I save the photo and make a delayed posting time for thirty minutes from now, “Lets grab a snack and go!” “Where are we off to?” “I picked this one, your turn! What is something you love to do around town? Or what haven’t you had the chance to do in awhile?” “We could um, I know it might not be the most hell raising thing, but we could… go try on traditional clothes?” I grin, “I haven’t had the opportunity to, lets go!” Arm in arm we stop at a truck vendor and pick up some bubble tea before rushing towards the shops a little farther down. We scan each sign from top to bottom of the tall building, trying to find the least busy Hanbok shop to go into. We find one another block down with only two other patrons inside. Against my arguments, Kyungsoo pays, we are separated and allowed to pick out whatever colors we would like. The shop owner is an older man who doesn’t obviously show if he recognizes us. Inside the dressing room I scan over each beautiful piece of fabric, the bright beautiful colors leave me in awe. A baby blue top attracts my full attention, the pale pink skirt compliments it so perfectly it makes my decision easy. There is a diagram on the wall that explains how to put it on but when it comes to the little knot to hold the top closed I struggle more than I should. Peaking out of the dressing room I find Kyungsoo already in the staging room, sitting awkwardly on the pillow throne. With the large amount of dramas I have watched over the years, I am able to figure out he is dressed as the prince. So handsome. The silky blue fabric looks so wonderful on him, I stand in the doorway for a long moment just appreciating him. His eyes find me a moment later, they close slightly as he smiles at me. “Any chance you can help me tie this?” I gesture to the coat. He quickly comes over and almost expertly ties the little bow on my chest. The click of a camera brings both of our attention to the shop owner who is already snapping photos. “I am sorry, I usually have a girl here who helps the lady do their hair and help them into the gowns,” He apologizes softly. I wave away his kind words, “It’s okay! I figured it out.” “Plus, her hair looks amazing naturally,” Kyungsoo adds in shyly. The owner ushers us into our positions, doing the usual couple photos before doing individuals. It’s almost impossible for us to keep a straight face with the man narrating our ancient Korean story as star crossed lovers. We ruined a few photos but made a few of them even better with genuine smiles and mischievous grins. After the photo shoot and the man emails us the photos he gives us the option to wear them out around the area. We share a look but decide to decline his kind offer. If we want to make it at least another two hours we can’t completely push our luck just yet.