Bodyguard | Heesun

22

"And the album of the year goes to... The Darkness Within from Kim Sunoo!" the announcer screams and it takes a few seconds for Sunoo to react. The fans scream, his song plays, and he stands up but it's as if someone else is controlling his body as he gets on the stage to get his very first daesang.

He looks around to the crowd who are still screaming as he tries to land back in the moment. Tries to be present enough not to make a fool of himself and be able to say something.

"Wow," is the first thing that he feels like he can say. "It's been a hell of a year, hasn't it?" He chuckles and looks at the award that has his name written on it and the name of his album, too. Although his album was released last year, it was so late into the year that it did not qualify for a nomination that year, and Sunoo thought it wouldn't for this one, either, since he released some more songs since then, but it did. And here he is.

"I don't—I don't know what to say," he admits. "Well, yes, I do, I just, wow. Okay, first of all, I want to thank Jake hyung and everyone at SJ ENTERTAINMENT for helping me out with the album, for making sure that it got released the way I wanted. Thank you for believing in me, in my vision and in my art. I want to say thank you of course to the fans who bought the album, listened to the songs and made them their own, too. May the darkness you find yourselves into fade with time. I love you, you are not alone, remember that," the screams grow louder, then and it allows him time to take a deep breath before he smiles, feeling emotional about what's about to say next. "And... of course, I couldn't step down from this stage without thanking my special someone," the fans go crazy again and he chuckles against the mic. "You already know who it is, huh?" And, unexpectedly, they all scream Heeseung's name and it makes his heart swell with pride. "That's right. Heeseung. Thank you for always believing in me as well, for keeping me company while I stay up all night working on songs and for coming with me to my filmings across the world so that I don't feel lonely. For being the best partner anyone could ask for and for never giving up on your dreams either. I love you, this one's for you, too." He looks at the camera, knowing that he's probably watching or he'll watch after he's done working. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," he bows after that and lets some tears fall, eternal gratitude filling his heart.

He gets taken backstage but he still doesn't believe that what just happened, happened.

"The show is over, Sunoo-ssi," Hoonjae, his bodyguard, tells him once he's down and has taken some pictures with all the trophies he managed to win tonight. And he smiles.

"Drive me home, then."

Home, where he is.

— ♤ —

Heeseung had made sure to leave work in time for the Album of the Year announcement. He couldn't be present physically, although he would have wanted nothing more than to be by Sunoo's side at that moment, so he immediately went home to turn on the TV and watch it live.

Obviously, he had no doubts that Sunoo would win—no matter how many times Sunoo tried to reason and tell him that the possibilities of him winning were low because of the release date. It was a way for them to not feel disappointed, but Heeseung never stopped believing in him.

And he was right.

Sitting on the couch, sparkling eyes glued to the screen, Heeseung holds his breath the whole time, his heart thumping loudly when the announcer gives it a few seconds of suspense. His hands are balled into tight fists, ready to celebrate, and when Sunoo's name drops, Heeseung jumps to his feet with an excited cheer.