I'm In Trouble

Clip 9

The room was a mess and it was a first. His manager opened the door and screeched, surprised to find one of the best album sellers amongst heaps of overturn furnitures, clothes and what not. Minhyun lazily turned his head over to his manager who started to pick up his clothes.

"Oh lord. I thought you were neat and tidy. What the hell did you get high on?"

"Heartbreak," Minhyun muttered his response and slowly turned around, pushing himself up. His eyes were red and swollen. He never knew he would cry this much over one person. Or scream actually. Minhyun never had any actual attachments to his previous one night stands before and it was just as Baekho said, he barely knew the other so why did it hurt so much? His heart felt weary just like his emotions. He sighed and his manager pulled him up.

"Oh, come on. Get up already."

"Ugh... Just leave me be."

"No can do. You have a photoshoot to attend later at 4. I need you spick and span right now."

Minhyun groaned and stood up, stretching his sore body. "Manager, why does it suck so bad to like someone?" He laid his weight on his manager who sighed and patted his back.

"I don't know what you're saying but you better not be getting into some scandal," his manager sighed and pushed Minhyun onto the couch who collapsed and pouted, fiddling with his fingers.

"He's not a celebrity."

"He?"

"Yeah, he."

His manager sighed and put his clothes into the laundry basket. "Alright. I'm not going to judge your preferences but at least get moving. I don't want to get blamed if you're late."

"Yes, yesssss."

~~~

"Yes. That's right. Beautiful. One more, Minhyun. Smile."

Minhyun posed flawlessly despite the aching in his heart or maybe he just used the pain and poured it all out into his work today. He wiped his sweat with a tissue handed to him and smiled to the kind staff who was fanning him. He felt exhausted and collapsed onto the couch, thanking the staff who went on to do other work. Minhyun breathed out and sunk lower as he stared up at the bleak studio ceiling. What had gone wrong again? He thought giving Baekho the interview would have been enough. He thought the other wanted the same as he did. He thought finding information for him was the right thing. He thought he did mostly everything right but why is everything so wrong? He knew crying and letting go of all his energy wouldn't save a thing but what would? Baekho had drawn a line between them time and time again. Minhyun tried his best to erase the line everytime and he couldn't understand why he had to keep going back to him too. Yes, he was Hwang Minhyun. He could get anyone he wanted.

But he only wanted Baekho.

The reporter who came into his life at a dull moment, lit a fire within him and did his best to blow it out by fanning it. He sighed and tried to forget about this whole fiasco. It only gave him a headache.

"Ah, thanks for coming in, Jonghyun. The last guy ditched us last minute. You can go get prepared first," a voice said and Minhyun perked up immediately. Jonghyun. That was that acquaintance that Baekho wanted information about and it had totally left his mind to tell him about it too but then remembered it was because they were so distracted by other topics that he never had a chance to bring it up. Minhyun wondered if the interview questions Baekho had asked him was just a way to drag their time before the argument.

"Thanks."

The door to the changing room was slid open and Jonghyun froze when he saw who was on the couch.

"W-what are you doing here?" Jonghyun asked as Minhyun pushed himself up and strutted up to Jonghyun. This man had information that Baekho wanted. Maybe, just maybe. If he could get something substantial. Anything at all. Baekho would look his way. Minhyun slammed his hands against the door, pinning Jonghyun between them.

"Tell me what you know."

"Huh? Again? I told you you should just stay out of it."

"I need to know. I'm desperate here! Please," Minhyun hissed and grabbed Jonghyun by his shoulders.

"Ow. Hey. You're hurting me."

"I have to know. Just give me something. Anything."

"Stop it. You're being crazy right now," Jonghyun snapped in response and shoved Minhyun's hands off him before moving away from the pop star who stared at the ground. He leaned his head onto the door and bumped it once. Twice. "Hey!"

Jonghyun pulled him back and Minhyun covered his eyes. "I just want him to look at me."

"What are you talking about?"

"I just want him..." Minhyun moved his hands and pushed Jonghyun down onto the couch. The other gasped in shock. "Why doesn't he understand that? Why won't he just let me love him? Why won't he love me?"

"Maybe because you're acting like some psycho right now?!" Jonghyun gulped and for an instant, Minhyun thought he saw Baekho instead. He gasped and stood up straight, looking around warily. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, vision shifting back to Jonghyun. He was definitely going insane. He left the studio in a rush.

~~~

Baekho sighed. He sent the draft and leaned back against his headrest. Sighing again. He managed to put together an article on Minhyun after an all-nighter, trying his best not to let his emotions and feelings cloud his writing. The article encompassed Minhyun's thoughts on his future with answers from the interview and Baekho tried to make it as neutral as he could. It was neither bad nor positive. Just purely his answers compiled together.

He stared at his phone, head empty and sighed. He rolled to his side and pursed his lips. He closed his eyes.

"Baekho."

He jolted and opened his eyes. He panted a little, having imagined Minhyun whispering his name. He groaned and rubbed his temples.

"Great. Now I've got his ghost haunting me," Baekho grumbled and sighed. He hugged his pillow. He really wanted to take everything back. Everything he said that could have hurt Minhyun. He really wished he could truly accept Minhyun as a partner or whatever it was the deal made them to be but he couldn't. Definitely not now. Not when he wasn't close to cracking the case. He needed more time and he hoped time was by his side.