Essential (Hoshi) 139 Dreams

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ: *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ:. ☁

Your birthday was just around the corner, but instead of feeling excited, you were feeling worried. Your boyfriend, Soonyoung, was an absolute gem, there was no doubt about that. Talented, confident, hard-working, and the sweetest little cinnamon roll you had ever met. He treated you like a goddess, showering you with love and affection when he was around, and spamming your phone with hearts, kisses, and sweet words when he wasn’t.

Lately, though, he had been acting distant. You did ask him about it at first, but he just claimed that he was really busy and apologized for not being around as much. You hadn’t missed how nervous he sounded when he answered, though.

Now you’re a pretty reasonable person, understanding that being an idol was hard work and took up most of his time. It was something you had agreed to before you started up your relationship, but this situation just felt… different. You couldn’t put your finger on it and you briefly wondered if it was just your anxiety messing with your mind. Either way, you did your best to ignore it and hide that something was bothering you.

The last thing you wanted was to worry Soonyoung.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ: *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ:. ☁

Junhong sat against the wall in the corner of a small cafe, scrolling through his twitter. You returned to the table with the food, setting it down before reclaiming your seat across from him.

Since Junhong was good friends with both you and Soonyoung, you decided to open up to the younger male and explain what you’ve been feeling. At the very least, it would help to get it off your chest. He had been surprised when you told him, but eager to give you a hand in any way he could.

“What are you thinking?” He asked, softly, popping a french fry into his mouth.

“I don’t know anymore,” you sighed, resting your cheek in your palm. “I briefly wondered if he was cheating, but I know he would never do something like that.”

“And you feel guilty for even considering it.”

“Yeah.”

He hummed, looking at his phone again. A light bulb went off in his head when he read a particular comment on twitter. “I have a brilliant idea!”

“Should I be scared?” You joked, earning a pout from him. “Tell me this brilliant plan that may or may not get us thrown in jail.”

“Seventeen is doing a meet and greet not too far from here. Let’s go!”

“Tickets for those events are sold in advance. How are we supposed to get in?”

“I’m an idol, remember?” He paused, suddenly feeling the urge to facepalm. “You forgot I was an idol, didn’t you?”

“Maybe,” you coughed, “Just for a second.”

Junhong laughed, “Let’s go and get us some autographs~”

“Wait, wait, wait! Don’t you think they are going to question why we suddenly showed up? Then what?”

“Hmm, I remember seeing a costume store down the street. We’ll stop by there!”

Unsure about the plan, you quickly threw away the trash and rushed after him. As you followed him through the store, you started to notice that something was off.

“Junhong?”

“Hmm?”

“This is a Halloween store…”

“Yes.”

“It’s July…”

“You’ve heard of Christmas in July, now get ready for Halloween in July!” He struck a pose, using his arms to show off the wall of wigs as if you were suddenly on a game show.

You groaned, suddenly feeling your confidence drop as you kneeled down. “This plan is so gonna fail. He’s going to see right through us and think I don’t trust him.”

“Or~ he could think we were bored and just having fun!”

“You’re right,” you took a deep breath and stood up. “I need to stop worrying so much and just enjoy myself!”

“Of course I’m right!”

Noticing a foam sword on the wall beside you, you grabbed it and brought it down onto his neck. He cried out, falling to the ground dramatically. You did your best to sound serious through your laughter. “Don’t get too cocky, boy.”

You both burst into laughter, making the store clerk look at you both like you were crazy.

You ended up spending longer than you should have in that store, both of you constantly getting distracted by various items. It honestly felt so nice to just goof around and have fun. Life was far too short not to stop and enjoy the little things.

Finally, the pair of you stepped out of the shop, confident and ready to tackle the world. Junhong was sporting a large afro complete with a neon pink bow and matching sunglasses. You were wearing Katy Perry’s wig from California Girls with matching heart-shaped sunglasses. Everyone stopped and stared at you as you walked down the street, the aura of pure confidence making the scene even funnier.

When you reached the venue, it was nearly empty as they were meeting with the last two fans. Your appearance earned everyone’s attention almost instantly, the members crowding around you.

“Why are you dressed like that?” Jeonghan questioned, unable to stop his smirk.

“We’re starting our own group,” You announced confidently. “Katy and the Fro!”

“Wait, why is your name first?” Junhong pouted.

“Because ‘Fro and the Katy’ sounds weird.”

“Good point.”

“Plus I’m cooler.”

“Oi!”

The group started laughing, clapping you on the back. Your smile faltered when you scanned the room. Where was Soonyoung? Junhong met your gaze and you shared a silent conversation. He nodded, grabbing the attention of the group by making up a fake setlist for your first album. You quietly slipped away and headed to the back of the venue.

Soonyoung was on the phone, his back facing you. “No, I wanted the blue ones… right… no, you can’t send them there! It’s essential that she doesn’t find out about this!… yes, that’s fine… I understand, thank you!” With a bright smile, he slid his phone into his back pocket and walked away.

You were suddenly overcome by a pain in your temple. Texting Junhong to let him know that you were going home, you pulled the wig off and left the venue.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ: *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ:. ☁

When you woke up the next day, you had to rush to the bathroom, emptying out the contents of your stomach. Your entire body was aching, head throbbing, and stomach cramping painfully. Had you eaten something bad? Or was it just a bug?

You tried calling Soonyoung a couple times, but you just got a busy tone. Feeling exhausted, you crawled back into bed, curling into a ball under the fluffy comforter. It wasn’t long before you had fallen asleep.

It was almost four in the afternoon when you woke again. Your body was still achy and your stomach was still unhappy with you, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been that morning. Your phone buzzed on the nightstand but you weren’t fast enough to catch it before it stopped. Before you could retract your hand, it started to vibrate again.

The cold glass felt good against your burning skin. “Hello?”

''“Yah! Where have you been?! Do you know how many times we’ve called you?” Jeonghan scolded before pausing. “You sound horrible. What’s wrong?”''

“I’m sick,” you muttered.

''“Honestly,” he took a breath. “We were all worried about you. We’ve been calling for hours!”''

“I’m sorry,” you frowned. “I was sleeping.”

''“Soonyoung is on his way to your apartment. He was afraid that something had happened.”''

“Oh…” You forced yourself to sit up. “I need to unlock the door…”

''“No, no! You lay back down right now, Y/N!” Jeonghan ordered. “He has a key, remember? Just rest and he’ll be there soon.”''

“Mmkay,” you mumbled, climbing back under the covers. He told you that he would speak to you later before hanging up the phone. Your eyes drooped, but you forced yourself to stay awake.

The front door opened and shut, rushed footsteps echoing throughout the silent apartment. The bedroom door flung open and Soonyoung ran into the room, yelling out your name. He was breathing heavy from running.

You peeked out from the covers, looking at him through half-lidded eyes. Seeing him made you feel a bit better.

As much as he wanted to throw himself on top of you, Jeonghan had informed him that you were sick and he didn’t want to make you feel worse. Instead, he gently climbed in beside you, bringing you into his arms. The warmth of his body mingling with the scent of his cologne made you feel light-headed.

“My poor baby,” He murmured softly, running his hand across your back.

“Sorry for worrying you, Soonie.”

He quickly shook his head, smiling down at you. “Don’t apologize. I should be the one apologizing… I haven’t been paying much attention to you the past week.”

You snuggled closer to him. “It’s okay, I know you’re busy.”

“Junhong told me that you’ve been worrying… what were you thinking?”

You hesitated, playing with the button on his sweater. “A lot of things. At first, I thought I was just imagining it. Then I thought that maybe you were cheating on me… maybe I had been too clingy and you wanted a break from me. Finally, I started to wonder if you had gotten hurt and were hiding it from me.”

Soonyoung couldn’t believe his ears. He gently pushed you away, shifting so that he was eye-level with you. His eyes were filled with love and his voice was soft. “Let me clear up all of your worries so that they never bother you again. I will never cheat on you or grow tired of you because you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You give me the motivation to improve and become a better person. I want you to look at me and feel proud to say, ‘That’s my Soonyoung. My amazing, hard-working future husband’. And if I had gotten hurt, you would know because I’d be clinging to you like glue wanting you to take care of me.”

You giggled, feeling your heart fluttering in your chest. How could this man make you feel so high with just words alone? Your hand rested on his cheek. “How did I manage to get such an amazing man?”

He leaned in, rubbing his nose against your own. “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you. Now, would you like to know the real reason that I was so busy?” You nodded. “I was planning a birthday party for you, and…”

“And?” You prompted, curiously.

Soonyoung shifted so that he could pull out a white piece of cloth from his pocket. A blue ribbon was wrapped tight around it. “Open it,”

You slowly sat up, not wanting to jolt your head in case the room decided to start spinning. Once you were steady, you tugged on the ribbon, letting the silk fall onto the comforter. The cloth fell open to reveal a beautiful ring. The stone reflected the light of the setting sun, casting a spectrum of color onto the wall. “It’s… incredible.”

His arms found your body again as he pulled himself closer, resting his chin on your shoulder. “I was planning on putting this into the lotus candle. You know, the one that blooms when you light it? It was supposed to be perfect, but life isn’t perfect and things rarely go as we plan them.” He gently plucked the ring from your hand, looking you dead in the eye with so much love and adoration that it stole your breath away. “Y/N, will you marry me?”

“You don’t even have to ask,” you whispered, fighting back the tears of pure happiness. “Yes, one hundred times yes!”

With a smile that lit up the room, he slid the ring onto your finger before falling back onto the bed, pulling you down on top of him. You were his everything and he was yours. The love between the two of you was eternal and raw, and it was essential to the happiness that you both shared.

“Oh! I almost forgot,” Soonyoung pulled out his phone, scrolling through his gallery before showing you a picture of the cutest white and orange kitten. “I adopted a kitten for you!”

“He’s adorable! But… my apartment doesn’t allow pets.”

“Yeah, I kind of figured that out after I adopted him… We’ll just have to move to a new apartment!”

“Together?”

“Of course together!” He booped your nose with a smile. “How can I not live with my beautiful wife~?”

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ: *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ:. ☁