5. Hot Coffee

FIVE

It's warm outside,warm enough that Charis' hair is sticking to his neck. It escapes from its tie, plastering itself to his slightly sticky skin.

Mouse comes up beside him drinking from a water bottle that's chilled with condensation dripping down its sides. Just looking at it makes Charis feel parched. After being sure that Charis sees him, Mouse leans over and casually lifts up his hair, pressing the cool water bottle to the side of Charis' neck. The touch of cold makes him bite off a gasp and tense initially—so cold! The sensation is shocking—but he soon melts into it. It really does feel like such a relief.

"Thanks," Charis says, and Mouse hums lightly.

Charis reaches up to grab hold of the water bottle, unscrewing the cap and bringing it to his mouth to take a sip. He offers it back to Mouse, who shakes his head, so Charis drains the rest of the bottle. He pulls off when he's done with a contented gasp.

"It's freaking hot today," Mouse says.

Charis hums in acknowledgment. They're filming a dance practice video in the park. The sun is shining overhead, and the space looks clean and beautiful, a rolling grassy lawn bracketing a cheery path decorated with trees. The cameramen and staff are adjusting the cameras and getting ready for their next shot while Fairytale takes a break.

Charis pushes himself up from his seat on the grass with a small groan. Mouse looks at him curiously.

"C'mon, I want to run through it again."

"Again? Haven't you had enough?"

Charis shakes his head. He starts running through the choreography on his own while Mouse picks at the grass and lazily watches him. One of his hand motions is slightly too slow, so Charis stops and takes it from the top of that part, hitting each beat hard, humming the tune to himself under his breath.

"This is why you're the company's darling," Mouse drawls as he leans back on his hands and watches.

Kim Joon sees Charis dancing and comes over to join, slipping into place at his 5, executing each move effortlessly. Their bodies hit each beat and move to the unheard rhythm, necks rolling in time. Charis' face takes on the focused cast it gets only when he performs, the intense look on his face that fans call sexy.

Since it doesn't seem like they're going to stop, Mouse, ever the opportunist, pulls out his phone and starts recording. This'll look good in a behind-the-scenes reel. He focuses on Charis, then pans the camera over to Kim Joon.

Then, on a whim, he turns the camera around back on himself and starts rapping his part. Charis breaks out in a grin, and Kiki and Xiao Yu amble over from where they've been tossing around a ball.

"Hey, having fun without us?" Kiki asks.

"Say hi to the camera," Mouse says, flipping the camera around on them.

Kiki smiles his megawatt smile, his reddish hair falling around his face as he waves, earning his keep as the so-named Beauty Prince as he charms their fans from afar. Xiao Yu crosses his arms, their Wild Prince looking more serious.

Mouse turns off the camera and tosses the phone in his lap when he thinks he's got enough. He's got a sixth sense for these things. It might look like he's always playing around, but he's a savant when it comes to social media. At this point, the other members don't question it, and even the company mostly lets him do his thing.

He leans back on his hands again and tilts his head back. The heat of the summer sun is making him feel lazy. He opens his eyes halfway, watching the patterns of light as they shift and change through the tree branches up above.

"Okay! Ready to shoot!" the shoot director calls from down the hill.

Charis raises a hand in acknowledgment. "Coming!" he calls.

Mouse holds his breath and closes his eyes. Head tipped back, he counts to five. When he sits up, dusting off his palms, he sees Charis waiting for him, holding out a hand. Mouse shoots him a grin and takes it, letting Charis hoist him up onto his feet.

"Alright, alright, showtime," Mouse says.

Time to sing and dance.

They finish filming before the sun sets, in the late afternoon. They're all breathing hard, their muscles lightly aching.

"I want milk tea. Who wants milk tea?" Kiki says.

"Mm. I could go for milk tea," says Mouse.

"Yeah, yeah!" comes Miyong's excited voice.

They look at Charis, sitting on the floor changing his shoes, who nods. "If you're all getting milk tea, I'll come too."

Xiao Yu cracks his neck from where he's leaning by the tree. "Oh, we're going to get it?"

He'd assumed they'd just order something in.

"Why not?" Kiki asks, taking a moment to look up at the sun, squinting his long, catlike eyes against it. "It's a nice day."

A few of the others change their shoes as well. The clothes they'd worn for the park shoot weren't that outrageous. They're wearing colorful sportwear, but it's nothing they can't walk the street in.

Miyong is already excitedly chattering and scrolling through his phone by the time the older members are all ready. His clean fingers hover above his screen. "Okay, here, look. There's this milk tea place I wanted to try."

He holds out his phone, and Charis leans over to look at it. It's a trendy new cafe that hasn't been open for very long. The inside is pretty and white, illuminated by hanging ceiling lamps shaded by big, white paper shades. Against one wall by the window, there's a long, clean counter lined with plants.

"Sure," Charis says. "Sounds good."

"Oh, nice. I've been wanting to take some photos there for my Story," Mouse says with approval.

No one else has any objections, so they hoist their bags over their shoulders and get ready to go. It's not a very far walk from the park, and they'll be able to head back to the dorm when they're done.

Charis feels sticky, and he's looking forward to a shower after he gets some milk tea.

His members fall into a conversation. Kiki and Xiao Yu are talking about something Kiki saw on TikTok, with Mouse and Miyong chiming in every so often. Charis hangs back toward the rear.

He doesn't feel much like talking right now, but not in a bad way. He's not in a bad mood. He just tends toward being quiet when there isn't something that directly needs his attention. He and Kim Joon are kind of kindred spirits that way.

They get to the shop and walk inside. It looks just like the photos on Naver. The space is air conditioned, and the cool air feels good against Charis' sticky skin. They fold their arms in front of the counter, standing off to the side and chattering amongst themselves as they look at the menu.

"I want grass jelly," Kiki says.

"I want cheese foam," says Miyong.

They all get their orders together, and then Soohyun steps up to the counter and orders in order to save the baristas some confusion while the others stand off to the side. Mouse's hair is pulled back up off his neck, and he talks breezily to Xiao Yu, gesturing with his long, expressive hands.

They get their drinks by the time the trouble starts. Charis had gotten plain milk tea with boba, and he pulls down his mask to sip it through the straw. They get recognized just outside the store, which isn't very unusual. A couple of sweet little sister fans come up to them and ask for selfies with them, which they give, despite looking a little sweaty after their shoot.

Mouse is really good with fans. They look curiously at his cup, and Mouse shakes it and makes a recommendation of what to get inside, which they take with starry eyes. Charis can already imagine they'll be ordering it right away.

He's zoning out a little bit, and his attention is abruptly dragged back in front of him by one of the little sisters talking.

"Charis, um. We heard you aren't feeling well, and we want you to get better soon. Fighting11!" one of them says, earnest and a little shy.

Her shyer friend nods fervently. "Yep, yep."

"Oh, thank you very much," Charis says. "I'm feeling just fine these days, but I appreciate your support."

He spends a little time chatting with them. Although Charis isn't very talkative and he's nicknamed the Ice Prince, he's very kind in person. He always makes an effort to be good to their fans, who are in turn enamored of how gentle he is. The girls in front of him are starstruck, thinking about the way Charis looks even more beautiful in person. His skin is poreless and velvet-smooth, and even with a baseball cap stuck on his head, he looks so elegant and striking.

He's just saying his goodbyes, getting ready to head back to the dorm with the rest of his members, when someone yelling his name catches his attention.

His head snaps up instinctively, neck turning in the direction of the voice.

"Charis! Hey, Charis!"

He looks up in time to have a cup of coffee thrown at him.

The girls in front of him gasp and step back reflexively, letting out startled cries of dismay.

Charis lets out a startled sound that ends on a cry of pain as he realizes the coffee is hot, and it's starting to sink into his clothes, the burning liquid pressing close to his skin.

Soohyun's brows knot together, and he steps forward immediately, yelling, "Hey!" loudly in the direction of the perpetrator. The piercing sound of his voice draws everyone's attention, even those who hadn't seen what had just happened to Charis. Kiki's hand flies to his mouth. He looks serious and very upset.

Soohyun wavers, uncertain, for just a second, torn between going to Charis and chasing after Charis' assailant. Xiao Yu makes up Soohyun's mind for him, tossing his own cup aside and striding dangerously up to the guy who'd thrown the cup in order to confront him.

"Hey!" Xiao Yu says loudly. "What do you think you're doing?"

The guy takes off running, like the coward that he is, and Xiao Yu goes tearing off after him.

Miyong looks worriedly after him, twisting his fingers around his cup anxiously and asking, "Shouldn't we go after him?" His normally sweet voice is pitched higher than usual.

"No," Kiki says, his voice sounding unusually cold. "Let him go."

Miyong keeps looking in the direction he went for a while more, unable to tear his eyes away, even though Xiao Yu's form is quickly retreating. He's a streak of black hair and black windbreaker. His tennis shoes slap against the ground, and people exclaim and jump out of the way quickly while the pair tears by.

"Are you okay?" Soohyun says to Charis.

He helps Charis hold his shirt away from his body, keeping the hot coffee off him.

"Here," Mouse says grimly, taking off his jacket and holding it up, making a kind of wall around Charis so he can quickly strip off the shirt before it can do any further damage.

Kim Joon quickly gets the idea and does the same, screening Charis off from prying eyes.

Charis grits his teeth and takes off his shirt as fast as he can, taking care not to get the hot liquid on his face, although some of the coffee gets in his hair. Soohyun takes the shirt out of his hand, and Kiki passes over his windbreaker. It's too hot to wear a jacket, but Charis gratefully slips it on without complaint, zipping it up far enough that he's decent.

"Thank you," he says softly.

"Of course," Kiki says, his brows still knotted.

"Are you okay?" Soohyun asks again, his eyes full of concern.

"Yeah," Charis says with a small wince. He's breathing hard, still in shock. He still hasn't fully processed what just happened.

"Okay."

Soohyun blows out a breath and puts a comforting hand on the back of Charis' neck, steering him close in a way that feels comforting rather than overbearing.

Xiao Yu comes back right at that moment, a grim look on his face and a black cap in his hand. His eyes are fierce. He's lathered with sweat, and the short-cropped sides of his hair glisten with it.

"The bastard got away," he spits, too worked up to pay any mind to their mutual prohibition on swearing. No one else is in a mood to correct him, either. Not even Soohyun-hyung.

He throws the man's hat on the ground and spits after it. "I saw his face, though. I could probably give a description of him if I needed to."

"Me too," Kiki says with grim determination. "I caught a look at his face when he was calling Charis-hyung. I didn't realize anything was wrong, or else I would have done something sooner."

"It's not your fault," Soohyun says right away. He looks at Xiao Yu and claps him on the shoulder. "Thank you."

Soohyun nods gravely.

"Oh my god," one of the fans from earlier says. She sounds full of genuine distress.

In all the terrible excitement, Charis hadn't realized that the girls were still there.

"Are you alright, Charis-oppa?" one of them asks with tears in their eyes. Her hand is pressed to her mouth.

"I'm fine," Charis says, keeping the wince of pain off his face as he does his best to reassure their fans.

He's infinitely grateful when Mouse quickly steps in. "Your Charis-oppa is fine. He just needs to get back home so he can wash up and treat the area so it doesn't burn. Keep supporting us, alright?"

"Yes, Mouse-oppa!" they say.

He gives them a few more encouraging words, and although they still look worriedly in Charis' direction as they go, casting backward glances, their spirits at least seem to be a little lifted.

"Thank you," Charis says quietly when Mouse returns from dealing with their fans. He's suddenly very tired.

"Of course," Mouse says, almost scoffing. "It's what I should do. Come on, let's get you back to the dorm for real."

Thankfully, Charis' leg doesn't act up on the way back. They call a taxi, and Mouse, Charis, and Soohyun pile into it.

"I can walk," Charis insists, but no one in their group will hear of it. Even Kim Joon is firm.

Charis takes the window seat so he doesn't have to climb over anybody. As the taxi moves through the Seoul streets, he rests his head against the glass, feeling its coolness against his skin and tracking the scenery with his eyes as it passes by.

"Does it hurt?" Mouse asks beside him.

His usually glibly smiling mouth is grim.

"A little," Charis says honestly.

They make it back to the dorm without incident. As soon as they arrive, Charis heads to the bathroom right away. He peels off his borrowed jacket and sets it aside, making a mental note to wash it and to thank Kiki for lending it to him, then steps up to the mirror to inspect the damage. He winces as he sees it. It really doesn't look very good. There's an angry red blotchiness covering the right side of his torso, stinging and sore from where the coffee had soaked in before he'd had a chance to stop it.

He touches its topmost edge with a finger and winces at the pain. He's lucky it didn't hit his face.

There's a knock at the door. Charis expects it will be Mouse or Soohyun come to check on him.

"Just a minute," he calls.

"Charis, it's me. I brought the first aid kit. Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

Charis is surprised when the person behind the door isn't a fellow member of their hyung line but Kiki.

"Hey," Kiki says, unflummoxed by Charis' state of undress. They've seen each other down to their underwear before, during quick changes and hurried showers in their trainee days. His face changes very slightly when he sees the wound on Charis' torso.

He passes the plastic first aid kit to Charis, who sets it on the sink and takes out a single-wrapped antiseptic wipe.

"Damn, he got you good," Kiki says sympathetically.

Charis only hums lightly in response.

"Sorry about your jacket," Charis says a short while later, but Kiki just holds up a hand and waves him off.

"It's no big deal. Keep it if you like it. I've got others."

It's easy to forget, sometimes, that for all of their Beauty Prince's charming good looks, his sleek and pristine surface, he really is a good person underneath.

Charis hisses a little as he has to twist to try to get the antiseptic on the higher part of his burn, and Kiki smoothly takes over for him, reaching out and taking the cotton pad out of Charis, hand to do it himself.

He works with quick, neat precision, humming to himself a little while he works. It's one of their songs, and the absentminded gesture brings a small smile to Charis' face. The antiseptic stings, but it's over with quickly.

When Kiki is through, he tosses the used antiseptic wipe in the trash and takes out the burn gel without being asked. He spreads it onto Charis' fever-heated skin with cool, gentle fingers, and Charis sighs audibly when the medicine touches his skin. It feels cooling, and once his burn is thoroughly coated in a thin layer, it stings a little less.

Charis watches him work for a little while, then tilts his head back and watches the ceiling, letting the air swirl in through his nose and out of his mouth. This is the last thing they'd needed before a new comeback. Charis hopes that no one got video footage of it. He wonders what that guy was even trying to do, what it is that Charis did to make him hate him so much.

"Is that better?" Kiki asks when he's done, breaking Charis' reverie.

"Yeah, it is. Thank you."

Kiki replaces the cap on the tube and hands it over to Charis. "You'd better keep that. I'll let Soohyun-hyung know so he can order more tomorrow."

"Thanks."

Charis thinks about putting his t-shirt on but decides to skip it. It's probably better if he just lets the burn air out for now. It's a little undignified, walking around their dorm without a shirt on, but he knows deep down that none of his members will mind.

He expects Kiki to leave as soon as he's done his due diligence. Really, Charis wouldn't have been surprised if Kiki had just handed him the kit and then left—not because Kiki is a bad or callous person, but just because they've never been particularly close.

Instead, he stays. His reddish brown hair is pulled back in a short, stubby ponytail that sits high on his head. The bathroom is quiet around them save for the occasional plink of a water droplet hitting the ceramic floor of the bathtub. Kiki chews lightly on his lip and looks at Charis with his brows furrowed, as if debating with himself whether or not to say something.

He turns to leave and then pauses with his hand lightly on the door.

"That looks like a pretty bad burn. I'm glad you're alright. That was shitty, and something like that shouldn't have happened to you."

Charis thinks he knows what Kiki means, but he still says, "It shouldn't have happened to any of us."

Charis pushes his hand through his hair, a little damp and still sticking to his skin after his shower, and speaks more gently than not.

"Yeah," Kiki says after a little while. "I guess that's right."

He leaves again, taking his jacket with him and saving Charis the burden of having it washed. Charis is left behind, once again alone again. With his wound treated and all the sweat of the day washed off, Charis bends down to pick up his practice clothes. He heads down the hallway back to his room, and the air conditioned air feels cool and healing on his skin after the rugged mugginess of the bathroom.