Chapter Text
Yushi had a little secret he never shared with anyone.
It wasn't anything scandalous, nor was it anything worth mentioning, he just always dreamed of being famous. Ever since he was little he knew he wouldn't like working a regular job. When his peers were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up and they responded things like lawyer, doctor, firefighter et cetera, Yushi would say I want to be a celebrity, like it was a career path you could follow just like anything else. He didn't even know what type of celebrity he would be, he knew he couldn't sing —if his neighbour's complaints when he used a broom as a microphone in the middle of the day were anything to go by—, he couldn't act because he hated memorising things, the only way his parents would get him to memorize his little poems and songs for kindergarten was them provoking him like "I bet Yushi-chan can't follow what I'm saying, hihi" and they'd recite the lines which made the ever-so-competitive Yushi repeat them in an instant, he could dance pretty well but dancer didn't really fit Yushi's description of celebrity, and then there were people who got famous from doing stupid things but Yushi considered himself too smart to ever do something stupid publicly, enough that it skyrocketed him to fame. He could also marry someone famous but then he'd just be someone's partner which wasn't that exciting and fulfilling.
As he grew up he kept this dream with him, filed away in a cabinet of his mind that didn't see light very often because he kept learning about the real world and how he should follow a normal career as it wasn't as easy to become famous as he thought when he was 4 years old. By the time he started high school there was a phenomenon on the internet called influencers, which were all normal people that somehow gained a big enough audience to catalogue them as internet famous. That managed to bring some light to the part of his brain that still wished to be a star. He didn't need any particular skill to just share his life on the internet or do silly challenges or vlogs. Problem was, Yushi's life was painfully boring. He just went to school and came back and rotted inside playing videogames because he didn't really have friends. Maybe he could become a gaming streamer? But he didn't want his one hobby to turn into a product to be monetized.
Ugh. High school passed like that, with him finding ways to become an influencer. Tik Tok became a thing at some point and he tried following trends and posting dance covers and thirst traps which only brought him the humble follower count of 800. Maybe he wasn't conventionally attractive enough for a 15 second dance cover to catapult him to fame. Or maybe there was an influencer formula he could follow that he wasn't aware of.
So that's how he chose his uni major — Digital Media & Technologies, in hopes it could help him discover secrets unknown to the public (even though there were countless of 'tutorials' online that he just rendered obsolete because in reality those people had no idea what they were talking about and were just describing how it worked for them, which couldn't possibly apply to the public at large when you take multiple socio-economic factors into account). In the end all this major ended up doing was help him land a social media management position for a milk and dairy products company.
He's been working there for two years now. If he has to think about one more witty line including milk for social media captions he might seriously lose it. At least their logo is cute, a cat whose head is a milk cartoon (Yushi doesn't know for sure if its head is the milk carton or if the cat is wearing a milk carton over its head, and at this point he's too afraid to ask), which looks so stupid it actually brings a smile on his face whenever he sees it (which is everyday because it's everywhere, not only at work, but in every convenience and grocery store too; yeah, the company is successful like that). He also has a keychain of it on his work bag that looks just as stupid. It's awesome.
But anyways. He's a little tired of the mundane corporate life. And as much as he likes seeing little Milknyang (yes, the cat from the logo has a name, the company is even thinking of making it a real mascot), it's not worth spending his youth stuck in a chair for 8 hours a day for (sorry Milknyangie). He thinks back to his dream of becoming famous (or at least an influencer) while scrolling through X on his lunch break. He stumbles upon a vid of what he assumes is two kpop idols, given that they're on stage. The video shows the two of them interlinking their pinkies as they bow to the audience, zooming in on their hands then replaying the clip in slow motion, with a caption that says "🌳🦋 always comfort each other in small ways… it's so cute ㅠㅠㅠ". It has 15k likes and 186 replies. Yushi scrolls through the comments section because he's curious what people could possibly have to say about this overly exaggerated video.
"they're seriously the most tender couple in the group"
"first 🌳 wipes 🦋's tears during the ending ment, now this… i wish i had such an attentive boyfriend ㅠㅠ"
"🌳🦋 FOR LIFE"
Yushi is a little amused, thinking how funny it would be to be shipped with your coworker in any other industry. Then a lightbulb lights up above his head like they do in cartoons as he sees his colleague from photo-video editing, Daeyoung, approach his table. Yushi might've just gotten the idea of a lifetime.
"Aren't you tired of all this?" he asks, and Daeyoung freezes for a second, gaze dropping down to the tray of food he's holding.
"What, fried rice with spring rolls and chicken broth?" he replies, eyes settling on Yushi, a bit confused, then sits down.
"No, dummy, I mean this," Yushi motions vaguely to their surroundings. "This lifeless job. Doing the same boring tasks everyday. Being stuck inside cement walls instead of, I don't know, living life."
Dayeoung scratches his head briefly as he thinks of an answer. "I don't know, hyung. I kinda enjoy editing Milknyang on a cow farm and stuff. It's so cute, it feels like I'm making a cartoon for kids sometimes."
"There's more to life than stupid Milknyang!"
"Hey," Daeyoung's brows furrow —he probably doesn't even realize he's doing it because the guy genuinely believes he has no eyebrows— "don't be mean to her."
"Her? Milknyang is a girl?"
"Dunno, maybe? I like to believe she is."
"See, this is what I mean, Daeyoung, this is such a meaningless thing to be having conversations about! What about real things? Have you ever had a dream, Daeyoung? Something bigger than editing a cat with a milk carton for a head?"
The younger falls into thought for a few seconds, pouting a little as he does. "The piano, I guess? I always wanted to be a musician, but as I grew up I realized I had no connections to get into the industry, and my parents thought music school was too impractical for real life, so… it's just a hobby now."
"And are you happy with that?"
"I think so. I don't really think about it much, I just like the feeling of keys beneath my fingers."
"But what if there was a chance to become a musician? Would you do it?"
"Maybe?… What are all these questions, hyung?"
"Listen, Daeyoungie… I also had a dream. I always wanted to be a celebrity. And I think I finally know how to do it, I just need a favor from you."
Dayeoung pauses mid-bite, his chopsticks hanging in the air. "What is it?"
"Pretend to date me."
Daeyoung chokes then, coughing repeatedly and hitting his chest with his fist. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Boys love is popular these days… I think if we started a couple account it would get traction really fast."
"How? And why me? And how would that make me a musician?"
"I'm choosing you because you're my friend and I'm comfortable with you." Daeyoung's cheeks flush slightly at that, but Yushi is too focused on his plan to notice. "And if we get famous enough and you start posting yourself playing piano I'm sure some production house will be interested in you. I saw your videos from high school plays, remember? You're good. And your voice is incredible too, I never thought karaoke could ever sound like a real performance."
"Hyung, stop…" Daeyoung whines, cheeks now red as a tomato. "This is ridiculous. And risky. And I don't know if I'd do well in front of a camera or be entertaining enough or be good enough at pretending to be your— b- boyfriend."
Yushi chuckles, endeared by how the younger got so shy. "Don't worry, you'll do great! Just follow my lead, okay?"
"I don't know… Can I think about it?"
"Of course, take as long as you need."
~
Daeyoung always dreamed of performing his own songs on a big stage. He's been playing piano for, what, 15 years now? And he's been drabbling with songwriting for about 3. He has a good voice, he's aware of this fact, but he hasn't really used it outside school shows and karaoke. But he thinks he's good enough to be a proper artist. It's just that he and his family and his life are way too normal for such a big dream. I mean, he has a youtube channel where he posts covers sometimes, but the most views he's gotten has been 2k, so organic growth doesn't seem to be the way to go and he doesn't have other options.
Except for what Yushi proposed to him, which is crazy.
For one, he's an awful liar, so pretending to be someone he's not might be harder that getting his song covers to reach 3k views. There's also no guarantee that Yushi's plan will work in any way, because even if they manage to become popular that doesn't automatically mean his chances of being scouted by an agency are gonna be high. And lastly… he might be a little in love with his hyung.
It's nothing too serious or intense, because he never allowed it to himself to be. Yushi never showed any signs of romantic interest in him, not that Daeyoung flirted or anything, it's just… they're good friends, and that's all. If Daeyoung's heart does a little flip whenever Yushi laughs in his quiet, cotton-candy voice that's nobody's business, not even his own, because he'll never let his crush grow bigger than what it currently is. This small, light thing that makes its presence known too rarely to turn into yearning.
Though Daeyoung supposes it would be nice to see what dating Yushi would look like… And what if the plan does actually work? What if he'll genuinely achieve his dream through this?
It's risky and he's scared shitless, but there's a saying he's carried with him for years and he knows it to be true because it's a clear, simple fact — nothing changes if nothing changes.
So, after hours of tweaking with this video of Milknyang visiting their milk-sourcing farm of choice, he decides he's gonna give it a try. Doesn't hurt to try, right?
"Daeyoungie~" he hears a voice calling his name and feels a hand settling on his shoulder. It's Sion, the CEO's son, who's charged with overlooking the entire office, making sure everything works as intended. He's also Daeyoung's friend since university and half the reason he landed this job (the other half being his amazing skills, of course; besides, Sion really owed Daeyoung a favour for all the times the younger helped him pass his uni courses — turns out when you're next in line to take over the family business, uni is just a way to pass time and gain some skills).
"How's my girl's trip to the farm going?" Sion asks. So Milknyang really is a girl. Sion has a vague attachment to the character because it's based on a drawing he made when he was little, so he always passes by Daeyoung's desk to make sure the content is up to his own personal standards before the company's.
"Almost done," Daeyoung replies. "Wanna take a look?"
"Nah, send it to me over email when it's finished, I'm sure it'll be good." After a short pause, he adds, tone dropping lower so only Daeyoung could hear, "Hey, what were you blushing about so much at lunch?"
"Hyung, were you watching me?"
"No, you know how hyperfocused I get on food, I just noticed it when you carried your tray to the disposal area."
"Oh," Daeyoung replies, like that explanation made the embarassment he's feeling any better.
"So?" Sion continues. "What was it?"
"I can't say yet…"
"Yet? Does the reason for your blushing need a grand reveal?"
"No, ugh, it's complicated," Daeyoung says, frustrated.
Sion drags a chair from nearby and sits down next to the younger, as this conversation might take a little longer than he anticipated.
"Daengie… Does Yushi make you flustered? This wasn't the first time I saw you blushing around him."
"So you're really watching me…"
"I'm observing, it's different. Do you like him? Did he finally ask you out?"
"Hyung, what the hell!" Daeyoung whisper-shouts. "How did you even get to that conclusion? And what do you mean 'finally'?"
Sion giggles and doesn't give him an answer to either of his questions. "Just answer me."
"We're at work, this conversation is highly inappropriate."
"And I'm pretty much the boss, so that doesn't really matter," the older counters. "Well, since you didn't answer me, I'm gonna assume my assumptions are right. Good catch, Daengie," he winks and pats Daeyoung on the back a few times, then stands up. "Also, you might need to announce HR soon," he adds before he leaves. Terrifyingly, Sion also stops by Yushi's desk two rows over, whispering something to him after which Yushi turns to Daeyoung with his eyes blown wide. Daeyoung mouths a 'sorry', then Yushi starts walking towards his desk. Great, this doesn't even look suspicious at all.
"So we're doing it?" Yushi asks, with a smile that's a bit too excited.
"We're doing it," Daeyoung replies in a far less enthusiatic manner, because this confirmation just makes everything real and he's not sure he's fully aware of what he's getting himself into.
But it's fine. He's doing it with his Yushi hyung whom he trusts and cherishes, and he's got good control over his feelings, so it can't go that bad. Right?
~
They decide to go to Yushi's apartment after work to discuss details and strategies. Yushi brought Daeyoung home many times, after clubbing, sometimes to eat dinner after work, sometimes to watch horror movies and giggle at Daeyoung pretending not to be scared, but this time there's a pang in his chest, probably from the thrill of what this situation brings.
Once inside, he takes his shoes and jacket off and goes to the kitchen to pour each of them a glass of juice, after which he grabs his ipad in case they need to take notes, then he settles on the living room couch, where Daeyoung is waiting for him.
"Here," he hands Daeyoung a glass, setting his own on the coffee table to open his ipad. "So, I was thinking we could start posting videos on my Tik Tok account, since I already have a few followers over there. Do you want to post on your account as well?"
"I don't know… I'm not really a Tik Tok guy. I only have an account cause you like sending me cat videos. And EXO fancams…"
Cute. "Hm. You have that youtube channel, right?" Daeyoung nods, so Yushi continues. "Good, we can repost the TikToks as shorts on there."
"Okay…"
"And if we get big enough we can start posting vlogs! I mean, people will surely be dying to know more about us."
"If you say so…"
Yushi is starting to get a bit concerned by Daeyoung's short answers and the way he fidgets with his glass. Fuck, he's making him uncomfortable, isn't he? Maybe he's sick in the head. What normal person just asks their friend to fake date him? As his mind starts clearing up a little, he realizes this might be a bad idea in the grand scheme of things.
"Look…" he says, placing a hand on Daeyoung's arm in an attempt to comfort. "If this is too much, we don't have to do it. It's stupid and too ambitious and I don't know what I was thinking. Forget about—"
"Hyung," Daeyoung interrupts him. "It's not that. It's a good idea… I'm just nervous. It's a lot to take in and consider."
"I know, I'm sorry," Yushi says in a small voice, his gaze lowered to the ground.
"Don't apologize! I agreed, didn't I?" He places his hand over the one Yushi still has on his arm, which makes Yushi look up. There's a soft smile on Daeyoung's face and it gives him a little confidence, a little trust in this whole thing.
"You know," Daeyoung speaks again. "I wouldn't think to do something like this with anyone else. It works because it's you, hyung."
Yushi pushes him playfully at that. "You're so cheesy. Will people really buy it that I'm dating someone so corny?" he jokes.
"I thought I was being encouraging…"
Yushi sometimes forgets that Daeyoung takes teasing seriously, until he sees the younger pouting and curling in on himself, trying to make himself smaller. It's both endearing and a little heartbreaking . He can be such a dummy.
"You were, I'm sorry, I was kidding," Yushi is quick to explain. "You're also the only person I could do this with, by the way…"
Daeyoung's pout disappears just like that, and then they're back to planning how this fake relationship will carry out, which looks a little like this:
• post short vids on tiktok and yt shorts;
• long-form content on daeyoung's yt channel;
• occasional insta stories; (they decide not to share much relationship stuff on there since all their friends and acquaintances and some family members follow them)
• yushi will come up with content ideas nd daeyoung will edit the videos;
• no scandalous touches on camera, only stuff they're already comfortable with;
• no romantic feelings.
They give themselves an initial deadline of 3 months, after which they can either extend to 6 months if they seem to be gaining enough traction but not enough to be fully satisfactory, or if there are no results whatsoever, they'll give up completely.
"I'll text you the list later," Yushi says at the door as Daeyoung puts on his jacket.
"Okay, hyung. Or should I say boyfriend?"
Yushi rolls his eyes, but smiles fondly. "Bye, Daeyoung," he says, then closes the door after the younger steps out.