101 Ways to Pretend│Taegyu

Chapter 1

Taehyun quite frankly didn't want to be here. The number of people, paired with the prying eyes of the paparazzi and deafeningly loud screams every two minutes made his head throb like there was no tomorrow. Award shows were just not made for him, as were any huge public events really. He definitely preferred the quiet atmosphere of his studio.

He had been invited to present an award as 'The Hottest News Anchor' of his generation, though he really couldn't understand why they couldn't have chosen some random idol or comedian. He was a news anchor- news anchors didn't do publicity events. But alas, what was Taehyun's word against the company's?

He made his way onto the stage, cue card in one hand and trophy in the other, and leaned into the mic.

"And the 58th Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actor goes to..."

"Choi Beomgyu!"

--

Everything was starting to buzz in Beomgyu's mind, his surroundings blurring and his thoughts becoming more and more incohesive with each passing second. Champagne glass in one hand (his 6th glass out of the many he had downed earlier), he began to maneuvre his way through tables and people alike.

The afterparty was a grand one, blue and gold streamers lining every corner of the majestic penthouse, with people from Korea's 1% filling up the place. If everyone's net worth in this place was combined, it would probably be enough to buy the world's biggest corporations (or maybe not, Beomgyu's mind was too fuzzy to do the actual calculations).

He wanted to do nothing but go home however, way too tired and overworked to do all this social networking. He wanted nothing but the warm comfort of his duvet, and maybe some late night ramyeon to fill up his empty stomach, instead of the useless miniature sandwiches they were handing out the moment. Don't get him wrong, he was overjoyed at the award he received, but his idea of a celebration was more of just clocking in after a long day. Nevertheless, afterparties were just as important as the actual award show itself, since they were an opportunity to meet new people and maybe book his next paycheck.

Not that Beomgyu ever had to worry about his next paycheck, that is.

Making his way through the crowd, he somehow bumped into a familiar figure. He stumbled backwards as the person put his hands on Beomgyu's shoulder's to steady himself, and the actor's skin tingled at the feeling. He looked up to see who it was.

It was the guy that handed him his award earlier- what was his name again?

"You're... you're that news anchor, right? Kang... Kang Taejoon or something?" he asked, his words slurred due to his prior alcohol intake. "How are you doing?" he flashed his million-dollar smile, putting his free hand on the other's shoulder.

"It's- It's Taehyun, and do you perhaps mind taking this outside..? It's kind of suffocating in here."

--

Taehyun found himself standing on the building's rooftop next to a drunken Choi Beomgyu, looking out at Seoul's glittering skyline. He himself didn't know how he got into this situation, but he definitely preferred it to the blaring party music and small talk in the apartment. The cold winter air provided a nice distraction for Taehyun, who finally felt like he could breathe again after all that social interaction.

Beomgyu stuffed his hand into his suit jacket, taking out a pack of cigarettes and offering one to him.

"You want one?"

"Ah, no thanks," he politely refused, earning a shrug from Beomgyu, before the other turned to face the skyline once more. They remained silent for a little while after that, letting the muffled music in the background fill up the conversation.

It would be wrong of Taehyun to not admit the other was handsome, because he truly was. The slight pink tint of his lips under the cold, the singular, dangling earring and the small touch of eyeshadow on his truly made Beomgyu look all the more glamorous, and Taehyun couldn't help but admit that. There was something about the way he carried himself too, so elegant and unreachable, yet so comforting and amiable.

Beomgyu was the first to break the silence.

"So, you seem like the cold type- you don't like parties?" he asked, making mindless conversation.

"Yeah, they're not really my thing, though I wouldn't go as far as to call myself 'cold'," Taehyun responded, slightly taken aback by the sudden question.

"I dunno, you seem pretty cold to me," Beomgyu turned back to Taehyun, leaning forward, almost close enough for their noses to touch. "Want me to thaw that frozen heart of yours?" he winked, allowing a rush of pink to creep up Taehyun's face.

So Beomgyu was a shameless flirt when drunk, huh? Did actors just go around flirting with everyone like this? Taehyun winced at the thought. He never liked celebrities of that sort- going around picking up anyone they could find. He looked downwards, staring at his feet instead of looking up to meet Beomgyu's eyes, the other not moving an inch away from his face.

Just then, the telltale sound of a camera shutter clicking broke the silence between the two of them.

Taehyun didn't have a good feeling about this.