This is my coup d'etat

[tophead]

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[cuminjun]

Minjun waited until he was sure that staff had left, the lights were turned out. He had hidden in the open, using his magic to make himself go undetected. Non-offensive magic, he was getting very good at, he could use most of his potential there. In other ways it was a lot harder to access.

He walked into the men's bathroom now, opening the window and pulling himself up. "Come in! I can help if you need it."

Although he was sure Sangwoo wouldn't struggle too much.

[singwoo]

"I'm coming." Sangwoo hauled himself up and gripped the frame, pulling himself halfway over and looking down at Minjun, smirking. "I got booze." That's what he went and did while Minjun hid - he just headed to the one place he could always go in this world. The liquor store. He reached back, unhook the bag he'd attached to his cargo pants and pulled it forward so Minjun could take it. "I got a cheap six pack."

Finally sliding through the frame, he dropped to the floor and steadied himself on his hands, looking up at Minjun.

"Okay, nerd. Show me that book you like."

[cuminjun]

"I like a lot of the books here." Well, if he was honest. Minjun carried the bag, but only for a few steps before holding it out to Sangwoo again. Well, he didn't feel like carrying. "I couldn't go there during opening hours, to look at the magic books. They keep the interesting ones separate anyway." He was headed there now. He knew his way around. "I just read philosophy books to pass the time. Always shows me how much our civilisation has regressed, you know?"

[singwoo]

"No." Sangwoo had no idea, he just shrugged and took his booze, pulling one free from the holder and slinging the bag over his shoulder. Cracking the can open, he took a sip as he walked along after his best friend. Minjun always stop about stuff that went way over his head. He wished Minjin was more on his level sometimes. "I'm dumb, remember? I dunno nothing."

He only knew what philosophy was cause Minjun told him. "Do those kinda things matter much?"

[tophead]

Gyungho painted the world around him, thinking about the art he'd seen this morning from a fellow artist and trying to reimagine it in his own way. A lot of his dreams were just him doing art, making art, living art. It was what he did when awake, why wouldn't he do it asleep?

Paint dripping around him, Gyungho turned his head and raised an eyebrow. "Did you come to see what I'm making again?"

[cuminjun]

"I come to see you." Minjun stepped up to Gyungho, but he looked around. "But what you make, that's part of you." That was why he liked it like this. Not changing the dreams, sliding into them. Being part of them. It happened even before he could influence it at all and now that he could, that was always what he tried for. "What does it mean to you? What you are making now."

[tophead]

"It just means freedom. I can do whatever I want here and it looks right. When I do it in reality, nothing looks right. They say it looks brilliant, they'll pay a fortune for it but I didn't get it. It's not great." He could do better, he just couldn't capture what was in his head and put it down. Everything was a pale imitation. "Why do you come to see me?" He never got that, he never knew why the dream boy came? "Are you part of me?"

[cuminjun]

"I'd like to see you in reality. I feel you'd look right to me there too." Minjun turned to look at Gyungho, wondering what he really looked like. Wondering what he might look like to him. Would they even recognise each other? Well. He supposed Gyungho probably didn't even remember the dreams much. But would he recognise Gyungho? In this dream, in all dreams, he was beautiful. But was that just what the dream made him?

He finally nodded. "I'm part of you. You are part of me. Do you feel it?"

[cuminjun]

Minjun had been staring at the poster for a long time. That same drawing that he had seen in his dream. He wondered. Did a man who saw him like this really want to meet him? The truth was that he couldn't know and wouldn't know until he found out for himself.

So finally, after long enough that the woman selling tickets had gotten nervous, Minjun paid for a ticket and walked in.

He did stand out a little, with his dyed hair, the piercings and the tattoos, even though most of them were covered right now. But his clothes weren't exactly conservative either. Too tight, too torn. And he had never doubted his style before, but right now he doubted anything. Maybe he shouldn't have put on the eyeliner? Whatever. Too late now.

He stepped inside the gallery and his heart was thundering in his chest. He almost wondered if others could hear it. He walked slowly, looking at pictures and barely able to really take them in, when all he wanted was to see him.

[tophead]

Gyungho was not really interested in being here, surrounded by his own work, having to look at it all day but, well, that was part of being a featured artist. They wanted him here to discuss his work and people paid a lot for it so he supposed he owed them his time. He turned up half an hour in, took some champagne for confidence and chatted with art buffs for a solid hour.

He didn't mind it. He liked talking art, as long as it wasn't his art.

Wandering along the gallery and greeting various people as he did, he paused in front of his dream boy painting and sipped his champagne, frowning at it and pulling a face. Urgh. "Never looks right." It didn't look anything like he wanted it too, it didn't quite capture the rebellious spirit. He almost felt like he could hear his own heart racing and he raised his hand to touch his chest, unsure what was making it pound like that.

[cuminjun]

Minjun had stopped to look at the picture in reality, after he had seen it in dreams and on a poster. And Gyungho had been right. Only in his dreams had it looked right. Or wrong in the right way. However to describe that. This one? In this, he didn't recognise himself. But the edge was gone as well. That unsettling feeling, that fear he knew now Gyungho felt. How come it was missing?

He had been so lost in looking at it, he hadn't even noticed Gyungho next to him until he spoke. Then he turned his head and stared at him. Oh.

It hurt to look at him. The emotion was so intense, he had to blink. Tears, he felt like crying. What was this?

"What's wrong about it?"

[tophead]

"What's wrong? God, where to start? I had this image in my head and I couldn't get it on canvas properly. I saw it in a dream, hence the title and just... look at that, he's not soft enough. He had a soft jaw, sweet lips, I didn't get that part right. Then there's just the feel of the piece, you know? It should be rebellious and passionate. I was going for-- you know that feeling you get in your gut when you're willing to die for something? Like when you love someone so much that it aches and you'd rip your heart out and gift it to them if they asked. That's what I wanted to put into this."

But once he woke up from his dream, it didn't come out as he wanted it too because he couldn't remember every edge and every feeling. He turned and then paused, taking in the young man by him and his eyes widened slightly.

There he was, punk and chaotic, looking exactly what he'd failed to put on the canvas. The spirit of rebellion and anarchy.

"You... You look more like him than the painting does, friend."

[cuminjun]

"I didn't tell him. That he's my soulmate." Minjun took a sip from the bottle of soju he had, sitting on the curb next to Sangwoo. "It's worse now. The feeling. But better too."

Hard to describe, in a way. He felt more power, he felt more love. And he felt fear and worry he had never had before. So many reasons for his heart to beat faster. "I don't know. It never occurred to me before that I could find him and then he'd just..."

Minjun frowned. "I never realised that I might be bad for him."

[singwoo]

"It's gonna be bad for him, you know. Not everyone wants revolution, not everyone wants magic." He knew people actively feared it in some areas and others tried to avoid soulmates as much as possible. For some people, finding a soulmate meant leaving everything behind to go and fulfil their destiny. "Bet he's got a nice life, painting and all, if you came along then you'd change it all."

He supposed it was hard to know if that was good or not.

"Is he pro revolution or ... I guess that's the deciding factor." Whether or not he wanted to fight.

[cuminjun]

"No. He doesn't. He stays away from politics and he is scared. He's scared of me." Minjun hated that, just as much as it intrigued him. The strength of reaction. Seeing his image reflected in the man's drawings. That depth of feeling, even if it wasn't all positive. "I always-- You know, I wanted to meet him and it would fall into place. It kind of does, but there's barbed wire all around it or something."

What an allegory. Minjun rolled his eyes at himself. "I should stay away from him."

[singwoo]

"You can't. You won't. You're soulmates. You know, that's not a bad thing - you might change his life but like you told me that once, if it's your soulmate then you'd do anything for them." Even if they weren't a hot guy and happened to be a random chick. If they were that linked, it'd show soon and they'd have no choice.

"People find out you're soulmates, right? So how does it happen - do you like... glow or change hair or something?"

[singwoo]

"I feel like a dick." Sangwoo complained as he walked after his friend, wearing a suit and a bowtie that Minjun had managed to get him. Apparently tonight was a special occasion and the company had contacted an outside source to recruit waiters for one night only. And Minjun just had to go and join up so he tagged along. Reluctantly but protectively.

He'd never worn a suit before, he didn't had a cap on or anything, it all felt really odd to him. He was mostly just glad he'd covered most of his tattoos and he didn't need to show his ID to get the job.

"What do we do then? Just serve and listen?"

[cuminjun]

"Serve, listen, look like dicks." Minjun inspected Sangwoo, smirking. "I think you fit in more than me. Makes it worse." It really did. Funny to think that even though he had only even gotten the job by bribing the guy in charge, Sangwoo was the one who would be the bigger scandal, should anyone find out that he was serving here.

It was exhilarating, Minjun did love getting away with stuff. "Say nothing and bow a lot, I think that's the general protocol. Don't meet anyone's eyes."

[singwoo]

"Okay, so, just don't offend people? Got it." Sangwoo nodded and then the boss started clicking at them to get their attention, gesturing around in annoyance. Oh, right, they were supposed to go to tables. "I'll take the small family one, you can have that whole business meeting. Have fun, Bond."

Rolling his eyes, Sangwoo approached the table and bowed to the family before picking up his pen and pad. This was going to be chaos, he could not write... the orders would all be squiggles. "You need anything?" Oh, shit, wait. That wasn't fancy enough. "...From us. Don't hesitate to ask." Better."

[seeyoujoon]

"So... Do you want a space themed room or... whatever that is. Or the cowboy theme... I think this is underwater?" Yejoon was baffled by the options, intrigued and, sometimes, confused. "Who wants to sleep in a hospital room? I don't even want to know."

He shook his head, studying the screen still. Easier than looking at Sangwoo, made faking confidence just that little bit less of a task. They had come here easily enough in his car. No one was in the lobby, everything was done anonymously and over the screen. He liked that, but the sheer amount of choice was overwhelming in a strange way.

[singwoo]

"Medical kink, I guess. You know, let's just go for the least obnoxious of all the choices... and definitely not the prison room." Cause he could already sense that sending all the wrong vibes. He frowned as he studied the options and then reached out, picking the Knight themed room. Mostly cause, you know, it was pretty fancy looking and didn't have loads of lights or anything stupid like that.

"This one seems nice, as much as these can seem nice." He selected it and it dropped out their room card and a receipt. Holding the card out, he offered it to Yejoon. "Third floor. Lead the way, Yejoon-ah."

[seeyoujoon]

"Yejoon-ah. I like that better." Yejoon smiled, taking the card and then walking down the hallway to the lift. He pressed the button and waited for the doors to open, looking at Sangwoo instead. "You'd have made a good knight, I imagine. Back in the day."

He wasn't sure why that image was suddenly in his head, but it seemed almost too real. Huh. "I can tell."

[singwoo]

"Yeah, so, it was a pretty cool night." Sangwoo finished recapping his time with his soulmate... it wasn't as sexy as was probably expected. They didn't even do anything but make out and then cuddle and talk. Kind of a wussy date but it was still pretty fun. Sangwoo had no regrets. "I'm definitely in love... so yeah, I'm pretty screwed."

Oh well, he was okay with that. Yurning to Minjun, he smiled. "Enjoying my misery?"

[cuminjun]

"It's the best thing ever," Minjun declared cheerfully, smirking with an arm around his friend's shoulder. Oh, he did feel bad for the tragedy of it all, but just right now, the immediate situation? Of course he loved it. "You, all romantic and in love. Passionate. Who'd have thought?" Certainly not Sangwoo himself, he used to make fun of Minjun whenever he got even remotely like that.

"So, how's it feel? Being in love like that. He sounds cute."

[singwoo]

"It's weird but he's cute so I don't mind." Sangwoo shrugged, casual as anything, talking as if he was discussing a new breakfast he'd had or something. "He has a soft smile and he's determined to take care of me in his own weird way. He doesn't want to be protected but he ain't no protector." He seemed like a rich boy who was living under some heavy pressure and barely surviving not cracking under it.

"I told him to keep it between us cause he doesn't want to enlist and neither do I. As long as people don't know, it can't hurt 'em."