This is my coup d'etat

[tophead]

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[singwoo]

"I won't drag that boy into fighting. My life is a throw away but he's an important one. And he doesn't deserve the shit we get into." There was a reason he didn't tell him about the black mark and it wasn't fear of rejection so much as fear of upsetting him. He may have tried to seem like anything but sensitive but Sangwoo knew how sensitive that boy was. He could see it in his eyes. "I'll topple the system with you if you ask me to but I won't make him do the same. So it's just you and me still."

[cuminjun]

"That's the thing though, isn't it. Within the system, you won't be able to be together for long and if you are caught out for what you are..." It would get complicated. "Anyway. You kissed, right? We should figure out a way to know how deep your bond is. According to some of the sources I've found, soulmates share pain. Sometimes disproportionately. Say, I might get hurt, but Gyungho would be injured. Provided we are fully bonded."

Which, at least so far, him and Gyungho definitely were not.

[singwoo]

"It's either we enlist or we never see each other. The only acceptable way for me to be with him is as a partner. Not as a lover. I mean, I doubt he'll want me once he knows. Looks bad for him." And he didn't want to let him down like that. "We kissed a lot, yeah. It was hot. It's what triggered the light. I dunno if that's what caused it or not."

He shrugged his shoulders and then looked at Minjun. "How do you know if you're fully bonded or not? Like how do you do it?"

[cuminjun]

"I don't know for sure. There's really not much literature on it and all the real information is top secret military stuff. They tend to write all poetic about it. Could be a kiss, could be sex, could be just acknowledging that you both are soulmates?" Minjun shrugged his shoulders, frowning. "I guess we could test it, I'll have to look into it."

He looked at Sangwoo. "Hey. You don't know that he will care that much about it. The black mark."

[singwoo]

"The criminal mark? Hmm. I'll see. Look, maybe he won't but his parents will. His family will. Society will. All that pressure on him, he'll give. And I don't want to put him in that position cause he's not a bad kid." But he'd get upset if he had to actually reject Sangwoo. And that'd suck for both of them. He didn't like putting Yejoon in the position to do something he didn't want to do.

"I just wish I could get rid of the mark, you know? I never even did anything."

[cuminjun]

"It's almost as if the system is the issue," Minjun said with an innocent expression, slowing down a little as they neared the gallery. "I remember when I first learned what the mark meant. I was still young. And I promised myself that I'd do whatever it takes to change it. I still want to do that, I just understand what that actually means better these days. I want a world where you can hold Yejoon's hand openly. How can that not be worth everything?"

[singwoo]

"Cause I don't want you hurt. What would be a world where I can't have you?" Sangwoo pointed out as he stopped by the gallery, hands in his pockets, knowing this was the end of the road for him. "Okay, go in there and seduce your bae. I'm gonna chill out here and not risk breaking in." He was banned from most attractions and events. Only civilised, law abiding citizens could go in and he wasn't one. Apparently.

"When he comes out, we'll get hotdogs."

[cuminjun]

"I'll make sure we won't be stuck in there for too long." He wanted Gyungho to meet Sangwoo, he wasn't even sure whether he could put into words why. Maybe because in his mind, in some ways, Sangwoo was what kept him from being that creature Gyungho feared. Maybe. He entered the gallery, looking around for Gyungho. Once he spotted him, talking to some pretentious looking people, he walked up and asked, very seriously. "Excuse me, is there anything I can have for a tenner? I'm low on cash."

[tophead]

"I dunno, my cheapest is twelve bucks so maybe borrow some change." Gyungho teased back, as straight faced as Minjun. The people with him looked baffled but Gyungho just bowed to them politely. "Gimme a few, guys. I gotta talk business." Playfully, he pushed Minjun along and broke into a smile. "You're such a punk. What do you want, Jun-ah? You actually wanna get some swanky art or are you teasing?"

[cuminjun]

"Just kidding around. You think I have ten bucks to spare? Do I look rich to you?" Minjun smirked, glad to see the joy on Gyungho's face. He saw him looking wary a lot, at least he felt so, in small ways, when talking to so many of his other visitors. He liked to make him smile for real. "I wanted to invite you out to dinner. Come with me, yeah? My best friend is waiting for us outside, he knows the best hot dog stand around."

[tophead]

"Accounts usually make good money, what are you pissing it away on?" Gyungho smiled playfully and then put his hands in his pockets and checked to see if the other men had left yet. He was hoping so, they were so boring. He was falling asleep listening to them. "Your friend? Uh, I guess. It'd be better than this. Just don't get me food poisoning or I'm suing."

Gyungho gestured for Minjun to lead the way and followed along. "You gonna use that ten bucks to buy me lunch or am I buying my own?"

[cuminjun]

"I'm treating. You are so lucky you know me, aren't you?" And there was no need to actually tell Gyungho what he did spend his money on. Sharing with Sangwoo, of course. Helping out others. And so many preparations he was making. He had plans. But right now, he was walking next to Gyungho and as relaxed as he seemed, his heart was beating fast. "I'll even spring for you to get mustard too. So, you know. Luxury."

He headed for the exit, holding the door open for Gyungho.

[tophead]

"You're such a romantic." Gyungho mock swooned and grabbed his chest, grinning at Minjun. His chest did get tight around Minjun, his heart raced a lot too. He knew by now that something was up, he just didn't know how to approach it. The reality was hard to accept... but he had a funny feeling they were soulmates. And he hated it.

"Gonna get me a drink too or are condiments where you draw that line?"

[cuminjun]

"You'll never date a guy like me again, that's for sure." Minjun smirked, then thought about it. We'll see about a drink. Only if you say pretty please and if I get enough change." True luxury date.

He looked around, then waved to Sangwoo. "Oy, Sangwoo! Come here, meet Gyungho. He's a very respectable artist, but he's fine being seen with us."

[tophead]

"Seems dumb. Hey." Sangwoo bowed and Gyungho replicated it, smiling as friendly as he could at this dude. He was rough looking, kind of scary in some ways but Gyungho pushed that assumption aside.

"Hey. So. Hotdogs?" He was hoping he haggle himself a free drink out of this. "What are you two doing in my neck of the woods, anyway? Can't keep away from the art either ooooor?"

[cuminjun]

"I have a lot of appreciation," Minjun said it while looking at Gyungho and then, because he could, he reached out and swiped his thumb across his lips. This time they weren't smeared with black. Would they be smeared with blood one day? He had to wonder. "Appreciation for art, I mean."

Or, mainly, the artist. "Besides, Sangwoo swears there's a really good hot dog stand not far from here and he is always right about cheap food."

[tophead]

"I bet you do." Minjun was a wild one. Gyungho had to fight not to blush, making a little bit of space between them. It was hard to flirt when another guy was around, he just struggled with it. He was better at not being openly gay, it was just something he was trying to adapt to being comfortable with. It was cool to be bi in the art world, easy to talk about, harder to do.

"It's round that corner." Sangwoo pointed ahead and took the lead, leaving the lovebirds to flirt or whatever.

"So, erm..." He looked at Minjun and then smiled awkwardly. "I like your hair today. It's pretty cool."

[cuminjun]

Minjun laughed, hands in his pockets - ever so innocently - as he followed behind Sangwoo, walking next to Gyungho. "Yeah? I'm glad you appreciate it, because I was styling it for, I don't know, two minutes and Sangwoo lost his cool."

All right, so maybe it had been closer to twenty minutes than two, but still. "I like your face always." He felt he should know. "And your suit. Every time I see you in a suit, I want to sprinkle it with paint all over. I feel it'd match your inside more then."

[tophead]

"Two fucking minutes. As if." Sangwoo muttered. He waited for twenty minutes as Minjun did the same fucking thing every second. Just a flick and a ruffle. Worst. This is why he shaved his hair, none of this bullshit needed.

"If it helps, a lot of my suits are paint splattered to hell. Drives my eomma crazy when she sees it." Cause usually she paid for his suits so no wonder. He laughed and adjusted his tie. He had a black and pink look going - he liked, at least. "Glad you like my face. Yours is pretty cool too."

[cuminjun]

"Pretty cool, huh? Damn it, I knew I should have done more make-up." Minjun was entertained. There was something fun about Gyungho, something he knew well from dreams. He was bold and different, but he had a strange coyness about it. Minjun had never been coy, perhaps that was why he found it to be so endearing. "How is selling your art going? Does anyone want the one that looks like me?"

[tophead]

"Yeah, one guy did but he's creepy and I don't want my dream boy owned by a creepy dude who once tried to fondle me at a Christmas party. He's handsy so God knows what he'd do." Gyungho laughed and then reached out, putting an arm around Minjun. Cause he wanted to so he should. Ha, achievement unlocked - he did something flirty and gay.

As they stopped by a hotdog trust, Sangwoo ordered before them cause, well, he was hungry. "I did sell though. I sold off the melting rainbow."

[cuminjun]

"I like that one. But then, I like all of them. If I had money..." Minjun shrugged. "I'll just get you to my place some time, give you paint. Free art for my walls."

And he leaned against Gyungho and it made it very difficult to focus on anything. Damn it. Why did he smell so good? Why did he feel so right? He understood why Sangwoo's heart had started to glow. It seemed as if his wanted to as well. "If you sell the dream boy, you have to paint him again. You should keep one around."

[tophead]

"I would. I had inspiration last night, I saw him again. I'll try to do him justice this time, I'll hang it in my private collection." He smiled playfully at Minjun, wondering if his new friend had inspired his better image, his dream boy, but he didn't want to think too hard. As they got to the front, Gyungho got a hotdog and, cause he was lucky, a small coke. Hee!

He hung out by the standing tables, mostly watching as Sangwoo wolfed down one, holding two more... how on earth?

[cuminjun]

"Sangwoo's still a growing boy," Minjun explained to Gyungho, while taking a bite from his own hot dog, with not nearly as much vigour. Well, Sangwoo worked out a lot. Minjun was definitely more on the slender side, comparatively speaking. "Hey..."

He looked at Gyungho and he wondered. He just had to ask. "...what would you rather, me being there as you draw that picture or never seeing me again?" The options made more sense in his head, admittedly.

[tophead]

"... What?"

That was nuts. Was he being threatened or... what? He was mid-bite then he just stopped dead and looked at Minjun like he was crazy. Sangwoo also watched cause, well, this was pretty funny actually. He ate his hotdog and wondered if Minjun meant for that to sound as crazy as it actually did.

"Erm... I mean I guess you being there."