Chapter Text
It was a secret to no one that Hyunjin was an incredibly popular artist amongst the aristocrats and the common people alike. He produced magnificent art for anyone and everyone based on the one condition that the prompt or painting be interesting, payment was based on how interesting the request. The boring requests he constantly got from aristocrats were what payed his bills, he liked to call those pieces “Art for Taxes” or tell his friends that those paintings were more expensive because he made the rich people pay a boredom or frustration fee.
Bhang Chan had long admired Hyunjins art from an outsiders perspective – as a fellow artist, although in an entirely different field. At one time when Chan had been running himself insane while trying to write a new piece for his orchestra he ended up accidentally imagining himself being friends with Hyunjin. Well actually it was way more than friends, far more graphic than it should have been too.
Since Chan had whipped himself into shape and torn himself from his schizophrenic para-social relationship with and painter and sculptor he’d never had a single conversation with (but had seen from afar) he’d been avoiding Hyunjin like the plague. Well Hyunjins work really – which was genuinely impossible because he was the most popular living painter to have ever lived.
So here Chan was, pouting about his co-producers home having a mural inspired by Hyunjins art. It wasn’t even Hyunjins art but it felt like it was telling him he was a freak all the same. He couldn’t keep pouting like this every time he came to Changbin’s home though – especially not out in the cold like this, so he walked up to the door and knocked before entering.
“Binnie? Where you at? We’ve got to go to the theater, auditions for our orchestra are today remember?” Chan called out as he walked toward Changbin’s fireplace after slipping his shoes off.
“Ack Channie-Hyung? You know you’re early yeah?” Changbin scolded, clearly not wanting to leave his couch where he was cuddled up underneath one of his many thick blankets, “And of course I remember. My brain isn’t made of mush you know.”
Chan chuckled as he sat down next to Changbin and teased him, “Maybe yours isn’t, but Minnie’s may as well be when he’s around you.” Changbin slapped his shoulder while Chan flashed his gorgeous toothy grin that never failed to light up rooms – his dimples were a well loved add on too, not that they did much of anything for Changbin.
“Hyung!” Changbin scoffed as he got up and buried Chan in the blanket, jokingly playing as suffocating him for teasing him, “Fine, fine lets go to the theater.” He huffed the words and motioned for Chan to begin working on putting out the fire in the hearth.
Chan did just that while Changbin walked to his room and changed into more professional and warm clothes. Not too much later the two walked out of Changbin’s house (while the mural shamed Chan) and began they’re journey toward the theater to set up before auditioners began to show up.
“Why does this fucking lock have to be such a pain? Seriously, every time.” Chan sighed, rolling his eyes while Changbin giggled behind him.
“If it’s that much of a pain they cough up the money to buy and install a new one Hyunggie.” Changbin pursed his lips and looked “innocently” away from Chan who had turned his head to the side to silently glare at him.
“I don’t own the theater Binnie, you know who does though?” Chan quipped while he looked Changbin and down.
“So what if Minnie’s family owns it. It’s the only reason we’re allowed to rent it in the first place!” Changbin huffed tilting his chin up and away from Chan in defiance, “I’m not gonna ask him to fix a lock on a building he’s not in charge of anyway. And we made a promise to not talk about work around each other!”
“Right right, you and your rich boytoy who like to talk like the world is made of rainbows, sunshine, and roses specifically for the two of you.” Chan giggled as he kicked the door open and walked into the cold, dark building.
“Boyfriend! And we don’t pretend the world is sunshine and rainbows! We just like to be positive.” Changbin stuck his tongue out at Chan and shoved him a little bit (lovingly.)
“You like to be positive, and he provides you with all the joyous luxuries of his silence while his brain melts and his pessimism is replaced by his undying loving you.” Chan jokingly corrected, letting Changbin glare at him and huff in annoyance.
“You talk like you don’t like him Channie. You’ll have to learn to like him since we intend to get married.” Changbin waved his hand dismissively as the two continued down the hallway.
“Seungmin is great Binnie,” Chan sighed, smiling and tilting his head as he held another door open for Changbin who walked through without a second thought, “If he wasn’t beyond amazing I wouldn’t let you date him… Just be careful please. I would really hate it if he broke your heart, his family is more conservative than him and he likes to please them. I- I just don’t know how far he’s willing to go to please them you know?”
“Why are you more worried about Minnie’s family liking me than I am?” Changbin joked as the two began collecting things from the janitors closet to begin cleaning up the stage, “I’ll be Channie- Hyung, even if they don’t like me. All that matters to me is if Kim Seungmin likes me. I don’t need his families validation.”
“But he does Binnie.” Chan’s eyebrows were knit tightly together as he looked at Changbin before beginning to sweep the stage.
“He cares less for them than you’d think Channie- Hyung. I promise it’ll be fine, and if it’s not I have you.” Changbin cracked a smile and followed Chan’s sweeping with a mop.
“Fine, fine.” Chan relented as he shivered and waiting for the building to warm up.
After a few minutes of hardworking silence that was occasionally interrupted with humming their conversation started up again. Before they knew it their cleaning work was done and all they had left before the crowd came in for auditions was some paperwork as well as greeting the usual employees they hired for events like these.
There were 87 people who auditioned to be added to the pairs orchestra and despite their talent being beautiful all around Chan and Changbin had to narrow down their pick to the top ten. That was all the space they had for new performers after all, and after a lengthy discussion – far later into the night than it should have been the two decided on the 10 most talented performers of the day and set out to find out how to contact them.
“These five are the richer ones so you should handle them Channie-hyung.”
“Huh?”
“You’re way better at the overly formal writing to aristocrats than I am.” Changbin sighed, clearly Changbin just didn’t want to be delivering notes in what could be his boyfriends neighborhood and accidentally make the love of his life’s family look down on him. Also he was lazy and fancy letters are exhausting/
“Eugh fine. But you’re treating me to a meal or something to compensate.”
Technically the two could hire someone to write the letters, or own some sort of “You’ve been accepted into the ‘Orchestra of the Heavens’’’ stamp. They had the money for that type of thing, delivery too. But they liked to be unique and overwork themselves to the bone. So that they could come off as authentic.
Hardworking despite how young they were, for the common person and yet also respectable to the aristocrats. A whole seasonal crew they could have around for performances and auditions while also being small enough to be a local orchestra that had their own theater.
Well technically it wasn’t just being rented by Chan and Changbin, their younger (extraordinary) friend Han also paid for a third of the rent. He used the theater for his band to practice and perform. They used a separate area and the orchestra and band often clashed sounds but it was a nice deal.
Chan and Changbinnie were both fond of Han and his band anyway so it was a good excuse to see their prickly theatrical friend.