.two.

Sun gasped in surprise, but she soon gushed a few delighted words towards him. "Congratulations Isaac," She said to him from her end of the phone. Since Spanish pronunciations were similar to Spanish, she found it easier to say his name in Spanish. Ee-sac, rather than the English eye-sac. He in turn called her Sol, the Spanish word for Sun, because when he tried to say her nickname, it came out sounding like Son. Minnie always poked fun of him lightly when he did it, and he knew she meant no harm, but she'd always start singing El Son de la Negra, a popular mariachi song, when he tried to call Sun by her nickname. When it came to her real name, he'd pronounce it like Mah-eh. "I'll tell the other girls the good news when I return to Korea in a few days." 

"I have two other things that you can help me with." He said, his voice in a low whisper. Sun heard stirring from the other line and a tired mutter coming from Minnie's lips. Geez, papi. What are you doing up right now? Its past midnight. Isaac covered his phone from sight and Sun could still hear what they were saying, though it was muffled. "I just went to get some water, but I'm fine now, so go back to sleep."

Minnie didn't question any further and Sun immediately heard her soft snoring from the other end.

When Isaac got back on the phone, after making sure she was actually asleep, he continued explaining his plans to Sun. "You know we're planning to have a wedding reception here in Guadalajara, for my friends and family. I know it would mean a lot to Mina if you and the other girls could come, and I also know its going to be difficult to convince the company. But just try, please."

Because the two were from different worlds now, they had planned two big wedding ceremonies. One of them was in Korea, for Minnie's friends and family, since most of them lived there. They got married by law and had a big wedding reception which Pledis used more as a way to gain public attention. They even had the whole thing shown on their youtube and v app pages over live stream. Isaac's parents and siblings were the only ones who made the trip for the wedding on his side. His other family and his friends were unable to make it due to distance or other commitments of their own, which was why the couple promised a second wedding ceremony in Mexico.

His football team had offered to take care of everything, and the party would take place in Verde Valle, the sports club where the football players trained. It had six football fields, a grand hotel for the players and other members of the club, a gym, and giant ballroom where the party would take place. 

Sun smiled at that. "You give me the details over text and I'll try my best to be there."

In the upcoming months, Sun would be at her busiest. There was the movie with Yixing, the promoting of their newest album Blue, performances at variety and music shows, a second tour through Asia, a collaboration with JYP girl group Velvet Rush, and another surprise that Pledis had in store for them but wouldn't give any details about. All Sun knew was that SM Entertainment was involved, and knowing that, she knew she wouldn't like the surprise. Even through all of that, she would try her best to help Isaac with anything that she could.

He assured her that he would, and then continued. "The last thing I need you to help me with is a baby shower party that I'm planning for Min. My mother is helping me too, but I would really appreciate it if you could just let everyone over there know. And I might need you to send a few things that remind her of her second home." Sun's heart melted at the way he was going so much out of his way to do things for his wife. Isaac truly and deeply loved Minnie, and Minnie loved him. There was a tiny moment of jealousy in her heart.

She had that with Yixing once. But now those days were gone. She hurt him, and now he wanted nothing to do with her. 

"I'll do what I can, Isaac." She told him with a smile in her tone.

"Gracias," He thanked her in Spanish. "I knew I could count on you. Min said you two are like sisters."

"Yeah." Sun agreed with a smile. Minnie and Sarang were the first person who made her feel welcome and included when she was first placed into Baby Lips. The other girls took a little longer to warm up to her. Since entertainment companies are a competitive scene, many of her group mates were slightly resentful at first that Sun was going to debut after one year of training, when many of them had trained for up to five years. Bom had taken it the hardest because in addition to that, she was no longer the maknae and Minnie started spending more time with Sun than with her. "She's like a sister to me too." Sun admitted.

"Do you think we should invite Bom?" He wondered, with a hesitant voice. He knew all about the feud between his wife and her former group mate. But he also knew the history that they had together. "They used to be best friends and I was thinking maybe its time to put their problems aside and be friends again."

Sun thought about it. Minnie was a very forgiving and caring person, but Bom really crossed the line. She had gone as far as insulting her place of birth and the fact that she spoke Spanish. 

"Maybe you should ask Minnie." Sun finally said.

"Yeah--" Isaac started, but he was cut off by a gasp from Sun when the power went out in her apartment. By this time the sun had gone down over the horizon and it was night time in Beijing. She was in complete darkness in her apartment and her breath hitched in her throat. She could barely see anything.

"I have to go, Isaac." She told him. "The power went out in my apartment and I have to go find out what happened."

She hung up the phone and then turned the flashlight feature on. She slowly walked to her door and opened it, looking out into the hallway. It was pitch black outside too. The first thing she thought to do was to go knock on Yixing's door.

There was stumbling heard inside the apartment until he got to the door and opened it. He squinted back as the light from her cellphone hit him in the face. 

"What is it?" He asked her, worried.

At least for the moment he wasn't acting like he never cared about her. 

"The power went out." She said, stating the obvious.

"Didn't you read the note on your fridge?" He asked her with a sigh. When she shook her head, he informed her, "They're shutting off the lights everyday this week at six in the afternoon so that they can work on the power lines on this street. The light will be back at four in the morning."

"Oh." She said, letting out a shaky breath. Her hands were becoming damp with a nervous cold sweat, and her vision felt like it was getting darker. But she knew it was all in her head.

She turned to head back across the hall to her room when Yixing's voice stopped her. "You're still scared of the dark, aren't you?" He asked her with a sigh escaping his lips, already knowing the answer. He knew her so well. Sun nodded her head. The two things she was most afraid of were getting stuck in an elevator because of her claustrophobia, and total darkness. Yixing knew that, and for that reason he could not allow her to go back to her apartment alone. "Come on, I have a flashlight and some candles we can use for light." He said, gesturing for her to follow him into the apartment. 

Sun practically ran into the apartment behind him and shut the door. 

He led her to sit on the couch, while he went to the kitchen. Sun sat down nervously, her phone light still on and illuminating the living room area. The light reached into the kitchen where he grabbed his flash light and lit one of the candles he had.

He walked back to the living room with the candle and set it on the coffee table in front of her. "You can turn your phone light off now, so you won't waste your battery."

She nodded her head silently and turned her phone light off.

Yixing walked back to the kitchen again and she heard the clicking of the stove as he turned the knob to turn it on. Sun turned in her seat on the couch to see him walk to his fridge. He got out some cheese, and then he got some slices of bread from the pantry. 

He then tried to make mindless conversation, trying to get her mind off her fears. "I was gonna make toast, but since the power's out, I'll make grilled cheese on the stove instead. Do you want one?"

Sun shook her head, replying. "No thanks. I'll have some fruit if you have any."

She felt her stomach growl and she tried to press into it to get it to be quiet. She was thin, one of the most petite members in the group, but the managers still made them go on strict diets to prevent them from gaining any weight. For the most part Sun was able to keep her mind off her hunger by doing other things. But now she was trapped in an apartment with Yixing for the rest of the night. She had the time to think about the things she wanted to eat, but couldn't.

Her ex boyfriend scoffed at her. "Are they still making you go on that crazy no bread diet?" He guessed. When they dated, she ate whatever she wanted for the most part. But then she gained a few pounds and her company cracked down on her. She wasn't allowed to eat anything without their permission. Yixing always tried to assure her that she was beautiful and that it didn't matter what she weighed as long as she was healthy.

Her diet forbade her from having any bread because according to her managers, bread was just empty calories that would get her fat and bloated. 

As a dancer, Yixing also took really good care of his body. But he was allowed more liberties in his diet than female idols were. For men it wasn't as much of a social stigma to gain some weight. His fans would love him whether he had abs or not. For girls it was different. Even gaining a minimal amount of weight would lead to being called insults like cow or pig.

Sun said nothing.

"I'm gonna make you a sandwich, and you're gonna eat it, Sun." He told her, catching her off guard when he called her Sun instead of Mae. 

Most idols hated to be called by their stage names off stage because it made them feel like an entirely different person. They liked to be known as their real selves whenever they weren't in front of a camera. For Sun it was the opposite. Her real name was Mae, but she preferred going by Sun because it was a nickname her parents gave her as a child. When people called her Mae, it felt cold and formal to her. Her relationship with Yixing had never been that way...until they broke up.

She only nodded her head.

He finished making the sandwiches within a few minutes and then brought them over to the living room where she was sat on the couch. He sat by her side and gestured for her to grab one of the sandwiches. She did so with hesitation and took a bite of it.

They ate in silence for a few moments until Sun finally broke the silence between them with a question that had been lurking in her mind those last few months. "Does it still hurt, Yixing?" She asked him, seeking for his eyes in the dim light from the candle illuminating the room. Now she took him by surprise and he was in the middle of taking a bite of his sandwich, but he froze at the sound of her words. He heard her. She knew he heard her, but he wouldn't look at her, nor could he formulate a response to her question that took him off guard. Not yet. She added, "Is that why you've been so cold and distant? Is that why you won't forgive me? I'm really sorry about everything--"

"I don't want to talk about that." He immediately shot her down, voice low and serious, keeping his true emotions concealed. "I don't want you to think that just because I invited you into my apartment, that something is going to happen between us. I just helped you as one human being to another. Please don't misunderstand."

Sun shrunk back in her seat and stayed absolutely quiet for the rest of their meal.

-

so another chapter for this story, even though i should be taking it slow because a lot of the other stories in this universe happen before this. but im in an exceptional mood because the tickets for exordium in LA went on sale about two hours ago.

and I WAS ABLE TO GET TICKETS. im going to see EXO. im so happy. 

also, i mentioned a made up group called velvet rush. they're relevant in my bts series. but you don't have to read those to understand this story. i just thought it would be nice to make both series' overlap into one giant universe. thank you all loads for reading. and just a reminder that this story will have slow updates for the time being.

i have to start getting: distance (sequel to replacement), twelve, musi (sequel to sasaeng), and mexico sort of out of the way before i can fully immerse myself in updating this.

have a wonderful week!

-clary