나만 바라봐 (Look Only at Me): Pre-story + Chapter 1
Title: 나만 바라봐 (Look Only at Me)
Author: abstractpersona
Genre: Romance, Hurt, Fluff, Drabble
Length: Chaptered
Pairing(s): DongHaeXYunHo, YunHoXJaeJoong
Overall Rating: PG (for now^^)
Dedicated to: That person that lives downstairs
So here it is! I know many of you don’t really read this but hey. It’s fun to writeJ
Confrontation babehh<3
I’m sorry but I have to admit this is a fic suited for ‘the person downstairs’ and hence is biased against Jaejoong. Really, I must warn you.
Please don’t slam me! And leave comments and suggestion on how you think I should save Jae from heartbreak! Maybe an alternate partner for him? Let me know! I kinda have a plot thought out for how it will end but it is definitely subject to change if a fatter plot bunny hops along!
~
Pre-story: SM trainees
YunHo rubbed his closed eyes with his fore finger and thumb. Focus. He told himself. Don’t lose sight of the auditions later.
Wearing only a grey sweatshirt and track pants, YunHo stepped over the parquet floor of his apartment to switch on his iPod touch which was hooked up to the stereo system. He clicked the forward button until it reached Shinhwa’s “Brand New”.
YunHo broke into a dance. It was the one thing he was ever good at. Popping and breaking when the right beats came was like second nature to him.
YunHo started dancing at the age of seven and had won three awards for best dancer since then. Now seventeen, YunHo hopes to be able to dance on a national stage and he figured the best way to do so was to join SM so that he could receive proper training.
“Aiish---” sighed YunHo as he finished the last dance move and collapsed onto the sofa. What if he did not make it? What would he do? Sure he had a waiting scholarship to the local University to study arts but that was not what he wanted to do.
Again YunHo stood up and danced. He danced his hardest, hoping to push off all doubt and negativity. He had choreographed and practiced this dance for a month, regretting that he had not started sooner.
When he was done, he went for a bath, using extra aftershave especially for the auditions.
~
Destination: Itaewon Dance Studio, Seoul, South Korea
Throngs of hopeful candidates filled the corridor leading to the dance studio where the auditions were to be held.
YunHo took a deep breath as he entered, registering his name with the receptionist. His well-built chest and arms caught her eyes and her glace swiftly swept over his face before bowing her head down to note down his details. She handed him a sheet and smile a too-friendly smile, before gesturing to an empty seat nearby for him to wait.
YunHo was not interested in the girl. Although she kept stealing glances at him, YunHo’s mind was focused on the dance. He looked around at his competitors. What competition? Pah. I’m definitely better than that.
Then, a young man caught his eyes. His hair was black with streaks of grey and purple. His moves were unbelievably fluid and very innovative. Better watch out for that one.
YunHo spotted a young boy eating a piece of Chocopie beside his mother. He can’t be more than fourteen years old. Maybe he’s waiting for his brother or something. Then, a teenager walked into the room jabbering in rapid English on the phone. He handed the receptionist his registration list and smile at her. After a moment, he extended his hand to take the confirmation slip from her. Did he just stroke her hand and wink? What a player. And he took the seat beside YunHo.
An hour passed and YunHo had only moved a few seats nearer to the door of his fate. Then someone walked into the room. Was it a girl? Impossible to tell, for it was so beautiful. YunHo gawked at the pretty person, then caught himself and looked away. He brushed his hair off his forehead, in the vain hope of brushing off that memory.
A small voice in his head spoke up. Focus YunHo. The auditions are your ticket. Don’t waste it. Anyway, if you stare any longer, you may well end up looking like that weird English person beside you, mouth agape at the good dancer. Pah.
Another hour saw YunHo entering the room. This was it. He smiled and introduced himself. Then, he danced.
The judges seemed extremely pleased with his performance. They told him to do an impromptu dance, playing one of YunHo’s favorite songs. Excellent.
They gestured for him to enter a recording room where he sang, then rapped. Singing was not his forte. It was difficult for YunHo to hit the high notes so most of the song sounded like a monotonous drone. The rapping however, did YunHo justice.
He left the studio, confused and afraid that he would not make it. The time spent in the audition room was quicker than he had hoped. Did that spell disaster?
Definite.
Chapter 1: Past meets present
Lights. Noise.
Yunho slips on a pair of Hugo Boss sunglasses and steps out of the limousine. His group, DBSK (DongBangShinKi/ Tohoshinki/ TVXQ) has a gig at Inkigayo and they are met by rabid fans at the pathway leading to the entrance of the concert hall. He smiles and lifts a hand, waving it slowly to acknowledge the fans. He hates this attention. It's too much for him. Fans, the life of a star is too much. It removes all privacy from his life, but he does this so that perhaps one day he will want to find Yunho again.
“YunJae! YunJae! Jaejoong! Yunho!” The fans scream at the top of their lungs.
Yunho hooks his arm around Jaejoong's shoulder and pulls him closer. The shrieks of the fans grow ever louder. Jaejoong likes it, and waves, smiling to the fans. This is just a show to Yunho, for the fans.
While it lasts. Enjoy it. Jaejoong tells himself. He knows he must not get too deep into his emotions but he can't help it, he won't, not now at least.
~
Destination: Changing Room of Inkigayo studio
“You know that Jae really fancies you right?” says Yoochun to Yunho as he drinks a carton of milk.
“Yeah, but you know I can't reciprocate,” Yunho points out.
“It hurts him everytime you do that you know.”
“Do what?”
“Oh nevermind.”
“Hey guys! Great performance!” says Changmin as he enters the changing room, and punches the two on the shoulder. “Let's order in for supper tonight! *Jja Jang Mian!”
[*Jja Jang Mian= Black Bean Noodles. Must be eaten with Yellow pickles!]
~
Destination: SM Dormitory, Block A
“All that food has made me really thirsty! I need a drink.”
“Ok. Jae, it's your turn to buy the drinks! You know what we want!”
Jaejoong throws Changmin a dirty look and empties his wallet of the extra change for the machines. He leaves the room, and heads toward the vending machine at the end of the hallway.
Damn. It's broken. Maybe the machines at Block B then?
~
Jaejoong
Oh, there's someone there.
“Oh?” says the man at the machine. “The drink is not coming out...” he then proceeds to tap the machine, lightly. I probably would have started kicking it by then. Such patience. The man continues to tap the machine, perhaps hoping that the number of taps would in some way unlock the machine?
“Here I have a few extra 500 won coins. You need any?” I ask the man. Ever since the news came out that manager Soo-Man was endorsing a new band for the company, the entire DongBangShinKi had made it a point to be particularly hospitable to the new members, however, Jaejoong, not knowing who the new members were, was friendly to everyone in the SM campus. This man seemed like a pretty decent fellow, and I needed someone to have a drink with now and then, since Hyun Joong (SS501 leader, Kim Jaejoong’s best friend) was off doing activities in Japan with his group.
In the bent position that he had assumed before to search for the non-existent drink, he looked up at me a look of confusion spread across his features. “No, it’s not that. I put the money in but the drink wouldn’t come out… Oh heck, the rest will understand if I didn’t bring anything back I suppose.”
“Wait a second,” and I step up valiantly to the machine and kicked it with bruising force and out falls a can of lemon soda.
The man picks it up and bows at a ninety degree angle to me. How adorable! I can’t help but think. I should get the maknae (= youngest= Changmin) to treat me with such respect. After all, I am the oldest. “Hello, I’m Kim Jaejoong.” I start, extending a hand toward the bowed figure.
“Ah, hello, I’m Lee Donghae,” the man introduces. “Oh, you’re from DongBangShinKi aren’t you? You have excellent vocals.”
Ohoho, I’m liking this guy already. ”Thanks. Are you by any chance under SM as well?”
“Yeah, I’m from the new group, Super Junior. There are thirteen of us actually.”
“Wow. Isn’t it difficult to coordinate then?”
“Haha, yeah, but then we do not need backup dancers or anything. We’re a great bunch really.” Donghae replies, amused at his own group.
Being the hospitable sunbae that I should be, I offer a suggestion to Dongahae, “Hey, we should get together sometime, with both DBSK and Super Junior? We’ll be doing many events together anyway so we should get to know each other better anyway. I’m sure the others wouldn’t mind.”
Donghae hesitates to answer. Clearly he is not the leader of the group.
“Yah! Donghae-ah! What’s taking you so long?” shouts a shadow from across the corridor. He has an arm around a slightly shorter man and both slowly advance down the corridor toward us.
Both of us turn back to see who had called out and I squint to try and make out the identities of the advancing figures. “Heechul? KiBum? What are you doing here?”
Donghae looks at me incredulously as though it was odd that I knew the two. “Eh? Jaejoong?” exclaims Heechul as he pushes KiBum out of his arm, running toward me, pulling me into a tight bear hug. “Jaejoongie~” he croons, forcing me to skip in circles with him as he gripped me around by the waist tightly.
“Aiish- Heechul-ah… I can’t breathe.”
KiBum coolly salutes me with two fingers, following which he stuffed into his jeans pocket. A curious expression crosses his features as he slowly turns to Donghae. “Hae, what took you so long?” he asks, words laced with something slightly more than an ordinary friend-to-friend question.
Donghae innocently points to the machine and mutters, “Machine-Spoiled.” Oh, how cute.
I force myself out of Heechul’s vice grip. “Chulie, what are you and KiBum doing here anyway? Last time I saw you was in training school. You’re out?”
“Yeah! We’re in SuJu! Haven’t you heard?” exclaims Heechul. I glance at the clock behind (not out of disinterest at the conversation of course, but the clock caught my eye) Heechul and noted the time. No wonder, it’s 9pm… Heechul’s ‘high time’.
“Hyung,” says Donghae quietly to Heechul. “Jaejoong wants to ask us to a meal with the rest of DBSK…”
“Huh? You’re leader?” I asked in disbelief. Surely this eccentric person who used to make fun of our dongsaengs is not the leader of Super Junior? If he was then I’m leader of DBSK.
“Nah, Eetuk will agree to whatever I say.” He replies, in a matter-of-fact tone. “Should be okay I guess? How about this Saturday? I think I still have your number.”
“Yeah, haven’t changed it. Eh, Donghae-ssi, can I have your number as well?”
“Oh, I forgot it…” and he pokes Kibum in the stomach.
Kibum takes my phone and keys in a number. “Hae, you’ve got to remember your number. I won’t always be here for you.”
Donghae smiles at Kibum, scrunching his face such that his eyes are tight shut forming the ‘>_<’ type look.
“See you tomorrow Jae,” says Kibum as he hands me back the phone.
Oh right, the old gang is going out for drinks. “Yeah, Yoochun will have to leave early though, his parents are flying in from America at night.”
“You didn’t invite me?” pouts Heechul, opening his eyes wide at a feeble attempt at a doe-eyed look.
“Heechul, you are part of the gang…” says Kibum. [His face was like this à -.-]
“Ah yes! Oh well, got to go! Tata! Keep in touch! Love you!” and without leaving me time to reply, Heechul arm hooks the other two and drags them back to the dorm.
He never does change.
I am left with weird thoughts, curious more like, mostly at Donghae’s reaction to the date on Saturday. I could swear I saw a hint of reluctance…
Clink, clink, clink, went the coins as they hit the bottom of the vending machine.
-----------------
Ahaha. I’m doneJ