[one-shot] voices
[one-shot] voices
tlist secret santa
yongguk-centric, slight yongguk/himchan
g | 1387 w
summary: every person is created by the voices they hear
"Yongguk? He’s a friend who has upright values, and in meeting Yongguk, I think I changed a lot too.” - Himchan ©
Yongguk was never really the type to express himself in words easily, always tripping over his words. People viewed him as a mute and he heard every whispered remark of, "Don't associate with that kid, there's something really wrong with him." He shook it off though, seeing people as only an obstacle in his path. If they couldn't understand him, there was no reason to keep them around. They would ostracize him, and he would assume them to be his inferiors. Voices interested him, but at the same time, remained to be the source of his troubles. He could listen to another person talk for hours, but he always found it difficult to express his own thoughts. Each voice had its own rhythmic melody that gave a different mood to a same set of words.
The first voice came to him in a quiet yet high-pitched voice.
"Do you want to play house with me? I need a husband," she murmured, eyes twinkling. She came bringing childhood happiness, and she left, taking away the naivety of youth. His cheeks would turn pink whenever she poured him a cup of tea, and asked about his day at the office. Even if he wanted to give more of a response, nods would be the only thing his body would do. Although the frustration was evident on his face, the girl would flash a smile and nod back. Their fabricated marriage was how he spent his childhood until he was forced to move away due to his parents' low income. Upset with his parents, Yongguk shoved on his sandals and pushed through the front gates of his house, going wherever his feet led him. When he felt himself come to an abrupt stop, the boy lifted his head and analyzed his surroundings, noting the small, Victorian tea table.
"Yongguk?" He looked straight into the petite girl's black orbs, wondering if she would be able to understand the situation just by looking at his eyes. Unfortunately, she waited for a response that wouldn't be reciprocated. He tried to sound out a few words just to bid his farewells and tell her how much he liked her, but nothing came out. And she became the first voice that came into his life, marking the peak of his childhood bliss.
The second voice came to him through headphones.
"It's called hip-hop. I think it's still a new style of music around here, but my older brother showed me it," the kid grinned, sharing his headphones with Yongguk. He was taken aback by the loud beats and hard rhythm, and turned to face his friend. Bobbing his head to and fro, his friend wore a faint smile as if he had to ability to block out everything from the world. Eyeing him with a slight air of doubt, Yongguk continued listening to the new choice of music. The song offered him a powerful impact with its meaningful lyrics that questioned the corruption of society. He was only in middle school at this time, but Yongguk felt the lyrics clench at his soul and open his eyes to a new realm. Being a kid of only a few words, it gave him a new light that such emotion could be expressed without using so many words.
"Do you happen to have any more of these tracks?" Yongguk questioned his friend, earning a nod in reply.
"Definitely. Do you like it? I thought you might," he responded, pulling out the cassette from its player. "You can borrow that one. I'll lend you more if my brother gets another," his friend added, tossing the cassette towards Yongguk. Gripping the rectangular tape tightly in his fist, Yongguk thanked his friend and brushed the dirt off of his pants. Music would become his new voice.
The third voice spoke to him through pixels on a screen.
"You're really good. Did you ever think of writing lyrics for a living?" The words that flashed back at him caused Yongguk's heart to race, mind full of contentment. He didn't let the flattering statement get to his head, but he was still proud at the praise nonetheless. He had only begun scratching down a few words on a piece of paper, adding rhythms and calling them raps. Yongguk's parents had harshly turned down his idea of pursuing music because they saw no future in scribbling words and attaching instrumentals to them. Spitting out words won't buy you a house and family, they said. Ignoring their doubts and negative remarks, Yongguk posted his lyrics on an online community, receiving immediate praise for his take on the world.
"Are you really in middle school like you say you are? These lyrics are empowering," a comment stated, tugging at the corners of Yongguk's mouth. Despite the judgmental views his parents and friends had, there were voices that actually believed he was talented. These voices told him that it would be a waste for him to give up on writing hip-hop lyrics because it was his way of sharing knowledge to the public. He rapped with words that brought up many of the unjust morals that people lived by everyday in society, trapping the listener in a labyrinth of questions.
The fourth voice shook a contract in front his face, showing him benefits of becoming an idol.
Becoming an idol would mean he would be limited to the genres of music he could pursue. Yongguk had seen all those generic pretty boy groups on television, and he was definite that it was not the image he wanted to live by.
"We would cover all your expenses. You would be able to venture off into any type of music you want as well," the representative tempted him, purposely taking him into the recording studio. By this time, he was already part of the company, so he had already visited the recording studio multiple times. The representative continued on, glorifying the idea of becoming an idol. Feeling the man's words leak into his ears, Yongguk thought about spreading his ideas towards others as an idol. An idol was still a singer in the end, so Yongguk believed that he could still write lyrics about social injustice and have his music respected as an idol. Finally nodding at the representative, Yongguk hesitantly shook the man's hand before gripping the ball-point pen in his hand. His new voice would start the moment the pen glided across the page.
"You can call me Himchan," the last voice spoke, exuding a certain aura of pride. Yongguk responded with a grunt, causing the other boy to grab him by the shoulder. "I don't know how you were taught to greet others, but that's definitely not it. Since I told you my name, you tell me yours now," he demanded, wearing a slightly playful grin. Dumbfounded by Himchan's reply, Yongguk eyed the other strangely before lowly chuckling.
"I'm Bang Yongguk," he replied shortly.
"Well then, Yongguk, good luck to the both of us, alright?" Himchan proclaimed, crinkling his eyes into crescents. He grasped onto Yongguk's hand and shook it forcefully.
"From now on, you and I are partners," he commented, causing Yongguk to widen his eyes before laughing at the other's antics.
"I'm not sure if becoming partners with you would be the right choice, but what the hell."
"Yongguk? Despite the image you may see plastered across television, he is actually a soft guy," Himchan replied to the interviewer, not forgetting to shoot a quick smile towards the leader. "I heard he had it a bit rough before debuting as B.A.P," he continued on, ignoring the curious stare he received from Yongguk.
"Yongguk's not all that great with words and such, and you can really tell that on shows. Did you ever watch that variety show he was on? It was so frustrating. I wanted to throw a good kick at him, and tell him to speak," Himchan joked, receiving chuckles from the other members.
"But despite that, he really is someone who thinks deeply about many things. It's really inspiring," he added.
Thanks to the five voices he met over time, Yongguk created his own voice and spoke compassionately.
dear @yonggdick,
hello! it's nice to meet you n_n it seemed like you were a yongguk stan from your blog, so here you go! i actually planned to write you a banghim fic, because i asked on anon which otp was your favorite, but it somehow morphed into a yongguk-centric fic... nonetheless, i hope you still enjoy it and happy holidays ♥
from your secret santa,
hyejin