[F001] Goodnight Goodnight (Hope that Things Work Out All Right)
Title: Goodnight Goodnight (Hope that Things Work Out All Right)
Fandom: SHINee, Minho-centric
Rating: G
Summary: "We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another, unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present."
-Anaïs Nin
A/N: I started writing this fic after I got the idea to only have four lines of dialogue from the Interpretations short film contest hosted by YOMYOMF. I couldn't quite get it down to just four lines of speech, but I feel like I have a lot less than I normally do. :D Anyhoo, please enjoy~
Your contracts were coming to an end, and it was time to decide whether or not to renew them. It would take just one person not renewing to completely put an end to SHINee. Sure, you all could continue on with just four members or the company could find a replacement, but then it wouldn't be the same. You'd all been together since your trainee years, so thinking about restarting with less than five of you was practically impossible.
-----
Furiously punching buttons on a game controller, you were at home on “vacation” after album promotions had ended and before your contract decision needed to be made. You were in your family's living room, sitting on the floor, eyebrows furrowed together in concentration. Your older brother was sitting behind you on the couch with a similar look on his face.
The two of you were on your third video game of the day, since he challenged you to the first game hours ago after breakfast. He had yet to beat you at it and apparently had decided that today was the day that would change.
It wasn't, and it was somewhat comforting to know that some things never change, regardless of how much time passes by.
He had wanted to quit after the second video game, after three consecutive hours of staring at the TV, but you persuaded him to keep playing with you. If you kept playing, kept focusing on how to beat your brother, it was just that much longer that you didn't have to think about anything else.
After outplaying you 3-2 in FIFA, he collapsed onto the couch and gave you a look that expressed 'If I look at this TV any longer, I'm going to go insane.' Feeling sympathy for your brother's eyes and sanity, you told him that he could go and take a break, do something else. However, just because he wasn't playing anymore, didn't mean that you had to stop, too. You put another game into the console and fixated on the moving characters on the television screen.
He offered you a water bottle, but you shook your head, not wanting to divide your attention.
After another hour or so of you kicking your legs about, hurling threats at Bowser, he took the controller from your hands, patted you on the shoulder, and said, “It's not something I'd do.”
-----
A few mornings later, while you were sitting at the dining table, poking at the breakfast your mother had left for you before she went to work, your phone started ringing. Looking at who was calling, you saw your manager's name displayed.
You answered, and he asked, “Well?”
You told him you were sorry, that you hadn't made up your mind yet. Don't I still have a while longer to decide?
You didn't understand why they needed to know so soon. It hadn't been that long ago that you were all standing on a stage together as SHINee. Didn't they get how hard of a decision this was? These four people, the glaringly bright lights, the loudly-colored outfits, the late-night dance rehearsals, the screaming fans who followed you everywhere you went... This is all you've known for the past six and a half years. You couldn't decide if you wanted to leave it behind, couldn't decide if you could pick up and start over again.
But, then again...you didn't know if you had the energy to do this for seven more years. Wasn't it time to move on? You've had your moment in the spotlight. Wasn't it time to move aside and let someone else shine?
-----
“It's not what I expected.”
It wasn't what you had expected. You believed that SHINee would go on, not necessarily forever, but at least for another year. You hadn't expected it all to end so abruptly like this.
When you picked up Onew's phone call that afternoon, you didn't think that it would be news that someone hadn't renewed his contract. That Jonghyun hadn't renewed his contract.
Onew told you that management had called him earlier that morning with the news and that we're all getting together in a while to discuss what this meant for the group. You told him that you were busy, that you already have plans, sorry when, really, you didn't have plans at all. You just couldn't bring yourself to see them.
You didn't know if you could bear seeing Taemin, still naive Taemin. He'd grown up with SHINee; you all had helped him through those “awkward teenage years,” and now, he was an adult. An adult that somehow, someway had managed to retain his innocence, his optimism. Taemin still believed in the innate goodness of people and that everything would always work out somehow. You didn't want to see the possibility that Taemin's world was crashing down, everything he had known and grown up with swept from under him in a matter of seconds. You didn't want to see if his optimism couldn't get him through this, too.
You knew that Key would be angry. It's what he did. It's how he reacted if things didn't go the way he felt they should. Although Jonghyun was one of his closest friends, he'd still lash out, still yell about how selfish and inconsiderate Jonghyun was being, even though he was the one who understood why Jonghyun needed to do this the most.
And Onew. He'd frantically be trying to hold together what was left of SHINee. Just like how Key would always get angry, Onew would always worry about everyone else. That's how he interpreted his role as leader, always putting everyone else before himself.
No matter how hard you tried, you didn't find yourself angry with Jonghyun. You understood that he needed to separate himself from SHINee. He needed to grow beyond the cookie-cutter pop idol image. He always talked about how he wanted to be a serious musician, a serious artist, write songs about the tragic realities of life. Serious, it's how Jonghyun always described his future. It made you wonder if he felt SHINee and everything to do with it wasn't enough for him.
-----
It had been a week since you were told not all of SHINee's contracts had been renewed. You still hadn't given an answer to the company yourself.
You were yet again sitting in front of the television playing video games when a courier came to your house with a manila envelope from the company. Inside was an updated version of your contract and a note from your manager: You've only got a couple more days. Sign it and bring it to the office tomorrow.
You slid the papers back into the envelope and threw it on the coffee table. Picking up your game controller, you began another rigorous game of Super Mario Bros.
-----
You woke up bright and early the next morning, intent on heading to the company. You got dressed, hopped on the bus, and put in your earphones, songs of the past seven years playing on shuffle.
When you got to the company, you went straight to your manager's office and handed him the envelope. Opening it to look at the contract then at you, he asked, “You sure?”
You nodded your head, hoping you had made the right choice.
Fandom: SHINee, Minho-centric
Rating: G
Summary: "We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another, unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present."
-Anaïs Nin
A/N: I started writing this fic after I got the idea to only have four lines of dialogue from the Interpretations short film contest hosted by YOMYOMF. I couldn't quite get it down to just four lines of speech, but I feel like I have a lot less than I normally do. :D Anyhoo, please enjoy~
Your contracts were coming to an end, and it was time to decide whether or not to renew them. It would take just one person not renewing to completely put an end to SHINee. Sure, you all could continue on with just four members or the company could find a replacement, but then it wouldn't be the same. You'd all been together since your trainee years, so thinking about restarting with less than five of you was practically impossible.
-----
Furiously punching buttons on a game controller, you were at home on “vacation” after album promotions had ended and before your contract decision needed to be made. You were in your family's living room, sitting on the floor, eyebrows furrowed together in concentration. Your older brother was sitting behind you on the couch with a similar look on his face.
The two of you were on your third video game of the day, since he challenged you to the first game hours ago after breakfast. He had yet to beat you at it and apparently had decided that today was the day that would change.
It wasn't, and it was somewhat comforting to know that some things never change, regardless of how much time passes by.
He had wanted to quit after the second video game, after three consecutive hours of staring at the TV, but you persuaded him to keep playing with you. If you kept playing, kept focusing on how to beat your brother, it was just that much longer that you didn't have to think about anything else.
After outplaying you 3-2 in FIFA, he collapsed onto the couch and gave you a look that expressed 'If I look at this TV any longer, I'm going to go insane.' Feeling sympathy for your brother's eyes and sanity, you told him that he could go and take a break, do something else. However, just because he wasn't playing anymore, didn't mean that you had to stop, too. You put another game into the console and fixated on the moving characters on the television screen.
He offered you a water bottle, but you shook your head, not wanting to divide your attention.
After another hour or so of you kicking your legs about, hurling threats at Bowser, he took the controller from your hands, patted you on the shoulder, and said, “It's not something I'd do.”
-----
A few mornings later, while you were sitting at the dining table, poking at the breakfast your mother had left for you before she went to work, your phone started ringing. Looking at who was calling, you saw your manager's name displayed.
You answered, and he asked, “Well?”
You told him you were sorry, that you hadn't made up your mind yet. Don't I still have a while longer to decide?
You didn't understand why they needed to know so soon. It hadn't been that long ago that you were all standing on a stage together as SHINee. Didn't they get how hard of a decision this was? These four people, the glaringly bright lights, the loudly-colored outfits, the late-night dance rehearsals, the screaming fans who followed you everywhere you went... This is all you've known for the past six and a half years. You couldn't decide if you wanted to leave it behind, couldn't decide if you could pick up and start over again.
But, then again...you didn't know if you had the energy to do this for seven more years. Wasn't it time to move on? You've had your moment in the spotlight. Wasn't it time to move aside and let someone else shine?
-----
“It's not what I expected.”
It wasn't what you had expected. You believed that SHINee would go on, not necessarily forever, but at least for another year. You hadn't expected it all to end so abruptly like this.
When you picked up Onew's phone call that afternoon, you didn't think that it would be news that someone hadn't renewed his contract. That Jonghyun hadn't renewed his contract.
Onew told you that management had called him earlier that morning with the news and that we're all getting together in a while to discuss what this meant for the group. You told him that you were busy, that you already have plans, sorry when, really, you didn't have plans at all. You just couldn't bring yourself to see them.
You didn't know if you could bear seeing Taemin, still naive Taemin. He'd grown up with SHINee; you all had helped him through those “awkward teenage years,” and now, he was an adult. An adult that somehow, someway had managed to retain his innocence, his optimism. Taemin still believed in the innate goodness of people and that everything would always work out somehow. You didn't want to see the possibility that Taemin's world was crashing down, everything he had known and grown up with swept from under him in a matter of seconds. You didn't want to see if his optimism couldn't get him through this, too.
You knew that Key would be angry. It's what he did. It's how he reacted if things didn't go the way he felt they should. Although Jonghyun was one of his closest friends, he'd still lash out, still yell about how selfish and inconsiderate Jonghyun was being, even though he was the one who understood why Jonghyun needed to do this the most.
And Onew. He'd frantically be trying to hold together what was left of SHINee. Just like how Key would always get angry, Onew would always worry about everyone else. That's how he interpreted his role as leader, always putting everyone else before himself.
No matter how hard you tried, you didn't find yourself angry with Jonghyun. You understood that he needed to separate himself from SHINee. He needed to grow beyond the cookie-cutter pop idol image. He always talked about how he wanted to be a serious musician, a serious artist, write songs about the tragic realities of life. Serious, it's how Jonghyun always described his future. It made you wonder if he felt SHINee and everything to do with it wasn't enough for him.
-----
It had been a week since you were told not all of SHINee's contracts had been renewed. You still hadn't given an answer to the company yourself.
You were yet again sitting in front of the television playing video games when a courier came to your house with a manila envelope from the company. Inside was an updated version of your contract and a note from your manager: You've only got a couple more days. Sign it and bring it to the office tomorrow.
You slid the papers back into the envelope and threw it on the coffee table. Picking up your game controller, you began another rigorous game of Super Mario Bros.
-----
You woke up bright and early the next morning, intent on heading to the company. You got dressed, hopped on the bus, and put in your earphones, songs of the past seven years playing on shuffle.
When you got to the company, you went straight to your manager's office and handed him the envelope. Opening it to look at the contract then at you, he asked, “You sure?”
You nodded your head, hoping you had made the right choice.