small gods
Title: small gods
Rating: g
Summary: Five ways they were happy.
Jung Yunho wakes up at five thirty on the dot each and every day. He kisses his wife, who rolls over in bed, kisses his daughter, who gurgles at her mobile, and waves to his doorman, who nods to him in a familiar sort of way. They know him at the second-rate coffee shop down the block from his complex, and they know him at the train station (he's the nice man with the nice smile and the nice tie who reads the international newspaper and does the crossword in Japanese), and they know him at his job as Jung Yunho, the third best lawyer in west-downtown Seoul.
He's never asked for anything more.
The week after Junsu's voice broke, they sent him home with vague promises and unconvincing smiles. Six weeks later, he came back from the mandatory vacation to determined faces and a new name. He never sounded better.
Xiah's debut with BoA lasted six years and seven albums. They were a good team: her determination meshed with his optimism as perfectly as their voices. They were best friends, and better partners. Their fourth single, Find Me In January, broke multiple records across Asia, and would only be topped by Xiah’s solo debut. The reasons for the break-up were unclear (the media painted it as a lover's quarrel; the fans just called it betrayal), but the paparazzi pictures of late nights at Starbucks and tight awards show hugs quickly dispelled most rumors. Junsu, when asked about it later, would shrug, laugh that unconventional laugh, and give a shy smile.
"Boa-noona is really great, and if I hadn't had the chance to debut with her... I really don't think there's any other path I could've taken. It was fate. We're still friends - guys, guys," with an earnest look at the camera, prompting laughter from the entire studio, hosts included, "don't believe anyone when they say we aren't. It's just that... sometimes you have to let your support system go, and I really want to try to show you what I can do - not BoA and Xiah, but Kim Junsu. I hope you all support me." He grins, and the applause is deafening.
His second album tanks, as does the third and fourth. There's a minor hit on the fifth, but it's off the charts within half a month. He becomes a facet on a highly-rated KBS variety show, the good-natured has-ben always willing to be the butt of jokes. His co-hosts are shocked at his reunion performance with BoA at an end of the year awards show - "Who knew Xiah could be so talented?" one sharp-tounged young gag-man snipes, and Junsu laughs louder than them all. Occasionally a young, bright-eyed idol boy or girl will pull him aside during filming to tell him, with hesitant words and worship in their eyes, that his voice was what made them do this. He smiles at all of them, and says ‘thank you’.
He doesn't sing much after that.
The day midterm results come out and Changmin is ranked at number five in his school is the day he drops out of the training program at SM Entertainment. His parents tell him not to. He doesn't listen. Within three months he’s at number one; within three years he’s a freshman at Seoul National.
He doesn’t regret a thing.
It takes getting expelled from high school to get Micky to start caring. He didn’t mean to get in the fight -it was just because David was starting shit with Ricky and Ricky’s arm is still in the cast so it’s not like he can do anything about it and he didn’t mean to break his nose, but the principal isn’t listening, and neither is his mom.
She sits him down and tells him that if he doesn’t get accepted into West Virginia University she’s going to kick him out. He thinks she’s joking at first, because she says that a lot -if you don’t pick up your room you’re on the curb, if you get another D I’m sending you back to Korea-but now she tells him, Park Yoochun, this is serious (and she doesn’t use his Korean name unless it really is, so this time, he believes her).
And he tries. He tries really fucking hard, because this is his mom, and he gave up Korea for her, he gave up dad for her, he gave up that stupid dream he had about singing for her. He owes her this.
She petitions the school board and he gets back in, on a trial basis. He has to have a student mentor or something, to make sure he’s on track and to tutor him in subjects he’s failing (which is all of them). He’s pissed, at first - he doesn’t need a fucking babysitter - but then his mentor is Allison, the star volleyball player with the long legs and the big blue eyes and the smile that makes him think things no respectable high school senior shouldn’t be thinking. She makes him want to care about Biology.
She asks him how to say ‘I love you’ in Korean. He says, “I don’t know,” and kisses her on the lips.
He passes his senior year with a 2.8 and an acceptance letter into WVU.
The train leaves early, and Jinhee finds Jaejoong sitting on a bench in the train station, staring at the empty train tracks and clutching a backpack full of clothes.
“Mom wants help with dinner,” she says, “and she wants you to wash the vegetables.” She sticks out her hand, and Jaejoong looks at her for a minute before taking it.
“Do you think I had a shot?” he asks a while later, when they’re walking down the dirty side-street towards their home.
Jinhee pretends she didn’t hear. They both pretend he didn’t ask. Three weeks later he sells his electric piano.
They are happy.
Rating: g
Summary: Five ways they were happy.
Jung Yunho wakes up at five thirty on the dot each and every day. He kisses his wife, who rolls over in bed, kisses his daughter, who gurgles at her mobile, and waves to his doorman, who nods to him in a familiar sort of way. They know him at the second-rate coffee shop down the block from his complex, and they know him at the train station (he's the nice man with the nice smile and the nice tie who reads the international newspaper and does the crossword in Japanese), and they know him at his job as Jung Yunho, the third best lawyer in west-downtown Seoul.
He's never asked for anything more.
The week after Junsu's voice broke, they sent him home with vague promises and unconvincing smiles. Six weeks later, he came back from the mandatory vacation to determined faces and a new name. He never sounded better.
Xiah's debut with BoA lasted six years and seven albums. They were a good team: her determination meshed with his optimism as perfectly as their voices. They were best friends, and better partners. Their fourth single, Find Me In January, broke multiple records across Asia, and would only be topped by Xiah’s solo debut. The reasons for the break-up were unclear (the media painted it as a lover's quarrel; the fans just called it betrayal), but the paparazzi pictures of late nights at Starbucks and tight awards show hugs quickly dispelled most rumors. Junsu, when asked about it later, would shrug, laugh that unconventional laugh, and give a shy smile.
"Boa-noona is really great, and if I hadn't had the chance to debut with her... I really don't think there's any other path I could've taken. It was fate. We're still friends - guys, guys," with an earnest look at the camera, prompting laughter from the entire studio, hosts included, "don't believe anyone when they say we aren't. It's just that... sometimes you have to let your support system go, and I really want to try to show you what I can do - not BoA and Xiah, but Kim Junsu. I hope you all support me." He grins, and the applause is deafening.
His second album tanks, as does the third and fourth. There's a minor hit on the fifth, but it's off the charts within half a month. He becomes a facet on a highly-rated KBS variety show, the good-natured has-ben always willing to be the butt of jokes. His co-hosts are shocked at his reunion performance with BoA at an end of the year awards show - "Who knew Xiah could be so talented?" one sharp-tounged young gag-man snipes, and Junsu laughs louder than them all. Occasionally a young, bright-eyed idol boy or girl will pull him aside during filming to tell him, with hesitant words and worship in their eyes, that his voice was what made them do this. He smiles at all of them, and says ‘thank you’.
He doesn't sing much after that.
The day midterm results come out and Changmin is ranked at number five in his school is the day he drops out of the training program at SM Entertainment. His parents tell him not to. He doesn't listen. Within three months he’s at number one; within three years he’s a freshman at Seoul National.
He doesn’t regret a thing.
It takes getting expelled from high school to get Micky to start caring. He didn’t mean to get in the fight -it was just because David was starting shit with Ricky and Ricky’s arm is still in the cast so it’s not like he can do anything about it and he didn’t mean to break his nose, but the principal isn’t listening, and neither is his mom.
She sits him down and tells him that if he doesn’t get accepted into West Virginia University she’s going to kick him out. He thinks she’s joking at first, because she says that a lot -if you don’t pick up your room you’re on the curb, if you get another D I’m sending you back to Korea-but now she tells him, Park Yoochun, this is serious (and she doesn’t use his Korean name unless it really is, so this time, he believes her).
And he tries. He tries really fucking hard, because this is his mom, and he gave up Korea for her, he gave up dad for her, he gave up that stupid dream he had about singing for her. He owes her this.
She petitions the school board and he gets back in, on a trial basis. He has to have a student mentor or something, to make sure he’s on track and to tutor him in subjects he’s failing (which is all of them). He’s pissed, at first - he doesn’t need a fucking babysitter - but then his mentor is Allison, the star volleyball player with the long legs and the big blue eyes and the smile that makes him think things no respectable high school senior shouldn’t be thinking. She makes him want to care about Biology.
She asks him how to say ‘I love you’ in Korean. He says, “I don’t know,” and kisses her on the lips.
He passes his senior year with a 2.8 and an acceptance letter into WVU.
The train leaves early, and Jinhee finds Jaejoong sitting on a bench in the train station, staring at the empty train tracks and clutching a backpack full of clothes.
“Mom wants help with dinner,” she says, “and she wants you to wash the vegetables.” She sticks out her hand, and Jaejoong looks at her for a minute before taking it.
“Do you think I had a shot?” he asks a while later, when they’re walking down the dirty side-street towards their home.
Jinhee pretends she didn’t hear. They both pretend he didn’t ask. Three weeks later he sells his electric piano.
They are happy.