IT’S JUST A SHAME, THAT’S ALL — THROUGH THE LENS OF MARTIN
➪ pairing : ot5 cortis x 6th member reader
➪ summary : the prequel to part one. martin's seen you time and time again get smart with staff, it's no wonder that something was bound to happen, at least in his opinion.
➪ other notes : credits to @/vrtxveil on tiktok for the cortis analog horror imagery. i tried my best to tag everyone, i'm so sorry if i missed your name. there will be at least two more parts, maybe even three if people want me to continue this ! j apologize if this feels rushed, but pay attention :)
“no one can know, do you understand ?” martin looks up at the group’s manager, eyes wide. he nods regardless, adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows whatever saliva he has in his throat. martin’s always been an obedient rebel. he’ll express himself in many ways, fighting for what he believes, but he’s a fierce listener, loyal to no end. that was his first mistake.
you’re not like martin. yes you’re passionate about your interests and expressive about your feelings, but you’re hot headed. not perfect by any standards, a little rough around the edges but that’s what makes you, well you. you don’t hesitate to call out anyone who’s disrespectful or shady, confidence booming in your voice. that’s exactly why hybe and bighit liked you. liked.
martin wishes he could be a little like you. aggressive and self assured. he’s almost positive you’d make a great leader if it weren’t for your constant attitude. not to the boys, never to them, but to the company itself. when your makeup artist tells you your complexion looks sickly ? you say it’s the lack of food the staff provides.
when your fashion designer pinches at extra skin, you swat their hand away immediately. martin’s even heard you say “fuck bang pd,” in a fit of rage. i mean how could something so pretty have a mouth like that ? but he still thinks that you would have made a better leader than him. someone who actually stands up for the group rather than just submit to whatever the company says.
he’s never even seen you afraid ! so locked in on your own beliefs that no one will even tilt you another way. there was a particular time where a male staff member tried to put their hands on you, in which you immediately fought back, not caring for any repercussions. it ended in james and your manager pulling you off the man, martin couldn’t move from how caught off guard he was.
despite that, it wasn’t all that surprising coming from you. except for the following set of your words : “if anyone ever tries to hit me again, i’ll tell everyone the lies and shit you’ve covered up.” everyone tensed up immediately, going silent. you weren’t referring to a specific person, you’re saying it in general, knowing there’s cameras in the practice room. what did you know that the other five of them didn’t ?
maybe that’s why this had to happen. if you only kept your mouth shut, this wouldn’t have happened. why’d you go out of your way to ruin something that’s fine ??? are all thoughts martin has of you. but he loves you, even with all of your flaws. platonic or romantic, does it really matter ? so he lets you in on one piece of information, in hopes that you’ll get away fast enough.
it was the day of THE concert. you were in a better mood than usual, excited for the stage outfit your designer picked out for you. hell, even your makeup artist complimented your skin today. it seems like people are finally listening to you ! everything seems fine until you notice martin fidgeting more than usual.
it confuses you, martin’s typically not like this. he’s the one hyping everyone up, and it’s not like this is the group’s first concert, you’ve done this dozens of times before ! so when the time is perfect, you pull him aside, thankfully the hallway is quiet and empty. “are you okay ?” you ask the taller boy, furrowing your eyebrows. “me ? yeah i’m good,” he smiles, a little too wide.
“you said we’d be each other’s person if one of us is upset,” you cross your arms as martin shifts uncomfortably. suddenly, he looks to the right of him, then the left, before pulling you harshly into the women’s bathroom. you automatically fight back, shocked as to what’s happening. “martin what are you-“ he covers his mouth before shushing you, tears in his eyes.
“don’t say a single word, just listen to me,” he whispers, your eyes going wide with anger. “something’s gonna happen after the concert, i can’t say for sure what but i know that it’s tonight, you can’t be alone with anyone,” martin explains in a haste. and for the first time in all of the years he’s known you, fear fills your eyes. he releases his grip on you before stepping back. you’re still frozen in place as worry washes over you.
“why ?” you ask in a small voice. martin scoffs and shakes his head, “why else ? you blow up at everyone, you mouth off staff and even almost beat our senior choreographer up !” you look at him confused, “what are you talking about ? mars this isn’t my fault, you know why i-“ the rest of your words drown out as martin rubs his face.
“it doesn’t matter what you think anymore, it’s about what they think of you y/n,” he groans, obviously agitated by the situation. “then help me,” you step closer to him. he shakes his head, “i can’t, the company, they’ll-“ “mars i’m your best friend, and i have been for years,” you cut him off. martin looks at you, seeing tears starting to form in your eyes. he couldn’t remember the last time you looked this small.
martin thinks before sighing, “okay.” a breath of relief leaves your mouth. “but don’t tell the others, you’ll only worry them,” he clarifies, making you nod. “i know, just please don’t let anything happen to me,” you plead. he looks into your tearful eyes, nodding. there’s only so much he can do without attracting suspicion.
throughout the night, martin’s eyes keep flickering towards you. he doesn’t even care if fans speculate his watchful gaze. you on the other hand try your best to keep your composure during the concert. you’re typically a firecracker on stage, full of emotion and energy. but this time, your performance is lackluster to say the least.
martin wouldn’t even be surprised if netizens got on your ass about it. but even though the same fearful thoughts consume your mind, martin sees you let out a wobbly laugh at james’ silly jokes. he sees you clumsily throw a water bottle to juhoon. he sees you tightly hug seonghyeon, not pulling away first. and he sees you fix keonho’s microphone. even in a crisis like this, you still take care of others.
after the concert, martin’s stuck to your hip, adrenaline still pumping through everyone’s veins. the other four for a different reason than you and martin’s. eventually you’re all led into a different room to rest before you all go back to your hotel. you take your shoes off, feeling your big toe pulse in pain. you look at the inside of the shoe, a size smaller than your regular size.
you hadn’t even noticed before, you just took the pair from your stylist without a second thought. your gaze shifts to your socks, several holes made. did you make those ? you grind your teeth before taking them off, now barefoot. seonghyeon immediately covers his nose, earning a playful slap from you. you can’t help but to think, is everyone in on this ?
“y/n,” you snap your head at the manager, his face cold. “can you come with me for a second ?” you try to hide your expression as best as you can. “for what ?” you ask, slowly standing up. the other five boys stare at the manager, waiting his response. “techs need your in-ears,” he states, how do you even get out of this situation ? “i can take it for her, i need to turn mine in too,” martin interrupts.
“would have been better if she just came but sure,” the manager walks away. you sigh, giving martin a thankful look. “we need to go,” martin whispers, taking your in-ears. you look at your members, “now y/n.” you nod, martin tries to usher you out of the room but is stopped by james. “where are you two going ?” you look at your older friend, making a random excuse.
“just gonna get some stuff from the corner store before we go,” you lie. “i want to go !” keonho excitedly says, getting up. “no stay, it’d be too obvious if you came along,” martin shakes his head, keonho’s signature pout forming. “alright, but can you bring that one brand of chips i like ?” he asks, sitting back down. “yeah of course, we’ll be back, i swear,” you smile before leaving.
almost immediately, martin is dragging you behind him. “wait wait wait !” you trip over your feet in an attempt to slow him down. “what ?! there’s no time to wait !” martin whisper yells. “you need to promise me something,” “huh what ? why ? promise you what ?” he rambles nervously. “if anything…if anything happens to me, promise me that you won’t let them say i was the one who ran away, that i was the one who quit.”
martin looks into your dilated eyes. oh, you’re being serious. “nothing’s going to happen-“ “promise me,” you demand of him. “…okay, i promise that i’ll defend your honor no matter what,” he reassures you. he wraps his arms around you, bringing you for a hug. you shut your eyes, heart beating fast, you can even hear it thump in your ears. it doesn’t help that your hands and feet feel so cold from anxiety.
“i don’t even have my shoes or socks on, how did those dummies believe me ? you mumble, which martin laughs at. “it’s okay, i’ll let you use mine, just tie them extra tight,” martin offers. “but first, we need to get to the parking garage, don’t ask questions, let’s just go before anyone gets suspicious,” he continues, this time you actually listen and start to make your way downstairs.
you basically run down a flight of stairs, in a hurry to wherever martin’s taking you. once you’re halfway in the parking garage, martin stops before gripping your shoulders. “you need to leave this way, security is always here for these types of events, this is the only place i know that doesn’t have anyone.” “where am i supposed to go ?” you lift his hands from your shoulders. “anywhere y/n, it doesn’t matter, just not-“ martin pauses.
“shit !” he pulls you behind a car, crouching cautiously. a door is swung open, bouncing off the wall. you cover your mouth with your own hand, looking at martin with fear. he brings up a finger to his lips, staying completely quiet. a loud sigh can be heard before a familiar voice. “martin, i know you’re here with her, don’t make this difficult, just stop,” the manager states, his shoes can be heard clicking.
“think of the group martin, do what’s right.” martin freezes, fuck they already know. now it’s his turn to think. he needs to protect you, but he’s never disobeyed anyone before. you’re his colleague, but you’ve done wrong. you’re his friend and someone he sees every day. what can he do to help both sides ? what’s the right choice ? what should he do ? martin turns to you, tears are streaming down your face, he’s never seen you like this.
“mars i’m begging you, don’t do this to me, i’m your best friend, please,” you cry, grabbing his hands. a moment of silence goes by before martin squeezes your hands. a single thought of realization shoots through his head. james. juhoon. seonghyeon. keonho. himself. years of training, the five of them…or just you. “yeah…she’s here,” martin abruptly calls out, standing up, pulling you with him.
you shriek a “no,” before using all of the force you can muster to shove him away before standing up and running from behind the car. you sprint down the parking garage, bare feet against the hard concrete. the more you look back, the closer the people chasing you get. you finally arrive to the gate, mashing every button to get it to lift up. you drop to the floor, crawling underneath the gate.
your hopes however are cut almost instantly. someone pulls your ankles back harshly, you cry out, your knees scraping against the ground. “no, please, i haven’t done anything !” you shout as a man lifts you into the air, leaving your blood soaking into the concrete. you screamed for your life, pleading that someone, anyone, would help you. “martin please !” you continue to fight.
martin stays still in his place, paralyzed as he watches you struggle against a man twice your size. eventually, you’re hauled into a van, one you hadn’t even realized was there before, and even then your cries for help continue. martin just stares, hearing the engine start before it pulls off. it’s quiet again, a quiet that lingers in his soul. why did you trust him ? he told you not to trust anyone. he warned you, he tells himself.
he tried to warn you…he tried to tell you to be careful, didn’t he ? martin lets out a shaky sigh as a single tear drops from his face. “you won’t have to worry about her anymore, the problem is gone,” the manager places a hand on martin’s shoulder, causing him to flinch a little. martin stares at his shoes, before the manager says his final set of words for this situation.
“no one can know, do you understand ?”
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