break the mold

“that sounds incredible,” rin gushed, holding her hands to her chest. “i bet i can handle being tired. i’m up late all the time! i train super late a lot of days, after all. i could handle it…”

“you shouldn’t have to- your brain is still developing,” woori retorted. “focus on school and getting better. your time will come.”

he rolled his eyes, grateful that, at least, it seemed to have distracted her from her spiral. “what, is that something that pops up in your imagination a lot? weird,” he teased. “loosen up, okay? big things are on the horizon for you, and they’re deserved.” and after taking a moment to look at her and make sure he wasn’t…..well, forcing anything, he leaned in to kiss her once more.

“i’m not diginifying that with a response,” she answered bitterly, looking down and trying to duck her head so he wouldn’t see how much more red she was getting. for such an annoying hot-tempered boy, he really knew how to pull on her heartstrings. eyes admittedly getting a little misty, she leaned in to meet his kiss.

he rolled his eyes, cutting her off mid-sentence with a kiss, not pulling away until she’d relaxed a little. “you’ve earned your spot. you’re incredible. stop tearing yourself down– the only one not taking you seriously right now is you,” he told her firmly.

to say she was speechless was an understatement. for lack of a better term, she’d been simping for this boy for years now. to have that finally realized during a moment where she felt so vulnerable was overwhelming-- she still felt the deep insecurity from before, but now she felt incredibly joy, and those two sentiments being at war were a lot to process. “i....” she began, eyes wide. “i didn’t imagine that, did i?”

“idols don’t look different, huh? aeri? ilya? sona? havoc? zeta? sam? ahmi? pansy? do i need to keep fucking going, woori, because i can?” he answered, trying not to get too angry. he’d never told her, of course, but to him, she was one of the most beautiful girls in the world. the implication she was anything but pissed him off. “even if you mean just… body shape, sona is right fucking there. you’re perfect, just as you are. and you’re gonna debut because you have a great voice.”

“they’re all thin, hojung. or were when they debuted,” she replied-- sona had embraced her curves as she grew older, but spotlight never would have let that happen when she debuted-- woori knew it. woori was patient 0 on that front. “she is, but she’s a veteran of the industry! so well respected! she’s earned her spot! i’m nobody. i can’t be out here looking like a whale. no one will take me seriously.”

“if he hated you, you’d know by this point. i think the fact that he’s spent so much time with you and, for lack of a better term, kept you around so long? really reassuring, if you ask me.”

it was only when she froze that it really registered what he’d done, and he had a split second to feel ashamed or regret it before she held onto him tighter. of course, he’d have to ask her, but it felt like proof enough that clearly she wasn’t mad at him. he wasn’t going to mention it now, though. he had to think about it first. frowning, he leaned back so he could look at her. “you look just fucking fine, shut up about that right fucking now,” he started, eyes narrowing. “i didn’t think they were gonna debut you either, but that’s not your fault, that’s theirs. people don’t fucking come out of a mold, woori– everyone looks and is shaped different. i don’t even want to entertain that sentence.”

“you don’t have to agree with me, but i know i’m right,” she answered with an eyeroll. “people all look different, but idols don’t. i’ve got a target on my back now. i don’t even want to know what the comments after i debut are going to look like...”

“have you ever thought about making yours?” he asked, half to prove a point, but half to get the attention off him.

hojung kissed the top of her head, fully without realizing that he had done it, or what the hell he was doing, and rubbed her back comfortingly. as hard of a time as he gave her, she meant a lot to him. and he was really proud of her. “after all the shit spotlight’s put you through, had they not done something with you soon, i would have committed arson on your behalf.”

she froze a little when she felt him kiss her, even if it was just a quick peck on the crown on her head. this was the guy she’d kind of had a huge crush on for a while now-- was that an accident? a sign? just him leading her on? she had genuinely no idea. fingers curling into his shirt automatically, she hugged him tighter. “i didn’t think they were ever going to debut me. i still don’t look like i’m supposed to. even after the hospital....”

“why would i joke about that?” nathan answered, face going red. “hey now, it’s not that big of a deal… seriously….” he answered, pushing his hair back and avoiding eye contact. “good. and i hope i can trust you too.”

“woori…” he began, sighing. “if i’ve been able to hide my crush on sunyi for two years, i’m sure i can keep your crush on hojung to myself. who do you take me for?”

“i doubt higher would let me have this sort of freedom had i not already proven myself, though,” jisung pointed out. he’d pretty much funded a few higher debuts with his earlier releases with the company, after all. that granted you a bit of wiggle room.

“yeah, i guess being a youtube-view billionaire earns you some downtime, huh?”