Chapter Text
Donghyuck has been dreaming of this day ever since he was a child.
To hold a microphone. To feel the height while standing on stage. Feel the spotlights on his skin. Hear the crowd roar in his ears.
His heart beat a thousand times harder. Sweat beaded down his skin like rain and he breathed harder than he has ever done before.
He turned to his right and saw Mark Lee. Handsome, stunning, dressed in a muscle tee with a headband and a plaid shirt tied around his skinny waist. Mark was coming closer to him.
The crowd screamed even louder.
Donghyuck took in a huge breath. Mark grabbed his chin.
Suddenly, he felt the ground shake.
“Hyuck?”
Everything faded to black as his knees weakened and he collapsed.
*********************
6 Months Ago
“Get up.”
“Mhmmmm.”
“Get your lazy ass out of bed. It’s almost noon time.”
“Go away Doyoung hyung.” Donghyuck drew the blanket over his head.
“It’s time to get up and start hitting the studio. Chop chop.” Doyoung clapped his hands loudly. “Michael Jackson didn’t get to where he was by sleeping in until noon.”
“Leave me alone hyung.”
“You asked for it.” Doyoung huffed. He walked out of the room and a few minutes later, returned with a bucket.
“AHHHH!!!!” Donghyuck screamed at the icy cold water that hit his skin, jolting him up immediately.
“Welcome to adulthood sweetheart.” Doyoung grinned. “Didn’t that suck?”
“Fuck you hyung.” Donghyuck stammered.
“Love you too. Now get your ass in the shower. Lunch is in 5 minutes.”
*********************
“Your new cover is lovely Hyuck.” Jisung said, listening to Donghyuck’s new Shawn Mendes cover that he uploaded on YouTube.
“Thank you.” Donghyuck smiled, lazily playing a tune on his keyboard in their downstairs basement. Donghyuck’s parents thought his career as a YouTube star was never going to amount to anything, and if it wasn’t for his cousin Doyoung who stuck up for him, they probably would have been right.
“It’s a pity the views aren’t any higher.” Jisung sighed as he plopped down on the couch. “You sound better than half of the people on that site.”
“I guess I’m not just not as popular.”
“Maybe we can do something about that. Move your filming to a new location, put it on Soundcloud, or maybe you know,” Jisung sniffed a bit. “Get you a new set of clothes.”
“What’s wrong with my clothes?”
“No offense but you look like a tramp. Those clothes are far too big for you and you have a giant hole in the back.”
“But these are comfortable.”
“No that makes you lazy.” Jisung sighed. “What happened to the clothes Doyoung bought for you?”
“I’m saving them for a special occasion.”
“Which is what?”
“When I get a record deal.” He grinned.
“Well if you keep looking like an animal from a dumpster Doyoung might as well take those clothes back and wear them himself.”
“It’s just such a bother to even put on clothes. I like the stuff I own. They are comfortable, and they cover my unsightly parts.”
“And also make you look like a hot air balloon.”
“Shut up.” Donghyuck snapped at him. “I don’t want to talk about my clothes.”
“Same.”
“Hey guys!” Jaemin happily called as he bounced down the steps into their basement. “Can I watch TV here?”
“Sure.”
Jaemin flopped on the couch and grabbed the remote. He pressed a button and a music programme named What’s Hot came on. There was an all-too cheery female host on the show introducing their next guest.
“What are you watching?” Jisung asked.
“Shhh. They are coming.”
“Get ready for… Trinity!!” the host on TV clapped and an entire hoard of females started screaming.
“Trinity? You mean the hip-hop group?” Jisung furrowed his eyebrows.
“They are coming on!!!” Jaemin slapped Jisung’s thigh excitedly, bouncing in his seat. Trinity, the hottest hip-hop trio in this current century, appeared on stage, all dressed in black with gold chains around their neck and Nike high tops. The word ‘Whiplash’ appeared on the lower left of the screen as the camera slowly panned across the members’ faces.
“Who are they?” Donghyuck asked, standing up to watch the show.
“You have never heard of Trinity before?!?!” Jaemin dropped his jaw. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I have, I just don’t know any of them.”
“Okay okay,” Jaemin sat up excitedly. “The one in the middle with the shaved brow is Taeyong, he’s the charismatic leader who secretly loves Pokemon. The other one is Mark Lee, he’s from Canada and he’s a fantastic rapper but useless chef.”
“What about Mr. Tall, Fine and Handsome at the back?”
“For fuck’s sake Doyoung hyung.” Donghyuck nearly jumped out of his skin in shock. “Stop creeping up on us like that.”
“I didn’t creep. I bought cookies.” Doyoung said, pointing to the plate in his hands. “Besides if I didn’t creep, how else would I have found those Men Health magazines under your bed?”
“Are you trying to get into shape?” Jisung asked.
“Uh…yeah.” Donghyuck lied.
“That one is Jaehyun. He’s the vocalist and a real soft gentleman but secretly a freak in the sheets.”
“Sounds like my kind of man.” Doyoung grinned, putting down the cookie plate and sitting on the arm of the couch. “He can beat my meat and toss my salad anytime.”
“Oh my god please stop talking.” Donghyuck groaned. “The entire neighbourhood doesn’t need to know about your horny fantasies.”
“This is my house and you’re living it in, so shut it Lee Donghyuck.”
“They are pretty cool.” Jisung shrugged.
“Cool?!?!? They are more than just cool okay? They are the hottest boy group in this known deca-no, century.”
“It would be nice to be there one day.” Donghyuck sighed dreamily as Trinity finished their performance.
“You’ll get there.” Doyoung patted his back. “You’re a talented kid. You’ll make your stage one day.”
“Yeah but first we need to figure out how to increase those YouTube views.” Jisung said.
“Let’s talk to Ten, maybe he can…” Jisung, Jaemin and Doyoung made their way to the basement steps. “Hyuck, you coming?”
“In a minute.”
The other three left the basement, leaving Donghyuck down there by himself. He saw that his VCR was still recording and he grabbed the remote to press the rewind button.
“Get ready for… Trinity!!”
A part of Donghyuck was jealous. He wanted nothing more than to be a star, a performer, a real artist just like them. The other part was intrigued. His eyes followed Mark Lee’s movements until a camera moved in to do a focus shot of him. Donghyuck pressed the pause button.
Mark was handsome. Dark brown hair, sharp features and the kind of confidence that overwhelmed a crowd by showing up with the ‘I am King’ attitude. Donghyuck studied him for a little bit, pressing his fingers against his face on the screen.
“Hyuck!!!”
Doyoung’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. He looked at Mark one last time and made a mental reminder to himself to do a Google search of him. He shut the TV off and ran up the stairs.
*********************
“Well look at you.” Doyoung grinned as Donghyuck bounced down the stairs, looking very different from the usual. “Nice to say you shedding your ugly skin and basking in the beauty.”
“I have a date.”
“Ah yes.” Doyoung laughed. “With Jeno huh?”
“Yes.” Donghyuck nodded.
“And what will you be doing?”
“He’s taking me to see a movie.”
“Hmm.”
“What hmm?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You said hmm.”
“It’s a sound, not a word.”
“Yes it is, it’s spelt h-m-m ergo it is a word.”
“Look at you using the word ‘ergo’.” Doyoung widened his eyes in mock surprise. “Looks like that A Word A Day calendar is useful.”
“Hyung…”
“What time is he coming?”
“In a couple of minutes.”
Doyoung bit his lip to say nothing. He returned to his laptop to continue answering emails as the doorbell rang.
“Hey Jeno.” Donghyuck smiled.
“Hey.” Jeno smiled back, looking adorable in his well-fitted shirt with the college varsity jacket over it. “It’s nice to see you after all this time.”
Doyoung rolled his eyes and gagged into his coffee cup.
“So what movie are we seeing?”
“Actually I was wondering if we could stay in to watch instead? There’s a replay of Star Wars on Channel 9.”
“Broke as shit.” Doyoung coughed into his sleeve. The two of them walked into the next room as Ten reappeared from the kitchen.
“Sudden coughing fit eh Doyoungie?” Ten giggled.
“Jeno is here.” He said. “I don’t know what Donghyuck sees in that kid.”
“He is a frat, and quite handsome for his age.”
“So?” Doyoung made a face. “Any man who can’t even afford to take his date out to a movie is not a man at all.”
“Hey, some people can’t help being in tough financial times.”
“What about the time Donghyuck was stood up for their spring dance?”
“Jeno was nursing a sprained wrist.”
“You use your feet to dance, not your wrist, unless you’re a b-boy.”
“Lay off them Doyoung.” Ten sighed. “You can’t tell Donghyuck what to do anyways. He’ll just ignore you and do it anyways.”
“I want the best for my little cousin and Lee Jeno is not it.” Doyoung huffed. “Just like these stupid views on his channel that are increasing so slowly.”
“Have patience.” Ten said. “He’ll have his time in the spotlight.”
“We just need a break. One small break.”
A ‘ping’ sound was heard from Doyoung’s laptop. He opened it and his jaw dropped immediately.
The break has come.
*********************
“I saw your cover video. Why didn’t you tell me you could sing?” Jeno said, putting his arms around Donghyuck as they cuddled on the couch while the intro to Star Wars played on TV.
“I did!” Donghyuck said, slapping his chest playfully.
“Why didn’t you tell me you could sing that well?” Jeno laughed. “You’ve been hiding skills from me for months.”
“I’m not one to flaunt my skills, and I certainly don’t go around the football field half-naked showing off for the world to see.” Donghyuck pouted playfully.
“Are you jealous?” Jeno teased.
“No.”
“Liar.” Jeno tapped his nose. “Watch it or you’ll be Pinocchio one day.”
“It’s nice to be like this again.” Donghyuck sighed contently. “I missed you.”
“Me too. I’m sorry football practice has been taking up so much of my time.”
“DONGHYUCK OH MY GOD!!!!!” Doyoung burst into the room, almost plugging the TV out by tripping over the cables.
“What’s wrong?” Donghyuck asked.
“Oh my god.” Doyoung breathed. “It happened. I can’t believe it happened. Oh my god.”
“Breathe hyung breathe. You’re not making any sense.”
“I got…you got…just come with me!!” Doyoung grabbed the young boy’s arm and dragged him out of his seat. They rushed to the dining table and Doyoung pointed at his laptop.
To whom it may concern,
Good evening, my name is Johnny Seo and I am the director of NCT Music, South Korea’s premier music label. I saw Haechan’s cover videos on YouTube and am thoroughly impressed with his skill and talent, therefore I would like to invite Haechan and his company for a special meeting at our office.
Please do let us know if you would be interested. Have a pleasant day.
Regards
Johnny Seo
“Oh. My. God.” Donghyuck could feel his heart beating in his ribcage. The words bounced off the screen and into his eyes but his brain couldn’t compute it.
“I know.” Doyoung was shaking violently in his position and Ten was calling someone on the phone, stomping his foot in excitement.
“What does this mean?” Jeno asked, peering at the laptop as if it would tell him the answer.
“It means you meatloaf for brains,” Doyoung rolled his eyes, but not before holding Donghyuck’s hand in his. “We are going to make you a star!!!”
*********************
“Oh my god look at this place.” Ten gaped at the sight of the huge marble staircase before him in the lobby of NCT Music. He took out his phone and snapped a picture, looking very much like a tourist, which is ironic because he was from Thailand after all.
“Be on your best behaviour guys.” Doyoung said, straightening his dress shirt. “Stop acting like come country bumpkin.”
“Excuse me but have you seen a giant grand piano encrusted with Swarovski crystals? I don’t think so.”
“Oh god I’m so nervous.” Donghyuck rubbed his hands for comfort. “What if he doesn’t like me? What if I screw up?”
“You’ll be fine. If you’re not sure of something just let me do all the talking.”
“Don’t you usually do that anyways?”
“Shut up Ten.”
The three of them rode the elevator to the 5th floor where their scheduled meeting was supposed to be. They were led to a small meeting room where Mr. Johnny Seo was already sitting there waiting. He was tall, handsome and Donghyuck swore Ten dropped his panties inside his pants. Johnny smiled at Donghyuck and shook his hand warmly.
“You must be Haechan.”
“My real name is Lee Donghyuck.”
“Oh of course, would you prefer it if I called you that?”
“It’s up to you sir.”
“Fine, Donghyuck it is. And you are?” he asked Doyoung.
“I’m Kim Doyoung, the person you were corresponding with. This is my associate Ten.”
“Very nice to meet all of you.” He smiled. “I am so excited to finally meet you Donghyuck. You have an amazing voice.”
“Really?” Donghyuck smiled from ear to ear, still shaking with nervousness. “Thank you so much. It’s an honour for me to be here.”
“Let’s not waste any time and get to the chase shall we?”
“A man who doesn’t waste time. I like him.” Ten whispered in Doyoung’s ear.
“Keep it in your pants Ten.” He mumbled back.
“I want to sign you, Lee Donghyuck, to our record label.” Johnny grinned. “You are talented, adorable and your style fits the vibe we have here at NCT Music.”
“Did you hear how he said ‘I want you’? God I want to get on my knees and… OW!!!”
“Are you okay Ten hyung?” Donghyuck asked.
“I’m fine.” Ten winced. “Just…” he glared at Doyoung. “Stubbed my toe.”
“Anyways I do think we have to provide you with some additional training, especially in dancing if you have no experience and do some image monitoring, but other than that, you would be a perfect fit.”
“That sounds amazing.” Donghyuck smiled. “I’m all for it.”
“I’m glad you are, but…”
“But? But what? Why is there a but?” Doyoung asked.
“We would like to do a little test run first before we sign any documents. Just a little trial on the market to see how you would fit in.”
“Uhm, okay.” Donghyuck gulped. “What do you have in mind?”
“How about a duet performance with Trinity’s Mark Lee on his upcoming mixtape?”
“Wait what?” Doyoung blinked repeatedly and Donghyuck dropped his jaw. “Say it again.”
Johnny leaned back in his seat and tapped onto a huge Trinity poster behind him, the one that Donghyuck only noticed now that it was pointed out. Taeyong, Jaehyun and Mark Lee were sitting in thrones, each with a crown on their heads, looking like hip-hop kings of a new empire. Mark’s eyes seemed to tear through the poster and glare at Donghyuck, making his knees weak and his throat tighten.
“This guy.” Johnny grinned. “I’m sure you have heard of him.”
“Of course.” Donghyuck mumbled. He took one last look at the poster and dragged his eyes back to his potential boss.
“And Mark is okay with this?” Doyoung asked.
“Oh he’s more than okay.” Johnny smirked. “In fact, it was his idea.”