Chapter Text
Hangyul was giddy.
He was finally debuting as a member of X1, standing centerstage at the showcase as thousands of fans cheered. It’s absolutely surreal; with (very) humble beginnings, he’s well aware that he was so lucky to be able to hear the deafening fanchants and yells that fill the stadium, cheering him on.
He remembered feeling the same thrill during his first backup dancing gig, except he wasn’t the center of attention, and his job was to merely add to the performance, not star in it. But there was a new sense of exhilaration that he felt. It seemed almost like a dream: like he would soon wake up in his company dorm and have to keep tirelessly working towards his debut.
Although all the members had doubts about their success, Hangyul realized that this debut was a rebirth, a chance to finally prove himself and pay back his parents for all that they’ve done. As the stage opened up for them to finally walk out, the sight of so many supporters holding banners of various colors put him in awe.
Looking to his side, he made eye contact with Seungyoun and they walked out into the light and cheers ahead of them. Hangyul's heart was beating faster than ever, feeling almost like he was going to pass out from excitement.
The majority of the showcase passed by like a blur. Like him, the members were too nervous and too occupied with making a good stage to really remember most of what happened on stage.
Hangyul was basically in the zone when they performed their dances. He remembered the angles and critiques that their instructor told them to perfect. He felt the loud pulsing beats and let them guide his dancing as he let the choreography naturally flow from him.
They were performing U Got It when Hangyul was shook from his concentrated daze. It was Wooseok’s part, followed by Seungyoun’s part, where they were supposed to go back to back and gesture along with their lyrics.
When the dancer snapped his view to the center, he saw Seungyoun break choreography and approach Wooseok. He placed a hand under the visual’s chin, tilting his head to face the rapper’s. The taller male pulled in even closer, keeping eyes locked on Wooseok as he continued his line.
Suddenly all the sound filled Hangyul’s ears again, breaking him from his focus. The fans screamed and cheered even harder after the interaction between the pair, and something about that unsettled the dancer to no end.
A little shaken up after witnessing the moment, Hangyul hurriedly got rid of any trace of shock on his face and went back to being the ‘sexy dancer’ that he’s been labeled as. He didn’t fully fall back into his zone, this time keeping a vigilant eye out on the two people in question as he continued to do the fast paced choreography.
For the entirety of the showcase, he became somewhat hyper aware of any sort of interaction between the two and every time he noticed something, he felt an ugly, nagging feeling at the back of his mind. Still, he tried to keep his smile up for as long as possible, but combined with the ache in his back and the dull pains in his ankle with every move, Hangyul could tell that his smile was slipping.
By the time it was the final song, Hangyul was downright exhausted. Although he felt a little bit displeased with his performance due to getting distracted in the middle of the showcase, the thought that they’ve finally started their journey helped him brush away all of his inhibitions.
As they exited backstage, it was glaringly obvious to Hangyul that the rapper that usually hung around him was absent. A glance ahead showed the male in question with his arm slung around Wooseok as they walked towards their friends who were waiting to send their congrats and gifts.
Frowning, Hangyul stopped in his tracks, taking the time to brood over the situation. Of course, the dancer had developed feelings for Seungyoun over the course of the filming of the Produce X 101. Making the debut lineup was surreal, especially knowing that he’d be debuting with Seungyoun.
It’s only natural that he’s pissed off over what he’s witnessed. Days coming up to the final, the pair of them had actually ended up crossing the lines of friendly skinship. Comfortable hand holding and little nudges here and there had somehow turned into cuddling in the same bed and hurried kisses in hidden alcoves that the cameras didn’t reach.
Due to all the time they never had while filming the show, they were never able to define where they stood. Whenever Hangyul and Seungyoun tried to find the time to sit down and discuss their relationship, they were always interrupted by their hectic training schedule or were filming.
Even after making it into X1 together, they spent so much time with the debut preparations that their relationship status stayed up in the air. On rare occasions that they were in the dorm at the same time, they were usually asleep or in the presence of the other members. It drove Hangyul crazy.
Seungyoun would always find a way to keep up little moments of skinship, although it seemed like in the past few days, the rapper had been distancing himself from Hangyul. And even if it bothered the dancer, he just focused on practicing for the showcase instead. He spent days in the dance room, running through choreographies until he was drenched in sweat and minutes from passing out from exhaustion.
But now, more than ever, with his mind clear after finally making it through the debut showcase, he had the time to worry about his ever so confusing relationship with Seungyoun.
Too lost in his thoughts, he didn’t realize the tall male approaching him from the bustle of staff members and special visitors that crowded the backstage area.
“You good?” Looking up, Jinhyuk stood in front of him, brow raising in concern. “Hangyullie, you just debuted and it looks like someone’s just robbed you of all the good things in life,” the rapper chuckled, reaching his arms out to the other as they quickly hugged.
“Cheer up!” He continued, “It’s your long awaited debut after all!”
Shaking his head with a small smile, the dancer replied, “Sorry hyung, It’s just so overwhelming, and I still can’t believe that it happened.” He didn’t want to seem like he was taking this debut opportunity for granted, especially since he was with Jinhyuk, who had narrowly missed the cut, so he quickly regained his composure and smile.
“I’m just kidding,” Jinhyuk smiles, patting his back comfortingly as the head to the dressing room. “I know how it feels. Reminds me of when I first performed with Up10tion. Debuting feels magical, right?” There was a sad, nostalgic look to Jinhyuk's face, and Hangyul could only imagine how the rapper was feeling in the moment.
“It definitely does, but I feel a little bad because I almost messed up during the performance.” Sighing, he began to walk towards his dressing room, Jinhyuk in tow.
The other looked at him questioningly, replying, “I thought you all did amazing, you especially because I know you’re still injured right now.” It was true, Hangyul was a literal accident in the making, constantly in pain and always reassuring others that he was okay.
Ever since the Unit, he had been struggling with ongoing ankle pains, and getting injured during the move stage made his confidence in dancing even worse. He was afraid of getting majorly injured and then not being able to perform, especially now that he finally made it. As much as the praise from others helped, he still found endless flaws in his performance.
“Okay but I had a full blown wardrobe malfunction on stage because of that stupid shirt! The ribbons unknotted so quickly and I definitely flashed my entire chest and back to thousands of people!” Hangyul groaned, thinking about how by the end of Boyness, it felt like he wasn’t even wearing a shirt. The top had gradually opened up, and the dancer had simply kept going, pretending that it didn't matter.
“You did fine!” Jinhyuk reassured, narrowly dodging a few people as they made their way through. “Besides, you’re the ‘powerful sexy’ guy of the group anyways! You kind of had the same look during the finale too, so don’t sweat it!” Smirking, he continued, “if anything, it probably gained you a whole lot of fans too.” Hangyul didn't even have to look to know that the other was wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“But it’s embarrassing!” Hangyul complained, closing the door to the dressing room. He could already imagine the fans screenshotting the video and making a meme out of his demise.
Hangyul spent quite some time lurking on the internet, looking up fansite photos of himself and also Seungyoun in his free time. For the most part, he saw how people took too much pleasure in making memes and funny videos of the group, which kind of unnerved him but also gave him a lot of well needed laughs in between practice sessions.
“And hyung, the performance didn’t even go to plan!” To think, they rehearsed so many times just for Seungyoun to go and do whatever he wanted when it was performance time. The thought had made Hangyul's blood boil, considering he took their debut very seriously.
At his words, Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes, “What do you mean the performance didn’t go to plan?” Haagyul sighed, looking even more dejected as he had to recall the cursed moment from the showcase.
“The fucking stunt Seungyoun pulled was not part of the choreo at all.” His friend’s eyes widened in interest, leaning in closer to know more. Hangyul assumed it was because of Jinhyuk's focus on Wooseok, who had earned a spot on Hangyul's 'most hated people' list, which now also included Seungyoun as well.
“Really now?”
“Yeah,” Hangyul huffed, “lowkey pissed at that but whatever.” Maybe it was his fault for not being more proactive when it came to making his feelings clear that things got that far.
Jinhyuk nodded, agreeing, “I was actually wondering about that because I didn’t think you guys would be going that far for fanservice.” It was quite hypocritical, considering the show they were on had actual rules that banned excessive skinship, but then had the debut group pump up the interactions.
“Like I had my moment with Seungwoo hyung too,” the dancer started, “but we kept it clean and had a good distance between us.” Groaning as he put his face in his hands, Hangyul continued, “But with Wooseok and Seungyoun, I looked up and they were so close that their mics literally touched.”
Picking up his phone, Jinhyuk quickly checked his schedule before replying. “So are you jealous of Wooseok or something?” Hangyul’s head whipped up, eyes slightly wide after being caught by his friend.
“I mean I guess,” the male shrugged, trying to look as if it didn’t matter much when really, he was absolutely jealous .
Scoffing, his friend replied, “Aren’t you two like dating or something?” He looked over to Hangyul with a questioning look in his eye When the younger did not reply at all, he continued on.
“I mean you and Seungyoun, obviously. I thought you guys were dating ever since Move because we all knew that you two never needed to stay back for ‘extra practice’ when you two were literally the best in the team.”
Hangyul's mouth formed a neat 'o' in realization of who Jinhyuk was referring to. “This is going to sound really tragic, but it was like a thing , you know?” Hangyul said, gesturing to Jinhyuk as if the rapper knew that he was talking about too.
“Like, a friends with benefits kind of thing?” Jinhyuk said, tilting his head to the side in confusion. Making a shocked face, he leaned back in his seat, adding on, “Honestly looked like you two definitely liked each other but if it’s that kind of relationship then I won’t judge.”
Quickly changing out of his outfit and into more comfortable clothes Hangyul answered, “Thing is, I don’t really know where we stand right now, so I don’t know if I’m entitled to be jealous or not.”
“Yikes.”
“I know, right?” Now that the dancer finished changing, he sat down on the little couch next to his friend. “Are you like dating Wooseok then?”
Giving the dancer a tired eye, he responded, “I’ll just say it’s complicated and leave it at that.” At this, they both groaned and sank even deeper into their seat.
“So I guess we both got played by those two,” Hangyul said, whipping out his phone to check on the X1 group chat. “Apparently everyone’s going to split up and do their own thing for the rest of the night because the little ones want to go celebrate with their families.”
Excitedly turning to the dancer, Jinhyuk grabbed Hangyul’s hands, “How about we get back at them and make them jealous?” The male’s eyes were practically sparkling with mischievous glint, reminding him of their shenanigans from their SIXC days.
“I’m down, but what’s the plan though?” Hangyul was honestly tired of all of the teasing and mixed signals that he got from Seungyoun. The elder was perfectly fine being super close with Wooseok and did not have clearing up their relationship status as a priority, so Hangyul felt quite eager for a little bit of revenge.
“Grab dinner with me,” Jinhyuk said, practically shoving his phone in Hangyul’s face. “There’s a new place that just opened up and it’s got 5 star reviews! Let’s go on a super cute date and post a bunch of cute pictures!” That actually sounded like a good idea, considering Hangyul was hungry as hell after all that happened.
Raising a brow, Hangyul replied, “You’re paying right?” Chucking, he added, “I may be in this group now but I still haven’t been paid anything so I’m still just as broke as always.”
“Of course I’m paying! It’s your debut after all!”
Standing up, Hangyul clapped his hands in excitement, “Now that’s what I like to hear!” He fumbled around with his things, stuffing them into his little bag before standing up and pointing at the door, “Well then let’s get some ramen, Hyung!”
The MBK boys were notorious among the rest of the trainees for having a monstrous appetite, especially after Seungwoo had made the mistake of inviting Dohyon to dinner with the ‘already debuted’ squad along with Hangyul. The pair ate so much that it was rare that anyone would fall into the trap of treating the two out ever again. (Aside from Seungyoun if Hangyul asked nicely enough)
Just as the pair of them finished preparing their things and left, the door swung open, revealing the two people they wanted to see the least strolling in, almost attached at the hip. Hangyul and Jinhyuk shared a knowing look at this, before turning back to the others and smiling.
“Hey guys!” Seungyoun smiled, “We were looking for you guys everywhere!” Hangyul noticed that the pair were also in regular clothes, Seungyoun dressed quite nice in a button up with a colorful pattern on it and Wooseok in a plain sweater.
Gesturing at Jinhyuk and Hangyul, Wooseok asked, “What were you two up to then?” In true Wooseok fashion, the smaller male crossed his arms and sent a judgemental eye to them.
“Just talking about the showcase,” the dancer shrugged. “The usual congratulations and comfort, you know?”
Seungyoun threw an arm around Wooseok and playfully asked, “If that’s all it was, then how about we go get dinner? The four of us and maybe other people if we bump into them!” Wooseok nodded in agreement, smiling amicably at them.
Before Hangyul could answer, Jinhyuk took charge, throwing his arm over Hangyul in the same was Seungyoun did earlier to Wooseok, smile almost blinding. “Thanks,” the rapper smirked, “but no thanks.” The other two were shocked at the response, obviously not expecting Jinhyuk to decline.
“No?” Wooseok asked, eyes furrowed in confusion. “Oh,” the visual chuckled, shaking his head as he thought that his labelmate was simply messing with them “Okay jokes aside but we’re going out, right Jinhyuk?”
“Actually, I’m taking Hangyullie on a little ramen date to celebrate his debut!” Pulling the dancer closer to him, he continued, “And not to be mean or anything but I really missed him and we promised to go!” Linking their hands together, Jinhyuk added on, “just the two of us.”
Seungyoun’s eyes narrowed, asking, “Hangyullie, I thought you would be down for dinner tonight?” Seungyoun did offer to take him out to dinner, but he had asked him the night after the finale, making teary eyed promises that Hangyul was surprised the rapper even remembered.
“And when did you get so close?” Wooseok said, slightly strained as he tried to mask his irritation at the situation. The tension in the room was so strong that Hangyul did not dare to
Jinhyuk practically glowed at the question, ready to get his revenge. “I could say the same about you and Seungyoun, Wooseokie.” Heading towards the door, the rapper led Hangyul by their intertwined hands. “Besides, you two should go and have some quality time together because you seemed awfully close onstage.”
Hangyul was honestly at a loss for words, practically caught in the stand off between the elders. Seungyoun had on a tight lipped smile. Like Wooseok, it seemed as if he too was trying to keep up the pretense that he was fine with everything that was happening. The elder’s eyes had snapped towards Hangyul’s seemingly picking up on his slight discomfort about the situation.
“Are you sure you’re okay with that Hangyullie?” Seungyoun had gotten to the door before the pair, slightly blocking their way out. “You’re looking a little unwilling at being dragged around.” Suddenly caring about Hangyul? A shocker for sure. And although it did make the dancer’s heart melt just a bit, a squeeze on his hand from Jinhyuk quickly reminded him that they were in the middle of a revenge plot.
He knew exactly what made Seungyoun weak; what made the elder cave in and agree to buy him food all the time, and that was a cute, soft Hangyul. “I really want to hang out with Jinhyuk hyung though,” Hangyul pouted, “I’ll see you guys all the time for the next couple years, but I won’t be able to see him that much.”
Hangyul didn’t go overboard with the cuteness, because he knew his natural personality and mannerisms were already quite endearing. Anything more, and it would seem too fake and overdone.
Seungyoun’s smile faltered, obviously not expecting the sudden change, hesitation starting to creep into his countenance. For the most part, the younger had always agreed to anything and everything that the elder suggested, and being declined once was more than enough shock for the tall male.
To make things hurt even worse, Hangyul sent a soft smile that made him look like little bunny as he apologized.
“I’m sorry Seungyoun hyung,” He said, gesturing at the door, “but Jinhyuk hyung made a reservation at the restaurant so we need to get going.” With that, Hangyul and Jinhyuk gave the pair sickeningly sweet smiles as they quickly slid out of the room and headed towards the exit, leaving the other two stunned and in the room.
Picking up their pace, the two of them quickly evaded the other people still lingering around backstage, finding the door to the exit as they ventured out into the humid evening air. They walked to a nearby street, waiting for the taxi Jinhyuk called to take them to the ramen shop.
As they stood side by side, the taller male nudged Hangyul, practically giggling, “Reservation huh? That was a good save Hangyullie! And the cute teasing? The cherry on top!” The rapper clapped his hands with glee, beaming, “Did you seek the look on their faces? I wish I took a video for safe keeping!”
Putting his hands in his pockets, Hangyul replied, “Not going to lie, it felt pretty good doing that.” The dancer wasn’t usually someone who seeked revenge, often choosing to forgive and forget as taught by his parents. Still it did feel extremely liberating to make the generally composed Seungyoun seem uncertain and taken aback for once.
“Right? The way Wooseok looked like he was going to slap me but also had to keep up his cool persona was downright hilarious .”
The sound of Jinyuk’s phone going off caused him to check it, and whatever was on the screen made the elder grin wildly. Just then, Hangyul also felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, prompting him to check his phone as well.
It seemed as if Seungyoun had messaged him, message saying, ‘ Hangyullie, where are you??’
“Is it Seungyoun?” Jinhyuk asked, gesturing at the phone in his hands. “Wooseok wants to know where we’re going. The pair they left behind were apparently still very concerned with what they were doing, which meant that the plan was going just as planned.
Hangyul nodded, not taking his eyes off of his phone. “How are you going to answer, hyung?” he honestly didn’t know if he wanted to respond at all, considering he was still quite bitter at Seungyoun for all the emotional turmoil the other had put him in.
“I really don’t know. Do you have any good replies in mind?”
Smirking, Hangyul replied, “how about we leave them on seen?” Seungyoun was used to having his messages instantly replied to, so he would go insane if his messages were intentionally ignored. “I’m done being so whipped for him. I hope he gets a taste of his own medicine.”
“Hangyullie, you’re a genius!” Jinhyuk laughed, dramatically turning his phone off and throwing it in his pocket. “Wooseok is super uptight when it comes to replying fast too.” He sighs happily, “I sure hope he gets angry at me, Wooseokkie is so cute when he’s pissed off.”
Turning to face Hangyul, Jinhyuk reached his hand out to shake the dancer’s hands. “It’s a pleasure working with you, Hangyullie.”
Giving the rapper a firm shake, Hangyul matched his mischievous smile. “Same to you, Jinhyuk hyung.”
The taxi had rolled up to the curb they were standing on, and Jinhyuk waved Hangyul over.
“I think today, revenge is going to be so sweet.”
“Hyung, let’s go break some hearts, shall we?”