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The whole group were mesmerised by Osaki Shotaro.
2020 had been a year where it seemed like things could only get worse, no fan-signs, no concerts and no going home for the foreign members; but a little light named Shotaro appeared in their lives.
And Shotaro, quite literally, did just appear. He was recommended to the company by his dancer teacher; after dancing professionally for years and training for just four months after his audition, he had fast-tracked his way into NCT with his talent.
The members had been brought into a conference room, all 22 of them including Sungchan, who had been confirmed as a new member a few months prior. One by one, all of the members filtered in, Yuta and Taeyong sitting next to each other at the head of the table. Mark pushing Jaehyun out of the way so he could sit on the other side of Yuta.
“So, do we know why we’re all here?” Xuxi spoke up, his loud voice commanding the attention of the rest of the boys.
“You know what I know, I got told the same as Kun.” Taeyong said, reaching his arms above his head with a little shrug.
“Think it’s about a new unit?” Mark asked, slight worry on his face.
“If it is, we know who’ll be debuting.” Johnny let out a loud laugh and a couple of the other guys snorted, earning a whine out of Mark.
A door opening gained all their attention, all 22 heads turned swiftly to see a few of their managers and one of the members of the board, and soon all 22 of those heads were bowing as they stood to greet them.
Jaehyun sat patiently, not any less eager to hear what was going to be said, he looked over to Yuta who was quite obviously not paying attention and picking his nails, a habit that Jaehyun would scold him for it if he was sat closer.
“We’ve asked you all here today to tell you about a new addition to your group.” The board member spoke, Jaehyun didn’t know him but knew he had a something to do with artist management.
Most of the members looked over to Sungchan who was seated next to YangYang, he shrugged and looked back towards the man speaking.
“So obviously, you all know about Sungchan, and he was supposed to be the only new member but things have changed.” The man paused for a moment, and Taeyong leaned forward in his chair, eager to hear what was coming next. “We had a professional dancer audition last year, he’s worked with big acts in his hometown and he’s going to debut with you for NCT2020.”
Noise increased in the room, questions being tossed everywhere, Jaehyun stayed quiet, knowing that the answers would soon find them if they let the man speak.
“His name’s Osaki Shotaro and-”
“Osaki?” Yuta interrupted, taking a break from playing footsie under the table with Mark. “That’s-”
“Japanese, yes, Yuta. Shotaro is the second Japanese member to join NCT.”
Cheers and chatter broke out amongst them, Yuta sat in shock for a moment, not quite believing they were introducing somebody from his native country, something they hadn’t done before or after Yuta, until now.
-
“I’m adopting him.” Yuta said over breakfast, today the 127 members were meeting Shotaro for the first time since him joining the company.
As to not overwhelm the younger, their managers had decided it best if he meets the groups one by one, their group being first.
Although, Yuta had already had more contact with the newest member than the rest of them.
“It’s not fair that you already got to meet him.” Jungwoo said with a pout before shovelling rice into his mouth.
“I’m Japanese?” Yuta said with a glare.
“We’re well aware, babe.” Jaehyun laughed and popped a piece of melon into Yuta’s mouth.
“So it’s only right that I got to meet him first, even if it was over FaceTime.” He said munching on the fruit.
The call in question, happened the week Shotaro moved to Korea, feeling overwhelmed and alone, he reached out to Yuta with an iMessage game.
Apparently, Shotaro begged one of the staff members to give him Yuta’s number, seemingly he put on the puppy eyes and faked a tear or two. It worked, and now he and Yuta texted everyday.
“Taro’s excited to meet you guys, too.”
“Not only did you get to speak to him first, you’ve even given him a nickname?” Mark whined, bringing some water over to the table before sitting on Yuta’s lap, earning a hard scowl from Jaehyun, who proceeded to push Mark off and onto his own spot on the bench.
“Yes. Taro is my baby now, you have to get used to it.” Yuta beamed, uncaring of the pout Mark was sporting. Jaehyun snorted and gave the younger a fake look of dismay.
“Anyway, you all have to be on your best behaviour today, I’ve told Yong that if you give him a bad first impression that you’ll all have to 100 squats tomorrow at practice.”
“Like we’d do that.” Jaehyun swatted Yuta’s arm before stretching and letting out a growl-like noise that he always did in the mornings. Yuta tickled his belly where his happy trail was exposed.
“Nng, don’t.” Jaehyun groaned, slapping his hand away but Yuta just moved it to his crotch instead.
“God I wish I lived on the 5th floor.” Taeil looked on from where he stood by the fridge, in direct view of Yuta and Jaehyun.
“Hyung can we move out? Taeyong will listen to you.” Jungwoo fake gagged when he saw what was happening on the opposite side of the table.
Yuta laughed and settled for putting his arm around Jaehyun’s waist while the flustered younger shoved more fruit in his mouth.
“You’re disgusting, how is this even allowed.” Taeil muttered and proceeded to get juice out of the fridge, passing it to Mark who grimaced at the couple beside him.
The group hurried to finish breakfast and get ready, Yuta forcing them to speed up after he got ready at lightning speed in order to not be late to meet their newest member.
Pushing them through the elevator doors and pressing the ground floor button multiple times as if it would speed up their journey downstairs, Yuta tapped his foot impatiently.
“Yukkuri are you nervous?” Jaehyun whispered, grabbing Yuta’s clammy hand, trying to calm him down a little.
“I just want him to know we care about him.” Yuta looked back at Jaehyun with worried eyes.
“He already knows, you’ve been so caring towards him and we’ll all do exactly the same.” Jaehyun reassured him.
Yuta nodded, the elevator dinging bringing him out of his worry. The boys stepped out, greeting the other members who were waiting for them.
They reached the company building in no time and they were right on schedule thanks to Yuta’s perfect time keeping. The 9 of them travelled up to the practice rooms where they were set to meet Shotaro, the staff thinking the neutral space would help them all feel more comfortable than a conference room.
Opening the door and finding the room empty, Yuta let out a sigh of relief knowing they hadn’t kept the younger boy waiting.
Some of the members took up residence on the sofa, others choosing to sit by the mirrors, Yuta stayed standing, picking at his nails with fervour.
“Babe, it’s gonna be great, I promise.” Jaehyun stayed by his side, giving him a reassuring smile, placing the hand that Yuta was picking at in his own, earning a scowl from the hand owner.
Some minutes later, Shotaro opened the door, heads turned to look and he smiled brightly, bowing as he entered.
Yuta looked to Jaehyun who gave him a dimpled smile and a squeeze. Yuta smiled back sweetly and made his way towards Shotaro.
“Taro!” He grinned, Shotaro smiling even wider when he saw the elder. Yuta opened up his arms and pulled Shotaro into an embrace, the younger finding comfort quickly.
“Yuta-san!”
It was clear to all of the others that Shotaro was very excited to finally meet Yuta in person, so they waited their turn to greet him.
“How are you? Are they treating you well?” Yuta spoke in Japanese, breaking away from the younger but holding his hands as he lead him over to the sofa.
“Should we not speak in Korean?” Shotaro asked, sitting down next to Yuta.
“No baby it’s fine, they’ll figure it out.” Yuta laughed.
Shotaro shook his head with a smile, dropping Yuta’s hands and waving to the others who were settling down around him.
“I’m excited to meet you all, thank you for welcoming me into the group.” He spoke in a higher pitch when speaking in Korean, Yuta noticed.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Shotaro.” Taeyong sat on the arm of the sofa next to him, giving him a little rub on his shoulder.
Jaehyun had slunk down next to Yuta, giving Mark a small glare as the younger tried to sit in between the couple.
After first introductions and getting to know Shotaro, with Yuta cutting in and translating whenever Shotaro looked at him for guidance, one of their managers came in, telling them to go get something to eat.
Taeyong had decided on behalf of the group that Yuta and Jaehyun should take Shotaro out to eat and Yuta happily agreed.
Jumping in the back of the managers car, Jaehyun tried to slide in next to Yuta, who obviously shooed him to the passenger seat.
“I’ll sit here with Taro, you sit in front.” Jaehyun just laughed and took his given seat.
On the short journey to the Japanese restaurant Yuta picked out, him and Shotaro had their own conversations, leaving Jaehyun to his own devices, only picking up little parts of their conversation from his limited Japanese knowledge.
“Are you and Jaehyun a couple?” Shotaro asked, Jaehyun’s ears perked up at this.
“Why do you ask?” Yuta responded, his voice light and happy.
“The way you look at him is different from the rest, your eyes look different.”
“Different?” Yuta asked, he twisted in his seat to face Shotaro.
“Like you’re in love.” Shotaro grinned, his eyes smiling too.
“Ah, I had a feeling you’d say that.” Yuta laughed and looked to Jaehyun, who had turned his head at the word ‘love’.
“So are you?” Shotaro asked, trying to get an answer to his burning question.
“We’ve been together over 2 years now.” Yuta smiled, his eyes locking with Jaehyun who shared the same expression.
Shotaro smiled too, satisfied with finally getting his answer. “I knew it.”
Yuta laughed and unplugged his seatbelt as the engine of the car stopped, signalling their arrival.
“Come on you two.” He said in Korean, opening the door and hurrying them both out.
The trio walked into the warm, dimly lit restaurant, soft music playing and the aromas from the kitchen filling their noses.
“This is where I come when I miss home.” Yuta smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
Yuta missed home often, and although he cooked food from his native country a lot, there was something different about coming to this restaurant in particular.
Jaehyun put an arm round his shoulder and squeezed gently, Yuta looked up at him and gave a sad smile, but quickly put on a confident appearance when the hostess welcomed them.
Sitting down at their table, Yuta didn’t even bother with menus and ordered right away for all three of them. Jaehyun laughed and took out his phone to take some photos of the pair opposite him, the two deep in conversation again.
“Do you get homesick a lot? I’ve only been here a few weeks and I’m already feeling it.” Shotaro’s usual bright face dimmed slightly, causing Yuta to put his arm around him.
“Not often, I’m usually too busy to get homesick. I always make time to call my mom, FaceTime my friends back home and come to authentic restaurants like this one.” He gestured around the semi-busy restaurant.
“Does it get lonely? I know you have the members but being a foreigner, is it hard?” Shotaro was asking the deep questions, ones that Yuta rarely got asked. But Yuta could see the worry in the younger boys eyes, he needed to reassure him that what he was feeling was completely normal.
“I used to get really lonely, during my training days I found it so hard to interact with the other trainees, it wasn’t just the language barrier but the cultural differences too. Sure there were other foreigners but none of them were Japanese. I felt lonely a lot.”
“And now?” Shotaro asked.
“Now I don’t get lonely, I don’t miss home as much. I have Jaehyun, he’s my home now.” Yuta switched to Korean, beaming at the man in front of him whose dimpled cheeks and beautiful smile brought him so much happiness. “And I have you now, and you will always have me.” He turned back to face Shotaro, the younger smiling at his response.
The three of them chatted and ate comfortably, Yuta translating and helping Shotaro with the language barrier between him and Jaehyun. He spoke well for somebody who had only been learning the language for a short time, Jaehyun was impressed.
“I hope I can always come to you and Jaehyun.” Shotaro said softly, looking between the pair. “You’ve been such a comfort today, thank you.”
“No need to thank us, Taro. We’ll always be here for you, we’ll help you as much as we can.” Jaehyun spoke, reaching out to pat Shotaro’s small hand.
“Hey! Taro’s my nickname for him!” Yuta called out, pouting at his lover.
“Shush, we can both call him it, I think I’ve earned it trying to piece together your conversations!” Jaehyun pouted back, giving him an empty glare.
“I like it, I’m happy for you both to call me Taro.” The youngest of them interrupted, giving him their input but Yuta pouted even harder.
“Fine, but anything else I call him is mine!”
Jaehyun blocked his mouth from Yuta’s view with his other hand, whispering to Shotaro. “He’s always this dramatic, you’ll get used to it.” Jaehyun winked.
Yuta laughed aloud and smiled at the pair. Seeing them interact made him feel warm, Jaehyun took so well to the new member even despite the language barrier. It made Yuta feel as though they really were welcoming Shotaro into their family, almost feeling like a proud parent when Shotaro joked along with Jaehyun in Korean.
The three of them vacated the restaurant and took their car back to the company building where they dropped Shotaro off.
“Call me if you need me.” Jaehyun said, bringing the smaller boy into a bear hug and smoothing his hair down.
“Thank you for such a fun day, I hope we have more like this.” Shotaro looked up and smiled.
“Of course, you’re one of us now.” Jaehyun matched his grin and let go, giving Yuta a chance to embrace him, which he did immediately.
“Text me when you’re back at the dorms, make sure to rest well, we ate a lot so don’t go doing too much this evening, okay?” Yuta held his head against his chest, feeling Shotaro giggle into him.
“I won’t, I’ll relax and probably play video games with Sungchan, he’s gonna lose but maybe I’ll let him win a few rounds.” Shotaro said, giggling again.
They finished off their goodbyes and the couple returned to their car and sat in the back quietly holding hands until they got to their dorm building.
For the rest of the evening, the pair watched Yuta’s favourite anime movies. The suggestion was Jaehyun’s, he wanted to continue the good day into the night, letting his boyfriend enjoy his favourite things as they lounged on the sofa, Yuta’s body between Jaehyun’s legs with his head on his chest.
With a few yawns here and there, the pair decided it best to get some rest, they were almost falling asleep during the movie. Jaehyun led Yuta to his room where Taeil was already sleeping.
Undressing and getting ready for bed with their skincare routines, they slipped under the sheets and Jaehyun brought his love into his arms, Yuta’s head laying on his broad chest.
“Thank you for today.” Yuta said quietly, his voice filled with fatigue.
“The person that needs to be thanked is you, Yukkuri. I know Taro had a great day just like I did. You made getting to know him a lot easier.” Jaehyun ran his fingers up and down Yuta’s back, earning a shiver or two.
“I just know how he feels, you know? I don’t want him to feel alone or scared. Worried that he’s not fitting in or doing well enough. I went through so much to get to this point, I don’t want him to struggle the same as I did.” Yuta’s tired voice was getting emotional.
“With you by his side, I’m sure he won’t have to. You’re amazing, Yukkuri. Every day I’m in awe of how beautiful you and your soul are.” Jaehyun spoke so softly, his words and tone such a comfort to a tired Yuta.
“I’m just trying my best.”
“And your best is always more than enough. I’m so proud of you, you’ve been through a lot over the years and you get even more incredible every day.”
“Yuno.” Yuta lifted his head to pout at Jaehyun’s soppiness.
“I am! I know Shotaro feels so lucky to have you, just like I do.”
“And I’m lucky to have you, getting me through bad days for years, making me a better person and everything else.” Yuta lay his head back on Jaehyun’s chest.
“You’ve done all of that on your own, I’m just like a free gift you get in magazines.” Jaehyun laughed.
Yuta softly slapped his shoulder. “Oh stop it.” Yuta huffed. “You mean the world to me.”
“I know.” Jaehyun said confidently, Yuta glared but he couldn’t see. “Because you mean the world to me too.”
A comfortable silence took over them, Yuta just listening to Jaehyun’s steady heartbeat and Jaehyun playing with Yuta’s messy hair. They stayed silent for a while, both taking in the day and blissfully thinking about each other.
Yuta started to drift off, his breath on Jaehyun’s chest getting deeper, a signal of the elder falling asleep.
“Goodnight, baby. I love you.” Jaehyun whispered, unsure if Yuta was actually still conscious.
“G’night, love you.” He muttered back, his voice drowsy and almost incoherent.
“Best thing about this world is you, my love.” Jaehyun spoke softer now, sleep chasing him now too. He held Yuta tighter and pressed a kiss to the top of his head, loving how close they were.
The pair fell asleep listening to each others breathing and heartbeats, basking in the love and happiness they both shared for one another, and silently thanking the universe for bringing them together, for letting them love each other.