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Of all the crazy things Han Sanghyuk could have imagined in his newfound life as a member of VIXX, he never pictured something quite like this.
He stood at the doorway to the living room, quietly taking in the scene before him. It was, for lack of a better word, astonishing.
The rest of the members were lounging about. Hakyeon and Jaehwan had taken residence on opposite sides of the couch, each of them leaning back into the arms. Hakyeon’s arms were wrapped around a fuzzy black pillow and his and Jaehwan’s gazes were set on Hongbin and Wonshik in front of them. Both were trying to hold back their laughter.
Wonshik was standing, holding an overturned glass that at one point had been filled with water. His face was one of smug glee as he looked down at Hongbin, who was splayed along the ground. Hongbin was glaring up at Wonshik, using his arms to lean as far back as he could to hold his friend’s gaze. He looked distinctly un-amused, hair and shirt dripping wet. From the look on his face, one could assume that he was silently planning Wonshik’s slow and painful demise.
Taekwoon was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn’t what caused Sanghyuk to pause and seriously re-evaluate his current mental state.
“Is... Is that a tail?” Sanghyuk asked, voice soft in disbelief.
They all jumped, looking at him with wide eyes. A few tense seconds passed before everything exploded into chaos.
Wonshik threw the empty glass towards Jaehwan, who nearly dropped it in his scramble to get off the couch. They frantically threw themselves in front of Hongbin, attempting to look as clam and nonchalant as possible.
Hakyeon leaped towards Sanghyuk, clutching the pillow tighter to his chest, a serene smile spread across his face. “What are you talking about Sanghyukkie?”
Sanghyuk didn’t reply, choosing instead to silently point at the boy half-hidden behind Wonshik and Jaehwan. Hakyeon looked back, letting out a squeak at the sight of a navy-white colored fin poking out from behind Wonshik’s back— said rapper immediately threw himself in front of it, lying down on his side, looking like some parody of a model.
“Come on, don’t be ridiculous,” Jaehwan laughed. It sounded forced.
Hongbin nodded, almost too enthusiastically. “You’re probably just tired. In fact, we’ve all had a long day.”
“A-And we’ve got an early schedule tomorrow,” Wonshik stammered. “Why don’t you head off to bed, huh?
“Y-yes. Everyone should get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow and we need to take advantage of any opportunity to rest.” Hakyeon laid his hand on Sanghyuk’s shoulder. His gentle urging easily maneuvered Sanghyuk back toward the bedroom, he was still in a state of numb shock.
It was at that moment that Sanghyuk’s eyes fell on the pillow in Hakyeon’s arms and Hakyeon felt him freeze.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why are you—? Uh, why is there a—”For once his life words were failing him. “Is that? Is that a— a cat?”
Both Hakyeon and Sanghyuk looked down at the form clutched in his arms. Both of their eyes went wide, Hakyeon’s in surprise and Sanghyuk’s in barely restrained panic.
Sure enough, happily cradled in Hakyeon’s arms, was not a fuzzy pillow, but a black cat. It lifted its head, sensing Sanghyuk’s stare, and coolly gazed back. Its wide golden eyes were intense. In fact, Sanghyuk thought that glare seemed incredibly familiar, though he couldn’t place why.
Before Hakyeon could even attempt to explain, the cat jumped out of his grasp. It landed gracefully on the hardwood floor of the dorm, barely making a sound, and made its way to the now unoccupied couch. It sat on the cushion, curling its tail around itself before giving what could only be described as an expectant look.
“No,” Hakyeon said.
Sanghyuk thought, rather hysterically, that if cats could roll their eyes, then it would look awfully similar to what he was seeing now.
“Don’t you dare,” Hakyeon warned. The feline’s stare became markedly more rebellious.
Sanghyuk swallowed back a surprised yelp as the cat’s form began to change, morphing into something much bigger, broader, and distinctly human. Soon enough, sitting in the cat’s place, wearing his signature stoic façade was none other than one Jung Taekwoon.
Sanghyuk’s eyes widened impossibly further, mouth gaping open, barely able to form a coherent thought.
“Jung Taekwoon!” Hakyeon exclaimed, spinning on his heels to completely face him. Taekwoon remained coolly impassive. “What possessed you to pull that stunt now? Of all the times—“
“Whoa. You ok there, Hyukkie?” Wonshik cut in, his voice even and gentle, as if dealing with a spooked animal. The others watched as he slowly stood up, making his way towards a panicking Sanghyuk. This seemed like the wrong move, as Sanghyuk’s gaze immediately flashed to what the other had been hiding behind him.
There was most definitely a long navy-white fish tail and it was most definitely coming from Hongbin, Sanghyuk though hysterically as he took a breath, and another, and then again: all of them coming in quick, shallow pants.
“Hyukkie, relax, you need to breathe.” He looked up at their leader, breathing somehow growing even more ragged. Hakyeon firmly rested both hands on the younger’s shoulders, giving him a soft shake. “You’re going to pass out,” he said, concern starkly evident.
But it was too late. Sanghyuk could already see the darkness slipping into the edges of his vision. He barely felt himself falling forward, Hakyeon instantly catching his weight.
His last coherent thought before giving into the sweet relief of unconsciousness was how piercing and ethereal Hakyeon looked with grey eyes.
++++++
Some time later Sanghyuk gradually rose back into the world of awareness. He hesitated to open his eyes, deciding to take stock of what had just happened and try to make sense of it all.
First, Hakyeon was currently sporting slate-grey eyes: that was the least of his worries.
Second, Hongbin was now half fish: which was mildly more concerning.
Third, Taekwoon was apparently a cat (a rather judgmental cat, but a cat nonetheless): this was a little more concerning than Hongbin being a Little Mermaid rip-off.
Fourth: The other’s reactions seemed to imply that this was perfectly normal. Therefore, they had all known already.
Sanghyuk buried his face back into his pillow with a pained groan. He honestly wasn’t sure what to think about it all this, it was making his head hurt.
For the sake of his own sanity, he decided to set aside the situation for now. This meltdown-waiting-to-happen could wait until he wasn’t scrambling about trying to memorize lyrics and perfect their choreography (or just avoid getting scolded in general; that incident in the recording studio still stung, even now).
Was it the smartest decision? Probably not, but Sanghyuk was not really in the mood to care this early in the morning.
Shaking off the feeling, Sanghyuk proceeded to make his way out of bed. He grabbed the thick, colorful woven blanket he’d been wrapped in and threw it over his shoulders. He was alone, and a quick peak into the main room showed it to be empty as well. He wondered where the others were.
With his rather... dramatic (to say the least) reaction to last night’s events, he wasn’t sure if he was ready to face the rest of the members at the moment. Hakyeon was sure to go into “overprotective parent” mode and would most likely drag Wonshik and Jaehwan into coddling him, Hongbin would spout some type of sass as per the norm, and Taekwoon would probably be somewhere off to the side, silently judging them all.
He quietly emerged from the bedroom. The sun had not yet risen completely, causing the room to only just be illuminated enough to be visible. The blanket dragged along the ground in his wake, but he paid it no mind. He paused upon reaching the bathroom and took a moment to gather his thoughts.
Maybe the others were right. What he saw last night was just the exhaustion of the day (or past few days, if he was being perfectly honest), kicking in. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Hakyeon was still their supportive, if sometimes overbearing, leader and dancer, brown eyes and all. Hongbin was still their stout-legged visual and Taekwoon was still their cool, chic, human, main vocal.
After all, mermaids, transforming cats, and randomly changing eye colors were all things straight out of fairy tales and fantasies; things that didn’t happen in real life.
Because they couldn’t.
They were stories, make-believe.
Things that weren’t real.
Complete and utter bullshit.
With those thoughts in mind, Sanghyuk tightened his grip on the blanket, wrapping it tighter around his shoulders. He yanked the bathroom door open and expected to go about his usual morning way.
Instead he came face to face with a certain bubbly main vocalist at the sink, presumably getting himself ready for the grueling day to come. Jaehwan sported a wide-eyed startled expression; hand over his heart, most likely having been suprised from Sanghyuk’s abrupt entrance. However, that was not what made Sanghyuk freeze in his tracks.
There was currently a tub of toothpaste floating a few inches above Jaehwan’s head.
In fact, Sanghyuk could also see a toothbrush, a comb, and a bottle of mouthwash hovering as well.
All of the objects were serenely suspended in mid-air, outlined by a white glow. As if it were a normal occurrence for inanimate objects to do so.
Sanghyuk was so focused on the innocently levitating objects that he hadn’t realized Jaehwan desperately taking both of his shoulders. He was franticly pleading, begging him to pass out again. “Please don’t,” he whimpered. “You scared the shit out of everyone last night. You just dropped like a rock, we’d thought you’d died.”
Sanghyuk snapped back to reality, jerking away from Jaehwan’s grip. He barely had the chance to process the deeply hurt look on the elder’s face as he stepped back into blanket and lost his balance. He scrambled for something, anything, to break his fall, but he was so tangled that he couldn’t get his arms free.
He closed his eyes, preparing himself for a very painful meeting with the floor.
Suddenly, everything stopped. Sanghyuk could hear the sharp crack of plastic hitting the ground, quickly followed by the dull thump of a bottle. He could feel a warm, tingly sensation spread through his entire body, almost like a pleasant buzz. It was rather nice actually. But this mysterious sensation wasn’t what had Sanghyuk incredibly confused.
It had been a few seconds since his rather ungraceful fall, but his date with the cold unforgiving hardwood floor had yet to occur.
He slowly cracked opened an eye, waiting to see if the action would somehow be the precursor to a rather painful end. When nothing happened, he opened the other eye.
He was staring at the ceiling from an odd angle, one that would not have been naturally possible from a standing or lying position. Sanghyuk was confused— very, very confused. Luckily, he didn’t have to wonder for long, as he got his answer when he looked out of the corner of his eye.
The floor was a good few feet underneath him. Either gravity had decided to take pity on his poor soul or something, someone, was keeping him afloat.
The realization caused a startled squeak to escape his throat. His eyes roamed across the room, trying to find the reason behind his body’s spontaneous decision to give the laws of physics the middle finger. Eventually, his gaze landed on Jaehwan.
Jaehwan’s arm was stretched out, open hand pointed towards Sanghyuk and surrounded in a white glow. It was the same glow that previously surrounded the floating bathroom supplies. His face was carved into a look of pure concentration, the most serious look Sanghyuk had ever seen on his face.
The next few seconds were tense and silent. Jaehwan slowly brought his arm down, causing Sanghyuk’s body to follow, settling onto the ground with barely a sound. The glow around his body dimmed and the buzzing sensation died down as Sanghyuk carefully sat up. Jaehwan’s hand remained in the air, as if making sure the youngest member was completely out of danger. Eventually, he allowed his arm to fall limp, the glow fading from his hand as he did so.
Both stared at each other in silence. The only sound came from the shuffling of Sanghyuk’s blanket as he pulled it tighter around himself, unconsciously attempting to hide away from Jaehwan’s gaze.
Jaehwan abruptly broke into a bright smile. “Good morning, Sanghyukkie. How nice of you to drop in,” he said.
He blinked, unable to believe it; Jaehwan was just going to act as if nothing had happened. As if everything was perfectly normal, everything was a-ok.
The entire situation was overwhelming and Sanghyuk’s poor mental state just couldn’t handle it anymore. He started laughing: loud, hard and uncontrollably.
The harsh noise spooked Jaehwan, who flinched at the hysterical outburst. He reached out to try and calm him, but Sanghyuk jerked back again, more violently this time. (It hurt Jaehwan even more). He was at a loss for what to do.
“Hakyeon hyung!” He was desperate and scared and he wanted Sanghyuk to stop. “Hyung, help!”
There was a muffled thump from outside bathroom, followed by a quick succession of steps. Hakyeon burst in, barely stopping the door from slamming into the wall behind it. His sleep clothes looked bedraggled and disheveled. The leader was about to demand an explanation when he saw, and heard, the reason. He took in the sight of the Sanghyuk’s hunched form, the desperate edge to his laughter, before practically throwing himself at his side.
Ignoring Sanghyuk’s protests, Hakyeon pulled the youngest into his embrace, tucking his head under his chin and wrapping one arm around his back. His other hand was soothingly stroking his head, tenderly running through the soft strands of black hair.
“Shhh, Hyukkie. It’s ok. It’s ok baby.”
When that didn’t seem to calm him, Hakyeon began to hum, letting the sound rumble deep in his chest. That seemed to work, as Sanghyuk’s laughter gradually began to lose its volume and intensity until all that remained were quiet gasps.
“That’s it. There we go, just calm down ok? Everything is all right.”
Sanghyuk unconsciously curled into Hakyeon’s form, clenching his eyes shut and clutching onto the back of his sleep shirt. The rhythmic sensation of Hakyeon’s petting, coupled with the steady beat of his heart and the buzz of his voice gave Sanghyuk something to focus on, something to ground himself.
Hakyeon took the opportunity to carefully adjust the blanket, making sure it was securely tucked around Sanghyuk’s shoulders before replacing his arm around his back, lightly resting his cheek on the top of his head.
“Hyung, I think I’m loosing,” Sanghyuk whispered.
“No.” Hakyeon hummed, voice still low and soft. “No. You’re not.”
“But last night I saw— and, and now with the— It just doesn’t make sense.“
“I know. I know, Sanghyukkie.”
He whimpered. “What’s going on?”
Sanghyuk could feel just as much as hear Hakyeon’s deep sigh “Something that we should have explained a long time ago.”
Sanghyuk went to ask what that meant when he felt someone take his free hand, soothingly massaging small circles on the back of it. He opened his eyes to see that Jaehwan had taken a seat next them, anxiously watching.
“You ok?” he asked, though he could see Sanghyuk was far from ok.
Sanghyuk didn’t bother to answer. He shook his head, not moving his ear from Hakyeon’s chest, before closing his eyes once again. He did, however, curl his hand around Jaehwan’s fingers; his hold was tight and shaky.
“We’ll explain everything, I promise,” Hakyeon mumbled, exchanging glances with Jaehwan before looking towards the open bedroom door. The remaining members of stood the doorway, most likely having been awakened from the commotion. Hakyeon motioned them over with a flick of his head.
“Hyung?” He felt Hakyeon pull his trembling form a little closer.
“There are things in this world Sanghyukkie, that you don’t know about. But that’s ok,” Hakyeon cooed, “We’ll explain everything. No more secrets. I promise.”
+++++
With a few careful motions from Hakyeon, Sanghyuk eventually found himself firmly planted on the couch. The leader remained by him, choosing to settle his arms around his shoulders. The rest were scattered across the various furniture: Taekwoon and Jaehwan curled up on the single seats, Wonshik on the short table directly in front of the couch, and Hongbin sitting on the floor, leaning back on Wonshik’s legs.
Hakyeon carefully surveyed them all; everyone was in various stages of nervousness and apprehension. “Are you sure you want to do this now Sanghyukkie?” he questioned. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
Sanghyuk breathed shakily. “No, I-I want to do it now.” He shook off Hakyeon’s arm, causing the blanket to slip off in the process. He looked back with what he hoped was an even gaze. He was pretty sure the slight shake to his voice gave him away though. “As least, before I convince myself I’m losing it again anyways.”
Hakyeon looked at him for a few seconds longer, trying to make sure that the Sanghyuk was truly set on this. Seeing no signs pointing otherwise, he gave in, taking a deep breath to try and steady his racing heart.
“Ok. If you’re sure,” Hakyeon said, resting both of his hands of his lap and gently fidgeting with the fabric of his sleep pants. “But before I go on, I need to warn you. Everything you hear must be kept between us. For right now no one else can know.” He regarded him with gravity, trying to make him understand just how serious the following conversation was about to become. “No one.”
Sanghyuk felt a chill run down his spine. He glanced at the rest from the corner of his eye. They were all staring at him as if he were some particularly interesting animal on display. It felt like he was some kind of outsider, someone who didn’t belong.
Sanghyuk swallowed, sitting up a little straighter before looking back to their leader. “I understand.”
A thick silence fell upon the VIXX dorm. No one moved; no one seemed to even breathe.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Hakyeon carefully folded his hands, closing his eyes as he did so. Sanghyuk’s hands unconsciously twisted into the blanket.
“Right. So I’m sure you’ve been aware of certain bizarre things happening around the dorm, even back when it was ten of us,” he began. This wasn’t anything new; Sanghyuk had noticed this within a few days of his arrival. “They were little things; Taekwoon disappearing throughout the day, Hongbin almost having a hernia whenever he got wet, and such.” Hakyeon paused, taking a moment to flick his eyes towards the rest for the members. “See, all those little quirks have their purpose. It’s the only way we can protect ourselves.
Sanghyuk, whose shaking had calmed somewhat and was now fervently engrossed in the conversation, seemed a little taken aback. His head tilted to one side, an expression of child-like confusion gracing his young face. “I… I don’t get it. Why would you need to do that?”
Hakyeon sighed exhaustedly. Sanghyuk couldn’t tell if it was because him or because of the situation in general. “You have to understand, Hyukkie. The world isn’t kind to those who fall outside of what society considers normal. So you can only imagine how it would react to those who go beyond that and into the realm of the impossible.” He looked back down at Sanghyuk was met by a face that had grown even more confused.
Oh, what he wouldn’t give to not have this conversation; he had hoped to keep him away from it all. Sanghyuk was still so young, practically a baby still, and he was about to be dragged into something that he never should have been involved in.
But the boy before him was clever, quietly observing his elders and sucking up new information like a sponge. It was only a matter of time before he noticed. Hakyeon just hoped that he was making the right decision about telling him.
“Sanghyukkie, what are you feelings on fairy tales?”
Sanghyuk seemed surprised by the question and took a moment to articulate his answer. “Well, uhm, they’re nice but they’re make-believe, I guess. You know… stuff that isn’t real.”
Hakyeon closed his eye with a rueful smile. “ I see,” he hummed, “but what if I told you that there is some truth to those stories. That they’re much more then just make-believe.”
“W-What?” Sanghyuk breathed, not understanding. “What do you mean?” Then Hakyeon eyes snapped open and Sanghyuk’s breath caught in his throat.
Instead of their usual dark, warm brown, they were grey; an otherworldly slate-grey that seemed to cut into his very being. The very same slate-grey he had seen just the night before.
“We’re not exactly what you’d consider normal,” Hakyeon said. “In fact, we’re almost unreal.” Sanghyuk watched, mouth gaping in awe, as a pair of pure white wings slowly unfurled from behind Hakyeon, stretching as wide as they could go.
“So, first thing’s first,” Hakyeon smiled. “Sanghyuk, what exactly do you know about angels?”
++++++
By the end of the next hour of explanation Sanghyuk could only stare; the blind panic had been overtaken by stupefied disbelief (he was pretty sure it happened around the moment Taekwoon had mumbled that unicorns were indeed real). His hands rested limply on his lap and his expression of panic and unease had morphed into firm incredulity.
“So, to recap,” he said as he massaged his temples. “All of you are some kind of magical creature supernatural being… thing, and the rest of humanity isn’t supposed to know about it or else we’d risk worldwide chaos and panic.”
“Pretty much, yeah,” Jaehwan piped up.
Sanghyuk groaned, covering his eyes with his hands. “What did I do to deserve this? What horrible thing did I do to deserve this insanity in my life?” he whispered.
“You’re...taking this awfully well,” Wonshik said hesitantly. “Considering what happened earlier.”
“I’m so baffled by what you guys dumped on me that I’m beyond panicking at this point.” He dropped his hands, grabbing the thick blanket and re-wrapping it around himself. The others were relieved to note that there was no desperation in the action, only the natural urge to feel something warm.
“So, just to make sure I’m getting this right,” Sanghyuk began, pointing at each member in turn. “Jaehwan hyung is a fairy. Like he is legitimately Tinkerbell, only bigger and noisier.” He actively ignored the vocalist’s indignant squawk. “Taekwoon hyung is a shapeshifter, he can turn into anything he wants.” The older vocalist nodded, crossing his arms as he did so. “Hongbin hyung is essentially useless.”
“Watch it, brat,” Hongbin interrupted. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Sanghyuk stared. “Hyung, you’re a mermaid—”
“Merman!”
“—Who can’t swim. You are literally half fish and you sink like a rock. If I weren’t so overwhelmed by all this right now I’d be questioning how in the world you survived growing up.”
Hongbin looked as if he were about to leap towards and strangle him right then and there. Sanghyuk’s only saving grace was Wonshik, who rested a firm hand on his friend’s shoulder.
“Then,” Sanghyuk continued, sounding even more exhausted than before. “Hakyeon-hyung is a literal angel. An actual white-robed, plucking a harp, halo-over-the-head angel.” Hakyeon rolled his eyes at his dramatics, wings twitching in exasperation. “And you,” Sanghyuk paused, shaking his finger at Wonshik indignantly, “are apparently some type of dragon.”
“Half-dragon,” Wonshik calmly corrected.
Sanghyuk’s eyes narrowed, “Half, full, however much; I’m distinctly seeing a lack of wings. Or fangs. Or scales.”
“I didn’t exactly inherit those genes,” Wonshik shrugged. “But I can do this.”
Wonshik closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He held it in for a few seconds before tilting his head up and harshly blowing the air out. Or, at least, that’s what Sanghyuk was expecting.
Instead, a large stream of glowing red flame emerged from his mouth, just short of reaching the roof.
“Wonshik, what have I told you about fire-breathing in the dorm.” Hakyeon scolded tiredly. Sanghyuk had the feeling this was an astonishingly common occurrence. “If the roof gets scorched again, I will not hesitate to make you clean it yourself.”
It was a testament to how very done Sanghyuk was with the situation that he merely grabbed the blanket and threw it over his head. The rest of the group could hear the muffled groan, even though the thick weaving. “My life used to be normal,” he grumbled. “Why does this all feel like some kind of anime waiting to happen.”
Jaehwan dropped onto the couch beside and pulled the blanket down, flinging an arm across his shoulders. Sanghyuk didn’t flinch away at the contact this time and that made something inside his chest relax. “Oh dearest Sanghyukkie, your life is about to become much more interesting than any anime you’ve ever seen.”
Sanghyuk groaned again, louder this time, before burying his face in his knees.
++++++
The week leading up to their debut went by so quickly Sanghyuk could barely even remember the day. He hadn’t had much time to further process the fact that, “hey there’s an entire world of magical people and creatures that live hidden away from society at large and your group mates are some of them.”
To be perfectly honest, just thinking about it made his head hurt, so he decided to bide his time and wait until after they officially debuted. Though it wasn’t necessarily something that cropped up often. He usually forgot that the others weren’t exactly human.
The night after their rather spectacular bungee jumping adventure (Sanghyuk’s knees were still shaking a little, but he couldn’t deny the smug feeling at being the first to jump. Him: the youngest and the only human), Hakyeon approached Sanghyuk with a look of determination on his face.
“I need to see you for a moment.”
“Uh, ok,” he stuttered, “What is it?”
Hakyeon pulled something out of his jacket pocket held it out. Sanghyuk tilted his head in confusion, carefully reaching out for the small object in the leader’s hand.
It was a ring, a two-lined silver band that narrowed into an x-shaped on the front. The simplicity of the design didn’t take away from its almost playful elegance and the subdued gleam across the ring’s surface spoke of its value.
“Hyung what is this?” He was even more confused then before.
Hakyeon smiled. “That, my dear Sanghyukkie, is a friendship ring. Our group friendship ring, to be exact.”
Sanghyuk just barely held back incredulous laughter, but failed to catch his surprised snort. “You’re kidding me, right?”
Hakyeon scowled. “I’m completely serious. This is VIXX’s official friendship ring. All of the others have one too.”
“Wait, is that the ring that all of you are wearing? The one on you left hand?”
“Observant aren’t you?” he chuckled. “But yes, it is. I got them as, well, a sort of promise to each other. That no matter what happens in the future, we’ll still have each other to rely on.”
“That’s horribly cheesy, even for you Hyung.”
“Quiet brat. Just put it on already.”
Sanghyuk mumbled a sarcastic, “yes mother dearest” under his breath before turning his attention to the small piece of jewelry in his palm. He picked it up, examining it from all angles, before carefully sliding it onto the ring finger of his left hand. He was somewhat surprised to note it fit perfectly.
“Hyung, not that I don’t appreciate the present, but should I be concerned about the fact that you somehow know my size?”
“I’m an angel Hyukkie. I just know things.”
“Of course you do.”
Hakyeon folded his arms across chest, pouting.
“Hyung no. Stop looking at me like that.”
“Ungrateful, that’s what you are,” he scoffed. He turned to leave the room before pausing and tossing a look over his shoulder. “By the way, don’t be surprised if you spontaneously gain the ability to— I don’t know, fly or something.”
“… Repeat that?”
“You heard me. These aren’t just any rings.” Hakyeon turned back, holding his hand up for Sanghyuk to see his own ring. “Their charmed with protective magic. How else do you think I keep my wings hidden? Or how Hongbin keeps from loosing his legs every time so much as a drop of water lands on him?”
Sanghyuk blinked. “Hold up, is that what happened when I walked in on you guys?”
Hakyeon giggled. “Hongbin pushed Wonshik a little too far with the sass I’m afraid. It serves that boy right for not keeping his ring on.”
Sanghyuk didn’t even bother to comment on that. “So if the ring’s effects help hide your wings and keep Hongbin hyung from going fish,” Hakyeon snorted at that, “what do they do for the others?”
“I believe Taekwoonie mentioned something about not loosing his clothes every time he shape shifts. Which, I must say, is extremely appreciated. I wouldn’t want to explain that situation to anyone.”
“Oh god no. I didn’t need those images in my head.”
“You asked,” Hakyeon said pointedly. “They also help Wonshikkie keep his fire-breathing and enhanced strength under control and they conceal Jaehwanie’s wings and other faerie-ish looks.”
“Ok, that’s all well and good, but I’m human,” Sanghyuk raised a brow. “Would it do for me then?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea. Protective spells are meant to be benign and gentle by nature, but they’re also highly specific. Since these are all charmed for concealment, I’m assuming it won’t necessarily do much in your case.”
“Assuming? So, I’m essentially your guinea pig, is that it?”
“I never considered that actually,” Hakyeon paused thoughtfully. “It seems you are. How does it feel?”
“It was everything I ever wanted. Honestly, I feel so loved. Thanks Hyung,”
“Anything for you, my precious little Sanghyukkie.”
++++++
The backstage area of the music show was a bustling environment full of crewmembers, PDs, managers, and, of course, other idol groups. The atmosphere was buzzing with nervous and frantic energy; it made Sanghyuk antsy.
The atmosphere of a soon-to-debut VIXX’s waiting room was distinctly less hectic, but no less on-edge. This was the accumulation of weeks of endless practice, tears, and exhaustion. It was a performance that would make or break them as a group.
So, they tried to distract themselves.
Hakyeon was sitting in the make-up chair, watching Jaehwan on the chair next to him with an amused smile on his face. The vocalist swiveled the chair back and forth, a small ball of light was being tossed between his hands as he explained the logistics behind the spell that kept the light within its contained form.
Wonshik was on the opposite side of the room with Taekwoon. The two were quietly running through the lyrics. Their voices were a soft, comforting backtracks to the clear, sharp sounds of Hakyeon and Jaehwan’s conversation.
Meanwhile, Sanghyuk and Hongbin were both on one of the room’s couches. The younger was leaning into Hongbin’s side, resting his head on his shoulder, as they used Hongbin’s iPad to watch one of Park Hyoshin’s performances.
A sudden knock at the door followed by the swish of it being opened caused all the members to pull their attention to the woman peaking through it. “I need VIXX on deck. You perform in fifteen,” she announced, before quickly closing the door behind her.
Everyone immediately snapped to attention, making any last minute preparations. Their stage make-up and hair was touched up, stage outfits quickly brushed over, and the cords on the microphones checked and double-checked.
As they did so, another person casually opened the door and made his way towards the young group members.
“Oh, CEO Hwang,” Hakyeon exclaimed, bowing.
The CEO of Jellyfish Entertainment gave the six young men a small smile. “I wanted to see you all before your performance. You’ve worked tremendously hard these past few weeks, from surviving the eliminations to properly preparing for debut,” he said kindly, gaze sweeping over them with pride. “Now is your opportunity to put all your talent and skills together to create something even more magnificent than what can be done individually. Good luck. I know you will do marvelous.”
The members bowed in response, replying with a chorus of “thank yous” (and a solemn nod for Taekwoon). Hakyeon proceeded to lead the group to the door, each member falling in line behind him, their face’s various shades of excitement and nervousness.
As Sanghyuk passed the CEO, he felt a hand softly catch his shoulder. Surprised, he turned to face the older man.
“Could I speak to you for a moment?” he asked.
Sanghyuk panicked, looking for his leader before realizing that Hakyeon and the others were already out of the room. He turned back and gave him a shaky nod.
“It’ll be quick, I assure you.”
“Of-Of course.”
“Good, good.” He released his hold on Sanghyuk’s shoulder and casually held them both behind his back. “I was curious to know your thoughts on the group. Are you fitting in well?”
“I-I, yes, I mean, of course I am,” Sanghyuk stuttered. “It was…difficult at first, considering the hyungs were closer to Nakhun and the others than me. But I’m fine.”
“I see. So there hasn’t been anything, anything at all, that seemed bizarre or out of place within the group?”
Sanghyuk stiffed, eyes going wide before quickly attempting to regain his composure. It would do no good to look like a deer caught in the headlights. “I…I-I mean. I guess—“
“Sanghyuk hurry! We have five minutes,” Hakyeon’s head poked into the room, the rest of his body hidden behind the door.
“Coming hyung!” He turned back to Hwang, apologetic.
“Your leader is calling, I don’t want to delay you any more then necessary.” He motioned towards the door with his hand. “Go, perform well. We’ll continue our discussion when you return.”
Sanghyuk nodded, hastily scurrying across the room and out the door, where he almost ran into Hakyeon.
“Come on Sanghyukkie. They’re about to call us on stage.”
Hakyeon swiftly pulled him to their places just behind the stage. They weaved between people, electronics, and stage equipment. Within seconds, they found the other members standing just behind the stage.
Sanghyuk was at a loss. He had no idea what he was going to do.
“There you are! Quick they’re calling us on!” Wonshik exclaimed.
“Right!” Hakyeon commanded. “Get ready! We’ve got a crowd to dazzle.”
He held his hand out, the other members follow suit, placing their hands on top of one another. They looked at Sanghyuk, who had yet to join their little huddle. Right. He could worry about this later. Now they had much more important matters to handle.
Sanghyuk added his own hand to the group, looking into the eyes of each of the members, intense and focused. Hakyeon gave his own quick look over each of his group members.
“Ready?” Hakyeon, or it was N now, wasn’t it, asked.
They all nodded back: Leo, Ken, Ravi, Hongbin, and Hyuk, with fire in their eyes.
“Then let’s do this!”
They all looked to their hands before throwing them up towards the sky, to their hopeful success.
“We are real V, V-I-X-X, VIXX!”
++++++
For all their worries, their debut performance went by in a flash. One minute, they were just a bunch kids hoping to make it. The next, they were VIXX, the industry’s newest rookie group. It was almost too good to imagine.
The members of the newly debuted VIXX quickly made their way off the stage, waving to the fans in the audience. The cheers, while much quieter compared to their seniors, were still loud and energized. They looked back, dazzling smiles on their faces, before slipping into the backstage area and back to the waiting room, slamming the door behind them before exploding into a cacophony of pent up nerves and adrenaline, the performance high still coursing through them.
Jaehwan, Wonshik, and Hongbin were caught up in a chaotic group hug; limbs tangled and voices loud. Hakyeon and Taekwoon were off to the side, Hakyeon’s arm wrapped around the teary vocalist, watching the younger members rambunctious celebration.
Hakyeon motioned for Sanghyuk, who had been standing a way’s from them, to come over to him and Taekwoon. Once He quickly ruffled his hair before pulling him into a warm one-armed hug. Sanghyuk laughed, jokingly hitting Hakyeon’s side in a mock effort to get away.
Hakyeon gently nuzzled into his unruly mop of hair, before carefully lowering his mouth to Sanghyuk’s ear. “Whatever you decide, I promise I won’t think of you any differently,” he whispered.
Sanghyuk looked up in confusion. He was about to ask what he was talking about when a sharp, rhythmic knocking echoed through the waiting room. It was shortly followed by the reappearance of the Jellyfish CEO.
“Congratulations,” Hwang began. The VIXX members swiftly composed themselves, before chorusing their thanks back to their boss. “It was a most certainly a wonderful performance. And I’m sure you’ll all only improve from here.”
The members looked towards each other, pride on their faces.
“Now, before I forget,” he continued. “Do you have an answer to my question Sanghyuk?”
All of the members, minus Hakyeon, looked to him with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. What was Hwang talking about?
“Oh, uh, well,” he stuttered. He glanced to either side of him, flitting between each individual person before landing on Hakyeon. He gave him an almost unnoticeable nod, stern gaze momentarily softening. In that moment, Sanghyuk understood what Hakyeon had been referring to; it both comforted and hurt him.
Comforted, because no matter what, Hakyeon would never stop looking out for him. Would still care for him in that same cuddly, almost overbearing way he always had. It was the type of unconditional love and support that people could only dream of finding.
Hurt, because obviously Hakyeon must not know him as well as he thought if he even considered the fact that he would betray their trust in such a way. They were his group mates, almost a second little family, and while he was still a little unsure as to his place in the group, the other members had done so much in helping him make his way.
To shove everything aside, to forget all they’d done for him, and reveal their deepest secret made his stomach churn.
Because if there was one thing that could be said about Han Sanghyuk, it was his undying loyalty to his loved ones. And he felt a connection with these boys, singing and dancing for their lives on that stage, hoping that they would be able to make it big. He would do anything in his power to keep them safe.
Sanghyuk took a deep breath, giving his leader a quick half-smile before turning back to the CEO. He had an air of confidence and determination that belied his young age.
“Well of course strange things have happened,” Sanghyuk replied serenely. “The hyungs are all a bunch of weirdos.”
The rest broke out into audible denial, scandalized at the lies and slander that the seemingly innocent maknae was spreading about them. Sanghyuk happily made his way back to Hakyeon, carefully leaning into his side and looking up with a glowing grin. Hakyeon returned the sentiment by pulling him closer and ruffling his hair.
Hwang watching Sanghyuk intently, as if he were looking for some sign that the younger was lying. Eventually, his entire demeanor softened and he regarded the group with a small tilt of his head.
“I just wanted to make sure. We wouldn’t want any problems within the group, of course,” he said. The CEO made his way to Sanghyuk, placing a heavy hand on his shoulder. “That loyalty of yours is something special Sanghyuk,” CEO Hwang ginned, “never lose that.”
“W-What?” Sanghyuk asked.
“You were right Hakyeon-ah,” the CEO said dropping his hand from his shoulder, “all of you were right, in fact.”
Hakyeon frowned, “Of course I am. With all due respect CEO Hwang, I know my group members.” Despite the mock pout on his face, the arm he had around Sanghyuk tightened. “And I know none of them would do anything that would reflect badly on the group. Absolutely nothing.”
The other members were focused in on the conversation, an aura of protectiveness surrounding them. Sanghyuk was amazed at just how serious the entire group seemed, that they were willing to put so much faith into the judgment of normal teenager. His group was willing to trust him to keep their secret safe, to keep it hidden from the rest of the world. It was almost unbelievable, and a little nerve-racking, the amount of faith they were putting in him. He would do his best to make sure that faith was well deserved.
“CEO Hwang,” Sanghyuk paused as the older man’s attention turned back to him. “Do-Do you know about…” he trailed off, making a gesture with his hand. The magic stuff.
Hwang gave him a discreetly amused smile. “Of course. I’ve known since they first became trainees at the company. In fact, all of the staff is aware; why else do you think the company has such a small amount of employees?” The man stepped back, an almost playful smirk gracing his face. “It’s much easier to keep things like this under wraps when less people know.”
Sanghyuk stared for a few seconds, before breaking out into a binding grin so full of relief it Hwang couldn’t help but chuckle. “Of course.”
Hwang shook his head in amusement. “Well, I’ll leave you to your celebrations. Make sure you take the opportunity to rest, this is only the beginning of promotions after all.”
“Yes sir,” they all chorused.
Once gone, the other members immediately crowded around Hakyeon and Sanghyuk, grins on their faces and their eyes sparkling in mirth.
“We knew it,” Jaehwan crowed. “We knew we could trust you, Hyukkie.”
Wonshik rolled his eyes. “This is rich. Coming from the person who bet the poor kid would crack and spill the beans to the CEO.”
“Hey, you saw how Hwang gets when he’s serious about something. It’s almost as scary as Taekwoon hyung before he’s had his morning coffee.” Taekwoon attempted to smack him across the back of the head, but he ducked away effortlessly. “Anyway, now that we’ve got the CEO’s approval, we can start teaching Sanghyuk about everything!” Hongbin added.
“Wait,” Sanghyuk whimpered. “There’s more?”
“What? Did you think that we’re the only types of magical creatures out there?” Hongbin teased. “There are tons more. And since we’re idols, we’ll be running into a bunch of them. So we’ve gotta teach you about all of them!”
At Sanghyuk’s shell-shocked expression, Hakyeon gingerly pat the boy on the head. “Don’t worry Sanghyukkie, you’ll learn soon enough.” Sanghyuk was too flabbergasted to respond.
Taekwoon shrugged. “At least Hwang can call off the assassins now. It was annoying, having them follow Sanghyuk’s every move.”
“Assassins!? Wait what!?”