Work Text:
"We can do whatever one day, as long as I’m by your side always.
We’ll draw out our dreams and go whenever we want, one day.”
From the moment Hyui heard they were going to perform ‘One Day’ on stage, live, during their nation-wide concert and at Budokan of all places, his heart ached in his chest just imagining it. He knew for sure that he was going to cry. He already publicly acknowledged himself to be a big crybaby and a sucker for sentimental things – the lyrics of One Day resonated far too much with their team’s journey and struggles for his eyes to not be wet singing it. Hell, he’d even teared up while listening to the released version for the first time, and while they were playing it for their fans on Stationhead, too – the thought of how he was truly living his dreams thanks to their love and support was overwhelming. He’d made a wish to become an idol when he was barely in elementary school, and now he really was taking steps forward as NEXZ, day by day. If just listening to the song made him emotional, then performing it live? Hyui was willing to bet that he’d be bawling in front of all their fans.
And bawl he absolutely did.
Budokan Day 1. Hyui steeled himself before the song started. He had just emptied his crying quota mere minutes ago, no thanks to Tomoya’s touching speech and the reminder that they had come so far just two years since Nizi Project 2. Letting it all out beforehand was good…but it also left him teetering on the edge of tears. If he thought too much about the lyrics and got too immersed in the emotions of the performance, there was no stopping his tear ducts once they started flowing again. Instead, he focused on the fans in front of him who were singing along, their smiles as bright as the energy they brought to the venue. He would always be so, so grateful for their love and support. This was just an unassuming boy from the countryside standing in front of them, who happened to love singing and dancing – how could he ever justify himself to be deserving of so much love?
The first soft notes of One Day washed over his senses, followed by the warm timbre of So Geon’s vocals. Hyui smiled, subconsciously mouthing along to the lyrics that he’d carved deep into every crevice of his mind. He was holding his resolve pretty firmly, watching the crowd before him enjoy and appreciate the song just as much as he did. They were performing well. Their hard work in practising their vocals was paying off, and their efforts were well-received.
Midway through the song, disaster struck.
Hyui had been focusing on the fans in front of them, drinking up the sight of the crowd and savouring the energy they brought with them. Their national tour was ending soon, and this was just the first time they were performing One Day. He had been holding on and savouring the experience as much as he could, fervently wishing that this moment would never end.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed several of his members turning back to watch the stage behind them. What were they looking at? Curious, he turned as well and finally noticed the video playing behind them.
Now that was new.
Their staff had never mentioned anything about a video during One Day. Hyui felt very betrayed by this thoughtful gesture.
Before Hyui’s widened eyes, snippets of their daily lives appeared on screen. Raw, unedited footage that they’d never formally released to their fans. The tired moments during their dance practices, the goofy antics they shared while trying to relieve some stress from their schedules, joking around and enjoying each other's company. As the scenes come out on the video, the associated memory flashed by in Hyui’s mind.
The thrilled gleam in their eyes when they were first told about their national tour.
The warmth of his member’s palms wrapping around his as they did their group cheers after finishing their first tour stop.
The exhaustion that he felt bone deep in his soul, reflected in everyone’s gazes as they dragged themselves out of their dorms and onto another flight.
The next tour stop.
The next scheduled filming.
Preparing the next album.
Hyui had chased his idol dreams from a young age for so many years, sacrificing his childhood and time with his family. His members all had similar experiences, fighting for a chance to debut before they met on Nizi Project 2. And even after they’d finally become idols, they kept running as hard as they could day and night to improve their skills and give performances that their fans would be proud of. Their most recent comeback had been so tough for all of them, juggling back-to-back schedules all for the sake of showing the best side of NEXZ to the world.
An unfathomable ache settled in Hyui’s chest, wrapping vice-like tendrils around his heart and sucking his breath away. His lower lip trembled as he valiantly fought against the familiar sourness rising to his nose. Fuck.
He tore his eyes away from the screen, forcing his gaze back onto their adoring fans. Warmth was already pooling behind his eyes, and the ache in his chest intensified as the ocean of lightsticks twinkled back at him. Nearly fifteen thousand people were breathing the same air as he did, who’d made time and paid money just to watch them sing and dance.
Then, Tomoya’s strong and clear harmonies surrounded him. With his in-ears, it sounded as though the elder was singing straight into his ear, right by his side. Hyui could feel Tomoya’s presence beside him, channelling all his energy and emotion to hit that note with all his heart. His leader’s voice cut through his thoughts cleanly like a sharp knife. In that moment, all the tension and energy he put into biting back the rising wave of emotions rushed out of him like air leaving a deflating balloon. Hyui blinked, and his vision faded into a blurry fog of tears.
“I know it’s so bright, look at how the world shines.
I’ll be next to you for life.”
Tomoya…
They’d spent 6 years together already. When Tomoya said that Hyui had known him for one-third of his life, Hyui could barely believe it. Where had all the time gone? One moment, they were foolish trainees who didn’t know any better, living day by day, trying to improve their dancing and singing skills. They’d gone from one monthly evaluation to another, struggling to juggle their school life while training extensively for an unknown debut. They also had fun with each other, but the struggles seemed to be etched deeply into Hyui’s mind.
The Tomoya in Hyui’s mind was 14 years old, who’d sung himself hoarse and shed tears after they’d confided in each other about their exhaustion. About wanting to give up their dreams.
“Yuhi-ya, you can’t give up. You’re so good. Believe in yourself, please.” The elder had cried between sniffles. “I need you to go through this with me. We have to debut. And I must do with you. There’s no room for argument there.”
Hyui hadn’t been able to give a response then, for sobs had taken over his body and he’d buried his face squarely into Tomoya’s shirt. The elder had so much faith in his skills and abilities, long before he’d any sliver of confidence in himself. He’d taught Hyui to look at their future with such optimism, to believe that hard work could take them anywhere. With Tomoya, a younger, struggling Hyui managed to find it in himself to carry on.
The lyrics settled into his chest like a rock. Tomoya’s vocals seemed to encapsulate the struggle and pain they’d pushed through for so many years to get to this point. Behind it, Hyui could also hear the strength and the determination that had been their team’s main driving force for the past year and a half. The pride that they had in the progress that they’d made thus far together, to be able to perform like this in front of so many people. Tomoya hit the high note with fervour, and with it brought the rising wave of emotions to its peak.
In part, it was thanks to Tomoya that Hyui could live out his dreams like this, and that the 7 of them could come together as a team.
“We can be whatever one day, turn our dreams into words and just say –
Make a wish. This wish will come true, one day.”
So Geon and Yu’s voices melded around him, and the tide came crashing down on him. Hyui’s body seemed to fold onto itself as the flood of tears burst through the dams holding them back. Sobs wracked his body, his breaths hiccupping out of his chest as he gave in to his overwhelming emotions. The struggles he’d bitten back for so long were finally surfacing, accompanied by an immense sense of gratitude for his members and their Nex2ys.
It was just…cathartic.
For just a moment, Hyui looked up. Through the blur of tears, he’d met the gaze of Tomoya. There was a broken expression on his face, accompanied by streaks of tears down his cheeks. It was just for a split second, but the exchange immediately set them both off into a fresh wave of tears. Somehow, Hyui knew that Tomoya was having the exact same thoughts as he was. They’d truly come so far together. And they have so much further to go, so long they were by each other’s sides.
Hyui barely pulled himself together to deliver his final vocal part shakily before he well and truly gave in to his emotions. He could hear Tomoya’s voice trembling as he delivered his last line, choking on the flood of emotions enveloping them both. For those 5 minutes on stage, Hyui cried his heart out. He could barely get a word out for a while after, constantly feeling like he was on the brink of tears and filled to the brim with gratitude and wonder.
And throughout it all, there were comforting pats on his head, a warm, soothing hand against his back and a strong shoulder to bury his face into. Tomoya was also bawling, but Hyui never once attempted to seek the elder out, knowing that crying into each other’s arms would probably make their waterworks last hours at best. When he finally gathered his wits together once more, Tomoya teased him to no tomorrow, despite his own swollen eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Because that’s what they were always like, and it was what they were used to. And just like in One Day, Hyui hoped they would remain like this for a long, long time.
As they prepared to go to sleep, with another day of performing at Budokan ahead of them, Hyui clung to Tomoya in a tight embrace, burying his head into his side.
“Let’s try not to cry so much tomorrow, Tomo,” Hyui murmured, his eyes fluttering shut. Sleep was already dulling his senses and tugging him away from reality. There was a pause before he felt a soft but brief pressure against the crown of his head. His lips tugged up into a tiny smile, Tomoya's hushed reply lost to the darkness enveloping him.
The elder watched as Hyui's face gradually fell slack, features gentled by sleep. The other members surrounded them, all crammed into their mini mattress fort in the living room. Soft snores rose around him, and Tomoya bit back a rising smile. They were the reason why he'd pushed himself so hard. This, he would never get tired of. Even as he allowed his tired eyes to slide shut, Tomoya found himself humming along to the gentle melody of One Day in his head until sleep eventually claimed him, too.
“I'm lucky to have you next to me,
Tell me it's not over yet – one day with you.”