Chapter Text
Woojin has always been crazy; his family says he has always had that need to be the best and expect the best from others since he was a little kid in the playground yelling at his friends for not getting the Michael Jackson choreography just right after only practicing it 2 times. It's a miracle he had any friends then and even now because even now as he is leaving Big Hit Entertainment and starting at More Vision, he has not changed one bit.
Woojin's first day as a trainee was filled with polite greetings and hearts racing from him and all other trainees who attended that day's intense dance lessons. More Vision may have been more freeing and fun to train under, but that didn't mean the air in the practice room was any different or short of brutal and tense. The smell of sweat and big dreams filled Woojin's nose as he sat back, pressed against the mirror. He had just finished his first full run of the choreography they were meant to be learning, and to say he was exhausted was an understatement. But Woojin being Woojin, he refused to let the dance teachers or the other trainees see. So instead of mingling with the tired and sweaty kids, he sat by himself sipping his water slowly, gulp by gulp, as he calmed his racing heart. He took time observing all the different trainees from head to toe. To scope out the competition, one could say. "They all looked handsome" was the first thing that popped into mind. Like really handsome. He had never seen so many handsome teenage boys gather. Even back in Big Hit, there were always some trainees he knew that if they advanced more into the program, they were going to be asked to either get plastic surgery or get thrown out onto the streets. It was funny to Woojin back then, even if now looking back it's upsetting to think that it was so normalized. He used to joke about it. Placing bets with the other trainees on who was going to be next to be given the talk by the management on what they could do to fix up their face before their debut. But those do not matter anymore, he reminded himself as he continued to trace the faces of his fellow trainees. Coming up with nicknames for them in his head, as he didn't know any of their names yet. He has never been a person to learn names fast; plus, it's easier to create a nickname for someone. His eyes travel to each face, examining their features, the way their noses either point high or low, and even taking note of whether their eyes are round and adorable or small and sharp. He can confidently say that they all are the cream of the crop, handsome and all. In a twisted way this satisfies a knot in his stomach. If Jay Park only hand-selected good-looking guys, he himself needed to be good-looking. It was a strange thought, but that didn't stop Woojin from smiling down at himself as he stared off into the group of trainees in front of him.
"Hi, do you always smile at yourself like a crazy person, or are you thinking of your girlfriend because you look really creepy right now sitting alone," a voice from Woojin left suddenly appeared. Causing him to look at the source with a blank stare before breaking out into an awkward laugh. The voice came from a boy sitting right next to him; he must have been too self-absorbed to notice the arrival of the stranger. The boy was wearing a beanie on his head completely covering his hair, but more importantly, he had sharp and fox-like eyes; it was the first thing Woojin thought of as he quickly scanned the stranger's face. Woojin's ears suddenly becoming pink from the idea of him being caught being weird all by himself. "This is not how you make a good first impression," echoed in his brain as he tried to play it off cool for the sake of saving the little bit of dignity he had left.
"I don't have a girlfriend." The words came out too quickly for Woojin's comfort, already regretting them the moment they left his mouth.
"Chill, chill. I am not a narc; I am just curious why you are just sitting there with a big smile on your face," the other boy sarcastically laid out as he swiftly hits Woojin on the shoulder, cracking a smile himself as he waits for Woojin to reply. The boy in question just stares back, face progressively becoming more red, if that's even possible, as the gears in his head begin to turn, trying to come up with an answer that won't enhance his embarrassment even more. After a couple awkward seconds, he finally pulls his neurons together. He comes to the conclusion that its better to change the subject completely then to answer the strangers question.
"My name is Woojin." The other boy nods his head slightly at Woojin.
"I am Ryul; nice to meet you."
And that's how Woojin made his first friend at More Vision. A friend or even an older brother at times that Woojig could trust with his life. The one type of friend that would laugh first as you fall and then comfort you right after. Later on, Woojin would meet Ohyul; even if they didn't seem to click as easily as he and Ryul did, he became attached at the hip to the both of them. How could he not? The older boys always treated Woojin as a cute and adorable baby, even if Woojin found it annoying sometimes; for heaven's sake, he was a 16-year-old boy. But he couldn't deny it felt great to be given all the attention. Especially when it came to privileges. He could get away with anything short of murder because Ohyul and Ryul would take the blame. As they progressed through the training, the more Woojin felt attached to his hyungs. He was comfortable in his lifestyle, enjoying the time they all spent together producing and recording songs. But perfect things can't stay perfect forever, even if it may seem that way. If only Woojin knew the trouble he would have waiting for him when he first laid eyes on Louis for the first time. The great shift, the movement, Louis sang into the microphone his now-famous "Hallelujah."
It was early in the afternoon when Woojin first saw Louis. He is sure he had to have seen him before; he probably just didn't pay attention to him. Because the first thing he noticed was how cute and adorable Louis was. His round and full-of-life eyes and his rosy cheeks were clear indicators of his young and innocent charm. He must be a foreigner—the words flashed through Woojin's brain as Louis introduced himself, stumbling on basic Korean conversational skills. Woojin found it quite adorable as the boy bowed down and introduced himself to Woojin with shaky words that looked painful from Woojin's perspective. Louis mouthed each word as if he himself didn't know if he was pronouncing it right. The second thing he noticed was his height; he wasn't taller than Woojin himself or anything, but the boy was pretty tall for his age, especially compared to Woojin when he was that age. But that just added to his charm, wobbly limbs reminding him of a newborn elephant. Woojin couldn't help but laugh as he greeted the boy back, trying to seem inviting for the boy to calm down. The interaction must not have lasted more than a couple of minutes before Louis had to leave for the recording booth. But Woojin had already made up his mind that Louis was made to be a star; he had the look and the aura that made you remember him. The type of impression that makes you want more. That only grew when Woojin heard Louis' voice. The sound of angels was the only thing that came close to comparing to it. The simple "hallelujah" word was transformed into a melody Woojin would gladly pray and fall asleep to every single night. It was just perfect, so perfect that the whole room was left silent.
The only thing that broke the silence was the CEO's laugh as he shouted, "I told you guys this kid's got the voice of a generation; I told you he was perfect." But Woojin could barely hear the words that his boss, Jay Park, was saying. His attention was left on his own sick feeling deep down in his stomach. His brain knew that Louis was talented and he would make the perfect addition to their debut lineup. But that same brain let Woojin's ego ring in his ear: "The kid is so much better than you; he's two years younger than you, and he has everyone, even Hyungs Ohyul and Ryul, impressed. "How could you even compare to that? "You don't wow people; you are average at best when it comes to singing." The sickening feeling grew as the words settled into creases in Woojin's brain. He got brought back into the real world as Ryul's hand touched his shoulder; Woojin's demeanor instantly relaxed, his shoulder slowly being warmed up by his hyung's soothing touch. "Who would have thought that this kid could come in here and basically save the day?" Ryul half whispered near Woojin's ear.
"Yeah, who would have thought?" Woojin whispered back; he meant it. Who would have thought that an angelic voice from a boy named Louis would come by and save the day?