after the day he experienced when filming for the music video, promotion days don’t seem so bad. waking up around 5:30 am is a lot better than 3:30 am, and mingyu was also grateful that they weren’t constantly on the run with no time for breaks or food. at around 7:45, they were back at the broadcasting station and had over an hour before dress rehearsals. even though they would have to be careful not to ruin their hair and make up, mingyu still ate as fast as possible so he could try to get a short nap in before 9.
as soon as his stomach was happy and content, he gravitated towards won before grabbing his wrist and guiding him to a sofa. once there, he sits and motions for the younger to do the same, though he doesn’t necessarily give him a choice in the matter. he tugs him down before he can even think to obey, then leans over and rests his cheek against his shoulder, one arm wrapping around his front and holding him close. “i’m always so tired.” he pauses, then adds with a smile, “or hungry... sometimes both.”
mingyu thought that it was really amusing that he was going to be teaching anyone anything dance-related. it’s true that he’s improved so much since he’s been with royal, but there will always be that part of him that remembers how useless he once was at it, and it will likely always leave him feeling somewhat inadequate. he’s just glad that it’s the entire group demonstrating and that he isn’t tasked with teaching anyone one-on-one, because he definitely feels like he’d find a way to screw up if that were the case.
being that de:code were going to be the first performance and brief class of the day, mingyu felt like they wouldn’t have the disadvantage of following any insanely impressive performances, so he wasn’t as nervous as he could have potentially been. it was a few minutes before 1 pm when they were set to go out there, and naturally he gravitated towards won while they were made to wait. “it’d be my luck to trip over my feet or something embarrassing when i am trying to help teach someone else important moves. do you think they’d believe me if i told them i meant to do it and that it was part of the dance?”
mingyu spent several moments scrolling his phone and looking through various social media sites while he waited for won to finish showering. it was getting late and he was nearly ready to sleep, but he didn’t want to drift off before his boyfriend could return in the room. since he kept feeling himself almost dozing off as he was lying there, he eventually stood up from his own bed and approached his younger member. “scoot,” he demanded as he started climbing onto seonho’s bed and took it upon himself to get under the covers. “won is taking too long and so you’re going to have to provide me with warmth until he gets out.”
he softly laughed as he snuggled in and situated himself right beside his younger member. it made mingyu feel both happy and proud of himself that he was now able to do this. once upon a time, he wasn’t able to be too affectionate with anyone other than won, but now it’s like he had the love of his life and a lot of brothers that he was able to be close to, and it filled him with a lot of joy. “so, what are you up to over here? have you watched any cute or videos lately? if so, show me.”
being honest about his feelings is a lot more difficult for mingyu than he wishes it was. for some reason, he’s always struggled to share what’s on his mind, especially when he thinks that it could have negative effects on others. it’s become like a second nature for him to force a smile and pretend that he felt fine around won, though he also feels like his boyfriend isn’t so blind that he can’t notice something isn’t right. he’s always been pretty good at reading mingyu, though he’s also always been pretty good at trying not to push and waiting for mingyu to come forth and speak honestly on his own. admittedly, it took a lot for that to happen this time.
the familiar setting of their old room probably helped him feel calm enough to finally say something. that is likely also connected to the fact that it brought back memories of the last time he was being eaten alive by feelings he kept to himself for for too long. it was in this bed that he came clean the first time, so perhaps it was the strength that he needed to do that for a second time. he was just glad that for the first time in a long time, he was able to be so close to won without any kind of fear or anxiety. “i guess you probably want to know what’s been wrong with me lately, huh..”
A staff member leads you down Royal’s winding hallways to So Jiseob’s office, then opens the door and leads you inside, where the CEO awaits, sitting at his desk. He doesn’t look up as you enter; he’s too preoccupied with paperwork in front of him. Seated across from his desk, next to an empty chair, is a company lawyer whom you recognize from before; she’d been present when you signed your initial company contract. The staff member directs you to take the empty chair next to the lawyer and then leaves. You hear the door close and the latch click back into place just as your CEO finally looks up and offers the tiniest hint of a smile.
He folds his hands on the desk in front of him, eyes settling on yours. “When trainees first sign a contract with a company, they are devoting themselves to at least two years of training. They usually don’t expect the time to pass so quickly, but it does,” he ruminates mildly. “Years of training and hopes leads to one dream usually: debut.”
“But, you’re no ordinary trainee. Since our pre-debut project started in August, you’ve been groomed to be a member of DE:CODE, a debut group I have incredibly high hopes for. Since then, I’ve seen you grow a lot in your training. You’ve had your ups and downs, plenty of both good and bad.” He pauses, and diverts his attention back to his desk, where he shuffles paperwork until he sets one singular sheet of paper in front of him. “You are our main rapper, even without training with us for too long. I’ve been proud of your growth here, and I trust you to do your best to continue to improve, even after debut. This, here,” he says, motioning towards the document, “is a contract exclusive to DE:CODE and will tie you to this group, and to Royal Entertainment, for the next six years.”
He finally becomes a little less stoic, and shows the glimpse of a real smile as he slides the contract toward you and hands you a pen. “If we share the same vision of making DE:CODE one of the top boy groups in all of Korea, and you wish to be a part of this journey, you know what to do.”
being summoned is strange. it’s always weird being led down hallways without any emotional support to accompany him in case his hopes and dreams are about to be shattered. of course, he has a lot of doubt that something like that would happen, but his point still stands. in order to calm himself a little, mingyu takes in and lets out a deep breath before actually entering the ceo’s office. it’s not often that they get one-on-one time (figuratively speaking, since they aren’t alone) with so jisub like this, yet here he is.
honestly, he’s confident that he knows what this is about, which is why he feels himself getting a bit emotional before the man can even open his mouth. of course, that’d be super embarrassing so he manages to control himself, though he’s pretty much on the brink of shedding some tears. he would save that for a much, much, much later occasion, aka never. for now, he was going to remain composed, confident, and... what are other ‘c’ words that would fit here?
after remaining so stoic for the first few moments, it was nice to finally see so jisub display the slightest hint of a smile. that meant that this wasn’t going to be bad news, which mingyu already assumed it wasn’t, but at least this was confirmation. he nods along as the ceo speaks, proving to him that he is listening to what he is saying. it’s kind of terrifying and thrilling all at once. it feels so surreal that mingyu and won have already reached this point. when they expressed their dreams, mingyu desperately wanted them to achieve them, but he never truly imagined that they would. it was one of those things that was nice to think about, and it never hurt for them to attempt at every chance they had, but he didn’t feel... sold. he always tried to keep his expectations low because it’s not often that people acquire a dream so big. being signed and debuting was one thing, and doing all of that alongside his best friend was an entirely separate thing that made it so much more specific, therefore so much more difficult.
and yet here they were.
it was insane, wild, and absolutely incredible. mingyu was so happy he might die. except not, because then said dream wouldn’t actually be happening and all of that would have been said for nothing. he was certainly going to live, and he was going to live happily, excitedly, and he was going to give this everything that he had. so jisub, the coaches, and everyone else involved with royal entertainment were all responsible and to thank for mingyu achieving his dreams, so he felt like he owed them everything. he would do all that he could to ensure that their group is one of the biggest and most successful. he didn’t plan on letting anyone down. not after everything that they have done for him.
six years was a long time. mingyu was absolutely horrified, but he also felt like it wasn’t long enough. this entire experience has been a mixed bag for him, but he wasn’t stupid. this is what he always dreamed of, so he wasn’t about to turn this contract down.
“thank you so much, sir. i’m proud to be debuting under you and your company. i will continue to work as hard as i have been and i will do everything in my power not to let you down. i am so grateful for you and the opportunities that you and this company have given me. there isn’t a chance that i will be walking away from this.”
after speaking, he quickly glanced over the contract and picked up the pen, signing his name in the designated spot before flashing a huge grin in the ceo’s direction. “we definitely share the same vision. this journey isn’t one i would miss out on for the world. thank you again... truly.”
with all of the chaos stemming from the news of debut and then the uncertain thoughts and feelings that accompanied it, mingyu was in desperate need of a break. he needed to clear his mind to an extent, even if he was convinced it wouldn’t be possible to totally ignore the current situation. truthfully, he didn’t want to ignore it, either. he just wanted to calm down enough that his brain would allow him to think through things logically and in a more organized manner. that’s why he was so extremely grateful for jaehyun and this opportunity to shoot some hoops with a good friend and a potential future group member.
honestly, mingyu considered himself extremely lucky. the boys that he had the opportunity of being in a group with were some of the best ones he knew. it did excite him, even if it was also scary. he wasn’t sure if he was as prepared as everyone else... but again, that’s not what he wanted to focus on. if he wanted to do well at playing after having to go so long missing it, he was going to need to get his head in the game ( won would really love if he could have heard mingyu’s thoughts about that one... )
picking up the ball and dribbling it across the court, mingyu took a shot just for warm up and proudly watched as it fell through the net. a grin forming on his face, he retrieved the ball and tossed it to jaehyun so that he could give it a try. not wanting to do this in silence, he decided to attempt some passive conversation. “so... i don’t think i ever really asked how all of this is making you feel. are you nervous? because... i sure as hell am.”
learning about the fact that they’d be moving into dorms didn’t surprise mingyu. he knew that they would want them to be living together, but he didn’t realize it would be this soon. he was dreading the moment they’d be informed that they had to leave their current homes and make a new one, especially given that he just moved into a new apartment with won in june. they didn’t even have time to totally settle and they were already being made to pack up again. it was stressful, but he was still extremely grateful that they ended up being separated by age.
fortunately, that meant that he wasn’t going to be living without won. he feared that they would be pulled away from one another, so he felt like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders when that wasn’t the case. it was a change, and a big one at that, but it could have been a lot worse. having seonho as their third roommate didn’t cause mingyu much discomfort. he preferred living alone with his boyfriend, sure, but it was nice having someone that viewed physical affection as such an important and lighthearted thing. mingyu wouldn’t have to deny won any attention, cuddles, or snuggles, because they’d be able to act regularly without the younger paying any mind.
still, moving so fast was intimidating and it was scary not knowing what to think. however, they were living by a schedule that someone else set now, which isn’t much different than before when being a trainee, except more was controlled by this point. that meant that they couldn’t move at their own pace, and the day to move into the dorms arrived much quicker than mingyu even had time to prepare for. god, he was so thankful that he wasn’t having to do this on his own. “do you think the dorm will be nicer than our apartment was?” he asked softly, turning to face his boyfriend. “i mean, i guess we’ll find out in a few minutes, but... what do you think? do you suppose royal’s funds will give us more of an extravagant living experience than our minimum wage paychecks?”
