— EDWARDS MARTIN HEART IS YOURS, DESPITE THE BLUES.
TAGS: idol!martin x nonidol!reader | ennemies to bestfriends to lovers | slowburn I pure angst | lots of humor! | reader is bsf with Cortis! | fluff I kissing, cuddling, crying in each others arms DOWNBAD!Martin!
IN WHICH... Blackmailing a K-pop idol was never part of the plan. Neither was spending weeks hanging around his studio, arguing over sneakers, or accidentally becoming friends with all of his members. It was supposed to be simple: keep his secret, admire his sneaker collection, steal a tiny comeback spoiler, and leave.
Alas, Y/N finds herself caught between Martin and the secrets he refuses to share. As their friendship deepens, so do the cracks beneath the surface- late-night arguments, quieter confessions, and feelings that absolutely weren't part of the deal progressively mish-mash their bond. They might definitely just be in way over their heads...
— Y’all they’re almost done dissing eo everytime Y/N speaks 🧘🏼♀️
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Those were the words she’d woken up to. A great beginning of the day, if you’d ask her.
Now, once she was indeed, in Dongmyo, she didn’t have the slightest idea where she was supposed to go.
It’s that, firstly, she still had difficulties believing what was happening to her in the first place. She’d secured free access to every CORTIS event in one afternoon, and she couldn’t fathom it. Never, in the world, would she have imagined her flea in Korea to begin like this.
She was beyond grateful. She knew she probably didn’t deserve it, but hey, these boys seemed to like her for some reason, and even their manager found himself forced to be nice to her. It contented her, though the exception of Martin still bothered her.
Because here was the thing: she was okay with mostly everything. He’d also been a real piece of shit to her the day before, but she’d let it slide. Since she’d been overly disrespectful some days ago, she just let it go. Except he’d decided to ruin the slightest peace of introspection she’d worked to pursue during this horrible week that was the last.
He’d insulted her on the spot, and she profoundly didn’t understand why. Because, sure, she could be provocative, but not so suddenly, not so aggravatingly. Perhaps the guy was tormented by something already, and he just caught the slightest bit of aggression and turned it into a championship of who insulted the best to ease his mind? That, she would’ve wanted to know, because now, she found herself despising Martin even more.
Anyway, now, with all of these thoughts going in her head, and the lack of clearer information as to where exactly she was supposed to head in Dongmyo, she was genuinely lost.
She’d just have to wander in the street, she guessed, since there was no way she’d text this hell of a Martin again, if he was this aggressive to her.
This time, she wasn’t wearing Isabel Marants anymore. She’d changed her style into a cute little outfit, a white cardigan with a bow and a dangly skirt loosing on her legs. She’d opted for boots today, because one little gold belt loop was sprawled on her left foot, and it matched the tons of jewelry she’d decided to wear for the occasion. She’d might as well take advantage of it.
As she wandered in the streets, her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she immediately opened it, briefly hoping it’d be more information from Martin, as to where the fuck their van and equipment for the performance was.
Instead, she found a Weverse notification.
Of course, they wouldn’t have said he’d been the jackiest jackass in history, and that’s what had made him react this violently.
It was ridiculous. Would’ve been much more realistic to just admit that Martin had been accidentally aggressive towards one of his fan, because he was tired or something. Though she perhaps believed the second justification, she’d never accept it being somewhat accidental. He’d clearly bashed on her for a minute, just like she did in that alleyway.
And the explanation for Y/N being dragged into this bloody waiting room? A panic attack?
That was even more ridiculous.
She grimaced as she kept waking, when she suddenly heard whispers on the street corner.
She’d thanked the gods for finding them, when it looked objectively mildly impossible. She’d even had troubles believing Dongmyo appeared to be this small.
From a distance, she could only see Seonghyeon and Martin laughing together, while throwing pocky balls at each other in some sort of a game, which Martin definitely seemed to be losing at. James and Juhoon were sprawled inside of a car’s trunk, playing with some basketball and talking calmly to each other. Keonho was busy being fed by some girl from the staff, as it was pretty obvious his hands weren’t really apt enough for him to feed himself alone.
Seeing these five made her smile. Not that she’d admit it, because she’d never declare to herself that she’d grinned at the sight of Martin finally glimpsing a smile. Well, she’d seen him smile a lot, but it was only online, and she’d never actually witnessed its impact in real life.
Not that it had some sort of an impact, though.
It just felt comfortable to see these boys, acting exactly the same as how they did during vlogs. For some reason, it felt new, fresh, human.
Everyone was used to idols being fake. Maybe not in their will, mostly the companies’, she’d say. But nowadays, they always seemed too energetic, or their bond didn’t look that strong, and you could feel their media training right on the spot.
That, she didn’t feel when she saw them from this distance. And for that she felt somewhat relieved. Comforted. Maybe even on the same page as them, as if they weren’t idols.
So she stepped forward, without the slightest doubt in mind. Her boots squeaked on the ground, leather ruffling against her skin, and the noise immediately attracted the staff’s eyes.
The whole CORTIS staff had settled in this little street, which looked very much non-inhabited, therefore perfect for an international-wide known group to prepare for their surprise performance. About four vans were parked around a walkable area, where chairs and transportable tables were scattered for makeup. Racks of clothes were already stacked in front of some trunks, already half empty, since the members were already dressed.
Every time Y/N took a step forward, she’d hear a bit more of their voices overlapping. She could mostly hear Seonghyeon’s grave, low voice, accompanied by Martin’s bubbly and childish laugh. When she looked at them, they were both smiling, so hard that their eyes were no longer visible.
Those two are true best friends, she’d thought, after remembering how they’d dreamed of entering the same group since they were twelve.
When she finally took her last step and settled between the two boys, she immediately saw Martin’s smile disappear in the span of a fraction of a second.
“You could’ve given me more information, damn.” She muttered, addressing to the blonde. “I almost got lost because of your bullshit “come to Dongmyo”. Ugh, so unnecessary.”
“Well I didn’t want you here, you douchebag.” He immediately responded. “Is that enough of an explanation?”
She sighed profoundly, while they eyed each other hesitantly for a second. She then turned to his friend with a grin.
“Hello, Seonghyeon. You look nice!” She smiled fondly.
“Ahhh, thank you!” He laughed shyly, as Juhoon, James and Keonho appeared. “I really like your outfit.”
“Hey, Y/N! You’re here already?” James asked as he bowed slightly, which she immediately returned as another bow.
“Nah, remember when manager-nim told us he wanted her to know our attendances? He insisted that she could be backstage whenever she wanted.” Juhoon stated, while looking very intently at his friends, on the exception of Martin. “You know, thought she could know more about the group…” He made his eyes even bigger to make his members get the thing.
Well, duh, obviously, he was referencing to the UNhate operation.
“Ooohhh… Right! Right…” Keonho replied as he thought slowly.
“Hey, Y/N. Are you interested in like… seeing our sneakers like, today?” James suddenly asked, with a big smile on his face.
At that, Y/N gasped. It was so unexpected.
“Uh… Isn’t it early? Don’t you have a full schedule?” She demanded with a shy smile.
Not that she didn’t want it, but doing this technically meant entering in their dorm, and she didn’t really know if she’d allow herself to do something this intrusive, after knowing them for a day? Sure, she’d been privileged ever since their manager’s proposal, but that went far.
“Schedule’s in the studio anyway! And our shoes are ALLL in the studio…” Juhoon muttered, clearly dragging the word studio.
“What, you’d let me barge into your studio?” She exclaimed in disbelief. “Man, are you guys serious? Stop playing with me.”
“Yeah. Exactly. Stop playing with her.” Martin interrupted in a serious tone. “She is NOT going into my studio. EVER.”
“It’s our studio, dumbass. Not yours.” Seonghyeon murmured.
“Yes it IS! The fuck. I bought it with my own money—”
“Is it the money you get for your fanservice?” Y/N asked innocently.
“You better shut the fuck up right now, you scumbag.” He immediately jolted back.
“Why does every insult you ever try to say end with bag—”
“Martin, just because you’re a beat genius or whatever doesn’t mean the studio’s only yours.” James admitted. “Not everything belongs to little Martin.”
“Whatever.” He contented himself to respond, and started playing with his dangling bracelet.
“Anyway…” Keonho kept going. “We could even like… Make you listen to some of our songs—“
“No, THAT! I WILL NOT ACCEPT IT! NO! Who the fuck is she to take this much space compared to me, bro?”
“Martin, it’s this or you’re fired, what do you like better?”
“Whatever. I won’t go.” He grumbled.
“I don’t think so. We’re scheduled to be in the studio all afternoon after the surprise concert. You can’t not go.” Seonghyeon declared.
“I’ll just sit outside the door and take my laptop, then.”
“Okay. Now you’re just being dramatic.”
“Dramatic? EXCUSE ME?!” He exclaimed in disbelief. “You weren’t there when she INSULTED my whole generational tree! You did NOT witness when she accused me of having the HOOKS onto her when she’s beyond ANNOYING and UGLY! And you certainly didn’t see how PROVOCATIVE she sounded when we were in that fansign—”
“What’s happening here— Hey! Hey, hey.” A voice suddenly came from Y/N’s shoulder. “Calm down, little Martin. What’s going on?”
Martin stared at his manager with desperation, preparing what he wanted to complain about, but Juhoon talked before he could speak.
“Well. We were just proposing to Y/N if she perhaps… Wanted to visit our studio.” He declared, looking at his manager with extreme attention, trying to catch a glimpse of realization in his eyes. “We’d like to show her our shoes.”
Fact was, they did not have any pairs of shoes in the studio. Of course not, who even would? Well, except for Martin, who practically lived back there. But even so, the manager caught the flick, and he immediately saw a great opportunity for Martin and Y/N to be alone.
“Yeah, what’s the problem? Isn’t it good? You could even play her some songs.” He replied, entirely conscious of how everyone in the room, apart from the two bickery-duo, had an idea in mind.
“Except I don’t want her to hear MY songs.” Martin then declared with a grumpy-ish tone. “I don’t want her to see MY shoes. And certainly not MY studio.”
“C’mon, my Martin. You’re gonna have to make an effort if you want the girl to keep your job safe.”
“Well, then, she might as well get me cancelled? I don’t care. I don’t wanna speak to her.”
“Wow. You really ARE an asshole.” Y/N proclaimed, stunned by his childish behavior. “Acting like everything’s owed by you, and everyone owes you everything.”
Well, moments like this made her remember how, after all, he was an eighteen year old kid. Dumb and loud, and egoistical. And surprisingly handsome, though she’d never, even in her brightest dreams, admit such a statement.
“And you’re annoying.” He replied blankly.
“What a great sense of retort, Martin! Really, totally on the spot.”
“Okay, stop. You two shut it. You guys shouldn’t even be talking about things like this when we’re performing in less than an hour.” The manager finally declared seriously, turning the conversation back into what really mattered : the surprise public concert.
“Right, yeah.” Keonho muttered, a bit disappointed to stop this endless fight, which he found pretty entertaining.
“I’ll need you guys to go get your makeup done. And then just hair real quick, doesn’t have to be fancy. We’re CORTIS, not some prince looking group or something.”
“Okay, but.” James cut out, still processing. “Can we just plan what we do after that? With Y/N, I mean.”
“Well, do I go to you studio or not?” She asked, hesitantly. “Look, I really don’t wanna disturb, and I know it sounds weird for me to go—”
“Hey, we’re literally the ones who proposed. C’mon.” Seonghyeon smiled fondly.
“Who’s we again? Bruh.” Martin sighed.
“Okay, then, what do you say, you just come back here when the show’s done?” The manager demanded to Y/N. “We won’t move from here anyway. After this ends, we’ll head straight back to the studio.”
“Okay, sure! I’ll do that!”
“And then we’ll talk sneakers. Wait, your boots are amazing today too—”
“James, I’m sorry, but we don’t have time for this right now.” The man declared. “You’ll talk about this in the van, okay?”
“Well, then. Good luck, guys!” Y/N exclaimed with a proud smile. “I’ll be watching!” She opened her bag and waved her ticket paper in hand.
“See you!” They all said in unison, before scattering on the makeup establishments a few meters away.
Now, there was only Martin left, still playing with his annoying bracelet. He was preparing himself to get makeup on, when she suddenly interrupted him.
“What’s the exact location of the concert?”
He looked briefly at her, avoiding her gaze and trying to act as nonchalantly and indifferent as possible.
“Don’t know. Don’t wanna tell u anyway.”
“Pff, you’re genuinely such a pain in the ass, Martin.”
“Too bad. I don’t give a fuck.” And he started walking, his back facing her as he rolled his eyes.
“Try not to make the bee sting swell too much when you perform!” She then screamed at a distance, referencing to this ridiculous notice she’d read before.
He simply offered her the sluttiest middle finger she’d seen, without even looking at her.
Now, she hated him even, even more.
The performance turned out to be, in fact, very good. A bunch of oldies in their sixties, adults leaving work or teenagers passing by were watching, to the biggest surprise of Y/N.
The stage was located right in front of a huge gorilla building, and she genuinely didn’t really understand why.
She’d followed the group’s staff to find their location, yet it was practically impossible the ignore their presence and attraction from other people. As soon as she started walking with them, other people were drawn into the movement, and what started as a simple line because a tsunami of people following the team, waiting for them to stop and perform.
The performance itself was really good. What got into Y/N’s mind is how the members interacted with the people on the street. Despite them not being ultimate fans, as the performance occurred in the street, they’d give them presents and play with their hands for fun. One toddler even got a plushie from Keonho, and he looked as delighted as when his mother saw him born.
The song was also really good. It felt new, refreshing, not even kpop-like. She’d hated to admit it, but Martin’s long verse had given her a reaction. Not that the other members’ weren’t good, she just thought the lyrics matched CORTIS very well in the second verse.
They’d played it two or three times, before performing REDRED, since the crowd requested it. They’d ended their show by bowing, all smiles and giggles, and now was the time to go back to their sort of backstage establishment.
That, Y/N thought, was going to be difficult.
Because here’s the thing : a regular fan doesn’t care as to where they stand in a crowd for an artist. And the artist can’t properly go if they don’t swim underneath that wave of people. Put in a hundred of fans, and it really wasn’t that big for CORTIS, and it was practically impossible for them to even step a foot inside of that crowd.
“What do you say, we hold all of your hands to pass through that crowd?” Martin screamed into the mic, a big smile on his face.
Y/N was in front of that crowd too, at the far corner, and she rolled her eyes as much as she could after what he said. A nearby fan saw her and glared at her, and she immediately turned around from the embarrassment.
Well, yes. She was the only one here who knew. She’d seen how much of a different person he really was. At least, he was with her.
Of course, a regular fan didn’t know he was capable of insulting someone hard like he did with her. Of screaming until his lungs were out of breath. And yet, he’d done it, with her only. That, she didn’t understand why.
The group passed with difficulty through the crowd, all smiles and laughter, as some fans were screaming their name and practically crying from the adrenaline. At that, Y/N immediately started walking too, and followed the group from behind.
Wow, she looked like a real creep right now, she thought.
A few bodyguards were down the street, surely to avoid fans to get in the way and followed CORTIS. She immediately opened her eyes, wondering how she’d manage to confirm her identity. Surely these bodyguards didn’t know of her… Privilege?
She still couldn’t imagine. How privileged she was.
At this point, I can even be a piece of shit again, if the staff is this afraid and gives me this much access. She thought.
Well, obviously, she’d never voluntarily do it. She genuinely adored the group and their music, and the manager seemed to be very admirable too. She wouldn’t do that.
She kept walking, seeing the group from a distance, but blocked by this wall of bodyguards.
“CORTISui jig-won-isingayo?” A bodyguard asked.
Well, obviously, they had to be Koreans.
“Huh…” She muttered ignorantly.
“I don’t think you’re allowed to go this way.” One of them stated, in English this time.
“It is strictly unauthorized for people who aren’t part of CORTIS’ staff.” Another declared.
“I know… It’s just that—”
“MYUNG-JAE-YA!” A voice cut out her explanation. “SHE’S WITH US, LET HER COME!”
She lifted her eyes behind these body guards and saw, to her biggest surprise, Martin.
Well, considering his height, he wasn’t really difficult to notice, even when three enormous men blocked the path. In fact, they were smaller than he was, and it made the whole situation somewhat enjoyable.
“Thank you, I guess.” She murmured so he wouldn’t hear, and kept walking, this time past the bodyguards.
It’s that, it may have been the first time he’d actually been somewhat nice to her. Somewhat, for this gesture was definitely not something to be awarded for.
When she arrived at a short distance from the staff and their vans, Keonho and James immediately startled her, by running to her.
“Noona! How was the performance?”
“Loved it. You guys should do this more often!” She exclaimed with a smile.
“Did you notice I did Juicy J’s verse?”!
“Keonho, she was there. Of course she noticed.” James muttered.
Juhoon and Seonghyeon arrived in a haste, after briefly exchanging glances with their manager, who observed the interaction from a distance.
“AYO!” Seonghyeon said while jogging. “Isn’t it time for sneakers?”
“Wow, so fast in the day? You guys are still out of breath from the performance!” She laughed and looked briefly at her left for a moment.
She didn’t mean to look. Obviously.
But there he was, when her gaze drifted from the conversation.
He was on a camping chair, seeming way too small for his silhouette and genuinely uncomfortable. His laptop’s light reflected his hazel eyes, and she genuinely wished she didn’t find them incredibly attractive at the moment. Time to time, he’d close them for a second, and open his eyes again with difficulty. He looked exhausted, yet, he kept working on his music directly after performing.
A staff member arrived at his side, carrying a bottle of water. He didn’t see her, way too focused on his work, and she gently taped his shoulder for him to notice her. At that, he lightly jolted before smiling deeply at her, little crinkles forming under his tired eyes. He bowed politely before taking the bottle, taking her hands in his in a grateful gesture.
Why doesn’t he smile at me like that? She thought.
But then, she quickly realized he had every reason to hate her, and she had absolutely no reason to envy this staff woman.
Not that she’d envied her. Obviously.
“Third album.” James muttered, looking at Y/N.
She drifted her gaze back to the group in less than a second.
“He’s working on the third album.” He repeated.
“Do you wanna hear the first song of the album?” The manager suddenly asked with a grin on his face.
A sudden noise came from Y/N’s mouth as she gently wiped sweat from her forehead.
“WHAT THE FUCK?! ARE YOU GUYS CRAZY?!”
“Yo, if you’re gonna be here backstage and during our events, you might as well just know everything on the spot.” Juhoon laughed, extremely satisfied that their operation seemed to be going well.
They had everything planned. Last night, during dinner, they’d discuss about it. Without Martin, obviously.
They’d decided on inviting her to their studio, on the very first day, since it was an impeccable occasion. Their code word was, as expected, studio. If one of the boys said it, then everyone had to convince Y/N to come to HYBE, and eventually get a spoiler.
“But that’s CRAZY?! Y’all cannot be serious…” She whispered to herself, still trying to process the statement. “What the fuck?! I wouldn’t even allow myself to get to know such a thing! As a coer, I mean.”
“Except now, you’re not really a coer anymore, are you?” The manager asked.
“What? Because of Martin?”
“Well, yes… But I’m counting you as part of the staff right now. Now that we’re at it, you could even help us.”
“What are you implying here, sir?”
“I don’t know. My kids seem to like your style a lot, don’t you, boys?”
“Yes! Yes!” James exclaimed. “Where are your shoes from, by the way?”
“Huhhh… It’s from Number (N)ine, I think.”
“See?” The manager smiled. “Honestly, we wouldn’t mind another hand in the styling team.”
“Man, I’m eighteen. I won’t work for you.” She laughed bitterly.
“No, no. But… You could just help if you’re there.” Seonghyeon proclaimed, hands in the air.
“Whatever I guess. I could help.” She shrugged, with a big smile on her face. “Oh, but I’m NOT getting a spoiler. That’s for sure.”
“Oh… C’mon…” The manager muttered.
“Plus, Martin doesn’t want to. He might be a butthole, he’s still your leader.” She declared. “He decides, right?”
At that, James and Juhoon stared at each other for a second.
We’re definitely spoiling her. They thought at the same time. Maybe not today, but we are.
Which is why they both responded :
“Anyway, what matters is that you guys all get along! I love that energy.” The manager exclaimed, very aware of what was to come too.
“Anyway… Let’s go?” Keonho suddenly asked. “To the studio, I mean.”
“Right, the shoeeesss!” Y/N laughed at Keonho with a mischievous grin, which he automatically gave back.
“MARTIN! ILI WA!” Seonghyeon then shouted in Korean over Y/N’s shoulder. “Uri studiolo gal geoya!”
At that, Martin rose from his chair and immediately closed his laptop, putting his stuff into his pocket and under his shoulder.
“Comin’.” He muttered under his breath with a shy smile.
And that is how Y/N ended up entering CORTIS’ private van, right to their studio.
Did she know, she’d be falling asleep on her brand new enemy’s chest?
Surely she didn’t, otherwise she’d have just gotten him cancelled.
