— Your biggest fanboy Ryul tries shooting his shot even though he knows painfully that you’re a hundred yards away from his league, nonetheless you find his futile attempts amusing allowing him just a little bit of your attention and the time of your day. The media is eating it up and so are the fans, counting down to when a new collab hit will drop.
warnings: second hand embarrassment, yearning Ryul, inappropriate language, curse words, pet name, glazing, social media au, you’re a krnb artist, Ryul is your fanboy
The music from the collab stage was still echoing as the lights dimmed. You were breathing hard, smiling for the cameras, but your long stage dress had gotten tangled on a prop at the very end.
The hem was stuck, and the more you tried to move, the worse it got. You felt your face heat up under the makeup, praying you wouldn’t trip in front of everyone.
Then a hand reached out. Ryul, the hoobae from the new boy group, stepped in smoothly. He debuted just last year, while you’d been in the industry for five years. He crouched a bit, took your hand to keep you steady, and used his free hand to carefully pull the fabric free. His fingers brushed your ankle as he fixed the skirt so it wouldn’t ride up. Quick, professional, but gentle.
“Thanks, hoobae,” you whispered with a small laugh, keeping your stage face on.
Ryul gave your hand one last light squeeze before letting go and turning back to wave at the crowd like nothing happened. The fans screamed louder. A lot of them had definitely caught the moment.
Backstage was loud and messy. Your members surrounded you immediately. “Unnie, Ryul just helped you like a total gentleman!” one teased. Your manager looked stressed. “That’s going to be all over the internet in ten minutes.”
You shrugged it off at first. “It was just the dress. He was being nice.”
But the clips spread fast.
“RYUL HELPS HIS SUNBAE WITH HER DRESS 💕”
“Hand holding on stage!!”
“Protective hoobae moment with ____.”
Comments were everywhere, some calling it cute, some already starting dating rumors. Dispatch hadn’t jumped on it yet, but the fandoms were loud.
Later that night in your dorm, your phone lit up with a new message from an unknown number.
Unknown: Hi sunbae, it’s Ryul. Got your number from the staff list. Sorry if I made things awkward out there. Hope your dress is okay now.
You smiled a little and replied.
"It’s fine. Thanks for the save. I would’ve fallen on my face otherwise lol. Don’t worry about the rumors".
Ryul: Okay good. My members are already teasing me nonstop. Let me know if your company needs any statement or something.
The texting started small. He was respectful, always calling you sunbae even in messages. You’d run into each other a few times before at music shows, he was the quiet but hardworking type who greeted seniors politely.
You had once given him quick advice on how to control nerves before a live stage when he looked especially tense. He’d thanked you with a bow so deep it made you laugh.
Now the scandal made everything feel different.
A few days later you saw him at a broadcast building. You were waiting in the hallway for your turn on a radio show when Ryul walked by with his manager. He stopped and bowed properly. “Hello, sunbae.”
You nodded, keeping it professional in front of others. “Hey. How’s practice going?”
“Tiring but good,” he said, glancing at you with a small shy smile. His ears were a little red. When his manager stepped away for a call, Ryul lowered his voice. “The clips are still trending. My fans keep sending me edits. Some of them are… really edited.”
You laughed softly. “Mine too. They’re saying their oppa is so caring. Just don’t let it affect your schedules, okay? Hoobaes need to focus.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I know. But I keep thinking about it. I didn’t want you to trip or anything. That’s all.”
The conversation was short, but it felt nice. Normal. Over the next couple weeks the messages continued. He’d text after long practices asking how your comeback prep was going. You sent him a voice note once telling him to drink water and rest his voice after he mentioned it was sore. He replied with a photo of him holding a water bottle and a thumbs up.
Your companies were monitoring the situation but hadn’t forced any strong statements yet. The rumors stayed at a manageable level, mostly cute shipping instead of full scandal.
One night after a year-end rehearsal, it was freezing outside. Your van was delayed, so you waited in the parking area, arms wrapped around yourself. Ryul’s group was leaving at the same time. He spotted you and told his manager he forgot something inside. A few minutes later he came back with a thick hoodie.
“Here, sunbae. You look cold.” He held it out, a little awkward.
You took it and pulled it on. It was warm and smelled faintly like him. “Thanks. I’ll give it back next time we cross paths.”
“There will be a next time?” he asked, smiling a bit.
You raised an eyebrow. “We have more joint stages coming. Of course there will be.”
He nodded, but his expression stayed soft. The two of you talked quietly for a couple minutes about how exhausting this season was. He admitted he still got nervous sometimes even after debut. You told him it never fully goes away, but it gets easier. For once it didn’t feel like strict sunbae-hoobae. It felt like two people who understood the same pressure.
The hoodie stayed in your bag for days. You kept forgetting to return it on purpose.
The night everything shifted was after a big music show. Both groups had performed, and the backstage was crowded. You slipped away to the rooftop access door that someone had left unlocked for air. The city lights looked pretty from up there. You weren’t alone long.
Ryul appeared a few minutes later, hands in his coat pockets. “I saw you head up here. Is it okay if I join, sunbae?”
“Yeah, come on.”
He stood next to you at the railing. The cold made his cheeks pink. For a while you just talked, about funny mistakes during rehearsal, which songs were stuck in your heads, how some fans sent really sweet letters. Then it got quieter.
Ryul cleared his throat. “A lot of people are still talking about that stage. About me helping you.”
You nodded. “It was sweet. You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to.” He looked at you directly, a little nervous but determined. “Sunbae… I know I’m younger. And I’m just a hoobae. But I keep thinking about you. Not just because of the rumors. Talking to you feels easy, even when everything else is stressful. You’re really kind and you work hard. I like that.”
Your heart beat faster. You turned to face him fully. “Ryul…”
He continued before he lost courage. “When the rumors calm down a bit… would you want to go on a date with me? Just us. Somewhere quiet, maybe dinner or a drive. No cameras, no staff watching. I know the age thing and the industry stuff makes it complicated, but I really want to get to know you better. If you’re okay with it.”
He was asking you out. The twenty-year-old hoobae who had helped fix your dress on stage was standing there in the cold, asking his sunbae on a date. His eyes were hopeful but ready for rejection.
You smiled, feeling warm despite the winter air. “I’d like that. A lot.”
Ryul’s face lit up with a big grin he couldn’t hold back. “Really? Okay. Good. I was scared I was being too forward.”
“You weren’t.” You tugged the sleeves of his hoodie over your hands. “This is still with me, by the way. Smells like you.”
He laughed softly. “Keep it for now. It looks better on you.”
You stayed up there a little longer, talking about small things. Favorite foods for a possible date, which amusement parks you both secretly wanted to visit but never had time for, how hard it was to eat properly during promotions.
No pressure. Just nice feelings and open possibilities.
When you went back down separately, everything looked normal. But inside you felt lighter. The rumors were still floating around online. Fans were still making theories. Your companies were cautious. Schedules were packed as always.
But the door was open now.
A couple days later your phone buzzed while you were in the practice room.
Ryul: When we both get a free evening, let’s do that date. I found a quiet restaurant, promise.
You smiled down at the screen.
You: Sounds good. But if anything goes wrong, you’re still helping your sunbae, right?
— Your biggest fanboy Ryul tries shooting his shot even though he knows painfully that you’re a hundred yards away from his league, nonetheless you find his futile attempts amusing allowing him just a little bit of your attention and the time of your day. The media is eating it up and so are the fans, counting down to when a new collab hit will drop.
warnings: second hand embarrassment, yearning Ryul, inappropriate language, curse words, pet name, glazing, social media au, you’re a krnb artist, Ryul is your fanboy
— in which you and ohyul are in a toxic situationship, both lacking the self discipline and ability to leave each other alone, maybe it’s the adrenaline or the club lighting that leads you both back to each other continuously. Whatever it is, he’s like an addictive poison that you need to fight out of your system.
warnings: rough language used, inappropriate language, angst, toxicity, insults, name calling, situation-ship au, smau, features cortis, meovv, clubbing, bad self discipline, self sabotaging, sinful behaviour, do not encourage
