sotd : nobody like you , itzy .
[ my take on what if jaehyun
left the band after dy teehee ]
" we need to do the thing . "
" what thing ? " jaehyun asked , " you're starting to sound like that kinky nct arranged marriage fanfic you read on the magazine . "
" fanfics on magazines don't exist , jae . i read the dorae thing on wattpad . " haneul retorted while bustling around the house , hastily packing a huge bag .
" well , then ... care to explain what ' the thing ' is ? "
she looked at him with absolute horror , as if he had committed an unforgiveable crime . which , in the eyes of some people ( including haneul and her favourite fanfic characters ) , he did .
" you forgot about the concert ! "
hearing that , jaehyun's preexisting smile fell into a look of absolute horror . one that looked exactly like his girlfriend's .
" no . "
" yes . "
" are we really going to fuck ? in public ? in front of millions of kpop fans who all have their cameras out ? "
" what ? no ! " haneul glared at him , disgusted , " i didn't suggest that ! "
" your wattpad did ... "
" you looked through my wattpad ?! "
" you forgot to log out of the app on my phone . and i took a little peep , so . " he sighed in exasperation . reaching into the bag , he pulled out a lightstick that haneul just put in seconds ago . " is this ... "
she nodded . " yes , we are going to an nct concert , and that is my neobong . is there a problem , sir ? "
" there is ? hun , i left the damn group . you were there . " he said , tone laced with what sounded like remorse .
" which is exactly why we're going to fuck there ! "
another stare of pure horror .
" i'm joking . let's just go . "
——————
the concert venue was completely packed . they arrived hours late and only barely managed to squeeze into the stadium just seconds before it started , and even then , there was some twerp stealing their seats . haneul got to whip her neobong ( or pork hammer thing ) and start screaming with the other fans just as the band arrived onstage .
in that moment , jaehyun had never been more glad that his girlfriend was only fast enough to snatch the seats furthest from the stage . they were quite near the highest edges of the stadium , where the night sky shimmered behind them and the green light sea shone in front of them . as music began to blast from speakers surrounding the area , as the screams got stronger and stronger around them and haneul smacked him in the nose with the neobong , he felt like it was his cue to leave .
of course , she caught him by his arm before he could actually go .
" WHERE ARE YOU GOING ?! " she shouted , voice carried away by all the chaos .
" OUT ! FOR SOME AIR ! "
" WHY ?! IT'S ONLY BEGINNING ! "
as quick as his sudden feeling of exhaustion began , it ended , taken over by a rush of adrenaline . the greetings by the nct members had transitioned into the beginning of a song — their latest hit song , in fact . excitement spiked his heart rate , making his face redden immensely as he wrapped haneul into his arms .
the both of them broke into simultaneous loud screams as the music entered its climax . when everyone around them began standing up and jumping to get a clearer view , he didn't even hesitate to pick her up .
jaehyun didn't know how , but somehow , even being at the very edge of the stadium , they managed to get spotted . they being taeyong . he waved at them , which the former assumed was their general direction at first , but when their section of the audience quieted down , he finally realised that it was him . he was the centre of attention , the one lucky bitch that had hit the million - dollar jackpot .
" jaehyun ! haneul ! hi ! i see you ! " sicheng announced .
a small portion of the sea of stans burst into applause . it reminded him of the handful of fans they had when they first started out , when the cheering was soft but sincere .
then people began shoving him , pushing him and haneul forward , forward , forward until somehow , they were in front . the staff in charge of the scene understood the assignment and let them in without any complaint . the both of them stepped onto the stage , and the whole stadium quieted down .
" everyone . " taeyong announced , " do you know who this is ? "
a few people yelled out his name .
another couple squeezed their way onstage as they spoke , which , to jaehyun's surprise , he recognised as doyoung and raeil .
doyoung and raeil !
" wh - "
" did you really think that you managing to get tickets was a great coincidence ? " mark grinned , inviting his boyfriend haechan onstage , " with haneul's reaction time ? and speed ? you overestimate her , dude . "
realisation finally dawned on him , just in time , in sync with the large fluorescent lights shining onto them . suddenly , he couldn't see the audience anymore — all he could see was a flat sea of darkness , all light blocked out . only the people's excited chatter entered his ears .
and he could feel the same rush of adrenaline again , the same excitement pumping inside him as the music began .
" you did this . " he whispered to his girlfriend , unsure if she heard it or not , " you did this for me . "
surprisingly , despite all the years spent out of touch with music , all the days gone by without a single vocal lesson , all the minutes spent without stepping into a practice room , jaehyun remembered everything . every line , every movement , every beat . how could he forget , anyway ? — it was his debut song . their debut song .
his experience on stage was a mix of all sorts of emotions and feelings , and he was sure that his bandmates felt the same , too . it'd been years since all of them were together . hell , most of their fans probably didn't even know of their existence when they first stanned . but now here they were , together , performing in front of the big audience they imagined themselves to be performing in front .
with the love of his life beside him , nonetheless .
never forgetting haneul , he slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her in , yelling into the mic at the top of his voice :
" YOON HANEUL ! "
she burst out laughing , squirming in his grasp , though it only made him hold her tighter .
" YOU ! ARE ! THE ! BEST ! "
jaehyun handed the microphone to haneul , then proceeded to pick her up , spinning her around . the music had just entered its end , where everyone was reminiscing every sweet moment of the concert , sentimentally enjoying whatever was left of it . sicheng and taeyong had gone offstage to interact with the fans , while doyoung , raeil , mark and haechan had disappeared since who knows when .
the lights darkened and went out . he pressed his forehead onto hers , giving her a light kiss on the lips , closing his eyes to enjoy the moment . it seemed like such an ethereal wish cone true — to have his friends , his passion and the love of his life all on one stage , when he thought he lost everything so long ago .
" love , you are such a godsend . "
credits :
[ yes i wrote O9 before O8 ... ]