𝔹𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕘𝕣𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕕 𝕄𝕦𝕤𝕚𝕔: Promise
𝕊𝕒𝕟
"I think we should get matching tattoos."
"Say what?"
I know sometimes Wooyoung says random stuff, but this is extreme, even for him.
"You heard what I said. I mean it."
"A tattoo is a commitment, Woo. I'm not sure about this."
"I know it's a commitment, that's the whole point. I'm committed. I feel committed. Do you?"
"What has gotten into you? I usually am the clingy one, not the other way round."
"I'm not being clingy. I feel like having something permanent to share with you."
"It's easier for you, you already have tattoos. It would be the first for me."
"So it would be even more special. Am I not special?"
I shake my head and squeeze him tight. "You are. You're my babygirl. I would do anything for you, and you know that. Have you thought about anything you'd like to get?"
"Not really. We should think about it together."
"I just have one rule."
"Shoot."
"Nothing love related. Not that I'm afraid or anything, but... as I told you many times, before I am your boyfriend, I am your friend. I want to be your friend first. I want the tattoo to reflect that."
"Sounds good to me. So, you do want to get it?" he pouts, with that little, pretty face of his.
"Of course I do, silly. But let's think about it first."
He giggles and throws his arms around my neck, then kisses me with a smile. He is even more beautiful when he is this happy. Seonghwa is looking at us from across the corridor, but looks away as soon as our eyes meet. Sometimes I don't know if he's somewhat jealous of us, or if he's just curious of our relationship. But he's cute, nonetheless. Especially when he tries to pretend he's not staring. We're in the academy, waiting for people to call us so we can read the draft of the contract they prepared in the previous days. We're quite nervous, so Wooyoung's attention is calming me greatly.
"You're even more charming than usual today, you know that?"
"And you're even chattier than usual today, baby. Thanks for that."
I'm holding him by the waist and he is touching the tip of my nose playfully, when a man opens a door and invites us in. Finally, it's the time. We all enter the room where eight chairs are waiting for us in front of a desk. Four people are sitting on the other side.
"Thanks for the wait. We were finishing the touch ups. We are now ready to discuss the details of the contract with you."
We sit down and they start reading every line to us. We nod to what we think is good, we look at each other when something doesn't sit right. Hongjoong takes the lead and expresses our doubts and our requests to the KQ people. The process is long and exhausting, but in the end, we reach a point where everything is more or less where it should be and we feel content with how the contract is written. But, of course, they weren't finished.
"There is something we would like to discuss between us, outside of written deals."
"Outside of the contract? And what would that be?" Hongjoong doesn't seem pleased by the request. He smells backlash, and so do we.
"We noticed there's some... extra affection between two of your members. We'd like to address that."
I suddenly feel stiff. And very angry.
"As in?" Hongjoong has lost any sign of smile and is terribly serious.
"As in, we want to know what is going on for the sake of the group."
"I don't think our private lives should be put under the spotlight. They are our own."
"Mr. Kim, normally I could agree with you. But since you are about to sign a contract with us, we have to make sure our morals align and your conduct does not affect the group in any way."
Before Hongjoong can speak, I burst out. "Our morals? What does a relationship have to do with morals?"
"I do not think I have to explain myself here, Mr. Choi."
"Oh, I think you do. We're both consenting adults, so I don't see the problem."
"Don't be naive. This is South Korea. You do know that kind of relationships are not welcome in public."
"What kind?"
He doesn't answer. I raise my voice.
"What kind??"
"The homosexual kind, Mr. Choi."
"At least I made you say it. I thought you would never. I can't change who I am or who I love. What do you make of this?"
"I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to keep it for yourself."
I'm ready for yet another angry reaction, when Wooyoung sweetly grabs my arm and speaks instead. "Of course. Of course we can. The group comes first and we understand." he looks me straight in the eyes, then continues. "But know this will change nothing. We will still be ourselves. We will still love each other. We will still be affectionate and we won't hide the strong friendship that bonds us. You can't take it away. It's ours."
"Fine. Just, know your limit. Or we will remind you."
Wooyoung nods, I do too, unwillingly. The look on the guys' faces tell me they're not okay with this either. After the shitshow, we all sign the contract, shake their hands, and walk out of the building. When we're on our path home, Yunho starts talking.
"I hate this. It should be the happiest moment for us, but I only feel angry and embittered about what has been said about Wooyoung and San. That's not right. It should not matter."
"But it does. We knew it from the start. We knew we would encounter problems and obstacles and bigotry. I only hoped it wouldn't clash with our dreams. I'm sorry, guys."
"Don't even joke about it, San. It's not your fault, or Wooyoung's. You're just living your love, as one should. We will always have your back, no matter what."
Hongjoong put his arms behind our shoulders and, for a moment, all the weight we're carrying feels shared.
***
Author's note: hi everyone. Sorry for these days' lack of content, but I was sick in bed. Now I'm better. I know this is a rather bitter chapter, but also a terribly true one. It's everyday for many people in many parts of the world.
Sad thoughts aside, have you seen Ateez' new trailer for the new album? And Bouncy new poster? I'm so excited for this comeback, I can't wait for it to be 16th June already!