A/N: Don't be a silent reader 🧐🫶
"Hey, let me in!" Sunghoon calls, knocking lightly on the door. Sunoo reaches over and unlocks the door so he can enter.
"You're late." Their manager says, annoyed.
"I'm so sorry, sir. I was...watering my...plants." Sunghoon cringes at his own stupid excuse.
"You didn't wake up on time, did you?" The manager asks. Sunghoon bows his head and apologizes again before taking a seat next to Sunoo. Sunoo flashes him a smile before returning his attention to the manager.
"Anyway...As i've mentioned before, we're going to be making content in pairs." He starts, shuffling through a few papers. "It's been decided to take place in one month, so you have two weeks after promotions end to rest or whatever."
"Do you know what the theme is yet?" Sunoo asks. The manager sighs, it was obvious that his leg was bouncing like crazy by the way his jacket shifted. The manager glances at the two boys and then back down at the papers.
"Fan...service." He mumbles finally. Sunoo and Sunghoon glance at each other and then turn their heads in the opposite direction.
"Fan service...as in...?" Sunoo asks, already knowing the answer.
"Being really close, clingy, skinship, you know...stuff like that." The manager clarifies. He clears his throat and tucks the papers back into a folder. Sunghoon sighs and leans back in his chair.
"But why?" He asks.
"That's just what's been decided. It could possibly bring in more fans since current fans like to see interactions like that between the two of you."
"So...we're doing this to bait people?" Sunoo asks.
"Honestly...yes, something like that. It's not just you, the other members are doing similar things. I really tried to get this changed but I don't have much power, and you know that. I'm sorry." Their manager keeps his eyes downcast. The three of them are silent for a minute, the manager knew they had to be tired of doing these types of things, but it was gaining the group more attention.
"Okay...we'll do our best." Sunoo assures. Their manager smiles.
"I know you will. Now get out of here and go practice." He orders. Sunghoon and Sunoo both get to their feet, bowing before leaving the room. Sunoo groans once they're down the hallway and turning the corner.
"Do you hate me that much?" Sunghoon asks with a friendly tone. Of course he knew Sunoo didn't hate him, but part of him wished Sunoo didn't hate skinship so much.
"Not at all. It's just...it feels wrong to pretend just to gain fans." Sunoo admits.
"Well then don't think of it as pretend..."
"How?"
"I don't know...learn to enjoy being clingy or something, then it won't feel so forced." Sunghoon suggests. His cheeks heated up talking about the topic. He wouldn't admit it, but he could be clingy sometimes. He enjoyed it when Sunoo clinged to him, even if it was just for the fans' benefit. Part of him wanted Sunoo to feel the same, even though he knew he didn't.
"Like that's something I can control. It's not my fault I don't like being clingy." Sunoo grumbles. Sunghoon hesitantly wraps an arm around Sunoo's shoulder, catching the younger by surprise.
"Well...you don't have to like it. Just try not to hate it, it requires practice, so let's just do this." Sunghoon says, refusing to meet Sunoo's eyes. Sunghoon clears his throat and continues walking with Sunoo at his side. Surprisingly, Sunoo doesn't pull away from his grip.
Sunghoon pushes the practice room door open and allows Sunoo to enter first. The other members were already practicing. Jisuk (their choreographer) stood at the front, watching their form.
"No, no. Your timing is still a little off. Start from the beginning." He orders. The five boys voice small complaints and go back to the opening formation.
"Oh, good, you guys are here. Get in position." Jisuk tells Sunghoon and Sunoo, noticing them standing by the door. Of course, they never wasted time. They didn't have time to waste, the cover dance was being filmed in 5 days.
Sunghoon and Sunoo get into position and look around at the other members. Based off the look on their faces, their talks with the manager weren't so uncomfortable. Which upset Sunoo a little bit. He couldn't help but find it unfair.
Only he and Sunghoon were forced to do stuff like that. Jay and Jungwon at times, but they were mostly told to act brotherly. It wasn't hard for them to do since they did that away from the cameras anyway.
Heeseung and Jake were often told to act like Ni-ki's brothers or "parental figures" which again, wasn't forced at all since they already treated him like that. It seemed like only Sunoo and Sunghoon were forced to pretend to feel a certain way.
"Focus, Sunoo." Jisuk lectures. Sunoo faces the front again and the music begins. Sunoo was a performer, on and off stage. And he hated that. He hated to pretend; it made him feel dishonest.
------------------
Sunghoon sits down in the chair facing the camera. The staff member positioned behind it gave him a nod and started counting down from five. Four... Three... Sunghoon took a deep breath and then exhaled.
One.
Sunghoon stared silently at the camera as it started to record. It only took two minutes for comments to start flooding in. He waited for a few more minutes before saying anything.
"Hello everyone..." He says sweetly, smiling at the camera.
Bby_jj
OMMGGGG MY BIASSS
92380ihdn
I wsa going togo to slep but not anmyore
lmoa_help
Your so handsome Sunghoon
microwaved_strawberries
You're really going to go live while i'm in class...??
notawattpadreader
ANIEWhSKNDEWI HELLO????
Sunghoon watched the comments leave the screen just as quickly as they had come. The comments were going too fast for him to read. He stared awkwardly at the screen until the staff wrote something on the board. Answer something. Sunghoon reads the words and looks back at the screen, scrolling up so he could actually read them.
lmoa_help
Did you eat yet?
passthemic.hoe
I love you
jungwonswifey
What's the next mv??
j-hooope_mylifeu
yonngi merry me
Sunghoon ignores most of the comments, trying to find one he could actually answer.
"Yes, I ate." Sunghoon lies.
Omg_stanleyy
What hair color do you want to try?
"Ah...I like my black hair, but maybe blue?" Sunghoon responds after reading the comment.
"Engene, what was your favorite song from this album?" Sunghoon waits patiently for the comments to start responding.
itwaslike_jeff
All of them ;)
thatmanismygirl
PARADOXX INVASION AYEEEE
sunoosbombasticsideeye
pass the mic
lmoa_help
I got pushed...i-land trauma
The last comment makes Sunghoon laugh. It also brought back a lot of painful memories, so he quickly read something else.
"I guess a lot of you like future perfect..." Sunghoon says after a moment. Only a few minutes had passed and he had already run out of things to ask. He fidgets with his hands under the table, glancing at the staff. He knew if he didn't say something soon the staff was going to start giving him ridiculous prompts.
"Should I call someone?" Sunghoon asks.
I_speak.dolphin
YESYESYESSYESYESYSE
jakewallstan
call your favorite member
ice_princess.02
nooo, you dont have to you can just sit quietly for all I care your face is enough ily
harutosfirstlove
Call your sister
Sunghoon picks up his phone and goes to his contacts...who could he call? Heeseung and Jungwon were doing vocal lessons, and Ni-ki was probably still practicing with Jake. Jay was probably practicing the guitar. He taps on a number and the phone starts to ring. It rings a few times, Sunghoon was convinced he wasn't going to pick up when suddenly the call was answered.
"Hello?" Sunoo's voice was a sudden comfort to Sunghoon.
"Please...help me." Sunghoon says quietly, his voice breaking.
"Are you live alone? What's wrong? Ah, nevermind. I'm coming, Sunghoon, don't worry." Sunoo tries to comfort him. He knew Sunghoon could get a little overwhelmed when he was alone in front of the camera. Must be an introvert thing because Sunoo could keep a conversation going for hours. Right now, he had to go rescue Sunghoon.
A/N: Don't forget to vote and add this to a list if you like it. Have a good day/night 🫶💛