A/n: This was WAY to self-indulgent. As both a NCTzen and a Wannable, this has been created. Guess now who from Wanna One will be guest starring in this story~ And read for yourself if it is your desired boy!
. . .
It had been such a busy past couple months for Shim Jiwoo.
In the middle of June, NCT 127's third mini album had been released. The album and the title song, Cherry Bomb, had gotten a wide amount of love, even those in western countries. With the great support and love the newest album had gained, it even given the 127 boys their first ever win in a music show. About time too, if you ask Jiwoo. Not because she had helped create the masterpiece of Cherry Bomb, but because she had watched how hard her boys had worked for this particular comeback.
Needless to say, Jiwoo's time as a composer wasn't the only thing that occupied her days. A certain survival show called Produce 101 had caught her attention, and just like plenty other Koreans in the nation, she was sucked into the addiction of it. Many Friday nights were spent watching episodes of the show the moment it comes out along with Minah and occasionally Boram. The three women couldn't contain themselves, while as all happily taken. But, who wouldn't be a little weak to cheering on handsome, talented boys who were striving for the dream they all had seen too many times before. The three are always surrounded by people with the same passion, so they felt their pain and struggles a little more than others.
However, even knowing the hype of Produce 101 prior to the release date, that wasn't the main reason why she had decided to watch.
Much to her surprise, a particular old friend of hers whom she hadn't seen for years had decided to participate... and make it to the final 11.
And really, everything seemed to go by so fast from that point on.
There were particular perks for working in the entertainment industry. As Boram was a camerawoman for a channel station, she knew a lot of people who worked behind the scenes even in other channel stations. Before either Jiwoo and Minah knew it, the oldest of the ladies managed to get passes to watch the Produce 101 finale concert for day 2. None of them could even believe they gained quite an opportunity, as they all had been avid watchers since day one of the season.
Sure, as anyone would expect, none of their boys were particularly thrilled that their girls were going to a concert to fangirl over other boys. Jaehyun could definitely understand Jiwoo's love for SHINee, as they were respectable sunbaes that he inspires to be. That worry was already behind them.
But, Produce 101 and Wanna One themselves? That was way too many boys to count! And they were all around their age, which gives a greater chance to Jiwoo liking them more in a certain way. Of course, he was a little jealous.
However, those feelings were relinquished with just a mere kiss and a simple I love you. Jaehyun no longer worried.
And really, going to that concert was such an experience. It really showed how much of a fan each of them were. Jiwoo could have sworn that she felt like she was back in her prime SHINee days, in which she would go to those concerts and cheer and scream every time her favorite idols moved. Wasn't it amazing that all these boys were only trainees and they already have fans screaming their names like in well-established idol groups? It was an amazing feeling, honestly.
Then came the inevitable and rather unexpected happened once the grand concert came to a close.
"Are you Shim Jiwoo?" It was a security guard, one that had been standing close by in the aisles.
Jiwoo was bewildered to be called out by someone random all of a sudden. She exchanged unsure looks with her two older friends before glancing back to the bulky man in black. "Yes, that's me."
"Mind coming with me for a brief moment? I was told to bring you backstage."
Minah gave the youngest of the trio an odd stare. "Jiwoo, my dear friend, was there something you were not telling us?"
The brunette was quite in a struggle. She smiled meekly at the two girls before turning her attention back to the security guard. "What about my friends? Would they be able to come along with me or is that not allowed?"
"I don't see why not. But we have to take precautions to not to cause any ruckus, though."
"Noted."
The three girls then trailed after him, carefully walking past people, going through doorways, and skittering down hallways. People were zooming about, causing the three girls to link arms so to not lose one another. The stroll had been quite far, and when they finally stopped at a place, they were sure they were directly somewhere just behind the stage they had watched 35 boys perform on. The security guard then told the girls to wait where they stood as he stalked off.
Boram turned, eyes darting around at their surroundings. "This is very suspicious, Jiwoo-yah."
Minah nodded in agreement. "I have an idea but I didn't voice it because honestly I'd be very disappointed if it were false." Boram and Jiwoo both looked at the stylist, urging her to say what her thoughts were. "Alright, so, I may have noticed how you reacted whenever we've been watching the show. You always made a particular face when a certain trainee pops up on screen... and I never heard you mention his name first whenever we talk about our favorite boys and all."
Boram seemed quite confused to Minah's words, however Jiwoo grew a bit more uneasy that she was slowly putting together the pieces. It was bound to happen. The composer was actually surprised that her good ole friend Johnny hadn't exposed her for it yet... or maybe he didn't remember about the boy she had met by chance when she was still a trainee at SM.
Jesus, how they have both grown.
"Jiwoo-yah!"
All three girls turned at the new, male voice that called out. Boram and Minah bared shocked expressions as they watched the boy approach them. They were instantly bowing to the boy, their mind in a fluster, because dear god, they were under his spell like everyone else was.
Jiwoo genuinely grinned at his arrival. "Daniel-ah."
Wanna One ranked #1 member reached forward and gave the same-aged lass a tight hug.
After a short exchange and quick introductions, Daniel had to leave as fast as he came in. So the two exchanged contacts before he could leave once again.
And that was how it lead her to the meet up with the now-oh-so-famous Kang Daniel of MMO a few weeks later.
She was in her recording studio. She still had time before the incoming meet, so she was getting some work done before leaving. However, that progress was instantly halted when two boys decided to give her a visit.
"Ah, it's John-D and Jae-D," Jiwoo chimed upon seeing her boyfriend and good friend come waltzing in. "Why am I blessed with such visuals?" She reached out towards her boyfriend's hand and gently held onto it with absolutely affection.
Jaehyun had to admit that seeing his girlfriend being this cute upon his arrival already washed away his wandering thoughts.
That wasn't the same for the curious taller bean though.
He had plopped down on the plum-colored sofa facing the couple. "Wow, it's amazing, you know," he started while running his hands through his currently-black locks. "I remember that guy now. It's been awhile since I last really seen him." Jiwoo peered up at him with a curious look, which lead Johnny to continue. "Daniel had a chubbier face back then."
"Oh, yeah. He still had that chubby face in the beginning of the show but he seriously lost a bit during it," Jiwoo replied with sudden knowledge. Hearing her talk about Daniel with a kind of spark in her eyes, Jaehyun pulled her up to her feet and lead her to the couch for all of them to sit down on. Jiwoo noticed her boyfriend's pouty behavior and let out a small chuckle. "Hey, you, my jagi. Why are you so uneasy over my friendship with Daniel? All it is is a friendship, just like me with Youngho-oppa and the rest of the boys."
"So how did you two meet, actually?" Jaehyun asked out of curiosity.
Jiwoo and Johnny exchanged glances.
"Well, actually, we were together when we first met him."
A 14 year old Jiwoo and a 15 year old Johnny were currently out and about in the town of Seoul. They had just finished today's required practice hours and decided they wanted to roam around and eat cheap food. The two friends didn't have much thought about what else they would be doing, but it was nice to be away from the company's practice room and their dorms for the time being.
It was actually not until they were making their way back to the dorms when something had caught their attention. Not far away and at the side of the street, there were a group of boys performing. Peaking their interests, the two SM trainees approached the growing audience and watched alongside them as the b-boy group were dancing.
Jiwoo had to say, they were all phenomenal. Watching them spin, twirl, and flip with such easiness only fueled a fighting spirit within her. She wanted to do even better now that she had seen them. Her own dancing definitely could use some extra special care. She clapped along to the heavy beats of the song playing, cheering on the boys for their tenacity even this late at night.
Before any of them knew it, their dance performance had come to an end. There were 6 boys in total that danced, Jiwoo noted, while they were bowing to the crowd. There was one in particular that caught her eye.
The boy in the far left, obviously younger than the other five. Jiwoo had noticed him from time to time while they were dancing. How old must he be? He's already dancing fantastically at his young age. He'll only get better from here on.
And all of a sudden, their eyes met.
This gave Jiwoo a jolt of surprise, not expecting the eye contact. She quickly turned her head away from the boy and towards Johnny. "I guess we better head back now, huh?"
"Yeah, too bad we came in near the end of the performance."
"Right."
It was only the next day when Jiwoo would meet that same boy again.
She was out on a snack run. She shouldn't have to, but for some reason, she was craving some instant ramen. And she could only get her favorite brand in the convenience store fifteen minutes away from the SM building. Luckily, Seokju had given her an allowance to spend for the day, she wasn't going to miss this opportunity. And he had given her enough to maybe buy herself some ice cream too!
On her way there, she passed by an alleyway. A small meow reached the young girl's ears and she couldn't help but look around for the tiny creature. It wasn't even too far from where she stood. By the steps of a building, there was the kitten that may have been making those soft purrs. However, the kitten was in the arms of a boy.
And once again, they made eye contact.
Ah, that was the boy dancing from last night.
"Oh!" The boy stood up from the steps he was just then sitting on, the kitten still nestled in his arms. "You were part of the crowd last night, right?..." He paused, a faint blush to his cheeks, and turned away. "But if you weren't then I apologize."
Jiwoo let out a laugh. "No, no, I was there last night. You guys really danced awesomely!" Honestly, she felt an odd comfort coming from this boy. Like, he may be a stranger but she knew he wouldn't be any harm. Just look at him handling that cat with gentle care! He wouldn't.
She slowly approached him and the cat. "Is she yours?" She asked them, cautiously petting the soft creature.
"Ah no! It's actually the convenience store owner's cat, but I couldn't help but play with her a bit," he replied, a goofy smile on his face once hearing the kitten purr again to Jiwoo's touches. "Oh, she likes you!"
"I'm glad."
The kitten was a young tabby, fur of white and orange. She looked to be in heaven for having two people adore her so fondly.
"I'm Kang Daniel, by the way," the boy then introduced himself.
"Daniel? Are you perhaps from America or something?" Jiwoo questioned out of curiosity. "I have a friend who likes going by John or Johnny sometimes because he came from America."
"Was he... perhaps the one you were with yesterday?"
Oh, Daniel noticed that? "Yeah it was!"
"Honestly no. I'm not that cool," Daniel chuckled. "I'm very Korean based. I just thought this name was cooler than my given name."
"What's your given name?"
"... Euigeon." Jiwoo's eyebrows furrowed as she tried to repeat the name, but her tongue just doesn't want to work with her. Daniel laughed, waving his hand to her to stop. "I think you can see why I decided to change my name. Sometimes my own dad mistakes it."
Jiwoo had to join into his laughter. "That's really unfortunate. But, yeah, my name is Shim Jiwoo." Listening him talk, she noticed a thing to the tone. "Are you from around here? You have a certain accent."
"Eh? You noticed that?" Daniel looked sheepish to have been found out. "Yeah, actually, me and my group are from Busan. We came in to participate in this one competition."
"Oh! When was it?"
"Haha, yesterday morning."
"Oh..."
Another laugh left the boy's lips. "We did well, if that's anything."
"I'm sure you did!" Jiwoo chimed. "I mean, your performance last night was great, I'm sure you did even better at the competition."
"Thanks." All of a sudden, there was a grumble. Daniel meekly pressed his free hand to his stomach. "So, I may have been preoccupied by the cat that I forgot that I actually came by around here to look for something quick to eat."
"Are your group mates waiting for you?" Jiwoo asked.
"I mean, they know I'm out to get something. We're only staying in that hotel just down the street." He pointed towards the particular direction. Jiwoo could spot the sign for the hotel. "They're either packing up their things or sleeping in until we leave later today."
"Ah, I see." She nodded her head towards the convenience store. "Were you perhaps looking to eat ramen? Because, seriously same."
"Really?"
"Yeah, we might as well eat together while we're here." Jiwoo stepped into the store ahead of Daniel. While he still held onto the kitten, Jiwoo was the one to pick out the ramen they wanted and cooked it. They even bought a small package of kimchi and some drinks for them to have for their little food run.
They sat besides each other, along with the kitten, while enjoying their ramen. It was weird, as they were instantly comfortable with each other's presence. It was nice, and Jiwoo was glad she was able to get to know Daniel a bit, seeing that they were actually the same age.
Same aged friends, both young and dreaming to become performers in the future.
"You're what?!" Daniel nearly choked on kimchi as Jiwoo accidentally slipped out that she was a trainee at SM Entertainment. The girl looked quite apologetic for shocking the boy so much and for saying that. She didn't want to look like she was rubbing the fact into his face. "Wow, you must be very good!"
"Eh, I'm not... really."
No way was she going to tell him that she gained the title of prodigy.
"Still! You must be great enough to be signed in with them. How long have you been training there?"
"Only four months."
Daniel looked floored. He gawked at Jiwoo, as if seeing her in a new light. "That's so cool."
"Well, what about you? I think you could really make it out there too," she said casually. Slurping up the ramen, she glanced over at the boy, a look of awe in his face. "What, don't you think so? I can see you as an idol one day."
"Yeah?" His eyes trailed back to his cup of noodles. "I can make it?"
"If you have enough passion for it," Jiwoo replied. "Just take me as an example. I've loved singing since I don't know how long, and I managed to get accepted into a big company. I'm lucky. But like, whatever you do, I hope you'll do something you're passionate for."
"That's some wise words for someone the same age as me."
"You learn things while being a trainee. It's tough but you have to have a drive for it."
The two finished up their ramen. They also said their goodbyes to the cute kitten before leaving the convenience store. At this point, they knew they were going to have to part ways and live on their own lives from here on.
"Thank you."
Jiwoo gave him an odd look. "Thank you? Why?"
"For... I don't know, it's kind of motivating to hear things like you said from someone my age. You did a lot to get where you are," Daniel beamed, his eye smile appearing. "I want to do just as much. I don't know why, but I feel somewhat competitive."
Jiwoo returned an amused grin. "Are you saying you're my rival?"
"Maybe," he chuckled. "It was really nice meeting you, Shim Jiwoo. Maybe the next time we meet is on stage?"
"Yeah, that sounds fun! It was nice meeting you too Kang Daniel."
"And really, that was it," Jiwoo finished her story of meeting Wanna One's member. "Literally right after that, I haven't heard from him since. Produce 101 is the first time in 6 years I've seen him again." She sat back on the couch as she watched the two boys nod along to her story. A smile tugged at her lips as she reached over and gave Jaehyun's hand a squeeze. "Ain't it a shame that something could have happened between me and Produce 101's #1?"
She earned a frown with her joke. "I'm only teasing, silly. You should know that I love you, Jung Yoonoh."
"Oh gross, I can't believe I have to witness this," Johnny uttered as he got up to his feet. "I think we got enough validation that you two's love is still as strong as possible. I now wish you to have a good hang out with Daniel, I'm sure the two of you will have a lot to chat about."
"Surely," Jiwoo chuckled. "That was me and you and basically every other person I knew who I lost contact with for the past few years. Doubt I'd be telling Daniel all the shit that happened though." She stood up along with Jaehyun. "Well, shouldn't you guys be heading to Music Core soon?"
"Yes," the two sighed.
Jiwoo grinned. "And of course your radio show afterwards. I'll make sure to be home before it starts and I can listen in tonight."
"Knew we can count on you, Jiwoo-yah," Johnny chimed.
Before both the boys could leave her recording studio, Jiwoo was quick to give Jaehyun a quick peck on his cheek for a last goodbye. The two NCT members finally left to continue on their promotions for Cherry Bomb, while as Jiwoo began getting ready to leave herself to meet up with Daniel in a cafe nearby his company.
It is quite comforting knowing that life had been gracious to him as well. And Jiwoo can't wait to see how much more great that boy will become once Wanna One debuts.
A/n: Again, just self-indulgent. Honestly, it doesn't bring anything for Nodus Tollens, just more the fact that Jiwoo met a boy by chance. Take it as canon to the story or not, this isn't really serious writing. Just something I wanted to get out of my system!
Please do leave a vote and/or a comment if you enjoyed! May you lovelies have a good day or night~