Chapter Text
Wooyoung's dream was rudely interrupted by the blaring sound of his alarm going off. The peaceful sound of the wind blowing through the trees, rustling through the tall grass as the sunset, the faint laughter in the background, reminding him of home. All ruined by a stupid alarm.
Wooyoung sat up, most of his hair standing straight up from the depth of which he slept. He wished he hadn't woken up. Or at least not yet. He groaned, hearing a second alarm start to go off. He reached over to his nightstand, to his phone.
“Shut the fuck up.” He mumbled, pressing a few buttons on his phone to stop the alarm. Reading through his notifications that he hadn't had a chance to look at since he landed.
Wooyoung was on his first world tour, Hello World , currently in the US. They landed in Tacoma, Washington at some ungodly hour the night before. Somewhere in the northwest of the states. His English wasn't the greatest but he'd been working with his tutor for months now trying to be at least passable for his fans to understand him.
He opened his work schedule for the day, seeing it was a packed one. He had a meeting with the new crew that would be touring with him while he was in the states. Then he had his fitting for the concert then sound check then rehearsal. He wasn't going to be done till at least 10pm.
His manager was nice enough to give him a late start to his day but Wooyoung was still dreading it. He combed his hands through his hair, attempting to tame it. Which he ultimately decided showering would fix that mess.
He swung his legs off the edge of the bed, rising to his feet, feeling the slight change in pressure, making him a little woozy. He shook it off as he made his way over to his suitcase, pulling out random clothes to form an outfit. Something that resembled one at least. Would his stylist approve of it? Probably not, but at least he wasn't naked.
Wooyoung grabbed the pile of clothes and his phone before heading into the bathroom. The hotel room was big, a yellowish beige tile covered the floor matching with some white accents on the walls. To his left were dual sinks with a big mirror. Behind him was the shower. A big walking-in shower, definitely made for more than one person.
Wooyoung put his clothes down before turning the water on. He grabbed his phone, about to play some music when Yeonjun's name pops up. He groaned before answering it.
“What do you want?” Wooyoung asks.
“Not even a hello?” Yeonjun replies.
“Hello Yeonjun. What do you want?” Wooyoung said, looking at himself in the mirror.
“What I want is to see how my best friend is doing on his first day in the states?”
“Fine. I'm about to shower.” Wooyoung replied, putting the phone on speaker before peeling his shirt off his back.
“Yeah, yeah. So did you go out last night?”
“Junnie, I said I'm about to shower. Can we do this later?” Wooyoung groaned.
“I've seen you naked. You think I care? Plus I miss you and I know ‘later’ is never gonna come so no. Now did you go out last night? Have you met anyone?”
Wooyoung rolled his eyes as he pulled his pants down. “No, I didn't go out last night. We got in at like 1 in the morning and I was exhausted after the long flight.”
“Boo, you gotta get yourself a man on this trip or at least a lady. I know you swing both ways.” Yeonjun laughed.
“I don't swing, period. I don't have time for that shit.”
Wooyoung stepped in the shower, letting the warm water trickle across his skin as it pooled around the drain, releasing a long moan like sigh.
“What are you jerking off in there? Wouldn’t be the first time.” Yeonjun teased.
“Can you not? I literally just stepped in the shower. The water is warmer than I thought.”
“Sure whatever you say. Now I'm gonna log into your dating profile and get to searching for you.”
“Please don't. I'm here on work, not that type of work Junnie.”
“Well at least get with somebody before you come home.”
Wooyoung groaned at that. He wanted to find someone but he didn't want to put the pressures of work and a relationship at the same time. His job was too important to him for some person. He would spend anywhere from 12-16 hours in the studio or with his manager discussing upcoming events or with his choreographer perfecting his moves. He didn't have the room to make time for someone else. He barely had time for friends. His friends were the people who worked with him, Changbin and Yeonjun, and that was about it.
“Oh you've got a week in New York right? Maybe then you could find somebody. It's the city that never sleeps after all.” Yeonjun cut him out of his thoughts.
“How do you know more about the states than I do?”
“Woo. I’ve been there like a million times with TXT and there's something called the internet. You look stuff up and you find answers. It's really easy.”
“Okay smart ass. I'm online more than you. Do you even have a tik tok?”
“Yes I do as a matter of fact! I have over 24 million followers.” Yeonjun quipped with a laugh. Wooyoung let out a long sigh, debating hanging up on his friend or not. He decided against it knowing he would just have to deal with the repercussions of it later when he saw Yeonjun in person.
“You know that’s not the account I’m talking about. You only have a personal account because I made it for you, Mr. yeonjunslefttoe.”
Wooyoung heard a whine from the other side of the phone. Wooyoung smiled as he grabbed his shampoo.
“Either way I wanna hear from you at least once a week if not every stop make sure you're doing ok or Imma harass Yunho.”
“Bro, leave him out of this.” Wooyoung whined.
“Then it's not hard to pick up my calls every once and a while.”
“Sure Junnie whatever you say.” Wooyoung replied as he rinsed out his shampoo.
“I mean it, Woo. Don't tempt me.”
“Alright I got it!” Wooyoung yelled.
“Shit-”
Wooyoung could hear some rustling in the background of the phone as he grabbed for his conditioner.
“What did you burn this time?”
“My mac and cheese!” Yeonjun whined.
“You and the microwave are not friends.”
“Shut up. I didn’t burn anything. I just put too much water in it.”
“So it exploded?”
“Something like that.” Yeonjun mumbled.
“See, this is why no one in that house lets you cook.” Wooyoung replied playfully.
“YAH! I cook! Just has to be supervised.” Yeonjun yelled in response.
“My point exactly.” Wooyoung laughed.
“Whatever. It’s still edible.”
“You just said it exploded but you’re still gonna eat it? Actually that makes sense. Whatever. Alright. Let me get on with my day. I’ll text you later.”
“Bye Woo.”
“Bye Junnie, saranghae.”
Wooyoung heard a slight “EW” before Yeonjun hung up. Wooyoung laughed as he stepped out of the shower. Feeling the cold wind smack up against his warm body, sending chills down his spine. He quickly grabbed a towel wrapping it around him. He walked over to the counter where his phone resided, seeing messages of guys that Yeonjun had sent over off of tinder. He decided to ignore them, pulling up his texts with Yunho.
Manager-nim
When’s breakfast
Thirty minutes ago
We are waiting in the lobby
I've got food for you
“Shit” Wooyoung huffed. He wiped himself down, throwing on the pile of clothes that he brought into the bathroom. He had on a black muscle tee with a pair of black jeans. He grabbed a random chain out of his luggage before running out the door.
Sprinting down the stairs, he saw Yunho and his bodyguard for the trip waiting for him.Yunho was wearing a graphic tee and a pair of khakis. He had a bomber jacket draped over his arm as he tapped his foot with impatience. The man standing next to him was wearing black on black with a sparkly blue jacket over the top, seeing if he got lost, Wooyoung could spot him from a mile away. Yunho looked a bit pissed before looking at the bodyguard. Wooyoung noticed the quick switch on Yunho’s face between him and the bodyguard. The sides of Wooyoung's lips curled up when he got closer to the two, feeling the tension in the air.
“Ahem.” Wooyoung coughed, making his presence known.
“Fucking finally. We gotta head to the venue. Everyone is waiting for us.” Yunho huffed.
“Good morning to you too.” Wooyoung rolled his eyes.
“Song Mingi, Jung Wooyoung, Jung Wooyoung, Song Mingi.” Yunho quickly introduced.
“Morning Mingi.” Wooyoung smiled up at him, seeing he was significantly taller than him.
“Hi.” Mingi returned the smile.
“Let's go, you two.”
The two boys followed quickly into the back of the car. Hongjoong, his producer and the person on the staff team he was closest to, was already waiting in the back of the car as emotional support for his first American concert. With his hood up, his bright blue hair poking out of the top, Hongjoong gave him a small smile as they entered the car. From the looks of it, he seemed intimidating but Wooyoung deep down knew that Hongjoong was the ultimate sweetheart of the group.
Wooyoung wasn’t nervous but yet it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing either. He had been prepping for long hours with Hongjoong and his vocal coach, Jongho, making sure everything was perfect. Yunho tried to stop him from overworking but he knew he could only do so much. Wooyoung’s team were all very close and concerned with Wooyoung, making sure that he ate and got enough sleep each night.
“Eat.” Yunho handed him a brown paper bag. Wooyoung gave him a half smile, looking into the bag, seeing a sandwich. Wooyoung nodded, closing the bag. He wasn’t hungry but he will make sure to eat it later.
A ten minute drive came and went. They were standing in the back wings of the venue. It was on the smaller side, not as big as the Tacoma Dome but similar seat structure. Wooyoung had a lot of international fans asking for him to tour in the US. He was lucky enough to be able to be given the opportunity to travel outside of Korea. The venue held about 15,000 people, with an extended stage. Wooyoung hadn’t realized Yunho was talking to the rest of the group that was standing there, too busy looking out towards the seats that will soon be filled with people.
“So small change of plans for today. We’re gonna start with a simple sound check then a runthrough of the setlist then Woo you're gonna… Wooyoung!” Yunho waved his hand, getting Wooyoung’s attention again. Wooyoung snapped back to reality and looked back at him.
“What? Sorry.” Yunho shot him a look before continuing.
“Anyways. Like I was saying. Starting with a soundcheck then a run through of the setlist then Wooyoung, you and Seonghwa will do your fittings then it’s promo time. And lunch thrown in there somewhere when needed. Does that sound good?” Yunho scanned the group of people, seeing everyone in agreement with him. “Great! Come find me if you need me.”
The group dispersed into different directions. Wooyoung just stayed put, feeling a little anxious. This wasn’t his first rodeo but there was a new crew for his US tour. People didn’t scare him but for some reason he was anxious. He liked his old crew, knowing everyone’s names, being genuinely close with them, but now he just felt awkward. And he hates being awkward.
“You ok?” Hongjoong asked.
“Huh? Yeah I’m good. Just not awake yet.” Wooyoung responded.
“Have you eaten?”
Wooyoung realized he left the bag in the car before he got into the venue. Too busy sightseeing.
“No.” He mumbled.
“Do you want the sandwich?” Wooyoung nodded. “Go to the back by the booth, you can’t miss it. Mingi is waiting for you over there.”
Wooyoung nodded, seeing Hongjoong’s mop of blue hair disappear behind the curtains. He made his way out onto the stage. The place seemed a lot bigger than it actually was. The front rows were still getting set up by the venue staff. Wooyoung said hello to them as he descended down the stairs on the edge of the stage. He used the walkways towards the back of the venue, near the normal entrance.
He saw Mingi’s light jacket reflecting off the stage lights, making him a bit of an eye sore. Next to him were two people. One had one of the badges like Mingi, notifying that they were a part of his crew and the other was messing with the other board a few feet away from them, probably someone that worked for the venue.
“Wooyoung!” Mingi waved, catching him out of his daze. Wooyoung did a little jog to get closer to him.
“This is Choi San. He’s our sound tech for the tour.” Wooyoung made eye contact with the man. He was tall, with slick black hair. He had on a silver chain similar to Wooyoung’s that hung around his neck, laying perfectly on his black t-shirt. The ends of his sleeves were partly rolled up and were tucked into his pants. He had a pair of distressed dark blue, almost black jeans on, hugging his waist. Wooyoung knew he was staring for too long but he didn’t care. Wooyoung’s hands drifted from his sides, into his pockets, pinching his skin, making sure he wasn’t dreaming over the sight in front of him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Wooyoung.” San smiled, his eyes slowly closing together, making Wooyoung simp a bit harder for this man he just met.
“The pleasure is mine.” Wooyoung grinned. San let out a laugh at his reaction to him. He turned to the booth, messing with a few things.
“Do you want to do handheld or a face mic?” San asked.
“Let’s try handheld.” Wooyoung could feel his lips curling. Just making eye contact with San made his stomach fill with butterflies. He didn’t know why but he didn’t mind the feeling.
“Okay, turn around.” Wooyoung did what he was told. San handed him his in ears as he clipped the pack to his pants. Wooyoung put the end of the cord down the back of his shirt before throwing his arms over his head, swinging the in-ears over his shoulders to rest on his collarbones. He put them in his ear, opening and closing his mouth a few times to adjust them, then wiggled a little, to make the cord go all the way down his back. He reached under his shirt grabbing the plug, trying to find the pack. After a few more seconds with no success, he accepted defeat.
“Can you help me?” Wooyoung turned around with his hand behind his back, holding out the cord.
“Oh, my bad.” San grabbed the cord, plugging it into the pack. He gave a light touch on Wooyoung’s back, letting him know he was all set. Wooyoung turned back around, feeling hot flashes on his face.
“Here.” San handed him a matte black mic. “Can I test levels really quick?”
“Start off quiet please. I don’t need my eardrums blown out.” Wooyoung laughed. San giggled in response. He looked at the set list, pulling up the first song within the system, ‘Bittersweet Betrayal.’ The song starts off with a low bass drum, then the bass guitar picks up. It's the type of song to get the crowd going. San slowly pushed up the volume into Wooyoung’s ears. Wooyoung stopped himself from getting flustered by looking down to the ground. He had to keep his composure otherwise this would have been a long 3 hours.
Wooyoung raised his hand, signaling for more. San nodded, pushing up the slider, making it louder. Wooyoung looked up before saying, “That’s good.”
“Let’s do a quieter song just in case.” San put on his ballad, ‘Floating through Promises.’ The song was the title track of his first EP. Wooyoung’s music balanced on the side of Alternative rock and metal. He liked the feeling of the strong guitar taking the mainstage while balancing itself out with meaningful lyrics. Some of his music was too much for some and not enough for others but nonetheless, he was different from anyone else in the K-pop industry.
Well, he really wasn’t considered K-pop. But he was a Korean artist who happened to be signed under KQ as an independent artist with a lot of talent. He had charted a dozen times, first time being with his second EP, Echoes of Madness. His song, the Devil has Been Chosen, had become number 1 in the charts for six weeks straight after getting noticed on editing tiktok. The rest of his EPs and albums skyrocketed from there and gained traction all over the world.
Now he was here in the states, doing the thing he most dreamed of. Traveling the world performing his music that he put so much effort into. It started out as just some hobby then he met Yeosang, his best friend and now choreographer. The two would sit down and brainstorm music ideas and dance moves then they landed themselves jobs within KQ. Meeting the rest of the group, forming a little family.
Wooyoung couldn’t be more grateful to him and the rest of his crew. He knew most of them by name back home, going out for dinners some nights or throwing celebratory parties after major successes. Just because he was in the states didn’t mean he left his mannerisms at home. Wooyoung deep down was a total sweetheart. He enjoyed being around people, wanting each of them to feel loved. San wasn’t any different. He may be new but Wooyoung’s bubbly personality wouldn't stop him from getting to know him.
“That's good.” Wooyoung said, watching San move some knobs on the board in front of him.
“Ok good, now I need levels from the guitar, could you?”
“Yup on it.” Wooyoung interjected, placing the mic down behind the booth. Turning on his heel, Wooyoung made his way back to the stage. Behind the curtains sat his prize possession, his all black guitar. It didn’t seem very special, just looked like a normal electric guitar but to Wooyoung it meant everything.
Wooyoung grabbed the guitar and made his way to center stage. Hongjoong was right behind him with a stool he could sit on. Wooyoung gave him a toothy smile as Hongjoong cringed. Wooyoung sat on the stool, in the middle of the stage waiting for San’s go ahead.
The house lights turned off, leaving Wooyoung in a spotlight of just himself on the stage. The warm rays from the lights shining down on him gave him the sense of stability. San picked up his headset, turning it on on the sound board. He wanted to try and see if he did his programming right earlier. He wanted to see if he could have only Wooyoung hear him through his in-ears instead of the whole venue.
“Wooyoung.” San said he looked up to see if it worked, seeing the boy's face creep a shade of pink and a smile forming. “Can you hear me?” He continued lowering his voice an octave seeing the effect just speaking to him gave.
“Loud and clear.” Wooyoung yelled. He couldn’t see anything further than the first few rows since his eyes were still adjusting to the light. He heard a little giggle from San that rang in his ears.
“Am I too loud?” San asked. Wooyoung shook his head. San moved a few more things to prep for the guitar, also avoiding him blowing out the speakers.
“Play something for me.” San said into the mic, looking up at him. Wooyoung physically stuttered. San could see the nervous boy fidgeting with his guitar. San muted his own mic on the soundboard as he got his hands ready just in case shit hit the fan.
Wooyoung was more than flustered but shaking off the nerves he began to practice the chords to ‘It’s a State of Mind’, one of the songs that was on the set list. His fingers plucked the strings, switching from the bass parts to the main melody. He could feel his nerves dissipating as he got lost in the music. His left hand slid up and down the neck of the guitar, as he continued through the song. He could feel the vibrations in his ears meaning San was messing with some things. San pushed up the slider to see if it was too loud. It most definitely was by the reaction on Wooyoung’s face. His eyebrows scrunched together, showing signs of pain. San made a mental note of how loud it was, tapping the slider down, seeing the pain wash off his face.
San unmuted his mic. “Good, now go crazy. Max it out.” Wooyoung nodded, changing his hands a bit to a more chaotic song choice. His favorite nonetheless, REckless. The song had four main chords that he always leaned to when he would make up music with Hongjoong. He started off soft, just like in the song then cranked it up times a hundred, knowing that's exactly what he was going to do on stage.
San knew that he had to be ready for whatever Wooyoung had in store. San prepped his hands on the mains and on Wooyoung’s in-ears. Wooyoung started to play, seeing the gentleness in his hands, and San didn’t think it was going to be too bad. Until he saw Wooyoung stand up. He quickly pulled down the mains, afraid of the feedback as Wooyoung started to walk around the stage.
San watched as Wooyoung kept playing. It seemed like he totally forgot he was even on a stage in front of people. He messed with a few more knobs before picking up the mic once more.
“Okay Woo, the guitar is set. Wanna do the set list?”
Wooyoung stopped in his tracks. ‘Woo’ the name literally everyone called him. Why did it make his heart flutter? He slowly shook his head making his way backstage.
San turned off the receiver that allowed him to speak to Wooyoung directly, before making his announcement.
“Okay guys. We are running through the set list.” A few of the venue staff exited the room as the rest of Wooyoung’s crew prepped the stage. He was lucky enough to have a live band perform some of his songs as per his request. KQ was against it at first but with the help of Hongjoong pressuring them to have it for the tour, they ultimately agreed.
A few people started to step onto the stage, setting up their equipment. Wooyoung grabbed his guitar stand from backstage, putting it up by his mic stand. He went to go say something into his mic, forgetting he left it back at the booth.
“Forgetting something?” San teased. Wooyoung perked his head up at San, who was waving his mic around. He groaned, quickly running down the stage and to the back of the venue to San.
“Shut up.” Wooyoung mumbled, feeling the heat in his cheeks. San smiled at him as he handed the mic over to him. Mingi was hysterical next to him, watching the two flirt with one another for the past 10 minutes was one of the best K-dramas he’s seen in a minute.
“What are you laughing at?” Wooyoung said, turning his attention to Mingi.
“You.” Mingi snickered. Wooyoung grumbled then pouted then walked back to the stage.
“You’ve had one conversation with him and you already have him folding for you.” Mingi said.
“What can I say?” San replied.
“Oh I see. You’re whipped for him too aren’t you?” Mingi said, crossing his arms.
“Mingi.” San said coldly. That didn’t break him though. Mingi and San had been friends for a while within KQ. Well more or less frenemies since Mingi “stole” San’s job as Wooyoung’s bodyguard. Feeling bad, Mingi was able to land him a spot as the sound tech for the US tour. Since the person who was supposed to do it was popping out a kid as they spoke.
“Nothing fazes me, San.” Mingi laughed, making his way to a seat in the venue. San just shook his head as Amelia, the light tech took her spot. San gave her a small smile as he focused his attention on the board in front of him.