finding two shells (is just like a miracle)
fill from exopromptmeme . OP, I took your prompt and kinda extended it a bit, and even though I'm not really satisfied with the result, I hope you like it! :3 title taken from lyrics of Proud by DBSK. I don't own EXO or DBSK. /cry/
“Minseok ah, study hard.”
“I know you can do it! Fighting!”
Minseok never saw it coming. He had been happy just to debut, along with the eleven others he would call brothers.
They would share laughs, share joy and pain, happiness and regret, and experience things they had never experienced alone.
Minseok didn’t know what would happen after April of 2012, but of one thing he was sure.
The next few years would be memorable.
Throughout the MAMA era, he got to know better his eleven brothers: what made them tick, what made them mad, what upset them, and what made them laugh.
He also studied Chinese furiously with his Korean companion, Jongdae. Already, the main vocalist was surpassing him by leaps and bounds.
Yes, there were times where Minseok would feel almost a little… bitter.
Both he and Jongdae were Korean members in the M subgroup, yet, only a year after debut, Jongdae could speak near fluent Chinese and he could only speak basic sentences.
Yes, he was a bit jealous, but it was times like these that Minseok reminded himself of the other side of the coin- Jongdae curled up in bed, shaking with silent sobs, pent up with emotions he wanted to express but couldn’t, Jongdae opening up to him, confessing that he was losing his identity, that Chen was all he was expected to be and there was no room for Jongdae anymore.
When everything was too much, Minseok could always go to Lu Han for advice.
Lu Han always gave good advice. He was somehow psychic- he could see things about to happen when no one else could. More than once, Lu Han would say that something would happen, and it would.
But more than anything, Lu Han encouraged Minseok to keep going, even in the face of adversity.
After a particularly grueling Chinese variety show, he would find Minseok and tell him how it didn’t matter what the MC’s said or what the Chinese fans thought of him- so what if he was just “baozi” to Chinese fans? He made a pretty damn cute baozi.
No matter what adversity he faced, Lu Han would always be there to smooth things over, to make things better again.
“Minseok ah, study hard so you can shine, all right?”
After they came back with Wolf in summer of 2013, things changed.
Suddenly, their schedules were even more packed than ever, with variety shows, radio appearances, performances on all the major music shows, their new store/café BWCW, as well as their previous commitments to charities.
Minseok watched as Jongin, the ever hardworking dancer, sprained one thing after another. He watched with pain as Jongin walked into the dance studio hunched over, pressing a hot pack to his back, promising with a smile to work harder than ever.
(I wish I could exchange places with him.)
Minseok watched as Yi Fan would stop suddenly in the middle of practice or on the way to schedules and press his hand to his heart, an expression of worry flitting over his face. That fleeting moment would pass and he would act like nothing had ever happened.
(Why won’t you tell anyone what’s wrong? Why must you hide those forms written in English in your room?)
“It’s nothing, Minseok ah.”
“I’m sure whatever it is, it’ll pass. Injuries are part of the job, after all.”
He was slowly reaching it.
The pinnacle.
His Chinese was slowly getting better, bit by bit.
Even though he still wasn’t as good as Jongdae, he could at least make himself understood now, instead of saying one word and pointing and hoping someone gets it.
Lu Han never stopped encouraging him, now taking time out of his own schedule to go over the workbook with Minseok, oftentimes staying up past 1 am, until Minseok’s mind was a jumble of nouns, pronouns, grammar rules and characters.
“That’s it! You’re getting so much better, Minseok.”
Somewhere in the middle of Wolf promotions, something had, imperceptibly, shifted.
The look on Lu Han’s face when he told Minseok to study hard wasn’t one of lighthearted reminders- there was almost something Minseok couldn’t grasp lying underneath, something that Minseok would miss every time, a look that flashed across Lu Han’s face and was gone with a flash.
“You never know when you’ll need Chinese again, so study lots now, okay?”
Like a freak storm that comes and takes everything away in its wake, changed happened.
Minseok tried and tried, but he couldn’t take care of everything. Everything was falling apart.
Despite how Joonmyun worked harder than ever to keep their remaining eleven members in the dark, it would all come out.
As expected, Zitao did not take the news well. He spent the first hour screaming and banging in his room, and the next five hours in the SM building, singing his heart out (tearing his heart apart)
Everyone was devastated by Yi Fan leaving, and the fact that they had to act like nothing had happened and that they didn’t care hurt them even more.
Despite all the turmoil, Lu Han stayed calm.
Minseok always admired that trait about Lu Han- the fact that he was able to stand, firm as a rock, despite the most furious of storms.
Now, Lu Han insisted on tutoring Minseok in Chinese, throwing all of his efforts into making sure Minseok mastered the language. Whenever the opportunity arose, Lu Han would teach Minseok Chinese, claiming learning through immersion was the best way to learn a new language.
Minseok was most amazed by the way Lu Han seemed to know something was coming before everyone else. Although, in retrospect, it wasn’t that Lu Han was psychic.
He had planned for it to happen.
Now Minseok understood.
Why Lu Han always made sure he kept up on his lessons.
Why Lu Han would take time out of his own free time he could be using to sleep to teach Minseok Chinese.
Why Lu Han would say cryptic phrases and tell him obscure things like “Soon, it’ll be your turn to shine” or “when I’m not around to translate for you…”
Now, Minseok understood.
Everything Lu Han did, everything he taught him, was for a reason.
Lu Han knew that because of his condition, he wouldn’t be able to be an idol much longer.
That he, too, would leave.
“Minseok ah, study hard.”
“I know you can do it! Fighting!”
Minseok never saw it coming. He had been happy just to debut, along with the eleven others he would call brothers.
They would share laughs, share joy and pain, happiness and regret, and experience things they had never experienced alone.
Minseok didn’t know what would happen after April of 2012, but of one thing he was sure.
The next few years would be memorable.
Throughout the MAMA era, he got to know better his eleven brothers: what made them tick, what made them mad, what upset them, and what made them laugh.
He also studied Chinese furiously with his Korean companion, Jongdae. Already, the main vocalist was surpassing him by leaps and bounds.
Yes, there were times where Minseok would feel almost a little… bitter.
Both he and Jongdae were Korean members in the M subgroup, yet, only a year after debut, Jongdae could speak near fluent Chinese and he could only speak basic sentences.
Yes, he was a bit jealous, but it was times like these that Minseok reminded himself of the other side of the coin- Jongdae curled up in bed, shaking with silent sobs, pent up with emotions he wanted to express but couldn’t, Jongdae opening up to him, confessing that he was losing his identity, that Chen was all he was expected to be and there was no room for Jongdae anymore.
When everything was too much, Minseok could always go to Lu Han for advice.
Lu Han always gave good advice. He was somehow psychic- he could see things about to happen when no one else could. More than once, Lu Han would say that something would happen, and it would.
But more than anything, Lu Han encouraged Minseok to keep going, even in the face of adversity.
After a particularly grueling Chinese variety show, he would find Minseok and tell him how it didn’t matter what the MC’s said or what the Chinese fans thought of him- so what if he was just “baozi” to Chinese fans? He made a pretty damn cute baozi.
No matter what adversity he faced, Lu Han would always be there to smooth things over, to make things better again.
“Minseok ah, study hard so you can shine, all right?”
After they came back with Wolf in summer of 2013, things changed.
Suddenly, their schedules were even more packed than ever, with variety shows, radio appearances, performances on all the major music shows, their new store/café BWCW, as well as their previous commitments to charities.
Minseok watched as Jongin, the ever hardworking dancer, sprained one thing after another. He watched with pain as Jongin walked into the dance studio hunched over, pressing a hot pack to his back, promising with a smile to work harder than ever.
(I wish I could exchange places with him.)
Minseok watched as Yi Fan would stop suddenly in the middle of practice or on the way to schedules and press his hand to his heart, an expression of worry flitting over his face. That fleeting moment would pass and he would act like nothing had ever happened.
(Why won’t you tell anyone what’s wrong? Why must you hide those forms written in English in your room?)
“It’s nothing, Minseok ah.”
“I’m sure whatever it is, it’ll pass. Injuries are part of the job, after all.”
He was slowly reaching it.
The pinnacle.
His Chinese was slowly getting better, bit by bit.
Even though he still wasn’t as good as Jongdae, he could at least make himself understood now, instead of saying one word and pointing and hoping someone gets it.
Lu Han never stopped encouraging him, now taking time out of his own schedule to go over the workbook with Minseok, oftentimes staying up past 1 am, until Minseok’s mind was a jumble of nouns, pronouns, grammar rules and characters.
“That’s it! You’re getting so much better, Minseok.”
Somewhere in the middle of Wolf promotions, something had, imperceptibly, shifted.
The look on Lu Han’s face when he told Minseok to study hard wasn’t one of lighthearted reminders- there was almost something Minseok couldn’t grasp lying underneath, something that Minseok would miss every time, a look that flashed across Lu Han’s face and was gone with a flash.
“You never know when you’ll need Chinese again, so study lots now, okay?”
Like a freak storm that comes and takes everything away in its wake, changed happened.
Minseok tried and tried, but he couldn’t take care of everything. Everything was falling apart.
Despite how Joonmyun worked harder than ever to keep their remaining eleven members in the dark, it would all come out.
As expected, Zitao did not take the news well. He spent the first hour screaming and banging in his room, and the next five hours in the SM building, singing his heart out (tearing his heart apart)
Everyone was devastated by Yi Fan leaving, and the fact that they had to act like nothing had happened and that they didn’t care hurt them even more.
Despite all the turmoil, Lu Han stayed calm.
Minseok always admired that trait about Lu Han- the fact that he was able to stand, firm as a rock, despite the most furious of storms.
Now, Lu Han insisted on tutoring Minseok in Chinese, throwing all of his efforts into making sure Minseok mastered the language. Whenever the opportunity arose, Lu Han would teach Minseok Chinese, claiming learning through immersion was the best way to learn a new language.
Minseok was most amazed by the way Lu Han seemed to know something was coming before everyone else. Although, in retrospect, it wasn’t that Lu Han was psychic.
He had planned for it to happen.
Now Minseok understood.
Why Lu Han always made sure he kept up on his lessons.
Why Lu Han would take time out of his own free time he could be using to sleep to teach Minseok Chinese.
Why Lu Han would say cryptic phrases and tell him obscure things like “Soon, it’ll be your turn to shine” or “when I’m not around to translate for you…”
Now, Minseok understood.
Everything Lu Han did, everything he taught him, was for a reason.
Lu Han knew that because of his condition, he wouldn’t be able to be an idol much longer.
That he, too, would leave.