+ The Art Of Compensation [Beast]
Title: The Art Of Compensation
Rating: PG
Characters: Doojoon, Yoseob
Word Count: ~1800
Notes: Um, Beast fic, what? I have no idea how this happened, but I’m not complaining. Partly inspired by this picture. Originally posted here.
Summary: If Yoseob happens to take their failure a little more to heart than the others, the only one who notices it is Doojoon.
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One day, when they're all bored at the park waiting for the film crew to arrive, someone (it doesn't matter who - they spend so much time together, it's too hard to differentiate, anyway) suggests they imitate their sunbaenims, just to see if they can.
Hyunseung wants to do I Hate You and Dongwoon still really loves Again & Again, but Junhyung says that both of those dances are a little less powerful with only six members, and tries for Heartbeat.
Dongwoon wins.
Even though they wear hats in an effort to disguise themselves, they're all actually hoping (even just a little bit) that people recognise them - either as themselves, or as their hyungs, it doesn't matter. But even though Gikwang rips off his vest, and they perform the entirety of the choreography almost perfectly, no-one thinks they're anything more than teenagers trying to emulate superstars. Someone even throws money in Doojoon's hat when it falls off after the first chorus.
They laugh when they're done, bowing and thanking their small audience, and thinking one day, maybe, they won't be able to go anywhere without being noticed.
If Yoseob happens to take their failure a little more to heart than the others, the only one who notices it is Doojoon.
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Doojoon walks into the dance studio, intent on brushing up on his Bad Girl moves (ever since they began promoting Mystery, he seems to have confused a few elements of the two -- even though that seems impossible because they performed Bad Girl so many times it made him want to rip his hair out -- and apparently, his own mediocrity knows no bounds), but he sees Yoseob inside, staring at his own reflection, so he stops to watch for a few moments. His dongsaeng is standing very close to the mirror, holding his oversized t-shirt up, looking at his flat stomach despondently.
It doesn't take Doojoon long to realise why and he steps inside, saying, "They won't grow overnight, you know."
Yoseob jerks, dropping the hem of his shirt and taking a few steps back. He relaxes a bit when he sees it's Doojoon, but that doesn't stop him from scratching the back of his neck nervously, uttering a quiet, "Hyung."
Doojoon raises his eyebrows, moving closer. "'Hyung'? Really?" He stops a foot away from him, grabbing either end of the towel hooked around his neck and pulling it taut.
"Doojoon-ah, then. Doojoon-ie. Doo."
They both grin at that. "What were you doing?" Doojoon finally asks, even though he knows, and nods towards the mirror.
"I was just... wondering," he mutters, looking at the ground.
"What?"
"What people see when they look at us." He looks up again, and the completely vulnerable look on his face makes Doojoon's stomach throb. "I want to be famous. I want to make lots of money for my parents. Mostly, I want to dance and make music with the rest of you forever, but what if I'm not good enough? What if I have to change? Because if I have to change, then I don't know if I can do this."
"Is this about what happened at the park?"
"No. Maybe."
"Okay." He darts forward, grabs Yoseob's hand, and pulls him to stand back in front of the mirror, wrapping his arms around Yoseob's shoulders. "Tell me. When did we debut?"
"October."
"What month is it now?"
"December."
"How many singles have we released?"
"Two."
"How many countdowns and music shows have we performed at?"
Yoseob's face crinkles adorably as he attempts to come up with an exact number, before settling on, "Lots."
"Do we not have our fanclub? Do we not constantly get online messages of support?"
"Well, yes, but--"
"Your problem is," Doojoon snakes his arms down to wrap around Yoseob's waist, resting his chin on his right shoulder, "you're too impatient."
"I know." Yoseob places his hands on top of Doojoon's, and they're warmer than he expected.
"Like I said, it's not going to happen straight away. We can't release one mini-album and expect the world. That comes with time, and much more accumulated choreography." He grins, and when Yoseob smiles back, it actually reaches his eyes. Doojoon pulls away and adds, "Come on, then. Help me with my moves." He strikes a stupid pose, and Yoseob laughs this time.
+
Always being the optimistic, upbeat one must be tiring. Yoseob tends to come away from press and filming events more tired than the rest of them, because the expectation is placed upon him that he will be cute and perky and sparkly.
And the thing is, as much as Doojoon hates to admit it, they all do it. They constantly rely on him to be their bubbly, bouncy relief, not only on camera, but away from the spotlight, too. When one of them is feeling down and in need of cheering up, they go to Yoseob, and he never turns them away, no matter how he may be feeling himself. In a way, he's become to group's cheerleader and team-spirit maintainer -- technically a job Doojoon should hold, but realistically a position much better filled by Yoseob.
Now, though, Doojoon decides that it's time for a little bit of compensation, and a few days later, when they've finally finished their schedule for the day, he grabs Yoseob and whisks him away before he has time to even change, forcing him into the waiting company car he's requested and getting in next to him.
"Doojoon-ah. What are you doing?"
"We're going on a trip."
Yoseob looks amused at the antics of his hyung. "Where?"
"You'll see."
"But where?" He slides closer as their driver starts the car, slipping into Doojoon and taking the opportunity to poke his face. "Where? Where where where?"
Doojoon laughs and pushes him away. "You'll see."
"Ominou~s," Yoseob says, drawing out the word before making spooky noises.
He spends the rest of the trip trying to get answers out of Doojoon, who doesn't speak at all (except to sing 'Muzik', very loudly, when it comes on the radio).
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When they reach their destination, a crowded shopping arcade a mere fifteen minutes away from their dorm, Yoseob turns to him, eyebrows raised, as if to say, 'Is this it?', but Doojoon just ushers him out of the car, fishing his video camera out of his backpack and following closely.
He presses record, slings his arm around Yoseob's shoulders, aims the camera and says into it, "Annyeonghaseyo, my name is Doojoon, and this is Yoseob," Yoseob waves awkwardly, "and we are SO BEAST. I have heard that we have our fair share of people who doubt us. Today I would like to show those people that their doubts are severely unfounded." He bows, adding, "I will work hard!" before grabbing Yoseob's wrist and pulling him around a corner, to where a large crowd of Beast fans are waiting. They start screaming once they see the duo, and Doojoon makes sure to catch Yoseob's reaction on tape, as his face transforms into the most resplendent grin.
One of the security staff (who Doojoon had no choice to inform about this impromptu gig) pulls out a boombox, starting up 'Bad Girl', and Yoseob whoops before throwing himself into the empty circle the fans have allowed them and beginning the choreography. Doojoon shoves the camera into the hands of another security guard and joins him, laughing.
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Twenty minutes later and it's all over, both Bad Girl and Mystery having been filmed, and Doojoon and Yoseob have fled the crowd (and the staff). The excitement has died down and no-one recognises them again, but Yoseob is the happiest Doojoon has seen him in weeks. He is window shopping with no-one to stop him, dashing from one store to another and pointing out the pretty things he sees gleefully. Eventually, he seems to get bored, because he runs back at full speed, skidding a little and grabbing Doojoon's hand so he doesn't fall over.
"Hyung! Can we do that again, one day?"
He holds in a grin. "You're still talking about that?"
"It was amazing, of course I am! All those people, and they all knew us, and... Although," he frowns, ruffling his hair, thinking hard, "didn't I see MBLAQ do something similar on their show?"
"Ah." Doojoon had hoped that he wouldn't remember that.
His eyes go wide. "Hyung!"
"I possibly... consulted with Seungho as to a good course of action."
"You stole from our rivals?"
"Aish, I didn't steal anything, it's completely different!" It's not, because Seungho had been ridiculously unhelpful and had spent the entire conversation being tickled by Joon before telling Doojoon to just watch 'The Art of Seduction' for good material. Which Doojoon had then gone and done. "We brainstormed, and this is what we came up with."
"This is what you stole," he teases, grabbing onto Doojoon's arm and hugging it to his chest.
"Whatever I did, I did it for you," Doojoon tells him, trying to shake him off. "But if you're going to be ungrateful, then--"
"No, I'm not!" he says urgently, squeezing tighter. "Thank you, Leader."
"I didn't... I didn't do it as your leader," he says quietly. He's unsure why the distinction is relevant, but he's watching their feet as they walk, Yoseob's small feet in brightly-coloured sneakers, his own encased in a rather larger pair of sturdy black Converse, and stupid thoughts flit through his mind, like how footwear has probably never been so apt, and how good it is that black goes with everything, and how if he'd never met Yoseob colours wouldn't ever have been so bright. "I probably should have, but I... I did it as your friend."
Yoseob is quiet and stops, a dead weight pulling on his arm.
"Yah," Doojoon says, shuffling backwards, "are you okay?" He grabs Yoseob's cheeks and forces him to look up. "Say something."
Yoseob just beams, before throwing his arms around Doojoon's neck in a giant hug. "I'm just glad you're my friend!"
"Good." Doojoon can't help a grin of his own and hugs him back until his back starts to get sore. "Okay." He pulls back a little, patting his bandmate lightly on the back, but Yoseob just tightens his grip. "Okay, you're hurting me now." Nothing. He tries to pull back again, but Yoseob just has tiny arms of steel. "Yoseob, I am about to transition from your friend and back into your leader."
"I don't care," comes his muffled voice, "I love you both ways."
"The point is," Doojoon says, very clearly, "that if you do not let go, I will make you clean the entire dorm for a week."
Yoseob immediately lets go, and Doojoon can breathe.
"Thank you," he says, and starts off again, leaving the younger to follow. He does so quickly, grabbing onto Doojoon's hand tightly once more.
"Is this okay?" he asks anxiously, ready to pull back at the mere mention of household chores.
Doojoon rolls his eyes. "It's okay."
"Good." And when Yoseob begins to swing their arms, higher and higher each time, Doojoon lets him.
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