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♡
Jaehyun let out a sigh, curling himself into a ball as he stared at the wall opposite him. The young boy was troubled with the recent V-live they had that afternoon. He was ecstatic to have succeeded in debuting at the tender age of 19, his talents at it's peak.
The 7th Sense was a huge hit in the K-pop industry as soon as it was released, the company was pleased by the outcome of their experimental music.
The managers have often advised the group to not pay much heed on the fans' comments, but that day Jaehyun had spotted a few of them which gnawed at his insides unpleasantly.
Taesbae: jaehyun isn't even that good honestly. his dance is sloppy
bpgirl: at least his pretty face makes up for it. bet he got tons of work done
meow310: i pity nct u. they're not going to make it far with him lmao.
Jaehyun knew better than to squeal his worries to the older members. The leader in particular, his boyfriend Taeyong. The male had a huge weight casted on him since his debut date and was working hard to achieve their success. There was absolutely no way he was going to burden him over something as trivial as this.
"Babe?"
Taeyong's deep voice punctuated his thoughts as the space beside him was occupied. "Hey, hyung.." He mumbles weakly, letting the older peck his lips. "You alright there? You seem off." The younger shook his head, assuring him that things were dandy, that he was just worn for the day and needed cuddles.
The next day brought a sickening blow to Jaehyun's stomach when he remembers that they have a live performance just a few hours from now. He had seemingly lost every ounce of courage he had taken the time to build over the years of his training.
He felt pathetic that a few comments could have such a fatal impact on him. The other members were just as nervous and jittery, otherwise fine and didn't seem like they were losing their shit unlike him.
The boy caught a glimpse of the roaring crowd outside, wondering if the trolls from yesterday attended just to sneer at him. His chest tightened at the thought of everyone throwing disgusted looks at him, yelling for him to get off the stage and out of SM Entertainment.
His vision was starting to blur and breathing became very difficult. "Hyung? Are you okay?" Mark spots him and gets a little shaken at the sight of Jaehyun breaking down into panicked sobs. "Oh god, I'll get Taeyong-hyung!" He runs off, looking for the leader.
The older came sprinting towards his boyfriend, holding him tight in his arms. "Jaehyunnie, babe? Look at me please?" He presses a kiss onto the younger's forehead, holding eye contact. "I'm here, sweetheart."
"H-Hyung.. don't make m-me..go up t-there..p-please.. t-they hate me.. and they'll h-hate..you all t-too.. I d-don't want that.." Jaehyun's voice was breathless, barely able to finish his sentence but Taeyong understood. "Baby, I need you to breathe, okay? Deep breaths on my count."
The older counted patiently, making sure the boy was evening out his breaths. When he was deemed calm, Jaehyun hugged his boyfriend with an amount of anxiety still clinging on to him.
"Jae?"
"Hm?"
"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, to us. I'm so proud that you've made it this far with your amazing talents. I'm sure the fans feel the same."
Jaehyun wanted to protest at that but the older beat him to it. "We can't control the way people think or use their words. You shouldn't allow them to get under your skin no matter how cruel they may be. My baby is the most bravest boy I know, isn't he?"
The younger giggled as Taeyong nuzzled his nose against his cheek lovingly. "I love you so much, my little superstar." He whispers. "I-I love you too, hyung." The boy whispers back with a genuine smile.
"Now let's go out there and knock 'em dead."
The performance was executed smoothly without any slip-ups or mishaps. Jaehyun was happy that the fans were enjoying themselves and even chanted his name when it was his line.
Towards the end when the group held hands and bowed to thank the audience, a big banner was held up by the fans. The boy could immediately recognize his own dimpled smile next to the hangul characters:
Jeong Jaehyun best boy!!
The other members cheered at the sight. Taeyong squeezed his hand comfortingly and was met with the younger's cheery smile and glossy eyes. "See? They'll always love you, and so will I." He mutters loud enough only for his boyfriend to hear which makes him grin even wider.
