↱SACCHARINE↲ ⇾woojoong⇽

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[ ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧₊˚ ]

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Hongjoong stopped being nervous before performances by the time he turned eighteen.

He had received his main scholarship and was preparing for college then, and that miracle had been enough for him.

Enough for him to feel stable and assured in the tiny corner of the world that was actually his.

Hongjoong wasn't confident with anything, but when it came to dancing and producing, he was in constant flight.

He never told anyone this of course, and when his classmates asked whether he was worried through frantic eyes and sweaty hands moments before he planned to take the stage, Hongjoong never dreamed of telling them that his heart was always steadier then than when he'd come home every night.

He didn't let this confidence go near his ego or his pride, kept them separate for a reason, and because of that his passion had never ceased, every practice feeling just as important as the very first.

Hongjoong was steady on his feet, patient with others and more than professional with Yunho in studios, never letting himself falter when it came to what he loved.

He did what he could and took time to appreciate his accomplishments, his eagerness to learn and be taught.

He never got nervous.

But as Hongjoong stood patiently at the side of the stage watching the current performer bow towards her deafening applause, he realized with a jittery heart that he was not calm whatsoever.

The girl waved until the very end, dipping behind the curtain next to Hongjoong with a smile wide enough to distract him for a moment.

"Good luck, Hongjoong!" She called after him, bouncing on her feet triumphantly as her hair twirled around the frame of her face, and Hongjoong barely managed a nod before he was pushing past the barrier and stepping into the spotlight that swallowed him instantly.

There was just something about being on stage that excited Hongjoong to no end.

It made him feel fulfilled and accomplished even within the first few seconds of being introduced, and Hongjoong discovered with relieving certainty, that this time was no different.

The speaker hissed and the announcer appeared, and as Hongjoong heard his name filter in through the auditorium, he felt his nerves flicker out as the excitement took over, beeding up through his stomach where it flooded his chest and made his lungs expand around a settling breath.

Hongjoong knew he was nervous because of Wooyoung.

It wasn't that hard to figure out.

But even when the announcement of his act earned an all too familiar celebratory shout from the back of the room, he smiled at the floor and felt the tension in his body ease.

He looked up through the light to try and find him, make out a wide set of eyes that were undoubtedly staring back, but he could only hear distant murmurs, the squeaky sound of San's laughter making his eyes shine as the music began.