fever | ateez lore story

CH 1

•the watcher•

destiny
/ˈdɛstɪni/
noun
1. the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future.
- the hidden power believed to control future events; fate.
"True light that has come like destiny"

The pulling and alluring force of destiny never ceases to happen. Believe in it or not, it exists. Everything is bound to happen.

—-

Wooyoung and Yeosang's bickering can be heard everywhere on school grounds. Their hostile voices echo around the recess area they are in, drawing in people from different classes to watch their verbal match.

"Yeosang, I'm not giving up everything we've worked on just because your daddy's being a mind-controlling entity." Wooyoung spits, causing Yeosang's eyes to widen to the size of the sun.

"Watch what you say." He warns, feeling his blood pressure increasing the more he endures this war. His chest rises and drops aggressively with every angry breath he takes. He stays level-headed, trying not to draw more attention to themselves than they already have.

"Wooyoung, I'm not saying you have to drop out, too. I know you've worked hard all these years. I just...can't bear with being caged like this anymore. I'm a human, not an animal. I'm not trained to do everything someone else wants me to do. I want to train to do what I want to do, and do it the way I want to do it." He gushes, fighting the urge to melt to the ground and sob out all the liquid he has inside his body.

Wooyoung and Yeosang have been trainees together for years, under Yeosang's father's entertainment company. As adolescents, they had no choice, or experience, to make their own decisions in life, let alone inside the company. However, as their minds slowly gain the capacity to think and believe what they want, Yeosang refuses to be kept behind. He has a life he dreams of. And he plans on making it reality.

"Hyung, I can't do without you. I made a promise to you that we will debut together. I want to keep that promise." Wooyoung lowers his tone, stepping closer to Yeosang and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Yeosang sighs, and the corners of his mouth up-turn into a loving smile.

"You're a great friend, Woo. I've cherished all these years of training together, and I'll always keep them in my heart. But maybe...we're just not destined to debut together." Yeosang has said things to Wooyoung before, but nothing has ever broken Wooyoung as much as what Yeosang had just uttered out. Wooyoung can't help but stare at his best friend in disbelief, their trainee life flashing before his teary eyes.

-"You don't mean that. After everything...we've been through?"

-"I'm sorry. I just...I have a dream-"

-"WE have a dream, Yeosang! The same damn dream. What difference does it make if we do it different ways?"

Yeosang sighs, shaking his head.

"You just won't understand, will you?" He huffs, trying to turn away before Wooyoung grabs the collar of his school shirt, his knuckles turning white with the amount of anger he holds in that grip.

"YOU are the one who doesn't understand, Yeosang. I hate promise-breakers, you know that. Don't be someone I hate." He threatens. He faces defeat as Yeosang shoves himself away from Wooyoung's grip, the protests entering one ear and leaving the other.

-"Right back at you, Woo. Please don't hold me back from what I want. If you were really my friend, you'd want my freedom, too."

"What the fuck, Yeosang? Have I not given you what you wanted, already?" Wooyoung's voice was louder than ever, the profanity now causing people to interfere in their feud.

"Stop it. You have plenty of time to solve this after school." San cages his friend in his arms, but Wooyoung escapes, storming towards Yeosang.

-"This far into our friendship, and you're still doubting me? Have these years not meant anything to you, you dickhead?"

He shoves him lightly, then again, the force increasing.

-"Huh? Tell me, Yeo."

Yeosang bit his tongue, however, each shove to his weak shoulders had increasing force, which angered Yeosang to the point of breaking.

-"Push me anymore, Wooyoung, and I'll have my father kick you out the industry for good."

That was the last straw for Wooyoung.

He shoves Yeosang in the chest with the force of a thousand winds, the desperate boy stumbling back into a tough, taller figure. The student, no matter his big size, nevertheless falls back, too, the impact of Wooyoung's push knocking the two of them down like bowling pins. Yeosang does not apologise, but brings himself back up his feet and strikes Wooyoung across the face, forcing him to the ground.

The giant groans loudly, clearly very frustrated at the sudden impact with no apology. He brushes his hands against his thighs in a very aggressive attempt to ease the soreness after the fall.

"Christ." He whispers, feeling his face flush with embarrassment. He's only hoping that Min-J didn't see his little fall.

He feels eyes burn into him, and he looks up to find a male with large, boba eyes staring down at him, holding a calloused hand out.

"You okay? Let me help you." He says, leaning further down and insisting to help him up. He stares at the friendly-looking hand, hesitating.

No one has really showed him kindness, hence why he was so closed off all the time. He knew it would be a lost cause, making a friend and have them betray you. His unlucky cycle of temporary friendships makes him turn away from the helping hand. However, he cannot help but think about the soft expression on that student's face, like the face of an angel. He looks back at the hand, and up to the face of the person who holds it out.

-"Damn, Song! Rough fall! Did your booty get hurt?"

He heard a familiar, obnoxious voice coming from a few meters behind him, and he turns to see Min-J and his group of demons taunting the vulnerable position he found himself in.

He turns back to boba-eyes, and subconsciously swats his hand away, forcing himself up and aggressively pushing through the crowd to get away. Boba-eyes, on the other hand, only watches, and feels offended by the unnecessary action. His attention is broken when he spots the outstanding glow of blonde hair coming in between the feud, breaking the opposing parties apart. For a second, it was like the waving of a white flag, ending a civil war.

"Can you guys stop? This can get you expelled." The class captain scolds, throwing each of them a warning glance. His assistant breaks in through the crowd, the much taller figure with dark hair throwing the same warning glances towards Yeosang and Wooyoung.

~"Well, Hongjoong, you called it. Principle Han wants you two in his office, right now."

Hongjoong sighs, placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Thanks Yunho. Move it boys. Everyone else, get back to class!" He urges, his demanding voice travelling around school grounds, and forces the large crowd to disperse.

"Let go of me, Joong. Who said you can order me around? Mr 'class captain who never shows up to class-'"

Wooyoung's savagery is interrupted by a sudden hit to the head, the impact throwing him out of Hongjoong's grasp. He clutches his scalp, watching as a football rolls into his foot. He glances up to find the sport jockey with a judgy-look on his face.

"Attitude towards class captain is not tolerated, Wooyoung." He warns, approaching to collect the football. Wooyoung is baffled, eyeing the student with an annoyed expression.

-"Choi Jongho, I am older than you."

-"But you're younger than Hongjoong. Keep it that way."

Jongho collects the ball and winks at Hongjoong, who does nothing but giggle at the dumbfounded expression on Wooyoung's reddened face. He grabs his shoulder again and forces him and Yeosang to the principles office.