Off-Screen (무대아래에서) | Haobin

Interlude: Gunwook POV Part 1

Author Note: I got quite a few requests for a Gunwook POV, so here's part 1/2 of the RickyxGunwook and MatthewxGunwook side story from a Gunwook POV. Feel free to skip this chapter and the next one if you're not interested. The main storyline is already covered in the Hanbin POV. There are some extra scenes here that are not in the Hanbin POV, though.

Gunwook's parents/family homophobia is purely a fanfiction plot device -- I have no clue about their real attitudes.

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It first started for him when he saw Hao Hyung flirting with Hanbin Hyung in their Tomboy team. Hao Hyung frequently flirted with Hanbin Hyung, and Hanbin Hyung... Gunwook wasn't sure if he was flirting back, or if he was just being himself -- sweet and caring, with a natural tendency toward skinship with people he likes. Gunwook couldn't figure out what was going on between them, but he eventually stopped trying because it just wasn't his business.

Initially Gunwook was bothered by their flirting, but he knew, intellectually, that it was ridiculous to be bothered by something so harmless and objectively sweet, so he had to spend time and actually think about why he was bothered. The only reason he could come up with is that his parents always told him that homosexuals couldn't be trusted, and Gunwook never thought much else about the topic. He'd never met a gay person before, at least not that he was aware of at the time. His parents never explained their problem with homosexuals, so he just... accepted their words because he was a kid. He didn't have any other frame of reference. But when he watches Hanbin Hyung and Hao Hyung interact, that idea just seems... petty and stupid. And clearly incorrect. He realizes his parents have a bias, and he resolves not to blindly carry it forward. He feels much better after that realization, and he grows closer with Hanbin Hyung and Hao Hyung after deciding to leave behind that particular discomfort.

There's a lot of boy-on-boy flirting on Boys Planet, but Gunwook mostly ignores it. He just can't ignore Hanbin and Hao Hyung because they're his teammates and they're the top performers on the show. The Star Creators love them -- they love their chemistry ship -- and Gunwook is super competitive, so he pays obsessive attention to anything the Star Creators show a strong preference towards.

The more he watches the two of them, the more he feels something... else. He doesn't know what that other feeling is until later, after they become teammates in Zerobaseone.

Gunwook is pleased with himself for shaking off his parents' bias and befriending not just Hanbin Hyung and Hao Hyung, but also Ji-Ung Hyung. He likes to spend time with them all, but he feels a special affinity for Hanbin Hyung. When he first met Hanbin Hyung, he thought he was just soft and gentle, but the more he gets to know him the more he sees a core strength in him that he admires a lot. He admires Hao Hyung for his raw intellectual and emotional intelligence, and his incredible skills as a performer. Ji-Ung Hyung he admires for his undeniable charisma, and for his ability to make their team laugh with his goofy sense of humor. But Hanbin Hyung... out of all of his older hyungs, Gunwook most wants to be like Hanbin Hyung.

His parents drop comments sometimes about his oldest Zerobaseone hyungs. He talks with them once a week, and sometimes they'll ask him if he's okay being in such close contact with these feminine men. Gunwook usually rebuffs them by telling them about how well his hyungs take care of him. His parents clearly distrust his older hyungs, but Gunwook just reassures them continually and hopes that they'll believe him someday. It helps that his blood brother doesn't seem to follow his parents' attitude with this issue and never speaks poorly about his Zerobaseone hyungs. He's just happy that Gunwook seems happy, and he always tells him to let him know if someone bothers him.

But Gunwook really couldn't have asked for better hyungs on his team. They never use their age to make him do things he doesn't want to do. He and Yujin are never asked to clean up the practice room, or run out and get food for everyone, or stay up doing ridiculous tasks the hyungs don't want to do. Instead, his hyungs usually spend time looking after them and making sure they're comfortable. Gunwook just... trusts them. And he won't let his parents' ignorance about this particular issue mess up his relationship with them.