The first time I met Kim Mingyu is most likely one of few moments I will never forget. Probably because it had me going through every emotion you could possibly imagine. Well, maybe not every emotion, but a whole lot.

It was a hot summer's day, August 7th 2012 to be exact. I was training dancing with Soonyoung and Seokmin when suddenly the door flew open and Junhui walked in, wearing that indifferent smile he always wore in this exact situation.

"Another one?", Seokmin asked while raising his eyebrows. Somehow, new trainees kept coming into the company and all of us didn't exactly like the fact that more and more potential enemies started to train with us. Of course, always being around each other made us form friendships and gave us strength, but in the end all of us knew that we were competing against each other. And more competitors made the chance for a debut sink.

It was already Junhui, Soonyoung, Mingming, Seokmin, Seungkwan, Hansol, Chan, Samuel and me, which added up to nine trainees. Not to forget Seungcheol, Jihoon, Yusang, Doyoon and Youngwoon, our hyungs which were rumored to debut as a five member group called "Tempest". But somehow, that project didn't really progress and all of us were left wondering if there would ever be a debut for anyone. 

I mean, all of us knew that Pledis wouldn't debut fourteen boys together, which was why I didn't exactly look forward to another person joining us. 

"Yeah, he's unpacking his bags right now. Go and introduce yourselves, he seems nice", Junhui said, shrugged his shoulders and made a turn to leave the practice room. I sighed, grabbed my bottle of water and together with Seokmin and Soonyoung I made my way to the dorms.

 "I can't believe Pledis. Seriously, our dorm is already packed! And now another trainee? We don't even have enough room to eat, can't they at least give as bigger dorms if they keep signing new contracts?", Soonyoung started rambling, annoyed with the whole situation.

"I just hope he's not like Seungkwan, crying for his mother all the time", I murmured, fed up with having to get to know more and more people. Since I wasn't as extroverted as the others, I always disliked greeting new trainees. I felt awkward and tense around unfamiliar people and having to live with them right away always made me uneasy.

"Nah, Junhui said he seems nice so let's just hope for the best", Seokmin tried to cheer us up, smiling brightly. Well, for people as outgoing as him meeting new trainees was probably the easiest thing in the world. But I wasn't like him and therefore I didn't like it. Scratch that, I hated it.

We reached the dorm in no time and surprisingly weren't met with the new guy when opening the front door.

"He's probably unpacking in one of the bedrooms", I thought to myself while entering and putting off my shoes: "God, please don't let him sleep in the same room as me."

Just when I finished hoping, Hansol came out of the room I slept in, wearing a bright smile: "There you guys are. Come meet Mingyu, he's super cool!"

Sighing, I noted to myself that first, the kid's name was Mingyu, second, he probably was one of those cheerful and joking types since he managed to make Hansol like him and third, he most likely slept in the same room as me. Instantly, my mood darkened and I felt like leaving.

That was, until I actually walked towards the room and saw the new guy myself.

He was tall, which should've made him seem imitating. But somehow, with that huge smile on his lips and the way he laughed at something Chan had said he instantly seemed friendly.

As soon as he realized that new people had come in to greet him, he bowed and gave us a cheery: "Hello, I'm Kim Mingyu, nice to meet you."

And I swear, I felt my poor sixteen year old heart skip a beat when he looked into my eyes, the smile on his lips widening even more. Awkwardly, I tried to smile back and also bowed, just like the others. Soonyoung and Seokmin quickly told Mingyu their names and therefore it was my turn to introduce myself. But for whatever reason, I just couldn't process what exactly was happening to me and so I just stood there, staring.

I was stunned.

Normally, I would see one of the new trainees, awkwardly introduce myself and try to get away afterwards, so that I wouldn't have to speak to them too much. After a few days I'd chat with them to get familiar, but at first I always needed distance to be able to feel comfortable.

But this was different. Around Mingyu, I didn't feel uncomfortable. His smile actually put me at ease instead of making me tense but at the same time... I experienced something I'd never felt before and I did not know how to act because of it. Somehow, I was excited, which was an unusual feeling to me. 

"Urm, yeah, this is Jeon Wonwoo. He's kind of awkward and doesn't talk much, but you'll get used to it", Soonyoung joked when realizing that I didn't seem to be able to introduce myself. 

"Ah, nice to meet you, Wonwoo", Mingyu laughed, pulling me out of my trance. Immediately, I felt my cheeks turn red, acknowledging that everyone in the room was eyeing me weirdly.

"Y-yeah, nice to meet you", I awkwardly greeted Mingyu and looked away, feeling embarrassed.

"I think Seungkwan said that you sleep in this room too, so I look forward to being your roommate!", his cheery voice announced and I just nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Dude, are you okay?", Seokmin asked, jokingly hitting my shoulder. I must've come off like a total nut job to everyone but to be honest, I simply had no idea why I was feeling so overwhelmed and flustered when looking at Mingyu.

I felt strange. Very strange.

"Yeah, I just, urm, feel a bit dizzy. I'll get some air", I stuttered and made my way outside, leaving everyone confused.

When I finally left the dorm I was instantly hit with the sun's heat, making me sigh. I needed to cool off and clear my thoughts but the weather outside didn't exactly feel like helping.

Realizing that I still held the bottle of water in my hand, I quickly opened the lid and poured the fresh water over my head, instantly feeling myself cooling off. I breathed out a happy sigh and opened my eyes, just in time to see another figure leaving our dorm. And not just anyone but him, Kim Mingyu.

"Hey, are you okay?", he shouted from the door, jogged towards my side and put his hand on my shoulder: "Woah, why are you so wet?"

"Urm, I had to cool off but I forgot it's so hot outside... so I kind of ended up pouring water over my head instead", I explained awkwardly, not knowing where to look. Mingyu's hand on my shoulder made me more than uncomfortable and he probably realized soon after because he pulled it away in an instant, wearing a small smile on his lips.

"Oh, yeah, the others wondered why you'd go outside when feeling dizzy, so I came to check if everything's okay", he explained. I just nodded and looked at my hands. Suddenly, I felt embarrassed for the way I'd presented myself in front of Mingyu.

"He must think I'm on drugs or something", I thought to myself, just to hear Mingyu laugh: "No no, don't worry, it's okay. You're funny."
"Did I say that out loud?", I asked perplexed and he answered with a simple nod, still smiling happily. Feeling my cheeks turn red once again, I led out a short "Oh" and tried to look away.

But for some reason, I just couldn't do that. Mingyu somehow attracted me.

He was not only tall, but also very handsome, if I was allowed to say so. I wasn't even sure if his face was good-looking or if that happy smile he wore made him shine, but looking at him somehow gave you a good feeling and it just made me feel strange.

I was so damn attracted to him and it didn't make sense because I'd never been attracted to anyone at all. And I'm not speaking of a romantic attraction but just about the feeling of thinking "Yes, this person is pleasant to be around".

"Are you always like this?", Mingyu questioned, half laughing, showing off his pretty white canines which gave him a somewhat childish aura. But I liked them, I liked him. I liked everything about this boy standing in front of me. 

"Like what?", I asked back, not exactly looking forward to his answer. Normally, I came off as unfriendly and arrogant since I didn't talk much and liked to distance myself from people.

"I don't know how to explain it. You're kinda out of it? You know, you came in and basically just stared at me. Then you sort of ran out making me think I did something wrong and now I come here to find you all wet", Mingyu explained, laughing. I just shrugged my shoulders and looked away, once again feeling the heat in my cheeks burn.

"And that! You keep looking away!", Mingyu exclaimed. Slowly, I turned my face towards him, wearing the fake smile I'd gotten used to since coming here: " Ah, I'm just awkward around new people. Don't worry about it."

Mingyu silently looked at me. He seemed to progress what I'd said because soon after, he nodded and started to smile once again.

"Okay, but you don't have to be awkward around me. I heard I'm a person people are easily comfortable with", he said, putting his arm around my shoulder and giving me a cheeky smile: "By the way, you don't have to fake a smile if you don't feel like smiling. I'm okay with your blank expressions."

Taken aback from his arm around my shoulder and the fact that this boy could read me better than people who'd known me for quite some time, I let out out a surprised "Ah". This feeling was new to me, a feeling of sudden ease and closeness.

Both of us were silent for a moment, basically just enjoying the warmth radiating from the sun and being beside each other.

"So, what kind of music are you interested in?", Mingyu then spoke up, releasing his arm from my shoulder and staring at me.

"Mostly hip hop, I guess I'll try to become a rapper since I don't really have the voice for a vocal", I told him honestly. Mingyu's smile instantly widened: "Seriously? I want to be a rapper too!"

Somehow, these news completely surprised me. The way Mingyu talked and acted, all happy and cheerful, it was strange to think he wanted to be a rapper. To me, he didn't seem to have a hard and strong character. He was more the cutesy type, which mostly became a vocal in this idol world.

"You don't seem like a rapper though", I told Mingyu, making him laugh: "Well, you don't seem like one either, as introverted as you are. How did you even manage to pass the audition if you're like this?"

Normally, I would've been annoyed at a comment like that but since I knew Mingyu didn't mean to hurt or bash me, I laughed: "I guess it's the looks."

"Or you have lots of talent which only shows when you're on stage", he said. Smiling at his words, I shrugged my shoulders: "Maybe."

And it was official: I liked Mingyu. Not in the romantic kind of way, heck, at this point I didn't have the slightest clue what love meant or that the nervousness I felt around Mingyu indicated that I liked him in a special way. No, I just knew that I would get along with him, that he was someone I wanted to be by my side.

And I wanted him to stay there for a long time.

"Let's make a promise", Mingyu suddenly announced, stretching out his pinky finger: "Let's debut together."

It took me a few seconds to register what Mingyu had said. No one had ever said anything like that to me. Nobody had ever indicated that they wanted me to be with them in the future. I'd always been there, but not really wanted.

I hesitated, before linking my pinky finger with his and smiling: "Promise."

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A/N: Alright, here's the first chapter. I felt like starting with the beginning because, of course, it'll be easier for you guys to understand why characters act to way they do when you know them (and their relationship) from the beginning. It will probably take me 4-5 chapters until I get to the main issue of this story, but everyone likes to have some background information before getting to the real thing, right? Ah, and don't be misguided by this chapter. This story is mostly going to be dramatic and angsty, so don't expect lots of fluff later on!

Also, do you have any idea how long it took me to get all the pre-debut information together because holy- this stuff is way too complicated. It wasn't stated anywhere when exactly which member joined Pledis, but I just know who was there when 17TV started and I'm kind of starting there (okay, this chapter is like half a year before that but let's just go with it). Not everything in this story will follow real events since first, it's fiction and second, I'm way too lazy to gather all these informations. I hope you're okay with that.

That's it, thanks for reading!