So, here I am with a new one-shot <3 Woogyu again, sorry. I've been writing on the Hogyu one too, but I got stuck somehow. I'll probably re-write it ;A;
So have some Sunggyu struggling towards his dream with fluffy Woogyu moments on top! (Beware of over 10k+ words. Awesome, right?)

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6. You’re My Pet [woogyu/fluff]

Sunggyu’s parents throw him out when he declares that he wants to be a singer.
He travels to Seoul to prove them wrong, but soon he’s out of money and living on the streets.
By chance, a strange guy who seems to be living alone picks him up, who seems to be living alone - or not?

“I want to become a singer.”

The sentence slips from his tongue in the middle of lunch without any warning or prior planning. It leaves his lips in between the chewing of a piece half-frozen broccoli and an overcooked potato. Thus the pronunciation is not completely right and it sounds muffled, but Sunggyu is sure that his parents have understood it nevertheless. Their reactions are pretty clear after all. His mother chokes on her glass of wine and almost spits the whole thing over the table. Sunggyu can almost hear the curses on her tongue that seem to form between the perfect white teeth, but the wine in is probably hindering her from speaking out loud immediately. His father though is quicker to react. He drops his fork and knife on the table with a loud slam and gives him a warning glance. There’s a hint of menace in his gesture because his right hand is still grabbing the knife until his knuckles turn white.

“I told you to stop joking like that, Sunggyu.” His voice is cold like ice, almost like the broccoli on his plate.

Normally, this would be the point where he gives in. Sunggyu is not really the type to look for a fight, especially not with his parents or someone else who is possibly older, stronger or taller than him. But something in him urges him to go on and voice his opinion – he is sure that it’s not the power of the bad food in his stomach, but who knows for sure.

“I wasn’t joking. I’ve been looking into ways to enter a label and I want to go to some auditions in Seoul next month. My music teacher has told me that I have a great voice and I should use it. It’s my dream.”

His mother’s eyes twitch. She loves him a lot, Sunggyu knows that, but she’s really strict when it comes to the topic of education and his future. “Baby, music is not a proper career. Besides, the industry is pretty harsh. They are unforgiving towards anyone who is not perfect. You would only come back in tears.”

Perfect. Sunggyu sure as hell isn’t perfect, but he doesn’t need his parents to remind him of that. He knows that his looks are not the best. Most boys call him ugly and some girls call him cute, but Sunggyu just thinks of himself as plain normal. His looks are nothing special. He isn’t even tall or has any special skills. He can’t dance – God knows that he has tried it before – and his good grades are not really something a musician can show off, but intelligence is everything he has in addition to his voice.

His father agrees of course. “You are going to continue your studies. We’ve already picked the perfect college for you. You will take over my business later. There’s no room for silly dreams.”

Sunggyu sighs. He wants to do more than just sighing. Honestly speaking, he is flipping the table in his mind and throwing food around to protest against the unfairness of their words, but as mentioned before: he isn’t the type to pick a fight.

“I don’t care. I’ve followed what you wanted long enough. I want to chase my own dream. I’ve already decided. Just ask noona to take over your business, she’s already studying business administration anyways. She really wants to do this and I don’t. Can’t you just support me? I’m no fool. I know that the competition will be hard.” Truthfully, Sunggyu isn’t that confident as he tries to look. That’s why he wants his parents’ support.

“I won’t tolerate any musicians in my household! You’re going to be my successor, not your sister. A woman shouldn’t lead a business! We won’t support your little adventure.”

His mother seems a bit offended by that comment, but she lets it go. “You will be an adult soon, Sunggyu. You’re too old for naïve dreams. You can’t waste your time chasing a wild goose.”

He stands up from his seat and dares to give them an angry look. “It’s not a stupid dream or adventure or anything else! It’s what I want to do in the future. You haven’t even heard me singing yet. At least give my one chance!”

His father stands up as well and grabs Sunggyu’s collar violently. The boy braces himself for a punch or slap, but neither happens. Instead he can feel the cold gaze of his father piercing through his defensive wall like steel. “If you really want to do that, then do it yourself. You won’t get a penny from me. Go and chase your dream, but don’t you dare come crawling back when it isn’t working out. I don’t need a fool as a son!”

Sunggyu really has no idea what’s wrong with him today, but in a moment of agitation and frustration he blurts out another idiotic remark. “Fine! I’ll do it alone! I don’t need you either.”

He regrets his words when his father drags him to his room and throws him to the ground with the words “Pack your bags and get the hell out of my house in the next 5 minutes before I get my gun and make you leave.”

The boy wastes about one minute to stare at his father before he hastily rushes through his room to pack some clothes and other stuffs. Sunggyu just throws whatever he finds into his bag: some random clothes, his Mp3-Player, a chocolate bar, his notebook with all his self-written lyrics and melodies, his favorite book and before he can grab anything else, his father already stops him and drags him outside. Sunggyu is a fast thinker normally, but now his brain doesn’t seem to function properly anymore. Maybe his behavior is really caused by the bad food in his stomach.

“D-Dad, I didn’t mean it. Please.”

The older glares at him. “So you will give up on your dream?”

He blinks and frowns. “N-No, I-“

Next thing he knows, Sunggyu finds himself in front of his own home with the door slammed into his face. He can hear his parents screaming at each other, trying to find the one who is at fault for Sunggyu being a failure. The boy puts the strap of the bag around his shoulder and sighs. He is hesitant to leave, because he is scared inside. He’s scared to do this alone. Sunggyu is finally free to do what he wants, but his brain is telling him that he can’t do this on his own. How is he going to pay for the train to Seoul? How will he pay for an apartment?

“Ah, screw this!” He curses out loud and kicks against the door angrily. “I can do this without you guys!”

“Get down from my property, you punk!” His father shouts from the inside.

He can hear his mother screaming as well. “I’ll talk to your father about this. Just come back when you’ve realized your mistake!”

“It’s not a mistake!” Sunggyu shouts back and stomps out of the garden.

He stops on the sidewalk and take a deep breath, before he shouts out loud enough for all of their precious neighbors to hear: “KIM SUNGGYU IS GOING TO BECOME A SINGER! AND I’M GAY BY THE WAY!”

Sunggyu strolls down the streets afterwards. He doesn’t intend to come back, but he wants to leave his parents with a decent amount of rumors and shameful whispers as payback for throwing him out. Sunggyu knows that his father probably would’ve killed him for his latest confession, but to his luck no gunshots are heard.

He can feel several eyes following him on the way, but he only smiles to himself and keeps his head held high – leaving the stage like a true diva.

(3 months later)

Sunggyu returns from his fourth part-time job early in the morning. He can barely manage to slip the key into the lock of his door because his eyes are almost closed by now. He closes the door behind himself and shuffles through the small hallway. He only has a small one-room apartment in the outskirts of Seoul. His money isn’t enough for more, although he is already working several jobs at once. Sunggyu’s body finds his bed even through the darkness. His electricity is not working right now because he hasn’t paid the bill yet. He drops his body onto the small bed with a groan and rests his exhausted limbs. Sunggyu doesn’t know what hurts the most. Maybe it’s his head or his feet or his right wrist, but his stomach would probably win the race. He can’t remember his last decent meal. He has snatched small pieces of meat during his work at the restaurant, but the pork feels like stones in his stomach now.

The boy knows that he needs to sleep. His next shift starts in two hours. He needs to deliver newspaper from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. and then he needs to get to the supermarket for his shift from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and after this he has to run to the restaurant again for his night shift until 11 p.m., which is followed by another shift at the club until 3 or 4 in the morning. Sunggyu had to lie about his real age to get this job, but it pays really well. That’s his daily schedule and Sunggyu doesn’t even know how he finds the time to breathe – eating or sleeping seems almost impossible these days. He’s working so much, but it is never enough money. The apartment eats it all. Seoul is an expensive city and Sunggyu is just a boy on his own.

While he rests and tries to find sleep, Sunggyu always starts to wonder how his life has become like this. Didn’t he go to Seoul to become a singer? Sunggyu has auditioned for almost all of the music labels, for some even several times, but the result is always the same. He is nothing special. He isn’t good-looking enough. His dancing is too bad, his voice too weak. Sunggyu knows that his singing is getting worse with each try, because his body can’t keep up with the stress, but he doesn’t know how to break the circle he is currently in. People point out all of his flaws in a matter of minutes and Sunggyu cries several times alone at home because it’s unfair and because he is terribly lonely. He wants to talk to someone and he wants someone to tell him that he shouldn’t give up. Only once had he almost returned home to his parents with the tail between his legs and a bitter apology on his lips, but he had turned around in the last minute.

Sunggyu has found no friends in Seoul. Not because he is a loner. He simply doesn’t have any time to interact with other people. His daily schedule is tight and he’s always on the run. He can’t connect with other contestants in the auditions because they’re rivals and even if they’re friendly – Sunggyu can’t join the conversations most of the time because all he could talk about lately is work. Some kids brag that they’re doing this against their parents’ wishes, but Sunggyu knows that they’ll run back home again later because they’re living in this town and their parents haven’t discarded them.

At the restaurant, where he works as a waiter, he sees families quite often. They always seem so perfect and happy. While Sunggyu turns the meat on their grills, he feels like his own heart is burning in the scorching heat below. He feels like crying and giving up, but outside he’s still smiling and being polite – he doesn’t want to lose the job.

Sunggyu snaps awake and sits up straight. His back arches in pain and he yelps. He had fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position and now his body was hurting even worse. He bites his lower lip and climbs out of the bed. He gasps when he sees the time.

6 a.m.

He doesn’t change his clothes and just leaves the apartment in a rush. He’s suddenly happy that he hadn’t taken off his clothes before going to bed. They probably smell like cigarettes and alcohol, but he’s just delivering newspapers not hugging people. The boy is ignoring the pain in his legs and his back or the fact that he has no jacket on, although the wind is cold and unforgiving because it’s fall right now. He almost trips several times, but Sunggyu manages to reach his workplace in less than 10 minutes. All of his colleagues have left already and he struggles towards his locker, where his mail and the key to his bike are being kept, but there’s a small note on the outside that makes Sunggyu flinch.

“Come to my office, Kim.”

The boy knows what’s going to come, but he goes to Mr. Han’s office nevertheless. Maybe he can still save his .

“You’re fired, Kim.”

He opens his mouth to speak, but he struggles because his mouth is dry and his voice is merely a hoarse whisper. “I-I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. Please give me-“

“Another chance? I’ve already giving you a lot of chances, Kim. You’ve been working here for two months and have been late more than twenty times. Twenty! And some customers have complained about you. I can understand them truthfully when I see you like this. Have you even changed your clothes since yesterday or taken a bath? Maybe you shouldn’t party all night and instead concentrate more on your work. No, Kim, no more chances. Please leave your locker key. This is your wage for this month.” The old man shoves an envelope over the desk and Sunggyu grabs it hesitantly.

He wants to protest and tell the older that he doesn’t party all night. The boy wants to tell him that he has to work four jobs to support himself and even that isn’t enough. He wants to tell someone how bad his current lifestyle is, but Sunggyu knows that his – former – boss is not interested in that. Sunggyu is just one of his employees and nothing more.

Sunggyu goes back to his apartment because he should use the two hours to shower and change his clothes. He doesn’t want to lose another job. He is met with another surprise though, when he reaches his apartment. His landlady is in front of his apartment and a man is carrying his things out of the apartment, only to drop them on the ground outside. Sunggyu fastens his steps.

“What are you doing?” He asks while the man throws a stack of his clothes on the floor – not like he has that many.

The landlady gives him a stern look and folds her arms. “Mr. Kim, you haven’t paid the rent for the last two months. Nor have you paid the bill for electricity and the water as well. I’ve notified you several times that I will throw you out of the apartment if you don’t pay on time. And don’t give me any promises again. The way you look, I can already guess that I’m not going to get my money any time soon.”

“B-But where am I supposed to go now? You can’t just throw me out like this!” Sunggyu sees the man with his beloved guitar case in his arms – he had saved so long to buy it – and rushes towards him, before the other can throw it away thoughtlessly.

He tries to stuff his belongings into his bag and it feels like the day he left his parents all over again. “I can. It’s in the contract. You will have to look for another apartment and don’t think that you won’t have to pay the bills now. I will call the police if you try to run from your debts.”

Sunggyu wants to protest and fight for his apartment, but his headache makes him dizzy and he can’t keep up with everything. Things are happening too fast for him and the boy can only crawl around on the ground to collect his belongings.

 

Twenty minutes later the landlady and her helper are gone – with his key of course. Sunggyu his left behind with his guitar case around the left shoulder, his bag around the other one and a cardboard box in his hands. He feels like his body is going to collapse under the weight any minute, but he’s afraid of putting them down. Who knows if he has the strength to pick them up again.

Sunggyu starts walking around aimlessly. He tries to find a room in the hotels nearby, but there are no rooms available right now because of some festival that’s going to happen soon. The boy walks towards his next workplace and the people on the streets are giving him weird looks. Sunggyu wonders if he looks like a homeless person with all of his belongings on his body, his hair is surely disheveled, his eyes probably have dark circles and his clothes must really smell. He’s almost too ashamed to enter the supermarket. Sunggyu manages to change his clothes in a dark alley, although it feels dirty and cheap, but he does it fast and stuffs the dirty clothes back into his bag.

His colleagues give him strange looks when he enters their private rooms in the back of the shop. His boss frowns at him. “This is not your house, Sunggyu-ssi.”

“I know…” His voice sounds terrible and Sunggyu starts to think that he has caught a cold. It would explain why he is in so much pain right now. “It’s only for today. I will take it with me after my shift. Please, only for a few hours. I promise it won’t stand in anyone’s way.”

His boss sighs and Sunggyu prepares for a rejection, but the older man nods. “Okay, but put it into a corner somewhere. I don’t want anyone to trip over it. And please do something about your face before you start working.”

Some of the female workers giggle and Sunggyu pursues his lips. He puts the box and the bag into a corner. He tries to fit his guitar into the locker, but it’s too big. The boy leaves it next to his other belongings with a heavy heart and goes to the restroom to check his appearance. He’s sickly pale and his face looks shrunken. His nose is a bit red like his eyes and no matter how much water he uses, it’s not getting better. Sunggyu dries his face afterwards and combs his hair with a hairbrush from his bag.

Forget not being special. Who are you? He asks himself in the mirror, but no answer comes and Sunggyu just does what he always does: he continues to work.

When his shift ends, Sunggyu’s legs are so weak that he thinks the ground is shaking. He has eaten a packed lunch from the supermarket and emptied a bottle of water in his break, but he still feels as exhausted as before. Sunggyu stumbles to the back of the shop and rubs his eyes tiredly. He wants to drop to the ground and rest, but he knows that he needs to go to the restaurant next. He has no time to rest. The boy goes to the corner to grab his belongings.

Sunggyu blinks.

He blinks again.

He looks around in panic but no one is meeting his eyes. Two colleagues are in the room with him, but they act like he’s not even there. Sunggyu stares at the corner again, but the reality stays the same: his guitar case is gone.

He feels his heart break and Sunggyu bites his lower lip as he turns around again. “Have you seen my guitar?”

The women ignore him and he clears his throat to speak a little louder. “Have you seen my guitar?”

Still no reaction, they laugh at some stupid joke and Sunggyu snaps because he feels mocked by them. “YAH! Who took my guitar?!”

They jump from their seats in surprise and look at him with a startled expression. He glares at them because Sunggyu has this feeling that one of his colleagues has stolen his guitar. “We didn’t see anyone, Sunggyu-ssi. Maybe you’ve put it somewhere else?”

They giggle again and Sunggyu wants to punch them in the face, but he’s still the same type of guy who doesn’t pick any fights – not even with women. He looks through his locker and then checks his box and the bag, as he feels like the guitar is not the only thing missing. And indeed, his phone and charger are missing. He doesn’t really need it anyway, but he could’ve sold it for some money. He grabs his hair in desperation because several of his things are missing, but no matter who he asks – no one is giving him a helpful answer. He can only feel their judging looks on him and Sunggyu feels like the sheep in a crowd of wolves. They’re probably all in it together. It escalates when he asks to see through the other workers stuff, but they don’t find the guitar case. Sunggyu is devastated because it was his most valuable possession. He wants to break down on the spot and cry, but he doesn’t give the thief – or thieves – that satisfaction. He grabs his bag and the cardboard box and leaves the supermarket. Sunggyu knows that he is very late for his shift at the restaurant now, but he doesn’t have the strength to run to the place.

To his luck, he doesn’t get fired for getting late. The chef even allows him to keep his box and the bag in the back. Sunggyu hides them under his jacket in between boxes with food, because he doesn’t want to loose anything else – although he doesn’t have anything worth stealing anymore. Everything is going well until he gets caught eating leftovers from the plates he has to clean. His boss is scolding him about his work attitude and hygiene at their working places, before he fires Sunggyu. The boy gulps.

“I won’t do it again! Please, I need this job!” The leftovers would just get thrown away normally. Why can’t I eat them?

Sunggyu has to cough because his throat hurts and a sneezer follows right afterwards. He gives the chef an apologetic smile, but it doesn’t work. “Get a grip, Sunggyu-ssi. You’re still young – how can you be like this?”

“It’s just a small cold right now. I’m a bit stressed, but I’ll get better. Please don’t fire me.”

“I’m sorry, boy. I need a reliable employee, who doesn’t look like he’s going to faint soon or sleeps under a bridge.” The boss says and his words seem genuine, but Sunggyu can only manage to smile sadly at his words.

In the end, he’s back on the streets again with his box and the bag. Sunggyu doesn’t know why he has so much bad luck today. Nothing is working out and he’s already lost three of his four part-time jobs. Someone has stolen his guitar and other stuff and he has no place to return to. He can only laugh at his fate when he also looses his job at the club, because the owner has found out that he is too young to work there.

Sunggyu wanders down the streets with a blank expression. He’s waiting for something stupid like rain to happen because it would fit his mood, but it’s just getting darker and colder with every minute. He tries to find a room at a hotel again, but the rooms in the center of Seoul are way too expensive and some even throw him outside because he looks like a homeless person without money. He does have some money on him, but Sunggyu kno