THE WAY U ARE

The sound of cheers flooded his ears, louder even than his pounding heart and panting breath. He stared out at them in amazement. The people in the front with their red lights were cheering the loudest, just as expected, but others were joining in, too. He could see his sisters jumping up and down like wild women, his mother dabbing her eyes on her sleeve. There were so many others he couldn't see through the blinding stages lights, but their voices rose to meet him. Tears filled his eyes. Wasn't this what they had been working for all this time? Finally having it felt unreal, but it was still happening right in front of him. His heart didn't know how to take it, so he simply took it in, all of their faces and the blissful music of their cheers.

But Jaejoong couldn't stay still for long. As soon as the cheers died, the next song would begin. He took a few steps back, rearranging their position on stage. Yoochun was beginning a losing battle with his tears, but the rest of them had flushed, excited looks on their faces. The cameras were still trained on them, so they couldn't do more than exchange quick smiles. Jaejoong wanted to throw himself onto all of them and hold them tightly, but he held it in, refocusing when the first notes of The Way U Are started playing. He wanted everyone to see Yunho's dancing, so he happily moved to make way for him.

The song was still unreleased, so he watched carefully to make sure everyone was still able to get into it. It made him smile to see how many people were watching Yunho avidly, following his rapid paced movements with their eyes. He hoped they saw what he'd seen the first time he watched Yunho danced. He could still remember the moment as if it was yesterday, the sight of him flowing so beautifully in front of him. Spinning around in his strong arms and everything that had come after, leading up to this.

It felt liberating, every little thing he was feeling. So many people were watching him, but he didn't feel afraid of them, even for a second. He simply felt proud, of all five of them. Proud that they were being seen, proud that they had done enough to inspire so much faith, proud that they had done this great thing together.

This time, when the cheers erupted, they were able to take their hands together and bow. Jaejoong could feel a little bit of dampness clinging to his lashes, but he knew he could wait until they were backstage together again before losing it. Yoochun was beyond help and even Changmin was sniffling a little, but their smiles were still bright as they waved out into the crowd. Jaejoong was too dazed this time to distinguish the faces from each other, but he hoped they understood somehow just how grateful he was for sharing this moment with them.

The MCs called out their name one more time, and then it was finally time for them to exit the stage. Jaejoong's legs felt a little wobbly, but he held tight to s' shoulders as they made their way down the steps and into the arms of their cheering staff. Their managers, their coaches, their choreographers... even the other trainees were there, screaming their names and squeezing them into tight hugs. Jaejoong could barely feel all the arms wrapped around him in his dazed euphoria. Yoochun was sobbing into his shoulder, Changmin had his eyes squeezed shut, Junsu was trying to laugh, but his breaths were coming out in deep gulps. Yunho had his arm pressed around Jaejoong's waist, holding on even as he was jerked every which way by the people mobbing them. When everyone else let go, the two of them still stayed wrapped up together, and little by little his sense of place and time came back to him. He knew there were people watching, but he still pressed his face against Yunho's chest and let his tears fall in the safety of his embrace.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” Yoochun was saying. “We were fine, weren't we? It was okay?”

“Better than fine,” Yongsoo manager said, grinning. “There were some mistakes, but on a whole...”

“If they don't all run out and buy your single, they're idiots!” Haejin said brightly, which made them all start laughing. They hastily wiped up their tears, and Jaejoong slipped out of Yunho's arms before it got too noticeable.

“We're making way for your families to come back and see you,” Yongsoo continued. “You do have an interview shortly, so you will be under a time limit, but don't rush too much. This is the only time your parents will get to greet you after your first show, so make it special for them, all right?”

Jaejoong barely had a second to worry over meeting Yunho's family before the door to their dressing room opened and his sisters were running in to tackle him. Just as they always did, they managed to overpower him within seconds, and he resignedly gave himself over to the flurry of kissing and squealing that was inevitable whenever they were all together. They were all talking at once, so it was almost impossible to understand what they were actually saying, but he laughed and accepted what he assumed were their well-wishes and congratulations.

As soon as they'd let go of him, his mother fell into his arms, sobbing. “I'm so s-sorry,” she stammered out, furiously wiping her eyes. “I can't believe h-how much time I used to spend worrying about you singing so much, and t-trying to get you to stop. Why did I do that? My baby boy is so talented. I should have just been proud of you from the exact moment I knew!”

“It's okay,” Jaejoong said her head. “You were just worried about me. It's behind us now, mom. You don't have to be sad anymore.”

“Yes I do,” she wailed. “I'm going to be your biggest fan from now on. Your father and I. I'm going to give out copies of your single to all my friends and let them know what a great group you're a part of.”

“Just don't do anything too embarrassing,” he pleaded.

She let go of him and took a step back. “Well, aren't you going to introduce me to your friends' families? They all know each other, but I haven't even met the woman whose care you were in all summer.”

“Ah... yes...” Jaejoong glanced over his shoulder. Yoochun was just being freed from a bear hug from both his parents, and Changmin was accepting food from a leftover dish  given to him by his mother. Even Junsu looked as if he'd managed to reconcile with his family, which had only made him cry all over again. But Yunho was the one Jaejoong's eyes were drawn to. Auntie Minjung was with him, of course, but also at his side were a pretty older woman, an older man who resembled Yunho through the face, and a willowy younger girl who looked up at him adoringly.

Jaejoong's feet felt like lead, but he made his way forward to meet them nonetheless. Yoochun, Junsu, and Changmin's families remembered him from the summer and politely asked after how he was, and Yunho's mother's eyes brightened the moment she heard his name.

“So this is the new friend I've been hearing about for so long?” she asked, smiling at him warmly. “I hear you kindly helped out my sister and son in the market last summer, Jaejoong goon. You have my thanks for the generosity you have shown my family.”

“No, I was the one in their care,” Jaejoong said, bowing. He wondered how he could possibly feel more anxious over speaking to someone's mother than performing onstage in front of hundreds of fans, but his heartbeat was most certainly not lying to him.

“It's a shame we won't have more time to talk,” she continued. “Absolutely no one tells me what my son gets himself into when I'm not around. Other than the part where he decides to go off and join a talent agency without telling anyone. He did behave himself last summer, didn't he?”

Jaejoong looked at Yunho uncertainly. “Yes?”

“It's a shame he had to go off and break that poor young girl's heart. What was her name... Choi Minhee, wasn't it? And now he won't even be able to date properly for years...”

“Amusingly enough, Miss Minhee did want to come to the broadcast today,” Auntie Minjung said wryly, looking at Jaejoong. “And Yunho wasn't the person she wanted to see.”

“Aish,” Yunho's mother said. “At least he has all those girls in the audience who are after him now, but I don't know much good that will do.”

“I wouldn't worry about that,” Jaejoong's mother said weakly. “He's sure to find someone who suits him.” She patted Jaejoong on his shoulder delicately.

“Speaking of which,” Dayoung said, changing the subject quickly. “I was eavesdropping on some of the girls in the audience. Sounds like you've made plenty of new fans, you guys. The one next to us asked what a dong bang shin ki was when you guys walked up onstage, but as soon as you were done, she was whipping out her wallet to buy a red lightstick. Oh, Yoochun ah, you're also engaged to a lovely young girl who was in the row in front of us.”

“Brilliant,” Yoochun said. “Do I have to buy a suit, or just show up?”

“At least wait until you graduate from high school, young man,” Yoochun's mother scolded.

They only had a few more minutes to talk to each other before their manager told them it was time to get their hair and makeup retouched for their interview. Jaejoong went through the gauntlet of sibling hugs one more time, and just as he was about to trudge over to the stylist noonas, Yunho's mother stopped him for a moment.

“I know my son is the leader of the five of you,” she said quietly, “but I heard that you were the eldest. As a hyung, even though it is only by a few days, will you please look well after my Yunho? He's a good boy, but he thinks too much of others at times when he should be thinking of himself. I haven't done much of a good job watching over him for most of my life, and I'll barely be able to do what little I could before now that he's off on his own. Can you do this for me, Jaejoong goon?”

He looked at her, biting his lips. I know you're asking me this sincerely, but you don't understand who you're asking, he thought to himself. Of course he would look after Yunho and try to make him take care of himself rather than focusing on their work all the time. But he would never be able to do that as just a friend or concerned hyung. Would she be trusting of him if she had any idea of that? Everyone wanted their children to have love, but there were always conditions, and he fit so few of them. All the same, he couldn't give up on Yunho. He could only continue lying to her for the sake of his own happiness, as selfish as that was.

“I will,” he said, forcing a smile. “We'll all take care of each other. I promise.”

Her reciprocal smile was both sweet and painful. “Thank you, Jaejoong goon. I knew I could count on you.”

0o0

Jaejoong had attended more reality lessons than he could count over the past few weeks, but he still felt a bit wooden when he was actually plunked down in front of the row of cameras. He wasn't bothered by the fact that the interview was going to be broadcast on millions of televisions across the country. He wasn't afraid of the questions they were going to be asked, because they'd received a brief outline prior to coming in. What really terrified him was that he had next to no idea of what was going to come out of his own mouth. He'd had a few answers to keep in mind at one point, but they'd all flown out the moment they'd taken their seats. Who was supposed to be his ideal celebrity girlfriend again? How old was he?

“We're here in the studio today with the newest group from C&M Entertainment, the company known for top girl group Starkiss!” the female MC said, smiling at the cameras as if they were her old friends. “Korea, meet Dong Bang Shin Ki, five young singers who have captured the world with their tender debut single 'Hug' and powerful harmonies! Please, introduce yourselves.”

Yunho counted off for them. “Hello, we are Dong Bang Shin Ki.” They bobbed their heads together, though Jaejoong noted out of the corner of his eye that their timing still wasn't perfect. They introduced their names one by one to the camera, sticking to the memorized descriptions they'd written with the company. Hyunsoo nim said they were free to change it as soon as they could perform their interviews without coming out as awkward, so Jaejoong thought they still had a ways to go.

“Your group is new, so we have to still have a lot to learn about you,” the male MC said. “Of course, many of our viewers may remember leader Yunho from his guest appearance in K.Will's MV release last winter, where he acted alongside his sunbae, Starkiss's Gaeun. How was it, getting to have that opportunity before your debut?”

“It was a very important moment for me,” Yunho said, sounding perfectly confident. “K.Will sunbae is someone I have admired for a long time, and working with him prior to debut was an incredible opportunity. Not only did I get to see what it was like on an MV set and act alongside Gaeun sunbae, but I also helped to bring attention to our group. I am grateful for every fan who listened to 'Hug' and came to our debut stage after hearing of us. Every red light we saw in the crowd today lifted our spirits and made us able to sing better than before.”

“Ah, how well-spoken,” the female MC said. “But Yunho was not the first DBSK member we received a teaser for. My sources tell me that lead vocal Jaejoong is the mystery man who was mistakenly spotted on a date with Starkiss's Soorin?”

Jaejoong immediately laughed as if it had been the most insignificant incident in the world. “Soorin sunbae and I still talk about that misunderstanding all the time,” he said, surprising himself with how self-assured he sounded. “It wasn't a very flattering picture of us, was it?”

“Unless you were trying to model the latest line of scarves for winter,” Junsu joked.

“Truthfully, I wasn't expecting to show up in the entertainment section before I debuted,” Jaejoong continued. “Soorin sunbae and I are both regretful about the circumstances, but attending that book signing was still a very important growing point for both of our careers, so I'm happy she gave me the chance to go with her.”

“As a Soorin fan, I hope you didn't come up with the lyrics to Hug after your 'non-date' with her,” the male MC teased.

Jaejoong laughed, trying to look abashed but not guilty. “I actually started writing that song on a membership training with the rest of my members.”

“Speaking of which, I've heard you're all close friends with each other, How long have the five of you been friends?”

Junsu launched into an explanation of growing up with Yoochun, and Yunho meeting Changmin when he'd come over to visit his auntie. Jaejoong didn't go thoroughly into the details of running away from home, but explained that he had worked for Yunho's aunt the year before and met all of the other members through Yunho.

“How fascinating,” the female MC said, clapping her hands together. “We had a lot of people in the audience commenting on how close you looked, but it seems it's even closer than we thought. Take notes, fans: this group seems like one who will stick together for the long haul.”

“We do hope to be around to give many more songs to our fans,” Yunho said, nodding. “We made some mistakes today, but we'll be sure to be in even better form the next time we meet our precious Cassiopeia.”

“Which brings us to a very exciting announcement for DBSK's 'Cassiopeia,'” the male MC said, grinning at the cameras. “Yoochun ah, would you care to explain?”

“Of course. Three weeks from now, we'll be having our very first fan sign with Cassiopeia. Everyone is welcome to bring their copies of 'Hug' and come chat with us!” All the members clapped along with him.

“Perhaps these fans of yours will also have an album to listen to, soon?”

“We're currently working hard, so we hope they will wait for us to release one patiently,” Yunho said. Jaejoong couldn't help glancing over at him and smiling. He sounded ever inch the leader. True, they had done their share of training for moments like these, but just hearing him made Jaejoong feel comfortable.

“That about wraps up our time with Dong Bang Shin Ki for now,” the female MC said, making a sad face. “But don't worry! These boys have a busy debut week ahead of them, and you'll be able to catch various performances from them over the course of the month. If you haven't been able to check out their debut single yet, what are you waiting for? It's already making a presence on the charts, so you don't want to miss out on this hot issue. Will you say goodbye to our viewers?”

“Thank you for supporting us and taking the time to learn more about us,” Yunho said on behalf of the group. “We'll continue to work on our performances and show you a great stage for the next time we meet. This has been-” the rest of them joined in- “Dong Bang Shin Ki! Thank you!”

The cameras shut off, and they shook hands with the hosts and went over how well they had done with their manager. Jaejoong looked out the window-- it was already fairly late out, and they'd been busy all day now. Most of the stragglers from the music show audience had most likely been gone home by now. He didn't feel particularly sleepy, but he was exhausted physically and mentally to a degree. He hadn't exerted himself beyond the two dance routines he had performed, but it felt like he had run a marathon. He'd debuted professionally. He'd met Yunho's family. He'd had his first interview, promised his first fan sign, and was acknowledged as a singer by people he respected for the first time.

Changmin sank down onto the dressing room couch next to him. “Our fan sign tickets are selling out, hyung,” he said.

“Are they?”

“Mhmm. Comments were good for our debut stage, too. Some people think Junsu hyung needs a haircut, though.”

“Some people or you?”

“Both.” Changmin handed him one of the takeout containers their manager had picked up for them. “I feel like I could pass out in bed for a few hours, though.”

“As soon as everyone finishes changing, we can go back to the dorms. Not much longer.”

“But then we have to stay up and read the questions for our interview tomorrow.”

“That's the life we signed up for.”

“Hmph.” Changmin's face still broke out into a smile. “It's not too bad, though. Seeing our fans today was fun.”

“And that's the best part of the life we signed up for.”

The other three finished changing, and they were finally free to go. To Jaejoong's surprise, there were still a handful of girls with red lightsticks at a distance when they came out, and they cheered and waved from the lot across the station's property as they loaded up into the van.

“I wonder if my fiancee is out there?” Yoochun asked, joking.

“We probably all have fiancees out there,” Junsu butted in. “But let's be honest, my fans are the best.”

“I'm sure your fans are all lovely people who are suffering from temporary delusions,” Changmin said from the backseat.

“And what's your fans' excuse?”

“An uncanny taste in men.”

The drive back to the dorm was blessedly short, and Changmin's long legs won the battle to get to the shower first by a landslide. Junsu and Yoochun collapsed in front of the couch and flipped on their stage, which they'd set the DVR to record before they'd left. It gave Jaejoong chills to watch the recording back and see himself singing and dancing from the outside looking in, but he still found himself bobbing his head along with the performance. It was nice to have a view of the other members he hadn't been able to watch closely during the performance itself, and of course they all had a laugh at Yoochun's expense when the waterworks started.

Yunho took his hand and tugged it gently. “Come with me for a second,” he whispered.

“If you two are going to start doing it, please lock the door,” Yoochun said.

“We aren't. And mind your own business.” Yunho pulled Jaejoong back to the bedroom with him and sat him down on the bed.

“Is something wrong?” Jaejoong asked anxiously.

“Eh? Am I not allowed to take a personal moment with my boyfriend?” He leaned in and pecked Jaejoong's lips. “I have no idea how many times I'll be able to do that properly this month. Have you seen our schedule?”

“Good point.”

“By the way, my mother seemed quite taken with you. She thinks you're pretty.”

“She also thinks I'm just your friend.”

“I know.” Yunho took his hand and wound their fingers together. “And I'm sorry. Being completely honest with you, I had no idea I was going to fall in love with you when you dropped in this summer. And when I did fall in love with you, I didn't know how to do anything else but love you. I still don't know how to handle all the difficult parts, including being able to talk to her about it. But as DBSK's leader, I am going to protect you. I just wanted you to know that.”

“Protect me from what, exactly?”

“From all the people without red lightsticks who won't automatically love you as much as I do. And maybe from a few the people with lightsticks who will love you too much. Maybe even from my mother if it ever comes to that, which I hope it doesn't.”

“I promised her I'd protect you, too.”

“From what?”

“From the exact same things, right? We're in this together.” Jaejoong squeezed his hand. “And not just us. All five of us.”

“You're right. But still, shouldn't it be me?”

Jaejoong leaned up and kissed Yunho's cheek. “If you take too much on your shoulders, it'll hurt you the most if it comes crashing down.”

Yunho fell silent. “Maybe it's better me than one of you.”

“You say that as if we won't get hurt in the fallout, too.” He kissed him again. “If we're carrying DBSK together, we'll have more hands hoisting it up and nothing will make it fall. So let me keep my promise and look after you, too, all right?”

“If you say so,” Yunho relented finally. “After all, no one wants to be singing and dancing up there with you more than me.”

“And what am I?” a dripping wet Changmin asked, entering the room and digging through the dressers for his pajamas. “Chopped liver?”

“Don't forget about me,” Yoochun added, coming in behind him to grab his towel. “Who was it who encouraged your relationship again?”

“Hey, Yoochunnie, I want to use the shower next!” Junsu whined. “And don't try to act all cool, Yunho hyung, I'm bringing my all just as much as all of you!”

“See?” Jaejoong said. “It has to be the five of us or it doesn't work.”

“You could at least sound a little annoyed at our moment getting interrupted,” Yunho pouted.

“Let's just sneak off to the music room while Yoochun and Junsu are fighting over the shower,” Jaejoong whispered.

“Hmmm. I feel the strong urge to write a composition, suddenly,” Changmin said drily.

“You!” Yunho jumped over to his bed and started mussing Changmin's hair, while Yoochun and Junsu kept trying to snap each other on the with their towels. Jaejoong just sat back, watched, and laughed. They had debuted now. There were many more years of this in their future, and even he had no way of knowing how many. Happy times, sad times, times of crisis and even anger... he knew there would be a little bit of each as they went along, but nothing made him feel as blessed as knowing he would be spending those times with four people he loved with all of his heart, four people who had transformed him completely with their odd and beautiful friendship and love.  

-Part Two End- 

A/N: All right, another stage complete! For everyone who asked, I do plan on continuing on further with this story! Yay! However, I will be starting my final semester of grad school, and probably won't be able to post at the regular intervals I've been working at thus far. That being said, I have been writing fanfiction since grade school, out of all my multi-chapter works, I've finished exactly 100%, no matter how busy I am. So stay tuned, and I LOVE YOU ALL!

I didn't believe in love at first sight till the day we met
I didn't realize how easy it was to change the way I feel
I used to foolishly bear with loneliness
Let the impossible things pass by
Let memories slowly fade