“Alright bro listen, I gotta go, I’m at the venue now,” Bobby’s on the phone with Robbie, who’s just getting home after a late night out partying with friends.

“Your first Korean hip hop concert! I’m in’ jealous, man.” 

Bobby can hear it in Robbie’s voice, and as happy as he is, he’d give anything for Robbie to be here with him. “Yeah man I can’t wait, it’s gonna be hype.” 

“Text me a rundown of how it goes! Call you later.” They say their goodbyes and Bobby puts his phone away, takes a deep breath as he stands outside the venue. He’s just about to go in when someone slaps him on the back. 

“Eyy Bobby!” It’s Woosung (stage name Olltii, the guy who dissed the idol). Bobby greets him with a smile. He’s hung out with Woosung a few times after the last taping, grateful when the offer came about. Woosung thinks they’re the same age, because when he’d asked Bobby how old he was, Bobby had forgotten to give his Korean age and had instead given his international age, which is the same as Woosung’s Korean age. 

He hasn’t had the heart to correct himself. Having spent the past ten years in the US he’s not so caught up in the whole Korean age thing, anyway. It’s confusing. 

“Let’s get in there, get ourselves a good spot!” Woosung leads the way and Bobby follows. He’s still just slightly awkward around everyone, because there are a lot of social norms in Korea that he’s forgotten over the years. Woosung is also super personable (in fact Bobby finds him just a little arrogant and slightly obnoxious, but it’s oddly charming) so being around him is an easy way for Bobby to get to know the others. 

While Bobby is climbing the stairs with Woosung, Hanbin is already perched at the railing, his heart racing in his chest. 

He’s standing next to Vasco, and he hasn’t managed to make a fool of himself yet. Granted, Vasco is busy with his array of fan boys , including underground rapper C Jamm (who’s constantly been trying to make eye contact with Hanbin, but Hanbin keeps looking away). He’s seen C Jamm hanging around with Olltii, and Hanbin really isn’t looking to make fake friends with guys who might just be looking for diss fodder for later on in the show. 

His heart stops when Vasco turns to him. 

“Did your label ban you from talking to people?” Vasco asks teasingly, and Hanbin can feel his cheeks heat up. 

Oh God, Vasco addressed him directly. What to say?! How to act?! 

He smiles politely back and barely manages to stop himself from bowing. “I apologize if that’s how I’m coming across.” Vasco grins at him and Hanbin is cursing himself mentally. Could he have said anything lamer?! 

“Don’t apologize! Who are we, anyway? You’re used to being around mega stars like G Dragon, we’re probably nobodies to you.” Vasco is still teasing him but Hanbin can’t stand it. 

“Ah hyung, I’ve actually been a very big fan of yours for almost my entire life,” Hanbin manages to blurt out before reeling himself back in. Oh God! How awkward! 

Vasco frowns and shakes his head. “Did you hear that?” He moans to the person standing next to him (who turns out to be Geegooin, one third of Rhythm Power, another one of Hanbin’s favourites) “almost my entire life the kid said!” 

Geegooin leans over to stare at Hanbin. “How old are you?” 

Hanbin forces himself to stare back (even though he kind of wants to run away in shame). “Eighteen.” 

Geegooin and Vasco share a pained look before laughing. 

“You’re just a baby!” Vasco says before throwing an arm around Hanbin’s shoulders (Hanbin’s hand finds its way to his chest, mostly to make sure his heart is still beating). “I’m honoured that a future megastar of the Korean music scene is such a big fan of mine.” 

Hanbin knows he’s blushing and he’s glad it’s dark. It’s a little embarrassing, how excited he feels to hear Vasco saying that. Of course he could always just be talking (he’s probably talking  ), but Hanbin would rather believe he’s being sincere. “I wouldn’t quite go that far, I still have a lot to learn about music.” 

Vasco gives him a look before speaking. “That’s bull and you know it,” he says sternly, and Hanbin is a little taken aback at the censure. But then the older rapper smiles warmly at him. “Doesn’t your CEO call you the next G Dragon?” 

Hanbin’s cheeks are flushed again. How does Vasco even know about that? “I wish he wouldn’t,” he replies, and though he’s normally very careful about how he phrases his answers to questions like this, it’s hard to think straight with Vasco in his face, “it’s an impossible expectation to live up to.” 

Vasco rubs his back and gives him an almost sad sort of smile. “Well, after hearing that wicked freestyle you threw down on the last show, I think there’s probably some truth to his expectations.” Vasco pats his shoulder before turning back to the others, and Hanbin just stares blankly at the crowd below. 

He’s in a state of shock. He wasn’t exaggerating when he said he’d been a fan for almost his entire life (okay really it’s only half his life, but no one has a good grasp on music as a child anyway, so what he said sticks). Vasco dropped his first album in 2004, and Hanbin actually remembers listening to it non-stop in the car with his parents, remembers how his mom would always tease his dad by talking about how she thought Vasco was cute. 

And now Vasco just complimented him and Hanbin feels like his head might explode. 

He ignores everyone and takes out his phone, opening a chat with Seungjae because he needs to freak out for a moment. 

Bin: jaejaejaejaejaejaejaejae 
Bin: holy 
Bin: hyungwheruuuuuuuuuu 
Jae: whooooa bro what???? 
Bin: vasco!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Jae: what ? ? ? 
Bin: vasco 
Jae: yes?? 
Bin: complimented 
Bin: me 
Jae: excuse me gotta wipe a tear from my eye 
Bin: v a s c o!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Jae: what a cutie did u hug him??? 
Bin: officantbelieve… hessonice!!!!! 
Jae: u big nerd 
Jae: get a grip 
Bin: :)))))))))))))) 
Jae: nerd giant nerd 
Jae: cute nerd tho what a little fanboy 
Bin: uhyung 
Jae: what a baby 
Bin: shutup 
Jae: did he touch u??? 
Bin: yes 
Jae: awwww babybin hyung is so happy for u!! 
Bin: goodBYE 

Hanbin slips his phone back in his pocket and feels calmer after getting the excitement out. Seungjae will undoubtedly mercilessly once he gets back, but Hanbin doesn’t mind. It’s worth it. He’s still quiet and calm as more of the others show up, and it’s not until someone nudges him that he focuses on the present again. Vasco is off on the other side of the balcony now, chatting with some other guys. The person who nudged Hanbin’s arm is one of the Americans. Bobby. 

“Hey, how’s it goin’?” 

Hanbin stares at him blankly for a second, almost like Bobby’s question doesn’t register. He hasn’t spoken to Bobby yet, it’s their first time talking. Hanbin remembers his real first impression from the low timbre of Bobby’s voice. It sounds just as nice when he’s talking as it does when he’s rapping, and Hanbin can’t help the twinge of jealousy. 

He nods politely to Bobby. “Good. How are you?” 

Bobby nods back at him. “Good. Looking forward to tonight, I’m not really that familiar with any of the producers.” 

Hanbin frowns without meaning to. How could anyone not be familiar with the producer teams? Even if Bobby is an American, he should have familiarized himself with the rappers before coming. But he stops himself before saying anything. Maybe Bobby’s just trying to make conversation? 

“Well, they’re all really great rappers, so it’ll be a good show.” Even though his comment is slightly dismissive, Bobby doesn’t move away, and Hanbin feels just a bit awkward with the situation. He’s not good at talking to strangers, and Bobby makes it even worse. 

“Who are you looking forward to seeing?” Bobby asks, because he’s desperate for the conversation to continue. Woosung is off with C Jamm (Bobby keeps forgetting his real name, and he’s too embarrassed to ask) while Bobby has decided to instead keep his prime spot on the balcony. 

Hanbin glances back at Bobby before answering. “I’m a really big fan of Swings, and San E is really good.” He looks back at the stage, feeling awkward but forcing himself to keep talking. “I’m excited to watch Tablo hyung as well. I know we’re signed to the same label, but I rarely ever get to see him.” 

Bobby isn’t sure he’s heard correctly—did Hanbin just say that he’s signed to the same label as Tablo? Tablo, the Stanford graduate? Hanbin is familiar enough with him to casually refer to him as his hyung? Maybe he should do a bit of research on Hanbin. 

“You’re at the same label as Tablo and Masta Wu?” Bobby asks, just for the conversation to continue. 

Hanbin gives him an almost confused look before he realizes that Bobby probably has no idea who he is outside of a fellow competitor. For some reason that makes him feel better about talking to him. “Yeah, I’ve been a trainee at YG for about three and a half years, now. I hadn’t really ever gotten to talk to Tablo hyung until last year. I still don’t see him that often, but I really look up to him.” 

Bobby isn’t sure why, but he feels like the admission was a big thing for Hanbin to say. He smiles back at him and leans on the railing. “As soon as I heard he was a Stanford graduate, I’ve felt super intimidated by him. He must be really smart.” 

Hanbin starts talking about Tablo and Bobby just listens. It’s a little weird, if he thinks about it. Not that he’s in the habit of giving weight to other people’s opinions, but he’d heard so many comments about Hanbin already, so many guys assuming he was arrogant, but Bobby actually doesn’t get a single negative vibe from him. He’s reserved, for sure, but now that Bobby has found a topic of conversation that Hanbin is only too happy to talk about, he actually seems almost sort of cute. Bobby can tell from the way he talks that Hanbin really does admire Tablo, it comes out in his tone and the look in his eyes. Bobby’s happy to get to see this side of him. 

He makes a decision at that very moment. He wants to become friends with Hanbin. Maybe his reserved and standoffish attitude is just the result of being shut up in his company for so long. Maybe he’s just really shy and isn’t good at talking to people he doesn’t know. 

Regardless, Bobby’s gut instinct is telling him that Hanbin is someone worth getting to know. 

And maybe, just maybe, Bobby feels a little caught up in his smile. There’s something inherently attractive about Hanbin when he’s relaxed and unguarded, and Bobby feeds off of people like that. So he makes sure he doesn’t move from his spot next to Hanbin for the whole night, and even when the other guys crowd them at the railing during hype songs, Bobby makes sure he ends up squished into Hanbin’s side. 
 

At the end of the show Bobby just stands at the railing with a huge smile plastered to his face. That’s what he wants. He wants that energy, wants to perform for a crowd and get hyped up with them, wants to feel like he’s partying with a full crowd of people, wants them hanging off his every word. 

He looks beside him, his eyes raking over Hanbin’s face. Hanbin’s got a dreamy expression too, and when he turns his head to look at him and their eyes catch for a few seconds, Bobby is pretty sure he’s going to have this part of the night etched into his brain for the foreseeable future. Hanbin’s smile goes a little shy when he looks away, and Bobby just wants to hug him. 

But Woosung’s on his other side and he interrupts the moment. 

“So what did you think? Who was your favourite?” 

Bobby notices Hanbin turn away the moment he hears Woosung’s voice, and he curses his new friend for the timing. “Man, I don’t know, I enjoyed them all. It’s hard to pick a favourite.” 

“I think the YG stage was my favourite.” Woosung replies, and Bobby notices the way it makes Hanbin stiffen. “I’d like to be a of blend of Tablo and Wu. Take Tablo’s poetry and add Wu’s  you attitude, that’s how I like to envision myself.” 

Bobby nods and sees Hanbin shake his head out of the corner of his eye, and he hates feeling like he’s stuck in the middle. He understands why Hanbin is ruffled by Woosung, but he also knows that Woosung isn’t really the jerk he portrays himself as. He can’t really pick sides, though. Woosung was his first friend here, while he might not even get to hang out with Hanbin outside of the show. 

Still. Bobby’s not going to give up. 

“You made up your mind about which team you’re going to pick?” Woosung asks as they begin to make their way down from the observation deck of the venue, being herded into the back area for the next part of the taping. Bobby ends up walking down the stairs next to Woosung, Hanbin having fallen in behind them. They could squeeze in tighter so Hanbin could walk next to them, but Bobby isn’t sure if that’ll just make them all feel awkward, so he doesn’t. 

“I think so,” he replies to Woosung’s question, “I really enjoyed all of them, but I think Illionaire fits the best with my style.” 

Woosung nods before glancing back at Hanbin. “And where’s the little idol going to go? Would your label even let you work with someone else, or did they threaten Tablo and Wu to take you through?” 

Hanbin stiffens at the question and Bobby is surprised that he doesn’t let the jab run him deeper. Insead Hanbin just smiles politely and retorts that he’s allowed to make his own choices on the show. Woosung rolls his eyes and directs his attention back to Bobby as he starts to ramble on about the other producer teams. 

Once they make it to the waiting area Bobby makes sure that Hanbin stays by his side even though Woosung is still rambling on. Hanbin had tried to move away, but in a fit of momentary bravery Bobby had reached out and grabbed his arm and they’d both shared a look before Hanbin had smiled and stayed where he was. 

Bobby just likes having him near. It’s not that he doesn’t like Woosung, because he does, but Hanbin has a different energy. He’s calmer, and Bobby craves it because his own stomach is a mess of mottled nerves. In fact the more he looks at Hanbin, the more surprised he is. Hanbin doesn’t even seem like he’s nervous. Maybe he’s just good at hiding it. 

Just as Bobby suspects—Hanbin is good at hiding his nerves, because underneath his calm exterior he’s sort of a wreck. Of course after dealing with WIN, this is nothing. But it’s also different, because for the first time he’s being judged solely on himself. When he’s in his group he’s not ashamed to admit that he’s better than the others. He’d never say it out loud, of course, and he doesn’t act like it. But he’d be a poor pick as leader if his teammates outshone him. 

But if he fails here, it’s entirely on himself, and that thought terrifies him as much as it excites him. It’s weird, to feel both exceedingly confident and exceedingly insecure at the same time. 

It’s also weird how Bobby reached out for his arm to keep him from walking away minutes ago. Hanbin doesn’t want to think about it too much, but it made his stomach do a little flip earlier, when he’d felt Bobby’s fingers close around his forearm. 

Hanbin loves being touchy with other people (probably more than the average person) and Bobby grabbing his arm felt way more intimate than he would have expected so early. Along with an amazingly strong voice, Bobby also has strong hands, and that’s now one more thing he envies. It’s not that Hanbin hates his hands, or anything, but they’re a little on the small side, slender and dainty as Junhoe likes to . On the whole team only Jinhwan’s hands are smaller than his own. 

But it’s not really a big deal. Hand size has nothing to do with rapping ability, after all. 

But Hanbin loves being touched, and while they’re waiting for things to get underway he can’t help but think about Bobby’s hands again, and he stares at them while Bobby’s answering one of Woosung’s questions. What he wouldn’t give to feel Bobby’s hand massaging the back of his neck… 

His thoughts are interrupted by Bobby, who wishes him luck now that the selection process is about to get underway. Hanbin reciprocates and stands a little straighter as they shift their attention to the MC. 

Bobby listens to the explanation about this round of the process, and there’s an added point that makes him nervous—if less than 4 contestants pick a team, that team will be eliminated. He could be eliminated without even getting to start if not enough people pick Illionaire. But the pair seem quite popular, so Bobby’s sure that won’t happen. 

He’s one of the first people to be called and before going up he glances at Hanbin, who gives him a half smile that almost seems kind of sad. Bobby’s not sure why, but he can’t really ask him. 

He’s the first person who chooses the Illionaire room, and he hopes that isn’t a bad sign. Not that many contestants have gone up yet, after all. Plenty of people left. 

But as time goes on and only two other people pick Illionaire, Bobby’s sweating nervously. This can’t happen. He can’t go out like this, without it being his fault. He hasn’t even had a chance to really show anything yet. 

This is bull. He can’t have come all this way for nothing. The show wouldn’t have paid for his plane ticket here just to send him back. There must be some kind of surprise. Maybe the producers will be eliminated, and the three of them will just have to pick another team. That’s probably what will happen. They can’t possibly punish the contestants. 

While Bobby’s panicking, Hanbin’s getting increasingly annoyed. He got to make his selection not long after Bobby and he was one of the first people in the YG room. Since then, though, it’s gotten really full. But it’s not just the fullness that’s on his nerves (though that helps) but it’s also the who. 

Olltii is here, the guy who keeps trying to be his nemesis. Before today he actually didn’t really have much of a problem with him. But after butting into his conversation with Bobby (that he’d actually really been enjoying) Hanbin can’t help but feel like Olltii is competing with him for more than just this show. 

It’s stupid, though. He doesn’t have time for a friend outside of YG, no matter how comfortable he feels around Bobby. It’s only been one night, too! He probably only feels so comfortable because Bobby has been the first person who’s gone out of his way to talk to him like a friend. Outside of s, Hanbin doesn’t really have any friends. Sure, he’s friendly with the other artists at his label, but he doesn’t feel like he could confide in them about anything. 

But there’s something about Bobby that has managed to snag him. He feels like he could talk to Bobby about anything (he knows it’s probably because Bobby doesn’t recognize him, doesn’t know what he’s gone through last year). Others might just try to be his friend because he’s semi-famous with a potentially successful future ahead of him. But Bobby doesn’t know that, so when Bobby tries, it’s because he sees something in Hanbin that he likes. 

Hanbin has always known that he’s a hard person to befriend. He and Junhoe are the same way—prickly and standoffish and reluctant to befriend new people. If only he were a bit more like Seungjae or Donghyuk he’d probably already have Bobby’s phone number by now (and he’d probably be on “secret friend” terms with Olltii, too, to further plan out their pretend rivalry). But instead he’s quiet and reserved and no one ever really wants to talk to him. 

Which is fine. Less people to disappoint later when the show ends and he has no time for them. 

Maybe it’s not just the who is here but also the who is not here that has him bothered. He knew Bobby had said that he liked the Illionaire guys, but a tiny little voice in the back of his head had been hoping that maybe Bobby would choose YG instead. How can they possibly have time to be friends if they aren’t even on the same team? 

But Bobby hadn’t been in the room when he’d entered. Maybe it’s a good thing, given how full the room is. Only four of them will be able to progress. With Bobby in here, it would have just been one more person to compete with. 

Hanbin knows his chances are good. Despite Olltii’s jab, Tablo and Wu will be willing to pick him because they have a more intimate understanding of just how good he is. They saw him all throughout last year, watched him lead his team on WIN. They know exactly how good he is and exactly what he can do. They won’t pick him out of loyalty but out of respect. 

Still. It’s nerve wracking all the same. 

When the MC announces later on over the room’s loud speaker that contestants are allowed to change rooms because one room only had three contestants, Hanbin’s eyes find Olltii’s, and their stares linger as a few people get up to leave. 

But Hanbin stays, and Olltii stays, and Hanbin wonders how the show producers are going to run with their supposed rivalry now.