Chapter Text
"If you succeed I'll fucking audition for the school play. That's how little I believe you can do it." Jaebum raises an eyebrow at his smirking friend, both confident in their own prediction of what will happen next.
"I'm gonna make sure you land the lead; just you wait and see." A sentence that will prove itself truer than any of the three can imagine at this point. Jinyoung's confidence levels grow even higher as he places a cigarette between his lips and lights it. He winks at his friend whose pride is now on the line and begins his best nonchalant walk towards Riley, the school's most effortlessly beautiful and innocent student. Probably the kindest one too, except for that Youngjae kid maybe.
Mark leans one elbow on Jaebum's shoulder and smirks at their youngest, as he makes his attempt at getting the school's very own Mother Teresa to fuck him in the bathroom. Jinyoung puts on his innocent smile that he, Jaebum has found, always uses to his advantage in any possible situation. Jaebum's arrogant smirk grows weaker and weaker as Riley's grows stronger and Jinyoung's hand makes its way up to Riley's hip. Jaebum gives Mark and his still lingering grin a baffled look. Just then, Riley grabs Jinyoung's collar, smashes her lips on his and drags him back into the school building. Jinyoung waves two fingers at his friends. Interpret that as you will.
"Fucking hell." Jaebum shakes his head and clenches his jaw tight. Mark pats him on the shoulder and sits him down on a bench in the schoolyard.
"Guess you've got yourself some lines to practice."
"Ow," Youngjae brings a nursing hand to his shoulder, looking back at Riley running down the hall with one of JB's boys. Yugyeom furrows his eyebrows and uses his height to get an overview of the situation.
"Wonder what that was about," Jackson comments, looking over at Youngjae as he shrugs it off. "Oh, by the way! Youngjae you're auditioning for the play, right?" Youngjae nods, awaiting the reason for this question. "I've been asked to help out with props once in a while, you know, cause they need the muscle." Jackson flexes, causing sighs and eye rolls amongst his friends.
"I hope I get the part," Youngjae expresses his worry very honestly as he always does. "Maybe it was a bit ambitious of me to try out for a demon." He taps his thigh at a stressed pace, making it easy for his friends to see that his nerves are getting the best of him.
"Of course you'll get the part. Having practised lines with you, I think they'll appreciate what you can do for a role like that. It's completely different from what you are. I think that can be good. Something fresh." Bambam's words comfort Youngjae somewhat, as well as Yugyeom's hand around his shoulder does.
Youngjae is anything but a demon. His love for life becomes so contagious when he flashes his patented smile. He has no enemies because hating Youngjae is something that requires a lot of strong will and talent. To explain to you how positive of a boy he is, words will not be enough. His friends play an ongoing game of finding the word to best describe Youngjae. They started at positive and have currently made it all the way to tranquil, a proud input from Yugyeom, their maknae. Youngjae loves his friends and is anything but afraid to tell them. Their love for him is just as big, proved by their calm reactions on the day where he had shyly (a word that is not often used about Youngjae) told his friends how he has never really been into girl as he has boys and how he hoped it wouldn't change their friendship. They had simultaneously shrugged their shoulders and asked him why that would have any impact on their love for him. To sum up: Youngjae is an angel and his friends are not far from it either.
On Tuesday, Youngjae nails his audition, despite his previous worries. He does a far better job than the seven other hopeful demons. The only other noteworthy audition is JB's. Youngjae is surprised to see him there and is even more surprised when he finds that he his acting was more than okay, better than his attitude for sure. Youngjae observed how he had slouched in there without greeting the teachers, read his lines and left the room as soon as his part was done.
"I'm a little terrified. Despite his rude behaviour, he was quite... Auroral."
"AURORAL! Auroral beats tranquil," Jackson bounces at Yugyeom, who is now sitting at the edge of his seat because he is in danger of losing his lead in their little game.
"Auroral is pretty strong," BamBam agrees with Jackson, sealing it with a nod. Yugyeom frowns. "Sorry, Youngjae; so, you're afraid that Im Jaebum is gonna be cast instead of you?" Youngjae nods at BamBam, getting the conversation back on track.
"Don't worry too much about it now that you've done all you can do. Let's go to my place and hang out so you can forget about the audition for now." Jackson stands up, grabbing his bag on the way. The others merrily join him, leaving through the main gate where they walk past Jaebum, Jinyoung and Mark smoking. Jaebum looks over at Youngjae, who is already looking at him. Youngjae flashes a small smile towards the other that Jaebum lets hang in the air between them for the short moment that their eyes are locked.
Jaebum throws his cigarette to the ground, looking down at it.
"I hate you, Park Jinyoung." Jinyoung chuckles, knowing what he means by the sudden harsh words. "If I get the part, what the fuck is gonna happen to my dignity?" He shakes his head cockily at Jaebum's words.
"It was your idea, JB. Don't blame this on me."
Jaebum sighs. He runs a frustrated hand through his hair. The annoyance boils up inside of him and converts into irrational anger; nothing new. Both of his friends are aware of what is happening and Jinyoung puts a comforting hand on Jaebum's shoulder.
"You should go home," Jinyoung's eyes do that thing where they stop being passive, only joyed from teasing Jaebum (which actually makes his eyes crease so that Jinyoung looks almost as angelic as Youngjae). They grow bigger and they grow more serious. They have a glow to them, which is Jinyoung's way of caring for his angry friend.
"It's a good idea," Mark supports with a nod. Jaebum nods back, sending his friends a stiff smile of gratitude. As he leaves, he takes a last look down the road at Youngjae and his friends joyfully making their way down the street together.
"For the life of me, I hope you get the part, Choi Youngjae," Jaebum mumbles as he sets off in the direction of his own home.
At this point, Youngjae has let the nerves have a rest. He knows he did well but he also knows that there was something about Jaebum's acting that could make them choose him instead of Youngjae. He is just thankful to have his friends to get it off his mind.
Both Jaebum and Youngjae are surprised to hear that the two of them have been called back to the auditorium together that Wednesday afternoon. Youngjae's friends reassure him that they are going to be waiting outside before he enters. He walks past the red sea of empty chairs to the empty stage and he feels seasick. He sets his bag down and jumps up a little awkwardly because the stage is high and Youngjae is not all muscle like Jackson. The silence is anticipating and Youngjae checks the time. He taps his thigh as he waits for anyone to arrive. The door clicks open and Youngjae's head shoots up with hope. Jaebum walks inside, hands in his pockets and looking like he does not particularly want to be there; the usual. Their eyes meet like they did the day before. The silence turns hard like Jaebum's attitude because Jaebum controls the atmosphere of any room he enters with his angry jaw and cold eyes.
"Hi," Youngjae breathes out with a nervous smile forming on his quivering lips. Jaebum nods at him before pushing himself up on the edge of the stage a good distance from Youngjae, avoiding any accidental touching. Youngjae prays for the teacher to arrive soon to break this horrible silence. She does arrive soon - and with strange news.
"You two were by far the best auditions we had. I would love to cast you two as the leads." Youngjae smiles from ear to ear at the news. He is sure he hears Jaebum release a silent, displeased groan. "Youngjae, you're our demon since we believe you can bring something fresh to the character." BamBam's words replay in Youngjae's happy mind. He smiles even wider. "Jaebum that leaves the angel for you. Are you up for it?" Jaebum takes a deep, shaky breath. Youngjae feels the frustration that is oozing from him. He feels the cloud of anger surrounding him even with the two-metre distance between them.
"Yeah, I'll do it." Youngjae takes a deep breath as he realises what that means – he has to spend the next couple of months rehearsing with Im Jaebum, the infamous bad boy whose reputation is not exactly the sweetest.
"Rehearsals happen Monday through Thursday after classes."
"Having the angel play the demon and the demon play the angel. That's ironic," BamBam comments as they sit in the deserted cafeteria discussing the new information. "But you got the part! That's worth a dab." BamBam does a double dab, causing Yugyeom to laugh and imitate his friend. Youngjae laughs wholeheartedly at the Thai and his little helper before he grows serious again, landing his chin back on his crossed arms.
"What an interesting turn of events." Jackson loves to observe drama and intrigue at school. Anything without a definitive answer is alluring to Jackson (even though he's a huge sucker for routines, traditions and cosy everyday things). Youngjae groans, burying his head into the crook of his crossed arms on the table. Youngjae does not think this is intriguing at all.
"I mean sure he's a bit of a douche but why are you so worried about this?" BamBam questions with crossed arms.
"He's crazy," Yugyeom mutters under his breath.
"He's great when he's acting but I'm pretty sure he's gonna be impossible to communicate with otherwise and he scares me a little bit. His eyes are so cold."
"Just be you... He'll get soft sooner or later. You have that effect on people," Jackson smiles with his China confidence. Jackson likes to put China in front of things that describe him. Youngjae hits his friend's arm with a newfound smile. "Ow! That's our Youngjae," Jackson massages his arm where Youngjae hit him quite hard before he ruffles Youngjae's already messy hair.
"I'm going home. We have the first rehearsal on Monday so I should practice my lines."
"Call if you need help," Yugyeom offers, smiling sweetly at Youngjae, who thanks him with a meaningful look. Youngjae goes home, hoping that it will be less painful than what he is imagining right now. He announces his arrival with a loud 'hello'. His older sister comes to the front door as he kicks off his old grey, once white, sneakers.
"So... How'd it go? Did they tell you anything today?"
"I got the part." His sister smiles the same smile as Youngjae. Their family has been blessed with that signature kind smile and good heart and it gets them far. She ruffles his hair. "It's just a school production," Youngjae modestly expresses.
"It's still an achievement. Every little success counts," she assures him. Her smile falls soon as she detects an uneasiness with Youngjae. "What's the matter?"
"The angel part went to the rudest guy at school. He doesn't seem to care that much about the play. It's just a school play but I still want to do my best."
"Without knowing much about him, Youngjae, I bet if you give it some time and effort he'll loosen up. After all, you have the Choi smile that no one can resist." She puts her own on full display for her younger brother. His dumbfounded dorky laugh reveals itself in the comfort of his home and the calming presence of his sister.
"I guess you're right." She sends him one last smile before leaving him to himself. He heads to his room where he finds himself looking at his own reflection in the mirror.
"Youngjae fighting," he encourages his own reflection and feels his confidence boost a bit from his own and his friends' many kind words. He is going to try not to think about that JB for now and just do the best he can at memorising the lines.
Jaebum's approach is quite similar to Youngjae's but with quite different reactions. The first thing he does is shove the script in Jinyoung's face to break the news that he has been cast as the angel. Jinyoung laughs, shaking his head in disbelief. Mark smiles because Mark always smiles at weird times.
"The fucking angel."
"It's definitely not what I had expected. This is gonna be so fun to watch." Jinyoung leans back in his chair. "The script looks pretty thick. That's a lot of pages, Bummie. You should start practising," Jinyoung speaks arrogantly, using Jaebum's least favourite nickname on purpose. Jaebum wants to slap it away his shit-eating grin but for once he calms himself down because Jinyoung is Jinyoung.
"I should never have fucking opened my mouth and now I have to play the angel while that Youngjae kid gets to be the demon. How did they come to that conclusion?"
"Wow, really? Choi Youngjae? That kid that is never not smiling?" Jinyoung asks. Jaebum nods. "That's odd casting."
"They said he could 'bring something new to the role'. He's way too cheerful to play a demon," Jaebum complains, regretting the whole situation more and more each second.
"Maybe it's clever casting," Mark speaks up. The two furrow their eyebrows at him, not quite understanding. "If you want two people who are complete opposites to have good chemistry on stage, it's pretty smart to give them the role of the opposite's normal character... Don't you think?"
Day 1 - Thursday
Youngjae's friends find themselves in the auditorium on the first day of rehearsals; Yugyeom as part of the dance team, BamBam as a costume designer, Jackson in props, mainly there to carry heavy objects. They are all quite shocked to find Jinyoung and Mark barging in, a little late, also assigned tasks for the play. Jaebum feels the annoyance making his blood boil. They had not told him they would participate in the play and he sure as hell does not appreciate the smug smile on Jinyoung's face as they join the circle of cast and crew.
"This is our prompter, Park Jinyoung," Miss Kwon informs the rest of the involved students. Jinyoung waves with an excitement that provokes Jaebum to no end. He closes his eyes to compose himself. "You're in props, right Mark?" Miss Kwon asks him and he nods. "Well, we have just about 60 days (A/N: If further in the story the number magically changes, it's because I'm not quite sure how long I need this to be at this point.) to have this place and you all ready for the show, so let's get started. Everyone go into your teams and look at the outlines I've handed out. Jaebum and Youngjae, we'll start by rehearsing the opening scene. Youngjae, you walk in as Jaebum mentions the memory," Youngjae bows his head and smiles before leaving the stage with everyone else. Jaebum simply nods before beginning his monologue at the nod of Miss Kwon's head. With only a few glances down at the paper, Jaebum does well. Youngjae steps onto the stage and stands behind Jaebum.
"That's not quite how it went, was it?" Youngjae chuckles as dryly as he possibly can and the scene continues. They do it over several times, each time the two hear the same comments.
"Youngjae, I'd like you to try and find a roughness to truly make me believe you're evil."
"Jaebum, you should do the opposite. I need some more kindness in the way you deliver your lines. The innocence doesn't quite shine through."
Youngjae does his best with each attempt, finding it hard to capture the essence of his rather complex character. Jaebum does his best with the situation he has found himself in, finding it hard to look down at the prompter who is still wearing a big smirk on his face and making sure he gives it his all.
"Let's look at the next scene before you go home. Work on the things I mentioned for next time okay? Take a short break for now."
There is one question roaming Youngjae's mind now: How can he convince the crowd that he is evil?
Jackson finds himself doing quite different work from what he had expected. He is placed with Mark, painting props. As they paint clouds, not saying much because Mark is a quiet guy and Jackson is concentrated, BamBam and Yugyeom approach them.
"Did you see Youngjae out there?" Jackson looks up, shaking his head. "He's struggling with the whole 'being evil' thing," BamBam explains with air quotes. Mark looks up from the partially white cloud too. "Jaebum is struggling with being good too."
"What can be done about it?" Silence takes its place between the four boys. Mark opens his mouth only to close it again. Jackson notices this. "Mark, was it?" Mark nods. "Did you have an idea?"
"Well... They could help each other, couldn't they? If Youngjae is naturally kind and Jaebum is naturally... Complex, they can teach each other."
"That's smart," Yugyeom thinks aloud, looking over at BamBam who is nodding, convinced of the idea.
"You're smart," Jackson points his paintbrush at Mark, smiling in amusement and surprise. Mark looks down at the brush in his hands as he dips it in white paint with a smile on his face.
"I'll go talk to Youngjae," BamBam announces and leaves with Yugyeom, who follows his friend around in need of comfort in the brand new environment. Jackson takes one last fascinated glance at Mark before returning his focus to covering the wooden cloud in white paint.
BamBam fills Youngjae in on their new idea. "I'll try and suggest it, but honestly he scares me," Youngjae admits, making BamBam chuckle and Yugyeom let out a nervous laugh. He tightens his grip on BamBam's arm that he has been holding onto since they approached Jackson and Mark.
"Try."
In the red sea of chairs, Jinyoung has sat himself down in front of Jaebum, trying to convince him of the exact same thing. "Shut up. You know Mark is right," Jinyoung argues after being shot down by Jaebum. "I'm not only pushing this because of that stupid bet, you know. It's good for you..." Jinyoung stands back up and walks away, not wishing to dive further into that hole. His speciality is to dip his toe in the water and withdraw it again. Maybe that way Jaebum will get curious enough to dive in on his own.
Just before the break ends, Youngjae asks his co-star to stay for a bit after rehearsals. Jaebum reluctantly agrees.
Youngjae stays seated on the edge of the stage as teachers and students grab their bags and leave. He shares a look with Jackson to let his friends know that they should go without him.
"You aren't mean enough for your part." Youngjae shoots his head up to find Jaebum in the middle of the red ocean with his chin and arms leaning on the chair in front of him.
"You aren't nice enough for yours." Youngjae feels guilty as soon as the words leave his mouth. He is not one to be so brutal with words. He blames it on the nerves.
"There we go. A little more of that and you should do well."
"You're actually pretty good. I'm sorry I phrased it like that," Youngjae admits, looking down at his hands. He hears a loud sigh coming from the other boy.
"Don't apologise. Stop caring about hurting my feelings, plus it's true what you said. Listen, Youngjae... Why don't we help each other out since I'm stuck here anyway?" Youngjae looks up from his fiddling hands, surprised that they were thinking the same thing. "You help me become an angel and I help you become a demon."
"How will we go about that?" Jaebum shrugs his shoulders.
"I guess we'll find out." Jaebum stands up, grabbing his bag. "Tomorrow after school. There's no rehearsal, so let's meet then." Youngjae agrees, sending him a daring smile. Jaebum visibly hesitates before allowing Youngjae's smile with a simple nod. Youngjae is perplexed by his ability to control such a thing.
On his walk home, Youngjae surprises himself with how far out his own thoughts take him in just fifteen minutes.
Jaebum seems to be giving in to the concept, but then again you can never know with him. He is great on stage but as soon as the break starts he goes sulking in one of the red chairs. He seemed very angry that day when they had been given the roles and Youngjae had noticed his annoyance over his friends' presence at the rehearsal today. Jaebum is rude and lacks respect for a lot of people and he's never afraid to throw his fists around from what Youngjae has heard. If Jaebum would just smile now and again maybe he would look a lot kinder. His eyes might be cold and hard, but they are quite beautiful and the two moles that sit elegantly on his left eyelid are angelic enough to have been the reason he landed that role. His ear piercings add to his tough image but they sure do suit him. His broad shoulders, bulked-up arms and slender fingers are something that will haunt any girl's dreams. He sure is a sight to behold and it does not surprise Youngjae that all the girls look his way when he comes walking down the hall. He must admit that he has done it too.
Youngjae realises that he's biting his lip, cutting him out of his trance. He tries to snap himself out of it with a gentle slap because there's no need to sexualise Jaebum on his own time more than Jaebum himself already makes it hard not to. There's no need to make it harder to work with him than it already is. There's no need to make Jaebum more of a reason not to be happy...