Short one of these three requested by @None725

Wooyoung thought of himself as bold.

If there were ever any disrespect towards him, or especially the other members, he would be the first to call them out. Wooyoung wouldn't tolerate it. He didn't understand why people would ever spend their precious time obsessing over hatred towards someone.

He looks fat.

He's too slow.

He's a bad dancer.

All of those comments didn't affect Wooyoung anymore. When he looked at their puny accounts with zero followers and pic-less profiles, he knew it was another insecure, lonely person with nothing else to do.

And Wooyoung knew how much work he put into being a performer. He was proud of himself. If he was slacking, that was something only the other members could tell him. Yet, after all, they were — by their standards — successful.

"Reading comments again, Wooyoungie?" San asked while sitting next to him on the sofa. The group had the evening off, so they were all scattered around the dorm doing various stuff.

"Yeah. I like checking in with the Artist of the Month video." Wooyoung grinned. "Most of these say I'm pretty good. And they're not even our fans."

"Yeah? Because you are." San set his chin on the younger's shoulder, reading the comments too. Sure enough, many were filled with heart emojis and capital letters to exclaim how impressed they were with Wooyoung's performance.

Wooyoung eventually scrolled down to a comment posted about three weeks ago. It had a few hundred likes. Curious, San skimmed it.

It was some person claiming to be a dance instructor. They criticized every single move Wooyoung made, calling it sloppy and unprofessional. They pointed to timestamps and said the gestures were too exaggerated.

If that didn't rub San the wrong way, the following paragraphs did.

They named other artists who would've "done better," in their opinion. They claimed this wasn't Wooyoung's song.

And the last few sentences angered San.

I don't know why they asked Wooyoung to do AOTM. It could've been San, who has fresh, cool gestures, or Yeosang, who can clearly show off the choreo. This was a wasted opportunity. Trash.

San patted Wooyoung's shoulder, smiling when their eyes met. "Hey, you hungry?"

"No..." Wooyoung turned back to his phone. But San grabbed his chin, forcing Wooyoung to look at him.

"Let's go eat meat. They close late today!"

"I'm okay, Sannie. Thank you." Again Wooyoung focused back on the screen.

"Woo, I don't want you to read too many-"

"Just let me finish reading this one." Wooyoung shook his best friend off. San gave up, but he watched Wooyoung's teasing smile appear.

"A professional dancer instructor? Hm!" San could see the blue tint reflecting in Wooyoung's eyes as his eyes scanned over the text. Every second he grew nervous. Because every second, Wooyoung's smile seemed to fade even more. Until it was gone, and eyes were glossy.

"They're dumb, Wooyoung. Don't listen to it." San hugged the younger. "You did so well. And that dance was your style."

Suddenly Wooyoung laughed. "Y-Yeah! I did it. It's okay."

San read Wooyoung's face, unconvinced. But Wooyoung grew nervous and stood. "I'm going to make popcorn and watch something in my room. Bye, Sannie!"

"Bye..." San mumbled.

Wooyoung clenched his hands until they were white as he waited for the popcorn to cook. It took everything in him to hold back his tears, threatening to spill out.

The cheerful humming came from the doorway. It was Yeosang. Wooyoung suddenly turned away to hide his face, distracting himself with some dirty dishes.

"It's not your turn to do dishes."

"No? Oh... I guess whoever had to do it is lucky."

"Heh. I guess I am," Yeosang chuckled. "You making popcorn?"

"Yup."

"What are you going to watch?"

"I don't.. know yet, Yeosang."

Yeosang raised an eyebrow, poking his head over his best friend's shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Wooyoung nodded. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know." Yeosang finally moved to the fridge and got a yogurt cup out. He approached Wooyoung again.

"What?" Wooyoung stared at Yeosang, who had his cheek facing the younger.

Surprised, Yeosang turned. "I was waiting for you to kiss me."

"You hate kisses."

"Yeah, but you give them to me every time we pass each other."

"Oh." Wooyoung dried his hands. "It's okay."

"Uh-huh... Well, enjoy your show," Yeosang concluded and left.

That night Wooyoung couldn't sleep. He turned as quietly as he could to keep Yeosang and Jongho asleep.

The comment replayed in his mind, and he didn't know why.

Wooyoung didn't know why he doubted himself so much at this particular one. It had never been a problem to read hate comments.

Maybe it's the comparison.

He had to admit San's stage presence was crazy. And Yeosang's spiking improvement and footwork was great. He thought those were areas he could improve on.

Wooyoung couldn't find anything to excuse because it all felt like self-pity.

So Wooyoung pushed himself to act. To pick up on his best friends' habits and pretend he was happy. But in the process, he distanced himself from the group, especially Yeosang and San. And it was obvious to the boys if Wooyoung and San weren't hanging out or if they no longer heard loud laughter coming from Yeosang's bedroom.

"Wooyoung."

Wooyoung looked up from his phone one morning. It was their day off, and he woke up early to eat breakfast. Alone.

It was San, softly running a hand through Wooyoung's hair. Wooyoung attempted to resist tilting his head back and closing his eyes, but the only way was to push the man's hand off. And he knew he didn't want to do that.

"What, San?"

"You're up early." San softly replied.

"Yeah. I might go to the studio later. Practice for a bit, work out."

"What's going on, Wooyoung?"

Wooyoung suddenly opened his eyes. They looked up at San, sharp and direct.

"I'm fine. Why are you asking that?"

"You've been acting so distant from us lately. And you're practicing a lot by yourself. Are you getting enough rest?"

"When have I ever pushed myself too hard, Sannie? Of course, I'm alright. I wouldn't overwork myself." Wooyoung started to get up again, shaking San's hand and presence away. "It's a little insulting... Hey!"

Wooyoung thought he could get away from his friend before tears poured out of his eyes. But Yeosang, who blocked the doorway, started to push him back.

"What's with the sour attitude?" Yeosang crossed his arms. "He's just checking on you."

"I know, and I told him I was fine. Can you let me leave-" Wooyoung gasped when Yeosang picked him up and set him back down into the dining chair. Yeosang and San could look down at him, forcing Wooyoung into the corner.

"Talk."

Wooyoung glared at San. "It's nothing." Then Yeosang. "Really!"

Unconvinced, San shook his head. "I told the guys about the comment. They've all noticed you being quieter ever since we read it. And you've especially been avoiding us."

"Have I? Pff." Wooyoung tried to come up with a snarky remark. "You guys are j-just..."

Wooyoung felt a tear fall down his cheek as Yeosang stroked his jaw.

"Tell us, Wooyoungie."

"...It's s-stupid," Wooyoung cried. "It shouldn't matter."

"But for you, it does," San said in a low tone.

"We don't want you to focus so much on it. You're a great dancer," Yeosang added. "You know yourself and what you need or want to improve on. Does that... make sense? Kind of?"

Wooyoung knew Yeosang struggled with using words to comfort someone. But his hand on Wooyoung's shoulder and soft caresses assured his message. "Yeah," he whispered.

San shrugged. "Besides, that's only one person's expert opinion that dislikes you. Other expert dancers say you're outstanding!"

"I guess... it was them comparing me to you two that bothered me. Like, you guys are really good too, and I can't help but think-"

Suddenly Wooyoung was squished into a tight hug by Yeosang.

"Don't say that Wooyoungie," he quietly mumbled.

"We're all different dancers and performers, Wooyoung. But our differences together make us an even stronger diverse group. Eight makes one team, y'know." San took Wooyoung's hand and kissed the back of it.

"You're one of the strongest people I know," Yeosang confessed. "I'm grateful for you. It's been, what, nine years?"

Wooyoung pouted as tears of joy filled his eyes. "S-Stop it..."

San intertwined their fingers. "Didn't we say friends for life? What did I hold all my pain at the tattoo parlor for?" He gestured at his knee. The comment made Wooyoung crack a smile.

"You're pretty when you smile," San softly said.

Yeosang nodded in agreement and, having both their stares on him, flustered the youngest. "Yeah. I agree."

"I love you, idiots," Wooyoung wiped his tears. "So much."

The three stood for a hug, but Yeosang and San made sure to crush Wooyoung the most. Yeosang's buff arms hugged his best friend's waist while San pressed their cheeks close. Wooyoung laughed at their actions.

"You g-guys are going to take my... breath away."

Yeosang apologized with a shy smile.

"Why don't we do something other than work today?" San slung an arm over Wooyoung's shoulder.

"Yeah, let's go out," Yeosang agreed.

"Where?"

"I don't know... we can decide that on our way there." San's words made the other two laugh.

Wooyoung couldn't stop his beating heart. They were right. He was a good dancer, just like them. As old as it sounds, he was unique in his way. And in a group, the difference was okay. Because, as evident now, no comment could change the love the boys had for each other.