Mythikel's SKZ Fiction

Bunny - Changbin's Girlfriend (I just think it's cute and matches Binnie)

Missy - Seungmin's Girlfriend (Missy was preestablished in The Unexpected)

Stella - Bang Chan's Girlfriend (Giving Chan the Stars)

Kat - Minsung (Play on a nickname)

Mai - Hyungin's Girlfriend (Means 'dance')

Angie - Felix's Girlfriend (Play on Nickname)

Minta- Jeongin’s Girlfriend (Comes from her username when they first met)

Changbin: The Unexpected

Synopsis: For the unassuming Y/N, an unexpected meeting at the gym with a music producer takes a twist when it's revealed he is an internationally known K-Pop Idol from one of the world's biggest groups

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Seungmin: The Unprepared

Synopsis: What happens when you meet your bias from your Ult k-pop group? For the unprepared Y/N, she has that exact opportunity after her new friend gets sick and she calls the friend's boyfriend to come take care of her. Her friend has always been private about her relationship. When Y/N shows up at her friend's apartment after calling him for help, it all becomes clear.

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Bang Chan: The Undeniable

Synopsis: When Stray Kids is in need of a shake up with their security team, Y/N was brought in. Most doubted she would be able hold her own, but she was determined to prove them wrong. The only problem is the Undeniable attraction between her and the K-Pop Group's leader.

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Minsung: The Unspoken

Synopsis: An unexpected job offer lands Y/N working as a make-up artist and stylist for the popular K-Pop group Stray Kids. Personally requested for by Lee Minho after working with her several times at fashion events. What followed was a charged working relationship and a potential love triangle with his fellow member Han Jisung. Until they share their unspoken truth with her.

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Hyunjin: The Unbalanced

Synopsis: After an injury derailed Y/N's dreams of dancing, she felt unbalanced. Her life was turned upside down and she was left unsure of what was next. Until her self-discovery and travels brought her to street performance. Still unbalanced, the day came when the stranger joined her. She had no idea that behind the mask and cap was Stray Kids' own Hyunjin or the balance that chance meeting might bring.

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Felix: The Unfair

Synopsis: Y/N and Felix were best friends. Practically inseparable, until he was recruited to train as an idol in Korea. Distance and Life pulled them apart, until tragedy struck. Felix reentered her life when she needed it the most, but will he be able to help her heal after being dealt such an unfair hand?

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Jeongin: The Unscripted

Synopsis: After meeting in an online server Y/N and ShyFox28 found a friend in one another. Someone they could talk to, be open with, and talk freely. All behind the anonymity of a screen. But as their friendship grew, feelings developed. For both of them. What Y/N doesn't know is that behind ShyFox28 is famous K-Pop Idol, Yang Jeognin. Otherwise known as I.N of Stray Kids to millions.

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I respected the fact that Jeongin had come to me with his concern about how I felt about his actions on stage. It wsas definitely something that I was adjusting to, but I understood that he was an entertainer. There was a part of his job that required a level a parasocialism. However, I had noticed that Jeongin didn’t always seem to feed into is as much as the others. Possibly because despite being on stage, he did have that shyness about him still. But as I watched more recent things, he seemed to be coming out of that shell a bit. 

They had to be down at the festival early for sound check. Mai and I planned to head over to the venue when the festival opened to check out some of the other performers while Bunny and Angie were opting to hang back until closer to when the guys would be going on. It was a bit outside of my comfortzone, but since making things official with Jeongin I had realized I needed to push myself a bit more. 

Our plan was to just enjoy the day then make our way back towards the the stage where the guys were playing. I didn’t know Mai all that well, I only really knew that she was with Hyunjin, she was a dancer, and she had a leg injury. Jeongin didn’t talk much of the other couples, he never really had. Except on the nights when he was feeling like he was falling behind in life as everyone else seemed to be getting serious. There was one other thing that I knew about Mai, actually. It was the fact that she didn’t totally love the parasocialness of the fandom. Considering what I’d seen with Hyunjin, I wondered how she was dealing with all of that. I knew after what had happened post-fanmeeting she’d been pretty upset. To the point that Stella had threatened to go down to Hyujin’s dorm and take her phone. 

Walking around we weren’t able to talk too freely about the guys for obvious reasons. Talking vaguely, Mai did confirm the engagement and that they were going to visit her family before going home. We checked out a few of the other artists, grabbed some food, and checked out some of the merch. 

It was mid afternoon when both of our phones buzzed. 

He knew I was terrified of storms. I had been since I was little and it was something my parents had always thought I’d grow out of. I hadn’t.  

Fox: They’re pushing our set up. 

Me: I’m not seeing anything about that. 

Fox: Hasn’t been made public yet.

Me: Is everything okay?

Fox: Storms coming in tonight. They’re being proactive. Our set will be done before the weather turns.

Fox: It’ll be okay, Mochi.

We made our way back towards where the guys were. When we got back there, they were already grouped together going over the new plan. Felix and Changbin were both texting, I assumed to let the other girls know they were going on sooner. Chan was clearly in leader mode. 

Jeongin spotted me and came over, “Are you okay?” 

I nodded, “Yeah. Everything is fine. I’m fine.” I saw the way he looked at me, as if he didn’t fully believe me. “There’s a lot of people out there.” 

He grinned, “Oh, this crowd is small compared to some of our shows we did on tour.” 

Shifting the subject helped. We ended up hanging back stage until Bunny and Angie got to the festival. After they’d had a chance to check in, we headed out to find a good spot to watch from. This was where we saw some issues. Apparently some fans had been camping out causing a bit of an upset. Mai muttered something about learning festival culture. It didn’t surprise me that this likely wasn’t her first festival since she’d seemed to know her way around various aspects of it. 

As soon as the guys came on stage, the incoming storms for the night were forgotten. We had managed to get a spot pretty closer. Not that we were trying to take away from fans or anything. To everyone else there we were fans like them. I was not prepared for the level of savagery that came from Felix on stage.

Angie laughed leaning over, “Festival Felix is a different beast.” She joked. 

Jeongin also seemed to be really having a good time. Chan acknowledged Seungmin’s absence and the entire crowd chanted his name. The guys were also passing around a PuppyM backpack. Seungmin was clearly missed by everyone, members and fans alike. 

It was well into the first half of their performance when I felt my phone buzz. I saw Stella’s message to the group chat. 

Stella: Watch the skies, get back stage as soon as the set ends to leave. I’m going back to the hotel now. 

I called her despite the crowd and music.  “What’s going on?” 

“It’s fine Y/N. I’m just going back now so I’m not here during the rush.” I know she can hear it in my voice, the fear rising. “Does Jeongin know?” 

“Yes.” I said, knowing I had to be careful with my answers. Sure no one was probably listening to me, but just in case. 

“Do you want to come back with me?” I hesitated looking back up on stage. I didn’t want to leave. This was one of the first real performances I was getting to see outside the fan meeting. “There will be other shows, Y/N.” Stella reassured me gently.

“He doesn’t know how bad it can be.” I admitted. Jeongin knew I was afraid of storms, but he didn’t know how bad it was. 

“Then go back with me, he’ll understand.”

I hung up and tapped Mai on the shoulder, “My cousin has to go, I’m going with her.” I didn’t say that it was because of my own fears I was going with her. Mai nodded turning back to the stage. 

By the time I made it backstage the guys were coming off the stage. I was with Stella and Jiho, they were checking the radar again. Chan and Jeongin ignored the fact they were supposed to be changing and came over to us. 

“Jiho is making Stella go back because of the storms. I’m going to go with her.” I looked up at him. “I’m sorry Fox… I want to stay, but…” I trailed off. The skies were starting to look a bit nasty too, which wasn’t helping. 

“Hey, look at me.” He said gently holding my face and making me look up at him. “It’s okay, go back to the hotel. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Okay?” I kissed my forehead. 

Chan nudged him, because they needed to change and quick now. 

“Love you, I’ll see you at the hotel, Mochi.” 

I was quiet the whole drive back to the hotel. Watching the skies. When we got back, Stella offered to stay with me but I brushed her off. 

Going into our room, I looked out the window just as there was a crack of lightning streaking across the sky and a big boom of thunder. 

When Jeongin got back, soaked because of the storm, he found me huddled on the floor between the bed and wall farthes from the window. I had a blanket wrapped around me and over my head. I was absolutely terrified as the storm hit hard. 

“Mochi?” He said when didn’t initially see me. 

I barely got out a small whimper, I had myself in such a tight ball with my knees to my chest, back against the bed. I was embarrassed that he was seeing me like this. When he realized where I was he was quick to crouch down. 

“Hey… it’s okay. I’m right here.” Jeongin said softly. 

He didn’t push me, he didn’t say anything else. Instead he just saw down next to me and pulled me over into his lap. He did it easily enough, wrapping his arms around me. I stayed hidden in my blanket cocoon, but rested my head on his shoulder. I knew that he could feel me shaking. We stayed just like that until the storm passed. No more flashes of lightning, the rumbles had died out. Only then did he move to pull the blanket back as if he were unwrapping me. My eyes were red and my cheeks tear stained. 

“Hi,” he smiled. 

I sniffled, “This is embarrassing.” 

“Small spaces and storms.” He said. I must have seemed a little confused. “Two things you’re afraid of.” he explained. “Now I’ve seen both.” he was rubbing my back. “We’re going to be living together Mochi. It means we will see the good and the bad.” 

I closed my eyes as he talked and rubbed my back. “It’s still embarrassing. I freeze.” I sniffled again. 

All the fashion events passed and soon it was time to make the trip to New York. It was likely my last trip with the guys because then I would be too far along to safely make long haul flights. Everyone was already feeling the absence of Seungmin as the guys made their way through the airport. As always, Chan brought up the back and I walked alongside him. My staff had the group flanked and I had Jiho to my right and Chan to my left. Both men were protective, but having Jiho there meant that if something happened he was right there. It was more to keep Chan from doing something. But for the most part as rough as the airport fans could get, they seemed to respect me now. Whether from the several displays of pushing back or now the fact it was becoming more obvious I was pregnant. After the dress I’d worn to the Fendi event, there was no real hiding it anymore. 

It was a long and uncomfortable flight, which only backed up the decision that this would be my last long haul trip. Chan and I made plans to see my brother while we were in the States. Hyunjin and Mai would be staying as to see her family. I was surprised that Changbin and Jeongin hadn’t tried to work it to their advantage to stay back, too. Everyone else would fly back a few day after the show, but they had some other things on the schedule before that. 

Everyone was at our suite hanging out and having food. It had been planned before I realized how much traveling would take out of me. My team worked with the US team and were set up along the floor to ensure no one got through. I texted Jiho to let him know the girls were on their way up. I hadn’t even told Chan that the girls were coming to surprise Changbin and Jeongin. When the knock came at the door he glanced over at me as if to question it. 

“It’s fine, it’s expected.” I told him. 

Chan went over to the door, “누구세요?” Who is it? Changbin called out. 

Chan answered him in english. “Ah, special delivery.” he called back. 

“For who?” Han asked, ever the curious one. 

“Binnie and Ayen.” He replied.

I smirked listening to the exchange and saw the confused looks on the guys’ faces. As they walked away Minho caught my eye. He smirked having pieced it together before the others. 

Everyone stayed and ate after the girls arrived, but Chan was pretty quick to shut the night down and send everyone back to their own rooms. I knew it was because he saw how tired I was. 

I hated showing weakness and Chan knew that. The problem was with the pregnancy I was having to admit more when I needed help or I needed to take a step back. That was hard for me. Chan knew it, which was why he kept such a close eye on me. Because I was stubborn. 

“Let’s take a shower, then get some sleep.” Chan said as he came up behind me rubbing my shoulders. 

“Okay,” I don’t argue. I was exhausted and Chris knew it. 

In the bathroom he came up brushing some hair from my face. “Let me help you,” He said softly. 

I nodded. Chris was the only one that saw this side of me. He was the only one I let all the walls down with. I had needed someone I could be vulnerable with. Just like that night he’d found me after I’d proven myself to my team, he quietly helped me undress. 

After a shower the exhaustion truly set in. Chan let me get comfortable before he settled in behind me. He rested his arm around me so that his hand rested on my stomach. Nuzzling into my neck I could feel his smile. 

The day of the festival was a long one. Jiho had tried to convince me to take the time and just be there as a support for Chan. His family had also flown in. Which was the only reason that I relented. I told Jiho I still wanted to know everything that was going on. I knew he was just placating me. 

The guys were getting ready for their sound check when Chan’s parents found us backstage. It was the first time we’d seen them since really telling them the news that we were expecting. Which meant there were a lot of hugs and excitement. They were actually planning on joining us when we went to visit my brother. A chance for our two families to really meet. Things had been relatively serious before the unexpected pregnancy. But with the pregnancy and now our families meeting, Chan and I were in this together. 

It was a hot day and everyone was monitoring the incoming storms. While the other girls went to explore the festival. I knew better with the heat and everything not to push it too much. Chan kept coming over to check on me between everything. 

“You’re not being very discrete,” I said the third time he came over to check on me. 

“I don’t care,” He frowned, “You and the baby are my top priority.” His voice was low enough not to draw attention. 

“Chris, we’re both healthy. I’m drinking my water, you saw me eat.” I wasn’t going to chastise him for being over protective right now. I knew he was worried about the heat and that there were bad storms predicted later. 

Jiho came over to us, “Festival staff just called. The storms shifted and they’re moving the set up.” 

I knew this festival wasn’t going the way any of them had planned it. Between Seungmin having to stay behind, the weather, and now a shift in schedule, things just didn’t seem to be going right. Then the festival didn’t announce the change until shortly before it was actually happening. 

When it was time for the guys to get on stage the seven of them gathered and Chris did his normal hype up before they went out on stage. I stayed back stage not wanting to be jostled by the crowd while the other girls went out. Minta had offered to stay back but I told her to go with the others. She didn’t need to miss out on seeing Jeongin perform because she was babysitting me. No one needed to babysit me. 

While the guys were on stage Jiho came up beside me and showed me the radar on his phone. “I think you need to head back to the hotel.” 

I looked at it then up at him, “You’re not going to take staff away from the guys because of me.” I shook my head. 

“I think Chan would agree with me, and if I need to I will ask him when they come off stage for wardrobe change.” 

My eyes narrowed at him, because it was a dirty trick but one Jiho knew would work if need be. My jaw was set. It wasn’t the first time he’d made the threat. I’d called him on it early on and he’d followed through with it. There was a reason he had been named my second in command. 

I pulled my phone out and texted the girls. 

Me: Watch the skies, get back stage as soon as the set ends to leave. I’m going back to the hotel now. 

Minta called me, I could just about hear her over the music and crowd from where she was standing. “What’s going on?” 

“It’s fine Minta. I’m just going back now so I’m not here during the rush.” I can hear it in her voice, this wasn’t about me leaving. “Does Jeongin know?” 

“Yes.” She said, knowing she had to be careful in the sea of fans. 

“Do you want to come back with me?” I knew she didn’t want to leave the show, she’d come to watch Jeongin. But I know she’s hesitating. “There will be other shows, Minta.” I said. I’d gone from being mad at Jiho to being protective of Minta who was essentially my baby sister. I didn’t want her to put herself in a position just because she didn’t want to disappoint Jeongin. 

“He doesn’t know how bad it can be.” She admitted. 

“Then go back with me, he’ll understand.” 

About the time Minta managed to get backstage was when the guys were coming off to do their quick change. Both Chan and Jeongin saw us and immediately picked up on the fact that something was up. Chan walked over with Jeongin right on his heels. 

“The storm is coming in stronger. Minta and I are going back to the hotel now before it hits.” I explained to Chan as Jeongin went to Minta. “We’re fine, go out there and finish the show.” 

“What’s going on with Minta?” Chan asked glancing over at the younger couple. 

“She’s terrified of storms, I accidentally set her off when I texted the girls that Jiho was making me go back early.” 

He nodded, “Okay, I’ll text you as soon as we’re off the stage.” 

“Stay safe,” I said as he gave me a quick kiss. He nudged Jeongin because they needed to go. 

Minta was quiet as one of the staff drove us back. I knew she was disappointed but by the looks of the sky I knew the right decision had been made. When we got back to the hotel I looked at her, “You want me to stay with you until the guys get back?” 

“No,” she shook her head. “I’m okay.” 

I didn’t believe her, but I didn’t push her either. 

A little later the text came in from Chris. 

The guys; trip was far too short. To even have had Jeognin there for a few days had been a nice surprise. I would say I wasn’t sure the next time I would see him, but Bunny and I had already been scheming, making a plan to be at their upcoming festival in a few weeks. 

“The fun part about long distance with these guys are the surprise visits.” Bunny had said when we first started making our plan. That had been before Changbin had surprised both of us on their anniversary. 

After the guys had gone home, we had a couple of weeks until the festival. Bunny and I had been in touch with Stella to ensure that we would have no issues getting in if we made the trip. Jeongin had warned me that he was going to be busier than normal, but we still managed to talk. I always knew when Changbin managed to sneak a morning call in because Bunny disappeared into the other room. I totally understood the want for privacy. 

The day the guys flew in, Bunny and I made the drive. It was several hours, but we took that time to talk about pretty much anything and everything. I was curious about what to expect when I made the move to Korea and since she’d been through it, I knew she was the perfect person to ask for advice. 

Bunny’s phone buzzed as we got closer. 

My own excitement was starting to ramp up. Jeongin had gotten a hair cut upon his return home and I knew he was excited to get back on stage. A year ago, I wouldn’t have imagined that this would be my life. That i’d be driving to New York for a music festival that my boyfriend was headlining with his group. Nevermind the plans to be moving to the other side of the world. 

Stella: We just landed. Are you meeting us at the hotel?

Bunny: Yep, ETA just over an hour.

Bunny let Stella know that we were parking the car. Stella told us a room number saying everyone was in their suite having dinner and hanging out. Bunny and I grabbed our overnight bags and headed inside. Bunny seemed to be so calm whereas I was bouncing on the balls of my feet in excitement. I realized that this might be because our relationships were in such different places. There was also an age difference, I was the youngest out of everyone including Jeongin. 

We reached the floor the guys were staying on, met by security. The US security didn’t know us, but Jiho from Stella’s team told him we were good and let us through by directing us to the right door. Bunny knocked. 

It took a few moments before Chan came to the door. At first his expression was surprise, then he smirked. It would seem that he was unaware of our plan despite Stella being such an important piece to it. 

“누구세요?” Who is it? I recognized Changbin’s voice but I didn’t know what he said. 

Chan answered him in english. “Ah, special delivery.” he called back. 

“For who?” Han asked, ever the curious one. 

“Binnie and Ayen.” He moved out of the way to let us in. 

At first the two men came down the hall from the main part of the suite looking confused. Until they saw us. Jeongin lit up, his smile reaching his eyes. 

“Mochi?” 

We left our bags near the door and kicked off our shoes. Soon we were with everyone else. Jeongin had pulled me into his lap in the chair in the corner. The others were all talking about the set for the following day. They’d needed to make some changes with Seungmin staying back home. Occasionally Jeongin replied, but he was more content to just have his arms around my waist holding me. 

Later we headed back to his room. He grabbed my bag on our way out. When we got to his - our - room he dropped my bag then turned back towards me. 

“You came up for the festival. Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Because, you’ve gotten to surprise me twice. I wanted another chance to surprise you.” I smiled. “Plus, it cuts down the time between the last time I saw you and the next time know I get to see you.” 

Jeongin smiled, pulling me in against him. “God I love you.” 

The morning the guys had to be down at the festival early for sound check. The plan was for us girls to head down a bit later after the festival actually opened. Mai was interested in checking out some of the other acts and I’d offered to go with her. Bunny and Angie had decided to head down a bit later, not really feeling the whole festival vibe but being there for their guys. I figured they might use the time to plan the wedding back home. 

Jeongin toon a shower and came out with a towel wrapped around his waste as he rummaged through his things for something to wear. 

“You’ve been going to the gym,” I smirked watching him. Sure I’d only seen him a couple weeks ago and I’d noticed it then. But there in the morning light with just a towel low around his waist, it was quite noticeable. “You’re going to be giving Chris some competition.” I teased. 

“Chan-hyung can still lift more, I have some catching up to do.” He grinned. 

There was a pause though as he dressed, pulling on a t-shirt and baggy shorts. 

“I’m going to check out some of the other acts with Mai, then we’ll come around later before your set.” I told him our plan for the day. “I think Bunny and Angie are planning to come later afternoon.” 

“Sounds good.” He nodded. “Hey Mochi, there’s one thing I sort of wanted to talk about since you’re here.” 

“Uhm… that sounds bad.” I frowned, the way his tone shifted made me think it wasn’t anything good. 

“No.. No…” He chuckled lightly. “I just… I know you saw the performance at the fan meet, so you know that when i’m on stage…” he seemed to be trying to find the right words. “You know it’s all just a performance, right?” 

“Of course, Fox.” I nodded. It was actually a conversation I’d had with Stella after the fan meetings. Understanding the way she was so okay with the way Chan would practically strip on stage. I had also seen some past performances from earlier in the year. I’d also watched Jeongin’s performance at the fan meeting. “This is your job, I understand that.”

“I just don’t want you to feel like i’m disrespecting our relationship in any way. But between the festivals and the tour… I need to know you and I are okay here.” 

Chaos. That was the only way to ever describe things when it came to the guys. There were four upcoming fashion engagements, plus their upcoming festival. Everything that had happened in Japan seemed to have blown over. Speculation in online spaces had died down as well. There were some other things going on behind the scenes as well though. Decisions being made. Ones that I knew were weighing on Seungmin. 

I was so busy trying to figure out a plan between Chan, Minho, Felix, and Jeongin all had engagements with their brands in the same week. Figuring where I should be was made a little easier because of some factors. Stella was going to make the trip with Chan, which normally wouldn’t change my plans. But I figured with the baby coming they didn’t want me trailing along in any down time. Minho’s was the shortest, it didn’t make sense. Kat also traveled with him. When I was still trying to figure it out between Felix and Jeongin, Felix had approached me. He was sort of my top priority because of how many brands he was working with. Sometimes it almost felt like I was more his manager. Not that was a complaint in any way, I truly enjoyed what I was doing. Though I was keeping an eye on something else in relation to the guys. In the end it was decided I would go with Jeongin. I hadn’t had much of a chance to get to know him outside of group hangouts and most of his events had been domestic so far. 

While I was getting ready for that trip Seungmin had gone to the doctor’s and the decisions were finally made. Though word wasn’t going to be released for another week. Which meant after we got back. I knew that Seungmin was upset, but the fact that his ankle wasn’t healing the way it needed to… it was the right decision. They  had been making adjustments but then it had been called. The medical team didn’t want him on the long haul flights. 

“This sucks,” He sighed sitting on the bed as I packed. He’d just gotten home with the news. “We were preparing for this to be a possibility, but I should be there.” 

“Seungmin, if they made this call you know they had good reason.” I knew I wasn’t saying anything that he didn’t already know. 

“They’re worried the long flight could cause other problems,” He explained. 

“We knew this was a possibility.” I reminded him. It was something we had talked about at length over the past couple of weeks. I walked over to him, he rested his hands on my hips and leaned forward. I ran my fingers through his hair. “Look at it this way. With how much time I’m traveling, and you will be on tour later this year… This gives us a chance at some time just the two of us.” I smiled. 

He seemed to relax at this realization. Painting a positive light on an otherwise upsetting situation. 

My trip with Jeongin wasn’t going to be a long one, just a few days. A bit longer than Minho’s trip to Japan though for his engagement. It gave me a bit of time to get to know the maknae a bit more. 

“Are you excited about Minta’s move?” I asked as we were on our way from the airport to the hotel. 

Jeongin looked up from his phone and nodded. “I hope she can be settled before our other festival and the tour.” 

“She won’t be alone, Innie. When you’re gone, I mean.” I smiled at him. 

“I know, but it’s such a big move and the timing of everything…” He trailed off. 

“Hey, we’re all navigating it. If you think about it… its going to be a first for most of us. Kat was on tour but not with the guys… Bunny is the only one who was really involved at the time.” 

“Mmm… Mochi and I were talking, but only as friends. She had all these crazy theories of what I did for work to be traveling as much as I was at the time.” He smiled. 

Watching the way he smiled when talking about her, he lit up. “Can i ask you something?” 

Jeongin nodded. 

“Where did the nicknames come from? She calls you Fox whenever she talks about you and you just called her Mochi.” 

“Oh, our usernames.” He said then showed me the chat they’d talked on. ShyFox28 and MintyMochi13. “We didn’t share our real names or pictures. We only chatted on here and voice chat. I figured out who she was because her visit lined up with everything Stella was saying with her cousin visiting. I figured it out. I almost screwed it all up though.” He went on to tell me about what had happened in the elevator when it had gotten stuck. 

I had heard tidbits of the story, but hearing him tell it… It was like when Changbin talked about meeting Bunny. 

“I’m glad you found one another.” I smiled. 

The trip with Jeongin had been a quick one, easy even. I knew the guys had their final preparations because they were leaving in two weeks to go to the states for the festival. Our flight happened to arrive in Korea close to Chan’s, so we were surprised by Chan and Stella at the airport. While the two guys walked together, interacting, and I am sure feeding content that would end up online, I walked with Stella. She seemed a little uncomfortable, but didn’t comment on it. 

I was so glad to be home. With all the guys back home, the announcement about Seungmin staying back from the festival was due to go out. Despite our conversations about it all, I knew he was still beating himself up, as if any of this was his fault. It wasn’t, of course. There was also the concern of how fans might react. I believed that most would be concerned about him, but there would always be some that would make stupid posts. 

After the news went out, I made a conscious effort to stay off my phone for the night. Of the two of us in the relationship, I was the one who was chronically online. Seungmin joked at times that I made a good replacement for Felix in knowing what was going on online. 

That night Seungmin was sitting on the end of the bed. As I walked by, he caught my hand and pulled me over to him. I stood in front of him, he didn’t have to say anything. I felt it in the way he gently pulled me and saw it in his eyes. 

“Do you need a distraction?” I asked, already feeling a shiver as he ran his hands down my sides. 

“Yes.” 

I moved  to sit in his lap, I was still in my dress from the day and the skirt rode up as I did. His gaze flickered down, one hand finding my thigh. I shivered again and he smirked. One thing Seungmin could not deny was enjoying the way I reacted to even the slightest touch from him. 

“You know, all you have to do is ask,” I smirked. 

From a security standpoint I wasn’t entirely thrilled with the plan that Minho and Kat had come up with. From an unofficial standpoint, have at it. I’d gone off the books to deal with Bunny’s stalker ex, if this was something they felt they needed to do to deal with this woman… well, I wasn’t going to stand in the way. Chan obvious looked at it from the Idol side of things But he also knew that getting in Minho’s way when he set his mind to dealing with a situation was not the choice. All I knew was that the three of them had recruited Changbin and Jeongin in on their shenanigans. The afternoon it all took place, both Minho and Kat checked in after the fact. 

Kat messaged the girl’s group because apparently Jeongin had pulled quite the stunt. 

Minho: Threat neutralized.

Me: This isn’t an action movie Minho.

The other girls started to chime in. I was just glad that it seemed like the whole mess was over for them. It was one less thing to have to worry about. 

Kat: Jeongin is a fucking mastermind.

Minta: ???

Me: I’ve got Minho saying the threat is neutralized and you over here calling another member a mastermind. I feel like i’m in a bad action movie.

Kat: Minho is being dramatic

Me: And… you’re not?

Kat: No, lol 

Minta: What did Fox do?

Kat: He managed to get her phone, she thought he was on his. But what he was actually doing was finding our picture, deleting it. Then he wiped her entire phone. She was pissed.

There was so much going on, events to get ready for, travel to prep. Jiho was definitely stepping up to help and I trusted him to do so. I didn’t feel like he was in any way after my position as I stepped back a little. Chan, Minho, Felix, and Jeongin all had brand engagements within the same week. I was setting up the security assignments. Certain staff usually traveled with each of the guys and I liked to maintain that. Missy was being stretched a bit thin though, to have all four going at the same time, she was having to manage it all from a distance. Because of this, Felix had asked if Angie could accompany him. Taejun didn’t mind when I brought it up to him that Felix’s girlfriend would be in attendance in Missy’s place. I promised she was probably a little less talkative than Missy, which made him chuckle. Kat was going with Minho, because she usually did. Chan had insisted he didn’t need her, that he could handle his schedule. Jeongin had tried the say, but Missy had opted to go with him. I had joked with Chan that she was trying to learn more about his relationship with Minta. Then, unrelated to all of that, Hyunjin had reached out and explained that after the festival, he and Mai needed some extra time in the states so he would need a detail. My spread sheets and notes were getting chaotic and it wasn’t even the tour yet.

Myself and another staff member were going with Chan. I would continue traveling up until it wasn’t allowed. Which meant that I also planned to be in attendance for their festival in New York. 

“Are you sure you’re good to fly?” Chan’s brow was furrowed as he watched me pack my bag for Italy. 

“Chris, you heard the doctor. I was given clearance, and we would revisit it before the long haul to the states.” I reminded him. “You’re getting into that overprotective state again.” I warned him. It was still a common bit of tension between us. Mostly because I was so used to control and independence. Did I give in a lot of that to him at times, yes. He was the only one who had been ever given that. But when it came to this autonomy, I still struggled a bit with him hovering at times. I loved the man, but he could drive me crazy. All the guys had called it, too. As soon as they realized I was pregnant, they’d all said that Chan was going to be like this. 

“I know, I know.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I’m just worried about you and the baby.” 

“The doctor said she’s tracking fine, she’s healthy. We’re doing everything right.” I could feel her moving and I knew something that would take his mind off it all. “Come here,” I said to him. 

Chan didn’t question me, crossing the room to where I stood. I took his hand and gently rested it over my stomach. Holding his hand there, I watched him. At first he seemed confused, waiting for me to say something. Then he felt it. I saw the moment he felt her move, the way his entire expression changed. I had been feeling her for weeks, the small flutters. But I’d realized the night before I could feel her when my hand was resting on my stomach. I’d thought to wake Chan, but he’d come back from a rough session at the gym and crashed. 

“Is that?” his voice was so soft as he brought his eyes up. 

“Your daughter, yes.” 

He sat on the edge of the bed, bringing both hands up to my stomach. “I can’t…” he had that same look of awe from when we had our first ultrasound. I knew how much Chan wanted this. It wasn’t going to be easy. It was a future I wanted, just not one I had expected so soon. 

“See, everything is fine.” I reached out to run my fingers through his hair. The blond was starting to grow out again, showing the shadow root. His curls were also coming through because he’d showered earlier but hadn’t styled it yet. 

Walking through the airport was my first real engagement since I’d started to show. Or rather, it wasn’t as easy to hide. Chan and I had already discussed the fact we knew if I was in any videos it might make it online. Because Stay also had an interest in the guys’ staff too. I hadn’t really seen that as much with other groups. They had taken to myself and the new team pretty early on too. I was careful not to engage with the crowd, leaving that to the others who were with us. Siwoo was going to Italy with us, so he stuck close by as well. Once we were through the airport, i was just glad to be on the plane and out of the public eye. Chan settled in the seat beside me, reaching over to squeeze my leg gently and smiled. 

“You good?” He asked, ever concerned. 

“I’m good,” I nodded, reassuring him. 

We made it to Italy and to our hotel without any issues. Chan had several engagements during our stay. I accompanied him, Fendi staff knew that I was security. Siwoo was never really far, while I was inside he was usually outside. I talked a little with some of the other staff, the women were all excited to fawn over me. Which I never quite understood that phenomenon when it came to pregnant women. 

One of the events was a dinner, which meant I had the option to wear something a little nicer than my typical black suit I wore for work. Missy had helped me find a dress, but I wasn’t prepared for how much it accentuated my growing bump. It was quite evident that I was well into my second trimester of my pregnancy. I was only a couple of weeks away from the third trimester. Which meant the trip to New York would be my last long haul trip. If I was cleared to go. 

Chan came out of the bathroom, fixing his belt. He looked up and saw me in the dress. “Wow…” 

“I’m thinking I should stick to my suit, it’s less noticeable.” I turned to look at him. 

“Absolutely not, your stunning in that.” He was quick to shut it down. “Absolutely stunning.” he walked over and took my face in his hands making me look at him. 

“I don’t want the attention on me Chris. I’m there as staff tonight.” I reminded him. 

“You’ll be fine,” he reassured me. “I just wish I could tell everyone that she’s ours.” 

I think that has been the hardest part about all of this for Chan. That he was getting a piece of life he hadn’t thought he would and yet he had to keep it so private. The privacy was important, we both understood that and i knew he would never intentionally jeopardize us. But as much as they loved their fans, the culture there still had bit that he wanted to protect us from. All of the guys were doing their best to protect their personal lives. But he was so proud and excited to be a dad. It had also brought up the subject of us more as well. Especially after I accused him of having over protective husband energy. We just hadn’t quite figured out how to go about that step quite yet. Considering neither of us were Korean nationals and neither of us were in our home countries currently. 

Standing at the counter, I was humming softly as I arranged a new bouquet of flowers. Word was starting to get out in our building that I did arrangements and a few tenants had reached out to me. Without really meaning to I had started to get back into taking commissions. I had already agreed to do Changbin and Bunny’s wedding ceremony. Then another member of the group reached out to me with a request, asking if he could come by.

“Hey, come in.” I smiled when Hyunjin stopped by. He’d asked if he could come over, said there was something that he needed to ask me. 

“Thanks, is Felix home?” 

I shook my head, “No, he’s with Missy going over the logistics for his trip to the states next week.” 

“Okay, I haven’t told any of the guys about this yet.” He admitted. “But Bunny has been helping me. Sort of walking me through some of the western expectations.” he explained as we went in to sit. 

“Western expectations?” I asked. Because Felix and I both grew up in Australia I tended to forget that most of the guys and their girlfriends had vastly different cultural backgrounds. 

“Engagements… Marriage.” He said carefully. 

I remembered the group chat the other night when Mai had asked about the guys meeting family and how she had told her father that they were engaged. But also Bunny’s simple response of “......” 

“Are you asking Mai to marry you?” I asked, deciding not to bring up the whole thing with her dad. 

“I want to, yes. Officially.” Hyunjin nodded. “I’ve been talking to Bunny and I have an idea.” I listened as he explained what his vision was. Taking down a few notes. “Do you think you can help?” 

“Absolutely, Hyunjin.” I smiled, “It’ll be beautiful.” 

Tme management was crucial when working with flowers. I figured it all out, ordering what I would need to pull off Hyunjin’s vision. Everything would come together, I knew it would. Even when Hyunjin threw in the small wrench of when he wanted to time it. During the week three of the guys, including Felix, had solo engagements and schedules. Missy was stretched thin which meant that Felix had asked if I would like to join him as a plus one. I had already been planning to go when Hyunjin had approached me, but then he’d said when he wanted to propose. Things would be tight, but we would be back. 

Going with Felix to the Louis Vuitton event was exciting, but once again I felt out of place. The dress he’d arranged for me was absolutely stunning. It fit the vibe of the event without being too over the top or attention grabbing. I was a guest after all. We got ready at the hotel. While I did my own hair and make up I was worried it wouldn’t fit the glitz and glam of the event. Of course, Felix wouldn’t hear any of it. 

“You look beautiful,” Felix smiled catching my eye in the mirror as I fixed my hair. 

“Are you sure that it’s alright that I’m here?” I asked, still feeling a little nervous. 

“Of course, typically Missy is with me. If anyone asks, we just say you’re standing in for her.” He walked over and kissed my cheek. 

I turned to look at him.  I loved that I got to see the casual side of Felix. But seeing him dressed up like this too, was always a bonus. Typically I watched it through a screen though. 

“Ready, Angel?” he held his arm out to me. 

I stuck close to the member of security that had accompanied us, being the only familiar face. After all, Felix was there for work. It felt odd to be out so publicly with him, but no one seemed to think twice of my presence. Hanging back I watched as Felix rubbed elbows with some very well known names. I had to remind myself that he was also one of those well known names. He wasn’t that dorky little boy I’d followed around the neighborhood. Awkward deep voiced teenager that I laid out on the beach watching the stars with. He was a man that had become a face to multiple brands, the voice behind some of the most iconic lines in his group's songs. Our relationship over the span of the twenty years we’d known one another had truly shifted as well. When i was younger I had worried that if something more did ever develop between us that it would ruin our friendship. But here we were now, exploring that something more and it felt so natural. 

Despite socializing I didn’t miss that Felix still made a point to find me. It was subtle and no one but our security staff picked up on it. 

“You know, you can mingle too.” Taejun raised a brow at me. “I doubt Mr. Lee would be upset by it.” 

“I am so out of my element. I wouldn’t even know what to talk about with these people.” I laughed softly as I sipped at the champagne I had. 

“Fake it until you make it,” he winked at me. “I’ll be here if you get into any trouble.” 

“You’re just trying to get rid of me,” I joked. 

“Not at all, Miss. You just look bored out of your mind. Try to enjoy the night.” 

I sighed and decided to wander a little. Of course I tried to keep either Felix or Taejun in sight. At one point I found myself over by one of the floral arrangements, looking at what they had used. I hadn’t even realized Felix had snuck up on me. 

“Even at an event you find your flowers,” He teased softly. 

I quickly looked around afraid someone might see us. “Taejun suggested I mingle. This is me mingling.” 

“Are you not having fun?” his brow furrowed. 

“I am, don’t worry about me, Lix. You’re working.” I wanted to kiss his cheek as I reassured him but I knew that was absolutely not something that I could do. “Go,” I smiled. 

He gave me a small bow, which gave the illusion that we didn’t actually know each other, before leaving me with the flowers. 

The rest of the night went by quickly and I did enjoy myself. Despite it being a bit overwhelming, I did enjoy being able to watch Felix as he moved about. He had such a natural charisma and everyone seemed to love him. 

After New York it was my turn to work. I had no time to rest because I wanted to make sure everything went smoothly for Hyunjin. Between travel and being busy, I was exhausted. Which meant I was actually sleeping with less nightmares. If I did have them, they were minor and often I settled just by Felix holding me. Nothing as explosive as some of the other nights. 

The morning of Hyunjin’s planned proposal Hyunjin, Felix, and I all worked to get the flowers to the dance studio. It was an early morning because I was supposed to spend the day with Mai to keep her busy and any suspicions off Hyunjin’s potentially odd behavior.  Felix brought me back to the apartment because i was meeting Mai there for a girls’ day while the guys spent the day getting everything else set up. Once Mai and I left Felix would go back to help Hyunjin, he was the only one to know that Hyunjin was proposing. So of course when Mai came in Felix was all giddy and smiling. I knew we couldn’t stay or he was going to accidentally spoil everything. 

After a full day of exploring the city, getting our nails done, and just hanging out we had made our way back to the complex. I quickly shot Hyunjin a text. 

Felix was waiting for me when I got home. I was excited for our friends. Helping Hyunjin with his plans I saw how much he loved Mai. She had her own demons to deal with much like I did but he stood by her with it. He took care of her when her injury flared. They were good together. When I sat with Felix on the couch he pulled me in against his side. I yawned, it had been a long day. 

Me: Back home, good luck tonight!

Hyunjin: Thanks Y/N. 

“Seeing what you pulled off for Hyunjin’s proposal, I can’t wait to see what you do for Changbin and Bunnu’s wedding.” he smiled. 

“I won’t be on such a tight timeline with that one,” I laughed. 

“I like watching you in your element. You just… light up.” Felix commented. 

“I say the same thing about watching you all the time. Whether it’s on stage or working your fashion events. But then I also like knowing that I get to see the side of you no one else does.” I snuggled into his side. “So…. do you think she’ll say yes?” 

I had seen the writing on the wall during that rehearsal when I had joined the guys. They had been making adjustments to the choreography and other pieces. The guys had their first festival in two weeks when the announcement went out. Seungmin was staying behind. I was curious what that meant for the other seven. Sure, I had seen the adjustments they had made at the fan meeting, but Seungmin was there. I had also seen the adjustments they were making during rehearsal. I just hadn't realized it was for his absence entirely. Missy had mentioned that Seungmin was still dealing with his injury, I guess I just hadn't realized to what extent. I could sympathize with him though, it eas no fun dealing with chronic pain. If he had a chance to rest and let it heal then he needed to take the hiatus. 

Hyunjin and I were hanging out at home in night when I thought to bring it up. He was currently massaging my leg, causing me to wince slightly. “How does it work, I mean if one of you have to step away for a while?” having not followed the group closely I was unaware of the hiatus he had taken. Nor that they had actually lost a member after debut. 

“The group has dealt with it in two capacities. Once when we had a member leave the group. That was hard because we had to change everything. We even decided to re-recorded a lot of our early stuff.” He explained, softening his touch when he realized I was wincing more. “When I went on hiatus, they adjusted. It was also when they were doing some filming. It's hard… but we are a team and we figure it out.” 

“You went on hiatus?” 

I listened as he went on to tell me about what had happened back in 2021. The anonymous accusations online, the indefinite hiatus, meeting with his accuser. Having gone to school in Korea at that age, I understood the expectations and how much a weight a bullying accusation held. He spoke of the how he had spent the time off reflecting, doing charity work, and making donations. I realized that even though this had happened several years ago this still weighed on him. 

“I hope this doesn’t make you see me in a  different light,” he finally said. HIs hands had fallen still, resting on my leg. 

“Hyunjin, we all make mistakes. But also you as a middle schooler is not the same as you at twenty-six.” I reassured him. “I love you, every bit of you. Your past, your faults, it all makes you who you are.” I said. “Besides, I went to Korean school when I was younger, remember? Then after that I went to an arts school. People were ruthless. So… I get it. Both sides of it.” I wasn’t dismissing the bullying accusation, that wasn’t what I meant. 

It was getting closer to the day the guys would be flying out for their first festival. My father hadn’t been letting up on things since I dropped the news that I was engaged to a man and staying in Korea to be with him. A man that I had never even mentioned to my family. It wouldn’t surprise me if he hadn’t had my brother try to search through my social media. They wouldn’t find anything. There was absolutely no mention of Hyunjin on any of my socials. For obvious reasons. Hyunjin had enough on his plate with the festival and the changes that were being made. I ignored most of the calls, texts I answered with short one or two word answers. I felt like I had backed Hyunjin and I into a corner with this lie. It had definitely put us right back in the same limbo we had been in before actually becoming a couple. I was worried that it seemed like things moved too fast. But I was realizing, things were different here. It was unheard of for couples to move so quickly rather than drag out their relationships. They didn’t waste time on relationships they didn’t believe wouldn’t last. If Hyunjin was talking about marriage, then he was serious. It wasn’t just about my legal status. 

I was on my computer looking at flights when Hyunjin came home from rehearsal. He was covered in a sheen of sweat and his hair was damp. As he walked by heading towards the bathroom to shower, he paused to kiss the top of my head. That’s when he saw the site I was on. 

“Where are you going?” He frowned. 

“I think I need to go home and deal with my father.” I sighed. 

“Don’t you think maybe I should be with you?” Hyunjin asked. 

I leaned back looking up at him, I understood what he was saying. “You don’t know my dad, Jinnie.” 

“He thinks that we’re engaged, Darling. I should be with you…” His eyes flickered to the screen, seeing the destination of the flights I was looking at. “Come to the festival, then after we can go together. I have an engagement with one of the brands while I’m already not flying back with the others.” 

“Hyunjin,” I tried to argue. 

“It’s all in New York, Y/N.” He pointed at my computer. 

“Okay,” I finally nodded. “Should I let Stella know, since I’m sure it means she’ll have to adjust for whoever was staying back with you?” I really wasn’t sure how any of this was going to go. 

“I’ll take care of it, darling.” He pressed another kiss to the top of my head. 

“Okay… so about that shower. You stink,” I teased, trying to lighten the moment a bit. 

It was enough to make him chuckle, “I’m going.” 

I looked over at my phone and sighed picking it up sending out a text to the girls. 

Me: Okay, who has done the whole meet the parents bit? Hyunjin wants to meet my dad and I don't think this is a good idea.

Missy: Suengmin met my parents. When my mother kept pulling her normal BS he got up and announced we were leaving. 

Kat: Jisung and Minho met my sister at my dad’s funeral. 

Stella: My brother raised me, him and Chan are all buddy buddy now and gang up on me with this pregnancy. 

Angie: Felix and I were friends as kids, so we practically lived at one another’s house. 

Minta: Haven’t even thought about it. I should probably tell them I’m moving to Korea, too.

Stella: Minta! Really??

Bunny: I don’t talk to my family, they don’t even know where I am. It’s better that way.

Seeing the girls’ responses I realized how we all came from such different backgrounds. But in a way none of us were entirely close to our families. Maybe it was why this little found family we’d created with the guys had become so strong. Well, I knew Angie’s parents were both gone and it sounded like Kat was in the same boat. 

Me: I’m freaking out. When my father was pushing for me to come back I might have said Hyunjin and I were engaged, now he’s doubled down since he didn’t even know I was seeing anyone. 

Missy: WAIT, back up. 

Kat: Engaged? When did that happen?

Me: No, no, no. I PANICKED and just said it. We aren’t engaged. 

Bunny: ……

Minta: Oh, this is good.

Stella: Does Hyunjin know you said that?

Me: Yes… he was sitting right there when it happened.

Missy: OMG

Things sort of devolved after that and the girls weren’t much help. Bunny had been oddly quiet. I watched as the girls all went back and forth, i wondered if the guys’ group chat ever got this chaotic. But then I realized, that yes it probably did and was likely even worse. 

Chan, Jeongin, and Felix all had engagements with their brands that week. Which with three of the guys gone and Seungmin resting, Hyunjin had some more free time. We were spending a lot of time down at the studio dancing. Prior to them flying out there had also been some whole thing with Kat, Minho, and Jisung. Hyunjin hadn’t been involved in the scheme, but he had told me about it. Kat had also mentioned it in the group chat. 

One of the days Hyunjin had said he had some things that he needed to take care of, so we agreed to meet at the studio in the evening. Angie had come by and suggested we go out and spend the day together. Oddly, I felt like something was up. Hyunjin wasn’t one to just say he had ‘stuff’ to do, he would typically elaborate a little bit. Felix was grinning when I’d stopped by their apartment to meet with Angie. Everything about the day just felt a bit odd and I couldn’t quite place it. We ended up going to get our nails done. I enjoyed Angie’s company, she was starting to get more comfortable with everyone like I was. In her case it was a situation of being on the outside looking in for all these years and now being in the center of Felix’s crazy life. We all had to adjust in some ways. 

At the end of the day, I texted Hyunjin to tell him I was going to go home and change before heading to the studio. 

Me: I’ll be there soon.

Jin: I already have your bag, you can change here.

I frowned, it didn’t make sense. Rather than argue with him though, I adjusted my route and headed to the studio. It was a space that had really become ours. Everyone knew if they couldn’t find us, this was where we likely were. I now had a key to get in and assumed that he was already back in the studio waiting for me. Easily letting myself in, I made my way down the hall. I never expected what i found as I pushed the door open. 

Flowers lined the mirrored walls, the lights had been dimmed just enough to cut the harshness of them. The room was fragrant from all the flowers. There were small flickering lanterns spread about as well. The entire space was almost unrecognizable. In the middle of it all, Hyunjin stood. He looked as though he’d just stepped out of one of his photoshoots and it made me feel quite underdressed in my shorts and hoodie. Though my clothes were starting to match him a bit more as he helped build up my wardrobe. 

“Hyunjin?” I took it all in as my eyes fell back to him again. “What is all this?” 

He smiled, it was that seductive smile he often got, the way his eyes softened yet darkened all at the same time. It always made my heart race. 

She didn’t make me answer her right that moment, but left with a small wave of her phone and a smirk. One look at Minho told me that he was seething. You didn’t mess with him or the ones he cared about, he would make your life hell. It was just a matter of dealing with this situation. Her going to the company would not be a problem. She had caught me with Minho, not Jisung. The company knew Minho and I were together. The more complicated nature of our relationship was just left unspoken. 

Minho had to go to rehearsal, I felt a little bad for the guys because I had a feeling he was not going to be pleasant to be around. But he didn’t leave before we devised a bit of a plan on how to potentially deal with her. I finished up with the job I was doing before I made the call to Stella. She picked up on the second ring, right to business as always. 

“Y/N, what’s up?” 

“Minho and I have a slight problem.” I sighed, sinking down into a chair.

“What kind of problem?” 

“That other make-up artist. She caught us kissing, took a picture. Now she’s threatening us.” I wasn’t panicking, for the exact reason that Stella brought up. 

“I thought the company knew about you and Minho. If this was Jisung it’d be a bigger problem… but this…” 

“She’s trying to blackmail me. I’m afraid she might go to a wider audience with it.” 

“That would be in violation of her working contract, disclosing information like that. Anything pertaining to the idols.” Stella seemed to think that the other girl didn’t have much of a foot to stand on. “How is she trying to blackmail you?” 

“She wants me to quit and then recommend her for my position. What she doesn’t know is that my position isn’t typical. It was created because of Minho.” 

“Right.” 

“Minho and I have an idea. It’s a bit unhinged.” 

“The fact that you started that with Minho being part of the idea…. I’m not surprised.”

I explained the idea to Stella. While she didn’t seem too thrilled with it, she admitted that she wasn’t going to stand in our way if that was the direction we decided to go in. The only problem was, we’d need the other guys on board with it. I wanted this dealt with sooner rather than later. Especially with the guys all having upcoming engagements then their festival. I already knew I was scheduled to go with Minho to Toyko for a Gucci event. Even if we did this, I was going on that trip. Minho had made that quite clear. 

The plan was definitely a bit unhinged, but when Minho was involved that was to be expected. When he didn’t like something, he made a point of taking care of it. It could be seen any time he fought with something hanging on his concert outfits. He was strong, too. I’d seen him tear off pieces that might give anyone else a hard time. I was sure that was how he saw this woman. Not only that, but she was a threat to us. 

I wasn’t willing to let a real event be potentially sabotaged by what we were doing. I made a few calls and we were able to arrange a “reshoot” for some of the concept photos that the guys had already done for their comeback. Which meant that we didn’t need all of them to get it done. So it included Minho, Changbin, Jisung, and Jeongin. Three of whom were usually on my list unless I ended up having to handle the whole crew. Changbin was known to be a bit chaotic while getting ready, plus she’d stolen his necklace and tried to pin it on me. I enlisted one of the staff to make the call to her saying that I had unexpected resigned and that she needed to come in. She was warned that the guys would be filming a vlog while doing the reshoot. It was all this elaborate thing. I admit, I was a bit worried about how it might reflect on the guys if she decided to say anything about the experience. But Minho wasn’t worried, he kept reassuring both me and jisung when we voiced our concerns. 

It was chaotic in every way that I could have anticipated. Minho was an absolute menace, giving her a hard time. Questioning her every move, comparing her to me - though not by name. Although at one point Jisung did ask about me accompanying Minho to Tokyo. 

“What’s happening with the Gucci event?” 

“Y/N is going.” Minho said nonchalantly. 

“I was told she quit.” She glared at him as if to remind him that there had been a deal. 

“Working for Stray Kids. She’s my personal artist for any of my solo engagements.” Minho looked back at her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. I didn’t miss the way her jaw clenched. 

When it was Jisung’s turn in the chair, he mimicked some of his nervous energy. But he would never calm himself the way he would working with me. Even before we were dating he’d developed some ways to calm himself while I worked. Changbin just plain wouldn’t sit still. One second he would be in the chair, the next he was up. Sure, she’d worked with him before but he was definitely going out of his way to make it hard for her. 

When it came to Jeongin, he was more focused on his phone. Which was not entirely uncommon for him, even with me. But after dealing with the other three she was at her wits end and actually yelled at him.

“Will you get off your damn phone for one second so I can do my job?” She snapped. “What is so important that you can’t put it down?” 

It had been enough to make all three of his hyungs stop and look at her. Jeongin just looked up in shock. None of them would tolerate their maknae being spoken to like that. If Chan was there it would have been even worse for her. 

Jeong held the phone up, “I was deleting a picture.” 

 I watched it all play out on the “vlog” cameras which were actually a live feed to a computer set up that Jeongin did for me. I hadn’t realized what Jeongin was doing, I hadn’t even realized it wasn’t his phone. I watched as both Minho and Jisung realized what their maknae had done. This hadn’t been part of the plan, but Jeongin had been sneaky. Living up to the nickname his girlfriend used. 

“That’s my phone.” 

“It is, you should really make it so that it doesn’t take so long to lock.” 

“You stole my phone, you went through my phone.” 

“I deleted the picture you took of my hyung.” Jeongin stated. I couldn’t wait to tell Minta what Jeongin had done for me. 

“It was proof that bitch was fucking around for her position. I can still report her to the company, even without the picture.” 

“It doesn’t matter,” Minho stated. “The company knows that she’s my girlfriend. So you wouldn’t be reporting anything. If you go beyond the company with any of this information, we can and will go after you for breaching your NDAs and contracts.”

“If any rumors surface about Lee Know dating, the company will immediately link it back to you.” Jisung added. “Because they will be made aware of all of this.” 

Changbin stood with his arms crossed, blocking the door. “We also know that you’re behind my necklace going missing. Accusing Y/N to Stella was a dead giveaway. Both women know the importance of this necklace. Y/N wouldn’t touch it.” He paused, “I’m tempted to go to the company about that.” 

I felt like I was on one of those undercover shows. When the truth all comes out and then the big reveal is the boss coming out. It was silly, but I related. (Yes, I enjoyed the occasional trashy reality tv show) This had all taken an unexpected turn with Jeongin managing to get her phone and actually take care of wiping the picture. Knowing him, he made sure it was gone-gone. 

I knocked lightly, Changbin opened the door. I could see how frazzled she was when I stepped in. 

“You…” She immediately looked at me. 

“I warned you when you started all of this not to mess with me. The other girls warned you.” I sighed, crossing my arms. “I worked hard to get where I am. Any relationship I have has been built after my work got me here.” I stood right in front of her. “I’m terminating your employment with the company as a make-up artist. Not just with Stray Kids, but any groups under the company’s label.”

“You don’t have that authority.” she hissed.

“I do, actually. Because of you, my work came under investigation and it actually lead to a promotion.” I smirked. 

I didn’t think she had it in her, but she brought her hand up to slap me, something about wiping the smirk off my face. Minho had grabbed her arm, pinning it behind her back. 

Jeongin went into the hall calling for security who came in and took care of it from there. 

“She’s nuts.” Jisung muttered, standing on one side of me as Minho took the spot on the other side. 

“At least we’re done with her.” I sighed, resting my head on Jisung’s shoulder, Minho putting his hand on my back. 

“Innie really pulled a stealth move,” Changbin grinned looking over at the youngest. 

Jeongin grinned, “I uh…might have wiped her whole phone.” 

Of course he had. Not just taking what she’d taken from us back, but putting in a bit of payback as well. I smiled at him. 

Changbin had every intention of holding that statement true. However, the next morning I might have created a reason to change those plans. We were laying in bed, both awake with little intention of moving when I decided to tell Changbin about some of the research I’d been doing. 

“I might have found a way to expedite things a little.” I shifted, propping myself up to look down at him. 

“What do you mean?” 

I explained the research I’d been doing and what it could mean for us. The thing was, there was something that we hadn’t told anyone, not even Chan. Changbin kept playing it up and telling everyone that as soon as I went home we’d be getting married. Thing was, we already were. With everything, when we had been faced with what was happening, we had made the decision. Because for me to marry him while in Korea, I needed to be on a valid visa. Our certificate had come through the day before I’d left. 

I had kept all the paper work in relation to the visa with me, despite traveling. For two reasons, one being with everyone moving I didn’t want it getting shuffled and lost. Second, Binnie was responsible, look at the life  he lead, but he had a lot on his plate. It was just safer with me. Which meant I had everything we needed except the exam results including the testimonies from his parents, the health records, everything. All we needed were two witnesses, which quite conveniently, we had. But it meant letting them in on our little secret. Because I’d found a loophole. A small blessing in the whole mess of me having to leave Korea. 

“You’re telling me that we can start the process now?” He said carefully. 

“Yes.”

“We’re going to have to tell Jeongin and Minta what we did.”

“I think Minta might already be onto me, she’s seen me researching this stuff. She might also think that I’m looking into getting married, not that I already am.” I laughed, Minta had spotted my computer screen on several occasions. “It means I could come home sooner, Binnie.” 

“Then what are we waiting for?” 

“There’s only one problem. I don’t know if we can get an appointment at the embassy on such short notice.” I sighed, that was one hiccup I knew there would be. I had no doubt Jeongin and Minta would agree to help. Especially after everything Minta had already done for us while barely knowing us. 

“Let me make some calls. I don’t typically like using Stray Kids or my status for personal gain, but this… It’s important. Maybe it will help.” 

Changbin reached for his boxers then his phone. His first call was with his manager, the only person at the company that knew we had married. Besides him, we had told Changbin’s parents and sister. 

Several phone calls and a couple of hours later, Changbin plopped down on the hotel bed with a grin. “Tomorrow afternoon we have an appointment to apply for the visa.” 

“So now we need to talk to Minta and Jeongin.” I smiled. 

“I’ll text Jeongin about going for breakfast, because today…” He smirked, coming back to the bed, crawling up to kiss me. 

The next morning we met up with they younger couple for breakfast. In the past few weeks I’d had a chance to get to know Minta. She was shy, but once you got to know her she started to open up. I saw why her and Jeongin made such a good pair. However, it meant that she seemed to fall back into that shyness with Changbin there. I realized that she hadn’t had much of a chance to get to know any of the guys besides Chan. She’d spent more time with him only because he was dating her cousin. For the most part, the conversation was light before Changbin brought up our situation. Before doing it, I felt him squeeze my leg gently under the table. 

“We have a question…” Chanbin started. 

“That’s never a good start, Hyung.” Jeongin said, brows raised. “Like you’re up to something.” 

I laughed, “We sort of are, we need you to come do something with us, but we also want to keep it a secret.” 

Minta smirked catching on quickly, but that likely because she knew I had been doing some research while staying with her. “You’re going to do it?” 

“Do what?” Jeongin looked between us, clearly confused.

Bunny nodded, “Yeah, but we need witnesses.” I realized the way I answered sounded like I was saying yes, we were getting married. We’d have to explain a bit further but things got a little derailed by Jeongin’s sweet innocence. 

“Witnesses? Are you committing a crime?” Minta and I both giggled at Jeongin’s confusion. 

“We’re in.” She laughed, especially when Jeognin still didn’t quite get it. But he would soon. 

“I love you Mochi, but I am not committing any crimes.”

Changbin and I were both laughing. It was Changbin that shook his head. “No, we need you as witness and stand in testimony to our marriage.” 

“Wait…” I saw the moment of confusion on Minta’s face. “I thought…” 

“We filed for our marriage certificate in Korea before my visa expired. We’ve been married for almost a month.”

Jeongin’s eyes went wide and Changbin was quick to point at him, “You cannot tell the others.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone? Or haven’t?” Minta asked, understandably curious. 

“Because we didn’t want to answer a bunch of questions while dealing with the separation.” I explained quietly. “It was just a decision we made together.” 

That afternoon we met back up and made the drive to the embassy. Thankfully the State Minta lived in had one within driving distance. Minta let me borrow something nicer to wear, the guys both made use of what they had wearing the pants from their suits and button ups they’d packed. We made what we had work to look presentable. I sat in the front of the rental with Changbin as he drove. I was nervous, because part of this process was the loop hole I’d found. Which was proving my language proficiency to the agent at the embassy when applying for the visa. I had all the paperwork in my lap along with my passport. Changbin reached over and rested his hand on my leg. I could hear Jeongin talking Minta through how she should interact with some of the higher up officials. I had been in Korea long enough to know the etiquette, but this would all be quite new to her. 

Once we’d checked in for our appointment, we were left to wait. But after we were called in, things moved quickly and seamlessly. I was nervous though and felt like I might puke. Something I did my best to push back. Thankfully we knew there would be discretion concerning our circumstances, so we were confident in being open with our relationship with the officials. We had to be. There were a series of interviews, apart, together, they went through our paperwork. Spoke with Jeognin and Minta. I had done my best to speak Korean during the interview processes, but I still stumbled a little. I blamed the nerves. It was a long afternoon and probably not the way any of us had anticipated spending one of the only days the boys visited. I was appreciative to Minta and Jeongin for doing this for us. 

The man called Changbin and I back into his office. “Everything looks to be in order. The application has been submitted, all the information for the next steps is here.” he handed me a folder. “We’ve also returned the original copies of all important documents.” 

“About how long is the process from here?” Changbin asked. 

“Four to six weeks. But with how meticulous your wife was in her preparations, I’d say closer to the four. Nothing is missing, if anything I’d say you went above and beyond.” He smiled as he turned to me, “Your Korean is also quite good for such a short time learning. But I can see that you two adequately can communicate in both languages. I have signed off on that portion of the application.” 

“Thank you,” I felt like I could cry happy tears. We were one step closer to me being able to go home. 

“Congratulations on your marriage, I’m sorry that you’ve had to spend the first couple of months as newlyweds apart. But I see a strong bond. Not something you always see in these situations.” 

We thanked him again before going out to where the younger couple waited for us. 

“What did he say?” Jeongin asked. 

“That Y/N is very meticulous.” Changbin smirked. 

“I think I was more obsessive…” I laughed, blushing. 

“So… what does that mean?” Jeongin looked between us. 

“Fox?” The one word came out breathlessly. I felt as though the wind had been knocked from my lungs. Seeing him standing there in a sleek suit, his hair slicked back, it was surreal. “What are you…” I blinked, trying to fully process the fact that he was standing there in front of me. 

“Changbin-hyung thought it would be a nice surprise. He wanted to do something for you.” He explained. “I guess I was the easy choice,” he joked. 

He didn’t have a chance to say any more as I threw my arms around him. He caught me easily, his arms wrapped firmly around my waist. I buried my face in the crook of his neck, taking in his scent. His arms, his smell, everything about him felt like home. 

“We have reservations that we really should be getting to,” he chuckled softly. 

I let go and he smiled, stealing a quick kiss before he took my hand. 

“Oh, wait. I need to put Bunny’s overnight bag in the rental.” I said, remembering the last part of the plan. “Does this mean you’re staying with me for the duration of your visit?” 

“Mmm, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” he grinned. 

We quickly switched his bag and Bunny’s before heading out. 

Our reservations weren’t far, it was a smaller place, not as upscale as the one I’d arranged for Changbin and Bunny. That didn’t matter to me, it was still way fancier than anywhere I’d ever been. Jeongin led me in, his hand resting on the small of my back. The host smiled at us, but I didn’t miss the way her eyes lingered on Jeongin. She brought us to our table and left. 

“She was checking you out,” I teased him. 

“I didn’t notice, I was too busy watching you.” He smiled. Others might think he was just being a smooth talker, but I knew he was being honest. It was enough to make me blush. 

The waiter came over shortly after that, Jeongin ordered a sweet wine for us to share and we ordered our meals. 

“I’m almost completely out of the dorm and into the apartment. Everything will be ready when you come towards the end of summer.” I knew he had been slowly working on the move. We talked about it most nights, he’d also asked my opinion on furniture and stuff because in his words “This will be your home, too.” 

After dinner we were walking back to the car when I looked up at Jeongin, “Do you want to go to a club?” Clubs weren’t exactly my scene, I only ever went because of my friends. Or rather, ex friends. “Dancing.” I clarified, not knowing the right korean word that would translate to the club I was talking about. 

“Is that something you want to do?” He asked, I knew he was likely thinking about the last time I was out with friends. 

“You’re with me, I know I’ll be safe.” I bit my lip. “Besides, we’re all dressed up. Might as well make a whole night of it.” 

We ended up at one of the spots I’d frequently tagged along with the girls to. Jeongin had shrugged his suit jacket off, rolling the sleeves up. He was attractive with the suit, but the casual side of his nice attire just elevated the look. The bouncer at the front recognized me from the countless times I’d had had to practically drag one of my drunk friends out. He looked at Jeognin and raised a brow. 

“Don’t usually see you here with a guy, Y/N.” 

“This is my boyfriend,”  I smiled. 

He waved us through not charging us for the cover. “I’m not sure if I should be worried or impressed that the security knows your name.” Jeongin laughed. 

“Many nights of having to help me deal with drunk friends.” I said, trying to just brush it off as if it was no big deal. But after what had happened the last time, I knew it was a bigger issue than I’d always brushed it off as. Before he could question it further, I took his hand and we made our way into the club. 

It was dark and there were far too many people, which meant that we could act freely. The risk of anyone realizing who he was was low. As we’d made it out to the dance floor, Jeongin’s hands easily found my hips. There wasn’t much space between us as we both fell into the music. As many times as I’d been there with my friends, I had rarely gone out onto the dance floor. Too shy to let a guy get this close to me. Most times the girls were out their dancing they usually ended up with guys. So I’d always kept to the table, watching their drinks. Being out there with Jeongin though, I was comfortable and confident. Both of us were enjoying the big of freedom the club was giving us. His hands never left me, he was making it clear I was there with him.

At one point, I’d turned and my back was pressed into him, he leaned down pressing a kiss to my neck. Then as the music shifted, he let out a huffed chuckle. It took me a moment longer to realize what had garnered that reaction. I recognized it as one of their songs and it made me laugh. 

“We’re everywhere,” he leaned in to say with a chuckle. It created a good moment for us to take a break. “Are you good if I go get us some water?” 

I nodded, “Yeah.” I knew he was hesitant to leave me alone, but the table we managed to find was in sight of the bar. It didn’t take him long to get back to me. He held out the water, watching as I took several big gulps. I hadn’t realized just how thirsty I was. Hanging the bottle back to Jeongin, I looked around. 

“Do you want to stay, or head home?” He asked, offering me the last sip of water. 

“A little longer… I’m having fun.” I think it was the first time I had had fun out like this.  

It was late when we got back to my apartment. Jeongin dropped his bag in the corner of my room and moved to help me with the zipper of my dress before I even asked. I bit my lip feeling my heart practically skip a beat when i felt him press a kiss to my bare shoulder. 

“Don’t start something you don’t intend to finish,” I teased. 

“Who said I had any intentions of not finishing?” I could hear the smirk in his voice. 

Two days was too short, but it was all they could spare because travel also took up a lot of time. I didn’t hear much from Bunny in those two full days the guys were there. Personally, I was soaking up all the time I had with Jeongin with this unexpected visit. 

The second morning, the four of us went for breakfast together. It was the happiest I had seen Bunny the entire time she’d been staying with me. I could see what Changbin brought out in her. Spending time together she had shared with me how she had been in a rather dark place when Changbin had come into her life. She’d secluded herself, leaving everything she knew to start fresh by herself in the city. With Changbin she seemed to light up. 

We kept the conversation light, I felt myself curling back into the shy shell being around Changbin. But it was a good time. It gave me a chance to get to know one of Jeongin’s hyungs a bit more. With the way our relationship was, there hadn’t been much time for any of that. I had a chance to get to know the girls because I’d been almost immediately added to their group chat after it had come out that I was his girlfriend. When it came to the guys though, I hadn’t had much interaction outside of Chan.  

“We have a question…” Chanbin started. 

“That’s never a good start, Hyung.” Jeongin said, brows raised. “Like you’re up to something.” 

Bunny laughed, “We sort of are, we need you to come do something with us, but we also want to keep it a secret.” 

I smirked catching on quickly, but that was partially because I knew Bunny had been doing some research in her time staying with me. “You’re going to do it?” 

“Do what?” Jeongin looked between us, clearly confused.

Bunny nodded, “Yeah, but we need witnesses.” 

“Witnesses? Are you committing a crime?” I had to giggle had Jeongin’s confusion. 

“We’re in.” I laughed, especially when Jeognin still didn’t quite get it. But he would soon. 

It felt a little weird making the move while Bunny was gone, but the goal seemed to be for all of us to be moved in and the guys out of the dorms. Even Jeongin had made the push after his initial visit to see Minta to get moved into his own place. I had noticed that despite his sad puppy state at having to come back after their visit, something else seemed to have lifted his spirits. I figured something had happened while he’d been visiting his girlfriend. It was none of my business, as nosy as I might have wanted to be. 

While Bunny was gone, Changbin had been staying at the dorm and packing his things there. But with Seungmin and I moving into our place, he planned to come back here full time until Bunny came back. The he’d move into the apartment he’d bought for them. 

Changbin came by my office one afternoon between rehearsals and going to the studio. The visit was a surprise, but he’d become such a big part of my life I welcomed it. 

“Hey Binnie,” I smiled. 

“Hey Y/N, you got a minute?” 

“Of course, what’s up? Everything okay?” 

“I need your help. It’s a bit short notice but if anyone can pull this off, I know it’s you.” He smiled. “I’m working on a big surprise for our anniversary, which has now also sort of snowballed into a bit of a surprise for Minta because she’s been helping me.”

This made me perk up. I knew Bunny was pretty upset about not being here for their anniversary and she knew how busy Changbin was so she was refusing to ask him to visit her. She also hadn’t been letting on to Changbin how much it was bothering her. A lot of it had to do with how healthy of a relationship she had with Changbin after everything with her ex. “Okay, I want to know everything.” I grinned. 

Changbin went onto explain how Minta had been making dinner reservations and ordering flowers for him. The plane as that he was going to fly in and surprise her at dinner. “I need two dresses, one for Bunny and one for Minta. Something real nice.” 

“Minta, too?” I had started making notes. 

“Minta is going to take her to the restaurant, so it needs to look like she’s planning on a fancy dinner as well.” He paused. “But she’ll be going to her own dinner, Innie is going with me to surprise her.”

I practically squealed, “Oh my god Binnie. I love all of this.” 

He chuckled, “Do you think you can find two dresses and get it to them in time? Send me the invoice, I’ll pay it.” 

“Seo Changbin, you do know who you’re talking to, right?” I smirked. 

I made it my top priority to find dresses for both Bunny and Minta. I knew Bunny’s style a bit better and I had her dress measurements from when I’d made the wedding dress appointments. Minta i was having to take a bit of guessing on the few times I’d met her. But I was confident in my abilities. Sure enough I found something that I thought would suit each of them. It took a little bit of sweet talking, but I managed to get the dresses rush ordered and shipped out.

I knew the little shit was smirking as he sent that. 

Me: Dresses ordered

Bin: Can I see?

Me: Oh hell no. I want your reactions to be in the moment. 

Bin: I paid for them….

Jeongin: Mochi will just send me a pic if I ask her. 

Bin: I hadn’t even thought to just ask Bunny.

Me: Don’t you dare!

Me: Innie, she doesn’t know you're coming. 

Jeongin: All the more reason to ask about the fancy dress that I don’t get to see in person.

With Bunny gone, I struggled a bit. While the other girls were all great, she was my best friend. I also knew I didn’t have to mask as much in front of her. Stella was still so work focused, but with the pregnancy on top of things, she was busy. Kat was also quite busy with work and balancing her relationship. I hadn’t had much of a chance to get to know Mai yet, but she always seemed to be bouncing around busy. I hadn’t quite figured her out except the fact that Hyujin seemed to be at peace more now that she was around. It was as if she brought a balance to him after everything he’d been through in the last year. Angie though seemed to be open to hanging out. She sort of bounced among everyone a little. She had also followed the guys since their debut so was familiar with the whole k-pop thing. Which was why when one of the other groups I followed released a comeback, I asked her to go shopping with me. It was a great time and helped with how much I was feeling Bunny’s absence. 

While Changbin and Jeongin were to execute their grand surprises, it opened up the schedule a bit back home. Seungmin and I had finished our move, things were mostly unpacked. It was strange, thinking that this was our home now. Seungmin had gotten a massive book shelf and had it in the living room along one wall, he designated that my spot for my collection. After our conversation, I saw what he was doing. He didn’t want me to hide it, it didn’t bother him. These small acts showed just how much he saw me. 

Sometimes it was still hard to wrap my head around my reality. I know it was something that crossed my mind quite often. There were times that it still felt like a dream. Years of watching the guys, being a fan, following everything. Now they have become like my family. I was dating my bias. Not just dating, but a serious relationship. Plus I was working in my field brushing elbows with all sorts of people from some of the biggest luxury brands. None of it felt real, even if it was. 

With the big of free time we had, Seungmin had invited some of his school friends over. With how crazy busy things were I had only met them rather quickly or in passing. Typically if they hung out before Seungmin went back to the dorms or out with them. He didn’t bring them by our place. Said it was different than when Changbin had Wooyoung over or the guys from the other group came, too. 

While Seungmin had free time, I did not. I was trying to get ready to go with Felix to the states for a Louis Vuitton event. Things were ramping up, but some of the brand stuff would slow down as the guys had group activities. 

I smiled and packed up my things before heading home. I had offered to try and make plans with one of the girls to give Seungmin the time with his school friends but he’d told me he wasn’t pushing me out with their company. I was excited to meet his friends from before. 

Me: I’m sorry Minnie, my call went over. I’ll be late.

Seungmin: It’s okay, Pup

Me: Do you want me to pick anything up on the way home?

Seungmin: No, we’re good.

When I got to the apartments, I greeted the security guard. They’d already become familiar with most of us by now. I headed up to the apartment and put in our code. As I walked in I heard the group of men talking in the living room. Their shoes all lined up by the door. I slipped mine off and hung my work bag up. As I walked down to the living room I caught a few words that stopped me. My Korean was getting much better, I was no where near fluent, but I understood and could speak enough for basic proficiency. I caught enough to realize they were talking about the shelves that Seungmin had given me for my collection. I heard a few chuckles after words like strange and weird. I froze, listening. But then I heard Seungmin cut through it sharply. 

“멈추다.” Stop. “그만하면 충분해.” That’s enough. I couldn’t follow exactly what he said next, but I could tell by his tone that he was defending me. I caught several words, enough to get the general idea of what he was saying. 

The guys all muttered apologies and only then did I feel like I could move again. I walked into the room, I was smiling but Seungmin could tell it was a mask. The way his dark eyes found me, I knew he realized I’d heard it. There were some quick reintroductions before I excused myself to get food. 

“Pup,” Seungmin followed me into the kitchen. 

“It’s been a long day, Minnie. I had a bunch of calls to try and arrange this trip for Felix, it’s one big headache. I think I’m just going to eat in the bedroom and maybe watch a drama or something.” 

“You heard them.” It wasn’t a question. 

“Seungmin, I’m used to people thinking I’m weird. In the states there are far fewer fans than here. It is sometimes seen as weird to like K-pop. I get why they think it’s strange considering who you are…. It’s why I thought it might bother you.” I shook it off. “I know you defended me.” 

“You shouldn’t feel this way in your own home.” he frowned. “Of course I defended you. I told them the same thing I’ve told you. It makes you happy.” 

“I’m fine, really Minnie. Go and enjoy your friends.” I kissed his cheek and took my bowl of food. I didn’t want to be the reason for his night to take a downward turn. 

They seemed to recover from the disagreement. I put my headphones on and got caught up on the current drama I’d been watching. I must have fallen asleep at some point though, because i woke up to Seungmin gently pulling my headphones off, taking my laptop, and moving the empty bowl. 

“Go back to sleep,” He whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. 

“Do I embarrass you, Minnie?” I asked, half asleep. 

I started therapy. The only problem was I had to do something virtual and connected with someone back in Australia. Partially because of language barriers but mostly because of the way it was viewed in Korea. It took a bit of research and discussions. So it meant that some of my appointments were pretty late. Felix always gave me the privacy for it, disappearing while I had my sessions. I wasn’t sure if it was helping at all, but I at least felt like my issues weren’t all on Felix’s shoulders now. He insisted on paying whatever was needed to make sure I got the help. He had also told Missy to try and keep any of his brand duties domestic. As far as he was concerned, he was needed at home right now. With the upcoming group activities he was going to be gone and was doing what he could to ensure my well-being was in the best place for when the time came that he was gone. 

Our apartment was filled with flowers. Various arrangements I had made. I also had the perfect window to grow orchids. It was starting to feel as much my home as his. Unlike the dorm when I had felt like a guest. Because that was exactly what I was. Here though, it was different. I felt more at ease. What was nice was that the others weren’t far, all being in the same building. Well, except Bunny and Minta, but they were both in the group texts whenever something happened. 

I hadn’t realized that Bunny and Changbin’s anniversary was coming up until Missy had mentioned it when we’d gone out shopping. There had been a comeback that she’d wanted to buy, said she usually went with Bunny and felt weird asking any of the other girls. I was glad she didn’t feel weird asking me, but maybe it was because she knew I’d followed the guys since their debut, too. Obviously for different reasons. I became a fan because I wanted to support Felix. While the comeback she’d wanted to go shopping for wasn’t Stray Kids obviously, Missy at least felt comfortable asking me to go along on her k-pop adventure. While we had been out, that was when she’d told me their anniversary was coming up and that Changbin was planning this big romantic surprise. Which meant he was going to visit her, and apparently Jeongin was going with him. 

This meant Felix had a bit of free time. They still had rehearsals, but not as long. He had said he was taking the extra free time. Which gave us some time together without worrying about schedules. 

Felix had suggested an afternoon of shopping. We went to several stores, all that left me feeling a little out of place. But Felix looked like he fit in so well. This was his world. He purchased several items for me, despite me arguing against it. A very nice purse and some clothes to nae some. If I expressed interest, he offered, I declined, we bickered a bit, and 50/50 one of us won. Looking down at the bag with the purse and wallet, all nicely packaged, I admit i was excited about that. I had argued against it, telling him it was too much, but he’d insisted I needed something of high quality. One of the last places we went before heading home had been a flower market. This was where I was completely in my element. I wandered among the different stalls, making note that this might be the perfect place to get some of what I’d need for Bunny and Changbin’s wedding. There were also potted plants. I was drawn right to some blooming orchids. There was one that immediately caught my attention. 

“It’s beautiful,” Felix came up behind me. 

“I’ve always admired chain orchids,” I looked back to him. 

“You know, there is a spot in the window that it would hang perfectly.” 

“Oh, no… Felix you’ve already….”

He didn’t let me finish, “Your flowers bring you joy, Angel. I love watching you tend to the ones your growing, and arrange the bouquets of those already cut. I saw your face when you saw this one.” Felix smiled. “Have you not already figured out that arguing with me will get you nowhere?” He added with a tease. 

Felix carried the bags from shopping, I hugged the pot with the cascading white and yellow orchids. When we got home, he helped me get it set up in the window. I took a step back looking at it. Admiring the way it filled the space in a way like no other. What I didn’t realize was that while I was admiring the flowers, Felix was watching me. 

“Thank you, Lixie.” I said, turning to look at him. That was when I saw the way he was looking at me. “What’s wrong?” 

“Admiring you the way you’re admiring your flowers.” He smiled. 

Another one of the days that Felix was able to get out early because of Changbin and Jeongin’s absence, we made good use of the kitchen. He loved to bake, and I always enjoyed baking with him. The kitchen was an absolute mess. 

“You’re doing better than Seungmin,” Felix joked. I had seen the video of the two of them and their baking adventure. 

“Lix, he didn’t set the bar very high…” I laughed as I dabbed his nose with a bit of flour. 

“It made for good content though,” he grinned. 

We were on our third batch of cookies  when I accidentally set the bag of flour down a bit too hard in front of Felix. A big puff of flour came up into his face. My eyes went wide and I quickly covered my mouth in an attempt to stop the laugh from escaping. It was too late though, because between the flour and the look on his face, I was in a fit of giggles. 

“I’m…. S-s-s-s-” I couldn’t get it out because i was laughing too hard. “I’m sorr— I’m…” Again Every time I tried to apologize, I just started laughing harder. 

Felix blinked at me before reaching over to the bowl that had the brownie batter he’d been mixing up while I plopped cookie dough on the pan. He took the bit of brownie batter and smeared it across my cheek. 

“FELIX!” I squealed. He started laughing. 

Things quickly devolved from there  as I smushed one of my cookie dough balls in his face. We made an absolute mess of the kitchen. Both of us laughing, ending up with a mix of ingredients on our faces, clothes, in our hair. It only ended when Felix boxed me in against the counter. We were both breathing heavily from laughing. 

“You have a little…” I giggled reaching up to wipe some brownie batter from his nose. 

“You do too,” he smirked. 

We were so close, and the pure joy in our little food fight was uplifting. With how hard things had been for us, it was these small moments that was a light. I met his eyes, biting my lip. 

“I don’t think you realize what that does to me, Angel.” His voice dropped, as his gaze fell to my lips. 

“Then do something about it, Lix.” I smirked. 

I didn’t have to tell him twice as his lips crashed into mine. I brought my arms up around his neck, returning the kiss. His hands came to rest on my hips, moving up bringing the hem of my shirt up. I shivered at the feel of his fingers as they found bare skin. 

The only thing that pulled either of us back to reality was the sound of the timer going off. The last batch we’d put in the oven were ready. I groaned softly as Felix pulled away from me to get the cookies out of the oven. 

I watched as he took them out then looked around at the mess we’d made. He chuckled softly. “We really made a mess, didn’t we?” 

“It’s not the first time,” I laughed. We’d had a few food fights over the years. I’d never forget the time his mother had come in and found us in a face off with condiments. 

It took us a little bit of elbow grease to get the kitchen clean because of how big of a mess we’d made. We did manage to salvage some of the dough and batter that had gone untouched aand finished our baking. 

With everything cleaned up and our pile of sweets wrapped up, all that was left was us. 

“I think we both need a shower,” I laughed, pulling dried brownie batter from my hair. 

Felix came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I always melted in his arms. I could hear the smirk in his voice as he whispered lowly in my ear.