Welcome!

“Felix…don’t be shocked, but you know that we see each other practically every day, right?” You say sarcastically with an eyebrow raised.

“But it’s more special having you in our dorms.” His smile beams.

“Alright...no more,” Minho grabs Felix and drags him away from you. “Don’t cross a line when I haven’t gotten there yet.”

“What? Who said that you’re the first, Hyung??”

“Me. If I can’t make a move, then no one else can.”

Felix starts kicking. “That’s not fair, Hyung!! Why does Chan-hyung get to stay with her?!”

You watch as Minho drags poor Felix to his room. Even after hours of exercise, his muscles aren’t sore enough to carry him, so that’s nice to know.

Chan sighs, massaging his face. “Sorry, (Y/N). I think work is getting to Felix, so he’s a little loopy.”

“Aw…if I could, I would accompany him on his schedule.”

“It’s okay, being independent is a learning experience for him.”

Speaking of the members, you know that Jisung and Changbin are still at the company in their studio, and Hyunjin is at the dance studio while Seungmin is MC-ing for some variety shoes. There’s still one more person left.

“Oh yea, where’s Jeongin?”

You pour the soup into a bowl, placing it at the dining table. Chan gets up and helps set the plate of kimchi and the rice cooker on the table. Just in case, you place more than three plates in case the other boys would like some as well.

After asking the question, Chan averts his eyes. “Jeongin…is on the balcony, talking on the phone.”

“Oh? With who? His friends?”

“No.”

“Family?”

“Well…”

“Wait, don’t tell me…” you drop the chopsticks on the table. “Is he talking to a possible girlfriend?”

“What? No—”

“What do we do?? Jeongin is the first to get a girlfriend even though he’s the youngest. Is there something going on that I didn’t catch on to?? He’s barely an adult and he’s already done more than what the older members have done…”

Chan clears his throat. “Before you continue jumping to conclusions, it’s not that either. And I can guarantee I’ve done way more than Jeongin. Anyway, I don’t know who he’s talking to either, but he doesn’t seem…happy, and it’s been like that for a few days now.”

The excitement fades away from your eyes and has been replaced with worry. He knew that that was going to be your reaction, especially with how overprotective you are with the members, so he immediately thinks of ways to soothe your concerns.

“B-but this is just from what I’ve seen. For all I know, he’s probably fine.”

How have you not noticed anything for a few days? Have you been focusing too much on others that you neglected Jeongin? Despite Chan’s efforts to calm you down, you can’t help but worry.

“I’m gonna ask if he wants to have dinner.”

“Don’t…!” He begins, but pulls back. “You…you can.”

He knows you too well that you’ll probably talk to Jeongin, pretending like you don’t know what’s going on when you make it very plain and clear. You’re a terrible liar, so it’s inevitable that he’ll assume that you’re worried for him. But even if Chan were to go against your idea, it’ll just make you want to do it even more.

----------

Jeongin’s back is to the glass sliding door as he’s sitting on a plastic stool and talking on the phone. You can’t hear a single thing he’s saying, but judging by his body language alone, it doesn’t seem like it’s going all too well. His back is slouched over, and his arms are hugging himself. Overall, he’s just stiff. Not a single trace of his usual bubbly self is present.

You knock on the glass, getting his attention. He mutes his phone and looks up, and as he does that, you got a brief glance at the name of the caller ID, ‘Unknown’.

“Manager, I didn’t know you were here.”

“Yea, I was here for a while,” you point to the kitchen. “You wanna eat? I made some dinner.”

“No, it’s okay. Thank you though.”

And just like that, it’s like he didn’t want to talk any further, which makes sense since he’s still on the phone with his mother. You choose to leave him alone, closing the door behind you but not letting your eyes off of him.

Chan puts his hand on your shoulder to distract you from him. “It’s okay to leave him be. He’s not a kid anymore, so you don’t have to hover over him all the time.”

“I know but…”

It’s difficult for you to do so. You’ve been with him ever since he was in middle school, and although your age gap isn’t entirely different, you feel like his guardian. Perhaps it’s your motherly instincts, you aren’t entirely sure, but what you do know is that whatever is going on with Jeongin is enough to make him not even smile when you greeted him.

==========

It’s one in the morning, and the boys have been practicing since the morning. They decide to call it a day and finish training for the day. You’re standing by the door as you watch them wrap up practice.

“Good job everyone. We did great,” Chan claps his hands. “We can do even better tomorrow.”

The boys cheer that practice is over. They head to their bags and take out water bottles as well as their phones.

“I’m gonna order chicken from that place we went to the other day. Who wants some?” Minho looks up from his phone.

They raise their hands.

“I can order. Just tell me what you guys want.” You offer.

“Shh, you always do it. It’s my turn.”

“But—”

“It’s okay. I changed my name so they won’t know who I am this time.”

The last time Minho ordered, he actually used his stage name so the deliverer went on social media and leaked pictures of the JYP building. Since then, it’s usually you or another staff member who orders, but you decide to let it pass since Minho did change his name to some English name to avoid any subtle hints that it’s him.

The rest of the boys are doing their own thing, usually playing around with each other or continuing their training from earlier. Just like the previous night, Jeongin is sitting by himself in the corner, on his phone. His thumbs are rapidly typing away like he’s texting somebody.

Unable to leave him alone, you sit next to him. He quickly hides his phone screen from you, and it disheartens you a bit, but you play it off as if you didn’t notice that. “What are you doing sitting alone? What do you want to eat? Minho’s ordering.”

“It’s okay, I don’t want anything. We’re going on a show in the afternoon and I don’t want my face to look puffy,” he gets up and puts his backpack on. “I have homework, so I’m gonna go back to the dorms to finish it.”

“Oh…are you sure? You can do it here while we wait for the food.”

He shakes his head. “I’m good. I don’t want any distractions, especially since it’s almost testing period.”

You don’t want to push him further, but you don’t want to leave him alone either. You call out to him a second time, and you can clearly hear a sigh.

You extend your hand out to stop him. “It’s late, let me go with you—”

“No!” He slaps your hand away.

The room falls silent, and everyone’s eyes are on you two. You and Jeongin stare at each other for a few seconds, both caught off-guard by his sudden aggression. He didn’t even realize what he’s done until after it happened, and now immense guilt overwhelms him.

He’s hesitating, pinching his index finger. “M-Manager…I’m sorry. I…really have to go.”

He runs out the room, leaving everyone speechless with his actions. The boys finally break out of their trance, and Felix is the first to check on you.

“Manager, are you okay?!” He takes your hand. “Does it hurt??”

“That was really uncalled for. I’m gonna have a talk with him.” Chan is about to chase after him when you stop him.

“Wait, don’t.”

“What? Why?? Did you not see what he did??”

“I know, but…blowing up on him isn’t going to solve it.”

“So pretending like it never is better?”

You shake your head. “No…yes…no! I don’t know. I don’t think he meant it.”

You don’t know what’s going on with Jeongin, and it seems like the other members don’t know either. It isn’t like you’re the only person who’s worried either since the other boys seemed just as worried. You think to yourself, wondering what it is you can do.

“It isn’t like him to just do that. He’s so innocent that he would apologize a thousand times if he laid a hand on you.” Hyunjin puts his hands on his waist.

“Yea…maybe he didn’t want me to touch him. Maybe…I smell?” You sniff your sleeve.

“No! Never!” Felix exclaims. “You always smell fine! Even when you don’t put on perfume, your natural scent is the best!”

You weren’t expecting Felix to give you a full-on compliment, but you’re appreciative of it regardless. If it isn’t because you smell, then is it because Jeongin is annoyed of you? You were being a bit too nosy about who’s he talking to, so he probably had enough of you and did what he did. Or…he doesn’t want you to know that he might have a girlfriend.

==========

As Jeongin runs out of the building, he finds a place to hide a few blocks away. Once he finds a street with nobody there, he crouches into a fetal position, pulling his hair out as he fights the urge to scream. He’s absolutely upset at himself for slapping your hand away. It was really hard as well, enough to create an echo. He regrets hitting you, but it was the shock face you made when he did it—that hurts the most. It was like he betrayed you, and now he doesn’t know if you’ll ever forgive him.

As much as he wants to tell you and the older members, he can’t. What he got himself into is bigger than he could ever imagine, even to the extent that he can’t tell them. If he does, then it’ll land not only you and the boys, but the company and his family. He has to figure out how to solve this problem on his own.

“Hey, what took you so long?” A mysterious voice comes from behind the shadows.

Jeongin stands up, holding his other arm with his hand timidly. “Sorry…it was hard to get out of practice.”

The figure walks out from the darkness, revealing himself to be a middle-aged man. He’s wearing a black sweater with the hoodie over his head to keep his identity hidden. “I don’t care the reason. As long as you’re not wasting my time. Did you bring what I asked?”

“Yes, I did,” He takes out a folder and gives it to him.

He opens it, flipping through a few pages to see what’s inside. He nods with content. “Okay, these seem legit.”

“I gave you what you wanted, so you’re not going to hurt anybody anymore, right?”

“Yes, yes. Geez, how many times do I have to tell you? As long as you give me what I want, then I’ll do my part of the deal.”

But Jeongin plays with his fingernails, still seemingly anxious. The man can see how uneasy he is, so he wraps his arm around him.

“Why do you look so sad? Come on, you did great, boy.”

Despite the assurance, Jeongin knows that what he’s doing is completely wrong, but he’s so deep into this situation that he’s afraid that his career as a musician will end. He won’t be able to look at you or the members in the eyes. So he rather struggle on his own then have any of you involved.

==========

You didn’t get the chance to talk to him the next morning. He woke up earlier than the rest of the boys, going on his morning jog before going to school. The other boys have gone to do their individual schedules, some of them are recording for shows while others are either doing photoshoots for magazines or producing songs.

You’re in the office sitting at your desk, sighing for the fiftieth time. Your coworker who sits across from you tosses a piece of paper at you, startling you.

“What was that for?!”

“For sighing. What’s up? You’ve been like this lately.”

With a lack of response, she has a feeling she knows why you’re like this. “It’s about Jeongin again, isn’t it?”

You jolt. “H-how did you know??”

“You mentioned it before so I had a hunch that whatever that has been going on is still ongoing. He’s still behaving differently?”

You nod. “It’s just so unusual of him to do that. I mean, it’s like…it’s normal for someone his age to be on his phone all the time, but to be on his phone this often? I don’t know…he doesn’t even let me see who he’s talking to either!”

“Why are you so obsessed with that? He’s at the age where it’s healthy to have a girlfriend and maybe he’s just a little embarrassed to tell you.”

You press your hands against your cheeks dramatically. “Chan told me that I’m overreacting, but what guy goes on his phone that often and even pushes others away?? What if he’s dating a girl who doesn’t give him time to breathe?! I should check on him!”

You stand up from your seat, but your coworker hurriedly pulls you down. “Stop it! This is probably why he never told you! And what if he doesn’t have a girlfriend? It doesn’t matter; it’s his life and you shouldn’t be intruding into it so much.”

“Yea but…he has to worry about what the media is going to think, and his fans…”

“Who cares about what the media says? It’ll just be the top news for a week or so, then everybody is going to forget about it. And yea, obviously the fans who truly care about him will support him and his girlfriend.”

“Yea…I know…but…”

“Why do you make it sound like him having a girlfriend is bad?”

But after asking that question, that’s when it hits her. In all honesty, your coworker is surprised that it took her this long to figure out that you like him. A wide smile forms on her face, showing her teeth. Once you knew that she figured it out, you reach over your desk and slap her on the shoulder.

“Ow! What was that for?!”

“S-sorry…! But don’t tell anyone! I want absolutely no one to know about this!!”

“Geez…” she rubs his shoulder. “You’re acting like a school girl. There’s nothing wrong with liking someone. Why don’t you want anybody to know?”

“Because I’m gonna hear it endlessly from the boys! They’re either going to make fun of me for having a crush. And then Chan is going to pull me to the side and talk about how he thinks that I should keep my feelings on the down-low until promotions are over!”

“What? No he won’t. I don’t spend as much time with them as you do, but if anything, he’s probably gonna be jealous. Same with Lee Know, Felix, Changbin…and the list goes on.”

“Jealous? Why would they be jealous?”

“Because…” she sighs. “Never mind. I’ll let you figure out that on your own. Anyway, is that why you’ve been thinking about him? Because you might’ve lost your chance to ask him out?”

“You don’t have to put it that way! Besides, I don’t ever plan on confessing to him. This is a professional setting and we have to keep it that way. He has thousands of fans and I don’t want to be that one girl who ruins it.”

“You’re not ruining anything. But even if he has a girlfriend, whatever is going on with Jeongin definitely isn’t normal. Well, based on what you said.”

“Something has to be bothering him, but I don’t know what,” You think about it for a few seconds before an idea springs up in your head. “Do you think it’s okay that I pick him up from school instead?”

“I don’t think his school minds, but didn’t you say that the other managers usually picks him up? You don’t even have a driver’s license.”

“We can walk home together. That way, we’ll be alone and give time for us to talk.”

“Okay…just be careful not to get in trouble.”

“Don’t worry about it. I got this under control.”

==========

You’re at Jeongin’s school, standing by the gate. School has just ended and the barrage of students in the iconic yellow school uniforms rush out of their classrooms. Many well-known idols currently attend or have attended this school, so because of that this school has gained some notoriety among the public eye. Some students that you see are familiar, but without their flashy outfits and makeup, they practically look like every other student here.

By the gates, there are managers just like you who are waiting for a specific student, whether they’re an idol, model, or actor. Moments like these you enjoy the most because this is one of the rare occasions where the idol can be just like every other high school student without the public eye’s judgement to dictate them. Without a doubt, it’s not normal for a student to have their manager pick them up from school, but there’s something special about not having people glorify teenagers.

You texted Jeongin to let him know that you’ll be waiting for him after school. He never responded, but he did read your message. It’s rare for you to pick him up since you’re usually with the older members with their schedules—not even when Seungmin and Hyunjin were in school. This is a new experience for you to be waiting for him, so it’s a little exciting.

As you’re waiting, you finally get a text message from him, asking where you’re at. You let him know that you’re waiting at the west wing gate. After no more than fifteen minutes, you see the top of Jeongin’s head, rushing to you, blending into the crowd of yellow blazers. You wave to him, but he doesn’t wave back. He looks rather serious, maybe even a little upset that you’re here.

He passes through the crowd, rushing right toward you. “What are you doing here?”

“I came here to see you.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to talk to you.”

Jeongin looks around as if he’s searching for someone, then he lowers his head like he’s hiding. “Where is the other manager?”

“I told him that I’ll pick you up today. Is it okay if we walk to the company together?”

He seems conflicted, like he doesn’t know if he should be angry. You’ve never seen him look this serious before, and it is hurting your feelings a little bit. Seeing the way your expressions are changing and remembering what happened last night, he tries to lighten the mood.

“Okay.”

A smile lights up on your face, and he blushes a little bit seeing how happy you’ve become.

==========

In the city, you two are walking together to the main building. Even though it was your plan to talk to him, you can’t bring yourself to say anything. Jeongin knows why you want to walk with him, but you’re quiet, so he’s anticipating the question.

“So…has anything been going on lately?”

“No, not really.”

“Really?”

He nods. “Everything’s been the same.”

“Obviously, I can tell that things haven’t been the same. You wanna tell me what’s been going on with you lately?” You get right to the point.

He hesitates, knowing that you were going to ask this eventually. “Are you talking about last night?”

“Of course.”

He remains quiet, so when you look at his face, he looks sad. He’s making it clear that he feels guilty for hitting your hand last night.

“I just want to make things clear that I’m not upset that you. If there’s something that’s bothering you, then it’s okay to tell me. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

He knows he can trust you, but the deal he made with that strange man requires that he doesn’t let anyone aware of it. If he does, then it’s putting you and everybody else in a vulnerable state. But with that desperate expression on your face, he can’t bring himself to keep it a secret from you. He wants to alleviate some weight on his shoulders, but at the same time, he’s terrified that the man is listening in on their conversation.

“Manager, I…”

The ding coming from his phone interrupts the mood. He takes his phone out to see that he’s received a text message on his Kakao. It’s not from any of his friends nor is it from the members. It’s from an unfamiliar ID.

Curious, you peer over to see that it’s somebody that you don’t know either. That’s when your fear that it might be the mysterious ‘girlfriend’ that he’s been talking to has texted him.

“Who is that? A classmate?”

He scrunches his eyebrows. “I don’t know this person.”

The message says: I.nnie, I love you with all my heart and soul <3 Plz reply so I know it’s you!!

You and Jeongin knew instantly that this is a message from a fan. He deletes the message and blocks the person. It’s going to make the fan feel like she’s been betrayed by her ‘one and only’, but the reality of it is that she is crossing over private territory and should know not to step over that boundary.

But that isn’t the only fan who messages. After that, he receives a large number of messages from unknown users. They’re all presumably his fans, spamming him with confessions or questions asking if it’s really him. Because there are so many of them, it’s too many for him to delete manually.

“What’s going on??” Jeongin silences his phone after getting annoyed of hearing his ringtone go off hundreds of times.

“How did they get access to your Kakao ID?”

They made sure that their info wouldn’t get leaked out to the public, so it isn’t possible that they just so happened to have stumbled upon his ID. He’s never revealed his Kakao account on any shows either, so it’s nearly impossible for them to have figured it out. Then again, nothing is ever secure, so you presume that it might be the works of a hacker.

“Didn’t we upgrade your phone’s security? How is this happening?”

As you were are talking, you receive a message from the other members, notifying that their information has been leaked as well. They’re asking you what they should do, but you don’t know either. You tell them to calm down and that you’ll figure out what’s going on.

“What’s going on? This came out of nowhere.”

You glance at Jeongin’s face, and there’s a look of horror like he just committed a horrible crime. His skin has turned pale and his eyes are wide, unable to grasp what is happening. You shake his arms to get him out of this trance, and it works.

“Jeongin? Are you okay?”

He gazes into your worried eyes, slightly nodding his head. “Y-yea…”

“We’re gonna have a meeting with the boys and figure out what’s going on.”

==========

You and the boys are sitting together in the practice room in a circle, no words spoken as crickets play in the background. You glance around to see their solemn expressions, and you wonder what you can do to make the mood feel less heavy.

“I was able to get in contact with the person in charge of the company’s tech department and he said that we can’t do anything other than delete the current account and create a new one. Based on their investigation, there were no signs of hacking, so it’s most likely that somebody shared our information online.”

“Are you serious? Someone actually gave our information away?” Changbin groans. “Do they not have any shame?”

Jeongin, sitting in a fetal position, pulls his knees closer to him.

“Even if somebody from our company did do it, it was bound to happen.” Seungmin adds.

“Yea, but who has the audacity to do shit like that?”

“Changbin, please watch your language…” You request.

“Who cares if I curse or not? What that person did to us is shameful, and to expose us like we’re not human is wrong. I have every right to get angry.”

“I know…but getting angry isn’t going to solve anything.” You say, but in a more serious tone.

“Changbin, Manager, let’s not have disagreements,” Chan raises his hand. “What happened has already been done, so we should be thankful that none of us were harmed. We can’t fixed the past, but we can use it to make sure that in the future this won’t happen again.”

You and Changbin look at each other. “Yes.”

“But I want to know how our information was given away in the first place. Did anyone approach you guys and asked for your contact info?”

They all say no, including you. Or…at least except for one person..

“Jeongin?” Chan calls out.

He raises his head to see all eyes on him.

“Are you alright? Did anyone approach you asking for your contacts?”

He looks around, feeling a little hesitant. “No…”

You already knew from the way he answered there’s more to it than what he’s giving out. You don’t want to say it out loud because you know that it’s going to make things more complicated if you were to point him out.

 Later on, most of the members have left the practice room. You’ve kept an eye on Jeongin while they’re getting ready to leave to see if his behavior is different. Like the past few days, he isn’t smiling and has been rather stiff during the entire meeting. Since you don’t want to put pressure on him, you decide to keep quiet and plan to talk to him alone. With the last member leaving the room, it’s only you and Chan left.

“How have you been handling this entire situation? I hope you’re doing alright.”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m more concerned about the younger members, especially Jeongin.”

“Did you notice it too? How uncomfortable he was.”

He nods. “Maybe it has to do with how secretive he’s been the past few days.”

“A few nights ago when I went to your dorms and spoke to Jeongin, he was talking to someone on the phone, but the caller ID was called ‘Unknown’. I didn’t think too much about it then, but with the situation now, I think it has some correlations.”

You should’ve known back then how suspicious it was that he was talking to somebody who doesn’t even have a caller ID nor did their phone number show up. You must’ve been so exhausted from working all day that you probably didn’t think about it that much.

“Should we…” Chan trails off. “Ah, never mind.”

“What?”

“It’s just…do you think we should tell somebody? What Jeongin did is wrong, and I know he wouldn’t do something like this without a reason, but—”

“No!”

You’re aware that it’s not a good idea to keep Jeongin’s suspected involvement a secret, but seeing how he’s been behaving, you don’t want to add on to his problems.

“I-it’s just suspicion, right? We don’t know if Jeongin has any connections to it, so it’s better not to go straight to the higher-ups. Let’s wait it out a bit, and if he continues being suspicious then we can let them know.”

However, judging by his expression, Chan doesn’t seem to agree with this decision. “Okay, but don’t go easy on him, okay? I don’t want to believe that he’s involved, but if he really is, then we can’t baby him out of this situation. He’s a grown man and should learn from his mistakes, especially from the ones that have huge negative consequences.”

You nod. “You can trust me! Even if Jeongin is a part of it, I’m certain that he was blackmailed to do it. We both know how kind-heartened he is to the core, so there’s definitely no reason that he would do it without a good reason.”

“Yea, you’re right,” he sighs, then smiles. “I shouldn’t be so negative. Probably with everything that’s been going on, it’s been kind of taking a toll on me that I’m doubting my own teammates.”

You elbow him. “Yea, it’s very unlike you, but we’ll get out of this mess for sure! If other idols are able to solve this problem, then we definitely can.”

Catching onto your optimistic contagion, he can’t help but smile as well. “You’re right. He would never do anything behind our backs without a reason.”

While you do hope that’s the case, you pray that Jeongin isn’t in any danger. It would be foolish of you to have been worried that he has a girlfriend when there are more serious subjects to be worried about, so you want to make things better by not being distracted with meaningless worries and tackle the problem head-on. And it starts with Jeongin.

==========

You know that you vowed to solve the problem, but you have been unsuccessful with talking to Jeongin these past few days. Your workload has increased by an exponential amount, having to go to meetings, make phone calls, and sign papers. When you do have the time to check on them, he leaves the room around the same time.

Thankfully, the boys’ leaked contact information has died down, and no one has been messaging them since they made new accounts. The tech department have yet to figure out how it was released in the first place, though they still believe in their theory that someone had to have given it to some outside source.

You sigh heavily, having returned from a long and arduous meeting. You finally came back to the main building, and seeing that you have some spare time, you decide to stop by and see the boys while they’re practicing. At the main entrance, you scan your ID card and enter once the automatic doors open.

But you freeze when you meet eyes with an unfamiliar stranger. He’s dressed with a white, tucked-in shirt and cargo pants and also wearing glasses that completes it all. He seems shocked to see you.

He doesn’t look like anybody you know, so it must be somebody from outside the company. The reception lady who’s usually there isn’t, so you assume that he must be waiting for her. Since you’re here, you thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask if he needs help.

“Hello, did somebody already come to help you?”

“I need help. I’m a journalist here to interview Twice and was wondering if you can guide me to their practice room.”

You raise an eyebrow, already finding this suspicious. “I don’t remember ever hearing about an agreement to hold an interview inside the building. Which publication do you work for?”

“I work for Seoul’s Newsletter, and I’ve been told to do this for my current article,” he takes out an ID card, and it covers his claim of being a journalist. “I’m here to do an interview with Twice.”

“My apologies, I don’t supervise them so I don’t know their schedule.”

“Then which musicians do you mainly work with?”

“Stray Kids.”

“Oh, then if it’s fine, can I interview them in the meantime? I have the permission to do by my supervisor to do so.”

This is too strange. You may not be a journalist, but his task seems too flexible. There’s no way his boss would let him pass with interviewing Stray Kids if there’s a chance that he doesn’t run into the actual band he has to interview. Besides, if he’s scheduled to interview Twice, then they would have a set time to meet, and if they were late, they would notify him. Not only that, but if he were to use Stray kids as a secondary interviewees, then you would’ve been made aware of it as well.

“I don’t remember ever accepting a meeting with Seoul’s Newsletter.”

“What?”

“I’m their manager.”

His facial expressions become stiff, and his hands fall to his sides when he realize that he made a mistake. He thought that you were just another staff member who just so happen to hover around them, not someone who’s always around them.

“I thought their managers were men.”

“I handle most of the behind-the-scene jobs like scheduling and attending meetings as well as taking care of their wellbeing. My co-managers help with the public activities.”

Because you’re a young female, it’s most likely going to cause scandals for one of the boys, so that’s why you’re not with them in public majority of the time. But as you think to yourself, you begin to wonder about something.

“I’m just wondering…but how did you get access to enter?”

Just like you, you need to have an employee card to scan then the doors will unlock. If he’s here to supposedly interview them, then he would’ve had somebody here to help him. Since there’s nobody here with him, it could only mean one thing. You look down at his hand and got a glimpse of the ID card. For a second, you could’ve sworn that you saw Jeongin’s face on it.

He looks around at the ceiling, though you’re not sure what he’s looking for. But then it hits you that he’s looking for security cameras. That’s when he moves closer to you only for you to move back. Your guard is heightened with your hand scouring through your purse for pepper spray.

He puts his hands in his pockets, not hesitating to move forward. “I have a knife in my pocket, and I’ll take it out if you don’t do as I say.”

He slyly shows the blade as it illuminates against the sunlight, blinding your eyes. It’s not a fake knife, so fear crawls up your spine. Situations like these only happen on shows, never in a million years did you ever think it’ll happen to you. So when something as dramatic as this unfolds in front of you, you feel the concern that if you don’t do as he says, then you could lose your life.

“Take me to their studio, then I’ll spare your life.”

You don’t know want to reveal their private sphere in fear that there will be another repeat of the Kakao incident, but glaring at the blade is making you think otherwise. You hate to admit it, but you’re more afraid of getting hurt than anything else.

“O-okay.”

Just agreeing with it makes you repulsed at yourself. You look down in shame, clenching your fists as you guide him to the place of his choice.

==========

You and the man are walking in the halls, and he’s standing closely behind you. You can’t see if he’s holding the knife to your back, but you don’t want to do anything to confirm that he does. Unfortunately, there’s not that many people in the halls, so you can’t call out for help. But even if you do cry for help, you don’t want to get them involved.

“I’m surprised no one has passed by. Even with security cameras everywhere, there’s nobody doing a single thing,” He snickers. “I heard that CCTV cameras are there just to scare people from doing anything, but in reality, some actually only record five minutes at random times.”

You’re just as surprised that, so far, there’s been no one. It must be one of those days where everybody is in their office or doing outside activities.

“I really do hope that Twice is here…All I wanted to do was talk to them…” he bites his nails. “Is that too much to ask? People get to talk to them all the time, but I’m considered the creep? It’s not fair.”

You try looking behind from the corner of your eye, but you can’t. Judging by his shaky voice, he’s also just as nervous as you are, probably afraid that he’ll be caught.

“You employees should be lucky to see then every day, but all you guys ever do is take it for granted. You said you work as Stray Kids’ manager, correct?”

“Y-yes.”

“You have to work for a bunch of ungrateful children. I’ve seen how the leader interacts with Twice, and it irritates me. He acts like he’s special just because he’s the center of attention. I fucking hate it.”

With each passing second with him, he slowly reveals more and more that he isn’t a journalist. The Seoul Newsletter Card must’ve been a fake. His obsession with Twice is beginning to unnerve you, but his hatred toward Stray Kids irritates you more. It’s blatantly obvious that since they’re from a famous company, they’re bound to get backlash for being ‘too rich and popular’ despite being a rookie group. However, the public doesn’t know the amount of effort and passion they put into their work, so to hear him belittle them is more infuriating than you possibly losing your life.

“You don’t know that. Maybe if you took the time to get to know them then—”

“SHUT UP! You don’t understand shit! I go through so much and yet these boys get to go around hogging them. I work my ass off just to go to their fan meet only to be banned from them, and when I finally got someone to help me, my plan still fails!”

“Wait…somebody?”

“Yea. How the fuck else am I supposed to get access to the building?”

That’s when the connection is linked—what the tech department said about the boys’ contact information being manually leaked is true. It was an inside job done, and he’s the mastermind. But who would be helping an insane man like him?

Just as you two are about to turn the corner of the hall, you two run into somebody. It’s Jeongin, and in a millisecond, you three freeze. At first, he had no idea what was going on, but when he made eye contact with the made, his skin color becomes pale.

“You little bastard!”

Suddenly, the man lunges at Jeongin, grabbing him by the shirt and pushing down. He gets on top of him, now holding him by the collar of his shirt, repeatedly slamming him against the floor.

You rush toward him, attempting to pull him off of Jeongin. However, no matter how much strength you’re using, it’s no use in getting the man off.

“Help! Somebody help!” You cry out.

You look around desperately, but there’s nobody.

“Manager, run!” Jeongin shouts.

You can’t move your legs. You know it’s better to run and search for help, but you can’t bring yourself to leave him there. You’re aware that you should help him, but you don’t know what to do. With that knife in his hand, you’re afraid that if you jump into the mess, then you’ll end up getting Jeongin injured.

The man notices that you took one step back, so now his attention is on you. That brief eye contact is enough to scare you, so you break out of your frozen trance and make an attempt to run. However, he is able to grab you by your hair, pulling you back until you fall to the ground. Undoubtedly, he’s pulled out some hair strands right from the scalp.

“Don’t think you can get away!”

Because of the pain, you don’t pull your head. You struggle to get his hands off of your hair by scratching his fingers to no avail. You make eye contact with Jeongin, praying that he runs to safety. He’s in the same spot as you—unable to pick his feet up and only stare in horror.

“This kid thought that he can outsmart me, but he’s nothing more than a coward,” the man laughs. “Look, he can’t even save you. Because he thought he’s better than me, I’m going to show what I’ll do if you try to mess around with me.”

“Hey! What’s going on?!”

Suddenly, another man’s voice comes from down the hall and it turns out to be one of the employees. He spots what’s happening, sprinting toward the scene. However, he isn’t able to catch up as the man is able to escape through the elevator, closing just in time before he reaches him in time.

The employee turns his direction to you—sitting on the ground on your knees. “Hey, are you okay? Who was he?”

You’re so shaken that you can’t speak. Jeongin stands still, holding his hands together as he stares speechlessly. The employee takes out his phone and dials a number.

“It’s okay, I’m gonna call for help.”

==========

While you’re sitting in the main lobby with a policewoman, the police are questioning Jeongin in a separate room. The news about the break-in spread like wildfire and it eventually reaches the members. They’re quick to their feet when they heard that you and Jeongin were in danger and made it their priority to check and see that you two are fine.

Chan is the first to enter the lobby with a panicked look in his eyes. He approaches you, putting his hands on your shoulders. You two stare at each other for a few seconds before he pulls you in for a tight hug.

“I’m glad you’re okay. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

You shake your head. “It was nothing serious.”

“I heard that he’s not from this company? What the hell happened?”

“That’s something that we’re still figuring out,” the policewoman steps in between you and Chan. “Mind if I ask who you are and what relations you have with (Y/N)?”

“It’s okay. He’s my friend. Uhm…mind if I have some privacy with him? There’s something I’d like to talk to him about.”

She nods then walks to the halls.

Once she’s out of sight, Chan pulls you in closer. “Do you have any clue what’s going on?? And please don’t lie to me that he didn’t do anything to you. I swear, if he actually laid his hand on you, I’m gonna beat the shit out of him—”

“Chan, please don’t.” That’s exactly what you don’t want to happen. “I really am alright. But…it’s not what I wanted to talk about. Jeongin told me everything.”

“Told you what? What did he tell you?”

“But before I explain, promise me that you won’t get angry at him.”

“Why would I get angry at him? (Y/N), you’re scaring me.”

You avert your eyes, afraid to tell him but knowing that it’s better to tell him rather than keeping it a secret. “That man who broke into the building is the one who released the group’s contact information.”

“What?! How did he have access??”

You bite your bottom lip, anxiety increasing as you fear for his next reaction. “…It was Jeongin.”

Chan’s jaw drops.

He takes a few seconds to take in what you said, turning around and putting his hand on his waist. He massages his jaw, feeling a mixture of emotions. Just as you thought, he isn’t sure about how to take this in. He wants to get angry, but he also wants to drop to the floor and cry for the betrayal from his own member.

“He didn’t do it because he wanted to. He was blackmailed.”

You’ve never seen so much relief comfort him, so much that he was about to cry.

“He contacted Jeongin online and claimed that he’s a hacker. He threatened that if he doesn’t give him personal information about Twice, then he was going to leak your information to the public.”

“Personal info? Personal what?”

“Like…‘private’ pictures and videos of them.”

“Oh my god. This disgusting perv…Please tell me Jeongin didn’t do it.”

You shake your head. “He couldn’t bring himself to do it. He ended up giving him photos that he found online and photoshopped it a little bit to make it appear like it’s the girls, but he must’ve figured it out since your info was released.”

Chan looks around, processing everything you told him. You can’t imagine what Jeongin was going through—being stuck in a dilemma where he either cross the line with his noonas’ boundaries or run the risk of letting the public know of his hyungs’ info.

“You’re…not mad at Jeongin, are you?”

With your puppy eyes, there’s no way he can. “Thinking about it, he did the right thing. If he took those nasty videos and pictures, then it’s not only their privacy that was taken away, but also their dignity. At least for us, we were able to solve it within a few days. Don’t worry, I can never get angry at him.”

He wraps his arm around your neck, pulling you in. He gives you a knuckle sandwich to lighten the mood. However, it doesn’t ease the worry in your chest. Even though you’re more than okay, you’re more concerned about Jeongin and how he’s handling the responsibility. He’s pure-hearted, so he must be beating himself up right now.

“I really hope he doesn’t get in trouble for this. He’ll be okay, right?”

“I…” Chan looks down, unsure of what to say.

Of course, it’s better to reassure you that he’ll be fine, but the crime he committed is still inexcusable. While he knows that the members will forgive him after learning of the dilemma that he was in, he isn’t sure if the police will.

Jeongin and the policeman exit the private room. You want to reach out to him, but you pull your hand back. He doesn’t look at you nor Chan like he’s pretending he doesn’t know you two, and it hurts a little.

“Excuse me, where are you two going?” You ask.

“To the police station. I feel it’s more private to talk there than here.”

You keep staring at him, but he’s still not looking. “You’re not gonna do anything to him, are you?”

“As far as we know, nothing. We need more time to investigate before jumping to conclusions.”

They walk off, but before they do, you thought about calling out to him. You want to let him know that he didn’t do anything bad, but it’s too late since the policeman has already taken him out. You drop your weight down on the couch again, sighing.

“I really, really hope they don’t make him feel bad about what he did. Why can’t they just tell us already that Jeongin won’t get in trouble?”

Chan takes a seat next to you, patting your back. “Let them do their job. As long as they do the investigation properly, then I’m certain they’ll know that he’s innocent.”

Naturally, it’s normal for you to worry about the person you like. Despite the comfort, you can’t help but think about the worse as you bury your face in your hands. “When that intruder was holding him down, I was so scared that I couldn’t think. He told me to run, but I froze. I didn’t know if I wanted to run or help him. If only I thought quicker then it wouldn’t have come to this.”

“Hey, now’s not the time to be putting the blame on yourself. You two did the best you could in this situation, and it could’ve been a lot worse. Don’t be so pessimistic and keep your chin up.” He smiles.

You exhale, forcing a grin. “Yea…you’re right.”

You look out the window, praying that everything will turn out smoothly. Hopefully, the police won’t put the blame on Jeongin and that they would catch the intruder.

==========

Thankfully, the police let Jeongin go. They understood the situation that he was in and released him shortly after the interrogation. Although what he did was technically illegal, it was for the sake of protecting the girl group from falling into the hands of unwanted circumstance.

You had to tell the members in secret about what happened and begged for them not to look down on Jeongin for his mistakes. Many of them were dumbfounded, unsure of how they should take in the information just like when you and Chan first heard about it. However, they all came to an agreement to abide by your request and treat him the same as usual.

Unfortunately, despite the efforts to forget about the past, Jeongin’s high-spirts is no longer present. That charm he had during every group rehearsals doesn’t appear anymore, and when the members try to play around with him, he would brush them off and ask for space. He doesn’t talk to anyone, specifically you.

As if you thought before his avoidance was bad, this is worse. The moment you enter the room, he would stay the furthest away. When you try talking to him, he would turn the other direction and walk away. It’s been like this for days now, and it’s beginning to wither your hopes of ever talking to him like you two used to.

 You’re in the office area of the building, staying overtime to write a proposal to give Stray Kids’ a spot on an American show. It was very difficult having with the language barrier and having to wait for messages to be translated and sent. But you manage to finish it, so as a sign of victory, you lean back in your chair, stretching your arms as you groan.

“Just finished?” Your co-worker asks as she stands up from the opposite end of your cubicle.

“Yea, it took forever! But it’s finished and that’s all that matters.”

“That’s great! I just finished my work too and I’m exhausted. Also, I heard that there’s a delay with the train that you usually take. It’s going to be dangerous since the station is gonna be empty and you’re a woman. There’s a lot of creeps hanging around at night, so be careful.”

You gulp. “Actually…I plan on staying another night here.”

“Again?!”

“I can always sleep in one of the lounges and use the spare blankets and pillows. The couches are actually pretty comfortable once you get used to it.”

“Yea…but it’s not good for your back. Well…it’s still safer than going back home alone. Just make sure that no one’s peeping at you while you’re asleep.”

It’s not that you think that nighttime is dangerous, but ever since that time when you got attacked by that man, you’ve been a little afraid to be alone. Just the thought of walking by yourself in the city scares you, like he’s watching your every step. Even staying the building is still enough to keep your guard up, so you haven’t been able to sleep properly either.

“Don’t worry. You should hurry. Your boyfriend is probably waiting for you at the parking lot. You shouldn’t make him wait.”

“Thanks! I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Your coworker walks out of the office, taking her phone out to let her boyfriend know that she just left. As she turns the corner, she is startled when she nearly bumps into someone. When she recognizes the person to be Jeongin, she sighs in relief.

“Oh my god, you startled me!”

“I’m sorry!” He bows.

“You’re Jeongin from that group, Stray Kids, right? Are you waiting for (Y/N)?”

He looks through the window, twiddling with his fingers. Even though he doesn’t answer, she has a feeling that she’s right.

“She just finished work, but that crazy woman is planning on sleeping here again.”

“Sleeping here?? Why?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “She won’t give a reason, but it’s probably because it’s late. I mean, if I didn’t have my boyfriend pick me up every time I have to overwork then I would probably do the same.”

He looks over at the window again, watching you yawn. “I didn’t know she’s been doing that…”

“You didn’t? But aren’t you with her every day?”

“Well…” he adverts his eyes.

Judging by his tone, something tells her that he and you haven’t been speaking much since the incident.

“Uhm…I was just wondering if she’s alright. She’s been doing fine, right?”

“Why don’t you ask her? She’s right there.”

“I-it’s okay. I have to head back to the dorms later. I just wanted to see if she was still there.”

“No, really! You should talk to her. I’m sure you’ll brighten her mood if you drop by and say hello.” Your coworker grabs him by the arm.

“N-no, it’s fine. I’m sure she doesn’t need any more distractions.”

She lowers her eyebrows, unamused by his answer. That’s when an idea sparks in her mind. She pulls him in to whisper something in his ears.

“You should really take some time to talk to her, even if you don’t want to. She’s been dying to talk to you.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Well…I’m not in the position to say this…but I have a feeling that she’ll never tell you, so I’m just gonna say it. She really likes you.”

He jerks his head back. “What?!”

She nods. “She’s probably gonna be mad if she finds out that I told you, but keep it a secret. But anyway, whatever’s going on with you and her, you two should move on from it. You two seem to have a really healthy relationship. It’s sad to see you guys are distant, especially hearing her talk about you every single day.”

His cheeks turn red. Not once has he ever noticed that this is how you feel about him. He just assumed that you weren’t interested since the other members are more attractive than him.

“Did she tell you?” He asks.

“Let me tell you more, but I don’t want her to be listening in to our conversation so…” she signals Jeongin to come closer with her hand.

He leans over and she continues whispering in his ear.

 As they’re chatting, it catches your attention. You raise your head up with a smile perking up when you see Jeongin. However, it quickly goes away when you notice that your coworker is holding his arm and whispering in his ear. There’s an aching pain in your heart which you can only describe as envy. Jeongin has been ignoring you for weeks on end, so it’s unfair to find that he allows your coworker to touch and talk to him like that, even when she has a boyfriend already.

“(Y/N)!” Your coworker calls from the door. “Jeongin is here. I’m gonna head out now. See you tomorrow!”

She walks off, pressing the elevator button and entering, leaving you and Jeongin alone. You stand up from your desk, grabbing your purse and folders.

“H-hey. How are you doing?” It’s been so long since you last spoke to him that you forgot how you normally talk to him.

“I’m doing fine. Your coworker said that you’re spending the night here?”

“Huh? Oh yea.”

You wish she didn’t tell him. It makes you feel slightly ashamed that you’re sleeping in such a public place even though you already have a place to stay. It isn’t that you have a lot of work that you have to stay here either, but it’s just that you’re afraid to go by yourself.

“You’ve been staying here?”

“Oh…yea…it’s a little late, s-so I thought it would be safer to just stay here.”

“I can walk home with you.”

“Wh-what?!”

“Are…are you okay with that?”

You’ve never thought that he would be the one to make the first move. He rarely is the one to approach you and suggest to tag along with you. There must’ve been something that your coworker said to make him ask you.

“You shouldn’t! It’s too dangerous for you to go alone! Just because you’re not a girl doesn’t mean that you can’t fall victim to sudden attacks too.”

“It’s not about that. Sleeping on those couches is not comfortable and you’ll get back pains from sleeping on those rocks. I can walk you to the train station.”

“But…”

He begins to sulk, puckering his bottom lips up and his eyes gleaming. You can never say no to him, so you have no other choice but to let him. Besides, this is also a great chance to talk to him. Hopefully, the awkward mood between you two will finally dissipate.

“Okay…”

==========

You two are at the train station, sitting on a bench together next to a soda machine. Just as you thought, it’s completely empty here—just you and Jeongin. Since you two haven’t spoken in a while, you don’t know what to talk about, so the silence makes the awkwardness louder.

“I-is there anything you want to drink?” He asks.

“It’s fine. Are you thirsty?” You stand up from your seat. “You don’t have to use your money or anything, so I can—”

“No, let me do it. What drink do you want?”

“I said it’s fine. I’ll buy for you.”

You get up from the bench, but Jeongin raises his hand in front of you to stop you from moving further. “What drink do you want?”

Adamant that he’s the one paying, you knew you lost the argument. You sit back down, thinking about what to drink. “Canned coffee is fine.”

He takes out his wallet from his jean pocket, picking out the right amount of coins. After inserting them inside the slot, he slouches his back slightly, picking two drinks—one Cola and one coffee.

“Here.”

“Thank you!” you set the can down and rummage through your purse.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m repaying you. How much was it?”

“You don’t have to pay me back.”

“What!? But vending machine prices have been increasing lately and you could’ve used that money for something else. This is the least I can do.”

He shakes his head as if he’s ashamed. “You can stop playing like a good person, Manager.”

The bluntness was like a direct shot in the heart. Judging by his tone, he sounded like he’s tired of you having to do everything for him, even the littlest of things. Although your intentions comes from a good place, you’re still able to annoy him, and it makes you feel guilty.

“O-oh…I’m sorry.”

Your apology made him realize what he said. “No…I should be the one sorry.”

He takes a seat once you have nothing else to say. Once again, the awkward atmosphere returns, and it’s so apparent that you two can’t bring yourselves to look at each other. The only sounds that are filling the space in between are the sips that you two take from your drinks.

“So…how have you been?” You ask.

“Good.”

“The hyungs aren’t messing with you?”

“No. They’ve been treating me well.”

“That’s good.”

A few more seconds of no talking.

“How’s work?”

“It’s going fine! It’s really time consuming, so I don’t get to visit you guys as much as I used to. I’m almost done, so I’ll be able to visit you guys soon,” but after making that suggestion, you retract from it. “B-but if I’m bothering you guys, then I won’t stay for too long.”

“I never said that you should leave. You’re our manager, so you can stay for as long as you like.”

“But…what if it’s disrupting your practice?”

Jeongin doesn’t reply immediately. Rather, he creases his eyebrows as if he doesn’t understanding where this is coming from. “You’ve never cared if it bothered you before. Why is it so different now?”

“B-because…”

“Is it because of what happened?”

You nearly stop breathing. He was being vague, but you know exactly what he means.

You shake your head profusely. “No! Never!”

“Then how come you’ve been sleeping at the company?”

“Well…like I said, I have a lot of work and—”

“Don’t lie to me…it’s my fault, isn’t it?”

“Wh-what?”

“You hate me, don’t you? It’s my fault that you’re scared of going home by yourself and why you don’t want to see us anymore.”

“No, don’t think like that!”

“Don’t sugar coat it for me! You know how much I don’t like being babied. Why can’t you just yell at me for once for the burden I put on you and the hyungs?! I really, really hate being let go of things that I deserve punishment for.”

You don’t know where this is coming from. From what you can guess, he can’t keep the guilt contained any longer and needs to let it off.

“When you and the hyungs supported me despite doxing personal information, you all still sided with me, but it felt forced. It wasn’t because you guys believed that what I still was justifiable, but because I’m the youngest and built this unconditional care for me. I-I’m thankful for it…but…it feels like I’m not growing because of that!”

His words are jumping from one place to another. It’s as if he’s spouting the first things that come to mind. You’re aware of the weight that he has to carry because of the mistake he made, but you didn’t expect it to be this heavy.

This is how he’s been feeling this entire time and you didn’t know. You were too afraid to ask, scared that he was going to ignore you. Due to that cowardice, it drifted you and him apart to the point that you don’t what’s going through his mind. You failed at being a manager—tending to the members’ needs and wants by putting yourself before them. Even though you’re afraid about what happened that day, you can’t forget that Jeongin went through more.

You place your hand over his, catching him off-guard. “We didn’t side with you because we love you unconditionally. We did because we knew that deep down, you weren’t the intruder’s accomplice.”

“B-but…I was the one who put us in danger.”

“Yea, but I know that you didn’t do it without consent. You were blackmailed and had to be put into a situation that you never planned to be involved in ever in your life. And…about me not visiting you guys as much as I did prior, I’m sorry about that. I thought you didn’t want me to be in the same room, so I left in hopes that it made you feel better.”

“…It didn’t.”

Your eyes widen when he puts his other hand over yours. But what was more surprising was how he was no longer fighting back his tears.

“I miss those days when you came to see us, those times when we played around. Seeing you always brightened my day, even if that day was terrible. Just a glimpse of you was enough to make me forget about all the bad things.”

Your heart races, never expecting for this situation to turn intimate.

“But when you started seeing us less, I thought it was because you hated me. I kept avoiding you for weeks, and then I put you in a vulnerable spot where I pathetically watched as you were being tormented by that stupid guy! I hate myself because everything’s my fault.”

He continues to cry, lowering his head for being too ashamed to make eye contact. Tears fall from his cheeks, each drip representing the pressure that he desired to escape from.

Unable to bear seeing him tear himself apart, you wrap your arms around him and pull him in for a hug. He stops sobbing, processing what’s going on.

“I’m sorry, Jeongin. I didn’t know what you were going through, but don’t let it get to you.”

You hug him tighter, then he puts his head on your shoulder.

“You’re not getting it off easily because we all know that what you did was for the better. If you did what he said, then you would’ve risked Twice’s privacy, but you were willing to risk your integrity and your relationship with your hyungs so that they’re safe.”

He buries his face in your shoulder, his tears soaking into your shirt. “I thought he was a nice person, but when I found out that he wasn’t, I was so scared. I wanted to tell you guys everything, but I was afraid that it was going to get you guys in trouble. I didn’t know what to do.”

“It’s okay. It’s over with. There’s no need to keep moping,” you pull back, showing your smile. “It’s in the past. All you can do left is acknowledged it happen, not let it happen again, and keep moving forward.”

He sniffles, wiping the tears from his eyes with his palms. His sparkling eyes look back at you with such innocence that you can’t believe someone is heartless enough to take advantage of him. You reach into your purse and take out some tissue. Without thinking, you wipe his tears yourself, which caught him by surprise. He jerks back a little, but he continues to give you permission to touch his face.

It’s been a long time since you had such a personal conversation with him that it’s making you a little nervous. You can’t even look at him any longer than a few seconds before having to turn around. But amidst your timid behavior, you feel something warm around your hand. It’s Jeongin’s hand, wrapping his long fingers around your knuckles.

This move alone is enough to cause a rush of explosive emotions. You always did well hiding how you felt about him, but it may be because of your lack of interaction with him that it’s been more difficult than usual. You’re too ashamed to look at him in the eyes, afraid that he’ll catch your red face.

“Sometimes I wish you would go harder on me like how you are with the older members. Why won’t you?”

“Be-because…”

“Don’t tell me that it’s because I’m the youngest.” His innocent, puppy eyes then turn serious.

Your heart skips a beat like fireworks are going off.

“You see me as a child, so is that why you aren’t going hard on me?”

“N-n…”

“I’m a man too, you know? I don’t like being called the baby, especially by you,” He inches closer to your face. “That’s why I work out a lot, so that you don’t see me as a baby anymore. I don’t sing those ridiculous children songs anymore because I want you to see me in a different light. That’s why you should let me grow up.”

“I-I am…”

“And your age isn’t all that far from me either, and yet, you treat me like a child.”

He’s moving in so close that you have to push him away. “H-hey…we’re in public, Jeongin.”

“We’re alone. It’s fine,” he holds onto your hand. “Tell me honestly, what do you think of me?”

Your heart is pounding so loud that Jeongin must be able to hear it. You look away, too embarrassed to look at him. You keep thinking about what others might think if they found out about your feelings for him.

“No! I don’t wanna say!” You press on his chest and push him off.

Because of your resilience, it irritates him slightly. “I know it’s my fault for pushing you to the side a lot, but you don’t have to be so dismissive with me when I’m asking you a question.”

“No! You don’t understand!!”

“Understand what?!”

“That…that…”

Your face turns redder. You’re so ashamed to look that you can’t even bring yourself to look at him. Exhausted from your refusal to speak, he presses both his hands against your cheeks and forces you to look at his face.

“If you won’t tell me, then can I assume what I think it is?”

Your heart skips a beat, hoping that he doesn’t hit the target accurately. “Wh-what are you thinking?”

He smiles slyly, and that’s when you realization that your assumption is correct. He closes his eyes as he leans closer to you. Even though you’re afraid, you can’t move your body. You know that what he’s doing isn’t right, especially since his reputation is on the line.

You thought about what your coworker said about worrying too much about his own sake. Although his public image is important, his personal life matters just as much, if not, more. He’s been going through so much, so the least you could do is answer him. You hold onto his sleeve, closing your eyes as well. You don’t want to turn down the person you like for a long time.

However, the mood switches when you and Jeongin hear the sound of a camera shutter go off. A white flash blinds you and him, and the color in your eyes fade when you discover the same intruder is standing a few feet away from you two, holding a camera in his hands.

“Hey!”

The man runs off, and Jeongin chases after him.

“Jeongin, wait!”

You chase after him, leaving your can of coffee on the bench.

==========

No matter how fast you run, you can never catch up to Jeongin and the man. At some point, you lost sight of them, so you slow down to catch your breath. You knew that he wasn’t caught by the police, but you would’ve never expected him to find them again.

You never noticed that man there because you were too focused on Jeongin, and because of that, his reputation is at risk. You pull your hair, repeatedly calling yourself an idiot for letting your emotions override your logic. You knew it was better to watch for his reputation than to let your selfish desires take over.

You know you should let somebody know about this, but you don’t know who. You thought about contacting the other managers, but they’re in a different city with some of the other members. You try thinking about the members who are close by, and the only person you can think of is Chan. You dial his number, praying that he picks up the call.

“Hello?”

“Chan? Chan!”

“It’s really late. Did you need something?”

“The…the intruder…Jeongin is chasing after the intruder!”

“Wait, what? What are you talking about?”

“The guy…who broke into the building…He saw me and Jeongin, and he’s chasing after the guy right now.”

“Whoa, hold on…What?! Where are you guys?!”

“We’re at the north train station. Well…we were, but they ran off somewhere and I can’t find them. What should we do?? Should I call the police?”

“If you can’t find them, then that means you’re alone! Go back to the building and I’ll call the police. It’s too dangerous for you to be walking around late at night.”

“But…” you look at the direction that Jeongin and the man ran toward.

“Hurry back!” Chan hangs up, most likely so that he can call the police.

You stare at your call history after he hung up. He did warn you to go back to the building, but a part of you wants to search for Jeongin. You know it’s safer for you to return, but you can’t leave Jeongin in the hands of danger, especially with that man. You apologize to Chan in your head, continuing to follow the trail that Jeongin and man went.

==========

Despite following the road they took, you can’t seem to find them. You try calling Jeongin’s phone, but he won’t pick up. Each time the phone goes to voicemail, it worries you even more that he might’ve gotten hurt.

“Where could you have gone?” You mumble to yourself.

You run up a staircase that leads to a bridge above a freeway. You pray that going to the peak of the bridge will give you a good view of your surroundings. As you press your stomach on the rails with your hand resting on the fence above the rails, the dark night makes it nearly impossible to inspect the area. You turn around, exhaling with exhaustion. You’re unable to think of anywhere else that Jeongin and that man could’ve gone to.

You check your phone to find a spam of text messages from Chan. He must be upset that you didn’t do as you were told. You debate on whether or not you should return and hear his wrath or if you should continue your search for Jeongin. One half of you thinks that this search is pointless and should be handed to the police. However, the other half believes that you should continue in hopes that the longer you search, the chances you’ll find him.

But realistically speaking, it’s better if you go back. You worried Chan and the other boys enough. “Sorry, Jeongin.”

Before putting your phone back in your pocket, you check the time to see that it’s past midnight. You pick up your feet and drag them across the ground.

However, you’re at a halt when a familiar man stands a few feet away from you. You recognized him immediately—you can never get that deadpan look on his face out of your head. You’re frozen, figuring out how to comprehend that the man is standing in front of you, and without Jeongin.

“It looks like you’re alone.” He speaks.

You voice is caught in your throat, unable to say anything snarky. You can’t tell if he’s armed, but with or without it, you’re still scared. You know what he’s capable of, yet you don’t know what he’s thinking about right now.

“Wh-where’s Jeongin?”

He rotates his head to crack them as he groans. “Why do you care about that kid?! You should be worried about yourself. Fuck if I know where he went.”

You take a step back and he takes a step forward. He finds amusement in your fear, so he smirks. “Because of you and that damn kid, I almost went to jail. Do you guys not know how pissed off I am??”

“What are you talking about?! You’re the one who doxed their information and blackmailed Jeongin to give you photos of Twice!”

“What?!” He grinds his teeth. “Are you saying that it’s my fault?? That spoiled brat can’t do shit! He gets to see them every day, and I’m the one who deserves being punished?!”

At this rate, there’s no point in reasoning with him. No matter what you say, he’ll find an excuse to avoid responsibility.

“I’m so fucking mad right now. I took that photo of you and him so I can use that against him too. He tried chasing me down the streets and thankfully I was able to avoid him. But because of him, I dropped my damn camera! Since I found you, I might as well let some steam off.”

Oh no. Without thinking, you turn around and run down the stairs. He chases after you, sprinting at full speed. Even though there are dozens of cars in the freeway, but none of them are coming out to help. You can hear his footsteps, but you’re too afraid to look behind and see how close he is.

As you jog down the stairs, your hair is grabbed by the man. He pulls you back, causing you to fall backward and hit your back against the cement stairs. With the railings covering what he’s doing to you, the cars can’t see anything.

“Let’s finish off where it last left.” He snickers.

Your eyes become teary, believing that his face might be the last thing you’ll see before you die. It may sound a bit overly dramatic, but not knowing what’s going to happen, the worst outcome is the only thing you can think of. All you want to do now is apologize to the members for not being a competent manager.

“Get your hands off of her!” A familiar voice come from the distance.

You glance at the top of the bridge to find a dark figure. The moonlight behind the person’s head blackens his features, making it difficult to see the face. However, you can tell who this person is.

Jeongin runs down the steps and lunges at the man. The two roll down the staircase until they meet at the bottom. With Jeongin on top, he puts his knees on the man’s arms so he can’t hurt him. Now that you can see him under a better light, it’s clear that Jeongin is filled with rage. If you thought the man was upset, it’s nothing compared to his.

In one full swing, he punches the man across the face, so far that his head turned in the same direction as his fist. Jeongin punches again, but with his other hand. He repeats this back and forth—one hand then the other. You watch in horror as you’ve never seen him this angry before. He’s gotten irritated and shouted, but never gone to the extent of physically hurting somebody else. He always blamed himself whenever there was trouble.

You don’t want to see him like this. You snap out of it and run toward him. You pull him back, getting a quick glimpse of his torn, bloody knuckles from all the excessive beating. It scares you a bit, but you shake that thought out of your head and focus on pulling him away.

You’re able to pull him away. Around the same time, one driver gets out of his car and detains the man before he can escape. He struggles to escape the driver’s grasp as he shouts very curse word in the dictionary.

“Why did you pull me away?!”

His question catches you off-guard. “Wh-what?”

“Why didn’t you let me continue?! He deserves to get beaten!”

“B-because! I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“Don’t you remember everything’s he done to us?! He goes out of his way to make sure that our lives are miserable. And you’re letting him get away with it?”

“No! That’s not it!”

As the debate continues, a crowd begins to form. Rather than this being a serious situation, the people around you and him becomes a spectacle as they whip out their phones to record it. But it doesn’t matter how many people are around you. You’re only paying attention to Jeongin.

“I get it…you’re frustrated. You’re upset about everything he’s done to you, but I don’t want you to sink to his level,” You hold onto his arm. “You’re better than this scum. You worked hard for years to be where you’re at. Don’t waste it away because of a jerk who doesn’t know what you’ve been through.”

His anger subsides and relaxes his shoulders. It turns out that the anger is just a disguise for the tears that he’s been hiding. He covers his eyes with the palm of his hands as he sobs.

“I’m so angry with myself. I couldn’t save you when you were being attacked by him back at the company, so when I saw how he was hurting you again, I couldn’t control myself. I didn’t want to stand in fear anymore.”

As he continues crying, you wrap your arms around him now knowing that you two won’t go through any trouble anymore. You have a feeling that this will be the last time the man will harass both you and Jeongin. It’s almost like the clouds have finally allowed the sun to shine on the two of you.

----------

“So…” You begin.

You and Jeongin are walking across the hall of the company building. There are Band-Aids all over his knuckles, and you have one over your left cheek. It’s been a few days since the incident, and you and Jeongin have finally returned to normal.

You’re hiding your hands behind your back, a little embarrassed to ask him a certain question. But your curiosity was getting the better of you that you need to know. “That one night…what were you talking about with my co-worker?”

His cheeks turn red, turning away from you as he sucks in his lips. His reaction makes you even more nervous.

“You were very comfortable with her…n-not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m just wondering.”

“Why are you wondering?”

His questioning makes you even more worried. “W-when did you guys started talking?”

“That was our first time. She knows who I am, but I didn’t know her.”

“Did she tell you something?” You press on, but you try not to pry too much.

He bites his bottom lip. “It’s a secret.”

“What?! But I thought we agreed on no more secrets.”

“Yea, but…if I tell you then you’ll get angry.”

“No I won’t!”

“Then why do you want to know?” He chuckles.

Your face turns red. “B-because…”

“I’ll tell you but you have to tell me why you want to know.”

“No!”

You and Jeongin continue the conversation while walking down the hall. In the midst of you talking, he zones out, thinking about the past few weeks. Every single day felt unbearable because he couldn’t bear to look at you knowing the deeds he’s done. He never thought the day you would talk to him casually again would happen. It makes him smile knowing that you two finally made it to the other side.

“Why are you smiling? Did my coworker say something about me?”

He averts his eyes, hesitating to speak. “No.”

“I knew it! What did she say about me?!

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying. I wanna know what you guys talked about.”

“Are you jealous?”

“Jealous?!” Your entire face turns red. “Never.”

He wraps his arm around you, pulling you closer to him. You fall onto his chest, and this makes your face turn redder. You can’t believe that this is the same person you first met long ago when he was just seventeen. He was so shy that he barely said a word during the first introduction.

“What we talked about isn’t important.” He rests his head on top of yours.

If he could, then he would kiss you. But since you guys are in public, he doesn’t want to risk anybody catching him kissing you again. Perhaps one day, he’ll be more confident and tell you his real feelings as well. He’s not there yet, since he wants to wait until he’s sure that you no longer see him as a child. For now, holding you close to him is the best he can do. Never will he ever let what happened before happen again between you and him.

[End]

==========

“Jokbal! Jokbal! Jokbal!” Yeonjun chants, fist-pumping the air.

You and Yeonjun are at the grocery store, looking through the meat section. While you’re looking for pig trotters, he’s singing a tune he made up in his head with the only lyrics to his song is jokbal. He’s wearing a face mask and baseball hat to hide his identity, but those aren’t enough to hide the excitement in his eyes.

“Get the spicy kind!”

“Alright, alright.”

“Let’s also get chicken feet! Pizza! Pasta!”

You chuckle. “You sound like a child.”

“What’s there not to be excited about? You said that we can be spoiled brats tonight, so I wanna eat whatever I want.”

“Yea, but don’t you think it’s going to be too much for you guys to eat?”

“Eh, it’s fine,” he waves his hand nonchalantly. “It’s coming from the company’s credit card, right? That means we’re finally allowed to eat anything with no limits. Besides, we don’t have a recording tomorrow, so we don’t gotta worry about looking puffy.”

You don’t think you’ll ever understand how Yeonjun’s brain is wired. Still, it’s great seeing him smile this much. In the midst of their busy schedule, they have the entire day off. And the day before, it ended perfectly with their first win for Crown. They’ve never been this exuberant before.

“Also, let’s get some bubble tea. Kai and Soobin might want some ice cream too. Beomgyu wants kimbap and Taehyun wants some toast. Let’s go, let’s go!”

“Give me a sec. I still have to get some jokbal, then restock kimchi for you guys. Also, you guys need some more tangerine—”

“No more tangerines! We eat that enough already. Bubble tea!!!” He’s like a child about to receive a lollipop.

Despite being the eldest, he’s got a cute side to him that you find lovable. “Alright, where do you wanna get your drink?”

“Let’s go to 7 Leafs! I heard a new one opened down the street.”

“Okay, after we shop. Text the other boys what they want.”

“Yessir.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” He puckers his lips, swaying his head side-to-side playfully.

You hurriedly look through the shopping list on your phone. The boys must be starving back at the dorms, so you want to hurry and get back as soon as possible. You can already imagine Beomgyu clinging onto one of the members and whining about how hungry he is.

While Yeonjun’s distracted with his phones, two women are whispering and pointing at him, occasionally giggling like school girls. Even with his disguise, he’s still spotted. Though, what did you expect? With their explosive debut, they’re bound to be instantly recognized in the public.

“…Go…” One girl mutters.

“No, you go first.”

They nudge each other, pushing one over the other to see who gets to Yeonjun first. He’s still oblivious to the fans, finishing his text message and sending it to the group chat. During times like these, you would push Yeonjun away from these girls to avoid drawing more attention, but since they aren’t hinting at any sort of danger, you decide to let it be.

After some minor arguments, one of the girls approaches him, although she keeps her eyes locked to the ground. “Uhm…excuse me?”

Her voice catches Yeonjun’s attention, so he turns to her, startling her. “Hello?”

“Are you…Yeonjun from Tomorrow by Together?”

He nods, and she squeals.

“I-I’m sorry if I’m bothering you!!”

Her eyes are fixated on Yeonjun. Even though you’re right next to him, she behaves like you don’t exist.

“No, it’s really fine. Did you want to take a picture? Manager, we can take a picture, right?”

You shrug your shoulders. “Go ahead.”

“O-oh, I wasn’t intending on taking a picture. I was just wondering...” she rummages through her purse.

Yeonjun’s eyes lighten up at the thought that this lady is going to give him a gift. He even got his hand out and ready to accept the present. Eventually, she finds what she wanted to give, and it’s a small box of chocolate the size of his hand.

“I was wondering if you can give these to Taehyung-oppa!” She covers her mouth.

And that gleam of happiness is immediately diminished, like a gust of wind blown against a lit candle. You don’t need to see under his mask to know that he lost the will to smile. It’s like his confidence has been stomped on, glaring down at the gift that isn’t even his. It’s not even for another member from his group—it’s for their senior.

“M-my friend and I have been fans of BTS since we were nineteen, so can you let him know that we’re thankful for everything he’s done? He really saved me from the darkest time in my life.”

He’s at a loss of words, baffled at this outrageous request. But rather than going off on the woman, Yeonjun laughs stiffly, scratching the back of his head. “I’m sorry I don’t know if I can give it to him because we don’t see each other much.”

Her shy nature disappears, cocking her head to the side and raising an eyebrow. “Huh? But you’re the same company. How do you guys not see each other often? I thought you guys are already like family to them.”

“It’s…much more complicated than that. Our schedules never correlate, so that’s why. If it makes you feel better, we can take a picture and—”

“Then…it’s okay. Sorry to bother you guys. You can have the chocolate though.” She waves goodbye and returns to her friend.

You should’ve stepped in when you had the chance. Yeonjun is at a loss of words as he watches the two girls trek off as if this never happened. Even though they’re walking off, he can hear fragments of their conversation.

“He kind of looks like Taehyungie-oppa…do you think he…passed auditions…becau…looks?” One whispers.

“Maybe. But…chin…too big. Teeth too.”

If you two weren’t in public, then you would’ve smacked them without hesitation. To bother Yeonjun during his day off only to push him aside because he’s not the idol they’re looking for, it’s just outright rude. This clearly ruined his mood, and now he’s become sullen. He rubs his chin, thinking about the last girl’s comment.

“Ignore them. Let’s go back and celebrate, yea?”

He nods, but his smile hasn’t returned.

==========

“Here you guys go!” You set a plate of jokbal on the floor.

In the living room of their crowded dorm, the five of them crowd around the meal that you’ve prepared for them. Despite the many clothes that are sprawled across the floor and trash left out on the coffee table, you’re able to brush them aside to make room for the six of you to sit together. Other than the pigs’ feet, there’s also pizza and chicken feet. Beomgyu’s mouth waters, but before he even eats, he briefly takes pictures of it with his phone.

“You didn’t have to waste your time making this when you could’ve just ordered it.” Taehyun states with a monotone expression.

“I know, but in honor of your first win, I wanted to cook from scratch.”

“You made the pigs’ feet, but you ended up ordering pizza and chicken feet…” Taehyun flicks open a can of Coke.

“Okay, pizza is hard to make from scratch, and chicken feet…the nails…” Shivers run down your spine.

“Taehyun…you could at least say thank you,” Soobin elbows him.

Now flustered, Taehyun looks down. “…Sorry…thank you.”

“No, no! It’s okay. For all we know, my cooking is probably not that great.”

“Anything from the Manager is going to be super great! Thank you very much!!” Huening Kai leans over and rubs your stomach.

“Hurry, hurry! Let’s eat.” Beomgyu takes a plate full of chicken feet.

“Says the one who kept taking pictures.” Soobin mumbles.

Each member takes a plate of food. Even though you know full well how average your cooking is, the boys are starving, so they’ll take anything. Everyone digs in to their dinner, all except for Yeonjun. As you’re eating the pizza, stretching the cheese from your mouth, you stare at him, waiting for him to take a bite.

“Yeonjun? Are you gonna eat?” You ask while covering your mouth full of food.

He shakes his head, rubbing his chin. “No…I’m not hungry.”

“What? But you were so excited to eat.”

“I’m full from the bubble tea.”

He gets up and walks to their bedroom, which is extremely out of the ordinary. He never says no to food. Even when they’re dieting, he’s the one who would sneak in food. Now that they have a chance to eat whatever they like, he’s not eating.

“Did something happen to Hyung?” Soobin asks curiously.

“Some girls were being rude.”

You didn’t expect it to take a toll on him this much. What they did has definitely squash his confidence, but knowing him, there has to be more than what those girls said.

==========

Yeonjun is sitting on his bunk bed, laying on his stomach and watching a video on his phone. He hears a knock at the door.

“Yeonjun? Can I come in?” You ask from the other side of the door.

He pauses the video. “Come in.”

You open the door, closing it behind you. Their bedroom is tidier than usual, and it’s probably because you were coming over for the night. Most of their clothes are hanging in the living room, so the floor isn’t riddled with clothes compared to the living room.

“I told them to save some for you in case you wanna eat later. How’re you feeling?”

“I’m fin—.”

“Be honest.”

You take a seat at the edge of his bed. He sits up, placing his pillow on his lap and scooting closer to you.

“Okay, I have a question…and you have to be honest.”

“What is it?”

“Do I look like V-sunbaenim?”

You crease your eyebrows. “V-sunbaenim? As in, Kim Taehyung?”

He nods.

“You two look nothing alike.”

“Really?”

“Yes, you look like yourself.”

“…That’s not what people say. Everyone is always telling us that we look like BTS-sunbaenim or that everything we do reminds them of them. I don’t want to sound like a brat, but I really don’t like it. One second, they’re saying that Soobin looks like Jin-sunbaenim, and the other second, they’re calling Taehyun Jungkook-sunbaenim’s clone. Do we seriously look like them?”

It’s not only himself he’s concerned about, but the other members as well. After their debut, many news outlets exploded with articles about the similarities between them and their senior group. It was your typical cover page with a side-by-side comparison between two members, each from TXT and BTS, red circles around specific parts of their face and drawing arrows to each other. Some of them were outrageous claims, like how Soobin learned how to blow kisses from Seokjin even though Soobin only did it once and it was because the host of the radio show told him to do it.

Some people even went to the extreme and called TXT clout chasers, accusing the young boys for being too privileged. While they were treated with luxuries, they were bombarded with negative comments. It was to be expected, but they weren’t prepared for this extraordinary amount of dislike. Even when they did receive compliments, it never felt genuine because somehow and some way, the same people would draw comparisons to them to their seniors, crediting them for teaching TXT how to be polite.

“None of you guys look like them at all. If you think about it this way, and by no means am I disregarding your frustrations, you guys debuted during the peak of BTS’s popularity. These comparisons were bound to happen. All we can do now is be patient and wait for this to die down. Besides, you guys have a good amount of fans who aren’t forcing themselves to like you guys.”

Despite still being gloomy, you’re able to get Yeonjun to laugh, exhaling through his nose. He elbows your arm. “How are you so optimistic all the time?”

“Because I’ve seen pretty much every second of your rehearsals, and I’m always freakin’ impressed every time I watch. I can’t wait until people acknowledge it too.”

He hides his face in the pillow. “Yea…I can’t wait for that too.”

==========

After being appointed as their temporary manager, the first time you met them was in Los Angele. They looked so young and naïve back then. Beomgyu, Soobin, and Huening Kai had this sort of innocence in their eyes, like they needed to be guided constantly. Despite being the same age as Huening Kai, Taehyun was always calm and professional, never allowing his nervousness show. But as for Yeonjun…arrogant is what you would describe your first impression of him.

The way he stood firm, his chin up and his eyes looking down. You knew that he isn’t a bad person, but it’s just his posture that you never liked. It was like he stood above everyone, his hands in his pockets and constantly in his ‘cool’ pose like a model. Your suspicions of his arrogance came with confirmation when you learned that he’s ranked as number one in vocals, rap, and dance. To add on to the fire, he’s also a trainee for one of the biggest entertainment companies in South Korea, so it’s no surprise that he’s carrying a luggage full of reasons to feel proud.

Wow, this guy probably got everything handed to him, you thought to yourself. When you started your work as their manager, you put the least amount of attention on him. You assumed that since he’s the eldest and is already sufficient with every aspect of being an idol, you didn’t bother with putting in effort for him.

==========

You sit in a conference room with sales and marketing team. The lead of the team stands next to the projector, slamming a stack of paper on the table. The loud bang causes the other employees to jump, including you.

“61,400 only??” He exclaims. “Just 61k was sold?! Tell me what the fuck happened to the sales?!”

On the projector, there’s a bar graph of TXT’s sales history. It records the number of albums that were sold between the two albums: TDC Dream and TDC Magic.

“S-Sir…we tried our best…but it’s just that…”

“Don’t give me your fucking excuses. You all were riding on the expectation that these teens were gonna bring back the same numbers. This isn’t even enough to pay back the budget used to make the damn music video,” he sighs in frustration. “Jesus Christ. BTS are still on their break, but the amount they made off of their Summer Package is enough to pay for three music videos. We’re gonna have to ask for a lower budget for the second music video.”

You glance back at the chart. It hurts seeing their two albums stand side-by-side and that dramatic drop between them. Not only that, but their music video isn’t doing so well either. Compared to their debut music video, they didn’t even have half of what they got on the first day, going from fourteen million views on Crown to a little under five million for 9 and Three Quarters. This is still exponentially well in terms of rookie group standards, but there’s more to it—there are expectations to be met.

It could easily be excused that the video website’s streaming rules have changed, but to have that huge drop can’t simply be because of a system. It’s already been a few days, and the views are barely going up.

But what you’re mostly worried about is what the boys think about this. To have received so much attention in the beginning only to be pretty much dropped off the face of Earth is no simple feat.

==========

You return to the practice room where the boys are rehearsing with their choreographer. While their coach i flicks his eyes at you then returning back to work, none of the boys bat an eye at you, which is normal. They’re so focused on training that nothing can get them out of it.

Once they finish the entire song, their dance coach turns off their song. “Take five.”

Almost like they’ve been put out of a trance, they snapped to their usual selves, falling to the ground and breathing heavily. Huening Kai is the first to notice you, running to you with what little strength he has left.

“Managerrr!! Save me!” He yelps.

He wraps his arms around you, his hand clasping around your stomach, and you get a strong scent of sweat coming from him. Though, it doesn’t bother you since nearly every time you come into this room, they’re sweating logs.

“Kai is sexually harassing her.” Beomgyu teasingly shouts.

“What?! No, I’m not. Am I, Manager?” He looks at you with his puppy eyes.

“Not at all. How was practice today, guys?”

“We’re doing well! Just tightening some loose ends after we ended our first week of performing.” Soobin pulls Huening Kai away from you.

Huening Kai was about to whine, but Soobin passes a water bottle to him. Dying for water, Kai gives up the complaining for water, taking huge gulps.

“Loose ends? But I thought you guys did great on stage.”

“Not enough,” Beomgyu chimes in. “Our timing is off when we change positions.”

“Kai, don’t take too long to lift me up. If you take more than a second, then it messes up the rest of us.” Taehyun comments.

“Ah…okay…sorry.” He lowers his head.

“I think Kai is improving a lot. It’s so cute seeing him trying to lift Taehyun on his own.” Soobin touches shoulders with Huening Kai to cheer him up.

Huening Kai lets out a small chuckle while you’re adoring their playfulness. You glance at Yeonjun, glaring at himself in the mirror. He runs his hand through his sweaty hair. You don’t know what he’s thinking, but just by that serious look on his face alone, you can tell that he’s not happy.

“How was the meeting?” Soobin takes a sip from the water bottle.

“Uhm…it went okay.”

“What was it about again?”

“It’ll bore you guys if I explain it, so I rather not say. But they’re going to change things up a bit for the second music video’s filming.”

“Oh really?” Beomgyu asks. “Why?”

You can’t bring yourself to tell them the truth. They don’t go on the internet often, especially when it comes to anything that has anything to do with them, so they don’t know much about the records they break or don’t break. If they found out that the number of support they got for this comeback has become lackluster, then it’ll just devastate them.

“Uhm…change in artistic direction.” You pull that out of your ass.

They seem to take your word for it, so it makes you a little relieved. But while the other members moved on, one glance at Yeonjun and you knew that he isn’t convinced. Yeonjun opens his mouth to say something, so you quickly think of diverting this possibility.

“A-anyway, when rehearsals are done, we have to go to on some shows. I’ll let you guys know when it’s time to go.”

You walk out of the room, sighing. Just as you predicted, you couldn’t bring yourself to tell them the truth. How do you go about telling them that they didn’t do so well for this comeback? Not only that, but with your lack of experience as a manager, what can you say or do to encourage them? Even if you don’t tell them, they’ll find out eventually. And you already have a feeling that Yeonjun already does.

You peek through the crack of the door, watching the boys sitting down on the ground. Even though they’re supposed to take a break, they’re watching a recording of themselves to see if they can finds places to improve on.

==========

Yeonjun is in the center of the main dance practice room, free-styling to a song that infuses hip hop and heavy rap. The rest of the students are sitting by the walls. You sit with the other members as they’re just as mesmerized as the rest of the students. The way his body flows so smoothly with the rhythm is so satisfying to watch. If you didn’t know who he was, then you would’ve assumed that he was a coach or a celebrity, not a trainee.

You look at the other members. Soobin is like a high school girl experiencing their first love—his eyes are fixated on him, covering his gaping mouth in pure awe. Huening Kai is bopping his head to the song, more so enjoying the music itself than Yeonjun’s dance, although he still finds it entertaining to watch.

On the other hand, Beomgyu and Taehyun look jealous. Just one look and you can tell that in their heads, they’re most likely thinking, I can do that too. And that’s one thing you don’t particularly like about Yeonjun. He takes the spotlight and enjoys it. He doesn’t share any of it with the other boys. While you’re impressed by his dance, you don’t find his narcissism impressive in the slightly.

When the song ends, the entire class applauds. Soobin claps louder and faster than the rest of the students, bouncing up and down from his spot. The three younger members applaud as well. But Yeonjun doesn’t even look at his teammates. He waves his hands up like he wants the crowd to get louder.

“Okay, who wants to go next?” The coach asks.

A large number of students raise their hands, including Beomgyu. Although Taehyun makes it clear that he’s jealous of the attention that Yeonjun receives, he knows full well that he’s incapable of surpassing him in dance. Then there’s Soobin and Huening Kai who would rather be on the side.

After the coach chooses the next person to freestyle, you were expecting Yeonjun to sit with you and the boys. But to your surprise, he sits with other people, receiving high fives from the other students. It really ticks you off seeing him have the audacity to act like he’s too cool for the boys. You want to bring this up with them, but they don’t seem to particularly mind.

“That was fucking awesome, dude.” One of the students says in English.

“Thanks, I know I was cool.” Yeonjun replies in English as well.

You truly cannot find a reason to like Yeonjun even if he hasn’t done anything directly to you. He’s just so pompous and full of himself. When the members told you that he loves bragging about being ranked top in every category, they weren’t exaggerating. If anything, they weren’t exaggerating enough. With each passing day, Yeonjun starts hanging out less and less with the members unless it’s necessary, such as the private lessons with the five of them or when they’re filming for future projects. Perhaps it’s also the façade that he puts out a lot that you also don’t like. If you really are going to become their manager, you can’t picture yourself being close with him at all.

While you’re too busy finding reason to despise Yeonjun, you catch a glimpse of something. His hands are shaking a lot, but he tries to hide it by putting his hands behind his back.

==========

“You guys look so cute!!” You clasp your hands together.

The boys walk out of their dressing room in matching pink sailor outfits. Your jaw drops at how absolutely adorable they look in them—like anime characters coming to life. When their appearance on the show goes on air, their fans will definitely go insane.

“Huening Kai and Taehyun are the cutest.”

Huening Kai’s cheeks turn pink from your compliment while Taehyun looks indifferent. You turn to Soobin and Beomgyu, and they fit into the cute concept as well.

“I’d prefer something that shows off my more adult side…” Soobin puffs his cheeks while nodding his head.

The way he sulks only amplifies his cuteness. The outfits complement their physical appearance except for their overarching height. But after doing a head count, you notice that there’s somebody missing. You look around, and the eldest is nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Yeonjun?”

“I think he’s still in the dressing room.”

“I’m gonna go get him.”

 You walk to the dressing room, knocking three times. “Yeonjun? You in there?”

“Yea.”

“You almost done? You guys have to go on in a few minutes.”

“Y-yea, just give me a second.”

Yeonjun twists the doorknob, opening it and peeking his head out. You cross your arms, waiting for him to completely walk out, but he’s too embarrassed to show himself.

“What’s wrong?”

“I look dumb.”

You scoff. “I’m sure you look fine.”

“No…”

“Come on, it’s not as bad as you think it is. Besides, the other boys are wearing it too, so you’re not alone.”

“It’s just…”

“You’re fine!”

Feeling impatient, you pull him out of the room. Just as you thought, he’s wearing the sailor uniform like the rest of them. He tries to stand in a masculine pose, slouching his back slightly and putting his hands in his pocket. You can tell he feels humiliated to be in this outfit.

“See? You look cute.”

“That’s the problem. Just because we’re young doesn’t mean that we have to dress like kids. I’m twenty-one for crying out loud.”

“Twenty-one and rocking that look. Come on, even if it looks childish, you can still make it look cool,” you check the time on your phone. “Oh, they’re waiting for us. Let’s go.”

Just as you were about to walk away, you look back to find Yeonjun not moving from his spot. He’s still sulking about the clothes. This is bothering him more than you thought, and you wish you can do something about it, but with the limited time that they have, you can’t change the stylist’s mind.

“Yeonjun?”

“…I want to wear suits like BTS-sunbaenim.”

You freeze, everything around you falling silent. You try thinking of anything to make him feel better, but with every direction you go, it doesn’t form proper sentences. You can think of the usual ‘don’t think too much about it’ or ‘you look great in the outfit’, but they’re shallow assurance, and it won’t make him feel any better.

“You guys are on in five minutes!” A staff member shouts from the room.

“Okay!” You let the staff know before turning back to Yeonjun. “Let’s go.”

That’s all you could say, and it made you seem disingenuous. If only there was a way to make him feel better, but with being a new manager, it also comes with many trial and errors, including some major and minor mistakes. You sort of feel pathetic for not thinking of any clever quotes to cheer him up.

==========

You stand on the other side of the cameras as the five boys speak to the hosts, a man and a woman. They’re dressed in a ridiculous amount of pink, and the entire room itself is fluttered with pink too. Despite the pinkness, the other side is contrasted with silent darkness, sound producers, scriptwriters, and cameramen being blanketed with the damp blackness of the studio while the members and two hosts are riddled with twenty shades of pink.

Since they’re still new to the showbiz world, they’re as stiff as usual, but unlike their debut, they’ve loosened up a bit more. They’re moving around and smiling more, which is a huge step forward. However, despite their more natural side are shown in a better light, Yeonjun is rigid. His hands are behind his back, not moving an inch. And that smile that you know is forced.

“We’re really happy to have K-pop’s next big boy group be on the show!” The male host shouts with an exaggerated enthusiasm. “Tomorrow by Together is known as the monster rookie group, already hitting records and completing their first US tour.”

The five boys clap, cheering sarcastically.

“Despite being so young, they’re pretty tall. On average, their height is 181.3 cm, which is an amazing record on its own. None of you guys have a fixed position either, both in talents and looks!” The female host chimes in.

Everything seems to be going well so far. This show is known for portraying each individual members’ special talents, so this is a great opportunity for the boys to stand out on their own.

“Let’s introduce each member from right to left. Taehyun.”

“Yes.”

As usual, Taehyun is excellent in professional settings. Despite his young age, he knows how to think and act on the spot, improvising and thinking of the right words to say. His timing is never off, and he can read the atmosphere without a problem. It makes the audience, even you, forget that he’s a teenager.

The hosts go through each member, showing off more of their personalities. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Huening Kai. Unlike Taehyun who remains calm yet makes witty comments, Huening Kai is less prepared, but he balances that out with his bubbly personality. He laughs to lighten the mood, knowing how to recover from an embarrassing mistake and turning it into a joke.

Although upon first impression, Beomgyu seemed like the kind of guy who doesn’t mind the shy and cute concept, he’s a natural when it comes to being charismatic and masculine. He can talk to anybody and make it appear like they’ve been friends for years. He doesn’t let the air become awkward and is able to fill it up.

Soobin is the one who makes the most mistakes, his mind often trailing off and messing up his lines. He lets the nervousness take over him, often laughing and hugging the closest member to release some tension. Despite the many mistakes, he repeats himself until he perfects it. His cycle of making and fixing his slip-ups makes the hosts find it endearing.

Last person is Yeonjun. When the hosts lay their eyes on him, he nods and forces a smile.

“Now…last but not least, Choi Yeonjun: born on September 13th, the oldest member, been the trainee the longest and is ranked number one on all three categories, vocals, rap, and dance. Wow, that’s a lot for one person.”

“Yes.” He answers.

“Even though I think you’re all very handsome men, I think you should also be ranked number one in terms of visual too.”

“Ah…” he laughs nervously. “Thank you.”

“I mean, you deserve that title! You have a lot of resemblance with your BTS senior, V-ssi.”

And with that, the light in his eyes disappears.

“You have the hair color, the eyes, and the striking visuals in general. I think you two are even the same height.”

“Ah ha ha…yes.”

Huening Kai is the first to sense Yeonjun’s discomfort, so he steps in to make a comment. “Yeonjun-hyung was always the first trainee to introduce himself. He would take us to the whiteboard with the rankings and ask who was number one in each category. We were all shocked when he said that it was him.”

“Oh, really? Okay, let’s give Yeonjun a chance to show off his skills, starting off with dance.”

Yeonjun steps forward, and to your side, the producers choose a song to put on. Unsurprisingly, they put on a BTS song, Dope. Within seconds, Yeonjun got the gist of the beat and dances to the song accordingly. He doesn’t make a single mistake despite the lack of practice, which is remarkable on its own.

They then put on the next song, which happens to be Boy in Luv. Unlike the fast-pace dancing, it switches to a slower tempo, but he has to show more of his aggressive side. And just like that, he’s got the choreography memorized as well. Once again, they switch the song, but…it’s another BTS song, Fake Love.

This wasn’t a part of the script. They were supposed to play other pop songs and some American music to give him the chance to freestyle. With this last-minute change, Yeonjun falters, only knowing the basics to the Fake Love choreography, but not grasping onto the details that well.

The female host signals the music to stop. “How do you mess up one of their recent songs? Fake Love is played everywhere. You two are in the same company and got more chances to see them practice. You should know their songs to heart.”

Although that was supposed to be a joke, Yeonjun took it personally. You can see that her words have pierced through his chest. You don’t like how she’s putting him on the spot with unrealistic expectations.

“Okay,” the male host interrupts. “Let’s try again but with a different song.”

He waves his hand down, cueing for the next song to play. Yeonjun shakes his hands and spreads his legs out shoulder length, determined to get this one right. The producer plays the song, and it’s Boy with Luv.

Yeonjun freezes. He hasn’t learned this dance because this song came out during the most hectic training period. They were practicing to their songs nonstop as well as performing on stages.

The female host makes it very apparent that she’s disappointed. “Stop, stop, stop. It’s okay, even if you don’t know your seniors’ songs that well, you should at least know this one. It’s simple to learn and it’s their latest song.”

Yeonjun chuckles nervously. “You’re right…”

It’s agonizing to watch this host tear Yeonjun down. There’s clearly some bias here, and she’s going at him more than the other members. It might be because he’s been the trainee the longest or because of his title as the ‘monster trainee’ to increase her expectations on him, this is still borderline harassment. Thankfully, the other members are seeing this as well, so they look at each other, almost like using telepathy to back up their eldest member.

Soobin raises his hand. “Taehyun and Beomgyu have memorized the dance.”

“Oh really?”

“That’s right,” Beomgyu steps forward. “I’ve been a hardcore fan of BTS even before I became a trainee. I’ve studied every single thing, including the timing of their facial expressions.”

“I also enjoy listening to Jungkook-sunbaenim’s English covers. I know all his cover songs by heart.” Taehyun enters the conversations calmly.

This is off-script, but it’s a relief that you can rely on the members to help each other out of a pinch. You nonverbally sigh, but your troubles haven’t left you. It was the members who had to help, and you couldn’t do anything. Not only that, but the deed has already been done. To see the sunken spirit in Yeonjun’s eyes, it hurts. You wish you can reach your hand out to tell him that everything’s alright, you can’t just interrupt recording. All you can do is watch from afar.

==========

In the hallway, Yeonjun is just walking out of the restroom after changing back into his street clothes. Opposite to the cute sailor outfits, he’s wearing a leather jacket and blue jeans, with tan boots that completes it all. Even though you liked both outfits that he was wearing today, nothing beats Yeonjun dressed in the clothes that he’s more confident in.

Standing outside of the men’s restroom is you. He’s caught off-guard to see you waiting. “What are you doing here?”

“I just felt like it.”

“Where are the other guys?”

“They’re still changing. Why didn’t you tell me that you went to the restroom?”

“It was just a quick whizz.”

“You should still tell me.”

He walks back to the room and you follow him from behind. “You’re not my mom.”

“But I’m technically your mom!”

“That’s…let’s not get there. Aren’t you our age?”

“I dunno, am I?”

With this conversation going nowhere, he stops. Even though he sounds a bit harsh, you know that he doesn’t mean to. Today’s show recording was definitely unfair, so it’s not a surprise to see Yeonjun down in the dumps.

“Good job today.”

“Thanks, but I don’t feel like I did well. Not even average or decent.”

“Hey, but you got it over with and that’s all that matters. Now, onto the next one!”

“Yea…”

Despite your efforts in cheering him up, it doesn’t work. Pretending like the issue doesn’t exist isn’t going to make things better for him.

“What that host said, it’s still bothering you, huh?”

He can’t hide from you as well. “You got me. This feeling kinda sucks…”

“I can tell. I don’t think she means it though.”

“You’re siding with her?”

“I’m not. Yea, what she did was really horrible, but everyone’s caught up in the heat where they want to only talk about your seniors. TV shows are dying for BTS to be on their show, but they’re too busy touring. It’s rude, but even for other bands, your sunbaenims are constantly brought up.”

“That’s true…”

“Besides, that doesn’t matter. Anyway, I’m gonna drop by the convenient store to buy some snacks. What do you want?”

“…Can I go with you?”

“What? No, you should be resting! Take every chance to take a nap, relax your muscles, or play some video games! Don’t do something as boring as coming with me to the store.”

“It’s not boring to me. Going to the store with you soothes my nerves. No joke.”

Your cheeks turn red when he grins. It’s been a while since you last saw him smile like that, so you can’t say no to him.

==========

Seoul is filled with your stereotypical description of the urban lifestyle—honking cars, citizens striding through thick crowds of people, and flashing lights at every corner. Since it’s night, the skyscrapers are covered in squares of screens that display an array of advertisements such as drinks, clothes, and latest phone models.

You and Yeonjun are two out of millions going through the city and back to the studio. Despite wearing a mask and beanie to cover his identity, he still stands out like a sore thumb. Girls can’t help but glance and admire his towering, lean body.

“Ah, I really like times like these when we get to go out and enjoy the city air.” You point your nose to the sky and inhale.

“You mean the pollution and bacteria traveling into your nostrils?”

You elbow him. “You didn’t have to phrase it like that!”

He laughs.

One thing you like about this is not only breaking away from the busy life in the entertainment business, but being with Yeonjun. Behind the cameras, he’s an ordinary young adult who enjoys the little things, like walking in the city and making jokes. He doesn’t have to put up a show or be conscious of how he dresses and correcting his posture. He doesn’t have to censor his words and can say whatever he wishes.

You get a text message, and it’s from the group chat. “Taehyun said that Beomgyu is starving to death. Let’s hurry.”

You pick up the pace and so does Yeonjun. You two pass by many small shops that are surviving each day to make ends meet. Some of them are antique shops, record stores, and clothing lines. One of them is a toy store. If you could, you would love to go to them but with very little spare time you have in your hands, it’s too far into the future for you think about it.

You look up at the night sky and notice how particularly cloudy it is. Not only that, but the weather has been getting colder these days.

“Geez, I think it’s gonna rain soon. What do you think, Yeonjun?”

No response.

“Yeonjun?”

You turn around and find Yeonjun standing in front of the toy store. He’s staring down at a table that’s filled with a mix of toys. You tilt your head, curious about what caught his eye.

“Is there something you want?”

He remains quiet.

You look down, there’s one particular toy that stands out to you, which could explain why he stopped. You pick up a box with a doll of the BTS member, V, inside. The plastic cover has been battered up, and the doll’s hair is a mess. The limbs are sprawled in directions that a human bones can’t replicate. All in all, it’s a pitiful sight to bear, but what makes it even more tragic is that this outdoor table is for toys that are on discount.

“I remember when the dolls were announced, everyone went crazy for it.” Yeonjun comments.

He was still a trainee at that time, but he already knew about it before the public did. You did too, but you didn’t think too much about it since nearly everything related to BTS becomes impactful to the world.

“But…look at where it is now. It has its quirks in the beginning, but after a while, this doll will never compare to the real person. It’s a temporary escape from the reality that you’ll never get to be with the real V-sunbaenim.”

The way he words it…is so depressing. This is unlike Yeonjun to be spilling poetic lines. You stare at the doll, and the doll glares back at you. You wonder what the doll’s journey was like, from factory to this clearance table.

“It’s just a doll. I’m sure it’ll find an owner,” you assure him. “Let’s hurry back before they get upset.”

He turns to you as if you offended him, not the doll. But he looks away with a troubled look, ultimately plastering a nonconsensual smile. You know you said something wrong, but you don’t know what it is.

“Manager…” Yeonjun calls out.

“Yea?”

“…I’m…different from V-sunbaenim, right?”

This isn’t a hard question, and yet you’re having a hard time answering it. It’s because if you answer either ‘yes’ or ‘no’, they both carry heavy context behind them. It’s plainly obvious how Yeonjun will feel if you say ‘no’, but saying ‘yes’ would also feel shallow depending on the tone. In this situation, how do you answer?

“…You’re fine just the way you are.” You say it with a tone as plain as cardboard.

You can’t decipher his expression, and it worries you more. It’s like you nailed the coffin perfectly and just made his mood worse.

Without putting much thought into it, you take him by his hand, holding it tightly. He’s confused, but you muster a smile. “Come on, stay close so that we don’t separate. You’re the one carrying Soobin’s snacks. He’ll cry if we lose it.”

You drag him along with you. As you walk forward with him in hand, you make quick glances behind to check on him. His sullen expression still remains, and it makes you all the more conflicted. You don’t know exactly what’s going on in his head, but you’re too afraid to ask, thinking that he might just brush off your worries as meaningless thinking.

==========

“Kai, don’t cry.” Soobin pats him on the back.

Occupying a private dance room in Los Angeles, Huening Kai is sitting in a fetal position, wiping his eyes with his hands. Soobin and Taehyun are on their knees, one person on each side. You sit in front of him, thinking of ways to encourage him.

“You’re overreacting. You did everything fine.” Taehyun adds on.

“I can’t dance. I’m really bad at it.” He mutters to himself.

“Have some water and let’s be chirpy again!” Beomgyu kneels down and passes him a bottle of water, but he doesn’t accept it.

“I shouldn’t have tried to become an idol. I don’t like, I hate this. I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“Huening Kai, don’t say that,” You put your hands over his. “You’re doing great.”

But it doesn’t seem like your message has crossed over. It’s understandable that Huening Kai gets into moods like this, especially being under immense pressure despite only living fifteen years of his life. To be so young yet feel defeated makes your eyes water.

Standing on the other side of the room is Yeonjun, still rehearsing. You’re a little annoyed that he more interested in himself than Huening Kai. You give him dagger eyes, waiting for him to do something, but nothing happens.

“Yeonjun, can’t you at least take your eyes off of yourself for a second?” You pout.

“Manager, don’t…! It’s okay!” Huening Kai begs.

He finally turns to your direction, staring back at you as you glare. He scratches the back of his head, approaching Huening Kai until he crouches in front of him.

“If this is too much for you, then why don’t you just quit?”

Huening Kai gasps, and so does the rest of you. You have the urge to smack him across the face, wondering how he could ask that question when Kai is already at his lowest.

“I don’t want to…”

“Why? You’re the one who keeps complaining about how hard it is.”

Huening Kai looks conflicted, like his words are biting back at him.

“Yeonjun, don’t—”

But Soobin stops you by putting his hand on your shoulder. While you don’t know what’s going on, it seems like the rest of the boys do.

“I don’t want to quit.”

Yeonjun’s serious expression then switches that of an upbeat grin. He pats him on the back, pulling him for a neck hug.

“You say that you want to quit, but deep down, you want to keep going. The moment negative thoughts start passing through your head, shut them out immediately and start finding compliments for yourself.”

“But…that’s a bit self-serving…”

He shakes his head. “Conceited people compliment themselves as a means of building a wall to avoid their ego from being hurt. Confident people are so confident in themselves that they want others to succeed too. Come on, let’s keep practicing. Show me what you need help with and I’ll do my best to help.”

“Me too!” Soobin raises his hand.

“I’ll take part too.” Taehyun adds.

“Hey! Don’t leave me out either!” Beomgyu shouts.

These boys will never stop amazing you, but it also makes you feel bad. You feel like you didn’t do anything, and Yeonjun, once again, knows what to say and do. It makes you feel insecure—like you’re not cut out for the job. Once again, it’s Yeonjun overpowering someone’s abilities.

And despite disliking it, you can’t help but see Yeonjun in a more positive light. You thought that he didn’t care about the other members, but it doesn’t seem like the case all the time.

==========

You’re in the van with the rest of the boys and the driver. This time, they’re dressed in more formal attire, wearing suits. You’re glad that Yeonjun is a little more confident in himself now that he’s wearing what he wanted, but there’s still that lingering sense of gloom that floats around him.

The driver is playing songs on the radio while the boys are busy playing on their phones. Many overplayed songs play on the radio, some that you are still in love with and others where you’re getting sick of.

BTS’s song plays, and already, you can sense Yeonjun feeling uncomfortable. His raises his shoulders, scratching his head more than usual. You can see his distraught being played in the rear-view mirror.

“Excuse me, can you turn off the radio?”

“Oh yea, sure.” He turns it off.

You look back in the mirror, and he’s look like he’s fine, though a little disturbed. He clears his throat, looking at the reflection in his mirror and fixing his hair. Every time the driver hits a bump, Yeonjun would look at his phone’s camera’s portrait mode to fix his hair.

 Drawing near the red carpet, the boys get ready to prepare for their walk. They can already hear hundreds of screams, and it only gets louder as they get closer. They check themselves one last time, making sure that every detail is perfect. Through the windows, there are fans screaming and waving at them.

“Alright, good luck, guys! Go make the crowd go wild!” You cheer them on.

They cheer back right as the car parks. In an instant, they shut their mouths, preparing for flashing lights from cameras and the nonsensical screams. They come out one by one, and you wait until they’ve walked enough so that you can enter. You don’t like being in the spotlight, so you rather distance yourself from situations such as these.

Just as planned, the boys stride through the red carpet professionally, waving and throwing finger hearts at fans. Once the crowd turn their heads away from your direction, you speed out of the car, wearing your face mask and parka to hide your identity. You speed to the backdrop where the five boys stand and pose for the hosts of the red carpet.

Behind the photo scene, you watch from behind as a barrage of camera flashes blind your vision. You can barely make shape of the members’ bodies. Judging how the situation is going, they seem to be handling it well. This isn’t the first time they were in front of this many cameras on a carpet walkway, so it’s not surprising that they’re doing well on their own.

“As BTS’s juniors, they’re doing amazing by breaking records of their own and standing out internationally, as well as in Korea. Coming back to the spotlight after two delays of their comeback, they returned with their first full-length album The Dream Chapter: Magic. It’s extremely rare that a rookie group is able to release a full album so soon, so they have a lot to show their fans. And speaking of fans, please pose for them, Tomorrow by Together!” The male host announces.

And doing what they’re told, they immediately start posing, raising their hands up to make hearts. They tilt their heads, some of them smiling and others, like Beomgyu and Yeonjun, making serious expressions. Fans are cheering for them, jumping and waving their hands at them but also hiding their faces behind cameras larger than their heads. They even have built-in lenses that are so large that it makes the cameras look like telescopes.

“Is there anything you would like to tell your fans?” The male host passes the microphone to Yeonjun.

He takes it, waving before taking a second to think about what he wants to say. “First of all, thank you to the MOAs who have been supporting us with our newest title track, 9 and Three Quarters. We worked very hard and put all our passion into each song in the album, so we would really appreciate it if every one of you also sup—”

Suddenly, someone throws an egg at Yeonjun, aimed perfectly at his head. The shell cracks into a million pieces, the raw components splattering all over his face. While the crowd gasps in horror, Yeonjun is in complete shock. During their years of training to deal with not only being exposed to passionate fans but also hate groups.

Among the crowd is a woman wearing sunglasses, a face mask, and a black beanie. She’s wearing all in black and is holding a carton of eggs in her arms.

“YOU’RE A PARASITE TO BTS. YOU LEECH OFF OF THEM TO MAKE EFFORTLESS CASH. THEY WORKED SO HARD ONLY FOR YOU TO TAKE IT AWAY. YOU DIDN’T DESERVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD. YOU’RE ALL FUCKING SCUM AND DESERVE TO DIE IN A SHITHOLE.”

She grabs more eggs to throw at Yeonjun. Bodyguards are sprinting toward her, but with so many people in the way, it’s taking longer to get to her. The staff from behind the backdrop, including you, are rushing onto the scene to grab the boys. But Yeonjun is furthest away from the exit, and the host next to him has ran off. In a state of panic, the staff and guards can only think about saving the idols who are closest to them, but no one is running to Yeonjun.

He’s frozen in shock, still processing what just happened as the egg whites drip from his hair. Even though everything is moving fast, it’s like time has slowed down, giving you milliseconds to think about your next moves. But some of her eggs fail to reach Yeonjun like the first attempt. With the guards tailing in on her, she dashes toward him, grabbing a fan’s large, expensive camera, lunging it back and readying it to hit Yeonjun with it.

Then that’s when Yeonjun’s bright, loving smile flashes through your mind. You thought about all the times you’ve spent with him laughing, playing games, and eating junk food with him. He used to be so happy, and it made your chest warm when you saw him in love with being an idol.

So…when did it start falling apart?

And the last frame in your mind was the first time you’ve ever seen him cry. All alone and on the ground, begging for his stress to go away. He repeats over and over that he wants to give up—the same trainee that was ranked number one, the same guy who everyone dismisses his five years of brutal training as ‘his seniors’ privileged little brother’, the same boy who you disliked because you made an assumption about him before you got to know him.

The next thing you know, you’re standing in between Yeonjun and the camera that the woman has thrown. In that brief moment, you and Yeonjun make eye contact. He looks so scared, like a child who’s been traumatized. But you don’t want him to keep making that face, so in the midst of the chaos, you smile, letting him know that everything will be alright.

Then your vision turns black.

==========

You clasp onto the door frame, your mouth hanging open. You thought you heard Yeonjun wrong. This is the same guy who you thought that he’s full of himself. But to see him on the ground, crying his eyes out, it was like reality hitting you really hard that trainee life can take a toll even on the most gifted of trainees, even Yeonjun.

“What did you say?” Unbeknownst to you, there was another person in the room. It’s their main choreography coach. “You’re quitting? You’re more pathetic than I thought.”

His coach crouches, knocking on Yeonjun’s head harshly.

“You’re so full of yourself that you’ve forgotten how much you’re a fucking sore eye to watch when you dance. Your feet and back is hurting? Bullshit. Those are excuses that quitters make. You think you can keep being number one with that mindset?”

How have you’ve never seen this up until now? How can this crude man be considered a coach?

“I’m sorry, I won’t say it again.” Yeonjun mutters as he sniffs, but he hasn’t stopped crying.

“Might as well make Taehyun number one. He’s doing great and he doesn’t whine like you. And he’s pretty young, too. He’ll top you in no time, and you’ll be last because you’re incompetent.”

Even bringing up the other members makes you sick. There’s something twisted about how he puts down Yeonjun’s spirit by comparing him to the other boys. While competition is great, this is just outright creating unnecessary rivalry. It now makes sense why Yeonjun distanced himself from the other boys; it was the work of this man. He made him fear his own teammates.

“Sitting around and shitting yourself isn’t going to make you a better dancer. Get the fuck up and keep practicing.”

But Yeonjun is hesitant to get up which irritates the coach.

“What are you still doing? Get. Up.”

“But…sir…it’s almost lunch time. The other members are back in the room…and they’re waiting for me.”

“Do I hear a goddamn wimp talking again?”

He immediately shakes his head. “No.”

“Then get up and stop crying. I’ll let you eat when you’ve finished thinking about what you did wrong. Besides…” he pinches Yeonjun’s cheeks. “No girl wants a guy who has fat on their face.”

He swipes Yeonjun’s face away, getting up and stomping out of the room. In the brink of time, you were able to hide behind the door while he walks out. He does what he’s told and gets up, and you cover your mouth when you realize the horror that’s been going on behind the scenes.

You can’t just hide. You want to talk to him, you want to know if he’s okay. If this is how their coach treats Yeonjun, you can’t imagine what he does to the other members.

You peek your head into the room, seeing as he’s already returns to dancing. He’s rubbing his feet and back like it’s in pain. You never noticed this before, but he has a lot of scars and burises on his arms and legs, most likely from excessive practicing. Some are old, some are new. He’s always worn long sleeves during practice and filming, at least long enough to hide them.

However, you’ve been staring for too long that you catch Yeonjun’s attention. You both are startled, but Yeonjun immediately wipes his eyes to hide his wet eyes.

“Wh-what are you doing here? I thought you were with the rest.”

You shake your head. “I came here to let you know that we’re going to get lunch.”

“It’s okay, I’m not hungry.”

You curl your lips inward, trying to fight the urge to cry. You don’t want to make it seem like you eavesdropped, but it’s too late.

“You…heard everything, didn’t you?”

You don’t reply.

“Ah…so embarrassing…”

“I’m…sorry.” You murmur.

“What?”

“I didn’t know.”

You step forward, falling into Yeonjun’s arms. He’s confused, trying to push you away, but you won’t let him.

“What are you sorry for?”

You’re not sorry for listening to their conversation. You’re sorry for making the wrong assumption about him. Because of that, you deemed him as the villain who only wants to win for himself. You feel immensely guilty for pushing him aside without putting much thought. But now looking back, you were wrong for making up thoughts based on how he acted and look.

“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that that coach is fired.”

“Wh-what…? You don’t have to.”

“No! I have to! I don’t want you to debut with that way of thinking! You’re better than what he makes you to be.”

He’s at a loss of words. He’s hesitant about putting his arms around you, but he ultimately does it. His hands are shaking so much, and you aren’t sure if it’s because of malnourishment from extreme dieting or if he’s scared.

“I’m okay…really…” Yeonjun chuckles as he fails to fight back his tears. “I’m okay…I’m fine. I’m fine…I’m…okay…I’m…not…”

He starts crying louder and louder, though not too loud so the coach can hear. He lowers his back, though slowly because his spine is in excruciating pain from so much dancing. He buries his face into your shoulder, sobbing. He clutches onto the back of your shirt, not wanting to let go of this warmth. You can tell by how awkward he wraps his arms around you that he doesn’t hug that often.

Those years of pressure to keep up with his reputation is catching up to him. Everyone may think he’s a super trainee who will undoubtedly succeed, but at the end of the day, he’s still a trainee. You may never fully know what he exactly endured, but imagine five years, 1,825 days, that he had to suffer thinking that he’ll never debut. His naïve dreams of inspiring others with his performances slowly diminishing as time went by, fleeting into dust when he realizes that he may never debut.

That’s why he’s so conceited—hiding away his anxiety and fears of never being able to show the world those five years of torturous training. He built himself up so high because he wanted to believe that he’ll make it, and he wanted to convince others of that too because he never truly did. In the darkness, he was scared that the scars he received, the mental beatings, and the physical pains were for nothing. After all, a narcissistic person tries to hide his flaws rather than having enough confidence to help others.

He was so deep in his vicious thoughts that he forgot what it was like to be comforted. That’s probably why he’s holding onto you so tightly, because he’s afraid that he won’t have another chance to feel this vulnerable. What started as a rocky relationship, he became your harsh reality of the music industry, but you have become his therapy.

But this escape-therapy can only go so far.

==========

You regain consciousness, and the first thing you see is a white ceiling. You hear a monitor beating to your side. You turn your head, seeing the four boys sitting next to you. They’re all frozen, like they can’t believe that you’re awake.

“MANAGER!! I…! You…! Alive!!” Soobin bursts into tears.

He throws himself onto you, losing your breath because of his heavy weight pressing against your chest. Your heart rate increases on the motor, so Huening Kai immediately pulls him off of you.

“Are you trying to kill her?!”

“I’m…I’m…I’m…just so happy!” He’s like a broken faucet that can’t stop crying.

Beomgyu and Taehyun are also crying, though Taehyun tries to hide it with his hand. It doesn’t help when you can see his tears landing on his lap.

“How are you feeling?!” Beomgyu asks.

“I’m…so sleepy…Where am I?” You try getting up.

But Huening Kai pushes your shoulders back down. “Don’t get up! You need all the rest you can get.”

After wiping the tears away, Taehyun clears his throat. “A criminal threw a camera at Yeonjun-hyung, but you managed to get in between, but you ended up getting hurt and got an injury to the head.”

“Calling her a criminal is a bit too much…” Huening Kai states.

“Too much or not, she still committed a crime because she had intent on harming us, especially our hyung. If we weren’t in public, then I would’ve done anything to stop her. But my ideas would’ve sent me to prison.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“IDIOT!!!” Beomgyu shouts suddenly.

His loud voice startles you, creating a spike in your heartbeat monitor. You’re jokingly beginning to think that them being in the room with you is going to do more harm to your body.

“Why did you try to tried acting like a hero?! During times like that, you have to save yourself!!” He keeps on crying and let his nose run.

Honestly, you don’t know either. Your feet moved on its own, and your only goal was to ensure Yeonjun’s safety. And speaking of Yeonjun, he’s nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Yeonjun?”

“Yeonjun-hyung…he…” Huening Kai pauses.

“Hyung is back at the dorms. Because of the assault, we had to temporarily pause activity in the meantime. We were also checked and we’re fine.”

“But Hyung…” Beomgyu trails off.

Your heart drops, fearing for the worse.

“He—”

“He was just a little startled,” Taehyun continues. “He’s taking a break in the dorms right now.”

You sigh in relief. The anticipation was really killing you. It makes sense that he’s still a little shaken up because the threat was aimed toward him, after all. But despite the assurance, you can’t help but worry.

“Is it okay to leave him by himself…?” You ask.

“We were just about to leave to check on him. We’ll let the nurses know that you woke up and we’ll be on our way. We’ll text you if something comes up.” Taehyun says.

Soobin, who’s still riddled with tears, places his hands over yours. “Manager, please eat a lot. Call us immediately if something happens. Text us through Kakao, but if you absolutely have to, then use our actual phone number. Don’t try to do anything on your own and have the nurses assist you. And I know how much you stress out about us, so every morning, afternoon, and evening, I’m going to remind you not to worry. If it makes you feel better, I’ll leave voicemails about what each of us did for that day too. Here, I’ll set up three alarm clocks to remind myself to text you every day.”

Right as he whips his phone out, you raise your hand up to stop him. “N-no, it’s okay.”

“Okay, we’ll be leaving.” Huening Kai winks at you.

“Call me when you guys make it back to the dorms.”

“Yes, yes worry-wart.”

==========

“Why did you lie to her?!” Beomgyu shouts.

“I didn’t want to lie, but I thought it was better that way,” Taehyun crosses his arms.

“But she’s already concerned for Hyung as it is. Lying won’t make it any better!!” Beomgyu’s loud voice draws attention.

Panicked, Soobin shushes him. “Beomgyu, please! People are staring.”

“You do realize that if we tell her, then all she’s ever gonna try and do is sneak out of the hospital and look for him on his own, right? She won’t listen to us if we still that Hyung still comes home every night.”

“But…he’s gone all day, and we don’t know where he goes. We’ve already tried talking to him, but he won’t listen to us!!”

“I think Taehyun’s right,” Huening Kai raises his hand. “At least for now, we should at least keep it a secret until she’s recovered. It’ll just stress her out even more if we tell her now.”

“I agree with the both of them.” Soobin also votes.

Beomgyu looks at the three of them, unable to believe they would continue with this falsity. However, they do have a point. Your stress levels have definitely spiked ever since their comeback, and adding more to that isn’t going to make you rest, but freak out more.

“Al…alright. But we have to tell her soon!”

“Yes, we will,” Taehyun says. “Just. Don’t. Tell. Her.”

He warns all of them, but particularly at Beomgyu. Even though Taehyun says that, he has a strong feeling that Beomgyu will give in to the weight.

==========

Thankfully, the injury to your head isn’t that serious. For the next two days, you remain in the hospital to double check that you can function properly without any disruptions to your brain.

Unsurprisingly, the attack became international news. Accusations were placed everywhere, with fans blaming the awards ceremony for not having high security. Even though fan outrage is to be expected, getting angry over it can’t undo what has already happened. In your opinion, you wish that rather than focusing their attention toward blaming the ceremony, they should be more focused on the wellbeing of the boys. Thankfully, there are fans who worry more about them than award show functionality.

For the last two days, the boys have been taking a short hiatus. They can’t even enter the Big Hit building because there are so many journalists crowding at every entrance. To the best of your luck, Big Hit has never publically shared which hospital you’re staying at, so there are no journalists anywhere here. It makes it easier for the members to visit you during their free time.

Just as Soobin promised, he’s been updating you about the boys. They seem to be doing well, even sending you an entire essay about each member in exquisite detail, with the exception of Yeonjun. For him, Soobin would keep it very vague, and it doesn’t make matters any better when Yeonjun’s the only person who hasn’t visited you. They keep telling you that he’s fine, but you want to see it for yourself.

 “Yay! You’re leaving tomorrow morning!” Beomgyu claps his hands.

Today, it’s only Beomgyu who came. Huening Kai and Taehyun had to stay after school to make up a few tests that they missed, and Soobin had already visited you in the morning. Beomgyu is still in his school uniform and he brought some candy for you snack on.

“Yea, I feel like I was going insane being cooped up in this room all day. I guess it’s true that when you see the color white all the time, it makes you go crazy.” You laugh.

“But just because you leave the hospital doesn’t mean that you should go back to your usual routine. Take things slowly. I can play as the manager while you heal!” Beomgyu points to himself with his thumb.

“Uh…it’s okay. If you’re the manager, then the group is going to be in shambles within weeks,” you elbow him. “I’m just kidding. Thanks for volunteering to do that though. That’s mature of you to take responsibility.”

“Anything for you.” Beomgyu holds your hand and sways it up and down as he giggles.

He lets go of your hand then looks out the window, exhaling carbon. The skies are covered with gray clouds.

“Ah…I hope the sky becomes happier when you leave. I want the entire world to be happy when you get out!”

You chuckle. “That’s so adorable. Thank you.”

“But I do hope that this bad weather makes the news reporters just leave was alone. They’ve been camping out in front of the building.”

“Oh yea, on the same topic as that, no one’s been harassing you guys about the whole ordeal, right?”

He shakes his head. “These big scary guards have been protecting us, so we’ve been protected very well.”

“And how’s Yeonjun?”

Beomgyu freezes. You wait for him to reply, but when he takes longer than he should, that’s when you realize that something’s going on.

“…He is doing fine…right?”

“Ye…yea…! He is! He’s terrific, fine, excellent, phenomenal, exuberant!”

But you aren’t convinced. “Beomgyu, don’t lie to me.”

“I-I’m not lying!” He laughs nervously. “Why would I lie to you?”

“Please, tell me the truth.”

With your serious yet calmly desperate tone, he can’t hide it anymore. After a few days of keeping it a secret, he has to tell you. “Hyung has been going out a lot. We don’t know where he goes, but when we ask, he won’t tell us. When he does come home, he goes straight to bed and sleeps until he gets up and repeats.”

“What? Are you telling me that he goes by himself with no guards?”

“W-well…”

“Is he out right now?”

“I don’t know…I think so?”

You throw the blanket off of yourself, moving your legs off of the bed before Beomgyu places his hands on your shoulders to prevent you from getting out. “What are you doing??”

“I’m gonna go look check on him.”

“Are you nuts?! You haven’t been discharged yet, and you’re leaving?!”

“Yes, so let me go.”

“I can’t! Agh…I knew I shouldn’t have said anything. Manager, please don’t try and go. We’re all worried as it is.”

“What?”

“Taehyun told me that we should keep it a secret from you because we want you to rest. We’re already troubled having to find Yeonjun-hyung, and we’ll just get even more worried if you push your body.”

You paid so much attention on Yeonjun that you pushed the other boys aside. The pained expression on Beomgyu’s face says it all—the situation that both you and Yeonjun are in is taking a toll on them too. They may act like it isn’t bothering them when it clearly is; they’re trying their best to do what they can.

You put your legs back under the blanket begrudgingly. “Okay…I’m sorry, Beomgyu.”

He sighs in relief, glad that Taehyun won’t have to get upset. “Is there anything I can do for you? I have to go back to the dorms after.”

“No, I’m good. You can go now. Thanks for stopping by and giving me candy. I don’t think I can last another meal with hospital food.” You laugh.

Although you’re trying to lighten the mood, Beomgyu can sense that you’re still troubled. He pretends like he didn’t notice and forces an obvious fake laugh.

“O…okay. Please text us if you need anything. I’ll be going now.”

Beomgyu leaves and closes the door. Now alone, you think about what to do. Sneaking out of the hospital isn’t going to make things better, even though you really want to. For now, you can only wait until you’re discharged from the hospital.

Or…that’s what they want you to think. Your instincts tell you that if you don’t do something right now, then you’re going to regret it.

==========

“WHAT?!”

Soobin shushes Beomgyu.

“Mi-mi-mi-missing?! What are we gonna do?! Does Taehyun and Huening Kai know about this?? A-and, Manager, she—”

“Seriously, calm down, Beomgyu! They don’t know about it. I think it’s better not to tell them until they come back. As for Manager…I don’t know.”

“We have to let her know!” Beomgyu takes his phone out. “I literally told her that he’s fine!”

“W-wait, let’s think about it first.”

“That’s what we’ve been doing! We kept thinking about it that it drove Yeonjun to go missing!!”

As the leader, Soobin is trying to remain calm, but inside, he doesn’t know what to do either. He feels awful that he kept this hidden from you. However, making you panic isn’t going to make things better either.

He thought about calling the police, but with the media already on their tails, he doesn’t want to cause more trouble and create an even bigger scene.

“I’m going to tell Manager.” Beomgyu dials your phone number.

“Beomgyu—”

“What?! Are you going to tell me to keep it on the down low again?! Sorry, Hyung, but I can’t. I don’t want to keep hiding from each other anymore. I don’t want to disappoint her again.”

Soobin is hesitant, but Beomgyu is right. “…Okay, you call her and I’ll let the younger two know,” he looks out the window, seeing as it started raining. “I just hope Hyung is safe…”

Beomgyu lets his phone ring for a while. After five rings, that’s when he knew that there’s something going on with you. Whenever it’s one of the boys who’s calling, you would pick up immediately unless there was an emergency. And since you’re not picking up your phone…

“H-Hyung…she’s not picking up. Wh-what should we do?!”

==========

You don’t know how, but you miraculously escaped the hospital. Thankfully, the members left some of your sweaters for you in case you got cold, so you were able to hide your patient uniform and leave without anybody noticing. Your hospital bed doesn’t have an alarm, so you were able to get up without having to alert the nurses.

But what you didn’t have was an umbrella. Within seconds in the rain, you’re soaked. And even though you set out in search of Yeonjun, you don’t know where to start. You left your phone in the hospital, so there’s no way you get contact him—that is if he doesn’t ignore your calls or messages.

With the day drawing towards its end, the skies grow darker with the clouds raining heavier. Less people are on the streets, only drunkards waddling back to their homes and college students coming back from restaurants.

You run around the city, passing through citizens who may look like him but to your dismay, he isn’t any of them. From head to toe, you’re drenched. Even your slippers are too wet to keep your feet dry. With each footstep, the pressure put onto the slipper squeezes some water out, only for it to soak up more.

You want to call his name, but you’re afraid that by doing so, it’ll call attention. While he may have dyed his hair blue, he is most likely hiding it to avoid being recognized. Everything is playing against you, and it makes you agonize in your lonesome worries—that you’ll probably won’t be able to find him.

It pains you to think about all this might’ve been avoidable. Maybe if you didn’t push aside his problems, then this wouldn’t have happened. Of course, the attack at the red carpet was unforeseeable, but perhaps the smallest of decisions before that might’ve changed some decisions.

And looking back in the past, to trace your steps to the places you’ve been with him. It might be pointless, but it’s the best you can do. Standing at the dead center of the sidewalk, you scour through your memories, from the convenience store to the variety shows. Of all places, there was one place that stood out to you. It might’ve have very little significance at the time, but after putting everything together, it oddly makes sense. With a destination in mind, you run.

==========

At the toy store, it’s long since been closed for the day, but just as you thought, Yeonjun is there. You’re overwhelmed with an array of emotions, relieved that he’s okay but also concerned to see him just as wet as you. He’s crouching next to a trash bin next to the store like he’s inspecting something.

“Yeon…!” You stop yourself before calling his name.

But he heard you clearly. He can recognize your voice from a mile away, but he doesn’t react whatsoever. It’s only when you stand behind him when he turns around. Even though it’s the same person, his eyes have bags underneath. His hair is a mess, matted to his forehead from the rain. His nose, cheeks, and ears are red, but is skin and lips have lost color. When you trace your eyes down to his hands, he’s holding something.

You snap out of your trance, shaking your head then crouching to his level. “What are you doing here?!”

“…(Y/N)?” He mutters a small chuckle. “Ah…I’m hallucinating now. You should be in the hospital.”

Cradled in his hands is the V doll that you two saw days ago. It’s out of its box now, but it has black dirt all over its clothes and face. It has lost some of its plastic hair, revealing a few bald spots with holes.

“Wh-why do you have that? Come on, let’s go.”

You try helping him up, but he refuses to move. He even shoves your hands off of him.

“Hey, (Y/N). Guess what I just found out?” Yeonjun smiles, though the ends of his lips twitch. “For the past few days, I came here to make sure that someone would buy this poor doll and give it affection. I didn’t want to buy it because I wanted someone else to prove that a doll like this can be loved. Every, single, day, people would pass by this doll and aren’t willing to end its loneliness. And you know what? Just a few hours ago, the owner of the store was clearing out his clearance toys and threw them out, and this doll was one of them.”

He’s talking like a mad man. But his grin slowly twists into a sour expression as he bites his bottom lip.

“It fell out of its box and got dirty. It became nothing more than another piece of trash. And it made me open my eyes: the reason why this doll can’t be loved is because it’s just an imitation of the real V-sunbaenim! There are millions of V copycats, just like this doll, and none of them will ever match his level of superiority. People fall in love with the real V-sunbaenim, not this, so it’s obvious that they want the real one,” he squeezes the doll so tight that the limbs begin to misshapen. “The fake one is just temporary. The fakes are always the ones who are left behind…”

That’s when it hits you; Yeonjun isn’t talking about the millions of factory-made dolls of Taehyung, or any of the other BTS members in that regards.

But himself.

“Ever since our debut, I kept having demented thoughts…I supported my seniors, but deep down…I wanted them to fail. I wanted them see them crash and burn because…the more successful they became, the more pressure that came upon us. And I hate myself for being selfish! But…I’m more scared of disappointing the people…our fans…that I can’t live up to their expectations.”

You’re so shocked that you can’t say anything. All this bottled up emotions has been eating him up, and it’s scaring you.

“If we tried our best, we got hated because they think we’re trying to top our seniors, but if we didn’t live up to their expectations, then we were accused of being privileged and lazy.”

His eyes are turning swollen, and he can’t stop crying. He covers his eyes the palm of his hands, wailing in pain.

“I didn’t become a performer only to continue someone else’s dreams! (Y/N)…I can’t take it anymore…”

No, he’s doing it again.

“I can’t…”

Don’t say it.

“I want to give up—”

“YEONJUN!” You shout from the top of your lungs.

You grab his cheeks, shaking him violently. His face is so icy—so cold that it could give you frostbites. While he’s sitting, you’re standing on your knees, hovering over him small body.

“Get those thoughts out of your head! Don’t ever say that you want to give up! You will make your own mark!! You’re going to go on stage and prove to yourself that you’re not Taehyung from BTS, but Yeonjun from Tomorrow by Together. And…and…”

You can’t hold back your tears either, letting all your emotions out as well.

“I’ll be there…supporting you…Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai. Because we’re a team, and we help each other out.”

You pull him in for a hug, and his head is nuzzled on your shoulder. When he tries to fight you off of him, you don’t let go.

“They may compare you to Taehyung, and they can hate you for all we care. But you’ll never be Taehyung.”

You pull him back, smiling.

“And he can never be you, either. Just like how there’s only one Kim Taehyung from BTS, there’s only one Choi Yeonjun from TXT, and that’s you.”

His eyes widen, then within seconds, he bursts into tears. He hides his face in your chest, sobbing like a child. He drops the doll to hold onto you. Despite you shivering too, your body gives so much warmth, and he doesn’t want to let go.

Having to grow up into the cruelty known as the entertainment world where the agencies and audience has the right to control their lives, Yeonjun could never cry in pain. His fears hold him back from ever revealing his vulnerable side because he’s the ‘number one trainee of Big Hit’. A title so high like that, he had to pretend to be a man who can stand tall. But…as time went by, it broke him bit by bit. He was constantly compared and belittled, and it hurt him more than anyone could ever imagine.

“(Y/N)…I don’t want to let go. I’m scared…I’m scared of the world, myself, everything.”

“It’s okay…don’t worry.”

“I don’t hate my seniors…I don’t hate our fans…I just hate…how the world works.”

“Don’t beat yourself up anymore. You don’t have to be so hard on yourself. You deserve to eat whatever you want, dress however you want, and be the person you want to be. They can judge you, but they can’t define you. Now, let’s go back home.”

==========

Many hours later back in the dorms, the four members are standing by the bedroom door. They want to check, but they don’t want to disrupt you and Yeonjun. You two have been in there for hours. But even with the warnings of the other members, Beomgyu is antsy.

“Why can’t I just look?”

“No! They’re probably tired and just want to be left alone.” Soobin steps in between Beomgyu and the door.

Beomgyu groans. “Those two have been doing crazy things, and I can’t take a break.”

“Lower your voice. They’re most likely sleeping.” Taehyun shushes.

“…Okay…” he sighs. “But just a peek.”

Beomgyu steps around Soobin and tries to open the door.

“No!” Huening Kai pulls him away. “It’s forbidden to intervene in such an intimate moment.”

“…You calling it ‘intimate’ is just making me even more nervous! What if Yeonjun-hyung is, you know, doing things to her?!”

“They both came back to the dorms drenched in rain, potentially sick from being exposed to germs, and that’s what you’re worried about?” Taehyun raises an eyebrow.

“Manager has been in the bedroom for a long time…” Soobin plays with his fingers. “Who would’ve ever thought that they had an awkward relationship from the beginning?”

“Eh? They did?” Beomgyu asks, oblivious.

“Of course. They wanted nothing to do with each other. I don’t know when, but they became friends out of nowhere.”

“It’s even weirder that Yeonjun-hyung didn’t like her at first, but look at him now,” Taehyun crosses his arms. “He’s completely infatuated with her.”

Beomgyu stares at the boys, wide-eyed. “…WHAT?! Ye-Ye-Yeonjun-hyung l-l-likes Manager?! Since when?!”

“You couldn’t tell?” Huening Kai laughs. “He makes it very obvious. There are times when he becomes a vicious wolf when we hog her too much…”

“Manager probably likes him too.” Taehyun adds.

“What…?” Beomgyu looks baffled and disappointed, like he just lost a battle.

“I wouldn’t be surprised…” Kai drags his sentence. “Yeonjun-hyung does have that air of maturity. She probably wants someone like him.”

“…I’m an adult too.” Soobin mutters under his breath.

“I do hope that Yeonjun-hyung does realize that not everybody hates us,” Taehyun turns on his phone, sliding through pages of articles. “We have fans who care about us too. V-sunbaenim also sent us a message in the group chat, asking if we’re okay. He said that he’s even willing to cancel their activity in the U.S. just to visit us…”

“All of our seniors are worried about us. They do treat us too good.” Huening Kai chuckles nervously.

“Oh, I know!” Soobin jumps excitedly. “Before he wakes up, let’s compile all the supportive comments that we’ve received during our hiatus, including some from BTS-sunbaenim.”

“He’s going to cry for sure. There’s so much support from our fans that we can’t count. But…every voice matters, and I kind of want to do that.” Taehyun blushes slightly.

“Yea, yea, let’s do it!!!!” Soobin grabs ahold of Huening Kai and swings him back and forth.

“Gah! Hyung, let me go!!”

==========

Even though the boys are trying to leave you and Yeonjun alone to rest, they’re doing a poor job at it. You’ve been trying to fall asleep, but with their loud voices, it’s nearly impossible. However, you can’t help but find it endearing, disliking them is even more impossible.

You’ve been sitting by Yeonjun’s bed, having changed out of your patient uniform and into clothes that Soobin rushed to buy just for you. Yeonjun has been sleeping since he was showing signs of a fever. The entire time, he wouldn’t let go of your hand, and you’ve been holding it since.

When you look at him, Yeonjun has been awake for a while, but you don’t know when he woke up. He’s on his phone, scrolling through his feed.

“Oh, you’re not sleeping?”

He shakes his head. “How am I supposed to sleep with all the ruckus?”

You snicker. “True. I’m sure they’re just worried.”

“Yea, and I feel bad.”

“Hey, no need to feel bad,” You hold onto his hand tighter.

He gazes at you with gentle eyes, brushing your hair behind your ears. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m better than ever.”

“No fever?”

Yeonjun presses his knuckles against your forehead. As he leans a little closer, it makes you timid with how intense his stare is. It’s too much that you had to pull yourself away.

“How are you feeling?” You avert your eyes, scratching your forehead.

“Well…I’m dying.”

“What?! Wh-what should I do? Ah…we have to go to the hospital. Where’s my phone???”

“I’m dying of embarrassment. I can’t believe I broke down in front of you again.”

You’re still before it finally hits you that it was somewhat of a joke. “Jesus Christ, Yeonjun! You scared me!”

“Seriously! My pride’s been ruined, and now I don’t think I can ever recover. I vowed that I would never appear weak in front of you again.”

You chuckle. “What’s wrong with that? We’re all human.”

“Yea but…it makes it seem needy. I want to be able to take care of you too.”

“You’ve done enough for me too.”

“Going to the store with you doesn’t count.”

“It counts to me!”

“No,” he sets his phone down, cupping your cheek so you can look at him.

With that brief eye contact, it’s already enough to make you all worked up. Your heartbeat becomes rapid, and your anxiousness has risen. You try to turn away, but he doesn’t allow you to do so, turning your head back to him.

“I’m going to prove that I’m not who the media thinks I am, some innocent boy. Don’t forget that I’m twenty-one. There are things that I crave too, you know?”

“L-like what?”

Take smirks. “Take a guess.”

He brings his face closer to yours. You flinch, but you don’t fight it. Your face turns as red as a tomato, so embarrassed that you can’t look at him in the face. He loves seeing you flustered because, for once, it seems like you’re able to see him as a man, not a child.

“Yeonjun…the boys are in the living room. We…we shouldn’t…”

“Let them catch us.”

“Wh-what??”

“If you’re so worried about them, then I’ll stop.”

But you’re hesitant, clearly expressing that you don’t want to turn him down. It makes Yeonjun smirk.

“They already know that I called dibs on you a long time ago.”

“L-long time ago?!” You give him a surprised look. “Since when—”

And without warning, Yeonjun presses his lips against yours. His eyes are closed, the soft sensation of his lips create fireworks in your chest. There’s no gap in between, your face brushed against his, and while he’s breathing steadily, you hold your breath.

He pulls back slowly, almost wanting to go again but stopping before he can’t control himself. Your entire face has burned up so much that he could’ve sworn he saw steam coming out of your ears. He laughs, finding you absolutely adorable.

“I’ll give my everything to the media, our real fans, and especially you, what I’m made of. I can promise you that.”

It’s been so long since you last saw confidence in his eyes. In fact, you don’t ever recall seeing him as confident as this. He always pulled through challenges with a wink of doubt, never none. As flustered as you are with this sudden kiss, you’re nevertheless happy that he’s found his footing again.

“(Y/N), and I’ll make sure that everybody knows that I like—”

“MANAGER! I’M GOING TO SAVE YOU!!”

Beomgyu’s abrupt shouting startles both you and Yeonjun as he tries to unlock the door. You two can hear Soobin and Huening Kai struggle to get him off the door as the knob twists side to side.

“Is he hurting you!? He is, isn’t he?! I always knew Hyung was a fox in sheep’s clothing!!”

“It’s wolf, not fox!!” Soobin corrects him.

You and Yeonjun look at each other with confused looks, but then it turns into sweet laughter.

You don’t know what the future holds for you and the five boys. This isn’t going to be the last time people will send hate toward them. It hasn’t been long since their debut, so they have a long way before they can show how strong they are. Regardless, each obstacle is a test for them to fight back against those who try to pull them down.

The future may be foggy, but there’s a purpose with why you became their manager. You and the boys have come together with the same dream of touching the hearts of many, reaching for a better tomorrow. They may have their ups and downs, but it’s these flaws that they’ll learn to grow and become a better and more confident version of themselves. They don’t know when the day will come, but for now, they’ll enjoy their journey.

“That’s what you said last time, and the time before. This isn’t a healthy habit!”

“Geez, stop being a goody-two shoes, Manager. You gotta live life to the fullest.”

“Sneaking out to buy candy and snacks isn’t living to the fullest…”

“Whatever, mood killer.”

“What??”

“Nothing.” He playfully replies.

You punch him on the arm, laughing along with him.

During the midst of practice, the members were craving for something—anything—to eat. Unable to bear hearing the cries of hunger from the members, you volunteered to sneak in some food from the cafeteria. Minho, who usually maintains his diet pretty well, also raised his hand up to go with you and even persuaded you to get junk food from his favorite convenience store. While you did retaliate at first, you ended up going along with it and immediately regretted it.

You sigh. “We should’ve gone to the cafeteria instead.”

“Why?”

“I think we’ve been out for too long. What if the CEO sees us sneaking in with these bags?”

“He’s currently overseas, so don’t worry about it! Besides, all they have is salad tonight and I don’t feel like eating it.”

“But what about—”

“You worry way too much!”

Minho wraps an arm around you, pulling you in for a hug. You nearly stumbled but was able to catch yourself. When you look up, your face is nearly centimeters away from him. You heart stops beating, and when Minho smiles, your heart skips a beat. You move away, pressing the ice cream on your cheek so that it can cool down.

“I-I just want to be safe.”

His smile fades away and becomes serious. There are moments when Minho enjoys playing around with you, and he knows that you get shy easily. You always tell him to stop, but your warning goes in one ear and out the other.

“Oh, come on, are you really that upset that we didn’t go to the cafeteria?”

You shake your head. “I’m not upset, I’m just scared,” you chuckle nervously. “But it’s still nice to spend some quality time with you.”

He doesn’t respond immediately. “Mm-hmm, it’s hard to talk to you without having the other guys interrupting. We should hang out more like this another day.”

“We should! I haven’t seen your cats in such a long time.”

“I said that we should hang out with each other, not you with my cats.”

“But I spend less time with them compared to you. I’m just kidding. But back to the point, I really like hanging out with all of you guys, but I’d like to spend time with each and every one of you.”

“Hey, hey, hey, just me, okay?”

You laugh. “You sound like an obsessive boyfriend, but wouldn’t you consider this be considered as our first date?”

He stares at you blankly, pausing before replying. “No. This isn’t a date. But since you brought that up, yea, let’s do it.”

“Do what?”

“Go on a date. Just us two, alone, nobody else. You and me. (L/N) (Y/N) and Lee Minho.”

“What?!” You immediately cover your mouth to avoid grabbing attention. “What…??” You whisper.

“We’re not doing it because we’re romantically interested in each other right? It’s just for fun, but we’re really going as ‘friends’.”

You don’t know how you two got from talking about snacks to going on a date. You almost laughed to lighten the mood, but seeing how serious his face is, you have a feeling that he isn’t joking. You weren’t thinking as the next hangout to be considered as a date, but since you’ve never gone on a date before, so you thought, why not?

“Sure.”

He extends his pinky finger. “Alright, promise me?”

You find this a little cute. Minho, a fully grown adult, wanting to do a pinky promise with you. You grin from ear-to-ear, curling your small pinky with his. “Promise!”

But…amidst the fun, unbeknownst to you and Minho, there’s a strange man wearing a face mask and cap, hiding his identity and crouching behind a bush, taking pictures of you and him together.

==========

It’s been a day since you snuck out with Minho, and now you’re in the building just coming out from a meeting. It was a briefing to schedule a day to go a radio show that they usually go on for every comeback. Usually, the members are a part of the meeting, but they’re so busy with dance practice that you decided to cover it for them. They’ve gone on the show so much that the producers from the radio are familiar with them.

You look through the schedule on your tablet, seeing how busy they’re going to be next week. You sigh, not excited to see them overworked. They already lack sleep and a member is always receiving a new injury every day, but with the inclusion of going on shows and having cameras on them constantly is just another add-on to their stress. Then again, this is a part of their job, and the best you can do is try to make it as easy as possible for them.

“Miss (Y/N).” Calling from behind you is the head of the casting department’s secretary, Miss Choi.

You give her a polite smile, bowing slightly. “Good afternoon!”

“Choi Eunha would like to see you in her office.”

“Right now? I was just about to head to the boys’ practice room.”

“Yes, this is urgent, and she needs you immediately.”

You don’t like the sound of that. You rarely see your boss, and when you do, it’s usually because you get into quarrels with her. It was like that as well when you appointed yourself as Stray Kids’ manager even after she deemed you as too unprepared to handle a boy group.

You sigh, but you also crack a smile. “Okay.”

==========

In Eunha’s office, the walls are covered in dark green wallpaper, shelves filled with music scores, trophies, and how-to books on building successful businesses. Hanging on the walls are photos of when your boss was younger, shaking hands with the J.Y.P. along with other important figures. Her desk has a folder organizer, which is basically a convenient metal divider that holds paper. On the opposite end is her desktop computer.

Sitting on the other side of the mahogany desk is you, your shoulders crunched up as you look around the room that you’ve seen many times before. There’s a stern look on her face, meaning that what she’s about to tell you isn’t going to be in your favor. She types, tapping each key individually with her long, witch nails painted red.

Once she’s done that, she rotates her computer around to show what’s on her screen. “Read this for me. Aloud.”

Displayed in front of you is an online article. There’s the title in bold fonts. “Lee Know of Stray Kids Spotted with an Unidentified Woman at a Convenient Stor—WHAT?!”

You cover your mouth with both your hands in utter shock. Underneath the title is a picture of you and Minho, and his arm is around your neck. You can clearly see a side view of Minho’s face, but thankfully your face has been obscured, only revealing your back. Even then, you were wearing your hoodie over your head, so it isn’t even possible to see you entirely.

But still, it doesn’t solve the issue that you and Minho have been caught together. Judging by this picture alone, you can already sense the enormous amout of backlash from both the entertainment world and the consumers. This speaks high volume that this looks like you and Minho were on a date.

“You should be kissing God’s ass right now that the netizen couldn’t get a picture of your face, but who knows when they’ll dig up your identity. Care to explain why you and Lee Minho were out so late at night?” Without even having to ask her, she’s clearly trying to reserve her anger.

“Uhm…okay…it’s not what it looks like, Ma’am…Minho and I wanted to get some fresh air.”

“And why did you guys decide to go out when you guys could’ve just hung outside the building?”

“Well…uh…you see…the boys were getting hungry. They were starving! So I couldn’t let them practice in that state, so I offered to go buy food for them and Minho tagged along with me.”

But you’re unable to convince her, so she opens her mouth to begin her lecture, but you think of anything to interrupt her. “Look, Ma’am! It’s not what you think!! You know how journalists are!! Ah ha ha…they make things seem more dramatic than usual just to get the clicks. Minho and I weren’t going on a date. They were craving for some snacks, so we went out. That’s all! There’s nothing going on between me and Minho. Absolutely nothing.”

Eunha raises an eyebrow, crossing her eyes as she leans back in her chair. The lack of response makes you anxious, internally begging for her to just say something, anything.

“I know it wasn’t your intention to be caught, and I’m gonna go on the limb and believe that you and Lee Minho aren’t dating. However. You still violated the rules. You should be well aware that, as their manager, you must keep your relationship with them professional.”

“Yes, I know, but—”

“And! During their dieting phase, they must not eat any junk food. I trusted you with that responsibility, but you failed to maintain it.”

“I’m very sorry!” You bow. “This won’t happen again! Please, do whatever you want with me, but don’t punish the boys.”

“Hm…very well. Then I have something in mind for you.”

==========

“What?!” Everybody shouts in unison.

In the dance practice room, the nine boys surround you in a semi-circle. Your head is sow and your shoulders are slumped with shame. Everyone is devastated with the news, but Minho is the one who’s been impacted the most.

“What are we going to do?!” Hyunjin pulls his hair.

“That’s it. We might as well say our goodbyes to each other. We’re not gonna last a week,” Changbin says, like he’s reciting a line from a soap opera. “We’re gonna die.”

“Changbin, it’s not the end of the world. You guys will be fine,” You elbow him playfully, although it was a bit forced. “As much as I don’t want to separate from you guys either, there’s not much we can do.”

Eunha has decided that you will not be with them during their comeback. In order to avoid more gossip, she thought it would be safest if you did work at home, scheduling and making phone calls, and wait until the rumors have died down until you can work with them again. Not only that, but you also can’t text or call them, and if you had something to say, you would have to contact their temporary manager. You can’t even be in the building if they’re in the building as well. You’re practically quarantined from them.

“Isn’t this a bit too much…?” Felix asks with a saddened tone.

“It is…but honestly, this is better than being fired, am I right?” You said that as a joke, but nobody laughs.

“So…no texting? No calling?” Hyunjin asks.

“We can’t even say hi to you?” Seungmin also asks.

You shake your head. “You guys have to pretend that I don’t exist. But don’t worry! It’ll just be temporary. Once the public forgets about it, then I’ll be back in no time. I’ll sure the temp manager will take care of you guys well.”

“But…it’s not gonna the same without you.” Jisung sulks

“Who’s gonna carry my stuff? Our stage clothes? My gaming consoles??” Jeongin tries his best not to panic.

You lower your eyebrows. “Your new manager will do all that for you. And I’m your manager, not your bellboy.”

“I know…but what if the new manager glares at me if I ask him to carry my stuff? At least you understand.”

“Guys, we shouldn’t be whining about it. It’s technically our fault too,” Chan chimes in. “We’re the ones who kept begging for food, and we were well aware of the rules too. The decision has already been made, so what we can do now is continue training and prove that we can do this ourselves!”

“Remember when Chan had to be our manager for a time because we couldn’t afford one?” Woojin adds. “Having (Y/N) babysit us made us forget that we’ve did it before, and we can do it again.”

“Well…don’t prove too well that you guys are independent. Otherwise, I’m not gonna have a job.” You jester.

“Yea…yea, you’re right. We got this!” Jisung cheers, fist pumping the air.

“But…I’m still gonna miss you.” Felix says, but instinctively in English.

“I’ll miss you guys too, but it won’t be for long.”

You love each and every member, especially for how positive their mindset is. Even though they go through their own individual struggles, they do their best to overcome them and help each other. They started from scratch before, so not having you isn’t going to be a problem.

…Or at least that’s what you hope so. You turn to Minho, who hasn’t said a single world since you broke the news.  “Minho? Are you okay?”

Almost like that was a trigger, he marches out of the practice room. He’s clearly upset by this, but even more than the members. You run after him, following his heavy footsteps.

==========

Minho is standing by the elevator, tapping his foot as he waits for the doors to slide open. His arms are crossed, and although his expression is like his usual blank look, there’s fury behind his eyes, like he’s about to start a fire.

You catch up to him before the doors open, leaning over and putting your hands on your knees to keep you up. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to talk to your boss.”

“What?!”

“It’s not fair.”

“What’s not fair?”

“You’re the only one who’s being punished when I played a part in it too.”

The elevator dings and the doors open. Before he enters, you grab him by the sleeve. “Wait! You’re not serious about talking to her, are you?”

His silence is his way of saying ‘yes, I’m serious.’

“Please think about it carefully. I’m sure it’s because you guys are releasing a new album soon and punishing you guys will just intervene with your schedule. She probably wants you guys to focus on practicing.”

“Then why didn’t she say anything to us? Why is it just you? Did she not say anything about us at all?”

You let go of his sleeve, scratching your chin. “…She didn’t say anything…But! I guarantee that it’s because you guys are working and being disciplined is not going make things any better. If anything, if you want to be cynical, then it could also be because she didn’t want to get in trouble herself! You guys are well-loved, so if she was caught yelling at you guys, it’ll just bite her back.”

He stares blankly at you, but his mind is somewhere else. This goes on for a few more seconds before he nods his head as if he just agreed to the conversation he had in his mind.

“Ah…I get it now.”

“Get what?”

“Your boss is technically punishing us.”

“Wait, what?”

“Yea, by taking you away.”

…Really?

“Ugh, that bitch, because of her we can’t go on our date.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the phone there, Minho. I’m on temporary leave, not fired. But if you keep calling her names, I’m seriously going to lose my job.”

“What? Don’t deny the truth.”

You can’t believe he called her that with such anguish. It almost makes you laugh, turning this situation more light-hearted. Plus, his priorities are definitely not in the same playing field as the rest of the members.

“And you’re upset about the date? I thought we were just kidding about that.”

Again, he stares at you with his wide, blank eyes, then he shakes his head. “No. I was being serious. Why would I joke around about that?”

Your smile fades, then your cheeks become red. You don’t know how he can remain calm by saying such bold claims. “Minho…stop saying stuff like that or else we’ll get into more trouble.”

He sighs. “I was so excited about this date too, and I don’t want to wait any longer than I should.”

You’re flattered that he wants to go on this date with you, but you actually weren’t intending for him to mean it. However, you can’t bear to break his heart any more than you should, so regardless if he’s joking or not, it’s best to cheer him up.

“Alright, think about it this way: once the rumors died down and I come back, then we’ll plan out this…’date’.”

Light returns in his eyes, and he smiles from ear-to-eat. He gasps subtly, unable to contain that thrill in him, already thinking of places to take you.

“Okay, okay, but wait at least. Give or take a few weeks, then we’ll see each other again, alright? For now, take care, and please take care of the other members too.”

“…Alright.” Minho spreads his arms wide, wanting a hug. As much as you want to hug him, you don’t dare repeat the same mistake. For all you know, there’s probably an employee watching you two.

Wait until everybody forgot, you convince yourself.

You hate that you’re doing this, but you walk around Minho, pressing on the elevator ‘up’ arrow. The door rings open, and you enter. “I-I’ll see you soon, Minho! Good luck on the comeback!”

You keep waving until the door closes, and the last thing you see is his unpredictable, hollow gaze. You don’t know what he’s thinking, but for all you know, you probably upset him for ignoring his hug. You bang your head on the wall, sighing heavily.

“They’ll be alright…right…?”

==========

Hello, this is JYP,

Firstly, we sincerely apologize to STAYs who have been left with confusion these past few days. With the bottom of their hearts, Stray Kids love and appreciate each and every STAY and would like to clear the dating rumor between Lee Know and the woman in the photo. It is confirmed that the idol and the woman are not dating.

The woman has officially been identified as a JYP employee and would like to remain anonymous. She has violated one of the rules and endangered the idol by sneaking him out late at night, so she has been put on temporary leave. Once again, we would like to apologize for a late response. Please look forward to Stray Kids’ comeback as they worked endlessly for you STAYs.

…Even though you know that this isn’t intended to offend you and to just divert the fans’ attention away, but it still felt like a direct attack toward you. Already from Naver, you’re getting immense backlash. Many of the fans are criticizing you for exposing Minho to danger, then there are others who are outright calling you insulting names.

However, you don’t blame them. The notice itself is vague, and it painted you as somewhat of a villain. It isn’t like you can reveal yourself and beg them to understand your side of the story; it’ll just make the situation worst by revealing your face.

You lean back on your living room couch, tossing your phone to the side. In your one-bedroom apartment, the curtains are blocking every possible opening. You’re afraid that an obsessed fan or netizen is going to take a picture of you through your balcony sliding door or from a window.

It’s been a full week since you last had contact with the guys, and it’s getting lonely. You’ve dedicated most of your time with them that you never really had the chance to make friends. Since you’ve been separated from the boys, you never realized how much of a pitiful life you’re living. You don’t even have a pet to keep you company.

But on the bright side, the release of their new music video went smoothly. They’ve been receiving praise for it, which is a definite plus in the right direction. Fans should be focusing on this, not some half-assed apology that some faceless employee wrote. They became fans for the members, not for the drama.

“I wonder how they’re doing…”

You shouldn’t worry too much. They’re all grown men who live together, and they haven’t burned down their dorm yet, so that’s a good sign that they’re doing fine. Despite that, you still miss hanging out with them.

You sit up straight with a new determination in your eyes. Even if you’re not physically there for them, it’s still your duty as their manager to take care of them. For all you know, they’re probably starving themselves. Luckily, their current manager sent you their location in case there’s an emergency. You search up the name of their favorite fried chicken place, download their app, then placed an order.

Once that’s over with, there’s an option to add extra customer notes. You do have something in mind, but you feel bad for whoever is going to have to do it. You decide to go along with it and pay more in tips. When you’re done, you send a text message to the temp manager to give him a heads up.

==========

The nine boys return from the backstage and back to their private space. They take off their coats, using handheld fans to cool their faces down. The staff members are putting cooling packs on their faces. They rest silently, none of them saying a word as their temp manager is nonchalantly playing on his phone. The boys stare at him, somewhat waiting for him to say words of encouragement. However, he simply continues playing games, tapping aggressively on his screen.

Even though they assured you that they’ll be fine on their own, but they didn’t specifically say that they’ll be alright in the long run. With each passing day, their spirit falters more and more. Although they’re always encouraging each other, it doesn’t feel the same when you’re not there to give them a pep talk.

“I’m so bored.” Hyunjin says to end the silence.

“It’s too quiet…” Seungmin adds.

“My mental energy is deteriorating…I need something refreshing.” Jisung continues.

“Something…sweet…and nice…and bubbly,” Changbin lists. “…And has pretty eyes…contagious smile…and positive attitude…and very good at managing us.”

“Shh! Don’t say stuff like that.” Chan elbows Changbin, flicking his chin to point at their temp manager.

“Ow! What?? I’m just being honest!! It’s not like he’s gonna hear us. He’s blasting the hell outta his video game!”

And he’s right. The manager has his earphones plugged in, so into his game.

“Still. Be careful with what you say.”

“…I miss (Y/N).” Felix bluntly states.

Chan tries to think of something, but he can’t help but agree with him as well. Everyone here misses you. One of your traits that they took for granted is your gentle nature. No matter how dark things get, you always turn it around into a positive light. Even though criticism is always welcomed, it doesn’t hurt to hear your praise every so often.

But out of the nine members, there’s one who’s taking it the hardest. Minho is sitting on the floor over a blanket, watching a video on his phone. Jisung lays down next to him and looks over to see what he’s watching.

“Hey, hey, whadda you watchin’?”

In the video, Minho is the one holding the phone, and he’s recording a video of his cats playing in his parents’ home. His voice can be heard cooing at his three pets as they claw at their new toy. Within seconds, Jisung is already bored and was about to leave before he hears a second voice in the video.

“Soongie, come here!” Your legs entire from the right side of the screen, getting on your knees and crouching over to get his cat’s attention.

You spread your arms out for her to run in, and Soongie stares at you suspiciously before slowly approaching you. She rests in your lap, and you hug her.

“You’re getting bigger. Minho better be raising you right.”

“Of course, I’m her owner, after all.”

You laugh. “That’s the problem.”

Jisung is able to quickly see the date that the video was recorded, and it was before their debut. Judging by the hairstyle you have in the video, it was taken right before the filming of Hellavator.

Minho pauses the video, staring at a freeze-frame of you smiling at the camera. Jisung gives him a concerned look, raising an eyebrow at his sanity. He then zooms in to your face, gazing at it a few seconds longer.

Unable to handle it any longer, Jisung hits him on the arm. “Hyung, what are you, a creep?”

He stares at him with his emotionless eyes. “No.”

After responding to that rhetorical question, Minho stakes a screenshot of your face—ten times. He presses the home button on his phone, exposing his home wallpaper to be a close-up of your face.

“What in the…”

Despite the rule of erasing any connections that leads back to you, Minho isn’t making it subtle in the slightest. Minho stands up and walks to the counter where it’s filled with snacks and drinks. He picks up a can of soda, flicking it open and the carbonation fizzling into the air.

Jisung follows him, his jaw still hanging open. “Hyung…are you okay?”

“Mm, I am,” he takes a sip then picks up a piece of fruit and shows it to him. “Han, did you know that this is (Y/N)’s favorite fruit?”

“Hyung, can you at least not mention her name?? For all we know, there could be people listening.”

Minho gazes at the soda. “Doesn’t this drink look like her too?”

Jisung slumps his shoulders. “…I think you need help.”

“Why? I’m fine.”

But that response doesn’t do much to convince Jisung. “We all miss her too, but you can’t just keep waving your phone around in public. It’s just going to incriminate her more.”

“You know, I didn’t even get to hug her before she left.”

“Are you even listening to me?!” He sighs. “Sometimes I wonder if your brain is complicated or you’re just single-minded.”

Minho gazes at the soda like it’s his long lost soulmate, rotating it around to see its every beauty.

“Did you guys order chicken?” A staff member enters the private sector.

The members look at each other, giving each other puzzled looks. The temp manager flicks his eyes at the deliverer then sets his phone down. “Here.”

He gets up and takes the boxes of chicken. The boys can already smell the greasy, fried smell of the oil oozing from the containers. The manager sets it down on the counter, displaying the content one by one.

They circle around the food, Woojin opening it first and the brightest smile appears on his face. “Chicken!!”

“Whoa! Did you buy this, Manager??”

The temp manager shakes his head.

“Look, there’s a note.” Seungmin takes out a piece of folded paper.

He unfolds it, and while the handwriting is unfamiliar, the letter is recognizable.

Good job on the performance tonight, guys! Don’t stress yourselves out too much and use every chance to take a break. Make sure to eat a lot and please, please treat the manager kindly.

Even though it’s anonymous, it’s obvious who sent the fried chicken here. Even though it’s you, you made a special request for the chicken place to write a note.

“Managerrrrrrrrrrr…” Hyunjin drags the last syllable of your name, almost shedding a tear.

“Ah…I read that in her voice.” Jisung sniffs exaggeratedly.

The boys pass out the wooden chopsticks, each of them taking a piece and eating it. Each and every member savors the snack, appreciating your gift. Even when you’re not there, you’re still caring for them.

“Minho, are you gonna eat?” Chan turns to him.

But instead of answering, he glares at the box of chicken. Once again, no one knows what he’s thinking.

“…Minho?”

He takes his phone out from his pocket, scrolling through his contacts. Chan leans over to peek at his screen, and to his horror, he’s trying to call you.

“Minho?! What are you doing?!”

“Calling her.”

“Why??”

“Because I want to.”

“You can’t!”

He reaches out to swipe the phone out of his hand. But Minho moves back, pulling his phone away from Chan’s grasp. Minho nearly falls down as he avoids Chan’s hand. In the midst of their fight, his thumb accidentally presses on the ‘call’ button.

“Hang it up right now!”

“No.” He runs away from Chan.

They run in circles while the younger members plus Woojin are staring at their fiasco. Their temp manager doesn’t even bat an eye, piling his plastic plate with as many fried chickens that it can bear to hold.

“Are you trying to get her in trouble??”

“It’s just for a second.”

But this comes to a quick end when the ringing ends, which meant that you deliberately declined his call. Minho freezes on the spot, causing Chan to run into him. They both fall to the ground, his cheek hitting his phone.

“What the hell, Minho?!”

“She…turned down my call.”

“What?”

“She turned it down…” He repeats but in a more sullen tone.

Chan gets up, helping Minho up as well. After getting a good look at his heart-broken face, he’s no longer angry at him and instead, pities him.

“She…didn’t want to answer my call. She doesn’t want to talk to me,” he continues his muttering.

“Hey, hey, chill,” Chan pats him on the back. “She’s most likely following the rules and doesn’t want us to get into trouble again. I’m sure it isn’t because of what you think.”

Despite the comfort, his words go in from one ear and out the other.

==========

“What did I do, what did I do, what did I do…??” You ramble to yourself.

You didn’t mean to decline his call. You panicked, wanting to pick it up, but in the back of your head, you could hear your boss’s haunting voice threatening to fire you. In a split second, you tapped that red, glowing decline button.

While you thought that it was going to make you relieved, you’re now overwhelmed with guilt. You know full well that before you left, Minho made it clear that he was upset with your boss’s decision. Although you aren’t entirely sure why he would call you, it might’ve been important, so it only makes you feel all the more guilty.

“They…they have their manager…they should be okay,” you try convincing yourself. “It’s only for a little longer.”

==========

A few more days go by, and still no updates regarding you. No one has any idea what you’re doing, and they’ve been doing nothing but going to one performance after another. Every so often, they would go on a variety show, but then they would go back to performing again.

In the middle of their hectic schedule, they have a chance to take a break, but the boys settled with staying in their practice room to see if they can improve on their choreography. As their promotion is hitting home-stretch, their exhaustion is creeping up on them. It’s times like these when they become the most sensitive—the littlest thing triggering them into a tantrum or breakdown into tears.

And while the boys’ energy is being tested, Minho is the one who’s struggling the most. Every time they have an ounce of a break, he would dart straight to his phone, praying that he’ll see a call or text from you. But to his disappointment, it’s the opposite.

Minho rarely expresses distraught, so when it comes to times like this, they don’t know what to say or do to make him feel any better. The only remedy they could think of is bringing you back, but they don’t want to risk the factor of getting you fired or starting rumors.

“Okay, take ten.” Chan dismisses them.

Just as predicted, Minho glides across the room and to the counter where his phone resides. He turns it on only to slump his shoulders when there’s no notifications from you.

Jeongin and Seungmin watch from afar as they pity him. They’ve never seen him so depressed before. It’s so bad to the extent that they feel bad whenever they’re feeling cheery while he’s suffering.

“It’s like watching a monkey in a cage reaching for a banana that’s too far. So sad.” Seungmin states.

“Do you think we should ask our temp manager if he can put her on the phone? It’s hard watching Hyung in this state.”

“And risk her getting in trouble? You never know what stalkers are up to these days, hacking into our information.”

“Right…” Jeongin trails off. “But…why is Hyung like this? We want her back too, especially since our current…‘manager’…isn’t the best.”

Jeongin and Seungmin look at the corner, where their temp manager is sitting on a chair, completely out cold and snoring. On his stomach are crumbs of snacks that he didn’t bother sharing with the rest of the boys. His phone is on his stomach too, his game still on.

“Do you really think…Hyung and (Y/N) are…dating?” Jeongin brings up. “I mean, it has to be really serious for (Y/N) to leave us.”

“Hey, hey, don’t be crazy,” Jisung stands in between them, wrapping his arms around the two youngest members. “(Y/N) would never go for anyone like Minho-hyung, I think. Sure, he’s got the looks, but (Y/N) is wayyy out of his league. She should go for someone else…like me!” He points his thumb to himself with a bright smile.

However, neither of the two boys laughs. Jisung’s grin disappears, playfully punching Jeongin and Seungmin.

“No one will ever go for you, Hyung!” Jeongin teases.

“What?? Do you want to have a talk after this??”

“AHHHHHHH!!!!!”

This sudden scream nearly gives Jisung a heart attack. Without thinking, he jumps onto Jeongin, holding onto him so tightly that he can’t breathe.

“Wh-wh-wh-what was that?!”

The source of the shout came from none other than Minho. And just like that, he returns to playing with his phone. At an absolute loss from this out-of-sorts behavior, the boys stare at Minho, waiting for him to explain his outburst. Even the temp manager woke up from his nap and was startled by him.

“Min…ho…?” Chan calls his name questioningly.

He looks up with innocent eyes. “‘Sup.”

“Do…you need to have a talk?”

“No. I’m perfectly fine,” he laughs like an insane person.

“…Let’s have a chat.”

=========

On the third floor patio of the building, Chan and Minho are leaning over the ledge, drinking cold water bottles. The sun is setting over the horizon decorated with Seoul’s city skyscrapers. The sky is baby blue but fades into a burning orange as it reaches the land. Among the two men, the sounds of city noise wrap around them, the honking and car motors growling coming from cars.

But none of that matters, at least to Minho. He could care less about the city’s serenity. If he could switch the city to see you under the sunset, then he would’ve done it in an instant. And that’s the issue that Chan has with him.

“I think it’s better to cut to the chase, but you need to snap out of it.”

“Snap out of what?”

Chan sighs. “Get your head out of the clouds and get back to work! I swear, you need to stop acting like child begging for his mother. You’re a grown adult.”

His bluntness makes Minho return to reality. Even though Minho hardly said a word about what’s bothering him, it’s very obvious what the source of it is.

“Do you want to see (Y/N)?”

Mentioning your name catches his attention, darting his eyes to him. With how fast he moved, Chan jolts.

“Is she here??”

“What?? No! Maybe? Probably? I dunno. Look, I’m not bringing her up because she’s here, but there’s something that’s obviously bothering you more than you missing her, isn’t there?”

Minho doesn’t answer, so Chan isn’t sure if he hit the nail or not.

“Wuagh!!!” he shouts without warning, startling Chan. “Who gave that lady the right to boss her around like that?!”

Presumably by ‘lady’, Minho is referring to your boss, Eunha.

“Her boss treats her like shit because she just hates her!! This is why she’s forcing (Y/N) not to talk to us! This is a punishment for her, but why does it feel like I’m suffering the most?!” He slams his head against the rails, groaning like he’s in pain.

“…Did you guys end on a bad note before the separation?”

“…I was the one who told her that it’d be okay to go, it’s obviously my fault, but she took the blame. She did, not me. Then she ignores my call. She’s mad at me for getting her in trouble for what I did.”

“…Ohhh…I get it. Then why don’t you just clarify it with her?”

“…Clarify?”

He nods. “I mean, yea. It’s all mental barriers. When you think about it, there aren’t actually any limits. Just go talk to her, who’s stopping you?”

“…You’re right.”

“Yea, if you feel guilty, then stand your ground and let her know straight up.”

“Thanks, Hyung. I needed the encouragement. Instead of wailing like a baby, I should do something. This is my life, so I’m not going to let what others tell me what to do!” He chugs the water bottle until it’s empty. “Maybe she didn’t intentionally decline my call! I’ll confront her and ask her straight-up!”

“…What?”

With this newfound confidence, Minho crushes the plastic bottle and throws it in the recycling bin. He wipes his lips, marching back inside.

“W-wait…where are you going?”

“I’m gonna go talk to (Y/N).”

“Oh, ok—WHAT?!”

Before he knows it, Minho has already ran off.

“That’s not what I was talking about! I was saying that you should talk to (Y/N)’s boss, not (Y/N) herself!!!” Chan chases after him.

==========

Since you’ve been working at home, you feel like you’ll go insane if you’re holed up any longer. Earlier in the day, you went out for a quick walk around the park, spending most of the time sitting on the bench and enjoying the fresh air. It felt weird relaxing since you’re always working. You even forgot how it was like to take a break, so it was nice to take some time for yourself.

You wonder how the boys are doing, hopefully not overworking themselves as usual. You would text the current manager and ask him about them, but he would always reply with a ‘they’re fine’. The vagueness of it doesn’t soothe your distress. However, there’s not much you can do about it, so you have to trust his words.

You sigh. Perhaps you’ve become a workaholic—so much so that that’s all you ever think about. You even feel a little anxious if you’re relaxing a bit too much. Not only that, but ignoring Minho’s call also took a small toll on you. You pray that he knew that it was a misunderstanding. If he doesn’t, then when you get back to work, you’ll explain everything to him.

“I wonder how he’s doing.”

Then out of the blue, you hear fast-paced footsteps coming from behind. Curious, you turn around, and for a second, you thought that your eyes were playing tricks on you. Running toward you is none other than Minho himself.

“M-Minho?!”

He brakes, stopping inches away from you. You raise your arms up to protect yourself in case he runs into you, but luckily he didn’t. Without warning, he puts both of his hands on your shoulders, staring at you with his wide eyes as if making sure that it’s really you.

Feeling insecure, you avert your eyes. “Wh-wh-what are you doing here?”

Then he twirls his head around, checking his surroundings like he’s being chased. “No time to explain. Come with me.”

Without warning, he carries you over his shoulder. “O-oh my god…!!! Minho!!! Put me down!!” You kick your feet and flail your arms, but when he nearly drops you, you hold onto him. “W-wait, don’t drop me though!!”

“Sorry. Let’s go.” He runs off, still hanging over his shoulder.

==========

In a more desolated section of the neighborhood, Minho finally puts you down. He leans on the wall of a building, finding difficulty catching his breath. He slides down against the wall, hitting the back of his head on it.

You get down on your knees, scooting closer to him. “What are you doing here? You’re sweating enough to make a lake.”

“My legs…so sore.”

“You’re in your exercise clothes too. Did you just get out of practice today??”

His face turns red, heating up like a robot’s exhausted engine. You brush his bangs away so you can place the back of your hand on his forehead. His sweat rubs off on your knuckles, and while his face is red, his temperature is normal.

“Thank god you’re okay. Do you need water?”

But rather than responding to you, he takes ahold of your hand. You flinch, but you don’t jerk your hand away, unsure of what he’s going to do next. He closes his eyes, moving your hand to his cheek. Your heart skips a beat, but you’re so taken aback that you’re frozen. You can feel his sweat being wiped with your hand, making you conscious that you’re making his face dirty but he doesn’t seem to mind.

“Why did you decline my call?” He asks bluntly.

His question throws you off, muddled with what you want to say. You two haven’t seen each other in weeks, and this is the first thing he says to you? Then again, this would’ve been the first that came to mind too when you reunite with him.

“I-I didn’t mean to. I wasn’t thinking and accidentally rejected.”

“…So you don’t hate me?”

“What? Why would I hate you?” You laugh. “Where is this coming from?”

“Oh, good,” he keeps rubbing your hand against his cheek. “I just wanted to ask you that.”

“…That’s it?”

“Yea.”

“…Really?”

“Yup.”

You stare at him blankly, then burst into laughter. “You’re so weird. You come here out of breath and sweaty just for you to ask me that?”

Even though you’re the one who’s giddy, he doesn’t have an ounce of laughter. He isn’t letting go of your hand.

“It’s not funny.”

His dead tone makes your laugh disappear. For a second, your heart dropped at the fear that you angered him for fooling around.

“I thought you were angry at me for not taking responsibility and didn’t want to talk to me anymore.”

“Responsibility…? For what? …Oh.”

Not once did you think that he was to blame. Of course, he was the one who gave you the idea to go to the convenience store, but you weren’t expecting this to haunt Minho. It’s almost adorable about how guilty he feels.

“I would never hate you or any of the members,” You crouch next to him, leaning on the wall with him. “If I did, then I would’ve quit a long time ago. I’m sorry for not picking up your call, but you can’t be calling me when we have to keep our friendship hidden until the coast is clear.”

Again, his disappointed look doesn’t go away. You contemplate about what to say next, but nothing comes to mind. With his unreadable expressions, it’s like tiptoeing through a field of mines.

“Why can’t I be happy without worrying about what others think of me?”

His fingers intertwine with yours.

“Why am I criticized for wanting to be with you?”

Suddenly, he kisses the back of your hand. Your eyes widen, in utter shock with what he’s done, but your mind is in shambles with how to interpret the kiss. While you’re still processing the flirtatious move, Minho takes this opportunity to make a move on you. He leans over, and you lean back. He keeps drawing closer and closer until you nearly fall down.

“W-what are you doing?”

“It felt like years since I last saw you. It was seriously hell…”

“Minho, language…”

“It felt like forever, but it was only weeks. I thought re-watching videos and keeping two hundred pictures of you would make it better, but no. It did nothing.”

“…Excuse me…?” You thought you heard him wrong, but two hundred?

“It made me wonder why I thought like that. And I think I know why…”

He lets go of your hand, wrapping his arm around you, pressing his face against your collarbone. With his weight on your shoulders, you fall on your bottom. His hot breath lays on your skin, making your skin tickle a bit.

“Hey…are you feeling well?”

“No. Not at all. Not even a little. I’m suffering so much that I could die.”

“Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration…”

“No it’s not. How dare you belittle my feelings like that?” He sulks.

The two of you are on the ground, ignoring the germs of the sidewalk and focusing on each other. His cheeks have become red, completely infatuated with you. All he sees in his eyes is you, and all he wants is you.

You snicker.

“What’s so funny?”

“You’re acting like a clingy child. It’s kind of adorable.”

Although ‘adorable’ was meant as a compliment, he took it as an insult. It made him think that you don’t see him as a man but as a baby brother. He’s not masculine, but an immature boy.

A little annoyed, he decides to prove to you the opposite. Out of the blue, he pins you against the wall. He corners you with his hands, his broad body hovering over you so that you can’t escape. Your smile is gone and your heart nearly stops beating.

“M-M-M-Minho?!”

He cups your chin, raising it up and forcing you to look at him in the eyes.

“Wh-what are you doing?!”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

You push him away gently, but he refuses to move. “P-p-people might be watching…”

“Then let them look. Let the entire world be exposed to us.”

He leans over, closing his eyes and puckering his lips. Although you’re a nervous wreck, a part of you feels an odd excitement for this—like you’re doing something scandalous, but it’s thrilling at the same time. Because the media rejects you as Minho’s friend and demands that you’re nothing more than a manager, it kind of hurts you too knowing that you don’t have the freedom to choose. Due to the rejection, you had no choice but to be separated from him and the rest of the boys.

You squeeze your eyes shut, being able to feel Minho’s body heat. He’s so close to your face that you can feel his breathing—you can even smell his natural scent. You’re so nervous that you can’t hear anything else other than your racing heart that runs faster than a speeding car.

“MINHO!”

Suddenly, Minho is pulled away from you. You open your eyes and is shocked to see Chan lifting Minho up by the shirt.

“(Y/N), are you okay?? Did he hurt you??”

You’re too surprised to say anything, so you shake your head.

“Minho, if you actually hurt her then I’ll report you—”

“I’m okay, really!”

“Don’t lie to protect his butt.”

“No, no, no, it’s fine. It’s not what it seems.”

“It’s exactly what you think,” Minho interrupts. “I did what you suggested I should do, Hyung. I confronted my problem.”

You turn your head to Chan, raising an eyebrow. “What?!”

“N-not like that! He’s twisting my words.”

Minho grins like he just had a load of weight off his shoulders. You feel like you were being played, but the emotions that he was conveying before Chan’s intervention was definitely not a joke, especially with what he was about to do just seconds earlier.

“Great…” Chan sighs. “Right when the rumors were just fading, who knows what’ll happen now.”

You don’t know either. You turn to him, and he looks a little gloomy when Chan brought up the issue about rumors again. You don’t even know if anybody spotted you and him. But when you think about it, you remember what Minho said.

“Rumors don’t really matter. If people don’t like him for doing what he wants, then they’re more than welcome to ignore it.” You look over at Minho.

For once, he actually has a change of expression, looking rather surprised. You smile, making his cheeks turn red. Chan looks at you, then at Minho, then back at you, confused.

“Then, can I kiss yo—”

“Doing things to people with their consent, of course,” you bluntly state. “But I can promise you that I’ll never quit being your manager, even if my boss fires me. You can guarantee that. Then maybe…” your cheeks slowly turn red. “…We’ll finally go on the date that we promised. I-if that makes you happy…”

You’ve never seen him so genuinely happy. That beaming smile on his eye—so wide that his eyes become crescents. His endearing giggle seeping through his teeth, making your chest become fuzzy inside. Perhaps, it wasn’t so bad that the netizens caught you two together, and now, you don’t mind if they caught you two again.

“I don’t know what happened…but okay…if you say so.” Chan lets go of Minho.

Now off the grasp of Chan, he dashes toward you, hugging you so tight that you can’t breathe. He rubs his cheek against yours, unable to stop his giggling.

“That means that we can date.”

“Date?!!” You blurt.

“Okay, that’s going overboard.”

Chan carries Minho, pulling him away from you.

“Let me go! Manager said that I can do whatever I want.”

“(Y/N), sorry for disrupting your day, but it was nice seeing you. We’re really excited to work with you again.” Chan hurriedly runs off while carrying Minho away.

And just like that, Minho and Chan disappeared as fast as they appeared. You’re absolutely confused with what just happened, but despite the confusion, you’re still flustered with what Minho did. You keep thinking about how he kissed your hand and then nearly kissed you.

You cup both your cheeks, crouching down and hiding your face. Minho is definitely unpredictable, but that’s a quirk that you find charming. You can’t wait to go back to work and see him again.

[End]