It was dawn the next day.
Yuho, who had barely fallen asleep after tossing and turning past midnight, ended up opening his eyes at the sound of the front door.
As he tried to gauge the sound in a half-asleep state, several footsteps overlapped nearby. And shortly after, Yuho’s bedroom door opened. Yuho closed his eyes again.
“Just sleep together in my room. We have to leave at dawn anyway.”
It was Inhan’s voice. Thanks to that, Yuho’s sleepiness completely fled.
“Ah. Should we?”
Yeomin showed a positive reaction to Inhan’s suggestion and closed the door again. The footsteps of the two who had been lingering in front of the door gradually grew distant.
I’m sleeping stuck in the corner again. Yuho sighed as he looked at the noticeably empty space beside the bed. If it took five years for them to seep into each other’s daily lives like this, how much time would it take to become strangers again? Would that day ever come?
Yuho continued to focus his attention on the sounds coming from the living room. The sound of doors opening and closing was heard several times, and soon silence arrived. Yuho couldn’t fall asleep easily even long after the sounds had disappeared.
It was the morning of the same day.
“What’s this?”
Yuho asked Raulie while looking at the seven shopping bags lined up in the living room.
“Ah. That, Inhan got it from a sponsoring company.”
The shopping bags had the logo of the sports brand Inhan advertised stamped on them. Yuho understood and tried to pick up the shopping bag closest to him.
“Yours is this one, hyung.”
At the same time, Raulie stopped Yuho’s action and handed him a shopping bag that looked relatively larger in size.
“Aren’t they all the same?”
“I guess not. The shopping bags had names written on them?”
Indeed, Yuho’s name was written on the shopping bag. Yuho obediently accepted the shopping bag.
“Take Yeomin’s too.”
“Ah. Okay.”
Yuho went back to his room carrying two shopping bags.
Inside the shopping bag were three bright-colored hoodies that Yuho usually enjoyed wearing and one black jumper.
He must have picked out what suits each member well. Yuho tried not to over-interpret and hung the clothes on hangers. It was a secret that he liked them so much he had no intention of returning them. As Inhan said, the objects were innocent.
But this room is my room, so why does it seem like there are more things sourced from Inhan? Yuho felt confused by the situation where it felt like he was with Inhan even without Inhan.
Yuho pointlessly glared once at the golden turtle on the shelf. Ah. That golden turtle. Why is its presence growing bigger and bigger? Still, he didn’t think about putting it away.
* * *
“You said you weren’t going.”
“Yes. I did say that.”
Of course, Yuho had no intention of going to Inhan and Yeomin’s music video filming site.
But why am I here? And even being interrogated by Taylor hyung. Yuho was feeling confused by the unexpected situation.
“But Yeomin begged me to come.”
“Since when did you listen to Yeomin?”
Yuho had nothing to say even if he had ten mouths. There are times in life when you resent yourself for not listening to your own words. That was exactly Yuho’s situation right now.
To rationalize in his own way—he’d actually memorized all the sheet music and didn’t have any particular schedule, so would it make sense not to go to a same-team member’s music video filming? Even Taylor hyung, who seemed least likely to go, is going? Isn’t this the perfect situation for discord rumors to emerge?
It was about this much. Yuho absolutely wasn’t going to the filming site because he wanted to see someone.
“Yuho hyung. As expected, you came because you missed me.”
“Yeah. Of course.”
Yuho embraced Yeomin who came running to him in one bound. He saw Inhan nearby looking at him with surprised eyes, but Yuho decided to try and look away deliberately. Yeomin began his usual welcoming greeting.
“Hyo hyung. Have you been well?”
“Yeah. As you can see.”
“I think you’ve lost more weight?”
“No. Not at all?”
“Right, right. You shouldn’t lose any. Every single gram of our Yuho hyung is precious.”
“Lee Yeomin. Can’t you see me?”
“Of course I knew you’d come, hyung. You’re our producer.”
At Taylor’s dissatisfied-looking question, Yeomin answered in a voice mixed with aegyo. Inhan, who had approached nearby before anyone noticed, spoke to Taylor.
“Taeyoon hyung. You came?”
“Yeah. Were you filming well?”
“Yes. Right now Domyeong hyung is filming.”
“Really? Where is he?”
“In the set inside over there.”
At Inhan’s answer, Taylor immediately moved his steps toward the set. Inhan asked in surprise.
“Are you going to watch?”
“Yeah.”
“I see.”
Domyeong was in a situation where he’d agreed to appear in the unit music video at Inhan’s request.
Inhan briefly wondered whether he should follow Taylor, then decided to just leave him be. The two had met a few times and knew each other, so there was no need to go introduce them, and what he needed to pay attention to now wasn’t Taylor.
“Yuho hyung came too.”
While Yeomin was making a fuss while hugging Yuho, Inhan spoke to Yuho.
“Yeah. Yeomin told me to come.”
“Did yesterday’s jam session practice go well?”
“Yeah.”
The conversation with Inhan ended briefly. Though it was an awkward situation beyond measure, Yuho’s gaze remained captivated by Inhan. Dressed in pure white uniform top and bottom and wearing smoky makeup, Inhan had an especially masculine appearance. He’s seriously lethally handsome. Yuho admired inwardly and lowered his gaze.
“Hyo hyung. Did you eat before coming?”
“Yeah. I ate simply before coming out.”
Yuho answered Yeomin’s question. Yeomin continued to throw questions at Yuho.
“Then what do you want to drink? There’s a coffee truck outside.”
“Should we?”
“Yeomin. You need to shoot your solo cut now.”
“Ah, really?”
Yeomin, who had linked arms with Yuho and was about to go outside the set, stopped walking at Suhyung’s words. And with a sulky face, he said to Yuho.
“Yuho hyung. I’ll go and come back. Don’t leave, you have to wait.”
“Yeah. Got it.”
“Go out and make sure to drink juice.”
“Yeah. Film well.”
Yeomin waved his hand and moved away at a fast speed. Left alone with Inhan unexpectedly, Yuho felt like he’d suffocate from the awkwardness. He also thought he’d come for nothing after all.
“Come with me to drink juice. I’ve finished all my solo shots in this outfit.”
Inhan broke the silence and spoke to Yuho first.
“…Should we?”
Yuho answered after deliberation. To make an excuse this time too, there were many eyes watching to refuse, and since there were even making cameras going around, he wanted to act as naturally as possible.
“Thanks for the clothes. I’ll wear them well.”
Yuho said perfunctorily while accepting the strawberry smoothie Inhan handed him. Without making eye contact.
“It wasn’t me, the company prepared it.”
“Still. You must have asked for it.”
The conversation that barely started ended quickly, and silence fell between the two again. This time too, Yuho, who couldn’t endure the silence, opened his mouth first.
“Taylor hyung and Domyeong sunbae-nim seem really close, did they meet often together?”
“Huh?”
“Yeah?”
It was a conversation topic Yuho barely thought of, but Inhan had a face like he was hearing this for the first time in his life.
“How so?”
“They’re not?”
“Of course not. Their personalities would be complete opposites too.”
Inhan answered nonchalantly, then suddenly made a serious expression. And asked Yuho with a surprised face.
“Are the two close?”
That’s what I want to ask. Rather, at Inhan’s flustered reaction, even Yuho was confused.
“I didn’t know.”
“I don’t know either. I’m just saying that’s how it seemed.”
“Wow. Feeling betrayed. Why are my hyungs being like this to me these days?”
Inhan created a face that looked upset. I’m probably included in those hyungs too. Yuho suddenly felt uncomfortable and wanted to leave.
“I want to go watch Yeomin filming.”
“You do?”
It was meant to say leave me alone, but Inhan obliviously followed behind Yuho.
“Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“Just a moment.”
Without explanation, Inhan thrust his phone in front of Yuho. Yuho naturally struck a pose. For idols, taking selfies was part of the job, so there was nothing surprising about it.
“Why? To post on the official account?”
“Yes. On Monday.”
NanHyo bait will be added again. Why does it seem like the NanHyo CP is thriving more even though our relationship ended? Yuho briefly wondered, but since it would be a fleeting struggle that would be swept away once the NanYeom unit was revealed anyway, he decided not to give it much meaning.
“Aren’t your hands cold?”
When Yuho shrank his body in the considerably chilly weather, Inhan asked in a worried voice.
“Yeah. It’s okay. It’ll be warm inside, right?”
“It’s not particularly warm inside either.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
No wonder he’d been looking with anxious eyes since suggesting they drink smoothies. Recalling Inhan who couldn’t quite interfere and had been biting his lips tightly, Yuho felt his heart flutter.
“Give me.”
In the end, Yuho stopped walking and held out his hand to Inhan. Rather than watching him fidget with a face like a puppy that needed to poop, this way seemed like it would be more comfortable.
Without a hint of hesitation, Inhan took out the hand warmers from both pockets and placed them in Yuho’s hands.
“Now it’s okay, right?”
“Yes.”
What even is this? Yuho had a mountain of things he wanted to say but closed his mouth and put the hand warmers in his pockets.
“Then I’ll be in the waiting room.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
At Yuho’s answer, Inhan changed direction and headed to the waiting room. Yuho watched him for a moment before moving his steps toward the set where Yeomin was.
That said, I didn’t mean for you to go completely.
Yuho felt confused by his own contradictory heart—wanting to see Inhan but also feeling uncomfortable being together. It seemed like it would be better if he could just watch from a distance like a stranger.
He shouldn’t have come after all. Yuho felt even more wistful at the ambiguous distance with Inhan.
