“Hyung. I’m here.”
As soon as Yuho entered the broadcasting station waiting room, he greeted Suhyung. Suhyung immediately welcomed Yuho.
“Oh. Yuho’s here?”
“Here.”
“Hey. I told you to come empty-handed.”
Yuho handed Suhyung a vitamin drink and looked around the waiting room. Inhan, who had been sitting on the sofa in the back, was looking at Yuho with a surprised face.
“You said you were coming tomorrow.”
“I wanted to see you sooner.”
Yuho said with a playful smile. On the other hand, Inhan couldn’t properly react.
“Where’s Yeomin?”
“He went to the bathroom for a moment.”
“I see.”
Yuho felt embarrassed and lowered his gaze. Just then, Inhan got up from the sofa and approached Yuho.
Yuho tensed, wondering if he was going to hug him again. Instead of embracing Yuho, Inhan reached his hand toward Yuho’s head. Yuho asked Inhan in surprise.
“Why, why?”
“Your hair is messy.”
“Ah. It’s really windy outside.”
Inhan tidied Yuho’s sticking-up hair with his long fingers. Yuho obediently looked up at Inhan.
“Weren’t you cold?”
Looking at Yuho’s reddened ears, Inhan asked worriedly.
“Yeah. I took a taxi right up to the front here.”
“Good job.”
Inhan’s hand had moved from the back of Yuho’s head to his bangs. Yuho felt Inhan’s ticklish touch and waited for Inhan’s actions to end quickly.
“What about food? Did you eat?”
“I haven’t eaten yet. I’m not that hungry.”
“You shouldn’t skip meals.”
“I drank a glass of milk. What about you?”
“I have some exposure in today’s outfit.”
Only after hearing Inhan’s words did Yuho notice Inhan’s bare chest right in front of him.
Inhan was wearing only a jacket over his bare body. The jacket even ended at his waistline, so if he raised his arms even a little, Inhan’s abs would be revealed.
Yuho flinched and unknowingly turned his gaze downward. Thanks to that, his eyes met the leather harness fastened to Inhan’s thighs.
For a moment, he recalled the anonymous comment that had said about this unit’s outfit concept that perverts who’ve studied are different.
Realizing there was nowhere to look except his face, Yuho made eye contact with Inhan again.
“You can’t keep skipping meals either.”
“I can eat after the stage.”
Just then, the waiting room door opened. When Yuho looked back, Yeomin was entering the waiting room. Yuho turned his body and headed toward Yeomin.
“Yeomin.”
When Yuho disappeared from his spot, Inhan looked at his empty hands regretfully. His heart was impatient because no clear method came to mind for how to win over the person he liked. At this rate, he wondered if he could even make a proper confession.
“Yeomin. I’m here though?”
Yuho greeted Yeomin with a smiling face, but Yeomin didn’t even acknowledge him and headed to the chair in front of the mirror. Unlike usual, Yeomin glared at Yuho with a sulky face.
“Min. Are you mad?”
Yuho immediately headed to the seat next to Yeomin. And lightly touched Yeomin’s shoulder with his finger.
“I was wrong. Okay?”
“Forget it. I don’t need it.”
“Sorry. I got the time confused.”
“I was so sad when I came to the waiting room and you weren’t there.”
“That’s why I came today. To see our Yeomin.”
“Then stay until the broadcast ends today.”
“Huh?”
Friday’s music show live broadcast time was 5 o’clock, and if they waited for the first place announcement, then finished greeting the broadcast staff before leaving the station, it would be 7 o’clock. That meant being trapped in the waiting room for a full 6 hours from now, which was 1 o’clock.
“That’s a bit……”
“You can’t leave today. I won’t let you go.”
When Yuho showed signs of hesitation, Yeomin wrapped his arms around Yuho’s neck and started acting spoiled. He looked ready to grab even his pants hem if he said he’d leave. Yuho asked Yeomin in difficulty.
“Then what do I do until then?”
“You have to play with me.”
Yeomin said confidently.
Watching the two from behind, Inhan thought Yeomin’s arms hugging Yuho were annoying, but inwardly he was earnestly cheering for Yeomin.
Inhan had never seen Yeomin do his utmost for something that wouldn’t work. It was the same now.
“Alright.”
Yuho knew Yeomin would back down if he flatly said no, but he ended up nodding because he felt bad about missing the first stage.
“Yes. As expected, our Yuho hyung.”
At Yuho’s answer, Yeomin reacted excitedly. And reminded Yuho.
“Hyung. Stay right next to me until it ends today.”
“Then I’ll just go to the bathroom real quick.”
“No.”
“I’ll be right back.”
“Then you have to come back quickly. You have to come back in 5 seconds.”
“Got it.”
Yuho smiled and headed out of the waiting room. As soon as Yuho left the waiting room, Inhan spoke to Yeomin.
“Yeomin hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“I really like you, hyung.”
“What, why are you like this? Are you crazy?”
At Inhan’s confession delivered without any change in expression, Yeomin’s expression rapidly soured. It was clearly different from how he was with Yuho.
“You did something wrong to me, right? If you committed a crime, confess honestly in advance.”
“It’s not like that. Even when hyung says something nice.”
In the end, their conversation ended in a fight.
It was when Yuho came back from the bathroom and entered the waiting room again.
“Hyung. Come here.”
“Hyo hyung. Come here.”
Inhan sitting on the sofa and Yeomin sitting on the chair in front of the vanity called Yuho simultaneously.
Yuho stopped his actions right there and looked around at both sides. It was a situation where he couldn’t choose either side. Just then, Inhan’s mouth opened first.
“Yuho hyung. Don’t just stand there, come here. Eat this.”
“Hey, Jung Inhan. Who are you to steal our Yuho hyung?”
“Hyung said he hasn’t eaten yet. Let me feed him.”
“Yuho hyung. Just eat that and come back. Got it?”
The squabble between Yeomin and Inhan ultimately ended in Inhan’s victory.
“Yeah. Got it.”
Yuho obediently answered and headed to Inhan.
As soon as Yuho sat in the seat next to him, Inhan opened food boxes one by one and even split chopsticks to hand to Yuho. Yuho reached out several times to help, but Inhan’s actions were a beat faster each time.
In the end, Yuho withdrew his hands and let Inhan do as he wanted.
“You’re really not eating?”
Yuho asked Inhan while picking up food with his chopsticks and eating. Inhan sat with about a hand’s width of distance and just watched the food go into Yuho’s mouth.
“Yeah. I’ll eat later.”
“Doesn’t watching me eat make you hungrier?”
“No. Just watching fills me up.”
Yuho thought Inhan’s casually thrown comments had upgraded even more. Right. His main job is being an idol, so that can happen. Yuho tried to rationalize it hard and pretended not to notice.
“Do you want to drink this, or do you want to drink this?”
Inhan asked, alternately pointing at orange juice and cider. Yuho answered right away.
“I don’t mind either.”
“Then drink this. It’s not good to drink carbonated drinks on an empty stomach.”
Inhan personally poured the orange juice, even stuck a straw in it, and held it out to Yuho.
Yuho wanted to say he also had hands, but at Inhan’s attitude of offering to take care of him with sparkling eyes, he didn’t bother opening his mouth.
“Thanks. As expected, we only have our youngest.”
Instead, Yuho expressed his gratitude to Inhan with a smiling face. At that reaction, Inhan felt strange. He wondered if he’d ever been treated like a younger brother by Yuho in this way.
It was the moment Yuho reached out to grab the juice. Their hands briefly touched and separated, and Inhan clenched his hand several times regretfully. Yuho quietly watched that action and asked Inhan.
“Why? Did you get a cramp?”
“Ah. ……Yes.”
Inhan answered unknowingly. Since his fingertips kept tingling, he didn’t think it was particularly a lie.
“Are you okay? Should I massage it for you?”
“Will you?”
Inhan obediently held out his hand without any sign of hesitation. Yuho immediately reached out with both hands and began massaging Inhan’s right hand.
“I think it’s because you’re pushing yourself too hard.”
“I guess so.”
“Make sure to eat a lot after the stage ends.”
“Yes. I will.”
Inhan quietly looked at Yuho’s small hands handling his hand this way and that. He wondered how long it had been since Yuho approached him first like this. In the end, Inhan couldn’t hold back and moved his hand to grasp one of Yuho’s hands. Yuho stopped his actions in surprise.
“Hyung.”
“Huh? What?”
Yuho looked at Inhan while trying hard to not appear flustered. Inhan was staring intently at Yuho with an expressionless face. At the close distance, Yuho tensed for no reason.
“You know my birthday is coming up soon, right?”
“Of course. I know. Do you want anything?”
“Yes. I do.”
“What? If you tell me in advance, I’ll prepare it.”
“This time I want to receive something other than an object.”
At Inhan’s words that continued seriously, Yuho fell into thought for a moment.
“Okay. Tell me right away if you think of anything.”
But he soon readily gave a positive answer. He thought what Inhan wanted was obvious. Of course, it was a naive thought.
Hearing Yuho’s answer, Inhan’s heart swelled and it was difficult to manage his expression. He hadn’t anticipated that Yuho would be this favorable toward him. The words of confession that had risen to his chin felt like they would burst out just like that.
“I’m okay now.”
Inhan reluctantly let go of Yuho’s hand. He thought he should refrain from meaningless skinship now.
“That’s a relief.”
Yuho said while withdrawing his hands. While thinking it was strange that Inhan’s behavior wasn’t dragging on longer.
“Yuho. Since you’re here, do the choreography challenge before you go. You didn’t forget the choreography, right?”
“But my clothes……”
“Film it and go. Got it?”
Unable to resist Yeonghyeon’s persistence, Yuho ended up standing between Inhan and Yeomin, who had finished their full setting, in his shabby casual clothes. If I’d known, I should have at least chosen what to wear. He regretted it belatedly, but it was useless.
“Hyung. You remember all the choreography, right?”
“Yeah. I watched the choreography video several times too.”
Even while correcting Yuho’s choreography again, Inhan didn’t touch Yuho’s body even once. Yuho still felt that Inhan like this was unfamiliar.
Fortunately, the choreography challenge recording ended in just two takes.
“It would be nice to do a stage together when we have a concert later.”
Yeomin said excitedly, and Yuho also thought it would be nice if something like that could happen.
