“Are you preparing well for the next album?”
Eunha was persistent. Her determination not to let go of the conversation thread was remarkable.
“Yeah. Sure.”
“What style is it? Can’t you spoil it just a little?”
Eunha leaned forward and moved closer to Sehyun. As she flashed a subtle eye smile and tried to whisper in his ear, Sehyun reflexively pulled his head back.
“Haha, it’s a secret.”
“Don’t be like that~. I really like Sehyun-ssi’s songs. I’m asking as a fan.”
Ah, how annoying.
Sehyun’s patience was gradually running out. He was slightly irritated because Yoo Eunha was blocking his view, preventing him from checking Doha’s movements in the distance.
“Sunbae-nim.”
Sehyun called out to Eunha with a face completely devoid of laughter.
“Yes?”
“Sorry, but I’m a bit busy right now.”
Sehyun gestured toward Doha with his chin.
“Over there, our leader hyung is desperately looking for me, so I think I need to go.”
Doha wasn’t looking for Sehyun at all—he wasn’t even interested in whether Sehyun was there or not.
“Ah… Really?”
Eunha’s expression stiffened strangely. It seemed she noticed that Sehyun was making excuses.
“Then let’s at least exchange numbers. We could have a meal later…”
“I need to get my leader hyung’s permission for that too. My hyung is pretty strict.”
Sehyun threw out an absurd excuse and, leaving the dazed Eunha behind, simply turned around. Walking with long strides. He walked out without hesitation.
“Hyung! What are you doing!”
Sehyun’s voice rose a tone higher. The annoyed look from just moments ago had completely disappeared—he looked exactly like a large dog wagging its tail.
The abandoned Eunha watched Sehyun’s retreating figure with an absurd expression. He was the first man to ever embarrass the great Yoo Eunha and leave like this. And with such a ridiculous excuse at that.
What kind of nonsense is this?
“…What’s with him?”
She wasn’t angry, but she was dumbfounded. Before she knew it, Sehyun had stuck himself right next to Doha.
“Eunha-ya, let’s fix your hair.”
Even at the stylist’s words, Eunha was still watching Sehyun and Doha. Her eyes clearly showed her displeasure.
* * *
“Ah, hyung! Zip it all the way up! The wind’s getting in.”
Sehyun grabbed the zipper of Doha’s padded jacket, who had been crouching, and yanked it up. Doha scrunched up his brow at the sudden touch and smacked Sehyun’s hand away.
“Ow! You caught my skin!”
“Don’t exaggerate. I didn’t catch your skin, okay? Just stay still. Let me straighten your fur.”
Whether Doha said anything or not, Sehyun did as he pleased and vigorously brushed and straightened the fur attached to Doha’s padded jacket hood. Doha’s face, buried in the fluffy raccoon fur, looked especially small. Despite his nose tip being red from the cold wind, his expression was sullen as if the world was bothersome—it was quite a sight.
So cute, really. Sehyun laughed “hehe” and poked Doha’s cheek deeply with his index finger. Doha halfheartedly pushed Sehyun’s finger away as if annoyed, then opened his mouth with a sigh.
“…Enough. Let’s not talk.”
Doha clicked his tongue and turned his head sharply. It was obvious he was swallowing a curse.
Sehyun found Doha’s reaction hilarious to death but pretended not to notice casually.
“Why do you look so haggard, hyung? Did you really not sleep well?”
“…I had a nightmare. A very clingy nightmare called Lim Sehyun…”
Doha shuddered in disgust. Sehyun giggled and clung to Doha’s shoulder.
“Hyung likes me so much. Seeing me even in your dreams.”
“Won’t you get off? You’re heavy!”
Just then, a large shadow suddenly cast over the two of them.
“Hey, guys, does this fit look okay?”
It was Yunbeom. He spun around once as if doing a fashion show, wearing a khaki jumper.
“Don’t I look a bit pale wearing this color?”
Yunbeom asked seriously. Even though he usually acted like a tough guy or whatever, in front of the camera he was an unmistakable idol who cared about his appearance.
“Hyung was always pale.”
Sehyun delivered the fact without a second’s hesitation.
At those words, Yunbeom frowned and snatched the hand mirror Doha was holding to examine his face from every angle. Just then, Eden, who had changed into a white jumper, came over to the three of them.
“But why is that person over there looking at us like she wants to devour us?”
Eden glanced over subtly. Doha and Yunbeom’s gazes followed.
“What are you doing looking so openly?”
Eden laughed softly at his two hyungs’ tactless behavior.
“Ah…”
Only then did Doha, Yunbeom, and Sehyun realize that Yoo Eunha was staring at them intently.
“Didn’t you talk with Sehyun earlier?”
Doha remembered the friendly two-shot he had seen.
“What did you talk about?”
“I don’t know. Nothing much.”
They did talk about something, but Sehyun had just listened with one ear and let it flow out the other.
“I think she said something about radio…”
It was unlike Sehyun, who usually paid keen attention to anything related to OnX.
“I’m not interested.”
At Sehyun’s words, the other members nodded and dropped their interest.
“Ah, filming is so tiring. I want to hurry back to the dorm and rest.”
“There’s no time to rest now. Less than two months left until the album release.”
Sehyun’s words sounded like a death sentence to Doha.
“The title track choreography is confirmed, so we have to live in the practice room starting today.”
A deep contemplation began about why he hadn’t escaped from here earlier. While watching Lim Sehyun’s amazing supernatural strength show, it seemed he had just become assimilated into this team.
At this moment, Doha had this thought: But I’ve already suffered this much, so would doing one more album really make that much of a difference?
“Hyung, you have to record tomorrow too, and oh, did you check our music video concept?”
Doha barely had enough energy to worry about Battle Crown alone, but in the meantime, Sehyun had been perfectly preparing for the next album. The more he watched, the more amazing this human was.
“Uh… no?”
“You know that right after Battle Crown ends, we go straight into the next album promotions, right?”
He hadn’t thought about it. Even though he was sometimes led by Sehyun’s hand to record and attend meetings and such, his mind had been entirely elsewhere.
“Get it together, hyung.”
A sharp remark flew at him while he had a dazed look on his face. A sense of crisis suddenly rushed over him. It was overwhelming just barely getting through each day as it came, but strangely when he looked back, it was amazing that something had accumulated.
But this is really serious. Can I even properly do the promotions?
* * *
It feels like touching the abyss. This is really a bad omen.
Understanding others is difficult. So it was easier to give up on understanding others. Nevertheless, Doha tried to understand Lim Sehyun.
“Get your face away.”
However, throughout the concept meeting with Lim Sehyun’s arm around his shoulder, it was becoming difficult to understand him any longer.
“Why are you clinging like this? Are you cold?”
“Hyung is warm though.”
“I’m going to get heat rash.”
“Then I’ll put medicine on it for you.”
What’s wrong with this bastard after eating his warm chicken breast well? His patience was reaching its limit when—
Ttiring.
At the cheerful notification sound, Doha took out his phone from his pocket.
*Is tomorrow night okay for you?*
At the message that flew in unexpectedly, Doha thought that a superstar’s life might not be as busy as he thought.
*Yes.*
*I’ll send you the address. Come here.*
*Yes!*
The dinner date he promised with Seo Yungyeom was set faster than expected. After finishing the contact like that, Doha hurriedly put his phone back in his pocket. He was worried that if Lim Sehyun found out about this, he might cling to him again.
Honestly, going together wasn’t a problem. Rather, he felt more comfortable having a member with him than moving alone. But from his last experience, he learned that going with Lim Sehyun would become troublesome.
Let’s quietly go eat and come back. That’s right.
Lim Sehyun seemed to be in a good mood lately. Was it because he successfully blocked one of Eden’s disasters? Anyway, it’s nice to see him working hard. Good.
Ttiring.
Just then, his phone’s notification sound rang again. At that moment, Lim Sehyun’s gaze turned this way. Those were sharp eyes. Why is he like this again?
He was just thinking about checking it later when Lim Sehyun gestured urgently with his eyes. It meant to check the phone right now. Let’s ignore it anyway.
“Hyung, aren’t you checking it?”
But when he urged him verbally, there was nowhere left to retreat. Doha took out his phone. When he unlocked the screen, he saw a preview of the message.
“It’s asking to have a meal.”
He thought Seo Yungyeom sunbae had sent a confirmation message again. He didn’t want to create a troublesome situation by opening it now, so just as he was about to slide the window to the side, Lim Sehyun quickly extended his finger and opened the message.
‘Damn it.’
Anyway, at times like this, he’s amazingly agile. The window opened like that, and the message was revealed for all the world to see.
“Uh…”
After seeing the message, Lim Sehyun looked at Doha’s face.
