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Lights.
“Jay-hyung!” The sleepy man gets a bit startled when he heard a soft voice inside the purple room, he’s currently staying in called him.
“Yes?” He fixes his position a little, seeing Sunoo with his pouting face, lying down across his bed.
“Could you turn off the lights in the dressing room?” In reality, Sunoo couldn’t sleep with the lights are on, in which the dressing room’s lights are quite bugging him. But he’s too tired to stand up, turn it off, and go back to his bed. So asking for Jay-hyung’s help wouldn’t be too much, right?
“It’s okay, when the main lights are turned off, the dressing room lights will automatically turn off,” Jongseong answers, feeling a little tired… and lazy to get up just to turn off those darn lights. They can sleep with that one not being turned off, right? Right… Well, Sunoo cannot.
“It doesn’t turn off,” Sunoo follows.
Heeseung supports him, “It doesn’t work like that.”
“Well I have no interest in this conversation since I don’t want to get out of this bed.” Jongseong clings to his fluffy white blanket a little bit closer, obviously not wanting to go up.
Who even wants to get out of their bed? No one. Neither Sunoo, nor Jongseong, even Heeseung, would want to get out of their bed just to turn off those lights in the dressing room, which is now bugging the three of them. And of course, Sunoo is the most bothered because of his bed’s position as the light still pierces through his closed eyes, making it for him to sleep through the night.
Therefore, Sunoo uses his cheat card: being cute, especially to his hyungs, “Please, just this once.”
“But Sunoo-ya,” Heeseung interjects. Jongseong looks at the older and he laughs a little seeing his playful smirk. Oh, he’s about to tease him again.
“Yes?” Now, Sunoo looks at Heeseung as he answers the oldest hyung.
Heeseung jokes, “How dare you order your hyung around? Go turn it off right now.”
Laughter emits inside the room as Jongseong’s boisterous laugh and Sunoo, now sitting on his bed, playfully laughs at the oldest hyung’s silly tone. “What kind of tone is that,” Jongseong comments.
“Ah, Jay… Just once!” Sunoo continues to plead, using his tone.
This is not helpful at all. Jongseong mutters, “Ah, I’m going crazy.”
Heeseung resumes with his so-called logic. “But going beyond hyung-dongsaeng relationship, if you want it off, you should do it yourself. But why are you suddenly making Jay do it!” The giggles inside the room are still heard.
“Because he’s closer!” Sunoo instantly answers.
“What is that supposed to mean一I guess it’s true.” Maybe the pleading tone and Sunoo’s answer made Heeseung realizes that the youngest is indeed right, Jongseong is the closest from the dressing room. “Jay, turn it off.”
Now the three of them are cracking up in laughter.
Jongseong feels his defeat, “Please, can we just sleep... This is the first time in my life that一Whatever, I’ll just turn it off.” Jongseong rolls out of his bed, walking towards the dressing room to finally turning off the lights and closing its doors.
“Assa! Thanks very much!” Sunoo’s confident tone is heard, showing that victory is in his hands, as he made his Jay-hyung to turn off the lights.
Jongseong shakes his head as he notices the youngest grinning widely, making his cheeks look so puffy, even at the dim room, while making his way back to his bed. He looks at Heeseung who’s still giggling at the debate that just happened, giving him a look that he’s yet to understand, in which he answers with a playful eye roll as he plumps back on his bed, now finally ready to sleep with the lights turned off on that dressing room that made his night unforgettable.
Oh, Sunoo, the things that you make me do.
Live.
Months after their debut, their company asked them do lives in units, and now, in pairs. And gladly, Jay and Sunoo are partnered to have today’s live.
“Hyung, what should I wear?” Sunoo shows three tops which are the gray hoodie, white turtleneck, and the blue sweater, casually putting the clothes in front of him as Jongseong brings a hand to his chin, looking carefully on what should the younger wear.
Maybe he does look good in blue, especially that I’m now wearing black 一scratch that. Why is he thinking these things? For Jongseong, maybe his lovely, adorable, and sweet dongsaeng is just innocently asking him, the ever known as Fashion Icon, some tips about what the latter should wear for today. And thinking about things like that will not resolve Sunoo’s dilemma… or it will? “Go with the blue one. It looks great on you.”
Sunoo delightfully thanks him as he puts away the other two while humming a recognizable song as Jongseong patiently waits for him to get dressed so that they can go to their live’s location right away.
Hours after, they finally started the live. Sunoo looks so giggly as he wears a ‘1988’ blue sweater, while Jongseong sporting a cool facade as he wears a ‘venice’ black hoodie, paired with his black cap and a pair of silver earrings as they started talking to the camera in front of them, being viewed by a rising number of their fans.
“Let’s try these,” Sunoo starts as Jongseong glances on the younger’s phone while the former reads the question he captured a while ago. There are questions solely for Sunoo, and for Jay, also for the entire group, and there are also directed for the two of them, like the first question.
“I was curious on how you two became such good friends. You were suddenly good friends on Part 2, sent by 24 with a fox emoticon,” Sunoo shows the screenshot of the question in front of the camera as Jongseong begins thinking about the question.
“How did we become so close?” Sunoo looks at Jongseong with his wide smile that caught him a little startled, so he looks away after they had an eye contact for about two seconds.
The both of them looks at the camera as they stay silent for a short moment before Jongseong chuckles, “I know,” which is followed by Sunoo’s laugh.
“I一During Part 1, Jay-hyung and I didn’t get to meet at all. So we didn’t have opportunities to become close friends. When we were trainees, we just said ‘hello’ to each other in the halls一”
“We rarely saw each other,” Jongseong interrupts.
“Yeah, that’s right but when we met again in the dorms, we started to get closer then, right? We’ve never been roommates though… Right?” Sunoo unsurely asks, he’s not really that sure so he looks at Jongseong for confirmation, who is also thinking about the past memories.
Oh? “I don’t remember but I don’t think so either,” he answers, looking too confident on his response. But he remembers. He could’ve just said, ‘Well, yeah? Heeseung-hyung and I were your roommates in I-Land, and don’t you remember when you asked me to turn off the lights in the dressing room?’ but he didn’t. He just continued listening and let the younger one talk more about it.
“We were never roommates, but it just happened naturally. I think we got closer as we were recording, right?” Sunoo follows, in which Jay comments, “I can’t remember…” trying to slightly covers his thoughts by being oblivious as he put his hand on top of his chin, lightly making his bottom lip rub on his index finger. “We took lessons together, too.”
“I can barely remember back then.” Lies. Maybe the acting lessons slightly helps, even if he’s sure that Jaeyun and Sunghoon will laugh at him when they got back at dorm, teasing him for being too obvious, but not to Sunoo who is also agreeing at the said ‘fact’ .
“Yeah, I can’t remember much either.”
He might not be able to remember the time that they were roommates back then, but the two of them alongside with the remaining five members, in which the seven of them are currently sleeping on bunk beds in one room; and everyday is just pure chaos.
Their current dorm arrangement was made for them to become closer towards each other, just as Jongseong and Sunoo are now starting to be more intimate after they debuted.
“I think it was around that time… I think so. We didn’t have any time to get close besides then,” Jongseong talks this time, as he tries focusing his gaze on the camera as the gaze directly being given by the man beside him makes his mind go all fuzzy and haywire.
“Yeah,” Sunoo agrees, now looking at the camera and the screen beside it which shows the both of them, as well as the increasing number of viewers, hearts, and comments they’re receiving at this moment.
“We started to become closer friends then and then we tried a few unit performances and it just sorted happened. We went with the flow,” he continues, making Sunoo laugh a little.
“Back then, I remember what Jay-hyung said. When we were recording, I had a conversation with Jay-hyung. He told me that he could teach me the choreography if I want to learn it and I remember being really touched by his comment,” Sunoo explains, bringing his hand near his heart to show his emotions as Jongseong finds it funny because the younger is being so sentimental once again. But he really finds it so cute. “So I still remember that.”
“I realized that he was really a reliable person… and we became close friends since then. We talked a lot together. So during Part 2… I think that’s how it happened,” Sunoo concludes the answer to the first question as Jongseong agrees to it.
Sunoo moves on to the second question as Jongseong leans closer once again, letting the younger to do so.
Jongseong finds it a little too entertaining that there are details that Sunoo remembers, or sometimes, he doesn’t, but the younger will still continue telling stories about their first encounters.
But for Jongseong, if it’s with Sunoo, he’ll always remember.
Leisure.
After some hours of screaming (in joy) and fighting (in pool) 一no kissing (oh, how he wishes there was) , Jongseong, who’s currently drying his hair, sits beside Sunoo as he starts out to film some vlog contents for their EN-Log segment, together with Jungwon.
“I’m filming you,” Sunoo says as he directs the lens towards Jongseong, who looks at the camera while being busy his hair. He tries so hard not to get be caught by the camera as he glances at Sunoo from time to time, in which he succeeded as the younger continues to film. As Jungwon finishes his turn to take a bath and plops down in the middle of the couch, now is the time that they will play some board game to conclude the night. “Should we begin?”
Moving on to one of the rooms of the said place, the three of them matched their clothes with the theme they sported out as months before, when they were deciding for EN-Log units, the three of them happened to wear all in denims. So for tonight, all of their outfits have a touch of blue denim as Jongseong wears a dark blue polo shirt and white pants, Sunoo goes with denim and denim on his button-down shirt and pants, and Jungwon has a pale blue long sleeves with grayish pants. All thanks to the fashion icon who carefully helped them pick out their outfits back in the dorm.
Jungwon fixes the camera on the table in front of them, showing the three of them sitting on the white fluffy bed, “Now, we’re here to play Da Vinci Code. Do you all know how to play this?” Jungwon, on the right side, asks his hyungs as he goes back on the bed while Sunoo, in the middle, puts away his phone after informing the other members on their group chat, and Jongseong, on the left, gets the contents of the game out of the box. “I don’t, I never played it.”
The three of them gets competitive while playing the mystery game. Especially Jongseong, who’s naturally competitive, hides his own block to the other members upon seeing it. “Wrong,” Jongseong says after fixing his own blocks, which humors the laughing Sunoo, “Oh? Really?”
“Flip it over,” Jungwon tells as Sunoo rides it up as he puts up his palm on his mouth in shock while pointing at their hyung whose head is diverted away from them, “You got caught! You got caught, you got caught!”
The oldest tries hard not to blush, but he would be lying if he said that he’s not getting distracted by Sunoo’s teases. And it’s really evident for him to certainly act like this. Jungwon starts to observe the two of them: Jongseong’s attempt of not being awkward and is certainly failing on it, and Sunoo who is completely oblivious about it.
Minutes after, Jungwon looks at his blocks and gets surprised with his mouth agape, “I feel like Jay-hyung can end it here, if I’m right.”
“It totally feels like an episode of Case Closed right now,” Sunoo comments, as he looks at the two in which Jungwon follows, “He’s the great detective Jjongsaeng .”
Laughing Sunoo taps his hand on the focused Jongseong, “You look like you’re filming a movie right now. You look so cool.” Jungwon smirks as he observes the two, Sunoo looking so innocently amazed with their hyung as Jongseong tries so hard to be cool while focusing on the game. Oh boy, he’s getting distracted. Jungwon could only shake his head, pretending that his mere presence isn’t there even though he’s being accused as the game’s culprit.
The compliments he got from the younger made Jongseong smiling a bit wider than a while ago. Sunoo’s words really got an effect on him. And Jungwon just wanted to laugh at his hyung for being not so discreet at his emotions.
The game continues as Jungwon comments that it’s over, while Jongseong strategically analyzes the game, in which he fails as Sunoo asks him, “Are you a dummy?” The oldest’s mind loads for a few seconds, making Jungwon and Sunoo laugh, “You’re dummy! It’s all right there!”
“Ah, hyung!” Sunoo whines, lightly smacking and shaking Jongseong’s knee.
“The rules一I didn’t know the rules,” Jongseong defends himself.
“Oh, pleaseee.”
As the game’s about to end, Sunoo gets their dessert from the kitchen, leaving the two behind.
“Hyung, you’re too obvious,” Jungwon tells him, alerting Jongseong who shushed the younger right away. What? No! I’m not一God! “He might hear you!”
“He won’t. But anyway, you look so fidgety around a while ago. It’s not like you, hyung,” Jungwon adds as Jongseong nods in defeat. He might have been a bit awkward towards the younger a while ago despite them bumping their knees as they ate their dinner and looking so chummy in the pool some hours ago.
Of course, he lets his inhibitions go away the moment they arrived in here. Making Sunoo enjoy this trip (thanks to Jungwon for being here cause he might have not make it at this point if he’s not here) is one of the top priorities. Cooking food for his dongsaengs, letting them have fun, and just spending time with each other. How he wishes that the remaining four are together with them, but surely they’ll enjoy their own trip as well. And now, as Jongseong will do the things that would make the sunshine beam so bright.
And how could Jongseong forget? Sunoo looks so radiant, especially when they’re in the pool. The moment he heard Sunoo’s screams ringing around their place as he cooks their own food, it gives him pure delight. And when he joined in the pool chaos? For him, it was fantastic. To bond with him, play with him, wrap his arms around him一Well, that was the brave Jongseong , but still, making Sunoo happy indeed makes him feel the same, too.
“Just be yourself, hyung. It makes him happy just enough, you know,” Jungwon taps Jongseong’s shoulder before turning on the camera once again as they heard Sunoo’s singing voice getting louder, a signal that he’s coming back to the room. He has a point.
Thanks to Jungwon’s words, he is now all inspirit to continue what he had just started.
“Ddararara ddan~ Ddararara~ Ddaraddara ddan~” Sunoo hums as he makes his way back inside, holding two pints of ice cream, vanilla for Jungwon, cherry for Jongseong, and a box of mint chocolate ice cream pizza all for himself.
Jongseong grins at Sunoo’s excited manner, getting all dancy for the reward (a.k.a. the dessert) as he gets the camera, showing the visuals of their food for the content. Jungwon could only shake his head as he looks at the two, Jongseong silently giving lovey-dovey eyes to Sunoo.
“It’s so good!” Sunoo comments after he took a bite of his dessert.
“I don’t like anything that has minty flavor,” Jongseong follows. That’s one thing that they really differ. As much as Sunoo loves mint chocolate, Jongseong feels the opposite. And it might be a little too exaggerated for Jongseong to act so squeamish by the former’s love for the said flavor, he just does it to make Sunoo give him some attention a little bit more.
“It’s not that minty at all, it’s good… right?” Sunoo replies as he takes a bite, finally convincing Jungwon to have some as well.
“I’m not good in minty flavor at all.”
“Isn’t it good?”
“The mint flavor isn’t that strong,” Jungwon remarks. Still, it won’t convince Jongseong to try it. I’m sorry, Sunoo-ya.
Minutes after talking and eating, they finally decided to shoot the outro of their vlog. Jungwon starts off by summarizing their activities for today as Sunoo lies down on the bed, supporting his body with his arm, while Jongseong holds the camera.
“It was so nice, I was really happy,” Sunoo says.
“We had fun, Together!” Jungwon cheekily adds, showing the ice cream’s brand.
“Please give us a call,” Jongseong jokes.
“What?” Sunoo cracks up in laughter first. Mission success again.
The three of them continue laughing at Jongseong’s sudden gag, making Sunoo hit his shoulder while giggling.
“We’ll be going now. Today was a happy day. It was nice,” Jungwon concludes, showing a thumbs up.
“Bye~”
“Bye!”
Jongseong smacks the lens as he clicks on the button, stopping the recording.
“Yoi! That’s a great content, hyungs!” Jungwon claps as Sunoo lies his back down on the bed, while Jongseong putting the camera back to the table on the side. Just a minute after, his phone rings, showing Sunghoon’s contact on his screen. “Let me get that, hyung,” Jungwon carries the unfinished ice creams to put it inside the fridge, bringing his phone around to talk to Sunghoon, who might be currently with Jaeyun as the two promised their leader that they will give him a call, leaving Jongseong and Sunoo alone together inside the room.
Sunoo pats the space beside him, making Jongseong to give him a look. “Just rest, hyung. You did a lot today,” in which he follows right away.
As the both of them are lying down on the bed, eyes closed and just letting their tired bodies get some rest, Sunoo’s soft voice comforts Jongseong’s heart a little bit more than the usual.
“This trip is so unforgettable, hyung,” Sunoo speaks, still with his eyes closed as he grins widely while sighing contentedly.
Jongseong throws the younger a gaze, his eyes focusing on how gorgeous Sunoo is, even if he’s just there, telling how great this day was. Little did Sunoo know that his even if it’s just his voice, he was able to hearten Jongseong. “I’m really happy that we had this trip today, hyung.”
Sunoo faces him with his eyes open. Help. Jongseong feels his heart’s rhythm a little too fast, getting all drowned with the stare given by Sunoo as he asks him, “Would you like to have a trip with me again, hyung?”
Fuck, if he can do it again, why wouldn’t he? All he know is he would absolutely do it again, for Sunoo.
Luck.
Now, Jongseong feels that luck has been on his side. He has been roommates with Sunoo for several stops during their tour. From Osaka in their Japan leg, followed by their US leg, starting off with Los Angeles, then Fort Worth, and now in Houston. For Jongseong, it’s a milestone to celebrate, so when Sunoo asked him, “Let’s do a live later, hyung?” Oh, boy. He agreed in a heartbeat.
After the rehearsals, they were deciding on who’s going to do the live after the show.
“Me and Jay-hyung, please!” Sunoo presents themselves as Jongseong receives mysterious side eyes from Jaeyun and Sunghoon, giving them eye rolls as Jungwon supports the decision. And now, they’re going to do some rock-paper-scissors for their room arrangement tomorrow in Atlanta.
Heeseung was indeed lucky to get a room all by himself once again. Jaeyun and Sunghoon, not really that surprising, but roommates for the nth time. Sunoo and Jungwon gets paired up to be roommates this time. Left with the whining Riki, protesting as he got his Jay-hyung as his roommate.
Riki pleads Sunoo, “Hyung, please be roommates with Jay-hyung for tomorrow again!!! Don’t you have some ounce of pity to me?” The older one scoffed, playfully mocking at the maknae’s request in which Sunoo declined, “Hey, be nice to Jay-hyung! He’s treating you some steak yet you don’t want to be roommates with him? That’s bad, Riki-kun,” Sunoo teases.
On the other hand, Jaeyun, Jungwon, Sunghoon, and Heeseung teams up to twit the poor Jongseong.
“What a lucky man!”
“He prayed for it. I know, he did.”
“Later on, he’s going to message one of us, saying ‘Oh, Sunoo looks so adorable. He looks fantastic. He’s doing his skin care. He asks me to go to Disneyland. He wants to watch movie with me. He likes my perfume.’ Yadda yadda.”
“Yet he’s not making any move一”
“Shut the fuck up, he might hear you,” Jongseong scolds the four as an obvious scowl is written on his face which changes to a bright beam as soon as Sunoo looks back to them, giving them a wide smile.
“See who’s down for the sunshine,” Jungwon comments as Jaeyun and Sunghoon drags the younger away, while Jongseong receives an arm bump and a wink from Heeseung. “Go get it, lucky boy.”
Right after the show, they all went to their own rooms to get some rest after their amazing show. Sunoo changes into his signature blue wool sweater while Jongseong wears a pair of black pajamas. The older lies down on the bed as the younger fixes his phone in front of them. “Is this angle okay, hyung?” Jongseong looks at the camera, grinning widely as he nods twice. “It’s perfect.”
“Okay, let’s take a photo for the thumbnail first, hyung-ie. One, two, three…” Sunoo sets the timer as he brings out a V-pose and Jongseong does the same pose. “That’s so cute! Let’s take a few more, hyung!” How could he even say no to Sunoo? Of course, they took some a lot.
First try: Failed. The hotel’s Wi-Fi is so freaking slow. They were barely understood as Jongseong monitors their live using his phone. Sunoo’s getting frustrated since they have just started and a series of lagging screen flashes in front of them.
“Hyung, should we try again?”
“Yeah, turn that off first.”
A two-minute live ends.
Second try: Failed. Now, Sunoo’s getting more frustrated. Jongseong is thinking of a way on how to continue their live while calming down the younger one.
“Let’s try again with the Wi-Fi, okay?”
“Alright, hyung.”
Jongseong scoots a little bit closer to Sunoo, who’s all pouty and worried. The both of them says sorry to the fans as the lagging continues. Jaeyun pays them a visit midway, giving them some mask from the cosmetic brand they’re endorsing as he plops his body on the bed, then leaves after a few minutes.
When they thought they succeeded, nope, they didn’t. It’s still lagging so they decided to end the live once again.
Now, a four-minute live ends.
Third try. Jongseong suggested to use his mobile network if in case that the connection might be stronger, so they can have a smooth sailing live this time. Sunoo agrees as they set it up first before doing another live.
Result: Success. The live is a lot better than a while ago. They started greeting the fans once again as the viewers come up while explaining what just happened for the first two lives.
“There were a lot of ups and downs, but anyway, it’s doing well now. I really like it. Anyway, let’s get down to it and talk about it today,” Sunoo says while clapping as Jongseong nods, fixing his position on the bed by bringing his arms up behind his head.
Sunoo tells about their experience and gets surprised when Jongseong sits up then says his thoughts in English, the former praises his accent while the latter later on switches back to Korean.
“You guys became roommates again this time?” Sunoo reads a comment from a fan.
“Yes, that’s right! I actually told Jay-hyung that being roommate with him was better than expected.” Jongseong tries hard not to slip a smile, but Sunoo, expressing his delight as his roommate is so much for him. He had already received a lot of playful banters form his original roommate, Jaeyun, in which some people (in the form of Jungwon and Sunghoon) supported. But Sunoo, out of all people, liking him as a roommate? The God must’ve given him such a great luck for today.
“So I asked if we could be roommates again at the next hotel. He said, it doesn’t matter.” Lies. It does matter. It highly matters, of course! He’s just letting Sunoo see his cool facade so that the younger won’t think too much about it. They both enjoy being roommates with each other, for the third time to be exact.
“When we got to the hotel, all the members were doing rock-paper-scissors since only one member can have a room alone. So we played until one of us got it. It was decided like that,” Sunoo explains to their fans, in detail, while Jongseong just lets him to do so. Just then, Jongseong remembers the very first time that Sunoo publicly confesses that he enjoys being roommates with him. He felt he’s on Cloud 9 after that.
Jungwon reads a comment, “Sunoo, how is Jay as a roommate?”
“No, but Jay-hyung, everyone might think that he’s not a great roommate,” Sunoo initiates.
Jaeyun gets a little defensive as he is Jongseong’s original roommate. “We don’t think negatively about him!”
“I like Jay-hyung!” Sunoo proudly says. Jongseong freezes for a short moment, earning some teasing side eyes and smirks from Heeseung and Jungwon beside him as Sunoo continues to answer.
“He’s a better roommate than I thought一” Sunoo’s explanation gets interrupted by Jaeyun.
“Sunoo-ya.”
“A good person.”
“It’s because it’s been a day! Do you know how many years how long I’ve used the room with him?!” Jaeyun explains. For Jongseong, he’s getting too exaggerated so he butts in. “Hey, you’re not in the position to talk!” In which Jaeyun gives him a look before challenging the same-aged friend. “Ya!”
“Firstly, I had a good impression!” Sunoo explains.
“This conversation will never end,” Jaeyun interrupts once again as Sunoo repeats his statement.
“Jay-hyung is good! I like Jay-hyung! Really!” At this point, Jongseong feels his head going on a daze because of Sunoo’s words. It might be too easy for the fox-eyed member to publicly say this, in front of the members and their fans who are currently listening right now. But as Sunoo’s words make him drown in his own little thoughts, he must stay focused. Yes, Sunoo likes the idea of him being a roommate. That’s it. I wish you could like me back, too.
“We’ll be debating for an hour again,” Jaeyun adds.
“Yes, the two of us should just not start,” Jongseong looks at Jaeyun as the latter nods at his meaningful stares as the former silently asks for help on diverting the topic. Cause Sunoo’s sudden confession might ruin Jay’s cool facade. Not today, he’s not that ready for the spontaneous disclosure of his hidden feelings.
“About who is the untidiest,” Jaeyun follows. Jongseong gives him a pair of squint eyes. “Okay, next question.” And it finished.
Even though it felt like Jaeyun was tarnishing his image, especially to Sunoo, he’s quite thankful that his original roommate diverted the topic already. As Jongseong glances at Sunoo, he can see that the younger is giving him a wide smile. He thinks, how could this man just openly confess about liking him as a roommate when he kept his feelings for around a year now.
After a half an hour, they finish the live and now eating their dinner. Jongseong sits across Sunoo on the small table set by the window. Sunoo moves the curtain a little to the side, giving them an exhilarating view of the cityscape at nighttime. As they peacefully dine their food, Jongseong can't help but to give Sunoo some glances from time to time, watching the younger enjoying his food, telling how good it is.
"Hyung, I swear! This steak is one of the tastiest food I've ever had!" Sunoo exclaims.
"I know, Sunoo-ya. Here, have some lamb chops." Jongseong replies, giving Sunoo a piece on his plate.
"I'm too shy to ask but thank you, hyung! You're the best!" Jongseong grins, seeing how Sunoo indulge the food they're having right now makes him want to treat the latter to different restaurants, the ones he went before and the ones he wanted to visit, bringing someone who can enjoy the food as much as he does.
For some times, Jongseong's stares gets a bit longer than the usual, making Sunoo caught him, in which the latter responds him with his signature crescent eye smiles and hearty laughs, making the former to think about finally confessing his hidden feelings to his dear roommate.
God, just give me some courage.
Luxury.
Jongseong wasn’t feeling at his best.
Thanks to the support of his members, his feelings are getting a lot better now. Even though there are some thoughts that has been bugging his mind, he is still grateful that he’s not alone. He was never alone.
He was grateful for them. Jungwon and Heeseung, his best friend slash leader and his only hyung, gave him wise and encouragement words, Sunghoon and Riki, his mischievous clowns, cracked up some jokes as usual. Jaeyun, his airplane seatmate, told him good stories during their nine-hour flight. And Sunoo, his sunshine, who stayed beside him from Incheon to Milan.
A heavy day suddenly feels a lot better.
Being invited by a luxury brand in a fashion show is what a fashion enthusiast’s dream come true. Jongseong who have been so vocal about it since his trainee days couldn’t even blink his eyes the moment it was confirmed. Most especially that the seven of them are coming to Italy? Wow, what a big break.
And it’s definitely not their first time going overseas but seeing Italy’s beauty right in the front of their eyes makes it a lot more gorgeous. Jongseong may have been granted such blessing from his past life to witness two of the most breath-taking views in this world: Italy and Sunoo.
Picking out their outfits for the two-day fashion event coordinated by their own stylists as well as the fashion brand’s happened months before yet seeing it up close in Milan gives off a different feeling.
The entire styling team loved Sunoo’s outfit on the first day: white turtleneck with some square-patterned prints on the neck part, covered with a long black padded jacket, paired with black leather body bag, and the highlight which is the signature black beret. Oh God, everyone was mesmerized because of Sunoo’s look, definitely making him a head turner during the event proper. And of course, the very first one who turned his head to the stunner is none other than Park Jongseong.
Moving on to the second day which is the actual fashion show. Everyone was busy styling them with the brand’s items that perfectly suited the members’ tastes. From turtlenecks to black coats, paired with different tops and accessories like bags and shades, down to the matching black pointed leather ankle boots for all the members.
However, perhaps a coincidence, unlike the other members but only Sunoo and Jongseong was styled in both denim and denim. As both Sunoo and Jay are dressed in black turtleneck, topped with denim jacket and paired with denim pants, Sunoo gets himself covered with a long black leather coat.
The members, especially Jungwon, who was originally a part of the Denimz unit, teases the two of them as the ‘Denim Couple’ for today’s event. Sunoo shyly giggles at the sudden title while Jongseong struggles a little on hiding his crimson cheeks as they begin the photoshoot for the brand.
Oh? The shoot for the brand’s advertisement reel will be inside a hotel room. He was informed that there will be a scene with him. Him… and Sunoo. And there’s a bed. There’s a bed?! What?!
As much as he tried, his mind couldn’t still get off with the fact. The shoot continues. Each member has filmed some of their own solo shots as well as some unit shots. It was all fantastic, just two or three takes and it’s all done. It’s nothing much because it’s just spontaneous, candid shots of them being styled, posing, and slightly playing around with the cameras, and the director is happy with the results they’re showing. Now, the director calls for Jongseong and Sunoo for their unit shot.
“So, what you will do is you will just lie down on the bed. Just plop yourselves down, okay? That’s simple,” the director explains as the two of them just nod in unison.
Okay. That wasn’t too hard, he supposes. It was just a second or two clip, right? And Sunoo’s a professional worker, too. So Jongseong shouldn’t let his intrusive thoughts divert him away from nailing this. He’s the one and only Jay Park, one of the coolest idols in the industry. This is nothing but a fairly easy task, right? Yeah… easy.
“Ready, hyung?”
“Of course, cutie.”
After five takes, the director wasn’t that satisfied. But they’re doing well! It’s just that the director wants more which honestly makes Jongseong think what more they can give. As if they would just look at each other’s eyes and kiss一hah! In your dreams.
They take a short minute break as they think about on what they should do and his mind is too bizarre, Sunoo just wants to hear his thoughts, and the rest of the members aren’t helping at all. And believe it or not, there’s something that Jongseong was really not expecting this to happen. No, it’s not that too embarrassing… well, kind of. How can not he feel weird upon seeing the most angelic face that drowns him every single time. Adorable. Beautiful. Charismatic. Divine. Ethereal. Fabulous. Gorgeous. Handsome. He could go on but it would make Jongseong too distracted (he already was) and they have to halt the shooting (it happened) because of a certain circumstance (just blame Jongseong), and Sunoo is just giggling at the whole time which leaves him dazed and confused.
As the director calls them back, he squirms and tries to hide his erection by putting his arms in front of him as he stands beside Sunoo while the director pats their shoulders and gives them a piece of advice, “Just relax! Be natural, okay? You two can do this, I know.”
Just one more take. “Three, two, one… cue!”
Just then, both of them flop down on the bed in just four seconds. Sunoo lounges back, arms up high as it goes past his head; across him is Jay, resting his back on the bed, hands up behind his nape while lifting his left leg up, obviously covering something that shouldn’t be seen by the eyes of many.
“And… cut!”
After that, they continue to shoot more scenes: Sunoo pouting on the camera he’s holding while lying down on the bed, Jay having some retouch on his make-up, more with the other members and as a group. And lastly, where everybody’s on the bed, casually panning the lens from one member to another, starting from Riki to Heeseung, next is Jongseong who’s showing his ever-killing jawline and his cool visuals, then Sunoo, sporting a chic look with his arm supporting his head on the bed, followed by Sunghoon, Jungwon, and finally, Jake, before showing everyone as they say what the director has told them to. Applauses and cheers were heard once they finish, and the rest is history.
May it be because of the fact that they shot a scene, wholesomely, on the bed, or due to Jongseong’s unforeseen nervousness that caused a nerve-wracking effect in his body, he has been too close to Sunoo for the entire day. And the younger did not mind it at all.
“Sunoo-hyung likes it anyways,” Jungwon says, a little too obvious for Sunoo to hear it but the latter was busy talking to Jaeyun and Riki, making Jongseong sigh in relief while giving the leader a ‘shut-up’ look.
And thank heavens (or maybe their luck) in making them roommates, once again, in Milan. Therefore, Sunoo enjoys having a companion in doing new things while they’re in another country, as Jongseong needs a confidant to be by his side, especially during these tough times.
Maybe the fact that they liked being beside each other, and it is entirely beneficial for the both of them. And neither one of them, nor the members, said anything cause really, the Denimz couple looked great, especially when they’re beside each other一lying down on the bed or just standing side by side.
How I wish we could always be like this.
Love.
If his subtle hints couldn’t be more obvious, well, Sunoo doesn’t even know anymore.
He tried no tries uh-uh is still trying his best to make his actions even more noticeable. And he has no idea on why does his favorite hyung, the eagle-eyed member who does nothing but to be ‘that’ cool hyung for him, couldn’t even distinguish the special treatment he’s giving compared to the other members.
It wasn’t that recent, but his feelings started to grow for Jongseong without him knowing, really. He just really thought that this man was just being a nice friend to him, too nice even, which later on made his heart grow fonder.
For their recent tours, Sunoo has paid more attention to Jongseong. All the gestures, adlibs, and praises were taken and given to his precious hyung. From stares they gave to each other, Sunoo receiving Jongseong’s gentle pats on his head so well, him initiating to form a heart signs (even made their own upside down heart on their very last show), as well as catching his attention to look at the camera and throwing a kiss, the innocent touches from the arms to the back, all the laughs and playful banters, and most importantly, staying beside each other’s side during the whole tour—it meant a lot for Sunoo. And he just hopes that everything is going well by making his feelings a lot more obvious to his beloved hyung.
As if the heavens above answered his silent prayers (not knowing that he’s not the only one who prays for it) but having someone beside you that keeps you feel safe, comfortable, and loved, makes Sunoo wish that the time could stop and just make this moment last forever.
Sunoo feels grateful seeing Jongseong at his eyesight, even though waking up in the middle of the night isn’t as good as it disturbs his sleep, but observing Jongseong who is sleeping peacefully as his eyebrows slightly furrow in between of his silent snores makes him grin warmly at the latter’s actions. The moon continues to light up the cozy dim room as the two of them are covered by the thick sheets, Sunoo feels a pair of arms pulling him closer as Jongseong shifts closer towards him, capturing him inside a warm hug after draping his arm over his body. Sunoo moves a little closer to his lover as he settles his face under the older’s neck, smiling gently as sounds of quiet snores and soft breaths are heard inside the room.
It was indeed a long ride but surely, it’s worth a while. Jongseong has been always that person who supported him, understood him, and showed him how love could be done in different ways. Meanwhile, Sunoo returns the love towards his favorite hyung , to the ways that he knows, expressing how he feels the same way. It must have been the right time for them to know that now is the time to discover that their love for each other will make them experience how delightful it is to be in love. I love you so much, hyung, more than I can even imagine.
“I could hear you, you know,” Jongseong whispers, lightly rubbing his eyes while soft laughs are heard the moment he gives Sunoo a wide smile.
“Oh…” Sunoo giggles softly as Jongseong pulls him a little closer, planting a tender kiss on top of his head, down to the tip of his nose before they face each other, staring into the deep orbs that only screams how they are deeply in love with each other, as Jongseong captures Sunoo’s lips into a soft kiss, sharing how it feels good to finally have someone he loves bearing the same feelings as his.
“I love you, hyung.”
“I love you more, Sunoo.”
“Hyung!”
“I love you.”
At the end of the day, Sunoo and Jongseong will always both end up in each other’s arms, surrounded by the warmth of their bodies, hearing only sweet nothings as their hearts continuously beating as one.