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Hyun is still wiping the sweat off his forehead, careful to not mess up his make-up, when he sees Rui greet the boy for the first time.
His brain distantly tells him that's Hendery from WayV. Rui bows deeply, so politely, holds her sweaty palms together as she sometimes does when she's nervous. The boy smiles, so open, so comforting, but blindingly beautiful – all white teeth and whimsy. He's not human, Hyun thinks, as the boy bows down in response and his hair is all fluffy and perfect and it frames his perfect face so perfectly.
"Hyung?" Hyun is startled as Haru is suddenly standing in front of him, right in the line of fire between him and Mr. Perfect talking to Rui right now. "You're all good?"
"Oh, yes! Yes, all good." He answers, stealing another glance at the duo just in time to see Hendery pull out his phone and hand it to Rui before Haru pulls him away towards somewhere else.
The group has a couple of weeks off work so Haru and Wumuti leave to visit their families, but Rui says she'll stay back at the dorm. Hyun doesn't ask why, but he stays with her. And they go out for dinner.
Her hair is longer now. Her nails too. It's a look Hyun loves and finds so charming, not really on himself, but on Rui... It's stunning. Her eyes sparkle even in the low lighting of the cosy family-owned restaurant and her face is flushed pink from the hot broth of her ramyeon.
"Jinhyung-ah..." She says, voice sweet and syrupy like honey. "Thank you for staying with me. You didn't have to."
And Hyun smiles, says she has nothing to thank him for, that he is her friend, and that's what friends are for. Her eyes look a bit shinier and redder as she grabs his hand on top of the table, and his heart drums inside his chest like a stampede. He'll never leave her side. No matter what.
"You two act so much like a couple sometimes." Haru comments, laughing, as the three of them rest on the couch at their dorm. Rui has laid down completely on top of Hyun, who in return circles his arms around her waist (as he does at any given chance).
Rui laughs, and leaves a quick kiss on Hyun's cheek. He's pretty sure Haru lets out a dramatic Ewww, to which Wumuti, who just arrived with a bucket of freshly-made popcorn, agrees with a You two are disgusting.
She lays on top of him the whole movie. With her head resting on his chest, he can't disguise how his heartbeat speeds up everytime those manicured nails draw imaginary hearts on his tummy. She looks up at him, asks him if he'll carry her to bed if she falls asleep. "Of course, hyung" he answers, with blushed cheeks.
(Rui doesn't fall asleep. But she closes her eyes and acts really sleepy and begs Hyun to join her on her bed so they can cuddle some more. He does just that, slips under her sheets and lets her pull him closer, closer, until their bodies are flushed together. She rests her forehead on his chest and circles an arm around his torso and makes Hyun go crazy without even knowing. She doesn't even know. She couldn't possibly know.)
Their manager picks Rui up himself. She's really excited to go visit SM Entertainment. And to go practice with Hendery.
"Hendery-gege is so friendly." She says, with a sigh, sounding so dreamy and happy. "He said he was really impressed by my abilities. And that the snippet I showed him of our choreography looked incredible. Can you believe this?"
Hyun can. Of course he can. Someone being impressed by Rui is not surprising. Not when she's grace and power encarnated in one person. Not when she has the ability to carry herself like both a swan and a tiger. The delicate beauty of a butterfly and the fierceness of a storm.
That's the first time she leaves to train with Hendery. She texts their groupchat later with a picture from the practice room mirror, of her laying down on the floor, black hair sticking to her forehead with sweat, her hoodie long discarded on the corner as she lays there with a tight crop top and loose sweatpants. In the corner of the picture is Hendery, standing up, drinking from a water bottle. He's wearing a sleeveless shirt that doesn't leave much to the imagination. "We're about finished in here! I'll be home in about an hour. Don't stay up waiting for me! You hear me, Muti-hyung?" reads the text. But Hyun can't sleep. Hyun can't sleep while Rui is with Hendery. Hyun can't sleep until she's back home, crawling in his bed without asking and running her long nails through his blonde hair.
"You are so, so jealous." Wumuti teases him. Hyun gasps, fakes annoyance, fakes everything, clutches his hypothetical pearls, says Rui is not his type, but just because she's not there to listen, just because it's just him and Muti-hyung and he knows Muti sees through all his lies. "Hendery looks gay, doesn't he?" The older asks, a devious glint in those all-seeing eyes of his.
The video goes up and everybody goes crazy.
Hendery executes the dance and the splits perfectly, he looks flawless, as does Rui, dancing next to him in one of her performance outfits. Hyun spends way too much time scrolling through comments, reposts, posts talking about the matter. People say Hendery and Rui are a duo they didn't see coming, but that made much sense. People say they have chemestry, that they want more videos of them together. Some even say they look like they'd make a good couple.
Of course they would. He's the person Rui deserves. And he's probably her type as well – Hyun remembers, pre-debut, when Rui had shown them during a drunk night-in with the group, a picture of her and her ex-boyfriend. He was chinese, medium built, fair skinned. Masculine. Too masculine, he remembers her confessing, not much fun to be around. But Hendery didn't seem like that. And Rui loves to be around him.
They all congratulate Rui on the video doing so well. She's beaming, texting Hendery about it. They're still polite with each other, not very personal. It's just a professional relationship perhaps. Not that Hyun should care about that... Not that he has any right to care.
Hyun holds Rui's thin waist with both his hands and pulls her close. She circles her arms around his neck, giggles, nudges her cold nose on his exposed neck.
"Hyung..." Hyun half-complains, sounding a little annoyed, and a little out of breath. She laughs again, a mischievious thing, and touches her pink lips to the skin just underneat his jawline. "Rui hyung-"
"Honey..." She whispers in his ear, and his fingers unvoluntarily tighten their grip on her skin. She hums in response, satisfied, and kisses his warm skin, mouth travelling up and down his neck. Her nails crawl up his nape, through his hair, bleached but still soft, and the drag of the pointy nails on his scalp feels so good. "Do you want me, Jinhyung?"
He can't find his voice, but he walks them two, three steps forward, against the nearest wall, and Rui looks up to meet his eyes as soon as her back hits the wall, and her eyes are pure black. She looks at him with so much... Need? Desire? Lust?
"Do you want me?" He asks back, just to be sure. Can never be too sure. Because Rui is a goddess, of course he wants her, needs her, would lay down and take all she has to give him. But could she want him?
Her answer, turns out, is pulling him by the back of his neck into a kiss, a touch of lips that is soft at first but quickly becomes heated. She's standing on her tippy toes, like the ballerina she is, to get more leverage, and Hyun lets her lead, let's her tongue map out his mouth and her teeth bite his lips until they're red and tender. Let's her consume him and take him because he is hers, has been for a while. Thinks there's not a reality in which he isn't Rui's, even if she's not his.
She pushes him into her bed. Wumuti and Haru went out shopping, should take a few hours. He grabs her hand and pulls her to sit on his lap. Her legs standle him and the light frames her beautiful face like a halo, before she steals his breath with a kiss again.
They kiss and touch and fuck until their friends come back. Hyun is already showered and ready to sleep when Wumuti walks into their shared room, holding two shopping bags and that look in his eyes that means he knows everything that went down. Not that the hickey Rui left on his neck leaves any room for wondering if it happened or not. They make small talk, Muti shows him what he bought, puts it all in place in his closet, and goes take a shower himself. Hyun wonders if Rui will tell Haru about what happened. If he should tell Muti-hyung, even though the older knows. If their members are ok with it.
What "it" is, he's not sure. They didn't say anything about what happened, just followed their desire for each other where it lead them, and then cuddled for a bit before parting ways. They aren't dating. They are friends who fucked once. It means nothing. Rui could do that with anyone she wants. Even... Even with Hendery-
"Good night, Hyun." Wumuti says, before killing the lights. Hyun answers back, and wills his restless mind to sleep. They have to film content tomorrow morning.
Hyun sees Rui practice WayV's choreography for their challenge, accompanies her to the practice room when she wants to go outside their working hours. Sits back and watches her body move with ease. She planned to film with Hendery again, this time for Biii:-p, and their song Eternal White. Two videos. Double the training. Though, it would be at the backstage of a music show. Not in Hendery's practice room, just the two of them. Still, Hyun's stubborn heart couldn't rest.
"You learned it so quickly." Hyun comments, and Rui smiles at him through the mirror.
"Hendery said he'll teach me better anyways before we film, but I want to be as prepared as possible."
Hyun nods, and keeps watching. Rui's black hair, pale skin glistening with sweat, her thin waist revealed under her cropped shirt. The firm lines of her arms, the steady movements of her legs...
He pushes against the wall to get up and walks up to her, she stops in her tracks and lets herself be pulled by him into a heated kiss, as the music keeps playing in the background.
"Are you two dating for real?" Haru asks, while they have lunch at the dorm. No managers, no staff, no cameras. Just the four of them.
Hyun stops his chopsticks halfway to his mouth and stares at Rui, who looks up from her food at Haru. "No. No, not really." She looks back at Hyun, something unreadable on her gaze. "Right?"
Hyun clears his throat, feeling a lump there that shouldn't be. "Yeah, not dating, guys."
Rui looks adorable with her bubblegum bright pink hair and fluffy outfit, and as planned she meets up with Hendery for filming. Hyun and the members greet the other WayV members as they pass by, Ten makes small talk with them before they all leave to somewhere else. Wumuti suggests they go grab some food, and laces her arm with Hyun's, pulling him with her, Haru right behind them. Hyun watches as Hendery rests a hand on Rui's shoulder as they talk.
He sees later, when the videos are uploaded, how close they stand together. How closer they seem with each other. How cute they look together, it's what people say. Their fans and WayV's fans alike. He turns his back to Wumuti's bed so she couldn't see him cry as he felt his eyes tear up. Would Rui let Hendery pull her close and kiss her pink lips? Would she strandle his lap and ride him in his bed like she had done with Hyun? Would she let him kiss her whole body on the floor of an empty practice room?
She could do it. They weren't together. But would she do it?
Rui applies her cherry lipgloss as a finishing touch before going out the door. It's late in the afternoon, a little before dinner-time, and Hyun watches her from the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. She's going out to meet up with Hendery again. No video, no challenges planned. No official schedules. Just the two of them, going out for a casual dinner. She had put on make-up, painted her real nails a glossy nude pink, put on a casual but very well put together outfit. And her scent, she smells like really expensive floral perfume.
Hyun is jealous. Wumuti was fucking right, because he is jealous.
Seeing Rui getting dolled up for dinner with a man was... Upsetting. Because Hyun, as it turns out, is stupidly, stubbornly, helplessly in love with Rui.
And even if before all things seemed to point towards Rui feeling the same way, ever since she met Hendery, it felt like she was slipping away from him. And now, she's going on a date with him.
That night, Hyun has an early dinner and goes straight to sleep. Muti and Haru don't comment about it, don't ask what's wrong. They know what's wrong. They know the reason for Hyun's pain, for Hyun's sadness.
The next morning, Rui is having breakfast alone when Hyun gets to the kitchen. She looks up, hair still messy from sleeping, and smiles, pulls the chair besides her so Hyun can sit. In her wrist, the shine of a thin, metal bracelet catches his eye. She didn't have that when she left last night, and Hyun has never seen it before.
"It's a gift from Hendery-gege." She explains, taking a sip of her milk. "And he paid for dinner."
Hyun hums, staring blankly at the table in front of him. Hendery was so nice to Rui. "I'm happy for you. You deserve a good man like that." He answers, tries to make it sound genuine. He's not sure he gets quite there.
Rui laughs, and rests her hand on top of his, on the table. "It was fun. We hadn't even finished eating yet and he was already telling me how after he finishes promotions he'll have more time and we can plan to go out again."
Hyun looks up, and his gaze meets Rui's. The lump on his throat grows and grows. "Did you kiss?"
Rui seems taken aback, her eyes flickering between his and some empty space besides his face. Like she can't look at him right now. "I kissed his cheek." She answers. Kissing a cheek is still super intimate, especially for people who met not long ago. And the fact that it was Rui who took the inniciative... "I felt happy and greatful for the meal and the gift. Hendery is my friend-"
"Why are you explaining yourself to me, hyung? You don't have to." Hyun interrupts, and instantly hates himself for it. It's painful and difficult but he ignores Rui's hurt written all over her face as he pulls his hand away from hers and goes back to his room without another word. He's hurt too. He's allowed to be left alone in his pain.
The next week is rough. The Biii:-p promotions continue, uncaring about the quarrel between Hyun and Rui. Hyun takes to sticking by Haru's side at all times, and he notices how Wumuti always grabs and pulls Rui towards herself whenever she sees her walk towards Hyun on camera. She doesn't want fans to notice anything. This is between them.
But people notice, and in fancalls they get EVOLs asking them why they seem so down lately, why they never sit together in fansigns anymore, if they're sick, hurt, sad. Turns out, colored contacts can't mask the heartbreak in one's eyes.
By the end of the week, they see WayV again at a music show. It's their last Biii:-p stage, so they can't afford to not give their best, and Muti-hyung tells him so, as he watches Hendery walk in their direction and greet Rui with a hug. An arm around her waist, another across her back. It's over as soon as it starts, and then he turns to greet the rest of the members and his eyes meet Hyun's and he stills, the smile on his face faltering for a second. Can he see it too? The heartbreak?
"Hello, Hyun-ssi." Hendery greets, and bows down politely. Hyun answers similarly. "I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to meet you yet."
"It's ok. It's nice meeting you." Hyun tries to dismiss him, to walk away, but the older sidesteps gently to get in his way. Uh?
"Could we talk for a minute?"
Hyun looks around for back-up, but instead Muti and Haru had walked away with Rui looking back worriedly at him, taking her far away so he could, apparently, have a little chat with Hendery. He sighs, looks back at the older, and nods.
Hendery clears his throat before speaking."Rui talks a lot about you three, but especially about you." He starts, and he sounds uncertain. Thinking over his words. It makes Hyun really nervous. "It wasn't difficult to understand how important you are to Rui. And yet, in the beginning, I just thought it was because you guys are close like a family. But then I understood."
Hyun frowns. Where was this going? "Understood what?"
"Rui... likes you. I was... Interested in Rui the moment I first saw him perform, and of course I gladly took the chance to meet him and get close with him. Rui is beautiful and charming and so charismatic. But then I noticed. That if your name can't leave his mouth, then it means you can't leave his mind. Even when we were out on a date, he spoke of you." Hendery scoffs, weakly, sounding a little sad. Hyun's heart is hammering in his chest. His ears must be fooling him, right? "And the way he looks at you, it's undeniable. I'm not sure what's your story or what's going on between the two of you, but I don't want to get between two group members." Hendery extends his hand, and Hyun takes it in as strong of a handshake as he can manage right now. "I'd tell you to be nice for Rui because he doesn't deserve any less than perfect, but I have a feeling I don't have to. Hope your performance goes well, Hyun-ssi. Bye bye." The older smiles, and bows again before leaving in the direction his members went.
Hyun's whole world stands still for a minute.
He's aware people start looking at him. He sure looks as stunned as he feels – eyes wide opened, mouth slightly agap.
Did... Hendery just say that he thinks Rui likes likes Hyun?
That couldn't be, could it? He looks around, trying to get his bearings, and sees his group sitting in some chairs in the corner of the waiting room. They all look a little worried. Rui's eyes are a little red, a little too shiny, like she's about to cry at any moment. Right before their last music show stage of the comeback. That can't be – Hyun has go get himself together. Work is work, he has to leave his emotions and internal conflicts for when they're safely back home.
He takes a deep breath, and goes join the others. Rui asks about their talk, if Hyun's ok. He answers that everything is fine, and he'll tell Rui all about it as soon as they get to their dorm.
The stage goes really well. Hyun isn't sure if he "ain't no more broken hearted", but he sure makes it look like he's not. You can call him a lot of things, but unprofessional isn't one of them.
After a meal with all the staff paid for by their manager in celebration, they finally reach the dorm close to midnight.
Wumuti takes the inniciative to grab his things and go sleep in Rui's bed so Hyun and Rui can have their room for themselves. "Talk it through.", he tells Hyun, who nods and thanks the oldest.
Rui enters the room a couple of minutes later, and sits down on Hyun's bed next to him, leaving a little space between them. Hyun hates that space. There's been so many little spaces left to fill between them lately, and he doesn't want them there anymore.
"Hendery wanted to date you, you know?"
Rui holds her breath, and looks up at Hyun. There's still a little glitter left on her face that never seems to want to leave her. Almost as if it's her natural form – glittery and shiny and magical.
"Yeah, I thought so." Rui answers, shyly. "I'm not sure I wanted to date him, though. He's nice, of course, and he's so handsome. But..." She trails off.
Hyun takes a deep breath, and scoots closer to Rui until their thighs are touching, closing that damn gap between them. Rui's eyes are wide and he can tell she's nervous. She doesn't know what to say, what to do.
"He also told me that... He thinks you're interested in someone else. And he doesn't want to get between you and that person."
Rui nods. "Yes. He told me so himself, yesterday." She sighs, and looks down at where their legs touch, before reaching out to hold Hyun's hand, gently, leaving him plenty of room to pull his hand back if he didn't want her touch. But there's not a single moment in which Hyun doesn't want Rui's hand on his. Even when he was hurt – if she had touched him, he would have caved in. "Did he... Tell you who that person was?" She asks, hope and fear both present in her dark eyes. Her hand is shaking a little when Hyun turns his around so he can lace their fingers together.
"Yes." There it goes. The word that changes everything. It's now, or never, and they both know. Rui can deny it, Hyun can say he doesn't care. They can move away from this, can forget. Rui surely will not have problems finding another person who wants to love and cheerish her everyday for the rest of their lives. And Hyun, perhaps he can learn to live with that reality – that he'll never have Rui. The person who came into his life and stole his heart. Who touched his soul like no one has ever done before.
But he doesn't need to. Because Rui's shyness and insecurity goes out the window, and she leans in to connect their lips.
He finds himself whimpering into the kiss and pulling their joined hands towards his chest, pressing them to his heart, beating so fast it might break through his ribcage. The kiss is slow and gentle, unlike the ones they've shared before, which were more about heat and passion than love.
Rui pulls back, just a little, just enough so he can feel her smile against his lips. "I love you." She mutters, like it's a secret for his ears only, like not even the walls of the room are allowed to hear those words claimed by her beautiful voice.
Hyun loves her, oh so very much, and he's been aching for this moment to come for the past few weeks, perhaps even before that. But now the words get stuck in his throat and he feels tears pool in his eyes and run down his cheeks. Rui chuckles, kisses his wet cheek, then the other, showers Hyun's face with love before circling her arms around him and pulling him into a hug.
He rests his head against her shoulder, and closes his eyes as he feels her kiss the top of his head and draw circles on his back. It's Rui. It's always been Rui, the person his heart was made for. And, he may not know it yet, but it's always been him for Rui as well. No foolish attempt at a date was ever able to shake the feelings she had been harboring for Hyun this whole time.
After a few moments in silence, the blond pulls back, his eyes meeting Rui's. He smiles, gently cups the side of her face with his hand, thumb caressing her soft skin before he finally answers.
"Honey..." She smiles back, tears glistening her eyes and a soft blush covering her skin. "I love you too."
(It's only natural for them, that Rui throws herself in his arms, kisses him breathless, and sleeps on top of him until next morning, when Wumuti finally comes back to claim her room, faking annoyance at the couple cuddling, but unable to hide the proud smile adorning her face.)