Chapter Text
“We broke up.”
“Jungwon…” Heeseung stared at the younger boy with sad eyes and a million questions. He decided against putting him on the spot, instead clearing his throat, turning to address the group. “We have an early day tomorrow. Let’s get to bed.”
The others left the living room quietly, understanding that now wasn’t the time to pry. Jay lingered by the kitchen counter, taking a seat at one of the barstools as Heeseung made two cups of tea.
“Are you okay?” Heeseung whispered, setting one of the mugs down in front of Jay. He took a seat on the other barstool.
“Were you?” Jay said dryly. He stared at the floor. “It’s fine. I’ll live.”
“Is your dad still…?”
“Not talking to me? Yeah.” Jay let out a long sigh. “Don’t even know why I came out to him. It was all for nothing.”
“I’m so sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”
Jay slowly nodded, staring uninterestedly at his tea.
~
The walk to the Han river was quiet.
Although he appeared as calm as could be on the outside, Jay’s heart thumped loudly in his ears. He knew what was coming. A flat boulder lay on the edge of the shore, water lapping gently at its side. They took a seat on the rock, facing the river. Jungwon was criss-crossed while Jay sat with his knees loosely drawn up, forearms arms resting on his legs.
“We…” Jungwon trailed off.
“You’re not happy,” Jay said.
“I’m not.”
“Why?”
“It’s not because of you. I- I think I’m just in a bad place right now. Mentally. There’s been a lot going on and… I don’t know. Something just doesn’t feel right. I think part of it is just us always being together, 24/7.”
“It’s hard not having a lot of space,” Jay agreed, trying not to let his rising panic show. “We can work on that. We can spend some time apart.”
Jungwon said nothing.
Jay’s heart sank. He looked down.
“It won’t fix it,” Jungwon said quietly. “I think you know that.”
Jay watched him let out a long sigh and lean back on his hands.
“I feel like I’m stuck.” The younger boy stared off into space. “I can’t move, I can’t grow, I can’t breathe. Maybe it’s the pressure. Maybe it’s just the wrong time for us. I don’t know. But what I do know is that I can’t keep feeling like this.”
Jungwon’s words stung. If he truly loved Jay, wouldn’t that be enough to satisfy him? But no. Jay knew it wasn’t fair of him to think that way. Despite the numbing pain spreading across his chest, down his arms, and into the tips of his fingers, he knew there was justification behind Jungwon’s choice. It had nothing to do with anybody’s worth. But still, he couldn’t help but feel angry that once again, he was fighting and losing a battle.
How was it that everything their group had gone through these past few weeks had brought every other couple closer, but had torn them apart? Jay always seemed to get the short end of the stick. No matter what he did, where he went, or who he was with, he always lost in the end.
He swallowed slowly, clenching his jaw to prevent himself from saying anything he might regret back.
Jungwon stared at him with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, hyung.”
Jay turned away, digging his nails into his palms as he fought back tears. “It’s okay. It’s okay, Won.”
A tear made its way down his cheek. He shut his eyes tightly.
“Hyung…” Jungwon’s voice cracked, a tell-tale sign that he was about to cry. Jay knew him better than he knew himself.
“I love you. I’ll always love you. Please don’t forget that.”
“I know,” Jay whispered.
~
Jay rubbed his face, exhausted.
“Anyway,” he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “I think I’m going to take a shower.”
“We’ll talk later?” Heeseung asked.
“Yeah.” Jay paused. “Thanks for the tea, though. I do feel a little better.”
“That’s good,” Heeseung smiled encouragingly. He checked his watch. It was an hour to midnight. “You go on ahead. I’ll clean up.”
The younger boy nodded, sliding off the barstool. Heeseung watched Jay pad away before standing up, taking a mug in each hand. He had just made his way around the kitchen counter before a pound on the front door made him freeze. He frowned, tilting his head as he lowered the cups into the sink. Who could be knocking at this hour?
A successive series of thuds on their poor wooden door had Heeseung rushing to open it before his members were woken.
“Heeseung!” The CEO shouted in delight, stumbling into the Belift dorm. “My favorite.”
Heeseung took three steps back, repulsed. “Are you drunk?”
“No,” the CEO slurred, attempting a casual lean against the wall. “Maybe.”
Heeseung stuck his head out the doorway, sighing as he saw the CEO’s car parked diagonally across three spots in their building’s parking lot. He pulled out his phone, ordering an Uber as he shut the front door.
The CEO collapsed onto the couch, sinking into the pillows that Heeseung would definitely wash tomorrow.
“Heeseung, Heeseung, Heeseung,” he sighed. “It might be a while until we see each other again.”
“You’re going to jail,” Heeseung said coldly. “Yeah, it will be.”
“At least I won’t have to deal with those ratted boys from TXT anymore. I’m glad to be sending them back to BigHit.”
“They’re not going anywhere. We’re staying as one group.”
“Contract is up, boy. Good luck renegotiating them back. BigHit barely let us have them as is.”
“I’ll handle it,” Heeseung replied coolly. “What’s it to you anyway? Why do you hate TXT so much?”
“I don’t.”
“You don’t treat Soobin the way you treat me.”
“It’s just business, Heeseung. He didn’t have what it took; he was too much of a walkover.” The CEO rubbed his bruised jaw, where Soobin had landed a well-deserved punch a few days prior. “Well, maybe he’s better now. Maybe he isn’t. Either way, it doesn’t change the past.”
“I didn’t have what it took either.”
“You did. You had spunk in you. I could tell.”
Heeseung looked away. He didn’t appreciate the CEO insulting his friends, much less showing up uninvited to their dorm at nearly midnight.
“You know…” The CEO pulled out a flask, downing whatever was left in it. “I was just like you once.”
“How so?”
“I was young. I danced. I sang. I was good at it.” The CEO let out a belch.
Heeseung wrinkled his nose.
“I was at the top of my classes, ranked first in every evaluation,” the CEO continued. “I gave years. I gave everything.”
His eyes became unfocused. “But it wasn’t enough. My label went bankrupt and I never got to debut. By then, I was too old to start again. My career had ended before it even started.”
Heeseung pressed his lips together as he crouched by the CEO’s couchside. He had never heard this story before. No one had.
“People don’t see that side of this industry.” The CEO shook his grizzled head. “How many kids are left behind, who’ve never seen the spotlight and never will.”
His eyes fluttered shut. “Everything that I did. It’s really nothing personal. It was for the good of the company.”
Silence overtook the room for a minute. Heeseung stared at the seams of the couch, lost in thought before a loud snore followed by a hack and some coughing as the CEO shook himself awake brought him back to reality.
He checked his phone and stood up, staring down at the barely conscious man laying on top of the couch. “Your Uber’s here.”
The CEO didn’t move. Heeseung wasn’t entirely sure he was even able to understand him. He sighed, picking up one of the CEO’s limp arms, preparing to lift the man up.
“You’re a good person, Heeseung.”
Heeseung spun around, finding Yeonjun leaning against the hallway entrance, arms folded. “Hyung! You scared me.”
Yeonjun dropped his head, letting out a quiet chuckle. “Sorry.”
He crossed the room, stopping in front of the couch. “Come on. Let me give you a hand with that.”
Heeseung let out a small smile at the absurdity of their situation. Together, they carried their drunk CEO out the door.
***
“Good morning, South Korea! Welcome to SK News. Today we have some very special guests-”
Heeseung caught Beomgyu anxiously shifting his feet as the two anchormen on stage before them greeted the cameras and the studio audience. Both BTS and Belift were standing just out of the line of sight, waiting for their cue to enter.
Taehyun stood on his tip toes, leaning into Beomgyu’s shoulder. “Nervous?”
Beomgyu nodded, chewing his lip. “What if they don’t like me anymore?”
“Who?” Taehyun whispered. “The fans? Why wouldn’t they?”
“I don’t know. It’s just- It’s our first public appearance since everything happened with the court and my ADHD meds and all. You heard the rumors people were making up. It’s exactly like what happened to Park Bom.”
“It won’t be like that. We’ll set the record straight if anyone asks,” Jake said firmly.
The boys nodded in agreement, hovering protectively around Beomgyu.
“Please welcome to the show, two of the biggest global sensations in music—the legendary BTS and Belift!”
Namjoon took the lead, smiling and waving into the blinding lights as the members of BTS and Belift followed one-by-one. The applause seemed to go on for comically long as all twenty boys crowded onto the stage. Heeseung watched Jin gracefully accept the microphone from one of the hosts, raising his hand to quiet the audience as he began his rehearsed speech to the cameras.
“Thank you... Thank you so much, everyone. Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin. This past week has been a whirlwind, and I’ve been through something I never thought I’d have to face. But what I do know is this: I’m standing here today because of some incredible people. To the amazing team that worked tirelessly to protect me—my security, my friends, my family—you guys are the real heroes. Without you, I wouldn’t be here right now. Thank you for your courage, your quick thinking, and for keeping me safe when things took an unexpected turn.
And to everyone else who helped in those intense moments, whether it was calling for help, keeping calm, or just being there in spirit—I feel your love and your strength. I’m beyond grateful. I know this sounds crazy, but this experience has reminded me how lucky I am to have you all in my life. You’ve all shown me that together, we can face anything, and that love and loyalty are stronger than any fear.
I promise you this—I’m safe, I’m okay, and I’m more determined than ever to keep doing what I love: sharing music, spreading love, and being there for all of you. You all mean the world to me. Thank you for your unwavering support. I love you all.”
Jin raised his hand again, this time waving to the cameras and the studio audience. The crowd erupted into applause as fans screamed words of support and praise. Heeseung must’ve been making a face at how inauthentic the speech prepared for Jin felt, because Namjoon nudged his shoulder, leaning in to whisper in his ear.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Namjoon said. “And I get it. But you have to remember, as people in the public eye, we can’t just blurt out whatever we think and feel whenever we want. That also doesn’t mean everything we say is fake, or that everything we do is manufactured. There’s truth behind everything; it just has to be filtered appropriately.”
“I know,” Heeseung sighed, careful not to let the disappointment show on his face. “It just sucks.”
“We know,” Yoongi said from behind Heeseung, putting a hand on the younger boy’s shoulder. “Trust and believe, we know.”
Heeseung jumped. “Hyung! You scared me.”
“Oops, sorry. I keep doing that without meaning to.” Yoongi gave a gummy smile. “But like Namjoon said, as idols we only have so much power. The best we can do is continue to fight to be heard. Don’t let the company walk all over you.”
Heeseung nodded as the crowd continued to scream in delight.
“Thank you, Jin!” The hosts were saying, followed by more highly rehearsed blabbing. “And Beomgyu… News recently broke about your ADHD diagnosis. As I’m sure we all remember, Park Bom from 2NE1, the last idol to have a public ADHD diagnosis, dealt with a lot of criticism due to the spread of misinformation. We here at SK News are not proud of how we contributed to the false rumors, and have since learned from our mistakes. We just want to say that you have our full support, and we remain committed to telling nothing but the truth. We can only imagine the support system needed to navigate such a complicated situation. How has this experience led you to grow closer to your groupmates?”
“Thank you, thank you, I really appreciate that. We all do.” Beomgyu accepted the microphone from Jin, smirking as he sought out Taehyun amongst the crowd on stage. He locked eyes with the younger boy, intending to get a reaction out of him. “And as for my groupmates, well, we’re all very close friends now, for sure.”
Taehyun didn’t break Beomgyu’s stare, instead repeating with a grin on his face,“Very close friends.”
The room fell silent as the hosts awkwardly smiled, unsure what to make of Taehyun’s comment. Beomgyu gave a nervous laugh, his scheme to discompose Taehyun backfiring on him.
“Ah, yes.” Yeonjun quickly jumped in, taking the microphone from a frozen Beomgyu. “As our little eccentric Taehyun agrees, we’ve made some really great memories over the past-”
Namjoon chuckled at the younger boys before gently nudging Heeseung’s shoulder again. “Hey, kid. One last piece of advice… Don’t worry too much about these things. You’re allowed to be happy. Enjoy the good moments while they last.”
Heeseung thought back to his time in I-LAND, his first time on a stage in front of a real audience. What it felt like standing next to Geonu, K, Ta-ki, and all his friends, breathing heavily as they held their ending poses in the season finale performance of “Into the I-LAND.”
He grinned. That pure adrenaline rush, it was unmatchable. Addicting, even. Once he’d gotten a taste, he knew he’d never be able to go back.
He glanced around. Bright lights surrounded him. He had gotten what he wanted. Sure, it wasn’t perfect. But nothing was. And now, he was going to get to spend the rest of his life doing what he loved. This was it. This is what every trainee dreamed of. The room was filled with people screaming praises at them. So why did it still feel so empty?
***
Heeseung set the box of office supplies down. “So…”
“Stop right there,” Mei laughed. “I know what you’re about to ask.”
Heeseung watched Mei crutch across the room, grabbing various items from desks, cabinets, and drawers. He was spending his free time after the interview helping Mei pack up her workplace. Outside the room, the Seoul police department bustled with life, all the noise and chit chat of police officers and criminals muffled by the closed door.
“I was just going to see what your plans for replacing the CEO were. You know. Since you technically own Be:Lift now.”
“I still can’t believe it,” Mei said, pushing her hair out of her face. “I spent my whole life running from my dad’s business, and it just fell into my lap.”
“How’s it feel to be a nepo baby?” Heeseung joked. “Cause the position of CEO is all yours if you want it…”
“Right,” Mei snorted, crossing her arms. “Me, an out-of-commission police detective with a broken leg and half a degree. Nah. I’d run the company straight into the ground.”
“How is your leg feeling, by the way?” Heeseung asked. “I keep forgetting that it’s broken.”
“Ah, it’s fine. Sucks trying to get around, but hey, the check they gave me for getting injured in the line of duty is going to pay for the rest of my college education, so, can’t complain.” Mei balanced precariously on one leg as she leaned over her desk to grab her stapler.
“Are you going to miss being a detective?”
“Of course.” Mei said. She glanced down into the box, staring at a framed photo of what Heeseung could only assume was her police academy graduation. “But at the same time, I do think it’s time for a new chapter of my life. I’m getting too old to be running around Seoul with a gun and badge. Plus, it’d be nice to finally have a degree to my name.”
“You’re not even thirty yet,” Heeseung laughed. “But, hey. I’m not complaining. We love having you around. And it would be so cool if you were our new CEO.”
“As much as I’d love to,” Mei started. “You know I can’t. If there’s one thing my poor excuse for a father was right about, it’s that you guys are in a delicate situation right now. With great fame comes-”
“-great risk,” Heeseung sighed. “I know. I’m just going crazy here waiting for our meeting at HYBE this afternoon.”
He leaned forward on the desk, hands wrapped around the edges. “I just… I can’t relax until I know we’re going to be okay. That the person who replaces him won’t be even worse.”
“Don’t worry too much about that,” Mei smiled. “I have a feeling you’re going to like them.”
***
“…And then Heeseung hyung and Sunghoon hyung kissed!”
“Hey!” Heeseung barged into the meeting room. “Not again!”
Jungwon put on a sweet, innocent look as he sat back down in his chair. “Hi, hyung. Don’t mind us. Just sharing silly stories.”
Sunoo burst into the room behind Heeseung. “Wait! You told Daniel the honorific story? Oh, come on! I want to know!”
“Honorific story?” Heeseung said, bewildered. “Know what? What’s going on here?”
“He’s talking about the story of how Sunghoon hyung started speaking to you informally,” Daniel laughed, his hair falling into his eyes as he sat up in his seat. “I’ll tell you, Sunoo hyung. So, one day, back when they were all trainees, Jay hyung, Sunghoon hyung, and Heeseung hyung were at I-Land auditions…”
~
Jay anxiously cracked his knuckles as yet another boy passed his bench in tears. It was day three of I-Land auditions, and so far, disappointment seemed to be running high. He glanced to his side. Heeseung had a sick look on his face while Sunghoon was spaced-out, staring off into the distance. The door to their right flew open as a trainee ran out, bawling. Heeseung, Jay, and Sunghoon watched the boy flee down the hallway and around a corner.
“I guess it’s my turn,” Heeseung swallowed nervously, standing up.
Sunghoon gave him a warm smile, reaching out to squeeze the older boy’s hand. “You got this, Heeseung.”
Jay frowned as Heeseung disappeared into the room. “Sunghoon, why didn’t you use honorifics?”
Sunghoon looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“Heeseung hyung is a year older than us.”
The blood drained from Sunghoon’s face, turning him impossibly paler. “He- He is?”
Jay slowly nodded, stifling a laugh at Sunghoon’s
“Oh my god! Jay!” Sunghoon grabbed the boy’s shoulder, shaking him violently. “What do I do?! Why didn’t he say anything?! Should I start using them now? What if-”
“Shhh.” Jay held a finger up to his lips. “He doesn’t seem to mind. Just be cool, whatever you do don’t-”
The sound of the door handle turning shut the two boys up quickly.
Sunghoon coughed into his arm, trying to play off the awkward silence before looking up at Heeseung from the bench. “Oh, hey. How’d it go?”
“It wasn’t bad at all, Heeseung beamed. “You’ll do great, Sunghoonie. You too, Jay.”
Sunghoon’s face turned from a white to red as blood rushed to his embarrassed cheeks. “Thanks. And uh… All this time, I should’ve been calling you ‘hyung.’ I didn’t know you were born in 2001. I’m 2002. I’m sorry.”
Jay mentally face-palmed.
Heeseung’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Really? Oh, well, I mean you can keep speaking informally if you want; it feels weird using honorifics now.”
Sunghoon nodded feebly, standing up. “I- Woah!”
The younger boy tripped over his own feet. Heeseung made an attempt to grab Sunghoon’s arm, but lost his balance as well, and the two boys crashed to the floor, one on top of the other.
~
“…And then Heeseung hyung and Sunghoon hyung kissed!” Jungwon shouted, leaping out of his chair and waving his arms in the air.
“No, that was the best part!” Daniel groaned. “I wanted to say it!”
“He butts in every time I tell this story too,” Jay grinned, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.
His smile faltered for a second as he remembered that he and Jungwon were no longer together, but was quickly replaced with an amused expression. Heeseung could tell the boy was hiding his pain. He made a mental note to treat Jay to a relaxing spa day later.
“Sorry,” Jungwon said sheepishly. He sat back down. “You can continue.”
~
”Oh my god, are you guys okay?” Jay quickly rose to his feet, helping the two boys up off the ground.
Both Sunghoon and Heeseung were bright red, and avoided eye contact with one another.
“Sorry,” Sunghoon mumbled. “Didn’t mean to land on top of you.”
“It’s okay,” Heeseung laughed nervously. “Don’t worry about it.”
Awkward silence filled the hallway.
“What’s wrong?” Jay frowned.
“Nothing.” Heeseung looked up. “Good luck, Sunghoon, good luck, Jay.
He ran off, clearly embarrassed about something.
Jay turned to Sunghoon, puzzled. “What the heck was that?”
“I-” Sunghoon was blushing furiously. “We clearly kissed, Jay. By accident.”
~
“And that’s the story of how Heeseung hyung and Sunghoon hyung kissed!” Daniel finished, giggling like a child at a sleepover.
“Jay!” Sunghoon shouted, appalled. “Is that what you’ve been telling people?!”
“What?” Jay grinned. “It’s funny.”
“But that’s not what I said! You misheard me. I said nearly not clearly!”
“Oh.” Jay looked completely unapologetic. “Whoops.”
“Oh my god,” Sunghoon groaned. “Way to make me sound like a creep.”
“Well, you are one,” Heeseung laughed, poking Sunghoon’s side.
The younger boy rolled his eyes and smiled as they took the two empty seats near the head of the table. He rested a familiar hand on Heeseung’s knee.
“You nervous?” Sunghoon asked.
Heeseung shook his head. “I trust Mei. Whatever she has planned, things will be okay.”
Just then, the door opened.
“Alright, is everybody here?”
A young woman on crutches entered the meeting room, her long brown hair tucked into a neat bun that hung just above the collar of her black blazer. A man followed behind her, looking equally as sharp in a freshly pressed navy suit. Heeseung’s face broke out into a grin. So this is what Mei had meant.
Mei ditched her crutches, leaning them against the wall behind her before slowly turning towards Jihun. She suddenly made jazz hands. “I present to you… The new CEO of Be:Lift. Jihun Lee.”
“What? Oh my god!” Soobin’s mouth hung open as the room exploded with chatter.
“Congratulations!”
“Wait, what?”
“Thank the heavens!”
“Don’t worry, Jihun Hyung. He promises he won’t punch you like the last one!” Beomgyu joked, patting Soobin earnestly on the arm. A playful slap on the thigh from Taehyun was quick to follow.
“This is so great!” Sunoo squeezed his hands together in excitement. “Jihun hyung, you’ll be amazing!”
The boys all nodded in agreement, gleefully looking around at each other. The noise in the room died down as they faced their new CEO.
“Thank you,” Jihun smiled, pulling out one of the two chairs at the head of the table for Mei. “I’m going to do my best.”
“Jihun hyung,” Kai said thoughtfully. “When we first met you in the bakery, you said you were tired of working in the entertainment industry. What changed your mind?”
“The work environment, I guess.” Jihun took a seat next to Mei. “The previous CEO was a nightmare to work under, as you all know. And that kind of carried down into the rest of the company. Coworkers were really competitive with each other out of fear of being singled out or blamed for mistakes. It created this cycle where everyone was just trying to survive, instead of actually collaborating or growing. But that’s not how it has to be. I want us to build something different—a place where people feel supported, not scared. A place where teamwork is the norm, not the exception. If we can trust each other and focus on lifting each other up, I think we’ll be amazed at what we can achieve together. And now I have the chance to do that.”
He glanced at Mei, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “But yeah, the hours aren’t bad, and it helps that a pretty lady agreed to go on a date with me…”
“Ah! I knew it!” Daniel jumped from his seat, pointing at the couple.
The room erupted into screaming and childish teasing as Mei blushed, trying to casually look away to hide her flustered face.
“Alright, alright, guys,” Heeseung laughed, reaching for Sunoo, who looked about five seconds away from fangirl fainting. “Let’s not embarrass them… Too much.”
He grinned, facing Jihun, who was hunched over the table with laughter. “So, boss. What’s next?”
Jihun cleared his throat, loosening his tie as he looked down at the mountain of paperwork in front of them. “First things first, we’ve got to sort out what will happen to Belift. We’re not splitting you guys up—I know you don’t want that. But the companies are at each other’s throats right now fighting over your group and what the contract combining TXT and Enhypen really entailed. We need to find a middle ground that satisfies all, because they’re prepared to burn everything you’ve built to the ground.”
“What a mess,” Sunoo sighed. “And yet, not surprising at all.”
“You know it.” A grin broke out on Jihun’s face. “So, who’s ready to get to work?”
***
“Hey, Namjoon hyung,” Heeseung panted, out of breath from his run up the stairs. “Hoseok hyung said you were up- Oh, Soobin! Hi, sorry, didn’t mean to intrude.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Soobin said shyly. He glanced at Namjoon before looking back at the younger boy, eyes glittering with happiness. “We’re just doing some gardening.”
“That’s awesome.” Heeseung gave a light laugh as he crossed HYBE’s indoor garden, joining the two boys hunched over together under the focal tree.
He was glad Soobin and Namjoon had finally made up. The tension between them only added to the stress of the last few weeks, and now that they were talking again, it was like the final piece clicked into place. No more awkwardness between Belift and BTS, just brotherly love. Plus, it meant he no longer had to pretend to like gardening for Namjoon’s sake. The nauseating smell of fresh mulch wafted into the air as Heeseung came into view of a peony bush surrounded by freshly deposited soil.
Namjoon brushed the dirt off his gloves as he turned to face the newcomer. “Heya, Heeseung. What’s up?”
“I just wanted to drop this off.” Heeseung pulled out a beautiful potted purple orchid from behind his back. “As a thank you for helping us through our debut.”
Namjoon’s eyes lit up. “Wow! She’s beautiful. Thank you.”
He gently took the flower from Heeseung’s hands. “Soobin, where should we plant it?”
“Right here,” Soobin said, pointing to an empty spot in front of the tree. Green vines of ivy dangled down from the branches, but not enough to impede the perfect view of the flower from the stone walkway.
“Perfect.” Namjoon adjusted his gardening gloves before reaching for the hand shovel.
Heeseung glanced at his watch. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it. Daniel’s got some homework thing he wants me to look at.”
“Sounds good,” Namjoon nodded. “And if the kid ever wants help from his Namjoon hyung…”
“Got it,” Heeseung laughed. “I’ll let him know. See you guys around.”
“Bye, Heeseung,” Soobin smiled. “See you at home.”
***
“It’s good, Daniel. Really good.” Heeseung’s eyes were locked on the screen as he slowly nodded his head in approval. “You could honestly get this published, as a memoir or something.”
“Well, we’ll see about that,” Daniel laughed, taking his laptop back. “For now, this is just me having fun with Dr. Bhatt’s assignment.”
“He wanted you to write about the sasaeng?”
Daniel nodded. “Just what it was like being held hostage and all. Supposed to help me get through the trauma or whatever.”
He grinned. “But I decided to start from the beginning. It just didn’t feel complete without everything leading up to it.”
Heeseung raised his eyebrows, impressed. “So you wrote… An entire novel about us. For fun.”
Daniel shrugged. “It was fun, honestly. Writing’s funny like that. It can be exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. But I like it. I like the power it gives me. I can just… Alter the way things play out. And no one would ever know.”
“I get that,” Heeseung said thoughtfully. “And you can do whatever you want with your writing. But… Just keep in mind that you shouldn’t try to change everything you don’t like. At the end of the day, all of the bad—it makes us who we are.”
“Huh.” Daniel stared at the keyboard for a moment, lost in thought, before typing away.
A gentle knock on the front door preceded Sunghoon’s entrance.
“Heeseung,” the younger boy lightly called. “You ready? The car’s here.”
Daniel’s lips twisted into a smirk, though his eyes remained trained on his screen. “Bye, hyung. Have fun on your date.”
“Oh, shush,” Heeseung laughed, gently swatting at the back of Daniel’s head before grabbing his coat and making his way over to his boyfriend.
The couple embraced, Sunghoon giggling as he buried his face in the crook of Heeseung’s neck. “Hi. I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Heeseung laughed. “How dare our schedules separate us for two hours.”
“I know, right?” Sunghoon grinned, playing along. “Diabolical behavior.”
The two boys linked arms as they prepared to leave the dorm.
“Hey, wait,” Daniel called. “Heeseung hyung?”
Heeseung turned around. “Yeah?”
“If you could go back, would you change anything?”
Heeseung glanced at the raven-haired boy on his arm. The boy with the brightest smile and the biggest heart. The boy that wouldn’t be there if they hadn’t been through everything they’d been through. Behind them, laughter echoed from the hallway as Yeonjun and Sunoo arrived back from their schedules. Heeseung’s heart swelled with pride. Their group was closer than ever. At the end of the day, the fame and fortune didn’t matter. Only his friends did. Without a doubt, he knew his answer.
“Not a chance.” He paused before turning to Daniel. “Would you?”
Daniel smiled. “No. I don’t think I will.”