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“What do you think about the songs for our new album?”
The members of ENHYPEN, in a rare moment of peace, were quietly relaxing in the living room after a long day of practicing verses and learning choreography. However, all of them looked up in response to Heeseung’s question.
“I like them,” Sunoo chirped. “They’re all really catchy in their own ways.”
“It’s fun to do ‘Flicker’ again,” Jungwon added with a smile.
Jay reached over to ruffle Jungwon’s hair teasingly. “Of course it’s fun for you, you’ve already learned it.”
Ni-ki smirked slightly. “Bet I can learn it faster than you, Jay-hyung.”
“Yah, that’s not fair, you’re literally the dance leader.”
“I’m really excited to learn the new songs,” Jake smiled eagerly.
“You know,” Sunghoon said, giving Jake a look of scrutiny, “I know we’ve only just started learning them, but I bet ‘10 Months’ will suit Jake the best.”
“Oh, I see it,” Sunoo added, eyes lighting up. “The song gives off the same cutesy puppy vibes that he has.”
“No, I–well–I mean, you have the vibes too,” Jake pouted, to the amusement of the other members.
“See, this is what I mean,” Sunoo gestured. “Look at his face, doesn’t it just scream puppy to you?”
Jungwon and Jay nodded in agreement.
“What about you, Heeseung-hyung?” Ni-ki asked, staring at the aforementioned member. “You haven’t answered your own question yet.”
“Mm, I’m not sure,” Heeseung murmured thoughtfully. “I like the message of ‘Given-Taken’ a lot, and ‘10 Months’ is cute...oh, but ‘Let Me In’ is really fun, too.”
“Ooh, yeah,” Jake was eager to move the topic away from himself. “‘Let Me In’ is definitely something we haven’t tried before.”
“It’s a bit embarrassing to sing ‘I’ll be your boyfriend’ over and over, though,” Sunghoon pointed out sheepishly.
“Says the guy who has a boyfriend,” Jay muttered, staring pointedly at Heeseung.
The other members laughed when both Heeseung’s and Sunghoon’s faces flushed red. “Listen, it’s different,” Sunghoon pouted.
Plus, we’ve never really defined it...
Jay noticed Sunghoon’s slight change in expression and raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe you two should practice singing it to each other,” Jungwon teased.
“No, don’t give them ideas, they’re already annoying enough as it is,” Jay groaned.
Heeseung tilted his head, considering. “That’s not a bad idea. Hey, Hoonie.”
“Oh, this will be good,” Sunoo laughed, whipping out his phone camera.
Sunghoon turned, only to regret it as Heeseung sent him a disarming grin. “I’ll be your boyfriend,” Heeseung sang flawlessly.
There was a pause before Sunghoon turned around, burying his burning face into his hands and letting out a noise of embarrassment. Behind him, the rest of the members burst into laughter.
Jay let out a theatrical sigh, collapsing against the couch. “Look what you’ve started,” he complained, gesturing to the two boys.
“I thought that was kind of cute, though,” Jungwon giggled.
“You’re going to regret saying that,” Jay warned.
-
And so, with Heeseung’s initiative, “I’ll be your boyfriend~” became a regular part of evenings at the ENHYPEN dorm.
At first, it was just Heeseung who sang it to a flustered Sunghoon. The eldest member was relentless, sometimes randomly spouting out the lyrics in the middle of a conversation. Each time left Sunghoon unbearably flustered until Jake finally took pity on him.
“This has become sad to watch,” Jake pointed out after Sunoo took the fifth or sixth video of Sunghoon blushing at Heeseung’s words. “Why don’t you sing it back to him?”
“It’s not that easy,” Sunghoon glared, willing the red off his cheeks. “Plus, with all of you around, it’s really embarrassing.”
“What if we figure out a way to isolate you two so you can spring it on him?”
Sunghoon looked at him gratefully. “Would you help me?”
Jake laughed. “Well, I do feel bad, so why not? But just so you know, you’re going to have to sing it in front of all of us eventually.”
“Thanks, Jake,” Sunghoon said with relief, giving him a hug.
Jake returned the hug, looking both exasperated and fond. “Anytime.”
-
The opportunity finally arose when the members were practicing ‘Flicker’ as a group.
“Heeseung, Sunghoon, Jake, Jungwon, you’re all free to go. I just need to review some of the other parts with those who are new to the dance.”
“Actually, seonsaengnim,” Jake interrupted, tugging Jungwon with him, “I’d like to go over one of the parts if that’s alright.”
Jake sent a look to Jungwon, who picked up on the situation quickly as always. “Yeah, me too.”
“Alright then. Heeseung, Sunghoon, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jake turned around to discreetly send Sunghoon a wink.
Go get him!
Sunghoon shot him a grateful smile before he and Heeseung exited the dance practice room.
They were about halfway down the hallway when Sunghoon finally gathered the courage to tug lightly on Heeseung’s sleeve.
“Hyung.”
Heeseung turned around with an innocent smile. “Hm? Sunghoonie, what’s up?”
“...I’ll be your boy, boyfriend.”
Heeseung stilled, trying to process what Sunghoon had just said before a rosy blush made its way across his cheeks and ears.
“Oh,” Heeseung finally murmured, lifting his hands to hide the redness on his ears. “I see why you get all embarrassed when I sing it to you.”
Sunghoon’s mouth lifted into a small, triumphant smirk. “And I see why you find it so fun to sing to me.”
-
After that, both boys sang the lines almost religiously to one another. Somehow it had turned into a competition of who could fluster the other more, and neither side was willing to back down.
Jay, of course, was not having it. “I can’t believe this. I’m never going to forget ‘Let Me In’ even when I die at this rate.”
“That’s probably partially my fault,” Jake said. “I helped Sunghoon a little bit.”
Jay gave him a look of disappointment. “And you don’t feel guilty at all? For torturing me in this way?”
“You’re so dramatic, if I hadn’t helped out Sunghoon would still be all shy about singing the lyrics.”
“It does seem to be working,” Jungwon pointed out. “They’re much more comfortable with the song in general.”
Sunoo laughed as he scrolled through his camera roll. “I have so many videos of their progress.”
Just then, Sunghoon ran into the living room, Heeseung at his tail. Right as they reached the entrance, Heeseung managed to wrap his arms around Sunghoon’s waist, humming the words lightly against his ear before finishing the melody with a quick peck to his cheek.
“No fair, you added a kiss,” Sunghoon complained, a flustered blush on his cheeks.
Heeseung cackled, letting go of Sunghoon to make a run for the kitchen.
“...Well, at least they’re having fun,” Ni-ki said amusedly.
Jay buried his face into the couch cushions. “I’m going to have a migraine.”
-
A couple of weeks later, the boys were preparing for their debut showcase. Each piece had to be polished and run past the performance director as a final check-in.
The final song for checking was ‘Let Me In’, and the members moved through the piece comfortably, all of them well-adjusted to the piece.
“Very good,” Doobu called with a smile. “This piece has improved a lot since the last time I saw you.”
The members smiled with pride.
“Sunghoon, Heeseung,” Doobu continued, shifting his gaze to them. “I especially like your facial expressions during this song. How did you improve so quickly? I remember you two were especially shy during the first reading of the song.”
“Well, you know, we just practiced really hard,” Heeseung stammered.
Doobu nodded, seemingly accepting his explanation. “Well, whatever you did, keep up the good work. You guys are definitely prepared for the showcase.”
“Thank you, Doobu-nim,” the members chorused, bowing in thanks as Doobu waved and left the room.
As soon as his footsteps receded, Jungwon turned to them with a mischievous smile. “Alright, we all know the real reason why you two improved so much.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m about to tell the performance director that I imagined singing the song to Sunghoon,” Heeseung pouted.
Jay made a gagging noise in the background.
“...You do?” Sunghoon asked.
Heeseung's expression turned alarmed. “Wait, is that weird? Sorry–”
“No, it’s just,” Sunghoon giggled. “That’s what I’ve been doing, too.”
The two couldn’t help but share a grin, interrupted only by Sunoo’s cooing in the background.
“-And that’s all the fluff I can handle today,” Jay groaned, moving towards the door. “I’m heading back to the dorm to make dinner.”
“Oh, I’ll go with you,” Ni-ki stood up. “I’m starving.”
“You say that, but you barely eat,” Sunoo accused, joining him at the doorway. “And yet you’re still growing like a tree…”
Their voices faded down the hallway, much to the amusement of the remaining members.
“You guys coming?” Jungwon asked, preparing to head out.
“Just one minute,” Heeseung said.
Jake grinned wickedly. “Don’t stay too long.”
Sunghoon threw an abandoned water bottle at Jake, who only responded with laughter and left with Jungwon.
Once they left, Sunghoon turned back to Heeseung, a questioning look on his face. “So, why are we staying here longer, exactly..?”
Heeseung smiled sheepishly. “Actually...I just wanted to see you perform ‘Let Me In'. Doobu-nim said your expressions are good, but I’ve never focused on them since we’re always dancing together, so…”
Surprise lit up Sunghoon’s face before his lips quirked up in a smile. “I’m not that good, but I can show you.”
After some quick fiddling with the speakers, Heeseung managed to get the demo playing in the background before sitting back and allowing Sunghoon to move into position.
Sunghoon, of course, sang and danced flawlessly. The director was right; he had improved leaps and bounds since their last performance at I-Land. Each expression he made was calculated, each move he made clear-cut and precise–even his “killing-point” wink was perfectly on time.
And yeah. Every time Sunghoon sang “I’ll be your boyfriend” Heeseung’s heart did a little flip.
But it wasn’t until the end of the song, when Sunghoon stood in the center and rolled his head back while making a “come hither” motion with his fingertips, that Heeseung snapped.
God, he is just...
Though there was still a bit of the song left, Heeseung found himself standing up and pulling Sunghoon towards him into a searing kiss. Sunghoon responded immediately, allowing Heeseung to press their lips together almost feverishly and gradually back him against the mirror.
Heeseung wasn’t sure how long they stood there pressed against one another, but by the time he pulled away the song had long ended, and Sunghoon’s face was flushed red from exertion.
“I know I said we didn’t need a label,” Heeseung murmured, nose brushing against Sunghoon’s gently. “But I could be your boyfriend, and you could be mine?”
Sunghoon laughed breathlessly, reaching up to tangle his fingers into Heeseung’s hair.
“Yes. I’ll be your boyfriend.”
Heeseung sent him a blinding grin before leaning in for another kiss.
-
(They didn’t stay back for too long, mostly because Sunghoon dreaded the teasing he would get from Jake if that were to happen. But they did arrive at the dorms with ruffled hair and swollen lips, so Jake made sure to make fun of them anyway.
Jay pretended to make a disgusted face when he saw them, but seeing the slight shift in his best friends’ dynamic made him smile.)