Chapter Text
jongseong's shoulder baggy as he clicks the end button for his solo vlive, the staff outside the open door room clapped and thanked him for the good work— despite the busy schedule they have.
with his manager in the car, he propped his eye mask and his earphones on both of his ears and went to sleep until they reached their dorm.
jongseong is looking forward to the night meal with his heeseung hyung. for almost seven years, they have been doing it since then— every fridays of the month is theirs to spend.
jongseong has been in a terrible condition and their manager, staff, and maybe jungwon, enhypen's leader, can attest to that.
the pressure of being the second eldest, the deep buried responsibility as the "mom" of the group, and as well as the pressure from the society.
jongseong does not blame their fans— it is his source of strength too. from their vocal praises down to the appreciation through words on social media. jongseong is so thankful for everything that engines have made.
his heeseung hyung has been with him for the past seven years and he is expecting more years— during those times, jongseong remembers how puffy his face was during saturday mornings after a lot of ramen they did eat on the street.
and as a very heeseung and jay moves— the comfort that they did have is something you wouldn't see towards another so why? why does his heeseung hyung cancel their night out?
of all the times? now when jongseong needs more of someone that he could talk to?
'maybe heeseung hyung is tired' he excused the elder.
he takes that into consideration as he stares down at the elder's text message after jongseong has been waiting for him for the whole ten minutes only to receive the very formal text that he could ever receive from his heeseung hyung.
[ heeseung hyung ] : "jay-ah, I cannot go today. Sorry."
jongseong smiled as he rubbed his red nose. maybe korea is just too cold today. jongseong laughs—
jongseong as the embodiment of love and all the blues in the skies wears his hood, places the mask properly on his face, pulls the cap down, and drops his hands on the pockets of his coat. he will go alone to eat, maybe a simple of that would make his heart unheavy even for a meantime but the fuck is happening as to why he was still down days after that certain friday?
jongseong is still that person. all smiles for his beloved engines and all gloomy inside their shared rooms.
did jake notice? ask heeseung.
all the continued canceled ramen night out, he thought his heeseung hyung is just occupied for the time being. jongseong laughs.
he didn't see that he was being replaced as heeseung's friday night out buddy. heeseung and jake have established a great connection that jongseong couldn't guess how it starts.
he loves both of them. jake as his best bud, and heeseung as his trainee buddy hyung— who was there during his rough times.
but as jongseong plops down at the back of the dance studio, seeing the wide range of the room alongside the members playing, he cannot feel the same ecstasy whenever friday comes— as he saw heeseung and jake in the corner of the room, having their own little world.
"please hyung! let's not the spicy one!"
and there, jongseong's indication that he was really replaced.
the previous fridays pass with heeseung texting jay that he couldn't go, but as it goes on— he never received any cancellation message.
jay was finally at heeseung's disposal.
jongseong never and cannot hold grudges, maybe he felt a little bit betrayed at the action of his heeseung hyung completely disregarding him and suddenly talking casually at his every daylight. jongseong always loves his members— in his own ways of showing.
"hyung?" nishimura riki gently bumps jay's shoulder and sits beside him, shoulder to shoulder and both of their backs are pressed against the doors of the cabinet.
"mhmm?" jongseong tears his vision to heeseung and jake and looks directly at riki.
smiled and gently passed the towel to riki.
"i saw a barbecue stall last night, can we go there later?"
jongseong still. one, two, three, and four. he keeps on waiting— 'for what?'
jongseong smiled and nodded. "okay, let's go later,"
"aha! jongseong best hyung!!" riki shouted, side hugging jay, and beaming at the maknae line alongside with sunghoon at the side.
maybe jongseong needed to stop being so ever possessive of something— of someone he never possessed from the very start.
because enhypen's heeseung hyung will never be the same as his heeseung hyung.
jongseong smiling with riki as he sees how the youngest suddenly becomes excited with a wrap up.
"don't wait for us!"
"jay-ah…" heeseung called jongseong, slightly tugging on the latter's coat— aiming to stop jongseong.
"eh heeseung hyung! let me borrow jay hyung, he's been with you for the past few days leaving the dorm ey? thought i wouldn't notice huh? bye! let's go jay hyung!"
after the long narrative and at the same time a bomb that riki has dropped— the latter drags his out walking towards the way of the barbeque stall that riki had found.
the thing is— riki doesn't even know if there is a new barbeque stall around.