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It had been weeks since Seventeen got a break. It had been even longer for BSS. Those three had been busy with some new songs and new choreo that had them practicing whenever they had time.
Finally – finally – they all had a break. One weekend to do whatever they wanted. Soonyoung, Seokmin, and Seungkwan all decided that they wanted to do something as a trio. The others couldn’t relate to their relief of getting the weekend off. When the rest of the group got a few days of rest throughout the weeks, BSS had to work on their extra songs and choreo.
Soonyoung was taking the younger two out to one of his favorite cafes. He knew that he could be a tough dance teacher and he felt bad that Seokmin and Seungkwan had to deal with him during their BSS practices and their Seventeen practices. He had been stressed and that had made his mood sour. He got mad easier in the practice room and when he wasn’t forcing himself to dance, he was yelling at his members. They all understood that he could get this way when he was stressed and they all accepted that it would happen when they didn’t get many breaks, and they didn’t blame Soonyoung. But that didn’t stop Soonyoung from blaming himself. He hated yelling at his members, especially when everyone was tired. He didn’t think it was fair that they let him get mad and controlling in the practice room just because they knew he needed that.
They all knew that when they practiced their choreos, Soonyoung held himself accountable for everyone. If someone didn’t understand a move, Soonyoung thought it was because he didn’t teach it right. If someone had to speak up to take a break, Soonyoung blamed himself for not seeing that his members needed a break. If someone mentioned their muscles hurting the next day, Soonyoung blamed himself for pushing them too hard.
Knowing that he had been acting this way for weeks on end towards Seokmin and Seungkwan, he wanted to make it up to them. He was going to treat them to breakfast and then they would go to the mall and Soonyoung would make sure to buy them anything they wanted – no matter how hard they pushed against his presents.
“He really doesn't have to treat us,” Seokmin said, adjusting the strap of his bag.
“I’m not against it,” Seungkwan mumbled as he leaned against the wall.
They were waiting for Soonyoung at the entrance of the building. He was running a few minutes late.
“Kwan!” Seokmin scolded.
He threw his hands up. “I don’t mean Soonyoung’s reason makes sense, but why would I be against free food and presents?”
“Because Soonyoung is doing this because he feels bad about how he’s been treating us,” Seokmin said. “But it’s not even his fault. And don’t act like you didn’t notice him not joining us for breaks. He always kept dancing until Channie pulled him to the side so he would drink some water!”
“Woah,” Seungkwan said. “Sorry. I didn’t think it was that deep.”
Seokmin shook his head. “No, no, I’m sorry. I just– I feel bad about how stressed Soonie is. I’m supposed to be the leader of BSS, but he’s been the one taking charge in our practice room. And he doesn’t even get a break from that when it’s all of us! He’s always watching closely to make sure everyone knows their moves and stays synchronized with the group. I just don’t want him to feel like he has to make it up to us by buying things for us.”
Seungkwan nodded. He understood completely. Along with Seokmin, he got a front-row seat to watch Soonyoung as he slowly got more and more stressed as the days without a break stretched on. He kept all the pressure on himself, careful to make sure that none of the other members felt like it was their fault they messed up a step. Even if Soonyoung’s voice grew louder, Seungkwan knew he hadn’t meant to yell at them. It was just all that pressure building up and finally exploding out.
Before the conversation could continue, Soonyoung rushed around a corner, stopping in front of them.
“Sorry I’m late!” he apologized, breathing heavily. “I couldn’t find my phone and then I couldn’t find my wallet. I thought I knew where I put them, but I guess not. I’m just being a mess right now and–”
“Hey, hey, Soonie!” interrupted Seokmin. “It’s okay! We aren’t in a rush. A few minutes past the time we said isn’t a big deal.”
“But I’m treating you,” Soonyoung said. “I should be on time.”
“It’s fine,” Seungkwan said. “As long as we’re still spending our day off together, it’s all good.”
“Yeah, don’t worry,” Seokmin said. “This is supposed to be our time to relax. You don’t need to stress over a few minutes.”
Soonyoung still looked hesitant, but he dropped it. The trio made their way out of the building, making sure to pull their masks up and push their hats to angle down. They didn’t want to be recognized while they had a day off.
They got to the cafe easily and once they got their food, they sat at a corner table. Soonyoung was sitting in the corner seat and the younger two were sitting across from him.
As they ate, Seokmin and Seungkwan realized that Soonyoung was just poking at his food, only taking a sip of his drink now and then. He was too busy keeping his mask up and watching the door of the cafe.
“Hyung,” Seokmin said, “you okay?”
Soonyoung didn’t respond; just continued to stare at the door.
“Soonyoung,” Seungkwan stressed, not bothering with honorifics.
That got his attention.
“What?” he asked, snapping his head to look at the boys in front of him.
“Are you okay?” Seungkwan asked slowly, enunciating each word like he was talking to a child.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Soonyoung went back to looking at the door.
The younger two frowned, sharing a look. Not calling him hyung wasn’t a big deal – they did that all the time – but getting talked to like a baby and not caring? That wasn’t like him. He’d at least whine about how he’s a tiger and shouldn’t be talked to like he was a hamster.
Seokmin reached across the table, cupping Soonyoung’s cheek. He turned the older boy’s head so he was looking at Seokmin. Soonyoung blinked in confusion.
“What’s wrong?” Seokmin asked, still holding Soonyoung’s face.
“Nothing–”
“You don’t expect us to believe that, do you?” Seungkwan interrupted. “You’ve been staring at the door the whole time and you’ve barely eaten anything. Something is wrong. Just tell us.”
Soonyoung pushed Seokmin’s hand away. “I’ll have to pull my mask down if I eat.”
After a moment, the other realized that he was done talking.
“So?” demanded Seungkwan.
“Someone could recognize me.”
“Again,” Seungkwan said, “so?”
Soonyoung rolled his eyes like it was obvious. “If someone recognizes me, they’ll want to take pictures and then the whole relaxing thing is ruined.”
“You can’t ruin something that hasn’t happened,” Seungkwan snipped.
“What’s that mean?” asked Soonyoung.
“You haven’t started relaxing yet,” Seokmin said. “How could your relaxation stop when it hasn’t started?”
“I am relaxed,” protested Soonyoung.
“Soonie,” Seokmin said, “eat something. We can’t relax if you won’t.”
Soonyoung hesitated. He needed his dongsaengs to relax. If the only way that happened was if he ate, then he would eat. Without another word, Soonyoung grabbed his pastry and shoved it in his mouth quickly, pulling his mask back up once he was done.
Seokmin and Seungkwan frowned again, but they couldn’t complain. He was eating, so technically he did what they asked – at least partially. They just hoped he’d be able to relax more at the mall. They’d be able to blend in with the crowd and not have to worry about being in the spotlight of anything.
Once they were done in the cafe, they threw their trash away and left. As they made their way to the mall, Soonyoung was starting to relax more. They were taking an unpopular route and they hadn’t run into anyone yet.
Seokmin was happy to see his hyung’s shoulders start to loosen, slowly becoming less tense as they continued walking. He was thankful that no one was walking the way they were, not giving Soonyoung any reason to worry.
He was still thinking about Soonyoung relaxing when he felt someone grab his arm and drag him to the side, into an alley. Seokmin yelped as he was pulled away and he saw the other two turn to him before he lost sight of them.
He heard Seungkwan let out a cry, too. Then he was next to Seokmin in the alley, both pushed against the brick wall.
“Let them go!” Soonyoung demanded, rushing into the alley after them.
Seokmin blinked, trying to focus. The hand that had been holding him to the wall fell away as Soonyoung placed himself between his members and their attackers. Seokmin saw the people who grabbed him and Seungkwan; they were two very large men, definitely taller than Mingyu.
And the only thing standing between the men and him and Seungkwan was Soonyoung. The dancer was standing with his arms spread out, ready to block the younger two from danger.
“What do you want from us?” Soonyoung demanded.
The men laughed at the pathetic attempt at a human shield.
“Fast cash,” one said.
“You’re the first people to walk down this way,” the other said. “Tough luck.”
“I can give you money,” Soonyoung assured. “Just leave us alone.”
“See?” the first guy said to the other as Soonyoung fished in his bag for his wallet. “I told you this would be easy.”
Finally, Soonyoung got his wallet out. He made a show of grabbing all the paper cash he had and folding it together. He stretched an arm out so the men could take the money. The first one grabbed the bills, but before Soonyoung could pull his arm away, the other man grabbed his wrist in an iron grasp.
“Hey!” Seungkwan exclaimed, taking a step forward.
“No,” Soonyoung ordered, whipping his head back towards the younger. “Stay back.”
Seokmin grabbed Seungkwan, holding him back. He wanted to help Soonyoung, but he knew if Seungkwan stepped forward, he could also get hurt. Something like gratitude flashed in Soonyoung’s eyes when they met Seokmin’s.
Soonyoung faced the men again when he felt a tug on his arm.
“Y’know, we were just doing this for the cash, but now you’ve made me curious,” said First.
“Yeah,” Second agreed, “not everyone just hands over all their money without a fuss.”
“While wearing masks and hats,” First added. “Looking a little suspicious, don’t you think?”
“Just leave us alone,” Soonyoung pleaded, trying to pull his arm away from Second.
The man just pulled him closer, forcing Soonyoung to take a few shuffled steps forward. Soonyoung cringed as he was close enough to smell the man’s breath through his mask – he could definitely use a mint.
“Come on,” First cooed, his voice coated with venom. “Just show us what’s under this mask.” He reached for Soonyoung’s face.
He panicked. “Get away!” Soonyoung yelled, leaning back as far as he could.
Second grabbed his other wrist and yanked Soonyoung close to them again. In one swift movement, First knocked the hat off Soonyoung’s head and pulled the mask off his face. Soonyoung quickly moved his head to the side, hiding the best he could without the use of his hands.
“Don’t be shy,” First said. He grabbed Soonyoung by the chin and forced his face forward.
“Leave him alone!” Seungkwan shouted. Soonyoung could hear Seokmin holding the youngest back. He was grateful. Soonyoung didn’t want either of his dongsaengs to get hurt; he needed to protect them.
Once they got Soonyoung to face them, the men fell silent as they looked at his face.
“Doesn’t he look familiar to you?” First asked, tilting Soonyoung’s head to get a better look.
Second narrowed his eyes, then they widened with realization. “Holy shit!”
“What?” First asked. “What is it?”
“It’s fucking Hoshi!”
Soonyoung felt his stomach drop.
“Who?”
“Some idol in a group called Seventeen,” Second laughed. “Crazy running into an idol in a back alley. Wonder what scandal he’s getting into with these two.” He nodded at Seokmin and Seungkwan.
“You know about idols?” questioned First. “Didn’t know you were gay like that.”
“Not me,” he said. “My friend. He’s actually told me that he likes this Hoshi the most. Besides, idols have to be pretty to debut, right? Look at him. What do you say we bring him to my friend’s house and see if we can have some fun?”
Soonyoung’s chest felt tight. This couldn’t be happening. He tried to pull his wrist away, but couldn’t shake the iron grip. He should’ve been stronger but all the continuous dancing made his muscles sore and weak.
“What about the other two?” First asked.
“No!” Soonyoung yelped. “Leave them alone. It’s me you want, they have nothing to do with it. They’re just some random guys I was walking near. I don’t even know them.”
He heard soft gasps from behind him, but he ignored them. It hurt to say those words, but Soonyoung had to protect them. He couldn’t let them get taken too.
What Soonyoung assumed were gasps of betrayal were actually gasps of disbelief. Soonyoung thought they were mad at him for calling them strangers, but Seokmin and Seungkwan were gasping because they realized what he was doing. Soonyoung was sacrificing himself, giving himself up so they wouldn’t get taken too.
“You seem pretty protective of some people you claim to not know,” First said. “What if they’re also idols? More fun, right?”
He let go of Soonyoung’s face and started towards the younger two.
“No!” Soonyoung yelled, pulling against his captor with renewed strength. “Stay away from them! Don’t touch them! I’ll go quietly if you leave them alone!”
“Oh, baby,” Second said with a sickening sweet voice. “We can make you go quiet no matter what.”
Before Soonyoung could question what he meant, a wad of fabric was shoved in his mouth and then a strip of fabric was tied around his face, keeping the fabric in his mouth. Soonyoung’s shouts were muffled now. No one outside the alley would be able to hear him.
As he struggled, Soonyoung looked behind him and saw that First was approaching Seokmin and Seungkwan. Soonyoung tried to thrash around, but Second had grabbed him again, an even tighter hold on his forearms now. Seokmin was standing in front of the youngest with his arms outstretched in a protective stance. Soonyoung noticed he had his phone in his hand. When did he pull his phone out?
First lunged forward and grabbed Seokmin. Soonyoung tried to scream at him, but the fabric in his mouth prevented anything louder than a muffled cry to escape. Seungkwan grabbed onto Seokmin’s other arm, trying to pull him away from the man.
Soonyoung could feel the pricks of tears in his eyes. Was he really about to be kidnapped? He couldn’t let these men take his dongsaengs too. He had to do something, but what? His arms were still being held, so he couldn’t do anything with them.
Second option: legs.
Lifting his leg up, Soonyoung aimed his foot before bringing it down onto Second’s with all his force. Second swore and let go of Soonyoung to hold his bruised foot.
Soonyoung wasted no time – not even caring about the gag in his mouth – and rushed at First. At the sound of his friend's cry, First had started to turn around, letting go of Seokmin’s arm in the process. He was fully turned around by the time Soonyoung’s fist connected with the side of his face. First stumbled as he held his cheek, clearly surprised that he had been hit so hard by an idol – a person he obviously looked down on.
Grabbing Seokmin and Seungkwan, Soonyoung tried to head for the street, needing to leave the alley–
Then a solid mass collided with the side of his head. Soonyoung’s vision cut out for a second and the next thing he knew, he was down on one knee with his hand pressed against his temple. He could feel a lump already forming as his ears buzzed and rang like a swarm of bees got stuck in a bell.
Instead of worrying about himself, Soonyoung could only think about his members. If he got hurt, they could get hurt too. He couldn’t let that happen. Just as Soonyoung raised his head to check on the two, he noticed four figures standing at the entrance of the alley. His stomach dropped. He felt like everything was hopeless until he realized that he recognized the figures. It was Seungcheol, Jihoon, Mingyu, and Hansol.
In an instant, Jihoon was crouched next to Soonyoung. Hansol dragged Seokmin and Seungkwan away from the danger as Seungcheol and Mingyu stalked toward the men.
“Soonie?” Jihoon spoke with a gentle voice. “Can you hear me?”
Soonyoung tried to respond, but realized the gag was still in his mouth. Jihoon was quick to untie the fabric strip and take the spit-soaked rag out of his mouth, throwing them both to the side before returning his attention back to Soonyoung.
“Are you okay?” Jihoon asked, taking Soonyoung’s face in his hands.
“I– I don’t–” Soonyoung couldn’t get his voice to work. “I tried to– Seokmin and Seungkwan! They– they’re–”
“They’re okay,” Jihoon assured. “They’re safe with Hansol, right over there.”
Soonyoung looked in the direction he was pointing and spotted the three of them. Seungkwan was hugging one of Hansol’s arms, while the other was wrapped around Seokmin’s shoulders, holding him tightly.
Looking further down the alley, Soonyoung could see Seungcheol and Mingyu beating up the men who had been harassing them.
“Leave,” Soonyoung choked out, turning back to face Jihoon. “We have to leave. They know who we are– who I am! They wanted to– They were going to–” His throat closed at the thought. Oh god. I was almost kidnapped. They know who I am. They knew what they wanted to do to me. They could’ve–
“Soonie,” Jihoon interrupted his spiraling thoughts. “Soonie, stay with me, okay? You’re safe now. We’ve got you.”
Soonyoung shook his head. He didn’t feel safe in the alley. He wanted to go back to the– “Dorms.”
“You want to go back to the dorms?” Jihoon asked, sounding like he already knew the answer.
Soonyoung sagged with relief. He was grateful that Jihoon knew him so well. He didn’t think he could say anything else at the moment. He nodded.
Jihoon helped him to his feet.
“Cheol, Gyu!” he called. “We’re leaving.”
The leader and the tallest landed one last kick to each man before following the rest of the members out of the alley.
The walk back to the dorms was quiet. Hansol had passed Seokmin off to Mingyu. Seungcheol kept himself busy with watching behind them as they shuffled along, making sure the men didn’t decide to follow them home.
Soonyoung learned later that Seokmin – while holding Seungkwan back – had texted their leader what was happening. Without wasting time, Seungcheol grabbed the other members he could find in the dorm and ran to their location. He had filled the others in on the way to the alley. On the walk home, Seungcheol texted the other members, letting them know what had happened and that they were on their way back to the dorms.
The whole walk, Soonyoung didn’t say a word. Jihoon made sure to stay right next to him until they neared the dorms. Once they were inside, Jihoon let Soonyoung go to his room to change by himself. Everyone watched as he slinked away and closed his door.
“Did they do something to him?” Chan asked in a small voice.
Seungcheol was quick to console the youngest. He rushed over and wrapped the boy in a hug as he assured, “No, he’s just shaken.”
“Actually–” Seungkwan’s voice cracked. He cleared his throat before trying again. “Actually, Soonie… he was trying to get us away, but…” He blinked rapidly as he tried to control his breathing. “He got hit.”
“Hit?” Seungcheol asked hesitantly. “What do you mean hit?”
The image flashed in Seungkwan’s mind and it was too much. He shook his head as tears began to slip down his face. Hansol pulled him into a tight hug, rubbing his back comfortingly.
“It was a metal pole,” Seokmin said, grabbing everyone’s attention. Before any questions could be asked, he continued, “Soonyoung attacked the men when they went after me and Seungkwan. He was incredible. He landed a hit on both of them and then grabbed us. We were about to leave the alley, but the guy he kicked hadn’t gone down. I saw it happen. I couldn’t do anything. He had a pole – probably found it in the alley. He hit Soonyoung in the head with it. Soonie went down, and then you guys showed up.”
Not sparing a word, Jihoon rushed to Soonyoung’s door, suddenly feeling anxious about how long it was taking him to get changed. When he got to the door, he was relieved to find it unlocked. Jihoon barged in and saw Soonyoung right away. He was sitting on his bed, still in his street clothes. He had his arms wrapped around himself and his eyes were unfocused.
“Soonie?” Jihoon said as he approached him slowly. “Baby, can you hear me?”
Soonyoung blinked slowly, shifting his eyes to look at Jihoon.
“Are you feeling dizzy?” Jihoon asked as calmly as he could, not wanting to panic the other anymore. “Any queasiness?”
Soonyoung shook his head.
“Can you talk to me?” Jihoon whispered. He hadn’t realized how much he missed the dancer’s voice. “Please?”
“It’s my fault. I ruined it.” His voice was flat.
Jihoon was taken aback. “What’s your fault? What did you ruin?”
Soonyoung went back to looking at the floor, but still responded. “It was my fault. Those guys recognized me. They were just going to rob us, but they knew me. They were going to take me– take us. I put Seokmin and Seungkwan in danger. If they got hurt, it would’ve been my fault.”
“But they didn’t get hurt,” fought Jihoon. “You kept them safe.”
Soonyoung shook his head. “I ruined our day. I was paranoid all day that someone would recognize us. I wanted to take the back roads. I put us near that alleyway. I couldn’t get those guys to leave us alone. I couldn’t even fight them off correctly.”
“I heard you took a hit,” Jihoon admitted. “But I heard you also landed some on the other guys. That’s impressive.”
“No, it’s not,” denied Soonyoung. “I couldn’t beat them like Seungcheol and Mingyu did.”
“That’s because those guys were huge,” Jihoon reasoned. “And you were one person against two. Cheol and Gyu made it even. The fact that you could even move fast enough to hit them both is impressive – but still worrying about others after you took a hit from a metal pole? That’s immeasurably selfless.”
“When did I do that? I got hit with a pole?”
“You didn’t know?” Jihoon asked, then answered his own question. “Of course you didn’t. I’m surprised you even stayed conscious after getting hit in the head. Yes, you were worried about Seokmin and Seungkwan even after getting hit. When I got to you, you were only worried about those two. Once I showed you they were safe with Hansol, you physically calmed down. I noticed.”
“I had to worry about them. It was my fault in the first place–”
“No, it wasn’t,” Jihoon said firmly. “You had nothing to do with getting mugged in an alley. You didn’t ask for it, it wasn’t your fault.”
“But–”
“Let’s stop talking about this,” Jihoon said. “Let me look at your head and then we can go sit with everyone. We’re having a sleepover in the living area.”
Soonyoung nodded, knowing there was no fighting Jihoon now.
Jihoon led Soonyoung to the bathroom, grabbing some pajamas on the way. In the bright light, Jihoon could see the bruise that was already forming on Soonyoung’s temple. It was a bit swollen too, so Jihoon was careful not to touch it too roughly. He searched in the medicine cabinet and grabbed a cream that would lessen the swelling and help the bruising fade. He applied it gently, making sure he didn’t hurt Soonyoung in the process.
Checking with him, Jihoon learned that Soonyoung wasn’t dizzy or nauseous, his head just hurt. Still cautious, Jihoon turned his phone flashlight on and shone it to the side of Soonyoung’s eyes. When his pupils constricted instantly, Jihoon let out a relieved sigh. It didn’t seem like Soonyoung had a concussion – which was lucky. Jihoon would make sure to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn’t get worse, but he seemed fine for now.
After changing Soonyoung into comfier clothes, Jihoon made sure he was okay to be with everyone. Soonyoung nodded quickly, thinking of nothing but wanting to be surrounded by his second family immediately. He didn’t care if that was selfish; he needed them.
When Jihoon and Soonyoung joined the others, they noticed that there were two open spots on the couch. The two of them sat down. Soonyoung let himself sink into the cushion.
“Are you okay with touching?” Seungcheol asked. He was on the other side of Soonyoung.
“Please,” Soonyoung begged softly.
Seungcheol wrapped an arm around him immediately, pulling him close. Jihoon scooted closer and leaned his head on Soonyoung’s shoulder. Chan stood up from where he was on the ground and made his way over.
“Hyung,” he said gently, “do you want a weighted blanket?”
That sounded great, problem was– “We don’t have one,” muttered Soonyoung.
Chan sat in Soonyoung’s lap, leaning his body against the older boy. “Problem solved.”
Soonyoung’s lip quivered. He wrapped his arms around Chan’s waist and pushed his face into the maknae’s back as he let out shaky sobs. Everyone was quick to comfort him; half of them got closer so they could give him comforting pats and the others made sure to shower him with caring words.
“I’m sorry,” Soonyoung choked out once the sobs subsided. “I don’t know why I’m acting like this. I’m safe, I should be fine.”
“You went through something you should never have to,” Seungcheol said. “It’s normal to be shaken by that.”
“Seokmin and Seungkwan went through it too, but they aren’t acting like me: pathetic.” Soonyoung whispered the last word, not intending for the rest of them to hear him.
They heard him anyway.
“Don’t say that!” demanded Seungkwan. “You are not pathetic and you had a worse experience than me and Seokmin.”
“Yeah,” Seokmin agreed. “That guy only grabbed me for a second before you punched him. They both had you for a lot longer than that.”
“But nothing happened,” Soonyoung said. “They didn’t take me, so why am I not fine?”
“Soonyoung,” Jihoon said seriously, “they hit you on the head with a metal pole. That’s not nothing. And they were talking about kidnapping you. That’s also not nothing. So much happened to you on the day that was supposed to be relaxing; it’s completely normal for you to be feeling down right now.”
“They were going to take me,” Soonyoung muttered, sounding like he was just now remembering what the men had said. “They were gonna– They said they had a friend that knew me– Said I was his favorite. They called me pretty. They said they wanted to have fun with me. They were going to take me to their friend’s house and– What if they took me?”
Everyone except Seokmin and Seungkwan froze at the new information. They knew that the men had recognized Soonyoung, but they didn’t know about what they were going to do if they kidnapped him. The members had just assumed they would ask the company for money in return for the missing member.
“They didn’t take you,” Seokmin said firmly. “They didn’t take any of us. We’re safe because of you, hyung. You kept them distracted so I could text Seungcheol. You fought them both without knowing that help was on the way. You tried to get them to leave us alone by sacrificing yourself. You are so so strong and I’m really sorry you weren’t able to enjoy your day off.”
Soonyoung shook his head. “But it was my fault–”
“No more of that,” Chan said immediately. “You’re done with blaming yourself and we’re done thinking about the bad stuff of today.” He gestured towards the window. “It’s still light out. Let’s make the rest of today relaxing. All of us– in here– doing whatever we want.”
“There’s our voice of reason,” Seungcheol said, admiration painting his words. He reached over and messed up Chan’s hair with love. “Always knowing what to say.”
Chan swatted the hand away, but he couldn’t hide the smile that slipped onto his face.
“So we’re all staying here for the rest of the day?” Seungkwan asked.
“Unless you have something better to do,” Chan snapped.
“That’s not what I meant,” Seungkwan bickered back – per usual. “I mean, today was supposed to be BSS’s day together. Now we’re stuck with the rest of you too.”
“You don’t love us too, Kwan?” asked Hansol. No one could tell if his puppy-eyes were an act or all-natural.
Seungkwan was quick to assure Hansol that he loved him very much, and it was some other members that he wasn’t happy spending his “relax day” with. Of course, this also wasn’t true. Seungkwan loved all his members, he just had to keep up his appearance of being one of the snarky members. Everyone knew that. They watched fondly as Seungkwan bad-mouthed them and sweet-talked Hansol.
“Okay, so, relaxing time,” Seungcheol whispered to Soonyoung. “What does your relaxing time look like?”
“Mine?” he questioned. “No, this should be everyone’s time. Not just mine.”
“We had our time,” Jihoon assured from his other side. “From what it sounds like, you didn’t relax even before those guys in the alley. I’m sure everyone agrees that you deserve to have this time.”
“I don’t know,” mumbled Soonyoung.
“You deserve this,” said Seungcheol.
“Okay, okay, I get it,” Soonyoung laughed. “It’s not that. My relaxing time is just knowing that all of you are having a good time. Do whatever you guys want, I’m fine.”
Seungcheol, Jihoon, and Chan (the members who could hear his answer) didn’t look convinced.
After a moment, Chan suddenly announced, “Alright, it’s been decided! We are all staying here for the rest of the day, and we are going to do anything that makes us relax.”
“That sounds easy,” Mingyu said.
All of the other members agreed.
The rest of the day, everyone stayed close together while doing their own things. Some scrolled on their phones, some read, some just chatted. They all stayed in the same room, though. And they all made sure that Soonyoung was randomly showered with little compliments.
Soonyoung was finally able to relax as he watched everyone have fun. He would still struggle with the memory of the men in the alley, but he knew that he would always have his members to comfort him and make him feel better.
At some point, he fell asleep. Chan was still on his lap, while Seungcheol and Jihoon stayed close on both his sides. Despite the stressful day, he fell asleep with a lax expression and a pleasant smile on his face. Once the others realized that Soonyoung was asleep, they started to quiet down, not wanting to wake him. They were relieved to see that the worry creases were finally fading from Soonyoung’s face.
They all stayed there that night and Seungcheol called the company, demanding that they have the next few days off as well. He informed them about what happened to Soonyoung, Seokmin, and Seungkwan; the company had to agree. Soonyoung got to sleep in and wake up surrounded by his family. He was actually able to relax for the next few days, staying surrounded by his members. No one wanted to leave his side and he was glad to be constantly surrounded. It was like a weight off his shoulders as he realized he would never be alone.