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Hyunjin has found out the secret to getting Chan's attention. Being pretty certainly was not enough; he likes people who are smart and creative.
Hyunjin walks down the hallway, determined steps echoing heavily. In his left hand, he's clutching his notebook filled with ideas, and his right is clenched into a sweaty fist.
Coming to an abrupt stop in front of the practice room Chan has claimed for himself, he tries to steady his breathing.
After a few tense pulls of air, he pushes open the door with uncharacteristic hesitance.
Today, he is here to make an impact. He is going to show them all just who Hwang Hyunjin is. Especially a certain someone sitting behind this door.
"Oh, hi... Hyunjin right? Come in," Chan says, twisting around slightly to reveal his profile. His jawline looks especially prominent from the angle, making Hyunjin's eyes linger there in appreciation.
"Yes, hyung..." he trails off shyly and makes his way closer. His footsteps drag, sneakers making a high-pitched squeak against the hardwood floors. He winces at the sound, trying desperately to make himself cooler in front of his... crush.
Even thinking that word in relation to Chan made him cringe at himself.
"So why did you come to find me?" Chan asks, his voice neither gentle nor cold. His expression doesn't reveal much either, making it hard to guess whether he's annoyed by the unexpected visitor.
"Hyung... I had some ideas... dance formations and even some choreo... " Hyunjin tries to say with his full chest, but ends up wilting like a flower in a desert around the end.
"Oh, okay... I'll take a look, but we are not on the same team for the evaluation this time, right?" Chan asks, single eyebrow raised. He looks so intimidatingly hot, Hyunjin almost loses it.
"Ye-yes... hyung..."
"Okay then," is all he says, before turning back to the computer. Hyunjin lightly places his notebook down on the desk and practically sprints out of there.
But right as he's about to escape, he runs into a small but surprisingly stable body. He stumbles back a step before catching himself and looking up to see Felix, the new trainee from Australia.
His cute button nose is all scrunched up from the sudden collision, small hands coming up to brace himself against Hyunjin's abdomen automatically.
In a moment of weakness, all Hyunjin can think about is how cute he is. Floppy, dark hair framing a frankly angelic face full of freckles and a slim dancer's body disarming everyone he meets.
But then he remembers himself.
Felix being so cute and so Australian is a problem. A big problem. The biggest obstacle blocking him from successfully charming his crush. (Never mind that Chan barely knows his name. It's just a matter of time.)
He musters up all his indignation to huff dramatically at Felix's cute, doe eyes and side-steps him to bee-line to the door.
Unfortunately, it's a little too slow to miss Chan's voice calling affectionately, " Ah, Felix! Come here, I wanted to show you something!"
Just another thing to add to the list of things Hyunjin's going to be overthinking in the little time he has to sleep.
Despite the sour feelings that rise whenever he thinks about Felix, he can't stop himself from approaching the small, shaking body curled up in the side of the practice room.
"Hey, Felix... Why are you crying?" he asks in a soft voice, tongue slipping around the unfamiliar syllables of the English language. He hovers around him, unsure if his comfort is welcome.
To his utter surprise, Felix immediately flings himself into Hyunjin's arms, wrapping his bony arms tightly around his body. Hyunjin is thrown back to the previous time they were so close. Are all their interactions going to end like this?
Felix mumbles something into his tear-stained shoulder.
"What was that?" Hyunjin asks, trying not to sound too worried.
"I just... I don't understand anything... and... Channie hyung isn't always here to translate..." he whines pitifully, tugging at Hyunjin's tender heartstrings. His voice is stuffy from the undoubtedly long time spent crying. His hands are clenched into fists, holding on tightly to the fabric of Hyunjin's t-shirt.
"Oh... okay... I-I'm not that good, but I can try to help you," Hyunjin offers, unable to stop himself. He tries to justify it in his mind as just getting closer to his crush by helping a mutual friend.
"What? Really? You want to help me?" Felix pulls away to examine his face, his eyes wide as he stares at him.
"Yeah... I can try..."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Felix exclaims, smiling far too widely for someone who had been sobbing their eyes out moments prior.
Hyunjin couldn't help the smile that stretched at his lips in return. It feels like looking directly into the face of an angel, smiling down from heaven.
They're in the practice room, taking a break after a particularly gruelling practice session. Changbin sits to his left, brooding with his "dark rapper" aura. Hyunjin tries to emulate the same energy, feeling far too sweaty to feel like a cool dancer right then.
"Hyung, where did you get that cap? It's kinda cool," Hyunjin asks, noting the fancy logo on the side.
Before Changbin can answer, though, Felix comes over with a bright smile and plasters himself to Hyunjin's side. His body is warm enough that Hyunjin instinctively tries to pull away, but his grip is too strong for Hyunjin to go far.
"Hi guys~ That practice was really good, huh?"
"Yeah, you were so powerful. And your footwork was so sharp," Hyunjin finds himself saying, unnecessary compliments blurting out.
"Ah, you're too kind..." Felix smiles, his cute blushing ears peeking out behind his hair.
From the corner of his eye, Hyunjin can see Changbin looking at the two of them weirdly. Hyunjin wonders how they must look to him; trainees being nice to each other so openly was practically unheard of.
"I'm going to get something to drink. Do you guys want anything?" Changbin asks, getting up with a sigh.
Hyunjin shakes his head no before looking back at Felix. The others start trailing after Changbin through the open door, leaving the two of them alone.
"Hey, I wanted to ask you something..." Felix trails off, looking at Hyunjin intently.
"Yeah?"
"Do you have a crush on Channie hyung?" he asks calmly.
Hyunjin's eyes widen into saucers.
How?
How did he know?
How did he find out?
Hyunjin's thoughts surge in a cacophony, trying to make sense of what just came out of Felix's mouth. First, the shock keeps him numb before embarrassment threatens to bury him alive. If it were possible, he would dig himself a hole right there and disappear from existence.
"I'm going to take that as a yes."
Strangely, Hyunjin feels the need to explain himself. He certainly isn't obliged to tell Felix all of his secrets, but he still feels a little guilty.
"No, it's not like that! I do like him, but it's only because I respect his experience and artistry," Hyunjin explains in a rush.
"Sure..."
Felix gives him a knowing smile. He seems pleased to know the secret, like a kid finally getting involved in the adults' table. Hyunjin doesn't want him to think he has a crush, but he doesn't know how to deny it, so he stays quiet.
"It's okay, you don't have to say anything if you're shy. I can even help you with this! Since I know Channie hyung," Felix continues.
It's safe to say this statement shocks him. His biggest problem is offering to help. How unexpected.
Felix turns out to have been serious about his mission to set them up.
Over the next few weeks, he keeps trying to bring up Hyunjin favourably to Chan. When Chan comes to check up on Felix, he drags Hyunjin over to the conversation, even though he usually doesn't understand much. He even tries to find out Chan's favourite food, so that Hyunjin could sneakily suggest it as a dinner for the two of them.
Hyunjin just goes along for the ride, being too preoccupied with how busy he is with school and dance practice to say anything. The opportunity to get to know the older trainee is nice, but it doesn't fill him with bliss like he expected before.
In contrast, seeing Felix try so hard for him and shower him with attention... that gives him pleased goosebumps every time it happens.
"I can't wait for us to debut..." Hyunjin sighs, leaning back in his chair. A steaming bowl of rice gently warms his face, small plates of side dishes surrounding it.
"Yeah, it'll make all of this worth it in the end," Felix replies between bites of food, chopticks clicking softly from the speed he's eating.
They're having a late-night dinner at the nearby restaurant after finishing yet another day packed full of lessons. The others had all scattered, citing various reasons, so it ended up being just the two of them, sitting side-by-side under the flickering, fluorescent lights.
The ambience is abysmal, yet Hyunjin's heart palpitates slightly whenever Felix's arm brushes against him.
"Wouldn't it be even greater to debut with Channie hyung? He might be willing to be your boyfriend if you're in the same team~~" Felix teases.
Hyunjin hadn't even thought of such things, but it doesn't sound so appealing. More and more, he has started realising he likes the idea of Chan up on the pedestal he put him on rather than the living, breathing human who makes human mistakes.
But he doesn't voice out his thoughts. Instead, he says, "Yeah, debuting in Chan Hyung's team would be great," because that's true.
"After we debut, you have to confess, okay?" Felix demands with bright eyes, holding out his pinkie.
"Promise."
The weeks after they debut, Hyunjin is far too busy to remember that particular conversation. He only has a blur of memories: preparing for shows, getting his makeup and hair done, performing, eating, crashing on his bed to sleep, rinse and repeat.
When he finally has some time to breathe and reflect on his crazy life, he realises he has debuted with Chan and also, Felix.
His feelings for Chan have firmly died down after truly getting to know his real, dorky, workaholic personality. He must have gotten his wires crossed, craving Chan's attention so much he mistook it for a crush, when all he wanted was someone to acknowledge him for his skills.
Felix, on the other hand, has wormed his way into Hyunjin's soft, malleable heart. The boy he was so sure would be a problem ended up being the ultimate solution. Thinking about him made him happy, and spending time with him made him even happier.
He wants to keep his promise of confessing after debut, so he prepares meticulously, buying flowers and candy with what little money he can save up. He even enlists Chan's help since he knows Felix best after Hyunjin.
The day comes to spill his feelings, but this time he walks confidently to Felix and Seungmin's room. Chan had already cleared everyone else out of the dorm with some excuse to leave the two of them alone.
He doesn't need to take a deep breath before opening the door; he goes in without knocking because this is his Yongbokkie.
Felix's wheat blonde head pops up from where he's lying down on the bed. His face breaks into a wide smile when he sees Hyunjin, eyes squinting with the force of it.
Hyunjin calmly moves to stand in front of him. He gently picks up Felix's hands and pulls him up to a sitting position, smiling back at him softly.
"Yongbokkie... you made me promise I would confess after debut... so here is me confessing: I like you so much, please be my boyfriend," Hyunjin asks, looking directly into Felix's beautiful doe eyes.
Felix's jaw drops, surprise coloring his features with a noticeable blush.
"You're confessing to me!? Not Channie Hyung?" Felix asks incredulously, but a smile tugs at his lips.
"Yes."
"Since when did you like me?"
Felix looks more shy now, eyes darting away nervously, but his hands clutch Hyunjin's with fervour.
"To be honest, since I first ran into you in Hyung's practice room... You were so cute... You still are," Hyunjin explains, feeling a little vulnerable about the depth of feeling he's revealing so freely. He had gotten used to letting it simmer in the background.
"Oh Hyunjinie... Of course, I'll be your boyfriend! I've liked you too; since you comforted me when I was crying that one time... But I realised you liked Channie hyung, so all I wanted was for you to be happy with him..." Felix trails off, looking a little sad.
"I really appreciate you. You make me so happy, and the fact that you were ready to let me be happy with him is so sweet I could cry," Hyunjin replies, feeling a little choked up thinking about how Felix must have suppressed his emotions for him.
Felix wraps his arms around him, holding him as tightly as possible.
"I'm happy now. So don't cry."
Hyunjin basks in his embrace like bathing in the sun.