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The practice room was filled with sweat and tears as each group of trainees finished their evaluations for the mentors one by one. Sanghyeon groans inwardly as he looks at his watch and notices that it's already past 10 p.m. He thinks they’ll finish by 1 am, which is way past his bedtime, not because he’s a kid or something (which he isn’t by the way) — it’s because a certain person makes him wanna wake up so early in the morning and climb two flights of stairs so that he can be used as a personal breakfast table.
He glances at the certain person sitting beside him, Chuei Liyu, his beloved hyung, whom he may or may not have had a crush on for the past four weeks already. Sanghyeon only realized it yesterday after having his seventh dream of his hyung, which he thinks is concerning. Because lately, all he can think about is Liyu, so much so that even in his dreams, he shows up.
Oh well. It’s just a silly crush anyway that’ll fade in a week or two.
Who can blame Sanghyeon, when his hyung looks like an angel brought to earth as an act of mercy from the gods. Not only does he look like an angel, but he also acts like one.
Before Sanghyeon realizes he’s been staring too much, he catches the way Liyu fidgets with his fingers a little too much.
He’s nervous.
“Hyung, are you alright?”
“Don’t mind me, Sanghyeonie.” Liyu snaps his head towards him and offers a tight-lipped smile. The kind of smile that Sanghyeon knows all too well, the one that Liyu often wears to shield against concern from anyone, though Sanghyeon sees through it every time. He thinks it's both endearing and stubborn of him.
Liyu continues to fidget with his fingers again, circling and rubbing them anxiously, like they were dying for something to hold onto. Suddenly, an idea pops into Sanghyeon’s head.
Sanghyeon then lifts his left hand and pulls out a ring from his thumb, a slim white gold band with engraved Gs all around. It reminds him of that one summer he bought it with his mother beside him.
“Hyung, wear this,” Sanghyeon says as he hands his precious Gucci ring to his hyung.
“Huh, why?” Liyu asks, looking at him in bewilderment.
“So you can play with it while we wait. I’m not about to watch my hyung destroy those delicate fingers,” Sanghyeon says with a grin. It’s a joke. Mostly. He really does think they’re delicate.
Liyu just smiles at him in return and accepts the ring. Sanghyeon watches the way it easily glides on his hyung’s index finger, like it’s made for him. And maybe it does, because he’s debating whether or not he should pretend to forget about it and let Liyu take it forever. It may be a sentimental ring of his, but he realizes he owns too many rings anyway.
Sanghyeon does forget about it. Because all he can remember is speeding through their dorm hallways right after their group evaluation and collapsing onto his bed in a matter of seconds.
But as expected, Liyu doesn’t, and in fact hands it back to him first thing in the morning while mouthing to him a small ‘thank you’.
_________
The main hall buzzed with lively chatter as the trainees were all lined up, ready to board their respective buses en route to the baseball stadium. All of the buses were assigned to them at random, so Sanghyeon jumped for joy as if he had won the lottery when Liyu told him they’d be on the same one.
Finally, they were on their way for their halftime performance. Sanghyeon tries to hold off any sleepiness within him; he thinks all his efforts would be laid waste if he ever fell asleep. Not when he’s beside Liyu. Not when he spent all night thinking about possible interesting topics to talk about during the course of their journey. Insert his Google searches: “Top 5 facts about Ariana Grande”, “How to talk to a crush”, “How to stop ears from being red whenever talking to a crush”
Sanghyeon knows it wouldn’t be a problem to strike up a conversation with his hyung. They’re best friends, after all; even their own fans came up with a duo name for them called “Chuchuz”.
But the thing is, Sanghyeon’s realization about his silly little crush on his hyung has made him miserable all week. Now, even in their most normal interactions, Sanghyeon can’t help but hold his chest tight to stop his heart from beating too fast.
“Sanghyeonie,” Liyu says, his eyes lift upward while he rests his head on Sanghyeon’s shoulder. Physical affection is a regular thing between them. God knows how Sanghyeon survives that every time, but now he tries to keep it to a minimum. Emphasis on “tries” because his hyung couldn’t care less anyway.
“Yes, hyung?” Sanghyeon tries not to make his voice falter.
“You’re zoning out again,” Liyu states matter-of-factly, lifting his head off Sanghyeon’s shoulder to look at him closely.
Sanghyeon notices how long Liyu’s eyelashes are up close, and how the color of his lips is stained red, probably from the chapstick he always uses. He silently gulps at the closeness between them, praying his ears don’t turn red from embarrassment.
“You were zoning out too when we were in line, hyung.” Sanghyeon retorts weakly.
“Ahh, it’s because I was trying to remember what was missing with my outfit.” Liyu whines, a sweet pout forming on his lips. “Turns out, I forgot to wear my accessories.” He continues, looking at Sanghyeon like a sad bunny who forgot to bring his carrot sticks.
Sanghyeon feels an overwhelming urge to buy every accessory available on earth, whether it be rings or bracelets, or necklaces. He knows it’s impossible, but he’d still do it in a heartbeat if it meant seeing his hyung’s smile.
So Sanghyeon comes up with a more feasible solution.
“Hyung, you can borrow one of mine.” He says with complete confidence, a stark contrast to his shyness a while ago.
Before Liyu can even utter the words, “It’s fine” or “Don’t worry about it,” which Sanghyeon has heard more than a few times. He suddenly pulls a ring from his right pocket and presses it into Liyu’s hands.
It was the same ring he had lent Liyu last time.
Liyu glances at the ring and then looks at him, his expression softening.
“It does look great with my outfit,” he says, reaching out to pat Sanghyeon’s head repeatedly — like an owner rewarding their dog with affectionate head pats. “Thank you, Sanghyeonie. I’ll give it back to you later.”
Five hours later, they’re on their way home. Sanghyeon looks at Liyu sleeping soundly beside him. His arm looped comfortably through Sanghyeon, and their shoulders pressed gently. Sanghyeon forces himself to focus on the scenery rushing past, but his eyes keep flicking down to Liyu’s hand, to the silver ring wrapped snugly around his finger. His ring.
He swallows hard and shifts slightly in his seat, trying not to make it obvious. He tells himself not to look again. Not to think about how easily Liyu wore it. Not to imagine what it would feel like to hold that hand. Sanghyeon hopes once again that Liyu forgets to give it back.
But of course he doesn’t.
As soon as they arrive at the dorms, Liyu hands it back to him, like he always does.
_________
The gymnasium was alive with motion as the trainees cheered for their group’s players in each game. Laughter echoed between the high walls, and sneakers squeaked across the polished floor.
Sanghyeon had been picked to play in their final game. Nothing difficult, really; in fact, it was almost too easy. His only job was to carry the trainee assigned to steal the object tied to the opponent’s head. He didn’t even have to run much, just stay steady, hold his balance, and move when needed.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to join?” He glances at the voice beside him. Liyu’s eyes held a worried look, his brows faintly furrowed with concern.
“Liyu hyung,” Sanghyeon replied with a grin, trying to sound more confident than he felt, “just sit pretty, okay?”
”I can’t help but worry for my dongsaeng,” Liyu coos at him. Though his hyung might be teasing him, Sanghyeon starts to feel the tip of his ear turn red again.
Before he can even respond, Leejeong cuts in between them and hands Liyu his phone.
“Liyu-ah, can you hold this for me? Thank you,” Leejeong says with a bright smile, the kind that makes Sanghyeon’s stomach churn with something close to bitterness. He doesn’t understand why.
Sanghyeon almost flinches when he sees Leejeong patting Liyu’s head before walking off.
Does holding a phone really require that kind of smile? That kind of touch?
He looks away quickly, annoyed at himself for noticing.
Sanghyeon has been aware of Liyu and Leejeong’s close relationship ever since they were grouped for their first mission. It’s only natural for them to have interactions like this, but Sanghyeon can’t help but feel sour and a “little” bit irritated every time Leejeong closes his distance with Liyu.
He knows it’s petty, wanting to keep Liyu all to himself like this. But it’s normal to feel that way, right? They’re best friends. That’s all it is.
Not because his silly little crush might’ve crossed some invisible line, one he hasn’t quite found the courage to acknowledge yet.
“Sanghyeon!” Liyu stirs him from his trance, tapping his shoulder repeatedly, “Are you okay? It’s our group’s turn now.”
Sanghyeon nods at him and starts warming up, stretching his limbs and doing exaggerated jumping jacks. Liyu giggles at his antics, amused, while Sanghyeon’s focus shifts, zeroing in on Leejeong approaching them again. Great.
So, Sanghyeon does what he does best: act childish.
“Hyung, can you wear these for me? Please?” he asks in a cute, pleading voice, loud enough for the nearby trainees to hear. Without waiting for a response, he presses his watch and ring into Liyu’s hands before sprinting off toward the game.
Right after the games, Sanghyeon overhears Leejeong teasing Liyu while they were heading back to their dorms.
“Hey, what’s with you and that Gucci ring I see you keep wearing…”
Sanghyeon walks faster.
________
It’s been three days since Sanghyeon’s birthday celebration. To say he had fun is an understatement. Visiting his birthday cafes and having a birthday dinner with his family and friends made him all the more motivated to keep going and work harder for his debut spot.
He remembers Woojin pulling him aside after dinner, asking to talk outside. At the time, Sanghyeon hadn’t realized his close friend had come with an agenda, a trap to get him to spill the truth about his crush on Liyu.
Woojin had only smiled, a little too knowingly, and said, “It’s been obvious from the start.” But he’d waited, because he wanted Sanghyeon to be the one to say it out loud.
“What should I do?” He asks Woojin, It does feel nice to have a friend to talk about it with.
Woojin grabs his shoulder firmly, “Just man up, dude, don’t think too much about it.”
So Sanghyeon finds himself inside a Gucci store, swiping his card for a sleek white gold band with a small embezzled G gleaming at its center. He knows it’s dumb to spend his birthday money like this, but honestly? It’s worth it. If it’s for his Liyu hyung, that is.
He called Woojin to update him, “I’ve secured the goods,” to which Woojin just laughed and called him stupid for not having a game plan at all. Sanghyeon thinks it’s not stupid if he has his speech planned, right?
He finally arrives at the art gallery and immediately spots Liyu dressed in a soft pink blouse, his hair styled prettily, with his usual bag slung over one shoulder. Liyu sees him too and waves animatedly from across the room, his smile bright and effortless.
Sanghyeon feels his heart drop out of his chest. He can’t tell if it’s because of how overwhelmingly beautiful his hyung looks… or because of the stupid thoughts he stayed up all night obsessing over.
Backing out now isn’t an option, not after everything. He’d never forgive himself if he did.
Sanghyeon almost trips over one of the gallery’s displays, to which Liyu only laughs at him. He feels like a fool right now, stuttering and blanking out in his words. He doesn’t want to ruin this day at all.
“You’re nervous,” Liyu stops them in the corner where one painting of a pretty flower stands.”Is it because it’s a date and you feel nervous?” Liyu continues.
“It’s because-” wait, did he hear that right? A date? They were on a date? Sanghyeon feels the tip of his ears burning all the way down to his neck.
“You asked me out to go with you here, and Haneum isn’t with us, so…” Liyu’s voice trails off.
“But hyung, I haven’t even gotten to the part where I ask for your hand and give you this ring I bought earlier—”
The words spill out of Sanghyeon’s mouth before he can stop them. He freezes. Too late to take it back.
“What do you mean, Sanghyeonie?” Liyu tilts his head in confusion, trying to process all the words Sanghyeon had just spilled seconds ago.
Sanghyeon sighs, dragging a hand down his face in pure regret. God, he’s an idiot. When he looks up again, Liyu is giggling softly in an amused way, and somehow, that makes it worse.
Oh well. He might be a dumbass, but he’s never been a quitter.
So he reaches into his pocket, pulls out the small ring box, and pops it open. Inside sits a simple yet elegant band, nothing flashy, just enough, just like how he sees Liyu.
He blanks completely, forgetting the speech he spent all night practicing.
So he just says it.
“I want to marry you, hyung.”
He expects Liyu to laugh again, maybe tease him, or call him a fool. But instead, Liyu simply lifts his right hand toward him and says, “Put it on, then.”
So Sanghyeon does exactly that.
His hands tremble just a little as he slides the ring onto Liyu’s finger. It fits perfectly. He catches the soft flush of pink blooming across Liyu’s cheeks as he stares down at it, a quiet smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“I knew you’ve been dying to put a ring on me,” Liyu says, still not looking up.
“Was I that obvious, hyung?” Sanghyeon asks, half-laughing, half-hoping.
“Very obvious,” Liyu replies with a grin. “Come on. We still have to debut before I officially marry you, though.”
Sanghyeon lets out a breathless laugh, gently takes Liyu’s hand in his, and silently thanks his birthday money savings and maybe fate, too.