Work Text:
“If you were a girl, which member would you never date?”
The year is 2017 and they are being interviewed by soompi, joking around and laughing. Seokmin and Mingyu answer each other, poking at one another and bringing up petty reasons, Jihoon grumbling about not wanting to date any of them. Each of them playing their stereotypical “roles” to an extent.
The question is then flipped and the members are asked, “If you absolutely had to date one member, which one would it be?” Seungkwan had everyone laughing when he said, “I’d want to date all of them, one by one!”
They have all been asked questions like this too many times to count, and they all know how to answer them with just the right amount of teasing and absolutely no drama or truth. Seungkwan knows his answer would be laughed at and it would get him off the hook from singling out any of the members. He is pleased with himself.
After the interview, everyone packs up in the vans to head back to the dorm. The other members in the van with Seungkwan are dramatically pretending to argue over each other’s answers about the dating question. This carries on until they reach the dorm, the members congregating in the big living room space, one big jumble of boys talking over each other, laughing and arguing.
“And what about Seungkwanie? He wouldn’t give a real answer even though I know he would never date Soonyoung!” Seokmin yells with gusto.
“Hey! Seungkwan would be lucky to date me!” Soonyoung yells back even louder, trying not to laugh. Seungkwan is laughing with them, looking back and forth.
“Yeah, and I bet if he had to choose someone to date, it would be Mingyu,” Joshua says with a smirk.
“No way! It would definitely be Hansol!” Jeonghan adds.
Seungkwan is blushing now, wishing they’d stop talking about it. He’d meant the answer to be a joke, a way to please everyone. “Ok, ok! I said I’d date all of you, because you’re all wonderful in your own way!”
“Bleeeeeeeegh!” Jun makes a barfing sound and laughs.
“Come on, Seungkwan. It’s only human nature to have preferences. You don’t have to be embarrassed about it,” Minghao shares wisely. “But I think we can all agree you’d date me,” he giggles, turning pink.
“I’m going to shower and you can all fight over me amongst yourselves!” Seungkwan escapes into the bathroom and leans on the sink, looking into the mirror and taking a deep breath. Why does he feel like they weren’t completely joking? He shakes his head to clear it. Once he’s through with his shower, he returns to the living room, only to be surprised to see all twelve of the others sitting around looking more serious than when he’d left them.
“Uhhhh, what’s going on in here?” he teases, trying to lighten the mood, actually a little concerned and self-conscious now.
It’s Seungcheol who responds first, in his best leader voice. “Seungkwanie, we were discussing who would take you on the best date.”
Seungkwan’s mouth falls open in shock. He can’t believe them. It was just a stupid interview question! “Are you kidding me? You’re still talking about this?”
“It’s not a joke, Seungkwan! We’ve been talking and if it’s ok with you, we’re all going to take you on a date, so then you can really give us an answer,” Soonyoung, of all people says. Seungkwan looks around, expecting Jihoon and a few of the other members to look uncomfortable or like they’re not really interested, but they’re all looking back at him, nodding.
“You’re all insane! Certifiable!” He turns back around and goes to one of the bedrooms, still in disbelief that this is even being discussed. Why would any of them want to date me? They’re just pulling my leg. It will all be forgotten in the morning.
~
It is not all forgotten in the morning.
When Seungkwan wakes up, he enters the kitchen to see Mingyu and Chan whispering, only to stop when they see him enter the room. Seungkwan looks between them and offers them a tentative “Good morning…”
“Good morning, Seungkwan! I made you breakfast!” Mingyu rushes in, bringing him a plate of kimchi fried rice with an egg on top.
“And I got you an iced americano, hyung! Your favorite!” Chan adds, setting the cup down in front of him, which means he had to have gotten up relatively early to go out and get one. He had given up sleep to try to prove…what? That he knows Seungkwan likes iced americanos? Everyone knows that.
“Ummm, thanks?” He’s confused for about one more second before realizing this is still about the conversation from last night. “Wait a minute… For the record, I wouldn’t date either of you!” he tells them with a pout, still eating and drinking their phony offerings.
Mingyu and Chan both cross their arms with a huff.
~
Later that day during their group schedule, everyone is acting…strange. Since that morning started off the way it did, Seungkwan thinks he knows why, but he is still surprised they’re all keeping up this ridiculous bit. He knows some of the members’ preferences when it comes to dating a guy, but he’s pretty sure not all of them would. He thinks. So this must just be one big joke to tease him, probably because he can be self-conscious. Maybe they’re trying to boost his confidence or something.
When Wonwoo pulls out a chair for him before he sits down asking if he needs anything, that’s his final straw. He’s had enough. “Yah! This bit has carried on long enough, don’t you think? What do I have to do for you all to stop?”
This has all the members shutting up and looking between each other and him with varying degrees of smirking. Seungkwan sighs deeply. He guesses he has no other choice.
Date 1: Seungcheol
Seungcheol goes first. He pouts and pulls his “leader card,” insisting that the best should be first.
Seungkwan has no idea what to expect with all of this. Truly. All he knows is that he’s about to have to suffer (probably) through twelve dates. And the members told him that once he’d been taken on all twelve, he had to choose which member he would date. He was dreading that part, but at least he’d have a while before he had to decide. It would take a while to fit in twelve dates to their busy schedules, Seungkwan being one of the busiest of them all. They’re all aware it may take months for him to have time to go on all twelve dates.
So Seungcheol is up first. He’s kissed other guys before, Seungkwan knows. He was Jihoon’s first kiss, mostly as a joke (he thinks), and he’s jokingly kissed most of the members. He’s also kissed Jeonghan a few too many times for it to not mean anything. So Seungkwan labels his mental tab of “interested in guys?” for Seungcheol a “yes”. Does that mean he’s interested in Seungkwan? Probably not. They have a good relationship, but with Seungcheol being the leader and Seungkwan being part of the maknae line, it seems unlikely.
But then again, Seungkwan doesn’t think any of the members are actually interested in him. So what is the motive? With Seungcheol he’s guessing it’s his competitiveness coming out. In all of their time together in the green room before debut, doing whatever ridiculous thing they were asked to do each day, Seungkwan witnessed some pretty extreme measures that, not only Seungcheol, but most of the others would take.
He decides not to go in with any expectations.
So when Seungcheol knocks on his door with a bouquet of flowers, he’s pleasantly surprised. “Coups-hyung! How beautiful. Thank you.”
“Only the best for our Seungkwanie,” he answers in his best aegyo, making Seungkwan cringe a little, but mostly giggle. Seungcheol ends up taking him to a relatively nice restaurant. Relatively, because none of them have much money, so they’re used to eating street food and convenience store snacks.
Seungcheol makes him feel special all throughout the date. He looks at him with his lovely cow eyes, listens to him attentively, pulls out his chair for him, opens doors for him, gives him sweet compliments throughout the night, and pays for his dinner. Seungkwan finds himself thinking that the other members are going to have a lot to compete with.Seungcheol even takes him for dessert after, knowing what a sweet tooth he has.
Once their night comes to an end, Seungcheol takes him back to the dorms. Apparently there was some sort of deal made with the other members, because when they arrive at the dorm, none of the other members are anywhere to be seen. Seungkwan is thankful, because he felt somewhat embarrassed already and he didn’t need the other members to heckle them.
As he’s thanking Seungcheol for such a nice evening, he’s not really sure how to end the date. This being the first one (and the fact that they live together) he supposes that they’ll just bid each other goodnight and go on with their nights as usual. However as he crosses the threshold, Seungcheol stops him with a hand on his wrist.
“Seungkwanie…” and he pauses for so long that Seungkwan asks “What is it, hyung?”
“I wanted to do one last thing to complete our date,” he replies bashfully.
Seungkwan can guess what he means, but surely not. That would be taking this a little too seriously, right? This is all a game, after all, right?
“Can I kiss you, Seungkwan? We had such a nice time, and this is how I would normally end a date.” He’s barely making eye contact with Seungkwan, probably embarrassed to be asking in the first place or afraid he’d say no.
Seungkwan considers him for a moment, eyes wide and eyebrows raised. He doesn’t mind, really, he just wants to make sure he knows what Seungcheol is thinking. “This is all for the game, right, hyung? I just don’t want to take anything too far, especially if it means something more to you than I’m aware of.” Seungkwan still wasn’t sure if any of this had anything to do with the members liking liking him, or just finding this another way to be silly and competitive with each other.
“Oh! Well, I love you a lot, Seungkwanie, but not like that. I would really like to kiss you though,” smirking back at him.
“Well, then. Go ahead, I guess.” Seungkwan braces himself.
Seungcheol smiles at him and steps closer. He puts one hand on the back of his neck and rather roughly presses their lips together. He’s a good kisser. They break apart and Seungcheol tells him, “Ok, now the date is over. How’d I do?” he asks teasingly, wagging his thick brows.
“No, hyung! No notes until this is all over!” he laughs.
One down, eleven to go.
Jeonghan
“I told you, Seungkwanie, I’ll take care of everything,” Jeonghan says over his shoulder, walking in front of him.
They’re still at the dorms and it seems like Jeonghan is looking for someone.
It appears he finds who he’s looking for because when they find Mingyu in one of the bedrooms, Jeonghan marches straight up to him and says something in a low voice in his face that Seungkwan can’t hear. When Jeonghan steps back, Mingyu is pouting and looks indignant.
“Don’t look at me like that. Remember, you owe me,” Jeonghan says back to him with an evil smirk on his face.
“But we’re competing against each other, hyung! Can’t I owe you something else?”
“Not if you don’t want me to tell everyone you-”
“Okay! Okay. I’ll do it,” Mingyu sighs.
Seungkwan is clueless as to what’s going on, but after that, he and Jeonghan follow Mingyu outside and Jeonghan produces a set of car keys.
“Uh, whose keys are those, hyung?” Seungkwan asks.
“Oh, I convinced one of the staff to let me borrow a company car for the day,” he answers nonchalantly.
“And why is Mingyu hyung here?” he asks quietly, not wanting him to pout any more.
“Because he’s going to be our chauffeur! Won’t that be fun?” Jeonghan answers, not lowering his voice at all.
“But why? You can drive too, hyung.”
“I can. But this way it’ll feel like a special occasion and we can pretend we’re a rich couple cruising through the streets of Seoul!” he says, a little too excited at the prospect.
That makes Seungkwan laugh. “Oh. That does sound fun!”
After Jeonghan gives him an address, Mingyu drives them to the aquarium. It had been a while since Seungkwan had been to an aquarium and he was very excited.
“We’ll be out in a few hours, Mingyu,” Jeonghan says as he exits the car.
“Hyung! You mean I can’t come in?”
“Of course not, Mingyu. We’re on a date,” Jeonghan responds, tsking at him and shaking his head.
Seungkwan feels bad for Mingyu and shoots him an apologetic look.
They take their time strolling through the different rooms, reading about the sea creatures and watching them swim around. Seungkwan has a nagging thought that some of the creatures remind him of Jeonghan. They take selfies and pictures of each other and Jeonghan buys Seungkwan a gift at the gift shop.
Jeonghan had been texting a little bit on his phone and when they leave the aquarium, Mingyu is back with the car, looking displeased. Jeonghan thanks him smugly and gives him the next location. They drive up to a pretty overlook and Mingyu hands Jeonghan a basket. He accepts it and they exit the car, Mingyu staying inside. They find a spot to set up, not a hard task, as they are the only ones there. Mingyu drives away again, Jeonghan and Seungkwan waving goodbye at him.
They set out a blanket and unpack the picnic basket, where a small, but thoughtful spread had been prepared. There are meats, cheeses, and crackers, and some cold drinks as well. Seungkwan wants to ask about the basket, but he’s guessing it’s a part of whatever strange conversation that occurred between Mingyu and Jeonghan earlier.
The two of them comfortably chat and snack and sip and Seungkwan enjoys himself so much. He’s not surprised that Jeonghan had such a perfect date idea. He notices everything and everyone, and he happened to choose something really special and unique that Seungkwan will remember for a long time.
As the sun begins its descent, it paints the clouded sky in beautiful shades of pink and purple. They sit back and watch in silence, enjoying the beauty.
“Seungkwan-ah,” Jeonghan whispers conspiratorally.
Seungkwan glances away from the sky at Jeonghan, “What?” he whispers back.
“Give me a kiss?” he replies, laughing and raising his eyebrows. He also seems to be gauging his reaction, careful not to pressure him at all. But Seungkwan couldn’t feel like that with this hyung.
Seungkwan knows that Jeonghan has kissed lots of people in the past, so he’s not all that surprised that he asks to kiss him, although he does suspect his heart belongs to another. Seungkwan rolls his eyes and pecks him on the lips. Jeonghan hums in satisfaction and they go back to watching the sunset, each smiling and content.
Joshua
When it comes to Joshua’s date, Seungkwan isn’t sure what to expect. (He doesn’t know what to expect with any member, really, but even more so with Joshua, as he’s American.) Would it be like in the movies?
Turns out Joshua really is the perfect gentleman. He’s extremely attentive and polite. Always making sure Seungkwan is comfortable and having a good time. He feels so taken care of. He also teases him in the way that only he can, making Seungkwan giggle and playfully push him.
Joshua ends up taking Seungkwan to an Italian restaurant. There aren’t many Italian restaurants in Korea, but apparently it was one of Joshua’s favorite cuisines back home in L.A. It’s a cute and cozy themed room and Joshua orders them some cheap wine.
The wine is actually good and the food is tasty too. It’s not an expensive restaurant, but Joshua is making him feel as if they are expensive. They eventually finish their meal and as they exit the restaurant, Seungkwan sees that night has fallen.
Instead of walking them straight to the dorms, Joshua takes them on a detour to a park with lights in the trees and plenty of benches and flowers. Seungkwan is starting to think that perhaps all of the dates will be enjoyable. His members are so thoughtful and know him so well, that he can’t imagine not having a good time with any of them.
He has to give it to Joshua, walking through the park with the twinkling lights is a very romantic way to end the date. It’s gotten quite late and there aren’t any people around, when Joshua stops walking. “Seungkwanie,” he teases him cutely.
“Yes, Shua-hyung?”
He looks around with exaggeration. “Can I kiss you know?” he smirks at him.
Joshua had told the members pretty early on that he was gay and that he used to have a boyfriend back in the states. However, Seungkwan is quite certain that his question and interest only lies in the competition.
“Sure, hyung,” he answers, easily accepting Joshua’s tender kiss.
Their night finishes back at the dorm when Joshua bids him good night, sweetly caressing his hair.
Jun
The first thing Jun does is mime to Seungkwan. Seungkwan isn’t sure what this has to do with anything, but he goes along with it. Jun had picked up Korean fairly well and relatively quickly, but Seungkwan knows it’s just his natural whimsy. He finally guesses that Jun wants to take him on a walk and Jun spins and cheers for him when he answers correctly.
As they’re walking by the Han River, Jun stops at every interesting thing he sees and points them out to Seungkwan. He picks him wildflowers, quacks at the ducks, and pretends like he’s going to jump in the water, all the time giggling with pure abandonment.
After their walk, Jun leads them to a small hole-in-the-wall hot pot restaurant. Now that they’re sitting still at the table, Jun is more quiet, but they’re still having a pleasant time, Jun showing Seungkwan the best combinations for his soup and feeding him bites from his own bowl.
Jun is a most beloved hyung, sweet and silly and shy and Seungkwan adores him. They have a fun and playful dynamic, and their dinner together leaves Seungkwan feeling light and happy.
As they’re leaving the restaurant, Seungkwan mentions offhand that he’s sleepy and that he’ll sleep well tonight. He had been walking a little ahead of Jun, when Jun runs up and stops right in front of him. He crouches down and tells Seungkwan to hop on his back. Seungkwan hesitates for a moment but thinks, why not? Jun ends up carrying him almost all the way back to the dorm, giggling as they go.
They walk together the rest of the way back and upon arrival, Jun says in an official sounding voice, “Your payment, please, sir!”
Seungkwan laughs at his antics, pretty sure where this is going. He’s not entirely sure of Jun’s preferences, but suspected that joining Seventeen made him more open minded. “And what is the cost of my ride, sir?” he replies, playing along.
“One kiss!” But then Jun breaks character and stage whispers with a hand to his ear, “Only if you want to, Kwanie!”
And how could Seungkwan say no to sweet Jun? “One kiss for you!” he announces, keeping up the act and kissing Jun’s lips.
Jun laughs shyly. “Please come again soon!” Jun says, bowing at him and rushing inside, leaving Seungkwan behind to follow with a smile.
Soonyoung
Seungkwan loves his Hoshi-hyung. He does. But they also bicker a lot. So he’s interested to see how this one will go, a few hours spent just the two of them. Updating his ongoing mental list, he knows that Soonyoung has had relationships with all kinds of people, regardless of gender.
It turns out for their date, Soonyoung is taking him to an amusement park. They used to go as a group when they were trainees, anything they could do to take a break from the constant practicing. He hasn’t been in a while, so there’s a distinctly nostalgic feeling as they ride the attractions and eat junk food.
They scream on the rollercoasters and laugh at full volume, Seungkwan feeling so young and carefree and alive. They ride the flying swings and Seungkwan just closes his eyes and feels the gentle breeze on his face.
As they’re making their way back to the dorm, Seungkwan is reflecting on the day and is surprised to admit how much fun he had. He really didn’t expect the day to go smoothly or for him to enjoy it as much as he had.
As they arrive, they walk through the main doors and are still standing in the semi-privacy of the entryway. He’s now expecting what comes next, to end the date.
“Ok, Kwanie. For the last moment of The Most Special Date Ever™, may I kiss you?”
Seungkwan playfully sighs, but ultimately agrees. “Fine, but no tongue. I mean it!”
Soonyoung laughs and grabs him and kisses him hard, like in those old movies Seungkwan has watched with Hansol where the man just grabs the woman and smashes their mouths together. It’s not bad, actually, and when Soonyoung lets him go, they awkwardly laugh and smile at each other.
“You know…” Soonyoung starts.
Oh boy. Something tells Seungkwan that whatever is about to come out of his mouth won’t be good.
“I could suck your dick if that would give me extra points!” he teases, laughing.
Seungkwan’s mouth drops open in shock and embarrassment. “Date over, hyung!” he tells him, as he grabs him by the shoulders, turns him around, and pushes him through the inner doorway, Soonyoung laughing all the way in.
Wonwoo
Everyone knows that Seungkwan is a talker. He can hold his own in practically any conversation, but that doesn’t always mean it’s easy. Wonwoo is sweet and Seungkwan adores him, but he can be a bit awkward at times. Seungkwan thinks maybe he had a girlfriend at one point, but hasn’t shown much interest in anyone since he’s known him.
He’s curious to see what Wonwoo’s plan for them is and wants to encourage him however possible. Wonwoo ends up telling him he’s taking him to the company building for some privacy from the members, apparently getting permission and the code to get in.
Wonwoo has Seungkwan sit on the couch and then he takes a book out of his bag. Seungkwan can’t see the title, but when Wonwoo begins reading, it turns out to be poetry. Seungkwan can appreciate poetry; he’s a sucker for romance. And in Wonwoo’s voice, the lovely flowing words sound even better. Seungkwan melts listening to Wonwoo verbally serenade him and when he finishes, he snaps his fingers for him and smiles.
“Hyung, that was so beautiful! You have such a nice deep voice, I wish I sounded like you.”
“Seungkwan, you do have a beautiful voice. You have the most beautiful singing voice I’ve ever heard,” he tells him with the utmost sincerity.
“Oh,” Seungkwan manages to respond with a blush.
“Will you please sing for me?” Wonwoo asks, his eyes lit up with hope.
“Sing? Right now?”
“Please, Seungkwanie? I’d love to hear.”
And, well, Seungkwan is nothing if not an entertainer. He thrives off the attention, singing and making people laugh, so it really didn’t take much convincing.
He sings Wonwoo a ballad, which turns into two, then three. Throughout all of them, Wonwoo listens in raptures, like it was the most wonderful moment in his life. When he’s finished, Wonwoo tells him, “Seungkwan, that was wonderful. No one has ever sang just for me before. Thank you.”
Of all the members, Seungkwan admits to himself that he expected Wonwoo to have the least game. He finds that he was quite wrong, because Seungkwan blushes scarlet and feels giddy.
Next on the agenda is food. Turns out, also in Wonwoo’s bag, he brought instant ramyun for them to eat. They’re able to prepare it there, using the kettle in a break room, and take it back to the couch to sit and eat together.
Seungkwan might typically turn his nose up at having ramyun on a date, but it was just so typical of Wonwoo, being an avid instant noodle lover, that he just found it endearing. By now they’ve spent quite a lot of time together and relax into easy conversation while they eat. He doesn’t spend much time talking to Wonwoo one-on-one and finds that he is very wise and has a unique perspective.
When they finish their meal and clean up, Wonwoo stands in front of him bashfully.
Seungkwan had told himself he’d try to help this hyung out, but it’s too tempting not to tease him a bit first. “Something you want to ask me, hyung?” he says, batting his eyes with exaggeration.
“Well, Seungkwan, I…” he gulps. “I’d like to kiss you now, if that’s alright with you.”
He pretends to act shocked. “Kiss me! Hyung, don’t you think that’s a bit much?”
Wonwoo blushes scarlet. “Oh? It’s just…I thought…” he stutters out, obviously confused and embarrassed.
Seungkwan is quick to stop him. “Sorry, hyung,” he laughs. “I was only joking. I’ll kiss you if you really want to,” he smiles at him.
“Aish, Kwanie,” he says, thankfully not upset and only smiles back. He still doesn’t kiss Seungkwan, however, so Seungkwan takes it upon himself to give him a cartoonish mwah on the lips, making them both laugh.
They make their way back to the dorms together, Seungkwan feeling thankful that something so silly has made him feel closer to his hyung.
Jihoon
When Jihoon’s turn arrives, he gets right to the point. “Will you take a walk with me, Seungkwan?”
As they're walking, Seungkwan realizes that they are making their way to the studio. Surely hyung isn’t taking me there to work, right? Seungkwan is racking his brains for what other reason they could be going to the studio, but he’s hesitant to ask just yet.
They enter the building and walk up the stairs in silence, Seungkwan bursting with curiosity. They enter the studio, Jihoon’s confident strides leading them right up to the producing desk with the couch next to it. Jihoon directs Seungkwan to the couch and guides him to sit down, while he turns back to the desk and sits in the office chair.
Seungkwan can’t wait any longer. “Hyung, what are we doing here? Was there something else I needed to record?” he asks, unable to keep the annoyance out of his voice.
It takes a second for Jihoon to answer, since he’s focused on the computer screen. “What? Oh. No, just give me a sec.”
Seungkwan sighs softly. This hyung overworks himself. He can’t even go on a date without working. I’ll have to deduct some points for this.
After another minute, Woozi turns around in his chair and looks at him. “Seungkwan, I brought you here because I wanted to play you something.”
Seungkwan wrinkles his eyebrows in confusion. “A new song? Why do you want to play it for me, hyung?” It’s not that Seungkwan doesn’t contribute to the creative process, but it’s also not very typical for Jihoon to ask for feedback from him. Like ever.
“It’s for you,” he says so matter-of-factly that Seungkwan has to do a double take to comprehend what he’s saying.
“You wrote a song for me?”
Instead of answering, he clicks something on the screen and music starts playing. It’s soft and beautiful and Seungkwan thinks he might cry. Then when Jihoon stands and starts to sing he does start to cry. The lyrics are personal and sweet and say things that Seungkwan has never heard from his hyung. He’s always known Jihoon to have a good heart underneath his icy exterior, but he’s never quite been on the receiving end of his words like this.
It’s a full length song and Seungkwan doesn’t know when he would’ve had time to write this for him, considering how busy they are and how much work there is for the next album. When Jihoon finishes singing, they are both silent. Jihoon’s ears are pink and he looks painfully shy all of a sudden. Seungkwan decides to speak first.
“Hyung. That was beautiful. Did you really write that for me?” Seungkwan stands and walks up to him, staring at the computer screen behind Jihoon.
“Yeah. You’re really special to Seventeen and to all of us and to…me.” If it’s even possible, his ears turn a darker shade of red.
Seungkwan looks back at him and gives him a hug. Jihoon isn’t typically very receptive to hugs, but surprises Seungkwan by reciprocating and holding him back tightly. When they both let go, Jihoon looks down and mumbles something Seungkwan can’t quite catch. “What was that, hyung?”
Jihoon takes a deep breath. “Can I kiss you, Seungkwanie? We are on a date, after all,” he says, as if he’s defending himself.
Seungkwan actually has no idea about his preferences, but he knows he’s a yearner, through and through, if his lyrics have anything to say about it. Seungkwan shouldn’t be surprised at this point, but he is and laughs a little, but says, “Sure, hyung.”
Jihoon is shorter than Seungkwan, but only slightly, and can easily reach his lips. He gives them a quick, but firm peck and then he pulls away. Jihoon clears his throat and says, “Are you ready to head back now?”
Seungkwan looks at him fondly, “I’m ready, hyung.”
And when they end their night back at the dorm eating a simple meal of rice and meat that Jihoon quickly cooked up, Seungkwan doesn’t mind one bit.
Minghao
Minghao usually seems pretty confident, but in reality, this hyung is pretty shy. Sometimes his words don’t come out like he wants them to, as he’s still building his Korean skills, but that’s just fine with Seungkwan. He admires his hyung and can be patient when it comes to understanding him. He’s always felt a sense of peace, too, when he’s with him, so he’s looking forward to a nice relaxing date. Most of the members have gone big and tried to impress him, but he thinks Minghao will just be himself.
It turns out he’s right. Minghao takes him to a traditional Chinese tea room, where he serves Seungkwan tea and goes through the whole ceremony, explaining it to him in slightly broken Korean.
Once they’re comfortably sipping their tea, Seungkwan starts chatting away, Minghao looking at him adoringly and telling him how cute he is. They take their time there, ordering some small plates of food as they talk. The whole experience is very special to him, because he knows how sacred a thing it is to Minghao.
When they finish and are leaving, Minghao leads them to a bench in a secluded spot nearby.
“I like to sit here and think sometimes,” Minghao tells him. “I watch the people rushing by and wonder about their lives and where they’re all headed. And where we’re headed.”
“I think about our future a lot too, hyung. How we don’t know if we’re going to make it big, but it’ll all be worth it anyway if we’re all together.”
Minghao smiles at him and nods, then looks ahead in silence. They sit for a while until it starts to get late and they make their way home.
Minghao is a pretty private person, only sharing bits of himself here and there for Seungkwan to piece together. He’s pretty sure that this hyung has had a boyfriend, but also that he’s talked about having a wife and kids someday.
Seungkwan also felt sure that Minghao would be too shy to kiss him, so when he stops Seungkwan from entering the dorms, he is a little surprised. “One more thing, Seungkwan,” he says, with some hesitation. “It’s up to you, but I’d like to share a kiss with you, if you consent.”
Seungkwan loves this hyung. He smiles at his consideration, “Ok, hyung. I’d like that too.”
Minghao kisses him delicately, as if he were something precious. It makes him glow a bit on the inside and he’s sure he’s blushing.
“Thank you, Seungkwan,” he says. “Let’s go inside.”
They actually spend more time together in the dorm, sitting on the couches and picking up conversations from earlier, right where they left off, and enjoying one another’s presence.
Mingyu
As much as Mingyu likes to go places and do things (and knowing how much Seungkwan does as well), Seungkwan isn’t surprised at all when Mingyu tells him they’re staying in so he can cook for him. It’s also a nice change from all the outings he’s had over the past few months.
He also appears to have bribed the members to clear out, because they seemingly have the place to themselves. Their dorm kitchen is very small, but Mingyu makes the most of it. He tries to include Seungkwan in parts of the cooking process, but Seungkwan is hopelessly clueless. Mingyu laughs at him endearingly, and takes over when he’s having trouble.
The meal turns out delicious, and they sit and enjoy it, talking and joking as they eat. At times, he just feels like they’re two old ladies gossiping together without a care in the world.
Besides cooking for him, Mingyu has a few other things planned. They pamper themselves and put on face masks and turn on a romantic comedy film. They laugh and cry and aww at all the right moments and it makes Seungkwan feel bubbly inside. Mingyu is one of his very best friends and so it’s no surprise at all that he’s having a wonderful time. Also since Mingyu is one of his best friends, he knows he has been interested in both guys and girls before.
Once their movie is over and they’re cozy and ready for bed, Seungkwan isn’t totally sure if the date is over yet or not. But then Mingyu takes him into one of the empty bedrooms and asks, “Can I kiss you good night, Seungkwanie?” he asks with a smile, not the least bit nervous or embarrassed as most of the others had been.
“Of course, hyung,” he answers, puckering his lips, teasingly.
Their kiss is longer and deeper than most of the others, usually a quick peck, but Seungkwan isn’t complaining. Mingyu is a good kisser and Seungkwan likes to be kissed.
Mingyu gives him a strong hug and tells him good night, kissing his cheek.
“Night, hyung,” he tells him back, going to sleep with a smile on his face.
Seokmin
Seokmin’s date is immediately different from the others because he actually starts with a kiss. He smooches Seungkwan sloppily in greeting after shyly obtaining permission and it makes them both laugh. “Ready for the best date ever, Seungkwan?!” projecting the question in a loud and operatic voice.
“Lead the way, hyung!” Seungkwan answers, still with a huge smile on his face. This one will be fun.
On their way to wherever they’re going, they play and act out skits and sing and do voices. Seungkwan loves spending time with his beloved Dokyeom-hyung.
As they share a love of sports, it’s Seokmin’s idea to take him to a volleyball match. Seungkwan is pleasantly surprised, since he hasn’t been able to follow sports much lately, with how busy they are. There’s usually some local leagues playing, and Seokmin must’ve researched a time where there would be one nearby. He also gets them plenty of snacks from the concessions and they pick a team to cheer for. They get loud and animated and cheer for their chosen team. Their team even ends up winning, which always gives one a feeling of accomplishment, even if one has nothing to do with the victory itself.
After the match, they keep the sports theme going, when Seokmin asks if he wants to play some basketball. Seungkwan loves playing basically any sport, so agrees readily. They play one-on-one for a while and each win a round.
A few times throughout their date, Seokmin asks him various questions like, “How am I doing?” and “Are you sure you’re having a good time?” or “You’re enjoying my date, aren’t you?” Seungkwan knows he’s told the others he wouldn’t give any feedback, but he thinks if he tells this hyung that, he may actually cry. So he reassures him that he’s enjoying himself each time he asks, settling Seokmin until the next time he questions him.
He also kisses him multiple times, whether a peck, or a kiss on the cheek. He is so full of love, he apparently can’t contain himself. Seungkwan is pretty sure that this hyung wants a wife and children someday, but that doesn’t stop him from kissing the members any chance he gets.
By the end of the date Seungkwan expects it when Seokmin asks him again how he did. Seungkwan reassures him that he had a marvelous time and hugs him tightly, thanking him.
Hansol
When Hansol asks him to hang out one day, Seungkwan’s not entirely sure if it’s for The Date or just to hang out like they do all the time. It’s not like Seungkwan to avoid asking a difficult question, but he can’t bring himself to ask Hansol about the purpose of their plans today.
First Hansol takes him to a movie he had been dying to see, Hansol waiting until the lights dim to grab hold of his hand in the dark. Hansol had also bought them popcorn and a drink, sharing the bucket throughout the film. Once the movie ends, they head outside to a street vendor for Seungkwan’s favorite street food: fish cakes. Hansol pays for these too, but Seungkwan still isn’t sure if this is for the date or not, because they often take turns buying food and snacks for the other.
At the end of the night the two of them are walking back to the dorms, hand in hand, Seungkwan feeling like his heart is so full. It always feels so natural with Hansol. Ever since their trainee days, they’ve been drawn together with an invisible thread, so different, but so open to each other’s differences.
When they finally reach the dorms, Hansol stops him, with a look on his face like he wants to say something, but is processing how to bring it up. Seungkwan knows his ways well, so he gives him time to gather his thoughts before speaking.
“Seungkwan…” he begins hesitantly.
“What is it, Sollie?” he asks encouragingly, squeezing his hand.
“I had a lot of fun with you today,” Hansol tells him, looking down at their entwined hands.
Seungkwan smiles at him sweetly. “Me too, Sollie.”
“I always have fun with you,” Hansol adds, looking back up at him.
They’re standing very close now. How did they get so close? Seungkwan can’t remember consciously moving closer to him. An image comes to his mind of the planets and their orbits, and he thinks that if each of them had their own orbit, they would revolve around the other.
“Me too,” he repeats, realizing they are now only a half-step apart.
Before he even realizes what’s happening, Hansol’s hand is on his face, cupping his cheek, and then his lips are brushing his. Hansol pulls away pretty quickly, not lingering in his space, but stepping back by a few steps, looking into Seungkwan’s eyes, seemingly for a reaction.
Oh, so I guess this was all for the date, then. Too bad. Seungkwan is surprised at himself for a moment. He had thought they were just hanging out, but he realizes that he did want it to just be a regular date, but also that that was a silly and unrealistic thing to wish for. Hansol has never come out to him openly, come to think of it, but he’s always hoped that maybe he’s interested in him.
Seungkwan sighs and says, “Well, you did well, Sollie. You’re a contender, for sure,” trying to hide his disappointment.
Hansol looks at him blankly, before raising his eyebrows in realization. “Oh, I guess. Yeah.”
Seungkwan senses his hesitation and feels like there’s more he’s wanting to say. “What is it?”
“Nothing! Well…just that,” he pauses again. Seungkwan keeps looking back at him expectantly, waiting for him to finish. “It’s just that, I know we’re all taking you out, but I didn’t see it that way. Sorry.”
Sometimes this boy talks in riddles, aish. “Chwe Hansol, what are you talking about?”
“Just that…when I asked you to spend time with me today, I didn’t really mean for it to be for…that.”
An alarm starts blaring in Seungkwan’s head. Does he mean that once they were already hanging out, Hansol decided to treat it like their date and that’s why he kissed him or does he mean…something else? Seungkwan doesn’t say anything, just looks back at him blinking. “Oh,” he says, just to say something, because he doesn’t know what else to say. Maybe he just feels bad that they were supposed to be just hanging out, and that it became something else instead. That must be it.
“You don’t have to apologize, Vernonie. I know this whole thing probably wasn’t your idea anyways. You’re a good sport,” he reassures him.
“No, that’s not what I mean either, I just-” he breaks off again, sighing in exasperation. Then he steps right back up to Seungkwan and kisses him again. For real this time. After Seungkwan recovers from his initial shock, he kisses him back, turning his head slightly for a better angle, and places his hand on his neck, Hansol’s hands on his waist. They continue to hold each other tightly and kiss, barely taking the time to breathe.
Suddenly it dawns on Seungkwan that they’re making out in the entryway.
His eyes open wide before he puts his hands onto Hansol’s chest and pushes him an arms length away, Hansol’s chest heaving underneath his hands and his own breathing heavy. “We…should go. Inside.”
He walks in and takes his shoes off and heads straight to the bathroom and locks the door, feeling a little guilty for not allowing Hansol to officially end the gate, but he didn’t think he could handle that at the moment. He looks at himself in the mirror and asks himself, “What was that?” He takes his time showering, brushing his teeth, and doing his skincare routine and finally comes to the conclusion that he doesn’t have to have all the answers. He is Seungkwan and Hansol is Hansol and together they are Seungkwan and Hansol. He doesn’t know what that means exactly, but it comforts him. He changes into his pajamas and spends some time in the living room with the members who are still awake.
Seungkwan feels Hansol’s gaze laser focused on him, but is trying to avoid it, for now. He sees Hansol go to the restroom to get ready for bed then, and after he reemerges and goes to his room, he waits a minute and then follows him. When he opens the door, Hansol is facing the wall in his bed, but turns over to look at him. Seungkwan doesn’t say anything, just walks up to the bed and gets in next to him, as he’s done many times before. Hansol tries not to smile and fails, looking back at him with sparkling eyes.
“Good night, ddori,” he whispers in the quiet and dark, the only light coming in from the streetlights through the window.
Chan
The last date is Chan, of course. His only little brother in the group, but also one of his dearest friends. Chan is still quite young and inexperienced, however, so Seungkwan is curious to see what he comes up with for their date, especially considering that he’s the last one and probably wants to end this odd scheme on a high note.
He also can’t help but baby him some. Chan resists and swats him away when he gets too fussy, but doesn’t stay annoyed for long. He complains a little that since he is going last, he had the hardest time picking a date for them that hadn’t already been done.
He ends up planning something late one night. The sun had long since set, and they leave the dorms in mostly darkness. Seungkwan keeps asking Chan what they’re doing, but he just keeps telling him to wait and see. They take a short train ride to the outskirts of the city and Chan leads them to an overlook, where there are stars visible.
Chan takes a blanket out of his bag and sets it out for them to lie back on, looking at the faintly visible stars and talking about anything and everything.
For being the maknae of their group, Chan is actually very wise. He has big dreams and deep feelings and he and Seungkwan usually tell each other everything.
When they both start to get sleepy, they decide to head back. They make it back to their dorms and Seungkwan prepares himself for the end of the final date.
“Seungkwan?” Chan asks hesitantly.
Seungkwan is immediately endeared, because he and Chan don’t really get shy around one another, so he figures that he also means to end the date in a kiss, and doesn’t quite know how to ask. “Yes, Chanie?” he asks with a slight smirk.
“Well, I was talking to the hyungs and…well I don’t know if they were telling the truth or not. Did they all kiss you at the end of their dates?” Chan blushes bright pink and it’s adorable.
“Yes, they did, but it’s not a requirement, Chanie. You don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”
“No! I’m not uncomfortable! I just… I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable if they were tricking me. I’d like to - I mean I wouldn’t want them to have an advantage - I mean…can I kiss you?”
Seungkwan holds in a laugh. “Ok, Chanie. If you’re sure.” He watches as Chan swallows and closes his eyes and puckers. Then he does nothing. Chan doesn’t move towards him and it dawns on Seungkwan that he has maybe never kissed anyone before. Chan doesn’t know what he wants in a relationship, Seungkwan knows from their conversations, but he is open-minded to his feelings. Seungkwan decides to go easy on him, because he doesn’t want to tease him about this (at least not yet) and closes the distance to kiss him gently on the lips.
“Oh!” Chan exclaims, opening his eyes in a sort of daze.
Seungkwan pinches his cheek and Chan immediately pouts and swats his hand away. “Don’t make fun of me, hyung!” he whines.
“Sorry, Chanie, you’re just so cute!”
And with that they ready themselves for bed, parting ways at their rooms. Seungkwan feels both a feeling of relief and also a bittersweet sadness that his dates with the members are over.
~
The moment has arrived - the moment Seungkwan has been dreading. He’s gone on all 12 dates, has been taken out (or stayed in) with each member and now he has a decision to make. He knows it’s silly. He never expected it to really get this far, but now that it has, he knows that the members won’t let him off the hook without announcing which of them would be worthy of dating the Boo Seungkwan. He realizes somewhere along the way, he stopped feeling like they were messing with him and started believing they were all sincerely taking him on a special date.
In truth, he hates this. Not the attention and affection, but being forced to single out a member above the others. Before he learned to be the charming and amiable entertainer he is today, he had to learn the hard way in school where he got picked last for teams because of other kids’ assumptions, before they observed him and learned of his athleticism and charm. So he wasn’t keen on inflicting any type of inferiority complex on any of his dear members. He was going to have to approach this delicately. Seungkwan is also determined to make his decision in a completely organized, factual, and impartial manner.
He sends a text in their group chat that he was “analyzing his data” and that they better not bother him about it until he makes a decision, lest they hurt their chances. A few of the members send back teasing replies, reminding him of certain aspects of their dates with him, in hope of gaining points in their favor.
The more he thinks about it, the more impossible he views the task. Each member is so different, and they all love each other so dearly. They each put their hearts into it and it was like comparing apples to oranges, really.
But as he’s thinking through each date, he’s remembering how special he felt, how loved and appreciated. He has a smile on his face sitting on the floor in his room, notes strewn all around him, just thinking about it. Eventually a decision of sorts comes to him. It’s cheeky and he doesn’t know if the members will let him get away with it, but it’s kind of his only idea at the moment.
When time permits and all of the members are at the dorm, he gathers them all together in the living room space, oddly reminiscent of all those weeks ago when this whole mess began.
Seungkwan has to keep reminding himself that this was all supposed to be somewhat of a joke and that he shouldn’t feel nervous. However, looking around at his members doesn’t help much, seeing the majority of them wearing out of the ordinary serious expressions.
He takes a deep breath and begins. “I’ve given it a lot of thought. I want to thank all of you for making me feel so special even though I don’t understand why any of you cared about this in the first place, and-”
He’s cut off by Hansol. “Because you are special,” he says in that matter-of-fact way of his that Seungkwan knows is 100% sincere.
He can feel his cheeks heating in a blush, but continues. “Ok, well, like I said I’ve given it a lot of thought and tried to be as fair and unbiased as possible.” He pauses for a little too long and the members start to talk back.
“Well? Who did you choose?” Seungcheol asks.
“Yeah, Kwanie, tell us!” Soonyoung shouts.
“Alright! Alright!” Seungkwan calms the room with his hands out. “So I’ve come to the conclusion…” He slows down and pauses again, looking into the eyes of each member, trying to keep the smile off of his face for what he’s about to say. “I’ve come to the conclusion that I need more data.” He finally lets himself smile at the confused looks on their faces.
“What does that mean, Seungkwan?” he hears the members asking in various ways around him, some of them (Kim Mingyu) even pouting.
“Just what I said! I need more data. I need at least one more date with each of you before I make up my mind,” he says laughing, as chaos ensues around him. Maybe he enjoyed himself more than he let on, after all.