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The studio was loud in the way photoshoot sets always were.
Not chaotic exactly. Just busy. Layers of noise overlapping each other until they became background.
Music drifted softly from a speaker near the styling table. The photographer’s camera shutter snapped in rapid bursts every few seconds. Assistants moved across the floor carrying lighting panels and garment racks. Someone laughed loudly near the monitor. Someone else called out lighting numbers.
For most people, it would have been overwhelming.
For Seventeen, it was routine.
They had been doing photoshoots for years now. Long enough that the rhythm of it had become second nature.
Change outfit.
Touch up makeup.
Fix hair.
Stand under the lights.
Pose.
Laugh at each other.
Repeat.
The familiarity made everything easier.
Mingyu usually liked photoshoot days.
He liked the playful atmosphere. The way the members hovered around the monitor just to tease whoever was posing. The constant stream of ridiculous comments.
Right now, he stood under the bright lights of the main set wearing a partially open black jacket over a fitted dark shirt. The concept was sleek and dramatic. Dark lighting. Strong shadows. Sharp angles.
“Chin down a little,” the photographer called.
Mingyu adjusted automatically.
“Good. Hold that.”
The camera began clicking rapidly.
Behind the photographer, several members watched the monitor.
Jun leaned slightly forward, studying the screen. Minghao stood beside him with his arms folded, murmuring something quietly in Mandarin that made Jun snort.
Seungkwan, meanwhile, stood off to the side making exaggerated model faces just to make the nearby staff laugh.
Dino nearly choked trying not to laugh too loudly.
Everything felt relaxed.
Comfortable.
Normal.
“Wait a second,” someone said.
The stylist stepped forward.
Yuri.
She had joined their styling team only a few weeks ago, but she had already settled in quickly. She was polite, cheerful, and always greeted everyone with bright smiles and careful bows.
The staff seemed to like her a lot.
The members did too.
She worked hard. She remembered everyone’s preferences. She always spoke kindly.
Mingyu had never had any reason to think about her beyond that.
“Your collar twisted a little,” she said, stepping into the frame.
Her hands moved to his jacket, straightening the lapel.
“Ah, thank you,” Mingyu said automatically.
Her fingers brushed lightly across his chest while she smoothed the fabric.
Normal.
Stylists touched them all the time. Adjusting clothes was literally their job.
He didn’t think about it.
She stepped back with a satisfied nod.
“Okay!”
The photographer raised the camera again.
“Let’s continue.”
The shoot resumed.
A little while later, the setup changed.
Now Mingyu leaned against a tall prop wall while Joshua and Jeonghan stood nearby for a group shot.
“Gyu, turn your shoulder more,” the photographer instructed.
Mingyu shifted slightly.
“Yeah, like that.”
“Wait, wait,” Yuri said quickly, stepping forward again.
Her hands went to his waist, tugging the jacket slightly to align it.
Then they slid lower.
Her fingers pressed briefly against his abdomen through the fabric of his shirt.
Mingyu blinked.
It was quick.
Maybe she was flattening the shirt.
That made sense.
He told himself that.
“Perfect,” she said.
She stepped away.
The shoot continued.
But the feeling lingered.
Something small.
Something he couldn’t quite name.
Over the next fifteen minutes, the shoot moved through several different poses.
And Yuri kept stepping in.
“Your belt shifted.”
Her hand brushed across his hip.
“Your shirt wrinkled again.”
Her fingers pressed briefly over his stomach.
“Hold still.”
Her palm smoothed over his chest.
Every time it was quick.
Every time it looked normal.
But something about it made Mingyu shift uncomfortably.
Not obvious.
Just… slightly off.
Across the set, the other members didn’t seem to notice anything unusual.
Hoshi was whispering something to Dino that made Dino double over laughing.
Woozi sat cross-legged near the monitor, focused on reviewing the photos with the photographer.
Everything looked completely ordinary.
So Mingyu pushed the thought away.
Maybe he was imagining things.
Later, the shoot shifted into solo shots.
The set became quieter.
Most of the members drifted away to change outfits or relax in the waiting area.
Now it was just Mingyu, the photographer, and a few staff members adjusting lighting.
“Your shirt folded again,” Yuri said suddenly.
Before he could respond, she stepped closer.
Her hands moved across his stomach, smoothing the fabric.
Her palm pressed briefly over his abs.
Then her fingers slid upward.
Across his chest.
Slowly.
Too slowly.
Mingyu froze.
That wasn’t fixing clothes.
The photographer was busy adjusting the lens and looking down at the camera screen.
No one else was paying attention.
Yuri leaned slightly closer.
“There,” she said softly.
Her hand dropped.
This time landing on his thigh.
Not briefly.
Not adjusting anything.
Just resting there.
Mingyu’s breath caught.
He stepped back immediately.
“Oh— sorry,” he said automatically, even though he hadn’t done anything.
She laughed lightly.
“You’re so tall. It’s hard to reach sometimes.”
Then she stepped away like nothing had happened.
The photographer finally looked up.
“Ready?”
Mingyu nodded.
But his thoughts felt strangely foggy.
The rest of the shoot passed in a blur.
Because it kept happening.
Small touches.
Hands lingering on his chest.
Fingers pressing over his stomach.
Once, while adjusting the hem of his shirt, her hand slid across his inner thigh.
Mingyu stiffened instantly.
But he said nothing.
Because every time it happened, she smiled politely.
Because no one else reacted.
Because accusing someone of something like that felt enormous.
And terrifying.
What if he was wrong?
What if everyone thought he was exaggerating?
So he stayed quiet.
And waited for the shoot to end.
By the time they wrapped for the day, everyone was exhausted.
The tension in the studio melted almost instantly.
“Finally,” Seungkwan groaned dramatically as he collapsed onto a couch. “My face muscles are tired.”
Dino snorted.
“Those are the only muscles you have.”
“Hey!”
Laughter broke out across the room.
Hoshi threw a jacket at Seungkwan.
Jeonghan leaned against the wall eating a snack someone had handed him.
The atmosphere relaxed completely.
Mingyu laughed too.
But it felt forced.
The uneasiness from earlier still sat heavy in his chest.
The touches kept replaying in his mind.
Her hand on his thigh.
Her fingers lingering on his chest.
Her voice laughing like nothing was wrong.
His stomach twisted.
He needed to tell someone.
He just wasn’t sure how.
Eventually he found Seungcheol near the dressing area.
Woozi and Hoshi were there too, talking quietly about the next schedule.
“Hyung,” Mingyu said.
Seungcheol looked up immediately.
“What’s up?”
Mingyu hesitated.
For a moment he almost changed his mind.
But the discomfort from earlier pushed him forward.
“Something weird happened during the shoot.”
Woozi frowned slightly.
“What?”
“It’s about Yuri.”
Seungcheol’s expression shifted.
“The new stylist?”
Mingyu nodded.
“I don’t know if I’m overthinking… but she kept touching me weirdly.”
Silence fell.
Hoshi blinked.
“…what?”
Mingyu rubbed the back of his neck.
“When she fixed my clothes. Her hands kept lingering. On my chest… my abs… my thighs.”
Seungcheol stared at him.
Then he exhaled slowly.
“Mingyu… stylists have to touch us.”
“I know,” Mingyu said quickly. “But this was different.”
Woozi crossed his arms thoughtfully.
“Different how?”
“She wasn’t adjusting clothes. It felt like… she was touching me on purpose.”
Hoshi looked uneasy.
“But Yuri? She’s really nice.”
Mingyu felt his stomach twist.
“That doesn’t mean—”
“Mingyu,” Seungcheol said gently.
His voice wasn’t harsh.
But it was careful.
“We have to be really careful with accusations like that.”
“I’m not trying to accuse her,” Mingyu said quietly.
Woozi sighed.
“She just started working here. Something like that could destroy her reputation.”
The words hit harder than Mingyu expected.
“I’m just telling you what happened.”
Seungcheol placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Maybe it was awkward positioning.”
Hoshi nodded slowly.
“You’re really tall. Maybe she had to reach.”
Mingyu looked at them.
They weren’t being cruel.
They weren’t dismissing him on purpose.
But they didn’t believe him.
“Let’s not spread this around yet,” Seungcheol said carefully.
The words settled heavily in Mingyu’s chest.
“Okay,” he said quietly.
And the conversation ended there.
The next few days felt strange.
Yuri continued working with the team as usual.
But Mingyu noticed something now.
Something he hadn’t been paying attention to before.
She always volunteered to help him first during fittings.
Her hands lingered longer than necessary.
Sometimes she stood closer than she needed to.
Once, while adjusting his jacket, her hand slid across his back and stayed there for several seconds.
Each time, Mingyu felt his shoulders tense.
He started avoiding her.
If another stylist was nearby, he asked them for help instead.
Sometimes it worked.
Sometimes it didn’t.
Each time she approached him, his stomach twisted with anxiety.
Still, he said nothing.
The memory of that earlier conversation stopped him every time.
A few days later, the members were taking a break in the practice studio.
Music played softly from the speakers while they rested.
Seungkwan and Hoshi were arguing loudly about choreography again.
“Your foot was late!”
“My foot was expressive!”
“That’s not a thing!”
Across the room, Mingyu sat on the floor drinking water while Minghao stretched nearby.
Jeonghan and Joshua eventually wandered out into the hallway in search of snacks.
The corridor outside the practice room was quiet.
Halfway down the hall, they slowed.
Two voices drifted from around the corner.
“…he’s so shy about it,” Yuri said.
Joshua stopped walking.
Jeonghan glanced at him.
“…who?” another staff member asked.
Yuri laughed softly.
“Mingyu.”
Joshua felt something cold settle in his stomach.
“He’s too polite to complain,” she continued casually. “He just freezes when I touch him.”
The other stylist sounded uncomfortable.
“You shouldn’t joke about idols like that.”
“I’m not joking.”
Yuri lowered her voice slightly.
“His abs are insane. It’s hard not to touch them.”
Joshua’s hands went cold.
Jeonghan’s expression hardened instantly.
“…that’s really inappropriate,” the other stylist said quietly.
Yuri laughed again.
“Relax. It’s not like he’ll tell anyone.”
Joshua and Jeonghan didn’t wait to hear anything else.
They turned around immediately.
When they reentered the practice room, the atmosphere shifted instantly.
Their faces said everything.
Seungkwan noticed first.
“Why do you two look like that?”
Jeonghan walked straight toward Seungcheol.
“Cheol.”
Something in his voice made the room quiet.
Seungcheol looked up.
“What happened?”
Jeonghan glanced at Joshua.
Joshua took a breath.
“We just heard Yuri talking.”
Mingyu’s head lifted.
Joshua’s voice was slow.
“She was bragging about touching you.”
The room went completely silent.
Seungcheol frowned.
“What do you mean?”
Jeonghan’s voice sharpened.
“She literally said Mingyu freezes when she touches him.”
Woozi stood up slowly.
“…what?”
Joshua repeated everything.
Every word.
Every laugh.
Every disgusting detail.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Seungkwan looked horrified.
Dino swore under his breath.
Minghao’s jaw tightened.
Hoshi slowly turned toward Mingyu.
Realization spread across his face.
Seungcheol didn’t speak for several seconds.
Then quietly—
“…you told us.”
The guilt in his voice was unmistakable.
Woozi dragged a hand down his face.
“Oh my god.”
Seungkwan stared at Mingyu.
Mingyu gave a small, tired smile.
“I did.”
That simple sentence hit the room harder than anything else.
The leaders then explained the conversation from the photoshoot.
How Mingyu had told them.
How they had dismissed it.
How they had told him not to talk about it.
The weight of that realization settled heavily over everyone.
Hoshi looked like someone had punched him.
Seungcheol stood abruptly.
“Where is she?”
But Woozi stopped him.
“Wait.”
He looked at Mingyu.
“First we talk to him.”
Everyone turned.
Mingyu was still sitting on the floor.
He suddenly looked smaller than usual.
Seungcheol walked over slowly.
“…Gyu.”
Mingyu looked up.
There was something fragile in his expression now.
Something that hadn’t been there before.
Seungcheol’s voice softened.
“You were telling the truth.”
Mingyu nodded faintly.
“I know.”
Somehow that made it worse.
Woozi crouched beside him.
“I’m sorry.”
Hoshi sat down too, looking miserable.
“I should’ve believed you.”
Around them, the other members gathered.
Wonwoo’s expression was dark with anger.
Jun looked stunned.
Minghao’s arms were folded tightly across his chest.
Dino looked furious.
Seungkwan quietly sat beside Mingyu without saying anything.
Finally Seungcheol spoke again.
“You trusted us enough to tell us.”
Mingyu didn’t answer.
“And we told you not to talk about it.”
Hearing it out loud made the mistake feel even heavier.
Seungcheol lowered his head slightly.
“I’m really sorry, Mingyu.”
For a moment no one moved.
Then Hoshi suddenly wrapped an arm around Mingyu’s shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated quietly.
Woozi placed a hand on Mingyu’s back.
Seungkwan leaned against him.
One by one, the rest of the members gathered closer.
Not saying much.
Just staying there.
Because now they knew the truth.
And the guilt of not believing him right away settled heavily on all of them.
For a while, the practice room stayed quiet.
Not the comfortable kind of quiet they were used to during breaks. This one felt heavy. Thick with anger and guilt.
Mingyu sat on the floor with Hoshi’s arm still loosely around his shoulders. Seungkwan leaned against his other side, unusually silent. Woozi crouched nearby, staring at the floor like he was replaying every word Mingyu had said days ago.
Across the room, Wonwoo paced slowly.
Jeonghan stood with his arms folded, expression tight.
Dino kept clenching and unclenching his fists.
No one liked the feeling sitting in the room.
Seungcheol suddenly stood.
The motion was abrupt enough that several members looked up.
“Cheol?” Joshua said.
Seungcheol grabbed his phone.
“I’m calling management.”
The calmness in his voice made it clear this wasn’t a suggestion.
It was a decision.
Woozi nodded once.
“Good.”
Seungcheol walked toward the hallway to make the call, but several members instinctively followed. Not crowding him, but hovering nearby.
Mingyu didn’t move.
He wasn’t sure he had the energy.
From the hallway, they could hear Seungcheol’s voice.
Firm.
Controlled.
“This is Seungcheol.”
A pause.
“Yes. We need to talk about one of the stylists.”
Another pause.
“It’s serious.”
Inside the practice room, Mingyu stared down at his hands.
Seungkwan nudged his shoulder lightly.
“You okay?”
Mingyu nodded.
But the answer wasn’t convincing.
A few minutes later, Seungcheol walked back in.
His expression was sharper now.
“They want details,” he said.
Joshua spoke first.
“We heard her ourselves.”
Jeonghan nodded.
“We can repeat exactly what she said.”
Woozi added quietly, “And Mingyu already reported the behavior days ago.”
Seungcheol exhaled slowly.
“I told them everything.”
Mingyu looked up slightly.
“And?” Wonwoo asked.
Seungcheol’s jaw tightened.
“They’re sending someone from management to the building.”
The room stayed tense while they waited.
It didn’t take long.
About twenty minutes later, one of the company managers arrived.
The conversation moved to a smaller meeting room.
Mingyu didn’t want to go at first.
But Woozi gently insisted.
“You shouldn’t have to deal with it alone.”
So he went.
Seungcheol sat beside him at the table.
Joshua and Jeonghan repeated the conversation they had overheard in the hallway word for word.
The manager’s expression grew darker with every sentence.
Then they turned to Mingyu.
“Can you describe what happened during the shoot?”
Mingyu hesitated.
The room stayed quiet.
Seungcheol spoke softly beside him.
“You don’t have to rush. Just explain what you’re comfortable with.”
So Mingyu described it.
The lingering hands.
The touches that didn’t feel like adjustments.
The way it kept happening.
The way he had tried to ignore it.
The way he had finally told the leaders.
And the way the conversation had ended.
The manager looked between them.
“You reported this already?”
Seungcheol nodded slowly.
“He told us after the photoshoot.”
There was a long pause.
Then the manager stood.
“I understand.”
His tone was serious now.
“We will handle this immediately.”
No one spoke while he left the room.
The waiting felt long.
Eventually, Seungcheol’s phone buzzed.
He glanced at the message.
Then exhaled slowly.
“It’s done.”
Everyone looked up.
“Yuri has been removed from the team effective immediately,” he said.
Relief moved through the room like a quiet wave.
But it was mixed with something else.
Guilt.
Because Mingyu should have been believed from the beginning.
Seungcheol looked at him.
“You won’t have to work with her again.”
Mingyu nodded quietly.
“…okay.”
But Seungcheol could still see the exhaustion in his face.
And he hated it.
The next day, the dorm woke up unusually early.
Mingyu had woken up expecting a normal schedule.
Instead, he walked into the living room and froze.
The entire group was there.
And the table was covered in food.
Takeout containers.
Snacks.
Desserts.
Drinks.
“What… is this?” Mingyu asked slowly.
Seungkwan immediately stood.
“Welcome to Mingyu Appreciation Day.”
Mingyu blinked.
“…what?”
Dino grinned.
“You’ve been through enough. Today you’re not allowed to do anything.”
“Literally nothing,” Hoshi added.
“You sit. We handle everything.”
Mingyu stared at them.
“You guys are being weird.”
“We are always weird,” Jeonghan said calmly.
“That’s not new.”
Joshua pushed a plate toward him.
“Eat first.”
Mingyu hesitated before sitting down.
“Did you guys order all this?”
“Yes,” Seungkwan said proudly.
“With Mingyu tax.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you eat the most.”
Wonwoo handed him chopsticks.
“Eat.”
For a few minutes, Mingyu just sat there while everyone piled food onto his plate.
Hoshi kept adding things.
“Try this.”
“And this.”
“And this.”
“Hoshi hyung, I can serve myself.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because this is a pampering day.”
Mingyu sighed.
But a small smile finally appeared.
After breakfast, the chaos continued.
“Okay,” Dino announced. “Next activity.”
“What activity?” Mingyu asked.
“Relaxation.”
Seungkwan dragged him toward the couch.
“Sit.”
Before Mingyu could protest, someone shoved a blanket around his shoulders.
Hoshi sat beside him and started dramatically massaging his shoulders.
“Hyung, what are you doing?”
“Therapy.”
“That’s not how therapy works.”
Woozi appeared with a drink.
“Here.”
Mingyu took it.
“…thank you.”
Across the room, Jun and Minghao were arguing about which movie to watch.
Jeonghan had somehow already claimed the best seat on the couch.
Joshua dimmed the lights.
Within minutes, the living room looked like a movie night setup.
Mingyu looked around at all of them.
“…you guys didn’t have to do all this.”
Wonwoo glanced at him from the armchair.
“Yes we did.”
Seungkwan nodded.
“We messed up.”
Mingyu shifted slightly.
“It wasn’t that big—”
“It was,” Woozi interrupted gently.
Mingyu went quiet.
Hoshi squeezed his shoulder again.
“You told us something serious.”
Seungcheol spoke from the other side of the couch.
“And we didn’t listen properly.”
The room fell quiet again.
Mingyu looked down at his drink.
“…I wasn’t even sure myself,” he admitted.
“But you trusted us enough to say it,” Joshua said.
Seungcheol leaned forward slightly.
“And next time something feels wrong…”
He looked directly at Mingyu.
“We listen first.”
Mingyu held his gaze for a moment.
Then nodded.
“…okay.”
The tension in the room slowly faded again.
A few minutes later, Seungkwan suddenly pointed at the screen.
“Start the movie already!”
“Which one?” Jun asked.
“The funny one!”
“That narrows it down to zero,” Woozi said.
Soon the room filled with laughter again.
Mingyu leaned back against the couch.
Hoshi was still half-hugging him from the side.
Seungkwan had fallen sideways against his shoulder.
The movie hadn’t even started yet and everyone was already talking over each other.
For the first time in days, the tight feeling in Mingyu’s chest finally eased.
Because this time—
he wasn’t dealing with it alone.