Archive of Our Own

❆⋆⁺₊❅

If Jungwon was known for anything, it was for having a loose tongue.

His thoughts had a way of slipping out the moment they crossed his mind. Whether an ENGENE asked him for advice during a Weverse live or left a question under one of his posts, he would answer almost immediately, rarely stopping to think twice about it.

The same thing happened during interviews. Jungwon answered honestly most of the time, fully aware that some of the things he said might end up causing a bit of chaos in the fandom. So when someone asked him during one of their group activities in Japan what place he would like to visit someday, his answer came out without hesitation.

“Sapporo,” he said.

Then, after a tiny pause—almost as an afterthought—

“In winter, to be exact.”

The next question was inevitable: Which member would you like to go there with? Jungwon barely needed a second to think.

“Jay-hyung.”

The answer came easily, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Which, to be fair, it probably was. At this point, the internet had already produced hundreds of memes and video compilations about Jungwon’s supposed “obsession” with his bandmate.

If people asked him, the answer was always the same.

(At least, according to the internet.)

Jay-hyung this. Jay-hyung that.

Still, if anyone pressed him for an explanation, he could always give the reasonable one: Jay took good care of him.

He always made sure that Jungwon had eaten, reminded him to rest, quietly handed him things before Jungwon even realized he needed them. Traveling with Jay meant things would probably go smoothly.

Not to mention they had already talked about going to Sapporo together once before—during one of those nights when neither of them could sleep and they ended up sitting on the living room couch, unnecessarily close to each other, close enough for Jungwon to feel Jay’s warmth.

It wasn’t anything strange.

They were bandmates. Best friends. Self-proclaimed lifelines, even.

…Right?

❆⋆⁺₊❅

Jungwon had never really expected his little vacation wish to come true.

Being an idol meant schedules, rehearsals, recordings, flights, interviews—and very little time in between for things like actual vacations. Even getting a single week off in a year was considered generous. Which was why, when the company suddenly announced that their schedules would lighten up for a few days, Jungwon assumed it would simply mean more sleep.

What he didn’t expect was for the stars to align quite so perfectly.

Against all odds, he would be going to Sapporo. In winter. With Jay.

Naturally, Jungwon had been excited about it. And naturally, Sunoo had ruined everything.

“Wait,” Sunoo said slowly one afternoon, staring at him from across the couch like he had just discovered something deeply suspicious. “You’re going to Sapporo. In winter. With Jay-hyung.”

Jungwon frowned. “Yeah?”

“Just the two of you?”

“Well… yeah.”

Sunoo blinked at him for a moment, then leaned back against the couch with the kind of expression people usually had right before saying something extremely unnecessary.

“Oh,” he said. “So it’s a date.”

Jungwon nearly choked. “It’s not a date.”

Sunoo stared at him, one hand flying up to cover his mouth. “You have to be joking.”

“What?”

“Don’t you know?”

“Know what?”

Sunoo looked genuinely scandalized. “Everyone knows.”

Okay, now Jungwon was starting to get frustrated. “What are you talking about?”

“There’s this thing about Sapporo,” Sunoo said, scooting a little closer as if he were about to share classified information. “If two people get stuck there together during a snowstorm, they’re destined to stay together forever.”

Jungwon blinked once, then twice.

“…That’s not a real thing.”

“It is in like half the dramas I’ve watched.”

“That doesn’t count.”

Sunoo shrugged. “Still. Kinda suspicious that Jay-hyung agreed so fast.”

Jungwon frowned slightly at that. Maybe Jay had agreed very quickly, but Jay always did whenever Jungwon was involved.

“You know,” Sunoo added casually, “he even convinced Sunghoon-hyung not to go.”

Jungwon froze. “…What?”

“Sunghoon-hyung wanted to come too,” Sunoo said. “But Jay-hyung told him he’d go another time.”

Jungwon frowned again.

Oh. Yeah. Now that he thought about it…

Sunghoon had mentioned wanting to go as well during that interview. Very enthusiastically, too. And then, somehow, he had suddenly decided he didn’t want to go anymore.

A small pause settled between them before Sunoo’s smile slowly turned mischievous.

“So,” he said lightly, “are you sure this isn’t a date?”

❆⋆⁺₊❅

It definitely wasn’t a date. Jungwon was very sure about that.

First of all, dates usually involved two people intentionally going somewhere romantic together. This, on the other hand, was simply a very normal trip between two bandmates who happened to be flying to Sapporo in the middle of winter.

There was nothing strange about that.

And sure, maybe Jay had insisted on carrying Jungwon’s bag through the airport even though Jungwon had told him at least three times that he could carry it himself. Maybe they had ended up sitting next to each other in the car on the way to the hotel, shoulders brushing every now and then whenever the driver took a turn. Maybe Jungwon had fallen asleep at some point and woken up leaning against Jay’s shoulder. And maybe Jay had reached over to fix Jungwon’s scarf before they stepped out into the cold.

But that didn’t mean anything. Jay was just like that—a sweetheart who took care of people. Everyone knew that.

Half the fandom wanted to marry him, for God’s sake. Honestly, even Jungwon had once said he’d choose Jay if someone asked him which member he’d marry. Which had actually happened during a fancall. He had said Jay. Objectively speaking, it had simply been the safest option.

Besides, they had been living and working together for years. Of course they were comfortable around each other. Again, there was nothing strange about it. Besides, they hadn’t even done anything particularly couple-like after arriving in Sapporo.

Jay had only insisted on walking on the side closest to the street because the sidewalks were slippery. And yes, maybe he had grabbed Jungwon’s wrist for a moment when they crossed an icy patch.

But that still didn’t make it a date.

Definitely not.

…Right?

❆⋆⁺₊❅

By the time they returned to the hotel that evening, Jungwon had almost managed to stop thinking about what Sunoo had said.

Almost.

They hadn’t even seen the room earlier. Their flight had landed too early for check-in, so they had left their luggage at the front desk and gone out to explore the city instead. Which meant this was the first time they were actually stepping inside their room.

Jay swiped the keycard and pushed the door open, stepping aside to let Jungwon walk in first. He took two steps inside, then stopped.

“Oh.”

Jay leaned in beside him immediately. “What?”

Jungwon pointed. There was only one bed. A very large bed, admittedly, but still. One.

Jay blinked once, glancing around the room as if another bed might appear if he looked hard enough. “…Huh.”

They had definitely booked a double room. Jungwon was sure of it. Which meant the hotel had either made a mistake or decided that two grown men traveling together would obviously be fine sharing a bed.

Which, statistically speaking, probably happened to people all the time.

Jungwon stared at the bed for another second.

Well…

It wasn’t like it would be the first time they slept in the same bed. That happened all the time during schedules. Dorm trips. Random hotel arrangements when management underestimated how many rooms they needed. Completely normal. Very normal.

Still.

Between the Sapporo myth Sunoo had told him about earlier, the suspiciously couple-like day they had just spent together, and now this—

Fuck. They were never beating the date trip allegations.

Jungwon blinked.

…Wait. Couple-like day?

“I can take the couch if you want,” Jay said after a moment. “I don’t mind.”

Jungwon’s head snapped up immediately.

“No,” he said, far too quickly.

Jay looked back at him, one eyebrow raised.

Jungwon cleared his throat. “I mean—it’s fine. We’ve shared beds before.”

Which was true. Not that Jungwon had ever particularly minded sharing a bed with Jay… or with any of his bandmates, obviously.

This wasn’t about Jay. Of course it wasn’t.

“So… which side do you want?” Jay asked.

Jungwon’s brain briefly stopped working. Suddenly he had no strong opinions about beds.

“Either side,” he said.

Which was a lie.

Jungwon cared very much. He always preferred sleeping on the side closest to the door; it had been a habit for years by now. But at this exact moment, for reasons he refused to examine too closely, even the idea of negotiating bed sides with Jay suddenly felt like a deeply dangerous conversation.

Jay didn’t seem to notice. “I’ll take the window side then,” he said casually. “You always pick the door side anyway.”

Jungwon blinked. What the hell? How did Jay remember that?

Then again…it was Jay. He always remembered. The realization hit Jungwon a second too late, right when he felt warmth creeping up his cheeks.

Jay squinted at him slightly. “…Are you blushing right now, Wonie?”

“It’s the cold,” Jungwon said immediately.

Which would have been a much stronger defense if they hadn’t been standing inside a heated hotel room.

Before Jay could say anything else, Jungwon grabbed his bag. “I’m taking a shower,” he announced, already heading toward the bathroom. “I’m freezing.”

And with that, he disappeared behind the door before Jay could question him any further. Inside the bathroom, Jungwon leaned back against the door and closed his eyes for a second.

Great.

This trip was going extremely well.

❆⋆⁺₊❅

Thirty minutes and one minor mental breakdown later, Jungwon stepped out of the bathroom. He had decided to act normal.

His hair was still slightly damp, a towel draped loosely around his shoulders as he stepped back into the room. Jay was standing by the window.

“You’re back,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “Hey—come look at this.”

Jungwon walked over, stopping beside him. Outside, thick snowflakes were falling steadily under the glow of the streetlights. The storm looked heavier than it had earlier, the wind pushing the snow sideways across the quiet streets of Sapporo.

“It started a while ago,” Jay said. “Looks like it’s getting worse.”

Jungwon stared out at the snow for a moment. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sunoo’s voice resurfaced in the most unhelpful way possible.

“If two people get stuck there together during a snowstorm…”

Jungwon immediately decided not to think about that. At all.

“Also,” Jay added casually, nodding toward the small nightstand by his side of the bed, “I ordered hot chocolate earlier. Figured you’d still be cold.”

Jungwon followed his gaze. One cup sat there, steam curling softly from the surface.

Jay shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “You said you were freezing.”

Jungwon picked up the cup, wrapping his hands around the warmth. But before he could even taste the sweetness of the chocolate, the lights flickered once, then again. Both of them paused instinctively, the quiet hum of the heater cutting out a split second before the room went completely dark.

For a moment there was complete silence before faint emergency lighting from the hallway spilled under the door.

Jay sighed. “Well. That’s great.”

“The storm?” Jungwon asked.

“Probably.”

The room began to cool down faster than either of them would have liked.

Later that night, when they finally got into bed, the temperature had dropped enough that the blankets barely helped. Jungwon pulled the duvet up higher. Still cold. He shifted slightly onto his side. Yup, definitely still cold.

Beside him, Jay moved.

“Jungwon.”

“Hm?”

“I can hear your teeth.”

“What?”

“You’re literally shivering.”

“I’m not.”

“Your teeth are chattering.”

“It’s the cold,” Jungwon muttered.

Jay exhaled softly. “You know we could just—”

“I’m fine,” Jungwon said quickly.

Another pause settled between them. Then Jay shifted closer under the blanket and slid an arm around Jungwon’s waist, pulling him gently back against his chest.

Just like that, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Jungwon went completely still. He could feel Jay’s breathing against the back of his neck. Jay was warm. Alarmingly warm. Which was, unfortunately, very helpful.

“Better?” Jay asked quietly.

Jungwon stared straight ahead into the darkness. “…Yeah.”

Jay seemed satisfied with that answer, settling more comfortably under the blanket. Meanwhile, Jungwon could feel every single functioning neuron in his brain short-circuiting.

Okay.

Maybe acting normal wasn’t going to be possible.

At some point, despite that realization, he must have fallen asleep.

❆⋆⁺₊❅

The next morning, Jungwon became aware of two things almost at the same time. 

First, he was warm. Very warm. Second, Jay’s hand was resting against his abdomen, under his shirt. Not just resting, actually. Moving. Very slowly, very absentmindedly, like Jay was still half asleep and had simply decided that Jungwon was, apparently, a very comfortable thing to hold.

Jungwon froze. And then, suddenly, he felt even warmer.

Ah.

The power must have come back. That would explain it.

Jungwon glanced toward the TV across the room. The small red standby light was on. Right, electricity. That made sense. Feeling slightly reassured, Jungwon shifted his gaze toward the thermostat on the wall.

Still off.

Jungwon blinked at the realization.

Fuck.

Okay. He needed air. Immediately. Not because of anything weird, obviously. Just…the room was warm. Warmer than it had any right to be.

Very carefully, Jungwon tried to shift forward, attempting to slide out of Jay’s hold without waking him.

It did not work.

Jay’s arm tightened instinctively around his waist, pulling him back against his chest as if Jungwon had just attempted something deeply unreasonable. Then the older let out a quiet, sleepy hum and rested his chin against Jungwon’s shoulder. 

Jungwon froze, completely. This was becoming a problem.

With considerable effort, Jungwon slowly stretched one arm toward the nightstand, blindly searching until his fingers finally closed around his phone. Carefully—very carefully—he brought it closer to his face and unlocked the screen.

Jungwon opened his chat with Sunoo. Then he typed:

Suppose you have a friend…

And that friend went on vacation with another friend

And hypothetically speaking they had to share a bed because the hotel only had one

And then the power went out

And it was really cold

So hypothetically they ended up spooning because one of them was freezing

Jungwon paused. Then added:

That’s completely normal, right?

#nohomo ???

He stared at the message for a moment. Then hit send. A second later, he added three cat stickers in rapid succession. The reply came just a few seconds later.

SUNOO: YOU SLEPT WITH JAY-HYUNG???

Jungwon’s eyes widened.

JUNGWON: OF COURSE NOT

JUNGWON: THIS IS A HYPOTHETICAL SITUATION

The typing bubble appeared again almost immediately.

SUNOO: JUNGWON I CAN HEAR THE DELUSION THROUGH THE SCREEN

Jungwon frowned at his phone. Then he typed back, a little more aggressively this time.

JUNGWON: WE ARE NOT SLEEPING TOGETHER

JUNGWON: WE JUST HAPPEN TO BE IN THE SAME BED

The typing bubble appeared again.

SUNOO: JUNGWON

SUNOO: YOU ARE LITERALLY TEXTING ME FROM THE BED RIGHT NOW AREN’T YOU

Jungwon stared at the message. Then slowly, very slowly, his eyes drifted downward. Jay’s arm. Jay’s hand. Their legs tangled together under the blanket. Jungwon looked back at his phone. Another message appeared.

SUNOO: JUNGWONIE ARE YOU BEING SPOONED RIGHT NOW???

JUNGWON: okay im blocking u

He put the phone down on the nightstand. Jay’s arm was still wrapped securely around his waist. Jungwon stared at the wall for a moment.

Yeah.

Definitely #nohomo at all.

❆⋆⁺₊❅

Luckily for Jungwon, Jay had not mentioned their…spooning situation from that morning. Not over breakfast, not while they were walking through the snow-covered streets of Sapporo, and not even when Jungwon had very carefully avoided making eye contact for most of the day.

Which was honestly suspicious.

Because if the roles had been reversed—if Jungwon had been the one clinging to him like that—he was almost certain Jay would have teased him about it at least once. Probably twice. Possibly every ten minutes for the rest of the trip.

But Jay hadn’t said a single word. And Jungwon, naturally, was not going to be the one to bring it up. That would be ridiculous. Completely unnecessary. Entirely avoidable.

So Jungwon simply decided that the entire incident had never happened.

Which was working very well for him, actually.

Right up until Jay casually threw an arm around his shoulders later that afternoon. The younger went stiff for half a second before he could stop himself. Jay, apparently, did not notice.

“Cold?” Jay asked casually, giving his shoulder a small squeeze as they continued walking down the snowy street.

“No,” he said quickly.

Which was technically true. The thick coat, scarf and gloves had taken care of that. Unfortunately, none of them were particularly effective against the sudden and very inconvenient awareness of Jay standing this close.

Jay hummed softly, apparently satisfied with the answer, and kept his arm where it was. Jungwon stared straight ahead.

Okay. This was fine. Completely normal. People walked like this all the time. Friends did this. Best friends did this. Self-proclaimed lifelines did this.

Yup.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and Jungwon already knew who it was before he even checked. He pulled his phone out and glanced at the screen.

SUNOO: so… did your “friend” get a good morning kiss?

Jungwon nearly tripped on the snow.

Jay’s arm tightened slightly around his shoulders. “Careful.”

“I’m fine,” Jungwon said quickly.

He quickly slipped one hand out of his glove and typed back with slightly numb fingers.

JUNGWON: okay im actually blocking u this time

JUNGWON: this is harassment!!!

The typing bubble appeared immediately.

SUNOO: ANSWER THE QUESTION

Jungwon shoved the phone back into his pocket and hurriedly pulled his glove back on. Absolutely not. He was not having this conversation in the middle of a street in Sapporo while Jay was literally walking next to him.

❆⋆⁺₊❅

Jungwon was still mentally composing a very aggressive message to Sunoo when something cold hit the side of his coat.

He blinked, then slowly turned his head. Jay was standing a few steps away, looking suspiciously innocent.

“…Did you just throw a snowball at me?”

Jay tilted his head slightly. “Maybe.”

Jungwon stared at him for a moment. Then bent down and scooped up a handful of snow. The next few minutes devolved into what could only be described as a completely undignified snowball fight in the middle of the park.

Jungwon ducked behind a tree at one point, barely avoiding a snowball that exploded against the trunk.

“Hey!” Jay laughed from somewhere behind him. “That one was going to hit!”

“That was the point!” Jungwon shouted back.

He leaned down to gather more snow… And immediately got tackled.

Jungwon yelped as the world suddenly tilted sideways, both of them landing in the snow with a soft thump. Jay was half hovering above him, laughing breathlessly, one hand planted in the snow to keep his balance.

Jungwon blinked up at him.

They were very close. Close enough that Jungwon could see the small cloud of breath leaving Jay’s lips in the cold air. Close enough that Jungwon suddenly became aware this might qualify as a moment.

Jay seemed to realize it at roughly the same time. He shifted slightly, probably trying to push himself up, but he immediately slipped. The snow beneath his hand gave way and Jay had to catch himself again, his palm landing in the snow right beside Jungwon’s head.

Which meant he ended up even closer than before.

Okay. Yes. This was definitely a moment.

“Uhm,” Jungwon said after a second. “We might want to get up.”

Jay glanced down.

“Oh.”

Right. The snow.

They scrambled to their feet, brushing snow off their coats with varying degrees of success. Jungwon flexed his fingers and grimaced. His gloves were soaked.

Jay noticed immediately. “Your hands must be freezing.”

“I’m fine,” Jungwon said automatically.

Which would have been more convincing if his fingers weren’t visibly stiff.

Jay sighed softly. “Take them off.”

“…What?”

“Your gloves.”

Jungwon reluctantly pulled them off, his fingers already pink from the cold. Jay took his hands without hesitation, bringing them closer to his face and breathing warm air over Jungwon’s fingers before rubbing them between his own hands. Warmth spread slowly through Jungwon’s frozen fingertips.

Okay.

This was way too cheesy-winter-movie-coded.

Jay finally let go once Jungwon’s hands had warmed up again. Jungwon flexed his fingers experimentally. The feeling had returned, the cold ache fading from his fingertips. Still…he couldn’t quite explain why he felt a small, unexpected flicker of disappointment when the moment ended.

Which was ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. He immediately cleared his throat.

“Anyway,” he said, perhaps a little too quickly. “We should probably head back.”

“Already?”

Jungwon gestured vaguely at both of them. Their coats were damp. Snow clung stubbornly to the hems of their pants. And somewhere during the fight, Jungwon was fairly sure snow had made its way down the back of his collar.

“We’re literally soaked,” he said.

Jay glanced down at himself, then laughed quietly. “Okay, fair.”

Jungwon shoved his hands into his pockets. Partly because it was still cold. And partly to avoid the very irrational urge to reach for Jay’s hands again just to feel that warmth.

Which was—

Nope.

Absolutely not something he was going to think about.

❆⋆⁺₊❅

They walked for a while in comfortable silence, the sound of their boots crunching softly against the snow. The streets were quieter now. Most people had retreated indoors to escape the cold, leaving the sidewalks lit only by warm pools of streetlight reflecting against the falling snow.

Jay glanced sideways at him after a moment.

“You’re smiling.”

“What?”

“You’ve been smiling for like…the past thirty seconds.”

“I have not.” No he hadn’t. Jay was imagining things.

Jay snorted softly. Jungwon immediately looked straight ahead.

“…By the way,” he added a second later, “you started it.”

Jay looked over. “Started what?”

“The snowball fight.”

“You threw the second one.”

“That’s not the point,” Jungwon said. “If I catch a cold, you’re taking care of me.”

Jay didn’t even hesitate to answer. “I always take care of you anyway.”

Right. Of course he did. Which was normal. Completely normal. Jay took care of everyone. 

Still, Jungwon shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and stared very intently at the snowy sidewalk ahead of them. For absolutely no reason at all, his ears suddenly felt a little warm.

Jay walked beside him for a few more steps. Then he said, casually, “You do that when you’re embarrassed.”

Jungwon blinked. “What?”

“The ear thing,” Jay said. “Your ears turn red.”

Jungwon immediately reached up to cover them with his hands.

“They do not.”

Jay laughed quietly. Jungwon looked straight ahead again.

Pff. Him? Embarrassed? Not at all.

A few minutes later, they stepped into the warm lobby of the hotel, shaking the snow from their coats. The receptionist greeted them with a polite smile and began speaking in Japanese, her tone calm but slightly apologetic. Jungwon caught maybe half of it—something about the weather, and the next few days.

Jay answered easily, switching to Japanese without hesitation, and the two of them exchanged a few more sentences while Jungwon stood there nodding along like he understood everything. Which he absolutely did not.

Once they stepped away from the front desk, Jay glanced over at him. “Did you catch any of that?”

Jungwon hesitated. “…Barely.”

Jay laughed softly. “The storm’s supposed to get worse. She said the next few days might be pretty rough.”

Jungwon blinked.

Right. A bigger storm.

That was…fine.

Jay glanced at him again, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. “Looks like we picked a good time to visit Sapporo.”

Jungwon narrowed his eyes slightly. There was absolutely no way Jay knew about the myth Sunoo had told him earlier.

Unless…

❆⋆⁺₊❅

By the time they got back to the room, Jungwon’s hair was still slightly damp from the snow that had melted on the walk back. Jay grabbed a towel from the rack and disappeared into the bathroom a moment later, the sound of the shower starting almost immediately.

Jungwon sat on the edge of the bed for exactly five seconds before grabbing his phone. He called Sunoo.

No answer.

Jungwon frowned and called again.

Still nothing.

On the third attempt, the line finally connected.

“Hello?”

“Did you tell Jay-hyung about the Sapporo thing?” Jungwon whispered immediately.

“Hi, Jungwonie,” Sunoo said calmly. “How are you? I’m great too, thanks for asking.”

“Did you?”

“Wow, okay,” Sunoo said. “First of all, I was doing my skincare—”

“Did. You.”

“No.”

Jungwon exhaled sharply.

“But he probably knows,” Sunoo added cheerfully. “I told you. Everyone does.”

Jungwon pressed the phone harder against his ear. “Hyung—”

Suddenly the water in the bathroom shut off.

Jungwon’s head snapped toward the door. “Okay I’m hanging up,” he whispered urgently.

“What—”

Jungwon ended the call immediately and tossed his phone onto the bed, then sat there very still. The bathroom door opened a few seconds later. Jay stepped out with a towel loosely tied around his waist, his hair still damp.

Jungwon froze.

Against his will, his eyes caught the warm tone of Jay’s skin, the faint lines of muscle across his abdomen, the way a drop of water slipped from his collarbone and disappeared into the knot of the towel.

Jay noticed him staring. “…Oh.”

He glanced down at himself, then rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry. I forgot to bring my clothes.”

Jungwon blinked once. Then twice.

Jay tilted his head slightly. “Did something happen?”

Jungwon stood up immediately. “What? No.”

Jay raised an eyebrow.

Jungwon walked past him toward the bathroom with perhaps slightly too much urgency. “I’m taking a shower.”

The door shut behind him a second later. Inside the bathroom, Jungwon leaned back against the door and closed his eyes.

What the hell was he thinking? You are not supposed to check your friend out.

…Then again, in his defense, you’re also not supposed to casually walk around in nothing but a towel in front of your friend.

Seriously. The audacity.

❆⋆⁺₊❅

Jungwon had no idea how long he had been in the shower trying to organize his thoughts—I mean, showering. Obviously. But it must have been a while, because by the time he stepped out of the bathroom, the lights in the room were already off and Jay was lying in bed.

The only illumination came from the faint glow of the streetlights filtering through the curtains.

Jungwon stood there for a moment, towel draped around his shoulders as he stared at the dark shape of Jay under the blankets. “Hyung?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re already asleep?”

“No.”

“Hm.”

Jungwon hesitated another second before climbing into bed very normally, like someone who had definitely not spent the last twenty minutes internally panicking about accidentally checking out his best friend. He pulled the blanket up and stared at the ceiling, determined to behave like a completely normal person.

Then the mattress shifted, and an arm slid around his waist. Jungwon froze.

“Hyung,” he said carefully into the darkness. “The power’s not out.”

There was a short pause. Then Jay’s voice came, calm and completely unbothered.

“Yeah. I know.”

Jungwon blinked into the darkness. “T-then why are you hugging me?”

Jay’s arm loosened slightly around his waist. “You don’t like it? We don’t have to if you don’t—”

Jungwon moved before he could finish. His hand shot back and grabbed Jay’s wrist, stopping him just as the older started pulling his arm away.

“…It’s fine,” Jungwon muttered quickly.

Jay stilled. Jungwon immediately realized what he had just done. Heat crept up his neck as he slowly let go of Jay’s wrist again, suddenly very focused on the wall in front of him.

“I mean,” he added, voice a little quieter now, “it’s comfortable.”

For a second Jay didn’t say anything. Then his arm settled back around Jungwon’s waist, warm and steady like it had been before.

“Oh,” he said softly. “Okay.”

A moment later his voice came again, low near Jungwon’s shoulder.

“Goodnight then, Wonie.”

Jungwon stared very intently at the wall.

“…Goodnight.”

This trip was becoming a problem.

❆⋆⁺₊❅

Earlier that afternoon they had stopped by a small food stall near the market. Jungwon had taken a bite of something steaming hot and immediately reached for the nearest drink without thinking, which unfortunately happened to be Jay’s. He had only realized it after taking a sip.

Jungwon froze mid-movement.

“…You already drank from this.”

Jay had just shrugged. “And?”

That should have been the end of it. Under normal circumstances, Jungwon wouldn’t have cared. They had shared drinks, food, snacks—everything—for years. It had never been weird before.

The problem was Sunoo.

Which meant Jungwon had spent the next five minutes thinking about indirect kisses like some kind of middle schooler. And, okay, maybe the whole waking up with Jay spooning him that morning situation wasn’t helping either.

Still, this was absolutely Sunoo’s fault.

Later that afternoon they ended up at a small overlook on the edge of the park. The view stretched across the snowy city, rooftops dusted white beneath the gray winter sky.

Jay pulled his phone out almost immediately. “Stand there.”

Jungwon frowned. “Why?”

“The snow looks nice behind you.”

Jungwon still looked suspicious but stayed where he was while Jay lifted his phone.

Click.

“Show me,” Jungwon said, stepping closer.

Jay tilted the screen toward him. Jungwon blinked. Snowflakes had caught in his hair, his scarf pulled up over his nose, eyes slightly narrowed from the cold. The photo looked…soft.

“Delete it,” Jungwon said quickly.

Jay laughed. “Why?”

“Because.”

Jay lifted his phone slightly out of Jungwon’s reach.

“No.”

Jungwon narrowed his eyes. “Oh, I’m absolutely deleting it.”

He stepped forward and reached for the phone.

Jay immediately pulled his arm back. “Hey.”

“Give it.”

“No.”

“Hyung.”

Jay lifted the phone a little higher. Jungwon tried to grab it again and missed by a few centimeters.

Jay snorted. “Too short.”

Jungwon immediately straightened. “I am not short.”

Jay raised the phone even higher. “You literally can’t reach it.”

“That’s because you’re cheating.”

Jay tilted his head innocently. “Skill issue.”

Jungwon stepped closer and tried again. Still too far.

Jay grinned. “See?”

Jungwon glared at him. “We only have three centimeters of difference.”

“Five.”

“Check your facts.”

Jay laughed quietly. “You’re the one who refuses to admit I’m 180.”

“You’re not 180.”

“Am.”

“Not.”

“Make me admit it.”

Jungwon blinked.

“…What did you say?”

Jay’s smile widened slightly. “Make. Me.”

Jungwon lunged for the phone.

Jay caught his wrist before he could reach it, and the movement pulled them both a step closer together. Jungwon suddenly became very aware of how close they were standing—close enough that he could see the faint cloud of Jay’s breath in the cold air between them.

Jungwon, who had been trying to reach the phone this entire time, realized he was still standing on his toes. Jay hadn’t let go of his wrist, and the sudden awareness of how close they were standing did absolutely nothing to help.

“…Hyung,” Jungwon said slowly.

Jay raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

Jay’s gaze dipped for a moment. Jungwon’s brain, extremely unhelpfully, decided this might be the moment. The air changed first. Then Jay shifted his weight slightly, glancing past Jungwon for half a second. Jungwon immediately took advantage of it. He twisted his wrist free, grabbed the phone straight out of Jay’s hand and bolted.

“HEY—”

Jungwon was already halfway across the overlook.

“DELETE!” he shouted triumphantly.

Jay stared after him for a second before breaking into laughter. “Give that back!”

Jungwon stopped a few steps away, already tapping at the screen.

“Too late!”

Jay jogged toward him. “Jungwon!”

Jungwon held the phone up defensively. “…I didn’t delete it.”

Jay narrowed his eyes and Jungwon handed the phone back.

“But you’re still not posting it.”

Jay just laughed. Jungwon looked away very quickly.

This trip was becoming a serious problem.

❆⋆⁺₊❅

By the time they left the overlook, the wind had picked up noticeably.

The walk back was quieter this time. Snow fell thicker now, carried sideways by the wind, and the streets that had been lively just a couple of hours ago were slowly emptying. Most people had retreated indoors, leaving only the sound of their footsteps crunching against the snow. Jungwon kept his hands buried deep in his pockets, gaze fixed somewhere ahead. Jay walked beside him, a little closer than before.

“You’re quiet,” Jay said after a while.

“I’m not.”

Jay hummed, clearly not convinced, but didn’t push. A stronger gust of wind cut through the street, making Jungwon hunch his shoulders slightly.

“Okay,” Jay said, glancing around. “We’re not doing dinner outside.”

“I’m fine.”

Jay gave him a look.

“…We’re getting room service.”

This time, Jungwon didn’t argue.

The lobby felt warmer the moment they stepped inside, the contrast immediate. Outside, the storm had started to settle in properly, the glass doors rattling faintly with the wind. Back in the room, Jungwon peeled off his coat, brushing the snow from his sleeves. Jay was already by the phone, scanning the menu.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“Anything’s fine.”

Jay glanced up. “That’s not helpful.”

Jungwon shrugged, dropping onto the edge of the bed. “You’ll pick something good anyway.”

Jay didn’t argue with that.

A few minutes later, they were sitting by the window, steam rising from the food between them while the storm carried on outside. The city looked different now—quieter, dimmer, almost blurred behind the snowfall.

Jungwon focused on his food. Which worked... Right up until Jay reached over and wiped something from the corner of his mouth.

Jungwon stilled.

“…You had sauce,” Jay said, like it was nothing.

“Oh.”

Jungwon looked back down at his plate, suddenly very interested in it. Across from him, Jay watched him for a second longer than necessary before looking away.

Neither of them said anything.

(...)

Later that night, the wind had gotten louder.

Jungwon stood by the window for a moment, watching the snow gather beneath the streetlights. The city felt distant now. Muted. Behind him, the bed shifted slightly.

“Looks bad,” Jay said.

“Yeah.”

Silence settled between them again.

“…Do you think flights will be affected?” Jungwon asked after a moment.

Jay paused. “Maybe.”

Jungwon nodded slowly. He stayed there for a few seconds more, watching the storm. Then he turned back toward the room.

Maybe blaming Sunoo wasn’t an option anymore.

❆⋆⁺₊❅

The next morning, the storm hadn’t stopped. If anything, it had gotten worse.

Jungwon noticed it the moment he opened his eyes—the dull gray light filtering through the curtains, the wind still pressing insistently against the windows. He stayed still for a moment, staring at the ceiling, until the warmth registered. He didn’t need to look to know Jay’s arm was still around his waist. Jungwon closed his eyes briefly.

Okay.

Maybe blaming Sunoo really wasn’t an option anymore.

Later that evening, by the time they made it to the airport, the situation was already spiraling. The departure board flickered with delays and cancellations spreading one after another. People stood in clusters, voices low and tense, suitcases lined up beside them like they had been waiting for hours.

Jungwon looked up just in time to see their flight number change: CANCELLED.

“…Oh.”

Jay followed his gaze. “Yeah.”

Jungwon exhaled slowly, shifting his weight. “So we’re not leaving today.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

Jungwon nodded, hands sinking deeper into his pockets. Outside the large windows, the storm showed no sign of easing.

And suddenly, all he could think about was Sunoo.

Jungwon went very still. Oh no.

They moved away from the crowd a few minutes later, stopping near one of the quieter windows overlooking the runway. Snow swept across the ground in uneven waves, the visibility low enough that everything beyond a certain point blurred into white.

Jay was checking his phone, probably already dealing with rescheduling. Jungwon stared at him for a second longer than necessary.

A thought was forming. A terrible one. A very Sunoo-coded one.

“Hyung.”

Jay looked up. “Hm?”

Jungwon hesitated, then forced the words out before he could stop himself.

“I guess… this is the part where we’re supposed to kiss.”

Jay blinked. “What?”

Jungwon pressed his lips together, already regretting everything. “Because of the storm. And the whole…thing.”

“The whole what?”

Jungwon frowned. “…The myth?”

Jay’s confusion didn’t shift. If anything, it deepened.

“What myth?”

Jungwon stared at him.

“…You’re kidding.”

“I’m not.”

Jungwon ran a hand through his hair, already feeling his face heat up. “There’s this thing about Sapporo. If two people get stuck here during a snowstorm—”

“They stay together forever?” Jay interrupted.

Jungwon paused. “…Yes.”

Jay nodded once, like that part made sense. “Okay.”

Jungwon narrowed his eyes slightly. “Okay?”

“That’s it?”

Jungwon stared at him, incredulous. “What do you mean ‘that’s it’?”

Jay hesitated for half a second, then looked back at him, something shifting in his expression.

“I thought you were going to mention the other part.”

Jungwon’s stomach dropped slightly. “…What other part?”

Jay held his gaze this time.

“The one where they kiss.”

Silence. Jungwon’s brain stalled.

“…Yeah,” he said quietly.

The noise disappeared first. Not all at once, but enough that the complaints at the counters, the announcements overhead, even the sound of rolling suitcases started to feel far away.

Jungwon swallowed.

“…So you don’t want to?”

Jay blinked. “Want to what?”

Jungwon let out a short breath, already past the point of saving himself.

“Kiss me.”

Jay froze for a second. “I—”

Jungwon didn’t give him time to recover.

“Because if you don’t, then why did you even come here with me?”

“Jungwon—”

“Why would you—”

“Because I like being with you.”

That stopped him. Jungwon blinked.

Jay looked just as startled as he sounded, like the words had come out before he could filter them. For a second, neither of them spoke. Jungwon’s heart kicked against his ribs.

“…Then you don’t want to kiss me?” he asked, quieter now.

Jay exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “I mean—yes. I do.”

A pause.

“But—”

Jungwon didn’t let him finish.

Instead, his hands came up almost instinctively, fingers curling lightly at the back of Jay’s neck as he leaned in, rising just slightly onto his toes—because, for the record, those were three centimeters of difference. Three. Not five, no matter how much Jay insisted.

Still, close enough to need it.

His eyes slipped shut the moment their lips met, the contact soft, careful, almost hesitant at first, like he hadn’t fully processed what he had just done. Then Jay’s hand found his waist, steadying him, pulling him just a little closer—and something in Jungwon gave in before he could stop it. The hesitation faded, replaced by something warmer, more certain, the kiss deepening naturally without urgency.

And then—

Jungwon’s brain caught up.

Airport. Public. Idols.

His eyes snapped open slightly, breath hitching as the realization hit all at once. They were in the middle of an airport. A very public one. He pulled back just enough to breathe, heart racing, gaze flickering around in mild panic. Except…no one was looking.

People were gathered at the counters, voices tense and impatient, others pacing with their phones pressed to their ears, suitcases dragging behind them. Somewhere nearby, someone was loudly complaining about a cancelled flight.

No one had noticed.

Jungwon blinked once, then looked back at Jay, still close, still holding him, and somehow that felt louder than everything else around them.

For a second, neither of them moved. Then Jungwon cleared his throat, very aware of how close they still were, and said, a little too quickly, “Just for the record…I blame Sunoo-hyung.”

Jay blinked, still a bit dazed. “Wait—what?”

Jungwon pulled back just slightly, though not enough to fully step away. “The whole Sapporo thing. The myth. The—” he gestured vaguely between them, face heating up, “—this.”

Jay stared at him for a second, like he was trying to catch up to several things at once.

“…You’re blaming Sunoo for this?” he asked.

Jungwon hesitated.

“…Yes.”

A pause.

Then, quieter, almost like he was correcting himself without fully committing to it—

“…Partially.”

Jay’s mouth twitched. Not quite a smile. Not yet. But enough.

Outside, beyond the glass, the storm kept moving over the runway in slow white sheets. Jungwon looked at it for a second, then back at Jay. The myth hadn’t sounded real when Sunoo told him about it. Now, with Jay still standing this close and his pulse still refusing to calm down, he wasn’t so sure anymore.