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“Hyung.”
Juhoon hummed absentmindedly from the couch, still scrolling through his phone while half-listening to whatever Martin and James were arguing about in the kitchen.
Keonho appeared beside him out of nowhere and dramatically collapsed onto him until his head landed on Juhoon’s lap.
Juhoon didn’t even flinch anymore.
“Can I help you?”
“Let’s go on a date.”
That made Juhoon finally look down at him.
“What?”
“A horror movie date,” Keonho corrected immediately. “Then chicken tenders after.”
“You hate horror movies.”
“I love spending time with you.”
The answer came out so naturally that Juhoon froze for half a second.
Seonghyeon who sat from across the room chimed in when he heard chicken. “Can I come?”
“No,” Keonho answered without hesitation, leaving a dumbfounded Seonghyeon.
Juhoon tried to hide his smile by nudging Keonho’s forehead away lightly. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Is that a yes?”
“You cried during a zombie trailer once.”
“That was one time.”
“You grabbed my arm and said you wanted to go home.”
Keonho sat up instantly, offended. “Okay but this time will be different because I’ll have emotional support.”
“You mean me.”
“Yes.”
Juhoon laughed quietly, eyes crinkling at the corners.
Cute.
Keonho genuinely thought Juhoon was the cutest person alive when he laughed like that.
“Fine,” Juhoon finally sighed. “Let’s go.”
Keonho actually cheered loud enough for a concerned Martin to yell, “Get home early!”
The entire walk to the cinema felt suspiciously domestic.
Keonho naturally took Juhoon’s bag halfway there despite Juhoon insisting there was barely anything inside it.
“It’s heavy.”
“There’s literally just my wallet.”
“You could still get tired.”
Juhoon only shook his head fondly while letting Keonho carry it anyway.
That was the thing about them.
Somewhere along the way, these little habits became normal.
Keonho fixing Juhoon’s hood when it slipped down.
Juhoon automatically waiting for Keonho before crossing streets that started during their trainee days.
Keonho resting his head on Juhoon’s shoulder during breaks.
Juhoon absentmindedly playing with Keonho’s sleeves whenever they sat beside each other.
On camera, they tried limiting themselves. They laughed more with the other members. Played into the ships coers already made. Kept things safe enough to pass off as fanservice.
But behind cameras?
Behind closed doors?
Everything was different.
Because Keonho had always been clingy with Juhoon.
Maybe too clingy.
And honestly, it all started because of guilt.
Because before Juhoon became his favorite person, before he became the first person Keonho searched for in every room, he was simply a task from the company.
Get close to Juhoon.
Convince him to join.
Make him comfortable enough to choose Bighit.
Keonho still remembered approaching him for the first time fully intending to do exactly that.
Then Juhoon smiled at him.
And everything went downhill from there.
By the time they reached the cinema, a few coers near the entrance recognized them immediately.
Their eyes widened.
“Oh my god—”
“Keonho? Juhoon?”
The fans looked apologetic right after, bowing quickly. “Sorry! We don’t wanna bother you!”
“It’s okay,” Juhoon reassured softly.
One of them hesitated before asking, “Can we maybe take pictures really quickly?”
Keonho glanced at Juhoon.
Juhoon nodded first.
The pictures were quick and warm, filled with soft laughter and shy thank-yous from the fans afterward.
One coer giggled nervously before blurting out, “Are you guys on a date?”
Juhoon nearly choked on air.
Meanwhile, Keonho looked entirely too pleased but decided not to press his favorite hyung.
“We’re watching a horror movie,” he answered proudly.
“That didn’t answer the question,” Juhoon muttered under his breath while pulling his cap lower over his face.
The fans laughed loudly at that.
But honestly?
Neither of them cared much about being recognized.
For once there were no managers hovering nearby. No schedules waiting for them afterward as their GREENGREEN Album promotion ended already. No cameras shoved in their faces asking them to smile prettier or speak louder.
It was theirs.
Their own time.
Inside the theater, Keonho confidently bought tickets for the scariest movie available.
Thirty minutes later, he deeply regretted his decision.
Another horrifying scream echoed through the speakers.
Keonho instantly grabbed Juhoon’s sleeve.
“Juhoon-hyung.”
Juhoon was already laughing. “You’re literally shaking.”
“This movie is insane.”
“You chose it.”
“I chose you.”
Juhoon turned toward him so quickly that Keonho almost laughed.
“What?”
“Hm?”
“You can’t just say things like that randomly.”
“But it’s true.”
Keonho grinned lazily before resting his head on Juhoon’s shoulder anyway.
Juhoon sighed like he was annoyed.
Still, he leaned closer.
By the end of the movie, Keonho spent more time holding Juhoon’s hand than actually watching the screen.
Afterward, they wandered around for a bit before ending up at a small chicken place glowing warmly against the cool night streets.
The restaurant was nearly empty at that hour, soft music playing quietly overhead while city lights flickered outside the windows.
Keonho carried their tray over to a small table near the television while Juhoon followed with drinks in hand.
They sat across from each other.
Still, somehow, Keonho managed to invade Juhoon’s space anyway.
The moment Juhoon sat down, Keonho stretched his legs beneath the table until his shoes bumped against Juhoon’s.
Juhoon looked up immediately.
“…Seriously?”
“What?” Keonho asked innocently while stealing one of Juhoon’s fries.
“You’re literally sitting across from me and still being clingy.”
“I’m adapting to long-distance relationships.”
Juhoon nearly choked laughing.
“Across one table is not long distance.”
“It is for me.” Keonho nudged Juhoon’s foot again beneath the table.
The warm lighting made Juhoon look softer somehow. Hair messy from wearing a beanie too long. Eyes crinkling every time he smiled. Cheeks slightly flushed from laughing.
Keonho stared a little too long.
Juhoon noticed immediately.
“What?”
“You’re cute.”
Juhoon blinked.
Then immediately looked down at his chicken tenders like they suddenly became fascinating.
Cute.
So unbelievably cute.
For a while, they simply ate and talked quietly.
Then Juhoon suddenly laughed to himself.
“What?” Keonho asked.
“I remembered something.”
“What?”
“That coer who asked how we became close.”
Keonho groaned immediately. “Ah. The ice cream answer.”
Juhoon smiled fondly. “‘We got ice cream then had a deep talk.’”
“Well, technically that’s what happened.”
“But you left out everything else.”
Keonho leaned back slightly, watching him carefully.
Everything else.
The late-night conversations afterward.
The way Keonho slowly became attached to him before either of them realized it.
The way Juhoon unconsciously started searching for Keonho first in crowded rooms.
The tiny habits they built together over time.
Keonho carrying Juhoon’s bags into HYBE.
Resting his head on Juhoon’s shoulder whenever they got breaks.
Playing with Juhoon’s hands whenever nobody else was around.
All those tiny things that slowly became love without either of them noticing when it started.
Or maybe Keonho noticed immediately.
Maybe that was the scary part.
“You know,” Juhoon said softly, “everyone thinks you take care of me because you convinced me to join.”
Keonho looked down quietly at his drink.
Because maybe there was truth to that.
He did feel indebted to Juhoon.
Especially because his feelings became real long before they were supposed to.
Too real.
Enough that even now, Juhoon smiling at him still made his chest ache embarrassingly hard.
“I think,” Keonho admitted quietly, “I was doomed the moment you laughed at my jokes.”
Juhoon scoffed sarcastically. “Those jokes weren’t even funny.”
“You still laughed.”
“That’s because I liked you.”
The words slipped out casually.
Naturally.
Then Juhoon froze.
Keonho froze harder.
Silence.
“…What?”
Juhoon’s ears immediately turned pink. “Forget I said that.”
“No.”
“I’m serious.”
“Hyung,” Keonho stared at him in disbelief, “you liked me first?”
Juhoon hid his face behind his drink while laughing in embarrassment.
Keonho looked entirely too delighted by this information.
“Wait,” Juhoon suddenly pointed accusingly. “You’re one to talk.”
“What did I do?”
Juhoon looked at him mockingly. “‘Yeah, I was a little attracted to him.’”
Keonho immediately groaned.
That live.
Martin casually saying, “I was surprised Juhoon-hyung was the same as us, bubbly and stuff.”
And Keonho, without thinking even a little, blurting out:
“Yeah, I was a little attracted to him.”
The silence afterward was horrifying.
Martin’s confused expression. James took a moment to internalize the new found information. And Seonghyeon staring at him like he’d lost his mind.
Meanwhile Juhoon simply nodded beside him like it made complete sense.
“You should’ve seen your own face after saying it,” Juhoon laughed softly now.
“I was being honest.”
“I know.”
Keonho paused.
Because Juhoon was looking at him softly again.
Warmly.
Fondly.
Like he always did whenever Keonho accidentally became too honest around him.
“You nodded,” Keonho remembered quietly.
“Because I agreed.”
Silence again.
Then—
“…You what?”
Juhoon burst into laughter while Keonho looked personally betrayed.
“You’re evil.”
“You’re slow.”
“You were attracted to me too?”
Juhoon shrugged shyly before slowly reaching his hand across the table.
Keonho looked down immediately.
Juhoon’s fingers tapped lightly against his.
A silent invitation.
Keonho’s expression softened instantly as he intertwined their fingers together over the table.
“A little,” Juhoon answered quietly.
Keonho narrowed his eyes immediately. “That’s a lie.”
Juhoon laughed harder because they both knew it wasn’t little anymore.
Not when Keonho looked at Juhoon like he hung the stars.
Not when Juhoon smiled softer whenever Keonho entered a room.
Not when every single person around them already noticed how attached they were.
Even Seonghyeon once complained during filming, “Why does the vibe suddenly turn pink whenever you two interact?”
Because it is.
Like during that Studio Choom behind-the-scenes filming. Keonho teasingly held Seonghyeon’s hand only to dramatically wipe his own afterward. Juhoon did the same thing with James. But when it became Keonho and Juhoon’s turn—
Everything softened.
Keonho held Juhoon’s hands carefully against his own, thumb slowly massaging over his knuckles while smiling gently.
“Your smile looks lovely today, hyung.”
Juhoon lagged so badly afterward that everyone burst into laughter.
And Seonghyeon immediately yelled, “WHY IS THE VIBE SO PINK?”
Meanwhile Keonho only grinned while holding Juhoon’s hands tighter.
“It just is.”
Outside the restaurant window, another small group of coers recognized them and waved excitedly.
Keonho waved back lazily.
Juhoon smiled sweetly at them.
But the moment the fans walked away, Keonho’s attention returned right back to Juhoon.
Always Juhoon.
And Juhoon looked at him the same way too.
Like despite everything—the schedules, the cameras, the noise—they somehow still found something soft and real inside all of it.
Something only theirs.
Juhoon squeezed Keonho’s hand gently across the table.
Keonho immediately intertwined their fingers tighter.
Then without thinking, he lifted Juhoon’s hand slightly and pressed a tiny kiss against his knuckles.
Juhoon froze completely.
“…Keonho.”
“Hm?”
“You can’t just do that.”
“But you smiled.”
“That’s not the point.”
“You’re cute when you’re flustered, hyung.”
Juhoon’s ears turned pink instantly.
And Keonho—
Keonho thought he could happily spend forever making him blush like this.