Work Text:
The boys were all spread across the living room but there was a deep silence that filled the dorm. It wasn’t a concerning silence, just a noise that filled the room when Seonghyeon was concentrating on something deeply.
James noticed it first. He looked up from his phone and frowned. He was stretched across the sofa with his legs lazily draped over Seonghyeon’s lap while Seonghyeon sat beside him, turned away from him, facing the dining table. The living room was unusually quiet and peaceful… too peaceful. James’ eyes went towards the suspicious figure sitting on the sofa in front of him. James narrowed his eyes, “Seonghyeon? What are you doing?”
Seonghyeon jumped, the needle nearly slipping from his fingers. “Nothing.”
James stared. “That’s a lie and you know it.”
The younger boy looks down at the fabric in his hands and debated whether he should hide it or not. “Wait a second.” He made a few final stitches, his tongue slightly poking out in concentration as he pulled the thread through the fabric. After a moment, he cut the excess thread and turned around proudly. “Look!”
James looked up from his phone and blinked. He recognised that jacket. It was a designer jacket Keonho had recently purchased with their paycheck. James’ eyes slowly moved from the jacket in Seonghyeon’s hands down to Keonho, who was sitting on the floor directly in front of the sofa with his back resting against it, completely unaware of the situation. James’ eyes moved back up to Seonghyeon, “So… why are we doing this?”
“Because it’s fun!” Seonghyeon held the jacket up proudly. “It’s Keonho’s jacket, I found it on the sofa.”
At the sound of his name, Keonho looked over. “What?” His eyes moved from Seonghyeon’s face to the jacket in his hands. “Wait, that’s my jacket?”
Seonghyeon nodded happily.
Keonho sat up a little straighter. “Did you stitch it up nicely?”
“Yep. I made it look really good.” Seonghyeon boosted, as he showed off his work, “I did a good job, right?”
James stayed completely silent, he was going to let Keonho handle this. Keonho reached out and took the jacket to inspect it better. The stitches were uneven and amateurish. Some parts were pulled too tightly, making the fabric bunch up. One side looked slightly different from the other and there was a tiny knot of thread that Seonghyeon had clearly tied off on the wrong side of the fabric.
Keonho paused before smiling, ”Yeah it’s pretty. You did such a good job.”
James looked at him, he knew Keonho was lying. Everyone knew Keonho was lying.
Seonghyeon smiled proudly, completely unaware. “Really?”
”Really.”
James leaned forward sightly, taking a closer look at the masterpiece on the ₩1,500,000 jacket. The more he looked at it, the more abstract it became. But Seonghyeon looked so happy that he didn’t have the heart to say anything. “Show Juhoon.”
Seonghyeon’s face immediately lit up. “Okay.”
He quickly walked over to Juhoon, who was sitting on the dining table chair, and gave a small tap on his shoulder.
Juhoon glanced up from where he was sitting, expression unreadable in that calm, permanently half-tired way of his. “What’s up?”
Seonghyeon held the jacket up immediately, “I stitched it myself!”
Juhoon blinked, thinking of what to say, glancing behind Seonghyeon for support. Everyone waited for his reaction, because even Juhoon could see it. The stitch was uneven, with thread pulled too tight and an accidental knot. But Seonghyeon was staring at him like he had just created something incredible. So Juhoon changed his expression, giving a slow nod with an impressed face.
Seonghyeon immediately smiled. “You like it?”
Juhoon nodded. “Yeah.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Seonghyeon looked even happier.
Juhoon’s expression softened. “Good job.”
James watched the whole thing happen before pointing at the jacket “…Is it meant to be a smiley face?”
The room went silent. Seonghyeon looked down “What?”
James repeated himself. “The stitch. It looks like a smiley face.”
Seonghyeon frowned, “It does not.”
Martin, who had been wandering around the living room the entire time, leaned over. “No, wait.” Everyone looked at him. “It kind of looks like a tiny person wearing a bow on their head.”
There was a pause. Seonghyeon looked down at his work. “It does not!”
Keonho looked at the jacket again. Unfortunately, after Martin said it, nobody could unsee it. The little uneven thread work really did look like a tiny, confused creature trapped on the jacket. James covered his mouth to stop himself laughing.
Seonghyeon frowned. “Okay,” he said slowly, his voice sharpening just a little. “If my work is so bad, then who wants to give me their clothes so I can practise properly?”
The silence hit the room one again. Martin, who had been standing nearby watching the whole thing, slowly walked away. James suddenly found the ceiling extremely interesting. Seonghyeon looked around at everyone before turning and walking back over to the sofa where James and Keonho were sitting, still holding the jacket in his hands. Even Juhoon, seemed to avoid eye contact.
Keonho, on the other hand, didn’t even hesitate. “My whole closet is yours if you want it,” he said casually.
Everyone turned to look at him at once.
Keonho blinked. “What?”
James mouthed, “Are you serious?” at Keonho, while Martin just stared at him like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Seonghyeon’s expression softened immediately. “Really?” he asked.
Keonho smiled, completely committed now. “Yeah. Take it. Practise on all of it. It’s fine.”
Seonghyeon’s face brightened up, his earlier frustration dissolving. “Okay,” he said, already mentally planning his next work, “I will.”
Keonho took the jacket back from him, pulling it over his shoulders like he was accepting his fate.
James watched him in disbelief. “You’re going to wear it?”
Keonho looked down at the stitching, then shrugged. “Why not? It’s cute”
Seonghyeon immediately smiled.
Keonho leaned back against the sofa, looking down at the stitch with a small smile.