The walk home was quiet that day. Nobody quite knew what to say or how to react. Once they reached their dorm, the seven members of Enhypen gathered on the floor of their living room for an emergency meeting.
"So now what?" Ni-ki asked, frustrated.
"I..." Jungwon started before trailing off, completely lost.
Jay put an arm around him, offering comfort. Heeseung stared at them sadly. He knew Jungwon was doing his best to be a good leader in these confusing times.
"Well, it's not like we have many options. None of us want to disband, right?" Sunoo glanced around.
The boys all shook their heads.
"Of course not," Jake whispered.
For the second time that day, the air felt unbearably hot. The dorm was so quiet they could hear the clock ticking softly from the kitchen.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Heeseung watched Sunghoon subconsciously pick at his nails.
Tick.
Jungwon absentmindedly played with Jay's hand, squeezing his thumb.
Tick.
Heeseung covered his ears, annoyed. "The stupid clock is driving me insane."
Six heads turned to face him.
He stood up, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his shirt. "I'm going for a walk. Get some fresh air, clear my head a bit."
Ni-ki's stomach growled comically loud, breaking the silence.
"I can make ramen for dinner," Jake offered, slowly standing up.
Sunoo and Jungwon giggled, poking at Ni-ki's abdomen.
"I'll help too." Jay cracked a smile, watching the maknae line tease each other. "Anybody want fried rice?"
The group made their way to the kitchen, leaving Heeseung and Sunghoon alone in the living room.
"Want me to come with you?" Sunghoon asked, gesturing towards the door.
He stood up, leaning into Heeseung's back.
"Just like in I-Land..." he murmured, lips brushing against Heeseung's ear.
A jolt of electricity ran through the older boy's body, and he swallowed nervously. A pair of pale hands slipped around his waist as he felt a chin rest on his shoulder.
Before he could answer, Jake ran back in. They immediately shoved each other away, blushing.
"Sunghoon, help, please," Jake begged, oblivious to his interruption. "Ni-ki's trying to make bungeoppang again."
Heeseung felt a pang of disappointment watching Sunghoon get dragged away.
***
"Hello?" Heeseung whispered, cracking open the door of BigHit's old dance studio.
He wasn't quite sure how his walk had brought him here, but he was quick to realize he wasn't alone. He followed the quiet sniffles that echoed through the abandoned building, stopping in front of the practice room he used as a trainee. Peering through the dusty window, Heeseung found a familiar silhouette sitting on the floor.
"Soobin hyung?" He called. "Are you okay?"
Soobin laughed, tears still wet on his face. "Not at all."
He gestured for Heeseung to sit next to him, smiling bittersweetly. "Isn't it ironic? We thought all those years spent in this godforsaken room were over."
He sat back, letting Heeseung take in their surroundings. The last rays of sunlight shone through the windows, casting an orange glow across the floor.
Heeseung took a seat next to Soobin. "I'm sorry."
"There's nothing for you to be sorry for."
The wind whistled softly outside.
"It's our fault you guys have to do this," Heeseung maintained.
"Actually, it's not."
He stared at the leader, confused. Soobin took a deep breath.
"I've known for a while now that the merge was... a possibility. Way before your company was ever in trouble."
"What do you mean?" Heeseung asked.
Soobin looked away.
"A few days before your debut, my manager pulled me aside. Said TXT's sales weren't doing great. That we weren't living up to the hype BTS created for us."
He closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face.
"I know you've seen the comments online. You know what people think of TXT. Of me. We're failures. Flops. Always have been and always will be nothing but BTS's younger brothers."
Heeseung's eyes widened. He had never seen his friend like this before.
"Hyung, that's ridiculous. You guys are five of the most talented people I've ever met. And you're an amazing, kind, selfless leader. Screw what those people say; they're stupid if they think any of that is true."
"Doesn't matter if it's true or not. If BigHit thinks we can't meet their expectations, they'll make us disband to avoid embarrassment. The board of directors can easily make up some lie about us not wanting to be idols anymore. Maybe, if we're lucky, they'll let us say goodbye to MOA before sending us home."
Soobin covered his face with his arms. "I just... feel sorry for my bandmates. I failed them as a leader and a friend."
Heeseung reached out and awkwardly patted Soobin's back, trying to think of a comforting response.
"We can't change what's already happened. If we could, I would've done so a million times already." He paused. "It could be the last time any of us get to be on stage, so let's just enjoy it, yeah?"
He stood up, pulling Soobin with him. "And I think we should get going before it gets too dark. Don't wanna worry our members."
Soobin fixed his messy hair as they left the room. "How did you turn out so perfect, Heeseung?"
"I had a great hyung to learn from." Heeseung stopped, grinning mischievously. "He's tall, smart, and handsome. The whole package, really."
Soobin played along, amused. "Oh yeah? Who?"
"Yeonjun hyung."
"I saw that coming," Soobin smiled, playfully nudging Heeseung with his shoulder.
They walked along the Han River in the direction of their dorms.
"Speaking of the devil..." Heeseung turned towards Soobin, smirking. "How are things going? I saw you guys holding hands at the meeting."
Soobin picked up a pebble and skipped it over the water.
"Bleh. The idiot still hasn't asked me out. It's been two years since he started flirting. Two years, Heeseung!"
Heeseung laughed. "Why don't you just ask him out?"
"Rule number one, dongsaeng." Soobin wiggled a finger in the air. "Never chase after a man."
Heeseung rolled his eyes. "That sounds like a pretty ineffective rule."
"Well, it worked for you," Soobin winked.
"What?" Heeseung stared at him, mouth agape.
"Please, I've seen the way Sunghoon stares. You've got the poor boy wrapped around your finger."
Heeseung's face reddened. "I don't- we're not-"
He studied the ground, avoiding the older boy's gaze.
"Do the others know?" Soobin giggled. "That 'seungie loves 'hoonie?"
Heeseung's cheeks flushed even more. "No..."
"So you admit that you love him?"
Soobin's teasing was relentless.
"No! I mean- well-" Heeseung looked scandalized. "Course I love him; he's my friend."
"Mhmm."
***
Heeseung's chest felt a lot lighter when he entered the dorm. He joined his members at the dinner table, smiling.
"What's up with you?" Jungwon questioned, raising an eyebrow at the oldest member's sudden mood change.
"I was starving," Heeseung answered before shoveling ramen into his mouth. He gave Jake a thumbs-up.
Just as dinner was coming to a close, a series of chimes rang through the room. Everyone reached for their phones, conversing happily. The chatter stopped when they realized it was a text from their manager.
"Meeting tomorrow- 3 PM. Voting on new leader," Sunoo read out loud.
Tick.
Tick.
The room was silent.