Heeseung laughed. "That's impossible. You sure Kun sunbaenim wasn't playing a joke on you?"
Jake shook his head. "Hyung, we're serious. He said you need to watch your back."
"And he heavily implied that this was bad," Kai added. "Really bad."
"Okay." Heeseung resumed looking at files on his newly-repaired tracker-free phone, ignoring the green chip showcased in Kai's palm.
Soobin eyed him warily. "I think you might be in denial."
"I'm not in denial."
"He's definitely in denial," Ni-ki reported.
Soobin sat down, putting an arm around Heeseung's shoulders. "Do you remember that time when we were trainees, and a kid broke his ankle the day before our monthly evaluations?"
Heeseung nodded. "It was all anybody talked about for like, three weeks."
"Yeah, well, not many of you know that the kid tried doing his evaluation anyway. He ended up causing permanent damage to the nerves in his foot and got kicked out of the company."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"So you don't end up like him," Soobin sighed wistfully. "Admit you have a problem, and take the right steps to fix it before it's too late."
He rubbed Heeseung's upper arms, warming him up. "You've just received some pretty scary news. Denial is a natural coping mechanism, but you can't let it blindsight you."
Heeseung stared at the floor. As ridiculous as it sounded, a tracker in his phone would explain a lot of things, like how the sasaeng kept finding them and why nobody could seem to catch her. Deep down, he knew Soobin was right. He just didn't want to face the possibility that he put his friends in danger.
"It's not your fault," Sunghoon whispered, reading his mind.
Daniel nodded in agreement. "The tracker could've been placed in any one of our-"
"Shit." Heeseung stood up, crossing the room to close the blinds. "We can't guarantee that all of your phones are safe."
Yeonjun smiled. "There's the paranoiac we know and lov-"
"Hand them over, your laptops too. We'll keep them in the hallway closet; I think Yoongi hyung has some walkie talkies that we can-"
Beomgyu laughed loudly. "Nice try, but you're not getting our phones. Sunghoon, say something."
"Oh, um. Yes." The boy looked up, patting Heeseung's foot awkwardly. "Sit down. Don't do that."
Heeseung took a seat on the floor, settling for holding Sunghoon's hand instead. "Alright, well, what do you all suggest?"
"Nothing." Jungwon stared off into space. "We just stay vigilant and hope for the best."
Sunoo frowned. "If that was the bad news, then what's the good news?"
Kai dropped a wad of cash into Heeseung's lap. "Kun sunbaenim fixed it for free."
"Oh, that was nice of him," Soobin smiled. "We should write a thank-you note."
"Hey, uh, not to get us sidetracked, but aren't we missing something pretty important?" Taehyun cracked his knuckles. "How, and when, did the sasaeng place the tracker?"
"I have no idea." Heeseung shook his head. "My phone's always with me."
"Have you lost it recently?" Jay asked.
"No, I don't think-"
"Yeah, he has," Ni-ki cut it. "Right before the getaway, remember? We spent a whole fifteen minutes looking for it."
Heeseung's mouth fell open. "I forgot about that. It would've been perfect timing too."
Sunoo glanced around the room, slowly opening his pink notebook to their suspect list. "There're about thirty-two names in here. Only four were working that day."
Heeseung closed his eyes. "I already know who it is."
~
"Found it!" Mei scurried over eagerly. "It was still in the pocket of your stage clothes."
"Oh," Heeseung sighed in relief, welcoming his phone back. "Thanks."
~
The dorm went quiet for a minute.
"You wouldn't have had your phone on you while dancing." Jungwon pursed his lips. "How would it have gotten in the pocket of your stage clothes?"
Heeseung stared straight ahead, trying not to let his emotions show. Outside of their group, Mei was the only person in the world who knew about his and Sunghoon's relationship. Her discovery was entirely accidental yet strangely comforting. She gave him hope that not everyone would react terribly to the news of two idols dating.
Of course, it was too good to be true. Heeseung should've caught on to her game as soon as she introduced herself. After all, she had quite literally walked into their lives carrying a bouquet of roses for Daniel.
***
"Good morning."
Heeseung groaned, rolling onto his stomach. "It's too early, Hoon. Go to sleep."
Sunghoon laid face down on top of him. "How can you sleep right now?"
"In regards to Mei, or to you?"
"Me, obviously." He rested his head on the back of Heeseung's shoulder, hugging him tightly. "I don't care about Mei."
"She knows about us. I screwed up at the photoshoot while she was fixing my makeup."
Sunghoon's grip on him loosened for a moment. Heeseung took the opportunity to adjust their position so he could lay on his back and avoid death by suffocation. He straightened out their tangled blankets while keeping a close eye on Jay and Jungwon, who were still fast asleep in the bed across the room.
"You suck," Sunghoon finally muttered, cuddling up next to him. "You said I lost, but I made you so flustered you accidentally came out."
"That-" Heeseung laughed. "That is not what happened."
"Oh, okay," Sunghoon nodded smugly. "So you wouldn't mind if I did this?"
He traced an outline of Heeseung's abs, looking very much like he just wanted an excuse to touch them.
Heeseung gently grabbed his wrist, smiling. "Please stop. Your fingers feel like ice."
"I have poor blood circulation; that's not my fault."
"You're really that desperate?"
"Yes." Sunghoon pressed his nose into the older boy's shirt, inhaling deeply. "You have no idea how much I missed you."
Heeseung ran his fingers through Sunghoon's hair, guiding him closer. "I missed you too."
"What are we?"
"I don't know."
"Are you going to ask me out?"
"Do you want me to?"
Sunghoon nodded eagerly. "Last time, you didn't do it properly."
"Wow."
"You better make it romantic. I want flowers and shit."
"Okay, flowers and shit, got it. Now stop moving; I'm trying to kiss you."
Sunghoon giggled, squirming even more to spite Heeseung. He finally caved, crawling on top of the boy and taking a seat on his hips.
"I love you," he whispered, cupping Heeseung's face with both hands.
"And I love it when my friends make out about two meters away from me while I'm sleeping." Jay sat up. "Please, do us all a favor, and-"
"Get a room?" Heeseung laughed.
Sunghoon rolled his eyes. "Don't act like you and Jungwon haven't done the same."
"We haven't," Jungwon mumbled drowsily. "Because we have a conscience."
Beomgyu cracked the door open. "Wait, who's making out with who?"
"Alright, time to get up." Heeseung patted Sunghoon's thighs. "We have a big day ahead of us."
***
"Hold it."
Heeseung's legs were on fire.
"Hold it."
His arms burned too.
"Hold it."
Every inch of his body was in pain, but still, he didn't move a muscle.
Their manager was relentless. "Hold-"
Heeseung broke his stance, rushing to catch Sunoo before he fell. "I got you."
They slowly sank to the floor together.
"Heeseung! You've just ruined your ending fairy." Their manager's eyes flashed dangerously. "Get back to your spot."
"No." Heeseung stood up as Soobin assumed care of Sunoo. "We're done for today."
"Like hell you are."
"Get out."
"Excuse me?"
"Get out!" Heeseung turned his back to their manager, crouching beside Sunoo. "Are you okay?"
Sunoo shook his head, breathing laboriously. "Meds."
"Don't worry," Soobin whispered, helping him into an upright position. "Ni-ki's getting them."
The other boys hovered around the back of the practice room, consciously giving Sunoo space to recover. Heeseung felt a hand rest on his shoulder, and five polished nails dug painfully into his skin.
"I'm giving you one chance. Get back to your spot now."
He turned his head, staring up at their manager. Her hand applied steady pressure downwards as if she could keep him on his knees that way.
"You should leave," Heeseung warned quietly. "Before I stand up."
Their manager hesitated for a second, her grip on his shoulder slackening.
"You're going to regret this," she spat, turning to retreat.
They listened to the sound of her heels clicking against the floor slowly fade. Sunoo's wheezing eventually subsided after a couple sips of water, and he tapped on Heeseung's knee to gain his attention.
"Sorry, hyung. I didn't want to cause-"
"It's okay. Take your meds." Heeseung gently rubbed the younger boy's back as he swallowed a handful of pills.
Ni-ki sat crisscrossed in front of Sunoo, holding his orange prescription pill bottle. "Feeling better?"
Sunoo sighed, standing up. "The meds don't make me feel better; they just prevent me from falling sick."
Daniel pulled Ni-ki to his feet. "What do you mean?"
"I was born with a weak immune system. My body is susceptible to viruses and can't fight off infections as yours do."
Ni-ki's eyes widened fearfully. "Are you going to die?"
"What? No. Don't be ridiculous." Sunoo delicately fixed his hair in the mirrors lining the practice room. "I'm just trying not to fall sick before our debut. Strenuous activity makes it worse."
"Oh. Well, I'm always here for you, hyung. Like anytime. I mean it. Anytime. You can come to me. And I'll-"
Sunoo smiled. "Thanks, Ni-ki."
Jungwon pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh as he met Daniel's eyes.
"What's so funny?" Yeonjun frowned.
Daniel smirked at him. "Nothing. We're just ready to leave."
Jungwon turned around, unable to contain his giggles. "Yeah, what he said."
"Alright, well, it's almost noon," Heeseung announced, slightly confused. "We have two hours for lunch, and then we're splitting up. Jake, Yeonjun hyung, Daniel, don't forget you guys have your radio interview at three o'clock. You have the script down, right?"
Yeonjun nodded. "Yeah. We did a final run-through this morning."
They packed up their bags and left the practice room, Sunghoon quickly making his way to Heeseung's side.
"What?" Heeseung smiled, letting the boy cling to his arm as they traveled through the HYBE building.
"Don't 'what' me," Sunghoon huffed. "I don't need a reason to be near you."
He hesitated before tugging on Heeseung's sleeve. "Hold my hand."
Heeseung stopped abruptly, getting bumped forward as Beomgyu walked into him.
"Ow," Beomgyu complained, rubbing his head. "Why'd you-"
He fell silent.
"What is it?" Jungwon asked, trying to peek over Taehyun's shoulder.
Heeseung backed up, herding the boys into an empty meeting room. "Mei's here. She's down the hall."
Yeonjun dropped his phone in surprise. "Shit. Are we confronting her?"
Daniel nodded. "Now or never."
"Okay, so who's going?"
Everyone looked at Heeseung.
"Woah." He held up his hands. "I never signed up for this."
"Well, you're the leader," Jay grinned.
"Five years of friendship, and this is how you treat me?"
"Yeah. Nothing lasts forever, am I right?"
Heeseung rolled his eyes. "Yeonjun hyung, you're the oldest. You should be going."
"Soobin has always been more mature than me."
"You're an ass," Soobin sighed.
"An ass with a nice ass, I know." Yeonjun glanced around. "Did anybody see where my phone fell?"
"Yep, I got it," Ni-ki replied, crawling under a chair. "Hey, hyung?"
He stood up, brushing the dust off his pants. "Why do you have our old manager on your wallpaper?"
"What do you mean?" Yeonjun frowned, checking his screen. "It's just a picture of Soobin and me at some cafe."
"The guy, sitting in the background," Ni-ki explained, pointing out a tiny blur. "He's the old Enhypen manager."
Jake leaned over to verify Ni-ki's claims. He gave a nod of confirmation that sent a ripple of whispers running through the group.
"This is fantastic," Jungwon smiled. "We couldn't contact him before because he changed his number, but now he can tell us everything about the staff, including Mei. We have to go to that cafe and ask the baker-"
Taehyun shook his head. "What are the odds that the baker knows him? He might've only visited once."
"Yeah," Soobin agreed. "Sorry, Jungwon, but it was a tourist cafe. Not many locals go there."
"I'm betting he does." Jungwon bit his lip, eyes shining. "Look at the logo."
Heeseung examined Yeonjun's wallpaper. "Um, it's... a normal cafe logo?"
"No, it's the same logo on the bags of cookies he used to bring Ni-ki!"
"Every Friday," Ni-ki gasped. "Today's Friday! We have to go now."
He grabbed Heeseung's hand, dragging him into the hallway. The rest of the boys scrambled to pick up their gear and follow, completely overlooking one key detail: Mei was still out there.
She left the flock of stylists, jogging to catch up to them. "Hi, guys. How was practice?"
Beomgyu screamed, latching onto Daniel and Kai's arms.
"Uh, uh, good?" Heeseung panicked. "Sorry, we're in a rush right now to, um, to... go somewhere?"
"Oh yeah, no problem," Mei nodded, stepping aside. "See you later."
"Yep. See you later."
***
The bell above the door chimed.
"Hello. Do you know who this is?" Yeonjun placed his phone on the counter, sliding it towards a middle-aged man in a gray apron.
The baker stared uneasily at the thirteen boys standing in front of him. "No, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. I respect my customers' privacy."
Heeseung sighed, pulling out his wallet. "We'll have six grilled cheese and seven chicken sandwiches, please."
"Ah, not yet." He held the money just out of reach of the baker's greedy hands. "Answer the question first."
"The man in the picture is Lee Jihun. Young fellow, twenty-nine, probably from a rich family. He comes here pretty often, usually on Fridays, for lunch. Always alone; always gets a medium coffee. Used to buy cookies to go, maybe for a girlfriend, I'm not sure. He's kind of weird, like that main guy from 'Crash Landing on You.' Very anti-social, I don't see him having many frien-"
"Okay, okay, that's all we need." Heeseung handed him the cash. "When do you think he'll be here?"
"Uh, I'd say about ten, fifteen minutes," the baker answered cheerfully. "Have a seat. Your food will be out shortly."
They pushed three small tables together, stealing chairs from every corner of the tiny cafe. The only other customer was a senior woman who kept winking at Soobin flirtatiously. She eventually hobbled out, turning back one last time to blow him a kiss.
"What was that?" Daniel giggled once she left the cafe.
Soobin smiled, folding his napkin into a paper airplane. "Oh, I get it all the time. They think I look like Minhyuk sunbaenim from BTOB."
"It's ridiculous," Yeonjun grumbled. "I'm clearly twice as handsome, but they all hit on Soobin anyway."
Daniel pulled his phone out for a quick google search. "Dang. Soobin hyung, you look exactly like him. Minhyuk sunbaenim could pick me up from school, and I'd get in the car, no suspicions whatsoever."
"That worries me," Soobin laughed. "Please don't do that."
"Doppelgangers are cool," Jungwon nodded, joining their conversation. "People say Daniel and I look alike."
"Eh, maybe a little." Daniel ducked under the table, popping up beside Jungwon to show him his phone. "But Soobin hyung and Minhyuk sunbaenim are on a whole different lev-"
The bell above the door chimed.
Heeseung stood up. "Hello."
"Heeseung?" Enhypen's old manager cautiously entered the cafe. "What are you doing here? What are all of you doing here?"
"We were looking for you."
"Oh."
The young man crossed the room, pulling up a chair. His dark hair was neatly styled, and he wore a luxurious business suit that resembled those in the CEO's closet. Everything about him screamed wealth and perfection, everything except his eyes. They carried a sense of warmth that disputed the hostile demeanor of the rich.
Heeseung was amazed. "You're... not wearing jeans and a t-shirt."
"Oh, um, yeah." Jihun looked down embarrassedly. "Surprise."
"Are you really only twenty-nine?" Ni-ki blurted. "I thought you were like, forty or something."
"Oh my god." Sunoo kicked his leg under the table. "You can't say stuff like that."
Jihun laughed. "It's fine. Yeah, I'm twenty-nine, and I missed you too, Ni-ki."
The baker floated over, carrying two trays on either arm. He distributed thirteen sandwiches between the boys and placed a medium-sized coffee in front of Jihun.
"The usual?"
Jihun nodded curtly, staring at a wall.
"So," Heeseung snorted once the baker left. "You act cold to everybody besides us?"
"That came off as cold?" Jihun pursed his lips. "I panicked. I don't like talking to people."
"I see why he thinks you're like Ri Jeong-hyeok," Jake grinned.
"What?"
"Don't worry about it."
Jihun anxiously wrapped his hands around his coffee. "Okay. Well, um, why were you guys looking for me?"
Heeseung pulled out his phone. "We're trying to find a sasaeng."
He displayed a picture of their current manager's file. "Can you tell us what you know about her?"
"Sure, she's the absolute worst, and I'd rather do another two years of military service than-" Jihun slapped a hand over his mouth. "Sorry."
He took a second to organize his thoughts.
"She used to oversee the Enhypen merchandise department but was promoted after I got laid off. No family or kids; she doesn't really care about anything or anyone besides herself. I had to work with her a couple times, and she is not a pleasant person to be around."
"Tell me about it," Heeseung sighed. "She made us hold our ending pose for ten minutes today at dance practice."
Jihun blinked in surprise. "Are you guys okay? That can be dangerous."
"Yeah, no, we're fine."
The baker returned with Jihun's lunch and a large jug of water for all of them to share.
"Eat," Sunghoon whispered, gently nudging Heeseung. "You haven't taken a bite of your sandwich."
Heeseung smiled, having forgotten how hungry he was. They took a break from their interrogation to enjoy their food and fill Jihun in on everything he missed.
"Jesus Christ, that's a lot." Jihun set down his coffee. "Wow."
He noticed several confused looks sent his way.
"I'm not surprised about the CEO if that's what you're all wondering. He's always had bad drinking habits. A few years ago, he threw a stapler at someone's head."
Daniel sat forward. "Really? Were they okay?"
"Yeah." Jihun pushed up his bangs, showing them his scar. "Nothing a few stitches couldn't fix."
"Holy shit," Yeonjun breathed. "Why didn't you quit?"
"I liked my job, and besides, it wasn't really much of a problem after I learned to stay out of his way. My mom wasn't happy about it, though. She's the CEO of Seo-Balm Skincare, so you know. A facial deformity on her son doesn't look too good."
"That's what she was worried about?" Heeseung shook his head in disbelief. "Nice parenting."
Jihun laughed. "We don't have to go into my family's dynamics. You'll find it's the same as most wealthy households."
"Wait." Sunoo tilted his head to the side. "Did you say your mom's the CEO of Seo-Balm Skincare?"
"...Yes."
His face lit up. "I love that brand! Can I get some free stuff?"
Heeseung blushed, hastily apologizing for Sunoo's behavior. He pulled up a picture of Mei's file, deciding they had strayed too far off their initial topic. "Sunbaenim, can you tell us about this one too?"
Jihun frowned. "I've never seen her before."
The boys all glanced at each other. Mei was a new employee. That, coupled with the tracker, was more than enough evidence to conclude their investigation.
"Hey, um." Jihun checked his watch. "I actually have to go now. My lunch break's almost over."
"Oh, well, thank you for all your help," Soobin smiled, getting up to shake his hand.
"Bye, Jihun!" Ni-ki waved.
"Oh my god," Jay grimaced. "Sorry, sunbaenim. He didn't mean to speak informally."
"You've all spent too much time looking at those files," Jihun chuckled from the cash register. "I get the feeling you've called people much higher than me without honorifics behind their backs."
"No," Heeseung grinned guiltily. "We'd never do that."
"Right. Well, anyway, here's my business card. Feel free to call or text if you need anything else. Oh, and Sunoo, I'll bring you some free stuff next time we meet, yeah?"
"Really? Thanks!"
The baker tossed a wad of cash into Heeseung's lap. "Here, the guy paid for your lunch."
"What?" Heeseung gently grabbed Jihun's arm, preventing him from leaving. "You shouldn't hav-"
"Please," Jihun smiled. "Consider it my treat."
"Sunbaenim, we can't-"
"Yes, you can, and it's too late anyway." He flashed his credit card. "Transaction's already gone through."
Heeseung pursed his lips. "Thank you."
The boys whispered grateful acknowledgments, bowing their heads respectfully. Jihun scanned the table one last time for any potentially misplaced belongings, glancing over the picture on Heeseung's phone. His eyes flickered with recognition.
"Wait."
Heeseung held his breath. "What?"
Jihun stared at Mei's file, pulling out his own phone to confirm his suspicions.
"I've met her before. It was at some dinner party almost eleven years ago. I didn't recognize her because I was only nineteen then, so she would've been seventeen, max." He paused thoughtfully. "And I think she dyed her hair a lighter shade of brown."
"What was the dinner party for?" Taehyun asked, nervously rubbing his hands together.
"I don't know. It was just another rich people gathering where they all could show off their money and kids."
Heeseung frowned. "Why would Mei have been there? She's not rich."
Jihun's mouth opened in realization. "Oh. You don't know."
"Know what?"
"Mei is the CEO's daughter."
***
"You guys are back already?" Heeseung looked up from the desk in the living room. "It's only three-thirty; what happened?"
"Radio interview got rescheduled," Yeonjun sighed, setting his backpack down on the dorm floor. "Jake, can you get the thing?"
"Mhm." Jake dug around Yeonjuns's bag, pulling out a large envelope.
He handed it to Daniel, who promptly delivered it to Heeseung.
"Shit." Heeseung's eyes widened as he read the letter. "Why didn't they tell us before?"
"Tell us what?" Jungwon asked curiously.
Heeseung stood up, dumping the rest of the envelope's contents onto his desk. "Everybody, pack your bags."
He counted thirteen plane tickets.
"We're going to Busan."