Minho was far from being stupid. Quiet ? Perhaps. Sarcastic ? Most of the time. Ignorant ? Never. Everything he did or said was calculated or deliberate. Annoying Jisung ? Deliberate. Threatening Hyunjin ? Deliberate. Going to the shower first ? Calculated. Wake up a little later than everyone else in the morning but still be on time ? Calculated. The dancer often observed the surroundings and adapted according to the situations, it was in his nature, the fans did not call him 'the cats' butler' for nothing after all. Thanks to his three little sweetheart, Minho was used to pay attention to the smallest details. And that was reflected in his dance steps.
So no, Minho hadn't been stupid when he'd posted those photos on Instagram without prior approval from the communications team, it was calculated. He just hoped that the girl for whom this post was intended had understood that it was for her, and he especially hoped that she would answer him. It shouldn't be, but this cat and mouse game was pleasing to Minho, he wouldn't let go of it, and he couldn't wait to catch her.
Five minutes after posting the photos on the group's account, Minho went to the comments section. He read the love messages they had received although he was looking for one comment in particular. He didn't know what he was looking for exactly, but he knew he would understand when he saw it. Seeing that more and more comments were converging and that it would be impossible for him to read them all, he decided to change his method. He clicked on the hashtag 'minnieanswerme' that he had added to the caption. The Stays were smart, very smart, they made great detectives, it's true. But no one would care about such an unimportant detail, would they ?
To his pleasant surprise, only two posts contained this hashtag: his own and that of a certain _minniethegoat_, with an adorable picture of a puppy as profile picture. The same puppy that Stray Kids had met two days before, Minho could recognize him between thousand, after all, Jisung had practically fallen in love with him, and Minho never forgot what made Jisung happy. Clicking on the publication, the sight of the same puppy greeted him as the latter was looking away, sitting under a tree. The dancer thought he hit the jackpot when he read the caption:
We're at xxxxxx park, Minnie might be too scared to answer when I call him.... It's fine you're still the cutest 🥰
#puppy #minnieanswerme
There was definitely a hidden message. Minho was sure of it. Just as he was certain that the person who had published this publication was the same person to whom he had sent the message. Drinking his drink in one go, the dancer suddenly stood up under the surprised looks of Seungmin, Hyunjin and Jisung, the last one jumping, startled.
"Hyung?" Jisung asked, worried about his eldest who had been acting strangely for the past few days, and even more so since yesterday.
"I gotta go."
"What ? But Chan Hyung is coming !"
"You are the one who called him, not me." Minho said, raising an eyebrow, arms crossed.
"Yes, because you're behaving strangely ! And it's definitely getting worse. What are you looking at on your phone since the day before yesterday ?" Hyunjin asked, genuinely concerned for his friend.
"I told you everything was fine. We have to be at the hotel by six o'clock ? I'll be there, see you then."
Not giving his Donsaeng time to respond, he grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and left the restaurant in a hurry, still looking at his phone. Just before opening the doors he turned to his three friends who were about to get up and gave them a look that dissuaded them. "Don't follow me, I'm serious."
And with these last words he disappeared into the crowd, walking quickly, as if in a hurry. The three men looked at each other, confused, worried, all wondering why Minho had suddenly decided to keep secrets from them overnight. Yet he was an honest person who didn't hesitate to say what was bothering him and who, more than often, would share his thoughts with his group mates, as if he never had a filter. So yes, seeing their dancer behave in such a strange way was like discovering a new facet of his personality. It was interesting, but strange, very strange.
Minutes after Minho left the restaurant, the doors opened to reveal the familiar figure of their leader. He kept looking back as he walked towards the three boys, looking just as confused as they were. He sat down in Minho's seat and looked down at the barely eaten plate with a frown.
"He was too busy on his phone to even eat with us..." Jisung muttered sourly as he continued eating his fries in silence.
"Minho Hyung was behaving strangely." Seungmin interjected, seeing that Jisung was determined to sulk for a long time.
"I just saw him on the street, he looked in a hurry." Chan nodded, trying to get a grip on the situation, "Did something happened ? He doesn't usually act like that, it worries me. Did he tell you where he was going ?"
"Even Changbin Hyung told us that Minho Hyung was just surfing on his phone in the bedroom." Hyunjin said more to himself, looking into the distance.
"He didn't, just that he would be back before we have to leave. He was very serious when he told us to not follow him."
"I will talk to him when he gets back, for now, I'll text him." Chan sighed, not knowing what to do, the exhaustion of the tour weighing heavy on his shoulders. "Come with us, the boys are waiting for us not far away from this fast-food, we can spend the day together?" he smiled at them, starting to finish the plate that Minho had left.
Minho had left impulsively. Minho was like that, impulsive. Thus, he had not looked to see if public transportation could take him to his destination, and although his English was not non-existent, it was mediocre at best, which dissuaded him from asking people if shortcuts existed to the park. His GPS application wasn't much help, and even if Minho sometimes wanted to cut through a street or another, he always gave up on that idea and preferred to follow the path marked in blue, even if it meant making a detour. Twenty minutes of walking later, he had finally arrived in the famous park where his 'correspondent' had taken the photo of the puppy.
At first glance it didn't look big and it lacked some green space, but it wasn't covered with tar or noisy children either since the place was devoid of a children's park. Instead, long concrete paths stretched the length and breadth of the area, practically empty since the park was apparently not very frequented. Deciding to visit this new area, the singer began his walk with his hands in his pockets, looking from right to left in the hope of spotting a little brown ball of fur or better yet, the owner. And maybe the world was kind to him because he saw her sitting on the lawn in a small corner away from anyone else who had come here to picnic, her dog running around attached to a tether.
He stopped at a distance from her and saw that she was reading a book while glancing at her puppy from time to time, immersed in her little bubble. He contemplated his options. Go to her and talk to her. Go to her and confront her about the message she hadn't responded to. Or ignore that detail ? She had the right not to answer him after all. But if that was the case, why would she have given him a 'rendez-vous' like that ? She said she was afraid. But of what ? Going to her and confronting her was what Minho wanted to do. Going to her and talking to her was what he was going to do. After all, he didn't want to scare this little mouse away.
Determined, he walked towards her and once he was two meters away, stopped and waited for her to notice his presence. But the book she was reading was surely more interesting than her surroundings, because she didn't raise her head once in three minutes. And yet, Minho's shadow was suddenly covering her, anyone would have worried, but not her apparently. Fortunately her dog was more attentive.
"Hey Minnie. How are you doing little guy ?" Minho laughed while crouching down as the brown and white puppy greeted him, his tail wagging frantically. Minho stroked his pink tummy as Minnie laid on his back, and then looked up without stopping his ministrations, noting that their Stay was still captivated by the ink on her pages. In an effort to get her attention he tugged on the tether until it lightly shook the girl's wrist, who immediately raised her head with stunning speed. "Hi." he smiled, waving at her.
She first scanned her surroundings before realizing that someone had spoken to her and that her puppy was with that 'someone'. The mysterious person was wearing a black mask - like his t-shirt, a leather jacket and faded jeans just as black as the rest of his outfit. Looking at him was enough for the young woman to realize that the person in front of her was, firstly, her idol, and secondly, the person she had ghosted. She didn't know if she should be ecstatic or embarrassed, if she should greet him or walk away. But remembering that she was probably the reason he was here, she simply lowered her gaze, a prominent blush on her cheeks.
"Can I sit here?" Minho asked as he got up from his crouched position, already preparing to sit by her side.
"Yes! I don't own the park, sit wherever you want !" she squeaked in response, mentally scolding herself for sounding rude in her words. "That's not what I mean- I mean if you want to sit somewhere else you can ! But I think the reason you asked me was because you wanted to sit next to us- Oh my dog I'm so sorry I have this annoying habit of talking too much when I'm nervous, or not talking at all-"
"- I'd thought so." Minho interrupted her as he took a seat next to her, not close enough for their legs or arms to touch but more than what would be 'appropriate' for two strangers. "Well, no. I didn't understand everything. My English isn't the best in Stray Kids and you are talking fast." he continued as Minnie snuggled between his legs, looking up at him and begging for a hug.
The realization hit the young woman like a truck as her face made a strange grimace, making Minho strangely recall that 'peaches' meme. She looked exactly like their youngest member at that moment.
"Yes. That's right. I'm sorry. I can try to speak Korean. You heard me speak Korean at the studio but you probably noticed that I have a very strong accent. My Korean is not very good. Probably 'Felix Pre-debut' level. Not saying that he was bad ! He is a very hard-working person and I respect and like him so much, but we gotta admit that he wasn't...good ? Forget what I just said, I'm probably worse."
"Yeah, it would be good hearing you talking Korean. Practice makes it perfect." Minho said in Korean, trying to get her to look at his eyes.
"Yes."
A blankness filled the atmosphere, the Frenchwoman looking in front of her, doing her best to avoid the piercing and analytical gaze of the man at her side. The latter merely looked at her profile before finally thinking,"Much less talkative now."
"Hum..." she finally turned to him like a deer caught in the headlights, her eyes round like marbles and her cheeks red as apples.
"Yeah you definitely give off 'Felix Pre-debut' vibes. You can go back to English, it will improve mine, so I will be better for our Stays. But I will talk in Korean, it will help you." Minho laughed, shaking his head while being careful not to wake up the puppy who was now sleeping.
"The only thing I said in Korean, back in the studio, was 'Oh it's fine', you shouldn't have expected something big from me." she laughed quietly, rubbing her neck again.
"But you understand ?"
"Yes, a lot. For some reason that I don't understand either. But I'm not that good, most of the time I'm just guessing."
"How did you learn ?" Minho asked, leaning a bit, genuinely intrigued.
"By translating lyrics. Memorizing them. It's very interesting to do. So I know a bit of hangul but I can't read a whole sentence and understand it in less that five minutes." she giggled, not knowing if she should be ashamed or amused. "What a shame."
"No, this is good. You're good."
"Did you even- I mean..."
"Yeah. I barely understood what you said. But yeah, you translate lyrics, it's interesting, you know hangul, what a shame." he nodded, his big round eyes looking straight through her soul.
"You just skipped the part when I say that I'm bad." she added shyly, avoiding his gaze.
"Oh, my bad."
"Was that a joke..?"
"I think so."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
They both decided to watch the dog sleep, trying to get out of this awkward situation just as a crow flew over them, croaking.
"A crow is passing." the girl hummed in Korean, smiling to herself while watching the bird drawing away.
"No need for the vibes to grow sour~." Minho smiled, continuing the song while looking at sky.
She giggled, realizing that he was putting a whole show for them, singing loud enough for her to hear. "Just be cool."
"It's not easy to just laugh it off baby~."
The impromptu singer laughed so hard that she fell backwards while applauding, and then laid down comfortably on the grass, deciding to take a moment to gather her thoughts and emotions.
"I'm sorry for...not replying to your text..." she said after some minutes of silence, "It was rude of me. I should have told you that Minnie was fine."
"I got to see him again today, so we're quit."
"We're quit ?" she asked, puzzled, having never heard this sentence before.
"We're equal ?" Minho tried his best to give an English counterpart for her to understand what he was trying to say.
"Oh, I think I get it." she smiled brightly, repeating the Korean sentence. "I will never forget it, because you taught me."
The Stray Kids' member smiled, looking every few minutes in her direction. A comfortable silence allowed the two young adults to wonder about the rest of the afternoon. Eventually, Minho interrupted it, asking her the questions he wanted to ask since the first minutes they met (?), but still trying to do it...slowly.
"We have to take the tour's bus at nineteen o'clock."
"Oh. That's great, you will travel more and meet a lot of Stay. I'm glad that you guys were able to accomplish such a great thing, this world tour is incredible. Would have been way better if you added dates in Europe, but well, we can't get everything that we want." she said, her face contorted at the fact that Stray Kids wasn't coming near Paris. Or anywhere in Europe really. It really made Europeans Stay feel left out, but she also understands that policy was different in Europe and that it wasn't making as much money than in Asia or America. JYPee. Realizing that she was practically lashing out at someone who was very much innocent, she sat up abruptly, looking at him and rambling, "Not saying that it's your fault of course ! We all know the agency makes the decisions, but still, it kinda hurt. But again, it's not your fault, we all know it-"
"-Do you have these habits ?"
"What..?" she asked, breathless and panicked.
"Talking a lot when you're nervous and rubbing your neck." he said, gently grabbing her wrist and bringing it closer to him, "Your skin is red, please be careful."
The anxious girl blushed fifty shades of red before finally moving her hand away from Minho's grasp, deciding that the grass was way more interesting than the breathtaking man at her side.
"Sorry. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."
"It's fine ! Really, it surprised me. I usually really like PDA, it's just that...you are you. And I am...me. I don't understand what's happening here." she laughed half-heartedly, going back to rubbing her neck even though she was feeling the pain it was inflicting her.
Once again, Minho grabbed her wrist and pull it down on his knee, and then on Minnie's head - who wasn't complaining about it. "You are our Stay, it's enough. I'm taking care of you like I would have for any other Stay. You are precious."
Like any other Stay.
"I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing."
"Sorry." she said again, suddenly feeling self conscious. Realizing what je just said she stuttered a few incoherent words before rectifying, "Not sorry..?"
"I appreciate the effort." he said smiling. Minho did not know what was happening to him today. He had gone through so many emotions in just a few hours: disappointment, incomprehension, hope, joy. He was used to smile when he was with Stray Kids, but had more trouble with strangers. Sure, she wasn't just anyone, she was a fan of theirs, but being a fan who adores and respects her as an artist didn't change the fact that he had never met her before. And yet, he had been with her for barely thirty minutes but he couldn't help but laugh and smile every few minutes. "You remind me of Han, embarrassed during events that require social interaction. Stammering, getting lost for words, laughing nervously and not making eye contact."
"If only I had a friend like you to help me too. Stays are very proud of Han's progress, both socially and musically. We are glad that he has someone like you."
"Yeah, Jisung improved so much." Minho hummed, a distant look and a dreamy smile on his face. Minho had so much consideration for his Donsaeng. He was the one who held his leg when Jisung bounced it because of his anxiety, the one who made sure he ate well, that he didn't overdo it. Every gesture the youngest made was known and interpreted by his guardian angel. Maybe that was the reason why Minho liked the sweet and shy owner of Minnie so much, because she looked so much like Jisung.
"Will you answer my texts when I'll leave..?" Minho asked quite shyly, petting the dog in order to get his focus on someone who was not her. He was not here to make her uncomfortable and he did not want her to feel pressured by his question.
"I-... I will. I just don't know how to handle a conversation. I shouldn't have left you on read..."
"It's fine. I thought that you didn't want to talk to me again."
"No ! You are incredible, why wouldn't I want to talk to you ? I just figured out that you might be exhausted. You know, traveling, singing, dancing. I did not wanted you to worry about unimportant stuff."
"You're not unimportant stuff." Minho frowned, finally getting a clear view of the girl's downcast face, "I'll make time for you. I just want you to answer my texts. I know that I sound demanding, but I really wanna hear about you and the little one. I'm asking you a lot, you probably don't want to talk to Minho ?"
"Minho, Lee Know, they're both incredible and charismatic people. It would be an honor to talk to you, really. I don't even have friend, you will not disturb me." she laughed quietly, a pink dust spreading across her cheeks.
"I'll be your friend then. Stray Kids, Stays, we are all your friends."
"Thank you..." she sighed, kind of relieved, and then noticed that Minnie just woke up. "Coucou toi, t'as fais une petite sieste dis donc." (Hello there, you took a little nap didn't you ?)
"Your dog speaks French ?" Minho asked, amused. Hearing her talk in her native language was such a great thing. The dancer felt like she was sharing a part of her and he was thrilled.
"Yes. It's much easier since it's spontaneous."
"What if I try and give him an order in French."
"You wanna try ? Sure ! You can ask him to sit ! Say 'assis'.
"Assis ?"
" A like the 'a-' in 'camera' then '-ssis' like 'cy-' in 'cyborg'.
"Assis."
"Yes ! You're doing good ! Now ask him to sit. Make sure he's looking at you before."
"Minnie ? Minnie come here." he said waving his hand in front of the dog's face until he was looking at him, finally diverting his attention from his owner. "Minnie, assis." The dog just stood there and looked at him, waiting for his next words. "Assis." Minho repeated, hoping that the puppy would understand him.
"Oh you don't have to repeat, he understood what you meant, he just don't wanna sit, just look at him and don't talk, he will understand that if he wants something he gotta work for it."
"Wait. Got it." And waiting he did. The pup was only looking at him, on his four legs, refusing to obey the man. They looked at each other for a good two minutes and then the three months old baby started to bark at Minho, turning round before him.
"He's testing you, don't give up you can do it !" the woman cheered from the side, incounsciously leaning closer to the boy until their shoulder touched. She jumped and got back to where she was previously sitting, laughing off the embarrassment she was feeling at the moment. "Sorry."
"Wait. Almost there." he whispered, not braking eye contact with his little friend. Eventually, the latter sat, gaining a round of applause from the two human and a treat from his favorite person. "Good boy~." Minho said in a high pitched tone, playing with the brown floppy ears. "I'm going to seize the moment because we won't see each other for a long time." he said looking at the girl's eyes while cuddling the puppy closer to his chest.
"Ah, tu as entendu Minnie ? Il va profiter de ta présence, t'es vraiment gâté hein, le Stay le plus chanceux c'est toi." (Ah you heard that Minnie ? He is going to enjoy his time with you, you really are spoiled aren't you ? The luckiest Stay out there.)