As they approached the outskirts of Seoul, Felix's phone rang, connecting to the car's display. The caller ID showed it was Minho.
Felix pressed the button to answer and greeted, "Hi."
Minho's voice came through the car's speakers, "Hey, do either you or Changbin know where Jisung is? I haven't been able to reach him all weekend."
Felix responded, "Well, it's a bit surprising that he hasn't contacted you. Actually, he's here in the car with Changbin and me. Jisung's going to stay at my place for a while."
Minho sounded concerned, "Did something happen?"
Felix replied, "Sort of, but we can talk about it when we see you."
Minho asked, "Can I come over to your place to talk with Jisung?"
Felix glanced in the rearview mirror, locking eyes with Jisung. Jisung nodded in agreement.
Felix said, "Sure, we should be there in about half an hour."
Minho responded, "Alright, see you then," and ended the call.
Changbin turned to Jisung and inquired, "You didn't even leave a letter for Minho?"
Jisung admitted, "I did. It's in his locker at school. He should find it tomorrow."
Changbin reassured him, "Don't worry, Sungi. Minho will understand. Just try to relax."
Jisung nodded, appreciating Changbin's comforting words.
In about 30 minutes, they arrived at Felix's house and went inside.
Felix suggested, "Let's choose a room for you."
He led Jisung deeper into the house, while Changbin followed them with Jisung's luggage. Felix stopped near one of the doors on the first floor and said, "I think one of these rooms will be perfect for you. Actually, I have a better one on the second floor with an en-suite bathroom, but it's close to my room, and I think it might be uncomfortable for both of us. You know, just in case Minho visits you or Changbin stays over," Felix added with a smirk.
Jisung's cheeks turned red, "You mean Minho could sleepover with me here?"
Felix assured him, "Of course, he can. You won't be bothering me at all. Feel free to invite him."
Jisung continued to blush, expressing his gratitude, "Thank you, Felix."
Felix, curious about Jisung's reaction, asked, "Wait, why are you blushing? Haven't you two slept together before?"
Jisung explained, "Minho lives with his parents, and I was staying in the dorm."
Felix nodded, understanding Jisung's situation. He wanted to make sure Jisung felt comfortable, he said, "Oh, I see. By the way, please choose your room."
Felix pointed at two doors and mentioned, "There are two bathrooms and toilets available."
Jisung opened each door to find typical guest rooms, each containing a double bed and a cupboard.
Felix suggested, "Once you choose, we can bring some additional furniture from the room upstairs. I think you'll need a desk, chair, and perhaps a pair of armchairs with a coffee table."
Jisung chose the corner room across from a bathroom, which had ample space for additional furniture. He said, "I'll take this one. Thank you, Felix. I've never had my own room before."
Felix responded, "Good choice! Feel free to decorate the room as you wish. Let's go, and I'll show you around a bit."
Felix continued, "Jisung, I want you to feel comfortable here, alright? You don't need to ask for anything. You can eat and drink anything you find. If I buy something specifically for myself, I'll put a sticker on it, and you should do the same. If you need a computer, you can use mine in the basement; I only use it for games and do my homework on my laptop. You're welcome to invite our friends over without permission, but if it's someone new, please let me know in advance. As for housekeeping, the person who cleans the house comes twice a week during our school time, I will tell her about you. Now, let's get you added to the security system."
Feeling overwhelmed, Jisung simply followed Felix around the house, nodding in agreement.
Jisung was added to the security system, and just as they finished, the doorbell rang. Changbin opened the door to find Minho standing outside. He greeted him, "Come in."
Minho stepped inside and immediately asked, "Is he here?"
Spotting Felix and Jisung in the hall, Felix assured him, "He's here. But he hasn't eaten all day, and we still need to bring some furniture to his room. Would you mind catching up with him later?"
Minho nodded in understanding, moved closer to Jisung, and gave him a reassuring hug. "No matter what happened, I'll support you, okay?" he said gently.
Jisung relaxed in Minho's embrace and replied, "Felix mentioned that you could stay over if you want. I'd really appreciate having you here for support today."
Minho glanced at Felix, who smiled and nodded in agreement. "I'll stay," Minho confirmed.
Felix then announced, "Alright, let's find some furniture for Jisung's room." Together, they began to gather the necessary items to make Jisung's new living space comfortable and welcoming..
They walked around the house, selecting two nightstands, a pair of armchairs, a coffee table from the upstairs rooms, and a desk with a chair from the basement. Jisung also discovered two potted plants that caught his eye. Together, they moved all the items into Jisung's new room.
Once everything was in place, they stepped back to admire the result. Changbin commented, "It's really cozy in here."
Minho agreed, "Definitely. It's a really nice place."
Jisung expressed his gratitude to Felix, "Thank you, Felix. This means a lot to me."
Felix responded warmly, "You're welcome. I hope you decide to stay here for the next two years. No pressure, but I just wanted to let you know that I'd love to have you here."
Minho appeared shocked by Felix's words but didn't say anything.
Deciding it was time for them to eat, Felix announced, "Okay, let's have some food."
They made their way to the kitchen, where Felix found some ready-to-eat food and heated it up. As they ate, they engaged in light conversation, given that it was already quite late and everyone was feeling tired. Once they finished eating, Felix said, "Okay. Make yourselves at home. Breakfast is at 7 o'clock. Goodnight!"
Taking Changbin's hand, he led him to his room. Upon entering, Felix immediately collapsed onto the bed and pulled Changbin down with him.
Felix complained, "I'm so tired. It's been such a long day, with so many important conversations. I feel like I'm going to die."
Changbin reassured him, "You handled everything perfectly. You have such a big heart, and you genuinely care about everyone."
Felix countered, "Don't make me out to be an angel. I care about the people in my circle."
Changbin replied, "Alright, cool guy. Let me take care of you for a change."
Felix inquired, "Will you stay?"
Changbin confirmed, "Yes."
————————
The next day, after their training session, Changbin, Chan, and Jisung left the training center together. Chan suggested, "Let's have a chat before we head out."
Jisung and Changbin agreed, and they walked over to a nearby bench. Changbin and Jisung sat down while Chan stood in front of them.
Chan with a sigh confessed, "I'm tired."
Changbin and Jisung looked at him intently as he continued, "The constant studying and training are wearing me out. How long have we been trainers now? Three months? And I can see we're all exhausted. Our performance in both school and training is suffering. Like today, for example, we couldn't remember the dance moves, and it's only Monday. At school, I forgot some basic information. We're just too tired to function properly. Maybe we had the energy and stamina at the beginning, but now it's fading, and you both know it."
Changbin agreed, "You're right. I've been feeling anxious and my sleep has been suffering. Sometimes, I even have to read something twice just to understand the information."
Jisung chimed in, "As you both know, my performance has declined too. You guys are still in the top 10, but I'm not. I can't keep up with the pace."
Changbin then asked, "So, Chan, what do you suggest we do?"
Chan replied, "I think we should each decide what we want from life and pursue it wholeheartedly. For me, I choose music. I want to debut with you guys in the best way possible, and if that doesn't work out, I want us to form a producer team."
Changbin nodded, "I feel the same way. I'm confident we'll debut together, one way or another. If not here, then somewhere else or even on our own. It's not even a question for me."
Jisung reflected on his recent experience, "Yesterday, when I decided to run away, I cried thinking about you two and my dream of becoming an artist. Now, everything is much clearer to me. I believe if you hadn't found me, I would have come back in a week, started working somewhere, and continued our training."
Jisung took Changbin's hand and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for finding me."
Changbin smiled warmly and squeezed Jisung's hand in return.
Chan suggested with a smile, "So, I propose we stop studying so hard."
Changbin asked, "Is that what I think it is?"
Chan confirmed, "Yes, I want to move into Felix's place and relax a bit. He's a great guy, and he cares deeply for you. Most importantly, he genuinely wants us to be there."
Changbin sighed and said, "He really does. But it feels so... you know... pitiable?"
Chan countered, "First, it's not pitiable to allow someone who loves you to take care of you. Second, I'm thinking we could draw up a contract where we owe him a certain amount of money, perhaps a percentage of our future earnings from music, which we would pay back over, say, five years."
Changbin considered this for a moment and replied, "That sounds less pitiable. I think I could agree to that."
Jisung nodded in agreement.
Changbin then suggested, "Let's talk about this with Felix, shall we?"
Changbin texted Felix, asking if they could talk, and the trio drove to his place.
Upon arriving, they found Felix looking quite nervous. He took Changbin's hand and asked, "You're not going to tell me something bad, right?"
Changbin reassured him, "Oh my god, Felix, no! I'm so sorry for making you feel that way with my unstable behavior towards you."
Felix smiled and said, "What a relief. That's okay. Let's sit and talk."
They gathered in the living room, sitting down and facing one another in a moment of silence. Finally, Changbin broke the silence, saying, "Okay, I'll be the one to ask." He looked at Felix intently, adding, "Remember, you can always say no if you're not comfortable with it."
Felix nodded in agreement, giving Changbin the go-ahead to proceed with his question.
Taking a deep breath, Changbin asked, "We wanted to know if it would be possible for us to live with you."
Felix excitedly screamed, "What?! Of course, it is possible! I'm so happy!" He then jumped onto Changbin's lap and hugged him.
Changbin interrupted, "Wait, wait! But there's one condition."
Felix asked, "What condition?"
Changbin explained, "We want to sign a contract stating that we owe you money or a percentage of our income."
Felix joked, "Oh, just buy me a house when you become rich and popular."
Chan declared, "Deal!"
Felix responded, surprised, "What? Oh, you know I don't care, just live with me." He added, "And don't make me sign any stupid contracts."
Changbin stipulated, "Only if you accept the house as a gift in the future."
Felix easy agreed, "Deal."
The group shared smiles, and Felix excitedly said, "Oh, let's find a room for Chan!"
Changbin chimed in, "And what about me? I need a room too."
Felix teased, "You need a room? Why don't you like mine?"
Changbin retorted, "Just in case you kick me out."
Felix playfully responded, "Fine. But I'll give you the smallest and most uncomfortable room. I don't want you to spend time there. My... no, our room is perfect for us!"
They laughed and went looking for rooms, eventually choosing ones near Jisung's. They found some pieces of furniture, and Felix secretly decided to order some additional items for their comfort.
Later in the evening, Felix and Changbin lay in bed, and Changbin remarked, "Everything is so unreal. Could you imagine that several months ago, you tried to splash me with puddle water, and now we're living together?"
Felix laughed, "That was a flirt; you just didn't get it."
Changbin hugged him and said, "I love you."
Felix replied with a sincere, "I love you too."