"Changkyun?"
The rapper looked up to see the eldest vocalist standing at the door.
"Yes?" Changkyun acknowledged the older's presence.
"I'll like to talk to you."
Noticing the younger stiffening, Shownu quickly added, "Relax, I just want to talk to you as members of the same group."
"Yes." Changkyun let out a soft breath as he tried to throw the tension in his body out.
Shownu slowly approached the younger and sat next to him on the bed.
"I just want to start out by saying that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not helping you since the beginning, that I let you suffer by yourself. As the oldest, I should have stopped them or something."
"It's not your faul-"
"Let me finish. I've failed my job as the oldest, but I'll try to make it up to you."
"You don't have to-"
"Changkyun." Shownu places his right hand onto Changkyun's left thigh. The sudden contact caused the younger to jump, not used to the eldest's touch.
Shownu noticed but didn't move away.
"I'm really sorry for everything that happened, and I apologize on behalf of the other members as well."
Changkyun nodded in disbelief, wanting to tell the elder it was alright and that he was forgiven, but feared his voice would betray him.
"You're a part of us now, and I wouldn't have it any other way, alright? Things won't be the same without you."
This time, a small smile made its way onto the rapper's face as Shownu slowly and awkwardly wrapper the younger into a hug.
"I just wanted you to know that your talent got you here, okay? I- We don't believe the rumors."
Changkyun smiled against Shownu's chest. That was when he noticed how stiff the vocalist was being in the hug.
"Hyung, you need to improve on hugging people."
"Shut it, I'm just a lil awkward around people."
"You mean shy?"
"Shush."
That was the moment Changkyun realizes two things.
One, that maybe all this while, he just needed someone to believe that he really didn't bribe anyone and two, Shownu's arms were really soft.
Shownu kind of regrets, to a certain extent, initiating the hug. Only to a certain extent.
After all, it was that very awkward hug which broke the wall between them even more.
-
Changkyun just got out of the shower and was drying his hair with the towel, when he saw Hyungwon silently brisk walking back to his room and flopping onto his bed. Thinking nothing of it, Changkyun continued his way to his own room, only to be greeted by Jooheon who was on his bed, clutching an Ipad.
"Changkyun! Want to watch this with me?" He gestured towards the device in his hands.
But before the youngest could reply, quick footsteps could be heard thundering on the floor tiles and a Wonho appeared soon after.
"I want to watch too! Let me watch."
Jooheon sighed but didn't protest, as he made space for the two.
"Ah hyung, there's not enough space! It's so uncomfortable because of you!" The elder rapper finally complained when Wonho literally squashed the two rappers against the wall.
"Nonsense, I think we're all comfortable. Start the movie already." Wonho replied, much to the amusement of the youngest.
Jooheon grumbled but did as he was told and the trio plunged themselves into the movie.
-
"He died! Why did he die?" Wonho barely managed to sob out.
"There, there." Changkyun tried to comfort him by running his hand down the elder's spine, but it was difficult, considering the six other bodies surrounding them.
Upon finding out that a movie was ongoing, the other members had started to join them one by one, Hyungwon being the last, until Kihyun finally made them all go to the living room to watch it because "a single bed isn't made to hold seven grown men" (Wonho had protested saying that it was "six grown men since Kihyun was the size of a kid" but he was given the death glare which shut him up)
When the said character first appeared, Wonho had even commented that the kid was cute, but the very kid passed away in the end, which explains his crying at the moment.
"Wonho, it's just a movie, that kid didn't really die." Shownu tried to be realistic but it didn't work.
"He died! He was so cute, why did he have to die!"
"Hyung, I think you're overreacting." Minhyuk tried to console the elder. The keyword being 'tried'.
"He died and you tell me I'm overreacting. He died!"
While the members watch Wonho's fuss, they fail to notice the tallest slowly sneaking back into his room. Everyone but the maknae.
When Wonho had finally calmed down (Kihyun had to cook him ramen), Changkyun went back to his room to keep the Ipad, because the other's just left it on the couch and Changkyun was afraid someone would sit on it and break it. He learnt that anything can happen with those guys when Hyungwon had somehow lost the potted plant in the bathroom once.
While carrying it, the youngest turned it on and fiddled around with it, accidentally going to the 'history' page. He was about to turn off the device when he noticed a page, labelled 'Hyungwon'. Curious as to what the page says, Changkyun clicked on it and waited for the page to set up. When he did, the youngest finally realized what happened.
"Why is Hyungwon even debuting? He can't sing nor dance?"
"Is Starship seriously choosing a person based on his looks?"
"Seokwon would have been a much better choice."
"Hyungwon should just leave."
Changkyun paused as memories of Hyungwon being off that day flashed in his mind. Throwing the device carelessly onto Jooheon's bed, he was about to check on Hyungwon when a sigh escaped him instead.
The device bounced on the bed, did a triple flip and flopped onto the ground.
Literally.
Changkyun retreated back to set the device carefully onto Jooheon's bed, before finally exiting the bedroom.