Chapter Fourteen
Dino found himself getting drawn to her every time he saw her.
At first, it started as admiration. Then, he became a fan. And once he befriended her, he became her friend and now... her secret admirer.
He knew how hard it would be to date when he was an idol. He didn't want scandals. He didn't want anything bad directed to him or SEVENTEEN themselves. They worked so hard to get to where they were, so he didn't want to do anything to damage it.
However, Dino couldn't help but entertain his emotions. It was easier to admit defeat and surrender to them and actually... enjoy them. He found happiness whenever he saw her, so it was easier to let himself get lost in his feelings rather than trying so hard to forget about them and deny them. That would be more suffocating for the idol.
It was around midday and SEVENTEEN were having a rest day with no specific schedules today, which Dino happily enjoyed. Although, he was found enjoying the time alone in the living room a little too much, since he was chuckling a lot to himself. Truth was, his mind kept pulling back to their first date last Tuesday and their lunch last Thursday.
"Are you doing okay, maknae?" a voice asked, followed by the sound of footfalls.
Dino paused and looked up from the floor, only to meet eyes with Jeonghan. "Oh, hyung! Yes, I am fine. Why are you asking?"
Jeonghan smirked before joining him on the floor. "You're unusually happy these days. I wonder what's the reason?"
"Oh!" Dino couldn't see himself admitting something to the hyungs just yet. After all, it was only recently he admitted to himself that he fancied Hyejin. Maybe not as much, but it was powerful. "Right! Um... I was thinking of my parents and remembered a funny incident that happened when I was younger."
"Really? But your facial expression was different today," Jeonghan noticed.
"It was?" Dino was running low on excuses. "What type of expression was it today?"
"Something different," Jeonghan answered. "Another type of happiness. I've seen you happy, Chan. I've seen you look happy about different things in different situations. This one's different. What's the cause?"
"Ah, you see..." This was one of the many disadvantages of spending your time with someone almost everyday. They could practically see through you. "I... just am happy?"
"That's not very convincing," Jeonghan answered before he smirked.
"It is," Dino protested. "I am being very truthful right now."
"Whatever you say," Jeonghan said, chuckling before he ruffled the younger one's hair. "Did you know Hwan Hyejin met with K-Tigers?"
Dino paused and let his mind take focus about the mention of Hyejin. "She did?"
As if he didn't know that.
"Yes." Jeonghan fished out his phone and started to look like he was searching something on his phone. After he was done, he showed it to him. It was a picture of Hyejin with K-Tigers, posted on her Instagram account. "Seems like she's close with Byun Hyunmin."
Dino was slightly jealous, but he made sure not to show it. He didn't want to be obvious about it. "She is? I wonder what's their story."
Jeonghan took back his phone and did his share of research. "It says here... Oh, okay. It says that she hung out with K-Tigers for around three hours and in an hour, she was able to befriend K-Tiger member, Byun Hyunmin, very quickly. There must have been some kind of connection there for that to happen, right?"
No, not right. She should stay away from him. Sure, he can protect her with his taekwondo skills but what does he know? Dino looked away, clearly annoyed.
"Oh, look." Jeonghan showed the screen of his phone. Another picture with Hyejin, only it was on a different account. "His name is Jang Junhee and he's only a year older than her. Look how close they look. Oh, there's this other picture too. A candid photo of Junhee and Hyejin. Look how big Hyejin's smile is when she's with him."
Jeonghan showed the younger idol another picture and it was a picture of Junhee sitting in the background while looking at Hyejin, who was being demonstrated a taekwondo skill. She was smiling brightly in the photo, clearly enjoying it and Junhee sat in the background, staring at her with an emotion Dino hated seeing. Only because Junhee was doing it.
Dino nodded soullessly. "I see."
"Don't you contact her these days?" Jeonghan asked out of nowhere, putting his phone back into his pocket.
"Who? Me?" Dino asked through gritted teeth. The last image lingered in his mind.
"Yes, you. You're her idol, after all. She fancies you the most."
Hearing such word from his hyung, Dino fell at ease. She fancies and favours me the most, so don't worry so much, Lee Chan.
"We do, but we're both equally busy," Dino answered.
"I see. But what a cute friendship you two share, am I right?" Jeonghan teased before he disappeared into the kitchen of their dorm.
"Friendship?" Dino muttered lowly to himself. "Cute? I wish it was more than that."
+ + +
Unlike yesterday, where they had a leisure and relaxing day—excluding the members who were still working hard in writing lyrics or composing songs or even coming up with new choreography—they had a packed schedule today.
Their phones were confiscated by their manager so they could concentrate better in today's schedules. Having their phones confiscated meant Dino wouldn't be able to be updated with Hyejin's schedules. That made him slightly sad and costed him to lose slight focus.
"Concentrate, Lee Chan!" Hoshi furiously shouted when he noticed the maknae's mistake as he missed a beat and messed up the right move.
"Sorry!" Dino shouted back in return, shaking his head before he went back to focus.
They were practicing one last time in their small waiting room. It was small and the space they could dance in was limited but they made the most of it. They had to practice so they could give the best performance. They didn't want to leave the place with regret.
After they were done with their practice, they were immediately ushered to makeup and hair. The members took turns—four at a time, they sat on the chairs while the others did their own things.
Dino was itching to play with his phone, but it wasn't with him at the moment. He wanted to ask his manager to lend it to him for a moment, but his manager was nowhere to be found, much to Dino's dismay.
"Lee Chan," someone called, their tone full of seriousness.
Dino winced as he recognized that voice. He looked up from sitting on the black leather couch and whimpered slightly, "Nae, hyung?"
"We need to talk."
"Of course." Dino was already shaking when he followed Hoshi to a more private and quiet area of their small waiting room. Dino had his hands folded in front of him respectfully and he tried his best not to make eye contact. He already knew what this was about.
"Tell hyung honestly. Is something bothering you? You're usually one to focus but these days, you keep messing up."
There it was. The mention of his focus. Dino also knew about it, but sometimes, the feelings get the best of him. He was distracted by her; every thought of his was filled with questions regarding her. What was her schedule for today? Who will she be meeting? Will she be okay? Is she doing fine? Is she having fun? Are they treating her well?
"Well, that is..." Dino didn't want to tell any of the hyungs that he felt this way about Hyejin. They didn't want them to end his hopes, right when he was slowly getting started. "...I'm lacking sleep. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be like this. This will cost the group. I will work harder, hyung."
Hoshi sighed before he nodded and pulled the younger one into a hug for a quick second. He cupped Dino's face and stared into his eyes, trying to mean something serious. "Dino, please concentrate, okay? It's only for a few minutes, then our song will end. We go up, perform and do our best and it'll be over. By the end of the day, everything will only become our happiness, because we worked hard, because we deserved it."
"Nae, hyung," Dino answered, bowing his head.
Hoshi half-smiled before he walked away to get his hair and makeup done.
Dino looked around the room, lost in his own thoughts. If he hadn't had become an idol, he wouldn't have met Hyejin this way. If he wasn't an idol, she wouldn't even had written a fanfiction of them and succeeded. But being an idol had its prices.
Being an idol meant to be very wary. It meant not dating while you were still a rookie in running. It meant to lose focus on other things and only concentrate on your job and career for now, so that they could earn a title or spot in the very harsh K-pop world, where competition was everywhere. A fight for fame, a fight for an award, a fight for a win.
Dino was stuck in a conflict. He wanted to confess to her, but what would have happened then? He couldn't date. He didn't want to disappoint all his fans. He knew they would be hurt if they found out he was dating someone.
Dino leaned against the wall, sighing. It was all too much to ask for, wasn't it?
+ + +
After a tiring and hectic day, they were finally done. No more schedules for the day and they could finally head back to the dorm to rest.
In the mini van, the members were tired. Dino could see the dark circles of Woozi's eyes and he started to wonder how much he has stayed up late at night without any sleep just to compose new songs for their album.
Dino felt his own eyes and wondered if he had them too. They were tired, but it was all for their benefit. A dream they've been wishing and dreaming for, finally, was a reality they were living in together.
Dino stared at his phone, wondering if Hyejin would text him today. So far, there were no new messages.
He checked for updates on her, noticing that she had posted two new pictures on Instagram and tweeted something on Twitter. On Instagram, she had taken a selca together with a rising solo artist of Seoul, Song Yiseul.
Another picture was her lunch for the day—Korean barbecue, which she seemed to be enjoying very much.
Dino smiled as he switched on over to Twitter, finding her tweet: Today was a good day! Song Yiseul unnie, you're the best! Manager Jang, thank you for the delicious meal!
Dino smiled once again, thinking how cute it was to see Hyejin interact with idols, although she wasn't one herself.
She was just like another other girl—she was even a fan. Yet, after one successful fanfiction, she goes on interviews, talk shows and meet up with K-pop idols.
You may not be used to this scary world of reporters, haters and scandals but I will make sure to protect you from every single thing with all my might, Hwan Hyejin. I promise that I will.
~Author's Notes~
I apologize for the short chapter but I hope you still enjoyed this update <3