Can you ever really keep your heart guarded when feelings start to run loose?
College is for finding yourself, but these characters found each other instead. Loose Feelings Series explores all the ways love can catch you off guard.
Book One: Almost is Never Enough (Give It A Try) Featuring Park Sunghoon x FemY/n
description: Best friends since middle school, Y/N and Sunghoon are inseparable until their unspoken feelings and college pressures start pulling them apart. As Sunghoon's hockey career heats up and Y/N's dance team keeps her busy, their once easy friendship becomes tangled with longing, jealousy, and missed chances. When a party night forces hidden emotions into the open, they must decide if their love is worth fighting for or if they'll lose each other forever.
Book Two: All Of Me (Love Your Imperfections) Featuring Nishimura Riki x FemY/n
description: Y/N and Ni-ki have been at war since he stole her solo freshman year. Now, two years later, they're forced to perform a passionate duet together for the biggest dance showcase of their college careers. The catch? The routine demands chemistry, trust...and a lot of touching. They swear they hate each other. But between stolen glances, late night rehearsals, and a moment neither of them saw coming; they're about to find out that maybe hate was never the right word at all.
Book Three: Off My Face ( In Love With You) Featuring Lee Heeseung x FemY/n
description: When sweet and oblivious Y/n starts failing math, she ends up being tutored by none other than Lee Heeseung. The very man who melts under her smile and forgets how to form sentences if she stands too close. Their friendship turns into late night study sessions, accidental flirting, stolen glances, and one very dramatic charity gala that changes everything. Too bad their matchmaking friends can't keep their noses out of it....or off the balcony doors.
Book Four: You Belong With Me (Cant You See) Featuring Kim Sunoo x FemY/n
description: They were the dynamic duo, the matchmaking masterminds behind every successful couple on campus. They were the certified Love Gurus. Born two weeks apart, best friends since birth, Sunoo and Y/n have done everything together. But there's one thing they haven't managed to do....Fall in love with each other. Correction: Confess they're already in love with each other. Sunoo has only ever had eyes for Y/n. Y/n already knows she's in love with Sunoo. So what's the problem?....Everything.
Book Five: Say You Wont Let Go (Stay Over) Featuring Park Jongseong x FemY/n
description: Y/n doesn't have time for love especially not from rich, flirty hockey co-captains with too much charm and not enough memory. She's fiery, sarcastic, overworked, and determined to graduate without catching feelings. But when she's forced to write a feature article on the school's golden boy, Jay Park. She finds herself tangled in the last person she ever wanted to fall for. What he doesn't know is they already have a history....one that nearly ruined her. Jay, unaware of their shared past, is completely smitten with the sharp tongued girl who glares at him like he personally ruined her life (he kind of did).
Book Six: Positions (Nothin' I Wouldn't Do) Featuring Yang Jungwon x FemY/n
description: Y/n is too tired for love and too busy passing finals to care. Jungwon is too polite to say no to his pushy parents...but he needs a girlfriend to bring home for the summer. Enter the quiet solution: fake dating. They're friends. They're normal enough. No one's going to catch feelings. Right? But between borrowed hoodies, late night baking sessions, and whispered jokes only they understand. Loving each other as they are might be the easiest part. But pretending this is still fake? That's the real risk.
Book Seven: Nonsense (Talkin' All Around The Clock) Featuring Sim Jaeyun x FemY/n
description: College is ending. Futures are waiting. And Jake and Y/n? They're just trying to make it through senior year without catching feelings. He's the star of the hockey team, charming, golden, and freshly single. She's the fiery soccer player who doesn't take shit from anyone and isn't looking to settle down. They've been friends with benefits for months secretly, of course. No feelings. No strings. Just fun. But when the people around them start growing up, settling down, and moving on...suddenly, 'just fun' doesn't feel like enough anymore. Now the real question is...can two people who swear they don't believe in love stop falling for each other before it's too late?
Finale: Heres to Us (Lets Toast) Featuring Enhypen x Female Characters
description: Life a few years later, lets see where our couples are now.
RELEASE DATE : N/A
author Note: Important Information. Since these stories co-exsist in the same universe, the female reader will have a name in someone elses story to not confuse anyone. I will make sure its clear who is who, which means there may be some small physical traits explained in their cameos. But there is no physical description for the main female reader in their story. Does that make sense?
This is also a comedy romance, so there will definitely be silly things or jokes happening, I wrote this series to make me feel better while my real life was in shambles. So I hope yall enjoy.
In a world that spins with the rush of engines, the roar of crowds, and the quiet hum of boardrooms, seven strangers are waiting for the moment their lives will intersect with theirs. Seven women who will love them not for the titles they wear, but for the hearts that beat beneath.
masterlist
Released: Act Like You Miss Me 4 parts
Released: Act Like You Want Me: 3 Parts
Released: Act Like You Love Me: 3 Parts
Released: Act Like You Wanna Heal Me: 4 Parts
Released : Act Like You Need Me: 4 Parts
Released: Act Like You Crave Me: 6 Parts
Released: Act Like You Cant Live Without Me: 3 Parts
Graphics were made by me @sungminispup2017
Please do not copy, save, edit, or re-upload without credit or asking. Seeing as these are catered to my stories.
summary: just a quick little something something about crushing on Xie Wu...because I mean, who doesn't?
an: Im literally dying to make a POJ fic...but I have way too many ideas and not enough time. I make make this into a little scene series. Anyways...I cannot wait to read the fics that will come out for this drama. The casting ate down fr!
masterlist
She was supposed to be listening.
That had been the entire purpose of slipping away from the compound, of ducking past the watchful servants and the restless soldiers, of pressing herself into the rough bark of an old tree just beyond the training grounds where voices carried more clearly than they should. Changyu had asked her, no, trusted her to find out what General Xie Zheng was planning. There was someone to be saved, something urgent woven into the quiet tension of the camp, and Y/N had nodded with all the seriousness she could muster.
But now, crouched behind the tree with her breath held and her heart doing something entirely unhelpful she couldn’t remember a single word that had been said.
Because he was there.
Xie Wu stood just slightly behind General Xie Zheng, as he always did not quite in the center never drawing attention yet impossible to ignore once your eyes found him. His presence felt like something solid and unyielding, like a blade sheathed but never truly at rest. Even now, as the general spoke with Xie Shi Yu and Xie Qi, his posture remained perfectly composed. One hand resting near the hilt at his side the other loose but ready, as though the world might tilt into danger at any moment.
Y/N swallowed, pressing her fingers into the tree’s bark as if it might anchor her back to her senses.
It didn’t help.
Her gaze traced him without permission, lingering on the familiar lines of his armor. Dark steal and metal layered and significant and worn just enough to tell stories of battles she could barely imagine. She thought not for the first time that no one had ever looked as right in armor as he did. It didn’t swallow him like it did the others. It seemed to belong to him as if it had been forged with his shape in mind.
And the scarf.
Her lips pressed together in a small helpless smile as her eyes drifted to it. That deep black and red fabric wrapped around his neck no matter the season, no matter the weather. She had seen him in rain and heat alike, the cloth always there shifting slightly with the wind like a quiet declaration of something she didn’t yet understand. She loved it she loved the way it softened the sharpness of him just enough, loved how it drew her eyes back to his face every single time.
She remembered the first moment she had seen him, truly seen him.
She had met him a few times, under his false uidentiy when Yan Zheng was still hiding in Lin'an. But there was a particular moment when she saw Xie Wu for the first time that her heart fluttered.
It had been chaos in her villiage. Smoke, shouting, the panic of being displaced and unsure if safety even existed anymore. And then there he was, stepping through it like something carved from steadiness itself. Eyes sharp, movements precise. He hadn’t looked at her first. He had looked at everything else; the exits, the threats, the smallest movements others would miss.
He had a face born of iron and steel, almost like he was crafted by hand. Someone had to have deeply loved his soul before placing him into the body of one handsome man. His beauty was otherworldly and very hard to explain, her mind couldn't even put into words just who exactly she was looking at.
He possessed a very alluring look to himself. He looked as if he were a character from a story book.
She had thought, absurdly, that he was beautiful.
Not in the way of gentle things or easy smiles, but in something far more inexplicable. Something quiet and observant and utterly unshakable.
And now…
Now she couldn’t seem to look away.
A faint shift in his stance made her breath hitch. He tilted his head just slightly, eyes narrowing as Xie Zheng spoke as though weighing every word every possibility. He always listened like that. Like silence was his weapon, like understanding was his shield.
Y/N’s heart fluttered painfully in her chest. She wasn't sure if she was even breathing anymore.
He noticed everything.
She knew that.
Which meant...her stomach twisted slightly at the thought, but he had probably noticed her too.
The thought should have sent her scrambling back toward the compound it should have reminded her of the task she was failing at so spectacularly. But instead, she stayed where she was barely daring to breathe as she watched him, as if the simple act of observing him was something fragile she didn’t want to break.
Because he hovered.
Not just here not just in formations and strategy discussions, but around her. It had started subtly, so subtly she thought she imagined it. A step closer when the path grew uneven. A quiet shift to stand between her and a passing group of soldiers. The way he would appear at her side or just behind her whenever tension crept into the air.
Like now.
Even here, even in conversation he had positioned himself just slightly angled. Not fully facing the general, not fully facing the others…but enough that if something happened..if something moved he would be the first to react.
The first to protect.
Her chest tightened.
She thought of Changning, small and frightened clinging to her when they had found them again when the Sui clan took them hostage. It had been Xie Wu who carried Changning. Xie Wu who had cut down the last of the men who dared touch either of them. Xie Wu who had stood there, silent and blood streaked, holding a trembling child and coaxing her not to panic with a gentleness that had undone something in Y/N she hadn’t known existed.
That had been the moment.
Not the first sight, not the armor or the scarf or the sharpness of his gaze.
That moment.
And now her feelings had grown into something she didn’t know how to name.
A crush felt too small.
Admiration felt too distant.
This was something deeper, something that settled into her chest and refused to leave; something that made her notice the smallest things. The way his shoulders relaxed just slightly when he thought no one was looking, the way his gaze flicked toward her even in crowded spaces, the way his silence never felt empty when he stood near.
He spoke to her as if she had always been there.
Not awkward, not distant, not formal in the way others sometimes were. Just…steady. Familiar. As though her presence required no adjustment.
Her fingers curled tighter against the tree.
She had never had this before.
Never felt this strange pull, this constant awareness of someone else. This quiet hope that lingered in the back of her mind no matter how much she tried to ignore it.
And sometimes..only sometimes, she thought...
Maybe he felt something too.
A sudden shift snapped her attention back. Xie Wu’s head turned slightly, his gaze sweeping the area with a precision that made her heart leap straight into her throat. She froze, pressing herself flatter against the tree, barely daring to blink as she ducked behind the tree as quick as she could.
His eyes lingered.
Not directly on her not enough to expose her but close enough that she felt seen anyway.
And then, just as quickly he looked away.
Her breath left her in a shaky exhale.
A faint, almost embarrassed smile tugged at her lips as she relaxed again, her gaze drifting back to him without resistance.
She was supposed to be listening.
She was supposed to remember every word for Changyu.
Instead, she remained hidden behind the tree completely and hopelessly distracted, watching Xie Wu as though he were the only thing in the world that mattered.
Warnings: Pov switches, Medically impaired character (not mc), Death (Not Mcs), Mental Trauma, depression, slow burn, like a crazy slow burn, soulmate bonds, drama, tension, money problems, children, contracts, idol world, mlm, NO SMUT!mtba...
AN: Imma go cry not that its over. I cant even believe how much love this received on here. Im so excited for future work to be posted. Feel free to check out my Wattpad! Kac_theoreo
prev
Two months later
This was terrifying.
They'd faced stages holding thousands. Performed on live broadcasts in front of millions. Accepted awards with shaking hands and sore muscles. Had their names screamed through cities they didn't even speak the language of. They'd survived brutal choreography, mental breakdowns, world tours, and years of industry chaos.
But nothing..nothing could have prepared them for this.
The parents were here.
All of them.
And worse, they adored her.
Naye was sitting on the porch swing in a soft summer dress, legs curled up beneath her, absolutely glowing. Her smile was wide, her eyes sparkled with laughter as she sipped iced tea and laughed way too hard at a story Jake's mom was telling...something about him crying because his goldfish went missing when he was seven (the fish had just been under a leaf in the tank, for the record).
Heeseung's dad was explaining to her how their son used to tape a broom to his back to imitate angel wings because he swore he was born to fly, and Sunoo's mom was already showing her photos from their middle school talent show where he was wearing a sequin cape and sunglasses twice the size of his face.
Their girlfriends' soft giggles were the soundtrack to their humiliation.
"Oh, but wait," Sunghoon's mom said, leaning in like she was about to drop a bombshell. "Did they ever tell you about the time they got caught sneaking back into the dorms with a stolen puppy-"
"Eomma!" Sunghoon half yelled from where he stood frozen near the porch pillar.
Too late.
The story had begun.
Sunghoon buried his face into Jungwon's shoulder, groaning dramatically as the group leader just patted his back with a smirk that barely hid his own secondhand dread.
"I can't believe this is happening," Jay mumbled as he sat on the porch railing, arms crossed, cheeks red.
"It's like we're twelve again," Sunoo hissed beside him.
"Worse." Ni-ki muttered from where he was perched on the armrest of a wicker chair. "At twelve we had the excuse of being immature."
Jungwon looked like he was reevaluating every life choice that led to this point. "Why did we think this was a good idea?"
Heeseung who had been silent this whole time, leaned forward from where he sat with his elbows on his knees watching Naye with his head tilted. His gaze softened, lips curling upward like the chaos around him was just a passing storm. "Yeah," he murmured. "We really are."
And they were.
Because Naye wasn't just handling it she was thriving. Every little anecdote, every embarrassing story, every awkward photo; they only made her laugh harder, lean closer, hold their parents' hands tighter. She was sweet, respectful, curious, and so obviously in love with them that their parents could barely stop gushing.
Jay's dad had already called her his daughter-in-law twice.
Jungwon's mom had told her she raised a 'real man' out of their soft spoken leader, and Ni-kis mom had kissed her forehead like she'd known her forever.
Their pretty girlfriend...yes, it was official now, was winning them all over without even trying.
She was sunshine in a body. Patience in a dress. Comfort and fire and light, and the parents saw it.
More than that, they understood.
None of them had batted an eye when the boys told them the truth months ago when they admitted they weren't just soulmates to her, but to each other. There had been tears, of course, and questions, and some stunned silences that lasted longer than anyone wanted to admit, but in the end.
Their parents had smiled.
Smiled and said, "We always knew you were meant for something different. We just didn't know how beautiful it would be."
And now, watching Naye joke about how they were all big babies and she was going to need a second fridge just to hold all the kimchi their mothers wanted to send home with them, they felt something deeper than just embarrassment.
They felt seen.
Loved.
Accepted.
They weren't idols anymore. Weren't leaders or visuals or golden maknaes.
They were just boys.
Boys in love.
Men with calloused hands from building fences and baking bread, who woke up tangled in each other and kissed her shoulder before dawn.
And somehow despite everything they'd made it here.
To this porch.
To this home.
To her.
Heeseung leaned back stretching his arms behind his head with a sigh as he watched Naye throw her head back in laughter again, one of their moms rubbing her arm fondly.
"...We're screwed," he said fondly.
Jake grinned. "Completely."
And Sunoo, with a long suffering groan flopped backward onto the porch floor and muttered into the wood, "I'm never living this down."
Jay just shrugged, cheeks still pink. "She already knows everything anyway."
"Now she knows more than we do," Jungwon muttered.
"She's not running," Ni-ki pointed out quietly. His eyes didn't leave her. "That's gotta mean something."
They all nodded.
Because she wasn't running. She was sitting on that swing laughing and smiling and being loved.
Their girl.
Their soulmate.
Their home.
And as the sun started to set, casting gold across the porch and catching on the curls of Naye's hair, something clicked into place so firmly it left no room for doubt.
They were finally whole.
(Months later)
It was too perfect.
Ni-ki had been the one to find them first, ducking his head into the barn under the excuse of checking if the feed bins were sealed. What he'd actually found was Jay and Sunghoon in the middle of what could only be described as a low stakes war.
By the time he snuck back out to get Naye, his grin was already devilish.
Now the two youngest soulmates were crouched down in the tall grass just past the corner of the barn, peeking around the side like mischievous children spying on their older friends.
"I told you," Ni-ki whispered, barely containing his laughter. "They've been at it for ten minutes."
Naye had one hand over her mouth, eyes sparkling as she watched the scene unfold inside the barn. "What are they even arguing about?"
"Sunghoon called Jay's new flannel ugly."
"Okay, well...he's not wrong," Naye giggled. "That shade of green makes him look like a cursed pickle."
Ni-ki snorted so hard he nearly toppled over. "Wait, wait, wait...listen!"
Inside, Sunghoon's voice, sharp and exasperated, rang out. "It's not even your flannel, why do you care what I think?"
"It's the principle, Sunghoon! You're supposed to love me unconditionally," Jay fired back, folding his arms like a toddler being denied a cookie.
"You called my playlist basic yesterday!"
"Because it was!"
Ni-ki and Naye slapped hands over their mouths to stop from laughing out loud, shaking from trying to keep quiet. Naye leaned into his shoulder, barely whispering, "Five bucks says Jay kisses him in the next two minutes."
"Ten says he waits till Sunghoon's almost crying from frustration," Ni-ki countered.
"You're on."
Inside, Sunghoon let out an exhausted groan and dramatically flopped onto a hay bale. "You're the most dramatic person I've ever met."
Jay, not even fazed stepped closer bending at the waist with that signature smug look. "You love it."
Sunghoon glared. "Do not-"
But it was too late. Jay was already swooping down, catching him mid sentence with a kiss that was way too heated for a barn argument. Sunghoon tried to scowl through it, but it melted fast, his fingers curling in Jay's shirt like clockwork.
Outside, Naye fist pumped the air. "Yes! Pay up, pretty boy."
Ni-ki blinked, horrified. "You cheated. You rigged the universe."
Naye stood up proudly, brushing off her pajama shorts. "Nope. I just know your boyfriends better than you do."
Ni-ki narrowed his eyes, and she could see the exact second he decided to bolt.
"Not paying," he said.
Then he ran.
"RIKI!" Naye shouted, breaking into a sprint after him. "GET BACK HERE, YOU CHEAP LITTLE SHIT!"
"NOT TODAY!"
Their laughter rang out across the ranch as they tore through the backfield. Naye yelling threats that sounded like declarations of love, and Ni-ki throwing kisses over his shoulder as he dodged low hanging branches like a man on a mission.
Back at the barn, Jay finally pulled back from the kiss, breathless.
Sunghoon blinked at him, dazed. "...Wait. Were they watching us?"
Jay looked toward the open door, where two sets of messy footprints disappeared into the grass.
"...Definitely."
(Months later)
Saturday mornings on the ranch had adopted a new meaning.
As soon as the sun kissed the top of the hills, the squeaky wheels of a rusty blue minivan rolled down the dusty driveway, windows half down, and little heads sticking out before the car even stopped. Their eager voices rang out like birdsong, and the men inside the house froze grins spreading like wildfire.
"They're here," Jake said, already getting up.
Naye barely had time to put her mug down before Minchans speed, shrieks, and drama slammed through the front door like a tornado.
"NO ONE MOVE!" he announced at full volume, his tiny hands raised like a cop in a movie. "I gotta find Jake hyung and Naye noona right now!"
Jake swooped in, lifting him off the ground. "Already here, boss man."
Minchan immediately collapsed into his chest with a happy squeal. "Okay. Good. You can never leave each other, okay? Ever again."
Naye stepped in and kissed his cheek. "We promise, Chanchan. Pinky swear."
He extended both pinkies like an emperor demanding loyalty. "Double pinky swear."
Done.
Trailing behind, Yejun leapt off the porch with a cowboy yell, nearly tackled Ni-ki with a flying hug and shouted, "I still don't believe you used to sing for a living! You had sparkly jackets!"
Ni-ki laughed, ruffling his hair. "I still have sparkly jackets."
Yejun looked both impressed and offended. "Can I wear one?"
"I'll think about it."
"And Heeseung hyung," Yejun turned dramatically, eyes wide, "you were a sheriff and a Kpop idol?! You're literally Batman!"
Heeseung just blinked. "I-"
Jay raised a brow from the couch. "When were you a sheriff?"
Naye leaned against the kitchen counter, grinning. "He told Yejun he keeps peace on the ranch and always finds what's missing."
"That counts," Sunghoon mumbled into his tea.
Ara, meanwhile, had shyly wandered toward the goats but not without her usual stop. Sunoo. Who was already crouching to her level.
"Hi, Fox Oppa," she whispered, eyes wide with devotion as she handed him her latest artwork. A crayon sketch of Sunoo surrounded by flowers, sparkles, and very exaggerated eyelashes.
He melted instantly. "You drew this for me again?"
She nodded, cheeks pink. "You're the prettiest person I know."
"Ara, I might cry," he whispered, eyes glistening. The others cooed from the doorway like proud uncles.
Jay leaned toward Sunghoon. "Bet you five bucks she proposes to him by next year."
Sunghoon didn't even flinch. "I'll bet ten she wins his heart."
Naye called from the kitchen, "Okay, little monsters, it's time!"
The scream that erupted could have been mistaken for a rock concert.
It was Cookie Time.
Within minutes, the kitchen was a war zone.
Flour exploded like snow from Ara's mixing bowl. Minchan had somehow dumped half a bag of chocolate chips into his mouth. Yejun was climbing a stool trying to lasso a spoon with a string ("cowboy training," he claimed). Jake was helping Naye pour sugar while Minchan clung to her leg, occasionally yelling, "MORE VANILLA!" for no reason.
"You know this is going to end in chaos, right?" Sunghoon said, flicking flour off his shirt.
Naye grinned, her cheek dusted in powdered sugar. "Tradition."
Jay leaned on the counter, already eating raw dough. "I'm scared for when our kids show up one day."
Heeseung deadpanned, "They'll lead the revolution."
Ni-ki was using cookie cutters with Yejun who kept changing his mind. "No, I want this one to be a horse. Wait, no! A boot. No...WAIT. Can we make a Heeseung cookie?"
"...What does that look like?" Ni-ki asked.
"Cool hair, serious face, cowboy hat. Very sheriff."
"Say less."
Sunoo was gently braiding Ara's hair while helping her decorate cat shaped cookies. She told him every little story from school: about her new friend who lets her brush her dolls' hair, about the teacher who wore socks with cats on them, and how she wants to start a 'goat spa' when she grows up.
"I'd invest," Sunoo told her seriously.
Meanwhile, Minchan had taken over the radio and was demanding a dance break between batches.
Jake gave in instantly, scooping Naye into a spin while she laughed through the mess. Minchan jumped up and down shouting, "DANCE, DANCE, DANCE!"
Outside, the pigs were asleep, the sun was warm, and the world was quiet. But inside, this was life, sugar fueled, flour covered chaos. A mismatched family in aprons and pajamas, building something that would last longer than any song ever could.
And as cookies baked and stories were shared, no one noticed Heeseung taking a picture from the hallway of everyone mid laughter, Ara tugging Sunoo's sleeve, Jake with Naye's arms around his neck, and Minchan standing on the table like the boss he believed he was.
Heeseung smiled. "Home."
(Three years later)
Three years since seven men stumbled into her strawberry field like lost puppies in the dark, their rental house collapsing in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm. She could still remember that moment like a movie scene. Her hair messy, her flashlight flickering, bunny slippers dragging in the mud, all while seven half awake idols stood wide eyed and wet under her porch light.
She hadn't known it then, none of them had, but that would be the beginning of forever.
Now, she was barefoot in the same field soft wind running through the stalks. The green leaves trembling like they could sense something magical in the air. She followed the makeshift path that had been cleared, her fingers skimming over the familiar blossoms, the sweetness of the fruit drifting around her like perfume.
"Naye!" a voice called in the distance.
Her heart flipped at the sound.
Jake.
She picked up her pace.
When she turned the corner, they were all waiting her men. Dressed like a dream, all in light linen and soft colors their shoes off their pant legs rolled. They stood in a crooked line under a trellis of strung up fairy lights, a wooden sign hung above them reading: 'Where it all began.'
Sunoo grinned first, then Ni-ki waved both arms and shouted, "Come on! You're slow!"
Jay smacked his arm. "Shut up and look romantic."
Naye laughed covering her mouth. She felt tears already welling, even before she reached them.
As she stepped into the clearing, it hit her how perfectly them this all was. Not a big crowd. Not a red carpet. Not grand fireworks. Just the field. The strawberries. The place that smelled like sun and sweetness and safety. And seven men in love with her and each other.
Jake stepped forward first, as he always did always the heart on the sleeve, always the one to ask first. His hand reached for hers.
"Do you remember what you looked like that night?" he asked, eyes shining.
She laughed through her tears. "Like a ghost in slippers?"
"Like our future."
One by one, the others took her hand for a few seconds before letting someone else hold it, surrounding her until she stood in the center of them. Sunghoon, soft and steady. Jay, eyes suspiciously glassy. Heeseung, the warmest smile in the world. Ni-ki, biting his cheek to keep from grinning. Sunoo, already sniffling. Jungwon, calm and glowing like moonlight.
And then, just like that, they all dropped to one knee.
All seven.
Holding out rings..rings that weren't all the same. Because each one represented the unique bond she shared with them. Jake's had a strawberry etched inside the band. Heeseung's was crafted with a slice of blue from her favorite sky. Ni-ki's was wild, almost chaotic in design, sharp yet smooth. Jay's had lines of old lyrics engraved. Jungwon's had a vine motif. Sunoo's sparkled with a single sun stone. Sunghoon's was shaped to mirror her first gift to him, a hand folded key to their home.
Jay spoke first, voice soft and sure. "We've proposed to each other before. Quietly. In the kitchen. On the porch. Half asleep or laughing. Because that's who we are."
"But this," Jungwon added, "this is the day we ask you."
"To be ours," Sunoo whispered.
"To really call us home," Sunghoon said.
Ni-ki leaned in, grin crooked. "To deal with all seven of us until death do us part. And then maybe again after that."
Heeseung's voice was velvet. "Marry us, Naye."
"Please?" Jake asked, eyes wide and watery. "Say yes?"
She was crying. Of course she was. How could she not?
She opened her mouth to speak, to shout yes, to scream it to the fields and the wind and the sky.
But then she paused. Because she had her own surprise.
She stepped back slowly, tears still shining on her cheeks as she reached into the oversized button up she'd worn over her dress and pulled something out of the pocket. A little white onesie, hand embroidered with strawberries and little words.
Made with love by 8 people.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then Jake gasped so loud it made a bird fly from the fence. "Nour. Way."
Heeseung screamed.
Sunoo burst into full sobs.
Jay said, "Is this...are you...you're-"
"Eight of us?" Jungwon echoed, blinking.
Naye nodded, smiling through every tear. "I found out two weeks ago. I was waiting for the right moment."
Sunghoon was the first to break from the stunned silence, pulling her into his arms, laughing and crying into her shoulder. Then the others joined, until she was buried in a sea of warmth and salt and joy, arms tangled, kisses pressed to her cheeks, her head, her hands.
"Who's the dad?" Ni-ki asked suddenly.
Jake looked at him like he'd grown two heads. "We all are, idiot."
"I mean, yeah," Ni-ki grinned, "just had to say it."
Laughter rose like music around them, the kind that makes time stop. They stood like that, wrapped around each other in a strawberry scented memory, hearts drumming in sync, souls already signed, sealed, and delivered.
And above them, the stars blinked on one by one, like a thousand yeses written across the sky.
(Years later)
The house is louder now.
Not in a bad way never in a bad way. It's the kind of loud that fills every quiet pocket of the heart and makes you grateful you get to wake up to it. It's the sound of little feet pounding across wooden floors. Of giggles and squeals and the occasional dramatic wail when someone doesn't get the snack they wanted right now.
It's been three years since Naye stood in their strawberry field holding a onesie and said yes to forever.
Now, two toddlers rule the ranch.
Twins, a boy and a girl.
Lee Haru, gentle chaos incarnate, with eyes like spring rain and curls that fall over her forehead like she was drawn from a dream. She loves her shoes more than anything, often putting them on the wrong feet and proudly declaring, "I did it!"
Lee Jihoon, fierce and clingy, refuses to go to sleep without at least one of his dads or his mommy, and carries around a little sun stuffed plush Sunoo gave him like it's the law.
And not one of their eight parents gave a single care about biology. The second those babies were born, they were theirs. All of theirs. No tests. No curiosities. No doubts. Just soulmates creating more soul.
It's a sunny afternoon at the ranch.
The twins are in the yard. Haru in her overalls and butterfly clips. Jihoon wearing a cowboy hat two sizes too big running after Ginger, who is patient in a way only a ranch horse could be with toddlers.
On the porch, Naye is in her rocking chair, a mug of tea in hand legs curled up under her as she watches the chaos unfold with a sleepy smile.
Jay appears behind her first pressing a kiss to the crown of her head before leaning over to watch their daughter dramatically tell the goat not to "eat Jihoon's hair again."
"She gets that bossy tone from you," he mutters fondly.
Naye snorts. "She gets her dramatics from you."
Jay gasps like she slapped him. "Excuse me. I am the stern one in this household."
Sunghoon steps onto the porch in time to hear that and chokes on laughter. "Jay, you cried last night because Jihoon said you weren't his favorite that day."
"He said I was number five," Jay defends, horrified.
"Baby," Sunghoon grins, leaning over and kissing Jay right on the mouth, "there's only eight of us. He put Ni-ki's worm plush ahead of you."
"I KNOW."
Meanwhile, Jake and Ni-ki are on full parenting mode in the yard. Sort of.
"Jihoon, don't eat that," Jake says casually from where he's laying flat on the grass. The boy is chewing something that definitely isn't food.
Ni-ki is holding Haru upside down by the ankles, her giggles ringing like music.
"I got her!" he shouts. "She was trying to run away with the eggs again!"
Jake lifts his hand for a high five. "Team chaos for the win."
Jungwon, always floating in their orbit walks by with two bottles of water, handing one to Jake before crouching in front of Jihoon. "Spit it out, baby."
Jihoon pouts. "It's a rock."
"And we don't eat rocks," Jungwon reminds gently, plucking it from his mouth and kissing his cheek.
Jihoon beams.
Jungwon sighs. "I'm the soft one."
Jake and Ni-ki both laugh and smother him in kisses until Jihoon demands one too.
(Some Time Later)
Inside, Sunoo is sitting cross legged on the kitchen floor with Haru in his lap. She's brushing his hair with a tiny pink doll brush, mumbling about "tangles" and "fox oppa." Yes she got that from her auntie Ara.
Heeseung leans in the doorway, watching them with his arms crossed and the softest damn smile on his face.
"Y'know," Sunoo hums, "if I let her braid it, she'll never stop."
Heeseung shrugs. "It's cute."
Sunoo peeks up at him. "You're cute."
Heeseung pretends to scoff but crosses the floor and bends down to kiss him anyway right in front of Haru, who squeals and claps.
"Again!"
So they kiss again.
Because why not?
Later that evening, they're all in the living room. The twins in their matching strawberry pajamas, the eight of them all tangled on the couches and floor in a big, warm heap of limbs and hearts.
Jay has Jihoon on his chest reading a picture book. Sunoo has fallen asleep with Haru on his lap. Ni-ki is holding Jungwon's hand their fingers laced as they talk about repainting the barn. Jake is playing with Naye's hair braiding a tiny strand over and over.
Heeseung is standing, camera in hand, snapping a picture.
"You're gonna fill another scrapbook," Naye teases softly. Heeseung lowers the camera just enough to smile at her. "That's the point."
Then he says it again. Something he always says, something that never gets old. "This is everything."
Naye hums. "Our old life feels like a fever dream."
"Good dream?" Jungwon asks sleepily.
"The best one," Naye whispers. "But this? This is real."
Jay leans in and kisses her. Then Jungwon kisses Ni-ki. Jake kisses Heeseung. Sunghoon pulls Sunoo into a kiss even though he's half asleep. Jihoon giggles and Haru covers her eyes and says "ewwwww" which only makes them all laugh.
They picked the family surname before their wedding, by putting names in a bowl and picking one. On the wall hangs a sign that used to say 'The Lee Ranch.' Someone added in crayon underneath: "Party of 10."
And that's exactly what they are.
A family.
A forever.
(Later)
"Okay," Naye whispers, crouching in front of two giggling little bodies in matching bunny pajamas. "Remember, not a word until after dinner, got it?"
Lee Haru and Lee Jihoon both nod solemnly like they're preparing for war.
"We're secret agents," Jihoon says with wide eyes and a mouth still slightly stained with strawberry jam.
Haru points to her own lips. "Zipped!" she says, making the motion and everything.
Naye smiles and kisses both their cheeks. "Good. This will be the best surprise ever."
That is, if the secret agents can hold it in for more than five seconds.
Just then, the front door creaks open.
"Heeellloooo family!" Jake calls, stepping inside first arms full of grocery bags, his hair windswept from driving with the windows down.
"Your favorite appa has returned!" Ni-ki shouts behind him.
"Oh my god, stop lying to our children," Jay grumbles, followed by Heeseung, Jungwon, Sunoo, and Sunghoon all trudging in, laughing, elbows bumping, carrying various bags of snacks, feed, and more markers because Jihoon went through three packs this week 'creating masterpieces.'
Before anyone can even shut the door.
"EOMMA'S HAVING TWIN GIRLS!"
The twins scream it in perfect unison, faces glowing like they just delivered news of the century.
There's a beat of silence. Just a beat.
Then.
"WHAT?" Jake almost drops the bag of eggs.
"YOU'RE HAVING WHAT?!" Sunghoon nearly trips over his own feet.
Jay's mouth drops so wide he looks like a cartoon. "TWINS. AGAIN?"
Ni-ki pumps both fists in the air like he just won a championship. "YESSSS! My football team dream is ALIVE."
Jungwon drops to the floor in slow motion like he's just been shot with happiness.
Sunoo starts crying instantly. No one's even sure he knows why, but it sets Heeseung off too.
"Girls," Naye says, hands on her clearly pregnant stomach, cheeks glowing from laughing. "Two girls. They're healthy, stubborn already, and I found out at the appointment today."
Jake finally puts the eggs down before they meet the floor and rushes over, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. "Twins," he repeats with awe. "Again."
"I TOLD YOU SHE WAS ROUNDING OUT FASTER THAN LAST TIME," Sunoo yells through his tears, pointing like it's a crime scene.
Ni-ki drops to his knees in front of her, gently pressing his hands to her belly. "Come out strong, little chaos demons," he whispers. "We have goats to chase and sugar to sneak."
"Stop corrupting the unborn," Jay says, elbowing Ni-ki out of the way and replacing him at her stomach. "Hello, future CEOs of the ranch, ignore Ni-ki. You'll have better taste in music than him too."
Sunghoon kisses her cheek. "We're going to need more space."
"We have five bedrooms," Naye deadpans, trying not to laugh. "We share one, the kids each have their own, one is basically a closet, and the last one is full of art supplies and plushies that Sunoo won't admit are his."
Sunoo doesn't even deny it. "They're mine. I'm emotionally attached."
"But seriously," Jungwon says from his seat on the floor, still recovering from the emotional heart attack. "We need to start prepping. Haru and Jihoon are four. That gives us, what, maybe four more months before two new agents join the mission?"
"I already called dibs on being the stroller captain," Heeseung says, raising a hand.
"I call night shift bottle duty," Jake chimes in, then blinks. "Did I just volunteer for sleep deprivation?"
"Yes," Naye says, kissing his jaw.
"Worth it."
Jay wraps his arms around both of them. "We're going to need a bigger table."
Ni-ki pulls Haru and Jihoon into his arms and announces dramatically, "We, the House of Lee, are expanding."
Haru blinks. "Does that mean more birthday cake?"
"Double the cake," Sunoo promises.
Jihoon gasps. "DOUBLE. THE. CAKE."
Later that night, the house is warm. They're all curled up on the giant sectional. Naye tucked between Jake and Sunghoon, the twins already dozing on Heeseung and Jungwon's laps. Sunoo has a hand on her belly like he's guarding treasure, and Ni-ki's already planning matching outfits. Jay is softly strumming his guitar as he watches his family together with heart in his eyes.
There's laughter, of course. Teasing. Kisses traded back and forth like air.
And as they all gaze out the wide glass windows at the field that started it all, the field where a girl in bunny slippers changed their lives forever. They think-
This is more than they ever dreamed.
Not just a house. Not just a family. Not just a home.
Warnings: Pov switches, Medically impaired character (not mc), Death (Not Mcs), Mental Trauma, depression, slow burn, like a crazy slow burn, soulmate bonds, drama, tension, money problems, children, contracts, idol world, mlm, NO SMUT!mtba...
AN: One more chapter left. ahhhh
prev/finale
Heeseung
The living room smelled faintly of syrup and warm sunlight. Morning had melted into afternoon without anyone really noticing. And after a breakfast full of love and pancakes, the house had fallen into a gentle hush the kind that only came when no one needed anything else except each other.
It was a lazy day, the kind that settled into bones and stayed there like muscle memory.
Naye was curled between Heeseung's legs her back to his chest his arms draped loosely around her waist. They were camped on the floor, his back resting against the couch beside Sunoo's dangling legs. Sunoo had claimed the couch first, curled up with Jay in his arms. Jay's cheek buried in his shoulder, both of them half asleep and pretending not to be listening.
Ni-ki was sprawled across the big fluffy rug limbs askew like a starfish, and Jake ever the cuddler was draped over him like a human blanket chin resting on Ni-ki's shoulder as they scrolled through something on a phone neither of them was really watching.
On the recliner, Sunghoon sat with Jungwon curled into his lap like a sleepy cat, arms wrapped around his waist, eyes fluttering closed.
It was peace.
Real peace.
The kind Heeseung hadn't known he was craving until now.
Naye tilted her head back against his collarbone, fingers playing with the hem of her oversized pajama shirt, and asked casually, "So, are you guys gonna tell me how the hell you bought the whole town? And why?"
Heeseung blinked. The question wasn't unexpected he knew it was coming but still, it made something tighten in his chest.
He squeezed her waist gently leaning his chin on her shoulder. "Because I couldn't stand the idea of you losing your home. Not after losing so much already."
And it really was that simple.
She went quiet.
The others stilled too, but no one interrupted.
Heeseung continued, voice low and honest. "So I talked to the guys. Told them what was happening with the resort deal, and every single one of them agreed without hesitation. We tried to negotiate first. Tried to convince the buyers to pull out. But they wouldn't budge."
He smirked slightly, kissing her shoulder. "So we bought the company they worked for."
The room fell into silence for half a heartbeat.
And then Naye burst out laughing. Full bodied, almost tearful laughter that made her whole frame shake in his arms.
"What the hell?" she wheezed between fits. "You bought the company? Like...like you said, 'no thanks' and just bought the whole thing like a pizza?!"
That broke the rest of them.
Laughter spilled into the air like music. Jake snorted. Sunoo cackled into Jay's shoulder. Ni-ki wheezed against the floor while Jungwon covered his face with his hands. Sunghoon was shaking his head like he was done with them all.
Naye wiped under her eyes. "People are gonna think I'm a gold digger dating seven extremely wealthy men."
Heeseung chuckled, tightening his arms around her again and pressing a kiss behind her ear. "You're my favorite gold digger."
She elbowed him lightly, still laughing, but he could hear the unspoken affection in the sigh she gave after.
"But really," he said, voice a little softer now, "we did it because we didn't want to see the place we all fell in love with...you, the ranch, even the townspeople get swallowed up by strangers who didn't care about anything but profits. We wanted to protect what felt like home. And if that meant buying out a resort company and a few buildings on Main Street in a country we don't even live in, then...so be it."
She tilted her head back again, studying him, and there was something sweet and coying in her gaze now. Something that made his heartbeat stutter a little.
"But aren't you guys gonna go broke if you keep spoiling me?" she whined, dragging out the words playfully.
Jay, still nestled in Sunoo's arms replied honestly dry as ever, "We won't."
And he was right. Between endorsements, royalties, investments, and side ventures...even apart, they were stupid rich. Together? They could fund a nation. Or a small moon, probably.
"It's not about the money," Jay added, eyes closing again. "It's about restoring faith in people. Giving something back to the world that gave us each other."
That made her giggle again, and Heeseung caught her hand and laced their fingers together.
"Thank God we have Jay's dad to help us figure out this CEO stuff," Heeseung murmured. "We're artists, not businessmen."
"Hey," Ni-ki piped up from the floor, "speak for yourself. I've been managing my own underground sneaker resell empire since I was fifteen."
"Yeah, and you spend it all on anime statues," Sunghoon deadpanned.
"Shut up," Ni-ki muttered, dragging a blanket over his head as Jake snorted on top of him.
Laughter rose again, easy and familiar.
The sun peeked through the windows, warm and golden. They had no plans to leave the house today. They had no need. This was home.
And as Heeseung pulled Naye tighter against his chest, he whispered in his mind the thing he hadn't yet said aloud.
We'd buy the whole damn world if it meant you'd stay happy.
Jungwon
Jungwon was not a jealous person.
Well...he was, but not in the bitter possessive way some people meant. He just liked his people close. Liked knowing they were okay. Liked having them within reach so he could brush his knuckles across a hand or a cheek and anchor himself in what was real.
Which is why, even though Sunghoon was squeezing the life out of him arms snug around his waist as they sank deeper into the recliner together, Jungwon didn't complain. He just tilted his chin slightly and whispered, "You're holding me like a teddy bear."
Sunghoon responded by hugging tighter.
"I'm gonna bite you," Jungwon deadpanned, but made no move to escape. His head rested on Sunghoon's shoulder, his legs tucked up neatly under himself like a housecat. Sunghoon pressed a kiss to his neck that made him shiver, but he still stayed.
That's when he noticed Naye's face across the room.
She was relaxed in Heeseung's lap still tucked between his legs on the floor, her body turned sideways to talk to the others. But her lips were pursed, her brows slightly drawn, and her eyes had that cloudy little spark of curiosity quiet, respectful, but impossible to hide. Jungwon knew that look. He knew her.
Even before she parted her lips, he called it.
"You wanna know about our contract, huh?"
Naye's eyes widened like he'd just read her diary aloud. A flush rose so fast in her cheeks it reached her ears, and she immediately ducked, burying her face into the curve of Heeseung's neck with a helpless little whine.
"How did you know?" she moaned against Heeseung's skin.
The room lit up in soft laughter.
"Awwww," Jay cooed from the couch, his head on Sunoo's shoulder.
"Too cute," Ni-ki added from where he was now playing with a decorative pillow like a bored cat.
"God, I love her," Jake said through a crooked smile, eyes crinkling at the corners.
Even Heeseung chuckled low, rubbing her back with one hand as the other reached up to gently stroke through her hair. "It's okay, baby," he whispered, voice warm and husky. "No need to be embarrassed. Look at us."
Eventually and with great reluctance, she turned her head. Her cheek still pressed to Heeseung's collarbone, but her eyes found Jungwon's across the room and they were shimmering with interest and caution.
Jungwon smiled softly. "Soulmate privilege," he said with a shrug. "Comes with the whole package deal. I know everything."
He let it hang in the air just long enough for a few knowing glances and a tease from Riki about being "a creepy psychic in pajamas," before he leaned his head back and exhaled, preparing himself to speak seriously.
"Alright. So...the contract."
All eyes turned to him, and for a moment it felt like standing on stage again with every gaze focused, every heart waiting.
"It wasn't just that being idols for another seven years didn't feel right," he began, voice low but steady. "It was that...it didn't feel true anymore. We love music. God, we love music. And dancing. Performing. Creating something that moves people."
He looked down at his lap. Sunghoon's hand shifted slightly on his hip.
"But after we left the farm something shifted. We thought we were ready to go back. That the break was what we needed. But it wasn't just the break. It was..." He paused. "It was you, Naye."
He glanced at her, and saw the way she curled her fingers around Heeseung's wrist, holding on tighter.
"You were peace. You were normal. You were everything we didn't know we were missing until we had it. And when we went back to Seoul, the lights felt colder. The noise sharper. The schedules tighter. The same routines that once felt thrilling now felt...like cages."
Naye swallowed hard.
"And the contract?" she asked gently, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jungwon's jaw ticked.
"We signed for seven years," he said. "It was supposed to end already. But somewhere along the way, probably when we got stupid and famous they added a clause. Silent extension. Another seven years. No discussion."
Naye gasped. "But that's illegal-"
"Exactly." Jungwon smiled wryly. "We didn't know. Or maybe we ignored it. Too busy. Too trusting. But when we started to question it, started to push back things got messy."
Everyone was quiet now. Even the air itself felt still.
"When we left the farm, we were already almost halfway into our eighth year," he said. "But no one had said anything about renewal. No discussion. No options. Just more tours. More appearances. More work. And suddenly it felt like we had no say in our lives anymore."
He looked up again. Met Naye's eyes and held them. "I couldn't ask the others to live like that anymore. Couldn't ask myself to."
Naye's lips parted. Her expression was unreadable. And then she sat up straighter.
"You know what," she said slowly, carefully, as if weighing every word. "I never want to hear any of you say you hated those eight years."
Jungwon blinked. "Naye-"
"Because you didn't," she said, firmer now. "You didn't hate them. You just...outgrew them."
She stood slowly, walked across the room and knelt in front of him. Her fingers found his and held them tightly.
"That was your first love. The music. The stage. The fans. It was a beautiful love, and it ran cold...and that happens. But you don't lose your first love. Not really. It just buries itself until it's ready to breathe again."
Tears blurred his vision before he realized they were even forming.
"You don't have to go back to being idols. I don't care if you ever release another song again. I just care that you're here. Happy. Free. But if one day you wake up and the music wants to be born again. I'll be there. Beside the stage, in the wings, holding your water bottle, fixing your mic, cheering the loudest. Every damn time."
And just like that he broke.
Jungwon's face crumpled and he pulled her into his arms so tightly the others moved without thinking, surrounding them like a ripple of warmth. Jake pressed in from one side, Riki from the other, Heeseung came up behind her, Jay and Sunoo curved in together, Sunghoon rested his forehead to the back of Jungwon's neck.
A soul circle. No beginning, no end. Just them.
And Jungwon sobbed. Big, aching sobs into her shoulder as she ran her hand through his hair and whispered again, "I'll be there."
There wasn't a dry eye in the room.
Not because they regretted anything.
But because they finally understood everything.
And Jungwon, leader, dreamer, boy who never let anyone see him fall; felt safe to fall apart just this once in the arms of the people who would always catch him.
Sunoo
After Jungwon finally stopped crying, something shifted.
It wasn't loud. It wasn't even obvious. But Sunoo felt it in his lungs first, the way air slipped in smoother, easier, like it wasn't being choked back by unshed emotion anymore. The way it carried differently through the house lighter and warmer. There was a quiet kind of peace delicate and glowing like the first hour after a storm breaks and the rain finally stops falling.
Jungwon had broken.
And thank God.
Because it meant they were healing.
Sunoo didn't cry, not this time. He'd cried enough lately. But he smiled. Soft and genuine and deep in his chest, because watching their leader their rock, their compass, the one who had been holding them steady since they were barely old enough to vote; finally unravel in the arms of the people who loved him most. That was everything.
He loved Jungwon.
God, he loved all of them.
But seeing Jungwon finally let go of the burden he carried made Sunoo's heart ache in a different way. Not the sharp helpless ache of grief or guilt but the good kind. The kind that cracked open your chest so more light could get in.
And here they were.
Still curled on the floor in the center of the living room like a pile of soft limbs and fuzzy pajamas, bodies slumped against each other like sleepy lions. The room smelled like pancakes and comfort and the faint scent of Naye's vanilla shampoo from where her head now rested against Jake's thigh. Someone...Ni-ki-had stolen one of the throw blankets and flung it over half the group like a lazy net.
Sunoo had ended up tucked next to Jay their fingers lazily brushing between them. Sunghoon's calf thrown over both their legs from where he'd leaned sideways. Jungwon was lying flat now, head in Heeseung's lap and Naye hadn't moved far she was always near, like gravity.
And for the first time in...maybe forever, Sunoo thought.
Here, no one has a role.
Not leader.
Not main vocal.
Not visual.
Not maknae.
Not 'the bright one,' not 'the serious one,' not 'the one who always smiles.'
Just them.
Just people.
Seven men who had given everything they had to a dream that shaped them, and one woman who somehow brought that dream to rest gently in their hands, saying it was okay to put it down now.
Sunoo pressed his cheek to the soft fabric of Jay's sweater and stared at the ceiling.
God, it felt good to say it in his head.
Home.
That's what this was. Not just a place. Not just a house or a ranch or a patch of quiet land where stars could actually be seen at night.
This was home.
Because they were all still here.
They had all come back.
And now that they had, none of them could bear to be apart again. Even now, even just for a few seconds everyone had shifted during the group hug, rearranged themselves naturally into little clusters of affection but no one left the room. No one stood up. They just gravitated toward warmth like they couldn't risk being cold ever again.
Sunoo got it. He really got it.
Everything that had happened the past few months. The tearful arguments, the crushing silence after they left the farm, the way they each drifted into their own corners of solitude once the idol world tried to pull them back in. It had hurt. Being away from each other, and worse, being away from her.
From Naye.
And now, he didn't want even a sliver of space between them until every bruise had been bandaged. Until every word that needed to be said had been spoken. Until the fear of losing each other again no longer wrapped around their ankles like iron chains.
So, yeah.
There was more to talk about.
They'd made a promise of no more secrets. No more swallowing things for the sake of peace. No more protecting each other with silence.
The truth had brought them this far.
It would carry them the rest of the way.
Sunoo shifted a little, lifted his head from Jay's shoulder, and looked around at all the people who meant everything.
His throat burned softly. Not from sadness.
From readiness.
He had something to say.
And so, just before he spoke.
The room held its breath.
Jake
Jake held his breath.
There wasn't a specific reason not at first just a shift in the air. Subtle. Like something unsaid had brushed the walls of the room and left it humming in anticipation. He'd been lounging back on the floor his head resting against the curve of Ni-ki's shoulder, fingers loosely twined with Naye's where she sat next to him.
Now his spine straightened the tiniest bit.
His eyes flicked toward Sunoo.
There was something in the younger boy's face a flicker of courage trying to bubble up past hesitation. Jake knew that look. All of them knew that look. And then it came.
"Do you want to talk about your mom?"
Sunoo's voice was so soft, it might've fallen through the cracks in the wooden floorboards if the room hadn't gone so quiet.
Jake's heart dropped into his stomach.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about it. They all had. Naye had lost her father before they met her, and her mother after they were gone, and even though she smiled like summer and laughed like she never tasted grief, he knew. She carried sorrow in her bones, like a slow song always playing under the surface.
But so much had happened; meeting them, falling in love, losing them, finding them again, letting them back in and somewhere in the chaos, the mourning had disappeared from conversation.
Had she even had time to grieve?
Jake stared at her, every muscle in his body tense. He wanted to say something to interrupt, to protect her from the ache of it but her thumb began gently stroking over the back of his hand, soft and grounding, and he stilled.
She knew.
Of course she knew. She always did.
And then she smiled.
Not big or bright. Just this small, soft expression that felt like watching a candle flame flicker in a dark room. Her gaze didn't go to anyone at first. She just tilted her head back against the couch and stared up at the ceiling like it held stars only she could see.
So everyone followed her lead.
Seven men and one girl. All of them with their heads tilted toward the sky.
She didn't rush.
She just breathed.
And then, like the ceiling had whispered a memory down to her-
"She passed the day I ran out of the house," Naye said gently, like her voice had been dipped in something warm. "You know that part already. So I won't talk about the day. I won't talk about how it happened or the silence that came after. You already know those pieces of the story."
Jake's throat tightened. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
She squeezed back.
"But the funeral..." she began, "that's what I remember most clearly."
Her eyes were distant now, but there was no fog in them just clarity. Like she had walked through the worst of it and come out stronger on the other side.
"I took all the money we made from our strawberry stand, every won from the bake sale. I wanted her to have the best, you know? Not the most expensive. Not the most extravagant. Just the best. The most her."
She paused to breathe, her other hand still absentmindedly tracing lines across Jake's knuckles.
"We held it in the same hall she used to volunteer at every spring. She always said it smelled like rice and lilies. I picked lilies for the flowers. White ones. And I made sure the rice was warm and fluffy for everyone who came. The whole town showed up. Mr. Kim, the lady who ran the post office, the old man who used to scold us for running too loud down the sidewalk." Her smile tugged a little higher. "They all came."
Jay reached for her ankle and rested his palm there, grounding.
"She used to sing this old trot song when she cleaned the house. Said it kept her company. So when we lit the candles that night, the entire town sang it with me. Loud and off key and messy. She would've loved that."
Jake could barely breathe now.
"And then someone. I think it was Mirae from the café, she brought out firecrackers. Big colorful ones, the kind that whistle first before they bloom." She laughed through her nose. "My mom loved firecrackers. Said they were like laughter in the sky. We let them off all night."
She went quiet for a moment, still looking up.
Jake blinked the burn from his eyes.
"And I was sad," she admitted softly. "I am sad. I wish I had been there. I wish I had more time. I wish I could hear her laugh one more time. But..."
Her voice didn't tremble. It never did when it came to this part. Jake had a feeling she'd rehearsed these words with herself a hundred times before ever saying them aloud.
"...but she always told me something when I was little. I didn't understand it then. I barely understand it now. But I remember it."
She closed her eyes, reciting from memory.
"When someone you love leaves this world, you don't lose them. They just change addresses. They stop living next to you, and start living inside you. So carry them gently, and visit often. And one day, when it's your time to go, you'll find they were just waiting to open the door."
The room was silent.
No one moved.
Not even Ni-ki.
Not even Jay.
Jake swallowed thickly, because suddenly he realized what she was doing. She wasn't just sharing her story. She was giving them a key to something deeper showing them that grief didn't always mean breaking.
That it could be soft, and warm, and rooted in love.
She opened her eyes again, still focused on the ceiling.
"I won't lie and say it doesn't still hurt. There's always going to be a large space in my chest the size of my parents. A little emptiness only their voices could fill. But sadness doesn't last forever. I think..."
She turned her head then, eyes finding Jake's.
"I think there's always something to look forward to. And I have you now. I have all of you. I have Sunday sunsets and burnt pancake mornings and Ni-ki trying to prank me at 2am. I have music again. Laughter again. Love again."
Jake couldn't stop the tears if he tried.
They slipped down his cheeks silently, but he didn't hide them.
Not now.
He reached up and cupped her face, pulling her closer without a word. Her forehead pressed to his, their breaths mingling softly.
"I love you," he whispered, his voice cracking.
She smiled, forehead still against his.
"I know."
And she did.
God, she did.
Because she loved him too.
All of them.
And somehow, that was enough to mend things that had once felt too broken to touch.
Naye
God, she loves them.
There's no other way to describe the overwhelming feeling inside her chest. This ache, this flutter, this burn that feels like home.
She's seated now, still nestled beside Jake on the rug covered floor her back leaned slightly against Heeseung's thigh. The house is quiet but alive warmth simmering in the air like something sacred has taken root between the walls.
Her fingers are wrapped around Jake's, tracing slow lines over his knuckles feeling the soft brush of his skin against her own. She's not sure how long they've been sitting like this, hearts open, truths spoken, old pain turned over into new beginnings.
But there's still one thing she doesn't know.
Still one thing curled around the edges of her heart.
She lifts her gaze not urgently, not nervously, but softly and looks around the room at them all, these seven men who have given her everything without ever asking her to be anything but herself.
"Can I ask one more thing?" she murmurs, still playing with Jake's hand.
Every head lifts. Every gaze falls on her with the kind of love that makes her cheeks heat.
She hesitates, then chuckles at herself. "I just realized I never actually asked...how does it work?"
They blink at her.
"The bond," she says, looking down at her lap, her voice small but honest. "The soulmate thing. Between all of you. Between me and you. I want to understand it. What it really means."
There's silence, but not the tense kind. It's more like the hush before a note is struck, the kind of quiet that settles when people are gathering the words that matter most.
Jungwon is the first to speak, voice thoughtful.
"It's not easy to explain," he says gently. "Because it's not just one thing."
"It's...everything," Heeseung adds, eyes soft as he runs his hand down her back. "There's no beginning or end to it. No clear starting line."
Sunoo, still leaning against Jay's chest, hums. "It's more like...we were always meant to find each other. Like the moment we were born, the thread was already there."
"Yeah," Jay murmurs. "A bond like this, soulmate bonds..they're deeper than fate. They connect our hearts, our bodies, our souls. Even our music. Our song only exists for each other."
"You could say we were written into the same melody," Sunghoon says from his corner, still cradling Jungwon's hand in his. "Our harmonies...they only make sense together."
Naye looks around slowly, the weight of their words pulling her closer to something ancient and beautiful.
Jake continues, voice hushed like it's sacred. "There's this...quiet knowing between us. Like no matter how far apart we are, we can feel when one of us hurts. When one of us laughs. When someone's scared. It's not just emotional it's in our bones. Our heartbeat changes for each other."
Ni-ki, lying comfortably on his back with one arm thrown lazily behind his head, adds, "And it's not always loud. Sometimes it's subtle. Just...knowing that someone is there. That you're never alone, even when you're by yourself."
"It doesn't demand anything," Heeseung says, watching her closely. "It won't ever force itself on you. But it's always there. Quiet. Constant. Unshakeable."
Naye swallows thickly. "So...I'm part of that now?"
Jay leans forward slightly. "You always were."
Her eyes begin to sting.
"Even when we didn't know it was you," Jungwon says. "We felt you missing."
"And now?" she asks.
Jake smiles softly. "Now, we're whole."
She exhales shakily and leans further into Jake, the love swelling so deeply it hurts a little. "And I don't have to do anything?"
"No," Sunoo says, his voice bright. "But you can."
She tilts her head. "Like what?"
There's a beat of silence, and then she grins mischief sparking in her eyes like the flicker of flame in the dark.
"Well, if we're soulmates..." she begins, "I want kisses."
The room erupts.
Jake lets out a choked laugh as Heeseung tosses his head back dramatically, clutching his chest like she just struck him with lightning. Jay groans into his hands while Sunoo falls over laughing. Sunghoon chuckles lowly a smirk creeping across his lips. And Jungwon, ever the composed one hides his laugh in his shoulder.
"You want kisses?" Ni-ki teases from the floor. "Really?"
"Plural?" Jake echoes, grinning so hard it aches.
She shrugs playfully, her smile innocent and her cheeks flushed. "Well, yeah. You're all mine now, right? Might as well make it official."
"God," Heeseung groans. "You're dangerous."
"I told you," Jay mutters. "We should've made her sign a no teasing clause."
She laughs full and bright and unafraid.
And the sound wraps around them like a promise.
There's no beginning or end to them.
They are somewhere in between.
Held together not by strings, but by songs that only their hearts can hear.
Soulmates.
Not because fate said so.
But because they chose each other every time.
And Naye, tangled in the limbs of seven beautiful, brilliant, impossibly good men, finally understood.
This wasn't just love.
It was home.
And she was never letting go.
She can feel it humming.
In the floorboards, in the walls, in the soft rise and fall of their breathing. In the silence that has become their comfort rather than something to fill.
It's in the quiet glances and the way Jake's fingers are still loosely intertwined with hers. In the way Sunoo keeps bumping his knee gently against Jay's just to make him roll his eyes. In the way Sunghoon's hand rests protectively on Jungwon's thigh like he's anchoring them both.
They're all looking at her now, eyes soft, hearts open, waiting.
So she tells them.
"You don't have to be anything when you're with me."
They blink, like her words just reached a part of them they didn't realize was still tender.
"I mean it," she says, voice softer now, threaded with the kind of honesty that makes people fall in love. "You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to smile on cue or say the right thing. You don't have to pretend you're fine when you're not. You don't have to carry everything alone. I don't expect you to be flawless, because I'm not either."
Her gaze sweeps across the room, meeting every pair of eyes like she's imprinting them into memory. "I want you to be you. And I want to be that for you too. I'm all in. Every messy, uncertain, terrifying piece of it. I'm not going anywhere."
The shift in the room is so real it could knock the wind from your chest.
Jungwon's eyes go glassy again, but he bites back the emotion with a smile so bright it softens all his sharp edges. Jay is nodding with the kind of reverence saved for sacred things. Heeseung doesn't say a word, but his hand comes up and brushes a thumb down her cheek, silently saying me too.
All of them look like they're breathing for the first time.
She watches them for a beat longer before her lips twitch, mischief curling in her voice.
"Though," she adds, tilting her head innocently, "you might want to start figuring out which one of you is waking up with the babies at 3 a.m., because I'm thinking four kids sounds pretty perfect."
Dead. Silence.
"FOUR?" Jake sputters, his whole body jolting.
"Baby," Sunoo gasps, already fanning himself like he's overheated. "You're insane. I love you...but four?"
Jay flops backwards dramatically like her words personally betrayed him. "Do you know how expensive diapers are?!"
"I volunteer as uncle only," Jungwon mutters, face already pink as he side eyes Sunghoon, who is very much pretending to be asleep.
"Too late," she singsongs. "You're all on the hook."
That's when Ni-ki lunges. "Nope. I'm stopping this now." She shrieks as he yanks her right into his arms, pulling her down onto the rug with zero remorse and zero warning.
"Riki!" she gasps through giggles, already thrashing, but he pins her easily, devilish grin wide on his face.
"This is what you get for trying to kill us with baby talk!" he declares, fingers digging into her sides mercilessly.
"Stop! Stop I can't!"
The others are howling. Jake is doubled over wheezing. Heeseung is cackling like a villain. Sunoo is crying from laughter. Jay is shouting, "GET HER AGAIN SHE SAID FOUR," and Jungwon's hopelessly hiding behind a pillow while Sunghoon just stares, amused but very much not helping.
Naye's laughter fills the room like a warm wind in spring, free and bright and endless.
Eventually, Ni-ki collapses beside her arm thrown over her waist, and she rolls onto her back breathless as the others sprawl out again around them like a soft sea of tangled limbs and fond sighs.
No one says anything for a while.
Because they don't need to.
The air smells faintly of pancakes and pine. The sound of cicadas hums through the open windows. Somewhere far off, the barn wind chime sings in the breeze.
They're all curled together in a sleepy heap on the living room floor, pajamas wrinkled, hearts full, and bodies wrapped around each other like they've always belonged like this.
And maybe they did.
Because home was never a place. Not really.
Home was Jake's quiet smile and Heeseung's anchoring arms. It was Jungwon's knowing gaze and Sunghoon's soft touches. It was Sunoo's fiery light and Jay's grounded warmth. It was Ni-ki's laughter pressed to her cheek, and her own heart choosing them over and over again.
Warnings: Pov switches, Medically impaired character (not mc), Death (Not Mcs), Mental Trauma, depression, slow burn, like a crazy slow burn, soulmate bonds, drama, tension, money problems, children, contracts, idol world, mlm, NO SMUT!mtba...
AN: My Shaylasssssss
prev/next
They didn't hesitate.
Not a single one.
The second the words "So what do you want?" left her mouth, it was like a fuse had been lit set deep in the center of their chests and suddenly, all seven of them burst open like fireworks in summer skies.
Voices layered on top of one another, overlapping, tumbling, tripping over each other in urgency and rawness, like they'd been waiting their whole lives to finally speak without filter.
"We want to stay here," one of them said, maybe Sunghoon his voice low and certain. "On this land. With you. Forever."
"We want to marry you, each other" Jake added breathless, hands balled at his sides like he couldn't stop himself from shaking. "Someday. Somehow. However you'll let us."
"We want to have children with you," Sunoo whispered fiercely, eyes burning as he stepped closer, "babies that look like you and yell like us."
"We want to grow old here," Jungwon said, firm and gentle all at once, "in this town where everyone knows everyone and where we're just the guys on the ranch who fell in love with the girl who ran it."
Heeseung's voice cracked as he added, "We want to take you to meet our parents. Tell them that you are the best thing that's ever happened to us."
Jay's voice followed, soft but wrecked. "We want to hold you when you cry...and for you to hold us back when we break too."
"And kisses," Ni-ki mumbled blunt and boyish and so achingly sincere it nearly crushed her. "Kisses at 3 a.m. when none of us can sleep. Kisses when we wake up. Kisses when we're working. All of them."
"Teasing," Sunghoon said again, almost bashful this time. "Everywhere. All the time. I want to hear your laugh every day, even when I'm grumpy."
"I want us to never miss another moment with you," Jungwon confessed, voice tighter now, closer. "I want breakfasts with burnt food and chores we never finish because we get distracted. I want lazy Sunday afternoons in the barn, and hay in our hair, and movie nights where no one can agree on what to watch."
"And I want you to yell at us when we're stupid," Jay added. "Because it means we're yours to yell at."
They were all talking now, one after the other. Heeseung saying something about learning to fully speak English just to make her smile; Sunoo promising he'd build her a flower field three times the size of her porch garden if she let him. Jake rambling about how he'd be the best ranch dad and teach their kids to chase chickens. Ni-ki blurting that he'd name a cow after her, then hastily correcting it to a pretty cow because he panicked.
They weren't holding back.
Not now.
And still none of them touched her.
But they stepped closer.
One by one, without needing to look at each other for permission. Closing the gap, slowly until she was standing in the middle of a half circle of the seven men who had crashed into her life like lightning and stayed like the sun.
They didn't reach for her.
But they surrounded her, as if their hearts alone might be enough.
And Naye just stood there wide eyed, breathing hard, fingers still clutching the edges of her sundress, heart threatening to break open from the inside out.
Because this overwhelming mess of voices and confessions and dreams...this was what she'd been holding her breath for all this time.
They were finally being selfish.
And it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
Sunghoon
She moved before anyone could speak.
From where Sunghoon stood, every muscle in his body still tight from heartbreak, it looked like Naye was reaching into the pocket of her sundress. Her hand curled around something, fingers slow, careful like what she held was delicate despite the obvious weight of it.
And then she was walking.
To him.
His breath hitched. He couldn't read her face not fully. Her eyes were tired wet at the corners, but there was something calm swimming there now. Something so soft it made his ribs ache.
"Naye..." he barely whispered, but she stopped right in front of him.
Her voice was quiet now. No longer angry. No longer shaking the earth beneath his feet.
"Sunghoon," she said, "Hold your hand out."
He did. Of course he did. And when she pressed something into his palm, cold, heavy, metallic, he gently curled his fingers shut around it, he didn't dare move. He felt the weight of it through every bone in his arm.
She didn't wait for a reaction. Just moved on one by one to the rest.
Jake next, then Jay, then Ni-ki. Each of them standing frozen like deer under moonlight. She stepped in front of Heeseung after that, her thumb brushing the back of his hand as she closed his fingers around the object. Then Jungwon. And last, Sunoo who blinked at her with glossy glimmering eyes before nodding silently.
Then she stepped back. Just a little. Just enough.
And she spoke.
"I made those three weeks after you left."
Seven heads snapped to attention. Sunghoon felt a strange twist in his chest. The item in his palm throbbed like a second heartbeat.
"That night," she went on, voice quiet but sharp like flint, "I read a fan letter online. Someone had written it to Enhypen, saying they should quit the idol life..that they didn't look forward to it anymore. That their eyes didn't shine the same."
Her lips trembled, just slightly.
"And I agreed."
No one breathed.
"I'd never seen your eyes look so hollow until I watched one of your old lives that night. Couldn't sleep, and there you all were. Smiling. But not really." She looked down. "Not like here. Not like...with me."
Sunghoon's chest burned.
"I knew, somehow, that one day you'd find your way back. To whatever place felt like home. And maybe...maybe it wouldn't be here, and that would've been okay," she said, eyes flicking up again. "But I prayed. I prayed it was here. I wanted it to be."
Her voice dropped lower, barely a whisper now. "So I made those that same night."
She fell silent.
And as if on cue, seven fists slowly uncurled. Sunghoon's eyes locked onto what rested in his hand and his breath caught.
A key.
Simple, metal. The kind that would unlock a gate. Or a door. Or...a heart. Attached to it was a tiny wood burned tag. It had a number carved into it. Each one different. Each one meaningful.
His hand trembled.
And then he knew. He knew what it meant. He knew everything.
This was home.
His vision blurred and all the tension, the fear, the disbelief, it shattered and he moved before he could think.
He reached for her.
Not like someone breaking, but someone healing.
Someone being rebranded.
His arms slid around her waist and he picked her up, sweeping her off her feet with a choked laugh and her startled squeal ringing out as he spun her around like the world had finally righted itself.
And then came the chaos.
Jake shouted something joyful, Sunoo screamed, "You beat me to it!" and suddenly there were arms and legs and laughter as the others joined no hesitation, no fear, just that undeniable pull they'd fought for too long.
The next thing Sunghoon knew, they were all on the ground.
A beautiful, tangled, messy dog pile of limbs and laughter and sobs and breathless joy, heavy but soft enough not to squish him or her.
And at the center of it all was Naye.
Flat on her back in the wheatfield grass, hair fanned out like dark petals, dress rumpled like she'd been plucked from a sunflower patch and laid out for worship.
She looked up at the sky through the mess of bodies, breathless and blinking.
Smiling.
Sunghoon watched her through the crook of someone's elbow, heart splitting wide open with something that was no longer pain.
This time it was everything.
Jungwon
They hadn't let her go.
Not once.
Not when they walked back to the house, shoulders bumping in stunned silence, the sun setting low like it was folding them all into something warmer than the world had allowed them for far too long.
Not when they each took turns hanging the keys she gave them on the wooden plaque in the hallway seven hooks that would've stayed empty if not for her hope.
Not when they slipped off their shoes and stepped barefoot through the kitchen like they belonged there.
And not even when they climbed the stairs and entered her bedroom, their bedroom now, maybe. That was still unspoken. But the way they held her told him everything. Someone always had a hand on her. A palm on her back. Fingers looped with hers. A cheek brushing her shoulder. Gentle things. Grounding things. They'd lost her once and that was enough.
And now...
Now, they were all curled up like vines on the bed arms around arms, legs tangled, warmth and breath and belonging.
Jungwon had his arms wrapped around her. His chin tucked against her head, her body nestled to his chest. He could feel the way her breath slowed, the way her spine relaxed under his touch.
She was asleep.
So were the others.
But he wasn't.
Not yet.
His eyes stayed open, staring at the ceiling, then the string lights that framed the windows. The wind whispered softly outside, the way it always did out here, rustling wheat and coaxing quiet.
Sweet things come to those who wait.
That thought came and didn't leave.
And he didn't regret a damn thing.
At twenty three, Jungwon had lived a life most people wouldn't survive.
A leader before he had grown into his own emotions.
A soldier to his own dreams.
A child with ambition, who signed away his youth for flashing lights and crowd screams. And he didn't hate it not exactly. But sometimes, in the silence of the backstage or the loneliness of hotel beds, he had felt it.
The loss.
His life hadn't always felt like his.
Until now.
Now it was restored.
With the six men whose love had always held him steady. With her, the girl with soft eyes and a fire inside that warmed rather than burned. With this ranch, where the air tasted like healing and the sky seemed to love them more.
His soulmates.
His boyfriends.
His girlfriend.
And this bed, creaking slightly under the weight of all their hearts.
This was everything.
And as his eyes finally fluttered shut, he pulled her just an inch closer.
Home wasn't a place.
It was them.
And they weren't going anywhere.
Ni-ki
The morning sun was creeping through the curtains in thin golden lines, casting soft patterns over the tangled mess of blankets and limbs. The bed was quieter now, the hum of the house below just beginning to stir. Bare footsteps, a creaky cabinet, the clatter of a pan. The others had tiptoed down earlier, whispering that the two youngest should sleep more.
But Ni-ki wasn't asleep.
Not anymore.
He blinked slowly, the heaviness of rest still draped across his body like a second blanket but none of that mattered. Not when a quarter of his whole world was sleeping in his arms, curled so tightly against his chest like her body had been made to fit right there.
Her hair smelled like fresh air and faint vanilla. Her skin was warm, and her cheek was squished slightly where it rested against his collarbone. Every slow breath she took passed against his throat, and he thought no dream ever felt this real.
And he wasn't going to waste a second of it.
He watched her for a while. Eyes tracing the slope of her nose, the flutter of her lashes, the soft rise and fall of her chest. Just watching.
Just loving.
Until he couldn't help himself.
"Pretty girl," he whispered softly, then pressed a featherlight kiss to the tip of her ear. Her face twitched just barely.
He grinned.
Another kiss this time to her cheek.
Then her temple.
Then her other cheek.
Then the bridge of her nose.
Each one slower than the last, his heart beating louder with every pass of his lips. He skipped her mouth on purpose, grazing just above and then beside. Her lips were closed, but her breath had changed. Deeper. Awake, but still pretending. Her little trick.
He kissed her chin.
And then her jaw.
And when her button nose scrunched, he laughed under his breath.
"You're so obvious," he murmured into her skin, and the warmth of her arms tightened around him. He felt her legs shift beneath the covers, parting slightly, instinctively, to make more room for him as he leaned more of his weight into her.
"I already knew it was Pretty Riki," she whispered, voice all husky sleep and stubborn fondness, her lashes lifting slowly.
And he died.
He was sure of it.
He must've waited a hundred years to hear her say that.
He didn't respond not with words.
Instead, his lips finally came down on hers.
Not rushed. Not desperate. Not like he was afraid she would disappear again.
They had time now.
They had forever.
Her lips were soft. Warmer than he imagined. And the taste, God, she tasted like strawberries. Sweet and fresh, like she'd had them right before bed, or maybe she'd just been made of them all along. He kissed her again, deeper this time, and she kissed him back like she had always known this was coming. Like she'd been waiting too.
His hand slipped around her jaw, holding her still as he slanted his mouth over hers, coaxing rather than demanding. Her lips parted under the brush of his tongue, and he tasted more of her, a soft hum catching in his throat that made her fingers tighten in the fabric of his shirt.
She shifted, wrapping her legs fully around his waist now, anchoring him there like she had no plans of letting him go. Her hands, small but certain smoothed down his back, curling under the hem of his shirt like she just needed skin. Needed him.
They breathed into each other, their mouths moving slowly, learning each other the way soulmates do when there's no fear left, only want.
He kissed her like he was memorizing her mouth.
Because he was.
Like she was a melody he finally heard in full.
And she kissed him like she knew he was hers.
The world could've ended and he wouldn't have noticed.
Because in this moment-
Ni-ki was just a boy in love.
With his chaos twin.
His best friend.
The girl who followed every one of his dumb ideas and made them shine.
The girl who cried when he cried, who always made space beside her, who once ate ice cream with him at 2 AM because he was shaking and didn't want to say why.
This was his first kiss with her.
His real first kiss with her.
And if it were up to him, she would be the last female he ever kissed again.
Naye
The stairs creaked beneath her bare feet as Naye padded her way down, tugging Riki along behind her by the sleeve of his oversized sleep shirt. Her pajama shorts barely peeked out from under the hem of one of his old hoodies, and her hair was still slightly tangled from sleep, lips still tasting faintly like strawberries and sin.
But the house smelled like heaven, eggs, spices, something sweet and sticky, for sure Jay's doing. Her stomach growled, and she giggled, nudging Riki with her elbow.
When they turned the corner into the kitchen, she was met with a sight that made her blink and then burst out laughing.
All of them all five of her soulmate idiots were in pajamas. Actual pajamas.
Heeseung had mismatched socks and his hair in complete disarray. Jake wore flannel pants and a hoodie that had I'm too pretty to cook written on it. Sunoo was in a full pink matching set that looked suspiciously expensive. Jungwon had his usual stoic face paired with duck print bottoms, and Jay had an apron tied over his bare chest, clearly the cook of the hour. Sunghoon? He wore a plain black tee and sweats, the safest of the bunch, but his expression screamed don't comment on it.
Naye raised a brow, barely containing a smirk.
"What's going on here?" she asked, her voice still soft from sleep. "Are we having a pajama party today?"
"No plans to leave this house for the next forty two hours," Jungwon muttered without looking up from his coffee.
"I cook better in pajamas," Jay said with a dramatic shrug, cracking an egg into a sizzling pan.
"Sunoo made us all commit to the bit," Sunghoon added dryly, though he was already chewing a piece of toast.
"Pajamas are superior," Jake said with a mouthful of something, likely banana bread.
Naye chuckled, heart swelling as she moved around the table light and quick as she stole a piece of dried anchovy banchan from the middle plate.
Everyone was reaching for food like vultures, Jay plopped down into the empty seat beside her with a dramatic sigh as he spoke, "Gremlins. All of you. Can't even wait for the rice to finish."
"You're literally chewing," Sunoo pointed out.
Naye turned to Jay, her smile playful, warm. He blinked. "What?"
She reached up and tapped his cheek with her finger. "Thanks, Jongie." And before he could react, she leaned in and pressed a soft, quick kiss to his lips.
Just a peck.
Barely a breath.
But still their first.
Jay's entire body froze like someone had hit pause on his soul.
Then she grabbed a spoonful of another banchan dish and turned back to her plate like nothing happened, chewing like the world wasn't on fire.
Across the table, Riki had paused only long enough to grin with his eyes, then shoved another pancake into his mouth, looking far too proud of himself.
Silence. For a single beat.
"WHAT WAS THAT?" Jake shouted, nearly toppling out of his chair.
"NOT FAIR WHY DOES JAY GET THE FIRST KISS?" Sunghoon barked, nearly flinging his toast.
"I CONFESSED HERE FIRST," Heeseung accused, eyes wide.
Sunoo's mouth was open in actual offense. "YOU'RE NOT EVEN HER FAVORITE! THATS RIKI!"
"I am now," Jay whispered, eyes still wide, ears burning red.
"Actually..." Riki mumbled around another bite of pancake, raising a hand lazily. "Too late."
Chaos.
Absolute chaos.
Jungwon was rubbing his temples. Sunoo was throwing grapes. Jake tried to climb across the table. Jay looked like he was being resurrected and electrocuted at the same time. Naye was giggling into her hand, pretending to focus on her food, but her shoulders shook with contained laughter.
And Ni-ki? Ni-ki was just grinning like the devil with syrup on his cheek.
The kitchen rang with shouts, mock betrayal, and ridiculous declarations of kiss justice.
But no one left. No one pulled away. Because this was home now.
And for the first time, the house felt like it wasn't just hers anymore.
It was theirs.
The chatter was loud. The plates were full. The boys were being dramatic and idiotic and perfect. Her cheeks still ached from smiling. Someone was complaining about the uneven distribution of banchan. Someone else was asking if pancakes counted as a vegetable.
She had a mouth full of food when it came so soft, she almost missed it. "...You sure you want to keep us?"
The words were folded in a breath, so quiet she thought maybe she imagined it. But the voice was unmistakable.
Jake.
She turned her head slowly, catching him looking down at his plate like it might offer forgiveness for the question. It would have been easy to laugh it off. He tried, to forced a sheepish grin as if it were just another joke. One of his usual playful little quips.
But her heart dropped straight through her chest and down to her stomach, like it had missed a step and kept falling.
Because it wasn't just a joke.
Jake had asked a question that every single one of them had been holding behind their ribs like broken glass, too afraid to breathe too hard and cut themselves open.
She knew.
She always knew.
Their eyes were still watching her even if they weren't asking. Do you still want us? Are you sure? Even now?
She stood up without a word, her chair sliding back.
The table fell into silence.
Jake looked up startled, then a little nervous until she walked around and sat down beside him, close enough that their thighs brushed. She took his hand in both of hers like it was something sacred. He blinked, heart in his throat, as the others quieted completely.
Even Ni-ki had stopped chewing as he watched.
Her voice was steady but soft as she looked at Jake. Not the idol, not the funny charmer, not the heart of the group. Just her Jakey.
"I want you," she said, her thumb running softly across the top of his hand. "All of you."
His eyes met hers, and they were sad in a way she couldn't bear. So she raised her other hand and caressed his face gently tilting it toward her.
"I want your cuddles," she said. "Your quiet time and your loud time. I want our walks, and our drives, and our sleepy glances. I want fingers brushing and hands holding, secrets whispered, music too loud in the car, and movies with your head in my lap."
Jake's eyes shimmered, lips parting like he might interrupt. But she shook her head and went on.
"I want to bake with you. Burn things with you. Cook terribly and then order takeout with you. I want all the things that make you who you are."
And then she looked around, making sure every eye was locked with hers.
"I want all of you," she said again, firmer this time and louder. "I want you to stay here. On the ranch. In my house. No, our house."
Jake's hand tightened in hers. She held it tighter.
"I want the trips into town. I want to grow old here with you all. I want to watch you get married...and then I want you to marry me too," she laughed lightly, cheeks heating. "I want kids..multiple. So they're never lonely. So they have each other, like you have each other. Like I have you."
The air shifted. Something loosened.
She looked at Jake again.
"I want to watch the sunset every Sunday with you, so every new week starts with love. I want all of it. You're mine, and I'm yours. Always."
Tears slipped out of Jake's eyes, but she beat him to the punch leaning forward and wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders. He folded into her immediately, face in her neck, arms around her waist like she was his beginning and end.
Warnings: Pov switches, Medically impaired character (not mc), Death (Not Mcs), Mental Trauma, depression, slow burn, like a crazy slow burn, soulmate bonds, drama, tension, money problems, children, contracts, idol world, mlm, NO SMUT!mtba...
AN: I took a little inspiration from 10 things I hate about you. I love that movie.
prev/next
Ni-ki
She pulls away.
At first, it's her fingers slipping from his shirt her warmth retreating like a tide. But when she backs away without a glance, without a word, and then runs. Runs from him like he's fire and she's already burned; the sound in Ni-ki's chest isn't a metaphor. It's real. A crack. Like bones splitting down the middle.
He doesn't chase her.
He can't.
His legs won't move. His mind won't work. His heart is doing something in his chest he's never felt before. It's not breaking but it's folding in on itself, like it's embarrassed to keep beating.
Someone's hand finds his shoulder...Jake's, maybe. It's warm, grounding, but it doesn't help. Someone's sniffling...Sunoo, or maybe even Jay. Jungwon is silent but trembling. Sunghoon is rigid, fists clenched. Heeseung's staring at the spot she left, his jaw tight like he's chewing on grief.
And Ni-ki...Ni-ki is nothing.
She left.
She heard everything. All of it. The truth laid bare like an open wound, stitched with the hope that she'd see them the way they see her. That maybe she would forgive them, choose them.
Choose him.
But she ran.
And now he's just standing there, blinking into the golden field where she disappeared, trying to remember how to breathe.
Should he run after her? Should he fight for her like Sunghoon would, fierce and burning? Should he call out to her like Jake might, all warmth and desperation? Or should he stay right here, like Heeseung would tell him to respect her space, let her come back when she's ready?
He's not them.
He's not any of them.
He's not the smart one.
Not the brave one.
Not the composed leader or the tender comforter.
He's just...Ni-ki.
Just the youngest.
Just the funny one.
Just the one who steals strawberries and hides in cabinets.
Is that enough?
Is he enough?
He bites the inside of his cheek so hard he tastes blood. The others are breaking in their own quiet ways. No one speaks. Not even Jungwon. They just...stand there. Like statues. Or corpses. Five minutes pass like a lifetime.
And all Ni-ki can think is.
She ran from me.
From us.
From me.
And maybe that hurts the most.
Sunoo
She runs.
And Sunoo's chest implodes.
Not in a loud, dramatic way. There's no scream, no collapse to his knees. His shoulders don't even flinch. But his eyes...they go glassy. His jaw locks up. And his fingers, curled at his sides dig into his own skin like it's the only way to hold himself together.
He doesn't cry.
Not yet.
Someone is crying. Not him. It's a cracked, raw sound in the background. He doesn't even know who it belongs to.
All he knows is that she's gone. After everything. After the truth. After the trembling, terrified pieces of their souls were laid at her feet like desperate offerings she ran.
It feels like a punishment.
He swallows, throat tight. He can still hear the echo of his own voice not long ago telling her about smiles and warmth and how he'd never let her go again. He'd meant it. Every word, every shaky syllable. She had to know that.
She had to know that.
Didn't she?
His eyes fall to the spot where she was standing just minutes ago, the hem of her sundress dancing against the wheat. She was there. Right there. Her body against Ni-ki's, her head tucked against his chest. She let them speak. Let them love her out loud. And for a second, just a second...he thought they were okay.
He thought she was okay.
But then she ran.
And now...now he can't help but wonder.
Was he wrong? Did he ruin it? Was he too much? Or worse not enough?
Sunoo blinks fast, refusing to let anything fall. Not here. Not yet. His pride is hanging by a thread, but it's still there.
A gentle breeze pushes wheat stalks aside, making the empty space she left behind look hollow. The world is suddenly too quiet, too gold, too painful to be beautiful.
He wants to scream. He wants to pull her back and demand she look at him, tell him what she's thinking. He wants to ask her if all those quiet moments meant nothing. The stifled giggles. The flower chains she'd crown him with. The way she always said, "Sunoo, you need to sleep," even when she herself hadn't.
He wants to ask if he imagined the whole damn thing.
But he doesn't move.
He stays still.
Because if this is the last moment he ever shares with her, if this is where the line gets drawn between was and never again, he wants to at least remember how the sunlight looked across her hair. How her silence still somehow echoed louder than their screams.
And he wants to remember how he kept standing, heartbreaking quietly, but still standing.
Sunghoon
She runs. And Sunghoon's hands go ice cold.
He doesn't move. Not a muscle. Not even a twitch in his jaw or a blink of an eye. He just stands there, expression unreadable but inside the world is shattering.
Because he knew she was going to walk away. Didn't he?
He's always been good at reading the signs; people's eyes, their silence, their shifting weight and nervous glances. He saw her arms tighten around herself like armor. Saw her eyes drift over them like she was already bracing for goodbye. But he ignored it.
He told himself it was okay. That the field would keep her grounded. That their words would hold her here.
But now she's gone, and the only thing in her place is the ghost of her footsteps in the wheat.
Sunghoon stares at the place where she had stood, gaze fixed like if he just concentrates hard enough, she'll come back. Maybe she forgot something. Maybe she'll peek back around the corner and roll her eyes, call them idiots, say something sarcastic just to break the tension.
But she doesn't.
And something about that stillness...this stillness makes his throat close up.
Someone sniffles. He hears shifting. Feels Ni-ki trembling beside him. But Sunghoon...he's never been the first to speak. Never the first to scream. Never the first to fall apart. And yet he feels like he's unraveling right now, thread by agonizing thread.
She's gone.
After everything.
After that flower bed. After the teasing and the planting and the way she made him smile without ever asking him to. After she called him "Hoonie" like it was the easiest thing in the world and not a name that made him feel human again.
After he trusted her.
After he felt again.
She just...left.
Sunghoon inhales sharply, but it doesn't reach his lungs. His arms fall limp at his sides, and he presses his lips together so hard they sting. His eyes burn, but he refuses to blink. If he does, they'll fall. And he doesn't want them to fall in the middle of a wheat field where her scent still lingers and their hearts are breaking in unison like hundreds of heartbeats coming to an end.
He thinks of her laugh. Of her boots slamming against wooden floors. Of her voice, like sunlight when she was teasing him, calling him out, making him blush in that subtle, sneaky way only she could.
She was always worth everything.
And now?
He doesn't know what to do with all that love still in his chest.
So he stands. Still. Silent.
Because maybe if he's silent enough, she'll come back.
Jungwon
The sound of her footsteps fades.
And Jungwon feels like a thread has been yanked from the center of his chest, quick, sharp, leaving a hollow space behind. His chin tips down slightly, lips parting as if he might say something. But nothing comes out.
She's gone.
He doesn't even realize he's sitting until his hands curl into the dry soil at his sides. His knees are bent, pressed close to his chest like they're the only thing anchoring him to the earth. The wind moves through the field softly, golden wheat brushing his arms, but it doesn't feel real anymore.
Nothing does.
He stares at the spot she vanished into, his mind blank and full all at once. He can't breathe right. Can't think right.
She ran.
After all of it after every word, every confession that bled out of them like open wounds she once helped bandage she still walked away. Not with anger. Not with hate. Just...silence.
And somehow, that silence cuts the deepest.
He tries to convince himself that she needs space. That this is just part of her process, the way she always watches first, feels deeply later. But a cold, creeping fear slinks through his thoughts.
What if she doesn't come back?
What if that was the last time they see her like that...arms wrapped around herself, sunflower dress fluttering, eyes filled with something unreadable and gone before they could understand?
His chest tightens.
He's not the dramatic one. He's not the reckless one. He's the leader. The one who's supposed to steady the ground beneath their feet when everything else starts crumbling. But right now, the only thing Jungwon can do is feel.
And it's excruciating.
He thinks of quiet evenings with her, side by side in the barn with open books and soft glances. Thinks of how she never forced him to talk, how she always listened with her whole self, and how she saw things in him he didn't even know were worth seeing.
He thinks about how she once picked a dandelion, handed it to him, and said, "Make a wish, cat boy."
He hadn't. Not then.
But now, with the weight of everything heavy in his chest, he closes his eyes and silently begs the wind to carry one for him.
Come back. Just...come back.
And if she doesn't?
Then Jungwon isn't sure how to hold them all together this time.
Not when he can't even hold himself.
Jake
She pulled away.
And Jake? Jake doesn't move.
He can't.
His knees are locked, arms hanging limp at his sides, and his his heart is doing this slow, suffocating collapse inside his chest. Like someone's crushing it inch by inch under their heel. The space where her body was pressed to Ni-ki's feels like a vacuum now, like the world's been sucked clean of air and warmth.
He can hear someone breathing hard behind him. Someone sniffles. Someone mutters a curse. Someone's whispering her name.
But Jake's just frozen.
She didn't look back.
And when she ran, god, when she ran it felt like being gutted in broad daylight.
He swallows hard, fists clenching as the ache starts to burn. Not in his throat, not even behind his eyes. It burns somewhere deeper, in the part of him he thought she'd sewn back together piece by trembling piece.
He remembers how she used to laugh with her entire body.
Remembers when she called him Jakey for the first time and he smiled so wide his cheeks hurt for two hours. Remembers when she snorted water out of her nose trying to teach him to lasso, and how she always made him feel like a man, not just a pretty boy in makeup and lights.
He remembers when she gave him a band-aid and a kiss on the cheek after he scraped his hand fixing a fence and how it made him feel like he could fix everything if it meant she'd look at him like that again.
And now?
Now she won't even look at them. He bites the inside of his cheek until it tastes metallic. His mind spirals.
What if this is it?
What if she never wants them again?
What if their confessions...every broken, trembling piece of their souls weren't enough?
What if he wasn't enough?
A soft breath escapes him. He doesn't want to cry. Not here. Not when the wheat still smells like summer and hope. Not when her scent still lingers in the air like a ghost refusing to leave him be.
He thought he could be strong. That if they gave her time, space, anything she needed she'd come back to them.
To him.
But she ran.
And Jake's not sure how to exist in a world where she doesn't want to stay.
Still, part of him maybe the most pathetic foolish part wants to go after her. Wants to chase her into that house and fall to his knees and beg.
Not because he thinks it'll work.
But because the idea of doing nothing is worse.
Heeseung
Heeseung's lips are parted slightly. Like he was about to say something. Like the words are stuck somewhere between his throat and his ribs, but her retreat steals the very breath out of his lungs.
She pulls away from Ni-ki.
Steps back from all of them.
And then...she runs. Just turns and bolts toward the house like she couldn't get away fast enough.
Heeseung doesn't realize he's taken a step forward until Jake's hand shoots out and catches his shirt.
Don't chase her.
But god, everything in him is already chasing. Running. Screaming.
He feels it in his bones.
The kind of hollow ache that wraps around your ribs and starts to pull them apart one by one. The kind that doesn't stop. The kind that lingers.
His jaw tightens, and his fists curl uselessly at his sides.
He's always been the brave one, right? The one who keeps it light when everyone else starts to crack. The one who plays older brother, cool and calm, like nothing gets to him.
But this?
This gets to him.
She ran.
After all their truths.
After his confession.
After being their soulmate before they knew she bared their mark.
After he'd bled himself dry and handed her the softest, most vulnerable parts of himself wrapped in nothing but shaky breath and the hope that maybe, maybe, she'd still love them back.
And now she's gone. Not far, but far enough to make it feel final.
He's shaking. His eyes sting. His brain scrambles for reason, logic, anything to hold onto.
Maybe she's scared.
Maybe she's overwhelmed.
Maybe she's angry.
Maybe she's packing her things right now and planning to disappear for good.
The idea makes something snap behind his ribs.
He should be used to this by now...the leaving, the loss. He's been an idol for almost a decade. Watched people come and go. Watched himself become someone he didn't always like. Watched people fall in love with the image and leave when they realized he was just a man underneath it all.
But she never did that.
She saw him.
And now he's scared that maybe that was the problem.
Maybe she saw too much. Maybe knowing them so deeply meant knowing just how much damage they could do. And maybe...she's finally had enough of being burned by the flames they never meant to set.
Heeseung presses his knuckles to his lips and breathes deep through his nose.
If this is the end if she chooses not to stay, then fine.
He won't beg.
But he will never stop loving her.
Even if he has to carry it alone.
Jay
Jay doesn't make a sound when she pulls away.
He just watches.
Watches the way her eyes flicker anywhere but them. Watches how her mouth wobbles. Watches her arms curl tight around her own body, like she's caging herself in. Like she's trying not to fall apart in front of them.
And then she runs.
No warning. No word. No breath.
Just turns and runs back into the house, boots thudding against the ground they used to walk side by side.
The air leaves Jay's lungs in one ragged exhale. Something hot and sharp blooms in his chest and coils tight behind his eyes.
He blinks.
Once.
Twice.
A third time.
But the tears come anyway.
He doesn't even try to hide them.
They sting rivers of salt trailing down his cheeks, carving through everything he'd buried. He almost never cries. Never.
Not even when they fought with the company. Not even when they walked away from the stage and lights and fans, turning their backs on the only world they'd known to chase a different kind of future.
But this?
This breaks him.
Because he gave her everything. His heart. His time. His laughter. Every meal they cooked side by side in the kitchen. Every story he told only her. Every moment when he let down the armor and just breathed because she made the air feel safe again.
And now...she's gone.
Jay scrubs a hand over his face, but it's useless. The tears don't stop. His throat burns, and his nose stings, and it's like his chest is too full and too empty all at once.
He doesn't look at the others. Can't.
They're probably falling apart in their own quiet ways. But he can't be strong for them right now.
Not this time.
Because Naye ran.
And no matter how hard he tries to believe she just needs space, that she'll come back in a minute, two, five, he's terrified.
Terrified that her silence is her goodbye. That her love was never deep enough to root into the soil with them. That maybe he got too comfortable believing she was theirs when she was never anyone's but her own.
Jay bites his knuckle to stifle a sob, and it only makes it worse. His chest hitches, his vision blurs.
His heart screams her name and it echoes inside him like a ghost.
He doesn't want to lose her.
Not like this.
Not when they were so close to being whole.
Naye
She didn't mean to run. Didn't plan on it.
But the moment her fingertips slipped from Ni-ki's arms, the ground tilted beneath her boots and her feet moved before her heart could catch up. She barely registered the surprised intake of breath behind her, or the way the wheat field rustled as though whispering, come back, come back, come back.
She was gone.
Up the porch. Through the front door. Door slamming behind her.
The echo reverberated through the house like a gunshot. Still, she didn't pause. Not for the worn family photos lining the hallway, not for the scent of the apple cinnamon candle still burning low in the kitchen. Not for the sound of boots she had kicked off just hours earlier in exhausted triumph.
Her chest ached. Not in the tragic way people wrote about in books. No this was a real ache. Like someone had opened her rib cage and filled it with wet cement and fire.
She hit the stairs hard. Two at a time, not graceful just urgent.
By the time she reached her room, her breath came in shallow jagged puffs. She dropped to her knees in front of the closet and flung the doors open like she was unearthing some ancient tomb. Tossed aside folded jeans, an old guitar case, the sweatshirt she never gave back to Jake. The floor creaked beneath her as her fingers scraped against the back wall.
There.
The shoebox.
The one she'd tucked away behind everything she wasn't ready to feel.
She didn't look inside at first. Just held it there in her lap, pressing her forehead to the cardboard lid as though it might tell her what to do. Her heartbeat thudded in her ears louder than any answer the world could give.
Then she opened it.
One by one, her eyes scanned the contents.
Seven items, slightly rusted around the edges from her thumb running over them too many times.
A printed contract folded into a neat square. She didn't need to open it. She already knew. She knew who had done it. She knew what it meant.
And still it didn't feel real.
The air was too thick in her lungs. Her skin felt too tight. Her dress clung to her like a second skin, and she wanted to claw it off. Her heartbeat was screaming through her whole body, telling her to feel something, but her mind was a static blur.
She wanted to be angry. She wanted to sob. She wanted to laugh so hard she couldn't breathe.
But instead, she just sat there.
Frozen.
Because they had come back.
They'd said all those things.
Laid themselves bare for her in the middle of her wheat field like soldiers dropping their armor. And now?
Now she was the one retreating.
She blinked at the box. At the history held inside it, the items they each left for her. Her breath caught hiccuped in her throat, but never made it out.
And God, the words they'd said...they wouldn't stop playing on loop.
"You don't have to say anything, baby. I just want you to hear me."
"You keep smiling and I'll be okay for the rest of my life."
"I thought I only had room for six. Then you burst in and proved me wrong."
"Even when you're silent, it feels like the whole world is speaking."
"You taught me how to feel. You're the reason I cry now."
"You made me love myself through your love of others."
"If this isn't what love is, then I don't want it."
She pressed her palms to her face, her fingers digging into her cheekbones.
Her body felt light like she might float up and hit the ceiling. But her thoughts were heavy. They pulled at her like chains.
Why did she run?
Because she was terrified.
Because she loved them too much.
Because they loved her, and now the choice was real. Tangible. No longer wrapped in letters or laughter or distant ache but here. Flesh and bone and voice.
She drew in a slow breath.
Then another.
And finally, Naye stood.
The box remained where she left it, forgotten for now.
Her steps were softer this time. Down the hall. Down the stairs. Through the house she nearly lost. Her fingertips brushed the doorframe on instinct, like a ritual, like she needed to remind the home to hold her steady.
The knob turned.
The air outside hit her skin like a splash of cold water.
And then, with no clear plan and a head full of thunder, Naye stepped out the front door again.
She wasn't running away from them. She needed them to understand that. She needed them to know.
But as her bare feet hit the soft dirt of the path again, dress fluttering around her knees, the contract hugged tight to her chest, she saw it clear as day.
They didn't know.
They couldn't even look at her.
The seven of them still stood where she'd left them, silent as statues, each one weighed down by something heavier than heartbreak. Their shoulders were slumped, eyes fixed on the wheat, the ground, the sky, anywhere but her.
Ni-ki had his hands clenched at his sides, as if forcing himself to stay still. Sunoo's face was unreadable for once, not even a flicker of mischief or light. Sunghoon's jaw was locked, tight enough to hurt. Jungwon looked younger than he ever had, eyes wide chest barely moving. Jake had his hands buried in his hair, arms trembling. Heeseung looked like he'd been punched in the ribs and hadn't breathed since.
And Jay.
Jay had tears on his cheeks.
Naye stopped a few feet away. Her boots made no sound on the packed dirt. The silence between them all felt like it could stretch for miles. And yet...she was here.
She stared.
God, she stared.
Because this, this was what she had done. Her running, her silence, her panic. It had carved out something raw in each of them. She hadn't meant to break them. She never wanted to break anything.
But this was different.
This wasn't like when half of them sobbed into her arms the day they realized she wouldn't push them away.
This wasn't like when they stuttered over their confessions of who they really were and she'd just laughed, already knowing.
It wasn't even like that first chaotic night when the rental's roof had collapsed during the storm and all seven had huddled under a quilt like frightened children, wide eyed and soaking wet, trying to pretend they weren't freezing.
No, this was worse.
This was hopelessness.
She could see it in the way their bodies had folded in on themselves. Like they were bracing for the final blow. Like her silence had been the nail in the coffin and her return now was just a ghost showing up to haunt them.
Still, no one spoke.
And neither did she.
She let her eyes move across each of their faces, memorizing the pain she had caused. She didn't want to forget it, not because she enjoyed it but because she never wanted to be the reason for it again.
Her grip on the contract tightened. The corner dug into her chest. Sharp. Real. Her heart beat against the paper like it was trying to say something before she did.
And then.
A breath.
A huff.
Frustrated, sad, unsure, but very, very Naye.
Without warning, she threw the contract forward.
It hit Heeseung in the chest with a dull thump. Not harsh, not cruel. But enough to make him flinch, his hand snapping up instinctively to catch it as it fell.
And still...she said nothing.
Enhypen
The second the contract hit Heeseung's chest and fell to the dirt, it was like a thunderclap through their spines.
Every eye snapped to her.
And then she moved.
Not like before, not running away not frozen in contemplation. No, Naye was pacing. Her sundress rippled with each sharp turn, her boots kicking up little puffs of dust as she strode back and forth in front of them like a caged storm. Her arms waved, her hands clenched, and her eyes were brimming, fierce and glassy and shining with unshed tears that threatened to fall like rain at any second.
Then she opened her mouth.
And she yelled.
"Are you out of your goddamn minds?!"
The air seemed to snap around them, her voice ringing across the wheat field like a whip. No one dared speak. No one even breathed.
She didn't wait for a response.
"You think I wouldn't notice? You think I don't know who bought the town? You think I can't read a damn contract with your company name stamped all over it?" Her voice cracked raw and hoarse, loud and shaking. "You think I wouldn't figure it out the second you showed up like ghosts with kicked puppy eyes and not a single damn explanation?!"
Heeseung's fingers flexed around the paper in his hand. Jay's chest visibly rose and fell too fast. Jungwon looked like he'd stopped blinking. The others..mute, motionless, guilt carved into the slant of their spines and the way their shoulders curled inward.
She wasn't finished.
"And you-" Her gaze snapped to Heeseung, eyes blazing. "You were the only one I told. You knew, Hee. You knew I was losing the farm. You asked, I cracked some dumbass joke about marrying a rich man who'd buy it back for me, and what did you do? You chuckled. Chuckled and walked away. Like it didn't shatter me just saying it."
Heeseung's lips parted, but no sound came. He had been the only one to know for the longest time. Before the letters, before they left. And he had held it in.
Naye's eyes glistened, jaw tight, voice rising.
"And now I find out you all knew. That you did it. That you bought my town, saved my family, saved this land. And none of you said a word."
They were confused. Was she mad because of what they did? Of was she mad because they didn't tell her yet?
She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks now but she didn't wipe them.
"You're so..so goddamn selfless it makes me sick." Her words trembled but stayed strong. "How can you all care so much? How can you give so much and never ask for anything in return? You stand there with your stupid beautiful hearts bared wide open like some damn sacrifice and think it won't kill me?"
Jake's hand ghosted toward her and then pulled back. Ni-ki bit the inside of his cheek so hard his jaw flexed. Sunoo's throat worked in silence. They weren't breathing. They couldn't.
"I hate it," she hissed, voice breaking. "I hate that you give everything to everyone. That you never take what you want. You ask, you hope, you give those stupid looks and whisper those subtle words, but you never actually say it. Not until now. Not until after I've already been drowning in love for you for so long I forgot how to swim without it."
Her chest heaved. Her arms dropped to her sides.
They didn't know if they were allowed to move.
Not one of them spoke.
Because there was more. God, there was more, they could see it in her posture. Like she'd cracked herself open and this was only the first wave of everything she'd kept hidden.
And they were too in love, too stunned, too heartbroken by her heartbreak to stop her.
So they stood there.
Waiting for the next wave.
She wasn't done.
If anything, she was just getting started.
Her boots thudded harder into the dirt as she resumed pacing, hands gripping her hips, chest rising and falling like she was trying to physically hold the weight of everything inside her in place. If this moment weren't so gut wrenchingly vulnerable, so real. Some of them might've laughed because she looked like a pissed off sheriff marching the length of Main Street, and they were the seven dumb outlaws who just got caught.
But there was no laughter.
Only the sound of her voice cutting through the silence like a match to dry grass.
"You know when I found out you weren't who you said you were?" she bit out, not looking at them. "It wasn't from some dramatic moment or slip up with fans screaming at the front gate."
A few of them stiffened.
She stopped pacing just long enough to shoot them a look.
"It was that damn walk. The first night you all followed me around the fields like ducklings asking the stupidest questions about chickens and cows and tractors, like you hadn't even seen dirt before."
Jake twitched.
Sunoo winced.
"And one of you," she jabbed a finger toward the group but didn't name names, "slipped up. Said something about how 'their company would call them idiots for this.'"
Silence.
Naye scoffed pacing again, voice softer now but still pulsing with emotion.
"I went inside that night, looked you up, and bam. There it all was. Your names. Your faces. Your songs. Fans. Tours. The whole idol thing."
She stopped again this time her gaze dropped to the earth beneath her boots. "I was annoyed. For like five minutes."
Every chest in front of her held breath.
"But then..." Her voice wobbled, and she smiled-barely, just a little. "I came downstairs the next morning and found all of you crowded around my kitchen table. Laughing. Eating cereal with forks. Drinking juice straight out of the carton. Arguing over the TV remote like brothers."
Jungwon's shoulders shifted at that.
"And you-" she gestured again, lips twitching-"you patted the seat next to you like we did this every morning, like I belonged there. And I sat. And someone cracked some stupid joke-"
Ni-ki coughed into his sleeve.
"-and I knew. I knew. You weren't hiding who you were because you were ashamed. You just...you just wanted something else. You wanted peace. You wanted normal."
She wiped at her cheeks roughly.
"And for the first time in my life," she whispered, "I didn't care about what someone was hiding. I just wanted to be part of that normal, even if it was borrowed."
Her steps slowed. She finally looked at them. Really looked.
"And now you're all standing there like I'm going to break your hearts again." Her brows furrowed. "Like after everything, you think I'd reject you because...what? because I didn't run back into your arms right away? Because I needed a minute to breathe?"
They couldn't meet her eyes.
"I love you," she said, sharp, pointed. "All of you. Every single one of you pathetic, self sacrificing, emotionally constipated losers. I love you like it hurts to breathe sometimes."
Her hands flung out toward them, helplessly, exasperatedly.
"And now you're standing here, on my land, after buying my town, after spilling your damn hearts out...and you're waiting."
She blinked, tears lining her lashes again.
"So what do you want?" Her voice was daring now a challenge, thick with frustration and something so fragile underneath it.
"I'm right here." She tapped her chest. "I stayed. So be selfish for once in your perfect little lives and tell me what you want."
And the moment she said it, it was like the air stilled.
Warnings: Pov switches, Medically impaired character (not mc), Death (Not Mcs), Mental Trauma, depression, slow burn, like a crazy slow burn, soulmate bonds, drama, tension, money problems, children, contracts, idol world, mlm, NO SMUT!mtba...
AN: We are down to the wire. I only have a few more chapters left y'all!
prev/next
Seven men sat shoulder to shoulder in a black SUV parked just beyond the gravel path near the front porch, its glossy surface catching glimmers of the late afternoon sun. The engine was off, the air silent except for their slow intentional breathing. One inhale, one exhale at a time as if oxygen alone could keep their hearts from cracking wide open.
They were parked right next to her car.
The sight of it familiar, worn, stubbornly hers made Jake rub his palms together nervously while Sunoo fiddled with the ring on his middle finger. Jay stared dead ahead like he was preparing to jump out of a plane, and Sunghoon hadn't unclenched his jaw since they arrived.
Jungwon kept tapping the steering wheel even though the car was off. Heeseung, riding shotgun, had his head leaned back with his eyes closed, lips moving silently. Ni-ki hadn't said a word since they turned off the highway.
The weight of what they'd done hung over them like a storm cloud.
But so did the hope.
They'd gone live on the ride here with no backup, no warning, no prewritten speech. Just seven exhausted, stubborn hearted men telling the world, 'We're done.' Just that. They were done.
Done being idols. Done performing. Done giving themselves away one piece at a time.
And surprisingly...maybe miraculously the world didn't break.
Most of their fans flooded the live with love. With understanding. With farewells full of warmth and light and open doors.
Of course there were those who screamed betrayal, but they'd learned to tune that out years ago. The world would keep spinning. But they needed to step off the stage to breathe again.
Before they ended the live, they sang Home. One last time. No music. Just their voices, shaky but together. It had been perfect.
Now?
Now it was real.
Through the crack of the window, they saw her.
Naye.
She skipped out of the house like a sunbeam in motion, her yellow sundress hugging her curves and flaring out like flower petals around her knees. Cowboy boots on her feet, hair wild and free down her back, she looked like a daydream let loose under the golden sky.
She didn't even look at the car next to hers too lost in her joy to notice the vehicle filled with every missing piece of her heart.
They watched her skip toward the wheat field, soft laughter trailing behind her like a song the wind carried just for them.
Jake's breath hitched. Heeseung sat up straighter.
Jungwon muttered, "She's really happy..."
Sunghoon turned his head, watching every bounce of her step like it might be the last time he saw it. Jay swallowed. "What if she's mad we bought the town? What if she thinks we overstepped?"
"What if she doesn't believe us when we tell her?" Sunoo whispered, voice trembling. "What if she tells us to leave?"
No one had answers.
The silence that followed was loud with what ifs and please gods and she's right there.
Until a voice broke it.
"She's not like that," Ni-ki said simply. The youngest had barely spoken all day, but now his voice cut through the noise in their heads.
"I have faith," he said.
And that was that. No one questioned him. Ni-ki reached for the door handle. "Let's go."
One by one, the others followed.
Boots hit dirt. Shoes crunched grass. Seven shadows stretched out behind them as they walked side by side, no longer idols, no longer pretending to be anything but boys in love with the girl who had always felt like home.
They didn't speak.
Didn't run.
Just followed the path she had skipped down, quiet and full of memory.
And as they neared the edge of the field, they saw her flat on her back, arm over her eyes, laughing to herself like life finally made sense.
And not one of them could breathe.
The field was golden.
The sun had begun to dip, casting long shadows across the swaying wheat, making it glow like fire under their feet. And there she was, at its heart. Yellow dress like a petal blooming from the earth itself, legs tucked beneath her, one hand braced in the grass, the other brushing hair behind her ear.
She looked like a dream. She always had.
And still, she said nothing.
Just stared at them.
Like they weren't real.
Like if she blinked, they'd vanish again.
Seven boys..no, seven men stood frozen at the edge of her silence. The kind of silence that said. Don't lie to me. Don't hurt me. Not again.
So Jungwon stepped forward first, hands tucked behind his back like a schoolboy. "Please...just let us talk, okay?"
Still nothing. But she didn't stop them.
Jay exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "We...didn't plan this part very well. We just knew we had to come back."
Sunghoon cleared his throat, eyes on the ground. "We never stopped thinking about this place."
Sunoo gave a dry laugh, then softened. "About you. About the way it felt to breathe here."
Jake's voice was softer than the wind. "Can we just...talk for a minute, Naye?"
She blinked in shock. That was all.
So Heeseung, ever the brave one when it came to matters of the heart, crouched a little closer and said, "Please...let us get this out. Just let us say it. All of it."
No one rushed her. But when her hand dropped to her lap, it was enough. They took it as permission.
Jungwon started again, his voice steady, but almost too careful. "I remember thinking this place would be our last rest stop before everything went to shit again. But then I saw you handing out lemonade in a tank top and boots and yelling at a man twice your size about the price of corn.."
Jay snorted.
"..and I thought...maybe this place isn't a pit stop. Maybe it's a whole damn world."
Jay followed in quietly. "You let us in. No questions. No ego. You didn't even flinch at who we were. Just handed us chores and a list of town names and said, 'Don't come back without milk or someone's feelings hurt.'"
Jake laughed gently, eyes soft. "You let us be people. Not products. Not performers. Just...dumbass men who couldn't tell a tractor from a grill."
Sunghoon nodded. "You let us be wrong without rubbing it in."
"And made fun of us just enough to keep us humble," Sunoo added, nudging Jake. Jake smirked. "Yeah, okay, we deserved that."
Ni-ki spoke then, quietly, voice less cocky than usual. "I thought I'd hate it here. No internet, no coffee that didn't taste like pond water, no schedule. But then I was sneaking strawberries and you chased me through the fields with a broom, and I thought...this is the most fun I've ever had in my life."
"You made space for us," Heeseung murmured. "Even when we didn't know how to ask for it."
Jungwon folded his arms, eyes far away now. "The barn. The fire pit. The back porch at 2AM. That stupid creaky floorboard in the kitchen. This field. I remember every inch of it. Because every inch of it is a memory with you in it."
"I think we laughed more here than we did in our entire career combined," Jay said, hands in his pockets. "And not the fake laughs. Not the ones for cameras. Real ones. The kind that leave your ribs sore."
"You made us eat real food," Sunoo added, mock offended. "Like vegetables. I almost fought you that first night."
"But then you made those garlic biscuits," Jake said with a grin. "And suddenly we all decided you were allowed to bully us."
Heeseung's voice dropped low. "You didn't even flinch when we broke down. All of us. Different days, different reasons. But you were always there. Like it was the most normal thing in the world. Like it didn't scare you."
"It did," Ni-ki said quietly, eyes flicking to her. "But you stayed anyway."
There was a silence then.
Heavy.
Not awkward. Not uncomfortable.
Just full.
Jay finally whispered, "You never turned us away. Not once."
Sunghoon's voice cracked. "And we want you to know...we haven't either. Not in our hearts. Not for a second."
Still, she didn't speak. Still, she didn't move. But she was listening. And for now, that was enough.
Heeseung
She didn't speak.
She still wasn't speaking.
But she was there. And God, wasn't that enough?
Yellow dress brushing the tops of wheat, knees tucked in, chin tipped ever so slightly like she was waiting for the sky to explain all the things that had gone wrong and right. She hadn't run, hadn't looked away. She was staring. Eyes wide. Full. Glossy. Her lips pressed tight like if she dared open them, everything would fall out and ruin the moment.
So Heeseung being the bravest, or maybe just the most desperate took one step closer. Then another.
The others stayed back, a silent wall of breathless men behind him.
His voice came softer than wind. Shaky. Cracked at the edges. "Hey, baby..."
Still nothing.
But her eyes flicked just a tiny bit and that was enough. He sat down. Right in the dirt. Right across from her like this was any other day. Just her and him, and a sky that could fall if it wanted, but wouldn't. Not yet.
He tugged his cap off set it beside him and looked at her like she hung the moon. In his eyes everyone standing around him did.
"I got your letter," he started gently, voice hushed like he was scared to break her. "Didn't read it right away. Just held it for a while. Like it was gonna burn a hole through my chest. Then I read it and...baby, I cried. I full on sobbed."
He laughed, but it was sad. Honest.
"Not even the cute kind of cry. I was laid out in the hotel bathroom, shirt soaked, nose stuffed, breathing like someone had crushed my chest. Because it was you. You, talking to me again, even if it was on paper. You called me Hee."
His voice cracked again he blinked fast.
"Do you know what that does to me? You saying my name like that? I didn't know one damn syllable could mean so much. Just Hee. That's all. But it was you saying it. You knowing it. You holding it."
His hands curled on his knees, fingertips digging into denim.
"I tried to get used to being without you. I really did. We all did. But I was worse at it than the others, baby. Couldn't sleep some nights. Couldn't eat properly unless it tasted like your kitchen. Couldn't ride in a car without seeing you next to me with your feet on the dash, screaming lyrics like they were gospel."
He smiled then, eyes soft and far away. "You never sang a lot. Not when others were watching. But when you did...it was like listening to freedom. Like you were ripping open your chest and letting us peek inside. I felt lucky every damn time."
The wind shifted, brushing strands of hair across her cheek. She didn't flinch.
Heeseung inched a little closer, hand reaching halfway before pulling back. He didn't want to spook her. She still hadn't said a word.
But her eyes hadn't left him once.
"I miss that. Miss you. All of you. Your sass, your spitfire mouth, the way you get all flustered when someone calls you pretty but won't admit it. I miss arguing about what cereal to buy. Miss waking up and seeing you half asleep with one sock on, yelling at Nono for leaving the fridge open again."
He laughed a little more, and his voice dropped. "I miss being home. Because you, baby you are home."
He took a shaky breath. And then, "It's not just because you were meant for us. Or because we were meant for you. I'm not even thinking about fate right now. I'm thinking about choice. About how every time I wake up and my chest hurts, it's because you're not next to me. And how that pain's not some curse or bond or soulmate trick. It's just me. Loving you. Because I choose you, Naye. Every day. Every second. Even when you're silent."
She blinked again.
Tears now. Barely. Just glossed her lashes like dew on early grass.
Heeseung's voice went soft. Gentle. Fragile.
"I'm scared. I'm scared you won't forgive me. That you'll think this was all too little, too late. That maybe we already broke something we don't deserve to fix. But I still had to come. Because if I die one day and never say it, I'll haunt the damn world, baby."
He leaned in, heart first, always.
"I love you."
Still, she didn't speak.
Still, she didn't move.
But her lip quivered. And her fingers curled slightly in the wheat.
And Heeseung...Heeseung stayed there, legs folded heart cracked wide, voice steady now even in the silence.
Because silence didn't mean no.
Not with her.
Not yet.
Sunoo
She wiped her eyes.
Roughly. Like she was angry at them for crying. Like if she could just smear the tears away hard enough, none of this would be real. But she didn't look away.
She stared.
Sunoo saw that. Saw it all.
He stood there in the tall gold of the wheat field, fingers twitching slightly by his side. The others didn't move. They didn't have to. He knew it was his turn, no words were exchanged, just a quiet pull in the air between them. His chest was already tight. Had been tight since he saw her skip through the field in her yellow dress like the sun was still something she could hold in her hands.
It was her silence that hit the hardest.
He took a shaky breath and stepped forward. His voice wasn't playful this time. No bright sarcasm or teasing lilt. Just Kim Sunoo bare, careful, vulnerable.
"I read your letter," he said softly. His voice wasn't shaking, but it was close. "Every word. I read it more times than I can count. And...it meant the world to me. But I'm not here to talk about the letter."
Her throat bobbed, and he noticed. Of course he noticed. He always noticed her.
"I'm here to talk about you," he whispered. "Because I miss you, Naye. God, I miss you."
The wind carried his words like a secret meant only for her.
"I miss the way you get this wrinkle between your eyebrows when you're concentrating. I miss your laugh when you think something's dumb but it still gets you anyway. I miss your voice even when you were yelling at me to stop putting hot sauce on fruit."
He cracked a small smile and looked down at his hands. Then back at her.
"I miss how you always found me, no matter where I was. I could be in the middle of a storm and you'd walk straight to me like it was nothing. Like I was easy to love."
His voice got smaller. Gentler.
"I've been smiling without you. Pretending it's fine. But the truth is...I can only really smile when you do. If you give me yours, Naye, I'll never ask for anything else. I'll keep smiling every day of my life if it means I get to see you happy."
She didn't blink. Didn't move. But her lip trembled, just slightly.
"I know the exact moment I fell for you," he said, his eyes going soft with the memory. "It was that stupid day we were all fixing the side fence, remember? You were yelling at the chickens because they kept running through the hole we were trying to patch."
He let out a breathy chuckle at the image burned into his memory.
"And you tripped. Flat on your face. Your hat went flying, your braid whipped over your shoulder, and you just laid there for a second. And then you started laughing. Like the world couldn't touch you. Like bruises and dirt were nothing compared to the joy of just being alive."
His eyes darkened, serious now.
"And I thought...I want to be that for her. I want to be the reason she laughs like that forever."
Sunoo leaned in, elbows on his knees, close enough to see the tears gathering again in her lashes.
"I'll never let you go again," he promised quietly. "Not because you belong to me but because I belong to you. I choose you, even if you don't say a word. Even if you need time. Even if you're angry."
He tilted his head slightly, studying her like she was the only art left in the world worth looking at.
"You make me better without trying. You love so deeply, even when you don't say it. Even now, in this field, not speaking...you're still the loudest thing in my chest."
And finally, in a voice so raw and honest it trembled straight into the dirt, "I love you, Naye. And I'll wait as long as it takes to hear it back. Even if it never comes."
"I love you," he said, quiet and sure. "I love your loud laugh. I love your stubbornness. I love how you tried to carry everything alone and how you still somehow smiled while doing it. I love you because you never tried to fix me. You just let me be."
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
Still, she didn't speak.
And Sunoo he didn't need her to.
He sat there, watching her quietly. Letting the wind speak for them both.
Letting her cry if she needed to.
Letting her feel loved, even in the silence.
Because that was what he did best.
He loved in the quiet.
And she had always known how to hear him anyway.
Jake
He couldn't sit still.
The rest of the boys stayed spaced around her, standing or kneeling, pacing softly through the silence like it might wake up something fragile. But not Jake. Jake sat down next to her, right next to her, thigh to thigh, because being too far physically hurt.
It had. It did.
And when her eyes wet and wide and weary turned toward him, just slightly, just enough to acknowledge he was real, his mouth moved before his brain could catch up.
"You're still a fairy, by the way," he said.
Her brow lifted, barely. Her lips twitched barely.
But they twitched. He'd take that as a win.
He grinned softly, lowering his voice to something quieter, something sacred.
"A human fairy," he clarified. "Still real. Still annoying. Still magic. Just...with dirt under her nails and cowboy boots that could kill a man if she kicked hard enough."
He heard a soft exhale from her nose.
Progress.
He looked forward again, out over the wheat, the sky just starting to blush at the edges like even it was shy in her presence.
"I used to think," he said, his tone musing now, like they were just talking on the porch again, "that there had to be a but with you."
She turned her head slightly, watching him now like he was the page of a book she didn't trust but couldn't put down.
"You know...Like: 'She's sweet, but clingy. Or, She's kind, but fake. That kind of thing. I thought, no one's this warm. No one gets loved this fast. It didn't make sense."
He paused and looked down at his hands, folded between his knees.
"But then I watched you. I watched you stay late to help Mrs. Jeon replant her garden after the storm. I saw you give the café's last two loaves to a family who came in hungry at closing. I saw a kid fall off their bike and you cried more than they did."
He let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head.
"And I realized there was a but."
He turned to her, really turned.
"She's kind...because she knows what pain feels like. She gives...because she's lost. She loves so big, because she remembers when no one loved her like that. There was a but. It was just deeper than I was looking."
Her eyes were shining again, not with fresh tears but with something old. Ancient. Like the way a girl becomes a woman and forgets she still needs someone to hold her hand sometimes.
Jake blinked slowly, choosing his next words with care.
"No wonder the world loves you," he whispered. "No wonder the town never let you go. No wonder we.." His voice cracked, and he cleared it quickly. "...No wonder I love you."
The words didn't hang awkward in the air.
They settled. Like they'd been sitting in the air around them this whole time and he'd only now opened his mouth to match it.
"You remember that day?" he asked, gaze drifting up to the sky like it could replay it for them. "Collecting eggs. You had that stupid basket. You were strutting through the dirt like you were on stage, singing our tune like it was made for you."
He laughed softly, closing his eyes for half a second.
"I was terrified. I'd never felt that kind of fear before. That gut deep knowing that this was it. That you...you were the turning point. That if anything ever happened to you, if you left, if you even pulled away..I'd be stuck. We all would."
His head lowered again, voice soft, like he wasn't talking to her so much as admitting it to the wind.
"And I was so happy. Because it was you. Because I couldn't imagine anyone else making me feel like that. Because if someone was going to undo me, I'd rather it be you than anyone else."
Silence.
Except...her breath hitched. Just once.
He didn't look at her. He couldn't. Not yet. So instead, Jake ran a hand through his hair then dropped it into the grass behind her. His pinky brushed her dress and he left it there.
"Yeah," he murmured. "That's when I knew."
And he said nothing more. Because he didn't have to.
She was still listening.
And he was still hers.
Jay
Jay sat on her other side. He didn't speak at first. He just watched the wheat bend in the wind, like it too was holding its breath.
He noticed her hands first. Resting on her lap, curled loosely, but trembling. Just a little. Barely there. He could've reached out. Held them. But she hadn't asked.
So he didn't.
Jay was patient. When it came to his mates, he always would be.
He inhaled slowly through his nose, and then finally spoke.
"You know," he said, his voice low and even, "the moment I realized I couldn't live without you...it was so stupid."
Her breath hitched, almost a laugh but not quite. He didn't turn his head.
"I'd been walking alone. Trying to clear my head. Stuff with the group, the company, life. Just...too much noise."
His voice softened like memory was something sacred.
"And then you just...appeared. Slipped in next to me like you were always meant to be there and said, 'I wanna show you something.'"
He finally smiled. "And then you..God, Naye, you cartwheeled into the grass like a five year old on Red Bull. And before I could even react you were yelling at me to do it too."
He exhaled a soft laugh through his nose, shaking his head.
"I sucked. My knees cracked, my shirt twisted, I probably looked like a folding lawn chair having a crisis. But you were just laughing. Giggling like it was the best thing you'd ever seen."
He paused, eyes on the horizon but soul tilted toward her.
"And I realized...my heart could stretch. Could hold more. More love. More warmth. More you. And that scared the hell out of me."
His hands flexed on his thighs.
"I used to think the six of them were everything. That they were all I had left to give my love to. But you.." he paused. "You crashed in like a summer storm and lit everything up."
The wind whistled softly through the tall grass, brushing against the silence he left between his words.
"I didn't expect you," he admitted. "Didn't plan for you. But suddenly the world felt...not manageable, not easy, but worth it. You made the noise in my head quiet. You made me laugh again. You made me want again."
Still, he didn't look at her. He couldn't. Not yet.
"I think the first time I felt real peace after everything we'd been through was in that tiny kitchen. Just us. Cooking side by side like we'd done it for a thousand years."
He swallowed.
"I looked forward to it. Every day. It was our time. Our little ritual. You, humming under your breath, pretending not to notice when I added more seasoning than you said, telling me your sauce was better than mine even though mine made you cry once..."
She exhaled sharply, a laugh this time. Quiet, but alive.
His throat tightened.
"I didn't need big moments to fall for you. I just needed that. The cooking. The cartwheels. The gentle way you existed like the world didn't deserve your softness but got it anyway."
He finally turned. Slowly. Like anything too fast might scare her away.
And when his eyes found hers. They were different. Still glassy, still cautious, but...softer. Not so guarded. Not so sharp.
He let out a breath. A soft smile on his lips.
"I didn't want to say any of this until you were ready to hear it," he whispered. "But we're here. So I'm saying it now."
She didn't speak. Still didn't move.
But she didn't look away either.
Jungwon
He didn't sit with the others.
Jungwon lingered a few feet back, knees to his chest, arms wrapped loosely around them sitting among the tall gold of the wheat like he was part of it. Something grown from the land, something meant to watch, not interrupt.
His eyes never left her.
He didn't speak right away. He didn't dare. There was something sacred about the way she just sat there, still and silent in her sundress, like a bloom left untouched in spring. He knew that if he spoke too soon, too loudly, it might all dissolve.
But then she shifted.
Just a small movement. Scooted a little to the side. Nothing dramatic.
But toward him.
It took everything in him not to fall apart right then and there.
Even after everything..even with her heart stitched and bruised, she was the one moving toward him.
His lips pressed together, trembling, and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he breathed out gently and finally spoke.
"You're always doing that," he murmured. "Reaching out. Even when you're the one bleeding."
She didn't say anything. Just ducked her head a little. But she didn't move away.
"I used to wish you'd be selfish," he admitted quietly. "Just once. Just...scream or cry or slam a door. But that's not who you are, is it?"
He glanced down at his hands, picking absently at a piece of wheat near his shoe.
"You don't scream. You don't push. You love like water carving through stone. Patient. Gentle. Endless."
He glanced up again, eyes finding her even as she stared ahead.
"You gave so much to everyone," he whispered, voice barely above the breeze. "To us. Even when we didn't deserve it. Even when we didn't see it."
She rubbed her eyes then. Quickly. Like she thought maybe no one would notice. But he did. Of course he did.
He smiled gently.
"You always noticed what others didn't," he said. "It was in the way you looked at people. The way you'd hand someone a mug before they asked for one. The way you'd tighten your ponytail when you were stressed, or hum when you were thinking, or pat your jeans before walking into the barn like you were greeting the animals without words."
He swallowed.
"And the way you never filled the space with noise. Just...presence. Like you were always watching. Always listening."
His voice cracked a little. "I always felt so seen by you."
He exhaled, gaze drifting to the golden field beyond her.
"I think I fell in love with you during one of those quiet nights," he said. "When we were reading next to each other on the porch, and you found something funny but didn't laugh. You just grinned to yourself...and then looked at me like it was our secret."
He chuckled softly, brushing a hand over his hair.
"You didn't have to say a word. I just...knew. That you were kind. And calm. And wild in your own quiet way."
The sun filtered gently through the field, touching the side of her face, and he couldn't help but memorize it all again.
"I fell hard, Naye," he said, soft but certain. "And I don't regret it. Not a single second."
She still didn't speak.
But she wasn't just staring anymore.
She was looking at him.
And to Jungwon, that was more than words.
Sunghoon
He didn't rush. He never did. But even now, with the late golden sun dipping into the wheat and six men holding their breath, it wasn't nerves that held him back.
It was weight. The weight of everything.
His fists were resting on his knees, jaw tight, eyes low not from shame but from fear that if he looked at her, really looked, he'd break again.
But she did it. She tilted her head. A soft little movement. Barely anything. Just a quiet nod that only he would've caught just enough for him to know.
Go on, Hoonie.
And just like that, something in him cracked open.
"I'm not good at this," Sunghoon said, voice steady but low. "You know that."
No response. Just her eyes, waiting. Soft.
He exhaled, and finally lifted his gaze.
"I think I've always been...protective," he said. "With everyone. But with you?"
His jaw clenched again, and this time, it was to stop the tears.
"It's different," he whispered. "I think if something happened to you because of me..because I didn't speak up, or move fast enough, or stay. I wouldn't come back from it. Not fully."
His voice cracked slightly, but he kept going.
"I was the last to fall for you," he said honestly. "Not because you weren't lovable, you are. It's just...you made my boyfriends fall so fast, and I didn't know how to catch up."
That earned the tiniest twitch of her lips, and his chest squeezed with the urge to run to her, but he stayed rooted. Still speaking. Still shaking.
"But I trusted you," he said. "Always. I respected you more than I knew how to say."
He let the moment breathe.
"You remember that day you made me plant flowers?" he said, smiling slightly now. "I thought it was punishment. You said I was too stiff. Too lame. You threw dirt at me, mocked me for using gloves, and when I tried to leave, you blocked the way with a shovel like a psycho."
A light breath left her, something that almost resembled a stifled laugh, and Sunghoon's heart clenched all over again.
"You teased me until I was annoyed," he continued. "And then you teased me until I laughed. And then...until I forgot I was hiding."
He looked up, directly at her now.
"You always knew how to pull me out. You made me feel safe enough to feel. And now I feel everything."
There was a silence. And in it, his next words cut raw.
"I was the first one who broke down that night," he whispered. "When we left. When we didn't get to say goodbye. I couldn't handle it. I cried like I was five. Like a kid who lost his anchor."
The confession left him heavy, but lighter at the same time.
"I don't want goodbyes again," he said. "Not with them. Not with you. Maybe that's selfish. Maybe this won't lead where I want it to."
He blinked quickly, breath catching. "But if I had to live it all over again? If I had to meet you, fall for you, lose you, and chase you again?"
He nodded, sure. "I'd do it the same way. Every time."
And this time, when he looked at her she was still silent.
But her eyes were shining.
And they were on him.
Ni-ki
The sun was hanging low now, draping the wheat field in gold and quiet shadows. Everything smelled like earth and memory. Six voices had already laid themselves at her feet, open and vulnerable. And still...she hadn't spoken.
But when Ni-ki shifted, just the sound of him standing she moved too.
She didn't run. Didn't flinch. But she stood up, arms wrapping around herself like armor, like she knew. Like she felt it coming.
Because out of all of them, she knew what was coming from him would break something open. He stood a few feet in front of her, taller than he'd ever felt. Shoulders tight. Hands curled into fists.
She looked at him, arms squeezing her sides and her lip trembled once just a little.
Ni-ki swallowed hard.
"Don't do that," he said quietly.
Her brows knit slightly, confused.
"Don't stand like that," he continued, voice cracking. "Like you're bracing for me to hurt you. I never...I never want you to feel like that with me."
She blinked fast, eyes suddenly too glossy. She stood like she was bracing for a storm.
And Ni-ki was the storm.
She knew it. He knew it. Everyone did.
But he stood still, rooted just a few feet from her watching her wrap her arms around herself like she needed armor, but he didn't move to touch her. Not yet.
Instead, he smirked, barely. His voice came low, casual, like they weren't standing in the middle of a confession field surrounded by wheat and ghosts.
"You know..." he said, rocking back on his heels, "I always knew I was the coolest one."
Her head didn't lift. Not fully. But her brows ticked up, the faintest muscle twitch in her cheek betraying her.
Progress.
"So obviously," he said, dragging out the words, "it made total sense when I realized the coolest one had fallen first."
A breeze passed between them, lifting her hair gently.
"I was doomed the second you handed me that broken wristwatch," he said.
Her head snapped up.
"Yeah," he said, eyes dancing. "You remember."
She did. It was a quiet moment, forgotten by everyone else. The boys had gone into town to pick up tools or snacks whatever it was. And Ni-ki had stayed behind, claiming laziness.
She had found him under the front porch with a flashlight, muttering curses in the dirt.
"You good?" she'd asked, crouching beside him.
"No," he'd grumbled, holding up the mangled remains of a watch. "Found this under the stairs. It's dead, like me."
"You're not dead."
"You don't know that."
She'd rolled her eyes and taken it from him, running her fingers along the cracked face, wiping off mud. "You know what this is?"
"A haunted timepiece that'll curse me?"
"A sign," she said, smiling. "Something broken waiting for someone to fix it."
And she handed it back. Just like that.
"Right there," Ni-ki said now, pulling her back to the present. "That was it. I looked at you, holding this dumb broken thing like it mattered, and I thought. Shit I'm in so much trouble."
He laughed softly, raking a hand through his hair.
"I never told anyone," he said. "Not about the watch. Not about the way I'd purposely pretend to fall asleep on the porch swing just so you'd throw a blanket over me like I was a stray cat."
Her lips pressed together.
"I knew you liked the stars," he added. "So sometimes, I'd set an alarm and sneak out just to see if you were sitting in the field. You were. Always in that ugly hoodie, with your boots off, toes in the grass like some kinda barefoot angel."
He took a step forward.
"I made constellations up," he said. "Told you lies about what they meant. You'd never believe me, but I just wanted to see you laugh. Even once."
She sniffed and blinked up at the sky.
"You cried when the rooster died," he said suddenly. "You tried to hide it. Told everyone you were fine. But I saw you behind the barn. Face in your sleeve. And I...I didn't say anything. I just sat next to you and waited."
His voice thickened.
"I waited with you. Because I didn't know what else to do. You looked so sad and so small, and all I could think was, if I ever got super mega famous, I'd buy you every rooster in the world if it would make you smile again."
She laughed barely but it cracked through her throat like broken glass.
"You used to yell at me for stealing the last piece of pie," he said. "So I started cutting it in half before you came in. Left it in the fridge with a sticky note that said 'For Not..Me, Definitely Not Ni-ki.' Like an idiot."
Her arms dropped, loosening around her ribs.
He kept going.
"One night, you fell asleep watching TV. And you were snoring. Like, so bad. Like grandpa on a recliner bad. And I sat there with a pillow in my lap and thought, 'I could stay here forever if she let me.'"
She covered her face with her hand. Her shoulders shook.
"You did this to me," he whispered. "With your sundresses and your garden gloves and your way of never saying what you feel until it's too damn late."
He stepped closer again.
"I fell in love with the way you clean your boots before bed. The way you whisper to the goats like they're your children. The way you pull me back when I storm off even though I act like I hate it."
Now he was right in front of her.
And she...wasn't moving away.
"I fell in love with the way you exist, Naye," he said quietly. "Not the idea of you. Not the fantasy. You. Just as you are. All the chaos, all the light, all the stubborn, reckless, kind hearted, sharp mouthed beauty of you."
She looked at him now. Eyes glistening. Lips parted.
Still no words. But he didn't need them. He stepped even closer, leaning down just slightly to be eye to eye.
"I know I'm not supposed to have favorites," he whispered. "But I was always yours. From day one. You just didn't know it yet."
And when she broke completely sobbing into her hands, body folding inward like she couldn't hold the weight of it anymore.
Ni-ki caught her. Pulled her in buried her face in his chest, and whispered, "I've got you. Always. Even when you don't want me to."
Because when you give your heart away and it ends up in a girl with a yellow sundress and mud on her boots.
Warnings: Pov switches, Medically impaired character (not mc), Death (Not Mcs), Mental Trauma, depression, slow burn, like a crazy slow burn, soulmate bonds, drama, tension, money problems, children, contracts, idol world, mlm, NO SMUT!mtba...
AN:..
prev/next
Sunghoon
He sat in the corner of the practice room, back against the mirrored wall, knees pulled up, a cap pulled low over his eyes.
The others had already read their letters. Some were still recovering. Some were pacing, some were curled up in silence.
But Sunghoon... He was still staring at the unopened envelope in his hand. He hadn't moved in hours.
It wasn't fear. Not exactly. It was dread. That if he read it, it would be real. That she had written something to him. That she had meant it. That she had remembered.
His fingers twitched once...then again. And finally, with the smallest of exhales, he opened it.
The paper inside smelled faintly like strawberries and summer. The very first line almost made him put it down again.
Hoonie, my silent warrior...
His throat tightened. She knew.
I know you probably dissociated while looking at the letter in your hand. So hopefully...you're reading this.
He huffed a small breath through his nose. She really knew.
You never hovered. Never talked too much. Never said anything unnecessary. But when you cared?
You did it louder than anyone I've ever met.
He lowered the letter slightly, his eyes burning.
You probably don't remember this the way I do, but...
That first day we opened the strawberry fields for the season, I was exhausted. Already overwhelmed. And you were just...there. Quiet. Not in my way. So I picked you. I shoved my clipboard into your hands and told you to follow me around.
You said, "This feels like favoritism."
And I said, "It is."
And you just smiled that tiny smug smile and said, "I'm in."
A quiet, almost invisible smile curved Sunghoon's lips.
You were the only one who hadn't annoyed me yet. And you never did.
He shifted, hand tightening slightly on the paper.
The first time I called you Hoonie, you froze like someone hit pause on your life. I thought you didn't like it, but when I asked, you just said...
"I could die happy." And I told you to shut up, but my face was red, wasn't it?
He swallowed hard, head dropping back against the mirror. It had been red. And she'd looked away too fast.
You were always quieter than the others until you weren't. Sometimes you'd go from mute to murder threat in two seconds flat, and honestly? I lived for it.
You had this polite little shell, and then someone would make a dumb comment and boom...Mr. Ice Prince would unfreeze.
He chuckled, and it cracked his breath.
She had called him that once. Ice Prince. He'd pretended not to like it, but secretly...he'd adored it.
That day in town when that guy wouldn't leave me alone... I didn't even have to ask. You just stepped in beside me, let me latch onto your arm, and threatened the man like it was nothing.
I'd never seen someone shrink under a single glance the way that man did when you looked at him. You didn't yell. Didn't fight. Just stared. And I felt safe.
Sunghoon stared at that line a little longer than the rest. He'd never heard anyone say that to him before. That he made someone feel safe.
You never say what you're thinking unless someone pries it out of you, but I always knew how you felt anyway. Because you showed it. When you shared your snacks, when you handed me a hoodie without asking if I was cold, when you stood a little closer on the days I looked sad.
You always showed it.
He blinked rapidly, throat aching.
I saw the way you looked at the boys when they weren't watching. Like you'd trade your whole soul to keep them safe. Like you already had.
And maybe I wasn't supposed to notice, but I did. I always noticed.
His hands were shaking now.
You have the biggest heart, Sunghoon.
Even if you keep it locked behind silent stares and unspoken things.
Even if you hate attention.
Even if you pretend you don't care.
A tear slipped from the corner of his eye, silent, warm, real.
I don't know where this life is going to take us.
I don't know if I'll see you again, or if we'll get to stand in the strawberry fields once more, shoulder to shoulder, while you pretend you're not enjoying holding the clipboard like a boss.
But I hope, wherever you go...
You never fall silent again.
New beginigns
- Naye
Sunghoon folded the letter back up slowly.
His fingers hesitated, then pressed it to his heart, eyes closing, the corners of his mouth trembling with something close to relief.
And for the first time since she left, he whispered aloud, voice hoarse but steady, "Thanks, pretty girl."
And the silence that followed didn't feel like loneliness anymore. It felt like her warmth lingering, like the ghost of sunlight on skin.
Ni-ki
It was heavier than the others. Not in weight, but in meaning. He could feel it pulsing against the surface of his desk like it had a heartbeat of its own.
The envelope had a little doodle on the back corner, a lopsided strawberry with a tiny devil horn, her signature for him. He didn't know whether to smile or cry.
Ni-ki didn't open the letter right away.
Not when Jake handed it to him. Not when they got back to the dorm. Not when everyone else was crying over theirs or reading theirs in stunned silence the past three days.
He kept his in his hoodie pocket like a secret.
Because he knew...his would hurt the most.
He had laughed with her the hardest. Spoke with her in half formed sentences and inside jokes that no one else got. Fought over who ate the last snack. Fought over who looked more like a tree. Teased until they were both breathless.
She was his chaos twin.
His comfort.
His best friend.
So, when he was finally alone with the lights off, legs folded up on his bed. He pulled out the envelope and stared at his name written in her loopy handwriting.
And then, trembling fingers tore it open.
Pretty Riki, my gremlin.
Hi. I miss your annoying voice.
I miss hearing you whine about how your hair doesn't sit right, how "the lighting is bad in this town," how no one but you understands the artistic beauty of microwaved strawberries.
(No one does, by the way. You're on your own with that one.)
Ni-ki let out a small huff of laughter, already blinking away tears.
I don't even know where to begin.
You were the first person who made me feel like I wasn't just some girl with too much land and too many responsibilities. You were the first one who looked at me like I was a real person and not just...the host. Or the caretaker. Or someone who could be useful.
You teased me like we'd known each other for years. The first day you got there, you immediately called me 'Ma'am' in the most ridiculous cowboy accent I've ever heard. And when I told you to knock it off, you saluted me and said, "Yes, Sheriff."
And from then on, you were my chaos twin. My resident gremlin. My favorite pain in the ass.
Ni-ki clutched the letter tighter, blinking rapidly.
Do you remember when you insisted I try your 'secret recipe'? You swore on your non-existent chef hat that it was revolutionary. I knew you were full of shit. But I let you anyway, because I trusted you. And maybe, because I wanted to see what disaster tasted like.
You microwaved strawberries, Riki.
I should've called the cops.
But instead, I watched you eat one and I gagged dramatically, then try to convince me it was an acquired taste.
I didn't taste it. I launched them out the window like they were cursed.
He smiled, a shaky thing, wiping his cheek quickly.
That was the moment I realized something important.
I could be me around you. Like, really me. Not Naye the Ranch Girl. Not Naye the one who had to be strong, or the one who held everything together.
Just...Naye.
And you were just Riki. No pretending. No idol face. Just a boy who talked to the goats like they were people, danced like a maniac in the kitchen, and carried me to my bed when I fell asleep in the car.
(Yes. I was awake. I was just really tired. And honestly, I wanted to see if you'd do it. You did.)
He let out a breathy laugh, hand pressed to his mouth now.
Our friendship was loud in volume but quiet in understanding. We didn't need deep talks all the time... though when we had them, they were some of my favorite moments.
We'd wake up before the others and sneak into the sunroom. We told everyone we just wanted quiet, but really? I just wanted to sit near you while we sketched and painted in silence.
No one knew about that, but it became our thing.
I drew you, you know. A lot. More than I admitted.
Your expressions. Your eyes. Your dumb smirks. That face you made when Yejun asked you to do the worm and you didn't hesitate just launched yourself to the floor like a trained seal.
I painted that. You looked ridiculous. It's my favorite piece.
Ni-ki swallowed hard. His chest felt like it was caving in.
You made me laugh when everything felt like it was falling apart.
The day I couldn't talk because the world was too heavy. You didn't ask questions. You didn't give advice. You just sat next to me, handed me a normal strawberry and we watched the paint chip on the wall.
I don't think I ever thanked you for that. Not really. But I meant to. Every day.
His hand was trembling now, but he kept reading.
You came up with the most terrible ideas, but I still followed you as you dived head first into everything. I even drew all of your guys eyes, yeah, that night we all silently sat in the living room just scrolling on phones, but I saw everyone watching in their own ways. But not you, you were flat out staring when you thought I was looking down. I drew your eyes first.
I don't know what's going to happen now. The ranch is being sold. I'm thinking of moving far away somewhere the land doesn't smell like memories. Somewhere I can breathe without it hurting.
But wherever I go...
I'll always be looking for a tall tree in a crowd.
Someone who called me shorty with love.
Someone who felt like home.
You, Riki, Ni-ki..whatever you want to be called.
He couldn't breathe. But he kept going.
I hope you never lose that spark. That mischievous, wild, wonderful energy that makes everyone around you feel like a kid again.
I hope your ideas are always chaotic and unique. Because this world is better when you're leading it.
And I hope you know this.
I love you.
I love all of you.
But I loved you first.
-Naye
His head dropped forward, tears falling freely now, the paper crumpling between his fingers as he held it close to his chest.
"I loved you first..." he whispered.
He felt like he'd been cracked wide open. Like every memory was playing on repeat. Like she had written her soul onto the page.
And it was his.
Always had been.
Naye
The sun slanted across the floor in ribbons of pale gold, warm but not comforting.
Cardboard boxes were stacked in every room now; some half packed, some overflowing. The smell of old hay still clung to her walls, mixed with the faintest trace of campfire, cinnamon, and goat shampoo. Her boots thudded softly as she moved from the hall to her room, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
Packing up your whole life was exhausting.
But it wasn't the lifting, the sorting, or the organizing that made her heart heavy, it was the knowing.
Knowing that in less than a week, this place wouldn't be hers anymore. That her home, her memories, her history...would belong to strangers with shiny shoes and hollow smiles.
She crouched down at the foot of her bed and reached for the bottom drawer the one she hadn't touched since she wrote. Her fingers hovered for a moment, then pulled it open.
Empty.
Her heart stopped.
No, no, no.
She yanked the drawer out completely and dumped it onto the bed. Nothing.
The letters the ones she'd written by hand, one for each of them were gone.
"Oh my god," she whispered, panic crawling up her throat like smoke. She spun on her heel about to tear the room apart, when the front door creaked open.
"We're home!" a familiar voice called.
Her uncle's deep teasing tone was followed by the unmistakable sound of sneakers and boots clomping inside three different sizes and speeds. A stampede of laughter and chaos.
"In here!" she shouted, standing frozen in the middle of her room heart racing.
Seconds later, her uncle Jihwan entered with the three tiny terrors. Yejun the ever wise nine year old with the heart of a poet. Minchan a quiet but sneaky newly six year old with a thing for glitter glue and secrets. And Ara the giggling seven year old who called every male guest 'oppa' and believed she was part unicorn.
"Unnie!" Ara chirped, running in and launching herself onto the bed. Naye blinked at them, still breathless. "Where are my letters?"
All three kids froze. Jihwan blinked, looking around innocently. "You mean the ones in your bedroom drawer?"
Her eyes narrowed.
Minchan sniffled and stepped forward, hands behind his back like he was surrendering to the law. "I'm sorry."
Naye lowered herself to his level, trying to keep her voice calm. "Why, sweetheart?"
"I...I took them..." Minchan muttered, voice trembling like he was expecting handcuffs.
"You what?" she asked gently, trying not to scream. Her hands came to her knees. "Why would you take them?"
Ara, who clearly had no filter or shame giggled and said, "We gave them to Jihwan Samchon!"
Naye's head snapped toward her uncle. Jihwan held up both hands, unapologetic. "Don't look at me like that. I delivered them."
"You what?!" she stood up so fast the bed creaked. "I wasn't going to send them yet!"
"You weren't ever going to send them," he said calmly, leaning in the doorway with that classic older uncle energy he always carried. "And someone had to."
Her lips parted but no words came out. Yejun climbed onto her lap without invitation and sat sideways, facing her like he was about to conduct a therapy session.
"You need to be brave, noona," he said seriously, brushing hair out of her face. "Like a cowgirl."
She blinked at him.
"A cowgirl who rides through storms, not away from them," he added, clearly quoting something he heard on a movie or made up himself.
Minchan tugged on her shirt. "You were sad. You always cry in the kitchen."
Ara nodded like a sage. "And when you cry, the pigs cry."
Naye let out a breathy, startled laugh. "The pigs cry?"
"Yup," Ara whispered. "Even the grumpy one."
Minchan leaned in and whispered, "We just wanted you to smile again."
Naye bit her bottom lip, overwhelmed.
"You little punks," she whispered affectionately, hugging them close. "You're all gonna give me a heart attack."
"Then kiss us before we die too," Yejun deadpanned pointing to his chubby cheek with a smirk.
She barked a laugh and kissed each of their foreheads, squishing their cheeks. "Drama kings and queen, the lot of you."
Jihwan cleared his throat, stepping inside finally. "Look...I know you think I overstepped. But those boys and you have been walking around with holes in your hearts since they left. You wrote those letters like you were bleeding and smiling at the same time."
Naye looked away.
"And I get it," he continued. "You were scared. But I'm not letting you do what you always do."
She frowned. "Which is?"
"Close up shop. Pretend you're fine. Bake cookies instead of talking about it. Avoid eye contact. Overwater the plants. Sleep with the lights on."
She said nothing, eyes stinging.
"So," he said, resting a hand on her head, "when they come back and they will come back don't shut the damn door, Naye."
"I-"
"No, listen," he cut in, voice softer now. "They love you. You love them. Everyone and their goat could see it."
She chuckled wetly.
He leaned closer. "And if you turn them away...I swear to god, I will kill you. Or at least dramatically cry on your front porch and make the whole town watch."
She burst out laughing, pressing a hand to her mouth. The kids, delighted by the idea of Uncle Jihwan crying dramatically joined in with squeals and mimicry.
Yejun stood up on the bed and declared, "And I'll sing sad songs with my toy guitar!"
Minchan raised his hands. "And I'll cry real tears!"
Ara blinked. "I'll be a unicorn goat."
Everyone paused and looked at her.
Naye wiped her face, still laughing. "You are absolutely already a goat, baby."
Ara beamed.
And in that moment surrounded by chaos, love, unsolicited wisdom from small children, and her meddling but loyal uncle; Naye felt something loosen in her chest.
Hope.
She exhaled slowly, pulling the kids in for another group hug.
"Okay," she said softly. "Maybe...maybe I'll be a brave cowgirl after all."
"Damn right you will," Jihwan said proudly.
"Language," all three kids screamed.
Enhypen
The room was cold, but not from the air conditioning.
It was the kind of chill that came from tension, unspoken things thick in the air nerves pulled tight like piano wire. The fluorescent lights above hummed casting sterile white across the long conference table where the seven men sat side by side backs straight, expressions unreadable. Their manager Yuki stood behind them like a silent sentinel, arms crossed lips pressed tight.
Across from them were the higher-ups. Suits and smug smiles. Corporate leeches who'd squeezed every last drop out of them for nearly eight years.
"We're not staying," Heeseung said plainly, voice sharp as flint.
It was like the first crack of thunder.
The heads of HYBE exchanged looks, the one in the middle. Director Park smiling thinly. "You're in the middle of a comeback. You got a month off. You should be grateful."
Jay scoffed. "A month off doesn't fix eight years of rot."
Jungwon leaned forward, cat eyes narrowed. "We signed a seven year contract. Not seven and a half. Not an extension we never agreed to. Seven. It's been nearly eight."
One of the assistants opened their mouth to argue, but Ni-ki beat them to it. "We were minors," he snapped. "We trained until our knees gave out. Danced through fevers. Woke up to cameras in our faces. We never complained."
"And now you want to be martyrs?" another exec hissed. "You'd walk away from all this when the whole world wants to be you?"
Jake's jaw clenched, voice calm but coiled with fury. "We were children when you sold us the dream. We became machines."
Sunghoon finally broke his silence, voice low. "The company's name is always in the news. Scandal after scandal. And every time, our names get dragged with it."
"Let me guess," a suit sneered. "Now you're too good for us?"
"No," Sunoo said sweetly, almost mockingly. "We were always too good for you."
Jay laughed darkly under his breath. "You're lucky we didn't walk earlier."
The stack of contracts in front of them was thick. White pages, empty promises. Jungwon reached for one, flipped it open. Blank signature lines stared back.
"You thought we were going to sign this?" he said, tone flat.
Ni-ki stood. Every eye turned to him.
In one swift motion, he picked up one of the pristine copies, tore it right down the middle, and threw the halves on the table like confetti. Then, for good measure, he stomped on them with his boot.
"We're never renewing again," he said, voice like stone.
"You ungrateful little-" someone muttered, but Yuki raised a hand.
"They have grounds," he said clearly. "This contract technically expired eleven months ago. If they wanted to file a labor suit, they'd win. You know that."
Another exec spat, "If you leave, Hybe won't lift a finger when things go south."
"They already went south," Heeseung said, rising to his full height. "We're just trying to get home."
Jungwon reached into his pocket and dropped a pair of keys onto the polished wood table. One by one, the others followed. A chorus of metal clinking, like chains breaking.
"Don't expect pity," the director hissed. "Don't come crawling back."
"We've always made it on our own," Jay said, deadpan. "You were just the middleman."
"And if we fall?" Sunghoon murmured, eyes cold. "At least we fall free."
Jake's lips twitched, not in amusement but in disgust. "Keep the name. Keep the building. Keep your legacy. We don't want it."
"You'll regret this," someone snapped.
Sunoo smiled like a blade. "Then watch us live with it."
They didn't slam the door on their way out.
They didn't need to.
Their silence said everything.
Because as they walked out of that office, into the corridor that once felt like a cage, they all felt it like air returning to lungs, like gravity easing off shoulders.
They weren't idols anymore.
They were men.
And they were finally on their way home.
Naye
The sun was high and unforgiving casting long shadows over the porch, the barn, and the dust kissed dirt road that led out of town. A rental truck sat in the driveway with its doors flung open, swallowing the last pieces of Naye's life inside thick cardboard boxes labeled in Sharpie: Kitchen, Dad's tools, Room/Closet, Photos/Don't crush.
It was almost poetic. Almost.
Her hands were raw from the grip of packing tape, her hoodie dust streaked and her throat dry, but it was done. The house was empty. Her home...silent.
She climbed down the truck ramp, wiping her forehead with her sleeve before letting herself just breathe. For a minute, maybe longer. Then she turned back toward the ranch.
She let her feet carry her along the familiar path, past the stable gates, the collapsed scarecrow still waiting to be fixed, the wildflowers that had started growing in the seams of the fencing. Every part of this place held a memory. Every dent in the wood, every rusted hinge on the gates. She touched them as she passed, fingers trailing like a silent goodbye.
This place had raised her. Held her grief. Cradled her joy. And now she was letting it go.
Except.
A scream split the sky.
She snapped up, heart in her throat.
Then another yell followed by voices overlapping, and what sounded like Mirae's high pitched fury. Naye turned on her heel jogging toward the front of the house boots kicking up dust behind her.
By the time she rounded the corner her uncle Jihwan was waving his arms wildly and Mirae looked one second from throwing something, and her accountant, Mr. Han, suit sleeves rolled up was trying to speak over them all.
"What the hell is going on?" she panted looking at them all like they were crazy.
"You don't have to go!" Mirae yelled, face flushed and eyes already misty.
"What do you mean I don't?"
"The buyout's off," Mr. Han cut in. "The company that was purchasing the town, the one pressuring everyone to sell? It's been bought. Bought out by someone else."
She blinked hard not trying to get her hopes up without an explanation. "By who?"
"We don't know," her uncle said, still stunned. "Some hot shot. Whoever it is, they made an anonymous offer overrode the contracts and submitted new terms to the bank yesterday. Mirae's cousin's wife works there."
Mr. Han handed her a packet of stapled papers with shaking hands. "Look at the clause right there. 'All previous claims rescinded. All residential properties to remain in the names of their legal owners. Full town renovation approved. Ranch classified as historic family property protected status.'"
Naye's eyes flicked over the document, her fingers trembling as her eyes caught a symbol. "No-no, no way, t-this can't be..this isn't real."
"It's real!" Mirae squealed, practically vibrating. "You're staying! The town's staying! They're fixing up the old buildings, the cafe, the schoolhouse. And you get to keep the ranch!"
Something broke inside her then.
She let out a sound that was more gasp than cry, her knees nearly giving as she stumbled forward into her uncle's chest. Jihwan wrapped his arms around her, cradling the back of her head like he used to when she was little and couldn't fall asleep.
"Good things always come after a storm," he whispered into her hair.
Her chest clenched, and she nodded, choking on a sob. "The boys came after a storm too," she murmured. "I guess life...really is crazy."
Jihwan smiled, kissed her temple. "Told you. You just had to hold on."
Naye laughed through the tears, loud and full. "Well, we're not wasting this! Call everyone..get the whole town...I am not unpacking this alone!"
Mirae blinked as she started cackling. "Are you serious?"
"Dead serious," she said, already pulling out her phone. "We're throwing a party. Right here. Tonight."
"Right now?" her accountant asked, dumbfounded.
"Right now." Naye spun in a circle, grin splitting her face. "Tell them to bring drinks, dancing shoes, and anyone who's ever seen a moving box!"
The others scattered into motion, each grinning, shouting, Mirae calling someone on speaker as she ran down the steps screaming something about picking up cupcakes.
Naye stood still for a second, all the noise blurring behind her. Then she looked up at the sky vast and open and cupped her hands around her mouth.
"I'm sorry for ever doubting you!" she shouted to the clouds. And then she shrieked. Like a little girl barefoot in a summer storm running in circles in front of the house she thought she'd lost. The house she was keeping. The life she was getting back.
She spun, giggled, jumped, ran.
Because for once, finally. She got to stay.
The house looked like a painting again.
The furniture was back after hours, the rugs laid out, the walls freshly painted with old photographs re-framed and hung just the way she liked. The curtains were open, the windows cleaned. Every inch of the house smelled like lemon oil and wildflowers. Her home had been reborn piece by piece, box by box with the help of the people who loved her, and the town that refused to let her go.
They'd celebrated. Loudly.
A feast under the stars, everyone and their mother bringing dishes to eat. Fireflies flickering like confetti. Kids running around with sticky fingers and sparklers while adults laughed over good food and old stories. Someone played the guitar. Someone else danced barefoot on the porch. Mirae had cried. Jihwan had eaten three pieces of cake.
And Naye, Naye had stood in the middle of it all and felt for the first time in years, like she was home. There was a difference in living in a home for some time, and having a home for the rest of your lives.
But now the party was over. Everyone had gone. The dishes were washed. The lights in the house were off except for one soft lamp glowing in the living room window.
And Naye was in the field.
The wheat swayed around her in the evening breeze, brushing her shoulders as she lay flat on her back, arm flung over her eyes to block the fading sun. Her yellow sundress fanned out around her like petals, skin warm, throat dry, chest aching with something she didn't know how to name.
"This can't be real," she whispered. "This is too good. Life is good. God is good. But this...this is crazy."
Her voice cracked a little on the last word, equal parts disbelief and overwhelmed joy. She let out a laugh, rough and breathy, more air than sound.
"It's real," said a voice.
That voice.
That deep, amused voice she'd replayed in her head too many nights to count. Her arm stayed where it was, shielding her face from more than just the sun.
"Okay," she muttered, "if the sky is mocking me with Riki's voice now, I'm going to throw a full blown fit. Right here. In this field."
There was a quiet beat before another voice answered. "No one's mocking you, baby." Low. Steady. Smooth as honey and twice as dangerous. Heeseung.
Her fingers twitched. Slowly, like a scene unfolding in slow motion her arm slipped down from her eyes and she sat up. The golden light kissed her cheeks and tangled in her hair, catching on the soft fabric of her dress like she was part of the landscape something wild and beautiful and planted by fate.
And in front of her, standing in a half circle in the tall wheat, were seven men.
Her seven.
Sun kissed skin, travel worn clothes, messy hair, and those expressions...those small, worried smiles, every one of them looking at her like she was both an answer and a question they'd spent too long waiting to ask.
And they just looked back. Like the world had stopped spinning for a second and maybe it had. Because when it came to love like this, love forged in blood and silence and fire.
Warnings: Pov switches, Medically impaired character (not mc), Death (Not Mcs), Mental Trauma, depression, slow burn, like a crazy slow burn, soulmate bonds, drama, tension, money problems, children, contracts, idol world, mlm, NO SMUT!mtba...
AN: Listening to Boyz II Men Its So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday while editing this. Big mistake.
prev/next
Naye ( weeks later)
The hum of the espresso machine in Blue Bell & Bean had always felt like background music to her life.
But today...today, it was just noise.
Naye sat in the farthest corner of the café, away from the windows, tucked into the shadows like she didn't want to be seen. Her elbows rested on the small wooden table, her head slightly bowed fingers loosely clasped around a half empty glass of water. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, strands falling in loose lifeless curls. Her once sun kissed skin looked dull beneath the café's warm lights, and her eyes...her eyes told the real story. They were red rimmed and heavy, like they hadn't closed properly in days.
She looked like a ghost of the girl who used to twirl in garden boots and hum while cleaning chicken coops.
No laughter, no light.
Just...silence.
She had their numbers.
All seven of them. Written down carefully in the note they left, tucked into the back pocket of her journal. All she had to do was pull it out. Dial one. Say something. Anything.
But she hadn't.
She was scared.
Terrified, even.
What if they were angry? What if they hated her for running? For not letting them finish what they had come to say? Hadn't that always been her story? Leaving people in the middle of things? Or worse, being left?
Her father.
Her mother.
Now them.
Maybe she was the curse.
What was the point of living when everything she touched either walked away or died?
Her eyes fluttered shut just as the bell above the door chimed. She didn't look up. She didn't care. She didn't have it in her to care.
Until the scent of strawberries and rose syrup kissed the air in front of her, followed by the soft clink of porcelain.
She blinked and looked up.
Mirae.
Dressed in her usual frilly apron, pink clips in her hair. The town's most enthusiastic barista slash gossip girl but didn't say anything at first. She simply slid the soft pink drink across the table and sat down across from Naye, folding her arms.
She didn't speak in her usual 100mph tempo.
She didn't smile too brightly.
She just looked at her. Softly. Like a friend who knew too much.
Naye's voice was dry when it came out. "You're quiet. That's terrifying."
Mirae let out a small chuckle. "You look like you haven't heard a joke in a week. I figured I'd start slow."
A ghost of a smile attempted to twitch Naye's lips. It failed.
They sat in silence for a few more moments, the café warm with its usual jazz music, a couple of teenagers whispering at the counter, but here, in this quiet little corner, it was just them.
"I know they're gone," Mirae finally said, voice gentle. "The boys."
Naye's throat tightened.
"I don't know why. Or how. I just know...I haven't seen that big gray SUV in the lot in days, and you've been coming in here looking like you lost the moon." She reached forward, tapped the side of Naye's drink. "So I made you something."
Naye stared at the drink. Pink with a white foam swirl, topped with a sugar dusted strawberry.
"What is it?"
Mirae smiled then, soft and a little sad. "Strawberry8."
Naye's heart skipped. She blinked hard as she felt the tension well in her eyes.
Mirae continued, eyes kind but firm. "You don't have to tell me what happened. I'm not here to force anything out of you. I just...I hate seeing you like this. And I know I talk too much and I butt into people's business, but I love this town. I love you. And those boys? You think I didn't see the way they looked at you? Like they found something they'd been searching for their entire lives."
Naye looked away, lips trembling.
Mirae sighed. "You're scared. I get it. But sometimes...we don't get to run from the people meant for us. Even if we try. They find us. Or we find them. But you gotta open the door first."
Naye's fingers curled around the warm ceramic of the drink. Her voice was barely a whisper. "What if it's too late?"
Mirae tilted her head. "It's only too late if you never try."
That sat heavy.
The way truths always did.
Naye stared at the drink again. Strawberry8. A stupidly perfect name. She didn't cry this time. She just held it tighter.
Mirae stood and walked around the table, ruffling her hair like she used to when they were teens. "I love you, farm fairy. And so do a lot of people, even if they're not here right now."
Naye nodded, standing slowly.
She picked up the drink taking a long look at it.
"Thanks," she whispered, her voice shaky but alive. "Really."
Mirae smiled and winked. "Go break the universe, sweetheart."
And with that, Naye turned, walking out into the sunlight, heart pounding in a way it hadn't in weeks.
She didn't know if she'd text them today.
But maybe...maybe she'd open that journal.
Maybe she'd start with just one name.
Sunghoon
The car hadn't even come to a full stop before Sunghoon was already opening the door.
Jake followed close behind, the two of them moving fast, heads bowed low, caps tugged down nearly to their brows, masks pulled so high they scraped their lashes. Still, the second their shoes hit the pavement in front of HYBE, it began.
Screams.
Shouts.
The frenzied eruption of a hundred fans outside the glass, calling their names as if the wind could carry their love into the marrow of their bones.
"Sunghoon oppa!"
"Jake we missed you!"
"ENHYPEN! OVER HERE!"
But they didn't wave.
They didn't turn.
They didn't smile.
They just walked, a little too fast like ghosts trying to make it back to their skin. The sun caught on Jake's hair, the same blonde he used to complain about getting too frizzy in the countryside. And Sunghoon, whose posture used to scream confidence, now hunched just slightly, like he was carrying a weight no one else could see.
The moment they stepped into the cool lobby of the HYBE building, the screaming faded but not the yelling.
A man's voice, sharp and unwavering, echoed off the marble walls. "What do you mean I can't see them?! I'm not some lunatic fan; I'm here on behalf of my family-"
Sunghoon's brows furrowed behind his mask.
That voice.
He didn't have to guess.
Because no one else yelled like that. No one else had a voice like sandpaper, seasoned with whiskey and blunt affection. No one else called Naye Peanut with a straight face.
Sunghoon's hand shot out and gripped Jake's arm tightly. Jake stopped too, following his gaze as the man at the front desk slammed a stack of envelopes against the marble, nearly making the receptionist flinch.
She looked ready to snap back, "I said..."
"...He's with us," Sunghoon called out, voice low but sure. The receptionist blinked at him, eyes wide. "You...you're okay with this?"
"Yes," Jake added, still stunned. "Let him through."
The woman gave a reluctant sigh and waved the man past.
Jihwan grunted something under his breath about "some people needing to learn manners" as he stormed across the lobby, boots loud against the tile, a black windbreaker zipped up over his thick arms.
They didn't speak until the elevator doors slid shut.
Didn't know how to.
The tension between the three of them was loud enough.
When they got to the music studio, the air shifted. Everything was sterile. White walls. Harsh lights. Empty soundboards blinking like forgotten cityscapes. The only thing grounding it was the three bodies in the room, and the ghosts attached to them.
Sunghoon sat down slowly.
Jake next to him.
Jihwan didn't sit.
He just stared.
For a long moment, he didn't say anything.
And then he cackled.
A full belly laugh like something had finally broken loose in his chest.
"Holy shit," he barked, wiping under his eyes. "You boys look awful." He pointed directly at them. "Good to know Peanut ain't the only one walking around like the grim reaper stole her damn shadow."
Jake huffed a breath that might've been a laugh. Sunghoon didn't move, heart in his throat.
Jihwan reached into his windbreaker pocket and pulled out a fat bundle of envelopes tied with a small blue rubber band. He tossed them gently to Sunghoon.
"She said to give you those," he said. "Each one has a name. You'll figure it out." Sunghoon stared down at them like they were fragile. Like they were made of light.
"Read them later," Jihwan added, softer now. "When you're back at your place." He didn't say home.
Didn't dare.
"Why are you here?" Jake asked, voice hoarse.
"Missed you boys," Jihwan said simply. "Town's been real quiet. Coffee shop's less loud. Chickens seem depressed. Mirae keeps making strawberry cakes like she's trying to summon you by sugar."
A beat. Then Jihwan's voice grew quiet. "And I figured...someone had to tell you. About the farm."
Sunghoon looked up sharply, jaw clenching. "What about it?"
Jihwan hesitated. Then he sighed and sat down across from them. His whole body slumped, like even he didn't want to say it.
"They're selling it."
The words hit like a slap.
"What?" Jake whispered.
"They're selling the farm," Jihwan repeated. "After your mom...well, Naye's mom...passed...they just can't keep up. There's a mortgage on it. And without her mom's help, Naye doesn't have the funds to cover it. Not fast enough."
Sunghoon felt the blood drain from his face.
Her mom...passed?
His hands were shaking.
Everything made sense now.
The silence. The lack of calls. The grief they could feel humming in their ribs like a distant tremor. She wasn't ignoring them.
She was drowning.
"Why didn't she tell us?" Jake whispered, hands clasped in front of him like he was praying.
"Because she's stubborn," Jihwan said with a crooked smile. "Like someone else I know.." he looked at Sunghoon for an unnecessarily long moment. "...and because she didn't want to ruin the one good thing that ever happened to her."
Silence.
No one moved.
Jihwan leaned back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head. "You boys are in love with her. I ain't dumb. I've seen the way you all looked at her like she hung the stars. Hell, I saw the way you watched her like she'd disappear if you blinked."
"She didn't even say goodbye," Sunghoon said, barely audible.
The eldest man sighed, "She wanted to. But death has a way of burning your voice right out of your throat."
Jake closed his eyes.
Jihwan exhaled, heavy and long. Then leaned forward, elbows on knees. "I don't know what you're allowed to say. What you're allowed to do. You're idols. Superstars. And I get it. But let me tell you something..."
He looked between them both.
"You can only survive this world if you have a home."
Neither Jake nor Sunghoon responded.
"You left yours behind."
That did it.
Jake's face crumpled slightly, lips parting like he was about to say something anything but Jihwan just stood up with a groan.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go find some food in this building that doesn't taste like cardboard and fame."
He walked toward the door, but paused with one hand on the knob. "She misses you." And with that, he was gone.
The room didn't breathe for a long time.
Only when Jake finally reached forward and touched the stack of letters did the air shift again.
Sunghoon stared down at them and whispered like it hurt, "We didn't even get to say goodbye."
Jake's eyes burned. "Then maybe it's not too late to say something now."
Jake
The room was dark.
Not night time dark, but that kind of heavy dusk when the sun is still hanging in the sky, but you couldn't be bothered to turn on a light. The shadows stretched long across Jake's bedroom floor, and dust floated lazily in the air like everything had just...stopped.
And maybe it had.
The envelope sat in his lap like a live thing. Small, simple, cream colored, his name printed on the front in the handwriting he'd memorized without trying.
Jake.
Not Jakey. Not angel. Just...Jake.
His fingers trembled as he turned it over. He could feel the others in the dorm, quiet behind their walls, holding their letters like sacred things. But he was alone in here. Alone with her words, and maybe that made him the luckiest man alive.
He slid his finger under the seal and opened it like it might shatter in his hands.
The paper was soft, faintly wrinkled, like it had been held too tightly by someone who almost didn't send it.
And at the top, in the loopiest cursive he'd ever seen, it read.
Hi, Jakey.
I figured if I started with Jake, it might sound too cold, and I didn't want cold. Not for you.
I've never written a letter like this before. Honestly, it feels weird. Like I'm trapped in one of those old films Eomma loved where someone gets a letter from war or something. But I guess this is a kind of war, isn't it?
You once told me I smiled like honey, remember? That night we made goat milk bread and burnt it because someone (you) insisted they knew what they were doing. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. I remember thinking that moment...that dumb, stupid moment ...was the happiest I'd felt in years.
And I don't know what that says about me, but I know what it says about you.
Jake's breath hitched.
He blinked down at the page, lips parting slightly as his eyes raced over the words like they'd vanish if he looked away too long.
You're the only person I've ever met who makes silence feel like music. You walk into a room and it's like the sun remembers how to rise. You made the goats happier, even when you pretended to hate their kisses. (They still go to your room looking for you, by the way. I don't have the heart to close the door all the way. Stupid, huh?)
I tried baking the other day. It was pathetic. I stared at the sugar bag and started crying before I could even preheat the oven. All I could see was you standing there with flour on your nose telling Ni-ki that if he didn't stop eating the dough, you were gonna "bite him first."
God, I miss you. I miss all of you so much I feel it in my teeth.
But I didn't send this letter just to talk about missing you. I need to tell you something else.
Jake paused, feeling the ache in his chest grow sharper. He didn't want to read it. He had to read it. His eyes skimmed the next paragraph, and his heart cracked.
Eomma is gone.
She passed away the night you left. I got the call as you all were about to tell me something, and I ran. I didn't even let you finish. And I regret that every single day, but I would have regretted it more if I hadn't left then.
I wasn't there. Not when it happened. I was late. I promised I would hold her hand through it, and I missed it. She left, and I wasn't even breathing the same air. I don't think I'll ever forgive myself.
When I came home and saw the house empty. The beds made, the once wet clothes gone, your shoes missing from the porch....I thought my heart was going to stop. I think it did, for a second.
It felt like I lost everything in one night.
Jake choked on a sob, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. His eyes were burning now, so much he couldn't see for a moment.
Still, he read on.
But...that's not what I want you to hold onto. I want you to remember the smell of my mom's soup recipe. The way I teased you for folding towels wrong. I want you to remember the sky when we danced with the fireflies, the strawberry fields when they were in bloom. I want you to remember me, not as the girl who ran, but as the woman who meant to stay.
I never got to say this to your face, maybe because I was too scared. But Jake, you...you changed everything. You taught me what softness could feel like. You held space for me in places I didn't think I belonged. You called me fairy once and then many more time, and I've held onto that like a treasure.
Jake bit down on his lip hard enough to bleed. His hand clenched the letter, shaking. The next lines were messier. Smudged. Like they'd been written through tears.
I don't know what happens now.
I don't have the ranch for much longer. We can't afford it. It's going to be sold to some tourist company next week. I thought about fighting it. About begging the bank. But honestly...I think I'm too tired.
I've been looking at a few towns a couple hours away. Somewhere quiet. Somewhere where I'm not constantly haunted by empty hallways and a porch with too many missing voices.
I didn't want to tell you this over a text. Didn't want to break over the phone. I didn't know how to say all this out loud. But you deserved to know.
Even if you never read this. Even if it sits in your bag forever.
Jake was crying now. Shoulders shaking and tears slipping down his cheeks and onto the page.
I miss your laugh.
I miss your stupid outfits.
I miss the way you told me I looked pretty when I felt like a monster.
I miss the way you held me like I was fragile and sacred, even when I didn't believe I deserved it.
I miss...
There was a long pause on the page.
Then, the last line.
Written in a rushed, desperate scrawl like she hadn't meant to write it but couldn't stop herself.
I love my angel who dresses like crazy.
Naye.
Jake dropped the letter to the floor and curled forward, sobbing into his arms. Not from heartbreak not exactly. But from the sheer weight of everything. Of loss. Of love. Of a road not yet walked, but finally in sight.
He loves her.
And now he had her words. Her truth. Her pain. Her love. He didn't care about the cameras. The stages. The so called comeback.
"Fuck this," he whispered into the empty room. "Fuck the lights, the press...the contract."
Because what was music if he couldn't sing it for her?
What was living if his soul was still stuck in a strawberry field, watching a girl run barefoot toward the wind?
He stood up, heart pounding like it had woken from a long, cold sleep.
He had to go home.
And now...he finally knew where that was.
Heeseung
It was quiet in the dorm, unusually so.
The others had all disappeared into their rooms, doors closed gently behind them like they were scared to make a sound. Even the air seemed hesitant to move, thick with unspoken things.
Heeseung sat at the edge of his bed, the letter resting in his lap like scripture.
He'd read it already. Twice. Three times. More than that. But still... his hands reached for it again, folding it open with the same ritual someone might use for something sacred and maybe that's exactly what it was.
A piece of her. A sliver of her soul.
His eyes scanned the familiar handwriting as his breath slowed.
Hi, Hee-ah.
You're probably reading this at 3am because you can't sleep. I was right, wasn't I? You always look like you haven't rested, but I hope you do, someday. I hope you dream something soft.
I miss your stupid little flirtations. The way you'd smirk at me like you were getting away with something like I wouldn't notice you stealing extra eggs from the pan. I miss your doe eyes when you were excited, and even more when you were sad.
You charmed this whole damn town, you know that? They still ask about you. Ms. Kim from the post office told me to tell you her daughter is single. I told her you were already taken and maybe that's stupid of me, but I feel like you were.
Heeseung laughed once a tiny puff of air, bitter and sweet all at once. His throat was tight. His eyes already stung.
Yejun cried the other day. Just..full on sobbed. Said his cowboy partner left him without saying goodbye. I sat with him on the porch and cried too. We made that little barn his new hideout. I named it 'Heeseung's Saloon.' He made a paper badge that says 'Sheriff.'
God, I miss you.
I miss you and Jay haggling the locals out of their strawberries. That scam y'all ran to help me sell more at the farmer's market? That's a core memory now. Everyone knew you were full of it, but they loved the way you laughed like a boy who'd never had to fake anything.
His fingers shook as he flipped to the next page. Her voice was there, in every word, brushing his skin like a breeze through tall grass.
I think about that night in the car sometimes. When you told me how you met the others. You didn't know it, but I'd never felt that close to anyone in my life. You made me feel like I could say anything.
And I've never said this out loud before, but when I sang in the barn that night, I looked for you first. I sang to you first. Every note, every breath. I don't think I ever felt more brave than I did staring into your eyes.
I remember the first ride we took in my truck, when you asked if I believed in soulmates. You asked it so casually, but your eyes were begging. And I said I think everyone has someone. I still think that.
Heeseung leaned forward, pressing his hand to his mouth. His shoulders rose and fell with each breath like he was trying to hold himself together by sheer willpower.
But the words kept going. And so did he.
I started humming this little tune around you guys. I couldn't help it. It got stuck in my bones, like it had always been there. And when I looked up, you were all watching me like I'd just rearranged your world.
That's when I felt it. I didn't call it anything. Didn't want to give it a name. But I think...maybe I belonged to you. All of you. Just a little bit.
The room blurred. His tears spilled quietly, no dramatics, no gasps just salt down his cheeks as his heart pulsed too loud in his ears.
I know you love music. It's in you. Like blood. Like breath.
But passion burns out when it's left alone too long. When it has no one to sing for. I hope you never forget why you started. I hope you never forget what it felt like to sing in the kitchen with flour on your cheek and a rooster screaming outside.
You once told me the world felt too heavy sometimes, like it'd crush you if you slowed down. So I hope you slow down, Heeseung. I hope you find moments soft enough to rest your head in.
The last lines were smudged. Tear stains...hers, not his. But his fell against hers. And that broke him more than anything else.
I don't know what happens next. I don't know if I'll ever see you again. But if I do...
If I do, please bring back your silly hats and your stolen snacks and the boy who once said I smiled like summer.
Until then, stay safe. Keep singing. And remember...
You'll always be my sheriff. My sweet talking mess of a man. My heartbeat in boots.
Naye.
Heeseung dropped the letter to his chest and curled over it, holding it like a lifeline, like if he pressed hard enough he could crawl back into her arms and never leave.
His breath broke into soft, guttural sobs silent and violent the kind that leave you hollow after.
She remembered everything.
The eggs. The fireflies. The scams. The humming.
And she chose to write all of it.
He didn't care about the music shows. The endorsements. The label contracts.
What was fame worth when your voice belonged to a woman humming in a barn under strings of fairy lights?
Heeseung clutched the letter and whispered to the ceiling, "I'm coming home, sweetheart."
Because her heartbeat in boots had just remembered how to sing again.
Jungwon
The envelope sat untouched on the desk, mocking him with its stillness.
Jungwon had stared at it for hours now. Not out of fear, but out of restraint. Because something in him knew..once he opened it, there would be no going back.
He stood in his bedroom, the city noise muffled behind thick windows, the scent of coffee and hair products lingering faintly in the air. It was late or maybe early he hadn't looked at the clock in hours. The dorm was quiet, too quiet. But inside his chest, the noise hadn't stopped since the day they drove away.
His fingers finally reached for it, swift and clumsy as he tore the envelope open like it might vanish if he hesitated another second.
The paper felt warm somehow. Like her. Like the ranch.
He unfolded it, the edges soft from her touch.
Hey there, Wonnie.
I hope you're okay. I keep asking myself that even when I know I won't get an answer. I think I just needed to ask.
Do you remember the first time we met? You were all huddled together on the living room floor of the rental house, half asleep, and I stormed in wearing bunny slippers and holding a flashlight like a weapon. I told you, "If you want to live, get your asses up and move now."
You were the first one to move.
A soft, helpless laugh left him. It sounded foreign in the quiet of the room.
He remembered it exactly. The flashlight burning into his eyes. The panic. The surreal sharpness of her voice. And how even then, he trusted her immediately.
You were always the first to act, Jungwon. The first to lead. Even before anyone asked it of you.
I never said this before, but I was hollow when I met you. I was surviving, not living. Quiet. Cold. The kind of cold that doesn't go away even when you're wrapped in blankets. But somewhere between the wheat fields and laughfter, something softened in me. You softened me. All of you did. But especially you.
You made me feel like I was allowed to be a little girl again sometimes. Like I could laugh with my mouth wide open and not be afraid someone would tell me to be quiet.
Jungwon's fingers curled around the paper as if anchoring himself.
Her words burrowed deep, wrapping around places no one had ever reached. Not even the members. Because Naye didn't write like someone guessing...she wrote like someone who knew.
I noticed you always hovered in the back. Like you were scanning the room for danger. Like you were ready to lunge the second something went wrong. Even in the quiet, you were always alert.
I remember that day in town, at the baker's cart tucked into the alley. You stood so close beside me I could feel your breath on my cheek. And you refused to leave. Not even for a moment. You didn't say much, but it was enough to make me feel like I'd found my person.
His throat burned.
He had tried so hard to protect them all. To be strong, steady, the one who always kept it together. But she had seen right through it. And instead of calling him out, she'd thanked him with quiet glances and warm tea.
Do you know why I went down into that basement to find you all clothes that first night?
Because of you. Because your kindness and your calm presence had made it easier for me to open that door. Those boxes were filled with my dad's things. Stuff I hadn't touched since we buried him. But you made it easier. Just by being there.
Even when you didn't speak, you were there. That meant more than anything.
His jaw tightened as tears rose, blurring the letters he'd memorized by the third sentence.
You were always so still when I vented. Always there at sunset, standing beside me in the wheat fields. Our fingers would graze sometimes never quite latching..and God, Jungwon, I wanted them to.
He pressed the letter to his chest.
She had wanted that too?
His heart twisted sharply, filled with all the things they didn't get to say, all the almost they never finished.
You never had to be the leader with me, you know.
I saw through it... the weight on your shoulders, the maturity you never asked for but wore anyway. You were always calm and composed, but I saw the little boy underneath. The one who never got to just be a boy.
And I hope someday, you find your youth again. I saw it, Wonnie. I saw it in the way you laughed when Ara splashed you with milk, in the way your dimples appeared when you finally let go. I saw it in your eyes when you raced across the strawberry fields with Minchan on your back, yelling like an idiot.
You deserve more of that. A whole life of it.
Jungwon exhaled shakily, blinking back the tears that wouldn't stop this time.
It wasn't just a letter. It was proof. Proof that someone had seen him. Not the leader. Not the idol. Him. The boy who longed to rest. The boy who longed to be held.
You always carried everyone else's burdens. But let someone carry yours, okay? Even if it's just for a while.
If this is goodbye, I hope you know I would've chosen you in a hundred lifetimes, in a thousand wheat fields, in every quiet moment under the stars, the sun.
And if this isn't goodbye...
I'll be waiting. Somewhere soft. Somewhere warm. Like the girl who got to run through sunflowers with seven men who made her believe in belonging again.
Always,
Naye
Jungwon didn't cry loudly.
He folded the letter carefully, held it to his lips, and closed his eyes.
And for the first time in a long time...he let himself hope.
Jay
The letter had been opened for hours.
It sat on the windowsill beside him, sunlight pressing against the soft paper like it was trying to read the words for him. Jay had stared at it for a long time. He wasn't ready earlier. He wasn't sure he was ready now. But something in his chest something deep, and lonely, and aching told him he had to.
So he reached for it, his fingers brushing over the fold, the handwriting.
Her handwriting.
His heart kicked in his ribs like it recognized her name before his eyes even saw it.
He inhaled once.
And read.
Hi my fellow American.
Jay let out the smallest huff through his nose. God, she really started it like that. Of course she did.
I've been trying to write this without crying, so please pretend the smudges aren't there. Just...pretend, okay?
I keep thinking about that first morning you ate at my house. Do you remember it? Probably not, you've always been smooth like that, brushing off the sweet stuff like it's nothing.
But I remember. I remember how I cooked your boys breakfast with shaking hands and an overworked stove, and you were the first one to offer to do the dishes with me.
You didn't even ask. You just stood up, rolled up your sleeves, and said, "Ill help. Where's the soap, chef?"
Jay smiled before he could stop himself. That...did sound like him.
I think that's when my heart fluttered for the first time. Not because of some grand gesture, but because someone wanted to help me. Just me. Like I wasn't invisible. Like I was worth someone else's time.
His smile faded.
And then bloomed again, quieter this time.
Do you remember the soup? That spicy soup you taught me to make? God, what was the name...wait. You're probably saying it out loud right now like I can hear you.
I forgot the name, but I never forgot the taste.
We were in the kitchen for hours. You taught me how to make noodles properly, which sounds simple, but I was so bad at it. You kept laughing at my grip, my rhythm, the fact I couldn't even say the word whisk without butchering it in English.
You never gave up though. Called me your favorite student. And I told you that you were my favorite teacher.
I meant that.
Jay's throat closed for a moment.
He remembered how she had laughed until she choked, flour in her hair, cheeks flushed, wearing her oversized apron that nearly swallowed her. He remembered thinking, this feels like something I want forever.
You probably didn't notice, but I was always learning from you. Not just in the kitchen. But everywhere.
You taught me how to love quietly...the way you opened doors without being asked, how you'd walk beside me if I fell behind the group. How your eyes for your boyfriends spoke volumes.
You taught me how to laugh louder, how you'd be the first to crack a joke and the last one to let it die.
You were all spark and salt and soft smiles.
And you never once let me feel alone.
Jay looked down at his hands. They were trembling now.
You probably don't think your manners mattered. But they did. You said thank you for every meal. Every time I handed you a drink. Every snack left on the counter. You called me chef more times than I can count, even though I only made you eggs and toast in playful spite sometimes.
You made me feel like I was someone worth respecting. And I respected the hell out of you right back. You wore that apron like you were born in it. And honestly? I think you were.
Jay choked on a laugh, wiping a stray tear with the back of his hand.
The house is quiet now. So quiet, it doesn't feel real. I walk into the kitchen and wait for your voice to call out some ridiculous nickname. I wait for your footsteps behind me when I go into the garden. I wait for you to sneak a cookie off the tray when you think I'm not looking.
I miss your laugh. I miss your apron. I miss you.
His hands shook harder now. He reached the next line, and something inside him cracked all the way through.
My uncle still talks about you, you know? "That respectful Park boy." He likes you more than he liked most of my old friends and trust me, that's saying a lot.
He keeps asking if you're coming back. I keep telling him I don't know.
But I hope.
Jay closed his eyes. He didn't know if it made it hurt less or worse.
I don't know if this is okay to say, but...
You were the first one I got a crush on.
Embarrassing, right? But I don't regret it. Not even for a second.
Jay bit his lip so hard it hurt.
You had this glint in your eyes all the time. Determined. Soft, but strong. Like no matter what life threw at you, you were going to carry it not just for yourself, but for everyone else too.
Please never lose that. But it's also okay if you need to set it down sometimes.
I hope you always find something to laugh at. But if there are days when you can't...it's okay to cry too.
A breath hitched in his throat.
You don't have to be the sunshine all the time, Jay. You already lit up my world enough to last me a lifetime.
Thank you for being my safe place.
Thank you for teaching me how to say whisk.
Thank you for seeing me.
Yours first,
Naye
Jay didn't sob. He folded.
Like someone had unplugged his spine. He leaned back against the wall, clutched the letter to his chest, and let the tears come silently, steadily, freely.
He didn't need cameras. Or stages. Or spotlights.
He needed a kitchen. A laugh. An apron. A girl in bunny slippers who stole his heart with a damn whisk.
And maybe...maybe it wasn't too late to go home.
Sunoo
It was late when Sunoo finally pulled the envelope from under his pillow.
He hadn't touched it since Sunghoon handed it to them. While the others had read theirs or cried through them, he'd carried his like a quiet secret. It had never left his side, not even for a second. He wasn't ready.
But now, in the stillness of his room, the silence settling like dust on his shoulders, he sat on the edge of his bed and opened it.
The moment he saw the first words, his throat caught.
Hi my corn prince.
He nearly laughed. Nearly. It was so her. So embarrassingly her. So Naye.
Still embarrassing, eh? I know. But I couldn't not call you that one more time.
I've been trying to find the words for this...for you. But you're not easy to describe, Sunoo. You never were.
Maybe that's why I liked being around you so much. Because when you were around me, you were just you.
You didn't have to act cute or laugh loudly so people would pay attention. You didn't have to pretend.
With me, you were Kim Sunoo. Just Sunoo. Soft voice. Calm hands. Sass when I needed it. Joy when I didn't even know I was allowed to feel it.
Sunoo exhaled slowly, eyes glued to the page.
You always had these...fun ideas. Little things. Random things. Like braiding my hair because the day was slow, or insisting we dance while picking strawberries even if the dirt got in our shoes.
Ara still calls you 'Fox Oppa.' She misses you. We all do.
Do you remember that day you let me braid your hair? It was late. We were on the porch, the stars were coming out, and you let me just...play with your hair. No protests. No jokes. Just sat there and hummed while I braided little pieces and clipped flowers into the strands.
You looked beautiful. You always do.
His fingers trembled slightly. The image bloomed in his mind like a sunlit memory.
I think the first time I saw you really scared was the day Heeseung and I came back from town.
When he forgot to tell you all we were leaving, and we came back to chaos. I saw your face, Sunoo. You were pale. Shaking. And the moment Heeseung walked through the door, you didn't hesitate you threw yourself into his arms just to make sure he was real.
That's when I realized...you're always watching.
You're the one who counts heads every time we go somewhere. You make sure everyone is where they're supposed to be, even if you act like you're just looking for a charger or snacks.
Sunoo closed his eyes.
He did do that. And he never thought anyone noticed.
And that night...
That night when I found out my mom was getting worse and I collapsed in the entryway...you didn't say anything. You just dropped to the floor with me and wrapped me up like I was something breakable. And I was.
You told me to let it out. That I was safe. That you all had me. And for the first time in years, I believed it.
Because you were the one who said it.
I liked to believe you were my first friend in the group. The one person who I just didn't have to think around. I could just be me, and you could be you.
Tears slipped down his cheeks. He didn't try to wipe them away.
You always counted heads, so I started making sure you were there too. It became a habit. I'd check the corners of rooms, glance over my shoulder, and there you'd be eyes on everyone, but especially on me.
He was crying now. A soft, cracked sob breaking from his chest like it had been waiting.
I saw the live stream, you know. The one where you cried after they called you Sunshine. I knew why you broke.
Because the last time you heard that word, we were at the hospital. You and me. You were the only one I let come with me. Because I knew you wouldn't pity me. You wouldn't tell me to stop crying.
You'd just hold me. And you did.
Sunoo pressed the letter to his lips, his shoulders trembling.
That day...he remembered her mother's frail smile. The song they sang together, how Naye's voice cracked halfway through but Sunoo didn't stop. He held her hand tight and kept singing, even when she couldn't.
He remembered her leaning into him in the hospital hallway afterward, her tears soaking his shirt, and how he hadn't said a word. Just held her and hoped the shaking in his hands didn't make her feel less safe.
I hope you never lose your love for others. I hope your arms always stay warm, and open, and kind.
Because the world needs more of that.
It needs you.
Forever
-Naye
Sunoo was sobbing now, but it didn't feel like drowning.
It felt like surfacing. Like exhaling after holding it in for too long.
He curled up in his bed, letter clutched tightly to his chest, and whispered into the night:
"I miss you too, farm fairy."
And for the first time in a while, the silence didn't echo back with pain.
Warnings: Pov switches, Medically impaired character (not mc), Death (Not Mcs), Mental Trauma, depression, slow burn, like a crazy slow burn, soulmate bonds, drama, tension, money problems, children, contracts, idol world, mlm, NO SMUT!mtba...
AN: Dont kill me yall
prev/next
Naye
She wasn't breathing.
Not really.
There was air in her lungs technically, but it felt like knives. Like ice shards dragging through her ribs, leaving her hollow and bloodless. The second she'd seen the expression on the nurse's face, she had known. But she didn't want to know.
She had screamed anyway.
"No..no, no, no..eomma! Eomma EOMMA!"
It tore out of her like a wounded animal, a sound so raw that nurses in the hallway flinched. She shoved past them, storming into the hospital room only to be met with stillness.
A sheet drawn to her mother's chin. Hands pale. Lips blue.
Gone.
"No, no no, she was fine.a-she was just moving this morning!" Naye sobbed, her hands reaching to shake her mother's shoulder, trying to warm the skin that had already gone cold. "You said you'd wait.you said I could be t-there, mama you promised!"
But her mother didn't wake up.
Didn't blink. Didn't smile.
Didn't tell her it was okay.
Because it wasn't.
It would never be again.
"Naye," came a voice from the doorway. Jinhwan, her uncle standing still in the pale light of the room. He didn't move for a moment, just let her scream. Let her crumble.
When she collapsed to her knees with a scream that rattled the walls, he rushed forward.
She clawed at the ground. Screamed into her own fists. Tried to breathe and failed.
Her body writhed as though it were being torn open from the inside, lungs spasming, throat closing. "I wasn't here! I wasn't here, I promised her! I said I'd hold her hand I-I-I broke it, I broke it!"
He dropped to the ground and grabbed her before she could hurt herself, wrapping his arms around her so tightly she could barely squirm. He held her through it. Her nails scratched his arms. Her fists beat his chest. But he didn't let go.
"It's okay...Naye, it's okay-"
"It's not!"
"I know, peanut. I know."
Her face buried in his chest, her body trembling like a leaf in a storm. The hospital lights above were too white, too sterile. Her world had lost all its color.
By the time Jinhwan was able to guide her out of the building hours later; her voice had vanished leaving behind ragged breathless sobs. It was nearly three in the morning. He helped her into her truck wordlessly. Buckled her in like she was five again.
"Drive back home," he said gently. "I'll be behind you the whole way."
She nodded but didn't look at him. Her eyes were empty.
The engine roared as she pulled out of the lot. But the road..oh God, the road was endless. She drove too fast, swerving on dirt paths and loose gravel. Her hands were white knuckled, her tears falling so hard they blurred the road.
She couldn't stop crying. Couldn't stop feeling like her chest was being hollowed out with each mile.
Her mother was gone. Just like her dad. Just like every safe thing in her life.
Dead.
Cold.
Alone.
And she...she was the one still breathing when the world should have stopped. What was she going to do, who did she have now? Why did this have to happen?
She wasn't even aware of pulling over.
Her body moved on autopilot. The car slammed to a stop on the side of a remote road, gravel crunching under the tires as the headlights cut across the endless night.
She got out and stumbled into the open field beside it.
And then she screamed.
Louder than she ever had in her life.
"WHY!?" she roared at the sky, fists raised like they could reach God. "Why would you do this?! Why HER?! She was good! she was good and kind and she was all I had!"
"HUH?!!! HUH!!! TELL ME! WHY MUST YOU TAKE EVERYTHING. WHY AM I ALWAYS LEFT BEHIND! NOTHING TO SAY YOU BASTARD!"
Her legs gave out and she dropped to her knees, sobbing into her palms.
"Why do you take everyone away from me?" she choked, voice ragged, almost unrecognizable. "Was it not enough? My dad wasn't enough? You had to take her too?"
Behind her, soft footsteps approached.
And then Jinhwan was there again.
He didn't say anything at first. Just sank to the ground and wrapped his arms around her, like he used to when she'd scrape her knees as a little girl. But this pain? It didn't scab over. It bled and bled and bled.
"It's not fair," she whispered, broken. "It's not fair."
"No, it's not," he agreed quietly, his chin resting atop her head. "I hate it too." That was his sister, he had her longer in his life, but still just as short.
She sobbed harder, her whole body shuddering. He held her tighter. "Let it out. Cry. Scream. Be angry. Feel it all. You're allowed to."
She gasped like she was drowning. "I don't know how to live without her."
"You don't have to figure that out tonight," he murmured, pressing his lips to her hair. "Just breathe. I've got you. I'll always have you."
She shook her head against him, curls sticking to her damp cheeks. "It hurts." She wanted to say, she knew he was hurting too. But she didn't know how to. All she could see and feel was her own grief. Yet he held her steady.
"I know, peanut," he whispered again, stroking her back. "I know."
The wind was cold. The sky stretched endlessly above them silent, vast, unfeeling.
But in that patch of grass off a lonely country road, a girl cried like her world had ended.
And a man held her together with nothing but love.
The tires crunched up the gravel road as Naye's green truck rolled to a stop in the driveway, headlights slicing through the fog of the approaching dawn. The engine cut off with a reluctant sigh, leaving only the sound of cicadas and the steady tick of a cooling hood.
Jinhwan turned off his own car and stepped out quietly behind her.
"Do you want me to stay?" he asked, voice low, gentle.
Naye stood in front of her porch, not moving. The house loomed ahead like a monument to everything that had already been taken from her.
She swallowed, throat burning. "I love you, samchon," she murmured, barely above a whisper. "But I need to be alone."
He didn't argue. Didn't try to offer more than she could take.
He just nodded. "I'll be back before sunrise."
She gave a slow nod in return.
And then she walked...no, drifted up the porch steps, her limbs feeling like they weighed more than her whole body. She pushed the door open, expecting silence. Expecting the stale air of a home untouched.
But she wasn't expecting this.
Right there. By the door. On the stand where she usually set her keys.
Her feet froze.
Her eyes widened, the flickering hallway light catching on something strange. A bundle of small items sat neatly on the surface, each arranged with a careful kind of sadness. She stared.
Sunghoon's braided bracelet. The one he'd quietly tied around her wrist weeks ago but took back to 'fix' when it frayed and never gave it back.
And other items that meant so much.
And finally, a torn piece of paper, slightly bent at the corners.
We're sorry.
Her hands began to tremble.
She reached forward slowly, and picked up the paper with shaking hands. Her eyes scanned the initials again and again as her mind screamed no no no no no.
Then suddenly, violently she swiped everything off the table. The items crashed to the floor, scattering across the wooden boards with hollow thuds and painful echoes.
"No," she choked. "No..no..you didn't."
The sob tore from her like a blade drawn from flesh.
She ran. Ran through the living room first. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe they just left for the store, maybe...
Empty.
No blankets on the couch. No half finished puzzle on the floor. No half drunk glass of coke Jake always left out.
Gone.
She stormed into the kitchen hoping, praying, only to find the counter wiped clean. No mess. No dishes from midnight snacks. No Sunoo humming by the window.
Nothing.
Then the hallway. The bedrooms. She threw open the first door. Beds made. Drawers empty. The second room. Jungwon and Jay's even if they never used it. She dug through the closet, knelt to check under the bed like a madwoman.
Nothing.
Sunghoon's room. The boxing gloves were gone. Ni-ki's sneakers by the door? Gone. Jake's stupid purple mug with the heart sticker? Gone.
All of it.
Gone.
"No," she whimpered, voice cracking as she backed away, heart thudding so hard she thought it might split. "Not you too. Not like this."
Her legs gave out in the doorway of the first guest room; the one she offered them that first stormy night. The night they stood on her porch, soaked, lost, unfamiliar.
Her chest caved. She collapsed onto the floor. It was cold now. So, so cold. Even though it was summer.
"Why..." Her voice trembled like glass under pressure. "Why does everyone leave me?" She curled into herself, hands clutching at her shirt like she could somehow keep her heart from falling out of her chest.
Her breaths came in fast, tight gasps. "What did I do? What did I do?"
She shook as she cried. Not the kind of crying people hear in movies. No, this was quiet. Brutal. Ugly.
The kind of crying that left you empty after.
The kind of crying no one came to fix.
Her head hit the hardwood, eyes wide open but unseeing.
The silence swallowed her.
She lay there, alone in the house she'd made into a home for them, for the only people who'd ever made her feel like maybe, just maybe, she wasn't destined to lose everything she touched.
But they were gone too.
No goodbye. No last hug. No final "I'll see you soon."
Just silence. And the ache of every room she passed through.
She closed her eyes, fingers twitching near her mouth, clutching a breath that never came fully.
And finally, she let go.
Sleep stole her not merciful, but necessary.
And the house sat still again.
Empty.
Heeseung
The dance studio reeked of stale sweat, spilled energy drinks, and a ghost they couldn't chase away.
It had been one week.
One week since they'd left behind that old ranch, that crooked porch, that warm kitchen where laughter once simmered like the smell of eggs and burnt toast. One week since they'd left her.
Heeseung stood in front of the mirror, his reflection a poor imitation of who he used to be.
"Five, six, seven, eight-"
Jungwon's voice echoed hollowly in the background as they tried..tried to run through the choreography for their comeback stage. But even their leader sounded tired. His voice had lost that fire.
They moved, but it felt like dragging corpses across the floor.
Feet scuffed without rhythm.
Shoulders drooped.
Breaths labored like they hadn't slept in days because all of them hadn't.
Heeseung missed a step, again. For the third time in the past five minutes. His chest heaved, not from effort but from the crushing weight in his lungs that refused to lift.
"Hyung, you okay?" Ni-ki asked quietly from behind him, his own steps half hearted.
Heeseung didn't answer. Just nodded once.
He wasn't okay.
None of them were.
Jay was hunched against the mirror, sweat dripping from his brow, mouth slightly open like he wanted to scream. But he stayed silent.
Sunghoon was sitting down, legs pulled up, staring at nothing. His fingers played absently with the frayed edges of his old rehearsal towel. Jake had dropped into a crumpled heap in the corner twenty minutes ago and hadn't gotten up.
Sunoo hadn't smiled in five days.
Jungwon's shirt clung to his back, soaked through, but he kept repeating counts like it would make something click. Like if they kept moving, they wouldn't fall apart.
But the truth was, they were already broken.
The price of silence was steep.
They hadn't told anyone about her. Not staff. Not friends. Not Yuki hyung, who kept asking if they were okay. No one in Seoul even knew about Naye.
Because if they told someone...if they said her name out loud. What if something happened to her?
What if she hated them?
What if they ruined her life just by being in it?
So they swallowed it all. Every memory. Every laugh. Every night on that porch, every whisper under the stars. They swallowed her like a prayer.
And Heeseung…Heeseung was drowning in it.
He used to live for this. For music. For movement. For lyrics that meant something and rhythms that bled from his bones. But now? Now singing felt like holding a blade by the edge and being told to smile through the blood.
The studio faded around him as he stared at himself.
Was this the dream?
This room, these lights, this routine…this emptiness?
His dream wasn't here anymore.
His dream smelled like fresh earth and summer rain. His dream wore boots and ran through the strawberry fields with wild black hair that tangled in the wind. His dream had eyes that smiled even when her lips didn't, and a voice like warm honey, low and soft and his.
God, her voice.
That last night he heard her hum. He hadn't known it would be the last time. If he had, maybe he would've said something. Anything.
Would it have mattered?
"From the top," Jungwon said again, but his voice cracked.
No one moved. Heeseung finally broke the silence. "What the hell are we even doing?"
The words just slipped out. Everyone froze where they were.
Sunoo looked up from where he was tying his laces, eyes glossy. Jay exhaled, long and slow.
Heeseung's voice was low. "Seriously. What are we doing here?"
Ni-ki looked down at the floor. "Surviving."
Jake's voice was so soft it barely existed. "Pretending."
And Sunghoon who had been more silent than usual finally whispered, "Grieving."
Jungwon didn't correct them. Didn't say come on, let's try again. He just turned and faced the mirror, but not to watch his form. He just stared at himself.
They all did.
Seven men in a room full of lights, but nothing was shining anymore.
She hadn't answered their texts. Not a single call had gone through. Not one message read. Not even a dot. Radio silence. And it hurt in ways even soulmates weren't built to endure.
Because this wasn't just about love. This was about belonging.
And they'd left their home behind.
Heeseung pressed the heel of his palm into his chest, right where the ache never left now.
"I can't sing," he whispered as if it hurt to breathe too hard. They turned to him with various different reactions.
"What?" Jake asked, blinking.
Heeseung didn't look at any of them. "I can't sing anymore. Not the way I used to. I…it feels wrong. Like I'm not allowed to."
Sunoo's lips parted, but he didn't speak. What could he even say?
Jay walked up and rested a hand on his shoulder, grounding, quiet.
No words.
Just weight.
Heeseung leaned into it.
And in the middle of the studio, seven broken hearts mourned the same girl.
Sunoo
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…"
It had been fifteen days since he heard that melody last. Fifteen sunrises since he had watched her lips curl upward through the trembling ache of grief, her voice cracking on the second verse, and his slipping with it as they sang for a woman fading too fast.
Fifteen days. And now he could barely breathe.
Sunoo sat in the middle of the semi circle couch on the brightly lit set, lights soft and floral arrangements surrounding them like it was a springtime fan dream. The kind they used to love doing.
But none of the boys looked alive.
They were dressed in warm toned fits, matching their comeback concept. Hair styled, makeup done, mics clipped. But their eyes…their eyes were dim. Like dust had settled behind their lashes. Like something precious had been left behind.
Heeseung's knee kept bouncing. Jake was blinking more than usual. Jungwon kept glancing at the floor, and Ni-ki hadn't spoken a word since "hello."
Sunghoon sat like a statue.
And Jay…Jay looked like a loaded spring.
Sunoo kept his hands folded in his lap. His smile had been glued on since the camera had started rolling, but it was beginning to tremble. He wasn't sure why he was holding it anymore. He was the sunshine, right? That's what everyone called him. Always had. Always would.
So why does it feel like the sun burned out?
The interviewer was kind, older, someone they'd known since their early years. She smiled sweetly and gestured toward Sunoo after a question about their favorite songs to perform.
"You know, Sunoo-ssi…You've always been the sunshine of this group. That bright spark that lifts the room. So where did the sunshine go?"
Sunoo blinked once. Twice.
Then her words hit. "You've always been the sunshine…"
That word. That damn word. His chest cracked open before he could stop it. At first it was subtle. Just a twitch of his fingers.
Then a sharp inhale. Then, like something deep within him shattered. A sob broke free from his throat. Violent. Raw.
"Sunoo?" the interviewer asked, alarmed.
The camera caught the exact second his face crumpled.
He hunched forward, hands flying to his mouth eyes squeezed shut as the sobs came one after the other. Gasps for air. Choking on grief.
The set froze.
A staff member rushed to cut the livestream.
Too late. Millions had already seen the moment sunshine dimmed.
Jungwon shot up instantly, pulling Sunoo into his arms like a shield. "It's okay," he whispered, his voice tight.
Heeseung hovered over them protectively, arms wrapping around both their shoulders. Jay grabbed a tissue box and dropped to his knees. "Breathe, Sunoo, breathe."
Jake was crying quietly beside them, wiping his face with the sleeve of his shirt. Muttering, "Shit, oh my god..he's breaking..."
Ni-ki paced behind them, fists clenched biting hard into his knuckle to stop from screaming.
Sunghoon stood like a ghost. Not moving. Not blinking. Just watching Sunoo fall apart with a storm in his eyes.
Off set, Yuki was on the phone in the hallway one hand braced against the wall. He was supposed to be calling the agency to explain the technical glitch to cover their asses.
But his voice cracked too. "They can't do this anymore," he whispered hoarsely into the receiver. "They can't keep doing this."
He didn't know who she was. Didn't know what happened. But something was missing and it was killing them.
Back on set, the boys were still circled around Sunoo like wolves guarding their wounded. The cameras were dead. The room was empty except for a few frozen staff.
Still, none of the members moved.
Because in that moment, the only thing that mattered was the young man on the couch, curled into himself, shaking like the world had ended.
Because for him it had.
Because she was gone.
Jay ( A few days later)
It was late. The kind of late that made everything feel slower, heavier. Like the world itself had paused to give them just one second of silence between schedules.
They sat on the cold dance studio floor, shoulders bumping, backs slouched against mirrored walls, their dinner spread out in takeout boxes between them. No stylists, no staff, no cameras. Just the seven of them and a Bluetooth speaker in the corner playing soft guitar acoustics that only made it worse somehow. Every note a thread pulling at open wounds.
No one really said much. They hadn't in days.
The air was thick. Not just from exhaustion but from the weight of all the things they hadn't said since that night. Since that day.
Jay sat with his legs stretched out in front of him, picking half heartedly at his rice with his chopsticks. His food tasted like paper. Like nothing.
He looked up, scanning the group in silence. Heeseung was leaning against the wall, staring at the floor, his hoodie pulled over his head. Jungwon had his eyes closed, pretending to rest. Sunoo was wrapped in a blanket like armor, pressed against Ni-ki's side. Jake hadn't eaten at all. Sunghoon just sat there, a ghost of a person.
Jay exhaled and reached for the last unopened box near the end of the line. "Anyone touch this one yet?"
No one answered.
So he cracked it open.
And froze.
Cookies.
Snickerdoodles.
Perfectly round, dusted in cinnamon sugar, still soft enough they had probably been made this morning.
Jay's breath caught.
The taste of warm cinnamon hit his memory like a punch to the gut.
The kitchen full of laughter. Flour on cheeks. A little girl sneezing powdered sugar into the air. Naye's laughter spilling over the counter. His hands brushing hers as they placed the raw cookies onto the baking tray, her pinky bumping his when she whispered, "Yours are prettier than mine."
Jay's hands shook.
His eyes burned.
He didn't even register the box flying until it slammed into the wall across the room, cookies scattering like ash on the polished floor.
Everyone jumped.
Jay was already on his feet.
"I..why the hell would you-" He looked up, eyes toward the ceiling, toward the sky, toward anything that could give him an answer. "Why would you DO THIS?!" His voice cracked.
No one was sure if he was asking why someone ordered cookies. Or why they were still here. The room went silent except for his ragged breathing.
"Why would you let us fall...just to rip her away?"
His fists clenched. His voice broke again. "You gave us everything, everything, and then you took it all back! For what?! What did we do wrong?!"
Nobody had the answer. Not the heavens. Not the floor. Not the aching, empty space she left behind.
But they did have each other.
Heeseung stood first, stepping across the room without hesitation, arms wrapping tight around Jay's shoulders. Sunoo joined next, burying his face into Jay's back with shaking hands. Jake's forehead pressed to his side as Ni-ki took one of his hands.
One by one, they circled him like gravity.
A broken sun in the center of collapsing stars.
Jay's cries echoed into the rafters. Loud and guttural and devastating. He wasn't just crying for Naye. He was crying for all of them. For every word unsaid, every goodbye never spoken, every second lost to time and duty.
They had waited their whole lives to find her.
And now, it felt like she had been nothing more than a cruel dream.
Warnings: Pov switches, Medically impaired character (not mc), Death (Not Mcs), Mental Trauma, depression, slow burn, like a crazy slow burn, soulmate bonds, drama, tension, money problems, children, contracts, idol world, mlm, NO SMUT!mtba...
AN: GUYS I AM SO SORRYYYYYYYYY
prev/next
Naye
It started with the dishes.
Just a soft hum low and melodic, drifting over the clatter of plates and the gentle swoosh of water. Naye stood at the sink, sleeves rolled to her elbows, the golden light of early evening spilling through the kitchen window. She was rinsing the last plate when it happened..again.
That tune.
That damn tune.
She caught herself halfway through it and clicked her tongue in irritation, mumbling something about getting it out of her head. But even as she reached for a towel, her lips kept moving just the faintest whisper of melody.
Jake, walking by the kitchen doorway with a soda in hand, stopped dead in his tracks.
So did Jungwon, who was halfway down the stairs.
So did Sunoo, who was still sitting on the back porch sipping milk through a bendy straw but now had turned in his chair like a motion activated turret.
She didn't notice.
She kept humming.
Pouring herself a glass of water? Humming.
Sweeping the hallway? Humming.
Talking mid sentence with Jay about whether they should repaint the porch chairs? Humming.
It was haunting.
Like something ancient in her blood.
The boys weren't even subtle anymore. They kept glancing at each other across rooms, silent messages firing between them. Sunghoon had almost choked on his drink twice. Riki couldn't sit still. Heeseung stood in the middle of the living room for a full ten minutes pretending to scroll through his phone while watching her out of the corner of his eye.
Naye, blissfully unaware, just kept...singing.
Until she wasn't.
She'd just sat down on the recliner in the living room, a fresh bottle of lotion in her hand because her knuckles were dry from working outside, and she felt it again. That melody the hum climbing her throat like it had claws.
She let out an aggressive groan and flopped backward into the chair, face planting into the throw pillow.
"MMPHHHHHH...WHY," she mumbled into the cotton.
All seven men who were now pretending to be casually lounging around the living room like it wasn't a stakeout, froze again.
She popped her head up and squinted at them, suspicious.
"Okay, why are your faces like that?" she asked, voice muffled and suspicious.
"Like what?" Sunghoon asked quickly, very unconvincingly.
"Like you all know something," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Creeps."
Everyone looked away immediately like synchronized swimmers.
Naye sighed dramatically and let her head fall back again. She felt the first note bubbling up, she knew it was coming. It had been stalking her all day like a shadow. Her chest expanded involuntarily and just as her lips parted.
"Hey, Naye?" Heeseung said gently, voice oddly calm. "Where'd you hear that song?"
She blinked, mouth still slightly open.
The question stalled her.
"I didn't," she said, brows furrowing. "I mean...I don't think I did?"
All seven pairs of eyes were trained on her now. Silent. Unblinking.
"It's just...I don't know. It's been stuck in my head for years." She laughed awkwardly, brushing her hair back. "Since I was a teen, I think? Or maybe even earlier. It's one of those things that just...was always there, you know?"
They didn't answer.
So she kept talking, shrugging helplessly.
"I couldn't stop singing it today though. It's weird. Like it won't shut off, like I'm running out of time or something. I don't know what's wrong with me."
She fiddled with the lotion bottle.
"I even tried singing it to a friend once. We were goofing around with some guitar chords and I started humming it and tried to teach it to her and.." Naye looked up at them, brows knit. "She couldn't do it."
More silence.
"Like her body wouldn't let her. She said her throat felt locked up." Naye gave a little scoff, rolling her eyes. "Creepy, right?"
Jake looked like he was going to cry again. Sunoo had gently set his glass down. Ni-ki's leg was bouncing like a jackhammer.
Naye stood up abruptly, smoothing her shirt. "Anyway. I'm gonna take a shower before I fully spiral about having an undiagnosed musical possession demon or something."
She was halfway up the stairs before anyone even dared to move.
She turned once at the top, seeing all their heads whip away like guilty kids caught staring. She rolled her eyes but smiled.
And then she was gone.
The melody floated in the air behind her like smoke trailing from a candle. Soft, aching, endless.
And the boys sat there in the living room, the tune in their bones, the truth in their hearts.
She had no idea what she was. But they did now.
She was theirs. Every note, every breath, every hum.
Jay
The moment the shower turned on the pipes groaning and hissing faintly behind the wall it was like a dam burst.
"She's our soulmate," Jake whisper yelled, voice already shaking like it had nowhere to go.
"She's our EIGHTH." Sunoo whisper screamed back, both hands in his hair.
"I told you," Jake snapped.
"Okay, but how.." Ni-ki paced the room like a trapped cat. "...how the hell does she know the song?! We never sang it near her, right? No one slipped?"
"No. I would've remembered, plus she said shes know it for years, she couldn't sing it if she wasn't ours" Heeseung said, pinching the bridge of his nose, still staring at the stairs she disappeared up like she might reappear with answers.
"Okay so what the fuck now?" Sunghoon hissed, flopping down onto the edge of the couch and bouncing his leg like a metronome on speed.
"We tell her," Jungwon said calmly, or at least trying to sound calm, but his foot was tapping against the floor like a ticking bomb.
"When?" Sunoo demanded, spinning around with wide eyes.
"Tomorrow. First thing. Over pancakes," Jay said too fast, nodding. "We have to. No more waiting. No more signs. It's fate or something and..."
"Wait, does she even like pancakes?" Sunghoon asked suddenly panicked.
"She makes them every day for Ni-ki," Sunoo muttered. "She loves pancakes."
Jay was practically vibrating where he stood, eyes darting between all six of them. "Do you guys get what this means?! She's it. She's the one. Like, actually the one. Not just the girl who made us feel like humans again, she's ours."
"Our Eighth," Heeseung said again, softer this time. Giddy.
Jake looked ready to burst into tears again. "And she doesn't know. She's just up there singing our song like she's not rewriting our entire lives with her stupid perfect voice-"
"Oh my god Jake, breathe," Jungwon said, grabbing his shoulder.
"But what do we do?" Ni-ki asked, quieter now. "Like really? What if she...what if she doesn't want us?"
The room stilled for a second.
Jay exhaled, voice barely audible now. "She's not leaving this place. Not with her mom in the hospital. Not with how much this land means to her. We've got two days left and she doesn't even know who we are. She doesn't know what she means to us. There's no way she'd move to Seoul right now."
They all looked at each other.
It was the truth.
"So we tell her everything," Heeseung said, standing now. "No games. No hiding. Who we are. What she is. What this means."
"And then what?" Ni-ki asked.
Jay ran a hand down his face. "And then we wait."
"For how long?" Sunoo asked, looking more afraid than anyone had seen him in a while.
"As long as it takes," Jay answered softly. "Because...we waited this long to find her. What's a little longer, if it means she comes to us on her own?"
Silence again.
But this one wasn't fearful.
It was full of hope.
And Jay felt it spread through him like warmth under his ribs.
"I'm just glad we fell for her before we knew," he whispered, eyes glinting. "It means every second we've loved her was real. No fate. No bond. Just her."
The boys all nodded.
Then the water stopped.
Seven heads snapped to the ceiling like they'd been caught stealing something from God himself.
"Oh shit...pajamas...act normal...Sunghoon stop staring at the stairs like a creep-"
"Okay okay okay just tomorrow. Morning. Everything," Jungwon stated with a panicked edge.
"Everything," Jay echoed, heart pounding.
Yeah. Tomorrow. The truth. All of it.
And maybe she'd love them back.
Even if she didn't know it yet.
Naye (Next Morning)
The scent hit her before the light did.
Rich and layered eggs cooked just shy of golden brown, pepper and sausage, fresh fruit cut clean through with the soft sweetness of melon and strawberry. It curled up through the stairwell and snuck into her room like a whisper. For a few seconds, Naye stayed still beneath the weight of her blankets, her mind thick with sleep. But something about the smell tugged at her brain like a small thread being pulled gently loose.
Her brow furrowed.
It was morning. And something was off.
She rarely woke up last. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had. Normally, she was the first one down the stairs yawning into the kitchen, barefoot and sleepy eyed, already scooping pancake batter into a bowl before the boys even rolled over in their sleep.
But now? The house was quiet.
Not silent, but not filled with the usual chaos either. No Riki shouting something absurd. No Heeseung humming loudly in the shower. No Sunoo yelling about someone using his moisturizer. Just the sounds of chopsticks on plates. And conversation so low it didn't even qualify as whispering.
Her fingers twitched as she sat up, brushing a hand through her hair. A knot in her stomach tightened the closer she got to fully awake.
Something wasn't right.
Still, she got up. Threw on an oversized tee and soft shorts, ran a brush through her hair, and padded barefoot down the hallway and toward the stairs. The wooden steps creaked under her feet, but the sound didn't draw any reactions from below. That was her second warning.
The third hit her halfway down the staircase.
The table was set.
Like actually set.
Not the half chaotic dump of bowls and chopsticks and cartons of juice. No, this was deliberate. Plates were placed evenly around the wood. Silverware aligned. The fruit bowl she only ever used when guests came over was cleaned out and filled with apples and oranges. Someone had even folded napkins.
Her feet slowed. Eyes scanned across the room.
The boys were all there, every single one. Heeseung, Sunghoon, Ni-ki, Sunoo, Jake, Jay, and Jungwon.
All seated.
All still.
Jay stood at the sink sleeves rolled up, water running over the inside of a clean pot. He was scrubbing in slow, smooth circles like the pot had said something personal about his mother. The kind of scrubbing that meant someone didn't want to look up.
And the moment Naye spotted the lack of pancake batter, her heart skipped.
She blinked.
No pancakes.
Jay didn't make pancakes.
They always made pancakes.
She frowned, the first hints of unease beginning to frost over her ribs.
"Okay..." she said slowly, drawing out the word as her bare feet finally stepped onto the cool kitchen tile. "Who are you, and what did you do with the seven chaos goblins I've been housing for the past month?"
It was meant to be a joke.
But no one laughed.
No smirks. No eye rolls. Not even Riki making a dumb noise.
Riki, sweet Riki, who usually met her with a sarcastic greeting and a mouthful of something, just looked up at her from where he sat nearest the end of the table.
His eyes were...strange. Wide, but tired. Like he hadn't slept at all. And then he said, softly, "Not today. Please don't make pancakes today."
Naye blinked.
What? But it was their tradition.
The words felt heavy. Like they carried more than they said.
Her mouth opened to ask something anything. But before she could, Sunghoon nudged the chair beside him with his foot never looking up.
"Sit down, Naye," he murmured. A chill danced up her spine. The way he said her name was different. Not cold...not distant...but gentle. Like glass that might break.
Her eyes flicked around the room again, hoping to find an explanation in one of their faces. But none of them would meet her gaze. Jake was staring at his hands. Sunoo's lips were a tight line. Heeseung's fingers were laced together in front of him, his eyes on the table. Jay still hadn't turned around.
Even Jungwon, her steady thoughtful Jungwon looked braced like he was preparing to be punched.
The silence was deafening.
Her body moved before her mind could catch up, drawn forward like gravity was pulling her. She sat in the offered chair with her heart in her throat now pulse speeding up with every second.
What the hell was going on?
They looked like they were about to tell her someone died. Or worse, that they hated her. Or worse than worse...that they'd never been real. That she just had imagined this whole thing.
She swallowed, her voice small. "You guys okay?"
It was Jungwon who spoke. Of course it was. He always did when the moment felt too big for anyone else. He lifted his head, meeting her eyes, "There's something we really need to talk to you about."
His voice was even. Too even. And then, he hesitated. Just a second. Long enough for her stomach to drop entirely.
"I'm sorry, Naye," he said softly. "I'm really, really sorry."
She stared at him. Her fingers curled against the grain of the table.
Sorry?
For what?
She didn't dare breathe. Didn't dare speak. Didn't dare move, like any shift would knock over the house of cards that had become her life.
She looked around at the faces that had filled her home, her silence, her life.
What had they done?
What were they about to tell her?
And for the first time in a long time, Naye was afraid of the answer.
The silence clung to her like humidity. Thick. Sticky. Inescapable.
Her hand still rested on the ceramic handle of her juice cup, the condensation dripping slowly onto her fingers. She hadn't even taken a sip. It had been halfway to her mouth when Jungwon said the words soft, but steady.
"We've been lying to you so much."
Naye froze.
Her spine went rigid. Fingers paused around the cup. Her gaze snapped to Jungwon across the table, her eyes widening ever so slightly at the confession. There was a distinct ringing in her ears quiet but there. Like someone had knocked on a door inside her skull.
He held her gaze, but it looked like it was hurting him. The way his shoulders were pulled tight, the way his throat bobbed.
Her fingers slipped from the cup.
It settled in her lap instead both hands folded quietly now, like she was preparing for a sermon. Or a confession. Her heart didn't race. Not yet. There was a strange sort of calm washing over her, like her brain was stepping away from her body to observe it all from a distance.
"...About what?" she asked, voice steady.
The boys looked like they'd forgotten how to breathe.
Jake's fingers flexed over the table. Sunoo's lips pressed together like they were glued shut. Heeseung stared at the wall like it held answers. Jay hadn't turned around from the sink.
Only Jungwon met her gaze. Only he carried the weight.
He inhaled, then said, "We...don't own a fashion brand."
Silence.
Naye blinked. That was it?
Her brows furrowed the tiniest bit.
"That's..." she started, confused. "That's not-"
"We model for a lot of them instead," Jungwon added quickly. "We never owned one. That part was a lie."
Okay. Fine. A weird lie, but not devastating. Her heart hadn't collapsed, so..
"We're in a band," he added. And then the next words dropped like a guillotine, "A K-pop band. Called Enhypen."
The silence afterward was louder than the confession.
"We've been idols for almost eight years now," Jungwon said, quieter now, like he was bracing for something. "We debuted in 2020. We're signed under HYBE. We've had world tours and album releases and...all of it."
Her mouth parted, breath caught on her inhale.
And slowly so slowly she turned her head.
They all looked guilty. All of them. Sunghoon was rubbing his thumb over a water ring on the table. Riki's foot tapped against the floor like a nervous tick. Jay had finally turned from the sink, drying his hands with a towel he was wringing far too tightly.
Sunoo bit the inside of his cheek. Jake couldn't sit still.
They were nervous. Not the I forgot to feed the kids again kind but the I just told the truth and might get crucified for it kind.
Naye sat back slowly in her chair.
So. They were famous.
She'd housed famous people. Breathed the same air as magazine covers. Cooked eggs and folded laundry with men who had probably walked runways and sung on stages bigger than her house. The seven strangers who had danced around her living room in socks...were idols.
Idols.
Enhypen.
That's what they were hiding?
Jungwon was talking again now his voice urgent, hands gesturing slightly.
"We just...we needed a break. From all of it. The noise. The pressure. After what we lost, after what happened, we were spiraling. And when we got here, this town, this quiet, your house...it gave us something we didn't know we still needed."
Jake chimed in, his voice a low confession. "We didn't want to lie forever. But we didn't want to be treated differently either."
"It felt too good here," Heeseung murmured.
Sunghoon added, "We weren't ready to let it go."
"We were scared," Sunoo said.
"You made it easy to feel human again," Jay muttered.
Riki stayed silent.
Naye looked at all of them one by one. These strange, beautiful boys who had worked their way into her life like ivy on brick. Who helped on the ranch. Who made messes in her kitchen. Who built bonfires and sang silly songs and...
Who had lied.
She sat very still.
Then, out of nowhere, she giggled.
Not loud. Not hysterical. Just a few soft sounds slipping through her lips like the leak of a balloon. And when she saw their faces contort in confusion, panic flickering across each expression, it only made her laugh again.
She leaned her elbow onto the table, turned toward Riki, and said with complete calm.
"I already knew, Ni-ki."
Seven heads snapped toward her so fast it was a miracle no one got whiplash.
Riki's jaw dropped.
The silence that followed was seismic.
And Naye just smiled soft and crooked, like the storm had passed and she was still here.
Ni-ki
Silence.
That was all there was.
Ni-ki felt it in his ears like a pressure drop, like the sound had been sucked out of the room entirely. No breathing. No scraping chairs. Just stillness. The kind that made your spine tense and your palms sweat.
Naye had just said she knew.
"I already knew, Ni-ki."
It echoed over and over in his brain. Looping. Looping. Looping.
Ten whole minutes passed. Ten minutes of stunned disbelief where no one dared to speak. Jake's hand hovered over his glass like he'd forgotten what water was. Jungwon hadn't blinked in ages. Sunghoon sat so stiffly he could have been made of porcelain. Jay was frozen behind Naye's chair, towel still in his hand dripping onto the floor. Sunoo's mouth was open just enough to scream but the scream hadn't made it out yet.
And Ni-ki?
He was staring at her.
Right into her.
She didn't look smug. She wasn't smirking or gloating or tapping her nails like she'd bested them all. No, her expression was calm. Knowing. Like she had been waiting for them to figure it out.
She had waited.
She had let them lie.
And then.
Chaos.
Jake made a noise first. It might have been a sob. Or a hiccup. Or a laugh. But it cracked open the room like a grenade.
"HOW?" Sunoo shrieked, launching himself onto his chair like a town crier. "HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN?! SINCE WHEN?!"
"WHAT ELSE DO YOU KNOW?" Jungwon choked, looking like he'd just been gutted. "Have you been pretending this whole time?!"
"I..wait..no..." Jay sputtered behind her, eyes blown wide, "I never talked about it..not once..."
"Why is he smiling," Sunghoon muttered under his breath, glancing sideways.
Heeseung.
That bastard.
Smirking.
That smug, golden bastard was smirking with his arms crossed leaning back in his chair like someone had just delivered the punchline to the best joke in the world. His eyes sparkled with a mix of awe and satisfaction, like of course Naye knew. Like this made everything better.
Jake was openly crying now, the kind of quiet joy that made Ni-ki's throat tighten. He had his hands over his mouth like he couldn't contain the grin, tears slipping out anyway.
"I..what...." Jungwon was rambling now, disoriented. "I rehearsed this in the shower. I had a speech. We had a whole speech!"
"You let us embarrass ourselves!" Sunoo shouted from the top of the table. "I CALLED MYSELF A CORN PRINCE IN FRONT OF YOU!"
Ni-ki stayed still.
Watching her.
She was looking at him again, and it struck him so hard he almost lost his breath. There was a tenderness in her eyes, like he was the reason she said it the way she did. Like he was the one she trusted to hear it first.
So finally, softly, he asked:
"...How did you know?"
The room went still again. Everyone turned to look at her.
Naye didn't flinch. She rested her elbow on the table and gave the tiniest shrug.
"You were strangers staying in my home," she said simply. "Seven perfect faced guys claiming to own a fashion brand but didn't bat an eye cleaning up horse shit."
A pause.
"So...I looked you up."
Jay gasped like he'd been shot.
She smiled faintly and leaned back in her chair.
"And I found everything. Your names. Your music. The fansites. The fancams. The Billboard article. The Japanese interviews. The airport videos. Everything."
Jake sob laughed harder. "She watched our fancams?!"
"I KNEW IT," Sunoo screamed. "I KNEW YOU KNEW. I SAW YOU LOOK AT ME THAT ONE TIME!"
"But I didn't say anything," she went on, ignoring the outbursts. "Because.. you didn't say anything. So I figured...maybe you didn't want to be those people here. And I could understand that."
Ni-ki was starstruck. "She's..." He breathed. "You're incredible."
But she wasn't done.
"I didn't mind the lie. I know it wasn't meant to hurt me." She paused, then smiled down at her glass, fingers tracing the condensation. "Besides...I love your song Blossom."
All of them stilled.
Her smile deepened small and sincere. "It describes your bond so perfectly. The way your voices come together. It's like something blooming right in your chest."
Jake made a noise like a dying animal.
"Can I hug her?" he asked no one in particular.
"No!" Jay shouted, "I should get to hug her-!"
"Everyone shut up," Sunghoon hissed.
Jungwon stood up too fast and knocked his chair over.
Ni-ki?
He just laughed. A small breathless sound. Because of course she knew. Of course this woman, this sun burst miracle of a person had known all along. She saw through them from day one and let them have their peace anyway.
God, they were all obliterated.
And they hadn't even told her the soulmate part yet.
Naye
It happened just as Heeseung opened his mouth.
They had calmed a bit laughing even, warmth slowly thawing out the stiffness in her spine as they all recovered from the storm of revelations. Jay had plopped dramatically into the chair beside her, Ni-ki looked more relaxed than she'd ever seen him, and even Sunoo had stepped off the table.
And then Heeseung, still wearing that unreadable expression, smiled faintly and said, "There's one more thing we have to tell you-"
RING. RING. RING.
The shrill wail of her ringtone shattered through the room like a gunshot. Everyone jolted in place, wide eyes whipping toward the countertop where her phone lit up, buzzing.
Unknown number. But local.
Naye stood quickly, pulse thundering as her body moved before her brain caught up. She snatched it off the table, answering immediately.
"Hello?"
"Miss Cho?" a female voice crackled on the other end. Her tone was clipped, urgent. "This is Seoul General. We need you to come immediately regarding your mother."
"What..what happened? Is she-"
But the call dropped.
Naye blinked. "Hello? Hello?!"
No answer. Only static. Then nothing.
The blood in her veins turned to ice.
A strange, cold silence engulfed the room again-but it wasn't like before. This wasn't revelation. This was fear.
No one had to ask. They could see it on her face.
Her limbs moved faster than thought. She dropped her phone into the hoodie pocket she had on and sprinted out of the kitchen, feet barely touching the stairs as she flew up to grab her keys from the bedside table, her breath coming in rapid, shaking pulls.
"Eomma."
She didn't even hear them following her as she shoved her feet into her sneakers, untied, didn't care. Her jacket slipped from her arm halfway down the stairs but she didn't stop. She barreled out the front door, her heart beating so loud it was the only sound in her head.
"Eomma, eomma, please-"
She threw herself into the driver's seat of her truck, hands trembling as she shoved the key into the ignition. The engine groaned, clicked-and then roared to life.
Tires shrieked as she peeled out of the driveway, dirt and gravel spraying behind her like a storm.
She was gone before they could say a word.
The wind whipped through the cracked window as she sped down the familiar roads, fields blurring past in streaks of golden brown and sickly green. Her foot was nearly flooring the gas, her body folding around the steering wheel like being closer to the dashboard could somehow get her there faster.
The sky was still glowing orange from sunset, but it was mocking her now. The whole world looked calm. Still. While her body was vibrating with panic.
Her hands clutched the wheel so tightly her knuckles ached.
I'll be there. I'm going to get there. She whispered it like a promise to herself. Like a lifeline. "I'll be there, Eomma. Just wait, okay?"
The fields blurred. The sky bled color. The wind screamed through the windows. And Naye drove like her soul was on fire.
Jungwon
They had waited all day.
Every hour that ticked by carved deeper into their chests.
They hadn't even moved from the living room, they mostly just circled it like ghosts in their own temporary home. The breakfast dishes still sat out on the table, long since gone cold. Naye's juice glass still had fingerprints on it. The air inside felt thick with all the words they hadn't gotten to say.
They had rehearsed it so many times.
We love you.
You're ours.
You've been ours since the moment we saw you.
And we belong to you completely.
But she'd run. Not away from them..never that. She had bolted out the front door with fear chasing her heels and grief shadowing her face. None of them could blame her. Her mother was in danger. And they had no car.
"We should've stopped her," Jay muttered hours later, pacing along the window like a caged animal.
"She wouldn't have let us come," Sunoo whispered, eyes puffy from holding back tears. "She needed to do this alone."
The others sat frozen. Jake's hands were in his hair, tugging gently. Jungwon hadn't spoken in twenty minutes, just stared at the front door like if he concentrated hard enough, she'd walk through it. Heeseung had tried to keep them calm for the first hour, but even he was now slouched at the edge of the couch, eyes vacant. Riki was curled up in the armchair, legs pulled to his chest, chewing at his thumb his worry eating him alive.
They were supposed to tell her today. They were supposed to have one more night.
And they still had hope. She'd come back soon. She had to.
But then, at 8:07 p.m., they heard it. A vehicle rolling up the gravel road. Headlights flaring across the curtains.
All of them jumped to their feet.
Jungwon got to the door first and flung it open, the rest of them right behind him, hearts hammering.
But it wasn't the old green truck. It was a sleek black van. Tinted windows. Quiet engine. City plates.
Not Naye.
Their hope deflated like a balloon punctured in air.
The door of the van slid open, and out stepped a familiar figure. Tall, broad shouldered, hair slicked neatly to the side, black shirt still dusted from the long drive. His presence was calm, but his expression was taut with purpose.
Yuki hyung.
Their manager.
Jake's jaw dropped slightly. "Hyung...?"
"What are you doing here?" Sunghoon asked, his voice already brittle.
Yuki gave them all a long look, the kind that wasn't cold but still didn't leave room for argument. "There's been a scandal. Not with you..don't worry. But another HYBE group is in hot water. Big time."
He paused. They all felt the rest coming. "They need you back. Tonight."
"No." Heeseung was the first to speak, his voice hard and low. "We're not done here."
"You weren't supposed to come until tomorrow night," Jay added, stepping forward. "We had another day."
"I know," Yuki said gently. "But the higher ups are pulling rank. They want you in Seoul, at the studio, by 2 a.m. To prep for comeback coverage."
"No, no-" Jake whispered, his face crumpling. "We can't leave tonight. Not without saying-"
Sunoo took a step back, chest heaving. "Hyung, please. Just..just one more night. Let us stay. Let us say goodbye."
Riki's eyes flicked to Yuki, wide and silently pleading. She doesn't even know.
Yuki's gaze softened, just slightly. "You can't risk it. Not this time. They're watching everything. They're furious. If you don't come now, they'll extend the contract for the whole year."
Silence fell like a guillotine.
Jungwon closed his eyes. His hands were fists at his sides.
They had promised her tomorrow.
They had dreamed of watching one more sunrise with her, of slow smiles and sleepy banter and the soft warmth of her humming in the kitchen. They had planned to tell her everything...who they were, what they felt, why it all suddenly made sense.
Their soulmate.
Their eighth.
Their everything.
And now they had to leave without telling her at all.
Yuki took a breath, glancing behind him toward the van. "You've got twenty minutes. Pack what you can. Don't cause any more trouble."
He turned, walking back to the vehicle, the gravel crunching beneath his polished shoes.
No one moved at first.
The boys stood frozen, exchanging silent shattered looks.
Jay's eyes found Jake's. Heeseung reached for Sunghoon's trembling shoulder. Sunoo's lip trembled. Ni-ki looked like a child again. And Jungwon turned slowly, heading back to the porch.
One by one, the others followed.
Back inside the quiet house where she had fed them, held them, healed them.
She was their beginning.
And this might be their end.
The house was still.
Not the peaceful kind of still this was the aching, breath holding kind. The kind of silence that presses on your ribs and makes your eyes sting. It was the silence after something beautiful has bloomed...and begun to wilt.
They didn't speak. Not a single word.
Not when they gathered their bags. Not when they stripped their bedrooms of the few personal belongings they'd scattered in her home. Not when they pulled hoodies over their heads to hide the way their faces were breaking.
Each of them moved through the house like ghosts. Soft footsteps, trembling hands, hollow eyes.
In the entryway, on the narrow wooden stand that had once held vases of wildflowers and the occasional glass of orange juice she'd leave there when her hands were full, Sunghoon reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out something small.
A bracelet. Woven by hand.
The colors of sunrise and wheat.
He had made it weeks ago in a quiet moment on the porch, fingers fumbling with the strands while Naye read beside him, her legs curled under her, her laughter falling like sunlight on his skin. He never had the guts to give it to her. It was his heart, knotted in string.
He placed it down gently. His hand hovered above it for a moment almost taking it back. But then he let go.
Next came Jake, who unzipped his bag with shaking hands and pulled out a folded piece of sheet music tattered at the corners. On it were the chords and words to Blossom, written in his own scribbled pen. She had told him it was her favorite. He kissed the edge of the page before placing it next to Sunghoon's bracelet, like a prayer.
Jay set down a silver keychain she had admired when he first arrived, a compass. He'd always told her he liked knowing where home was. But the moment she smiled at it, he realized he was looking at it all along.
Heeseung added a small polaroid. One of her. Taken the night they stayed up too late playing board games and she had frosting on her cheek from a baking accident. She looked like joy in motion. Like something he never wanted to forget.
Ni-ki reached into his sketchbook and tore out a page half finished, charcoal smudged, but unmistakably her. Lying in the sun, a smile on her lips. Her joy had found its way onto his paper before it had found its way into his heart. Now it was both.
Sunoo placed a pressed flower from her garden. He'd found it one morning and thought it looked like her. Bright, soft, impossible to look away from. He didn't say a word. Just closed his eyes, set it down, and walked away like it hurt to look at her memory.
And Jungwon, the leader who always knew what to do stood there the longest. His fingers trembled as he uncapped a pen and wrote on a torn slip of paper.
'We're sorry. Please call us.'
Beneath it, each of their initials. YJ. LH. PJ. SJ. PS. KS. NR.
On the back, their personal numbers. The real ones. Not the company lines. The ones they hadn't changed in years.
They left them with the other tokens like offerings. Like love letters sealed in silence.
And still...they didn't say a word. They didn't want to. Hell, maybe they didn't even know how to.
The air was heavy with the things they couldn't say.
Please wait for us.
We wanted more time.
We love you.
Their steps to the van were slow, weighed down by invisible red strings trying to pull them back. The porch creaked under their feet like it knew they wouldn't return.
Each boy carried his grief differently.
Jungwon walked ahead, his back straight but his fists clenched tight. Jay stayed behind, casting one last glance toward the living room window, as if she might appear there, one hand pressed to the glass. Jake stumbled a little, wiping at his face furiously. Heeseung kept his gaze skyward, but the stars blurred. Sunghoon didn't speak he couldn't. His throat was a vice. Sunoo's bottom lip wobbled as he pressed it between his teeth, tears slipping down anyway. Ni-ki walked with his head low, like if he looked up, it would all become too real.
Yuki didn't look at them as they filed into the van. He simply stood outside, letting them have their silence.
And inside the car it broke.
Forty minutes into the drive, the sky now black and moonless the only light being the dashboard glow; Sunghoon's voice finally cracked through the stillness.
It was barely a whisper.
"...We didn't even say goodbye..."
And then he cried.
Hard.
His body curled forward, silent sobs wracking his frame hands clenched in his lap as the tears streamed down like a storm he could no longer contain.
Ni-ki reached for him without hesitation, pulling him into his arms. No words. Just warmth. Just the ache of men too young to carry this kind of heartbreak.
The others crumbled in response.
Jake pressed his forehead to the window, shoulders shaking. Sunoo buried his face in his hands. Jay hunched forward, lips pressed tight to hold in the cries that still escaped anyway. Heeseung covered his face with his hoodie, wiping his eyes over and over. Jungwon stared down at the floor of the van, jaw trembling, until finally he looked up and tears slid free.
In that van, they weren't idols.
They weren't famous.
They weren't powerful.
They weren't legends.
They were just boys in love with the same girl, breaking apart in real time.
Boys who had waited years for fate to thread their missing piece to them, only to watch that thread snap with no warning.
They had loved her without knowing she was theirs.
And now...she didn't even know they had left. Keeping their hearts and souls with her.
Warnings: Pov switches, Medically impaired character (not mc), Death (Not Mcs), Mental Trauma, depression, slow burn, like a crazy slow burn, soulmate bonds, drama, tension, money problems, children, contracts, idol world, mlm, NO SMUT!mtba...
Summary: Sorry I've been gone so long. Work was hectic the past two months.
prev/next
Naye
The wheat swayed softly around her legs, brushing against her jeans like golden whispers as she walked through the field.
The day had been good.
It felt good.
They'd all woken up slow and sleepy, ate breakfast at the old porch table with mugs of coffee and mouths full of jam biscuits. She and the boys had spent the morning feeding the animals. Heeseung tried to name every goat this time by memory and failed, Jake got distracted brushing Tteokki for half an hour, and Sunoo pretended to hold a press conference while feeding the pigs.
After lunch, she'd done what she always did.
Gone to visit her mother.
She spent hours there talking to her, kneeling at the bed with hands tangled in her mothers hair she kept pulling out, eyes tracing the name written on the chart. The boys had waited for her back at the house, but when she returned, they didn't ask questions. Just pressed a moon pie into her hand and offered the idea of demolition.
The old rental house the one that collapsed on them the third night had been waiting.
They all took turns, Naye included, slamming bats and sledgehammers into weak walls, splinters flying like confetti as they laughed and yelled. It didn't fix the ache in her chest, but damn, it helped. By the time they were done, the old shack looked like it had lost a bar fight.
Now, dusk had started to stretch over the land.
The sky glowed like apricot wine soft oranges and melted honey bleeding into deeper, dusky hues. It was her favorite time of day, the time when the world went quiet just long enough for her heart to catch up.
Naye stood in the wheat field near the center, letting the golden stalks brush her fingertips. The wind tugged playfully at the hem of her flannel shirt. Her boots were half buried in the dirt.
And when she sat right there in the middle of the earth she felt peace. That rare, flickering thing that only came with sunsets and silence.
She didn't hear the footsteps at first. But when someone sat beside her, she turned slightly.
Jungwon.
His silhouette was soft in the fading light, but his dimples were unmistakable when he smiled at her.
God, those dimples.
Her heart gave one violent thump against her ribs, and she looked away fast turning back toward the sun like it had answers. Like it could explain the sudden swell of warmth in her chest.
"You like sunsets?" Jungwon asked, voice low and gentle like the sky itself.
Naye nodded, brushing her fingers through the wheat.
"I used to sit out here with my mom and dad. We'd pack snacks and sit on a blanket. Watch the sky change. It was kind of our thing," she said, voice trailing a bit. "After dinner. No matter how bad the day was, we never missed one."
Jungwon didn't say anything, and she didn't expect him to.
He just sat with her.
And that alone made her want to cry. Not from sadness. Not really. Just from feeling too much all at once.
"Lie down," she whispered, nodding at the open space beside her.
Jungwon didn't hesitate. He slid onto his back, hands tucked under his head, the wheat folding around them like a secret.
She laid down too. Side by side. So close their elbows brushed, and their fingers grazed.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
And neither dared look at the other again.
They just watched the sky burn itself into dusk.
And Naye thought, This is something soft. Something safe. Something that could ruin me in the sweetest way.
The kind of moment that didn't need music, or confessions, or chatter.
Just wheat fields and a boy with dimples and a sky that looked like gold.
It was the kind of quiet that made her teeth ache.
And she didn't want it to end.
Jungwon
Jungwon lay in the wheat, the stalks rustling gently in the wind like a lullaby too old to be remembered. The sky above stretched in strokes of orange and rose, the last embers of the day catching in the corners of clouds.
And beside him with her fingers grazing his and her scent dusted with sunshine and woodsmoke and something sweet, lay Naye.
He didn't move.
Didn't dare breathe too hard.
It felt like if he did, he'd shatter this moment. One so fragile, so precious, it might slip through his fingers if he tried to hold it too tightly.
He turned his gaze slightly, just enough to see the tip of her braid brushing her cheek, and let himself think.
Think about her mother.
Not the stories she told, but the unspoken ones.
The quiet ache that clung to her when she came back from the hospital each afternoon. The way her laughter still reached all of them, but sometimes she blinked a little too long, like the weight of time was pressing on her chest.
They knew.
She never said it, but she didn't need to.
She visited her mother every day like the clock was ticking down. Like every touch, every conversation, might be the last.
And she always returned to them with a smile.
He remembered the first time she showed them the photo album.
They'd been sprawled in the living room, the floor covered in half eaten snacks and mismatched socks, when she pulled the old book off the shelf and set it in front of them like a treasure chest.
And in a way, it was.
Page after page of a love story told in color. Her Korean father with soft eyes and quiet charm, her American mother glowing with the kind of joy you could feel just from looking at her.
"They met at a Korean food festival in America," she had told them, voice lilting with nostalgia. "My dad was visiting for grad school. My mom was selling honey at a stall. He bought three jars just to keep talking to her."
The boys had all chuckled, and Naye's grin widened.
"He asked her to come to Korea. Said he had a life here, a ranch, a family. Said he could give her a dream that didn't need to end at summer."
And she flipped to a picture of her parents standing on the porch, her mom's belly round with her, both of them smiling so big it almost hurt to look at.
"They told me I was gonna be their first and only," she said. "Said they wanted to give all their love to one kid."
And she had said it with such softness. Such certainty.
But when Sunoo teary eyed, voice cracking just a little asked, "Wasn't that lonely?" Naye had simply smiled.
"Not now."
And every one of them had broken a little bit inside.
She made it so easy to forget what she carried. Like it was instinct to be kind first. To give without question. To love without strings.
She didn't ask them why they showed up late that night months ago.
Didn't ask why none of them ever really went into town.
Didn't ask why they looked at each other like gravity only worked when they were near one another.
She never pried.
Not once.
And because of that, they trusted her more than anyone.
She didn't know they were famous. She didn't know their real last names, the ones on passports and contracts. She didn't know the weight they carried or the reasons they left it all behind.
All she knew was them. And somehow, that made her feel like the safest place they'd ever known.
Jake, hopeless romantic that he was, said she was probably a fairy in disguise. Sent to rescue them from their burnout and grief.
But Jungwon didn't believe that.
Because fairies weren't real.
And Naye was.
Too real.
Too human.
Too...her.
A woman who had tasted the bitter parts of life and chose to pour sugar on them anyway. Who had built love out of cracked things and found comfort in dirt and wheat and animals that clung to her like children.
She was...
He couldn't even finish the thought. Because it scared him how much it ached.
Beside him, she shifted slightly. Not to move away. Just enough that her pinky brushed his, and her shoulder pressed warm against his own.
Neither of them spoke.
Neither of them looked.
And still.
Still, he felt like she had told him everything. Right there, in that quiet patch of wheat under a sky catching fire.
Jungwon felt the clock in his chest start to tick a little louder.
Because they would leave.
And she would stay.
And the thought of it broke something deep in him.
But for now...
For now, they had this.
And that was more than he ever thought they'd find again.
Ni-ki
The scream didn't leave his mouth, but it rattled in his throat like a grenade about to blow.
Ni-ki shot up his chest heaving, the room swimming in darkness that felt too thick, too real. His hands clutched the edge of the blanket like a lifeline, eyes darting wildly across the room, trying to take count.
One.
Two.
Three, four.
Five.
SIx. They were all here.
Piled into the massive bed like tangled limbs and worn out laughter. Sunghoon curled toward Jake. Jungwon's hand draped over Sunoo's waist. Heeseung's feet hanging off the edge. Jay softly snoring, mouth open like he was catching ghosts.
They were safe.
Alive.
But the feeling didn't leave. The cold fingers on his spine, the echo of screams, the metallic taste of blood that wasn't his. It clung to him like it wanted to follow him into the waking world.
In the dream, it had been a crowd. A concert. Lights. Screams that weren't from fans. He didn't even know which one of them it had been. Only that someone didn't make it out. And he had to keep performing.
Ni-ki pressed his palm to his eye until colors danced behind the lids.
He was about to crawl toward one of the Hyungs. Maybe Jay. Maybe Jungwon.
But then he heard them.
Light footsteps in the hallway.
He moved on instinct, careful not to wake anyone, slipping from the warmth of their fortress and into the dim hall. The sound of footsteps paused right outside Naye's door, and when he turned the corner.
There she was.
Wearing one of those oversized ranch shirts that had clearly belonged to her father at some point, her long hair loosely braided over her shoulder, and a gallon of chocolate ice cream in one hand.
She froze like a deer caught in headlights.
Ni-ki blinked at her, the last of the panic still bleeding behind his eyes. She took one look at him and her expression softened, shifting from guilty to worried in a second.
She didn't say are you okay.
She didn't ask what happened.
She simply held out the ice cream with one hand and said softly, "Ice cream?"
And he nodded.
Because yeah. Ice cream.
He followed her inside her room, where the windows were cracked open to let in the warm night breeze and a small lamp bathed the room in amber light. They sat cross legged on her bed, a comfortable distance between them, and she handed him a spoon.
He stared at it, puzzled.
"Why do you have two?" he asked, voice rough from sleep and something else.
She grinned, small and sheepish. "I drop one every time. I don't know how. So I always bring a backup."
He laughed a tiny sound, but real.
They dug in. Chocolate and silence.
It wasn't long before she asked, "Wanna talk about it?"
He didn't answer right away. The ice cream felt like it was melting down his throat instead of in his mouth.
"Just...had a really bad dream," he said at last. "People were trying to take my Hyungs away."
Naye didn't push for more.
She never did.
"Yeah," she said gently, pulling a pillow onto her lap. "I get those sometimes too. Dreams where I lose my mom or wake up and I'm the only person left on the ranch. Feels so real you wake up checking shadows."
Ni-ki glanced at her.
Her voice was steady, but he could tell she'd been there. Felt it. Carried it.
"I always tell myself one thing," she added, spoon clinking softly. "If I can wake up and still breathe, it means I still have a chance to love the people I dreamed I lost."
He blinked.
That...helped.
He didn't know why.
Maybe it was the way she said it.
Or the way her eyes didn't look away when they met his.
They fell into quiet again, the ice cream between them, spoons scraping the bottom now and then. Naye kicked her foot a little like she was keeping rhythm to a silent song.
And Ni-ki thought of all the reasons he liked her.
She didn't even try that was the worst part.
She was just kind. In a way no one else was.
She sat with him in the early mornings when the world was still asleep, sketchbooks open between them. They didn't always talk, just drew, shared ideas, passed snacks.
She made him pancakes even when breakfast was kimchi stew or eggs and toast, because he once said her pancakes were magic and now she made them for him without fail.
She said goodnight to each of them every night like she meant it. Made it feel special. Like a ritual just for them.
She once screamed bloody murder at a bee the size of a thumbtack and tripped over her own boots trying to escape it, even though she grew up around horses and mud and bugs the size of her face.
He'd laughed so hard that day, he thought he broke a rib.
Now his ribs ached for a different reason.
Why did they have to leave?
Why did anything have to end?
He looked over, intending to thank her. But she was leaned against the wall now, eyes closed, head tilted.
Still holding the spoon.
Still here.
He blinked slower and slower until the ice cream blur faded into soft shadows and the feeling of something light brushing over him, a blanket. He didn't open his eyes.
Didn't want to.
Because here, in the soft orange light, in a room that smelled like her shampoo and summer.
He felt safe again.
And that was enough.
Sunoo
Sunoo didn't expect to go inside.
When Naye pulled into the hospital parking lot, he unbuckled his seatbelt halfway already prepared to wait out front. Maybe catch up on some shopping or music while she went in because he didn't want to intrude.
But Naye, with her soft but firm voice and eyes that always seemed to see through people, simply said, "That's nonsense. Come with me."
So he followed.
Through the automatic doors, the smell of antiseptic and lemon scented floor wax hitting him like a wall. He stayed close, footsteps in sync with hers, never touching, but always near.
They got into the elevator.
He watched her hands.
She didn't tremble but they clenched tightly at her sides. The numbers climbed one after the other, and her lips pressed into a thin line.
Sunoo didn't say anything. He didn't know how to.
The ding of the 11th floor made his ears ring.
They stepped into the hall together, the kind that echoed slightly no matter how quiet you tried to be. All off whites and faded blues and the distant beep of machines in some faraway room.
Naye didn't speak, only led them with slow steady steps.
Second to the last door on the left.
Room 1130.
Sunoo's heart skipped hard.
November 30th. The day they debuted. The day the seven of them stood on a stage and told the world they had arrived. That they mattered. That they were here to stay.
And now...
He stood in front of that number again.
Not under blinding lights or camera flashes. But outside a hospital room. Behind a girl whose kindness had cracked their hearts open without even trying.
A number that held a dying woman inside.
A number that had become a dying dream.
Fate had a wicked sense of humor.
He swallowed hard, then followed her in.
The room was quiet except for the gentle hum of machines and the soft breath of the woman in the bed. Her hair was thin, a mess of silver strands tucked neatly behind one ear. Her skin pale. Wrists bony. But her fingers moved just enough to squeeze Naye's when she took her hand.
Sunoo stayed behind her.
A gentle hand on her back.
Grounding. Present. Just there.
Naye leaned forward, brushing hair from her mother's forehead and speaking softly. She told her everything, how Jake had dropped her moon pie last night and swore vengeance on ants, how Jay had accidentally swatted himself in the face while trying to swat a fly, how she'd taken the biggest sledgehammer to the rental house and it had felt amazing.
Sunoo listened, letting the words wrap around him like sunlight.
Then she turned, looked up at him with those quiet, tear glass eyes and asked, "Will you sing with me?"
He nodded.
There was no music. No stage. Just them. And a woman they both loved, one deeply and one by quiet extension.
They sang slowly. Softly.
"You are my sunshine...My only sunshine..." Naye's voice cracked on the second line. Sunoo kept singing. "You make me happy...When skies are gray..." She held her mother's hand to her cheek. "You'll never know, dear...How much I love you..." Her shoulders shook. "Please don't take...My sunshine away..."
The words barely finished before Naye dropped to her knees, like her body had given up the weight it had been holding.
Sunoo caught her instantly.
Fell to the floor with her, his arms wrapping tightly around her curled frame, holding her to his chest as she crumpled in silence. She didn't sob out loud. She didn't break with noise.
But her tears soaked through his shirt. Her fists gripped the fabric over his ribs. And she shook like a house about to collapse.
Sunoo didn't speak. Didn't try to fill the silence with comfort or logic. He just held her steady. One hand gently smoothing her hair, the other wrapped tight around her back.
He wanted to whisper, You don't have to hold this in.
He wanted to say, You're allowed to fall apart.
He wanted to tell her, We'll carry the pieces if you can't.
But instead, he pressed his cheek to her crown and let her be soft and broken in the space between his heartbeat.
Because sometimes the strongest thing you can do for someone
Is not to fix them.
But to hold them while they feel.
And Sunoo all warm and open hearted, fierce little Sunoo was perfect at that.
Jake
The chicken coop smelled like straw, feathers, and a little too much reality.
Jake didn't mind.
It was warm, filled with soft clucks and the occasional offended squawk when one of the hens decided they didn't want to give up their egg. He crouched low beside a nesting box, fingers brushing over the still warm shell of a pale brown egg and dropping it gently into the basket.
"You ever think we should thank them for this?" he asked, looking over at Naye.
She was bent over in the next row, dark hair braided back, wearing overalls and a loose T-shirt that said Moonlight Ranch in faded lettering. She looked like she belonged here, knees in dirt, sunlight threading through her lashes, grinning at a chicken like it told her a joke.
Jake was doomed.
She didn't even have to try.
"Thank the chickens?" she echoed, lifting her brow.
He shrugged. "I mean...kinda feels rude to just take and walk away, y'know?"
Naye straightened up with two eggs in hand. "You're so polite," she said with a teasing lilt. "You look like an angel, and you act like crazy."
Jake snorted, standing too. "Act like an angel and dress like crazy," he hummed, almost absentmindedly, tapping his fingers against the wire fencing as he sang the lyric.
Naye laughed, loud, unfiltered, sunshine stuffed. It hit him right in the chest.
His heart did a weird thing.
Like a hiccup.
Or maybe a threat.
He wasn't sure.
"Where'd you get that from?" she asked, amused.
Jake gave her a one shouldered shrug, keeping it vague. "Some music video I saw."
Lie.
It was a lyric from a very popular girl band from his label. And yet, Naye caught onto it like it was hers to repeat, to laugh at.
The air felt tighter suddenly.
He watched her squat back down, setting the eggs carefully, whispering something to a hen like it was her grandmother. Her voice was quiet, but it wasn't just the words. It was her. The way she spoke, moved, glowed like golden light in the shadows.
He thought about that one night. The two of them in the kitchen at 3 a.m. She couldn't sleep. He couldn't either.
They baked a pie.
Or...they tried to.
Somewhere between flour explosions and Jake trying to be cocky with his cinnamon measuring skills, they ended up playing Uno at the kitchen table with the timer on and then totally forgot about the oven. The pie turned into charred earth, and Naye had laughed so hard she almost fell off her chair.
He thought about how, two weeks ago, she handed him a daisy and said it looked like him, soft on the outside but built to grow through anything.
He thought about how she always made two pancakes just for Ni-ki no matter what the rest of breakfast was, and how she let Sunghoon braid her hair even though he wasn't good at it. Or how she always made them tea whenever someone sat on the porch watching the land for too long.
He thought about how she looked when she cried, and how she still smiled anyway.
Jake picked up another egg, hands careful, careful like he was holding more than just a shell.
And then she hummed.
It started softly, drifting from her lips like dust motes in sunlight. It was gentle and vaguely familiar at first. Until it wasn't.
Until it became the song.
Their song.
The soulmate melody.
The one not even on streaming platforms. The one only the seven of them ever knew, ever sang. The one that came to them in pieces over years, each of them adding their own thread until it became whole woven into harmonies only their bond could craft. A harmony that only soulmates could recreate, they had tried to see if others could sing it before and they failed like they were choked up before the first note slipped.
Jake's blood turned ice.
She was humming the tune like it had always lived in her chest.
He dropped the egg.
It landed in the straw and cracked but didn't shatter.
"I..uh, I gotta pee," Jake choked out, voice an octave too high, stumbling back.
Naye blinked at him, pausing the hum, confusion wrinkling her brow. "What?"
Jake was already halfway out the coop, hitting the door frame with his shoulder before disappearing into the open ranch air like the chickens were chasing him.
Because she sang their song.
And Jake was starting to wonder if maybe. Maybe fate was a whole lot messier than they thought.
Jake was running.
Full sprint.
Boots barely touching the dry earth as he raced through the ranch, cutting behind the grain bins, dodging a feed cart, kicking up dust. His heart was thundering, lungs barely pulling in air, but it wasn't from the exertion.
It was her.
Her voice.
That tune.
Their song.
His soul was still shaking.
The horse barn was on the far side of the main house, tucked back near the hay lofts. He could hear soft whinnies and the faint rustle of feedbags, and the muffled laughter of his soulmates safe, casual, unaware.
He didn't bother slowing down.
He barreled through the half open doors with wild eyes and a breathless yell. "She sang it!"
The words echoed through the rafters, catching six pairs of ears and freezing them all in motion.
Sunghoon froze with a brush in hand beside Grandpa.
Jungwon, crouched near a trough, slowly rose to his feet.
Jay straightened like a steel rod.
Ni-ki dropped the apple he was feeding to Taffy.
Sunoo, and even the ever silent Heeseung looked up at him as if Jake had just screamed the world was ending.
"She sang it," Jake repeated, voice cracking now. "Our song. The one-" His voice buckled as he stepped farther inside. His throat was too tight.
"I heard her," he whispered, barely holding himself together. "She was humming it like it was nothing. Like it's always been in her."
Still, no one moved. No one blinked.
"Not just the tune, guys," Jake said, trembling now. "She added to it."
Silence.
Absolute, suffocating silence.
Jake dropped to his knees on the hay covered floor, his voice splintering like dry wood.
"She added a part. Not just humming. Lyrics. Something new. Like like she was born with it." He wiped at his eyes angrily, frustrated with the tears and the way his chest hurt. "It's her. She's the one. She's, she's our soulmate."
Still, no one spoke. But they didn't have to. Not yet.
Because every single one of them was staring at Jake like the barn had tilted sideways.
Because every single one of them knew the truth.
Because every single one of them had been secretly hoping for something they swore they didn't want.
Ni-ki moved first, sitting down hard on a hay bale, hands gripping his knees. "But...we never sang it around her."
"Nope," Jake said. "Never."
"We even tested it many times," Sunghoon said faintly, his voice distant. "Remember? We had that backup singer try to mimic it in the studio.."
"She couldn't," Jay said softly, his eyes wide now. "She got the first few notes and then her throat closed up."
"Because it's a soul song," Jungwon said slowly. "Only we can sing it. Only the bonded can feel it, build it."
"She just sang it," Jake said again, more quietly. "And she added herself to it. I felt it. My body knew before my brain did."
A long pause. Heavy. Loaded.
Heeseung exhaled a breath like he'd been holding it for years. "We're so fucked."
Sunoo sat down next to Jake without a word and just placed a hand on his back.
"Are you sure?" Ni-ki asked, but his voice had lost all bite. He already knew the answer. He had felt it.
Jake nodded, leaning into Sunoo's touch for balance. "I swear on my soul."
Jay dragged a hand over his face. "We've been falling for her for weeks and we didn't even see it coming."
"We did," Sunghoon muttered. "We just didn't want to admit it."
"She's our soulmate," Jungwon said, like saying it out loud would make it real. "The first human who's ever matched our bond."
They all sat with it.
With the truth.
With the feeling they had been holding back, the ache that had become comfort. The person who felt like home before they ever knew the word.
Cho Naye.
"She has no idea," Jake said. "None."
"She will," Sunoo said gently.
Jay stood and walked toward the open barn doors, staring at the wheat glowing under the late sun. "What the hell are we gonna do?"
No one answered.
Not because they didn't have an answer.
But because for once...they had something worth risking it all for.
Warnings: Pov switches, Medically impaired character (not mc), Death (Not Mcs), Mental Trauma, depression, slow burn, like a crazy slow burn, soulmate bonds, drama, tension, money problems, children, contracts, idol world, mlm, NO SMUT!mtba...
Summary: In a quiet town on a sprawling Korean ranch, 22 year old Naye lives a simple life, caring for her family's land after a tragic accident and her mother's coma. But when seven strangers arrive at her doorstep after a storm damages her rental home, her world is turned upside down. The men, secretly a famous idol group, find themselves drawn to Naye in ways they never expected. As they spend weeks together, a bond forms, but Naye remains unaware of the powerful connection they share. When their time together ends abruptly, Naye is left heartbroken, but fate has other plans. The men return, determined to find her again, and this time, nothing will keep them apart. Not even their broken hearts.
Taglist: Message or comment to be added!
prev/next
Naye
The late afternoon sun stretched golden fingers across the sky, tinting everything in the soft blush of summer's edge. The air was warm humming gently with cicadas. And Naye rode steady in the saddle the creak of the leather beneath her in rhythm with the slow clop of her horse's hooves. She wasn't in a rush. Not today.
She adjusted her hand on the reins as her phone buzzed in the small satchel tied to the saddle horn. With a small click of her tongue, she guided the horse to a slow stop and pulled the phone out, thumb swiping across the screen.
Uncle Jinhwan.
She answered, already grinning. "Well if it isn't the second most dramatic person in town."
His chuckle came through the line like a gust of wind. "Second? I'm hurt."
"You'll live," she teased.
"Anyway, I'm calling 'cause tonight's line dance night down at the old barn, and I want you to get your pretty self down there. Bring the boys, too, the ones who're always walking around your place looking like a boot company advertisement. I like those dudes."
Naye laughed, loud and unfiltered, her fingers curling tighter around the phone. "You only like them 'cause they made you laugh so hard you spit out your corn dog last weekend."
"Exactly. Anyone who can do that deserves an invite. Food, games, dancing, the whole town's coming. You will be there."
"Yes, yes, I'll be there. I haven't danced in a while anyway," she said softly, the smile still playing on her lips as a hint of nostalgia washed over her. "Thanks for calling, uncle."
"Of course, sugar. See you tonight."
She hung up and tucked the phone away again, giving her horse a gentle nudge with her heels. They began a slow loop around the edge of the back field the tall grass brushing against her boots.
Naye closed her eyes for a moment, letting the wind tug at her hair the sun warm her skin.
Her heart was full. And broken. And messy.
Her mother lay in a hospital room, her voice a fading memory. Her father was gone. The land was in danger. Everything should have been unbearable.
But instead, something strange had taken root in her chest.
Joy.
Messy, inconvenient joy.
It came in spurts. Like when she found a pair of socks in the freezer because Riki thought it'd be funny. Or when Sunoo insisted they replant a whole row of strawberries because he thought one looked sad. Or when Jungwon brought her tea during her period without her asking, then left the cup outside her door with a note that read "You're scary, but I got you."
They were her boys now. And when had that happened?
When had her house once quiet and heavy with grief, turned into a revolving door of clanging pans, music in the halls, and boots tracking in mud no matter how many times she scolded them?
She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment, but she could remember the small pieces.
Like the time she and Heeseung had driven to town together to get fencing supplies. The ride had started quiet, filled with soft country music and the occasional eye contact. But halfway there, they'd gotten caught behind a chicken truck and Heeseung, in his dramatic flair, started narrating the chickens' lives like it was a soap opera. She'd nearly crashed from laughing.
Or when Jay had found her in the barn loft crying, not because of anything new, just the usual aching weight, and instead of asking questions, he'd climbed up next to her and wordlessly handed her half of a cookie. "My last one," he'd whispered. "Don't tell the others." She'd eaten it through tears and laughed until her nose ran.
When Jake demanded her to let him give her a piggy back ride, because he noticed her falling asleep as they were walking from the rental home back to the house. And their giggles were so loud as he raced up hill with her on his back, and he collapsed to the ground dramatically taking her hand with him.
There was the time she'd gone to weed the west field and found Sunghoon already out there. Shirtless. Hair messy. Grumbling under his breath about manual labor being a scam. She'd handed him a bandanna and dared him to out weed her. He lost. And he'd never looked at her the same way again.
The time Jungwon and Sunoo woke her up at two am in the morning. Softly knocking on her door until she answered. And without a word they dragged her outside, the three of them sitting on the back porch making 2 am wishes to the shooting stars. She never found out what they wished for, but she had wished that this feeling would never disappear.
And Riki. Oh god, Riki. Her chaos gremlin. They'd once spent two hours looking for his phone only to realize he was using it as a flashlight the whole time. She threatened to duct tape it to his chest.
Then there was the walk.
All of them had gone into the woods after dinner, laughing, joking, until they'd gotten so deep the sun had dipped. The boys panicked a little, unsure of the winding trails, but she'd just tilted her head and said, "I know the way." They'd followed her without question. They'd trusted her. And something in her chest had shifted that night.
They'd trusted her with their safety. With their stories. With their messy, real selves.
And she'd given them her world in return.
She tugged lightly on the reins as the horse turned back toward the barn. Her lips curled into a soft contemplative smile. These three weeks had been chaos. Work and aching backs and sugar highs and pancake batter in her hair. But they'd also been magically beautiful.
She'd never laughed this much in her life. Never felt this seen.
And god help her, she felt so protective of them now. She made sure Riki drank water. She smacked Sunghoon's arm when he skipped meals. She braided Sunoo's hair one morning just because he looked tired and she thought he deserved to be pampered. She walked slower around Jungwon because he always hung back to check the fences one last time. She laughed harder at Heeseungs jokes even if they were stupid because she loved to see him smile bashfully. She made sure Jake had strawberry jam for his toast because he wouldn't say it but he always looked disappointed when it was gone.
They were hers. Not in a possessive way.
Just in that quiet gentle way that shows she would take care of them. And maybe, just maybe she had a little crush on every single one of them.
Nothing she'd act on. Of course not. They were all together. That was obvious, right? Seven guys, living together, vibing perfectly, soulmates, gay. All of them. No question. She wasn't delusional.
Still. She could appreciate the scenery.
Heeseung shirtless with flour on his cheek? Art. Jake lifting hay bales with those arms? Justice. Jungwon in that fitted button up at the strawberry stand? Illegal. Sunoo in a backless apron? A threat. Riki speaking Korean with his low ass voice while pulling weeds? Painful. Jay with his jawline of doom and sleepy eyes? Cruel. And Sunghoon. God, Sunghoon with the rolled up sleeves and forehead kisses to the baby goats? Arrest him.
She sighed, full of chaos and affection.
They had wiggled their way into her life like stubborn vines, wrapping around every corner of her broken heart and pulling her toward the light. She didn't know how she was supposed to let them go in a week.
She wasn't sure she could.
But for now, she'd line dance. She'd laugh. She'd memorize every second.
Because for once, life didn't just feel survivable.
It felt sweet.
Jungwon
The sun had long dipped below the edge of the hills, painting the sky in soft bruises of violet and gold. The house glowed in patches, lamplight from the living room the dim hue of the hallway, and the subtle flicker from the boys' shared bedroom where Jungwon was sitting cross legged on the floor, pretending to scroll his phone but actually just trying to remember how to breathe.
The room was loud of course-Ni-ki was ranting about something dumb Jake did, Sunghoon was curled on the bed watching a video with half lidded eyes, and Jay was shirtless and trying on cologne like he was going to a blind date in Paris.
Knock knock.
Three sharp raps.
Everyone turned toward the door.
"Come in," Heeseung called out lazily.
And the door opened.
And she walked in.
Jungwon forgot how lungs worked.
Naye stood in the doorway, hand on the knob, one hip cocked, her silhouette haloed by the hallway light like the setup of some fever dream Jungwon didn't sign up for. But he was here, and holy hell, was he paying attention now.
She was glowing. Glowing like moonlight and reckless confidence.
Her long legs were sunkissed and strong, perfectly wrapped in a pair of ripped jean shorts that cut off mid thigh riding just high enough to make Jungwon question if God had favorites. A slim, rustic belt hugged her hips with a silver emblem glinting in the center.
But it was the top that really murdered him.
A black corset style crop top hugged her body like it was custom fitted for every dangerous curve she had. The fabric was ruched and clung to her like a second skin, the neckline soft but structured, hugging her ribs and drawing the eye. Crisscrossing strings lined the sides from rib to hem, tied into bows that somehow made the whole thing even more alluring. Sleeveless and daring, it framed her collarbones and shoulders in a way that made Jungwon's brain short circuit.
A pair of thin braids framed her face, woven into the fall of her long hair. Her sharp eyeliner cut through her soft eyes like rebellion dipped in honey. The cowboy hat perched on her head pulled it all together with the cruel precision of someone who knew she was drop dead gorgeous.
She had the audacity to grin.
"Get your dancing shoes on, boys," she said, twirling her keys on her finger like she hadn't just dismantled their entire nervous systems. "We're going out."
She winked. She actually winked.
And then she turned..turned, Lord help him, and strutted down the hallway with the kind of confidence only women with zero mercy had. Her hips swayed casually, like she didn't know the power she wielded, like her boots weren't stomping directly over Jungwon's grave.
There was silence.
Heavy, stunned, stupid silence.
Until Jake let out a low whistle and muttered, "We're so fucked."
Jungwon was still staring at the open door. He wasn't blinking. His soul had just yeeted itself out of his chest and face planted in the strawberry field.
"Bro," Sunoo whispered, nudging him. "You okay?"
"Do I look okay?" Jungwon croaked throat dry hand pressed against his chest like he'd just been tased.
"She's hot," Ni-ki said bluntly. "Like. Hot, hot."
Heeseung groaned and flopped backward on the bed. "This is a test from God, and we are failing."
Jungwon dragged a hand down his face, his ears burning so bad he felt like someone had lit matches in his skull.
He'd seen her every day. In flannels. In hoodies. In the same dirt covered jeans she worked in. He had seen her sweaty, laughing, barefoot in the kitchen with flour on her cheeks.
But nothing, nothing prepared him for this.
"Lord, have mercy," he muttered under his breath, standing up in a daze. "We're gonna need holy water."
And he meant it.
Because that wasn't just their friend. That was a walking, stomping sin in cowboy boots.
And she had just told them to go out dancing.
He wasn't sure if he was terrified or thrilled.
But one thing was certain.
They were all done for.
The old dark green truck rattled down the winding dirt road, its tires kicking up little clouds of dust as the music blasted through the open windows. Naye was driving her hand resting lazily out the window, rings glinting under the soft orange light of the setting sun. Her boots tapped the rhythm against the pedal, singing along under her breath.
Jungwon sat in the passenger seat, doing his best not to stare. Which was very difficult.
Sunoo was wedged comfortably in the middle squished but unbothered, phone out to record snippets of their drive switching between front and rear cameras to capture the chaos in the back seat and the blur of fields outside.
Behind them in the second row, Ni-ki, Jake, and Jay were harmonizing terribly to a country pop track playing from the aux, Jake waving his arm out the window and Ni-ki stomping his boot against the floorboard like they were auditioning for a hoe-down boyband.
And in the truck bed hair whipped by the wind through the back window, Heeseung and Sunghoon sat propped up against a pile of hay bags occasionally sticking their heads through the glass to yell commentary or crack jokes.
Jungwon felt his heart pounding.
This was a lot. A whole, glittering lot.
All seven of them were decked out for the night. And it was almost comedic how good they looked. Fitted jeans, dusted cowboy boots, crisp white tees tucked just right, denim jackets hanging off broad shoulders, silver chains catching the fading light, and perfectly styled hair that screamed boyband, but make it Western. If any of them were walking clichés, they were somehow the hottest ones alive.
And Naye? Naye was the sun they orbited.
She had them wrapped around her finger and didn't even know it.
It was then that Jungwon had a flashback. A vivid, stupid, soul jolting flashback.
Earlier that afternoon, all seven of them had piled into the room, spiraling in a full blown crisis after she walked out looking like a fantasy in boots and a corset top. There had been arm slapping, incoherent yelling, multiple declarations of "WE'RE GONNA DIE," and Ni-ki had actually curled into a ball on the floor while Jay prayed in three different languages.
They had lost it. Fully and embarrassingly.
And now they were trying to act cool.
"Easier said than done," Jungwon muttered under his breath, glancing sideways as Naye smiled at something on the road ahead.
"You say something?" she asked.
"Just thinking," he answered quickly, biting the inside of his cheek.
She chuckled. "Careful. That sounds dangerous."
Sunoo snorted beside him, and the boys in the back cackled.
"You'll like the barn," Naye said, raising her voice to speak over the wind. "Everyone will be there. I mean, you guys basically met the whole town already, but it's different when there's karaoke and line dancing and spiked punch."
Ni-ki perked up like a meerkat. "Wait. Karaoke?"
Jay turned around in his seat. "What kind of songs?"
"Country classics," she said with a grin. "But there's always one guy who sings a BTS ballad and makes everyone cry."
"Respect," Heeseung called from the truck bed. "Ballads are manly."
Sunghoon rolled his eyes and mumbled something that made them all laugh.
"Oh, and the line dance is super easy," Naye added with a glance toward the rearview. "If you guys can manage the dance, you'll survive this."
"Are you challenging us?" Jake asked, brows raised dramatically.
Naye grinned. "Not at all. I just know Riki can do the worm, but I'm not convinced any of you can actually dance."
"I-" Ni-ki clutched his chest. "That was a personal moment. I wormed with passion!"
She cackled. "Sure you did."
Jay leaned forward. "So...are you dancing tonight?"
"Obviously," she said, with an easy shrug. "It's my favorite time of the year."
There was a pause. A little quiet that stretched in that soft way it does when everyone's thinking the same thing.
Follow her lead. Right. Like that wasn't the most dangerous invitation they'd ever heard.
"The kids'll be excited to see you," Naye added after a beat. "Oh, and by the way, Samchon Jinhwan's the one who invited you guys before I even got the chance. He loves you."
"Oh my God," Sunoo laughed. "We love him too. A king."
The truck turned down another dirt path, the golden orange barn peeking up over the field, already strung with fairy lights. They could see the silhouettes of people gathered, music drifting faintly through the air, voices and laughter swirling up like smoke.
Jungwon leaned his elbow against the door, watching Naye with barely concealed admiration as she pulled into the gravel lot.
He didn't know how they'd gotten here..really gotten here. From collapsing rental roofs to stolen heartbeats in kitchens and strawberry fields. From Seoul's gray city skyline to this little pocket of warm air and southern charm. But as the truck came to a halt and Naye smiled at them like they were just a normal group of boys on a summer night, Jungwon felt it again.
That same flash in his chest.
This can't be real.
And yet here they were.
And they were absolutely not ready.
Naye
The sky was already dipped in shades of dusky orange and bruised lilac by the time Naye pulled the truck up near the old barn. The engine rumbled low headlights casting long shadows across the dry summer grass. From inside, the echo of laughter and guitar twangs bled through the open doors of the barn, and warm string lights blinked like lazy fireflies overhead.
It was already in full swing.
She hadn't even fully unbuckled her seatbelt before a flurry of noise erupted outside.
"HE'S HERE! FOX OPPA'S HERE!" came a shriek of joy from somewhere off to the left.
A flash of pink jelly sandals and wild black pigtails burst through the field, tearing toward the truck with terrifying speed.
Sunoo didn't even get the chance to open his door.
Ara slammed into it instead, flinging it open and nearly tackling him before he even set one foot on the ground. Literally climbing over Jungwon as if he was just a obsticule in her way.
"Fox Oppa!! You came back! I knew you would!" she declared, wrapping her little arms around his waist like a barnacle as everyone got out of the car. "I made you a drawing of my chicken and her babies, but the umma is actually a goat, okay? It's a crossover story."
Sunoo blinked, clutching the doorframe for balance. "I..uh..thank you?"
"You owe me three dances, remember?" Ara added seriously, already dragging him toward the barn before anyone could react.
"Wait what?" Too late. Fox Oppa was kidnapped.
Naye barely had time to laugh before more happened.
"COWBOY CHALLENGE!!"
Yejun shot out from behind the cotton candy booth, finger guns blazing, doing a full somersault roll through the dirt and popping up like a scrappy action hero.
"Which one of you thinks you can take me?" he barked. "Because I was born for this ranch."
"Yejun," Naye tried to warn, but he was already lunging.
Heeseung, startled but good natured caught the boy mid air and lifted him effortlessly upside down by the ankles.
"I got a wild one," heeseung shouted to no one in particular.
"PUT ME DOWN, STRANGER! OR FACE THE CONSEQUENCES!"
The consequences, as it turned out, were mostly more finger guns and lots of kicking.
By now, a crowd of amused onlookers were gathering just to witness the chaos.
"NAYE!! JAKE!! I NEED YOU!!"
Enter: Minchan.
Five years old. Full dramatics. Both shoelaces untied, arms pinwheeling like a drunk windmill, and shouting like someone was stealing his cattle.
Jake turned just in time to catch the small boy, who tripped over absolutely nothing and launched himself forward. Jake caught him before he fell crouching with the kind of reflexes that proved he was indeed a lifelong athlete.
"I tripped for you," Minchan whispered with full sincerity.
Naye snorted, covering her mouth. "You alright there, boss?"
"No. I'm dying. Only way I'll survive is if you both dance with me right now."
Jake looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "You heard the man."
"I did."
"Together," Minchan added firmly. "We're a package deal. You two or nothing. That's the law."
"Yes, sir," Jake said, mock saluting the tiny dictator as he and Naye joined hands, letting Minchan clutch both their palms and lead them into the barn like a prince escorting his royal court.
Uncle Jinhwan emerged from the grill station a few minutes later, wiping his hands on a dish towel and bellowing in delight when he saw the rest of the guys stepping cautiously into the party.
"BOYS!" he boomed, arm slung over Jay's shoulder (clearly her uncles favorite) before he could even blink. "You came just in time. C'mon, food first, we dance better on full stomachs. That's science."
Jay didn't even get a word in before Jungwon, Riki, and Sunghoon were all being herded with exaggerated enthusiasm toward the rows of buffet tables like stray cattle.
"Ranch rule," Uncle Jinhwan added to them, voice full of mirth. "You eat good, you dance better, and you don't ask about the mysterious punch."
Back inside the barn, chaos reigned supreme.
Ara had dragged Sunoo into a full blown dance routine, feet stomping and pigtails flying. She shouted the steps, and Sunoo God bless him followed with such committed confusion it was starting to look choreographed.
"Fox Oppa!" she shrieked joyfully, spinning under his arm. "You're getting GOOD!"
"I have no idea what I'm doing!" he called back, breathless and grinning.
Yejun was now locked in a dramatic cowboy duel with Heeseung, both of them strutting in circles like it was a Wild West movie. A crowd had gathered. Bets were being placed. Someone handed Yejun a pool noodle as a sword.
Minchan, meanwhile, was contentedly dancing with one foot on each of Jake's and Naye's boots, holding their hands tightly and swaying side to side like he was king of the barn.
"I own this place now," he muttered to himself.
"You sure do," Jake smiled, lifting him gently into the air for a spin as Minchan screamed in delighted terror.
And Naye, well.
She was laughing. Hard.
But her eyes kept drifting.
To each of them. All seven.
Jay, reaching across the table to hand Uncle Jinhwan a plate with a grin. Sunghoon sneaking bits of fried corn into his mouth and pretending not to be impressed. Riki bobbing his head to the music while sipping whatever the hell was in the mystery punch.
They looked like they belonged.
Like this wasn't just a visit, it was a pause in the world. A breath. A moment.
She watched them, one hand resting lightly on Minchan's head as he babbled about opening a candy factory when he grew up and hiring her and Jake to run it.
And her chest ached.
In the best way.
Because this right here, this moment, was everything good. Everything warm.
And she wasn't letting a single second of it go unnoticed.
Heeseung
The barn had shifted into something that felt almost enchanted.
The music boomed from the speakers, the fiddle slicing through the air like lightning, feet stomping and clapping in rhythm as laughter bounced off the wooden beams. Long tables pushed aside, lanterns and string lights casting a warm gold glow across the room, and the entire town seemed to fall into step like a well-oiled machine. Country magic.
And here they were.
Seven men and one girl.
The last row of the line dance.
Heeseung stood beside her because of course he did, and felt the way her arm bumped his lightly as she adjusted her stance, settling in with a cocky little smile on her lips.
"You ready to show me what you city boys can do?" she teased, hands on her hips, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet.
"Aw, darlin'," Jay drawled from her other side in a deep, fake Southern accent. "You're gonna eat those words."
Sunoo snorted, "Please, she's gonna mop the floor with us."
"You sure you can keep up?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in challenge, and Lord, she really was something else.
Every man in that back row shifted like a livewire had gone off. Like the only answer was of course.
"Woman," Heeseung said, voice warm and teasing as he leaned just a little closer, "I was born to boot scoot."
The laugh she let out? God. He wanted to trap that sound in a bottle and drink it like honey.
"Okay, okay," Naye grinned, her hand brushing against the back of his arm as she shook her limbs out. "Follow the steps. Watch the feet. Don't embarrass me in front of the locals."
"You say that like we're not secretly professionals," Ni-ki mumbled on her other side, already half popping his shoulders to the music.
"Yeah," Sunghoon added with a smirk, "we're just undercover."
No one here knew who they were. Not really.
Except for Uncle Jinhwan, of course, who somehow knew everything. He had winked at them during dinner and promised not to say a damn word.
Heeseung liked it this way. Liked that for once they weren't being seen as idols, or artists, or performers, they were just men in boots. Men laughing too hard. Men standing too close. Men stealing glances at a girl in the middle of their universe.
The dance kicked off.
A few claps, a shuffle, step step turn, clap again. Easy enough.
The whole barn shifted as the rows moved as one, bodies flowing through the pattern like water. Feet stomped in rhythm, the wooden floor creaking beneath the beat, hands flying out to spin and dip in unison.
It was chaos. Glorious, joyful chaos.
Naye?
A goddess.
Hair bouncing in waves down her back, cheeks flushed, a smile so wide it crinkled her nose. She moved effortlessly, hips in those dangerous clothes twirling, her boots hitting the floor with perfect timing.
She didn't even need to try.
And all around her, Heeseung's boys.
Jungwon focused and serious, mouthing the steps under his breath with that deep crease between his brows. Sunghoon, suddenly loose and laughing flicking his wrist when he turned. Jake and Jay full of mischief, egging each other on and elbowing each others steps.
Riki?
A demon. That brat pulled off a body roll during a grapevine and Heeseung almost threw his hat at him.
Sunoo elegant and precise, like a fox on the prowl. He kept throwing finger hearts at Ara who was screaming from the sidelines.
And then there was her again.
When the band struck a fast fiddle riff, Ni-ki reached for Naye's hand with no warning and spun her into a twirl.
And she let him.
Her laugh exploded out of her like sunlight cracking the clouds bright, wild, free and it hit Heeseung square in the chest.
He stumbled. Just for a second. Just enough to nearly miss a step.
She was beautiful.
Not the 'pretty girl in a dress' kind of beautiful. But the kind that soaked into your bones. The kind that carved itself into you when you weren't looking.
She affected all of them.
He could feel it in the stillness that hit the back row when she laughed.
The way Jake glanced at her in that quiet soft way. The way Sunghoon's smile pulled a little higher. The way Jungwon's eyes flicked to her with that protective edge. How Sunoo bit his lip like he didn't want to smile, but couldn't help it.
She was the glue of the moment.
The storm and the silence. The tether and the lightning.
And they were all, every single one of them so goddamn wrapped around her finger.
Heeseung's heart twisted as he turned and clapped in rhythm.
Because he knew it wasn't going to last.
This was temporary. A dance in a barn. A beat in a song.
But oh, what he would give to play it on repeat.
After the chaos of the line dancing the crowd shifted toward food and conversation. Long wooden tables covered in platters of grilled meat, buttery corn, foil wrapped sweet potatoes, and bowls of kimchi and coleslaw. There was even a cooler full of soda cans and a few too many open beers passed around.
And at the longest table near the corner of the barn eight seats were taken by seven very full, very content men and one oblivious woman.
The kids had claimed spots between them all. Minchan was in Jake's lap, holding a rib nearly the size of his head. Ara sat cross legged beside Sunoo sharing a chair, feeding bits of chicken to a goat plushie she'd brought. Yejun was bouncing between Ni-ki and Sunghoon, challenging them both to a watermelon seed spitting contest.
And Naye?
She sat between Heeseung and Jungwon, her hair a little tousled from dancing, cheeks flushed, and hands sticky from barbecue sauce. Her eyes were crinkled in laughter as she teased Riki for almost dropping a whole sausage on his boot, her voice loud and bright and undeniably alive.
Heeseung couldn't stop looking at her.
There was something about how she existed. How she threw her head back when she laughed, how she spoke with her hands, how she always, always made sure the kids had napkins, drinks, enough food.
She was a whirlwind. A hurricane of kindness and snark and sunshine.
And she didn't even see it.
Heeseung reached for his drink just as a new presence entered the fold, a woman, maybe in her early forties, with lipstick brighter than the moon and a knowing gleam in her eyes.
She approached with a polite bow toward the boys her earrings swinging dramatically before she turned her entire attention on Naye.
"Aigoo," she said, hands on her hips, "It's been too long, hasn't it, Naye-yah?"
Naye, quickly swallowing her food, blinked. "Uh..Miss So-young...hi."
That gleam in the woman's eyes sharpened. "You thought you'd come here, eat my cousin's brisket, and not do the thing?"
All seven men paused in unison.
The thing?
Naye went stiff, slowly setting down her corn on the cob. "I think I'll sit this one out..."
"Ohhh no, no, no," the woman tsked, already turning away, and then loudly, so the entire barn could hear called out. "We have a very special show tonight! The one! The only! Cho Naye!"
Chaos.
Pure, joyful chaos.
The barn exploded.
Cheers, whistles, whoops. Beers clinked against wood. Someone let out a cowboy style yeehaw that echoed off the rafters. Children jumped up and down in their chairs screaming "Naye noona! Naye noona!" while her uncle laughed so loud from the front table it made Heeseung jump.
And right in the eye of the storm?
Naye.
Face bright red. Hands outstretched like she could physically shove the attention away. "Uncle Jinhwan I will set your barn on fire I swear..."
"Oh, come on!" Jinhwan hollered back, tears in his eyes from laughter. "You owe us!"
Before she could protest again, Ara climbed out of Sunoo's lap and grabbed her hand. Then Yejun latched onto her other arm, and Minchan dramatically pointed toward the front like a general leading a charge. "TO THE STAGE!"
The men could barely hold in their laughter as the children her cousins, apparently dragged her away, ignoring her flailing and the "I'm sticky, I'm not even cute right now, I swear to God!" that came from her mouth.
They marched her toward the little makeshift stage with a mic stand and a few scattered instruments, a mic already squealing to life.
Sunghoon was grinning into his cup. "What do you think 'the thing' is?"
"No clue," Jungwon murmured.
"God, I hope it's singing," Jake whispered.
Heeseung didn't say a word.
He just watched her. Watched the way she stood under the barn lights, nervous but glowing, tucked under a cowboy hat and surrounded by laughter and warmth she didn't even realize she'd earned.
She didn't know how adored she was.
But he did.
They all did.
And as she stepped up to the mic, brushing her hair behind her ear with that same bashful smile that had first cracked their walls, Heeseung's heart felt a little too loud in his chest.
Yeah.
She was gonna wreck them.
And she hadn't even started yet.
From their spot at the long table seven pairs of eyes were trained on the small stage at the front of the barn where Cho Naye stood with her hands up in surrender and a smile of resignation tugging at her lips.
The kids had long since abandoned their food and rushed to the front of the stage, planting themselves cross legged in the dirt like it was the front row of a world tour. They were bouncing in excitement while clapping their hands with swinging legs and shouting her name like she was a legend.
Honestly? She kind of was.
So-young, the glamorous woman from earlier took the mic first clearly reveling in the chaos she had created. "It's been a few years since Naye-ssi has graced us with a song," she announced dramatically, making the crowd go wild again. "But I know y'all want it, right?!"
The barn roared back in affirmation and laughter, cheers, stomping boots. Heeseung let out a low whistle. "Is it just me, or is she...like...the main character of this entire town?"
"Not just the town," Jungwon murmured, still stunned. "I think the whole universe is circling her right now."
And it just seemed so fitting. The girl who grew up in the dirt of this fine town, who's familys farm supported the markets and its people would be a star. It was just right.
Up on the stag an older man in a cowboy hat chuckled into the mic, strumming lightly at his guitar. "We still remember the lines to your song, Naye-yah. If you think you still got 'em."
Naye grinned bashful but confident and stepped toward the mic. "Please. I wrote that thing when I was thirteen, I still sing it in the shower."
A wave of warm laughter rolled through the barn. The boys couldn't stop smiling. She was magnetic.
So-young waved her hands dramatically, stepping back. "Alright, alright, let's give the girl some space. Grab your dance partners everyone! You know the steps!"
The band began to strum a little louder, bass tapping in from the corner and the lights above flickered golden.
Naye grabbed the mic in both hands. "Okay," she said, eyes twinkling as she looked out across the crowd. "If you remember the dance, get your boots moving. And if you don't, just find someone cute and fake it."
Laughter. Whistles. Applause.
And then...she sang.
And the men, every single one of them felt their bodies go still. The only sound from them was the seven hearts pounding to the beat of the rhythm.
Her voice wasn't just good. It wasn't just decent. It wasn't passable or 'for a small town girl.' It was insane. Smooth like honey, warm like bonfire light, rich with character and the slightest rasp that made every lyric feel lived in.
She sang with her whole heart her face alight with joy, her body swaying slightly to the rhythm like this was second nature. Like she had never stopped.
And the song, God, the song was fun. Sweet. Fast paced. Playful. Perfect for line dancing but charming enough that you couldn't help but sway along, even without knowing the steps.
"Well, he brought me roses with thorns still on
Didn't mind I wore 'em like a crown.
Said I'd never ride no bull again,
Till I met one that made me settle down.
Taught me how to lasso pride,
Now I two-step when I used to hide,
Dancin' through the mess we made.
Boy, this wild heart might just stay.
So spin me round 'til we see stars,
Laughin' under moonlit barns,
Boots and hearts and tangled limbs,
Let's get lost where it begins."
Couples started rising pulling each other into the familiar steps of a partner line dance. Hands touched hips, boots stomped in unison, and the barn began to sway like one living organism.
And at the table, all seven boys were still staring.
Jake was slack jawed. Jungwon was dead. Jay was whispering, "What the actual hell-?"
Ni-ki whispered with awe, "She should be the idol."
Sunoo nodded slowly with his eyes shining under the lights. "Like. Actually."
Heeseung didn't even blink. His eyes were on her like he was watching a firework in slow motion. This girl, this woman with her dusty boots and cheeky grins and quick hands was full of more surprises than they'd ever seen from anyone in their industry.
She was dazzling.
And she had no idea.
"She's...amazing," Jungwon finally said, voice so soft the others barely heard it.
"Yeah," Sunghoon muttered. "Like, really."
Naye twirled herself under her own arm on stage, laughing into the mic between lines her voice barely faltering. Her long hair swung behind her as she added a playful stomp at the end of a verse, and the crowd roared again.
Kids were dancing. Adults were cheering. Her uncle was practically crying with laughter as he tried to find his wife for a partner.
And the boys?
The boys were falling a little harder than they already had. Because she wasn't just beautiful, or kind, or smart, or funny.
She was a star.
And none of them had seen it coming. Not like this.
The barn was still electric from the rush of Naye's first song. The applause hadn't even fully died down when the chant began.
"Encore! Encore! Encore!"
It started with the locals then So-young, the band, even Naye's uncle howling like he'd just won the lottery. But then the boys joined in. Seven voices louder than they meant to be, caught in the moment, swept up in the wild wonder of it all.
"NAYE! ENCORE! ENCORE!"
She turned flushed and laughing, finger gunning directly at them, and they all melted into one synchronized swoon.
God, she was unreal.
But when the band started playing again, it wasn't fast.
The notes that rose next were soft. Lazy. Romantic. A slide of steel guitar, the warm pluck of a banjo, the steady thump of a slow drum beat like a heartbeat.
And Naye.
Naye changed.
She didn't laugh this time. Didn't tease. Her expression softened like silk in moonlight, and her fingers gripped the mic just a little tighter.
The crowd hushed instantly.
Couples leaned into one another. Hands reached. Swaying began. Eyes shimmered in the glow of the barn's twinkling string lights. The kids had all passed out near the stage, tucked under light blankets or dozing against each other's shoulders.
And then she sang.
"He said I was a pretty little thing
In boots and braids and wild sun rings,
Hand on my waist, heart on his sleeve,
Lord, I never wanted him to leave.
Keep those cowboy eyes on mine,
Don't let 'em wander, not this time.
Every word you ain't said yet,
I hear it all when our hearts connect.
Spin me slow, pull me near,
Let the world just disappear.
Out here in the porchlight shine,
Keep those cowboy eyes on mine."
The boys didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't breathe.
Because Naye wasn't just singing. She was weaving a spell. Her voice was soft as sugar and smooth as honey, dripping from note to note like she was baring her soul under those glowing lights.
She didn't look at the crowd much. Just the mic. The floor. The band.
But then, occasionally, barely, heartbreakingly, she looked at them. Those quick glances. Like sparks in the dark. Like she was checking to see if they were still listening.
God, were they listening.
Jungwon sat perfectly still, hands clasped on the table chest so tight he swore it would burst. Sunghoon blinked slower than usual like time had melted. Ni-ki leaned forward, chin on his folded arms eyes wide and full of something he couldn't name.
Jay had his lips parted slightly. Heeseung was frozen. Sunoo was clutching his necklace like it anchored him. Jake didn't even know what to do with himself. He stared like she was the only thing left on earth.
At some point during the song, a few local women had walked over. Pretty girls in dresses and boots soft eyes and shy smiles.
One asked Heeseung if he wanted to dance. Another touched Jake's arm. "You too handsome to be sittin' here." One of them even tugged lightly at Jay's sleeve.
But each one of them gently turned them down. Polite. Grateful. Smiling. But they couldn't look away from her.
Because Cho Naye. Farm girl, baker, animal whisperer, fixer of roofs, secret superstar. Was singing about love in a way none of them had ever heard before.
Not from anyone.
It wasn't flashy. It wasn't perfect. But it was her.
And when she got to that final verse, her eyes flitted toward them again. Just for a second.
"You don't gotta say you'll stay,
But darlin', dance with me anyway.
Out here where the stars align,
Keep those cowboy eyes on mine."
The barn burst into applause as the final notes lingered in the air like perfume.
But the boys stayed quiet. Still caught in the moment. Still staring.
Somewhere in the back of their minds, they knew it was supposed to be them on the stage. Supposed to be them dazzling the world.
But watching her, really watching her they realized something unspoken.
She was the show.
And somehow, she had them all wrapped around her voice, her laugh, her damn finger guns and she didn't even know it. Or maybe she did.
Naye
The moment Naye hopped off the stage, her cheeks were pink from more than just the barn's warm lighting. Applause still buzzed in the air like the aftershock of a storm, and hands warm, calloused, familiar reached for her from all directions.
"That voice, Naye-ah, where've you been hiding it?"
"You sound just like your mama used to back in the day."
"You need to get up there more often, girl!"
She smiled, bowed a few times hugged old family friends and nodded through the chorus of praise. Her heart was racing, but not because of the crowd. No.
She was still reeling from the way those seven men had looked at her while she sang.
Like she was singing just for them.
Which honestly she kind of was.
God, she was so stupid.
She hadn't planned it. Hadn't even thought about the song since she wrote it with her mom years ago, just a little country daydream melody about slow dancing with someone who made your heart feel safe. But standing up there, guitar strumming in the background, barn lights gleaming like stars above her, her gaze had wandered.
To them.
To their dumb matching denim jackets. Their boyish grins. The way Riki twirled her and made her laugh. The way Jungwon watched her like she might fly away if he blinked. The way Heeseung's fingers tapped the beat on his thigh like he needed to hold onto something.
The song had been written with someone else in mind. But singing it tonight?
It felt like theirs.
Which was terrifying. And beautiful. And stupid.
She scanned the barn now, weaving through bodies in search of a familiar face. Specifically, a tall one.
"Where's Riki," she mumbled to herself, standing on her toes. "He's like a walking flagpole. Where'd they go?"
But the long wooden table they'd all been lounging at was empty. The kids had been scooped up by a few sleepy family members and taken to nap piles by the back wall. Plates were half eaten. Beer cups still sweating. Their boots were gone.
Her boots. Her boys.
Damn it.
She spun on her heel and made her way through the barn's central walkway, the sound of another band warming up in the background. She should have expected to get stopped. She just didn't expect it to be by them.
"Hey, Naye-ah!"
The voices were sweet but saccharine, and she turned with a forced smile to see two local girls her age, both in low cut flannels and tight jeans, grinning at her like they were already halfway through gossip hour.
"Oh hey, Yura. Kija," she greeted, polite as ever.
"Girl," Kija said with a sly smile, "we need to talk. Who are those fine ass men you brought tonight?"
Naye blinked. "Oh, they're just friends," she said with a wave of her hand.
"Just friends?" Yura laughed. "You sure? Because I swear the one with the moles and pale-"
"Sunghoon," Naye said instinctively.
"...yeah, him. And that one with the pretty doe.."
"Heeseung."
"Yeah. Those two," Yura said, sharing a look with Kija. "They're so hot. We were thinking of inviting them down to Blue River this weekend. You know, for a little stargazing."
Her jaw clenched. Blue River Lake. Everyone knew what that meant. That was where locals went to hook up under the stars, not 'gaze' at anything except each other's necks.
Naye didn't even think. "That won't happen," she said tightly. This rage of protective instinct was creeping up on her faster than she could think. No no, absolutely not.
Kija's brow rose. "Oh? Why not?"
"They're dating," Naye said, the lie slipping out before she could stop it. "People."
"Oh." The two girls glanced at each other.
Then Yura squinted. "Are you sure? Because they were definitely watching you like-"
"They're dating....me" Naye repeated. "And the other boys."
Kija paused. "Wait, all of them?"
Naye's mouth opened. Closed. Oh God. What are you doing? "Yes," she said. "It's..it's a poly relationship."
The silence was immediate. Yura blinked. Kija's jaw slowly dropped.
"All of them?" Kija repeated. "So you're dating seven guys?"
"...Yes."
WHAT.
"I mean, we're all happy. It's consensual. Very mutual. And I don't appreciate people trying to, like...go after my men."
Yura let out a huh, and Kija simply said, "That's kinda hot, honestly," before the two exchanged a final look and wandered off muttering something about competition and fairness and the guy with the chain necklace.
And Naye?
Naye stood there.
Frozen.
Face burning.
Brain dead.
Stomach absolutely flipping.
She ran her hands down her sides like that would calm the panic bubbling up inside her. "You're so stupid," she whispered to herself. "So stupid. So stupid."
Why had she said that?
Why couldn't she have just laughed it off?
Why did she blurt out that she was dating seven gay men like it was the plot of a teen drama?
Well, okay. The gay part was an assumption. A very fair assumption. All seven of them were obviously dating each other. She'd seen the cuddling. The whispered things in the kitchen. The knowing glances. The matching necklaces. The way Jake stared at Sunoo like he painted the moon. And they told her already.
They were soulmates. She knew it.
And she? She was the straight country girl with a barn full of goats and a mouth full of bad decisions, currently fantasizing about each of them like some lovesick idiot.
Honestly, at this point?
Just add her to the cast of the fake poly romance. She was already halfway there in her head.
Cho Naye: the girl who caught feelings for a whole gaggle of lovers. Send help.
Still flustered, she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jean shorts and muttered, "Just find the boys. Don't tell them what happened. Act normal. Don't even think about...oh my God, I can't believe I said that-"
With a final breath, she turned on her heel and stalked off through the crowd, doing her best to shake the embarrassment off her shoulders like dust.
If she walked fast enough, maybe she'd find them before her brain imploded.
Jay
The night air was warm with late summer breeze and sweet hints of hay and barbecue smoke drifting lazily through the trees. Crickets chirped a lazy chorus. The barn still pulsed in the distance with music and laughter. But by the old green truck at the edge of the parking field, the seven of them stood relaxed, leaning or sitting around in a quiet orbit of each other.
Jay was leaned back against the side of Naye's truck, arms crossed and still grinning over something dumb Ni-ki had said about Minchan trying to arrest an old lady for not letting him eat six brownies.
"She told him no," Ni-ki wheezed, "and he stomped away yelling, 'I hate old people, This is why I don't trust adults!'"
They all cracked up again, the kind of loose belly deep laughter that only comes after a perfect night.
"Tonight was actually amazing," Jake said, his voice warm. "It didn't feel real."
"It didn't," Jungwon agreed. "It felt like we slipped into someone else's dream."
"Fairy tale barn edition," Sunghoon added, smirking. "Complete with chaotic children and a goddess who sings like honey."
Jay laughed, nodding. "Seriously. Naye just keeps...doing things. Like surprise! I'm also a country superstar. What's next? She can fly?"
"She probably rides dragons," Ni-ki deadpanned.
Jay shook his head. His heart felt too full. He didn't want to think about time running out yet, didn't want to count the days. So he kept thinking about tonight instead. About their jeans and boots, the line dance, Naye's laugh, the way she winked at them during the encore like they were in on a secret together.
He was just about to say something else- omething dumb, to hear the guys laugh again when he heard hurried footsteps.
They all turned.
And there she was.
Naye.
Flushed cheeks. Wild eyes. Hair slightly messy. A little breathless. A lot embarrassed.
Jay blinked. "Hey, you good-?"
"I LIED!" she blurted, hands up like she was mid arrest.
They all froze.
Naye's hands dropped to her hips as she paced in front of them, rapid firing words like she was trying to outrun her own mouth.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to lie! But it just happened and I couldn't stop it. The girls, Yura and Kija...ugh, they wanted to ask Hee and Hoon to Blue River Lake, which ew, that place is a hook up spot, and they wouldn't stop pushing even when I said y'all weren't interested and I didn't know if you wanted me telling people about your...you know, soulmate poly relationship, so I panicked and told them you were all dating me, and now they think we're in a relationship and one of them winked at me and I think she thinks I'm some girlboss poly queen when really I was just trying to protect you and I didn't want to make it weird but I think I did and. OH MY GOD I'M SO STUPID I'M SORRY!!"
She finally stopped. Breathing hard. A silence fell over the group. Then Sunghoon smirked. "Wait. You told them you were dating all of us?"
Naye groaned, covering her face with both hands. "Yes."
"Like all seven of us."
"Yes!"
A pause.
"Iconic," Jake said, nodding solemnly.
Sunoo let out a cackle and wrapped his arms around her shoulders from the side. "Naye-ah. Breathe. You're fine."
Jay was still standing in the same spot, lips twitching. It had all happened so fast he hadn't even had time to process it. Her rant, her flustered eyes, the way her voice cracked like a kettle about to boil.
And damn.
His brain traitorous as always wandered where it shouldn't.
If she actually was dating all of them...
His gaze dropped for a moment. The corner of her mouth. Her bare shoulders under that killer crop top. The way she laughed with Sunoo now as she rubbed her face.
Jay shook his head, exhaling hard.
Get your mind out of the gutter, Park.
Sunghoon gently patted her head like she was a panicked baby deer. "Honestly, Naye, it's not a big deal. You did it to help us."
Heeseung nodded. "Yeah, we've all lied to get out of worse."
"And technically," Sunoo added with a wink, "you're not wrong."
Naye blinked up at him. "Huh?"
Jake coughed into his fist, clearly hiding a smile. Ni-ki smirked. Jungwon, ever the calm center, shrugged one shoulder. "We don't exactly advertise it, but all of us are...not exactly gay."
"Oh," she blinked.
"We're all together, yeah," Heeseung said, "but we're also bi."
Jay stepped closer, sliding his hands into his back pockets. "Just so you know. In case it ever comes up again. Or, you know...you wanna make your lies more convincing."
Naye made a sound between a laugh and a groan, throwing her head back. "Y'all are evil."
Sunoo leaned his head on her shoulder, pouting. "You started it."
Jay grinned, watching her carefully.
But she didn't look panicked anymore. She looked relieved. And maybe a little too giddy. The stars lit her eyes like fireflies. Her breath had evened out.
"You guys are too much," she huffed shoving Sunoos arms off her as he chuckled.
"You love it," Jungwon teased.
She rolled her eyes placing her hands on her hips. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, troublemakers. Let's head home."
Jay's heart did something stupid at the way she said that.
Home.
Yeah.
He liked the sound of that.
A lot.
Sunoo
Jake offered to drive.
Naye had protested at first saying "It's my truck, don't scratch her!"
But she'd said it through a yawn, slumped between Ni-ki and Jungwon in the backseat like her bones had finally run out of energy.
They drove home with the windows down and country music playing low. The warm wind brushed through the cabin like a lullaby. Laughter came in occasional waves, but even that grew quieter as the night settled around them.
By the time they pulled into the gravel driveway of the ranch, Naye was asleep. Her head had tilted to the side, resting against Jungwon's shoulder lips slightly parted her hat resting in her lap. Ni-ki had his chin in his hand gazing out the window. But Sunoo saw the way he glanced at her once or twice like he was checking she was still breathing.
None of them wanted to wake her.
"I'll carry her," Ni-ki offered softly.
No one argued.
Jake killed the engine and the headlights blinked out leaving only the moon to light their path. They all moved like shadows, silent, gentle, not wanting the night to end.
Ni-ki carried her with care. Her arms tucked close to her chest her face peaceful against his collar. Inside, the house was dark and quiet. Crickets chirped outside the windows. Heeseungs carefully opened her bedroom door ahead of them.
Ni-ki laid her down on the bed like she was spun from silk.
Heeseung crouched near her feet and started unlacing her boots. He didn't say anything, but he was gentle and careful not to scuff the floor or wake her. When he slid the boots off, Naye murmured something and turned onto her side, still fast asleep.
Sunoo stepped forward with a soft towel in hand and the wipes he'd grabbed from the bathroom. He crouched next to the bed, brushing her hair behind her ear with featherlight fingers. Her eyeliner was slightly smudged, glitter still dancing beneath her lashes.
He held his breath as he cleaned her skin. When she shifted a little under his touch, he froze but she only sighed and stilled again.
"You're too pretty to be real," he whispered so quietly only the air heard him.
Sunghoon came in last with the softest throw blanket she always used the lavender one with little crescent moons. He draped it over her slowly and tugged it up to her chin before smoothing her hair down once.
They stood around her bed for a moment, watching her sleep for just a moment.
Their friend.
Their sunshine.
Their chaos and calm all in one.
Then they slipped out one by one and closed the door gently behind them.
The boys' room was dim and quiet when Sunoo stepped inside, towel around his neck and sleep tugging at the corners of his mind.
Jake was in the bathroom rinsing off, humming something under his breath. Ni-ki was shirtless on his bed, scrolling through his phone. Sunghoon sat at the foot of his own bunk towel drying his hair, and Heeseung was fiddling with the little Bluetooth speaker, playing a soft playlist of chill acoustic covers.
Jay and Jungwon had already changed, curled up with books they weren't really reading. All curled in the bunked room this time, since they cant sleep without each other.
Sunoo padded over to his bed, dropping the towel and grabbing his sleep shirt. One of Naye's actually, an old oversized Montana Rodeo 2019 tee she gave him when he spilled juice on his only clean top last week. It still smelled like vanilla and pinewood soap.
"Tonight was...insane," Jay said finally, flipping his book closed.
"That woman dragged her by the arm," Jake added as he came out of the bathroom with steam curling behind him. "Like full on possessed. And then she sang like she had a record deal."
"She should have one," Jungwon muttered.
Sunghoon raised a brow. "I still can't believe she told those girls she was dating all of us."
"Honestly iconic," Sunoo said as he rubbed lotion into his hands. "I love her."
"I think we all do," Ni-ki said softly from his bed. Silence fell for a second. Not the kind that felt awkward. The kind that made your chest full.
Sunoo plopped back onto his pillows, hair still damp.
"She was singing to us," he whispered. That got a few blinks. "Second song," he clarified. "You heard it too, right? The way she looked at us?"
Heeseung rolled onto his side, facing him from the next bed. "I thought I imagined that."
"Nope," Jay said, voice quiet. "I felt it too."
Jake, ever the sentimental one, stretched out his legs and stared at the ceiling. "I don't wanna leave."
"Me either," Ni-ki added, voice barely above a whisper.
Sunghoon said nothing. But he nodded. Jungwon pulled his blanket over his chest. "We have six days."
"Let's make them count," Jay said again.
They all nodded in agreement.
Sunoo smiled up at the ceiling. "She's really wrapped around our fingers, huh?"
"No," Heeseung murmured.
"She's got us triple wrapped around hers."
Sunoo chuckled.
"Touché."
And then the lights went out, and their room was quiet. But their hearts?
Literally almost finished watching Pursuit Of Jade. And yeah.. I need that. I’ll be hunting for those fanfics like they are gold. I want stories about everyone.
