ɪᴅʟᴇ ʜᴏᴜʀꜱ ? ʜᴇᴇᴊᴀᴋᴇ
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۶۟ৎ ʙᴀᴅ ᴀᴛ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ʙᴀᴅ ɪɪɪ
۶۟ৎ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ! : ᴜꜱᴇ ᴏꜰ ꜰᴏᴜʟ ʟᴀɴɢᴜᴀɢᴇ
۶۟ৎ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 2.32ᴋ
۶۟ৎ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: Following the final stop of their world tour, the members return to Seoul for a month-long break, but the transition to domestic life only heightens the simmering friction between Jake and Heeseung. While the group attempts to celebrate their success, Jake struggles to balance his growing private resentment with the performance of harmony he’s forced to maintain for his teammates. Seeking a distraction from the suffocating atmosphere of the dorms, he prepares to step out into the night, desperate to reclaim a sense of self that isn't dictated by his reputation.
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The Seoul Olympic Stadium was a sea of light sticks, a shimmering ocean that felt like home. My throat was finally healed, thanks to the aggressive amount of medicine Jungwon had practically forced down my throat, and I was ready. I wanted to reclaim every note Heeseung had "borrowed" in Singapore.
When the encore hit, Shout Out started, and I poured everything into that bridge. I sang with an added exaggeration, my voice clear and powerful, a silent middle finger to the man standing across the stage. See? I don’t need you. I never will.
But Heeseung wouldn't let me have the moment.
Before the second belt, I felt a hand snake around my waist, pulling me flush against his side. He leaned into my mic, his voice blending with mine as he interacted with the fans, looking like the perfect, supportive "hyung." I played along, forcing a smile that didn't reach my eyes because I knew the cameras were watching. Every time I tried to subtly pull back, the scumbag would just find me again—pulling me by the neck or wrapping a heavy arm around my shoulder. To the fans, it was the ultimate "Heejake" moment. To me, it was suffocating.
When the final bow was taken and the confetti settled, the adrenaline was replaced by a frantic excitement. We finally had a one-month break before the next album cycle began.
The ride back to the dorms was cramped. I had intended to sit beside Sunoo to talk about our club plans, but through some stroke of bad luck, I found myself squished in the back row between Sunghoon and Heeseung.
“You good?” Sunghoon asked, noticing my sudden, rigid quietness.
“Yeah, just…” I subtly tilted my head toward Heeseung, who was scrolling through his phone as if I wasn't there.
“Oh, I get it.” Sunghoon smiled faintly, unfazed, as he continued eating his snack. He leaned forward slightly, peeking past me to look at Heeseung. “Heeseung-hyung. Rare to see you in the car back. Usually, you’ve got... sidequests.”
Heeseung didn’t even look up, the blue light of the screen reflecting in his dark eyes. “Yeah, well. Tonight’s an exception.”
“Picky huh,” Sunghoon snorted. “What happened to the club tonight?”
“I usually go for foreigners,” Heeseung smirked, finally pocketing his phone and leaning back. His shoulder pressed firmly against mine, and he didn't move. “And since we’re back in Seoul, I think I’ll stay in tonight. At least for a few hours.”
“Of course,” Sunghoon replied, clearly used to Heeseung’s 'international' tastes.
By the time we reached the dorms, the exhaustion was being fought off by pure adrenaline. Jungwon had made it clear: everyone was to meet in his room to celebrate the tour’s success. I ducked into my room for a quick change, swapping my stage gear for a hoodie and sweatpants, and headed back out.
Of course, timing was never on my side.
Heeseung stepped out of his room at the exact same moment. I didn’t even look at him, keeping my eyes glued to the hallway floor as I walked, but a low, smooth voice rang out from behind me, echoing in the quiet corridor.
“Jake.”
I didn't respond. I just picked up my pace, but he caught up to me easily with those long strides of his.
“Are you avoiding me?”
“No. I just don't find any purpose in talking to you. It’s a waste of time,” I snarked, scrolling through my phone to look busy. “And for the record, I didn’t appreciate you being so touchy-feely on stage earlier. Acting like we’re best friends? It was disgusting.”
Heeseung didn’t even flinch. He just let out a dry, amused huff. “You call it disgusting, I call it fanservice,” he said, that signature smirk playing on his lips. “It’s part of the job, Jakey. Don’t be a bitch about it.”
“Fuck off,” I snapped, reaching Jungwon’s door and pushing it open before he could get another word in.
He followed me closely, practically stepping on my heels. Turns out, we were the last ones to arrive. The room was already a mess of pillows and excitement; Jungwon was on his phone finalizing a massive food order, while Jay was expertly lining up drinks on the nightstand.
“We heard you two fighting outside the door like an old couple,” Sunoo chirped from his spot on the bed. He was sprawled out comfortably, fanning his wet, skincare-covered face with a look of pure mischief.
“We weren’t fighting,” I lied, dropping onto a beanbag as far from Heeseung as possible. “Just talking.”
“Right. ‘Talking,’” Sunghoon echoed from the floor, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
Heeseung didn’t bother defending himself. He just smirked at the room before sliding down to sit on the floor between Sunghoon and Ni-ki, looking entirely too relaxed for someone I had just told to fuck off. The "Heejake" war was officially moving from the stadium to the dorm, and with Sunoo watching us like a hawk, I knew I wasn't going to get a moment of peace.
The night went on surprisingly normal. We settled into the rhythm of the break—eating, drinking, and laughing as the exhaustion from the tour finally started to lift. But not even an hour into the drinks, Jungwon shifted into "Leader Mode."
“Okay, before we get tipsy and forget about this. Jay-hyung, Heeseung-hyung,” Jungwon said, his voice cutting through the chatter. “You two need to make up. Properly.”
Jay froze, his chopsticks hovering mid-air over a piece of fried chicken. He slowly retracted them, his face going uncharacteristically stiff as he stayed silent.
Heeseung, ever the one to take the lead, didn't let the silence linger. “I’m sorry,” he started, his voice dropping into a sincere, lower register. “You really didn’t have to worry about anything. I understand you were just stressed about our schedule. In all honesty... I just overslept at that French girl’s house.”
Jay let out a long, shaky breath, looking sheepish. “I’m sorry too. I was mad, but I know it wasn’t an excuse to say those things to you.”
The two of them chuckled lowly, the tension that had been simmering since Paris evaporating in a single toast. I stayed quiet, focused entirely on my food and trying to ignore the way my skin crawled at the mention of Heeseung’s "sidequests."
“And you too, Jake-hyung,” Jungwon added, turning his gaze toward me.
I stopped chewing.
“I’m sorry, what? Why me?” I forced a laugh, my heart hammering against my ribs. “Heeseung and I never fought during the tour. In fact, we’re doing great! This is probably the only time we haven't been at each other’s throats.”
It was a blatant lie. My pride was still sitting at the peak of Mount Everest, and there was no way in hell I was going to apologize for anything.
Sunoo and Sunghoon immediately burst into muffled chuckles, while Jungwon and Ni-ki shot me looks of pure suspicion. They weren't buying it for a second.
“Yeah! Come here, my bro. Give me a dap,” I said, my voice dripping with a fake, over-the-top brotherly energy. I raised my hand toward him, expecting a sarcastic remark or a cold shoulder.
Surprisingly, Heeseung just smiled—that same infuriatingly calm smile—and leaned across the circle. He met my hand, dapping me up with a firm, solid grip.
“To being bros,” he murmured, his eyes locking onto mine for just a second too long. There was a challenge in his gaze, a silent acknowledgment that we both knew this was a performance.
I quickly pulled my hand away, my skin still buzzing from the contact. Jungwon just nodded, but I swear I caught the faintest hint of suspicion in his eyes before he moved on to the next topic. The night shifted into something fun and calm. For once since the tour started, we were just being our normal selves—no cameras to dodge, no need to force a smile every second.
I kept reminding Sunoo about our club outing, and he promised we’d go tomorrow. I must have drunk more than I realized, because my vision started to blur at the edges. The last solid memory I had was the feeling of Jungwon’s mattress beneath me before everything went black.
However, I woke up in my own bed.
I blinked at the ceiling, wondering if I’d hallucinated the entire ending of the party. Whatever. I dragged myself out of bed, a dull hangover throbbing behind my eyes, and tried to get on with my day. I heard Jay scrambling in the hallway; he was likely using the break to visit his parents. I felt a sharp pang of envy. I missed mine, too.
As I was brushing my teeth, my phone buzzed on the counter. A text from Sunoo:
“Club later. Don’t forgettttt ^^”
Right. The club. I typed back with a shaky hand:
“Alright, alright. Still kinda buzzed from last night. 😵”
I spent the day nursing myself with water and painkillers, trying to get my head right. By the time 10 PM hit, I started getting ready, pulling on a fit that screamed "effortless" despite how long it took me to pick it out. An hour later, a knock echoed through my door. I opened it to find Sunoo looking sharp.
“You look like an easy target,” I joked, leaning against the doorframe.
“Whatever, hurry up,” he laughed, checking his reflection in my hallway mirror.
I went back to finishing my hair while Sunoo waited. Suddenly, his voice went quiet, that mischievous lilt returning. “You don’t remember anything from last night, do you?”
I shook my head, focused on the mirror. “What are you on about?” I laughed. “Not much. I’m pretty sure I was hallucinating about being in Jungwon-ah’s bed.”
“Well, that part’s true. You did fall asleep on Jungwon’s bed,” Sunoo trailed off, a giggle bubbling up. “Heeseung-hyung carried you out of there like a sack of potatoes.”
I froze, the comb mid-air. “What?!”
“Yep. He hauled you out of there because apparently, and I quote: ‘I’m the most sober one here and his room is on my way.’” Sunoo started laughing harder at the memory. “You were out cold, Jake. It was tragic.”
I stood there, not saying a word. My stomach did a weird flip—not from the hangover, but from pure, unadulterated annoyance. Heeseung had carried me? He had touched me while I was unconscious, probably smirking the whole way back to my room? Ridiculous.
I finished my hair in record time, refusing to give Sunoo the satisfaction of seeing me lose my mind. I grabbed my leather jacket and headed for the door.
“Let’s just go,” I muttered. “I need a drink that I’ll actually remember.”
I was worried about hauling a cab. The chances of being spotted by a fan were higher than most people realized, and a "leaked" photo of us headed to a club in Gangnam was the last thing our PR team needed. However, Sunoo was always one step ahead. He had invited his cousin, Haeun-noona, to drive us.
As we pulled out into the night, the vibe in the car was surprisingly light—until Haeun opened her mouth.
“Jake-ah! I have to tell you, I’m a huge fan of Ramyeonz,” she squealed, her eyes darting to the rearview mirror with an excited glint as she navigated the Seoul traffic.
Ramyeonz. The ship name the fans had slapped on us just because Heeseung and I happened to share a love for ramen. I heard Sunoo stifling a chuckle beside me while I just sat there, my face going stiff.
“That’s... great, Haeun-nim,” I managed, trying to be polite while internally screaming.
“So, tell me,” she continued, leaning into the gossip. “Is it pure bromance? A platonic friendship? Or is it something... more? Like, is it the same vibe as Sunoo and Ni-ki?”
My heart skipped a beat. I whipped my head toward Sunoo, my eyes wide. “You told her about you and Ni-ki?”
Sunoo just shrugged, looking entirely too unbothered. “What? She’s family! And Haeun, if you’re asking about them? They're worse than us,” he chuckled, shooting me a look that said 'good luck getting out of this one.'
“No need to worry about me, Jake-ah,” Haeun laughed, oblivious to the fact that I was currently having a crisis. “My only real concern is that reality might ruin the fanfic fantasies I have for my ships. I need the drama to stay high-quality!”
I sank lower into the passenger seat, staring out the window at the passing neon lights. If only she knew. If she knew about the way we were actually at each other’s throats the moment the cameras stopped rolling, her fantasies would be dead in a second.
“Trust me, Haeun-noona,” I muttered under my breath. “Reality is a lot more annoying than any fanfic.”
Haeun-nim glanced at me through the rearview mirror, her hands steady on the wheel. “Any big plans for the break, Jake?”
“Not really,” I said, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. “I’ll probably just bed-rot until my soul leaves my body.”
“Typical Jake,” Sunoo interjected from the seat beside me, his tone fond but teasing.
I shifted in my seat, trying to find a comfortable position in the cramped cabin. “What about the others? Anyone actually doing something productive?”
“I know Jay-hyung and Sunghoon-hyung are heading to their parents' places,” Sunoo said, checking his phone. “The rest? Probably nothing.”
I nodded, turning my gaze to the windshield. The sea of brake lights ahead was blinding, and Haeun-nim let out a frustrated huff as she tapped the brakes again. We hadn't moved more than an inch in five minutes.
“Damn. Talk about bad luck,” I muttered, watching a motorcycle lane-split past us.
Haeun-nim sighed, her fingers drumming rhythmically against the steering wheel. “You’re telling me. At this rate, the break will be over before we even get to that darn club.”
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