HEESEUNG ♡ the best way ▹ chapter seventeen
You were spending a cozy evening on the couch with Heeseung under a shared blanket when the sound of the doorbell interrupted you. You nudged his arm as you got up, throwing a casual “The food’s here,” over your shoulder.
When you opened the door, however, it wasn’t the delivery driver you were expecting. Standing there, looking as casual as ever, was Jay.
“Jay?” you exclaimed, your voice a little too loud and edged with panic. “What are you doing here?”
Jay raised an eyebrow at your tone, stepping inside and kicking off his sneakers without waiting for an invitation. “I was in the area and figured I’d stop by. Why? Is there a problem?”
Your heart raced as you followed him toward the living room. As the couch and coffee table came into view, you were relieved to find it empty. Heeseung had clearly sensed the situation and disappeared.
“Were you watching a movie or something?” Jay asked casually, throwing himself onto the couch and picking up the remote.
“Something like that,” you replied, struggling to keep your voice even.
The doorbell rang again, saving you from further questioning. This time it was the food delivery, and you took the opportunity to think of a way to get Jay to leave quickly. When you returned to the living room, you set the bags down on the table — but before you could even say anything, Jay was already unpacking the containers. “Perfect timing. I’m starving,” he said, completely oblivious to your internal turmoil.
“I’m just gonna wash my hands first,” he said, getting up and heading toward the bathroom.
Panic spiked in your chest. “Wait!” you blurted, grabbing the back of his shirt to stop him.
He turned to you with a suspicious look. “What’s up with you? Are you hiding something?”
“No!” you said, too quickly.
Jay crossed his arms, scanning the room with narrowed eyes. “Men's shoes by the entrance. Two glasses on the table. And way too much food for just you. You’re seeing someone, aren’t you?”
Your face flushed, caught completely off guard.
Jay’s lips twitched into a smirk. “C’mon, just admit it. Who is he? I should meet him, don’t you think?”
Letting out a resigned sigh, you glanced toward the bathroom door. “Fine. Come out,” you called, feeling a mix of nerves and dread.
The bathroom door creaked open, and Heeseung stepped out, looking sheepish but not entirely surprised.
Jay, who had his back to the door, turned at the sound. “Heeseung?”
“Jay,” Heeseung replied, his voice steady but his posture a little tense.
Jay’s gaze darted between the two of you, realization dawning in his eyes. “What are you doing here?”
Before Heeseung could answer, you stepped forward. “We’re together, Jay.”
Jay’s jaw tightened as he stared at you. “Together? Seriously? You remember the third rule, right?”
He turned sharply on his heel, heading back to the couch with heavy steps. You exchanged a nervous glance with Heeseung, who whispered, “What rule?”
“We’ll explain everything,” you muttered as you followed Jay.
When Jay reached the couch, he stopped and turned to Heeseung, his voice firm. “Wait outside. I need to talk to my sister first.”
“Jay, let’s not overreact,” Heeseung began, raising his hands in a calming gesture.
But Jay cut him off, his tone brooking no argument. “Outside. Now.”
Heeseung hesitated, looking at you for reassurance. You nodded, giving him a small smile. “It’s okay. I’ll handle this. Go.”
Reluctantly, Heeseung left, the door clicking shut behind him.
Once alone, Jay turned to you with a sigh. “You remember the third rule, right? No dating the guys. I told you that for a reason.”
“Why, though?” you countered, crossing your arms. “You’ve never explained it.”
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident. “Because if something goes wrong, it could ruin the dynamic. I don’t want awkwardness between the guys or at work. It’s not just about you—it’s about all of us.”
A small smile crept onto your face as you took a step closer to him. “I get that you’re worried, but Heeseung and I… we like each other a lot. We’ve been careful, and we wouldn’t do anything to make things uncomfortable for you or anyone else.”
Jay stared at you for a long moment before letting out a resigned sigh. “You’re serious about him?”
“I am,” you said softly. “And he’s serious about me. You can trust us.”
Finally, Jay’s shoulders relaxed, and he pulled you into a brief hug. “Just don’t make me regret this, okay?”
You grinned, relieved. “You won’t.”
As he stepped back, you asked, “So… are you staying for dinner?”
He shook his head. “No, I need to talk to Heeseung. Don’t worry, I’ll be civil.”
You narrowed your eyes at him. “Jay…”
He raised his hands in mock surrender. “I promise.”
After Jay and Heeseung had left, you spent the next few hours lost in thought, glancing at your phone more times than you cared to admit. You were waiting for any kind of update from your boyfriend. Boyfriend. The word felt strange, almost foreign, but it also brought a warmth that made you smile. It was still sinking in, the fact that you and Heeseung were officially something more than friends.
You were relieved that things seemed to have smoothed over with Jay, but a part of you couldn’t stop wondering what exactly your brother might have said to Heeseung.
When your phone lit up with an incoming video call, you quickly accepted, finding yourself face-to-face with Heeseung, who was lying in bed, his hair slightly messy and his face glowing softly in the dim light.
“Hey,” he greeted, his voice warm and familiar.
“Hey,” you replied, adjusting your position on your own bed so that the phone wasn’t wobbling. “How did it go with Jay?”
Heeseung let out a low chuckle, his smile crooked. “Well, let’s just say I’m still in one piece, so that’s a good sign.”
You raised an eyebrow, both amused and curious. “Come on, what did he say?”
“He threatened me,” Heeseung admitted with an exaggeratedly serious tone, then quickly added, “But in a very ‘Jay’ kind of way. He just said I better not make you cry or hurt you. And honestly, fair enough.”
You laughed, shaking your head. “Classic Jay. Anything else?”
“Yeah… there’s one more thing. Turns out, the guys already knew about us.”
Your eyes widened in disbelief. “Wait, what? How is that even possible?”
Heeseung smirked, propping his head up on one hand. “They’re more observant than we gave them credit for. Apparently, they noticed how we’d disappear for a few minutes at the Hybe building—multiple times. And there’s the fact that both of us were always looking at our phones during breaks. Guess we weren’t as subtle as we thought.”
“Oh my God,” you groaned, covering your face with one hand, though you couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped. “I feel so exposed.”
“It gets worse,” Heeseung said, clearly trying not to laugh. “Apparently, they’ve peeked at our chats a few times. You know, like when we’re sitting next to them and our phones light up with notifications.”
You stared at him, equal parts horrified and amused. “Are you serious?!”
He nodded, the grin on his face making it clear he found your reaction hilarious. “Oh, and remember all those times I didn’t go back to the dorm after practice and said I had something to take care of? Yeah, they figured out where I was going. They even caught me heading to your place once.”
You groaned again, this time burying your face in your pillow. “I can’t believe this.”
Heeseung laughed, his voice softening. “It’s not so bad, though, right? At least we don’t have to hide it anymore.”
You sighed, peeking at him from behind your pillow. “Yeah… I guess it’s kind of a relief. Less sneaking around.”
“Exactly,” he said with a small smile, his eyes filled with affection. “Now we can just be us.”
The two of you stayed on the call for a little longer, sharing a few more laughs before sleepiness began to take over.
“Goodnight,” he said softly, his voice warm and comforting.
“Goodnight,” you replied, a smile tugging at your lips.
As you ended the call and settled into bed, you felt a sense of peace wash over you. The weight of keeping your relationship a secret was gone, and you drifted off to sleep feeling lighter and happier.
December was flying by in a whirlwind of celebrations and commitments. Between Sunghoon and Ni-ki’s birthdays, the year-end award shows — BBMAs, Gayo Daechukje, Gayo Daejeon — and the Fukuoka stops on their tour, the days blurred together in a flurry of excitement. Yet, amid the chaos, you and Heeseung had carved out your own little moments of joy.
Now that you no longer needed to hide your relationship from the others, you found yourself spending more time at their dorm, fully embraced by the group dynamic.
One evening, you were sitting on the living room floor with Sunghoon and Jake, trying your hand at one of Ni-ki’s notoriously difficult video games. You were so focused that you didn’t even notice Heeseung sneaking up behind you until he dropped a kiss on the top of your head.
“Yah!” Jay’s voice rang out from the kitchen, where he was pouring himself a glass of water. “Can you not do that when I’m around?”
Heeseung grinned shamelessly, wrapping his arms around your shoulders from behind. “Why not? We’re all family here.”
Jay sighed dramatically. “Family, sure. But I don’t need to see this.” He gestured vaguely at the two of you before retreating to his room.
Sunoo snickered. “Poor Jay hyung. He’ll never recover.”
Everyone burst out laughing, the sound echoing around the living room.
When your one-month anniversary arrived, Heeseung surprised you by planning an intimate evening at your apartment. After their practice ended, he showed up with a bouquet of flowers and a small cake.
“You remembered?” you asked, surprised, as he placed the flowers in a vase.
“Of course I remembered,” he replied, taking your hand and leading you to the couch. “How could I forget something so important?”
The two of you spent the evening reminiscing about the past month, laughing about the chaos of keeping your relationship secret at first and sharing quiet, heartfelt moments as you talked about the future.
“You know,” he said softly, his hand brushing a strand of hair from your face, “I’m really happy with you. Thank you for giving us a chance.”
Your heart swelled, and you leaned in, resting your forehead against his. “I’m happy too, Heeseung. I wouldn’t trade this for anything.”
Finally, the last day of the year arrived, and you found yourself backstage at the Gayo Daejeon, helping the boys get ready for their performance. You’d put extra care into your own appearance, wanting to look your best despite being there for work.
Heeseung, with his wavy hair styled to perfection, looked breathtaking. Every time he walked past, your gaze lingered just a little too long, and Sunghoon caught you more than once, smirking knowingly.
“I think you’re drooling,” he teased at one point, causing you to glare at him before turning back to your work.
Despite the hectic atmosphere, there was a festive energy among the staff and artists. After finishing the boys’ makeup, you joined some of the crew to watch the performances, cheering loudly for every group.
As midnight approached, chaos erupted backstage. Some artists were onstage, others were darting between rooms, and staff members were rushing to finish last-minute tasks. You were weaving through the crowded hallways, searching for the boys, when you spotted Ni-ki towering above the crowd. He waved you over, and you hurried to join them.
The countdown began, and the group huddled together, their voices blending with the crowd as they shouted, “Three, two, one—Happy New Year!” Cheers erupted around you as hugs and laughter filled the air. Someone popped a bottle of sparkling cider, and the sound of its cork added to the celebration.
Amid the excitement, you turned and found yourself face-to-face with Heeseung. The noise around you faded, leaving only the warmth of his gaze and the soft curve of his smile.
“Happy New Year,” he murmured, his voice just loud enough for you to hear.
“Happy New Year,” you replied, your words barely leaving your lips before he closed the distance between you.
The kiss was soft and unhurried, a perfect contrast to the chaos around you. When you pulled back, Heeseung’s forehead rested against yours, and the smile on his face made your heart flutter.
“This is a good way to start the year,” he said, his voice laced with affection.
You nodded, unable to stop smiling. “The best way.”
note: and here we are — the end of this story. I actually drafted the idea last year, but it took me months to finally decide to post it. even though I’ve been really busy lately, I tried my best to stay consistent with the updates because, as a reader myself, I know what it’s like to wait for the next chapter — and I didn’t want to leave you hanging. I wasn’t sure when I’d finish posting, but since october came around and there was just one chapter left, I thought it’d be nice to wrap it up today, on Hee’s birthday.
thank you so, so much to everyone who read this story — and especially to those who interacted with likes or reblogs. your support genuinely kept me motivated whenever I felt like giving up or deleting everything. you have no idea how much that means to me <3
p.s. I’ve got a few one-shots in the drafts (with different idols and groups), so if you’re curious, feel free to stick around — you might see something new soon!
Happy birthday, Heeseung! he is my bias since i-land and I’m endlessly proud of him — for his hard work, his passion, and the way he keeps growing as an artist and as a person. he deserves all the love and happiness in the world <3
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