The tension in the set builds up for four more days and is only questioned when Jongin visits before he needs to fly back to Seoul to take care of a few matters. As to be expected, Kyungsoo is following the producer around, but even the two seem to have a bit of a distance to them that no one dared to speak of.

“It’s eerily quiet here,” Jongin says, Yixing quickly turning to Kyungsoo for translations as they watch the current scene from afar. The younger repeats the producer’s words in Chinese and the author nods in thanks. “Very quiet,” Jongin repeats, “I sense something in the air.” His eyebrows furrow and his forehead creases as he scans the area, his face looking rather comical as he does so. Kyungsoo keeps it to himself and tries to suppress the laughter bubbling in his chest, afraid that he will disrupt the filming.

“You’ve noticed too?” Yixing answers when the younger Korean translates what his boss said. “It’s been like that since they came back from their break.” Jongin nods as Kyungsoo retells in Korean what the author said.

“Lu Han is restless,” the producer comments, the eyes of the two men accompanying him immediately travelling to where the director keeps standing up, moving around his tiny spot before sitting down again only to repeat the process. Even as they are already rolling, Lu Han keeps moving his feet and legs, leaning back on his chair then leaning towards the screen again. The two agree, there’s no denying that something is bothering the director, his shout to cut startling even the actors who are supposed to be expecting such a thing.

“I need a drink,” Lu Han mumbles to the people looking towards him before walking off to get himself water instead of waiting for someone to hand it to him. The eyes of the three men seated under the shade of a tree follow the hasty steps of the director with a scrutinizing gaze for every action he makes and noting each emotion they recognize behind it.

“Minseok looks listless,” Jongin's eyes land on the manager next, once the director is out of sight. He stands beside Yifan’s chair, the usual smile he wears nowhere to be found as he converses with his talent whose makeup is being retouched while he takes a quick break. Yixing supplies that the Korean has been like that since they returned to filming, the mood in the set following the manager's, damp and lifeless. Minseok has been bringing coffee orders on set as he always does but now that Yixing thinks about it, he doesn't remember receiving his drink with the usual smile accompanying it, just a mumbled "Here's yours" or "Enjoy your drink."

The author never really said anything about it, about either of Lu Han’s or Minseok’s sudden change in behavior. Besides, he is either occupied with watching Yifan doing his scenes or talking to the actor in between breaks to even notice it so much. But now that the topic has been opened, he can’t help the concern that creeps up to him as scenes involving the two from the previous days play in his mind; how they’re openly avoiding one another and how at one point Yixing even had to relay a message from Lu Han to Minseok about some adjustments to Yifan’s schedule when they were both in the same room with only a few chairs separating them.

"Do you think there's something wrong with them?" Kyungsoo's eyebrows meet in the middle as he watches Lu Han return to his seat and Minseok turn the other way when he sees the director, having to say his words twice in two different languages. "I mean," the scriptwriter turns to Yixing, "you're Lu Han's best friend and you seem to get along well with Minseok," he looks at the author with narrowed eyes, "You must know something."

To Yixing his words sounded more like, "I know you know something so just spill," in the most Kyungsoo, aka threatening, way.

The author feels the spotlight hot and scalding as it covers every inch of his skin. He doesn't know if he has the right to say anything regarding the matter or if the assumptions he has based on the recent events are even the right ones. The two Korean men watch him with anticipation, waiting for him to say something, anything, but the author keeps quiet, eyes traveling to the topic of their conversation once more.

"Look," he starts, eyes still looking at a fidgety Lu Han, "maybe we should just confront them and ask them directly about it."

When Kyungsoo finishes translating what the author said, Jongin answers, "But do you think they will say what's bothering them? To us?"

"We'll never know unless we try." Yixing shrugs, not really wanting anything to escalate as much as possible. They themselves might just be overreacting, "I'll talk to Yifan as well, maybe Minseok will open up to him."

Jongin nods, satisfied for the moment at the author's decision but he adds, "I don't like this kind of work environment, Yixing," the Chinese man nods in agreement. He too doesn't like seeing any of his friends like this, not themselves, and coming into the set with a heavy aura surrounding them. "It feels so sad and I don't think that's the kind of ambiance we want here," the producer adds as he looks at the director who calls cut once more, mere seconds after they start rolling. Jongin stands up then and takes his cup, already fed up with just watching, not doing anything, leaving Kyungsoo and Yixing without a word of what he's going to do. 

The author and the scriptwriter watch as the elder walks to Lu Han, the two holding their breath for what might happen. As loose as he is, Jongin is also strict when it comes to work, he didn't come this far in the industry by playing around all day and letting everything pass his judgment. The two just hope that the producer will take it indoors so that it will not affect the mood in the set any further.

"Lu Han," Jongin taps the director and they can see that the other almost lashed out on the producer but closed his mouth at the last second. When the elder sees Lu Han's lips form a thin line with the surprise still evident in his eyes, he smiles to ease the other and continues, "come with me for a second," gesturing towards the area where the rooms are to support his poor Chinese. The director stands up quickly when Jongin turns around to tell Zitao to instruct everyone to have a break for the meantime before he beckons both Kyungsoo and Yixing to follow them. The two look at each other for a brief second before abandoning their seats to walk to the dressing rooms.

Kyungsoo is the last to come in, locking the door as per his boss' command, finding Lu Han already sat across the producer, still fidgeting and worrying his bottom lip. They haven't known each other for a long time but in the few months that the scriptwriter has spent with the director and Yixing, he has never seen Lu Han like this neither did he think that the elder would ever be this way as he always seemed to have such a strong will as if nothing can ever get him down.

"Lu Han," Jongin starts, not waiting for Kyungsoo to get a seat, "is something wrong?" The producer tries not to sound like he's scolding the director but he couldn't stop himself from saying, "You're all over the place," telling the scriptwriter to translate verbatim as he can't find the right words at the moment.

The director looks at his best friend who is sitting on the chair by the entrance, eyes trained to his, worry obvious in them. He feels slightly betrayed but then again even if Yixing didn't say anything to anyone, his constant unusual movements doesn't really help in hiding the fact that he has a problem.

When Jongin notices the way Lu Han looks at the author, he interferes and says, "Yixing didn't say anything to us if that's what you're thinking. If he did, then I wouldn't be asking you right now." The director visibly deflates in his seat, mind trying to supply him words that can pass as lies but none of them seem to be too believable. He sighs and leans even further into his chair when the producer adds, "I won't let you go out there until you say something. Because something is troubling you, you're not at your best right now and that will only further hinder our progress."

"I'm sorry," are Lu Han's first words, pushing the heels of his palms against his eyelids as he breathes out heavily, "It's nothing you have to worry about, really."

"Lu Han," Yixing's worried voice is the next to speak up, "you can't say that when we can see clearly how this is getting in the way of your work." The author stands up to sit on the arm of the director's chair instead, "Do I need to remind you how many takes you had for Yifan's solo scene yesterday?" The younger takes Lu Han's silence as a yes and he continues after a beat, "It took you half a day, Lu Han. The whole morning wasted because you couldn't focus." The elder wants to say something, to put the blame on something else but he knows himself that the other will see through his lies. Also, Yixing never really does this, being blunt and slightly hurtful with his words only when it is already too much to the point that it is bothering him.

"I know that," Lu Han looks away from his best friend, "did you think I liked that that happened?" He spits the words out, trying not to sound so harsh to the younger, "Of course not."

"Maybe if you tell us what's on your mind then you can worry less about it?" Kyungsoo suggests, speaking his own thoughts for the first time.

"It's complicated," Lu Han mumbles, sighing when the three men eye him with anticipation, seemingly unperturbed of his current mood, "It's not really something I would like to share with you guys." The three look disappointed with his words, Yixing even more, seeing as he is the director's best friend.

"Will you tell Yixing?" Jongin asks, an eyebrow raised while he eyes the director, "At least tell someone, maybe it can lighten the burden if you share it with somebody else."

"I'm sure as your best friend," Kyungsoo interjects, "Yixing is also worried about you."

The director looks at the author who turns hopeful eyes at him, eyes he can never say no to, the brown orbs forcing him to say, "Fine."

"We'll leave you two then," Jongin stands up from his chair, ushering Kyungsoo out of the dressing room, making sure there is a good distance between them as he opens the door for the younger. He turns back to the two and looks at the author, in his broke Chinese he says, "Don't let him go until he spills." Yixing nods and waits for the door to close before taking the seat the producer has just vacated.

"You heard the man," the younger starts, sitting at the edge of his chair and eyeing Lu Han like a hawk, "spill." When the director doesn't say or do anything, Yixing's shoulders fall, "Guess we're staying here the whole day then."

"Yixing," the elder grumbles, feeling his best friend’s scrutinizing gaze burning holes on his body.

"It's Minseok, isn't it?" The author gets a reaction from Lu Han upon mentioning the manager's name, even if it’s just a slight widening of the elder’s eyes and the movement of his hand tightening into a ball.

"I knew it!" Yixing exclaims, a hand slapping the table separating him and the director. "Don't worry, I really didn't say anything to them," he adds when he sees his best friend's eyes, dark and scary, "It's not my place to do such a thing."

The director still keeps his mouth shut, aware that the time he spends inside the room with Yixing, keeping words to himself is time wasted and he can use for filming instead even if he knows he isn't in perfect shape to do so. Lu Han has never been so affected in his life for it to get in the way of his work. He's always been the type to leave his worries at home or forget them the moment he steps on set, so he doesn't know why he's so bothered by Minseok. He reasons that it must be because of the change in the manager's demeanor as well, his usual cheerful disposition that highly influences the whole set, gone. But more than that, he knows that it might be because he is the reason behind it that the change bothers him so much. When he looks up from where he's been transfixed by the patterns of the tiles on the floor, Yixing smiles at him encouragingly.

"I don't think I need to tell you why either," Lu Han finally says, "because you already know." To this Yixing’s shoulders fall once more. He abandons his seat to perch himself on the arm of Lu Han's chair again before wrapping an arm around the elder's shoulder.

"You're afraid for nothing," the younger says, his hand rubbing up and down the director's arm. When he sees that Lu Han seems to be complaining, he covers the elder's mouth with his other hand, "Minseok looks like a really nice guy. How about you just become friends with him?" Yixing's seem far away, imagining Lu Han and Minseok getting along well, such a contrast to them now. "There's nothing wrong with being friends, right?" He looks back down to where the director is struggling to remove the younger's hand from covering his mouth. "Aiyo!" Yixing quickly releases the elder, wiping his palm on the sleeve of the director's hoodie jacket, "Did you just my hand?" To answer him, Lu Han shows his tongue to the younger, acting like a child before slouching in his chair again.

"Look, Lu Han," Yixing weighs putting his hand on the elder's body again, deciding in the end to keep them clean and to himself, "I don't know exactly what you're thinking about Minseok and maybe what the future holds for you both but you can worry about that later. You're working here, Han." The author reminds him once more, "If there is anyone who should be on top of everything, it should be you."

"I know." Lu Han answers weakly, "It's just..." he sighs again, defeated and out of words.

"Maybe you should talk to Minseok after today," Lu Han looks up at Yixing with wide eyes, a protest at the tip of his tongue, "Trust me, you both need it." The author finally stands up from where he's been sitting beside his friend, patting the other’s shoulder before turning for the door. "Clear your head before you come out," the younger instructs the director, "we can't have a repeat of yesterday on this one scene or the following scenes." Lu Han knows that his best friend means well and his words are always as calculated as possible, so to hear those from him must mean that it's already that bad. The younger only leaves the room when the director gives him an affirmative, dimpling at his best friend to show him that he isn't as mad as his words make him sound like.

When the door is finally closed, Lu Han drops his head onto his hands, Minseok's smile seared to the back of his eyelids. The manager has been so quiet and not himself ever since they returned to the set that the director can't help but blame himself for the other's sudden change in behavior. He still gives Lu Han coffee but after the first day, the manager has been placing the coffee cup with the director's name written quite messily on the side on the table standing beside the director's chair. Either that or he will have Yixing deliver the drink to the other. He has gotten used to the other following him around, even when Minseok has his own talent to worry about, that it makes him think of the other’s lingering presence and his ever bright personality gone from beside him. The director groans when he comes to a conclusion that maybe Yixing is right, maybe he and Minseok do need to sit down and talk, despite it sounding like a very drastic and dramatic solution to the problem. He reasons that the manager was the one who wanted to talk in the first place so that's what he's going to give him, even if it's three days late.

***

"You think you can talk to Minseok?" Yixing asks once he's found himself beside Yifan after the elder has changed into his normal clothes, robes already shed for a plain v-neck and ripped pants. The actor wrote to him about waiting in front of the dressing rooms as Yixing has been occupied with roaming around the set once again.

The actor raises an eyebrow as he pockets his smartphone, "You think I haven't been trying?"

"Sorry," Yixing lifts both hands up to his chest level, smiling a little and letting his hands fall to his sides again when the actor mirrors his smile. "Where is he anyway?" He asks next, looking around and scanning the area for any possibility of seeing a Minseok in the vicinity because he knows that Lu Han is still doing one last scene in the Yu residence which is on the opposite side to where they are so it should be safe for the manager to be near Yixing’s area.

"I think he's in the car," Yifan retrieves his phone from his pocket again to check his last exchange with his manager. "Yeah," he drawls out after a while, "he's already waiting there."

Yixing pouts, the fact that the manager is already in the actor's van ruins his earlier suggestion for Lu Han to talk to him. He knows his best friend will not go to lengths to come to Yifan's room just to get a few seconds with Minseok and he doesn't think that the manager will come to Lu Han even if the director asked him to, not right now when they’re like this.

After a few moments of silence, Yifan breaks through the author's tiny bubble, poking the younger on the shoulder to get his attention before saying, "Is there something you know that I don't?"

Yixing's eyes widen in surprise, debating whether he should tell Yifan or not. Ever since they've cleared out their little misunderstanding, they've been friendly with each other, the actor showing more expressions and emotions to Yixing than he did the first time they met and the consequent months after it. The author has always been honest with the elder so the only change has been him spending more time with Yifan on set whenever his best friend is still occupied, he has even gone as far as sitting beside the actor during meals even with the actor in his full costume, taking advantage of his supposed "remission" to mingle with the rest of the cast.

Yifan pokes him again when he doesn't reply, the elder jutting his bottom lip out that Yixing can't help but giggle. The author playfully pokes the actor on the shoulder as well while telling him, "I don't think I should say anything to you even if I knew something you didn't."

"Hmph," the actor huffs and Yixing once more fails to suppress his chuckle, especially when the elder crosses his arms over his chest, "no fair."

"Oh goodness," the author playfully slaps the other on the shoulder, "you're acting like a child Wu Yifan." This makes the elder give him a small smile before leaning against the wall, his arms still crossed.

"So you really can't tell me?" He asks, still hoping to get something from Yixing. When he sees the younger shake his head, he adds, "Even just a hint?" Trying to look overly curious as he leans a little towards Yixing, his face almost touching the younger's as he narrows his eyes, almost disappearing behind the slits of his eyelids.

Yixing turns his head away from the actor, doing his best to resist the elder, "No can do, Mr. Wu."

Yifan pouts at the author's response but straightens his body and leans back again, placing his back straight against the wall once more.

After a few beats, Yixing opens his mouth, "Aren't you going back to the apartment yet?"

The reply Yifan blurts out has the author bowing his head to cover the unwarranted blush taking over his cheeks, "But you're still here."

The actor seems to realize what he just said after hearing the cicadas and the silence from the man beside him, "I mean, you might still need some company so," he stops and shrugs, hoping the author will not look up at him and see his cheeks burning red due to his own words.

"Yifan," they both jump at the sound of Minseok's voice, they were too preoccupied by the flush creeping to their necks to realize the older man standing in front of them. When the actor clears his throat to answer, Minseok intercepts and tells him, "Hurry up, you have an early call time tomorrow," then the manager bids Yixing goodbye before turning his back on them to walk to where he came from.

"This is really disturbing," Yixing mutters once the manager is already out of sight, "I'm not used to this." He starts worrying his bottom lip as he watches Minseok walk away, not bothering to acknowledge the people who he passes by like he used to. The author then turns to Yifan, eyes imploring as he tells him, "Do something."

Yifan gulps as he looks into the younger's eyes, begging him to be the hero of the day and put everything back in its rightful place. Somehow he manages to tease the younger by telling him, "Maybe if you tell me what you know then I can actually do something about it."

The author groans and turns away from the elder before responding, "I told you Wu, not a word from me. Besides, I could be wrong. Wouldn't it be better to ask the source directly?"

Yifan grunts and Yixing can't be sure if it's to agree with him or if it's to show his disapproval of the younger keeping things from him that can be vital for him to be able to help his manager.

"You should get going," Yixing tells the actor, eyes not meeting the elder's, "You don't want Minseok's mood to get any more sour than it already is."

"You sure you'll be fine alone?" Yifan asks even as he pushes himself off the wall, "You don't want to ride with us so you can get home earlier?"

The author shakes his head and smiles at Yifan, the earlier scolding already forgotten, "Thanks but I still need to talk to Lu Han. Go ahead and get some rest."

Yifan gulps again, not knowing if that's it or if he has to do anything to make the farewell final. He and Yixing have been extremely close lately, always together when they're on set and sending text messages to each other if they're away from one another. The actor has a strong urge to envelope the author in an embrace, especially when he's smiling so brightly. But he also knows that that might be too much and will turn things awkward for them so he just walks away and waves goodbye at the other as he makes his way to the parking lot, hoping that next time a hug will be alright.

***

Lu Han doesn't really think he can, but he promised Yixing and the younger even reminded him about it as he dropped him off at the bus stop.

"Ge, please," the author begged him as they were approaching the bus stop, "I don't want to see you or Minseok troubled anymore." Even when he already reassured the younger a dozen times that he will talk to the manager before the filming starts the next day, Yixing repeated, "Please Lu Han," with a look in his eyes that made his words seem more urgent than before. Yixing opened the door while he looked at his best friend that way, leaving the elder's sedan with one last reminder, slamming the door shut so that Lu Han cannot say anything any further.

That is how Lu Han found himself pacing in his room at 2:05 in the morning, still in his clothes from the day before, thinking of what to say to Minseok like he has been thinking of the same thing from the previous nights. He pulls at his hair, the styling wax that held them in place that morning sticking to his fingers as he repeats the action once more, groaning at how stupid this situation is. Without wanting to think about it so much, he walks out of his room with nothing but his mobile device in hand. He walks down to where he knows Minseok and Yifan’s lodging is, feet walking as if the floor is on fire. Once he gets there he stops his hand midair, poised to knock on the door. He chastises himself again and lets his hand fall to his side before pacing in front of the door, his steps so loud, he can probably be heard all over the place. When he was about to knock again, all wits thrown to the side, the door opens to reveal a sleepy Minseok with his eyes slightly closed and his shirt too loose for his body frame, one sleeve almost falling off his shoulder.

"I...uhh..." Lu Han stutters, mind momentarily unable to function as he is assaulted by the image of Minseok in a loose shirt. The manager rubs his eyes so cutely, the director wants to coo but the thought effectively helps remind him why he's there. However, before he can say anything that is on his agenda, Minseok yawns and lifts a hand up, eyes still in slits.

"Lu Han?" The manager bunches his face as he tries to have a clear vision of the person in front of him.

"Umm, yeah?" After a beat, the director adds, "I came here to talk."

"We can do that tomorrow," Lu Han's eyes bulge out with how normal Minseok is talking to him, half expecting the manager to just shut the door to his face, "stop stomping your feet around." The manager scratches his stomach and yawns again, dark circles under his eyes already rivaling Zitao's, "My talent can't sleep."

"But..." Lu Han wants to protest that they need to talk, that things need to be ironed out for them to go back to normal but he can feel his exhaustion weigh down his body and his tongue.

"Tomorrow, Lu Han." Minseok tells him again, reassuring him that it will happen, they will talk. Sweetly, the manager adds before silently closing the door, "Go to sleep."

A/N: To celebrate the release of Yixing’s single ‘Monodrama’!! (My lacrimal ducts are drained;;;;;;;;;;;;; I can’t even function properly anymore…YIXINGㅠㅠㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅠㅠㅠㅠㅜㅜ)

Also, XiuHan shippers please spare me ><