One

-Mission Is A Go

Kyungsoo returns to the dorm late that night. His schedule is full most of the time recently, having debuted quite successfully as an actor has earned him a lot more invitations to interviews held by various television stations and prominent magazines. Not to mention that since the movie "Pure Love", with him and Kim Sohyun as the lead stars, is about to hit the theaters soon, anyone who takes a walk in the streets in Seoul is bound to spot the movie's poster everywhere.

Most of the members has already hit the sack when he opens the door, and no one was in the living room. Still, someone left a small nightlight on just by the entrance, probably in consideration of their fellow member. He switches the lights on and is surprised to find a post-it note beside the light switch, with pencil marks visible on it.

He detaches the piece of paper from the wall and squints a bit to read the message.

I'm sorry I couldn't wait up for you, we'll go over the script another day, okay? Rest well, hyung. :)

There is no signature of any kind at the end of the message, but Kyungsoo knows exactly who wrote it. He and Jongin had a little discussion upon acting skills several days ago, and it resulted in Kyungsoo promising to give the latter advices from time to time.

He proceeds heading towards his shared bedroom with Jongin while recalling the conversation in his mind. Jongin was mildly shy to come to him at first, asking if they could talk in private. Kyungsoo thought something bad happened because Jongin looked more serious than usual and was worrying what might be the problem. However, it turned out that the younger was curious if Kyungsoo was willing to give out tips of acting. He laughed at the inquiry and quickly replied that he was always more than willing to help his fellow members out.

Kyungsoo stops in his tracks as he remembers how bright Jongin's grin was after hearing his reply. He smiles unconsciously.

Jongin came to him the next day with the script of the drama he was going to star in. It has a sweet and endearing name, "Choco Bank". They learned that the storyline was divided into six episodes after flipping through the pages. Having checked with their own schedules, they decided they would go over one episode together every Tuesday.

Today is Tuesday. Kyungsoo silently reminds himself as he gathers his pajamas from the closet. He feels bad for both messing up the arrangement with Jongin and making the younger wait up for him. He gently glances at the younger's sleeping form on the bed next to his and suppresses a sigh. Instead, he moves closer to the lump under the quilt and whispers a 'Goodnight'.

Jongin stirs a little but doesn't wake up. Kyungsoo pulls the quilt over Jongin's shoulders and makes a mental note to apologize to him the following day.

§

Many might consider Byun Baekhyun a person who forgets about their promises fast. However, that is not the case. He has just made Jongin a promise- no, a declaration- and he's not about to abandon it any time soon.

That's why he wakes up the next morning with a big smile on his face.

Mission is a go.

He finds Sehun in the kitchen. The tall boy is searching for breakfast and doesn't notice the other's presence until he turns around.

"You scared me! Why are you standing behind me?" He exclaims, almost spilling the cup of milk in his hands.

"Good morning to you, too." Baekhyun scoffs. "And I'm not checking you out or anything, don't flatter yourself."

"I didn't say-"

"Let me ask you a question, though." The shorter of the two pulls out a chair at the dining table and sits down. He motions for Sehun to do the same.

The younger follows the instructions despite being confused. Baekhyun doesn't normally come bother him before driving all the other members nuts first, and it is too early even for Baekhyun to have accomplished that. He waits for the vocalist to continue.

"You're close to Jongin, yes?"

"Yeah, I guess? But aren't we all? I mean-"

"I know, I know." Baekhyun waves his hand dismissively, "But have you ever considered the possibility of him being gay?"

"What?"

"I know you heard me. So, yeah or nah?"

Sehun falls into deep concentration, his brain digging up every piece of memory he has of the concerned member. It is true that Jongin is somewhat more delicate and self-conscious, given that he complains whenever the broadcast on TV doesn't display his better pictures, and is an expert at putting on make-up such as lipstick or nail polish. But it could be because he grew up with two older sisters, making him more feminine compared with average males. However, that doesn't seem to be the case, either. No one would actually use the word feminine to describe EXO's resident hottie Kim Jongin, after all. All those smirks and hip s he does whenever he dances prove that he doesn't quite fall on the female side of the spectrum. Yet, there are still some moments that make Sehun doubt Jongin is straight.

He frowns at Baekhyun. The latter raises an eyebrow, "So?"

"I don't know." Sehun shakes his head, "I'm not entirely sure. I mean, there are times when Jongin looks at-"

"Kyungsoo."

"Yeah. And it makes me wonder- Wait, how did you know I was going to say Kyungsoo-hyung?"

The older smiles, "It's really obvious, huh? We both see it."

Sehun nods but doesn't reply.

Baekhyun leans in and asks, "Then will you help me get the two of them together?"

§

Chanyeol's loud laughing from the next room wakes Jongin up from his sleep. Usually, he is rather a heavy sleeper, according to members who have tried to wake him at least once. But as soon as his brain starts to clear up, he finds it hard to fall back to dreamland this particular morning, still worrying over the small speech Baekhyun delivered the night before.

Hesitantly, he pushes the quilt off him and sits up on the bed. The air in the room is warm, thanks to the heater, and he streches his arms backwards in a yawn. He detects the soreness in his limbs from the dance practices and reaches out to massage his calves. That's when he notices his roommate who is still asleep.

Knowing that Kyungsoo works until late hours, Jongin can't help feeling compassionate for him. The smaller boy wears a tired look nowadays, and it wrenches Jongin's heart to see that. Sometimes, he just want to cuddle the life out of Kyungsoo and force him to rest instead of following his schedule. But he also knows that it's impossible since Kyungsoo values his work a lot. It almost seems unfair again, that Kyungsoo has to give so much into his work and potentially damaging his health in the process. Yet a sense of proudness rushes through Jongin as he thinks about all the dramas and movies the older has filmed. He is truly happy that Kyungsoo is doing well in the showbiz industry, both as a singer and an actor.

With a small smile, he looks at Kyungsoo's sleeping form. "Good morning, hyung."

When Kyungso doesn't budge, he gets off the bed, letting out a relieved chuckle.

While brushing his teeth, he starts replaying the conversation with Baekhyun. The latter declared that he would help Jongin win Kyungsoo's heart in such a serious manner that makes Jongin curious about what the older can actually do. He doesn't believe that Baekhyun would give up on this promise, seeing that he just witnessed Baekhyun recruiting Sehun to his developing plan in the kitchen. The two members are currently in a heated discussion about ways to impress Kyungsoo as Jongin continues to brush his teeth absentmindedly.

I wonder what's up their sleeves.

After washing up, he approaches Chanyeol and Jongdae's room. Chanyeol answers the door at the third knock with disheveled hair and flushed cheeks, "Morning, Jongin."

"Do you have a minute?" Jongin pushes past him and heads into the room. Jongdae squeals and covers his upper body at the sight of the younger and immediately dashes behind the lamp.

Jongin pauses, sending suspicious glances between Chanyeol and Jongdae. "Am I interrupting something?"

Chanyeol sputters and Jongdae laughs awkwardly. "No, no! No, um, I'm just- yeah, I'm just changing. Nothing's going on."

"Right." Jongin gives them the same sheepish smile as the one Baekhyun gave him yesterday when he denied obsessing over Kyungsoo. Speaking of which- "I want to talk to you. Both."

Jongdae joins Jongin and Chanyeol once he puts on a white t-shirt. Stealing a careful glance at the locked door, he ushers the youngest of the three to start talking.

"So last night, after Baekhyun-hyung got kicked out of your room-" Jongdae coughs lightly at that, "He came to me."

In the span of two minutes, Jongin finishes telling his two fellow members what happened in his room the night before. The two older boys stare at Jongin with disbelief in their eyes and are shockingly quiet for a while, their brain processing what they just heard.

"You're saying that Baek said that he declared that he'd help you get Soo 'cause according to him he's a great person and wants to be thanked for being a great person?" Chanyeol blurts out.

"What?" Jongdae frowns at Chanyeol's distorted sentence and his poor ability to properly voice out his thoughts. "But aren't you already in action? You told us Soo agreed to do some private sessions with you, didn't you?"

"Not that kind of private sessions, hyung." Jongin rolls his eyes. "But yeah, I'm already carrying out my plans regarding... that."

"You mean your totally obvious crush on Kyungsoo." Jongdae offers. Jongin only snorts as a reply.

"Anyways," Chanyeol begins again, "Why are you telling us 'bout it?"

"Because you're the only ones that know about my- uh- my advancing on Kyungsoo-hyung, so I thought you'd help me with this."

"Are you worried that Baek will mess things up for you?"

"More than you think. Yes." The youngest nods frantically.

Chanyeol lets out a hearty laugh at his answer. "Don't worry! I'm pretty sure Baek's not gonna jeopardize your efforts to woo Soo." He pats Jongin reassuringly on the back.

"Though I'd really like to see him try to set you guys up. That'd be hilarious." Jongdae mumbles.

Surprised, the other two look at Jongdae. He seems to be thinking about something before a tiny spark appears in his eyes.

Oh, no. Jongin tenses. Jongdae is giving off the exact same mischievous vibe as Baekhyun last night. That can't be a good sign.

"How about this," the oldest of the three stands up from his sitting position, "We, the three of us, make sure you and Soo end up as a couple first. Then we can rub it in Baek's face."

Jongin facepalms. "I just realized you're no better than Baekhyun-hyung."

"I'll prove to you that I am definitely more awesome than that annoying thing. Just so you see." Jongdae huffs. "At this moment, I, Kim Jongdae, declare that Mission Get KaiSoo Together Before Baekhyun is a go!"

§

As soon as the ending notes of 'Overdose' disappears into thin air, the only sounds that can be heard in EXO's practice room are the sounds of bodies dropping onto the floor and some heavy panting and groaning. It's three in the afternoon, and since the boys set foot in the practice room this morning, they have been dancing nonstop save for the one hour lunch break. But the EXO'luXion Concerts are still up, which means no slacking off for any of them.

Group choreography is absolutely tiring. They think in union.

Joonmyun looks at his exhausted members and claps his hands, "Okay, take five, everyone. Well done."

Jongin is heading towards the lavatory when he hears someone calling his name.

"Jongin?" He turns around and finds Kyungsoo casually walking up to him.

"Yes, hyung?"

"I want to apologize about last night. I didn't work out my schedule well and I feel sorry that I had to leave you by yourself all night." Kyungsoo says, "I promise I'll make it up to you."

Jongin tries not to focus on the way how Kyungsoo's words make his heart flutter. "You don't have to apologize, hyung. I understand."

"I'll stay at the dorm with you tonight, okay?"

That sentence could have a whole different meaning if Jongin wants it to, but he decides to ignore his wishful thinking and nods. "Sure, hyung."

"Oh, by the way," Jongin speaks up again right when Kyungsoo is about to turn away, and the latter looks at him curiously, "I hope you won't tire yourself out, hyung. With your movies and stuff, you must be- umm- busy and under a lot of pressure, I guess? So, yeah, just remember to get enough rest and- well, that I'm always here for you if you're looking for company."

Jongin scratches his head awkwardly after saying that, eyeing the shorter carefully.

"Thanks, Jongin-a. I'll remember that." Kyungsoo chuckles lightly and sends the younger a warm smile before walking off.

Jongin can't stop himself from grinning ear to ear even when he is already alone in the lavatory later.

Author's Note:

Now you know that Baekhyun's promise is not as easy as it sounds anymore because Jongdae is in the mix! It's only the first chapter, though, so more events will occur later! But how is everything so far? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Also, my new semester starts tomorrow. Therefore the updates are going to be slow, so let me apologize beforehand, okay? And below is the poster of Kyungsoo's "Pure love" :)