"For the last time hyung, you look more than fine to me," Junsu reiterated and rolled his eyes at the leader.  

Yunho had been composed up until they arrived at the beauty salon for the intention of glamorizing themselves with things like makeup, hair products, complementing suits and whatnot. Though the eagerness lingered, the excitement he had carried this morning was now drowned with apprehension. All day he had been trying to stay cool about the upcoming award night, but he knew too well that s were far from buying it. In contrast, the others did not have the need to hide their inquietude for they have long accepted that this was a normal state to be in, considering that this was going to be their very first attendance to an elite occasion. But Yunho was the leader and he nudged himself harshly. He had to remain collected to dispel any doubts that the other members may have, yet the man had managed to do the complete opposite.

"Don't you think that she overdid it with the hairspray?" he asked him as he played with the stiffness of his hairdo. Yunho continued to study his appearance on the large mirror and maundered on about his hair which was now losing volume. 

"Careful now, she can hear you and can definitely see you," he notified with a laugh. 

He turned around and felt the glare of his hairstylist standing a couple of feet away from him. He gave her a cheeky smile in which she annoyingly could not refuse, causing the young woman to shake her head in defeat. 

"You're lucky you're good looking. I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear anything," she warned humorously.  

Yunho chuckled along and glanced at his roommate who was about to get his makeup done by another lady.

"What do you think?" 

It took a couple of seconds for Jaejoong to realize that the question was aimed at him. He examined the leader with an expressionless look on his face, almost as if Yunho had caused him untold inconvenience. 

"You look good," he answered flatly before turning his head back to the mirror. 

Yunho bit his lip as he nodded in understanding and acknowledged the pity stare from the beautician, who also shrugged her shoulders as soon as their eyes met. He turned back around and noted Junsu's stolen peek as well as his restrained laughter. He glared at him and grumbled under his breath before stomping towards the waiting area. He flopped heavily onto the couch and grabbed a magazine to distance his mind away from the man who had been occupying his head all day. 

He admitted that he was deserving of this kind of treatment. It's been a long time coming, he admitted effortlessly. Factually speaking, he had been prepared to withstand a turbulent surge from Jaejoong but knowing his roommate, he awaited for a more toned-down handling from the member. Hence, his detachment was something he should have seen coming. Yunho had been persuading himself to bear his remoteness for a while but the fact that Jaejoong wasn't giving him the silent treatment was what nettled his pride. If his roommate was going to be mad at him then he needed to be mad at him. He needed to show it. He wanted him to go all out on him, not this half-assed spleen or whatever this was. 

Jaejoong had established a physical gap between them but the man remained nevertheless respondent. He acknowledged all questions and reacted to all remarks but the withdrawal was pronounced to all individuals. Yunho wanted to test the waters and cautiously chased after his roommate but never did Jaejoong turn a deaf ear to the sound of the leader's voice and Yunho wasn't happy about that. He wanted to shake the older man and plead him to yell at him or maybe even punch him for his stupidity, anything to liberate his anger. But Jaejoong had been calm all day and Yunho didn't have to guess that this was going to be an ongoing conduct. The only time he had looked at him with interest was back at the CEO's office, when he had asked him a question, which was yet to be answered. 

He had wanted to apologize ever since last night's one-on-one talk with Changmin but when he returned to his room, his roommate was already sprawled asleep, his pillow soaking in a pool of dejected tears. He woke up this morning with his apology first on his to-do-list but the member had woken up before him, which was an unusual occurrence among their early mornings. Yunho hadn't had the chance to be alone with Jaejoong and whenever he did find a perfect time for confrontation, the other man would always find a hole to escape into. It was becoming frustrating to see him run away like he was some kind of molester pestering him during working hours. He just wanted to clear things up with him and possibly come to an understanding, but it was difficult when the said member would always recede from view whenever he got closer to him. 

"Any luck?" 

"No," Yunho disclosed as he stared at the picture he had been eyeing for the last ten minutes, "he doesn't even seem interested in anything that comes out of my mouth." 

"Well, can you blame him? You were such an last night," Changmin said with a chuckle. 

"Really? Wow, thanks for reminding me. It totally slipped my mind," the leader overflowed with sarcasm. 

"Just doing you a favor. We all know how forgetful you are sometimes," the youngest played along.

"You don't have to rub it in, you know?" 

"I know, but I want to. Since Jaejoong hyung is not spiting you enough, I'll inflict your retribution in the meantime." 

"Go away. You're spoiling my allure," Yunho said jokingly as he flipped his imaginary long hair. 

"What, where?" 

"I hate you. Can't you help your old man out, I'm already freaking out for tonight."

"I can't do much hyung. I already did my part, it's time to do yours." 

"Do what?" Yoochun joined the discussion. 

"Obtain pardon for his relentless sins." 

"Is this about yesterday, because you were nasty hyung." 

"Thanks for your help," Yunho pronounced through his clenched teeth before leaving the unsympathetic brothers. 

"So what is this really about?" 

"It's exactly what you think it is. Our hyung is feeling remorseful and he's punishing himself for it, but our other hyung is not letting him have his way."

"They're so cute," Yoochun snickered, "but I have a feeling that Jaejoong hyung is acting distant not only because of yesterday, but also because of this morning." 

"What about it?"

"I don't think that he expected Yunho hyung to snap at Mr. Lee for him. I'm sure Jaejoong hyung is just feeling bashful from earlier. If only our leader reacted that way last night," Yoochun paused and thought hard, "but isn't it fun watching them like this?" 

"How can you say that when Jaejoong hyung is in distress? The guy aging faster than he should be. You wouldn't be saying that if you were the one who had to step up just so you could knock some senses into Yunho hyung." 

"Wait, what did you do?" 

"Oh, you know, just one of those classic candid man-to-man chat. No biggie," Changmin revealed proudly. 

Thinking that the maknae would proceed, Yoochun looked at him for a moment. Unfortunately  for him, the younger man just stared back. 

"Well, what did he say?" 

"This is an intimate secret shared between hyung and I, therefore I cannot disclose. It was hard enough for me to make him blab about his feelings. If you really want to know, then have your own one-on-one session with him." 

"Oh come on, spill the beans." 

"I ain't spilling no beans cuz I ain't no snitch brotha." 

"You're no fun. Give me anything that's going to keep my mind off of tonight's award ceremony," Yoochun gave him a pout as he batted his dark eyelashes at him. 

"I won't fall for that hyung. I have a lot on my mind already and you're not helping." 

"That's why I'm asking you to share so that hyung can carry some of the troubles for you my little one." 

"Nope, not falling for it." 

"I'm getting dizzy just by watching Yunho hyung," Junsu joined in with a sigh before slumping onto the couch.

"Easy there, you don't want your suit all wrinkled up before the show could even start." 

"Oh, this thing?," Junsu looked down at himself, "Don't you feel weird wearing them? It's like putting on a mask because this is not who we really are." 

"We know. You normally dress up like a bum," Changmin bantered. 

"That's not the point I'm trying to make you . I'm being emotive here and you're sabotaging my moment. What I'm trying to say is," he emphasized "I can't believe that we've reached this far. Months ago, I would't even believe that we'd be attending this particular event. Don't you think so?" 

Silence filled the air for what seemed like an eternity. Junsu's last statement had lead them to take a trip down memory lane. It had been less than a year since their debut and time seemed to have flown by so quickly that they were now getting ready for another step to their journey. Receiving an award would of course be the biggest blessing they could ever receive, but it wasn't the tangible reward they were going after. Being invited to an award ceremony alone allowed them to realize how much they have achieved as a group. It was almost surreal to them that they were having a hard time identifying themselves in the mirror. Back then, they had dreamed of this particular moment and now that they were finally living their dream, it seemed as though reality was even harder to grasp. 

The three members shared earnest looks, smiling softly before laughing at each other's faces. Their laughter was so real that any passerby would agree that they sounded genuine and stirring.

"What are we doing?" Junsu asked as his eyes continued to smile. 

"I think that we've been too anxious about tonight that we haven't been our usual selves all day." 

"You know who else is not being himself?" Yoochun smirked and nodded his head towards Yunho, who was prancing around the salon. 

"Oh please, he hasn't been himself in a while," Changmin snorted at the sight of the restless man. 

"Touché." 

"So about that hyung over there," Junsu's eyes followed the leader, "what can we do sit him down for a second. He's been fidgeting all day, I feel bad." 

They observed Yunho attentively, who sat on a chair for a brief moment before standing back up to grab another magazine. He stared at it blankly and returned it without having a look inside. He paced near the makeup artist who was starting to display annoyance towards the leader for causing distraction at her workplace.  

"He's losing it." 

"Definitely." 

The younger members continued to chatter behind his back, their eyes never leaving their hyung. But what they saw next astonished them greatly. Yunho had paused in his steady walk as though someone had cast a spell on him and that someone was no other than their oldest member. 

Jaejoong had stood up from his stool and smiled at the beautician as he thanked her for a job well done. He turned away and found the leader gaping at him with his lips slightly open. Jaejoong frowned at his frozen roommate before making his way to the waiting area only to find his younger members carrying the same look on their faces. 

The older man had his hair styled in a way that accentuated his jawline in contrast to some of his feminine features that had still remained prominent. He wasn't the cute and innocent boy no more for he was now looking more handsome than ever with his tuxedo fitting him perfectly. His eyes appeared wider,