If Mingyu and I had been close before, then I don't know how to describe us after having resolved our misunderstanding. Not only did we seem to fear leaving each other's side again but we actually didn't even feel the need to interact with the other trainees anymore. Well, maybe we did it naturally when training or having dinner, but whenever we had time for ourselves, I guess it was always just the two of us, enjoying being back together.

The others didn't complain about it but in fact seemed to be happy that we'd gotten over the whole issue. Since our friendship was even better than it had been before the 'fight', both of us were back to being happy and lively. Even I, Jeon Wonwoo, somehow liked joking around and being all cheerful all of the sudden. It was as if all my worries had left as soon as Mingyu was back to my side and I seriously couldn't have been more thankful to him than I already was.

Now you're probably wondering how the hell I didn't notice that I was probably having deeper feelings than friendship towards Mingyu, but to be honest, I simply wasn't used to whatever we were having. Back in the days before I'd become a trainee I'd never really had a best friend. As I've said, I'd always been there, but never really needed. With Mingyu I was experiencing the first real friendship of my life and therefore, I interpreted the feelings I had as a sign of being connected to him in a usual 'best friend' kind of way. The thought of loving him didn't even cross my mind since I honestly did not think being so close and comfortable with him would mean more than friendship.

And so, once again, time flew by. While all of us were busy with training, hoping for a debut to come one day, Pledis was already planning. Soon, a new show started for us but this time it wasn’t a scripted broadcast like 17TV had been but a reality show called ‘Seventeen Project’. 

Honestly, nobody really knew what to think about that show. Since all of us had hoped for us to finally debut after 17TV would come to an end, but we were always met with disappointments, we didn’t want to set our expectations too high this time. So when ‘Seventeen Project’ started, all of us just kind of tried to see it as another one of those shows about trainees instead of relating it to a possible debut. 

Therefore, when the filming for ‘Seventeen Project’ started and we were told that we’d get to debut if we’d clear all missions they’d planned for us, everyone was sort of perplexed and confused. This time it was different since Pledis officially announced on TV that we’d get to debut. Of course, with these sudden news, all of us were not only stunned and shocked, but also pretty happy. It felt like all the hard work would finally be rewarded and we simply felt cheerful and thankful.

That was until our CEO took our rings away and told us we’d ed up in the first mission which had been a Random Play Dance with songs we’d danced to in the previous few years. Seriously, those rings were more precious to most of us than anything else, so having them taken away was a horrifying experience for many of our members. They not only showed that we were official members of Seventeen but also made the bond between us feel real. Ever since the ceremony in January, everyone had proudly shown their rings to others, telling them they were officially a member of a boy group which would get to debut soon. 

And just like that, they were gone.

The worst part about this wasn’t only the fact that the rings were taken away, but actually the day when they were taken away. Because it was not any day, but the sixth April. And the sixth April was a special day since it was Mingyu’s birthday. Let’s just say Mingyu didn’t exactly enjoy his birthday after the recording had ended. Since nobody was in the mood to celebrate and Mingyu himself was pretty down, I had no idea what to do.

Normally, he was the happy pill and I was mostly the one receiving his cheerfulness. But this exact day, he wasn't happy and it burdened me more than it should've. I wanted to see everyone smile on his birthday but instead was met with frowns and tears. Everyone was shocked, confused and mad about the fact that Pledis had so openly shown us that we didn't meet their expectations. 

"It's just the beginning, guys. Let's just clear all the missions, get our rings back and debut", Seungcheol tried to cheer us up, taking his role as our leader quite serious. But since his words didn't seem sincere and everyone noticed how upset Seungcheol was himself, nobody really listened to him. The mood wasn't good at all and I honestly felt like shouting at the other members, telling them to get a ing grip.

I just felt so damn sorry for Mingyu.

So, instead of celebrating Mingyu's birthday together with the other members, I took him outside. Since the filming for Seventeen Project had taken quite some time, it was already evening when we came back home and therefore it was dark outside when Mingyu and I left. 

I'm gonna say it once again, I had no clue what to do in order to bring Mingyu back to his usual self. He seemed way too upset and lifeless to be able to enjoy the last few hours of his birthday and sadly, I wasn't exactly a person that was known for being good at cheering others up.

"Let's go watch a movie", was the only idea I came up with. I knew how much Mingyu loved going to the cinema, smelling the fresh popcorn and watching a movie just like normal people did once in a while. He'd always been easy when it came to make him excited about simple things, but this time it was different. This time, he only shrugged his shoulders, not even showing a fake smile. He was probably too tired to do that.

"Come on, let's go and see that new Disney movie you've been begging me to watch with you", I said, trying hard to convince him: "I'll even pay for the tickets and the food."

Slowly, a small smile appeared on his face. Even if he was tired and upset, I still saw a light spark in his eyes, indicating that he liked the idea. Mingyu was silent for a few seconds, thinking deeply, before speaking up: "Alright, but before that I want us to stop by a coffee shop and buy some cake. Oh, and you have to sing me a birthday song, in front of all the other customers." 

And just like that, Mingyu was back to the happy and cheerful person I admired so much and I knew I'd somehow managed to do my job as his best friend well. That exact day, I spent all the money I'd saved, humiliated myself in front of way too many people when singing 'Happy Birthday' for Mingyu and let's not forget, I had to watch two hours of animated bull. But if it was the only way to make Mingyu smile again, then I gladly accepted it.
______

Saying that 'Seventeen Project' stressed everyone out was an understatement. It was tiring, upsetting and build up lots of tension in the group and for some reason, even Mingyu and I kept our distance from each other during that time. Nobody felt like talking after the filming had ended since everyone seriously just wanted to sleep and forget about the pressure that was slowly suffocating us. The debut was right there, in front of our eyes, and still no one really managed to be excited and happy about it anymore.

Everything was just too much.

Actually, before the show had started I asked Mingyu not show our closeness so openly when being filmed. And he'd accepted my request, saying he knew how sensitive I was when it came to that topic, but still I noticed how much he hated it. He didn't tell me so but often, I caught his annoyed glances, showing that in the end, he didn't really understand were I was coming from. And so, even if our closeness didn't fade away, I knew Mingyu slowly got angered with the fact that I wanted him to stay away while I was acting normally around all the other members.

The atmosphere around us got darker and I knew I had to talk with him before another misunderstanding would happen, but that was easier said than done. While we were filming, we didn't get the slightest chance to solve personal conflicts and as soon as we got home, Mingyu just sort of went to bed or was always besides other members so that I couldn't exactly address the issue.

One day, I had enough and simply took him by his wrist, saying we had something to talk about. The others simply nodded, not really caring about our problems since they were way too tired and stressed to even notice that something was up.

As soon as I found an empty room Mingyu and I could talk in, I dragged him there and closed the door behind us. Then, I turned around to look at him, just to be met with a glare that clearly showed he didn't want to talk things out.

"What is it now? Was I too close to you today? Do you worry about people misinterpreting our friendship again?", he asked, annoyed. Instantly, I shook my head, making him scoff: "Oh, so there's a new problem! What now? I'm too distant? Or wait, maybe I'm too close to others?"

"Just stop it already", I said, my voice calm: "I wanted to talk about what's going on right now, okay? You said I should talk to you if I have a problem with something instead of keeping it bottled up and now you're doing exactly what you told me not to do. If you have a problem, then talk. But stop avoiding me and the issue that's between us right now. I seriously don't want another misunderstanding to happen."

Mingyu silently looked at me. After progressing my words, his expression softened and he let out a sigh. Then, he spoke up: "I just don't understand you. First, you tell me you don't want us to be so close when being filmed but as soon as we are, you're super close with the other members and only avoid me. It's as if you want the viewers to think we suddenly hate each other or something."

"I don't", I instantly answered: "Honestly, I didn't even realize I was so close to the others."

"Well, you are. Compared to before, at least. I don't know, it feels as if I'm not good enough to be next to you anymore", Mingyu explained, clearly upset with me.

Stunned, I started shaking my head: "No, that's not how I feel at all. I seriously didn't know that I was acting differently towards the others because I kind of concentrated on-"

"Ignoring me", Mingyu finished my sentence. I closed my eyes and sighed, before giving a short nod: "Yeah."

"Wonwoo, I know you don't want the fans and viewers to be misguided but this isn't right either. This just feels unnatural and the fans will probably think that we're fighting or something", Mingyu told me and I knew he was right. 

I realized that once again, my fear of the public's thoughts was about to break Mingyu and me apart.

"I'm sorry", I quickly apologized: "Let's just forget about the whole avoiding thing and be like we usually are, even in front of the cameras."

Mingyu smiled, happy that I was willing to stop pretending and instead wanted to show the public how close we were: "Deal."

And so, we went back to normal. Even when filming 'Seventeen Project', I stood by Mingyu's side and both of us simply concentrated on clearing the missions, anxiously awaiting our debut.

Which came sooner than we'd thought. 

On May 26, we finally did it. We finally stood on stage and announced our name with bright smiles on our faces. We sang the songs we'd prepared for missions during 'Seventeen Project', we performed our debut song and simply showed who we are during an one-hour long live show. 

It was the happiest moment I'd ever experienced in life and being together with all the members, sharing the same feelings of utter happiness and excitement, made everything even better. Finally, we didn't have to concern ourselves with debuting anymore because just like that, we'd done it. 

While some members cried their eyes out, I simply smiled the whole time. I was feeling way to blessed to cry and of course, members necked me for being too emotionless once again. But I didn't care, I was way too grateful to care. That day, I promised myself to always stay with Seventeen, to make sure our group would be successful and to give my best in everything we'd do. 

I was sure that together, we'd be able to climb to the top. I knew that if we worked hard enough, we'd get wherever we wanted to be. And I was so damn proud of us for finally getting the debut we'd always worked hard for.

That night, we got back to our dorm way too late, having eaten a nice dinner to celebrate our final debut. Everyone was still cheerful and feeling utter bliss, but at the same time, exhaustion kicked in and so, member after member went to their room, probably falling into a peaceful sleep just seconds after getting inside their bed.

Soon, Mingyu and I were left in the living room by ourselves, but somehow, both of us didn't want to go to sleep just yet. Still feeling the adrenaline from the performance, we sat there, smiling brightly.

"I seriously couldn't be happier right now", he told me, wiping his eyes once again. I nodded and closed my eyes, still smiling: "Me neither. I don't even want this day to end. It seems like a dream to me."

"Yeah", Mingyu agreed.

Silently, we just sat there, still high on the fans' screams and excitement we'd felt all day. Honestly, it was a feeling that couldn't be described. 

"And you know what's the best thing?", Mingyu asked me. I opened my eyes, instantly meeting his happy grin. I shrugged my shoulders, not knowing what he was trying to get at: "What?"

"We actually debuted together, Wonwoo. Remember that promise? We made it come true", he said, his eyes filled with tears once again. And I swear, that moment made my heart stop. Suddenly, I felt exactly the same weird feeling I'd felt when first meeting Mingyu. Just looking at his bright smile, the happy tears falling down his cheeks and his eyes sparkling from excitement were enough to give me this indescribable feeling. 

"Mingyu?", I questioned, confused because my heart was beating way too fast, because suddenly, he looked so damn beautiful and I just knew that something wasn't right with me.

"Mh?", he murmured back, not really anticipating my words, probably thinking I didn't have anything important to say.

And I don't know what suddenly happened to me when I opened my mouth and let these certain words escape my lips, but I let them anyways, not caring about the consequences.

"Can I kiss you?"
______

A/N: I feel like the chapter at some point, but oh well, I'm too lazy to change it. Ah, before I forget to say it, English is not my first language. If there are any errors feel free to point them out! :)

So yeah, that's it, the background story is almost done and therefore the real fun (more like pain) can begin now.

Thanks for reading, commenting etc., I hope you guys like the story so far!