“Jo-johaeyo?”

“Perfect! Now let’s say it like we practiced!”

Seungri decided that he liked the EXILE Tribe. He’s definitely going to buy all of their albums, especially the ones they’re doing together. His favorite member is, of course, Keiji-niisan (“y’know the closest literal translation of hyung in Japanese is senpai, but it’s nowhere as personal. I guess it’s a Korean thing? Anyway, the translation with the same ‘personal’ feel should be onii-san. Lose the ‘o’ when you attach it to someone’s name.”) and Keiji-niisan’s closest friend Takahiro-niisan (“no fair that Keiji gets to have Seung-chan from BIGBANG to call him Nii-san, I want to be a Nii-san too!”). He also liked the way Akira-san seemed to understand his need for physical contact that lingering platonic touches were always always there when the other expressed his approval.

Like right at this very moment, when Keiji-niisan is struggling to learn some random Korean phrases because, Seungri quoted, he was worried that Seungri might be talking about him behind his back. Keiji-niisan then decided to learn Korean on the spot, hounding Seungri to teach him while Takahiro-niisan laughed at his expressions. Akira-san had his finger tracing the rim of the coffee mug with a fond smile on his face, always a paternal figure whenever Hiro-san was not around.

Seungri decided that he liked EXILE Tribe. It felt like family, a very different one than the ones he had back home, but family nonetheless.

It has been two weeks since Seungri came to know the members of EXILE better. Two weeks since his first meeting with Rocky and one week and three days after he met Tasaki Takahiro (or he met Amamiya Masaki first, with his big bike and cocky stare and a staredown that made Seungri absolutely nervous) and exactly one week since they became good friends. Keiji-niisan didn’t really like to go clubbing, but Takahiro-niisan was an absolute party animal and he often brought his friend Hiroomi-san along. They got closer and Hiro-san told him that he really liked his energy and he was welcome to be an extension of the Tribe any time.

Three days since Seungri had everyone’s heart in his palm, three days since Seungri honestly felt like he didn’t want to go home. Japan was nice, Japan was good, Japan loved him and he loved Japan. This country had meant a lot for him and the fact that he now had more friends was always a welcome note.

And most importantly, the EXILE Tribe loved Lee Changson as much as they do V.I.

Fondness and outbursts of compliments will fill the room every time Lee Changson slipped out of Seungri in the form of Keiji-san being so proud. It was odd, really, considering Seungri had only known the man for a two weeks but the way he looked so utterly proud whenever Seungri managed to do something reminded the maknae of Daesung-hyung. Sometimes Rocky will be the one who was waiting in the café where he and Keiji-san had made an appointment and Lee will be the one who greet him with a sly smile and expectant eyes. They would talk, about work and clubs and everything Seungri had no idea of but Lee Changson was an expert at. It was odd—nice—but odd.

So Seungri thought it was a given that he had a frown on his face when it was time for him to return to Korea.

Keiji-niisan, Akira-san, and Hiro-san were there in the airport as well, smiling and asking him not to frown because they’ll meet again in no time. But Seungri had his mock-aegyo in place as he chattered about not wanting to go home and it earned an earnest laughter from the EXILE members.

“Aww don’t cry Seung-chan.” Keiji-niisan mock-cooed and Seungri pouted. “But Onii-saaaan~” Hiro-san smiled. “You’re welcome to come to the set anytime you want, V.I-kun.” The filming of the drama is still ongoing (that was also the reason why Takahiro-niisan couldn’t make it to the airport) and Seungri nodded, definitely taking it to heart.

“Seungri-ssi,” his manager called, and Seungri nodded. He waved one last time to the members of the EXILE Tribe, who all waved back with varying levels of intensity but sincere all the same. Seungri smiled.

***

Lee Changson had his feet on top of the table, his index finger absently tracing the rim of the shot glass he had with a contemplating expression firm on his face. His apartment had a nice view of white snow falling from the dark night sky and it was in these times that he missed Japan the most. Winter in his fatherland are too clean, too nice, too beautiful and he honestly loved S.W.O.R.D.’s winter better than he liked Seoul’s.

There was a sound of ice clinking inside another glass of his and Lee Changson was unusually irritated at the sound. It disrupted his favorite part in Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture and he clicked his tongue and flicked the glass with his wrist. It fell off the table and broke into a million pieces, Lee rolled his eyes. “What a hassle.” He cursed in Japanese, his favorite tongue at the moment, and sighed.

Suddenly, there was a sound of someone inputting his password onto his home. He knew the only five people in the world who could do that, but still—this really wasn’t the night he wanted to be disturbed. He had drunk enough to be Lee Changson, but not enough to activate the dancing machine that is Lee Seungri, precisely because he wanted to enjoy the night watching snow fall. Lee loved it, snow reminded him of everything nice and pure and good, things he hadn’t been for a long time.

“Seungri-ah, where are you? I wanna crash for the night.”

Dong Youngbae was probably the most obnoxious member of BIGBANG when it concerned people’s living spaces. He would often barge unannounced to Jiyong’s place, Daesung’s place, and most frequently Seungri’s place (TOP-hyung’s place was a rural no man’s land and Youngbae respected him too much to ever even think about it).

Lee Seungri probably would have chided him with a defeated sigh, reluctantly greeting the older man but still welcoming him nonetheless; Lee Changson was outright annoyed that someone entered his personal space unannounced.

But still.

Lee Seungri was dead tired and drained and woeing his fate because he had been going on between Japan and Korea for so often he shouldn’t have been this tired and he wasn’t in the mood to deal with his hyung so Lee Changson stayed.

“Seungri-ah? I know you’re home. Where are you?” Lee Changson lift up the whiskey and poured himself another shot. The sound of water pouring must have caught the older man’s attention and he went over to the living room.

“Seungri-ah, reply to me when I talk to—what the hell?!”

Even without turning Lee knew that the man’s eyes were on the floor, where pieces of broken glass lay and wasted vodka spilled all over the marble floor. “What’s wrong, Seungri-ah? Are you okay?” He went over to his place almost immediately and Lee shushed him. “Ugh, so annoying,” he drawled in Japanese. “Be careful with your feet, hyung-nim, I won’t treat you if you got yourself pierced anywhere.” He continued in Korean.

Lee Changson turned to look at the older man, eyes cold but full of intrigue just like the one he had used on Choi Seunghyun, and he smiled.

And judging from the narrowed eyes and the confusion on his face, Dong Youngbae knew that he wasn’t facing Lee Seungri—Lee Changson took pleasure in that.

Please note the chapter titles, the first name will signify whose POV we are looking from; so next chapter will be Dong Youngbae and Lee Changson xD