Sunggyu parked himself in the seat directly across the red velvet couch that will soon be filled by three gorgeous men. He quickly ran through some of the questions that he had prepared, ruffling through the papers frantically. He must have done a few dozen interviews now given his two years of experience in the company, but nothing made him as nervous as this.

His new cameraman of the day, Woohyun, walked up to him. He had set up the camera and video devices quite efficiently.

“Gyu hyung, I’m nervous. But you don’t be nervous okay?” He was rocking on the heels of his feet. “Do you think they will remember us?”

“I doubt so. The manager maybe, but honestly I think they won’t.”

“Good.” Woohyun was still fidgeting uneasily.

Sunggyu’s brows furrowed, “Is that what you want?”

“No….yes? It’s my first time seeing my idols with no cap or mask on. It feels….weird!” He shuddered.

Sunggyu smiled at this relatable and strangely adorable concern that his companion had. True, hyung fans have it rough. He gave the jittery boy a firm grab on the shoulder, “let’s just do this together. No point being a nervous bunch, right?” With his reassuring smile, Woohyun felt less anxious. He went on to help Sunggyu refine his questions, occasionally throwing in one or two personal ones that he hoped to sneak into the interview.

A familiar figure walked into the room and the two youngsters immediately stood up to greet Howon the manager.

“Oh hi! It’s you two! How’re your arms?” He gave a bow (though not as low as Sunggyu’s) and gave a gentler handshake than usual. Woohyun was glad to see a familiar face before his idols arrived. He smiled his most brilliant smile to mask his apprehension.

“We’re fine. Thanks for last time.” Sunggyu replied calmly. So this is how working adults should be like, thought Woohyun.

The three idols came into the rooms together, leaving the females in the room as well the two boys slightly breathless. The young idols were quick to recognise the two hyungs, and immediately greeted them sincerely. “Thanks you for the save last time!” Sungjong said earnestly as he shook Woohyun’s cold hand with his own. Seeing him up close, Woohyun finally realised why he never really needed to edit Sungjong’s photos with Photoshop. The maknae had impeccable skin that could rival female stars’. And as if the heavens heard their silent prayers, Sungyeol and Myungsoo decided to have a small talk with Sunggyu and Woohyun respectively before the interview.

“Thanks you for your photobook last time, I received it.” Myungsoo’s gaze made Woohyun’s cheeks extremely hot. The older boy was slightly embarrassed by the fact that he couldn’t react more boldly despite his seniority, but his idol was nice enough to try making him feel comfortable. Myungsoo brushed his fringe aside (his hair was now blue for the new week of promotions) and told Woohyun how he was an aspiring photographer himself, so the fan photobook really moved him. This eased up Woohyun greatly. In a low whisper so that Sunggyu and Sungyeol couldn’t overhear him, Myungsoo moved closer to Woohyun and said, “Hyung, can I meet you outside the building, round the back later? Need your help.”

Woohyun was just as surprised as Sunggyu was seeing the close interaction between the two. The moment was brief, but its impact on Myungsoo, Woohyun and Sunggyu was acute. The idol himself couldn’t believe he finally took the initiative to open up to his long-time follower, the fan himself was trying to mask his excitement and extreme confusion,, and the older reporter was desperately trying to figure out the situation.

Yet there was no time to linger on fleeting emotions. The long awaited interview began as Forever took their seats. For their first time working together, the two friends certainly had a chemistry unparallelled by others (except maybe by their idols). When Sunggyu needed to probe further, Woohyun would rightly tighten the shots to the member he knew Sunggyu would ask. Sunggyu always caught Woohyun’s time signals and impromptu gestures to ask him to pry further. They made the interview enjoyable, and perhaps because they were all guys, the idols themselves were more relaxed than usual. Their manager was highly satisfied at this unprecedented performance.

The interview ended on the note about Sungjong and Myungsoo’s upcoming drama together ("Yes, Sungjong will be acting as my brother, so we’re lead roles together. Please look forward to it.”). Woohyun made a point to pack his cameras quickly and left the room before Sunggyu even started ironing out final details with Howon.
 

Despite his years of idol-following skills, Woohyun was no match for a veteran who worked in that building far too often. Myungsoo was already waiting for him at the spot, his right foot randomly kicking the dirt on the ground. How he manage to get there with such speed, Woohyun couldn’t be sure. Perhaps it was experience from trainee days. Escape 101.

The idol looked up with an expression of relief but was silent. Woohyun thought he looked like he was still unsure if what he was doing was right, but seeing him appear helped him make the final call. The interview had made Woohyun more relaxed around his idol, so he was walking up to the younger boy without hesitation. He didn’t want Sunggyu to notice he was gone for too long either.

Despite already being in an alley, Myungsoo was acting cautiously. He approached the older fan and leaned over almost too closely, to the extent that Woohyun could almost feel his cheeks moving beside his the own. Myungsoo whispered, “Hyung, I have something to confess to you.”

His eyes were resolute, his voice was stern. This was not just his idol, he was himself.

Just Kim Myungsoo, reaching out to Nam Woohyun, telling him that he needed him.

***

“Where did you go just now?” Sunggyu finally broke the silence between himself and Woohyun. The engines of the bus was especially salient with the absence of words between them.

“Nothing much. Myungsoo thanked me for supporting him all this while. That’s all.” Woohyun said, still dazed. “And an autograph on the back of my phone.” True enough, his Samsung was emblazoned with a familiar bald figure cartoon and signature.

Sunggyu had a feeling that he wasn’t being completely honest. The boy was usually more cheerful. He didn’t want to make his buddy uncomfortable, so he decided not to push it. After a while he’d learnt that if you want to keep a relationship that meant something to you, suppress that journalism side of you first. Caring before prying.

“What do you want for dinner?”

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