"I don't like that look."

          Cheolyong jolted up, his thought on Jinwoon flew out of the window and he blinked when he saw Sanghyun leaning at the doorframe, looking at him with a stiff smile. Cheolyong smiled back at the older, crooning his neck to see past the taller boy. "Where're the others?"

          Sanghyun waltzed into the ward room and flopped down on the bed beside Cheolyong, crossing one leg over the others. "They still have schedule. Since I'm free today, I said I will accompany you."

          "Oh… Okay." Cheolyong mumbled, playing with the tube of his IV drip, feeling like he almost couldn't bear the awkwardness that was slowly forming inside this room. "How nice of you."

          "Well, I heard you're going to get surgery tomorrow so… I thought you would like a company."

          Cheolyong shrugged. "I'm fine. I'm not a coward you see."

          "So… You don't want me here?" Sanghyun muttered, looking hurt for a second before he gave out a forced smile. "Maybe I should have just go home?" He asked, looking slightly hopeful for the maknae to ask him to stay but when the maknae just stay quiet, he could feel his heart cracking and he stood up slowly, clearing his throat. "I'll get going first then." He was about to leave but a small tug on his jacket sleeve stopped him. He looked down and almost fawned at the shy smile on Cheolyong's lips while the maknae was holding onto his jacket sleeve like an adorable little kid. The image definitely befitting Cheolyong's position as the maknae.

          "Stay."

          Sanghyun tried not to show how happy he was at that one word but failed miserably as a wide grin cracked across his small face and he flopped back down beside Cheolyong on the bed. They sat there awkwardly in silence as they didn't really know what kind of thing to talk about.

          Honestly, even though in MBLAQ, the two of them were considered close in term of age, they just couldn't connect with each other. And in those rare time they were left only with each other without the other members, the atmosphere turned all awkward, unlike when all of them together, so fun and so noisy. Sanghyun was quiet while Cheolyong looked uncomfortable. The worst combination ever.

          "So…" Sanghyun decided to break the icy awkwardness and cleared his throat again. He felt the need to lead the conversation considering he was the older one. "What do you want to do?"

          "Well… I can't eat because of the surgery. And… My manga are all at the dorm. How boring…" Cheolyong complained, sinking into the bed with a cute pout.

          Sanghyun chuckled. "Let's watch a movie then." Sanghyun opened the sling bag he brought with him. "Changsun hyung told me to fetch the copy of his new movie from the production since he had schedule until tomorrow morning. Want to watch it?"

          "Ninja asassin?"

          Sanghyun nodded. "Yeah. What else? He lost his original copy so he asked for another."

          "We watched that for like thousand times already. If we watch that again, I might puke for real this time."

          Sanghyun laughed. "Okay. Let's do this instead. I saw a movie rental shop on the ground floor. What kind of movie you want to watch? I'll get it for you."

          "Hmm." Cheolyong hummed thoughtfully. "I've been craving for a scary movie ever since Byunghee hyung kept on dragging me to watch those kind of movies with him just because he can't watch it alone. Aisy! He always influenced me! He even can't go to the bathroom alone!"

          Sanghyun patted Cheolyong's brown hair, unable to resist the maknae's cuteness. "I can't deny you're turning just like him."

          "Eww!"

          "He'll hit you if he heard."

          Cheolyong clung onto Sanghyun. "You won't tell him right hyungie?" Cheolyong burst out into his aegyo and grinned when Sanghyun made a defeated noise.

          "Fine, I won't. So scary movie it is." Sanghyun decided.

          "But hyung." Cheolyong tugged on Sanghyun's jacket again when the older about to leave. "Be quick before I died out of boredom." He joked.

          "Alright, makdungie. Just behave and don't hop around while I'm gone."

          Cheolyong's smile dropped immediately when Sanghyun closed the door behind him and Jinwoon's image came back to haunt him. Letting his head fall back, he stared at the ceiling and mumbled Jinwoon's name a few times thoughtfully. There was definitely something wrong with his partner but he couldn't figure out why. Well, more like he didn't want to figure out why because deep down, he knew where this will lead him.

          Either his own death or Jinwoon's death.

          Sighing in frustration, Cheolyong squeezed shut his eyes. "Why did you do this to me, Jinwoon? You're going to leave me with no choice." He whispered to himself as if he was talking to Jinwoon. "You know I have to kill you if this go to North…" He whispered again, feeling his heart dropped. The moment he got his heart beating again from cold death, he knew, that was the start of his end.

          A spy with heart meant failure.

          He knew that well.

############

"Trust me. I can bring him to our side." Jinwoon said, almost pleadingly.

          The man sitting on the chair across the table looked up at Jinwoon with doubt. "He's not like you. You told me that yourself not too long ago."

          "Yes. I thought that way before but he's…" A slight smiled curled over the corner of Jinwoon's lips. "He's changed. And he's my friend. Please…"

          The man sighed. "You know I'm not that cruel. You don't have to plead this much to me. I wanted to save all of you as well, you know. I just want to make sure you're certain he will cooperate. Otherwise… Everything will be destroyed. Our hardwork will go down the drain. After all these time, I don't want our work went in vain."

          "He's doing great right now, isn't he?"

          "That's because he didn't know the missions you two did before didn't come from North, Jinwoon-shi. Please. Do this well. Don't screw this up if you really want to save him. A lot of people depend on us even though none of them knew. We, in a way, responsible over a lot of lives."

          "I know…" Jinwoon mumbled.

          "Listen. We don't have no one by our side. Not North, not even South. We're on our own."

          "I said I know. I will, okay. I will remember your words. And I will make sure he will come to our side. He's just like us. South is not his place and North… I will never let North use him. I just want a confirmation that you will protect him, just like you protect me. That you will not turn your back on him."

          Nodding, the man assured Jinwoon, "As long as he allow us to."

###################

"I was thinking…" Byunghee mused as him, Seungho and Changsun walked side by side into the hospital building. "Once our maknae in good health again, we should just lock him and Sanghyun in the bathroom together."

          "That's too extreme though." Seungho chipped in.

          "Heh? What are you guys talking about?" Changsun asked with his eyes slightly widened and his mouth in a gape.

          But of course, he was ignored.

          "But at least, that'll make them communicate better. Maybe."

          Seungho hummed before replying. "They stay in the same room almost everytime we have overseas schedule. They are still awkward with each other."

          "Maybe a hotel room was too wide of space. That's why I suggest locking them together in a bathroom instead." Byunghee grinned proudly as if he had just made a genius plan.

          "Why are we planning to lock the maknae-line in a bathroom?" Changsun squeaked, weirded out by 87-line absurd random plan.

          "Shut up, Changsun!" Both of Seungho and Byunghee yelled at the dancer.

          "I was just asking…" Changsun mumbled sulkily and stomped ahead of the 87-line.

          "Anyway, back to our plan." Byunghee turned back to Seungho, ignoring the fact that their dongsaeng was being sulky.

          "Maybe we should arrange them a date." Seungho blurted out.

          "A date? How weird is that? We're trying to get them together closer as friends. You do realize that, right?"

          "Of course! I didn't mean date in that way. Well. We both know even if Sanghyun is quiet, he loves to play. If we just send both of them to an amusement park, they'll have fun together and might turn into best friend right away."

          Byunghee nodded. "Hurm… That's okay I guess. Knowing Cheolyong, he is probably going to drag Sanghyun to every ride possible given the chance despite him telling me he and Sanghyun was not on the same wavelength."

          "I know right. It's hard to even watch them together." Seungho laughed. "Man… The awkwardness when they are together though."

          Byunghee, too, burst into laughter. "But it was kind of cute. It's rare to see Cheolyong turned so quiet and shy you know but whenever he was around Sanghyun, he just turned coy. I just can't!" His laughter just turned louder as he recalled the shy look on Cheolyong's face and the stiff smile on Sanghyun's face whenever the two were left together.

          "Even Jihoon hyung had been asking me about them." Seungho shook his head, smile still plastered on his face. "He was kind of worried for our group dynamic."

          "He was right to worry. It wasn't obvious when all of us together but the two of them was too awkward with each other." Byunghee said and rose his brow when he saw Changsun standing outside of Cheolyong's ward room, barely opened the door into a narrow slit, peeking inside like some ert. "What are you doing?" Byunghee poked on Changsun's arm.

          Changsun turned around with a wide smile and gesturing for the two oldest hyung to stay quiet and just watch through the small opening of the door.

          Sharing a short look with each other, Seungho and Byunghee peeked into the room, surprised to see Sanghyun and Cheolyong were on the same bed with Cheolyong clinging on Sanghyun's arm. A horror movie was playing on the television.

          "That's… The closest I have ever seen them together without us around." Byunghee said in amusement.

          "Not really. Cheolyong always clung on Sanghyun." Changsun said. "But this is too funny. What a scaredy cat." Changsun snickered when he heard Cheolyong's whimper.

          "On the camera, yes. Cheolyong clung with all of us." Seungho reminded. "But off the camera? This is the first."

          That got Changsun in thought. "Now that you mention it…" He mused. "He was kind of distant off camera. Especially with Sanghyun. And me…" Changsun gasped. "Is that why you guys are planning on locking them together inside the bathroom?"

          "You slow muscle idiot." Byunghee sighed and kicked on Changsun's , sending the dancer stumbling into the room, startling the maknae-line inside the room.

          "Joonie hyung!" Cheolyong squeaked in surprise and concern seeing the dancer fall unceremoniously onto the floor but couldn't get up as he needed to stay in bed so not to strain his back.

          "Hey guys. Don't worry. He's just trying a new entrance gimmick." Byunghee chimed, stepping over Changsun who was still on the floor. "Did Sanghyun take good care of you, maknae?" He asked, pulling the chair next to the bed.

          "Yup!" Cheolyong chirped.

          "When is the surgery by the way?" Seungho asked, also stepping over Changsun whom had decided to just lie flat on the floor like a brand new carpet and grumbled on how he wasn't loved and no one even care to help him up.

          "In a few hours. The nurse just came in and she had started the drip." Cheolyong gestured to the IV stand. "I hate needles though." He sighed.

          "It's okay. All will be fine." Sanghyun comforted the maknae.

          "Hyung…" Cheolyong called, eyes on Sanghyun. "Please don't act too much like a hyung." He teased.

          "Hey! I am your hyung. You should act more like the dongsaeng instead of trying to be friend with me all the time."

          "We don't have that much gap in our age anyway!" Cheolyong protested.

          "I'm still older than you!"

          "Then stop acting cute, you make all of the fans think you're the maknae! Do you even know how I feel when all of them thought you're the maknae of the group?"

          "I act cute for the fans! But I'm still your hyung! I want you to respect me!" Sanghyun argued.

          "Hah! Respect my ! I look older than you!"

          "No you're not! You should do aegyo to me too! I heard once Seungho hyung called you over the phone and oh wow! You talk to Seungho hyung like your tongue has been cut into half!"

          "Why? Jealous?"

          "Why does my name got involved?" Seungho muttered in the background.

          "No way I'm jealous! You shouldn't act all mature in front of me because I will NEVER EVER approve you to be my chingu!"

          "Ohohoho. One day you will Park Sanghyun-shi! I'll make sure of that!" Cheolyong dared.

          "Okay! Okay! Enough! Stop bickering!" Suddenly Changsun was already up and there, squeezing himself in between the squabbling Cheolyong and Sanghyun. "Sanghyun, be understanding with Cheolyong. I'm friend with you, maybe that is why he want to be friend with you too. He's just lonely."

          "But… But… He's younger than me."

          "Ugh! Everyone in this planet is friend!" Cheolyong threw his hands into the air.

          "No we're not." The 87-line were fast to protest, stern look on their face.

          Cheolyong puffed up his cheeks and turned away stubbornly. "Fine." He said sulkily. "I'll just stay as the maknae."

          "Aww… Don't sulk… Come here. Let this hyungnim comfort you." Sanghyun teasingly fawned with victorious smile on his face as he enveloped the maknae inside his long arms and squeezed the younger despite Cheolyong stubbornly stay stiff like a stone statue.