Questions

The sound of birds awakening from their slumber, to sing their songs with the first hint of the sun peaking through the horizon, broke Sungjae from his reverie of the day he’d finally have the courage to speak his most inner thoughts and worries to the one sitting in front of him. Changsub was in the middle of folding the blanket he had slept with for warmth, unaware of Sungjae’s inner dilemma he’d found himself in since last night. Changsub turned to him then looking over at Sungjae’s sleeping spot, scrutinizing the blanket he’d used, still unfolded with his pillow lying at the end, near Sungjae’s sprawled feet. Taking the cue from Changsub’s obvious facial remarks, Sungjae immediately grabbed the blanket, folding it expertly and placing the pillow on top of the neatly folded blanket near Changsub’s.

Stretching one last time, Changsub stepped out of the tent with Sungjae following closely behind him to see the first light of the sun rising above the autumn trees. Sungjae stood in awe as he marveled at the effect of the morning light bouncing off of the autumn leaves hanging above,causing them to become more vibrant in color than before. The colorful leaves coalesced with the help of the sunlight, mingling together to create a natural blanket of fused leaves that covered the ground beneath by casting darker shadows below the trees.

They walked over to the campfire near their tent to find Eunkwang and Minhyuk already sitting nearby the fire, warming breakfast up for the others while eating and talking in low voices together. Eunkwang looked up, noticing their presence by the crunch of the leaves their footsteps made, smiling and greeting them.

“Good morning, Changsub-ah, Sungjae-ah. How was your night?” Eunkwang asked, sitting forward to stir the bubbling porridge so that it wouldn’t burn.

“Don’t ask,” Changsub stated, glancing back at Sungjae pointedly. Eunkwang looked over to Sungjae and then confusion registered on his face.

“Wait...Didn’t you pair up with Ilhoon last night, Sungjae-ah?” he asked, pointing his finger at Changsub and glancing between the two of them in a questionable way. Minhyuk was in the middle of taking a bite of his porridge but stopped midway, holding the spoon before his mouth, waiting for Sungjae’s response with a look of curiosity twinkling in his eyes and a small smile appearing across his lips.

Sungjae laughed nervously, peeking over at Changsub to see his arms folded over his chest with a look of aggravation crossing his face. “We kinda ended up together last night,” Sungjae hesitantly answered Eunkwang without expanding further on last night's details.

Changsub scoffed, then answered immediately, “Ilhoon came over and kicked me out of my tent last night.” Obviously, Changsub still held a small grudge against him for keeping him up for the majority of the night. Sungjae remained silent though, choosing to stay neutral on this conversation to avoid any further confrontation. As far as he was concerned, it had been resolved between them even though he had promised his hyung he would reveal the truth. That was another problem for another day. Today, it was Ilhoon’s problem, Sungjae thought.

“Ahh...I see. Okay. Do you want some breakfast?” Eunkwang offered, probably sensing that his friend needed a distraction from the bad night he had judging by his appearance. Changsub eye’s were barely visible and his hair was sticking up in different angles.

“Yes, I’m starving! With the night I’ve had, I’m going to need plenty of energy for the day,” Changsub said, grabbing a bowl nearby so that Eunkwang could serve him some of the porridge that he was stirring over the fire. Sungjae grabbed a bowl too and stood behind Changsub, waiting his turn to be served. Once they were served they took a seat beside Eunkwang and Minhyuk, eating silently.

“What’s on the agenda for the day,” Minhyuk asked, breaking the awkward silence that had befallen them.

“I believe today we will be doing volunteer work, such as picking up trash and helping around with planting seeds and such,” Eunkwang informed them, looking over a pamphlet that had been given out the day before the trip by the organisers of Cube.

Sungjae overheard Changsub sigh heavily beside him in defeat. He knew Changsub was tired and he felt bad because he was to blame for his lack of sleep. Glancing over at Changsub sitting beside him as he silently ate his breakfast, Sungjae detected the black sweatshirt he had lent him last night, with the large number six on the back. Seeing his name in bold letters visibly advertised on Changsub made him feel like he had covertly marked him as his, which unexpectedly caused him to smile and then giggle out loud happily.

“What are you giggling about?” Changsub asked, side-eyeing him suspiciously. “Do I have something on my face?” he asked swiping his right hand over his face to find the invisible item.  

“No, you don’t have anything on your face.  I was just thinking,” Sungjae meekly answered, embarrassed he had laughed out loud for everyone to see. Eunkwang and Minhyuk didn’t seem to take mind of him though. Unfortunately, Changsub did.

Changsub continued to stare at him relentlessly for a few seconds and then muttered in a low voice, “...weirdo,” and continued munching on his meal, forgetting about Sungjae while devouring his bowl to get seconds.

Minutes passed and eventually Hyunsik and Ilhoon made their way to the group. They seemed to be immersed in their conversation so much so that they hadn’t seen the group until Eunkwang had greeted them loudly.

“Hyunsik-ah, Ilhoon-ah! You’re finally here. Did you sleep well?” Eunkwang asked them.

“Yes, I slept well,” Hyunsik responded with a huge grin that he couldn’t contain.

Ilhoon smiled and responded, “It started off tough but I managed to sleep well.” After Ilhoon’s statement, Sungjae could hear Changsub grumbling unhappily next to him with his mouth full of porridge, making his cheeks puff out, giving the appearance of a little boy pouting.

“By the way, do you guys know your friend here is a hard sleeper?” Ilhoon asked out loud to no one in particular. Eunkwang and Changsub nodded their head in unison at his question.

“Yes, you practically have to throw water on him or shake him hard to get him up,” Eunkwang acknowledged.

“What can I say? I like to dream…”Hyunsik admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, a slight tinge of blush marking his cheeks.

“Come sit down. Eunkwang made some porridge for breakfast. It’s delicious,” Minhyuk said, giving Eunkwang an approving smile.

“So what were you guys discussing earlier when you didn’t see us? It was like you two were in your own little world,” Eunkwang asked out of curiosity.

“Music!” Hyunsik said excitedly, glancing over at Ilhoon with a large smile and glinting eyes.

“It looks like Hyunsik and I share some common interests,” Ilhoon said, nodding his head and looking over at Hyunsik with a faint smile. Minhyuk handed the two a bowl of porridge and they sat down across from them. They continued eating the remaining porridge, talking from time to time between each bite, until the pot was finally empty.

The encampment was soon busy with trainees running around, prepping for their mini trip to the location they would be going to for the volunteer work. Cube was a company that prided itself on training their trainees on not just the basics on music but also the basics of humanity to say the least. Each month trainees were required to volunteer in such functions. It helped the individual trainees to develop positive attributes that would contribute to the probability of becoming an idol that would be looked upon in a positive light by the common folks of their country.  So it did not come as a surprise to the trainees when it was revealed that they would spend a few hours volunteering on their bonding trip.

Within an hour, after packing all their luggage and gear, they were at the location of their volunteer work. Upon arriving they were split into two teams, Pickers and Seeders. Half would be searching and picking up litter lying about on the ground while the other half would help sow seeds of plants native to this land. Sungjae had been placed in the first group, separated from Changsub, Eunkwang, Hyunsik and Minhyuk, who were placed on the second team and was currently picking up trash alongside Ilhoon.

“Why did you hint at Changsub that there was something going on?” Sungjae asked Ilhoon, remembering what Changsub had told him this morning. Ilhoon looked over at him with a thoughtful look and then he shrugged casually.

“What does that mean? Does that mean you did it on purpose?” Sungjae asked becoming annoyed at Ilhoon’s nonchalance at his questions.

“It means it’s not my problem so why should I care,” Ilhoon stated matter of factly. “I’ve already helped you by giving the advice you needed. Now it’s up to you on how you use it. Are you that scared of him finding out? Have you decided on what you are going to do?” Ilhoon was interrogating him instead and Sungjae found himself lost for words. He had turned it around on him effortless.

“I’m still deciding. I cherish our friendship and I don’t want to lose that,” Sungjae said, thinking out loud.

“Then remain friends,” Ilhoon said, shrugging his shoulders again.

“But my feelings run deeper than a friendship,” Sungjae said after.

“Then confessed,” Ilhoon replied with another shrug.

“Wait, why are you telling me this when you told me last night to first find out how he feels about relationships between same ?” Sungjae asked confused at Ilhoon’s words.

“I just think the quicker you resolved this, the quicker your heart will be at peace. Trust me, the longer you wait, the more your heart will suffer, I know,” Ilhoon answered with a touch of remorse in his voice that he tried to hide but Sungjae caught it.

“Have you gone through this before too,” Sungjae asked curiously. Ilhoon looked over at him, remaining quiet.

“Maybe, but this isn’t about me,” he said avoiding the question. Sungjae nodded.

They walked along the path with other trainees picking up litter left behind by people who disregarded the well being of the land and its animals by doing so.

                                                                                                                                                                   ~~~~~

The sun crossed the sky heading close to the horizon marking that the end of the day was nearing. The trainees soon loaded the bus to head back home to the dorms. It had been a long day of activities and Changsub was exhausted from all the walking and back bending he had done in the passed two days. Besides the fact that he had also little to no sleep last night, he was looking forward to going back to the dorms to crawl back into his bed and finally receive a night of peaceful sleep. But that wouldn’t be until he sat through two hours or more in a bus full of trainees that appeared to still have energy to sing and talk out loud after a long day of volunteering which he didn’t understand. Sighing, he glanced over at his seatmate.

“How was your day of picking litter?” he asked politely, trying to make conversation.

“Tiring, I guess, but it gave me a sense of accomplishment,” Ilhoon said, nodding his head at his remark. Changsub nodded too.

“How about you?” Ilhoon asked him back politely.

“About the same,” Changsub responded absentmindedly. A flash of the night before crossed his mind reminding him of who he was talking to. “Thanks for kicking me out last night, by the way,” he said sarcastically. “What was that about? Do you know thanks to you I had a horrible night?”

“I’m sure you’re the only one,” Ilhoon countered back. Changsub was taken aback by his attack.

“What’s that supposed to mean exactly, huh?” he asked flabbergasted that a trainee younger than him was talking to him in this way, but also interested in the reason behind his statement.

“I’m pretty sure you know what I mean,” he stated. Changsub shook his head. “I mean that Sungjae adores you. You know that, right?”

Changsub nodded his head at this. He knew that Sungjae loved to have his attention so he could see the meaning behind what Ilhoon was saying. “Yes, I know. He made a grand gesture to become my friend.” Ilhoon nodded his head but Changsub caught a questionable look in his eyes.

Changsub sat back in his seat, hearing all the voices of the trainees in the background, with thoughts permeating his mind. These last two days had been eventful but exhausting on his body. Thoughts of his bed waiting for him kept filling his mind and he felt his eyes slowly starting to close down on him. He felt a hand nudge him on his shoulder just as he was about to shut down completely. He shook his head, blinking his eyes rapidly to get the sleep out of them to look over at his seatmate, Ilhoon.

“What do you think about people who love someone of the same gender,” he asked out of nowhere. Changsub gave Ilhoon a quizzical look, observing him closely.

“Hmm….Love is love. Who am I to question how someone loves another?” Changsub answered after thoughtfully mulling the question through. Ilhoon smiled at his answer and nodded.

“Okay, then how about you? Could you fall in love with someone of the same ,” Ilhoon asked leaving Changsub confused and bewildered. Changsub thought about the question for a few minutes.

“I’m not sure. I don’t know. I consider myself straight though but that’s probably because I’ve never felt like that to anyone of the same ,” he answered carefully after thinking it through. What if Ilhoon liked him? He didn’t want to hurt his feelings by blatantly answering the question in a harmful manner.

“I see...Okay, I’m done. You can go back to sleep,” Ilhoon responded back to his answer leaving Changsub even more confused than before. Shaking his head he sat back in his seat, thinking about why he had asked those questions and why he responded that way to them. A person who liked him would respond differently than Ilhoon but then why would he ask those questions.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

I'm back after a long time! Sorry for the wait..I'm going to try to work on the next chapter. I hope you enjoy this new chapter. For all the new Melodies reading, Welcome to the Fandom. You won't regret stanning this amazing, talented and hilarious group. Speaking from experience. haha XD