The first thing Hayeon did after wrapping up practice was to check her phone. It should be over by now and she should've received some kind of news. But only the mellow light of her candle background showed up when she opened her phone. 

That was odd. She looked at the time. It was already past seven in the evening. It should be over and actually, they should be almost back now.

"Hayeon? Ready to go?" 

She looked behind her and found Minhyuk already with his bag on and waiting for her.

"I can go back alone tonight, I mean it's still early." she said, deciding against keeping her phone inside her bag in case news arrived soon. "You can rest earlier." she added. Ever since Minhyuk told her he actually likes her in that way, he'd been the one escorting her home and Taekwoon trusted him enough to let him.

"Please? I like walking you home." he said, the telltale sign of a blush on the tips of his ears and Hayeon finds herself blushing a little, too. Minhyuk had been so different from Dongho who was sweet yet aloof, or even Taekwoon who filters through her words and just does everything wordlessly. Minhyuk was so gentle and considerate, always asking for permission even for the smallest things and Hayeon felt so cared for.

Hayeon dipped her head a bit, a soft "Okay." under her breath which made Minhyuk smile. It was a cute smile.

~*~

Halfway through their way back at the dorm, an ice cream in one hand, the phone she kept in her other hand finally gave the ring she was waiting for. But instead of Taekwoon's photo stuffed with food that she expected, it was Eunji's photo dressed as Margarette from the last film evaluations that showed up on her screen.

Another on her strawberry ice cream and she was pressing the phone to her ear. "Eunji! How did it go?" she asked, still eating the pink twirl in the cone.

"Is practice over?" she asked, lacking the usual energy of her voice.

"Hey... What's wrong?" she asked, pressing the phone closer to her ear in hopes to catch anything Eunji might say.

There was a sigh and Hayeon completely stopped walking. Minhyuk did, too, next to her, waiting patiently knowing that something was up with the phonecall.

"Are you on your way back?" Eunji asked again instead of directly answering Hayeon's question.

She pressed her lips, remaining calm, something happened obviously but she can't force it out, so she answered, "Yes. I'm almost back." She looked at Minhyuk's patient expression, "Minhyuk's walking with me." she added.

"Just... I don't think Taekwoon's okay." she admitted, sounding so small. "Or maybe he really is and I'm just worrying myself unnecessarily."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Hayeon asked gently. She heard a sound akin to something moving and figured Eunji shook her head instead of giving a verbal response, it's something Taekwoon often does, forgetting that they're on the phone and the other person won't see the movement. "I don't really know either. He isn't talking about it." she said as an answer.

She waited, sensing that Eunji wasn't done talking yet.

"Can you ask him? I think... I think he'll tell you." she finished.

Hayeon sighed, "Eunji... I want to help and I'm worried, too. But Taek... Even I can't force words out of him. Taekwoon wouldn't talk unless he thinks it's okay to." she said, sounding as sincere as possible. She's worried for Taekwoon, really she is, but her best friend often keeps to himself. It wasn't because he doesn't trust Hayeon but more because it was just the way he is. If he thinks it wasn't a big deal, or that he could handle it alone, or if he wasn't sure of the situation like with the case with Dongho, then he wouldn't tell. It was a Taekwoon thing they had fought about multiple times in the past. Through their time together, Taekwoon had learned not to keep so much and Hayeon to accept that Taekwoon wouldn't be as open as she would've liked.

"I'm sorry... for asking this from you." she said, sounding almost tired.

"It's okay. I understand. You're worried and you wanted to help. But Taek will ask for help when he needs it. Just trust him, okay?" 

She heard movement again and took it as Eunji nodding from the other end.

"Thanks, Hayeon. Take care going back. Say hi to Minhyuk for me." she dropped the call after Hayeon said goodbye. The ice cream was too melted to eat now and honestly, she didn't have the apettite to finish it anymore.

Minhyuk motioned a little towards the direction of her dorms, ever so patient. Hayeon sighed and nodded, walking again. She wanted to call Taekwoon but decided to listen to her own advice and trust her best friend to know when to seek help.

~*~

Taekwoon opened the door, using his own keys and finding the room pitch black. He sighed as he reached in his pocket, bringing out one of the red hair ties he still keep then left it on the knob of the door.

The bed was made and even if he felt guilty ruining the straightened sheets, he still lied down and curled in on himself, pushing his face onto one of the pillows, the comforting scent of lavender clings heavily on the material.

The room was so quiet so he heard the knob turning loud and clear. It was still pitch black, he didn't bother to turn on any light.

"Taek?" He heard Hayeon call in a soft voice. 

He shuffled, sitting instead of lying down so when Hayeon switched on the lights he was already sitting up on the bed.

He thought she was coming home from practice, but the towel on her hair tells him that she was coming back from a shower instead.

She padded towards the bed, dressed in an oversized white shirt and black shorts. Taekwoon swung his feet down, letting it dangle on the side of the bed. He looked up, meeting Hayeon's eyes. Her eyes immediately searched his.

Taekwoon doesn't know what she sees in his eyes or his face. He had never had a chance to ask her how she learned to read him so well. Even when he does his best to keep something to himself, one clear look on him and she just knows.

She didn't say anything but Taekwoon knows she had seen enough. Hayeon turned around and reached for her hair dryer, silently handing it to him. She also removed the towel on her hair then sat on the floor, between his legs.

It was their usual arrangement, when he's the one that will do the talking. But Hayeon hadn't asked. He knows she's giving him the option to bail out and he appreciates the gesture. He knows how much she tries to give him the time and space he needs, and it was both a good thing and a bad thing. On one side, he isn't forced to talk about things he doesn't want to talk about yet, on the other he'd need to be the one initiating the talk if he does want to discuss something.

Taekwoon scoots back until he was leaning on the wall. "Yeon?"

"Hm?" She didn't turn around and Taekwoon almost wished she did so she would see how desperate he is, so he wouldn't have to tell her with words.

"Get on the bed. The floor is cold."

Then she was moving, climbing the bed but still wasn't turning to face Taekwoon. He sighed, turning the hair dryer on and tried to find his voice again as he carded his fingers through her long brown hair. It was silent, save for the sound of the dryer. Once he finished, he tugged lightly at the ends of the strands. Hayeon's hair is really long now, reaching at her waist. He could still remember when they were in high school, when they first met, her hair was just barely past her shoulder then.

He could feel the prick in his eyes. It had been a terrible day. He knows. He understands. But it doesn't stop him from being hurt and upset.

Wordlessly, he let his forehead slump on her narrow shoulder. The comforting scent of lavender because of her hair only serves to make him want to cry all the more. He wrapped his arms around her waist, clutching her closer to himself like he would do with a pillow. But Hayeon is more solid than any pillow. She's silently there but strong enough for the two of them when he's feeling weak.

Taekwoon felt her hand over his, rubbing gently. "Taek... You know it's okay not to tell me anything, right? Don't force yourself. I'll still be here." she said, ever so gentle. But it served to be the most damning of it all. The first tear escaped his closed eyes, wetting the shoulder of Hayeon's shirt. Then followed by another... and another... until he's sure it was seeping through the cloth.

He felt a hand on his hair, petting his hair as he cried silently, whimpering through her shirt. "Shh... It's okay. It's okay." she murmured, still gently ruffling his hair.

It took quite a while before he managed to calm down. He loosened his hold a bit. He had unconsciously clutched Hayeon tighter until it should be bordering on uncomfortable but she didn't give any sign that she was.

When he was sure he can talk without his voice shaking, he shifted his head from her shoulder until only his forehead was connected to it. "I failed the audition." he said, voice so soft that only Hayeon would be able to hear him.

Instead of answering, Hayeon just hummed and he was thankful for it. He doesn't know what kind of words he wanted to hear right now but he's sure it wasn't a "It's okay, you tried." or "It's just your first audition. There will be more opportunities." Somehow, a wordless response felt better. He wasn't looking for someone to console him, tell him he did his best, or that it was okay. He just... wanted someone to listen. And for some reason, he felt that Hayeon understood that it was what he needed.

"I got too nervous. I think I messed up some lines." She's playing with his fingers now, calming him some more. "I was too tense, too aware of the people watching." He took a shuddering breath, he feels like he's going to end up crying again. "I hate it. I hate myself not because I failed but because..."

"...you feel like you didn't do your best." she finished and Taekwoon just nodded, already feeling so drained.

She leaned her head on his, humming a little and swaying from side to side like she was putting a kid to sleep and despite feeling so upset just a few minutes ago, Taekwoon found himself smiling at how ridiculous this turned out.

"I'm not a kid, Yeon." he whined playfully.

"I know you're not, but you're tired, right? Go to sleep, Taek." she said, still swaying a little. 

Taekwoon yawned, and he was surprised to find out he really was tired, and quickly getting sleepy. He was so tense earlier and now that the tension had left him after crying, the day was catching up to him fast.

"I need... to get back to my room..." he said, almost slurring with his words.

Hayeon didn't reply, just continued swaying gently and Taekwoon... All he could think about was how comfortable it was right now and how much he just wanted to sleep. Thoughts of returning to his room faded quickly with his consciousness.

~*~

Hayeon knew the exact moment Taekwoon fell asleep, his full weight dropping on her as his arms completely lose their strength. She could also feel him breathing ever so lightly behind her. She was glad Taekwoon managed to get the words out, managed to tell her what had him so upset, to get it off of his chest. 

What she didn't understand was the way her heart was beating erratically. She tried to will it away, chanting "It's okay. Calm down, heart. It's just Taekwoon. Just Taekwoon." and yet, it appears that it refuses to listen to her at all.

~*~

lindsjune: So i'm sure (and i hope) that you all have been enjoying VIXX LR's Whisper :) well we have something for you ;)

If you guys are streaming Whisper on any platform except for Youtube (Melon, Genie, Naver) and if you screenshot and upload it on twitter with a hashtag of #Whisper and #TQatIP, we'll drop in your dms with a sneak peek of a scene of Part 7: Night Before the Coronation :D so if you wanna know what happens in the future (hint hint) get to streaming!