sophisticated; having, revealing, or proceeding from a great deal of worldly experience and knowledge

i’d say this group is comparable to finely aged wine, getting better as they age, exquisite and mellow. the other boys just call them the older bunch, grown out of the young and wild, mature yet old-fashioned. junmyeon always denies that, insisting that the words don’t hold, considering jongdae isn’t amongst the oldest.

a day in their world, usually it goes like this.

sunday afternoon when everyone’s off from work, the sunlight peeks slightly from the clouds, the sky is pastel blue, it’s a nice day. they’re at their usual hangout. minhyuk’s holding eunkwang’s hand under the table, minseok’s leaning his head onto jongdae’s shoulder. it’s quiet in the café, they’re still expecting someone.

“vocal practice was hell last night, it’s been months since the last time we recorded.” jongdae’s whining and minseok smiles like he’s used to it.

“it’s always a pain when the promotions are so far apart.” eunkwang agrees.

“wow can we believe this? two of the nation’s best vocals are complaining about singing.” minhyuk jokes, eunkwang punches him lightly on the shoulder. it’s not long until junmyeon arrives.

“you guys really love to leave me out don’t you?” junmyeon gestures at one pair linking arms and the other pair leaning on each other. “not our fault you’re always the last to turn up!” minseok sticks a tongue out and junmyeon mirrors it back.

eunkwang pulls junmyeon to sit next to him just so he’d stop sulking. he orders an americano for junmyeon and they continue their catch up.

they learn that jongdae got another offer to record a drama ost, he accepted the offer hearing that his fans are tired of missing him. minseok just returned from vacation, something very unexpected of him. he usually spends his time off working out at home and spending time with his cat. this time he traveled to hawaii and brought baekhyun along. if they didn’t stop him, minseok would’ve never stopped complaining about how loud that boy is. junmyeon’s just been doing some spring cleaning, since sehun wouldn’t stop nagging about the room becoming a black hole.

minhyuk’s been keeping up with his diet. they always tell him to bring it down a notch, considering how determined he becomes whenever it happens. minhyuk falls sick the most often among them too. eunkwang’s been taking a break since his last musical came to a closure. he always pleads for everyone to come watch him, bringing his free tickets around.

they’re all done with their drinks and minhyuk says he needs to do some shopping. they head out onto the streets.

they walk into a sportswear shop and minhyuk tries on some caps, jongdae’s beside him telling him he looks good. “i haven’t even put it on,” minhyuk laughs. “they’ll all look good on you anyways.” jongdae clarifies. “you just want me to pick one so you can leave, don’t you?” jongdae nods with a cheeky smile across his face, earning himself a punch on the shoulder.

minseok walks out of the fitting room with a bright red jumper on, matched with the same colour joggers. eunkwang gives him two thumbs up (sarcastically) and junmyeon tells him he looks hideous.

they walk out of the store, minhyuk with a new cap on and minseok holding a bag with his matching tracksuit in it. junmyeon tells him to never wear that in the dorm. “i let you pay for that with my money but just make sure i won’t ever see you wear that. ever.” jongdae chuckles and tells him he’s overreacting.

they walk into a bookstore next. amongst them, only minhyuk is anywhere near interested in books. minseok half-heartedly flips through a book, pretending to be involved. eunkwang tags along with minhyuk as he scans through the novels in the fictional romance section.

“a last kiss. sounds tacky already, doesn’t it?” minhyuk shows eunkwang the book he picked up.

“nothing too tacky about this though,” eunkwang locks eyes and leans in for a peck on minhyuk’s cheek. minhyuk gently shoves him with his shoulder, saying that people were watching. eunkwang doesn’t miss the chance to put his arm around minhyuk’s shoulder, gazing lovingly as he continues browsing the books.

jongdae and junmyeon are leaning on the shelves, yawning as they wait for them to be done. minseok casually checks the time on his watch.

the five finally leave the bookstore, minhyuk with a novel titled “be my valentine” in one hand.

they finish off their little date in a bakery. the smell of freshly baked cookies and muffins fill up the place. it’s cozy and welcoming. there’s a table for  five, perfect. junmyeon orders some pastries and cakes, then brings them to the table. minseok’s fiddling with the strap on minhyuk’s cap, looking at him as if he's lovestruck. jongdae’s clinging onto eunkwang’s arm, resting his head on eunkwang’s shoulder, as if about to fall fast asleep. junmyeon knocks on the wooden table as if to break up the loving atmosphere. they all laugh.

minseok feeds jongdae a piece of strawberry shortcake, giggling when whipped cream ends up on his top lip. he grabs a napkin and tells minseok to wipe it off. minhyuk splits one of the hazelnut cookies into quarters, passing a piece to eunkwang, and another to junmyeon. jongdae jokingly asks if minhyuk washed his hands after going to the bathroom earlier today, junmyeon pretends to choke on his cookie. the day’s almost coming to an end, seeing from how the sun is setting and painting the sky a mix of orange-red hues, with undertones of purple. it has been a beautiful day out.

it’s time they part ways, minhyuk and eunkwang heading towards their dorm, junmyeon, jongdae and minseok heading towards theirs. they give each other hugs. minhyuk kisses minseok and jongdae  on the cheek, eunkwang holds junmyeon’s hand one last time before they say goodbye.

with schedules coming between them, who knows when they’ll find time to meetup again, like they did today?

as eunkwang drives off, minhyuk waves from the rolled down car window. the other 3 walk towards their dorm, which is nearby in the neighbourhood. minseok blurts out, “don’t you guys think minhyuk’s gotten more good-looking? it’s like he never ages…” jongdae shoots junmyeon a doubtful look.

“i know we live in the modern age, where the word ‘gay’ is no longer used as an insult like it was in 2010, but in this context, minseok, that is really gay of you.” junmyeon puts a hand on minseok’s shoulder and jongdae bursts out into a fit of laughter.

“i think the word ‘gay’ is pretty much relevant in every context involving the five of us, don’t you think?” minseok winks and skips his way back to the dorm.

as the sky darkens, from a mesmerizing shade of violet to a tranquil midnight blue, the day comes to an end, like always. if these five were comparable to finely aged wine, i’d say their feelings haven’t stopped brewing. grown out of the young and wild? i beg to differ. within them is a non-exhaustive passion and love for one another, one that fails to come to an end, unlike how every sunny day comes to an end with a captivating sunset.