“Eh? What extra work?” Jongdae’s voice surprised them. They jumped at his voice and realized he was close enough to peep in. He was standing right behind them, looking at the same scene as they were. Chanyeol looked at him, but answering him wasn’t something he wanted to do. His thoughts were stuck. Jongdae looked at Kyungsoo and Baekhyun, but then he turned to stare at Chanyeol instead. He raised his chin, expecting him to go away, but could only look away. He rather let the Jongin answer.

“Umm…I am worried about Kyungsoo,” Jongin said, “I want to be a good friend to him.”

“Eh? Why? You guys are good friends, aren’t you?” Jongdae asked. He raised his palms offering sunflower seeds to Jongin and Chanyeol.

“Will you keep it to yourself?” Chanyeol asked on behalf of Jongin.

“Of course, unless it is something I absolutely need to tell someone,” Jongdae said. Chanyeol thought for a brief second before he nodded at Jongin, 'we can trust him.'

Jongin hesitated to speak, but Chanyeol’s arm looped around his shoulder gave him strength. “Kyungsoo helped me a lot during training. There was that time that he even risked being thrown out by standing up against those guys for me,” Jongin paused to look at Jongdae, seeing no judgment on his face he continued, “Even when the trainers don’t want to train Sehun and I, he would text us before he finished. So that we could crash his practice. That way the trainers wouldn’t mind guiding us in those last minutes,” Jongin stopped and looked at Jongdae through his eyelashes.

“Go on, I feel like there is more,” Jongdae said.

“Ummm, I don’t know how to say this,” Jongin muttered. Chanyeol gently massaged his shoulders, as a way to encourage him. He knew he lacked the courage Jongin was currently displaying.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to say it. I was just curious if there was a way I could help,” Jongdae replied with a smile. A smile that warmed Jongin. 

He still remembers that day.

This was when Kyungsoo had injured himself on the stage. It was only a coincidence that Jongin saw Kyungsoo's expression mid-dance. He didn’t feel like something was wrong but only realized it when the performance was over. They rushed down the stairs, and suddenly Kyungsoo seized his hand. It was a raised stage, with levels and had many stairs. Only when he felt the death grip loosen, Jongin turned to see Kyungsoo. What he saw scared him; Kyungsoo’s eyes had rolled and he was falling, falling forward and They were still on top of the staircase.

At someone’s shout, Junmyeon Hyung turned and looked back. He skipped up the stairs and successfully caught Kyungsoo. Jongin, who was frozen, extended his hand a bit too late. Even when he did, his hand hardly reached. They stood in shock as Hyung carried him with the manager assisting them. 

The manager informed them next that Kyungsoo had injured himself during the performance itself. He would meet up with them the day after the airport instead. Jongin was shocked that Kyungsoo had done the entire growl choreography on stage with an injured leg, hiding it so well that no one had noticed. They all hoped that it wasn’t anything serious.

Jongin was worried. After the whole gang fight, this was one time he could have helped Kyungsoo but he couldn't. Now, his nerves wouldn't let him rest. He even tried burning out excess energy but that didn't work either. Finally, he gathered courage to ask Chanyeol if he could figure out more about what had happened. 

Chanyeol had looked at him and asked, “why Jongin?”

“I am worried about him,” Jongin replied and looked away. But Chanyeol tapped his nose, making Jongin look at him. Chanyeol was smiling, “didn’t the manager just say they will meet us at the airport?”

“But still,” Jongin said. 

“You want to be close to him,” Chanyeol said more than asked. Jongin panicked as he heard those words, “what!”

“You like him, want to be close friends, don’t you?” Chanyeol continued grinning.

“I… I don’t know what you are talking about. I am just concerned about him, that is all, I don’t like him. He glares at me all the time, we don’t get along either, what are you even saying!” Jongin blabbered.

“So why did you glare at Minseok Hyung?”

“When did I do that?”

“You know when Kyungsoo went up to him and hugged him? You were glaring at him as dragged Kyungsoo to join Baekhyun and Sehun!”

“No, I did not,” Jongin stepped back, “He was supposed to be on this side! And I was just looking at them, not glaring at them!!”

“You know you did,” Chanyeol said, “C’mon, I saw you!!!”

“Why are you insisting so much?” Jongin whined.

“Fine, be like that,” Chanyeol sighed, “I won’t tell you even if I come to know anything.” With that, he turned to walk away. Jongin grabbed his hand and looked down as he said, “you are right….um….I….do…I do want to be close to him.”

Chanyeol was taken aback at the confession. He was merely messing around with Jongin. Of course, he was going to ask around for what happened. The company policy was to only inform the managers and not the group, which was ty. But Chanyeol knew enough people to get some information. He was surprised by the way Jongin looked, scared, only then he realized that it really was the truth. Jongin truly meant those words. 

Whatever Chanyeol had said about glaring and being jealous was what he himself had done. He was the one who glared at Baekhyun and Minseok whenever they got too close to Kyungsoo. That day during the concert, when Kyungsoo approached Minseok and hugged him, Chanyeol had wanted that hug. It was a fluke that when he turned, he saw his own expressions reflecting on Jongin's face. But he did not think of it much then.

Until Jongin's confession. And it was his words that brought him back to the present.

 

“After Tao left, Kyungsoo retreated into himself. He used to speak less but he speaks even less now. His habit of biting his nails has returned, it made them put medicine on his nails. I just…. I want to be there for him as he has been for me,” Jongin stumbled.

Jongdae nodded, accepting it as the reason, “then what was about the extra work?”

Jongin tensed up, so Chanyeol replied, “you and Baekhyun get along with him so easily because you have vocal training together! Even Minseok Hyung gets to harmonize with him so often! You get to spend time with him for a reason and have the same practice timing. We don't get that! He ignores me in the dorm when I am trying to talk to him, even if I keep calling out his name! He doesn’t even have the same practice time with us, until it is the final stage. He has even stopped coming for jam sessions with me. That’s why we have to put in extra work and time to spend time with him. Look!! Look at Baekhyun now!”

At Chanyeol's words, they turned to look at the two in the kitchen. Kyungsoo was feeding Baekhyun. They both were standing close, next to each other, with Baekhyun’ head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. Baekhyun would demand and Kyungsoo would oblige.

 

“See that, if either of us tries that, we get wacked!” Chanyeol finished. He dragged his hand through his hair, “we only want to be able to spend time with him. If only others didn’t interfere!!!”

On hearing that, Jongdae burst out laughing and Jongdae laughed really loudly. It was loud enough to prompt Baekhyun and Kyungsoo to look up at the intruders. Jongdae waved at them and dragged Jongin and Chanyeol out.

“I have an idea, something that could help you both. Seems like both of you have the same goal,” he said.