It's a little after 5AM when Jiho looks up to see Kyung shuffling into the kitchen.

"Hey, Kyung."

"Dude...why the hell you up so early?" He asks groggily as he brings his hands up to his eyes to rub the sleep away.

"Couldn't go back to sleep."

", you've been up all this time?" Kyung's eyes widen quickly, as if this news is equivalent to having cold water splashed on his face.

"Yeah."

Kyung’s staring at Jiho in disbelief as he takes a seat at the kitchen table next to him.

“This is really that bad, huh?” he says, concern in his voice returning in full force from a few hours ago.

“I called her a ,” Jiho says flatly. One look at Kyung’s eyes and he’s certain that if he was any more shocked they would be popping out of their sockets.

“Are you in’ serious?” Kyung’s voice raises a bit and Jiho has to shush him as a reminder to keep it down for the sake of the other members.

“Sorry...” he apologizes before asking the same question. “But seriously, Z? You really did that?”

Jiho fidgets around for a few seconds; turning away from Kyung, he runs his hands through his hair, rubs the back of his neck, and crosses his arms before looking back to his best friend and answering the question with a simple, disheartened, “yeah.” Jiho shifts his gaze away from Kyung as all of the emotions from the night before suddenly rise up from the pit of his stomach and catch in his throat, threatening to resurface.

Don't ing do it, Jiho, he tells himself. If you let that start now it won't stop til you sleep again...If you can even get to sleep.

There's a silence between the two of them that Jiho knows is Kyung’s way of letting him have a moment to pull himself together.

Once he’s visibly recomposed, Kyung starts throwing out suggestions: backing out because he’s sick, calling Dok2 and telling him the situation and asking if he can take over for at least the rest of this week’s performances.

It’s clear that Kyung is desperate to help his friend out, and even though Jiho knows there’s no way he can get out of the situation, the sheer fact that someone’s willing to help him is enough to put a small half-smile on his face.

“So what do you think?” Kyung asks after finishing his three minute long list of suggestions- 98% of which were just things Kyung was saying to relieve some of Jiho’s tension (because Jiho knows that even Kyung’s not dumb enough to try and hop on a plane to get out of town this last minute, nevermind that they’d be lucky to make it out of the agency’s building to begin with). Jiho takes a deep breath, cheeks puffing out a little as he exhales.

“There’s no way out of this,” Jiho says, shaking his head as he looks at Kyung, “I promised Dok2. I’m just gonna have to it up.”

Kyung’s expression is somber, but he gives his friend an understanding nod.

“Alright man...whatever you do, you know I’m behind you.” Kyung’s arm snakes around Jiho’s back and his hand grips Jiho’s shoulder firmly, reaffirming what he’s just said.

---

It’s the second day of “Just Follow” promotions and Jiho closes his eyes in the makeup chair, feigning sleep in order to avoid being asked questions about why he looks so nervous today.

He does his best to find non-work-related things to focus on, but yesterday’s events replay in his mind incessantly, causing the formation of knots in his stomach which only grow larger with each repetition.

He’s so preoccupied with trying to control his nerves that he barely hears the stylist say “All finished!” Hell, it even takes him a while to snap back to reality after she pats him on the shoulder. He manages a “thank you” before she exists the room, leaving him by himself.

Jiho rises up from his chair, inhaling deeply through his nose and exhaling through pursed lips as he closes the short space between the counter in front of him. He watches as his knuckles turn white, fingers gripping at the counter’s edge. His stare drifts upward to meet his eyes in the mirror, and he can see how thick the makeup had to be packed on to cover up the dark circles that had formed from last night.

You can do this, he tells himself, staring into his own eyes with such intensity that it’s as if he’s communicating directly with his soul.

Jiho’s phone buzzes and it brings him back to reality so abruptly that he jumps a little.

He checks the text he received and a small smile makes its way across his face, ending in a tiny chuckle.

From: Kyung
hey man dont stress 2 much bout performing w/ her a’ight? if u can make it thru 2nite I’ma sneak u out 2morrow nite 4 sum fun! Drinks on me :D

Jiho bursts into laughter when he reads the text he receives immediately after the first.

From: Kyung
ok drinks r actually on Jaehyo cuz i convinced him 2 buy em 4 us but u kno wut i mean



Challenge accepted, man.

Jiho takes a few more moments to steady his breathing and heads out the door, head held high.

Let’s do this .