Chapter 23

A few months ago

Aya Sato.

He had to find her. But it wasn't easy. There were thousands of Aya Satos in Japan, but he never relented. With only a name on his hands, he tried for months. On the internet, asking friends, even going to that country personally. It was hard, but it didn't matter. And it worked.

“May I talk to Aya Sato?” he rang the intercom, his Japanese a little rusty, but still useful. His anxiety made him fidget on his feet, his hands also nervous.

“Who is it?” a delicate female voice answered. Was it her?

“Is this Aya Sato?” he tried again.

“Who is it?” she spoke again, her voice now more impatient. Taecyeon didn't want to say his name, surely he would scare her if he did. But he had no choice.

“This is Ok Taecyeon.” Silence. From the little intercom he could feel her hesitation, her curiosity. And most of all, her fear. But he wasn't psychic when he guessed her feelings. Taecyeon would also be scared if a sin from the past came back to haunt him. “May I come in?” he tried again. And it worked. The door opened.

“Why do you guys look so tired?” All of them looked like they were run over by a train, when they just took a short flight to Japan. They looked like they ran a marathon. 

“Because it's a late night flight? Why couldn't you pick a regular flight in the middle of the day?” Junho whined, his iness off the charts tonight. But it was normal considering it was 4 o'clock in the morning.

“Because I don't want to raise attention to us together while we don't work everything out with the company. I want an official announcement and no rumors for now,” he explained with a smile.

His group looked sour and tired, maybe a little dead. But he felt different, reinvigorated. Happy. Going back to their old routine made his smile so much his cheek hurt. Even if they currently looked they wanted to choke him. Except Wooyoung, he looked as bright as him holding backpack and smiling like a little kid.

“Makes sense,” Chansung added, his eyes halfway closed, expression dead serious. He looked like a walking dead, but he always looked like that when he traveled. Taecyeon giggled, the happiness of being with his friends still making him look like a fool.

“Why is he smiling so much?” someone murmured, but he kept laughing.

“Is this the time you tell us why we came to Japan?” Nichkhun asked with his unusual calmness.

“To bond. I told you,” he replied slyly. His friends eyed his suspiciously, even muttered some offensive words. But that was the late night grumpiness talking, so he ignored.

“Okay, I rented us a car,” Taecyeon explained when they got to the airport foyer. They looked at him awkwardly, but together they went outside and grabbed the designated car. It was a discreet minivan, nothing fancy or big. So unlike what they were used to as one of the most famous groups in Asia. 

“It's kinda weird having no manager driving us around, right?” Wooyoung asked when they entered the vehicle. From the look on his face he didn't mind one bit. Neither did Nichkhun, who squeezed himself by the side of the smaller man with a smile on their face. They looked serene and happy.

Unlike couple number 2. Chansung sat in the back in a thud, his face still sleep and tired. He looked ready to sleep for days. Junho quickly joined him in the backseat, making the maknae's eyes open immediatly instantly. He gave the other a small smile and straightened his back, very tense. His other bandmate only smiled back. Taecyeon stood there for a while look at the two idiots wondering when they would get out of this weird state.

“Drive, mr. Manager,” Minjun ordered by his side. “So, there are so many things I want to ask you, don't even know where to start,” he added when they were already on the road. Taecyeon only looked ahead, eyes alert on the unknown road. 

“Start with the one you know I'm going to answer,” he finally said. 

His friend laughed. “So you are a lawyer now and didn't tell me?”

“I'm not a lawyer yet. But I will be pretty soon. I just needed to scare them a little. To intimidate those bastards. But they shouldn't fear me any less even if they learn I don't have a diploma yet.”

“Yaaah, Ok Taecyeon. You are something else,” he beamed. “And that other matter?”

He still didn't want to tell them what they were really doing in Japan. Taecyeon wanted secrecy because he didn't want to jinx it and ruined it all. And besides, he was counting on a surprise attack.

“You will know tomorrow. But hopefully will turn out well.” He averted his eyes from the road and gave his friend a small smile. A small reassurance that he knew what he was doing. A small request of confidence. 

“You are really admirable, you know that?” Minjun confessed after a while, startling him with the sudden compliment. He looked at his friend again, eyebrows up in silent question. “You are trying harder than everyone else here. Don't get me wrong, everyone here wants this as much as you do, but you got us all in a tight grip and is making everything to make this work. You are kind of our glue, keeping us together and all” he said looking down, as if he were shy to compliment his friend. 

He didn't know what to say. The words meant the world to him. For so long he looked for a purpose in life and he was sure of the things he needed and wanted to do. But hearing those sweet little words gave him even more certainty he was doing the right thing.

“Thanks, Minjun. Means a lot. But what about Yuri?” He changed topics before he got all emotional and started crying in the middle of a moving vehicle. 

“We are going to court, sadly. I didn't want to put my kid through this, but there is not other way out.”

“I'm here for you. We all are,” he said looking at Minjun, then at their backs at a cuddly Nichkhun and Wooyoung. And also at Chansung and Junho smiling coyly at each other and talking in low tones. 

“Yes. That's what gets me through all of this. You guys and Soohyun.” 

After a few minutes of easy chatter and laughter, they got to their hotel. As their self appointed manager, he took care of the procedures of checking in. After a quick talk with the receptionist, he got three sets of magnetic keys.

“So, here is your keys. You will be rooming with Nichkhun.” He gave the small envelope to Wooyoung, who only smiled at him and then at his room mate.

“Minjun you will be with me. And Chansung with Junho. Here it is.” He motioned to give the maknae the keys, who only looked at him with bugged eyes.

“Hyung, I thought we would be rooming together?” he asked, his voice neutral, but eyes showing there would be payback for this little betrayal.

“Nah, I have some things to work out with Minjun.”

“Okay then,” the maknae said with a sigh. He got the envelope and smiled at Junho, who didn't say anything, but gave Taecyeon a thumbs up when 2pm youngest turned his back.

“Good night, everyone." He waved to his bandmates and they waved back, each one of them going to their designated rooms. 

“Taecyeon, the matchmaker,” Minjun joked when he closed the door.

“Someone has to do it. They are very weird with each other, especially after that kiss.”

“Are you sure it's a good idea to encourage this type of behavior?” Minjun's eyebrows were furrowed, his concern clear on his face. The question was quite funny because he thought of it in terms of being good or bad. He just didn't want to see people struggling with something that was so natural. It hurt to see them suffering. He didn't know if this was good or bad for their group, but he knew they need it.

“They like it each other. Will it work? I don't know. But I can't stand the brooding and the denial.”

“I guess you are right. And did you notice something about Wooyoung and Nichkhun too?”

“Yes, I did. Not sure what's up though.” He really didn't, but with time they would figure it out for sure. But he didn't want to worry about anything in that moment. And he didn't. They laughed, talked. A perfect companionship, but he needed to sleep to face their tomorrow.

“Okay, good night,” he whispered to his roommate, who gave him a sleep smile. He looked cute in his panda pajamas, nothing like the responsible father he turned out to be.

"Good night, Mr. Manager."

After he woke up, he quickly got ready and wrote Minjun a note. Taecyeon then went to Chansung's and Junho's room and gently knocked. When it didn't work, he spoke a little louder. “Chansung,” he said while he banged the door a little hard.

The maknae opened the door looking like a nightmare, hair disheveled and face sleepy. “What, hyung?”

“Go get ready. There is something we need to do.”

“At this hour?” he asked, face incredulous.

“It's after 12, you . Go, please. It's important.” Chansung knew Taecyeon joked a lot, but was also aware of the moments he meant serious business. And this was it. 

“Okay,” he whispered with a somber look. “But let me just get a quick shower.”

“Alright.” He sat on Chansung's bed and waited. But got startled when he heard a sleepy voice.

“Where are you taking him?”

“Aish, Junho. You scared me.” Junho was under the covers, so wrapped up in the blankets that you could only see his eyes. He had a sharp look, eyes squinted suspiciously.

“We are going to-”

Chansung burst from the restroom, hair wet and only a towel wrapped around his waist. “Sorry, forgot to take my clothes,” he said, a little flush on his cheeks. He closed himself on the other room again with Junho's eyes following the maknae's every movement until he closed the door. 

“How are we going to bond if you are taking him so early in the morning?” Junho sounded like a jealous cat, which was funny in a way because there was nothing between him and Chansung.

“It's really important. We are going to-”

“I'm all ready,” shouted an excited Chansung. Did they have any drugs in that restroom? The guy looked all perky and happy, a deep contrast with his dead and sleepy look from moments ago. 

“Okay, we are going then.”

“But, you were about to-” Junho tried to say, but was interrupted by Taecyeon. 

“Later, Junho. Later.” He looked at Junho sharply, daring him to say another word.

“Alright, see you later guys,” he added, defeated and obviously curious, but understanding the message Taecyeon just gave him.

They got on their mini van and started their trip. “Where are we going, hyung? I know you want to keep it a secret, but you can tell me now.”

“Just have a little more patience.”

They rode in silence, but he could feel Chansung's restlessness. But there was nothing he could do about it. If he told him what they would now in a few minutes, he didn't know how the maknae would react.

“We are here.” They left the vehicle and entered a tiny café in a cute part of town. Chansung smiled despite his unsureness of the situation.

But said smile fell when he saw who was waiting for them inside the cute café. Aya Sato. The girl who ruined Chansung's life.