Twenty four days later, Jin smiled widely in the passenger seat of the company van, watching as tears spilled from the eyes of the members of VIXX. N held the Music Bank first place trophy close to his chest, crying with a smile on his face. A small tear appeared in the corner of Jin’s eye and she quickly wiped it away. “I knew you could do it. I knew you would win right from the beginning.” Leo covered his face and was bent over as he continued to cry over their success. Ken who sat in the middle wore a giant smile on his face, his eyes crinkled at the corners. In the back, Ravi was trying to quiet down his sobs, but was unable to do so. Hyuk and Hongbin were hugging each other, rejoicing in their happiness over their first win. The assistant manager who drove the car continuously congratulated the group.

The VIXX boys and their manager slowly made their way back to their dorm after the fansign and meat feast gifted by the CEO. The boys had a long day that day and the tears of happiness seemed to never end from N, Ravi and Leo. When they reached the dorm, N was still tightly holding on to the trophy, unable to let it out of his sight. When they entered their dorm, the tears seemed to immediately stop and the cheers began. They screamed and squealed into the night, overjoyed by their first win. Jin went over to the kitchen and brought out the champagne that she’d been saving for that exact day, knowing that the promoting period for VOODOO would be the time that they win. Since Hyuk was still unable to drink, she brought out sparkling juice for him and placed it in a champagne glass so that he could have the same feel.

She poured a glass for the other five and herself and they clinked their glasses together for a toast. Being over excited, each of them downed their glasses in one shot. They also celebrated being nominated for first place on Music Core which was supposed to take place the next day.

“Guys, I’m very proud of all that you have done. No one has worked harder than at this time. Today, we celebrate getting a step closer to achieving our dreams.” N gave a small speech. They all gathered in for a group hug as Jin watched from the side. She smiled the smile of a mother watching her kids win their first competition. Leo eyed her from the corner of his eye and immediately pulled her in. He whispered in her ear, “You’re part of the family, so you should be included, too.” She blushed profusely as his arms pulled her closer to his tall frame.

As the celebrations went on, the doorbell rang and Hyuk went to answer it. From the entryway, a yell could be heard. “Hyung!” The group turned around to see who was at the door. Standing in the doorway was Young Hun, a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bag filled with three boxes of fried chicken in the other. The other members cheered as he entered the dorm and took the bag from his hands. Young Hun smiled and congratulated each of them individually. After the congratulatory hugs, they all sat down in a circle and began eating the chicken and drinking cola. Jin sat between Leo and Young Hun. When Young Hun was standing, he towered a good twenty four centimeters taller than her. He was dressed casually in a gray sweater and black jeans. His hair was flat on his forehead, lacking the usual volume he had when he styled it. His black rimmed glasses enhanced his natural features even more, but Jin had become less and less affected by it as time went on. After all, she’d seen Hongbin in black rimmed glasses and decided that it was the best spectacle to ever befall her eyes.

Jin didn’t touch the food, not liking that all of it was boned chicken. She had a certain aversion to boned chicken. She had an aversion to anything that had bones in it. Ever since she saw someone choke on a bone, she’d avoided eating anything with bones in it. She cringed slightly while watching everyone else eat. Just then, another small box appeared in front of her face.

She looked to her right and saw Young Hun holding the box. She took it and looked inside to see that there were five pieces of chicken tenders inside. She smiled from ear to ear and thanked him. She was so happy that she leaned over and hugged him in front of everyone else. “You’re definitely my best friend.”

Young Hun blushed slightly and pushed her away lightly. “It’s not something one forgets. You cried for weeks after your firsthand experience seeing a person choke on bone. It forced the fact deep into the crevices of my mind.” Jin rolled her eyes and took a bite of the chicken tender from the box. Leo, his mouth already full of chicken, quickly swallowed and leaned over to take a bite from Jin’s chicken tenders. Jin saw his efforts and fed him immediately. He took a large bite from the tender and then moved away. Jin took a bite from the same piece and chewed happily as the flavors exploded inside . She thanked Young Hun once again and continued eating.

After everyone finished their meals, Leo and Jin proceeded to washing whatever dishes there were. They stood side by side, running water the only sound between the two. In the living room, the playful laughter of the members and Young Hun could be heard loud and clear. At this point, Jin wasn’t even worried if the neighbours could hear them or not. She scrubbed the dishes with a wide smile on her face, rinsing them and then handing them over to Leo to dry. She glanced over at him and saw a small smile on his face, no teeth visible.

He was very happy with their first win, and after crying for a long time, his eyes were red and dry. Jin bumped her shoulder on his arm. “You did well.” She said briefly. He looked down at her with a look of adoration. His eyes traced every fold on her face before he placed the towel and champagne glass on the counter and hugged her close to his body. “You played a large part in this, don’t forget that. Thank you so much for taking this job and replacing your uncle. I can’t be any more thankful than this.” Jin stood frozen in his arms. She had no idea what to do. With reluctance, she wrapped her arms around his torso. He her hair gently before letting go and hiding his face by turning away from her. Jin blushed profusely and also turned away from him.

Leo realized what he did and walked out of the kitchen, leaving three dishes wet. He took a deep breath and rejoined the men in the living room. Jin sighed deeply before finishing up the dishes. Soon after, she went back to the living room and announced that she would be going to sleep. “Why don’t you stay with us a bit. We’re still celebrating.” Ken asked. She shook her head. “I’m really tired today. I’ll see you all in the morning. Young Hun, I’ll call you tomorrow.” Just as she was about to turned towards her room, Young Hun stood up and pulled her back. “Wait. I haven’t seen you in such a long time. Can we talk for a bit? Just the two of us?”

Young Hun’s heart beat wildly in his chest, threatening to jump through his ribcage at possibly any moment. He wasn’t able to calm himself down after seeing the spectacle that took place in the kitchen between Leo and Jin. He’d been the one to end thing, but in the end, he wasn’t able to completely get rid of his feelings for her. Although he’d done no previous rigorous activity, he felt out of breath. Jin looked down at the hand that held her arm, the hand she’d held so many times. Memories of their adventures together rushed back into her mind. She swallowed saliva and looked back up into his eyes. She was weak toward those eyes that reminded her of an abandoned puppy. She couldn’t say no. She nodded her head and the two of them headed out of the dorm after putting on their coats and boots.

The streets were completely empty in the middle of the night, the air frigid and comforting at the same time. There was no season Jin enjoyed more than winter. The snow, the air, the holidays and the inner warmth gave her comfort and solace in the season of what most others considered death. The two walked side by side, no words exchanged. After five minutes of walking aimlessly, the two sat down at a table outside of a convenience store. Young Hun went inside to purchase water bottles for the two. When he came back out, he spoke without thinking.

“I miss you.” Jin looked up, a shocked expression adorning her face. The words were abrupt, but the feelings were deliberate. Young Hun wasn’t able to look at her face. He kept his head down as he continued.

“After ending things, I regretted it everyday. There isn’t anything I regret more.” He paused and took a sip of water. “I’ll admit it, in the beginning, I was very jealous. I was very angry that you would live with six men for your job, but not move in with me after I asked you over and over again, saying your mother would be lonely and whatnot. I was angry. I was so pissed off.” Jin could see his eyes shining in the dimly lit sitting area. Her heart stirred and her stomach ached. She wasn’t able to drink any water.

“I should have been more patient, but just how patient was I supposed to be? I waited two years to confess my feelings to you. Why? Because you were continuously in relationships and there was no opening for me. When there was I took the chance. After three years of having you, I got selfish.” The lights at the end of the street flickered, a few people coming home from late night drinking and partying were on their way home. “After losing you, I finally realized that I was wrong. I’m still in love with you, and I can’t just stay friends anymore.” Tears lined his waterline. Jin felt her heart skip a beat, her palms start to sweat, her head begin to pound. She felt guilty.

She felt guilty for letting go of him so easily and trying to move on so quickly. Yes, she may have fallen in love with Leo, but maybe, just maybe, it was simple attraction and adoration instead of what she felt was love. Maybe, after losing someone so important to her, she wanted to forget him so badly that she made up the feelings she had for Leo.

The screeching of chair legs against concrete echoed through the street, footsteps approached Young Hun hurriedly, the soft sensation of skin against skin could be felt on his lips. His breathing hitched in his throat as he tried to process the situation. He pulled himself together quickly and kissed Jin back, inhaling her scent. The two pulled apart briefly and Jin said, “I’m sorry.”

[A/N]: I know, I know, I haven't updated in over a month. I'm sorry. If I don't update often, you all are allowed to pester me until I do. School just ended for the semester, so I'll try to post another chapter if I can. I do have a life, you know *cough cough*

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I know this is late, but VIXX WON! WOOOOHOOOO! THEY WON! WOOOHOOOO! And they still get nominated for first place, which is amazing in itself. I'm very proud of our boys. GO VIXX!