A/N: A Merry Christmas to all! I've come back to the Beast fandom more inspired than ever, thanks to Junhyung's new Flower. The things you could write with that... Anyway, I am sorry for the wait and I also apologize if the writing is sub-par. To be frank, writing in Kikwang's POV is very difficult for me, personally, but I tried my best. There's a bit more plot in there now, so I think I will be able to churn chapters out faster.

Happy holidays and I hope you enjoy the read. :)

Chapter II - Sight

There is an uncomfortable silence before Yoseob forces out a laugh.

“Wow, the fans are really fast! Is this already on the Internet?” Kikwang watches him return Dongwoon’s phone with a cheerful smile. Their main vocalist has gotten better at lying; his lips no longer tremble like they used to whenever he pretended that he wasn’t tired, sick or unfazed by harsh criticism on himself and the group.

Dujun responds flatly. “Forget pictures, you’ve already got articles written about you.” His voice is tightly controlled. An hour ago, their leader wasn’t quite as calm. Kikwang, along with Dongwoon and Hyunseung, had to endure his fit of anger upon discovering the first of the articles.

The articles shouldn’t have been a big deal. As idols, they’re used to having their every movement tracked by the media and their fans. Junhyung and Yoseob hanging out is nothing new, either, although Kikwang is surprised they weren’t holed up in the studio composing something. The rapper can be quite the workaholic, and for all his whining about being ignored and treated like a music tool, Yoseob accompanies him as much as he can. This should have been another generic article, talking about how the two were close friends, their contributions to each other’s work, et cetera, all positive press so far as Beast was concerned.

The mention of Goo Hara’s name comes as a splash of cold water to them. In the midst of praise for Junhyung’s development as a musician and Yoseob’s recent solo debut, the writer slyly questions whether the rapper’s full involvement in the album production was a wise move, considering that it just might have cost him his girlfriend. It gets worse when they read the comments.

So Yang Yoseob is the “other woman” in the relationship? Kkk

Wow, Junhyung’s such a user. He can’t even make halfway decent songs…he’s just forcing Yoseob to sing them so it sounds better than it actually is.

Yoseob’s the one without talent. I say he begged Junhyung to help him with the solo debut.

Yoseob looks so gay, lol. Did he seduce Junhyung with those girly looks? I feel so sorry for Hara, her boyfriend turned out to be a gay bastard, lol.

Dujun grinds his teeth so hard Kikwang can hear the sound. “Why are they even talking about her?!” He rages at nothing in particular. “She has nothing to do with the new album, or with this picture!” Their leader exhales sharply, lips thinning and jaw clenched. “I need to talk to our managers.”

“Hyung…” Dongwoon looks on helplessly, and then turns to face him and Hyunseung. “What should we do?” It’s times like these that Kikwang remembers that Dongwoon is the youngest. Usually their maknae is overflowing with confidence and cocky grins up on the stage, but he worries the most out of all of them, and unlike himself and Hyunseung, he’s not content to leave the solution to other people.

Hyunseung flashes a quick smile that is gone as quickly as it came. “We don’t do anything,” he tells Dongwoon pointedly. “Junhyung and Yoseob aren’t even home, so we can’t ask them how this was caught on camera to begin with.”’

Kikwang pats their youngest member comfortingly on the shoulder. “It’ll be okay,” he says reassuringly, “Dujun and the managers will figure something out.” A nonsense article could never shake up the solid reputation Beast has built, least of all when it provides no actual evidence to back its claims.

There is something else bothering him, though. He doesn’t trust the writer of that article one bit, but he has to admit that Junhyung and Hara’s relationship took a turn for the worse when he was asked to assist in Yoseob’s solo project. Coincidence?  And that picture… he loves the members of Beast, but he doubts he would willingly let them sleep in his lap in public the way Junhyung has allowed Yoseob to do so.

At the sound of Junhyung’s thick, slurred voice, Kikwang snaps back into the present.

“It’s not Yoseob’s fault.” The rapper puts a protective arm around their main vocalist. “He was just tired. He almost leaned on the shoulder of some old man by accident, so I just grabbed him and let him sleep on my lap.”

Right on cue, Yoseob’s mouth drops open and he flushes a deep red, right until the tips of his ears. “You could have warned me about that,” he mumbles, poking Junhyung half-heartedly in the chest, who laughs and shakes his head, covering his mouth with his free hand. It sets off alarm bells in Kikwang’s head. There’s something strange with this picture he’s seeing, but he can’t pinpoint it. Maybe he’s overthinking things. He should probably ask Hyunseung later. After all, two heads are better than one, aren’t they?

Junhyung’s laughter dies a quick death when Dujun instructs him to search for the article about the two of them. Kikwang observes his face for any reaction, but if anything, he seems amused. Yoseob isn’t, however.

“Hey, why are they making me the ‘other woman’?!?” Yoseob’s face is a mixture of indignation and anger. Kikwang can’t help but raise an eyebrow. Is that the only part that bothers him?  

Junhyung’s lips twitch. “What, you want to be the ‘other man’ instead?” He doesn’t even finish the sentence before he’s half-doubled over laughing. In spite of himself, Kikwang also gives over to the laughter bubbling in his throat, because either way the image of Yoseob being the third-party to any romantic relationship is absurd.

“All jokes aside,” Dujun continues stiffly, “this isn’t a laughing matter. The author of this article is dragging your names through the mud, and by extension Beast’s name. DSP Entertainment isn’t going to be too happy with this, either… just when we’d settled the whole matter by saying they ‘drifted apart naturally’, here comes some nobody stirring up trouble.” He and Junhyung exchange glances.

The rapper his lips. “What did the managers say?”

“A press statement, and Cube’s  gonna look for the writer, probably sue him or her. You know how it goes.”

“I’m sorry,” Yoseob offers in a tiny voice. “I shouldn’t have been so careless in public.” He’s always been afraid to burden others, and five years hasn’t changed that. Yoseob’s self-esteem has grown--his solo debut has proven the worth of his voice, and taking up boxing has made him more confident about his own body, but he still hangs back.

Junhyung traps him in a loose chokehold with both hands, reprimanding him. “Stupid. I said none of it was your fault.” He repeats the statement firmly. “I was the careless one.”  

“Silly.” Dujun’s eyes beam with a kind of paternal pride when he looks at the two of them. “This thing will blow over in no time.” It is nothing like the emotion that shines in Junhyung’s eyes when he looks at Yoseob.

Kikwang wonders just how much truth was buried in that article’s lies, and it keeps him awake the entire night.