N stood in the shower, letting the scorching water run down his face.

It was odd, after everything that happened, being back in Seoul. Arriving back at the dorm almost seemed like a dream. Even though he would miss France, N was happy to be able to sleep in his own bed again. The only downside was having to get back to work. And clearly, N wasn't ready for that. 

The whole trip home he'd barely spoken to s. Instead he'd chosen to stare out the plane window, refusing to sleep. None of the boys had pushed for information about what had happened after their BBQ— not even Ken. They all seemed to have sensed N's distress.

N sighed, closing his eyes. Unconsciously, he wrapped his arms around his body. The old habit was irritating and he wanted to hit himself for it. N felt as though his old wounds had been violently ripped open. Whimpering, N leaned his back against the cool shower tiles. Once again he struggled to force down the tears he knew would come.

"Why did I have to see you again?"

xxx

"I want to know what happened," Ravi said, watching Leo from the doorway. His hyung sighed before looking in his direction.

"I thought you already let this go."

Ravi entered the room and closed the door behind him. "I don't want to know because I'm curious. I want to know because I need to protect N."

Leo scoffed at him before sitting on his bed. He turned to the wall so that his back was facing Ravi. The VIXX rapper had given the matter a lot of thought before confronting Leo. Back in France, he thought it would be fine to leave N's past alone. Now Ravi realized that it wasn't that simple. N was suffering. It was plain for everyone to see.

"Please, hyung," Ravi begged through clenched teeth. This would be the last time he'd beg for something from Leo. It was humiliating.

Leo groaned in agitation before sitting up. "Fine, I'll tell you. But only so that you'll realize just how useless you are. If Hakyeon's problems were so easily fixed, they would've been solved a long time ago."

Ravi only sat at the edge of the bed silently, waiting for Leo to begin.

"It happened back when we were trainees. Before you or any of the other members even showed up..."

Taekwoon hated watching them together. No one else seemed to notice the discrete touches and glances they would send each other during practice. After all, their relationship was supposed to be a secret. Taekwoon supposed he should feel lucky that Hakyeon trusted him with his dirty little secret. But he couldn't help but feel like he'd been slapped in the face every time he saw Hakyeon with Jung.

"C'mon kids, this is no time to be playing around! Let's get back to work," the dance instructor called. The trainees gathered up behind him, waiting for the next moves in their routine. But instead of demonstrating himself as usual, the instructor called on Jung. "Jung, I want to see a bit of freestyling. Show me what you've got. Everyone, follow Jung's lead!"

It was no secret that Jung was the favorite among the group of trainees. The vocal teacher adored him and was always prepare to give him extra tips. The dance instructor was only interesting in seeing what Jung had to offer. And the acting couch definitely had an attraction to him. All the most reason for Taekwoon to hate him. He didn't doubt his abilities, but he couldn't help but feel... jealous. Jung had everything Taekwoon wanted— including Hakyeon.

The trainees all tried to keep up with Jung's movement, most of them failing. The only one capable of dancing along side him was Hakyeon. Takyeon gritted his teeth for the next five hours, until the end of practice. The moment they were done dancing, Hakyeon and Jung managed to sneak away together. It was always like this. Taekwoon had always attempted to avoid walking in on their rendezvous, but today he hadn't been so lucky.

As soon as he left the practice room and rounded the corner, he witnessed it. Hakyeon was wrapped securely in Jung's arms, their lips pressed together in a passionate kiss. Taekwoon watched unwillingly as Jung's hands began to wander. The hand on Hakyeon's lower back gradually began to slide towards his backside. Hakyeon moaned softly against Jung's lips.

Hakyeon pulled away. "That can wait for later," he chuckled, reaching his arms around his boyfriend's neck. Jung groaned in disappointment.

Taekwoon didn't want to hear anymore. He grabbed at his chest and turned to leave down the hallway.

"Are you sure you're okay?" came Hakyeon's voice. Taekwoon froze in his tracks. What was he talking about? He looked around the corner again, definitely noting the change in atmosphere.

Jung sighed before ruffling his hair. "It's not a big deal, Hakyeon."

"Yes, it is. Your parents are divorcing."

"It'll be okay. My mom will be better without that bastard anyway," Jung replied, though his mood was getting noticeably worse. His voice was seething with hatred. He took a step away from Hakyeon and looked in a different direction.

Hakyeon pouted and inched forward. "I just want to help. I know how much pain you must be in and I—"

"No," Jung interrupted. "you don't know. You could never know how I feel about this. I know he's a bad guy and yet I... I still find myself protecting him."

"Jung—"

"Just drop it, okay?!" Jung shouted, causing Hakyeon to flinch. He stormed down the hall, leaving his stunned lover behind. All the while, Taekwoon watched, completely confused as to what just happened. Jung's parents were divorcing? Why did he seem to hate his father so much? And how could he dare to yell at Hakyeon?!

Taekwoon would find out the answer. And hopefully before things got worse.

Before Leo could continue, the bedroom door flew open, revealing a towel clad N. Leo instantly shut his mouth. Ravi was disappointed. This hadn't solved any of his questions. If anything, he was now more curious and frustrated than before. There was a moment of awkward silence before N moved towards his futon. Ravi took that as his cue to leave. As he stood he tried to communicate with Leo through his eyes. They would definitely continue this conversation later.

(An unedited final reveal of the chapter I was working on. Sorry it was never completed :'( )