Taehyun looked at his hyungs who were glaring at him. He wasn’t sure if they heard what he said or was it because they were taking too much time unloading the bags.

“What did you just call him?” Seungyoon asked.

Oh, they heard me.

Mino looked to his left and right, to Taehyun and to the other two members. Isn’t it a little too soon for them to get caught already?

“Uh, what I meant to say was L …love..lovely hugeboy!” Taehyun shrugged his shoulders. Mino bit his lips to contain himself from laughing out loud. What the hell is lovely hugeboy?

“Yeah, lovely hugeboy. We agreed to call ourselves with ‘lovely’ from now on. You know, to get closer to each other? We tried dropping formalities but we were still awkward.” Taehyun clarified further.

Right.

“Since when our maknae’s so cheesy, agreeing to names and stuff?” Seungyoon laughed.

“Kids, get in!” Seunghoon called out from the side door, interrupting them of their conversation. The members hurriedly scrambled to get into the car.

“Get in first, lovely nammie.” Mino teased as he lets the younger board the car first.

Taehyun rolled his eyes at Mino’s cringe-worthy statement. He never liked cheesy things but since he started it, he can’t blame Mino for using it on him, given Mino’s personality like that.

The members took their seats in a rush and Taehyun ended up sitting at the back with Seunghoon and Jinwoo while Mino took the seat at the front with Seungyoon.

“Taehyun ah,” Jinwoo whispered to Taehyun as soon as the car starts moving. “Are you guys dating?”

Taehyun turned to Jinwoo, shocked. “W.. What do you mean?” he didn’t even realise he was stuttering.

“Well, I saw you two hugging a couple of days back and you even called him love today?”

“That doesn’t mean I’m dating him, hyung.”

“Yah, do you think I haven’t noticed how different you are these days? Come on, I’ve known you for nearly four years now. Do you still want to hide things from me?”

Taehyun realises that Jinwoo knows too much about him already, considering that they have been staying together for nearly four years. He pondered for a while if he should let their relationship be known to the eldest hyung or not. If not today, then when?

“No hyung.” Taehyun denied again. He wasn’t ready to reveal their relationship to the whole group yet. He didn’t know why he was so unprepared to let the rest know, even though they have been by his side for the past four years.

Maybe because I have never once opened up to them, even though they have been with me through my entire trainee life.

Jinwoo had suspected that Taehyun was hiding something from him since the first day. Taehyun isn’t one who would go around hugging others, calling them by their pet names, or even initiate a conversation to his housemates. With Mino present, he felt like Taehyun is slowly becoming a changed person. He is seeing a new side of their maknae and Taehyun looks so much happier now, revealing his toothy smile every now and then.

Thank you, for bringing out this side of our maknae, Mino.

“It’s okay, if you don’t want to tell us anything yet. But I’ll always be here for you, supporting you two.” Jinwoo advised Taehyun sincerely.

“Thank you hyung. But really, there is nothing going on between us.” Taehyun playfully lie his head onto his hyung. Jinwoo smiled again, this is the first time that Taehyun has ever laid his head on his shoulders.

“Aigoo, our maknae and our eldest hyung look so close together” Seungyoon who happened to look behind commented.

“We look close, don’t we? Is anyone jealous?” Jinwoo gave a playful remark, looking at Mino.

“Psh, why would anyone be jealous? Any could tell that you’re just like an older brother to Taehyun” Mino snickered. I’m not jealous, am I?

Taehyun wrapped his hands around Jinwoo’s waist, showing off their closeness. He looked at Mino who was glaring at him and playfully tried to kiss Jinwoo, making the other members laugh.

“You’re dead.” Mino mouthed silently as the members were busy laughing.

The members reached the training ground and they were greeted by a strict officer who immediately got them to run around and forced them into being serious. They were asked to change into army pants and were commanded to do some drills as instructed by the officer.

After the drills under the scorching sun, the boys went for a water rafting activity where Mino was tasked to direct the team and work together to steer their boat. Being the leader, he was in charge of leading their team and gives them encouragement.

The team building activities ended with the members having ramen together. To be honest, they have never felt so bonded before. Even though they have worked together for a few months as 5 members, this was the first time they felt like they have cooperated well with each other and looked out for one another during the activity.

They played water games as well and got to know a lot more about each other through this opportunity. It was a perfect time to bond with one another through the games they played. Mino and Taehyun did not get any opportunities to interact together in private because the members and the filming crew were always around.

In the evening, the boys showed off their cooking skills where all of them took charge of cooking. Taehyun volunteered to cook the meat with Mino and Seunghoon while Jinwoo and Seungyoon cooked stew together in the kitchen.

“Hyung! I’m joining you two.” Taehyun shouted from the lodging as he ran towards Mino and Seunghoon in the porch.

Mino waved to him from where he was and welcomed his lover.

“Kyaaa, were you worried that your lover might cheat on you for me?” Seunghoon teased Taehyun.

Taehyun looked up innocently at Mino and Seunghoon. He didn’t exactly mean to disturb the two friends but for some reason he just wanted to hang around with the two of them. Maybe because his lover was there too.

“You know I wouldn’t do that, Hyunnie.” Mino poked his lover. Taehyun happily giggled at Mino’s teasing, defending his stomach from Mino’s fingers.

“Yah you two, don’t get too intimate. The cameras are still around.” Seunghoon adviced. “Thank god you still have me around to control your raging hormones.”

“Hyung, we know how to take care of ourselves.” Mino rolled his eyes jokingly, glancing at the camera man.

The camera crew are setting up their equipment stationed a few metres away from where the boys are grilling their meat. They had informed the boys that they will not film their cooking process but instead they will call them up individually for interviews while they are preparing their dinner.

“Ah this reminds me of something I’ve been dying to ask you two.”

The two lovers looked up at curious Seunghoon who was flipping the meat over.

“What is it?” Taehyun asked.

“So you two recognised each other instantly when you guys met in YG’s office on our first day?”

Mino laughed. It was a memory that he wanted to forget, and he supposes that Taehyun wants to forget about it too. He looked up at Taehyun who looked like he was deep in thoughts.

“I…. recognised him at first sight.” Taehyun blurted out.

“Ah.. He hasn’t changed at all since you last saw him? Which was why you knew it was him?”

“He did change, a lot. His appearance was totally different from what I remember back then.”

“That one, I have to agree.” Seunghoon butted in. “He lost a lot of weight during that period when I dragged him to follow me for my gym sessions.”

“But what made you remember me?” Mino asked in a soft tone. He had sympathy in his eyes and his heart feels heavy every time they bring up their past.

“Your smile. That smile which I fell for back then when we were in school.” Taehyun smiled shyly, remembering the time he was dumbfounded when he saw Mino walking into YG’s office for the first time.

“And the way you walk, I recognised it at once.”

“Then you, Mino? Did you recognise him?”

Taehyun looked up at Mino. He wanted to know too. He wanted to know what was going through Mino’s head when he first entered the hallway and introduced himself coldly to him.

Mino cleared his throat. His mind was playing the series of events that took place when he saw Taehyun for the first time in YG’s office.

“I.. Well,…” Mino stuttered. He wasn’t sure why it was hard for him to talk about their past. At that time, Mino was filled with hatred and he was in a confused state. His mind refused to acknowledge that the person he has been searching for was right there, in front of him.

Mino looked up. His lover and his best friend were looking at him. He didn’t know how to put his feelings at that moment in his answer.

“I did,… recognise him” he finally answered, feeling apologetic to Taehyun for acting coldly towards him.

Taehyun went silent. He looked down, gathering his emotions. Honestly he had been pondering about this question for quite some time. He had wanted to ask his lover but he was afraid that they both might get hurt. He could still vividly remember how much he was hurting during that period where Mino hadn’t recognised him but at that time, he was convinced that Mino had his own reasons for doing so.

Seunghoon sensed the situation and tried to liven up the mood. “Yaaaah, so you two must be good actors huh.” he patted their shoulders, making the lovers laugh.

“Told you, being in theatre club paid off!”

The three of them joked and laughed together as Seunghoon liven up the mood with his usual witty jokes.

“What’s so funny huh?” Seungyoon asked out of a sudden. He and Jinwoo had finished cooking in the kitchen and were bringing out the things they have cooked.

“Never knew Hoon hyung had such great sense of humor though” Taehyun complimented.

“Ooooh hyung! Our maknae just complimented you. That don’t happen often you know.” Seungyoon teased.

While the members were busy preparing the table for dinner, the crew called them one by one for a quick interview. Dinner for that day felt very special and meaningful to all five of them. After a long while, they finally got to eat meat and they even cooked together for the first time. The bonding activities made them realise that there are many things they do not know about each other and that every single one of them have their own personal experiences which other members do not know about.

The interview ended with Taehyun clapping the slate to wrap up filming for that day. The staffs packed up their equipment and joined the boys for dinner. The members have also gotten much closer with the staffs, seeing them day in and day out while they are busy with their training.

“It’s almost 9pm, and filming ends here for today. We were supposed to wait with you until the YG staff comes to pick you guys up, but I just got a call from them that there is slight traffic delay in Seoul so you guys might have to wait a little.” The PD announced as soon as they were done with dinner.

“I think you guys will have to wait for about another hour or so before the van arrives. The entire crew will be heading back to do our editing work, so can I trust the leader to watch out for each other while you guys wait for the van? Mino?”

The boys nodded at the PD’s commands.

“Help your leader out, okay? Everyone’s worked hard today..”

With that, the staffs helped clear the dinner table and loaded their equipment into their vans, leaving the boys on their own in the lodging.

The members packed their bags and prepared their belongings by the side of the door, waiting for their driver to pick them up. They sat together in the lodging and started talking among themselves.

"I feel much closer to you guys after today, honestly speaking." Seunghoon confessed.

"Yeah, I feel the same way too. When we joined, we felt really out of place and we were worried that we would be adding a burden to the group, but now we feel like a family. I feel weird." Mino added, letting out a laugh. 

"Ay, you shouldn’t feel that way Mino ah! We have regarded you like our own family member from the very beginning, so don’t say things like that! And you've worked hard today too, leading the team well!" Seungyoon complimented Mino and pats his shoulders.

The group feels like family now, they feel much closer than before and are thankful for this opportunity to learn and grow individually and as a team.

"Let's play a quiz, shall we? One person asks a question and the rest has to answer, to get to know each other's preferences and stuff, call?" Seunghoon suggested. 

"Okay, sounds easy." The members agreed, since they are killing time anyway.

"Let me ask first okay? Hmmm... Among the female idol groups in the industry, which one do you guys like the most?" 

 “A Pink!” Seungyoon shouted.

“Of course, Girls generation!” Jinwoo answered, revealing the inner fanboy he is.

“For me… 4 Minute!” Taehyun answered.

“I don’t really know much about girl groups, so 2ne1 sunbaenim.” Mino answered truthfully. Having lived in Australia half his life, Mino doesn’t know much about the local singers in Korea.

“Yeah, me too. 2ne1 sunbaenim.” Seunghoon confessed. He too, didn’t have much knowledge in the local singers. “Next question!” he pointed out to the next person beside him.

“Hmmm okay. This may sound a little weird but I’m just wondering out of curiosity. If the Winner members are girls, who would you date?” It was Seungyoon’s turn to ask questions.

“Taehyunnie!” Mino answered without hesitation, grinning sheepishly at his lover.

“Ooo Mino Mino~” Seunghoon teased the two lovers. “I’m choosing Jinwoo hyung! You’re exactly my type.” He pointed to Jinwoo playfully.

“Yah Yah Yah Jinwoo hyung is mine!” Seungyoon defended.

Everyone looked up at Seungyoon in surprise. They have always known that Jinwoo and Seungyoon were close, but they have never seen Seungyoon so defensive.

“Are you two dating?” Mino teased Seungyoon.

“No we are not!” Jinwoo and Seungyoon answered almost together.

“Then why did you get so defensive?”

Seungyoon could only manage to laugh it off. He didn’t even know why he got so defensive. Probably deep down, he secretly has feelings for his vulnerable deer-eyed hyung.

“Jinwoo hyung? Who would you choose?” Mino asked.

“I’ll probably choose Seungyoon even though he changes his underwear once in two days.” Jinwoo answered comically, making everyone burst out laughing.

“Gosh Seungyoon hyung! You still don’t change your underwear every day?” Taehyun mocked Seungyoon.

“Taehyunnie, what about you then?” Mino asked his lover, expecting Taehyun to choose him.

“Hmmm” Taehyun pretended to think for a while. He glanced at his lover who was intensely waiting for his answer. The other members were anticipating their answers too, wondering who their sassy maknae would choose.

“If me, no doubt I would choose…. Myself! None of you in this room are worthy of me, especially Mino hyung. You’re too arrogant. Even if I die and revive, I would still choose me.” Taehyun pointed to himself, showing off his diva side which he has never revealed to the members before. Of course, Taehyun was only joking and the members laughed at Taehyun’s wittiness as Taehyun confidently ‘dissed’ Mino without any guilt at all.

Mino was the only one who didn’t laugh at Taehyun’s answer. He wasn’t impressed with the way Taehyun joked and had expected him to be chosen by his lover because he had called out Taehyun’s name so easily at the start. Mino had become much more sensitive to topics like this, especially when it comes to relationships.

I’m not that easy, Taehyunnie. That wasn’t funny at all.

The game ended with the members taking turns to ask each other questions and the others answering hilariously as it goes on. The members got tired and decided to lie down for a while, before their van comes.

Mino stood up and went out of the lodging, informing the other members that he wanted to get some fresh air. He got out and sighed, rummaging his hair. Despite the complete feeling he felt after the teamwork activities earlier on, something feels missing. He felt empty, and he wasn’t exactly sure why.

He sat at the swing behind the house, hoping to find his own piece of mind. After today, Mino realises how much responsibility a leader has to carry on his shoulders, The group’s destiny depends on him, because he will be the one who will carry the team on his back.

Taehyun got up after tossing and turning for a while, leaving the other three members who were busy in their own conversation. “I’m looking for Mino.”

“I’ll follow you.” Jinwoo offered, but was immediately stopped by Seunghoon.

“Hyung, let’s just talk on our own, shall we? After all, this love triangle among the three of us is getting interesting.” Seunghoon teased, covering up the fact that he wants the two lovers to be alone on their own.

“Hoon hyung, do you have a death wish?” Seungyoon threatened the older, making the three of them laugh.

“Yah, I feel like a princess now, having two boys fight over me.” Jinwoo gave a silly remark.

Outside, Taehyun walked around the lodging to find his lover, wondering why Mino was sitting outside all alone. “Mino?” Taehyun called out softly when he spotted his lover on the swing.

“You alright?” he asked his lover as he takes a seat beside Mino. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing much. Just tired, I guess.” Mino answered short.

The two went silent. Taehyun knew something was bothering Mino. He isn’t normally this quiet. Mino swings the both of them, watching the stars in the night sky as he clears his mind.

“I want to win this thing.” Mino whispered. “This whole competition thing.”

Taehyun looked at his lover. “Why are you suddenly thinking about that? Of course we will win, with our efforts.”

“I don’t know, I just feel empty right now, even though we have had fun the entire day playing water games and stuff.”

“Maybe you’re just thinking too much.”

“Am I? Yeah, I think so too.”

Mino felt slightly better, even just uttering part of his many concerns out to his lover. What would I do without Taehyun?

Taehyun got up, he wanted to take a stroll around the house and leave Mino on his own to arrange his thoughts.

“You know, I’ve been thinking… There’s actually another thing that is bothering me.” Mino stood up as well.

Taehyun turned around to listen to his lover.

“I realised I don’t like it when I’m the only one playing the obsessed boyfriend here.” Taehyun didn’t understand what Mino meant. Mino took a step closer to Taehyun and he naturally took a step back every time Mino takes a step forward. Mino’s eyes changed in that split second, from the eyes of worry to eyes of desperation.

Yes, Mino looked desperate.

“I hate it when my feelings are being played around. What was it again? You would date yourself even if you die and wake up again?” Mino laughed at the ridiculous statement Taehyun made earlier on.

“A… Ab… About that….”

“What? You want to tell me that you were joking? That you were saying it just for laughs?”

Taehyun went silent as he continued to step backward until he hit his back against the wall. That was when he realised he had been trapped in between the cold wall and Mino’s arms.

“So you want to date yourself?” Mino asked Taehyun again, bringing his face closer to the younger. “Should I let you go so you can date yourself?”

Crap. Taehyun finally realises that he might have gone overboard during the game earlier on. He unconsciously said those things towards his lover because he was afraid he might reveal too much about them if he chose Mino.

… And of course, he wanted to be playful too and tease Mino.

Mino held onto Taehyun’s hands tightly and pinned it against the wall. He could feel Taehyun’s irregular breath against his and he could see Taehyun’s eyes wandering about, asking for mercy. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with that boy trapped in his arms, though.

“S…sorry.”

“Sorry for? Oh you haven’t done anything wrong right? I mean, you were just trying to be funny, no?” Mino asked Taehyun sarcastically.

Taehyun was surprisingly calm being trapped in between the wall and Mino’s figure. Despite his irregular nervous breaths, he wasn’t resisting at all, making Mino want to move closer to the younger even more.

“Should I let you go?” Mino asked again. He moved his face much closer to Taehyun as he rests his forehead against his lover’s forehead. Both their eyes locked into each other’s eyes, reading the other’s emotions.

Taehyun couldn’t move. His heart was beating faster and he felt like it was going to explode. He was feeling jittery inside, with his lover pinning him down against the wall. He closed his eyes slightly, unsure of what to come next.

“Should I let you go?” Mino asked again, whispering. “What to do, I’ve been looking for you for four years and I don’t want to let you go again.” his lips getting much closer to Taehyun’s, gently brushing their noses together.

Mino became impatient. He immediately moved Taehyun’s hands, which he had trapped earlier on, around his waist and he grabbed Taehyun’s slim waist. He pushed his body onto Taehyun’s figure as he clashed their lips together.

Mino’s tongue entered Taehyun’s mouth and was busy searching for Taehyun’s tongue. His lover tasted sweet, just as he loved. Their tongues swirled in each other’s mouths and they were busy tasting and exploring each other’s scent, feeling sensual as they rolled their tongues.

/Hold up folks, let me warn you guys for a bit. Considering that this fic is not a rated one, those who can’t read rated fics please skip this part until you see my second red note below. Basically the R+ parts narrates to Namsong expressing their love to one another for the first time./

Being the dominant one, Mino moved his hip rigorously against Taehyun’s as he could clearly feel rubbing against his lover’s. Mino was glad that all of them, including Taehyun, had decided to wear the team sweat pants that they had purchased while buying their accessories a few weeks ago. With the sweatpants, he didn’t have to make so much effort to feel his own member against his lover to feel his .

The two lovers were desperately kissing each other as they share their emotions in that passionate moment, biting and seductively into each other’s ears as they feel more and more aroused. They were literally feeling each other’s bodies from their lips to their chests and all the way to their semi-.

In that moment of desperation, Taehyun grabbed one of Mino’s hands and directed it to his waistbands. He wanted Mino to touch him so badly. His hands lead Mino’s hands into his waistbands and straight into his boxers.

I am ready for this.

Taehyun shuddered when he felt Mino’s rough hands on his own leaking member. He had imagined this for so long. This was what he had wanted to experience for the longest time with his own lover. His moaned again inside Mino’s mouth, feeling aroused with inside his lover’s hands.

Still passionately kissing, Mino expertly Taehyun’s member inside his pants and grazed over the tip of Taehyun’s leaking member. He spreads the pre- over Taehyun’s shaft and Taehyun’s precum leaked more at Mino’s sensual touch.

Mino took out his now wet hands and broke the kiss. He wanted to have a taste of Taehyun so he his fingers ally while Taehyun panted hard, watching his lover. With both their now erected, they wanted to taste each other at that very moment.

The lovers devour themselves into another lustful kiss. They simply cannot get enough of each other just yet. Their kiss tasted sweet, with a tinge of Taehyun’s precum mixed around in the sweetness of their kiss.

“Guys! The van is here!” they could hear Seunghoon’s voice whispering to them from the corner.

The lovers immediately looked up, they weren’t sure how long Seunghoon had been there or what he had seen from their clothed love-making session out in the open.

“We’ve loaded your stuff into the van. Quick, let’s go!” Seunghoon whispered again.

Mino gave Taehyun another peck on his lips before Taehyun ran off in embarrassment to the front porch where the vans are parked. He tied his jacket around his waist to hide his leaking member and his painful .

“How long were you here?” Mino asked Seunghoon as he approached Seunghoon. “Hyung, lend me your jacket for a while.”

“About three minutes? You two were so intense kissing and touching each other that you couldn’t even hear me huh.”

“Did the rest see?” Mino asked as he tied his bestfriend’s jacket around his waist as well, hiding his .

“Well obviously not. I told them to load the things into the van first and wait for us there while I go and find you two. Because I know you two would do something like this.” Seunghoon explained. “Anyway…” Seunghoon stopped his steps, making Mino stop abruptly too.

“You’re leaking, you know. Next time don’t use your grey sweat pants when making out please. Unless if you want the whole world to know that you two were making out. Isn’t it painful? I mean your .”

Mino looked down at his painful . “Duh, it is painful. But what can I do? The van is here and I can’t even release myself.”

“I need to do something about this, hyung!” Mino panicked.

“You walk behind me. I’ll ask the other two to change seats.”

At the car, Taehyun was getting ready to take the back seat with Seungyoon and Jinwoo but was stopped by Seunghoon who was urgently running to the van. Taehyun got down and Seunghoon peeked into the van at Seungyoon and Jinwoo who had settled down in their seats.

“Sorry guys! Is it alright if you let the three of us sit behind instead and you two take the front seats?” Seunghoon suggested.

Without any hassle, the two agreed to Seunghoon’s request sleepily with their eyes half closed. They got down from the van and allowed Mino and Taehyun to board first, taking the first two seats at the back. Seunghoon got up next and sat next to Mino at the back seat, allowing them to continue off from where they had left off earlier on.

The van started moving as soon as the other two members settled down into the front seats. Seungyoon and Jinwoo immediately fell asleep and the atmosphere in the van went silent, except with the sounds of the engine running and the faint sounds of snoring. The driver was focused on the road and was humming to the songs on the radio.

“Do what you need to do. I’ll pretend I don’t hear anything.” Seunghoon informed the two as he reclined his seat and put on his eye mask.

“Thanks hyung.” Mino whispered to his best friend.

Taehyun and Mino immediately lowered down their sweat pants along with their boxers and grabbed each other’s shafts hungrily. They both spread the precum on each other’s shafts, coating it around with the liquid.

Mino unwrapped Seunghoon’s jacket from his waist and bit on it, afraid that they may make unnecessary noises and wake the members up. Taehyun took out his own jacket as well in the darkness and bit on it too, just like Mino.

Hurriedly, Mino’s hands became hasty as he pumps his lover’s shaft. Taehyun’s stopped pumping Mino’s shaft and held on to Mino’s shirt while his other hand grabs his jacket. This is the first time he is feeling like this and he felt like he was going to fly. He wasn’t able to moan out loud because the members might hear them so he bit his jacket real hard. Mino, who had noticed Taehyun groaning, held his lover’s hands.

Mino increased his pace and Taehyun squeezed Mino’s hands tightly. He could feel his nearing and warned his lover by tapping his fingers on Mino’s arms continuously.  Mino sank into Taehyun’s shaft, squeezing his body in that small space and bobbed his head onto Taehyun’s length. Within a few of Taehyun’s shaft, Taehyun burst his load onto Mino’s mouth, immediately saying sorry to his lover for in his mouth. It was a new experience for Taehyun and he totally loved it.

Taking turns, Taehyun began to his lover’s shaft as well, spreading Mino’s precum over Mino’s shaft just like how Mino did earlier on. His hands began pumping Mino’s thick shaft and Mino started groaning. He bit onto the jacket harder as he instructed Taehyun to increase his pace.

As soon as he feels himself nearing, he gently pushed Taehyun’s head signalling to him to engulf in his entire length. Taehyun opened his mouth and gagged onto Mino’s shaft and Mino immediately unloaded himself into his lover’s mouth, pouring out his salty seeds. Taehyun tasted Mino for the first time, nearly choking himself while swallowing every drop of Mino’s seed.

The lovers panted hard as they regained their breaths. With their hands still sticky, they sank into their seats and kissed each other messily.

Mine felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around to look at his best friend. Seunghoon, who still had his eyes covered with the eye mask, reached out his hands and handed over something to Mino.

“Here are some tissues to clean yourselves up. I didn’t see anything, I swear. I only heard sounds.”

Mino laughed at his best friend’s remark, thanking him for helping them so much that night. He turned his body back to look at his lover.

“How was it?” Mino asked Taehyun.

“Yours tasted good.” Taehyun innocently answered.

“Let’s do this again some other time, alright.”

Taehyun nodded, looking forward to their next session.

~~~

/Hi, welcome back folks. Here’s where the story continues/

It’s been two weeks since their teamwork building activity. The members worked much better than they used to in the past and they learnt to be more considerate to one another and accommodate to each and everyone’s capabilities.

Even though Taehyun and Mino did not have much time for each other because they were busy preparing for their final evaluation, their love for each other grew more and more with each passing day. The other two members were still kept hidden about their relationship as they swiftly covered up themselves with the help of Seunghoon, every time the members suspected something fishy.

It was D-day. The members packed their belongings as they put on the clothes that they had shown to the camera last night about what they were going to wear for the evaluation. They came in their vans to the headquarters and made their way to the practice room where their monthly evaluations are held.

As usual, the boys stood in a row together with the members from the other team as they greeted the producers, staffs, artists, crew and the president who were evaluating them. The president gave a word or two to the trainees before Team A started their performance.

At the side of the room, the members got into a circle and put their hands together to cheer each other on for their very last evaluation. They were determined to win this evaluation, to regain their pride and to get the vacation that their president had promised.

“A, A, A” the members shouted as they cheered on.

The team got into their position and started off their performance by singing their own remixed version of ‘New Day’ by Alicia Keys. It was a song that they have strategically picked together to mark the start of their new beginning. After which, the team performed the second part of their performance, which is the dance segment. Anyone in the room can see that their teamwork has improved so much, and they were proud of their new selves.

Following their performance, the other team performed and the members stood by the side to watch their performances. The president called up the two teams to the centre of the room after the other team had finished their performance.  The evaluators in the room were given a board each to vote for the team they liked the most. Team A was desperately hoping that they would win the final evaluation and they kept hoping to see more “A” boards.

When the result was announced, they realised that they had lost the evaluation to the other team yet again. Of course, they were devastated but at the same time, they were satisfied with their performance which showcased a lot of their teamwork. As usual, the president gave his evaluation the two teams about what they did well on that performance and what they could work on.

“Team A, after the teamwork building activity, I could clearly see that you guys can really work together. Use this mindset to work together for the upcoming battles, understand?” the president commented.

After they were dismissed, they sent the team B members to the van for their vacation. Although defeated, the members never forgot to bid farewell for their friends from the other team. Taehyun hugged his buddy Yunhyeong before they parted. Mino saw them hugging and he smiled, slowly accepting the fact that they are just good friends.

“Shall we walk home today?” the members suggested.

“Yeah, let’s walk back today and get some snacks.”

Usually when they go for their evaluations at the headquarters, they will be fetched by a van because it is a little far from their dorm, but that day, the members wanted to walk back and chat together. They have never felt this close before, rising and falling down together. It was a feeling they will cherish and remember forever.

It was a long journey back home together as the members talked freely on their own without the cameras around. The camera crew had bid goodbye to them as they made their way out of the building.

The members reached their dorm and comforted each other, encouraging them to work harder and not get affected by the final evaluation. Although Mino felt heavily responsible for not being able to bring victory for the team, the members assured him that he had worked really hard for the team and that he should stop worrying so much.

~~~

Morning came and the boys lazily dragged themselves up after the house alarm went off. They didn’t get a break for that day so they had to go to the training centre as usual. The boys dragged their bodies out of bed and prepared themselves.

Mino left the toilet door open as he lazily walked into the toilet to brush his teeth as usual. Taehyun comes in to brush his teeth as well and the lovers gave each other their routine morning kiss before they start their day. Since the toilet is the only place in the house without the cameras, this has been their daily routine ever since they came back from the lodge two weeks ago.

Taehyun turned around to leave the toilet and to his surprise, there at the entrance stood Jinwoo with his mouth opened wide and his round eyes staring at the lovers.

“Are you two really dating?” Jinwoo whispered, trying not to attract too much attention.

Mino and Taehyun looked at each other in utter shock. How did Jinwoo manage to catch their morning peck today?

Ah, the door wasn’t locked.

“Maybe, maybe not?” Taehyun slyly answered his hyung as he quickly left the toilet, leaving Jinwoo still stunned.

“Hyung, could you excuse me? I need to pee” Mino carelessly laughed as he closed the door.

Why does Jinwoo keep walking in on us?

On the way to the training centre, Jinwoo being the curious deer kept hovering around Taehyun to get a scoop on their secret relationship but it was to no avail as Taehyun kept denying it. The two could not hide their relationship any longer because the members are starting to suspect them.

After recording their attendance, the members waited for each other outside the waiting room. Since their training starts at 10 am that morning, they still had some time to hang around and chat. The last member finished recording and they made their way down to the basement together. It was barely even 9 am, so they took their time.

The members went to the training room first, except for Taehyun, who dropped by Team B’s room for a while to take back his speaker that he lent to Yunhyeong a couple of days back.

 “Mino ya!!!” two familiar faces greeted the members as soon as they entered the training room.

“G.. Grandmom! Granddad!” Mino ran towards his grandparents excitedly, embracing into a tight hug as soon as the family reunited. He kissed his grandparents and tears nearly flowed out of his eyes because he had missed them so much.

Mino’s grandparents had gotten permission from the staffs and flew all the way from Australia to visit their grandson who was busy training to become an idol. They had called the number that Mino gave them to call in case of any emergencies.

The members greeted Mino’s grandparents and Mino introduced each one of them to his grandparents. Seunghoon gave them a hug too, as they have met a couple of times in Australia when they were visiting their grandson who stayed in a share house with Seunghoon.

Taehyun entered their training room after retrieving his speakers.

“Hyunnie?” Mino’s granddad called out.  “Hyunnie, right? You’re Hyunnie right? Yah you’re here too?”

Taehyun looked up and immediately bowed to greet Mino’s grandparents as soon as he recognised their faces. Seungyoon and Jinwoo looked perplexed and were confused about the whole situation. They knew Taehyun too?

They hugged Taehyun tight, not letting go of the boy who was already like their own grandchild, because Taehyun used to come over to Mino’s house every day without fail.

“How have you been?” Mino’s grandmother asked Taehyun.

“I’m good.” Taehyun answered awkwardly. It has been too long since they last met, but Mino’s grandparents are still the same.

“Good to hear that, Hyunnie ah. Our Mino has been looking for you for years, did he tell you?”

Mino looked at his grandparents, trying to signal to them to stop talking, afraid that they may reveal something that the other members do not know about.

“You know Taehyun, Grandma?” Seungyoon asked Mino’s grandparents, curious.

“Who doesn’t?” his grandmother asked. “He was Mino’s first love.”

 

 

A/N: Hello folks! I honestly I don’t know how AFF works, but they won’t ban me or anything for including some M rated material in a non M rated ff, won’t they? It was such an important development of the two lovers that I just HAD to include that part in. I will try my very best not to include any /bed scenes in this story since it’s suppose to be a clean fic. (Unless if I really have to. OR ELSE, I’ll probably make a rated sequel to this one, if I really have the urge to write a based on this story) Nevertheless, let me know what you think of this chapter! No silent readers! Big big hugs to all of you supporting this fic!