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DOUBLE UPDATE.

Jong In pumped his chest hard following the beat, forcing his muscles to work in releasing his frustration. He had just finished an eight-hour long concert rehearsal and he dared to overwork himself again. His waist hadn’t completely healed; he surely did not need a new injury.

“You’re going to faint if you keep doing that.” A familiar voice surprised him from the door.

Su Ho, his most reliable hyung, slipped into the room and turned off the speaker.

Jong In ceased whatever he was doing and dropped down to the floor. He had a hard time catching his breath.

“How did you know I’d be here?” The younger boy asked through ragged breathing.

“Se Hun.” The leader shrugged.

“That brat.” Jong In laughed.

“He knows you best.” Su Ho commented as he joined his friend on the floor.

“And that’s also why he refused to fetch you himself tonight.”

Jong In’s ears perked up at that.

Although he had his eyes closed, he knew Su Ho was observing him.

“Are you alright, Jong In?”

His tone was not one of a leader speaking to , but more of an older brother to his younger sibling.

“Why wouldn’t I be, Hyung?”

Su Ho knew it was a lie and he wasted no time in cutting the chase down.

“What happened between you and Ra Eh?”

At the sound of her name, Jong In felt a lump on his throat, and it suffocated him. Jong In couldn’t hide his feelings anymore and he just broke down.

Under the florescent lights of the practice room, Jong In cried, hiding his face in his arms, at the comfort of his brother.

─

It had been almost two weeks since Jong In had that conversation with Su Ho, and the later promised he would not mention it to anyone.

Jong In and Se Hun, however, hadn’t been on speaking terms lately, and nobody (except Su Ho) seemed to know why. The two youngest members acknowledged each other’s presence, but they weren’t talking to one another.

It had been almost two months since Jong In last saw Ra Eh and he didn’t like what he was feeling in his heart. Initially, he had turned to Soo Jeong to make him forget, but the princess was too high up to take care of other people’s feelings. Every time the two met, Jong In would go home with a heavier heart. That explained why Jong In was at a secluded ramyeon shop right now.

“I told you so many times we can’t meet outside.” She scolded him without even saying hi.

Jong In continued to slurp on his noodle, exaggerating his action. He was determined to not let the girl’s unnecessary comment affect his mood.

“What are we, Soo Jeong?” The boy asked casually, wiping his lips clean.

He didn’t even bother to submit into the girl’s anger to appease her.

“What?” She asked back, confused.

“What am I to you, Soo Jeong?” He asked once again, firmer this time.

“If this was the emergency you were talking about, forget it. You’re wasting my time.” She dismissed him and her heels.

“For the record, I was the one who dumped you.” He spoke, effectively stopping the girl on her track.

Jong In smiled, a sickly sweet one, and left.

He didn’t bother to turn back or to check up on the girl. He continued looking ahead until he was in the safety of his car. The scene was oddly familiar, but this time he wasn’t crying. In fact, his heart felt… free.

It was a quarter to midnight, but Jong In didn’t feel like going back to the dorm just yet.

─

Jong In found himself driving along the mighty Han River.

He rolled down his window, letting the night air hit the side of his face. It felt refreshing.

He continued driving as he stretched his arm out, tearing the wind with his fingers. Thanksgiving holiday was just around the corner and he never felt happier to return to the warm arms of his mother.

After driving along the highway aimlessly, Jong In decided to go back.

When he opened the door to his dorm, someone had been waiting.

“I swear I would have called the police if you didn’t step out of that damned door in the next five seconds.” Se Hun growled at his best friend.