The next day was ty.  No other word to describe it.  Daesung wasn’t the same, so Seunghyun wasn’t either.  Daesung didn’t sit next to him at breakfast and definitely didn’t join him to visit the art galleries.  Instead, he went shooting with Seungri, which… what? 

Seunghyun texted him a couple of times during the day, and Daesung replied, but of course, he wondered if he was sensing a veil over the texts.  Finally, an hour before the show, he saw Daesung at the green room table, eating a plate of fruit and some steamed fish.  Seunghyun grabbed a plate himself and took the seat next to Daesung, even though the other chairs were empty.

“Don’t worry, I checked.  No cameras in the room right now.  Or should I still grab that chair in case a crazy stalker fan sneaks backstage and sees us,” he said, despite his better sense.

Daesung looked up, guilt and sadness evident in his eyes.

“Hyung, no, I wasn’t… I wasn’t thinking that,” he said softly, “I’m sorry.”

Seunghyun felt like he might know what it’s like to kick a puppy.

“Sorry, Daesung, I didn’t mean to be so mean.  I just missed you today.”

“We texted all day, hyung!  How could you miss me?”

“I was hoping you’d come with me to look at that new exhibit and meet the artist.  I know you like his designs, I’ve seen you wear shoes with one of his prints on them.  Instead I had to text you while you were out with Seungri,” Seunghyun replied, desperately hoping his own desperation wasn’t immediately apparent.

“Oh my goodness, hyung, you would not believe what Seungri did at the range. He”

As Daesung went off on what he assumed was yet another entertaining tangent about their youngest member, Seunghyun found himself unable to concentrate on Daesung’s change of topic.  Instead, his focus centered on how much joy simply being in Daesung’s company brought him.  Seeing him talk animatedly, gesture emphatically and grin conspiratorially, Seunghyun’s heart was once again filled with love for him.  How he managed to smile, stay positive and engage with life despite all his hardships never ceased to inspire.  Seunghyun struggled with getting out of bed many times, under their weight of his own self-created insecurities.  He knew that’s why he truly loved Daesung; while he was beyond hot, it was his resilience and perseverance that made him realize that he was the one.

It was what made it easier for Seunghyun when he realized he had started to love his bandmate, another man, one day.  He had never had romantic feelings for the guys before, so he didn’t recognize it until it had already happened.  And one it had, Seunghyun never worried about what it meant.  He knew Daesung was a good person, the best person, and nothing else mattered.

Well, except for that small matter that Daesung didn’t seem to like men in the same way.  But Seunghyun rationalized that by saying there wasn’t much he was going to do about that because he wanted it to happen naturally if it were supposed to happen at all.

“Hyung, hello?  You ready?”

Seunghyun blinked, surprised to see his in-ear being handed to him, which meant the show was about to start.  Youngbae was staring at him, as if he were expecting something.

“Uh, yeah, sorry, zoned out there for a second,” Seunghyun replied, knowing it was for more than a second, but hoping no one had really noticed. 

“Great.  I hope you’re not nervous Hyung, the staff will make sure your MC will be on the prompter.  I know sometimes we get a little carried away before it’s your turn, but we’ll make sure to signal you properly,” Youngbae added, his every word reflecting the truth of his kindness.

“I rarely worry, Youngbae, when you’re around.  You take such good care of everyone, dongsaeng,” he replied, a smile on his face.

“Hyung, did you drink?!  You’re acting cute again.  It doesn’t look like it, and I don’t know how you would’ve snuck it before the show,” Youngbae looked truly perplexed, so Seunghyun knew he needed to get a grip.

“Eh, not yet, but I’ve got a beautiful bottle waiting for in the hotel room for later.  Syrah.  Argentina.  1983.”

Before Youngbae could answer, they were called to get in place for the opening.  Seunghyun tried to clear his mind of everything he had been thinking about so he could concentrate…

“Hyung! Fighting!”

Seunghyun turned around to see Daesung looking at him, a big smile on his face and a fist held up in support.

It was going to be a long concert.