//days after the announcing of WIN//

everyone did not know how to take the news at one go. the 6 of them were truly closely bonded, and trained hard with 5 of their other trainees. but know they were just told by yg that there were gonna be split into 2 teams, namely team A and team B for the sake of a survival themed variety show to decide which team would be able to debut under the name WINNER. what variety. indeed, it was a great opportunity for the trainees to fufill their dreams earlier, but should they win, what would happen to the other team? it was said that they could be disbanded or regrouped, but the thought of doing so, being apart from the people that they shared blood, sweat and tears with was too overwhelming to accept. 

but what could they do about it? but it in bluntly, they were just a bunch of helpless kids against yg. whatever he wants, he will get. he is the head of yg entertainment, and the one who accepted the 11 trainees into the company anyway.

so they needed to brace themselves for the intense competition.

---

jinhwan walked into the dorm and headed straight for his shared room, and so did the rest of the members. this was the first in a very long time that everyone retired to their rooms immediately upon returning, but then again this was no ordinary day. they were still teens, and needed some time to process whatever that they just had been told. 

collapsing into a chair and putting his head onto the table in frustration seemed like the only thing he could do now. despite being split into 2 separate teams, they were still one family, who fought so hard for the same dream, why did they have to fight against one another? it was then when he heard the room door open again, and a loud thud folowing shortly after. jinhwan turned his head around only to find junhoe hidden under his blankets, plopped down on the bed. normally when the 2 of them were alone in their room they would be talking rubbish, and mainly junhoe sputtering random ramblings about something that happened in the day. what a different atmosphere indeed.

but then it wasn't the first time jinhwan found his dongsaeng huddled under the sheets and not muttering a single word - when he was frustrated or sad. when that happened jinhwan would walk about and sit down on junhoe's bed, comforting him and sweet talking him into telling him what was wrong, and after a hug and promise to cheer up, everything would return to normal. but this time jinhwan couldn't bring himself to talk to junhoe for he didn't know what words to say, and he himself was in need of some comfort too. 

and jinhwan then decided to find his comfort in the younger, walking over and tugging junhoe to sit up from his blankets. after all, he was the hyung, and it was his responsibility to stay strong and be a role model for the younger ones. he then wrapped his arms around junhoe's neck, muttering in his ear, "we'll get through this, don't worry, all of us will acheive our dreams together." 

and he felt greatly relieved, and momentarily at ease when he felt junhoe wrapping his arms tightly around his waist.

---

they were all given the next 3 days off from practice, seemingly as if yg knew about the emotional and mental attack that the programme would bring about. all 11 trainees spent the days together having fun and building closer bonds, foreseeing a potential threat to their relationship that WIN could bring about. however since the first day, there had been one thing on junhoe's mind after accepting the fact that WIN was going to happen - whether to confess to jinhwan.

he remembered telling himself that he would just be contented with just being close teammates, but nowadays he kept wanting something more than that. he had always thought about the possibility of confessing when a trigger for it arose, but now there was no more time. when WIN started, a confession would prove too much on top of what they were already dealing with; and after that (in which the outcome was still unknown), proved far too risky, especially when no one knew what else yg had planned for them.

in short, if he really wanted to confess, he had to do so within these 3 days.

---

"june ah let hyung feed you" jiwon held up a lettuce wrap near junhoe's lips and the younger could only open his mouth and accept it. "now that's a good boy" jiwon ruffled junhoe's hair, before draping an arm around his shoulders. 

junhoe grumbled upon realising that his hair was messed up, but didn't try to pry jiwon's arm off him like before. maybe it was because he got used to it over the past year, or perhaps it was due to the fact that it was already their second last free day before the start of WIN. team B was at a nearby restaurant enjoying some bbq meat for dinner after spending the previous with their team A hyungs at the amusement part and the afternoon within themselves, having a movie marathon. everyone had to treasure this time as much as possible. 

from the side of junhoe's eye he could see jinhwan and hanbin having their own little conversation in the corner and he swore that hanbin's arm was wrapped around jinhwan's waist. all of a sudden he couldn't feel jiwon's arm around him anymore, and oh boy, there was so much fire burning in junhoe's eyes, it threatned to bore holes through hanbin's skull. needless to say junhoe was now playing the role of the typical jealous teenage boy, but then again it wasn't hanbin's fault. jinhwan wasn't junhoe's boyfriend. yet.

that had done it. junhoe had made up his mind.

---

"hyung i have something to tell you." both of them were cleaned and showered, lying on their respective beds. jinhwan was on im phone, and junhoe trying the secretly take peeks of his hyung, wanting to find a perfect time to tell him everything on his mind. but then it turned out that there was no perfect time. 

"what is it?'

"hyung i... i actually like you alot. more than a close brother you know... and i know you don't like me that way. hell, you're probably not even gay i think but i just really wanted to get this out of my mind before WIN and... nevermind we'll probably be really awkward right now i'll sleep on the couch tonight."

jinhwan could only laugh at the adorable sight in front of him. it was just so typical of junhoe to ramble on and on and not let the other party have a chance to speak. just as junhoe was about to gether up his pillow and blanket and head for the living room, jinhwan finally gave the younger the reply that he was waiting for all along. "who says so? what if i say that i like you too?"

startled, junhoe immediately turned around. "what did you say?"

"you idiot i liked you all along you know" jinhwan walked up to the younger and took the pillow and blanket from him, putting them down back on his bed before giving him a hug.

meanwhile junhoe was too shocked at jinhwan's words. did he favourite hyung just said that he liked him back too? out of habit from hugs that jinhwan gave the younger regularly, junhoe wrapped his arms around his hyung before muttering out a confused "really..?"

jinhwan snuggled in the warmth of junhoe's chest (maybe it wasn't always a bad thing that junhoe was so much taller than him) and breathed in his scent. "yeah. and i know what you do every night, when you think i'm sleeping but i'm actually still awake."

truth be told, jinhwan still wasn't sure about junhoe's feelings towards him, until hanbin told him about how the younger would stare at him longingly; it was those gazes that only couples would give each other. and he could't believe his ears when on the same night, junhoe confessed unexpectedly. 

"what?!! you knew hyung and you didn't tell me?"

jinhwan who was still locked tightly in junhoe's embrace looked up to meet the younger's blushing face. "it's cute! i wanted to see what you were going to do." 

"yah!" junhoe loosened his arms and tried unwrapping himself from jinhwan's hold but to no avail. he sighed, giving up and reached out a hand to play with the elder's hair instead. "at least we are dating now... right?"

jinhwan laughed at how insecure junhoe sounded, and decided to just for a bit. "you shouted yah at me and expect me to want to date you?"

"i know you're joking hyung. we have free time tomorrow right? let's go out to play." junhoe pouted, playing along before making further plans and returning his arms to their comfort zone. (around his beloved hyung) 

jinhwan nodded, smiling happily. and at that moment, junhoe felt as if his hyung's smile was brighter than all of the stars in the sky combined. his heart was pounding happily in his heart. with jinhwan hyung by his side, he was sure that he would be able to make it through all the hardships in his way.

~

i hoped you guys liked this chapter! (: please leave your comments!