“Thank you for the meal!”

All the trainees had gathered in the large meeting room for dinner that the staff had bought for them and were seated around a long rectangular table in the middle of the room.

Haru, now wearing comfortable shorts and a t-shirt sat between Chanwoo and Yoonhee, admiring the large array of dishes in front of her.

The chatter at the table was constant and jovial as everyone shared the events of their day with one another.

“Tell me about the Ferris wheel? Was it really that big?” Yoonhee, with full, looked between Haru and Bobby, who sat opposite Haru.

“It was huge!” Haru was also chewing her food. “You could see all of Osaka bay and all the way across Osaka itself.”

“The actual size of the wheel itself was ridiculous, I honestly didn’t expect it to be that big,” Bobby added.

Yoonhee sighed loudly, “I’m so disappointed with myself. I slept all day trying to recover… I can’t believe I missed out.”

“Noona, it’s okay. You’ve still got a chance to go sightseeing in Tokyo remember?” Chanwoo head appeared from beside Haru as he leaned over to smile at Yoonhee.

“Exactly Yoonhee-ah. In Tokyo, let’s definitely go exploring together!” Haru gave Yoonhee a huge grin.

“Ya, don’t smile at me with your mouth full. I can see all your food in there,” Yoonhee pushed Haru’s face away from her teasingly with her hand, making the trainees around them laugh.

“Here, eat this, it’s really delicious,” Bobby took a piece of fried fish between his chopsticks, deboned it and reached over the table to place it on top of Haru’s rice.

“Aigoo Bobby, you’re like my mother… Thank you,” Haru smiled at him and scooped the mound of rice with the piece of fish into with one bite.

Bobby watched her do so with a grin, his eyes focused on her cheeks as they bulged from her large mouthful, “Ya… You really eat well,”

Haru squeezed her eyes together cutely as she continued to chew the monstrous amount of rice in . Whilst doing so her eyes wandered the table and found Hanbin’s, who was sitting a few seats down on the other side. When they made eye contact, Haru was surprised when Hanbin was the first to look back down at his food in a hurried manner, almost as if he had been caught. She stopped chewing, as she watched him turn back to Dahye sitting beside him. Unable to see his face, she looked on as Dahye laughed and spoke informally with him, calling him ‘Hanbin-ah’.

Since when have those two been close? I don’t think I’ve seen them talking to each other since I started training and all of a sudden they’re best friends… Why is that so annoying? Haru was lost in her own thoughts, forgetting she was still looking at them, the food in still half-chewed.

Bobby, followed Haru’s gaze, and looked back at Haru who paid him no attention.

“Haru?”

Haru snapped out of her stupor upon hearing Bobby’s voice, “Huh?”

“You haven’t finished chewing your food, you look like a chipmunk,” Bobby leaned over the table and prodded Haru’s swollen cheek with a finger.

“Oh… Oh yeah, right,” Haru blinked and started to laugh, her jaws regaining their function again as she kept her attention on her bowl, feeling the zap of energy coming from Hanbin’s gaze across the table in no time.   

After dinner, the trainees all retired to their hotel rooms to rest and begin packing in preparation to leave Osaka tomorrow morning. Inside Hanbin and Bobby’s room, an uneasy quietness lingered in the air. Bobby was lying on his bed, reading from an iPad and Hanbin wandered around the room collecting his clothes and packing.

Hanbin who had walked over to Bobby’s bed and now stood with his hands in his pockets facing him, finally broke the silence, “Hyung…”

Bobby looked up, “Oh, what is it?”

Hanbin studied Bobby’s face briefly in silence, causing Bobby to ask again, “Ay, what’s wrong?”

“Hyung, are you by any chance… upset at me?” Hanbin’s question came out with a certain amount of hesitation.

“Upset at you?” Bobby sat up straight on his bed, tossing the iPad beside him. “Why would I be upset at you?”

“Well, I mean earlier, before dinner, when you and Haru saw Dahye and I together…” Hanbin trailed off, gauging Bobby’s expressions.

Bobby maintained a neutral expression and raised his eyebrows in expectancy, “And?”

“I don’t want you to be upset about Dahye and I because you might still-” Hanbin began but Bobby interrupted him with a swift kick to the side of his thigh.

“Ya. I’m not upset okay? That’s in the past and I know things haven’t really changed but let’s just drop this, yeah?” Bobby pushed himself off his bed and stood to face Hanbin.

Hanbin didn’t look comforted as he continued to stare at Bobby, his hands shoved firmly in his pockets.

Bobby threw an arm around Hanbin’s neck and playfully slapped him on the chest, “Don’t be so serious Hanbin-ah. We’ve all accepted it and moved on haven’t we?”

Hanbin still didn’t offer any words, so Bobby sighed and gave him slight shove, “Ya, seriously. It’s nothing okay? Besides, my feelings aren’t the same as they were a year ago, I’m not that childish,”

Bobby began heading towards the bathroom but stopped at the doorway when Hanbin finally spoke, “Okay, well what were you upset about, if not me or Dahye? Haru?”
Without turning around he replied, “What do you mean?”

“You pulled her away so intimately and quickly. Why, hyung?” Hanbin stared at Bobby’s back. “Are you already forgetting your own promises?”

Bobby was quiet for a moment before he turned around, a lopsided smirk on his face, “You’re reading into it way too much Hanbin-ah. Haru was tired; I just wanted to get her back to her room quickly. Of course I haven’t forgotten them, and either way Haru doesn’t fit into that category of girls anyway,”

Hanbin’s gaze did not break and nodded eventually before responding stiffly, “Be careful hyung. She might not seem like the type of girl that causes you pain, but she’s interesting enough to have caught your attention. I don’t want to see you get dragged down again. It would be painful for you as much as it would be for Haru as well, since she’d never do it on purpose. I don’t want that to happen.”

Hanbin returned to his suitcase packing and did not offer Bobby another glance or word.

Bobby stood in the doorway for a moment before he shut the bathroom door behind him and leant against it, his thoughts bubbled inside his head like the contents of a caldron, spilling over the edge. He was unable to shake off the uncomfortable but obvious tension in the room, and the way Hanbin’s words of caution felt more like a personal warning, laced with an undeniable and somewhat threatening aroma of possession.

✼ ✼ ✼

As the YG Family Tour concluded in Osaka, all the artists and trainees arrived at their final location for the tour. Tokyo. Both nights of the show were huge successes and Haru wished that the tour could go on for longer, craving the sounds of screams that drowned out everything and left you reeling for days. President Yang had mentioned that he sent them to Japan to work and not for a holiday but Haru had decided she would take doing a concert over sightseeing any day.

Like in Osaka, the trainees were allowed to go exploring on their final day in Tokyo. Similarly, they were asked to split themselves into smaller groups and given the same 6 o’clock curfew. Yoonhee and Haru immediately clung to one another and decided to ask around the other trainees for recruits.

The two girls, wandering down the hallways towards the lobby area ran into Bobby and Hanbin who were also on their way over.

“Oh! We should ask them to come with us,” Yoonhee waved at them before Haru could try and subdue her.

“What are you two doing?” Bobby asked with a smile as the four gathered began making their way to the lobby as a group.

“We’re looking for recruits to join us today when we go sightseeing! Do you two have a group yet?” Yoonhee’s mouth was unstoppable and Haru could only sigh that her hopes of a peaceful, comfortable day had been flushed down the toilet. At least this means it can’t get much worse…

Bobby looked between the girls and back at Hanbin who remained quiet and just looked straight ahead of him, “Well no we don’t. Hanbin, is it okay for you?”

Was he planning on doing more work? God this guy is such a workaholic, Haru thought.

“It should be fine,” Hanbin responded without looking at either of the girls.

 “Okay then. Well we hadn’t decided where to go yet, but if you’re offering then we should say yes right?”

No. You can also say no. But that wasn’t ever going to happen was it? Haru tried not to let her cringe show on her face.

Yoonhee, completely oblivious to Haru beside her, broke out into a large smile and cheered, “Okay that’s great! It’s going to be so much fun today!”

When they arrived at the lobby area, the other girl trainees were all sprawled out on the couches.

“Oh Haru-ah, Yoonhee-ah,” Eunbi sat up in her reclining couch. “Do you guys have a group?”

“Us four are a group, we still have room,” Yoonhee responded.

“In that case, I’ll come with you guys,”

Haru nearly collapsed when she turned to see Dahye standing up from her spot and smiling towards them, her legs suddenly feeling numb. And to think that my day wasn’t about to get worse… I have never been more wrong in my life.

Haru wasn’t the only person who felt like her soul just got knocked out of her body. Beside her Bobby and Hanbin shuffled uncomfortably but nodded in agreement at Dahye’s announcement without another choice.

The five trainees took caught a taxi to Tokyo Tower, taking photos from the Observatory deck and admiring the panoramic scenery of Tokyo extend from below their feet, outwards and outwards endlessly.

Haru snapped pictures with her camera from every angle eagerly as she wandered around the circular deck by herself. She had stopped to admire the view of the bay when she felt someone’s presence beside her. Turning around she saw Hanbin standing next to her, his hands folded across his chest, eyes sweeping over the scenery.

Haru looked away awkwardly, unsure about what to say and fidgeted with her camera.

“Do you want a photo?” Hanbin finally spoke up, turning his head to look at Haru.

Haru cleared even though she didn’t need to and replied quietly, “Um… Sure that’ll be nice,” and handed her camera to him.

Hanbin stepped backwards and did a quick countdown, snapping a few photos of Haru as she posed against the glass.

“Do you want a photo too?” Haru offered when he returned the camera back to her, aware of how civil their conversation was. Now that I think about it, I don’t recall Hanbin and I ever sharing small talk like this… We’re always arguing or discussing something vehemently.

“Oh, I’m good. I’ve already been here with my family,” Hanbin shook his head and returned to Haru’s side, making sure to remain a polite distance from her.

“Excuse me…”

Both Haru and Hanbin spun around at the sound of a woman asking in Korean.

The woman was with two daughters and she was holding her own camera, “Are you two Korean?”

“Yes, we are,” Haru replied and smiled at the mother.

“Ah that’s good! Could you please take a photo of my daughters and I?” The woman beamed at Haru and extended her phone towards her.

Haru agreed immediately and snapped a few photos of the family posing, before returning the phone to the woman.

“Wow, they turned out great! Thank you very much miss,” The woman looked between Hanbin and Haru before asking, “Are you two in a relationship?”

Both Hanbin and Haru jolted and began spluttering, “Oh… No! N-No, we’re not…”

“We’re not dating… We’re just…” Haru began to explain herself but the word ‘friend’ seemed unfitting and she trailed off as she looked at Hanbin. Hanbin noticed her hesitation and quickly continued, “…friends,”

“Psh, what friends? You two suit each other. Let me take a photo of both of you!” The woman, held out her hand for Haru’s camera insistently and Haru had no choice but to hand it to her.

Hanbin shot Haru a glare which Haru returned as she pushed him back towards the glass. They stood beside each other and posed, making sure there was a small gap between their shoulders.

The woman lowered the camera and pointed at Hanbin accusingly, “What are you doing? Put your arm around her. You two look like you’re made of wood. Get in closer for goodness sakes,”

Hanbin hesitated and the two made eye contact briefly, before Haru sighed, “Hanbin just do it so we can get rid of this lady. Does it look like she’s going to let us get away with it?”

Hanbin himself let out a long sigh but agreed with Haru. Slowly he lifted his arm and inch by inch lowered it over Haru’s shoulders.

Why is he so hesitant? What happened to the Hanbin that stands so close to me I could see his eyelashes, or the Hanbin that smirks at me when I dance in front of him?

“Aigoo! Sir, you need to be a bit manlier than that! Pull her closer to you!” The woman instructed Hanbin from behind the camera again.

Haru kept her eyes focused on the ceiling, praying for Hanbin to hurry up. Hanbin sighed again before finally dropping his arm behind Haru. Haru was startled by his touch and his sudden confidence, as his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his body, his hand resting just above her hip lightly.

Ah. There he is…

“There you go! That’s much better!” The woman finally smiled and then began snapping photos of them.

Haru stood frozen in her spot, trying her best to control her facial expression when her brain was running at a million miles an hour. Hanbin’s arm was strong around her waist but his touch was gentle and warm, nothing about it was overly forceful. She could smell his cologne, the same one he had worn the first time they had spoken when he backed her up against a water fountain during his yogurt interrogation.

The woman finally satisfied with the pose and the photos returned the camera to Haru and sa