word count: 2,325
requested by: Kairi_Rose

Dark, attentive eyes drill into Jinju’s form as she blows and takes the chopstick-clad noodles into . Chewing self-consciously, she turns to the person gazing at her seriously. “What? Is there something on my face?” Jinju touches her face, trying to feel around for stray noodles. “No, no.” Hoshi shakes his head, now propping his elbow up the table to lean closer to her.

She raises a suspicious eyebrow at him. “Uh-huh… are you sure? You’ve been staring at me like a weirdo for a while now. I think you’re just denying it so that I can eat and walk around with noodles on my face.”

Hoshi’s lips quirk into a grin, “That would be nice, but –” he interjects when Jinju throws him a glare, “You seriously don’t.”

“Then why are you looking at me like that? Your eyes are dead serious,” she prompts as she shifts her attention back to her bowl of noodles. Swirling her chopsticks around, she doesn’t get any response that she’s expecting to hear. “Soonyoung?” She asks, turning her head around to look at him. Hoshi is still gazing at her, his eyes sincere and softened. It’s not the first time she’s seen him give a look like that to her, but it makes her stop in her tracks. It always does.

“Hoshi?” She asks carefully, finding her voice back. She sees his eyes flash a look of hesitance, but it surprises her when he leans in and presses his lips to hers.

Jinju’s eyes squeeze at the memory. Cheeks pleasantly splashed with pink, she shakes her head to drive the image away from her mind. Ah, does Kwon Soonyoung really have feelings for me? I thought we were best friends… She sighs. Still, she can’t help her heart from racing at the thought of his sincerity.

Hoshi was always the best stress-reliever to her. He made her laugh when things were going downhill, and he cared for her and listened to her as her confidant. He always made her feel like she was the most special person in the whole world when his eyes were trained on her as he listened quietly to her rambling. He never complained. He never took things out on her. He treated her like glass, like she was something precious that he didn’t want to break.

And… Jinju couldn’t deny that he was something more to her.

But she doesn’t have the heart to break the something they have. Are our feelings worth the sacrifice? Is it worth our friendship? She ponders silently, eyes boring deeply into nothingness.

“Jinju-ya, come on, it’s time to announce the winner,” her older sister shakes her out of her thoughts. Dazed, Jinju tears her eyes off thin air as she watches the MCs of the music show introduce the winning candidates. She couldn’t help a smile when SEVENTEEN grinned and waved to the camera. I hope they’ll win this time, she prays silently.

“Who will be the champion who will take home the trophy…? Should we meet them?” The screen blackens for a bit, making her anxious. “The winner is…” The screen shows SEVENTEEN’s ‘Pretty U’ music video. Jinju’s jaw drops, Did they just win?! “SEVENTEEN! Congratulations!” Her older sister immediately jumps and down, her screaming voice filling the previously anxious-filled living room. Equally shocked, the SEVENTEEN members bewilderedly look around, confetti sprinkling around their confused figures.

“Can we hear your thoughts on your win?”

Jinju, still surprised with formed into an ‘O’, watches as they start to jump around the stage. The mic is given to Seungcheol, but his eyes by then are filled with happy tears. Hoshi himself is staring to cry, tears streaming down his face like a waterfall, and Jinju can’t help but laugh amidst the touching moment. He deserves it. She thinks proudly, her own eyes stinging with tears.

“Hey, don’t cry!” Her sister slaps her arm softly, while Jinju chuckles, rubbing the spot where she was hit. “Why, you’ll cry yourself?” She kids, wiping her damp eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. “No way! It’s a happy day, so you shouldn’t cry!” She chides her softly, “But wait… it’s their first win, isn’t it? To celebrate, don’t you think we throw them a surprise party?”

A party? Jinju thinks to herself, tapping a finger on her chin.

“Oppa, thank you so much for helping us do this through your busy schedule,” she fervently thanks their manager who’s laughter resonates through the dorm. “No worries, Jinju. It’s their first win. I think they deserve something like this after working hard,” he smiles, patting her shoulder. Jinju agrees silently, nodding as she takes in the rushed but meaningful decorations they had put all around the dorm.

It was simply designed, but she thinks that the SEVENTEEN members would already appreciate just the thought of a party. “Anyway, I got to go. I just left them for a mere thirty minutes at the radio station but I don’t know how they turned out without me there.” The manager chuckles, making Jinju grin. “Thanks for helping, oppa.”

The door shuts close, and Jinju starts to look around for a place to hide. “I’ve got dibs on the back of the cabinet,” her older sister quickly says when she sees her scan the dorm. Jinju groans, “You’re mean. You’ve already thought of a place to hide, haven’t you? I should have known when I saw you look around earlier. You’re just like Hoshi!” She accused playfully.

“Oh, who? Hoshi your