Brian and Jae can hear the shutters of cameras, they know their photos are being taken; yet they remain like that. Their hands interlaced as they watch the Kang parents make their way to their flight. Wonpil, basically being Jae's second manager, decides to let go of Sungjin's hand to approach them and whisper,

"Hey, crowd's forming."

It's not that he's ashamed of Jae and Brian being together; he completely supports it. He's thrilled by the fact that now, they're able to live without the torment of Brian's parents. But he's just aware that the harships may continue, just from a different tormentor.

Jae nods and nudges Brian, whose focus was solely on his parents backs that he had lost sight of. Brian, coming to his senses, almost lets go of Jae's hand but he's not able to, because Jae's grip just becomes tighter.

The couple walk, behind them Wonpil and Sungjin who are asking fans to keep their respectful distance, and they quicky exit the airport. They all get into Sungjin's car, and almost immediately drive off.

It's a quiet drive, Jae and Brian in the backseat, while Sungjin's driving and Wonpil's staring outside the passenger window. The radio is playing, but it's quiet. Brian is staring at his hands that feel so comfortable in Jae's.

"Finally." he says, and closes his eyes and just holds Jae's hand tighter. Wonpil turns around, and Sungjin catches a glimpse in the rear-view mirror of Brian's smile, accompanied by Jae's.

"One hurdle down," Wonpil says, turning back around to face the road, a smile of his own on the male's face.

"Who knows how many more to go," Jae comments, looking at the scenery passing by, and Brian's smile almost fades before Jae adds with a smile,

"But who cares?"

He turns to look at Brian and they share a smile, and Sungjin can't help but smile too. Wonpil turns up the radio and the 4 enjoy a joyful car ride back to Brian's apartment.

Wonpil ignores the fact that Jae offers them something to drink as if he's been living there, and just says yes to a water as Sungjin does the same. 

Although they all just have waters, Wonpil raises for a toast and the rest of them have a curious look as they just raise their glasses anyway.

"What're we toasting to?" Brian asks, and Wonpil replies with,

"To problematic friends and complicated relationships."

The 3 laugh as they can't really dispute the statement, and proceed to clink their glasses together and take a chug of water.

"We should go drinking together one day," Sungjin comments and Jae says,

"Nope. I refuse to be drunk around him." pointing at Brian who just has an amused smile on his face.

Wonpil eyes the couple before saying,

"Yeah, let's not. I'd rather not know the reason for Jae's statement."

The 4 go on to talk about random things, Brian pointing out that this apartment is where Sungjin and Wonpil had their first chance to actually talk to each other. They're teasing each other's relationships, making fun of things that used to be sensitive subjects and Jae's midlaugh when his phone goes off. 

"Hello?" he answers and the laughter dies down.

"Y-Yeah..." and Brian's close enough that he can make out what the voice on the other line says,

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Jae exhales but before he answers, Jinhae says,

"Look, I know I'm your manager... But I thought we were closer than that. If you had told me, I wouldn't have made Eunyi your girlfrie-" Jinhae cuts himself off,

"Oh my God, that must've been so uncomfortable, I-I'm so sorry."

"Wait," Jae says, his face expressing his confusion and Wonpil and Sungjin just wait for the phonecall to end to get the whole story.

"Y-You're not mad at me? Disgusted?"

"What the Hell, why would I be disgusted? You're you Jae, I wouldn't be mad at you for that."

Brian smiles hearing Jinhae's response,

"I just wish you would've told me earlier... It's gonna be hard to explain to papers why you've gone from dating Eunyi to having a boyfriend within like 2 weeks,"

Jae puts on an apologetic smile and Wonpil figures he's had enough of trying to decipher the conversation through the author's facial expressions, and grabs the phone to put the call on speaker.

"Sorry!" and they hear Jinhae's soft chuckle. The author takes a chance,

"Hey... Do you think it'd be possible to do a press conference with all the reporters?"

"When? For what? Wait, I don't trust you," Jinhae replies and Jae laughs,

"Wouldn't it better to just tell the truth to everyone?"

The other line is quiet and the 4 await the manager's answer.

"Maybe not just yet." Wonpil nods in agreement, as expected.

"I'm completely supportive of your relationship, Jae. I'm sure he's a great guy and I'm really happy that you found someone to make you happy... But, as your manager I'm going to remind you that the public may not have the same view as me. I have to remind you that there are fans of you out there that idolize you, that would be completely heartbroken if they found out that you had a boyfriend; a serious one at that..."

Jae chuckles sadly and it pains the 3 around him as he says,

"Oh yeah... Guess that's my reality, huh?" in between sad laughter

"But." Jinhae says,

"That all being said, I do support you in doing the right thing." 

Jae's mood picks back up, and 

"Just be patient, and I'll see what I can do about that press conference, okay?"

"Yeah! Thanks, Jinhae.." the author responds,

"Okay. There's someone else calling, and now I have to deal with these airport photos of you and your boyfriend." the manager says, sighing as Jae just laughs,

"Sorry, again! Do you wanna meet him?"

Brian suddenly panics as if Jae had just planned for him to meet his parents; which he has already done.

"Sure, whenever you guys have time. Okay, I gotta go, it's Reporter Lee and I'd rather not give him more reason for suspicion,"

"Okay, bye Jinhae!"

"Bye!" he says, and immediately ends the call with Jae.

The 4 just stare at Jae's phone, neither of them really knowing what to say.

"Are you sure about this, Jae? The backlash could be insane..." Sungjin says and Wonpil looks at him, surprised.

"Geez, who are you? Wonpil?" the author asks while laughing,

"I'm just saying..."

"Yeah. I'm sure. If I lose all my fans, then..." Jae thinks of what he could do, what he may have to do.

"Then, I do. I think I'd rather be comfortable and happy than continue to hide."

Brian stares at Jae whose eyes are fixated on his phone, and he's about to thank Jae for his response when Wonpil comments,

"Well, I mean if anything, you could just write under a different pen name." and proceeds to take another sip of water.

Brian looks at him, shaking his head at his rational thinking while Jae's just speaking from his heart.

"What? It's smart-"

"Just drink your water," Sungjin says, shoving the glass in Wonpil's face.

Jae and Brian laugh in response and then the 4 integrate back into their random subjects of conversation. 

When Jae and Brian see the other couple off, Brian asks,

"Hey, do you mind staying the night?"

And it's his tone that makes Jae say,

"Yeah, sure."

Jae's comfortable in Brian's apartment at this point, and it's almost natural for him to go through Brian's closet to find something to wear for the night. Brian knocks before entering his own room, and he admits he finds that weird, but he just wants to make sure Jae's done changing.

"Yeah?" Jae calls from inside, and Brian opens the door to find Jae already in bed, just on his phone.

"Hey,"

"Hi," he replies and chuckles, putting his phone down and watches as Brian makes his way to the other side of the bed.

"Sorry for suddenly asking you to stay,"

"No, no it's fine! I don't mind staying here," Jae ensures and he refuses to blush as Brian takes his hand his own, and leans on his shoulder.

"I just... I just need you tonight." Brian says and then Jae becomes aware of what happened today.

Today, they said goodbye to Brian's parents. Today, they went to the airport where his parents were waiting, and for the first time, he heard his mom call him 'Brian' comfortably. They came around, but just a little too late, they held hands in public while Jae's fans took photos...

Today, Brian chose Jae over his parents.

Jae's thumb Brian's hand as Brian proceeds to lean his head on the latter. Brian's eyes are closed as he just processes everything, trying not to breakdown because he honestly wouldn't know how to explain himself.

"Thank you." the author says.

"For choosing me today, for not letting go of my hand despite that meaning you may not see your parents again... Thank you for staying."

Brian smiles to himself,

"I knew I needed you." he says and Jae just smiles.

He places a kiss atop Brian's head and Brian becomes flustered, and Jae leans his head back on Brian's.

"Thank you." Brian echoes.

Their voices are soft as they go on to talk about the more serious things of life. They turn into whispers as Brian talks about his parents, Jae responding with childhood stories, his eyes closed as he reminisces.

They fall asleep in that position, it surprisingly being comfortable, or maybe it's just because it's them. Jae didn't realize how easy it was to fall asleep leaning on someone else's head, and was surprised that his hand wasn't sweaty. Brian realizes how comforting it is to just fall asleep with Jae, just having him at his side.

The couple wake up to sore necks, and they laugh it off while they proceed to go make some morning coffee and breakfast. Jae waits for his classic Iced Americano, Brian-homemade-style, and he thinks it tastes just as good, if not better than the one from the cafe. Jae helps make breakfast and Brian's once again reminded of how much he likes this atmosphere. Thinking about it, he likes waking up next to Jae, seeing the way Jae stretches and yawns in the morning is adorable.

Jae saying,

"Earth to Brian," is what pulls him out of his fond thoughts, and he hums in response. Jae chuckles, already knowing he wasn't listening,

"I asked if you would wanna meet my manager."

"How could you give me a heads-up about meeting your manager but not your parents?" Brian asks, placing the plate of waffles in front of Jae, who's laughing to himself.

"Good point... But, I couldn't really control that, they visited me in the hospital!"

Brian shakes his head, making his way to the fridge to bring out some fresh fruit,

"Fine, I'll make it up to you. We'll have dinner together, and you can formally meet them." and the other smiles.

"Yes, I would like to meet your manager," he finally answers the question and Jae rolls his eyes, but Brian doesn't see as he's looking for the blueberries he could've sworn he bought.

Once he finally does find them, he turns and is almost left in awe by the simple picture. Jae, sitting at the table, his head resting in the palm of his hands as he just looks out the window.

"Hey," Brian says, finally sitting down and putting down the fruit. Jae proceeds to decorate his waffles with ingredients of his choice,

"Yeah?" he replies, not taking his eyes off the plate as he picks up his cutlery.

"Would you wanna move in with me?"

Jae's eyes widen as he quickly turns his attention to Brian,

"I-Uh-Sorry! That was really random, and it's probably rushed, I'm sorry, I just really liked waking up to you and going to bed by your side." Brian rambles, speaking at speeds Jae was oddly impressed by.

"Sorry, disregard that question." Brian repeats quietly, blushing furiously as he reaches for the syrup, refusing to look Jae in the eye.

"Yeah." Jae says, smiling sweetly as he watches Brian look up slowly,

"Yeah, I'd love to move in with you."

The rest of the breakfast consists of them discussing possible move-in dates, and them agreeing that they'll most likely wait until after the press conference that Jae wants to have. While they're washing the dishes together, Jae gets a phonecall.

"Morning, Jinhae," he says, answering the call.

"Hey, you busy?"

"Not really, just washing some dishes."

"Oh, okay. Would you be free to meet me sometime this week?"

"Oh! Actually, about that, would you be up to meet my..." Jae smiles to himself as he's able to say,

"My boyfriend?" 

Brian smiles as he rinses the dishes,

"Sure. When and where?"

"I guess we could meet at the usual place?"

"Any other suggestions, I think we need some privacy."

"Oh.. Then my place? This Sunday at 7?"

"Sounds good. Do I have to dress nice?"

"I don't know, you don't need to impress him, he's mine." Jae jokes but Brian loves hearing that from him.

Jinhae laughs and replies,

"Fair enough. Okay, see you and your boyfriend then, Jae!"

"Bye, Jinhae," Jae says and the call ends.

Jae turns to see Brian staring at him with an amused expression,

"What?" the author asks, and Brian makes his way toward him

"Hearing you call me yours makes me so freakin' happy." he replies honestly, hugging the other and Jae wraps his arms around him. 

"It makes me happy too,"

"Not as happy as you make me though," Brian says, pulling away and making his way to the room to go change.

"You're so lame,"

And Jae loves Brian's melodic laugh that resounds through the apartment.

"Do I look okay? The shirt and the pants don't clash, right?"

"Brian. It's just my manager, you don't need to stress!" Jae assures.

They're currently in Jae's kitchen, setting up for their expecting guest.

"I wanna make a good impression!" he argues, and Jae sighs.

"He's really chill, trust me." he says, and then they hear a knock at the door.

"Oh my God, he's here already?!" Brian whispers,

"Yeah, he has a fob to this building," he replies, making his way to the door. He notices Brian's shocked expression,

"He's my manager. At least he doesn't live with me." and Brian rolls his eyes.

Jae opens the door to reveal Jinhae, and Brian can't see him yet as he's in the kitchen. He hears them exchange a few words,

"...considering the last time I saw you was to tell you had a girlfriend."

"Oh yeah... I really hated you then,"

"You should've spoken up!"

Brian concludes that Jinhae's voice in person is slightly deeper compared to what comes through on a phone. They make their way into the kitchen, and Brian finally sees him.

Jinhae's wearing something simple yet nice; a polo shirt paired with some black ripped jeans. His black hair is styled upwards, and Brian notices the watch on his wrist, and how young he looks.

"This is Brian Kang," Jae introduces,

"My boyfriend." he continues, proudly. 

Jinhae extends his hand out to Brian, and has a friendly smile on his face,

"Hey, nice to meet you, I'm Jae's manager, Jinhae."

"Hi, yeah, I've heard about you from Jae." Brian replies, shaking his hand and he likes the positive vibes Jinhae gives off.

"You hungry?" Jae asks, motioning towards the table,

"Yeah!" he responds naturally, and the 3 seat themselves at the table.

Jinhae and Brian go into further depths about themselves, talking about Brian's occupation, and upon the mention of being a freelance musician, Jinhae tells him he'll see if he has any connections to labels. Jinhae is enjoying the dinner, complimenting and thanking the couple and Brian isn't awkward anymore.

"Oh right, I wanted to talk you about that press conference you brought up."

Jae swallows the bite that was already in his mouth,

"What about it?" he asks, slighty nervous.

"Well, like I told you, you have to be patient..."

Jae nods, and Brian just thinks about the day Jae officially lives with him just getting further away.

"But, not that patient." Jinhae says with a smile,

"Make sure you guys are free next Monday, so a week from tomorrow."

"Seriously?" Brian chimes in, with wide eyes,

"Yup. I'll call in the reporters, and we can tell them the whole story. Oh, also reach out to Eunyi, I think it'd be best to have her there." Jinhae informs and takes another bite of the dinner.

"Just make sure you guys are prepared for the worst, yeah? It'll be open to select fans, so maybe don't wear any of your favourite clothes just incase they start throwing stuff at you,"

Jae and Brian laugh, but deep down they know that could really happen.

"I think it's best that you guys tell them the complete truth, rather than your name and image being ruined by rumours."

"You got a cool manager," Brian says to Jae

"Yeah. Minus the time where he handed me a girlfriend,"

"See, you could've easily spoken up, so don't try and blame it all on me." Jinhae defends himself

"No, it wouldn't have been easy. Our relationship is a lot more complicated than you may think, okay?" the author replies with a smile.

"It's just him that's problematic," Brian jokes and Jinhae nods in agreement,

"He really is."

"I don't appreciate you guys teaming up on me." Jae says, and the other 2 just laugh in response.

"Oh, if you're gonna reveal the whole truth at the press conference, do you mind telling me first?" Jinhae asks, and adds

"I'd rather not have photos taken of my genuine initial reaction to your story."

The next almost half an hour consists of Jae and Brian telling the story of their relationship, together. Finishing each other's sentences and filling in little details that the other may have forgotten. Jinhae's listening intently, and sometimes the couple would laugh at his reactions. By the end, Jinhae's expression is just amazement and awe.

"Wow..." he says,

"Right?" Brian comments, shaking his head in his own disbelief.

"How.. What..." Jinhae just sighs, not knowing what to question and just leans back in his seat.

"That's pretty intense." he says and the couple just laughs.

The night ends with them just talking about the details of the press conference, when to be there, they also discuss favourite animals which Jinhae's is revealed to be a koala. It's almost 10pm by the time they see him off and tell him they'll see him in a week.

"He's pretty cool," Brian comments,

"I told you. You were stressing for nothing," Jae replies,

"You have a nice place..." the other comments, looking around at Jae's apartment. It's simple and modern

"Yeah, but I gotta start packing soon."

Brian looks at Jae who's looking back at him with an excited smile.

"Yes, indeed you do." he replies and makes his way to Jae, wrapping his arms around his waist.

They're smiling as their faces get closer and Jae's habitually closes his eyes, and sure enough Brian's lips are on his. It's just a quick little kiss, but it still leaves them smiling for the rest of the night.

Before any of them know it, it's already the day of the press conference. Currently in a little room separate from the main hall, there are 4 adults on the verge of a breakdown.

"I can't believe I'm about to admit to a fake relationship," Eunyi says,

"I'm about to admit that, plus the fact that Brian's my boyfriend," Jae replies,

"I have to admit that it was my mom that slapped Jae, and then try and convince his fans that I mean no harm and I'm not a gold digger."

They exchange looks and eventually laugh at their words, realizing they sounded like they were trying to out-do each other.

"Okay, guys. You ready?" Jinhae asks, and they nod and make their way to the room. Eunyi walks ahead of them, talking to Jinhae to relieve her nerves, while Jae and Brian are walking and holding hands.

As they get closer, they can hear the buzz of reporters and Jae takes a deep breath while Brian just holds his hand tighter.

"We're doing the right thing, right?" Brian asks for reassurance, scared that Jae's career will be ruined by the end of this.

Jae looks at him and gives him a comforting smile as he answers,

"Right."

With that, they unlink their hands and make their way into the conference room. The shutters of huge cameras that are in the front row are loud, but the 3 that are currently taking their seats can swear the pounding of their hearts is louder.

AUTHOR'S NOTE;

hi you guys! <3 oh and #happywonpilday it's pirimiri's birthday!! LOL oh guys, sorry for the slightly boring chapter, it was more of a transition chapter, so the next one will be about the press conference! the next one may be up in a while because my birthday is next week hehe. May 5 is my birthday, and that's when DAY6 will release a new song! so excited for that ! :D oh in case you guys didn't know, I'm 16 turning 17 ! yeah, I'm quite young and I like to think my writing is more mature than I actually am.. LOL 

anyway! please comment your thoughts, understandable if there isn't that many cause this chapter wasn't that interesting sdflkdjf sorry again! but please please please say something, anything! oh also, if you wanna talk to me and just become friends or whatnot,  my kakao talk is zenpsj ! (:

I'll try and make the next chapter more entertaining, which shouldn't be too hard considering a lot can happen with that press conference lol. I'll try and update soon, but I have birthday plans so no promises! until then, PEACE! - Zen <3