Summary: In which Minki was the only one who didn’t enter the top eleven ranking on the sixth week.

Word count: approx. 5K

A/N: Surprise~! Yes. This is a bonus chapter which I did on impulse since… last week? LOL

The composition is written in past tense instead of present (the one I used in the main one shot) because yeah I’m beyond more comfortable and natural with this. I was just trying out last time but well, this style wins.

It is a bit rushed, because you know, life . Currently undergoing a slump because:

1) OP is still bothered that the sprain I got last, last week was still tender up to now even though I’m barely moving around;

2) my first time moving to a school, which turned out to be a big univ for my senior high school in my country is just around the block and I am feeling anxious af;

3) OP is binging on watching Produce 101, Fighter of the Destiny, EXO on crack vids, and is trying to catch up with SHINee so yeah;

4) the rumors of PD101 elimination, where it said that Justin, Eunki, Jung Jung, and other people I am just starting to like in the show are freaking RUMORED to be eliminated drains my will to watch the show because I am tired shedding tears;

and 5) so many plots, but the will to write is almost zero. I just forced myself to write this because I already started this and I have the urge to write this. Minki was breaking my heart again so yeah. Soooooo, enjoy the short, bonus chappie~

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Jonghyun knew that he was supposed to be happy, but he wasn’t.

Sure, he had a hard time suppressing the stupid grin that threatened to appear on his face once he saw his name on top of all the trainees that participated in the position evaluation for rap. Who would not be happy; winning in his group made him garner ten thousand points, add in the benefit of winning overall which was equivalent to a hundred thousand votes. One hundred ten thousand was a big help to increase his chances of survival in the show, and he was more than thankful for that.

Though, he still felt sorry for all the trainees that didn’t commit a mistake during their respective performances, but got an unreasonable low number of votes. Knowing that he was one of the trainees who didn’t perform without flaws made him sick to the pit of his the stomach. No matter what they say; no matter how others say that his mistake was only a minor thing compared to the overall performance he showed onstage, it still somewhat made him guilty that he won…

Not to mention his fellow band mates who got rather low votes that didn’t make them win in their respective groups…

Especially because his boyfriend was clearly upset at his standing in the overall result of the vocal position, where he ranked nineteenth out of the twenty two trainees who participated.

Also, the ranking. On the sixth episode aired on the twelfth day of May, he and his bandmates were startled to see Jonghyun’s name on the first place block when they watched that Friday night. Never in their dreams did they think that one of them would ever get the first place… and to their delight, it was their quiet leader who was recognized by the national producers by simply working hard to prove himself worthy of attention and support.

Who would have known that that one episode would change his rank evidently? It was actually nothing; he just did his leader duties even if he was initially against the idea of leading a group. He just pushed Hyunbin to give his one hundred percent best, and boom, here he was, creating a lot of buzz on SNS. Nation’s leader, angel leader, onibugi leader… majority of the masses praise him for his leadership skills, which he honestly thought was of no big deal. It was just unfortunate how Hyunbin received all the hate since the incident, and since then, the taller man became timid and broken like a baby.

Going back to the topic about ranking, Minhyun rose from eleventh up to the fourth place, and Dongho finally entered the top eleven by snagging the eighth place. It could have been a joyous event had not the maknae was obviously frustrated at what was happening. From the position evaluation announcement up to the present, disappointment was written on Minki’s face because of his comparatively low ranking.

Minki was the eighteenth ranking trainee during the sixth episode, and one did not need to be Einstein or Solomon to read the shame and displeasure on his face. Also, the aired clip of the normally confident diva groaning when he got the fourth—the lowest—place in their group performance where he was with Dongho and two other trainees was more than enough to make Jonghyun see that the show was ruining their maknae…

His dear friend who used to be a bouncing ball of endorphins and optimism…

His sweet, fluffball of a bandmate who believed in himself and in miracles…

His beloved sweetheart, who was the light of his world…

Ah, no. Minki was his sun, where his world revolved ceaselessly.

Now, Choi Minki was a vessel threatening to collapse with just one more blow.

Minki was obviously on his breaking point, and it would make things worse if he would be deprived of the space he silently asked with his expressive eyes. So, Jonghyun chose to turn a blind eye on it…

For a while.

The five of them had long had any free schedule to hang out. The younger four members were too crushed from the physical, mental and emotional stress from the stupid, biased show especially at the news of the upcoming elimination. Modesty aside, none of them were worrying about the elimination because their ranks from the sixth episode were pretty secure. What kind of worried them was that the friends they made in the show had a chance to be eliminated.

And oh. The ranking was the very reason that they were gathered in the JRen dorm; to celebrate the success of the sudden rise of their albums in various charts, and the members’ high ranks, especially the leader who they had been teasing since the sixth episode’s airing.

The leader insisted that it was just luck or it was just because he was a hot topic at the moment. In more meaningful terms, the ranking that ensued was just from the heat of the moment. The onibugi cutie kept on saying that the current ranking was unstable, but being the goofball his hyung was, Aron insisted that they hold a mini celebration with chicken and beer, and waste the night in the dorm.

“It isn’t just about you anyway, feeler.” Aron managed to drown out Jonghyun’s whines and dragged him in the dorm, where the three were already waiting.

They had been drinking since the past hour, sharing various experiences of the majority that joined the survival show that would save their unfortunate, flop asses.

Being called flops didn’t hurt anymore as much as it did before. It only drove the desire of the four to prove the whole damn Korea and the world that sleeping on Nu’est was the biggest mistake everyone did in the past years.

“The buzz on the internet was no joke.” The eldest among them chattered happily about the Korean and international articles, forums, Youtube and Naver comments, and lengths and lengths of paragraphs full of praises that were never dedicated to them when they were still active as a group…

As flops.

“Can’t wait to see you sit on the throne, our cute little onibugi.” A drunk Minhyun wrapped his long arms around his angel leader, giggling manically while rubbing his cheek on Jonghyun’s shoulder.

“I told you. It’s either Jihoon or Daniel in the end,” Jonghyun said for the umpteenth time of the week, but Minhyun didn’t give a and just buried his face on Jonghyun’s armpit.

“, , Minhyunnie. You know I’m ticklish.” Jonghyun knocked the other’s head in an attempt to make the younger go away but to no avail. The leader turned to the all smiles member for help, but Dongho merely ruffled the former’s hair like a dog, grinning at him as if telling Jonghyun to let their group’s mother be.

“At least he is not nagging about cleaning the dorms. That’s way worse,” Dongho whispered lowly, causing Minhyun to hiss in annoyance while muttering incoherent house rules and cleanliness quotes to Dongho who was the most disorganized out of the five.

“Three of you got into the top eleven, right?” Aron slurred, and Jonghyun answered with a grunt. He knew that everyone was drunk and their screwed minds were spewing random topics just to keep the night going, but honestly, Jonghyun just want to cut this . Not because he did not want to spend any quality time with his band members but well…

Normally, someone would retort to an intoxicated Minhyun—who was currently making a kissy face to the leader who was trying his best to push him away—for stealing his boyfriend, but that someone was rather busy twirling the remaining contents of his can of beer while staring at nothing in particular.

The lack of tender loving violence from Choi Minki was more than enough to say that he was still affected by the ranking, by his losses, by the lack of screen time, or the pitiful situation itself. Probably, he was screaming ‘you do not have to rub it on my ing face that I do not belong in that ed up top eleven’ in his head at a clueless Aron who was babbling all about the show the whole night.

Jonghyun was too busy observing his lover that the sounds of Dongho grumbling about Minhyun’s cranky attitude the next morning due to the impending hangover and the younger’s nagging response of his bandmate being annoying tuned out in the background. He didn’t mind the cold tiles of the dorm, or the clutter of discarded trash on the center table anymore, too engrossed watching Minki drift in his own world.

The blonde maknae, despite the darkness of the dimly lit living room, could be seen isolating himself by sitting far from the center table compared to the other four. He was not picking his food that was barely touched, even if he already finished a few cans of beer.

“Why are you not eating, our beautiful maknae? Food’s getting cold.” The eldest’s arm wrapped around the said blonde’s skinny shoulders who barely squirmed at the bold skinship unlike his usual response. Jonghyun stared at Minki who just woke up from whatever stupor was keeping him away from the real world once Aron grabbed his can of beer and chugged it down his throat. Instead of whining like he usually did, Minki just proceeded on shoving a spoonful of rice and chicken skin as if nothing happened.

“Weird. You’re not even pushing me this time.” Aron, who was too tipsy to even understand the reason behind Minki’s lack of response, merely shifted on his seat and tightened his hold around the maknae on purpose of annoying him, but Minki was clearly not in the mood to mind. Jonghyun noted how Minki’s eyes looked empty and distant, which was so not his erstwhile jolly boyfriend.

“Oh god! You have become so thin!” Aron gasped, and Minki squirmed uncomfortably once he felt all the living room’s occupants’ gazes on him. “What did they do to you? Was the damn Mnet not letting you eat?”

Actually, Minki was barely eating even outside of the training camp’s facilities, thus, his drastic weight loss.

“Hyung, you kept on saying that since the show began,” Minki responded with a low chuckle that sounded forced, but his bandmates were too drunk to catch the quiver in his voice as he spoke.

Well, except that one person who was secretly glancing at him every now and then.

“I hate that damn show,” Aron blabbered while reaching for his can of beer to take a sip. “I read that a lot of trainees were ruined because of the evil editing. Poor kids. They are too young to experience such pain. They haven’t even started their careers yet.”

“They are even ruining Dongho but well the sang namja power was too much to resist.” Minhyun finally detached himself from Jonghyun, did a fist pump in the air and did a ed up version of BTS’s Boy In Luv while singing ‘wae nae mameul heundeuneun geondae’ off tune.

Dongho shook his head and smacked his friend’s head, who, as a response, laughed heartily while laying on the cold floor.

“I always have a dose of Jonghyun’s stupid face on TV. I’m