SURPRISE? //blinks and grins

Totally uncalled for, right? But I wanna do this for Minki's birthday~ //throws confetti around our beautiful birthday boy. I cannot do a birthday oneshot (which is my usual practice for the birthdays of my biases) because I cannot get out of my writer's block even after a few months of trying soooo I hope this crammed chapter is enough uwu

Some fluffy PG-15? HAHA oh my god why did i do this

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Minki was having the time of his life.

All of them were overwhelmed by the amount of success that the heavens rained down on them since the show ended. At first, he thought that all they would be offered were CF endorsements, a handful of variety show guestings and a temporary increase in their popularity. Minki honestly thought that the fever for their group would die down right after the Produce 101 concert, but at the rate things were going, they all realized that they established a stable, loyal fandom.

A lot of happenings that they thought would only take place in their dreams finally came to reality. Minki, along with Jonghyun, became cosmetic brand endorsers. They showed some of their couple antics and chemistry in “Zone! Zealous!” Minki went to Brussels to film for a variety show where he was caught looking at the toys he saw through the shop's window. Jonghyun become part of the Night Goblin cast where he gradually learned to show his clumsy and silly side. Their sub-unit, NU'EST W, released remakes of a few of their old songs and a new track that they wholeheartedly dedicated to Minhyun. They even had a mini concert on V live and were emotional as they talked about their budding success. Any of their V lives, even if they were merely talking and making silly faces on the camera, gained thousands and even millions of hearts which were far different from the two or three viewers they used to have back in the days.

They came to Weekly Idol, various radio programs, fansign events and performed on concerts with other famous and renowned artists. Their big fanmeet event was sold out in just two to three minutes, something that they deemed remotely possible before. They could hardly fill a hundred seats back in the days, and all of a sudden, they performed on front of ten thousand people screaming, cheering and waving their lightsticks for the former ‘losers’ who flopped real hard in the past. It would have been better if Minhyun was there with them, but somehow, the thought of Minhyun achieving success with Wanna One was pleasant enough for Minki.

Minki was thankful that he did not win the survival program. Yes, he made friends with the other Wanna One members throughout the show, but being with s, his family, was not something he want to exchange with anything else.

He badly missed Minhyun. They all missed messing up with their group mother. They longed to annoy him by purposely leaving the dorms messy—paging Kang Dongho—and though Minki would never admit it, he missed Minhyun’s nagging. He yearned for the incessant knocks on the JRen dorm just for their tallest member to check if they were keeping their dorm squeaky clean and tidy.

Though, as selfish as it sounds, he was also thankful that it was not Jonghyun who ended up winning. Sleeping in different rooms back in Produce 101 was already torturous enough to the maknae so no way in hell he could endure not breathing the same air as the leader for one and a half years.

Pledis was finally giving them the attention they yearned for in the past few years. Though he knew that their CEO was a total jerk for only treating them with regard once they started bringing home money they thought they could never earn, he was still thankful to the heavens for granting them the fruits of their perseverance, persistence and determination.

For their comeback, they were given quality music, an aesthetic, costly music video, solo tracks, a lot of opportunities to showcase their talents and of course, the affection and support of their precious LOVEs. Who would have known that they would have their first ever music show victory after five years? Who would have fathomed that they would be nominated and invited to attend MAMA? Who would have thought that the lowest points of their lives would skyrocket them to the stardom?

Aron was able to stand onstage again after a year of absence. Dongho was recognized for his talent and charms. Jonghyun was a lot more confident with himself, his singing in particular. Minki gained back his self-esteem and power he lost when he was in the survival show. All seemed well. All seemed good.

Though, walking on the flower path was not as easy as he thought.

He thought that they would only lie on a bed of roses, but he forgot that roses have thorns, too.

One painful experience that happened was the death of Dongho’s father. It ached to see Dongho going on with the promotions despite his heart mourning, but perhaps, this was the price they needed to pay for their success.

Another one was a ridiculous rumor Dongho got involved in, which was thankfully dismissed right after a few days.

Another significant change that happened in their lives was that they could not be as carefree as they used to be. Before, only the person running the convenience store across their dorm recognized them but since their popularity boomed, they could not stroll on the streets, markets and malls without their manager or facemasks. People flock around them while pointing lenses on their faces, shoving each other just to capture a sight of them. Fans, male or female, were screaming and hollering their names together with words of affection almost everywhere they set their feet on.

They could not meet their family members and friends as often as they could before. They could not mingle with the crowd like ordinary people do. Everything changed…

Well, maybe except their unbreakable bond as a team and their love for their each other.

2017, November 2, 10:57pm

Usually, they would stay in the dorms to prepare for a mini midnight fest for their member’s birthday, but then, they found themselves stumbling in their own rooms after a day of exhausting schedules. It seemed that their tradition of celebrating right on the very first hour of Minki’s birthday would end, not that Minki was complaining. The fans already surprised him with a cake today and he was honestly too tired to even manage keeping his spirits high to eat and drink. Whether they would rent a whole restaurant the next day, have food deliveries or spend the whole day accomplishing whatever schedule they have, it did not really matter to Minki. All he cared about was that his beloved members would be there for him, especially the sweet fluffy gumball that was his one and only onibugi.

“Minki-yah,” Jonghyun called from his own—now their shared—room, his top already exposed, “do you want to bathe together before eating?”

Minki blinked a few times, surprised at the offer. This was so unusual. “B-Bathe together?”

A cheeky grin that morphed into a smirk graced Jonghyun’s features, causing Minki to turn beet red. “This ert. Of course I know that we do not have energy for that. What I was saying was that I noticed that you cannot move your arm that much and it would be hard for you to scrub your back. Then after that, let us put some balm on your arm.”

“A-Ahhh,” Minki awkwardly nodded a few times, the heat of his face reaching to his ears. “I-I see. H-How did you even… I mean, my arm…”

“Baby,” Jonghyun chuckled, walking towards the fluste