When Changkyun arrived to that restaurant, he thought he would die. K.Will called him and he couldn’t say no. Starship recently accepted him and he wouldn’t lose opportunities; he wanted to become an idol after all. The other trainees didn’t want to look at him nor talk to him and he understood. He would have done the same thing if he were in their place so he just stayed quiet, trying not to show how nervous he was. Changkyun watched No.Mercy from the beginning; he knew every single name and it was strange to be in the same room. He then had to return to the dorm with them and awkwardly sit there for hours until Yoonho finally talked to him. Changkyun felt grateful with him and, from that moment, he decided he would give his best to earn their trust.

Even if he was forced to say dumb things during his interviews, the others became his friends after a few weeks. Jooheon talked to him after Yunho, then Seokwon - he slept by his side so he had no choice after the first night - and it went on like that. Changkyun thought they were good people; they didn’t fight at all and their competitions were relaxed. They didn’t create rivalry in between them, they were all friends and Changkyun loved that. In conclusion, they had a healthy relationship and he was glad they included him into the group eventually.

Everyone was kind towards him though he couldn’t help to notice how one of them cared a lot more about him than the others: Kihyun. The latter always called Changkyun’s attention; since he started watching the show. The younger loved his voice and his personality but he seemed to be cold on TV. He was proven wrong the first day he met them when Kihyun gently explained the reason of their anger. The elder’s voice sounded soft and sweet while he spoke, like honey. Changkyun knew he said he didn’t like him at his interview but his face showed something different. He had seen Kihyun mad and it wasn’t the same expression he had the day they met.

After months, Changkyun was still there, feeling more and more comfortable around them. That morning, he woke up with the soft sound of footsteps. His eyes opened slowly and he smiled toothlessly when he recognized Kihyun’s socks. The latter was walking to the kitchen to make breakfast and Changkyun decided to get up softly not to bother Seokwon. He knew it was still early because Kihyun liked waking up before everyone.

The younger entered the kitchen and went to the counter, sitting on it by Kihyun’s side. His hyung almost punched him out of reflex but he relaxed when he saw his face. “Changkyunnie! You scared me” he whispered, grabbing a huge knife to cut some vegetables.

“I’m sorry, hyung” Changkyun apologized. “Do you need help?” he asked and Kihyun nodded. The rapper slid down from the counter and stood up next to him, waiting for instructions. He at cooking so he just cut things or did the dishes Kihyun used while cooking so he would have less to wash later. Changkyun really enjoyed helping the vocalist and he loved how he unconsciously pouted every time he focused too much on something.

“Here, wash these and cut them neatly” Kihyun ordered and he quickly started doing it. The silence in the room was comforting. Changkyun needed those moments; he really liked being alone and he had to spend his day with 8 people. Kihyun hummed a song while his hands kept on moving, throwing some onions to the fry pan. “Oh! Don’t do it that way, you’ll lose a finger” the elder suddenly said, making him chuckle. “Let me teach you” he added and showed Changkyun how to cut the carrots properly. “Now you try” Kihyun grabbed his hand, making his heart race and making him realize he was already doomed. The rapper liked his hyung romantically but he had been trying to stop his feelings from growing - without any success -. It wouldn’t be a good thing because they could never be together that way. Being in a band made everything more difficult and he didn’t even know if he would debut. Changkyun was sure Kihyun would, he was an incredible singer. Though Gun was cooler than him in every sense; he didn’t think they would pick him. “That’s better” Kihyun interrupted his thoughts. “Why are you frowning? Are you okay?” the vocalist’s eyes were staring back at him and he couldn’t help but blush slightly. He hoped Kihyun wouldn’t notice.

“I’m okay, hyung” Changkyun answered quickly, making sure the other didn’t say anything. A teasing smile showed on his gorgeous face. “I was just thinking about something stupid... nothing important” the younger assured, concentrating on those carrots because his hands were shaking a little.

“Something stupid, huh?” Kihyun kept on cooking. “If it’s something stupid you wouldn’t mind telling me, right?” he made Changkyun curse inside his mind. He started making up a different thing not to be discovered.

“Of course not, hyung” the younger tried to sound convincing. “I was just... remembering the day we met” he finally came up with an idea. “You weren’t angry at me that day. I saw your angry face when you had to work with Shownu-hyung in the second challenge” he said and Kihyun suddenly widened his eyes. ‘Maybe it wasn’t a good idea’ he thought. “Uhm... maybe I was wrong, you were angry at me” Changkyun turned to look back at the wooden surface where he was cutting the vegetables.

“I” Kihyun took a deep breath. “I wasn’t” he admitted and the rapper lifted his gaze again, finding his hyung staring at him. “How did you... how did you know?” the elder seemed to be fighting to say something.

“Like I told you before, I watched No.Mercy back then and I found you really cool but scary at the same time” Changkyun explained. “And I’d never forget your face when the second challenge was over. You didn’t even smile when you won 1st place as a singer” he talked more, having Kihyun’s full attention on him. “So, the moment I entered the restaurant, I thought you would throw that burning glare at me” he paused because the carrots were a little difficult to chop and his fingertip was getting dangerously close to the knife. “But you didn’t... why?” he asked, even if he was scared of doing so.

Kihyun didn’t react