3 Reasons

Tzuyu opens another bottle of soju as she nods at what Youngkyun has just said.

“Ridiculous, right? How dare he create a scene right there and then? It’s not as if what he said was true!” Youngkyun exclaimed with more annoyance than anger. He shifted on his seat, appearing somehow more comfortable than he had been earlier.

“Isn’t that a little bit off? Acting out of character right in front of other people? It’s not like he doesn’t know there are people watching.”

“It is. Firstly, he said I was dating. Second, he made a scene. And now, look at us. People actually think I am dating someone.” Youngkyun stops mid-sentence to take a swig of his soju. “Do you want me to make it real? Let’s?” Tzuyu shoves in a strip of chicken tender in Youngkyun’s mouth and he happily munches it.

“Have you gone totally crazy?” She fans herself maybe due to the heat of taking soju shots or maybe it is the weather. She doesn’t know as well for sure.

Youngkyun turns serious and looks at her with sharp eyes. “It’s not like it’s wrong for me to get a life and date someone, right?”

“Youngkyun,” she starts but immediately got cut off by him.

“I asked you to call me ‘oppa’, right? We aren’t friends yet and I’m older than you.”

Tzuyu rolls her eyes for the unnecessary reminder. “Okay,” she sighs in surrender. “Oppa, you’re allowed to live your life. Go date whoever that bombass shell of a woman is. But I don’t really feel like calling you ‘oppa.’ C’mon, it’s just a 4-months gap.” Tzuyu says making quotation marks on the air as she said the word ‘oppa’.

“Some of my fans don’t see it that way, Tzuyu.” He sighs. He rests his head on the table – slumping, his chin on the table and looking at her with such lazy eyes.

“They’ll accept it sooner or later. It will just take a matter of time, okay? They can’t do anything about it anyway when their idol decides to get in a relationship.” She shifts on her seat and drinks a shot or two before continuing.  “I guess, you do you.”

He nods. “But the thing is, Tzuyu, I’ve never dated anyone! Ironic, right? I’m in the hiding when I didn’t even do anything wrong.” He sits back and stares at the sky.

“I don’t think you’re hiding, Youngkyun. You ran away…from everyone. You ran away from your problems.” Tzuyu looks at Youngkyun, checking his reaction but he just stares at the sky as if he’s reading the stars and his future through it.

The two keep their silence for a few minutes, occasionally making noise with the clanking of their bottles on the table.

He suddenly sits up straight and turns to look at Tzuyu’s eye. “But you know, if it was me who found out that my member was dating one of our staff, I’d go all the way like Juho. It’s critical for our work. Also, we’re going to come back soon and concerts are coming up. I would have done the same.”

“Including the not confirming with your member if it was true?”

“I don’t think I have time to ask that.”

“You and your temper.”

“More like, me saving my team and I’s career,” he grunted. “Why are you here in Ilsan?”

“Because it’s nice here?” Tzuyu answers in brief.

“Isn’t it too much of a hassle to travel about three hours every day just to get to work?”

“It is,” she admits. “I have to get up four to five hours before my call-time at work and sometimes I only ever have a blink’s worth of sleep,” she elaborates.

“Oh! Drinking with each other already?” Baekhyun just literally comes out of nowhere. He looks so bright amidst the darkness, like a lamppost. It’s as if he’s in a drama and suddenly, he lights up the place with all the CG effects.

“We thought we needed to throw a party with only the four of us for you to start being friends,” Jennie appears behind Baekhyun handling grocery bags on both of her hands.

“Maybe the kids get along because they’re of the same age?” Baekhyun suggests. He gets the bags from Jennie and places it on the table.

“We’re just talking. This girl’s quite nice.” Youngkyun faces the two and stands up to welcome Baekhyun with a hug. “Long time no see, bro.”

“How many bottles has this punk already drunk?” Baekhyun asks while struggling out of his cousin’s tight embrace.

“About four bottles? I’m not sure.” Tzuyu looks at all the empty bottles on the table and counts. “One… Two… Three … Four… Five… Six… Seven… Eight… Nine… Ten!” She smiles at Baekhyun. “I think I already drank six and him, four. Weak , Youngkyun!” She raises her right hand like winning a gold medal on Olympics and smiles at him teasingly.

He suddenly lets go of Baekhyun and leans in closer to Tzuyu. “I’m no weak , poophead. I was just distracted with you,” he flicks her nose with his fingers.

“Enough with that, kiddos. We brought some pizza and chicken with us. And a cake too!” Jennie takes out their groceries on the table.

“You two were so preoccupied that why no one took my calls,” Baekhyun sighs and pulls out a chair for Jennie.

“Whoa,” Youngkyun and Tzuyu both exclaim.

“Why?” Jennie asks innocently.

“Finally, Baekhyun hyung does something nice,” Youngkyun stated as he feast on the cake. The three of them ust look at him enjoy and help himself onto the cake. Noticing their looks, he asks, “What?”

“Nothing. Continue feasting, you little pig,” Tzuyu says as she checks every grocery bag in search of something she actually likes to eat.

“So, why are you here in Ilsan, poophead?”

“S…she wanted to live with me. That’s why.” Jennie lets out an awkward laugh. Tzuyu finds it bizarre how often Jennie frequently lets out either a sigh or an awkward laugh these days.

“By the way, Youngkyun. Didn’t Juho come from here too?” Baekhyun asks then took a swig from his own bottle.

Youngkyun just nodded and busied himself stuffing his mouth with whatever’s in his reach.

“What?” Tzuyu exclaims. “Why did you go here, then?

“He’d never expect I hid where he actually lives. Why would he think I’d hide in his place, right?” Youngkyun stands up and bows like a gentleman in an awards show.

“This isn’t Sherlock Holmes, boy. You better show yourself to them before things get worse,” Jennie persuades.

“Well. I’m going to stay here for a month, tops.” Youngkyun nods to himself and busied himself again with finishing the cake.

“Yah, Tzuyu!” Baekhyun, who was being suspiciously silent for the past minutes, calls Tzuyu, raged. He’s standing up and holding Tzuyu’s phone to her face. “You really ignored my calls and text messages, huh?” 32 missed calls from Say No or Do Not Answer. “You saved my number with this ID?”

Tzuyu looks at Baekhyun with lazy eyes. “That’s what you just saw. Don’t bother asking me about something already given.” Tzuyu slings her arms over Youngkyun’s shoulders and held him closer. “We were really out here having fun. Am I right, Youngkyun?” Youngkyun, in return, looks at her with lips tightly closed. “Youngkyun?” She nudges at him.

“I won’t agree unless you call me oppa.” Youngkyun said with his deadpanned voice.

Tzuyu lets go of Youngkyun and pushes him a few inches away from her. “What’s up with you and your desire to be called oppa?”

“Nothing. You just sound weird when you say it.”

“Wow, thanks. Just so you know, I’m not really a Korean.”

Youngkyun slides closer at her and winks. “Want me to turn you into one?”

“My, my. Isn’t it too early to flirt just yet, young boy?” Jennie butts in.

If this is why Juho must’ve mistaken Youngkyun for dating one of their staff, I wouldn’t even bother ask why, Tzuyu thinks.

“Ahjumma, it isn’t really that early,” Youngkyun whines.

“I will watch my mouth and the words I say, !” Baekhyun prostests and possessively rather than protectively grabs Jennie by her wrist, cause her to fall onto his lap. Jennie giggles.

Youngkyun and Tzuyu sigh and roll their eyes. The night’s going to be a long one…

“Why don't we take a picture?” Tzuyu suggests as she bursts out the door to the yard, her camera slinging from her neck. Baekhyun looks at her intently. “C’mon, it’s not as if we’ll see something strange like a white image behind Youngkyun on the picture or a lady beside Baek-“ Of course, Baekhyun didn’t let her finish.

“What are you saying, Tzuyu? Are you already drunk? You can just say we're gonna take a picture without having to scare us by seeing things." Baekhyun put more emphasis on ‘seeing things.’ Tzuyu knows it’s not something like the scary kind from the movies… She knows it has something to do with her seeing people’s lives.

“Why don’t we just use a tripod?” Jennie suggests. “You have to be in the photo too, Tzuyu sweetie!”

“Sweety? More like sweaty.” Again, Youngkyun didn’t miss the chance to .

“Really, Youngkyun? I’m going to edit you out of the picture if you want to keep that attitude,” Tzuyu threatens jokingly. She levels the camera lenses to her eye.

“Do it, sweetie.” Youngkyun flashes his smile more blinding than the camera’s flash. As expected, he’s beautiful, Tzuyu thinks to herself.

“Youngkyun, if you’ll keep being flirty, I might have to kick you out of this house and probably kick your so hard you’ll see what heaven looks like,” Jennie blackmails.

“What are you saying, Jennie?” Baekhyun asks as if he was miles away not to hear Jennie’s threat to his cousin’s life.

“I said, after this, we’re going to have a trip to heaven. Want to taste how heaven is like?” Jennie teases in a flirty tone.

“Get a room, you, asshats.” Youngkyun stands up from his seat and stands near the table where all the empty bottles of soju are placed. “C’mon, Tzuyu. Take a picture of me here.”

“Badly wanna look badass?” Tzuyu focuses the camera on Youngkyun but it isn’t enough for her to be focused herself.

***

"You're dating one of our staff, huh? Nice." Juho said out-of-nowhere.

"What are you saying?" Youngkyun looks lost at what Juho has just said. He looks innocent enough to tell that he doesn't really know what Juho was saying.

"Didn't even mind keeping it in secret? Thanks, Hwiyoung. Thank you for jeopardizing our careers." Juho went out of the van and walked fast towards the FNC building.

Youngkyun rushes to match Juho's pacing. "Wait. What were you-" His sentence was cut when Juho's fist landed on his jaw.

“Stop playing innocent, Hwiyoung.”

Gasps and whispers of the fans outside the building can still be heard inside. The security guards are trying their best to block the fans' view of the commotion. And finally, rushed, the manager came and stood between them.

"What were you thinking, huh? Both of you?" Their manager scolded them in a hushed voice.

Youngkyun looked at Juho in utter shock and disbelief while Juho looks at him intensely. One... Two... Three... It only took three seconds before tears start falling from his eyes. Youngkyun ran out of the building then away from the flustered fans.

***

Tzuyu shakes her head to focus on taking a picture. Focus. Focus. Focus.

“Smile!” Tzuyu says in a cracked tone.

Youngkyun smiles wide as if nothing ever happened—as if the one he treated like a real brother didn’t land a fist on his jaw a few days ago.

“Nice shot,” she declares. Youngkyun comes beside her to look at his picture. “You know what, it’d be better if you always smile like that,” Tzuyu says looking at Youngkyun who’s unaware of the eyes trained on him.

“I know right, sweetie.”

I don't want to see you that hurt again, it doesn’t suit you. Please don’t cry.