[6:10 am]

Johns: Good morning, Tennn!

[7:55 pm]

10/10: You wanna grab dinner?

[8:15 pm]

Johns: There’s NNN tonight :/

-

[6:10 am]

Johns: Good morning, sunshine!

[9:40 am]

10/10: Let’s try the new café

Johns: Would love to but let’s do it maybe day after?

I have a schedule today

-

[6:10 am]

Johns: Good morning, Tennie

[9:58 pm]

10/10: Jaehyun told me you guys don’t have NNN tonight

Want to get dinner?

[10:10 pm]

Johns: I’ll be free later than usual, I think

I’m really sorry

I promise I’ll make it up to you

Ten sighed and resisted the urge to throw his phone across the practice room.

“Johnny?” Kun asked, sitting on the floor beside him.

Ten nodded. “I know he is really busy but I wish I could at least meet him. Even if for just a few minutes. Here I am, distracted out of my wits because I miss him so much and there he is…” He shrugged.

The room’s door opened and someone peeped in.

“Doyoung hyung!” Lucas greeted, leaving his dance practice to run past Ten and Kun towards the door.

“Hey, Lucas,” Doyoung said, smiling. “Hey, Ten, Kun. Johnny and I ordered some chicken for ourselves and since I heard you guys might be here, I ordered some extra.”

Lucas clapped excitedly. “This is why you’re my favourite.” He took the takeaway from Doyoung, pulling him towards their group. “Let’s eat.”

Ten, however, zeroed in on something else. “Wait, Johnny is here?” There was already a hint of a smile around his eyes.

“Yeah, he’s still practicing in 415. He said he’ll eat later,” Doyoung informed, sitting down beside them. “I told him he’s too tired to practice but he doesn’t listen. He’s nearly sleep-walking these days.”

Ten stood up, not really listening anymore. “I’ll be back.” He rushed out of the room.

Lucas’ phone rang before he could grab a bite of the takeaway and his face brightened as he saw the caller ID. “Excuse me, guys.” He got up too. As he walked out of the room, he could be heard talking on the phone, “Hey, Jungwoo. What’s up, man?”

Kun laid out the takeaway carefully and the two of them began to eat. “I thought you guys finished practice a while ago.”

“Johnny missed a session a few days ago and he stayed back. I decided to stay back too since he looked sad.”

Kun raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Doyoung asked, setting down his chopsticks.

“Nothing.”

“Go on, say it.”

Kun tilted his head. “I…Is it just me or do you like spending time with sad people?” He blushed at how harsh his words sounded, inadvertently letting out his inner frustration, and started to apologize, not having meant them that way.

It was Doyoung’s turn to raise an eyebrow but he just smiled impishly. “Why? Are you sad?”

Kun opened his mouth to retaliate and then closed it.

Doyoung continued to eat. “I guess, I want to be there for any one of us who’s hurting. I mean, you all are there for me always. So, even if I can’t do anything, I want to be there too…for some kind of comfort—support, I don’t know—does it make sense?”

Kun was silent for a long while and then, said, “You are a really nice guy.”

“So, will you tell this nice guy what’s got you in a bad mood?”

Kun look flustered. “I’m not—”

“C’mon, I know you’re worried or irritated or both about something and I’ve been told I am an excellent listener,” Doyoung said, nudging him with his shoulder softly.

“You wo—” Kun stopped as the door opened and Lucas bounded in.

“Please tell me you guys left something for me!” the tall guy said, laughing.

-

When Ten peeped into the practice room, he nearly didn’t see Johnny. The latter was lying on the floor, his chest rising and falling as he breathed while he looked at the ceiling.

“Johnny?” Ten said, suddenly feeling nervous. He wanted to ask why Johnny hadn’t told him that he was practicing late. No, scratch that, what he wanted to ask was—are you still ignoring me? Are you upset? He felt a flare of angry irritation in his chest. He didn’t even know what he had done for Johnny to behave this way ever since their flight back to Seoul. But there was also that bigger part of him which knew that he was letting all the stress of endless practices get to him and that it was unfair to drag Johnny into a conversation, albeit an important and dangerously