11:35 PM

After the bass fades out, plunging the entire studio into silence, Jongin stands up straight and runs a hand through his damp hair. The sight of his white tank top, which is now a light shade of gray, which has Jongin craving a shower more than anything else as he trudges towards the speakers. A few new texts and Snapchats from Baekhyun greet him, and Jongin makes sure to reply to every single one (despite looking like a newly awakened troll) before he unplugs his phone and stares at his reflection in the large mirrors before him. He eyes the large windows near the ceiling, all of which are pitch black - a giant contrast to the bright glow that seeped through them when Jongin arrived at six o'clock earlier, and he figures that he should probably head home and shower if he wants to avoid showing up on stage tomorrow morning looking like a walking dead.

Jongin winces when every single muscle in his entire lower body cramps as he wobbles towards the exit, which reminds him of how he solemnly swore that he wouldn't end up practicing for so long tonight, due to the fact that he fell asleep four times on his way to the studio. However, he figures that the four (two minute long) naps he took at the back of the bus earlier must have energized him, considering he ended up going at it for six and a half hours. Frankly, Jongin has no idea why he even ended up staying behind as long as he did, even after Krystal left at eight o'clock to catch the last train, since he has never really cared about impressing anybody but himself (at least according to Taemin). Nevertheless, he shoves the thought aside as he replies to one of Krystal's texts, in which she specifically tells him to rest up properly before the performance. 

Even though Taemin wants him to believe it, Jongin isn't one bit nervous. At least not entirely, because while the idea of performing in front of hundreds of people doesn't faze him, the mere thought of performing in front Sehun has a sense of anxiety surging through every capillary in his body - a sensation so foreign that Jongin still has no idea what to make of it, besides that it had him tripping on air halfway through their routine on more than one occasion. Jongin blames it on his nerves and lack of rehearsals for messing up his head as he picks up his water bottle and practically rips the cap off. He ends up downing half its contents in under ten seconds, drowning any butterflies still remaining in his gut, before he closes the door behind him.

SATURDAY

2:15 PM

Krystal admires her newly styled hair as she absently recites her footwork for the fifth time. Her cap conceals most of her face, but Jongin can still see the excited twinkle in her eyes when she takes it off to fix her extensions. After she finishes her rant on how they're guaranteed to win, she looks up and blinks when she sees Jongin standing by the curtains and absently scanning the growing crowd. "Remember the changes we made during the middle part of the chorus, okay?" She puts a hand on her hip when Jongin only mumbles something incoherent in response. "Hello???"

Jongin nearly jumps out of his own skin at the sound of Krystal's voice, which results in her lecturing him about wasting energy before the show. "I remember," he blurts out whilst adjusting his pants, which feel a lot tighter than they did when he wore them to practice two months ago. The heavy, red curtains loom over him like an iron wall, separating him from the hoard of people continuously streaming inside the auditorium. Jongin finds himself chewing on his bottom lip, which tastes like raspberry, before he runs a hand through his hair. He still shivers when he recalls his stylist, who just so happened to be the young teacher he accidentally headbutted yesterday, practically tearing his hair from his scalp as she teased it earlier. "I remember," he repeats for good measure, even though he's barely listening.

Despite Taemin dragging him out of bed at six o'clock this morning to squeeze in another practice session, Jongin's head has been swimming around in what that he can only describe as an overly alert, deer-in-headlights state ever since he got out of bed. Even though the feeling sort of disappeared as soon as he met up with Krystal at the studio an hour later, Jongin still finds himself anxiously tapping his foot against the wooden floorboards as he hears a hair dryer being somewhere in the distance. But it's not like Jongin is about to raid his head for an answer, and he simply sends Krystal a meek smile when she scolds him for messing up his makeup.

"Could you stop prancing around like a crazy person? You're making me nervous," Krystal scoffs. She goes on to remind him about the minor changes they made to their routine, too caught up with explaining to notice that Jongin is absently peeking through the curtains again instead of paying attention. It's not until Jongin proceeds to fidget with the hem of his shirt that she pouts. "Look, I know you're not that into the outfits and all, but it was the only thing I could find." She carefully adjusts one of her fake eyelashes before she snaps her fingers two inches from Jongin's face. "Jongin, are you even listening to me?"

Jongin whips his head up, a garbled 'Yes' leaving his lips as he momentarily tears his eyes off the many seats on the other side of the curtain. He blinks and automatically stares at his outfit, and he figures that his nerves must have put his nerves in lockdown, since he barely even remembers putting them on an hour ago. Given his reaction when Krystal, during one of their weekly meetups two months ago, suggested that they both wear pastel pink crop tops and black leather pants (as well as a mountain of makeup) for their routine, Jongin is surprised that he isn't currently suffering a meltdown as he stares at his shirt. But then again, he wasn't exactly jumping out of his seat to suggest an alternative. "I'm just-- Nevermind." Jongin resumes sneaking glances through the tiny space between the curtains, and from what he can see, at least 90% of the seats are filled up at this point. Jongin nearly drops his phone after it buzzes in his hand.

i'm here!! v front row, make sure to wave or something so i know you're there ;) 

//T

Jongin screams internally.  "It's Taemin," he says when Krystal sends him a look. 

Inevitably, Krystal's eyes twinkle (like a little kid in a candy store, Jongin thinks). "He's here?" she asks, not even bothering to mask the excitement in her voice as she practically shoves Jongin aside to peek through the curtains. "You never said he'd be coming," she mumbles before she puts her cap back on. Jongin definitely doesn't miss the way she absently fixes her hair as she continues. "Didn't you tell me his concert was next week? Shouldn't he be rehearsing?"

Nodding, Jongin pulls out his phone again, only to blink when he catches a glimpse of his reflection in the screen. He figures that he has every right to be worried about how he looks, especially his face, considering that his stylist (thankfully) left early, leaving none other than Krystal to do his makeup backstage (which had her replacing his brown eyeshadow with silver glitter, to his dismay). Despite Krystal's dead set dream of pursuing a career as a makeup artist, Jongin still finds himself checking his face every five minutes. "He's known about this whole thing since the start," he says, bouncing on the balls of his feet when he realizes that they've got less than ten minutes until they take the stage. The loud buzzing of people has Jongin automatically pulling the curtains back again and, surely enough, after a bit of discreet scanning, he spots Taemin taking selfies in the front row.

Krystal notices Jongin's expression, and before he knows it, she's by his side and also peeking through the curtains. Inevitably, she emits a loud squee, which is drowned out by the buzzing crowd, before she repeatedly whacks Jongin's back. "Does he always style his hair like that?" she asks, eyes twinkling when Taemin holds up a V sign for one of his selfies. She goes on to fawn over how handsome Taemin's black hair looks with his red jacket and, even though Jongin can sort of get behind that, he finds himself tuning her out mid rant anyway.

Jongin mentally recites his steps, only to give up when his head feels like it's being weighed down by a bag of bricks. He seriously wonders what Krystal was thinking when she presented their outfits, considering his pants are so tight that Jongin genuinely worries he won't make it through their routine without them splitting straight down the middle. Nevertheless, he attempts to distract himself by thinking about tomorrow's movie (and homework) night, which he figures would have helped a lot better if it wasn't for the fact that his chest feels like it's about to explode any second. Not to mention Krystal's loud fangirling over Taemin certainly isn't helping matters, and Jongin eventually has to flick her cap to get her to stop. "You know he's gay, right?" he mutters, seriously wondering how somebody could fall head over heels for somebody they haven't even seen in the flesh.

"You keep reminding me," Krystal scoffs, crossing her arms. "Doesn't mean I can't find him handsome," she adds after checking her watch. The excited glint returns to her eyes, but it disappears when she sees Jongin's distant expression. She simply pats him on the back, which does nothing to soothe his nerves. "You'll be great, trust me," she says in an encouraging tone. "And before you remind me, based on the few recitals you actually attended this month, I know you'll be great, you know you can trust me on that." She cranes her neck in an attempt to get Jongin to look at her with no success. A long, drawn out sign leaves her lips when Jongin only looks like he's on the verge of a mental breakdown. "What's with your face-"

"I can't do this," Jongin whisper-yells, fighting the urge to slap a hand over his mouth when Krystal blinks. His reflection stares back at him when he eyes the newly polished floors until his eyes roam around the backstage area for any signs of a chair, since his legs might give in any second. "I don't-- I can't--"

"You'll be fine, trust me," Krystal says, patting Jongin's shoulder. "I know it's our first official show and all, and things probably won't be brilliant, but we'll find some way to laugh about it later," she adds, eyes shimmering due to the brightening stage lights. "But we won't, because you'll do great, as always." She sends Jongin a blindingly white grin before she scratches the back of her head. "Since when did you get nervous, anyway? I mean, two months ago you said you wouldn't care regardless of how things went, and now you're-- Nevermind." She sends him a confused look. "I thought you couldn't give two s about what Taemin thought-"

"It's not that," Jongin blurts out and throws his hands in the air. "I mean, it's not him--" He clamps his mouth shut when one of the choreographers walks up to them and informs them that they're to take the stage in two minutes, but Krystal manages to turn his attention back to her before he gets a chance to peek through the curtains again. Having caught a glimpse of Taemin chatting with a group of women, Jongin runs an anxious hand down his face, which he immediately regrets when Krystal squawks. "I mean, it's just...there's someone-"

"You shouldn't freak out so much," Krystal sighs as she dabs Jongin's forehead with a cushion puff. The cold sensation has Jongin calming down ever so slightly, but it doesn't last long when she subsequently smirks. "You know what? If this all goes well, which it will, I'll take you out for bubble tea when this whole thing is over, how about that?" She proceeds to poke his cheek until he eventually nods. "Tell me I'm the greatest friend you've ever had, do it--"

Jongin slaps Krystal's hand away. Even though the thought of food is making his stomach growl (courtesy of Taemin shooing him off to the studio without any breakfast), he can't help but feel queasy at the mere thought of eating. He doesn't tell Krystal, though, and he simply shrugs as she continues to dab the cold and wet sponge across his cheeks. Jongin watches as she walks off and pulls out her earphones, presumably for some last minute practicing. A part of Jongin wants to call Baekhyun and ask the latter if he's here yet, but he decides against it when he feels his gut coil. Because thinking about Baekhyun makes him think of Sehun, and thinking about Sehun being somewhere in the crowd right this very second is enough to make Jongin want to scream.

Despite not having seeing any sign of Sehun anywhere in the crowd, Jongin finds himself inspecting every square inch of his outfit, face and hair to the point that Krystal momentarily removes her earphones to send him a puzzled look. At first, Jongin ignores her, but it's not until he notices the lights outside switching to a dazzling blue color, signalling the start of the sixty second countdown, that he internally panics. In fact, he doesn't even realize that he's been anxiously running his hand through his hair, to the point of removing every ounce of product in it, until Krystal irritatedly waves a bottle of hairspray in his face. Jongin accepts it with a meek thanks, but Krystal eventually ends up re-styling his hair for him when he's unable to push down the nozzle. Jongin is sort of glad that Taemin isn't seeing him right now, since the latter would definitely to the grave for it. The thought agitates Jongin to the point that he doesn't even register walking across the stage with Krystal until he hears her whispering something along the lines of 'Good luck', which has him blinking in surprise. 

She sends him a wink as she adjusts her cap. "We're the first ones up, anyway, so you'll have all the time in the world to freak out later," she chuckles.

Biting his lip, Jongin looks down at his crop top, cursing its shortness as he exhales. He can feel the underlying buzz of excitement amongst the now silent crowd, which only makes him swallow. Jongin figures that he must have mentally out during the following five seconds, since the last thing he registers before the harsh stage lights blind him is their song playing, whic is closely followed by Krystal mouthing something along the lines of 'Break a leg', before the curtains slide apart.

4:32 PM

Jongin stretches as he watches Krystal touch up her makeup a few feet away, her soft humming doing wonders for his aching muscles as he stands up and cracks his knuckles. Jongin figures that his makeup must have slid right off his face halfway through their routine, but he doesn't bother reapplying it. Instead, he simply waits for Krystal to perfect her eyeliner before she puts her cap back on and sends him a grin. Jongin honestly doesn't know how they both managed to occupy themselves for two whole hours, whilst they waited for the rest of the groups to finish up, but he dismisses the thought when he sees the hopeful twinkle in her eyes.

"They should all be done now," Krystal says, brushing her hands together. "Man, I'm not saying I hope we win, but I hope we win," she adds with a nervous chuckle and runs a powdery hand through her ponytail. Jongin figures her legs must be exhausted, just like his, since she subsequently plops down on the dirty floor and pulls out her phone. "I mean don't get me wrong, everyone else did a great job, but still."

Lying on his back, Jongin stares up at the ceiling when every single joint in his body feels like it's on fire. As his muscles relax, so does his head, and Jongin exhales when he feels his soul returning to his body a minute later. Jongin almost wants to laugh at how riled up they were two hours ago, and it suddenly hits him that this is the first time either of them have spoken a word to each other since they exited the stage. But then again, given just how exhausted they were the second the curtains were drawn - joints aching and bodies drowning in sweat, Jongin doesn't blame her. "Same here," he blurts out before he can stop himself, not even caring that most of the hairspray ends up sticking to his hand like glue as he runs a hand through the damp, brown locks.

Krystal simply hums in agreement, seemingly unbothered by her uneven eyeliner as she takes a selfie. "You did an amazing job, though, as always," she says with an alarming amount of sincerity. "I mean, I knew you'd be great all along, but you really outdid yourself this time," she adds and Jongin briefly wonders if she's praising him solely because he remembered to dance according to their changes. She asks Jongin to pose for a picture, to which he responds by lazily holding up a V sign from his spot ten feet away. "What got you so riled up, anyway?"

Jongin feels the overly familiar sensation beginning to pool in his gut, but he blames it on his overworked muscles as he runs a hand down his sweaty forehead. He's sort of glad, because the heavy feeling in his head is preventing him from thinking clearly, and he simply shrugs. "Nothing," he mutters, playing with a dust bunny. "It's-"

"I mean, it's just, you're never nervous," Krystal says, mainly to herself, and reaches into her purse. Jongin wonders if he should remind her that she's already got an alarming amount of red all over her lips when she proceeds to refresh her lipstick. "And it's just, y'know, the whole skipping practice thing--" She puts the cap back on and tosses it back in her bag. "It's just...it's really weird." Her eyebrows furrow. "Cause you're not considering dropping out." She sends Jongin a sharp look, a huge contrast to her otherwise soft features. "You aren't, right?"

Jongin vigorously shakes his head, which he immediately regrets when his already sore neck feels like it's about to explode. He bites back his remark about how he wouldn't mind dropping out of school forever and dance full time, which he probably would have ended up doing if it wasn't for his math teacher. The heavy feeling in the pit of his gut is so overwhelming that Jongin momentarily wonders if he should book it towards the bathroom, but he ends up staying exactly where he is as he listens to Krystal ramble about whether or not Taemin found her dancing impressive. It's not until she sends him a look asking for approval that he huffs. "Taemin notices everyone-"

"Not that," Krystal scoffs, "weren't you listening?" She rolls her eyes. "I asked why you've been so weird and fidgety lately." She gestures at Jongin, who doesn't even realize that he's nervously chewing on his bottom lip, effectively proving her point. "I mean, I get that this is a huge thing and all, but this isn't like you." Standing up, she leans against the nearest wall and stretches. "Is Taemin bothering you or what?" she asks and at this point, Jongin doesn't even want to know if she genuinely wants to know or is simply looking for an excuse to talk about his roommate.

Jongin is about to open his mouth to respond when a large spider crawls towards him, inches from his face, and to say that he promptly forgets all about his pained joints when he shoots up like a rocket would be an understatement. He makes sure to tune out Krystal's unattractive guffaws as he takes a look at his shirt, which is practically sticking to his torso. It only has him wishing for the start of the award ceremony, since at this point, he'd prefer a shower over an award in a heartbeat. "He isn't bothering me," he half fibs as Krystal puts her jewelry back on, and it's not until she picks up one of her silver rings that Jongin wants to scream. 

If Jongin is going to be honest, he wouldn't go as far as to say that he was worried about making a good visual impression, since he already figured that attempting to look attractive whilst clad in an illegally skimpy outfit would be useless from the very beginning. Not to mention Baekhyun never texted or called to let him know that they were late and or in their seats, and Jongin finds himself pouting when the thought of Sehun thus missing the show hits him like a freight train. Jongin isn't sure if it's the inevitable disappointment or simply his aching abs making his gut churn, but he shoves the thought aside and promptly steps out of the way when Krystal proceeds to douse herself in perfume sweet enough to make his eyes water. Now that Jongin thinks about it, he figures that he wouldn't have any way of knowing if Sehun watched him anyway, considering the fact that every single stage light was primarily focused on him and Krystal throughout the entire performance and thus blinded him from seeing 99% of the entire audience. Save for Taemin, of course, whom Jongin inevitably caught recording the entire thing on his phone, and he would be surprised if Taemin hasn't already uploaded the video by now.

"At least you didn't come this close to tripping and breaking your neck," Krystal mutters as she fans her face with her hands. She only scoffs when Jongin emits a less than discreet giggle. "You're looking at a bubble tea free evening later on if you don't answer my question, by the way," she says and crosses her arms over her chest. 

Jongin has to stop laughing when he worries his abs might shatter, and he also forces himself to bite back a remark of why Krystal should do a better job at listening to him in the future (since he knew from the very start that performing a multi step dance routine in shoes with laces was an accident ready to happen). It's not until until Krystal proceeds to stare at him like a hawk eyeing its prey that Jongin automatically bites the inside of his cheek. He's lucky, because the subject of bubble tea makes his stomach grumble, which in turn distracts him from the heavy feeling weighing in his chest down like a ton of bricks. Despite wanting to keep his mouth shut, Jongin figures that he's known Krystal long enough to know that she won't let it go until he comes clean, so he shrugs as casually as he can (as much as his sore shoulders will allow him to, that is). "I, uh...think I might...like someone???" he says as quietly as he can. It comes out sounding more like a question than a statement and he hopes Krystal didn't catch it as he rubs the back of his neck.

Inevitably, Krystal does catch it, which becomes apparent when she promptly stops texting and puts her phone away. "Okay, so--" She brushes a lock of hair out of her eyes before she grins. "You've been freaking out all this time, for what, two months, 'cause you've been having boy troubles?" she asks in excitement, although it sounds more like a statement than anything. "Isn't that just-"

"You don't have to say it like that," Jongin mutters, seriously regretting opening his mouth when an excited twinkle appears in her eyes.

"He must be a special one," Krystal hums as her phone buzzes in her pocket. She fishes it out and Jongin briefly catches a glimpse of a Line conversation before she tosses it in her purse.

Jongin opens his mouth, only to clamp it shut again. A bead of sweat trickles down the back of his neck, but he finds himself unable to fetch a towel from the bathroom with Krystal's piercing gaze bolting him to the floor. "What's that even supposed to mean?"

"Duh," Krystal chuckles, "if he's important enough to make you miss practice more than once, he's a special one for sure." She sends Jongin a knowing wink, to which he replies with a look of defeat. "Why haven't you told me about this guy, anyway? Is he a school friend of yours?" she asks, cocking her head to the side in an interested manner, to which Jongin responds with a pained groan. "You never talk about your love life, you can't blame me-"

"He's a classmate," Jongin says and tries to make it clear that he isn't interested in engaging in any interviews about his nonexistent love life by pretending to inspect the dark walls surrounding them. Come to think of it, he's awfully surprised that his pants didn't, in fact, end up ripping halfway through the performance. Inevitably, Krystal sends him a childishly demanding look, which has him groaning. "I said he's a classmate, okay? Why do you always-"

"Isn't that great?" Krystal chuckles, tightening her ponytail. "I mean, at least he's a classmate and not some bohemian weirdo halfway across the world, right?" She hums to herself as she fumbles with a few hair clips. "Have you told Taemin? I bet he's real handy in situations like this--" She curses when her hair tie suddenly snaps in half, making Jongin laugh perhaps a little louder than necessary. "What's his name?"

Jongin stills, opting to listen to the excited mumblings on the other side of the curtain after their dance instructor announces the start of the award ceremony. Checking his outfit to make sure it's at least somewhat presentable (in other words, not five shades darker than it was two hours ago), he's about to tell Krystal that they should probably head back to the stage when he notices her twinkling eyes. Jongin doesn't even need to ask to know that Krystal wouldn't have an issue with showing up late to the ceremony until he gives her an answer, so he mentally curses Krystal's puppy eyes as he sighs. However, Jongin doesn't get a chance to open his mouth to speak when two members of the last group approach them. Jongin briefly hears one of them informing them that they're both late to the ceremony before he finds himself getting to his feet, dusting himself off and jogging towards the main stage with Krystal hot on his heels.

---

Jongin feels Krystal excitedly thumping his (already aching) back for the millionth time, and he barely hears her squees of excitement over the loud music playing and people cheering and clapping all around them. In the commotion, Jongin briefly spots Taemin fist bumping him from his spot in the front row, and Jongin hopes Taemin isn't currently filming him when a harsh beam of light subsequently blinds him. As Krystal embraces him in a tight hug, Jongin feels his chest flutter as his eyes trail across the golden trophy in his hands. Krystal goes on to holler something in his ear, but Jongin finds himself tuning her out when his eyes scan the sea of chairs before them. Because, despite the lights still blinding him to the point of no return, Jongin is at least 90% sure that he doesn't see neither Baekhyun nor Sehun in the crowd no matter how much his eyes try to adjust to the light. Over the deafening sound of his stomach dropping, he doesn't notice that the music has died down, and that Krystal is literally dragging him backstage again, until he finds himself in the styling room surrounded by Krystal's friends. Jongin ends up standing awkwardly off to the side as they swarm towards her, and he opts to inspect the shiny object in his hands when they proceed to shower her with compliments.

Much to Jongin's relief, they all leave one by one, and he pretends not to listen when Krystal jokingly remarks just how 'painfully awkward' he is around women as he slips behind the changing wall with his duffel bag. For once, Jongin ends up taking longer to change than Krystal (which had him severely underestimating the tightness of his pants) and he doesn't bother attempting to restyle his hair when he sees just how messy it is in the mirror. "I'm gonna, uh...head home now, I guess," he dumbly says, figuring Taemin must be waiting for him by the stage.

Krystal looks up and blinks. "Kim Jongin, you're crazy if you think I'm gonna let you go without treating you to bubble tea after this," she chuckles and gestures at the trophy still in Jongin's hands. It's not until Jongin pouts to himself that she sighs. "Why don't you just ask him out?" she hums, reaching into her purse. Jongin regrets choosing not to step away when a blast of coconut perfume hits him in the face (and eyes). The scent is so overpowering that he finds himself unable to even think straight, which Krystal notices, since she simply continues. "I mean, you are classmates after all, how hard can it be?" she hums as she packs her abnormally large duffel bag.

Jongin awkwardly places the trophy in his own duffel bag before he shoves his hands in his pockets. He lowkey worries that he might have pulled a chest muscle, given that his heart feels like it's about to break through his ribcage any minute. "It's not that simple," he whines and fights the urge to slap a hand over his mouth when a member from one of the many groups brushes past him to get to the bathroom. A sudden exhaustion looms over him like a cloud and, despite his stomach cramping with hunger, he wants nothing more than to head home with Taemin and sleep the rest of the day away.

Krystal shrugs. "I mean, you're kinda right," she says whilst shoving her black cap in her duffel bag, which she subsequently zips and slings over her shoulder (with alarmingly little effort, according to Jongin). She goes on to mention her favorite bubble tea shop as they make their way to the main stage. The curtains, now drawn, soon come into view. "I don't think you told me his name, by the way," she says as she pushes them apart.

Damn it. Jongin internally screams and he seriously hopes that it's the three hours worth of early morning practice and ten minute stage performance that's making his legs feel like watery jell-o, but he shoves the thought aside. The auditorium is nearly empty at this point, save for a few families staying still waiting by the stage, and Jongin mentally smacks himself for the nth time that day when he feels an unfamiliar emptiness tugging at his chest. "It doesn't matter," he mumbles, eyeing the excessive amounts of colorful confetti scattered across the stage. He's just glad that they didn't choose to release it during their routine, or else he definitely would have choked to death mid performance.

Scrolling on her phone, Krystal hums something in response. "Y'need to tell me more about him someday, though, okay?" Her eyes twinkle. "How about later today? I am treating you, after all," she adds before her entire face lights up, and Jongin can only watch as she proceeds to wave her arms everywhere. "It's Baekhyun!"

Jongin doesn't even get a chance to react before she's skipping off towards the stairs leading to the back of the auditorium, and he finds himself instinctively following after upon hearing his best friend's name. Surely enough, Baekhyun is standing next to Taemin with a bright grin on his face, which becomes nearly blinding when he sees Jongin approaching. It doesn't take Jongin long to notice Taemin, who is standing a few feet away whilst sporting an equally proud smirk. Jongin nearly cries in relief when he manages to avoid tripping on the top step, and thus falling flat on his face, when he averts his gaze and spots Sehun leaning against the wall next to Baekhyun. It's not until Jongin recovers from his mini heart attack that he notices everybody staring right at him (especially Taemin, who is busy taking pictures of him to post on his social media accounts). Jongin barely gets a chance to feel embarrassed, though, when he's nearly knocked off his feet after Baekhyun embraces him in a bone crushing hug without a warning. None of them seem to acknowledge Jongin's constant reminders of how he hasn't showered yet, which becomes clear when Taemin envelopes Jongin in an even tighter hug, if that's even possible. It's not until Sehun also leans in for a congratulatory hug that Jongin lowkey prays he won't be squeezed half to death a third time, considering his body already feels like it's about to combust.

Sehun seems to read his mind, though, because he ends up embracing Jongin with an alarming amount of gentleness, much to Jongin's surprise. A part of Jongin wants to die of embarrassment when he remembers that he probably smells like a barn, but Sehun doesn't seem to mind as he goes on to tell him what an amazing job he did. Jongin figures that he must still be drowning in sweat, because he feels a certain burning sensation lingering in the depths of his gut even after Sehun pulls away. In fact, Jongin is sort of relieved that the three of them subsequently congratulate Krystal, since he'd rather none of them witnessed his cheeks reddening like he just ran a marathon. However, it disappears it when Krystal loudly claps her hands a second later.

"Okay, so, I was technically planning to force Jongin to sit down with me for bubble tea," Krystal chuckles, a lock of her hair sticking to her glossed lips as she speaks, "but since you're all here, I'll be treating you, as well!" She beams when Taemin proceeds to give her a high five (which has Jongin fuming with envy over his roommate's God-given social skills), which is closely followed by her gesturing at the main door. "We should probably leave now, though, since they close soon and it's a twenty minute walk--" She looks up when Sehun politely cuts her off by raising a hand. 

"We could take my car," Sehun says whilst shoving a hand in his pocket. The simple gesture is enough to make Jongin's heart flutter. A lock of black hair falls between his eyes when he adjusts the strings to his hoodie (which is so soft looking that Jongin fights the urge to bury his face in it in his exhausted state). "Just a thought."

Jongin only watches as the rest of them nod their heads in unison, and the next thing he knows, he's following them out the door and into the cold autumn air. He eventually ends up falling behind due to his calves feeling they've been beaten with a metal rod, but Jongin can't bring himself to care as he slings his duffel bag over his shoulder. As they head down the gravelled path, Jongin keeps his head hung low as he listens to Krystal's voice, its unusual chirpiness leading him to believe that she's deep in conversation with Taemin. Jongin fills his lungs with fresh air and looks up just in time to see Taemin light a cigarette, as well as Baekhyun showing them all a video on his phone. Jongin's eyes roam around until they land on Sehun, who is wordlessly walking next to Baekhyun with his hands in his pockets. The icy breeze that passes has Jongin figuring that the cold air must be reviving him, because it suddenly hits him that Sehun did, in fact, end up watching his performance after all. Despite the fact that Sehun doesn't seem to be conversing with anybody, Jongin still finds himself entirely unable to open his mouth, and he opts to stare at Sehun's hair blowing in the breeze instead as they turn a corner.

Once again, Sehun ends up reading Jongin's mind, because he subsequently turns around and sends Jongin a small smile. Jongin figures he must look strange due to how much he's lagging behind, but Sehun doesn't seem to mind as he briefly stops walking to let Jongin catch up. Cursing his ten pound duffel bag for weighing him down, Jongin mutters a low thanks, and he wholeheartedly expects Sehun to turn back around and give Baekhyun and or Taemin his complete and undivided attention when he finally catches up.

However, Sehun ends up doing the opposite, and Jongin wishes he could take back his overly dumbfounded expression when Sehun pats him on the shoulder. "You did so well up there," Sehun says, sending Jongin a sincere smile, that almost radiates proudness, before he congratulates Jongin again and fishes his car keys out of his pocket.

Jongin blinks as he feels every single muscle in his body being reduced to a goopy mess, and he hopes that Sehun doesn't hear the loud pounding of his chest when he erupts in a face splitting grin. "Really???" he blurts out, tightening his hold on the strap of his bag until his fingers cramp. "You think???"

Sending Jongin a playful wink, which nearly has the latter tripping on air, Sehun nods. "I know so," he chuckles before he clears his throat. "You got Baek's call, right? Last night?" A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips when Jongin nods perhaps a little too quickly. He opens his mouth to continue, only to excuse himself when Baekhyun practically shoves his phone in his face to show him a video. 

Jongin can only watch as Sehun gradually rejoins the group, and he has to force himself to tear his eyes off Sehun's broad shoulders when he nearly collides with an incoming jogger, who only sends him a look before continuing down the road. Despite Taemin, Krystal and Baekhyun all throwing their heads back in cackles, all Jongin hears is Sehun's loud laughter as they all crowd around Baekhyun's phone. Jongin makes a mental note to stretch properly when he gets home, since his pained calves cause him to fall behind yet again, but he barely notices this time. A gust of wind carrying Sehun's strong cologne hits him in the face, making his chest fill with a certain warmth that he doesn't bother squashing. Krystal walks up to him and Jongin feels as if he's walking on air when she tells him to 'pick up his feet' so that they make it to closing time.