“Dong Sicheng, your biggest competition is about to come.”

Winwin twisted and turned in his bed.

He was lost in a maze that was a zoo and everywhere he went someone was chasing him. There were lights on him, he was on a stage and the audience were chanting. They all sounded like Haechan. His face was wet and the floor was heavy around his legs. He tried to run away but he was in a swamp, sinking slowly.

Haechan appeared before him just as he was neck-deep in the swamp. Only he morphed into Yuta who was crying and then Taeil who was crying and then Haechan who said, “Dong Sicheng, your biggest competition is coming.” Then their manager, “Hello? Where were you for our debut? You’re late. The debut was two hours ago. You missed it.” Kun was crying now.

Then Yuta shouting his name.

He opened his eyes and swallowed, disoriented and the ceiling of his bedroom swimming before his eyes. He sat up quickly, relief flooding through his veins after realizing it had all been a dream.

“Winwin, are you okay?”

He looked up at Yuta who had woken him up. Yuta’s hand was cool against his sweaty, warm forehead. Suddenly Winwin realized he was shirtless in bed and Yuta was too close. That and images from last night cleared away the remnants of the dream from his mind. He pushed Yuta’s hand away slowly.

He was red when he answered, “Just a dream. I’m okay.”

Yuta nodded.

The front door bell rang across the dorm and Winwin was experiencing the change in Yuta’s facial expression first-hand. Yuta had begun to wear a tired expression lately, as if he was clenching everything inside his chest. And suddenly Yuta’s face looked as if the sun had shined suddenly from beyond the clouds. He smiled, looking in the direction of the sound, and without a word practically ran out of the room leaving Winwin in middle of what could have been a conversation.

Winwin frowned and pulling on a t-shirt quickly followed him, wondering what was up with his roommate (had he ordered something?). The living room was in an uproar. He caught sight of Johnny, Taeyong and Taeil just chatting loudly and laughing in a circle and at the center, with Yuta laughing and clinging on to his arms, stood Hansol.

He felt Haechan and Mark run past him and hug the tall boy who was smiling so warmly at everyone. How-have-you-beens were exchanged and Doyoung was telling everyone to at least let the poor guy have a seat first while Johnny was phoning Ten to come over. Everything was perfect.

When Haechan had told Winwin his biggest competition was coming, Winwin’s first thought had been that Haechan and the Ouija board were a load of bull. His second thought at a weaker instant had been that it had to be a Chinese group that could affect WayV’s debut. Nowhere had it occurred to him that it could be a person who could walk into his life and cause something even remotely akin to the disaster that he was feeling at the sight of Yuta practically glued to that person.

He greeted Hansol who hugged him and asked how things were. Winwin was on auto-pilot. He gave all the correct replies, hoping they didn’t sound as thick to the others’ ears as the words felt on his tongue. His eyes never left Yuta, Yuta who was smiling uncontrollably, who was talking as loudly as Haechan, whose eyes were shining and whose gaze never left Hansol.

In his most pathetic moments, Winwin had felt a twinge of jealousy at the way Yuta was so comfortable with Taeyong and Johnny but he had always known that they were all close friends. He had often even laughed at Jaehyun who used to get jealous when Taeyong spent time with Jonghyun or Seungcheol. He hadn’t thought he would ever “stoop to that level, Jaehyun” but right now, he felt like he could crawl into a little hole and cry.

Sure, there had never been any relationship of that sort between Yuta and himself but right now he felt so replaced. It was only then that he realized something.

Despite all his doubts and insecurities, Yuta did behave special with him. He closed his eyes and he could picture it. Yuta woke him up most days in the softest voice, he always did Winwin’s laundry when he was doing his own, he helped Winwin with Korean without ever expecting anything in return, he tried to learn Chinese for him, he cheered him on for all his performances as well as for WayV, he calmed him down whenever he was nervous, he always knew if something was off, he never held a grudge when they argued, he always asked him if he ate and took him out for food, he told him to sleep and sometimes he nagged awfully but right now, Winwin, who was hit with this flood of a realization, missed even that.

He looked at his group of friends and everything was the same as it always was at breakfast. Everyone was behaving the same. Hansol didn’t even stick out as he explained, “I had a day off and I just had to come over to see you all. It’s been ages since we met for a meal. Oh right, wait, I brought cake and ice-cream.”

Winwin had always liked Hansol hyung who was kind and caring and he knew nothing had changed in Hansol either.

He knew what had changed. He stared at Yuta who was sitting opposite him, conversing nineteen a dozen with Hansol. Winwin was, extraordinarily today, invisible to Yuta. And it hurt to realize that.

He ate his breakfast mournfully ignoring Jaehyun’s concerned but knowing looks. All he could do was stare openly at Yuta. Thanks to this, he was able to spot when Yuta’s plate was empty. He placed toast on it and nearly cried out in frustration when Yuta didn’t even glance in his direction.

He cited practice as his excuse before retreating to his room from where he emerged in record time to announce he was leaving.

Ten turned to Johnny. “What practice? I was pretty sure all of WayV had a free schedule today.”

“It’s probably some solo stuff, then.”

It was only afterwards that Yuta and Hansol found themselves alone in Yuta’s room.

“So…” Hansol started.

Yuta hugged him affectionately. “I can’t believe you actually came. Thank you for coming.”

Hansol rolled his eyes. “My best friend keeps destroying my beauty sleep every night. I knew I had to come.”

“Aren’t you really busy right now? I’m sorry for troubling you so much that you had to come on a hard-earned hol