“Daebak!” Donghoon was clapping, as he shook his head in excitement and amazement. He glanced around the table, and, sure enough, the rest of the members were still giving Jongkook a big round of applause, as he began to make his way back to their table after receiving his Daesang award. 

The weight of the trophy started to weigh down on Jongkook’s hand, but it was a welcome burden, as it represented almost two decades of his hard work within the entertainment industry. He had always been dedicated to the craft, finding beauty in doing variety shows and loving how different yet equally fulfilling it could be as singing, and he knew it was mostly because of the people he’s had the pleasure of working with through all these years.

He cast a smile at the table to his left, giving a small bow with his head towards Dong-yup, Jang-hoon, and the rest of the cast and crew of My Little Old Boy. Despite the relatively shorter amount of time he’d spent on the show, he had grown to love them, and he appreciated the opportunity to work with his mother. For all these things, he was grateful.

But, as he told Jessi in an interview, Runningman was simply at a different level, considering that he’d done it for a decade. The cast and crew were almost literally his family, and, as he made his way back to them, he felt this more deeply. It had been meaningful having his Jaeseok-hyeong announce his win, but it was equally heartwarming to come back to the table, to see Haha, Somin, Kwangsoo, Seokjin, and Sechan reaching out to congratulate him. To top it all off, Jihyo’s eyes were beaming brightly at him, as she patted his back once he went back to his seat beside her. 

“Chukhahaeyo, Oppa,” Jihyo simply said, her eyes showing how happy she was for her, but opting to keep her greeting reserved given all the cameras around them.

“Gomawo,” Jongkook said in response, as they all started to settle back into their seats.“Both for the greeting and for getting the mask,” he added, throwing in a quick wink.

“Wow, two winners! We definitely have a good reason to celebrate in our after party,” Jaeseok said, finally being able to return to his own seat after presenting Jongkook’s award. “Congratulations, Kookjong-ah, Donghoon-ah! Well-deserved wins,” he greeted them.

“We owe it to you Hyeong. Jinjja, we wouldn’t be where we are without you,” Donghoon took the initiative to answer for both of them, clasping Jaeseok’s shoulder and leaning in for a quick embrace.

“Yah! Stop making a fuss,” Jaeseok said in response, uncomfortable at the high praise being thrown towards his way. He tried to switch the topic, “So uri maknaes, have you decided where we’re going for the after-party?”

“I can’t stay up too late. These things are getting too tiring for me,” Seokjin said.

“Don’t worry, hyeong. There’s no after-party for the station anyway because of the social gathering rules. Everyone’s just having cast parties,” Jaeseok initiated the plan. “So, Kwangsoo, where are we going?”

“Hyeong, Somin suggested noraebang, but they’re all still closed down. So, we got a machine. We can just go do karaoke at my place,” Kwangsoo answered.

“I still don’t get why it can’t be at my place,” Somin huffed. 

Kwangsoo nudged her and seriously said, “Just let me host at my place this time okay? Next time, I’m sure you’ll get to host everyone in your or Sechan’s house.”

Somin was still miffed, but took Kwangsoo’s request in stride. “Alright, I’ll be incharge of the snacks and drinks then,” Somin designated for herself. “Sechan-ah,” she called him from across the table, “let’s order snacks and drinks for everyone. Check your phone so we can split it properly.”

“Okay arasseo,” Sechan replied. 

“Make sure to get non-alcoholic ones okay?” Jongkook reminded Sechan, upon hearing Somin.

“But make sure to get good baekju, also, Sechan-ah,” Jihyo followed up.

Jongkook looked at Jihyo, “Yah, why is it that I won but you’re the one who’s planning to get drunk?”

“Ah I’m not getting drunk, Oppa, but you just heard Kwangsoo. We’re doing karaoke; you can’t expect me to be fun enough to sing without any booze,” Jihyo thoroughly explained. 

“Okay arasseo,” Jongkook yielded. Then, he leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I’ll be there to take care of you anyway, so, geurae, go ahead.”

Jihyo blushed at the thought of her drunk self possibly getting carried home by Jongkook, but thankfully she was wearing a mask. She schooled her expression to be calm again, opting to not respond to Jongkook’s promise and turning back her attention to the program that was about to close.

That night, eight noisy celebrities were singing along to Black Cat, as the original singer led them on, with two nosy back-up dancers who hyped up everybody else. Normally, Jongkook wouldn’t yield to his friends’ requests for Turbo songs, but he had just won a Daesang, and that seemed to be the theme of the teasing for the night. He’d been coaxed into singing for them - this was already the fourth dance song he’d sung for them, but the group didn’t seem to be running out of energy.

When the song was finished, he took his spot on the armrest of the couch, beside Jihyo. He threw his arm around her shoulders, while keeping his mug of beer steady with his other hand. His hyeongs had managed to get him to drink, and, out of the post-awards show high he’d been feeling, he didn’t feel inclined to say no. He had managed to control himself though, keeping his intake to just this one mug he’d been holding onto for the last hour that they had been singing and dancing around. The mug was still half-full, but, probably due to Jongkook’s lower tolerance from not having drunk alcohol often, his mind was starting to give way. It was likely why he’d agreed to the third and fourth song request, but more importantly, it was likely the reason why he didn’t feel particularly shy about brushing his lips against Jihyo’s head, upon settling down beside her.

“Gapjagi, Oppa?” Jihyo asked him, stunned at the display of affection. The hyeongs were busy squabbling among themselves, with Donghoon caught in the middle. But, Kwangsoo, Sechan, and Somin were quite obviously a captive audience of what Jongkook just did.

A slight tinge of red was already visible across Jongkook’s tanned face, but it grew a shade deeper upon realizing that they had spectators. He didn’t really have an answer for Jihyo, so he merely shrugged, and took another gulp of his beer.

“Sechan-ah, Somin-ah, you two should sing a song together!” Donghoon goaded the maknaes, wanting to divert the attention of the two bickering hyeongs. No one sang in the last five minutes, each pair or trio preoccupied with their own little worlds. But, now, everyone was focused on the two maknaes.

“Ah wae hyeong?” Sechan whined. “Why does it have to be us two?”

“Why can’t it be you two?” Kwangsoo playfully pushed Sechan’s shoulder so he would bump into Somin. “Come on, it’s just