Worries clouds Dongwan’s eyes completely, and Minwoo’s takes a seat on the sofa next to him—he reaches out his hand, and even in daze, Dongwan let his fingers to be hold. Let the warm from Minwoo’s hand covers his sudden cold hand.

“It’s happened, and inevitable, Wan.” Minwoo’s whispering softly, “not your fault, no one’s fault. It’s her family dirty tactic. Don’t blame yourself.”

Heaves a big and deep sigh, Dongwan just stares into nothingness. The cost for his freedom is too much—his friends, the precious persons in his life, needs public love to continue their career, but days passed and it just get worst. Yet for now, he can’t do anything, he can’t stop anything.

“Wannie,” Minwoo calls him, pulls him out from his own thought, “we know the consequences, we’re not the new artists who just debuted yesterday, we can handle this, Syungie and Eric can handle this, you trust them, right?”

Dongwan glances at Minwoo, who looks at him kindly and gently.

“You should tell me the second I open the door, Min.” Dongwan talks in a hush tone, “we should just go to Seoul, I should do something.”

Looking at Dongwan’s pale face, Minwoo feels a bit regrets to be the one who breaks the news had happened to Hyesung and Eric, but he also reliefs because, he’s here. So Dongwan’s not alone. He won’t let Dongwan to face it alone—not this, or everything that will happen in the future.

“And what would you do if we’re in Seoul right now?” Minwoo asks back, but not with a harsh or defensive tone, carefuly he rubs Dongwan’s hand with his thumb, and smiles at him. “You did a lot to protect us ten years ago, now—let us protect ourselves and you, okay?”

Dongwan doesn’t say anything for some seconds, but he lets Minwoo to still holds and rubs his hand—and after a minutes, he nods his head slowly. 

Minwoo laughs a little, yet he keeps soothes Dongwan’s nerves with his touches. He fishes out his phone from his pants’s pocket with his other hand, reads the last chat between him and the others. 

“Hyesung and Eric will do the live broadcast in five minutes,” Minwoo informs Dongwan, who jerks his head to his direction suddenly, making Minwoo laughs again, “they had hours to think, Wan. I believe with their decision. Now, do you want to watch it together with me or if you feel can’t, it’s okay—I can watch it alone, and tell you later.”

MInwoo being so kind and understanding towards his feeling, is nothing new. It’s Minwoo being Minwoo—he used to be the one who can reads Dongwan perfectly. It reminds Dongwan about the past, it’s been so long, Dongwan hurts him much yet Minwoo still treats him the same. 

“I’m not kid, Min.” Dongwan pouts a little, “and not weak too. Don’t be so kind to me, or I’ll have a crush on you again.”

Dongwan jokes a little, to lifts up the mood also masks his true feeling, And maybe—maybe, Minwoo also reads it perfectly, but he just gives his small smirks, and flicks Dongwan forehead playfuly.

“No one can resist my charm, I know it,” he sticks out his tongue, and laughs, “and you’re not weak, I know that. But I promise, right? To protect you, I’ll be your knight in shining armor.”

Minwoo winks at him, and Dongwan laughs back at him—his first laugh after he heards about what happened to Hyesung and Eric. And damn, Minwoo’s eyes can’t stop to follows the laughs, with all the dimples showing cutely and crinkles being so visible around his eyes—Dongwan looks so cute. 

For a while, Minwoo feels everything stops for seconds, lets Dongwan laughs fills his empty world—the vacant place he holds for so long, quietly. 

“Yak, check your phone,” Dongwan taps Minwoo’s arms, “maybe the live already starts?”

Startles a bit, Minwoo only nods his heads, swipes his phone screen and find the notification about the broadcast, then clicks it.

“Eo, it’s starting,” he rotates his phone, and Dongwan comes closer to him, “oh, they use one of the practice room.”

Hyesung and Eric sitting side by side on the grey couch, shoulder touch each other comfortably, looks relax and calm. Hyesung wears an earthtone color sweater, and Eric still with his shirts from the time Minwoo met him this noon. But for the ones who being object of bad publication, both of them looks so composed. Eventhough Minwoo can sees fire in Hyesung’s eyes.

“Ah, hello. Sorry for the sudden broadcast and the late notice,” Hyesung opens up his mouth after the views increasing rapidly, “so well, where should I start?”

Hyesung smiles sheepishly but looks confidence nonetheless. Eric’s hand lands on his thighs, and Minwoo can’t help but let out a snorts.

“Can we off the comments?” Dongwan asks Minwoo timidly, and wordlessly, Minwoo just taps his phone, removes the comments from the screen.

“About the photo, it’s us. Me and Eric-ssi. But to be honest we’re kind of forget when the photo happened,” Hyesung chuckles, straight to the point “but when months ago we come out together and told you all about our relationship, we’re not lying. This year is our five years as a couple, before that we just two people in love but not brave enough to confess our feeling—and the circumtances too. So yeah, maybe we play along, push and pull with each other, but we’re not in a romantic relationship. Eric’s my best friend, he still is. And seriously, if you’re our fans, then you’d know how we like to have skinship with each other, on or off stage, we did it a lot.”

Eric also chuckles, but he still says nothing. Let Hyesung does the talks. Maybe it’s part of their deal—but Minwoo kinds of proud with the way Hyesung opens up everything smoothly.

“Now, about Dongwannie, eh Dongwan-ssi I mean,” Hyesung laughs a bit, remember even this is a natural set-up of broadcast, it’s still a broadcast, he needs to use the formal way. “I can’t speak on behalf of him, of course.”

Dongwan tenses up a bit, Minwoo feels it. So he rubs Dongwan’s knee for a seconds, and gives him a small smile to eases him.

“I ask for your understanding till the trial which will be hold next week to wait for all the evidence and the clear information of the case, because we don’t want the other party to use it in bad way. But yes, I can confirming one thing right now. Photo about me and Eric-ssi, were also one of too many triggers for Dongwan-ssi decision back then. But, we knew nothing.” Hyesung looks straight at the camera, calms but also serious. “Dongwan-ssi being a good friend, yes. He protects me and Eric, yes. I can’t imagine what’ll happen with us if the photos were being published, even at that time we’re not in relationship like today.”

Hyesung pauses a bit, with a solemn smile, he heaves a sigh. “He hides it, from all of us. And trust me, if I can turn back the time, I’ll do it differently. We’re the bad friends, it’s true. We didn’t try enough to find his reason back then, it’s happened after our 10th anniversary, we’re so busy with our own schedules, just met to practice together, and that’s it. The next thing I knew, he already prepared all the thing for his presscon. Do I regret my action back then? Yes, I do. So much and in many ways.”

Dongwan also heaves a sigh, makes Minwoo steals a fast glance to him, makes sure he’s okay.

“I’m the one who should did it differently.” Knows Minwoo looking at him, Dongwan let out his mind. But Minwoo just shakes his head, and looking at him still with his kind gaze. Once again, he rubs Dongwan’s knee, comforting him silently.

“I do agree with some of the headlines, Dongwan-ssi being martyr for us,” Hyesung gives an empty laugh this time, but his eyes still fierce into the camera, “cause yes, he was. But, don’t you think if we knew the truth since ten years ago, we’ll just let him did that? Label us as a bad guy in your narrative as your wish, but don’t write it as if you know the complete truth. It’s complicated story, with ten years in between. And now, we’ve this second chance to patch up everything, pick up the story we left behind, to heal each other wound, but of course, the ones who know nothing talk louder more than us.”

Minwoo smirks at Hyesung’s remarks. 

“So yeah, now reporter-nim, please write this. That yes, the photo is indeed me and Eric-ssi, but no, we’re not in romantic relationship back then, and mind you, relationship between two humans in love aren’t bad behaviors. Yes, Dongwan-ssi was protecting us, but we knew nothing about that till last week. That’s why it’s our turn this time to protect him. Yes, we’re not being a good friend ten years ago, we should’ve put more effort, yes I know. But we apologize to each other already, and on the process to forgive and understand, it’ll take lot of time, so rather than curse at us, please support us. And no, no one bullied anyone, we failed to protect him and the group ten years ago and we won’t repeat the same mistake now. Write that, okay? Don’t skip the details or cut the content because this live will the be proof to everything.”

Eric glances at Hyesung, and smiles proudly with the way Hyesung handles the live. Till the last minutes, he still not so fond with the idea, but not even their legal teams or marketing teams can persuade Hyesung—so yeah, at the end, they gather in this practice room, ready to dance in the storm.

But looking at the expression of their team, and Junjin also Andy behind the camera, Eric thinks they also proud with Hyesung.

“You done?” Eric’s whispering softly, and gets Hyesung nods as his answer. He turns his direction to the camera, put his serious face, “well, if we really did all of that like what everyone accused us right now, kicked Dongwan-ssi from the group or put him as our martyr purposely, why I need to disband the group, then? After did all of that, we should just continue, right?”

Eric let out a chuckles, “I’m the one who gather the members back then, I told them I can’t be their leader again, I failed the team.”

Hyesung sneaks his hand to put it behind Eric’s waist, gives a gentle pats.

“And after long discussion, we agree to stop the team. Like what Minwoo-ssi said, we start as six and end it as six, no more or less.”

Minwoo smiles when he hears his name—Dongwan also gives him a soft looks.

“We fought a lot, yes. All of you know that too. But bullying?” Eric let out a snorts this time, “I do apologize for the misscomunication, for the poor way we handle this, for the long time we don’t use to seeks out each other and confront the truth, but I won’t, we won’t, apologize for something we’re not do.”

Eric reachs out the stacks of papers he puts under the sofa, “this is our report, Dongwan-ssi report also us. I can say this is our battle, but to be fair, Dongwan-ssi is the one who suffers a lot, I still don’t know we’ll have public trials or not, but me, the rest and our legal team will respect Dongwan-ssi decisions and I ask all of you to do the same. We’re not being hero or whatever you want to call us. Let’s the law be the fair judge, and if you really concern with the case, please follow this closely so we get the fair result.” 

To sees Eric being so ready with everything, Dongwan knows the man must be spend all his hours and energy to handle this. He owes Eric a lot.

“Now, do you want to read the comment or what?” Eric turns his head to Hyesung, while Dongwan jerks his body again and also turns his head to Minwoo.

“Are they crazy? Why they want to read the comments?!”

Chuckles, Minwoo laughs at Dongwan. “Be calm, will you? They did good job, I’m curious too to be honest.”

“Do you want it?” Hyesung asking back, but his hand already reachs out to accept the phone from the team, “hmm, let’s see..”

Both of them being silence for seconds, busy scroliing the comments, “It’s so fast, yak! Types slowly, will you?”

Eric glances at the camera and smiles a bit, like he just does a normal live broadcast, not the serious one.

“Why Dongwan oppa still hiding himself? Why he’s not the one who speaks to the public? Where’s he now? Are you really meet with him?” Hyesung reads some of the comments and laughs. “We’re sober, guys. Of course we really met him and not just our hallucination.”