“I’m beat.” Kris mumbled to his roommate Jongdae from his bed, his eyes already half glazed over with sleep from an exhausting day of schedules. It was on days like these where Kris barely had a moment to think properly, rushing from one place to the next in a never ending cycle: photoshoots, recording, filming, performances. They all sapped his energy, as if the life had been right out of him.

Jongdae shifted around in his own bed, responding with a nod in the darkness, knowing very well that the both of them are supposed to be getting some shut eye for tomorrow’s schedules to come. The younger let out a knowing laugh, feeling just as worn out as his hyung, although he seemed just as perky as ever, grinning as he spoke up in a quiet, curious tone. “And how do you say that in Chinese?”

It was often that Jongdae would ask Kris these sorts of questions about certain words or phrases that he wanted to learn or had picked up. It was a sort of ritual for the both of them to practice conversing in Chinese before bedtime for Jongdae’s sake, trying to help him along in his studies.

Kris only let out a tired sigh, peering over at Jongdae with a raised eyebrow. “Aren’t you too tired to be asking these kinds of questions?” Kris found it surprising each and every time they made it back to their dorm that the younger would eagerly come up with all sorts of curiosities for him. There wasn’t a night that went by where Jongdae wouldn’t fill up the surreal nighttime quietness with the sound of his sweet and questioning voice.

Sometimes it bothered the older, the only thing on his mind being getting some rest. But that’s how Kris came to admire his roommate. Jongdae, who was so ready to learn, so persistent and serious in everything he does. It’s this attitude about him that always put a smile on Kris’ face before bed. It always cheered him up after experiencing a hard or especially tiring day, never failing to uplift him and sweep all his worries away. With only a simple question, that sounded like music to Kris’ ears, he would forgot about everything that troubled or unsettled him and usually he would answer, no matter how sleepy he was.

This time was different. The younger shrugged up his shoulders, his mouth opening to speak before Kris’ voice cut him off in a deep whisper. “I have a better question.” The older broke out into a sly smile, clearing his throat quietly before continuing in Chinese, without a response from his roommate. “Chenchen, Nǐ shì zuì hǎo de.” He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in before speaking up once again. “Do you know what I just said to you?”Jongdae, who had listened intently to every word, focused on every single syllable of the leader’s sentence, furrowed his eyebrows. After a prolonged moment of silence, it was Jongdae who was alight with a bright smile, repeating Kris’ own words out loud shyly in Korean. “You’re the best.”