Dongho smiled as the five exited the hospital, accompanied by Joonkin, Aron and Minhyun guiding Jonghyun as he walked slowly. Thankful that they all came out safely, he opened the car doors for the each of them and sat, buckling his seatbelt as Joonkin took his spot in the front seat.

“I’m glad everyone’s alright.” the manager spoke as he turned the key. The SUV started quickly. Minki and Jonghyun sat in the back of the van, undisturbed by the rest as they spoke.

“Don’t do that again.” he blonde scorned.

“Do what.?”

“Chase after me like that. Someone could have died.”

“But I didn’t.” Jonghyun smiled, placing an arm around Minki’s waist and pulling him close.

“You could have.” he half-whispered in response.

Aaron’s voice, as well as those of the others, could be heard now, from the front of the automobile. Minki ignored them, but soon stopped, as he’d heard his name.

“Ren what.?” he asked, his face straight, as it normally was.

“Nothing.” Aaron said, his reply covered by Dongho’s boisterous laughter and Minhyun’s chuckles. Aaron placed a hand on the back of his neck as they drove only a little further to the house, where Joonkin left the five. As they entered, Dongho headed for the kitchen, Minhyun for the couch, and Aaron for his bedroom. Minki removed Jonghyun’s jacket carefully, brushing it lightly before hanging it in the closet in the entry.

Minki’s cell phone vibrated once, and he took it from his pocket.

You have a fansigning tomorrow night. I’d hate to say it, but BaekRen needs to happen. -Joonkin

Minki’s face dropped, and Jonghyun read from over his shoulder. “I can’t believe they’re actually serious about this.” he spoke, a hand on Minki’s waist. “It doesn’t look like I have a choice.” Minki finally admitted.

Wondering if the others had gotten the same message, Dongho made his way back to the entry. “Did you get that text fr—” Minki turned his head and made way for the living room, where he sat next to Minhyun, unhesitantly followed by the vocalist.

“Minki, it’s not even real. I don’t like you.... like that.” he explained as he stood in front of the television, Minhyun tilting to the side to see past him.

“I know.”

“Then what’s this.?”

“It’s stupid.”

“I know it’s stupid. But we don’t have a choice.”

“I’m not doing it.”

Dongho didn’t need another word. He turned, moving towards his bedroom.

---

“Aron, can I come in.” Dongho knocked as he approached the eldest’s door. The door opened in a second, and closed just as quickly as he was pulled into the room.

“Good. You. I had an idea.” Aaron spoke quickly as he lead Dongho to take a seat on his bed while he stood, explaining whatever it was that had come to his mind within the last several minutes. His hair was ruffled, and his shirt half ed.

“You look tense.” Dongho said obviously.

“I was just going to take a shower, when something dawned on me.” Aaron informed him, still moving frantically about his room, searching every drawer he could for an object unknown to the younger.

“Okay.?” he wondered, quite frankly thrown aback by his sudden behavior.

Aaron paused, and stopped his moving, turning to Dongho. His tongue grazed his top lip just moments before he spoke. “You can’t tell the rest of them. But my idea is perfect. You have to agree.”

“What is it.?”

Aaron held his words back, pursing his lips as he thought only a little while longer.

“This BaekRen thing. It could work.” he said to himself. This was an Aaron that Dongho hadn’t met before; or at least, he thought he hadn’t.

“What are you talking about.?”

“I want....” Aaron pussyfooted around his statement as Dongho tried his hardest to keep his eyes locked with the other’s; he kept moving, he hardly could.

“Look, don’t make fun of me, Baekho.” Aaron said quickly.

“Make fun of you for what.?” Dongho’s voice began to rise.

“Relax, relax. You can’t make fun of me if.... I think....” he couldn’t finish.

“Out with it, or I’ll laugh all I want.” Dongho threatened, his smile wide as he thought of whatever this could be.

“I like Ren.”

“Everyone likes Ren.”

“No, I mean I like Ren.”

“You what.?”

“You couldn’t tell.?”

“This is the first I’ve heard.” Dongho admitted as the statement processed in his brain.

“You can’t tell them. But I figured, if Pledis wants BaekRen, you should give them BaekRen.”

“If you like him, why would you want to see BaekRen.?”

Aaron thought a moment. He hadn’t gone over this part of his plan as of yet, and it showed. He opened his mouth to deliver his message, yet he still had yet to connect his decision and his plan in his mind.

“Because if you did well enough, you know, like you make him fall in love with you—”

“Fall in love with me.? That’s a little much, don’t you thi—”

“It’ll open his mind t—”

“To what, being gay.?”

“I was going to say that, if you’d give me time to explain.” They spoke quickly.

“It didn’t look like you had anything planned out, Aron.”

“It’s— it was just an idea to throw around.”

“Why didn’t I know this before.?”

Aaron sighed. “It’s not exactly the easiest thing to tell your dongseangs, you know.” He sat on the bed, his forehead in his hands. Dongho turned to him.

“I guess not.”
“Will you do it.? This BaekRen thing.? For me.?” Aaron seemingly sobbed, as if he were actually crying, though, Dongho know of his ways to get the things he wanted, and this was the most well-known of all of them.

“I.... don’t see how—”
“Please.?”

“I was going to say, I don’t see how it’ll work for you, but alright.”

Slowly, a smile crept onto Aaron’s face. He didn’t lift his head.