It was their first day in the new apartment and Sungjong was nervous about the room pairings. Their new dorm was five steps up the fancy ladder compared to where they lived before. They would now be living in Hannam-dong, which was much more urban. Now that they were really popular they were being treated with nicer and larger accommodations. Everyone else was excited about the new living space, but to Sungjong it was just one more thing that was changing. He wasn’t ready for the move, but more importantly he wasn't prepared for the changes he had been feeling emotionally.

            Sungjong walked around the beautiful new apartment in awe. Where they used to have old hard wood floors there was now gray marble. The ceilings were higher and each room was at least twice the width and length. The walls were spotless and white. It felt easier to breath in the new space, but Sungjong’s chest was still tight with nerves. What if they changed roommates? He didn’t mind rooming with another member so long as it wasn’t Myungsoo. Myungsoo was his best friend, but Sungjong’s recent feelings scared him.

            Noona and Sunggyu might throw everything off. No one had discussed yet whether they planned to share a room. They hadn’t shared each other’s bed yet except for their frequent daytime catnaps. But they hated to be separated. What were the chances that they wouldn’t want to room together seeing as how there was no rule against them dating anymore.

            Sungjong stood in the largest bedroom that faced the street front. Outside the large window he could see the Han River and the old ferris wheel from the outdoor amusement park nearby. Everything looked smaller from their new home in the sky.

            “Should we take this room Sungjongie?” Noona suddenly said in his ear. On the marble floors she had been able to sneak up on him. He was going to have to get used to the absence of creaks and groans now that they didn’t have old wooden floor boards beneath their feet.

            When she saw his surprised face she laughed and gave him a back hug. She had always been a bright and loving person, but now that her and Sunggyu were together she was positively beaming at almost all times.

            “You aren’t going to room with Sunggyu hyung?” he asked his voice heavy with relief. Her brown eyes widened a little at the suggestion.

            “No way! And leave my favorite roomie to fend for himself? Absolutely not! I wouldn’t dream of it.” She went to her tiptoes so that she could rest her chin on his shoulder and look out the window.

            “I just thought that since you two were together now...”

            He turned his head to look at her face. He saw an anxiousness to her eyes. She seemed lost in her own thoughts as she shook her head.

            Sungjong certainly wasn’t going to argue. He was relieved that Noona would be his roommate. He had nothing to worry about now.

            The worry in her eyes dissipated as she suddenly bounced on her toes and ran for the door purposely sliding in her socks into the hallway. “We claim this room!” she shouted brightly to everyone else before disappearing down the hall towards the others. He couldn’t see from where he was, but he could hear the guys complaining that the room was the best one.

            Sungjong came out in the main room where the band was gathered. He didn’t see Myungsoo though. It was like him to wander off on his own.

            “Let’s rock paper scissors for it,” Sungyeol was saying to Julia as he loomed over her. She stared up at him with her hands on her hips.

            “But Sungjong and I really like that one,” she whined cutely and stomped her foot. She had recently discovered the ways of female aegyo. She didn’t use it often, though. He knew it was because Sungjong liked that room that she was fighting so hard for it.

            “Noona, that’s not fair,” Sungyeol said as he danced in place with frustration. Sungyeol was a er for aegyo.

            She was pulling out the puppy dog eyes and the pouty lips while Sungyeol screamed in outrage. Sungjong just laughed as he went to look at the kitchen.

            The kitchen was longer than it was wide. It was lined on one side with the counter, the stove, the sink and the fridge in the back corner. He noticed someone had their head in the fridge looking around; the door blocking most of their body.

            Myungsoo popped up suddenly and closed the door. He was shouting out that there was no food when he turned and saw Sungjong watching him. Myungsoo’s lips spread in a warm little smile as his eyes dazzled Sungjong. It wasn’t a smile that others usually received from the typically cold L.

            “Jongie I’m hungry,” he said holding his flat stomach sadly as he stepped forward. When he reached Sungjong he threw his arm over his shoulder and gave him a little squeeze. Sungjong’s heart beat a little faster at his contact. He wished his heart wouldn’t do that.

            “I can go shopping,” Sungjong said brightly. He liked to take care of his hyungs. Especially Myungsoo.

              They went back in the main room to the sounds of Dongwoo and Julia’s boisterous laughs. Sungyeol was seemingly attacking Sunggyu. Their usually fearless leader was holding Sungyeol back and shouting out for help while he laughed. As Sungjong looked closer he saw that Sungyeol’s lips were puckered up as he tried to kiss Sunggyu.

            When Sungyeol noticed Myungsoo enter the room he yelled at him for help. “This is the only way we can get a room with a good view Myungsoo! We have to make out with Sunggyu.”

            Julia and Dongwoo were on the ground laughing and holding each other now. Woohyun and Hoya must have started to get worried that Sungyeol would actually kiss Sunggyu because they helped pry him away.

            Sunggyu wiped the smile off his face with visible effort before pointing to Sungyeol, “Just for that you get the smallest room.”

            “Great Sungyeol. Thanks,” Myungsoo mumbled beside Sungjong. Originally, Myungsoo had roomed with Dongwoo, but Hoya and Dongwoo had decided that the rappers should stick together; causing the sudden room change. Myungsoo didn’t seem to care though because Dongwoo owned stuffed animals. Myungsoo wasn’t a fan of stuffed animals.

            Afterwards when everyone had settled in their rooms, Sungjong told them he would make them dinner. Everyone clapped and cheered as they sat around the main room.

            “What do you guys want?”

            “Bibimbap!” Woohyun shouted.

            “No, Octopus!” Dongwoo shouted louder.

            “Black Bean Noodles,” Myungsoo said. Sungjong almost didn’t hear his soft voice with all the ruckus.

            “Black Bean Noodles it is,” Sungjong said as he made to leave; ignoring the grumbles of the others. Julia had been lying on the ground with her head in Sunggyu’s lap as he snoozed slumped over her, but she quickly rolled away from him and ran to get her shoes.

            “Ow,” he heard Sunggyu shout as Julia ran around the apartment making herself presentable. In her rush she had just let Sunggyu fall to the hard floor.

            “Where are you going?” Sunggyu chuckled as he lay on the ground and watched Julia run about; sliding to get her purse and then sliding towards the coats and then sliding towards the shoes. Sungjong decided as he watched her sliding about that he would get her footie pajamas for her next birthday. Preferably ones with grips on the feet so she wouldn’t kill herself.

            “We are going to the store,” she proclaimed as she grabbed Sungjong’s arm. “I want something sugary!”

            “Are you sure you need sugar, noona?” Hoya asked with a laugh. She just nodded emphatically with a big cheeky grin.

            “Noona, please don’t yell at any drunken ahjussis while you’re out,” Woohyun said seriously. The room got a little tense as they remembered the last time Sungjong and Julia went out on their own.

            Both Myungsoo and Sunggyu moved to get up and get dressed. But Julia screeched and pulled Sungjong to the door. “We’ll be fine everyone. Be back in a little. Bye,” she shouted as she closed the door and they practically ran to the elevator.

            “Noona what has gotten into you!?” Sungjongie laughed as she pushed him in the elevator and let out a sigh.

            “I just wanted to spend some time alone with you. I miss you,” she said as she hugged him. He had gotten a little taller over the last year and her head came naturally right under his chin as he hugged her back.

            He loved noona and considered her one of his best friends. He loved talking to her and felt he could tell her anything, but he couldn’t help but feel a little sad. It was like Sungjong was her girlfriend. With all his confusing feelings lately it didn’t make him feel any manlier that he was who Julia went to for girl talk. He tried to picture her talking to any of the other members about her hair or her relationship and the images just seemed wrong.

            Nope. Sungjong was her girlfriend. The thing that really bothered him was that he enjoyed the girl talk.

            They made it to the store and back without any issues. No drunken ahjussis. Noona had gone a little crazy at the store and bought so much candy you would think it was Halloween. When they came back she set a giant bowl on the main room floor and poured the candy in it; smiling as everyone went nuts. Sunggyu knelt behind her and gave her a tight back hug as he nuzzled her ear with his nose. The guys didn’t notice as they attacked the candy like a bunch of animals.

            Sungjong smiled to himself as he went in the kitchen to cook. Julia and Sunggyu were like the mom and dad and everyone else were like their children. Even before Sunggyu and Julia were together that was Sungjong’s image of this family.

            He was alone in their new kitchen cooking peacefully when he felt someone’s chin resting on his shoulder. He looked down expecting to see noona, but his body involuntarily went rigid when he saw it was Myungsoo.

            Myungsoo was slowly spinning a lollipop in his mouth using only his tongue. Sungjong couldn’t help but watch in stunned silence as he felt his heart flutter in his chest. Myungsoo seemed oblivious as he grinned at his friend around the candy in his mouth. Sungjong saw that his tongue and the inner curves of his lips were stained a light shade of red as he pulled the lollipop out of his mouth and offered it to Sungjong.

            Sungjong shook his head no, but Myungsoo stuffed the lollipop in his mouth anyway. He gave Sungjong that little smile; barely lifting the corners of his pink lips. He pushed Sungjong’s hair behind his ear quickly before he silently left the room.

            Sungjong focused back on his cooking as he rolled the lollipop around his own tongue unconsciously. When he realized that he had Myungsoo’s saliva in his mouth he quickly took the lollipop out. He stared at it angrily as he walked over to the trash bin. He was about to throw it in when he stopped. With a resigned sigh he put the lollipop back in his mouth. He tasted sweet cherry the rest of the time he prepared Myungsoo his black bean noodles.

            What is wrong with me?, he thought at the boiling water with frustration.

            When the food was done everyone attacked it hungrily, but he couldn’t stop watching Myungsoo. He ate delicately and slowly; enjoying each bite. He also ate the most of anyone. Of course that wasn’t new.

            “That was delicious, Sungjongie,” Julia exclaimed as she went to clean her plate. Everyone else voiced their approval. Myungsoo just mumbled something about it being good and Sungjong couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

            Sungjong stayed in the kitchen and cleaned while everyone went off to bed. He was leaving to go to his room when he heard voices. He peeked around the corner and spotted Sunggyu and Julia leaning against their bedroom door.

            Sunggyu’s face was buried in noona’s neck as he covered it with soft kisses. She rubbed her face against the side of his as she bit down on her bottom lip. She was biting down so hard Sungjong worried that it might start bleeding. Sunggyu finally seemed to notice and pulled her lip away from her as he kissed her passionately. Noona made a soft purring sound as she grabbed Sunggyu’s hair roughly and pressed her body into his.

            Sungjong watched with an odd sort of fascination and an equally odd jealousy. He wasn’t jealous of either one of them in particular. He didn’t want to kiss noona or Sunggyu, but he wanted someone to kiss.

            Sunggyu’s hands had drifted from noona’s shoulders down to her hips when she finally backed away panting. “Goodnight,” he heard her gasp out as she kissed him once on the lips quickly before she practically ran into the room and slammed the door shut.

            Sungjong watched Sunggyu try to control his breathing as he supported himself with one arm against the door. When he began to move, Sungjong ran back into the kitchen and made himself look busy. When Sunggyu came by the kitchen he stopped and peered in at Sungjong.

            “Sungjongie what are you still doing up?” he said with latent concern in his voice. Sungjong tried not to laugh as he saw how red his leader’s face was. It looked like he just came back from a run. He noticed as he looked at Sunggyu’s chest that his breathing still hadn’t completely regulated.

            “I was just cleaning,” Sungjong answered brightly as he held up a sponge as proof.

            Sunggyu approached him and placed his hands on Sungjong’s shoulders as he looked in his eyes seriously. “You’re the best maknae a leader could ever ask for. You know that, don’t you Sungjongie?”

            Sungjong laughed at his leader’s sudden confession, but he saw that Sunggyu was serious and stopped smiling.

            “I know. Thank you Sunggyu Hyung,” he said quietly.

            Sunggyu suddenly smiled and his eyes disappeared like a cute little hamster’s. Sungjong couldn’t help but smile as Sunggyu ruffled his hair and went to leave.

            “Go get some rest Sungjongie we have a lot of work to do tomorrow and we need our maknae to keep us all in line,” he said still smiling before he went off to his bedroom he shared with Woohyun. It was as far from Sungjong and Julia’s room as you could get, he noticed with a smirk.

            Sungjong went to his room and found that noona was lying awake in her bed; deep in thought. He quickly went to his bed; sticking Myungsoo’s now candyless lollipop stick under his mattress without noona seeing. Sungjong had a sentimental side. Another not so manly thing about him; he reflected with a frown.

            “You okay noona? You look a little flushed,” he said with a knowing smile.

            She rolled her eyes at him and hugged her leopard stuff animal closer to her chest.

            “I’m fine Sungjongie,” she sighed. She had been like this a lot lately; looking anxious and worried when she thought no one was looking. But no matter how often he asked she wouldn’t tell him what she was worrying about. Apparently tonight was no different.

            “Noona when did you know that you loved Sunggyu? I mean like loved him loved him,” he asked quietly.

            She stared at him from her mattress as she thought quietly to herself.

            “I don’t know,” she answered suddenly with a laugh. “I don’t remember.” She sounded amazed as she thought back.

            “I mean as soon as I met him he bothered me. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. He made me upset and confused and frustrated, but also excited. I had never felt that way about anyone before. I still have all those feelings actually,” she laughed. “So maybe I did love him all along. It just took awhile for me to realize that’s what it was.”

            “So upset, confused, frustrated, and excited,” Sungjong reflected to himself.

            “Well those are some of the feelings I had. Don’t quote me on that please. I don’t know what I’m talking about. Those sound a little negative. Love isn’t negative Sungjongie. It’s just a little crazy that’s all,” she said with a heavy sigh. “I feel a lot of other things too. Wonderful things. And scary things,” she added almost to herself. He was about to ask what she meant when she continued. “Why are you asking me this Sungjong?”

            “I was just curious,” he answered as he stared at the ceiling and thought to himself.

            “Tell me,” she said with a warning tone.

            “There is nothing to tell noona,” he laughed.

            “I don’t believe you, but I can’t force you to tell me. You can always talk to me though Sungjong. You know that right?”

            “Of course,” he said quietly before rolling over to face the window.

            “Goodnight Sungjongie,” she said before she turned off the lamp.

            When she had finally dozed off he pulled out Myungsoo’s lollipop stick and rolled it between his fingers carefully.

            Upset, he thought to himself. Check.

            Confused… double check.

            Frustrated…triple check.

            Excited… not so much.