"Do you see the way he looks at her?"
"Yeah, it makes me sick."

Sunggyu and Hoya had been watching you and Woohyun like vultures. Ever since the day you became close to Woohyun, the other members have been scolding him, determined to break the two of you apart. They thought it wrong for him to be with a girl who had just turned 18. You couldn't understand it at all. You were legal, an adult... The age difference wasn't even that big, either.
There had to be something else.

"Woohyun, when are you going to stop talking to that girl and come practice?" asked one of the members. They hadn't even bothered to remember your name, too opposed to even try. Woohyun apologized to you for his fellow members' sakes, and gave you a small kiss on the forehead.
"Are you free after practice?" he asked, "I'd like to take you out somewhere."
"Of course!" you said, eager to spend more time with him. He smiled, and returned to the rest of the members, all of whom were glaring at him for being so distracted. You figured there was no point in staying in the practice room. Nobody but Woohyun enjoyed your company, and you didn't want to distract him. You decided to wait outside until it was over.

"Hello, my flower~" Woohyun surprised you from behind, "I'm sorry you had to wait outside. Aren't you cold?" He had found you sitting on the front steps of the building, but you had lost track of how much time had passed. It was late winter, which explained the frost surrounding the building's windows.
"No, I'm fine... Wait! I mean, 'aww, I'm a little cold', let's go for hot chocolate!" you half-teased, hoping he'd oblige. Woohyun started laughing, and took your hand to help you up. The two of you shared a warm hug, and he put his scarf around your neck. Just then, Sungyeol happened to exit the building and caught sight of you two.
"Please go somewhere else, you're ruining the beauty of these front steps," he said. It may have been a joke, but considering the attitude he displayed, it seemed to be half-honest.
"Don't worry, Sungyeol-ah," Woohyun replied, "I'm sure once you go home it will look better." Sungyeol shot him a look, and walked away. "Now," said Woohyun turning back to you, "Let's go get some hot chocolate." Your expression brightened.

The two of you entered a coffee shop that was decorated for the Valentine's holiday. It was a quaint little shop, with heart-shaped paper chains, pink and red candles, and the familiar smell of cocoa beans. It was definitely a cute place for a date, and you were elated to be there with Woohyun. He ordered two large hot chocolates, complete with marshmallows, and the two of you found a place to sit by the window.

"Careful," Woohyun warned you, "it's hot." You took a small sip, and felt the warmth immediately rush through your body. "Is it good?"
"Yes, it's delicious," you answered. He smiled and took a sip as well. "How is it?"
"Hmm..." he paused, "It's missing something."
"Like what?"
"Like... A kiss." At that moment, he leaned over the table and gave you a kiss, causing you to blush. You knew he was a romantic from the start, but he never failed to surprise you when he acted upon it.
"Woohyun, not here... It's embarrassing," you whined. He looked a little hurt, but quickly recovered.
"There's nothing embarrassing about our love. If I could, I would shout about it in the streets." He opened his arms to the air.
"Then why do your friends hate me?" At that moment, he became quiet. The two of you only sipped on your drinks for the next few minutes. You could tell he was thinking hard.
"They don't hate you. They just... Have trouble trusting you," he finally said.
"How come? What have I done to break their trust?" you were frustrated at this, not being able to think of a single thing.
"It's not what you've done. It's what my ex-girlfriend had done."
"Oh." You never thought about Woohyun's past. It was hard to imagine him being with someone before you. The thought made you feel a little... jealous.
"It's nothing to worry about, I'm fine now," he tried to reassure you, "Back then was a difficult time for me. I didn't know how to deal with situations like I do now," he sighed and looked down at his cup. "It took a lot of energy out of them to help me up. I owe them a lot."
You didn't feel the need to pry. It must have been difficult indeed, if the members were acting as they did now.
"I'm sorry, Woohyun," you felt guilty for bringing the subject up, "I didn't realize, that was -"
"Don't be sorry," Woohyun interrupted, "being with you has been one of the happiest moments for me since that time. It's I who should apologize. I'll talk to them soon, they shouldn't be treating you so coldly, anyway." The two of you finished the rest of your drinks in silence, smiling at each other and watching people on the street walk by.
 

Woohyun entered the dorm, and found Sunggyu, Sungyeol, Sungjong and Hoya sitting in the living room. They were watching a movie on the television, too immersed to notice he came home. He went to his room and set down his things. There were still a few hours left before it was time for bed, so he decided to check the kitchen for something to eat. Dongwoo was sitting at the table, eating a snack.
"You're back from your date! How did it go?" he asked. Woohyun was grateful to see Dongwoo's concern. He was one of the few members who didn't try to get involved with the drama regarding his girlfriend.
"It was nice. We had hot chocolate," Woohyun answered shortly.
"Mmm, that sounds nice," replied Dongwoo. There was silence for a few minutes, as Woohyun searched the cupboards for something to eat. "Just... be careful with her, okay? I know our famous Namu has trouble keeping his heart to himself. It's one of your charms, but it's a dangerous one at that."
"I'm fine," Woohyun replied, "you guys have helped me a lot. But really..." he awkwardly scratched his head, "I wish you guys would give her a chance." At that moment, Myungsoo entered the kitchen.
"Ah, really? I swear this dorm has gotten smaller over the past few days," he complained as he tried to squeeze past Woohyun to get to the fridge.
"It hasn't gotten smaller, you've just gotten chubbier," teased Woohyun.
"Oh, and you haven't?" replied Myungsoo. The three of them laughed and Woohyun got out of Myungsoo's way.
"Woohyun, can I talk to you for a minute?" Woohyun heard Sunggyu calling him from the living room.

Woohyun entered the living room. The television was turned off, and everyone except for Dongwoo and Myungsoo were sitting in the room, beckoning Woohyun to come join them. "What is this, an intervention?" Woohyun half-teased, sitting down on a pillow on the floor.
"Something like that," answered Hoya. The atmosphere suddenly felt heavy.
"If this is about my girlfriend, I'm not going to leave her," said Woohyun.
"It's not about you leaving her," answered Sungjong, "we're worried that she might leave you."
"How would you know?" Woohyun asked, to the point of shouting. At that moment, Myungsoo and Dongwoo cautiously entered the room without a word. Dongwoo handed Woohyun a can of tea, and Myungsoo sat next to him.
"We don't know," said Sunggyu, "but nothing is for certain."
"Of course nothing is for certain. That doesn't mean it's okay for you to treat her like she has already ended it with me," said Woohyun in his own defense, "Don't mistrust her because of that other girl's actions." The members shifted in their seat. They knew he was right, but why had they not seen it?
"Everyone," Dongwoo interjected, "Woohyun has asked me to do something that we all should have done in the first place. He wants us to give her a chance... I don't see why not. Yes, eventually people will get hurt, but that's life. It's inevitable. The only way to get through it is by learning to trust again. If you go on living without trust, people turn into monsters in your eyes, and it becomes difficult to hold relationships." A few of the members nodded in silent agreement, while others' expressions hardened.
"But what if things don't work out? What if we trust her, but she only hurts Woohyun again? Ever since that last girl, I can't trust anyone younger than him. They don't know how to deal with things like we do." said Hoya.
"Then I will handle it," answered Woohyun. "you guys have taught me a lot. Age is not the problem, however. I was young too. We both made a lot of mistakes. She wasn't the only one at fault. I was naive to her feelings."
"I have noticed you two being sickeningly cute," teased Sungyeol, "Does she really make you that happy?"
"Yes," answered Woohyun. He thought about her. Her smile, her laugh, the way her hair smelled, her constant support... Everything about her made him feel more alive. He couldn't imagine the two of them being apart. He could feel his head grow hot, and tears build up. He swallowed.
"We just don't want you to experience what you had to after the first break-up," said Sunggyu. "I have never seen anyone more depressing and pathetic in my life. I hope I never have to."
"We can't have our Namu fall so hard again," said Myungsoo. He put his hand on Woohyun's knee, and gave him an encouraging look.
"You guys..." began Woohyun, "I'll be fine. Thank you for always being there for me, it really means a lot... But I think it's time you gave her a chance. I'm a lot older now, I can deal with these things. I know that when I fall, there will be six wonderful people there to lift me back up. I would get through it. But right now, more than anything, I need you to be supportive of us. She's really a nice girl. It makes me sad when some of you act disrespectful toward her."
The members sat in silence for a few moments. Nobody moved, they were all busy with their own thoughts.
"Well... If she's really treating you as well as you say she is," began Sunggyu, "Then I'll give her a chance."
"Yeah," agreed Hoya, "seeing how happy she makes you does seem reassuring."
"Are you sure you'll be okay," Sungjong asked, "even if things turn sour?"
"I promise." Woohyun smiled. One by one, the members stated their approval, and one by one, the atmosphere in the room became happier. Dongwoo put a hand on Woohyun's shoulder and gave him a bright smile.
"Now you have to tell us about her," he said.
"What do you mean?" Woohyun asked.
"Well, let's start with her name," said Myungsoo, embarrassingly. Woohyun laughed at the members' cluelessness, and he thought about all of the things he could tell them about her. He could tell them about her favorite food, her favorite flowers, her favorite books, the hobbies she had... He spent the next few hours describing everything he could, starting with her name.