What Jason promised would only take a minute ended up taking ten, but JR did not complain. Those minutes gave JR the biggest thrill of his life, and he didn’t think he would be able to go back to practice without looking dazed and confused from what had just happened.

When they went back, they received a scolding from the choreographer, and a few questions as to where they’ve been. When JR hesitated, Jason answered: “I wasn’t feeling well and so I left to the bathroom. JR was concerned for me and followed me. I’m okay now.”

Immediately after their practice, they had a dinner with one of their Chinese sponsors. Needing to leave a good impression, they had to dress up in suits and ties.

JR sighed as he remembered what is going to happen to NU’EST about two days, after that interview. He realized that this dressing to impress would be pointless in a few days time, because who would want to sponsor a band in a scandal?

Too lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice it when Jason approached him. It was only when Jason reached out to JR’s tie that JR looked up.

“You at tying ties,” Jason said with a chuckle, as he undid JR’s tie and attempted to tie it again.

JR’s eyes were fixed on Jason, who was too preoccupied with JR’s tie to notice.

JR had still not gotten his around the fact he had a boyfriend, and not just any boyfriend, but someone he actually liked. He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that he was no longer single, that he had someone he could be intimate with whenever. Those were the thoughts that ran through his head as he watched Jason fix his the tie around his neck

When Jason was finished, his eyes flickered onto JR’s, and JR felt this overwhelming urge to kiss him. He held back when he realized that the rest of the members were there.

On their way to the dinner venue, Jason and JR sat beside each other in the back, and Jason intertwined their fingers when no one was looking.

Someone did notice though. Minhyun, who was seated in the back with them, nudged JR subtly and pointed at their intertwined fingers with his eyes, giving JR a questioning look. JR hesitated, and then put his index finger to his lips.

Minhyun grinned and nodded in understanding. He kind of knew what was going on, but he never brought it up again.

The restaurant was a fancy outdoor restaurant with the view of one of those large artificial fountains that start to “dance” every hour. It was large and quite comfortable.

When they arrived, the new manager seated them in an appropriate way before the sponsors arrive. He made Jason sit right in front of where the sponsors would have sat so that he could communicate with them in Chinese. He seated JR beside him, as the leader of the group, as the person that represented NU’EST. The rest were seated arbitrarily. The manager proceeded to give them guidelines as to how to greet and how to act in front of the sponsors.

The sponsors came, and they all stood up and smiled and greeted them like they were asked. Jason spoke to them in Chinese, and JR tried with his limited Chinese.

At one point diuring the dinner, Jason randomly leaned over and whispered into JR’s ear, “the videos are in your manager’s phone, right?”

“What?” JR asked, a little more loudly then he would have liked.

“Yes or no?” Jason continued to ask.

JR nodded and eyed Jason curiously. Jason went back to eating his food without a word.

Despite the curious looks they were getting from their sponsors, and despite the fact that JR knew it was improper to be like this in front of them, he still leaned in and whispered into Jason’s ears.

“Why did you ask me that?”

“Let’s steal the phone?”

“What? How?”

“Don’t look, but he’s here, behind you. He’s throwing twigs at you to catch your attention,” Jason whispered, making JR stiffen at thought of being near him. Having been their manager only recently, the disgusting man knew their schedule in China by heart, and so it would not be unlikely that he was there to make sure that JR was going to carry out what he had threatened JR to do.

Jason noticed the sudden trepidation in JR’s expression, “don’t worry about it,” Jason whispered. “In a bit, turn around and pretend to notice him. Go to wherever he takes you, I’ll be following. Prolong your conversation. I still have his number since the prank call, so I’ll make him take out his phone by ringing him. You grab the phone and run to the fountain and throw it, and I’ll make sure he doesn’t go after you.”

It seemed like such a rash idea, and it seemed unlikely to work. Even if it did, had the manager been smart he would have had the videos saved elsewhere. He thought and realized he really did not have much to lose. If the videos were saved elsewhere, the manager would simply release them sooner, and that didn’t seem to make much of a difference if the videos were going to be released anyways. He was also risking being accused of theft, getting hurt by the manager and hence losing the sponsorship.

He didn’t seem to mind. He would risk it all for the possibility of those videos being gone.

He nodded at Jason.

Their plan commenced when JR felt something being thrown at him. He turned around and saw the manager bidding him to come. He feigned surprise, and then stood up excusing himself from the table.

He followed as the manager walked to get away from their table. The place was quite crowded with people, but that didn’t seem to matter to the manager. He only wanted to get away from the eyes and the ears of the people at the table.

“What?” JR asked, trying to sound firm, but he couldn’t hide the tremble in his voice.

“The interview is in two days,” the manager said, “are you still going to do it?”

Wanting to “prolong” the conversation, JR pretended to hesitate.

“Need I remind you of what would happen to NU’EST’s reputation if you don’t?”

“Can’t I accuse him of something less vile?” JR asked, stalling until Jason calls the manager.

“No. He accused me of ual assault, the same thing is going to happen to him!”

“But you actually committed the crime!” JR responded.

“Get the over it JR,” the manager spat, “I didn’t steal your ity. I didn’t do anything to you. And I didn’t force you to do anything!”

JR was silenced. He wished the silence would last as long as Jason needed to finally make the call; he didn’t want to talk to the manager anymore.

“Are you guys gay lovers?” the manager asked him condescendingly.

“No,” JR lied.

“Liar. I saw the way you two were whispering to each other back at the table. I can’t wait to see what happens when you tell the world he ually abused you.”

Why isn’t Jason calling? JR began to think, feeling he could no longer prolong the conversation.

All of the sudden, out of seemingly nowhere, Jason pounced on top of the manager, pinning him to the ground. He stuck his hands in the manager’s pockets, barely succeeding to get the phone out as the manager struggled underneath him. JR was too dumbstruck to even move as he watched Jason and the manager fight for the phone on the floor.

Jason began the fight when he threw his fist into the manager’s face, dazing the man for as long as he needed to grab the phone and throw it across the floor. JR recognized that this was his queue. He grabbed the phone from the ground and ran as fast as he legs could carry him.

It took a minute of running to make it to the fountain, where JR swung his arms and threw the phone with all his might.

He stopped for a few seconds to catch his breath and revel in the success of the plan, before remembering that Jason was probably still “distracting” the manager and getting hurt in the process. On his way back to where he left them, he saw the manager heading his way. The expression on his face was frightening. There was this vigor in his eyes that looked as if the manager was about to kill him.

Worried for Jason, JR did not try to run away. He looked to see if Jason was following the manager or something, but Jason was not there.

When the manager eventually got to him, he took his arms and twisted it. JR cringed in pain.

“Where is it?” the manager clamored, his teeth gritted.

“In the fountain,” JR responded quickly in between cries of pain as the manager twisted his arm again.

The manager then pushed JR onto the ground in a fit of rage. JR fell back with a forceful contact of the concrete with his elbows. He didn’t have the chance to get up as the manager kicked vehemently into his back, sending a jolt of pain across his limbs. The manager persisted at kicking JR.

It was Jason that pulled the frenzied manager away JR. The manager would have maimed him had Jason not interfered. JR moaned as he felt every part of his body ache from either wounds or internal bleeding He wasn’t even conscious enough to realize that the manager was hurting Jason. It was random strangers that were passing by that pulled the manager off of Jason.

JR found the energy to get up despite his aching limbs. Strangers were crowding around Jason, who JR could see was more badly injured, unconscious actually. There was blood all over his face, his body was limp and lifeless.

“Hyung!” he called out to Jason, sliding his body across the floor towards him.

Jason shifted, slightly groaning from the pain. JR took his hand and squeezed it.

“The phone…?” Jason asked weakly.

“It’s gone,” JR said. “Thank you so much…”

Jason smiled slightly and then groaned again, cringing in pain.

JR realized that Jason had just gotten beaten up over something had nothing to do with him. Had the videos been leaked, Jason would not have been affected, but he still gave everything he had to making sure it never happened. JR knew he would not have had the courage to do what Jason did. He knew that without Jason, NU’EST would have been ruined with the scandal.

It was at this point that JR had come to the realization that his feelings for Jason go beyond simply liking him. JR respected and adored him. Actually, JR kind of loved him.

A/N: I am overwhelemed by how many people are reading this! Thank you all so much for your lovely comments; i enjoy them so very much! And welcome new readers. :D

I might end it in like two chapters? Unless I add a plot twist which I might.

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