Chapter 13 (Continued from Preview)

The commotion of his heart pounding ringing in his ears, Dongwoo stared intently at the screen in front of him, which contained two photos with moving numbers beneath them – a photo of Infinite and a photo of their friendly rival group, Teen Top. He could feel that the Infinite members around him were holding their breaths, eyes glued to the screen as well. In the blink of an eye, the Infinite photo grew larger over the photo of Teen Top. Confetti began to rain from the ceiling. Unlike the unexpected win at their last show, the members tried to keep their cool as the Teen Top boys came up to hug them, one by one. Bubbling inside with the immense weight of raw emotions threatening to detonate, the members waited for Sunggyu to begin his speech with the microphone. Sunggyu, microphone in hand, suddenly turned his head back, sniffed loudly, and the mic in Dongwoo’s hands, covering his eyes with his hand. Their leader’s miniature breakdown spread to the other members like wildfire. As his team around him shed their share of tears one by one, Dongwoo strangely felt calm. Holding the microphone up to his mouth, he spoke into it clearly.

“Wow, thank you so much,” he began, “Thank you Woolim Entertainment, thank you Jungryeol hyung and the other managers and staff, thanks to all my Infinite members, and our loving families and our wonderful Inspirits.” Dongwoo swallowed, then smiled directly into the camera, eyes sparkling. “And,… Thanks for everything, Yeseul Noona.” His voice shook faintly, but he continued on with his last phrase. “Noona, Stay with me,” he ended, and the Infinite boys bowed to the camera. With his levelheaded, controlled composure, Dongwoo returned the microphone. He then gathered s and performed an encore briskly, leading the group backstage afterwards. The excitement ruptured through him halfway down the hall to Infinite’s stage room. “Whoaaaa!” He screamed, ruffling his head. The other members joined in, and their celebratory cries rang through the hall. Does this count as them being humble and polite? Dongwoo thought to himself briefly.

In their stage room, the flurry of events similar to the night before took place. First, Dongwoo wrapped the youngest member, Sungjong, in a firm hug. The little one cried mercifully, a waterfall of tears soaking into Dongwoo’s shirt as the boy buried his head into Dongwoo’s chest. Sungyeol was crying even harder than Sungjong. Because Sungyeol was bigger than him, Dongwoo couldn’t provide the warm, strong grip he had given Sungjong, but Sungyeol didn’t seem to mind. He just thanked Dongwoo over and over. Next, Dongwoo put an arm around to squeeze L, whose tears dripped quietly onto his dumbfounded face. Letting out a sigh, L smiled at Dongwoo, and Dongwoo smiled back. Woohyun seemed to have regained control of himself, going around and thanking the staff around the room. A quick, wordless hug was all he and Dongwoo needed. They knew too well what the other was feeling. Dongwoo found Hoya sitting on the floor, face twisted with emotion. Dongwoo knelt and Hoya’s hair for a bit, before raising him up and clutching him warmly. Sunggyu kept saying ‘thank you’ to anyone and everyone around him. As Dongwoo embraced his only hyung in the group, a few hot tears trickled down his own cheeks. Looking around the room, Dongwoo smiled at the absurdity of the view. If everyone in the world lost their mind, it would look like what was going on in the room right then.

Dongwoo spotted Yeseul, patting Sungjong’s back and wiping his face with a napkin. Approaching, Dongwoo took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. Her eyes were reddening, and tears were beginning to glisten in them. “Noona,” Dongwoo whispered, “grant me a wish.”

Yeseul looked at him with questioning eyes. “Hmm?”

Dongwoo repeated his words. “Grant me a wish.”

“What wish?”

“Just say yes or no,” remarked Dongwoo.

Yeseul sighed. “Well, If I can, then I will,” she replied.

Without another word, Dongwoo led her away gently, slipping out of the stage room. In the empty corridor, Dongwoo took a few paces and found a door to a small supply room, pulling them in and clicking the door closed behind him. The small area was dimly lit with a single bulb. The silence was incredibly noticeable. Dongwoo reached into his pocket and opened his hand, revealing two pieces of hard candy. One blueberry, one peach. Absentmindedly, Yeseul took the blueberry and popped it in . Dongwoo took the peach. The sweet taste of the candy melted gradually on Yeseul’s tongue.

Then, realization flashed in her eyes as her pupils widened, only seconds before she felt Dongwoo close in around her. The touch of his lips to hers sent a shock through her body. Gently closing her eyes, Yeseul stood still as the exchange took place in their mouths. The tangy taste of blueberry was replaced by the juicy taste of peach. Even after the exchange, Dongwoo’s lips still pressed against hers, not too roughly, but with firmness. The touch of his hands on her neckline felt tingly but dependable. Just as he had done it to her, four years ago, Yeseul was caught tightly in Dongwoo’s grasp. But this time, the pull wasn’t just the playful pull of a boy; it was the vigorous pull of a man. And she felt herself sinking into his strong grip, quickly.

When the two pulled apart, the blending taste of blueberry and peach seemed to make Dongwoo drunk with the overpowering roar of emotions in his chest.

“Wish granted?” asked Yeseul tentatively, in front of him.

Dongwoo strangely felt as if he had rocketed into space or jumped off a bungee jump, something sensational beating in his heart. “Wholly granted,” he replied.