There’s a shiver running through Taehyun’s entire body when Seungyoon reached a certain note. It had that amazing groan in it that never ceased to baffle him.

As the music kept on playing, the leader looked up from his paper, and through the glass to capture Taehyun’s eyes. When he noticed the younger wasn’t looking back at him, but had his eyes glued to his own arm instead, he frowned.

“Yah, Nam Taehyun!” He grunted in the mic.

Yet Taehyun didn’t hear it; he’s too focused on examining his arm. Ever since Seungyoon had started singing, goose bumps had appeared. So now he's pondering on what the reason might be. It’s not that it was that rare, it had happened before, but those times had been for particular reasons. One time Seungyoon had been singing him a newly composed song, and the lyrics had made his heart ache. Another time Seungyoon had been humming a rather sentimental melody, and it had felt as if the entire room had disappeared, leaving only the two of them. There had been various reasons, but lately, it was as if he didn’t need those anymore, and his body reacted on his own whenever he’d hear Seungyoon’s voice.

“—am Taehyun!”

The boy slowly lifted his head, but not too much. He knew very well who was calling him, and he wasn’t exactly ready to drown in those eyes again.  “Hmm?” He let out as he pushed a button so Seungyoon could hear him on the other side.

“I asked you if it was okay,” Seungyoon sighed. “God, were you even listening to me at all?” He sounded agitated, and that was an understatement for sure.

Taehyun released a silent chuckle. “I always am.”

“What?” The older shot back, still frowning, and still aggravated to death.

“I said it was more than okay, you can come out.”

The words didn’t only reach Seungyoon, but Jinwoo had heard him, too. Since he was the next to sing in his part, he quickly jumped out of the couch and hurried to the door. He didn’t wait for Seungyoon to come out first, he simply joined him inside.

Taehyun watched them as the oh so responsible leader cheered the oldest on, telling him he’d do fine and he shouldn’t be so nervous. The way Jinwoo smiled in response evoked a wrenching feeling in the maknae’s stomach, yet all he could do was look on, and see it happening. He impatiently tapped his fingers, waiting for the leader to come out and stop being that friendly with Jinwoo. He shouldn’t be that friendly, that just wasn’t okay on so many levels. Taehyun wasn’t sure why it wasn’t okay, and what levels exactly it wasn’t okay on, he just knew it was wrong.

“You know, we haven’t got all day. It’s already late and I want to go back to the dorm already. Do you have any idea how busy our schedule is tomorrow? We have yet another shoot, remember?” Taehyun bit when Seungyoon finally joined him.

The leader pulled a face as he rolled his chair a bit closer to the mixing panels. “I know, but that doesn’t mean you get to be so spiteful.”

Taehyun gasped, albeit a bit fake. “Excuse me?”

Seungyoon rolled his eyes. “Nothing.” He gave an ‘okay’ sign to Jinwoo, who signalled him back. Then he pressed a couple of buttons, and pulled a couple switches, so Jinwoo could start recording.

When Jinwoo started singing, Taehyun’s face contorted. “He’s singing off-pitch again.”

The other gave a weary nod as he pushed a button so he could talk to Jinwoo. “Hyung, did you warm up your voice?”

“I—I did.” Jinwoo hesitantly answered.

Taehyun sighed. “Sad thing is; he really did.”

Seungyoon bit his bottom lip. “That’s okay, hyung. We’ll just try again, yeah?”

Jinwoo nodded, visibly feeling more nervous already.

After retrying for another eight times, Taehyun shook his head. “We’re losing precious time like this.”

All that they had accomplished so far was literally nothing. Jinwoo kept singing off-pitch, or he pronounced something wrong. He’d forgotten it was his line once, and another time, he sang someone else’s. He’d only gotten more and more on edge, and that obviously didn’t help anything.

“Do you think it doesn’t frustrate him, too?” Seungyoon shot back. He looked slightly angered by Taehyun’s inconsiderateness towards the oldest. The cold tone in his voice set off that same feeling of ‘not okay’ in Taehyun’s stomach from before. It rendered him speechless. For some reason, he really disliked it when Seungyoon defended Jinwoo against him.

Seungyoon tiredly dropped his shoulders, and with an equally exhausted voice, he said: “Maybe you should call it a night.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Taehyun got up from his chair, pulling on his sweater as he did so. Yet when he noticed Seungyoon hadn’t moved an inch, he grabbed the older by the shoulder. “Come on,” he coaxed while attempting to pull him up as well.

But Seungyoon didn’t budge. “I said you. I am going to stay here and help Jinwoo finish his part. We’ll come back once we’re done. You’re clearly tired. So go back first.”

The rumbling in Taehyun’s stomach worsened. “Fine,” he managed to spit out through his gritted teeth. He didn’t look back when he slammed the door shut after him, which he regretted once he heard it click in its lock.

“Damn it,” he hissed.

He momentarily contemplated going back inside. He wasn’t sure if he liked the idea of an emotionally unstable Jinwoo and a soft-hearted Seungyoon all alone—late at night to top it all off—in the studio. Who knew what would happen? Lord knows the two are very comfortable around each other. To add that both are roommates, which made their relationship inevitably even deeper.

How close were they exactly?

“Damn it,” Taehyun seethed again.

Taehyun cursed the television that for some reason wasn’t broadcasting anything that could distract him enough. He cursed the fridge for not hav