Passing Period (2)

The Joon-woo Ha-rin had made was not 18, almost double such, actually. Yet he felt the same discomfort in doing these explicit moves like he was fresh out of high school. Perhaps it was the immaturity biting at his bones to come out. Perhaps it was the effect that trainee life so young had on some. Or maybe the concern of his teammates was getting to him. 

Ryeo Hyun stopped Joon-woo on the way to his shared room with Reggie, and looked the younger dead in the eye before asking, "Joon-woo, are you really okay with this?"

Joon-woo nodded, it was for business, he had tried to convince himself. 

"Hyung, at the end of the day, won't our next paycheck be bigger?" Joon-woo asked, trying to keep the business-oriented attitude no matter the concern.

Ryeo Hyun tapped at his thigh, muscle de-flexing the tap, and sighed, "I guess, but that's not what I'm asking. You also had a strong reaction to the BGP whenever it first got popular…"

Joon-woo made sure to hold a firm eye contact with the man looking down at him with puppy-like eyes, "I'm fine with it, I swear."

Ryeo Hyun was suspicious with every fiber of his being, but he backed off to Joon-woo's surprise. Perhaps he was regaining trust now. 

He entered he and Reggie's shared room to find the night owl passed out. And it would've been no big deal, really, if he was in the correct bed.

Carre cackled from her prolonged silence, without Kite by her side, but Joon-woo didn't particularly care. The pair disappeared for days at a time for "work" and he had other things to be annoyed about. Like Reggie sleeping in Joon-woo's bed.

He looked at the other, fast asleep and snoring mumbled words into Joon-woo's shadow. He looked at peace in a way he wasn't during practice prior. His sharp nose. His big eyes. Joon-woo took a step back, reminding himself that Reggie had stolen Joon-woo's bed. 

He thought about shaking his bandmate awake, but he felt if he did, there would be a lingering guilt from waking the clearly exhausted boy before him. But then again, Reggie's bed stunk. He wasn't as stinky as Mi Yong or Baek Du-Ho, but still not to Joon-woo's clean standards. The couch stunk more, probably. They didn't have much time to keep their spaces tidy after all.

Joon-woo wanted clicked his tongue. He had slept on the practice room floor before, and dirty recording room sofas. He could handle sleeping on the couch for a night, couldn't he?

He went to turn around from the snoring man before him, but suddenly felt weightless. 

He found himself falling to a melodic tug to his wrists. Of course, the cotton mattress caught him before the floor did, but so did the long bony arm of Reggie. Joon-woo gasped, squirming at the soft arm huddling him in like a teddy bear. 

He truly didn't register that it was Reggie who pulled Joon-woo onto the bed with him until Reggie's grip loosened enough for Joon-woo's comfort as if it was a natural adjustment. Joon-woo gulped as the red filled his face. He heard Reggie's soft snoring from the top of his head, as his face was an inch away from Reggie's collarbone. 

Carre hopped onto the bed then, looking down at Joon-woo with a grin. 

"That's quite the predicament, pretty boy." She laughed, "You can free yourself, you know."

Joon-woo nodded, he could. But that would require waking Reggie beside him. 

Joon-woo closed his eyes to wince when Reggie shifted closer to him, making Joon-woo's face practically breathing onto Reggie's upper chest. This was… gay as fuck. Joon-woo hoped he would never be caught like this by any of his bandmates. One photo and the internet would break beyond belief. 

Reggie muttered a muffled, "Joon-woo…" Into the nothingness of the night. 

Joon-woo felt goosebumps form along his whole body, thinking about what his bandmate was dreaming about. He didn't want to know. He really didn't.

–+–

"...wake them?" 

"Did you take a photo already?" 

Voices accompanied by a stream of light shuffled Reggie from his deep sleep. 

Reggie let out a groan in response to the light blaring daggers into his dark-used eyes. He made out the muffled voices of Mi Yong and Jung Hyun-Ok, they were peering down at him, the space between the two the room's light. 

In an attempt to cover his eyes, Reggie tried to lift an arm from the bed to cover them. But when his arm was weighed down, he snapped out of his aching and tired delusion. 

He cracked open a blurry eye to see faux blond hair cuddling into him, a face to his chest. The frame was smaller than Reggie's and from the way the hair reached a few inches past the shoulder(?) Reggie knew. 

He should open his eyes at the realization, not particularly caring about the sting in his eyes from the lack of time to adjust. He waited seconds, for his vision to return, to confirm his frightful suspicions. 

Joon-woo was sleeping on his arm, peacefully on his blue sheets. Reggie was in Joon-woo's bed, and Joon-woo was in his arms. 

Mi Yong snapped photos like a damn motion picture now, the shutter sound aching Reggie's waking ears. Jung Hyun-Ok only watched in amusement. 

"So… How'd this happen?" Jung Hyun-Ok asked. 

Reggie pursed his lips, carefully and slowly trying to retrieve his asleep arm from under Joon-woo's neck. "I–"

Joon-woo shifted uncomfortably at the movement, lightly pulling Reggie's arm back where it was. 

Reggie's whole body went red. 

"I don't know, I– what do I do?" He panicked, not wanting to wait the sleeping beauty before him. 

Mi Yong was video taping now, shoving the camera in Reggie's face like paparazzi. "Hmm, you just have to wake him?" He replied with a sly, all-knowing smile. 

Reggie's face felt so hot, but it was true, he had to wake Joon-woo in order to complete today's schedule. 

With his free arm and the loose help of his other, he lightly shook Joon-woo. 

"Hyung, please stop recording." Reggie dead panned, the camera just adding embarrassment.

Mi Yong nodded no, only to be shut down by the taller to his right. Jung Hyun-Ok grabbed the phone from their leader with a small smile. "Yong-ah, you should listen when our youngests says so…" He teased, "Let's give them their time…" 

Jung Hyun-OK practically dragged Mi Yong out, leaving Reggie and Joon-woo alone in their bedroom. 

"Joon-ah… Joonie-ah? Jo-ah?" Reggie pleaded, "Please wake up now…"

Joon-woo shifted just enough so Reggie could free his arm and re-adjust himself to a more comfortable position. Reggie sighed out of relief, looking at the younger crack open an exhuasted eye.

"Hmm..?" He hummed, gathering his surroundings as Reggie had done just a moment before. 

Once he, too, realized what had happened, his face went even redder than Reggie's. 

"Oh, oh god…" Joon-woo quickly stumbled out of the bed, rubbing his eyes. 

Reggie couldn't keep eye contact with Joon-woo for long, and neither could Joon-woo (though the other rarely did in general). There was an awkward silence for a short second before Joon-woo was patting down his bedhead. 

"I'm gonna go get ready…" Joon-woo said, practically running out of the room with his feet cold. 

–+–

"Hyun-Ok-ssi, may I talk to you?" Emily Choi asked, cautious to approach the sweat-drenched and practiced man. 

Jung Hyun-Ok took a long swig from his third water bottle of the session. He nodded while catching his breath. 

"Yeah, what's up?" 

Emily gestured her head to the far right, to where the rest of ASCEND was resting, "[Did Reggie and Joon-woo fight again? I didn't know how to word it in Korean…]" She admitted, American roots showing through. 

Jung Hyun-Ok pursed his lips, "[Not exactly…]" 

Emily tilted her head in confusion. Then what? The two, in the more sexual parts of the choreo, were much more awkward than the day before. The choreo was definitely more familiar when they weren't up in each other's face, but they would step on each other's feet and be as stiff as boards during the more intimate parts. Even the long-term dancer Reggie was struggling…

"[I think they would kill me if I were to show you this, so you have to keep your mouth shut.]" The tall man whispered, pulling his phone out from the socket it was plugged into. 

Emily waited patiently, eyes widening in surprise at the photo she was presented with. 

"[Is that…]" She raised a hesitant finger to point at the sweet scene. 

Jung Hyun-Ok nodded, "[They said it was just a coincidence— but…]"

She got a good look at the photo, Reggie and Joon-woo spooning each other to rest. They were just kids, those two, at the end of the day. Not to mention how popularized they were as a ship of all things. Could've fooled her, if she didn't see so much of the behind the scenes. Of course they would be a little awkward about "accidently" sleeping in the same bed.

"[I see… But it is interrupting our progress…]" Emily mulled over the dilemma with a curt hum. 

Jung Hyun-Ok agreed, "[But I wouldn't be worried, they should bounce back tomorrow as normal…]" 

Emily could only hope. 

"[Oh, I also wanted to ask about the manager situation, if that's okay. Have they found you a new one yet?]" She continued, genuinely curious. 

Jung Hyun-Ok shook his head, "[Team Leader Changmin has been keeping us updated, but our team hasn't deemed anyone "worthy" yet…]" 

Emily smiled at that, "[That's good that they're putting extra effort into picking well-fit staff.]" 

Jung Hyun-Ok nodded, "[We definitely appreciate it.]"

–+–

Jae: hyung? Are you still busy?

Ryeo Hyun looked down at the message with a blank expression. It had been hard to have long conversations with Bo Jaesang ever since debut. The other had tried to reach out to him all month, but even with a watered down schedule, it was difficult to get back to him. 

There was also the lingering guilt in his chest. He had achieved his dream, or the beginnings of it, while Jaesang was still stuck at square one. They had promised to debut with each other when they were trainees. Ryeo Hyun led his friend through the tough early trainee days, being a newer trainee himself. They were in and out of debut groups together, the longer days, and even spent holidays together as Ryeo Hyun's family were nothing but difficult about his dreams to the point of disowning him. 

Ryeo Hyun was a part of Bo Jaesang's family, he was Bo Jaesang's closest person and now they were just so… separated. They hadn't been apart this long since before they met. It would be an understatement to say Ryeo Hyun didn't miss his soulmate. 

He typed out a reply with trembling arms. 

Ryeo Hyun: I have a few minutes now

Jae read the message almost instantly.

Jae: don't freak out when I tell you this, okay?

Ryeo Hyun: ????? Don't worry me JJJJJJJJJJ

Jae: I terminated my contract with XE

Ryeo Hyun tried to hide his expression, but the clenching of his lips was anything but hidden. He knew that Producer10 was Jae's final chance, but he terminated his contract so easily? It was his lifelong dream to become an idol, yet he was dropping it so easily? Ryeo Hyun pinched his skin at the anger biting through him.

Jae: Don't be mad hyung

But how could Ryeo Hyun stay calm after that bomb?

Ryeo Hyun: How will you pay off your debt now? You owe even more because of the termination…

Jae: I've found a new gig, it pays okay

Ryeo Hyun: what gig? 

Ryeo Hyun wasn't sure what he expected. Maybe a modeling job? Or a cashier job at those stores that only hired attractive people? Maybe a singer or musician? An underground idol? Or worse… what if–

Jae: hyung, I'm gonna become an idol manager

Ryeo Hyun almost dropped his phone at the reveal. 

Jae: I've had a few offers and I've been called for an interview with one already !!

Wasn't Easy Entertainment looking for managers? After the incident with Mr. Jeong, they had been manager-less.

It was a reach, but Ryeo Hyun needed to ask. 

Ryeo Hyun: What company?

He wasn't Jae's typing bubbles for what felt like hours, before a message came through.

Jae: Easy Entertainment

Jae: do you know them?

"Alright boys, let's bring it back!" Emily yelled just yards away, but Ryeo Hyun could honestly care less. 

"Hyung!" Baek Du-Ho summoned his elder, though still in a trance. 

Ryeo Hyun looked up at the gazes plastered on him from his instructor and bandmates. 

"Jae–" He went to explain, stopped by a sudden flow of emotion through him.

"Jae? Jaesang-ah?" Mi Yong raised his brow with confusion.

Ryeo Hyun shook off the tear-like emotion subsiding to his eyes, "Jae is applying to become a manager here…" He managed to get out before tears started falling. 

Ryeo Hyun was never one to cry, but goddamn was this the happiest moment of his month. It was selfish, but he wanted his friend near him, he wanted to see him and hug him and talk to him and tell him everything going on as it does. He yearned to see Bo Jaesang again. The person who lifted him up whenever he was booted from the debut group. The person who taught Ryeo Hyun light and living like no other.

Bo Jaesang was Ryeo Hyun's world.

The turmoil of emotions was only pushed further when Baek Du-Ho of all people embraced Ryeo Hyun.