🌙 4:00 a.m. — The Dorm
The ceiling gave no answers.
Juwon lay with his face buried in his pillow, blinking into the dark.
Hyun's touch.
It had been so brief—and yet, it wouldn't leave his mind.
The way those calm fingers brushed his forehead,
That composed, unreadable expression.
'He's strange…'
But what was stranger… was the warmth.
Unfamiliar, yet… comforting.
---
🚪Knock knock
"Mr. Lee Juwon. Breakfast is ready."
That voice again—Hyun's calm tone, barely filtered through the door.
It stirred something in Juwon. Again.
"…I'll be right out."
He opened the door in sleepwear.
Hyun looked up, as if he'd been waiting.
"Did you sleep well?"
"…No. Because of you."
"Sorry?"
Juwon mumbled to himself more than to Hyun.
'Don't answer that, Hyun…' But it was too late.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Their eyes locked. Juwon brushed past him toward the kitchen.
As they passed—
Hyun's arm grazed Juwon's shoulder.
Brief. Electric.
---
🍽 During Breakfast
"You looked really exhausted yesterday," Hyun said.
"Did I? That obvious?"
"More than that… you looked emotionally… dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
Juwon paused mid-bite and stared at him.
That gaze—again. That same one from last night.
The kind that saw through everything.
"I used to assist in trauma counseling."
"I've gotten good at reading people's expressions… underneath."
"So what, you're here to analyze me?"
"No. I'm here to… watch over you. Only as much as you'll let me."
That single line—tightened something in Juwon's chest.
No one had ever said anything like that to him before.
---
🎤 Radio Studio, Later
ALEZ had a radio recording. The members were joking and laughing.
But Juwon was on edge.
He couldn't stop noticing Hyun's presence.
"Hyung! Mic check, please!"
The youngest called. Hyun rushed over.
As Hyun reached to wire the mic near Juwon's collarbone—
his fingers grazed bare skin.
"...!"
His shirt had come slightly undone.
Hyun's touch against heated skin—
so brief, yet it stole Juwon's breath.
"My apologies. Did that bother you?"
"…No, it's fine."
But heat spread across his chest.
It wasn't just a touch.
It was deliberate in its gentleness… dangerously careful.
---
🌃 11:00 p.m. — Practice Room
Back at the dorm… but Juwon didn't go to bed.
He needed to move. Dance. Sweat.
Maybe then this heat would fade.
But Hyun was already there.
When their eyes met, it felt like static.
"…Why are you here?"
"I was waiting. I needed to know if you were really okay."
Juwon walked toward him.
Too close.
Close enough to feel body warmth.
"You… act like you already know me."
"Does that bother you?"
"…No. Not at all."
The air turned thick.
Juwon reached out—
and grabbed the front of Hyun's shirt.
"Just tell me one thing."
"…Yes?"
"Right now—will you hold me?"
Hyun didn't speak.
He stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Juwon.
His embrace was warm. Solid.
Cautious, but not hesitant.
"…Why are you this warm…"
Juwon's voice trembled.
Hyun brushed his hair and whispered,
"Because you've been cold for too long."
And just like that, Juwon broke—quietly, in his arms.
---
🛏 Fade to Black
Held in silence,
they touched—not just skin, but every aching part of each other.
Fingers traced trembling breaths.
Lips spoke louder than words.
A night of closeness,
slow, deliberate, filled with need and restraint.
That night…
for the first time, Juwon cried not as an idol—
but as himself.
---