CHANGE versus US (ON-HIATUS)

CHAPTER NINE

"Chef Amaya and Chef Yeonsu, husband and wife and co-owners of Asia's Finest Cuisine, will be in charge of the foundation's regular meals. Let me tell you something: their cuisine is divine. The beef stew comes highly recommended. It's absolutely extraordinary."

As a show of appreciation and gratitude for the support the master chefs will provide them for the upcoming events, the boys smiled and bowed. Mr. Kim also bowed and exchanged a few words with the couple before excusing himself and the boys and taking them to the next table, where more guests were waiting to meet them.

"Here we have Mr. Song, the CEO of BEAUTY Seoul, and Mr. Kang, the CEO of Fitsperation Apparel. These two gentlemen's businesses will be in charge of looking after you boys during the event." Mr. Kim explained to the boys as he stood between the two men in question.

Mr. Kim placed a hand on the man's right shoulder as he continued to speak about their sponsorship, "Mr. Song here, has not only agreed to sponsor your group's unlimited source of make-ups and hair products, but he will also lend us members of his professional team to help you boys get ready for every concert."

"And, with the assistance of his own technical team, Mr. Kang will supply the wardrobes that your group will wear for each concert. These gentlemen have personally approached me to request that they be allowed to support your organization. They apparently saw your performance at the talent show and were very impressed with you. So there you have it. So, what are your thoughts, lads?"

"Sirs, thank you very much!"

The word "shock" is an understatement of epic proportions. The boys were completely taken aback and, needless to say, speechless. The lavish treatments, the publicity, and, most importantly, the high praises were all new to them. Who knew that a single high school performance could lead to so much? Definitely not SEVENTEEN.

The boys did another bow, a grateful smile on their faces, to which the two male sponsors, who happened to be good friends, returned the gesture with warm smiles. Making it clear that SEVENTEEN has made yet another favourable impression on them.

Mr. Kim excused himself and the boys once more, leaving them to another table that happened to be their own, and for the first time that evening, an emotion finally made its way to Wonwoo's usual blank face, almost making his steps falter. He was surprised to see the last two people he expected to see seated at their table. And those two sat next to each other, behaving embarrassingly in love while happily speaking with Ms. Gaeul.

Samuel, Mr. Kim's nephew, was still unconcerned and glued to his tablet. Wonwoo recognized the familiar group of tiny people dressed in multi-coloured spacesuits and knew immediately what game he was playing. When Samuel's character was booted out of the craft and the teen looked like he was going to curse the world for it, Wonwoo bit back a laugh.

"Please excuse me, Love. What's up, gentlemen?"

Ms. Gaeul and the two men turned to acknowledge Mr. Kim and the boys, and the discussion came to a halt. When they see their son and his boyfriend dressed dashingly in tailored suits, a warm smile appears on their faces. Wonwoo could only look at his parents and roll his eyes.

"I'm sure you already know who they are, but just to be formal. Let me introduce Dr. Kim and Dr. Jeon, who are the parents of one of your friends, Wonwoo, and who will also be sponsoring your group for the upcoming events."

The boys turned their gaze to Wonwoo, who seemed to be as surprised as they were, if not more so. Mr. Kim was amused by the boys' reaction and let out a chuckle. With a shake of his head, he motioned the boys to take a seat, and they did so.

Wonwoo, who had recovered from his shock faster than expected, was now faced with another dilemma in which one of his fathers thought it was a good time to start coddling him, in front of his friends no less, which was far more embarrassing. (Babying=coddling.)