Heeseung didn't know which was worse: the look of betrayal on Jungwon's face or the absolute hatred that burned in Daniel's eyes.
"How could you do this, hyung?" Jungwon pulled himself away from Heeseung, running to Soobin's arms for comfort.
"I'm sorry." Heeseung's head drooped. "I had no choice."
"You always have a choice," Sunghoon scoffed. "You just made a bad one."
"I-" Beomgyu's chair screeched as he turned his back to Heeseung. "I can't even look at you right now."
"Please forgive me," Heeseung begged. "I love you guys. And I'm on your side here; don't forget."
Daniel continued to glower at him from the kitchen table. His silence was deafening.
"Oh my god, you all are so dramatic." Yeonjun crossed the living room, taking the melting container of mint chocolate chip from Heeseung's hands. "Thanks, dude. I owe you one."
Heeseung watched him place the disgusting ice cream flavor next to the frozen peas. "Enjoy it while it lasts. I'm not wasting money on mint chocolate ever again."
"Oh, we will," Ni-ki grinned, rubbing his hands together. "Mint choco is so good."
Sunoo and Kai laughed, nodding in agreement. Yeonjun smiled at them before shutting the freezer door tightly, spinning around to face the assembly of mint chocolate haters.
"I swear to god if any of you try to throw it out," he warned. "You better sleep with both eyes open."
Beomgyu gave him a thumbs down.
Jay cleared his throat, gesturing to Daniel's dry-cleaned jacket that lay across the kitchen counter. "Um, back to the topic at hand?"
"Right." Heeseung took off his shoes. "But first, everybody help put away the groceries."
It took them nearly an hour. Heeseung kept glancing at the clock, not wanting to push off their conversation for too long. He rubbed his forehead, trying to will away the headache that was forming. It was almost eight when they finished, and rain poured down heavily on the roof as they gathered in the living room for an emergency meeting.
Jungwon settled himself on the couch between Jay and Soobin. "So, what's up? Why'd you call us here?"
Heeseung flipped the bag that Daniel's jacket came in, and an array of pictures spilled onto the floor. He glanced at Taehyun while systematically arranging the photos for everyone to see.
Taehyun opened his mouth in realization. "Oh."
The boys muttered anxiously, eyes flitting between the photos and each other. Row after row, column after column, pictures of Daniel, Ni-ki, and Jungwon exploring the old building lay as a lesson to them all. They were not alone last night.
"Before we start, I just want to say I'm sorry." Heeseung lowered his head. "I haven't been very truthful with you all."
Lightning lit up the sky, brightening the dorm for a second. Everyone kept quiet, waiting for him to continue.
"There's something we need to talk about, and I need you all to remain calm."
They nodded.
"We have a sasaeng," Heeseung said dramatically.
Sunoo laughed. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot that was a thing."
Heeseung nearly choked. "You know? How?"
Sunoo shrugged. "Jimin hyung mentioned it at the getaway."
Ni-ki stared, mouth agape. "And you didn't tell me?!"
