HEE:LIFT | TXT & Enhypen

~ two ~

Younger Brother

The walk home was quiet that day. Nobody quite knew what to say or how to react. Once they reached their dorm, the seven members of Enhypen gathered on the floor of their living room for an emergency meeting.

"So now what?" Ni-ki asked, frustrated.

"I..." Jungwon started before trailing off, completely lost.

Jay put an arm around him, offering comfort. Heeseung stared at them sadly. He knew Jungwon was doing his best to be a good leader in these confusing times.

"Well, it's not like we have many options. None of us want to disband, right?" Sunoo glanced around.

The boys all shook their heads.

"Of course not," Jake whispered.

For the second time that day, the air felt unbearably hot. The dorm was so quiet they could hear the clock ticking softly from the kitchen.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Heeseung watched Sunghoon subconsciously pick at his nails.

Tick.

Jungwon absentmindedly played with Jay's hand, squeezing his thumb.

Tick.

Heeseung covered his ears, annoyed. "The stupid clock is driving me insane."

Six heads turned to face him.

He stood up, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his shirt. "I'm going for a walk. Get some fresh air, clear my head a bit."

Ni-ki's stomach growled comically loud, breaking the silence.

"I can make ramen for dinner," Jake offered, slowly standing up.

Sunoo and Jungwon giggled, poking at Ni-ki's abdomen.

"I'll help too." Jay cracked a smile, watching the maknae line tease each other. "Anybody want fried rice?"

The group made their way to the kitchen, leaving Heeseung and Sunghoon alone in the living room.

"Want me to come with you?" Sunghoon asked, gesturing towards the door.

He stood up, leaning into Heeseung's back.

"Just like in I-Land..." he murmured, lips brushing against Heeseung's ear.

A jolt of electricity ran through the older boy's body, and he swallowed nervously. A pair of pale hands slipped around his waist as he felt a chin rest on his shoulder.

Before he could answer, Jake ran back in. They immediately shoved each other away, blushing.

"Sunghoon, help, please," Jake begged, oblivious to his interruption. "Ni-ki's trying to make bungeoppang again."

Heeseung felt a pang of disappointment watching Sunghoon get dragged away.

***

"Hello?" Heeseung whispered, cracking open the door of BigHit's old dance studio.

He wasn't quite sure how his walk had brought him here, but he was quick to realize he wasn't alone. He followed the quiet sniffles that echoed through the abandoned building, stopping in front of the practice room he used as a trainee. Peering through the dusty window, Heeseung found a familiar silhouette sitting on the floor.

"Soobin hyung?" He called. "Are you okay?"

Soobin laughed, tears still wet on his face. "Not at all."