It's Hee's Lift Now | An ENHA + TXT Fic

Chapter 38: The Best of Belift pt. 1

TW: mentions depression and eating disorders

Heeseung hummed a frantic tune to himself as he spread butter onto thirteen pieces of toast. Breakfast was the one thing he could control today, and by god, he was going to control it if it was the last thing he'd ever do.

"For heaven's sake, will somebody stop him?" Yeonjun groaned from the couch in the living room.

Sunghoon appeared from the hallway, folding his arms as he stared at the figure in the kitchen. "Heeseung."

Heeseung froze, his back to the younger boy. "...Yes?"

"Heeseung, it's three in the morning." Sunghoon pursed his lips unhappily. "What are you doing?"

"...Making breakfast."

"So early?"

"I just wanted it to be perfect," Heeseung mumbled.

"And it will be, I promise." Sunghoon crossed the kitchen. "But you need to get some sleep first."

Heeseung set down the butter knife and leaned against the counter, holding his head in his hands. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. Was this what Beomgyu felt every time he questioned his sanity? A pair of arms wrapped around his waist, and a chin rested on his shoulder.

"Come back to bed, please," Sunghoon murmured. "It's cold without you."

Heeseung slowly turned around, burying his face in Sunghoon's chest. He let out a quiet sob.

"Hey, no crying on debut day." Sunghoon gently dried the older boy's cheeks. "You're supposed to be happy and excited. Maybe a little nervous but no crying, okay?"

Heeseung took a shaky breath, inhaling the comforting scents embedded in Sunghoon's shirt. "I'm scared."

"I know. I am too."

"I can't sleep. Not with everything on my mind."

Sunghoon glanced at the clock apprehensively. "I... Okay. Go bring a lego set from the bag Jungkook hyung gave us."

It wasn't exactly how Heeseung had wanted this day to go. Ideally, he would've preferred to be on an airplane halfway to a tropical vacation destination like Cancun or Bora Bora, but life obviously had other plans; plans that included debuting for the second time as a K-pop idol, fighting off creepy stalker fans, and being the shy, introverted leader of one of the most highly anticipated groups of their generation.

"Hey," Sunghoon muttered sleepily, batting away Heeseung's hands. "You're mixing the pieces."

Heeseung smiled. He still dreaded the day to come, but spending his morning building legos at the kitchen table with Sunghoon made everything seem just the slightest bit more bearable.

***

"Mei noona, how did you become a detective?"

"Uh... Hehe." Mei glanced over at Heeseung, who sat patiently in a dressing room chair, waiting to get his makeup done. "Why do you ask?"

"I mean, it's just... I can't believe that your dad is our CEO. He doesn't really seem like the type to let his daughter join such a... rough profession."

"Well, you'd be right about that," Mei lightly laughed. "My dad sent me to business school-"

"Wait." Eunji folded her arms, sitting on a bench in the corner of the room. Her clipboard lay in her lap. "Let me guess. Your dad sent you to business school, hoping that you'd take part in running your family's company when you were older. However, you always longed for a life of action and adventure, which led you to drop out and pursue a career in law enforcement. Your dad was angry when he found out and tried to marry you off to the son of a rich family friend. You refused. It caused trouble in your household. You and your dad didn't speak for nine years until you took a special sasaeng case involving his company. And thus, the present."