Restart / Changlix

Part 28

As the weeks went by, the group found themselves growing closer and more at ease with one another. Sitting together at lunch had become routine, and their conversations flowed more smoothly, delving into deeper subjects and sharing more open and candid jokes. They had all grown to understand each other's boundaries, eliminating the fear of inadvertently offending someone.

The initial tension and awkwardness between Changbin and Felix had long been forgotten, and the students around them had become accustomed to seeing their company together. While their group still attracted attention, it was primarily because they were some of the most popular students in school, and their camaraderie had become something of a spectacle.

Today, the group found themselves in a playful mood, exchanging jokes and teasing one another lightheartedly.

Seungmin started by asking Felix, "So Felix, how are your dates with Mark?"

Felix blushed, caught off guard, and responded, "Why do you ask?"

Seungmin continued, "You never talk about him. It's like he doesn't exist. You've been dating for almost a month now. You used to tell us so much about your previous mysterious-great-in-bed guy, and you two didn't even date. And now you're dating the love of your life, and we don't hear anything about him."

Jisung chimed in, "Mysterious-great-in-bed guy?"

Seungmin teased, "Yeah, the guy right before Mark. Felix couldn't stop talking about him every day."

Jeongin turned to Felix and said, "That's right, Felix. Maybe you should take that guy back? You seemed happier with him."

Felix's face flushed with embarrassment, "Stop, please stop talking about that."

Minho asked, "Is it a secret?"

Felix replied, "We're not close enough, it's uncomfortable for me."

Felix hid his eyes, afraid to look up and see Changbin's and his friends' reactions to that embarrassing fact.

Minho noticed his reaction and said, "Felix, you're all red. Are you okay?"

Felix snapped, "No, I'm not! I need some privacy. You embarrassed me."

Seungmin commented, "You've become so vulnerable."

Felix turned to Seungmin and countered, "Seungmin, we haven't heard anything about your crush since our new friends joined us. Tell us about him!"

Hyunjin chimed in, "Oh, you have a crush?"

Seungmin's face turned red, and he stammered, "N-n-no, I don't."

Felix said, "Seungmin, why are you stuttering? Isn't it comfortable to share with us? You've become so vulnerable."

Seungmin relented, "Alright, I got it. Please stop."

Everyone burst into laughter at the amusing predicament Seungmin had landed himself in. He had intended to put Felix on the spot, but in the process, he had unintentionally drawn attention to his own secrets. The atmosphere around the table was light and joyful as they continued to tease one another.

Chan chimed in, saying, "Seungmin, you know what they say about karma, right? It always comes back to bite you."

Seungmin rolled his eyes, trying to hide his embarrassment, but couldn't help grinning at the playful banter. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Lesson learned."

Hyunjin, not wanting to miss out on the fun, added, "So, Seungmin, are you going to tell us more about your crush now, or should we start making guesses?"

Seungmin playfully shoved Hyunjin's shoulder, saying, "You better not! I'll get my revenge, just you wait.".

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As Changbin, Jisung, and Chan walked towards the training center after classes, Jisung brought up the earlier conversation about the mysterious-great-in-bed guy. "I didn't know my acting classes would come in handy so soon. I almost choked when Seungmin mentioned that, but I think we played it off well. Nobody suspected a thing."

Chan agreed, "Yeah, that was unexpected. How did you feel about it, Changbin? Did you enjoy hearing Felix talk about you like that?"

Changbin hesitated for a moment before responding, "Well, I guess it was a bit of an ego boost. But that's all it was, you know."

Jisung chimed in, grinning, "Don't get mad, but I think Felix likes you."

Chan nodded, "Two against one, we'll win this argument, Jisung. I'm sure Felix has feelings for you, Changbin. I've noticed how he looks at you when he thinks no one's watching. And when you talk, he seems to hang on every word, even if he pretends not to."

Changbin dismissed their theory, "You guys are crazy. Felix has a boyfriend, and besides, he probably thinks I'm out of his league."

Jisung countered, "He's already our friend. Maybe we were out of their league before, but not anymore."

Chan added, "And I have a feeling he might break up with his boyfriend soon, just trust me on this."

Changbin shook his head, still unconvinced, "I don't think so. We'll see, I guess." As they continued their walk, the thought of Felix possibly having feelings for him lingered in Changbin's mind.

Changbin decided to steer the conversation away from Felix, "Let's change the topic. Are you guys nervous? Today is our first monthly evaluation concert."

Chan admitted, "Yeah, I am. I'm trying not to think about it too much."

Jisung chimed in, "Same here."

Changbin reassured them, "I think they won't disqualify us after just one bad performance."

Chan joked, "Is that what you think? That our performance will be bad? We put so much effort into it! I'm offended. Our performance will be the best!"

Jisung agreed enthusiastically, "Yeah! You'll see!"

Changbin laughed, "That's what I wanted to hear!"

The monthly evaluation concert wasn't a huge event, but it was significant for the participating teams. They had to showcase their performances to a panel of experts, who should provide feedback and adjust their trainers' lesson programs based on the results. 3racha was set to perform their newly written song, "Runner's High." They had written it with the help of their teacher, incorporated some dance moves, and used a new rap style suggested by Jackson. They were pleased with the result and hoped the experts would be too.

At the concert, they took the stage with a mix of anticipation and excitement. As the music started and they began to perform "Runner's High," they could feel the energy in the room. Their hard work and determination had paid off, and they knew they were giving it their all.

As the song came to an end and the applause filled the room, the three friends couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. They knew they had given a good performance.

The experts seemed to like their performance, although they did have some comments about the finer details. Overall, they were asked to work on the track a bit more, record it in the studio, and then send it back to the experts for further evaluation.

The friends were ecstatic. Their first monthly evaluation concert had been a success, and they couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome.

As they left the center, Chan said, "We did it, guys! We really impressed them!"

Changbin grinned, "Yeah, we just need to polish it up a bit more and then record it. We're on the right track."

Jisung added, "I'm so proud of us. We've come a long way, and we're only going to get better from here."