Too Late || JeongCheol

Ch.1 : Cancelled plans

"Hannie!" Seungcheol called out to his friend who was in their shared bedroom. 

"Yes??" A voice called back. 

"Are you ready? You promised me a movie today Hannie." 

The door opened and a guilty-looking Jeonghan came out. 

"Seungcheol-ah, I- I can't go with you today. I'm sorry. I forgot I made plans with you today and Hyungwon had asked me if I wanted to go grab dinner together today and I said yes. He's already here and I can't turn him down now." 

Seungcheol's smile faltered but he picked it back off the floor before anyone noticed. 

"Ah. It's ok. He's already here. Have fun Jeonghan." 

Seungcheol left a now very guilty Jeonghan standing and went back into his bedroom. The latter sighed and grabbed his keys before leaving the dorm. The rest of the seventeen members who had been watching the scene from the living room sighed. 

This was how most days would go now. After Jeonghan had filmed that one survival reality show with Hyungwon, they had grown closer and Seungcheol and Jeonghan had grown further apart, now more than ever. At first, everything was fine, nothing had changed much and there were times that Jeonghan would meet up with Hyungwon to chat and catch up as most friends would. But eventually, Jeonghan would barely be around. 

A couple of members in their groups had an extensive schedule and one of them was Jeonghan. But the schedule was one thing and Hyungwon was another. Anytime he had leisure time, you would see him talking with Hyungwon or leaving to eat dinner with him. The more frequent the visits got the less involved Seungcheol was in daily activities. They were very worried. While their mom seemed happy, at least, their leader wasn't. They noticed the obvious change in mood right away. Seungcheol was eating less, sleeping less, and conversing less. 

But no one dared to talk to Seungcheol. They knew he would prefer to be alone. 

"What the fuck is wrong with Jeonghan?!" Jihoon said as Soonyoung tried to calm him down. 

"Can't he just fucking turn down one of that damn boy's plans." 

"Hyung--" Seungkwan started but he couldn't finish his sentence. In a way he knew that Jihoon was right but Jeonghan also had the right to make friends and hang out with them. He, in a way, felt that their leader was being a bit dramatic about the situation but Jeonghan and Seungcheol had planned this movie night since months ago as a little treat from their hectic schedule. There was no way that Jeonghan would just forget about it. 

"What Seungkwan?" Jihoon stood up from his seat and whipped around to face the younger. He had known Seungcheol since they were kids and to each other they were brothers. It pained Jihoon to see someone he loved get hurt. "Are you gonna say he's being dramatic again? That's he's being a baby, all snobby and whiny?" 

Seungkwan didn't say anything, but rather bit his lip. "Well here's a reality check for you, he's not. We both know I'm fucking right. Jeonghan needs to fuck off from that damn Hyungwon kid." 

With that Jihoon had snapped off to his own room. The tension between Jeonghan and Seungcheol was chipping off on the other members too. The eldest hyungs were their pillars, the base to their palace, now that their chipping, everything else is too. 

Soonyoung sighed as he went after his boyfriend who was probably fuming in his room. The rest of the members scattered around the house leaving Seungkwan and Hansol on the sofa alone. 

Seungkwan groaned. "I shouldn't have said anything." 

"You have a right to say what you want Kwannie."Hansol put an arm around his shoulder, rubbing it as an attempt at comfort. 

"I know, but -- I know Woozi hyung is right. It's getting worse day by day, Hansol-ah. I don't know what to do." Seungkwan sighed, his eyes twinkling with sadness. 

"It's not your job to fix it Kwannie. Jeonghan Hyung and Coups Hyung will figure it out eventually." 

Hansol sighed, he was about to say something but stopped it was better to keep it to himself. 

I hope.