It's Not Me, It's We | JuKev✅

Chapter 18

~Time skip: 2 weeks~

Juyeon and Kevin tightly hugged each other as tears streamed down their faces. They had gotten their evaluations back.

"I can't believe it..." whispered Kevin, gripping him tighter.

"Me either..." Juyeon whispered back.

They pulled apart then wiped each other's tears with a chuckle. By some magical will of the world, they passed. No green stamp on their pages. It was shown that they did notice the obvious mistakes, but they also knew they were better than what they showed.

"I'm so glad we made it..." Kevin said, feeling himself tear up again.

"Everyone! I have an important announcement. Today we'll be deciding who will be put in groups and who will continue training. Oh, and the soloist as well. Good luck!" she said before leaving the room.

"It's time, isn't it..." muttered Kevin, knowing Juyeon would definitely be a candidate for the soloist. "If you get chosen, don't worry about me. I'll catch up one day."

"Don't say that, you'll jinx yourself." whined Juyeon.

"We both know the truth. I may not be up to par with the requirements they have. Our schedules will be different since you'll be doing little events here and there, but I'm sure we can find time to hang out or talk. Hopefully." said Kevin happily.

"Kev, I don't want the soloist spot. If I can be in a group with you, that'll complete my dream. Fame and fortune would be amazing, but it's nothing if you don't have friends." said Juyeon, holding Kevin's hands.

A flutter went through Juyeon's stomach as Kevin grinned from ear to ear. The fluttering had started happening a lot more and it was troubling him terribly. It always made him want to run away from Kevin.

"Is everything okay? You've been staring at me for awhile." Kevin asked as he brought Juyeon back to reality.

"Kevin... I think... I mean, I could be..." said Juyeon, tripping over his words.

"Just say it." said Kevin.

"You make me feel weird and I want to stay far away from you." Juyeon answered, covering his head.

"Weird how...?" Kevin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The internet said I liked you. Like, romantically..." said Juyeon, despair within his face.

"Are you sure? Maybe you're just secretly projecting an attractive woman onto me?" Kevin said, grasping at straws.

"No Kev, this is the real deal. I have feelings for you." said Juyeon, looking him in the eyes. "I'm just now acknowledging them..."

Kevin wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to confess, but Juyeon had just recently come to terms with the fact he felt attracted to a guy. But he didn't want to seem not interested.

"That makes me happy to hear that." said Kevin, hoping it didn't sound off putting.

"So... how do you feel about me? Just friends? Maybe romantic?" Juyeon asked.

He wanted to tell him but he didn't want to sound desperate. He racked his brain before feeling the idea bulb go off.

"I don't know. Sometimes I see you as just my best friend and other times I just want to cuddle you and give you the world." said Kevin, hoping it was enough.

"I'm sorry, I must be making you uncomfortable." said Juyeon.

"Wait, where are you go-? Ju!" Kevin called out and only received a closing door as a response.

Maybe he should've been honest. This was the first time Juyeon had ever liked a guy. Everything was new and unfamiliar but at the same time it was familiar. He quickly left his spot and caught up with Juyeon.

"I fucking love you." said Kevin as he stood in front of Juyeon, catching his breath. "That's how I feel about you."

They stood in silence for what seemed like forever. Juyeon pulled Kevin into a nearby room then pinned him against the door. He gave him a gentle kiss as he held one of his hands. They shared brief yet deep kisses before Kevin had him stop.

"As much as I'd like to keep going, we should really use the time to better ourselves." said Kevin, wrapping his arms around Juyeon's neck. "Maybe tonight we can further talk about things."

Juyeon nodded in agreement before letting Kevin go.

도보

Juyeon sat on the bus as it pulled off from the stop. He liked Kevin in the romantic sense. Kevin felt the same way about him. Things were changing yet again. He started to think about it more. Could they have a relationship with each other, especially after they were told where they would be? Though, they didn't say who was in his group but they'd find out tomorrow come practice.

The bus pulled off from another stop, getting ever closer to his destination. Kevin was right. They did want to have him as a soloist. He did think about his choice, but he'd rather go through ups and downs with Kevin and others than go it alone. He was also aware that the entire group would suffer if someone wasn't pulling their weight. His ears perked up at the sound of the voice announcing his stop. Maybe Kevin wouldn't be too mad that he turned it down.

Juyeon rang Kevin's doorbell then received a hug after it had opened. Juyeon hugged him back before being dragged into the apartment.

"So, what happened? You're the soloist, right?" Kevin asked from the kitchen.

"No, actually. Sam is." said Juyeon as he scrolled through Netflix.

"What!? But, how? Why? You're so much better!" exclaimed Kevin, rushing back in carrying snacks.

"See, I turned them down. I'm serious about wanting to perform with you." said Juyeon, plucking a grape.

"But there's no guarantee we'll be put in the same group. You were better off going solo." said Kevin, holding Juyeon's hand. "It's not too late to tell them you changed your mind, right?"

"Kev, I've already made up my mind. So please, respect my choice..." said Juyeon, finally deciding on a show.

Kevin sighed, but didn't protest anymore. They silently watched the show until Kevin had spoken up.

"So, earlier we were discussing our... feelings." muttered Kevin as he took a few grapes.

"Right. Now what?" asked Juyeon.

"Well, I've thought about it. It wouldn't be smart to date, especially if we end up in different groups. Think of the rumors that would spread which could turn into a scandal and it'd become too much that Ruse lets us go, ruining our dreams!" said Kevin, looking at Juyeon with panic in his eyes.

"I didn't get that far into thinking..." Juyeon whispered, now lost in his own thoughts. "So, I guess that's that then. No relationship, just feelings..."

"I'm sure everything will work out. It's not like we're in a story where things only get worse from here." joked Kevin, feeding Juyeon.

"You do have a point." agreed Juyeon, plenty happy to just be in Kevin's company.