Fragile | Seonghwa

Bonus Chapter pt. 1

"You'll be late!" you shout at Seonghwa, who clings to your torso like a koala. "But I don't want to leave you," he whines back. Seonghwa decided to join the university professional dance team nearly a year ago right after he started dating you. He has dance practice with his teammates now to prepare for a competition but just like the whiny baby he is, he sulks.

"It's only for one hour! We'll both live," you groan while pushing him away from you. As much as your heart gushes over your boyfriend's adorable actions, you feel cautious about what's on your phone in your hand. He musn't even accidentally see its contents.

"Are you saying you can live without me?" he pouts. Your face softens as you think carefully for a response. Suddenly your saviour enters the room to pull you out of this sticky situation.

"Do you guys have to cuddle in our living room?" Yunho winces as he walks in. "You and Mingi are no different," you scowl. "At least we keep everything in the bedroom!" Mingi's deep voice booms from behind, from Yunho's bedroom. The smug expression on the tall blue haired boy gets wiped off instantly and is replaced by a burning red blush.

You scoff at him but before anyone else gets a chance to feel more humiliated, soft snores fill the room. Your eyes travel down slowly to find Seonghwa's arms wrapped tightly around your waist, using your lap as a warm, plush pillow. Your heart melts at the sight and you lightly pat his fluffy head of jet black hair, entranced by his soft and gentle breaths.

You carefully take his phone out of his pocket and unlock it, knowing his password. You quietly text his teammates, informing them that the practice will now be postponed. Seonghwa is the leader of his group after all.

"We don't have time, let's go!" Yunho whisper-shouts to you. Immediately knowing what he means, you nod. Your heart sinks slightly while you carefully unwrap Seonghwa from you. If he ever finds out that Yunho saw him in this state, he'll flip.

Mingi also walks out, his shirt on inside-out. You raise an eyebrow and your eyes travel to Yunho. He glows red again, his face not catching a break from the rush of blood. "Stop doing that!" he hisses to his red-haired boyfriend. Mingi shrugs bashfully, not having a care in the world. "You go ahread Y/n, we'll catch up with you later. We should probably get ready first," Mingi whispers to you while pulling Yunho back into his room. You sigh one last time before turning to leave.

You step out into the chilly air. It's nearly the winter again. The crunchy brown leaves under your feet bring back many memories from last year. You smile at some memories, and then frown at others. So much has changed since then, yet so much is still the same and you feel awestruck by that.

You finally arrive at your destination. You push open the door to the dance studio that Seonghwa uses and find a group of boys. Hongjoong, Yeosang, Wooyoung and Jongho all turn around at the sound of the door and look like they've just seen a ghost. Once you step in though, clear relief washes over each of their faces. "You scared us! We're not even ready yet," Wooyoung complains.

You giggle at his tone of voice. You've also grown closer to Seonghwa's friends and now your friend group consists of you and the seven other boys. Teasing Wooyoung is one of your favourite hobbies now. 

"Are you sure he didn't find out?" Yeosang asks. You send him a wide smile in response, but it falls slightly as you think more. "Of course he hasn't found out! Though he probably feels a bit sad that his own girlfriend didn't wish him on his birthday yet," you sadly admit. You didn't forget about his birthday for even a moment, but for the sake of this surprise party your group organised, you decided that some sacrifices had to be made.

Hongjoong and Jongho struggle with a ladder on the other side of the room. Seeing that Wooyoung and Yeosang are doing just fine pumping up balloons, you decide to help out the musicians.

"Are you guys okay?" you ask. Hongjoong stands at the base of the tall ladder while Jongho stands at the very top. It wobbles unstably and Hongjoong keeps flinching and stepping away, clearly afraid of it. "I told him to use his crazy amount of stength to hold the ladder instead!" Hongjoong squeaks in a scared voice.

"I don't want to be a mere ladder holder!" Jongho shouts back from above. A "Happy Birthday" banner hangs from his hands as he tries to balance himself. You shake your head and smile. "Hongjoong, you grab the other side," you instruct as you assist your friends. All of a sudden Hongjoong doesn't feel so scared while you're also holding one side and Jongho is finally able to continue his task in peace.

Everyone continues to work harmoniously together, even more so after Yunho and Mingi arrive. "That big baby is still sleeping," Yunho rolls his eyes playfully. You punch his arm lightly even though Seonghwa is a big baby to you.

The room starts to come together nicely. Everyone chats together and the atmosphere is full of joy and energy.

That is until the door creaks open again. You slowly turn your head, hoping Seonghwa is still fast asleep. What you see instead makes your heart drop along with everyone else's.

Choi San.

San stands at the door with a timid expression. He holds so many emotions on his face such as sadness, guilt, determination and fear. Memories come flooding back for everyone in the room too. The first person to speak up is Wooyoung, San's ex best friend.

After last year's events, although he never got into any trouble with the law, San drifted apart from his friends. It wouldn't sit right with them that their close friend could behave in such an outrageous way. After that, they lost all contact with him.

"Why are you back?" Wooyoung asks, voice full of pain. Hurt flashes through San's eyes too, but he straightens up. "I got the mental help I needed and am still going through therapy. I just wanted to come back to wish Seonghwa a happy birthday," he honestly admits.

You genuinely feel impressed by how mannerly he's become. Wooyoung goes quiet and turns to you to get permission from you. San has hurt you in the past, but it looks like he's really changed. You hope he won't suddenly snap. Willing to take the risk, you nod slightly to Wooyoung.

"Fine, but only if you help us finish decorating," he says while walking up to San with a warm welcoming smile. San looks like he's about to burst into tears any second. He stands still for a second before attacking his best friend with a hug. "I missed you," he mumbles. Wooyoung hugs him back, also feeling warm inside after reuniting with San.

You can't find yourself being too fond of San just yet, but you can't deny that the scene in front of you is sweet.

Your group spends the next hour or so finishing up the decorations. Everyone catches up with San and the change in him is even clearer as time passes. He really has become a better person and he put in a lot of hard work to make that happen. You all get along well, automatically welcoming in a new memeber into your group.

"Let's go home to get changed! Y/n, you get Seonghwa ready without being suspicious. Try to take as long as you can so we all get time to gather together first. Yunho and Mingi will collect the cake from Utopia since they're already ready," Hongjoong instructs as soon as everyone's done talking.

Acceping the instructions, everyone goes their separate way. Your mind speeds to think of excuses for Seonghwa. You're lucky that as alert as Seonghwa is with others, he's equally relaxed with you.

Relaxed and gullible.