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He tried to relax as he browsed through his friends' Instagram stories.
His oppa flew to Japan just this morning to visit his family. Ilichil members were given a two-week break so some of them went home to their families. Him and Donghyuck decided to stay with Dream though.
Now here he was, looking at the new pictures posted by his oppa. It looked like his oppa had dinner with his friends in Tokyo. Maybe his oppa would travel to Osaka tomorrow? He didn't mention anything about staying in Tokyo..
"Oh, they're together again?" Donghyuck commented as he looked at what he was looking at. They were comfortably sitting beside each other on their living room couch.
"Hmmm??" he hummed, pondering if he should text his oppa or not.
"You know.. him? That guy, Yuta-hyung's Japanese boyfriend??" Donghyuck lifted his eyebrows teasingly.
They read about those posts before, those posts about the Ryoki guy who was his oppa's closest friend from the High & Low cast. Whenever his oppa was in Tokyo, they would always hangout like this. Fans joked that Ryoki was Yuta's boyfriend.
"They're just hanging out," he elbowed Donghyuck.
"Yeah, yeah, you say that but that Japanese boyfriend took the opportunity to flex their couple rings again," Donghyuck shoved a phone, almost hitting his face.
There it was: Ryoki's Instagram story wherein he was hugging Yuta while making sure that their rings were visible.
He felt a vein on his forehead throb in annoyance.
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It had been a while since all of the NCT members were together like this. The managers booked the whole Korean barbeque restaurant for their privacy. The members and their staff mingled as they ate their dinner.
There was no seating plan but he ended up on a table with Dream and the SM Rookies.
"Stop staring," Donghyuck hissed beside him.
"I'm not staring."
"Okay, you're not staring, you're glaring," the younger rolled his eyes.
"I am not," he said as he turned his attention to his food. Chenle was talking loudly to Shotaro and Shohei-hyung on his other side. He's glad that no one was paying attention to him and Donghyuck.
"If glaring could kill, Xiaojun-hyung would be dead by now," Donghyuck scoffed beside him.
He didn't respond, he just continued eating.
He wasn't glaring at Xiaojun, okay? He was just trying to look at what the guy was doing beside his oppa. The WayV vocalist was leaning too closely beside his oppa. Man was giggling too while staring at his oppa who was laughing at whatever Yangyang was saying.
He was feeling irritated. He could feel a headache coming.
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They were in Japan to promote their newest Japanese single.
A lot of idols were gathered in the backstage of CDTV. The flow of Japanese language around him was making him curious and a bit uncomfortable because he wasn't very fluent.
They were passing by to go to their dressing room when someone called his oppa's attention. A guy with pink hair hugged his oppa before chattering excitedly in Japanese.
The other Ilichil members continued walking after a brief glance at the encounter but he stood frozen, waiting for his oppa to notice that he was waiting.
Donghyuck nudged him but he ignored the younger. He was busy trying to remember the name of the pink-headed shorty. Guy was cute but he shouldn't be cute around his oppa.
"Our hyung is famous specially here, you can't control his admirers," Donghyuck rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Also, that's his friend from his drama, let them talk."
Oh, right. Finally, his brain connected the face to a name. It's that JPop idol Takumi who was in a magazine cover with his oppa before. He remembered watching videos of them together during the drama's promotions in Japan and in Korea.
He ignored the younger again and stood silently waiting. Donghyuck just sighed and waited beside him. The younger may be a brat sometimes but Donghyuck had always been a very loyal friend.
A few minutes had passed until a gray-haired guy approached his oppa and politely talked for a bit before taking Takumi away. He's probably a member of Takumi's JPop group.
Thank goodness. He was about to approach and make an excuse to take his oppa away. That would have been embarrassing and Donghyuck wouldn't let him live if he did something like that.
His oppa turned and was surprised to see him and Donghyuck waiting nearby.
He smiled and hoped he didn't look weird.
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They have bagged daesangs in the current award show.
He's so happy, he felt light as if he could fly or something. Donghyuck would say he's being weird like an alien again if he said that out loud.
He scanned their table but his oppa wasn't around. He frowned. The older was just here a few moments ago.
He was about to ask their Taeyong-hyung when he saw them.
His oppa was talking to Seventeen's Dino on the other table. His oppa smiled before patting Seventeen's maknae's shoulder affectionately.
Since when were they close?
Donghyuck placed a water bottle in front of him, making him look away from Seventeen's table.
"I wasn't glaring, I was just looking for hyung," he mumbled as he opened the water bottle.
"What are you talking about?" Donghyuck lifted an eyebrow questioningly. He refused to answer so the younger looked around until he spotted their hyung at the other table. The younger sighed. "You're hopeless, Melk. I swear you have selective sight or something. You only focus on things like this."
"Are there other things to focus on?" he asked, trying to act nonchalant.
"Whatever, you'll figure it out," Donghyuck answered. "It was fun teasing you but nowadays you're no fun when you start glaring at people."
He really wasn't glaring at people.
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Today's the first day of dance rehearsals for their upcoming track. He arrived a bit later because he came from a solo schedule.
His oppa welcomed him with a hug as soon as he entered the practice room.
"Mark," his oppa sighed on his ear as the older hugged him tighter. The instructors and the staff were still fixing the equipments and the other members were doing their own things, not minding them.
He hugged back as they walked to a quiet corner.
"How are you, oppa?" he asked quietly as they hugged tightly. His oppa was in Japan while he was in Thailand with Dream these past few days.
"I missed you.." the older answered with raw emotion.
"I missed you too, oppa," he murmured, feeling happy at his oppa's affectionate answer.
This was it, right? This was what feeling special was?
Among all the other people, men or women, he's the one who his oppa missed the most. He's the one his oppa wanted to hug tight.
He relaxed from the tight hug to look at his oppa who did the same action. They silently stared at each other with their arms still in a loose hug.
He saw his oppa's eyes flicker to his slightly dry lips. He leaned his face closer to the older's...
"Yuta-hyung!" Donghyuck ruined the moment by attaching himself behind his oppa. The brat looked at him challengingly as he wrapped his arms on his oppa's waist in a forceful back hug. The younger started pulling his oppa, breaking their hug. "Hug me, hyungie! I'm the maknae!"
"Yah, Lee Haechan!" he scolded as he pulled his oppa too.
"Let go, Melk!" the brat was really testing him.
"Stop treating your hyung like a toy," their leader's calm voice stated in front of the mirror. That tone meant business. He didn't look amused. "Let go of Yuta, it's time to practice."
Donghyuck pouted but let go, murmuring a soft apology before standing in front of the room.
His oppa swiftly hugged him again. It was a brief squeeze but the older subtly pecked his lips then fixed his eyeglasses, before letting go. There was a tap on his butt before the older moved to the left side of their leader for the dance formation.
He stared at his oppa's back as he stood behind him for the first part of the dance formation.
His heart was filled with satisfaction, with love, with happiness he can't explain. He's feeling fond that his boyfriend would only be affectionate to him and no one else. Maybe he had been a bit jealous these past few months but he's just human..
On his peripheral vision, he could see that Donghyuck was making faces at him through the mirror.
"Whipped," the younger mouthed at him when he noticed that he got his attention. There's a glint in Donghyuck's eyes, a promise to torment him until Renjun decided to intervene.
He glared at the younger. Maybe he should use all of his glares on this brat instead.
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