Chapter Text
There were a lot of secrets in the industry.
It was no surprise then that as an idol the policy of minding your own business went a long way.
Some secrets were harmless – hidden for trivial reasons or a bit of fun. These included riddles for fans about comebacks hidden in choreography, tidbits about life before being a celebrity, or friendships shared between idol groups that were hidden out of a desire to have something to themselves.
Others were obscured because of the devastating impact they would have on an individual or group. These could range from relationships to drug habits to injuries to illegal activities to poor treatment from the company. Confirming them was a death sentence to any idol’s career, possibly the entire group.
The relationship between Wooyoung and San may have started out as a ploy to garner attention, but it quickly morphed into more. It became one of those secrets that could have dire consequences if it was leaked.
For them, fanservice was a way to dance right up next to the line without crossing it in the public eye. From the earliest days of debut, both Wooyoung and San had solidified themselves in the minds of fans as tactile and clingy people, so their antics were received fondly rather than scrutinized for hiding a larger secret. There were fans that insisted they were dating, certainly, but the vast majority accepted their conduct as close friendship between members.
Most days Jongho didn’t think twice about Wooyoung and San dating each other. It was a fact of life, existing without the need for acknowledgement, like gravity or oxygen. Honestly, he actively tried to avoid thinking about it if possible.
But there were other days it couldn’t be so easily ignored.
The members were experienced in when to let the two argue and bicker, stepping in before it turned into something that wouldn’t be appropriate to continue in front of the cameras or the staff. And to their credit, they had never crossed the line into something that couldn’t be explained away by close friendship topped off with the duo’s inability to keep their hands to themselves.
As the youngest, Jongho was content to let Hongjoong or Seonghwa try to corral his energetic hyungs. He didn’t make it his business unless it was disrupting their work. And on this particular day, disruptive was too kind a description.
They were finishing up a string of schedules running on little to no sleep, so patience was thin and their filters were disappearing. After the third interruption of Wooyoung’s cackling laughter to Hongjoong’s attempt to wrap things up, Jongho took matters into his own hands. He deliberately shouldered his way between the pair, physically separating them and simultaneously cutting off the laughter and getting a grateful look from Hongjoong in the process.
If he didn’t know better, he would have thought this was planned with how they reacted. Instead of responding negatively to being split up, Jongho found himself swiftly enclosed on either side. San used his slight height advantage to drape his arm across Jongho’s shoulder while Wooyoung slid his arm around Jongho’s bicep and linked hands with San around Jongho’s arm.
Rude.
“San-ah, did we do something to upset the maknae?” Wooyoung muttered softly enough their mics wouldn’t catch it as Hongjoong continued his speech uninterrupted now.
“Not that I can think of.” San responded cheerily. “He must’ve wanted cuddles from his hyungs.”
“Hyungs, I want to be done with this and go home. You can keep your hands to yourselves for two minutes so we can finish.” Jongho grumbled.
“Are you going to stand pretty and let us hug you in return for our cooperation?” Wooyoung whispered in his ear.
Jongho rolled his eyes at the unnecessary flirting that came as easy as breathing to Wooyoung, prepared to act as a sacrifice if it meant they got home at a reasonable hour for once. “If you stay quiet, then yes.” Mercifully, Wooyoung and San exchanged a glance and came to a telepathic agreement because the remaining ten minutes of the shoot went by seamlessly and they were able to wrap without requiring additional content.
Once they had bowed and thanked all the staff and the cameras had stopped rolling, Jongho shrugged their hands off him and headed to the dressing room, wanting nothing more than to be at home in comfy clothing curled up in bed.
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“I can’t believe that worked.”
“Of course it worked, San-ah, I’m a genius!”
“Just because he took the bait this time, it doesn’t mean he will every time. So what’s our next move?”
“We’ll have to step up our game, but we don’t want to be too obvious. It has to be the perfect balance to draw him in slowly and make him think it’s his idea so we don’t scare him off.”
“Wooyoung-ah, are you sure this is really the best way to go about this? We could just talk to him.”
“Where’s the fun in that? Besides, haven’t you ever seen a rom-com? This is practically foolproof!”
“If you say so…”
“I do! Come on, you can’t say you didn’t have fun. Or that you didn’t enjoy it. Now help me plan our next move so we’re ready.”
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Jongho didn’t think much of the incident, too accustomed to the behavior of his hyungs on and off camera. It wouldn’t be the first time he behaved more maturely than his members, despite his maknae status, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. So when he was approached by a harried looking Hongjoong once they were back home, he didn’t link it to the earlier interview.
Colossal mistake.
“Do you need another guide recorded, hyung?” Jongho asked, already pushing back his blankets to crawl out of bed if his captain needed him to, regardless of the ache deep in his bones. Whatever he was feeling, he was certain it was magnified for his hyungs. He was the youngest, which should mean his body recovered more quickly. Plus his high notes were often placed during the most intense sections of choreography, and he wasn’t expected to give as much energy to dancing because that would compromise his vocals.
(Sometimes he felt guilty or that he wasn’t trying hard enough compared to the effort of the other members, particularly when he saw how exhausted his hyungs were after a performance. Breath control was important to singing, but he could dance harder – it would just be harder to maintain stability. But when he raised the idea of giving his lines to other members, they vehemently denied his proposal, insisting that their songs wouldn’t be the same without his unique voice.)
Hongjoong frowned. “What? No, that’s not why I came.” The frown deepened, and Jongho felt guilty about the lines carving stress into the rapper’s forehead. “Is that really all I ever-”
“Yes.” Jongho cut him off, unable to remember the last time they’d had a conversation about something that wasn’t pertaining in some way to work. “Hyung, you’re a workaholic. This isn’t new. It’s fine.”
Hongjoong’s frown morphed into dismay as he mentally tracked back through the prior days and weeks to discover the maknae was absolutely right. “Jongho-yah, I’m sor-”
Jongho waved away his attempt at apologizing, rudely interrupting his hyung to stave off an awkward conversation he wasn’t willing to have right now. “It wasn’t a complaint. I know you take on a lot so we don’t have to. Your time is valuable, so if you didn’t come to me for a guide, what did you need?”
“Woah, hold on, we’re not breezing by that. Your time is valuable too.” Hongjoong looked dismayed. “Have we been neglecting you that much?”
“Hyung, I didn’t mean it like that. I promise I’m not in a dark place. I’m tired, that’s all.” Jongho reassured him. “Now, ‘fess up. Why are you bothering me?”
“Can’t I come check in on my favorite maknae without an interrogation?”
The vocalist leveraged an unimpressed look at Hongjoong.
“Right.” The rapper sighed, sitting on the mattress next to Jongho’s legs. “I need a favor.”
When no further information was forthcoming, Jongho raised an eyebrow. “I’m going to need a little more before I agree, hyung.”
“This is going to sound weird, but I need you to hear me out. I want you to stand between Wooyoungie and Sannie.”
Jongho blinked, still waiting for more. “Hongjoong-hyung, you really need to do better explaining yourself. Because I can only think you mean I should get between their relationship. And that certainly won’t be happening.”
Hongjoong’s face screwed up. “Definitely not like that. I meant physically stand between them.”
“Tomorrow? Next week? Indefinitely?”
Hongjoong snorted. “Okay, keep the snark down, Jongho-yah. I got the idea today after that interview. I was about to pull out my hair or possibly maim them and then you stepped in with your beautiful boss baby attitude and they had to focus and get the job done.”
“Just have them stand on opposite sides of the line. Same result.” Jongho suggested.
The rapper shook his head. “It won’t work. Because then they’ll be looking directly at each other and acting out to see the other’s reaction. I wouldn’t ask you to do it every day, mainly just when they’re being particularly…”
“Woosan?” Jongho asked drolly.
“Exactly.” Hongjoong laughed. “The fans love seeing them, so I don’t want to totally cut it off. Just… minimize it when we need to be productive.”
“Why me?”
“You’re probably the only one who can physically separate them if they’re in one of their moods.”
Jongho considered the statement. With San’s new physique, the rapper might be right. Yunho could be an alternative due to his height, but he also tended to go into puppy mode when cuddling was involved and had a penchant for mischief hidden behind professionalism that Wooyoung and San wouldn’t hesitate to exploit. If Yeosang ever lost his temper, he could also be successful in the task but given the saintlike patience the older man showed every day, that wasn’t likely. “I can give it a go.”
Hongjoong nearly collapsed in pathetic gratitude, grabbing Jongho’s hand in a rare display of skinship. “Fuck, you’re a lifesaver, Jongho-yah. If they’re standing by each other, just keep an eye on me and I’ll give you a signal if it’s gone too far. I’ll write you a song or something in return.”
“Maybe start with sleeping.” Jongho advised mildly. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Oh, yes, smart maknae. Sleep…” Hongjoong wandered out of the room, looking uncomfortably similar to a zombie.
Jongho exhaled deeply as he laid back against his pillow. What did I just get myself into?
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No matter his trepidation to put himself in the line of proverbial fire (or grabbing range of the two hyungs that were disturbingly kiss-happy on an average day), Jongho wasn’t about to let Hongjoong down.
As requested for their remaining promotion cycle, he positioned himself near or between the infamous duo during interviews and variety shows to intercede if necessary. For the most part, they were professionals who would get back on track after a stern glance from one of the hyungs, but for those rare instances it wasn’t the case, the vocalist was ready. If their eyes lingered too suggestively or their attention wavered from the task at hand, he would kindly redirect them.
And if it didn’t work the first time, he would less kindly redirect them.
An unfortunate but not unforeseen side effect of his placement was that Jongho often ended up the target of wandering hands not meant for him. Some were innocent – merely the result of living on top of each other and seeking tactile comfort subconsciously – while some were undeniably purposeful, like the time Wooyoung used their team chant as an excuse to grope his ass.
While they were onstage, no less.
A third category of touches were those intended for the other half of the duo that he intercepted. Occasionally it was simple like an arm thrown over his shoulder that he could accept without complaint, but more commonly he was ducking cheek kisses or attempts to bite him when they got a sudden surge of energy.
(Uncivilized, both of them.)
Hongjoong-hyung had better write me a fucking masterpiece at this rate.
For the most part, his general dislike of having someone hanging off his body gave him a good excuse to shove them away and no one would question it. Sometimes they were oddly persistent, enough that it made him consider if they had some stake in making him intervene. But even after mulling over any plausible reason for that, Jongho couldn’t produce a solid reason why, so he dismissed the notion as ridiculous.
There were also times he was sure they’d caught on and were merely trying to irritate him with touch as much as he was irritating them by preventing their touches. But outside of those moments, San was just as quick to offer him a beaming smile, so that ruled him out as the mastermind. That turned his suspicion to Wooyoung.
As the days passed and Jongho clearly showed no sign of giving up his quest, he noticed glares from Wooyoung with increasing frequency. Each time it seemed like the older might approach him, Jongho found a reason to busy himself and thus far that had dissuaded any accusations.
It helped that this comeback season was busy enough that any energy left after performing was used for the monumental task of showering and falling into bed only to rinse and repeat the next day.
But eventually his luck ran out.
Jongho sat down to enjoy his lunch on set for a photoshoot while his hyungs were finishing up their shots. Across the room, Mingi was slouched on the couch in a posture that looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Yeosang was dozing near him. Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, and San were currently in a group shot.
That only left Wooyoung.
The sound of a chair scraping noisily across the floor made him jump and he glanced to his left to see the man in question staring intently at him. “Hello, Wooyoung-hyung.” He greeted like the older hadn’t snuck up on him in a manner one could easily classify as creepy.
“Jongho-yah.” Wooyoung replied, his voice tight. “What’s your deal?” Though he didn’t say more, he scooted closer until he was plastered against Jongho’s side and his face was inches from the youngest.
“Hyung, I’m trying to eat.” Jongho complained.
“Don’t act all innocent.” Wooyoung snapped. “You’re up to something.”
With Wooyoung so close to him, he couldn’t easily use his chopsticks unless he wanted to use his non-dominant hand, so he sighed and set them down. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m just trying to eat my lunch. I’m not exactly plotting the end of the world.”
Wooyoung’s eyes dropped for a moment, then he abruptly reached out and stole Jongho’s bowl of food.
“I wasn’t done with that!” Jongho protested, brows furrowing.
“Tell me the truth and I’ll give it back.” Wooyoung said smugly. “Otherwise, you can kiss your precious lunch goodbye.”
Jongho heaved an exasperated sigh. “Hyung, I will fight you if you don’t give me my food back. I am tired and hungry and my patience is thin. Today is not the day for shenanigans.”
For a moment, it seemed like Wooyoung would take him up on the offer of a fight, but then the Logbook camera came into the room and he caved. “Fine.” He grumbled, shoving Jongho’s bowl back in front of him. “But mark my words, maknae-yah, this isn’t the end.”
Hmph. Dramatic.
Though there were undoubtedly drawbacks to his subtle mission (lunch thievery only the most recent), there were bonuses too. The look of sheer relief on his hyungs’ faces when they didn’t have to divert energy to distract the twin terrors was one. Another was the extra portions of food or snacks that Hongjoong would subtly slide him on breaks or in the van.
Let it never be said that Jongho was above accepting bribes.
But at some point, Jongho realized he had inadvertently backed himself into a corner.
On a random day, one like any other, Jongho partnered up with Wooyoung on a pair mission, this time not even at Hongjoong’s request but instead by chance. Between the two of them, they managed to win. Distracted by taunting the other hyungs, he missed the signs of Wooyoung gearing up for an attack. When Wooyoung aimed his lips for Jongho’s cheek, the vocalist’s stomach swooped at the sudden unexpected proximity.
Oh.
Oh no.
The reaction appalled him enough that he didn’t dodge in time and Wooyoung darted away, cackling in triumph from a successful sneak attack. Jongho stared after him blankly, watching as he ran immediately to San to share his success story. When the other vocalist smiled so widely his dimples popped out and the feeling in his gut returned, Jongho’s heart dropped.
Both of them?
Fucking hell, I’m doomed.