martyrs & maniacs. | tbz jujae

O6.

Cue the second month after Juyeon decided to be more understanding, and he finds their relationship falling back to square one.

Well, not really. Chanhee still goes out of his way to spend time with him, just not as frequent as Juyeon hoped. But who is he to complain, anyway? What's important is that he gets ghosted only once every two weeks now, and that the longest time it took Chanhee to read his message is five hours. Major improvement.

The problem is Chanhee may be physically there, but the younger's mind is flying somewhere. Juyeon may be in love, but he's not stupid. He knows that all of Chanhee's attention isn't focused on him the more dates they go to. The blonde's hands may be cupping his face, his lips may be pressing against his own, but it just isn't it. It feels different. Like something is lacking. And the more dates they go to, the more mentally distant Chanhee becomes.

The late textings are still late, but even those have "not very Chanhee'" labelled all over them.

From: chanhee ♡ (4:36 PM)
you know i don't like having a date on crowded areas. seriously?

To: chanhee ♡ (4:36 PM)
but i thought you already agreed that we would go there on saturday?

From: chanhee ♡ (4:51 PM)
maybe you said it in passing or i forgot. change the place please, juju? 🥺

"That's ridiculous. You already made a schedule for that place, right?" Younghoon asks, flabbergasted. They're at the older's room, just hanging around since exams are over and all of their schedules are void of any competitions or performances. Juyeon wants to use this chance to reconnect with Chanhee again but it seems like the boy's never-ending schedule is restricting him from doing so.

"I did. Guess I have to cancel it then."

Beside him, Hyunjae shifts. The older's hold on his arm tightens, his head leaning on Juyeon's shoulder. Juyeon is often told by a lot of people how broad his shoulders are and how secure it makes them feel when they rest on it. Guess Hyunjae is one of those people. "Or you can just tell him that you already made a reservation."

Juyeon winces. He did it once, and let's just say that Chanhee wasn't impressed for the rest of their date.

"Chanhee doesn't go if the venue is not exactly what he wanted. It's fine. I still have time to find another place."

"That's..." Younghoon trails off, trying to find the right word to use. "Very demanding of him."

Juyeon shakes his head. "No? He just wants our dates to be perfect."

"I don't think that's the case." Hyunjae joins in.

The three of them simultaneously flinched when Younghoon's door barges open, revealing a very pissed Eunseo. The girl's eyes are piercing, brows furrowed as she scours the room for someone that Juyeon thinks is him. And sure enough, when Eunseo spotted him laying on the bed, she immediately picked up the nearest object within arm's reach (which is Younghoon's BT21 plushie) and proceeded to throw it to Juyeon's direction. He didn't budge, since a stuffed toy doesn't really hurt much, but the fire in Eunseo's eyes is making him scared and confused.

The fire ignited even more when the younger girl repeatedly pointed her finger at him. "Y-you- You pathetic doormat! I told you so!"

"Son Juyeon, are you alright?"

The three of them becomes alarmed when their friend suddenly drops down to her knees, shoulders slightly shaking because she is... crying?

Younghoon is the first one to recover from the shock, because he immediately stands up and checks on her. "What's the matter?"