CONFIDENT, yeonjun ✓

(9) HEAT OF THE MOMENT.

The ride back home was almost silent.

Taehyun took a nap in a seat far at the back of the van, while Beomgyu and Kai sat beside him on a Nintendo Switch — sharing a set of earbuds as they played Animal Crossing together.

Miyeon next to Soobin in the row of seats in front of the younger bandmates. They were both silent, staring at the floor of the vehicle as Jooseok continued to scold Yeonjun in the passenger seat.

They didn't like this at all.

She looked at Yeonjun, his face looking defeated as he nodded along with everything the manager was telling him.

But I was the one that kissed him.

She didn't like that her actions got Yeonjun in trouble.

She didn't like that Jooseok was yelling at him.

She didn't like that look on Yeonjun's face, his usual flirtatious smile and confident eyes nowhere found — as if they never existed in the first place.

And she definitely didn't like when Jooseok suddenly got quiet, but Yeonjun's eyes widened as if he had mouthed something beyond hurtful to him.

Miyeon looked over at Soobin, who was staring absently at the back of Yeonjun's seat.

He looked like he wanted to say so many things.

The orange-haired knew he was still trying to find the courage to speak, so she took in a shaky breath.

I just don't want to make things worse.

"Jooseok—" She had started, but Soobin interrupted her.

"If you're this upset about them kissing publicly, why did you even ask Miyeon to be his fake girlfriend?" Soobin asked, his entire presence different from how Miyeon ever seen.

He wasn't done.

"You are literally sitting here yelling at him for kissing his girlfriend in front of the same people you want to believe their relationship is real." Soobin let out a fake laugh, "And I have no idea what you just fucking said to him, but based on how he just looked, you're also saying things you have no business saying."

Jooseok continued driving, eyes void of any emotion as he looked at Soobin in the rear-view mirror up front.

Miyeon looked at Yeonjun again, his eyes now glossed over. He had that look again. The one he showed her for the first time when her glass memoir was shattered on her bedroom floor.

The one where he was somewhere far away; voices and movement around him going unnoticed as he let his mind take over and stared into the abyss.

And then he cried.

He's crying.

Choi Yeonjun was crying.

And Miyeon lost her fucking mind.

"Jooseok, stop the van." She spoke, her suddenly low, almost raspy voice alarming everyone but the sleeping Taehyun and anxiety-filled Yeonjun in the vehicle.

He didn't listen.

"Stop. The Fucking. Van." She repeated, hands balling into fists as he let out an irritated groan in response.

He pleaded for Soobin, "Can you please shut her up?"

Miyeon unbuckled her seatbelt.

"STOP THE FUCKING VAN OR I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL START THROWING SHIT AND CAUSE US TO FUCKING WRECK." She screamed, waking up the younger in the back from his peaceful sleep.

Taehyun looked around, "Bitch I am NOT about to die over this." He looked up front, "Jooseok stop the van."

With a click of his tongue, Jooseok pulled over.

They were parked near some camping ground, tall trees and dirt pathways just a little ahead of their location.

Soobin and Taehyun stepped outside, the cold air of the night sweeping through their hair as they walked.

Hueningkai held onto the dinosaur plushie for dear life, Beomgyu hugging him gently in order to calm him down.

Jooseok remained seated, rolling his eyes when Miyeon opened Yeonjun's door and softly caressed his cheek.

"Hey." She spoke sweetly, a complete contrast to her voice earlier.

The older didn't seem to hear or see her, but Miyeon wasn't going to give up. She wrapped her hands around Yeonjun's shaky ones. "Come with me, it's okay."

Jooseok scoffed, "He's not going to get up, crazy fuck can't even hear you."

Miyeon felt anger rise again, but she knew yelling would make Yeonjun's anxiety attack even worse.

And right now, he needed her more than anything.

"It's okay, just come with me." She continued, moving one hand to his hair and carefully brushing through it.

He looked at Miyeon, his eyes wide as if he received sight for the first time in his life.

She smiled at him, continuing to brush through his hair.

"Sit with me outside?"

Yeonjun stared at her, but this time not because he was panicking.

It was because her hair started dancing with the wind, beautifully flowing out of her face as she smiled at him like he was the most important thing in the world even though they hadn't known each other long.

It was because her hand was stroking through his hair so gently that he wanted it to stay like that forever, the heat of her palms rushing to his chest and setting his heart on fire.

It was because she pulled his arm softly and started walking away from the car, looking back at him as they moved towards a brown bench in front of some stupid camping creed sign in front of a dirt pathway.

And it was why as soon as they sat down on the bench, he wrapped one arm around her waist and another at the back of her head — killing her with that adorable smile she had longed to see ever since he flashed it to her at the concert.

Sure the way that they had met was planned, and maybe everyone that liked the rock band was rooting for a relationship that never really happened.

But in this moment right now?

Everything couldn't have been more unreal than this.

Miyeon looked at the features of Yeonjun's face in amazement, not understanding how someone like him could even be real.

Yeonjun looked at the stars in her eyes, not understanding how those beautiful eyes were the same ones that once looked at him in anger and disappointment.

Was this all just a heat of the moment thing?

Neither of them knew for sure.

But if it was, they both wanted this moment to last forever.