CONNECT |Enhypen's 8th member|

Chapter Nine: Acceptance

Daisy held a distraught Sunghoon in her arms, running a hand through his hair. "It'll work out," she promised. "He'll understand."

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Earlier that day...

Jay was struggling. It was obvious to all the I-Landers that this particular move was dangerous for him to perform. His landing was simply not sticking, no matter how much he tried.

K noticed Sunghoon performing the spin rather easily, and eventually had a conversation with both Seon and Sunghoon about replacing Jay. Eventually, the two danced the choreography one after the other, and it was decided Sunghoon would replace Jay.

"Jay," Daisy cooed, going to hug him. He turned from her, making her frown.

"I'm fine," he insisted, leaving the room. Sunghoon wrapped an arm around her waist, leading her to their shared room, which brought them to where they were now.

His head lay in her lap, his face hidden against her torso. "His pride is wounded, but he's not gonna hold this against you. You guys are best friends, he'll come around." Sunghoon sighed, trying to believe her words.

She placed her lips to his forehead, checking his temperature briefly. When he gave her a weird look, she explained that he felt warm and she wanted to ensure he didn't have a fever.

Despite himself, Sunghoon cracked a small smile. "I love you." She flushed, smiling back.

"What made you say that so suddenly?"
"Just you being...you."

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The day of the performance came, and just as she expected, Jay was more than supportive of the dance team. He currently sat behind Sunghoon, massaging his shoulders exaggeratedly. "You better do well for us," he said.

"I will."

Daisy smiled, snapping a photo in secret to treasure the memory. She went over to the vocal team and wished them good luck as well before noticing Jungwon by himself in a corner. She approached him with a gentle wave.

"You're by yourself?" He nodded, running a hand through his hair.

"I almost got eliminated last week. I'm worried it'll happen again."

Daisy shook her head. "No chance," she insisted. "You're an amazing performer, Jungwon. You've got this." He smiled his dimpled smile back at her.

"Thanks, Noona."

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She was right.

Watching Jungwon, K, and Sunghoon perform, she couldn't help but beam. They were incredible, after all.

However, her expression became flushed as their original choreography began. Sunghoon and Jay both refused to let her see it, wanting her to be surprised for the live show.

"Whoa!" Jake exclaimed, clapping and howling.

Daisy covered her face, watching between fingers as they finished. God, she had a very hot boyfriend. Jay snorted at her reaction, pinching her sides teasingly.

When the five I-Landers returned, they were welcomed with cheers. Jay literally carried Sunghoon around the room before finally putting him down. "Hi," Sunghoon greeted with a cute smile.

Daisy flushed once more, hiding her face in his chest. "Hi." Jake watched from afar, his heart twisting slightly in pain as he forced himself to look away.

They were given the rest of the day to relax, and Daisy relished the opportunity to have both boyfriends beside her as she lay down.

"I love you guys," she mumbled peacefully. "I love where we're at right now. Everything feels so open and honest." She felt both of them tense and frowned.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," Jay answered, too quickly to be natural. Her eyes narrowed as she sat up, facing both of them.

"Tell me."

The boys made nervous eye contact, still not speaking. "No secrets," she gently pleaded. Sunghoon sighed.

"Go talk to Jake," he said. Her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Jake? Why Jake?"

"Just do it," Jay urged. "It's his secret to tell, not ours." She got off the bed, jogging through the house to find the Aussie boy.

"Jake? Where are you?"

He emerged from the pantry, mouth full of ramen and cheeks slightly flushed at the sight of her. "What's up?" Daisy laughed at his flabbergasted expression, running a hand through her hair.

"Jay and Sunghoon are both acting weird, and they said to talk to you about why."

Jake nearly choked on his ramen, scaring the girl as she handed him a cup of water. When he settled down more, he pulled her into the small practice room where they could be alone.

"You're sure they said to talk to me?"
"Yeah, something about it not being their secret to tell. Jake, what's going on?"

His cheeks warmed as he averted her gaze.

"Well...you see..."

Daisy noticed his nervousness, and briefly reflected on their interactions lately. He'd become a bit flighty around her, flushing somewhat often and sometimes laughing when she really wasn't that funny.

"Jake," she gently started, her cheeks warming slightly. If she was wrong, this could get real awkward real fast.

"Do...do you—"

"I have feelings for you," he finally admitted, looking her in the eye as boldly as he could. Her eyes widened. She hadn't expected to actually be right.

"Are you sure?" she asked before she could stop herself. Jake deflated slightly. That was not the first thing he wanted her to say in response.

"I'm sure," he confirmed. "I-I know it complicates things, but if Jay and Sunghoon think it's okay for you to know now—"

"Wait," she interrupted. "They knew? How long have they known?"

"All week," Jake replied sheepishly. Daisy frowned, not because he liked her, but because her boyfriends knew and kept it from her. "They said they didn't wanna add to your stress," he added, not wanting to be the source of problems.

"That wasn't their call to make," Daisy sighed, leaning against the wall. She took a breath, forcing herself to compartmentalize. Right now, she owed Jake an answer.

He flushed a deep red when she took his hand in hers, interlocking their fingers. "I'm not sure what to say, Jake. I...I feel something toward you too, but it's not that simple." The Aussie nodded stiffly, a pang in his heart.

She gently grabbed his face, turning it toward her with her free hand. "It doesn't mean it's not a possibility," she reminded with a small smile. "If...if Sunghoon and Jay are okay with it, I'm okay with starting small. You wouldn't be officially part of us yet, but we could try it out. You've never been in a polyamorous relationship before, so you could also see if it's right for you."

Jake nodded a little too quickly, making her chuckle and pull him in for a hug. "I'm gonna go talk to the boys. Come in my room in fifteen minutes, okay? We'll talk about how this is gonna work."