If I Were You (Stray Kids Lee Know X Female OC)

Ch. 9: Venomous Mouths

Minho's brows furrow at the words he heard.

His fellow trainees were gossiping amongst each other again. And this time, it was about one of Guide Entertainment's idols getting caught up in a dating scandal.

It just seems like they never lose time to gossip.

"Hey, you know that guy Hyunjin from Guide Entertainment? Looks like he got caught in dating rumors again. Seriously, I swear that guy must be bored or something!"

"Definitely. But if he's bored, why should he even drag other idols along with him? I mean, this time, he got Kim Minjeong?!"

"Ha! You're just jealous that he's having dating rumors with your bias."

"Oh, shut up! I just don't want to see my Minjeong suffering because of some careless kid like that Hwang Hyunjin!"

"Pfft! 'Your' Minjeong? Bro, she doesn't even know you exist!"

"Oh, yeah? Just wait till I debut! I'll get to talk to her and she'll finally know me!"

"Don't you mean if you debut?"

Minho only shakes his head and rolls his eyes as he stands up from his spot, eventually. Another dance class has ended, and after a long and straight 4-hour practice session, the boys were finally able to rest. Unfortunately for Minho, that also meant he still had to deal with these kids often gossiping around him. Every corner he went to, even if it wasn't all the trainees, he still could hear them, talking maliciously about the latest rumors they were able to grasp.

"Agh, this is so annoying," Minho mumbles to himself as he finally makes it to his bag at the corner of the room. At this point, though he can still hear the whispers of the other trainees, at least he doesn't have to hear about their gossips anymore.

"It really is tiring, no?" All of a sudden, a new voice seems to call out to Minho's attention, and after hearing it, the latter turns. And there, he finds a boy younger than him, sitting on the benches with a smile on his face.

Minho pauses, his brows almost furrowing again at this boy who continues to smile at him. It was odd for him, at this point. That any kid in the room would actually try to engage in conversation with him.

"I'm Sunoo," the boy then introduces himself, standing, bowing, then holding his hand out to the still confused Minho. The boy's smile remains, however, and that's one thing Minho couldn't help but notice.

"... Minho," the young man finally introduces himself after a while, though with hesitation.

A knock on the practice room door catches the attention of all the trainees inside the room. And as if it was expected, Doyoung pops her head into the room and immediately meets eyes with Minho. She smiles at him, and Minho smiles a little and nods.

"Oh, it's Doyoung-sunbae..." Sunoo says as his eyes stay on the female idol at the door. And then he notice where her eyes are directed towards. "... Hyung?" he asks as he looks towards Minho with a confused expression.

Minho's eyes remain on Doyoung as well as he pats Sunoo's shoulder. "I'll be back for our next class, yeah?" And he leaves, Sunoo still watching him go as his expression turns into bewilderment.

"Oh... Is Minho-hyung... H-huh?!"

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"I'll be getting even busier, soon," Doyoung speaks up, looking out the window while she and Minho sit at a table in the cafeteria. Meanwhile, Minho looks towards her after she had said those words. He doesn't seem to have an appetite today, anyway, and Doyoung isn't eating either. "We've just finished the first step of the production process of my next album. So next thing we'll be doing is recording and practicing. Which means... I won't be able to come here as often anymore." A small smile forms on Doyoung's face as she turns back to Minho to see that he had barely touched the lunchbox she brought. "You're not eating?" she asks with her brows furrowed.