A New Start || Seventeen

Chapter 14

Jeonghan had left the room they had used as a class and walked straight to the practice room they usually used knowing it would be empty.

He had decided he needed a moment to himself which was hard to find when you were in a group with 12 other members.

He needed some time alone to process his thoughts. He was annoyed with himself. When he had overheard Joshua and Hoshi discussing Daena teaching Japanese he had conducted a plan to join the lesson and gone straight to the managers to put it in action.

He had made the idea for him to join seem like it was theirs and not his. He could be quite manipulative when he wanted to be. Jeonghan had simply suggested his current teacher wasn't helping him progress the way he wanted and the managers had done the work by suggesting he join Hoshi in being taught by Daena.

He had pretended to be annoyed by the situation and put up a little bit of a fuss before eventually giving in.

His original plan had been to keep his distance from Daena and he had meant to stick to it. But he couldn't ignore the slight feeling of jealousy he got whenever Joshua said her name, or mentioned he was going to see her, or even when he didn't but Jeonghan couldn't find him anywhere and immediately knew where he was. He had also heard some of the other members say Joshua had stopped bringing Daena to the agency as much and stopped inviting them to join him hanging out with her.

Jeonghan didn't want to say he had feelings for the girl, he had barely spoken to her. But there was something happening he couldn't explain yet. So he had joined the class as a test to see if he really felt anything.

A test he was pretty sure he had just failed. He'd had a pretty difficult time learning anything because he had been too busy watching her. A few times she had almost caught him staring but Jeonghan had managed to play it off. She clearly loved to teach and Jeonghan had enjoyed watching her in her element. She hadn't stopped smiling for most of the class and was more animated than Jeonghan had ever seen her. Jeonghan had assumed she was a shy girl from their previous interactions but now he doubted that. He wanted to spend more time getting to know her but also didn't want to upset Joshua.

Hoshi had been in such a hurry to leave the room, probably because he was running late for a schedule he hadn't seemed to notice when Jeonghan had hung back pretending to be busy on his phone. So Jeonghan had taken advantage of a moment alone with Daena and when she had dropped her iPad he had rushed to grab it. But the moment her hand brushed his it felt like he had been shocked. He had looked up to see if she had a similar reaction but her eyes and expression revealed nothing but surprise to see him.

Jeonghan knew Hoshi had let Joshua know he had joined their class and planned on avoiding him for the rest of the day.

Jeonghan placed his head in his hands for a moment before taking a deep breath and standing to head back to the dorm.

-

A few weeks had passed since Daena's first lesson. Seventeen's comeback had passed in that time as well. The members were still crazy busy with their promotions but the agency had made sure to keep time in for Daena's lessons with Hoshi and Jeonghan.

Daena had been really impressed with Seventeen's comeback. She had watched endless videos of their performances in her spare time.

Daena was sitting on her couch with her laptop finishing the lesson plan for tomorrows class with the members.

She felt anxious about it. In the few lessons they'd had so far she had found herself staring at Jeonghan occasionally and had to snap herself out of it. He was extremely handsome and she had to admit to having watched a few of his fancams since the comeback.

Daena was pretty sure she had a crush on Jeonghan. But who wouldn't. Being around him made her nervous. She had also on a few occasions in these lessons thought she had caught him staring at her or finding reasons to touch her, like brushing his arm against hers when he was showing her something in his notebook. But that was crazy. There was no way he was interested in her.

Not to mention she still wasn't sure if she still had feelings for Joshua, some days she thought she did and others she was sure she was over it. She most definitely didn't know if Joshua had feelings for her or ever did. So she tried to put it out of her mind by working.

Speaking of Joshua she could hear him singing from the shower in her bathroom. Since Seventeen's comeback he had been coming over a lot, apparently needing a break from the members. It had gotten to the point where Daena had given him a key to come and go as he pleased. He had been extremely grateful and Daena could understand why, it must be difficult working and living with the same people sometimes, rarely getting a break from them. Especially during a comeback when they were all exhausted and stressed.

Daena finalised her lesson plan and was about to close her laptop when it started to ring signalling an incoming video call.

It was from home.

Daena quickly answered, grinning at her parents smiling faces.

"Appa, Mom how are you?" She asked in English for her mother's sake, her mother's Korean was average at best.

"We are well love, how is the job going? Are you eating well?" Her Mom asked.

"Work is good, and yes Mom I am eating well" Daena replied rolling her eyes.

At that moment Joshua walked out of the bedroom clearly having finished his shower and now dressed but with a towel draped over his shoulders to catch the drips from his still wet hair.

"I'm gonna make some food do you want some?" He asked walking past into the kitchen.

"Please" Daena replied before turning back to the screen and seeing her parents shocked faces.

"Daena dear, is there a boy in your apartment? Do you have a boyfriend?" Daena's mother asked excitedly as Daena's father frowned at her.

"No! No! Oh my god. That was Joshua" Daena exclaimed embarrassedby her mother's questions.

"Is Joshua your boyfriend?" Daena's mother asked, her eyes lighting up at the idea.

"No, Mom stop" Daena sighed.

"Dear stop bothering the poor girl" Daena's father interjected protecting his daughter from her mother's interigation.

"Shuaa!!" Daena called.

"Yes?" He replied as he walked back into the room.

"Please explain to my parents you aren't a strange man in my apartment or my boyfriend"

"Oh, Hello Uncle, Auntie" Joshua greeted Daena's parents switching flawlessly to English.

"Long time no see Joshua, are you keeping well? You should visit soon" Daenas father replied.

"Yes I know, I'm sorry, my job keeps me very busy" Joshua replied.

"We understand love, don't worry, just don't forget about us" Daenas mother replied.

"I would never.. Oh the food" Joshua exclaimed before dashing back into the kitchen.

"There satisfied?" Daena asked her parents who nodded in response.

"I'm going to go eat now, I'll call later, love you both" Daena said ending the call and closing her laptop before placing it on the table.

Joshua walked back into the room with two steaming bowls of ramen.

"Oh are your parents gone? I wanted to speak to them more" Joshua said defaulting back to Korean.

"Call them yourself then" Daena huffed taking the ramen from Joshua.