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Jiwoong watched the Home team's stage with his hands clasping together like a prayer. It warmed and calmed him like freshly brewed, sweet milk coffee. As he wrapped his hands around the mug Jongwoo served and took in the scent, his heart became warm. One sip and his body relaxed, leaving a cozy afterglow deep inside even after he finished the drink.
For Jiwoong, the lingering feeling was the rediscovery of Jongwoo. He couldn't have imagined that ivory color suited him so well. So pure and innocent... Why was his scarf so loosely tied? He just wanted to take it off altogether. Immersed in the performance, Jiwoong found himself following the signature choreography created by Jongwoo, making a roof with his hands.
As the five members of the Home team sat in a row, waiting for the results, Jiwoong fixed his gaze on the back of Jongwoo's head in front of him. It should be you. And indeed, Jongwoo took first place. As the other trainees chanted Jongwoo's name and the waiting room turned into a festive atmosphere, Jiwoong silently called out his name in his heart.
Well done, Jongwoo. You did amazing, he thought, applauding him quietly for a long time.
***
The dual position battle has come to an end and Jiwoong had it all: winning, going to M Countdown, and getting benefits. It went again as Jiwoong wanted, but he didn't feel very good. It wasn't just because he missed out on 1st place in his team. The problem was more serious and fundamental. He did everything he could from the killing part to the facial expressions, dance break, and showing more skin, but still ended up losing 1st place.
This can't go on like this anymore. People may be starting to get tired of the sexy concept that the production team has been feeding them from the beginning to the middle of the program. He resolved to go in the opposite direction next time. However, it's a pity that he couldn't fully unleash his potential in the sexy concept that suits him best.
If Jongwoo was here, he would have brought out his potential even better. There is no easier way to become the object of desire than to show someone lusting after you. Human desires inflate as they respond to the desires of others. If it were Jongwoo... he would have expressed the pain and longing that would make his mind torn apart by wanting me like crazy while also hating me.
Jiwoong was so annoyed that he was squishing the paper cup in his hand when he suddenly realized something. That he had been thinking about Jongwoo all the time from the moment he chose this song until now, even after the stage was over.
Jongwoo was cute from the beginning. Like a duck stretching his mouth and shaking when approaching. But now, he has become uncontrollably cute. The flat hair pressed in the beanie, the large glasses worn for practice, and the look of staring at him like a gift box with a ribbon on it. Jiwoong frowned and sighed.
"Big trouble."
"Why, Hyung?"
When he looked up, there was Jongwoo. Almost like a lie.
Jiwoong looked at him cautiously and thought. What would happen if I poured everything out now? How would you respond if I told you I was going crazy because you're so cute? Would you brush it off as a joke? Get angry? Or just keep looking at me without knowing what to say? Then what would I do...
Thinking that it would be dangerous to go any further, Jiwoong held onto the reins of his imagination at that point.
"It's nothing."
Jongwoo unexpectedly showed a hurt expression.
"No, it's something, but you just can't rely on me."
"God, no, it's not like that!"
Jiwoong grabbed Jongwoo's hand and pulled him down to sit beside him. In lack of any better options, he gave the most obvious excuse he could think of.
"It's because of my ranking...I'm slipping down from 2nd place to 3rd, and now in 5th. It worries me, but I was not sure if it would be appropriate to tell you this as you're lower than me."
"Oh, Hyung, I completely understand. Even if I were in your position, I would want to be in the 1st place, and it's upsetting to go down," Jongwoo said, gripping his hand firmly. Jiwoong tried to hold back his smile and made more complaints while looking at the floor.
"This is too much to bear as it feels like they are yelling at me that I have only one thing to offer, my face. But I've tried hard to show different aspects of me ever since it started."
"I know! You were the Backdoor team's leader and even acted cute to get a killing part of Love Killa. You've done a lot for sure! But the important thing is..."
Jongwoo briefly closed his mouth and fell into thought.
The important thing is your face. That face takes people's minds away from the moment they meet you. So you don't need to worry. What people expect from Idols is visual, even more so than talent or charm. It's not easy for you to be pushed out of the debut range, just like it's not easy for me to get in.
"What's important then?" Jiwoong prodded him. But even if it was true that people cared most about his appearance, it didn't seem like the right timing to say it to someone who was already upset about people only looking at his face.
"What is it?"
Jiwoong shook him again, and Jongwoo shouted while clenching his fists.
"A heart that won't be broken!"
"What?"
"The important thing is a heart that won't be broken, so let's go eat meat and cheer up!"
Guided by Jongwoo's hand, Jiwoong stood up, pretending to have lost to him.
