THE GIFTED | STRAY KIDS ✔

30

Minho wiped the sweat off his forehead, his breath labored from the grueling training session. The relentless trainers had pushed them beyond their limits, fully aware that failure meant exile to the desolate training grounds of Norway, a fate none of them wished for.

Jisung tugged Minho down, offering a towel and a seat beside him. Minho's grateful smile was met with a soft chuckle from Jisung, who gently wiped the sweat from Minho's neck.

"Thanks," Minho murmured, his head finding a comfortable resting place on Jisung's shoulder.

"Hyung," Jisung began, his tone hesitant. "Doesn't something feel... off today?"

"Hmm?" Minho raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Jisung's expression. "What do you mean?"

"Chan hyung has been unusually quiet," Jisung pointed out, their gazes shifting to where Chan sat in a corner, his attention fixed on Felix engrossed in conversation with Seungmin.

"I noticed that too," Minho admitted, his gaze lingering on Chan's distant figure. Something about his demeanor was hard to decipher.

Was it sorrow? Anger? Hope?

A sudden realization dawned upon Minho.

Longing.

"Shit, why didn't I notice this before?" Minho whispered, his eyes widening as he stared at Chan.

"Notice what?"

"Hannie, I think... I think Chan hyung has a thing for Felix."

"Come on, that's not possible," Jisung scoffed, his gaze returning to Chan. He had never seen Chan look at anyone with such intensity. "He's not the type."

"Look at the way he's watching him," Minho insisted, urgency in his voice. "He looks like a lovesick puppy."

"But he can't..." Jisung's concern was palpable. Chan couldn't possibly be falling for Felix. It was a recipe for heartbreak. "He just can't."

"Why?" Minho's curiosity prodded. "He seems pretty genuine."

"Because... well."

"What?"

"Felix and Hyunjin... are kind of a thing."

There, Jisung had said it. He felt like a coward for revealing their relationship.

"What? Okay, I did see it coming," Minho reacted. "But so soon? How long has this been happening?"

"For a few weeks now," Jisung confessed, his voice almost a whisper. "They're practically head over heels for each other."

"If Chan hyung does have feelings for Felix," Minho advised, "you'll need to be there for him, Hannie. It might be tough, but he deserves to know the truth."