Off-Screen (무대아래에서) | Haobin

Crush (반함)

Hanbin doesn't get his bisexual mentor moment right away with Gunwook. After Hao told him about Gunwook's experience with Ricky, Hanbin purposefully didn't mention it to Gunwook to see when the other member would open up to him. They practiced for the K909 weekly chart countdown together, and Gunwook never said anything. But then again, they really didn't have much privacy for that. So Hanbin waited, hoping Gunwook would approach him the same way he approached Hao Hyung. Usually the Zerobaseone members have no problem talking to him about their issues. He makes a big effort to get to know them as part of the group and individually, and he's made sure they all have at least a comfortable relationship with him so if they need something from him as the leader they can freely ask for it.

But this particular issue is special to him. The understanding he felt with Ji-Ung Hyung when they were drinking together was different than what he feels with Hao Hyung. And Seobin Hyung seemed to connect with Hao Hyung in a different way than Hanbin connected with Ji-Ung Hyung. Hanbin doesn't know if it will feel different to connect with a 남동생*, especially given the way Hao Hyung keeps telling him that Gunwook is so similar to him in this respect.

When it finally happens, Hanbin doesn't know what Gunwook's talking about at first.

They're eating lunch in the middle of a heavily scheduled day. They usually have take-out on days like this, but the restaurant is empty when they go to order so they decide to sit down. There's too many of them with the WakeOne staff included, so they split into different tables. Somehow he and Gunwook are the odd ones out, so they find a small table together. They order and wait for their food, and Gunwook brings up the fact that Hao and Taerae have been teasing Hanbin mercilessly today about his pre-debut "Call Me Mother" dance.

"I liked your 'Mother' dance. Your expressions were so ferocious."

"Thank you," Hanbin mutters. About once a week his "Mother" dance resurfaces when someone cocks a sassy shoulder, and Hanbin just rides out the teasing that ensues. He's not too bothered by it. He likes that they all seem to have so much fun. And he likes that dance, even if his appearance and expressions didn't look "idol-like" at the time. There was a long stretch of his young life when he was just a dancer, and he's not ashamed of that part of his life now that he is an idol.

"I'm serious, Hyung." Gunwook watches his expression carefully. The younger member is too smart. Hanbin has to be careful not to show any annoyance or tiredness at the teasing because Gunwook will take it to heart. "It was really good."

"Your pre-debut videos are quite good too," Hanbin tells him, moving the conversation along before the sensitive teen can read him too closely. "I was watching some the other day. You had good control and tight movements."

Gunwook beams.

"You looked up videos of me?"

"I was curious if anyone else had something worth teasing them about." Hanbin nods at Taerae and Hao sitting together at a table. "I looked up theirs first, but they don't have any videos with embarrassing face paint or RuPaul covers that I can use."

Gunwook laughs. Their soup arrives and they eat in relative peace for a few minutes. It's a welcome quiet given how hectic their day's been already.

"Do you worry about getting caught?" Gunwook asks him eventually.

"Hm?" Hanbin looks up from his soup, genuinely confused.

Gunwook ducks his eyes shyly and lifts noodles out of his bowl before deciding not to eat them and setting his chopsticks down instead.

"Do you worry about getting caught with Hyung?" Gunwook asks him carefully, glancing around to make sure there's no one else sitting near them. The auntie who runs the restaurant is sitting on the floor by the register and watching dramas on the TV. She doesn't seem to recognize them. "Like, gossip blogs. Paparazzi."