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

Ch. 12: Apologies Due

Minho was aware of it all happening. The rumors of him and Doyoung dating, the rumors that he cheated, and that he used his relationship with the popular idol to get up there, and as much as he tried to ignore them, he couldn't deny that it was definitely making it worse for him, rendering him incapable of making a good relationship with the other trainees.

It's a good thing Sunoo actually believes him, and continues to accompany him in training without questioning anything. But Minho can't help but wonder just how much the young trainee can handle before he, too, moves away from him.

After all, it almost seems like Minho is a bringer of bad luck.

Noon break eventually came, and as expected, a familiar visitor came at the door for Minho, making everyone look up.

Doyoung seems to have noticed the atmosphere as well as she poked her head in. But she kept her eyes on the trainee she was there for to try and ignore the nervousness she was feelings. Minho eventually realizes that she had noticed it, too. And a few voices become more audible for him as he stands up.

"Wow... how shameless can they be? Dating explicitly in a trainee room?"

"I know, right? They're not even saying anything about it, so it must be true."

"Hey, how come this grandpa has much better chances with her than me?"

"This is just crazy! Do they think no one's gonna say anything about this outside?"

The last one catches Minho's attention, and he glances towards the one who said it for a quick second, before he looks back at Doyoung with a cold expression. That person was right, after all. What if this puts the both of their careers in jeopardy?

"I'll be back," Minho tells Sunoo with a pat on the shoulder before he walks over to Doyoung, the latter of which seems to only get more nervous as he gets nearer. He sighs when he's standing infront of her, before he looks away with his cold expression still intact. "We... need to talk."

This leads to the both of them at a stairwell in the company, Doyoung still gripping the bag containing the lunch she packed for Minho, and Minho standing infront of her, looking annoyed.

It didn't take long before he broke the silence.

"Please stop visiting me and giving me lunch," Minho says, surprising Doyoung who blinks a few times before she looks up at him with wide eyes. It looked stupid to Minho, though, like she's just playing innocent at this point and pretending not to know what's going on, and for a second, he felt his temper rising again as he looked away from the idol.

"What? But then how are you gonna eat-"

"Are you really that dense, Park Doyoung?" Minho suddenly asks, cutting her off with a sharp tone as he looks back at her, only to meet her eyes that, for a second, looked absolutely pained.

He couldn't have known how her day had been, after all.

Yet, he looked away guiltily as a quiet sigh came out of him. "... I'm sorry."

"H-huh? No, don't apologize," Doyoung quickly tells him as she shakes her palms. "I-it's alright. It's my fault, anyway. Of course, I should have known-" her voice cracks, all of a sudden, and her eyes widen before she brings her hand to her mouth.

Minho's eyes widen, too, and he looks towards Doyoung with concern. He soon notices her wet eyes as she tries to avoid showing her emotions much, and his gaze softens. His hand twitches, not really knowing what to do, but a few seconds later, he eventually stretches his hand and reaches out for the lunch bag in Doyoung's hand, holding her hand in the process.