3 - Dinner Date

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It's right before filming for the survival show is going to begin. A last stretch of freedom, whatever freedom an idol trainee could have anyway, was granted to the boys. It was a tradition, as the company knew that after the show, there would be no going back to what little anonymity they were currently still sheltered by. That's always the trade-off for fame.

Chris invites Felix to a dinner date, wanting to bring him out to his favourite restaurant for Korean barbecue. He found this place with the older trainees years ago, and it has stayed at the top of his list ever since.

Felix mentioned a while ago that he still hasn't had barbecue since landing in Korea, and he really wanted to eat it. So of course, Chris makes a mental note of that.

On one warm night, after the team had wrapped up practice and freshened up, the two Australian boys headed to dinner together. There's a light skip in Felix's step, renewed by the anticipation despite being drained from practising the whole day earlier.

It's also a new sight for Felix, being outside with Chris not counting the times they were rushing from the dorm to the company building and back. Felix is pretty sure he's just imagining it, but he feels like Chris' aura has become slightly different while outside. It's more lighthearted, not so strained by work, and the boy feels like just a good friend he's going out to get good food with.

The more excited part of Felix wonders if this is what it would feel like going out on an actual date with Christopher. If they weren't trainees being pressured beyond their limits now, if they were just regular schooling teens. What would their dates be like?

His imagination is halted when the smell of grilled meats hits Felix's nostrils, and he immediately feels hungrier than he already was. The interior is surprisingly modern, with warm lights decorating the walls.

Felix falls again when Chris orders for him, in fluent Korean, while he can barely even read out what cuts of meat there are. He falls even harder while Chris cooks and cooks, and keeps serving Felix, making sure his plate is full. When his hands aren't busy with the tongs, he switches to making sure Felix's water cup is at least half full.

All the while, Chris keeps the conversation going, telling him everything about trainee life and the stories he'd heard or experienced, giving him tips on how to navigate the new environment, but in a fun way.

Felix feels so well taken care of, and he experiences just how nice it feels to be with Chris. It's the first time someone has cooked him something since arriving in Korea. It's the first time he's even having a meal at a proper Korean restaurant outside of the company cafeteria or dorm.

It's so dreamy that Felix can almost forget he's here to become an idol for just those two hours.

It's like he came to Korea just to meet Chris, and have someone who truly and wholly believed in him more than his own self. Felix thinks that even if he were to fly back to Australia right after this meal, he wouldn't be too sad about it. Meeting Chris was already a meaningful enough encounter for him.

Chris is someone who gives him a reason. Just, a reason to keep pushing no matter what he will face in the upcoming survival show.

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