Through an opportunity to serve as a "language teacher," you had your first encounter with Mingyu's teammates. After school, you followed Mingyu to his company. On the way, he talked non-stop about how their debut was just a few months away, his mix of excitement and anxiety clear in his voice.
Mingyu always spoke quickly, rattling on in a way that made it hard to catch what he was saying at times.
"Mingyu, could you speak slower?" you asked helplessly.
"Ah, I'm just used to it. I'll slow down." Mingyu smiled at you.
"So, is everyone in the rap team as fast as you?" You couldn't help but wonder if it would be impossible to keep up when the entire rap line talked together.
"Hm... now that you mention it, yeah, I guess we all are."
Chatting casually, you eventually arrived at the company.
Mingyu led you to the room where they usually had lessons. While you felt somewhat reassured with Mingyu by your side, you were still a bit nervous. You followed closely behind him, trying to steady your nerves with deep breaths.
Mingyu pushed the door open and yelled, "I'm back!"
Suddenly, you saw a dozen or so people rush toward him, playfully punching and kicking him. You were startled and instinctively took a step back.
"Hey, hey, wait!" Mingyu shoved them away, laughing. "I brought someone with me today! Don't embarrass me in front of my sister's friend!"
Ah, just a friend of his sister.
"You can still get embarrassed?" A particularly handsome guy walked up to Mingyu, smirking.
"Hyung, why are you like this today too?" Mingyu replied, looking defeated.
"Alright, alright. Let me introduce her. This is my sister's friend, but she's been living at my house, so she's basically like my little sister too. Like Jun-hyung and Minghao, she's Chinese, and I thought she could help teach us some Chinese. We've got an exam soon, and some of the provinces are still tripping us up."
"Hi everyone, I'm (your name). Please take care of me," you quickly introduced yourself, bowing slightly.
"Ah, I see. Well, since Mingyu considers you his little sister, then you're our little sister too," a cool-looking guy said. "I'm Choi Seungcheol. Nice to meet you."
"That's our leader and eldest hyung," Mingyu whispered to you.
With the leader's introduction out of the way, the others started greeting you one by one, and you responded politely in return.
From the moment you walked in, you noticed someone standing a little apart from the group, tall and reserved with a striking, sharp-featured look. There was something cold and mysterious about him, very different from the warmth that Mingyu radiated. He seemed like a figure shrouded in icy mystery, like a beautiful snowflake wrapped in a veil of frost.
"Hello, I'm Jeon Wonwoo," he introduced himself as he walked over and gave you a small smile.
"Nice to meet you, Wonwoo oppa," you replied.
His smile curved like a cat's, his entire demeanor matching the aloof grace of one. Wonwoo. A beautiful name.
After everyone finished introducing themselves, Jun and Minghao came over to greet you. Being able to speak your native language and seeing familiar faces immediately put you at ease.
"Minghao oppa, Jun oppa, hello," you greeted them first.
"Hey, we're all Chinese here. You don't have to be so formal. Just call us 'hyung,'" Minghao said with a smile.
"Yeah, relax. No need to be so tense," Jun added, patting your shoulder. He was so pretty, you thought.
"I've been in Korea for too long, so it's hard to break the habit of speaking formally. It's such a pain," you complained.
"Yeah, these useless formalities can be annoying," Jun laughed.
With that, the three of you started chatting freely in your native language, leaving the 11 other members around you confused.
Finally, they couldn't take it anymore.
"Minghao, come teach us these provinces already! We're struggling here," Mingyu whined dramatically.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Minghao sighed, gesturing for you and Jun to sit at a nearby table.
Naturally, you ended up sitting with the Chinese line, right next to Mingyu. Being surrounded by familiar faces made you feel more comfortable.
Hopefully, no one would ask you anything directly, you thought to yourself as you spaced out, your gaze drifting around the room. Just as your eyes wandered, you accidentally locked eyes with Wonwoo, who was seated across from you.
For a second, you froze. Unsure of what to do, you fidgeted awkwardly, but Wonwoo just smiled softly, making you relax enough to return the smile.
"So, could you help me with this province's pronunciation?" Wonwoo asked, turning his notebook toward you.
His voice was deep and soothing, even lower than Mingyu's. He must have an incredible singing voice, you mused to yourself.
"Oh, sure, Wonwoo oppa."
You glanced at the notebook. They were actually required to memorize the names of provinces? What a strange thing to be tested on.
"This province is called Shandong. It's right across the sea from Korea, so it's pretty close. It's also on the easternmost side of China," you explained, pointing to the map on the page.
"Oh, I see. Thanks," Wonwoo replied.
Meanwhile, Mingyu was getting restless. Minghao was conducting the entire lesson in Chinese with little patience, and Mingyu was being driven mad by the complex characters. Desperate, he started roaming around, looking for someone to talk to.
After failing to get Seungcheol's attention (he only received a stern glare in return), Mingyu targeted Wonwoo, who was focused on writing characters slowly and carefully.
Mingyu walked over and poked Wonwoo in the side. When there was no response, he did it again. This time, Wonwoo glanced up with an unreadable expression, causing Mingyu to sulk back to his seat.
Watching this little interaction, you couldn't help but think, *It really is like a cat-and-dog fight.* It was no wonder Mingyu was always getting into trouble with his hyungs—he kind of deserved it.
In just a short evening together, you found yourself being drawn into the special atmosphere of their group. It felt like a big family, one where arguments and teasing were frequent but where everyone also held a unique place in each other's hearts.
