The living room was filled with soft giggles and laughter as Joshua sat cross-legged on the floor, playfully holding a UNO card against Chan’s forehead while Jun tried to cheat his way into winning. It was a rare break day for Seventeen, and the members chose to spend it at their shared dorm, together and at peace.
Joshua’s laughter rang through the room as Chan whined, “Hyung! No fair, you’re using your angel powers to win!”
“Of course,” Joshua beamed, winking. “Angels don’t cheat, we improvise.”
Jeonghan and Seungcheol had just walked into the dorm after taking a quick coffee run when they heard the laughter. For a second, everything seemed normal. But the second they stepped inside, they saw the others Mingyu, Wonwoo, Minghao, Woozi, all with pale, tense expressions, phones clenched in their hands.
“Hyung,” Minghao said, his voice low, “you need to see this.”
Seungcheol took the phone and his entire face drained of color.
On screen was a trending post:
> BREAKING NEWS: SEVENTEEN’s Joshua spotted on secret date with a non-celebrity girl! Fans speculate he’s been lying all along.
[Photos attached – poorly edited, obviously fake if anyone bothered to look closely.]
But the damage was done. Comments flooded in
"Leave SEVENTEEN if you're gonna betray us."
"Traitor. Attention seeker."
"You’re ruining SEVENTEEN’s image. Get out."
"Go die."
“I swear to god,” Seungcheol growled, hands shaking. “Who the hell did this?”
“Sasaeng account,” Woozi replied, eyes stormy. “Started on a private Discord server. They're targeting Shua for no reason.”
Jeonghan turned, panicked, looking toward the living room where Joshua was still laughing with Chan and Jun, completely unaware. Still smiling. Still shining. Still happy. The innocence in that image hit both of them like a freight train.
“We need to protect him,” Jeonghan said softly, urgently. “Don’t let him see it. Not yet.”
“I’ll talk to the manager,” Seungcheol snapped, pulling out his phone. “We need a statement now those rumors are fake.”
But the company’s response was like ice water on fire.
> “It’s better to remain silent for now. Reacting may cause more chaos.”
“Silent?!” Seungcheol slammed his fist into the wall. “You want him to drown in hate for something he didn’t even do?!”
The members had started gathering in the kitchen, murmuring amongst themselves. Everyone had already seen the rumors. Everyone knew the truth. And everyone hated the company’s decision.
But inside the living room, Joshua was still talking, still grinning, cheeks pink from laughter. Jeonghan’s eyes softened with heartbreak. “He hasn’t checked his phone yet.”
Wordlessly, Jeonghan walked in and sat next to Joshua, who greeted him with a smile.
“Jeonghannie..! Come play!”
“Soon,” Jeonghan said softly, placing an arm around Joshua and subtly reaching for the phone on the couch next to him. “Let me just sit with you a bit.”
Joshua blinked, a little confused, but didn’t question it. He snuggled closer into Jeonghan’s side. “You okay, hannie?”
Jeonghan kissed his temple. “Yeah. Just… wanted to be with you.”
Hours passed.
The boys kept Joshua distracted movie marathons, board games, food deliveries. They laughed extra loud, told extra jokes, made sure his cheeks were sore from smiling. But Seungcheol kept glancing at his watch, at the door, at his phone. The time was ticking. Sooner or later… Joshua would find out.
