Episode 1 – A Strange Feeling
975 Words
Episode 1 – A Strange Feeling
The alarm rang at exactly 7:00 a.m.
Shinyu was the first one to wake up, as usual.
He rubbed his eyes before leaving his room, making his way to the kitchen. The dorm was still quiet, with everyone else asleep.
He started making coffee while checking the group's schedule on his phone.
A few minutes later, he heard soft footsteps.
"Good morning, Shinyu hyung."
Shinyu looked up.
Hanjin had just walked out of his room, his hair messy from sleep. He looked tired, but he still smiled politely.
"Morning."
"You woke up early today."
"I couldn't sleep anymore."
Hanjin walked to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of milk.
The two stood in silence for a while.
It wasn't awkward.
Just... quiet.
"I'll make breakfast," Hanjin said.
"You don't have to."
"It's okay. I wanted to cook anyway."
Shinyu nodded.
"Alright."
Hanjin tied an apron around his waist and began preparing breakfast.
Without realizing it, Shinyu kept watching him.
The way Hanjin hummed a random song while cooking.
The way he carefully cracked the eggs.
The way he smiled to himself after accidentally dropping a spoon.
"..."
Shinyu blinked.
Why am I watching him?
He quickly looked away and took a sip of his coffee.
One by one, the other members woke up.
Dohoon entered the kitchen, followed by Youngjae.
"Something smells good."
"Hanjin made breakfast," Shinyu answered.
Youngjae smiled.
"As expected."
Soon Jihoon and Kyungmin joined them, and everyone sat together to eat.
The atmosphere was lively.
Jihoon kept talking.
Kyungmin laughed so hard that Youngjae had to tell him to eat first.
Hanjin listened quietly, smiling at everyone's jokes.
Shinyu found himself looking at him again.
This time...
Hanjin suddenly looked back.
Their eyes met.
"Oh."
Hanjin smiled.
"What?"
"...Nothing."
Shinyu immediately looked down at his food.
For some reason...
He felt slightly embarrassed.
Practice ended later than usual.
Everyone was exhausted.
As they walked back to the dorm, Hanjin suddenly stopped.
"My shoelace."
He crouched down to tie it.
The others kept walking.
Without thinking, Shinyu stopped too.
"Hurry up."
"I'm coming."
When Hanjin stood up again, he smiled.
"Sorry for making you wait."
"It's fine."
The two walked behind the others.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable.
Still...
Shinyu felt strangely aware that Hanjin was walking beside him.
Why am I paying attention to him so much today?
He didn't understand it.
That night...
Everyone was already asleep.
Shinyu lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
His mind kept replaying the day.
Hanjin cooking breakfast.
Hanjin laughing with the members.
Hanjin smiling after tying his shoelace.
"..."
He frowned.
"What's wrong with me?"
Usually, he never thought this much about any of the members.
But today...
For some reason...
Hanjin stayed in his thoughts.
Shinyu closed his eyes, hoping sleep would make the strange feeling disappear.
He didn't know...
This was only the beginning.
The next morning, everything felt normal again.
At least... that's what Shinyu told himself.
After breakfast, the members headed to the company for vocal practice.
Youngjae and Jihoon were arguing over which song they wanted to play in the car.
"I told you, mine is better."
"No way. Your playlist is boring."
Kyungmin laughed from the back seat while Dohoon watched the two with an amused smile.
Hanjin sat quietly by the window, wearing his headphones.
Shinyu sat beside him.
The ride was peaceful.
Halfway there, the car suddenly stopped at a red light.
The sudden brake made Hanjin lose his balance for a moment.
His shoulder lightly bumped into Shinyu's.
"Oh—sorry, hyung."
"It's okay."
Hanjin quickly moved away again.
For some reason...
Shinyu became strangely aware of the small distance between them.
He looked out the window instead.
Why am I reacting to something so small?
Practice was harder than usual.
The choreography had been changed again, and everyone had to learn the new positions.
After almost three hours, the instructor finally called for a break.
"I'm getting water," Jihoon announced before dragging Kyungmin with him.
Youngjae sat on the floor, completely exhausted.
"I can't feel my legs."
"You say that every practice," Dohoon replied.
Meanwhile, Hanjin stayed in front of the mirror.
He quietly repeated the difficult part of the choreography by himself.
Again.
And again.
He kept stopping whenever he made a mistake.
"No..."
"I missed the timing."
He tried once more.
This time he almost got it right.
Almost.
Shinyu had been drinking water nearby.
Without realizing it, he had been watching Hanjin for several minutes.
"Hanjin."
Hanjin turned around immediately.
"Yes, hyung?"
"You're practicing too fast."
"...Really?"
Shinyu walked over.
"The timing isn't the problem."
He stood beside Hanjin.
"Watch."
He demonstrated the movement slowly.
"The turn comes first."
"Then your foot."
"And after that..."
He lightly pointed toward Hanjin's arm.
"Raise it a little higher."
Hanjin nodded seriously.
"I understand."
"Try again."
This time...
The move looked much cleaner.
Hanjin's face immediately brightened.
"I did it!"
A smile spread across his face without him even realizing it.
Shinyu stared for a second.
"...Good."
His voice came out softer than he expected.
Hanjin grinned.
"Thank you, hyung."
Then he ran over to tell the others that he had finally gotten the move right.
Shinyu stayed where he was.
Watching him.
Youngjae noticed.
"You've been paying a lot of attention to Hanjin lately."
Shinyu looked at him.
"...Have I?"
Youngjae shrugged.
"I don't know. Maybe because you're the leader."
"...Maybe."
That answer should have been enough.
It made perfect sense.
So why...
Why did Shinyu still feel like there was another reason?
He couldn't explain it.
And for the first time in a long while...
He found himself thinking about Hanjin even when Hanjin wasn't standing beside him.
The feeling still had no name.
But it was slowly becoming harder to ignore.
- Writer
