Hyunjin POV:

As I exited the dance room, I veered right and ran down the hall towards the elevator. I slowed to a stop and glanced around. I couldn't see Minho anywhere, but then I hadn't really expected to catch up with him considering how swiftly he left. I exhaled in annoyance as I pressed the button to summon the elevator and waited. It dinged almost immediately, its silver doors opening to reveal an empty square space. Gentle music filtered out of speakers hooked into the roof of the box, growing louder as I stepped inside. I stared at the buttons before choosing the ground floor. Minho had likely left the building given his mood. Questions whirled though my mind as I travelled downwards in the elevator. What had made Minho jealous? Was he an angry jealous person or a sad jealous person? I huffed at that particular query as I thought back to how Minho had been radiating rage.

The doors of the lift opened and I stepped out. I searched the lobby, hope fluttering in my chest as I caught sight of Minho walking swiftly away from the building. I hurried after him, curiosity and concern propelling me forward. "Minho hyung!" I called out to him as I approached. His head snapped in my direction, his angry gaze meeting mine. I halted my movements as he glared at me. I stood awkwardly as he looked forward and continued to walk away without a word. "Hyung?" I tried again but the brunette ignored me.

Annoyance pricked my skin at his behaviour. I didn't do anything wrong this time. I don't deserve the cold shoulder. I followed Minho, quietly seething as old memories I had tried to forget fought to resurface, adding fuel to the fire burning my heart. I hate jealousy. It turns people into something they are not. Although, some believe jealousy reveals who people truly are...

The dancer in front of me paused as we reached a bus stop. He glanced over his shoulder, his dark eyes settling on me, the raging fire within them now nothing more than embers. He gestured me over with a swift movement of his hand. "Want to come with me?" All anger abandoned me as his soft voice reached my ears and I nodded. I don't know what it was, but his calm, smooth voice was comforting and swept away all feelings of annoyance and confusion. I moved until I was standing beside him. We stood in silence as we waited for a bus. I allowed my eyes to roam over the people across the street. They were all walking with purpose, brisk strides carrying them in opposite directions, towards their destinations.

I observed two children chasing after each other, weaving in and out of the busy women and men with loud laughter escaping into the world. Unconsciously, a small smile crept onto my face as I watched the boy and girl grow distracted by a market stall selling strawberries. They jumped around excitedly, rocking backwards and forwards on their feet as they searched the incoming traffic of bustling bodies for their parents. Warmth enveloped my heart as their mother approached them, crouched down before them and listened to their excited exclamations followed by pouted pleas for sweet strawberries. The woman obliged her children, buying them three strawberries on sticks each before ushering them into the herd of swift moving locals.

Just as I began to lose sight of the family, a bus pulled in close to the side of the road. A hissing sigh heralded the doors opening. I followed Minho closely as we hopped onto the bus and sat down towards the back of the vehicle. I took up the seat beside the brunette as he claimed the window seat, his gaze already settling on the outside world as the bus pulled away from the curve and lurched onto the road. I watched the scenery pass by from the window on the opposite side of the isle in silence. I allowed my thoughts to amble through my mind, not really focusing on any particular memory, idea or question as the bus continued to drive away from the JYP building.

The sun was still high in the sky, casting small shadows that barely stretched across the sidewalks or roads, as we exited the bus. The trip had taken us almost twenty minutes and I had no clue where we were. The streets were less busy than the ones we left behind but it did nothing to calm my nerves. I kept close behind Minho as he walked calmly towards his destination. "Where are we going, hyung?" My question was met with a dismissive hand gesture.

"You'll see when we get there," I nodded despite the fact that the older boy would not see this and decided to just focus on memorising the scenery so that I could make my way back to the bus stop if I somehow became separated from Minho in this new area. We passed several food places I wanted to enter. My stomach grumbled as we continued to just walk past these stores and twinges of hunger reminded me that I had skipped breakfast and lunch in favour of ensuring I was at the JYP building while everyone was on break so I wouldn't interrupt practice.

Minho stopped, turning around and staring at me with confusion. I blinked and I realised that I had slowed down at some point, growing distracted by my stomach and the delicious smells emanating from each building. "Sorry, hyung," I scratched the back of my neck embarrassedly as I quickly walked to where Minho was standing. He glanced between me and the large menu plastered on the store's window before speaking.

"Are you hungry, Hyunjin?" I shook my head.

"No, no no, hyung. I was just lost in thought is all," Minho stared at me skeptically, his keen eyes narrowing as he observed me, making it clear he saw through my lie.

"It's fine if you are. I am somewhat peckish myself. What did you have for lunch? I don't want to get something that you've already had today."

"Uh..." I blinked sheepishly at Minho before muttering out that I hadn't had lunch. I stared at the ground, suddenly finding the pores in the cement very interesting as the brunette's previously neutral expression morphed into one of pure surprise.

"You skipped lunch!" I grimaced at the shock and concern weaved into the simple question. "Why?"

"I didn't have time for it. Not if I wanted to meet everyone while you weren't practicing," I admitted only glancing up from the ground to observe Minho's reaction. I was met with an empathetic expression as he grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the store, despite my protests.

After ten minutes of eating in silence, we left the building, our stomachs happily full. Minho had refused to let me pay, insisting that I was his dongsaeng and that meant that he would pay. Eventually, I begrudgingly agreed to allow him to pay for the delicious meal.

We walked in comfortable silence as the sun slipped lower in the sky and the shadows began to elongate like fingers stretching towards us. I sighed contentedly as a large park swathed in a warm yellow-orange glow with dancing shadows playing in the short blades of pale green grass as a breeze ruffled through them came into view. In my peripherals, I noticed Minho glance at me, a soft smile gracing his lips with a gentle curve.

"It's breathtaking, isn't it?" he whispered in the delicate silence only broken by the distant hubbub of busy streets deeper within the city. I nodded in agreement, unwilling to burst the bubble of beautiful quiet that had washed over us. "Come," Minho grabbed my wrist and lead me through the park towards a tree glistening golden in the evening sunlight.

We sat beneath the golden tree with heavy limbs. I watched as Minho observed our surroundings silently. As the brunette's attention returned to me I barely contained my gasp of surprise, "You look like a god." The sun had turned his brown hair into spun gold and painted his features with warm caramel.

"I haven't been compared to a god before, but I definitely like it," an amused chuckle tumbled from Minho's rosy coloured lips, which seemed as if they had been dusted in shining specks of gold. I looked away as a blush crept up my neck and settle in my cheeks. "Aww, don't be embarrassed. It was a sweet compliment. Thank you," I met his stare and found that his eyes were burning a fiery gold. A god indeed. We looked out at the small sanctuary hidden away behind the behemoth city lost in our own thoughts for several minutes until Minho suddenly spoke. "Why did you follow me?" his question startled me from my reverie and I squinted at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Minho turned towards me, watching my reactions intently.

"Why did you follow me? Why did you follow me out of the JYP building? Why did you follow me to the bus stop? Why did you follow me here before even knowing where we were heading?" The bombardment of questions sent the gears in my head spinning wildly in a frenzied attempt to keep up with all of his queries.

"I-uh-um..." I stumbled over my words as I struggled to organise my thoughts. Minho's golden gaze was observing me patiently, waiting for me to answer his questions.

"Honestly?" Minho nodded slowly. "Well, when you stormed into the room, your face- your expression was familiar. It took me a moment to work it out, but I realised that I saw that expression on Jisung when you were introducing yourself to me and on Ch-" I cut myself off with a cough, my eyes widening as I almost divulged information that only Chan and I know about. Anxiety churned the food in my stomach as Minho's interest clearly piqued.

"And?" he asked, his keen brown eyes searching mine for answers.

"And nothing," I responded firmly. He nodded but I could tell by his pursed lips that he planned to ask me about it again later.

"Okay. How was my expression similar to Jisung's?"

I gazed out at the glowing field as I replied uncertainly, "You were jealous," Minho's eyebrows rose and his mouth opened in a small 'oh'. "That's why I followed you."

"You followed me because you observed that Jisung and I have similar expressions when 'jealous'," he snorted in disbelief, his face contorting with sudden annoyance. "Surely you have a better reason than that?" I shrugged and returned to staring into the distance. "Why would you follow me half way across the city on a hunch that I was jealous over something?"

I remained silent and ignored Minho's expectant stare. "Is it because of Chan hyung?" I glanced at the brunette in alarm.

"W-what! No, no! What would he have to do with any of this?" I sputtered out. Unfortunately, this only seemed to confirm whatever suspicions Minho had and he just shook his head as a knowing look settled in his glowing eyes.

"Absolutely nothing of course."

"Well then why-"

"That's what I want to know, Hyunjin. Why?" I blinked at the brunette. "I want the real reason why you left that room. You could have just kept playing Jenga while waiting for Chan and Jisung to return. So, why didn't you?"

"Because I wanted to know what made you jealous," I began, meeting Minho's stare. "I left the room and followed you to the bus stop because jealousy changes people. It makes- it turns them into someone else, and they do things they normally wouldn't do as rage, bitterness, and sadness fuel their actions. I wanted to make sure you didn't do anything stupid," I smiled sheepishly at Minho as I muttered the last part. Thankfully, the elder grinned before leaning forward and ruffling my hair.

"Don't worry. About the most I would have done is gone home and ordered a whole lot of unhealthy food."

"Oh... Is that what you would have done if I hadn't followed you?" I asked. Guilt threatened to nibble at my insides at the thought that I had interfered with Minho's plans.

"Yeah. But this is so much better. Don't worry," He flashed me a reassuring smile and I relaxed, flicking away the guilt clinging onto the bottom of my stomach. Silence settled over us like a blanket as we watched the sun slowly set. "So, how did you and Chan hyung meet?"

I glanced at Minho warily but his gaze remained on the horizon and his face neutral. I shrugged and chewed on my lower lip as tears pricked the corners of my eyes. This question was inevitable, of course, and it seems simple enough to answer for most people- like maybe they met him through training, at the café, or even at the shops. But for me... A snippet of a repressed memory flashed before my eyes before disappearing, no longer available for me to access, and with it, my emotions. I shivered as a cold emptiness seeped into my skin and replaced my organs with heavy, frozen stones. I blinked and realised that at some point I had brought my knees up to my chest, wrapped my arms tightly around them and nestled my chin on top of my knees. I risked a glance at Minho and wished I hadn't. Concern furrowed his brow and darkened his eyes as he searched my face for clues to my behaviour. With the sun setting, half of Minho's face is cast in gold and the other in shadows as he leaned forward and wiped away a stray tear that had escaped out of my eye and onto my cheek without my noticing it.

"What's wrong, Hyunjin? Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry if I upset you," I shook my head vigorously.

"N-no," I stuttered out. I could tell this didn't convince him as barely masked guilt tensed his jaw and drew his lips into a remorseful thin line. "It's-I-you-just..." I sighed in frustration and buried my head between my chest and legs.

"Being a visual isn't always desirable," I muttered, my voice muffled by my clothes. However, I knew Minho heard me because he moved closer and hugged me. "Some people think having a certain appearance is an... invitation," I shuddered out a shaky breath as I whispered the final word of my sentence. Minho pulled away from me suddenly and I flinched reflexively. I glanced at him sharply, but found I wasn't surprised to see a mixture of disgust and shock contorting his features. Of course, he's disgusted. What kind of man lets himself be violated? Only me... disgusting me, who was too scared to do anything. I was snapped out of the thoughts both Chan and my therapist have told me I shouldn't believe, when Minho's shaky voice broke the silence.

"You were raped?" His question sent cold chills to my bones. I turned away from the brunette, shame reddening my face. I nodded jerkily in response to the elder. In my peripherals, I noticed Minho's hands twitch uselessly in his lap. "How long ago?" he whispered warily, his eyes downcast, drowning in shadows.

"Five years."

"Isn't that-"

"Yes," I interrupted Minho, realising where his train of thought was heading from the direction our conversation had taken. "But I met him after it happened."

"Oh..."

"Yeah. He helped me, a lot. I owe him my life two times over. Despite everything- despite how many times I seemed to take one step forward and a thousand steps backwards, he was always there to help me. He was always there to make sure I was safe, healthy and happy. I don't know what made me trust him so quickly, especially after-after..." I paused, unable to finish the sentence. I glanced at Minho to see if he understood what I meant. He nodded for me to continue with a small encouraging smile. "I just did. I am glad I did because he helped me at my pace, only pushing me when he knew I could handle it. He helped me handle being around strangers again, he helped me reacquaint myself with crowds, with people bumping into me, hugging me, touching me. He stayed with me when he knew I shouldn't be alone. Channie hyung was always there for me..." I trailed off as I took in the brunette's solemn expression, the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.

"I am sorry that happened to you. You didn't deserve that," Minho blurted out frantically, his empathy and frustration spilling out of his eyes.

"Maybe, maybe not," I responded dully. Minho opened his mouth to object but I held up a hand and continued. "But if it hadn't happened, I doubt I ever would have met Chan, and even if I had, I don't think we would be as close as we are now."

"Okay," Minho's voice sounded hoarse as he choked out the word. A pang of sorrow shot through my chest at the sight of Minho's distraught expression. He truly believes I didn't deserve it? How can that be? I moved towards him and hugged him tightly as he hiccupped to conceal a sob as tears cascaded down his face.

"Don't be sad, hyung. It's in the past."

"But-"

"Shhh, it's fine, hyung," I rocked a quietly crying Minho as he came to terms with the information I had given him until his tears ceased and his body only trembled slightly. It was sweet in a way, to see someone who cared so much that he freely allowed tears to roll down his face in unending waves. But I felt like it was wasted on someone like me. I didn't deserve his kind words or tears. I loosened my hold on him and leant back to observe him. He swiftly scrubbed at his face with his shirtsleeves to remove the tears and used to tissue I handed him to clean off the snot from his face. "You okay now?" He nodded and mumbled out an apology, which I quickly dismissed.

"So... What made you jealous earlier?" Minho froze his gaze flickering up to meet mine with a hint of betrayal and surprise passing through his dark brown eyes. He chuckled, nervously running a hand through his hair before responding.

"Well, I guess since you trust me enough to share that with me, then I have to admit to being jealous and tell you why," he shifted uncomfortably before moving closer to the tree and leaning his back against it. He shivered and I felt goose bumps prickle my exposed skin in response to the increasing chill in the air. I shifted closer to Minho and pressed my back against his chest gently and allowed my head to rest against his shoulder. He brought his hand up to my hair absentmindedly as he spoke.

"I found Chan and Jisung. Jisung was sitting on the ground and Chan was kneeling in front of him, but they were too close. I don't know what was happening but Jisung suddenly put his hands on Chan's face while talking to him and then Chan hugged him and- Hyunjin, they were so close," Minho exhaled shakily before continuing and I hummed in acknowledgement while wondering where this recount was going.

His fingers halted their idle movements through my hair as he explained what happened next. "I asked them what they were doing but neither of them responded. I mean they practically jumped apart, but when Chan began to move away and stand up, Jisung grabbed his wrist and shook his head. Why would he shake his head, Hyunjin? What could it mean?" I shrugged in response to his question as I had no answer. The brunette continued despite my lack of an answer.

"They stared into each other's eyes for a whole three seconds before Chan hyung suddenly wrapped his arms around Jisungie's waist and lifted him until he was standing," I glanced at Minho from the side of my eye in surprise at the nickname for the younger member. He had only used it now- so randomly it seemed almost out of place. "The worst part is, Jisung leaned into him!"

I blinked blankly at this. How was I supposed to react? Chan has always been a touchy person, so it is nothing new to me that he and someone else may be so close physically, but for some reason this closeness was aggravating Minho. Does he like Jisung? As Minho blundered on with his story, I listened intently, intrigued by the situation that had sparked his jealousy while trying to decipher Minho's emotions for the squirrel like boy.

"When I asked them again what they were doing- because they didn't respond the first time- Jisung stopped Chan hyung from talking with some bullshit about them just talking and hyung offering to help Jisung with choreography. I mean, what the actual hell? Chan never helps Jisung with choreography. That is my job! And I just realised I lied before. This next bit is truly the worst part of it all. He called Chan, Channie hyung!"

I tensed at the familiar nickname. Jisung called Chan "Channie hyung"? Why? That's my nickname for him! "B-but-" I stuttered out before Minho interrupted me with a rush of words.

"He never calls hyung that! Never! Not to mention we are only allowed to call Chan either hyung or Chan hyung. So, why would he let Jisungie call him that but not the rest of us?" By the end, Minho's voice was barely above a whisper as if he were simply asking himself questions that he knew had no answer. I peered at him through shadows and saw confusion and jealousy battling across his face. As wise and cold as he may seem at a first glance, Minho was really just a perceptive, sensitive young adult, like the rest of us.

"Minho hyung?" I whispered after a moment of contemplative silence.

"Hmmm?" He inclined his head so that he could meet my stare.

"Do you like Jisung?" I watched as the brunette's eyebrows rose and he nodded slowly. "Does he like you?" I ventured. Minho turned his head away, hiding his expression from view as he replied, his fingers returning to their previous amble through my hair.

"I don't know. Some days I think he does, but other days..." Minho trailed off with a sigh. "We should head back. It's getting cold and you should get some sleep before tomorrow. Chan hyung is strict when it comes to practicing. You don't want to be tired on your first day," I nodded and stood, shivering at the loss of the brunette's body warmth. We slowly wandered away from the once shining golden tree, now a dull bluish-purple silhouette in the absence of the sun.

A cool breeze weaved between the branches and leaves of every tree we walked pass, chilling my exposed skin until waves of shivers washed over my body. Suddenly, I felt warm material pressed against my arm. I glanced at Minho, surprise etching its way into my features. He was offering me his jumper. I shook my head as I noticed his exposed skin already covered in goose bumps. "No. You'll be cold," I pushed the jumper back towards him but the brunette sighed in exasperation and threw it at me.

I let out a confused squawk as the bunched material hit my face and the elder chuckled. "Just wear it. You're colder than I am," I conceded begrudgingly. I was quite cold thanks to the freezing breeze, which only seemed to be growing stronger as it whipped our hair around haphazardly. As I slipped the jumper over my head, I noticed it was still warm from Minho's body heat despite the cold wind. Surprisingly, it was only a little bit too small. While it had looked huge on Minho, on me, it didn't bunch at all. I sent Minho an appreciative smile as the jumper protected me from the cold nipping of the wind.

We reached the bus stop just in time to run into a frazzled looking Chan. The blond visibly relaxed when he saw us heading towards him. "There you are! Thank god! I looked everywhere for you both. You are okay, right?" I suppressed a giggle at Chan's exclamations and a glance at Minho informed me that he was doing the same.

"Yes, hyung. We are fine," I responded with a grin while looking at Minho who was also grinning. Chan began to nod but stopped part way through the action when something caught his attention. He squinted, a strange expression swamping his features until the relief was drowned by it.

"Isn't that Minho's jumper?" Chan questioned as he eyed the article of clothing suspiciously.

"Oh, yeah. Minho is letting me borrow it," I responded offhandedly, not thinking much of it until Chan all but glared at the brunette beside me.

"He was cold, Chan hyung," Minho affirmed, his breath hissing through his teeth. "Would you have preferred it if I let him freeze?" The bite in his tone made me flinch and I glanced between the two in confusion. What was going on? Before I could ponder Chan's weird behaviour any further a bus pulled into the curb. Minho grabbed my arm gently and led me onto the bus, wordlessly pushing past the agitated blond. Minho chose a two-seater spot with people in front and behind us. I was going to ask him where Chan was going to sit when the blond walked by without so much as a glance, his face scarily devoid of any emotion. I looked at Minho in confusion.

"What just happened?" I queried.
The brunette shrugged, stare intently focused outside the window.

"I don't know, you tell me,"

At first, I almost felt offended by his sudden cold, bluntness towards me when I hadn't done anything wrong, but his next words explained why he phrased his reply the way he did.

"Chan was the other name you were going to say when you were explaining how you knew I was jealous and why you followed me, wasn't it?" I hung my head and nervously played with the rings on my fingers. "I'm right, aren't I?" I nodded. There was no point lying.

"Why do you ask, hyung?" I whispered uncertainly. Minho answered my question with another question instead of an answer. Or perhaps it was an answer, just not in the conventional sense.

"Why did he get jealous?"

Hey Readers! I decided to try something new with this chapter and really tried to focus on description. I hope it worked out okay and you like it. I am sorry this chapter is a bit weird, I was hoping to focus on building a bond between Hyunjin and Minho while explaining some of Hyunjin's history and his relationship with Chan (as in why they are so close). I apologise though, if this is moving too slowly. I am trying to have events move as quickly as possible without ruining the experience for you. The next chapter will Part 2 of this and I hope to upload it before the end of this week, but school has just started back up so no promises, sorry :(

Also! I want to thank some more awesome people this chapter.

Thank you @JiminGotNoJams85 for voting and commenting on this fanfiction!

Thank you @jiracha for voting on this fanfiction!

It is honestly so motivating to see you voting and commenting on this. THANK YOU x