K moved quickly, leaving the room as if he were running from something. He didn’t glance back, didn’t acknowledge Euijoo’s presence. When he reached the practice room, he shut the door carefully, though the restraint felt forced. Without wasting time, he started dancing, pouring all his energy into the movements. His mind, however, refused to clear. Thoughts swirled, painful, relentless, and consuming. The more it hurt, the harder he pushed himself, until his body gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor in tears.

"K, what's going on? K!" Fuma's voice cut through K's sobs. Fuma rushed to his side, kneeling and pulling him into an embrace. K clung to him, burying his face in Fuma's chest as if trying to hide from the world. The pain didn’t leave, but he let himself cry harder, releasing the emotions he had kept bottled up.

Fuma held him tightly, stroking his hair and murmuring comforting words. Slowly, K’s cries subsided, though his exhaustion- both physical and emotional- was overwhelming. Fuma noticed the full weight of K leaning against him and whispered, “K... Can you talk? Or move? Should I call someone?”

K shook his head weakly, his voice cracking as he murmured, “Don’t... Just... don’t.” He let out a shaky sigh, mustering what little strength he had. “Thank you... I’m so sorry...” Tears welled up again despite his efforts to stop them.

Fuma’s response was immediate and gentle. “No need to thank me or apologize. That’s what friends are for.” His words, so simple and sincere, brought a faint smile to K’s face despite the situation.

K finally lifted his head, his voice hoarse. “Can you help me, then?”

Fuma chuckled softly. “You look terrible. Sit still.” He returned with a box of tissues, dabbing at K’s face like a mother tending to a child.

K couldn’t help but laugh weakly. “Thank you, mommy.”

Fuma grinned, his laughter infectious. “Come on. Let’s get you to your room.”

With Fuma’s help, K rose unsteadily to his feet. Fuma slung one of K’s arms over his shoulders, supporting him as they made their way to K’s bed. Once there, Fuma carefully laid him down.

As Fuma left, Euijoo entered the dorm, pausing when he noticed Fuma helping K. The sight of K’s red, swollen eyes sent a pang of worry through him. After Fuma departed, Euijoo hesitated before approaching K, who lay on the bed with his eyes shut.

“K? Can we talk?” Euijoo asked softly, his voice laced with concern.

“Sure,” K replied, forcing a sweetness into his tone that didn’t match the turmoil in his heart. “What do you want to talk about?”

Euijoo sat down beside him, seeing through K’s facade. “Are you okay? Something seems off... Did I do something?”

K hesitated, then offered a small, strained smile. “I just miss my family so much... I’m sorry to make you worry. That wasn’t my intention.”

Euijoo frowned, unsure whether to believe him, but chose not to press further. Instead, he lay down beside K, wrapping his arms around him in a comforting gesture. He buried his face in K’s shoulder, surprised by his own boldness. He only wanted to be there for K, unaware of the depth of K’s feelings.

K’s heart raced, torn between pain and fleeting happiness. “You must be tired... You had such a busy day. Why don’t you go to sleep?” he said, his voice trembling slightly.

Euijoo hesitated before nodding. “Yeah... Goodnight.” He rose and went to his own bed, pulling the covers over himself. Yet sleep didn’t come easily. His mind raced with thoughts of K, and guilt gnawed at him. Is he jealous about Nicholas? The realization hit him suddenly, and it hurt to think he might have unintentionally caused K pain.

The next morning, K woke up feeling hollow. Euijoo was gone, and the emptiness in the dorm weighed on him. He dragged himself to the bathroom, startled by the sight of his swollen eyes in the mirror. Panic set in until Fuma entered, already prepared to help.

“Yeah, I thought you’d freak out about this,” Fuma said, setting down a few items to reduce the swelling. “You’ve got a small schedule today, right?”

K let Fuma work, grateful but unsure how to express it. “I’m really thankful to have you here. I don’t know how to repay you.”

Fuma smiled, brushing off the gratitude. “No need. But if you really want to repay me, we can have a barbecue and a few drinks later. What do you think?”

K laughed, feeling a flicker of lightness for the first time in days. “Sounds fair. It’s the least I can do.”

After cleaning up, K joined the others in the kitchen, where laughter and teasing filled the room. The members were discussing the program featuring Euijoo and Nicholas, joking about the “Nichojoo” pairing. Though K hid his emotions behind a forced smile, Fuma noticed his unease.

When Euijoo entered, the teasing continued. K couldn’t bear it anymore and abruptly left the table. Fuma sighed, stepping in to quiet the group. “Let’s be careful. It’s not our business,” he warned. Then, turning to Euijoo, he asked, “Can we talk?”

Euijoo nodded, following Fuma to the living room.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on with K?” Fuma asked, his concern evident.

Euijoo hesitated before admitting, “I think so... I think K likes me, and I might’ve hurt him by being so close to Nicholas. I didn’t mean to, but...” He trailed off, guilt evident in his voice.

Fuma nodded knowingly. “If that’s true, you need to handle this carefully. Don’t tell anyone else. But if you care about him too, you need to let him know. He’s not himself anymore.”

Euijoo felt a wave of determination. “I’ll talk to him... Thank you, Fuma.”

“Good luck,” Fuma said with a supportive smile.