The next morning, Euijoo woke slowly, the warmth of K's arms absent. He reached out, feeling the cold mattress. The ache in his chest returned as he remembered K had left for his schedule with Fuma.

He sighed, missing him deeply. Grabbing his phone, he sent a text: "Good morning, love♥️ Take care of yourself and have fun. I miss you and love you so much."

...

K sat in the car with Fuma, eating a quick breakfast on the way to their filming location. When his phone buzzed with Euijoo's message, a smile instantly softened his face.

He replied immediately: "Good morning, babe ❤️ Take care of yourself too, but don't have too much fun with him 😤 I miss you so much and love you so much 🫶 See you soon!"

Fuma watched him with curious eyes, a teasing grin tugging at his lips. K glanced at him but stayed silent, both of them trying not to laugh in front of the staff. He couldn't wait to talk to Fuma later. especially since he owed him a barbecue dinner.

Their entire schedule revolved around a survival mission on an island, leaving K physically exhausted. The only thing keeping him going was the thought of returning to Euijoo's arms.

The next evening, after their long day, K finally managed to have dinner alone with Fuma. His mind buzzed with too many thoughts, unsure where to begin.

Fuma broke the silence first. "So... You and EJ are officially a couple now, I assume?"

K's ears burned, but he nodded. "Yeah... I didn't think he felt the same way after that whole interaction with Nicholas. They act like a couple when they're together." His irritation bubbled up as he downed a glass of soju.

Fuma chuckled. "Forget Nicholas. Have you two... kissed?"

K's face turned crimson, but he couldn't stop the grin. "Naturally... His mouth is addictive."

Fuma gagged dramatically. "Spare me the details!" He leaned in, lowering his voice. "Has anything... more serious happened?"

K blushed harder, suddenly finding his glass very interesting. "I invited him to join me in the shower... but—"

"WHAT?!" Fuma's shout echoed through the restaurant, drawing eyes their way.

K panicked, hissing, "Fuma, shut up! He didn't come in."

Fuma sighed, shaking his head. "You're hopeless... What were you planning for your first time, in the shower? That's not romantic at all!"

K groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I know, okay? I forgot the most important thing anyway... I didn't have... you know..." He trailed off, voice barely above a whisper.

Fuma's eyes widened in disbelief. "Condoms? Seriously?"

K nodded miserably.

Fuma chuckled, patting his back. "Don't worry. We'll fix this. When we get to the hotel, I'll help you plan everything."

K raised his glass with a sheepish grin. "Thanks, Fuma. You're the best."

...

Meanwhile, Euijoo sat in the makeup chair, eyes closed as the stylist fixed his makeup.

After she finished his makeup, Nicholas snuck up behind him, gripping his shoulders suddenly.

"Boo!"

Euijoo jolted, swatting Nicholas' arm. "Dang it, Nicho! You scared me to death!"

Nicholas laughed, eyes twinkling. "Cutie Juju~ I'm sorry."

Euijoo rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the small smile tugging at his lips.

Nicholas leaned closer. "Let's do a TikTok challenge after this."

Euijoo blinked. "Okay... sure!"

"Promise?" Nicholas grinned, holding out his pinky.

"I guess?"

Before Euijoo could ask what challenge it was, the staff called them to film. They spent the session talking to children about their worries, Nicholas even suggested a roleplay on how to ask someone out.

Every brush of Nicholas' hand made Euijoo awkward. He tried not to show it, but K's absence made everything feel... off.

After the shoot, Nicholas back-hugged him as usual. Euijoo stiffened, pulling away quickly.

Nicholas frowned. "What's wrong, Juju?"

"Nothing... It's just hot in here." Euijoo peeled off his jacket, fanning himself.

Nicholas didn't look convinced but dropped the subject. "Anyway... that TikTok challenge? You promised."

Euijoo's heart sank when Nicholas showed him the Sia Snowman Challenge. His face burned, imagining K's reaction. especially if he saw how close Nicholas kept getting. But a promise was a promise. They filmed the video though, laughing the whole time. Like the two best friends they always were.

...

When K returned to the hotel, half-drunk and embarrassed, he and Fuma dove into research about how to make a first time special. They skipped the raunchy videos, blushing like teenagers, and focused on the theory.

After gathering supplies in secret, K flopped onto the bed with a groan.

"Thank you, Fuma... I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd probably ruin everything," Fuma teased.

K's smile faded when Fuma's eyes widened at his phone.

"What?"

Fuma showed him the nichojoo Snowman Challenge video. K's blood boiled instantly. And Fuma could tell K was angry.

"Hyung... it's just fanservice." Said Fuma calmly.

"I don't care." K's jaw clenched.

It should be me.

Later, as he scrolled through Weverse, seeing the flood of nichojoo comments and posts, his irritation only grew.

He grabbed his phone and sent Euijoo a sarcastic text message: "I really enjoyed your show with Nicholas. Wait for me. Good night."

Fuma smirked. "Jealous much?"

K chucked a pillow at him in irritation.

...

The next morning, K worked out furiously at the hotel gym, pushing himself to the limit. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he thought of Nicholas' and Euijoo's closeness.

Fuma watched in awe. "You're going to get more muscular than me at this rate."

K smirked. "I need to get stronger... Someone needs to be punished."

Fuma's eyes widened. "Poor EJ... You're going to hurt him thinking like that!"

"I'm just kidding." K laughed darkly, wiping sweat from his brow. "I can't punish him properly yet. But when I get my chance—"

"Stop! That sounds sadi-!"

"SHUT UP!"

They burst into laughter, the tension finally breaking, but deep down, K's mind was already spinning with plans for the night he'd finally have Euijoo all to himself.

...

Nicholas and Euijoo returned home together, sharing a quiet meal with the other members. Euijoo's mind kept drifting to K, the absence of his vibrant presence leaving a hollow feeling in the atmosphere. K was usually the most energetic, always bringing laughter and excitement to the group. Without him, everything felt dull.

Later in the evening, the members gathered to play card games. Euijoo joined in for a while, but exhaustion tugged at him.

"You okay, hyung?" Maki asked, patting Euijoo's shoulder with a concerned look.

Euijoo mustered a small smile. "I'm alright. Just tired." He glanced around at the group. "Goodnight, guys. Enjoy your games."

He retreated to the room he shared with K, the emptiness hitting him harder in the quiet. Sitting on K's bed, Euijoo pulled out his phone and typed a message: "I hope you're doing okay. I miss you so much. It's not the same without you here :( I love you. Goodnight."

Cuddling up with one of K's shirts, still faintly carrying his scent, Euijoo closed his eyes and breathed deeply. But sleep didn't come easily.

Restless, he picked up his phone again, searching for videos from the show K was filming with Fuma. As the clips played, his heart ached. He hated being apart from K, and seeing how close he and Fuma seemed only stirred a pang of jealousy. He tried to reassure himself that they were just like brothers—of course they were—but a part of him couldn't help but wish he was the one spending every moment with K instead...

The next morning, Euijoo slept in, taking advantage of the lighter schedule. He woke up naturally, dragging himself out of bed and fixing his hair before heading to the kitchen for water. Surprisingly, he was the first one up. He sent K a simple Good morning text before scrolling through Weverse.

Fans were buzzing about nichojoo, spinning delusional theories and shipping him with Nicholas. Euijoo chuckled, rolling his eyes before locking his phone.

"Good morning," he greeted quietly when Nicholas entered the kitchen.

"Morning," Nicholas replied, running a hand through his messy hair. "By the way... I was wondering if you wanna go shopping together after practice. We can go to the puppy café too."

Euijoo shrugged. "Sure." There wasn't much else to do after practice anyway.

The seven of them spent the day at dance and vocal practice—nothing too intense. Afterward, Euijoo and Nicholas set off for their little outing.

The puppy café was fun, the playful dogs helping to lift Euijoo's mood a little, but K remained at the back of his mind. He missed him so much, wishing he could be the one by K's side.

They returned home later. Euijoo dropped his shopping bags by the door and collapsed onto the couch with a heavy sigh. Nicholas flopped down beside him, resting his head on Euijoo's shoulder. Too tired, Euijoo let himself drift off, the warmth of his beat friend's presence lulling him into sleep.

...

Once K and Fuma arrived back home at the dormitory, K's body ached from hours of training, but it was nothing compared to the ache in his heart.

He and Fuma headed to the kitchen, hunger gnawing at them—but when they passed the living room, the sight before him made his blood boil.

Euijoo and Nicholas, asleep together on the couch, Nicholas' head nestled against Euijoo's shoulder.

Fuma immediately sensed the storm brewing inside K, gripping his arm tightly, keeping him from fighting Nicholas right here and now.

"Let's eat... K." His whisper was calm, trying to ground him.

But K's temper flared. Without a word, he spun on his heel and stormed toward the bedroom, ignoring Fuma.

Once alone, he fought the urge to destroy everything in sight. His chest heavy with anger and jealousy. Instead, he stumbled into the bathroom, turning the shower on full blast with icy water. Stepping under the stream—fully clothed—he let the freezing water pour down his body.

He didn't care.

He needed to cool his head.

He needed to forget the sight of Euijoo with Nicholas.

Even if it felt impossible.

______________

A/n: omg guys, help- 😭
And fyi, Fuma was played by mila_yudai (K), and I (EJ) played as Nicholas. 🥲