☆𝔼ℕℍ𝕐ℙ𝔼ℕ 𝔸𝔻𝔻𝔼𝔻 𝕄𝔼𝕄𝔹𝔼ℝ☆

☆Chapter Seventy One☆

The end of 2022 came quickly, and just as quickly as it ended, 2023 came around just as fast. It was mid-April, and the group just announced their upcoming album Dark Blood. The group had just come back home after a long day of recording and were settling down in the dorms for the night. It was around midnight on a Friday, and Haerin and Sunoo were the only ones awake by now, having their weekly midnight gossip session in the dark sitting on the living room floor. But today, they also had another guest. Ni-ki, who was snuggled into Haerin as he listened into the conversation the two were having.

"Have you two ever thought about going public?" Sunoo questioned as he took another large spoonful of his mint chocolate ice cream.

"I don't think I have." Haerin shook her head, taking a scoop of her ice cream, which was the same flavour. "What about you, Riki?" She hummed, looking down at the boy whose eyes were closed and her free arm wrapped around him.

"Me either." He mumbled, clearly tired.

"Well, I think you two should." Sunoo said. "I mean, it's pretty obvious to the fans that there's something obvious going on between the both of you."

"Hm, really?" Haerin asked.

"Mhm." Sunoo nodded. "Some people say Ni-ki has hearts in his eyes whenever you speak or even say his name. Or even how you get flustered whenever Ni-ki's in close proximity to you." Sunoo said. "There's even compilations of you two being unofficial lovers." He added. "Plus, you two have been dating for like a year and a half, so if you leave it any longer, fans will feel a bit betrayed that yall never told them sooner." He shrugged.

"Haerin's fan boys are scary." Ni-ki whispered. "Remember when the thing happened during Manifesto comeback, they were literally threatening that girl who spread the rumours."

"As they should." Sunoo clapped. "But either way, Ni-ki, your fan boys are scarier, and Haerins fan girls are even worse than the boys."

"Do you know what? Let's just settle for both of our fans are scary." Haerin said.

"Either way, even if they're a scary, they all should be happy with both of yours decision." Sunoo added. "But take into consideration what I said. If you both don't want to do it, then you don't have to."

.⭒☆━━━✰━━━☆⭒.

It was around three days later from the initial conversation they had about going public, and here they were back at the same topic. But this time, they were seated in a practice room.

"So do we tell management?" Haerin pondered as she laid on her back on the floor, looking at the blinding white ceiling lights of the practice room.

"But if we do, would they make us break up?" Ni-ki questioned as he lay on the floor beside her.

"Okay, then we just don't tell management." Haerin sighed.

"Then do we tell the fans directly?" Ni-ki asked.

"I don't know?" Haerin shrugged.

"Or how about you two make little slip ups instead?" Heesung suggested as he hovered over the two on the floor as he smiled.

"Go on, we're listening." Haerin said as she looked at him.

"Forget about anything you two said about trying not to get caught, do stuff to get caught." Heesung said.

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Ni-ki questioned.

"Just act like how you two do in the dorms and forget that there are cameras around." Heesung instructed them. "It's quite simple, plus we can help too."

From that moment on, given the new idea, the two had one objective.

Be caught.

.⭒☆━━━✰━━━☆⭒.

For the first few days, fulfilling their objective was easy. Just act closer than they usually do on camera. They even watched some compilations of them on YouTube and Tiktok to see what they could do to improve.

Today, the group started a live stream while they were at the company for a short while. Haerin and Ni-ki were seated on the right-hand on the back row on stools, Sunghoon and Sunoo were next to them, and the rest were in the front row.

Most of the members were interacting with the fans while Haerin sat reading all the comments on the ipad given to her. As she did, Ni-ki leaned his head on her shoulder, reading the comments as well. With this action, Haerin faked yawned and swiftly put her arm around Ni-ki's shoulder.

Sunghoon glanced at the two beside him and side eyed them as he watched their display of affection go on. "Those to make me feel ill." Sunghoon briefly whispered to Sunoo.

"Nah, I think they look cute." Sunoo laughed quietly as he glanced at the two with a large smile plastered on his face.

"Of course you do." Sunghoon rolled his eyes before going back to whatever he was doing moments before.

For the next couple of group lives, the most they were doing was just leaning on each other and hugging. But most Engene's didn't think much of it as they already knew that the two had a close relationship, both being the youngest of the group.