Juhoon had learned a long time ago that rumors had a pulse.

They breathed in the hallways, whispered backstage, hid inside comments online. They lingered after interviews and curled themselves into every accidental glance caught on camera.

Fan 1:"Did you see the way James looked at Juhoon?"

Fan 2:"They're always together."

Fan 3:"There's no way they're just friends."

It never stopped.

And every single time, the answer was the same.

"No."

"We're just close."

"You guys are reading too much into it."

It became muscle memory. Smile, laugh, and deny.

You, Juhoon, hated lying. Not because I was bad at it—you weren't.

After months of practice, you could answer without hesitating. You could laugh naturally, shake your head, throw an arm around James' shoulders and tell everyone they were crazy.

The cameras loved it.. And the fans either believed it or decided you were lying harder than ever. There wasn't much in-between.

James was always beside you.

If you forgot your water bottle, he'd already have it. If he was exhausted after rehearsal, You’d quietly finish packing his things while he showered. If interviews dragged on too long, you’d catch his eye from across the room, and somehow you’d both know exactly what the other was thinking.

It wasn't planned. It was just... us.

Sometimes you’d scroll through edits together. James would laugh so hard he'd nearly fall off the couch.

We laughed. We always laughed. Then we'd put our phones away and never mention it again.

The only problem was... Every denial hurts a little more. Not because I cared what strangers thought. Because every time someone asked—

"So... anything between you two?"*

—you wanted to say yes. Instead, you smiled.

"No."*

James smiled too.

"No."*

It got worse after the tour started. Long flights. Late nights. Hotel rooms stacked side by side.

Some mornings you’d wake up to three missed calls from James. Other nights you’d sit on the floor eating convenience store ramen because neither of you wanted to sleep yet.

There were moments you caught him staring. Not for a second. Long enough that anyone would notice. He'd immediately look away and you'd pretend you hadn't seen.. Then spend the rest of the day wondering why.

Tonight had another interview. Another host with a grin that knew exactly what they were doing.

"So..."

They dragged the word out dramatically.

"Everyone wants to know."

James was already laughing. You wanted to disappear.

"Are the dating rumors finally true?"

Silence. Every member looked at us.Every camera. Every producer. James answered first.