Entres Nous

He didn’t have to ask Seungho what he thought of the new girl the instant they saw her. His eyes were captivated by hers, big, chocolate-colored eyes staring straight at his leader’s, her lips turned upwards into a shy smile as Thunder introduced her to the group. G.O could immediately tell Thunder liked her, from the way he placed his hand over her shoulder and squeezed, to the cute, little glances he gave her, a warm, lovesick grin planted on his face.

But Thunder was naive. And the girl’s eyes never removed themselves from their leader’s. G.O shook his head.

Two weeks passed and although he didn’t see the girl for more than just a brief hour or two he certainly did hear about her from Thunder. The second youngest in the group wouldn’t stop talking about her for a moment, from recalling just exactly how they met to making sure everyone knew just how pretty and fantastic she was. The boy was in love. And when G.O turned to look at Seungho for any sign of envy all he got were two cold pair of eyes looking at one of the maknae’s, not with jealousy, but with sadness.

When Thunder announced to everyone he would be working on his solo, G.O was sure he meant well when he turned over to his leader and asked him to take care of the girl. She was young, her korean wasn’t very good, and he had been teaching her during his free time and he wondered if he could take his place while he worked. He was sure he was the only one who hear the hesitance in the leader’s voice the moment he said, ‘ne’.

He didn’t think much about it as the days went by and the girl started to spend more and more time around them. While Thunder liked to keep her to himself, Seungho treated her out, introducing her to all the members and asking her to come hang around with them when she had time. At first it was slightly uncomfortable, but once they all got to know her, she turned out to be pretty fun after all. She wasn’t someone who ever seemed to be afraid, always riding the highest rollercoasters when they went to Everland, always hopping over fences to see what was on the other side even when a sign said not to. By the time they knew it, she was part of their lives. Her blonde hair had turned into a bloody red. Her once shy smile had turned into a large grin. She had changed for the better.

But the thing that she did fear was Seungho. When he bumped into her she seemed to shy away. When his hand touched hers she immediately pulled it back like she had just been burnt. G.O could tell a part of Seungho was a little hurt by her actions but nonetheless he pushed on. When he asked the leader why he wouldn’t give up on a girl that didn’t seem interested he said, ‘I am interested enough for two’. By the time he knew it, he found them kissing in the practice room. Yura was the one who noticed they had been caught, but with a single push she backed away from the leader, giving G.O a calm smile as she walked out of the room. Anger flared inside him.

He had to say something before things grew.

“You know Thunder likes her, don’t you?” G.O leaned his back against the wall, switching on his poker face.

“I do.” He sat down on the wooden floor, his face buried in the palms of his hands.

“Then why do you insist of going after her?” He raised his voice. Even though Seungho was the oldest, they were still the same age. “You know how much the betrayal of a brother would hurt Thunder? He left her in your hands thinking he could trust you and you betray his trust? How will you even look at him in the eye when his work ends? How?”

“I don’t know!” Seungho lifted up his head, his eyebrows furrowed together. “I don’t know. I can’t help myself around her. I just can’t. It’s not something I am able to willingly stop, it’s just... she’s just...”

“Force it to stop.” He demanded. “Force it before things grow ugly. This isn’t just about Thunder and you know it. We’re idols. As much as I would love to tell you that having a girlfriend won’t affect the entire group, you know as well as I do that it will. Do you know how much hate girlfriends get from the boy’s fanbase? An idol dating an idol is safer than an idol dating a regular person because idols can be protected. They have bodyguards. They have people looking after them. But what does a regular person have? Themselves.”

He shook his head. “She has me. I can protect her.”

“No you can’t!” G.O raked his hair back. “No you can’t, Seungho. You cannot keep an eye on her 24/7 when we’re doing activities. When we’re going to fan meetings. When we’re having concerts. When we’re on tour. You can’t. It’s physically impossible.”

“I can’t just... end it.”

“Why not? Give me a damn good reason why you can’t.”

Seungho stood up, shrugging his shoulders. “Because I think I’m in love with her.”

G.O picked up his coffee, taking a bigger gulp. “Ah, delicious.”

“Why are you stopping?!” Chan slammed her hand against the table. “Go on, c’mon it’s getting good!”

“Jesus Christ, give me a second. All this talking is making me thirsty, and besides, my co-hee is growing cold.”

“Your what is growing cold?” She grinned.

“Anyway!”

A week later Thunder finished his solo work. By the time he came back the entire group knew about Yura and Seungho, but no one dared telling Thunder about it. They wanted it to remain hidden from outsiders, but most of all, they wanted him to never find out. He wasn’t a child anymore, but G.O was well aware that this was probably Thunder’s first love. He didn’t want to be the one who broke it.

He figured it had been fate that had brought him to presence his maknae’s confession to the one he loved. Sweaty after practice and in need of relief he had always been one to take nice afternoon walks through the deserted parts of the park the building he lived in had, his fingers tracing the trees as he strolled. He found it rather lucky that the only day he didn’t bring music for him to listen to as he walked, he ran into what seemed a way more interesting conversation. He hid behind a tree the moment he heard two familiar voices close by. His head peeked out, his eyes gazing upon two figures that sat on a bench just a couple steps away, but were way too into their own world to notice he was there.

“Hey, do you remember the first time we met?” Thunder asked, leaning back against the wood.

“How could I forget?” Yura smiled, stretching her arms out. “That was probably one of the best adventures ever.”

“When you pushed me out of the bushes and said, ‘let’s meet again sometime’, I almost wanted to scream.” He laughed. “I knew that you honestly meant those words. But I also knew that the chances that we would ever see each other again were as small as an ant. And I didn’t want that. I wanted to be able to meet with you everyday. Every hour. Every minute. I wanted to speak to you more, I wanted to hear all your stories, I wanted to tell you all of mine. I wanted you to be with me.”

“Thunder-,” She started before being cut off by him.

“I wanted you to be mine.” If G.O hadn’t leaned in to listen he would’ve probably never heard what he had said. It was almost a whisper. A whisper he was sure Yura had heard. “I truly and honestly think that I... really love you.”

She embraced him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she pulled him up close, his arms folding around her back as he pushed her towards him. “I love you too.” G.O knew that the maknae felt victorious at that moment. But he also knew Yura was not finished yet. “I love you so much Thunder. But...”

He pulled back from her grasp, his eyes meeting hers, his head shaking from side to side. “Don’t say it.”

“But not in the way you want me to love you.”

G.O had to look away from the scene. It pained him to see his maknae in the position he was in. If he had been the one in his shoes he wouldn’t have known how to react either. At that moment he couldn’t help but hate Yura. But most of all, he couldn’t help but hate Thunder for bringing her into their lives.



Thunder found out about Yura and Seungho faster than G.O had expected. It had taken him by surprise when he had realized the maknae knew, mostly because he had given off no vibe that he was aware his friend had betrayed him. The only thing that gave it away was that he switched rooms with Mir. That was it. He still acted the same, still laughed the same. The only times his face would change into a cold one was when Seungho stepped into the room. His eyes would flicker off even when his smile stayed.

He knew Thunder didn’t blame Yura because he acted like nothing had occurred between them. No silent treatment, no scowls, nothing. Yura and Thunder still hung out like they were best friends after much begging on her side to keep their friendship the same after his confession. Not once did he frown at her. Not once did he speak ill of her with others. His lovestruck eyes never stopped glistening. And when G.O asked if something had happened, he always replied with a, ‘nothing that can’t be fixed’. He was certain the maknae hadn’t given up on one day becoming the girl’s prince.

But the girl couldn’t keep away from her true love. And her true love couldn’t keep away from her. G.O had to give them props. They knew how to act distant and cold around Thunder and loving and kind when he wasn’t there. They knew where to hide and where to go to be alone. Of course, everyone makes mistakes. It sure came as a surprise to them as much as it came to Thunder and G.O when their afternoon schedules got cancelled and they went back to the apartment only to find a shirtless Yura underneath an equally half naked Seungho, his lips on hers, her arms around his neck, and her legs wrapped around his waist.

G.O couldn’t figure out who was more shocked. Whether Yura and Seungho who quickly shoved each other away and ran to different rooms. Or whether Thunder who’s mouth hung open, his head shaking in disbelief as he didn’t bother even taking off his shoes as he walked towards his room, closing the door, only for G.O to hear a muffled scream which he assumed was the maknae yelling into a pillow.

He shook his head.



It started out with letters.

“Hey, that’s the same thing I got at my apartment this morning.” Yura pointed at the mail Seungho was holding, taking out the same envelope he held in his hands. It was colored red, with nothing written on it on the sides. “Want to open it together?”

G.O watched the the corner of his eyes as they sat on the couch, peeling the top of the mail that was glued, slipping out a piece of paper that was folded neatly inside. From the shadow he could tell there was something written in red there, something like paint that seeped through the back but he couldn’t tell exactly what it said. Yura unfolded her paper, dropping it to the floor as she did. They both looked at what it said.

‘Separate’.

Seungho unfolded his own, the same thing written on his. She grabbed it from his hands, pressing her fingers against the letters. The red stuck to her fingers a she took a moment to sniff it. She shook her head, giving a short , nervous laugh. “How... creepy.”

“What?” He asked, taking it from her hand.

“These letters.” Yura looked at him straight in the eye. “They’re written in blood.”