Yeonjun's POV:

When I stepped out of my room, I grabbed a carton of milk from the fridge and leaned against the kitchen counter, sipping absentmindedly. The sound of footsteps made me glance up. Chaeyon was standing there, fidgeting.

"Yeonjun..." she murmured hesitantly.

I raised an eyebrow, humming in question.

"Is Beomgyu... angry with me?" she asked softly.

I didn’t answer immediately, taking another sip of milk instead. "Why do you think that?"

"It’s... obvious," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

I sighed, setting the milk down. "If it’s so obvious to you, then let me make it clear—Beomgyu doesn’t like you," I said bluntly.

Her gaze dropped, and she started fiddling with her fingers. "Should I talk to him?" she asked, her tone uncertain.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, exhaling sharply. "What would you even say?"

"I don’t know... I thought I’d apologize for my presence and maybe try to get closer to him. Try to understand him better," she said, looking directly into my eyes.

I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. "He’s with Kai right now. Maybe he’ll cool off. But if you really want to talk to him, fine. Just don’t come running to me, Soobin, or the manager if he’s rude to you."

Chaeyon nodded firmly. "Don’t worry. I’ll handle it."

I gave her a noncommittal shrug and returned to my milk as she disappeared to continue her chores.

Taehyun's POV:

The dance studio was quiet except for the sound of my warm-up stretches. Midway through, I saw Beomgyu hyung and Kai walk in.

"Hey!" I greeted with a smile.

Both of them smiled back.

"Didn’t expect to see you guys here," I said, walking over.

Beomgyu chuckled. "We just finished a recording rehearsal and thought we’d loosen up a bit."

Kai nodded in agreement. "Our bodies felt stiff, so we decided to come here."

I giggled, resuming my stretches. "Makes sense."

As we warmed up together, I asked Beomgyu casually, "What are Yeonjun and Soobin hyung up to back at the dorms?"

Beomgyu paused for a fraction of a second, enough to make me notice. "...I don’t know," he mumbled.

Kai chimed in, saving the moment. "Yeonjun’s probably chilling, and Soobin’s discussing something with the manager."

I nodded, though my gaze lingered on Beomgyu. His mood had visibly shifted. I decided not to press him, it wasn’t my place, especially considering the current situation with Chaeyon. Everyone had mixed feelings about her, and Beomgyu hyung was particularly sensitive.

Honestly, I understood. None of us really wanted someone looking after us like this. I couldn’t say anything against the manager’s decision, though.

Soobin's POV:

I sat in the office with Manager Lee and the director, discussing our upcoming album. The director suddenly leaned forward, his expression curious.

"I heard some girl named Chaeyon is living with you guys now," he said.

Manager Lee sighed and left to handle other tasks, leaving me to address the director’s remark.

I nodded stiffly. "Yeah."

The director raised an eyebrow. "And you’re okay with that?"

I exhaled heavily, shaking my head. "...It’s not like we had a choice. It was Manager Lee’s decision."

The director hummed thoughtfully. "Are you guys treating her well, at least?"

I bit my lip, trying to find the right words. "We are... but Beomgyu’s still not comfortable around her."

He nodded knowingly. "That’s understandable. Beomgyu’s not the type to adjust easily, and Yeonjun isn’t either."

"Exactly," I replied. "But even if we’re against it, we can’t change the situation. My biggest worry is the rumors. Just one misunderstanding could cause MOAs to spread all kinds of theories."

The director placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I get it. It’s a risky decision, especially considering how cautious Manager Lee usually is. But at least you know he’ll back you guys up if things go south."

"Yeah... thanks," I said with a small smile.

He returned the smile. "Heading back to the dorms now?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

When I returned to the dorm, I found Yeonjun lounging on the couch, scrolling through his phone, and Chaeyon in the kitchen, busy preparing dinner.

Yeonjun glanced up as I walked in. "Oh, hyung, you're back."

I nodded, setting my bag down beside the couch. "Yeah. Where’s everyone?"

Yeonjun continued to look at his phone. "Beomgyu and Kai went for song rehearsals, and Taehyun probably went to the dance practice room."

I sat down, resting my back against the couch. "Why are you here by yourself? You could’ve gone with them."

Yeonjun gave me a side-eye. "I didn’t want to. Besides... what were you talking about with Manager Lee?"

I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Nothing, just about our album. I just want it released earlier."

Yeonjun smirked slightly. "Yeah, I’d want that too."

Our conversation was low enough so Chaeyon wouldn’t hear.

A/N POV:

A while later, Beomgyu, Kai, and Taehyun returned to the dorm. Beomgyu removed his cap and mask as soon as he entered, and his eyes immediately found Soobin on the couch. The moment he saw Yeonjun, who was already looking at him, Beomgyu rolled his eyes and headed straight for his room without greeting anyone.

Yeonjun sighed as he watched Beomgyu walk away. Taehyun, who was taking off his own cap and mask, looked confused. Beomgyu had been fine just a moment ago, so why was he suddenly in such a mood?

He glanced over at Kai, who was trying to smile awkwardly, and then at Soobin, who mirrored his uncertainty. Yeonjun looked... upset? The room was thick with tension until Chaeyon’s voice broke through the silence.

"Oh, you’re all back! Dinner is almost ready," she called from the kitchen.

Taehyun smiled softly. "Sure... Kai, mind giving me a minute?"

Kai nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Kai and Taehyun disappeared into Taehyun’s room, leaving Soobin to look at Yeonjun.

"You should talk to Beomgyu," Soobin said quietly.

Yeonjun raised an eyebrow. "I didn’t say anything to offend him."

Soobin sighed lightly. "Look, nothing is going right these days. Let’s not make things worse, okay?"

Yeonjun nodded slowly. "Fine, but don’t expect me to apologize to Beomgyu or anything."

Soobin exhaled, a soft "hm" escaping his lips.

Kai’s POV:

I knew what Taehyun was going to ask the moment we were alone in his room.

"So... Kai, what’s going on?"

I sighed and explained everything that had happened between Yeonjun and Beomgyu, filling him in on the tension.

Taehyun closed his eyes and crossed his arms. After a long breath, he opened them again. "Now what can I even say..."

I nodded, frustrated. "Exactly. And the fact that Manager Lee has no idea what’s going on between us because of Chaeyon’s sudden appearance makes it worse."

Taehyun agreed. "It was a really bad and unreasonable decision to have her here."

I let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, it’s hard enough pretending I’m comfortable with her around."

Taehyun nodded. "I get it, but we can’t do anything about it."

I sighed again, feeling the weight of it all. "Let’s just go eat."

The thought of eating Chaeyon’s cooking didn’t excite me. It wasn’t that she was a bad cook, but I just wasn’t in the mood. However, I couldn’t exactly avoid it.

"Yeah," Taehyun agreed, but I could tell he wasn’t thrilled either.

To be continued....