Chapter 6

"And… cut!" the assistant director called, "Well done gentleman. Let's take a small break and we'll resume with the dance line feature at Set A in just a few minutes. Thank you all!"

Now on their fifth day on set, things were going smoothly. Han had not had another major setback since that first day, after which he had miraculously delivered performance after stellar performance. Though initially worried about wasting precious time, he felt the team had more than made up for it. They were even ahead of schedule by just a few takes, which—if the director was feeling generous—meant they might be dismissed early today.

The Stray Kids men all took a moment to sit down and rest, stretching their sore backs and legs. For the first time in a long time, things felt almost normal. Minho still kept a healthy distance from Han, but they could at least occupy the same space again without nauseating awkwardness. The regiment of work graciously kept them functioning like it always had, and while things certainly weren't fully healed, it at least felt a little better.

"Dance line, two minutes to marks!"

Hyunjin stretched his long, willowy arms upward and groaned. "No fair!" he whined. "You guys get to rest while we have to go do more work."

"But you're the prettiest one out there, Jinnie." Changbin cooed. "You have to go out there and make us look good."

"And what are we, Hyunjinie's back up dancers?" Felix huffed.

"Man, I wrote this dance!" Minho rebuked, shoving a laughing Changbin. "Give me some credit!"

"We'll all applaud you proudly—from way over here!" Seungmin chimed.

The rest of the group all laughed while Felix, Hyunjin, and Minho all waved them off. Han watched as the dance trio set up their feature and practiced a few sets. While the other members stayed laying down or sitting, enjoying their brief respite, Han wandered over to the viewfinder screen, a monitor which displayed a preview shot of the director's camera. In the distance, he could hear the director and assistants calling instructions, but in the little screen he could clearly see his friends framed perfectly up close. Minho was dancing center for this take, it seemed. Han heard the music flair back on and he watched the little screen.

The camera started at a wide angle, capturing Felix and Hyunjin on the sides, but then it moved forward, drawing closer to focus on Minho. He commanded such a presence when he danced. It was breathtaking. He landed every beat perfectly, hit every angle with precision, and he did not even look the least bit tired or unconfident. It was as though he was so deeply in his element while dancing that everything else faded into the background until it was only Minho. Han admired quietly how clean his movements were, how he maintained intoxicating eye contact with the camera. This choreography was proactive, and Minho legitimately looked like he might come straight through the camera and ravage the viewer. He just looked so damn good.

"Better pick your jaw up off the floor," a voice behind him said.

Han visibly jumped in surprise. He had not realized Chan was standing right next to him—nor had he realized his mouth was hanging open slightly. He tried to casually laugh off his embarrassment. "Chan-hyung, don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Better be careful or your face will stick like that."

"Shut up," Han huffed, but he could feel heat in his ears.

Chan smirked and leaned into Han, resting his head on Han's shoulder. "How are you, eh?"

"Good, good," Han nodded, for the first time feeling he could actually respond somewhat honestly. "It's been a fun shoot."

Chan gave a sort of 'Hmm' in agreement, then he lifted his head. He too now fixed his gaze on the viewfinder monitor. "And… how are things with Lino?"

Startled, Han turned to face Chan more directly, measuring his expression carefully. How much did Chan know? What had Minho told him? Or was Chan just being his usual observant, paternal self? As team leader it was his responsibility to look after all the Stray Kids, so it should not have been a surprise to know he had some awareness of what was going on. Han searched Chan's face for an answer to all these questions, but his elder was too difficult to read.

Han chewed his lip self-consciously, wondering how to respond. Eventually, he opted to proceed with honesty, but he wanted to remain vague to protect Minho's privacy. He had no way of knowing what details Chan did or did not know. "It's been hard," he gulped. "Really hard. But it's gotten a little better."

Chan nodded, quietly evaluating Han's response before he answered, "That's good to hear," he said, but then he gave a weighty sigh. "But, ah—I need to let you know. We – the team – we're all concerned about you both." Han gave him an inquisitive look. Chan continued. "We know something is wrong, and we've tried to give you space to figure things out on your own. But it's starting to impact your work, Jisungie. Both you and Lino are not as focused as you usually are. You're distracted. You're not staying healthy. It's not only noticeable, but it's beginning to affect the whole group."

Han swallowed. So, he was right to assume that the group had noticed the tension and chose not to get involved. But whether out of their true care for their friends or even from the worry of self-preservation and protecting Stray Kids, they now seem to have called for an intervention. As usual, their trusted leader Chan was the sounding board.

Han did not really know how to answer. It was painful to hear his flaws called out, but it was even more shameful to know that he was harming his team, his friends. He had a responsibility to Stray Kids and so did Minho, and they were acting selfishly to worry only about their personal problems.

But…

His eyes flitted again to the monitor, watching Minho sway, flick, and bend without worry, unaware they were talking about him in that very moment. The team did not know about Minho's inclinations. They did not see the fear and shame and worry in his eyes that day. Han had to protect Minho so… he lied.

"Concerned?" he feigned confusion. "Nah – Lino-hyung and I had a fight, but we've come to terms. I'm very sorry to have caused any stress on the group." He crossed his arms, trying to appear confident. "I promise we will do better for the team. Lino and I have it handled."

Chan arched an eyebrow and glanced briefly back at the screen before looking Han squarely in the eye. "Hannie, between you and me," he shoved his hands in his pockets, "I can tell just by how you were looking at him: things are very much not handled."

The heat in Han's ears spread further down his neck. Damnit Chan. His perceptive abilities could be annoyingly accurate. Han looked away, clearly embarrassed and unsure how to respond. He felt too frightened to do or say the wrong thing in case it somehow exposed Minho.

Chan seemed to take mercy on him, clapping a hand on his shoulder and speaking closely, so that others would not overhear. "Listen," he began, "I don't know what happened between you, and you don't have to tell me. All I know is that when you two are separated, you have performed at your poorest…but when you are together, you are unstoppable." His expression became softer, like a worried father. "Jisungie, you were a mess on the first day. I've never seen you perform like that. But ten minutes with Lino and you came out here and killed it." He squeezed Han's shoulder affectionately. "I know it's a lot to ask of you to try and resolve this quickly, but our team needs you – both of you – back to your full selves. We are not Stray Kids without you…" he trailed off, but his grip on Han's shoulder was firm and comforting. He slowly turned Han to face him, placing both of his hands on either of Han's arms, forcing Han to look directly at him. "And… you should know… we all love you both. We are a family, and families support each other no matter what, yeah? Whatever the struggle is, we'll survive it together."

Han felt as though his chest was vibrating. He swallowed hard to keep the tremors at bay and blinked furiously at the stinging in his eyes.

"Hey, hey—none of that," Chan smiled and pulled Han into a big bear hug. "Don't go crying your makeup off. We may still have a few more takes to shoot." Han laughed lightly as Chan pulled away. He gave him a caring, genuine smile. "We're rooting for you, and we'll all be waiting for you on the other side, okay?"

Han nodded, both grateful and uneasy. He should have known it would come to this eventually. He and Minho could not keep doing this forever. It would tear them apart, as well the team.

Han sighed, finally resolved. He knew what he needed to do.