in the midst of the chaotic laughter and playful teasing, the members of xdinary heroes were gearing up for a tiktok trend. the idea was simple: show each other everything on your phone. you were excited, but little did you know, seungmin's phone would steal the show. he unlocked it, revealing his lock screen—a candid photo of you giving him a cute peck on the lips during a late-night date at the beach. the moonlight reflected off the water, and you both looked so happy. his homescreen followed with another candid shot—this time, you asleep in his bed, cuddled up against him. the room went silent, and it felt like everyone was holding their breath.

as he scrolled through his phone, every album in his gallery was filled with pictures of you. gunil’s jaw dropped, jungsu’s eyes widened, and jiseok stared at seungmin in shock. "wait, is this real?" hyeongjun said, his voice faltering, while jooyeon’s eyebrows shot up. "you’re dating her?" jiseok blurted out. the room was still, and everyone turned to look at you, their expressions a mix of surprise, confusion, and awe. you tried to keep your calm, but your heart raced. seungmin simply shrugged, as if showing your relationship was no big deal. "why wouldn’t i want to keep the person i love close by?" he said, his voice steady, and his smile never wavered.

the silence finally broke, and the members began laughing, their initial shock giving way to teasing remarks. "you've been hiding this from us?" gunil asked, his voice still full of disbelief, and jungsu laughed nervously. "how did we not know?" hyeongjun smirked, but his eyes were still wide with surprise. you blushed, hiding your smile, but the tension that had always surrounded your relationship in the group had evaporated. seungmin and you had kept this secret for so long, but now, it felt right—like it was always meant to be this way. the members' reactions were just the beginning, and though you were still the band they’d known, there was a newfound sense of openness and understanding in the air.

— read