Chapter Text
“After Huntrix and the Saja Boys announced that they are living in the Huntrix penthouse, in an interview done with Rumi and Jinu, they also announced that they are confirmed to be in a relationship. Now, people have begun to speculate about the other members of the groups. Mystery and Zoey confirmed their relationship on the game show Idle Idols, and to the shock and excitement of fans, Mira, Romance, and Abby stated that they were in a polyamorous relationship, at a red carpet event, what a twist. Given that all of the members have coupled up, it leaves only one question, Will Baby Saja ever date? Will the youngest member of both groups find love?”
“Yesterday, Baby Saja was spotted today in Gwangjang Market eating two different types of ice creams, while riding on a pink scooter through the confused crowd and panicked vendors…”
“He nearly ran over a man selling tteokbokki”, an eyewitness reported, holding a fish pancake like a microphone. “But then he said, ‘SORRY AJUSSHI!’ and gave him a finger heart. I cried.”
“He was so fast,” another eyewitness said, “Too fast, I think he drifted past me, like, actually drifted, I swear he winked at me.”
And tonight, we’ll cover more rumors on the identity of Baby Saja’s rumored sister. Read more below.”
Baby scoffs scrolling on his phone as he reads the newest post by dispatch, the picture they included was one when Baby was driving the pink scooter, holding the two ice creams in one hand as the other one steered. He wanted ice cream, sue him.
He whistles as he walks down the street, hands in his pockets, hearing the familiar music that he had been working on with Zoey catches his attention. Looking at the billboard, he sees the MV of the new Huntrix song that they just released, Arirang Sori, a traditional take on the Arirang song, with a new beat, lyrics, and style.
The girls wanted to create a song that sampled Arirang and infused traditional instruments with an almost EDM sound, the mv featured them wearing traditional hair pieces, Rumi with daenggi braided into her hair, Zoey’s buns secured by a binyeo, Mira with a cheopji.
When Zoey had approached Baby about the concept, he agreed to help write some of the lyrics and based on the initial fan reactions, they loved it as well.
The Saja Boys had released their album the past month, Baby felt the pride from his hard work blooming inside of him with every fan reaction, posts online of how much they loved it, each song Baby felt was a piece of him.
Stepping into the boba shop, Baby stands in line, scrolling on his phone, going through his friends' stories, seeing Jinu posted Rumi standing on a bridge, Baby rolling his eyes at Jinu’s loving caption, ‘The view is so beautiful here’.
Zoey posted a short video in the practice rooms in the penthouse, saying happily that she was giving the fans a glimpse into the work that Mira goes into to choreograph songs, Mira laughing loudly in front of the mirror, Arirang Sori playing in the background.
Romance stood in a studio, cameramen around him, working on a new photoshoot for his next brand deal, he captioned it, ‘It’s hard being this beautiful and work this hard’
Abby stood in the kitchen, flour on his face, Mystery having posted it, writing ‘Jinu is going to be mad’ with Jinu tagged.
Baby laughs knowing that they’re all going to get another lecture by Jinu on how the kitchen was not meant for shenanigans and that they shouldn't mess around pretending they could cook. Baby didn’t know why he had to be there, the only time he went into the kitchen was to hide in the cabinets.
Tapping to view the next story, Baby pauses looking at the screen, half of Min-ho’s face in the picture as it focuses on his palette he was holding, a canvas in front of him. A small smile on Min-ho’s face, his orange hair wild, sitting in his new art studio that he just started renting.
The line keeps moving, Baby pockets his phone, stepping forward and ordering at the counter, picking up his drinks when they’re ready, Baby heads out of the shop, heading down the street in the familiar path that he’s been taking recently.
______
Min-ho steps back looking at his work in front of him, the large canvas a fluid motion of color with crystal roses falling down a vibrant background, light shining off the crystals, translucent light glares as if they were behind glass, a glorious celebration of light and color on the canvas.
He feels himself smiling as he takes it in, painting had been his one escape growing up, he finally felt free that he could do what he wanted whenever he felt like it. Min-ho was grateful to Mira for helping him find the studio near the penthouse that he could rent so he could have a private place to work.
At first, Min-ho didn’t think that he would be able to paint how he wanted to fully, but after being encouraged by not only Mira but Romance and Abby, he had held a small art show at a museum, the turn out was nothing like he expected.
Hundreds of people came, looking at his art, complimenting how good it was, telling him that he had to do more. When all three of his works were bought instantly that night, Min-ho felt something shift inside of him.
Bobby helped him find a manager to help set up his art shows and the networking, it all felt so surreal, but Min-ho found himself excited for something that he was still working on. He wanted to create a twelve art piece showcase, something vibrant, to show who he was and was becoming, Min-ho had already completed ten of the pieces, the new crystal rose becoming the eleventh.
He didn’t know what the final art piece was going to be, his style was eclectic, vibrant in colors, the theme was color behind the glass, each piece painted and over the top, it looked like there was glare of the glass on top.
Min-ho wanted to show how much was behind the glass that he hid behind for so long, who he was behind the walls.
Startling, Min-ho hears the door swinging open, turning to look, Min-ho sees Baby walking into the studio like he owned the place, holding two boba cups.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” Min-ho says, watching as Baby shrugs, looking at the multiple huge canvas’ on the ground, some leaning against the wall, a kaleidoscope of colors, Min-ho blinks, Baby’s pink sweater matching the chandelier piece that he had just completed a couple days ago.
“It looks good, which one are you working on?” Baby asks, ignoring Min-ho’s statement, coming over and looking at the crystal rose canvas he just finished, Min-ho couldn’t help but watch Baby’s reaction.
Baby had been coming more often to his studio, not that he minded, all of the group have come once in a while, Mira most of all, to hang out with him, Min-ho liked the peace whenever she came, the comfortable silence between them.
“I just finished, what do you think?” Min-ho asks, Baby studies it for a minute, before taking a sip of his milk tea, holding the orange one out to Min-ho.
“My favorite is still the pirate ship,” Baby says, Min-ho laughs as he grabs the tea from Baby, taking a sip of it. It was orange flavored, with orange popping pearls. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Baby was holding his phone, taking a picture.
“What are you doing?” Min-ho asks suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at Baby who grins at his phone.
“You match,” Baby says smugly, turning the phone around showing Min-ho the screen, the picture showing Min-ho, his orange hair crazy from the amount of times that he pushed it back while painting, a small smear of orange paint on his cheek, the orange tea in his hand.
“Funny, now delete it,” Min-ho says only half serious, as Baby laughs walking away from the main area, heading over to the cart in the middle of the room where Min-ho kept the majority of his supplies.
“You look like a clementine,” Baby’s voice is light, playful, giving Min-ho a grin, Min-ho can’t quite find it in him to argue fully with him only offering a light protest.
“I am not a clementine,” Min-ho says, knowing that Baby is ignoring him, leaning down to the boxes, opening the flaps with eager curiosity.
Baby pulls out multiple brushes, beginning to twirl one of them in his hand as he keeps moving around the room, opening the boxes that had just arrived that morning with more supplies. Min-ho shakes his head, picking up the brushes on the ground with his finished piece heading to the sink to clean them up.
A thud makes Min-ho’s head snap over to Baby, seeing him standing by the boxes having dropped the large jar of white paint on the ground, still sealed.
“Oops,” Min-ho sighs at Baby’s words, setting his tea down, Min-ho walks over to him, grabbing the jar from him and placing it on the cart next to them.
“Sorry clementine,” Baby jokes with a wide smile, Min-ho snorts shaking his head at his antics, Baby was always going through his supplies, coming into Min-ho’s room when he said that one of the couples were ‘acting gross’ and he ‘needed to escape’, but for some reason, Min-ho found himself never minding it.
Being around Baby was easy, Min-ho still sometimes worried about how he was acting, if he would make them angry at something he was doing, but Baby never made him feel like he had to think about his actions before doing something.
“Try not to break everything,” Min-ho’s voice is light, not angry as Baby laughs, heading over to the final empty canvas in the middle of the room.
“What’s your last one going to be?” Baby asks, sipping on his tea, Min-ho walks over, standing by his side.
“I don’t know, the other ones just came to me so easily, but this one hasn’t yet, just trying to find inspiration,” Min-ho shrugs, his other work were easy to conceptualize, imagining the pieces working together, but now he had to find the right thing to bring the entire journey together.
Baby hums, crouching down as he looks at the canvas, Min-ho watches carefully, his mind racing as he tries to come up with a new idea. Baby tilts his head, Min-ho sees his blue hair, swaying with the movement, his pink sweater, the purple and red details on his sneakers, it matches his work almost perfectly.
Baby rests his arm on his arm on his knee, holding his tea stretched out, Min-ho can feel his mind racing, the idea of the next piece slowly forming in his mind. Clearing his throat, Min-ho breaks his gaze away realizing how intently he was staring.
“Can I sketch you?” Min-ho asks, before his words reach his own ears, he can feel his cheeks burning as Baby looks back at him, “I mean- if that’s okay! I just want to see if I can find some inspiration, and you don’t have anything else going on, unless you do, then that’s fine too.”
A beat passes, Min-ho scratches the back of his head as he averts his eyes, feeling Baby’s stare on him.
“Sure, anything to help the poor, struggling artist,” Baby says with a laugh, Min-ho lets out a breath of relief as Baby moves to flop down onto the green couch that Min-ho brought into his studio.
Grabbing his sketchpad, Min-ho sits on the stool, as Baby pulls out his phone, scrolling aimlessly, Min-ho turns on his music, a mix of Huntrix and the Saja Boys songs, ‘Starr’ turning on first, Baby’s solo track on their album.
Min-ho sees Baby glancing up at the speaker, but he doesn’t say anything, Min-ho exhales, ignoring it and beginning to sketch. Taking him in, really taking him in, Min-ho finds himself drifting off as he sketches, the contours of his features, the light from the giant windows, highlighting his cheekbones, the bridge of his nose, one of his hands that held onto his phone.
Time passes slowly and Min-ho finds himself wishing that they could just stay like this, suspended in time, being around Baby always made Min-ho feel calm, like he didn’t have to pretend or perform to be someone he wasn’t. It was just natural.
______
Friday evening meant movie night with Min-ho, and Baby looked forward to it every week. Sometimes the others would go out on ‘date night’, getting away from the busy work week or they would sometimes chill in their rooms, decompressing. Baby really loved his work throughout the week, heading to the studio, in meetings with other producers and promoters, live stream appearances with the Saja Boys. But Friday nights were for him. Chilling with Min-ho, catching up on pop culture. Copious amounts of buttered popcorn, a certainly unhealthy amount of candy, and vibes.
The past two weeks they started the Fast and Furious franchise. Abby had shown Baby the movie almost a year ago, and Baby thought it was the greatest thing ever. Fast cars, dramatic one liners, flashy cars, and found family? Shirtless Vin Diesel growling about family for the eight hundredth time? Sign him up. Baby declared it peak cinema right then and there.
Better than Twilight that’s for sure.
Min-ho thought the first two movies were fine, but Baby knew that Tokyo Drift would convert him to being a fan just as quickly as Baby was.
By the time Tokyo Drift was queued up, Baby was wrapped up burrito style with a mint green blanket (a fan gift of course), on the couch, claiming half of the couch, a tub of popcorn balanced precariously on his lap.
Min-ho entered, carrying two bottles of grape soda and the large bowl they used to keep the candy all in one convenient spot, “You’re gonna spill that popcorn.”
“No I’m not,” Baby started to say, shifting to give Min-ho space, but then the popcorn bowl started to slide, spilling a few pieces on the floor, “Okay these are just traitors.”
Min-ho huffed a laugh, “You’ve got Dom Toretto energy tonight.”
Baby sat up straighter, puffing his chest, “I live my life a quarter mile at a time.”
Min-ho snorted, “You live your life fifteen seconds behind because you keep rewinding the same stunt scene from the last movie.”
“It was art , Min-ho,” Baby said, seriously. “Let me feel things . ”
Min-ho laughed and Baby beamed. Baby found himself really liking the sound of Min-ho’s laugh, his real one, not the polite one he gave to people who weren’t actually funny. It was quiet but still joyful. Private. Reserved for Mira, and sometimes, for him. Min-ho often tried to act like he was untouchable, and always put together, but in moments like this, in his sweatpants and with popcorn salt dusting his fingers, relaxed, soft around the edges, a little tired, real, Baby found he wanted to hang out with Min-ho more.
They settled in as the movie began, the flickering light from the screen casting soft glows across their faces. Baby leaned his head just slightly against Min-ho’s shoulder, not enough to say anything by it, but enough to feel something solid beside him.
Min-ho passed Baby the candy bowl, like he knew exactly that was what Baby wanted to eat.
Baby munched, eyes still on the screen. “You think we’d survive in the Fast & Furious universe?”
Min-ho paused, “You’d be the wheelman. No question.”
“Duh.”
“And I’d be the one who keeps telling everyone not to jump out of planes with cars attached to them.”
“Also duh.”
They grinned at each other, and Baby felt a strange warmth in his chest, not butterflies, exactly. Not tension either. Just, full. Like the kind of feeling that didn’t need a label. The kind that didn’t need to change to mean something.
Baby tried to get his attention back onto the movie, he loved the street races in this one, something about the neon-drenched aesthetics of streets of Tokyo captured Baby’s imagination. It inspired him to think about a new song, something techy, upbeat, a bit of Daft Punk style. There was something about the glow of vending machines, the sharp turns, the way the tires screamed but the drivers stayed completely calm. It was all motion and style and control. Flashy but precise.
“I wanna go to Tokyo someday,” he said softly, eyes still fixed on the screen. “Not just for work or a fan sign or a shoot. Like, actually go . Explore the alleys. Eat some snacks. Ride a train without knowing where it’s going.”
Min-ho looked over at him, thoughtful. “So why haven’t you?”
Baby shrugged. “We’re always working. And I don’t know, it feels like something other people do. People who don’t have choreo memorized down to the millisecond or fans tracking their airport outfits.”
There was a beat of silence.
Then, Min-ho said simply, “Let’s go. I’ll go with you, Youngho.”
Baby blinked. “What?”
Min-ho leaned his head against the back of the couch. “We’ve got a break after the comeback, right? A short one, but still. Let’s do it. Just a couple days or whatever. You and me. Eat all the weird snacks. Get lost in Shibuya.”
Baby turned slowly, taking him in. Min-ho wasn’t joking. There was no teasing in his eyes, just quiet sincerity.
“You’d really do that?”
“Of course,” Min-ho said. “You wanna go. I wanna go. Seems simple.”
Baby’s mouth quirked into a smile that felt like sunshine, “We could find that arcade from the movie.”
“And I can finally see you destroy me at claw machines in person.”
Baby laughed, then nudged him with his foot, “You’re gonna regret that.”
Min-ho laughed with him, and Baby felt warm again.
Baby watched Min-ho for a second too long. It was just, he liked being here. With him. Liked that Min-ho’s presence didn’t ask for anything. Liked that they could sit side by side and let the world fall away, one explosion-filled car chase at a time.
“You good?” Min-ho asked, catching the look.
“Yeah,” Baby said quickly, sitting back. “Just thinking.”
Min-ho raised an eyebrow. “About going to Japan, the movie, or how you’re gonna quote it nonstop again for the next week?”
“Both,” Baby grinned. “I’m planning a full speech for breakfast tomorrow. Something dramatic. Something Toretto . ”
Min-ho chuckled again, that real laugh slipping out like a reward.
Baby turned back to the screen, hiding his own smile behind a handful of popcorn. They resumed watching, but now Baby kept thinking about him and Min-ho in Tokyo. How fun, it would be. He also thought back to earlier that same day, when Min-ho asked him if he could sketch him, Baby didn’t know what to think. Why would Min-ho want to sketch him, after all of the cool stuff he’s made, he didn’t fit in with the pieces.
Shaking his head, Baby focused back on the movie, it was probably just a weird artist thing that they liked to do.
Min-ho laughed at the TV, breaking Baby out of his train of thought. He refocused on the movie, content to sit next to him, Min-ho’s warmth grounding him. He didn’t need to overthink anything right now. Not when it meant that sitting next to Min-ho, eating popcorn and watching people drift through Tokyo streets, felt like the safest place in the world.