Chapter 2: Late Nights, Early Mornings

Jinwoo's eyes fluttered open as pale dawn light filtered through the curtains. He groaned softly, still exhausted after a late recording session the night before. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was already 7AM - only a few hours until he had to be up and about for the day's scheduled activities.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Jinwoo dragged himself out of bed and into the bathroom. As the warm water cascaded over his body, he sighed contentedly while mentally preparing for another busy round of promotions. Starlight's latest title track was currently topping charts, the pressure was on to keep up their momentum.

After moisturizing his now fresh-faced complexion, Jinwoo got dressed in casual clothes suitable for practiced smiles and waving at fans. Even simple tasks like hair and makeup seemed draining in his sleepy state. Chugging a coffee, he headed to the company building for more dance rehearsals.

A few run-throughs of their routine had Jinwoo feeling more lively. Though exhaustion still weighed on his bones, the thrill of performing again tonight kept his spirits up. After a quick lunch with Starlight, they piled into the van for their next scheduled activity - an industry event networking with other idol groups.

Jinwoo's eyes lit up with curiosity at the opportunity to interact with peers he admired. While he enjoyed Starlight's family-like bond, a small part of him craved inspiring new friendships outside their tight-knit circle. Perhaps this gathering held potential connections if he put himself out there, despite nerves of mingling with sunbaenims.

The van soon pulled up outside an upscale downtown venue. Taking a deep breath, Jinwoo pasted on his signature radiant smile and prepared to dazzle as only Starlight's beloved maknae could. Whatever the afternoon brought, he vowed to make the most of it.

He followed his members into the lavish event hall. Gleaming chandeliers illuminated idols from various companies mingling amongst elegant furnishings. Taking it all in with wide eyes, he felt like a tiny fish in a big koi pond.

Starlight greeted familiar peers, exchanging cheeky banter with the laidback High Class boys. Jinwoo scanned the fancy attire hopefully, wondering if a certain bold idol may be present.

As if on cue, a rich laugh cut through the din - one he'd recognize anywhere from obsessively streamed clips. Jinwoo's breath caught sighting Eclipse perfectly at ease.

Hyunjoon smirked, sharp eyes curving into crescents. His charismatic aura commanded attention like a magnet. Nearby, Jiho downed shots with an ease belying his youth.

Jinwoo's gaze lingered on Eclipse from afar, admiring their effortless swagger. But seeing Hyunjoon dominating conversations had a twinge of jealousy rising unbidden.

Was it so wrong to crave attention beyond Starlight's baby-faced reputation sometimes? Jinwoo sighed wistfully.

Across the room, Hyunjoon threw his head back in laughter at something Jiho said. Their close bond was evident. Jinwoo frowned, wishing he possessed such confidence in larger crowds.

As if sensing eyes on him, Hyunjoon's gaze lifted to meet Jinwoo's from across the ornate hall. Jinwoo froze, fearing his envy showed clear as day.

But Hyunjoon only smiled, a small private quirk of full lips that shot fire through Jinwoo's veins. He flustered, breaking eye contact to hastily grab a drink, nearly spilling it in his haste.

Heart pounding, Jinwoo dared another peek at Hyunjoon. Only to find the object of his fascination staring right back, chin propped intrigued in one palm.

Jinwoo gasped softly, embarrassed at being caught staring so brazenly. But Hyunjoon merely grinned wider, a glimpse of playful mirth dancing in his features.

Jinwoo blinked owlishly at Hyunjoon from across the room, heart still thundering in his ears from being caught staring so boldly. Hyunjoon only smiled wider in return, lifting his drink in a subtle salute before turning back to converse animatedly with his groupmates.

Letting out the breath he'd been holding, Jinwoo lowered his gaze and fiddled with the hem of his dress shirt, feeling uncharacteristically shy all of a sudden. He had half a mind to flee this event and hide away in the practice room as far from Hyunjoon's keen eyes as possible. But that wouldn't do - Jinwoo wasn't one to back down so easily.

Taking another fortifying sip of champagne, Jinwoo leaned back against the bar and observed the mingling idols with a new perspective. Hyunjoon cut an impressive figure as he moved about the room, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with sunbaenims and hoobae alike. But upon closer inspection, Jinwoo noticed the subtle stiffness in his shoulders, the practiced smile that didn't entirely reach his eyes.

Perhaps behind the glamor and lights, idols carried burdens of their own. Jinwoo could relate - he knew all too well the facade required to endure grueling schedules with a smile. The pressures, the uncertainty, the loneliness...no one else could truly understand such a life except another in the same position.

Lost in thought, Jinwoo almost didn't notice when Hyunjoon disentangled himself from a conversation and started making his way over. His stride was confident as ever but strangely, he didn't look so unreachable up close. Jinwoo steeled himself and waited, curiosity overtaking nerves, wondering what Hyunjoon could want from Starlight's little maknae.

As Hyunjoon neared, Jinwoo straightened his posture but kept a calm facade, not wanting to show how the handsome sunbae unsettled him. Up close, Hyunjoon's charisma was near magnetic—and his grin held a hint of challenge.

"Fancy seeing Starlight's darling maknae alone. Aren't companionship and smiles your group's whole image?" Hyunjoon asked, tone light yet probing.

Jinwoo frowned, disliking the passive-aggressiveness. "Promoting positivity requires privacy too, sunbaenim. What brings you over?"

Hyunjoon's grin widened, uncaring if Jinwoo missed its teasing edge. "Can't a senior greet an admirer? Your stares spoke volumes before."

Heat flooded Jinwoo's cheeks, cursing his lack of filter earlier. Hyunjoon clearly relished ruffling feathers, or was that just Jinwoo's sensitivity?

Their charged atmosphere risked sparking outright, but Jiho bounded over seamlessly to diffuse tensions. "Hyunjoon, quit pestering the baby. Dance with me!"

With an irritating wink at Jinwoo, Hyunjoon allowed Jiho to tug him onto the dancefloor. Their resonating laughter grated Jinwoo's nerves—did Hyunjoon truly see him as petty?

Jinwoo sighed into his drink and watched sullenly as Hyunjoon twirled Jiho expertly around the dance floor, all mischievous smiles and effortless charm. The pair drew admiring gazes like magnets, thriving under the spotlight in a way Jinwoo knew he wasn't quite ready for.

Not that he coveted Hyunjoon's brash bravado exactly - Jinwoo much preferred Starlight's wholesome teamwork approach. But a small, petty part of him wished to command such confidence on his own terms sometimes, beyond coddled maknae status.

Draining the last of his champagne, Jinwoo felt restless amidst the glamor. His earlier curiosity about Hyunjoon had soured into vague annoyance at the senior's cryptic mindgames. Clearly Eclipse aimed to provoke with taboo-baiting image and behaviors - a strategy Jinwoo couldn't condone, however lucrative.

As the event wound down, Jinwoo bade polite farewells while surreptitiously watching Hyunjoon from afar. The sly idol chatted amiably now, any traces of earlier impishness neatly tucked away once more. Frustrating how smoothly he flipped between personas... Jinwoo felt he'd only scratched the surface of puzzles that was Lee Hyunjoon.

For now their orbits diverged again, but Jinwoo suspected this wasn't the last he'd see of the enigmatic rebel known as Eclipse's charismatic ace. Whether that boded well or ill, only time would tell.

As he helped his members into the van waiting outside, he couldn't help one last glance back at the event hall. Through the grand windows, Hyunjoon threw his head back in laughter at something Jiho said, charming as ever. Jinwoo felt a pang of something - envy? irritation? - before turning away with a sigh.

"You seemed awfully curious about Hyunjoon today, Jinwoo-yah," Junghae observed quietly from the seat beside him. Jinwoo jumped, having nearly forgotten his member was there.

"I wouldn't say curious..." he hedged, choosing his words carefully. "Hyunjoon-ssi is an enigma, that's all. It's odd to see such boldness in our field."

Junghae only hummed noncommittally. The quiet vocalist was more observant than he let on. Jinwoo made a mental note to be more discreet going forward.

As the van pulled into traffic, Taehyun chattered animatedly about running into the cute maknae from High Class at the bar. Jinwoo smiled, content to listen as his friend gushed over doe eyes and dimples. At least one of them was having better luck in the romance department.

Jisoo, ever the moodmaker, fake-gagged from the front seat. "Spare us the mush, Tae-yah. We're trying not to throw up back here!" That earned him a smack from Eunho and more giggles from the members.

Jinwoo relaxed into the familiar rhythm of teasing and smiles between his brothers. Here, surrounded by the ones who accepted him unconditionally, was where he felt most at ease. Hyunjoon's mind games seemed very far away indeed.

***

A week after the industry event, Eclipse's members piled tiredly into the company van after a long day of dance rehearsals.

"Ugh, I'm wiped," Jiho groaned, slumping against Minho's shoulder. "My legs feel like jelly."

Minho laughed softly. "Quit complaining, you big baby. We've still got vocal lessons when we get back."

As if on cue, Eclipse's stoic manager Lee Jihyun entered the van, tapping away efficiently on her phone. The members immediately straightened, schooling their features into more professional expressions.

"How did rehearsals go today?" she asked briskly without looking up.

"Productive as always, noona," Seokwoo replied respectfully as leader. "I think the new choreo is coming along nicely."

Jihyun finally met their gazes, and the members stifled laughs at her severe eyebrow raise. "Good. I expect nothing less from Eclipse's standard of excellence."

Jiho cocked his head curiously. "You look stressed, manager-nim. Everything okay?"

At this, Jihyun did sigh, rubbing her temples. "There's been a change in scheduling I need to discuss. Your performance at Music Bank has been pushed to next month."

An eruption of questions followed this bombshell. Jihyun held up a hand for quiet.

"Because of the date change, you've been offered a high-profile collaboration stage instead. With Starlight."

Stunned silence followed Jihyun's announcement.

"Starlight?" Seokwoo finally voiced the members' confusion. "With all due respect noona, our concepts are like night and day. Are you sure there's no mistake?"

Jihyun sighed. "I knew you'd react this way. But the network believes a collaborative stage between groups of your caliber could draw huge ratings. Exposure is important right now."

"It does seem...oddly mismatched," Minho said carefully.

Jiho nodded. "Starlight is cute and heartwarming. We're more..."

"Rebellious?" Hyunjoon finished with a smirk. "I don't hate the idea. Could be interesting mixing things up."

Seokwoo frowned. "Hyunjoon does have a point. But will Starlight even want to work with us? Their company is all sunshine and rainbows."

"I expressed concerns too," Jihyun acknowledged. "But both agencies agreed in the end. It's a unique opportunity, and you're all professionals."

The members exchanged doubtful looks. A collaboration spanned many logistical issues - from image, to music style and more.

"You've never led us wrong before, noona." Minho placed a calming hand on Seokwoo's shoulder. "If Star wants this, we support them."

"Then it's settled!" Jihyun said briskly. "Your prep begins tomorrow. I expect you all to approach this with an open mind."

Hyunjoon smiled, intrigue far outweighing doubts. Working with Starlight's pretty boy Jinwoo promised countless surprises.