The next day, as the boys disembarked in Japan, they stretched lazily, still half-asleep. Seeing them, Manager Zheng smiled warmly and walked over. "Did you guys sleep well last night?" he asked. "Once we reach the hotel, freshen up, and then we'll head to the concert venue for practice."
As he went on with his enthusiastic speech, the boys were already scratching their heads and giggling among themselves.
Joshua whispered, "Why is he giving us a full lecture at sunrise?"
Jun added, "He's showing off how responsible he is." The two snickered.
Zheng paused, catching them. "Yah! I'm talking here. Listen!"
The boys straightened a little, still amused. Woozi stepped forward, expertly changing the subject. "Zheng, when did you arrive?"
"Yesterday," Zheng replied proudly. "I went for a stroll. The views are stunning! Oh, and the food—"
As Zheng happily rambled on, Woozi signaled the boys to start walking. They grinned, knowing he was the only one who could distract Zheng so easily.
Jeonghan chuckled, "Look at Woozi. The master of redirection. And Zheng? Totally hooked."
Everyone laughed as they climbed into the van, Zheng still chatting beside Woozi.
---
Once the van started moving, Zheng cleared his throat dramatically. "Boys, have you seen the airport video?"
The members shook their heads.
"Check your phones," Zheng said, eyes serious.
They pulled out their phones—most of them watching the video Nian and Xuanye had sent earlier. Smiles spread across their faces.
One by one, they texted the girls: "You took amazing photos! You guys are seriously good photographers~ 🥹"
Zheng saw them grinning and frowned. "I meant the official news one, not the version your girlfriends sent!"
Hoshi raised an eyebrow, "It's the same video, right?"
"Same event, different problem!" Zheng said, exasperated. "One of the media channels caught you helping those girls. They even caught you talking to them!"
The boys blinked.
Minghao asked calmly, "So?"
Zheng huffed. "So?! You're idols! When I saw it online, I nearly had a heart attack!"
Mingyu mumbled, "When don't you get heart attacks?"
The boys burst into laughter.
Zheng went on, "The CEO told us to get it taken down. We succeeded, thankfully. But seriously—if word got out you were helping your girlfriends publicly like that, it could've exploded!"
DK shrugged. "So… are you telling me not to help my girlfriend if she falls?"
The others turned to Zheng with narrowed eyes, like he'd said something blasphemous.
Zheng threw his hands up. "No, no! I didn't mean it that way! I'm trying to protect you two—DK, Minghao—because if your relationships go public, you need to be prepared."
DK chuckled, "Relax. If it happens, we'll handle it. We're not dragging you into anything, Zheng."
Zheng sighed in relief, "You guys are too positive sometimes…"
"Zheeeeng~" the boys cooed in unison.
Zheng blinked.
"We love you, Zheng!" they chorused, forming finger hearts.
Zheng flushed. "Yah! Stop it, you're making me blush!"
The van erupted into laughter. Zheng hid behind his seat, giggling like one of the members himself.
And so, the ride to the hotel was filled with warmth, teasing, and quiet reminders of how deeply bonded this found family really was.