CHAPTER 37: THEIR PRIVATE SPACE

[Hot Topic]: Episode 2 teaser is here—the surprise strike from Shining Path!

[Does anyone else get this feeling? My boy got eliminated, but I still have to watch this damn show because he’s still in Episode 2 sob sob sob]

[You can constantly shift your attention to the other pretty boys haha, every one of them is a visual feast mlem mlem!]

[What even was that part? I’m broken, sorry everyone, the video got me]

[That’s Joshua—he keeps getting increasingly astonishing every time.]

[It looked like he improvised that move on the spot to handle the sudden situation; look at everyone else’s faces—their shocked reactions say it all!]

The video was from the newly released teaser for Episode 2 of Shining Path, right at Joshua’s dance break scene.

[Those who didn’t watch the live broadcast have no idea how wild we went back then. I swear, this boy is destined to be famous!]

[Same same, oh my god, I practically screamed the house down—how can someone be that good?!]

[Look at my pick too, absolute perfection!]

The comment section was quickly flooded with clips of the trainees’ "god-tier" moments.

In fact, Shining Path’s official site already had fancams of all the trainees—but viewers were even more eager to see behind-the-scenes footage: their daily practice routines, small stories, and personal interviews.

Nine quickly seized the opportunity, releasing a few more pre-edited videos of Joshua, milking every bit of media exposure possible.

Hearing the constant notification sounds of his fame points rising, Joshua couldn’t help but be surprised. Nine’s cheerful voice chimed in: [See? I told you once your popularity reaches a certain level, your fame points will start skyrocketing.]

Moreover, many of those fame points came from fan-made "CP edit" videos. At first, it was just Leonard—but after that live broadcast where Joshua brushed Luther’s hair, a new wave of "Joshua × Luther" shippers appeared.

Nine truly couldn’t wrap his head around Joshua’s fans. They clearly liked Joshua—but for some reason, they always enjoyed seeing him being dominated. It made no sense at all!

Blissfully unaware of Nine’s thoughts and the fans’ fantasies, Joshua was flailing his arms and legs around as he practiced—his headphones blasting "Sexy Lady" by GirlP on repeat.

Henry had said he would keep the song’s original concept, so naturally Joshua started thinking of seductive moves—but they couldn’t be too suggestive either.

"Henry, what do you think of this? I think I’ve got the basic framework for our choreography down!" Joshua chirped, walking over to him.

The two of them were in a relatively secluded corner, while the other group members were on the other side, watching GirlP’s performance video.

Joshua’s speed was astonishing—almost unrealistically fast. A few trainees couldn’t help but glance his way, curious and a little skeptical, wanting to see what he was doing.

Henry watched him, his expression unreadable as always. He nodded, his face calm and serious.

Joshua knew that meant he could begin.

Without hesitation, he suddenly dropped to his knees.

Henry: "!!!"

His eyes widened slightly as he stared at Joshua—at how Joshua kept moving, interpreting, dividing the beats, shaping the dance. Eventually, the others started cheering and running over to him, excitedly praising his performance.

Only then did Henry’s brows furrow slightly, breaking his usual emotionless mask. "This is where Joshua and I work. Have you all forgotten what you were told?"

His cold voice poured over them like a bucket of icy water.

They instinctively let go of Joshua. Lucian, who had nearly climbed onto Joshua in excitement, felt the chill of Henry’s gaze sink into him.

No, Henry’s always like this, Lucian told himself silently, retreating quickly along with the others.

Joshua’s cheeks were flushed from dancing, a faint smile still at the corners of his lips, his hair a little messy.

He lifted his eyes toward Henry, his voice bright and eager. "Leader, what do you think? Once you’re done with your part, we can finalize everything, then tweak the choreography to fit the group better. I really think we can pull this off!"

Henry looked at the pair of bright eyes before him, then slowly raised his hand.

Joshua froze for a moment, suddenly aware of the intensity in Henry’s dark gaze. His whole body tensed, his breath caught instinctively as his eyes followed Henry’s hand—

—only to see Henry reach out and brush through his hair, adjusting a loose strand as he said evenly, "Your hair’s a little messy here."

Joshua pressed his lips together and nodded, instinctively raising a hand to pat down his hair.

Henry silently watched as Joshua’s freshly flattened hair puffed back up again—but said nothing.

"Joshua, let’s go! Is your group still not done yet? Planning to eat dinner and then sleep in the practice room or something?"

At that moment, Luther’s face suddenly appeared outside the practice room door—with Justin standing beside him.

Joshua instinctively turned to look at Henry. Henry’s expression was blank as he said, "Let’s go."

"Huh?" Joshua blurted out before realizing that question’s stupid—they lived in the same dorm. If the three of them went back without Henry, it’d look like they were excluding him.

So before Henry could say anything, Joshua quickly ran forward, grabbed Henry by the wrist, and practically dragged him along. "Yeah, finally break! I’m starving!" he said eagerly.

Lucian looked at Henry with a hint of suspicion. Maybe it was just the harsh lighting—or perhaps something else—but the tips of their leader’s ears looked unusually red, almost like they were about to bleed. Yet Henry’s expression remained perfectly composed, not a hint of change. Must be the lighting... or maybe his skin’s just too fair, Lucian thought to himself.

The moment Joshua came close, Luther immediately grabbed him, his large hand mercilessly ruffling Joshua’s hair as he growled, "I haven’t forgotten what happened this morning!"

Joshua shoved at him, shouting, "That’s because you came in dead last! Can’t handle losing, huh? Get off me, you reek of sweat!"

Luther grinned. "Oh? You hate the smell of sweat?"

And with that, he pulled Joshua into a tight bear hug, pressing Joshua’s face against his chest.

Joshua was so disgusted he nearly lost it—and then his knee shot up without hesitation.

Thud!

Both Justin and Henry froze at the same time. Henry’s lips twitched slightly, while Justin’s eyes went wide—he suddenly felt a phantom chill between his legs.

As for Luther, he was already on his knees, cold sweat dripping down his forehead as he growled through clenched teeth, "Joshua, can you do anything that’s remotely manly?! Do you even have balls, hitting someone like that?!"

The passing trainees all turned to stare, but Luther clearly didn’t know the meaning of shame.

Joshua lifted his leg threateningly and said flatly, "If you’re gonna hit someone, aim for the weak spot."

"You’re absolutely not manly!" Luther declared indignantly, wobbling back to his feet and muttering, "And I don’t even smell that bad, okay? Just a little sweaty. Why’re you so picky, huh? Nagging like a girl..."

Joshua: "..."