Ch 7: How to tame a Minho (ft. Chan)

A/N: It's been a while since I've updated. Mostly because this chapter was drawing out far too long so I had to break it up a bit. This one and probably the next one will mostly be fillers, so sorry if you waited for so long and are disappointed 😅 Hope you guys like it!


No One's POV

Han woke up late the next day. When his eyes opened, they were dry and crusty. He rubbed them, yellow specs glazing over his hand before falling on the dust-filled floor. He stretched and yawned. It felt good to not wake up anxiously.

Han had it made by now. He had the money, the smarts, and the friends (which he didn't expect to have). He practically forgot the time he landed on Earth hopeless in tears. Either he had the greatest luck in the world, or he was just destined to explore different planets. Maybe that was going to be his thing.

Speaking of things, Han went to check on the currency and if it finished duplicating yet or not. It seems like it had finished because Han had now seen multiple copies of the 50$ bill he had before, but he wasn't going to count to make sure there were 150 because he gave up being picky.

Something Han had to be careful about though was the fact that these dollar bills were fragile and very aerial.

Han couldn't comprehend was the fact that Earth had technology and never decided to advance their currency. They were using the same form of currency that they had since the beginning of their planet. Also why would they make their form of currency so easy to lose. Han could breathe and lose 2 dollar bills. It was extremely inconvenient.

So then Han had to find the most earth looking box he could find and encapsulate the money in it so that he wouldn't lose it and disappoint someone. He was going to show Minho that he could get money and that they didn't have to worry about him being dependent.

Annoyingly the most Earth looking box he had, glowed and had a levitating option, but he could just keep it grounded and play the glowing off as an aesthetic. Changbin and his friends seemed to have given up on questioning Han and his situation, to which he was thankful for.

Making his way to the streetlight, Han realized that he'd have to find Changbin in the city since they had no way to communicate to tell him that he was coming. Somehow he wasn't worried.

He was on Cloud 9. Like honestly what could stop him now, everything else that tried perished beneath his feet. He'd magically find Changbin and get his business done with and then fix his ship, have the time of his life, say goodbye, and then go home.

Bottom line, Han wasn't worried at all.

Though there was a part of him that wondered why everything hadn't screwed up yet. He hoped it would stay that way, that life wasn't waiting for him to relax only so it could destroy him later, but honestly what could go wrong now? He couldn't think of anything.

Han wished he was surprised when he saw Changbin there at the streetlight with Chan, but he wasn't. Now he didn't need to wander the city to look for Changbin since he was right there.

"Ayyooo!" Han greeted them. Their eyebrows went up in surprise, but they waved back nonetheless. He noticed that the two had brought some equipment with them so it seemed like they were planning on working.

"You came today?" Changbin asked. "Planning on getting a job now?"

Han had forgotten about the whole getting a job thing. He had the money he needed, but he didn't technically work for it. He paused for a second and thought out his story before telling them a distant version of what happened.

"I don't need to get one anymore. I already got some money from a friend of mine after I helped them," Han said without shame.

Technically if you look at it, it's not completely a lie. Vera gave him the idea of how to get the money because Han was trying to help her, so basically he helped a friend and got some of his due because of it.

Here's another thing Han was really good at: lying.

And of course, people always got mad at him for it, giving him the "princes shouldn't lie and should be ethical angels" lecture. It's a shame really. Han was really good at lying, even his father, who didn't usually mind Han's unusual personality didn't take too kindly to his lying.

He did, however, introduce Han to writing in general. "If you're going to lie, turn it into a story. One for people to enjoy, not one that exists to cause problems for others and yourself."

That was how Han started writing lyrics. He first wrote stories of people he wanted to be when he grew up and made up stories about people around him as well. That eventually channeled into writing words through the emotions of others. He made up stories and felt what the people felt and put it into words. And to think this all happened because Han was good at lying.

He didn't really lie much after that, he was pretty straightforward, but Han was relieved to see that he didn't forget how to lie when he needed it the most.

Despite Han's convincing lie, Changbin and Chan's faces scrunched up in disbelief.

Changbin thought Han didn't have any friends. If he had friends all along what significance did he have?

Chan was wondering if Jisung was telling the truth. He had no reason not to believe him, but that's just who Chan was.

Both males ignored the voices in their heads and tried not to further question Han's story, though they knew Minho definitely would not let any of this off the hook.

"That's great! How much money?" Chan asked, hoping to light the atmosphere up after Han dropped a bombshell.

Han actually didn't know the equivalence of his money to the value of his planet's currency, so he just opened the box in his hands and showed them the money.

Chan and Changbin instantly crowded around said box and inspected it, their jaws dropping. They both asked to hold it, to which Han allowed with a cautious warning.

"Hannie, you do realize how much money this is?" Changbin asked, eyeing the green papers.

Han rubbed his neck sheepishly and nodded, all he could do is hope he was convincing enough.

"Man, $7500! This friends of yours must be really rich or they just really love you."

"You counted!" Changbin exclaimed.

Chan nodded. "I've gotten better at counting money, after recounting our paycheck 5 times every time we get it."

Han just nodded, not sure exactly what to say. He really just wanted to get over to the shop and get the stuff he needed. So he asked the guys if they were ready to go.

Changbin and Chan adapted to the sudden topic change yet everyday Changbin's curiosity for Han's situation grew. What does Han have to hide?

They all went into Chan's car and buckled themselves in. Han was sitting in the back seat by himself while Chan and Changbin occupied the front two seats.

"So Hannie, will you be joining us after you do your business?" Chan asked slowly, trying to muffle his excitement since he didn't want to force the other into a decision.

In all honesty, No Jisung did not want to meet more people after buying the stuff he needed. He could go back and start working, but truthfully Jisung knew his social battery would run out after his encounter at the shop. But he was already feeling guilty for hiding so much from his friends, so he agreed to meeting them. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for friends, even those you're probably never going to see again.

And so, having a reason to be excited, Chan blasted some songs on the radio as they made their way to Minho's store.


{Time Skip}


When they had arrived, Han wasn't sure whether to be excited or worried, so he became both.

Just like last time, the shop had the same atmosphere, people's murmurs lost in numerous shades of blue. Nothing was out of the ordinary, as if Han's visit yesterday had no effect to them. Han's visit here had affected him greatly, but it made Han remember that he wasn't a prince here anymore. That he didn't hold any value on Earth.

When he visited places back then, though he was known as the strange prince, he was still royalty and people held pride when Han touched their things and visited their places. It made him feel important, honestly it was the only reason he'd leave his room.

Like the day before, Minho was dancing his way through people. Han was quite proud of the nickname he gave Minho. It was going to be his little secret forever.

When he saw them, Minho excitedly walked over to the trio.

"Hellooo~ Everybody." Minho said with a slightly lively tone. He noticed the glowing box in Han's hand. "What's that?"

"Oh it's nothing. Just a box that holds the money I'm going to use." Han said playing it off casually, trying to impress Minho.

Minho's eyebrows raised instantly in disbelief. He suddenly had a feeling that Han hadn't taken his advice the right way.

"Where'd you get the money from? Also why is the box glowing?" Minho asked. His tone wasn't mocking, but it sure as hell wasn't cheery.

Han was about to answer when Chan cut him off, giving Minho a warning, "Minho!"

Minho then suddenly fixed his posture and tried to become less threatening.

Han had already seen Minho's displeasure though, and his unconvincing act didn't mitigate his nervousness.

"The box is just a present I got from someone. I put special things in the box, so when my friend gave me money, I decided to put it here." Han tried to not sound annoyed, but it might have come out that way. He did all he could to please Minho and now he was questioning him. He got the money. Isn't that what he wanted him to do?

Minho sensed Han's off tone and softened his voice further to explain his point to Han, "Han, when I gave you money the other day, I didn't give it to you so you could just go and get money from somebody else. I told you to get a job, why didn't you?"

Minho had tried to sound nice. Tried being stressed here. Minho's tone had sounded very passive-aggressive, and Minho realized that when he saw Chan and Changbin glare at him.

And that was when Han snapped. He didn't want to land on this planet, he didn't want to be separated from his home. But he was, and now Minho was telling him that all the stress he went through didn't matter because he had to get a job. Han knew Minho didn't know his situation and he knew he couldn't tell Minho his situation so it wasn't really his fault, but the least the guy could do was cut him some slack. If that means thinking he's some looney from the forest who does illegal things, then so be it. Just get off my back. Why? WHY can't you just let me do what I want?

Han's face hardened in the most distasteful way. Changbin saw it happen and he knew he was about to witness a type of Jisung he never has witnessed before. In his sudden foresight, he hid behind Chan, who also knew shit was about to go down.

Han didn't even look at Minho, and called out to a store clerk walking by, "Excuse me! I need help buying things. Could you help me?"

He stormed as lightly as he could towards the clerk, who just seemed scared and confused, waiting for an answer.

"Was Minho not helping you?" the guy asked quietly. Han shook his head.

"Nah he was just welcoming me. He's talking to his friends now. I'd like to buy some things and they are important, please help."

Han was getting impatient.

"Okay sir! What would you like to buy?" The clerk decided to help Han. He wasn't an idiot and could sense the boy ticking off like a timebomb.

"Lightbulbs." Han replied wanting to keep everything as brief as possible.

"Right this way sir." The clerk hurried towards an area, signaling Han to follow him.

Han heard whispering behind him, but he didn't care until a hand grabbed his shoulder.

"What is your fucking problem? Can't you see I'm trying to help you?" Minho spoke threateningly. His face wasn't out of the ordinary in any way, but his eyes screamed murder.

People yelled at Minho all the time, they got mad at him a lot, but he hated it when people ignored him. If they had problems with him, they'd have to tell him to his face. If they didn't, he'd force it out of them. He didn't expect this behavior from Han, but he could tell he hit a nerve.

But he was already too far gone to stop though. I'll make him tell me why he can't get a job? If he wants to get mad at me then sure, but I'll make sure he spills.

Han replied to him sharply, "You can't help what you don't know about and you don't need to know everything. You're not as understanding as the other people I've met, sorry I didn't know that before now, I seem to have asked the wrong person for help." With that he turned around and walked away.

Minho wasn't going to let him win that easily. "Then make me understand. You can't expect me to be understanding naturally. Respect and care are earned you don't get them just by making people feel sorry for you. No matter what your situation is, you can't expect people for help if you don't tell them the whole story. If you can't do that, then just help yourself!"

And that was when Minho knew he took it too far. He saw Han's eyes glisten in the bluish light of the store. He knew he needed to stop, but he was angry, and that anger wasn't going to just dissipate.

Before any more damage could be done, Chan stepped in. The manager came as well, his shop had never been so silent. He walked in and asked the clerk waiting for Jisung what happened. The clerk gave his rendition of the story, and the manager had always seen Minho as a bad apple, so of course he twisted the clerk's story turning Minho into the bad guy.

"Lee Minho! In all the time I employed you, despite your attitude, I'd never expect you to harass a customer!" The manager was fuming.

Shit! That was what Minho, Chan, and Changbin were all thinking. But they'd knew everything would be fine when Han explained to the manager that Minho wasn't harassing him, so the three of them looked at him expectantly.

Han didn't say anything, he wasn't looking at any of them either.

Changbin felt so betrayed by both of his friends. He knew Minho was right about Han hiding his situation, but he didn't have the guts to tell Han this whole time and now he's happy he didn't, seeing how angry it made him.

"Are you all right sir?" The manager asked, concerned for his shop's success.

"I'm all right, but I'd like to get what I need and get out as quickly as I can, thank you very much" Han said sharply. He wasn't thinking straight, but he couldn't stop himself.

"R-Right this way sir!" The clerk from before stepped in and guided Han away from the group to where he could get his lightbulbs.

Han heard the manager scolding Minho before, but couldn't see his reaction and honestly, he didn't care at that moment, but he hoped it hurt.

"Lee Minho, that is coming out of your paycheck again. 35%. If this stuff keeps happening, you know I'm going to have to fire you soon." The manager scolded.

Minho did what he always did, nod and get back to work. He gritted his teeth. Han thinks he's the only one on Earth with problems.

Minho somehow always managed to do something that eventually ended in his paycheck getting cutoff, most of the time he didn't actually deserve it and he always did decent work anyway. Minho wasn't getting paid as much as he should to pay his rent. He might get evicted soon, but you wouldn't be able to tell that with how casually Minho worked. Just like you wouldn't be able to tell how much Minho wanted to cry at that moment.

Chan and Changbin were frozen, deciding who to comfort first. Chan took the initiative.

"I'll go to Minho, and you go to Han. You met him first so I'm guessing you guys have some sort of connection and I don't want to scare him off further, also Minho's going to need someone right now, he's probably really angry with Han and himself and the...circumstances."

Changbin nodded and gave Chan a quick good luck, while Chan walked to talk to Minho.

Changbin turned to the left and watched Han walk off like a stranger.


{With Chan and Minho}


Chan's POV

I ran as fast to Minho as possible. I knew this was going to happen. Why didn't I do anything to stop it?

Me and Changbin both knew Minho would react this way. But I don't know Han that well and apparently neither does Changbin because they both did not expect Han to react that way either. He seemed so timid and Changbin kept excusing Han's differences in personality and living conditions that it convinced me to pardon it as well. Normally I'd try to pry into Han's life slowly, but Han was Changbin's friend and I didn't want to rush their friendship and corner Han into something unpleasant. Now I know to definitely avoid making Han uncomfortable.

It didn't take long for me to find Minho. He was away from the people, and in the storage behind the shop restocking and doing inventory, occasionally placing items on a tray.

Minho was smart with his feelings, I knew that. He had purposefully chosen a job away from people, so he didn't lash out as someone and lower his paycheck even further.

And now I had to talk to him without ticking him off.

Good thing I know how to calm Minho down. At first, I didn't have a method and those days were scarring enough, but after some trials and tribulations I was finally able to figure out how to comfort a Minho.


Step 1: Do not approach and keep your distance at first.

Don't rush in right away and potentially danger yourself, but also do not just sit there and stare at him. Try to understand what's happening and why it's happening. Observe his actions and find motives. After you realize what's bothering him, it'll be easier to offer him a solution.

So I thought about the situation. There was obviously the fact that Han was mad at him, though Minho didn't usually care when he was yelled at, but when it was someone he cared about or at least categorized as closer to him, it stung a little.

But there was probably more than that. It was the most obvious answer, and it was also the reason I was really mad at Han but also couldn't get too mad at him. The money taken off Minho's paycheck.

I knew Minho caused minor problems here and there, but there had only been two times that his paycheck (which wasn't even enough to buy him food for the day) had been cut off and those times it was in way smaller amounts.

35% of his paycheck, is the guy insane? Minho was already low on money. He was having financial problems and had to find a way to pay his rent that was coming. We always tried to help him, but he wouldn't take it and every time we mentioned the problem, he expertly switched the conversation's track.

I'm fairly sure Minho only stopped us from talking about it because he didn't want to think about it himself. When I talked to him about it, he told me not to worry and that he'll be okay.

I glanced out of my thoughts for a second and saw that Minho's knuckles were white on the device he was clutching, applying pressure but not enough to break or damage the device.

So I knew the problem and now I needed to know how to fix it. I had an idea, and I knew Minho would agree to it, but would it be enough?


Step 2: Approach slowly and sit down on the ground a great distance away.

If he doesn't come to you, don't be discouraged because there's still more to do. Also do not speak, speaking would definitely ruin everything and Minho would explode right then and there.

But I, as the great therapist I am, knew how to communicate with my friends without pissing him off. So I pulled out my phone and opened Minho's contact.


Chan: Do you want me to come over tonight?

Minho: ...

Minho: Fine


You might be wondering why Minho agreed easily and what me coming over has to do with Minho calming down.

Well, Minho doesn't like to talk about his feelings or cry, but a long time ago when Minho couldn't find a job and was an absolute wreck, I had come over and he had cried right there.


Step 3: Let him cry it out wherever he wants and however he wants

A lot of people see Minho as a toughie and undeniably I know he is, but under whatever armor he's wearing, Minho needs to cry too. You might think he'd be a cry-by-himself type of person and you're right, he is. But he's also the type of person that can't get his problems out until he cries to himself. Also I'm not allowed to talk while he's crying, I can only talk after. Picky, but Minho doesn't like to be comforted while he's crying because that makes him feel like he's being coddled.

Once he's calmed down though, is when you can begin to move forward.


Step 4: A hug

Simple, right? Not so much. Certain situations call for certain hugs. I, of all people know the power of hugs really well, so I can easily calm Minho down.

Things to look for when hugging someone comfortingly is to note if they'd rather be squeezed or if they'd like it light. Would they prefer it longer than usual or quick? Firm or loose?

Hug dynamics are very important. I can't tell what Minho needs right now, but once he cries then I'll know what kind of hug he wants.

If I had to guess that the hug would have to be firm, but no squeezing. I think he might need a long one too. Also I know that Minho prefers hug from his sides rather than hugs from his shoulders and neck.

I take this shit very seriously.


Step 5: Give proper solution

I can actually do this step right now and skip over the other two for now.

Once feeling time is over, Minho needs hard facts to set his straight. Give him a solution, but not a dumb one. If you aren't at least 65% sure the solution will work then don't bother speaking, it'll only make it worse.

I went back to my phone to talk Minho.


Chan: Hey

Minho: What

Chan: We can fix this

Chan: You can fix this

Minho: How

Chan: Talk to the old dude later this week and tell him about what's going on

Chan: I'll come with you to convince him

Chan: Even he has the decency to help you

Chan: Also we're not leaving that place until we get what we want

Minho: lol ok

Minho: But that's not everything hyung

Chan: I know

Chan: I have Changbin talking to Jisung

Chan: We'll see how it goes and we'll act accordingly

Chan: There's not much I can say right now, but we'll get him back don't worry

Minho: Hyung I ruined it

Minho: For Changbin too

Chan: Don't be like that

Chan: You did not ruin it for Changbin

Chan: Maybe for yourself yeah

Chan But not for Changbin

Minho: If you say so

Chan: But Minho...

Chan: If he asks you to lay off

Chan: Then you're going to have to lay off

Minho: Yeah I get that

Minho: I just want to help

Minho: And he won't say anything hyung

Chan: I know

Chan: But I'm sure he has a reason

Minho: ok

Minho: Don't worry I won't attack him again

Chan: Good ^^

Chan: Don't' worry we'll get him back on your side

Minho: Hyung I have a question

Chan: ??

Minho: what about me gives off water boy vibez?


I am: Confusion. But that's normal with Minho since I can tell he's better I got to move onto the next step before I fall down this rabbit whole


Step 6: Treat him

It's pretty simple. Minho's always craving ice cream, but I ask him just to make sure.


Chan: idk?? Why do you ask?

Minho: No reason

Chan: Btw do you wanna get something? And when?

Minho: Thanks hyung

Minho: Ice Cream

Minho: Tomorrow after work

Minho: I'll text you

Chan: Perfect :D

Chan: U better?

Minho: Yeah

Minho: Thanks hyung

Chan: np <3

Chan: I'm going to leave u to work now

Chan: I'm also going to check on Changbin

Minho: ok

Minho: Also hyung

Minho: U don't get paid enough for this

Chan: Some payments take other forms :p

Chan: I still didn't get to see ur cats yet


I saw Minho pocket his phone after that, he was smiling. It was faint and short-lived, but his composure returned, and he didn't seem like he was going to break down anytime soon so I think I did my job.

I left to see how thingswent with Changbin and Jisung. 


A/N: So...that happened. Drama ✨

Also Chan is amazing and Minho needs to stop bias wrecking me.

Random Question: If you have siblings, what's your birth order and how well is that going for you?

I'm the eldest and honestly though I do have some perks here and there, it really does suck. But I do think Middle children get it worse in some other ways. 

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