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“Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?” Hyunwoo asked Kihyun.“Tomorrow?” Kihyun asked and gave it a bit of thought. Did he have something special planned tomorrow? He had to take photographs for his school project, but other than that, there shouldn’t be anything in his schedule. “No, don’t think so. . . Why you ask hyung?” The dirty-blonde asked the other.“It’s your birthday!” Hyunwoo said with a bright smile as he leaned over the back of the couch where he was watching some sort of drama on the TV. “We gotta celebrate!”That’s right. Hyunwoo was always better at remembering Kihyun’s birthday than himself, probably because birthdays didn’t really matter to him anymore. They weren’t any special occasion his family had bothered to celebrate either.“You don’t really--”“It’ll be a small thing, don’t worry about it,” Hyunwoo reassured Kihyun with another smile before returning to the TV.Hyunwoo did it again. It was hard to convince him otherwise when he sounded that determined, Kihyun knew it very well, but as long as it wouldn’t be a huge party, then he didn’t mind. In fact, it always made him feel so happy when Hyunwoo wanted to do something for him. Kihyun had a feeling that tomorrow’s birthday party would be like the other twenty-two they had celebrated together. The two of them, a goofy movie Hyunwoo rented, some popcorn and a couple of beers. It was such a small thing, but it filled Kihyun with glee to know they’d spend his “special” day like that.How long had this sort of happiness cursed Kihyun? Since when did he want Hyunwoo to return his feelings? Was it before they graduated high school? Or just around that time? It had been so long that not even Kihyun could remember. Those deeply hidden feelings for Hyunwoo, just watching him every day was a blessing. They had been living together since they started college, though Hyunwoo was now working and Kihyun still had a couple of years left, they still lived under the same roof.Childhood friends, that was all they were. Kihyun knew so well and he would remind himself every day. Every time he saw that sharp jawline, the broad shoulders, firm body, beautiful eyes, charming smile--“Yoo Kihyun!”But even more importantly, angelic voice when Hyunwoo said his name.“What?!” Kihyun snapped out of his daydreaming.“The food, it’s burning.”“Huh?” Kihyun looked down at the pan filled with fried rice that he had worked on for a while, only to see the rice that had turned brown and some of it even bordering on black. “Oh no!” He exclaimed in a panic and turned the heat down while shaking the pan with his other hand. It was unsalvageable, it smelled burnt and looked even worse.“Hyung! Why didn’t you tell me soon-- Ouch!” He ended up dropping the pan, with their burnt dinner on the floor, while clutching his hand. That was stupid of him, the last thing he needed was to daydream about Hyunwoo while preparing their dinner.“I was calling out to you for a while, you know?” Hyunwoo lightly scolded back before walking over. “Here, let me see,” he said and held his hand out.It was this kindness that made it so Kihyun couldn’t lose hope. That, maybe, one day his feelings would be returned. Or, he didn’t even know if they weren’t. He had never told Hyunwoo and had no intentions to, it was better to keep those things hidden. If he spilled the beans, then surely, Hyunwoo would be disgusted and they couldn’t spend their days like this anymore.If Kihyun knew how to stop those feelings, he would. However, if feelings were such an easy problem to solve, then the world wouldn’t have any issues.His heart sped up the moment Hyunwoo’s hand touched his. Kihyun’s hand seemed so small in Hyunwoo’s. One would think Hyunwoo’s hands would be rough, but they were soft, almost delicate, in a way. However, they were strong. Hyunwoo had a nice body, which gave Kihyun plenty of eye candy, something he was grateful for.“It’s not bad. I’ll get some salve though,” Hyunwoo said and guided Kihyun’s hand to the sink before leaving it under the cold water. “Let it cool down a bit”How ironic, usually Kihyun would feel strangely cold and empty once Hyunwoo let go of his hand, but this time it was due to water.“This feeling, it’ll go away, right?” Kihyun murmured to himself as he stared at his hand that was starting to go numb from the cold. He stopped the water, figuring it was okay, before taking a look at the bathroom door where Hyunwoo had disappeared into. “I should be happy to spend time with you just like this, but. . . I keep wanting more. I’m sorry, Hyunwoo hyung,” Kihyun sighed before said person emerged from the bathroom with the first aid kit.“You brought the entire thing?” Kihyun asked and shook his head. “It’s only a small burn,” he added with a chuckle as Hyunwoo pulled out a cream to apply to his hand.“You should treat it anyway Kihyunnie,” Hyunwoo said firmly before glancing down to the spilled burnt food on the floor. “Though. . . what about dinner? Should I--”
“No,” Kihyun interrupted. “You’re not doing a thing to my kitchen!” He joked though he was being somewhat serious too. The last time Hyunwoo cooked it was a disaster, and Kihyun was not having a repeat. “Let’s just order some takeout,” he suggested. “My treat, since I messed up dinner.”“What are you saying?” Hyunwoo chuckled as he finished applying the salve and topped it off with a band-aid. “Your birthday is tomorrow. I’ll pay, the least I can do,” he smiled before taking his phone out of his pocket to make the call to the fried chicken place.It was funny how they didn’t need to communicate when it came to ordering food. Hyunwoo knew how much Kihyun loved chicken. It made his chest feel warm and fuzzy. Kihyun’s skin felt like it was on fire again, but this time, it wasn’t because of the burn. In a cruel way, it made him feel special.“Anything else you want Kihyunnie?” Hyunwoo asked.“Nope,” he answered. “You got it all right. Maybe I should start liking something else, throw you for a loop,” Kihyun joked.Hyunwoo chuckled and finished the order before walking over to ruffle a hand through Kihyun’s hair. “As if, you’ve liked chicken since we were kids. You’re always thinking about chicken,” he laughed.“Shut up! Am not!” Kihyun exclaimed a bit embarrassed, which made Hyunwoo laugh even louder before returning to the couch to watch the drama again.“You’re not even close,” Kihyun murmured to himself as he started to clean up the mess. “I’m not thinking about chicken all the time, it’s a big dumb bear,” he chuckled to himself glancing over at the robotic bear caught up in yet another romance drama.“Kihyunnie! You should come to watch this--”“You should help me clean!” Kihyun scolded. “I’m not your mother, help me out some!” He continued to nag which only drew another laughter from Hyunwoo.It was nights like these that made Kihyun eternally grateful for his own cowardice. Due to his lack of courage, he could keep days like these going.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After a night filled with fried chicken, a really cheesy romcom and a couple of beer, the next day came too fast for Kihyun. Unfortunately, there would be no birthday breakfast waiting. Hyunwoo had work early in the morning, so he was always gone by the time Kihyun had to wake up to make it to his classes.The sound of his phone playing that same annoying alarm tune was what woke him up. One day, he would probably fling his phone into the wall to turn it off, but it was not today. He sat up and turned it off, surprisingly awake. Usually, Kihyun wouldn’t be excited about his birthday. It was just another day of the year, but Hyunwoo would always prepare something. No matter how small, it meant the world to Kihyun.He didn’t come from the best of households. Both of his parents were busy gambling or drinking, so birthdays and gifts were something Kihyun had never dared to ask about. As a kid, he would just tell them it was okay and that he didn’t need anything. Obviously, it wasn’t how he actually felt. Thanks to Hyunwoo though, he never got the chance to feel too envious of kids that were better off. Hyunwoo is also the reason Kihyun got the chance to move out too so his parents didn’t need to pay for his livelihood anymore. The scholarship paid for his education, so it all worked out in the end. However, they still didn’t celebrate his birthday. After moving out, he lost most contact with his parents.It was their fault. They started to ask for money and needing to lend from his scholarship, it was better to leave them behind. They could pay for themselves, they were adults. Kihyun needed to think about his own life now. He wanted to send them some money, but at this point, they were just going to blow it off on gambling or something like that. It was better for them to learn, or hopefully, learn something.“I’ve never felt this--” Kihyun got interrupted when his phone rang. Who was calling him this early in the morning?“Hello?”
“Did you just wake up?”
It was Hyunwoo. Even if it was a phone call, Kihyun felt strangely conscious. His voice was a bit hoarse, his face bloated and hair a ruffled bird’s nest. Hyunwoo couldn’t tell anything besides his voice, but Kihyun practically jumped out of bed and ran for the mirror to fix his hair.“You know I wake up around now, so of course, I did,” Kihyun retaliated. He tried to sound as if he was a bit angry, but in truth, he was too happy that Hyunwoo had called him first thing in the morning. Hyunwoo must know how Kihyun doesn’t like his birthday, so that was probably why he called.“Well, morning birthday boy!” Hyunwoo cheered on the phone. Kihyun could even hear his smile through the phone. “You don’t have anything planned, right? So I thought of getting something together for you later today. You don’t work today, right?”“Um . . . Hold on,” Kihyun said and put his phone on speaker to check his calendar. He had a good amount of part-time jobs, so it was hard to remember all the work schedules. That’s why he wrote it down on his phone. “Nope, I’m free. I should be home around four then,” Kihyun smiled. He was getting excited. It would probably be them, chicken and a cake that Hyunwoo bought. But what did that matter? It was a tradition, they always celebrated it like that, and Kihyun turned into a little kid thinking about it.“Great! I’ll see you at four then!” Hyunwoo said. “Oh, and there’s a surprise for you on the kitchen counter! Don’t say I don’t ever do anything for you,” Hyunwoo added.Kihyun was about to respond, but instead, he was cut-off by someone calling Hyunwoo on the other line. Right, he was working. It wasn’t the time for idle chatter, even though he really wanted to keep talking.“Okay, thanks! See you later hyung!” Kihyun hastily said. He didn’t want to selfishly keep Hyunwoo from working.“Talk to you later!” Hyunwoo replied before hanging up.Kihyun put his phone down on the sink before returning to the mirror. What a sight to see. Hair that still looked like a tornado ran through it, a face that looked like a flustered hamster, but what drew his attention, was the wide and foolish smile that was too much, even for a romcom. Kihyun never realized he could even smile that brightly.“My god,” he called out to his reflection before hanging his head over the sink to avoid it. “Yoo Kihyun, you’re going insane,” he murmured and splashed some ice-cold water over his face to make an attempt at waking him up from his delusions. “Head, please stop thinking about him like that. Heart, stop beating so loud. We’re friends, I’m supposed to be happy with just that. No, I am happy with just that, okay?” Kihyun told himself as he dried his face and ruffled his hair up again.After getting dressed in his school’s uniform, he finally got to the kitchen. The first thing his eyes found was the yellow note next to a prepared breakfast on the counter. He picked the note up, and once again, his heart skipped a beat.
“To my Kihyunnie,
Eat lots! It’s my cooking (sorry) but you shouldn’t cook on your own birthday! There’s also some lunch in the fridge, don’t forget it! See you tonight!
- Your Hyunwoo”
Kihyun looked over at the fried rice that Hyunwoo had made for breakfast. He could already spot a bit of burnt rice and undercooked vegetables, was it even seasoned right? A chuckle escaped him as he took the note and the breakfast over to the table together with his chopsticks.“Your. . . Kihyunnie, huh?” Kihyun thought to himself. “Don’t do these kinds of things, you’ll make my heart explode,” he sighed loudly and took a bite of his “birthday breakfast”. “Salty,” he immediately noted, but despite that, he kept eating. Hyunwoo made this breakfast, of course, he was going to eat it all.“You made breakfast?” Kihyun texted to Hyunwoo. “Are you sure it’s not poisonous? :P” He texted and immediately got a reply.“It’s good!” Hyunwoo insisted. “I ate it too, I promise!”Kihyun laughed and decided to take a picture. He posed with the food in the background, keeping his chopsticks in his hand and giving a bright smile. Again, since when did he smile so brightly? Kihyun didn’t consider himself gloomy, but he looked like a cheerful puppy with that kind of smile.“I’m eating. It’s good :D” Kihyun said before putting his phone away.“How can you make undercooked vegetables, salty and overcooked rice taste good? Son Hyunwoo, you’re a miracle worker.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~One salty meal in his stomach and another in his bag, he was already headed to school. It wasn’t like a very prestigious college, but he was proud that he managed to get into their photography line anyway. The teachers were strict, probably for the better, though Kihyun wished they would give them a little slack sometimes.The classroom was already filled with other photography students, though Kihyun didn’t approach a single one of them and instead found his usual seat by the window. It wasn’t that he hadn’t made an attempt to talk to any of his fellow students, but he always found him a bit awkward in social situations. They were here to take photographs anyway, it wasn’t a get-together. He sighed, checking his bag with Hyunwoo’s lunch in it and smiled to himself. There was still a salty aftertaste from his breakfast, even after brushing his teeth, but he couldn’t help to smile when he imagined how much effort it must have taken Hyunwoo to make it so early in the morning.“Okay everyone, find your seats!” The teacher called out as he came in with a heap of papers in his hands. That couldn’t be good. “We’re having a pop quiz today on the chapters we went through the last lecture!”The entire class started to whine and sigh among themselves, Kihyun being among them. He wanted to read that yesterday, after hanging out with Hyunwoo, but he had completely forgotten. Time moved too fast when they were together, it always had.“This is going to count for your grades, so I hope you all read up!”And with that line, Kihyun let out a loud groan. Great. Well, hopefully, he would remember some of the answers without reading up on the material. Was this some sort of sucky birthday gift from the school? Or was it the world telling him how insignificant his birthday was to the rest of the world? Either way, it punctuated his thoughts of how overrated birthdays were.His phone pinged, thankfully before his teacher got to give him his paper, and Kihyun took a quick glance down to see it was a reply from Hyunwoo.
“Glad you liked it! Did you remember your lunch too?”
He peeked up to check where the teacher was, before swiping to quickly reply back.“I did. It’s in my bag. Thanks :)” he typed and gave another glance at the teacher. Still not close, though it was safer to put his phone on vibrate so that it wouldn’t get confiscated.
“Good! Eat up! Have a nice day at school :D”
“Yoo Kihyun,” his teacher was suddenly right in front of him with the pop quiz. “I’ll be taking that. You’ll get it back after class,” he said and there was no discussing it.Thankfully, Kihyun knew better than to give lip and instead turned his phone off before placing it in his hand.“Next time, I’ll give you detention.”“Sorry. It won’t happen again;” Kihyun said and bowed before the teacher practically slammed the paper down on his desk.What a great start to this day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The entire day was a disaster. As if it wasn’t bad enough with the pop quiz, the world decided to throw an assignment in Kihyun’s face, and the deadline for that was tomorrow. He could have sworn he had sent it in, but the professor didn’t have it and Kihyun couldn’t find the paper on his laptop either.Lunch ended up being canceled due to some hotshot lecturer teaching them something about literature, that had nothing to do with Kihyun’s subjects, but everyone had to sit through the entire thing. The bags got locked inside the classroom, so he couldn’t get Hyunwoo’s homemade lunch, and instead had to accept the low-budget burritos that had some weird sauce mixed with overcooked meat and wet salad.Next, the camera that Kihyun reserved for himself had already been rented out to someone else, so he had to contact whoever had taken it or wait before he could use it, which meant that he wouldn’t get to work on his collection. It was all a mess.“Are you. . . kidding me?” Kihyun asked as he found himself speechless after finally getting his bag back. He was ready to go home, but it was pouring outside. It was as if the world was dumping oceans of water down to the earth, on the one day, Kihyun hadn’t bothered to bring a jacket nor an umbrella. There were thunder and lightning on top of that, was the world attempting to make his birthday the worst day ever?“What God did I offend to make them so mad? I can’t help being born today,” he light-heartedly joked and let out a loud sigh as he watched the rain drown the schoolyard.Thankfully, there was something good about today. Hyunwoo was at home, waiting for him. Did he try to bake a cake too? Would that even be edible?Kihyun chuckled to himself at the thought of Hyunwoo spilling cream everywhere or clumsily attempting to spell with it on top of the cake. Was his kitchen going to look like a mess? “I swear Son Hyunwoo, I will nag your brains out if you ruined my kitchen,” he murmured to himself, but there was no threatening tone to his words. Even if the kitchen looked like the aftermath of a war, Kihyun wouldn’t mind. It was Hyunwoo’s efforts, even if it did create such a mess.“Well. . . I don’t want to be late. . .” Kihyun said as he put his bag over his head while approaching the door. “So, I better run!” He bolted out into the rain. The bag he was using as a makeshift umbrella didn’t help at all, it only took a few moments for Kihyun to get completely drenched.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Thankfully, he didn’t live too far away from his college and it only took him about ten minutes to sprint all the way back to the apartment. Kihyun could have bought an umbrella on the way back, but what was the point? He was already soaking wet and an umbrella wouldn’t change that.“Sorry!” Kihyun called out as he opened the door. “It started to pour, but I’ll change so--” Kihyun’s words got caught in his words as what met him in the door wasn’t Hyunwoo. It was a woman.She was small, even smaller than him, petite and was wearing a white dress that showed off way too much skin. Her brown hair looked prettied up with a little pearl hairpin, and neck adorned in matching jewelry. Blue eyes looked at him with confusion, and he imagined his brown were much the same.“Hey Kihyunnie,” Hyunwoo greeted him as he walked over from the kitchen.“Hi. . .” It was awkward. He wanted to say something more, but for some reason, there weren’t any words that Kihyun could think of saying at this moment.“Sorry, but this is the birthday boy I was talking about!” Hyunwoo smiled as he gestured towards the stranger that was in their home. “This is Park Seoyeon,” he introduced her to him.“Hi! Nice to meet you! I’ve heard a lot about you from Hyunwoo-ah,” she smiled and held out her hand.“Hi, I’m Yoo Kihyun. . .” he replied but didn’t take her hand and instead awkwardly stared at it. Why had Hyunwoo brought a girl home on his birthday? Was he trying to hook him up as a birthday gift? Or could it be something. . . worse? Kihyun had survived the news of Hyunwoo’s past girlfriends, though it hurt every single time. However, this time, it felt different. The reason for those feelings was her hand, but particularly, her ring finger, that was sporting a ring.“Sorry! I’m wet and probably a bit dirty from the rain! I’ll go and take a bath!” Kihyun said as he rushed past the two of them, not even taking his shoes off, as he practically ran to the bathroom.“Yeah, you warm up! I’ll get you some clothes!” Hyunwoo called out as Kihyun locked the bathroom door.“Fuck. . . fuck. . . fuck. . .fuck!” He whispered a yell out as he leaned against the door.Was he overthinking it? He didn’t see a ring on Hyunwoo’s finger, but he didn’t get to see his hand either. No, it could just be a ring she was wearing. Perhaps “she” was his gift, whatever her name was. It wasn’t uncommon for Hyunwoo to finding him a girl, he didn’t know any better. Yes, that was probably it. She was just dolled up for this surprise blind date, that was all.“Calm down,” he whispered. “It’s okay, there’s nothing to worry about it,” he murmured and looked in the mirror.He looked like a drowned hamster. His hair had glued itself to his red face, he was still panting from all the running, but now he noticed small drops of water that started to gather at the corners of his eyes. Those weren’t from the rain. They were ready for whatever world was waiting for him on the other side of the door, and Kihyun could only pray that it wasn’t what he suspected.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~One quick shower later, Kihyun had no choice but to face reality. He wanted to buy more time, but there was no way. He took a deep breath and walked over to the door, unlocking it, and then heading over to the living room with a rapidly beating heart.“Feeling better? That poured down so fast!” Hyunwoo said and gestured Kihyun to sit down by the kitchen table. Hyunwoo was sitting next to the intruder, so Kihyun had to sit across the two of them.“Yeah, thanks,” Kihyun smiled and looked down at the mug with something dark in it. They had prepared it for him. Great. It was warm, but for some reason, he still felt so cold.“You should have taken the car to pick him up!” The girl said. She was even daring enough to playfully punch Hyunwoo in the arm.
"Don’t touch him."
“I couldn’t have! I was fetching you and the cake!” Hyunwoo excused himself with a sheepish smile.
"Don’t smile at her."
“It’s not as if we couldn’t be in the same car! You’re so silly sometimes Hyunwoo-ah!” She laughed and patted his shoulder.
"Don’t look at him like that."
“Noona! You’re being embarrassing! Stop that!” A flustered Hyunwoo whined which only made her laugh even more.
Don’t look at her with those eyes!
“Um. . .” Kihyun spoke up as he finally realized how hard he was squeezing the mug. His nails were white and he finally noticed how the tips of his fingers felt like they were burning. “Sorry, but I didn’t quite catch your name earlier. I was in a hurry, sorry,” he said and somehow managed to smile.“Oh, don’t worry! You got completely drenched in the rain, you were probably freezing!” She excused for him. “I’m Park Seoyeon. It’s nice to meet you,” she smiled as she introduced herself again.“Yeah, it’s nice to meet you too,” it was a lie. The last thing he wanted was to meet her, especially on this day that belonged only to him and Hyunwoo. It had for the last twenty-one years, it shouldn’t change on the twenty-second.“She’s the daughter of Park Haneul, the C.E.O of Park Electronics,” Hyunwoo explained.Oh great, a rich girl, huh? Fantastic. No wonder she covered herself in overpriced jewelry and probably had even more money painted on her face in layers of makeup.“Well, our parents have talked for a while and then they introduced us to each other.” "Please, Dear God, don’t say it."
“And you see, it started as an arrangement in between our parents, but then--”I can’t take it, please don’t say another word Son Hyunwoo."
“--Well, one thing led to another. It was an arranged meeting and marriage at first, but. . . I truly love her, and I wanted you to be the first to know! This is my lovely fiance, Park Seoyeon.”Kihyun wondered if they could hear it. His heart was shattered into a million pieces with just a couple of words from Hyunwoo’s voice. It was as if he was got shot and stabbed in the heart at the same time while being suffocated.“Of course, I’m going to choose you as my best man! That’s why you had to be the first friend that she met!” Hyunwoo smiled as he draped an arm around Seoyeon’s shoulder before lacing their fingers together to show off their matching rings. “What you think? I didn’t cheap out on the ring! It’s a real diamond!” He said while holding both of their hands in front of Kihyun’s face.“Stop it Hyunwoo-ah! You’re the one being embarrassing now!” Seoyeon said with a light blush on her face.It was all real, and it was all happening right in front of Kihyun. All the times he met Hyunwoo’s ex-girlfriends, it hurt, but it was fine. They broke up after a couple of weeks. Then this girl, this Park-whatever, shows up out of [i]nowhere[/i] and held the audacity to just announce herself as some rich girl who Hyunwoo’s parents had matched him with? And on top of that, they weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend, they just jumped to marriage?Fuck. Everything.“Wow, that’s great!” Kihyun said with one of the fakest smiles he had pulled in his entire life. He could tell, if he stayed, then he wouldn’t be able to control himself. If he didn’t keep his mask on, then his relationship with Hyunwoo, ended today. The last thing he wanted was to lose him completely, so selfishly, he would hold the only thing they had now. Their “friendship”.“Congratulations! That’s a really nice ring!” Out. He needed to get out. Away from their flirting, from their smiles and facial expressions, Kihyun would never see on Hyunwoo’s face directed towards him. The look in those deep dark eyes, how they were swimming with love, that only looked at Park Seoyeon. It hurt so much, and Kihyun couldn’t even cry or scream about it. He needed to wear his mask, at least until he got out.“Isn’t it?” Hyunwoo agreed. “Anyway, it’s not as if this is your birthday gift, Seoyeon noona and I--”“What? No no no no! We can’t celebrate me! You two should celebrate!” Kihyun insisted. He just needed to get out. He didn’t want to spend another moment in here with them, because the tears he was blinking back were threatening to appear.“Oh no it’s fine, it’s your birthday--”
“Yeah, but this is so much bigger!” Kihyun said as he stood up. He hadn’t even touched his mug of whatever hot drink they prepared for him. Didn’t they mention cake earlier? There was no way he could stay for that, he needed to get out that door.“I mean, we wanted to celebrate together--”“Sorry,” Kihyun interrupted Seoyeon. The last thing he wanted in the world, even after death, was to celebrate with the creature that Hyunwoo had dragged in here that got everything he couldn’t. “But I got an emergency shift at work, and I was planning on telling you when I come home. So can we postpone that for later?” It was another lie. Whatever he needed to say to get out of here. At this rate, Kihyun might claim the world was going under so he had to see his parents, that he didn’t have any contact with, get kidnapped by aliens or whatever ridiculous things his mind could conjure up.“Oh, really? Well, can’t you--”“So that’s how it is!” Kihyun interrupted Hyunwoo this time. “Anyway, thanks for all of this and sorry that we’ll have to wait! It was nice to meet you Park Seyeon, congratulations on your engagement! I really have to go! Bye!” And with that, Kihyun bolted out the door.Was it suspicious? Probably, but Hyunwoo was easy to trick. That is how he managed to hide his true feelings for so long. Park Seoyeon, a pretty girl from a well-off family.“Fuck,” Kihyun cursed underneath his breath. The rain didn’t even phase him this time, it almost felt pleasant to have something cold running down his cheek along with the streams of something hot. “Fuck, she’s just. . .” he added as he sped up a bit.Thanks to the rain, there was no one outside. Kihyun could run as fast as he wanted to, he could cry until his heart became contempt or his eyes ran out of tears. There was no one there to see him, he betted, that he could scream out loud and not a single soul would notice it over the sound of thunder.It hurt. His chest hurt so much. How was his heart still beating? How could he still feel the blood rushing to his face? How was alive when their happiness was killing him ten times over?Hyunwoo’s face, he looked so happy with his arm around her. He showed off their rings with such a gleeful expression, and his eyes weren’t even looking at Kihyun. They were looking at her, Park Seoyeon, with dark eyes filled with nothing but admiration and love. Eyes that had never looked at him in the same way, and now, they never would. Kihyun knew this day would come, he knew! And yet he clung to hope for so long, thinking that Hyunwoo wasn’t in a relationship and that, one day, he could confess his feelings. There was no way now, he couldn’t become the obstacle to Hyunwoo’s happiness. And yet, he couldn’t let go. Was he going to feel this pain for the rest of his life? Would he be able to do that without dying?“Fuck,” he cursed again and stopped running. He was out of breath, his feet hurt and his chest burned, and yet it didn’t hurt enough to distract him from the pain in his heart. “She’s just so. . . perfect for him,” he cried and found an alleyway to take a bit of shelter from the rain.He leaned against the cold brick wall and slumped down. The sound of his ragged breaths couldn’t be heard due to the heavy rain, though the thunder and lightning had transferred themselves inside of Kihyun’s broken heart. Kihyun threw his head against the wall, staring up into the sky that was nothing but black clouds barely covered by a small roof. He made one more attempt to blink back his tears, he even used his sleeve to rub at his face, but it only made matters worse. He couldn’t stop, it hurt so much, and he couldn’t tell a soul about his pain. This was a pain Kihyun would have to suffer all alone, for the first time, he couldn’t tell Hyunwoo about it and the other would make the pain go away with just a few words.His phone buzzed and Kihyun took it out of his pocket, taking a quick glance before regretting his decision instantly. There were only four words on the screen, and yet it made the pain even worse. In fact, it was so sad that it managed to draw a laugh out. A burst of laughter that held no mirth, no emotions, only emptiness, and loneliness.
“Happy birthday Kihyunnie!
Hyunwoo.”
“Yeah,” he laughed. “Happy, fucking, birthday, Yoo Kihyun.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
This sucked. This was the absolute worst, and it didn’t help that Kihyun was now sitting in a random alleyway in the rain either. At the very least, the rain was starting to let up a bit, but it didn’t make him feel better. The rain was the only thing giving him some much-needed isolation from the rest of the world, the last thing he wanted, was to look at some happy-go-lucky couples or friends. He hoped they would all get splashed by the rain and woken up from their godforsaken happiness.“What a day,” Kihyun sighed loudly to himself as he gave another glance to his phone. There was no way he would be able to pick it up and reply, not like he usually did. The “happy birthday” was just a rainy day with some thunder and lightning now.“Can’t believe I ran out like that,” he continued to murmur to himself. “Did they find it suspicious? I just made up something before I started to cry in front of them, maybe I should have thought it through. How could he bring a girl back and introduce her as his fiance on this day though? Son Hyunwoo, you’re one amazing man,” Kihyun chuckled to himself before resting his forehead on top of his knees.What a mess. He had bolted out there like the house was on fire, leaving Hyunwoo and Seoyeon there all alone. Where was he meant to stay the night? Kihyun didn’t want to go back to the apartment and staying at a friends’ place would probably just prompt them to call Hyunwoo to get him some change of clothes. The last thing Kihyun wanted to do was to explain why he was soaking wet and crying too, and sleeping outside was not an option. Hotel? It would be expensive, but he had his credit card in his phone case, so at least he had some money.A few minutes was all he needed to calm down a bit, Kihyun realized he was hungry too. Great, he was just draining his wallet while hiding from reality. Sooner or later, he had to go back. On top of that, Kihyun needed to look for his own place. There was no way he was going to live with a soon-to-be-married couple. His heart couldn’t take the constant abuse, and if he didn’t move, then Hyunwoo would. It was Hyunwoo’s apartment anyway, so it was only natural for Kihyun to find his own place. Time to leave the nest, or whatever.The sudden appearance of a single woman turned his life into a catastrophe. Calling it a Shakespearian tragedy would make him overdramatic, but the world wasn’t going to give him any pity points, so the very least, Kihyun could throw a pity party for himself.“Damn,” Kihyun said again before tossing his head back. Looking down wasn’t a good strategy to hold his tears back, so he returned his empty gaze to the dark sky. “Can I just pretend you’re crying with me? Some pity would be nice,” he asked the clouds before closing his eyes.Park Seoyeon, she was pretty. A bit short, but Kihyun wasn’t much to brag about when it came to height either. Brown long hair, good-looking face, though the giant layer of makeup made it difficult to tell how she looked underneath. On top of her good appearance, she was also rich. Hyunwoo’s parents were well-off as well, so an arranged marriage made plenty of sense. If it was only that, but even Hyunwoo had said that he loved her. Kihyun wished nothing, but for Hyunwoo's happiness. But why couldn’t that be together with him? The world was such an unfair place. Why did she have to exist? It would be better if she never entered their lives, then Kihyun and Hyunwoo would be sitting in front of their couch playing a video game that they’d be equally horrible at.“God damned woman!” Kihyun shouted as he hit the brick wall. A childish way to vent his anger out, but it made him feel a bit better nonetheless.“Hear, hear!”The voice of someone else made Kihyun jump before looking deeper into the alleyway to see who the stranger was. The first thing that caught Kihyun’s gaze was his silver hair that gradually turned blue. It looked a bit messy with how wet it was, but it was nice to know he wasn’t the only one drenched at the moment. He had piercings over his left eye, two silver balls, one under and the other over his eyebrow, along with a lip ring. If anything, he looked far away from someone Kihyun should approach.Usually, Kihyun would leave someone who practically screamed trouble with the way he looked. The stranger was wearing a leather jacket too as if coming out of some cliche movie as the “bad boy” of the plot. However, if this guy pulled out a knife and attempted to rob him, which was highly likely, then maybe he would give Kihyun a stab too. Save him from the heartbreak, though such thoughts weren't healthy, so he quickly steered away from them, and it was judgemental of him to label him as a thief just because he dressed like a gangster.“You see this?” The stranger said as he approached Kihyun and showed off his red cheek. “The bitch slapped me so hard, I thought I saw stars for a moment! Like, seriously! She had some real power behind her right hand!” He insisted and Kihyun couldn’t help himself from seeing the silver snake ring coiled around his index finger and tattoo on the stranger’s hand. Yeah, even if he wasn’t a gangster, he knew how to look like one.It did look painful though. However, instead of a slap, it looked like a punch. His sharp jawline looked bruised up, and he couldn’t imagine that being an open palm. Though Kihyun was no expert on injuries, or maybe the girl did punch him and the stranger was just too shy to admit it. In the end, it didn’t matter. Even if he was lying, it was none of Kihyun’s business.“So. . .” the stranger started. “What’s your story?"If it had been anyone else, then Kihyun probably wouldn’t have been as comfortable talking about his day, but this was a complete stranger. The chances of the two of the meeting again were slim, and even if they did, it wasn’t as if they would sit down and have another “heartfelt” talk about their problems. Hopefully, they would just forget about it and move on with their lives.“I guess it’s a bit hard to talk about,” the stranger said and sat down across from Kihyun before digging into his leather jacket to pull out a small silver flask. “Here,” he said and held the flask out for Kihyun. “It’s whiskey. It’ll probably burn a bit, but it makes it feel a bit better,” he said.Kihyun wasn’t the type to drink his sorrows away, and even further away from accepting a drink from someone he didn’t know, but even if it was poison he’d drink it. “Thanks,” he muttered and took the flask before tipping his head back to take a big gulp. It was probably not the best of ideas, as the alcohol burned unpleasantly down his throat and made him cough a bit.“That’s not whiskey!” Kihyun exclaimed which caused the stranger to chuckle.“It is! It’s strong, what kid? Can’t drink?” The silver-haired man cocked a brow before smirking.“Shut up, and don’t call me kid! I’m probably older!” Though Kihyun had no reason to think he was, he just hoped that the delinquent looking guy was younger. If only by months, it counted.Taking it slower for the second round of whiskey, Kihyun took another mouthful before returning the flask. It was strange, but it did make him feel a bit better. If only more lighthearted and giggly, it did lift his mood up.“So, feeling for talking now?” The stranger brought it up again.Why was he prying so much? Was it because he had seen Kihyun cry? It would have embarrassed him beyond words if he didn’t know the chances of them meeting again were slim. With that in mind along with some whiskey in his system, Kihyun found himself coaxed to talk. However, since homosexuality wasn’t something he wanted to discuss into deep details, it was better to alter his story a bit. What did it matter if he lied to a stranger anyway? He would never know, just like Kihyun didn’t know if the delinquent looking guy was honest either.“There was this woman. . . “ first lie. “That I’ve been interested in,” not exactly a lie, but he had definitely been more than just “interested” in Hyunwoo. “We’re childhood friends, and she brought home her fiance today,” which was the entire truth. “She wanted to introduce him to me first since we were such great friends,” Kihyun added before he realized how entirely pathetic it made him sound. His heart sank all the way down to his feet, or what was left of it, talking about it didn’t make him feel better. Whoever claimed that it would make “the pain go away” was a liar and needed to die.“Ouch,” the stranger commented. “Sounds painful, guess you didn’t confess before she got taken either then, huh?”It sounded even worse with Hyunwoo being the “she” in his half-made up story. If “he” had been a “she” then Kihyun wouldn’t be having this problem. Obviously, there’s still the risk of rejection, but there’s not one of disgust. What Kihyun feared the most when it came to his confession wasn’t the words he would say, but the reaction he would get. What would happen when the cat was out of the bag? Would they still be friends, or would Hyunwoo run away as fast as possible? Those kind of thoughts were so terrifying that Kihyun had just decided to never risk it, and now, he couldn’t even think about attempting it. Sighing loudly, Kihyun put his head back into his knees and used his arms to cover himself.The rain had started to calm itself down, turning from pouring buckets to now only sprinkling lightly. The roof had done its job of covering the both of them to some degree, though Kihyun was still soaking wet and the stranger didn’t look better. Kihyun wanted nothing more, but for the pavement underneath himself to open up and swallow him whole. Bring him somewhere, anywhere, else than here. Kihyun wanted to cry again, but it was too embarrassing to do so in front of someone else, despite it being a stranger. It shouldn’t matter, as Kihyun had been his lowest of low in front of him, but he still felt conscious about it.“Guessing that’s a no,” the stranger broke the silence between the two of them, but only for a moment, as silence quickly fell in between the two of them again.This was stupid. Kihyun was ridiculing himself in front of a stranger, on top of that, they were drinking together. It couldn’t get more pitiful than this. He should have left before striking a conversation, it didn’t do him any good and he had been foolish to think it would lift the weight off his chest. It was time to go, though he didn’t know where that was something Kihyun would think about while wandering around. Hopefully, there was a cheap hotel nearby and then maybe something he could temporarily change into so he didn’t catch a cold.Kihyun lifted his head to announce his leave but stopped when he saw the grin from the stranger that caught him off-guard. Was this funny to him? It didn’t matter if they didn’t know each other, Kihyun didn’t find any of this funny and wanted to wipe that grin off his stupid face.“What?” Kihyun spat. He couldn’t help it, he was in a bad mood and the last thing he wanted was for someone else to “have fun”. Especially, if it was entertainment on his expense. “Why are you grinning?”“Sorry,” the stranger chuckled. “It’s just, don’t you find it funny?”“Funny” the last word on the planet that Kihyun wanted to have any association with. Whatever was so goddamned “funny” could be thrown into a volcano and die a fiery death. He wasn’t in the mood for laughs, but his interest was still piqued.“Find what funny?”“You’re sitting in an alley drinking with a stranger, and we both poured our hearts out. We’re having a pity party together.”In all honesty, it didn’t sound funny at all. It sounded just as pathetic as Kihyun had felt doing it, but with some help of the alcohol, and thinking about how pitiful this entire situation was, it did manage to humor him a bit. “It’s so sad I guess it’s laughable,” Kihyun laughed.“It suits you,” the stranger smiled.“What?” He asked and cocked his brow at the weird comment.“Your smile and laughter, it suits you a lot,” he added before putting the silver flask in his hand back into his inner pocket.The comment was too random for Kihyun to have any response. This time, the silence was not as welcomed as the other time. It left a weird awkwardness lingering in the air, and Kihyun wanted nothing more, but for it to disappear. He opened his mouth to reply but got interrupted by his phone. Almost instantly, he reached over to grab it but hesitated once he saw who the caller was. The last voice Kihyun wanted to hear at this moment, was Son Hyunwoo’s. Usually, he’d be overly joyed, but today he didn’t want to hear another word of his newly found happiness.“It’s her, right?” The stranger said. “Don’t take it. It’ll make it worse.He was right, and Kihyun knew it, but the thought of Hyunwoo being worried was worse than whatever pain that call would give him. It was the only thought that made him disregard the greatest advice on planet earth as he brought the phone up to his ear.
“Hello? Kihyunnie? Are you okay? You ran out so fast that Seoyeon and I got worried.”
There he goes again, with his “good boy” attitude. Hyunwoo’s kindness normally made Kihyun’s heart melt, but today it was stabbing knives at it.“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry, but I got an emergency shift at work. I didn’t want to be late, sorry for not telling you about it earlier,” the lies were starting to pile up. But he couldn’t help it if it was for Hyunwoo’s happiness, then Kihyun would happily sacrifice his own. He had always been this kind of person, self-sacrificial in the stupidest of ways.
“It’s fine. I guess I sort of sprung this one on you. How about the three of us get something to eat later? She really wants to get to know you better.”
The problem was that Kihyun had no interest in getting to know the thief that stole Hyunwoo’s heart from him.“Sure, that sounds great. Let me know when you guys have time,” Kihyun said in his best attempt of a happy tone, but the way his voice was starting to shake gave away the tears he was blinking back.
“Are you coming home late?”
Preferably, he wouldn’t come home at all. Would she still be there? And even if she wasn’t, Hyunwoo would probably not stop talking about her for the rest of the night. He didn’t want that to listen in on that.
“Seoyeon is staying over, so--”
Ah, that was why he was asking. Kihyun was in the way of her sleepover. Hyunwoo would probably offer to take the couch if he was there.“I’ll be staying at a friend’s house, so it’s fine,” Kihyun lied. “You’ll be fine, right?” He asked with a bit of a joking tone in his voice, or at least, his best attempt at one. “If I’m not there to cook your meals then--” Oh no. Kihyun stifled his sob and took in a deep shaky breath. This was the beginning, the start of where Hyunwoo wouldn’t need him anymore. Seoyeon had taken his place as his caretaker. What was he meant to do? He was fading out of the picture.
“Kihyunnie? What’s wrong?”
Crap. He couldn’t talk now, his hand was trembling and his voice no better. The tears were starting to come back up. Kihyun moved his free hand up to his mouth, trying to muffle any other sounds that could escape. But he needed to say something, if this continued then he’d get caught! What was he meant to do--“Hello?” The stranger grabbed his phone started talking. “Sorry, but it’s very busy here tonight so he’s working really hard. Call him back tomorrow,” and with those swift words he hung up before turning Kihyun’s phone off.“I was--!” Kihyun started before he realized that tears were running down his cheeks. Hastily, he used his wet and cold sleeve to rub at his eyes as if he had never been crying from the start.“What’s the point of putting up a strong front when you’re only hurting yourself more? Use some self-perseverance. It won’t do you any good to be endlessly nice to others,” the stranger lectured before putting Kihyun’s phone in his pocket and then standing up.“Y-Yah!” Kihyun exclaimed. “That’s my phone where are you--?!” His sentence stopped when the silver-haired male suddenly started to walk back into the street. He took his phone! Was he a thief?! “You have my phone! Give it back!” Kihyun called out after the guy and caught him looking inside of it.That fucker! Was he going to rob him too now? This day couldn’t get any worse.“Give it--!” Kihyun said as he reached over to grab it, but the stranger held it up in the air and displayed the annoying difference in their heights. It wasn’t a lot, which was why it was annoying. However, even more annoying, was the difference in their arms. Kihyun’s looked like sticks comparing themselves to thick branches.“Calm down Yoo Kihyun~” the stranger mused. This guy. . . he looked at his card! “I’m older, by the way, I’m your hyung. I’m ‘92,” he smirked which only provoked Kihyun further.“Then act like one and give me my phone and card back!” Kihyun said as he stood up on his toes, which only made the stranger do the same.“You’re stealing it! Give me back my phone!”“Tomorrow,” the stranger said. “You don’t have a place to crash anyway, right? I bet you were about to go to a hotel for the night.”Damn, right on the money. But what did he mean by tomorrow? “I’m serious, please give me my phone back,” Kihyun said as he pinched his brows together and held his hand out like his teacher had this morning. “It doesn’t concern you where I stay for the night anyway, I don’t even know your name,” he added in annoyance.“My friends call me Wonho,” the, now named, annoyance said.“Huh?” Kihyun asked. “Wonho? As in protector or want?” With the way Wonho said it, Kihyun doubted that it was his real name.“Which one you want?”This cocky--“Give me my phone!” Kihyun decided as he jumped up in the attempt to grab it, but it was just out of reach. The height wasn’t the biggest problem, but the mass. If the two of them ended up in a scuffle, Kihyun would get his butt handed to him. Anyone could tell which one of them spent more time in the gym.“I said, tomorrow. You don’t have a place to stay, you just bawled your eyes out and you had whiskey. I got a spare bedroom. Unless you got any better plans without a phone and money, Yoo Kihyun-ah?”That’s it, Kihyun was about to commit murder. He opened his mouth to retaliate but then thought better of it. What was he meant to say in return anyway? Wonho had a point. It would be cheaper to stay at his place than to get a hotel room, if lucky, he could change into some warm and dry clothes and get a place to stay for free. The whiskey didn’t matter, it wasn’t as if he had enough to get drunk. A little buzzed, maybe, but not anywhere near drunk!“Okay, fine,” Kihyun sighed. “I’ll sleep over at your place then,” he admitted defeated but still held his hand out. “So give me back my phone,” he added before watching Wonho pocket it in his inner jacket and in turn pulling out a set of car keys.“I told you. I’ll do that tomorrow,” Wonho repeated like a broken record before giving his car keys a little “click” and a car across the road lit up.It wasn’t a car that blended in well with the rest of the street. Not only was it the only vehicle parked nearby, but it was also a very expensive one to boost. Was this some rich son? Did Kihyun have some magic ability to meet rich people today?“Why does it feel like I’m getting kidnapped?” Kihyun asked out loud as he followed Wonho across the street to approach the car.“Well, you’re not too far off?” The, unfortunately, older joked with a chuckle as he opened the door for Kihyun. “In you go.”Kihyun pinched his brows together again and felt a headache quickly approaching, but decided not to say anything and instead sat down in the car and buckled in immediately. He had a feeling that Wonho might be a speedster if his looks were anything to go by at least. So far, he had whiskey in his inner pocket along with Kihyun’s stolen phone and credit card, and now he partially forced Kihyun along to his home. Yeah, his looks as a troublemaker were spot on.Fantastic.It was only now that Kihyun noticed the rain had stopped. It was too late for the sun to shine, but the skies had cleared and he could spot a few twinkling stars in starting to pop up in the darkness. It wasn’t half-bad, the least this shitty day could offer, was a beautiful night sky.“I don’t live too far from here,” Wonho said as he sat down in the driver’s seat and buckled up. “You can take a shower and borrow some clothes until yours dry up,” he added before starting the car to get them moving.All in all, even if Wonho had proven to be a bit of an eyesore. He wasn’t a bad guy. In fact, his driving was pretty good. Thinking over it, Wonho had only offered his place because of how ragged Kihyun looked. The side view mirror said it all. His light brown hair looked black, his eyes were puffy and red from crying and his cheeks weren’t in any better condition. He couldn’t see his entire body, but there were puddles in his shoes so he was sure he looked drenched, and with the AC of the car, Kihyun could feel how cold he was from sitting in the rain.His eyes traveled over to Wonho. He didn’t look any better. His cheek was still red from the slap whatever woman had given him, and it definitely looked as if it hurt. The leather jacket kept him a bit “dryer” than Kihyun, but the rest of the older was just as drenched. He must have wandered around in the rain too.“Why did she slap you?” Kihyun decided to ask. “That woman,” he added. It wasn’t fair that he had talked more than Wonho. He only knew he got slapped, didn’t know why.“Well. . .” Wonho started a bit hesitantly before peeking over to Kihyun and then back on the road. “. . . I might have told her Santa wasn’t real. . .” He joked.“You’re such a bad liar!” Kihyun laughed. It wasn’t that he had expected a truthful answer. Just like how Kihyun didn’t have any obligation to tell Wonho the truth, he didn’t have the right to demand any answers out of the older. But the answer was so unexpected, and the image of a little girl giving that hard of a slap was incredibly funny. There was no way a small girl could leave a bruise and reach unless she was Supergirl.“It’s not funny!” Wonho insisted. “Let it be known that I tried to break it to her nicely!” He added and Kihyun burst into a fit of laughter.“How old was this kid?!” Kihyun said before catching Wonho’s eyes.“I told you, that suits you more. Your smile and laughter, so you shouldn’t cry,” Wonho said with a smile before focusing back on the road.Once more, Kihyun found himself speechless to the comment. It instantly calmed him down, as he rested his head against the car window. He couldn’t look at Wonho at the moment, so instead, he just stared at the buildings that disappeared one after the other.“You’re really annoying,” Kihyun said. “So annoying it makes me speechless,” he murmured though Wonho only chuckled in response before silence fell between the two of them. It didn’t feel awkward like it did earlier, in a way, it warmed Kihyun up a bit from the cold, but he wasn’t planning on saying that out loud.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Shin Hoseok!” The loud screeching voice shouted his name so loud, that Hoseok thought his ears were going to burst for a moment. Was it necessary to shout when he was right in front of her?
“How could you do this to me?!” She asked. Crocodile tears ran down her cheeks, ruining her cheap makeup.
“Do what?” Hoseok asked as he shook her hands off his arm and gave her a sickeningly sweet smile. “I did nothing, if anything, you were the one who did this to yourself,” he pointed out. What had he done anyway? Except getting tricked, again? It was the same old story, and yet, he still played his part so perfectly.
“What do you mean?! Are you saying this is my fault?!”
Hoseok sighed. How was it his fault that she got addicted to drugs? It wasn’t as if he had delivered it to her or fed it to her. Wherever she had gotten it, Hoseok had beaten the crap out of those guys and told them to stop delivering to her. Now, suffering from withdrawals, she was going crazy. It was evident, Hoseok couldn’t deal with it himself anymore and needed help. That’s why he had decided to send her to rehab, though thinking about it, maybe it would have been a good idea to tell her before having the people surprise visit to bring her over. However, knowing his own her, she wouldn’t have gone willingly even if she knew.
“They’re not going to kill you,” Hoseok decided it was better to not push the subject any further. Even if she hated him after this, it would be okay. Their relationship didn’t mean anything if she would be okay. “You’re going there to make you feel better,” he tried his best to make it sound better than it probably was. He wasn’t coaxing a child to go to the dentist. It was an adult that needed help, before everything got worse.
“I’ll call you once a week and visit as often as I can. I’ve already paid for most of your stay, and I’ll provide you with a weekly allowance which you can use to get whatever they offer in the rehabilitation center,” he added.
It was difficult for Hoseok to send her away too. They had been together ever since Hoseok’s parents died. They were not blood-related, but she had taken him in as if they were family. Chaewon had been so sweet, but something must have happened to her that made her change. Temptation? Stress? Whatever it was, it needed professional help. Unfortunately, no matter how much he wished he was that person, he wasn’t able to save her. All he could do was send her away, and pray that they could.
“Now, noona, please go with them,” Hoseok practically begged. She was older, but she had fallen into a dark abyss that he wanted to rescue her from. The sooner, the better.
“Shin Hoseok! You traitor!” Chaewon shouted before raising her fist and giving him a solid punch.
“Ma’am! Please! He is only trying to help!” One of the staffs of the rehabilitation center said as they, with no choice, had to restrain Chaewon.
“Are you okay?” Another staff member asked.
There was a metallic taste lingering on Hoseok’s tongue, but the shock of the punch was what kept him in a bit of a daze. It took him a couple of seconds before he realized someone was trying to talk to him. “Yes, sorry,” he said and stood up and wiped some blood from the cut lip. “That was a solid right hook,” Hoseok attempted to humor himself with, but it didn’t even draw a chuckle out.
“It’s okay, she’ll think different of this later. It’s always hard when they don’t admit themselves, but you’re doing the right thing,” the staff member attempted to comfort him with a couple of pats on his back before disappearing out the door together with Chaewon.
With a heavy sigh, Hoseok ruffled his hair up in an attempt to shake out all of the thoughts and doubts. This was for her own good, this was for her sake. He’d happily become a traitor if it would make her better. Maybe, if he kept telling himself that, the pain would go away.
They didn’t live together anyway, this as her apartment, and it would now become vacant and empty. Maybe he’d rent it out, another cheap way of earning money aside from working. But for now, he didn’t want to think about it.
“What is done is done,” he sighed and grabbed his leather jacket before tossing it over his shoulders. “Time to head home and cool my head. Maybe I’ll call the gang over for some video games and ramen,” he murmured and opened the door.
His melancholy mood did not need the rain as the cherry on top, it only made the atmosphere around the silver-haired youth even worse. Another sigh escaped him, fantastic. He didn’t bring an umbrella and he parked down the street. Hoseok held his hand out and it felt like someone dumped a bucket on top of it. It was pouring, even if he ran, he was going to get soaked. Yet another sigh, something which he did a lot of today before he headed outside.
If running wasn’t going to save his clothes, then he saw no reason to put the effort into it. Instead, he took a leisure stroll in the rain. In a strange way, it did make Hoseok feel a bit better. As if the rain was washing away all his thoughts and worries if only for a moment, it still felt good. Funnily, it felt as if--
“Can I just pretend you’re crying with me? Some pity would be nice.”
Hoseok stopped in his tracks. Was someone outside now? It was pouring outside, probably taking shelter from the rain then. He peeked into the alleyway to find someone sitting down against the brick wall smiling up at the darkened sky. It was like watching a picture. Light brown messy and wet hair, soaking wet from top to toe, even though Hoseok wasn’t sure, it looked as if all the water running down his face wasn’t rain. He was just sitting there, eyes closed but facing the sky. A pitiful display, but nonetheless, it piqued Hoseok’s interest. In a way, it was nice knowing he wasn’t the only one having a shitty day.
On any other day, Hoseok would have passed by the stranger and thought nothing more of it, but if they were both having a bad day, then why not wallow in pity together? He was thinking about having drinks anyway, so what did it matter who he drank with? Carefully, in an attempt not to startle the other, he stepped into the alleyway before the stranger suddenly punched the wall while cursing out some woman.
“Hear, hear!” Hoseok responded without thinking through it too well.
It felt a bit good to curse out Chaewon. If she didn’t change then nothing would have happened, if she just talked to him then Hoseok would have found some way to help her. The damned woman, too stubborn and prideful to ask for help and now she had spiraled down to a drug addict. What a truly dangerous world.
“You see this?” Hoseok asked and tilted his face to the side to show off where Chaewon’s fist had bruised his jaw. “The bitch slapped me so hard I thought I saw stars for a moment!” Like, seriously! She had some real power behind her right hand!” He added to the somewhat falsified story. If it was the old Chaewon, then she would have murdered him for calling her something like that. She had been very strict about language too, but in the end, they would just laugh it off.
He missed those days.
Now that Hoseok had the stranger’s attention, he could take a better look at him. He was . . . beautiful. It was the best way he could describe him. His cheeks were a bit puffy and red, so were his eyes, so Hoseok could draw the conclusion that he was crying. There was even a trail going down his chin. He was wearing a thin grey sweater that covered his hands with black pants. The stranger looked small as if he hadn’t eaten enough, fragile like a doll in a way. Pale skin, sharp eyes, deep brown.
The two of them were like salt and pepper. Hoseok had tattoos, piercing, and plenty of accessories. This guy was plenty of “natural” beauty. In short, he was pretty cute. If it had been a better day, Hoseok might have thought about flirting.
“So. . .” Hoseok began in an attempt to break the awkwardness between the two of them. “What’s your story?”
He was genuinely curious. What woman had made the brunette male rush out in the rain to sit down in an alleyway to cry? Perhaps a cheating one? If that was so, then this guy was truly naive and innocent as he looked. A kind soul who didn’t belong in such a dirty world. There were plenty of those, Hoseok was no better sometimes.
A few moments of silence passed and Hoseok figured that he wouldn’t feel for talking about it. In all honesty, pouring someone’s heart out to a stranger was weird. They weren’t in a bar and neither did they have the excuse of alcohol to tell their story. Hoseok hadn’t even been honest, so he couldn’t demand an answer either. Oh, but at least he could attempt to make him feel a bit better.
“I guess it’s a bit hard to talk about,” Hoseok said and dug out the emergency whiskey he kept in his inner pocket. He had meant to drink that when he got home, considering how he had to drive, but he might as well give it away to someone who seemed to need it more. “Here,” he offered the other. “It’s whiskey. It’ll probably burn a bit, but it makes it feel a bit better.” It was not the best idea Hoseok had, giving alcohol to a stranger, but he looked old enough and if he couldn’t drink then there was no way he would be able to down hard liquor.
For a moment, Hoseok didn’t think the stranger was going to take it. In his eyes, Hoseok was a man who showed up out of nowhere and offered him a silver flask of some mysterious liquid, in any other scenario, it would be stupid to indulge him. However, when his small hand peeked out of the soaked and dirty sleeve to take it with a shy “thanks” Hoseok couldn’t help, but smile. Today was a truly pitiful day, and now they were enjoying a pity party together.
What he hadn’t been expecting was for the stranger to toss his head back and gulp down a mouthful of the whiskey. That was 40% alcohol! And as expected, he started coughing and instantly regretted drinking that much in one go. It even drew a chuckle out of Hoseok. He had looked so confident when he grabbed the flask, but now he truly looked like a kid.
“That’s not whiskey!” He whined. Poor guy, he probably felt the alcohol burn down his throat a bit too strongly. Hoseok’s goal wasn’t to get him drunk, only pleasantly tipsy, to the point where whatever pain that made him cry went away temporarily.
“It is! It’s strong, what kid? Can’t drink?” He cocked his brow along with the hint of a challenge in his tone. It was all playful banter, but the way the stranger’s face turned a bit pink made it too tempting not to tease.
“Shut up, and don’t call me kid! I’m probably older!”
Hoseok held back his laugh as the brunette male went for a slower sip of the flask for the second round. Older? Him? He took a good look at the other again, while it was hard to judge his height, he did look a bit smaller. His frame was smaller, that much was a given. Hoseok had mainly the crowd he hung around with to thank for his skills in drinking, and it seemed like this kid hadn’t been as lucky, or unlucky depending on how one would view it. Either way, Hoseok looked at the stranger as someone younger, so he wasn’t planning on using honorifics now.
“So. . . feeling for talking now?” He decided to ask.
At this point, he was prying into someone else’s business. But how could he not be curious when this guy was sitting in the rain, all alone, bawling his eyes out? Anyone’s interest would be a bit piqued. He wasn’t holding his breath for a reply, in fact, he thought that the other would get up and leave if he didn’t feel for talking. However, to maybe both of their surprise, he slowly eased his situation into their conversation.
“There was this woman. . . That I’ve been interested in. We’re childhood friends, and she brought home her fiance today. She wanted to introduce him to me first since we’re such great friends.”
The words seemed almost forced out before the mood of the poor heartbroken soul dropped even further than it was before. Sounded as if the poor guy had his heart “accidentally” broken. Hoseok regretted prying into it, seeing how painful it was for the other to talk about it, but it was too late to apologize.
“Ouch,” was his initial reaction. “Sounds painful, guess you didn’t confess before she got taken either, huh?”
Sometimes he just needed to know when to shut up. Obviously, the poor guy didn’t feel for talking about it and it was even more evident when his head dug into his knees in the futile attempt to hide. It also meant Hoseok’s initial thoughts were correct. It was an innocent love that went wrong, one-sided that he never got to confess. In truth, it was quite sad. Hoseok had been past his “first love” at this point. He could hardly remember her face and he had been past his first male lover as well, though he remembered him better.
Unable to find anything to say, Hoseok allowed the silence to settle over the two of them. The only sound surrounding them was the rain hitting the pavement and the roof, not even a car or a person was passing them by. It wasn’t as bad as when Hoseok left Chaewon’s apartment, but it didn’t matter much for the two drenched guys sitting in the alley.
Hoseok, not wanting to pry more but also not wishing to leave it on an awkward note, decided to speak up again. If only he could think of a topic, except the weather, then he’d try and bring it up but he couldn’t.
“Guessing that’s a no,” he commented, and with no reply from the dejected stranger, he guessed he was right.
That really did suck. Hoseok had always managed to confess his feelings, and he couldn’t imagine what he would have done if he didn’t even have that liberty. Having one’s heart broken hurt no matter what and it wasn’t as if confessing was easy, but at least it would release some of the tension. He could only guess that the stranger had some lingering lost feelings, though any hope got shattered, it was a shame he didn’t get a chance.
Now that he thought about it, this situation was sort of funny. They were two complete strangers hanging out in an alley, drinking whiskey, while both having a crappy day. What were the chances of that? Thinking about it made Hoseok grin, the only thing missing was some sad background music since the rain was setting the mood and it would be perfect for a movie.
“What?” The brown-haired male asked, clearly unamused. “Why are you grinning?”
Oops, he didn’t mean to come off as rude. Though, at the very least, his grin had gotten them out of the awkward silence, so something good came out of it. It didn’t put the unamused stranger in a better mood, but it was a beginning.
“Sorry,” Hoseok apologized quickly to defuse the daggers that bored into his skull. “It’s just, don’t you find it funny?” Hoseok asked in the hopes of lightening up the mood. He wasn’t the type to wallow in self-pity. The longer he spent in a bad mood, the more time he felt he had wasted.
“Find what funny?”
That was fair. Hoseok could tell that this wasn’t the time to crack any jokes, so of course, he wouldn’t find the situation as funny as someone who was actively looking for a way to brighten up, even if it was laughing in the stead of crying.
“You’re sitting in an alley drinking with a stranger, and we both poured our hearts out. We’re having a pity party together,” Hoseok explained. A part of him wanted to make a joke about getting the drinks, balloons, and confetti out, but it felt inappropriate so he swallowed them.
Thankfully, it did help make the other feel better. Hoseok felt a smile creep up on his lips as the other finally laughed. Even if it was a sad laugh, it was still something. It did sound a bit wet, but Hoseok couldn’t help, but enjoy the sound. The stranger had a nice voice, very pleasant to listen to, it was a shame to make such a thing cry.
“It suits you,” Hoseok ended up complimenting the other.
“What?” He asked and cocked a brow at the, probably weird, comment.
“Your smile and laughter, it suits you a lot,” Hoseok clarified before taking the bottle of whiskey and putting it back into his pocket.
He gave it a bit of a shake, but there was a good amount left. Thank God. He’d feel guilty if the stranger was having a blast due to alcohol. The downhill was always worse and faster than the uphill, and Hoseok didn’t want to hold the responsibility for someone else’s downfall.
The bashful reaction he managed to draw out of the other was too amusing. It looked like he wanted to say something, but regretted it and instead decided to stay quiet. Hoseok kept smiling, curious to see a response to his words, but instead, his attention got diverted over to the phone that rang next to the stranger. The words “saved by the phone” lingered on Hoseok’s tongue, but he was glad they never got to see the light of day when he saw how the brunette hesitated to pick it up.
“It’s her, right?” He asked, but there was no point in waiting for a reply. His face said everything that Hoseok needed to know. “Don’t take it. It’ll make it worse,” he advised, but he had a feeling those words were going to fall on deaf ears. Hoseok watched him hesitate for a few more moments, but eventually, he gave in and picked up the phone. Poor fool, he was about to have whatever was left of his heart stabbed.
Hoseok did his best to listen in on their conversation, but the rain was making it too hard to hear anything at all. The soothing sound of the droplets was now only annoyingly loud background noise, but at least he could hear one side of the conversation. It was unusually noisy of Hoseok to want to listen in, but how could he not be interested now?
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry, but I got an emergency shift at work. I didn’t want to be late, sorry for not telling you about it earlier.”
In other words, he had lied about needing to go to an emergency shift so he didn’t need to go home to his former crush and her new fiance. Or, so Hoseok guessed. There was still plenty of blanks that he didn’t know how to fill out, so he continued to listen in for some context clues.
“Sure, that sounds great. Let me know when you guys have time.”
He was good at faking, Hoseok had to give him that much. What was the point of trying to sound happy for someone else when he was crying in an alley because of their actions? Hoseok didn’t get it. It was foolish and so self-sacrificial. This guy was a danger to himself if he could take this much heartbreak from one woman in less than 24 hours.
“I’ll be staying at a friend’s house, so it’s fine,” the stranger stated, something Hoseok guessed was another lie because he must have sat down in the rain for quite some time now. Who knew how long he had been there before Hoseok came by?
“You’ll be fine, right?” He seemed to attempt to crack a joke, he even added a breathy chuckle as if to punctuate it. “If I’m not there to cook your meals then--”
And that was when the poor soul had reached his limit. Hoseok watched as tears were pressing themselves up in the corner of his eyes. One hand came up to cover his mouth, but he had already caught the lower lip quivering along with his hand. This was pitiful to watch, even Hoseok was starting to feel bad and they had only met today. Obviously, he was attempting not to cry on the phone while talking to her, so Hoseok decided it was time to step in and save the day. Either way, he wasn’t saying another word without breaking down into tears.
“Hello?” Hoseok said casually as he grabbed the phone from the stranger’s hand.
Crap, he hadn’t really thought this through. What had he claimed again? Something about an emergency shift and staying over at a friend’s place, right? She probably didn’t know anything about this poor guy anyway, considering how she had unintentionally broken his heart, so he could probably pretend he was that friend.
“Sorry, but it’s very busy here tonight so he’s working really hard,” the sentence sounded so awkward, but Hoseok hadn’t asked his name so he couldn’t use it or make one up, and he didn’t even know whether he was older or not. Pronouns were the best he could do, Hoseok couldn’t even think of a task or a job, considering he didn’t know where he worked or what he worked as. “Call him tomorrow,” was the best he could think before he moved to hang up.
“Kihyunnie? Hello?!”
Wasn’t that. . . a guy’s voice? Hoseok had been too fast to hang up to check the number, and he didn’t want to intrude too much and go searching someone else’s phone, but he was sure that he heard a male’s voice. Had this guy been talking to the fiance? How come the fiance had his phone number if they met today? Shaking the thought out of his head, Hoseok decided it was too dangerous to keep the phone on and turned it off. However, his eyes did manage to catch the unread message before he did so.
It was from a “Hyunwoo hyung” and it read: “Happy Birthday Kihyunnie! Hyunwoo.” Could it be that the one he was talking about all along wasn’t the woman, but the fiance? Even though when he explained it, he had told Hoseok that it was the girl, it could have been a lie. Who was he to fault the other in a lie when Hoseok wasn’t even close to explaining the truth?
No, he shouldn’t continue doing this. This was a dangerous game, and Hoseok decided it was better to turn his phone off and keep it for the night. Only the Lord up above knew what this fool would do if he got his phone back. In some sense, Hoseok was saving him from even more pain, at the very least, for tonight.
“I was--!”
“What’s the point of putting up a front when you’re only hurting yourself more? Use some self-perseverance. It won’t do you any good to be endlessly nice to others,” Hoseok would know or. . . Chaewon noona would know.
The poor woman had been so nice to him for so many years, and now she was a drug addict that got forced to go to rehabilitation. Endless kindness was only something the world took advantage of, even Hoseok had done that.
Perhaps that was why Hoseok wanted to take care of this poor soul for the night. Yes, he was forcing his help upon someone else, but he had done the same for Chaewon noona this evening. Unlike Chaewon, this guy didn’t seem to have anyone to turn to for any or some help. If his intuition was correct, then Hoseok betted he was going to stay the night at a hotel. He had talked about cooking earlier, so it seemed as if he had been roommates with the girl, or guy, he crushed on.
Hoseok stood up and brushed off his pants and leather jacket a bit. If anyone saw them, they might suspect a kidnapping or a robbery. He had piercing, dyed hair, tattoos, and leather clothes. It wasn’t the most “good citizen” look Hoseok could have pulled off, but it was his kind of style.
Now, who was he bringing home?
He took the few steps required to get back into the street, thankful this was the street he parked in, before opening the cover of the phone to take a look. Great, there were cards inside of it. Taking a peek at the credit card felt too dirty, so Hoseok took the student ID instead.
Yoo Kihyun. Pretty name. He looked a bit stiff in the picture, but Hoseok couldn’t remember a single student ID photo he took where he didn’t look awkward. Kihyun was a photography student at K University. Oh, not only was he good-looking, but he must have had pretty good grades to get in then. Though, more important, Hoseok was older.
“Y-Yah!” The stranger called out to him. “That’s my phone, where are you--?! You have my phone! Give it back!” The stranger stood up followed him from the spot he had been glued in for a while. There was a little dry spot from where Kihyun had sat down, how long had he allowed himself sit there while it rained?
“Give it--!” Now that they were both standing, Hoseok could tell that the frame of Kihyun’s body was smaller than he had initially thought. He wasn’t sickly thin, but he did seem very slim. There wasn’t a huge difference between the two, but it was enough to keep only Kihyun’s fingers brushing up against the phone that Hoseok had “technically” stolen.
“Calm down Yoo Kihyun~” He couldn’t help but want to tease him a bit. Kihyun, the previous stranger, was now standing in front of him with tears still in the corner of his puffy and red eyes. It was, sort of, adorable, though the pinched brows did show off his unamusement of their current predicament. “I’m older by the way,” Hoseok decided to clarify. “I’m your hyung. I’m ‘92,” he smirked though it only added fuel to the fire.
“Then act like one and give me my phone back and card back!” Kihyun insisted before gaining a few inches by standing up on his toes, which prompted Hoseok to do the same to keep the height difference. “You’re stealing it! Give me back my phone!”
Technically, none of this was Hoseok’s business and he was stealing someone else’s phone. It didn’t matter too much that he held the intention of giving it back tomorrow, black on white, this was a crime. But who would leave a drenched dongsaeng in the rain? They had shared a couple of stuff about each other anyway, and Hoseok was genuinely interested in Yoo Kihyun. He was similar to Chaewon, which was why it was scary to leave him alone.
“Tomorrow,” Hoseok decided for the brunette. “You don’t have a place to crash anyway, right? I bet you were about to go to a hotel for the night.”
Kihyun’s expression gave it away immediately. If only everyone was as easy to read like this guy, then maybe Hoseok would have picked up on Chaewon’s problems before it escalated to where it had gone. How did whoever he fell in love with not noticed? Where they blind?
“I’m serious, please give me my phone back,” Kihyun said and held his hand out instead of trying to reach it.
Thank goodness, Wonho’s toes and ankles were starting to get tired from balancing for so long.
“It doesn’t concern you where I stay for the night anyway, I don’t even know your name.”
“My friends call me Wonho,” Hoseok decided to introduce himself under the nickname all of his close friends called him. It was a bit silly, but they had decided to give it to him due to it meaning “protector”. In this situation, it was ironic because that was all he wanted to do, to protect Kihyun’s heart from another stab from that person.
“Huh?”
It was the expected reaction. “Wonho” wasn’t really a name, so it would be stranger if someone blankly accepted it without asking any questions.
“Wonho? As in protector or want?”
That was a funny question, also one that could be completely taken out of context. Having a bit too much fun teasing the newfound “friend” he had quite literally picked off the street, he decided to add just a drop more fuel to the fire.
“Which one you want it to be?” He asked though he seemed to have pushed it a bit as the demands for the phone resumed.
“Give me my phone!” Kihyun said before he jumped up in the air in an attempt to snatch the phone from Hoseok’s hand.
Fortunately for Hoseok, the differences in their builds made it too hard for Kihyun’s smaller arms to reach the phone while keeping a respectful distance between the two. Yeah, there was no reason to give the phone back.
“I said, tomorrow. You don’t have a place to stay, you just bawled your eyes out and you had whiskey. I got a spare bedroom. Unless you got any better plans without a phone and money, Yoo Kihyun-ah?”
It was a bit dirty, Hoseok knew that, but he had no plans on giving the phone back. Obviously, he didn’t want to force Kihyun to come with him to his apartment either, but it was the best argument he could think of. If Kihyun walked away, then Hoseok had no intentions of keeping the phone and his cards. Even if he did look like one, he wasn’t a thief and he had certainly not thrown all of his morals to the wind. Hoseok knew that the alcohol was because of him, and Kihyun didn’t seem drunk, but he would still take some responsibility.
“Okay, fine,” Kihyun said. “I’ll sleep over at your place then. So give me back my phone,” he added.
Na-ah. Hoseok had both used that and seen it before. They would agree for the sake of it being convenient at the moment, get what they want, and then leave to do whatever. Instead of giving Kihyun his phone back, Hoseok pocketed it in his inner jacket pocket together with the flask of whiskey.
“I told you. I’ll do that tomorrow,” Hoseok was stubborn, and he knew it very well, and what did it matter anyway? He had already explained to the person on the other side of the line that he would reply tomorrow. It was all the time Hoseok could think about buying him, so it would have to do.
Hoseok dug around in his pocket to find his car keys before giving it a little click. It wasn’t hard to find his car, being the only one parked on the street, but it also gave away its location to Kihyun.
“Why does it feel like I’m getting kidnapped?” He heard the brunette sigh as he trailed behind him.
In all honesty, he wasn’t completely wrong. Hoseok wasn’t forcing him to come with him in his car, but he had persuaded while holding his phone hostage, so it was close enough.
“Well, you're not too far off?” Hoseok couldn’t help but chuckle before he opened the door for Kihyun. “In you go,” he said and waited for Kihyun to get seated before closing the door carefully.
The younger didn’t look too pleased being half-forced along to Hoseok’s apartment, but hopefully, he’d feel a bit grateful later. His brows were still pinched together, but the moment Kihyun leaned against the window they seemed to let up. Hoseok followed his gaze to take a look at the sky that had cleared up. He didn’t know the time, but he spotted a few blinking stars that were finally visible now that the rain let up. It was pretty, and it seemed that Kihyun agreed as his expression relaxed a bit.
He didn’t want to stall too much, so Hoseok hurried to the driver’s seat and buckled. “I don’t live too far from here,” which was true. His apartment building was only a ten-minute drive away since had hadn’t wanted to live too far away from Chaewon, but she didn’t do too well in the middle of town. “You can take a shower and borrow some clothes until yours dry up,” Hoseok added.
If he was bringing a guest, or hostage, over then he might as well make sure Kihyun didn’t catch a cold. There was ramen in the cupboards, because it was basically the only thing he ate, and that was sure to warm Kihyun up a bit. It was better to not keep him waiting too long, so Hoseok didn’t stall on starting the car and get them moving.
The AC was on, but he made sure to turn on the heating in the car instead so it would heat them up and not cool them down. His clothes probably wouldn’t fit Kihyun too well, but it was only until his clothes were dry so it didn’t matter. Hoseok focused mainly on the road, but his eyes kept falling back to Kihyun. The younger’s hand had turned red and there were small beads of blood peeking up from his knuckles. He must have hit that brick wall hard, it was probably a good idea to treat that before turning in for the night.
“Why did she slap you?” Kihyun spoke up. “That woman,” he added.
Did he get curious? Hoseok knew he had been vague, which was on purpose, so it was sure to bring some questions. However, unlike Kihyun, it wasn’t a case of love. It was a family affair, something he didn’t feel comfortable sharing. Unfortunately, Hoseok wasn’t the best to think of a lie on the fly, so he did what he thought was the best he could come up with.
“Well. . .” he started as he gave Kihyun a glance. The brunette seemed only slightly piqued, so Hoseok was certain that he’d get away with a lie, as long as it was silly enough. “. . . I might have told her Santa wasn’t real. . .” it was such an obvious lie it turned it more of a joke. One which, thankfully, Kihyun found funny enough to laugh at.
“You’re such a bad liar!”
“It’s not funny!” Hoseok exclaimed. He had told his cousin about Santa not being real, but that was a somewhat embarrassing memory to recall as he did it during a family dinner. That dinner was a mess after his teenage self broke the news to her. “Let it be known that I tried to break it to her nicely!” though that was a bit of a lie. Teenage Hoseok didn’t hold his punches back, the poor girl never saw Santa coming. Quite literally.
Though, hearing Kihyun laugh, felt nice. It was truly a pleasant sound, which made the scene of him breaking down crying on the phone even sadder. Another glance was cast Kihyun’s way. He did have a really nice smile too, Hoseok was able to see his dimples this time too. His cheeks were still a bit red and puffy, but nothing time wouldn’t fix.
Their eyes met for a moment and Hoseok couldn’t help himself, but to comment again. “I told you, it suits you more. Your smile and laughter, so you shouldn’t cry,” he smiled before returning his gaze to the road. It was a better idea to pay attention to where he was driving, and not who he was driving.
There was no real response from Kihyun, but Hoseok didn’t mind. It wasn’t a comment he made for some sort of feedback, it was just a remark he hoped would make the brunette feel a bit better. He had such a pretty face, and it was a shame to waste it on tears.
“You’re really annoying,” Kihyun stated. “So annoying it’s making me speechless,” he murmured which made Hoseok chuckle.
That was a fair assessment.
Hoseok had practically barged in on him while he was crying, taken his phone without permission and now forced him to sleepover at his place. If he wasn’t annoying, then that would have been a miracle. However, Hoseok couldn’t hear a single drop of poison in Kihyun’s words which made him feel a bit better about himself.
Silence fell over them again, but Hoseok didn’t feel too awkward about it this time. It was as if they were both enjoying the quiet atmosphere, possibly because it was no longer heavy like it had been out in the rain. They almost felt like two friends who were just taking a stroll in the rain and now a drive in his car, despite the fact they had met today. He thought about turning on the radio but decided against it. The lack of sound was soothing and it would be a shame to ruin it with music.
“Oh, sorry but when I turned your phone off I saw your message,” Hoseok apologized.
It was the message that made him feel a bit more pity towards Kihyun. Who dumped someone on their birthday? Even if it was unintentional. He didn’t want to ask if the other was in love with a guy, as that seemed like something private, so it was safer to just assume the message was from a friend or family.
“But, happy birthday. It’s not quite the birthday you imagined, I’m sure, but it’s something, right?” Hoseok smiled as he took a peek over at Kihyun.
He worried that mentioning it would sullen the brunette’s mood, but in fact, he seemed happy that Hoseok had brought it up as he smiled. It was a bit scary, as he saw how well Kihyun acted earlier when on the phone, but he hoped it was a genuine one.
“Thanks,” Kihyun replied before leaning back up against the window again. “It’s starting to get a bit better,” he added before turning away from Hoseok.
The words caught Hoseok a bit off-guard, but he welcomed them nonetheless. A quick glance was all the older needed to see how much Kihyun was blushing. Even though he couldn’t see his face, his ears were a dead giveaway. Hopefully, they got red from his genuine words and not the cold or the alcohol.
Once more, it got quiet in the car. However, this time, Hoseok didn’t dare to break it and Kihyun didn’t seem to have the will to do so either. The blonde found himself a bit speechless after those words, and, just a bit warm and fuzzy on the inside.
This AC was doing weird things to his heart.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After driving for ten minutes in comfortable silence, the two of them pulled up into a parking garage. Kihyun was leaning against the cold car window when he noticed all the cars parked there. They were all so expensive! Kihyun didn’t even own a car, but if he did, it wouldn’t be anywhere near the prices of any of the vehicles parked here. The thought was half-depressing, but also shocking. Wonho, whose true name he didn’t know yet, didn’t look like the typical rich boy. He had dyed hair, piercings, tattoos, wore leather, and probably knew how to beat someone up. Though the last one might be a bit stereotypical, Wonho certainly looked like the type one should not mess with. Thinking about it, it was weird how they had ended up in a car together, and on top of that, he was going to sleep over. No one would believe him, even if he did have proof.“Are you cold?” Wonho asked as he opened the door for Kihyun. This was not the time to get lost in thoughts, though he had found himself thinking lots of things today.“Here, take this,” the blonde said as he waited for Kihyun to get out of the car before draping his leather jacket over his shoulders. “It’s leather so it’s not wet, you must have stayed in the rain longer than I did,” Wonho smiled and then lead the way over to the elevator.“Don’t judge a book by its cover” had never been truer. Wonho looked like the typical “bad guy” but he was very kind. Kihyun had only met him today, but how many people would offer their home for a night to a stranger? Not even Kihyun was that nice, though one could argue whether or not it was stupidity. How fortunate for Wonho that he wasn’t some sort of thief that would rob him blind and disappear in the morning.The leather jacket was bigger than he had originally thought it would be. Kihyun had narrow shoulders in comparison to Wonho, at least he knew that now, and their differences in build became even more evident. It did help, the warm car made Kihyun realize how cold he was, and the leather jacket had kept Wonho’s natural warmth well. He couldn’t help himself from peeking over to Wonho who was rummaging through his car’s glove box.He had a nice body. The grey sweater only highlighted that due to it being a bit wet and sticking to Wonho’s skin, showing off a strong chest and great abs. His arms looked strong too, and Kihyun already knew he had broad shoulders, there was no denying that Wonho had a really good body and handsome face to match. And, as if there was a need for a cherry on top, he was apparently rich to boot? Wonho sounded like one of those people must people hated, mainly because they had so much by just being born.“Okay, let’s get you inside,” Wonho smiled and ruffled a hand through Kihyun’s wet hair before leading him over to the elevator.It was a bit hard to strike a conversation. Kihyun didn’t want to mention money or ask if Wonho was rich, it seemed too rude considering he was spending the night. Even if he had not taken the choice to do so, he had to go to get his phone and credit card back, he was still grateful he didn’t need to stay alone in a hotel room.The walls of the elevator were mirrors and Kihyun found himself taking a good look after running around in the rain, crying and now draped in a leather jacket. Calling himself “a mess was a huge understatement. He looked like one of those tornadoes, tsunamis and floods victims all shoved into a blender and mixed into one. His eyes were still red and puffy, and his cheeks were no better because he kept rubbing at them earlier. In a way, he also mimicked a cat that dragged itself inside after a rainstorm. Due to his wet clothes, he looked skinnier than usual, and sitting in the alley hadn’t done his clothes any favors as he realized his pants looked dirty. His hair looked like it had glued itself to his forehead, which helped to hide his face, but that was about it.“I’ll treat your hand before you wash up. It might get infected if we leave it like that,” Wonho pointed out which led Kihyun’s eyes down to trail over to his hand.Right, he did punch into the wall while cursing out a woman. Kihyun had never lost his temper like that before, but seeing the little beads of red and how his hand had swollen up a bit, he was sure it should hurt. Maybe he had gone numb from the cold or, what he thought was the reason, he hurt so much already he just forgot.“Right, thanks,” Kihyun smiled and followed Wonho out of the elevator.He gathered they were on the sixth floor since all the doors started with said number. The windows also gave a great view of Seoul’s nightlife, despite the streets being void of life due to the heavy rain. Kihyun could see the neon lights from a few nightclubs and bars that seemed to take advantage of the horrible weather, along with a few cars driving here and there. On a closer look, he could even see his college. Wonho lived even closer than Kihyun did, go figure. This guy was one-upping him with everything, and it had only just begun.“I wasn’t expecting visitors, so it’s a bit messy,” Wonho warned Kihyun before he opened the door up.Saying it was a bit messy would be too kind, but Kihyun tried his best to ignore all the clothes and towels scattered across the floor and instead focused on how big the apartment was. It felt so spacious with a huge living room and kitchen in the corner, there was a staircase to the left that led to an overhang. There were three rooms on top and two on the bottom, but overall, the apartment was stunning.Wonho took the lead inside and Kihyun made sure not to kick an empty can or bottle that was lying on the floor. It was such a beautiful apartment, so it was a huge shame it looked so shabby due to the trash scattered about.“It’s fine,” Kihyun said as he kept his shoes on, since Wonho did the same, though he couldn’t stop thinking about cleaning up. Now that he thought about it, it was the least he could do since Wonho let him sleep over.“Just sit down on the couch, I’ll get the first aid kit and tap the bath,” Wonho said before walking up the staircase.Kihyun was able to see him step inside the first door on the overhang, so that would be the bathroom then. He did as told, sweeping some empty chip bags off the furniture, before sitting down. Knowing that he was probably a bit dirty, Kihyun decided to sit down on top of the leather jacket. No reason to get the couch dirty too.Honestly, it was too messy for anyone to live like this. Wonho seemed rich enough to have a butler or a maid come and clean for him, maybe not every day, but how expensive could it be to have a weekly cleaning? Kihyun felt his fingers itch but tried his best to sit still. It was none of his business, and he didn’t want to clean without asking Wonho first.“This guy. . . Does he even know how to use a vacuum?” Kihyun asked himself as he looked up to see his reflection in the TV. Yes, he truly looked horrible. However, that didn’t catch his attention this time.The screen was enormous! It looked like it could cover an entire wall, or like one of those giant theatre screens. Kihyun didn’t know the price, but he had a good feeling the TV cost more than his shared apartment with Hyunwoo. The mere thought made Kihyun’s head drop. How did people get so much money? They were born the same year, but Wonho was born before November.“Oh, that’s frustrating,” Kihyun murmured before Wonho’s face popped up in front of him.“What is?”Once more, Kihyun lost himself in his thoughts and let Wonho get the jump on him. This was the second time today, but it was just as efficient as the first time. The brunette jumped with a bit of an embarrassing high-pitched yelp. He clutched his chest as his heart threatening to break through his ribcage. Kihyun could hear his pulse drumming in his ears.“Could you-- Stop that!” Kihyun whined while attempting to calm himself down.Wonho tried his best to stifle his laugh but was unsuccessful. The blonde had kept complimenting Kihyun’s smile and laughter, but the other had a pleasant laughter and smile too. God, it shouldn't be legal to have good-looks and be rich.The problem-free world must be nice.“Stop what?” Wonho managed to push through his fit of giggles.“Stop sneaking up on me! I’m going to die of a heart attack!” Kihyun insisted as he finally caught his breath. Wonho didn’t stop laughing, which made the brunette a bit embarrassed over his scared he got, but he couldn’t help it! “I’m serious! I’m going to die!”“Okay, okay!” Wonho agreed as he cleared his throat to stop laughing. “But why are you blaming me when you’re the one getting lost in your own world? I talked to you on the way down, but you looked pretty dejected,” the blonde said as he sat down across from Kihyun and opened the first aid kit.“Hand,” he demanded. “I’ll treat it now,” Wonho added with a smile and Kihyun obliged.Wonho’s hands were a bit rough to the touch. Undoubtedly from exercise, but it did make him curious if the blonde did any martial arts or fighting. Kihyun didn’t know a thing about him, and it didn’t feel right to ask. Tomorrow, they’d part and probably never meet again. Plus, the more he pried, the more he had to talk too. Everyone had their secrets, things they didn’t share with anyone, so it was better not to stick his nose where it didn’t belong.“You’re pretty good at this,” Kihyun praised as he winced the moment Wonho started cleaning the little bruise.“Pretty good at?” Wonho asked as he didn’t even lift his gaze.It was impressive how diligently Wonho worked on cleaning his hand up, and in a way scary how good he was at it. The way the blonde carefully stroked the swab of alcohol over small beads of blood to cleanse them, how the bandages were tight enough to keep them from falling off, but not too constricting movement.“Treating my hand. It just got me curious if you’ve done it before,” Kihyun replied as Wonho finished up wrapping his hand with a neat little bow.“I wanted to be a doctor, so I went to med school for a while, but I quit. It’s too long to go to school for that many years,” Wonho explained while cleaning up after himself, and if the apartment said anything, that had got to be a first.“Hold on, don’t put that away,” Kihyun said as he grabbed the first aid kit. “Your cheek is a bit bruised and I think there’s a cut in your lip, let’s treat that since we got the kit,” he added before getting the disinfectant and a swab of cotton.Gently, he dabbed the cotton in the rubbing alcohol before leaning in closer to carefully clean the cut lip. The blood had already dried and Wonho’s cheek was starting to swell a bit, whoever slapped or punched him, definitely got a good hit in.“It’s none of my business what you do, but you should at least save your face,” Kihyun said in a light-hearted tone.“Why?” Wonho asked with a cocked brow.“Your mother worked hard on giving you such a beautiful face, don’t ruin it by getting into fights,” Kihyun scolded as he put the disinfectant away and grabbed some ointment from the kit to finish treating Wonho’s lip.Just as Kihyun finished lightly dabbing the cream on the small cut, Wonho reached over to hold his hand, keeping him from retreating and keeping the two of them somewhat uncomfortably close.“Are you trying to tell me you think I’m good-looking?” Wonho asked with a smirk plastered on his face.It felt strange, but his heart skipped a small beat by how close they were. Kihyun had already lost himself a couple of times thinking about Wonho’s appearance, and while he did think he was handsome, it felt awkward to admit it out loud. He attempted to avert his gaze from Wonho, but those dark and deep brown eyes had him trapped under some weird spell. Words were all jumbled up in his head, and even if he managed to think of an answer, he doubted the lump in his throat would let the words out.“I’m joking,” Wonho smiled as he let go of Kihyun’s wrist and broke their eye contact. He took the first aid kit, and this time, he successfully closed it before handing it over to the younger.“Pretty sure the bath is ready,” Wonho noted. “I put some clothes and clean towels on the counter for you, and feel free to use whatever soap you want.”“Huh?” Kihyun blinked. His head was still trying to catch up to what was going on, but thankfully, it did so quickly. “Oh yeah, thanks!” He said and stood up with a little bow as he brought the first aid kit with him up the stairs.“It’s the first door! Put the kit back into the cabinet!” Wonho called out after him.The little overhang had a glass fence, so it covered neither him nor shield him from the voice that had been dangerously alluring. “Mmm! Okay!” Kihyun hastily answered before bolting into the bathroom and locking the door after himself.“Ah, Yoo Kihyun,” he sighed to himself and leaned up against the door while clutching to the kit in his arms. “You’ve gone insane. Don’t confuse pity for kindness, you’re just staying here for the night,” he said and pushed himself off the wooden barrier to put the first aid kit back where it belonged.Kihyun had never been in such a spacious bathroom unless the public bathhouse counted, but it was really nice. The bathtub was the only thing he cared for though, needing to clear his head and mind before he said or did something even dumber than he just did. Honestly, who in their right mind went ahead and told someone they’re handsome on the day they met. Not to mention, right after his first love went down the drain. He shook his head, using both hands to ruffle his hair up as if that would help his mind get itself together.“Okay, no more. I'm going to be out of here tomorrow anyway, it’s like a hotel but free and with a small catch,” Kihyun told himself before slowly peeling the wet clothes off.Now that his heart wasn’t attempting to escape from his chest, he could finally take in how big the bathroom was. It was spacious enough to do small laps, and there were even multiple sinks and mirrors. Did Wonho really live alone? Maybe the girl was his ex-girlfriend and she got kicked out or something, though Kihyun couldn’t immediately see something that obviously belonged to a woman anywhere.God, why did he keep caring or getting curious? He kept thinking they were strangers, and how he wanted to keep it like that, and yet Wonho had piqued his interest enough were Kihyun wanted to dig a bit deeper.“Maybe it’s the alcohol?” Kihyun excused himself as he turned the tap off and entered the steaming hot water.His entire body relaxed the moment he sat down. A long, deep and heavy sigh of pure relief escaped him as Kihyun leaned against the back of the tub. He submerged himself all the way to his shoulder, allowing only his head to peek out of the water. There were knots in his body that Kihyun didn’t even know he had that came undone, his muscles took the time to just relax. Kihyun let his bandaged hand dangle off the edge of the tub, wanting to keep it clear of the water as to not ruin the bandages.“What was in that whiskey?” Kihyun sighed as he looked up into the roof of the bathroom. Of course, there had to be a chandelier lighting the room up as if anything more extravagant was needed in this fancy apartment.What a day.Kihyun got older today and instead of celebrating with his best friend and secret crush, he ended up having his heart broken and first love shattered. The day proceeded with him sitting in the rain in an alleyway, pathetically, crying to himself before encountering Wonho who looked like he was about to beat him up, sell him drugs or rob him blind, possibly all three. Then they take a drink, his phone gets stolen and Kihyun is theoretically kidnapped. What an insane day. There was no one in their right mind that would believe him, not to mention, Wonho was rich to boot.His mind flashed back to the moment in the living room. Wonho’s grip was firm but not painful on his own wrist, as his face had been too close for comfort. He had gotten to take in his entire face. Sharp eyes, a jawline that looked like it would slice his finger if he touched it, deep dark eyes, even with the piercing and lip ring, Kihyun still found him handsome.A gentle knock on the bathroom door got Kihyun out of his daydream state, eyes glancing over to the source of the sound.“Kihyun-ssi,” Wonho said. “I’ll be going out for a bit to buy something, but I’ll clean up the living room and kitchen. If you’re done before I get back, feel free to grab whatever you want from the fridge to eat and drink,” the other added.“Okay, thanks!” Kihyun replied before listening in on the steps that retreated away from the door.“Honestly head,” Kihyun sighed out loud. “You’re too easy if you’re persuaded by a pretty face,” he chuckled to himself before taking a deep breath and fully submerging himself in the water to get washed up.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Kihyun stayed a long time in the bath. He had no reason to hurry, and since Wonho said he was going out to buy something, he would be alone anyway. The clothes that the blonde had set to the side were, unsurprisingly, a bit too big on him but thankfully they fit nonetheless. The white sweater looked more like a dress and the black sweatpants a skirt, but he rolled up the sleeves and the legs in an attempt to not look like a bigger mess than when he walked into the apartment. He roughly dried his hair before letting the towel dangle over his shoulders.“Wonho. . . hyung?” Kihyun called out as he opened the door and peeked out.Empty. If Wonho lived alone, then it was a miracle how he didn’t get a bit lonely in such a huge apartment with no one else there.“Guess he’s out,” Kihyun said as he leaned on the railing to look down on the living room and kitchen.He had cleaned up really well. The clothes and trash were no longer covering the beige carpet on the floor, which he could now finally tell were beige. Kihyun figured he hadn’t had the chance to vacuum or wash up, but it looked so much better with just a quick clean up like that.“Well, there goes my plans to clean up,” he sighed but smiled as he stepped down to take a better look around the apartment.Not wanting to impose too much, Kihyun decided to leave the doors closed and wandered about in the open space. The kitchen was nice and fancy, a refrigerator that had double doors, ice maker, water dispenser and freezer drawers. Did Wonho walk into a store and just ask for the most expensive thing they had? Kihyun grabbed himself a glass and, with a few errors, managed to get himself a glass of water with way too much ice in it. Though the fridge was big, there was almost nothing inside of it. Maybe that’s why Wonho left, he needed to go out and buy more food.It was starting to feel like Kihyun was freeloading more and more, and the need to do something helpful kept rising. Cleaning was out of the question, the basics were done and he didn’t want to intrude by rummaging around in the search of cleaning supplies.“Has he eaten yet?” Kihyun asked as he looked around the kitchen to see if there was anything he could cock with the food Wonho already had. He had no way of contacting the other anyway, with his phone confiscated, so he’d just work with what was already there.A quick search of the cupboards revealed that Wonho had an unhealthy obsession with ramen. It was worse than a student during their exam periods, did the blonde even eat anything that wasn’t noodles? There was an entire cupboard assigned to them! Thankfully, there were some ingredients for some side dishes and the kitchen seemed organized to some degree.“I guess I’ll cook,” Kihyun said to himself as he took out a pot and a frying pan. “Thank God I’m good at cooking ramen, otherwise I might have ended up paying Wonho for the stay,” he chuckled.“Maybe I should prepare the bath for him too,” Kihyun said to himself as he put the cutting board down together with the knife. “It’s better than just sitting around,” he convinced himself before starting on the list of tasks he had given himself.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The food was ready and Kihyun had taken the liberty to set the table as the door unlocked.“Oh, welcome back,” the brunette greeted Wonho with a smile as he set down the chopsticks and walked over to help Wonho with the heavy shopping bags. It wasn’t as if it looked like Wonho needed the assistance, but Kihyun couldn’t help himself.“What’s all of this?” Wonho asked as he set one of the bags on the counter with one hand. Kihyun needed both of his arms, and he barely made it up there, life was unfair.“Well, it felt wrong to just freeload so I cooked for you. You didn’t have a lot except for ramen though, so I hope it’s okay,” Kihyun said feeling a bit bashful. It hadn’t crossed his mind that Wonho might have eaten while he was out, but at least there would be leftovers for tomorrow that could be reheated in the fancy microwave Kihyun spotted earlier.“You didn’t have to do that,” Wonho smiled and patted Kihyun’s head. “Thanks though,” he added before walking over to sit down at the table.Feeling a bit relieved, Kihyun joined him after grabbing a glass of water for Wonho too. This time, he didn’t need to battle the machine for more water than ice. Thankfully, Kihyun’s glass didn’t look ridiculous in comparison since the ice had some time to melt.“Thanks for the meal,” Wonho said as he put his hands together before digging in.Usually, Kihyun was very confident in his cooking skills. He had cooked for Hyunwoo for several years, and the older had never complained once, not to mention he cooked one of the things he was the best at, ramen. However, he was unnecessarily nervous watching Wonho eat. Did he overcook the ramen? Undercook it? They weren’t too soggy, right? What about the salt? Or the soy sauce? Too much? Too little?“It’s good.”“Eh?” Kihyun didn’t know he had stared so intensely at Wonho eating before their eyes found each other and Wonho smiled as he practically inhaled another mouthful of noodles.“I said,” Wonho began before grabbing more noodles with his chopsticks. “It’s good, you’re really good at cooking ramen,” the blonde repeated his compliment with another smile.With the compliment that the food was good, Kihyun found himself able to breathe again. The anxiety he felt slipped out along with the air he had sucked in, and so he started to eat too. He always thought his own cooking was good, but it did taste a bit better after getting praised.“You know,” Wonho started as he swallowed his mouthful of ramen. “My type is someone who cooks ramen well,” the blonde lightheartedly joked with another one of those too-good-looking winks, but Kihyun wasn’t going to swoon over it this time.“Oh yeah?” Kihyun asked. “My type is someone who knows how to clean up after themselves and doesn’t leave their apartment to look like a tornado of trash came crashing through,” he said which made Wonho slump in his chair and pout.“Yah,” the other whined. “Are you my mother or something?” He teased which made Kihyun jab his chopsticks in Wonho’s direction.“I don’t remember raising such a messy son!” Kihyun retaliated before both of them turned into a fit of laughter.“You really do know how to nag though,” Wonho said as he sat up in his chair to finish his bowl of ramen. “If I didn’t know better, I’d start calling you eomma,” he teased again though Kihyun was too busy eating to find an appropriate tease back. The blonde only chuckled as he leaned his head on one hand, staring at Kihyun.“What?” The brunette asked as he picked up a tissue to dab at his lips. “Is there something on my face?” Kihyun asked as he met Wonho’s gaze.“No, it’s just. . .” Wonho began. “It felt like I picked up a stray cat from the streets, but now that I’ve seen you eat it’s more like a hamster,” the blonde laughed.“Hamster?” Kihyun asked. “Why are you comparing me to a hamster?” He added to his question. “I know I’m smaller than you in build, but we’re pretty much the same in height! There’s like a few centimeters!” The brunette insisted as he used his chopsticks to show off the small difference in their height, which was embarrassingly demonstrated in the rain when Kihyun tried to get his phone back.
“Because when you eat your face looks like that of a hamster,” Wonho pointed out.“Are you trying to get smacked?” Kihyun asked as he jabbed his chopsticks at the blonde again, which caused the older to laugh once more.“No, no, no, no, no!” Wonho quickly said with a shake of his head. “It’s cute,” he clarified with a smile. “It just means you’re eating well!” He defended himself as Kihyun gave him yet another jab with his chopsticks.“Who would find being called a hamster a compliment?” Kihyun whined as he, finally, got to use his chopsticks for eating again. “What about you then? A bunny in a leather jacket?” The brunette teased.Wonho let out another burst of laughter as he nodded. “Sure, I like that!” The older smiled as he finished his bowl of ramen. “Thanks, that was delicious,” he said and moved over to the kitchen to put the dishes away.“Just leave it in the sink,” Kihyun said. “I feel like I need to do something so I won’t just freeload for the night. I tapped the bath for you too, so take that, I’ll clean up,” the blonde said and finished his bowl too.“Woah, it feels like I just got myself a wife,” Wonho said as Kihyun almost stumbled over the legs of the chair from the sudden comment.“Just-- Just go already! The water will get cold!” He practically chased the blonde away with a light kick in the air to get the older moving up the stairs.“Yes, yes eomma,” Wonho mused before seeking shelter from Kihyun’s nagging in the bathroom.“Oh seriously,” Kihyun hissed to himself as he started to clean up. “He’s going to drive me crazy, is there no consideration for me today? Who’d want to be his wife anyway? It’s more like babysitting!” the brunette complained to himself as he looked over to the bags of groceries the other had bought.“Wonho hyung!” The younger called out in the hopes that he wasn’t too late. If he was already in the bathtub then it couldn't be helped, but he wanted to keep helping. “Wonho hyung!” He attempted one more time before the door swung open.God, life was unfair.Wonho was standing shirtless with a towel tied around his waist. Kihyun already knew that the blonde was strong, but at this point, it felt like he was just showing off. His abs were like a bar of chocolate and they were so easy to spot! How often did he train? Kihyun dreaded going to the gym, which was probably why his chest and stomach was less to brag about and show off like that.“What?” Wonho asked as Kihyun lifted his gaze from the abs to his face.Right, conversation.“The bags you brought in, should I put the groceries away?” Kihyun asked.“Sure, but don’t touch the white box. Just put it on the counter,” the older replied before disappearing into the bathroom again.“Curse you, God. You’re doing this on purpose,” Kihyun said to the roof as he finished the dishes and put them on the rack so they could dry before getting the groceries where they belonged.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Kihyun did exactly as told and left the white box on the counter. Honestly, it made him so curious about what could be so important inside the little thing for him not to touch or put it away. The groceries were as expected, a ton of ramen, some beer, and other beverages before some cuts of meat with the rare occasion of vegetables in the mix. How did he live with that body if all he ate was ramen?“You done?” Wonho asked as, this time, he opened the bathroom door fully dressed.He had changed into more comfortable clothes too, they were practically matching, which felt a bit nice. The clothes definitely looked better on Wonho though, Kihyun was waddling around in fabric in comparison to how well it fitted the blonde’s well-trained body.“Just finished,” Kihyun smiled as he tucked the last empty plastic bag inside one of the others and put it away. He didn’t know where, and putting the groceries away had been a trial-and-error run, but he did it.“Great,” Wonho smiled and grabbed the mysterious white box off the counter. “Sit down on the couch, I’ll be there soon,” the blonde gestured his head in the direction before trading places with Kihyun in the kitchen.A part of him wanted to stay behind to look at what Wonho brought, but with another wave of the other’s hand, he figured there were no grand reveal today. Kihyun felt a bit guilty for thinking it was something bad like drugs, but it was hard to shake off the stereotype that followed Wonho’s appearance. Thankfully, he was anything but what he looked like. The blonde was warm, kind and charming with a small annoying side. Thank God he wasn’t flawless, that would be life giving him the middle finger.“Kihyun-ssi,” Wonho called out to him.“Yeah?” Kihyun answered as he perked up in the couch.He straightened out his back and stretched his neck, attempting to see what was happening behind the counter, though the small added centimeters didn’t help at all.“Sorry, but do you mind closing your eyes for a bit?” Wonho asked as he looked up from whatever he was preparing. No way, was it drugs? Did he not want Kihyun to see?“Um. . .” Kihyun trailed off. No way, right? “Sure,” he decided as he leaned against the back of the couch before closing his eyes.“Kihyun-ssi,” Wonho called him again. “Your hands, cover your eyes with your hands,” the blonde instructed.“Aish, is that--”“Just do it,” the older interrupted him.Kihyun let out a sigh but did as told. “Fine, fine,” the brunette dismissed before bringing both of his hands up to cover up his eyes. “You want me to tape pillows to my ears too?” He half-jokingly said though there was no reply.Instead of keeping up the conversation, Kihyun used his lack of sight to listen in even more closely. In fact, he was half-expecting hearing a snorting sound or something. But instead, he heard clattering of metal and glass clinking if it wasn’t porcelain. What in the world was Wonho doing that required Kihyun not to see? If it was so private, couldn’t he have just sent him into a bedroom or something?His steps were getting closer, though they got silenced by the soft carpet, Kihyun could still tell that Wonho was approaching.“Can I--?”“Hold on, just a second,” Wonho interrupted him again as he put stuff down on the table.There were some more clattering, like he heard earlier, though it was much closer this time around. Kihyun could hear every shift Wonho made as he walked around the table preparing something before the distinct sound of a lighter caught Kihyun’s attention.“Okay, open!”With Wonho’s permission, Kihyun lifted his hands up and opened his eyes again. “What- What’s all of this?” The blonde asked as he blinked a couple of times.It wasn’t something big, but there was a white cake on the table with the words: “Happy Birthday Yoo Kihyun” in chocolate. The cake had strawberries lined around a circle on the top, and in all honesty, it looked delicious. In the middle was a candle that Wonho had just lit, and while it was just one, it looked so bright.
“Well, I told you I saw that someone texted you about your birthday earlier,” Wonho started as he sat down next to Kihyun. “And considering the awful day you just had, I felt like I needed to salvage it somehow,” the blonde said with a smile. “Now hurry, make a wish! I wanna eat the cake!”Still a bit stunned, Kihyun took a few more moments before closing his eyes and putting his hands together. A wish, huh? Everything he could have wished for today was a catastrophe. Hyunwoo was getting married, Kihyun would have to move out, find a couple of part-time jobs and keep playing the role of “just a friend”. Was there anything he could wish for?“Ah, come on! Hurry!” Wonho whined as he impatiently trampled his feet on the carpet.Kihyun let out a little chuckle of the childish display from Wonho before he made up his mind. With the wish in his mind, he leaned forward and blew the candle out.“Please let this happiness stay forever.”“Okay,” Kihyun said as he grabbed his knife. “Let’s enjoy some cake!”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The rest of the night was spent drinking soda, since Kihyun decided to pass on the alcohol, eating cake and playing some Mario Kart on the giant TV screen that Wonho owned. Fortunately, Kihyun hadn’t lost out on his gaming skills and kept crushing the older ever round. Princess Peach was just too good, and it was highly satisfying watching her do her victory laps. He had more fun whenever he stole victory away from Wonho’s clutches with the help of blue shells and red shells. Kihyun wasn’t sure how long they had ended up staying, but he had laughed so much his stomach hurt, and so did his finger from flicking Wonho so many times. Why did the older even suggest that punishment?Though, while he was good, he hadn’t unconditionally won, and the two of them both had a red spot on their forehead. They decided to do one last lap, where once more, Kihyun claimed the golden trophy that belonged to him and watched as Peach blew kisses and waved to her people.“Ah! Really--!” Wonho whined as he kicked his feet. “I thought I was going to win that one too!” He added before tossing his controller over to the armchair.“Not a chance, you weren’t even close!” Kihyun boasted though he knew it had been a tight race. Mario Kart was more luck than skill, and today the brunette had a bit more luck than the blonde, at least when it came to video gaming. “Now come here,” the younger said as he gestured with his hand for Wonho to get closer. “Last punishment, it’ll be a powerful one,” Kihyun promised as he warmed his hand up a bit.“No, the last one should be gentle!” Wonho complained through another whine.“What are you on about?” Kihyun laughed. “It’s the very last one! I need to make it a great finisher!” the brunette said as he put his controller down on the table before inching closer to Wonho. “You ready?” the younger asked.“No, but I don’t think it matters,” Wonho replied earnestly before lifting up his bangs and squeezing his eyes shut, bracing himself for impact.“You’re right,” Kihyun answered with a smile. “It doesn’t,” and with that out-of-the-way, Kihyun held back his middle finger before releasing to hear the satisfying “ttak” when it found its target.“Ah!” Wonho screamed as he fell back in the couch. “Dear sweet mother of God, that hurts!” He yelled out as he slumped in the couch, which only made Kihyun laugh more.“Thanks for all your hard work today~” Kihyun mused and started cleaning up after the two of them. He feared to look at the clock, it was better not to know how much time they had spent goofing around.Cleaning up didn’t take long at all, though Wonho was still lying on the couch as if he had died.“Wonho hyung, I left the dishes on the rack. You can put those away tomorrow,” he said as he poked the other with his foot. “Stop pretending to be dead, I know you’re alive,” the brunette continued to prod the other with his foot.“Am I?” Wonho asked. “I think I traveled to the afterlife with a finger flick,” the blonde insisted before sitting back up and ruffling through his hair. “I’m serious, I think I’ve experienced death today,” he added which drew a chuckle out of Kihyun.“Yes, yes. Though big guy can’t take a couple of finger flicks,” he continued to tease as he passed Wonho.“Yah!” The older called out as he grabbed Kihyun’s wrist and pulled him back into the couch.Suddenly, Kihyun found himself lying on the couch with Wonho hovering above him. The mischievous smirk he had held only moments before got replaced with one of surprise, how quickly the tables turned.“I’m still older here. You should be a bit nice!” Wonho said as he was the one smirking now.“It’s the victor’s right to boast and gloat about their win!” Kihyun defended himself before Wonho held up his hand and smirked.“Then prepare for some vengeance of the “poor” loser!” Wonho laughed before tickling Kihyun.“Ah! No! Sto-!” Kihyun attempted to squirm away but to no avail. The differences in their builds made him completely helpless in their current positions.“Say ‘sorry hyung’ and I’ll stop!” Wonho laughed as if he was the one under tickling torture.“O- okay! I yield! I yield!” Kihyun pressed through the uncontrollable laughter as Wonho’s hand stopped, allowing the younger to catch his breath again. “Hyung,” a disheveled Kihyun panted. “I’m sorry,” he finished and was finally released from Wonho’s merciless clutches.The older grabbed the remote to turn the TV off before standing up and stretching his limbs. Oh how Kihyun wanted to wipe that satisfied look off his face with another finger flick, but he’d have to save it for now.“Oh, here,” Wonho said as he pulled Kihyun’s phone from his pocket. “Told you, I wasn’t stealing it,” the blonde smiled.Kihyun took a quick peek at his phone, but let it stay off. He knew that if he turned it on and Hyunwoo’s messages were there then the happiness he was enjoying would leave in an instant.“You didn’t steal anything, did you?” Kihyun teased as he squinted at Wonho. “I’m pretty sure I had a million dollars in here,” he joked and Wonho hit his shoulder lightly.“Yah! So rude,” he playfully whined. “I only turned your phone off,” he defended himself with both hands in the air.Satisfied that nothing was missing, not that there was anything to steal, Kihyun put his phone away before following Wonho up the stairs again.“Take this room,” Wonho instructed as he stopped in front of the door in the middle. “It’s the guest bedroom, don’t worry, it’s cleaned up. Your clothes are still being washed now, but they should be done by tomorrow,” the blonde smiled as he ruffled through Kihyun’s hair, messing it up even more.“Let me say it one more time,” the older said as he pulled Kihyun in for a hug. “Happy birthday Kihyun-ssi.”The hug caught Kihyun completely off-guard. He had expected a handshake or maybe a bow, but not the sudden intimate contact. Normally, Kihyun would have pushed a stranger like Wonho away, but there was a strange comfort that wrapped around him together with those strong arms. A strange sense of safety, kindness, warmth and belonging all washed over Kihyun in one go, mixing themselves together to create some weird state that the brunette couldn’t explain even if he tried. He hesitated but threw those away the moment he allowed himself to lean against Wonho if just a bit.His head rested against the other’s chest, hands gently holding on to the white sweater Wonho was wearing. If he had ever wanted to stop time, this was it. If only a few seconds, he wanted to keep the feelings he was having for a bit longer.“Thanks,” he smiled. Tears were threatening to fall again, but not because of pain or sadness. He wasn’t sure if they were tears of happiness, but the relief that short embrace had given him was enough to draw those droplets out. Fortunately, he managed to blink those back and pulled himself free from the hug.“Goodnight Kihyun-ssi,” Wonho smiled as he gave Kihyun’s hair one last ruffle then disappeared into the room next to Kihyun’s.“Goodnight,” he replied before walking into the room and immediately tossing himself into the bed.Today had been a pure rollercoaster of emotions, and it was both mentally and physically exhausting. It was all taking its toll on Kihyun’s body now that he finally got to lie down and just breathe. He knew there was a reality tomorrow that he needed to face, one that would be different from the one he wanted, but there was nothing to do. No matter how much he cried, whined, begged or complained, tomorrow would still come.But it hadn’t been a completely disastrous day. It had somehow been salvaged, with the help of a stranger whose house he was sleeping in tonight. The mere thought of that made him chuckle. Apparently, the gods did pity him a bit.“Happy birthday. . . huh?” Kihyun murmured to himself as he draped the blanket over himself and kept one arm under the pillow.“Yeah, it wasn’t so bad after all.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Please turn your books on page 247. We’ll be reading about Ansel Adams and--”
Kihyun couldn’t pay attention to class. His back was killing him from spending a full week at a cheap motel, though very affordable within his budget, and the mattress that felt like it was made out of cement. The walls were paper thin too, and most people who came to the motel wasn’t there for living purposes which he didn’t mind in the evening, but the entire night was starting to get very tiring. Kihyun was in the state where he needed to drag his tired self to the university every day, and undoubtedly, he had bags underneath his eyes due to lack of sleep.
“1927 was the pivotal year of Adams’s life. He made his first fully visualized photograph, Monolith, the Face of Half Dome, and took his first High Trip. More important--”
He put his arms on top of his textbook, doubting he’d get much studying in, before resting his head on top of them. His stomach was rumbling too, the breakfast offer at the motel wasn’t any better than their rockhard beds, so he hadn’t been tempted to eat it. Instead, he bought some packaged sandwiches in the nearby convenience store, not that those were much better. Half-frozen eggs, somewhat wet bread, cheese that was half-melted and whatever the meat was meant to be, it wasn’t a tempting meal to put it kindly. Unfortunately, it was the best Kihyun could do for the moment.The last thing he wanted to do was to go back to Hyunwoo’s place and find Seoyeon there again, to see the two of them flirting. Even if it was just a silly secret crush, Kihyun couldn’t just get over it. His heart ached thinking that Hyunwoo’s happiness wasn’t with him, even if he held no hope in the first place, he couldn’t help himself from wishing that his feelings were returned somewhere deep inside his childhood friend.Now, he was engaged and about to get married. So obviously, such childish wishful thinking had been a trap that Kihyun blindly and willingly walked into.
“--Met photographer Edward Weston. They became increasingly important to each other as friends and colleagues. The renowned Group f/64, founded in 1932--”
A loud sigh prompted him to sit up and instead stare up into the roof, hands lazily dangling by his side. Speaking of Hyunwoo, they hadn’t seen each other since Kihyun ran out on him a week ago. The brunette needed to mentally prepare himself for walking into the apartment, that used to be his, and see that someone had taken his place. Granted, Hyunwoo hadn’t mentioned a thing about Seoyoen moving in nor that he was moving out, but Kihyun had already, somewhat, taken the initiative to leave.It would hurt less if Hyunwoo didn’t need to ask him. If he did ask, it would solidify the fact that Kihyun was no longer needed in his life. They were still friends, but hanging onto that was starting to hurt. At some point, those feelings for Hyunwoo would die, but Kihyun feared how much of himself that part would bring with it to the afterlife. The older had tried to text and call him a couple of times, but Kihyun had blatantly ignored it or avoided all contact by excusing himself for being at work or busy working on a project.The project was the lie he told Hyunwoo for his absence. Kihyun said that there was this huge collage that he needed to do with an unnamed friend and that it was easier if he just lived with him for a while. Hyunwoo, because he was too kind, had neither dug to know more nor asked any questions around it.In fact, it was that kindness that was starting to hurt. Their limited interaction didn’t feel the same, but Kihyun was the only one who felt that way. Their texts were short and they didn’t do idle chit chat anymore. Usually, Hyunwoo’s texts during class would be a saving grace, but now it only brought along dread. Kihyun knew very well he needed to man up and get some courage to talk to Hyunwoo again because if this kept going on, he’d lose him completely. He was so torn. Would the pain truly go away? Could he keep pretending to be friends? Yes, the feelings he had for Hyunwoo had now become nothing more, but an unachievable dream, but that didn’t make them go away.
“--Creative photographer, before or since, he reveled in the theory and practice of the medium. Weston and Strand frequently consulted him--”
He wanted to go home. If anything, rewind time and go back to before his birthday. The carefree days, even if he lived in blissful ignorance, it had felt so good. But going back to those days seemed like a distant Neverland, which was why Kihyun couldn’t meet Hyunwoo at the moment. There was one thing to know, but there was another thing to get it all confirmed. If they met, it might just be their last time meeting as proper friends. And Kihyun wasn’t ready to let it all go yet.
“Adams developed the famous and highly complex “zone system” of controlling and--”
Kihyun sat up and rested his chin in his hand, staring out the window. It was such a nice day today, but the sun only made things worse. If it was raining, then the day was already bad and he could blame his melancholy mood on the lack of the sun in the sky, but the world didn’t give him that luxury. Maybe he had done something in his past life, and it was coming back to punish him now. Man, he’d like to kick his past self in the butt if that was the case. There was one thing to feel down on a rainy day, but it somehow got even worse on a sunny one. Yet another sigh escaped the brunette. Hopefully, whatever the lecturer was talking about, wouldn’t come up on any tests or finals. School was just an escape from that awful motel and the reality he kept running away from because no one here knew what inner turmoil he was going through. Fortunately, he didn’t talk to a lot of people at school, saved him someone digging into his problems before slinging the line: “I know how you feel” and then go on their own rant. No, he needed someone like Wonho. The kind blonde stranger that had given him shelter from the rain, and maybe even his feelings. Sure, they talked about what happened, but never in any details, and none of them had tried to find out more. Instead, Wonho had saved him from the worst birthday in his life. The party was small and hastily put together, but it was undoubtedly the best one he ever had. Sorry Hyunwoo, but Kihyun had to give this one to the stranger that came to his rescue.
“His first series of technical articles were published in Camera Craft in 1934, and his first widely--”
Speaking of the blonde, they hadn’t met either since Kihyun left early the morning after his birthday. It felt wrong to overstay his welcome, and he was sure Wonho had something better to do than pity him all day. Kihyun cooked him some breakfast, which ended up being ramyeon because that boy didn’t own anything else, and then left with a “thank you” note. The brunette didn’t want to wake him up and it didn’t feel right to wander around someone else’s home. He thought about calling or visiting, but then again, he didn’t know anything about Wonho. All he knew was what he saw. The blonde was either rich, had rich parents or robbed a bank. Wonho was the messy type as his place had looked like a tornado filled with empty chips bags and empty cans. Whether he had a big soft heart despite his rebellious looks was left unknown, but there was no doubt of his kindness. Kihyun never asked for a phone number, and while he knew the building, he didn’t know the room number. It felt weird to show up on his door anyway, he was no stray cat that returned because it got fed after all.
“Recognition, however, did not alleviate Adams’s financial pressures. In a letter dated--”
Sighing seemed to be something Kihyun would do frequently today. His birthday wish hadn’t even lasted a whole day, but maybe it was childish to wish for something like happiness to stay around. He should know that life loves to mess around with people. Watch the poor humans run around in their game as they throw whatever they can their way. Even Wonho had his problems, whether he wanted to talk about it or not, that bruise he had on his jaw looked pretty painful. It was not some girl who found out Santa wasn’t real, anyone could figure that one out. Hopefully, Wonho would remember to clean his lip, that face was too good to be ruined by a fist.His eyes wandered to the gate of the school, immediately finding a young couple holding hands. Ugh, was the world trying to kill him from the inside first? Where was that one lonely nerd that no one liked or talked to? Oh, right. If that was what he was looking for, then a mirror was all he needed. Who else was by the gate? There was a girl who seemed to be in a hurry, which was understandable because she was late. A group of rich mama’s boys that didn’t really care because their parents were too rich so no one dared to mess with them, then there was this blonde tall guy. He stood out, he wasn’t wearing a school uniform, but instead a leather jacket and some other dark clothes.“Heh, funny,” Kihyun chuckled to himself. “It almost looks like--” Oh fuck.That wasn’t someone who was strikingly alike Wonho, it was Wonho! The blonde tall man in the flesh seemingly arguing with the security guard. Oh fuck, what was he doing here out of all places? Wonho told Kihyun that he had dropped out of Med school, not that it truly mattered because this was an Art University! Why did he come here? Why now? Actually, how did he even know what school he went to? All of those questions got blown out of his head as the security guard shoved Wonho in the chest, and it looked like they were about to brawl right in front of the school.Oh shit. “U-Um!” Kihyun said as he rose from his seat. His eyes stayed trained on the window, hoping the situation wouldn’t escalate, before looking at the professor who didn’t seem too pleased that the brunette interrupted the lesson. “Yes, Kihyun-ah?” The middle-aged man spoke as he raised his brow when Kihyun had taken too long to continue his sentence.“S-Sorry, I really need to go to the toilet. . . is that okay?” It was a hastily put together lie and it probably sounded as credible as pigs soaring through the sky, but he couldn’t think of anything else on the spot. “You can go, this will be on your midterms, just so you know,” he pointed out with a little bit of a glare. The lecturer had probably noticed that Kihyun’s attention was elsewhere the entire lesson, and he definitely didn’t seem too happy that the brunette was now leaving.“Thank you!” Kihyun bowed as he decided against packing up all his stuff and just left. He didn’t need the professor to tell the others that he had now started skipping lessons and Kihyun did not want to find out what would happen if he took the extra five minutes to pack everything down. If that security guard ended up with a blue eye, that would be his fault and no one else’s.Kihyun couldn’t remember the last time he ran so hard that his lungs burned for oxygen. 1Or maybe he could, but his mind was only thinking about stopping Wonho for assaulting the school’s security guard. The poor man was only doing his job, and the blonde didn’t look like he was looking to study, putting it mildly."Now, you listen here. Non-students are not allowed on K University grounds unless you have a student with you so--""Ahjussi!" Kihyun called out breathlessly as he needed to take a few moments before continuing his sentence. "He's-- He's with me--" the brunette heaved as he crouched over his knees to give himself some more room to breathe in."He's with you?" The security guard asked as he cocked his brow and gave Kihyun a good look over and then moved his gaze to Wonho to do the same.Who could blame him for doubting? Kihyun had his natural hair color and his school uniform on. K University was a pretty prestigious school and being seen with people like Wonho would be like putting a white sheep next to a black bear and calling them friends."Are you sure?" The man asked as he crossed his arms and gave Wonho a look that screamed how much the old man was judging him. "If he's giving you any trouble--""It's fine," Kihyun hastily interrupted as he shook his head and straightened up. "I promise, he's with me. He's my friend," the brunette smiled.It might be a stretch. Wonho was an incredibly kind person. He had taken care of his hand, let him stay for the night, fed him and saved his birthday from certain doom. Though they didn't know each other, and Kihyun had yet to convince himself that Wonho wasn't just doing it out of pity. Who wouldn't pity the guy crying in the back alley in the rain? It would probably be hard for anyone not to extend a helping hand."You know if you're--""Didn't you hear him, ahjussi?" Wonho smirked as he slid past the guard and wrapped an arm around Kihyun's neck to pull him in close. "Kihyun-ssi said I was his friend himself! Students are allowed to bring in visitors, I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere," the blonde's grin was a mocking one. As if rubbing it into the guard's face that he was right.Kihyun felt a bit bad for thinking it, but the look on the poor man's face was somewhat hilarious. His jaw hung a bit open from Wonho's comment and his fists clenched themselves. It looked like he was going to say something, but bit it back before putting on a truly service worthy smile. The kind of smile that existed without a soul. It was only shown because it was mandatory, otherwise, he would probably have punched Wonho in the face."I see, I understand," he smiled and then patted the somewhat nervous Kihyun on the shoulder. "If he brings you any trouble, or he's an unwanted guest then just tell me," he whispered to the brunette. "I got the authority to kick him off the school grounds," and with that, he walked back to his little box by the gate.The brunette only nodded and watched as the guard stepped into the confined space that would give most people claustrophobia before Wonho ruffled his hand through his hair."Took you long enough! Were you gonna leave me hanging?" The blonde laughed.What in the world was he on about? This meeting was anything but planned! Wonho was the one who has just shown up in front of his school and Kihyun had to rush out of class to make sure the guard wouldn't regret his career choice more than he probably already did. One could argue that Kihyun was being too harsh on the blonde, but they truly didn't know much about each other and all the brunette could do was judge the book by its cover when it came to more stressful situations like this. Especially now that there was no pity involved, it wasn't like Wonho knew anything about his situation beyond his recent heartbreak of the "girl" of his dreams.The brunette ducked away from Wonho's friendly embrace and put a bit more distance between the two. Wonho's arms still brought that alarmingly comforting warmth and safety that Kihyun didn't want to get used to. They hardly knew one another and it had been one, though unforgettable, night of pity. Kihyun was grateful for what Wonho of for him, a mere stranger he brought home, but now there were no more reasons for the younger to keep having his pity party with Wonho as the host."How did you know where I went to school, hyung?" A part of him wanted to ask why he hadn't visited before a week after they met, but that would make it sound like he wanted the other to come sooner. "And why are you here?" It came off a lot harsher than originally planned, but regardless of that, it's still something he wanted the answer to. What I the world could the blonde want after seven days from a stranger?Granted, Kihyun was being unfair. They didn't exchange phone numbers so Wonho had no way of contacting him. Neither did they know each other's full name, or actual first name in Kihyun's case, and no addresses. All they did was lick each other's wounds a bit. Wonho cheered up from whatever gave him that bruise on his jaw and Kihyun let himself forget his broken heart for a few hours."This here, found it in the room you used while I was cleaning up," Wonho smiled as he dug into his pocket and held Kihyun's student ID card.He had been looking for that! Kihyun thought he lost it in the motel or somewhere else, but apparently, it had been living more comfortably than him the last week."I came to return it," Wonho added but the moment Kihyun reached out to take it back, the blonde flicked his wrist back to keep it away from him. "And to check up on the stray hamster I picked up," he teased before using his free hand to poke Kihyun's cheek. "You look skinnier, you don't eat well when I'm not around?" He laughed in a joking matter.His cheek, where Wonho touched it, felt like it was on fire. Even though the blonde was only joking, it definitely felt like he hit bull's eye. No one else had noticed or commented about it, but if it was true, then that was all the more reason not to see Hyunwoo. How was he going to explain sudden weight loss? Maybe Kihyun needed to upgrade, but being a student and working part-time while paying for both. . . "Upgrading" was just not a luxury he could afford. Though with that mindset, maybe Kihyun should at least try to eat the cheap meals the place offered and stomach the horrible prepared food. As long as it looked and smelled somewhat decent. Hyunwoo believed he was staying over at a friend's place, which wouldn't be believable if he went down in weight."I'm not a stray hamster you picked up," Kihyun huffed as he brushed Wonho's finger away. "And thank you, for returning my student ID," expectantly he held his hand out in the hope that Wonho would put it in his palm. If there was anything Kihyun knew for sure, it was that Wonho never made it that simple. His phone was the last example, today it was his student ID."What's the hurry?" Wonho smiled. "We're friends, right? So you don't need to be so cold!" The older playfully whined as he still kept the card between his fingers while holding it out of reach. Obviously, he was keeping the card safely out of his reach.“It’s not-- It’s not that. . .” Kihyun stuttered. He had called him a friend just now, but maybe he had been a bit hasty. Wonho might not think the same way, and while one could argue Kihyun didn’t either. “But I got classes still, I just saw you through the window and decided to help you out before it got worse,” worse for the guard that was. “So could I please have my student ID back? Before I miss any more of class?”“Hm. . .” Wonho mused as if he was actually thinking about it, but the smirk on his face suggested he had already made up his mind. “How about no?” The blonde smiled and took one long step to close the gap between them before flinging his free arm around Kihyun’s shoulder again. “Tell me Kihyun-ssi, have you ever. . . skipped class?” The older asked in a not so subtle way as he peeked over their shoulders to see if anyone was nearby, which thankfully, there wasn’t.“Skip--” Kihyun lowered his voice when he was reminded that the guard was still stationed in his little claustrophobia trap. “Skip class?” The brunette parroted. He had skipped a few classes, especially P.E, but he hadn’t done that since middle school. The thought of skipping today had occurred to him but Wonho had not been a part of that plan. “I have but not--”“Great!” Wonho interrupted with a smile. “That means you know the drill! You’re not as goodie-two-shoe as you look, Kihyun-ssi,” he chuckled and put Kihyun’s ID safely in his inner jacket pocket. “Now if you’d please--”“Who said I was going?” Kihyun whispered. “I skipped back in middle school and I’m not skipping--”“Do we need to do this again?” Wonho sighed. “We did it a week ago and I’m sure we both remember how that went, right?” he innocently smiled. “So, I’ll make you the same deal. Join me for lunch and you’ll get your student ID back.”Wonho managed to make it sound like such a small thing, but they were still strangers and Kihyun hadn’t imagined they’d meet again, at least not like this. Randomly on the street made sense, but the blonde had actively looked for his school. Sure, he had his student ID, but Kihyun could always ask for a new one, it wasn’t like he desperately needed it for anything right now either. But despite all of those good reasons, Kihyun still wanted to go. Pure curiosity? Or was there something more? It was too scary to think about, so he decided to just push down from his brain and into his gut. Why not just follow his gut?“Plus--” Wonho started before Kihyun had the chance to reply. “--I let you stay the night, and you just disappear in the morning. It’s pretty rude, you know?” He sort of teased with a pouty lip. “Like the morning fog, you were gone--”“Okay! Okay!” Kihyun interrupted this time. “I got it, I’ll go!” He didn’t want it to come off negatively but with Wonho being both suggestive and guilt-tripping him to hell, there was no way he could sound pleased. He held his hand up as if to signal a surrender, which pleased the blonde more than it should have. “But could I--”“Nope,” Wonho smiled as he pulled away. “Just like your phone, you get it back when we’re done,” he added. It was annoying how charming that smile could be, Kihyun could have sworn there was some kind of magic behind it. A spell that made him more compliant, or something like that.Kihyun sighed, but at the very least, he knew that Wonho held his part of the deal. His record did show off how he’d get his student ID back, just like how he got his phone back a week ago. “Okay, I get it,” Kihyun knew better than to try and argue against Wonho. The brunette didn’t have a habit of starting a fight he was losing before it even began. “Well, do you know any place--”As Kihyun was taking the initiative to walk through the school gate to leave but didn’t get beyond a few steps before Wonho reached out to grab his collar and reel him back. “What are you-- Mpmh!” A hand clasped over his mouth as Wonho dragged him into the bushes without any warning. Kihyun did his best to try and get Wonho’s hand off but his looks didn’t betray his strength, he was no match.“Shhhh!” Wonho shushed him as he put one finger on his lips to punctuate it before Kihyun caught the reasoning behind being dragged into the bushes.The guard and a professor were standing by the gate having a good ol’ chitchat, and Kihyun was not interested in trying to ditch classes while trying to explain himself to a teacher where he was going. It would have been easier if it was an actual lunch break, but of course, Wonho dropped in before then.He held his hands up to tell Wonho he understood and the death grip over his lips was released. “What do we do now?” Kihyun whispered as he peeked over to where the two adults were still chatting away. “We could just wait--” the brunette didn’t get further as he saw the grin on Wonho’s face. Whatever the blonde was plotting, it couldn’t be good.“I got an idea, follow me,” Wonho instructed as he began crouching and walking through the bushes towards the back of the university.“Do you even know where you’re going?!” Kihyun whispered back but followed Wonho’s lead nonetheless.They ended up in the back of the university. Thankfully, this was not a sport’s university of any kind, really just a bunch of lazy art students, so the back of the school felt much more like a park. Green grass, some trees planted around, a path and some benches spread about. The bushes they were crawling through went along the school’s brick fence, so they had plenty of cover from anyone seeing them that were either outside or just looking out the window.Kihyun couldn’t lie, his heart was hammering in his chest. The adrenaline of getting caught and then get in trouble along with the crazy fact he was trying to sneak out of school as if it was a prison, he didn’t know which one gave his heart the hardest time. His school uniform needed a wash and Kihyun was 90% sure that his hair had grabbed a few branches and some leaves along their little crawl.Wonho came to an abrupt stop by the trunk of a tree as he gave it a few knocks before looking up and nodding to himself in a satisfied manner. “Okay, here’s the plan,” the blonde started as he turned around to face Kihyun. “Climb up the tree to that branch,” he instructed and pointed out a pretty thick branch on the oak that had been chosen as their escape route. “Jump from that one on top of the wall,” Wonho continued as his finger moved along with his plan. “Then jump down and on the other side, and we’re free!” The blonde smiled as if his plan was as easy as pie.Now, for someone so athletic looking like Wonho, that was probably no big deal. But he was asking a lot out of Kihyun. Climbing trees? Jumping on top of the brick wall? Jumping down?“H-Hold on!” Kihyun objected. “What’s wrong with just going back to the gate?” He decided to ask. “The guard and the teacher has probably stopped talking by now! We could just walk out!” He insisted though Wonho only returned his better and safer suggestion with a smile.“What are you talking about?” The blonde asked. “This is way more fun!”Kihyun feared that would be the answer he would get. It was probably a bad thing how it wasn't surprising though. “What am I talking about?” He hissed. “Isn’t it more what are you--?!”As if Kihyun needed a demonstration of Wonho’s plan, the blonde decided to pretend he was Tarzan and climbed up the tree like a champion.This was no mere oak tree. The trunk was huge, there were no branches or stepping stone until that one huge branch that definitely looked like it could hold up some weight, but it was pretty high up. If Kihyun hadn’t seen Wonho jump up to grab it then pull himself up like he was as light as a feather, then Kihyun would have guessed he flew up there.“What you waiting for?” Wonho asked as he beckoned Kihyun up with his hand. “Get up here!”“O-Okay!” Kihyun replied as he braced himself. “J-Just-- hold on!” He told the other and took a deep breath and rubbed his hand together while getting off the ground.He looked up to the branch where Wonho was sitting down comfortably. Even though Kihyun stood up and the distance should have shortened, it felt more like he was going to attempt jumping up and grabbing the sun. He swung his arms next to himself and squatted a few times before jumping up. Kihyun stretched as much as he could but it was only his fingertips that made it to the branch.“Pfft,” he heard from above. “Need some help there, Kihyun-ssi?”“S-Shut up!” Kihyun said with as much malice as he could gather up through his embarrassment. “I was just-- It’s warm up!” He added.“Uh-huh,” Wonho giggled as he put his knees in his laps and rested his chin in his palms before blinking down at him. “Take your time, Kihyun-ssi,” he smirked. “Warm up all you want,” he added and Kihyun really wished he was tall enough to smack that grin off his handsome face.Kihyun made a second attempt and then a third and then a fourth. On the fifth attempt, his legs were starting to get pretty tired and his fingers didn’t even graze the branch this time. The worst wasn’t the humiliation but the fact that Kihyun was completely out of breath and exhausted from jumping up and down while failing to grab the dumb branch.“Okay, one more jump,” Wonho coaxed him.“What?!”“Come on, you’ll make it this time,” the blonde smiled. “I promise.”Whether it was the “amazing” pep talk, the promise or just the smile Wonho always managed to show off, it was enough to encourage, or perhaps persuade, Kihyun into making one final attempt.With an annoyed groan, Kihyun swung his arms and squatted down before springing back up. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t reach this time either. However, Wonho solved that problem by grabbing his wrist and then proceeding to pull him up. The blonde was no superman, but the little boost he provided was enough for Kihyun to grab the branch with his free hand and then pull himself up with some help from Wonho still. His arm hurt a bit from the pull and there was now a red handprint around his wrist but none of it matter.“I made it!” Kihyun smiled brightly and threw his arms in the air before quickly grabbing the branch again so he wouldn’t end up falling off.“I told you!” Wonho laughed. “I knew you’d make it,” he added and gave Kihyun an encouraging pat on his shoulder before pointing out to the next part of his plan. “Okay, part two,” he said. “It’s time to jump and get on top of the wall.”“We can’t like--” Kihyun stopped to get more breath. “We can’t, like, take a break? Get a coffee and hang out in the goddamned tree?” He asked which made Wonho laugh.“Don’t worry, I got this,” Wonho promised before he grabbed Kihyun’s arm.The branch they had been sitting on was, thankfully,” thick enough to also stand on top of, but that didn’t make it any better when Wonho forced Kihyun up on his feet. His knees were weak and legs tired and he was pretty sure that if he attempted that jump, he’d either smash his head on the brick, faceplant into it or comically look like he just jumped off the branch. The brunette was about to object to the jumping but never made it that far as Wonho swept him off his feet without any warning. One strong arm supported Kihyun’s back while the other was secured underneath his knees. The branch shook a bit and Kihyun’s heart leaped back into his throat while his arms squeezed around Wonho’s neck.“Ready, Kihyun-ssi?” Wonho asked as he stepped back until he hit the trunk of the oak.“You are not--”There was no time for arguing as Wonho got all the momentum he could get and used the branch as a springboard. It was shaking like a leaf, and Kihyun closed his eyes so hard he could see the light, which felt like a horrible foresight as Wonho leaped off the branch. Kihyun wished that he didn’t squeal like a little girl and squeeze Wonho like a teddy bear when they made the leap but the important part was how none of them died in the process.“You can open your eyes and release your death grip now, Kihyun-ssi,” Wonho chuckled as Kihyun just realized how hard he was holding onto the blonde and how hard he was squeezing his eyes shut.Slowly, he opened one eye before the other as his arms slumped against his side. “O-Oh my god,” he gasped as his heart was pounding so hard in his chest his entire body had to be pulsating in Wonho’s arms. “W-We actually made it. . .” he panted. He didn’t make the jump but Kihyun was so breathless he could probably convince someone he ran a marathon.“You should learn to trust me more,” Wonho playfully pouted as he put Kihyun’s wobbly legs down on top of the brick wall. Thank God it was thicker than the branch.Kihyun did the mistake of looking back at the branch they had just made a leap of faith from. It was still shaking a bit but it looked like it hadn’t bent too much or broken anywhere. However, the gap looked like it was bigger than the entire country. Realistically, it was probably the length of his arm, but in his eyes, it looked like they just jumped over an ocean and somehow made it unscathed.“Okay, last part!” Wonho said before he jumped over on the other side and held his arms out expectantly. “Come on!” He called out and beckoned Kihyun down with his hands. “I got you, Kihyun-ssi!” He smiled and gestured for the brunette to hurry up again.The second mistake was made looking down. He hadn’t done that on the branch, which was incredibly fortunate, but he had no choice but to look down on the ground this time. Realistically, it wasn’t a very huge drop. Kihyun knew that the wall around the school was around one and a half Wonho taller than him. But in his current situation, it felt like he was on top of Mount Everest trying to jump into an ant’s arms and deeming it “safe”.“Come on! We don’t have all day, Kihyun-ssi! I’ll bring you to wherever you wanna go! My treat!” The little “ant” offered while holding his hands out and beckoning Kihyun to jump once more.“Yoo Kihyun, you do the stupidest of things and when you go to Heaven, you be sure to tell yourself that every single day,” he whispered to himself as he looked up to the sky. “Or Hell, you might be going to Hell. Wherever you go, you died while jumping off the school’s walls while ditching class with a stranger while thinking of your favorite fried chicken restaurant. Angels or demons, they’ll have a blast,” he murmured and then looked back down to Wonho and took a deep breath as he gave his whole body one good shake.“Kihyun-ssi!”“I got it!” Kihyun yelled back. “Just so you know, if I die Wonho hyung--”“You won’t die, Kihyun-ssi!” Wonho laughed. “I promise!”“--If I die! I’m taking you with me!” Kihyun yelled as he jumped down and did his very best to keep his eyes open but it was hopeless.With an “oof” coming from Wonho before the blonde stumbled back. Thankfully for Kihyun, his landing was very soft with the older cushioning his fall with his body.Kihyun was shaking like a leaf and his eyes were squeezed shut once more. His hands were fisted in Wonho’s shirt and he was hanging onto the dark fabric as if his life depended on it.“See?” Wonho laughed as he patted Kihyun on the back while holding him close. “Told you, you wouldn’t die,” the blonde chuckled as Kihyun decided it was better to keep his eyes closed and hands still tightly fisted in the older’s shirt.“Shut up,” Kihyun murmured. “I’m still not sure I’m alive!” He insisted which made Wonho laugh louder.“You saying that when you die and go to Heaven, I’ll be there?”And that was all Kihyun needed to turn pale like a ghost to red like a tomato. He peeled himself off Wonho and rolled over on the side to rest on his back. Kihyun used his forearm to cover most of his face while trying to make his rapid heartbeats quieter. If it continued like that, then Wonho was bound to hear them.“You’re right,” Kihyun sighed. “I guess I didn’t make it to Heaven,” he concluded. “I must be in Hell.”“Yah!” Wonho whined as he propped himself up on his elbow to get a better look at Kihyun. “That’s so rude to someone you just used as a cushion!”“What?” Kihyun asked innocently. “You’re too loud to be a pillow, and you offered to be one, so I owe you nothing,” he joked before peeling his arm away from his face to look up into the sky.It was a bit obstructed by a nearby tree and its leaves and branches but it was still nice. The sun beamed through the leaves and made itself look like beautiful sparkling bright stars in a night sky of green that rustled nicely when a breeze passed them by. How funny, this was the second time Wonho had saved his day. The last one was a rainy shitty day and today it was a sunny one. Both times were unintentional and Kihyun found himself in need of a bath and change of clothes this time too. Last time, he only got himself to blame, but Wonho had literally dragged him through the mud today.In fact, it was so funny that Kihyun couldn’t keep himself from laughing out loud.Who would believe this story too? He just crawled through some bushes, climbed a tree, jumped from said tree to the brick wall, leaped down from that to the ground all with a stranger for some fried chicken for lunch. It was a more credible story as a prison break! And then it wouldn’t sound half as insane!“What’s so funny?” Wonho asked.“It’s just. . . this entire situation,” Kihyun laughed. “It’s just. . . I did not think skipping class would be like practicing a prison break, I guess I’m prepared to break you out of prison now,” the brunette joked which made Wonho laugh too.“You’d break me out of prison?” Wonho winked as he stood up from the ground and offered a helping hand to get Kihyun up too.“Don’t push your luck, Wonho hyung,” Kihyun chuckled but grabbed Wonho’s hand regardless to get off the grass.This time, Wonho was the one laughing as he reached out to ruffle through Kihyun’s hair. “You look like a mess, Kihyun-ssi,” he laughed as he moved his hand over to brush some leaves off his shoulders too.“And whose fault you think that is?” Kihyun laughed as he took the opportunity to pick a few leaves and even a part of a stick out of Wonho’s blonde hair. “Though you’re just as bad,” he chuckled before realizing how close the two of their faces were and they both pulled away.Kihyun felt his face burn as the breath of Wonho had tickled over his skin when their eyes suddenly met. They’d been too close, but strangely enough, he didn’t feel uncomfortable knowing that. In fact, it felt like he had been hanging out with a childhood friend until reality just hit him. But. . . maybe a friendship between the two of them wasn’t so bad. Sure, they didn’t know much about each other, but they had to start somewhere, right? Maybe some fried chicken at his usual place would fix that, though this prison break had definitely helped them get along.“So. . .” Wonho started. “Where do you want to go?” The blonde asked as he led the way back over to the other side of the university.“There’s this really good fried chicken place by the mall, you know it?” Kihyun asked as he brushed his knees a bit to get the worst of the dirt off.“Yeah, but that’s a pretty cheap--”“So? What, the rich boy wants me to burn his wallet?” Kihyun teased as he taps Wonho’s side with his elbow a few times.“It’s your time to shut up now,” Wonho laughed as he walked up to a motorbike and tossed the helmet over to Kihyun.He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the fact that Wonho didn’t just have an expensive car, but also an expensive looking motorbike. Or was it sportbike? Whatever, it looked more expensive than the entire motel that Kihyun had holed up in the last week, actually, it was probably worth five times more than the motel he lived in right now. Not only that, but it looked so sleek. The dark blue paint accented with the white looked so good together and he swore that the sun was being reflected off the frame, that’s how expensive it looked.“Of course you got a motorbike,” Kihyun chuckled as he didn’t hesitate to put the helmet on. Safety first, especially since Wonho had just made him do some of the most dangerous things the brunette would probably do his entire life. Who knew how good he was at driving this death machines on two wheels?“What you mean?” Wonho asked as he mounted the bike and patted behind himself to invite Kihyun to get on.“Nothing,” the brunette decided to brush it off with a chuckle as he flung his leg over the seat before snaking his arms around Wonho’s stomach and giving it a good squeeze. The last thing Kihyun wanted was to get flung off in a tight curve or just fall off because of the speed. Wonho totally seemed like a lover for danger, which made this motorbike ride even more intimidating.“This wasn’t quite the reunion you would plan, huh?” Wonho asked with a mischievous grin as he reared the engine to show off a bit.“What? You think I didn’t plan to crawl through bushes, climb a tree, jump from said tree to a brick wall before jumping down to ditch class?” Obviously, a rhetorical question. “You underestimate me,” Kihyun said sarcastically.“Oh, you want to be sarcastic?” Wonho asked as he raised his brow and faced forward. “Let’s see how long you can keep that up,” he grinned and Kihyun could feel the colors drain from his face as the blonde didn’t waste any time before racing into the road, causing Kihyun to hug the other closer.“Where’s your smug attitude now?!” Wonho laughed.“Shut up!” Kihyun yelled back. “I swear, I’m going to kick your smug look off your face!” He added and Wonho only laughed as he drove, way too fast, into the city.