Chapter Text
Now that he has a full name, it’s much easier for Suho to find his beautiful boy. He learns where he can find Sieun from Gotak who knows someone named Juntae who’s apparently best friends with Sieun.
It’s how he finds himself waiting outside the library on a beautiful Friday afternoon, trying to suavely lean against his motorcycle and probably failing due to the fact he’s imperceptibly shaking from nerves.
“Yeon Sieun!” He calls out, raising an arm when he spots the elusive boy coming out the doors.
Sieun gives him a glance from the corner of his eye and Suho swears he can hear him let out a deep sigh. The boy proceeds to walk over to him, face looking decidedly unimpressed.
“...Ahn Suho,” Sieun says when he reaches him.
“Ah Sieun-ah! How are you? Hyung came to pick you up,” Suho says, trying to seem nonchalant, cool and like he hadn’t homewrecked Sieun’s relationship.
Judging from the deadpan glare that Sieun gave him, he hadn’t succeeded.
“...What are you doing here?” Sieun asks after a few moments.
Suho sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew it was odd to show himself in front of Sieun after what he had done, even if it was inadvertently. But he couldn’t stand the thought of hurting the boy and not doing anything about it.
“I wanted to apologize,” Suho admits softly. “With Kim Yeri. I swear I didn’t know about you. I wouldn’t have done that if I had. I’m sorry.”
Sieun stares into his eyes unblinkingly into his eyes for a long moment. The sight of those big, doe eyes looking straight at his soul has Suho leaning a little more on his bike to keep himself steady.
“...okay,” Sieun says softly.
Suho releases a sigh of relief. Sieun had found whatever he had been looking for in Suho’s eyes.
“Goodbye, then,” Sieun says,
Suho’s prepared for Sieun’s abrupt departures now and is able to grab the sleeve of his soft hoodie before he’s too far.
“Please…let me buy you dinner to apologize,” Suho says.
Suho had already heard from Gotak who had heard from Juntae that Sieun did not happen to like most people. And Suho knew he probably had it tougher than most if you considered him accidentally sleeping with Sieun’s girlfriend.
Suho swears he sees Sieun roll his eyes before the boy responds with a curt, “you don’t need to. It’s fine.”
“It’s hyung’s treat, Sieun-ah,” Suho said. “I’m all alone and I could use a friend right now.”
He tried to make himself look as friendly (and marriagable) as possible to display his good intentions.
This time Sieun definitely rolls his eyes before walking away.
After what happened at Baku’s last party, Suho had sworn himself to not ever go to another one. But after inviting an increasingly disinterested Sieun out to dinner again and getting rejected again, he figured he deserved a few pity drinks.
He would go into Baku’s house, drink a few bottles of the beer that Baku liked - the one that tasted like flaming piss - and then go straight home. No talking to anyone. No eye contact. No accidental homewrecking.
It was a good plan.
Unfortunately, it goes immediately to shit when he spots Sieun standing in the kitchen, boredly sipping at something in a red solo cup while nodding at…Keum Seongje?
Almost everything Suho knows about Keum Seongje is secondhand and is not very good. That wouldn’t usually matter to Suho since he doesn’t normally take much stock in rumors. But the one encounter he’d had with Seongje at Gotak’s last taekwondo meet had been unpleasant enough for him to think there was some validity to the gossip.
To put it plain, Seongje’s a real dick. To friends, classmates, strangers – probably even himself. Baku loathed him too so Suho had no idea why he was even here.
He hesitates for a moment before he decides to walk up to them.
“...I had to solo it by myself because I just wasn’t going to carry those assholes,” Seongje says.
Suho’s not sure what Seongje’s talking about and he thinks Sieun might be in the same boat with the way he’s just nodding noncommittally at Seongje’s words while sipping his drink.
“Ah Yeon Sieun,” He says, standing in front of them with his hands in his pockets. “Funny seeing you here.”
Sieun looks up and Suho is once again floored by those beautiful eyes staring right at him. It was almost unfair how beautiful Sieun was.
“Ya Ahn Suho, don’t you have any shame?” Seongje interrupts their staring with a low chuckle. “How are you coming up to Sieun after what you did?”
Suho barely hides his instinctive wince, knowing doing so in front of Seongje would be like bleeding in a shark tank.
He can joke to himself all he wants about the situation with Sieun’s ex but it’s another to have it brought up by someone else. Suho doesn’t like thinking about what he’d done, even if it was unknowingly. He’s someone who’s always prided himself on his loyalty and devotion to the ones he loves so knowing he helped someone cheat feels like a kick in the teeth.
Halmeoni would be absolutely disappointed in him if she ever found out.
“...He apologized to me,” Sieun’s voice says softly.
Suho blinks his eyes rapidly in shock as he turns towards Sieun.
He’s surprised that Sieun’s speaking up - especially with how annoying Suho’s been to him lately. He’d spent most of the morning reflecting on their relationship and came to the stunning conclusion that maybe being so lovestruck after ruining Sieun’s relationship hadn’t been the best course of action.
He’d mostly come to this party to drown his sorrows over that realization and also try to exorcise Sieun from his heart. The boy was clearly not interested in him and Suho refused to be the type of person who harassed someone.
He probably would’ve walked right by Sieun at this party if the presence of Seongje hadn’t raised his protective instincts.
“Sieun-ah, you don’t need to be so kind to this degenerate,” Seongje’s cloying voice says.
Sieun-ah?
Suho hadn’t realized that Seongje was that close to Sieun. Hell, he hadn’t thought that Seongje was capable of normal functional relationships.
He ignores the twinge of jealousy and turns towards Seongje.
“Seongje,” Suho says. “What are you doing here?”
“I figured I’d stop by and talk to my close friend Sieun,” Seongje says, giving Suho one of his customary oily smirks.
“...We’re not that close,” Sieun says.
Seongje’s face twitches in something Suho might’ve called discomfort if he thought Seongje was capable of such an emotion. His right hand starts fiddling as if reaching for a cigarette.
“That’s quite cruel, Sieun-ah,” Seongje says. “Do you know how excited I was when Juntae told me that we were all coming to this party?”
“If you’re excited to come to this party with Juntae, then go spend time with Juntae,” Sieun says, giving Seongje a non-plussed look.
Seongje chuckles lightly, shaking his head.
“I get the hint. I’ll go look for Juntae,” he says, putting his hands in his pockets and sauntering away.
Suho kept a close eye on Seongje as he leaves the room before turning back to Sieun.
“You should be careful with Seongje,” Suho says, tongue poking his cheek. “He doesn’t have a great track record when it comes to relationships.”
“Seongje’s not interested in me. He’s interested in something else,” Sieun says. “And too scared to do anything about it.”
Seongje - scared? What could Sieun possibly mean?
“Besides, you’re one to talk about track records with relationships,” Sieun says, taking a sip of his drink.
Suho flinches.
Okay yeah, totally deserved.
He opens his mouth to apologize to Sieun once again before seeing a small curl at the end of Sieun’s lips as his eyes alight in humor.
Holy fuck. If Sieun had been pretty before then he was ethereal when he was smiling. Suho could feel his heart trying to beat out of his chest as he stared.
“Ah. Yeah,” Suho mutters, stammering. “Ah. I’m sorry again about that.”
With that, Suho turns tail and runs.