Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Soonyoung, wake up! You need to go to school!”

My mom yelled at the top of her lungs before bursting into my room and opening the curtains to let the morning light come into my room.

“Just five more minutes, please mom!” I groan and pull the covers up my head.

“No way, you’ll be late for the first day of your last year of high school!” She pulls the covers away and I sit up in the middle of my bed.
 

“Yeah, it’s the last year so they already know me. They already know that I’m always late.” I protest, trying to grab the covers from her hands to sleep just a little bit more.

“Don’t be lazy and get up!” However, my mom doesn’t give up and keeps tugging on the blankets until I am the one who has to give up.

“Okay! Just know that I’ll get my revenge...no one can get away with separating me from my lovely bed.” I point my finger at her, glaring, but my voice betrays me, cracking in the middle of the sentence.

“I’ll deal with it.” She shrugs, not taking my words seriously.

“Ah ah ah. At least you could pretend to be scared,” I say while pouting.

“There’s no time for that. Breakfast’s ready and it’s waiting for you,” she says while pulling me up from the bed.

“Fine! I’ll get up!” I stand up and let her drag me to the kitchen like we do every time she’s at home because she’s not on an early shift.  

Oh, I think I should pause this for a moment!
You’re already here? Yes, I’m talking to you who are now reading this! I think I need to quickly introduce myself before resuming the story.
My name’s Kwon Soonyoung and I’m 18. I’m quite a handsome boy of average height and dark brown hair. My eyes are my charm as they are a little bit slanted. They look like the clock’s hands when they’re on 10:10 or someone else said that they look like the eyes of a tiger. However, many of my friends don’t see me as a tiger but as a hamster and that’s all because of my chubby cheeks but hey, remember that I am a person, not an animal so I can’t be a hamster!

Okay, I need to go back on track or else I’ll lose my train of thoughts.

As you may have noticed from the talk with my mom, this year is my last year in high school! *insert cheering* I think that’s all you need to kno- Oh, wait! I almost forgot to mention that I came here from Japan!
Now, you could be asking yourself ‘here? where is here?’ Of course, it’s Seoul!
My parents and I lived in Japan for quite a while and then we had to move back here. Why? Because of their jobs.
They both work for an important Korean company that has one of its main branches in Japan and as they were needed there, I had to follow them when they had to move. Hopefully, now we came here to stay as the company noticed they could be more of help to the main branch in Seoul.
As we lived for 10 years in Japan, my family and I got used to speaking Japanese even at home so I had to pick up my Korean before coming here. I quickly practised the basics so I wouldn’t die on the streets in case I had got lost and, to be honest, it was a bit difficult because Japanese got in the way, but people had been so patient with me and helped me to improve and even get rid of the light Japanese accent I had.

Okay, now I seriously need to stop talking or else I will never be able to continue with the story!

“Today your father’s going to bring you to school, I can't come with you as I already need to leave,” my mom says while handing me the spoon to eat the bowl of rice that I am struggling to eat with the chopsticks. I’m so tired that my body doesn’t properly work.

“Hey, but I’m old enough to go alone,” I protest upon hearing the news of my father sending me to school.

“I know that but you know your father. Every year he gets very excited about your first day of school. I guess he feels sorry for not being there and not doing that when you were a child.” A sad sigh escapes her lips while she puts her hand on my shoulder.

“It’s okay, mom. I know he had to work,” I say while patting her hand “However, it’s just for today, okay? Tomorrow I’ll go alone.”

“Okay, deal!” Her features soften as she smiles at me. “Now, let me take a look at you.” She makes me stand up and her eyes quickly scan my figure.

“Uh? What are you doing?” I ask dumbfounded.

“You say you’ve grown up but your uniform is messy!” She shakes her head. “Fix your shirt and tie then take your backpack or you’ll be late, my child!” My mom winks at me when the words ‘my child’ leave her mouth in a mocking tone.

I reply to her by sticking my tongue out.

I hurriedly finish eating my breakfast trying at the same time not to choke and fix my uniform. While tucking the shirt in the trousers, I think about my comfortable sweatpants. Ah, how much I love them. Wearing this too-formal clothes is just not for me. My mom usually nags at me saying that I should wear this kind of outfit more since I am a ‘young man’ but hell no, I won’t do it, never. I want to live while being comfortable!

“Okay, should we get going?”

My father’s voice startles me. I turn around and I see him standing by the door, car keys in one hand and his briefcase in the other.

“Yeah, I’m ready. Let’s go!”

I run to my mom and leave a kiss on her cheek before grabbing my bag. My father and I wave at her and we walk out the door. In an unusual silence, we reach our car parked in the driveway before our house.

As soon as my father starts the car, he starts the conversation too.  

“So, it’s your last year in high school, how do you feel about it?”

‘Here we go again. He and his awkward questions,’ I think, mentally rolling my eyes.

“Normal?! Should I feel something else?” I giggle.

“Ah, you’re really growing up...you’re an adult.” His awkwardly flat tone tries to hide his emotions. After all, his only son is just a year away to officially enter the adult world.

“Don’t be like that! You know that I am always my old self.”

“There’s no doubt. Your height is the only thing that grew. Your mind is still the one of a 5-year-old child!” My dad stifles a laugh.

“Oh thanks, dad, you’re too kind!” I deadpan.

“You’re right. Maybe you’re even younger than that.”

“Wow, the disrespect! I can’t hit you because you’re driving. Consider yourself a lucky man!” I raise a bit the voice and then everything goes silent.

That is until we both start laughing out loud.
As the laughter dies after a while, I look outside the car window and I’m soon lost in my thoughts.
My father and I usually joke around like this but, right now, he has a point. I may be an adult, but my mind didn’t grow up. I mean, I get serious when the situation requires it, but I like to joke around a lot and keep the atmosphere light and bright. That’s because, everywhere I look, I see people of my age acting too serious and already being sure of what they want to be in the future. They are already working hard to achieve their goals, sometimes forgetting how it is to have a good laugh. I’m not like that. I know what I want to do but I want to keep on living like today is the last day of my life, keep on trying to find the bright side to every experience, keep on laughing at silly things together with my friends. I still can’t get all serious about my future.

I snap out of it the moment my father pulls over the front of my school. I’m about to open the door to get out of the car when my father stops me and gives me a kiss on the top of my head.

“I’ll see you at home for dinner, young man,” he says ruffling my hair.

“See you later, old man! Wish me luck for this first day!” I say while fixing my locks.

“Good luck!” My father shouts so loud I almost breaking my eardrums.

I smile at him before getting out of the car and closing the door behind me. My father drives away, I take a deep breath and confidently throw my bag over my shoulder while walking towards the school entrance.

Suddenly, I feel someone pulling me backwards. I quickly lift my hand to hit the person who has now his arm around my neck in a loose armlock.

“Ouch. Is this how you treat someone who’s trying to welcome you back?”

“You deserve it, Shua hyung! You scared me!” I almost yell.

“I’m sorry," Joshua says in a half-assed tone "By the way, how was your trip back to Japan?” He asks, still rubbing his hand on the spot I hit.

“Splendid. What about you? Did you go back to Los Angeles?”

Tall, honey coloured skin, red-brown hair that frames the gentleman-like features of his face. He is Hong Jisoo, better known as Joshua or Shua, and he is my best friend.

I wish he was my classmate but that’s not the case as he’s 23. I would be worried if he was still in high school. We met here though! To be exact, we met in the school’s library where he works as a part-timer. Since the day we met, we’re inseparable.
We may look like we’re a bit different because of our personalities and that’s why people ask themselves how are we even friends: I am outgoing and can’t stop the words from coming out of my mouth while he looks shy and quiet. However, I swear that once you get to really know him, he’s pure evil. He comes up with jokes and random things that no one would expect from him. To be honest, you wouldn’t be even able to think about the things he does. It’s at those times that people finally understand the reason why we are best friends.

We both like music and that’s another thing that has brought us together. Another one can be the fact that, shortly after we met, he had moved in two houses away from mine. Because of that, we walk to school together every day. When we get at the gate, he goes to the library while I go to class. We get lunch together and sometimes I go to the library to study while I wait for him to end his shift.
Joshua is a skilful guy. He can sing and play the guitar and that’s why he’s in a group. He and some of his friends have a band originally called ‘Al1’ but that is now known as ‘Jeonghan’s bitches’ apparently because they lost a bet to Jeonghan. They have recently started playing their music at pubs and clubs and they got a small fan base. I haven’t had yet the pleasure of watching them perform because I’m still not the age to get in clubs. I’m still a minor so I need to wait for them to get a showcase in a place that is not age-restricted. I can’t wait though because I know I am missing a lot!

“No, I didn’t get to go back with my parents. I had to stay here because I had some showcases. A lot of clubs called us at this round,” Joshua says with a smile, proud of this little achievement.

“Did you get to sell some of your albums?!”

“Yes! And the amazing part is that a lot of people even asked for our autographs!” He jumps up and down out of excitement.

“Okay, now I am jealous! It’s a matter of time before I have to share you with the rest of the world or, even worse, you will forget about me!” I cross my arms and make a pout.

“Don’t say that! You know you’re my favourite little bro.” He lifts his hand, waiting for a high-five.

“And you’re my favourite hyung!” I high-five him and we bro-hug.

“Aww, how sweet of you! Did you put too much sugar in your milk today?” Joshua asks in a sarcastic tone.

“Hyung, I didn’t even drink milk at breakfast!” I chuckle before getting serious again. “Speaking of the band, when will I be able to watch you and the other Jeonghan’s bitches perform?”

“Soon, I promise. We’re organising a huge performance for the school’s festival. They asked me to get the band playing for the ending stage. It would be during the winter break, though.”

“And you call that soon?” I cry out at the thought of waiting for months until the break actually arrives.

“Be patient, Soonyoung…” Joshua tries to comfort me by patting my back.

“You know that it’s not my forte but I’ll try…” I let out a sigh.

“Oh right, Soonyoun-” I cover Joshua’s mouth with my hand before he could say what he wanted to say.

“Shhh. Was that the bell?” I ask, pupils shaking as I panic due to being late for the first class when I could be on time for the first time in years.

“I t...nk...o” Joshua tries to say but his voice is muffled by my hand.

“Oh my god, I’m late! I need to rush to class! I even got here early today! It’s all your fault, hyung!” I shout as Joshua pulls my hand off of his mouth.  

“Yeah, yeah, whatever it makes you sleep at night” He deadpans. “Don’t waste more time and run!”

“Yeah! See you later at lunch, hyung!”

I sprint through the hallways to get to my class. I’m super late, nothing new about that. I reached the point where the teacher has given up on me as I’m a lost cause. She doesn’t even get angry at me anymore.
However, for the sake of this last year, I’m willing to change this habit of mine, I swear!

Once I get to class, I sit at my desk and I am out of breath. I have probably left my lungs at the gate as I can’t seem to catch my breath.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and, when I turn my head, I see my other best friend offering me a bottle of water.

“You’re finally here! I thought you got lost on the way to class!”

Lee Seokmin is the first person I met in this school and he’s the bestest of friends you could ask for!

As tall as me, dark brown hair and eyes that disappear every time he smiles. His smile is so bright that I often tell people that they should wear sunglasses to look at him as he’s a literal sunshine!
Like me, he cannot stay put, not even for a second. We improvise a lot of skits and we are known as ‘Seoksoon’, the best comic duo of our school and group of friends. For a while, we even had our own radio broadcasted in the school and it was really popular. In the end, we had to stop doing that because of how busy we were getting due to studying and various tests.
Like Joshua, Seokmin likes singing and sometimes uploads his covers on Soundcloud. I swear, with his voice, he could get into any agency and quickly become a top star but he doesn’t want that. He enjoys singing as a hobby and he said the idol life would be just too much for him, he wants to have a quiet life.
The two of us plus Joshua are a perfect trio, especially when it comes to music and anime that we often watch together at my house.

“I came early but, as I was talking with Shua hyung, I didn’t notice it was already time for class!” I say after gulping down half bottle of water.

“Has Shua hyung told you about the festival? I can’t wait!” He makes a high-pitched screech, arms flailing.

“You already knew it?!” I ask, shocked.

“Yeah, he told me about that a couple of days ago through text,” He says as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“Wow, I feel betrayed!” I put a hand over my chest to put emphasis on the sentence. We both giggle. “However, I’m super excited about it! Up until now, we’ve only got to listen to their song through their Soundcloud but we can finally see them live!” I clap my hands in excitement like a seal.

“Knowing them, it will be fantastic!”

“It’s going to be lit!”

“Kwon! Lee! I understand that you hadn’t seen each other in a while but you can catch up during the break. Now it’s time to focus on the new English writer I’m about to explain!” The teacher scolds us as soon as she sets foot in the classroom. I bet she hasn’t even heard us talking but only guessed that we would be chatting.  

“Sorry, Teacher Kim,” we both say in unison as we open our books and shut our mouths.   

However, Seokmin and I are too excited about the news to really focus on what the teacher is saying. We need to let out the fanboy-side of us, so we end up communicating through pieces of papers while pretending to take some notes as the teacher goes on with her lesson about some English author whose name I didn’t catch.

By doing that, the rest of the class goes by rather quickly and so do the other classes until it’s lunchtime. I really want to use this time to talk with Joshua about the details of the performance. I bet he already knows the song they will sing and their concept. I need to investigate.

“I’m starving!” Seokmin says, rubbing his hand over his belly, as he gets up from his seat.

“Me too! We better get going to the canteen or else they will snatch the best dishes!” I say, bolting out of class.

“Hey, Soonyoung! Wait for me!” Seokmin runs out of the class, trying to keep up with my fast pace.

We arrive at the canteen and get in the queue to get our food. We chat a bit with our classmates and, after we got our trays filled with every kind of food kindly offered by the cooks as they kept saying we are too skinny, we get to our table.

While getting closer to the table, we notice a guy whose red-brownish locks highlighted his tan skin and his sharp jawline. He is sitting and talking to Joshua. We haven’t seen him before and he surely isn’t from this school as he doesn’t wear a uniform. However, by the way they are talking, he seems close to Joshua.

We stop right before the table so we won’t interrupt them but at the same time we are able to eavesdrop a bit of their conversation.

“Well, we need to discuss it with the others, to check if we can do that,” the guy says with his honey-coated voice.

  “I haven’t talked to the owner of that place yet, so there’s still no guarantees.”

“Yeah, but I still need to ask them if they are okay with that. I’ll let you know as soon as possible so you can contact the owner and talk with him. Now, I have to leave. Got some stuff to buy. See you later, hyung.” The guy says as he high-fives Joshua.

“See ya!”

The guy stands up and we can’t help but notice how tall he actually is. He’s a fucking beanpole! A good looking one if I should be honest. When said beanpole walks away, Joshua finally notices us standing there next to the table with our mouths half open. He smiles.

“Close your mouths and sit down before your food gets cold.”

“Yes, hyung,” I say, nudging Seokmin with the elbow to make him move.

“Hyung, who’s the guy who just left?” Seokmin asks as he sits beside Joshua.

“He’s one of Jeonghan’s bitches. His name’s Mingyu.” Joshua says while pointing at the direction where Mingyu went just a while ago.

“Oh, now I get why his voice sounded familiar,” Seokmin says.

“Wait. Did we just see THE Mingyu? The rapper of your band who has also great vocals?” I ask, the tone of my voice going at least an octave higher.

“Don’t you dare say that in front of him! He already thinks he’s an Adonis so do not add fuel to the fire, please.” Joshua shifts in his seat to point his finger at me to warn me.

“Well, with that looks, he can add as much fuel as he wants to the fire.” Seokmin wiggles his eyebrows to emphasise the concept.

“Seokmin has a point, though. He’s tall, handsome, has a great voice and I bet there’s a lot more he can do.” I say while putting a mouthful of kimchi in my mouth.

“You’re right. He’s also a perfect housewife. He can cook, clean the house and take care of almost everything.” Joshua lists down, eyes losing focus as he recalls the things Mingyu can do.

“Does he even have any flaw?” Seokmin says, his tone as if to state that it’s impossible that a perfect man like Mingyu could lack in something.

“He’s clumsy as hell. Do not give any fragile object to him...he can break it in a matter of seconds.” Joshua proudly says while looking at Seokmin.

“I’m ready to give him my heart. I think I would be thanking him even if he broke it or stepped over it.” Seokmin jokingly says just to annoy Joshua who, instead, looks a bit defeated by Seokmin’s words.

“Oh! Finally someone as talented and clumsy me!” I step in the conversation to lower a bit the tension between those two.

“You’re just clumsy and stupid, Soonyoung,” Joshua says, his head turning towards me.

“Hyung! Why do you always have to treat me like this?” I whine as I put down my chopsticks and everybody laughs.

“Oh, right. Hyung, we actually heard you and Mingyu hyung talking about checking some places. It’s about a new showcase?” Seokmin asks, his eyes lit up at the perspective of a show to attend.

“Probably yes. We want to get known outside the circle of clubs and pubs so we need to go around to find some new places where we can play.” Joshua says. “There are a lot of people who don’t really like to go to pubs and we want to reach to them too.”

“To do that it would be great if you could get to perform in one of the cafés around the school area. Plus, I would be able to see you playing the guitar!” I throw my hands in the air at the thought.

“But you have already watched me do that at least a thousands of times at home!”

“It’s not the same. Do not argue with me...hyung.” The last word coming out with less confidence compared to the authoritarian one at the beginning of the sentence and the three of us burst into laughter.

We spend the rest of our lunch break talking about our holidays and the new anime that is now airing and that we absolutely need to watch together.
The moment out trays are empty and the bell rings, we part ways. Joshua has another shift so he goes back to the library while we go to our next class.

Luckily, afternoon classes go by in the same way as the morning ones and soon it’s time to go back home.
The bell rings and everyone bolts out of the class, already tired despite this being just the first day of school.
I walk Seokmin to the school gate and wait for him to get into his father’s car before going to the library and wait for Joshua to end his shift.

Once I get there, I go straight to the manga section where he usually is around this time. He’s surely going through some of his favourite books. However, I am wrong. He’s not here. Actually, he’s nowhere to be found. I look around and go through every aisle but I can’t seem to find him.

‘Where the fuck did he go?’

I decide to not waste time going around like that and talk to the girl working at the info desk who has a crush on Joshua. She doesn’t take her eyes off of him so she surely knows where he is.

“Noona, hello!” I greet her with a smile on my face. “Do you perhaps know where Joshua hyung is?”

“Hi, Soonyoung. Joshua left around 30 minutes ago, he didn’t tell you?” She asks with a confused expression as he knows that whenever Joshua left before the end of his shift, he would’ve texted me.

“No, and it’s weird,” I mumble. “Well, thank you noona! Have a great day!” I wave at her and walk away.

As I make my way home, a lot of questions pop up in my mind.

‘Why he hasn’t sent me a text? Did something happen? Should I be worried? Naah...if something did really happen he would’ve told me, right? Maybe he had to rehearse with the band. Thinking about it Mingyu did say they would see each other later.’

Little did I knew that Jisoo leaving early that day would be leading to a series of events that would’ve made things in my life a little bit more interesting.

Chapter Text

Walking while having your head up in the clouds never brought any good to people, on the whole, let alone to a clumsy ass like mine. Thus, I shouldn’t be too surprised when as soon as I get around the corner, I bump into someone.
The impact is too sudden and unexpected that I get scared and lose my balance, falling on the ground with a loud thud.

‘Joshua was right. I am a goofball indeed.’

Surely blushing due to the embarrassment, I take a peek above me to see if the person I’ve bumped into is still here. Standing in front of me, there’s a guy. Even while I’m on the ground he looks like he’s shorter than me. He has raven black hair in contrast with his pale skin that makes his rosy lips stand out. He is glaring at me and I know for sure that this is not a good sign.

”Watch where you’re going!” The guy says through gritted teeth.

”I’m sorry. I was thinking and I haven’t paid attention to the street for a while,” I say in an apologetic tone while getting up from the ground.

”Well, next time try to think less.” His tone still aggressive.

”But you could have paid attention too, you know? If you were so focused on the road you’ve surely seen me,” I say using my height as an advantage to try and scare him.

“I wouldn’t have imagined bumping into such a whiny kid,” He sarcastically says looking annoyed at the situation.

“Said the one who really looks like a kid,” I say with a smirk on my face. I soon learned that doing that was a big mistake.

He grabs me by the tie and tugs on it, bringing me to the same level of his face. “You’re lucky I’m running late so I can’t properly teach you a lesson. However, remember this: Don’t you dare call me a kid ever again.”

He releases my tie and I almost fall flat on my face. Without even looking at me, he leaves and not even once he looks back.  

‘Wow. What did just happen? Did I really meet a shorty who had the guts of calling me a whiny kid? He’s lucky I didn’t get too worked up or else who knows what I could’ve done.’

I shrug my shoulders, fix my tie and keep walking towards my house trying not to think about that shorty.
I’m positive none of this would’ve happened if Joshua had been with me and hadn’t abandoned me to my cruel destiny. Speaking, well thinking of Joshua, he still hasn’t contacted me at all.

‘Did he really forget about me?’

I pick the phone from my pocket and open the kakao talk app to send him a text.

Hoshiya:

Oi, hyung. Where are you?
Noona said that you left work.
Why haven’t you told me?

Joshuji:

Are you sure?
I remember sending you a text.

Hoshiya:

I got nothing.

Joshuji:

Shit.
I hadn’t noticed that it’s unsent!
Maybe the wifi wasn’t working when I sent the text.
I’m sorry, Soonie. Mingyu came to fetch me because we had to go to his house and practice a few new songs.
I will soon make it up to you, I promise.

Hoshiya:

You better be true to your words!
How’s the practice going?

Joshuji:

To be honest, we haven’t started yet.
Jihoon and Seungcheol aren’t here yet.
You’re already home?

Hoshiya:

Not yet.
I’m on my way.

Joshuji:

What are you waiting for?
Fasten your pace!
Soon it will be dark.

Hoshiya:

What am I? 5 years old?

Joshuji:

Actually, you’re 3 but I’ll let you believe you’re a grown up, my little man.

Hoshiya:

Not you too, hyung.

Joshuji:

Hahaha, I will never let you live.
Btw, I need to get going. Those two stragglers are here.
Talk to you later!

Hoshiya:

Yeah, talk to you later!

I plug in the earphones and put the phone back into my pocket. I follow Josh’s advice and start walking faster to get home as soon as possible as this day has really stressed me out.

I reach the driveway of my house and I know that I will find nobody home as my parents are still working. They won’t be home before 9 in the evening and in my current state it’s great because I can go straight into my room and then head in the bathroom for a shower.

As I set foot into my room, I throw the bag on the floor next to my bed, and look for my pyjamas so that I can go and have a long hot shower. It’s September so technically it’s still summer but I can already feel the autumnal chill creeping on my skin, making me shiver a bit. Moreover, it's widely known that the warmth helps your muscles to relax and that what I really need right now. I feel so tense.

I get in the shower but not before connecting my phone to the bluetooth speaker, blasting some music to drown my thoughts in a sea of upbeats songs.
I stay still under the stream of hot water for a while before the notes of a ballad start filling the tiny space of the bathroom. I don’t know why but my mind swiftly goes to that guy I bumped into before.

‘What a rude asshole.’

Just having to recall his features, his glaring eyes, his soft-looking lips gets on my nerves. I want to make that image of him fade from my mind, that’s why I bolt out of the shower, almost losing balance, to change that song into a more upbeat one. However, it doesn’t work because I keep on thinking of that scene, of his piercing eyes and his strong grip on my tie.  At this moment, I know that the only way to get him out of my head is to talk about it with someone and that someone is Seokmin.

Talking with him it’s better than going to any session with a therapist. Every time I tell him something sad or weird that happened to me, he always finds a way to make me laugh. Then I totally forget about the issue because we end up changing the topic and talking about something less serious like the new fan-made video he found about his ship in the current anime we’re watching.

After what it feels like hours but in reality it’s just 30 minutes, I get out of the shower, dry my hair and put my pyjamas. I turn off the music and then run into my room where I plop on my bed, phone in my hands.
I check for the time. It’s still 7 pm, so there’s still a little bit of time left before my parents come home. I press the call button and wait for Seokmin to answer. It takes three rings.

“Here’s doctor Lee Seokmin speaking, how can I help you today?” He asks in what he thinks is a professional tone.

“Am I disturbing you right now?” I ask, worried I might’ve interrupted his anime binge-watching session.

“Yeah, you always disturb me,” He tries to deadpan but the little giggle at the end betrays him.

“Wow, is this how you treat your best friend when he calls you?!” I pretend to be hurt and Seokmin stifles a laugh.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop. Did something happen?”

“Kind of…”

“Well, then tell me everything. I’m all ears.”

I tell him all the things that happened since he left school and I got back to the library up to the ‘incident’. I leave out the part of me thinking about that shorty under the shower because I know he will mock me, calling me a creepy pervert.

“What a jerk!” It’s the first thing Seokmin says.

“I know, right? He could’ve said sorry and keep on living as if nothing ever happened.”

“True but he could’ve been angry. Like something may have happened to him and he was already on edge. Bumping into you was the last straw that broke the camel’s back,” Seokmin says, trying to find a way to explain that guy’s behaviour.

“Even though you may be right about this, he has no rights whatsoever to take it out on people he doesn’t know! It’s just rude,” I say not wanting to lose the argument.

“I have to admit that you do have a point. However, what can you resolve now by getting angry? Just calm down and think that you won’t meet him ever again. Seoul it’s big, how many chances there are that you can actually see him again?” Seokmin tries to comfort me, knowing that I get worked up really quickly.

“I hope you’re right. However, let me tell you that if I ever happen to meet him again, I will have a quick talk with Mr I-forgot-good-manners-at-home. Wait...that’s too long of a name. Hhm... " I take a pause, thinking of a nickname for that guy. "Should I call him vertically challenged?! Oh my! That’s it! That’s perfect!” I throw a fist up in the air as a sign of victory.

“What the hell, Soonyoung?” He asks while laughing out loud. “Calm down, tiger. Just let it go and let’s talk about something else instead.” I can hear rustling sounds from the other end and I can practically see him shifting on the bed to find a better position to speak on the phone. “In the end, did you get ahold of Joshua hyung?”

“Yes...I texted him and he said that he was at Mingyu’s to practice with the other Jeonghan’s bitches.”

“Well, at least now you know where he is and you can stop worry about our hyung,” Seokmin says, mocking me because he knows that I was already overthinking when I knew that Josh left without me.

“He said that he will soon make it up to me. Do you want to bet that he’s going to come here after the practice?” I chuckle.

“I don’t want to bet because it’s a matter of fact that he’s going to come there. He basically lives at your house.” I can feel Seokmin rolling his eyes.

“That’s not true! We take turns! I take over his house too!”

“Hmm..I’m sure something is going to happen between you two...if you know what I mean.”

“I can see you wiggling your eyebrows from here and no. Nothing’s going to happen. Just because we’re gay doesn’t it mean that we’ll end up together. You’re gay too and that doesn’t mean that soon one of us is going to ask the other out. Plus, Joshua hyung already has a crush on someone…” I say, willingly leaving out the name of Joshua’s crush to check something.

“Who is he? Where is he from? Do we know him? Tell me, please! Pretty please!” Seokmin begs, dying to know who the said crush is.

“I’m sorry, I can’t tell you. I made an oath and I have to keep it until the day I die.”

“C’mon! I’m your best friend! You know I won’t tell anyone!” Seokmin whines.

“And tell me Seokmin, why are you suddenly so interested in Shua’s love life?” I ask him, a smirk on my face.

“I’m just curious. He’s my friend after all.” Seokmin’s voice cracks in the middle of the sentence.

“Are you sure about that?” Putting pressure on Seokmin is the only way to make him talk and, sadly for him, it’s what I do best.  

“Yeah?” It comes out from Seokmin more as a question than as a statement.

“I don’t believe you. Do you perhaps have a crush on Joshua hyung?” That’s it, that’s the final question.

“Pfff what are you talking about?” His voice cracks again, in a way that it makes me understand that he definitely likes Shua.

“A-ah! I knew it! You like Hong Jisoo, you like Hong Joshua!” I sing-song to him while making a little victory dance on my bed.

“I swear to god, Soonyoung. Stop it,”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody...maybe.”

“Let it slip out of your mouth and you’re a dead man.” He says, his tone changing into one more threatening.

We keep silent for a second before we both start laughing out loud. I assure him that I won’t tell Joshua and then we keep on gossiping about our friends’ relationship until I hear the front door opening, signalling that my parents are finally home. I hang up the phone call and run downstairs to greet them as the good son that I am.

Today is my turn to cook dinner and to tell the truth, I’m not a great chef. However, I know my way around the kitchen: all I need is a recipe book, the right ingredients, a lot of willpower and dinner is done! I would like to learn how to cook more elaborate dishes but my parents don’t trust me enough to do that...yet. 
I get the dinner ready while my parents shower and relax a bit watching the tv. When they come home at this hour they’re always so tired that I would feel bad if I asked them to help me cook. That’s why I only call them when everything’s ready and they just have to eat.  Usually, the atmosphere is very light as we try to keep out from our conversation the problems for school and work. That kind of topic is for those nights when my parents are less tired and can actually think straight, without having their minds clouded by the tiredness of a day’s work. We share funny stories or new gossips like co-workers flirting in the office or classmates breaking up in the middle of the hallway at school.

After dinner, I am helping my mom washing the dishes when I see with the corner of my eyes my phone screen lighting up followed by a loud ‘katok’. I dry my hands on the towel and take the phone from the counter. I see Joshua’s name on the screen and tap on the notification to check the message.

Joshuji:

Give me 10 minutes and I’ll be there.

Hoshiya:

???

Joshuji:

I’ll bring ice cream.

Hoshiya:

Well, then the door to my house is open and I will welcome the ice cream with open arms.

Joshuji:

Oh, so it is like that? You want me just for the ice cream?

Hoshiya:

Of course. 5 years of friendship and you’ve noticed that just now?

Joshuji:

The disrespect.

Hoshiya:

C’mon, you know I’m joking!
I’ll tell my parents you’re coming here.
Should we watch a movie?

Joshuji:

Let’s start a new anime.
You choose which one.

Hoshiya:

I adore you, hyung!
See you in a while!

“Mom! Joshua hyung is coming here!” I shout as I walk in the living room where my mother had gone after finishing washing the dishes.

“Is he going to sleep here?” She asks already getting up from the couch.

“I think so.”

“Okay, so we’ll leave. The living room is yours, we’ll go upstairs to watch the tv,” she says while nudging my father to make him stand up.

“Thank you, mom! I’ll bring some ice cream to you later.”

“Ice cream? Joshua did something, didn’t he?” My father asks. He knows that if ice cream is involved, it means that Joshua has something to make amends for.

“Yup, he forgot to tell me that he wouldn’t be able to come home with me today,” I whine to my parents.

“Oh, poor you!” My father cooes while pinching my cheek.

“Dad! Don’t mock me!”

“Don’t worry, my son. I’ll take him away.” My mother grabs my father by the arm and drags him upstairs so he will stop torturing me.

“Thank you! I owe you one!” I shout as they disappeared upstairs.

My parents really got used to this. It’s so Joshua-like to randomly come home after dinner bringing snacks with him. Every time he does that, it then ends in the same way with us passing out on the couch because it’s too late and we’re tired as fuck. The same thing happens when I am the one to crash at his place.
The first few times this happened, we were not prepared and so we’d end up sleeping with our clothes on and then ask the other to lend some clean clothes the day after. However, things have changed so we now always bring a bag with our pyjamas and a set of new clothes whenever we plan to go to the other’s house. At this point, we should consider the idea of freeing up some space in our closet so that we can leave at least one set of pyjamas and a set of new clothes. This way we wouldn’t be bothered about bringing our ‘survival kit’ every time.

My train of thoughts gets interrupted by the doorbell ringing. I check for the time and 10 minutes sharp have passed from the last text. Joshua’s on time. I run to the door and as soon as I open it, I’m faced with a black plastic bag.

“Ice cream, aaaaah!” Joshua screams while shaking the plastic bag.

“Was that a pun? Was I supposed to laugh at that?” I ask, facepalming.

“Yes?”

“Please don’t do that ever again.” I sigh.

“You don’t understand the art of this joke,” He says, sassily getting his way into my house “By the way, I brought ice cream as I promised.”

“Strawberry and chocolate?” I ask with expectant eyes.

“Of course, your favourite flavours,” He says giving me a little smile.

“You are indeed the best hyung!” I snatch the bag from his hands “The bowls are already on the counter waiting for the ice cream. You go get changed or else you will pass out still dressed like the last time you slept here. Roger that?”

“Yes, sir!” He makes the salute like a soldier and then marches towards the stairs.  

While Joshua goes upstairs to get into his pyjamas, I walk in the kitchen to put the ice cream into the bowls. I add some toppings like chocolate chips and granola to the bowls belonging to my parents and I bring them into their room.
As Joshua takes a lot to get changed, I go to the living room to fix the sheets and the pillows on the pull-out couch. After doing that, I go to grab our bowls of ice cream only to find Joshua already on the couch waiting for me when I walk back in the living room.

“I’m ready to eat this ice cream,” Joshua says rubbing his hands.

I hand him his bowl then I throw myself on the couch. Two minutes sitting here and we are already fighting for the blankets. When we’ve found our balance, we start digging in the ice cream while watching the first episode of Black Clover.

The thing I love the most when we’re together watching the tv is that as soon as there’s one of those epic scenes, we look at each other and keep on making comments until we realise we lost another important scene. That’s why we then need to rewind part of the episode and try not to talk until the end.
However, tonight is different. We’re halfway through the episode when I notice that Joshua is not really here.

“Hyung, what’s up?” I ask as I pause the episode.

“Hm?”

“You’re not following it,” I say while pointing at the tv.

“That’s not true.” Joshua tries to defend.

“Hyung, you know there’s no use in lying.” I reprimand him.

“You’re right and I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m too tired,” he says letting out a sigh and slowly sliding onto the couch until he’s completely lying.  

I turn off the tv and lie on my side of the couch, facing Joshua. I bring my blankets up until I’m covering my chin and he does the same.

“Is it because of the practice?” I ask, yawning as sleep starts creeping.

“Yeah. We need to practice a lot so that we’re sure we’ll do our best when we perform and, to be honest, it’s a little bit exhausting.” Joshua yawns too. He looks so drowsy.

“I know what you mean but if you want to get known, you need to sacrifice a lot. That’s because all of you are fighting together to achieve your dreams, am I right?” I ask, the tone of my voice suddenly going serious.

“Are you trying to sound more mature?” Joshua giggles before yawning again.

“From time to time I have to say things like this or else you will really think that I have no brain. You keep telling me that I’m 5 and I’m scared that sooner or later I will really forget I am actually 18!” I jokingly say to make him smile a bit.

“I really can’t with you.” Joshua smiles and shakes his head.

“I’m glad I made you smile, hyung.”

“Thank you, Soonie.” He brings one of his hands out of the blankets to ruffle my hair. “By the way, I’m terribly sorry for today. I swear I thought the text went through.”

“Don’t worry but don’t do that ever again, okay? Check twice next time because when you’re not with me, things happen.” And here I go again, thinking of that short guy.

“Things? What do you mean?” Joshua asks visibly confused.

“I met a vertically challenged asshole who forgot what good manners are.” The tone of my voice and my expression showing how annoyed I am at this situation. 

“Wow, what did he do that got you so worked up, wild hamster?” He chuckles, poking my puffed cheeks.

“Let’s leave this topic for another day. It’s late now and you need to sleep as you’re tired! Plus tomorrow I have to go to school while you need to be at the library...”

“...and to the practice,” Joshua adds. “However, this time I can come home with you before going to Mingyu’s.”

“That’s perfect! Maybe this time I can avoid meeting people who got a stick up of their ass,” I say while shifting on the couch.

“Soonyoung!” Joshua almost shouts and hits my back that he is now facing “Stop! Go to sleep!”

“Yeah, yeah,” I deadpan.

“Good night, Soonie.” He sing-songs.

“You too, hyung!”

And like that, it’s a matter of time before we drift in Morpheus wide arms.

Chapter Text

It’s 7 in the morning when the alarm on my phone goes off. Shinee’s Ring Ding Dong echoes in the living room signalling that I have to wake up. Damned alarm and who invented it!
If it was a normal day, I would sleep at least 20 minutes more and in fact, I don’t really want to get up, but today I need to rush as Joshua has to get ready here to go to work.
Do you know how people believe in the stereotype that women take hours to get ready? If that was really the case, then Joshua is a woman. Or maybe he’s worse.
It takes him 20 minutes just to shower and he doesn’t get out of the bathroom if every strand of his hair is not fixed in the way he wants to.
If I want to get to school on time, no if I want to get to school, I need to conquer the bathroom before he does that. If he gets it before me, we won’t ever be ready, not even for the end of the first period.  
I go grab my things in my room and head to the bathroom. I get ready and wear the uniform in 10 minutes. After that, it’s the time of the truth. Is Joshua hyung still asleep?
I head downstairs to check on him and of course, he is still sleeping.
Damn, I really believe that not even an earthquake would be able to wake him up!

“Shua hyung, wake up!” I hate to do this because he will hold it against me for the entire day but I have to.

“Five more minutes, mom,” Joshua mumbles still half asleep. Do you get now why we are alike?

“Hyung, I’m not your mother and no, you can’t sleep anymore. I didn’t get to do that yesterday and you won’t do that today. Plus, it’s late and you still need to eat breakfast!” I scold him, mimicking what my mom did to me yesterday: being insisting until I got up from the bed.

“Do I really need to?” He turns towards me and rubs the sleep away from his eyes.

“Yes. You need to work and, what’s more important, you can’t skip meals! Now, get up!” I take the blankets away from him.

“Okay, I got it! There’s no need to be this annoying!” He gets up and heads toward the kitchen.

As mom hasn’t already woken up, I am the one that has to make breakfast. There isn’t enough time to cook something gourmet, so we just eat some cereals with fresh milk. Then Joshua goes to the bathroom to have a brisk shower while I sit on the couch to watch a little bit of tv. There’s nothing interesting as there are only the same endless morning dramas. I was zapping like there’s no tomorrow when I decide to put on the music channel and clean the kitchen while waiting.

“Wow! One day, you will be a great homemaker!” Joshua suddenly appears in the kitchen, startling me.

“Well, when my parents are not home or still asleep, someone else has to clean the house,” I say while putting the bowls in the dishwasher.  

“And that someone is you?” He asks stifling a laugh.

“Of course! Who else there is in this room aside from me and you?” The question full of sarcasm.

“But if you can’t even tidy up your own room!” Joshua almost yells but manages to keep his tone as quiet as possible.

“Hey, my room is like a different world and you already know that. It’s like...Narnia!”

“I can’t…” He laughs and shakes his head.

“You just need to put up with me and not complain,” I say patting his back as to comfort him.

“Dear little bro, I’m doing that since you’ve stepped back in Korea,” Joshua says trying to keep his cool.

“That was so funny,” I say while fake laughing. “Now, move that ass of yours or we will be later than usual!”

We grab our things and get out of my house to finally walk to school. During the trip, we stop at our favourite cafè because Joshua has to grab his coffee.
When we get at the gate, I check the time and I’m surprised at us. Today I’m on time for classes which is a rare occasion. These are the times the teachers of the first period should appreciate: students sacrificing hours of sleep just to sit in their desks and listen to them. I’ve once read on the Net that your brain is not even fully functioning before 9 am, so why starting school at 8? It’s scientifically proven that we cannot focus so what’s the point of having classes this early? Can’t they change at least this one thing?  

“See you at lunch, hyung?” I ask before parting ways.

“Yeah! Have a good day and try to stay awake as you woke up at dawn!” Joshua jokes.

“You too, have a good day and try not to flirt with too many students!” I reply.

“I may flirt but my heart is already taken and you know that!” Joshua says before disappearing into the library.  

As for me, I walk in the class and I quickly go sitting next to Seokmin. He’s always the first to arrive at school and I sometimes believe that he’s the one opening the school gates, not the janitor.

“Good morning!” I greet him.

“Morning!” Seokmin greets back, one of his big and bright smiles plastered on his face. “Joshua slept at yours?”

“How do you know that? Did you put cameras in my house?” I ask while embracing myself as to protect myself.

“Idiot! The only times you come early is when he stays at your house.” Seokmin rolls his eyes.

“Yup, he came to my house yesterday. He did say that he had to make it up to me.” I say while grabbing my things from the backpack.

“He’s a man of his words,” Seokmin says, looking a bit dreamy.

“He indeed is!” I nod my head.

“What about you? Are you still mad at him?” Seokmin suddenly asks.

“No? Why should I be? Not that it was a big matter anyway.” I reply a little bit confused.

“I’m not talking about Joshua. It’s about yesterday’s accident.” He says as it was obvious from the start that he was referring to that.

“Oh my god, Seok! I had stopped thinking about it but now you have reminded me of...him!” I groan.

“I’ll give you two minutes and you’ll forget about him again.” Seokmin must have seen my confused face as he continues saying “First period today is maths.”

“That guy is totally forgotten now. I have an even worse problem to solve now.” I want to bang my head on the desk. I hate maths.

“Literally.” Seokmin chuckles.

I am about to reply when the teacher walks into the class while telling us to go sitting to our places as he has to take attendance.

Except for the first period, the school day goes by pretty quickly and uneventful, except for Seokmin almost choking on his food when Joshua said that one of our classmates asked for his number, it was super. The bell signalling the end of this school day rings and we are all grateful to it as the teacher had been talking for an hour straight without pausing, not even for a second. Seokmin leaves first as he has something to do later today while I stay a little longer in class because the teacher has something to ask a bunch of us.

When I finally get outside the library, I find Joshua already waiting for me.

“Hyung!” I shout while running towards him.

“Soonie!” He waves at me.

“For a while, I was afraid of not finding you here.”

“I had told you I would’ve walked home with you and then I would’ve gone to the practice.” Joshua rolls his eyes.

“What a kind hyung I have! He takes care of his little brother!” I pinch his cheek as I speak.

“Don’t overthink!” He swats my hand away from his cheek. “It’s just because I need to grab my things at home and because I need you to listen to the new song we’ve recorded.”

“Wow, you have already recorded a new song?” I ask, excited to hear a new masterpiece.

“Yes, Jihoon composed it and even wrote the lyrics!” He says while looking for the song on his phone.

“Oh, I didn’t know Jihoon produced songs,” I say, suddenly intrigued by this Jihoon.

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about him. He may be a lazy ass but he has a lot of skills hidden behind that laziness.” Joshua says, still not looking up from his phone.

“He must be really good if you’re praising him like this. You rarely compliment people as you prefer roasting them,” I say, expecting him to hit me.  

He doesn’t do that but we both start laughing. Joshua finally finds the song so we can start heading home. He passes me one of the earpieces and when he’s sure I put it, he hits the play button. The song starts and we keep silent until the song ends, heads bobbing to the rhythm. It’s really beautiful and the feelings of the lyrics hit you really hard even though you may get tricked by the up-tempo beat.  

“So, what do you think of it?” Joshua asks and he’s a bit nervous about the feedback, I can tell it from his tone.

“It’s really great, like really.” It’s the only thing I can say as I still need to get myself together after listening to it.

“Really? Aren’t you saying that because you’re my friend?” He asks still unsure.

“I know that I’m biased but I’m dead serious or else I wouldn’t have said that.” I stay quiet for a couple of seconds before adding “I’m positive that with this song you will have a lot of new fans.”

“I hope it will turn out as you said.” He sighs.

“If that won’t happen, it would be the demonstration that people do not understand anything about music,” I deadpan.

“Again, your opinion is biased!” He points a finger at me.

“Oh my! It’s not true! I only speak the truth and you know that!” I yell.

We had been quiet for a while when I suddenly say “Oh, right. That Jihoon is really good. Every time I hear him singing, my eyes start filling with tears.”

“You can say that! Our maknae has a very sweet and clear voice that gets right to your heart,” He states like a proud father.

“Maknae? Is he the youngest in the band?” I ask shocked.

“Yup, he’s the same age as you.”

“Really? I don’t know why but I have always assumed that you were more or less of the same age!” I still can’t believe that.

“No, it’s just Jeonghan, Seungcheol and I that are same age friends, the rest of them is younger than us and Jihoon is the maknae. Despite the young age, is better than us in a lot of things!” Here again the father-like tone...he can’t stop doing that.

“I bet he’s cocky because of that.” I automatically roll my eyes.

“Not at all! He keeps saying that he can’t do things even though he aces them when he actually does them. He’s also caring for his hyungs even though he won’t admit that he loves us. He’s a funny one too when you actually get to know him.”

“He can’t be as funny as you.” I joke as Joshua can’t compare to the Seoksoon duo.

“You could say that!”

“But I bet he beats you when it comes to being humble…”

“Stop it or I will be seriously offended” He chuckles.  

Talking and joking, we get to the driveway of my house. I invite him to get in to drink a cup of tea and eat something before leaving.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come in? Not even if I make a cup of your favourite tea?” I try to persuade him.

“I can’t, Soonie. I need to go to Mingyu’s and I don’t want to be late.”

“Are you one hundred percent sure?” I insist.

“Yes. Maybe I can come over after the practice if it’s not too late at night.” He ruffles my hair.

“You know that it’s never too late to come over,” Says my mom suddenly popping from behind us, startling us a little bit.

“Mom! You’re already home?” I ask her.

“Yes, my dear.” She too ruffles my hair. “Today our team had finished checking a stack of papers earlier than planned and so the boss gave us a free afternoon,” she says while proudly pointing her thumb towards herself.

“That’s good!” I smile at her.

“Well, I need to get going. See you later!” Joshua interrupts us to greet us before leaving to head to his house.  

“See you later!” My mom and I say at the same time, causing us to laugh.  

My mom and I watch Joshua walk away before going inside the house.
While I change into more comfortable clothes, my mom makes some tea and we make small talk while drinking.

“Wait,” I suddenly say, remembering something really important. “Tomorrow is dad’s birthday!”

“You’re right, honey. However, tomorrow your dad is not going to be here as he has to leave due to a business trip.” Her expression darkening a bit.

“So we can’t celebrate his birthday?” The question sounding more like a whine.

“Not tomorrow, dear.” She sighs.

I can’t stand to see her like this so I am about to change the topic when I have a breakthrough. “What if we make a cake now and wish him a happy birthday when he comes home?”

“That’s a great idea!” Her face lights up again. “We can make a strawberry cake, his favourite one.” She says after thinking for a while which is the best cake to make.

“Do we have everything we need?” I ask her as probably we won’t have half of the ingredients to make the cake.

“Let me check...hmm…” She checks in the fridge and in the cupboards around the kitchen. “Not really.” I knew it. “We need just a few things. Can you go and buy them?” She makes puppy eyes to convince me to get out of the house again to go to the convenience store.

“Okay, what do I need to buy?”

“Eggs, sugar and strawberries.”

“I’ll be quicker than lightning,” I say while rushing towards the front door.

“I’m sure you will do that, but how about bringing money with you?” She shouts from the kitchen.

“Right, I forgot to grab my wallet.” I head back to run upstairs and grab the wallet from my backpack.

While I go again towards the front door I can hear my mom mumbling “You won’t ever change…”

And the things that happened later, made me think that maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to go out to buy the ingredients for the cake...

Chapter Text

I sprint out of the front door of my house. I need to be quick so that I can get back and bake the cake before dad gets home. If I get late the surprise effect will be ruined.
Luckily for me, the convenience store is right around the corner of my block and I know it like the back of my hand so I enter, buy all the things I need and rush outside, as fast as a lightning.
However, as I am running with my hand down, I bump into someone as soon as I step foot outside the store. I’m taken aback and so the shopping bag slips from my hands.

‘I can’t believe it! It happened yesterday too! Is this the fate trying to tell me to stay at home and never get out or to just pay more attention when I walk?’

I am about to pick up the bag from the ground while apologising, not daring to look at the person I hit when I hear him.  

“I’m sor-”

“What’s wrong with all of you?”

‘Wait a minute...this voice..no, it can’t be….’

“You again?” The douche says in an accusatory voice.

“No way!” I groan annoyed that I’ve met him again and in the same way as yesterday.

“You still haven’t learned how to multitask? Like you know, walking and focusing on the things that are around you so that you don’t bump into them.” His sarcastic tone makes me want to punch him right here.

“You are the one who came out from nothing!” I defend myself.

“Look, I was standing here even before you came rushing outside. Moreover, is it this the way to get out of a store? It’s just normal that you end up bumping into people.”

“Well, maybe I have my reasons to run.”

“Well, unless the shop hasn’t set on fire, I don’t think there’s any reason to bolt out of a place like that.” He deadpans with a know-it-all expression on his face.

“Who are you to judge if my reason is a good one or not? You knob!” My voice raising an octave.

“I do not have time to waste on things like this.” His face showing that he’s trying to keep it together and not grab my collar again.  “It’s better for you if I leave.”

He’s about to walk away when he turns towards me and says, “Be careful next time, you wouldn’t want to make a mess like this again.” and points towards a point next to my feet.  

“Uh?”

Confused I follow his hand and I end up looking at the shopping bag that was still lying on the ground, completely forgotten.

‘Something is dripping from it...Wait…’

“Oh my god, the eggs!” I dramatically fall on the ground next to the bag “Now I need to get in again and buy them. Thank you so much, your douche.” I point an accusatory finger at him, almost crying from the frustration.

“You’re welcome,” He says with a smug grin on his face. “I sincerely hope not to meet you ever again.”

“I hope so too.”

“Good,” he says before starting to walk away.

“Good!” I yell at his retreating back not wanting to lose to him.  

At these words, the guy turns around and comes towards me looking like he wants to beat me up.

‘I’m not scared. I can fight him.’ I keep repeating in my head.

He’s just a palm from my face when he suddenly gets down and picks up a strawberry from the shopping bag. He takes a bite of it and smirks before leaving, proud of his doing.

I release my breath that I hadn't noticed I was holding.

Angry and trying not to curse out loud, I head into the shop to buy again the eggs and go back home.

I haven’t even completely opened the door when I hear my mom asking “Why did it take you so long?”

“Something came up...the eggs broke.”

“Soonie...what should I do with you?” She chuckles and ruffles my hair.

“I swear it wasn’t my fault...this time. I bumped into a guy so the bag fell on the ground and the eggs broke.” I defend myself even though there’s no need to do that.

“Was he cute?” She asks nudging me with her elbow.

“MOM! WHAT?” I shriek.

“I was joking! C’mon, let’s bake this cake before it’s too late, shall we?” She takes two aprons, lending me mine.  

We bake the cake trying not to make a mess in the kitchen, which is a total failure. You now know from whom I picked my clumsy trait, yes, from my mom.

After almost an hour and a half, the cake’s ready and the kitchen is clean. I dare to say that the cake looks very pretty with all that whipped cream and strawberries on top of it. I hope dad will like it!

While my mom was lucky and didn’t get anything on her, I have to go taking a brisk shower to get rid of the flour stuck on my body and hair. When I’m done and I’ve put my pyjamas, I join my mom on the couch.

I can’t really focus on the drama she is watching, so I decide to text Seokmin to know what he’s doing.

Hoshiya:
Seokminieee

DonkeyKong:
Soons!
What are you up to?

Hoshiya:
I’m waiting for dad to come home and have dinner.
What about you?

DonkeyKong:
I need to get up from my bed to cook dinner.
Ugh.
Do you have any juicy news?

Hoshiya:
Are you a ghost?
How do you know that I have some news ready for you?

DonkeyKong:
I had a hunch.
So, what happened?

Hoshiya:
You may not believe it but I met that vertically challenged guy again.

DonkeyKong:
Are you kidding me?

Hoshiya:
I wish I was kidding you, but no, I’m not.
I bumped into him again, outside the convenience store.

DonkeyKong:
Fate is mocking you HAHAHA.

Hoshiya:
Don’t you dare to laugh at me, Lee Seokmin.
Btw, what upset me the most was that because of him, the shopping bag slipped from my hands and the eggs I had bought broke.

DonkeyKong:
Did he apologise this time?

Hoshiya:
Of course he didn’t!
He has been a dick again but I’ve told him this time.

DonkeyKong:
What did he say?

Hoshiya:
He acted like it wasn’t his problem and he walked away.
But before doing that he picked up and ate one of the strawberries for my dad’s cake.
Right.
in.
front.
of.
my.
salad.

DonkeyKong:
Hahaha calm down!
You won’t meet him tomorrow too.
That’s if life doesn’t hate you for real.

Hoshiya:
Don’t say that!
Yesterday you said something like this and I met him today!

DonkeyKong:
Okay, I’ll shut up!
Now, I have to cook something or I’ll starve tonight.
Talk to you later!

Hoshiya:
Yeah, later!

I throw my phone on the couch and I try to focus on the drama to understand what’s going on and after a while, dad comes home.

We have dinner and the mood is even brighter than usual, laughing and mocking each other when talking about the making of the cake. At the end of the dinner, we bring dad his cake. sing happy birthday to him. Happy, he blows out the candles and opens the gift that mom had bought him when she came out from the company. He gives a kiss on my head and on mom’s too before starting a fight with the whipped cream. It’s useless to say that I need to wash my hair again and change in another pair of pyjamas.

Dad now really needs to go to sleep and I’m a bit sad that we have to wrap up the celebration like this but a long trip to Greece awaits him tomorrow so he really can’t stay awake any longer. I envy him a bit because he has the chance of seeing so many different places around the world thanks to his work and the company even pays for flight and hotel. However, it’s also true that his job kept him away from me and he sometimes regrets not having witnessed most of the most important events in my childhood. I don’t hate him for this though. I know he loves my mom and me and that’s what matters to me.

I wish a good night to him and to my mom, who is still in the kitchen to wash the dishes, and I go to my room. I throw myself on the bed, put my headset on and press the play button. Listening to music before going to sleep is really what I need right now.

I’m almost in Morpheus’ arms when I hear a loud ‘katok’ going off.

Joshuji:
My little bro!

Hoshiya:
My hyung!

Joshuji:
I just wanted to tell you that I can’t come to your house later.
We’re still in the middle of the practice.

Hoshiya:
Don’t worry, hyung.
I’ve imagined that you couldn’t come.
Plus, everyone was about to go to sleep.

Joshuji:
Oh, I see.
But I really wanted to drop by to wish a happy birthday to your father.
It’s midnight so it’s basically his birthday.
Well, I think I have to do that tomorrow morning when I’ll come to pick you up.

Hoshiya:
Tomorrow morning he has to leave for a business trip.
He won’t be here by the time you’ll come.

Joshuji:
Oh, well, I guess I’ll send him a text in the morning then.

Hoshiya:
Wait.
Since when do you have his phone number?

Joshuji:
Since his son doesn’t answer his phone when he’s hanging out with his friends aka Seokmin and me.

Hoshiya:
Gosh.
That man won’t ever leave me alone.

Joshuji:
One day, he probably will.
Don’t worry.
Now, go to sleep...it’s already late.

Hoshiya:
But I’m not sleepy (?)

Joshuji:
Go or tomorrow morning you’ll keep on whining that you haven’t gotten enough sleep and that you’re late for classes.

Hoshiya:
I have never complained.

Joshuji:
Really?

Hoshiya:
Maybe a couple of times I did something that resembled a whine.

Joshuji:
…

Hoshiya:
Okay!
You’re right, I whine a lot.
You’re happy?

Joshuji:
You wouldn’t believe how HAHAHA.

Hoshiya:
I hate you.

Joshuji:
Nah, you love me.
Now, go.
Good night.

Hoshiya:
Good night, hyung!
See you tomorrow morning.

Joshuji:
See you tomorrow, Soonie!

I turn off my phone after Joshua’s text and after sending Seokmin his goodnight text to try and get some sleep.
However, my mind is still in full activity and can’t stop thinking of that guy who I bumped into in the span of these two days.

‘I can’t believe that someone as annoying and irritating like that exists. Next time, and I hope for him that there won’t be a next time, he’s going to see who Kwon Soonyoung is. I’m going to teach him a lesson!’

With that burning desire of prevailing against that asshole, I drift off to sleep.

Chapter Text

At 7:30 am, the alarm goes off. I snooze the alarm and I sleep for another 10 minutes before getting up to have a cold shower so that I can be fully awake. When I’m dressed with my school uniform and I have gotten rid of the bird’s nest on my head, I run downstairs to have breakfast.
The first thing I notice when I come downstairs is that on the coffee table in the living room there’s a bright yellow post-it.
Surely, it was the mom the one who left it there.

‘I am dropping your father off at the airport. I will go to the office straight after that. Your breakfast is already on the kitchen table, you just need to heat it in the microwave. See you at home tonight. Lots of love from mom.’

I walk into the kitchen and I look at the table. When my eyes finally focus, I see that mom made pancakes. She even prepared some fruit next to them! She really knows me the best!
I heat a couple of pancakes and I put the rest of them into a Tupperware so that I can bring them to Joshua. If he knew that mom made it and I haven’t brought him any, I would be a dead man.
I quickly eat my portion of pancakes topped with banana and chocolate syrup, then I brush my teeth and by the time I’m done, the doorbell rings. Joshua is here, on time, as always. I take my time to open the door as it’s still quite early and we’re not in a rush.

“Shall we go?” Joshua greets me with a smile.

“Good morning to you, too!” I say and Joshua snorts.  “Let’s go.”

I put my favourite pair of white snickers, grab my bag and I lock up the door once I stepped out of the house.

“How are you, hyung?” I ask Joshua as I see that his usual honey skin is a shade paler.

“Tired and hungry. I skipped breakfast so that I could sleep a little bit more.”

“You’re lucky to have me then.” I grab the plastic bag with the Tupperware and shove it in Joshua’s hands. “Mom made pancakes and I brought you some.”

“That’s great! I love you both!” He says hugging me

“What would you do without me?” I flip my non-existent long hair.

“Probably, I would die of hunger or loneliness.” He chuckles.

“And of boredom too! I know you can’t live without my fantastic jokes.”

“I can live without them,” Joshua says after pretending to think about it. “I did that up until 5 years ago and I was doing fine!”

“Ya!” I point an accusing finger to him. “You could agree with me sometimes, you know?!”

“I will do that when my stomach will be full.” Joshua pats his stomach and we both fall silent for a while as Joshua is stuffing his face with the pancakes.

When we have almost reached the school gates, I break the silence with a quite random question.

“Yesterday you wrapped up the practice late, right?”

“Yup...it was because of Jihoon and Seungcheol, again. They were both late. Seungcheol is busy writing some rap parts and Jihoon said it was because all of a sudden something came up.”

“Oh, I can totally understand him. Me too, when I’m late, I tell it’s because something unexpected happened on the way to where I am heading to.” I cover up my mouth after realising that I’ve just let one of my biggest secrets slip out of my mouth.

Joshua giggles at my actions and then says, “You should meet him. Jihoon, I mean. I think you two would get along well.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yup. I will try and set up a dinner with the guys and I’ll introduce them to you as soon as possible.”

“It would be great! That way, I could finally meet your friends!” I squeal at the idea of getting introduced to the infamous Jeonghan’s bitches.

“I’ll let you know the date as soon as I get to talk about this with the rest of the band!” Joshua says before leaving a daydreaming me in the middle of the school courtyard.

‘I will finally meet him.’

Today I’m not particularly focused on the lesson and there’s nothing new about it. What is weird is that I don’t even want to talk to Seokmin using our method of writing on pieces of paper.
There’s something in the air that keeps getting me distracted...I can’t even remember what class I am in right now. Is it literature? Maybe it’s Korean. I don’t know. The only thing I know is that I just want to look out from the window and stop for a while to doodle things on my notebook. The pencil flies on the paper, leaving behind meaningless lines that don’t follow a particular pattern, just the flow of my thoughts. Curved lines that suddenly break at the changing of thought. It looks like one of those modern painting that seems to have no meaning at all when you first look at them. However, the more you observe, the more you can seem to partly understand what was going on the painter’s mind. You notice if at the moment they were troubled or peaceful because it’s all in those lines. The mind wanders free on the thread of those lines that go in a direction, then in another one to just go back at the starting point. I take my eyes off the paper and I look outside, again. Today the weather’s great. There are just a few white cotton-candy-like clouds in the blue sky: some are in a weird but funny shape, some seem to chase each other like little children at the park. Everything is quiet and at the moment, I would be really glad be out there to enjoy that quietness, become one with that scenery that, as cliché as it may sound, it gives me a sense of peace.

I get back to reality the moment the sound of the bell rings in my ears. Apparently, the school day has ended and Seokmin is next to my desk. He moves his lips but I seem to be still in a haze as I can’t understand what he is saying.

“Hey Soons, are you here with us?” Seokmin waves a hand in front of me. I must’ve been staring at him.

“Yes, yes! I’m sorry. What were you saying?”

“I was asking you if you want me to drop you off at your house. My dad’s coming to pick me up and I can give you a ride so you can avoid having hard luck on the trail.” He sniggers.

“Don’t worry, my friend. I’ll go home with Joshua hyung,” I say, pointing my thumb towards the door. “At lunch, he told me that he would’ve walked home with me as today’s practice session is at his house.”

“You could go there and meet them, you know?” Seokmin leans more on my desk, a quite evil smirk on his face.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to,” I say while getting up and slinging my bag over the shoulder. “Joshua and I already spend a lot of time together and this is just one of the few times he has to stay with his friends. I don’t want to meddle unless he is the one to say so.”

“You’re right,” Seokmin agrees after thinking about it. “It’s better to let him have some privacy.”

Seokmin is about to leave when something comes up in my mind.

“Hey, Seok.” And he turns around upon being called. “Since today we’ve got nothing to do, what about going out for a walk?”

“Sounds good to me! Should we go to the cafè?”

“The usual caramel macchiato…” I start saying.

“...at our usual place!” And Seokmin ends. We both start laughing at that. “We’ll meet at 6 pm in front of the cafe, okay?”

“Call! See you later!” I wave at him as he starts walking again.

“Later!”

I’m about to walk out of the classroom when I notice that Joshua is already waiting for me at the door. A lot of girls are checking him up and then spare glances of approval at each other before starting giggling in hope to get noticed by the handsome boy standing in front of them. Joshua is popular with girls even though he would always deny that and say that he’s just average. I am average, not him!

“You finally got out of your class!”

“I had my head in the clouds. It took a while to come back to Earth,” I state, as a matter of fact, shrugging my shoulders.

“So you were being just you,” Joshua deadpans.

“Exactly, what’s even the point in trying and deny that, am I right?” Our chuckles resonate in the almost empty hallway. “How was work today?”

“Same people coming, same books being picked up for the same essays,” he counts on his fingers. “At least I can take advantage of the free time I get while reordering the books and search for the things Seokmin asks me to find.” He rolls his eyes as it’s not the first time that he has to research myths and legends that inspire those creepy video games sometimes Seokmin likes playing.

“What is it now? A new race of zombies? Indigo children?”

“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” Joshua says putting a hand on my shoulder. “You easily get scared.”

“You’re the one talking! The man who fears nothing! Joshua the brave!”

“Okay, okay, I got it!” Joshua tries to shush me as the few students left in the schoolyard were now watching us. “I’ve warned you. It’s the legend about the Wendigos.”

“Those people who get possessed by evil spirits as soon as they eat human flesh?”

“Yup, them! How did you know that?” Joshua asks, shocked that I’m not even bothered by these cannibal beings.

“Seokmin has been talking about this for days and showed me some pics and videos.”

“True...he won’t shut up about it.” A fond smile spreads on Joshua’s face.

“But it’s kind of interesting spending time listening to these stories. Seokmin is so passionate about it.”

“You should spend your time studying!”

“But what they teach at school isn’t this interesting! They are not catchy enough!” I say as this could be a valid excuse to defend my lost cause.

“You will fail your classes if you don’t study!”

“That’s impossible, hyung. You know that, in the end, I will always pass.” A smug look on my face.

“You’re just lucky.”

“No, it’s called being good.” I mockingly brag about my ability to save my own ass at the last minute when the desperation takes over and, like magic, makes me learn every single thing on my notes.

“C’mon, hyung. Walk faster or you’ll be late for your rehearsals.” I push him from behind to make him fasten his pace as we're still halfway.

“Hey, don’t worry. They won’t die if they wait a little bit.”

“It’s not polite to make them wait for you, you know?”

“Says the one who always makes me wait.”

“That’s not true!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.” Joshua then changes the topic just so he won’t have to admit that I’m not always late. “Planned something for today?”

“I will hang out with Seokmin.”

“Usual caramel macchiato at the same place?” Joshua asks but it’s just a rhetorical question as he already knows the answer.

“Yup...are we this predictable?”

“You go to the same cafè and order the same coffee since you came here in Seoul!”

“Well...that’s true!” I chuckle.

“I swear that you would get along with Jihoon. He is a man of habits, too. It’s been quite a while since he started ordering the same black coffee from the same place as you. Who knows, maybe you even met him.”

“He seems to have a great taste in cafès. Not coffee though. How could he drink that poison?”

“Not everyone is a baby like you who can’t handle the bitter taste of coffee.” He flicks my forehead for no apparent reason.

“Hey! Why did you do that?”

Joshua doesn’t answer my question and keeps talking about Jihoon. “Indeed, he is an interesting guy. I think you will find a lot in common with him because of your age,” he says, fingers on his chin as he is thinking about topics that could “unite” this Jihoon and me.

“What do you mean?”

“You are the same age so maybe that’s why you kind of like the same things. Anime, music, eating…”

“Eating...now I’m hungry!” My stomach rumbles as to prove my statement.

“You really are something else,” Joshua says before doing a dramatic facepalm.

“You are the one who mentioned eating. I haven’t eaten since lunch!”

“I forgot that the monster inside you has to be fed every two hours.”

“Every hour if I’m nervous.” While cackling, I notice that we’ve reached our destination. “Hyung, we’re in front of your house.” I point towards Joshua’s house as if he hadn’t seen it. “There’s no need to escort me home, nobody will kidnap me.”

“You’re a baby, I need to walk you home.”

“Please, don’t. You can literally see me from here,” I say while pointing at where Joshua’s standing. “So I’ll go there and wave at you, okay?”

“Okay.” He sighs knowing there's no way he can win an argument against me.  

I high-five him and then start running towards my house. When I get in front of the door, I stop and turn around to wave at him as I’ve promised. Joshua does the same then sticks his tongue out and disappears through the door.
Once I’m inside my house, I go straight for the couch. The idea of napping it’s so appealing that I check the time.

“It’s 5 pm and I’ll see Seokmin in an hour. I can rest for 5 minutes then I’ll get changed.”

I close my eyes and something that shouldn’t have happened, happens.

I was fast asleep and dreaming of eating a plate of katsudon with Victor Nikiforov when I jolt up because of the notification sound coming from my phone. I quickly check the time and it’s a quarter to six. It’s super late! I then check the notification and it’s a text from Seokmin

DonkeyKong:
I just got out of my house, see you at the café!

Hoshiya:
Sure!
I’m already heading there!

Lie.

I am still with my uniform on and my hair looks like a bird’s nest as it was this morning.

I get undressed as I walk upstairs to get into my room. I wear the first pair of jeans I find on the floor and the first sweater I grab from the closet, hoping that they will somewhat match.
I run to the bathroom to style my hair down, my bangs almost covering my eyes still puffy from the “nap”, I brush my teeth and run again downstairs. I leave a post it for my mom, telling her I went out with Seokmin and that I would be home for dinner.

I check the time again and it shows a big “5:55 pm” on the screen.

“Crap, I need to take my ass there as soon as possible!”

I wear my shoes, lock the door behind me and I sprint towards the street.
I run as fast as I can on the pavement, trying to slalom among the few people walking there.

‘Seokmin will kill me if I get late.’

While I run, I don’t know why but my mind wanders to those movie scenes where you can see the female lead running while wearing ridiculously high stilettos. How the hell they can do that? It already burns my thighs to run with sneakers, I cannot imagine the pain of running with those stilts on.

Too focused on these useless thoughts, I don’t notice that there’s a guy in front of me. My body doesn’t react fast enough and you know what? I bump right into him, head first.

How do people say? Everything happens in threes. Well, that’s right. Three out of three days, I’ve managed to get myself in the same damned situation. This time, I really hope that asshole is not involved.

Oh and, of course, I have fallen “graciously” on the ground.

I hesitantly look up and I swear I go pale in a nanosecond.

“I can’t believe it,” the guy says, annoyance evident from his tone.

“You’re a nightmare! Why are you always involved in this?” My arms flailing to make him understand what ‘this’ is. Basically, me bumping into him.

“You are the one who always hits me,” he says trying to blame it on me.  

“You are the one who always stays in the middle of the road.”

“I’m starting to think that you’re stalking me and do this on purpose just so you can talk to me. Am I that handsome?” He smirks and then runs a hand through his hair.

“You’d love that,” I deadpan. “I’m sorry to disappoint you but you’re not that handsome. Actually, I’m not sorry at all.”

“Idiot,” he mutters thinking that I wouldn’t hear him. Well, he’s wrong.

“And you’re a knob.”

“I know, you’ve already told me that yesterday.”

“Good. Glad to know that my point got across.” I cross my arms over my chest.

“Good, now move. I need to go that way.” He points at the direction where I am coming from.

“I’m sorry, your Highness if I’m standing in your way.” I bow and stress the word ‘highness’ as this guy isn’t that tall. Is he around 1,60 meters? Is he a middle schooler? Whatever, it doesn’t matter.  

“You’re forgiven.”

“Are you kidding me?” I ask, shocked by this guy’s audacity.

“Why should I be kidding you? I’m just accepting your apology.”

“My apology.” I snort. “I can’t believe it.”

Suddenly my phone starts buzzing and a loud ‘katok’ comes from it.  

“It’s your phone,” the guy says pointing at the front pocket of my jeans.

“I know that it’s my phone.”

“Answer, the sound is bothering me,” he distorts his face as the sound keeps coming from the phone.

“I am the one who decides when to answer.” I reach for the pocket and then add, “If I take the phone out it’s not because you told me to do that, it’s because I want to check who’s texting me.”

Of course, it’s Seokmin. I told him I was on my way 10 minutes ago.

DonkeyKong:
Where are you?
I’m waiting outside the café.
Don’t tell me you’re not coming anymore.

Hoshiya:
Had a bit of a snag.
I’ll tell you when I get there.
Be there in a minute.

I look up and the guy is not in front of me anymore. I turn around and I see him leaving.

“Well, I wish not having to tell you this again. Focus on your walking and not on your thinking,” he says without looking at me.

“And you try to stop your mouth from saying bullshit!”

Hoping that he won’t turn around, I stick my tongue out at him. I know it’s kind of childish but I really can’t stand him.

“You’re finally here!” Seokmin exclaims trying to look like he’s mad at me but inevitably fails.

“I’m sorry, Seok.”

“C’mon, let’s get inside so that you can tell me what happened.”

We get inside and sit at “our” booth. Seokmin and I don’t even have to place our orders because, as soon as the waitress sees us, she smiles and goes straight to the counter to get our coffees done. She knows us too well so, after a while, she brings our caramel macchiatos to our table. Joshua swears that the girl remembers our orders just because she has a crush on Seokmin. In reality, Joshua just likes to tease Seokmin and watching him getting flustered.

“You know, every time there’s this in front of you, you have heart eyes.” He points at the cups standing on the table.

“You know how much I love this. I don’t like absolute coffee but this is just the perfect mixture of coffee and sugar. Without it, I would be a zombie.”

“When was the last time that you had a decent amount of sleep?” He asks seriously concerned about my sleeping schedule.

“I don’t even know anymore.” I rub my nape, embarrassed by the fact that my friends have to nag at me because of how late I sleep at night.

“You need to rest more, Soon.”

“I know, but habits are hard to break. However, I will try to do that, okay?”

“How many times have you already said that?”

“Five?"

“If you count just the last six months,” he sighs. “Please, promise me that you will really try.”

“I swear on my Naruto’s collection,” I put my right hand on my heart while having the left one lifted to make an oath.  

“I will take the entire collection if you don’t do as promised,” Seokmin threats me and I really regret putting my favourite collection at stake. “Now, tell me what happened.”

“I met someone on the way here,” I say through gritted teeth.

“WHO?” Seokmin almost yells.

“Try to guess…”

“Don’t tell me it’s the assh-, ehm, that guy,” Seokmin says, surprise shows on his face.

“I won’t tell you, then.” I run my fingertips along the rim of my cup.

“Oh my God, are you for real? He’s a nightmare!”

“That’s exactly what I told him.”

“No way!” Seokmin takes a sip of his coffee before asking, “How is it possible to meet the same person for three days in a row?”

“Let’s not forget the fact that I’ve been meeting him in the same way, too. Bumping into him three times and that’s because he’s always at the wrong place at the wrong time.” I really am frustrated at the thought of all of this. It’s just ridiculous.

“Really?” Seokmin’s eyes go wide all of a sudden and I’m worried they could pop out of his head.

“I swear! He had even the guts to say that I stalk him and crash into him on purpose.”

“Has he gone insane?” His voice is so high pitched that it grabs the attention of the few customers around.

“I think so.”

“Don’t you have any clue about who this person is?”

“Not at all and I’m not interested in finding out who he is.” I look outside the window and take a sip of my lukewarm caramel macchiato.

“Damn, I’m curious! I want to see him!”

“If you stick to me, we may meet him tomorrow, too.”

“Do you think so?” Seokmin asks as if he’s really hoping to run into him the day after.

“No, I’m joking. I don’t want to meet him anymore.” I fiddle with the handle of the half-empty cup.

“Every time one of us said that you ended up meeting him.”

“Right, the exact opposite of what we wished, happened. I need to tell this to Shua hyung.”

“Knowing him, he will laugh at you a lot!” He chuckles.

“Yeah, I know!” I chuckle, too deciding that it’s better to laugh at the situation than to get mad at that little guy. “Speaking of Shua hyung, he said that soon he will plan a dinner with the Jeonghan’s bitches so that he can introduce them to us.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes! I need to ask him if they have already decided when to do that.” I gulp down the rest of the coffee and then proceed squealing. “Finally we will meet them!”

“You know that I’m only interested in one person from that band.” A slight blush creeps on his cheeks.

“And it’s Hong Joshua!” I yell. All the people inside here and maybe even those passing by the street have heard me.

“Keep your voice down!” He shushes me and slaps my arm.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t do that ever again or I will kick you.” His eyes are so fierce that I really fear for my life, better say that I fear for my shin.

“I promise!” I throw my hands in the air to prove that I surrender to his threat. “By the way, I think that Shua hyung wants to introduce me to a specific person,” I tell Seokmin as I remember the conversation I had earlier with Joshua.

“And who is this person?”

“Jihoon. Joshua said we’re the same age and because of this, he has this weird idea that we will get along well. Something about sharing some interests.” I shake my head as to shake off the idea. It just doesn't make sense. How come having the same age involves having the same interests?

“Who knows, maybe this meeting could lead to other things…” Seokmin doesn’t finish his sentence but making it clear what “other things” stands for.

“Nah! I’m good with my life as it is. I’m already a mess, a boy would mess it up even more!”

“Well, you do have a point. You’re a mess.”

“Yah!” I get up just to flick his forehead.

“I’m joking.” He sniggers while rubbing the spot I hit.

“However, I have to admit that I am curious to meet him.”

“See? He has already gotten your attention!”

“That’s not true! I was just wondering if we would really get along,” I say trying to explain my previous statement.

“I forgot that the only thing that has your attention is food.”

“Can’t deny that!”

We both start laughing out loud and when we calm down, we change the topic, chatting at the cafè about this and that for a little while longer before going back home.

Chapter Text

Joshua’s point of view

These last days spent practising with Jeonghan’s bitches are killing me.
I can’t rest a lot but what saddens me the most is that I can’t spend time with Soonyoung and Seokmin. We used to hang out a lot just the three of us before the band got called a lot for different events in pubs.
Soonyoung just told me that now they went to drink a Caramel Macchiato...I envy them so much because I would kill for a cup of that coffee and a chat with my two best friends!
However, no matter how much I complain about it being tiring, the band is a part of me. It means spending time with my friends and it’s also a way for us to show people what we can do, to boast about our skills. It’s also a way to enjoy our time, to express our ideas and feelings through our songs, to make people relate to us, to make them understand they’re not alone in this cold, big world.

“Earth calling Joshua! Hyung, are you here with us?” Mingyu waves a hand in front of my eyes who lost all of their focus.

“Yeah, Mingyu. Don’t worry.” I look at him and smile to reassure I’m really with them.

“He’s here, but what about Jihoon? Where’s he?” Seungcheol asks from the couch he’s laying on.

“I tried calling him but he doesn’t answer,” Jeonghan says from the other side of the room, phone still attached to his ear, trying to get in contact with Jihoon.

“Why is he late?” Seungkwan asks a little bit annoyed.

“Maybe he has a reason to why he is this late,” Wonwoo tries to defend Jihoon while finishing the lyrics for his rap part in the new song.

“Yeah, but it’s been three days since he’s 'this late'.” Jeonghan fingers flying on the screen of his phone to send a text to Jihoon.

“And the later he arrives, the later our practice ends.” Seungkwan really can’t stop complaining.

“Tomorrow we need to work, we can’t end too late at night.” Seungcheol yawns, his eyes slowly closing.

“Today, even I got here on time!” Mingyu suddenly gets up from his seat as to emphasise the fact that this is a rare event.

“I’ll try to call him.” Wonwoo sighs while picking the phone from the front pocket of his jeans.

“No need to do that. I’m here,” Jihoon says, walking in the living room where all of us was waiting for him.

We hadn’t noticed that Jeonghan left the room to open the door and he’s now behind Jihoon, ready to scold him as a mother would do with his son who got home late.

“Where have you been?”

“Something came up when I was coming here.”

“Again? What in the world has happen to you that you got late for three days?” The tone of Jeonghan’s voice is slightly frustrated.  

“Wait, have you perhaps find a lover, hyung?” Seungkwan suddenly asks, interrupting the scolding.

“What? Me? I hope you’re kidding.” Jihoon is clearly annoyed by Seungkwan’s statement.

“He’s denying it! So he really found himself a lover!” Mingyu stands up from his chair, pointing a finger at Jihoon and laughing.

“When will we have the pleasure of meeting this special someone?” Wonwoo started mocking him too, knowing that there aren’t a lot of occasions to tease the little one of their band.

“Listen here, I don’t have a lover,” Jihoon stomps one of his feet to the ground. “Yeah, these days I was late at practices because of a guy but there’s nothing going on between us. He’s just a clumsy idiot.” He huffs

“Are you sure?” I ask, eyebrows wriggling and with a smirk on.

“Never been so sure of something in my life. I can’t stand him and I don’t even know him or his name. The only thing I know is that I don’t want to meet him ever again.”

“Woah, calm down. Why are you so angry at him?”

“Because he keeps blaming me for his mistakes and wanting to be right! Plus, he’s haughty!”

“Seems like a tough one,” Seungcheol says, the corners of his mouth a slightly upwards as he enjoys seeing Jihoon frustrated like this by someone that it’s not Mingyu or Seungkwan.

“You can say that!”

Jihoon sighs and is about to go sitting on the couch when Seungkwan clears his throat to grab everyone’s attention.

“Not to be that kind of guy, but we really should start practising or we will never be able to get home.”

All of us nods and sits up from their comfortable spots on armchairs and couches to go to their instruments: Mingyu and I go to our guitars while Jeonghan comes next to me to take his bass; Seungkwan is at the keyboard and Jihoon at the drums; Seungcheol and Wonwoo are ready to take charge of the rap and some vocals.

After checking that everyone’s ready, Jihoon gives us the tempo with his drumsticks to start playing our first song. As we go on with the rehearsing, we sing some of our old songs and Seungkwan and Mingyu practice even their MCing skills before coming back to play and sing again.

To be honest, this is a bit tiring but nothing can compare to the sense of fulfilment in seeing the group growing not only in skills but also in number. A couple of years ago, when everything started, it was just the four of us: Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Wonwoo and I. Now, there’s seven of us with Seungkwan, Mingyu and Jihoon.
Our family became bigger and even louder as we like joking around but that’s why we love Jeonghan’s bitches a lot and we were formerly called Al1.
Before this, we were ‘alone’ but now we’re together, we’re 'all one'.

We’re taking a little break, sprawled on the floor when I see the screen of my phone lighting up and showing a notification from the Kakaotalk app.

Hoshiya:
Don’t you think that we’ve forgotten you!
There’s a caramel macchiato waiting for you!
You’re the one to decide: should I buy one and bring it to you there or do you want to come to my house later and I will make it?

As I read the text, a smile blooms on my face.
I know that I pester him, but I really don’t know what I would be doing if that little rascal wasn’t in my life. He takes care of me whenever he can, even if it should be the other way round as I’m the hyung. He treats me as if we were blood brothers and not just friends.
He’s a very kind and sweet guy even though he puts the tough guy façade on.

Joshuji:
Thank you, Soonie!
I will come to yours if we don’t wrap up too late!

“Who are you texting to, hyung?” Mingyu rolls to where I am laying on the floor.

“Soonie, my best friend.”

“The one from the canteen?”

“Yup, the one who kind of looks like a hamster.” I chuckle imagining Soonyoung’s annoyed face if he heard that.

“Oh, I remember him!”

“You know, I have actually told him that I would set up a dinner with all of you.”

“Why? He wants to meet us?” Seungcheol asks, showing that he was eavesdropping from where he was staying, next to Jeonghan.

“Exactly. He’s not only my friend but he’s also our first fan, that’s why I want to introduce him to you,” I say as I lift my self, laying on my forearms.

“Every friend of yours is also our friend, you know that.”

“Plus, he’s really a cool guy! His personality is a mix of Seungkwan’s and Jihoon’s.”

“I am kind of curious now,” Jihoon says, hoping nobody would hear him, but I did as I was right beside him.

“Me too! A new friend! That’s cool!” Seungkwan stands up faster than The Flash would’ve done and starts clapping, excited by the idea of meeting someone new.

“That’s if you don’t scare him off before you can even get to introduce yourself,” Jeonghan suddenly says.  

Everyone bursts out laughing as Seungkwan pretends to be mad at us, especially at Jeonghan.
As we keep on bantering and cooing at Seungkwan, we start practising again and we work even harder than before.
We need to be really good for our next event.

Soonyoung’s point of view

I was checking my Twitter timeline when I hear the doorbell.
I’m wondering who it might be and I check the time on the phone.
It’s eleven in the evening and this means it can be only one person who’s here at this hour. I open the door and automatically smile when I see Joshua standing in front of me.

“I brought some chocolate cake!” He says as he takes his shoes off.

“I love you, you know?”

“I couldn’t come here empty-handed, moreover, it’s delicious if combined with a homemade caramel macchiato.” Joshua is licking his lips as he could already taste the cake and the coffee.

“Come on, get inside,” I say when I grab him by his shoulder and literally push him inside the living room.

“Manners, young man. I’m still your hyung!” He complains while trying to glare at me.

“Forgive me, hyung-nim. From this moment onwards, I will address to you with more respect in my words.” I humbly bow to him.

“Idiot.” He laughs and takes off his coat, hanging it on the rack.

“Now, give me the bag with the cake and go wearing your pyjamas. I will make some delicious coffee!”

“What happened to the respect?” Joshua lifts his right eyebrow at me.

“He went to take a walk around.” Again, I push him towards the stairs. “Hurry up!”

“Yes, sir.” Joshua brings his hand to his temple as if he was a soldier and goes upstairs to get changed.

In the meantime, I take two empty cups and put in there some pieces of chocolate caramel and a tiny bit of milk.
I melt the chocolate into the microwave and pour some more milk in it. I keep heating the mixture of chocolate and milk as I make the coffee.
Just one shot of espresso in each cup et voilà! The caramel macchiato is ready!

I take the plastic container with the cake out of the bag and, as soon as I put everything on a tray, Joshua walks in the kitchen.

“Smells like caramel in here,” he says while sniffing the air just like a dog would do.

“Why do you think it called caramel macchiato for?” I snigger. “Should we watch something while eating?”

“Not today. It’s late and tomorrow we need to get up early. Besides, I’m pretty sure I will fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow."

“Okay, okay. I get it.”

I pick the tray with our desserts on and reach Joshua who’s already sitting at the end of the dining table. I put the cups and the plates on the wooden surface of the table before sitting at his left.  

Just as I started munching on my slice of cake, Joshua drops the bomb.

“You know, I talked to the guys about the dinner.”

“Yeah? What did they say?”

“They can’t wait to meet you,” Joshua says with a smile on his face, eyes almost disappearing into crescents.

“Really? You’re not kidding me, right?"

“It’s for real. They even set the date.” He takes a sip of the coffee and hums as he likes the taste of the homemade caramel macchiato.

“When is it?”

“This Saturday evening.”

“WHAT?” I screech. “Oh my God! I’m not mentally prepared for this!” Hands reaching my temples to massage them.

“Why?” Joshua asks genuinely confused.

“We’re talking about dining with seven people, six of them are my best friend's friends. My first impression has to be good or else what will they think of me? Wait. What should I wear? What should I say? Do I need to put a little bit of BB cream? The pressure is too much to handle,” I am at the point I am blurting out every single thing crossing my mind, almost without taking a breath in between my words.

“Woah! Slow down a bit!” Joshua puts his hand on my shoulder and pats me. “You’re getting too nervous. They will like you no matter what, trust me.”

“Okay.” I take some deep breaths to calm down and try to be more chill about the issue. “I’m calm. I still need to find an answer to all of these question, though.” I take a pause to think about what to do, but I sigh as nothing comes into my mind. “Tomorrow, I will talk about this with Seokmin.”

“Oh, of course, he’s invited too,” Joshua says, with a pink blush creeping on his cheeks that doesn’t get unnoticed.

“I was about to ask you that! Our telepathy game is getting stronger, hyung!”

“This is because I know you way too well and Seokmin is my friend too, don’t forget that!” He nervously taps his fingers on the sides of the empty cup when he mentions the word ‘friend’.

“Friend, true,” I look at him, waiting for him to crumble under my gaze and finally say the truth about having a crush on Seokmin but nothing happens. “Well, I think tomorrow we will be shopping after school,” I say as I stand up to pick our cups and plates.

“Are you for real?”

“I told you, the first impression means a lot. When you see someone for the first time, you can already understand if they can be your friends or not,” I state matter-of-factly after putting the dirty dishes into the sink as I will wash them tomorrow morning.  

“If that was the case and I should’ve based on my first impression of you, we wouldn’t be friends right now.” Joshua has a smug look on his face, thinking about our first meeting as he makes his way towards the hallway before the stairs.

“It’s not funny.” I stick my tongue out and quickly change the topic before I can cringe at the memory of that day. “Okay, do you want to come with us? So you can advise and protect us.”

“I’m up for it if we won’t be practising!” He then reflects upon my words and adds, “But why should I protect you?”

“You have to protect me from bumping into other people.”

“It happened again?” Joshua’s eyes wide open and I fear his eyeballs may pop out of his orbs.

“It’s been three days that this is happening! I can’t have gotten this clumsy!” I grab and ruffle my hair in frustration.

“You’ve always been like that, don’t even try to deny it. Again, should I remind you of how we met?”

Here he goes. If he doesn’t bring up this accident once a month, he’s not happy.

“It was an accident, okay? Your foot was in the way!” I try to defend myself.

“Soonyoung, my dearest bro, you tripped over your own feet and pushed me into one of the library shelves!”

“I.tripped.over.your.foot,” I slowly spell every word through gritted teeth.

“Whatever it helps you sleeping!” He says and starts climbing the stairs.

“Shut up! Let’s get ready for bed,” I pout and pass him to get to the bathroom before he can.

“Okay, you baby!” He laughs and trails behind me.  

We brush our teeth and wish a good night to my parents before returning to the living room and let out tired bodies fall on the couch.
We need to get as much sleep as possible.
Tomorrow, it will be one hell of a day!

“What are you even doing here?
Go away!
You moron, you’re not welcome here!
What did you say?!
I--”

A sudden loud sound starts resonating into the room and I jump from the couch. I look at my right and see that the sound is coming from the alarm. I have never loved this straight-out-of-hell device this much! I was dreaming of that..guy but thank god it was time to get up!

I shake my head to fight off the drowsiness and walk into the bathroom to spray my face with cold water, just to be sure to erase his face from my mind.

As I’m already upstairs, I grab my uniform from my room and I get ready as fast as I can so I can still make a proper breakfast.
When I’m done, I go downstairs to wake Joshua up.

“Hyung, wake up! We need to go.” I shake him by the shoulder and he stirs in his sleep for a while before cracking an eye open.

“Why Saturday is so far away?” Joshua whines, hiding his head under the pillow.

“It isn’t. Sadly, there are just a few days left before the weekend,” I sigh.

“Sadly?”

“Yeah, because I don’t have enough time to get ready for the dinner!”

“Why did I even ask?”

“Come on. Get up or we’ll be late!”

Luckily, we get to school on time and as Joshua goes to the library as if he is walking on a runway, I run to our class as fast as I can. I have to talk to Seokmin and tell him the great news before our teacher arrives for the first period.

I bet he will be as excited as me!

I walk into the classroom and I find him looking out of the window. I had no doubts about him being already here.

“Morning, Seok!” I chirp with a big smile plastered on my face.

“Morning, Soons! Why are you smiling like that? It’s kind of creepy as you’re usually grumpy this early in the morning,” Seokmin says, putting his hands in between us as to keep his distance from me.

“Good news, that’s why!”

“What?”

“Shua hyung told me that the guys and he have already scheduled the dinner with us.”

“Really? When?” Seokmin’s eyes grow wide.

“On Saturday.”

“As in THIS Saturday?” His voice rising in pitch.

“Exactly.”

“Oh my god! I can’t wait!!”

“Yeah, me too!!”

“Wait, I have nothing to wear!” His excitement suddenly replaced by worry.

“Me neither and that’s why we absolutely need to go shopping this afternoon!”

“True! We need to be flawless!”

“I’m already flawless, though,” I deadpan and flip my non-existent long hair.

“It’s better if I shut up on this.”

I am ready to get back at him when the teacher walks into the classroom. She’s already staring at us and we take it as a sign to be quiet while she takes the attendance. However, we’re still too excited to just shut up, so, when she’s not looking, we pass each other pieces of papers with our thoughts and ideas on what to wear and do at the dinner.
We’re way too much into it, that we can’t focus on the lesson.
Luckily for us, it’s just the first week of school so we can still afford to get a little bit distracted.

It’s six in the evening and Seokmin should be almost here. I’m on the driveway and, while I’m waiting for Seok, I see the door of Joshua’s house opening and reveal his figure.
He spots me and gives me a big smile, flailing his arms around to make sure I notice him too. When he sees me waving at him, he starts walking towards my house and I decide it is better to meet him halfway.

“Hyung! Where are you going?”

“Practice at Mingyu’s,” he says, pointing at the car parked in his driveway. “What about you? What you’re doing outside?”

“I’m waiting for Seokmin. We need to buy something for the dinner, remember?”

“Oh, right. I would’ve really liked to come with you but we really need to practice as much as possible.”

“Don’t worry, hyung! That is definitely more important than coming with us. Next time, you’ll come with us.” I shrug my shoulder as to get across the fact that it’s not a big deal.

“I’m one hundred percent positive that ‘next time’ means very soon!” Joshua shakes his head.

“What do you mean?” I ask as his words kind of confused me for a moment.

“Just that you both like shopping. Nothing more behind my words.” Joshua draws a cross on his chest as a backup for his statement.

“It’s relaxing! And don’t act innocent, I know you were pretending just now!” I huff and puff my cheeks in annoyance.

Suddenly, we hear a horn honking from behind us.
We both turn around and we see Seokmin getting off from his father’s car.

Joshua checks his wristwatch and widens his eyes.

“It’s late! I got to go! I’ll text you later!”

“Okay, hyung!”

Joshua walks away and I run to my house’s driveway to try and jumpscare Seokmin that hadn’t seen me coming from behind him.
He shrieks and hits me on his arm before stomping away and starting making his way downtown.  

It’s been two hours since Seokmin and I have been walking around, trying to find something to wear. We’ve been in almost all the shops and still haven’t found anything. The clothes seem to be just too fancy for a dinner and we need casual ones.  

Suddenly, a shop grabs my attention. Well, it’s better saying that the outfit on the mannequin in the store window is the thing that grabs my attention.
The second I lay my eyes on the clothes, I fall in love with them: it’s a pair of skinny fit black jeans, ripped just over the knees; a black shirt with white stamps over it, just the front of it tucked in the jeans; at the feet, a pair of black leather heavy boots.
It’s one of those outfits that you can wear on more than once. Plus it makes you look cool while being comfortable.

“Should we enter in here? I would like to try on this one,” I say as I point to the said outfit.

“Sure thing, maybe I’ll find something for me, too.”

We walk in and I ask the shop assistant if is it possible to try the outfit on.
After telling her the size I need for each item, she gives me everything and shows me the way to an empty fitting room. I get in there and once I’m ready, I open the door to walk out, witnessing a Seokmin with his mouth agape.

“Does it look good?” I ask while checking myself into the mirror.

“Does it look good? This looks amazing on you!”

“Are you sure? It’s not too much?”

“I’m sure. You’re killing it. Black is definitely your colour,” Seokmin says as he gives me both his thumbs up.

“I’m taking it, then!” I grin from ear to ear, finally relaxed. “What about you? Don’t you want to try anything on?”

“I have already chosen my outfit while you were getting changed.”

“Are you sure of your pick?” I ask, used to Seokmin be this quick and firm when it comes to choosing.

“Never been this sure!”

We keep looking for some accessories which can match our outfits, like earrings and necklaces.
Once we pay for our items, we get out of the shop.
We’re happy and just a little bit more ready for the big night.

“What should we do now? There’s a little bit of time left before going back home,” I ask Seokmin after checking the time on my phone.

“Should we take a walk in the park along the Han river?”

“I think it’s a great idea! It’s been a while since I’ve gone there.”

“You’ve been away for the entire summer break, of course, it’s been a while!” Seokmin sniggers.

We walk in silence for a while. Seokmin is observing the people passing by him and I am thinking about the city, the lights and how busy the streets are.

“You know,” I start, making Seokmin turn towards me. “When I was away, I missed Seoul. I think I got used to calling this city my home and it felt weird being far away from it.”

“You’ve been living here for the past five years. It’s not a short period of time,” Seokmin slings his arm over my shoulders. “Plus, you’ve grown fond of the city and also of the people living here.”

“That is true. I think I could never get too far away from Joshua and you. These months without you have been so lonely and boring!”

“Aww, that’s so sweet of you!” Seokmin coos.

“I know that I have some friends in Japan too, but even when I was with them, it felt as if something was missing. I can’t hide the fact that I would sometimes turn around, expecting to find either Joshua or you and getting sad when you were not there,” my face falls a bit at the memory of the trip back to my old home.

“That was cheesy. Why are you like this today? You’re almost scaring me.” He detaches himself from my side as to highlight the fact that he was scared.

“Hey! I’m a sweet boy but I strive to hide it!” I get closer to Seokmin to hug him, but he just avoids me. I put on the expression of someone who experienced the worst betrayal and look at him.

“Let’s go to the park before I get diabetes or I’ll hit you!”  

As we’re sitting on a bench, I fish my phone out of the pocket to check if there’s a new text from Joshua. The second I take the phone, a new notification from his is shown on the screen.

Joshuji:
Bro!
Have you found something?

Hoshiya:
Hyung!
Mission complete!
I found the one!

Joshuji:
That’s great!
What is it?

Hoshiya:
Something fabulous, you just need to know this!
You will see it on Saturday.

Joshuji:
Okay, I won’t pressure you even though I’m curious!
What are you doing now?

Hoshiya:
Seok and I are at the Han River for a walk.
What about you?

Joshuji:
We’re still practising.

Hoshiya:
You still haven’t finished?
Isn’t it tiring to do that for more than three hours?

Joshuji:
It is, I can’t say otherwise.
However, we need to practice both the songs and the mcing.

Hoshiya:
I see...
Are you still at Mingyu’s?

Joshuji:
We’re at mine now.
Mingyu’s parents got home so we had to leave.

Hoshiya:
Oh, I see.

Joshuji:
Soonie, I got to go.
The practice’s starting again.

Hoshiya:
Okay, hyung!
Talk to you later!

I sigh and put my phone back into the pocket of my jeans.
Seokmin looks at me with a questioning look on his face, as he could understand why I sighed without even speaking.
I make things easier for him this time, saying out loud what’s bothering me.

“The guys are still practising.“

“They’re really working hard for the sake of the band. They are really passionate about it,” Seokmin nods along with his words. “Like this, it’s just a matter of time before they will make their dream come true!”

“I hope they will really make it. They deserve it.”

“One day, they will be the top of the top.”

“It would be great! They would be so happy!”

“Right. You know, they say hard work makes the dream work. I think this is the case.”

I hum as I look at the people promenading on the riverside.
There are families walking with their children and helping them making big jumps; people cycling or jogging in the chill air of the early hours of the evening; others are sipping on their coffees and munching on snacks as they admire the waters of the river ripple at the light breeze.

I was thinking about drinking something before going home when I have an idea.

“Hey, Seok. Want to come with me to the cafè?”

“Why?”

Chapter Text

Joshua’s point of view

I was getting one with the couch when the doorbell suddenly rings.
I feel like a meerkat the moment I turn my head towards the door.

‘I wasn’t expecting anyone to come home. Who’s is it going to be? It won’t be Soonyoung because he has just told me he is at the park with Seokmin.’

Jeonghan must’ve seen the confused look on my face because he pats my leg and asks, “Aren’t you going to open?”

“I’m going now.” I sigh as I get up from the couch.

I’m in front of the door, hesitating a bit before opening it and finding the last person that could come into my mind.

It’s Kihyun, my friend and the delivery guy from the cafè we always go to, the “Coffee & Goodpie”.

I remember asking the owner why she chose that name.
She told me she once said ‘goodpie’ instead of ‘goodbye’ when leaving a bakery.
The mistake got kind of stuck in her head and she thought it could be fun to use it as a pun in the name.

“Good evening, Joshua. I have a delivery for you.” Kihyun flashes one of his smiles as he waits for me to grab the boxes he is holding midair.

“Wait, I haven’t ordered anything.”

“Oh, I guess they gave me a wrong address back at the cafè. Well, I’m going to take these six caramel macchiatos and this black coffee back then.” Kihyun is about to leave when something comes up into my mind.

“Did you say that there are seven coffees?”

“Yup.”

“Guess they are for me after all and I even know who sent these." He hands me the boxes he's carrying. "Thank you, Kihyun.” I say while high-fiving is now free hand.

“You’re welcome. See you around!” Like that, he leaves on his scooter.  

I come back into the living room with two boxes: one is full of coffees and another one full of food to munch on while taking a break: sandwiches, cinnamon rolls and pretzels. The only person popping into my mind and that could do this is Soonyoung. He knew that we’re at my house, plus, he has an obsession with the caramel macchiato and I see six of them here.  

“Who was at the door, hyung?” Wonwoo asks, eyes glued on the screen of his phone and still laying on the floor.

“Kihyun, the Coffee & Goodpie delivery guy.”

“You ordered coffee?” He finally looks at me as the word coffee caught his attention.

“Not me, it was someone else.”

“Who?” He gets up from the floor and immediately sits on the nearest chair.

“I think it was Soonyoung.”

“He told you he sent them?” Mingyu asks from his place where he is strumming his guitar.

“No, but it must be his doing. I told him we were here and that Jihoon likes his coffee black from this café. Apparently, he remembers since there’s one in the box.”

“I think I may like him,” Jihoon says, not even bothering to get up and secretly wanting me to bring is coffee to him. “Plus, I see he has good taste in snacks.”

“You say that because these are the things you like eating,” Seungkwan points out.

“Of course,” Jihoon adds.

“By the way, I want to warn you, Jihoon. If you don’t come here right now, I will eat yours too!” Seungkwan threatens, hand already making its way into the bag with the snacks.

“Don’t you even try. You’re a dead man if you touch my food.” Jihoon jerks up from the couch and runs to where Seungkwan is standing.

“The same goes for me,” Mingyu says and this gives an occasion for Jihoon to tease him.

“That you’re a dead man? Because if it is that what you mean, you’re right.”

Mingyu looks offended and pouts. He kind of looks like a kicked puppy before seeing Jihoon laughing and understanding that the younger is only messing with him. Mingyu breaks into a smile, you can almost see a tail wagging behind him. Everyone starts giggling at the sight and silence comes again after Seungcheol claps his hands, grabbing our attention.

“C’mon guys. Let’s take a proper break and eat everything Soonyoung sent. Our stomachs deserve it.”

We almost roar in approval and sit in a circle on the floor, putting the boxes with coffee and food at the centre.

A bite here, a sip there and everyone was praising and adoring Soonyoung for this little gift.

When even the tiniest crumb is gone, the guys turn towards me and each one of them says something.
It’s almost creepy as if they have planned to do that since the beginning.

“Joshua, thank Soonyoung on our behalf,” Jeonghan says.

“Yeah. Tell it was kind of him to think about us.” Seungcheol nods in approvement at his own words.

“And that we will properly thank him on Saturday,” Wonwoo adds.

“And that we will make a surprise for him too.” Excitement can be heard in Mingyu's voice.

“And that we adore him for doing this even though he doesn’t personally know us,” Seungkwan takes a little dramatic pause before adding “yet.”

“Yeah, that,” Jihoon says, doing a gesture with the hand to make me understand that he agrees with what the others have just said. The guys stare at him, waiting for him to add something more. He rolls his eyes, knowing they won’t let him leave until he speaks again. “And because he remembered about my preference for coffee.”

“Couldn’t have said that before?” Mingyu asks.

“Did I have to? You had said everything!”

“I will tell him, don’t worry,” I intervene before the two can start quarrelling again. “He will be happy hearing that you liked his surprise and knowing he saved our maknae from starvation and grumpiness as he still hadn’t had his daily dose of caffeine,” I say, gaining a glare from the youngest.

“So, after this long break, should we start again?” Seungcheol asking while standing up.  

Everyone screams that, yes, we are ready to start again.
We keep practising without any pause and it’s past ten in the evening when we decide it’s been enough for today and to wrap up.

“See you tomorrow, guys!”  

I wave at them as they get in their cars and close the door when they’re out of sight.

I go upstairs and I’m walking towards the bathroom with the intention to take a long steamy shower to relax. My dream of staying hours under the spray of hot water gets shutter the moment I feel the phone buzzing in my pocket.

Hoshiya:
Did you like the surprise?

Joshuji:
I did!
Wait, I’ll take a shower and I will be at yours.

Hoshiya:
No need to do that.
I’m already here.
Open the door.

I run downstairs, trying not to slip on the stairs as I am rushing to open the door.

Soonyoung is here, pyjamas already on, school bag thrown over the shoulder, a bag in his left hand with his school uniform and another bag full of food in the right hand.

“Have you had dinner yet?” Soonyoung is already inside, taking off his shoes and putting his pair of slippers on.

“To be honest, no.”

“I had imagined that. However, If you don’t eat, you won’t have enough energy not even to stand on your feet!” He scolds me as if I don’t already know that.

“I know that but we’ve just wrapped up and I was about to take a shower. Wait, why are you here?” I ask him, dumbfounded.
We hadn’t agreed on meeting after the boys left.

“Why do you think? To stand here in front of you and play the staring game?” He snorts. “Of course, I knew you would’ve ended up skipping your dinner so I decided to come here and cook it for you.”

“It was a coincidence that you came here when the guys left or you knew it?” I think I already know the answer, but I wait for him to answer me.

“I was at the window, waiting for their cars to leave your driveway,” Soonyoung says trying to look innocent as if he wasn’t stalking us.

“You did what?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He shrugs and quickly changes the topic. “Now, go showering while I make dinner.”

“Aye, aye.”

I watch Soonyoung making his way to the stove, bags forgotten next to the kitchen door frame and head already disappearing into the cupboard to take the plates to serve the dinner. I shake my head and smile before going again upstairs.

‘He really is one of a kind.’

While I’m showering, I think about these past years with him.

Soonyoung had always been a kind guy and he took care of me in every situation. Sometimes it seems like, between the two of us, he is the hyung and doesn’t need me to protect him or to teach him that life can be tough. Well, he already knows that.

Like me, he has first-hand experience about how life can be hard on people.

We were both living abroad before coming to live in a different country whose language we barely spoke. We had to adapt to a different way of living, different from the one we had in Los Angeles and in Japan. I was still a child when I came here so it wasn’t much of a trouble for me, but him...he was already a teenager and had already moved from Korea to Japan years before.

I know how, in the beginning, he used to pretend everything was just fine even though he missed his house and his friends. People don’t know how many times I’ve seen him smiling when all he wanted to do was crying because of the weight he had on his chest.

He is strong and you can see it in the way he faces head-on the difficulties he finds on his path, in the way he fights every day for what he wants, in the way he prefers being silly and loud to hide his emotional side that shows only through his actions, just like today.

“JOSHUA HYUNG!”  

His yelling from downstairs brings me back to reality.

“ARE YOU DONE? DINNER WILL GET COLD IF YOU DON’T COME.”

“LET ME WEAR SOMETHING AND I WILL BE THERE!” I yell back.

Soonyoung’s point of view

Joshua has been in the bathroom for almost thirty minutes.

I bet he was lost in his own thoughts. He has a lot going on in his mind lately.

He is very concerned about the group’s future and does his best to hype the others up. Maybe he feels responsible for them because, in the end, it was his idea to create the group and try to hit the top. If they don’t succeed, Joshua will feel guilty for getting their hopes up only to let them down.  

“Don’t run, you could fall,” I say upon hearing loud footsteps coming from the hallway across the kitchen.

“My name’s not Kwon Soonyoung,” Joshua says, appearing into the kitchen. “You’re the clumsy one here.”

“I am not.”

“Said the person who keeps bumping into people.”

“You haven’t just said that…” I glare at him as he laughs at me.

“So, where’s my dinner?” Joshua asks rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

“At the table, of course. Sit down and make yourself at home,” I joke as I walk towards the table.

“I am at home.” Joshua joins me at the table. “Oh, wait,” he says. He was reaching for the chopsticks but stopped midway. “You haven’t poisoned it, right?”

“Oh, god! I got busted. I didn’t want to tell you or else you wouldn’t have eaten!” I act dramatically as if he really caught me red-handed.

“I knew it!”

“I forgot to bring the dessert with the antidote in it!”

“Don’t worry, I will eat it anyway.” Joshua finally picks his chopsticks and starts eating.

“You like my cooking that much?”

“No, I’m just hungry,” he says through a mouthful of stir-fried rice.

“Don’t treat the next best chef of South Korea like this!”

“Idiot.”

I watch Joshua eating everything really fast as if he had been starving for days when, in reality, he had eaten the snacks I sent just a few hours ago. And I still need to understand where the food he eats goes! He is so slim and has a perfect body without even hitting the gym! What a lucky guy!

After dinner, we wash the dishes together and it ends up being a very bad idea.

We spray water at each other with either our hands or the sponge, making the kitchen even messier than before.
We dry the little pool we made on the floor, go brushing our teeth, take our position on his two couches and get ready to sleep.

“This is the third time we sleep together in a week. Did you miss me a lot when I was away?” I ask turning on my right side to look at him.

“Actually, no. It was so peaceful and quiet when you weren’t here.”

“The audacity! The betrayal!” I throw one of my pillows at him while he laughs.

“On a more serious note, thank you.” He hugs the pillow and turns towards me. “Thank you for taking care of me and my stomach these past days.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“Oh, and the boys thanked you for the little surprise. They said they will get a surprise for you, too.”

“They don’t have to!”

“But they want to.” He sighs but it was a content one. “Everyone appreciated what you did, in particular, Jihoon who was glad you remembered he likes black coffee.”

“Stop it! You are flattering too much, all of you did, for a trifle like this.”

“It wasn’t a trifle, it was an amazing thing you did. So, on Saturday, you will accept our surprise.”

“Okay! Just so you know, I did it because I thought you would’ve been tired and hungry.”

“I know that and we appreciated that.”

“And I’m happy.” A smile spreads on my face.

“And now we really have to sleep. You have classes tomorrow!” Joshua throws the pillow back at me.

“What about you?” I ask, putting the pillow under my head, the other one already secured between my legs. A recently-picked habit.  

“I won’t work but I will walk you to school anyway.”

“Why?”

“I took a day off. We agreed to practice in the morning so that we have free time in the afternoon to get things ready for Saturday.”

“Okay, now I’m nervous again. Tomorrow’s already Friday! It’s a tragedy!” I throw the left arm over my face in a theatrical gesture.

“Don’t be dramatic! Sleep over it.”

“I will try! Goodnight, hyung.”

“Goodnight, Soonie.”

It’s morning. The sun is seeping through the living room curtains and I woke up before the alarm could go off. The latter is a really rare event.

I sit up on the couch I was sleeping on and look at the one across me. Joshua isn’t there. He’s already up and that’s pretty weird, it’s even rarer than me getting up early.

I was panicking about him getting to the bathroom before me when a good smell reaches my nose. I feel my stomach rumbling and I start thinking it was this amazing fragrance of food that woke up my stomach and me.

I stretch my limbs before getting up and stepping into the kitchen where I am left with my mouth hanging.

“I can’t believe my eyes,” I say while looking at the feast waiting for me at the table.

“Good morning, Soonie.” Joshua turns around to greet me, bowl and whiskers still in his hands.

“Again, I can’t believe my eyes. Is this an illusion?”

“What’s making you so surprised?”

“The fact that you woke up early to make breakfast.”

“It’s not the first time I do this, c’mon.”

“If you keep doing this, even the sky will be shocked to the point we will have snow and summer at the same time.”

“Oh my god, you’re so not funny Kwon Soonyoung,” he says, sticking his tongue out at me.  

I sit at the table, taking in all this delicious food displayed in front of me.

“Why did you do this?” I ask, looking at Joshua’s back.

“Nothing in particular. These days you were the one to cook for me and I felt like I was neglecting you.”

“You aren’t and I have already said that you don’t need to do anything.”

“I guess you don’t want to eat these waffles then. Well, I’m going to make them just for me and eat them by myself.”

“Don’t you dare! Give me my waffles!”

We laugh and start eating once Joshua has finished cooking, trying to be less loud than usual. It’s just half past six in the morning and Joshua’s parents are still sleeping. They went to see a show at the theatre and so they came back home pretty late. If we wake them up, we’re dead meat.

“Did you wake up because of something? I didn’t hear your alarm going off.” Joshua’s confused look with his bed hair is something Seokmin should really see. I think he would go crazy about it.

“I could ask you the same,” I say, taking a waffle and biting it. “But as I am really kind, I will answer first. The smell of food woke me up.”

“I can’t with you…” Joshua sighs and facepalms.

“What about you?”

“I felt a little bit nervous but I don’t know why. Do you know what I mean?”

“No, because I’m mentally sane.”

“You little shit.” Joshua hits me on the head.

“I’m just joking!” I rub the spot he hit. “Well, it happens. You know, sometimes when you’re too tired, you can’t sleep as well and tight as you want. But, I have to thank your being nervous because it made you get up early and make all of this!”

“I would’ve woken up early to cook anyway.”

“Of course, Mr I-wake-up-everyday-10-minutes-before-going-to-work. If it wasn’t for your mother, you would be sleeping through all of your alarms.”

“One, that was a long name. Two, you’re no better than me. You always get late at school after the first week of classes of every year.”

“That’s a different case. While my mind is awake since the moment I open my eyes, my body won’t cooperate until it’s nine.”

“Or after a caramel macchiato.”

“Indeed.”

We both laugh at our bickering. We really can’t stop doing that.

“Keep eating! We will take my car today so you won’t be late.”

I finish eating my breakfast and while Joshua washes the dishes, I go and get ready for school. When it’s his turn to get changed, I take my phone to text Seokmin, telling that I’m on my way to school and to wait for me at the gate.

The short trip in the car is loud as usual, blasting music so loud with the windows rolled down that people from other cars or the street watch us as if they were so close to suing us for listening to music this early in the morning.

Joshua pulls over the gate and Seokmin is already here, kind of in a daydream while staring at us. Joshua waves at him and Seokmin snaps out of it just when I close the door of the car, smiling and waving back at Joshua. I shake my head and grab him by the wrist to drag him inside the courtyard.

“Why did you do that?” He asks, quite annoyed before realising what he said and getting himself together. “I mean, there was no need to drag me.”

“Your crush was showing.”

“What crush? What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb because you have already confessed to me that you like him. And if you ask me, you were pretty obvious out there.”

“Really?”

“Yes, you had this expression on your face, smiling like an idiot,” I say, mimicking his expression of a while ago.

“Did I? Damn, I need to control my facial muscles.”

“You really should if you don’t plan to confess to him in the near future.”

“Eh? Confess? Have you gone crazy?” Seokmin shrieks.

“Why? I think you should. It’s worth trying,” I say, making my way towards our classroom.

Seokmin froze for a while on his spot before trailing after me and saying, “No. I don’t want to ruin our friendship.”

“You won’t ruin it. You know that Joshua isn’t the type of guy who will end your friendship because of that.”

“You’re right. He isn’t the kind of person who would do that. However, I am. I know that I wouldn’t be able to look at him or stop my heart from hurting if he’d rejected me. I don’t want my heart to get shattered every time he will look with adoring eyes at someone who’s not me.” Seokmin’s smile has faded and his eyes are already glassy at the thought of a possible rejection.

“Oh, Seok. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to get your mood down.” I sling my arm around his shoulders and bring him closer to me. “If you think that hiding your crush is what you need to do at the moment, then go ahead. The only thing I want to say is that you should confess before this secret crushes you more than an eventual rejection would.”

“I will remember that,” he says, kind of defeated as he looks at the ground. He then clears his throat, flashes a smile at me to show that he is okay. “Now, let’s go to our classroom, shall we?”

This school day goes by rather quickly. I could even focus on the lessons and they were actually interesting.

Wait.

What is happening to me? I woke up early, I said that classes were interesting...am I sick? Maybe I am or maybe it’s just the fact that this is the last class of the week in which teachers pressure us less than they usually do as they’re still relaxed because of the holidays.

We’re walking in the hallways ready to leave when Seokmin says he will drop me at my house as he knows about Joshua not being here in the library. I almost want to say no, wanting to walk alone for a bit when he reminds me of the possibility of meeting that knob again. I shiver at the thought of his deep voice and gladly accept the offer.

I just got off from the car when Seokmin rolls the window down and calls for me.

“Hey, Soonie!”

“Yeah?” I turn around and look at his head peeking from the window.

“Can I come to your house tomorrow? We can get ready at yours.”

“Uh?”

“For the dinner with Jeonghan’s bitches.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, sure. Joshua said we will dine at his so it’s better if you come here. We’re closer.”

“That’s perfect, then!”

“Come right after lunchtime, we can chill a bit before getting ready.”

“Sounds good to me! Well, see you tomorrow!”

“Bye!”

I wave at him and bow to his father before turning around again and walking into my house.

The first thing I do when I reach my bedroom is connecting my phone to the Bluetooth speaker and blasting some music.

Thanks to Joshua, I have a lot of Jeonghan’s bitches’ songs on there. They are the kind of songs you either start jamming or crying on. There’s no in between.
The guys are really good at delivering their feelings through music and I really hope that more people will recognise their talent. They really deserve to reach the top and stay there for as long as it’s possible.
I hope it will be for a very long time.  

I plop myself onto the bed after getting changed and decide I will rest a bit before going downstairs to make dinner.

As soon as I throw an arm over my eyes, the phone vibrates.

Joshuji:
Have you bumped into someone since I wasn’t there to prevent it?

Hoshiya:
Luckily not.
Seok took care of me and drove me home.

Joshuji:
That’s good to hear.

Hoshiya:
Lucky me.

Joshuji:
You have me as your best friend, you’re definitely lucky.
Btw, how was school?

Hoshiya:
Was good.
Today I was actually focused on everything.

Joshuji:
Who are you and what you’ve done to Soonyoung?

Hoshiya:
Hyung!
That’s not funny.

Joshuji:
You wouldn’t be calling me hyung in this kind of situation.
Who are you?

Hoshiya:
Your mom.

Joshuji:
Eomma!

Hoshiya:
I’m rolling my eyes at you, know that!
However, I can deduct from this that you’re either on a break or you have already finished.

Joshuji:
The second.
Now we’re taking turns for a shower and resting before arranging some things.

Hoshiya:
Do you need some help?

Joshuji:
We’re okay like this.
Don’t worry.
We have Seungkwan who is the top when it comes to organisation.

Hoshiya:
Okay, seems that I can trust him.

Joshuji:
Don’t you trust me?

Hoshiya:
Let me think about it...
No.

Joshuji:
Well, I see that the dinner is cancelled, like our friendship.

Hoshiya:
C’mon hyung!
If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have eaten breakfast this morning.

Joshuji:
Idiot.

Hoshiya:
I know.

Joshuji:
Soons, I got to go.
It’s my turn to take a shower.
Talk to you later.

Hoshiya:
Later, hyung!

I close the Kakao app and set the alarm for an hour later before tucking myself under the blankets to finally rest.

In days like this, life is just wonderful.

Chapter Text

Joshua’s point of view

I dry my body after a quick shower, wear a pair of jeans and a white shirt and walk downstairs where the boys are waiting for me.
There’s only Mingyu, Wonwoo, Jihoon and Seungkwan sitting on the couch and zapping through the tv channels. Seungcheol and Jeonghan left early because they had to be somewhere for their monthiversary. Yes, they’ve been together for four months now after pining for who-knows-how-long. But this is a story for another time.

“Hey, guys, I’m ready. Let’s go grocery shopping for tomorrow’s dinner,” I say to the guys who turn to look at me at the same time.
This synchronisation kind of scares me.

“We will use your car?” Wonwoo asks.

“Yeah, or we can’t carry all the bags back here.”

“I will sit at the front.” Jihoon gets up from the couch and starts walking towards the entrance.

“No, I will!” Seungkwan screams, running after Jihoon.

“But it’s my turn!” Mingyu whines, still sitting on the couch.

“It’s my car so I’ll be the one choosing who will sit next to me. Age will be the choosing factor so, Wonwoo, you sit at the front.”

“Yes! Bye, you losers!” Wonwoo mocks the other three.

“I need to sit between those two? Fuck my life,” Jihoon complains.

“Our Jihoonie will be squished between his two favourite hyungs,” Seungkwan mocks.

“How cute.” Mingyu goes for pinching Jihoon’s cheek but he gets stopped.

“If you try to touch me, I will kill you with your own guitar,” Jihoon threatens, his glare really scary.  

The two hyungs quickly retreat their hands, fearing for their life. They know Jihoon’s threats aren’t empty words.
Once, Mingyu tried to hug him and a moment later, he was running away from Jihoon who was wielding my acoustic guitar as a weapon.

We reach my car in the garage and begin our “special mission” aka the surprise.
As a surprise for both Soonyoung and Seokmin, we’ve decided to cook something for them instead of ordering something from the take out. We thought that putting more effort in this dinner to show how grateful we are will be more appreciated than anything else. Well, I have to admit that is mostly because they would nag at us for spending money buying something that, according to them, is useless.
Luckily, we’ve got Mingyu on our side. He is a very skilled cook even though he’s a bit messy and could probably set the house on fire. It’s worth the risk, right?  

We drive past Soonyoung’s house and I see the lights are all off. He is home but I bet he’s playing something on his phone or he may be sleeping, the only two things he does when he has nothing to do. It’s then that from the rearview mirror, I see Jihoon suddenly shivering.

“Jihoon, are you cold? I saw you shivering,” I ask worried Jihoon could’ve gotten sick.

“I’m not cold. I don’t know why but I just felt a weird vibe and that sent shivers down my spine.” Jihoon hugs himself, still confused at why he shivered.

“Uh?”

“I don’t know but it’s nothing to worry about.”

“Okay. If you say so…” I drop the conversation and turn on the music, just a little bit.

After another ten minutes of driving and hearing Mingyu and Seungkwan bickering over what kind of dessert to eat, we arrive at the supermarket. As we get off the car, I check the time.

“So, the market is going to close in less than an hour,” I say while we all step into the store.

“We need to hurry and take the items we need,” Wonwoo intervenes.

“Mingyu, you’re the chef. Tell us what we should grab and we will.” I look at him and give a small nod to encourage him.

“Seungkwan and Jihoon, you go grab two carts and then join us at the meat aisle,” Mingyu confidently says. “Wonwoo hyung, you go finding some bread, the baguette kind if there’s any left, and try to grab some snacks for the aperitif. Joshua hyung and I will go to the meat aisle.”

We all nod and then separate, every one with his task to fulfil. I see that Mingyu is well organised, meaning that he already knows what to cook for tomorrow. It’s a pity though that we don’t know what’s crossing his mind and we can’t make things quicker and easier by going and take items on our own instead of waiting for his instructions.

At the meat aisle, he takes a lot of different cuts and kinds of meat: pork, beef and lamb skewers.

Jihoon and Seungkwan arrive with the carts.

“Leave them to us,” I say, taking one of the carts from Seungkwan’s hands.

“Yeah, you go grab ramen, seaweed, carrots, eggs, spam and rice,” Mingyu lists.

“We will be doing kimbap?” Seungkwan asks after realising to what use the ingredients will be put.

“And bibimbap.”

“Don’t forget the kimchi. Soonyoung loves it,” I add knowing that Soonyoung will eat a ton of it.

The two disappear with their new task and, at the same time, Wonwoo appears with all the things Mingyu asked for and a lot more.

“I didn’t ask for ALL of this, hyung.” Mingyu’s eyes wide open.

“I know. I got a little bit too enthusiastic and ended up bringing things I wanted to eat.”

“Good job. A lot of this will disappear into our stomachs while cooking. I’m sure about that,” I say to back Wonwoo up.

“True,” Mingyu giggles. “Wonwoo hyung, can you grab some fruit and look for Seungkwan and Jihoon? We’ll meet at the drinks aisle.”

“Okay!”

Wonwoo goes grabbing the fruit and we stop by the deep-frozen food section to grab some ice cream and some other sweets.
To drink, we take beer and soju for us adults and as Jihoon, Soonyoung and Seokmin are still minors, we grab a couple of bottles of coke for them. Well, Jihoon basically lives off of coke. It’s the only thing he drinks besides black coffee.

We wait for the rest of them to reach us here and, with our two carts completely full, we go to the checkout. We really bought a lot of things, who knows if we can cook everything on time.

Once we’re at home, we put the groceries away.

“Mingyu, when should we start cooking?” I ask as he passes me the items to put in the cupboard.

“Mmmh...at around ten in the morning?”

“That early?!” The pitch of my voice raising of an octave or two.

“Yeah, so we don’t rush things for the preparation. For the actual cooking, we’ll start an hour and a half before they’ll come here,” he explains as if it was the most obvious thing of the world.

“Okay.” I turn towards the other three boys and say to them, “Guys, Mingyu and I will take care of everything. You can come in the afternoon.”

“Don’t worry, hyung. We can help you. Am I right guys?” Wonwoo says and then looks at the younger duo at his left.

“Right! We can still help around,” Seungkwan says.

“Should you sleep here then? So you won’t go back and forth,” I propose to them so it would be easier and less tiring for them.

“I think we should sleep at our houses tonight so that tomorrow we can bring our outfits for the night,” Wonwoo says.

“At least stay here to have dinner. It has been a long day.”

“If you insist this much…” Seungkwan starts.

“We’ll stay here,” Mingyu ends his friend’s sentence.

“But we’ll be the ones to order and pay for the pizza. You didn’t let us pay at the supermarket so don’t even think about paying now too,” Wonwoo adds and I cannot say no. I know that if I even try to do so, he won’t give up until I let him do what he wants.

“Yay! Pizza!!” The three youngsters scream at the same time.  

After a mess to decide which kinds of pizzas to eat, Wonwoo menages to order them and half an hour later, the Domino’s delivery guy rings the bell. We settle in the living room and turn on the tv to watch some variety shows.

It’s always great to spend time like this with the boys. They’re always ready to laugh and joke around, making the atmosphere enjoyable and making you forget about how tired or sad you are. They’re really amazing people to have around and I don’t know what would I be doing without them.

Soonyoung’s point of view

I don’t know what would I be doing without naps! I feel recharged and fresh!

Now, it’s time to make dinner before it gets too late!

While I was cooking, I get a text.  

Joshuji:
Are you there?

Hoshiya:
Yes, I am.

Joshuji:
Slept well?

Hoshiya:
How do you know that I’ve slept?

Joshuji:
I drove past your house earlier and saw the lights off.
So you were either sleeping or playing games.
I went for the most obvious one.

Hoshiya:
You’re scary.
I could sue you for stalking.
However
Where did you go?
Weren’t the boys at yours?

Joshuji:
They were.
We went somewhere.

Hoshiya:
Where?

Joshuji:
It’s something between me and them.
You don’t need to know that.

Hoshiya:
Oh c’mon!
There’s no secret between the two of us.

Joshuji:
I had to go grocery shopping for my mom and they tagged along.

Hoshiya:
What a man of the house!
We need to find you a boyfriend.

Joshuji:
What akjfjkdaf

Hoshiya:
What?
You were about to drop the phone and send that?

Joshuji:
No fkafjakdl

Hoshiya:
Then what?

Joshuji:
Jihoon.

Hoshiya:
Jihoon?

Joshuji:
He’s bothering me, like one of those cats who need attention.
He sits next to me and it’s randomly touching the keys on the screen.

Hoshiya:
What the hell? Hahaha

Joshuji:
Hi, Soonyoung.
It’s Jihoon.
I stole Shua hyung’s phone.

Hoshiya:
Hi, Jihoon!
Will you survive his anger after this?

Joshuji:
He loves me too much to be angry at me.
Plus, if he doesn’t catch me, I’m safe.

Hoshiya:
What do you mean?

Joshuji:
At this very moment, I’m running away from him so he doesn’t catch me.

Hoshiya:
Run in the bathroom and lock the door!
You’ll be safe then.

Joshuji:
I’ve just done that and he’s knocking at the door like a mad man.

Hoshiya:
I think it’s better if you give him his phone back hahaha.
I don’t know why he’s so jealous of it.

Joshuji:
You’re right.
Well, I’m going to hand it to him.
See you tomorrow!

Hoshiya:
Yeah, see you!

Joshuji:
Soonie, just wait a minute.
I’m going to kill Jihoon and then talk to you.

Hoshiya:
Oh, c’mon.
Let him be!
He seems nice.

Joshuji:
He thanked you and said that you seem nice too.

Hoshiya:
What?
You told him that?

Joshuji:
No, he’s again next to me and read the text.

Hoshiya:
Why did you let him?
You know that I’m shy!
Don’t let people see what I write.

Joshuji:
Don’t worry, he’s gone.
Mingyu called him to play Fifa.

Hoshiya:
How can I believe you?

Joshuji:
Trust me!

Hoshiya:
I will just because I don’t have time to waste.
I need to finish making dinner.

Joshuji:
What a man of the house.
We need to find you a boyfriend.

Hoshiya:
I’ve said that first!

Joshuji:
Doesn’t mean it doesn’t relate to you too!
I will set you a blind date.  

Hoshiya:
Don’t you dare!
It’s too awkward and I need to choose my date.

Joshuji:
But they still need to get approved by me.

Hoshiya:
The same goes for your date.

Joshuji:
Hahaha okay!

Hoshiya:
Hyung, I got to go.
Mom’s here and I need to hurry with the cooking.
See you tomorrow!
Goodnight.

Joshuji:
Goodnight.

I greet my mom who just got home and is still wandering at the entrance, trying to take off her shoes. My dad is still away for his business trip, so it’s just the two of us in the house.

“Hi, sweetheart,” my mom greets me and sends me a flying kiss.

“Hi, mom. How was work?”

“It was good. Not too much to do today.”

“That’s good to hear!”

“What about you?” She asks after finally taking her shoes off and walking towards the living room to put her bag and jacket on the armchair.

“I took a nap after coming back from school. Oh, tomorrow Seokmin is coming here.”

“Sleepover?”

“No, mom. We need to go to Joshua hyung’s for dinner.”

“It will be the three of you?”

“Nope, there will be Joshua’s friends too. You know, those from the band.”

“Oh, I see. Those you’ve been dying to meet, right?”

“Exactly! So I need to make a good first impression.”

“Why?” She asks, curious as to why her son cares so much about the first impression when he usually doesn’t.

“Because they matter a lot to hyung and I don’t want to look annoying or else,” I say while staring at my feet, knowing that this could seem a stupid reason.

“Well, you are kind of annoying,” my mom mocks me to lighten up the mood and make me smile.

“Mom! I’m your son! You should be saying the opposite! You’re supposed to have a biased opinion!” I whine to her.

“You know that I don’t like being biased.”

“Betrayed even by my mother, my own blood…”

“Don’t be like that and go set the table. I will bring the plates.”

I do what my mom said and wait for her to come and join me at the table.
We eat and between a mouthful and another, I tell her what happened before with Joshua and Jihoon and try to get some advice for the night. She tells me that she will be seeing one of her friends tomorrow and then she has to get dad at the airport and probably be home before I come back from the dinner.

After eating, we wash the dishes together, then I send her to relax by watching the tv while I mop the floor. I wish her a good night and go into my room.

As soon as I throw the blankets over my body, anxiety hits me. My stomach has a big knot and my heart races. I know that it may seem as if I’m overreacting but I know how much this means for Joshua. It’s an important day for him more than it is for me. This dinner means to bring together two important parts of his life. He really wants that the guys and Seokmin and I get along well.

The more I think about it, the more the knot gets tight.

‘I guess it’s better to sleep so I can stop thinking. I need to be positive and thinking that tomorrow everything will be perfect!’

Chapter Text

Mom’s already out to meet her friend and so I can get up from my bed at around noon. This is just because I have to clean a bit around my room before Seokmin comes or else I will stay under my blanket until hunger overcomes laziness.
However, cleaning helps me not to think about tonight and forget about the nervousness that is hitting me, harder than a rock. My heart starts racing like crazy if I only think about the dinner.

As I dust off the shelves next to my desk, I text Joshua to know how’s he doing.

Hoshiya:
Good morning, hyung!

Not even thirty seconds pass before Joshua replies.

Joshuji:
It was about time!

Hoshiya:
It’s Saturday and I deserve sleeping a little while longer than I usually do.

Joshuji:
You slept while we were already working for tonight’s dinner.

Hoshiya:
I don’t know what you guys are doing
But
Are you sure you don’t need some kind of help?

Joshuji:
We don’t.
We’re doing great like this.
You know, even Jeonghan is helping us!
So it’s okay.

Hoshiya:
If you say so…
But if you need help, just call.
I’m only one call away!

Joshuji:
Stop listening to Charlie Puth!
I can’t with him anymore because of Wonwoo’s cousin.

Hoshiya:
???

Joshuji:
Wonwoo’s cousin, Jungkook, loves Charlie and blasts his song 24/7.

Hoshiya:
That was random.
But poor your ears.

Joshuji:
I can feel the sarcasm of the last text.

Hoshiya:
Damn, you know me too well.

Joshuji:
I do.
Btw, don’t worry and go get ready for tonight.

Hoshiya:
Yes, sir.
Seokmin will be here anytime soon.

Joshuji:
Already?
The dinner is at eight!

Hoshiya:
We will eat something
Then watch a movie
Lastly, we will get ready.
You know, a typical Seoksoon afternoon.

Joshuji:
Oh, okay.

Hoshiya:
Did you really think that we were already going to dress up for tonight?
Okay, we are queens and want to be perfect but we do not need all this time.

Joshuji:
It could be possible.

Hoshiya:
Said the one who spends 30 minutes every morning just to fix his hair.

Joshuji:
That’s not true.

Hoshiya:
Yes, it is.

Joshuji:
I need to go.
For what you’ve just said, you won’t be eating at all tonight.

Hoshiya:
Hyung, you can’t let me starve!

Joshuji:
Eat at your home then!

Hoshiya:
Don’t make me use my cuteness on you.

Joshuji:
Oh, Lord.
I will give you all the food you want.
Please don’t do anything cute, it’s terrible.

Hoshiya:
It’s not terrible.
It’s adorable.

Joshuji:
It’s definitely terrible.

Hoshiya:
Go away!

Joshuji:
See you tonight!

I put my phone on the desk without even replying to Joshua. My cute acts aren’t terrible! Joshua says that because he doesn’t understand the art of my cuteness.

I am making my bed when the doorbell rings. Seokmin’s here early than scheduled yesterday just because mom’s not home. It’s been a while since we last cooked something at home and had a lazy afternoon together.

“Hi, Soonie!” Seokmin lifts his hand, waiting for a high five.

“Hi, Seok!” I high five him. “How are you feeling?”

“Kind of nervous?!” He answers as he fixes the backpack stringing on his shoulder.

“I feel you. The pressure is just too much to handle.”

“That’s because we don’t want to screw things up.”

“Damn, you’re right. Come in.” I move so that he can walk in. “Give me your bag and jacket, I’ll bring them upstairs.”

“Thank you.”

“I don’t think I need to tell you but make yourself at home,” I say when I’m halfway through the stairs.  

Seokmin doesn’t answer so I turn around and crouch to peek on him. I can’t help but chuckle at the sight: Seokmin had already his head stuck in the fridge to grab a soft drink.
I run upstairs, launch his things on my bed and return in the kitchen, my stomach already rumbling.

“Okay, so what about ramyeon for lunch?” I ask him while grabbing one of the pots.

“Sounds good to me!” Seokmin then bring his thumb and index around his chin and thinks for a while before asking “Shall we eat first and then watch a movie or do the two things at the same time?”

“Of course, we do that at the same time.”

“Perfect! I’ll choose the movie!”

“And I’ll cook the ramyeon!”

“What a perfect team we are.” And we do our secret handshake ending with a perfect mid-air high-five.

After that, I turn around to get the instant ramyeon packs from the cupboard and Seokmin walks into the living room. It takes a while to get things ready because we do eat a lot of ramyeon and we’ve already watched a ton of movies, but less then a half an hour and we’re already sitting right in front of the tv, the pot between the two of us and the opening credits already rolling.

When people say that times flies when you’re enjoying yourself it’s true. We got to watch a couple of movies. 21 and 22 Jump Street. We laughed a lot at how crack this series is and Seokmin couldn’t stop impersonating Channing Tatum in his iconic line “My name’s Jeff.”
Without even realising, it was already time to get ready for the night.

“So, let’s do it like this.” I clasp my hands and rub them together as I think of how to organise things. “You take a shower first and I’ll wash the dishes and clean a bit around downstairs.”

“Are you sure? I can help you with the cleaning.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be quicker this way.”

“I’ll be as fast as lightning then.”

Seokmin goes upstairs and I start washing the dishes, the thing I love doing the most.
What I like about this chore is that above the sink there’s a window so I can look at the outside world while I do the dishes.

I look at the sky and see that there are some clouds here and there. They have weird shapes and the setting sun gives them pink, light purple and orange hues making them look like cotton candy. It’s a spectacle that you can see every day, but it still fascinates me how every sunset is different from the one of the day before and the day before that.
The same sun setting in the same sky standing above us but the details always change.
It’s breathtakingly beautiful and, when I admire it, I wish I could be able to draw that, to copy on a sheet of paper that fantastic scenery and its various shades.

“Soonie! I’m done! It’s your turn!”

Seokmin’s voice coming from upstairs makes me snap out of my reverie.

“I’m coming in a bit! I need to dry the dishes!” I yell back at him.

I dry and put the dishes back into the cupboard before going upstairs to take a shower in the minimum amount of time possible.
While I shower, Seokmin is in front of the mirror as he dries his hair with a towel before using the hairdryer. He’s thinking about something and you can see it from the expression he’s wearing on his face.

“Hey, Soonie. What do you think I should say when I walk in?” Seokmin asks me, breaking the almost quietness of the room, the only noise was of the water running from the shower head.

“Ehm, good evening?” My tone uncertain as I don’t know if he’s being serious or he’s just kidding me.

“Isn’t it too formal? I mean they’re guys around our age.” Seokmin is being serious.

“What are you talking about?” I giggle at his sudden concern on how to greet the others.

“I don’t even know anymore. I can’t think straight!” He grabs his still wet hair with his hands.

“I can see that. I don’t think we need to worry, Joshua is going to put us at our ease.”

“I really hope so.” He sighs.

“Yeah. By the way, the guys seem just fine so we will be okay.”

“How do you know that?” Seokmin turns towards me, curious by the confidence of this statement.

“If it wasn’t like this, Joshua wouldn’t introduce them to us.” I take a little pause trying not to sound too shy before adding, “Plus, yesterday I talked to Jihoon.”

“What? How? Did you meet him?” He shrieks.

“No, no. We talked over text. He took Joshua’s hyung phone while we were texting and-”

“Yah! And you haven’t told me?”

“It was nothing big! He just told me he was running away from Shua who wanted to get him and get his phone back.”

“That’s so Shua-like.” Seokmin smiles as he pronounces Joshua’s name. “Did he say something else?”

“Not much. I told Shua that Jihoon seemed nice and Jihoon read that and said I’m nice too.” I can feel the blush slowly creeping on my cheeks despite the cold water running on my skin.

“Oh.” Seokmin starts wiggling his brows and smirking as he wanted to imply something else.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He can’t stop smirking.

“Don’t get any weird idea! I don’t even know him!”

“He doesn’t know you but still complimented you a lot for the surprise.”

“How do you know that?”

“Shua hyung told me.”

“Oh, so you two now talk behind my back?”

“Us? Never.”

“Yes, you do!”

“Yah! It’s not the time to bicker over this. Hurry up or we will be late.”

“Just remember that this is not over. Don’t you have to use the hairdryer?”

“Yup. Five minutes and it’s yours. Then, I’ll go in the room and get dressed.”

After having dried my hair, I go back to my room.
Seokmin is already dressed up: a white t-shirt tucked in a pair of black jeans; a shirt which was longer at the back was worn open over the t-shirt; at his feet, he has the same pair of boots as mine and, around his neck, two different kinds of silver necklaces.

I make a long, low whistle.

“Wow! You look good!”

“I know, right?”

“If I didn’t know that you like Shua hyung, I would definitely hit on you. You look that good, bro.”

“Bro, thanks.” Seokmin wipes a fake tear.

“Bro.” I open my arms and walk towards him.

We bro-hug and then start laughing at our weird way of complimenting each other.

By the time I finish dressing up, it’s a quarter to eight.

“Should we wear a bit of makeup?” I suddenly suggest.

“I haven’t brought any, though.”

“You can use mine and I was thinking of something really light. Like, just a bit of eyeshadow and eyeliner.”

“That can do.”

We put makeup on and we’re ready for the night.
I leave a post-it for mom and dad, telling them that we’re at Joshua’s. I grab the house keys, wear my boots and we are finally outside.

“Are you ready?” Seokmin starts.

“I’m ready.”

“Are you ready?”

“Okay, let’s go.”

“I’m ready. You ready?”

“I’m ready. You ready?”

“Okay, let’s go.”

“You ready?”

“I’m ready.”

“I’m ready.”

“Okay.”

By the time we finish with this antics of ours to recharge our energy level, we’re in front of Joshua’s door. I ring the bell and that was the exact moment chaos blew behind that door and one could hear it from the outside. People shouting to close the doors to hide something, bickering over who should open the front door.

Seokmin and I look at each other and can’t help but chuckle, trying to imagine what’s happening in there.

Finally, the door opens revealing a handsome tall boy with silver hair and a killer smile.

“Hi, guys. Come in.” The boy moves to let us enter.

We both give a shy nod to thank him.

“Guys! You’re on time!” Joshua hyung welcomes us with open arms. “Soonie, I’m so surprised by that.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“You’re usually a straggler!”

“True,” Seokmin agrees.

“C’mon, guys. Stop it. I can be punctual when I want to!” I whine at Joshua.

“Okay, okay. I will stop teasing you...for now.” Joshua goes to the centre of the living room and wriggles his hand to make us follow him. “It’s time to introduce you!” He turns towards the boys sitting on the couches. “Guys, these two are Soonyoung and Seokmin.” He then turns towards us and points at the silver-haired boy. “The guy who opened the door is Seungcheol.”

“Hi, again.” Seungcheol lifts his hand to greet us.

“The blondie sitting beside him is Jeonghan, his boyfriend and the one who gave the band its name. He may look like an angel but, trust me, he’s the devil,” Joshua says, pointing at the said person.

“Shua, we’ll talk about this later,” Jeonghan threatens through gritted teeth. He then flashes a smile to us. “It’s nice to meet you, guys.”

Joshua rolls his eyes and points at the guy sitting on the other couch and bothering his black-haired friend. “The hyperactive and sassy one with dirty blonde hair is Seungkwan. I think that you three will definitely get along well.”

“Hi, guys! Let’s be best friends!” Seungkwan shouts, wriggling his arms in the air.

“The shy boy next to him looks like an emo and soulless person but is actually a cutie with us hyungs and cracks a lot of dad jokes. His name is Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo doesn’t speak and just waves at us with a shy smile.

‘Wow, he is handsome.’

“And you already know the big puppy, Mingyu.”

As if on cue, the said boy emerges from the kitchen, quickly closing the door behind him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” I say, bowing to all of them.

“Right, it’s really a pleasure,” Seokmin repeats after me and bowing too.

“C’mon! Don’t be shy and come sitting next to us.” Seungcheol pats the space next to him on the couch.

“Where’s Jihoon?” Jeonghan asks, laying his head on Seungcheol’s shoulder.  

“He’s still upstairs to get changed,” Joshua answers as he sits on the couch next to Seokmin. “He’s sorry for sure and will soon be here.”

With that said, we start talking about the usual things: school, job, music and other hobbies and interests.

The boys are really nice and they put us at ease at the speed of light.

I can’t help but notice how the six of them, including Joshua, are handsome and as hot as hell. I never thought that I would be standing in a room with six fine boys who are also funny and good at music. It’s like a dream. They are the type of guy every living being would want as their partner. Everyone looks perfect but the expectation gets higher because they keep saying ‘the best one has yet to come’. By the best one, they mean Jihoon. They said that even if he’s the shortest among them, he’s the hottest.

‘If they are hot like this, how’s Jihoon going to look like? I bet he is some kind of Adonis.’

As I was thinking about him, the sound of footsteps can be heard coming from upstairs.

‘It’s him.’

I hold my breath as I see a pair of legs draped in skinny light blue ripped jeans climbing down the stairs. Now the torso can be seen. He’s wearing a black t-shirt tucked into his jeans and a long shirt of the same colour of his jeans. Slowly, I can start seeing the face and…

‘Oh no.’

“It’s unbelievable,” I whisper as I freeze on the spot with a very much visible stunned expression on my face.

Seokmin shakes me, asking if there’s a problem, but I can’t seem to answer him.

“That’s not possible. I can’t believe it.” I keep saying like a mantra.

“What’s wrong?” Seokmin asks again.

“I need to go to the toilet,” I cry out, suddenly getting up from the couch. “Seokmin, come with me.”

I grab Seokmin by the wrist and drag him in the nearest bathroom of the floor before Jihoon could see me.

“Soonyoung, what’s happening? You’re so pale as if you’ve just seen a ghost.” Seokmin puts his hands on my shoulders and makes me sit on the rim of the bathtub.

“A ghost would’ve been better.” I groan and bring my hands to my face to cup it. “What am I going to do, Seok?”

“What are you talking about?” He asks with a very much confused expression on his face.

“The boy who was coming downstairs is...is…”

“Jihoon, he’s Jihoon,” Seokmin interrupts me. “What? You’re acting like this because of him?”

“Yeah because he’s the vertically challenged boy! The one who I’ve bumped into for three times streak! The one to whom I said he’s a knob!” I whisper-yell, pointing at the door.

“Are you for real?!” Seokmin’s eyes widen after putting the pieces of info together.

“I’m ruined.” I groan again.

“Don’t be dramatic. Maybe he doesn’t remember you and everything will go smoothly.” Seokmin’s attempt to comfort me is weak but I want to believe him.
He’s rarely wrong on this kind of things.

“I really hope so.”

Suddenly, someone knocks on the door.

“Is everything okay in there?” It’s Joshua. “Are you two holding a meeting? Come out! Jihoon wants to greet you and dinner’s ready.”

“I’m really close to crying,” I whisper to Seokmin before yelling to Joshua “We’re coming!”

‘Come on, Soonyoung. You can do this. You’re a tiger, you’re strong. He won’t remember you! You last saw him three days ago and since then can you imagine how many people he as met? Plus, there’s a big difference in appearance between the weekdays and the weekend. The makeup, the dresses, the way you style your hair. And he could never have taken a good look at your face. Even though you can’t stand him, don’t let it show. Behave for tonight and starting from tomorrow, you can hate him again. You won’t be seeing him that often, right? Now, show your best smile and get out of here.’

Seokmin gets out of the bathroom and covers me until we get to the couch we were sitting before. The place that was mine, was now occupied by him. Jihoon gets up and greets Seokmin with a smile on his face. He then turns towards me and his expression shifts.

“You…” Jihoon starts and squints his eyes.  

‘Oh no. I knew it. He recognised me. My time has come. Because of him everyone will hate me and think that I am an asshole. I want to cry. I’m sweating. Have I already said that I want to cry?’

“You must be Soonyoung!” He exclaims, flashing a wide smile. “Nice to meet you! I’m Jihoon, the one you texted yesterday and said he’s nice.”

When he says the word nice, he emphasises it. He may be alluding to something but I don’t pay too much attention to it as I’m too relieved by the fact that he hasn’t recognised me.

When I will get the chance, I will celebrate this moment with a little victory dance.

“Yeah, I remember you and I’m glad that, the other day, you enjoyed the coffee and the snacks.” I extend my hand for a handshake.

“Oh, yes. Thank you very much.” He grabs my hand and shakes it, his grip strong and firm.

“About that. It’s time to talk about our surprise,” Seungkwan chirps in.

“Surprise?” Seokmin voices.

“As we wanted to thank you for the other day, we decided to prepare a surprise for you too,” Seungcheol starts explaining.

“And the surprise is that we cooked dinner!” Mingyu squeals as he opens the kitchen door, revealing the table full of different kinds of food.

“You didn’t have to!” Seokmin and I say at the same moment.

“We wanted to do that.”

“And we took advantage of this giant here who can cook really well,” Joshua says as he pats Mingyu’s back.

“That was really kind of you.” Seokmin claps his hands, happy due to the surprise.  

“Finally, I will be able to taste Mingyu hyung’s food! I bet it’s even more delicious that Joshua hyung says!” I exclaim, already drooling at the sight of the food.

“Stop it! I’m going to blush.” Mingyu softly hits me on the arm.

“Yeah, stop it or he will get too cocky about his skills,” Seungkwan not so subtly says, letting Mingyu hear his words.

“Hey!” Mingyu pouts at Seungkwan’s words.

Everybody starts laughing while walking into the kitchen and taking their seats. At the head of the table, there’s Joshua and opposite to him, Seungcheol. Seokmin is sitting at Joshua’s left, Seungkwan is between Mingyu and me. On the other side of the table, there’s Jihoon sitting between Wonwoo, who’s at Joshua’s right, and Jeonghan, at Seungcheol’s left.

Jihoon is right in front of me and I can’t help but think ‘This is going to be an interesting night.’

Chapter Text

Between a mouthful and another, we chat about little things, laugh and joke around as if we’ve known each other for ages while, in fact, we’ve met not even an hour ago. The mood is crazy and the anxiety that had been haunting me for days is now gone. I wish we could spend more quality time gathered together as we did today.

‘I need to tell Shua hyung that we should hang out like this more often.’

However, what makes me really happy is that Jihoon doesn’t seem to remember me! Yes, he glared at me the entire night but, when we were grabbing more drinks from the fridge, Joshua whispered to me that it’s a habit of his, especially when he is around people who are too loud. Upon hearing that, I’m a bit relieved because, well, we were being so loud. Our duo, tonight, has become a trio. The legendary SeokSoon has found another member and we’re now the BooSeokSoon! We found out that Seungkwan is as loud and funny as us so the three of us naturally clicked. We kept cracking jokes and had everyone laugh at them.

Everyone but Jihoon.

“Guys, you know, Seok and Soon are our fans,” Joshua suddenly says, making everyone look at the two of us.

“You can say that we’ve created your fan club,” Seok adds.

“True, I love all of your songs and I’m looking forward to when you will be a super band.” I smile to all of them.

“Do you think so?” Mingyu asks, his imaginary puppy tail wagging.

“We’re sure about it. You make really good music!” Seokmin screams out, not controlling his volume.

“And I’m sure you already have a pretty big fanbase. Your amazing looks helped with that,” I mumble the last part, suddenly too shy to say it out loud.

“I know that. One of my biggest qualities is to look great!” Seungkwan flips his non-existent long hair.

“Don’t mind his words. He tells himself that a lot and it got to his head.” Mingyu rolls his eyes.

“You cannot say it’s not true. He looks good,” Seokmin says, missing the glare he got from Joshua.

“See that? Unlike you, they can tell who is the real beauty here.” Seungkwan crosses his arms, annoyed at Mingyu.

“With all these compliments, you now have their hearts.” Joshua giggles.

“They had our hearts the moment they stepped in this house. They’re so funny!” Seungcheol says, still wiping the tears he shed while laughing.

“This means Soonyoung can relax now.” Joshua stands up and walks to where I was sitting.

“What do you mean?” Seungcheol asks a little bit confused by Joshua’s statement.

“He was afraid you wouldn’t like him.” Joshua ruffles my hair while blush starts creeping on my cheeks.

“Why do you have to expose me like this?” I look up at him and whine.

Everyone laughs and I get even redder than I already am. I am as ripe as a tomato due to the fact that they’re almost cooing at me. Luckily, Wonwoo saves me by bringing the dessert.

“Here we are. Different ice creams for you. Choose the one you like the most,” He says and then winks at me.

“I want the bigger one!” Seungkwan screams.

“No, it’s mine!” Mingyu leans over the table to reach for the ice cream.

“Hey, you know that I’m the eldest so the biggest one is mine!” Seungcheol grabs it. He then turns to Jeonghan and, with the sweetest voice, he says, “Hannie, for you.”

Jeonghan gladly takes the ice cream but not before giving a quick peck to Seungcheol.

“Why fighting over ice cream? Aren’t you full? You hate a whole cake before dinner!” Here it his mom Joshua scolding the kids.

“Hyung, you know that food is never enough!” Seungkwan cries out before turning again towards Mingyu.

And with that said, they keep on bickering over the ice creams left until they decided to play rock-paper-scissors to make things quicker.

After having enjoyed the sweetest part of the dinner, literally, it’s time to clean up the table and start doing the wash-up.

“Jeonghan and I are going to clean a bit and then join you in the living room,” Joshua declares, grabbing Jeonghan by the wrist so he couldn’t escape.

“No way. You have already done a lot. I will wash the dishes,” I say to stop Shua hyung.

“And I will mop the kitchen floor,” Seokmin adds.

“You’re the guests tonight. You can’t clean,” Jeonghan says with a stern look.

“Ah, hyung. There’s no written rule about that. C’mon! You deserve to rest. You guys have cooked a whole meal for us.” I grab Jeonghan by his shoulders and lightly push him towards the living room.  

“Is the least we can do to thank you.” Seokmin does the same thing as I did but with Joshua.

Jeonghan looks at Joshua as if to urge him in standing up against this. However, the latter just sighs and says, “It’s useless trying to fight against them. They’re too stubborn for that. Let’s go watching some tv.” He pats Jeonghan on the shoulder and then turns towards us. “If you need help, call us, okay?”

“Yup.” Seokmin and I say in unison.  

As soon as the boys leave the kitchen, we get to work. Seokmin arms himself with a mop, a bucket full of water and a bottle of floor cleaner. He mops not only the kitchen but the hallway too.

In the meantime, I pour a ton of dish soap on the sponge and start washing the dishes. I don’t usually wear rubber gloves as I like doing keeping my hands submerged in the foamy water. It relaxes me a lot. Washing the dishes is something I enjoy doing because, later, I’m satisfied by watching the crockery shine...okay, maybe it’s weird.

I was scrubbing and humming a song when I suddenly hear footsteps getting louder as someone gets closer to me.

“Seok, already done with mopping? Can you help me with this? I’ll do the washing and you’ll dry them,” I say without even turning around.

“I’m not Seokmin. I can still help with that, though.”

Jihoon.

‘Oh God, why is he here?

“Don’t worry. You have already cooked before.” I give a quick glance at him. He’s standing next to the table with his arm crossed.

“I haven’t done that much, plus, you said you need help.”  

Jihoon reaches the sink, grabs a towel and takes the plate away from my hand to dry it.

“Okay. Suit yourself.”  

For a while, we clean in complete silence. The tension in the air was so thick and almost suffocating.
It’s as if Jihoon wants to say something but keeps being quiet instead and it is somewhat frustrating.

I can’t stand the silence any longer so I decide to break it.

“Do you have something to say?”

“What do you mean?” Jihoon asks, eyes fixed on the plate he’s drying.

“I sense that you want to say something.”

“I do but it’s better if I don’t do that. It could ruin the mood.” He smirks but in a bitter way.

“You won’t ruin the mood.” I roll my eyes at him.

“If you say so…” He sighs and places the towel on the counter.

“Bring it on.”

“For how much more do you plan to play pretend?”

“Uh?” I look at him, confused.

‘Oh, wait. Don’t tell me that he-’

“Don’t play dumb with me, Soonyoung. After bumping into me, maybe stalking me and calling me names, you pretend you haven’t recognised me?”

‘Shit. He does remember.’

“I thought you had forgotten and I would’ve never come to you to say ‘oh, do you remember me? I used to slam into you a couple of times this week when I was rushing to be somewhere.’ Don’t you think I could do that?” I say without taking a breath in between words.

“I can’t forget a face as dumb as yours,” He scoffs.

“Here it is again, the knob you.” I rub the sponge on the plate with more strength that it is needed.

“Breathing and alive.”

I throw the sponge into the sink. “You know, you’re more bearable when you have your mouth shut.”

“That’s not what you said yesterday. You told me that I am nice.”

I look at him and he has a smirk on his face, one eyebrow raised.

“That’s because I didn’t know it was you. You’re rude and not funny at all.”

“Said the one who’s just like me.”

“I am not like you.” I grab the sponge and resume cleaning the dishes.

“Yeah, sure. Now, stop and wash those dishes.”

“Already doing that if you haven’t noticed. You keep drying them!”

We fight non-stop and keep picking on what the other’s doing.  

“Clean them better. You’re leaving residues of food on the rims,” Jihoon complains.

“That’s because someone’s voice irritates me.”

“If you’re irritated by your own voice, stop talking.”

“Your voice irritates me, not mine!” I cry out in frustration.

“Not only you cannot focus on walking, but you also cannot even focus on washing.” He shakes his head.

“And you’re not focused on drying. I can see from here that they’re still wet and I bet that even from Mars they can see that. Knob.” I point at the dishes he put on the counter.

“Idiot.”

“Don’t call me idiot.”

“But you are an idiot.”

I put down the dish I had in my hands and turn towards Jihoon.
Thankfully, my height makes me tower over him and I can look just a tiny bit more intimidating.

“Stop it.”

“I stop when I want to.” He takes a step towards me.

“Blockhead.”

“Calling me names won’t stop me from calling you idiot.” Another step.

“I said stop it.”

We’re awfully close and looking in each other’s eyes, short-breathed for the pent up frustration.
He was about to get back at me when Joshua walks in the kitchen.
Both Jihoon and I turn towards the sink again, resuming our tasks.

“Everything okay in here?” He asks, an intrigued look on his face.  

“Everything is great,” Jihoon answers a little bit too quickly.

“Yeah, why?” I ask him back.

“I heard some noises coming from here and so I came to check.” Joshua looks at Jihoon first and then at me.

“It was due to the dishes clashing.” I try to come up with an excuse.

“Wait a moment, Soonyoung…” Joshua takes a long pause as he comes closer to us. I start sweating as I think that he caught us fighting and he’s about to tell us how disappointed and sad he his. “You banned us from the kitchen and now he’s here to help you.” He points his index at Jihoon.

“Well…” I start but get cut off.

“I insisted on helping him, hyung. You know that I can’t keep still,” Jihoon says, trying to look convinced of what he was saying.

“Do you?” Joshua says doing the knowing look thing.

“Yeah,” Jihoon doesn’t waver under the elder’s gaze.

“Okay, if you say so. However, I see that you’re a great team.” Joshua pats us both on the shoulder.

“What?” I shriek.

“It looks like you get along so well.” Joshua smiles.

‘If he only knew…’

“Very well,” Jihoon says through gritted teeth while faking a smile.

“Like best friends.” Out of survival instinct, I throw my arm around Jihoon’s shoulder to prove my point. Jihoon stiffens at the sudden contact.

“I’m so glad to hear that!” Joshua claps his hands. “From today on, we will spend a lot of time together!”

“Really? Why?” Jihoon cries out, trying not to sound too whiny.

“The guys said that Seokmin and Soonyoung should come to see us practising from time to time.”

“Oh.” Jihoon’s mouth stays like that, in the shape of an O.

“Well, I’m going back to the living room. We will be waiting for you.”

Joshua leaves us and we both sigh in relief, not immediately realising that my arm is still on Jihoon. When we do realise that, Jihoon pushes me away and grabs the towel again.

We’ve survived from Joshua hyung’s questioning and this relieves me. Ruining his mood is the last thing that I want to do. He looks so happy that all of us are going along!

Well, almost all of us.

As soon as I finish washing the last dish, I bolt out of the kitchen, not even waiting for Jihoon to dry it.

When I come into the living room, I see that the two couches that were facing each other are now in an L shape around the tv and the two armchairs are at both ends of the couches.
Seokmin is sitting between Joshua and Mingyu. You can clearly see how happy Seok is because he’s next to his Shua hyung. I mentally roll my eyes and go towards Wonwoo and Seungkwan, the latter tapping the space among them, suggesting that I could sit there.
After a while, Jihoon walks in and goes straight for the armchair put next to where Mingyu is.

For the rest of the night, I try not looking at him because I know that, one way or another, he would get on my nerves and Joshua would end up noticing it.

Suddenly, Seokmin gets up from the couch and goes towards the entrance.

“I almost forgot that Soonyoung and I brought little presents for you!” He says, almost squealing.

“Really? You didn’t have to!” Seungcheol exclaims.

“We felt like we wanted you to remember this night through this present.” I stand up too to follow Seokmin.

“How sweet of you,” Jeonghan cooes.  

“We would’ve remembered it anyway,” Mingyu says.

“It’s difficult to forget people like Seokmin and you,” Seungkwan adds, checking Seokmin out.

“Hey, Seungkwan, stop.” Joshua looks a little bit annoyed.

“What? You’re jealous?” Seungkwan wiggles his brows.

“I’m protective. They’re my little bros.” The elder looks away from the blonde guy who was teasing him.

“We wanted to get the same thing for everyone but, unfortunately, there were just six of them so one is going to be different,” Seokmin tells as he grabs his bag from the floor.

He pulls the seven little bags out of his backpack. I randomly take four of them and check the names on them. I’ve got Seungcheol, Wonwoo, Seungkwan and Jihoon.

'What a surprise! Life hates me, doesn’t it?'

I walk to them and hand the bags with a smile. When it’s Jihoon’s turn, I make sure to step on his foot.

“Ouch!”

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!” I say, voice coated in sarcasm and smirking at him.

“Don’t worry but next time try to pay more attention.” Jihoon’s voice is calm but his eyes are those of someone ready to fight.

I laugh on the inside because he can do nothing but to be kind.

“Now, open it!” Seokmin says once everyone got his bag.

〜〜

When we bought the gifts, Seokmin and I tried to gather some information from Joshua, trying to get to know what the boys needed.
We were careful with the questioning so that he couldn’t understand what we wanted to do.
We thought of buying them earrings but not everyone has his ear pierced. Then we opted for ties but it would be too formal. Bracelets were next on the list. Not was of our or the boys’ taste, so the last thing was to find necklaces.

We were walking by this jewellery store when we saw it.

The necklace we were looking for.

It was made with two little silver flat hoops intertwined, one of the two hoops a shade lighter of the other, hanging from a leather string. It was simple but really pretty and could fit the boys’ style.

We walked in the shop and asked them about the necklace. They told us it was one of the hot pieces in the late fashion. It was even possible to carve names on the rim and it could be done on the spot. It was perfect! This way they would have the same item but, at the same time, it was personal.
We asked for seven of them but, unfortunately, they had only six.
After a brief meeting, Seokmin and I decided to take them anyway and maybe give Joshua a different one.

While they were engraving the names, I take a look around the shop, trying to find something for Shua.
Nothing could really catch me. That was until I found it.
It was really beautiful and I don’t know why but a name flashes in my mind right at the moment I ask the shop assistant if one could carve a name on that necklace too.

Seokmin had looked at me with a confused look but eventually trusted me.

〜〜

“This is beautiful!” Seungcheol exclaims as he turns the necklace into his fingers.

“I love it!” Seungkwan is jumping around.

“How did you know that we needed more accessories?” Wonwoo asks, examining the item.

“We had a hunch,” Seokmin says.

“A hunch called Hong Joshua. Was it because of this that you asked me if we needed something for the next show?” Hyung asks still not believing that he was being used by us.

“Kind of…” I trail off as Mingyu tries to draw the attention.

“Look! Jihoon’s one is different!”

“What is it?” Joshua asks.

“It’s a gold crescent moon with little diamonds and a star hanging from the upper end of the moon. His name is carved on the back side of it,” Mingyu answers for the shorter who was still looking at the necklace.

“Soonyoung chose that one for Jihoon. He was so confident when he took that, saying that he knew it was the right one for him.” Seokmin exposes me.  

I’m sitting far away from him so I cannot pinch his arm but I still glare at him.

Jihoon doesn’t need to know all the details.

“Hoon, that moon looks like the shape of your eyes when you smile.” Seungkwan points out.

“That’s true! Plus, he loves the moon and the stars.” Mingyu agrees.

“Now that I think about it, it somewhat matches the necklace that you have,” Seokmin says, pointing at the necklace I wear every day.

“What necklace?” Seungkwan asks, curious about what we’re talking about.

“He always has this necklace with a golden star, just like the little one in Jihoon’s,” Seokmin explains.

“Moon and stars, what a match!” Joshua claps his hands and smiles at us.

“You know I have that because of the nickname my friend gave me when I lived in Japan.” I try to defend myself.

“Hoshi, the star,” Seokmin says, almost as if to mock me.

“It makes me cringe a bit but it's cute. It matches you and your personality,” Wonwoo says, smiling at me.

“Thank you, hyung.” I blush a bit at the unexpected compliment.  

At that moment, Seokmin phone rings, snapping even Jihoon out of his trance.

Seokmin takes his phone out and goes into the kitchen to answer it.

“My parents. They said they’re coming to pick me up.” He says, coming back after a while.

“Why? What time is it?” I ask him.

“Almost one in the morning.”

“Already?!”

“Guess that it’s late for every one of us,” Seungcheol says, rubbing his hands on his thighs.

“We need to go home and get some sleep.” Wonwoo stretches his arms and legs.

“Tomorrow’s Sunday and we need to make use of this free time to rest. We need to charge our batteries,” Mingyu says, getting up from the couch and grabbing Seungkwan to make him stand up too.  

The guys pack their things and, one by one, they leave the house after exchanging numbers and goodbyes.

There’s only Jihoon left. He is going to crash at Joshua’s because his house is far away and he’s just too lazy to walk.

“Weird that your parents haven’t called you yet,” Joshua says to me while we’re moving the couches back to their place.

“Maybe they saw the time and just assumed that I would be sleeping here.”

“He sleeps here?” Jihoon asks, almost freaked out at the idea.

“Not today, but he usually does. Well, we sleep either at my house or at his house.” Joshua and I high five as we finish tidying up the room.

“Oh, I see,” Jihoon says.

After that, Seokmin and I grab our things and get out of the house, Joshua and Jihoon coming with us until the end of the driveway.

“My parents keep sending me texts telling me to come to the main road as they will pick me up there,” Seokmin says while scrolling the texts on his phone.

“I’ll come with you and then get back home,” I say as I turn around to say goodbye to Joshua.

“You alone? No way. I will go with Seokmin and Jihoon is coming with you,” The elder states with a super serious tone.

“What?!” Jihoon and I shriek at the same time.

“I can go home alone! My house is super near and you know that!” I keep fighting as I don’t want to go home with that knob.

“But it’s late and there could be danger everywhere.”

“Oh, c’mon! This is one of the most peaceful areas. Tell him that, Seok!” I look at my friend, seeking his support.

“You never know what could happen.” He shrugs his shoulders.

I glare at Seokmin.

If looks could kill, Seokmin would be dead by now.

Did he forget that Jihoon is the last person with whom I want to walk home?
I would rather never move from here than to walk with him.

“That’s it, I have already decided it,” Joshua says with a tone that leaves no space for fighting back. “Ji, do you have any problem with that?”

“No, hyung.” Jihoon has no choice but to agree.

“Good, so now we will get going. Ji, you take the house keys. I’m sure you will return here before I do.” Joshua then turns towards me and ruffles my hair. “Good night, Soons.”

With that said, Joshua and Seokmin go the opposite way and I’m left alone with Jihoon.

Great.

Seokmin gets to walk with his crush and I got stuck with the one person I can’t stand at all.
Why couldn’t it be Wonwoo the one to stay over at Shua’s? He looks really good and seemed an interesting guy.

“You’re so childish,” Jihoon says, interrupting the flow of my thoughts on Wonwoo.

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, stepping on my foot on purpose.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” I walk in the direction of my house, not checking if Jihoon is following me or not.

“Yeah, sure. And I’m a genie.” He catches up just to be this sarcastic.

“If you really are one, can you grant one of my wishes?” I took a quick glance at him before saying, “I wish you could disappear.”

“You’re not funny.”

“Not trying to be funny.” I close my eyes and sigh. “What’s your problem anyway?”

“The problem is that you stepped on my foot and it hurt.”

“Not my fault you can’t stand a little bit of pain.”

“What?”

“Look, I took a little revenge because you wouldn’t stop calling me idiot.”

“But you are an idiot.”

“If you call me again like that, I swear I’m going to hit you,” I warn him as I stop in my tracks right in front of my driveway.

“Idiot.”

I was about to really hit him with my fist when I feel something blocking me.

Jihoon had grabbed my wrists, the fist that was hovering just inches away from his left cheek.

He doesn’t move from that position and neither do I.

Jihoon’s there, looking at me and I feel like frozen on the spot.

The moon was shining bright and it illuminated just a half of his face.

Under that light, his sharp features softened, his skin is the same colour as the moon.
He almost looked like a porcelain doll that needs to be handled with extreme care because of how fragile it is.

However, this image of him breaks the very moment he opens his mouth to speak.

“See? You’re an idiot because you said you were about to hit me. That’s why I could block it.” His knowing-it-all tone is back.

“My hand moved on its own.”

“Control your body, then.”

“I always do that.”

While we’re arguing, his hand is still wrapped around my wrist.

Upon realising that, I snap my wrist out of his hold and turn towards my house.

“My house is here. You can go now.” I shoo him away with my hand.

“Go in. The children shouldn’t be walking around this late at night.”

“The same goes for you as you really look like a child.”

“Talking about my height?”

“Yes, there’s a problem with that?” I ask him, crossing my arms.

“You know, you should improve with your insults. You shouldn’t go and pick on people for things that are too obvious.” He scoffs.

“That’s because I usually don’t need to insult people. I get on with everyone. If I were you, I would ask myself why I can’t stand you.”

“Nope. Don’t have time to waste on such useless questions.”

“Useless just like you.”

I turn on my heels and walk down the driveway without even greeting him.
Why should I when he’s being nothing but an ass to me?

“Where are your manners? Won’t you say goodbye to me?” He yells after me, making me stop halfway.

“I do that only with people that I like.”

“How low of you.”

“I want to be like that, so I can match you.” I keep walking after having talked back at him for the nth time tonight.

“Good.”

“Good.”

“Great.”

“Perfect!”

And like that, I walk into my house. I close the door behind me and lean on it as I sigh.
He will make me have a stroke if he keeps being like that.

The lights in my house are all off, meaning that my parents are already fast asleep.

I step in the kitchen to drink a glass of water and I find a post-it written by my mom.

“I don’t know if you will be coming here to sleep but I’ll leave this here anyway.
Tomorrow, your father and I are going to pay a visit to some friends of ours and we’ll have lunch there.
Do you want to join us?
Let me know if I need to wake you up or not.
Love you, mom”

I grab the pen that she left next to the post-it and I write that they can go without me as I promised Seokmin to hang out with him in the morning.
I added that she shouldn’t worry about my lunch as I will cook it by myself.

I go upstairs, trying to be as quiet as possible while washing up and change into my pyjamas.

The moment I tuck myself under the blankets, I feel all the tiredness of the day weighing on me.

I throw my right hand over my eyes and I suddenly smell a weird scent.

It’s not the perfume I usually use, plus I didn’t wear any tonight because I forgot to.

I was trying to figure out where this scent comes from when I realise that it comes from my wrist, the one Jihoon had grabbed a while ago.

I have to admit that he uses good perfume with a strong but somewhat sweet scent.

What a night, really.

Time flew by really fast as we were in a great mood but what warms my heart the most is that Joshua was so happy he had gathered the people he liked the most in his house.

While my mind was replaying the highlights of the night, I slowly fall asleep with a smile on my face, lulled by this new found scent.

Chapter Text

At 9.30 in the morning, the alarm goes off with the loudest ringtone I had on my phone. You know, the one that makes you sure you wake up.

Sunday mornings are usually made to sleep in but not today as I have to hang out with Seokmin. We promised to meet at 10.30 at “Coffee & Goodpie” so that we can grab our coffee and then walk around a bit.

I get up and stretch my stiff limbs before going downstairs to have a quick breakfast.
My parents have already left and this means only one thing: this house is soon going to become a disco.
I turn on my stereo system, connect my mp3 to it and blast music to a very high volume. My playlist has different songs of different genres, plus a lot of ‘Jeonghan’s bitches’ songs, you can say that I have all the songs they had sung from their debut up to today.
Suddenly, one of my favourites starts playing, ‘Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time’ by Panic! at the disco. I turn the volume up even more and start singing along with Brendon while dancing with the pan in one hand, trying to make breakfast.

While I’m about to sit at the table to eat, listening to a more soft song, I check my phone to see if there’s any message. There’s two, indeed: one’s from Seokmin and the other one from Joshua hyung. I give the priority to Seokmin and so I open his text.

DonkeyKong:
Morning!
I’m almost ready and I hope you woke up.
See you Soon!

Hoshiya:
Morniiiiiiing!
I’m super awake!
I just need to wear something more decent than my starry pyjamas and I’ll get going!

Now, it’s time to quickly see what Joshua wants. He is still online so the answer won't take too long to arrive.

Joshuji:
What you’re up to?

Hoshiya:
I’m getting ready to hang out with Seok, why?

Joshuji:
Do you want to turn off that damned stereo?

Hoshiya:
How do you know?

Joshuji:
I can basically hear the music from my room.

Hoshiya:
Really?
My stereo is that powerful?

Joshuji:
No, you hamster.
It was a figure of speech.

Hoshiya:
Then how do you know that I’m blasting music?

Joshuji:
Seventh sense.

Hoshiya:
Are you trying to be funny now?
It’s sixth sense, though.
For real, how do you know?

Joshuji:
Jihoon was out for a walk.
He walked by your house and when he came back he told me that.

Hoshiya:
Jihoon?

Joshuji:
Yup.
He said you were listening to P!atd.

Hoshiya:
God, he really heard.
I got busted.

Joshuji:
He’s laughing now.

Hoshiya:
Tell him to stop.
There’s nothing to laugh about.

Joshuji:
He said he won’t stop.

Hoshiya:
That shortie.
I will teach him a lesson someday.

Joshuji:
Calm down, tiger!

Hoshiya:
Never been calmer than this.
I got to go or I’ll be late.

Joshuji:
Okay, bro.
Talk to you later.

Hoshiya:
Bye, hyung.

I change clothes as quickly as possible and get out of the house, locking the door behind me. I start walking towards “Coffee & Goodpie” and, as today I’m not rushing, I put my headphones to listen to some music and enjoy my surroundings.
The song is slow and matches the atmosphere of this early autumn days. It’s a bit cloudy but it’s not cold so there’s a lot of people roaming around the city, even a lot of tourists.

Seeing the streets like this makes me feel good. If you live in a metropolis you may feel a bit lonely because, no matter how many people are surrounding you, they can give you the cold shoulder.
Though, there are some pros too.
You can see different ethnicities and cultures mixing; you see people walking around and not giving any particular attention to you who are passing by them and this makes you feel less as if you’re not standing out too much. You are less judged by others.

However, what I like the most is thinking where these people are going: are they going to meet their friends? Do they have a date with their lover?
One can’t get a proper answer but I often find myself hoping that no matter who they’re meeting or where they’re going, they can have a good time.

As the third songs I’m listening to fades away, I realise that I’m already near my destination.
Seokmin is already outside the café, our drinks in hands.

“Good morning!” I greet Seokmin waving my hand.

“Morning, Soon.” He smiles at me and hands one of the cups. “Here.”

“Thank you.” I take a couple of sips, relishing in the warmth of the drink. “Shall we go?”

We start down the road for our usual Sunday route, talking about the night before.

“I see that you’re particularly happy today, did something happen?” Seokmin suddenly asks when he sees me smiling without a particular reason.

“No, why?”

“Nothing,” he says as he averts my eyes.

I contently sigh. “I’m happy as any Sunday because I’m with my best friend.” I sling my arm around his neck. “Aren’t you happy?”

“Of course, I am!”

“I know why you’re happy and it’s not because of me.” I evilly laugh and tighten my hold on him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” Seokmin asks, confused.

“I won’t fall for that. Now, tell me.” I wiggle my eyebrows.

“What?”

“C’mon. Yesterday, Shua hyung walked you to your parents’ car.”

“Oh, you were talking about that?” Seokmin’s brain cells finally connect.

“Of course! So? Don’t leave me hanging!” I whine as I sit down on the bench in the park we’re at now.

“I have nothing to tell.” Seokmin sits beside me, putting his cup of coffee between us. “We talked as per usual.”

“About what?” I take a sip from my cup before putting that too in between us.

“Nothing.”

“If you’ve talked to each other, it’s impossible for you to have said nothing.” I turn towards him to look in his eyes.

“I cannot tell you the topic of our conversation.” Seokmin is looking everywhere but at me.

“Why? You never keep it a secret.”

“Because I know you’ll get mad,” he says and then sighs.

“I won’t get mad! I’m in control of my anger.” I hit my chest with my hand as if that could prove my point.

“Yeah, sure.” Seokmin’s tone a mocking one.

“Tell me and I’ll show you how I can keep cool about it.”

“Remember your words.” Seokmin takes a deep breath and picks the cup in his hands to fidget with the plastic cap. “Shua said that you and Jihoon would look good together.”

“WHAT?” I shriek as I jolt up from the bench, making some passers-by flinch.

“You promised you wouldn’t get mad.” Seokmin bows to the strangers, feeling sorry to them because of my reaction.

“First, I never promised that. Second, why in the hell he would’ve said that nonsense?”

“He said that when he walked into the kitchen and saw you two next to each other, you looked good,” Seokmin admits.

“Crazy. One of my best friends has gone insane.”

“You know he said that because he doesn’t know the truth. Plus, Jihoon was behaving because he hasn’t recognised you.”

I sigh, defeated, as I sit back on the bench. “He did.” I rub one hand on my eyes. “He did recognise me.”

“WHAT?” Now, it’s Seokmin’s turn to scream and make some pigeons fly away.

“Yeah. He pretended not to so that we couldn’t start fighting and wouldn’t ruin the night.”

“I can’t believe it. When did he tell you? When he walked you home?”

“While we were washing the dishes. We were fighting until Joshua hyung walked in and we pretended everything was fine.”

“I’m speechless.” Seokmin takes a pause, thinking about something, then adds, “That’s why you were behaving like that about the gifts.”

“And when Joshua suggested that the shortie should’ve walked me home. We’ve fought even then, by the way.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve helped you.”

“We hadn’t a spare moment, so I couldn’t tell you. Plus, you looked happy and I didn’t want to ruin your mood.”

“You wouldn’t have done that!” Seokmin sighs before looking at me. “What now? What will you do?”

“I need to find a way to tell Joshua what happened with shortie and, at the same time. try to avoid the latter.”

“It will be hard, but you can do it.” Seokmin put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it a bit, as he tries to encourage me.

“Thank you.” I put my hand on his and smile at him.  

At that moment, Seokmin’s phone rings. He looks at the caller’s ID and his eyes go wide. He walks away to answer but not before mouthing the words “It will take a minute”.

It’s weird. Seokmin never did this when he got a call. He was never anxious about talking on the phone in front of me, not even when he was making a cringe-worthy conversation with his ex-girlfriend.

While I wait for him, still sitting on the bench, I take out my phone to check the notifications.

I have a text from Joshua.

Joshuji:
Soons!
Are you busy this afternoon?

Hoshiya:
Since I’m home alone, no.
I’m not busy.

The moment I press the send button, Seokmin comes back, his expression the one of someone who’s scheming something behind his best friend’s back.

“It was...uhm...my mom. I have to go home!” Seokmin says, him too not so sure of his words as if he’s hiding something.

“What time is it?”

“It’s past midday.”

“Already?” I check my watch and he’s right. “Time really flies.”

“I know, right?” His laugh, a nervous one.

I get up from the bench so we can return to the cafè, our walk full of bantering and improvised scenes as we usually do, deciding to do some of them again in front of our classmates the day after.

“I really need to run home,” Seokmin says as soon as we get in front of the shop.

“Okay, bye Seok.”

I lift my hand for a high five but Seokmin doesn’t even greet back and sprints off the direction of his house.

‘What the hell is wrong with him today?’

I shake my head as I take my phone again to see if Joshua answered.

He did.

Jihoon’s point of view.

“Soonyoung will be home alone today,” Joshua suddenly announces from the couch in front of the one I’m laying on. He has been focused on the screen for quite a while, even getting up to make a call. Seemed like he was busy and I think it’s because of one of the upcoming gigs with the band.

“And?”

“Is it a problem for you if he comes here for lunch?” He looks at me with an expectant expression.

“Ehm...no?” My answer sounding more like a question than a statement but I can’t manage otherwise. “It’s your house, not mine, so you can invite whoever you want.”

I smile at Joshua but I’m mad at him on the inside. Why does he have to be kind and concerned about other people? Okay, it’s a good trait but why does it have to be like that with everyone? I don’t want to see that idiot again. I tried my best yesterday thinking that the moment he’d walk out of the door would’ve been the last time I’d see him. I did that for Joshua hyung. I’ve known him for so long that I know how happy he truly is that he got all of his friends together. He hadn’t shut up about that for hours.

“Okay, I will tell him to come.”

Joshua quickly types his message and sends it before throwing his phone at me, managing to hit me in the stomach, and getting up from his seat on the couch.

“I will start cooking something. If he replies, tell me and I’ll tell you what to write.” He starts walking towards the kitchen.

“What am I? Your slave?”

Joshua stops in his track and turns towards me, a hint of evilness in his eyes. “You either do that or you cook.”

“I will be glad to be your slave.”

“That’s the answer I like.”

He pats my stomach and goes in the kitchen to start his magic. I throw my head back and close my eyes, hoping that the idiot won’t come here.

The phone buzzes on my tummy and I open one eye to look at the bright screen. I pick it up and see that it’s him.

I open the app and read the previous messages.

Joshuji:
Have you already cooked something?

Hoshiya:
Nope.
I’m still on my way home.

Joshuji:
Why don’t you come over?
Jihoon’s still here.

‘Why Joshua had to mention me? Oh, maybe knowing that I’m here, he won’t come!’

Hoshiya:
Don’t worry, hyung.
I will make something by myself.

I smile to myself, happy because I won’t see his face again today. I get up from the couch and join Joshua hyung to tell him about the message.

“Hyung, he said no,” I say, leaning on the kitchen counter with my arms.

“Put pressure on him,” Joshua commands without even turning around and keeping on cutting the vegetables.

“Why? Maybe he wants to stay alone.”

“I told you to insist.” Joshua has now stopped and he’s holding the knife in a threatening way.

Scared, I type right away on the keyboard. As soon as hyung hears the sound of the keys coming from his phone, he resumes his cutting.

Joshuji:
C’mon!
Eat lunch with us.

Hoshiya:
Really, hyung.
I’ve been there yesterday too.

“He said he doesn’t want to come because he already did yesterday,” I read out loud.

“Weird,” Joshua mumbles as he moves the vegetables in a pan. “Tell him that he had never problems with that before and if he keeps acting like that, we will be the ones going to him.”

“What?” I shriek.

“You heard me.”

‘Great, so I will see him anyway. Why didn’t I get back to my house?’

Joshuji:
Since when you were worried about coming here for two days straight?

Hoshiya:
I’ve been always worried about that.

Joshuji:
If you don’t come here, we will come there.

Hoshiya:
No, hyung.
I want to be alone today.

Joshuji:
Why?
Did something happen?

It’s time for me to take a little revenge for how he stepped on my foot. As I will try to make him say why he doesn’t want to see us, I will reveal my identity. It’s Joshua’s phone so he won’t fight me as hyung could read the texts when he opens the chat again.

Hoshiya:
Nothing happened.

Joshuji:
Then why don’t you want to see us?

Hoshiya:
I don’t want to bother Jihoon and you.

Joshuji:
You won’t.
By the way, I’m Jihoon.

Hoshiya:
I will be a bother for you.
I know you want to be alone too.
Don’t insist.

Joshuji:
I insist because I know that hyung will be happy about eating lunch with his two little bros.

Hoshiya:
I’m sure of that but we can raincheck today.

“He wants to raincheck,” I say to Joshua who’s busy cooking the stew.

“Tell him not to cook, we’ll bring the food.” Hyung is not even listening anymore to what that idiot says.

Joshuji:
That is not possible.
Joshua just said you don’t have to cook because we will bring the food.

Hoshiya:
Tell him he doesn’t have to worry that much.

“He said again not to worry.”

“We will be at this house in 5. Tell him to set up the table.” Joshua tastes a bit of his stew and nods before turning off the stove.

Joshuji:
He said we will be there in 5 minutes.

Hoshiya:
I give up.
Come in 10 minutes.
I’m not home, yet.

“He said to go there in 10 as he’s not home yet,” I tell Joshua who just hums.

I think of some clever answer to get at him but in a subtle way.

Joshuji:
Don’t run or you can bump into someone.
Yeah, Joshua hyung told me that.

I giggle, waiting for his reply. Joshua really told me about the accident but he knew only about the first one. Apparently, that idiot hasn’t told him about the other two.

Hoshiya:
If that happens, I hope it will be a tall, handsome man and not a short knob.
;)

As I see the winky face, my right eye starts twitching. I put the phone on the kitchen counter and, without saying a word to Joshua, I go back on the couch.

‘Why, of all the people in Seoul, he had to be Joshua’s best friend?’

Chapter Text

Soonyoung’s point of view

‘That fucker!’

That vertically challenged guy had the audacity of texting me from Joshua hyung’s phone knowing that I cannot fight him. Joshua could read our messages because hell if he would delete the insults texts from the chat. He even tried to make me slip up using the bumping accident from the beginning of the week. To my defence, I have to say that it’s been days since I’ve bumped into someone and it’s all because I haven’t met him. In conclusion, it’s obvious that the one causing all of the trouble was him and not me.

When I get home, I open the front door and walk in, going straight for the couch to throw my things there and set the table in that room. That way we can watch the tv too and stay warm as more sun comes in here thanks to the big windows. As soon as I’m done with the table, I put aside the blankets that my mother left around the room and turn on the stereo so that we can have background music and the house is less quiet. I put the playlist on shuffle and a song by Yiruma starts playing, ‘River Flows In You’. I love his music and especially this song. His melodies make me feel somewhat comfortable and they are able to carry you in a different world and make you live an almost fairytale-like story. I’m not the type who’s into classical music but his compositions never fail to give me the chills, in a good way of course.

River Flows In You slowly fades and it’s replaced by another song I love: Moonlight Angel’s OST. That anime is my favourite one as it was my companion in the years spent far away from my motherland. I treasure it a lot and that mostly the reason I have the ost in my playlist.

However, as the song starts, the doorbell rings signalling that the boys got here.
I run to open the door and they’re standing there, plastic bags in hands with the packed lunch in them.

“Hey, Soons!” Joshua greets me waving his hand.

“Hi.” Jihoon simply greets, not even smiling to try fooling Joshua hyung.

“Hi, guys! Come on in!” I grab Joshua’s arm and pull him inside the house “I’m starving!”

“What’s new about that?” Joshua giggles and takes his shoes off.

“I have been walking around since this morning and I had to sprint to come here because of you,” I whine as I hit his arm.

“Is this Moonlight Angel’s ost?” Jihoon suddenly asks as he walks in, making me turn towards him with wide eyes.

“Uh, yes. Do you know it?” I ask him back, still shook that he knew of this anime.

“Yes. It was my favourite anime. I watched it a lot while growing up.” He takes his shoes off and puts them next to Joshua’s.

“You know, it’s also Soonyoung’s favourite. He does a re-run of it at least twice a year,” Joshua reveals as he walks towards the kitchen to put the bags down the counter.

“It’s a great one.” Jihoon follows Joshua and answers without even looking at me.

“Yeah…” I whisper my answer so that he cannot hear it. I can’t help but agree with him as this anime is really amazing.

I sigh and go to the kitchen where I find Joshua looking at the table and then at me. “Why haven’t you set the table?”

“Already did. In the living room,” I say as I point to the said room.

“Have you cooked something?” He asks me.

“No. Jihoon said you would’ve brought lunch. Plus, I just got here so I didn’t have the time to make something.”

Jihoon snaps his head towards us at the mention of his name and when he realises he hadn’t been asked something, he quietly returns to play with his sweater paws. Not that I have been watching him, I just noticed it with the corner of my eyes.

“Good. The only thing you need to cook is rice.” Joshua is now taking the food out of the bags and putting it next to the stove. “Make a lot as Jihoon loves it.”

“Okay,” I say as I grab the tupperware from Joshua’s hands. “Go to the living room, I’ll make rice and put the food in the dishes.”

They walk towards the living room and I put the food in the microwave to heat it even though it’s still lukewarm. Then I put the rice and water in the rice cooker and press the start button. The only thing I have to do now is playing the waiting game as the food heats and cooks.

As I stand there, back leaning on the fridge, I notice that not even a sound comes from the living room. That is too weird considering how loud Joshua is when he has company.

‘What are they doing?’

I go in stealth mode through the hallway and then peek from the living room’s door, trying my best to don’t get noticed. I see that Joshua is not in the room and I assume he’s probably using the restroom. However, Jihoon is sitting on the couch, back facing the door, head moving as he’s studying the room until something catches his attention.
He stands up and walks towards that thing and...oh no. It’s the corner with my childhood photos!

‘If he sees them, I’m done! If he notices me standing here like a creep, I’m done! I have to do something before it’s…’

Too late. He has seen them and I’m mentally preparing for the mocking part to come when we will be eating. He takes one in his hands. It’s the one where a chubby younger me is doing a V sign with thumb and forefinger around his chin, wearing a Taekwondo uniform. Jihoon examines it, his face blank while doing so. He doesn’t show any emotion or reaction at all.

At that exact moment, the microwave’s timer goes off, making Jihoon jump and immediately put down the photo. As quickly as I can, I hide behind the door thinking he could turn around at any moment and I hope with all of myself that he hasn’t noticed my presence.

‘If he saw me, he would’ve already come here and mocked me about the photo, right?’

I quietly return to the kitchen, glaring at the microwave that had almost got me caught. I lost ten years of my life because of it!
I sigh and get the tupperwares from the infernal device as well as the cooked rice from the not-so-infernal device.

“It’s ready!” I yell as I bring the food over in the living room.

When I walk in the room, I see Jihoon sitting at the head of the table and Joshua at his left side. I want to be as far away as possible from that knob and that’s why I go sitting right at the opposite of him. We exchange the ‘enjoy your meals’ and munch the food while listening to the song currently playing. The atmosphere is a little bit awkward as no one dares to speak. After a while of putting up with this, the silence has become unbearable and that’s why I decide to be the one to break it.

“So, what have you done this morning?” I ask using the chopsticks to point both Joshua and Jihoon.

“Not much. I finished cleaning the house and Jihoon helped me with that.” Joshua just shrugs as to show that they hadn’t done much.

“I had to help you because I’m the maknae and you hyungs order me around all the time,” Jihoon complains.

“That’s because you don’t even move a finger until we use our hyung power on you,” Joshua rebuts, voice calm.

“That’s not true!” Jihoon widens his eyes in surprise. “I am the most active one among us.”

“Only when it comes to making music.” Joshua lifts his hand, palm facing Jihoon as the latter was about to talk back, again. “Oh right. Soons, why don’t you come to the practice this afternoon?”

“What? Today is Sunday!”

“Don’t you usually rest on Sundays?”

Jihoon and I answer almost at the same time and this makes Joshua smile.

“Special rehearsals. In a few days, we have a gig in a club outside the city and we need to practice every day,” Joshua says as he takes his phone to check the info about the club.

“Why I didn’t know anything about this?” Jihoon asks.

“Mingyu told me this morning.” Joshua’s simple reply makes Jihoon more suspicious about this.

“When?”

“When you went out for a walk. He called me and told about it. I just forgot to tell you.” Joshua hesitates a bit with his answer and, now, I’m starting to be suspicious too.

“You don’t sound too sure,” Jihoon says.

“Yeah. Something smells fishy,” I add, agreeing with the knob.

“What are you talking about?” Joshua scoffs. “There’s nothing smelling fishy here.” His eyes looking frantic between me and Jihoon. “Soons, call Seok too and make him come over.”

I glare at him in silence, waiting for Joshua to break under my gaze but his smile never falters. I sigh and give in. “Okay..at what time should he come?”

“Four thirty outside your house. Then we have to go to Mingyu’s.” Joshua looks proud of his doing. I hate him.

“We’ll go there on foot?” Jihoon asks. He sighs too, as a sign of giving up.

“No, we will take my car and Wonwoo is coming with us. I told him to come here,” Joshua states as he turns towards me. “Is it okay for you?”

‘Oh my God. Wonwoo is coming here. The handsome Jeon Wonwoo is coming here!’

“IT’S TOTALLY FINE!” I squeal a bit too loud. Upon realising how I answered, I cough and try to pull myself together as Jihoon rolls his eyes at me. “I mean, whatever. I’m going to text Seok and tell him to come here.”  

I grab my phone and type a quick message to Seokmin and even squealing a bit about the fact that Wonwoo is going to come over. That boy is so handsome and I can’t wait to get to know him more.

As we finish our lunch, I relax on the chair and pat my stomach. “Hyung, it was delicious!”

“Thank you, Soons.” Joshua smiles and then snaps his fingers as if he just had an idea. “Do you know what this lunch is missing?”

Joshua and I look into each other eyes. He’s trying to telepathically send me his idea which successfully arrives at my brain. “Ice cream.” We say in unison, Jihoon looking at us as if he’s scared by our actions.

“I think there’s some left in the freezer.”

I stand up, chair screeching on the floor, and run to the kitchen.
I open the freezer, looking for the ice cream that, luckily for us, is still there.

‘There should be some hazelnuts and whipped cream somewhere.’

I look into the fridge and a couple of cupboards. After rummaging a bit, I finally have all the things I need to make the dessert, my special dish. I grab three tall fountain glasses and put a bit of chocolate and pistachio ice cream, chopped hazelnuts, whipped cream on the side with a piece of chocolate in it et voilà! The dessert is ready!

I put the glasses on a tray and bring them to the guys.

“Here I am!” I announce as I put the tray on the table.

“Your special dessert!” Joshua claps his hands like a seal and has heart eyes for the sweet standing in front of him.

“Special?!” Jihoon asks confused, looking at the ordinary-looking glass of ice cream.

“Yup! It’s special because it has a special ingredient…” Joshua makes a dramatic pause and inches closer to Jihoon as if he’s about to reveal the biggest secret of this world. “The special ingredient is love. He put a lot of love in this simple glass.” He points at the said glass, a serious look on his face.

“What love!” I hit him on the arm to make him shut up. “I only put hazelnuts, chocolate and whipped cream.”

“Okay, okay. There’s no need to be rude to your hyung.” Joshua rubs his arm. “Now, let’s eat it before it melts!” He takes the spoon and immediately digs in his glass of ice cream while Jihoon looks at his as if it could be poisoned.

“You got whipped cream moustaches!” I laugh as soon as Joshua lifts his head from the glass, showing these candid moustaches adorning his mouth.

“Uh? Really?”

“As always. Come here, let me wipe it.”

I take a napkin and stick it on his mouth. Joshua doesn’t let this occasion for a gag to go to waste and starts making weird faces while the napkin covers the lower part of his face. The three of us wholeheartedly laugh and keep on bantering until the ice cream is gone in our stomach.

“Now, I’ll do the washing up and you will relax on the sofa,” I state as I stand up and put the empty glasses on the tray.

“No way. I have already rested yesterday night.” Joshua stands up too, while Jihoon quietly goes for the sofa.

“But you’re my guests, you can’t clean!”

“There’s no written rule about that to use your own words,” Joshua says, trying to mimic my voice.

“Damned me. I speak too much.” I hit my mouth as a way to reprimand myself.

“C’mon, we will be faster if the three of us work together and then we can all rest.” Joshua then turns towards the sofa. “Jihoon, get your ass up from that sofa.”

“Okay, let’s get working!” Jihoon says in a fake excited tone while walking towards us.  

The tasks are assigned: I will do the washing, Jihoon will dry and Joshua will put the tableware to their place.
We do work faster as we make a good team.
We even get to clean the floor and mop it.

“The floor in the living room, as well as the one in the kitchen, is wet. We can’t lay on the couches or sit on chairs.” I put the mop back into the cabinet and empty the bucket of water.

“Should we go to your room?” Joshua asks, already inching towards the stairs.

I hesitate a bit. I don’t want the vertically challenged guy to be in my most private space. But what can I do? It really is the only place we can go to. “We have to.” I sigh. “Let’s go upstairs. Hyung, show him the way.”  

We climb up the stairs, Joshua leading the way to my room. I feel anxious as a stranger is about to see something that even I was unwilling to show even to Joshua and Seokmin until we got super close. It’s the space in which I can show my true self, without fear of being judged for the things I do or like. However, here we are now with Joshua opening the door to my room and Jihoon following him as he walks in the room. The shorter can’t help but look around, studying the room and noting every small detail.

‘I can say goodbye to that little privacy I had left.’

“I’m sorry for the mess but I hadn’t time to tidy it up.” I pick up my pyjamas from the floor and throw it in the wardrobe.

“It’s not that you hadn’t the time. You were just too lazy,” Joshua points out.

“True, but remember that there’s order in my chaos.” I cross my arms, proud of my statement.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

Joshua doesn’t even wait a minute before plopping himself on the chair in front of my laptop. I already know that he’s going to listen to Sunday Morning and then put an episode of the show he enjoys watching these days.
I shake my head and then going to sit on my armchair. I put it next to the window so that I could look at the sky and the sun setting while being comfortably sitting and maybe sipping to some tea or hot chocolate. Jihoon, however, keeps looking around until he fixes his gaze on the wall next to my bed which is full of photos. There are shots of some of the happy and most important moments of my life. I have polaroids taken with my parents, with my friends who live in Japan, with Seokmin and Joshua and even the polaroid we had taken yesterday night at dinner.

“I plan to entirely cover it,” I suddenly say from my place next to the window.

“Uh?” Jihoon turns around to face me.

“The wall. I want to cover the entire wall with photos and even the one next to it.”

“Do you like photography?” He asks me with what I guess is interest in his eyes.

“I do. I would like to walk around with a professional camera around my neck so that I can capture with it the things that capture my eyes. However, I have to settle for my phone camera or the polaroid one for the time being.” I sigh.

“I see.” These are the only words Jihoon speaks while gently touching some of the polaroids hanging.

“Don’t stand there,” I say after a while, making him jump as he maybe was lost in his thoughts. “Sit on the bed, it doesn’t bite.” I giggle. “You can even lay there, it doesn’t matter.”

Jihoon looks at me, puzzled and surprised. I am too when I realise how kind I have been to him until now.

'What is happening to me? Have I gone crazy again?'

He probably decides to let it slide and lets himself fall deadweight on the bed, sprawling his limbs.

“It’s comfy, isn’t it?”

“A lot.” Jihoon closes his eyes and his lips automatically lift in a smile.

“If it hadn’t been comfortable, Soonyoung would’ve never bought it,” Joshua chimes in. I don’t know for how long he might have eavesdropped our conversation.

“Excuse me?”

“A prince has to sleep on a comfy bed,” Joshua says in a mocking tone.

“Hyung! Don’t mock me!” I whine.

“I wasn’t. I was actually complimenting you.” He’s trying to convince me he’s telling the truth.

“Really? Which part of that was a compliment?”

“When I called you a prince.”

“To mock me.”

“I get it.” He sighs. “I will never compliment you again.”

“You never do anyway.” I puff my cheeks and pout to pretend to be hurt by his words.

However, our bickering is interrupted by a light snoring.

We both turn around only to see that Jihoon has fallen asleep.

“He fell asleep faster than the flash! He just laid there!” I exclaim, shocked.

“I am as shocked as you are.”

“Was he that tired?” I mumble under my breath and Joshua doesn’t seem to catch that as he is pointing at Jihoon and says, “Seems he has found something to sleep with. Look at what he’s hugging.”

I follow Joshua’s finger and see that Jihoon is hugging my favourite stuffed toy: a hamster with a red ribbon around his neck and holding a heart with ‘I love you’ written on it. It was a gift that one of my close friends from Japan had sent to me for my birthday the year I came here. I always sleep hugging it and seeing Jihoon like that bothers me a little. It’s my plushie, not his. However, I decided to let it go. Jihoon looks so peaceful, the lines of his face more relaxed. He looks quite good without the constant frown he usually wears.

The fact that he was hugging the hamster made him look like a child who got knocked out after having played the entire afternoon at the park.

Joshua spares me a knowing glance before returning to his show while I get up from the armchair and walk towards the closet. I open it and grab a blanket to put on Jihoon.

I hate him but it’s chilly in my room and a few days from today they have to perform. If he gets cold, he could run a fever and the band couldn’t do their night. That’s the last thing I want as I would really feel guilty about it and that’s the only reason why I put my pride aside and cover Jihoon with the blanket.

After doing that, I grab my headphones and plug them to the phone as I go back to sit on the armchair. Before hitting the play button, I tell Joshua to pay attention to the doorbell as I won’t be able to hear it.

The tiredness from this morning suddenly falls on me and makes my eyelids feel so heavy to the point that I can’t help but close them.

As I listen to the music and imagine scenarios about Wonwoo and me, I slowly drift into the dreamland.

Chapter Text

Jihoon’s point of view.

I jolt awake and look around me, feeling a little bit lost.
I slowly take in the fact that I’m not in my room and not even in Joshua’s guest room.

‘Oh, right.’

I remember this is Soonyoung’s room and I fell asleep on his bed.
I slightly lift my head and see Joshua hyung watching something on the laptop wearing headphones so there would be no use in calling him. As I try to get up, I notice a blanket covering my body and a hamster plushie next to me.

‘What the hell? Was I holding it?’

Shaking my head with evident distaste on my face, I get up from the bed. I go to Joshua and tap his shoulder to make him turn around. He does and takes his headphones off.
I was about to speak when he puts his index over my mouth, gesturing that I shouldn’t talk. He then points towards the window and I finally notice Soonyoung sleeping on the armchair.

‘He must feel a little bit uncomfortable sleeping like that.’

When I realise what I was thinking, I automatically flinch.

‘Who cares if he’s comfortable or not. It’s his problem and not mine.’

When I turn around, Joshua’s not there anymore and I assume he just went downstairs.

I climb down the stairs, a little bit unsure of where to go, when I hear a faint noise coming from the living room. I walk in there to find Joshua sitting on the couch and zapping, trying to find a program that could suit his taste.

“For how long I’ve been sleeping?” I ask as I sit next to him.

“Not much. Maybe half an hour?” Joshua simply replies, not averting his eyes from the bright screen in front of him.

“Basically since we went to his room.”

“Exactly.” He takes a short pause and then starts again. “As you may have noticed, we’re here because Soonyoung is sleeping.” Joshua sighs and shakes his head but a fond smile is tugging at his lips. “That guy. He said you fell asleep faster than a bolt of lightning and he did the same thing right after putting the blanket on you.”

“He was the one who put it?” To say that I was taken aback it’s an understatement. “I thought it was you.”

“Nope. He did that on his own free will. You fell asleep hugging his favourite plushie too.”

“The hamster one?”

“The hamster one.”

Joshua hyung is now looking at me with a weird, almost creepy, smirk. I bet he’s plotting something in his head like he always seems to do.

Wait.

If that idiot hates me, why did he take care of me?

He has been kind this entire morning, even while I was looking at his photos in the room.

Oh, right.

It’s because Joshua is here with us so it’s only normal that he’s behaving like this, pretending to be kind and caring so hyung cannot figure out the mutual hatred lingering behind this façade.

Lost in my thoughts, I jump a little when I hear a sudden loud snore coming from right beside me. I turn only to find that Joshua fell asleep.

‘What’s wrong with everyone today? Did hyung put some sleep aid in our food?’

I sigh as it’s a matter of time before we have to go to Mingyu’s and both Wonwoo hyung and that idiot’s friend will come here and Joshua hyung had the guts of falling asleep.

I am a bit uneasy with being the only one awake in a house that is not mine or of one of my huyngs. I am a little bit thirsty but I guess I shouldn’t roam around and so I opt to steal hyung’s coke that he left on the coffee table.

Trying not to wake him up, I steal the remote from Joshua’s hands and start zapping like he was doing a while ago, looking for something interesting and funny to watch. When I was about to give up, I land on a rerun of one of my favourites variety shows and decide on watching it as I sip the not-really-stolen drink.

Not even half an hour has gone by when the doorbell rings. Both Joshua and Soonyoung are still sleeping and so it’s my duty to open the door and I really hope it’s not the idiot’s parents or it would be really embarrassing. Imagine if you’d find a stranger in your house while your son and his best friend are sleeping as if they had fainted. I would totally look like some sort of criminal.
To my luck, it’s Seokmin.

“Oh, hi, Jihoon.” Seokmin looks as if he has just seen a ghost which could probably be true considering how white my skin is. “What are you doing here?”

“Joshua hyung and I came here to have lunch.”

“I see.” Seokmin smile falters a bit with the next question. “Can I walk in?” He seems a little embarrassed.

“Oh, yes sure. I’m sorry,” I say as I move from the door, making him come inside.

“Where are hyung and Soon?”

“Joshua hyung is sleeping on the couch and the idio-” I cough and get myself together “ehm Soonyoung is sleeping in his room.”

“But it’s almost time to go! We should wake them up!” Seokmin’s voice showing is frustration as it may not be the first time they fall asleep before an appointment.

“Wonwoo is still not here so we can wai-” I was trying to calm him down when the doorbell rings again and my sentence gets cut off. “Speak of the devil. Here he is.”  

This time, Seokmin is the one welcoming the newcomer. The latter is as lost as me when I first entered the not-so-familiar house.

“Are you ready to go?” Wonwoo asks us as he joins me in the hallway.

“Almost, we need to wake up Joshua hyung and his friend.”

“I will go upstairs to get Soonie, you take care of Joshua,” Seokmin suggests as he is already climbing the stairs.

Wonwoo hyung and I look at each other for a very short time. We both shrug and go waking Joshua hyung up.

It will be a hard task to carry out.

Soonyoung’s point of view.

I jolt awake.
I fell asleep on the armchair and now my limbs are sore and stiff.

‘What time is it?’

I ask myself as I look around and I can’t find neither Joshua hyung nor Jihoon. I pick the phone that was sitting on my lap and I see that it’s slightly past four thirty.

I panic and stand up, making the armchair screech on the floor.

As I’m trying to recover from the dizziness due to the sudden movement, I hear footsteps from outside the door. The latter slowly opens as if the person behind it doesn’t want to be noisy. It’s Seokmin.

“You’re awake!” He exclaims, surprised to find me standing up.

“I just woke up.” I rub the sleep from my eyes. “How long did I sleep?”

“I don’t know. You should ask Joshua or Jihoon.” At the mention of that name, Seokmin stops in his tracks. “Wait, why is he here?”

“I ask myself the same thing.” I sigh. “He was at Joshua’s and they both came here because I was home alone.”

“Aw, that was cute. He is cute, though.”

“You know that Joshua hyung wouldn’t have left me alone.”

“I wasn’t talking about hyung.” Seokmin nudges me.

“Ya!” I yell and maybe they even heard me from downstairs. “Whose side are you on?”

“I was just kidding.” He rolls his eyes. “Now, be fast and get ready. Wonwoo hyung is here.”

“Really?” My demeanor changes in 0.0001 seconds. I was ready to fight Seokmin but now I am soft for that handsome hyung.

“Yup, they’re all waiting for you.”

“Give me five seconds.”

I sprint towards the bathroom and it was so quick and sudden that if I had been in a cartoon, a Soonyoung-shaped dust silhouette would’ve had lingered in the air for a couple of seconds before fading.

When I’m done, I go back to find Seokmin waiting for me in front of my room with my phone and backpack in his hands. I thank him and we both climb downstairs to join the others.

“Hi, Soonyoung.” Wonwoo greets me with the sweetest of smiles and I swear I could’ve melted right there, right then.

“Wonwoo hyung!” I greet him back, happiness evident from my tone. “How are you?”

“I’m good. Did you sleep well?”

‘That’s it. He is the one. Not only he is handsome and funny but he’s even caring!!!’

“I did, thanks,” I reply as I try not to blush too hard. “How much did I sleep?”

“You fell asleep right after Jihoon did,” Joshua answers from the couch. “You looked like two angels while sleeping.”

“I’m an angel even when I’m awake. Remember that, hyung,” I proudly say, straightening my back.

Joshua hyung snorts. “The only angel I know, it’s Jeonghan and it’s only because of his birthdate, not because of his personality.”

Jihoon bursts out laughing and I don’t know if it’s because Joshua has denied that I’m an angel or because of the reference to Jeonghan hyung.
In doubts, I glare at him but he doesn’t seem to notice as he keeps on laughing.

“Let’s go or we’ll be late!” I exclaim, blatantly pouting.

I grab my keys and wait for the guys to walk out before closing the door, a little voice inside my head making me wonder how would it be to lock Jihoon in and pretend to have forgotten him in there, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes. I shake my head, knowing that this evil thought would only bring more damages to me than to him. We all head towards Joshua’s house to get his car and, while we’re walking, Seokmin grabs me by the arm, motioning to slow down. I assume he has something to say that the others shouldn’t hear.

“So, how did he behave today? Did you fight?” He asks, nodding his head towards the knob.

“Not at all. He was like a normal person and not being a douche but it’s only because Joshua was with us.”

“Are you sure about that?” Seokmin is inspecting my face as if I was hiding something from him and he could’ve found out just by looking at me.

“Definitely,” I say as I nod my head. “When Joshua wouldn’t look, we kept on glaring at each other.”

“Do you really think you will never get along? I mean, you liked him as a singer and Joshua hyung has been saying that he’s a cool and funny guy.”

“You know how strong our first impression was. If there has been hatred since the first day, things cannot easily change.” I kick a pebble as I speak, not wanting to meet Seokmin’s eyes. “The fact that he is a great singer and drummer won’t change because he is amazing and I’m not ashamed of admitting it.” I sigh for the umpteenth time that day. “About the cool and funny part, I have some doubts. It’s not like he has been funny or cool with me.”

“But when he texted you from Joshua’s phone, you told he was funny and he had said the same thing about you,” Seokmin says in a low tone as the boys in front of us had been slowing their pace.

“That was before the truth was out. Now, there couldn’t be any kind of relationship between us if not the enemy one. However, let’s stop talking about His Highness,” I spit out a bit frustrated at how Seokmin is pushing me to change idea about the douche.

I know that he may be more than a douche but the way he had been treating me is not helping his case. Plus, it’s not like he wants to befriend me too.

Seokmin and I keep on walking in silence as we get to Joshua’s house.
Once we’re there, we wait for him as he goes grabbing the car keys. While he’s not here, we start fighting for the seats because everyone seems to want to be sitting at the front. Joshua has to intervene to reach an agreement the moment he steps out and sees us almost cursing at each other because of a lost rock-paper-scissors match. Seokmin will be sitting on the front and he gains an eye-roll from me because of how close he was to fangirl about sitting next to his crush. However, this leaves me sitting between Jihoon and Wonwoo hyung in the back seats.

‘If that knob hadn’t been here, it would’ve been a great trip.’

“Hyung, you still haven’t told me when and where we have the gig,” Jihoon suddenly says after Joshua had started the engine.

“The gig? Isn’t it in two mont-” Wonwoo is cut off by Joshua.

“Wonwoo, did you forget it?” Joshua asks through gritted teeth. “We have a gig in two days or else why on earth would we rehearse on a Sunday?”

“Uh? Oh, right. I-I forgot?” Wonwoo’s words sounding more like a question than a statement.

“By the way, it’s a club right outside the city,” Joshua adds looking at us from the rearview.

“How come you haven’t told me?” Jihoon asks, still doubting his hyungs behaviour.

“We thought you knew since not only Mingyu told me this morning but we even talked about it yesterday during dinner.”

“Yes, I remember that.” Seokmin chirps in to agree with Shua hyung. “Maybe it was when Jihoon was washing the dishes.”

“I was washing the dishes. He was just drying them while I was the one doing the hard labour,” I say the moment they try to give credit to him for something I did.

“Look, drying the dishes is as important as washing them,” Jihoon says, turning towards me to glare.

I pinch Jihoon on his leg to make him shut up because he’s being annoying, again.

“Oi!”

“Did something happen?” I smirk.

“You pinched me.”

“I did? I would never do that.” I clutch my chest, pretending to be hurt by the not-so-false accusation. “We’re not into that kind of relationship in which we can pinch each other.”

“Aren’t they adorable? Look how they bicker.”

Upon hearing Joshua’s words, I pull myself together and I remind myself that nobody but Seokmin knows the truth. I sit straighter than before but then I look at Wonwoo and remember that I’m not that straight.
He’s looking outside the window and his jawline is so sharp I bet he can cut everything with that. He looks like he’s straight (I hope he's not) out of a music video, the sunlight making him glow up.
I don’t have the time to look away when he turns towards me and smiles at me. I melt at how sweet and cool he looks right now, the light behind him creating a kind of aura around his figure.

He is an angel, I swear.

I take the chance to start a conversation with him and I’m so glad we’re stuck in traffic so we can talk a little bit more while we get to Mingyu’s house. Sometimes, I spare a glance in Jihoon’s direction as he has been silent since Joshua’s remark but he doesn’t seem interested in any conversation be it Joshua and Seokmin’s one or Wonwoo and mine. He’s just there, tapping his fingers on his leg to an inaudible tune that’s probably playing in his head.

After more or less fifteen minutes, we are at Mingyu’s. Seungkwan is welcoming us at the door.

“Boys, you did it!” He says, hugging Seokmin who’s at the front of the group. “I almost thought you had given up on our plan.”

“Plan? What plan?” Jihoon says, emerging from behind Joshua and Seokmin.

“The rehearsal’s plan, of course!” Joshua hysterically laughs and pushes Seungkwan inside.

“The others are already in the garage?” Wonwoo asks to change the topic of the conversation.

“Yes, hyung. Follow me, y’all!”

We follow Seungkwan into the garage where we find everyone sitting on the floor in a circle, mumbling and whispering things. The mood is a little bit awkward as we walk in there because they were probably hiding something from us but I don’t want to overthink it. Maybe Jihoon and I are being too paranoid as we are on our guard, afraid of them finding out the truth and shatter Joshua’s happiness. That’s why I don’t pry too much in it and decide to just enjoy this moment. It’s the first time Seokmin and I see them singing live and we are so excited.
The boys get their instruments and, when they’re ready, Jihoon gives the tempo with his drumsticks. I immediately recognise the song. It’s the one Joshua often talks about since the moment I said I really liked it. He said that this is one of the first pieces Jihoon had composed and if you could hear it, you would agree with people calling him a genius composer.
They all look so energetic and it’s good to see how much passion they put in their music. It looks as if they’re already performing and not just rehearsing.

I have to admit it, watching them live it’s really different than listening to their songs on my phone. You can really feel from the way they play that music it’s what they live for.

After almost two hours, the boys take a break to rest a little. Seokmin and I get closer to them, eyes sparkling.

“Hyung! I would like to say that you are good but…” I take a dramatic pause because I live for Joshua’s panicked and scared face. “...it wouldn’t be enough. You are amazing!”

Joshua, who was holding his breath, visibly relaxes. “Did you had any doubts about that?”

“Never had.” I smile at him.

“I have to agree with him,” Seokmin adds, going to Joshua’s side.

“It’s so obvious that every single one of you loves music! All your feelings and the unspoken words are all held in your songs and one can feel it.” I can’t contain my excitement as I flail my hands left and right.

“Too many compliments, these boys will end up getting swelled heads.” Seungcheol snickers.

“But it’s true! You were fantastic!” Seokmin claps his hands in a seal-like way.

“What do you think about our voices?” Jeonghan plops himself on the couch in there, right next to Seokmin.

“We love them!” Seokmin takes Jeonghan’s hand as he answers, gaining a glare from both Joshua and Seungcheol. However, he doesn’t notice that.

“True! The vocals were good and stable.” I look at Wonwoo and then add, “I especially liked the rapping.”

“Stop it or you’ll make us blush.” Wonwoo says, kind of flustered as he dries his sweaty forehead with a towel. He had been so hype while rapping.

“You know, Soonyoung is maybe too shy to admit it but he loves our maknae’s voice,” Joshua says, that evil smirk appearing again.

“Uh?” Jihoon looks confused.

“Hyung?” The words ‘what the fuck are you doing’ lingering there as I glare at him.

“C’mon, you always say that you like Jihoon’s voice a lot!” Joshua walks over where I am sitting to ruffle my hair.

“Let’s not exaggerate.”