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❤
“i told you, i’m not going.”
“and i told you that you were,” jungwon gets an armful of black leather pants and sunoo’s favorite combat boots.
jungwon sighs, he knows that as a sophomore he’s supposed to and, even expected to go to every party, but he’s not ready. it’s only been two weeks. he’s allowed to feel like shit still.
“i know, i know. you still feel like shit. it’s only been two weeks,” sunoo smiles and gives a half-assed attempt at a hug, “i’m aware of how you feel. we live together, i’ve seen you.”
“if you did, you wouldn't be asking me to go to soobin’s party.” jungwon knows he’s gonna be there, he always is. sunoo and him are only friends with soobin because of him. “if i see him i’m gonna get even more emo, i don’t think you want me to stop showering or something drastic like that.”
sunoo is at his limit, jungwon can tell that much. he’s been a great friend through his… what even was that he was going through? according to sunghoon’s words it wasn’t even a full-blown break-up, but why does it feel like one?
“jungwonie, baby, if you ever try to stop showering, i’ll kick you out,” jungwon gives a sad nod. “but you need to stop this, whatever it is. he’s an asshole but we kinda share the same group of friends. are you going to like, stop showing up to class because of him when the school year starts next week?”
he flinches, he hadn’t thought about it. sunghoon and him at the peak of their relationship had scheduled a few classes together. 'that way we can see each other more often, baby' sunghoon had said with a smile. now it’s too late to even attempt to rearranged his schedule.
“no, i know i’m going to see him at some point,” tonight is just not going to be it. “but you can go, i know you’ve been looking forward to the first party of the year.”
“yeah, but only because i wanna go with you, you’re my best friend!” sunoo takes his clothes out of jungwon’s grip, sits down on their couch and pats the seat next to him.
“if you really don’t want to go that’s okay, i just want to know why. you came two weeks ago crying saying sunghoon was an asshole and never told me why. i never asked because contrary to popular belief, i do know when to shut up. but i need to know, that way at least we can both curse him out while we drink some wine or something.”
sunoo is right, he normally is. jungwon didn’t say anything because he was embarrassed and confused, but he owes it to sunoo to tell him what happened.
jungwon and sunghoon started to hook up at the end of the former freshman year. when they found out they were going to be the only two out of their group to stay in the city throughout
the summer break, sunghoon invited him to stay in his apartment. jungwon couldn’t believe his luck. he had been crushing on sunghoon for the better part of the year but to be able to be with him whenever he wanted was something he couldn’t have imagined, not even in his wildest dreams.
they were in his own little world for two months. two beautiful, dreamlike months. jungwon was, and still is, a rather shy person so when sunoo would ask him how his break was he wouldn't lie, but he never straight up told him he wasn’t at their apartment. he just told him he was a lot more entertained than he had first thought.
when sunoo was scheduled to come back, jungwon knew it was time to go back to his apartment. happy as he was with sunghoon he had missed his best friend and he thought, like a loser, that whatever they had going on would still be there even if he wasn’t at arm’s length from sunghoon at all times. he was wrong.
after two days back in his apartment, jungwon woke up with a killer hangover, courtesy of sunoo’s wine and a feeling in his gut telling him something was wrong. he had texted sunghoon the night before while he was drunk but he still hadn’t replied. jungwon wasn’t about to flip just because of a few hours of radio silence, but he could tell something was up.
and up it was, when he went to check on instagram he saw that sunghoon had posted. sunghoon always uploaded a story with the obnoxious "new post" sticker to alert his followers, 'instagram’s algorithm is fucked, jungwonie. i don’t want my photos to go unnoticed'. this time around was no different except there was a bunch of hearts surrounding the photo as well. when he clicked on the post his stomach dropped. there he was, sunghoon in all his black and white glory, chiseled jaw and hooded eyes. an alluring picture but what almost made jungwon threw up was the photo on the next slide. sunghoon kissing someone. sunghoon kissing a girl.
mine. read the caption. jungwon didn’t understand what was happening. could sunghoon have found a whole new girlfriend in two days? while they were together he hadn't posted anything with him, but jungwon knew how important was the aesthetic of his feed to sunghoon and it wasn’t like he cared about other people knowing his business either.
“what? why didn’t you tell me, bitch?” sunoo’s eyes are about to fall out his sockets. “that pig, what did he say when you confronted him?”
“i was ashamed, i don’t know. nobody knew, i should've told you,” that should have been a red fucking flag, why didn’t he say anything to his friends? why did he feel like he couldn’t or rather shouldn't? “i called him after i saw the photo, he was so nonchalant about it. he told me he didn’t think we were that serious and that i was freaking out about nothing. he has a girlfriend and i’m super cute, but not for him.”
“we have to go to that party jungwon, we fucking do.”
“are you still on that? what happened to cursing him out over wine?” that plan sounds a thousand times better than seeing sunghoon and his girlfriend, whose name he still doesn’t know.
“bitch, you’re not moping about him anymore, he’s not worth it. we can have wine tomorrow.” jungwon was back to square one, with an armful of leather pants and sunoo’s favorite combat boots. “he doesn’t care, you shouldn’t either!”
“ouch, that was so considerate. i know he doesn't care about me, thank you very much!”
“we are going, we are getting white girl wasted and then we are having a nice greasy burger,” okay, but a burger sounds so good, maybe some french fries and a large coke could cure his heartache.
“only if you pay.”
“oh my god, i’ll pay for all the burgers in the world if you come. i won’t leave your side, i promise! we’ll have the best time!”
❤
sunoo was a filthy fucking liar, and a shitty friend.
not really, but jungwon is drunk and alone sipping his fourth vodka soda in soobin’s kitchen wishing to be anywhere but here. a burger king will be the best case scenario but he could settle for wendy’s, he is not picky.
a tap on his shoulder reminds him he is in fact facing the fridge like a lunatic, reading soobin and yeonjun’s grocery lists over and over again. he moves out the way without making eye contact.
“sorry,” comes a lot clearer than expected. at least he’s not mumbling.
“you’re good man,” fuck, he knows that voice. “jungwon?”
“hi, jake” he tries to smile, but he knows it looks a lot more like a grimace that he would like.
“how are you? i haven’t seen you since last semester!” jake is sunghoon’s best friend, his right hand. where one is the other is close behind. they’re known in campus because they’re the only reason anyone shows up to the university soccer matches. jungwon is guilty of that one. “you look really nice, i like how you styled your hair.”
jake is nice, a lot nicer than sunghoon could ever be. even though they move around the same circle of friends, jungwon has never held a meaningful or long conversation with him. probably because he was always losing himself in sunghoon’s eyes like the dumb bitch he is. where sunghoon is chatty and sarcastic, jake is quiet and all smiles. he always makes a point to let people know he’s listening when they’re telling something or to tip a little bit more at bars where he knows college students work. he’s loaded but he’s nice about it.
“thank you, sunoo did it,” he wants to talk to jake. he genuinely likes him, but at any given moment sunghoon could appear and he would have to remind himself how he cried on the phone asking the older for an explanation of an instagram post. he’s not about to be humiliated again.
“sunoo is here too? we should hang out soon, before the year actually starts and we can’t.” yeah, right, as if jungwon is going to willingly hang out with sunghoon ever again. he’s not going to tell jake that, though.
“yeah, you have my number. text me.”
“i actually don’t have it. i think this is the first time we've talked one on one since we’ve met.” and it should sound weird or make the conversation awkward , but jake’s smile is so big and welcoming that jungwon almost believes that the older feels bad about the fact they’ve never talked just the two of them.
“ha ha, yeah. we haven’t really, no.” well, someone has to make it awkward. jungwon is nice enough to be the one to do it. jungwon downs his vodka soda in one go and grabs a hard seltzer from the fridge. someone has to be the sloppy drunk at this party, jungwon is so nice. people should thank him.
“hey, wanna grab me one of those? we can go out back and chat a little, if you want.” he does, he does want to chat a little or whatever with jake. he just needs to be drunk enough to face sunghoon, and if he keeps hanging out with him the former is bound to appear.
“yeah, here,” he remembers jake once saying he hates watermelon so he passes him a cherry one and grabs a canned wine. he downs the hard seltzer and throws the can in the general direction of the trash. he knows by the metallic noise he hears that he didn't make it.
“woah, are you trying to get fucked up? it’s not even twelve yet, buddy.”
“yeah, i’m trying to get fucked up. this is your queue to leave if you want to, buddy” he knows jake didn’t say it in a condescending way, but he’s dumb and drunk. obviously, jake is not offended, he laughs and grabs another canned wine, and a tito’s bottle that has less than half in it.
“okay, let’s get fucked up, then, jungwonie.”
❤
“so, how was your break?” they are sitting in soobin’s outdoor chairs. he can see out of the corner of his eyes a few classmates, but the party is almost filled with seniors. soobin is one, after all.
“break was good, nothing much. i had to stay here because my family couldn’t afford to fly me back this time around,” jungwon hadn’t really cared when he was told that information. he had been back home for winter break, which was way more important to him than the summer one.
“oh, i’m sorry about that, jungwonie.”
“don’t be, i had to take a summer class, so it all turned out good in the end,” except for the fact that i thought me and your best friend were dating or something, only to found out he had a girlfriend the whole time or was able to find one in the span of three days. jungwon smiles and drinks a little more of his wine.
“sunghoon stayed here too, i don’t know if you knew,” oh, jungwon knew. “i’m pretty sure he did it just to avoid travelling all the way back to his parents’ house.” that, also jungwon knew.
'no, i could have gone back, jungwonie. i just didn’t want to. my parents moved out to the middle of nowhere in europe in my freshman year. it takes me 46 hours to get there and like three planes rides. i can only make that effort once a year.'
“did you guys see each other or something?” or something.
“mhm,” he doesn’t want to lie to jake, so downing his wine is the only answer he’ll give him.
“what did you do? i saw a few of your stories, but i couldn’t make out where you where?” more like he couldn’t count, one story would be jake and his older brother in a place full of snow and big trees and the very next one jake and what it looked like his mom on the beach with the clearest water he had seen. he knew they weren’t memories jake was posting, he knew jake was travelling all over the place, going from winter to summer like it was nothing.
“oh, my family and i decided to tackle a few places on our bucket lists, so we went to bariloche, in argentina, barbados and london, it was really fun!”
“those places are so random, why would you guys go from one season to another?” maybe it was a filthy rich thing his middle class brain couldn’t comprehend.
“oh, i don't know, we like to do that?.” jake's laugh fills the little patio and jungwon looks at him funny. “it has an explanation lot more cheesy that i would like to admit, so let’s just say we like to travel like crazy people, okay?”
“i think it’s just a filthy rich people thing more than a psychopath thing,” jake starts to laugh again and jungwon follows, his brain to mouth filter has finally given up on him.
“yeah, that too, i guess.” conversation flows so easily that jungwon is regretting not talking to jake sooner.
jake takes the tito’s bottle and pours a little into the cap. “wanna do shots? i’ll probably end up puking but it’s a risk i’m willing to take.”
does he? he shouldn’t, he’s already drunk. he knows he has a high tolerance to alcohol but doing shots is playing with his luck.
“yeah, why not?”
six bottle-cap shots later and jungwon is drunk. drunk enough to be mumbling, drunk enough that he is resting his head on jake’s shoulder while the older tells him something about his trip. jake is no better, he told jungwon he’s a lightweight and he is. after his third shot he was already laughing at everything and anything. jungwon thinks he’s cute, really cute.
“i think you’re really cute too, a lot more than cute even,” yeah, brain to mouth filter has left the chat, fuck.
“thank you, jake.”
“i always have. i remember telling jay about you, but he told me not get my hopes up,” jake sounds a little sad. really fucking drunk but sad.
“why did jay tell you that?”
“he thinks you have a crush on sunghoon, i also think that, i see how you look at him,” just his luck, he thought he was subtle about it. apparently he wasn’t.
“oh, fuck, i’m too drunk to talk about this, jake.”
“i know, i’m probably way more drunk than you. i just wanted to tell you, i saw you in the kitchen and you just looked so sad i wanted to approach you. i’ve tried to talk to you before but you were either too busy running around campus or we were all together. i like that you came here, i like yo-” jungwon can’t listen to the end of that. not right now.
“i didn’t want to come, sunoo forced me to, then he ditched me for soobin’s cousin,” that traitor.
“oh shit! really? riki? he’s going to be a freshman this year,” jungwon nods, he doesn’t want to talk about how jake apparently feels about him, but he’s not that lucky. “why you didn’t want to come? you’re friends with soobin, he’s nice.”
“i am and he is, but i didn’t want to come because sunghoon is here,” he just can’t shut up, can he?
“he is, he came with yuna, oh.” yuna, that’s her name. “you saw the picture, right? he was waiting until summer break ended to make it official. if you like him i can see that hurting you.”
“yeah, i saw the picture.” so, not even sunghoon's best friend knew they had passed summer break together, why did it hurt so much?
“i’m sorry about that, i don’t know what i can do to make you feel better.”
“you don’t have to do anything, jake. thank you for offering, though.” jungwon lifts his head from jake's shoulder and stands up. “i’m gonna grab a water, do you want one?”
“yeah, i do, thank you.” jake smiles so big, he looks like a puppy. “my mom says i look like a puppy, too.” fuck, would he shut the fuck up?
“yeah, i need that fucking water, be right back.”
the kitchen is filled now, sunoo is there with who he now knows is riki, soobin and yeonjun. there are a few more but jungwon is too drunk to try and tell who they are, he doesn’t really care.
“jungwonie, baby, there you are!” sunoo hugs him and he smells like someone dropped ten liters of tequila on him, also like lemon. “where were you?”
“i could ask you the same thing, grab me two water bottles. please.” sunoo lifts an eyebrow but obligates.
“jungwon, how was break? sunoo told us you stayed,” if he didn’t know better he would think yeonjun and soobin were sewn together. he hates love. he also hates being drunk enough to even think about hating his friends’ relationship.
“break was a fucking disaster, but i’m everything but weak, so i’m back on my feet like the back independent bitch that i am.” jungwon attempts to leave only to stumble with fucking air.
“you are funny,” riki is nice enough to grab the water bottles he dropped. nice kid.
“and you are riki, i saw you exchanging spit with sunoo not long ago. be nice. because i’m not afraid to throw hands even if you’re like seven feet tall.” everyone laughs and jungwon frowns. he might be the shortest in this tiny kitchen but he did taekwondo for seven years, he could wreck them if he wanted to.
“you are so funny, i like you.” riki smiles and opens a water for him. okay, maybe he also likes riki.
“i’m going outside now, sunoo i expect those burgers when i’m done sobering up. correct?”
“sure thing! see you later, jungwonie.”
“burgers? can i go with you guys? a burger sounds so nice!” that’s definitely riki, he's probably tagging along but jungwon is out of the kitchen and not paying for his burger.
when he’s outside again he regrets leaving the kitchen. sunghoon is there, trying to make jake stand up and jake is trying really hard to remain seated. jungwon is about to leave the house, the city, even the country when jake sees him.
“jungwonie! you’re back! why did you take so long?”
sunghoon turns around and looks at him. jungwon is half-expecting a glare, a nasty look, something that could show him that sunghoon cares about him being here with his best friend, but nope. sunghoon sighs and lets jake sit back down and takes the place next to him.
“i was talking with the guys. sorry, here's your water.” jake smiles at him and then looks at sunghoon. sunghoon sighs again and takes the water from jungwon’s hold only to open it and make an appearing act of a straw. he holds the bottle for his best friend while jake sips happily looking at jungwon.
“i always take care of him when he’s drunk. it’s only fair, right?”
jungwon nods. he knows he should probably leave, he still feels drunk but the sad type of drunk. the one where you sing sad songs while you eat ice cream type of drunk.
“well, i’m going to leave you guys to it, then. see you jake.” jake stands up so fast he almost falls, sunghoon is fast to catch him.
“why? it’s not that late. you haven’t given me your number!” jake is pouting, he really does look like a puppy. thankfully, this time jungwon doesn’t say it out loud.
“i have his number jake, let him go. we should probably go as well, buddy.” jungwon haven’t heard his voice in a few weeks but it feels like it’s been years. fucking sunghoon and his raspy, sexy voice.
“why do you have his number? you knew i wanted it! jungwon, don’t go.”
“jake, shut up. jungwon you can go, really. you staying here is only making things harder for me, as you can see. we have to get going.”
“well, i happen to want to speak to jake some more. so move, we were having a nice conversation.” jungwon would love to be the bigger person, to be able to say 'yeah, you’re right. bye sunghoon, sorry for existing' and leave but he’s a petty and drunk. he sits down and jake is quick to follow him.
“god, really jungwon?”
“really what, asshole?”
“i thought i made it clear. you don’t have to drag jake to play whatever game you’re trying to play here.” play what game? jungwon just didn’t want sunghoon to tell him what to do, he is not a piece of shit.
“play what? i don’t know you what you mean, i was talking to jake because he’s my friend. i, for one, don’t have ulterior motives,” and he doesn’t, he likes jake. he’s sure jake was trying to spill his feelings to him because he is really fucking drunk. before that he was having a good time, a good laugh, he felt better than he had in the last two weeks. he wasn’t thinking about sunghoon, well not that much.
“jungwon, please. i have a girlfriend. i told you that i wasn’t going to break up with her for you. not then and certainly, not now.” jungwon asked him to do that while he was crying, he didn’t mean it. what a fucking low blow.
“what the fuck?” jake looks really confused and irritated. “jungwon is the boy you told me about? dude, what's your problem?”
“my problem is that i’m your ride home and you don’t want to leave, let’s go. i’ll explain tomorrow morning.”
“what did he say? jake, what did he say about me?”
“jungwonie, i think i shouldn’t tell you becau-” jake stops and runs into the backyard of the apartment complex to, as he had warned jungwon, puke his brains out. jungwon is quick to follow to pat his back, and hold his flannel so it doesn’t end up with puke on it.
“great, really, this is great. thank you so much, jungwon.”
“sunghoon, could shut the fuck up? if you don’t want to help that’s okay just shut up.”
“you don’t have to do this, i’ll take care of him. he’s my responsibility, not yours. you can leave.”
jake pukes what it looks like a bell pepper and jungwon gags a little. he can do this, he’s 19. he has taken care of sunoo before, granted sunoo chews his food a lot more than jake seems to do but he doesn’t want to leave him with sunghoon when he looked so mad at him a few moments ago.
jake stops puking while jungwon rubs circles on his back. he takes a big breath and ask for a little water with his voice sounding really rough. sunghoon gives it to him and jake downs the whole thing in seconds.
“sunghoon, i think you should go home or something. i don’t wanna see you right now.”
“jake, please, we can talk about this tomorrow. you’re full of it if you think i’m going to let you here drunk.”
“you can come to my apartment if you want, we have a big couch,” jungwon knows sunoo won’t mind and he does own a big couch.
“jungwon, buddy, this is between me and jake. you should’ve left when you brought him the water. please leave.”
jungwon is really thinking about punching sunghoon. he keeps on talking to him like he is a five-year-old who was denied a cookie after dinner. he can take being ignored but not the condescending tone he is receiving. he takes a big breath, looks at the sky and counts to 5. he’s not going to punch anyone. he’s a nice guy, a respected member of society.
“sunghoon, i think we should listen to jake. he doesn’t want to go with you. i can look after him tonight and tomorrow he can go to you guys’ apartment, when he feels ready to do it.”
“i don’t wanna be a bother, jungwon.” jake sounds a lot more sober, puking always seems to do the trick. “i’ll ask heeseung if i can stay with him.”
“heeseung and jay already left, together. c’mon jake, you’re being dramatic. i won’t bother you, you can have the whole apartment to yourself. i’ll leave after you’re home safe.”
“well, i’ll ask beomgyu, then.”
“he's with taehyun, i told you he would make his move tonight. you don’t wanna ruin that.” jake looks like he knows sunghoon's right but rolls his eyes nonetheless.
“you won’t be a bother and sunoo won’t mind, you’re our friend. you can stay.”
“are you sure?”
“yeah. i wouldn’t have said anything if i wasn’t.”
“okay.”
“jake, you need to do your skincare routine before bed, you need to have an advil and eat a few pieces of toast. i don’t want you to wake up tomorrow feeling like shit.”
“sunghoon, i’m going to wake up feeling like shit regardless, thanks to you may i add. jungwon, can you put your address on my uber app? i want to leave.” jungwon takes the phone and asks for the ride, he texts sunoo from his.
jungwonʕ •ᴥ•ʔ
i’m going home, jake is staying the night
we called an uber
you’re only allowed back in the apartment if you have burgers with you
burger king or wendys, i’m not picky
sunooʕง•ᴥ•ʔง
okay? why is jake staying tho
you want me to leave you guys like…
alone?
jungwonʕ •ᴥ•ʔ
lol
no
i’ll tell you when you’re back at the apartment
sunooʕง•ᴥ•ʔง
well, in that case riki is coming too
he wants burgers
jungwonʕ •ᴥ•ʔ
k
fifteen minutes later their ride arrives. they don’t go back inside, jake looks sulky and a little too white so they decide it’s better to just leave without saying goodbye. it’s not like anyone came back looking for them. sunghoon is trailing behind them, making sure jake leaves safely, even if it isn’t with him. if jungwon didn’t know better he would think sunghoon is a really nice person, maybe he is. not to him, though.
“text me if you want me to pick you up tomorrow.”
“bye sunghoon. i won’t but, thank you.”
once inside their uber jungwon can see sunghoon going back to the patio, he’s probably going to enter the apartment from the back door.
“i’m sorry it got so messy back there.”
“don’t, it’s okay, happens to the best of us.”
“i wasn’t talking about me puking.”
well shit, jungwon hopes he was. he wants to know why jake got so mad he didn’t even want to go back to his apartment with sunghoon. he has known jake for a year and not even once has he heard someone talk about him getting mad. he looks mad rigth now. jungwon is dying to know what did sunghoon said about him. he knows better than to ask now.
when they arrive to his apartment jungwon asks jake if he wants a ginger tea. it’s great for hangovers and after the night of drinking they surely need it.
“i can make a toast, too. sunoo only eats whole grain bread, though. it’s a little nasty.”
“sunghoon was being annoying. i eat toast when i’m drunk because i want to avoid puking. it’s a little late to try to prevent that from happening. tea's fine.”
they wait for the water to boil in silence and then sit at the table once jungwon has served everything.
“sorry, really jungwon, you shouldn’t be babying me.”
“you don't need to apologize. if i didn’t want to do it i would have left you there with sunghoon.”
“but you didn’t.”
“but i didn’t, you didn’t want to go with him. you looked like you were about to punch him.”
“i was, if i hadn’t puked i would have.” jungwon smiles. jake wouldn’t have punched sunghoon, they both know that. “you looked like you were going to punch him, too.”
“oh my god, i was but he’s not worth it.”
“he’s not jungwon. i didn’t know you were the guy he spent the summer with in our apartment.”
“but you did know there was someone, right?” jake sighs and nods, he looks sad but really pissed off. like he can’t choose between the two emotions.
“there always is. he only goes back home for the winter holidays, since freshman year he stays in the apartment during the summer. he doesn’t like to be alone so he invites someone over to keep him company.”
“why didn’t he invite yuna?” why me? he wants to ask. it does make sense not wanting to be alone during the summer, jungwon gets that, but why wasn't sunghoon upfront about it? why did he act like they were boyfriends? why did he wanted to match the two classes they share? why?
“he’s been trying to date yuna for months, before winter even. she kept on giving him excuses, i think she was testing if he was sure about her. when the school year ended and yuna was going back home, sunghoon told me he wasn’t about to spend his summer alone waiting for her. he never tells me who he spends it with and i don’t care, as long they’re gone by the time i come home.”
jungwon can also get that, he gets it. but it hurts.
“i told him i was staying here during the sumer at jeno’s end of semester party. then he invited me back to his apartment and a week later he was like why don’t you stay here, it’s not like there’s anyone else.”
“i wasn’t here anymore for jeno's party. he hates being alone, like a lot. you probably realized that, jungwon.”
“yeah, i could tell. he would text me a lot during my summer classes. he always wanted to be doing something. i thought it was because he liked me.”
“i’m sorry.”
“it’s okay, you didn’t do anything. it’s not like you knew.”
“no, i didn’t. i would have told you if i did, i know how much you like him.”
“how much i liked him. after today i don’t think i can look at him and don’t want to tear him a new asshole or something violent like that.” he’s a respected member of society, he won’t.
“he’s really stupid. i think he hates the fact that his parents moved out so far away from him without warning more than he lets me know of. he’s a great friend he just sucks at relationships.”
“what did he say about me, jake?”
“i don't want to hurt you, it’s better if you don’t know.”
“i need to, i’m not going to ask him but i should know, it’s about me.”
“but it’s not true, he said stupid shit, why would i tell you something to hurt you that it’s not even true?”
“because it’s about me? if you think it’s not true then it won't hurt that much.” he’s a filthy liar just like sunoo. he knows whatever jake says it’s going to hurt, a lot, because it was sunghoon who said it. sunghoon, who he spent the whole summer with. sunghoon, the boy he had a huge crush on for most if not all of freshman year. sunghoon, the guy that today didn’t even look at him twice.
“at first, he told me he found a nice guy at jeno’s party, someone lowkey. he was still going to try to date yuna once she was back. then, he told the guy was even better because he was also staying for the summer. i was happy for him, after that we would just talk about normal stuff, he would update me about our landlord, send me screenshots about yuna asking me for advice.
we normally don’t talk about the person that stays in the apartment, because like i told you, i don’t care. when i got back he did have a lot of stuff to say, he told me yuna came back a week before scheduled because she was ready to date him. then told me the guy that had spent the summer with had called him crying after his picture with yuna. that you were demanding answers and for him to break up with her because you thought you guys were dating. he laughed and told me he wouldn’t want to date him anyways, he thought he had been obvious about the fact that it was only a summer thing. he showed me your texts, the ones you sent him to try to get him to talk to you. he said a lot of mean shit, i’m not going to repeat it because you look like you’re about to cry.”
jungwon was about to. it wasn’t nothing he hadn’t figured out by now, he was obviously a placeholder, that much he could tell after seeing the multiples stories sunghoon uploaded of him and yuna,. sometimes going to the same places they went.
but it was different hearing someone else say it. sunghoon didn’t care about him, he hadn’t put a label to what they were doing but he didn’t think much of it. he didn’t text him the first few days after jungwon went back home, but jungwon saw that as sunghoon giving him and sunoo their space back after months apart. no, sunghoon just didn’t care about him, not even a little bit. not even to tell jake his name.
“what got me pissed off tonight, though, was the fact that it was you. i don’t want to be mean but everybody in our group can tell you like him.” jungwon nods, he was an obvious piece of shit.
“but he didn’t care and used you either way, that’s fucked up.”
“it’s not, him not liking me back, it's not fucked up.”
“it’s fucked up to do something that he knew was going to hurt you.”
“jake, thank you for telling me, really. but i don’t want you guys to fight because you think he hurt my feelings.”
“that’s not why i’m mad at him. well, not entirely.”
“why are you mad at him?”
“i don’t remember much what i said tonight, but i do like you, jungwon, a lot. whenever we hang out with our friends i get so happy when you’re there. you’re funny, witty and super cute. when i was ready to ask you out, jay told me not to do it. he told me to look past how cute i thought you were and actually try and see who you were doing heart eyes to. it was sunghoon. i was really bummed out after realizing how much you liked him. but it was too late, i was already crushing on you. i talked to sunghoon a few weeks before finals last semester and he told me he wasn’t interest. he was set on yuna, so i thougth maybe i could try and ask you out and see if you could like me as well.”
“i didn’t know you felt that way about me.” jake was well liked, everybody knew of him but he wasn’t cocky about it. jungwon had never even given him a glance because he thought sunghoon was the only one for him, how wrong he was.
“i still feel that way, i kow you’re not my property but i’m so mad sunghoon did that to you and in turn did that to me as well. he didn’t care about my feelings nor yours.”
jungwon is about to answer that he is mad sunghoon did that to them as well, when the front door opens and sunoo, riki and what it looks like three bags of burger king enter the apartment.
“oh my god guys, you wouldn’t believe the line there was back at burger king. the whole fucking campus was there.” sunoo sits beside jungwon and gives him a look. he can tell he was crying, more like about to, but his eyes bloodshot eyes speak for themselves. “everything alright?” he gives jake a look and jungwon knows he’s thinking the older is the one who made him upset enough to cry.
“yeah, jake was telling me about, you know.” sunoo is quick to understand and nods, smiles at jake and passes him a burger and portion of fries. riki sits down next to jake and gives him a large drink.
“jake, i didn’t see you at the party.”
“how do you know everyone? classes are yet to start.”
“jake and i go way back jungwonie, let me tell you…” jungwon feels a lot better, riki is nice to talk to and without even knowing he has eased the tension in the room.
jungwon learns riki is not only soobin’s cousin, he's also 17, graduated a year early because he’s apparently really fucking smart and knows jake from soccer camps when they were both younger. it’s also obvious he likes sunoo a lot if the way he keeps on stealing glances is anything to go by.
“well, riki, since you’re a child, you’re going to sleep on the couch.” riki looks upset but nods. while they were all eating riki was trying to feel sunoo up, but the latter told him he was fine with kissing him but he wasn’t going to sleep with a seventeen-year-old. “jake, you’re going to sleep with jungwon, right? he has a queen, so you guys should be fine.”
“sweet dreams riki, you’re on breakfast duty tomorrow.” jake enters jungwon’s room and goes straight to the bed. jungwon is glad jake is nice enough to not mention the disaster of clothes coming out his closet.
“this bed is really nice, like so soft.” jungwon looks for clothes to sleep for the both of them he’s still wearing leather pants and he’s ready to swap them for some sweats.
“thank you, it was my nineteenth birthday present. here, change into this. i’m going to the bathroom to wash my teeth. i know we have extra toothbrushes, or at least one so i’ll give it to you instead of riki. wait.”
once everything is settled, jake is in jungwon’s bed with the covers up to his ears and minty fresh breath thanks to the only extra toothbrush in the apartment. sorry riki. the lights are out and jungwon gets under the covers as well.
“thank you for the food, i’ll venmo you guys tomorrow.”
“don’t, it was sunoo’s money and he owes me. consider it my gift to you.”
“you’re really nice to hang out with jungwon, i’m mad this situation it’s the first time we do it just the two of us.”
“i’m not, i think i needed this. i’ve been dragging my feet for two weeks now, even if it was a little dramatic i needed it closure.”
“i hope we can see each other again, drama free.”
“we will.”
❤
hours later jungwon is saying goodbye to jake, he has stayed for the most part of the day, but he has to go and face the music at some point. he’s still mad at sunghoon but after talking, jungwon assures him he’s fine. they’re best friends even if sunghoon was a shitty one, he was still worried about jake and even texted sunoo to see if he had woken up alright. sunoo blocked him, he’s petty like that.
“thank you guys so much for letting me stay, i’ll let you know how it goes.”
“please do, you have my number now so you can text me anytime. you’re also welcomed back if after talking with him you’re still mad.”
“nah, the next time i see you has to be on a date. what do you think?” jake woke up with that in mind and now that sunghoon is not there to distract him, jungwon can clearly see how much jake likes him. how he looks at him, and maybe yesterday jungwon thought the loopy look that jake sent his way was product of the alcohol. but no, sober jake also looks at him like he thinks he hung the moon and the stars.
jungwon can see himself looking at jake just like that in no time.
“yeah, i’ll like that.”
“bye sunoo, bye riki.” jake kisses jungwon’s cheek. gives him a wink and leaves their aparment. jungwon closes the door and smiles.
“i like him so much more than the other asshole, jungwon. you should date him.”
“yeah, i should.”
“you should date me then, sunoo.”
“riki, we’ll talk about that when you’re not a fucking minor.”