Chapter Text
— Yoon Jeonghan has always liked his best friend, since elementary school. His love's name was Choi Seungcheol, the boy of his most desired dreams, from which he would never want to wake up.
— He would have cut his hair, but ever since Choi complimented his long locks, the blond has never gone near a pair of scissors again. His natural hair was beautiful, the brown the color of the sweetest chocolate you could imagine. But Choi once said that he would rather be with someone with blonde hair, so Yoon didn't think twice about bleaching it.
— Jeonghan never thought he would have a chance with his old crush, never. Constantly asking his friends for help, but always hearing the same advice. "Go for it, Hannie." "Ask him out already!" "The worst you can get is a no."
— His biggest supporter in this love mess was Xu Minghao, who never let him get shaken. He was even the one who set up their first date, where they finally left dating.
— The blond arrived at Minghao's house extremely excited, quickly opening the door, where he came face to face with his other three friends, Seokmin, Seungkwan and Joshua. "I'm dating!" He exclaimed happily. After that, celebratory screams that could probably be heard throughout the neighborhood came from the Chinese man's house. The friends celebrated all night, opened champagne, talked (a lot of) shit, and congratulated their friend, now engaged. Jeonghan could easily say that everything was perfect, after all, they were all happy, weren't they?
— As the days passed, their dream relationship got better and better. The couple went out everywhere, talked almost all the time... Yoon really didn't want to wake up, but the bucket of cold water can arrive at any moment. Any moment. Jeonghan was getting ready, after all he was going out with his beloved again, they were going to a party. He put on one of his best clothes, a denim jacket, a white buttoned shirt, high-waisted jeans, black and white sneakers and your favorite black cap. He looked in the mirror for the last time, and smiled with satisfaction. It was one of those times when he thought he was stylish enough to be walking with Seungcheol, there were frequent times when the boy found himself thinking like a fifteen-year-old teenager. He left home, took an Uber and went to the agreed place, bumping into Choi, who was waiting for him at the door of the place. Even with the door closed, the music was still audible, it was pop, he loves pop. The neon lights were also visible.
— The night wasn't as cold as usual, which pleased Seungcheol, who wasn't a big fan of the cold. Jeonghan, on the other hand, hated the mild weather, as it prevented him from making excuses to snuggle up on her short-term boyfriend. The silence between the two was not very comfortable, but neither of them dared to say anything, they wanted to save energy for the long-awaited party that night.
— Entering the party, the blond realized that there were more people than expected, which caused him some distrust, or perhaps insecurity. The couple entered that crowded place, and soon the youngest completely forgot why he hadn't liked being there initially. They had fun together for long minutes, until Yoon lost sight of his partner, then despair took over him, he went looking all over the place. Relieved, he found him turned around, with a glass in his hand, and for a moment, he thought it was better not to have found him there, laughing. Laughing with another man, a very handsome one at that, which didn't make the situation he found himself in any better. Jealous, he immediately approached the two, wanting to calm down quickly, before he did something crazy. He quickly grabbed his lover's shoulder and said harshly:
- Choi Seung Cheol.
- Hannie?
- Who...
- This is Kim Mingyu, my childhood friend, we studied together in high school! It's quite a coincidence to meet him here, don't you think?
- Yes, indeed...
— Time seemed to pass more slowly every time Jeonghan looked at the two of them. With every small interaction they had, the hatred he accumulated only increased.
— As soon as people started to leave, the blond quickly left the party, without even telling his boyfriend, who he had already lost sight of a few minutes ago. He didn't say a word as he walked home, overcome by the burning feeling that was bubbling inside him. Every time he tried to push the thoughts aside, they came back stronger and stronger. And as much as he knew his boyfriend was faithful (or so he wanted to believe), the retroactive jealousy wouldn't go away. "What would they have done back then? Did they date? Or did they like each other?" "Would they have had sex?" All these questions filled the boy's head, and he knew he wouldn't have the answer. He got home and played with his cell phone a little, trying to suppress all the considerations he had made that night. He looked at the date, 11/7... What did that date mean? A click occurred in his head. "Minghao's birthday." The previous memories were filled with guilt, how could he forget his best friend's birthday? Who had always been with him! The Chinese man wasn't one to celebrate, but a cake would have been welcome... He decided to send a message.
Happy birthday, Hao!
- Good night, Jeonghan
Minghao never called him by his name
- I'm sorry man, I swear I didn't mean to forget
- Don't worry, seriously, I already knew you were going out with Cheol. Besides, why are you texting me so early if you were going to a party? It's not even midnight.
- I wasn't feeling well
- Do you want to talk?
- I'm fine, don't worry
...
- Did you buy me at least one present?
- No... I'm sorry
- It's okay, Han
Yoon felt terrible. A terrible friend, a terrible person, terrible to the world. What kind of person wouldn’t even buy a chocolate for their friend on their birthday? And yet, Minghao didn't blame him for anything, he understood all the problems. The long-haired boy couldn't understand why his classmate was so understanding, seriously, he had his birthday forgotten, and he was still trying to comfort someone else who had a stupid disagreement with her boyfriend and another high school bum. Hao was a great friend.