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Jongseob had been sitting in the same spot with a glass cup full of water for some time already. It had been almost three hours since he had arrived at Keeho's place with the promise of a phenomenal party. And while the first hour had been filled with karaoke songs and dance competitions, by this point he felt like all his energy had been drained, even though he hadn't had a single drop of alcohol. To be fair, he had spent the whole day at the dance studio, and then he’d helped Taeyang with his move, so his tiredness was more than justified.
He set his glass of water down on the table next to him and let out a sigh as he let his body slide further into the couch. His gaze met Keeho's across the room and Keeho approached him with a smile and what appeared to be a glass of wine in his hand. Wine at a party, Keeho's sort of thing. Just like sitting on his lap without a care in the world. As he did so, he dropped half of his glass' contents on Jongseob's black shirt.
“Oops.” Keeho's voice didn't seem to hold any hint of guilt and Jongseob grimaced as he lowered his gaze to the wet spot on his clothes. “Are you bored?”
“A little.” Jongseob ran one of his hands over the spot on his shirt which was now soaked with alcohol and ran his other hand around Keeho's waist to keep him from falling over. He was sure that if not for that, Keeho would have ended up on the floor in a few seconds. “More tired than bored, really.”
“Understandable.” Keeho took a swig from his glass with shaking hands and splashed some of the drink on his own face. His friend's drunk state made him let out a small laugh as Keeho finished what was left in the glass. “Do you want to leave?”
“I don't know...”
“Do you want some alcohol so you can have fun?”
“If you want to carry some dead weight after I have a single drink.”
“Ugh, being a lightweight must suck.”
“Being an alcoholic must suck too.”
“Are you calling me an alcoholic, Kim Jongseob?” Keeho looked at him with a frown and fake indignation. Jongseob shrugged with a smile.
“Take it as you will, I just made a general statement.”
Keeho huffed and a few seconds later, with much effort, managed to leave Jongseob's lap to sit right next to him with a sigh. Jongseob took the opportunity to check his shirt, which at first glance had no signs of the accident, but without needing to get too close he could smell that it reeked of alcohol.
“Whatever, you don't have to stay if you don't want to.” Keeho's voice sounded surprisingly coherent despite his clear intoxication, and Jongseob couldn't help but admire his friend's alcohol tolerance. He sometimes envied that ability, though he believed that showing the effects of alcohol after a few sips was more of a blessing than a curse.
“It's not that I don't want to...”
“Look.” Keeho turned toward him and came up to his face as his alcoholic breath impacted his nostrils like a sharp blow. “If you're bored, Intak is in one of the rooms.”
The mention of Intak made his semblance change, and Keeho looked at him with a smirk as he leaned back on the couch.
“Where?”
“On the second floor, I don't remember which room now, you'll have to look.” Keeho closed his eyes and Jongseob feared his friend had fallen asleep until he spoke again. “Be careful, you may run into Taeyang and Jiung having sex.”
“Ew.”
“Sex is a natural process of life and parties, Jongseob.” Keeho gave him a soft smile and Jongseob knew as he saw his voice progressively lowered that he was going to fall asleep soon. “You should try it with Intak sometime.”
Jongseob ignored his friend's comment and got up from his seat to start walking toward the staircase to the second floor. It wasn't common to find people who owned houses with two floors – even more so with how difficult the real estate market was in Seoul – but Keeho's parents had money to support their entire group of friends for the rest of their twenties. For some reason, despite having absent parents and all the money anyone could want, Keeho had not ended up a spoiled, arrogant child, but had become a good man who tried to give as much as he could to the people around him.
Jongseob reached the staircase after evading at least three drunk people dancing in the halls and climbed up two steps at a time while trying to think of where he would find Intak. He put his ear close to the first two doors to avoid unpleasant incidents before opening them, and on the third try he came upon a room that had a short-haired man he would recognize anywhere. His back faced the door, his arms folded across his chest as he peered out the window with the light off.
“Intak?”
His friend turned toward the door and a big smile spread across his face when he saw Jongseob in the doorway. He motioned with his hand for him to come closer, and Jongseob obeyed as he closed the door behind him.
Jongseob walked towards Intak with a firm step. When he was close, he opened his arms and wrapped Intak gently as he breathed in his scent, which remained the same as always: lavender with a hint of strawberry.
“I missed you,” he said softly, and he could feel the vibrations of Intak's laughter as he reciprocated his embrace.
“We literally saw each other at the entrance.”
“Didn't you know I can't live a second without you?”
“You spend many hours of the day without me, Jongseob.”
“Painfully.”
Intak laughed again and put his hands on Jongseob's shoulders to put some space between them and look at Jongseob face to face. Jongseob raised his head a little, the difference in height made more pronounced by the heels Intak was wearing, and allowed himself to observe his friend's beauty for a few seconds. He had always thought Intak had features out of this world – like an angel who had fallen from heaven – his face chiseled like a beautiful ancient statue. Everything was perfect, from his profiled nose to his thin but perfectly framed eyebrows and long eyelashes framing his eyes like works of art worthy of hanging in an exhibition. Intak was a masterpiece, and Jongseob had let him know many times, always receiving the same shy response from his friend as the slight tint his cheeks took on only added to the perfection of his appearance.
“You're beautiful,” he blurted out loud and his friend smiled, soft and warm as only he could be.
“Thank you. You're not bad yourself either.” Intak raised one of his arms and brought one of his fingers up to Jongseob's nose to give it a light tap. “Boop.”
Jongseob let out a confused laugh and looked at his friend with a frown.
“What was that?”
“You're very cute, Jongseob. I want to eat you whole.”
“That doesn't sound very cute, actually.”
“Mmmm, maybe the double meaning was on purpose, we'll never know.”
Jongseob let out a laugh as he hid his face in Intak's chest. He felt comfortable there, safe, and Jongseob managed to completely forget any tiredness that had filled his body before finding his friend.
"I love you."
Jongseob felt Intak's breath on the top of his head and the pressure of his lips as he gave him a quick kiss.
"I love you too." Intak pulled back slightly and looked at him with a smile. "Do you mind if we lie down on the bed for a bit?"
"Buy me a coffee first."
Intak gave him a gentle hit on the shoulder before softly taking his hand and guiding him toward the bed in the darkness. His touch, though light, caused a tingling sensation across his skin, leaving a pleasant feeling in his stomach.
They both lay down on the bed, and Jongseob couldn't help but remember all the times they had been in the same position before. In high school, when they had just met, and Jongseob invited Intak to his house for the first time. In the military, when they ended up in the same division and on the first day, they lay under the stars before it was time to go to their bunks. Thousands of times during the two years they'd been in university after leaving the service. Being next to Intak had become almost a routine for him, like having breakfast or sleeping. He couldn't live a single day without seeing him.
"Jongseob, there's something I need to tell you."
"Yeah?" Jongseob turned onto his side in bed, and Intak did the same.
"Don't you think we should make our relationship official?"
The words passed through his mind in a few seconds, and he blinked several times as he tried to process them. His mind understood and registered the meaning of the sentence, but he couldn't quite figure it out completely.
"What?"
"We've been together like this for so long. I understand that it’s a difficult step because of how people view relationships between men, but I think it’s time."
"Intak," Jongseob sat up in bed, his brow furrowed as he tried to process his best friend's words, his mind racing a thousand miles a minute. The pleasant feeling in his stomach had turned into a hurricane. "I'm lost."
"Tell me what it is that you don't understand." Intak sat beside him, his voice soft and whispered as he placed his hand on his shoulder.
"What do you mean by 'together'?"
Jongseob turned his head and looked Intak directly in the eyes, his friend’s expression grim as he stared at him.
"Together. Romantically."
All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, and Jongseob got up from the bed, starting to pace nervously around the room. "No, no, I think you're confused."
The hurt expression on Intak's face felt like a stab to the heart, and Jongseob just wanted to understand what was happening at that moment. Seconds ago, he had been on the cloud that was his perfect relationship with Intak, and now for some reason, he felt like he was about to fall off if he didn’t stop it.
"Jongseob..."
"I don’t understand anything."
"Jongseob. Please, tell me this wasn’t just in my head." Intak's voice sounded broken, and Jongseob closed his eyes, unable to bring himself to look at his expression at that moment. If there was anything he hated more than anything in the world, it was seeing his best friend sad.
"Intak, please explain. What made you think we were together?"
Intak still didn't dare look at Jongseob, and long, tedious seconds passed before he got an answer.
"I don’t know, Jongseob. Maybe because you gave me flowers every Valentine's Day?" Intak’s voice was shattered, but most of all, what worried Jongseob was the slight hint of anger in it. "Maybe because we’ve slept together every night? The letters you’ve written me saying you love me and want to spend your life with me? The flowers, the heart-shaped chocolates?"
Intak’s tone grew more intense with each sentence. Jongseob felt his chest tighten and shrunk into himself with every word. He stopped pacing and let out a long sigh.
"Taki…"
"The candlelight dinners?" Intak interrupted as he stood up, forcing Jongseob to look at him. His perfect eyebrows were furrowed, his lips pursed, and the crystal-like reflection in his eyes revealed the raw combination of emotions running through his mind. "The thousands of ‘I love yous,’ ‘I adore yous,’ ‘We should move in together and live together?’"
"I…" Jongseob took a deep breath, and after a few seconds, shrugged before responding. "Isn’t that what friends do?"
"Friends…?" Intak scoffed, and Jongseob looked at him as his lips twisted into a half-smile. "You do this with all your friends?"
"I..."
Jongseob thought for a second. He thought of Keeho, who sometimes gave him kisses on the cheek, but whom he had never given gifts to outside of his birthday or taken out to dinner. He thought of Shota, whom he adored and chased around for attention, but whom he had never written deep letters to or slept together with, holding each other through several nights. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how special the way he treated Intak was, and that he couldn’t refute any of his arguments.
"Don’t say anything." Jongseob raised his gaze and felt a pang in his chest as he realized Intak was crying. "God, this is so embarrassing. I’d better go."
Jongseob took several seconds to react as Intak walked past him toward the door. The pressure in his chest was growing, and he quickly turned to follow his friend’s pace.
"Intak, wait!"
Jongseob rushed out the door, quickly crossing the hallway. He hurried down the stairs, desperately searching through the space and finally spotting Intak’s hair from a distance as he opened the front door. He rushed through the living room, apologizing to the people he had to push aside to get through. He exited the house; the cold night air hit his face, sending a chill down his body. He wasn’t sure if it was the weather or all the swirling emotions filling him at that moment. He walked down the few steps to the door, and after running a few more seconds, he finally caught up to Intak.
"Intak!"
"Leave me alone!"
"Please, let’s talk." Jongseob grabbed his friend's arm and held onto his wrist. Intak quickly pulled away and turned to face him with the saddest expression Jongseob had ever seen in the six years he had known him.
"There’s nothing to talk about. Forget everything I said."
"Intak…"
"I need time to think." Intak wiped his tears and snot with the sleeve of his shirt. Jongseob felt like his world was falling apart, piece by piece. "I don’t want to talk to you right now. That doesn’t mean I never want to talk to you, or that our friendship is over, okay?"
"Intak…"
"Forgive me, I can’t…" Intak let out a sob, and Jongseob felt the urge to take another step and hug him, but he knew it wasn’t the right moment, that there was now a line drawn between them. "I can’t have this conversation right now."
"It’s okay." Jongseob took a step back, and Intak looked up. They stared at each other for a long minute that seemed to last an eternity before Jongseob spoke again. "You’ll come to me, right?"
Intak gave him a sad smile before nodding.
"I’ll come to you."
One week—that was the time that had passed since Intak had stopped replying to his messages. Even worse, it was the time that had passed since the last time Jongseob had seen him.
“Stop wallowing in your misery and help me clean the house.”
Jongseob turned to look at Jiung with a dramatic expression while he rolled his eyes. Jiung was holding a broom and wearing an apron that read “The Sexiest Mouse in the House.” Jiung had been walking in front of him for ten minutes, sweeping his feet. Maybe he was trying to tell him something.
“Can't you see I'm sad?”
“We're all sad, Seobie. It’s the 21st century and everything’s falling apart. Now, can you at least do the dishes?”
Jongseob groaned as he buried his head into one of the cushions on the couch. He stayed like that for a long time until his lungs couldn't take it anymore, and he lifted his head, hoping Jiung had gotten tired of looking at him, but there he was, still staring at him with a blank expression.
“Do I have to?”
“Jongseob, I’ve tolerated your depression over Intak for six days straight. If I have to do everything in this apartment for one more day, I’m calling Taeyang.”
“No, don’t call him!” Jongseob knelt on the couch and clasped his hands in a pleading manner. Jiung nodded with an evil grin and began sweeping again.
“Well, then move your ass and start washing.”
Jongseob slowly got up from his spot, moving at a snail's pace, each movement sluggish as he pouted, hoping to inspire some sympathy from his roommate. To his dismay, Jiung continued with his task, completely ignoring him, so Jongseob had no choice but to resign himself and walk to the kitchen with his phone and headphones in hand.
He put on the kitchen gloves hanging on the fridge and started a cat video on his phone. It was something he liked to do while washing the dishes, something he also used to do with Intak.
Intak...
Jongseob sighed and placed his phone in one of the drawers. The sink wasn’t too full; it was just the dishes from lunch and the previous meal. Though if Taeyang saw it, he’d probably have a heart attack.
He turned on the tap and began his task with determination, watching the dog on his screen play with a stick. The dog was golden, and for some reason, he couldn’t help but think of Intak.
Intak...
Jongseob had already washed a few dishes when a notification popped up on his screen.
Keeho
Jongseob
Jongseob
Did you see Intak’s stories on Instagram?
Jongseob
He’s going on a date
Jongseob dropped the plate he was holding and quickly took off his gloves to check the message.
"Hey! Don’t break the dishes!" He could hear Jiung shouting from one of the rooms, but his mind was focused on only one thing. He opened Instagram and went to his friend’s stories, and to his dismay, Keeho was right.
His friend had posted a screenshot of a conversation on the same app, which read:
Do you want to go out tonight? It’s a date
In front of the photo, a comment from Intak: "Moving on"
“No, no, no, wait, wait.”
“I don’t hear any movement in the kitchen!”
“Jiung, I have to go.”
“What?” Jiung suddenly appeared in the kitchen, or maybe he’d been there the whole time. He seemed to have finished his task and was putting the broom back in its place. “You haven’t finished the dishes.”
"Who cares about the dishes! I..." Jongseob had an epiphany in that moment, like a moment of enlightenment in his mind, as the air left his lungs and his heart began to race. "I'm in love with Intak!"
"Oh, really? Wow, what a shock," Jiung replied sarcastically. "This isn't a romantic comedy, finish the dishes."
"But..."
"I remind you," Jiung started, extending his hand toward where he had left the broom, "that I have a weapon and I know how to use it."
Jongseob held his hands up in front of himself, watching Jiung's murdering expression.
"Fine! I'll finish washing the dishes and then I'll go."
"That's what I like to hear." Jiung left the kitchen as Jongseob put on his gloves to wash again. He was grateful that his dog video lasted an hour and he set about finishing his task while something kept nagging at his mind.
I need to talk to Intak.
One thing that connected Jongseob and Keeho was that they were both a little... off in the head. Both in the good and bad sense. That meant that maybe putting the two of them together to make a plan wasn't the best idea.
For Jongseob, of course, it was the best idea ever.
"Okay, we're going to call this plan 'sabotaging the first date of the love of Jongseob's life.'"
Unfortunately for both of them, there was almost always a voice of reason between the two.
"Wouldn't it be better to just call Intak and confess your feelings?"
"Boring!" Keeho shouted at Taeyang, who was lying on the couch.
"Not everything has to be a drama, and not everything has to be a plan."
"I know your soul died when you turned twenty, but we still have life and youth inside us."
Jongseob watched the argument with a small smile as he saw Keeho write the name of his plan on a digital board projected onto the living room TV.
"Okay, let's get started."
"Really," Taeyang turned toward Jongseob and looked at him with an exasperated expression. "Just call Intak and let me finish my movie."
"This is my house, and you're just a guest," Keeho countered, pointing at him with a finger.
"I literally pay rent here."
"Anyway!" Keeho started searching for something on his computer and stuck a love meme on the board. "The plan."
"Do you know where the date is?" Jongseob asked.
"Of course, I have all the details. Intak is like an open book, and now that the two of you aren’t talking, he’s more than happy to reply to anyone who messages him." Keeho took out his phone and showed it to Jongseob. "Look."
Jongseob read the messages on the screen, seeing the essays Intak had sent to Keeho after a simple "hello."
"Damn."
"I know." Keeho smiled before turning off the screen and returning to his computer with a serious expression. "We have all the details, time, place..."
"Intak's phone number to call him, confess your feelings, and save us all this trouble."
"Shut up, Taeyang, you don't know anything." Keeho pointed at him again, while Taeyang rolled his eyes in annoyance at his stubbornness.
"And now what?"
"The plan is simple: you go in, go to the light box, and make the lights go out in the whole place. Then, you'll appear with a candle and ask Intak to run away with you to the horizon."
"Oh my god," Taeyang started rubbing his temples while letting out a sigh. Jongseob would have felt sorry for his friend if it weren't for the overwhelming excitement that filled him as he heard Keeho's words.
"It's perfect!" Jongseob said, excited.
"I knew you'd like it," Keeho said, flattered.
"I'm going to throw myself out the window," Taeyang said, worried and stressed.
"No more talking, let's get moving!"
"Who would have thought that entering a restaurant without permission would be illegal?" Keeho said as he slouched in the chair at the police station.
"I can't believe we didn't think they'd have cameras. It's a really famous restaurant," Jongseob sighed while trying to adjust his hands in the uncomfortable handcuffs they had put on him.
"I don't know, Jongseob, don't ask me for the perfect plan." Keeho let out an exasperated sigh as he sank further into his seat, to the point where Jongseob feared he was going to fall off at any moment.
"What are we going to do now? The only people who can get us out are Taeyang..."
"Who will be more than happy to let us sleep here all night."
"Your dad..."
"Who’s on a trip to Japan."
"And Intak. Who..." Jongseob closed his eyes and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall, "is busy forgetting about me."
"I could never forget about you."
Jongseob turned his head quickly, his eyes wide as he looked at an angel in front of him. Intak was wearing the same clothes he had posted on his Instagram while getting ready for his date, his chiseled face even more perfect thanks to the layer of makeup he had applied, his arms crossed in front of him as he looked at Jongseob with a serious expression.
"Intak!"
"Our savior!"
Intak took the few steps left to reach them, still with his arms crossed and a blank face.
"How did you know we were here?"
"Maybe because I was at the restaurant while the police were escorting you both out after you snuck into the kitchen without permission and tried to turn off the lights during rush hour?"
"Oh." Jongseob squinted his eyes and took a breath between his teeth with an embarrassed expression. "You saw that?"
"Everyone saw it. I think it might even be on the news."
"Great! We'll be famous," Keeho exclaimed, and Intak gave him a deadly glare that made him straighten up in his chair.
"I'm sorry you had to see us at our worst."
"That's not what's important." Intak crouched down and looked at both of them before speaking. "Can I know what you were doing there?"
"Nothing bad! Jongseob realized he's hopelessly in love with you and he was going to confess."
"Wow, you really know how to keep a secret."
"Sorry." Keeho seemed nervous, fidgeting with his hands in his lap against the handcuffs, and Jongseob placed a hand on them to make sure he didn't hurt himself by accident.
"Was that what you were going to do?" Intak looked at him in surprise and with an intense feeling Jongseob still couldn't decipher. "Jongseob?"
"Yes. I've been thinking about my feelings for you all week, and when I saw your story, I realized I can't live without you and that my heart can only go toward you"
"Aww, how sweet."
"Jongseob." Intak placed one of his hands on his leg and looked at him with a soft gaze. "You could have called me."
"That's what Taeyang said."
"Keeho, silence, please."
Keeho made a zipping gesture over his lips and slouched back down silently in the plastic chair.
"Jongseob, I'm really glad my feelings for you are reciprocated."
"Really?"
"Really." Intak laughed and dropped his hand before getting up to sit in the chair right next to Jongseob. "I think this misunderstanding was a bit dramatic..."
"Maybe..."
"More on your side than on mine. I would have liked to do this in a place other than a police station.”
"Hey, it has a romantic touch, you know?" Jongseob pouted while watching Intak laugh at him affectionately. "Besides, it's a good time to tell you that I like handcuffs."
"Oh, really?" Intak's expression changed to a smirk as he looked down at Jongseob's hands in his lap.
"So..."
"Time to make it official." Intak took Jongseob's face between his hands, a question on his face as he leaned in, and Jongseob nodded while closing his eyes.
Intak's lips were as sweet and soft as he had imagined all day. It started as a soft kiss, barely the touch of their lips, and little by little Jongseob opened his mouth to allow for a deeper kiss. Kissing Intak felt like being in heaven, a piece of candy that he could savor with his tongue piece by piece.
Jongseob raised his hands and they separated for a second as he passed his handcuffed hands around Intak's neck. The kiss became more intense as Intak placed a hand on his waist and Jongseob pulled him closer and closer, as if he wanted their bodies to merge into one. They lasted like that for maybe a minute or an hour, until they heard someone clear their throat.
"The bail payment has been processed, you can go."
Jongseob pulled his arms and heard a whimper from Intak as he was hurt by the metal.
"I'm sorry!"
"We're going to take off the handcuffs now, don't worry."
The officer approached him and put the key in to free him. Jongseob shook his hands with excitement and looked at them as if they were new, before stretching them out again and kissing Intak enthusiastically. He heard in the background as the officer passed to Keeho, while he exchanged saliva with the most precious person in his life.
"My God, if they were inseparable before, what will become of us now?"
They both separated with a giggle and exchanged a knowing look before nodding. Intak got up from his seat and moved to the seat next to Keeho. He seemed not to notice the sudden movement while complaining about the marks the handcuffs had left on him.
"Couldn't they give me bigger ones?"
"Keeho."
Keeho stopped what he was doing and looked at his friends with a suspicious gaze.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
They both looked at each other again with a smile before each took one of Keeho's cheeks and gave him a kiss on his cheek.
"Oh my God, did I die and go to heaven?" said Keeho once they let him go, a big smile on his face.
"That's for being the best cupid in the world."
"Ah, you're flattering me." Keeho's smile grew wider as he crossed his arms.
Seconds later, Intak gave him a slap on the cheek while Keeho looked at him offended.
"And why is that?!"
"For making me pay a bail instead of just telling Jongseob to call me."
"Hey! It was only a suggestion.”
"You didn't suggest anything!"
"Of course I did. Show proof that I didn't do it.”
"That doesn't make any sense!"
"Alright, stop fighting.” Intak stood up from his seat while taking Jongseob's hand, a sweet and dreamy smile drawn on his face. “It's time to go.”
They both walked towards the exit, their fingers intertwined as they listened to Keeho complaining behind them. None of that mattered now that the two had made up, and Jongseob wouldn't have to worry about Intak drifting away from his side. Never again.