Work Text:
That evening starts the same way as these evenings regularly do—Sangcheol is sitting at a big table with all of his closest friends, laughing and eating delicious food. He takes every opportunity to be around for these dinners—family dinners as Jeongwoo calls them—even if he's stationed a bit of a way away from the heart of Seoul where Mrs Jeong's restaurant is located.
That evening Jeongwoo is a bit late, and there's a strange kind of excitement in Mrs Jeong's eyes, so Sangcheol should be suspicious, but he brushes away his budding questions in favor of just enjoying himself. It's a Friday and he finally got the day off after so long, so he doesn't let himself be distracted by anything. If Mrs Jeong wants to say something, then she will, Sangcheol will not try to pry it out of her.
Turns out that she isn't the one who had something to announce.
Sangcheol would get a bit frustrated about it later, that he had absolutely no idea what was going on, but at that moment, when Jeongwoo finally turns up, with a pretty, smiling woman on his arm, Sangcheol only feels a hollow pang in his chest.
He spends the rest of the dinner in a kind of daze.
Jeongwoo introduces the woman—his girlfriend—as a nurse from the hospital he's currently doing research in, her name slipping out instantly from Sangcheol's memories. He remembers her face, though, probably in more detail than he wants to. He remembers the gentle slope of her lips, the slight flush in her cheeks as she looks at Jeongwoo. Her auburn hair swept into gentle waves cascading down her shoulder and back, and her kind voice, the melody of her laugh.
He can't tell later if they had talked or not. They must have, but his brain is too preoccupied with processing the whole situation for it to retain that memory. It's still a bit early when he rises to say his goodbyes, earlier than his usual, but he makes up an excuse—a long week, too much work, which isn't a lie—, stepping out into the chill night air.
He looks back over his shoulder, just for a glance, taking in the scene—Jeongwoo's hand on her shoulder, Jeongwoo's laugh, Jeongwoo looking at her with obvious fondness in his gaze.
Sangcheol sighs, his breath fogging in the cold, his fingers itching for a cigarette.
Tucking his hands into his coat pockets, he walks back to his car and drives home.
He knows he's being selfish about it, but in the next few weeks he gradually starts to withdraw from Jeongwoo's company.
He always has the appropriate excuses—he does work further away and it is a hassle to go up to Seoul regularly, he just didn't let it stop him before. But now, after having had to contend with the company of Jeongwoo and his girlfriend on two more of these dinners, and having learned that not only does it not get less painful, it actually hurts more to see them every time, Sangcheol decides that he has to do this out of sheer self-preservation.
It's not that he's not happy for Jeongwoo. He is, he definitely is, the simple fact that Jeongwoo managed to open up to someone to this extent is reason for celebration—it's just that, at the same time, his happiness is breaking Sangcheol's heart.
Of course, he feels guilty over it too. He's old enough to handle this, he shouldn't punish Jeongwoo for hurting him inadvertently. Jeongwoo had no way to know, and even if he did, he should definitely not build his life around Sangcheol's inconvenient attraction to him. Or... Okay, it's more than just attraction, much more, but still, the point stands. Jeongwoo should live his own life and Sangcheol should be enough of an adult to deal with his unrequited feelings.
It's nothing serious, after all. What is this little heartbreak after everything Sangcheol has been through so far?
He still needs time, he reasons. If he is to keep meeting with Jeongwoo and everyone else, then he should fortify himself enough to not show what's really going on inside him. He should be truly supportive, he can't let his own hurting emotions and jealousy influence his opinions or actions, or worse, make him resentful, bitter.
Jeongwoo will marry someone one day and he will have kids and a family which Sangcheol won't be a part of, and Sangcheol must be able to be happy for that without any restrictions.
It's easier said than done, though.
To keep himself distracted—and to have grounds to refuse going up to Seoul—he takes up more work, even going as far as to volunteer for a temporary position on a tiny island off the western coast. It's a remote place, he couldn't visit the mainland regularly even if he wanted to, and thus months pass without any correspondence between him and his friends in Seoul.
Island life manages to be relaxing, and he thinks less and less about Jeongwoo, the urge to call him up just to hear his voice gradually receding. It doesn't heal his heart and Sangcheol guesses that nothing ever will, but it hurts less the more he's away from the source of that pain.
It was the same with Yewon too. After her death the more time has passed, the less Sangcheol's chest hurt, until he got to the point where he could think about her without it breaking him again. Her absence was still felt acutely, though, he could never forget her or his feelings for her.
This is why he knows it's going to be the same with Jeongwoo too. Sangcheol doesn't do things halfway. Be it pursuing the truth of a case or falling in love, he is either all in or completely out. Fleeting crushes were never his thing, not even when he was a teen.
Of course, he rationalized it multiple times why he can't or shouldn't tell Jeongwoo about his feelings.
At first it was because he didn't want to add one more trouble onto the pile already weighing Jeongwoo down. He didn't want to complicate things for Jeongwoo while he was getting his life together. Sangcheol decided to wait, to just be there as support, foolishly thinking that he had time, that some perfect moment will come eventually. He knows now how much of a fool he had been about it. There are no perfect moments, he should know that more than most.
Then there's also the problem of Sangcheol being a man.
If he's completely honest, it's the main reason he was biding his time, because he didn't know—and still has no way of knowing—if Jeongwoo is even into men or not. He could—if he wanted to torture himself by thinking about the what ifs—try to analyze some instances when Jeongwoo was looking at him, or touching him, or behaving with him in a way that suggested that he was attracted to Sangcheol that way, but he doesn't do that.
No, in fact, he actively keeps himself from thinking about Jeongwoo for a long time.
So long, that when Ha Seol's call comes in, he's wholly unprepared for whatever she's going to say.
"Noh hyeongsa, it's about Jeongwoo, he..."
That's what she opens with and Sangcheol's heart fully stops in his chest for long moments, his breath stuck, until she continues and it becomes clear that Jeongwoo is neither injured, nor dead.
"He's been an idiot about it, though, he refused to call you or that lawyer you got him for the re-trial too. Can't you... I don't know, can't you come up here and talk some sense into him? I don't want him to get expelled for something this stupid."
According to Ha Seol, Jeongwoo got into an altercation with a professor, and it's gotten so serious that he's in danger of being expelled for it.
Sangcheol takes a deep breath to calm himself down, then tells Ha Seol that he'll go up to Seoul as fast as he can. Ha Seol thanks him, relief palpable in her voice, and as soon as they put the phone down, Sangcheol prepares for the journey.
It takes half a day's driving to get back to the city. He arrives quite early in the morning, barely half past seven, but Jeongwoo has always been an early riser and Ha Seol has told him that he's currently suspended, so he should be home, at the restaurant.
The place is closed, obviously, when Sangcheol arrives, and the bell ringing draws Mrs Jeong out of her room to open the door. He doesn't have to say anything to her, she wordlessly ushers him up to the second floor where Jeongwoo's room is, her expression one of concern.
She's the one who knocks on Jeongwoo's door to asks if he's awake, so when in the end it's Sangcheol who opens the door, Jeongwoo's too surprised to react. As Mrs Jeong closes the door on them, Jeongwoo seems to come back online, and he springs up from his bed, glaring at Sangcheol angrily and pointing at the door.
"Get out."
Until that point Sangcheol has been frozen to his spot. He hadn't laid eyes on Jeongwoo in... Could it have been four months already? Or was it even longer? And now all of those feelings he desperately tried to suppress come back to drown him in their flood.
Jeongwoo looks so achingly beautiful now, bathed in the soft morning light shining through the window, his hair still a bit sleep-mussed, clearly having just woken up recently. Sangcheol is once again knocked over the head with the realization that he's deeply, irrevocably in love with him, and it takes a few seconds for him to react to what Jeongwoo has said.
Or to notice how Jeongwoo is fuming and that it's his fault.
He lifts his hands placatingly.
"Jeongwoo-ya, please."
Something like hurt flickers behind Jeongwoo's eyes as he hears his name, but then the anger returns as Jeongwoo huffs, his lips pulling into a mocking sneer.
"What the hell are you doing here anyway? Weren't you too busy?"
His words stab Sangcheol precisely in his heart.
"I heard what happened, and I came to help-"
"I don't need your help," Jeongwoo says with force, his brows furrowed in anger.
These words also hurt, but Sangcheol doesn't back down. Jeongwoo might be angry, but his future is worth more than to throw away because he's pissed at Sangcheol.
"Maybe not mine, but Attorney Park could help. You wouldn't want to get expelled, right?"
This time Jeongwoo's expression changes to one of confusion.
"Expelled? What the hell? I'm not going to-" he cuts himself off, shaking his head, then motioning for the door again. "First of all, I didn't call you here, and I do not appreciate you popping up out of the blue either. Even if I had a serious problem, that would not be your concern, hyeongsa-nim. But I'm not going to get expelled, if that's what you're worried about, so you can go right back to wherever you've fucked off to. I don't need you here."
Speechless in front of Jeongwoo's ire, Sangcheol can only blink at him as he talks. His words are deliberately aimed to hurt Sangcheol, but there's nothing wrong with them, so Sangcheol has no course to defend himself. He really did disappear on Jeongwoo and now- He realizes how foolish it was to just turn up unannounced.
Once again Sangcheol has waited too long. He incorrectly assumed that Jeongwoo will be forgiving about him pulling away, thinking that Jeongwoo will be distracted anyway and won't care much about how Sangcheol isn't present in his life anymore. And once again, Sangcheol was wrong.
The only excuse he could bring up, the only shield he has against Jeongwoo's bitterness and anger is confessing just how much he does care about Jeongwoo. But would that even help in this situation? No, Jeongwoo would most probably just tear him a new one if he'd dare to say anything like that right now.
And besides, Sangcheol isn't going to burden Jeongwoo with his feelings. At this point it would just feel like manipulation anyway.
Maybe it's better to just leave it as it is. Neither of them will get hurt more if Sangcheol just disappears for good.
He looks up, nodding at Jeongwoo, but studiously avoiding his eyes, taking a step back.
"I'm sorry. I'll go."
The least he can do is apologize, even if it can't fix it.
He has no idea what could fix this. Something is broken between them, and Sangcheol doesn't know how he could mend this rift. He's inclined to just let it be. It might be better for the both of them, even if right now it feels like he's dying just thinking about the possibility that he might never see Jeongwoo again. And it would be all his goddamn fault too. Just like last time.
As he walks back down the stairs, jaw tight, and his chest aching, his path is closed off by Ha Seol. She looks up at him with furrowed brows and her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Are you leaving?" she asks, her tone accusatory.
"Yes."
As Sangcheol tries to push past her, she deliberately gets in his way.
"Is this how you're solving problems now, Noh hyeongsa? By running away?"
Sangcheol closes his eyes to rein in his sudden flare of temper, but when he looks back at Ha Seol he's still so frustrated that he wants to yell at her. He doesn't.
"What the hell do you want me to do, huh? He told me to go away. He doesn't want my help. What should I do, force him?"
Ha Seol throws her arms out, finally stepping out of his way.
"If you're going to give up that easily, then why did you even come here?"
"Why? Because you called me, that's why!"
"You called him?!" Jeongwoo's voice rings out from behind Sangcheol.
He's halfway down the stairs, glaring at Ha Seol for a change.
She rolls her eyes, drawing a hand down in front of her face, then looks back up at Sangcheol before she pierces Jeongwoo with her look.
"Yes, I called him!"
"You had no-"
"Because you weren't going to!" she yells, clearly frustrated. "You were acting stupid, and I was worried about you, idiot!"
Sangcheol sees from the corner of his eyes as Jeongwoo opens his mouth to say something, but before he can, Ha Seol continues her outburst, stabbing a finger into Sangcheol's shoulder.
"I called Noh hyeongsa yesterday afternoon, and he's already here, which means he was driving all night because he was worried about you too. But nooo, god forbid he actually says that! Jeongwoo's been mean to him and now he's running away, boo-hoo!"
"And you," she turns to Jeongwoo, accusing finger pointing towards him, "have been moping about missing him, and now... If you want to yell at him for being a giant dickhead, go ahead! God knows, he deserves it! But would it kill you to actually ask him to stay? Would either of you die if you'd try being honest with each other for a second?!"
As she finishes with a huff of breath, neither Jeongwoo, nor Sangcheol say a word.
Sangcheol is a bit stuck on the part where she said Jeongwoo was missing him, a tiny stab of guilt mixed with a bit of hope piercing his chest. Maybe there's still a way to fix this.
He glances at Jeongwoo, who's just staring at a point on the wall, jaw clenched, but before Sangcheol can speak someone clears their throat behind him.
"I... uh... is this a wrong time? I feel like I'm intruding."
As they all turn, Sangcheol sighs.
Park Hyeongeun is halfway inside the door, holding his briefcase in front of him, his lips pressed into a line—he looks about as uncomfortable as someone just happening onto a major fight between other people.
"No, come in, please. Thank you for coming here on such a short notice," Sangcheol says, taking a step towards him, before turning back to Jeongwoo and Ha Seol.
She's looking at him, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, but Jeongwoo is just staring at his foot, his hands clenched into fists by his side.
This is not the time for mending what's broken between them, Sangcheol decides. Right now it's more important to get Jeongwoo out of whatever trouble he's gotten himself into.
"Jeongwoo-ya, at least discuss it with Attorney Park, please."
Since Jeongwoo still doesn't react, Sangcheol turns, patting Park Hyeongeun on the shoulder.
"I'll leave you to it."
He's about to open the door when Jeongwoo's voice stops him.
"What was it?" he asks, voice trembling slightly. "At least tell me- Why- Why did you leave? What did I do?"
Sangcheol swirls back around, looking at Jeongwoo, stupefied.
Jeongwoo still isn't looking at him, his head is turned away, his body all tense, jaw clenched, lips trembling, and it occurs to Sangcheol that he has been the greatest idiot the world has ever seen. In his haste to nurse his own heartbreak, he has hurt Jeongwoo, deeply. He didn't even consider the possibility that Jeongwoo might think it was something that he did that made Sangcheol leave.
"No, it's not-" Sangcheol starts, then stops himself.
There's no other way around it, though. He has to say it. He has to bite the bullet and explain why he's not here—where he wants to be—or Jeongwoo might forever feel like it was his fault. Sangcheol can't let him think that.
He should have never let it get to this point at all.
"It's not you, it's... I left because..." he trails off, glancing at Ha Seol standing just an arm's reach away from Jeongwoo, then at Hyeongeun.
They're all going to hear... Still, he has to say it, he can't back out of it now. He puts his shaking hands in his pockets, swallows the lump in his throat and continues.
"It's just that... I'm in love with you," the words tumble out of his mouth, making him cold from head to toe with fear. But there's no taking it back anymore, no matter how disastrous this confession might prove to be.
"I couldn't stay around because I... I didn't want you to- Feel like you were somehow responsible for- Anyway, it doesn't matter, just- Forget about it. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just that I-"
Feeling his voice starting to break, he tries to finish it quickly, before he can't go on anymore. "I'm sorry. Just forget it."
He pushes through the bout of nervous nausea in his stomach, and looks up—carefully avoiding looking at anyone at all—, forcing a thin smile on his face.
"It's my fault. I'm sorry."
He doesn't wait for Jeongwoo to react, he turns on his heels and walks out of the restaurant before his tears start to fall. He makes it as far as the car, managing to sit inside before the dam breaks inside him.
Now that the pressure of this big secret is off his chest he doesn't feel lighter at all. All that he feels is a terrible certainty that he has irrevocably fucked up every chance he ever had of fixing his relationship with Jeongwoo in the future. He leans down on the steering wheel, sobbing into his arm.
Jeongwoo will never forgive him for this. Jeongwoo will never want him around, not even as a friend. He will never see Jeongwoo again in his life, and he can only blame himself for blowing up every bridge between them. Once again, because of his bad decisions- If he wasn't so stupid, if he didn't only think about himself, if he could just get over his stupid jealousy, if he had stayed, even if it hurt, then-
Suddenly, the passenger side door opens and the car sways as someone sits inside.
Sangcheol straightens up in a flash, preparing to yell at the intruder, his words stuck in him as he looks at Jeongwoo sitting beside him.
Predictably, Jeongwoo looks furious.
"Is this how you're doing things now?" he asks, the edge in his voice only undermined by the slight tremble in it. "You just take off without actually speaking to me?"
Sangcheol clenches his jaw, wipes his face with his sleeve, and turns to fix his gaze at the dashboard.
"I..."
"Even if you don't want to hear what I have to say-"
"It's not that-" Sangcheol tries to defend himself, but Jeongwoo cuts him off sharply.
"Is it not?! So you have something urgent to do right now?"
Sangcheol doesn't think he ever heard Jeongwoo speak with so much anger. Maybe when he was arguing with Mr Shin and Mr Yang. Sangcheol doesn't like the implication that the situation might be in any way similar here.
"No, I... I'm sorry."
"And stop fucking apologizing!"
At Jeongwoo's yell, Sangcheol tears his gaze from the dashboard to look at him. It's a mistake, because now he's eye to eye with Jeongwoo's piercing gaze. The hurt lurking behind it is unmistakable.
Sangcheol swallows back his next apology, feeling tears burning behind his eyes. He's completely lost, he has no idea what to say or do now, scared that he will just make things worse, and he hates feeling so helpless.
"What are you even apologizing for, huh? Which part?"
Sangcheol opens his mouth, but Jeongwoo shakes his head before he can say anything.
"No, don't answer that."
This time it's Jeongwoo who turns away. Sangcheol can't help noticing the tension in every line of his body, or how he fidgets with his hands. His first instinct is to reach out, but he pulls his hand back before it can make contact. Right now that might just upset Jeongwoo even more, and besides, Sangcheol doesn't feel like he is allowed to act so close to him.
"You didn't give me a chance to... Are you that sure that I don't... feel the same?"
Jeongwoo's voice gets so tiny by the end, that Sangcheol has trouble hearing him.
Not sure that he has heard right—and swallowing back his traitor heart that jumped to his throat—Sangcheol ventures to speak in the silence.
"You have a girlfriend."
Jeongwoo sighs, then looks up again, scowling.
"I had a girlfriend. We broke up months ago. You'd know that if you'd been around."
Sangcheol presses his lips together to stop himself from saying anything. Either an apology or something worse, like how Jeongwoo didn't tell him about getting a girlfriend either.
Still, he can't help but feel a little bit better at hearing that, and that in turn makes him feel more guilty.
"I liked her," Jeongwoo continues, "but I didn't like her the way that I... like you."
Sangcheol stops breathing as Jeongwoo goes on.
"But by the time I realized that, you weren't coming around anymore, so I thought you just... I thought you had enough. Of me."
"That's not why I-"
"Then why?! Of all people, of everyone in my life, I thought you-" Jeongwoo cuts himself off suddenly, turning away, breathing harshly.
The hurt is unmistakable in Jeongwoo's voice, and knowing that it was him who caused it makes Sangcheol's heart ache.
"What was your plan? Would you have just stayed away for eternity? Did you even stop to think about how I would feel about that? Do you even care?"
For long seconds, Sangcheol thinks he might suffocate under the weight of his guilt.
"I'm sorry."
"Stop saying that!" Jeongwoo yells, but Sangcheol doesn't let it deter him.
"I'm an idiot and a coward and I hurt you," he rushes to explain, to try to make at least some of it right. Praying that his voice will not break, he pushes on, because if he can't get this out right now there really is nothing he can do to right his wrongs.
"I'm sorry that I hurt you, I didn't want to hurt you, Jeongwoo-ya. I didn't- I care about you more than I can say, and I just... Didn't know how to deal with- You had your girlfriend and I tried to be happy for you, I really did, but- It just hurt. I know it's not an excuse, but you have to understand that it's not because I don't care. I know I handled it in the worst way possible, and I can't tell you how sorry I am for that."
Especially because the fear that Jeongwoo won't forgive him for it is still very much present, gripping his insides so tight that Sangcheol has trouble breathing normally.
A few seconds pass and it feels like an eternity before Jeongwoo exhales slowly, turning back to catch his gaze once again. He doesn't look angry anymore, more like he's on the verge of crying himself.
"Was it that bad, that you had to go so far away?"
Sangcheol drops his head, something akin to relief washing through him. He's not out of the woods yet, but Jeongwoo didn't walk away yet, so it's not yet all lost.
"Yes, it was. I couldn't even look at her. I was afraid that you'll notice."
This statement is followed with a long bout of silence.
"So, your solution to this was to leave and never talk to me again?" Jeongwoo asks then, some amusement coloring his otherwise flat tone.
Sangcheol opens his mouth, then, finding no good answer to that, he closes it, turning away to stare at the dashboard again, frowning.
"I didn't- Not never... It sounds very stupid if you put it like that."
Jeongwoo snorts, the sound drawing Sangcheol's gaze back to him, surprised. He doesn't know if this is a good sign or not.
With a frustrated groan, Jeongwoo draws his palm down his face.
"Ha Seol was right. We're both idiots."
Sangcheol is forced to agree with that. In part.
"You're not. Just me."
Jeongwoo sighs, shaking his head.
"No, I am too. I could have... She told me to call you, many times, but I thought you just wanted to..." He trails off, brows furrowing slightly. "I though you wanted to return to your normal life."
Normal life... It's Sangcheol's turn to sigh, and to clear up this misunderstanding with Jeongwoo, once and for all.
"Jeongwoo, look at me."
Once Jeongwoo turns back to him, he continues, "my normal life was going home after work and drinking myself to sleep. The time I got to spend with you and your family were my happiest since Yewon died. There is no other life. I don't have- This, with you and- This is all- That's all I have."
Jeongwoo's eyes widen, tears gathering in them.
"And yet... You would give this up," he asks, "because of me?"
"Yes," Sangcheol answers without hesitation. "I don't want to hold you back."
It would hurt like hell, though. It would hurt more than anything to give up this little community, his family, along with Jeongwoo, but if it's for Jeongwoo's happiness, then... Yes, Sangcheol would do it without hesitation.
Giving a sound like he's been punched in the gut, Jeongwoo reaches out, drawing Sangcheol's hands into his lap, shaking his head.
"Hyung... You're not expendable to me. Don't you know that?" he asks, voice trembling, holding Sangcheol's hands tight. "I don't... Even if I wasn't... I don't want you to give everything up for me. They're your family too, not just mine, not anymore. Please... Is it so hard to imagine that we- That I don't want to lose you?"
Staring at where Jeongwoo's hands are holding his, relishing the warmth of his skin, Sangcheol's throat tightens so much that he can't speak.
If he could go back in time, he would do all of this differently, but it's too late for that. What he can do right now, is taking the opportunity Jeongwoo has presented to him to fix what he messed up in the first place.
He swallows back the lump in his throat, taking a deep breath, hoping that his voice will cooperate.
"I'm sorry, Jeongwoo-ya... I'm so sorry. I am a fool, I was wrong. Please forgive me."
Jeongwoo nods, sniffling, then reaching up to wipe at his eyes, his other hand still holding Sangcheol's in a tight grip.
"Yeah, okay. Just don't run off like that again, alright? Please."
"I won't, I promise."
It's the easiest promise he's ever made in his life.
"You'll have to kick me out yourself, if you want to get rid of me."
That actually manages to make Jeongwoo laugh, the sound making Sangcheol smile too.
They sit like that for a while in silence, holding each other's hands, and Sangcheol thinks he could get used to this, to having Jeongwoo by his side again. It's only now that it fully dawns on him just how much he has missed this. How he could go four full months without seeing Jeongwoo or just hearing his voice he has no idea. But he sure as hell won't ever want to repeat the experience.
"You still didn't give me a chance to respond," Jeongwoo says suddenly, confusing Sangcheol.
"Respond to what?"
At Jeongwoo's piercing look, Sangcheol blinks, trying very hard to remember what the hell it was that needed a resp-
Oh.
That.
"Ask me," Jeongwoo whispers, a hint of anxiety seeping back into his voice.
Swallowing, Sangcheol fights to keep eye contact, but it's difficult.
Why is this so damn hard? Jeongwoo has basically already said that he... There's nothing to be afraid of. But try as he might, Sangcheol can't calm himself down. His heart is racing, he fears that it's going to escape at some point, and his general nervousness makes him stammer, like he never did anything like this before. Proposing to Yewon was less nerve-wracking.
Ridiculous.
"Would you... I mean. I love you, Jeongwoo-ya, and I'm... just wondering... if... if you..."
"Oh, for-"
Jeongwoo suddenly surges forward, crashing their lips together, almost knocking Sangcheol's teeth out. He doesn't really mind, though, especially when Jeongwoo's hands come up to fit behind his neck, pulling him down, closer, kissing him like he's been starving for it all this time.
Sangcheol responds in kind, and then they're making out like horny teenagers, devouring each other's mouths like it's the end of the world and this is the last thing they'll ever do in their lives. Jeongwoo tastes sweet and his lips are warm, and Sangcheol can't help putting his hands on his hips, trying unsuccessfully to pull him closer in the confines of the car.
Jeongwoo breaks the kiss first, panting, keeping his hand tangled into Sangcheol's hair, not letting him pull away. Not that he wanted to, he never wants to be further away from Jeongwoo than this, when they're sharing each other's air and Jeongwoo's fingers are surely leaving imprints on his neck by now.
"I love you too, hyung," Jeongwoo says, with the finality of a judge delivering a verdict.
He presses another soft kiss into Sangcheol's lips. "And now we're going to go back and have breakfast, and then we're going to go on a date, and after that you're going to stay for dinner too, and then-"
He cuts himself off, frowning.
"How long do you have to stay at that island?"
"Uh... Actually. Yesterday was my last day."
Sangcheol points to the boxes on the backseat. Ha Seol's timing perfectly coincided with him moving back, her call just made him hurry more.
Jeongwoo elevates a single eyebrow, then a mischievous smile spreads on his face.
"Then dinner is off. Instead, I'm going to help you unpack."
"You really don't-"
Rolling his eyes, Jeongwoo shuts him up with another kiss, brushing a hand down on his chest, slipping it on his inner thigh, very close to dangerous territory. Sangcheol might be an idiot, but there's no way to misunderstand this.
"Now that you mention it," he says after they separate, "I have a lot of boxes. I could really use the help."
Jeongwoo hums thoughtfully.
"Will it take long? I might have to stay the night."
"Definitely," Sangcheol agrees, leaning back in, "and tomorrow too."
As they walk back to the restaurant, having put themselves together, erasing the marks of both the crying and the kisses they've shared in the car, Sangcheol realizes that he's never asked about the specifics of the trouble Jeongwoo is in.
"Who did you punch?" he asks, playfully poking Jeongwoo in the ribs.
Instead of Jeongwoo understanding the joke and laughing it off, he looks up confusedly.
"Punch? I didn't- Wait a second. You thought I hit someone? Wow."
It's Sangcheol's turn to be confused.
"Then why are they trying to expel you?"
"What? Nobody is going to expel me, I'm their best student."
"Then what do you need the lawyer for?"
"I don't need a- Wait," Jeongwoo stops, grabbing Sangcheol's arm, "who told you I need a lawyer?"
"Ha Seol said you didn't want to call Attorney Park."
"Hyung, I just got into a verbal fight with my prof about some research data. He's arguing with me about it in front of the Board, but even if he would be right—he's not—then I'd just get into another research team, that's all. It will be a hassle, yes, but not as serious as to warrant a lawyer."
"So, Ha Seol..."
Sangcheol turns his head, looking through the restaurant windows towards where Ha Seol and Park Hyeongeun are sitting, now in the company of Mrs Jeong and Hyun Suoh.
"She might have exaggerated a bit," Jeongwoo says with a sigh.
"A bit."
Jeongwoo hums, then laughs as Sangcheol looks down at him.
"What?"
"Well... You thought I got into a fistfight, and it didn't even occur to you to ask why? What if I was in the wrong?"
"If you hit someone they must have earned it."
Jeongwoo shakes his head with a smile, then leans up for a quick kiss.
"Wouldn't that be a biased investigation, hyeongsa-nim?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."