Chapter Text
Some people thought Hyunjin was lucky. Others thought his life was weird and complicated.
Having two boyfriends wasn't common, even for people who claimed to be open-minded. Most people couldn't understand how someone could split their love, time, and attention between two different people without creating jealousy or drama.
For Hyunjin, the arrangement wasn't complicated at all. He loved both Minho and Jisung with his whole heart, and he was genuinely happy.
One day he would be at Minho's place, resting quietly while Minho cooked or read.
The next day he would be at Jisung's studio, listening to him write music and laughing at his jokes.
When all three of them were together, it felt just as natural.
His relationship with Jisung was a chaotic, passionate kind of love. They had started out back in college as bitter rivals—constantly competing over space, attention, and stupid arguments—before slowly morphing into inseparable best friends. The shift happened on a random rainy night during their second year, after an accidental kiss behind the university library made them both realize their feelings were nowhere near friendly.
When they dated, they were like loud, silly teenagers. They held hands in public, shared endless inside jokes, and giggled over nothing. At the same time, they had the comfortable banter of an old married couple, constantly teasing and picking on each other. They had already been together for eight solid months, and Hyunjin thought Jisung was his whole world.
Then, Hyunjin met Minho.
It happened at the dance studio where Hyunjin worked part-time as an assistant instructor. Minho had joined as a senior choreographer, moving with a sharp, quiet grace that immediately caught Hyunjin's attention. What started as late-night practice sessions quickly turned into quiet conversations over warm meals.
Where Jisung was loud and electric, perfectly matching Hyunjin’s high energy and dramatic flair, Minho was his complete opposite. Minho balanced Hyunjin’s clumsy, slightly airheaded personality with a steady, quiet presence. He was calm, grounded, and observant. His love showed through direct acts of service—making sure Hyunjin ate real food instead of junk, fixing his posture during rehearsals without saying a word, and quietly slipping an extra sweater into Hyunjin’s bag when the weather turned cold. With Minho, Hyunjin felt deeply safe and cared for in a quiet, gentle way that kept him tethered to the ground.
When Hyunjin realized he was falling for Minho, he felt sick with guilt. He couldn't hide it from Jisung, so he sat him down one evening, crying and confessing everything. He expected Jisung to break up with him or get furious.
Instead, Jisung just listened. He saw how genuine Hyunjin's feelings were, and more than anything, Jisung loved Hyunjin too much to see him heartbroken. He didn't want to lose Hyunjin, and he knew Hyunjin wasn't trying to replace him. So, after a long night of talking, Jisung agreed to try letting Minho into their lives.
Minho, who had already fallen for Hyunjin's dramatic charm, accepted the weird dynamic for the exact same reason: Hyunjin's happiness was the only thing that truly mattered to him.
Over time, it surprisingly worked. Hyunjin spent his days switching between them naturally. One day he would be at Minho's place, resting quietly while Minho cooked or read. The next day he would be at Jisung's studio, listening to him write music and laughing at his jokes.
When all three of them were together, it felt just as natural. Luckily, Minho and Jisung didn't compete with each other or fight for Hyunjin’s attention. Instead, they helped each other out. If Minho had late shifts at the dance studio, Jisung stayed with Hyunjin. If Jisung was trapped in his music studio for days, Minho made sure Hyunjin was taken care of.
When Hyunjin got sick with a bad fever last month, they took care of him together. Minho stayed in the kitchen cooking warm soup and herbal tea, while Jisung stayed in bed with Hyunjin, holding him, keeping him warm, and reading webtoons out loud until Hyunjin fell asleep.
Their main priority was always Hyunjin’s happiness and seeing him smile.
Minho was used to Jisung being around. Since day one of his relationship with Hyunjin, Jisung had already been a permanent fixture in the picture. Because of that, Minho never really knew what it felt like to have Hyunjin all to himself.
Sometimes, late at night, Minho would briefly wonder what things would have been like if he had met Hyunjin first. But meeting Hyunjin was such a pivotal, life-changing phase for him that he quickly brushed those idle thoughts aside. In the end, Hyunjin’s happiness was the only thing that mattered, and if loving Hyunjin meant sharing him with Jisung, Minho was completely fine with that.
Besides, according to everything Hyunjin said, Jisung was a genuinely great person. Minho knew they shared the exact same taste in anime, but Jisung was also a weird nerd with a strange obsession with reptiles. Minho had visibly frowned when he first found out Jisung had a "daughter" named Richard, who was actually a gecko.
"I hated it at first too, hyung," Hyunjin confessed with a chuckle, "but when you see the way Jisung looks at her like she's a precious treasure, you start to understand why he loves her so much."
Minho also knew that Jisung was terrible at cooking, slept in the strangest places, wore clear glasses without lenses even though he had already gotten LASIK surgery, and was disastrously bad at ball sports.
How did Minho know all of this? Because Hyunjin talked about Jisung constantly.
Whenever Hyunjin spoke about him, Minho felt like he could see Jisung right in front of his eyes. He could hear the deep, overflowing love in Hyunjin’s voice. Talking to Jisung directly was surprisingly easy for Minho, too. He deeply respected Jisung for being the first one to acknowledge and accept Hyunjin’s feelings. The way Jisung treated Hyunjin—and how perfectly he completed him—was lovely to watch.
Of course, there had been minor friction in the beginning. The very first time they met, Jisung had casually called him "hyung," which instantly gave Minho a slight ick. Why is he calling me hyung so easily when we just met? Minho had thought at the time. He isn't Hyunjin. He needs to treat me like a stranger first.
But the moment Minho looked over and saw Hyunjin staring at him with hopeful, pleading eyes—praying that Minho would cooperate and get along with Jisung—his heart melted instantly. Fine, Minho had thought. I can do this.
Minho loved the bright crescent shape Hyunjin’s eyes made whenever Jisung was near him. He loved the way Jisung could make Hyunjin laugh so hard he sounded like a squeaking ferret, completely uninhibited and joyful.
Every time Minho heard that ridiculous laugh, he felt a small pang of envy. He made a mental note that maybe, one day, he would ask Jisung what kind of stupid jokes he used to make Hyunjin laugh like that.
Like right now, Hyunjin was laughing silly because of whatever ridiculous thing Jisung said about a pot full of boiling water.
"Jisung-ah, pay attention to the stove," Minho warned as he walked into the kitchen, watching the two of them standing far too close to the burner. "You’re going to get both of you burned with that boiling water."
Jisung was currently in charge of cooking ramyeon for the three of them. He was notoriously terrible at cooking. The last time Jisung attempted to make ramyeon, he poured in way too much water, leaving them with a completely bland, soggy mess. This time, he was carefully measuring the water line while Hyunjin stood beside him, teasing him mercilessly about it.
"Don't look, jagiya! It’s not done yet," Jisung declared loudly to Hyunjin, completely ignoring Minho's warning. "I’m going to make sure you eat the best ramyeon of your life tonight."
Minho sighed. Seeing that Jisung wasn't listening to a word he said, he turned his attention directly to Hyunjin instead. "Jinnie-ya, come here. Sit down with me and help set the table."
Hyunjin’s eyes lit up instantly. Turning to Minho with a soft, affectionate expression, he nodded obediently. "Yes, hyung. I’m coming."
Hyunjin was always so sweet. Minho smiled slightly as he watched his boyfriend walk away from the stove. Frankly, Minho didn't particularly care if Jisung managed to splash boiling water on himself, but he was going to make sure his Hyunjin stayed completely safe. At least he tried to convince himself, but a sudden flash of real panic hit him at the thought of Jisung actually getting hurt and burned by the boiled water.
When Hyunjin reached the table, Minho greeted him with a quick, soft peck on the lips before giving him a task. "Grab the chopsticks and the bowls, please."
"By the way," Minho added, speaking loudly enough for both of them to hear, "I have to leave in an hour. I’ll head out right after we finish eating."
Jisung, of course, paid zero attention. He was fully focused on sliding the block of dry noodles into the bubbling pot.
"Oh, whyyy?" Hyunjin whined in his soft, melodious voice, wrapping his arms around Minho's waist from behind. "I still want you to stay here."
Minho’s heart melted. Hyunjin was absurdly cute and pretty when he acted needy like this. He turned around in Hyunjin's embrace, cupping his face gently. "I have to meet my manager to go over the new class terms at the dance studio, Jinnie-ya. If I don't go today, the schedule for next month gets pushed back."
Hyunjin pouted, but nodded in understanding, resting his chin on Minho's chest.
After they finished eating, Minho prepared to leave. He went through his usual goodbye ritual with Hyunjin—a gentle kiss on the forehead, a lingering one on the lips, and a soft hug. Hyunjin clung to him for a moment before letting go, whispering a quiet, "Text me when you get there, hyung."
Meanwhile, Jisung hadn't budged from his seat at the dining table. He was still sitting there, happily slurping down the remaining ramyeon alongside the grilled pork belly Minho had cooked earlier. Minho watched in subtle disgust as Jisung stuffed his mouth full, his cheeks puffing out completely as he chewed the pork belly like it was the greatest thing he had ever tasted.
Minho cringed internally. Why is he eating it like he owns it? Does he even know I'm the one who made it?
If he's going to inhale everything Minho made, the least he can do is realize whose hands cooked it.
"Jisung-ah, I'm leaving," Minho said sharply, adjusting his bag over his shoulder. "Make sure you clean up the dishes and help Hyunjin."
"Uh, yeah. Bye, hyung," Jisung mumbled through a mouthful of food, barely bothering to glance up as he kept eating.
Minho let out a small, annoyed sigh. He tried his best to ignore the human squirrel sitting at his table, but as his eyes lingered on Jisung’s wildly stuffed, round cheeks, a strange, unfamiliar tingle flickered in his chest. It made him feel unsettled, making him think, God, why he is so annoying.