Once he has gotten over the initial shock from what happened when they arrived at Jongin's house, Kyungsoo is ushered to his room after being introduced to the little girl named Hyein. She's cute and has some of the CEO's features, like his slightly tanned skin and the beautiful pair of plump lips that seem to run in their family. He tries not to think too much of the similarities and the way the girl clung to Jongin when they arrived as he walks up the stairs following one of the maids.

When he gets in the room he's supposed to be staying in for the next few weeks, the scriptwriter's jaw almost drops at the massive space. He marvels at the amount of available spots in the room as one of Jongin's guards come in with his luggage. He bows to the person in thanks and returns to looking around the grand room when the door is tightly shut already. He had expected something luxurious as he is staying with the Kim Jongin but he didn't expect for a guest room to be this big. As he looks around, he tries to look for any hints or photos of Jongin and the little girl from a while ago who had called the elder her Dad. Kyungsoo doesn't want to think too much about it but his brain just supplies him with all the possible scenarios, the most prominent one being, Jongin is already secretly married to a beautiful woman and the scriptwriter is just his plaything; one he can discard once he's gotten what he wanted.

The wide-eyed male shakes his head, thinking that Jongin isn't that type of person despite what people say about him. He's been interacting with him all this time, spending enough hours with him to know that he's not one to take advantage of people. But a small voice at the back of his mind is trying to reach him, telling him that devils always look innocent and good at first until they've got you in their trap and even then they might not show you their true form. 

A knock on the door pulls him out of his thoughts and in a desperate act to forget what kind of ideas his mind has been trying to implant in him, he opens the door to find the CEO standing in front of the room, a look of worry masking his face. Kyungsoo gulps and opens the door wider to let the other in, relaxing only when Jongin asks him to do so and to take a seat.

"I'm sorry, Kyungsoo." Are the first words that leave Jongin's mouth, the tension in the air only increasing once he apologizes. The younger thinks there is no need for him to do so. They aren't in a proper relationship just yet and, if anything, he should be the one asking for forgiveness for intruding the taller male's space. He doesn't say anything, however, allowing the other to take the stage and have himself listen to everything he wants to say.

"Do you want to know more about Hyein?" Jongin carefully asks, looking at Kyungsoo with anticipation and seemingly breathing out a sigh of relief when he sees the younger nod.

"I was only twenty when I had her but I didn't know." This information makes the scriptwriter snap his head up to see Jongin looking down on his hands, fiddling with his fingers as he tries to tell his story. The shorter male can see how uncomfortable the other is and feels the need to make him to stop because he doesn't want to put the elder in distress. But the CEO's expression flickers and changes into one of determination. He stops moving his hands after clasping them together. His eyes are still unable to meet Kyungsoo's though, but it doesn't bother the younger so much. The scriptwriter is actually quite afraid of what he will see in those eyes.

"Maybe you've heard rumors about me being a delinquent when I was younger." There's a sad smile on Jongin's face and as much as Kyungsoo wants to reach out and reassure him that those things don't matter to him anymore, he stays still and allows the other to continue, to unload to him whatever it is that he wants to say.

"Those were true." It's painful to relive it again and embarrassing to say in front of the person he likes but Jongin knows he has to. If there's anyone he knows he can bare all of himself to, it would be Kyungsoo. "And during that time I did everything, Soo."

His mind goes back to when he was twenty, the peak of his rebellion as he has already gone to college at that time which means he has more freedom. As he said, he did everything, from drinking to smoking to doing drugs, sleeping in other people’s bed night after night. He ruined his life then and tells it all to Kyungsoo, never meeting the other's gaze. He is scared that what he'll see there is not one of understanding but of judgment and he can't bear to have that just yet. If possible, he wants to pretend that the younger still looks up to him as the successful CEO that he is, not the scorned past that he has.

"I was the worst child one could ever have, really. I don't completely blame my parents for sending me to a different country after stripping me of all my inheritance." Despite the small chuckle that the taller male lets out the sadness in Jongin's voice still reaches Kyungsoo, claws at his heart and stays there. For a moment all the younger can think of is how Jongin's parents were able to do that to him. Sure, he had possibly disgraced his family for all the mischief he had created and probably lost his youth and chance to grow to become a well-groomed heir to his father's company. But the younger thinks that sending him away after throwing him into a rehabilitation center for six months is not the proper way of handling things. There was clearly a problem and instead of addressing it and taking care of it personally, Jongin's parents just let the money do the work. The smaller one thinks that that's exactly the problem, that his parents have neglected him in favour of working their company to the top. Jongin had caged-bird syndrome when he was young and Kyungsoo can't find it in himself to not sympathize when he hears such stories about how the elder's parents have treated their child.

"Joonmyun hyung was the one who helped me get back up to my feet. He picked my up in Mexico and brought me to America with him to study film which I later changed to major in Business." There's a small smile on his face as he continues the story but this one is genuine and the scriptwriter made a mental note to thank the older Kim when he sees him at the office once he returns.

"When we were there I bumped into an old friend of mine from college who told me about rumors of a girl getting pregnant with my child." Jongin's face changes again and it's sour this time as he remembers, "Joonmyun hyung offered to look it up for me when he returned to Korea for a vacation. It turns out my parents knew about it and separated the child from the mother when she gave birth, sending the child to an orphanage. I never found out who the mother was though and I always feel bad about that and how she must have had a hard time being alone during her pregnancy." The sadness is back in the elder's voice and Kyungsoo restrains his hands from reaching out and taking the other's much larger one, keeping them on his lap.

"I've done a lot of bad things, I've bedded many people to the point that I can't remember who the mother of my child is and ruined a part of myself that I will never be able to fix no matter how many times I try to piece them together again." Jongin finally looks up and Kyungsoo starts a little at their first eye contact ever since the CEO came in to his room. "I would understand if you don't want anything to do with me anymore but please don't leave the company. I can't let a talent like yours go like that." 

There's a sad smile on the elder's face again and it falters when Kyungsoo doesn't reply. He breathes in deeply and stands up from where he's seated, announcing his leave. Jongin doesn't wait for the younger to walk him to the door, allowing the other to process everything he just said. Before he leaves though, he stops by the door and calls to the other again, "You can still stay here but I wouldn't take it to heart if you feel uncomfortable being under the same roof as me." Then he's gone.

You're wrong, Kyungsoo wants to say but the words don't leave his throat, sitting deeply at the apex of his heart and staying there. He wants to wrap Jongin in his arms and for once make him feel loved and safe, to let him know that no amount of mistakes in the past can make up who he chooses to be in the end; that he will still be there for him, to love him the way he deserves to be cherished. But the words get stuck and his body stays rooted where he is, weighed down by his heavy heart and just how so little the elder thinks of himself because of how people – his family – have treated him and judged him for wanting attention and affection.

"Baby?" Jongin pops his head into his daughter's room, the night light by her bed beaming stars to the walls and the ceiling. "Still awake?" 

The little girl nods enthusiastically, reaching for a book from above the headboard before scooting to the edge of the bed towards the wall. She smiles up at her father when he starts the bedtime story, flipping through the pages with one hand while the other pats down Hyein's silky long hair. It's not surprising that the girl yawns halfway through and by the time Jongin is done reading her eyes are already drooping low.

When the older Kim tucks the child to bed, making sure she is comfortable in her sleep, the child suddenly grabs his hand and asks, "Mr. Do, is he important to you?" The CEO's face turns red, the colour even reaching the tips of his ears as his child looks up at him expectantly.

"Why would you ask that?" He counters, fidgeting and starting to fix things on his child's bed and bedside drawers even though everything s neatly placed where they should be.

"Because daddy never brings anyone home." The child truthfully answers, eyes curious and honest. "If it was for work, they would go to your office. Even your other relatives have never come here aside from Uncle Joonmyun.”

Jongin looks at his daughter fondly, hand cupping her cheek before tucking a stray lock of hair to the back of her ear. He still doesn’t answer so the child inquires once more, “So is he?”

The CEO nods, internally laughing at how very alike his child is to him in that aspect.

“Yes.”

The response he gets from his child surprises him so much that when he finally decides to react, the child is already sleeping.

“Then I will make sure he likes it here.”

Jongin turns a little stiff when he sees Kyungsoo walking down the stairs, already changed for a casual morning. Being a total opposite of her father, Hyein jumps out of her seat and jogs towards the scriptwriter, greeting him a loud good morning before pulling him to the dining table and making him sit across her while her father is seated adjacent to them. The older Kim isn’t sure if his child is being cunning and helpful or if this will only make Kyungsoo feel more uncomfortable. Surprisingly enough, the younger even offers Jongin food and talks to Hyein from across the table.

“Daddy, can I go out with Mr. Do today?” The child’s bob cut bounces on her shoulders as she expectantly awaits her father’s answer. “Please? I will behave.” Her smile stretches from ear to ear as she lets the promise pass through her lips, clearly trying all the cards in her deck to make Jongin give in and allow her.

“Uncle Kyungsoo might have other places he wants to go to and people he wants to meet.” The tall male sees his child’s face turn sour, frown pulling down the corners of her lips at his father’s answer.

“It’s okay,” Kyungsoo speaks up from beside him and the CEO needs to look towards the younger to double check if he’s hearing him correctly, “I’ll take care of her.” There’s a genuine smile on the scriptwriter’s lips and for a second Jongin sees hope that there is still some salvaging he can do with the relationship he’s been trying to have with the other. “I need a guide and besides, she looks like she wants to go out too.” When the wide-eyed male turns to him and smiles, the elder forgets to breathe for a moment, a squeal of enjoyment ringing in the dining room after Kyungsoo accepts his child’s invitation.

“Did you guys have fun?” Jongin stands up from where he’s seated when he hears the door opening, the energetic voice of his daughter instantly filling the house upon her arrival.

“Daddy!” Hyein jogs to where the older Kim is waiting at the end of the hallway. “Uncle Kyungsoo and I went to Lotte Park and we rode the rollercoaster…” The child went on and on and on about the things she did with Kyungsoo and the places they visited that were mostly child-friendly that Jongin begins to think this trip was more for his daughter than the visiting scriptwriter.

Once Hyein is done with her night bath and has changed into her pyjamas, she grabs both Kyungsoo and Jongin’s hands who have been silently waiting for her in her room. She drags them to her bed and hands the scriptwriter a book, asking him politely to read it for her afterwards. Jongin sits at the foot of the bed so that Kyungsoo can take the space beside his daughter, eager as well to hear the younger’s soothing voice.

The CEO watches with an amused smile on his face as the younger keeps answering the curious questions his daughter is throwing at him regarding the story they are reading for him. Kyungsoo never gets annoyed or shows unease at Hyein’s inquiries, just patiently explaining things to the little girl in a way her younger mind can understand. The young one finally falls asleep, exhaustion making her eyes droop down and close shut while the scriptwriter answers one of her queries.

“She’s smart.” Kyungsoo whispers when Jongin is close enough to him after tucking Hyein to bed one last time.

The elder answers when they’ve already closed the door behind them, walking towards the hallway that leads to their bedrooms, “I can’t let her be a up like me.”

“You’re not.” The scriptwriter answers with all sincerity, ensuring that the other will change the way he looks at himself.

“Well,” they stop in front of Kyungsoo’s room, a sad smile faking its way through Jongin’s face when he continues, “I just ed this up, didn’t I?”

There’s a moment when the younger just stares at the taller male with wide eyes then his hands move on their own accord, taking both of Jongin’s much larger ones in his.

“No, you didn’t.” Kyungsoo makes sure he keeps eye contact with the elder so that he can convey that what he is saying is nothing but the truth. “I understand that it’s not easy to say something like this and what happened to you before. If it was, then you could’ve told the public about your child already.” There’s a pause where the shorter man sees the awe in the CEO’s eyes. “I’m glad you even opened your home – your family – to me.”

“Of course,” Jongin breathes out, feeling something warm spread from his chest at the younger’s words and his hand lets go of one of the smaller one’s hands, lifting it up to cup the scriptwriter’s cheek. “I don’t want to keep anything about my life from you,” there’s a hiccup and by the way his sight is becoming blurry the elder knows that there are already tears forming in his eyes, “Not when I want you to become a part of it.” The taller man presses his forehead against Kyungsoo’s, cheeks held by the younger as he thumbs at the fresh tears rolling down Jongin’s face. The elder breathes out a question about something that he’s been wanting to do, something that he’s sure now he wants to share with the other.

“May I kiss you?” 

There is silence for a fraction of a second where they do nothing but hold each other’s gazes and then Kyungsoo nods in reply, eyes closing when he sees Jongin leaning in. Soft and hot is what they feel against their lips, their kiss chaste at first before all dams are raised to finally let out all the emotions they’ve been keeping at bay. Their lips glide against the other’s, smooth and unhurried, whispering sweet nothings while they stand with Jongin pressing the younger’s back against the door.

The sounds of the traffic from below reach Yixing's apartment even twenty one floors above the ground. He's been sitting in front of his desk for the whole day yet only three solid paragraphs have been produced. The same happened the day before and he fears it'll be the same for the days to come. 

His smartphone buzzes where he has left it face down on his bed, hoping having it away will keep him from distractions but instead he kept thinking about the messages left on the device and this inevitably ends up with him diverting his attention by watching videos on Weibo and scrolling through dozens of websites for the most trivial of things. Thinking that ignoring it will do neither good nor harm to him, the author stands up and walks to his bed to retrieve the gadget. He presses his home button to find two message notifications, the latest one coming from his best friend.

From: Lu Han
Are you skipping tomorrow too?

It's the message below it that makes his thumb still, immobile even when the screen turns black again.

From: Wu Yifan
Missed you today again.

The author breathes in deeply before pressing the home button again, this time with his right hand thumb to skip entering his passcode for his Touch ID instead. He goes to his chat box with the director and quickly writes him back.

To: Lu Han
Not sure yet. Maybe, if I wake up early.

Once done responding to his best friend, he goes to type in a reply for Yifan's message even though he’s not exactly sure how to read that message. Did Yifan mean not seeing him on set or miss as in the feeling of longing for someone?

Yixing huffs out a breath and opts not to think too much of it. He goes with his former assumption and sends an excuse of wanting to be able to put into work some of the stuff he learned while he tagged along to the actor's schedule. He used the same alibi the day before so it should work again and it's not as if the younger has been gone for many days like before when he had specifically avoided the set. The reply is instant which makes the author think that the elder has been waiting for his response, considering the fact that the actor messaged him an hour before.

From: Wu Yifan
Are you going to visit tomorrow or are you going to be writing again?

The lack of emoticons on the message gets Yixing wondering if Yifan is angry or if he's just seriously asking. He wants to just not send a response anymore but he doesn't want the elder to be suspicious and he doesn't want a repeat of before when the actor called him because he didn't reply to his messages. It's already quite late so he thinks he can make the excuse that he will retire to bed early since he's already tired from writing even though in reality he hasn't really been producing as much as he should have been able to given that he's been holed up in his room for two days now. And if asked the question why that is, the author wouldn't even dare answer because he knows how stupid the reason is.

It has already been two days since Yifan's press conference yet that one query during the question and answer portion still lingers in the back of his mind and the answer that goes along with it is what wakes him from his sleep, that the person making him feel certain things that he can only equate to liking someone will never look at him the way he wants him to. Quite idiotic if Yixing removes himself out of that situation and thinks about it as an onlooker. But here he is doing his best to be able to avoid the actor as much as he can in hopes of cutting all ties with him by slowly fading in the background and pretending they never knew each other. But the elder's constant messages to him aren't helping him forget the budding feelings he has for Yifan, not when on the other hand he also doesn't want the other to feel like Yixing is distancing himself from him.

From: Wu Yifan
Eh but it's still early. When you come by can you bring more cupcakes? The ones you made were really delicious :)

Yixing isn't sure if the elder is doing it on purpose, being nice to him. However, in light of not wanting to make the actor feel weirded out by his sudden withdrawal, he still replies and keeps the banter even when he knows he should be pulling away.

To: Wu Yifan
I knew it! You only want my cupcakes!

From: Wu Yifan
And your friendship!

It's like a kick to the gut for Yixing, to be reminded that that's all he's ever going to have with Yifan; a friend. He didn't even want these feelings in the first place, all he wanted from the other was friendship as well or a good working relationship at least since he will be portraying an important role in the film adaptation of the younger's novel. Howbeit, as time passed and he got to spend some of it with the actor, the author realized that being friends with the elder doesn't sound like a bad idea. If he had known long before that he will eventually harbor feelings for him, he would not have even come close to the taller male. 

Unfortunately, human encounters don't come with predictions of your future relationship with each person you meet or what happens along the way. One just blindly engages another person and gives the reins to the hands of fate on what will become of their acquaintance.

Looking at his phone, he wonders if he still needs to send back a reply or if it's alright for him not to anymore. Against all reasoning, Yixing opens the chat box once more and types a reply, deleting his exchanges with the elder afterwards.

To: Wu Yifan
Of course. I have to sleep now. Bye.

The author ponders on even deleting the elder's number or changing his own. But it would be too much, he thinks, hoping the feelings he has for Yifan will slowly fade until nothing is left and he doesn't have to worry about having to interact with the actor again.

Sounds easy.

The ringing of the doorbell wakes Yixing from his nap – more like sleep since he's been hunched on his desk for a solid two hours already.

"Coming!" The author shouts, straightening his loose shirt as he walks out of his room and into the hallway that will take him to the entrance. He doesn't even bother peeking into the peephole since his brain isn't fully awake to remind him to do so before opening the door. When the door swings open he finds a tall man with his face fully covered and Yixing almost screams for his life if the stranger didn't remove his shades and pulled down his mask.

"Yifan?" The younger gapes, rubs his eyes and makes sure he isn't dreaming before opening them again to see the actor standing in front of him with a paper bags of what he can only deduce as takeout food in his hands.

"Hi." There's a tentative smile on Yifan's face, as if he himself isn't certain why he's there but he still bravely asks, "May I come in?"

As if remembering that his guest is still out in the hallway, Yixing nods and opens the door wider to let the elder in, waiting for him to toe off his shoes before ushering him in.

"Do you want anything to drink?" The author asks absentmindedly, still unbelieving that the elder is really there, inside his apartment, in the most comfortable of clothes he's ever seen him.

Are those sweatpants? Is he wearing sweatpants? I’ve never seen him wearing sweatpants. Yixing muses as Yifan takes a seat, reminding himself not to look at inappropriate areas.

"No, I'm okay. There are drinks here, actually." The actor places the paper bags on the floor before removing their contents and laying them out on the coffee table as if it is the most normal thing.

"Oh, is it alright to eat here?" Yifan finally looks up and questions after placing the last box of food on the glass table.

"You brought food?" Everything coming out of the author's mouth seem to come out in an interrogative manner, his confusion evident not just in his voice but in his face as well, the younger still standing where the dining area and the receiving area meet.

"Yeah," Yifan answers, continuing his earlier work, thinking it is no problem for them to eat there. "I thought it would be rude to visit without bringing anything and I was starving too." He shrugs before turning to the paper bag again to look for the chopsticks that came with the food. Once he has set everything on the table and even punctured the lid of their drinks with the straws, the actor turns to the shorter male and waits for the younger to finally come over, sit down beside him and eat. Yixing doesn’t seem to get it though, so the taller male has to pat the space to his left and call the author.

“I’m sorry,” the younger finally finds his voice, shaking his head to wake himself, thinking all of it is just a dream; Yifan in his house, bringing food and sitting on his couch. “I should’ve prepared this. In fact, you didn’t have to bring anything.”

“Would you have cooked for me then?” For some reason, Yifan is being very playful and it confuses the author. He doesn’t know how he should respond since he needed to get himself as far away as possible from the taller one. During text exchanges it was easy to dodge and make excuses to extract himself from the conversation and end it. But here he is face to face with Yifan and he can hear his pulse loud and thumping, brain unable to formulate words that aren’t too off-putting that the other might find rude but not too welcoming either. Instead of a verbal reply, he settles for smiling at the other instead, feeling the corners of his lips quivering while thanking the other as he takes the offered box of stir-fried noodles.

After a long moment of just them munching on their food and sipping on their drinks, Yixing reaches for the remote control and turns on the television.

“Did I interrupt your work?” Yifan asks after almost emptying his cup because he accidentally ate a sliced piece of chili.

“No, not really.” Yixing smiles a little, hoping the way his shirt is crumpled and the marks of folded skin on his face and arms don’t give the hint that he’s been sleeping more than he is writing. 

There’s silence again after that, the actor’s snigger being the only other sound that breaks the quiet after seeing his friend William Chan for the trailer of his new TV Drama.

“How did you manage to know my apartment number?” The question slips out of the author’s lips after a while, tilting his head to the side because he doesn’t remember the actor ever coming up to his place or him mentioning the specific number of his apartment.

“Zitao.” Yifan empties the rice from his box and adds before scooping the remaining rice into his mouth, “He asked Shixun for it.”

Yixing would need to sit his nephew down later but for now he has to deal with Yifan being here, wondering why the elder came by.

“Why did you come here? Did you need anything?” The second question is superfluous because he knows the other will never need anything from him. It’s just an additional one, to steer the actor there.

After sipping the last drop of the second drink he brought with him, Yifan straightens in his place and looks at Yixing, a hint of concern playing in his eyes when he answers, “You haven't been going to the set so I thought I should just go and see you.”

"Why?” Yixing plays with the remains of his food, “You don't have to, right?"

The air suddenly changes and even though he doesn’t mean to, the smaller male’s eyes flit to where the elder is. The author gulps after seeing pain in those brown orbs of Yifan’s eyes. When the actor speaks, the younger feels his heart being ripped apart by the words.

"Do you not want me here?” Disbelief paints the elder’s voice and his questions come out breathy as he continues, “You don't want to see me anymore? Is that why you haven't gone to visit the set? Am I that despicable?”

"Don't get it wrong!” Yixing rushes to placate him, not wanting to hear any more of those questions from the taller male because he doesn’t want him to misunderstand anything. “Where is this even coming from?"

"Then explain it to me." Yifan’s voice roars in the small space, even overpowering the television. “Don’t pretend that you’re not distancing yourself from me because I can feel it every time you shut me down during our conversations. If I did anything wrong please just tell me.” The author can’t look at the elder straight in the eye because he can sense the feelings that he has been trying to suppress for a whole week, surging up to the surface, proving all of the younger’s efforts were useless. 

“Yixing? Please, why are you doing this? I thought we were good already?”

When Yixing replies, the air stills and he is sure Yifan stops breathing because the author does so as well, even going as far as closing his eyes and turning his head away from the elder.

"I just don't want to get hurt."

AN: You didn’t see that update coming, did you? LOL