“I cannot believe JIHOON'S the only one out of us in a relationship right now,” Hansol chuckled from the couch. “JIHOON!”

Jihoon swiveled around on his stool at the kitchen counter. “I’m right here, ya know.”

“And you’re IN A RELATIONSHIP!”

Everyone else laughed as Jihoon just rolled his eyes, taking a bite of his pizza. “I’m not ‘in a relationship,’” he clarified. “At least not yet.”

“What’re you talking about?” Junhui teased, plopping himself down next to Hansol. “This Seungcheol guy’s all you’ve been able to talk about for two weeks now.”

“That’s not true,” Jihoon argued, sharply glaring at his friend.

“UHH! EXCUSE ME!” Soonyoung shouted, shutting the fridge and coming over to look Jihoon in the eye. Slamming his hands down on the counter, he leaned forward and said, “Literally, the only things you’ve talked to me about SINCE you’ve met him are: if he can come over and how dreamy his eyes are.”

His friends all giggled as Jihoon’s shoulders sunk in. He leaned over his plate and angrily ate in the cave he formed with his arms. “I never said they were dreamy.”

“Might as well have,” Soonyoung laughed. He opened his root beer as he sat down next to Mingyu.

Minghao, sitting beside Jihoon, playfully shook his shoulder. “Ah, Jihoon. It’s okay. We’ve all felt love before.”

“I’m not in love with him!” Jihoon snapped.

But his reaction was too quick for the others not to make fun of him. “Come on, hyung!” Mingyu laughed. “We know you are.”

Jihoon scoffed and rolled his eyes. “We’re not even TOGETHER. How can I be in love with him?”

“Well, Mingyu doesn’t even talk to Wonwoo and he’s in love with him,” Soonyoung commented, pointing his thumb at him.

“YAH!” Mingyu exclaimed, smacking it away.

“You’re in love with our roommate?” Hansol asked, curiously staring at Mingyu.

“NO! I’M NOT!”

Minghao turned over and asked, “How do you know Wonwoo?”

Flustered, Mingyu threw his arms out and yelled, “Can we please focus on Jihoon’s love life right now?!”

Jihoon groaned, cupping his hand over his mouth as he chewed his food. “There is no love life!”

“Come on, Jihoon,” Junhui pushed.

But just then, there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it!” Jihoon immediately said, jumping down from his seat and heading over to answer it.

Hansol chuckled and leaned into Junhui to say, “I’ve never seen him so easily flustered.”

Junhui scoffed. “Are you kidding me? Any cute guy who looks his way can get him like this.”

“Psh, well that I know. But THIS,” he said, pointing his pizza at Jihoon. “THIS is a whole nother level.”

Jihoon swiftly opened the door and smiled. “Hey Chan.”

“Hey!” Chan exclaimed as his friend made way for him to come in. Slipping out of his shoes, he eagerly greeted the others. “Hey guys!”

“Hey Chan!” everyone replied.

“Sorry I’m late. My study session went a little long,” he explained before running over to the pizza boxes. He lifted the lid and frowned, disappointed. “Guys! You could’ve at least saved me a slice!”

Soonyoung chuckled as the pouty Chan took the stool next to Minghao. “Sorry, kiddo. Try to get here before 8 next time.”

“Aish!” Chan hollered, kicking the counter.

Jihoon chuckled and picked up his plate. “Here, Chan. You can have mine. I didn’t eat that piece yet.”

Chan’s eyes sparkled as Jihoon handed it to him. “WAH! Thanks, hyung!” Taking a huge bite, he said with his mouth full, “Why’re you being so nice today?”

Jihoon was about to answer, but before he could say anything, Hansol cried out, “BECAUSE HE’S IN LOOOVE!”

“I AM NOT IN LOVE!” Jihoon shouted back as everyone laughed. Pertaining to his more violent nature, Jihoon stormed over to him, picked a pillow off the floor, and started pounding Hansol.

Everyone was in a fit as Hansol protected his face. “JUST ADMIT IT, HYUNG! ADMIT THAT YOU LOVE HIM!”

“I DON’T LOVE HIM!”

Clutching his stomach and dying of laughter, Soonyoung cried, “HE’S EVEN MORE DANGEROUS WHEN HE’S IN LOVE!”

“SHUT UP!” Jihoon twisted over and redirected his force to Soonyoung. As embarrassed as he was from all the teasing, Jihoon couldn’t help but wear a giant smile as he beat up his friend.

“Oh, Jihoon!” Junhui exclaimed, lunging forward and wrapping his arms around his waist. He pulled him backwards so he was now sitting on his lap. Hugging him, Junhui laughed, “You are so in love.”

Jihoon sighed, “How many times do I have to say I’m—”

“—completely in love with him,” Minghao interrupted.

“Guys, I’m not—”

“—ready to confess my feelings,” Mingyu finished for him.

“No, I—”

“—want Seungcheol to be my boyfriend,” Chan interjected.

“Stop—”

“—telling me what I already know,” Hansol added.

“Seriously—”

“—I can’t contain my love for him,” Soonyoung chimed.

Jihoon sighed and dropped his head. The others were just wearing huge, satisfied smiles, waiting for him to say something so they could continue their game. “Can you—”

“—get him to return my undying love,” Junhui snickered.

Jihoon glared at all of them. “Are you guy’s finished yet, because I'm—”

“—IN LOVE WITH SEUNGCHEOL!” they all shouted at the top of their lungs. Laughing hysterically, everyone was a mess as Jihoon released himself from Junhui and stood up. “I hate you all.”

He walked towards the fridge, leaving the storm of laughter behind him. “OH GOD, JIHOON! WE LOVE YOU TOO!” Mingyu shouted.

Chan smiled over at Jihoon as he leaned into the fridge. “So when do we all get to meet Seungcheol?”

“YEAH!” Junhui called out. “Chan and I still haven’t met him!”

“Minghao and I haven’t officially met him either,” Hansol said through his chuckles. “We’ve only seen him a few times in the elevator.”

“You should invite him over!” Soonyoung suggested, hopping up from his seat.

“Yeah!” everyone else cheered.

Jihoon scoffed and took his head out of the fridge. “OH, NO! NO! I am NOT letting him see you all like THIS!” Pointing his water bottle at all of them, he said, “I refuse to let him see this mess.”

“Come on!” Mingyu whined. “He’s been over before, Jihoonie! It’s not like this would be his first time!”

“Are you kidding me?! You’d kill him!”

“We’ll be good!” Minghao uttered, shining a bright smile. “We won’t tease you in front of him!”

Jihoon took a second to think about it before slamming the door. “No.”

“COME ON!” Hansol cried. “HE’S RIGHT ACROSS THE HALL!”

“NO!”

“Please!!!” Chan begged, clasping his hands together and pouting at him.

Jihoon walked past him and bopped him on the head. “NO!”

“JIHOON-AH!” Junhui hollered.

“NO!” Jihoon yelled one last time, raising his water bottle in the air as he headed to the bedroom to grab his phone.

As the others all sighed and groaned in disappointment, Soonyoung just smirked. “Fine. If you don’t invite him over, I will.”

Jihoon immediately stopped in the doorway. He slowly turned around and glared at Soonyoung. “You wouldn’t dare,” he said slowly.

Soonyoung raised his eyebrow and responded maniacally, “Try me.”

Everyone in the room silently watched the stare down, their mouths gaping open in anticipation. And as Jihoon stood there, he scoffed. “You don’t have the balls.”

“We’ll see about that,” Soonyoung chuckled. Then he started to make his way towards the door.

“NO!” Jihoon screamed as he ran in front of him. But as he ran, Soonyoung made a dash for it. Luckily, Jihoon was just a little bit quicker. He barricaded the door with his body. “YOU ARE NOT DOING THAT!”

Laughing, Soonyoung put his hands on his hips. “You don’t want to do that, Jihoon.”

Before Jihoon could come back with any sort of remark, Soonyoung’s hands dove around Jihoon’s sides, tickling him intensely. Jihoon fell into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, and so did the rest of the room. If you knew Jihoon at all, you would know that he was EXTREMELY ticklish and he hated being tickled more than anything in the world. And Soonyoung was doing his worst. Jihoon was screaming and smiling but his eyes were filled with rage. As he shook on the floor, he managed to yell, “I ING HATE YOU!”

But Soonyoung refused to give in. “INVITE HIM OVER!” he demanded.

“NO! HAHAHAHAHAHHA!” Jihoon tried to pull Soonyoung’s hair, but he was too weak and his grip didn’t hold.

“CHAN, GET OVER HERE!”

Chan hopped down from his seat and assisted Soonyoung in the torture. “I’M GONNA KILL YOU BOTH!” Jihoon screamed, unable to open his eyes.

“INVITE HIM OVER!”

“NO!”

“DO IT!”

“NO!”

“WE’LL BE GOOD!”

“ YOU AHAHAHHAHA! NO!”

“PLEASE!”

Jihoon was in tears and he honestly could not stand it anymore so he had to yell, “OKAY, FINE! JUST STOP! JUST ING STOP!”

Immediately, Soonyoung and Chan threw their hands up. Chan ran from the scene of the crime but it was too late for Soonyoung. Jihoon lunged upwards and grabbed him by the shoulders. Shaking him vigorously as everyone else watched and laughed, Jihoon screamed, “I HATE YOU!”

But Soonyoung just kept laughing. He knew that secretly, however deep down, Jihoon was happy he got to invite Seungcheol over. Soonyoung knew he loved his friends and Seungcheol would too. After he was released, Soonyoung helped Jihoon up. Dusting himself off, he smiled. “We’ll be good.”

His hand on the doorknob, Jihoon glared back at his so-called friends. “I hate you all.”

But as all of this was going on, just across the hall, a very different conversation was taking place.