You have no idea how wonderful OT3 is without involved.

-

Jieun had broken up with Himchan and it was the hot topic of the starting semester. It’s only been five hours since they came back; but Junhong had already told them that. Neither of them were surprised. They were both more worried about the next six assessments to be done for the semester; and were brainstorming ideas to keep a conversation going.

Yongguk had left a notebook back in his dorm; and Jongup offered to walk him.

They spot Himchan on their way back; and they didn’t mean to eavesdrop. But Himchan looked pale and that girl was being annoying. Who is this? Minji? Jongup thought, and walked closer.

She was asking Himchan was Jieun had that she doesn’t; but her lips got sealed as Jongup approached. She rolled her eyes and left.

“You don’t look so good.” Yongguk said. “Want us to walk you to class?” Jongup offered.
Himchan forced a smile and nodded.

None of them spoke until Himchan was already standing by his class. They said goodbye.

Jongup kept his lips tight until the two of them arrived in class.

“Himchans’ pale.” He said.
Yongguk hummed. “Hope he’s fine.”

“Should we… I don’t know; try and cheer him up or something?” Jongup twisted his pen on his fingers, clueless of how to put it into words. Yongguk smiled. “Let sit with him for lunch.” He suggested.

-

Himchan was still in line with his tray when Yongguk and Jongup caught up. He was moving snail-snow along the line, and Yongguk caught up to him. “Hey, Himchan, wanna sit with us?”

There wasn’t a smile in it; but Himchan nodded. They went outside to sit, avoiding eyes.

Jongup joined a minute later.

Himchan ate slowly.

Jongup and Yongguk let him take his time.

“I broke up with Jieun.”

Jongup chuckled, and Yongguk stepped on his foot again. He stopped.
“We heard.” Yongguk decided to speak first. Jongup cared for Himchan but he didn’t stand well against bull. Himchan is obviously heart-broken and y comments are not what’s needed.

Silence continued and Jongup stepped back on Yongguk foot, for no apparent reason. He rolled his shoulders when Yongguk made a face.

“You could tell us what happened, if you want.” Yongguk offered. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” He shrugged. Himchan only nodded.
So he didn’t want to talk about it.

-

Himchan joined them for lunch every other day that followed; but conversation was dead. Yongguk and Jongup let Himchan have silence for the first three days, but Jongup started to complain about running out of art supplies too soon, and Himchan felt ignored for the first time.

Jongup and Yongguk always had something to keep talking about.

It annoyed him because it wasn’t like this before.
Before the vacation; Yongguk and Jongup barely spoke a word. It was starting to get on his nerves how they never seemed to run out of things to talk about now. Himchan felt uncomfortable.

He partly felt responsible for it; but even when he wanted to join in, he knew the last thing about the difference between prim roses and wild roses. He never quite fit into the conversations they had. It made him wonder how they ended up as friends in the first place.

-

Himchan had decided to quit the popular people. He slowly dropped out of conversation and topic and avoided situations that made him the center. Not much time passed when everyone stopped asking him what happened with Jieun, but he was glad when all the ruckus died down. It took some time, but not much effort. He put some of his time to his studies and his grades had improved somewhat.

Himchan was coming around again; and he was fairly happy. He was walking back home after school; just out of his bus; when his phone dinged with a message.

A scowl came on his face when he realized it was Minji. He can’t believe that there was a time he tried to set this crazy with Jongup. There was a picture and no text.

He tapped on it to get it bigger; and ended up in a gasp; feet locking dead.

They were kissing.
Yongguk and Jongup.

-

Jongup sighed; stacking away his manhwa that blocked the couches from their ability to be sat on. He was putting them away because Himchan had texted he’s coming over ASAP to Yongguk again; and he was cleaning somewhat.
“How come he never texts me?!” He complained as he made a pile of clothes on the couch and carried them to their room, dropping them into the wash-basket. He made a note to visit the laundry tomorrow.

“He probably thinks you’re scary.” Yongguk joked, poking Jongup on his ribs from the side. Jongup made a face; but he laughed afterwards.
“He takes you too lightly.”

There were no knocks on their door. Himchan just walked in, his phone clenched by his hand.

“Are you two?!” He started, realized that the door is open, shut his mouth, closed the door, breathed in sharply; and walked like the nutcracker to the couch that still had a pile of clothes to its side, and sat down.

Yongguk noticed the beads of sweat on Himchans’ forehead, and got him a glass of water.

Obviously reading the tense air, Jongup sat down with Yongguk.

Himchan flipped a rack of memories in his mind.
He doesn’t remember when Yongguk had started to keep a hand on Jongups’ thigh. Since when did that happen? How did I not notice?

He gulped down the entire glass.

“Are you two gay?” his questioned.

Jongup crossed his arms and huffed. “What are you–?”

But Yongguk cut through, giving Jongups thigh a squeeze. “We are.”
Yongguks answer was much more composed; and Himchan knew it has surprised Jongup too. “No we’re not?!” Jongup argued back; but his words weren’t concrete.

“Yes we are, Jongup.” Yongguk said, his voice steady. “We are gay and we’re dating.”

It was true, Jongup knew.
But they had never spoken a word about it.
They’ve had , and they occasionally still do have , but neither of them agreed to call it dating. Yongguk was being unfair.
Jongup wasn’t given a say in it.

He squatted away Yongguks hand. “We’re not dating!”

This time; it was Himchan who reached over. He was worried at it was obvious on his face.

He passed over his phone.
Yongguk and Jongup fixed their eyes on it, and their lips parted in surprise. Worry hit them afterwards.

“Will you be okay?” Himchan asked.

-

But they were fine.
Yongguk stood by Jongup when he said he’s going to break the neck of that ; and he nearly would have if Yongguk hadn’t stopped him. Yongguk doesn’t know how Jongup had made her; but the next evening she was waiting in the basketball court to meet them.

Maybe she planned to blackmail them; but it didn’t quite go her way.

Jongup punched her in the gut without a fiber holding him back; and she fell on the floor. He bent over and snatched her phone without a second thought; and bent it in half. It cracked into a neat two piece.

“Whatever you planned to do; good luck with it.” Jongup hissed.

She started to cry; but not even Yongguk could bring himself to worry for her. He was more focused on making sure Jongup doesn’t kick her again.
Jongup really, really hated es.

-

It was only three days later.
Himchan wanted to ask Yongguk a thousand things but he managed to leave the two lovers some space for thinking. It must be difficult for them; so he managed not to barge in and ask how they ended up dating.

They didn’t join everyone during lunch for the following days and Himchan didn’t feel bad for having to sit alone. Youngjae and Junhong didn’t mind when he joined their table but they weren’t close friends.

The last person Himchan expected to see when someone tapped a spoon against the food counter; was Yongguk.
Everyone went silent; and Himchan had his heart in his throat.

“I’m sorry for taking your time first.” Yongguk spoke aloud.

Jongup was standing next to him, hands on his back.

“Jongup and I are dating. That’s all.”

He put the spoon back. The two went around the line to fetch a tray; and the response was to both sides. The girls gasped, and the guys rolled their tongues; but they weren’t thrown food at.

Himchan blushed.

Jongup and I are dating, that’s all.
We don’t really give a to what you have to say.

He added the subtitles in his mind.

Youngjae shook his head in disbelief when Yongguk and Jongup joined their table; but Junhong beamed. “I’m so proud of you two!”

“How did you date and when did you even get started on this weird thing? And how come none of us knew? Why did you want to come out when none of us knew anyway?!” Youngjae shot out all the questions in one go.

Yongguk chuckled. “We just date, nothing special.”

“We started … before vacation.” Jongup followed with his answer.

Himchan was turning redder. How did Yongguk manage this? Three days ago Jongup denied everything.

“Probably because you’re all ignorant idiots.” Jongup shrugged his next ans