part xi

july 17^th.

two and a half weeks later.

summer classes were over with.

mingyu had re this day after wonwoo had returned from taking junhui back to the airport. he knew that he should of gone with wonwoo to wish the other a farewell, but mingyu felt extremely salty about any topic that involved junhui at all.

he couldn’t help it.

he just realized that he’s been falling for his bestfriend all of this time.

there was no way he was going to back away from that knowledge and let junhui obstruct.

a knock on the door at around eight at night pulled mingyu out of watching boys before flowers, shuffling over toward the source of the sound in his lazy sweats and white tee attire. wonwoo would of just walked in or unlocked the door, but he had forgotten that other people may want to come and visit the two of them.

what mingyu saw on the other side of the door caused him to hitch a breath.

“long time no see, mingyu.”

wonwoo was whizzing down the highway with a smile upon his lips, listening to some soft pop tunes that were on his playlist. there was a small surge of warmth that spread all over his body from wishing junhui a safe trip back, from the way they exchanged their words to the last hug they left each other with.

he knew that they’d see each other again soon. it may not be in the coming month, the coming year, but they promised that either wonwoo would come back to china or junhui would visit korea again just to hangout with no scholastic obligations. this was all they needed, and they were for sure still going to keep in contact with each other through texts and calls and video calls.

he decided to make a pit stop at the store, remembering that they were running low on beer. wonwoo was sure that this development that was his and mingyu’s tradition for so long was supposed to kill them by now, but they reduced their intake lately and only drank when they were both free. it didn’t mean that the two were drifting apart, no. it just meant that they’re trying to sober up a little now that they weren’t in high school any longer.

mindlessly thinking about little things, wonwoo pushed the shopping cart around the market, never realizing how the cart was starting to fill up with everything but his desired intent. this was the after effect of college, or any time one is shopping alone: when one goes shopping for just one thing, they never walk out of the store with just that one thing. it was alright, though. they needed to restock a lot of things back in their apartment, so when wonwoo finally noticed that there was no space for the alcohol, he simply made room for it and continued his shopping.

“wonwoo?”

the said boy blinked and looked up from reading the ingredients of a certain cereal box, meeting a smiling face that was all too familiar to him.

“congrats, man!”

mingyu gulped, the hold of the door knob tightening as he felt his whole body stiffen, freeze and melt in a course of two seconds at the form that was before him.

“w-what are you…” mingyu tried to stutter but to no avail.

“i just wanted to see my good friend, of course.” the other person smiled. “may i?”

without mingyu’s ‘okay’, the other person slid into the apartment, slipping their shoes off and inhaling the scent that lingered in the shared abode. they couldn’t help but to look around with a slight hum and hands stuffed into their jacket’s pockets.

mingyu turned around to watch the other as he leaned against the closed door.

was he seeing right?

as if the other could read his thoughts, they turned around to face mingyu with a tilt of their head.

“not happy to see me?”

“i-i’m just..” mingyu began but couldn’t finish.

“look, i know i’m abruptly showing up again and all, but just.. . i missed you. so much.”

“congrats?” wonwoo frowned, hoping that this was not a deja-vu of what lee chan had said a couple of weeks before.

“yeah! on finishing your classes!”

wonwoo exhaled.

“thanks, jihoon.”

jihoon chuckled softly as he parked his cart next to wonwoo’s, reading up for a box of cereal but making a small sound when he couldn’t reach it. the taller friend took it with ease and handed it to the now silver haired boy.

“today was junhui’s last day here, right?”

wonwoo nodded his head as he put two other boxes into his cart. “he really liked it here, and he thanks you for teaching him a little bit of playing the guitar.”

“everyone’s always so thankful for me teaching them one chord. it’s actually kind of cute,” jihoon admitted, causing wonwoo to pull a grin onto his lips, “we never go shopping on the same day. it’s.. so weird to remember that you also step out of your apartment at times.”

“yah!”

“it’s true, though! unless it’s for school or family matters, you never step outside!”

“i do go outside!” wonwoo protested.

“bull.”

“whatever,” wonwoo grumbled as he nudged jihoon’s cart before rolling away, hearing the squeaks of the other cart follow him.

“so how’re you on your composition?” wonwoo decided to ask to strike up a conversation knowing that once jihoon saw him, he was going to follow him no matter what. it was really adorable nonetheless, and wonwoo didn’t mind the waddling male who trailed behind still piling up his cart.

“i’m.. getting there. i’ll need you a few more times and then i think i’ll be completely finished. i just need a few more parts in ‘adore u’ and then everything else can fall in place,” jihoon replied happily, causing wonwoo to smile.

“i would help you tonight but.. i already have plans,” wonwoo rubbed at his nape, jihoon blinking curiously at the other male.

“plans?”

“s-seungcheol...”

“hear me out,” seungcheol interrupted in a hurry, calming down from his outburst as he expelled a breath of air, “just.. hear me out, okay? i.. i don’t know why i came back. i guess this is still the only place that i know by heart. cheesy? gross? it’s whatever you think it is. i’m just.. i ing miss you so much, mingyu. it’s pathetic that i came here but.. what else can i do? you’re still the same dork that i fell in love with, i hope, and you’re still the same.. kim mingyu that always smiled at stupid things and.. who was always obsessed with looking good and all of those small things and , i hate that things ended the way they did for us. i hate it so much. it’s so unfair and now you have wonwoo and i know i deserve it. i deserve being heartbroken and i deserve all of this and running away made me realize that i should.. just move on and wish you the happiness that i promised, but i just can’t do that. i really can’t. mingyu, I’m still in ing love with you and i just want another chance with you. i promise to be a better man for you, i swear. i.. you gave me so much of the happiness i once had and it’s so depressing to walk around knowing that i was never the true reason behind your smile and it’s a living hell for me. i.. i can’t take it anymore. i need you again. i need the moments back: the spontaneous dates, the nights of laughter and snuggling under the blankets, the moments when we just ate together and fed each other, the soft words of love. i really do need you again, mingyu.”

mingyu could only blink twice, lips parting and closing in successions at the lack of words that wanted to escape his lips. here was choi seungcheol in his living room, confessing to him on any normal day and causing mingyu to almost have a heart attack. it was certainly unexpected since he had thought that seungcheol had fallen off the face of the earth, but to see him again after so long made him breathless.

the worst part about it was that mingyu’s heartstring was plucked.

“plans with mingyu,” wonwoo grinned.

jihoon smirked to himself at his own interpretation of what “plans” were for the two of them as he took a peek at the cart to see if he could confirm his hunch, looking at the ice cream and chocolate and other sweets that could anchor his words.

“ah, are you two celebrating the end of your classes?”

“mm, something along those lines.”

“hopefully he makes you giggle and squirm.”

“what was that—” wonwoo squinted.

“nothing nothing!”

wonwoo rolled his eyes as they continued to shop together, soon rolling up to the same checkout counter to pay for their items.

“oh, do you rememeber seungcheol?”

wonwoo froze.

choi seungcheol.

he turned back to look at the smaller boy who was busy looking at candy, innocently picking up a couple bars of chocolate before meeting wonwoo’s eyes.

“he’s back in town.”

“seungcheol, why are you back…” was mingyu’s first question, still dazed at the fact that the messy black haired, still damn attractive male that looked so pitiful standing before him.

“i just told you why,” seungcheol murmured softly, twiddling with his fingers as he played with the silver band around his finger, “i miss you.”

“no, you don’t.”

“mingyu—”

“you don’t.”

“what do you mean i don’t?”

“you can’t play that card anymore. you know why we broke away from each other quite well, and there’s no room for you to come back wiggling into my heart after what you did. i can’t simply overlook it and take you back in.”

“but minnie…”

“mingyu.”

“that was my nickname for you though.”

“was. past tense.”

“are you really going to be this stubborn?”

mingyu simply nodded.

without given time for a reaction, mingyu found himself pressed up against the wall, unwanted hands caressing his hips with the boy who still smelled strong of vanilla and liquor so close to him like before. mingyu’s heart fluttered all the more, not being used to being on the recessive side of the situation as he was always the one who did the so-called charming. it was nostalgic, the moment and the eyes that seemed to have lost their spark from before. mingyu could almost taste seungcheol’s tongue again with the intoxicating proximity between them, and it was starting to get to him.

“did you miss this, mingyu?” seungcheol murmured softly, lips almost brushing along the other’s exposed neck.

“i..”

“i missed this so ing much.”

wonwoo was completely livid.

there were names that wonwoo was okay hearing that were visiting mingyu: amber, jihoon, jeonghan, jisoo, hansol, even hearing that jun was visiting wonwoo would have eased him and kept him calm.

choi seungcheol, however, did not fall under that category.

what would have been an half an hour drive back to the apartment miraculously took fifteen, worry and anger coursing through wonwoo’s veins at the potential danger that mingyu was in if the intruder decided to show up.

seungcheol and wonwoo never had a flavorful relationship and the three of them knew this fact. it wasn’t that they hated each other, no, but there were certain things about seungcheol that really pissed wonwoo off.

for example, the first year of high school was a temporary nightmare for kim mingyu as seungcheol decided all of a sudden that he was going to date him. wonwoo, at the time, didn’t mind, and mingyu thought that it was a joke but was more than surprised when seungcheol began to act more gentleman-like toward mingyu. the receiver thought nothing more of the moments until he was fully convinced when given the newest release of a video game. he was only fifteen at the moment, and this token of love meant a lot to him at the time. though, just about anything would have made mingyu say yes regardless.

wonwoo wasn’t too happy about the fact that seungcheol was mingyu’s first “boyfriend”, and there was something suspicious about why seungcheol all of a sudden found an interest in him. nonetheless, he still kept watch over his bestfriend to see just why handsome, athletic, popular choi seungcheol wanted to get together with geeky, goofy and overly dumb in more ways than one kim mingyu.

the incident that occurred still annoyed wonwoo to no end just thinking about it, and hearing that seungcheol was back in seoul caused a sense of vexation to cloak him as he arrived at the parking lot and parked his car. he didn’t think twice about picking up all of the heavy bags in his two hands, not wanting to come back down again for another trip as he wanted to protect his mingyu.

maybe it was the thought of the two of them alone again that made him walk through the lobby in a hurry.

maybe it was the fear of catching them again that made him aggressively press the elevator button.

maybe it was the fact that mingyu was crying that one night that made wonwoo feel so damn impatient.

maybe it was watching seungcheol beg and plead the first time for mingyu’s forgiveness that made wonwoo rush out of the elevator and step into the apartment.

what was before him almost made him drop all seven bags that were in his hands.

seungcheol was in the apartment, just as wonwoo had feared, and in front of him was the motionless mingyu whose eyes were wide open. anyone who walked into the satiation as wonwoo did could tell that there was merely a breath of space between them, and the air was so tense that the uninvited visitor just had to turn his head toward the click of the door, eyes slightly widening at meeting wonwoo as mingyu could only advert his gaze to the carpet.

“choi ing seungcheol, what the hell are you doing here?” wonwoo growled.

“dear ,” seungcheol murmured to himself as he dropped his hands, taking a step back from mingyu and turning his body to face the other boy. “what perfect timing. are you afraid that you’ll catch us making out again? or even worse.”

“don’t you even start that,” wonwoo intervened as he decided to deliver the groceries to the safety of the kitchen before glaring at the other boy.

“start what? oh, another relationship with your precious little mingyu?”

“why are you talking about him like he’s some toy? wasn’t that all he ever was to you? just a puppet you could easily move and bend to your will?”

seungcheol snorted, “looks like someone’s been stalking around and writing notes back then.”

“he’s my best friend. how can i ignore that?”

“g-guys…”

“mingyu, no. i shouldn’t be telling you to stay out of this since it deals with you, but this is a never settled battle between us,” wonwoo sighed, darkened eyes staying on the unreadable gaze of the other.

“i think that mingyu should say something if he wants to,” seungcheol mused softly with folded arms, the innocence that was feigned completely disgusting to look at.

mingyu looked between the two boys, lips parting at first to say something before he closed them and slowly shook his head in defeat.

“let me guess. you came crawling back for mingyu’s forgiveness?”

“as always.”

“how far did you get this time?”

“despite the texts and calls.. i’m here, aren’t i?”

“did you say anything?”

“oh i said what i needed to say.”

“and?”

seungcheol’s eyes flicked from the stoic and borderline frightened mingyu to the deadpanning wonwoo, careful with the construction of his response as he shifted to his other foot and expelled a soft breath.

“choi seungcheol, i swear to , if you make up some bull right now, i will personally make sure that i castrate you.” wonwoo lowly warned the other.

“he said he’ll think about it.”

if the happiness of finishing his summer courses didn’t overshadow the infuriation that spiked at that exact moment, wonwoo would have had to be worrying about a knocked out seungcheol on the floor from a powerful punch delivered to him. if mingyu wasn’t there, fear and naïve fright defining the boy as he stood leaning against the word motionless and mute, wonwoo would have been spilling endless curses to seungcheol who looked way too content with his answer.

the only thing that wonwoo could do was exhale rather sharply, staring at seungcheol with an unreadable expression then at mingyu before turning on his heel and walking out of the door in fear that he wouldn’t keep his composed self if he stayed in there any longer.

there was a history between wonwoo and seungcheol that almost seemed fabricated by others between them, and wonwoo knew damn well by now that nothing would ever settle this feud-type of relationship that they had with each other, which was why it was only for the best that he didn’t rage at the definite bull spewed by the other.

that night, wonwoo took a long drive to the beach with his beer, perching himself on the hood to sadly enjoy the cool sea air clearing his mind.

that night, mingyu sat in front of the coffee table alone, the only source of light coming from the candle that was stuck on a mini vanilla cake. the candle flickered, illuminating mingyu’s almost dead expression at how things turned out as he looked up to notice that the time was now 11:59pm. he slumped his shoulders and attempted a small curve of his lips, voice weak but soft enough for himself as he spoke before blowing out the candle by his lonesome self.

“happy birthday, wonwoo…”

SCREAMS HELLO COLLEGE PULLED ME AWAY YET AGAIN. this chapter was a mess. it wasn't supposed to be like this i swear but two things: it was supposed to be worse than this (the situation i mean) and i will be writing a backstory to the whole mingyu/coups/wonwoo thing. heh. as always, will beta after work. comments and rants are appreciated! oh, and i decided to feature some comments on my foreword real soon because they're honestly the best and i love them.