After talking to Woohyun, and despite feeling a bit guilty about it, Myungsoo tried to carry on with his obligations. He had postponed other things so he could focus on his presentation but now that he finished, AND was able to talk to Woohyun again, he needed to catch up. 

He moved to Hoya’s place first to try to get ahead with his work, which they managed, but not without a conversation about their work relationship once Myungsoo started to prepare to leave. Hoya asked what would be the next step and Myungsoo had to reveal he was close to signing a deal that could put him up close to playing in a team on KBL. He had expected Hoya to be sad about it, but the elder reaction had been different from what he anticipated and the boss wanted to celebrate with a drink.

Myungsoo felt a bit weird about his boss's reaction and asked if the elder knew that a deal with KBL meant he couldn't be his assistant anymore. Hoya didn't look sad or dejected about it. He said he saw it coming and had prepared himself beforehand. Myungsoo thought it was a bit strange but felt slightly relieved he wouldn't end up ing the other, after all, Hoya grew on him too and now they considered each other friends. Not the best friends on earth - because Sungyeol might be a sensitive topic between them - but friends.

What caught the young dad by surprise was that his boss had a plan, a very convenient one. As a person tuned in the sports world, Hoya knew Myungsoo's draft would only happen by mid-December so he proposed that Myungsoo kept working for him until then. He wanted Myungsoo to work more time - since there was only one small project left, he knew the younger was mostly available now - so they could speed up and produce enough chapters so he could make a small trip with Dongwoo later. Since Hoya's proposal involved a bit more money - that would make Myungsoo hang on for at least one more month - they reached an agreement.

They ended up celebrating it with a weird (but very tasty) mix of drinks that got them in the mood for some confessions, at least on Hoya’s part. It was not like the elder confessed his feelings or something (after all he loved Dongwoo) but he made sure to tell Myungsoo he would miss him and that, independently of what could happen between him and Sungyeol (or not) that they should keep being friends. 

Well, Sungyeol had straightforwardly told him that Hoya considered him a friend but, before he replied, he took a second to think about how he felt about his boss to give him some kind of reaction.

Right off the bat, he couldn’t help but hear Sungyeol's voice in his head talking about Hoya. The taller man had called Hoya a ‘mother hen’ a couple of times and complained about some invasion of privacy but, as far as he knew, Sungyeol was never disappointed by him. 

There was a time he was annoyed at Hoya because he was Sungyeol's cousin and he would probably take sides, but a few days later he relaxed because if there was one thing Sungyeol didn’t meddle with, was when Hoya invited him to work together. Aside from being a huge help (then and now), Hoya had respected his wishes to not talk about Sungyeol, listened when he ranted about this advising process, AND didn’t tell Sungyeol, then explained things to him AND Woohyun. 

He concluded that in his short time knowing Hoya he hadn’t been disappointed either. He compared Sungyeol’s cousin with the other friends. He couldn’t hang out with others that much because Woohyun was always his priority and the few that knew about the boy didn’t keep pushing for it, but to think he had so many problems in the past month and he didn’t feel like he could share or as they could understand him… so if Hoya was not another word for a true friend then what was?
When he came to that conclusion he noticed that the elder had been looking at him with the biggest nervous/scared eyes. He remembered that ‘being accepted’ was something that Hoya craved so Myungsoo realized that he took too much to reply and he was probably giving the wrong impression.

He gave Hoya a full smile. “You better find a good assistant when I leave because if you miss my matches you’re done for.” He said and that was enough for the tension to leave Hoya’s body and his ears slightly flush before he tried to make the mood light again.

They kept talking about all and nothing for the next half an hour but Sungyeol's name had been skillfully avoided. Besides, despite rooting for them both, Hoya thought Myungsoo needed a couple of days to relax and get rid of whatever feeling related to his project he still had. It didn’t take long for both their bellies to scream for food but Myungsoo refused to stay and decided to just grab something at the closest convenience store and head home.

___________________________________________

Woohyun had cried briefly when he talked to Myungsoo but he didn’t cry again even though he was really quiet later.  After some time to calm down, the pair of grandparents asked if he wanted to come back home but the boy preferred to go to school. While it was surprising for them, the boy just wanted to spend some time away from them.

He had arrived at school slightly before lunchtime and that caught the attention of his friends that came to greet him, hug him or ask him questions. He greeted, and hugged, but felt uncomfortable replying. Noticing that, Sunggyu put some order and told the kids to ‘circulate’ but once they became confused, he discovered that ‘go away’ could be more easily understood. Sunggyu sighed internally, these younger kids were becoming boring, what’s the use of him and Woohyun learning so many new words with Sungyeol if the other kids couldn’t understand?

They ended up staying in class during lunchtime so they could have a private conversation. At first, Woohyun didn’t want to talk, but Sungyeol had foreseen his mood and put a lot of Woohyun's favorite dishes on Sunggyu’s lunchbox. After they ate, Woohyun talked very little but Sunggyu was able to discover that: 1) Woohyun had watched the presentation (it had nice pics), and 2) that father and son had a conversation, but his friend didn’t want to talk too much about it. The older boy had decided not to insist, after all, he could scoop some information out of his brother, but it kinda bummed him a bit that Woohyun asked him not to come to Kim's apartment today.

The two boys spent the rest of the school day distracted. Woohyun seemed to be looking at the front but not paying attention to anything and Sunggyu was looking at his friend every other second with a bit of worry. That made Dongwoo a bit worried so he was sure to talk with the grandparents later.

On the way back, Bumsoo and Sonmi tried to scoop things out of Woohyun only to be a little surprised with the whole conversation.

“Was the conversion with Myungsoo that bad?” Sonmi asked, trying to turn her torso a bit to look at the boy.

Woohyun was looking out of the window in the backseat but replied with a neutral tone and without moving to look at her. “More or less.”

“What did he say?” Bumsoo asked next, trying to look at the boy through the rearview mirror.

“That you are going to return to Incheon and I need to choose if I want to stay here or not.” The boy quickly replied but lost count of the number of lights on the street he had been counting just to pass the time.

The elders shared a look and Sonmi tried to reassure the boy. “It’s not like we are going to return right away, we can stay here with you for a while so you don’t need to worry about that.” She briefly turned to Bumsoo and tried to complain in a low tone even though the boy would probably hear. “I can’t believe he said this to Woohyun! Ask him to choose?”

“No, d-Myungsoo-shi is right, I need to think about it.” The boy said as he finally looked at the front. Both elders were a bit shocked that not only Woohyun had been calm enough the last time they spoke (despite being weir later), but now he agreed with Myungsoo on something... 

“If you agree with Myungsoo…” Bumsoo stumbled in his words, not sure how to react. Bumsoo and Sonmi tried to inquire about each other what was going on, but since Bumsoo was driving they just fell into a silence that was comfortable for Woohyun but not exactly for them. 

At some point, just to break their silence, they engaged in a conversation about Moonsoo and how he had not said if he would be able to visit his brother to celebrate the project being over and that had caught Woohyun's interest. Woohyun thought and thought about his conversation with Myungsoo during the afternoon, but, despite not reaching some kind of conclusion there was one thing that he was feeling guilty about: he hadn’t congratulated him.

At some point, Sonmi decided to call her maknae and spent a few minutes on the phone with him but eventually, there was noise on the backside and Woohyun put his head in between the seats.

“Grandma, can I talk to uncle Moonsoo?” He seemed urgent.

“Woohyun wants to talk to you.” She said on the phone, but Moonsoo, who had heard the word ‘uncle’ being said, quickly accepted.

Woohyun grabbed the phone and leaned as back as he could. “Uncle?”

“Namu!” Moonsoo greeted warmly but melted a little. "I miss you so much! I can drop by before your bedtime to hug you, are you up for it?” The elder offered.

“Aren’t you going to visit Myungsoo-shi?” Woohyun asked back.

Moonsoo stiffened for a second. “I need to drop by his apartment but I can leave early to see you.” He was awkward at first then he changed his tone to a brighter one.

“No, I don’t want to see anyone right now. But, uncle...” Woohyun rejected his offer and while he curled himself in a ball and changed the phone to the other ear, Moonsoo sighed dejectedly. “Uncle, can you do something for me?” The boy asked, lowering his tone so the adults with him couldn’t hear.

“What? Woohyun, speak a bit louder.”

“Can you do something for me, uncle?” Woohyun asked again but throwing suspicious glances over his shoulders to see if the adults could hear.

Moonsoo almost sighed in relief on the other side of the phone, he didn’t know how much he missed that word but when Woohyun called him like this after a while, how could he say no? “Sure, do you need anything?” 

“Yes, I forgot to say something.” The boy whispered.

“I don’t understand…” Moonsoo sounded clueless.

“To Myungsoo-shi.” 

“Oh.” At this point, Moonsoo knew the boy and his brother had talked but nobody knew much about it (and he had the mission to try to scoop things out of his elder brother) so to hear Woohyun talking about their conversation, even if minimally, made him not only surprised but excited. “Do you need me to pass a message?” He asked in a whisper just to match Woohyun's secretive tone.

“No, not a message but a cake, he needs a big cake to celebrate.” Woohyun was resolute and Moonsoo felt a little lost again but this time he decided to wait for the boy to explain himself. "And it has to have ‘congratulations’ written on it." He added shortly after.

So Woohyun deep down still cared about Myungsoo's life? That was so good to know and he was sure Myungsoo would be delighted. Even if he was happy, Moonsoo thought about where he would find a whole cake at this point while Woohyun looked suspiciously at the elders. "I'm not sure I'll find a whole cake at this point." He hesitated.

Woohyun felt dejected, wouldn't Myungsoo be able to celebrate with a cake? But he always celebrated his achievements with some cake. It was... It was a tradition. "Not even a slice?" He tried again but made sure to express his disappointment.

"Well, I think I can find a slice somewhere but it will be too small to write ‘congratulations' on it," Moonsoo said.

“Can you write on paper?” The boy asked.

“I can do that.” Moonsoo easily agreed. “Should I put your name under it?” He further asked and that left Woohyun flustered.

"No, you can't say I asked you to do that." He said with his pitch a bit high. The pair of elders were pretending they weren't paying attention to Woohyun's conversation but at that moment they tried their best to contain hopeful and amused smiles.

“Why? I mean, he would love it.”

“Nooo, he will get it all wrong.” The boy denied it. Woohyun knew the importance of the project because Myungsoo had been talking about that (and getting a job) for months but he also had been angry and disappointed with him. In the end, Myungsoo deserved to celebrate because he worked hard to finish it but Woohyun thought he could interpret things wrongly if he put his name on it. “It’s just… it’s tradition.”

“Ok then.” Moonsoo seemed resigned although he knew that kind of ‘tradition’ happened more for Woohyun to learn how to celebrate important moments and as an excuse for Myungsoo to spoil the boy with foods he usually didn’t let him eat. “Anything else?” Moonsoo added, although he totally would tell Myungsoo about it.

No, there was nothing else to add to that but the boy thought about something else. “I miss you... can we watch a movie on the weekend?” It was not like he wanted that much of a company but Moonsoo never bothered him and maybe things would change until then.

“Sure thing, I’ll call mom later to arrange things.”

_______________________________________

Sungyeol sent Sonmi a message before he left college, asking if Woohyun was ok and a reply had come while he was on the way to the boy’s school. He checked his phone when he arrived but could only sigh when he read that Woohyun wanted to be alone today. He sighed and dragged his feet to pick Sunggyu up. 

He knew they had done a good job with the project, but wondered if as a friend (and ex-lover) he made a big mistake suggesting to use Woohyun pics to try to soften the boy. Woohyun probably didn't like it, right? The boy would probably not point his finger at him but if that screwed Myungsoo’s situation with Woohyun he probably wouldn’t forgive himself.

He made his way towards Sunggyu's classroom while he wondered if he should invite Hoya and Dongwoo for dinner and once he arrived there and matched eyes with the teacher, he knew he had tons of questions for him. As much as Sungyeol wanted to talk and get some advice, he knew that couldn’t be done in school and a parent intercepting Dongwoo before they could talk was enough proof of that. Sunggyu was also ready to go so Sungyeol ended up signaling for the teacher to check his phone and leaving a message with an invitation for dinner.

Sunggyu eyed his brother from the corner of his eyes once they were in the car. His brother greeted him with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and seemed over the edge and the boy knew this behavior too well. He didn’t know why but if Sungyeol would snap soon, he didn’t want to be at the receiving end so he held himself back from asking the questions he wanted to ask.

Sungyeol had surprised him though, instead of going home, he stopped by at the nearest market to do some shopping. That made Sunggyu slightly better, shopping meant food and despite angry or happy Sungyeol cooked delicious food even when he used the vegetables Sunggyu hated (but he would never tell his brother that the year before).

The elder briefly explained that Hoya and Dongwoo would probably appear for dinner with them but he wasn’t in the mood to cook something fancy so today’s dinner would be something easier and kinda fat. Sunggyu felt even more relieved, if Hoya was coming then Sungyeol wanted to talk and if he were to snap Hoya would probably control him enough. Besides, he just saw Sungyeol grab cheese and everything got better when Sungyeol used it in some recipe.

On the way back Sungyeol was already suffocated by the silence between him and Sunggyu because it made him remember times when things were not so great between them. That had left Sungyeol a bit more worried, had he scared Sunggyu somehow? Was he harsh? Had he unconsciously used an annoyed tone? Would he and Sunggyu return to the way they were before they befriended Myungsoo and Woohyun? He felt his stomach scrunch because of the thought and figured out if he didn’t want to screw things up he better start talking.

He started by asking the lamest question ever ‘what have you learned today?’ but surprisingly he managed to discover that Woohyun went to school and Sunggyu had been worried about him. But it didn’t take long for the elder to feel awkward because Sunggyu gathered courage and asked him what was going on and why Woohyun had been upset.

Sungyeol took a deep breath then. “Look, Hoya and Dongwoo are coming for dinner. Let’s talk when they arrive so I don’t keep repeating myself ok?”

Sunggyu thought a bit and then said he could wait, as long as he could ask questions too.

________________________________________

After a good bath that helped him get rid of the tiredness of the day, Myungsoo moved to the kitchen to eat and he was finishing improvised ramen when the doorbell rang. He wasn’t expecting anyone so he thought it was strange but then it was another flowery delivery from his parents or - his heart skipped a beat nervously - it could be Sungyeol.
With a mix of fear and dread, Myungsoo moved to open the door and breathed relief when he found Moonsoo with a blinding smile and a big bag of some food shop. He let his brother enter the apartment and settle himself on the table and once the younger announced the type of food he brought, Myungsoo ditched his instant ramen and provided bowls and chopsticks so they could eat.

After they bickered a bit about the food (Moonsoo had disbelief all over his face when Myungsoo put less food for him), the younger apologized for not watching Myungsoo's presentation but still wanted to celebrate with him. The elder brother threw a skeptical look and the younger instantly blurted that aside from wanting to celebrate: 1 - if he stayed another minute studying with Sungjong he would kill him, 2- his mother wanted to know if he liked the flowers they ordered for him.

Moonsoo briefly looked at the other end of the table where a pretty flower arrangement was sitting prettily. The flowers didn’t exactly match but he knew they meant pride from his parents, admiration from Moonsoo, and good luck from Woohyun for he got one when he graduated high school. He was grateful for it but inwardly sighed, not only did he know Woohyun had nothing to do with the flower choice this time but because his mother wanted to know something else and sent Moonsoo to be more subtle to ask.

Myungsoo thanked the flowers and tried to keep the subject of his brother's relationship but at some point, Moonsoo got enough and just asked straightforwardly. 

“How did it go? I know you got full marks but I want to know the non-obvious details.”

Myungsoo shrugged and piled their dirty bowls and chopsticks together before explaining things. He said he was so nervous that he woke up three hours prior and that he almost freaked out before the presentation. 

Moonsoo found that a bit weird because his brother was used to doing more than talking in front of other people, but Myungsoo explained it was because he was afraid their parents wouldn’t arrive on time and he didn’t know if Woohyun would attend. That made some sense to the younger but the young dad added that he felt that all the judgment he usually gets intensified today, and he was afraid of a bunch of things.

Myungsoo explained that aside from him being the first to present his project, he never felt his intellect so judged. He was afraid to embarrass himself and Sungyeol and prove to people that thought he was dumb right, there was fear of people discovering he and Sungyeol had been together once but ultimately he was worried if his project would have any impact on Woohyun.

Moonsoo indeed had a non-probing aura but was skillful enough with his words to scoop information (that he would filter a lot before informing his parents), and it didn’t take long for Myungsoo to explain what was going on. He started by saying that Woohyun's presence surprised him and made him pull himself together during the presentation while his eyes twinkled happily as he recalled the moment, but when that was over the twinkle faded and Myungsoo got serious.

He then explained that at some point Woohyun ran away from him so he had been worried the boy was mad at him. Moonsoo looked dumbfounded so Myungsoo told him to wait and briefly disappeared into his room only to return with a booklet and put in his brother's hands. Moonsoo opened up and held a breath as he took his time to see each picture and feel them. Once he finished, he put it to the side and praised his brother but Myungsoo lamented it got him a high grade but not Woohyun sympathy. 

Moonsoo frowned because that didn’t seem to exactly match Woohyun’s mood over the phone but Myungsoo started explaining about both conversations they had (which hadn’t any tantrums) so the younger didn’t have much time to think about it. At first, he was surprised that Woohyun didn’t pick a fight but his jaw hung low when Myungsoo said he asked Woohyun to choose where he wanted to live. Despite disapproving that question he agreed that his brother needed to know so they could find the best way to support the boy.

Moonsoo kept asking questions and Myungsoo explained everything as much as he could but when there was nothing more about Woohyun to talk about, Myungsoo sighed and rub his hands over his face. Woohyun hadn’t disliked the pictures and wasn’t mad for him using them, but the boy seemed to be at an impasse so he didn’t know where he was standing even though he tried to explain the options a little better.

“I didn’t know he would come and I wasn’t expecting to talk about this today. Since he came, a ‘congratulations’ would be more than enough, even if it was cold, but he didn’t even say anything about today or even about playing professionally....” Myungsoo finished explaining everything with a sigh.

“Hm.” Moonsoo somehow finished his bowl and tilted his head to the side. In his head, he tried to match the little information he had with the information Myungsoo just gave him and then the things he noticed over the phone. He wasn’t sure but there was something different lately and Moonsoo had to make his brother aware. “Well, I don’t exactly know where you’re standing either but I think there was some progress.”

“Yeah, right,” Myungsoo replied sarcastically.

“No, no, look.” Moonsoo straightened his body on the chair and started counting on his fingers as he continued. “First, he talked to you not only once but twice. Second, he didn’t like the situation you put him in but he didn’t start throwing tantrums. Third, as far as I know, he wasn’t coerced to come to watch your presentation… Doesn’t this mean his anger is subdued?”

“Yes but…”

“No, don’t interrupt, hear me out.” Myungsoo nodded to agree and Moonsoo proceeded, raising the fourth finger in the air. “He didn’t complain about his pictures or the fact you used them and then he cried when you talked but even so he went to school today.” Myungsoo blinked a bit, he hadn’t taken much thought but when Moonsoo put it that way it got him hopeful, really, really hopeful after all Woohyun didn’t let himself be controlled by negative emotions for once.

“I told him going to school would be a good thing if he didn’t want our parents fussing over him so that’s probably on me, but when I talked to him he didn’t seem like his world was ending.” The younger continued

“Did you talk to him? About what? Did he say anything about me?” Myungsoo asked, maybe too eager to scoop some good news that would make him cut his guilt for at least a half.

“Well he didn’t say anything that you told me now, but he told me something. Before I tell you, promise you’ll pretend you don’t know otherwise he’ll become all awkward.”

Myungsoo eagerly raised a hand in the air. “I solemnly swear nothing you tell me here will escape my lips later.”

Moonsoo pretended some distrust but didn’t keep the play for long, he was too excited to share this with his brother. “He said he forgot to tell you something,” Moonsoo said and reached for the long-forgotten bag of food as Myungsoo frowned in confusion. He took a transparent package of a red velvet cake with ‘congratulations’ written in black ink on it. “He told me to get you a cake and make sure to write congratulations on it, he says it’s tradition so you have to celebrate with a cake,” Moonsoo said and passed the package to his brother.

The young dad looked at it fondly. He was an athlete so he and Woohyun didn’t have bad food habits but he made a point to get a cake whenever he had something to celebrate. With the way things were today and because this little tradition was mostly because of Woohyun, Myungsoo didn’t feel like celebrating, but - and he couldn’t believe it - Woohyun thought about him and wanted him to celebrate… That was... That’s wonderful.

“He said not to tell you it was him and not to put his name on it because you might misunderstand though,” Moonsoo warned with a serious tone but Myungsoo was beyond touched so he didn’t care one bit about his brother's warning. Despite being confused and not seeing him as his father, Woohyun still saw him as a person that needed/deserved to celebrate and that was… compartmentalizing. 

“It’s ok, I don’t mind,” Myungsoo said as he tried to hold his feelings back, he didn’t want to cry over cake even though he felt like it. Myungsoo didn’t want to have high hopes but that was everything he needed at the moment, and if he could play his cards right and wait for enough… maybe he would be rewarded with Woohyun's love in the end.

His happy train of thoughts was interrupted by some noise outside, which also made Moonsoo turn his head towards the door. They couldn’t hear the words being said that well but it didn’t sound like Sungyeol and it wasn’t Sunggyu high pitched voice either. A second later they heard the door open and they could identify Sunggyu high pitch in the words ‘come in’ which told Myungsoo his neighbors arrived home before him and were now welcoming Hoya and Dongwoo to their apartment. When the door closed Moonsoo didn’t lose time changing the subject.  

“What now hyung?”

“I don’t know, I think I will still see him once because I need dad help with my contract but of course, I’ll wait a bit then try talking to him again,” Myungsoo said more confidently now.

“I wasn’t talking about Woohyun anymore.” the younger said and pointed to the door.

“Well, I just agreed with Hoya hyung so I will work with him until I get drafted,” Myungsoo explained trying not to look in his brother's eyes, he knew perfectly well that Moonsoo wasn’t talking about that either but he didn’t want to talk about Sungyeol that soon.

“Oh, congratulations?” The younger felt a little surprised but he still pushed his brother. “But you know I wasn’t talking about him either.”

“I know, but I don’t know what you are expecting to hear.” Myungsoo sighed, this time a bit annoyed.

“I expect to know what you will do.” Moonsoo pulled his chair back a little so he was able to cross his legs. “Look, one by one your problems are being solved, or on the way to being solved, but there is still this conflict with Sungyeol hyung.”

“There is no conflict with him.” The elder denied it.

“Oh really?” Moonsoo's sarcasm was shown not only in his words but also in his crossed arms and the little tilt of his head.

Myungsoo rolled his eyes. “It’s not like we are fighting, we’re both calm about it right now.”

“That doesn’t change anything. The project is over, nothing is preventing you guys from doing anything now.” Moonsoo pointed.

“Yes but Woohyun...”

“There.” Moonsoo pointed to his brother's face, already losing a bit of his patience. “You can’t complain about Woohyun ignoring the problem between you two if you’re going to do the same with Sungyeol hyung. You’re the one that set the example for seven years!”

Myungsoo slightly glared at his brother. “As I was going to say… there is the situation with Woohyun and I had to get rid of the project first so I didn’t have time to think about it.”

“Hm.” Moonsoo pulled his finger back. “Fair enough, but hyung, you need to think about it.”

“I’ll try.” Myungsoo mildly snapped. “Now stop pressuring me like our parents are doing it.”

“I'm not like them.” Moonsoo gasped and put a hand on his chest, offended, then straightened himself. “What are they doing?”

“Talking as if it’s a sure thing we will get back together.” He explained and then mimicked them in a high-pitched tone. “‘Have you already made up with Sungyeol?’”

“They might be using this question to ask if you two are on talking terms again.” Moonsoo tried to defend and now it was Myungsoo's turn to cross his arms.

“Moonsoo, it’s our parents we are talking about here, they do not mean ‘talking terms’,” Myungsoo said, making sure to draw quotation marks in the air at the end of his speech.

Moonsoo sighed. “Ok, you’re right. They don’t, but I do. Sure, take your time to think if you want to move on or if you can forgive him, but I think you need to make sure some communication between you happens because the boys will need it. Don’t forget that Woohyun now is super close to Sungyeol hyung, and if you don’t start talking, even if very little, it could be a setback for your relationship with him.”

Myungsoo tried to pull his hair. “Urgh, why are you saying this?”

“Because Woohyun might understand as if you want to take something he loves - their friendship - away from him. If everything that Hoya hyung told you is true, the truth already took many things away from him, it would be great if he could keep something.”

Myungsoo sighed, he had no other argument to prolong this, perhaps useless, fight. “You’re right.”

“And don’t forget that Sungyeol hyung didn’t help with your project only. He has been on Woohyun's side almost every day so it was probably him that stabilized his mood and anger enough so he would accept talking to you.” By then Myungsoo was already massaging his temples. He didn’t want to think about Sungyeol that much now (he was tired from today’s happenings) but his younger brother was right. Besides, it was him that agreed to it. “Have you thanked him for that?”

Myungsoo rubbed his hands on his face again, this time more tiredly than frustrated. “No, I only saw him in college so we preferred not to talk about personal things.”

“Ok, but you thanked him for the help with your project, right? He helped you receive high marks and finish early so you thanked him, right?” Moonsoo asked and Myungsoo looked kinda hopeless there was no sound coming out of his mouth so it was enough for the younger to know the answer to his question.

“Hyung, you need to get a hold of your compartmentalizing skills too.” He advised.

_____________________________________________
“Come in!” Sunggyu said with a high pitch and a smile on his face then moved so the other two could pass by him.

“Afghjkd! He’s so cute!” Dongwoo spazzed a bit and made sure to ruffle Sunggyu's hair before entering the apartment. Sunggyu pouted and tried to fix his hair so Hoya learned a bit and whispered.

“I’ll let you take revenge, catch him when he’s off guard ok?” He offered a hand for a high five and Sunggyu’s eyes twinkled mischievously before he slapped Hoya’s hand and closed the door.

“Yeol!” Dongwoo greeted and got close not only to try to hug Sungyeol but to investigate what was on the menu.

“Hyung!” Sungyeol greeted back but put a hand on Dongwoo’s chest so he wouldn’t get too close and he tried to put some meatballs in a pan. “Hyung, can you help Sunggyu with his homework while I finish here?”

Dongwoo closed his eyes and moved his shoulders. “My shift is over.” He complained then threw a look at Sunggyu. “And if he were to be paying attention he would know how to do it.”

“I know how to do it, this is super easy!” Sunggyu complained from the living room but showed he was tuned with the adults’ conversation.

“I already instructed him, he is halfway through it.” Sungyeol explained. “Just keep an eye on him, please? I’m wrapping up here and he wants to be part of the conversation so I told him that he needs to finish his homework first.”

Dongwoo was about to whine like any of his students did daily but Hoya placed a hand on his back. “Baby, please?” 

Dongwoo stomped one of his feet on the ground but moved near Sunggyu. “Don’t tell him the answers,” Sungyeol warned before turning to Hoya. “Sorry, but I can’t lose my concentration because of Dongwoo hyung, or else I’ll burn things.”

“I can relate.” Hoya chuckled but decided to make himself useful. “I’ll set the table.”

After Hoya was done, he joined the other two in the living room but they didn’t take long to return to the dinner table. Sunggyu still hadn’t finished his homework so he brought his notebook to the table and he and Dongwoo bickered over it until Sungyeol said it was ok. as long as Sunggyu was careful while eating. 

While Sunggyu worked on his math exercises between filling his mouth in and out, the adults talked about lighter and uninteresting topics (for him). Hoya and Dongwoo were planning a trip somewhere and there was something about a visit to or from Hoya’s older brother, Sunggyu wouldn’t know, he was a focused boy. 

After some time, Sunggyu closed his notebook, threw his pencil over it, and announced. “I finished!” He kept his eyes on his brother and then tried to finish his food but made a face immediately, it was too cold.

Sunggyu threw puppy eyes at Sungyeol, begging him to reheat the food because he wanted to finish the bowl so Sungyeol got up with the boy’s bowl and put it in the microwave. Meanwhile, Hoya and Dongwoo, who had been waiting for Sunggyu to finish his homework, shared a mischievous look before winking at Sunggyu, now was the time for the conversation they had been waiting for.

It didn’t take too long for Sungyeol to come back with Sunggyu food, but once he sat his on the chair, he could feel waves of anticipation coming his way.

“So...”  He was about to start something but it was interrupted by Sunggyu.

“What happened?”

“Myungsoo was mostly quiet about it so I want to hear from you,” Hoya added.

“Was it bad? Because Woohyun seemed really out of himself today.” Dongwoo also commented and Sunggyu nodded to agree with him.

“Ok, let’s go slowly ok?” The taller wanted to calm the other's anticipation but it sounded like he wanted to calm himself. “Myungsoo got full marks, we were both praised, nobody got caught and the project is over.” He summarized only for Dongwoo to happily clap his hands.

“Are you dating Myungsoo hyung now?” Sunggyu asked, he wanted to know what was wrong with his friend but he also had a lot of interest in that question.

“Sunggyu! Things don’t happen that fast.” Hoya slightly scolded then turned his head to Sungyeol. “His question is valid though, will you date Myungsoo now?”

Sungyeol sighed deeply and dropped his shoulders defeatedly. “The answer to this question depends on many variables in an equation I’m not that good with.” 

Sunggyu frowned. “What do you mean?” He asked with his mouth full.

“That he doesn’t know.” Dongwoo translated and made a sign so Sunggyu would close his mouth.

“Ok, that hugely depends on Myungsoo wanting as well, but what happened? You don’t want anymore?” Hoya asked, a bit surprised.

“Of course I want it, I’m in love with him… More than I have ever been with anyone else.” Sungyeol said full of confidence but then it was over once he thought about other things that could hinder it. “When we broke up, everything that could happen was sort of clear in my head but then things with Woohyun kept happening and now I’m in a different position…” He sighed. “I have no idea, help me out please.”

“Maybe it would help if you gave us a bit more context,” Hoya said.

Dongwoo nodded to agree but then something crossed his mind and he gasped. “Did Woohyun discover about you two? Is that why he was out of himself today?”

“Not that I know of.” Sungyeol said as he froze in place and his eyes moved to Sunggyu.

“He didn’t tell me anything about that.” The boy said in confusion.

“Did he tell you anything then?” Hoya asked.

“He said that he went to hyungs college to watch Myungsoo hyung's presentation.”

“Yeah, he probably didn’t like the pictures because he cried and ran away.” Sungyeol said as his body shrunk. “It was my idea, you know? But if their situation worsened… I don’t think I can forgive myself so Myungsoo won’t forgive me either… It will be the last drop of water in a cup already full.” He placed his hands over his face and rubbed it frustratingly. 

“But he liked the pictures, he said they were pretty.” Sunggyu chirped.

Sungyeol immediately took his hands out of his face, had he heard correctly? Did Woohyun really LIKE the pictures? Would he have any chance? Relief started to wash over his body and hope was about to do the same when the scene of Woohyun running out of the classroom played in his head. If he didn’t cry because of the pictures then why did he cry?

“Then?” Hoya and Dongwoo asked together, interrupting Sungyeol's train of thought.

“He said he talked to Myungsoo hyung but when I asked he didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, that would explain why Myungsoo was kinda down when he arrived at my apartment today,” Hoya said and Sungyeol now tapped his chin as he thought. 

“Do you think it has any connection with their previous conversation and Woohyun didn’t want to tell you because he will choose to go to Incheon?” Sungyeol asked but Sunggyu was quick to refute.

“No way, Woohyunnie will never choose to go to Incheon.”

“Wait, they talked twice?” Dongwoo gasped. 

“I’m lost now, what about Incheon? Myungsoo said he will play professionally and he agreed to work with me until then.” Hoya looked at the pair of brothers confusedly.

“They talked a few days ago, and Myungsoo hyung told Woohyunnie to choose where he wanted to live. Woohyunnie was upset because of that.” Sunggyu explained while Dongwoo and Hoya shared a concerned look.

“That’s right Sunggyu, what if they talked about this again today? What if he and Myungsoo reached a common ground?” Sungyeol gasped.

Sunggyu scratched his head as he thought. He knew Woohyun didn’t want to come back to Incheon but if he had decided to live with Myungsoo then it made total sense that he would be upset. If so wouldn't Myungsoo be happy? Why would Hoya say he was a little down today? 

“Well, if they reach any common ground it wasn’t something that Myungsoo liked,” Hoya concluded.

“But look on the bright side, this was a problem between them and you had nothing to do with it so you have more chances now, no?” Dongwoo pointed and although Sungyeol could agree, he frowned.

“I don’t know.” Sungyeol sighed, things were sort of calm but very awkward at the moment. But, breaking Myungsoo’s heart and losing sight of Woohyun… maybe his ex-lover could forgive but maybe he couldn’t forget and that would be something really hard to overcome if they wanted to be together.

“Of course you know, now, what’s your plan to win Myungsoo back?” Hoya insisted and Sungyeol wanted to hit his head on the next wall.

“I don’t know… I didn’t think that far and now when things I didn’t predict happened, I have even less idea.” Sungyeol confessed. “We could finish this project because we compromised and tried to compartmentalize but, now that it is over, I don’t know where I stand with him on a personal basis.”

“I have an idea,” Dongwoo said as he raised his finger in the air and the other three turned their eyes to the pink-haired teacher. “It won’t confirm feelings and intentions but there is a way you confirm if Woohyun missing from under your nose is still an issue and that could be a start.” Hoya raised a brow, Sunggyu seemed curious and Sungyeol’s eyes were begging for him to spill so he continued. “You guys can invite Woohyun for a sleepover. If Myungsoo allows it, then he probably got over it.”

“How do I even approach him to ask this?” Sungyeol sighed and Sunggyu didn’t like that at all, if his brother didn’t or couldn’t do something then he definitely would.

“I can do that!” The boy volunteered with a huge smile on his face, happy that he would be able to help his brother somehow and still get Woohyun company. He got up, with all the intention to get Myungsoo’s permission right away, but Hoya grabbed his arm before he was two steps away from his chair.

“No Sunggyu, it’s better if you invite Woohyun tomorrow. Woohyun will probably want to come so it can be a good excuse for him to talk to Myungsoo again as well.” Hoya said and

Sunggyu returned to his chair with a pout on his lips. He could understand, but he wanted to help.

“Ok, Sunggyu will invite Woohyun tomorrow but what will I do when I have an answer? How should I approach him?” Sungyeol asked with desperation evident in his tone.

“Well, whatever answer you get, you shouldn’t approach him now,” Hoya said much to the other three surprise. “Things were a typhoon for him in the last couple of weeks, I don’t think he had the time to think about your situation yet. If you were to approach him now he would feel pressured and that wouldn’t help you at all. Let him rest a bit, give him some time to think about you two.”

Sunggyu made a face because he didn’t like that but Sungyeol sighed and nodded in agreement. “Fine, but what will I do till then?”

“As I told you, my brother is coming, we can hang out with him - that should distract you for a week - and then we see what you can do,” Hoya suggested.

Dongwoo made a conflicted face at this point, he wanted to be the one hanging out to get acquainted with Hoya’s brother but at the same time, he felt a chill on his stomach, out of nervousness from meeting him for the first time. “I will be working all day.” He ended up complaining and the pair of brothers didn’t know if it was a good or a bad thing but Hoya grabbed his hands and patted his back.

“Baby, we talked about this, my brother is Canadian and super open-minded. You’ll do fine, he is anxious to meet you too.”

“Yeah but I’m like twenty years older than you, what if he doesn’t like that?” Dongwoo insisted.

“What’s there not to like? And it’s only seven years gap hyung, don’t be dramatic. Besides, you’re older than him, you can always tell him to shut up, that much I’m sure he can understand in Korean.”

Sungyeol snorted and pointed an accusing finger at his cousin. “You want me as a translator.” 

“Of course not, but as you both are my family members it would be nice if you grew closer.” Hoya denied it, playfully offended but smiled at his boyfriend. “I’m sure he will love Dongwoo hyung and Sungjong, the problem is always you.”

The taller one rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine, I’ll hang out with him when he comes. You’re lucky he gave me a good impression last time and that I have nothing interesting to do when Sunggyu is at school.” 

“Won’t you need to work?” Dongwoo asked curiously.

“Work is not that interesting in Woollim.” Sungyeol merely replied.

Hoya smiled satisfied. “And that’s great. Can you cram Korean in his head in a week?”

“I knew there was something in it.” Sungyeol rolled his eyes and grabbed some bowls to take to his small kitchen. “I can try to help him a little.” He said only for Hoya to clap his hands together and grab the rest of the bowls and chopsticks to help his cousin.

Dongwoo sighed and then looked at Sunggyu, who seemed to be ignoring the adults' exchange and thinking deeply. “Are you ok Sunggyu?” He asked.

The boy snapped out of his thoughts and promptly nodded but looked around in search of the others before he beckoned for Dongwoo to get close. “Hyung, Sungyeol hyung needs help to confess to Myungsoo hyung again.”

Dongwoo chuckled in amusement. He agreed with Hoya about waiting but maybe Sunggyu was right too, Sungyeol had to take some initiative when it was time for him to do it. “Do you want to help him?” The boy nodded. “How? When?”

“With a surprise song, at the festival. Help me.” The boy pleaded and Dongwoo was about to reply when they noticed the other two were returning.

“What are you two whispering here?” Sungyeol asked.

“Nothing.” Both teacher and student said together but then Dongwoo winked at Sunggyu and that was all the confirmation the boy needed.