“I love you Taekwoon.”

He had heard this so many times from Wonsik. The first time he had been told, he found it very weird because he hadn’t felt the same way. He just went along with him because he had gotten close and comfortable but after staying together from high school until now, he had started to adore the man and was sure that it was what people called love.

But when the man in front of him right now confessed to him, it felt right. He did not know why he didn’t hate it.

“I love you.”, Jaehwan said again and Taekwoon could only stare at him, a soft smile forming. The two just gazed at each other when suddenly, Taekwoons phone started to buzz. He flinched and Jaehwan blinked a couple of times. He quickly took out the phone and answered.

“WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!”, he knew it was Hongbin. “Didn’t I tell you to be here at 9 or before?”

“…”, Taekwoon froze, unable to utter anything.

“Look! You come here right now or you are in big trouble.”, Hongbin sounded really angry. Taekwoon could just close his eyes when he heard that and Jaehwan noticed it.

“Ok, I will come in a – HEY!“

Jaehwan quickly took the phone from him and Hongbin could hear Taekwoon saying no.

“Hello!”, Jaehwan answered.

“Who is this?!”, Hongbin asked. It wasn’t Wonsik. He wanted to know who Taekwoon was with.

“I am afraid Taekwoon won’t be coming. We have a date and you totally ruined our lovely night.”, Taekwoon was trying to get back the phone. “Please don’t bother us anymore.”

He hung up and turned off the phone.

“Who was he?”, He said, returning what belonged to Taekwoon.

“TSk! How could you! He will be very angry now!”, Taekwoon worried.

“Who is he, Taekwoon?”, He asked again. “I don’t want you to go to him. You are obviously scared of that man. He is trying to control you!”.

Jaehwan had seen how he flinched and frowned when talking to that man.
“Please, I am here, Taekwoon. I will not let anybody hurt you.”, Taekwoon’s worries quickly melted when Jaehwan hugged him and he felt very safe in his arms. 

Hongbin, on the other side was not very pleased. He slammed the table as he put down the phone.

“Who was that man?!”, He said out loud but not loud enough for the people around him to hear.

“Damn, Taekwoon!”, Earlier, when it was around 8:40pm, Hongbin was very excited to see Taekwoon. He was sure that he would treat the man nicely tonight since he was quite forceful with him yesterday. And when Taekwoon wasn’t showing up even after 9, he started to worry since he thought that, maybe, he had scared him just too much. So he had called him to check up but whenever he talked to him, Hongbin’s voice would automatically turn loud and scary and Taekwoon would always feel like he was getting scolded. Maybe, that was because he was the captain and they are usually strict and scary.

Hongbin was now angry with the unknown man Taekwoon was with and the man had said that they were being disturbed by his phone calls.

Calming himself again, he got the phone and called again.

“The number you have dialed is switched off. Please try again later.”

He bit his lips and his expression was changing drastically on his face. He stood up from the table and left the restaurant. He was there for more than 20 mins just waiting for the man.

“I think he got stood up.”

“Poor Hongbin, how can anyone do this to him?”

Hongbin heard people when he exited the place. He wasn’t really particular about what people thought. He did not really think much about his popularity, he was doing what he loved and people had started following him. When he got out, he inhaled the chilly air and headed somewhere where he can drink his pain away. Tomorrow was Saturday and he didn’t have to worry about practice. He took out his phone and called a friend to accompany him.

Jaehwan and Taekwoon got inside the train. There weren’t many people, just a couple who were a little further away from them. They sat at the empty spaces and Jaehwan leaned his head on Taekwoon shoulder. He just looked at the man and remembered that it was just yesterday that he had met him in the same train and today, he had already been kissed by the man. ‘Isn’t it going way too fast?’, he thought to himself but he like it. It was a warm feeling being with this man whom he had not known until yesterday.

Taekwoon also leaned his head on the younger man’s head and the two travelled to their destination in silence.

Jaehwan gently patted on Taekwoon when they got to the 4^th station. It was the station Jaehwan always took the train from. Taekwoon quickly stood up when the man held his hand and pulled him.

“Where are we going?”, Taekwoon said, rubbing his eyes, then he suddenly yawned.

Jaehwan smiled at that. He looked really cute.

“I have a performance. Please stay until I finish and I will reach you home.”

Taekwoon looked at the time, it was 10 now. He nodded to the man and was rewarded with a bright smile. Taekwoon could not help but smile too.

“I will have to leave by 12 though”, he said.

Jaehwan nodded. “Don’t worry, we will finish it earlier.”

They got to the bar where Jaehwan and his bands were playing. They were known as KICKS. Taekwoon was introduced to his friends. They were quite similar to Jaehwan too. All of them were friendly and approachable.

Jaehwan pulled Taekwoon inside the bar and made him sit at the place that could be seen perfectly from the small stage. He didn’t want to waste his time looking for the man when he was performing.

“Stay here. We will be on stage in 20 mins.”, He assured him. Taekwoon could only nod.

As he stayed there, listening to others play, he felt his eyes closing. He was very tired and since the place was full of people, the warm atmosphere inside was making him sleepier and finally, after struggling to fight and stay awake, he finally leaned his head on the sofa and fell asleep.

Hongbin and Hyuk were in the same bar as well. This bar was very popular with the students from their university. Everybody went there.

When Jaehwan had pulled Taekwoon inside the bar and made him sit at that very place, Hyuk had noticed but he did not tell Hongbin about it. He wanted to observe the man’s behavior. He saw Taekwoon feeling uncomfortable at the new place and could see him looking here and there. Thankfully, he had not seen them.

“Hyuk, he stood me up! That guy!”, Hongbin said encircling his finger on the top of the glass. He was still pissed.

“Oh, so what will you do when you meet him?”, Hyuk said still not telling Hongbin that the man was under the same roof.

“I don’t know! I wanted to treat him nicely because I hadn’t given him a good first impression.”

“hmm, hmmm”, Hyuk kept on nodding but he wasn’t really listening. He was just looking at the man who was now drifting away.

It was interesting to see the man try to adjust to the new environment but when he fell asleep, the show was over for Hyuk. There was nothing more to observe. He let out a heavy sigh. Hongbin looked at him in surprised.

“What happened?”, He asked drinking the glass of alcohol in one go. It was his 3^rd.

“One more please!”, he asked the bartender.

“No no!”, Hyuk gestured. “Enough Hongbin, you have already had enough.”

The older man frowned. “Okayy!” three glasses were nothing for him though. Hongbin could have drank more but he was an athlete, he had to take care of his health and body.

Hyuk sighed again. He patted on Hongbin’s shoulder and pointed towards the man who was now in deep sleep.

“Your man is right there.”, He said.

When Hongbin saw Taekwoon, he immediately stood up and went towards him. He had the urge to just shake the guy, wake him up and shout at him but when he saw his tired and sleepy face, everything melted. He slowly pulled him up and carried him in his arms. Taekwoon wrapped his hands around him. He was too deep in sleep that he did not even feel anything. Hyuk followed them outside. Hongbin asked him to help open the car and the two put him at the back seat. Hongbin placed his jacket on top of Taekwoon and the three left the place.

After 20 mins of waiting, Jaehwan and his bands were finally on the stage and the first thing he did was look for Taekwoon. He had everything imagined in his mind, when he played and sang the song, he would only look at Taekwoon and he would wink at him from time to time. But the man he loved was nowhere to be seen.

‘Maybe, he went to the toilet’, he thought.

They started their songs and everyone cheered for them. Jaehwan was their popular and handsome vocalist and many like him. Disappointed that Taekwoon hadn’t seen their performance, he directly went to the toilet to check up on the guy. He wasn’t there too. He went inside the café and asked some people, only to find out from the bartender that Hongbin and Hyuk had taken him.

“Tsk”, Jaehwan was a little pissed now, very different from how he always acts.

“Who are those people?”, He asked the bartender.

“I only know Hongbin, I don’t know the other one. Hongbin is the captain of the basketball team.”

Jaehwan just nodded. He felt his fingers clenching and turning to make a fist.

‘Hongbin huh?’

“AHH-CHOO!!!” Hongbin sneezed loudly surprising the man sitting beside him. Taekwoon also flinched a little in his sleep.

“HAHAAHA”, Hyuk laughed. “What was that?!”

“Excuse me.” Hongbin said. He also found it funny. “Sorry man, I felt like someone was talking about me!”

“Well, I am sure everyone does.”. Hyuk bid him good night when Hongbin stopped his car near his place.

“Be good to him”, Hyuk said in a stern voice. “He is already too scared of you.”

Hyuk had noticed that since yesterday and he felt pity seeing the older man like that.

Hongbin just nodded and drove again.

They reached his place after 10 mins and he slowly lifted the man and carried him to his place. Hongbin was well off. He came from a rich family but he never really told anyone. Only his close friends like Hyuk and Wonsik knew about it but they still kept quiet.

He opened the door to his apartment and placed the man gently on his bed. Taekwoon, feeling the soft surface, instinctively looked for the blanket and pulled it over his body. Hongbin left the man and went to change himself. He then went back and pulled the blanket to check on the man. Taekwoon was in deep, deep sleep. Hongbin, sighing, took off Taekwoons clothes and changed them. When he was changing his shirt, he checked on the mark he had left on him yesterday. He was surprise to find it bigger and more noticeable.

‘I’m sure I did not do that’, he thought to himself. ‘Was it Wonsik? Was it that guy from earlier?’, he got angry thinking about it. He leaned in and kissed the place once again. This time he replaced the mark with his own and he could feel Taekwoon moving around and wincing. He only let go of it when he finally heard the man groaning.

He smiled and threw the shirt away. He wanted to look at his beautiful, slender body. Hongbin could have had his way with him right now but he was not the type of guy. He had already done too much to the poor man that if he jumped on him now, he was sure that Taekwoon would come to hate him and that was something he could not live with.

So he just pulled him closer and cuddled with him. Touching their bodies and exchanging heat, he could feel Taekwoon moving closer to him and hugging him back. It felt wonderful. How he wished he could just kidnap the man and run away to a place where there would be only the two of them.

Before Hongbin fell asleep, he leaned in to give a gentle kiss on the man’s lip, wrapped his arms around him tighter and the two fell asleep in each other’s embrace.