With enough coaxing and comforting, Kyungsoo and Soojung were able to safely lead Chanyeol to the ophthalmologist’s office. Luckily, the eye clinic was practically empty around this time, so no one else was there to witness Chanyeol’s drunken state.

Jongin continued sitting in the black examination chair, completely dumbfounded by the sudden interruption, until the ophthalmologist returned minutes later with an apologetic expression.

Kyungsoo then beckoned for Jongin to follow him out of the room, to which the artist stared back at the other male, extremely confused. Kyungsoo nodded in confirmation, motioning with his hand again for Jongin to leave the room.

In spite of his bewilderment, the artist slowly stood up and walked over to join Kyungsoo at the doorway. “Is…everything okay with him?” Jongin cautiously asked, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the ophthalmologist’s office.

“No…not really,” Kyungsoo admitted with a long sigh. “I’m so sorry about this, Jongin, but I have to cut our appointment short. I need to find out what’s wrong with Chanyeol and I can’t let Soojung deal with him when he’s like this, especially since she’s supposed to be off the clock soon.”

Although it stung, more than he expected it to, Jongin could also see how distracted Kyungsoo was by how often his gaze flitted back towards his office. Even if he tried to counter and remind Kyungsoo that they were currently working on the artist’s dime, especially since Chanyeol had cut in during what seemed to be a critical moment, there was simply no point in attempting to do so. The ophthalmologist was already mentally elsewhere and Jongin knew that he did not possess any power to bring him back.

So, as petrifying as it was, he took a leap of faith and tried the next best thing instead.

“D’you…need help taking care of Chanyeol?” Jongin asked, which completely caught Kyungsoo off-guard. “Y’know, since Soojung has to leave and everything,” the artist hastily supplemented. “Chanyeol’s a lot bigger than you, so…if you have to drag him to your car or something…I can help. It’ll be easier for me to carry him around, since I’m almost the same height as him.”

Kyungsoo hesitated for a moment, visibly swayed by the suggestion. “Are you sure, Jongin?” He gazed worriedly at the artist. “You really don’t have to. This is my problem, not yours. If you need to head home,” he gestured to the lobby, “please do. I can handle Chanyeol on my own.”

But Jongin wasn’t convinced. Nor did he want to be. “Are…you sure, Kyungsoo?”

There was another pause. “I…”

Seeing the indecision written all over the ophthalmologist’s face, Jongin said with a lopsided smile, “Seriously, it’s fine. I wouldn’t have offered in the first place if I didn’t want to help. Besides, I don’t have anything else planned for the evening.”

Kyungsoo lightly bit his bottom lip while his eyes darted multiple times between his office and the artist. “You’re absolutely sure that it’s not an inconvenience for you?”

Jongin nodded. “I’ll just text my manager to let him know that I’ll be late for dinner,” the artist said, fingers flying across his phone screen. Once the message was sent, he turned around and began walking towards the ophthalmologist’s office first. Before Kyungsoo could change his mind—and before he could change his own mind—the artist called over his shoulder, “C’mon, we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

It was simultaneously incredible and terrifying how Jongin’s nerves had suddenly taken a backseat after two whole weeks of complete torture. Earlier, all he had wanted was to escape Kyungsoo’s presence and retreat to his house where he could mull over his confusing feelings in peace. His mind had been muddled and murky, unable to form any coherent thoughts under the weight of his emotions.

And yet, even though Kyungsoo had given him the perfect exit, practically handing it to him on a silver platter, Jongin had turned it down in a heartbeat. The artist didn’t understand why there was such a disconnect between the thoughts swirling in his mind and the words leaving his mouth. It was as if there were two entities within him, pulling his strings every which way and leaving his insides completely tangled in knots.

But there was no time to dwell on the sticky situation that Jongin had somehow landed himself in.

Moments later, the two men entered Kyungsoo’s office and found Chanyeol still whimpering on the couch while Soojung was doing her best to console the drunk guitarist. She looked up at the others with a helpless expression as Chanyeol’s wails increased the moment he noticed his best friend in the room again.

“Kyungsoo!”

“I’m here, Chanyeol. Everything’s going to be okay,” the ophthalmologist soothingly replied, taking Soojung’s spot on the couch next to the tall male.

The receptionist timidly stood next to Jongin, her hands clasped tightly behind her back and her gaze purposely fixated on the burgundy-colored carpet.

However, he paid the young woman no mind, instead keeping his own eyes trained on the pair of best friends in front of him. It would be a lie to say that part of him loathed seeing the two of them together. Watching Kyungsoo comfort Chanyeol with soft words and sweet smiles was both nauseating and aggravating.

Jongin now understood why Park Chanyeol rubbed him the wrong way. But that didn’t lessen his annoyance one bit and the artist had to bite his tongue in order to maintain his neutral expression.

Jealousy was an ugly look. One that he was too ashamed to show in front of Kyungsoo anymore, especially after letting his emotions get the better of him multiple times in the past. And Jongin had admittedly brought these circumstances upon himself by insisting on helping. So there was no point in shooting daggers at the guitarist when he was already emotionally beaten into the dirt.

Nevertheless, the artist kept his eyes narrowed and his lips sealed while Kyungsoo gently wiped away Chanyeol’s tears and handed him a cup of water that Soojung had refilled earlier, when she had been helping the guitarist gradually sober up.

Minutes later, Chanyeol’s eyes were slightly less glassy and the man himself seemed much calmer, although he still stunk of alcohol. “Th-thanks, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo smiled back, lightly patting his best friend’s tearstained cheeks. “Of course. What are friends for?” Then, noticing the beads of sweat gathering on Chanyeol’s forehead, the ophthalmologist grabbed a tissue and deftly wiped away the perspiration. “Let’s also get you out of this,” Kyungsoo said while ping his best friend’s red leather jacket and carefully tugging it off, albeit with some difficulty since the guitarist could barely keep his arms elevated for a handful of seconds at a time before his limbs lost all strength. Soojung stepped forward to help her boss after Chanyeol’s arms limply fell to his side for the umpteenth time and managed to pull the jacket off of the inebriated man.

He was wearing an ultramarine blue polo shirt underneath, which Jongin remembered to be Chanyeol’s work uniform. It was heavily wrinkled, adding to the guitarist’s unkempt look. And when Chanyeol looked down at his shirt, he started sniffling loudly and his eyes filled with tears once again.

“What’s wrong, Chanyeol?” the ophthalmologist asked, his voice low and quiet.

A noticeable quiver rippled through Chanyeol’s lanky body as he wordlessly tried to pull himself together. The others waited—patiently, in Kyungsoo and Soojung’s case—as the guitarist did his best to compose himself and wipe away his tears with a tissue that Kyungsoo had handed him earlier. After a few minutes, Chanyeol finally revealed, “I—I lost my job and got booted out of my apartment earlier.” He hiccupped as he brushed away another stray tear. “So now, I’m…h-homeless…”

Both Kyungsoo and Soojung’s jaws dropped while Jongin only let out a short snort, which luckily went undetected by the others.

“But…I thought Mr. Yeon loved having you around. He wouldn’t just fire you out of the blue,” the ophthalmologist tried to rationalize. “Right?”

“It’s n-not his fault,” Chanyeol clarified before loudly blowing his nose with a fresh tissue. “Mr. Yeon got really sick recently, bad enough to be hospitalized long-term, so he hasn’t been able to run the store at all. And because his family needs money, they ended up letting another company buy out the Music Tree and take over the store.”

“And they…fired you?” Kyungsoo asked, eyes wide with disbelief. “Just like that?”

The guitarist nodded sadly. “They replaced all of us with their own staff. The only ones who got to stay were Mr. Yeon’s direct family members, probably because they negotiated that during the buy-out. But…that’s just a guess on my part, to be honest.” Chanyeol paused to blow his nose again before hoarsely continuing, “None of us had any idea what was going on. Everything happened so fast. One day, we were all having fun, sharing our love of music with our customers. And then, the next day, we were all laid off without any chance to plead our case and prove that we’re more than capable of running the store while Mr. Yeon recovers.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Chanyeol,” the ophthalmologist murmured, tightly hugging his best friend.

“And the worst part is, none of us even know where Mr. Yeon is staying, so we haven’t been able to thank him or say goodbye.” Chanyeol’s tears began spilling like waterfalls again, so Kyungsoo grabbed another handful of tissues from a nearby box and delicately dabbed away the translucent drops.

“Don’t worry, Chanyeol,” the ophthalmologist soothed. “I’ll help you find out where Mr. Yeon is staying. And I’m sure he’ll appreciate you thinking about him and caring enough to visit.”

“I—I hope so,” the distraught male whimpered.

Kyungsoo gave his best friend’s shoulder a strong squeeze and Chanyeol sent him a watery smile in return as he relaxed against the ophthalmologist’s comforting touch. A few peaceful moments passed until Kyungsoo remembered the other crucial update that his best friend had provided, causing his eyebrows to furrow with concern again. “By the way, what happened to your apartment? Why can’t you live there anymore?”

The guitarist instantly wilted again, his gaze downcast and his shoulders sagging forward. “Well…since I lost my main source of income, I wasn’t able to pay rent on time. The rate is too expensive for me now and I didn’t have enough gigs lined up to cover the difference after the buy-out.”

“Wait, you don’t have anything saved up?” Jongin couldn’t help but question, barely able to conceal his scathing tone.

Chanyeol let out a pathetic sniffle as he shook his head. “I do, but not enough to afford rent, pay bills, and buy groceries every month. I was already barely scraping by, especially with how bad inflation has gotten recently. I also just put a down payment on a new car, since my old one broke down a few weeks ago, so I was trying to work out a new payment plan with my landlord. But he said he’s given me too many chances already and served me an eviction notice today. I have to finish moving out by the end of the week or else he’ll take me to court.” His bottom lip wobbled as more tears gathered in the corners of his eyes.

“Yikes. Your landlord .”

Soojung morosely nodded in agreement.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were struggling?” the ophthalmologist asked, his large eyes full of sorrow and regret. “I could have helped.”

“I… I don’t know…” Chanyeol admitted with a heavy sigh. “I guess, I just…didn’t want you to worry about me.” The guitarist then let out a hollow laugh as he leaned into the couch, mindlessly picking at the hem of his polo shirt. “But it looks like I’ve made you worry anyway, so maybe I should’ve talked to you earlier…”

What a series of unfortunate events for someone who had already been dealt an unfair hand by the universe. In fact, Park Chanyeol looked so dejected and helpless that even Jongin was starting to feel sorry for the poor bloke. Now, he had…nothing.

Until Kyungsoo suddenly introduced a new variable to the scene. “Then, why don’t you stay at my place until you get back on your feet?” he suggested.

This time, both Jongin and Chanyeol’s mouths dropped open, albeit for completely different reasons.

“Really, Kyungsoo? Are you sure I won’t be bothering you?” There was newfound hope written all over the guitarist’s face as he stared back at his best friend, eyes shining like stars.

Jongin had to stamp down the impulsive urge to gag by pinching his arm and biting his lower lip. He could hear Yixing warningly say, “Behave,” in his mind, so the artist straightened his back and pointedly fixed his gaze on the potted plant sitting in the northeast corner of Kyungsoo’s office.

“Of course not,” the ophthalmologist replied with a reassuring smile. “My house has plenty of space for the both of us and a bunch of your belongings are already there, so moving in won’t take that much effort. I’m not seeing any patients tomorrow, so we can grab everything that’s left in your place and bring it to mine.”

“And if you need some extra hands to help out with moving, I’m available as well,” Jongin stiffly offered before his mind could truly comprehend what his mouth was saying. A second later, his brain registered the words that had escaped from his lips and the artist surreptitiously dug his fingers into his thighs while internally berating himself for making such a stupidly spontaneous suggestion that he couldn’t rescind without looking like a massive jerk.

“You too, Jongin?” Chanyeol looked as if he were about to melt with gratitude, unsteadily lurching forward to shake both of the artist’s hands. “You really are the most generous person I’ve ever met! You and Kyungsoo! You two are the best!” he drunkenly exclaimed, almost toppling forward from how vigorously he was shaking Jongin’s hands.

The artist winced, greatly regretting his decision to commit to an offer he hadn’t actually intended to make, as he gingerly extracted his hands from Chanyeol’s grasp. “Yeah… No problem…”

And yet, when he looked over and saw Kyungsoo smiling gratefully at him, Jongin couldn’t help but sigh to himself before sending a half-smile back to the ophthalmologist.

Chanyeol then leaned back into the couch, nestling against the squishy cushions, while yawning loudly. “Man, I’m tired…”

Kyungsoo chuckled as he wrapped an arm around his best friend’s waist and carefully pulled him up. “Let’s get you home then, shall we?”

“I’ll lock up the clinic for you, Kyungsoo,” Soojung offered while handing over Chanyeol’s red leather jacket, which she had neatly folded sometime earlier.

“Oh my goodness, Soojung, I’m so sorry!” the ophthalmologist profusely apologized while accepting the jacket with his free hand. “I should’ve let you go ages ago!”

“It’s okay, Kyungsoo. You know I’m always happy to help,” she amicably replied. Soojung then cautiously stole a glance at Jongin before asking, “Um, Mr. Kim, would you like to schedule your next appointment now?”

“Oh.” He had completely forgotten about that. “Er, same time, two weeks from now, if that’s available.”

The receptionist nodded while exhaling in relief. “I’ll go schedule that appointment for you now, Mr. Kim.”

“Thank you so much, Soojung!” Kyungsoo called as she began walking out of his office. “I really appreciate all of your help today!”

“Yeah, you’re the best, Soojung!” Chanyeol sleepily cheered while clumsily giving the receptionist a thumbs-up.

Stifling a small giggle, she nodded and waved goodbye to the group before scurrying out of sight.

And then, there were three.

Jongin stepped forward, trying to ignore the suffocating tightness in his chest, as he extended a free arm forward. “Uh, d’you need me to help you bring Chanyeol back to your place?”

Without warning, the guitarist stumbled in place, unable to lift up his own body weight, and Kyungsoo instantly tightened his hold around his best friend’s waist to keep them both from toppling over. With a sheepish smile, the ophthalmologist nodded. “Yes, please.”

--

The moment Jongin and Kyungsoo helped Chanyeol settle into the backseat of the ophthalmologist’s car, he knocked out like a light. And the guitarist remained sound asleep for the entire ride, even as they rolled into Kyungsoo’s circular driveway.

Not wanting to disturb the unconscious male from his deep slumber, Kyungsoo anchored his hands under the guitarist’s armpits while Jongin wrapped his arms around the guitarist’s long legs, and the two men carefully transported Chanyeol from the car and into the massive white mansion that Kyungsoo called home.

“He usually stays in one of the guest rooms upstairs,” the ophthalmologist murmured, cocking his head in the direction of the gold-trimmed staircase. Because of its winding shape, the two men had to slow their steps even further to avoid accidentally knocking Chanyeol’s body against the embellished railing on the left or the thick wall on the right.

Once they reached the top, their pace quickened as their arm muscles began to burn from the prolonged exertion. With Kyungsoo leading the way, they soon made their way to an empty bedroom that had several notebooks stacked neatly atop the bureau next to the bed.

“Are you able to turn on the light?”

Jongin grunted as he adjusted his hold on the guitarist’s long legs, managing to free up a hand and awkwardly flicking on the light switch.

“Thanks.” Kyungsoo smiled gratefully. “Can you pull back the blanket as well, please?”

“Yeah, just gimme a second.” This time, Jongin had to balance Chanyeol’s legs against his waist with his left hand while his right hand quickly grabbed the bottom left corner of the thick duvet and carelessly flung it to the other side of the bed. He then used both hands to maneuver the guitarist’s lower body onto the bed, which lessened the load enough for Kyungsoo to reach over and push the top half of the duvet to the right as well. Jongin stepped over to help move Chanyeol’s upper body onto the bed and Kyungsoo let out a relieved sigh once his best friend was safely resting on the thick mattress.

The ophthalmologist gently laid Chanyeol’s head on one of the pillows and then reached over to pull the duvet over his best friend’s body. Once the edges were securely tucked in, Kyungsoo surveyed their work with a satisfied smile and whispered, “Good night, Chanyeol. See you in the morning.”

Jongin and Kyungsoo tiptoed out of the bedroom, and silently shut the door behind them before exhaling deeply and stretching their cramped-up arms. After properly loosening up, the ophthalmologist soundlessly gestured to the staircase and Jongin nodded. They quietly padded down the stairs and arrived in the front hall, where they stood in silence for several minutes as they both processed the chaotic events of this evening.

There was so much to take in that Jongin almost failed to realize that this was the second time he had come to Kyungsoo’s house. That first visit already felt like eons ago and yet, there were parallels to both incidents.

Both times, someone had somehow made their way to Bright Vision Eye Clinic in a moment of distress and weakness.

Both times, Kyungsoo had been there to comfort and console the troubled visitor.

Both times, Kyungsoo had saved that person and sheltered them in his home without a moment’s hesitation.

Kyungsoo’s home was a haven for broken souls.

Kyungsoo himself was a remedy for those that the cosmos had forsaken.

It was…uncanny how this had all worked out.

Even though Jongin hated how similar he and Chanyeol seemed to be, at least in relation to Kyungsoo, this crazy situation had given the artist a chance to successfully squash his jitters and show the other male that he could be useful in times of need. That he wasn’t always a mess and then some. That he was perfectly capable, well-adjusted, and—

Well, maybe he was giving himself a bit too much credit, treading dangerously into delusions of grandeur. After all, how well-adjusted could he really be when panic and despair were all he had known the past two weeks? Jongin shuddered at the thought of Kyungsoo discovering how the artist had dealt with his emotions during his absence.

While he was lost in his thoughts, Jongin’s phone suddenly buzzed with a new text message from Yixing.

When are you coming home? It’s getting late.

Jongin then checked the time on his phone and sighed out loud.

“Is everything okay?”

The artist slightly jumped in place, having temporarily forgotten that he wasn’t alone, before turning around to face Kyungsoo with a sheepish expression. “Yeah, it’s just my manager. I should…probably head home now.”

“I can drive you back to the clinic, so you can get your car and drive home,” the ophthalmologist offered.

“It’s alright. No need to. My manager drove me to my appointment, so I’ll just take a taxi back from here.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes widened with confusion. “What? You should’ve mentioned that when you offered to stay!” He hastily fished his car keys out of his pocket and began striding towards the door to the garage. “Let me drive you home instead.”

Jongin caught up to Kyungsoo in a few steps, thanks to his longer legs, and effortlessly blocked the door with his body. “You really don’t have to. I can easily get a taxi at this time of night.”

“And they’ll also be more expensive because of how busy it is on a Saturday evening,” the shorter male pointed out as he tried to reach around Jongin for the doorknob. “There’s no need for you to waste money when I can just drop you off.”

“Don’t worry, Kyungsoo. I can afford it,” Jongin reminded him with a lopsided smile. “It’s no big deal. Seriously. Not to mention, what if Chanyeol wakes up and starts looking for you again?”

That caused the ophthalmologist to pause as he looked over his shoulder, towards the second floor, with hesitation and concern. “Well…”

“Exactly. I’ll be fine,” Jongin reiterated. Loath as he was to leave Kyungsoo’s house—and by extension, leave the two best friends alone in Kyungsoo’s house—the artist knew that he had run out of reasons to stay. Any other justification that he managed to pull out of thin air would just be gratuitous and easily exposed.

In any case, there was a chance that Jongin would get to see Kyungsoo tomorrow, if the guitarist really did take him up on his word and rope him into helping out.

Was sacrificing his Sunday for someone like Park Chanyeol really going to be worth it?

Probably not.

But, at the very least, Jongin would get to repay the ophthalmologist for a fraction of all of the times that Kyungsoo had saved him when the artist needed it most.

And that, in itself, was a precious opportunity that Jongin would be utterly foolish to pass up.

So the artist stepped around the shorter male with his phone outstretched, fingers already tapping the bright screen to request a taxi.

Kyungsoo let out a squawk as he unsuccessfully tried to reach for Jongin’s phone.

“Too late, it’s already on its way.”

The shorter male let out a defeated huff as he backed down, ultimately conceding defeat to the artist. “I’ll add this to my list of IOUs,” Kyungsoo resolutely stated as he followed Jongin to the front door. “Don’t think I’m going to forget any of this.”

Jongin’s heart quickened at the thought, but he immediately shut it down as he continued walking forward, rigid as a rock. Until he was sitting in the taxi, far away from Kyungsoo, he had to keep his cool.

Luckily, the artist didn’t have to wait long.

The taxi soon pulled into the driveway, stopping behind Kyungsoo’s silver BMW M5.

Just as he stepped outside, Jongin heard a heartfelt, “Thank you for everything, Jongin. It really means a lot.”

The artist kept his arms clamped to his sides, using them as anchors, as he nodded in reply. “No worries. Don’t mention it.”

“Good night, Jongin. Get home safely.”

“I will. Good night, Kyungsoo.”

And with that, the taxi zipped away.

And the front door closed shut.

♈♈♈

A/N: We've finally wrapped up the first fourth of the story! It only took me 7+ years to do so, but we've finally made it.

First of all, HUGE THANK YOU to anyone who's been here from the very beginning! You guys are incredible for following and reading TMOP for that long. ㅠㅠ I know my update schedule has been incredibly sparse the last few years, so the fact that you guys have been SO patient and stuck by me all this time means the absolute world to me.

Life update for context: I'm currently working six part-time jobs, because I decided to pivot from pursuing a career in medicine to working in the entertainment industry. And it's not easy to make a livable wage, especially in LA. I'm lucky to have scored some incredible opportunities, but they're few and far between right now, so I've been grinding the past few years to make this work in the long-run since I chose to sacrifice stability for a dream job instead. That being said, this year, I've decided to focus on MYSELF and lean more into self-improvement. I burned myself out pretty badly in the last few months of 2023 and my mental health reached a new low since the pandemic started. I'm not getting any younger, so I'm really trying to focus on both my physical and mental health this year. Luckily, I've already accomplished a lot in the first two weeks of 2024, while still setting aside time for relaxation, so I'm hoping to keep this up for the rest of the year.

Another goal I have is to WRITE MORE this year! I've severely neglected my writing since 2021, because of my new career, and I really want to get back into the rhythm of writing regularly. It keeps me sane, helps me process my emotions, and allows me to be creative without any limits. I'd also like to attempt NaNoWriMo again this year, although I might do it in a different month since I'll most likely be traveling in November. Regardless, I'm dead-set on finishing TMOP in the foreseeable future. Because if I continue at the pace that I'm currently going, I'll be in my seventies by the time we reach the end and who knows what the world will look like then. :') So I'm really going to try to fit time into my schedule for TMOP and make this a bigger priority in my life. This is a promise that I'm making to myself and to you guys.

I know it's frustrating to see Jongin progress so slowly, to see him go in circles all the time. And my delayed update schedule hasn't helped at all. But we're finally moving into the second arc of the story, which will focus a lot more on Jongin's newfound feelings for Kyungsoo. And I'm sure a lot of you are excited about that, considering this story has a romance tag and there's barely been any romance so far. ^^; But we're getting there! Slowly, but surely. I love this story too much to let it go unfinished.

Anyway, THANK YOU again for making it this far with me. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions, both in and out of the story, and I'm ready to take on the next part of this journey. ^^ Much love to you all!