Jiyong was deep in preparation for his upcoming album release & world tour & hadn't been home in what seemed like ages. He would grab a nap here & there when he was too tired to stay upright anymore & then he'd continue working. He was so immersed in his work that he rarely even took the time to eat. And he'd basically quit posting selcas on Instagram because he was too busy most of the time to even think of taking selfies. Plus, he'd seen how thin his face was becoming & noticed the dark circles under his eyes in the mirror on his rare bathroom breaks & he didn't want the fans to worry about him. Nor did he want to feel as if he had disappointed them for failing to take better care of himself. 

     It just seemed like he didn't have enough time for himself or anybody else. And that frustrated him a bit.

     Another thing that bothered him was that in the months since he'd discovered his feelings for his Youngbae, he'd managed to get exactly nowhere with him. Despite the fact that he knew his best friend as well as, if not better than anyone else did, it seemed that he had no idea how to win Bae's heart. And even if he did know how, it just felt wrong to try to split up Bae's relationship with his girl when they seemed so happy. It was true that Ji sometimes half-wished she would fall off the face of the earth, but he wasn't a home-wrecker. Besides, he knew that it would hurt Bae, & he would never want to do that. Still, it was difficult for him. He'd never longed for someone til he physically ached before. And that's part of the reason why he had been working until he was falling asleep on his feet. Because busyness is the best distraction. Right? It keeps the loneliness & heartache at bay. At least for a little while. 

     At this point, he hadn't been home in 3 days & he was so tired he could barely function, but he refused to go home yet. There was still so much to do. He felt like he might pass out, but he kept going, determined to power through. 

     Finally, the dance instructor working with him ordered him to take a break. 

     "But, Noona, I don't have time to take a break," he argued. 

     "Yes you do," she retorted. "I won't have you collapsing on me, Jiyong. I can't have you ending up in the hospital. We don't have time for that. Now take a rest & cool off," she said, tossing a water bottle in his direction. 

     "Yes, Noona," he said. 

     He caught the drink she tossed his way, staggered out the door of the dance studio & fell onto the nearest bench. 

     The next thing he knew, he was waking up. The words Bae had spoken as he sank down between Ji's legs in his dream still echoing in his mind: "I'm gonna take good care of you..."

     He felt disappointed to find that the dream wasn't real (it seemed like his dream world was better than real life these days), but at least he hadn't woken up with a raging at work. 

     "Work. Oh sh**," he thought. "How long was I asleep?" 

     He grabbed his phone to check the time. He'd only slept for 5 minutes. He sighed, half relieved & half wishing he could just go back to sleep. To return to his dream. But he couldn't. Not now. 

     He took a long drink of his water & then rested the bottle against his leg.  

     "Too bad it's not coffee. Or wine," he mumbled to himself. 

     He looked back down at his phone & smiled a little at the picture of himself & Bae on the lock screen. It was the picture of the two of them riding the rollercoaster the day they went to the amusement park together. It was still one of his favorite pictures. Yet something about the two of them smiling together made him feel sad. It seemed like he never saw his best friend anymore. And, oh, how he missed him. 

     He caressed Youngbae's beautiful, smiling face on the phone screen & sighed again. He suddenly felt even more exhausted. As if all energy had been drained from him. He dropped his phone back in his lap & let his head fall back against the wall. He scrubbed his hand over his face & through his hair. 

     "Bae..." he groaned.

     "Yes?" a warm voice answered. 

     Jiyong jumped, throwing his water everywhere, nearly dropped his phone, & let out a loud yelp. 

     Youngbae chuckled. "Are you ok there, Ji?" he asked. 

     "Yeah. You just startled me. That's all," Ji said, fumbling with his phone, which had lit up with the movement of nearly being thrown across the room. He quickly hit the button to turn it off & shoved it in his pants pocket, not wanting Bae to see the picture he'd been fawning over on the lock screen. 

     "Hungry?" Bae asked, holding out a takeout bag & Ji's stomach growled loudly at the delicious scent wafting from it. 

     Ji took the bag, gratefully. He opened it quickly & began to eat as Bae sat down on the bench next to him. 

     "Wow, Ji!" Bae exclaimed as Jiyong hungrily shoved food in his mouth. "When was the last time you ate?" 

     Ji paused. "Ummmmm... Yesterday? Or the day before that maybe? I don't know..." he mumbled around a huge bite. 

     Bae's eyes widened & his eyebrows raised in surprise. 

     "Well," Bae chuckled, "I'm not working as much right now. So I have a little more time. I'm gonna take good care of you," he said, wrapping his arm around Ji's shoulders & hugging him to his chest. 

     Ji choked.