Changkyun was less than pleased about Nayeon and Dahyun dragging him along to their weekly market trip on his one day off. It was a Saturday no less, and the establishment would be bustling with far too many people for his liking. He fidgeted uncomfortably as they boarded the bus to their destination and picked a seat in the back so that they can all sit together. "Dahyunnie, really, I don't need anything. Why couldn't you just let me sleep in?"

Dahyun giggled and ruffled his hair, eliciting a disgruntled groan from him. "Oppa, have you been  to your house? You have, like, a bottle of water and three graham crackers! That's sad, even for a peasant like you."

Changkyun rolled his eyes. Because of how he'd been rushed out of bed and out the door that morning, he hadn't had the time to apply his usual copious amounts of black eyeliner or to straighten his hair. The latter now hung in blonde waves that he would periodically bat away from his eyes. "Just because I don't roll around in money like you and everyone else at school doesn't mean I'm a peasant. Some of us don't have parents to buy us everything our little hearts could ever desire, you know. Some of us actually have to work for a living.

Dahyun just laughed off his crankiness and turned to talk to Nayeon instead. Changkyun groaned again and slumped lower into the hard plastic seat. Girls were weird.

Cheongdam Market was a large 10-floor building, with each floor and the rooftop holding row upon row of stalls. The space was loud as vendors called out to advertise their wares while consumers ambled along leisurely and occasionally paused to converse with one another. The colors and the lights all seemed too bright, making the market seem like it was straight from a television show. Anything and everything anyone could ever want could be found here.

Changkyun shifted anxiously between the girls as Dahyun handed him and Nayeon two humongous shopping bags she'd brought along. Nayeon leaned over to speak to him while Dahyun began to ramble off her plan of action for the day. "Don't panic, Oppa. We'll stick with you. Usually what we do is start at the rooftop and work our way through each floor. Groceries are groundfloor, so we always get those last. Doing it that way keeps them fresher than if we got them first."

He smiled gratefully at Nayeon before the pair were herded toward the elevators to go to the top floor. "Alright team! Let's go go go! I heard theyre giving out free ice cream today!"

Changkyun couldn't help but to smile to himself as he follows. Maybe hanging out with them would be good for him after all.

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On the other side of the market, Hyungwon entered with his family's personal chef and her assistant. The pair were busily planning out a menu for the upcoming week while he just looked around in wonder. The last time he'd been grocery shopping with Chef Lee he'd been 7, which meant it'd been 10 years at the least. The only reason he'd come today was because he needed a distraction from his thoughts, and since his two options were this or hanging out with Soyou, he'd opted for the former. Soyou was one of his best friends, but he just couldn't discuss Changkyun with her. Her solution would probably be to have Changkyun expelled, and that was the last thing he wanted. A vendor calling out for free samples caught his attention and shifted his thoughts to food, and his eyes immediately lit up.

"Chef, it's honeydew! That's my favorite! Can I try the honeydew? Or can we buy some honeydew?" He picked up one of the samples, offering the worker a smile in thanks. The girl blushed a little and gave him a bow. "Do you think they sell honeydew bubble tea here? That's the best kind."

Chef Lee couldn't hold back her laugh as she watched Hyungwon trying to make his little melon cube last more than two bites. A mother hen type of woman, she'd practically raised Hyungwon alongside her own son. She'd worked for the Chae family for just over 20 years, and when Hyungwon's parents decided that they were simply too busy to take time off to raise their son she'd stepped in to care for him. His parents were thrilled to not have to hire a nanny for him. Even now when she looked at Hyungwon and her son, she saw two toddlers that were always underfoot and playing drums with her good pots. In all honesty, she probably loved Hyungwon more than his own mother did. "Why don't you and Minhyuk go and find some bubble tea? I can handle the shopping on my own."

A sunshine-filled smile lit up her assistant's face. Once he'd grown old enough, his mother had insisted that she needed a helper in the kitchen so that the Chae family had to let him continue living there with Chef Lee and his de facto little brother. As a child he'd begged his mother for a sibling, but as a divorced woman Chef Lee always told him not to get his hopes up. It was just a of luck that Hyungwon had been born, giving Minhyuk the brother he'd always wanted. Without hesitation he grabbed Hyungwon by the hand and took off, weaving in and out of stalls. "Come on, Hyungwonnie!"

Hyungwon followed along with an equally excited smile, letting Minhyuk lead him. If there was anyone he was closer to than Soyou, it was Minhyuk. They had no secrets between each other, and growing up they'd done everything together. Chef Lee had been granted a bonus salary for her double duty as cook and nanny, and so on Sundays the trio had often gone on trips to the zoo and aquarium together. They stopped when Minhyuk turned 18 just as Hyungwon entered high school and had to get a job, but despite this they hadn't grown apart in the slightest. "Hyung, what's your favorite kind of bubble tea? It's mango, isn't it?"

Minhyuk shrugged his slender shoulders as he slowed his pace a bit. "I switch back and forth between mango and green tea. I can't get green tea all the time though, because Kihyunnie steals it. And if I get mango, Hoseokkie steals it!"

Hyungwon's eyebrows furrowed a little in confusion. "Kihyunnie and Hoseokkie? Who're they? Are those the names of your dogs?"

Minhyuk let out a laugh that would melt even the iciest of hearts. "No, silly! My boyfriends, Kihyun and Hoseok. You haven't met them yet."

Hyungwon was taken aback by the word 'boyfriend' being used in plural. Was it possible to have two boyfriends at once? Minhyuk didn't strike him as the cheating type...

Concerned, he tugged lightly at Minhyuk's sleeve. "Hyung, you're faithful right? You're not cheating on these poor boys behind their backs are you?"

Now Minhyuk looked offended. "Oh goodness no! Why would I do that? That hurts people! No, it's called polyamory. You can date more than one person, and as long as all parties are okay then it's okay! All three of us are dating each other and it's nice." He finally located a bubble tea vendor and goes to buy their drinks. "What about you, Hyungwonnie? Have you found a girlfriend yet?"

Hyungwon bit down on his lip anxiously, debating. He didn't have to specify if it was a girl or not, right? "Well...there is this one. H- I mean, she has this pretty black hair, and these amazing eyes that she always outlines with a lot of eyeliner. I think she's in the poetry club? Or maybe it's creative writing? I get those two mixed up sometimes. Her name is Changkyun. She's younger than me, but it's cute. She's cute."

Minhyuk smiled as he handed Hyungwon his drink. "Have you confessed to her? I think it'd be cute if you did! Does Soyou know?"

At the mention of Soyou, Hyungwon nearly choked. "No! God, no. She cannot know, do you understand me? Soyou isn't allowed. This is our secret."

Minhyuk nodded solemnly, seeming to sense the urgency behind his words. "Okay, Hyungwonnie, I won't tell. So, poetry club? That's interesting. I always thought you would be into some of your teammates."

A nervous laugh bubbled out of Hyungwon's lips. "What do you mean? Of course I like girls! Girls are the best."

Minhyuk tilted his head a little bit. "You're as transparent as a ghost, you know."

Hyungwon was about to give a sarcastic reply when he froze, eyes going wide like a deer in the headlights. "Oh, no. Oh no. Hyung, hide me, Changkyun is here!"

Sure enough, Changkyun had gone to buy himself bubble tea as well and was now standing mere feet away from the other two boys. Minhyuk followed Hyungwon's line of sight, and a look of understanding dawned on his face. "That's Changkyun? He's so cute! Wait here, I got this!" Before Hyungwon could grab him, Minhyuk had slipped away and was approaching Changkyun. Hyungwon could only stand and watch with the sinking feeling that his impending doom was quickly coming for him.