Every time Nayeon crosses his peripheral vision, Sungjin feels a piece of his soul being siphoned away. When she tilts her head back and opens her dainty mouth, he can still hear her laugh inside his head. Used to be, he was the one making her laugh. Not anymore. Bro, don’t do this to yourself, Jae told him. My man, always keep a fragment of you all for yourself. Don’t give all your love away. Words of wisdom from Chicken Little, but is it really that surprising Sungjin didn’t listen the first time? When listening to Jae always ends up with Sungjin in situations where his sanity and safety aren’t assured? Sungjin says as much. Out loud. So Jae can hear.

“When have I ever knowingly walked you into a situation like that?” an incredulous Jae asks.

“All the damn time,” Sungjin mutters under his breath.

Jae hears him, of course. “Then you should be used to it.”

Case in point: right now.

They’ve moved on from Sunye’s table. Sungjin offered an apology for drawing attention away from the main couple, but Sunye waved it away and claimed it to be her wedding present. Now they scattered around the deck to mix and match and give others a chance to chat with the bride-to-be, but Sungjin is still stuck with The Most Confusing Woman to ever exist in his universe. This Haru. With the velvet eyes and red vanilla lips.

And he only has Jae to blame.

“You’re clearly each other’s salvation for the night,” Jae says, leaning his elbow against the deck railing and holding onto a flute of pink bubbly he has no intention of drinking. Jimin nods her agreement as Jae continues, “You’re welcome, by the way.”

For what? Sungjin doesn’t remember thanking him, but whatever. Once Jae has made up his mind, it’s near impossible to sway him. Dealing with Jae, with his band, has been a test of his patience. In school, Sungjin has always been just above the average student at most but he always persevered. It’s not in his nature to give up, and Life with Day6 is just another test he intends to ace. He’s not about to back out of this, whatever this is, either.

Earlier when he’d been cornered into calling Haru his girlfriend in front of the entire Wonderful crew, Sungjin thought he’d seen a flash of helplessness in Haru’s eyes when she gazed up at him. Haru needed a hero and, helpless to his own kryptonite, he couldn’t help but come to her rescue. However, the sentiment is gone now and the expression on her face is replaced with bitterness. Like a toddler who’s just been forced to swallow a spoonful of bitter medicine. As if she’d rather be anywhere else but here with him. To be fair, she’s partly to blame. It had been her who came up to him first, shameless and brash. If anyone’s to take responsibility for crossing the point of no return in this entire scenario it should be Haru. But no. She’s looking at him like he’s the one who crossed the Rubicon. That he pushed her over the threshold instead of the other way around.

Well, the feeling is mutual.

“Look,” Haru says, as if she just read his mind, “it’s obvious neither of us wants to do this. Or be here. I respect that. That earlier stunt—”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Sungjin cuts in, kindly of course. The Kiss...what in the world was he thinking? Before he knew it, his mouth had been on hers and she hadn’t changed her mind and pushed him away. Oh, no. She drew him closer (not nearly close enough in his opinion) and kissed him back. Only when he pulled away to breathe did she protest, and so did he if he were being honest. Until he remembered where they were and who was watching.

Why is he still thinking about this? The gentlemanly thing to do is to apologize, but Sungjin feels no remorse for what he did. What he does feel is the tingling on his lips, a reminder of what was there that isn’t anymore, and why isn’t he doing anything about it?

Because it would be impolite, he mentally growls at himself.

Wait. No. Because I don’t want to.

He barely knows this girl—not her last name, how she’s affiliated to Wonderful, how she knows anyone in this party and from where. It’s no exaggeration his girlfriend for the night is a complete stranger. And you don’t go about kissing complete strangers, no matter how tempting it is or how good the experience had been.

The only logical explanation he has is that he is under stress. So when someone pretty comes along and offers a kiss, he doesn’t have the strength or the moral fortitude to say no. The same excuse can’t be used a second time.

“Sure,” she answers, nonchalantly. “As far as kisses go, that was pretty…eh,” she shrugs.

Never in his life has Sungjin felt so offended, so intent on proving her wrong. But he catches that thought before his imagination takes it places it shouldn’t go to. “Agreed.”

Indignation flashes in her eyes. “Good. We agree on something. So what’s your story?”

Sungjin’s eyes bounce between Jimin and Jae, both listening in rapt attention. No point hiding it, or even sugarcoating the truth. Everyone knows anyway. What’s another person on the neverending list? “Nayeon and I broke up. It was mutual and amiable. She moved on. I moved on—”

“False,” Jae coughs.

“I have moved on,” Sungjin stresses.

“Agree to disagree,” Jae says. He turns to Haru. “Now, you.”

Haru takes another sip of her pink drink. “I’ve known Jaebeom forever, but he didn’t love me back. I got over it.”

“Right,” Jimin scoffs. “If we hadn’t saved both your sorry bumbums, imagine the mess you’d have made on the dancefloor.”

“It really wouldn’t have been a mess,” Haru says at the same time Sungjin says, “You’re the ones who made the mess.”

Jimin grinned. “If memory serves, it wasn’t me or Jae making a scene right where everyone can see.”

“You left me no choice,” Haru muttered under her breath.

“Jae pushed me,” Sungjin added petulantly.

“Well, that’s that,” Jae conclude, raising his drink with a flourish. “At least this way you can pretend to be all lovey-dovey and avoid uncomfortable conversations.”

“I don’t have to stay here,” Haru says. Then to Sungjin, she asks, “Do you?”

“No...that’s not...I want to be here. Don’t you?”

Sungjin isn’t so pathetic as to completely remove himself from the people he’s accommodated in his life. Though Sungjin is described as someone who is easy to be around and that he often creates a comfortable atmosphere, it only applies to strangers and casual acquaintances. His personal bubble is much smaller, dedicated, and closed-off to anyone he doesn’t feel safe with. The irony is that he’s willing to look like a fool to anyone who can keep their eyes open long enough to watch, but reveal his true nature? To fully be himself, raw and vulnerable? That’s a hard no. Not even Nayeon breached his walls, though he had let her in further than anyone else.

Haru regards him with a hard stare. “I could stay. But if you are too, then act like it. Go get yourself one of these pink drinks.”

He hesitates.

She takes a sip, assesses him from over the rim of her glass, before answering. “What, too pink for you Mr. Manly Man?”

Ignoring Jae and Jimin’s laughter, he responds “No, I don’t mind the pink, actually. It’s not that.”

“Then what is it? Int