"Jinwook!" Soo Il shouted and took his helmet off as he skated over to where Jinwook sat. The others exited the rink and began heading to the dressing rooms. "We'll change and meet you outside!" Soo Il told him. Jinwook replied with a thumbs up and got up.

He headed outside and waited for the others to finish changing. 15 minutes later the loud group of his friends joined him. Jinwook laughed at Hwanhee who gave Dongyeol a piggy back ride across the whole parking lot in full speed. Wooseok had a tall red-head in a headlock and they both laughed. Jinwook looked at him. That must be Kogyeol.

“Hyung, I want you to meet Go Minsoo. Everyone calls him Kogyeol, though...he’s my oldest friend”, Wooseok said after he let go of the other male. Kogyeol smiled at Jinwook, and goddamn if that wasn’t the most breath-taking smile ever.

“You must be Jinwook. The guys really want you to join the team”, Kogyeol said. Still with that smile on his face. “I mean...- I guess...uh...”, Jinwook stuttered. A breathless Hwanhee appeared. “What do you say, hyung? Do you want to join us?” he asked.

Jinwook looked away from Kogyeol (though it took him a few seconds) and at his hopeful friend. “I guess I could try...but I want to observe first!” he finally gave in. Hwanhee cheered and hugged him enthusiastically. “Welcome to our team, then”, Wooseok told him with a grin on his face. But Jinwook was already looking at Kogyeol again.

“I guess we’ll see each other often from now on”, he stated. “Probably”, Jinwook replied, happy about both, the fact that he seemed to have stuttering and that he would get to see this gorgeous face on a regular basis.

-Flashback end-

Wooseok entered the room with a displeased expression. “His mom isn’t picking up. As expected...”, he said. “Did you talk to the kids?” Jinwook asked without averting his gaze from Kogyeol’s face, afraid that he might miss the slightest sign.

“Yeah, they’re coming to visit him tomorrow...but hyung, you should probably get home. Visiting hours will be over in ten minutes and we’re still wearing our hockey stuff”, Wooseok explained. “I don’t want to leave...”, Jinwook said. “You have to. The nurses won’t let you stay. They don’t even allow me to stay and I’m his ‘cousin’. Come on, hyung. I’ll take you home.”

Jinwook sighed in defeat and got up. There was no point in being stubborn even if he wanted to be. He didn’t want to leave Kogyeol’s side until the younger woke up. He leaned down to press a soft kiss onto Kogyeol’s cheek before exiting the room after Wooseok.

“I heard you...talking to him”, Wooseok admitted on the way to Jinwook’s apartment. “You know, he pressed me to give him your number after you left that day but I told him to ask you for it”, he added. Jinwook managed a small smile. “He asked me for it about a week later. Tried to be confident but he was blushing so hard...” He didn’t want to cry again so he quickly wiped his eyes and stopped talking.

The rest of the car ride was silent. They both had Kogyeol on their minds but if they continued to talk about him they’d probably both end up crying. Eventually, Wooseok’s car pulled up in front of Jinwook’s apartment.

“Try to get some sleep”, Wooseok advised him. Jinwook just nodded, even though he knew that he wouldn’t sleep at all tonight. He climbed out of the pickup. “Call me if you need a ride to the hospital tomorrow. I don’t want you to drive around when you’re like this”, the younger said before Jinwook was able to close the door.

“Alright...”, Jinwook answered and shut the car door. He wantched his friend drive off before he entered his building. He actually had to take a deep breath before he opened the door to his one-bedroom apartment.

Kogyeol always spent lots of time here. Jinwook was so used to coming home to find his boyfriend cook ramen or laze around on the bed. Finding this place empty broke Jinwook’s hear all over again. He sighed and started stripping off his hockey clothes while heading for the bathroom. He doubted that a shower would make him feel better but he figured that it was at least worth a try...