“He likes you.” It was was a statement. The time of suspicion had passed. With all of the evidence now compiled, all of the pieces fit snugly in place, Woohyun was now 100% certain about this.

Woohyun met Kim Myungsoo just only three months ago. Lee Sungyeol, on the other hand, Woohyun had known him for about a year already. Myungsoo had been in the army then for his mandatory service, and Sungyeol, who enlisted a year before, was missing him dearly. And so Woohyun had heard much about Myungsoo before they actually met, so so so much, which was why Woohyun began to be suspicious of Sungyeol. There was something about the way Sungyeol talked about Myungsoo. Woohyun had seen the same look in the man whenever he talked about a new trick that Aga, his puppy, had learned or something cute that she did. Sungyeol looked proud and, perhaps, smitten. And the more Sungyeol talked about his dear, old friend in the army, the more Woohyun suspected. Once Woohyun was finally introduced to Myungsoo, he was almost certain of it. Kim Myungsoo the most handsome man that Woohyun had ever laid eyes upon, and Sungyeol would have to be blind not to notice how handsome his friend was.

And Sungyeol wasn’t blind to it. Not at all.

What made Woohyun completely certain of Sungyeol’s affections was when he saw his friend be incredibly considerate of Myungsoo. It wasn’t as if Sungyeol didn’t often think of other people or do nice things for them. He was generally a nice guy. But he was over the top (or head over heels) when it came to Myungsoo. It seemed like Sungyeol always thought of him. When they went to grab coffee together, Sungyeol would often take one on the way out for Myungsoo who was “working late” (or maybe a late-night coffee delivery was just an excuse to see Myungsoo in a dark and empty office). When the three of them went to the movies, Sungyeol often let Myungsoo pick because “he just finished his service,” even though two months had already passed at that point since the discharge and they had to sit through yet another romantic foreign film (or for Sungyeol, sleep through). And everything seemed to remind Sungyeol of Myungsoo: a black cat, movie posters, figurines, and one time a really fluffy cloud that Sungyeol claimed looked like Myungsoo’s face when he smiled.

Even now, Sungyeol couldn’t seem to keep away from his best friend and favorite playmate, when he really needed to be tending to other customers at his parents’ chicken shop. Everytime he caught Myungsoo’s eyes, he waved. Whenever he passed by their table, Sungyeol would drop off a snarky comment, a joke. He couldn’t keep away. He couldn’t stop thinking or noticing Myungsoo’s presence in the room.

Which made Woohyun snap and confess on Sungyeol’s behalf.

“What? Sungyeol?” Myungsoo asked, just barely sparing a glance up at Woohyun and away from his food. Only giving the other enough time to nod. Myungsoo continued to eat and talk, “No, no he doesn't. We’re just friends. We’ve only been friends.”

“Really?” Woohyun challenged. And then he laughed, a lot.

This time Myungsoo actually put down his utensils and devoted his attention to Woohyun. “Why are you laughing?”

“You're being ridiculous, Myungsoo!” Woohyun spat back. “So...ignorant,” he squeaked out between laughs. And the laughter wouldn’t stop. It piled up one on top of the other. He couldn’t breathe because of it. But it was just so silly. If Woohyun had been suspecting it, then surely Myungsoo, the target of Sungyeol’s smitteness, would have an inkling about his best friend’s feelings. It was as if Myungsoo was denying that the sky was blue and saying that it had always been green. Silly, ridiculous, and avoidant of the truth? Woohyun quickly sobered up at that thought. “No, wait...you're pretending to be ignorant,” he pointed out. It was confirmed by Myungsoo suddenly avoiding his eyes and began to drink his beer. “Wow,” Woohyun muttered in disbelief, “You're even more ridiculous than I thought.”

When Myungsoo put down his glass again, it was nearly empty, which was odd. Woohyun would’ve sworn that the large glass was almost full. And Myungsoo, he wasn’t one to guzzle things down. But tonight he was. “Sungyeol gets like this sometimes. He falls for people quickly, but then when he thinks, actually uses his head and considers the relationship rationally, more often than not, he falls back out,” the alcohol hadn’t only had his cheeks glow red but it made his tongue loose too. That was the most irritated that Woohyun had ever heard Myungsoo speak about Sungyeol. “I've been friends with him for years. I've seen it countless times.” Myungsoo had to know, even as tipsy as he was, that he was reaching for Woohyun’s beer. So Woohyun let him have it.

“Yes, but how many times has it been directed at you?” Woohyun asked while the other took a drink. It was a short one this time.

“This...wouldn't be the first,” Myungsoo stumbled through that admission and was embarrassed by it. He chuckled nervously and covered his reddening cheeks. “It happened the first time we met. I thought...we’d end up dating, but he must've given it a second thought and decided against it,” he revealed in a low voice, so Sungyeol on the completely other side of the room, would have absolutely no chance of hearing.

Now Woohyun wished he had his beer back.

“So you do like him.”

“Huh?” Myungsoo mumbled as he turned towards the other, hands still on his cheeks.

“I suspected it, when we first met,” Woohyun revealed. He put his arm up along the back of the booth to turn towards and get a better look at the other. He and Myungsoo were sitting on the same side of the booth. “You always talk so much about him. And whenever Sungyeol comes by, you only seemed to have eyes for him,” Woohyun hissed. He was on the verge of snapping with Myungsoo too. If Sungyeol had come by their table then, Woohyun would’ve confessed for Myungsoo too. Because for every bit of consideration and affection that Sungyeol doted on Myungsoo, Myungsoo soaked it all in and reciprocated it. The shy eye-smiles, the ready retort to whatever witty comment Sungyeol made, the lingering touches and gazes, and probably much more than Woohyun had seen (or cared to). And now, Myungsoo was sitting on the same side of the booth as Woohyun so that he could watch Sungyeol behind the counter and going in and out of the kitchen.

And yet Myungsoo had the audacity to say: “It's not like that.” He snorted derisively as if Woohyun was being the ridiculous one. “He’s both of our friend. We both talk about him a lot.” At that, Woohyun rolled his eyes and stole back his beer, both of which went unnoticed by Myungsoo who continued yapping, “You're acting as if I'm obsessed with him.” Myungsoo spoke as if it were a curious thing. Why would Woohyun ever think that? And when Woohyun glanced over at him, Myungsoo looked curious too, with furrowed eyebrows and a face drawing closer to Woohyun’s.

“Aren't you?” Woohyun whispered, now slowly losing confidence in everything he thought was true. Were they really just friends? Was this just how they were?

“I like him. You're right about that,” Myungsoo admitted. “But it's not an obsession. It's…” he looked away as he tried to find the right word. But Myungsoo found Sungyeol instead. They waved to each other again for the forty-eighth time that night, but hey, it’s not like Woohyun made a drinking game out of it or anything (he totally did). Sungyeol gestured, asking if they wanted more to drink. They both nodded, Woohyun more so than Myungsoo.

But Woohyun found the word that Myungsoo had been searching for: “Love?” Myungsoo tore his gaze away from Sungyeol and onto Woohyun, questioning. “Is it love? With Sungyeol?” Woohyun clarified.

“Eung, well, maybe,” the first part came out as a reflex, the rest was just back-peddling. Woohyun scoffed and shook his head at the other. Myungsoo gave himself away too easily, but he was still going to try to distract Woohyun, “And if I cared that much about what Sungyeol thought would I risk it all and be on a date with you here.” He was using the term “date” lightly, very lightly. They were at Sungyeol’s parents’ place, yes, but that was because Sungyeol had lured them there with the promise of free chicken and beer. It was no secret. The way to Myungsoo’s heart was through food, and a lot of it. Food was always Myungsoo’s top priority, Woohyun’s too, which was why he was invited along.

But free food might not be the only reason why Myungsoo invited along Woohyun. The two of them did look rather intimate, sitting on the same side of the booth and whispering to each other. Woohyun’s arm had slipped from the back of the bench and was now resting on Myungsoo, who didn’t mind. He was just barking like the tipsy dog he was and was leaning into Woohyun.

“You would if you wanted to make him jealous,” Woohyun pointed out and tapped his fingers against Myungsoo’s shoulders in order to show how they cozy looked.

When Myungsoo realized it, he leaned away and slipped out from under the arm. “No,” he denied sternly. He scooted down the booth. “I wasn’t trying to…” he stopped, chewed his lips, and tried again, “Jealousy doesn't work on Sungyeol. I've seen many people try. He can see right through it. He gets offended and he loses trust in the person. Or…” Myungsoo relaxed as he laughed at this memory (his newfound sober state lasting only a few sentences). “Once, I’ve seen him try to get even and make the other person jealous and it blew up into a...war. That's not good either,” he ended with a tight-lipped smile that was on the cusp of breaking into a toothy grin, but it never did. Myungsoo faced Woohyun again. “Best way to win over Sungyeol is just to be honest,” he spoke, nodding at every word that he said, his eyes slowly closing with every nod. Woohyun about to wake him up with an angry shout, telling Myungsoo just to follow his own advice, to be honest with Sungyeol, but then Myungsoo made a joke that robbed Woohyun of his words: “Jealousy doesn't work on a person like him but it would work on a person like you! You always want something that someone else has.”

Wasn’t that the truth? Especially now, with Myungsoo slowly leaning into him again as he giggled at his own joke and with Sungyeol who, far from being jealous, was chuckling to himself when he saw his Myungsoo crumbling into a mess of laughter all over Woohyun’s lap. Or maybe Sungyeol was laughing because Woohyun just looked dumbfounded by it all. Finally, after several seconds had passed, Woohyun regained his sense of mind and speech and managed to say, “I don't...always.”

Myungsoo pulled himself up by the table. He was done laughing now. His face now was redder than ever, but still handsome, always handsome.

It was a good time for Sungyeol to stop by and drop off the drinks. He also swiped some more food from the kitchen for them. He told them that it was bad to drink so much on an empty stomach, eyes on Myungsoo as he spoke. And Woohyun didn’t know how he’d make it through the night without drinking. Sungyeol patted Myungsoo’s shoulders a few times and promised to join their table once he was done bussing. With that and a wave, he left again. And Woohyun took another drink.

“Besides I wouldn't do that to you,” Myungsoo muttered below his breath.

“What?” Woohyun didn’t know if he was supposed to hear that or if Myungsoo was just mindlessly yapping to himself again. Woohyun thought it was the latter. He couldn’t follow the thought.

No, he had meant for Woohyun to hear it. “I wouldn't use you like that,” Myungsoo reiterated. “I wouldn’t use you to make Sungyeol jealous.” The way Myungsoo had phrased it almost seemed like he meant that he’d use anybody but Woohyun.

“Why not?” that came out more angrily than Woohyun intended, but he was offended, weirdly enough.

Myungsoo snorted again. Was he always this slap-happy when he was drunk? This was the first time Woohyun had ever witnessed it. “What? You want me to?” Myungsoo spoke in a teasing but slurred voice. He then waved his hand in the hair, dismissing the thought. “I refuse. I...want...you,” he spoke slowly and pointed from himself to Woohyun, “...to be happy. In those kind of games...no one wins.” He suddenly lost all of his alcohol-fueled joy, and he frowned deeply. “No one is happy.” He was pouting when he raised his eyes back up to Woohyun’s. “Sungyeol is your friend too.” Just the thought of doing anything to jeopardize Woohyun’s friendship with Sungyeol made him sad, which made Woohyun feel something that he probably shouldn’t be feeling. After all, Sungyeol was his friend.

“He is,” Woohyun spoke loudly to get that through his own head. But he still tried again, “That's why it'd be fun to mess with him.” Why was he trying to convince Myungsoo to use him to make Sungyeol jealous? It wasn’t what he wanted either, not at all. Was he really that desperate? Was he really going to cling on that hard? No, he was going to let Myungsoo go. “I'm kidding,” Woohyun said, forcing out a laugh as if to prove it was a joke all along. Myungsoo laughed too but didn’t say anything until Sungyeol came back. He just ate, drank, and ignored Woohyun. And Woohyun tried to do the same, but it was hard when the other was still at his side, legs touching.

Free food wasn’t worth all of this. And it definitely wasn’t worth seeing Sungyeol and Myungsoo flirt with each other for another hour. Woohyun only talked when he was asked a question and laughed when the other two did. But his mind was far removed from the table, trying to find peace.

There was none to be found. So he announced that he was leaving. And weirdly enough, Myungsoo said that he was going too. Woohyun tried to not think much of it as he hurried out of the door after giving his thanks to Sungyeol’s parents for a free meal.

That, however, gave Myungsoo enough time to catch up with him. “Hey,” he called out to Woohyun, who stopped and turned around to see Myungsoo stepping outside of the shop. Myungsoo walked up to him. His cheeks were still pink but his eyes weren’t glassy like they’d been while he was drinking. They were clear and darting all over Woohyun’s face, searching for something. “Are you okay? You seem off. Did I say something wrong?”

“No,” Woohyun was telling the truth. It was just the opposite. He forced out a yawn. “I’m just tired. It’s been a long day and a long week.”

Myungsoo didn’t look convinced but he was going to buy it anyway, “Okay.” He then smiled. “Are you too tired to walk home with me?” he asked.

Woohyun sighed. He was trying to leave quickly to get out of this. Myungsoo’s interests went like this: eating food, Lee Sungyeol, and going on long, meandering walks. And Woohyun had the fortune of being Myungsoo’s neighbor. Myungsoo’s rooftop apartment overlooked his in the building next door. It was Woohyun’s own fault, really. He had encouraged Myungsoo to take the vacant apartment months back, before Woohyun began to realize stuff. Feelings stuff. Actually, Myungsoo living nearby might’ve been the reason why all of this feelings stuff happened.

“Sure, let’s walk home,” Woohyun gave in and began down the road to their apartments.

It was a long and silent walk. They occasionally bumped into one another, being as tipsy as they were, but even that wasn’t followed by any words, not even an apology. Just the sounds of their shoes scuffing against the pavement filled the empty air.

Myungsoo was the first to speak again, but it wasn’t until they reached their apartments. “Good night,” he mumbled and was about to go up the stairs.

“Be honest with him!” Woohyun shouted after him, even though he was just a few steps away. But he really wanted to say this, get this over with, before he lost the will to say it at all. Myungsoo took a few steps back, but he didn’t turn around toward Woohyun. He just craned his neck back to look at him. Well, Woohyun had his attention, so he continued, “Tell Sungyeol that you like him. He’s giving you a second thought. That’s got to mean something, right?”

Myungsoo spun around towards Woohyun as he whined and shook his head. “It would be awkward,” he complained. His voice drifted off, “Besides I don’t even know if...”

“Of course,” Woohyun cut him off. “Love...can be like that.”

Myungsoo snorted, “Awkward?”

“Very,” Woohyun replied with a strained smile. “Make your one-sided love double-sided like...tape,” it took Woohyun a little too long to finish that idea and when he it, it was lame, but he rolled with it anyway, “Yeah! Like double-sided tape and you too will stick together seamlessly.”

Myungsoo scoffed. “You must be very tired. Go to sleep,” he urged the other and reached out to pat Woohyun’s upper arm a few times.

“I will,” Woohyun promised. “And you should confess,” he ordered the other and mimicked Myungsoo, patting him on the arm too.

“Eung, I will,” Myungsoo assured him. They then both dropped their arms from the other and stuffed their hands into their pockets, awkwardly. “Thanks for the encouragement, hyung. I’ll tell you how it goes,” he said and wished the other good night again before going up the stairs.

Woohyun went up his stairs too, and reached his apartment before the other did, as usual. His building was a floor smaller that Myungsoo’s. Woohyun walked over to the edge of the roof and rest his arms against the railing as he waited for Myungsoo to appear. And he did, for a second. Myungsoo went from the top of the stairs straight to his door and went inside, not even thinking to see if Woohyun had gotten home too. Woohyun sighed and hung his head as he fiddled with his thumbs. He stayed like that for a minute before going inside.

Myungsoo hadn’t thought of him because Myungsoo’s thoughts weren’t full of him. They were someone else’s, Sungyeol’s. And Woohyun really shouldn’t be feeling this way.

What is Myungsoo and Sungyeol's relationship really like (especially without Woohyun around)? How did they meet? Did Myungsoo really have a one-sided love with Sungyeol before? Will it become double-sided? Like tape? 

All of these questions will be answered in the next chapter! Which will feature way more Sungyeol than this chapter ever did!

See you then!