Chapter 08

A Hunch.

Nam Soon had a big smile on his face when he got home that Friday morning. He heard loud sounds coming from Heung Soo's room before he suddenly show up, with an strange and bitter expression on his face. Nam Soon smile faltered, as he wondered if he had any problem with his girlfriend again.

"Where have you been?" he asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

Nam Soon couldn't hold the mischievous smile on the corner of his lips while he answered him:

"You know," he shook his shoulders, heading to the couch where he threw himself in, sighing proudly.

"Yes, you disappeared in the middle of my celebration to ," he answered with that same irritated tone, but Nam Soon still didn't pay attention to his ranting.

"I couldn't lose the chance," he the TV, randomly switching channels.

"Yes, I realised that," Heung Soo hissed, shaking his head as he went to the fridge, loudly getting a bottle of water. He sighed in frustration, placing the bottle over the counter "You really got a call or something and couldn't wait?"

Nam Soon let a slight laugh escape his lips, "I didn't got a call," he turned around, facing Heung Soo that was bending against the kitchen counter still with that same expression. "You know, your straight friend?"

Heung Soo slowly frowned, and it took long seconds for him to react with a startled expression - followed by an even more annoyed one,

"Julien??" He exclaimed, for some reason seeming also disappointed - but Nam Soon didn't bother. Instead, he had a smirk on his lips, and shook his shoulders with disinterest.

"Not really that straight though."

"You're joking, right?" Heung Soo showed an incredulous smile, raising his eyebrows.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Nam Soon stared into his eyes, the smirk not on his lips anymore and he sustained a serious look. Why was Heung Soo acting that surprised? He kept shaking his head in disapproval, and looked around, not facing Nam Soon.

"I can't believe you," he sighed, staring at him but not right into his eyes, "I told you not to my friends. You really don't listen?"

Nam Soon laughed, nodding with a mocking face, "yeah, you also told me he was straight."

" that, Nam Soon," Heung Soo rolled his eyes, looking impatient, "oh my god, can't you take anything serious?"

Nam Soon frowned, now completely forgetting about the television, and shook his head for a few seconds before speaking: "Why are you being like this?" He shook his head again, raising his eyebrows, "If I didn't know you, I would think you are jealous."

He didn't had the time to notice Heung Soo rolling his eyes again as he quickly turned his back to him, shaking his head and heading to his bedroom.

"I really don't want to see you right now."

Nam Soon suddenly stood up, the smile vanishing from his lips. Something was odd. Heung Soo usually gave him lectures about his behaviour but it was always in a funny way, and the way he was reacting right now was not even a bit funny.

"Don't you think you are overreacting here?" he exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't force him to do anything."

Heung Soo turned around halfway to his bedroom and sighed, still shaking his head, but finally looking back at him, "Ok.Maybe I'm overreacting. But really Nam Soon, my team-mate?" He looked disappointed, and for some reason it made Nam Soon regret doing it for the first time.

"You don't need to be awkward, he won't tell anyone." And that was true, since Julien definitely made sure to ask him more than once to keep that a secret - but of course that between him and Heung Soo would be no secrets - not that Julien needed to be aware of that.

"That was supposed to be my night, ok?" Heung Soo whispered, seeming like he was thinking of an excuse for his behaviour, or just saying something he didn't really want to say. "Might be just a joke to you, but I'm starting to be recognised for my skills rather than my ing looks and that's a big deal for me," his voice was becoming lower while he said it, and he wasn't looking back at him again. "You were supposed to be there, but you rather vanish with Julien?"

Nam Soon blinked, sighing slowly. Ok, if he wanted to make him regret it, then he just did it.  it.

"I'm sorry, ok?" He shuddered, sighing again. "I should have stayed." He shook his head rather for himself than Heung Soo, that still couldn't look him in the eyes, "let's do this then, this weekend we stay home and finish stranger things, just the two of us?"

"Why should I be punished?" Heung Soo finally showed a smile on his lips, and Nam Soon breathed out in relief.

"Shut up, I'm serious now," he pretended to be annoyed, and Heung Soo shrugged.

"I'm meeting Eun tomorrow, so..."

"Today then?" Nam Soon checked his wristwatch, "I only have classes at night. We still got the whole day. No practices for you today right?"

"I guess... Fine then."

"I can't believe Julien is gay..." Heung Soo suddenly commented a few hours later after one of the episodes ended "How did you find out?"

Nam Soon stared at him, a bit surprised for the random comment, but then just shook his shoulders with disinterest. "I had a feeling," he answered, but Heung Soo kept staring at him with raised eyebrows, probably waiting for a better answer than that. "You should know, I'm almost a hundred percent right most of the times."

"Sure," the older forced a mocking face, clearly not believing him, "How's that, are you a psychic or something?"

" off," Nam Soon laughed, shaking his head.

"So how? What happened?"

Nam Soon breathed out, "ok," he mumbled, pausing the episode that was just about to start and turned to the older, "I don't know... it's like..." He stared around, and then his eyes reached Heung Soo's. He was staring back, and Nam Soon pretended his increased heartbeat was just because he was remembering the excitement when he was approaching Julien, and not because of Heung Soo's eyes staring deep into his without diverting, "... the way he looks at you... I kinda have a feeling," he explained with a husky voice, "you know, when you look at a person that you're interested in, and they look back deep into your eyes," his voice was almost fading, and Heung Soo watched him in silence, perhaps trying to understand him, or... "that's the sign," he shook his head, looking back at the paused screen as he felt he was getting blushed cheeks. He just realised that they had been talking about this stuff quite often lately. Why was Heung Soo suddenly so curious?

"So Julien was looking at you?" Heung Soo was still staring at him. Nam Soon smirked,

"Yes," he stared back at him, remembering the details of last night, "not just looked, but you know, smiles, the way he speaks to me," he looked around, and took the empty soda glass they had been drinking from the central table, "and like... When he handed me the drink..." He stared back at Heung Soo, giving him the glass. The older frowned looking at it, and Nam Soon kept his mischievous smile, "take it," he shook the glass on his direction, and Heung Soo grabbed it slightly, but Nam Soon didn't let go. Heung Soo looked confused.

The younger looked at his hands holding it, and slowly grazed his fingers, staring back at him. It was for just some brief seconds, and Heung Soo was quiet for a while, returning his gaze, and Nam Soon could be quite sure he saw him blushing - slightly before he let go of the glass, rolling his eyes.

"OK, you're an expert then?" Heung Soo was no longer staring at him, but his cheeks were still a bit flushed. Was that because he was not used to this kind of conversation? "So you have never been mistaken?"

Nam Soon shook his shoulders, "I don't remember any time I was," he laughed it off, "at least when I'm interested, I just know," he said with confidence, getting the remote control and starting the episode.

"I see..." Heung Soo stared at the screen, "I never even noticed when a girl was interested on me, so I was wondering how you knew..."

"Years of practice," Nam Soon joked, and Heung Soo rolled his eyes, but with a smile on the corner of his lips.

"Predictable."

"Anyway, you have a girlfriend so you don't need to worry about it..." Nam Soon said, and Heung Soo raised his eyebrows, "I don't mean I want someone, just to be clear," he stated, under Heung Soo's curious stare.

"Yes, well..." He was staring at the screen and his semblant looked a bit worried rather than just glad for it. Nam Soon stared at him, wondering if he should ask something - she wasn't even at his celebration party, and Nam Soon hadn't seen her ever since the other night when he saw her angrily leaving their flat.

"By the way, there were clearly some girls interested on you at the party," he risked the comment, and the older looked a bit surprised.

"Really? I didn't notice," he curved his lips, "I'm dating anyway. I don't even realise that when I'm single, much less now, " Heung Soo shrugged and stared at him side eyed, "So..." he wondered after a few minutes into the episode, "have you never been mistaken about someone that's interested thinking they are straight, when they are not?" he asked without looking back, and Nam Soon stared at him, frowning. What did he meant by that?

"Why?"

The older one just shook his shoulders, still watching the episode, "just asking..." He answered randomly, and Nam Soon kept frowning,

"Not that I've known of..." He risked a response, still staring at him and noticing an odd blush on his cheeks.

He looked at him sideways again and shook his shoulders, "Just wondering if someone else from my team is also gay," he stumbled on his words, and Nam Soon couldn't help noticing how he was diverting his eyes.

"Don't worry, your work-mates are out of bounds," Nam Soon assured him, shaking his head as he tried to fade any question about Heung Soo's recent attitudes.

Heung Soo nodded, frowning a bit while he looked down and then back at the screen again, now with a discreet smile on his lips.