[proofread & edited]

 

"I'll be back around noon!" Kevin half yelled, half muffled as he quickly ran out of the kitchen with a bagel stuffed inside of his mouth; surprisingly he didn't choke and seized his car keys off of the kitchen counter. One last glimpse of his reflection in the hallway mirror, Kevin dashed out of the front door with both hands full of his book bag, jacket, car keys and a cup of coffee with the lid half shut.

Slamming the door shut, all that was left auditable in the empty apartment was the faint sounds of a gun battle coming from a room down the hall.

Eli mumbled a goodbye as he continued to eat his lucky charms cereal while sitting hunched over his bed with his eyes glued onto his laptop screen. He was watching a Japanese action drama a co-worker had recommended to him, and even though there were no sub titles provided, he still enjoyed the drama with its intense music, hard core action and of course, hot female actresses.

When he was finished slurping the last droplet of milk from his bowl, Eli slowly got up from his bed after pausing his drama and took his bowl and spoon to the kitchen sink to wash.

After rinsing his bowl and placing it neatly onto the drying rack, Eli returned back to the bedroom that he shared with his childhood best friend and roommate, Kevin Woo.

Their room wasn't completely small, though not huge either, it was just perfectly compatible for two young college students. Eli’s single bed was pushed up against the upper left corner of the room with a large window right above the side of his bed that nearly took up the whole wall. A few feet apart from Eli's bed was Kevin's matching single size bed and their shared closet.

Before they had moved into the apartment when they were both freshmen in college, they'd had an arguable debate about wheatear or not they had enough room for two office desks. After a weeks’ worth of discussion and some looks into their budget, they've decided to buy just one desk for the both of them. It laid a few inches in front of Eli's bed, pushed up against the wall to save space. The desk mostly consumed of large overly complicated college textbooks that coasted a fortune and one mac computer that neither of them seemed to use, a printer and two stacks of printing paper next to it. The rest of the room laid bared except for those three necessary furniture.

Eli pushed his way past some random articles of clothing that laid scattered around the floor from Kevin's outburst that morning from waking up late and rumbling through their closet, and made his way to his bed. He sat crossed legged on his bed with his laptop resting on his lap, after exiting out his drama, Eli opened up Google Accounts and signed in to check his emails for the morning as he always did. He was half way through checking all of his emails when his phone rang.

"Yawbosehyo." Eli answered, pushing his laptop off to the side and laid down on his bed, staring out the window.

"Hey Eli!" a chirpiest oddly high pitched voice rang through the other line.

"Sorry you must have got the wrong number,” Eli frowned, “goodbye."

"Oh come on Eli, stop joking around!" 

"Yahh, what do you want Soohyun?" Eli asked with a laugh.

"That's Soohyun Hyung to you! And I was wondering if you and Kevin would like to come to my birthday party today?" 

"Today? Oh I'm don’t know Hyung, you know I have a lot of better things to do today." Eli remarked back haft sarcastically.

"Yahhh!" Soohyun screamed.

Eli chuckled, "Okay okay fine, what time does the party start?"

"Yeah, you better come! The party starts at 6 noon but you can come whenever, you know I like to party late." Soohyun responded with a grin.

"Kay, I'll come at seven then, Kevin won’t be come home till four from school. I'll see you then."

"Don't forget to buy me a present you jerk or else I won’t be leaning you my physiology textbook anymore!" Soohyun threatened in a teasing voice.

"Yeah yeah whatever, bye Hyung." 

"Bye!"

Eli closed his phone, picking up his laptop, he thought to himself that since he didn't have classes, Environmental Bio and Human Communications until 11AM, there was a good span of time before Soohyun’s birthday party. But he couldn't go anywhere either since Kevin took the car so he'll be stuck at home for a while.... Thank god there's internet, Eli thought as he opened up another tab and searched up YouTube in the link bar.

 

Kevin unlocked the front door and stepped inside, lining his shoes besides Eli's before yelling out into the house, "I'm home!" Kevin set his car keys on the kitchen counter and walked to his room.

"How do I look?" Eli emerged from behind the door, standing in front of Kevin with a gray plaid button up shirt on top of black skinny jeans. His hair was styled into small little waves and he had accessorized with two stud bracelets. Eli even had on a bit of makeup on, his eyes smoky with a thin line of eyeliner.

"Wow Hyung, why are you so dressed up today?" Kevin asked with a smile as he eyed Eli’s well put together outfit.

"Why today," Eli smoothly waltzed towards Kevin and swung his arm around his shoulder," we're going to a party." Eli smirked and led Kevin into the bathroom, practically shoving him inside. 

"I even have your clothes picked for you, come out when you're done getting dressed. I'll be in the living room." Eli smiled and walked into the living room, turning on the TV as he patiently waits for Kevin to finish getting dressed.

Kevin walks out of the bathroom and into the living room a few minutes later, he had on a plain white V-neck with a dark navy blue cardigan thrown on top and dark blue skinny jeans.

Eli quickly hopped off the couch, clapping his hands together as he circled around Kevin. 

"Waahhh! I did a good job at picking out your clothes huh? You look nice." Eli beamed as he flashed a broad smile at Kevin.

“I don’t know, I guess they’re ok-“

"No no no, they’re good,” Eli clasped hand over Kevin’s mouth to prevent him from complaining anymore, Kevin squirming from beneath his hand, “come on lets go pick out a present for that old man Soohyun." Eli releases his hand from Kevin’s mouth and grabs his hand quickly, pulling him outside of the door before he could utter another question to where they were going.

 

Eli and Kevin decided on getting Soohyun a new watch, both helped pay for it and had it wrapped up nicely in a box with a red bow attached at the top. When the two finally arrived at the party, the streets was lined up with cars parked at the side of the road, stretching pass the neighborhood and onto the next block, everyone was getting out of their car and hurrying towards the party, music could be heard blasting loudly from Soohyun’s house along with people’s party chants.

"Hey, I'm glad you guys could make it!" Soohyun announced from behind them when they entered the house and gave them each a warming hug.

"Happy birthday Hyung." Kevin congratulated as he gave Soohyun a hug.

"Happy birthday old man! How old you turning now, 60?" Eli smirked after Soohyun lightly punched his arm.

"Yah, I'm not that old! You guys can just set your coats in that closet over there and just enjoy the party." Soohyun instructed with a slightly flushed face, informing to Eli and Kevin that Soohyun must have already began drinking.

"Oh Hyung, here, we got you a present." Kevin handed the boxed watch to Soohyun whose face immediately lighted up and smiled at Kevin. "Aww you guys shouldn't have! Thanks guys."

After a small chat, Soohyun excused himself to greet the other guests, leaving Eli and Kevin at the snack table.

"Well Soohyun Hyung sure knows how to party." Eli scans the “snacks” on the table which was not so ironically had absolutely no snacks at all but was instead covered with different brands and bottles of alcohol.

"You drinking Eli?" Kevin asked as he opened a can of beer and took a drink.

Eli gave a small frown and eyed the can of beer in Kevin's hand.

"I'll just have one."

 

[Next morning~]

 

Eli groaned as he got out of bed, an instant wave of nausea raining down on him, associated with an excruciating headache, the two combinations making him want to throw up at that very moment.

He looked over at Kevin's bed who was still sound asleep, not wanting to disturb him, Eli dragged himself to the bathroom across the hall. Quickly peeled off his clothes from last night, he stepped inside of his steamy shower. Letting the calming hot water run over and down his body as he tried to clear his head.

Oh gosh, what the heck was I doing last night? I thought I said I was only going to have a couple of drinks... my head is killing me... Eli slowly washed himself, wanting to make this soothing shower last as long as possible before turning off the tab and wrapped a towel around his waist when he got out of the shower.

He quickly dressed into a plain t-shirt and shorts then walked into the kitchen to the fridge to get himself some Advil and a glass of cold water.

After taking two pills, Eli stumbled into the living room, collapsed on the soft plushy couch and the TV even though he knew that he wasn't planning to watch any of it. He just wanted something to distract him from his huge head ache.

An hour later Eli saw Kevin run across the hall and into the bathroom. He could hear loud splatters and drops of something chunky and wet go down the toilet along with hacking coughs and the toilet flushing as few times. Kevin was puking. Eli rushed to get off from the coach and went to help him.

"Thanks Eli." Kevin thanked as he wiped his mouth with his hand. Ughhh eww... Eli later left Kevin in the bathroom to take a shower and dress while he went to the kitchen and began to make breakfast.

By the time Kevin got out of the bathroom, breakfast of was already made, 4 pieces of toasted bread with jam, scrambled eggs, 2 glasses of water, cut up pieces of apples and 2 pills of Advil next to Kevin’s glass of water. They quietly sat at the kitchen counter and ate their breakfast in silence.

"Ahhemm." Eli coughed to break the awkward silence, his hands resting unsettlingly in his laps after he ate what he thought his stomach could hold at the moment.

"What... what did we even do last night?" Kevin asked quietly, holding his face in his hands with his elbows resting on the counter, his body and mind was run down and so sore.

"I don't know but I'm not going to class today..." Eli said as he continued to pick at his food.

"Yeah... me too...” 

Eli looked up at Kevin and noticed for the first time since that morning that there was a small purplish dark red bruise right below Kevin's upper jawline, so small that it almost went unnoticed underneath his right ear. Something that definitely wasn’t there yesterday. 

Races of questions flashed through Eli’s mind but he quickly dialed them down, he’s had enough questions and thoughts for today and all he wanted to do at the moment was drop dead nap. Pushing the thoughts aside, Eli went back to eating his breakfast.

The two spent the rest of their day with their hangover as they both tried to quickly recover as soon as possible.

 

When Eli went to the bathroom to wash his hands for dinner, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and immediately looked away. Gosh I look horrible... I'm never to get drunk ever again...

He swore this to himself even though he knew perfectly well that when Soohyun had another party, the liquor table was sure to be the first place he’d head of to. He finished washing his hands and took one last look in the mirror before leaving but something caught his eye. 

A few small purple bruises and red scratch lines on his collar bone which was barely covered by the collar of his shirt.

 

"Yaw bo seh yo." Eli mumbled in a sleepy voice. It was six in the morning and the sun was just beginning to rise right over the horizon, layers of orange, yellow, and pink scattered in the sky.

"Eli quick, come meet me at the coffee cafe near my house!" Soohyun's voice yelled through the phone, there was something un-doubtfully off about his voice.

"Yahh, don't be so loud, Kevin is still asleep!" Eli hissed back.

"Funny how you mentioned Kevin... well that doesn't matter now, just hurry up and come meet me at the cafe."

Soohyun's voice sounded oddly suspicious but before Eli could question anything about it, he hung up on him.

Ugghh Soohyun... this better be good if you're gonna wake me at six in the morning! Eli cursed in his head as he got out of bed, pulled on a sweatshirt and grabbed his car keys.

 

Ten minutes later, Eli sat at a table with Soohyun, a cup of hot steamy coffee with extra cream cupped between his palms and dull eyes fashioned with large dark circles bagged underneath.

"So what do you want?" Eli yawned as he asked, his eyes getting a little teary.

"Well..." Soohyun had on a devilish smile curled around his cream frosted lips. “I found something interesting in my house this morning when I was cleaning up from last night’s party.”

“You were cleaning this morning? At 6 in the morning?...”

“Hey, I woke up drunk on my balcony when a bird nearly pooped on my head. What was I supposed to do? Anyways, I found something while I was cleaning up.”

Eli waited for Soohyun to elaborate more about what he found but the older stayed quiet, watching the other’s facial expression extremely carefully for any change in reaction.

“So…”

“So I thought it may interest you. What I found.” Again, Soohyun paused and waited for what Eli would say next.

“And…”

“And I think it belongs to you.”

“And…”

“And I’d like to give it back.”

“Soohyun, will you just get to the point.

“I’d like to show you what it is.” Reaching into his school backpack which laid besides his chair, Soohyun pulled “it” out.

Eli’s eyes instantly widened. “Y-you… that’s… that’s…” He stared at the object in Soohyun’s hands, back at Soohyun then to the object once again and then back to Soohyun’s. Eli’s face immediately flushed red and he bit hard on his bottom lip before attacking Soohyun from across the table. “THAT’S F**CKI-“

 

Eli stared blankly at his TV screen, a replay of Hell Boy II was playing but he could care less about what was on TV. Just like when he had his hangover, he needed something louder to distract him from the racing thoughts in his head.

All Eli could think about was his and Soohyun’s conversation back at the café early that morning. Even as he went home, all he could think about was that.

Kevin had went out to the store to pick up a few things for the house which left Eli home alone for a couple of hours with his mind bottling thoughts. Great.

"I'm home!"

Eli reflectively turned his head to the sound of the front door being open and footsteps echoing.

“Thank god Kevin you’re home, listen this morn-“

Eli saw Kevin walk through the kitchen and into the living room and behind him was Dongho.

And Soohyun, with a big smug grin plastid on his lips. “Hey."