back, at last :)

6 months ago

“You’re breaking up with me,” Sungyeol says flatly.

Myungsoo colours slightly. “…Yeah. I guess I am.”

“I’m sorrry, I can explai—“ he starts to say.

Sungyeol raises a hand, cutting him off. “Just, get the out of my apartment,” he spits.

Myungsoo complies, grabbing his backpack off the floor and leaving in silence.

The door clicks shut and Sungyeol sinks to the floor, burying his hands in his face.

“Don’t cry, Sungyeol,” he says thickly to himself. “You’re better than that.”

The angry tears welling up in his eyes spill anyway.

Pulling out his phone, he sends a text to Woohyun.

To: The Loser Nam

Come. Please.

Ten minutes later Woohyun is kicking the door to Sungyeol’s bedroom shut. He wraps an arm round Sungyeol’s shoulder and holds on tightly to his best friend of 12 years as he cries silently into his shoulder. Later, he boils some ramyun for dinner and pretends not to hear Sungyeol screaming his vocal chords raw in the shower.

It’s close to 3 in the morning when Woohyun leaves, and he spends the short walk back to his own room wondering where it all went wrong.

**

“I went to see him, you know,” Woohyun tells Howon as they watch Sungyeol walk down the small path leading to the beach. It’s been a week since they got to Busan and much to Woohyun’s delight, Sungyeol had started going out more.

“Sungyeol?” Howon asks, confused.

Woohyun shakes his head. “No, Myungsoo. The day after they broke up. I went to his dorm.”

Howon hums in surprise. “You did?”

“Yeah. That night, Yeol kicked him out before he got to explain anything. I wanted to know why… you know…” Woohyun trails off.

Howon nods.

“What did he say, though?” he asks then.

Woohyun frowns.

**

“Woohyun-hyung?” Myungsoo looks surprised to see Woohyun in front of him.

“Can I come in?”

Myungsoo looks slightly hesitant, but moves aside for Woohyun anyway.

“Minsoo in?” Woohyun asks.

Myungsoo shakes his head. “He’s at a Business lecture.”

Woohyun takes a seat on the couch and sighs.

“I think you must have some idea so as to why I’m here,” Woohyun says, looking up at Myungsoo. The latter fidgets uncomfortably, but nods.

“Myungsoo-yah… How could you just leave him like that?”

**

“I’ll be back in time for the dinner shift, hyung, bye!” Sungjong calls out, hanging his apron and rushing out the door.

“Where’re you going in such a hurry?” Sunggyu laughs, watching the younger pull his shoes on.

“I’m going to see my brother,” Sungjong beams.

“Have fun, kid,” Sunggyu waves as Sungjong scrambles out the gate and out of his line of vision.

“Kids these days,” Sunggyu says, shaking his head.

“You make yourself sound so old,” another voice says from behind.

Sunggyu feels his face heat up. He turns around, praying the blush isn’t too visible.

“Hey, Taeyeon,” he smiles. “What brings you here?”

“I was just in the neighbourhood,” she grins. 

Sunggyu laughs. Taeyeon lives two houses down.

“Are you busy now?” she asks.

Sunggyu quickly goes over the day’s roster in his head. “Not really… I have to check if the guests have any laundry that needs to be done. That’s about it.”

“Great,” Taeyeon nods. “Once you’re done, you can come with me for a while!”

“I don’t know…” Sunggyu starts. “Sungjong won’t be around for the next two hours or so and I have no idea exactly how trustworthy Jaehwan is if I leave him alone…”

“Gyu. It’ll just take half an hour. Have you even had a break today? C’mon… We haven't hung out in ages. Let’s go have some lemonade at the beach. We’ll be right back, I promise,” Taeyeon urges, cutting Sunggyu off.

“Well…”

“Please?” Taeyeon drags out. “Half an hour. There and back.”

Sunggyu caves. Even when they were kids he had the hardest time saying no to her.

“Twenty minutes. Lemonade, and then straight back.”

Taeyeon whoops in happiness. “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” she sings, dragging Sunggyu back into the house.

Ten minutes later finds Sunggyu walking down the path leading to the beach, listening to Taeyeon chatter on about school and her mother and little things that Sunggyu always remembers, however trivial they may be. Sunggyu’s always been just there, right behind her, waiting to steady her in case she slipped. Sometimes he lies awake at night and thinks about what it could be like if he made Taeyeon’s heart beat the way she made his own. He wonders what it would be like to hold her hand and not be looked at as just a brother. Sometimes, he wonders…

“Siwon-oppa’s coming home for the summer, by the way,” Taeyeon tells him happily. 

Sunggyu’s heart drops.

“It’s always good to see hyung,” he says weakly.

“My two favourite boys,” Taeyeon muses, draping an arm around Sunggyu’s shoulders. “I can’t wait.”

Sometimes, Sunggyu wonders what it would be like if Taeyeon was really his to want.

***

“Jjong-hyung!”

Sungjong breaks into a grin and waves to his brother across the street. He feels a swell of pride bubbling in his chest as he watches Sunkyu jog over, matching grin on his boyish face.

“It’s as though every time I see you, you’ve grown taller,” Sungjong smiles, ruffling his brother’s hair.

“Hyung,” his brother says, rolling his eyes (it runs in the family), “You literally just saw me. We had dinner together two nights ago.”

“Whatever, smartass,” Sungjong sticks his tongue out. “I’m complimenting you. Take it or leave it.”

Sunkyu blushes. “Thanks, hyung.”

They walk over to the beach, dumping their bags and flopping down onto the sand with practised ease. Shucking his jacket and rolling up his school slacks and the sleeves of his crisp white shirt, Sunkyu breathes in the salty ocean air and smiles. “It’s been a while, hyung.”

Sungjong looks at his brother, wearing a matching smile on his face. “Yeah,” he says, laying down on the sand. He’ll wash his hair out before dinner.

“It has been.”

They exchange stories about school and work, Sungjong doing the mandatory check on Sunkyu’s grades.

“How were your results for this term?”

Sunkyu winces, rolling over so his back stayed facing away from his brother.

“I did okay,” he says, voice muffled. 

Sungjong’s eyes narrow. “Define okay.”

A pause. “As for English, Chemistry and Korean Lit, Bs for History and Japanese and uh…” Sunkyu trails off. “Hyung, let’s just pretend Math isn’t a thing.”

Sungjong pats his brother on the back, sighing. “I won’t ask any further than that,” he says, and Sunkyu visibly relaxes. 

“But, you have to tell mom when she calls,” Sungjong says firmly and Sunkyu hums in reluctant approval.

“Good,” Sungjong appraises. “Your other grades are fine, though. Good job on English, especially.”

Sunkyu beams. “Thank you,” he says proudly in English.

Sungjong swats at his head. “Whatever.”

***

“Sungyeol-hyung!”

Sungyeol turns around to see Sungjong waving at him, seated on the sand next to a younger boy who bore resemblance to him.

Must be his brother, Sungyeol notes.

Sungyeol walks over to the two younger boys and offers a slight smile. “Hi, Sungjong-ah.”

Before Sungyeol can request an introduction of the other boy, Sungjong speaks up. “Hyung, this is my little brother Sunkyu. Sunkyu, this is Sungyeol-hyung. He’s my…”

“I’m staying at the bed and breakfast over the summer,” Sungyeol finishes for Sungjong.

Sunkyu nods, brushing his fringe out of his face and giving Sungyeol a wide smile. The similarities between the siblings seem even more obvious now.

Sungjong scoots over and gestures for Sungyeol to sit down, and after a moment of careful deliberation, Sungyeol decides that his board shorts will be just fine, even if they’re covered in a layer of sand.

As Sungyeol sits, Sungjong pops up. “You must be hungry, right, Sunkyu-ah? I’ll go buy something to eat. Hyung, do you like sweet potatoes?” the younger boy asks, turning to Sungyeol.

Sungyeol reassures Sungjong that any food is fine, and watches the younger boy take off, messy hair falling into his face (as usual, Sungyeol gives a mental eye roll) and barefoot.

For a short while, there is silence between Sungyeol and Sunkyu, both unsure of what to say, being strangers. But it is Sunkyu who decides to bridge the gap, sitting up and turning over to face the older boy.

“So you’re here for the whole summer, Sungyeol-sshi?” he asks conversationally.

Sungyeol nods slowly. “I… I was a bit down before the holiday started. So my best friend dragged me here. We leave just in time for school to start again.”

“You’re in college?”

“In Seoul, yes. Woohyun, that’s my best friend, his boyfriend Howon and I attend Infinite University.”

After that, Sunkyu warms up to Sungyeol incredibly quickly, asking questions about university life and the big city.

“Have you ever been to Gwangju, hyung?” Sunkyu asks.

Sungyeol shakes his head. “I’ve never been in Jeolla at all actually. I’m from Yongin. Never really had a reason to go,” he shrugs.

Sunkyu nods in agreement. “Gwangsan’s okay. We have an indoor ice-skating rink. Also, you can take the bus straight to Jeonju and have Bibimbap. It takes about 3 hours.”

Sungyeol finds himself smiling at that. “You sound enthusiastic.”

Laughing, Sunkyu shakes his head. “I like it better in Busan,” he admits. 

“I kind of grew up here. It was a little hard, because I was away from hyung and my mom, but my aunt takes care of me well and all my friends are here. I know my way around better. I’ve been here since I was nine,” he tells Sungyeol.

“Since I left when I was still pretty young, I don’t really know the bus routes or how to get around by train back in Gwangju, and no one really keeps in touch with their elementary school friends all that much, especially if you move away.”

Sungyeol nods. “The only reason Woohyun and I have been friends for so long is because that idiot was so persistent when we were kids. Even when he moved up to Seoul, he wouldn’t stop calling and e-mailing. He was impossible to forget or lose touch with. Still is.”

“He sounds great,” Sunkyu says.

Sungyeol snorts. “Yeah. He’s an idiot, but he’s my idiot best friend. I love him a lot, even though I’d never say it to his face.”

“Same. I wouldn’t tell my best friend how much I cared. Not just for fun. That’s weird,” Sunkyu says, wrinkling his nose.

“Hyung’s best friend is this guy called Byunghyun-hyung. He’s pretty cool. He’s always dyeing his hair really bright colours. I like him. He has a girlfriend, too. Sunyoung-noona. She’s great. She always buys me carp bread when I visit Gwangsan. The three of them have been friends for ages,” Sunkyu tells Sungyeol.

“Speaking of food,” Sunkyu sits up suddenly. “Where’s hyung? It’s been like fifteen minutes.”

“Maybe the queue is long,” Sungyeol suggests, turning around to see if Sungjong was anywhere near.

The younger boy hums. “Hyung is so weird sometimes. When he sees long queues, he just goes ahead and joins the queue!” Sunkyu says, exasperated.

“Every time, I say, Hyung, let’s just eat something else, let’s join a shorter queue, but does he listen? No!”

Sungyeol laughs. Sunkyu is adorable.

“Your hyung worries about you a lot. He just wants to do a good job taking care of you,” Sungyeol says quietly.

Sunkyu sighs. “He worries about everyone. He’s always doing things for other people. Sunggyu hyung-nim, our mother, myself… One time, Sunyoung-noona left her bag at school and he ran back in the rain to get it for her. He got so sick after that…” he shakes his head.

“Hyung deserves someone who’s going to look out for him too, since he spends all his time looking out for everybody else,” Sunkyu finishes.

Sungyeol leans back, digging his elbows into the soft sand. He thinks back to the time when he spent all his time giving and looking out for someone, who, without Sungyeol even realising, never really gave much back in return. Squeezing his eyes shut, Sungyeol sits quietly, willing away the bad feeling rise in the back of his throat. Sunkyu seems to have quietened down as well, choosing to lie back on the sand, head resting in his palms, eyes shut. Sungjong, Sungyeol agrees, deserves someone who will be good to him.

When Sungjong finally comes back, plastic bag hanging round his wrist, he sits down, panting. “The queue was so long!” he exclaims, ing the red plastic bag onto the sand.

Sunkyu gives Sungyeol a knowing look. “Thanks, though, hyung. I’m starving.”

Sungjong hands the two other boys a wet napkin each, and after wiping their hands, they quickly peel the sweet potatoes Sungjong bought. The sweet potatoes are warm in Sungyeol’s hands and the flesh is soft and salty. the grease off his lips, he smiles. 

“They were really good,” Sungyeol says. “Thank you.”

Sungjong hums. “Don’t mention it, hyung.”

**

It’s close to 5 in the evening when they bid goodbye to Sunkyu and make their way back up the path to the bed and breakfast. 

“I forgot to ask,” Sungyeol starts. “Why is Sunkyu in school if it’s summer holidays?”

“Oh… He had a debating club meeting. Their teacher-in-charge wanted them to come in for a while. It was just for today,” Sungjong says and Sungyeol ahs in acknowledgement.

“What did you two talk about?” Sungjong asks.

Sungyeol shrugs and tells the younger boy about Sunkyu’s questions about Seoul and tertiary education, upon hearing which Sungjong smiles proudly and tells Sungyeol about Sunkyu’s longtime aspiration to study linguistics in Seoul.

“I could look out for him if he comes up to Seoul,” Sungyeol says without thinking. “I’m a History major, but my minor is in Linguistics.”

Sungjong beams at him. “Really? You would do that?” And again, Sungyeol nods automatically.

“Oh, wow, oh my god, thanks hyung. We’ve only been to Seoul a couple of times and the city is so huge, I don’t even know where I’m going… I’ve gotten offers from a few universities across the country but I haven’t really made up my mind yet. Sunkyu graduates soon…” Sungjong rattles off.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay…” Sungyeol says, putting a hand on Sungjong’s shoulder. “Calm down. Sunkyu’s a bright kid. I’m sure he’ll be fine, wherever he goes. But I’d be happy to look out for him if he comes up to Seoul. Don’t worry about it.”

Before Sungyeol can realise it, Sungjong’s arms wrap around his neck in a tight hug. Sungyeol freezes, and Sungjong jumps back.

“I— sorry, hyung. I didn't know what I was doing.. It was just…” Sungjong stammers, going red.

Sungyeol shifts awkwardly before moving forward and giving Sungjong a fleeting hug himself; just a gentle squeeze.

“It’s okay,” he assures the younger boy, turning equally red. “It’s fine.”

Sungjong’s eyes widen in shock, but before he can say anything, Sungyeol tugs on his wrist, mimicking Sungjong’s actions from the other day, leading him up to the beach house.

**

They wave to Sunggyu on the porch and clamour into the house, both in need of a shower. Walking side-by-side to the staircase, Sungyeol feels a smile blooming on his face.

“See you at dinner, hyung,” Sungjong says, face still mildly flushed.

“Yeah, see—“ Sungyeol starts to says, but is cut off by another voice.

“Sungyeol?”

Sungyeol’s blood runs cold.

He turns around slowly, praying he’s hallucinating.

He’s not.

“Myungsoo,” he says quietly. 

There, right in front of him, stood the exact reason he’d come to Busan in the first place. Six months of slowly trying to forget, rushing back in the span of a few minutes.

Myungsoo.

i'm so sorry for the super long hiatus, haha. i've been so busy with school. but i'm back now, and i'm going to try my absolute best to update this faster, because it's been almost a year since i started writing this, ahahah, and it was meant to be completed in like, a month?

which obviously did not happen :b

i hope you all liked this chapter, i enjoyed writing it. so yeah, i've added developement on sunggyu's side, plus we get to know a little more about sungjong and his background, as well as his cute brother's as well. but of course, it wouldn't be fun if i didn't mess some stuff up, so ta-dah, myungsoo makes a present-day appearance and is here to mess things up for sungyeol~ but don't worry, it won't be too bad :)

thank you so much to everyone who has commented/voted/subscribed, I am truly grateful <3

see you soon (hopefully) c: