The day started far too early for Sunggyu’s liking. He stayed up late into the night talking to Dongwoo and both ended up sleeping at around three in the morning. That aside, he would have preferred a regular wake-up call instead of the abnormally cold hand against the nape of his neck that woke him in a startled frenzy. He didn’t throw a punch because the male was too far but he did groan.

“What the hell, Hoya!”

“Good morning, princess. Your mom sent us up here to wake you up. It’s almost eleven and you guys haven’t made a single noise.”

“Good morning, Gyu,” Myungsoo’s voice drifted in the room and Sunggyu squinted towards the door.

“‘Morning,” he answered as he finally decided to sit up, “When did you guys get here anyway?” he asked mid-yawn.

“Around nine-ish,” Hoya answered as he sat on the bed to begin the process of waking Dongwoo up, “Everyone’s just waiting on you two.”

“Waiting for what?” Sunggyu asked. His sleep conceived pouty lips even more prominent.

“Presents?” Hoya answered before trying to gently shake the other male awake.

“That’s not gonna wake him up,” Sunggyu stated before standing.

He stumbled a little on his feet, not able to center himself in the few seconds he was standing, causing Myungsoo to chuckle. He made his way towards the balcony doors and noted that it was snowing lightly. He slid the door open and took a small handful of the powdery snow that gathered on the floor before sliding the door closed just as quickly, “This might do it.”

It did, luckily.

The two males decided to forgo breakfast, seeing as lunch was not far off anyway, and once they were presentable, headed downstairs. It wasn’t a shock to see everyone already sitting around in the living room in front of the t.v. There was a significant increase in presents under the tree but Sunggyu figured everyone brought gifts to hand over. It was quickly decided to go from youngest to oldest in order to appease Jinho. She was asking about the presents from the moment she woke up.

She got various electronics, to which she started testing out immediately. She developed a passion for new gadgets so she was more than pleased with her gifts. Choonyei still loved gaming so she was happy to get the add-ons for her console. Myungsoo received Sunggyu’s gift. It was a bunch of memory cards for his camera (he took on a new hobby after he left). Yeunja was happy to receive all her new outfits and a beautiful pair of gold dangle earrings that she set her eyes on a while back. Dongwoo and Sunggyu both pitched in, saving enough to buy them for her. Hoya received a few casual slim fit button-up shirts thanks to Mrs. Kim. She complained about how he was such a sloppy dresser before. Sunggyu decided to add some skinny jeans in order to complete the new outfits just to pester the male. The two best friends only giggled behind their hands when they noticed the dirty look Hoya threw them.

Sunggyu followed next and was pleased to be given a new single ed overcoat. He owned a few that were a little old, some more worn out that needed replacement, and he was very pleased with the interesting design. He also received a scarf made out of very soft material, a few t-shirts, a set of guitar picks from Hoya, and new stereo headphones (his old ones gave out on him) from Dongwoo. He thought that was the end of it until Myungsoo stepped forward to give him his present.

“It’s from us,” he said as he glanced back at his brother, who suddenly became busy with his phone.

Sunggyu’s brow rose in curiosity before taking the small box from the male and thanking him. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he pulled the wrapping off but everything down to the size of the box that fit in the palm of his hand pointed to some form of jewelry. He found he was right when he pulled the top of the box off and a set of musical themed stud earrings greeted him. It was a yellow and white gold mix, one was shaped as a treble clef and the other as a single eighth note. He smiled down at the present as he remembered how surprised Myungsoo was when he noticed his pierced ears for the first time a few months ago. He thanked him and once he was done, quickly proceeded to remove the earrings he was wearing.

Everyone’s presents were similar with the small exception of Dongwoo getting various pairs of shoes (he was going through them so quickly ever since he joined the dance club in college), and Haneul getting a whole set of different colored hair dye for her to experiment with. Aecha opened her presents as well as everything that would be for her child that was yet to be born. Her husband followed suit, followed by Mr. Kim. He received a beautiful watch from his wife and Mrs. Kim received three different sets of earrings,curtesy of her husband, Haneul, and Aecha and her husband.

Lunch was skipped, there was too much to prepare for dinner so Mrs. Kim allowed them all to binge on snacks to hold them off for a while. As a result, most of the older Kim siblings spent their time in the kitchen, hoping the help they were lending their mother would speed up the process a tiny bit (Dongwoo wasn’t spared either). It took a while for Sunggyu to escape the kitchen. He needed to talk to the younger Nam brother even if said male didn’t mention anything from the day before. Myungsoo became a close friend, second to Dongwoo by a slight margin.

That wasn’t to say that he wasn’t close with Hoya, but things changed after the entire ordeal two and a half years ago. They didn’t hear from Hoya for about a week after Dongwoo was turned away from his home. Somehow the male found out about what happened and he was at Sunggyu’s doorstep apologizing for being an idiot and for all the problems he caused because of it. After talking for hours and hours on end they managed to work everything out. More than anything, Sunggyu was incredibly grateful that Hoya wasn’t disgusted, but only hurt. Dongwoo and Sunggyu understood that very well and they didn’t blame him for anything. Sunggyu also decided to bring him up to speed about the feelings he had for Woohyun and the situation with Junho. Dongwoo however, decided to omit the feelings he held for Hoya completely, hoping it was a detail that would never be brought up.

He found the younger Nam brother in the living room exploring Jinho’s gifts.

“Myungsoo, can I talk to you for a moment?” he called out, ignoring the raised brows from some of the occupants of the room.

The young male didn’t make a fuss. He simply stood and followed the older male towards the door. Sunggyu handed Myungsoo his coat before reaching for his own. Once it was on properly he called out, “Mom I’ll be back in a little bit!” he didn’t wait for a response and headed out with Myungsoo behind him.

The handsome teen didn’t say anything, he simply followed Sunggyu down the porch steps and onto the sidewalk. There were a few tracks left behind by people who were out and about. The light snow that was falling in the morning stopped, leaving an overcast sky and a few more inches of snow in its wake. They walked for a few minutes without saying anything, Myungsoo patiently waiting.

Sunggyu finally decided to speak when they were about two blocks away from his home. He didn’t realize he wouldn’t have a chance to explain anything to Myungsoo.

“Sunggyu!”

The brunet froze before scanning the area around him. He felt his blood run cold when he saw who it was. He glanced at the male next to him before returning his attention to the owner of the voice. It was Junho. He hoped the other wasn’t serious when he sent those messages saying that he was on his way. He sighed heavily, the billows of smoke escaping his lips quite noticeable despite the overcast weather and the white snow that covered the ground.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, slightly distressed.

“You didn’t think I was going to be satisfied with you hanging up on me, did you?” Junho asked. He didn’t sound angry, but rather determined.

“So it takes me breaking up with you for you to finally show your face?” Sunggyu asked in return, “Aren’t you a little late for that?”

Junho shook his head and approached him, deciding to ignore the older male’s words before taking Sunggyu’s face in his hands and examining him, “I wasn’t going to let you break up with me over the phone. Tell me now. Tell me now that I’m standing in front of you. Tell me you want to break up with me,” he urged, searching Sunggyu’s eyes.

The brunet could only stare back at him. His lips were set in a straight line.

“God, I’ve missed you so much.”

Those words snapped him out of it and he pulled away, “Please.”

“No,” he took his face in his hands again, “When was the last time I saw you?” Sunggyu shrugged, not caring to answer, “You’re so beautiful.”

“Junho, stop,” there was heat behind those words. The fact that he was hearing him say those things began to stir something in him, and it wasn’t anything good. He tried to pull away the hands that were on him.

“No, I need you to know,” he continued to say, holding Sunggyu’s face steady so he could look at him, “I need you to know that I still love you.”

The emotions that overflowed him were strong but the sadness overpowered whatever other feelings surged within him. What he felt for Junho now didn’t compare to two years ago. He still cared for him, he still loved him, but it wasn’t as it used to be. Seeing Junho in front of him now, he simply felt sad, sad that he couldn’t return those feelings with the intensity that Junho claimed he still held.

“You don’t,” his voice was trembling, “You don’t.”

“I do.”

“Then why until now?” Sunggyu asked, his words in danger of turning to pleads, “Why do you do this after I’ve broken up with you?!” he managed to pull away from the hands that were holding him in place.

“I thought you would understand…” Junho tried to explain.

“How much did you expect I would ‘understand’? I understood the first dozen times! I understood the countless times you left me waiting for hours before completely cancelling on me! I’m not a ing saint! I have limits too!”

Jinki parked the car and was standing a few feet away from the quarreling couple. He stood idly by, wondering if he should stop them before they attracted attention.

“I’m sorry,” Junho apologized and promptly shut his mouth when he saw Sunggyu sigh exasperatedly.

The older male’s voice dropped, “‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry…’ They’re just words without meaning to me now,” the brunet shook his head lightly. “Tell me, even if I wait, will it ever change? Once your goal has been reached, will you suddenly have time for me?”

“I’ll make time!” Junho argued as he took the other by the shoulders, “I’ll make it!”

It was clear to Sunggyu what the best option was. Junho didn’t even consider giving anything up. He wanted everything. He was greedy in that aspect. He wanted to keep Sunggyu by his side and achieve his dream, but it wasn’t going to be so simple. Sunggyu would never give him an ultimatum so he would make the decision for him.

“No, you won’t…,” it was his turn to hold the younger male’s face in his hands. Junho looked tired, there were dark circles under his eyes, his once full face was drained, far too slim and he was very pale. He looked older than he should have. It was all thanks to the stressful life he was leading. Staying with Junho wasn’t the remedy and even if he didn’t break it off with him now, it would happen eventually.

“We should break up.”

He watched Junho’s face go blank as his hands fell listlessly to his side. He stepped away from Sunggyu, letting the other’s cool hands fall from his face. He caught movement off to the side and for the first time, noticed who Sunggyu’s companion was. The brunet watched as recognition crossed Junho’s features before he turned sharp eyes to Sunggyu.

“Woohyun is here?”

“…Why are you bringing him up?”

“It’s because of him, isn’t it?” Junho accused, “He’s the reason, isn’t he?”

“Woohyun has absolutely nothing to do with this!”

The male’s mouth set in a straight line, “Of course, you never really loved me, did you?”

“Will you listen to yourself?” Sunggyu asked, incredulous.

“How long have you been seeing him?” the younger male asked, taking Sunggyu by the arm, “What did he promise you?”

Myungsoo finally stepped forward and forcefully removed Junho’s grip, “He hasn’t had contact with my brother at all. So you can rest easy and stop accusing him blindly.”

“And you suppose I’m gonna believe you?”

“No, I’d suppose you’d believe the one you claim to love,” the tall male was stern and unflinching against Junho’s glare. He let the other’s forearm go before turning towards Sunggyu, “We should go.”

The brunet’s hurt gaze stayed on Junho’s before turning it to Myungsoo. He gave Junho one last lingering look before turning to head back home.

“So you went for the younger one instead?”

Sunggyu stopped, disbelief evident on his face as he turned his attention to Junho again.

“Lee Junho!” Jinki called out, pulling the male back, “Stop it!”

“No! No!”

“Stop saying stupid things! You act like you don’t know Sunggyu!” Jinki reprimanded as he pulled the man away, towards the car that they were riding in.

The older male didn’t pay any more attention as Myungsoo led him away by the small of his back.

“If you’re leaving me for someone else, just say it! Don’t lie to me!” Junho yelled, making him stop in his tracks.

“Sunggyu,” the taller Nam brother urged the other to keep walking and he obeyed, but not without turning to look at the now arguing cousins.

There was silence, the only other sound that passed between them were the sounds of the snow compacting further under their weight. They walked for a few minutes like that and Sunggyu wondered if Myungsoo was going to say anything at all. He wasn’t sure if he wanted him to say anything either. It was the first time he saw Junho loose himself like that.

“I’m glad you finally decided.”

He sighed, “It wasn’t an easy decision. I do still…,” he didn’t finish his sentence.

“I do admire you,” Myungsoo said, distracting Sunggyu.

The older male turned to look at him, “Why’s that?”

“Because I happened to see you a few times… when you waited for him. You’d get there with a huge smile on your face and you would check the time diligently and when you realized he wasn’t coming you’d look so sad, like you wanted to cry.”

They continued walking for a few seconds before Sunggyu spoke up, “I did cry. I cried when I realized I was probably not important anymore.”

“You are, and that’s why it hurt to see you cry.”

The small eyed man turned to look at Myungsoo questioningly before the younger male elaborated, “There was a reason why I always sent you a message before I got there.”

Sunggyu seemed to realize what he meant and he hid his face in embarrassment. Myungsoo saw him at his weakest and never mentioned anything about it.

“You deserve someone better.”

The brunet smiled, “Even so, I sincerely hope he doesn’t think I’d do that to him. There’s no way I would.”

“Cheat on him?”

“Yeah.”

“It pissed me off, but he was just angry. I’m sure he knows that you would never do something like that. If he knew you at all.”

“Thanks a lot Myung. I only wanted to tell you that I broke up with Junho. I didn’t think you’d have to witness it…”

“It was probably better this way. I’m glad I was there for it. I don’t know how you would’ve handled that if you were on your own.”

“…That’s a good question… but thanks for everything, especially for defending me… You’re not trying to win me over, are you?” Sunggyu asked, hoping to playfully change the atmosphere as they finally reached his home.

Myungsoo laughed, “Of course not. Although, I won’t blame you if you fall for me. I am handsome.”

Sunggyu laughed loudly as they climbed the porch steps, “You just sounded exactly like your brother! You’ve finally been corrupted!”

The taller male could only laugh as he opened the door to let the older male through. Dongwoo was surprised to see the duo back so soon but his curiosity was sated quickly when his best friend dragged him away from the commotion to let him know exactly what just happened.

Dinner time finally arrived and the table was as rowdy as the night before. The only difference was Mr. Kim’s and Dongjun’s, Aecha’s husband, insistence of drinking. There were only four people old enough to drink in the house so Mrs. Kim didn’t encourage it. The other two males didn’t see any harm in allowing the younger guys a taste of the hard liquor they were drinking. It wasn’t long before a taste turned into a shot. Haneul didn’t think it was a good idea to give them straight up liquor, so she prepared a simple mixed drink for them. The drinks were prepared with a small amount of alcohol. Sunggyu was on his second glass of Madras. The rest were only allowed one glass. Woohyun however, switched to whatever the older males were drinking since they were so generously offering.

They tried to get Hoya to join, but he refused, saying he needed to drive them all home, but after so much insistence he gave in to drink a bit more. It wasn’t until Aecha made her sisters drag Hoya away from the kitchen table that he stopped drinking. Mrs. Kim went to reprimand the older men. They agreed with them and apologized but continued on as soon as she left. Myungsoo was sitting silently, switching his gaze from Sunggyu to Woohyun. The older male was in the living room mingling with the rest of the family while Woohyun was sitting on the kitchen table with the older guys. He was keeping an eye on them while occasionally joining in on the conversation in the living room.

There was a sudden and loud commotion come from the kitchen that made everyone stop what they were doing. One of the men, Mr. Kim, was trying to stand. He was having trouble getting on his feet. Myungsoo rushed forward and helped him up. The man murmured something but Myungsoo didn’t quite catch it.

“What is it?”

“Bathroom. Bath room,” the man tried again.

“I gotit, I’ll take ‘im,” Dongjun was slurring just as badly, “Gotta take care of my father ‘n law.”

“You can’t even get up, stupid,” Aecha reprimanded as she also got to the kitchen, “Dongwoo! Can you come help us put these drunks to bed?”

“Be right there!”

The rest of the family stood off to the side watching and giggling as their mom and Aecha struggled with the two guys to get them to their respective rooms.

“Sunggyu, keep an eye on my brother please,” Myungsoo asked as he and Hoya took Dongjun upstairs at the instruction of Aecha. The couple was staying in the younger sisters’ room.

“But...!”

“Watch over him, honey. Dongwoo and I have this,” Mrs. Kim took his father away from his hold and attempted to shoo him away, “Go on.”

Sunggyu sighed heavily and went back to the kitchen, standing at the threshold and looking on at the male hunched over the table, his head resting against his forearm.

He stepped forward and leaned against the back of a chair, studying the other’s resting figure, “Just look at you,” he semi-whispered.

The male on the table started and looked up at hearing the voice. Sunggyu straightened up at that. They stared at each other for a moment before he decided it was best for him to step out into the hallway to avoid talking to the drunk male but, as he was about to move, Woohyun started speaking.

“Hi,” Woohyun smiled at him, he was swaying a bit unsteadily.

“Hey...”

“Oh, I thought you’re gunna i’nore me,” he chuckled sadly, “you did all day. Thought maybe there was no use comin’ back here.”

“I never thought you would. You left in such a hurry last time,” he didn’t mean to throw this at him while he was drunk, but he couldn’t help it. He was still hurt.

The older Nam brother turned his gaze to the wood table, “Last time...Sunggyu... You dunno what I went through after I left. As if I wasn’t ’n confused enough already. All this time I thought I knew myself. I thought I knew ‘xactly the kind of girl I’d fall for. She’d be smart, she’d have pretty white skin an’ long hair an’ pretty lips. Big s wasn’t a requirement but it’d be nice if she had ‘em… an’ a nice . An’ she’d look to me for comfort, she’d rely only on me an’ have eyes only for me. But you!” Woohyun turned to look at him, he sounded angry but he looked about ready to cry, “I hate you! For making me doubt ev’rything I’d ever known! I hate you for breakin’ my heart before I even knew that’s what you did!”

Sunggyu was speechless, he didn’t know what to say or do so he just listened to the other in his broken and slightly slurred drunken rant.

“You don’t know how ev’rything jus’ came down on me when I saw you kissin’ him. I blamed it on you, for hidin’ it but… my heart was broken for the very first time, it jus’ shattered right there and it was jus’ so much easier to hide it all behind anger, behind judgement…”

The silence that occupied the room was slightly unsettling but then Woohyun continued, “You took my world from under me. You shook it up so much that even I didn’ reco’nize where I was in all of it.”

Sunggyu’s gaze softened as he realized what Woohyun was saying. He went through a similar situation, but his feet were firmly planted on the ground and every step he took changed the world around him. He had time to realize and come to terms with his feelings, with the world changing right in front of him but he wasn’t disoriented. No, he was taking cautioned steps and knew exactly where he was heading. He came to terms with his uality, with himself, in moderation (even if his sister did force him to come out before he managed to accept the changes). Sunggyu could only imagine how much Woohyun suffered. He stood in silence, watching silent tears fall from the younger male’s eyes.

Woohyun was strangely serene when he spoke next. He articulated his words more carefully, “I needed time to gather ev’rything… I needed to rebuild ev’rything that was torn down.”

Another moment of silence and Woohyun turned his attention to the brunet that completely changed everything in him. His gaze was intense, focused and it made goosebumps rise on Sunggyu’s skin.

“Gyu, Sunggyu, I know you have a boyfriend,” he spoke quickly and his words slurred together but Sunggyu could still understand him, “an’ I know you probably won’t return my feelings…but I… I lov—”

“No,” Sunggyu quickly cut him off as he stood from his seat, the chair screeching loudly against the hardwood floor, “Don’t say it.”

Woohyun looked up at him, surprise and hurt evident on his features. He was so shocked by the sudden reaction that he couldn’t say anything when Sunggyu turned and practically fled from the kitchen.

“No, Woohyun! Woohyun!” the brunet heard the clatter of Woohyun getting up from the table. The screech of the chair and the bump of the table and the tipped over bottles and cans sounded loudly throughout the house as he climbed up the stairs.

“No, Woohyun wait!” Hoya came out of hiding to keep the drunken man from chasing after Sunggyu.

“I need to tell him!”

Dongwoo, Yeunja and Myungsoo appeared soon after in an attempt to try and calm the man down. Sunggyu heard a lot of commotion before he barricaded himself in his room for the hundredth time.

The next morning everyone is stirring awake. Dongwoo and Hoya took out some yo that Mrs. Kim stored in the closet for the boys to stay the night. She didn’t feel comfortable with letting them go home, especially after drinking even if Hoya looked sober enough. Woohyun was the only one complaining about a headache and thirst.

“I can’t believe you guys let me do that. Who thought it was a good idea to let me drink?!” Woohyun complained, taking the pills that were offered to him by Myungsoo.

Sunggyu stood very still in the hallway, leaning against the wall that separated them as he listened. The younger Nam brother went to look for him to ask for some pills for Woohyun.

“You were gonna deny a drink from Mr. Kim? Really?” Hoya asked.

Woohyun threw a glare at the older male before taking the pills dry, only noticing the glass of water being handed to him after he swallowed. He took a swig anyway, hoping to get rid of the bad taste in his mouth. He looked around when he noticed he was the only one complaining about a hangover.

“Why do I feel like and all of you look okay?” he asked.

“I didn’t drink that much,” Myungsoo supplied.

“Me neither,” Dongwoo agreed.

“Same,” Hoya and Yeunja said soon after.

“I think we all took it easy, you were the one that kept asking for more. Dongjun and Yeunja’s dad were drinking the really hard stuff, too,” Hoya explained.

“Do you even remember what you did last night?” Dongwoo asked.

Woohyun didn’t answer, his eyes trained on the floor as if he was thinking about it.

“Do you? You were all over Sunggyu trying to kiss him!” Hoya said, trying to get some kind of reaction. It wasn’t surprising at all that it worked.

“No I wasn’t!” it startled the occupants of the room to see him react in such a way, “I didn’t touch him! I may have been stupidly drunk, but I remember everything that happened…” he dropped his head into his hands, “I remember it.”

Everyone in the room remained silent. Sunggyu bit his lip as he listened to the stillness.

“What are you gonna do now? It’s not like Sunggyu can pretend it never happened. You were the drunk one, not him,” Hoya asked.

“Is there really anything I can do? He’s got…” he made a hand gesture, refusing to say the guy’s name out of sheer frustration, “him. There’s no room for me.”

“Actually,” Myungsoo spoke without really thinking. His eyes met his older brother’s, “Gyu broke up with Junho.”

An inexplicable feeling took over Sunggyu as he heard the younger Nam brother break the news he kept quiet.

“What?” the uninformed asked in a surprisingly uniform way.

“When?” Yeunja asked.

“Christmas Eve?”

“What?!”

“How do you know?” Yeunja asked again.

“I kind of saw it happen.”

“Wait, what…?”

Dongwoo decided to explain how things played out between Junho and Sunggyu before more confusion arose. It didn’t take long before everyone was informed about what happened in the last two days. He didn’t explain the reasons but merely stated that there were some serious problems between them for quite a while and that Sunggyu finally reached his limit. The brunet was grateful for that. He was the only one that knew exactly what he went through and therefore the only one that needed to know.

“Why am I always the last one to find out?” Hoya complained when everything was said and done.

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Dongwoo quickly defended, “You know how Sunggyu is. He didn’t want anyone worrying over him.”

“I wish he’d realize we’re not here for decoration,” Hoya stated seriously, “Can we really call each other friends if he doesn’t tell us anything?”

Sunggyu sighed. The last time he didn’t tell Hoya something that important it changed everyone’s lives. He didn’t think anything so severe would happen now but he did feel guilty. Hoya was right. He needed to change that. His heart nearly fell from his chest in fright when he heard a sudden commotion from the living room.

“Whoa, whoa! Where are you going?” Hoya asked.

“I have to talk to him,” it was Woohyun.

“You’re gonna go talk to Gyu smelling like liquor?” Yeunja asked, communicating the ridiculousness of it, “I mean, I’m sitting across the room and I can smell you.”

“Confessing while smelling like a drunk... probably not very romantic, but definitely memorable!” Hoya encouraged. Yeunja covered Hoya’s face with a pillow and refused to let him talk.

“Wait, don’t kill him. He has to drive me to his house,” Woohyun said quickly as he stood.

Myungsoo and Hoya followed suit, noting the urgency in the older Nam brother.

Dongwoo and the Kim sisters were left sitting in the living room, wondering what Woohyun’s next move would be. Sunggyu took cover in the kitchen as the three boys made it to the foyer and gathered their things and left quickly. He hasn’t felt the anxious nervousness in his chest in such a long time but the smile that took residence on his lips almost overtook that.

Since Christmas was over and done with, Sunggyu decided it was time to let the family know that he ended his relationship with Junho. They were all very shocked, to say the least, and most of his sisters let it be known.

“I thought the reason that you didn’t come back home was because you were spending time with him?” Aecha asked.

“Well, sometimes...,” Sunggyu left off before mumbling, “most times he stood me up.”

“What?” Mrs. Kim asked.

“Most times, he was too busy,” he amended. He didn’t want to paint Junho as the bad guy, “I think this way he can chase his career and not worry about me.”

“Oh honey,” his mom said as she stood to give him a long hug.

He didn’t want to cry but being comforted by his mom made it very hard to keep the tears at bay but he tried his best. A few escaped but he quickly wiped them away.

“It’ll be okay, son. Your life is only starting. You’ll find someone else,” his dad offered his comfort that way as he patted his son’s shoulder.

“Thanks Dad.”

“Oh he’ll find someone else alright. Very soon~” Yeunja sing songed.

Sunggyu nearly glared at her until his other sister spoke up. Of course everyone else, aside from his parents, knew the situation with Woohyun since years ago.

“Speaking of, did they say when they were coming back?” Haneul asked.

Even though it was only 5pm, the sun was already setting and they didn’t hear a single word from the three guys that left in a hurry earlier in the day. It was a bit strange but everyone was expecting them back for dinner. When the time rolled around and there was still no sign of them, they got a bit worried.

Woo
are you coming to dinner?

It was a few minutes before Hoya answered.

Hoya
something came up. we’ll see you tomorrow

Woo
are you okay?

Hoya
yeah. don’t worry

There was no answer after that and Dongwoo let Sunggyu know.

“I wonder if something happened?” Sunggyu asked, his worry not at all masked.

“I don’t know, but it’s kinda strange. Woohyun seemed really resolute with what he wanted to do. I thought he’d come running back as soon as possible,” Dongwoo commented, mostly to himself as he tapped his chin.

Sunggyu was admittedly a bit disappointed, but he figured it was probably better this way. He was going to try to wrap his head around everything that happened in the last couple of days. But out of all the scenarios that occupied his mind, not one prepared him for the surprise he got later that night.

Everyone in the house was asleep when it happened. He was still worrying but was feeling his mind calming down a bit. Dongwoo fell asleep not too long ago so he was left with his thoughts. He didn’t know what happened with the other guys but they just didn’t answer any text sent by them, not even Myungsoo. It wasn’t long before he decided to try and forget it for the moment and try to get some sleep. It wasn’t until he was on the cusp of falling asleep that he heard a soft knock. His eyes shot open and he sat up instinctively. He didn’t move for a few moments until he heard it again and realized that it was coming from his balcony door. He got up, alarmed.

He thought back at the first time something like this happened and he couldn’t help the hopeful feeling that came over him. Maybe it was Woohyun again. He pushed the blinds aside and was shocked at the person he saw. It wasn’t Woohyun.

It was Junho.

“What are you doing here? How did you get up here?” Sunggyu whispered, without opening the door, rather shocked that someone else found their way to his balcony.

“Please, I just want to talk to you. Can I?”

Sunggyu glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping Dongwoo and sighed. He opened the door and allowed the male into the warm room, closing the door behind him to keep the frigid air from invading his room.

“Oh God, it’s so cold. I-Is that Dongwoo?” Junho whispered, mindful of the hour.

“Yeah. How did you get up here?”

“There was a ladder nearby so I just moved it.”

Sunggyu sighed, thanks again, Dad. The balcony blinds were slightly open and the light of the artificial lights that came through illuminated his room a bit. He gasped when he saw Junho’s busted lip and dark bruise on his left cheek.

“Oh my God, what happened to you?” Sunggyu asked, his hand tilting the other’s chin to get a better look.

“Nevermind that,” the other male removed his hand and held it in his, “I just... I’m sorry for yesterday. I know you would never... I didn’t mean any of it. I’m sorry.”

The brunet looked at him and sighed, “I know you didn’t. But it still hurt.”

Junho cast his gaze downwards in shame before he spoke again, “I’m sorry. I guess I’ve really done nothing but hurt you recently.”

Sunggyu didn’t deny it, nor did he agree. After getting no response Junho sighed, “You really are serious, aren’t you?”

“It’ll be just like these last few months,” he slipped his hand away from the grip, “only this time I won’t be texting you any longer,” the brunet clarified, his face as serious as his words.

The younger male couldn’t help the tears that started to fall from his eyes, “I love you.”

“Junho--” Sunggyu whispered, the tears were starting to form on his eyes as well.

“And if it doesn’t work out with him, I’ll be waiting. I’ll wait for you.”

Sunggyu shook his head, “No. Don’t. Please don’t. You deserve to be happy. I won’t hold you back from that.”

“But you, you are my happ--”

The raised hand stopped him mid sentence, “What you’ve chosen is your happiness. You’ve showed that to me. Now come on, I’ll walk you out.”

“Are you okay?” Dongwoo asked, staring at his best friend as he sat on the sofa in the living room.

His head was thrown back and his eyes were unfocused. He was staring up at the ceiling but he wasn’t seeing anything. He was sitting like that for a while, a bit lifeless. He answered with a hum. Just before Junho left the night before, he could see the bruise on his cheek slowly getting worse. He wondered if he physically fought with Jinki but the wound on his lip looked way too fresh and even if he asked, the other would only shake his head and refuse to answer. When they finally said their goodbyes Junho surprised him with a hug. Sunggyu returned it. Despite it all, he did end up falling for Junho and he experienced many wonderful things with him as well. He wished him luck and told him that he’d be keeping an eye out for news about him.

“Yeah... I just can’t believe...”

“That Junho showed up last night? I can’t believe I slept through it!” Dongwoo pouted but then smiled as he sat next to the male, shoulder to shoulder,”But I bet you were wishing it was Woohyun. Like that time he took you to the beach?”

He tried to subdue the smile that took over his lips but it was to no avail, “Be quiet, you.”

His best friend chuckled. They heard a knock at the door and the whole house grew alert. Sunggyu sat up, as did Dongwoo. Yeunja ran to the door as Haneul peeked in from the kitchen where she was helping her mom. They heard the girl greet the newcomers warmly before a sudden shift in her tone alarmed everyone.

“Oh my God! Woohyun what happened to you??”

Sunggyu and Dongwoo glanced at each other before getting up and heading to the foyer where the rest of his sisters gathered.

“Uh, something happened. Um, can I talk to Sunggyu?” Woohyun spoke and froze when he saw the male peek in from the living room.

Sunggyu was shocked. Woohyun also sported a busted lip. He didn’t even think when he spoke next.

“Did you and Junho...? Did you two fight?”

“What?” the room filled with the same question.

The three guys were stunned at Sunggyu’s deduction and after a few seconds Woohyun decided to speak, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Yeah...,” Sunggyu answered.

“Wait! What exactly happened to you?”

“I’ll tell you, just let them talk for a bit,” Hoya quickly said, leading everyone into the kitchen and leaving the two to talk in the living room.

Woohyun waited until he saw they were alone before turning to Sunggyu, “How did you know?”

“Junho came by last night. He had the same bruises as you. What happened?”

“He came...?” Woohyun thought for a second, “He didn’t say anything to you?”

“No, he didn’t want to tell me...”

“Is this really gonna happen? Can I really do this?” Woohyun asked as stood at the foyer of Hoya’s house.

They arrived hours earlier and after taking a shower and finally getting rid of his terrible headache, they were about to head back to the Kim’s house. He kept growing anxious the longer he had more time to think about it. He didn’t know if Sunggyu was going to accept him. He didn’t know if he’d accept his feelings. He felt like he was rejected the night before but after countless reassurances from not only his brother, but Hoya as well, he felt like he stood a chance.

“Seriously, man? Let’s get you over there. I think this has been dragged out long enough,” Hoya said, as he pushed the other towards the door.

The older Nam brother couldn’t help but chuckle as he stepped outside, right behind Myungsoo.

“Why are you just standing here?” Woohyun asked, side stepping his brother and then stopping when he realized why the other didn’t move.

Junho was standing by the stairs, as if he was just making his way to the house to knock on the door. His gaze was anything but friendly as he caught sight of both brothers. Hoya saw him and decided to lessen the tension a bit.

“Hey! Sunggyu said you were in Seoul. What are you doing here?”

“I was. But I had to come down,” he tilted his chin towards Myungsoo, “This guy saw me yesterday. He didn’t tell you?”

The younger brother was staring down at him, his gaze hard and his brows slightly gathered. He was wondering how he found out where they were staying.

“He may have mentioned it. What can I do for you?” Hoya asked as he stepped down from the porch, the other two following suit.

“No, I just wanted to talk to Woohyun. I need to clear up some things with him, that’s all.”

“Sunggyu told you they hadn’t spoken a word in years. You really don’t believe him?” Myungsoo asked, his brows knitting closer together.

“No you told me that. I don’t believe you. That’s a very different matter,” Junho said as he approached him.

“I haven’t talked to him,” Woohyun said, stepping in front of his brother, “This is the first time I’ve seen him since we left. Whatever was happening between you two was already your fault.”

“My fault? We were perfectly fine until he came back here! Are you still angry that he chose me over you?”

Woohyun’s fists clenched. That actually stung more than he wanted to admit but he let an easy smile fall on his lips, “Maybe what he felt for you was so weak that all he needed to do was see me again to realize it.”

That sparked a flame of jealousy and anger from Junho. Woohyun didn’t react fast enough to dodge the punch to the jaw. He didn’t think about anything else as his own fist flew right back, hitting the man on the cheek. They managed to trade a few more blows before Myungsoo and Hoya forcefully pulled them apart. Junho was struggling fiercely against Hoya’s grip and they both fell onto the snow covered lawn. Woohyun merely stepped back, wiping at his mouth as he felt warm blood trickle down.

Even so he spoke, “Sunggyu is not that type of person and I would never dream to slander his name like that. Maybe you should realize that the person at fault here is not me or Sunggyu, but you.”

“Myungsoo take him inside,” Hoya quickly ordered as he stood.

Junho, who was about to stand, remained still as he took in those words.

“You should go back home,” Hoya said to the male as he turned around and headed back inside as well.

“How did he find out where you were?”

Woohyun shrugged until Sunggyu realized it and sighed, damn it, Jinki. He mentioned it to him right after that encounter he experienced with Junho. He didn’t think he would actually tell the other, especially after witnessing his reaction.

“I’m so sorry, Woohyun. I didn’t mean for you to get involved,” the brunet apologized, hesitating in touching the other’s bruises.

He chuckled, surprising the older male, “I don’t know. Maybe in some ways I deserved it.”

“Maybe, but even so, I’d never want to see you hurt,” Sunggyu said softly.

Woohyun smiled but flinched a bit at the pain, “Then that means you do still care.”

Sunggyu’s face flushed slightly but he didn’t answer. He watched Woohyun’s face slowly lose it’s nice smile.

“I’m so sorr--”

“I think I’ve heard that enough in the last few days to last me a while. What are you going to do to make up for it?” he asked, hoping to look as confident as those words.

It was Woohyun’s turn to flush. He swallowed nervously, “I was hoping maybe I could take you, uh, out to dinner?”

There was a sudden squeal that came from the kitchen and it made both of them turn towards the sound before turning to look at each other and smiling embarrassingly. Sunggyu would bet it was Yeunja.

“Sure,” Sunggyu said casually.

“Then, tomorrow?”

“Okay.”

“These guys are ridiculous! What was with that lukewarm response?? And he asked him out to dinner?? Why didn’t he ask him to be his boyfriend instead? How much longer are these guys gonna drag this out?” Yeunja nearly screamed. She was utterly confused as to why things were still moving at a snail’s pace.

“My brother has to take it slow. It took a lot of convincing on my part to tell him to not rush it. Sunggyu did just get out of a long term relationship,” Myungsoo explained as they sat around the table.

“Myungsoo,” Haneul dragged out his name.

The younger Nam brother was surprised to get all the exasperated looks his way, “Was that not right?”

“Despite what you say, I’ll give him until New Year’s Eve,” Haneul decided to add, “If they’ve really liked each other for so long, I know one of them is bound to break.”

“My money's on Woohyun.”

“Same.”

“Sunggyu!”

Sunggyu was incredibly nervous and excited and he still couldn’t believe it was actually happening. He thought he might start hyperventilating any minute. It took Dongwoo to calm him down enough to sit still so Haneul could fix him up a bit.

“I don’t think this is necessary?”

“Oh, it’s necessary. We need to present you at your best. Woohyun won’t know what hit him,” Haneul stated as she added a touch of brown eye shadow to the outer corner of his eyes.

Yeunja laughed, “No but he’ll have the bruise to prove it.”

“That’s wrong!” Sunggyu scolded.

The rest of them laughed at his reaction, “I’m glad it was only swollen. He’s got big lips to begin with but it looks like it’s almost back to normal.”

“Junho probably got the worst end of it. He had a busted lip and a bruised cheek,” Sunggyu sighed, “and a wounded ego to go along with that.”

“He should have known the consequences before starting that fist fight. It’s just lucky there were people there to stop it,” Dongwoo said.

They heard someone running up the stairs and into Sunggyu’s room, “They’re here!!”

Sure enough the doorbell rang and Sunggyu felt his heartbeat speed up again.

“Haneul! Hurry!” Yeunja urged as she stood and headed towards the door. She was probably just as anxious as Sunggyu and probably as happy as he was.

“Right, right,” she answered as she stepped back to examine her work. She took a comb and fixed up the strands of hair that were disturbed by her make up application before she quickly pulled him up from the chair and hurried him out of his room, “You’re gonna need to send Woohyun up here so I can cover up that bruise too!”

He was wearing some nice black skinnies with a white top and a denim bomber jacket over it. After input from all of his sisters and Dongwoo, they all agreed on the outfit. Sunggyu sighed for the last time before brushing past his sisters and heading down the stairs. The girls gathered at the top of the staircase as they watched Sunggyu approach the male standing at the foyer with his brother. Myungsoo placed a reassuring hand on the his older brother’s shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze and wishing him good luck in that manner before offering Sunggyu a smile.

Woohyun was dressed handsomely. A burgundy slim fit cashmere sweater donned his torso, accompanied by black jeans and a long colored single ed coat brought the outfit together. The bruise that covered part of his cheek taking little away from his handsome face. Sunggyu quickly took the male by the arm and dragged him upstairs.

“Haneul says she wants a minute with you,” he explained before pushing him upstairs for his sisters to into his room.

They enjoyed their dinner but found it quite hard to talk openly due to the nature of the restaurant. It wasn’t very private even though the restaurant itself wasn’t bustling with people.They did manage to catch up, talking about what they were up to and how they were doing, if their hobbies or obsessions changed. Woohyun was definitely still very much into his bike and he picked up quite a bit at a shop where he befriended the owner’s son. They were about the same age and Woohyun started thinking about going into that line of work and maybe one day opening his own shop. It was a long shot, as he said, but he thought it was definitely something he’d enjoy doing. He’d just have to convince his parents.

When they were done and the bill was paid they were making their way back to the car. Dinner felt way too short and Sunggyu didn’t want to go home yet. Luckily he knew a nice cafe near by that they could use to shelter themselves from the cold. Since it was a holiday week most of the shops were empty so he figured they wouldn’t have to share the place with many people. Woohyun was confused when he realized he was being led in a different direction than when he came but Sunggyu only laughed it off.

They arrived at a cozy cafe shop on the second floor of a building that overlooked the Hanok Village. The furnishings were very relaxed, the individual set ups almost resembled small living rooms brought together into one place. He was right about the place being empty. A couple were sitting at one of the large windows overlooking the traditional village so Sunggyu led him to another one as soon as they finished asking for drinks. They sat across from each other.

Sunggyu gazed at the male across from him. Woohyun was busy looking over the snow covered roofs of the traditional houses that filled their vision down below.

“Make-up really does cover everything,” he said suddenly.

Woohyun turned his attention to the older male and sighed, reaching for his bruised cheek, “You’re feeling Park Gyuri’s pain right now.”

“I wasn’t the one who gave her that bruise,” the male defended.

“No, but if you hadn’t taught Yeunja, she wouldn’t have had to receive it in the first place.”

“I guess I did have this coming to me. Never thought it would take these many years.”

A silence fell on them as the lady at the counter delivered their drinks. They thanked her and watched her go before Sunggyu spoke again.

“So, what made you come back here?”

“You know the answer to that.”

“Do I?”

The older Nam brother sighed, “No matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t forget.”

The brunet tilted his head, slightly confused.

“I couldn’t forget you, or your sisters, or your family. I don’t think I ever felt more at home then when I was here, spending time with all of you. Myungsoo too. We just never grew so attached like we did with you guys. I’m not sure how to describe it, but before I realized what was going on with me, I was only looking at you. I wanted to have your attention, I wanted to be the person you relied on. I wanted to be the reason why you smiled. I never wanted to be more important to anyone."

“And when Junho came along, I could feel him becoming what I wanted to be. You were always with him, smiling at him. He had your attention and I thought I had to try harder as your friend. The night when we went to the beach I thought that maybe I was being really childish, really insecure. But I didn’t want to lose to him as a friend. I didn’t know he wasn’t after your friendship."

“That night when I saw you two...”

“Wasn’t it Myungsoo?” Sunggyu asked.

The dark haired male shook his head, “It was me. I saw it,” he chuckled, a bit embarrassed, “I was really surprised. Probably a lot more when I realized how angry I felt when I saw it.”

“Why were you angry?”

Woohyun averted his eyes to the window, “Because it wasn’t me... But the reason why I decided to come back was to apologize for acting the way that I did. That was my intention. I never thought all of this would happen.”

Sunggyu hummed, taking a sip of his hot chocolate before speaking, “I don’t think any one of us did... But I’m glad you came.”

“I’m really glad I did too.”

It was past midnight and Sunggyu was waiting anxiously. Woohyun texted him that he’d be right there. Dongwoo was staying downstairs with his sisters at the insistence of Yeunja. His best friend didn’t really need much convincing. He figured Sunggyu wanted to be alone so he could text Woohyun to his heart’s content. He’d happily give him his space. He finally received a text, a glowing I’m here shone up at him from the screen. He quickly but quietly got up from his bed and slid his balcony door open, making sure to slip on his house shoes to step out into the cold. He saw the male standing below his balcony.

“It’s by the shed. Go get it,” the brunet semi-whispered to the other. The male heard him loud and clear and went to get the ladder, “Oh my God I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he murmured to himself. He couldn’t even feel the cold that tinted his cheeks and nose a rosy pink. It wasn’t long before the male was climbing over his balcony and Sunggyu was pulling him into his room by the hand. He only let go to quietly slide the door shut behind the male.

He turned around to face the other and was pleasantly surprised to have his personal space invaded by the handsome male. Woohyun took hold of his left hand and sought to fit his fingers between his. His left hand took hold of Sunggyu’s waist and the deep airy voice that escaped him made goosebumps erupt all over the brunet’s skin.

“I missed you.”

Sunggyu smiled, “I missed you, too.”

Woohyun pulled him closer, pressing their bodies together. Sunggyu felt heat spreading throughout his whole body. The dark haired male was being quite bold, it was making him feel shy.

“I can’t help but start having these thoughts about how much I want to hold you like this,” the brunet felt him squeeze his waist, “how bad I want to kiss you.”

The older male led the hand that was entwined with his around the other side of his waist, “You’re already holding me.”

Sunggyu searched the other’s eyes and nearly melted in his hold when he felt the plump lips finally meet his. He didn’t think it was possible to be filled with such an emotion. It felt like his whole being was finally completed, like Woohyun held a part of him that he didn’t know was missing. He closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around the other’s neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss, at least that was the plan until Woohyun flinched away and a hand went to soothe his still bruised lip.

“I’m sorry!” the brunet said worriedly.

The younger male only smiled and took his chin in between his thumb and forefinger and proceeded to place another kiss on his lips, then another and another. Sunggyu giggled but played along anyway before Woohyun finally stopped.

“Then, does this mean you’ll be my boyfriend?”

“Up until a week ago, I never thought I’d ever hear those words from you,” the brunet placed another kiss on his lips, “Of course I will.”

“Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!” the whole house shook with the shouts of the people inside.

They hardly had any time to celebrate the coming of the new year when Jinho suddenly yelled, “Ah! They kissed!”

“What?” Haneul asked, surprised.

Sunggyu and Woohyun looked at the questioning faces of everyone before the younger smiled, “Oh, you mean this?” he placed another one on the warm lips.

Sunggyu twined their fingers together and showed their hands to them, “Happy New Year!”

The second cheer that erupted in the house was well overdue.

“So when did you actually start liking me?”

“Hmm... Maybe... Around the time I saw your sister putting make up on you?”

“Ah, makes sense. That’s when you started calling me pretty.”

“Haha. What about you?”

“Me? Um... Maybe that time you were changing the oil on your bike?”

“...Really? From that time? How the hell didn’t I notice?”

“I had to kiss another guy in order for you to realize you even liked me, remember?”

“... … Now I think you’re gonna have to kiss me right now to make sure you still like me.”

“Nam Woohyun, you’re an idiot.”

“You can call me what you like, but that kiss isn’t gonna be enough.”

“That’s all you’re getting. Now move, I want to go see my baby niece.”

“You think Aecha will let us adopt her?”

“How about you settle with borrowing her every once in a while.”

“Fine fine.”

that's it! this time it's really over. a happy ending for the poor fools who had to wait for it. i wanted to make a post detailing my thoughts on the fic and maybe giving more details on what happened or what could have happened and/or what other routes i could have taken with this fic but idk, i think it's enough to end it here unless some of you want to know. hahaha thank you so much for reading this long fic. i appreciate it so much! thanks to everyone that helped me in motivation/ideas/pestering me to write. it all helped a lot. thank you all so much and look forward to whatever else i have in store for you!