Expired Milk
Shut Up and Love Me!Hello everyone! I am very thankful for every subscriber and reader I have for this. This is by far, the HARDEST chapter I had to write for this ff so far. It was a chapter where a lot of things were up in the air and there were several paths I could take with it. I believe I chose the best path for this chapter. I hope that you agree with me. :)
Setting: Thursday, Yongsan-Gu
It was an ominous afternoon, the clouds alluding to an incoming storm within the next hour. Majority of the streets were empty with people preparing for the storm by hiding. But even in cold weather, it didn't stop people from buying ice cream. Sungyeol and Dasom stood in front of a stand, waiting patiently for the cashier to get two generous scoops of ice cream. A loud thundering sound was heard from the distance, startling the two in line. L stood on the side with crossed arms, shaking his head at their craving. "Do you guys even know what the weather is right now?"
The cashier finished preparing two cones: a mint chocolate chip cone for Sungyeol and a strawberry chocolate-dipped cone for Dasom. Both of their eyes widened as the cashier passed on the cones. Dasom extended her hands and continuously opened and closed them, motioning for the cashier to give her the cone faster. Sungyeol grinned with pleasure, almost taking the cone when he felt a vibration in his back pocket. He hesitated at first, but then took the cone with one hand and hurried to take out his phone with the other. He carefully slid the screen to unlock it and took a of his ice cream before reading a text from Hoya:
"Sleep over?"
Sungyeol took another of his ice cream, carefully pressing the keyboard for his simple answer: "No." Sungyeol pressed the send button and didn't care to elaborate on why. He felt a little bad for sending Hoya such a cryptic answer, but the only thing he was concentrated on was hanging out with L and his sister. He shoved his phone in his pocket and gently brushed on Dasom's shoulder to leave the stand. The two of them walked side-by-side towards a very judgemental L.
"No telling mom or dad that I bought you ice cream," L demanded, shaking his finger in front of his sister.
Dasom stuck her tongue out.
"Ice cream is best when the weather is freezing! Your parents will understand" Sungyeol encouraged, waving his cone in front of L. Dasom and him both laughed.
"Choding!" L declared, rolling his eyes. He grabbed onto his sister's hand and lightly dragged her to walk to their next destination. Sungyeol followed suit, closing his eyes to and enjoy his ice cream. He had not eaten ice cream since the summer, so each new stimulated his taste buds. The mint chocolate chip was the perfect thing for him on a stormy day.
The 3 of them walked down the empty street, almost every business completely closed or close to clearing out to avoid the rain. As they passed by different restaurants, workers walked outside to lock their doors and change their Open and Close sins. L was a little disappointed by the lack of stores open, worried that not only his sister was bored but Sungyeol was too. He looked behind his shoulder and saw Sungyeol right behind him, not even looking at the stores because he was eating his ice cream. Suddenly, L stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Dasom stopped next to him and Sungyeol walked into L's shoulder before realizing he had stopped. They looked ahead in the distance, and approaching was a guitar-specialty store with their Open sign lit up in blue and red neon. Sungyeol and L looked at each other then back at the store, both of them nodding at each other that they should attack. The two of them ran towards the store, L dragging Dasom in the process.
"Hurry up Dasom!" L struggled to pull on his sister's arm as she slowed down to try and hold her ice cream cone.
Sungyeol made a heroic dash forward to try to make it into the store, determined to make it before it closed. But as he was only feet away from the door the Open neon sign flashed off. He turned his feet to stop his momentum and slid on the slippery sidewalk, almost losing his balance until he used his hands to hold the window for control. L and Dasom finally caught up and Sungyeol took a deep breath. He used his fists to knock on the window. "I just got here!" Sungyeol complained, pressing his head against the window and making an ugly face for the people inside. "Open it!" Sungyeol mumbled.
L sighed, looking at the Open sign then back at Sungyeol. "We just missed it," he said discouragedly. He stepped forward to place his hand in the middle of Sungyeol's back, gently rubbing it to make him feel better.
"I want that bass," Sungyeol said suddenly, tapping on the window at the guitar in front of him. "It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." His mouth was completely pressed on the window, his vapor fogging up the glass.
Set on the pedestal was a smoothly polished bass of another level Sungyeol had never seen. The head and neck of the bass was a solid pearl, able to shine even on a cloudy day. The body's color changed depending on the lighting. Under the window light, the body glimmered a teal color with subtle hints of purple in the outline. At a different angle, the body turned into a darker blue color with a black outline. Each string was black to contrast the pearly white neck.
L looked beyond Sungyeol's shoulder to check out the bass. That is really nice. He nodded his head and the side of his eye caught a glimpse of Dasom, who was her ice cream quietly. She might be bored. "Alright, let's go." L grabbed onto his sister's hand again and grabbed onto the back of Sungyeol's collared shirt, pulling him away from the window. Sungyeol tried to escape his hold and run back to the window, but L's strong grip was able to pull him off the window and continue to walk.
"And now it's gone," Sungyeol frowned, turning around and shrugging off L's hand to walk normally. He looked down at his ice cream cone and continued to it.
Another thundering sound echoed the city. L held onto his sister's hand on his right side with Sungyeol next to L on his left. Everything was closed, and L was looking for a place to hang out. He didn't want Sungyeol or Dasom to get disappointed. That was when he noticed a familiar park ahead of him that he takes his sister to often. Many moms and their children walked passed L in the opposite direction, bringing their children away from the outside to prepare for the heavy downpour. He wondered if they should head back to their apartment or enjoy the day. In a spontaneous decision L marched forward, leading the two of them to the empty playground at the park. The 3 of them were unphased by everything and continued to stay outside.
"Hoya is having a party on Saturday, and our band will be performing a quick set," Sungyeol started. "After the set, it's just going to be music, alcohol, and fun. If you can figure out a way for Eye Candy to come visit his apartment..."
"I'll definitely be there somehow," L promised.
"Sungyeol, can you be my boyfriend?" Dasom asked, skipping right next to L.
L and Sungyeol looked at each other and blushed in embarrassment by the preschooler's comment. Sungyeol hit his forehead with his hand and L squinted his eyes, glaring at Dasom. Both of them thought the exact same thing.
"He's taken," L declared bashfully, feeling slightly jealous of his own little sister.
"Sorry Dasom," Sungyeol smiled.
"Aw," Dasom groaned, kicking a rock that was in front of her as she walked.
"Unfortunately, you're not my type of girl," Sungyeol joked, implying that she was too young for him.
"So what type of girl are you into?" L grinned.
Sungyeol took a of his mint chocolate chip and closed his eyes. "You're not ready for that story!"
"Oh come on," L groaned and punched Sungyeol in the shoulder. "Tell me."
Dasom smiled brightly, and tugged on L's hand. "Can I go on the slide Oppa?" She swayed her body to look cute.
L looked ahead at the playground and saw the empty metal slide. He smiled. "Go ahead." Dasom screamed and leaped in the air, running towards the playground with an ice cream cone in her hand. "Be careful with your strawberry ice cream!" he yelled out, shaking his head at his sister.
Sungyeol smiled, taking another of his own ice cream cone. He extended his arm out and held the cone in front of L's mouth. "You know you want some of this," he teased.
Although he wasn't in a real mood for ice cream, L figured that he might as well take a bite so that Sungyeol would stop bothering him about it. L his lips and opened his mouth, engulfing the top of Sungyeol's ice scream scoop into his mouth before he took a huge bite. He pulled his head back, closing his mouth and trying to handle the brain freeze that ensued. Finally L swallowed the bite, letting out an exhale at the end of it.
Sungyeol looked at his ice cream come in shock from the huge bite that L took. Half of his ice cream was gone. "What the..."
"Mianhae," L apologized with a smirk.
"I hate you," Sungyeol declared. Sungyeol pointed in the distance at a white bench on the sidewalk, close enough to the playground to keep a careful eye on Dasom but far enough to talk in priate. The two visuals looked around to see if anyone else was hanging out in the park. With no one around them, L and Sungyeol rushed to take a seat at the bench. Both of them sat close to each other with their shoulders touching. "So about your question earlier," Sungyeol brought up.
L quickly turned towards Sungyeol at what he had to say.
"Um, would you believe me if I said that I'm considered a player at Woollim?"
L raised his eyebrow and looked at Sungyeol in the eye. "Mwo?"
"Yeah. I've never had a relationship, but I've been with maybe 8 of our classmates before you. 6 of them were girls, 2 of them were guys. If you know what I mean," Sungyeol suggested, hitting his shoulder into L. He felt a little ashamed in admitting his school activity and took a of his ice cream.
From the shocking confession about Sungyeol's life, L's jaw dropped. He didn't know what to say, clasping his hands together tight. He had feelings of shock and a little disappointment, but more than anything L was extremely amused. He bit his tongue to try and stop himself from laughing.
"Our whole band is a little like that, but it's mostly me," Sungyeol admitted.
L nodded his head, feeling secondhand embarrassment from the confession. Another mystery uncovered. "Wow, I can't read you if my life depended on it." He waved his hands in the air for his announcement. "Lee Sungyeol, visual of Mandarin Canyons, taking over Woollim one..."
"Shut up!" Sungyeol exclaimed, lurching towards L to pin him down on the bench. He pushed L down on the bench and climbed on top of his knee, tickling L's hips.
"Get off!" L laughed, knocking away the hand with Sungyeol's ice cream away from his hips. Sungyeol let go of the cone and tried to catch it in the air but with no such luck the cone dropped on the ground ice cream first, making an even smash on the concrete floor. The two lovebirds looked down and saw the mint chocolate chip casualty defeated from the tickle attack. Sungyeol frowned, his mouth completely open in the disappointment of losing his ice cream. "Get off of me or else that ice cream won't be the only thing on the ground," L playfully threatened, pushing Sungyeol off his knee.
Sungyeol used his hands to balance on the bench and get off his date. He crossed his arms, silently protesting L's attack on his ice cream cone. A flash of blue and purple lightning in the distance appeared, startling L and Sungyeol to move closer towards each other. In a couple seconds, another thundering boom followed.
"It's interesting, the last time I've been to this park with my sister was with my ex-girlfriend," L admitted, timidly putting his head down.
"Oh, so you have an ex?" Sungyeol couldn't help but ask with curiosity. "Now that I revealed my secret, you have to talk about her now!"
L smiled and covered his cheeks, regretting bringing the topic up. He could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks and his ears burning with embarrassment. He had an uneasy feeling in his stomach and now felt obligated to talk about her. "Don't make me talk about her," L laughed shyly.
Sungyeol couldn't help but laugh like a wild animal, his arms flailing and his hands clapping. He leaned over on the other side of the bench to catch his breath. "Got you!"
"Ya!" L slapped Sungyeol in the back with much force.
"Ok, I'll stop!" Sungyeol promised, putting his hands out to block L from hitting him again. He took deep breaths, each one slowing down his laughter a little more. L's cheeks and ears were completely red, making Sungyeol smile. He bit his tongue to try and completely stop himself from laughing. "I won't ask you anything about her. You can talk as much as you want about her, but if you don't want to say anything then don't," Sungyeol assured, putting his arm around him and resting it on the bench.
Taking a deep breath, L felt better when Sungyeol said that and even more better when Sungyeol put his arm around him. He liked being comforted and he liked the feeling of someone caring for him on an intimate level. L was falling fast for him and high speeds, but at the same time he was concerned. With the situation between Eye Candy and Sungyeol, he was hesitant on completely letting his guard down. He didn't mind Sungyeol's approach of living in the moment and just worrying about the time they spend together now, but as L developed more feelings for him he knew that something definitive had to happen soon. Now wasn't the time though. He leaned his head against Sungyeol's shoulder and Sungyeol wrapped his arm tighter around L. "There's not really much to say, really. She was a year older than me."
"A noona?"
"Yeah. I was running late to a gig and crossed the street with an incoming car. I made a huge leap to avoid the car and my bass and body crushed my hand in the process. The girl in the car felt sorry and took me to the hospital after. It was the only gig I had ever missed in my life, but everyone was understanding. Her name was Yerim, and she was driving to an audition for SM entertainment."
Sungyeol nodded his head listening to the story. I didn't expect him to say that much.
"So at the hospital I apologized for ruining her chances to audition, but she told me not to worry about it and gave me her number to update her on my hand. I couldn't play guitar for a good month and I was in a cast. I was a bit depressed from not playing music for so long, and one day she called to catch up on my hand. In that same day I did bad on a math test, Sungjong was a little mad at me for letting down the band, and I ate cereal with expired milk."
"That's gross," Sungyeol said, scrunching up his nose.
"Tell me about it, I was throwing up earlier that day. It was just one of those days. Anyways she called me at the worst possible time, and everything came out like word vomit and I told her all of my feelings. She ended up coming over to my apartment and then we talked for a while. We dated for about 300 days and everything was going well, but she ended up auditioning for JYP and made the cut. We broke up when she became a trainee," L explained.
"Wow, she's a trainee now?" Sungyeol nodded.
"For a whole year now." His voice was soft in talking and thinking over everything that happened with her. "I don't regret my relationship with her. She was the first person who was able to understand my feelings on that kind of level."
Though Sungyeol had never been in a real relationship, he was able to understand L's feelings at the time. He nodded and stared blankly at Dasom. The wind started to pick up. Sungyeol wrapped his arm even tighter while L moved in closer to fit his head perfectly in the crevasse of Sungyeol's shoulder and neck. Sungyeol could feel L's chest move up and down as he breathed and looked down to see him. L was perfectly snug and Sungyeol wouldn't have it any other way. After many conversations, Sungyeol revealed many things to him that he didn't expect to tell. He knew that if there was one person who would understand him, it would be L. He new in his heart the opposite also held true. "So what level am I on?" Sungyeol playfully asked.
L brought his hand to his chin and made a thinking face, looking up at the sky for an answer. He saw the dark and ominous clouds covering the whole sky, anticipating rain but making the best out of the time he had with Sungyeol. "You're the first person to understand my feelings on a completely different level," he admitted.
Suddenly a single raindrop fell on L's nose, making him flinch from the cool water. A couple more drops fell on top of his head, dripping down his hair and sliding onto his face. Another raindrop fell this time on Sungyeol's arm. Sungyeol extended his hand and made it into a cup to feel more rain, and in that second the rain started to completely pour. In a few seconds, Sungyeol's cupped hand was filled with water. The two of them sprung up from the bench and started to cover their heads with their hands, the rain pounding harder. Dasom ran from the playground to Sungyeol and L, looking like she was on the verge of tears.
"We have to go!" L yelled out. The rain started to get stronger, and L was slightly regretting staying out for that long.
Dasom ran towards L and extended her arm to grab onto L's arm. Just then L patted down Sungyeol's arm and moved his hand slowly until he felt his palm, weaving his finger into his date to hold his hand. Sungyeol's heart raced when they held hands. L pulled on the both of them and 3 ran together as fast as they could for cover.
Setting: Friday at Woollim High, lunchtime
Hoya walked outside, holding a purple lunchbox in his hands. The rain from Thursday carried into Friday but finally stopped in the afternoon, so he saw it as a good time to sit outside in the fresh air for once. He spotted an empty table by the courtyard fountain and walked towards it, holding his food in one hand and creating dance hand movements with his other. Upon approaching the table, Hoya stopped and spun around before settling down for a seat. He quickly ped his lunchbox and beamed, revealing a to-go bento box of homemade kimbap and ddukbokki. After taking classes he started cooking a lot more meals for himself, even opting to cook his own lunch instead of going to the cafeteria. He took out a pair of metal chopsticks from his backpack, carefully opening the lid and putting his chopsticks together to finally eat. He picked up a single piece of kimbap and opened his mouth, placing it in his mouth and smiling with a full mouth.
At that moment Dongwoo suddenly barged in at his table, slamming his backpack on the table. He casually sat down in front of Hoya, who stayed silent with food in his mouth. "How's your day going?" Dongwoo asked, ping his backpack and taking out his own to-go bento box of ramen noodles. He took out his own pair of chopsticks from the side pocket and started digging into his own lunch, slurping the noodles without a worry in the world.
Hoya was motionless. He stopped chewing his kimbap and left his mouth full of rice, his cheeks puffy like a chipmunk. His hand was also immobile, his chopsticks stopped immediately in the air once Dongwoo walked in. He squinted his eyes to look around if anyone had seen what just happened and tried to spot if anyone else from Eye Candy was walking to his table. No one else was in the courtyard except for two teachers and a group of guys who didn't know him. He turned his stare towards Dongwoo, who was still stuffing noodles in his mouth at a steady pace. Hoya gave the deadliest glare he had given in a while, but he didn't have an insult prepared for him. He only wanted to eat his lunch. He started to chew on his food again and as he swallowed, he took his chopsticks to pick up another piece of kimbap. Hoya ate another piece.
The two of them continued to eat in silence, Dongwoo looking down at his food and Hoya staring at him as he ate lunch.
After finishing his kimbap, Hoya picked up a piece of ddukbokki to eat. That was when he finally cracked and dropped his chopsticks and piece on his bento box, alarming Dongwoo to look up. "Alright, why are you here?"
Dongwoo stared at him with puppy dog eyes and noodles hanging from his mouth. "It looks like those cooking classes really worked in your favor," he said with a full mouth.
Hoya rolled his eyes, picking up the lid of his lunch to get ready to move. "Bye Dongwoo."
Suddenly, Hoya felt a tug on his sleeve and saw that Dongwoo grabbed onto his wrist. "Actually, I want to ask you something right now. I promise, I'm not trying to fight."
From the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes, Hoya could see that Dongwoo was telling him the truth. He hesitated and looked around, trying to scope out the courtyard for anyone else, especially their friends. The same people were still eating lunch, the only change was that the breeze picked up. Hoya saw that the coast was clear and slowly sat down, shrugging Dongwoo's hand off of his wrist. He opened up his lunch again, shivering from the cold and causing him to drop his bento cover.
"Are you cold?" Dongwoo asked.
"A little bit," Hoya shrugged. "I lent my jacket to-"
Dongwoo ped his backpack and revealed the blazer that he picked up from under L's, crumpled from being at the bottom of his backpack for the past couple of days. Dongwoo grabbed the blazer and slid it in front of Hoya. "Sungyeol?" Dongwoo finished his sentence.
Hoya grabbed the jacket and noticed that it was very large in size and had very distinct features. He inspected the jacket, putting his hands through each curve, until his fingers found a plastic card in the back pocket. He pulled the card out, revealing to be a school ID card with the words "Lee Sungyeol" and his picture on it. Hoya lifted his eyebrow, searching for the back tag of the blazer. "Lee" was sharpied on it. "Why do you have Sungyeol's blazer?" Hoya inquired suspiciously.
Dongwoo took out his water bottle and took a big gulp, preparing to talk. He his lips. "This blazer was in L's apartment."
"Excuse me?" Hoya lifted an eyebrow.
"I guess where I'm going with this is," Dongwoo clasped his hands together and leaned forward to whisper. "There's something going on between Sungyeol and L. I don't know what that could be though."
"You're crazy."
"Am I? Think about it. Why would this be at his apartment? I know you know something," Dongwoo protested, slamming his fist on the table. The jacket and their lunches jumped for a second.
"Why do you think I know something?"
"Because, I just do." Dongwoo didn't have any other argument except for instinct.
Another breeze rolled in the courtyard and Hoya grabbed onto the jacket's sleeve and played with it, wrapping it around his palm. He thought the way Sungyeol had been acting for the past couple of weeks, the fact that Sungyeol didn't come over yesterday night, and tried to connect the dots. "Sungyeol wanted to beat L up at your gig."
"L chased after him."
"Sungyeol hasn't slept over at my apartment for a while," Hoya hesitated, "but he could be getting used to his new place." Hoya leaned in and looked directly into Dongwoo's eyes, whispering. "Sungyeol has some family problems and recently had to move from Jung-gu to Yongsan-gu. He had been sleeping at my place for a while because he didn't like his new apartment, but he started going back to his more recently."
Dongwoo bit his lip. "L is from Yongsan-gu."
The two of them stayed silent, trying to process every detail that had been said at the table.
"L has been tutored every Thursday for the past month and a half," Dongwoo continued.
"Woohyun and I go home every Thursday once school ends, but Sungyeol stays to study or he goes to work at his grandpa's restaurant," Hoya confirmed.
"L had initially told me he was being tutored by Yoo Hana-"
"She's a hot noona," Hoya chimed.
"Hah, we're the same age," Dongwoo teased.
"Whatever," Hoya said with a smirk.
"Sorry. Anyways, L has not been tutored by Yoo Hana."
Hoya lifted up a finger as his eyes widened. "I don't know if you know this, but Sungyeol is really smart. Seriously he's on track to go to Yonsei, where his mom went. I think he's one of the top 3 of Woollim High."
"Do you think Sungyeol has been tutoring L?" Dongwoo questioned.
"Egumonina..." Hoya placed all the clues together, his mouth gaped open as he looked at Dongwoo. His tongue felt dry and started to talk with his hands. "Ok, so Sungyeol may or may not be secretly tutoring L. So you think that they're actually friends?"
"That is where I'm lost," Dongwoo admitted. "They may have become friends, maybe they're only on a school professional level. Heck, they might not even be friends and we're both paranoid."
"Isn't it obvious what's going on?" Hoya remarked.
Dongwoo stayed silent.
"It sounds to me like they're trading favors," Hoya interrupted.
Dongwoo rested his head under his arm. "Go on."
"Now let's say Sungyeol is really tutoring L. Sungyeol has a lot of dignity and he wouldn't tutor him, let alone help the enemy, especially since both of them are the two most popular members of each of our bands. To get Sungyeol to actually tutor him and take him seriously, L might be doing favors to get the grade," Hoya theorized, thinking deeply about the connections.
"And L is a really stubborn person, and if anything hurt his pride it wouldn't sit well with him," Dongwoo added.
"Now let's put the two together," Hoya said, putting his hand out to count with his fingers. "One, Sungyeol is tutoring L. Two, L is taking favors so that he can be in good standing and attend the competition. Three, they're both problematic people. Four, threats and sabotage against the other person. This inevitably comes down to five, they're both settling the score in private. I remember when we went to your gig, Sungyeol was the one who convinced us to go. He brings us for backup if necessary, only to take care of the problem himself at the end of the concert." Hoya shivered from the cold. "The point is, those two are going to eat each other alive."
Dongwoo nodded in agreement, everything finally making sense in his head. "I have to protect my friend."
"Likewise. This can't end well not only for them but for our bands. We'll both be out of commission."
"You don't think they're friends, right?" Hoya said with hints of sadness. The idea ran in his head that maybe Sungyeol and L could actually be friends, but he shrugged it off because he knew his friend wouldn't do that to him.
Dongwoo nodded, convincing himself that Hoya's first theory was right. "What you said makes total sense."
They sat in silence. Both of them thought about what had to happen next. Hoya played around with the sleeve of Sungyeol's jacket while Dongwoo fiddled with his chopsticks, picking up a piece of ramen and then dropping it.
"I have a plan," Hoya said.
(((())))
School ended that Friday and almost every student had rushed to leave Woollim High for the weekend. Everyone but Sungyeol, who was alone at his locker in an empty hallway carefully placing his gym clothes on the top shelf of his locker, who took his time taking a thorough shower after PE ended. By the time he gotten back to the locker room, everyone in his class already left. Sungyeol enjoyed his time with L and Dasom, only thinking about the next time he would be back with L. He felt like time had slowed down and nothing else really mattered except for the two of them. He lifted his hand and stared at it. It was the same hand that L held onto, his fingers trapped with his as he escaped the rain. Sungyeol was completely swoon.
Sungyeol looked down and felt every button on his collared shirt to see if it was aligned. He stuck his tongue out and closed one eye, trying to spot where in his locker he put Hoya's blazer. "No, no, yes." He found the jacket neatly folded on the bottom of his locker and brought it out.
"I found your blazer," Sungyeol turned around and Hoya was standing directly on the otherside of the hallway, leaning against the window sill and holding Sungyeol's clothes in front of him. Hoya looked sternly at Sungyeol and threw the jacket at him. "I don't have your sweatervest, though."
"Chincha! Where did you find it? I had no idea it went," Sungyeol exclaimed, happy that he found a part of his uniform. He held the jacket in front of him and saw it was completely crumpled, but he didn't care.
"You know, it's interesting," Hoya grinned. He pushed himself off of the window sill and started walking towards Sungyeol. He stopped once he was only inches away from Sungyeol, making clear eye-contact. His grin turned into a frown. "You left this jacket at Kim Myungsoo's apartment."
Sungyeol stayed silent. His heart started to beat faster and he could feel sweat dripping from the back of his neck with the sudden revelation. It was at Myungsoo's apartment... He dropped the jacket and placed his hands behind his back, trying to stop his palms from shaking. Sungyeol took a deep breath and looked straight into the eye of one of his best friends. He knew he had been caught, but Sungyeol decided to take everything in and deal with it. "Is that all you have to say?" he snided.
Hoya looked to the side and his lips, trying to see if anyone was coming around the corner. He spotted down the hallway a black military boot peeking out of the corner. Hiding behind the wall was Dongwoo, who was waiting for Hoya and Sungyeol to start their conversation and kept on the lookout for anyone coming. Hoya smirked, his plan with Dongwoo seemed to be going according to plan. He looked back at Sungyeol. "You need to tell me what's going on," he demanded.
"There's nothing going on," Sungyeol assured, moving to put his hand on Hoya's shoulder.
With fast reflexes, Hoya slapped Sungyeol's arm out of the way. He lurched towards his friend, causing Sungyeol to back up into his locker. Hoya pointed at his chest while still focusing on his eyes. "Don't play. I know that you're tutoring L and I know that something's going on. Not to mention you've been continuously ditching me. You need to tell me right now what's going on so that we can resolve this peacefully."
Sungyeol stayed silent, biting his tongue and sweating profusely. He had no idea what to think about his best friend attacking him, but he also had a feeling that Hoya did not know the whole story. He raised an eyebrow. "Peacefully?"
"Whatever is going on needs to be said now," Hoya threatened, taking his fist and slamming the locker next to Sungyeol.
Dongwoo jumped from hearing the sudden locker slam.
For Sungyeol, he did not move an inch. He was a little scared, but in each passing second bravery built up. Sungyeol knew that he had been caught by his best friend, and for him it did not matter how Hoya discovered it. It was only a matter of owning up to his feelings and being truthful. I have all the cards now, but what do I do with them? Sungyeol closed his eyes momentarily and opened them back up as if there was a new rebirth. He finally had the courage to admit to his longtime friend what was going on. "I'm dating Kim Myungsoo."
Dongwoo brought his hand to his mouth as his jaw dropped. He slid down the wall he was leaning on. Mwo?!
"Wait, what?" Hoya closed his mouth. His mouth felt dry and he tried to circle his tongue around to make it moist again, but the reveal made him feel pale. It felt like he no longer had blood running in his veins. Sungyeol's declaration was not even close to what Dongwoo and Hoya thought, leaving the both of them in a state of utter shock.
"I'm dating Kim Myungsoo," Sungyeol confirmed, his eyebrows furrowed as he repeated it with more confidence.
Hoya closed his eyes and turned his head to the side, trying to comprehend the words his friend just said. I'm dating Kim Myungsoo. For Hoya, the words felt like they were scraping into his ear. It was an unpleasant sound, and all he could do was clench his fists in disappointment. "Yeot meo geo." Hoya opened his eyes again and immediately went for a punch.
Sungyeol foresaw that Hoya would try to hit him and immediately ducked the second Hoya lifted his hand, crouching down and running towards the window sill. He held his breath waiting for his best friend's next move.
Hoya punched the locker with much passion and turned around quickly to find Sungyeol. He could only see a silhouette of Sungyeol from standing in front of the window, his image only a black figure. "Why would you do this to the band!?" Hoya screamed, his face turning red from the anger.
Sungyeol put his hands out in front of him. "Look-"
"Where are your loyalties? Are they for your best friends for the past 10 years? Or a guy you've known for less than 2 months, let alone a guy that we all hate?"
"I have loyalties to both of you. Let me explain myself," Sungyeol was nervous and desperate to make things right.
"You really got messed up when your mom died."
Behind the corner, Dongwoo closed his eyes from Hoya's remark, clenching his fist and covering his open mouth. He bit his thumb, feeling uncomfortable from everything going on.
Sungyeol clenched his fists, insulted that his friend would say something like that. He ran towards Hoya with his elbow leading him and slammed Hoya's body against the lockers, using his arm and elbow to hold down Hoya's chest. "You should know better not to talk about my mom like that."
Hoya immediately pushed him off to a stagger, grabbing Sungyeol's collar before he lost balance and bringing their heads close for noses to meet. "Our competition is in a week and you're playing 'let's go on a date' with the enemy. Do you know how that makes me feel? That makes me feel betrayed. You're lucky I didn't tell Woohyun what was going on because he would take it worse than me. How do you even know this guy isn't screwing you over in the end?"
"Because..." Sungyeol couldn't finish his words.
"When anyone doubted you, I was the one who stuck up for you. I made excuses for you. I was the one who always believed in you and I never gave up. You have a decision to make. Are you going to choose the band? Or are you going to choose him? If you choose him, don't even bother talking to me anymore." Hoya finished his sentiment, closing his eyes and letting go of Sungyeol's collar. He opened his eyes back one more time and looked at his friend one last time. His eyes started to water, so he turned his head and walked down the hallway with crossed arms. Don't let me down Sungyeol, I'm still not giving up.
Sungyeol was left speechless in the middle of the hallway. His legs gave out and he knelt down to the floor, looking down at the tiles. Defeated.
Dongwoo heard the footsteps of someone coming and saw Hoya walk straight passed him without noticing he was there. He sat down wrapping his arms around his legs, trying to understand Sungyeol's confession and trying to understand why L decided to date him. Dongwoo closed his eyes and felt like crying. This is the end of Eye Candy.
Setting: L and Sungyeol's apartment rooftop
L sat down at the corner of the rooftop with his acoustic guitar, strumming medleys with Sungyeol's guitar pick. The sun was setting as he closed his eyes to allow the beautiful breeze to touch his face and brush his hair. He smiled, breathing in the fresh air after a stormy yesterday and strumming the first chord to EXO's "My Lady". His date with Sungyeol and his sister went so smoothly and he felt on top of the world, looking over the beautiful city with the thought that someone has him in their heart. It felt L feel carefree and the happiest he had ever felt in a while. He strummed another chord.
Heavy footsteps vibrated the corner where L sat, making his heart jumped. There was only one person it could be. L quickly turned around to watch a dark figure walk up the stairs. Sungyeol took one last step to arrive on the roof, wearing his jacket and stuffing his hands in his pocket. He looked down at the ground and stood alone. After arrival his body was motionless.
"You found your blazer!" L smiled. He turned to look down at his guitar and strummed gently. "Now you just need to find your sweatervest."
Sungyeol stayed emotionless, looking down at his shoes. His eyes started to water and his mouth started to waver, struggling to find the words to say at the moment. He heard the tune of "My Lady" and closed his eyes, struggling to stop crying. He covered his eyes to shield his face.
L heard heavy breathing and turned around, seeing Sungyeol in the same position that he was standing in earlier when he first arrived. His eyes were covered, and L noticed tears dripping down Sungyeol's hand. He set his guitar down and stood up. "Sungyeol," he said tenderly.
From hearing his voice, Sungyeol revealed his face and looked up at L. As he opened his eyes more tears streamed down, dripping down to his shirt. He closed his eyes one more time and took a deep breath, opening them back up to begin talking. "Remember how I said I used to be a player?
"Yes," L nodded, clasping his hands nervously. What's going on Sungyeol?
Sungyeol swallowed to clear his throat. "For the past 2 months you've always accused me of being cryptic. Mysterious. Well, this is who I am. I'm the type of person who thinks that everything has an expiration date. The things in my life. The people in my life."
L closed his eyes.
"Notice how I never talk about my dad?" Sungyeol bit his lip and sturggled with his words. "I don't know who my dad is, because he left me when I was 5."
L struggled to keep his eyes closed. He wanted to look at the same time, but he knew looking at him would only make him cry.
"Every person I dated was just someone to go to bed with. I would date them for 2 months at a time before things just ended. Then my mom died, and with that my relationship with my grandpa slowly ended. My comfortable lifestyle ended, and I had to move here. My friendship with Woohyun suffered when my mom died. We're still a band and we're still best friends, but he couldn't handle my outbursts. And then you came into my life. I admit I didn't know what to think of you at first. I thought I hated you, but that wasn't the case. I saw something with you..."
The two stayed quiet, both of them trying to control their tears.
"... now I know that what we have also has an expiration date."
A strong breeze hit the back of L's neck, making him shiver and open his eyes. A tear sprinkled from his eyes and splashed in front of him. L felt lifeless, as if the heart and soul he once had disappeared. He bit his lip, looking straight into Sungyeol's eyes. "Please don't do this," L begged.
It was something Sungyeol had to do, even though he didn't want to. He thought it was the only way to make things right, with his friends and ultimately with L and his friends, but he had never felt so terrible in his life. Sungyeol sobbed loudly. "I'm sorry, Myungsoo." He quickly turned to walk towards his apartment and ran away from L, struggling to get his keys out of his back pocket. His hand shook trying to unlock the door, but he opened it. Sungyeol ran in and slammed the door behind him.
L was left alone on the rooftop crying, trying to grasp what happened in front of his eyes. The feeling of being on top of the world disappeared in thin air. Another strong breeze attacked L so he hugged himself, trying to squeeze tightly to fill the empty void in his heart. He walked towards Sungyeol's door and took his fist to start pounding on the door. "Open the door Sungyeol," he said, viciously attacking the door. In every passing second where Sungyeol didn't answer, L knocked harder and his heart felt faster. "Open the door!" With overflowing tears and a heavy heart, L took both of his fists and knocked on the door. "SUNGYEOL ANSWER THE DOOR! YOU HAVE TO ANSWER IT! PLEASE, JUST PLEASE ANSWER ME. IT CAN'T END LIKE THIS!" After no response, L finally gave up, turning around and leaning his back against Sungyeol's door. He sobbed loudly, sliding down his front door to sit on the ground. He dug his head into his knees and continued to cry.
Sungyeol sat in the same position on the opposite side. I'm so sorry Myungsoo.
2 CHAPTERS LEFT!!!! Are you ready??
Comments