Setting: Jung-gu main street

Where is this guy taking me? We've been walking for the past 20 minutes, L thought to himself.

After an abrupt end to their tutoring session, the two of them took the subway towards Jung-gu. L and Sungyeol walked along the Han River, where the cool winter breeze kept them close enough for their shoulders to brush. Their conversation had been weird during their travels. In fact, there was barely any conversation at all. From school to the subway, the subway ride to Jung-gu, and walking for the past 20 minutes in Jung-gu, Sungyeol did not said a single word to L. Every time L tried to start a conversation or ask how much longer the restaurant is, Sungyeol looked at him at the corner of his eye and simply smiled.

The walk and weather frustrated L, so he stopped walking and pulled on Sungyeol's wrist. "Dude, I've been following you for the past hour, you're not even talking to me. I understand the fact that you might feel uncomfortable walking with me in public just in case our friends are around, but if you're not going to talk to me at least tell me where we're going."

Sungyeol chuckled, used his chin to point towards a building. "We're here."

L looked in his direction and noticed a blinking neon sign, Lee's BBQ.

"This is my grandpa's restaurant," Sungyeol said with a smirk. He grabbed L's hand and pulled him towards the restaurant. Myungsoo's hand is so cold.

As Sungyeol opened the door a burst of warm air left the restaurant, welcoming the two with an aroma of seasonings and cooked bbq. The restaurant walls were painted red with wooden ts around the restaurant, making the atmosphere even warmer. L walked in and smelled all of the cooked meat, closing his eyes to breathe in the sensational smells. As he walked in, L's stomach growled.

"Hi, two people?" A waiter came by with two menus and looked directly at L and Sungyeol's hands.

The two of them realized they were still holding hands and let go of each other, immediately brushing themselves off and pretending like nothing happened. "Yes," they both said together. Sungyeol and L looked at each other nervously.

The waiter led them to a corner table by the window, placing their menus on the ground and then carefully picking up the top of the grill to light the gas burner.

"Bulgogi, samgyeopsal, and a bottle of chamisul," Sungyeol said as he took a seat in his chair, already knowing what he wanted. The waiter bowed and left their table. L sat down, his eyes following the waiter and then looking back at Sungyeol. Sungyeol clasped his hands together and rested his chin on them, giving a blank expression towards L. "I thought my grandpa would be here right now," he said with a shrug.

L looked around and noticed every person working at the restaurant was in their 20s, no one looking like they were over the age of 50. "Probably out or something," L replied.

The waiter came back with a plate of raw beef and bacon as well as a bottle of chamisul with two cups. He placed the alcohol on the table and handed the two cups to each of them, following up with placing all of the raw meat on the grill. The two bowed before he left and immediately started eying the alcohol. 

Sungyeol took the bottle and started pouring soju for himself. L stuck his cup out and Sungyeol started a shot for him. "Myungsoo, why do they call you L?" he asked as he finished pouring the shot for him, placing it right next to L.

"I don't think we're close enough to let you in on my secrets," L retorted, making eye contact with Sungyeol and motioning his hand to take the shot.

The two of them both downed their first shot of soju, violently slamming their cups on the ground after. Sungyeol bit his lip from the bitter taste while L closed his eyes, scrunching up his nose. The aftertaste remained on their tongues, taking a while for L and Sungyeol to recover. Though the shots tasted terrible, L took the bottle and started pouring another shot in both of their cups. "I think the question is, why did you order alcohol on a school night?" 

"If you didn't want to drink you wouldn't be pouring this second shot," Sungyeol smirked.

"Touche."

The visuals raised their glasses and clicked them for a cheers before they drank their second shot. This time around Sungyeol struggled to swallow the alcohol down and bit the inside of his cheeks, making his lips pucker. L downed the shot and stuck his tongue out, looking tired as if he had just ran a mile.

L both took their chopsticks to start flipping the sides of the meat. The sizzling noise only made their stomachs growl for food, driving the both of them crazy to eat. Sungyeol took the bottle of alcohol to pour another shot of soju for the both of them, trying to handle another shot before the food finished.

"How many brothers and sisters do you have Myungsoo?" Sungyeol asked.

"I only have one little sister, and she's currently in preschool. Do you have any siblings?" L asked.

"No, unfortunately I'm an only child," Sungyeol replied, shrugging his shoulders. He lifted up his cup for another shot, and the both of them took their third cup of soju. This time, the shot was a lot more bearable than the first two. 

L placed his cup on the table and started rubbing his cheeks, which started to react from the alcohol. Even though his hands were freezing, his red cheeks warmed up his hands. "With a little sister, there came a point when I wished I was the only child. Just because she's an annoying brat. But, you know." He took the bottle of soju and poured two more shots, shaking the bottle after to see how much alcohol was left. A few more drinks left. "She's my brat."

Sungyeol laughed, smiling at the story and getting a little emotional from the alcohol. His eyes also smiled and started to shine. He took the shot of soju and drank it down, ignoring L who still had his full cup.

"You ! You didn't wait for me!" L yelled, taking the shot right after him.

The oil dripped down the grill and into the fire, causing a sudden fire spark at the table. L and Sungyel jumped from their seats and both shrieked. Sungyeol hugged himself to shield his body and L grabbed onto Sungyeol's shoulder. In those seconds their hearts raced from the fire, but soon enough the fire started to settle.

L realized he was holding onto Sungyeol and slowly let go. The two of them slowly sat back down, looked at the cooked meat, and then looked at each other.

"I think the food is ready," L declared.

Setting: Han River 

"I can't get over that bulgogi," L said, extending his arms out to stretch his sides. 

"I like the way they marinate the meat. The marinade has peach juice in it, which is one of two secrets of my grandpa's secret recipe to delicious barbecue," Sungyeol said proudly, lifting his chin and swaying his body in confidence.

The two of them made their way back to the subway by walking along the Han River, showcasing one of the best night views in Seoul. The sun had just set and one by one each building lit up, illuminating the river as they walked by. It was a chilly night, but the scene made up for everything.

"Peaches? I've never heard that one before," L shrugged, putting his hands on his cold hands on his warm cheeks. The two of them were still buzzed from drinking at the restaurant, each person equating to drinking eight shots each during their dinner. "The city looks great tonight. Tonight was fun. My dad might get mad at me though if he smells alcohol on me when I get home."

Sungyeol stayed silent, biting his lip and putting his hands in his pockets to warm them up.

L looked at him, expecting him to have some sort of response but nothing came out of his mouth. He rubbed his cheeks vigorously to warm up his hands. Great, it's going to be like earlier.

They finally arrived at the subway station after another long walk from the restaurant. Once again, Sungyeol did not say much during the walk. L was finally happy to arrive, wanting to get home and as far away from him as possible for being weird. He walked down the stairs to the train towards Yongsan-gu, expecting  Sungyeol to follow him, but to he turned his head and to his surprise saw Sungyeol veer off to another staircase to walk towards the Gangnam-gu train. Sungyeol noticed L at the corner of his eye. "I'm going to sleep over at Hoya's tonight, we're going to practice at his house," Sungyeol yelled out, who was a staircase away from him. 

"Alright, see you later," L yelled back to him and turned around to walk towards the Yongsan-gu train.

Sungyeol had a weird feeling in his stomach, as if there was some unsettled business between the two of them. He was not mad at him, yet he had nothing to say to him. Sungyeol did not want him to leave just yet. "Myungsoo!"

L turned his head to look at him. 

"You're lucky you have a family to go home to!" Sungyeol yelled to him, making a tube with his mouth so that the sound would carry out to him. 

Sungyeol looked surprisingly calm in saying those words, as if it was something he was already used to. Not having his mom. Yet, the words did not sit well with L and made him feel uncomfortable at the station. A shiver sent down his spine, but L knew it was not just from the cold. It was from hearing the words, more or less, that Sungyeol was alone. And after a couple of weeks of knowing him he felt like he uncovered a piece of the mysterious Sungyeol. His mom died in a car accident. He lives in an apartment alone because of it. He is a single child. His grandpa is not there all that often. He has not even mentioned his dad yet, but L does not want to cross that bridge just yet. The only family he really has are his best friends. He's alone. L had no response to comfort him about his loneliness issues, but he only knew the next best thing. L covered his mouth and yelled to Sungyeol. "You know, you can always walk over next door if you want to hang out! My friends never come over to my place anyways because it's cramped."

Sungyeol's peaceful and indifferent expression turned into a smile. A chilly wind went down the stairs, causing Sungyeol to hug himself and rub his arms to warm up, but the weather was not the only unsettling feeling he had. His stomach felt a little weird, as if the cuteness and sincerity of L's statement punched him in the gut. He held his stomach and bowed his head at L before turning around to walk down to the Gangnam-gu station.

Setting: One week later, literature class

Dongwoo ran into literature with a flier in his hand, huffing and puffing when he entered the classroom. He frantically looked around for L, who was sitting in the middle-front of class this time reading their current book Please Look After Mom. Dongwoo had an excited grin on his face and leaped towards his desk. "Listen to me."

L's book completely covered his face, so he lowered the book until he only revealed his eyes to Dongwoo. With the shock of the year, L was completely immersed in the novel. "I'm trying to read right now."

Dongwoo took the flier he was holding in his hands and slid it between the book and L's face. "L, there's no time to read when we have places to go, instruments to play, and girls to sing to!"

The flyer was for a local bar that Sungjong's parents own called Heads Up, and on the flyer revealed that the headlining band for their show next Saturday night was no other than Eye Candy.

"Chincha!!" L dropped the book and grabbed the flyer from his hands. "Sungjong's dad was able to get the gig for us?" 

"He told Sungjong it would be good practice before our competition!"

"And his parents' bar is one of the most popular hangout spots in Itaewon!!!"

"I KNOW!" L stood up from his chair and spread his arms out, giving Dongwoo a warm hug.

"Aww, the boys finally got a gig?" Dongwoo and L looked towards the door and saw Woohyun and Sungyeol arrive for class. "Are you two gonna call mom and dad now?" Woohyun asked.

L rolled his eyes and sneered, "We've been getting gigs since we started, unlike you Grape Vines. That's what happens when a band is good."

Sungyeol raised his eyebrow. "I feel bad for any person who goes to this. They're going to lose their hearing from hearing your ."

L looked at Sungyeol, feeling slightly offended by his words. Even though he knew it was an act, it hurt him a little more than usual.

"The only thing the girls will hear are music to their ears. Our music is like ," Dongwoo intruded, making a popping noise with his mouth and gesturing an explosion with his hand. Half of the girls in class shrieked in when they heard Dongwoo talk, hypnotized by his words.

"Some strange words for someone who's probably never even kissed a girl," Sungyeol snapped.

"While I'm incredibly interested in listening to the lives of my students in class, I'd prefer to talk about Please Look After Mom and the secrets that So Nyo kept from her children to prepare for your upcoming test." Almost as soon as their exchange started, the four of them saw Mr. Go walk in, holding the novel in his hand.

"Annyeong," the class stood up and bowed for their teacher.

Woohyun and Sungyeol gave one last look at Dongwoo and L before they parted ways to sit down. Woohyun rammed Dongwoo's shoulder before taking his seat in the front-right corner.

Sungyeol found a seat in the back and took one last look at L before walking away. I'm sorry Myungsoo.

(((())))

Their tutoring session went very well for this week. L finally started reading the book was able to carry a conversation with Sungyeol at a deeper level. The two of them discussed the character Chi Hon, one of the daughters who turned into a writer. The two of them talked about the book without noticing how much time had passed.

"Oh wow, it's already almost 6," Sungyeol said, looking at the library clock. 

L looked at the time and was shocked. "Hm. Time sure passes when you're..." L was about to finish his sentence with 'having fun', but he did not want to admit to Sungyeol that he liked the book and stayed quiet. More than anything, he did not want to admit that he enjoyed being with Sungyeol.

Sungyeol raised his eyebrow and smiled. I knew what you were going to say. He closed his book and started putting in his backpack.  He put all of his books and supplies in his backpack and quickly zipped it up. "The fun doesn't have to end now."

"Come again?"

Sungyeol took a deep breath. "I'm coming over today."

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