The following week Byunghee was finally home from tour. The two of you hadn’t talked since you texted him at the dress shop. You were nervous to see him, yet you wondered if maybe your accidental text to him had been a sign.

You had barely seen Howon. He was constantly busy. You missed him and had been trying to make an effort to see him; however, he didn’t appear to be trying at all. He didn’t respond to your texts and rarely answered your phone calls. He was in the middle of promotions, so of course you expected him to be busy. Almost ignoring you completely was not what you had been anticipating though.

With MBLAQ back in town and holding the last concert of their tour tonight, their label had planned a party. Byunghee invited you and Mi Rae to both events, but the party would be the first opportunity for you to talk to him. You texted Howon about the party, asking him to meet you there. You didn’t expect him go, you simply hoped he would.

The concert was incredible, even Mi Rae couldn’t help but praise Byunghee’s singing. The two of you danced around to the songs and enjoyed the concert with the fans. As much as you occasionally envied Byunghee for being famous, you were glad you could be here in the crowd of fans. As the concert drew to a close, the two of you rushed out of the venue to get home. You both needed to change before the after party.

Mi Rae pushed you into the dress you had bought a week ago before helping with your hair and makeup. You admired yourself in the mirror before turning to her. “Ready to go?” You could swear that Mi Rae looked twice as good as you did. She was boy hunting though, while you only hoped to see your boyfriend.

You caught a cab to the after party, ducking past the photographers while they focused on the idols that were arriving every few minutes. When you entered the dark room, music was blasting. Lights were flashing all around one end of the room. The other end was made up of booths with very dim lighting above them. You spotted MBLAQ sitting at one and the two of you worked your way over to them.

As you approached, Byunghee smiled at you. You couldn’t stop heat from rushing to your cheeks. “There you are! I’ve missed you so much!” Byunghee climbed out of the booth to hug you. His arms wrapped around your waist. You took in his familiar smell as your arms wound around him as well.

“I missed you too Oppa. How was the tour?” When Byunghee pulled back, he kept his arms around you. You smiled at him, taking in his face. For a moment you let your mind wander back to the many times you had admired his face when he wasn’t looking. Now that he was staring at you though, you noticed how his eyes shined.

“It was really nice. We met so many of our fans and got to see so many places and try so many new things! I wish you could’ve been there! You would’ve loved it!” His face lit up as he dove into stories about the tour. When he calmed down several stories later, you realized that your arms were still around each other. You pulled away from him and cleared your throat. You greeted the other boys while Mi Rae spoke quietly to Byunghee.

The song changed to a new one that you loved to dance to. You jumped up excitedly and tried to grab Mi Rae to drag her to the dance floor with you. “No way! You know I’m not a good dancer!” When even pouting at her didn’t work, you switched targets. It only took one look at Byunghee to make him start shifting in his seat.

“Oppa~ please come dance with me~,” you pouted. He swallowed hard and you knew you had won. You tugged on his hand all the way into the middle of the dance floor. You sang along to the song as you bounced around. Byunghee’s hands rested on your waist as the two of you moved together. Your body moved on its own while you lost yourself in the song. It wasn’t until the song ended and changed to something slower that you realized how close your and Byunghee’s bodies were.

Byunghee narrowed his eyes at you a bit when you moved away. “You didn’t seem to mind how close you were to me a second ago.” You blushed partially from his comment and partially because of how his breath moved past your ear as he leaned in for you to be able to hear him. You shrugged in response and turned to find Mi Rae.

Byunghee pulled you back, making you collide into his chest. “One more dance,” he said into your ear again. You nodded, lifting your hands around his neck. He drew you close to his body. It had been a long time since Byunghee had been wrapped around you like this. As he held you close, your mind flashed back to the times the two of you had been in bed together. Not when you were being intimate, but to when he would hold you while the two of you talked about life. You found yourself missing those moments.

As these memories flew by, a face suddenly appeared in your mind. Howon. Yes things had been difficult recently, but you had plenty of good times with him too. You pulled away from Byunghee the second the song ended. You stared up at him, unsure of how to explain your sudden reaction. “I need to go call Howon. He is supposed to be meeting me here,” you said softly before hurrying away.

You stepped outside for a moment to clear your head. Since you had come out here under the excuse of calling Howon, you might as well give it a try. You didn’t expect an answer, but then at least you wouldn’t be lying if you were asked about it later. You dialed his number and listened to the phone ring.

“Hey Baby.” You froze when Howon’s voice came through the phone.

“Howon, hey, um… are you busy?” You stumbled through your words. You hadn’t actually planned anything to say to him.

“I just finished recording the music video for the repackage album.” He sounded exhausted and you suddenly felt bad for possibly waking him up.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called, you must be really tired. We can talk another time.”

“Wait! The party is tonight right?”

You were surprised he had read that text. “Oh, yes it is. I’m there right now actually.”

“Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be there.”

“Howon you don’t have to. Really, it’s fine.” You argued, but Howon shushed you.

“Wait for me,” and with that he hung up.  

----------------------------------

True to his word, almost exactly fifteen minutes later Howon arrived at the party. You had stayed outside hoping to make it easier to find him. He looked more exhausted than he sounded on the phone, but his face lit up when he saw you. Howon took your hand and led you back inside. The two of you found a semi quiet spot near a corner.

“I really missed you baby. I’m sorry I’ve been so neglectful recently. Using the comeback as an excuse is really lame and I’m sorry for that too.” He reached up to touch your cheek, his thumb gently it. You smiled at him. His presence washed away the hurt and rejected feeling you had been experiencing.

“You’re here now, that is what matters.” You wound a hand around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Howon’s lips were soft against yours. You broke the kiss, moving back from him before he stopped you. His arms wrapped tight around your waist, pulling your body against his. His lips crashed against yours, more hungry and demanding than you had experienced from him before.

When he released you, you stared at him for a moment. Howon leaned his forehead against yours, looking into your eyes. “I’ll be a better boyfriend. I promise.” You smiled at each other before he hugged you. Over his shoulder, you spotted Byunghee staring at the two of you from the booth he was sitting in with the rest of MBLAQ. You closed your eyes, shaking him from your mind and focusing on Howon.