“One word,” Gil said, his voice staticky on the phone. “.”

“Hyung, what?” Gary rolled his eyes, wishing he hadn’t called Gil. He had just needed someone to talk with, someone outside the situation. 

“Yah, I watched this movie once,” Gil said. “Some American movie. One girl, two guys. Kind of like you three, except the girl loved one guy, and that guy loved the other guy, and the other guy loved the girl.”

“Aish,” Gary said. “Be serious.”

“Yeah, not really the same situation,” Gil said. “Because you both love Ji Hyo and there’s no ual feelings between you and Jong Kook… or is there?”

“Yah! Why did I even call you!?”

Gil laughed. “Sorry, Gary-ah,” he said. “Just thought I’d… ah, anyway. I’m only playing because I really don’t know what to say. What happened after you approached them?”

Gary sighed, thinking back on the night before. “Nothing. I walked back inside and then she followed me, trying to talk, but I just, I couldn’t, hyung. I couldn’t even look at her. So I just went back to bed.”

“She went with you, though?”

“To bed? Yeah, but I kept my back to her. We didn’t talk at all.”

“Yah, but she went to your room, not Jong Kook’s,” Gil said.

“Are you saying I should be grateful that my fiancée slept with me and not my hyung?” Gary shook his head. “Seriously, I can’t anymore…”

“Just trying to point out one good thing, Gary-ah. She’s still faithful to you.”

“Yeah, except for that kiss,” Gary said.

“Except for that,” Gil said, his voice low.

“I want to leave,” Gary said. “I just want to get out of here. It’s so uncomfortable, hyung. But if I do, it’s like I’m practically handing Ji Hyo to him. I’m not ready to give up on her. I still love her.”

“Yah, that Jong Kook. Want me to come out there? Have a little talk with Mr. Muscles?”

“Aish, please.”

“Well, then maybe you should talk to him. See where his head’s at.”

Gary didn’t answer. He had already been thinking about that. But the last time he had tried to talk with Jong Kook, his anger overcame him. He didn’t want that to happen again. 

“Remember ‘Come Back to Me Again’?” Jong Kook asked. They had been on the road for a few minutes, traveling around the southeastern tip of that island to the Windward Coast, driving in silence until that moment.

“Yeah,” Gary said, staring out the window. “What about it?”

“I was listening to it this morning,” Jong Kook said.

Gary hadn’t thought about that song in a while. Why was Jong Kook bringing that up now? Maybe he was just trying to start a conversation, Gary thought. After all, Gary had suggested that he and Jong Kook take a drive together for this very reason, so that they could talk. But as he thought about the lyrics to that song now, relating his lines to his relationship with Ji Hyo, and then thinking about Jong Kook’s lines and his hyung’s feelings toward Ji Hyo, he began stressing out, the sweat dripping from his hairline beneath his cap. He took off his corduroy jacket and cap, threw them in the backseat, and tugged at his white t-shirt, trying to cool his body off.  

It quickly got dark and began to rain. Jong Kook his windshield wipers. They sat there for a moment, listening to the wipers screech in their swipe across the glass, until Jong Kook said, “Yeah, I was listening to it and I remembered how we had t