Jiho had always known Yoo Youngjae. Way before anybody. Youngjae was the type of person who took people under his wing, make them feel understood and included and make sure that they found a place in the cold corrupted world. He was easily likeable and was quick to befriend others as well, which helped people get comfortable, showing them that they had a friend in this world. But that was just Youngjae. This thing that he had with Jongup… it perplexed Jiho.

Jiho was the first to notice.

Today, there was a van parked outside the gate. Youngjae was going to leave.

He narrowed his eyes as he watched them, seeing Jongup let out a laugh and nudge Youngjae’s side as they carried on, Youngjae explaining the answer to another of Jongup’s stream of smartarse questions. Sure, Youngjae was friendly, but he generally got fed up with people easily. There was no way to remain patient when you were born hyper-intelligent and everything just seemed annoyingly stupid to you. But Youngjae never seemed annoyed by Jongup.

As Youngjae glanced over and met Jiho’s eyes, he nodded, who in turn smiled back at him.

“Looks like you two are getting friendly,” he said, not wanting to sound like he was accusing them of anything.

“Uh,” Jongup said, seemingly made nervous by Jiho’s presence.

Youngjae, having known Jiho better, caught onto the slightly implicating nature of his friend’s tone. He raised his eyebrows at the elder boy, who merely shook his head.

“I need Youngjae for a minute.”

“I—okay,” Jongup stammered, glancing at the guitarist before making his way toward where the others were.

“You like him,” Jiho said, folding his arms across his chest.

Youngjae merely shrugged. “Sure. He’s a far sight smarter than a lot of the others. He’s just going along with me, tolerating me as much as he can, ‘guess.”

Jiho stared at him for a moment before speaking again. “Listen, I’m good if you’re happy, okay? Just… try not to be too heartbroken.”

Youngjae’s face instantly shifted into an expression exuding confusion, but he replied all the same. “Yeah… thanks. I guess.” He shook his head. “I better go. Got stuff to do.” He started off, Jiho slowly beginning to follow him and knowing that the boy had not gotten his point in the slightest.

“Look. Why don’t you stay?” Jiho said, eyeing the back of Youngjae’s head.

“I got… stuff,” said Youngjae.

“Yeah? But you’re not coming back, are you?”

Youngjae stopped. Slowly, he turned around. “You’re forbidden to say anything.”

Jiho pressed his lip tight.

“Don’t go. Your time is limited.”

Then Youngjae bursted out laughing. “You think I don’t know that? I’m going.” He in a sharp breath, before saying again, “I’m going.”

And then he was gone.

x

Juniel said, “Why d’you think people at school used to stare at us all the time? I’ve always wondered. Maybe they think you’re a girl or something?”

Jongup coughed, as Himchan tried to get over his choking cough.

“Maybe they were staring because I chose to hang out with you when I could’ve been with anyone,” snarled Zelo, gripping his chopsticks so hard they might snap.

Yongguk felt his bones turn to stones.

Jimin stifled a snort. “That was what I thought, but remember how your skate friends kept implying Junhee was your or something. Like, ‘oh look, Zelo’s girl!’ and ‘don’t look at her; Zelo might whack you with his skateboard!’” Jimin imitated. “Then whenever girls came up to you, you’d move close to Junhee, then your friends would say, ‘sorry, he’s taken!’. And neither of you ever denied-”

“Shin Jimin-”

Daehyun was the colour of a burnt tomato.

“Oh!” Choa quipped up, “Then that time, your mum told Junhee to stay away from you, like she was a disease-“

“That’s because she’s a- wait, when was this? Why didn’t anybody tell me?”

Junhee ducked her head. “I was going to, but you came home all bruised. You lied that you fell off your skateboard–”

Jimin interrupted, “Yeah! But it was actually those retards from school-”

“And how the hell did you find out?”

Jimin and Choa nodded to Junhee. Himchan blinked.

Junhee shrugged. “I could always tell when you were lying. Besides, you talk in your sleep-”

“Tell me I told you you were a nutter,” snarled Zelo.

“…Uh. Yeah. Every night.”

Somebody choked.

x

“This wasn’t part of the plan,” Jiho cursed, pacing around heatedly in circle. It was almost noon. Youngjae was gone for several hours. Nobody suspected a thing.

Jesus, these humans.

Kyung looked glum and Taeil looked nervous with how Jiho was being.

“What are we gonna do?”

“This is obviously goodbye. Nobody even suspects a thing,” Taeil whispered in disbelief.

Jiho slowed to a stop, staring blankly at the ground. When he looked up, his black eyes glinted like blades.

“We’re going to Seoul.”

x

“And by the way, you should start being nicer to me, because I’ve decided to marry you.”

“Wait-”

“You can’t take it back. I still have that ring you made out of-”

Zelo flushed angrily, “I was eleven! I would have asked my skateboard to marry me if it could talk!”

“Too bad for your skateboard then, ‘cause you snapped it in half when I made you pick between me and-“

“Oh, shut up! I was thirteen and stupid,” defended the bassist.

Junhee shrugged like it was no big deal. “And I was really pathetic. I’ve always felt miserable when you paid more attention to other people.”

Zelo’s face burned. He opened his mouth then closed it. He stared at Junhee like he didn’t understand what was going on. He’d forgotten anybody else was around.

“I thought I was the only one,” Zelo managed to say in a strained voice, with a conflicted look on his face.

“Don’t lie. You never really needed me. Like, I remember you ditching me to play with your friends.” Juniel frowned. “I thought I was gonna die.”

“Uh, no. It was the other way around, Junhee.”

“No, it wasn’t-“

“Yes, it was!”

“Then why would you leave, always?”

Zelo huffed, while everybody just looked stunned, “Because you were always with your stupid books, and your stupid friends. And it was obvious that you liked Kris! Then you would help Tao with his homework, and-”

“That was because I had to do something when you were away,” Junhee made a face.

“I was only away because you didn’t want me there! I hated it when you bring people over. Have you ever seen me bring anyone over?” snapped Zelo.

“Hey, Tao was your friend. And-”

“Then what about that idiot Kris?”

“Kris isn’t an idiot. And it was my mum who kept inviting him over-”

“Junhee-”

“No, shut up. You were the one who didn’t want me. You always made me feel self-conscious around your friends-”

Zelo snorted. “You, self-conscious? Please, you wouldn’t have cared if some dude tried to look up your skirt. I always had to-”

“How was I supposed to think about anything else when my head’s full of you?”

“Shut it, woman. You know nothing! It was me who suffered because of you.”

x

The first thing Youngjae saw was the sky, light blue and clear and flawless. It had looked the same as before he stepped onto the van.

Everything was taunting him, mocking him. Nothing’s changed, boy, nothing’s chan