Kris was sitting on a bench, at a corner of the sports stadium in a school. Sweating heavily, as he just finished three rounds sprinting on the track of the huge stadium as a warm up exercise before he started his solo basketball practice. It was on a Saturday evening, so he could barely see a student walking, passing by the stadium. He decided to take off his wet shirt, while breathing heavily since he was very exhausted.

“YAH!” someone was suddenly shouted behind him. He turned his back. Once he saw the guy who was shouted at him approaching, he stood up.

“Who do you think you are, huh? Do you think I’m an idiot whom you can easily cheat?” the blonde guy yelled at him. He seemed to be so pissed off. He wore his shirt back, while confronting the mad guy. He spilled nothing out of his mouth while smirking, which made that guy got even mad.

“How could you do this to me!” that blonde guy yelled again.

“Yah, kid. Who do you think you’re talking to? I’m your hyung, stop talking to me using banmal,” Kris said, putting his hands on his waist while glaring at him. “I don’t even understand what you are talking about,” he continued.

“Please stop pretending and tell me the truth,” Tao said, while his eyes slowly went teary. Kris got his hand removed from his waist and gazed straight into Tao’s eyes.

“I’ve already know who you are,” he said, again.

Kris gulped, gritting his teeth, biting and sealing his lips tightly.

Everything felt so real.

“Cut! Alright, that’s all for today,” Director Zhang directed, while approaching the casts. “Wah, good job Kevin, I never knew that a newbie like you could act really good. Keep it up!” he praised, while patting on his shoulder, who was taller than him. Kris smiled.

“Thank you, director-nim. I will work even harder,” Kris said, while clenching his hand.

“Hwaiting!” said Yixing, clenching his hand too. He smiled until his dimples formed on his rosy cheeks.

“You’re really talented Kevin! Thanks to you, we could finish the shooting earlier today,” Kim Jongdae suddenly butted in the conversation with his widest cat-grin, holding on Kevin’s shoulder. “What will you all say for sangeopsal, for dinner?”

“YES!” Tao said, nearly shouted. He turned his back immediately to the boys with his eyes big-rounded. He was packing all his things into his bag but he quickly when he heard someone talking about food because his tummy was probably growling all that time.

“Hyung wanna treat us all tonight? All the five of us?” Tao was overly excited.

“Nope, you will pay,” said Jongdae, briefly, with his rounded eyes, up raised eyebrows and the smile that made the edge of his lips looks curvy. 

“Ah hyung, bwuya…?” Tao pulled up his ducky beak. Jongdae giggled.

“Of course I will, pabo,” Jongdae laughed, swatting on Tao’s wide shoulder. Tao groaned.

“We have to invite Luhan too. He’s not here since he’s busy coaching the high school kids, but I think he will be free to join us tonight,” Minseok said.

“Yeah, Luhan hyung too,” Jongdae agreed. Yixing nodded.

* * *

“I know Luhan hyung is not here but I’m seriously hungry. Can we take the order now? Huhuuu…” Tao said, he was the one who arrived last among them but he already asked for taking the order before Luhan came.

Yixing and Jongdae both said “No.” Synchronously.

“But I’m hungry… Huhu I think it’s okay because we are already all here except for Luhan hyung. Please?” Tao uttered again, like a kid begging for a lollipop.

“Still a no, Tao. Just sit and wait for a few minutes more, okay? Aigoo, learn to respect your hyungs more, hmm?” Minseok said, tapping on the maknae’s shoulder. He was the oldest among them all so everyone already expected to hear a lot of wise advices from him.

“Arasso, hyung,” Tao obeyed, smiling. However, in 10 seconds, he frowned. His face couldn’t simply fake what he felt inside.

“Tao, just eat this while waiting then,” Kris smiled pleasingly while handling him a king-sized Hershey’s dark choco bars. The bars were not melted although it’s pretty warm inside the restaurant, probably because it was raining, dark and cold outside. Kris just had been sitting in the restaurant for about 5 minutes ago.

“Oh, erm… thanks hyung,” Tao uttered, felt a little bit ashamed. He couldn’t believe that he just have made a person giving him choco bars after he nagged like a toddler.

“Kevin, have you fallen in love with Tao already? We have been shooting for two weeks and what you do all the time is pleasing this little kid,” said Minseok, chuckled.

“Yeah  right. Kevin, do you know how much a spoiled brat he is? Stop giving him what he wants or else he will get even spoiled,” Yixing continued, while Tao ignored them since he got the choco bars filled in his mouth.

“And he’s a dumb chicken. I wonder if he still takes bath with his macbook, Hahaha!” Jongdae said while laughing heartily.

“Woahh jinjia? Daebak,” Yixing uttered with his eyes rounded huge, feeling amazed despite the fact that he shouldn’t.

“What daebak? Seriously this hyung… do you have any idea of how coward he is?” Jongdae laughed again.

“Ah…hyung, please stop it. You have no idea how much sasaengs I have. They might be around us, eavesdropping. Please stop, it’ll ruin my cool image later,” Tao responded, flipping his bang.

“Haha, this kid really…” Jongdae laughing while imitating Tao, flipping his bang with that sangnamja feeling.     

“Why do you bring along your macbook while showering, haha don’t you even care if it’ll get soaked?” Minseok asked.

“It won’t wet if I take a good care of it. I need to listen to music loudly while bathing so I won't hear anything else but the music.”

“Oh my…” Minseok uttered, facepalmed when after that he burst laughing together with Jongdae, while Yixing was rather silent with his ‘Aahhh… so that’s why,’ face, gaping his mouth into an ‘o’ shape with half-closed, tired eyes.

“Hyung, please… you probably have no idea of how creepy my apartment is. I can’t even sleep without my mp3 player on,” Tao added, making them getting louder rather quiet.

“Guys, it’s probably because he is still a baby. Maybe that could explain everything,” suddenly the cool guy, Kris interrupted and the laughter gradually vanished.

“Oh yeah, so here Tao’s fanboy again… kkaebsong…” Jongdae rapped using his own swag, laughing again at the end.

“Tao, you may want to propose Kevin and please do it now if you want to. Just get married, or just get a room, seriously you both… ewwh ghei,” Yixing was engrossed with his own statement, but then he chuckled. Tao face-palmed, he wondered about what were the actual ages of all the 3 guys in front of him since they were talking louder than a bunch of gossip girls.

At that time Luhan came, jerked his body through the transparent glass door of the restaurant, smelling like sweat mixed with the sweet scent of his body. He knew he was late. Scrutinizing the whole restaurant using his hawk eyes, looking for the boys with his wet sweatshirt and his disheveled hair; it might be a hint that it was still raining outside. But Luhan looked even hotter that way than the usual though. Minseok approved that by beaming his eyes on Luhan, before someone else did.

“Luhan, here! Minseok shouted, but not too loud, waving his hand to the maximum level, rather. Luhan quickly alerted and approached them quickly.

“Sorry I’m late. Stuck in the jam,” Luhan explained, gasping. He smiled and sat immediately beside Minseok but he frowned after looking at the person who was sitting in front of him. Kris.

“Alright, let’s take the order now! Excuse me noona!” Tao shouted, excited because finally he could do what he wanted to do. Jongdae chuckled, “Poor baby,” he said.

After they have done ordering, the waitress noona asked Tao for an autograph, on the notes of the orders she was taking. She then went to the back with her cheeks blushing red.

“Tao is so lucky,” Jongdae uttered suddenly, realizing how famous Tao was. “Director Yixing, could you make me the starring of any of your upcoming movies?” he said, fluttering his long, thick eyelashes to inveigle Yixing.

“Who? You? Haha, you may rather ask another director,” Yixing uttered, laughing.

“You’re so bad,” Jongdae said, pouted. Meanwhile, Minseok on Jongdae’s right hand, was scrutinizing Luhan’s face.

“You’re sweating, Lu-ge. Let me get some tissues for you,” Minseok said before grabbing a box of tissues from the next empty table. He pulled out the tissue from the box and started dabbing the tissue on Luhan’s fair, wet face.

“Oh, it’s not sweat, actually. It’s the rain,” Luhan said, took hold of the tissue that Minseok had used to wipe the rain on his face, chuckled. It seemed like Minseok had created a cringeworthy moment, since Luhan looked like he was feeling awkward when a man wiped his face. Since he felt what he called ‘manly’ or maybe because his manly heart fluttered a little bit.

“Yehet! Another gay partner!” Jongdae shrieked.

“Yah, Jongdae, you’re so noisy today, ow? Did you take a lot of sugar in your coffee on the way here just now?” Minseok uttered, feeling slightly irritated. Jongdae tee-heed. The pork bellies came right after that and they waited for no one to eat the dinner that took up the whole table, just for 6 heads.

Kris was the one who did not eat much. Rather than filling his bowl with the meat, he put the meat in Tao’s bowl instead. Since Tao was extremely hungry, he felt glad that he smiled without opening his gorged mouth. Luhan was watching, while he ate.

“Tao,” Luhan said while he took a sip of Soju. “Don’t you think that Kevin really looked like Kris?”

“Ah?” Tao said, took a gaze on Kris. “Yeah…”he replied. Minseok who sat beside Luhan paused eating, feeling uneasy.

“Well, didn’t you feel doubt? You know, you might doubt that he’s Kris at the first time you meet each other…”

“Luhan, what are you talking about? Stop it, it’s not good to bring such things up while eating,” Minseok said.

“I know right!” Jongdae shouted but his mouth was still gorged with meat. “I knew it since the first time I met him! His face…”

“Aigoo, why are you talking like that? You know that Kris hyung is now dead, and it’s been 4 years. Stop being ridiculous,” Yixing said to Jongdae while swatting him hard. Jongdae groaned because of the affliction. Kris stunned, but he tried to fake a smile, pretending that he know nothing in front of Jongdae and of course, Tao.

“No. You are wrong Luhan hyung,” Tao finally replied. “I didn’t doubt anything because he’s definitely not hyung. Hyung has passed away, and I believe that.”

“And if hyung is still alive, I know he won’t do this to me. He is the most responsible person that I’ve ever met; he won’t leave me like this. It’s such a bitter thing to take, but that’s the truth. He’s dead,” Tao said, broke into tears. He grabbed a glass of Soju in front of him and took it one-shot. Jongdae was trying to stop him because he’s not the kind who drinks alcohol, but he’s unstoppable.

Kris didn’t know what to do, but to sit in the middle and watch Tao drinking all the alcohol by himself. Luhan glared at Kris once their eyes meet each other. Yixing and Minseok looking at themselves, feeling guilty to be the ones who know about everything but they have to keep quiet or things might get worse.

* * *

Tao’s apartment

“You’re drunk Tao. Now sleep, don’t cry,” Kris arranged the pillows and place him neatly on the pillows. He removed Tao’s shoes and socks and placed his legs neatly on the bed.

“But, I don’t want to. I’m not sleepy. My head… hyung my head hurts…” Tao pouted, like a kid. Kris took a wet warm towel from the bathroom and wiped Tao’s face, hands and lastly his feet.

“So, go to sleep. You will get well as soon as you wake up in the morning, arrasso?” Kris uttered softly while covered Tao’s body with a comforter.

“Hmm…” Tao then mumbled something but Kris couldn’t hear it clearly. The heavy eye bagged boy then sunk into the comforter and closed his eyes. He looked very tired, struggling to control with his body movement using his drunken head all the way back home. He looked seemingly asleep after he mumbled, so Kris sat beside the sleeping figure awhile before he stepped out of the room.

He realized that after 4 years leaving, Tao had changed a lot. He became wiser and patient. Recalling the words that he said hours ago before he was drunk, he knew that Tao had gotten more mature.

“I didn’t doubt anything because he’s definitely not hyung. Hyung has passed away, and I believe that. And if hyung is still alive, I know he won’t do this to me. He is the most responsible person that I’ve ever met; he won’t leave me like this. It’s such a bitter thing to take, but that’s the truth. He’s dead,”

"No Tao, I'm not that responsible hyung who you always think I am, I'm sorry," Kris mumbled, but hardly to be heard by the latter. Assuming that Tao was asleep, Kris walked slowly towards the door and switched off the light.

“Kris hyung...”

Kris felt that his heart skipped a beat and he turned back. “You’re not asleep yet? I thought you are.”

“I can’t sleep, it’s so dark and cold here. I’m scared.”

“You want me to turn on the music for you? What do you need now? An extra comforter?” Kris asked again.

“No. I need you.”

So Kris crawled on the bed. Tao instantly turned his body towards him and wrapped his arms around his torso. Kris who was allergic to body contacts, expected himself to get rid of Tao’s warm chest from touching his, at that very moment, but this time he felt alright. He even felt that he would love it, feeling Tao’s heartbeat slammed against his chest beneath the thin layer of fabric, making him floating to the dreamland, diffused into the unabating beat.

But before that, Kris didn’t realize that Tao had called him by his real name. Maybe no one even realized. 

* * *

Yehet! Here's the update! Thank you for reading and subscribing guys! But really really glad if you could give me comments about the story.

and... forgive me if my language isn't good enough. I'm probably typing with my eyes closed now. So tired T.T

So, yeah. I hope that you guys will anticipate more on the next episode! See ya xoxoxo!