II.

The smile on L.Joe’s face immediately replaced with a glare and he approached you with heavy breaths; this time not because of fatigue, but because of anger.

Jealousy.

But L.Joe tried to calm his mind and set a poker face. He had sworn to you to not use his fists ever again and he didn’t want to see you sad or crying because of that. He knew very well that it would be the end for his relationship with you when he landed a fist on your best friend’s face, so he settled it by holding back his wrath.

Calm down, L.Joe… Calm down…

He forced a smile and walked slowly to your direction. He tried his best not to punch Kai's face immediately before he plopped down to the empty spot right before you, later surprised you with a peck on the cheek.

“Hey, baby~”

L.Joe automatically wrapped his arms on your waist and pulled you closer. “I’m sorry I was late… You will forgive me, right…?” He pecked your cheek again and giggled when he saw your shocked expression.

“Omo! Byunghun—! You scared me!” You put a hand on your chest, trying to calm down your fast-beating heart.

“Mianhae~” L.Joe gave you a cute smile and you were more than relief to see him all fine from head to toe. No bruises, no cuts or scratches. All OK. He is healthy and look gorgeous as usual.

Kai was taken aback as well by the sudden interruption, but his mouth just formed an ‘O’ before he bowed a little to L.Joe. “Annyeonghaseyo…”

L.Joe glanced at Kai and saw that the boy in front of him was smiling oh-so-widely at him. He cleared his throat before he answered in the most lifeless tone. “Oh, hello…”

L.Joe never had any intention to exchange words with Kai. But knowing you would throw tantrums at him later if he didn't do so, he better replied.

“Where in the hell were you?!”

Your loud voice making L.Joe jolted on his seat and you continued to bombard him with questions. “Do you know how much I worried about you!? Why didn’t you pick up my calls or reply my texts? What the hell happened to you?!”

Guilt immediately struck L.Joe as he pouted his lips and stared down, avoiding your angry stare. “Umm… Sorry babe… Chunji didn’t let me go today… I told him that I have a date with you today but he asked me for another round of games… And I just couldn’t refuse… him.” He ended it with a gulp before he clasped his hands together in a praying manner and beamed you a puppy look.

“You will forgive me, right…?”

“Games?” Kai just had a sudden urge to interrupt, “Was it basketball again? I thought you quit playing basketball…”

L.Joe just ignored Kai’s remark and focusing his eyes at you with a smile. “And where should we go after this, babe? What about watching a movie? I heard there’s this new movie that—”

“—We won’t go anywhere until you tell me the truth, Lee Byunghun…” You crossed your both arms in front of your chest firmly.

“W-what? I told you the truth, already…” L.Joe gulped again and grew nervous when he heard you called him by his full name. You rarely did that unless you were really mad or not in the mood.

“I won’t believe you either… You are so easy to read…” Kai said casually then took a sip of his strawberry smoothie.

“Can you please shut up?” L.Joe turned his head to look at Kai and sent him a death glare. If glares could kill, a grave with Kai’s name might already exist by now.

“This is not your ing business and it would be better if you just go from here and leave both of us alone. A lovely couple like us needs some romantic time together and we don’t need a disturbance.”

“Don’t talk like that to Kai…”

You glared at L.Joe and your boyfriend felt hurt that you was on your best friend's side instead of him. He was about to argue, but you were quicker to cut him. “If Kai was not happen to walk around here, then I would waiting for you all alone… You should thank him because if it’s not because of Kai, who knows someone might happen to harm me…”

“Wrong move, bro…” Kai’s smirk grew even wider before he propped his elbow on the table and put his chin on his palm, “You shouldn’t talk like that with your girlfriend’s savior… Thank me, that’s the right move…”

“Shut. Up.”

L.Joe's eyes darkened at Kai and the latter just let out a sarcastic laugh. You rolled your eyes at the sight. It was not a new scene for you to witness. In fact, you were already tired with the “drama” both men in front of you played. It was always been like this. Every time both of them met, they always ended up fighting. Thank God it’s not to the extent of exchanging punches, but just last with cursing or scornful remarks.

“Then you were saying that you played basketball with Chunji…? And lost track of time… is it?” One of your eyebrows rose up before you exhaled deeply. “How can I know that you weren’t with some girls?”

Because of your comment, a loud gasp escaped from your boyfriend’s mouth. He never expected you to accuse him like this; accusing that he was cheating.

“Babe! I would never cheat on you! You do know that! I was really with Chunji! I-I swear!”

L.Joe gawked at you in disbelief before he mentally cursed Kai inside his mind. He knew that Kai had been poisoned you with words while you were waiting together with him. There’s no way that kind of words coming out from your mouth if there wasn’t someone who would pull the trigger.

“How can I believe you? Even though you were with Chunji, you’d always picked up my calls and replied my texts! But this time you didn’t do that and left me hanging!” You groaned in frustration and scowled at him. “There’s no way Chunji didn’t let you go when he knew that you have a date with me! Stop lying!”

“I-I didn’t!” L.Joe grabbed both of your hands and held it tightly, “Baby, I told you the truth…”

You scoffed at him before releasing your hands from his grip to grab your phone. “I will call Chunji then and ask him if you were lying or not—”

“S-STOP!!” L.Joe instantly halted your action and snatched your phone. You were surprised with his action and looked at him with wide eyes.

“C-chunji is busy right now so it’s better if you don’t disturb h-him…” L.Joe stuttered and quickly put your phone back inside your purse.

“Obviously a liar…” Kai scoffed and shook his head in disbelief.

L.Joe couldn’t take it anymore. He lost his temper and abruptly stood up, making a loud screech sound produced by the shuffling table and chair. You gasped upon the scene and right before you could stop your boyfriend to explode, he already hit the table angrily with his palm.

BAM!

The table shook and made the plates and the glass almost fell off to the floor. You immediately stood up and grabbed his shoulder to make him sit back down, but the man beside you couldn’t hold it back no more.

Kai flinched on his seat and people inside the café started to murmur things about the three of you. The waitress gasped as well because of the unexpected scene and some of them even already ran off to the back of the kitchen, probably calling their manager.

“Byunghun! Don’t—!” You warned him but he didn’t even look at you. His eyes pierced to Kai and he didn’t even blink for once.

“I think I had told you to shut up, didn’t I?!”

He still kept his voice low, but much to his surprise, Kai didn’t even blink at him as well. The opposite, the boy just raised his chin at L.Joe then set a smug smile on his face.

“I don’t take orders from you…”

Kai simply replied and that’s it. L.Joe then leaned his body forward to meet eyes with Kai. His eyes filled with rage, and you knew that look very well. The look that used to give you so much fear, the look that he used when he was about to beat someone into pulp.

“Stop. Interrupt. Me. Or. ___.” L.Joe then grabbed Kai’s collar and dangerously whispered at him. “Just go away before I ripped that filthy mouth of yours!!”

“Oohh~ I’m scared~~” Kai said in a mocking tone and L.Joe instantly raised his fist up in the air, ready to blow a hard punch on Kai’s face.

“Byunghun! No!!”

Your voice awakened L.Joe again and he unwillingly let go of his grips on Kai’s collar. He then looked at you and he felt a spank inside his heart almost immediately. You looked scared, terrified, already in the verge of crying; sending L.Joe to the edge of a cliff named “guilty”. He quickly retreated back to sit down and took a deep breath.

Damn it, Lee Byunghun… You almost broke your promise with her…

You sat back beside him before you grabbed on his both hands and rubbed it gently, trying to calm him down. You knew he is always jealous with Kai and somehow you had expected for something like this to be happened. Kai is your very dear best friend, and L.Joe is your boyfriend. You couldn’t defend one of them, you didn’t want too. Both of them are precious and you are just hoping their relationship would grow better someday.

“Calm down…” You whispered to him and he nodded obediently; taking in your sweet voice to calm down his rage inside.

“Are you sure he won’t hit you someday? He doesn’t look like a person who can control his temper, though… I know he had promised you, but you know…” Kai smirked devilishly before stared deeply into L.Joe’s eyes. “Once a criminal, would still a criminal…”

You face-palmed yourself, didn’t know what to do anymore. Kai’s words were too much, but still he wasn’t the one at fault in here. If only L.Joe didn’t explode a couple minutes ago, then he wouldn’t say something like this.

“I know you really hate violence, ___… Are you sure you had chosen the right boyfriend for yourself?” Kai continued his sarcastic remark and you just sighed.

L.Joe tightened his fists until white knuckles appeared on his both hands. “Don’t act like you know everything about my girlfriend!!”

L.Joe made sure to emphasize the word “my”, but his rival doesn’t even look like he was infected by it.

“Oh, really? But sorry no sorry… I do know everything about her…” This time, Kai was the next one to emphasize a word in his words, making L.Joe grew hot all over his body and somehow it lit the fire inside his chest again.

L.Joe swiftly stood up again and pulled Kai by the collar harshly this time, making Kai reluctantly rose up from his seat.

“I swear I don’t care anymore if I have to go to jail after I kill you… Right now, right here, in this spot…”

“Go ahead… But what I said is the truth… It is true that I know everything about her… For your information, I know her long before you did and if only you didn’t show up in our life, then we would be having our own happy ending…”

L.Joe could felt something stung his heart by Kai’s words and he really couldn’t hold it back any longer. All the anger, jealousy and hurt inside him were now growing into a grudge; a wrath.

“Do you have any last words before I end your life?”

Kai sent a menacing glare to L.Joe before he shoved the thin boy hardly, making the latter stumbled back slightly.

“Let’s just meet in hell…”

You saw both of men in front of you were ready to raise their fists and beat each other senseless. People inside the café were started to gasps and grew panic. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, then you stood up from your seat then glared at both of them.

“STOP!!!!”

You loudly screamed and the two boys in front of your eyes stopped instantly. All people’s attentions were now on you and you couldn’t help but felt embarrassed.

You were mad, annoyed and ashamed at the same time. You didn’t know why these two childish men in front of you never grow up, and there’s only one thing that could stop them.

The source of the problem; the source of the endless “war” between them.

You.

You slung your purse to your shoulder before glaring at both of them. You took a deep breath before finally releasing what you had held before.

“I HATE BOTH OF YOU! STOP! JUST STOP. I DON’T WANT TO KNOW BOTH OF YOU ANYMORE! I’M OUT OF HERE AND DON’T EVEN DARE SHOW UP IN FRONT OF ME EVER AGAIN!!”

With that, you swiftly walked to the cashier and shoved some bills to them. “Here. Take the change and please forgive me for this inconvenience. I am sorry that I brought those two idiots and useless brats to come here.” You ended it with an apologetic bow then started to walk out from the café.

L.Joe and Kai looked at each other with the same shock expression before they hastily chased you outside.

“WAITT!!!! ___!!”

Both of them called your name in unison and grabbed both of your hands, stopping you from walking. L.Joe was on your right, meanwhile you have Kai on the left. If any people seeing you right now, they might think you are one of the luckiest girls alive in this world, having two ~~hot~~ gorgeous men holding your hands tightly.

“Let me go!!” You struggled to be freed from them, but your strength didn’t even a match for men like them.

“Ya, you jerk! Release my girl’s hand!” L.Joe glared at Kai and tried to shove his hand on yours.

Kai released your hand unwillingly before he looked away and cursed L.Joe under his breath.

L.Joe smirked in victory before he felt you tried to squirm your hand again. “Baby, what—”

“You too! Let me go!!” You shouted at your boyfriend and he looked at you just like you had grown a second head.

“W-wae?! I’m your boyfriend! Can’t I hold your hand?!”

Kai tried to hold his laugh because of the scene and L.Joe turned his head to glare at him, again. “Try laughing once and I promise you will be in hell in no time…”

“RELEASE ME!!”

You shouted for real this time, resulting some people who passed by to stop and looked at you weirdly.

“You are not my boyfriend right now! So don’t touch me!!”

L.Joe’s eyes almost popped out from his skull and blinked his eyes several times, trying to convince himself if he had heard you wrong. But no, the invisible fuming smokes coming out from your head, proved that he wasn’t daydreaming. “B-babe…? W-what did you just said…?”

His heart started to thump loudly and his head began to spin around.

Did she just break up with me…?

Kai’s eyes widened as well at what you just said and somehow he didn’t want to believe it. He did know how you love L.Joe with all your heart and that’s what he adored the most from you: your big affection for the others.

“I don’t want to have an idiot boyfriend like you! I don’t want a boyfriend who uses his fists to solve problem and act like a kindergarten kid in public! You can’t even control your emotions!”

L.Joe’s jaw dropped low and he could felt the corner of his eyes stung so badly, rendering to reduce tears any moment now. “B-but I—”

Kai’s smirk appeared, hearing your words. He knew you said this to make L.Joe stopped. To make your boyfriend stopped acting recklessly in public.

“That’s why I always told you to behave…” Kai showed his remarkable smirk at L.Joe.

“SHUT UP!!”

This time, both of you and L.Joe yelled at the same time and made Kai flinched. His Adam’s apple rose up and down nervously before he backed away a little.

“O-okay… I’m sorry…”

It was rare for you to raise your voice at him, and he knew this wasn’t the right time for him to interrupt. He didn’t have any rights to do anything in your relationship with L.Joe and he couldn’t help but felt hurt, but still, Kai faked a smile.

“Finally! You are on my side!!” L.Joe drastically turned happy because you just yelled at Kai. It was the first time for him to witness this and he couldn’t be any happier than now.

“No. You too. Shut up.” You glowered at him and continued. “I want you to shut that mouth and release my hand now…”

L.Joe stubbornly shook his head and just tightened his grip on your wrist. “No. I won’t let you go. It’s his fault that I lost control of my temper! If he weren’t there then I would never act like that… You know about it, right?”

“Geez… You are the one who lied and made her wait for you, but you are still blaming me? What an …” Kai grunted to himself but both you and L.Joe still caught what he said.

“YOU—!”

“Stop it you two!!” You roared in anger again, totally forgetting the fact that you were in the middle of the street right now.

“I’m so sick with both of you keep fighting like this! Can you two just stop!? You guys had known for a year right now, so why can’t you just befriend?!”

“BEFRIEND!?” L.Joe and Kai said in harmony.

“WHY SHOULD I?!”

Again, they said it at the same time.

You blinked your eyes and looked back and forth to L.Joe and to Kai, before they did something that surprised you even more.

“LIKE HELL IT WILL EVER HAPPEN!”

Both of them panting in anger, sending glare to one another, before looked away in unison, “Tch!”

A soft laugh pierced L.Joe and Kai’s ears as they turned heads, only to see you already laughing happily. They looked at you in confusion and thought that you might have gone crazy for real.

“Aigoo… You guys are so cute together! Look at that, you two are actually a match for each other! Hahaha!” You wiped the tears from the corner of your eyes before you smiled at both of them. “I really hope both of you to befriend for real… It would be cute…”

Kai’s expression slowly turned sad and his eyelids dropped as he stared at the ground.

It’s not that I don’t want befriend with L.Joe… I just… can’t. Because it hurts me every time I see you with him and I know I don’t have any chances to change this…

Kai released a chuckle before he lifted his face to see at you with a weak smile. “Well… He doesn’t even reach the standards to be my friend, so I don’t think I can do that…”

L.Joe just scoffed before he could feel his jaw tensed once more. Kai then walked closer to you and gazing softly at your eyes.

“I’m sorry I can’t grant this wish of yours, but I promise I would grant any other wishes you have…”

L.Joe rolled his eyes and faked a puking gesture. Your lips curled up to form a smile and nodded in understanding at Kai. To be honest, you knew the reason why Kai didn’t want to befriend with your boyfriend. You could see how his eyes always reflected hurt whenever he saw you together with L.Joe and you thought it was more than enough for him, you didn’t want to hurt him even more. The day that Kai and L.Joe becoming friends would never come to your vision, but you feel glad enough to have both of them in your life. In fact, they are friends in your eyes.

“Noted. I will think of something and make sure you grant my wish…” You grinned widely at him and Kai laughed softly.

“I will wait, then…” He ran a hand to ruffle your hair softly before he glanced at his watch. “Umm… I think I need to go now…”

“Oh finally…” L.Joe sarcastically said before he finally smiled widely at Kai.

Kai just rolled his eyes then focused back on you. “Call me if your boyfriend can’t control his temper again or something happened, okay?”

His wink made you slightly blushed, but the next move he made totally got you rooted on the ground.

“See you later—” Kai leaned down to kiss your cheek before he smiled from ear to ear. “—My best friend…”

Kai started to walk away while waving his hands. You didn’t do anything and just stared at his back figure gradually getting far and further away from you. You ran a hand to touch your cheek and traced the spot that Kai just kissed you.

It’s weird… Kai only kiss me on the cheek on my birthdays, though… Besides, he never kissed me in public or when other people are around—HEY WAIT! HOLY ! HE KISSED MY CHEEK IN FRONT OF—

Just like what you predicted, a sight of a fuming boyfriend welcomed you as you turned your head. His expression was unreadable. He didn’t utter a single word but just glowered at you.

Okay, this is totally not good…

You gulped because of his intimidating stare and opened your mouth, trying to explain what was just happened.

“Byunghun, it’s—”

“…Best friend, huh?”

He said it without even blinking at you and you started to feel scared, you just wanted to run away from him now, but you simply knew you couldn’t. His warm stares had menacingly turned dark, he was extremely pissed. To be very honest, you really hate this gangster-side of him and sometimes prayed that he wasn't a gangster to begin with.

“I-I… Byunghun-ah… It’s just—”

“Follow. Me.”

L.Joe suddenly pulled your hand by force and started dragging you somewhere without letting out a single word.

Oh , I am so done!