3 years later (Yoseob's and Kiki's age: 23, graduated a year ago, Doojoon, Jun & Seung: 25, Dongwoon: 22, Joonyoung: 29 )

"J? You home?" Yoseob kicked his shoes off with enthusiasm, throwing his jacket on the jacket hanger. He made his way in further in to the apartment. He checked the kitchen, only to find it empty. There was a kettle and a frying pan on the stove, waiting for the eater.

Yoseob continued his way to the living room, and a small smile broke on to his lips, as he saw his lover sleeping on the couch with his hand draped over his eyes and his other leg fallen off of the couch.

He made his way to the couch and kneeled down.

"Babe? J? I'm home," he whispered, caressing Joonyoung's hair slowly. The older's eyes stirred as he forced them open. A yawn escaped his lips, before he smiled.

"Oh, hi. You're back. How did the interview go?" Joonyoung asked with a sleepy voice, giving a quick kiss to Yoseob. The younger rose from the floor and sat on the couch, lifting Joonyoung's legs on to his lap. 

Yoseob looked at him with an expressionless face, before a giggle of happiness left his lips. 

"I got the job. I'm officially a vocal coach," it was a quick drabble of words, but Joonyoung caught all of them. He lifted himself up fast, cupping Yoseob's cheeks in his hands.

"Are you serious? You're not kidding?" 

Yoseob shook his head, still smiling like an idiot. Joonyoung smacked a big kiss on his lips before pulling him into a hug, murmuring congratulations in his ear. 

"This is so great. You're so talented," the older breathed out, pulling away a little, "we have to celebrate. Let's invite our friends over. I can cook for us." 

Yoseob laughed, cuddling into the other's shoulder. 

"But you already cooked for the two of us," the smaller one pointed out, remembering the food in the kitchen. Joonyoung shrugged.

"We can put it in the fridge and eat it later. What do you say?" 

Yoseob looked at his lover with pure endearment in his eyes. He wondered how on earth he got so lucky, and then he kissed the older, deeply. 

"Sure. I'll call them after I take a shower, okay?" 

Joonyoung nodded, suddenly a lot more awake, already getting up from the couch and rolling up his sleeves, heading towards the kitchen.

Yoseob looked at his retreating back and felt his eyes welling up a little, from happiness. It was all so good. He got up from the couch too, heading for the shower. 

As he stepped inside the cubicle and let the hot water coat him, he closed his eyes and breathed out. It had been a big day. 

It had been one of those days when he had to reflect on his life choices, think about where he is right now and if he's where he wants to be. The interviewer had asked a lot of that sort of questions, making Yoseob question his own life. Where he stood in life right now, mostly.

He was happy. With his social life, with Joonyoung, with their flat for two in the center of Seoul. He was happy he decided to take a year off before going for job hunting. Joonyoung had decided to take a sabbatical and so they had spent half a year in London. Yoseob had taken some vocal courses and teaching courses in one of the local universities and Joonyoung had done the same, only with psychological studies.

They had made it easily without working with the money Yoseob had inheritated from his father. It had been blissful, the least to say. They had educated themselves, they had seen museums and learned English. 

After they finally returned, Yoseob had taken more teaching classes and then started to hunt for a vocal teacher's job. And today, he had finally gotten it. 

Even with all this happened, Yoseob still has those night where he just can't sleep. Where he thinks about things, people. 

But then Joonyoung pulls him close and kisses his cheek three times, before lulling him into sleep, and it's better. 

"Seob?" Joonyoung's voice echoes from the otherside of the bathroom door.

"I called the others. They're on the way. Hope you don't mind."

"It's okay. I'll be out in a minute," Yoseob answered, finally rubbing some shampoo in his hair. Joonyoung was such a sweetheart, honestly.

****

They were all sat around the dinner table, Lee Joon, Hyunseung, Junhyung, Kikwang, Dongwoon, Yoseob and Joonyoung. They had just toasted for Yoseob's new job and now they were tasting the food Joonyoung had put together in an amazingly small amout of time.

"This is so good. You're so lucky your man is this good of a cook," Hyunseung moaned at the taste, giving Junhyung a pointed look. 

Everyone laughed, except for Junhyung, who just shook his head.

"I'd be glad to teach you Jun, I'm sure you could be a good cook," Joonyoung said with a playful smirk on his face. It was no big secret that Juunhyung had only tried to cook once, and it had almost ended up with his and Hyuseung's place burning down.

"No, I'm fine, thank you though," Junhyung rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

It was silent for a while, as everyone just enjoyed the food. Yoseob's thoughts were unfocused, he had been distracted a lot lately, to tell the truth.

"So, Yoseob. Did you call Doojoon? To tell the big news?" 

It was Junhyung who asked this. He was looking at Yoseob with nonachalant expression, before focusing on his plate again. 

It sometimes hurt Yoseob how easily his friends brought up Doojoon. Sure, it shouldn't be a big deal anymore. The two barely spoke, just when something big happened, only couple times during Yoseob's time in London and just before that when he graduated. 

Before he was done with school they saw a little more often, but not crazy often then either. It wasn't awkward between them, not at all.

The phone calls or the evenings spent sitting on the couch, drinking coffee, catching up, brought them back to the time when they were-- when all was still alright. When it was perfect. 

It was so easy. They would fall in to the conversation and forget everything and everyone around them. They would laugh and joke around, they would sit silently next to each other, just staring. There would be small touches here and there, just to show each other that the electricity was still there, the tension.

And then it would always be just as hard to hug goodbye. They would always stand there little bit longer then necessary, maybe whisper the three words, so so silently that no one in the world would hear them except for them.

It was hard, because it was so easy.

"No. I didn't. I should though, now that you mentioned," Yoseob finally answered, giving the others a small smile, hoping no one would pay much attention to his thick voice that he had to force out behind the lump in his throat.

Nobody seemed to care as the conversation kept going.

It took some minutes for Yoseob to catch up, but soon he was talking like nothing had ever happened.

--

Joonyoung and Hyunseung promised to clean the kitchen as Yoseob retreated to the balcony, with his phone tightly clutched in to his hands. He closed the door behind him, leaning on the railing. The city lights were bright and it was a little cold, since it was already the end of October.

Yoseob had to dial the number quickly so that he wouldn't chicken out. It started ringing and he counted in his head how many months it had been now.

Almost seven.

"Hello," there was rustling heard on the other side of the phone, then a click. Yoseob let out the breathe he was holding.

"Hi."

It was silent for some seconds, before Yoseob spoke up again.

"I got a job. I'm a vocal teacher now," he nodded to himself, staring at his toes while he played with his sleeve with his free hand.

"You did? That's really amazing. I'm happy for you," it all came out slowly, and Yoseob could hear the happiness in Doojoon's voice. It seemed like he was genuinely delighted.

Yoseob just wasn't sure if it was because of the fact that he got the job or because of the call or possibly because of both.

"Yeah. I'm excited. I'll start on Monday," Yoseob explained, not fiddling with his sleeve anymore. The bad kind of tension had flowed past them already, leaving behind the comfortable atmosphere.

"Great. Where do you work? I'll come visit," it came out Doojoon's mouth so easily, with a small laugh. Yoseob smiled brightly and told the address to the older.

"How are you?" Yoseob asked then, just like he always did. Doojoon rarely called him with big news, and Yoseob thought it might be because he didn't want to make the easiness hard.

Doojoon heavy breaths were heard, before he chuckled, but the voice was strangled, like he was out of breath.

"You okay Doo?" Yoseob was feeling a tad worried, but the older soon spoke.

"I'm okay. Hell, I'm better than okay, Yoseob."

Yoseob could easily tell Doojoon was crying, but it wasn't hysterical crying. It was that silent kind of crying that could only be recognized when the person's breath hitched here and there.

"What's going on?" Yoseob asked, keeping his voice low, giving Doojoon space.

"He died yesterday," it was a mere whisper, but Yoseob's heart stopped for a second, "it-- it was a heart attack. He was stressed, I guess."

Doojoon sniffled, but Yoseob knew there was a small smile gracing his lips.

"Where are you?" Yoseob had to force the words out of his sand dry mouth, but he had to do this. He had to.

Doojoon seemed to get the gist as he answered quickly:

"In the park, the one near SUA. The bench."

With that, Yoseob ended the call and ran back inside.

The others were sitting on the couches and watching TV, obviously joking about something.

"I-- I have to go," Yoseob breathed out, locking eyes with Joonyoung. Joonyoung stared him straight in the eye for ten seconds, no one said anything.

Then he blinked and smiled.

"Don't be out too late."

Yoseob laughed a little, quickly walking up to him, giving him a kiss.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

****

Yoseob knew exactly which bench Doojoon was talking about, even though it had been years since they sat there together the last time. His steps were more like strides by the time he could see Doojoon sitting on the wooden bench with his back hunched.

He came to a stop right in front of the older man, only to notice how out of breath he was from running all the way from the parking lot.

"Jesus you scared me! You just ended the call, what the hell?" the first words to leave Doojoon's lips once he noticed Yoseob standing there.

Doojoon didn't get up though and Yoseob didn't sit down. They stared at each other and Yoseob cursed his own thoughts that were mainly pointing out how beautiful Doojoon looked, even with the