You said you’d make it on time…

And you said you wouldn’t wait for me even if I came on time.

Fair enough, he had said that. But that was after two bottles of soju and four hours of waiting on a bench in the park. Had Minho even thought about how cold it was? How the December wind had been biting through his jacket and left his cheek numb and his throat soar? Who would not yell out in anger at someone who just happened to be four hours late and not even bother with a single kakao message? Not even a text!

Taehyun stared down at the phone in his hand as he absentmindedly played with the phone strap hanging from the simple, black phone case. The sleek rock attached to a little chain and a leather strap had been a present from him. A silly present. A stupid, somewhat tacky, and yet extremely touching present. Most of the time he wanted to rip it off and throw it as far away as possible, and one time he even did it. But no one had seen him doing it, just as no one had seen him carefully putting it back together. The stupid thing meant too much to be thrown away just like that.

Do I ever not wait for you?

Do I ever not come back?

A whispered curse brushed past Taehyun’s lips and he let the phone slip from his fingers onto the floor. He hated it. Hated Song Minho and his smartass replies. Hated that he always waited for those replies, even if he knew they would upset him. Hated that one time or another the reply would come. That was the main problem: the answer always came, and so he couldn’t stop waiting. Just like he couldn’t let go of that goddamn phone strap.

Are you even coming back tonight?

No reply. After going through the efforts of picking up his phone and typing in a message, there was no answer. Not even a single syllable! The message was read, that much Taehyun could get from the chatting program. But why wouldn’t it let him know if the other was writing up a reply or not? Sighing again, the boy rolled onto his back and stared up at the white ceiling of his room. Why was it only him who worried and sat up half the night waiting for Minho? The other three seemed fine with letting him come and go, as he wanted as long as he was there for their set schedules and their set practice.

“God damn .”

Well, right now that was what he was. Taehyun balled his hand into a fist and knocked against mattress, hissing when his hand hit against the hard wood frame of his bed instead. See, this was all Minho’s fault! Minho’s fault that he was home alone, in bed, on a Friday night. Minho’s fault that his hand was hurting. Minho’s fault that he wasn’t sleeping. Everything was Song ing Minho’s fault.

Really? You’re not even going to answer me now? Jerk face! Just because I don’t know all the things you and your royal class friends know about hip hop doesn’t meant that you can just.

Just

Just forget it. I am not waiting anymore.

You said you’d make it on time…

And you said you wouldn’t wait for me even if I came on time.

Minho pressed the lock button on his phone and slipped it back in his pocket. Taehyun was at it again and he almost felt bad. Almost. The younger boy would always wait for him, always sit up with those slanting eyebrows so low he was sure they would touch in the middle. Why didn’t he see that when he said he would be late, he would be late? Waiting up was just dumb and would make Taehyun tired and grumpy in the morning. No one wanted a grumpy Nam Taehyun at their hands when they had work to do. And yet he waited.

The phone strap attached to the black phone case caught in the rapper’s jeans and he let out a sigh as he quickly detached it. Just because the other had seemed so incredibly happy when he gave his to him. Just because seeing those dark eyes lighten up. Just because of Nam ing Taehyun Minho was pushing his own limits all over the place. He really wasn’t that kind of person. He wasn’t nice. All the past failures had made him too wary of making friends with his group mates. Of course it was great seeing your friends debut, but it when you were left behind and had to watch their success that you almost got to be a part of.

Do I ever not wait for you?

Do I ever not come back?

Despite telling himself all these things, Minho was still being pulled back to the dorm. Even on the nights he’d rather stay out all night to think, write down random ideas for songs on the napkins at whatever café or bar he was at. Taehyun pulled him down like gravity and whenever he tried to get far enough away to become weightless again, it wouldn’t work. There would be that ring of his phone, a vibration notifying a new message on kakaotalk.

Are you even coming back tonight?

Was he coming back? He should. But Minho wanted to be weightless again, he wanted to be free again. Being tied down ended up with him getting his heart beaten up. It was always like that, like some stupid rule set down by stupid people who liked to watch him suffer. Before the survival program it had been even worse. What if they lost it? The other team was set to debut anyway, they were all so much younger than his team, they had what the higher ups wanted. But his team? They all knew that if this failed, many of them would have spent their final chance. How did you learn to relax and open up to people you might not see again after those hundred days of hell? It had seemed too difficult, too much. And then they actually won and now he was stuck with these four guys and supposedly let them in. Being friendly and joke around was not the problem. Taehyun was the problem.

Really? You’re not even going to answer me now? Jerk face! Just because I don’t know all the things you and your royal class friends know about hip hop doesn’t meant that you can just

Just what? 

Just

He wasn't going to tell him at all?

Just forget it. I am not waiting anymore.

Minho sighed, rubbed his eyes as he stood, back leaned against the door. See, he should have come sooner. Or at least gone in sooner. He had been there all the time, waiting for... for what? What had he been waiting for? For Taehyun to find him out there? All it would take was to press down the doorknob and he would be there. But not tonight. 

"Wait for me just a little longer."