Jinwoo jolts at the sound of his phone alarm and finds himself on an empty bed. Was he dreaming last night? He grabs his phone to turn off his alarm and finds a long list of notifications. There were work emails, a few selcas from Taehyun who misses him badly, a "Good morning and have a nice day" from Seungyoon and a message from Mino about an hour ago. "Hyung, I had to go back to my villa to change and make some calls, but I didn't wanna wake you up. I'll wait for you at the breakfast place downstairs^^ Hugs^^"

There are no calls and no messages from Jiyong today, and Jinwoo takes it as a good omen. He gets ready for breakfast, washing up and changing into a comfortable V-neck Gucci sweater and black jeans. With a slight bounce in his steps, he greets Mino, who is sitting alone with a big bowl of cereals while reading a set of slides. 

"Morning, hyung! The architecture firm just sent the latest design proposal, wanna look at it after you grab some food?"

Jinwoo notices that Mino looks especially radiant today, with his stylishly washed out denim jacket and square-rimmed fake spectacles. He gives the man a bright smile and puts down his coat on the opposite seat. "Sure!" Jinwoo hums a happy song as he takes a plate of toasts and eggs and fills his cup with banana yogurt smoothie. "Does it look good?"

"Not bad." Mino passes the document over. "But what do you think of the material? I think using real wood is rather hard to maintain in the long run."

Jinwoo nods. "Yeah. I think we should substitute it with composite wood. It won't compromise the aesthetic and the maintenance is much cheaper, but the construction cost might be higher, depending on the type of wood that you choose."

"Hmm, can you arrange a material viewing for me before we meet the architects to confirm next week?"

"Of course. I'll get my secretary to contact the sources." Jinwoo says, glad that the dynamic of their relationship does not change after the incident. If anything, he can feel a closer emotional connection between them, deeper and stronger than the friendly ties he has forged with Seungyoon.

As Jinwoo is reading the document and making a few annotations, footsteps approach their table from behind. Secretary Park says, "Mr. Song, I need to introduce someone to you. He is a representative from the company in charge of the IT revamp of S Resort and he just landed on the island a while ago."

Mino remembers his mother telling him of the massive change she is instituting for the Jeju branch, turning the hotel into a heaven for tech-savvy tourists, and he looks up from his document. Secretary Park moves aside to reveal a trendy young man in a wide-rimmed Saint Laurent hat and extremely fashionable attire. The metal spikes on his Louboutin clutch glint dangerously in the morning sunlight. 

Mino offers a hand, "Song Mino, Project Manager of S Hotels. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

The man takes off his Chanel sunglasses and shakes Mino's hand. "Hello, Song Mino-sshi. I'm Kwon Jiyong, just appointed as the Development Director of Kwon Industries."

Mino feels as if he has been struck by a sudden lightning. He quickly stands up and puts a hand protectively on Jinwoo's shoulder to calm the other down, while Mino addresses the shorter man in front of him in a professional tone, "Jiyong-sshi, have you taken a tour around the hotel? I can bring you around for a while."

Kwon Jiyong smiles charmingly, folding his sunglasses and shoving it carelessly into his clutch. "I haven't, but I'm pretty tired and hungry after my flight. Aren't you eating too?" Jiyong eyes Mino's cereal bowl and walks suavely to the seat beside Jinwoo. "I think I need some food. Hi, Mino-sshi's friend, you don't mind me sitting here, right?"

Mino quickly says, "Actually, Jiyong-sshi, my friend is not feeling very well - "

Jinwoo puts his utensils on the plate with shaky hands and turns around in his seat, brushing off Mino's grip on his shoulder and facing Jiyong head on. “Yes, I totally mind. There are other empty tables around, so why don't you sit somewhere else, Kwon Jiyong-sshi?"

Jinwoo’s voice is laden with so much hatred and bitterness that Mino is rendered speechless and Jiyong's smile starts to falter. "Jin - Jinwoo-yah?"

“Scamper off. Don’t ruin my appetite."

Jiyong takes the seat beside Jinwoo, taking off his hat and revealing a mop of silver hair, and touches Jinwoo's wrist lovingly. "Jinwoo, baby, I've been trying to talk to you to tell you how sorry I am. Ever since you left, I have always thought of you, but you ignore all my texts - "

Jinwoo shakes off the hand in disgust and anger. "Get off me!" He lifts his smoothie and the document that he has not finished reading and turns to Mino. "Mino-yah, I understand if you wanna talk to that person about your business. I'll sit in the corner over there and continue reading this."

Jiyong stands up as well. "Song Mino-sshi, I'm very sorry, but as you can see, I have an unfinished personal business with your friend. If you don't mind, I'm going to - "

Jinwoo retorts caustically. "Oh really? Mino-yah, just so you know, I have no business with this person at all." He storms off to the corner table.

In a split second, Jiyong makes a move to follow him, but Mino holds his arm. "Jiyong-sshi, please don't create further chaos in my resort. The guests already start staring." 

Jiyong frowns, but instead of following Jinwoo, now he turns sharply to face the hotel owner. "Who are you? And what are you to Jinwoo?"

Mino itches so badly to punch the person in front of him, but he is a businessman and there is a need to stay diplomatic. "Let's sit down here and talk. You can order anything you want, it's on us."

"I'm not hungry anymore." Jiyong glances at Jinwoo, who is facing the wall, and grudgingly sits down at the table. "You haven't answered my question."

Mino sighs, "As far as you are concerned, I am here representing my company, so I don't think this topic is appropriate, Jiyong-sshi."

Jiyong mutters, "What bull. Let's cut it. I wanna know exactly what's going on. If you don't wanna tell me, I'll go and ask Jinwoo myself." He gets up from his chair, but Mino grips the his wrist tightly and rushes to say, "Okay, fine. I'm Jinwoo's friend."

"Why are you guys together in your resort? And why did he call you 'Mino-yah'? Jinwoo isn't someone who warms up to just anyone." Jiyong shoots another round of questions.

Pushing his cereal bowl aside, Mino stares into the other’s eyes firmly. "Look, the two of us are here for work and he only started calling me that yesterday. Is that all?"

"What work?"

"Come on, Jiyong-sshi. You should know that project information like this is confidential."

Jiyong slams his clutch on the table with frustration. "I'm gonna head to my room for now. Tell Jinwoo I will come and find him another time. Here or in Seoul or in any part of the world, it doesn't matter."

"I'll make sure to pass your message to him." Mino says emotionlessly. "Anything else?"

"And don't touch him. He's mine."

Mino stares challengingly. "No, he's not."

"You stupid little - "

"Go ahead. Curse at me. I can terminate our contract with Kwon Industries for your inappropriate behaviour. I'm pretty sure your dad won't be happy that his precious son botches up the first project he handles after getting promoted."

Jiyong swallows his saliva in frustration and clenches his fist. The next second, he stands up and leaves the room without a word.

***

"He's gone." Mino says, standing beside Jinwoo's table. "Wanna go for a site visit? I think you need some fresh air."

Jinwoo nods and leaves the room wordlessly together with the hotel heir. They head over to the empty site and Jinwoo stands at the edge, picturing how the designs proposed by the architect can fit in with the landscape, while trying to erase away all thoughts of being in the proximity of Kwon Jiyong.

"It's better to put the entrance over here, facing the beach, don't you think?"

"Hyung."

"And then the centrepiece will be around here, and the staircase to the second floor will be there."

Mino intentionally stands in front of Jinwoo, blocking his line of vision. "Jinwoo-hyung, you can talk to me about it, you know."

"About what? Kwon Jiyong?" Jinwoo laughs bitterly. "You can see yourself what he's like. Self-centred . He hasn't changed much since the last time I saw him."

"Did you guys break up recently?"

"Is half a year considered recent?" Jinwoo runs his fingers through his fluffy, newly washed hair.

"He said he's gonna go and find you. I think he's thinking of getting back together - "

"No way in hell. Sometimes I think of us in the past and how happy I was with him, and then I remember the moment after he threw me away like I'm a piece of trash." Jinwoo clenches his fists, cheeks flushed with anger.

Mino claps internally. "By the way, hyung, do I really look very similar to that guy? I think we look kinda different though..."

Jinwoo tilts his head in confusion. "Hmm? Maybe because he put on some makeup and he dyed his hair." He stands up and holds Mino's shoulders firmly. “I think you look better than him, though."

"Really?" Mino blushes and breaks out in a wide smile after the compliment. "Actually, hyung, let's forget about work and just have fun today! Wanna go in a jacuzzi?"

"Umm, where?" Jinwoo asks hesitantly, thinking that getting into a hot tub half with a guy right now might not be the best idea, especially when he has not sorted out his own feelings for said guy.

"The Presidential Suites! One of them is occupied but I can ask the staff to open the other one for us." Sensing the other's reluctance, Mino holds back a bit. "Ah, but if you don't like this kind of thing, we can always - "

Jinwoo finally makes up his mind and says, "No, you're right. I really need a break."

***

Mino walks back to his villa to grab his swimming trunks and partially as an excuse to get away from Jinwoo for a while.

He dials a number and waits impatiently for the person on the other side of the line to pick up.

"Hey, Mino, how's your business going?"

"Good, but I need to talk to you about something."

"Go ahead."

Mino is increasingly anxious by the second and he can feel the small cut on his lower lip throbbing slightly, reminding him of what happened last night in his living room. "Seungyoon-ah, I don't think I can help you anymore with Jinwoo-hyung."

"But whyyy?" Mino can picture his friend pouting and kicking his legs in the air, and feeling guilty is an understatement.

"I think I have feelings for him too."

"Oh." And then there is silence. 

"Yoon, I don't want this to ruin our friendship. You are one of the most important people in my life - "

"I understand," Seungyoon says in a serious tone. "Let's play fair, then. I won't hold it against you as long as we don't backstab each other."

Mino heaves a huge breath of relief, but his sense of remorse almost quadruples. "I'm so sorry, Yoonie, I should have tried to control my feelings for your sake, but I can't help it - "

"Kim Jinwoo just has that effect on people, doesn't he?" Seungyoon sighs. "You didn't do anything wrong. And thank you for telling me this, Mino-yah. Let's hang out after you're back from Jeju-do?"

"Alright. Take care in Seoul, Yoonie."

"You too, buddy."

***

Hundreds of metres away in the main resort, Jinwoo also uses his alone time to call his one and only best friend in the world.

"Taehyun-ah! I miss you!"

"Sssh hyung, is this urgent? I'm actually in class now." Taehyun whispers, crawling on all fours towards the doors of his lecture theatre.

"Yes, it is very urgent. Kwon freaking Jiyong is staying in this hotel too."

"You gotta be kidding me." Taehyun manages to escape and he shakes some dust off his knees. "He was stalking you, right? Are you rekindling your old romance?"

"No and no."

"Why? He's practically the only non-new money eligible Korean bachelor left on the planet and since you guys broke up mutually, there's always a chance - "

"No, we didn't."

"But you told me - "

Jinwoo clicks his tongue impatiently. "I lied, okay? He dumped me. Long story for another day. I need to ask you something else. Tae, what do you think of Song Mino? The guy that we met on Sunday?"

"Kwon Jiyong lookalike?" 

"Uhh, yeah." Jinwoo answers nervously.

Taehyun takes a moment to think, before saying flatly, "You like him."

"What? No, not yet - I mean, I don't know - "

"You asked me the same question about Jiyong-hyung last time, remember? Before you guys took a Disneyland tour on his jet? You never asked my opinion on anyone else." There's no response from the speechless Jinwoo, so Taehyun marches ahead. "Song Mino's alright. Looks like a funny guy and a bit too obsessed with food, but I'm okay with him. I think grandwa won't object either. What you feel is more important, hyung."

"That's the thing. I'm scared I'm conflating my feelings for him and for Jiyong. They look so similar it's kinda scary."

"Maybe this kind of face is your type?" Taehyun giggles. "But seriously, if you actually like him and you're ready to commit into a new relationship, why not? Just take your time to think about it."

"Hmm, if you say so..."

"Hyung! I have to get back to class. Call me tonight and tell me the full story about Jiyong-hyung?"

“Okay."

"Byebye!"

Jinwoo collapses on his back and closes his eyes for some time, getting into deep thoughts, before bouncing himself of the bed when he remembers about his jacuzzi appointment with Mino. 

Minutes later, he is already clad in swimming trunks, bath robe and a pair of hotel flipflops, heading up to one of the biggest suites on the top floor. Jinwoo rings the doorbell, waiting for Mino to open it with bated breath.