If a>b, then a+c>b+c

  Howon is not a mathematician.

  He is only a singer. Or a dancer, to be precise. He dropped high school when he was seventeen for his dreams. He could never be a teacher, let alone a mathematician that studies mathematics every single freaking day. 

  But he does know two things for sure.

  1. He is good at solving linear inequalities.

  2. His real name is Hodong.

  The two things seemed unrelated. But hey, in his mind, everything is related.

  Including the relationship between him and Sung Gyu.

-----

  Pit-pat. Howon stared tiredly at the sharp silver droplets that emitted from the grey sky and rolled against the hard surface of the slide, wetting the crimson plastic chute even more. In front of him lied a half-finished sandwhich and a ground of broken dreams--their dreams of not able to have their lunch because of the pouring rain.

  He turned to the person beside him, who was busy scooping his fish fillet hamburger into his mouth, simply oblivious to his surroundings. Howon muttered, 'Hyung...How can you still eat here under the heavy rain?'

  Sung Gyu vexed his confused eyes onto Howon, ‘What? What’s wrong? Why can’t I? And how about your sandwich. Aren’t you going to finish it? Manager Hyung-nim is seriously going to kill us if we don’t sneak back there on time…’

 

  ‘Stop. Stop your nagging Gyu Hyung. Seriously, hyung? My sandwich is damp. Oh hell, is damned. ’ Howon complained as he shoved his sandwich into his mouth and pulled a disgusted face. 'Ew. This .'

 

   'I don't care. Just finish it and get back to the dance studio as soon as possible, all right?'

   'Whatever you say, hyung.'

    Howon munched on his sandwich. 'Hey hyung. What do you think we would be if we really become idols one day? Do you think we would be surrounded by fans? Or do you think we would have no support at all?' 

  'Why bring this up?' Sung Gyu looked at Howon with curiousity.

  'I...I am just a little bit scared for our future. I heard the company have been interviewing some trainees. Have you seen any other trainees that are said to be chosen to be dubuted as well recently? ' Howon asked.

  'Yes. And apparently I don't like him much,' Sung Gyu furrowed his eyebrows.

  'What's his name?' Asked Howon in surprise.

  'Nam Woo Hyun.' Sung Gyu replied. ‘That kid really pucks on my nerves. His heart-throwing tactics may win those noona’s heart, but definitely not mine. He is really—argh—disgusting.' He turned his attention back to Howon. 'By the way, will you choose a stage name when we debut? Or would you just use your name?'

  'Nope. I have decided my stage name already. I would be called Hoya,' Howon said in full confidence.

  'What? Why? It is a kind of flower, y'know,' Sung Gyu could not hold his laughter upon seeing Howon's serious face.

  'Huh. It's a childhood nickname, hyung. It is not that bad, is it?'

  'It sounds smooth, to be honest,' Sung Gyu patted the younger one's shoulder. 'I am just going to call you Hoya the Flower from now on.'

  Howon whimpered. 'Why do you always like to tease me?' 

  'You are fun to tease.'

  'This is not fair! Then tell me, what would you be called?'

  'I don't know. Just Kim Sung Gyu I think,' Sung Gyu replied without hesitation.

  'You should be called some weird names, hyung. Just your name is too plain. Hmm...Maybe you sholud be called The Singing Brownie Hamster. That sounds nice.'

  Sung Gyu chuckled in amusement. 'Why brownies?'

  'I want to eat them now...' Howon pouted. 'Next time we should just steal some brownies from the canteen. I heard the aunties there make awesome desserts but we'd never get to enjoy them.' 

  'Stop daydreaming,' Sung Gyu scoffed. 'Hurry up. We have to leave now.'

  'You are annoying, you brownie hamster.'

  'You are more annoying, you stupid flower.'

-----

    Hypothesis:

    If Howon (A) > Sung Gyu (B), then Howon (A) + Woo Hyun (C) > Sung Gyu (B) + Woo Hyun (C)

    Predicted Results:

   If Howon loves Sung Gyu more than Sung Gyu loves him, then when some other factors (C) come in, the chemistry between the two parties (A+C) will be larger than that in (B+C). 

    Observations:

    Sung Gyu becomes a jealous hamster.

    This was written in Howon's notebook.

-----

    'I don't understand. Why do you have to bring this up? ' Howon ditched Sung Gyu a disapproved look. 'It's just me and Woo Hyun chatting in the van. No big deal.'

    'Not just chatting. But chatting in front of a camera. Don't you realise how unprofessional you were?' Sung Gyu jabbed his finger against Howon. 'And what on earth were you guys talking about? Girls' group? Seriously? How immature.'

    'Ha. I thought you are a big fan of Girls' Generation.'

   'Well, yes I am.' Sung Gyu crossed his arms. 'But saying these things in front of the camera is another issue. Completely childish, I say.'

    'It's just for fun, hyung. Just for show effects. The audiences love to see us bicker,' Howon's voice crept in a little bit of impatience. 'Can't you see?'

   'No,' Sung Gyu answered. 'Show effects? What do you mean by show effects? Your jokes are so lame that no one ever laughs at them.'

   'Why do you have to say that?' Howon balled his fists. 'Your jokes aren't that funny either.' 

   'What?' Sung Gyu retorted. 'All your jokes are just about hurting people's feelings. All you do is just hurting me by saying untrue rumours. Don't you see my job as a leader is already hard enough?'

   'Those are not real! The audiences obviously know that! You have no humor at all.'

   'Me? No humour? Right. I endured your stupidity every time and what do you mean by now? You are the one who started this mess.'

   'I didn't! It's you who brouught up this stupid damn topic! Why so sensitive anyway? Are you scared that I will abolish your woogyu line?' Howon sneered.

   'You--you --'

   'Woah, woah. What's happening? No need to swear, Gyu Hyung. And what's with that look, Hoya? Your eyes look as if you can murder someone right now, you know,' Woo Hyun pushed through the door and was surprised to see two of s fight. He had never seen them so angry before; especially Sung Gyu. His pupils were a shade darker than normal, and he seemed to contain so much anger that Woo Hyun wondered if he was going to collapse.

  'All right. Both of you, calm down. We are the next performer. Let's just discuss it after the performance, shall we?' Woo Hyun mustered a smile to loosen the tense atmosphere a bit. 'We should get going. Come on!'

   -----

   Of course, no one talked about the fight after the performance. Not even the two main characters concerned. Sung Gyu would not talk to Howon unless needed; and Howon did not respond to anything that's about Sung Gyu. All the other members seemed to notice the weird ambient between the two, but no one dare to say a thing.

-----

  Everything seemed all right until a programme came up and enquired only Sung Gyu and Howon to attend the interview. This left Howon in an awkward solution. He had to act professional in front of the camera, just like what Sung Gyu said. 

  He approached Sung Gyu the night before the interview.

  'Hey,' Howon went inside Sung Gyu's room after knocking the door. 'Um...Shall we prepare for tomorrow's interview?'

  'Yeah.' Sung Gyu did not even look up from his computer screen and continued typing.

  'Uh. So...Have you seen the questions yet?'

  'Yeah.' The same answer again.

  'What are you planning then?' Howon flipped through his notebook.

  'Answer the questions.'

  The atmosphere freezed to a gloomy point.

  'What's wrong with you? Why don't you answer me properly?' Howon bursted out his irritation. 

  'What? I am answering properly,' Sung Gyu answered in a lazy tone.

  'Be more mature, please. We are not seven years old, for god's sake. Finish the job in a more qualified manner, can you?' Howon lowered his voice. 

  'Whatever. You will still spread the rumours of me, right? Go on! Do the same thing tomorrow! I don't care anymore.' Pain was obvious in Sung Gyu's eyes.

  'I am sorry, all right? Just finish our work.'

  'Who are you to me? Why can you command me? I am older than you.'

  '...We used to be best friends.'

  Sung Gyu sighed at Howon's reply. 'Sometimes I just don't understand you, Howon-ah.' He said quietly. 'What's with you and Woo Hyun. Both of you. I just can't see through your mind.'

  'My mind is not hard to understand, hyung,' Howon sat on Sung Gyu's bed rim. 'Maybe I kept too many secrets from you.'

  'Like what?' Sung Gyu raised his eyebrows.

  'Like, my birth name is HoDong.' Said Howon slowly. 'And I am good at solving linear inequalities.'

  'The two don't relate.'

  'In my mind, they do.'

  'See? That's why I don't understand you.'

  'You have to use linear inequalities to know my mind, hyung.'

  'Oh, do I? Unfortunately I am not good in Maths,' Sung Gyu answered with a shrug.

  'Hyung, maybe it's not about your Mathematical abilities. It's just that you don't know me well.'

  '...That hurts, Howon, for a best friend.'

  'I was looking forward for you to find my secrets out yourself.'

  'Well, I did find them out.'

  'After I told you about that.'

  'That's why you are so distant to people.'

  'No. That's because they don't know how to solve linear inequalities. And I am good at something they aren't. So they became jealous hamsters.'

  'Jealous hamster? What's that?'

  Howon handed him his notebook and after a few minutes, Sung Gyu's face turned as red as a tomato. 

  'I am not a jealous hamster.'

  'Yes, you are.'

  '...I give up. Your concept is too weird.' Sung Gyu moaned. 'What are you keeping from people besides the two facts that you just told me?'

  'That you are my best friend?'

  'Well, that's a known fact.'

  'But it seems like you have forgotten it, hyung. Sometimes it seemed like Woo Hyun is your first friend choice than me.

  They sat in silence for a few moments. Finally Sung Gyu spoke, 'I am sorry, Howon. Yeah, I may have turned a jealous hamster when it came to Woo Hyun. But I promise it won't happen again. I mean, the fight.'

  Howon replied. 'Great that you know.'

  'And now you have a better nickname, Hoya the Flower. I am going to call you HoDong, from now on.'

  'And I am going to call you Jealous Hamster.'

  They laughed together and Howon looked at the older meaningfully.

  'Do you still remember the trainee times?'

  'Yes, I do.' Sung Gyu nodded his head. 'Those are some memories I won't forget. You are my only best friend. Don't worry.'

  'How 'bout Woo Hyun? Not even him?'

  'No, not even him.' Sung Gyu comfirmed.

  'When did you learn to be that cheesy...'

  The two bursted into another round of chuckle.

  -----

  Howon is not a mathematician. He is a singer. Or a dancer, to be precise.

  But he just solved some problems that probably the best mathematician in the world could not solve either.

  Solving the knot between him and Sung Gyu using linear inequalities is the best thing that has ever happened in his life.

  The two things seemed unrelated. But hey, in his mind, everything is related.

  He is super sure of it.