The refusal Chanyeol gave to eat inside the restaurant made both him and Sehun end up in the parking lot, sitting inside Sehun’s fully air-conned car. The piling up emotions inside him made him feel vulnerable, like stripped open and . Being in a crowd where many strangers could see him was the last thing he wanted to do. They were munching on the burgers in the complete absence of speech, with the faint sound of songs from the tape served as the white noise.

Sehun made the movement of his eyes undetectable to Chanyeol from the side. He stole some gazes every time Chanyeol took a new bite of his burger, trying to figure out what situation Chanyeol was in. He wore formal attire in the middle of the day, so he might have gone to a professional setting. He just graduated. Job interviews? It could be that. Sehun waited for Chanyeol to talk. That guy wouldn’t agree to go this far if he had nothing to say.

“I just had an interview. Starwire”. There he was, finally talking and confirming Sehun’s assumption as if he was reading his mind.

“That game developer company?”.

“You know about that?”.

“It’s pretty huge in Korea”, Sehun unfolded about an inch of the paper wrapping down so he could bite on it. “My senior is working there too”.

Chanyeol nodded his head. “And you? You don’t have class?”.

“It’s on 2.30”, Sehun answered. “And I’m bored with the cafeteria’s food”.

And so, they were back into eating.

“Enjoy your time in college while you can”, Chanyeol spoke again. “It’s not even a month since I graduated and now I’d rather sit in class for 4 hours straight rather than be an actual adult”.

Sehun raised one corner of his lip. “I have heard tons of bad reviews about adulting though. Very not recommended, I conclude”.

“I know. It’s like, you’re constantly being pushed to run even when you lost an arm and a leg. Man, give me a ing break”. Chanyeol took a sheet of tissue from the dashboard and wiped his mouth with it.

“So, did you not ace the interview?”, Sehun finally tried to probe.

“I think I did”, Chanyeol said. “That’s not the problem”.

“What is it, then?”.

“I broke up yesterday”.

Oh.

So, that finally happened.

The air felt tight like when they met at the cafe and talked about the same matter. Sehun waited for Chanyeol to speak more about it.

“I...I showed up not in the right mind, like...who could have to think clearly after a breakup and a night full of drinking?”, Chanyeol’s voice turned softer and lower. “I’m done trying to change him. Maybe Kyungsoo was right”.

“Right about?”.

“Love alone would never be enough”, he sighed. “There are so many things other than the explosion of serotonin and oxytocin that you should consider when you want to be with someone”.

Sehun paused with his half-eaten burger in his right hand, silently staring at the paved parking lot with Chanyeol still eating next to him. He let those words absorbed into his mind. Because it was true, to some level, that love sometimes is just a mere chemical reaction. It was not designed to be something perpetual. How could you build anything eternal on the ephemeral foundation? Oh, how he would like to endlessly talk about this as he was the victim of that phrase himself.

“Can I be able to love again after this?”.

That question was left hanging in the air.

Sehun didn’t answer Chanyeol’s question with yes or no. It wasn’t his responsibility to begin with. He only looked over Chanyeol and kept it until that guy followed, and they were looking at each other.

“You’ll figure it out”, Sehun said. “All you have now is time”.

“And trauma”. Chanyeol didn’t exactly mean it to be a joke, but he let out a short snort. He buried that confusion in another bite of his burger. “It hurts like ing hell”.

Just as Sehun continued to savor his meal, he heard a muffled sob from the passenger seat, that grew louder as seconds passed by.

Chanyeol quickly put his burger down to the box and took a tissue to wipe his eyes and nose. But the wail just would not stop by so. He had lost count of how many times he had been crying since last night, like it was a cycle. Everything he did up to this point is just a break from a cry to another cry and his stockpile of tears wouldn’t be running out soon.

Sehun let him mourn for another few minutes. I understand what you feel.

He rotated his torso to the back and took his big water bottle from the seat, then he gave it to Chanyeol. That guy took it without looking at Sehun. He gulped a few times, and his sob did get slowed down.

“Ah, I’m sorry”, Chanyeol finally spoke again, with his broken voice. He handed the water bottle back to Sehun. “I just—I just can’t—“.

“That’s alright. You don’t have to explain yourself”.

And then it was awkward.

“I mean, the first few days and weeks is usually the hardest”, Sehun said. “But it gets better. It always gets better”.

Chanyeol nodded his head. He continued to eat the burger that he put down prior as he stared at Sehun.

“The ending of my last relationship was hellish too”. Sehun tapped his index and middle fingers continuously on the paper wrap, hesitant about the sequences of words he wanted to let out. “I...was being left just like that, without explanation. If that will make you feel better”.

“Wah...She’s so selfish for that”.

“It’s...a he, anyway”.

The sudden realization brought a rush of blood to Chanyeol’s ears and cheeks. “I...I’m sorry I didn’t know”, he stuttered.

Sehun took this opportunity to turn the previously uneasy atmosphere into a lighter one. “Do I look so straight to you?”.

“What? What—no, not really—I mean—“, Chanyeol scratched the back of his head. “Ah...it will sound so wrong anyway. I hope you catch what I mean”.

Sehun laughed at his nervousness. It somehow lifted the burden Chanyeol held on his shoulder, and so, he laughed together with Sehun.

They both looked at each other at the same time. Harmoniously, they decided that one second was enough, and then resumed their meals like nothing just happened.

~***~

Jongin decided to take a temporary break from his job as boyfriend-for-rent because lately, everything had been very overwhelming for him.

He believed that it was just one of those phases where he constantly stuffed his mind with thoughts and let them bounce all over his skull, no matter how restless he already felt. And to juggle a lot of day-to-day works that took up his cognitive space would leave tiny room for Jongin to breathe. Jongin tried to think of why this phase was coming back again when his life had been going well so far. Knives, cutter, or even the tip of his pen had been making more than a month of absence from grazing his skin, but now he found himself giving more energy to resist that temptation.

Thankfully, Sehun had been a very understanding friend and boss. He let Jongin take as much break as he needed. It was everything Jongin could ask for at the moment.

Seulgi texted him last night. Sehun’s birthday was coming up, and she asked him to shop for gifts together after she was done with her date. Jongin agreed to that. They had decided to meet in one giant shopping mall this evening.

And when Jongin arrived at the outdoor park on the back of the mall, where Seulgi had been waiting for the last three minutes, he instantly recognized the girl he was looking for. A girl with chubby cheeks, mid-back hair with light brown color, and usually wrapped in colorful attire.

“Hey”, he greeted her first, startling Seulgi from her reverie.

Seulgi instantly smiled at him. “Hey! You’re here”. She pinched the fabric of his jacket and dragged him with her. “Come on, let’s start from the book store. I want to give him painting supplies”.

Jongin walked along with her.

As soon as he saw Seulgi, the memory of where he was defeated on the boxing ring emerged into his consciousness. Until now, every time he remembered it, or anything related to Seulgi, his heartbeat would rise, somewhat between radically anxious and electrifying. He didn’t feel too comfortable, not because the defeat hurt his pride or ego—but because it was unfamiliar. It felt so good for him when he thought of her that it made him terrified. Her face, her vast range of expressions, her words in the real world and in texting. He hadn’t felt something quite similar in a while. Unfortunately, it was seizing the space in his head without him even knowing, and perhaps, his phase was coming back to tell him that I’m uncomfortable with this new feeling, please delete it.

What a paradox.

“Are you alright, Jongin?”.

Seulgi’s question resurrected Jongin from his immersing train of thoughts. “Yeah. I’m fine”.

“Have you eaten? Should we eat after this?”.

“No, no. I’ve had my dinner”. Lies. “But if you want to eat, we can go”.

“I did. I’m so full right now”. Seulgi pointed at the book store a few meters ahead of them. “That’s it. Come on”.

And they went inside the store. The place was spacious and even had its own stairs to access the second story. Anything with loads of books would be Jongin’s instant paradise, but that wasn’t the reason he went here tonight. He decided to follow Seulgi’s steps into the art supplies section.

In one of the psychology textbooks that Jongin read to do his past client’s homework, he remembered this theory. Misattribution of arousal. You can wrongly label something you thought was romantically or ually arousing, when it was just fear or anxiety. This was why some people preferred to do something that pumped out their adrenaline on their first date—watching horror movies, bungee jumping, riding a roller coaster—to shift their perception of that ambiguous anxious feeling into romantic feelings. Knowing this theory, Jongin was convinced it was all disquietude. He had never physically fought someone in his life before. Of course it would make him agitated.

He forged that thought into his mind vigorously. Especially when Seulgi was coming too close to him, where he could hear her silvery-tuneful voice clearer, and smell her fresh-sweet honey-like fragrance more explicitly.

Seulgi already put several sets of acrylic paint, water paint, and brushes into the basket. But she still walked around, and Jongin asked, “What more do you need to buy?”.

“Sketchbook”, she said. “Sehun did paint a lot back then. I don’t know if he still has some spare books or not. Let’s just buy it”.

“Back then? What do you mean?”.

“Well, it's his hobby. But since he got tons of coursework, he didn’t really do it anymore”, Seulgi shrugged. “Oh...and ever since his break up. He just...lose his appetite”.

Jongin nodded his head. So, the painting that he saw in Sehun’s apartment was probably an old piece.

“Are we going to split the payment?”.

“No. This is my gift for him”, she stopped to look at Jongin. “You get to buy something for him too”, Seulgi pressed her index finger to his shoulder slow but forcefully. It made Jongin physically shuddered.

“What?”. Jongin pouted. “Does he like to read? I mean, now that we’re in the book store”.

Seulgi hummed and shriveled her forehead. “Not really. He does read a lot for his work, but for leisure...”.

After Seulgi made sure she got everything in check, she went to the cashier to pay everything. Jongin looked around to find some inspiration. Sehun, Sehun, Sehun. He was a very kind man—too kind, even—with persistent work style, a well-kept and tidy living space, who paid a lot of attention to his appearance...

“So”, Seulgi put her wallet back to her sling bag. “Got any idea?”.

Jongin nodded his head. This time, he was the one who dragged Seulgi around to follow him. They walked from the existing floor, went upstairs, until Jongin finally stopped in front of a clothing store. One of Jongin’s favorite brands.

“Clothes?”, Seulgi asked before they walked in.

“Hmm. What do you think?”, Jongin asked back, both of his arms folded in front of his chest. “What he likes is the opposite of what I like. He has the same measurement as me. It will be easy”.

Seulgi chuckled at his answer. Reasonable enough. Jongin would instead jump to a pool full of piranhas rather than arrange full-color outfits from head to toe. Meanwhile Sehun was pretty flexible, he did incorporate a variety of colors in his outfit. From monochrome, soft pastels, and even vivid primary colors.

Jongin picked out several jackets from time to time and showed them to Seulgi to get a second opinion. Sometimes she nodded enthusiastically, sometimes she just simply shook her head, and sometimes...she grimaced in wry.

There was one that caught Jongin’s attention the most. He took it off from the rack while rubbing his hand on it to feel the texture. It was a faux sterling jacket. The front body’s color is beige, the collar and the two big pockets on the chest were in taupe, meanwhile, the backside and the arms part were bronze. He wore it on top of his shirt, and Seulgi beamed up at sight.

“Whoah. That’s really cool”. She tiptoed, grabbed the collar to put it down, and pulled the middle part to make it more fitting to Jongin. Then, she pushed him by the shoulders to the nearest big mirror.

Jongin didn’t know how to shoo Seulgi’s hand from both of his shoulders when she literally spun him around from left to right to see how that jacket fit into him. He chose to stay silent and let Seulgi be very excited seeing his reflection in the mirror.

“Jongin, this looks so nice even on you”, she said. “You’re in size L too, isn’t it?”.

“What do you mean even on me?”, Jongin squinted his eyes, throwing that suspicious gaze from the mirror.

“I mean—you always wear black! I never saw you with something like this”, Seulgi grinned. “I’m sure Sehun will like it”.

Jongin took off that jacket and wore his own. He checked on the size. Large. And the price might be worth it, not for the materials of the jacket, but for what Sehun had done for him. Actually, it might even be considered as less.

When they both walked out from the gigantic glass door of the mall’s front part towards the sidewalk, Seulgi poked Jongin’s arm and started telling him her plan.

“Ask Sehun to hang out this Saturday”, she began, “And I’ll ask him later on Saturday to hang out with me too. Then when he said he can’t, I’ll accuse him of liking you more than me. It will make him guilty as hell”.

Jongin snickered. That sounded so evil, knowing how soft Sehun’s heart was, and how he probably couldn’t say no to both of them. “Fine”.

“I’ll order the cake. It’s on us, okay?”, she pointed at Jongin then to herself. “His birthday is on Monday. Do you remember his class schedule?”.

“We’ll work in FSS at 9”.

“Okay. Then we’ll get to his apartment at 7”.

“What?!”.

“We’re giving him a surprise!”, Seulgi’s eyes lit up when she said that. “You have to wrap your own gift. I’ll bring mine and the cake too”.

Jongin nodded his head. This wasn’t a bad idea. It allowed him to feel the warmth and merriment of friendship once more, after being idle for so long.

They finally arrived in front of the stair that connected to the underground subway. Seulgi stopped and turned to face Jongin.

“Thank you for today”, she raised her free left hand to pat Jongin’s arm. “Go home safely, okay?”.

“I should be the one who said that”, Jongin replied. “S-should I send you home?”, he lifted his left wrist to see the watch. “It’s almost 9 PM”.

Seulgi giggled as she walked to erase the space between them. Jongin didn’t expect to feel Seulgi’s palm against his forehead. But that was what happened, so he pushed her arm away.

“What?”.

“I’m checking up if you’re sick”, Seulgi said. “This is so not you”.

“You prefer us to fight all the time?”, Jongin rolled his eyes and was ready to turn his back. Seulgi grabbed his arm fast.

“No, no. That’s not what I mean”. Seulgi smiled at him. “Thanks, Jongin. But I’ll be just fine on my own. I swear. I’ll call you if something happens”.

Jongin clicked on his tongue and nodded. “Good, then”.

Seulgi once again bid goodbye to Jongin with her grin before she really turned around and walked away, without looking back.

And Jongin, stared at her until she finally disappeared.

That was not the best that happened.

But also not the worst.

~***~

Seulgi didn’t know that her plan would unfold a probability that never once crossed her mind.

Jongin sent the screenshot of his chat with Sehun on Friday, asking him to go to their campus library on Saturday. But Sehun rejected him. He told Jongin that he already got another plan.

Oh Sehun

I’m sorry, I’ve made a plan at that time.

KJ

What plan?

Oh Sehun

I’m going to the cinema with my friend

KJ

Friend?

Oh Sehun

Chanyeol. He’s Seulgi’s client. But he had stopped using our service. So, we’re friends now.

The last time Seulgi spoke with Chanyeol directly was during the dinner at his house. She did remember so vividly about Chanyeol’s secret, that it turned out not to be so discreet anymore. This told Seulgi that Sehun had already known what was going on between Chanyeol and his boyfriend. Because no way Chanyeol was asking Sehun to go to the cinema—to go on a date—if he was still together with his boyfriend?

Nothing is confirmed yet. Seulgi roamed around her apartment from the kitchen back to her room and her kitchen again that Saturday morning, clenching her right fist right in front of her chest. Nothing is confirmed yet. Calm down, Seulgi. Calm down.

She picked up her phone from the bed and called Sehun right away. At the fourth tone, Sehun finally answered.

“Hey, Seulgi”.

“Sehun!”, she called him in high pitch. “Do you want to get pizza with me this afternoon? I know a great place we can try. I think it’s new? We never went there yet”.

“Ah, I’m sorry Seulgi-ya. I have plans already for today. Maybe tomorrow?”.

“Plans? With who?”.

“I’m going to the cinema with Chanyeol and—“.

“Chanyeol?!”, Seulgi pretended to be shocked. “Why are you going out with someone’s boyfriend?!”.

There was a short pause before Sehun spoke to her again. “He...isn’t with his boyfriend anymore. Listen, Seulgi, this is not like what you think, okay? We’re just hanging out and that’s all. As friends. Like you and I. Nothing more”.

Seulgi had to fake the most scornful scoff she could generate. “Am I supposed to believe that?”.

“Did I ever lie to you?”.

Seulgi paused. She initially wanted to make Sehun feel guilty. And now, her own plan backfired. Seulgi was the one who felt guilty now.

“Fine. Go spend your Saturday with him”, she said. “I’ll ask Jongin to hang out, then”.

She could hear him click on his tongue. “As a friend?”, his tone sounded suspicious.

“Yeah, just like you and Chanyeol too”, Seulgi imitated Sehun’s voice earlier with a mockery tonality. “What, you’re jealous?”.

“Why should I? You’re the one which sounds so jealous right now”.

“That’s because my best friend is hanging out with some other boy without telling me first! Do you suddenly forget about us? ‘Oh I’ll give you one of my kidneys if you need three, Seulgi!’. What about that vow you made?”.

Sehun chuckled at her response. That was not the reaction that Seulgi aimed for. “Seulgi, are you really mad at me? We can hang out tomorrow, okay? I’ll pick you up. Just us. No one else!”.

“No need to. I lost my mood”, Seulgi exhaled loudly so Sehun could hear. “Have a nice day with Chanyeol”.

Then she hung up.

Seulgi put her phone on the desk and straight-up jumped into her bed. She buried her face on the pillow. Chanyeol had broken up and Sehun would hang out with him soon. It felt weird. Like, jealous—not only at Sehun for hanging out with her crush, but at Chanyeol too, for getting closer with her best friend.

Her phone vibrated.

Sehun <3

I’m sorry ddeulgie :(

Seulgi groaned, clenched on her phone and throw her back into the bed again. How could it ever cross her mind to hurt Sehun, even just as a prank?

~***~

Seulgi Kang

Jongin, our plan failed.

Miserably.

Jongin @___@

So?

Seulgi Kang

Let’s just give him the surprise that he deserves.

~***~

It’s not a date.

Sehun went on with that mindset that Chanyeol did nothing more than what friends do. Just because both of them were into men, that didn’t mean an activity spent together was directly translated into a date. No, it wasn’t. Besides, Chanyeol never displayed anything suspicious to Sehun’s judgment. Not that he knew of.

He didn’t need to make this kind of justification to himself, anyway. He knew himself the best. No one could tell him otherwise.

Except that when he and Chanyeol finally hung out, everything that Sehun had thought before was pushed into the edge of the cliff, ready to be thrown away and broken as it has never existed before.

Chanyeol had been in a better condition compared to what Sehun last known of him. He was smiling more, laughing more, and shining more from within. When Chanyeol was in a good state, he could be a cheerful companion who brought warm and positive vibes, and Sehun would be a fool if he didn’t admit that. Sehun initially thought it would be awkward at some point if he spent two hours in a very close, confined proximity with Chanyeol—but when the movie ended, he was proved the opposite.

And the real deal happened when they went to the bar afterward.

They were having a casual and fun conversation. About the current celebrity trends. College and work stuff. Funny stories from their friends and acquaintances. The slow music and warm light that shined upon them generate even a more pleasant ambiance. It was nice, it made Sehun and Chanyeol forget about everything negative once, it made them want to stay on longer.

“Sehun”, Chanyeol called, still sitting side on-side with Sehun and their drinks on the table above their knees. “Can I be honest?”.

Oh no. This kind of precaution always made his gut stir into a painful knot.

Sehun turned his face at Chanyeol’s, now they were staring at each other. “No, you make me anxious”.

Chanyeol quickly laughed at him. “It’s nothing bad. I promise”.

Unconsciously, Sehun grabbed his short glass and spun it on his palm around. He was nervous. “If you said so”.

Chanyeol started his sentence with a short hum. “I want to know more about you”.

As much as Sehun appreciated Chanyeol’s straight-to-the-point way of communicating, he was still freaking out inside.

He let out a short chortle. “What more do you want to know?”.

“Everything that you want to let me know”, Chanyeol shrugged his shoulders. “As you said. Time is all that I have. I’ll use it wisely”.

Sehun nodded his head. He took a sip on his drink and looked back at Chanyeol. “Okay. Should I start with my childhood traumas or should I start with my favorite comfort food?”.

“Well...I don’t remember signing up as your therapist”, Chanyeol scratched the back of his head, still with a big grin on his face. “I mean, I just don’t want you to think that I’m rushing everything, because I’m not. I...feel like you’re a decent person and I’d like to keep people like you around”.

That was very clear and mature of him.

A part of Sehun was scared when he saw the glistening pair of eyes from Chanyeol, though it was the shaded and comforting type. He couldn’t exactly pinpoint what underlay his fear. Maybe the remaining bad memories from his past relationship. Maybe Chanyeol would discover an unpleasant part of him later and change his mind. Maybe because even though it only passed his mind for a jiffy, he knew who currently occupied a part of his heart.

It wasn’t Chanyeol.

“Fine”. Sehun didn’t surrender to his fright. “That will go both ways”.

And when Chanyeol ended that part of their conversation with a tender smile, Sehun thought maybe...his decision wasn’t that bad after all.

~***~

Sehun felt his head was buzzing at a speed that could not be achieved by his body movement alone, like a machine-generated, and he shrugged it off. The sleep was too good. He just wanted to close his eyes a bit more, but that vibration just wouldn’t stop. He tried to separate his eyelids and extended his hand, hoping that it could touch the sound source. He got his phone on his palm and the screen light burned the hell out of his eyeballs.

Jongin.

Jongin called him even before his alarm rang. And coincidentally, his ears picked up another sound afar from his front door. He pressed on the green button and placed his phone near his ears.

Just as he was about to say hello, he hung up. Now that he connected the dots, perhaps Jongin was standing outside his door, ringing the bell while trying another means to wake him up. So, he swiped his blanket away, the coldness that enclasped his thighs and legs immediately made him more alert than before.

What a surprise to him that when he opened his front door, Seulgi was standing there with a box of cake right in front of his nose. Two candles were lit up, just like her face. And next to her was Jongin, recording with his phone and trying to hold back his laugh.

“Oh! What are you—“, Sehun finally yanked into his senses and cupped his own cheeks, which were pushed upward due to his huge smile. . It was April 12th. His 22nd birthday.

“Happy birthday Sehun~ Happy birthday Sehun~”, Seulgi laughed and started singing along, pushing Sehun backward in every step until the three of them were inside his apartment.

Sehun stopped when they reached the dining table. Seulgi held the cake box even higher to match Sehun’s height. Closing his eyes and clasping his fingers together, Sehun made a wish. And when he was ready, he opened his eyes again and blew the candle, converting the flame into smokes. Seulgi cackled. Jongin stopped recording by then.

“It’s really cute”, Sehun said as he plucked the candle out, his voice was still raspy. “The color. And the font”.

Seulgi put the box on the dining table. “That’s all you can say after we’re almost frozen outside?!”.

“It’s seven in the morning. I don’t even know how to speak right now!”.

Jongin pushed two cloth bags that he prior held on his right shoulder to Sehun’s sidearms without saying anything.

“What’s this?”.

“From Seulgi. And me”.

Sehun knew it must be Seulgi who initiated the whole thing—and he would always be thankful for her and their precious friendship—but the idea of Jongin giving him something was fresh. Judging from the wrapping, he knew the white square box with red ribbon belonged to Seulgi, and the pillow-like, wrapped in simple navy and white stripes uneven box belonged to Jongin.

He started with Seulgi’s first. She always got that privilege. Also, it was easier to peel the ribbon to reveal what was inside the box. A set of paints, brushes, and sketchbook greeted him and Sehun couldn’t contain his happy squeal. He put it one by one to the table until he reached an envelope at the bottom of the box, a handwritten letter from Seulgi.

“Can I read it now?”.

“No”, Seulgi looked over to Jongin. Jongin looked back at her with squinted eyes. “I mean, yeah, you can, but...we’ll be watching”.

Sehun decided to put it away first. He walked up to the opposite side of the table and spread both of his arms so wide, engulfing Seulgi into his hug. “Thank you, Seulgi”.

Seulgi smiled as he hugged Sehun back, resting the side of her face to Sehun’s chest. She took a little longer because she always liked the warmth and comfort she felt while hugging her tall, broad best friend.

“I’m sorry for the failed prank last Saturday”.

“What...prank?”, Sehun slowly pulling away.

“I asked you last Friday to hang out”. Jongin inched closer to Sehun’s side. “We thought—no, Seulgi thought you would agree to hang out with me on Saturday. So, she would ask you to hang out too on the same day and basically make you feel guilty for not being able to reject both of us”.

Sehun widened his eyes and mouth. He quickly peered into Seulgi, Jongin, Seulgi, and Jongin again and ended it with a bursting laugh. And it was too contagious to Seulgi, even to Jongin, and his apartment was filled with their laughter.

“That...was sinister. You literally use my worst weakness for a prank!”, Sehun pointed at Seulgi.

“That’s the whole point! But you ruined our plan by going on a date with Chanyeol?”.

“It’s not a date, I told you”.

“It’s not a date”, Seulgi jeeringly copied what Sehun just said in an annoying high pitch voice. “Whatever”.

“Aren’t you going to open my present?”, Jongin stepped forward. “I prepared so much for this”.

“Don’t guilt-trip me”. Sehun started by tearing the transparent tape one by one while wondering what could be on Jongin’s mind while planning this gift. He tore the wrapper slowly to make the smallest damage possible.

And when he was done, there was a folded, thick, tri-colored jacket that got Sehun shrilled cheerfully. He spread it out, twisted it to the front and back. “It’s so pretty”, Sehun then wore it above his thin grey t-shirt. “Do I look good?”.

“You do”, Jongin said. He ran his fingers through the fabric on Sehun’s shoulder. “It fits you so well”.

Sehun hoped the sudden swarm of his blood into his face wouldn’t look too noticeable.

“It’s truly Jongin’s pick. I didn’t contribute anything”, said Seulgi.

“I know”.

“You know?”.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I just do”, he said, looking at Jongin, fully smiling. Without thinking twice, he pulled Jongin to his tight embrace. “Thank you, Jongin”.

Jongin didn’t like his personal space to be invaded. But Sehun really put his heart out in his hug. So, Jongin returned it with some soft pats on Sehun’s shoulder instead. Seulgi giggled at Jongin’s slightly annoyed face.

Putting all the presents aside, Sehun cut the cake into two, then four, then six—leaving the other two-quarters untouched for the time being. He pulled three plates and spoons from the cabinets, placing each plate with a slice of cake.

“I can’t eat anything in the morning”, Jongin pushed his still-empty plate away. Sehun, an inch away to put the cake to Jongin’s plate, put back the slice into the box and shrugged it off.

“What are you, a pregnant woman?”, Seulgi half munched, half talking. Sehun held back his laugh because he still had a lot to chew. “The cake tastes good. You’re missing out”. Jongin only responded with a scoff.

After finishing the cake slices, Sehun treated them coffee of their own choice as the first step of expressing his gratitude. He let Seulgi and Jongin scrolled through the menu on his screen while moving his gifts to his room.

“I thought someone just said he couldn’t eat anything in the morning”, Seulgi said when Jongin leaned closer to read the menu.

“I said eat, not drink”.

She scoffed. “Your stomach is just like you. Weird”.

“Maybe because it’s mine”.

Seulgi went on easy with hot chocolate, and on the other hand, Jongin went the opposite with his iced americano. Sehun ordered an iced latte.

While waiting for the order, Sehun took a shower, Jongin lay on his bed with the phone in his hand, and Seulgi sat on his desk chair. She memorized this place too well. Looking at tons of things Sehun stuck into his walls always made Seulgi proud of him. He always cherished and treasured the good things people gave to him, even the smallest ones. Perhaps one of the best decisions Seulgi made was four years ago, when they were in the same orientation group and she made the first move to approach him. She intended to hit on him, because, well, his handsome face stood out the most amidst the boring-looking students. Still, when the trajectory of her plan changed after knowing Sehun would never be interested in her romantically, Seulgi didn’t regret anything at all. Sehun would always be her best friend, who had seen her ugliest, worst, best, and almost every facet of her life and personality.

She noticed that something was missing from this wall and she thought hard and long what that could be.

Sehun and Luhan’s polaroid photo.

Seulgi scanned through every row and column, two times, three, and then four—as if the photo would pop out from somewhere, but nothing. It wasn’t there. Sehun threw it away.

“Seulgi?”.

She was startled by Jongin’s voice, slightly jumped on her seat. “W-what?”.

“Who is Chanyeol?”.

That name pressed an emergency button inside Seulgi’s mind. She involuntarily rotated herself and the chair with her to the right and left many times before she answered. “My client. Have Sehun ever told you about a guy with a boyfriend who needs a girlfriend to be shown off at his graduation day? To his parents? That’s him”.

Jongin nodded. He remembered that story Sehun told on the day they skipped class. “Why...was he hanging out with Sehun? I mean...I thought the relationship should stay in the professional way only?”.

“Well, he is not going to be our client anymore”, she said, facing Jongin from his side. “He just broke up with his boyfriend and...we’re friends now”.

Jongin raised his left eyebrow. “You’re friends with him too?”.

“He is a fun guy, I guarantee. I’ve interacted with him more than what we spent on our fake date”, Seulgi pursed her lips into a thin smile. “Should we hang out together? The four of us?”.

This idea didn’t seem appealing to Jongin. He shook his head right away. “I’m good. You do you”.

Seulgi twined her lips and sighed.

“And why did you call it a date?”, Jongin asked her again.

“I was just teasing him”, Seulgi chuckled. “I don’t know what happened between them both”.

What if it’s really a date? She stared at her and Sehun’s photo on the wall. And the empty space where Sehun and his ex’s photo initially placed. Sehun already decided to move on.

Why didn’t he tell me?

The beverages were delivered close to seven-thirty in the morning. It was still an hour and a half to Jongin and Sehun’s shift at FSS, and three hours to Seulgi’s first class, so they took their time to chill. They sat on the floor, sipping on their respective drink. Jongin and Sehun leaned on the side of Sehun’s bed, leaving a small space for the ashtray between their hips, and Seulgi leaned on the wall next to Sehun’s bed. The smoke fumed from Sehun’s and Jongin’s first cigarette that day. Seulgi was getting used to this view, those two boys smoking together as their binding pastime.

Sehun pressed the play button on the voice message he received and pulled the end of his phone closer to his right ear. A melodious, baritone voice from a male resonated from the speaker, singing happy birthday with Sehun’s name in it. Seulgi instantly recognized the voice owner on the first split second of the recording, and it was hard to keep her facial expression unperturbed when her crush’s voice tickled her hearing sense.

“Who is that?”, Jongin asked him.

“Chanyeol”, Sehun tugged a broad smile on his face and typed some words to thank Chanyeol.

“You guys are close?”.

Sehun shrugged his shoulder. “Not really”, he took a quick puff from his cigarette, locked his phone, and lifted his head to look at both of his friends. “Do you guys wanna hang out this weekend? It’s on me. I’ll pay for everything”.

“Yes! Where to?”, Seulgi took the bait fast so they could move on from the Chanyeol-subject.

“Night club? Let’s get wasted. Been long since I had a hangover”.

Seulgi poked on Jongin’s arm with her beverage cup. “Jongin, let’s bet. Sehun will be the first among us who throw up and pass out at the club”.

Jongin giggled, the smoke blew from his nostrils and mouth. “Is he that bad?”.

“I’m a very healthy man with no alcohol-addiction tendency”. He knew that it sounded so contradictory when there was a burning cigarette between his index and middle finger.

“Yeah, lung cancer sounds so healthy to me”, Seulgi snapped back.

“I’m in”, Jongin raised his right hand that was holding the cigarette.

“Friday, or Saturday?”, Seulgi asked.

“Saturday”, Sehun said. “Come to my place at 8. And one of you will replace me to drive back from the club”.

~***~

Seulgi Kang

Jongin

Can you keep a secret?

Jongin @___@

Do you wanna confess for a murder

Seulgi Kang

NOOOOOOOOOO

I’m serious please

Jongin @___@

Ok what is that

Seulgi squeezed her finger under the desk, head facing the whiteboard where her lecturer was writing something about intelligence test for adults. She was never good at locking her feelings all to herself. After being an indirect witness of what situation Chanyeol and Sehun were in, it became worse, like she was ready to run one lap on her university’s field while shouting her heart out.

There will be no chaos if I don’t say anything to anyone.

She faintly shook her head and brought her hands back to her laptop.

Seulgi Kang

I’m actually an avid enjoyer of mint choco ice cream

Jongin @___@

Can we not do this

Do you really wanna tell me or not

Seulgi Kang

No

I just had a change of mind after seeing your response

Jongin @___@

Ok

Seulgi Kang

JUST OK???????!?#@!?#?!@#?

Jongin @___@

I have no time to argue rn

But if youre ready to tell later

Tell me

Seulgi ended up adding more fuel to her time bomb by keeping shut that afternoon.

~***~