I didn't mean to take a whole month to write this, but I got distracted by other ideas and lack of inspiration. Plus, it seems like I'm only capable of getting any real writing done late at night while listening to the same 3 albums. Hopefully this long chapter will be worth the wait. The gang's all here, more or less, and I think things should be getting interesting now. There's a lot of woogyu in this chapter and a bit of 2woogyu. (And there may be a kiss or two because I'm weak and couldn't wait for it.)

Sunggyu is out of his seat the second he notices Woohyun's eyelids fluttering open. He stops himself from squeezing onto the tiny hospital cot next to the other and settles for grabbing his hand. He brings his other hand up to hold Woohyun's cheek. His eyes fall on the small bump on the younger man’s head. "Woohyun," he calls out softly. He'd been so worried waiting for Woohyun to wake up. The doctor had said it was only a mild concussion and that even though they would check up on him once he woke up, there didn't seem to be any serious injuries. None of that had eased Sunggyu's mind, though. Woohyun was hurt and he couldn't do anything to prevent it or to help him now. (The fact that he'd fought tooth and nail for a private room is hardly something to brag about.) All he could do was wait.

It takes a moment for Woohyun's eyes to focus. They rake over Sunggyu's face, unreadable but clear. Sunggyu takes that as a good sign. Whatever he's searching for he seems to find as he squeezes Sunggyu's hand and gives him a weak smile. It looks like he has tears welling in the corners of his eyes. "You're here," he says.

"Where else would I be?" He might as well have said he loves Woohyun back with the way the other man is looking at him. Maybe that’s what Woohyun thinks he’s implying; he’s by his side because he loves him. There is some truth to that. He does feel something for Woohyun and that’s partly why he’d spent the last two hours waiting for him to wake up, aside from making sure he’s okay. In the back of Sunggyu's mind there's a voice telling him he shouldn't be leaning down. He shouldn't be thinking about kissing Woohyun or actually getting ready to do it. Especially not when Woohyun is in such a vulnerable state, physically and emotionally. It'll only complicate things more. That's what Sunggyu tries to tell himself. All while he's still leaning closer to Woohyun, the distance between their lips getting smaller. He's so consumed with talking himself into and out of kissing Woohyun, that he doesn't hear the door sliding open. At the surprised sound that comes from the doorway, Sunggyu straightens and turns to see who's interrupted them.

"I-I didn't mean to—sorry, I'll let you—" Sungyeol stutters, making as if to leave.

Sunggyu stops him before he gets more than a step away. He doesn't know if he's relieved or annoyed by the taller man's sudden appearance. "You don't have to leave," he says. "I'll go." Woohyun grips his hand tighter. Why? The thought is panicked, very unlike Woohyun. It must be pretty confusing, Sunggyu thinks as he stares into Woohyun's anxious eyes. Woohyun's only been awake for five minutes and it seems like so much has happened already. And before that he'd been unconscious for a couple hours. He has a lot to process now. With a wary glance at Sungyeol, Sunggyu turns to his friend. "I promised Dongwoo I'd call him when you woke up," he explains to Woohyun carefully. Dongwoo had wanted to come to the hospital, but Sunggyu insisted on him staying at the store. Woohyun isn't in serious condition and he doesn't need a bunch of people crowding his room. (If Sunggyu is honest, those are just excuses. He'd selfishly wanted Woohyun to himself despite the circumstances. Obviously, that hadn't panned out; Sungyeol's presence is proof enough.)

Woohyun nods in understanding. He lets go of Sunggyu's hand, the frown on his face evening out. With one last look at Woohyun, Sunggyu excuses himself from the room. Sungyeol offers him a polite smile on his way out. Whatever the other man's relationship really is with Woohyun, Sunggyu doubts he could ever truly dislike him. His face seems too innocent for Sunggyu to hold anything against him.

Sunggyu slides the door shut behind him and goes to sit on the wooden bench across from Woohyun's room. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Sunggyu turns on the screen to find a dozen missed calls and unread texts from Dongwoo and Howon. He doubts the latter willingly contacted him; Dongwoo probably coerced him into doing it in the hopes that Sunggyu would respond to him out of sheer curiosity if nothing else. He clears them all before dialing his best friend's number. Unsurprisingly, Dongwoo picks up on the first ring.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Sunggyu replies. "And I am too if you were wondering."

Dongwoo's eye roll is obvious even through the phone. "I know you're fine. That's why I didn't ask. How's Woohyun doing? Are you sure he's okay? Did the doctor check him out already? Do they want him to stay overnight? You know, sometimes things seem good and then they change suddenly. You should make sure there's nothing wrong before you let him go home."

Sunggyu can't help smiling. Dongwoo sounds like a mother worrying over her child. If he was in the hospital he'd probably be fretting over Woohyun. "He's fine," Sunggyu insists. He's embellishing a bit since he doesn't know for sure if Woohyun really is okay, but Dongwoo won't be able to sleep if he's still worried about Woohyun. It's just a white lie for his friend's sake. "I won't let him leave until I'm sure there's nothing wrong. I promise."

"Thank you." With his mind now at ease, Dongwoo steers the conversation towards lighter topics. Like Howon's disastrous attempt to prove himself to Myungsoo. He starts recounting a scene from earlier in the day at the record store. Howon had brought Myungsoo along to witness his training session with Dongwoo. (Sunggyu knows he's still not-that-secretly hoping to impress his friend with his powers.) In between customers—not like they ever got that many—Dongwoo would have Howon clear his mind, focus on an object and try to levitate it for as long as he could. The first couple of tries had been rather embarrassing for Howon. He didn't manage to move the CD case even a little bit. On the next try Dongwoo suspects Howon had been too overzealous. Rather than simply lifting a pen up from the counter, he'd sent it flying across the room and right into one of the lamps hanging from the ceiling. To say Howon was embarrassed would be an understatement.

Sunggyu starts to ask about Myungsoo's reaction when he hears another voice in his head. What am I doing here? I know it's my fault, but how am I supposed to explain it? It's loud enough to be coming from someone next to him, but when he turns his head the other end of the bench is empty as well as the rest of the hallway. He turns his head to the other side and finds a young man sitting on a bench a few doors down. His leg is bouncing, giving away his restlessness, as he twiddles his thumbs. He looks like he's a second away from bolting.

"Did something happen?" Dongwoo's voice edges on panicked, reminding the older man of the phone in his hand and his worried friend on the other end. He'd forgotten nearly everything thanks to those stray thoughts. "Sunggyu?"

"It's nothing," he replies as he looks back at Woohyun's door. He doesn't think the guy is paying attention to him, but he doesn't want to give him any reason to be suspicious. He doesn't want to spook him before he can satisfy his curiosity. "I'll call you back, okay?" He doesn't wait for Dongwoo's response, hanging up as soon as he's done talking. He'll worry about his friend's wrath later.

His first instinct is to approach the guy; that seems like the fastest way to get answers. And he's fairly sure this guy must have quite a few of them. But the other's hesitance gives Sunggyu pause. It seems like he's here to see Woohyun and to possibly apologize for the accident in the coffee shop. When Sunggyu glances at the man again he realizes that he still has on the apron from the shop and the matching hat is on the bench next to him. With all of his attention and concern aimed at Woohyun (and Sungyeol to a lesser extent), Sunggyu hadn't noticed much about the employee responsible for the accident. But he's here now, just a few feet away from Sunggyu, vacillating between staying or going.

Sunggyu leans back on the bench, pressing his back and head against the coolness of the wall. He decides to search the man's mind first before confronting him. He wants to be completely sure. Closing his eyes, he reaches out to the stranger's mind. He's only tried this once with Dongwoo when his friend had willingly opened his mind to him. It's almost the same this time except that it feels like walking through a thick curtain rather than an open door. He lets out an inaudible sigh once he gets through. His relief is short-lived, though, as almost as soon as he steps inside the guy is there in front of him in his mind. He looks at Sunggyu with wide, confused eyes. What are you doing here?

With a gasp, Sunggyu comes back to his own mind and body. His head immediately turns to the man. He's staring back at Sunggyu with the same wide eyes. How did you do that? Too stunned to give an answer, Sunggyu can only gape. No one's ever felt him in their head before—he didn't even know it was possible.

The guy stands up and gets a couple steps closer to Sunggyu when the door to Woohyun's room slides open. He freezes, his head turning to the door at the same time as Sunggyu.

"Have you called the—" Sungyeol starts to say as he comes out of the room. He stops after he gets a good look at Sunggyu. "Are you okay," he asks instead.

Sunggyu glances at the guy down the hall before nodding. Their meeting will have to wait unfortunately. (If the guy isn't totally freaked out by Sunggyu, that is.) "I'm fine." It's his second lie of the evening.

Sungyeol doesn't seem convinced, but he doesn't press it. He goes back to the question he'd started asking. "Did you call the doctor yet?"

Out of the corner of his eye Sunggyu sees the stranger slipping around the corner at the end of the hallway. "No, I forgot," he says, not having to try too hard to sound abashed. That should've been the first thing he did after leaving the room. The sooner they know if Woohyun really is okay the sooner they can leave. "I'll go—"

"No, stay," Sungyeol insists. He steps to the side to give Sunggyu room to pass by. "I'll go. He wants to see you anyway."

Sunggyu doesn't miss the slight twist of Sungyeol's mouth, like it pains him to say the words. It's gone a second later and then Sungyeol is walking away. Sunggyu knows he has to confront him (about this; about his relationship with Woohyun), but he'll have to find the time later. No matter how badly he wants to know, Woohyun comes first.

---

"I'm finding it harder and harder to believe that Dongwoo put you up to this," Woohyun says. He's sitting on his couch with a blanket on his lap and an amused smile on his face. He still accepts the cup of tea from Sunggyu.

Since leaving the hospital Sunggyu has been nothing short of doting. It's a bit weird for him when he's never shown this much concern for any of his friends before. He also isn't sure if he's even doing it right. He'd been kind of brash about it, commanding Woohyun to lay in bed and take the painkillers the doctor prescribed. Woohyun had ignored his orders, of course, choosing instead to settle himself on the couch.

"I should've just brought you home with me, then, so Dongwoo could worry over you himself. This is exhausting." He drops onto the couch next to Woohyun to emphasize his point.

"I guess I should try not to injure myself again any time soon."

"Please."

Woohyun laughs, playfully pushing Sunggyu's shoulder. He sobers up quickly, though, keeping his hand on Sunggyu's shoulder and squeezing it lightly. "Thank you. For staying with me at the hospital. And taking care of me. It means a lot."

Sunggyu isn't sure how to respond. Saying "you're welcome" seems too simple, too impersonal. But saying Woohyun means a lot to him seems like too much. Even though he's already admitted his feelings (however muddled they might be), it's still embarrassing to say things like that. To be so honest. "Of course," he says instead, trying to convey his sincerity despite using such dismissive words. He brings his hand up to cover the one Woohyun has on his shoulder. Woohyun's smiling softly at him, his head tilted to the side slightly. Sunggyu doesn't have to read his mind to know what he's thinking. "I don't think this is such a good idea," he says cautiously. He doesn't want to hurt Woohyun's feelings again, but he might if things move too fast.

"Why not," Woohyun challenges. He looks ready to argue his case and Sunggyu would find it funny (or kind of adorable) if they weren't talking about the logic of sharing another kiss.

Sunggyu sits up straight, putting a bit of distance between the two of them. "Because..." He doesn't really have any other reason besides thinking it's a bad idea. There must be something else, though.

"Because of Sungyeol?"

The question catches Sunggyu by surprise. After parting ways at the hospital, he hadn't thought of Sungyeol once. He feels foreboding spreading through his gut now that Woohyun's brought him up. "What does he have to do with it?"

Woohyun isn't flustered like Sunggyu expects him to be. He doesn't seem to find bringing up his old friend at a time like this odd or out of place. "Didn't you two talk at all," he asks, his eyebrows dipping in confusion.

"Were we supposed to?" It's not like he and Sungyeol ignored each other while they were in the hospital. They introduced themselves... And that was about it. But in Sunggyu's defense, he had been sick with worry for Woohyun the whole time. He wasn't too concerned with what kind of relationship Woohyun and Sungyeol had in the past. But now it appears he should've been.

Woohyun shrugs in answer. "It doesn't really matter, I guess."

"It looks like it matters to you. What, did you used to date him or something?" Woohyun stays silent as he drops his gaze down to his lap. Sunggyu wants to tell him to look him in the eyes and give him an answer, but Woohyun's reaction says it all. "Did you think I'd be upset about that?"

"Are you?" Woohyun looks back up at him, searching his face for the answer while he waits for Sunggyu to speak.

Sunggyu's mouth opens, but no words come out. He isn't sure if he should be honest—or if he can be. The truth is that he isn’t upset or even a little bothered. But he doesn’t know if that’s the answer Woohyun wants from him.

"We never dated," Woohyun admits when Sunggyu’s response doesn’t come. "Not that we didn’t want to. It’s complicated, I guess."

Sunggyu would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious about Woohyun and Sungyeol. Or that he hadn’t felt a tiny spike of jealousy from the look on Woohyun’s face back at the café. He had been happy to see Sungyeol and while that in itself isn’t a cause for concern, there’s no mistaking the love that had been there as well. Because it’s almost the same as how Woohyun looks at him. Maybe it hadn’t been as strong, but it was warm and fond and Sunggyu knew what it meant even if he’s only admitting it to himself now. "How complicated," he presses. He might not be satisfied with the answer, but he still wants to know.

Woohyun looks away, sipping at his now-cold tea to stall for time. "I was just as much of a coward then as I am now." He glances at Sunggyu briefly before staring back down at his cup. "I liked him, but I was too afraid to tell him. I think he already knew, though. And then we kind of lost touch for a couple years after we graduated and I moved on. But when we met up again he told me he’d been thinking about me—about us."

"He told you that in the hospital?"

Shaking his head, Woohyun leans forward to rest his cup on the coffee table. "This was a while ago. Around the time I started liking you." With nothing to keep his hands busy, he clasps them together in his lap. He's turned away from Sunggyu now. "We ran into each other one day and we went out for drinks to catch up. I thought he was drunk or just teasing me about the crush I had on him. But when I talked to him the next day he told me he meant what he said when we were drinking. He'd started to like me just before we left school and he figured it was pointless to try to start something when we both seemed to be going in different directions. But he still thought about me and he regretted not at least telling me how he felt. It was fate that brought us together again—that's what he told me while he was drunk—and that meant we should take advantage of it." There's an amused smile on Woohyun's face like he's remembering Sungyeol's face as he said the words or the sound of his voice.

Sunggyu doesn't know why Woohyun's telling him all of this. He hadn't planned on pressing him for the details. But he supposes the other man must not want him to have any questions or doubts about his relationship with Sungyeol. So Sunggyu remains quiet as Woohyun continues talking.

"He asked me out on a date, but I ended up turning him down. I told him about you—well, I just said there was someone else. I didn't tell him that it was one-sided, though. He told me to call him if it didn't work out. I'm still not sure if he was joking," Woohyun finishes with a short laugh. The room goes quiet as he waits for Sunggyu’s response. I screwed everything up, didn’t I? Why did I bring him up?

Although the mention of Sungyeol had definitely dampened the mood (that Sunggyu was already trying to put an end to, but that’s not important now), he was bound to come up at some point. Sunggyu’d had his suspicions and he wouldn’t have been able to hold them in for very long. It’s better that they talk about it now. At least, that’s Sunggyu’s hopeful thinking. He lays a reassuring hand on Woohyun’s arm, drawing the other’s eyes over to him for the first time in minutes. "I’m not bothered by us talking about Sungyeol, so you don’t have to be. And it’s not like you still have feelings for him, right?" Woohyun shakes his head fervently in response. "So it’s all cleared up now—I mean, you didn’t have to tell me that much, but as long as you’re honest it’s okay."

"It is?"

Against his better judgement, Sunggyu leans closer to Woohyun. He’s still worried about moving too fast. But that doesn’t stop him from pressing his lips to Woohyun’s cheek. "It is," he confirms, meeting the other’s surprised eyes. He hears Woohyun’s thought before he voices it.

"Is this okay, too?" His lips are only a breath away from Sunggyu’s. He won’t come any closer until he knows he can. But he wants to, Sunggyu can sense it. And he wants Woohyun closer, too. He gives a short nod in answer and lets his eyes fall shut, anticipating what comes next. Woohyun’s hands come up to hold Sunggyu’s face as he finally closes the distance between their lips. Sunggyu doesn’t hesitate in deepening the kiss, his arms wrapping around Woohyun to pull him even closer. He feels like he’d been worried for nothing. Woohyun knows him well enough by now to know what he’s getting himself into. He still doesn’t want to hurt him, but now he doubts kissing him will.

---

Dongwoo nearly knocks Woohyun to the ground as soon as he walks into the record store. Despite his small stature he still manages to envelop Woohyun in the tightest bear hug the other's probably ever gotten in his whole life. Woohyun laughs with what little air he has left in his lungs, patting Dongwoo on the back to console him. "It's not like I went off to war," he says. "But thanks for worrying about me."

When Dongwoo finally lets him go, it's only so he can punch him in the arm. "You're not allowed to laugh when I was worried sick about you." His lip trembles slightly, making Woohyun feel bad. He turns away from Woohyun and crosses his arms.

"I'm sorry," Woohyun apologizes sincerely. He can't help the small smile pulling at his lips, though. Dongwoo manages to be cute at the oddest moments. Woohyun wraps his arms around Dongwoo from the back, resting his chin on the shorter man's shoulder. "I promise I'm never going to get hurt ever again. So you don't have to worry about me anymore, okay?"

Dongwoo's mouth twists as he thinks. "I guess," he answers slowly.

Woohyun pulls his arms tighter around Dongwoo and starts bouncing the two of them from side-to-side. "So you forgive me?" Dongwoo's laugh comes easily, loud and infectious, and Woohyun joins him soon after. "Are we good? Am I forgiven? Do you love me again?" They end up spinning in circles while Woohyun pesters the other with questions.

"Yes," Dongwoo relents through a fit of giggles. "Yes to all of that. Now knock it off before I throw up on you." Woohyun stops spinning, but keeps his hold on Dongwoo. He's not done teasing him yet. But just as he starts planning his next attack, Sunggyu's sarcastic voice interrupts him.

"Are you two shooting a drama over there?" Sunggyu stands at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the storage room. He starts walking across the room once he has Woohyun and Dongwoo's attention. If he didn't know any better he'd think they were trying to make him jealous. But he does know better, especially after the night he'd had with Woohyun.

"Good morning to you too," Woohyun greets him dryly once he reaches them, picking his head up from its perch on Dongwoo's shoulder. "How did you sleep last night?"

Sunggyu knows exactly what he's trying to do, but he refuses to take the bait. "Like a baby, actually," he replies, practically turning up his nose at Woohyun. It's the truth, too. With Woohyun in his arms, his heart beating against Sunggyu's palm and his face the epitome of peaceful as he slept, it had been the best sleep Sunggyu had had since regaining his memories of Dongwoo. Maybe even better than that night.

"Is that so?" Woohyun bites his lip as he looks Sunggyu up and down, like he's undressing him with his eyes. Sunggyu has the urge to cover himself. "I think I know what you mean. I slept really well last night, too."

"Yeah?" Woohyun looks away from him, smiling shyly, and nods. Sunggyu feels like he's grinning from ear to ear, but he doesn't mind. He has a very good reason to be happy.

"I can go and come back if you guys need a minute." Both Sunggyu and Woohyun look at Dongwoo in surprise. He steps out of Woohyun's embrace easily and turns to face them. "I mean, I'm sure the was great, but all this tension is kinda weird for me."

Sunggyu chokes on nothing while Woohyun starts cackling like he's been possessed by Dongwoo. "What are you talking about," Sunggyu squeaks out when he finds his voice. His whole face feels like it's on fire. He can't even scold Dongwoo for being so blunt.

I’m not an idiot, Dongwoo thinks. He only raises an eyebrow, though.

"I-it’s not like that. We didn’t—We’re not—" Sunggyu doesn't think his face could get any redder. It might explode if it does. He looks over at Woohyun desperately. "A little help here, please?"

Woohyun, the jerk, is still laughing his head off. "But this is more fun," he says in between chuckles.

Sunggyu moves to punch his arm (although right now he'd much rather it be Woohyun's face), but Dongwoo steps in before he can swing. He's biting back a smile as he lowers Sunggyu's fist. "I don't care what did or didn't happen last night. I'm just happy you two can talk to each other again. And the three of us can hang out again without it being weird."

This is the first time in a long while that Sunggyu and Woohyun have been comfortable together. They aren't keeping any secrets from each other (that Sunggyu knows of) and they're now on the same page with their feelings. Things are back to how they had been, but also different. A good kind of different, Sunggyu thinks. It's a relief more than anything.

"Don't say stuff like that," Sunggyu warns his friend, pulling his hand out of Dongwoo's grasp. "It makes me want to hug you." He ignores Woohyun's choked off laugh and muttered comment on the cheesiness of the line.

"Like you need the excuse," Dongwoo grins up at him. Bouncing over to Sunggyu, he wraps his arms around him in the same kind of smothering hug he'd given Woohyun. Sunggyu whines half-heartedly, pushing weakly at the other's shoulders. Dongwoo only squeezes him tighter.

"Wow," Woohyun sighs, apparently in awe. He has his arms crossed as he observes Sunggyu and Dongwoo. "It looks so easy when you do it," he says to Dongwoo. "He always kicks me when I try to hug him."

"Because you're not Dongwoo." Sunggyu laughs at the pout that forms on Woohyun's face at the teasing remark. It's always fun teasing him. He reaches out to pull at one of Woohyun's cheeks as he coos at him. "You're cute in your own way, though."

Woohyun swats his hand away, his pout turning into a scowl. He rubs at his reddened cheek and turns away from Sunggyu (and Dongwoo, who's still attached to the older man like a baby and watching the two of them in amusement). "Shut up," he mumbles. The blush rising on his untouched cheek gives away how much he actually enjoyed Sunggyu's compliment. "Don't you have work to do?"

"I do," Sunggyu agrees. "But this is more fun."

---

Sunggyu is in the middle of reaching for a box on a high shelf when a pair of arms snake around his middle and pull him against a warm chest. He makes a noise of surprise as he spins around to come face-to-face with Woohyun. The younger man pulls his arms down to his sides, looking guilty.

"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—"

Sunggyu cuts him off before he can finish. "Don't be sorry. You just surprised me. I don’t mind if you do stuff like that. Actually, I... I kinda like it." He looks down at his feet in embarrassment, wishing it didn't feel so awkward to admit things like that.

Woohyun takes a small step closer. "You like when I hug you?" He's watching Sunggyu's face carefully when the other man musters the courage to look at him. "You're not going to kick me?"

"Only if you annoy me," Sunggyu vows seriously before cracking a smile. It grows as Woohyun takes another step towards him and winds his arms around Sunggyu's waist. Without thinking about it, Sunggyu finds his hands coming up to hold Woohyun's face. A moment later their lips are pressed together and Sunggyu wonders why it's taken so long for them to reach this point. (He doesn’t doubt that it’s mainly his fault, but he’s sure there must be other reasons for the delay.)

Woohyun's eyes stay closed for a few moments after the kiss ends. When they open he stares silently at Sunggyu, a smile lighting up his eyes. "I love you," he says.

The words stick in Sunggyu's throat. He can't say it back. Not yet. He starts to stammer out an apology, but Woohyun stops him before he can get more than two words out.

"I wasn't expecting you to say it back." He rests a hand on one of Sunggyu's that's still holding his face. "I just wanted to say it out loud." He's smiling even though Sunggyu doesn't think he should be. "But that's not why I came," Woohyun says, smoothly changing the subject as he puts an appropriate amount of space between them. Sunggyu's arms fall uselessly to his sides. "We have company."

"Who?" Sunggyu had been too engrossed in organizing the storage room (a task that seems to be pointless since nearly every week one of them has to do it) to notice anyone coming into the store.

"Howon and his friend Myungsoo." He hesitates for a second before adding, "And Sungyeol." Despite their conversation the night before, Woohyun still seems to think Sungyeol is a sore topic between them.

In an effort to show him that he has nothing to worry about, Sunggyu reaches for Woohyun's hand and starts leading them out of the room. "You didn't tell him anything, did you," he asks just as they reach the door.

Woohyun lifts his eyes up from staring at their connected hands to give Sunggyu a confused look. It only lasts a couple seconds before his eyes light up with understanding. "No. I won’t tell him anything unless he needs to know. It’s not really my secret to tell anyway." He looks back down at their hands, a small smile on his lips. It’s wider when he looks up at Sunggyu. "C’mon," he says as he slips his hand out of Sunggyu’s. He starts heading down the stairs and after a short moment Sunggyu follows behind him.

Down in the store, Dongwoo and Howon are talking by the register while Myungsoo and Sungyeol are looking through the stacks of records by the front window. Dongwoo notices Sunggyu and Woohyun first. He taps Howon on the shoulder and leans in to whisper something in his ear. Sunggyu narrows his eyes at his friend as he walks closer to him. Whatever Dongwoo said must have something to do with Sunggyu and Woohyun if the way he’s beaming when they reach the register is any indication.

"Nice of you two lovebirds to join us," Howon quips, his tone smug and loud enough to attract the attention of the two men over by the window.

Sunggyu rolls his eyes. "I wouldn’t trust everything Dongwoo says," he throws back. He’s not as embarrassed as he had been earlier. Woohyun, though, seems embarrassed enough for the both of them. Sunggyu reaches for his hand again and gives him a smile to show that he doesn’t mind Howon’s teasing so Woohyun shouldn’t either.

"Enough of it must be true, though." Howon glances down at their hands before looking back at Sunggyu.

"That’s not important right now," Sunggyu dismisses the obviously true statement. He’s eager to change the subject, but there’s also something else they need to talk about. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours that Sunggyu had pretty much forgotten a very important part of the previous night. "I need to tell you guys something." He keeps his voice low so Myungsoo and Sungyeol won't overhear. This isn't something they need to be concerned about just yet. "It's about Woohyun's accident yesterday." The other three give him their full attention, waiting for him to elaborate. "I think I saw the person who caused it at the hospital, the barista who dropped the tray at the cafe. He was sitting near Woohyun's room, like he was thinking about going in—actually, he really was thinking about it. He wanted to apologize, but he didn't think he could explain how it happened."

Dongwoo's gasp is obnoxiously loud, making both Howon and Woohyun slap their hands over his mouth. Sunggyu glances over his shoulder at Sungyeol and Myungsoo. The latter is looking at their little group with slightly narrowed eyes. Sunggyu hears him trying to guess what they could be talking about. Thankfully, Sungyeol steals Myungsoo's attention before he can decide on coming over. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sunggyu turns back around.

"Sorry," Dongwoo whispers once Woohyun and Howon move their hands. He continues in a hushed voice. "I just realized that's why you hung up on me so suddenly."

"Yeah," Sunggyu agrees, nodding at Dongwoo. "And I wanted to make sure he was really talking about Woohyun so I tried that thing you taught me a while ago."

"You went inside his head?"

"You can do that," Howon cuts in. His eyes are wide and just a touch wary.

"Sort of. I haven't done it enough to be any good at it."

With a somewhat impatient huff, Woohyun brings the conversation back to its main focus. "So did it work?"

Sunggyu shakes his head. "I didn't get to see anything. He saw me—or felt me or however it works—as soon as I got in. We were both surprised. And I might have scared him off; I don't think he's ever met anyone with my powers."

"How did he notice you, though?" Dongwoo's eyebrows are furrowed like he's trying to find an answer to his own question. "I couldn't even tell you were in my head." Sunggyu can only shrug.

"Maybe he has powers too," Howon suggests. "And that's why he could sense you."

They fall silent as they all consider the possibility. It would definitely help in making sense of the man's reluctance to come forward. If it is true, then something must have happened with his powers that caused the accident in the café that sent Woohyun to the hospital.

Woohyun speaks up first. "Should we try to find him? I mean, we know where he works and you know what he looks like. It wouldn’t be too hard."

"I think we should," Dongwoo chimes in, nodding his head for emphasis. Howon adds his agreement and then they’re all turning to Sunggyu for his opinion. Somehow it feels like Sunggyu has the final say. Like if he decides it’s not worth it to go searching for the café worker, they’ll respect his decision. They might not like it or agree with it, but they’ll go along with it. Maybe it’s because he’s the oldest, so they trust that he knows what’s best. Sunggyu isn’t sure he’s ready for that kind of responsibility. He starts to say something along those lines when the bell above the front door jingles, signaling a new customer.

Except it’s actually the last person Sunggyu expects to see. There’s no need to look for him if he comes to us instead, he thinks wryly.

The man from the café enters the store calmly. He’s out of his work uniform, but dressed impeccably in black dress pants and a yellow blazer over a white shirt. After a quick survey of the record store (and the people in it), his eyes find Sunggyu easily. The older man feels a sense of unease creeping up his back well before the other man opens his mouth. It settles over Sunggyu completely when the man does speak.

"We need to talk."