You woke up groggily, feeling like a brick was inside your head when you got up.

Unggggh...what the heck did I drink...?

You got up, stretched, looking at the same clothes you had gone out in still on you from the night before. Your contacts were still on too, so you took them out before cleaning up. Grabbing your towel, you stepped into the shower, letting the hot water loosen up the cramped muscles in your back. What kind of dancing exactly was I doing that has me so sore...? Do I want to know...

After showering, you wrapped the towel around yourself and brushed your teeth, still feeling the hangover pound in your head. You didn't hear any movement or noise downstairs like you usually expected to, and after partly drying your hair, you changed into leggings and a loose sweatshirt and your glasses, heading downstairs. You looked around and saw a sleeping figure on the sofabed, blankets a mess. He was always awake before you, but today he was sleeping in. Something felt off.

You grabbed a glass of water and brought it with you to the living room, and knelt down by Dean's sleeping head. He didn't look feverish or pale, but just in case, you gently pressed your wrist to his forehead to check his temperature, which was normal. He stirred awake.

You gently ruffled his hair, even though you knew it was one of his pet peeves. "Wake up sleepyhead! Aren't you usually the one hustling and bustling?" He sleepily blinked, and he didn't bother to move your hand out of his hair.

Well...that's kinda odd.

You moved your hand back. "Did you drink or something too? What's wrong?" Your eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Didn't really sleep all that well honestly...I'm gonna get up and shower though, don't wait up for me." he replied, getting up and putting his jacket down before he went upstairs. 

"Extra towel is on the side!" You called after him. He was weird in general, but he hadn't been this weird since the days after he had broken up with his ex.

Omg..what if she had contacted him yesterday?! Maybe that's why his mood was off?

A knock on the door made you get up. You saw a familiar face on the little screen next to the door that showed who was visiting. Your heart jumped a little bit.

"Jongup! Good morning!" You cheerfully let him in. He was holding a little lunchbox with containers in it. He gave you a little kiss on the cheek as he came through the door, making you blush. 

"I hope you slept okay!" He set the lunchbox down as you set some bowls and plates on the table. 

"I did...I don't really remember getting back..." You awkwardly smiled. 

"I had a feeling..." he chuckled. "That's why I brought you a little something for the hangover."

He served the soup as you set the side dishes. You both dug in, the soup already handling the headache. You finished so quickly that you hadn't noticed Jongup watching you, amused.

"Uh...sorry...I probably should have slowed down...I didn't realize I was so hungry.." you awkwardly scratched your head. He just chuckled, taking another bite.

"It's cute." 

You blushed even harder, taking a long sip of water and then giggled quietly. It was so nice, so natural to have him here, reminiscent of your weekend brunches with Dean.

Oh crap. Did he know Jongup was joining me for breakfast and that's why he got up?

"Everything okay?" Jongup's words brought you back.

"Yeah, it's nothing..." you turned back to him.

"You seemed a little distracted...I hope I wasn't interrupting anything..." a tinge of guilt seemed to touch his eyes.

"Oh, no no! Nothing major, it just feels like something's off with him...but he doesn't have a fever or anything..." you mused, feeling a little guilty for getting distracted.

"Hey. It's okay to be concerned. I was a little envious at first at how close you two are with each other...but, you're both best friends, so don't feel bad for taking care of each other just because we're dating." He smiled gently but reassuringly. "And he takes care of you so well, it makes me realize how lucky I am to be with you."

You reached out and squeezed his hand. "Don't leave before you meet him today, okay?"

He grinned. "I don't plan to."

You both cleaned up the table and Dean still hadn't made any noise nor come downstairs yet, which was starting to worry you. You made some for the three of you and there were some leftovers from the soup that you had, but you decided to make some scrambled eggs on the side with the tea. After you set the plate down on the table with the tea, you were about to bring the two cups for you and Jongup to set on the table, but were suddenly backhugged.

"Hi." he softly said to your right ear.

You giggled, holding his hands that were around your waist. You turned your head to look at him and kissed the top of his nose. "Hi." 

"You know...I've never backhugged someone like this before actually...but, I think I'll have to do it more often." He kissed the top of your shoulder.

You shivered slightly, and turned into his hug so your arms were around his neck now. "I think you'll have to consider sleeping over more often too then."

He picked up one of the cups of tea and offered you a sip. You took a sip and a little bit of foam was still on your upper lip, which you were about to off but were stopped midway. He leaned forward and off the foam, leaving you with a sweet kiss. 

You arched an eyebrow. "Have you been watching dramas lately?" 

"Maybe..." he mischeviously winked at you.

"I think that'll have to be your excuse for coming over then," you stuck your tongue out. He poked your cheek. 

"The guys kind of know already...so, I can sneak over a little more easily." he admitted.

You finally heard someone's footsteps coming downstairs. Taking your cups to the table, you sat down next to Jongup as Dean came into the kitchen, dressed but his hair was still wet and a mess, and he looked so adorable that your heart skipped a beat involuntarily.

"Good morning hyung," Jongup greeted him as he joined the table.

"Morning! I had a feeling we had company today." He grabbed the fork but seemed to be more cheerful than earlier, digging into the food.

"Yeah, I wanted to meet you today, to thank you for last night and taking such good care of her. I wanted to get to know her best friend too, since we've already known each other, but I'm sure this means will be around each other more than usual. And of course, to be friends too, I love some of the music you've released." He was so honest and open with his words.

Dean finally smiled. You saw the genuine surprise but happy look touch his eyes as he replied. "Thank you, really. I didn't really know you, but I knew the two of you had an undeniable connection from the first time I came over here and heard about you all. And after this morning, you've already been doing so well in taking care of her, I hope she's not too much to handle." He smirked at you, causing you to whip your head in his direction and your jaw to drop. He chuckled before continuing. "Honestly, I didn't think I would be too cool with the two of you together at first...she's been my rock since certain things happened, and I thought I was going to lose her. But, it doesn't feel like that at all. So, I'm happy the two of you are together. It was bound to happen." 

There was a pause as he finished off his food and your heart hammered in the silence.

"Thank you."Jongup's voice broke the silence.

Dean turned to you again. "You'd better take good care of him, he's already doing so much to keep up with you." he teased, making you cover your eyes and blush.

"She has, I'm so happy to be with her." Jongup squeezed your hand, and the two of you locked eyes for a moment.

"You can kiss in front of me too...just don't invite me to join you." Dean teased, causing you to choke on air for a moment and Jongup to laugh.

"Can you never be serious for a moment?!" you scolded him teasingly. He got up, clearing the plate and glanced at his watch. 

"Actually, I'm gonna have to head out for a bit, but the apartment is yours in the meantime if you two wanna hang out here. Call me if something comes up." Dean finished up what he was doing and motioned to head out.

"No hugs before you go?" You pouted. He paused at the door, and you walked up to him, giving him a warm embrace. "Have fun!"

He smiled, this time the smile not quite reaching his eyes, and headed out. "Don't get too wild." He winked and left.

You shook your head. "I don't know how I didn't notice how much he enjoys bothering me...do you wanna watch a movie or something?" 

Jongup nodded. "Sounds like a plan! I have one in mind..." 

The two of you headed to the living room, getting cozy for the movie, and you rested your head on Jongup's chest while his arm came around to hold your one hand. You tried to focus on the movie as much as he was since he was clearly enjoying it, but your mind kept racing back to yesterday and today.

Is Dean hiding something from me? You couldn't push the thought from your mind. He is definitely not himself. But he even likes Jongup, and he seems to genuinely want to accept him and be friends. Is it me then? But it doesn't make sense...if he did genuinely have feelings for me, why wouldn't he tell me when I brought up my crush on Jongup? 

You hadn't noticed but your free hand slipped and slid along Jongup's thigh, startling him.

"Um..." he looked at you, realizing you hadn't noticed. You suddenly sat up, but in the process pulled his other arm and the next thing you know, he was on top of you, looking a little bit bewildered.

"Did you not want to watch a movie?" His expression was amused. You blushed hard, your hands on his chest and your faces quite close.

"Uh...I...got a little distracted...I'm trying to behave, I promise," you stuttered a little bit.

He grinned at you, and gave you a sweet kiss before pulling you back up to sitting position. "It's okay, it's the little things like this about you that I fell for."

You wrapped your arms around his neck again. "Oh? Hmm...maybe I should be a little more serious next time hehe." You bit your bottom lip teasingly.

"You know, I can stay over today, but I don't want to be an awkward housemate tonight and make your best friend feel weird about it."

"I'll text him to let him know. If it's weird, I'll let you know."

"Deal."

The two of you watched most of the movie, though you spent more time stealing kisses and enjoying the cuddling that came with it. Afterwards, you decided to put on some music and stretch out a bit, and Jongup freestyle lead you through ballroom dance music, including the dip that he had done with you at the karaoke. 

The rest of the guys wanted to see you too, and you headed over to hang out with them and decided to go bowling with them. The day was well spent, enjoying their company as you always did, but it was still weird because you were so used to spending weekends with Dean, listening to his music, helping him figure out what colors the songs represented, bothering him about random things he didn't notice until you brought it up. It was like a little piece of your weekend was incomplete without him, and his response to Jongup staying over was "Sure thing, I'm going to be out late anyways."

When it was nighttime, Jongup brought over some of his things and the two of you chatted happily in bed about what they had been working on, and about how the others figured out the two of you were a pair now. 

"Well, aside from the non-stop flirting we've been doing lately, they know me best. They could tell something was different right off the bat when you texted me yesterday to hang out. They noticed how I had a crush on you too but never said anything. Except Junhong...he always pushed me to do something about it."

"Whoa...I thought my karaoke performance made it obvious..." you mumbled, amused by the whole situation.

"Honestly, I didn't want to pursue you at first...Himchan hyung liked you before I did...but he read me like a book, and that's when he made me speak up because he could see you were drawn to me too."

You blinked in surprise. "Really? I wouldn't have guessed because all of you are always so good to me and he's always there to keep me out of trouble..."

"That's how I knew he liked you...he would always watch out for you first. That's what brought you to my attention." He sheepishly grinned, feeling a little embarassed at the revelation. "After that, I realized I couldn't deny it because he was spot on, and he had a hunch about you."

"I'm so lucky to have you guys. I couldn't ask for better friends." You hugged him tight, and he pulled you in, wrapping his arms around you, the warmth of his embrace making you sleepy. "Thanks for being my family too."

"I'm so lucky to have such a lovely girlfriend who loves my second family like I do." 

You both snuggled until you fell asleep, completely worn out from the day.

---

12:31 am.

Drink, smoke. Drink, smoke. Drink, smoke. Pour up.

Your mind raced, the room was getting hazy as you poured yourself another shot and downed it quickly. You leaned your head back against the cold wall behind your chair, hidden in the corner that you never thought you'd be in again. Not since the fateful day that the two of you had met for the first time.

"He loves her...I love her not...She loves him...I love her not..." you mumbled, finishing off the bottle. You clumsily set down the bottle next to the other two empty ones. The cigars remained untouched, but you were tempted to pick one up. Then you pushed the box off the table, littering them onto the floor.

She used to have them. It was never for me anyways.

You stared at the cigars, knowing they were an expensive gift, but not in the mood to smoke them or even touch them. They were the last thing you wanted to go back to, causing your head to swim and you stood up, exiting the corner that you were in.

As you stumbled out, a hand stopped your shoulder. You looked over, trying to hide your annoyance.

"We need to talk."

---

You found yourself at a small food tent, and a bottle of water was set in front of you, no drinks. Himchan waited for you to say something, but when you didn't, he started.

"You're suffering."

You rubbed your eyes as if you could rub the haziness away. "So what?"

"And you're pretending she hasn't noticed it."

You looked at Himchan, who's expression was stern but full of concern.

"Who cares...it's far too late to say anything....I should have said something sooner if I knew whether she liked me too."

"Well, it's not like she doesn't."

Your eyes widened. "Don't lie to me."

"Why would I come meet you if I didn't think you'd have to hear it?" he spoke seriously, gauging your reaction. "When she first moved here, she'd talk about you all the time. Even I was a little jealous of how much you meant to her because we were new friends with her then. But she sounded like she was always a bit confused around her feelings for you. But then, I noticed that she and Jongup caught each other's attention. They had a spark they didn't want to acknowledge but you pushed her to it, just like I encouraged him to."

"Didn't you have feelings for her too?" You didn't really ask to know, but to distract yourself.

"Yes. But I didn't act on them...I thought she had feelings for you, so my way of coping was helping her sort through her thoughts when you weren't here."

You looked up. Now you did feel a bit guilty. Here you were, sitting across from the person who probably would have taken care of her but he was here taking care of you. And yet, he wasn't selfish at all with his words, just honest and straightforward, no games. Yet you couldn't find it in you to open up to her about your feelings like you could about everything else. It haunted you.

You opened the water bottle and took a few deep gulps.

"Look, I'm not here to tell you what to do, but because I do respect you, and I care about both of you, I just want to say that you have someone to talk to if it gets to be difficult. I promised I'd look out for her no matter what happens between her and my dongsaeng, and she's like family to us too, like you are with her. You don't have to be alone on the opposite side if you don't want to be." He smiled politely.

Alone. That's how she'd always wanted it to be. Just the two of you, like Bonnie and Clyde, against the world. And in the end, she'd left you alone.

The flashbacks were getting to you as you ran your fingers through your hair.

"I can grab a drink if you need to talk it out." Himchan offered.

"Go for it. It's gonna be a long night." 

---

4:56 am.

Dawn was starting to peek through as you opened the doors as quietly as possible to the sofa bed. You slightly wavered, from the tiredness rather than the alcohol. You wanted to wash your face so badly to wash off the tears that couldn't stop falling earlier. It had been impossible to talk about it but when you did it broke all your resolve like a dam.

You quietly tread upstairs, focused on making it to the bathroom, and washed your face as quickly and silently as possible.

But you couldn't help but look back.

Your chest ached at the sight of them, Byul's face resting on his pillow with her hand on his chest. One of his arms was still around her as they were both asleep, breathing almost in sync. But they didn't look like they'd hastily changed into their clothes or anything. Even her hair wasn't a mess, and from where you were, you couldn't spot any marks on her neck.

You shook your head, trying not to over analyze, as you headed back down and passed out on the sofabed. 

Your mind swam as you closed your eyes, remembering the first night you'd stayed over. She'd fallen asleep next to me, and the only thing was a sofa bed. 

It was strange, the two of you never had an issue with sharing the bed, and even with all the teasing you'd do, you'd never made a move to take it any farther than cuddling or falling asleep. Is that why she grew so comfortable around them? Because I could tease but they could give her the real thing?

Your thoughts were restless as you attempted to free yourself of them. Sleep didn't come easy.