Jiyong was startled out of his daydream by the loud ringing of his phone. A quick glance at the clock showed that he had been staring blankly at the computer screen for the last 75 minutes. So much for completing this song before the end of the day. He detachedly watched his phone vibrate on the corner of the desk. It's probably Youngbae again. You would think that after all their years of friendship, Youngbae would learn to stop worrying about him during his heartbroken spells.

It has been one month since Kara called it quits, and Jiyong had spent most of that month holed up in the studio, only returning to his apartment to shower and feed his fish. His room felt weirdly empty without her, and no matter how much he tried to sleep, he always ended up tossing and turning restlessly in bed for hours on end. So, here he was- immersing himself in music, working on tracks too raw to ever be released to the public as he nursed his broken heart and fended off caffeine-induced headaches.

After changing a few more parts of the instrumental, Jiyong gave up on making any further improvements. There was something missing, but he would just have to figure it out later. He decided to record the demo as it was. Memories of Kara and how happy they had been together, or at least how how happy he had thought they both were, flooded his mind as he sang raspily about lost love and the emptiness that followed. When he played it back, it all sounded wrong. His voice, the MR, the lyrics, everything. Frustration bubbled within him. What good was he if he couldn’t even channel the emotions from his failed relationships into music?  There was nothing salvageable about this track, so he might as well just head home and drown himself in alcohol. He grabbed his phone and headed towards the elevator.

Luckily for Jiyong, the elevator was empty, so he did not have to attempt to make polite conversation with anyone. He wasn’t sure if he was capable of the deferent golden boy act with the dark cloud hanging over his head at the moment. Jiyong idly tried to remember where he had parked his car this morning. He had been so out of it that it was a miracle that he’d even made it from his apartment to the YG building. When the elevator got to the 5th floor, it stopped and the doors opened to reveal Kim Jinwoo. He was dressed in a sleeveless shirt and shorts that showed off his lithe, muscular frame to perfection, and his smooth skin was covered in a sheen of sweat. Jiyong raked him over with his eyes until he met Jinwoo’s gaze, just in time to catch the expression of surprise that flashed over the younger man’s face. It was quickly replaced by nervousness. As usual. They hadn’t been in close proximity since Jinwoo debuted with Winner, but Jiyong had hoped that Jinwoo would get more comfortable around him with time. After three years, he was still waiting for that to happen. “Hello Jiyong hyung” Jinwoo said as he walked into the elevator, standing as far away from Jiyong as he possibly could.  Jiyong nodded in response. The atmosphere in the elevator was very awkward, so he tried to distract himself by going through his messages. Sure enough, he saw six unread messages from Youngbae. He wondered how many variations of ‘are you okay? Answer your damn phone Jiyong’ he would get before Youngbae gave up and showed up at his apartment to talk to him.

The sound of Jinwoo clearing his throat interrupted his thoughts. “Are you working on new music, hyung?” Jiyong turned around to look at Jinwoo, his surprise at Jinwoo initiating a conversation evident in his expression. “Yeah. I’m just messing with a couple of tracks. What are you doing here so late?” He watched Jinwoo rub his left shoulder nervously as he replied “Working out. Hwangssabu has been riding me hard for skipping workouts recently, so I’m trying to make them up. Gotta get fit in time for the concert tour.” Jiyong appreciatively watched Jinwoo’s arm muscles flex, but before he could reply, the elevator dinged signaling their arrival to the ground floor. “Well, you look like you’re doing great. Have a good night!” he called out as he stepped out of the elevator. He hurriedly made his way towards the exit, failing to register the absence of a security guard at the door.

Jiyong tried to push the door open but it wouldn’t budge. He directed an embarrassed glance at Jinwoo. Hopefully the younger man had not noticed. Jiyong hadn’t exercised in months, and he didn’t need to be noodle-arm shamed by someone who had apparently been living in the gym recently. Leaning forward to put some of his bodyweight into his efforts, he shoved at the door again. Nothing.

“Hyung, is the door locked?” “I don’t think it is. Something might be blocking it on the other side. It just won’t open.”

“Let me help” Jinwoo said as he took a step towards Jiyong.

He was close. Close enough for Jiyong to feel the heat radiating from Jinwoo’s sweaty body as he fiddled with the handle.

“Um. Do you need me to move?”

Jinwoo glanced at him briefly, “No, you’re fine. I just need to..”

He watched Jinwoo jerkily pull on the door handle while kicking at the door, the frustration growing more and more evident in the younger man’s expression with every kick until Jiyong heard a crack.

“!”

“Are you okay?” He looked down to see Jinwoo clutching his left foot.

“Did you hurt your foot?” He caught Jinwoo’s incredulous expression as he leaned over to look at it.

“Don’t give me that look. You’re the one who thought it was a good idea to kick a metal door. Does it feel broken?” Jinwoo straightened his leg and tried to flex his foot before wincing in pain.

“I’m not sure. It doesn’t feel broken. I’ll know for sure when I try to walk .”

Jiyong sighed. He just wanted to go home and drink. Was that really too much to ask? Now he’d have to take care of Jinwoo and safely deliver him to his apartment before heading home.

“Stay where you are. I’ll call my manager”. Jiyong pulled out his phone and speed dialed his manager.

“Hello? Hyung, are you around the building?”

“What building?”

“The YG building. What other building would I be asking about?” Jiyong barely managed to keep the irritation out of his voice. What he wouldn’t give for a glass of bourbon right now.

“It’s 3am, and there’s a snow storm of epic proportions outside. Why would I be at the YG building?” Jiyong sighed and chanced a glance at Jinwoo. The pink haired man was still seated on the floor, leaning over his injured foot. “Snow storm?”

“Yup. There’s a safety warning. I’d advise you to stay in the building until it stops”

“Will do. Thanks, hyung.” Jiyong hung up and steeled himself for the next conversation with Jinwoo.

“We have to stay here until tomorrow morning.”

“What? Why?”

From his position by the window, Jiyong had a clear view of Jinwoo’s muscular shoulders. He distractedly watched Jinwoo’s muscles flex as he kneaded his calves.

“It’s snowing outside. There’s a movement embargo.”

Jinwoo nodded, and they stared at each other silently, both waiting for the other person to speak up.

“So, what do we do now?” “Do you want to join me in the studio?” They spoke at the same time.

“Uhm, okay. If you’re fine with me sitting around while you work.”

Jiyong nodded curtly. “Do you need help getting to the elevator?”

“No. I’m good. Just give me a minute.”

Jiyong stood still as he watched Jinwoo stand before gingerly placing his injured foot on the floor. Jinwoo tried to hind his whimper of pain, but Jiyong saw it and quickly walked to his side, wrapping an arm around him.

“Lean on me. When we get to the studio you can lie down on the couch and let me examine your foot properly”.

Jinwoo face flushed as they hobbled towards the elevator. With every step, their legs touched, making distracting butterflies run amok in Jiyong’s stomach. He shoved those feelings down. This wasn’t the time to address that situation; there was a reason why he had left it alone when he had a chance two years ago.  Choosing to follow his heart instead of his brain had only brought him misery in the past.