“So that’s the story. It’s strange, right hyung? Why is he so against giving me more details? Something weird’s gotta be going on.”

Yunhyeong sighed, giving it a moment before replying lest Junhoe interrupt him with another five minute rant. He was supposed to be tutoring Junhoe in math right now (they should have started fifteen minutes ago) but Junhoe’s mind clearly wasn’t on it. Yunhyeong was mildly annoyed but he let it slide for two reasons:

1. He enjoyed the drama and liked that Junhoe was coming to him for advice;
2. He was still getting paid.

“I agree, it does sound a little fishy, but then again, you did mention your track record when it came to Hanbin’s attempts at dating, so it makes sense that he’d keep those details from you if he really likes this guy.”

Junhoe waved the comment off dismissively. “I don’t buy it. He’s never refused to tell me where he’s going before! It just feels weird, I feel like I need to spy on him and follow him on Friday.”

“Whoa, hold on! Now you’re getting to absurd levels of interest. You can’t stalk Hanbin, Junhoe! Just let him have this one date in peace.” Yunhyeong hadn’t realized the attachment issues between Junhoe and Hanbin were so dire. Maybe Junhoe needed a firmer intervention? For Hanbin’s sake.

“I wouldn’t stalk him! You’re making it sound so dramatic.” Stalk was the wrong word. He’d just follow Hanbin. Just until he got to where he was going. In case something happened.

“How does Hanbin put up with you? You’re insane.” Yunhyeong regretted the words as soon as Junhoe levelled him with an angry glare.

“I’m just worried about my best friend, okay? What if he got mixed up with some weirdo?”

“He already is mixed up a weirdo, Junhoe! Look in the mirror.” Yunhyeong grinned, proud of himself for the joke.

Junhoe just shook his head and looked away. He wasn’t being ridiculous, was he? He was just worried about Hanbin. Nothing more.

“Okay if you want my honest opinion,” Yunhyeong started, waiting until he could tell that Junhoe was paying attention, “I think you’re just jealous.”

“I am not!” Junhoe cut in. “I could get a date any time!”

“Not of Hanbin. You’re jealous of the guy he’s going out with.”

Junhoe laughed at the comment. “You think I want to date Hanbin? That’s hilarious, hyung, honestly.”

“No!” Yunhyeong really thought Junhoe would cut a lot of drama out of his life if he learned how to listen to an entire thought first before interrupting. “But you’re used to having Hanbin all to yourself, and now that he’s made plans without consulting you first, you automatically think that means he’s trying to replace you. So you naturally want to fight whoever this new guy is, because Hanbin’s yours, and you don’t want someone else getting involved that’ll take him away from you.”

Junhoe listened with growing irritation. Yunhyeong wasn’t right, no way. Sure, Junhoe was a little jealous at the idea of Hanbin hanging out with someone else, but that was just a tiny little part of the problem. A minor annoyance. Barely even an annoyance at all.

“He’s not mine, hyung! I don’t own him.”

Yunhyeong snorted. “Look in the mirror and tell that to yourself, I think it’s something you need to hear.”

Junhoe kept quiet, fighting back the urge to argue with Yunhyeong. He wasn’t possessive with Hanbin (okay maybe he was just a tiny bit, a mere fraction) and it probably sounded worse to someone outside of his head than it did to him. Whatever. He’d be fine. It was just one Friday. He could handle one Friday without Hanbin.

Probably.

“Are you always this obsessed with him, or did getting knocked out over the weekend knock the sense out of you as well?” Yunhyeong teased.

“I didn’t get knocked out!” Junhoe grumbled, “I got choked out. There’s a difference.”

“Not much of a difference, either way you got your kicked.” Yunhyeong thought it was good that Junhoe had lost over the weekend. While he liked the guy, sometimes his ego got a little out of control. Losing a fight was good for him.

“He didn’t kick my !” Junhoe grumbled again, annoyed that they’d moved on to this topic. “I was actually kicking his , I just got unlucky.” He’d reviewed the footage again with his coach and felt a little better about the fight. He’d done a much better job the second time around of protecting his guard, and he’d been tighter in his movements. He was still nagged with a bit of doubt though because as good as he’d looked, Jinhwan had only seemed to be going for his back (trying to get a submission, of course). Would he have done as well had Jinhwan tried going for any mount at all?

“Choke outs are one thing, anyone could lock a choke if you get the positioning right,” Junhoe carried on, “but there’s no way that little midget could ever knock me out.”

Yunhyeong grinned at Bobby’s response. Clearly the situation really bothered him. Yunhyeong thought it was good for him. “Midget? I thought jiu-jitsu was particularly useful when you fought against people who were bigger than you. So you don’t have to feel bad just ‘cause the guy was smaller than you.”

“I don’t need your fake sympathy, hyung! I’m over it, okay? Next time I fight the guy it’s going to be a different outcome. That’s all that needs to be said.”

Yunhyeong bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Junhoe was entertaining when he got all riled up. But that was enough for one night. “All right, I’m sorry I brought it up. Back to math?”

Junhoe could have kept going, almost wanted to explain to Yunhyeong exactly how he planned to take Jinhwan down next time. But they’d already spent nearly half an hour of study time on this, and if Junhoe’s mother found out she probably wouldn’t let him fight in the next tournament.

“Yeah sure, back to math.”
 

Bobby fiddled with the zipper on his jacket, trying to keep his mind off of the time. Hanbin had texted him and said he’d be fifteen minutes late (which wouldn’t have been a problem had Bobby’s nerves not gotten the best of him and he’d showed up an hour early). He didn’t mind, because they had more than enough time to get food before the movie. But he couldn’t help but wonder why Hanbin was running late? Was he having second thoughts? Had he decided after all that he didn’t want to go out with him?

Bobby knew that wasn’t really the case. Hanbin’s text had ended off with an enthusiastic “can’t wait to see you!!” after all, so it’s not like he was being closed off and suspicious. But still.

Bobby just hadn’t looked forward to a date so much and he worried that maybe he was setting himself up for something unrealistic? Sure, he and Hanbin seemed perfectly compatible so far, but maybe they’d find things about each other that annoyed them tonight. Maybe he wouldn’t even want a second date? Or worse—he would, but Hanbin wouldn’t?

It’s not that Bobby was self-conscious (well he was, but not that much) but this whole thing seemed to be happening so quickly and didn’t those kinds of relationships always fizzle out? Jiun had warned him about that, had told him that when he’d been Bobby’s age, he thought he’d met the girl of his dreams and everything had been perfect for two weeks, but then they’d gotten bored with each other. It had happened to him twice, actually. The girl he was with now (who he’d been with for two and a half years) had been a different story. They hadn’t even been interested in each other at first, and had only ended up on a “date” because the people they were originally going to go out with hadn’t shown up.

Jiun liked to say it’s was God’s intervention, and while Bobby groaned and told him he was being disgustingly sappy, on the inside he actually thought it was probably true, and he wondered if God was the one responsible for scheduling that first round matchup between Jinhwan and Junhoe, ensuring he’d have a reason to talk to Hanbin?

It would be nice to know his relationship had God’s blessing.

His musing was interrupted by a swatting hand knocking his snapback off his head. He craned his neck to look at the intruder as he dove forward to grab his hat (it was new!) and scowled when he saw the grinning face of Jung Chanwoo.

“Chanu-ya! What the hell!” He slipped the hat back on and stood up.

“Sorry hyung, there was a bug on your head.” Chanwoo replied with a grin.

“The only bug here is you.” Bobby sulked back, still frowning.

“Oooh, that was clever, hyung!” Chanwoo laughed.

Bobby shook his head and tried not to grin. He liked Chanwoo a lot, thought of him like a younger brother even though Chanwoo all the time. “Why are you bothering me, anyway? Go away, I’m busy.”

Chanwoo looked around the area before turning back to Bobby. “Ah right, I can see you’re here with all your friends! So sorry for interrupting you, hyung!”

“I’m actually on a date, so you need to go!”

“You’re on a date? With who, yourself?” Chanwoo laughed and Bobby bit the inside of his mouth trying not to smile.

“I’m waiting for my date, ! Get out of here.”

“Ah right, well, keep waiting, hyung! When you’re missing from class on Monday, I’ll know where to find you!” Chanwoo barely moved out of the way in time as Bobby lunged at him, running away and shouting a hasty goodbye back at him. Bobby laughed then as he waved him off, secretly grateful for the interruption.

He saw Hanbin when he turned around to sit back down and Bobby forgot to breathe for a few seconds. Hanbin was wearing his hair swept back off his forehead and Bobby almost didn’t recognize him. When he’d first looked at him, and every subsequent time, he’d thought Hanbin was cute. But this, with his hair swept back?

This had to be God giving his blessing, right?!

Hanbin approached him with a smile on his face and Bobby could see Hanbin’s eyes giving him a lengthy once-over and he was glad Jinhwan had helped him pick out an outfit. Hanbin’s smile was wider by the time his eyes made it back up to Bobby’s face.

“Hey, sorry I’m late! Had to drop my sister off with my uncle.” Hanbin stopped just in front of Bobby, smile faltering just a little at the look on Bobby’s face.

Bobby was still shocked over the transformation with the hair, but he quickly recovered and smiled back at Hanbin. “Oh, that’s fine, really! Not a problem, family first.” He couldn’t focus on anything other than how good Hanbin looked right now. Bobby honestly just wanted to lean forward and kiss him.

Hanbin smiled again after Bobby’s comment, but they stood in silence for a few seconds before he finally broke it. “You look really good, hyung.” Hanbin’s eyes were drawn back to Bobby’s chest, the tank top just tight enough to show off an outline of Bobby’s defined muscles. Hanbin loved muscular guys.

Bobby blushed at the compliment, feeling weirdly shy before getting a grip on himself. “Ah, thanks! But you’re the one who looks amazing tonight.” Bobby had been so fixated on Hanbin’s change in hairstyle that he hadn’t even paid attention to what he was wearing. But the ripped skinny jeans and white leather jacket definitely only reinforced how hot Hanbin looked tonight. Bobby almost wanted to skip the movie and suggest they do…other things.

But he didn’t want to give Hanbin the wrong impression. Concentrating on conversation might be hard, though.

Hanbin blushed too at Bobby’s compliment, pleased to hear it. He’d spent two hours agonizing over what to wear (and had changed his outfit four times, annoying his mother for her opinion) until finally his father had broken down and interrupted, gifting Hanbin with the new leather jacket he was wearing (“this was supposed to be a birthday present, but since you’re in dire need of something special, you’re getting it early!”).

Hanbin didn’t usually put such an effort into what he wore, despite having a minor interest in fashion, but he really wanted to make a good impression tonight. Which was probably stupid, because hadn’t he already made a good impression?

Bobby finally got his thoughts sorted out and kicked his brain back into gear. “So, do you have any preference about what we eat? There’s a bunch of places around.”

Hanbin shrugged. “I’m good with everything really. Whatever you want is okay with me. I’ll eat anything.”

Usually Bobby had no problem making decisions, but for some reason he was stupidly nervous over picking a spot for food. Sure, Hanbin said he’d eat anything. But what if he secretly hated whatever decision Bobby made? For a second Bobby couldn’t even remember what he liked!

It’s just dinner! Get a hold of yourself, idiot.

“Wanna just go for barbeque?” Meat was always a good option.

“Barbeque’s great!” Hanbin was happy with the option. Barbeque was a good way to make sure they kept up conversation, at least, neither of them would get into just eating their meals nervously in silence. Without thinking about it Hanbin wrapped his hand around Bobby’s arm, his natural inclination towards being physically clingy manifesting right away. “Do you want to buy the movie tickets first so we don’t have to worry about getting them after we eat?”

Bobby didn’t hear Hanbin’s question, caught off guard by the hand on his arm. His heart stopped at the contact and he stared at the hand until Hanbin suddenly yanked it back with an embarrassed look on his face.

“Ah, sorry! Confession time—I’m actually really touchy. Sorry, it just happens, I told myself to watch it but--”

“No it’s okay!” Bobby interrupted, sorry that his reaction had looked negative to Hanbin. “I mean, we’re on a date, right? We should probably, like, you know--” ugh, why was this so difficult?!

Hanbin’s expression softened again and he seemed to know exactly what Bobby was trying to say, and suddenly they moved at the same time, as natural as breathing. Bobby’s arm raised just as Hanbin moved in under it, and when they settled Hanbin had one arm wrapped comfortably around Bobby’s waist while the other was folded up his chest, fingers clutching at the hand that was draped over Hanbin’s shoulder.

Their heights were a natural complement, Bobby thought, and he  was elated to have Hanbin so physically close. It felt perfect to have him like this, it felt like this is how they should be. While Bobby wasn’t normally the sort who engaged in physical displays, he couldn’t help but want to be all wrapped up in Hanbin. He wanted to be obvious about it, wanted everyone to see them together and know.

Most of all he just really wanted to kiss Hanbin, and that desire was manifesting itself in the form of a dozen butterflies in his stomach and an almost feverish buzz in his brain of should he ask, should he just go for it?

Hanbin, on the other hand, felt more relaxed at the moment that Bobby’s arm had settled around his shoulders than he’d felt all week. Something about it just felt right, something about Bobby felt right. He never really put much thought into how long things would last (a relationship didn’t have to be long-term in order for it to be important, not as long as you got something worthwhile out of it) but for the first time in his life, Hanbin found himself hoping that things would stay like this for a long time. Hoping that Bobby would stay for a long time.

Hanbin tilted his head to the side and looked up at Bobby, about to ask him which of the three barbeque places close by he wanted to go to, but his voice faltered when he saw the way that Bobby was staring at him, open mouthed and adoring eyes. Hanbin smiled at him.

Bobby felt like his heart might burst.

“Uh, Hanbin, can I--”

The words stuck in his throat, not so much because he was nervous, but mostly because it was just too perfect. 

But Hanbin seemed to know exactly what he meant, because his smile grew brighter and a second later he was pressing his lips to Bobby’s, and if it hadn’t been for Hanbin’s body firm and solid in his arms, Bobby’s pretty sure he would have melted.

“Hyung, can you check on my form, please?”

Jinhwan took a final swig of water from his bottle before replacing it on the bench. He was currently working a shift at the training academy, helping out with his second class of white belts. He really enjoyed helping to train the kids who were just starting out, thought it was exceptionally rewarding to see how quickly some of them grew. He didn’t mean to play favourites, but the one looking for his help now was his favourite (and the kid probably knew it, too).

“Of course, Minhyuk-ah! What are you working on tonight?” Jinhwan followed him over to his sparring partner, another young boy by the name of Seunghwan.

“We’re practicing chokes, hyung!”

Jinhwan smiled—he couldn’t help himself, the kids were so cute. He wondered if he’d been this cute when he’d started? A tiny, dorky little eleven year old who’d been pushed into the sport because his grandfather had been tired of him being bullied all the time. Jinhwan hadn’t even wanted to fight back then, but his grandfather had forced him into it. Two months later and he’d been grateful when it turned out that he was actually a natural at it.

“Alright, get in position, show me a rear choke.” He crouched down near the boys, watching them as they struggled into positions. He corrected a few things as they happened, and was quick to compliment what looked good. Finally Minhyuk got the hold on Seunghwan, but Jinhwan stopped him when he couldn’t manage to lock it in properly.

“Minhyuk-ah, you need to get your arm under the chin, you keep going over it.” Jinhwan demonstrated on Seunghwan, eventually leading Minhyuk over to the mirror to demonstrate on the boy himself.

“Come here and I’ll do it on you so you feel what you’re doing,” Jinhwan said, and once Minhyuk stood in front of him (with Seunghwan standing next to them watching) Jinhwan brought his arm up and positioned it over Minhyuk’s chin. “If I tighten it on you, how does it feel? You can still breathe, can’t you?” He asked, and Minhyuk confirmed.

“What you want to do is make sure you tuck your arm in under the chin, right up against the neck,” he pulled back on Minhyuk’s head just enough to slip his arm in where it needed to be and applied minimal pressure, “feel a difference already?”

Minhyuk got it, and Jinhwan repeated the same process on Seunghwan before sending them back to the mat to practice getting their arms locked in.

Maybe it was a little weird, taking joy out of teaching ten year olds how to choke each other out, but Jinhwan enjoyed it nonetheless. Maybe it just reminded him of himself when he was their age, remembered the surge in confidence that training had given him. In the span of six months, Jinhwan had gone from being a bullied “dork” to having more friends than he knew what to do with. The boys who’d previously had all backed off and treated him with a new level of respect. It wasn’t so much the intimidation factor that made Jinhwan feel good.

It was just finally being accepted, finally being liked without having to change anything about himself (because underneath his new status as a tough guy, he was still a dorky kid obsessed with playing the trumpet). He was just also a burgeoning jiu-jitsu fighter who didn’t let anyone talk down to him or his new friends.

He liked to think that he was helping some of these kids find their way similarly, and was grateful that he was given the opportunity to help train them. He felt like teaching these kids was his calling in life, felt like it was what he was supposed to be doing. He still loved music, still took great joy and satisfaction from playing. But he just couldn’t compare the feelings he got from performing music for mostly adults to what he got from teaching young, impressionable kids how to feel good about themselves.

But training might not pay the bills the way music would (provided he got that spot in the orchestra, which he probably would unless he ed up). Life wasn’t always about what you wanted. Sometimes you had to sacrifice your happiness if it meant survival.

He spent another ten minutes with the two before moving on to another pair of young fighters, pointing out areas in need of improvement and complimenting what was good. When the class finished he took a seat on the bench, checking his phone for an update from Bobby. His last update had come just before the class started, an excitedly long rambling mass about how stunning Hanbin looked, and how perfect they fit together, and how without even saying it out loud, Hanbin had responded to Bobby asking him for a kiss. On one hand Jinhwan thought it was cute. He was happy for Bobby, pleased to see him so caught up in someone else.

On the other hand he hoped Bobby was going to calm down with the over the top messages, because even someone who enjoyed romance stories as much as Jinhwan did had their limits.

This time the message was short and it came accompanied with a picture. Jinhwan’s breath caught in his throat for a second when he got it open--they really did look perfect together. Bobby’s message consisted of only a few words (hes so perfect im so lucky) and a lot of heart-eyed emojis. Jinhwan couldn’t help but grin as he read it.

bro ur being too cute im getting cavities cut it out

Jinhwan added a few heart-eyed emojis of his own to his message before sending it off. It was nice to see Bobby so happy, but at the same time it made him think of himself a year ago, when he’d been that happy. Being in love was addicting, and when you were in the moment, it was hard to focus on anything else.

Sometimes he missed it. Other times he wished it had never happened, because he’d been blissfully unaware of just how painful heartbreak was, of how it could creep up on you when you least expected it, how it never let you go even when you thought you were done with it.

“Jinan-ie, good work with the kids tonight!”

Jinhwan looked up, smiling at his gym’s head instructor, a black belt by the name of Dong Youngbae. He was a nice guy, almost had ten years on Jinhwan, but he was still friendly and open. He’d made Jinhwan’s move back to Seoul seamless when it came to jiu-jitsu.

“Thanks, hyung! I appreciate the invite to come and help out!”

Youngbae smiled back at him. “You’re very good with the kids, I like that. The kids seem to like you a lot as well, so it’s a good match. I don’t know if you were taking off right away, but I wanted to see if you were interested in reviewing your matches from the weekend? I have time now if you’re not on your way out.”

“Sure, hyung! That would be great.” Jinhwan hadn’t had the chance to sit down and really review his fights yet, and he was dying to watch that first one again. He could skip over the majority of the last one and get right to the choke, though. He had a feeling a lecture was waiting over that last match.

They relocated to Youngbae’s office after the last of the students left, Jinhwan taking a seat on the couch while Youngbae hooked his laptop up to the TV. They started out with the first fight, and Jinhwan couldn’t help but grin while he watched it. He’d totally owned that cocky little head’s  in that first round. Watching it again now, Jinhwan thought it was one of his best matches.

Youngbae commented on his form and positioning, having nothing negative to point out, only positives. Jinhwan’s first round fights were often his best ones of any tournament he competed in, and he knew it had to do with his desire to set an intimidating first impression. He was trying to work on keeping his fire up at the same level for each round, but there was something magical about that first fight that captivated him every time.

It was nearly an hour later when they finally got to his final (they’d watched a few matches of some of Jinhwan’s fellow fighters as well; Youngbae liked to give Jinhwan the opportunity to critique other fighter’s forms and matches, it was a good way to train as an instructor). Jinhwan was hesitant about watching it. Not only did he know there would be a lecture he’d have to endure, but he also didn’t want to see Junhoe controlling the fight.

Right before it started there was a zoom-in close up of their faces, and Jinhwan couldn’t help but stare at Junhoe’s. Why were the hot ones always s?

They watched a bit of the match and as expected, Youngbae was full of questions.

“Why did you keep letting him get in your guard all the time? It looked sloppy, you’re normally better than that.”

Jinhwan knew he was in for a lecture--he’d been dreading this moment of the conversation. “Honestly I was trying to get him in a position to submit him. I wanted his back and kept trying to trick him into giving it up, but he defended it better than I expected.”

Youngbae gave him a disapproving frown. “Jinhwan, the final match of a tournament is not the place to be testing yourself. Fight your opponent with respect, don’t treat him like a sparring partner. That’s a poor attitude.”

Jinhwan bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning (he couldn’t help it, it was because he kept thinking about the disappointed look on Junhoe’s face after waking up) and tried to sound serious. “I apologize, hyung, I understand what you’re saying. It was a poor example for my teammates.”

“I hope you mean that,” Youngbae said, “I’ll be watching you the next time.” Jinhwan couldn’t help but let the grin take over, and he laughed when he heard Youngbae sigh.

“I’m sorry hyung, I shouldn’t be laughing.” Jinhwan bit the inside of his cheek but it was difficult to get a grip on himself. Youngbae wasn’t so intimidating when they were one-on-one like this.

“Ah, you!” Youngbae smiled back at him, shaking his head as he got up. “I heard from Eric,” Youngbae said as he started shutting down his computer, “he wanted me to talk to you about California, since you keep putting him off.”

Jinhwan sighed, wishing that he could find some easy way to get out of the conversation.

“I’m still thinking about it, I have a lot to consider.” That was a nice, evasive answer.

Youngbae didn’t take it, though. “What’s holding you back? Are you just nervous about moving away to train, or is there something else?”

Jinhwan hesitated, wondering how much he ought to admit to? There legitimately was the whole concern surrounding moving away. He had a decent grasp on English, but the thought of living by himself in an English speaking country was terrifying. Not quite as terrifying as talking to his mother about it, though.

“Mostly moving away,” he admitted, “my English is okay, and I’ve lived away from my family enough times that I’m alright with them not being with me. But it’s mostly the language barrier, and just the cultural thing.”

Youngbae joined him on the couch again. “Have you talked to Eric about that? He went through the exact same thing, I’m sure he could help you.”

Jinhwan shook his head. How was he even supposed to explain the situation? Nope, haven’t talked to my ex-trainer because he’s also my ex-boyfriend--surprise! No one knew there had been anything going on between them, and especially now that Eric continued to keep in touch with him, it was difficult for Jinhwan to keep a firm boundary. He wanted more space, but Eric continued crowding him (maybe crowding was the wrong word, because it was nothing more than occasional text messages—it’s just that Jinhwan thought about him so often that he felt crowded). The worst part though was that Jinhwan couldn’t really be mad about it. Eric just wanted what was best for Jinhwan’s career as a fighter (and Jinhwan hadn’t exactly told him that he didn’t want to talk to him, so it’s not like he was ignoring Jinhwan’s request).

“I know I should talk to him about it, but I haven’t.”

Youngbae sighed. “Ah, I don’t get you, sometimes. You have someone with every bit of information you could possibly need, and you keep dodging him? I know there has to be more to the story. I thought you were close to him, he trained you for two years, didn’t he?”

Jinhwan swallowed nervously, his mouth suddenly dry and his palms sweaty. Just tell him about your mom. Don’t tell him about your relationship with Eric. It won’t do either of you any good.

“We were, but, I don’t know,” Jinhwan shrugged and felt lost, “I guess maybe I’m just more scared than I want to admit.”

Youngbae smiled and squeezed Jinhwan’s shoulder. “I understand, it’s difficult. But you have a good opportunity, Jinhwan. Don’t let fear hold you back.”

Jinhwan grinned. “Yeah, yeah. The whole fear is a cage, break out of it lecture.” He laughed when Youngbae swatted his arm.

“Cheeky little . I think I invest too much of my time in you!”

Jinhwan wasn’t worried about Youngbae’s comments, because he was laughing and smiling. Had he managed to give him just enough to get him out of his hair this time?

“Let’s talk about this again in a few weeks, okay? Do some real thinking about it, and talk to Eric. He’ll have answers for you. It’s your life, Jinhwan, we just want you to make the most of it.” Youngbae ruffled a hand through his hair and despite the anxiety over the conversation, Jinhwan felt good now that he was out of it for the night.

“Thanks, hyung! I appreciate your concern, and I promise I’ll really think about it.” He would think about it, again, for the millionth time.

Maybe this time he’d finally talk to Eric too.

Maybe.

Probably not.