Jiyong returned to Korea after the USA/Canada part of his world tour. It was just for just a couple of days, but it was nice to be home. The first day, he just crashed & slept for nearly the entire day. But on the second day, he & his band members decided to get dinner together at Seungri's Aori Ramen restaurant. It was just the 4 of them because TOP still wasn't venturing out into the public unless it was absolutely necessary. So they face-timed him during dinner so they could check on him & make him feel included. 

     Ji really enjoyed getting to spend a little time with his boys. Being with them & talking & laughing felt so easy to him. So right. And so comfortable. (Despite the ache he felt in his chest every time he looked at Youngbae.) He really missed moments like this. It had been far too long since they'd all been in the same place at once. Even just the 4 of them. The only problem was that it just didn't last as long as he wished it could.

     Daesung left not long after dinner was over so he could take TOP some noodles from Aori, but they all knew that it was really just an excuse for him to go see the man he loved. 

     "I'm going to head out soon too. I need to make sure everything is ready to go back out on tour."  Bae said as he placed a hand on Ji's shoulder, "You should go home too, Ji, & get as much rest as possible before you have to leave again. You need your rest in order to stay healthy." 

     Ji chuckled. "I will, Mama Bae. As soon as I finish this drink," he said, raising his wine glass. 

     Bae flashed one of his adorable eye-smiles & Ji's heart melted a little bit as Bae pulled him into a hug. 

     Bae turned to Seungri & hugged him tightly as well. 

     "Take care of yourself too, Maknae. And make sure he goes home before too long. Ok?" Bae said, pointing at Ji. 

     "I will, Hyung." Ri replied with a smile.

     "Good," Bae smirked. "He needs somebody to take care of him."

     "Just go already & quit fussing about me!" Ji laughed. 

     "Ok! Ok! I'm going! I'm going!" Bae laughed & pretended to run out the door. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Bae had gotten almost to his car before he realized he'd forgotten his hat, so he begrudgingly turned around & went back inside. It was getting late & there were no other customers left in the restaurant. It was just the boys & the Aori staff. It was dark outside already & as he walked down the little hall towards the back room where they'd been sitting, he could see the reflection of Ji & Ri in the window across from the table where they'd been sitting. They were standing & gathering their things to leave. He saw Ji pick up the hat he'd accidentally left behind. 

     "Youngbae must have left his hat. I guess I'll have to take it to him later." Ji said, turning the hat over in his hands, unconsciously the brim & smiling fondly down at it.

     Bae was just about to round the wooden slat partition that kept the little nook where their table was private. He was all set to make a joke about coming back to make sure the boys were doing what he'd told them to do when he heard Ri softly say, "When are you gonna tell him?" 

     He stopped in his tracks. There was something in RI's tone that told him the maknae wasn't speaking in regards to the hat. This sounded of a more personal nature. He hesitated. He didn't want to walk in on a private conversation. He didn't feel right about invading his best friend's privacy. Even though they were best friends & they knew pretty much everything there was to know about each other. He wasn't here to -in. He just wanted to get his hat. He remained just out of sight, uncertain of what he should do. 

     "Tell who what, Maknae?" Ji asked almost haughtily, purposely avoiding the question. 

     "Don't pretend you don't know what I mean, Hyung. I know you. I've seen the adoring way you gaze at him when you think he isn't looking & I've noticed how flustered you get when he's around. And how happy you are when the two of you are together. You can't hide this secret forever. Youngbae-hyung is your best friend. You need to tell him that you're in love with him."  

     Bae backed away in shock. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. His heart felt like it had just stopped. Ji? In love with him? It was unbelievable. Unfathomable. Impossible. They were like brothers. Right? He was so confused. He felt stunned. His mind all muddled like he'd just stuck his finger in an electric outlet. He couldn't wrap his head around this. Maybe he'd heard wrong. Or maybe Ri just didn't know what he was talking about.

     He glanced back up at the window that held the reflection of his two groupmates. Ji's head hung low. 

     "I don't think he's ready to hear it, Seungri," Ji said so softly that Bae barely could hear it over the erratic pounding of his own heart. "It's Bae. He may never be ready for that," Ji said, looking sadly at Seungri. 

     Bae started to feel panicky. So it was true?!? His best friend really was in love with him? He stumbled back into the wall behind him, almost knocking the breath out of himself. But Ji & Seungri never even knew he was there. He scrubbed a shaking hand over his face & clenched his eyes closed & took several deep breaths as he tried to calm himself. With his eyes squeezed tightly shut, he never saw the window reflecting the tears streaming down Jiyong's face nor did he witness Seungri pulling Ji into a comforting hug. All he knew was the riot of emotions in his mind & heart that left him feeling dizzy. His hat forgotten, a dazed Bae turned silently on his heel & walked out