Jongin’s phone dings; he opens his eyes, his mind still sleep hazy. Jin stirs beside him, and he coos a little, brushes aside the little boy’s fringes falling over his eyes before pressing a kiss to his forehead. His phone dings again, and with a sigh, he stretches his hand a little and picks up the device from the table kept beside the bed.

 

It’s Sunday. Like every Sunday, it’s Junmyeon.

 

Good morning!

 

hope you had a good night

 

did i disturb your sleep?

 

i hope i did not

 

I sincerely hope that

 

since it’s nine in the morning i thought you must be awake by now

 

You remember you said you’re an early bird

 

And rarely sleep after eight in the morning

 

do you remember?

 

Jongin remembers telling this to Sehun, not to Junmyeon. What’s exactly happening between with these two best friends, he wonders silently.

 

i don’t know if you remember or not

 

but i did so that’s why i messaged you at the time

 

are you awake

 

or are you still sleeping?

 

good morning hyung

 

Junmyeon had one day asked Jongin to call him hyung; the same day when they met Junmyeon in the mall. To be honest, Jongin couldn’t deny that he was happy at that moment. After all, he got two hyungs in two days! Jongin loves befriending people; more than that, he loves having comfortable relationships with people.

 

you did not

 

i have been awake since eight in the morning

 

i just didn’t want to get up from my bed

 

Jinnie is with me too

 

he doesn’t let go of me

 

^^

 

thank God!

 

I remember you telling me how Jin sleeps with you on some days

 

is he awake

 

or is he sleeping?

 

sleeping

 

it’s Sunday so i thought to let him sleep some time more

 

it’s nine already so i will wake him up soon

 

he needs to have his breakfast

 

you care so much about him

 

that’s admirable

 

cute too

 

must be a good feeling to be called Papa by someone

 

huh?

 

can’t deny that

 

it comes with a lot of responsibilities too hyung

 

it’s not as easy as you think it is

 

not that i am saying that

 

i want to

 

…

 

experience that personally

 

to be called daddy

 

find someone

 

marry and then have babies

 

Jongin laughs a little; Jin stirs beside him, he stops.

 

It’s not as easy as you think Jongin especially when all you’re looking for is love.

 

They talk some more, maybe for more than an hour. His stomach grumbles, but he barely pays it any mind. Jin keeps stirring beside him, yawning this cute, small yawn before going back to sleep with some cute, incoherent mumbling. Jongin keeps looking at Jin, mostly because Junmyeon can’t stop bringing Jin between them. For the most part of it, Junmyeon calls his son a very adorable mature kid for someone of his age. Then Junmyeon says how he wishes to have a son like Jin too.

 

You must be very lucky Jongin. I am kind of jealous of you. Hahaha—Junmyeon had sent that voice message. (Junmyeon’s deep and kind voice reminded Jongin of Kyungsoo. Then again, even Sehun’s voice is deep and kind—sometimes, cold and distanced too—and it reminds Jongin of Kyungsoo. Although nothing really compares to Kyungsoo; Kyungsoo has a special spot in his heart. He will always be there.)

 

i am lucky to have him sir

 

he makes me feel proud

 

every time

 

every single time that we go to parents teacher meeting

 

his teacher keeps on telling me how much of a good child he is

 

one day she even called Jin an epitome of an ideal child!

 

isn’t that great?

 

Jin was a bubbling mess that day

 

the same day he annoyed the hell out of me

 

no doubt about what his teacher said about him to you Jongin he will understand how good his own father is

 

i wish he does

 

Hahahaha

 

They stop messaging at exactly ten-thirty. Junmyeon sends him a series of apologies for keeping him on the bed and not letting him freshen up. Jongin waves it off with an emoji. However, just before leaving the chat box, Junmyeon sends him another message. Jongin’s face burns red.

 

i know i shouldn’t say this

 

it will only make me look desperate

 

but that’s exactly what i am right now

 

so

 

Jongin,

 

actually, it’s my birthday today

 

HaPPy BiRthDAY

 

oh MY GOd

 

hyung, why didn’t you tell me this before?

 

i AM so embarrassed right now

 

we are talking for more than an hour and you decided to tell me Now

 

how cruel of you!

 

THAnk You

 

i know, i am sorry

 

Hahahaha

 

um

 

Jongin

can i call you now?

 

sure? why, what happened?

 

It’s Junmyeon’s birthday; Kim Junmyeon, you see is a big name in the Korean entertainment industries. Being one of the richest men in Asia, he has to keep an image. Since this is his birthday, Junmyeon has decided to throw a party (Jongin is sure it’s going to be nothing short of lavish—almost like what he had watched in these overly rated dramas).

 

Junmyeon wants Jongin to be his date for the special evening. Jongin agrees; Junmyeon asks Jongin to bring Jin at the party too; Jongin agrees.

 

Afternoon comes soon, Jongin finds himself in the kitchen, on the dining table with his sulky son. Jin has been pouty since waking up this morning; he probably wanted to sleep some more. But how Jongin would let his son sleep after eleven in the morning? Jin is an energetic kid, but sometimes, he breaks whatever faith Jongin has in him, and starts acting like one of those lazy cats. Not that Jongin hates this side of Jin; it only makes Jin more adorable in Jongin’s eyes. It just sometimes gets a little annoying.

 

“Eat your breakfast already, Jin,” Jongin repeats for the nth time. “I am not going to repeat myself.” Jongin looks down at the phone in his hand, seconds later he hears taps of a spoon on the dining table. He sighs internally; his son is practically begging for a good scolding. “Jin, stop this and eat your breakfast.”

 

“You said you are not going repeat it,” his brat answers.

 

Jongin looks up to find his son pouting at him. “I did, but if you are not going to listen to me, then I will repeat myself. That goes without saying, now eat.”

 

“I am still feeling sleeepppyyyyyy.”

 

Jongin rolls his eyes, watching as his son gets on with eating, acting pitifully as if he’s eating some kind of poison. It’s vegetables; Jongin knows his son hates eating vegetables. “I know, but most of the days I am too. But look, I always go to the office, and all I asked you is to eat your breakfast.”

 

Jin nods absentmindedly, staring at him then at the television. “Can I watch the cartoon, please?”

 

“Yeah, yeah, but finish your breakfast first.”

 

“I will.”

 

Jongin’s phone rings, he smiles. It’s Sehun. He tells his son that he’s going to talk to his boss in the balcony and he must finish his breakfast until then. Jin nods, though Jongin knows he is more interested in knowing if Shizuka would react to Nobita’s advances or not. Kids these days, Jongin thinks with a shake of his head, and cartoons too. What are they teaching kids nowadays; how to flirt?

 

He picks up the call after the fifth ring. “Hello—”

 

“I want you to be my date,” Sehun says from the other end in one breath. Jongin goes red to his ears.

 

“What are you saying—”

 

“It’s Junmyeon’s birthday today,” Sehun begins again. He sounds as if he practiced these lines over a hundred times before finally mustering up the courage to ask Jongin that. Along with heat to his face, the thought also brings an erratically beating heart. “I have to go there, and since we have to bring someone with us, I thought you could come as my date? Look Jongin, the thing is, I know you well. We spent one whole month working together, one month and two weeks to be exact. You can trust me; you just have to tag along. I will take care of everything else.”

 

“Uh,” Jongin says, “someone already asked me out, hyung.”

 

Sehun is silent for some moments, and it’s heavy: the silence between them. “Who asked you out?” Sehun’s asks, his voice sounds strained.

 

“Junmyeon hyung asked me to be his date early this morning, hyung.”

 

Sehun hangs the phone as soon as Jongin finishes. Passing a worried look to his phone, Sehun’s contact number staring back at him, Jongin clicks the green button. He doesn’t understand why Sehun is behaving like this. Is his boss angry, but why would he be angry? There’s no reason for him to be angry. Or is there some other reason?

Sehun is popular among the population; he could have anyone as his date. Why is his boss worried about having a date anyway, with a reputation that he has—Jongin shakes his head at the thought. He should not judge his boss from what he has heard from people.

 

Jongin bites his lower lip and waits for Sehun to pick up; Sehun doesn’t, so he calls again; Sehun switches off his phone. Jongin sighs; Sehun has this bad habit of switching off his phone when he wants to avoid someone. Why Sehun wants to avoid Jongin is a whole another mystery, and it worries Jongin if he said or did something that he shouldn’t have.

 

With a worried mind, he decides to call Baekhyun. Baekhyun picks up after the third ring; Jongin gets straight to the point. Baekhyun, thankfully, doesn’t point that out and with a promise that he will call Sehun and ask him not to act like a childish brat, he hangs up.

 

Now that the thought about the party has hit him, he decides to talk to his son. It’s already one in the afternoon, and Junmyeon had said that he would pick them up by seven in the evening. The problem is, Jongin doesn’t have a suit for such a grand celebration. Before the party, he has to shop for a decent suit too. He needs to make it quick.

 

With a quick nod to himself, he walks back inside the living room. “We have to go to a birthday party today.”

 

Jin squeals, “Birthday party! Whose birthday is it, Papa?”

 

“You remember Junmyeon uncle?”

 

“It’s his birthday! May I wish him please?”

 

“Uh, sure, but make sure to greet him politely.”

 

Jin nods, jumping up and down on the couch where he shifted from the dining table.”Please, call him.”

 

Jongin laughs before placing his phone on his son’s hands. “I did, wait for him to pick up—”

 

“Happy birthday, uncle Junmyeon,” Jin screams in the phone. Jongin cringes and prays for the safety of Junmyeon’s ear. “I am Jin,” Jin says, “you cannot forget me so easily.”

 

Jongin hears a laugh from the other end; he smiles before picking up Jin’s empty plate. He repeats Jin to not speak anything unnecessary before walking into the kitchen. The thought of buying a new suit worries him, not because he’s short on money. He has received a salary of last month, and it’s enough to last for a few months even if his son and he use them in whatever they want. It’s about choosing the suit.

 

Jongin has never bought a suit for himself, or at least he was never alone while buying a suit. It was either Kyungsoo or some of his family members, most of the times his older brother. In other words (as Kyungsoo had said long years ago, in a very teasing tone), he “ at buying anything formal”. Jongin can’t deny that, and right now his worry being what type of suit he should buy is bigger than the money matters.

 

Jongin sighs to himself, mentally going over the colour that he will first look at—black, or maybe blue. Or maybe if he liked something else, then some other colour too. God, this is such a headache.

 

“Papa,” Jin calls, running into the kitchen to give him his phone back. “Uncle Junmyeon wants to say something to you.”

 

“Hey—drink your milk first.” Jongin passes him the glass with a stern look. “Finish it.”

 

“Papa, ugh, fine.” Two chubby hands struggle holding the tall glass, Jongin almost giggles at his son’s cuteness. He pats his son’s head with a coo, and watches as his small body disappears in the living room. He walks like a penguin, Jongin thinks to himself, like a cute penguin.

 

Making sure that his son hasn’t made any mess in the living room (because Jin tends to break the glass to save himself from drinking something as horrible as milk), Jongin places the phone to his ear. Junmyeon’s humming fills his ears. He clears his throat, not realizing that his cheeks have reddened without any reason. “Good afternoon, hyung.”

 

“Good afternoon, Jongin. How are you?”

 

“I am fine, thank you.” Jongin starts rearranging the containers, a futile attempt to stop the sudden shaking in his hands. “What about you, hyung,” he adds.

 

“I am fine, and currently the centre of attention,” Junmyeon says with a laugh; Jongin smiles. “Um, Jongin, I am short on time right now—have to prepare this whole party thing—so I will get straight to the point. Is that alright, or I should push aside everything to talk to you. You know, I can do that.”

 

Jongin blushes but shakes his head at the suggestion. If the man is busy, then he shouldn’t even think of disturbing him. “No, that’s alright, hyung. Just tell me what you have to say.”

 

“Thank you,” Junmyeon breaths from the other end. Jongin hears some shuffles and a few murmuring in the background. “Jongin, since you are coming to the party because of me—even though you could’ve said no, you said yes—I bought a suit for you. I know it would be great trouble, to buy a suit at this hour. My secretary will reach your place to give you that.”

 

“Hyung, you don’t need to do that,” he says, and he means it. It just doesn’t feel right, he barely knows Junmyeon; Junmyeon barely knows him. Junmyeon shouldn’t spend money on him, that’s just—

 

“I insist, Jongin.” Junmyeon sighs. “I don’t want to make you feel any less, if that’s your concern. Jongin, I know this is sudden and you probably think how we are not close enough for me to do this. But that’s what I want.” Junmyeon sounds sincere. “I want to be your friend, at the least. Please, I insist, take it.”

 

Jongin sighs and bites his lower lip. “What-what if it didn’t fit?” He settles for that in the end. Maybe this would work?

 

“I am sending a tailor with Mac, if such problem arises, please tell him immediately. He will look after it, don’t worry about it.” Junmyeon has everything ready, Jongin thinks to himself. “Oh, I am sending a few suits for Jin too. Take whichever will fit perfectly on him. I didn’t have any idea about his size, so that’s why.”

 

“Hyung,” Jongin almost whines. “That’s so unnecessary. You didn’t need to do all of these. You—”

 

“Just this time, please? The next time if I did something like this, without telling you, you have the full right to decline it. Just this once, please?”

 

“Okay, fine.” Jongin pouts to himself. “Thank you.”

 

Jongin can hear the smile on Junmyeon’s face. “Thank you, Jongin. I will meet you soon?”

 

“Yes, sure, we will be ready by then.”

 

Jongin wishes Junmyeon a happy birthday again, before hanging up and leaning back against the counter of the kitchen. He forgot something, he thinks to himself, but what? He scratches his chin, pokes his bottom lip, hums to himself, calms his racing heart, but even then couldn’t figure out what he is forgetting or what he has forgotten, for that matter. With a sigh and shake of the head to himself, he walks out of the kitchen to tell his son about what happened just a few minutes ago.

 

“Junmyeon hyung is sending suit for you,” he says, switching off the TV before passing Jin stern eyes. “Don’t watch this much, it’s not good for your dumb head.”

 

“Papa,” Jin squeaks. “Don’t be so mean,” he adds. Jongin laughs. Jin pouts, but then a smile lights up his sweet face. “A suit, but why?”

 

“He wants you to wear it for his birthday; he is giving me one too.”

 

“I will have two suits now.” The five-year-old bounces on the couch; Jongin rolls his eyes at his son. Kids are just so hungry for everything. He sits on the couch, before telling his son to not bounce otherwise, he will definitely fall face down on the floor. The kid stops before sitting beside his father. “What are we going to gift Uncle?”

 

Gift, so that’s what he forgot.

 

“I don’t know.” He realizes he’s panicking. Junmyeon is spending so much on them, but more than that, it’s Junmyeon’s birthday, he should buy something for the elder. But what? “A watch,” he suggests. A watch sounds like the safest choice.

 

“A new phone,” Jin suggests. Jongin rolls his eyes at his son; the kid just wants to play games on a new phone.

 

“We don’t know what he likes or what he doesn’t.” Jongin hums to himself before rocking on the couch. “A shirt, a suit—what would a thirty-year-old like?”

 

“A watch, Uncle will wear it and always remember us.” Warmth floods Jongin’s cheeks before he clears his throat and nods his head. “That’s a good idea; after all, we are unforgettable.” He laughs; his son joins him with a sweet giggle of his own.

 

Junmyeon’s secretary arrives at exactly three in the afternoon with a tailor. The man is a foreigner, the tailor too. Jongin wonders how much Junmyeon spends on these people. He invites them in and politely asks if he could bring something for them. The secretary passes him a grateful smile, and then, in very fluent Korean asks for water for himself and the shy tailor sitting beside him. Jongin finds great relief in the fact that they at least know how to speak Korean.

 

The secretary calls his boss, just in case Jongin doesn’t believe him. Junmyeon confirms that it’s his men and then with a promise that he will pick them up by seven, hangs up. Junmyeon has bought him a blue suit; he finds out the moment the secretary passes him the said suit with a smile.

 

“I don’t know if I should say this or not,” the secretary says, “boss had spent almost three hours in deciding which suit he should buy, or of which colour.” He smiles when he notices the redness on Jongin’s cheeks.

 

“Um, should I check it?”

 

“Please, Mr. Do. Where is your son? We have some for him too.”

 

Jin is shy among strangers, and currently, he’s hiding in the kitchen to hide from all new gazes. “I will call him; I am sorry he didn’t come out yet.” The two men shake their head. Jongin turns around to look at Jin’s barely hidden frame behind the kitchen wall. “Jin, this is rude. Come here,” he calls in a stern tone.

Then he turns around, smiling a little when he hears the gentle sound of Jin running into him. “He’s a little shy around strangers.”

 

The men laugh. “That’s completely fine, Mr. Do. We know how kids can be shy.” Jongin hums and nudges his son to come out and greet the two men. Jin does, red flushing his innocent features. “We have something for you, too, take a look at it.” The man places the suits that he’d shown Jongin earlier on the coffee table, passing reassuring smiles to Jin. “I am sure you will like one, or take as many as you like.”

 

“This must’ve cost a lot,” Jongin says, looking down at his son practically bouncing up and down in excitement. The suits are good, Jongin believes that they are made of finest of materials, but that only unsettles him more. “Tell me how much these suits cost, Mac, I will pay for them.”

 

Mac shakes his head. “I am sorry, Mr. Do, but I am not allowed to speak anything about the price of these suits.”

 

Jongin sighs. “I can’t take something as expensive as these for one evening. Let me pay for them—”

 

“Those are gifts, Mr. Do. Please understand, take them as Mr. Kim’s gift for you.”

 

Jongin grabs Jin’s arm before he could show two of the suits to Mac. Oh my God, why did he forget to teach his son something as basic as this? This kid definitely needs one good lesson. “As you say, Mac,” he says at last, “I will check if this fits or not. Please, tell me if you want something.”

 

“We will.” The men nod at him and then go back helping Jin in choosing the suit that would suit on him best.

 

Blue looks good on him, has always looked good on him. He doesn’t understand how Junmyeon could think the same, keeping in mind that Jongin has never met Junmyeon in a blue suit. Only black, and although black looks good on him and definitely go well with his beautiful skin tone, blue, somehow, does magic on him.

 

“Boss’s eyes are sharp,” says Mac, “he knows the best. He chose this because he knew it would only heighten your beauty, Mr. Do. Those are not my words, but my boss’s.”

 

He blushes, stares at himself in the mirror shyly. Although Kyungsoo used to buy more black suits (and Jongin loved every one of them), he likes blue a little more.

 

However, the mere thought of preferring something that his late husband didn’t, leaves a taste of guilt behind. Tears fill up his eyes when something inside him mocks him for leaving Kyungsoo and his choices in the past for someone richer. He gulps the rising bile in his throat, stares down at himself one last time, before deciding that it fits well. There’s no way he could give this back to Junmyeon because the man had already spent a lot on this suit. Who knows if he returned this with the excuse that he didn’t like the colour, Junmyeon would buy him another?

 

He sighs to himself and then apologizes to Kyungsoo. Something laughs inside him, tells him not to fake it, and accept that he has already moved on from his first love. He wants to snap back but stops. His hands are suddenly shaking, his eyes blurring, heart racing at an unhealthy pace, head suddenly feeling dizzy, and the voice inside him gets loud, louder even. His body shivers, sweat run down his spine and then he feels breath being knocked out of his lungs.

 

Before he knows, he has already lost his consciousness.

 

 

 

Hours later, Jongin wakes up to gentle beeping of a machine, soft murmuring, and a small sniffing just beside him. Even without opening his eyes, he can bet that’s his son. With the mere thought of Jin, he is pulled back into consciousness. He looks beside him, eyes filling with tears at the sight of his son. “Oh, baby,” he coos, catching attention of everyone around him. He barely pays anyone except Jin attention. “Don’t cry.”

 

The boy only buries him further into his arm before bursting into a fresh wave of tears.

 

“Jongin,” a very familiar voice calls. It’s Junmyeon. “How are you now—let me call the doctor.” Concern laces Junmyeon’s face and tone. He comes closer to Jongin and helps him sit down on the bed, as careful and gentle as possible.

 

“No, that’s fine. I am fine, hyung, just—” Jongin stops and looks down at his son. Junmyeon follows his gaze. “Jin, it’s okay. I am fine, baby.”

 

“I-I was so scared, Papa.”

The boy looks up before asking Junmyeon if he could sit beside Jongin on the bed. Junmyeon nods with a little reluctance. “How are you now?”

 

“I am fine,” Jongin answers with a smile. “I am sorry for worrying you baby.” Then he looks at Junmyeon, hugging his son’s small frame to give him some comfort. “I am sorry, hyung, I don’t know what happened. I just suddenly—” He stops and shakes his head. “I just remember seeing black all of a sudden—what happened?”

 

“Panic attack, the doctor says,” Junmyeon answers. “Don’t worry, you’re fine now—do you want some water?”

 

“Yes, please.” Jongin wants to ask Junmyeon a lot of things, like how did he come here? Did his men inform him about him? It’s his birthday, did he leave the preparations for Jongin?—“Hyung, Jongin gasps suddenly. Junmyeon abandons the water bottle on the table kept beside him in a swift moment as if worried something happened to Jongin.

 

“Are you okay, what happened?”

 

“It’s your birthday.” Jongin stops, Jin looks up at Junmyeon through teary eyes. “Oh my God, hyung, why did you come here?”

 

“It’s okay, really. I will call my parents and ask them to cancel—”

 

“Why—no, please, don’t do that.”

 

“Jongin, you only have Jin with you,” Junmyeon answers with a sigh. “You need an adult with you—”

 

“Hyung, don’t make me say anything rubbish. Why do you even want to cancel the party—for me? I can handle things on my own; I can call my neighbour.”

 

“Let me be here, Jongin,” Junmyeon insists. “It’s okay; I celebrate my birthday every year.”

 

Jongin stops, irritation bubbling in his stomach. “Is it because of me?” He asks at last.

 

Junmyeon’s cheeks redden, Jongin notices that. “Why, rest first. Then we will talk, Jongin—”

 

“So it’s because of me?” Jongin asks, incredulous and ashamed at being the reason for stopping Junmyeon from celebrating his own birthday. Jin watches them in mild curiosity, his small mind not able to catch the meaning behind the conversation of the adults. “Hyung, why,” Jongin whispers and then sighs. There’s tense silence between the two adults; almost suffocating.

 

“If I am the reason, then let me finish this instant,” Jongin says and looks at Junmyeon, determined. “I am coming to the party,” he adds.

 

Junmyeon shakes his head, and it’s visible in the frown he wears how much he hates the mere idea of Jongin being in between such a huge crowd that will definitely gather in his current state. “No, I am sorry. That could not happen—”

 

“Then go,” he says, pointing to the door.

 

“I can’t.”

 

“I am coming then,” Jongin declares, looking back at his son before passing him a smile. “Jin, baby, please climb out of bed. Papa needs to get off too.”

 

“Jongin, don’t act like this,” Junmyeon almost sounds as if he’s pleading him. “Don’t be stubborn.”

 

“Help me,” Jongin says instead. His legs dangle from the bed, and he looks into Junmyeon’s eyes, shaking his head when Junmyeon repeats his words again. “Help me, I said.”

 

Jin, as if understanding the meaning behind graveness of his father’s tone, silently stands beside the bed, then stares at Junmyeon with his wide puppy eyes; completely unsure of what he should or should not do.

 

Junmyeon sighs and Jongin feels the nervousness flowing through the veins of the elder. Junmyeon’s arm shakes when he wraps it around Jongin’s waist to steady him. Jongin wraps his own around Junmyeon’s neck, only now realizing the bruises on his ankle. It hurts like hell. He stumbles upon his feet, a groan of discomfort slipping past his plush lips that the sound of the opening of the door of the room completely drowns.

 

“Jongin—” It’s Sehun. Junmyeon’s arm around his waist tightens, almost possessively. Jongin barely notices it; the dark look that Sehun passes Junmyeon silences everyone in the room.

 

It’s only when Jin calls Sehun and runs to hug his one long leg that Sehun passes a smile to the five-year-old. Sehun crouches down to Jin’s level, purposely avoiding the other adults in the room. “Hey, little one,” Sehun greets, ruffling the boy’s hair. “How are you?”

 

“I am fine, but Papa,” Jin stops and turns around to look at his father. “He is not, Papa is not well.”

 

“I heard that,” Sehun hums. There’s a clench in his jaw when he stands up to look at them. “That’s why I came here.” He takes the boy’s hand in his own before walking further inside the room. “How are you Jongin—but seeing this,” he gestures to the two of them, “I shouldn’t even ask that.” He stands just in front of Jongin, stares at the younger before looking at Junmyeon. “I never thought I would find you here.”

 

“Neither had I thought you would come here,” Junmyeon almost whispers.

 

Jongin senses the unexplainable tension between the two friends before he gently detaches Junmyeon’s arm, not realizing that that was the only solid hold on him to keep him from falling face first on the floor. However, before he could fall down, two different holds on him save him from the second-hand embarrassment.

 

“Oh my God,” Jongin squeaks, looking up at them with a blush sitting over the apple of his cheeks, “I am sorry, I forgot.”

 

Sehun’s hold on his arm almost turns painful, Jongin whines a little, but the two men barely pay him any mind. “I hope you will be well soon, Jongin,” says Sehun, but he isn’t looking at Jongin. “I sincerely hope that.” There’s moisture in Sehun’s eyes, but Jongin cannot comprehend the reason. Before he could even open his mouth to ask anything to Sehun, the man pushes him further into Junmyeon’s arms.

 

The push is a little hard and Jongin stumbles into Junmyeon’s arms. Sehun does not apologize for his rude behaviour before he quietly leaves them as fast as he had come.

 

When Sehun walks out of the room, the people on his way part as if they could feel the anger radiating off Sehun. Not that anyone could say anything to them, Sehun is looking as if he could murder someone and leave the body without a trace of regret and guilt in him. His eyes are bloodshot by the time he walks out of the suffocating air of the hospital. He stops at the entrance, takes a breath and then proceeds walking to the parking lot where his car is parked.

 

When he sits on the seat of the car and closes the door with a loud bang, he thinks that if this is what jealousy feels like, he better not feel this again.

 

Jealousy leaves such a bitter taste behind its wake that it’s almost impossible to swallow down the bile stuck in his throat. Such a disgusting thing that makes him, The Oh Sehun, feel vulnerable.

---

 

writing 5k+ words take time. please, have patience. ^^ see you in the next update!