2017

Sensing tension in the room, Howon placed a hand each on both Sunggyu’s and Woohyun’s backs and laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

“You two always get so worked up over nothing.”

“Talk to me.” Sunggyu said, still looking at Woohyun. “Talk to us, Woohyun. We’re here for you.”

“I know you are.” Woohyun said, shifting out of Howon’s hand as if trying to put some distance. “I’m just-”

“What is it?”

Woohyun looked from one to the other and sighed.

“We’re going to lose our reservation at Gammong, aren’t we?”

Howon shrugged. This was more important than some fancy-schmancy restaurant. If Woohyun was feeling icky or down, he’d much rather deal with that than have a fake, fun evening anyway.

*****

2014

Howon wasn’t a fool. He knew why Woohyun was distant recently. He was sleeping with the person Woohyun was in love with. So Howon stopped. At least he tried to. For a total of four whole days before he cracked and went searching for the music producer. It was not as if Woohyun was abstaining himself. At first.

But then Woohyun seemed to have quit altogether and Howon started to feel like a proper douche.

“Are we cool?” He asked Woohyun one evening.

“Yes. Why?”

Howon had looked around the studio and noted the drying panels hanging by the window. It had taken him weeks to realize that Woohyun didn’t do his drying in the laundry room anymore. Woohyun had made space in his cluttered studio for drying and mucking out his equipment rather than use the spacey laundry room they had. He didn’t spend much time outside his room and his studio. More than that, he didn’t wake Howon up anymore. He didn’t make him breakfast or wait up for him to eat dinner with like he used to.

Howon deserved the distance. He deserved to be punished.

“I know you’re mad because of the Sunggyu thing-”

“What Sunggyu thing?” Woohyun asked, putting on the best poker face Howon had ever seen. If he hadn’t witnessed Woohyun’s pain that morning, he’d have had to rethink the whole situation. But he knew better.

“I didn’t know you liked him.” He said as Woohyun continued to work. “Until after that first day, I thought it was only him that liked you.”

“And yet you continued even after that.” Woohyun stated and Howon’s insides nearly drowned.

“You don’t understand-”

“Pretty sure I do.” Woohyun said, looking at Howon with a surprising amount of understanding.

“No. No, you don’t.”

“You thought you’d make him feel better that first day but then it happened a second time. And then a third. And now you can’t stop. Sounds about right?”

Howon’s lips couldn’t move, no matter how hard he tried. What was he even going to say when Woohyun had explained it all out for him? Howon was stuck in this now. He’d put his leg in something that wasn’t his business and now, here he was, weeks later and completely tied to Sunggyu with strings he’d excluded from their deal.

“It’s not just him.” Howon said. “I don’t want to lose you