Sungyeol doesn't know which is more painful: watching Myungsoo flirt or watching him flirt with someone who isn't him. Myungsoo doesn't have a smooth bone in his body. He's too shy to approach anyone and whenever he manages to he keeps using terrible pick-up lines that make Sungyeol want to slap duct tape over his mouth just to make it stop. It's not any better when someone comes up to Myungsoo either. He tenses and has a hard time maintaining eye contact. It's a wonder Myungsoo's survived this long as an incubus.

"How can anyone be this bad at flirting," Sungyeol muses as he watches another potential suitor walk away. He's mostly talking to himself, but Myungsoo's close enough to hear him.

Myungsoo turns around to face the bar. There's a defeated slump to his shoulders. "I know," he sighs, "I think it's safe to say I'm a lost cause."

Sungyeol probably shouldn't find the pout on his friend's face so unbearably cute, especially when Myungsoo looks so dejected. He should try to comfort him somehow. Slapping a hand on Myungsoo's shoulder, Sungyeol gives him a small squeeze. "It just takes practice. Once you get comfortable I'm sure you'll have a line out the door."

A small smile forms on Myungsoo's face. "Is that your idea of a pep talk?" The smile grows as he turns to look at Sungyeol. "You kinda at it."

"It's not my fault you don't appreciate my wisdom."

"Where's your line, then?"

The question catches Sungyeol off guard. In the two hours they've been inside this club he's barely looked at anyone other than Myungsoo. He'd figured since they came for Myungsoo then he should focus on him; it's his night, in a way. But, of course, Sungyeol knows that's not the full truth. He's been watching Myungsoo all night because he only has eyes for him. For the better part of a month Sungyeol has felt himself developing feelings for his best friend/roommate/occasional cuddle-buddy. He’s avoided admitting it—to Myungsoo, to himself—for fear of ruining their relationship. As close as they are, he isn't sure how Myungsoo might react to the confession. And for all Sungyeol knows this could just be a passing thing. This crush could be long gone by the next month. There's no need to make things awkward before he's figured out his feelings.

"I didn't want you to feel bad," he says airily. If he'd had any urge to, Sungyeol is confident he would've gotten a fair share of phone numbers and date offers. It's not that he's a playboy or anything like that. He's just a witch. A very smart and creative one, at that. He also has a natural charisma that attracts people. It's especially effective when he makes an effort.

Myungsoo doesn't look the least bit convinced. "Why don't we call it a night? I can practice some more tomorrow or next week or never again."

Sungyeol rolls his eyes at his friend's dramatics. It wasn't that bad. "Let me go to the bathroom first and the we can go, okay?" At Myungsoo's answering nod, Sungyeol leaves the bar and pushes his way through the club to get to the restroom. He comes back a few minutes later to find that his seat at the bar has been taken and the new occupant is busy chatting up Myungsoo. Sungyeol can't help feeling torn at this unexpected development. The whole point of them coming out on a Friday night was to get Myungsoo to successfully flirt with someone. And now that he has Sungyeol should be happy for him. But there's an odd ache in his chest at the thought of Myungsoo possibly liking someone else. He knows they're just friends and Myungsoo has dated a bit and he'll date some more in the future, but a small quiet part of Sungyeol wonders what if. What if they weren't just friends? What if Sungyeol was the one sitting in front of Myungsoo making him smile like he's doing right now? What if they didn’t even need to do all of this because Myungsoo already had Sungyeol?

No, it's just a crush, Sungyeol thinks. It's not that serious. Although he's trying to convince himself, he doesn't believe a word. He plasters a smile on his face once he gets closer to Myungsoo. "Was I gone that long," he asks amiably.

Myungsoo's eyes widen in surprise and Sungyeol tries not to wonder if he'd forgotten his existence in such a short amount of time. "Oh, you're back." There's a light blush covering his cheeks as he looks between Sungyeol and the other guy. "Uh, Sungyeol, this is Woohyun. We just met. Woohyun, this my friend Sungyeol."

The guy—Woohyun—smiles at Sungyeol and gives him a small wave. "I've heard a lot about you." He could just be saying that, but Sungyeol wouldn't put it past Myungsoo to think talking endlessly about his best friend counts as flirting. It also says a lot about Woohyun that he's still here despite that. Does he like Myungsoo that much? Should Sungyeol be worried? "I don't know if that's a good thing just yet," Woohyun says, confirming Sungyeol's suspicions.

"I guess it's not a bad thing if you're still here," Sungyeol notes without thinking. It comes out a bit more sarcastic than he'd meant for it to sound. And maybe he sounds a little jealous too. He glances at Myungsoo to see if his words have given him away. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how one looks at it), his friend is more concerned with finishing his drink as quickly as possible. He must still be embarrassed about being called out on his bad flirting. Woohyun raises an eyebrow at Sungyeol. There's something akin to amusement pulling up the corners of his mouth. "I'm sure you two have a lot more to talk about," Sungyeol starts before Woohyun can say anything. "And I was on my way out, so..."

Myungsoo whips his head around to look at him, panic written all over his face. "You're leaving?" He grips Sungyeol's shirt as if the other has already started walking away. It's like the past five minutes didn't happen. He'd been doing fine on his own while Sungyeol was in the bathroom, but somehow this makes him anxious.

Sungyeol squeezes his friend's hand before prying it off his shirt. "You don't need me here," he reminds Myungsoo. The words leave a bitter taste in his mouth, but he tries to smile reassuringly. "See you at home, okay?" He musters as much sincerity as he can as he turns to look at Woohyun. "It was nice to meet you," he says.

By all accounts it seems like the night had been a success. Sungyeol had set out to get Myungsoo's feet wet in the whole seduction game. (He'd thrown out the idea to go out without thinking it through and now he can see what a dumb idea it had been.) And even though Myungsoo had managed to get and somehow keep Woohyun's attention, it doesn't feel like a win to Sungyeol. In fact, he feels more like a loser than anything else as he leaves the club alone.

Myungsoo strolls in the next morning with a happy grin on his face. Sungyeol tamps down the jealousy that bubbles up in the pit of his stomach with a large gulp of his coffee. He doesn't know what Myungsoo and Woohyun got up to the night before and he really doesn't want to know. Yet he still ends up on the couch with Myungsoo, listening to him gush about Woohyun.

"Apparently, he's half-genie," Myungsoo tells him.

Sungyeol tries not to gag. "God, don't tell me he gave you some line about making your wishes come true and you fell for it." Myungsoo's a great guy, but Sungyeol knows firsthand how naïve he can be when it comes to romance. He still believes in true love and soulmates. It's ironic, really.

"Woohyun doesn't have any cheesy lines," Myungsoo denies. "And it's not like he needs any." He says it like he's known Woohyun for longer than one night. The jealousy in Sungyeol's stomach rears its ugly head again.

"So what's his other half, then?" He's sure he can beat a genie, but it would help to know what else he'd be competing with.

Myungsoo shrugs, too nonchalant for Sungyeol's liking. "He said it's a secret."

"And you didn't push it," Sungyeol asks incredulously. The most dangerous creatures are usually the most harmless-looking ones, in his experience. Their friend Sungjong is a perfect example. His first impression hadn't been very intimidating, but they'd quickly come to find that looks were indeed deceiving. "That's kind of important, don't you think?"

"It is important," Myungsoo agrees. He doesn't look at all abashed by his friend's scolding. His face is just as serious as Sungyeol's. "But I'll let him decide if and when he wants to tell me about it."

"But—"

"It's not like we told each other what we were when we first met."

Myungsoo does have a point. They'd been more interested in each other's music taste and gaming skills when they'd first met back in high school. The question hadn't come up until maybe a month into their friendship. And, admittedly, the concern Sungyeol has about Woohyun is mainly from jealousy. He doesn't like the way Myungsoo talks about Woohyun. Or how he looks when he's talking about Woohyun. He wishes it was him. "I just don’t want to see you get hurt," he admits. Jealousy aside, Sungyeol genuinely cares about his friend. He's been the shoulder Myungsoo cries on after getting his heart broken enough times.

Myungsoo gives him a light shove. "I'm not a kid, you know. I can take care of myself." He goes quiet for a minute, his gaze falling to his lap. When he looks at Sungyeol again, there's a lopsided grin on his face. "Thanks for looking out for me. And if Woohyun turns out to be an you're totally allowed to hex him."