“Wow,” Minhyuk’s voice on the other end of the call comments. He whistles low for extra effect, not exactly helping Kihyun’s nerves. “You really screwed up, Kihyunnie…”

“I know that, Minhyuk-ah,” Kihyun sighs out. He rubs at his eyes with his free hand, trying to collect his thoughts.

“You need to apologize.”

“I know that, too.”

“So how’re you gonna do it?”

“I don’t know!”

Kihyun sighs again in exasperation. He presses a finger to his temple, hoping to ebb off the oncoming headache.

“I’m sorry,” he says, sounding incredibly defeated. “I didn’t mean to snap. It’s just been a ty afternoon.”

“I know, Kihyunnie,” Minhyuk assures him, his tone much gentler than usual. “Look, I know I’m pretty lucky with Hoseok. I mean, I couldn’t imagine having to hide my relationship with him for anything. Could you imagine me keeping that kind of secret? I don’t think so!” He chuckles at his own joke before continuing. “I’m pretty impressed with how long it took you for you to start complaining about it, honestly. But, you knew this was something you’d need to deal with when you got involved with him.”

“It isn’t even that I’m really annoyed with it, I don’t think,” Kihyun defends. “I’m willing to wait as long as he needs. We all know how his father is…” Minhyuk hums in confirmation, and a grave air overtakes the conversation. His father is a bit notorious in their community for being an activist against equal rights, and has made many a public speech about the debate. They don’t particularly know where his eomma stands on the issue, but it’s pretty safe, to them, to assume that her beliefs aren’t too far off from her husband’s.

“Then what is it?”

Kihyun stares up at his ceiling in thought, shaking his head as he hasn’t the faintest idea. Minhyuk hums on the other end, clearly aware of his same-age friend’s inner struggle.

“If I were you,” Minhyuk says, “I’d figure that out before I see Hyunwoo again. You know, so you can explain when you apologize.”

“I’ll do my best,” Kihyun chuckles. “Thanks for listening, Minhyuk-ah. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” Minhyuk tells him. “It’s not as if you haven’t coached me a million times over through my troubles with my little tokki.” Kihyun laughs, this time agreeing with the older. If he had a dime for every rant Minhyuk had gone through about Hoseok before they got together, he’d be a very rich teen indeed.

Kihyun chews on his lip anxiously as he presses the dial button to call Hyunwoo. They haven’t spoken since Kihyun had put his foot in his mouth, so to speak, and he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it since. It’s been eating away at him, and now it’s kept him up for the past hour.

“Kihyunnie?” Hyunwoo answers, his voice thick and slow. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Kihyun holds his breath, glancing at the clock on his bedside table. He mentally curses himself for his own thoughtlessness. Of course he’d have awoken the older, it’s so late. He hadn’t even realized the time before now.

“Sorry, hyung,” Kihyun says, rubbing at his face with his free hand anxiously. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I… I didn’t know it was so late.”

“It’s fine,” Hyunwoo assures him. He seems to hesitate before asking again, “Are you okay?”

“I,” Kihyun says, sighing a bit. “I just wanted to apologize. You know, for what I said earlier.” Hyunwoo goes silent at this, and Kihyun can tell he’s struck a chord. The older had probably forgotten in his dreams what had happened between them earlier. “I didn’t mean to say it. I was just so aggravated with Boyeon and choir and—”

“But you meant it,” Hyunwoo interrupts. There’s no anger in his voice. In fact, there’s no emotion at all. That’s how Kihyun can tell the older is truly angry with him. He falls silent, unable to argue with that. Hyunwoo sighs heavily, and Kihyun almost regrets calling so late at night.

“If you want to break up because of this,” Hyunwoo says, his voice low, “then I’ll understand. I know you deserve better than this, than having to live in the shadows. I’ve always thought so.”

“Hyung, no,” Kihyun tells him, adamantly shaking his head as he sits up in surprise. Not that the older can see his reaction, he knows, but maybe he can feel it somehow. “That’s not what I want at all! I want to be with you, Son Hyunwoo. All the waiting in the world is worth that single moment when we can finally walk around in the open, holding hands and being together. I love you. I’m not letting you go for anything.” There’s a relieved sigh on the other end, and Kihyun can’t help but smile.

“I’m so happy to hear that, Kihyunnie,” Hyunwoo tells him. “I love you, too.” There’s a pause, and Kihyun listens hard on the other side. The air has grown tense in under a second. This only happens when Hyunwoo’s father is in the vicinity.

“Your appa outside?”

“Yeah.”

Kihyun has to bite back a sigh at the single-syllable response, at how typical of a response it is whenever Hyunwoo’s appa is around.

“You think he heard you?”

“No… No, I don’t think so.”

“Just in case,” Kihyun says, “I’ll let you go now. It’s late anyway. You’d better get some sleep before class tomorrow.” Hyunwoo hums, and then ends the call a second later. Kihyun groans in aggravation. He tosses his phone to the side, relaxing back into bed.

It’s worth it for him, Kihyun tells himself. We’ve waited this long. What’s another three months compared to that? It’s nothing. We’ve got this. I’ve got this. He sighs, silently adding, Anything’s worth it for him…