“Is that a deal-breaker?”

“… I… I don’t know, hyung.”

Jooheon’s eyes remain trained on the floor. He chews on his bottom lip, unsure of what else to say. Is there even anything else left to say? He’d just asked Hyunwoo to move in with him… and the older had said no. He’d been refused, rejected… Jooheon’s heart shatters into a billion pieces, becoming no bigger than granules of sand in an hour glass.

“I,” the older begins, though his voice falls in dismay. He isn’t quite sure how to word this. “I don’t mean to hurt you, Jooheonney, but I just don’t know if we’re ready for that… if I’m ready for that. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to take that kind of step with anyone, so it isn’t you, honest.” He heaves a heavy breath, and Jooheon recoils in on himself.

“It’s fine. Just forget it.” Jooheon then stands, all thoughts of a movie night completely thrown out the window. “I’ve actually gotta go into work pretty early tomorrow, so I should probably go home. I’ll call you later.” He then moves towards the door and slips out of the apartment. He hears Hyunwoo begin to say something, but he doesn’t wait to hear any flimsy excuse. Not right now. Maybe in a week, when he’s had time to process all this, but not now.

He can’t handle even hearing the older man’s voice right now.

Tears sting at his eyes as he retreats down the hallway and into the elevator. When he finally turns to push the button for the ground floor, a part of him desperately yearns to see some overly dramatic scene of Hyunwoo sprinting after him… But, the hallway is empty, and the elevator doors close without so much as a glimpse of the older.

Hyunwoo bites on his bottom lip as he watches his boyfriend leave suddenly. He can’t very much blame the guy. He’d just been outright rejected by someone who’s supposed to care so deeply for him…

But, why?

Why had Hyunwoo said no? He tries to think of a reason, of some really good practical excuse as to why he’d just denied taking the next natural step with Jooheon. But, there’s no practicality, only the matter of remaining heartache.

Before meeting Jooheon, he’d been in a very serious relationship with a different man, his first boyfriend. He had been certain they were in love, and that they’d spend the rest of their lives together.

However, Hyunwoo couldn’t have been anymore mistaken.

Turns out, the man had been cheating on him right under his nose, in their shared home. Hyunwoo was so broken after the separation that he never thought he’d be able to look at someone the same way again. But, then he’d met Jooheon, and somehow things began to get good again. Though, with that said, he most certainly isn’t ready to take any sort of step like that with anyone, not for a long time.

He’d never told the younger this, of his past relationship, for he didn’t want to reopen those wounds. He just wanted to forget, and to allow himself to learn how to love again.

Hyunwoo stares at the door, inwardly retreating into his shell. He’ll give Jooheon sometime before he tries to explain his side of things. He’ll need it, as the younger is surely disappointed a thousand times more than what he’d shown in his retreat, which is really saying something considering how broken up he had already appeared to be.

The man sighs heavily and turns on the television, though his mind is zeroed in on one thing, and one thing only…