“This number is currently out of service. Please try again later.”

Turning off his phone, Sunggyu groaned in frustration and buried his head back into his pillow. He felt icky and miserable and he hadn’t slept well in days. He lifted his head from the pillow to try dialing again.

“This number is currently out of service. Please try again later.”

He glared at the phone, as if it had done him the world’s greatest offense, before sighing and putting it back on his bedside table. He laid in bed for a few more minutes, just staring at the ceiling, his mind wandering.

Woohyun hadn’t contacted him in days. A week now, to be exact.

The morning after he stormed out of the lawyer’s apartment, he had regretted his actions. Recalling his icy words to Woohyun, Sunggyu had felt guilty and wished he could take it all back. It was one of those times when he questioned whether he was truly over his breakup with Heechul or he was still holding in some heartbreak.

He had hoped that Woohyun would contact him or even visit him at work, but there was no word from the lawyer and Sunggyu was getting depressed over it. So, he had tried to contact him yesterday and this morning but he kept getting that same message over and over again. He couldn’t reach the other at all.

Maybe Heechul had been right. Maybe he really had a problem. And now Woohyun was done with him.

His phone beeped and Sunggyu scrambled to grab, his heart filling with hope only to fall again when the message was not from the handsome lawyer but from his sunshine of a friend.

“Hey, hyung. You free tonight? Wanna get dinner?” Dongwoo texted followed by several smiley face emojis.

He responded with an affirmative before sighing and looking at the clock. If he didn’t get up soon, he was going to be late for work.

Once more, he dialed Woohyun’s number and waited, anxiously. Before the automated woman’s voice could even finish, he hung up.

He got ready for work with a hunch on his shoulders and a frown on his face.

Another week passed. Still nothing from Woohyn. And Sunggyu was clearly depressed.

So depressed that he had resorted to locking himself up in his apartment when he wasn't working and spending his hours watching dramas and reality shows. He was alone and miserable and had zero desire for human contact.

One day, Ailee showed up at his doorstep on his day off, requesting he accompanied her to a bridal shop to look at gowns. And she refused to take “no” for an answer and threatened to dress him herself if he didn’t.

“Aren’t you supposed to do be doing this with your maid-of-honor or your bridesmaids?” he asked, as she dragged him into the store.

“My best friend from America isn’t flying in until a month before the wedding and my bridesmaids are busy,” she explained, looking around the shop before spotting an employee to talk to.

“So, why me, again?” Sunggyu asked after the employee finished speaking with Ailee and left them to browse.

“You need a distraction, oppa,” she replied.

“And wedding dress shopping will distract me?”

She giggled. “Have you thought about Woohyun-shii since I got you out of your apartment?”

He hadn’t and realized that no matter how strange and unconventional her methods were, it had worked. He was too busy being confused about being dragged to wedding dress shopping that he had forgotten that he was miserable about Woohyun’s lack of contact.

“So, Dongwoo wants a ballgown, but I’m thinking more along the lines of mermaid,” Ailee said as she looked through the racks and mannequins. “I wonder if there’s a way to do both.”

Sunggyu watched as she took poofy gown with a ruffled skirt from a rack, examining it closely. “Ailee… thanks.”

Her eyes widened at the sentiment, but nonetheless blushed and smiled in response. “You’re welcome, oppa.” She pressed the dress up to her figure. “What do you think?”

Sunggyu shook his head. “You’ll look like a pastry," he said, honestly.

Ailee sighed. “You’re right.” She put the gown back and proceeded to the next rack.

The two spent an hour at the bridal shop. Sunggyu mostly found himself sitting on a comfortable chaise chair, drinking complimentary sparkling water and munching on complimentary strawberries, while Ailee tried on gown after gown.

In the end, she ended up not choosing anything. But, Sunggyu had to admit, it was kind of fun and heartwarming to see his friend in all the elegant gowns, knowing that whatever she decided on, she would look radiant on her wedding day.

They left the shop, laughing and joking with each other. They were meeting Dongwoo for dinner but they had a good two hours to spare ‘til then.

“What do you want to do now, Oppa?” Ailee asked him.

Sunggyu pursed his lips, thinking. There was a lingering thought niggling at the back of his mind as he looked around. He didn’t really notice where Ailee had taken him because of his mood earlier, but now that he was relaxed with a clearer head, the area looked familiar.

Ailee peered up at him. “Oppa? What’s wrong?”

“Woohyun lives around here,” he stated, calmly.

Ailee’s eyes widened as she let out a soft gasp. “Oppa, I swear I didn’t know-.”

He laughed, good-naturedly. “No, you couldn’t have possibly known, Ailee. I just realized where we are just now.” He looked towards a certain direction, knowing what lied just ahead of it. And he felt crazy saying what he said next. “Do you think we can stop by his place for a little bit?”

His friend looked taken aback. “Would he even be home today? I mean, I know it’s a weekend but he might have gone out.”

Sunggyu bit his lip. “It’s worth a try. I just… even if he doesn’t want to see me again, I want to at least apologize for my behavior last time.”

He must have looked pitiful since Ailee nodded and said nothing about how he perked up at the response. She allowed him to lead the way, clutching the crook of his arm.

They arrived at the simple apartment complex and took the elevator to the fourth floor. Walking down the familiar hallways towards the door he knew so well, Sunggyu’s stomach was in knots from a mix of nerves and excitement. He couldn’t blame Woohyun for distancing himself from him – he was rather cruel last time. He hoped that the lawyer was in so they could make up.

However, his hopes were dashed when after several presses of the doorbell and various intervals of knocking, the door remained closed.

“I guess he’s out, Oppa,” Ailee stated, solemnly.

Sunggyu sighed, half-heartedly pressing the doorbell one more time to no results.

“Oh, you’re Woohyun-shii’s friend.”

Sunggyu and Ailee turned their heads to see a woman walking down the hallway, heading for the door next to the one they were standing in front of. Behind the woman’s legs was a little girl. In their hands were bags of groceries.

Sunggyu blushed a little when he recognized the mother and daughter. They had seen him leaving Woohyun’s place early in the mornings a few times. He and Ailee bowed politely to them.

“Do you know when he'll be home?” Sunggyu asked.

“Actually, Woohyun-shii is away,” the woman answered.

The little bit of hope in him diminished at once. “A-Away?” he repeated.

“Handsome-oppa said he’s going on a trip!” the little girl piped.

“A-A trip?” Sunggyu repeated again before cursing himself for sounding like a parrot.

The mother giggled. “Excuse us, my daughter is really fond of Woohyun-shii.”

“He gives me cookies and plays with me!”

Sunggyu couldn’t help but smile at that. He knew Woohyun was kind. He was a bit childish himself, so he couldn’t blame the little girl for taking a liking to him.

“He didn’t really mention when he’s coming home. But I’d be happy to take a message,” said the mother.

The editor shook his head. “It’s alright. Thank you.”

He and Ailee bowed one more time to the mother and daughter before making their way out. The atmosphere became heavy all of a sudden and he could feel Ailee’s worried glances.

Instead of leaving the building with a light heart as he had hoped, he only felt even more burdened.

Perhaps, he really messed up big time and lost a potential second chance with Woohyun. He only had his stubborn pride, his deep fear, and himself to blame.

Days passed and his cellphone remained silent – there was no word from the lawyer. Sunggyu was finally resolved to accept that he had scared Woohyun away. So much for another chance at a potential love. He really must be unlucky in that realm.

Maybe he just wasn’t mean for relationships. Maybe Heechul was right, after all. Sunggyu’s jaw clenched at the thought and he shook his head free of thoughts. No use dwelling on them.

Right now, it was late, he was tired, and all he wanted to do was to curl up on the couch with a bottle of soju and Bogum’s handsome face on the T.V. screen. The actor was really his type. Almond-shaped eyes. High nose. Sharp jawline. Thick pink lips.

He definitely had a type.

Just then, the doorbell rang, interrupting his enjoyment. Sighing, he put the soju down and stood up. Keeping his gaze on the T.V., he slowly moved towards the door. Bogum was taking his shirt off; he was not going to miss a thing.

The doorbell rang again and Sunggyu felt irritation take its place. “Alright, hold on!” His eyes still on the T.V., he pulled the door open. “Yes, can I help you?”

No one answered. Meanwhile, the scene on the drama had changed to the female lead now so Sunggyu turned his head to greet the person on the other side.

He immediately froze in place, his heartbeat instantly quickening.

Woohyun stood there, looking as handsome as ever, though his hair was a bit more disheveled than normal. He was wearing a hoodie over a casual shirt and old faded jeans. In short, he looked younger than his actual years. Yet, Sunggyu could feel his desire flaring.

“Hi,” the lawyer greeted.

“Hi,” Sunggyu whispered back. “Um… what are you doing here?”

Woohyun shifted on his feet. “I just arrived about two hours ago. Mrs. Kwon next door told me you stopped by a couple of days ago." He smiled. “I… I was relieved. You’re still not mad at me, are you?”

Oh, goodness, he looked adorable. He was weakening Sunggyu’s resolve with just a flash of that smile.

 “No, I’m not mad anymore,” Sunggyu replied. “I… figured… that you were mad at me. That’s why I went to your place. I wanted to apologize.”

Furrowing his brows, Woohyun tilted his head to the side, obviously confused. “Why would I be mad at you?”

Sunggyu swallowed the lump in his throat. “Because of the things I said last time. And, besides, you haven’t contacted me in two weeks!” He couldn’t help the bitterness in his voice at that.

Woohyun pouted. “I was in Jeju for a conference. I lost my phone in the water. Didn’t you get my e-mail?”

E-mail? Sunggyu couldn’t recall getting an e-mail. Then again, he had the bad habit of not checking e-mails not related to work.

Woohyun chuckled, awkwardly. “I guess there’s some kind of misunderstanding going on here. Um… do you mind if we talk inside?” He gestured towards Sunggyu’s apartment.

The editor realized he had been rude by not inviting his visitor inside. He hurriedly swung the door wider so Woohyun could enter.

“Um… would you like a drink? Soju?” he asked, politely as the lawyer made himself comfortable on the couch.

“No, thank you. Maybe something non-alcoholic? I’d like to be sober for this conversation.”

Sunggyu nodded in understanding. “Tea then?”

“That’s perfect. Thank you.”

Woohyun flashed another smile, sending Sunggyu’s pulse palpitating. He practically ran into the kitchen, willing his heart to calm down. He could use a cup of tea, himself.

He returned to the living room with two mugs of tea and a plate of cookies he found in his pantry.

“Thank you,” Woohyun said as Sunggyu sat down next to him. “So, Park Bogum, huh?”

Sunggyu blushed. “I like the storyline,” he defended.

Woohyun laughed. “Bogum is just a bonus then.”

“Damn right.”

Both take silent sips of their tea, watching the rest of the drama, and not sure where to begin. But, at least now, Sunggyu’s anxiety had dissipated and replaced with hope. Woohyun wasn’t mad at him.

The drama finally ended and the late night news began.

“So… you were in Jeju?” he finally managed to ask.

Woohyun nodded. “Lawyers conference. It’s an annual event my firm attends. I left three days after we last saw each other. I wanted to call you, but I wasn’t sure if you would still talk to me so I thought I’d give you a little space.” He blushed, slightly, running a nervous hand through his hair, messing it up more. “I kind of caved on the third day on the island and decided to call you. But, uh…” He chuckled, sounding embarrassed. “I accidentally dropped my phone in the ocean when I was trying to gather the nerve to call. I got a new phone, but I didn’t have your number saved anywhere else, but I had your old e-mail saved in my address book. I took a chance and e-mailed you, but I guess you don’t use it anymore?”

Oh, yes, the e-mail. Sunggyu grabbed his phone and scrolled through his mail from the last two weeks. Scrolling through spam e-mails, store newsletters, site subscriptions, and various coupons, he finally found an unfamiliar e-mail address with “Hi” on the subject line.

He raised an eyebrow at Woohyun, who blushed in embarrassment again. “Maybe I should have said my name on the subject line.”

Sunggyu allowed himself a small giggle (yes, giggle. The lawyer was adorable. Sue him). He opened the e-mail and proceeded to read, a slight tint of a blush on his cheeks.

Hey Sunggyu,

How have you been? I’m away at Jeju right now and I lost my phone. It fell in the ocean. Can you believe that? Just my luck, huh? Lol.

Anyway, I’ll be back next week. When I do, can we talk? I want to apologize. Please let me know.

I miss you.

Woohyun

“I know the way I lost my phone sounds ridiculous,” Woohyun said. “And it is. But, if you didn’t see my message, does that mean that you thought I didn’t want to talk to you anymore?”

Sunggyu swallowed as his blush deepened. “U-Um…”

Woohyun scooted closer to him with a grin. “Did you miss me?”

Sunggyu was getting ready to deny it but stopped. What use was it to say “no”? With the way he was smirking at him, Woohyun already knew his answer.

Sighing, he tilted his head. “Y-Yeah…”

A hand crept up to his knee, squeezing it lightly. “I’m glad,” Woohyun whispered. Taking his hand away, he took another sip of the tea. “You know… while I was out on that island, I did a lot of thinking.”

Sunggyu tilted his head to the side, curious. “About what?”

Woohyun smiled. “Us.”

Sunggyu’s throat was suddenly dry and he took a large sip of tea, attempting to quench his thirst and calm his sudden rising anxiety. His stomach wasn’t cooperating either.

“I thought about why you reacted the way you did… and why you said the things you said,” Woohyun continued, looking blankly at the T.V. “And I realized quite a lot of things.”

Sunggyu swallowed. “What things?”

Woohyun finally turned his head to look at him. “I realized that I was doing it all wrong.”

“W-Wrong?”

The lawyer nodded. “Back in college, during our classes, I’ve always thought that you were cute. I liked listening to you talk about music because your eyes would light up with joy each time. And I liked it. That day, at the dining hall, I couldn’t control myself from kissing you because you were just so darn cute and happy. Every time you were with me, you would smile and laugh and I liked being the reason for them. But… that day…” His voice took a solemn tone.

Sunggyu immediately knew what day he was talking about.

“When you asked me what we were, I really didn’t know. All I knew was that I was happy when I was with you, but I couldn’t say it. Even back then, I knew you were a great guy. An amazing guy, in fact. And me?” He laughed, bitterly. “I liked playing around. I liked meeting many people and keeping my options open. I couldn't commit.”

If this talk was supposed to make Sunggyu feel better, it so far wasn’t. But, he kept listening, wanting to hear Woohyun’s side of the story.

“I was an and a player,” Woohyun continued. “But, I didn’t want to hurt you. I didn’t want to get into anything I wasn’t sure about. I liked you that much. And when you ended it, whatever it was, I told myself that it didn’t bother me. I continued playing around. And seeing you around campus sometimes and you saying ‘hi’ and talking to me were enough to make me happy.”

Woohyun paused to take another sip of tea, swallowing so hard that his Adam’s apple bobbed.

“Do you remember when I told you that my friend Sungyeol and I saw you and your boyfriend once?”

Sunggyu nodded, refraining himself from correcting "boyfriend" to "ex-boyfriend". He didn't want to ruin the moment.

Woohyun took a deep breath. “I think… that was the moment I realized that I really, really, really liked you. And… seeing you with him…” He made eye contact with Sunggyu, his expression solemn and distressed. “I regretted it. I regretted… not taking a chance with you because my feelings were confused and unsure.”

He sighed. “This… might sound awful… and it is… but… I kept hoping that you two would break up. And I planned on swooping in and never letting you go again. But, you didn’t break up. You stayed together for a long time. And you looked so happy with him. After graduation, I never saw you again. But, I never forgot you. And I swore to myself that if I saw you again, I wouldn’t be an idiot this time.”

The lawyer broke into a small smile now. “Then, I saw you at the club again a few months ago and thought that this was it. Maybe this time, we could work. This was my second chance and I would never let you go again.” He sighed. “But, I was an idiot. I did it all wrong. I slept with you and kept sleeping with you. I made you feel, once again, like I used you. I should have realized that me asking you out so suddenly the way I did was selfish. I didn’t even think about your feelings. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Tentatively, Woohyun took Sunggyu’s hand that was resting on the latter’s lap. Their eyes met and Sunggyu could feel his heart beating fast once again.

“This time, I want to do it right,” Woohyun said, strongly. “This time, I swear to make you feel how sincere my feelings are. I know I should have done this the moment I realized that I still liked you.” He held Sunggyu’s hand with both of his, squeezing it lightly. “But, I hope it’s not too late. Please, don’t let me be too late?”

Sunggyu’s heart skipped a beat, moved at the plea in Woohyun’s eyes.

“Please, go on a date with me. Just one date. And, after that, if you really don’t want to be with me in that way, then I won’t ask you again. I mean, I won’t be happy about it.” He pouted lightly at that and Sunggyu had to hold a chuckle. “But, I’m asking you for a chance. Just one more chance to try.”

Sunggyu’s head was spinning and his heart was just beating so erratically that he felt like it was going to jump out of his chest and into Woohyun’s arms.

A part of him was still afraid. So afraid to let his walls down.

But, didn’t Woohyun deserve a second chance? Here, he was, opening up and spilling his guts and practically begging on his knees. Wouldn’t Sunggyu be cruel if he denied him that chance?

And what about himself? Was he supposed to remain afraid his entire life? The scars left behind by Woohyun may have been shallow, but at the time, they had really hurt.

But, perhaps if Sunggyu gave him a chance and gave himself the chance, maybe those scars and the others after it could heal.

And he didn't want to lose Woohyun. Those two weeks of not hearing from him made him realize that he really was afraid to lose him, even as a friend. 

Dongwoo was right. Life and love were about risks. If he didn’t leap, he wouldn’t know if the other would catch him.

“Okay,” Sunggyu found himself uttering.

For a moment, Woohyun blinked several times. “Pardon?”

Sunggyu rolled his eyes as he turned his gaze to the coffee table, fighting the blush rising from his neck to his cheeks. “I said, okay. I’ll go on a date with you.”

Hands pressed on each of his cheeks, turning his gaze back to the man in beside him.

Woohyun’s eyes were wide with disbelief, his mouth open slack. “Y-You mean it? You’re going on a date with me?”

Sunggyu narrowed his eyes. “Did you want me to say ‘no’ for the third time?”

“No!” Woohyun broke into a giant smile, his brown eyes sparkling with glee as he pulled him into his arms, hugging him tightly. “Thank you! Thank you!”

Sunggyu returned the hug, squeezing the firm body against him as he felt a warm bubble in his stomach of what he could only describe as joy and excitement. He could feel Woohyun practically vibrating in his arms.

He was still afraid, but he didn’t want to hide anymore.

If they did it right this time… maybe this time… they could be what time, circumstance, and pride didn’t allow them to be before.

A/N: So... this chapter took a completely different and unexpected turn from my original notes... thus, the title! Seriously, it came out of nowhere and I had to do a re-write. I was supposed to have another confrontation between Woohyun and Sunggyu that gets heated and Sunggyu ends up talking about Heechul... but, it didn't happen. Instead, I have that conversation saved for the next chapter, so I hope you look forward to it!

But, we finally see Woohyun's side of the story! So, he's always liked Sunggyu but he was young and confused and didn't want to get into something serious when he wasn't sure. It took seeing him with another to make him realize that he wanted to be with him. By then, it was too late and Sunggyu had moved on. 

Now, Sunggyu is ready to take a leap. Would Woohyun be successful in catching him?

We'll see!

'Til the next chapter!