Minseok collapses into the car seat, exhausted.  It's already past midnight and his suit stinks of cheap perfume and alcohol.

"Crazy bastard" Minseok mutters under his breath.  

Kyungsoo turns the engine on, chuckling.  "His style is sleazy as it gets so you shouldn't be surprised he wanted to meet at a room salon."

"Ugh" Minseok groans as he tilts the seat back, closing his eyes to try and stop the nausea.  "It's the last time I'm going to play nice to a dirty bastard like him."

"Now, now" Kyungsoo chides.  "The contract is signed with his personal stamp.  No going back now.  No more kissing .  We should be celebrating."

"Celebrating, my .  I just want to go home and take a long shower to disinfect myself from that crazy son of a ."

Kyungsoo manuevers the car expertly, simultaneously watching Minseok slide a hand over his face.  "You know you're the only one to blame, right?  You're the one who wanted to pursue the deal."

"Yeah, yeah.  Don't remind me" Minseok waves his hand at Kyungsoo, eyes still closed.  "Just let me know when we're home."

They stay silent as Kyungsoo drives.  And even though Minseok isn't asleep, he doesn't say anything as Kyungsoo makes a quick pitstop at the convenience store near Minseok's house.  

Once Kyungsoo pulls into the parking structure, Minseok opens his eyes.  And when Kyungsoo slides into Minseok's parking spot before turning off the engine, Minseok eyes the black plastic bag in the backseat.

"Nevermind.  It's you" Minseok says.  "You're the crazy bastard."

Kyungsoo just laughs as he exits the car.

"You know you love me."

"I never should have let you know where I lived."

"Like you had a choice" Kyungsoo laughs again as he prods Minseok's side playfully.

The green soju bottles clink lightly inside the convenience store bag in Kyungsoo's hand.  They wait for the elevator as Kyungsoo laughs at Minseok's evil eye.

"I'm tired.  I mean it" Minseok tells Kyungsoo.

"I know."

"Do you?" Minseok raises a brow, pointedly looking at the bag of alcohol.  "Do you really?"

All Kyungsoo does is enter the elevator first to push the level where Minseok's apartment is located.

"Hey!  Why're you coming to my apartment?" Minseok protests.

"You said you were tired" Kyungsoo shrugs.  "Seems only right to drink at the place of the person who's going to fall asleep first."

 

❄❄❄

 

If Jongin is like Minseok's bright light, Kyungsoo was like a solid rock - someone Minseok could always count on and trust.   Kyungsoo and Minseok had grown up inside 'the family'.  Where Minseok had been one of the bastard children of the boss, Kyungsoo had been the only son of the gang's main lawyer.  It wasn't really until they were in middle school that they'd got to know each other and it wasn't until high school that they'd truly started to trust one another.  Now, as adults, they were like brothers.

They're two bottles in when Minseok finally opens his mouth.

"He wants me to join the business" Minseok confesses.  "He wants me to get married."

Kyungsoo snorts as he pours another shot for Minseok.

There's a bag of dried squid that's ripped open as a drinking snack, but Minseok doesn't really like the after taste that lingers.

Minseok takes the drink and downs it in one shot.  He frowns at the bitter taste and sighs.  Kyungsoo pushes the bag of dried squid in his direction.

"Eat as you drink, huh?  You'll ruin your organs."

"The Chairman probably wants me to merge the companies I have now into the family business.  That'd be a hoot, wouldn't it?"

Minseok pours another drink on his own and sputters as Kyungsoo shoves a piece of squid into Minseok's mouth.

"Would it be so bad?" Kyungsoo asks, watching Minseok take another one shot.  "If you were in charge, you could change what you hate so much."

Minseok scoffs.

"What?  Aren't I right?"

"You're always right" Minseok scowls.  "That's what I hate about you."

Kyungsoo laughs again.  "So do it."

"...But what if I can't?" Minseok asks, voice suddenly small.  "What if working with my father changes me?  That's what I'm afraid of the most... turning into him."

They drink in silence for a few minutes.  And when Minseok reaches for the fourth bottle, Kyungsoo starts talking again.

"... Your mother..." and for the first time Kyungsoo hesitates.

"Not just my mother" Minseok cuts Kyungsoo off.  "My father has hurt everyone around him, even my sister.  For the sake of the company, he's sacrificed everyone around him.  What if I come to that too?  What if...?"

But the rest of Minseok's worries go unsaid.  Instead, Minseok grabs the bottle by the neck and downs the rest of the soju.

Kyungsoo sighs.

"Crazy bastard" Kyungsoo chides, prying the bottle from Minseok's fingers.  

Minseok groans, burying his head in his arm.

"Get the hell to bed, Minseok" Kyungsoo mutters, standing and helping Minseok to his feet.

"No, I'm gonna drink... more..."

Chuckling Kyungsoo all but drags Minseok to the bedroom.  "Acting cute, huh?  Wow, your alcohol tolerance has gone way down."

"Shaddup" Minseok slurs.  But when his head hits the mattress, Minseok is already snoring lightly.

Righting himself, Kyungsoo looks down at Minseok's still form on the bed.

"Crazy bastard" Minseok mumbles in his sleep.  "Crazy... crazy....bastard."

Laughing under his breath, Kyungsoo drapes the comforter over Minseok.  "Cute bastard" he mutters, before crawling into bed next to Minseok.

 

❄❄❄

 

On the way to school, even the usually oblivious Jongin senses that there's something amiss.  There's tons of girls looking at their cell phones and whispering as he passes them.  At first, Jongin thinks it's because of last night's concert.  Surely pictures and videos were already posted on the school's website.

But at the first break bell, Wonshik from the class next door comes to punch Jongin on the shoulder.

"Yah!" he yells, "This is breaking the rules, that's what it is!"

Jongin blinks at him, sleepily.

"It's all over the school now.  When'd you get so close to - "

But before Wonshik can finish, Haeji from the class two doors down comes crashing into Wonshik's back, pushing him out of the way.

"Yah! Kim Jongin!  Who are these handsome, handsome men!?  Don't tell me you've been holding out!" she exclaims, pressing her phone into Jongin's face.

When Jongin's eyes uncross, he first sees the Instagram logo.  It's Taemin's account and there on the feed, is a photo of Jongin with Minseok and Kyungsoo. 

'Spotted' the caption says.  'Best Ballerino at ShimAh High at Tree Top Cafe.'

After that, Jongin notices that there are multiple photos in the same post.  He scrolls, ignoring Haeji's protests and sees more photos of him, but it's the photos that they took after Minseok and Kyungsoo had left.

"Taemin posted these?" Jongin asks, dumbfounded.

Haeji nods and Wonshik reappears.

"Forget the old guys" Wonshik says.  "Look at the latest post."

And this time, Wonshik is the one shoving his phone into Jongin's face.  It's a photo of Jongin at the cafe, with Soojung sitting next to him and stealing a sip of his lemonade.

'Awww' the caption says, 'What a cute couple! >_< @soojungee"

"Are you going out with Soojung or what" Wonshik yells.  "How come you didn't tell me?!"

"Wha... Bu...Who....Huh?"  Jongin sputters. 

But the bell rings again and both Wonshik and Haeji are ushered out by the homeroom teacher.  Later a text comes from Taemin.

["Oops? :-P"] 

 

 

Later, during lunch, Jongin is still confused as to why this is happening and why this is such a big deal right now.  Soojung, however, seems to know all the answers and still, doesn't care.

"I'm OK with it" she tells Jongin with an expressionless face.  "Whatever."

"But... they think we're together!" Jongin squeaks, ears getting red at all the unwanted attention he's getting from the others in the cafeteria.

"Let them think what they want" Soojung tells Jongin.  "They'll forget about it in a couple of days.  And it's not like we can not be together, right?"

And she was right.  They were the male and females leads in the graduation ballet recital and they had been the male and female leads in the concert last night.  They were always paired for school projects and Soojung was Jongin's close friend.

"What about you?  You don't mind?" Jongin asks.

At this, Soojung shrugs.  "I don't really care right now and it's not like I hate you."

Jongin gapes and Soojung rolls her eyes.

"Do you not know how high school works?  It's always about gossip and when the newest thing pops up, everything else is old news.  Don't worry.   Besides, it's not like you have someone you like, right?"

Soojung's clear brown eyes bore into Jongin's.  Jongin groans instead of answering and all day long, he wonders why all he can think about is Minseok's reaction to the news.