It was already midday when Jinwoo finally woke up. He slowly got up from the couch having a really bad headache. He massaged his aching head while looking around the room full of the mess that was left last night.

"Hm? Where's Mino?" he blurted out.

"That guy left me out. Hmph," he uttered — talking to himself while finding his phone to send Mino a message.

Ya! Why did you leave early? I'm the only one left to clean up the mess.T_T

Mino was taking too long to respond so Jinwoo just tossed his phone aside to drink water and start cleaning. He thought, Maybe he's busy. He is about to debut after all.

While picking up the remaining bottles one by one, Jinwoo suddenly froze as the memory from last night came rushing to his mind. Though a bit blurry, some of the words he uttered last night rang in his ears,

"You are...exceptionally... cruel..."

Jinwoo tilted his head in confusion, Hn? What's this!? He thought as his memory from last night continued to surface. He slowly remembered Mino's lips in his, the taste of Mino's soju flavored playful tongue inside his mouth and the hot temperature that they shared. His jaw dropped and he put his hand over his mouth.

"WAIT!?! ARE ALL THESE REAL !?!  WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!" his eyes widen⁠ — not that it could get even bigger.

Forgetting the bottles he was supposed to pick up, Jinwoo paced back and forth around his flat. Oh noo...what should I do !? Pretend to not remember? Ask him directly? What did it mean? Does he like me too? Maybe that's just alcohol...Don't get your hopes up, Kim Jinwoo.

He was going around in circles when he heard his phone ring.

*Ding*

He jumped to the sofa quickly to pick up his phone and saw Mino's message. 

Hyung! Sorry for leaving early, my manager called me. I somehow can't remember everything last night but I hope I didn't do anything embarrassing while drunk. ;; Take care.

Ahhh so he didn't remember. Disappointed, Jinwoo replied:

Don't worry, I can't remember either. :)))) Back to you, take care of your self too. Don't get injured again. Fighting! ^_^/

Maybe it's for the better that he doesn't remember. He doesn't need any distractions right now. Jinwoo convinced himself that it was not yet the right time to reveal his feelings to Mino. His friend had a bright future ahead of him. He couldn't afford to have unnecessary thoughts like his best friend falling in love with him. What Mino needed the most now is support, not some distraction.  

~~~~~~~~

Since getting picked as the trainee to debut along with Zico, Mino's company became more strict with him as part of their protocol. They were careful that no spoiler would be leaked before the duo's debut. They managed everything for Mino. They even took his phone with them and gave him a new phone and number. He could not even go outside without his manager. It was inevitable for Jinwoo and Mino to lose contact.

During the time they were apart, Jinwoo tried his best to achieve his own dreams. Although he missed Mino, he couldn't just mope around missing him. He went to be a part-timer of different coffee shops to study more about coffees. He also practiced his coffee brewing and studied more about the business.

A year has passed while Jinwoo was busy running toward his own goals. Finally, Mino debuted without a hitch and their song even reached first on music charts. Mino, along with Zico, gained a lot of popularity as rookies among the hip-hop community and fangirls. He didn't forget checking on Mino by monitoring his activities closely. He even joined his official fan club. He was happy to hear all of Mino's achievements but he couldn't help but feel anxious about their growing distance. Sooner or later, he would be a star he couldn't reach. Even getting in on a music show recording already felt like a luxury. Luckily, after trying on all available music programs, he got picked as one of the audiences for their performance.

On the way to the broadcastin