Since Jihoon's arrest Seungcheol and Jisoo had seen and heard a lot less of Jeonghan than they had gotten used to. At first they figured he needed some time to deal with things on his own so they didn't push it. It wasn't like they didn't have any contact at all. Some texts, the occasional short phone call. He had told them about how they had decided to keep the W-8 club closed for now and he had started a new job at some sort of expensive host club. But they both missed him.

“Maybe we can visit him at work?” Seungcheol suggested one night when he and Jisoo were on their way to the Carrot hang-out for a movie night.

“It's a host club with an all-female clientele, Cheol. Besides I don't want him to feel like we're ambushing him.”

“Do you think he doesn't want to see us?”

Jisoo stared out of the car window and watched the passing streetlights in the distance, “I think he's having a hard time with his friend suddenly not being there. They didn't exactly leave things in a good way. But he also likes to look like he's in complete control of everything and this time he's just not. I'm not sure what's going on inside his head, but I do like to think that he would be happy to see us and spend time with us again.”

Seungcheol parked the car and turned off the engine. He sighed. “So what do we do? Just wait for him to come to us?”

“Maybe we can convince him to hang out if it's with more people. Lower the threshold.”

They both got out of the car and went inside. Seungkwan and Hansol were already installed on the couch, Hansol with his arms casually around his boyfriend. Soonyoung sat besides them, feet up on the coffee table. Chan occupied his usual chair. He looked up as they entered.

“Jun is discovering his culinary side so we're having high quality movie snacks tonight.”

As he said it a loud clatter followed by something that sounded like a swearword came from the kitchen. “Everything is fine! Don't worry! This popcorn is going to be lit!” Jun yelled from the kitchen.

“Just don't light up the kitchen!” Hansol yelled back. Seungkwan snorted and sat up a bit straighter to make room for Seungcheol on the couch. Jisoo sat down on the floor in front of him, leaning against his legs.

“Me and Jisoo were talking and we think it would be nice if we invite some Daebaks out for a drink or something. We were starting to get closer before the whole going to jail thing and we haven't seen them lately.”

“You mean you haven't seen Jeonghan. Me, Seungkwan, and Chan saw Seokmin two days ago and I'm pretty sure Mingyu went out for coffee with The8 not too long ago.” Soonyoung pointed out.

“He did?” Seungkwan's interest was piqued. Soonyoung nodded, “I saw them drive up on his motorcycle. I asked him about it and he said they just went out for coffee and talked or something.”

“The thing is,” Jisoo interjected, “Jeonghan has been a bit distant. We don't want to pressure him too much to hang out, so maybe it's a good idea to go as a group with some Daebaks mixed in. Soonyoung, do you think you can invite Seokmin and make sure he tells Jeonghan he's going?”

“Sure, I guess.”

“Can you tell him to ask Wonwoo too?” Jun startled everyone by suddenly standing behind the couch. Nobody had heard him come into the living room. He was carrying several bowls of different popcorn in his arms. “I haven't talked to him at all...”

“You're all such a mess when it comes to relationships.” Soonyoung laughed, but Seungkwan scoffed in response.

“Like you're one to talk.”

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing.” Seungkwan thought back to a few days ago when he had once again seen how Soonyoung and Seokmin were around each other. He wondered if they were both too scared to make the first move or if they were both too dumb to realize that they had developed feelings for one another.

<>

In the end Jeonghan, along with Seokmin and Wonwoo, accepted the invitation to go out for a drink a few days later. Chan said he had to work, although no-one knew what line of work Chan dabbled in these days. Mingyu had been scolded by Seungkwan because he was falling behind in every subject again, so he stayed home. Minghao hadn't even responded, but Jun knew he was working. After the gang had as good as died off and the club was closed Minghao had started running a (not exactly legal) Mahjong parlor from the back of a Chinese club where Jun also worked.

Jisoo and Seungcheol had decided to go and pick Jeonghan up from work so they could all head to the bar together. Neither of them knew the details of the establishment he had started working at and they would be lying if they said they weren't curious. Not wanting to impose too much they waiting for him to get off work from across the street. They saw him exit through the side-entrance with another man. Most likely a co-worker. He was around the same age and not unattractive.

Jeonghan laughed at something the other man had said and touched his arm with a lingering touch. They continued talking until Jeonghan spotted Seungcheol and Jisoo across the street. He immediately smiled at them and said goodbye to his co-worker and crossed the street to meet them.

“I though we were meeting there?” He greeted both of them with a kiss on the cheek.

“Eh, yeah, but we thought it might be nice to pick you up so you wouldn't have to go all by yourself.” Jisoo answered.

“Unnecessary, but very sweet of you. Shall we go?” he held out his hand to hail a cab and they got in. During the ride Jeonghan skillfully kept the focus of the conversation away from himself. By the time they reached the bar neither of them knew any more about what Jeonghan had been up to or how he was doing than they did before.

“Are we late?” Jeonghan asked as he slid onto the couch of their booth. Everybody else was already there.

“No, most of us just got here.” Seokmin answered with a smile, but then he leaned over so only Jeonghan could hear him, “But when we got here those two,” he glanced over at Jun and Wonwoo, “were already here and I felt like we were interrupting something.”

Jeonghan looked over and was surprised by the smile that adorned Wonwoo's face as he was talking to Jun. He had already suspected Wonwoo liked him, but seeing him with such a genuinely happy smile on his face was quite rare. Jeonghan briefly Seokmin's cheek with his thumb, “Don't worry your pretty head about it, Minnie. I think our Wonwoo might have been hit by Cupid's arrow. Just let him deal with it. If those two want to be alone they're free to leave, right?”

Again Jeonghan managed to keep the conversation going without letting the topic land on himself. The only time he wasn't steering the group in the direction he wanted them to go was when Jun, with a few drinks in his body, decided it was a good idea to kiss Wonwoo right then and there. What was a shocker to even Jeonghan, however, was the fact that Wonwoo let him. Not only that, he kissed back.

Jeonghan grinned, “Well, how about that. Even I don't usually make out with guys in the middle of a bar for all to see, but look at my Wonwoo go.”

Seungkwan started fake coughing and clearing his throat, but nothing seemed to bother them. Jun eventually pulled away from the kiss, “Go out with me.” He said to Wonwoo who stared at him in a daze. He blinked a few times and snapped back into it, remembering where he was.

“A-aren't we out right now?”

Jun chuckled, “I mean just you and me. On a date. A real one this time. I'll buy you dinner, you'll buy me an ice cream as we stroll through a park on our way home, we'll make out under the moonlight. A date.”

“I, eh...”

“Oh come on dude, don't get shy now. You were already making out with him right in front of everybody just a few moments ago.” Soonyoung said, highly amused by the scene in front of him.

“Who asked for your opinion!” Wonwoo snapped at him. He stood up, “Come on, Jun!” Wonwoo threw money for his drinks on the table and started to walk out. Jun also got up.

“Wait, where are you going?” Hansol asked him.

Jun shrugged, “Wherever he is going I guess.”

Jeonghan let out a laugh. He hoped Wonwoo would hold onto this assertiveness once he sobered up. “Distracting him from how embarrassed and awkward he was by annoying him, I like it.” Jeonghan nodded approvingly in Soonyoung's direction.

Soonyoung frowned, “I wasn't trying to be annoying...” he mumbled.

“I didn't think you were annoying.” Seokmin, who was sitting next to him, mumbled.

Seungcheol took this moment to start the conversation he had been wanting to have all night.

“So what exactly is this place you've been working at?” he asked Jeonghan while the others resumed their own conversations.

“Well it's a host bar at night, but a kind of host cafe by day. So my shifts change a lot. The more sweet and innocent of our customers come during the day.”

“How are the customers at night?”

“Rich, often lonely or unhappy, easy to manipulate. Great tippers.”

“What about that guy you were with when you left today?” Jisoo knew Seungcheol tried to make it sound like any other question but all three of them knew that it was more than that.

“Oh him? He's just a co-worker.”

“You seemed awfully close to him...”

Jeonghan, not unaware of the jealous undertone of Seungcheol's words, slowly stirred the straw in his drink, “Our work schedules overlap quite a bit so I've spent some time with him over the last weeks. Oh and I've slept with him a few times.” His delivery was so matter of fact that it sounded like he didn't think it was a big deal at all.

The table went quiet. Nobody was sure what the situation between Seungcheol, Jisoo, and Jeonghan was exactly, not even them. But it was clear that they were involved in some sort of way and the immediate tension that Jeonghan's casually put statement created was obvious. Seungkwan stared at Seungcheol. He was never good at hiding his emotions and he did not seem happy. He nudged Hansol, who was staring at the in front of him, and cleared his throat. “So, ehm, me and Hansol really must be going. It's getting late and we have some plans tomorrow, don't we honey?”

Hansol stared at him blankly for a second before he realized what he was doing, “Oh, yes! The plans! We should get going. Soon, Seok, do you want to share a cab?”

Soonyoung nodded, any excuse to get out of this awkwardness. Seokmin, seemingly not in any way shocked or surprised in the slightest by Jeonghan's revelation, didn't get the hint. “Aren't you two going back to Hansol's place tonight? I kind of live in the opposite direction...”

“Minnie, you were in the hospital not so long ago. You shouldn't be out so late.” Jeonghan said and met his eyes. Seokmin got this one. He nodded, and together the four of them left, leaving the strained silence for the other three.

Jisoo was the one to say something first, “Were you going to tell us?” He didn't sound angry, but something in his voice sounded disappointed.

Jeonghan didn't look away and answered bluntly, “No. I wasn't hiding it, but I just don't think it has anything to do with you. What I did with him has nothing to do with what I do with you two.”

The look on both of their faces said they felt differently about that and, despite feeling like he hadn't done anything wrong, it made Jeonghan feel a bit bad about the situation. “Look, I just needed to blow off some steam with someone.”

“You could have blown off steam with us.” Seungcheol said without looking at him.

Jeonghan reached out to cup one of Seungcheol's cheek, “Oh, I'm sorry Cheollie. I didn't think this thing between us three was exclusive.” He wasn't trying to be mean, it was just the truth.

Seungcheol jerked his head away from Jeonghan's touch. It's true they had never discussed it and he couldn't even be mad about it, but the shamelessly casual delivery of it all was what hurt. Like Jeonghan didn't care at all or like he couldn't understand why it might upset them.

“Why don't you guys let me make it up to you? Come over to my place tonight and I promise I'll make it worth your while.”

“Jeonghan...” Jisoo said with a sigh.

“Okay, you're a bit mad. I-”

“I'm not mad. You just make it sound like all we care about is . We were worried about you. We wanted to be there for you.”

“You've barely been in touch after what happened. We get that you needed some time to deal with things, but would it have been so bad to let us help you instead of some random dude you just met. And like Jisoo said, I don't mean just with or whatever.” Seungcheol added.

Jeonghan turned quiet. He prided himself on being independent and emotionally strong. He rarely broke, let alone in front of others. Only those closest to him had witnessed his realest emotions. Jihoon had been one of those people. Perhaps the closest one. Ever since high school he had been one of the few people Jeonghan felt got him, who understood who he was underneath the charming fake smiles and pretty words. He had trusted Jihoon through everything and he thought the feeling was mutual. And despite the fact that Jihoon was somewhat emotionally constipated and wasn't always able to express his feelings to those he cared about he had never pushed Jeonghan away. But the fact that Jihoon was suddenly no longer a part of his daily life and the way they had left things had put a strain on Jeonghan's emotional stability.

The reason he hadn't accepted Seungcheol and Jisoo's many offers to spend time with them was, as contradictory as it sounded, because he had grown to care for them. He wouldn't go so far as to call it love, but it definitely went beyond feelings he would have for a casual hook-up. It made him feel vulnerable, which made him feel weak. A feeling he hated. So instead of allowing himself to depend on others for emotional support, even for a little bit, he had tried to drown his pathetic emotions in the ual advances of his new, recently single, co-worker.

But now that he was sitting there, with two pairs of concerned eyes on him, he felt like maybe it was okay to be weak and vulnerable for a little bit.

“I tried to visit him.” He took his time between sentences to give himself a sense of control over his words, “A few times, actually. They wouldn't let me see him.”

“Why not?” Jisoo asked, he reached out to hold one of Jeonghan's hands.

“Because I wasn't on his visitors list.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means...” Jeonghan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He smiled slightly. A sad smile. “It means he doesn't want to see me.” Jihoon was refusing to see him and he didn't even fully understand why that was. “At least I'm not alone. As far as I know he hasn't spoken to anyone. Not even his mother.”

“Let us take you home.” Seungcheol offered with a gentle voice. Jeonghan nodded. That night he felt warm and safe wrapped in two pairs of arms.

<>

Hansol rinsed his mouth and spit out the water in the sink. He stared at Seungkwan, who was still brushing his teeth, through the mirror. “Babe? We didn't really have plans for tomorrow, did we?”

“Nah, I just said that to get out of there.”

“Good. I was worried I forgot or something.”

Seungkwan wiped his mouth on a towel and frowned, “It's not like I have money to do anything anyway. How is it possible that I have like no money? I don't pay rent at Soon's and I don't even buy anything that I don't really need.”

Hansol didn't say anything but Seungkwan caught his face in the mirror. “What? What is that expression supposed to mean?”

Hansol walked out of the bathroom and walked to the bedroom with Seungkwan on his heels.

“Well? What have I bought?”

Hansol hesitantly opened his mouth, “Well, take tonight for instance. You could have just gotten a normal beer, but you kept ordering pretty expensive stuff.”

“But I don't really like that cheap beer.”

“Yeah, well...”

“Okay, so that's one thing.”

Hansol sighed, “What do you want, a list? It's a lot of things, Seungkwan. I've seen the materials you use for school. Like that fancy pen you're always writing with.”

Seungkwan frowned, “I already had that pen. I just buy fillings for it. That's not expensive.”

“It's still an expensive pen, with expensive fillings, as far as pens go. And it's not just that. It's the pencils, notebooks, even the erasers you use are from brands that are probably so much more expensive than what you can get at cheaper stores.”

“It's just stationary.” Seungkwan mumbled.

“It all adds up, Kwannie.”

“I guess...” Seungkwan was having a hard time believing that he didn't have any money because of a few pencils and notebooks.

“Or take your clothes. They're all designer.”

“I haven't even bought any clothes since I moved out of my parents' house!”

“Maybe not, but have you ever thought about selling them and buying cheaper ones instead?”

“Who would want my old clothes? I've already used them.”

Hansol stared at his boyfriend in disbelief. “Are you serious? Lot's of people. People who want designer clothes but can't afford to buy them new. If you can't even imagine why people might buy or need to buy secondhand clothes you are in more desperate need of some life lessons than I thought.”

“No, I get it...I mean...I understand I can't buy the same type of clothes that I did before, but it never occurred to me to sell the ones I already have.”

“That's because you've never needed to sell anything to be able to afford something else.” He sighed again, he didn't want to make him feel bad, “Seungkwan, I know you're trying. When we were living together too. You try, but,” he took a moment to find the right words that wouldn't make it sound like he was calling Seungkwan a spoiled rich kid, “I just think you haven't been properly exposed to the art of living on a budget yet. And I think it's about time that you learn a thing or two from someone who is an expert.”

“Oh, who?”

“Me, dummy.”

“Didn't you used to steal stuff?”

“Only expensive luxury stuff I didn't really need from people who wouldn't even miss it. Like booze from the Daebaks.”

“Didn't you steal their motorcycle?”

“That's not the point. The point is that I've been living with little money for years and I think I can teach you some things that might be useful. Nothing that involves stealing, okay? We'll make a date out of it!”

Seungkwan scrunched up his nose, “What kind of date is that?”

“It'll be fun. We'll go to the dollar store, secondhand clothing stores, thrift shops. You'll be amazed about what you can find at some of these places.”

Hansol walked over and put his arms around his boyfriend, “What do you say, Boo Seungkwan? Do we have a date?”

Seungkwan stared at him with a pout, but it turned into a shy smile, “I guess so.”

Hansol smiled back, “Good.” He leaned down and kissed him. He was about to pull away and suggest they went to sleep, but he felt Seungkwan's hands making their way into his hair and keeping him close. The kiss became more heated and Hansol tugged on Seungkwan's shirt. He pulled it off over his head and threw it aside. Hansol placed his hands on Seungkwan's now exposed hips and gently started to move them towards the bed. Before they could reach it, however, Seungkwan stopped him and pulled away.

“Give me one minute. I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back!” As he walked out of the room he yelled, “Be more when I get back!”

Hansol chuckled, “Sure thing, babe.” He took off his own shirt and jeans, leaving him in boxers. He decided to wait for Seungkwan's return by standing in a (what he thought was a) seductive pose in the doorway. To his surprise he saw Seungkwan hadn't gone to the bathroom. He was in the living room rummaging through his bag. Hansol couldn't quite make out what he was doing, seeing Seungkwan had his back facing him, but it looked like he took something out of his bag and put it in his mouth.

“What are you doing?” He asked as he walked into the living room.

Seungkwan let out a small yelp and dropped whatever he had been holding. He quickly bent down to pick it up, but Hansol was faster. He stared at the bottle of pain medication and looked at Seungkwan, “Are you still taking these? I thought that-”

“Just sometimes.” Seungkwan snatched the bottle from Hansol's hands and put it back into his bag.

“Does it still hurt? Shouldn't everything be as good as healed by now? Maybe you should see a doctor?”

Seungkwan shook his head, “Only a little sometimes. I'm fine. It's just some days like when I do a lot of physical stuff it still hurts a bit and I just feel better with some painkillers.”

“Like during ? Why didn't you tell me that? We've already had after you've been released from the hospital and now you're telling me you need painkillers to get through it?”

“Don't be so dramatic. It's not like I'm dying. It doesn't hurt much, but I don't want to wince and whine the entire time.” He got closer and Hansol's arm, “It's fine.” He started to get closer, but Hansol stopped him.

“Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you.”

Seungkwan sighed, “Hansol, like you said, we've already done it before.”

“Yeah, but that was before I knew it was hurting you!”

“It's not!”

“You just said that-”

“Look, are we going to have or not?” He leaned in again, “I'm fine, okay? I promise.” He got on his toes to reach Hansol's mouth and started kissing him. Hansol kissed him back and let the touches erase the worries from his mind.