Chapter 2

Recommended song: Where are you? (by CLC)

Like every other morning, Yunhyeong woke up to an alarm that always set off before the sun had risen. It was Hanbin's call to return to his studio or home as he was constantly there from day to night, working nonstop and pulling an allnighter almost every other night.

Instantly after the alarm had started ringing, Yunhyeong could feel Hanbin's arm that was firmly placed around his waist, jerking away. Yunhyeong knew that Hanbin would not do as he said, but it was now or never.

'Stay. Don't go.' said Yunhyeong, in a soft, but resolved tone.

He opened his eyes and gazed into those of Hanbin's as if he was trying to read his mind. To his surprise, Hanbin returned his gaze and looked deeper into his eyes as if he was searching for an answer that no one could give.

'Hyung, you always make me do the wrong thing,' said Hanbin, with eyes fixated on Yunhyeong's face.

'Hanbinnie, you know that I'm always here for you, right? If there's something that's troubling you, you could always come to m-', replied Yunhyeong, with a worried expression that replaced the warm one.

'Don't worry over nothing. Trust me, I'm perfectly fine,' interjected Hanbin, while squeezing Yunhyeong's hand, which Hanbin then planted a kiss on.

Their conversation continued with Yunhyeong asking after Hanbin and expressing his overflowing worry about the younger boy's work pattern, and Hanbin absentmindedly nodding his head in response while staring deeply into Yunhyeong's eyes. Yunhyeong never failed to lift Hanbin's spirits and make him feel tingly with his dreamy eyes. As a lyricist, descriptive words often jogged around in Hanbin's head, yet he was often at a loss for words when it came to describing Yunhyeong's eyes. They were soft, mesmerizing, and filled with love, yet, at the same time, they were like a bottomless pit, drawing him in deeper and deeper. Perhaps, to Hanbin, they were the most beautiful pair of eyes that always made him feel like he was in an endless dream.

The frown on Yunhyeong's face was soon superseded by a smile of pure happiness as Hanbin gave him a peck on the forehead, whispering reassuring words into his ear. Maybe after all Hanbin did not deserve Yunhyeong for what he had done.

All of a sudden, the door was swung open, followed by the entrance of a tall figure.

'Rise and shine, Song Yunhyeong! You told me that you were going to make breakfast for me this morning last night! How are you still sleeping at thi-', shouted the tall figure, who gasped when the cuddling couple was in sight.

'June-yah mianhe, umm... I'm going to wash up now and make breakfast for you,' muttered Yunhyeong in embarrassment.

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Hanbin stiffened and avoided June's inquisitive gaze at him.

'Hyung, I didn't interrupt you guys, right? You look really flustered and your ears look really red,' teased June, breaking the ice.

'You're such a er! Well, what brought you here?' groaned Hanbin, while regaining composure.

'For your information, I'm always here and now I'm here to hang out with Yunhyeong since he feels lonely. Maybe you should stay in more and spend less time in your studio. You know there are things or people that are more important than work,' said June in a slightly cocky tone.

'Yunhyeong? When and how did they get so close with each other?' muttered Hanbin under his breath when June was out of earshot.

Craving for food and the attention of a special person, Hanbin got out of bed, dragged his feet to the kitchen, and passed by a ravenous June, who was ranting about how famished he was. 

'Yah! Let go of me! I'm cooking now,' whined Yunhyeong as Hanbin circled his arms around Yunhyeong's waist from the back and put his head on the latter's shoulder.

'Yunhyeongie, I missed you a lot,' said Hanbin, while tightening his grip on Yunhyeong's midriff.

'Me too. As much as I love you, I think you should call me hyung and back off as I need some salt for the eggs,' cooed Yunhyeong after giving Hanbin a light peck on his cheek.

'But June calls you Yunhyeong...' murmured Hanbin inaudibly while nuzzling the crook of Yunhyeong's neck.

'Don't be jealous over such small things! You know that you're the only one in my heart,' cooed Yunhyeong, facing Hanbin.

'Yunhyeongie, can you cook me something as well?', asked Jinhwan, who had inadvertently interrupted the couple's quality time by entering the kitchen unannounced.

As if on cue, Hanbin loosened his grip on Yunhyeong and slowly retracted his hands from the latter's waist. Hanbin's eyes momentarily met those of Jinhwan as Jinhwan's eyes rested on him. Unease and guilt soon came over Hanbin as he confronted Jinhwan's glare that was of disdain and vindictiveness.

Gradually, the originally calm and relaxed ambience was replaced with one full of tension and awkwardness.

'Hanbin, I have some queries about my lines in our new title song. Yunhyeong, do you mind if I talk to him privately?' asked Jinhwan, with his gaze unfaltering.

In response, Yunhyeong, who was oblivious to the change in atmosphere, nodded and jokingly told Jinhwan to keep Hanbin occupied as long as he wanted as he found Hanbin's antics disturbing. Meanwhile, Hanbin knew very well that Jinhwan was up to no good.

Jinhwan left the kitchen and trod heavily to Hanbin's room, with Hanbin slowly trailing behind. As soon as the door was slammed shut,  Jinhwan's faced Hanbin, with aggression written all over his face.

'How could you still stick around Yunhyeong and act like nothing's happened after what you have done? Do you not have integrity?', spat Jinhwam, with his lips curving downwards into a scowl.

'What else could I have done? Tell him the truth and see his heart shatter in pieces? Seeing him cry makes me die inside. I can never ever hurt him,' retorted Hanbin, head down with shame.

'The damage is done. You've hurt him and it's time to come clean. For what you have done, you don't deserve to be with him. If you're not telling him what you've done yourself , I'll do the job for you,' shouted Jinhwan.

'No, you can't. You know how he will react. I know that I've wronged him and have sinned, but I can't risk this relationship. If I told him about what happened between me and Jaewon yesterday night, he will definitely break up with me,' replied Hanbin, with a weak voice.

'But can you be with him without being consumed by guilt? Please be honest with yourself. Nothing can be done to remedy this. You ruined this relationship with your own hands. You know what I'm going to tell him about it, about you and Jaewon, now,' said Jinhwan, turning on his heels and reaching for the door.

'I'll break the news to him on my own within this week. You don't have to interfere with this. Hyung, I know that you won't believe me but I was drunk that night and had no memory of what I had done that night...I never felt that way for Jaewon,' explained Hanbin, eyes watering.

A pang of guilt Hanbin as Yunhyeong smiled sweetly at him, placing plates of food on the dining table. Overwhelmed with a mixture of conflicting feelings, Hanbin struggled to put on a facade of content and experienced difficulties with making eye contact and interacting with Yunhyeong.

'Hanbinnie, are you okay? You've been spacing out for some time already. Are you tired? If you're tired, just go back to sleep. June and Chanwoo will do the washing up with me,' inquired Yunhyeong, with worry written all over his face.

'Why do you always make us do all the hard work? This is unfair,' protested June.

'This is because you're my favourite dongsaeng. Saranghae, June-ah,' said Yunhyeong, giving June and Chanwoo a wink.

'Yunhyeong, thankyou so much for this and for pretty much everything. Really thankyou and... I love you...I really do,' muttered Hanbin, without looking up.

'Why are you thanking me all of a sudden? Hey, look up. Are you sure you're okay? You look horribly tired,' asked Yunhyeong, looking at Hanbin with concern.

'Yunhyeong, please don't doubt my love, okay? I'll do anything to make you're happy,' replied Hanbin, with determined eyes locking with those of Yunhyeong.

Before Yunhyeong could bombard Hanbin with more questions, Hanbin took his leave and left the flat, without saying where he was heading to.

'I'll go check up on him. Can you guys do the clearing up?' announced Yunhyeong.

Yunhyeong felt a tug on the hem of his shirt, halting him from leaving his seat, as he rose to his feet.

'Yunhyeongie, don't fret. Let him be. Maybe he is just stressed out from all that song-writing and needed some alone time,' said Jinhwan reassuringly.

'Jinani hyung, you always know how to comfort me. I don't know how I can live without you,' replied Yunhyeong, with a weak smile plastered on his face.