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Joonmyeon stares at the taller's face in front of him. Chanyeol looks like he has stopped breathing altogether as his gaze still fixed at Baekhyun that is sitting across him.

"I... I still don't know about myself but..." Baekhyun lifts his head from staring at the table to look at the older beside him. He needs some courage and Joonmyeon said he can count on him. "He said he would help..." He breathes out. "...figuring it out."

Chanyeol sees the small smile and nod Joonmyeon give to the smaller male before his attention focus back to his best friend. What was that confession supposed to mean? They barely see each other this past week and now he is what?

"I don't know much about him but apparently you do so I trust you. Is he as nice as our hottie?" Joonmyeon sees a shy smile and he is glad, before a slap on the table makes him turn to Chanyeol that has a hand spread wide on his notebook.

"Aren't you being a bit unfair?!"

Joonmyeon breathes out, sliding a hand on to Baekhyun's thigh under the table as Chanyeol's widened eyes looking straight at him.

"You. Me and Joonmyeon hyung barely know him and you are going out with him? Wha... How I... I am your best friend! Why didn't I know about you two?!"

He listens silently, hand holding the younger's trembling one under the table as he tells about Joss. About how Joss and his freshman roommate are childhood friends. About the movie nights the three of them sometimes had. About a friend of a friend isn't that important enough to tell others.

Chanyeol feels his heart pumping fast from anger. Might it be from being kept away about the Medic student, or his best friend is dating, or the fact the older seems to know something but didn't tell him, or all, he doesn't know. What he does know is best friends don't keep secrets from each other. "I..."

Baekhyun watches as the taller stands up and packs his things. Their eyes meet and the grip on Joonmyeon's hand gets a little tighter.

"I... I will see you later."

His eyes follow the broad back walking away and turns to the older when Chanyeol is no longer in sight. Joonmyeon is smiling softly at him and the tension he felt slowly easing away. "Thank you, hyung."

Joonmyeon nods as he rubs the smaller's back that is hugging him. "But I can't blame Chanyeol for acting like that. Although I am not mad, I was suprised as he is. He said you were busy and couldn't hang out and suddenly you tell us that. He has the right to get mad."

Baekhyun pulls himself away and lets out a small sigh. He needed time to think about everything. A reply to Joss' question. An explanation for Chanyeol. An answer for himself. But he figured waiting wouldn't solve anything so he gave the older a call yesterday, because somehow he could feel explaining to his best friend first would make everything more complicated, and his heart won't be able to stand that.

"So, when will he going to be properly introduced to me?" The small smile is back and Joonmyeon is glad.

"About that... Are you free this Sunday? Hyung and I..."

"'Hyung and I...'" Joonmyeon side-eyes, smirking. "You never 'hyung and I' me." He laughs at the push on his shoulder.

"Stop it or I won't introduce you guys."

"You don't introduce me, I will ignore you for the rest of your life!"

Baekhyun huffs as his senior is giving him a hard time but at the same time he is glad. He knows the teasing won't last but it does help him to relax. The thing with Chanyeol still take a lot of space in his mind and he might make Joss uncomfortable if he finds out.

"So you want me to be a third wheeler and have you guys ignoring me while you're on a date?"

"That is exactly what I want."

Joonmyeon pouts as the younger tells more about this coming Sunday. He hopes Chanyeol already cooled his head by then.

+++++

Yifan steps outside, wondering what take Bella so long to get the sketchbook from her car only to see her talking with a man that somewhat feels familiar in front of the shop. "Bella."

"Oh, Yifan." The male that was waiting for her totally slips her mind. She gets closer and pulls Yifan by the wrist towards the other male. "Yifan, this is Harit. He's the owner of that dessert shop."

Yifan nods. No wonder the male looks familiar.

"He's also Joonmyeon's friend, the one that came by to pick up Joonmyeon at the party last week. Remember? Such a small world, huh?"

The last information has he stunned for a second, before accepting the handshake that being offered to him. Joonmyeon.

"Ah, I met Yifan a few days ago with his friend."

Bella's eyebrows knit together as she looks at Yifan before nodding at the mouthed 'Minseok'. "Ah! Minseok knows Joonmyeon too. He was with Joonmyeon when we went to the kitchen. You know, the small-faced guy."

Yifan watches the two people aweing at such coincidences with thightened heart. The Korean male is an acquaintence of the dessert shop owner which Bella will be a frequent customer. It is already bad for him when he found out about Sophia and now this friend of the male will become her friend too. Why is fate playing with him?

"Don't you think so, Yifan?" She sees the same look the male had at the party when she turns for an answer. Does she being with Harit made him jealous? Really? "Yifan."

"Huh?"

"I said, we should all go together when the shop opened next week. Don't you think so?"

Harit smiles as he sees a nod coming from the male. "Then, I will make sure there are enoiugh for you guys. The first day is supposed to be for close friends but I will make an exception."

"Well, you went to my party that only close friends were invited to so that makes up close friends!"

"Oh. I can't seem to argue with that." He takes a small breath as he obversed the two people. He likes Bella very much but he can't say the same with Yifan. Maybe because of their useless man pride but he can tell the male will never like him. He just hope his reason isn't because of he tries to steal Bella. He would laugh so hard at that.

"Why don't you come in now? It looks like it going to rain. And you said your friend will call you when he arrived, right?"

Harit nods a s he follows the female from behind as Yifan opens the door and holds it for him. Being right across the street, the clothes shop really intrigued him but with his own shop is still unfinished and him being a man that knows nothing about a woman's clothes, he doesn't have a reason to visit.

"I only carry women apparels now but with Yifan's help, we will soon have men's too." Bella smiles up at Yifan, which the male nod slightly at her words. She sees Harit picking out a T-shirt. The soft purple and loose cutting make that kind of T-shirt is the closes to a man's wear they have.

Yifan purses his lips at the gentle expression the male had as he calls Bella over and they talk about that one T-shirt. Why can he guess who is in Harit's mind right now.

+++++

"Who is it, dad?" Joonmyeon peeks out from the living room and sees a sheepish Chanyeol standing at the entryway.

"Come in. Are you alone?"

Chanyeol nods at Joonmyeon's father as he takes off his shoes. "Sorry for the intrusion."

"It's fine. Any friends of Joonmyeon and Sophia are welcome here. Have you eaten? We have some leftover stir-fry. I can reheat for you."

"Ah, it is really fine, uncle. I just want to talk with Joonmyeon hyung about something."

Joonmyeon nods when his father offers to make them some tea, informing him that he will leave it in the kitchen and they can have it whenever they're ready. He leads the younger to his bedroom and points towards his bed, telling Chanyeol to sit there while he pulls out a chair and sits in front of the younger.

The carpet under his feet is very soft and the simple design is very pretty. Chanyeol sees the older's feet and can't help comparing them to his own. But Baekhyun's ever smaller feet make his look like giants.

"Chanyeol." The younger finally looks up to face him and Joonmyeon can see the mixed feelings on his face. "Have you talk to Baekhyun yet?" He gets a headshake. He leans back on his chair as he stares at his junior. It took him two whole days before the younger talked to him again when he told him about his 'secret' and they were still just met. Best friends are different.

"It was him the person saw."

Joonmyeon digests the random words and nods when he connects it with the gossip Chanyeol told the other day.

"You... already knew?" He sees the older nodding and the feeling of betrayed strucks him. Why didn't Baekhyun tell him too? Why didn't Joonmyeon say anything to him? Because he would get sensitive about this kind of things? But it is normal? He just need time to adjust. It is not like he is rejecting it altogether. "Do you... know him?"

"As much as you do. I somewhat recall a girlfriend but it was like, two, three years ago. His look and figure got people talking so..." He couldn't help but knew about the Medic student when the whole batch was talking about it when they were freshmen. He is not sure if he had talked to him before though.

Chanyeol lets out a breath. "The girls said he's a part-time model now. He got top grades and is a swimming star."

Joonmyeon notices the fisted hand on the bed.

"He is perfect for him."

He blinks, trying to believe the words coming from Chanyeol's mouth and the soften expression on his face. Is the younger accepting the relationship between Baekhyun and Joss? Already?

Chanyeol presses his pursed lips harder. His own words are piercing his heart and he can't do anything about it because Baekhyun is 'his best friend', not 'his'. He really doesn't have a saying in who the smaller is dating, more so to such a perfect guy like that. He breathes out, looking up at Joonmyeon. "I should be going. I... just wanted to tell you that."

Joonmyeon stands and follows the younger out of the room, leading him towards the kitchen and hands him the warm cup of tea left on the dinner table. He smiles when Chanyeol burned his tongue before getting a smile back. Everything will be okay.

"Does it taste okay? I didn't put much sugar in it."

Chanyeol nods at Joonmyeon's father that is entering the kitchen. "I like it a bit bitter." He glances at Joonmyeon before looking back at the male's father. "I am leaving, uncle."

"Ah, really? You drove here, right? Be careful, okay?"

He smiles, saying his goodbye before following his senior to the front door. Putting on his shoes, he stares at the older. He thought hard about this since he heard it during lunch and only on solution came up. He cares about Baekhyun too much to let him see him like this. "Hyung, please tell him 'good luck' for me."

Joonmyeon doesn't like how those words came out from the younger. "Chan..."

"Bye."

He stares at the closed door where Chanyeol is now behind it. This isn't what he had in mind.

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