Hyukjae is walking through Hongdae with Shin-Hye. It’s late and it’s snowing and it’s crowded, apparently the perfect backdrop for some instagram pics. Hyukjae is tired and rubs his hands to warm them while some of Shin-Hye’s entourage group around to take photos on their phones.

He and Donghae used to walk along here when they first moved in together, hands tucked in one another’s pockets.

Hyukjae smiles a little at the memory.

The two of them never had money back then. Sometimes they had enough to buy a snack to share from one of the street vendors, and sometimes not. Hyukjae had liked to watch the street performers and Donghae always had his big camera, accidentally walking into people, so engrossed in the lights, the angles and Hyukjae’s laughter. Hyukjae remembered one night in particular, the snow swirling around them, the tiny ice crystals a vivid contrast to Donghae’s dark hair, sticking in his eyelashes, beautiful when he pulled Hyukjae aside and-

‘Oppa?’ Shin-Hye has been calling for him. ‘Oppa! Hyukjae, come on!’

Hyukjae hurries after them, catching up and linking his arm through Shin-Hye’s. It’s late, but Hyukjae suddenly doesn’t feel like going home.

‘Should we get something to eat?’ he asks. There’s a stall selling egg bread and Hyukjae feels painfully nostalgic. He darts aside to buy two then re-joins the group, holding one of the paper-wrapped little snacks out to Shin-Hye. She looks down at it, a little horrified.

‘I can’t,’ she says. ‘I’ve got a photoshoot coming up, remember?’

Oh yeah. No carbs or something. Hyukjae ruefully takes it back and is left holding both. One of Shin-Hye’s friends has posted to her instagram already, and Shin-Hye leans over to see the response. Someone knocks into Hyukjae and he mumbles an apology, stepping out of the way, but then the man is staring at him.

‘Hyukjae?’

It’s Donghae’s college friend and roommate Kyuhyun.

‘Hey,’ Hyukjae says, feeling awkward. He hasn’t seen any of Donghae’s friends since the two of them broke up and he’s not sure how Kyuhyun feels. But Kyuhyun is grinning at him.

‘Been a while,’ he says.

‘Come on,’ Shin-Hye is calling, but Hyukjae suddenly doesn’t want to be part of the instagram-ready group anymore.

‘You go on ahead,’ he says. ‘I might get a drink or two with my friend.’

Shin-Hye nods and leans up for Hyukjae to kiss her on the cheek. One of her friends snaps the moment and frowns, shaking her head. Hyukjae sighs and obligingly changes angle. Then the group is gone. Kyuhyun is watching and Hyukjae thinks he’s laughing but it’s always been kind of hard to tell. He takes one of Hyukjae’s egg bread uninvited.

‘Do you really want to get a drink? Or was that just an excuse to escape?’

‘Both,’ Hyukjae says, and Kyuhyun grins at him, mouth full.

They find a quiet little bar. Kyuhyun orders an expensive bottle of wine and tells Hyukjae he can pay. Hyukjae gets himself a beer and they catch up. Hyukjae rarely gets to spend time with friends these days, pushed instead into high profile, superficial encounters and endorsements, constantly reminded to be careful of his image - Kyuhyun is like a breath of fresh air, as obnoxious and snarky as ever. But he doesn’t mention Donghae, and Hyukjae is grateful.

It’s not until, several hours later, when they are about to leave, that Kyuhyun grabs his arm.

‘Actually,’ he says. ‘I’ve got something of yours. Got a few minutes to come past my place?’

Kyuhyun doesn’t live far away. Mindful of the time, Hyukjae waits in the street while Kyuhyun runs upstairs. He has something in a little plastic bag when he returns and gives it to Hyukjae as they part at the entrance to the subway.

‘Here,’ he says. ‘Not sure if it was yours or Donghae’s. Anyway, nice meeting up! Let’s do it again sometime.’

Then he is gone. Hyukjae opens the crinkled plastic bag curiously.

And then, maybe because he’s slightly drunk, or maybe because it’s snowing and beautiful and cold and late, he finds he’s suddenly in tears.

In the little bag is Donghae’s friendship bracelet, worn and broken, partner to the one Hyukjae still has hidden away in a drawer in his and Shin-Hye’s apartment.

When he gets home he carefully places the two bracelets together and hides them again. He has a sudden aching, desperate desire to hear Donghae’s voice again.

But it’s Shin-Hye that calls him, because the media is all over their kiss in Hongdae, and her PR team thinks it’s probably an ideal time for a proposal.

‘I’ll send you some pictures,’ she says, excitedly. ‘We’ve got several sponsors offering rings, I quite like the second one but we get a better deal from the third.’

Later Hyukjae stares at the rings and tries not to feel panicky. It’s not Shin-Hye’s fault. The two of them are both caught up in the same media whirlwind. Originally the publicity had been to distract from Hyukjae’s past, but it all got out of control. The fact that Donghae exists has never bothered Shin-Hye - in fact, she had been Hyukjae’s shoulder to cry on after the breakup – but her media team talked about ‘damage control’ and worked overtime to sell Hyukjae and her as the perfect couple.

It’s worked a little too well.

Hyukjae can’t focus on the rings. He messages Shin-Hye back you choose, they’re all nice and then pushes his phone away with a groan. His head hurts and he feels like he’s on some sort of nightmare rollercoaster ride he can’t escape from.

It’s still snowing.

He misses Dongh