Words that form a sentence, words that form a phrase, in a poem or a letter
Could not convey the meaning, of what this man has done
                                       Between Something and Nothing - The Ocean Blue

“I should have known. All this time, of course there was a reason for your continued failures.”

He couldn’t breathe, the words felt like fingers around his throat, suffocating him.

“What have I done to deserve this? Why am I being punished? Seventeen years and I thought you were someone I could be proud of. I thought you were someone I could shape into the man I would need to take over my company.”

He wanted to laugh at the words—it had been seventeen years of being told he wasn’t enough, seventeen years of harsh criticism and disappointed looks. He’d never deluded himself into thinking that he’d ever truly please his father.

“I will not have this stain on my family name. I can’t allow it.”

Silence swelled between them, but the look on his father’s face confirmed what he’d been afraid of.

“I want you out of my home. You are no longer welcome here.”

He stared, open mouth, surprised expression even though he’d expected this.

“You’ll live with your grandmother, and you’ll have no contact with my family.”

My family. Not ours, but my. His. Not mine, father, only yours. He pinched his arm to keep the tears in his eyes.

“If you decide to renounce your behaviour, you might be allowed back.”

They exchanged looks for a few seconds and then it was over. His father left and he stood alone, suddenly gasping for breath as though he'd taken the very air with him when he’d turned his back. He sank to his knees and pinched himself again, but the tears came anyway.
 

He hated the way it always bombarded his head during the most inopportune moments. Every time he told himself he was over it, every time he’d resolved to live his life separate from the family, his father’s words came back to haunt him.

It was bull. Complete, utter bull. The same way that his own feelings were bull, that his needs and desires and wants were bull. He’d never asked for any of it, but it had been placed around his neck like a noose anyway, and every time he succumbed to the instinct he could feel the noose tightening, rubbing his skin raw.

He hated it, being gay. He hated it so much.

“What the are you doing around here, ? I thought we told you to stay away?”

. He didn’t have to turn his head to know who that voice belonged to, didn’t have to look him in the eyes to see hateful disgust. He could feel it in the air around him.

“You in’ deaf?”

Just as he was about to turn he felt a hand on his back that shoved him forward; he stumbled but retained his footing. He moved a step back as he stood up and turned to face them, and he wondered briefly if he shouldn’t just run. There were four of them, and Taeyong wasn’t exactly a fighter anyway. That had always been Daehee’s thing…

He didn’t even flinch when the first punch was thrown. He just stood his ground and took it, hoped it wouldn’t knock him out. Just as another one was about to be launched he heard the sounds of a brief struggle and he raised his eyes, feeling a mixture of relief and irritation.

“The are you s doing? You’ve been told to leave him alone.”

The voice annoyed Taeyong, it got him so heated that he balled his hands into fists at his side.

“We had an agreement. He stays the away from our neighbourhood, and we don’t go looking for him.”

“Oh, is that it? Maybe I tell my dad about this, about how two of his guys are going around attacking people in the street. You think he wouldn’t hesitate to fire your asses?” No one replied right away, but eventually someone spat on the ground and Taeyong could feel the tension between all of them.

“One of these days, Daehee, your dad won’t ing matter. Then it’ll just be you against me.”

“And I’ll kick your . Now get the out of here.” The group of four left, taking the majority of the tension with them. But there was still some left, and Taeyong willed it to manifest in physical format, willed it to put up a wall in between himself and his former best friend.

Former, who still kept sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.

“Are you following me?” Taeyong rounded on Daehee in anger, taking his frustration out on the person who’d just saved him from getting his teeth kicked in.

Daehee just shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, you’re ing welcome for it, too.”

“I didn’t ask you to step in,” Taeyong replied, “I can—”

“Take care of myself, yeah, ing right you can. If I hadn’t shown up you’d probably be on your way to the hospital. Again.”

They stood apart, staring hard at one another, and Taeyong hated the way he felt when he looked at Daehee, hated how he always, without fail, felt like screaming because he missed him so much. He missed Daehee, missed Daehee’s family. But Daehee hadn’t been there for him when it had mattered most and Taeyong would never let him forget it, no matter how many times Daehee tried to help him to make up for it.

Daehee thought he was disgusting, that’s all it came down to. It didn’t matter how many times he said that he was trying to understand. He couldn’t understand, and that was all Taeyong needed to know.

“I’m just picking up some last things from my—” Taeyong paused (because it wasn’t really his home anymore, was it?), “from my dad’s place. My grandma wanted some things, and well, you know my dad. He could have them sent over, but he won’t.”

Daehee’s expression softened. That made Taeyong angry all over again.

“How is your grandma?” Daehee asked, and the genuine concern make Taeyong’s skin prickle.

“She’s good.” Taeyong rubbed at his jaw before glancing quickly at Daehee. “Thanks for, you know, just now, but I gotta go.” He rushed past Daehee, but of course it couldn’t just end there.

“Taeyong, bro, I’m trying, okay?”

“I’m not your bro anymore.”

They walked in silence for a minute until finally Daehee spoke again. “My dad asked me about you.”

Taeyong stopped and faced him, his stomach knotting up. He’d always been close to Daehee’s family, especially to Daehee’s father. He’d been the caring father figure Taeyong had never had in his own home. “What did you tell him?”

Daehee looked at the ground, looked like he was actually having a hard time with this, and it brought a tiny bit of relief to Taeyong. It was nice to finally see someone else suffering.

“I told him your dad kicked you out.”

“Did you tell him why?” Daehee’s parents were devout Catholics who were completely opposed to the very concept of homouality, so Taeyong didn’t put much stock in their continued sympathies.

Daehee nodded. “Yeah.”

“And? What did he say?” Taeyong waited, even though he didn’t want to hear the answer. Couldn’t take knowing that the only parental figures who’d ever been warm towards him now considered him sub-human.

Daehee finally looked at him. “He said that I should tell you to come over, that my mom misses cooking for you.”

Taeyong hadn’t been expecting that, and he didn’t respond right away. There was no way Daehee’s parents would approve of him, not now. “You’re lying. You didn’t tell him .”

“I did,” Daehee replied, gritting his teeth, “I told him, and I asked him what I was supposed to do. He said that this was all just a test, that God was testing us, all of us—”

Taeyong hated hearing it. “What the did I ever do to make God test me like this?” Daehee’s dad wasn’t the only one to say it. He’d heard it from his mother, from his grandmother too. Heard it from the pastor at the new church his grandmother was making him go to. ‘This pastor helps boys like you, Taeyong-ah, please be nice to him, he just wants to make you better.’

Daehee didn’t have an answer. “Just come to my place, okay? We all miss you. Please, bro.”

Taeyong started walking again. Daehee and his family. everyone. He’d never asked for any of this, desperately didn’t want it. But he was stuck, ladled with the responsibility of having these abnormal thoughts in his head, saddled down with the extra weight of an attraction he hated.

Daehee knew it was a lost cause at the moment so he followed in silence, not ready to give up yet, but not in the mood to waste his breath either. He followed Taeyong all the way to his former home, but sat outside while Taeyong went in. Daehee sat at the front entrance to the apartment building, kind of as a test. If Taeyong really didn’t want to see him, he could leave through the back. But if he came out from the front, then Daehee would try again.

It gave him a chance to think, at least. He was still trying to come to grips with the fact that Taeyong was gay. He still had the knee jerk reaction of being disgusted, of being angry. But he’d tried turning his back already, and after a week the only thing he’d known for sure was that despite the overlying issue, he missed his best friend.

Daehee agreed with his dad. God was testing them, that was all. Sure, it was unfair to Taeyong, but there must be some reason. God’s actions weren’t always explainable. His dad had told him that it was like war, and famine, and natural disasters. God allowed things to happen, and he didn’t have to explain himself.

It made Daehee feel a little better, but Taeyong’s outbursts still made him question it all. Why, out of everyone, did it have to be Taeyong? Six billion people in the world, and God chose his best friend.

So he was trying his best, trying to understand why, and what it meant for all of them. He knew Taeyong was mad at him for turning his back at first, and Daehee couldn’t blame him for that. He’d be angry at himself too. But Taeyong didn’t really have anyone else, only his grandmother, and Daehee knew that he’d cave eventually, that he’d get lonely. Then he’d forgive Daehee and they’d be best friends again, and Daehee and his family would help Taeyong through this period in his life.

Because it was only a period. Taeyong wouldn’t always be gay, Daehee was sure of that. It was just a test, and they’d all pass it if they just stuck together. He hadn’t said as much to Taeyong, because it was a touchy subject, but that’s what he knew for sure. Taeyong would see it eventually.

Daehee felt even more confident of that outcome when Taeyong finally showed up at the door, carrying two boxes and a bag. Daehee didn’t say anything, he just opened the door and took one of the boxes from Taeyong. Taeyong didn’t argue, he just said that they needed to take the stuff to his grandmother’s place, and Daehee followed him.

They took the subway to Taeyong’s new neighbourhood, and the length of the trip made Daehee have a sudden emergency realization.

“Are you still going to be at school?”

Taeyong had gotten so used to their silence that Daehee’s question took him by surprise. It was a topic he didn’t want to think about, one that infuriated him in its unfairness.

“I’m transferring.” He hoped Daehee would drop it, hoped he wouldn’t speak it out loud.

“To where?” Daehee knew the schools in the city well enough from the basketball league. While he knew there were multiple schools in the area that Taeyong could go to, there was only one elite school, and Taeyong was far too smart to go somewhere subpar.

“Doesn’t matter.” Taeyong didn’t want to say it. It still made him seethe, and his fingers started to dig into the sides of the box.

“Bro,” Daehee knew from his response that it was the bad news he feared, he could read it in the white knuckles on Taeyong’s hands.

Taeyong had already been through it with his grandmother, and he couldn’t stop himself from replaying it again in his head.

“Taeyong-ah, you’re going to have to change schools, you’re out of district.”

“What?” Not only did he have to move, but he had to change schools, too? On one hand, he didn’t mind, because it wasn’t like he had any friends left to miss. But what was he going to do about basketball? He had one season left to beat Kim Hanbin, if he switched schools, what would happen?

“I’ve already looked into the schools here, and I’ve sent your papers off to the top one.”

Taeyong could practically feel the blood draining from his face. His grandmother lived in Gangnam, and he knew the schools in the district. This wasn’t possible. It wasn’t happening.

“It has a very good reputation for academics, and their basketball team won first place last year. Basketball is the sport you play, right? I wanted to make sure you could go somewhere and play on a good team in your last year.”

This wasn’t reality. Taeyong was stuck in a nightmare, that was the only answer he could accept.

“Taeyong-ah? Did I remember wrong? I’m sorry, I thought it was basketball. But the other sports teams are very good—”

“Is it Whimoon?”

“Yes, dear! Are you familiar?”

Was he familiar with Whimoon? What a question.

“I’m not going.” He’d sooner go to some bottom school than Whimoon. Anywhere but there.

“What do you mean? I’ve already signed you up, they’ve accepted your transfer—”

“I’m not going to Whimoon!” He didn’t mean to yell at his grandmother, but he couldn’t stop himself. She didn’t reply, just stared at him in surprise. He brought his tone down. “I can’t go to Whimoon.”

“But why? It’s really the best school here.”

She wouldn’t understand, she couldn’t, no matter how he tried to explain. “There’s a guy there…”

The blood drained from her face. But she misunderstood. “Oh, was it the boy that your father—”

“No!” She thought it was that guy, the one whose name he couldn't even let himself think anymore, the one his father had caught him making out with. “We’re rivals.”

“How do you have a rival at another school?”

“He’s my basketball rival. He’s an arrogant , okay? He’s this constant thorn in my side, getting in my way! Every year I come so close to being the top in the league, and every year he beats me by a few points. But it’s not because he’s better; he is not better than me. His team was better than mine. He always had a better team.” Taeyong hadn’t meant to have the outburst, but it was too much. His grandmother had wanted him to go to a school with a good basketball team, but this was the one school he couldn’t go to.

His grandmother looked sad, at least, but she’d already signed him up, hadn’t she?

“I’m sorry, Taeyong-ah. I only did what I thought would be best for you.”

Taeyong wanted to yell at her more, wanted to walk away and slam his door in her face. He wanted to punch a hole in the wall, he wanted to break every dish in her kitchen.

But it wasn’t her fault. He couldn’t blame her.

“It’s okay, grandma.”

It wasn’t okay. But it was done.

“So you’re going to Whimoon, then?” Daehee asked, bringing Taeyong back to the present.

“Yeah,” he replied, dejected tone of voice, “I’m going to Whimoon.”
 

“We went to the Lego Cafe last night and Jinan made a .”

Hanbin shook his head and laughed. “Of course he did. Was it realistic to size?”

“Nah, there weren’t enough pieces.” Junhoe joked back. “We made miniature ones.”

“Oh, so true to your size, then?” Hanbin teased, and Junhoe laughed sarcastically.

“How was the food there?” Donghyuk asked, leaning over from his desk.

“Decent,” Junhoe answered, “the drinks were good.”

“So it’s worth going to?” Donghyuk asked, and Junhoe nodded. “Good. Just trying to plan my next date with Yunhyeong, so we might do that.”

“Are you guys going to make Lego too?” Hanbin asked, grinning when Donghyuk shrugged.

“Please, Hanbin! We’re not that immature.” Donghyuk replied teasingly.

“We’re not immature!” Junhoe whined. “We just know what we like.”

“Hey guys, sorry to interrupt your gay conversation, but I have some very important news for Hanbin.”

Hanbin spun around, eyes on Jeon Wonwoo, one of his basketball teammates. “It better be important, Won-ie, you just interrupted the conversation of the year.”

Wonwoo grinned back at him and waved his phone at Hanbin. “It is important. I don’t think you’re going to be very happy about it, though.”

Hanbin frowned at him and sat up. “What is it?”

“I just got a text from Woosung.”

Hanbin felt weird at hearing his name. He knew that Wonwoo was talking about Jung Woosung, Hanbin’s ex-boyfriend. The two were friends, though Wonwoo didn’t often mention him. But everything between he and Woosung was in the past, and they were supposed to be on friendly terms. It was Hanbin who continued to avoid him, though. “What was the text?”

Wonwoo had a weird look on his face, almost like he was a little afraid of what he was about to say. “There’s a new guy in his class this year, a new transfer.”

“And?” Hanbin questioned, because new students were common. In fact he had two new students in his class this year. One transfer from Busan, and another who’d spent the past eight years in Japan.

“I made him send me a picture because I thought he was bullting me.”

Hanbin wasn’t sure that he wanted to know. Why would Wonwoo request picture evidence? Unless the someone new was someone that had no business being here at their school. Since Wonwoo was the one bringing it up, it had to be someone basketball-related. Was it someone from another school that they were familiar with? Hanbin had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, like he was about to get terrible news.

“Who is it?”

Wonwoo glanced down at the phone before looking back at Hanbin. “Seriously, this is probably going to ruin your day, so I’m sorry. But you need to know.” He handed his phone to Hanbin, who took it gingerly, almost afraid to look.

But he did glance down, and his face dropped in shock when he saw that unmistakable silver hair. It wasn’t possible. At his school? No way.

He handed Wonwoo his phone back and didn’t say anything, not even when Junhoe lightly slapped his cheek.

“Who was it? Why are you so freaked out?” Junhoe looked up at Wonwoo then, reaching for his phone. “Who is it, let me see.”

Wonwoo showed Junhoe, and Donghyuk looked too, and their combined loud intakes of breath brought Hanbin back to his senses.

“Holy , Hanbin, is that Taeyong?” Junhoe looked at Hanbin, who was breathing again, at least.

Hanbin shook his head and looked back at Wonwoo. “Are you sure he’s not just ing with you?”

“Dude you saw that face. It’s him. I don’t know why he’s here, but he is.”

Hanbin nodded and turned back around to face the front of the room, still too shocked to say anything more.

Junhoe looked up at Wonwoo, who shrugged at him and returned to his seat, the news having been passed. Junhoe turned back around to look at Hanbin, who was still silent. “Bro? You okay?”

Hanbin shook his head. “No. Why is he here? Why would he transfer in his last year?”

“Do you think he’s going to try out for the basketball team?” Donghyuk leaned in closer.

“I hope not,” Junhoe said, “I can’t imagine you guys getting along.”

Hanbin hadn’t even thought about that yet. His thoughts were actually on Taeyong, remembering what he’d overheard that night of their last game against each other. Had something happened between Taeyong and his dad? If Taeyong was here, that had to mean he’d moved. But why would his family move so suddenly? Unless it wasn’t his family, but just Taeyong.

But he couldn’t voice that out loud. He still hadn’t told anyone about that conversation except his father. Instead he’d just focus on Junhoe’s comment, because it was a good point. Even if he felt a weird flare of protective feelings for his rival, the truth was that Taeyong probably hated him, and Hanbin wasn’t about to tell him that he knew about his dad. And regardless of Taeyong’s dad situation, Hanbin wasn’t entirely sure that he could ever be friends with Taeyong. Sometimes there was just too much history there for a person to get around.

So he shook his head and met Junhoe’s eyes. “Yeah, I don’t think that would work. We play the same position, too. He was the co-captain last year, so he probably expected to captain his team this year.” Hanbin had already been promised the captain’s position at the end of last season, and he and Taeyong playing together was one thing, but how would Taeyong react to having Hanbin as a captain?

Their teacher picked that moment to show up, so Hanbin had to force the thoughts back in his head. But it was hard to focus knowing that his rival was sitting in a class just down the hall from his. They’d meet eventually. Should Hanbin seek him out first? Would Taeyong be looking for him, or looking to avoid him?

What was he going to say? Could he even trust himself to not blurt something out about his dad?

He thought about it all morning in his head, so by the time lunch came around he just wanted to find Taeyong and get it over with. He needed to focus in the afternoon (even though Donghyuk had told him that he could copy his notes later). Hanbin scanned the cafeteria for silver hair, and he was actually a little taken aback when he found him.

Taeyong was there, at a table, eating lunch.

With Woosung.

Hanbin wasn’t sure why it stung.

“You gonna go talk to him, or just stand and stare?” Junhoe grabbed his elbow and pushed him along to their own table, and Hanbin finally tore his eyes away. Taeyong wasn’t going anywhere for the next few minutes, at least.

“What the do I even say?” Hanbin asked, sitting down across from Donghyuk, whose nose was in his phone (probably texting Yunhyeong, if his smile was any indicator).

“Assert your dominance, tell him if he wants to join the team he’ll have to prove himself first.” Junhoe sat down next to him.

Donghyuk made a clucking noise of disagreement. “You have to extend the olive branch of peace, Hanbin. You’re the captain, after all. You have that responsibility now.”

Hanbin frowned and looked down at his food, not feeling hungry in the slightest. At times like this he found himself missing Yoongi. What would his captain have done in this situation? Maybe Hanbin ought to call him for advice.

It still bothered him that out of everyone in their year for Taeyong to befriend first, why was it Woosung? Woosung knew they were rivals—he and Hanbin had been dating when Taeyong had injured him two years ago. Even though they barely spoke these days, Hanbin still felt like he was being betrayed.

Which was stupid and he knew it. Junhoe said something teasing to Donghyuk, but the comment didn’t register in Hanbin’s head because he was too busy staring at Woosung.

Almost as though he could feel the stare Woosung suddenly looked up past Taeyong, his eyes meeting Hanbin’s. Woosung winked at him and Hanbin frowned and looked away.
 

It was only Bobby’s second week on the job but he’d already settled into some weird sense of complacency with the idea of working at a job like this. It was just physical labour, working at a warehouse, loading and unloading shipments. He was working with his brother, who’d got him the position. It was only supposed to be temporary, to give him some time to really think about what he wanted to do.

He liked it, though, more than he thought he would. He didn’t really have to think too much, and it was basically like working out all day so he didn’t even have to go to the gym that often. It was a different kind of tired than he felt when he was in school, studying and worrying about deadlines.

He’d actually started writing again, little bits of lyrics here and there, nothing serious, but more than he’d felt like doing in two years. School had that way of taking up so much of your brain power that he’d never really wanted to think about much outside of class. But now he could think all day while working, about stuff he actually wanted to think about.

Mostly he thought about Hanbin. Part of the temporary aspect of his life at the moment was because he was waiting for Hanbin to decide what he wanted to do, where he wanted to go. Of course Bobby would love it if he stayed in Seoul, but Hanbin had casually mentioned the idea of applying to schools in other parts of the world. Jinhwan’s impending move to California seemed to be infecting Hanbin with a desire to study abroad as well.

Bobby just hoped that wherever Hanbin thought about going, he was thinking about Bobby being there with him.

“Eh, Jiwon!”

Bobby looked up from where he’d just finished stacking a pallet full of boxes of tupperware. It was his shift supervisor, a guy only a few years older than his brother called Dongmin.

“Just got a call from dispatch, our next truck broke down so there’s gonna be at least an hour delay, maybe a bit longer if they hit traffic on the way in. So when you finish up with this, take off for a bit, okay? Keep your phone on you and I’ll let you know if it’s gonna be any later than 3.”

Bobby nodded, happy to take a break in the middle of the day. Of course it meant they’d be working late, but when you didn’t have a schedule, it didn’t really matter. It was a nice day out, so maybe he’d grab a bite to eat and sit by the river and do a bit of writing.

He finished logging his work and then checked if anyone needed help finishing up (no one did, but he didn’t want to look too eager to skip off for a bit) and clocked himself out as requested. He sent Hanbin a text on his way out the door.

B: hows day 1?? r ur classes good?

He hesitated for a moment, fingers hovering over his phone. But he’d made a promise to himself to be as open and honest with Hanbin as possible, because communication was important in relationships. He’d learned that the hard way over the course of the last year, he wasn’t looking to give himself any more grief any time soon. So he hit send on his second message.

B: i miss u!!!

He actually felt better for typing it out, too. Maybe it was a little dorky, because it’s not like he hadn’t just seen him the night before. But still—it was a beautiful day out, and he wished Hanbin was free to come lounge at the river with him.

Since he wasn’t, Bobby sent a text to Jinhwan, hoping that he wasn’t in the middle of anything. Jinhwan’s reply was immediate, and ten minutes later they were perched on a bench with an order of tteokbokki between them.

“Did you hear the news yet?” Jinhwan asked him around a mouthful of food.

“What news?” Bobby swallowed his down with a swig of Pepsi.

“Did Hanbin really not text you about it?” Jinhwan replied, teasing on purpose.

Bobby glared at him. “Unlike Junhoe, Hanbin is serious about his education, he’s probably focusing on school.” He hadn’t meant to throw Junhoe under the bus like that, but Jinhwan’s teasing question had him feeling touchy. If there was some kind of news, why hadn’t Hanbin told him about it?

Jinhwan just grinned back and made him wait while he swallowed another bite. “You remember that Taeyong guy from basketball that Hanbin hates?”

Lee Taeyong. Of course Bobby knew him. Didn’t really like him either. While he’d never had the same rivalry, Taeyong had always struck him as a judgemental, entitled rich brat. “What about him?”

Jinhwan made him wait a few seconds more, until he could tell that Bobby was about to yell at him. “He transferred to Whimoon.”

Bobby’s face fell in shock. He what?

“Junhoe said that Hanbin’s been freaking out about it all day, he can’t focus in any of his classes. I knew they had a rivalry, but for Hanbin to be so affected, that’s pretty wild.” Jinhwan had felt bad for him at first, but at the same time Junhoe was so amused by it, so he knew it couldn’t be that terrible.

Bobby still had no response. Why would Taeyong have transferred schools in his last year? It just didn’t make any sense. His heart ached for Hanbin though—he could understand why it would bother him so much. They had a rivalry, sure, but Taeyong had also caused him an injury two seasons ago, and Bobby knew that Hanbin had a hard time forgetting that.

Jinhwan took Bobby’s shock as an opportunity to finish off the tteokbeokki. “Don’t baby him about this, Bobby. Tell him to it up and be the alpha male, he can’t let Taeyong distract him like this, it’ll look bad.”

Jinhwan’s teasing words finally broke Bobby out of his stupor. “What, you mean he needs to be like you with Junhoe at first?”

“Exactly! Look where it landed me.” He winked at Bobby before stealing his Pepsi.

Bobby frowned at him. “Well you’re a terrible example because I don’t really want him to end up dating Taeyong!”

“Maybe Taeyong views him as a rival because he’s a repressed gay. He sees Hanbin all out and happy, and now he’s on a mission to destroy him.” Jinhwan teased further, and Bobby finally grinned back at him.

“He ing better not be on any mission. But really though, who the hell transfers schools in their last year? Did his family move? I thought his dad owned a business out in his district.”

“Who knows, weird too that he’s at Whimoon. Maybe his dad wanted him to be on a winning team in his last year?”

“Maybe.” Bobby hoped it would all go well, but he didn’t see how that was possible. Hanbin really didn’t like Taeyong (Bobby didn’t want to use the word hate, but Hanbin had been downright vitriolic about Taeyong in the past, and it was concerning). He’d have to talk to him about it and make sure he didn’t do anything out of line.

They spent the rest of their little mid-afternoon break sitting by the river, talking about their upcoming triple date with Donghyuk and Yunhyeong. It was nice to have other couples to go out with, it made Bobby feel like he wasn’t missing out on anything in life. But then it was time to head back to work, both he and Jinhwan, who had a jiu jitsu class to teach.

On his way back Bobby texted Hanbin, just to let him know that he knew about Taeyong. And to remind him to be a good captain. He didn’t want to lecture him, but he was worried.

But Hanbin’s response alleviated his concerns, for now at least.

H: hey hyung, sorry for not texting til now
H: just stuck on this whole thing
H: but youre right im gonna try and be nice to him
H: ill tell you more later, kk?
H: i miss you too :)

Bobby couldn’t stop smiling all the way back into work. Things were good. He and Hanbin were good. He might not have his life figured out yet, but his heart was happy, and that was the most important thing.