"Mark, do you know where there's a place that reveals photos around here?"

Jaebum asked after lunch. He wanted to reveal some photos of his analog camera and his cell phone, and as it was only three in the afternoon, he wanted to take care of something until the agreed time to go to the beach. Although the American was in the clouds, he could think of something cohesive to answer.

"I think there is a place downtown. Just before the gas station. "He finished eating and set the dish in the sink for Jackson to wash, who was in charge of the day.

"Okay then. Maybe I'll go there, but I'll let you know."

He went to the bedroom to get what he needed and came face to face with Jinyoung changing from a blouse to go for a walk he had invented to do with Youngjae. He found it strange at first because he knew Youngjae was not the kind of person who liked this kind of activity but didn't question it. He found it appropriate, but something in itself made him alert.

"I got right in the best part," he said, propped up on the doorframe, acting like the most carefree guy, but he could feel his hands sweating inside his pants pocket.

"Stop talking nonsense." Jinyoung, clearly embarrassed, said he was hurrying put his blouse, but because of his impatience, his collar got stuck in his head, causing him to struggle and then ask for help for Jaebum, who just laughed.

"You always stay that way when I praise you. It's cute." Carefully he lowered himself down on the younger one without first touching his torso with the tips of his cold fingers. Jaebum could see Jinyoung shiver at the touch.

"I can surprise you... You know..." He said at  Jaebum's ear, which at first became unreactive, but at the end when he came back to his senses, Jinyoung had already left the room.

He tried not to look like a teenage near Park, but maybe he was really inexperienced about it. He had a sense of some things, but not as much as Mark and Jackson seemed to have. He controlled his thoughts to the fullest and the only way was to have an innocent image of Jinyoung, although he was not helping much that last week, where he always woke up lively and prayed the other did not notice.

 
(...)

He drove downtown in about twenty minutes. It was easy to find the location indicated by Mark. The rustic facade did not attract the attention of many people, only those who lived in the neighborhood knew what it was. He had almost no movement, so he was soon attended by the old gentleman whom he sympathized with. Jaebum was impressed at how the owner still reveals the photos in a traditional way, decided to engage in the subject to be able to occupy his mind.

I did not know if what happened after the party was real, I just had lapses of memories. At first, he seemed to be kissing Jinyoung, but when he realized it, it was Youngjae in front of him. He wished he could have screamed or pushed the best away, but he could not move, he was static in place, silent. 

As he left the kitchen, Jaebum had the sensation of bumping into someone, but then he thought it must be a pillar of the house.

After all, he thought it would be impossible for anyone to see it since everyone was on the second floor.

He had been on the alert for suspicion, but everything seemed as normal as ever. His fear was that Youngjae would open his mouth, but he seemed so quiet and unaffected that he did not care. Even with that whole way, he would not risk reckoning knowing he might get lost, Jaebum thought. He knew Youngjae's strategic mind very well.

The guy from the store came back from the staff room with a paper in hand containing the budget of everything, drawing the brunet's attention there.

"Because there are so many pictures, it might take a couple of hours." Jaebum did not respond. He was aware that it would take all that. "You'll be back to pick up later or..."

"Ah, if it's not uncomfortable, I'd like to follow the process." He wasn't one that smiled a lot but some occasions called for one.

"Ah, no problem at all, young man." The owner seemed to have liked Jaebum's interest in your craft.

He then asked to Jaebum to accompany him. As the photos on the phone were just connecting the cable to the computer and set everything up, they would not need supervision, just wait for them to be printed. He paid more attention to those of the analog camera.

 Jaebum knew how the process worked, but it was always a chance to learn something more. He listened to some of the stories that the owner had to tell while watching carefully as if he were a child at a magic show.

He was easily lost when it came to photography. It was as if only he existed in the world, reliving his memories, some more complicated to forget than others, but there he had time to put everything in order.

(...)

With only a few minutes left until the sun disappears completely on the horizon, Jinyoung received a call from Jaebum, telling that he was already returning to the house. He finished preparing the natural snacks with  Bambam's help, who by a miracle did not speak more of Yugyeom during the day, and put everything in the cooler. Yugyeom prepared the drinks and was supervised by Mark so he would not put a single drop of alcohol into it.

It was remarkable the morbid climate that surrounded Youngjae's body, the one who remained silent during the whole way he did with Jinyoung. He didn't say anything else but also didn't cry, so somewhat Jinyoung was glad for that. He thought that his friend might reveal something to understand the whole situation, but after half an hour in the middle of the hot, insect-filled forest, he almost freaked out and gave up trying to get information out od the younger.

When they returned, Youngjae threw himself on the sofa and lay there. It was hard to tell if he was only with his eyes closed or asleep.

Jackson and Mark also acted weird. He did not even hear a joke from those two who did not even look at each other. The only people who saved Jinyoung from collapsing were Bambam and Yugyeom. Well, maybe he wanted to make them both shut up, but only then could he be comfortable.

The front door opened, revealing a completely euphoric Jaebum. Jinyoung thankes the gods, now he could get out of this tense place. He watched Jaebum hold a large package with the photos he had left to reveal.

"I thought you guys were already on the beach." He left the package he carried on the counter and leaned against it.

"Jinyoung insisted we wait for you." Jinyoung looked with an ugly face to Bambam, who only shrugged.

"I just needed to take some things, but we're done." He washed the little dirty dishes he used and went to Mark, pulling out the earphones so that he would wake Youngjae. "Wake him up. And, Jackson. "He called for the other to watch something on his cell phone without actually giving any importance. "Take the cooler, please."

"Okay."

Only then did Jinyoung realize that this was the first time he heard the Chinese say anything that day, which surprised him even more. Everyone in the house, except the younger ones, seemed to be silent for the same reason, and Jaebum was strangely livelier as if he and Jackson had changed bodies. He laughed with that thought, imagining that the blonde would complain about how Jaebum was dressed horrendously if this was real.

The place chosen by Bambam was not very close to the water, which was nice, they didn't want to have to deal with his soggy things. The timbers had already been set up, all they had to do was light the fire. Perhaps he felt more excited than the other, even if he had never actually camped before.  

He could already visualize the scene of everyone there surrounded by the fire, with the marshmallows in their hands, telling stories and going to sleep in tents, although they had a big chance of waking up with back pain and bitten by an unknown insect, it was a risk that he needed to run.

That night was just starting.

(...)

"And then, Yugyeom ended up sleeping at home that night." Bambam finished leaving everyone shocked.
 
To try to cheer the mood, Mark asked Yugyeom how he and Bambam met. Initially, they looked at each other as if they could not find a decent way to start telling the story, but after much enticing and several requests from Jaebum, the Thai shared their tragic friendship story.

It was a real roller coaster of emotions, no one expected them to have got off the ground or that Yugyeom could have been so ridiculous in treating Bambam like that, and worse, having managed to escape bandits. When they had finished, they began to laugh, for at last, they were able to analyze every detail of how they worked.

"I'm really speechless." Jackson seemed to have forgotten his thoughts and given himself a chance to have fun.

"And I thought meeting Jinyoung in the yearbook club was more unusual." Jaebum also felt calm, almost as if the kiss with Youngjae had not happened.

"It was not like that." Jinyoung squatted on his towel on the floor to tell his part. "I had appeared in the auditorium and you were already staring at me, besides taking pictures of me, or did you think you were discreet? You stalker...."

The guests there burst out laughing, even Youngjae allowed himself to laugh a little but preferred to pay more attention to his sausage skewer in the fire. Jackson had several stories of him and Mark to share, but he didn't do it. They did not look so incredible anymore, just foolishness from childhood. He glanced at the American, who, even making comments, could feel his sad smile.

Sometimes Jackson still had a hard time deciphering Mark's emotions, now even more so after a while, when he learned to control his expressions, but he was never wrong about his smile. He had seen all possible; happiness, satisfaction, malice, sadness, but that was different. As if he had molded it in his mouth. 

It sounded fake.

"Gee, I never thought Jaebum could have been a stalker," Yugyeom commented through laughter, leaning on her boyfriend not to fall.

"Speaking like that makes me look weird," he retorted indignantly, already regretting that he'd gotten the hang of it.

"But, Jaebum, you're strange ..." Jinyoung can finally speak what he always wanted, but not to sound funny, as it was to others, but to make him feel comfortable and never be able to hide who really in his presence.

Jackson could hear Youngjae beside him, whispering. Curious as he was, he could figure it out, but the phrases  "please don't" were meaningless to Chinese.

"Only in a good way ..."

Jinyoung completed his sentence and Jaebum became static in place, trying to grind those words that few people could count on the fingers of a hand, they have already told him. No one there imagined the weight the phrase was to him, only himself, and maybe Youngjae, who suppressed a sound of weeping and hoped that it had not been noticed.

"Since we're all gathered her ..." Jaebum seemed to recover from his mental breakdown. "I've revealed the photos of the trip. We can split them."

"Our Jaebum is so sentimental these days." Of course, Bambam did not miss an opportunity to make fun of the brunette.

"Why do you have to be like this?" The tone of his voice did not show what he really felt, had to enjoy while they were together. The red-haired man snapped his tongue. "Jackson, can you get the packages? I'm going to take a look at the meat... " He did not even have to finish asking, the other was already getting up.

The noise grew more and more distant as he approached the house, not even remembering where Jaebum had left the photos, but anything was better than being there pretending to be happy. It was even easy to find them, to linger a little longer, he decided to snoop around those in the clearly written "personal" package and see what was so personal.

These were mostly photos of Jinyoung wherever they might be, Jackson was not a genius, but he felt he should warn them that their relationship was no longer so secret as it was possible for everyone to notice. And the others were from last night's party, just remembering the events, his stomach turning. What happened between him and Mark was something to think about how to solve later.

Upon reaching the last photo, his heart quickened and his eyes widened. He looked again to make sure it was what he really saw. He did not know if it was the anger he felt from Youngjae that he was so two guys, or jealousy to see that he and Mark, in the photo, kissed with despair and with the right hand, that held the cry in the throat and roared with fury back to the beach.

"He tries to kiss me, confuses my head, and then leaves for another..." He grunted as he stomped through the garden, squeezing the photo into his hands and frothing with rage.

When he got to where the others were, she was even angrier that they were talking animatedly as if they were people without problems. The Chinese could not handle it any longer, at one time or another, the flask with all the secrets would have to explode.

"Jackson?" Jinyoung was the first to notice the other's presence, beginning to be frightened by the other's hateful look. "What's it?"

"What is it?" He repeated, making friends get serious. "I'll tell you what it was when someone can explain what it is."

He showed the photo to everyone, who, even in the dim light, could see what was happening. Mark and Youngjae had the same reactions, pale as if they had seen a supernatural being. The younger ones looked at each other, did not understand much of what happened, and for a fraction of a second, Jackson could have sworn he saw the surprise on Jaebum's face, but the irritation came faster.

"May I ask why you moved where it was written that it was not meant to open?" Jaebum looked annoyed that the other had seen his personal photos since he barely remembered taking this picture.

Before Jackson could reply, Jinyoung spoke earlier. "The obvious is happening. Jae kissed Mark because he likes him. "

"So you mean Youngjae likes Jaebum too." Jinyoung had no connection to that. "Because, from what I saw, they kissed each other last night after the party."

No one expected to hear it, because it seemed to be the purest lie. Youngjae and Jaebum barely talked, who would say they kissed. The only sound was of the wood being burned and the waves of the ocean, which seemed more agitated tonight. Jinyoung kept quiet waiting for someone to tell him it was all a frame, but seeing Jaebum's face become gradually redder, he realized that it was serious.

"Look at the you did!" Jaebum stood up violently, shouting at Youngjae, who was crying. "You do not think of things before you do! For God's sake! Why the did you come back? To mess with my life again?

The younger ones cringed as if the quarrel had been with them. They've never seen Jaebum so angry. Youngjae held the other's gaze, it would have to be strong, after all, he'd arranged for the head.

"Look how you talk to him!" Mark stood up beside his friend in case Jaebum lost control and attacked him.

In all his years of friendship with Mark, Jackson could remember what were the rare moments when the other one raised his voice to somebody, and in almost all, they were addressed to him, but none of them went to defend the blonde. He thought that showing the older boy the kind of person Youngjae was, maybe he would go back to Jackson and see how right he was. But in that defense pose, he did not even know what he wanted most.

"I should have known that you used me a long time ago. He said he liked me, tried to kiss me, but he was in the corners with Youngjae. What kind of love is that you say you feel for me Mark? "Jackson could feel his heart breaking apart. It hurt a lot to have to fight with his best childhood friend, even more, to face him after having avoided him all day.
 
"Do not talk to me as if I've fooled you all those years! Or have you forgotten that I caught you and Jaebum almost having ? "Mark could not stand to be quiet listening to Jackson throw things in his face that were not even true. 

Again, the weather seemed to weigh on everyone. Jinyoung tried to keep his mind healthy, Bambam and Yugyom had already sat on the boy's side, trying to somehow comfort him, but to think about the possibility that Jaebum had something with those he thought were his friends, it was a kick in the stomach. He looked ahead and saw Youngjae, with much effort, take a deep breath and manage to impose himself.

"Why are you being like this on Mark? You always have millions of girls and not even a second, you stopped to think about how he felt about that! "At least, at that moment, Jackson needed to hear the truth. "HE HAS LOVED YOU FOR YEARS!"

It was not as if he did not suspect it, but to find out that his childhood best friend is in love with himself, left him with no ground. One thing was true, the blond kept telling Mark how his dates had been and never noticed the discomfort in the other. The older one was also about staying with a few people, if only a few, but he never bothered as much as he did with Youngjae. 

Before he had a chance to continue, Jinyoung did.

"Wait a minute." The younger ones remained seated even though the brunet had stood up. He was too calm for someone who discovered he was betrayed. Or just pretend to be. "So the person you told him about, was he?" 

He looked at Jaebum and Youngjae, the question was for both of them. But they did not dare answer, Jinyoung was smart enough to link the stories told in different versions and know the answer, but still wanted to believe it was a lie. He could not say more for now.

"He's a great manipulator, that's right!" Jackson was not finished with his cursing session yet. "He manipulated us from the beginning, he was close to you and made you think he liked Mark, to help, but he really wanted to be JB for him! He used Mark to be his ally and put him against me! "

" JACKSON, SHUT THE UP AND STOP TO FEEL SORRY  ABOUT OURSELF! "

Everyone was scared when Jinyoung needed to raise his voice. Yugyeom felt as if he were reliving one of his parents' quarrels, he would always run to the room to lock himself or cry on his nanny's lap. But now he felt he needed to stay and see until the end.

"I just want to understand one thing: you said that you liked someone. Who was it? "He said looking directly at Youngjae, who could not find any clue to those kind eyes.

Mark wanted to get his friend away, but he would only make it worse.

Youngjae looked away at the sand at his feet. He did not answer the question.

"He's a coward himself!" Jackson was blinded with rage. He crumpled the photo completely and threw it to the ground. "It was only you come and ruin our whole friendship, we were fine until you showed up!" He pointed his finger in the face of the youngest.

"Do not you dare talk like that about him."

The oldest of all stood in front of Youngjae, dictated thick and controlled, ready to defend him from any attack that Jackson might come to make. In front of the whole audience, the Chinese totally lost his word, his mouth, before shaking, had frozen. He realized that Mark would defend his friend and that would include going up to Wang if necessary.
 
Maybe he had missed some things too, but never, in all his years of friendship with Mark, had confronted him to defend one of his friends. If it were on another occasion, Jackson would be proud to see the other imposing himself before people and forgetting the shyness, which he knew he still had. But he just wished he did not look in the American's face anymore.

" You do not know what I've done for you ."

They became static in place. Time seemed to have stopped too, but not in a good way, as they wished it to be. Jaebum kicked the sand irritated with everything and was about to tear the hair off his head, perhaps for ruining the only chance of his life. Mark still standing with Youngjae crying softly and muffled, his face covered by his hands. Jackson can finally release a few tears he did not even know he was holding.

When it all seemed too quiet, Jinyoung took a long breath in the middle of that battlefield.

"Did you just tell me what to feel sorry for?" He did not wait for the other's confirmation and already looked at Jaebum. "I do not believe, after everything that happened between us, you made it seem like a lie."

His gaze was cold, but there were no tears to be released. Jinyoung was the only one who showed control in his emotions, expressing absolutely nothing during the whole fight. Maybe that was the only thing he learned from his father. He walked toward the house. Jaebum got in his way trying to convince him to understand.

"Nyongie, please, listen to me ..."

Jaebum pleaded.

A stronger slap was laid on the face of the elder.

"I do not want to know."

He answered coldly and disappeared through the bushes into the house.

Jackson staring at Mark to see if he changed his posture toward him, but the American did not move a muscle at all.

"For me, that's enough. " He shook his head in denial and followed Jinyoung's path. He stopped almost on the edge of the garden with the beach and turned to everyone. "It's good that this is our last trip. I could not look any more in the face of any of you. "

The eldest there took a few seconds to understand the decision he had made then to grunt in anger and let the tears roll. Mark tried to get out of the place and make up what he thought he still had with Jackson, but he felt arms wrap around his shoulders, blocking him. His back was warm. Mark pressed his hands to his eyes.

"Mark... there is no use... it's over." Youngjae wanted to stay strong for his friend, but being the main cause of discord, crying was the only thing he could do.

Yugyeom and Bambam looked at each other, knowing where all that was going to end, and felt awful that they had been silent all the time. Jaebum was no longer with them, but they kicked him that he had not gone to the house. He could fight another fight between him and Jackson. 

Mark accepted Youngjae's embrace, which at the time was his only comfort.

(...)

 
It was about three o'clock in the morning, and Jinyoung still could not nail his eyes.

He had gone back to the room he shared with Jaebum, but he wished to go somewhere else. Everything there smelled of the brunette. Jinyoung had to move the bed beside him and change the bedclothes. He thought a shower would help calm him down, but it was a bit flawed, his breathing still heavy and his chest ached, but he refused to cry on the other.

Walking back and forth in the bedroom, he thought of a way to solve his problem, and after much breaking his head, he came to the conclusion that he could not live far from Jaebum. 

He was wrong? Probably yes. 

But he was so true to himself when he shared his childhood. He knew that he was alone and seeing that he could get worse without Jinyoung at his side frightened him.

Okay, let's think rationally.
I did not want to hear his side.
He told me things he had never told anyone.
He feels comfortable next to me by identifying himself a bit with abandonment.
Although the two main points of the fight were involved with him, they were the only things he had not told me.
He almost had with Jackson did not really mean anything.
I just need to talk to him and understand this story from his past.

God, I can not deny it anymore.

I love Im Jaebum.

He darted down the hallway downstairs. No one else seemed to have gone back to the house except for Jackson, who made a point of showing he was there, slamming the door and kicking his bag. He supposed Jaebum was sleeping on the couch or in one of the garden chairs, but no sign of him. 

He began to give up already thinking he was gone, as he passed the window by the front door and saw something heaped in the passenger seat of the car.

"It can only be him."

He wished he'd remembered to get a coat or a blanket when he felt the first wind of the night in contact with his body, but there were other things to worry about. Before hitting the glass of the car, he stopped with his hand closed in the air and thought for another minute if he was really doing the right thing to forgive him, because obviously that after a sincere conversation, he would forgive.

It was Jaebum. The person he fell in love with. Even with all the oddities, the hideous earrings, and the kitschy clothes, he was the most incredible person in the world for himself.

Finally, he tapped weakly at the window, after all, the other could wake up scared. He knocked again, seeing that Jaebum barely moved. This time, the older man got up in alarm and seemed to have forgotten that he was in a car and ended up stamping his foot hard on the dashboard, and Jinyoung unconsciously laughed. 

He noticed who was outside.

"Jinyoung? What was it? "
 
"I... I wanted to talk ... to you," Jinyoung said awkwardly.

"Oh, alright." Jaebum looked more awake and even sat cross-legged to hear what the other had to say.

"It would be better if I could get in."

He realized they were talking through a closed window. Then he jumped into the back seat and opened the door so Jinyoung could come in and sit next to him. His skin shivered as Jaebum approached, but he wanted to believe it was due to the thermal shock when he got into the car with the heater on.

For a moment the words were lost in his head as he stared at the older man with puffy eyes and red left cheek, but he took a breath and began his monologue before the other had a chance to speak a word.

"I did not come here to say that I apologize for the slap, even because you deserved it." Jaebum was forced to agree. "I just thought I was unfair not to listen to your side of the problem."

Jaebum was still surprised at how Jinyoung could be the one who most had greater emotional stability among all, even with all the problems he knew and saw happen, he was someone to grown up for his age. If he had been in his place, he would have sent all the out of the map.

"But I want to hear from the beginning."

"All?"

"Yes, from when you first met Youngjae until this story with Jackson. I want to understand."

"Well, it's a long story ..."

"Do not worry, we have all the time in the world."

"So let's go." He straightened up on the bench, finding himself in a comfortable position, facing Park. The night would be really long. "It all started with my hatred for people with hair gel ..."

Jinyoung wanted to laugh at first, he could not be serious but did not question. Jaebum was strange anyway.

The two spent the remainder of the morning clear, only went to sleep when the first rays of sunlight were seen far from the sea. Jinyoung listened attentively to every detail that Jaebum told of his childhood and how Youngjae was present in it, laughing at moments, how the two had destroyed the garden of the elder's mother during a joke, and weeping at others, knowing that their parents they were no longer at home as before.

Those revelations were only the beginning of their story.