“What do you plan to do now, Mino-ya?” Jinu asked him while they clean up the bar. It’s almost closing time and the people are dwindling. Mino started helping Jinu man the bar in exchange for crashing in his couch. He moved out when he broke it off with Jiho and Jinu was kind enough to let him stay at his place.

“Just..I really want to talk to Seungyoon.” He looked at Jinu with hopeful eyes but the older just sighed.

“Hoony won’t tell me. I’m starting to believe he doesn’t know where Yoon is also.”

Mino has been bugging Jinu to ask Seunghoon about Yoon’s whereabouts for days now. He knows he won’t get an answer but he keeps trying anyway.

Jinu hesitated and then finally asked him, “So..you and Seungyoon..” Jinu never asked Mino about what’s really going in between them because he said he didn’t want to get involved.

“It’s not just an affair. We fell in love, hyung.” Mino told him sadly as he absentmindedly wipes a glass. “We didn’t mean to hurt anyone, it just happened.” He continued.

Jinu only nodded, sympathy in his eyes. “How did Jiho react?”

Mino remembered his meeting with Jiho yesterday.

“Thanks for meeting me.” Jiho told Mino as he sat down at the opposite Jiho at a cafe. He asked Mino if they can meet a few days after they broke up. Mino didn’t really want to go because breaking up was already so hard, he doesn’t want to do it again but he thought talking now that they’re both less emotional would do them good. This is the least he can do. He would like to salvage whatever relationship he can with Jiho. But Jiho’s first words proved that he wasn’t after friendship at all.

“Mino-ya, come back home please.” Jiho looked miserable and Mino hates to see him like this especially that he knows it’s his fault. Jiho was always confident, sure of himself, he never begs for anything. To hear him talk like this is too painful.

“Hyung..”

“Mino, I understand if you need a break. We’ve been together for so long. Maybe you need some space, I can give you that. But please, don’t end this. Everything is falling apart. I can’t focus on my work. I can’t do this without you.” Jiho pleaded.

“Of course you can do this without me. You’re the strongest person I know. Weren’t you ready to be separated from me for years when they offered you that job months ago?”

Mino saw Jiho’s expression changed for a split second at the mention of that lost opportunity but Jiho was able to catch himself. “But that was because I know you’d be waiting for me.”

“Hyung, you made that decision without even consulting me. You just assumed that I would go along with it because that’s what I always do, I follow you around everywhere you go. But I can’t always do that.” Mino explained, he realized that more than Seungyoon, they do have a lot of issues to resolve that has just been thrown under the rug. Now everything is surfacing.

“That’s why I left that job. I came back for you! I left everything for you. I could’ve been big by now if I hadn’t-“

“And you keep rubbing that in my face as if I don’t know it already.”

“When did I ever blame you?”

“Verbally no, but I know you do.” Mino looked at him in the eye, as if daring him to lie to him. Jiho didn’t deny it.

Jiho sighed and then went back to pleading. “Mino, yes I regret that I couldn’t take that job. But I don’t regret coming back to you. So please, don’t leave me.. or else everything would’ve been for nothing..”

“See? You want to get back together just so you won’t feel bad that you came back for me. It’s still about you. Don’t you see that there are so many unresolved issues around us?”

“I know we do, that’s why I’m asking for another chance. So we can resolve this. Please, Mino. We’ve been together for years, how can you throw this away so easily?”

“None of this has been easy. This is the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do in my life, hyung.”

“Then let’s give us another shot. I don’t see why we can’t. Unless…” Jiho looked at him in the eye, “is there someone else?”

Mino looked at Jiho’s pleading eyes. He might not be in love with him anymore but he still loves him as a person, he doesn’t like seeing him hurt like this. If he tells him, it would destroy him. He would sever all ties with Mino and he realized that, he doesn’t want that. “No one, there is no one.” He says.

Jiho held his gaze and Mino can’t read his expression. It quickly changed again when he spoke. “Then can you please reconsider? I’m willing to give you your space. For how ever long you need. Just.. know that I’d still be here. Whenever you’re ready. Okay?” Jiho grabbed his hand from across the table. He looked so hopeful and it breaks Mino’s heart that he couldn’t give him what he wants.

“Hyung..”

“Mino-ya, please. Nothing is going right in my life. I can’t lose you too. Think about it please. You don’t have to give me an answer right now.”

Mino sighed and then finally nodded. The smile Jiho gave broke him even more. He knows that whether Seungyoon goes back to him or not, he can never go back to Jiho. The guilt will eat him alive forever.

“I..didn’t tell him about us. I wanted to but I feel like it would crush him so bad and I don’t want to hurt him more. He’s very upset with me as it is right now and he has every right to be.”

“Give me that, you’ve been wiping the same glass for 15 minutes now.” Jinu said as he grabbed the glass from Mino. “I warned Yoon you know?” He told Mino.

“About what?”

“About you. I’ve known that kid for a long time and I noticed that he’s different with you. His smile to you is different, he naturally gravitates towards you whenever you’re in the same room. I’ve never seen him like that before. He’s happy and I wanted that happiness for him, I really do. But I knew you were in a relationship and I didn’t want him to get hurt. Obviously he didn’t listen.”

Mino swallowed. “I didn’t really expect to fall for him, I was so in love with Jiho. I don’t know what happened.”

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard the front door open.

“Oh, we’re closed already-“

“Can’t a regular grab just one bottle?” Jaebum asked with his signature smirk. Mino hasn’t seen or talked to him since that fight in the bar. He lazily walked into the bar and sat at the stool opposite Mino.

Jinu looked at Mino as if asking if he should send Jaebum away but Mino nodded at him silently saying that it’s okay. “Alright, no throwing punches please.” He said to them both before excusing himself to give them some privacy.

Mino waited for Jaebum to speak up once Jinu left but he didn’t say anything. He just sat there looking at Mino with his usual smirk. Mino sighed and asked him. “What do you want?”

“A bottle of beer.”

Mino rolled his eyes. He knows Jaebum knows that’s not what he was asking but he decided to be patient with him. He handed Jaebum the warmest bottle just to be petty. Jaebum took it while chuckling to himself, he’s enjoying pushing Mino’s buttons.

“You look like .” Jaebum told him.

“Speak for yourself, you don’t look too great either.” Jaebum looked unusually disheveled, his facial hair was kinda growing and he was dressed rather sloppily.

Jaebum chose to ignore that comment. “So, I heard you finally dumped Jiho. Or did Jiho dump your cheating ?” He says after casually sipping his bottle.

Mino took a deep breath and willed himself to stay calm. He’s starting to regret letting the bastard in. “What is your problem? You have Seungyoon. Why do you still hate me so much?”

“I hate that you’re so stupid.”

“What?”

“You already have the one thing I want the most but you threw it away.” Jaebum was serious now. The smirk was gone from his face and he looked even more worn out.

“I didn’t throw him away.  He disappeared on me.” Mino whispered.

“As he should’ve months ago. He knew you couldn’t leave Jiho. You broke him so many times, and I was the one who had to pick him up every time.”

Mino opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out. He felt guilty and ashamed but he didn’t want to admit it in front of Jaebum.

“I know I messed up. Leaving Jiho isn’t that easy. You’ve probably never been in a long term relationship, I wouldn’t expect you to understand. I didn’t want any of this to happen. I didn’t realize I fell in love with Seungyoon until recently.” Mino didn’t know why he was even explaining to Jaebum but he felt the need to.

Jaebum gave him a look that made Mino feel like he was really stupid. “Do you know why Jiho came back the first time?” He asked.

“I know, and I feel horrible that he came back for me-“

“He was sent back.”

“What?” Mino felt ice in his stomach.

“He was sent back by the company because he broke some rules.”

“But he said..he said he went back for me.” Mino felt his world shattering again. He always felt horrible knowing he was the reason that Jiho lost that opportunity. That guilt was partly why he couldn’t leave him…

“That’s all I know. You should ask him yourself.” Jaebum downed the rest of his beer bottle and stood up to leave.

Mino is still in shock as he watched Jaebum turn his back and walked towards the door only to stop and come back to Mino. He hesitated before speaking. As if he didn’t really want to say it.

“Seungyoon is going to his apartment tonight to get his stuff. So..” He didn’t finish the sentence.

Mino’s eyes widened at that information. If he’s gathering his things, that means he’s going away for good. Still, it’s a chance to talk to him. He didn’t expect it would be Jaebum yet again who would help him. “Why are you doing this?”

Jaebum took a while before answering. “Because Seungyoon has been miserable and this is the only thing I can do for him.”

Jaebum walked away, this time for good. Mino stared at his back before running towards the door after him.

“Jaebum!”

He didn’t turn around but he stopped talking to hear what he has to say.

“Thank you.” Mino said sincerely. Maybe Seungyoon was right, he was a good guy even though he had a funny way of showing it.

Jaebum waved at him once or waved him off, Mino can’t tell and then proceeded to walk away.

Mino was on his way to Seungyoon’s apartment, wondering what the chances are that he’d run into Jiho as well since he was the one living there now. He hoped Seungyoon scheduled tonight knowing Jiho’s not going to be there. When he was just a block away, his footsteps started slowing down. What if he wasn’t there anymore? What if he’s there and didn’t want to see him? What if he wasn’t even going and Jaebum was really just a bastard? These thoughts swarmed his head until he was right at the gate. His heart quickened when he saw Seungyoon’s car parked. Jiho’s car nowhere to be seen, thank god.

Mino opened the door slowly and then stopped breathing. Seungyoon was just coming down from the stairs carrying a huge box, his eyes on the floor. He looked up when he heard the door. A look of shock passed his face but then he slowly smiled a heart stopping grin. He was spectacular. 2 weeks of not seeing him had softened his memory of just how attractive he was. His hair, wavy and wild, was just begging for his fingers to run through it. The enticing way his long sleeved shirt clung to his body. His plump lips, curled in a smile, were still keeping Mino’s breath at bay.

“Hey.” He said softly, in his typical greeting while putting down the box. As if nothing was wrong, as if they just saw each other yesterday.

Mino ran over to him as he started walking towards him, and threw his arms around Seungyoon. He buried his head in the crook of his neck. “I thought I’d never see you again.” He whispered to his neck as Seungyoon pulled him tight against him.

“How did you know I’d be here? Or were you here for-“

“Jaebum told me.” Mino said as he gently disentangled himself from Seungyoon. Seungyoon didn’t look surprised that Jaebum ratted him out, he just gave a look that said “of course he did.”

They both just looked at each other for a while. Mino doesn’t know what to say, where to start. Seungyoon broke the silence first. “I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye..I just had to leave. And I knew I wouldn’t be able to if you stopped me.” Seungyoon said while looking at the floor.

“I broke up with Jiho.”

“I know.”

Mino didn’t expect that reaction. A part of him thought that would fix everything. That Seungyoon would come back to him once he found out that he broke up with Jiho. Seungyoon softly asked, “Do you think..? If we had never, that first time.. would the three of us just be close friends?”

Mino interpreted what he was trying to say. “If you and I had never gotten drunk and had , would we all be living happily ever after right now?”

Seungyoon smi