D-70

 

Our beloved cupid-turned-human had a whole week to plan for the upcoming weekend. Surprisingly, he came up with a relatively well-developed plan. All he needs now is Brian’s cooperation. 

 

“You want to go to a bar? Why?” The human asks over the phone.

 

“Why do humans go to bars for? Study?” 

 

“You mean that you want to drink?!” The human questions, skeptical, “Wait, you drink??” Jae can almost see how surprised he looks at the moment. 

 

“Of course I do!” He exclaims way too loudly. His lying tone still needs some working on, “I’m older than you, for your information,” he adds, to sound more convincing. 

 

Brian sighs in defeat, “Okay, pick a place and we’ll go there.”

 

Jae grins mischievously. Thankfully, the other can’t see him. “Let’s just go to where you usually drink.”

 

Another sigh, then he agrees without further questioning, “Alright, let’s do that.”  

 

As soon as the call disconnects, Jae jumps in glory. He’s finally -ing finally- going to try alcohol, and with no one other than Brian himself. Gone are the days where he just watches pitifully as the other gloomily drinks all alone. And maybe this time he’ll be able to find him someone nice and ‘his type’.

 

 

 

“You’re like a young human who’s came out of age and is about to drink legally,” Park Hyeji comments when she sees him all groomed up, and ready to go out. 

 

He doesn’t let her words get to him. It’s not that he understood that reference to get offended by it, anyways. 

 

“You’re just jealous cause I and Wonpil got plans, and you don’t,” he sticks his tongue out, childishly. 

 

She glares at him, “Just get out of my house, you ungrateful jerk!”

 

He only laughs louder, “Auntie, you can’t be so harsh on your nephew!” 

 

A pillow flies in his direction, but he avoids it, sticking his tongue again. When he sees another upcoming pillow coming, he decides that he’s annoyed her enough for one night. He flies out of the house, bouncing in excitement. However, when he sees Brian waiting for him outside the front gate, he tries to calm himself a little bit, not to be suspicious. He slows down and takes a moment to study the guy from afar. 

 

Brian is standing under the street light, distracted by something on the ground. He’s wearing a black button down and black pants. As usual, simple and chic, and effective at making Jae waver. 

 

Alerted by the gate opening, he turns to Jae’s direction, opening his mouth to greet him. However, as soon as the cupid steps into the light, Brian pauses, and lets his gaze not so discretely travel up and down his body. Jae’s suddenly feeling self conscious. 

 

“Uhh, you look nice,” Brian softly says, almost like a shy whisper. 

 

When Jae has let Wonpil choose this outfit for him, he didn’t consider being complimented by Brian for it. He just wanted a change in style, something more fitting for a drinking night than the sweats and hoodies. The barista has lent him a dark red blazer to go with his black t-shirt and black pants. He’s got to admit, it does look nice, accentuating his body shape and height. Still, Brian’s comment makes him blush and look away bashfully. 

 

“Thanks, you too,” he mutters, his hands getting clammy with every passing second. Human bodies are weird. 

 

“Shall we go?” He suggests, pointing at Brian’s old car. 

 

Thankfully, Brian snaps out of his dazed state, “Yeah yeah,” he hurriedly opens the door for Jae. The latter stands flabbergasted on the pavement, wondering what the hell is going on. It’s slowly turning into one of those first dates that are too sweet but awkward, except, this is not a date. Jae is a man on a mission, and should snap out of it, like right now! 

 

Noticing that the human is still waiting for him, he jumps into the passenger seat, hoping that the inside of the car is darker than the street. The last thing he wants is for Brian to see how awfully red his face currently is. None of them speaks a word during the ride, letting the radio fill the silence between them, and Jae refrains from looking into the driver’s direction. Enough awkwardness for tonight.

 

 

 

A expected, Brian takes him to the small bar he frequents, and sits at the exact same stool. The bartender is as friendly as usual when he greets him, although totally ignoring Jae’s presence. 

 

“Brian, it’s been a while,” they bump their fists together,  “The usual?” 

 

Brian nods, then turns to Jae, “What do you want to drink?” 

 

The bartender is taken aback by their exchange. He surely didn’t expect his loneliest customer to bring someone. But that’s Jae’s last concern right now. He doesn’t know what to order, so he masks his dilemma with a cool shrug, “The same as you.” 

 

The bartender nods, letting his curious gaze linger on Jae for a second, before serving them. He places a small glass in front of Brian, and another one in front of him.

 

“Enjoy your drinks,” he says with a smile, but doesn’t turn away from them, or from Jae more specifically. 

 

The latter doesn’t miss the attention, even with all of his focus on the tiny shot glass now in his hand. He remembers seeing Brian downing it in one go, so he mirrors that action, and what a big mistake that was. He should’ve learned his lesson from the big disappointment that coffee was. This is only worse, way worse. It burns, and burns, both his tongue and throat. Even the aftertaste is awful. He tries not to react so badly, but his face is a traitor and the bartender has seen everything. Thankfully, he doesn’t comment on it, and Brian doesn’t notice either. 

 

Finally, the guy move his attention to Brian and says, “This is your first time bringing someone with you.”  

 

“Oh!” Brian’s eyes slightly widen, as if he’s just remembered something important. He then hastily does the introductions for them, “This is Jae. Jae, this is Sungjin.”

 

They nod at each other, and Jae musters a polite, “Nice to meet you.” 

 

“He must be the reason why you didn’t come last week,” Sungjin raises an eyebrow in question, getting a casual nod in response. His grin only widens at that. 

 

“Does that mean you guys started going out since last week? Or before?” He excitedly questions, and Brian spits out the few he’s just drank.

 

Jae’s reaction, however, is way slower. His head is getting lighter than it was a few seconds ago, while his body heavier. There’s also the pending headache, so the panic caused by that question does him no good. Fortunately, Brian denies it in his stead.

 

“That’s not it,” his whole face is flushed by now, “We’re just friends.” 

 

This is not the first time for Jae to see the other blushing. The stuttering, though, is a novelty. Somewhere in his fuzzy brain, he finds watching that cool demeanor cracking so satisfying. He hopes that he will still remembers this sight when he sobers up.

 

Even though Brian’s reply doesn’t satisfy him, Sungjin doesn’t point it out, and only passes him a napkin to wipe his mouth. He then places a triangular glass in front of Jae, filled with a purple liquid, “This cocktail is my speciality, and it’s on me.” 

 

He accepts the drink with a smile and a thank you, but this time, he only takes a tentative sip first. He ain’t doing the same mistake twice. The cocktail turns out much more sweeter, with a bit of tanginess. It’s considerably better than the first one, nevertheless. Sungjin smiles in satisfaction at the lack of disgust on his face. 

 

Jae doesn’t order any more drinks, just keeps slowly drinking the cocktail, his vision already getting blurry. The other two are having small conversations that he doesn’t catch on. He’s almost slipping into a deep sleep over the counter when Brian excuses himself to go to the bathroom, and Sungjin takes that as his chance to have a one-on-one conversation with him. 

 

“So, are you close to Brian?” He casually asks. Even in his tipsy state, Jae can tell he’s still curious, and wants real answers. 

 

He shrugs, “Not really. We’re friends, I guess, but we didn’t meet that long ago.”

 

“How did you meet?” 

 

“There was a minor accident, I helped Brian, and since then he feels indebted to me.” At least Jae is not drunk enough to slip when answering, otherwise, disasters would’ve ensued.

 

“Well, it’s good seeing him making friends other than me,” Sungjin releases a heavy sigh, “He’s been alone for too long, and he rejects anyone approaching him.”

 

He seems hesitant for a second, as if he wants to add something, but the return of Brian prevents him from doing so. He regains his smile and easygoing demeanor instantly. 

 

 

Noticing that Jae is already drunk, Brian decides to end their night out at that, and takes him back home. Jae barely registers what happened after his conversation with Sungjin, and when he wakes up the next morning, he’s sporting the biggest headache in cupids’ history. 

 

“I’m not drinking anymore,” he resolutely announces, slumping against a chair in the café, still in his pajamas and bed hair. 

 

Youngjae, God bless him, has gave him a medication for his hangover, while Jinyoung -that - kept mocking him for the whole morning. 

 

 

“Wow, you look awful,” even aunt Hyeji got zero compassion to spare for him. 

 

From his seat, Jae sends her a barely menacing glare. He was sure she’d for his low alcohol tolerance and heavy hangover. She sits across him, placing her tea cup on the table.

 

“We need to talk,” she speaks in her business tone, crossing a leg over the other.

 

Jae growls loudly and buries his face in his hands, “You’ve chosen the worst time for that.”

 

“I just want to ask about your progress. Don’t you have anything new you want to share with us?”

 

He lifts his head slowly and gives her the most pitiful gaze ever, “Is nothing an acceptable answer?” 

 

“Are you for real?” 

 

Jae sits back, fighting his headache, “It’s not that we’re not close. He’s just so closed on himself, so I’ll never know anything from directly asking him.”

 

Hyeji purses her lips together into a thin line, “I know you said that he got no friends and no exes, but that gotta be someone that could help us. Time is slipping by.” 

 

And she’s right. The first month is coming to an end soon and they barely have a lead. A little bit of help is much needed right now. Running his fingers through his hair multiple times, he lets the list of people Brian interacts with rather daily. The list is short, and no one is worth mentioning, really. A neighbor or two he greets in the elevator, the cashier of the convenience store that barely spares him a smile, the coworkers that he only speaks to about work related stuff, and definitely no family members. No exes -not as far as Jae can remember at least-, and no friends. 

 

Or maybe there is, one friend. 

 

“Sungjin!” He yells in a moment of realization, startling Hyeji. 

 

“And who’s that?”

 

“The bartender! Brian goes there regularly and they seem to personally know each other,” he explains excitedly, but quickly deflates when he reconsiders the situation, “They don’t meet outside of the bar though, and I don’t think Brian tells him anything significant.”

 

This is another dead end, it seems.

 

Hyeji gets immersed in her thoughts, deeply analyzing the situation. A few seconds later, her eyes brightens, obviously a new idea popping up in her head.

 

“That’s it! He might not say anything when he’s sober, but he must’ve slipped a few things when he got drunk, like the name of a crush or first love, and who’s there to listen to him?”

 

“Sungjin!” Jae gives her a high five, “Auntie, that’s genius!”

 

 

 

 

So, with a new purpose, and two nights later -because he can’t risk getting drunk two nights in a row- Jae finds himself sitting on the same bar stool, Sungjin greeting him happily as soon as he’s seen him. 

 

“You’re alone?” He asks, as if he’s expected him to drag Brian along. The latter doesn’t even know that Jae is here. 

 

“Yeah, I wanted to have a drink so I thought of coming here.” 

 

“Okay, so what do you want to order this time?” Sungjin asks, grinning in amusement when he sees the panicked expression on Jae’s face. Again, he didn’t consider that part. 

 

“I’ll just have the same thing as last time, that special cocktail? please.” 

 

Sungjin nods, the amusement still there. This time, Jae takes his time drinking, he needs to go through this with a clear mind, shouldn’t risk getting drunk.

 

“So, it’s so empty today,” he starts, trying to strike a conversation.

 

“It’s a week night, so it’s usually this slow,” Sungjin explains.

 

Jae doesn’t know what to say afterwards, so he awkwardly keeps looking around him, making a few random comments every now and then, but none of them is a good diversion to the conversation he actually wants to have with Sungjin. Why can’t humans be straight to the point? And why does he need to follow that stupid human standard? It’s really so frustrating. 

 

It’s on his second drink that Brian is finally brought up, and Sungjin is the one who does it.

 

“I know why you’re here,” he says, taking Jae by surprise. 

 

“You do?” He dumbly asks, thinking that he got caught. 

 

“Yes,” he sighs deeply, “I guess Brian told you about us?”

 

Instead of replying, Jae keeps stupidly blinking at him. He’s suddenly lost and doesn’t get what the other is implying. Fortunately, Sungjin doesn’t wait for his response and resumes talking, “I and Brian, it’s a very old story, there’s nothing between us now, we’re just friends, not-really-close friends,” he says sadly, “You don’t have to be threatened by me.” 

 

It takes Jae an embarrassingly long time to process what he’s just heard, and he’s supposed to be a smart cupid. It must be the alcohol slowing him down. When it finally goes through his brain, he can’t help but widen his eyes in shock. 

 

There are exactly two reasons for him to go through a mental breakdown right now. The first is obvious. He seriously didn’t expect for the bartender to be Brian’s ex. The second, however, is brought by a faraway memory, and Jae is not sure about it’s relevance. That’s why, he collects himself and does his best to hide his shock. He’s still on a mission, after all.

 

“When did you guys break up?” He asks, just to make sure.

 

Luckily, Sungjin doesn’t suspect anything, his answer coming out as uncertain, “About five years ago?” 

 

Oh !

 

Even though everything fits, Jae still has hopes that his destiny is not that cruel to him, “Can I ask, why did you guys break up?” 

 

“He’s never loved me,” Sungjin replies instantly and with a bittersweet smile, “We dated for almost a year, and while I was head over heels with him, I can’t say the same about him,” he ends with a dry chuckle. Jae frowns, feeling bad. 

 

“Did he have someone else?” he knows for a fact that was not the case, but a cupid can hope, right? 

 

Sungjin is quick to deny it anyways, “Oh no! Brian is not that kind of guy! He’s just too genuine, you’d know right away if he likes you or not. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t tolerate him not returning my feelings.”

 

Jae nods. Recently, he’s came to understand that Brian’s lack of affection is not due to him hiding his feelings, but due to the lack of people he actually likes. Sungjin must know him too well to notice that, which has to be a good sign. Instead of just a friend, Jae has accidentally found an ex-boyfriend-turned-to-friend. It feels like winning the jackpot, except, he can’t sense the triumph at all. 

 

 

“But you must be really special,” Sungjin teasingly says, interrupting his train of thoughts. He’s even wiggling his eyebrows teasingly. 

 

Confused, Jae asks, “And why is that?”

 

“Well, Brian didn’t date anyone after I broke up with him. So if he’s finally showing interest in someone, they must be special.” 

 

A wave of heat travels at full speed up his neck, but he still denies the other’s accusation, “There’s seriously nothing between us, he barely tolerates me, you know!” 

 

Sungjin grins playfully, “Yeah yeah, I totally believe you.” 

 

 

-

 

 

 

“So what you’re saying is,” Wonpil pushes his imaginary glasses over his nose, “that that Sungjin guy is Brian’s ex?” 

 

Jae doesn’t bother nodding. He’s explained the situation three times since last night; Once for Park Hyeji as soon as he came back from the bar, once for Wonpil this morning, and once for Jinyoung five minutes later. Currently, they’re all discussing the new occurrences while having lunch in Hyeji’s office. 

 

“Does that change anything?” Jinyoung asks, “If they broke up that long time ago and Brian didn’t try to start over with him for all these years, that means it won’t happen now.”

 

“Well, he has a point,” Wonpil affirms.

 

Aunt Hyeji shakes her head, “You guys are not seeing the bigger picture here. We have Brian who’s a complete loner, it will be hard to push a stranger his way and expect him to open up and fall in love. If we want to finish this before the deadline, we have to do with what we have, and Sungjin is our best bet. It’s an old flame that needs to be relit. That should be feasible.”

 

“Yeah, but what makes you think that it would be a True Love arrow?” Wonpil, not totally convinced by the new turn in actions, questions again, “No cupid shot him with it when he was dating the guy, who do you think will do it now?” 

 

Hyeji falls silent and goes back to contemplating. Wonpil was right, this is still risky. If true love doesn’t happen the first time, then it will mostly not happen the second time through either.  

 

Jae clears his throat. It’s time to drop the real bomb, he guesses. 

 

“Actually, Sungjin is Brian’s true love,” he pauses, then corrects himself, “I mean was.” 

 

The three send him confused looks, that soon enough turn into skeptical, nervous ones. They must’ve caught on with the fact that he’s hiding something. It takes several minutes for Jinyoung to muster the courage to break the long silence.

 

“And how can you be so sure?” 

 

“Cause the cupid that didn’t want to shoot Brian with the True Love Arrow, was me.”

 

-TBC-

---

Sungjin is finally here!! Did I surprise you? heheh 

And I swear Jae is not stupid!!! (Just oblivious and that won't last long...) 

Anyways, I'm less busy now so I'll be updating more frequently starting next week =D Thank you for bearing with me ^__^

Stay healthy, safe and happy y'all <3 <3