"You didn't see her, Kyu!" Hyukjae complained while tightly gripping at the string beans he was supposed to be cutting for their dinner salad tonight. "There's no way I can compete with someone like that! I mean...she's pretty and-and succesful, not to mention they were already engaged before so-...so it makes sense that Donghae should just get back together with her..."

Kyuhyun kept his attention on the pot that he was stirring to make sure that nothing was stuck to the bottom when he gave Hyukjae his response. 

"Did Donghae tell you that he was gonna get back together with her?"

Hyukjae pouted at the nonchalance in Kyuhyun's voice and snapped the string bean he was holding in half. "He didn't have to," he grumbled. 

"Sooo...no, he didn't." Kyuhyun answered for him before putting the lid over the pot he was cooking then turning around to face Hyukjae and crossing his arms at the latter. "This is just you getting ahead of yourself again because you're afraid to be in a real relationship." 

Hyukjae scowled at his accusation and threw one half of the stringbean he was holding at Kyuhyun. "Yah! That's not true!" 

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and turned around again so he could finish cutting the rest of the vegetables for their soup. 

"You've been whining and fawning over Donghae's ex since you got home but not once in your little story did you say that he was even remotely still interested in her." Kyuhyun took the lid off the pot and allowed the steam of the water to float in the air before adding his diced onions and several chili peppers in the pot to mix. "The man has obviously no problem expressing his feelings out loud. If he still had any feelings for her, I doubt he'd be able to hide it from your oh-ever-so observant eyes." 

Kyuhyun continued stirring the water and watched very closely as it turned a good shade of red before dipping his ladle in and doing a quick taste test. After a short sip, he noticed the unusual silence in the room and couldn't help but turn around to check in and see what had Hyukjae go mum. Sure enough, he found the other staring aimlessly down the table, the stringbeans he was working on stayed in his hand untouched while he remained sitting on his chair like a statue. Any other time, Kyuhyun would have hit him over the head with the ladle he was holding to snap him back to reality but thought otherwise about doing it as he hadn't really seen or experienced Hyukjae be so conflicted over love before. Kyuhyun turned the knob of the stove into a low simmer before taking the chair opposite of Hyukjae on the table. 

"Yah," he called while grabbing the bowl of stringbeans closer to him. "What is this really about? Just tell me what's really bothering you cause knowing you, you've already come up with a million and one scenarios in that silly little head of yours and I'm not gonna explain to you why each one is more ridiculous than the last."

Hyukjae pouted and semi-scowled at Kyuhyun's words, not quite sure whether to take it as an insult or encouragement. 

"I don't know what to do," Hyukjae admitted followed by quickly burrowing his head behind his arms then lightly hitting his head on the table. "Kyuhyun-ah, I don't know what to do. Tell me what should I do."

Kyuhyun looked at Hyukjae and couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his face when he heard how defeated the other sounded.

"Do about what?" He asked trying not to make it obvious in his voice how amused he was by Hyukjae's current love struck situation. If he wasn't sure of it before, he was absolutely sure of it now that his best friend, and more-often-than-not idiotic roommate, has completely fallen in love with a certain somebody. "How am I supposed to give you advice if you keep letting me guess on what your problem is?"

"Donghae!" Hyukjae sputtered suddenly coming back to life. "I need help with Donghae, okay? I- I-...I don't know what to do!" Hyukjae wailed and covered his face with both hands. "What should I do? I mean, I know I don't have any right to be jealous of his ex since we're not really a thing but- but...he should take responsibility!"

Kyuhyun raised an interested brow at Hyukjae's choice of words.

"Responsibility? Of what?" 

"Of me!" Hyukjae continued to yell, not at all caring that he sounded quite manic or deranged shouting words he could say calmly. "He- He acted all...all charming and- and nice. Who wouldn't fall for someone like that!?" He continued to accuse Donghae as though he had done a heinous crime. "I mean, couldn't he have been the aloof jerk that people in the office spoke about? Why did he have to be so perfect on our date."

"Date?" Kyuhyun couldn't help the snicker that came out of him. "Didn't you hire him to be your ?"

"That's not the point!" Hyukjae snapped. "I was expecting like a gold digger or a middle-aged playboy who had too much time on his hands. Not someone like Donghae." 

"What's wrong with Donghae?"

Hyukjae gasped and abruptly stood up from his seat upon hearing that familiar voice and accidentally knocked over his own chair in the process upon turning around to confirm his suspicion. His heart thumped against his chest while his eyes stared in complete shock at their unexpected visitor's amused smiling face. When Hyukjae heard Kyuhyun laughing out loud from behind him did he realize that his roommate had completely set him up and pursed his lips tight to keep himself from scowling in front of Donghae. While trying his best to hide the heat he felt forming on his cheeks and ears, he slowly turned away from Donghae so he could give his roommate the appropriate bone chilling glare he deserves.

"Yah! You!" Hyukjae yelled and grabbed a handful of the stringbeans that was left in the bowl and threw it at Kyuhyun. "How could you do this to me!?" 

Kyuhyun flinched a little at the vegetable attack that Hyukjae made at him but didn't at all look remorseful. 

"Do what?" He feigned innocence as he took some of the stringbeans thrown at him and placed them back in the bowl he was holding. "I told you I was having someone over," then followed it up with a simple smile before turning around and pouring in the work, despite it being less than what he asked for, Hyukjae did earlier with the stringbeans into their soup. 

"You didn't tell me it was Donghae!"

Kyuhyun shrugged his shoulders but didn't turn aroun. "You didn't ask."

Hyukjae lowly growled and wanted to throw more things at Kyuhyun but then he heard Donghae's voice from behind him and felt the tips of his ears heat up again. 

"So I heard you say something earlier?" The amusement in his voice very evident that Hyukjae wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. "Something abooout..." Donghae continued to tease playfully, enjoying the way Hyukjae slowly turned towards him with that grimace on his face, "taking responsibility for something? Would you care to elaborate more on that?"

An uncomfortable tickle suddenly occured in Hyukjae's throat as he avoided Donghae's gaze and tried to clear it inconspicously. He scratched an imaginary itch on his head while trying to figure out how he could dig himself out of the hole that his devil of a roommate put him in. 

"Uhh...do-don't worry about it. K-Kyu and I were just joking around."

"Joking?" Donghae frowned and tilted his head a little on the side to sho