(The previous night when Hyesung called Minwoo)

Minwoo is in his couch playing some mobile games when he heard a knock from his apartment.

“Eric? Ugh. You reek of alcohol.” Minwoo said while covering his nose and leaving a space for the taller man to enter.

“Minbong-ah let’s drink.” Eric said while putting down the cans of beer in the table.

“Can’t you see that I’m in the middle of my sick leave?” The shorter guy said while sitting on the couch.

“You just used your sick leave because your lazy to go to work.” Eric was opening the cans of beer and handing one to his friend.

Minwoo didn’t reply. What his friend said is true so he just drink the beer that his friend gave him.

After an hour, the night go deeper along with their conversation. Minwoo could already feel the effect of the alcohol.

“Yah! What happened and why you wanted to drink that much?” The shorter guy asked his friend after gulping down the bitter fluid.

As soon as Minwoo ask this question, Eric eyes starts to moisten. “She’s married already... with another man. Not me...”

Eric gulped down another can of beer and opened another one. “For seven years... why... why did she forget about me that easily.” Tears starts to fall from his eyes.

“What about Hyesung then?” Minwoo asked his friend. “While you are stuck with your past love, you are forgetting the fact that there is someone’s waiting for you.”

Eric’s eyes went wide as soon as he heard this from his friend. More tears escaped from his eyes as he remembered what happened on the day of his ex’s wedding.

“Minwoo... I made him cry. Our friend... Our precious friend cried... because of me.” Eric was hitting his head so hard. He didn’t mean to make him cry that day. He was so full with his thoughts that time. He was mad at himself for not being a good man to his past lover. That’s what he’s been thinking the whole time. Somehow, his actions made Hyesung misunderstood that Eric was sick of him when actually not.

“Hyesung... Made an effort to make me happy on the day my ex got married. But I just can’t... In the end, I vent out my anger and frustrations to him. I’m a horrible person.”

Minwoo was staring at his friend. He wanted to scold him for being a jerk to their other friend. But at the same time, he wants to comfort him. He tried to put himself in the shoes of his friend. In some way, he could understand the feeling when your long-term lover will break up with you and get married right away.

While Minwoo was thinking of a good word to say to his friend, his phone rang. He stood up and answered the call, leaving his drunk friend curious about the caller.

Before he could say ‘Hello’, the person from the other line starts shouting his name.

“Hello Minwoo-yah!!”

“Eric... Do you know where Eric is? It’s been two days... He hasn’t been home for two days. I’m so worried right now...”

Minwoo could feel that the person on the other line was trembling so much. He looked at Eric who is drinking another can of beer. So this prick didn’t even went home. Tch.

He wanted to tell the caller to calm down first, worried that the caller would faint any minute because he is panicking. But he didn’t said it, he knows that this is the only thing that would calm the caller down.

“Eric? I’m with him.” Minwoo could feel that Hyesung finally sighed in relief.

“Thank goodness! I’m about to report him in the police.”

Minwoo can’t focus on listening to the caller as the drunk man near him starts poking him.

“What?” He whispered, trying hard that his voice could not be heard on the other line.

“Who?” Eric asked him.

“Shin Hyesung” He whispered again.

“What?” Eric asked again which made his friend annoyed.

“It’s Hyesung.” This time he said it in a loud voice.

“Where are you?”

Minwoo heard the caller asked for their location but he can’t answer him. The person in front of him is so distracting.

“Minwoo please... I can’t... I can’t face him now. I made him cry, I can’t look at him in the eye.” Eric was trying to snatch the phone but Minwoo keeps on pushing him. “Tell him I’m not here.”

This made him annoyed, if only he heard how Hyesung was trembling with his voice. “Yah! It’s pretty obvious that he was worried so I already told him you’re here.” He shouted at his friend.

Eric was frozen when his friend shouted at him but it only last for a few seconds. He still stubbornly said, “I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to go home. I’ll sleep here Minbong-ah”

“I’m sorry Hyesung-ah, this idiot right here wants to sleep in my house but can you fetch him right now? We are here in my apartment and I think he got a lot of things to talk with you. Hyesung? Hello—”

Minwoo asked the other line but as he looked at the screen. “Ish. He already ended the call. Did he ever heard my last line?”

Minwoo’s head aches so much and he could feel the effect of the alcohol. He wanted to drive Eric to his apartment but he had drank so much. He is also dizzy to even call a cab for his friend, worried that he could make a mistake and something bad happened to his drunk friend. He wanted to make his friends talk with each other and clear any misunderstanding. He have a hunch that their feelings for each other is mutual.

Unfortunately, the alcohol is taking effect that he couldn’t think for a better way. He drank the remaining beer. “I don’t know anymore. Better talk to him you coward.” Minwoo also think that it is better if Eric will be the one to make an effort. It is his choice in the end.

“Tell me for once Eric...” Minwoo asks his friend, “Who is Shin Hyesung to you? You are hurt when your ex broke up with you. The next thing I know, you agreed to live with Hyesung. Also... Based on your actions, there’s no way that Hyesung is just a friend to you. So tell me.”

With his eyes fixated into an empty space, Eric remembered his moments with Hyesung before answering his friend.

“Shin Hyesung... I feel so comfortable when I’m with him. I could easily show him what I actually feel.” Eric tried to compare the way he treats other people with Hyesung. “Whenever we are in the restaurant, I would just smile and pretend to be okay even if our customers would say that my food . But with Hyesung, I could easily show whenever I’m annoyed and angry with something. Although sometimes... I’ve gone too far. I always vent out my anger to him even if it’s not his fault. Maybe I became overly confident to the fact that he will never leave me even if I will show my grumpy side to him.”

Eric recalls the way he acted when he go shopping with Hyesung. He was really annoyed with all of the walking and with Hyesung being indecisive of everything. But when he’s at work, he have to pretend to smile in front of his customers, eagerly disregarding the fact that the customers is very demanding on how their food should taste like.

Eric sighed then continued. “He’s also someone whom I don’t want to be separated with. I want him to be always at my sight, since he could be clumsy and an idiot when it come to directions.”

Eric smiled a little, he realized that feeling the moment when they went to Namsan Tower with Hyesung. That time when he took a while to get some drink.

Haah. Sorry there’s so many people around and I almost got lost.

He recalled Hyesung’s line. He admitted to himself that he really got scared to lose him that time or thinking about the fact that something bad happened to the skinny guy. The other reason why he walked so fast that time not even waiting for Hyesung to finish his sentence, he wanted to shake all of those scary thoughts away.

“I wanted to see him smile and at the same time I don’t want to see him crying.” Eric massaged his temples. “Unfortunately... I became the sole reason for his tears.”

Thanks.

He remembered the way Hyesung smile after granting his wish to go to the Namsan Tower.

Due to unexpected turn of events, that adorable eye smile turned into tears as he blurt out some hurtful words on top of the tower.

You would rather choose to see me with another person than to accept the fact of your ex-girlfriend a marrying another man.

He really hate himself for making him cry.

Minwoo could only just stare at his friend. He could tell that his friend is more likely talking to himself and trying to organize his thoughts. His hunch starts to be proven true as Eric blurt out another statement.

“I could sleep better when I’m around him.”

Aren’t you going to sleep?

You can’t sleep? Sorry.

Even Hyesung knows that Eric could sleep better whenever he lies beside him. Although, the younger man thought that it was nothing special. He thought that Eric simply just don’t want to feel lonely even when sleeping.

Eric’s thought was interrupted when Minwoo shouted. “So you actually love him!”

That is also the part where Eric couldn’t understand. “If I really love him, then why... Why do I feel like my world crumbled after knowing that my ex was finally married with another guy? Why does this...” Eric pointed to his heart. “Why does it still hurts so much?”

Minwoo became really annoyed with his friend. It’s the first time after years of friendship that he wanted to punch the man in front of him so much. “It’s because you are a selfish bastard!! You wanted to keep the person while you can’t return his love because you are so stuck up with your stupid past. You are an idiot who chose to be miserable when you already have someone who’s ready to give up everything for you.”

“You’re right. I’m so selfish and a total idiot. He doesn’t deserve someone like me. That’s why, I’ve decided. Once Hyesung will say that he doesn’t want me anymore... without saying a single thing... I will let him go.”