Everything has changed since the night three days ago and sadly not for the better. Not long after Dongwan’s back and locked himself, Minwoo also back—with a bloodshot eyes and disheveled appearance same like Dongwan, and with the revelation, the chaos broke out.

But what hurt the others the most was, the way Dongwan handled it. After crying his heart out for the night, he still wake up early the day later but not even once confronted any of them—especially the guilty trio. He didn’t give them chance either. It felt like, for Dongwan they didn’t exist. Not for now.

He was avoiding everyone, except Andy. Their maknae was the only one he let to enter his room and gave him comfort, but for now—for them it was enough.

“How was hyung?”

Junjin, with a guilty looks—been like that for days, waiting Andy in front of the door, the bedroom that supposed to be his with his hyung, but he slept on the sofa lately.

“He said he needs some rest,” Andy bit his lips worried, “I think he has headache but when I offer meds, he said he’ll just sleep.”

“Oh.” Junjin staring at the door, wished he has some superpower so he could saw his hyung from behind the door. 

“It worst than after the break up.” mumbled Andy under his breathe. “Everything was messed up.”

“I’m sorry.”

Eyeing Junjin—Andy let out a sighed. He grabbed Jin’s arm, and dragging him to the sofa. Andy was dissapointed to all of them, and felt a bit left out too, but at least he could controlling his emotion—not like Hyesung. 

“I was not mad, and I think, Dongwan hyung too. If he was mad, he wouldn’t asked me to gave you the blanket, rigth? He still worried about you, he just need time.”

“I broke his trust,” Jin said quietly, “I dissapointed with myself too, you know.”

“Then why?”

Junjin leaned his body back, and closed his eyes. “Cause I still respect Minwoo hyung a lot, and his decision. It was not my right to just spilled it, Dy.”

“He was frustating me,” Andy said honestly, “No matter how hard I tried to understand his decision, I can’t. Why he hide it?”

“Because he loves Dongwan hyung so much, and wanted to protect him. It was not a good decision, but he choose it, and hurting himself too.”

“I don’t want to fall in love if love make me miserable like that.”

Junjing opening his eyes and peeked into Andy, laughed a bit. “Yeah don’t, you’re still a child anyway.”

“Yak!! Our birthday just five months apart, you fool!”

“Still older than you then.”

“But not as stupid as you.”

Ouch. It was deep. Junjin was silent and Andy felt awkward with a sudden down atmosphere between them.

“It’s okay, you’re right. I should’ve told hyung sooner.”

Pats Junjin’s leg lightly, “You tried to persuade Minwoo hyung, tho. You did your best.” Andy comforted his best friend, “Let’s go to the mart, Eric hyung asked me to buy this week grocery.”

“But Dongwan hyung?”

Junjin still remember the pale face his hyung had when he was back hours ago, he looked sick, feverish. And also coughed a lot.

“I told him already, Jin. He said it’s okay, he’d just sleep, we need to buy something for him to eat too,” Andy understood his friend feelings and tried to reassure him, Dongwan wouldn’t go outside his room if they’re here, his hyung needs his own time too, “or we can buy hyung’s favorite cake, he’ll talk to you again if you buy it for him.”

Junjin chuckled, one second Andy could be the mature one, then back to his inoccent mind.

.

.

“What do you want!?”

Hyesung folded his arms, looking serious and sharp to Eric who sat in front of him, the one who literally beg him to had lunch together.

“You’re being unfair Syung,” Eric replied calmly, “yes, Minbong was stupid and wrong, but—give him chance to explain, okay? As ridiculous as it sounds, that stupid just wanted to protect Dongwannie.”

“He deserved my punch that night.”

“He was,” Eric looked worn out, everything was messed, and he took part—so he’d try to at least make it a bit better, “but he also deserve your time, no? If all of us keep distancing our self like this, avoiding each other, this problem won’t solve at all.”

“Tell me your reason.”

“I’m just being Minwoo’s best friend. I won’t defend him or myself, no other reason. He was wrong, and like I said that night, I already tried to made him change his mind, and finally he did. He just late or maybe the universe wanted to punish him.”

“He had all the chances before, lot of chances, lot of times.” 

Hyesung stated the fact, sipped his ice tea then tsk his tongue and looking outside from the big window beside him, he saw their reflection too—the way Eric kept stirred the straw on his Americano, frustated. Hyesung knew, he was being difficult. 

But he felt cheated. He knew nothing. Failed to protect his best friend from some stupid acts that his other best friends did. And it was cost them a lot, their relationship, their friendship.

.

.

It’s been almost five minutes or so, but Minwoo just standing still in front of their flats door, debating with himself, shoud he enter or not.

Eric already told him, he’d asked Hyesung to had lunch with him, and sent Andy with Junjin to did the grocery shopping. His best friend also threatened him, to use this chance that he created wisely. 

“Go meet Wannie, explain everything to him as clear as you can! Don’t be coward! Even if he hit you, just accept it and talk! Or I won’t be your friend again, got it you fool!?”

Quietly, he typed the password then opened the door. Hyesung forbid him to be near Dongwan since that night so he moved to his studio—and standing on this spot right now, all the memories came back to him.

From here, he saw their sofa, the place where one of them used to waiting each other at late night, or simply to cuddled each other, ignored all the protest they got from their friends. Or the balcony, Dongwan really liked to watched the stars while told him about the constellation—and he’d always told Dongwan, the brightest star that he ever saw was the sparkle on Dongwan’s eyes. Or the hallway between their room, they used to hugged there everytime they met, and also stole the kisses—just being lovey dovey, being each other shoulder to leaned on.

Praang!!

The sound of broken glass, startled him. And it came from Dongwan’s room, so he walked to that direction fastly, but once again feeling unsure, and also worried—he knew Dongwan was clumsy, but still he couldn’t just barged himself in.

Should he knock—should he call Dongwan’s name, or what?

But a loud and persistent raspy cough from inside, sprang him into action. And in an instant, he was by Dongwan side, not really minded with the puddle of waters and pieces of glass that scattered around. 

Dongwan was on all fours, on the ground—coughing and wheezing. Closed his eyes with forehead scrunched. Minwoo rubbing on his back instinctly, made a circles, wanted to calm Dongwan, but also himself.

“Wan?”

“Hu—hurts.”

“What!? Where!?”

The coughing was stop finally, so Minwoo grabbed Dongwan’s back, made him sit and let Dongwan to leaned on his body. Dongwan was burning and feverish, his tee was drenched with his cold sweat.

“Wan? Hei?”

Except for the heavy-breathing sound, Dongwan was limping already on his hold—not showing much reaction, and not opening his eyes either. He just kept scrunching, as if the headache he suffered was really painful.

.

.

“I was the one who introduced Dongwan and Minwoo, Ric. All of us actually.”

After being quiet for a while, Hyesung opening his mouth again—thinking about the time they met each other.

“Minwoo said Wannie was a bit noisy and all over the place, but the weeks after that—they already hang out together without us.” Eric smiled at the memories. They just fifteen back then—so young, so innocent.

Hyesung nods, still looking at their reflection from the window. “Dongwan fell in love first. It was a secret. And he was so afraid, it was so fast but he couldn’t resist it.”

“Wait,” Eric remembered something, “was that the reason there’s time when Dongwan didn’t show up everytime we wanted to met up?”

Chuckled, Hyesung nodding his head. “Yes, that’s the reason.”

“Minwoo thought he did something wrong, he even asked me to accompanied him to Wan’s school and we waited till night, but Wan was nowhere to be seen.”

“Both of them,” Hyesung let a big sighed, “really stupid since years ago, huh?”

“Stupid and didn’t change.” 

“But your best friend was really, seriously so stupid this time, Ric.” 

Hyesung turned his head, looking straight at Eric, who in return nodded his head and smiled bitterly.

“But so did his love for Dongwannie, Syung. He still love him so much.”

Hyesung knew that fact too. That’s why—even if he dissapointed a lot with Minwoo, he couldn’t really mad at him. The desperate called for forgiveness that Minwoo said over and over from behind Dongwan’s door that night, still so clear on Hyesung’s mind.

“What do you want me to do?”

Rubbed his neck nervously with a sheepish smiled, “Well, actually—you already did it.”

“What?”

“Umm, I told Minwoo to met Dongwan. If everything went well, they should’ve talked right now.”

Hyesung eyes got bigger, this man in front of him really used his smarty brain for once, huh. “Bastard.”

“Nah, they need it—“ 

A sudden dinged sound from his phone halted Eric, he swiped the screen and his eyes almost bugging out with what he read. 

Standing frantically, he grabbed Hyesung’s hand, “Minwoo brought Dongwan to the hospital, he’s sick. Let’s go!”

.

.

Everything was white, the ceiling, the curtain, the blanket—so white and plain. He had been on drip too. Hospital always made him felt sickier—but this time, he did feel a bit refresh honestly, the persistent headache he had since yesterday was gone too.

“You’re awake.”

Hyesung smiled at him and his hair softly. Made him closed his eyes for a while, it calmed him.

“What happened Syung?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Not much,” Dongwan opening his eyes, and shook his head lightly, “my headache just got worsen and I couldn’t stop the coughing, I broke my mug too—someone help me right?”

“Why you didn’t tell us you’re sick, fool?” a small flick landed on Dongwan forehead, “Minwoo was there, he was the one who brought you here.”

Hyesung’s answered silenced Dongwan. He remembered someone held him and whispered a hundreds sweet things into his ear, but—Minwoo shouldn’t be there with him, right?

“Ah, so that’s why you also being cold with me? Cause I told him to go away?”

“Did I say that out loud?”

Nods his head, Hyesung laughed a bit while Dongwan pouted his lips. He rubbed Dongwan arm this time.

“You hit him too, right? Andy told me.”

“He deserved that.”

“He’s your friend, Syung.”

“Still, he deserved that,” Hyesung repeated his answer, but smiled cheekily, “look, he was at fault, okay? but don’t worry too much, we already talked a bit, we’ll be okay soon. In fact, Minwoo was here, Wan. He was waiting outside.”

“Oh.”

“He said, he’ll just come in when you want him, when you allow him to be here.”

Quiet once again, Dongwan didn’t really know what kind of respond he should give. Everything was too much for him. He didn’t even know, he was mad at Minwoo, the situation, or himself for letting this chaos happened. 

“It’s okay, don’t think too much,” Hyesung comforted him, “you caught a bad symptoms of flu, but doctor also said you’re under a lot of stress and need a lot of rest. They need to observe you for one night, I’ll back to the flats for a while and will accompany you here later, okay?”

“You don’t need to—“

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Hyesung fixed the blanket, and pets Dongwan’s hair again. “just sleep, you need it.” 

.

.

The second time he was awake—Dongwan felt much better. He sit himself up, turned his head to looking at the window, it’s almost dark—that kind of sky color he liked, greyish with an orange here and there.

He used to asked Minwoo to accompany him strolled around at this kind of time. Just both of them, hand in hand, side by side—together. 

Sighing quietly, he grabbed his drip-pole, took Hyesung’s coat that he left for him, then getting off from his bed, and dragged himself out, walked barefoot—ignored all the eyes from others patients that rooming with him.

And he found what he searched instantly. Sitting alone on the bench in front of his room, slept with uncomfortable position, with just a plain tee, looked cold.

Dongwan crouched down, staring at Minwoo who at the moment, didn’t realise his presence yet. He drapped the coat that he brought on Minwoo’s body, then caressed Minwoo’s bruised cheek that turned purple already, carefuly.

“Was it hurt? He hit you hard, hmm?” 

Whispered softly, Dongwan amused at himself—even after what happened between them, saw Minwoo like this, just melted all the angers inside him. Minwoo was really his weakness.

“You’re being unfair to me, Min. You knew you’ll leave me, but didn’t tell me anything. You’ve time to prepared yourself to live without me, but me? I don’t have that priviledge. And that’s what hurt me the most, being left without words.”

Minwoo kept his eyes closed, but he didn’t sleep. Not anymore. A hushed tone from the familiar voice that he like, wake him up. Minwoo listened, and his chest clenched. Dongwan was right—he was being unfair.

“We could’ve spend our days together, made new memories before you leave, instead of fighting like this, Min.”

Without both of them realised, Eric and Hyesung were looking at them, from the hidden corner of the hallway. They couldn’t listened what Dongwan’s said, but from his soft look and his delicate brush on Minwoo—they knew, something good will happen to them later. Hopefully.

.

.

TBC

It almost the ending soon, maybe just one or two chaps leave, hopefully I can update this weekend.

And, please stay safe and be well everywhere you're, thank you for the upvote and comments!!