Andy let out a big sigh, looking at the closing door of the elevator in front of him. He want to go with Dongwan but of course he can’t.

“Where did he go?”

Startle with Minwoo sudden arrival beside him, Andy pouts his lips a bit. “Don’t you check your phone? They already catch that witch. Dongwan hyung need to be there to verifying the report I think.”

“With who?”

Andy eyeing his hyung who already push the elevator’s button quickly, “you seems not notices our presence in the room. But I was wrong, eh?”

“Andy, I’m serious here.”

“No one free except Eric hyung of course. Why?”

“Dy, tell the kids to take a break, or you can continue the showcase, and send me the video, I’ll review it later,” the ding sound from elevator, halts Minwoo—he turns to Andy, showing his pleading eyes, “I need to go after them.”

To be honest, this is not really suprising for Andy, he just gives a small chuckles and nods his head. “Don’t do something stupid, hyung.”

Already inside the elevator, MInwoo gives him a smirks. “I need to be there so Dongwannie won’t do something stupid.”

The way Minwoo calls Dongwan name sounds so natural, like it just daily things Minwoo does—like there’s no gap years between them, like there’s no days when Minwoo refused to even hear that name. Minwoo doesn’t notice that of course, with him being hurry and close the elevator as soon as he can. But Andy catchs it, the affection on it.

Let out a smile, Andy walking back to the practice room—ten years maybe a freaking too long for them to meet again, but maybe it’s also the perfect time. Maybe.

.

.

“Don’t do that again.”

“Do what?”

“Leaving your job,” Dongwan heaves a sigh and rolls his eyes towards Minwoo who looking back at him with an innocent eyes, “you’ve responsibilty, Minwoo. The kids work so hard to showing it to you, they deserve your time. Not me.”

Barks a laugh, Minwoo also shaking his head, amused with the way Dongwan’s scolding him and looking really upset. 

“Why’re you laughing? I’m serious here. You need to give them credit and care for their utmost effort, it’s also not a good example for them. What if they’re talking bad about you? We used to do that, right? Talking behind our teacher back then when they’re not appreciate us enough. Don’t repeat the old mistake, don’t be like that.”

“So? What’s upset you the most actually? I left them for you or you’re afraid they’d talk bad about me, huh?”

Minwoo elbowing Dongwan lightly and smiles. How can Dongwan is almost forty but still being adorkable like this. He changes a lot, but at the same time, the old Dongwan he knew, still here. 

“You don’t need to come.” Dongwan replies him after some quiet moment. “I hate her too, so much.”

“I know.” Minwoo looking into far away—they’re sitting on the bench at the small park in the middle of the police station. “But I want to see it with myself, and see her too.”

“For what?”

“To know what kind of face I need to hate for the rest of my life.”

Chukcles bittterly, Minwoo steals a quick glance at Dongwan with the corner of his eye. Dongwan doesn’t give any reaction or utters some words to him, he just stay quiet. So Minwoo let him be—let the winds and noisy sounds from their surrounding fills them.

They should talk. A week ago or yesterday. They’re the one who really should talk with each other. They know that. It just, isn’t that easy. When they met in Dongwan’s home—everything just so tensed, and yesterday just a bit too much for all of them. But with the truth, somehow it becomes easier for both of them, to sit side by side like this. 

“Wan..”

“Yeah?”

“I was looking for you, I did. I’ve lot of questions you need to answer.” Minwoo closes his eyes for a second, let the memories passing on his mind. “But every year, the reason and the question would always changing. I used to want you back so we can meet again, or so I can punch you and beat you to death, or simply I want to know you’re still alive or not, somewhere on this earth.”

Minwoo’s being a complete honest right now. Dongwan knows that, but he can’t bring himself to look at him, to turn his head towards him.

“When I came to your office, or last week when finally we met after so long, the question I’ve still keep changing inside my head,” Minwoo let out a half-chuckles, “even today, this time, the question I’ve for you are different from before. Do you mind if I ask you my question?”

Even dread fills Dongwan—he knows for sure, Minwoo has his chance. It’s Minwoo’s right, the answer, the truth—anything. Dongwan owes Minwoo so many things in this lifetime.

“Tell me then. Ask me.”

“Do you still like oreo? Still bring some chocolates on your bag? What’s inside your bag nowadays? How many bottles of Soju you can drink?” It’s unexpected questions, but Minwoo doesn’t stop. “After back living in nature, did you sleep more comfortably? How many vitamins you eat right now? Did you like your job so much? How can the way you talk still make me laugh? Are you happy?”

“Minwoo-ya..”

Dongwan turns his face, finally. Studies Minwoo’s face from the side—knows very well Minwoo doesn’t deserve any pain Dongwan created because he’s just so lost and desperate back then.

“In short, I just wanna know your wellbeing nowadays.” Minwoo also turning his face towards Dongwan. Making them staring into each other eyes. “Answer me, Wannie. If it’s too many, then just my last question is enough. Are you happy?”

Minwoo looking so honest also sincere, and it’s freakin hurt. Minwoo being so considerate about him after everything he did to him just, hurts him. His heart in pain suddenly, so he looks away. 

“I’m fine,” after stealing some minutes to gathers his courage, Dongwan answers Minwoo. “it’s different with being happy, but when I say I’m fine, I really do. I sleep well, eat well, work well, and life well. Rather than being happy, being fine is more than enough for me.”

“You deserve to be happy too.”

“I wish I could be agree with you, Min.” Dongwan says it carefuly. “Or maybe, I’m just afraid to be happy because then it feels like, I need to prepare myself for the unfortunate thing happen to me after that.” Exhales a heavy breathe, Dongwan let out a small but empty laughs. “I sound so bitter and negative, eh?”

Shakes his head, Minwoo gives a gentle squeeze on Dongwan’s hand. “You’re just being human.”

Dongwan looking at Minwoo’s hand on top of his hand. The hand that used to hold him, touch him and guide him. The hand that he let go willingly. Dongwan had choices, yet he choose the easiest way, choose to left him. 

“Minwoo-ya..”

“Eum?”

“Let’s be friend again.” 

It’s such an unforeseen request, and Minwoo is of course, taken aback. Because he’s convinced, Dongwan doesn’t ask that to others. 

“Friend?”

“Eo.” Dongwan nods a bit. “Friend, like the first time we met, I want to be your friend again, so I can  pay all the wrongdoings I did to you. I know, it’d be never enough, what I did to you was so bad. Trust me, I know that very well. I never had any plan to reappear in your life to be honest, because I don’t want to add more wounds, but life is funny and we’re here now, and maybe I cross the line already, but please give me chance to be your friend again.”

Beside still can making Minwoo laughs with the way he talks and being concern for a lot of things and voicing out that loud—turns out Dongwan still the talker, with too much words and unnecessary stupidness in between.

“You treat my wound,” Minwoo shakes his injured hand in front of Dongwan’s face, “and I basically pours out all the tears I had to your shoulder, had mental breakdown in your hug, yet you still ask me to be your friend again?”

Minwoo looks unimpressed. And the image of Minwoo being mad at Ahrin, comes into Dongwan’s vision, make him swallows his own saliva. Since twenty years ago, Dongwan’s never a fan of an upset Minwoo, he looks scary.

“Don’t take it the wrong way, Minwoo.” Dongwan says quickly and panickly. “I just want to—you know? Naming our relationship? Because—with you it just so blur, and I don’t know how to approach you.”

Minwoo wraps his own belly, and laughing so hard. “You’re still cute when you’re panic. I’m kidding Wan, kidding.”

“Yak!”

“Being friend is good,” Minwoo tells him after a minute laughing with himself, still with an airy sound from the laugh, “rather than an ex, naming us as a friend is better.”

Minwoo says it nonchalantly and in relax manner, like they just conversing about the weather. Gives Dongwan his wide smile, till his eyes become smaller. 

“I told Eric the same thing, I don’t know how to approach you, thank you for being the one who take the initiative, Wan.” Minwoo puts his hand on Dongwan’s shoulder this time, “but let’s be friend who forgive each other, who being honest to each other, I’ll learn to trust you again, and you need to trust me too.”

“Even if you can’t fully trust me again, it’s okay, I deserve that too.”

“Yak!” Minwoo slaps Dongwan’s shoulder, “have a confidence, fool. I know ten years has passed and time change us, but we’ve our second chance right now. Let’s do our best this time.”

“If someone listening to our talk, they’ll think we join olympic or something.” Dongwan chuckles. “and I don’t need to forgive you, you didn’t do anything, it’s me.”

“It’s you yes. Because of me.” Minwoo let out big sigh. “You’re protecting me and you lost a lot because of that, your life, your friends, your passion, your dreams.”

“And you.” Dongwan adds quietly and being a total honest. Surprising Minwoo with his sudden braveness—and maybe even himself.

Dongwan knows deep in his heart that he has an endless love for Minwoo, a love that as easy as breathing because he’s loving Minwoo on every second in his life, still. But he also knows, he already lost the right to be loved back, willingly. The day he lets go the love of his life and walks away—he lost it all. He’s the one who bid the farewell, so right now, he also needs to be the one who gives Minwoo closure he deserves.

“I’m so lucky to met you and had you in my life, it was never a mistake. But I let you go. It’s stupidity in my part, I’m sorry for everything, I’m sorry.” Dongwan finally says it—the apology he owes to Minwoo, even it heals nothing or changes nothing, Dongwan still need to let it out, so he can starts to forgive his ownselves. “And if it’s possible, don’t feel sorry for me, because I did that on my own will. Let me repent of all I did to you.”

Minwoo’s quiet. He listens intently every words Dongwan says—because Dongwan deserves to explain himself, and Minwoo also deserves to hear eveything honestly. He’s still confuses with his own mind, with his own feeling over Dongwan—it’s still all over the place. 

Like the first time they met, Dongwan still so good with words, he speaks eloquently, put his perspective fluently—making Minwoo understands the meaning even he’s not completely agree with everything.

“Don’t love someone like me again, Minwoo. Never. Maybe you already have your special person right now or not, but I hope you’ll meet someone who looks at only you, the one who loves you so much and can’t go the days without you,” Dongwan looking at Minwoo with his moist eyes, looks so sincere and calm, “don’t meet a foolish person like me. It must be so hard for you to be happy in those ten years I left you with nothing but too much pain, you did nothing wrong, you deserve to be happy, please be happy.”

Ten years, an almost four thousand days in between are the duration of Minwoo being stuck. He’s not move on but lately he also not really sad anymore. It still so difficult to be happy sometimes, but he laughs a lot along the days. He’s trapped. And the closure finally here. It sounds like some dialogue in romance drama he stops to watch since years ago—it’s funny but real. It’s the words Dongwan wants to give for him, the raw confession and honest hope from Dongwan for him.

Minwoo tries to look straight at Dongwan, but he feels a tug at his heart, like something clutching his heart tightly—making him kinda uncomfortable, he should be happy to has his closure, but why he doesn’t?

“Promise me to be happy, okay?”

Dongwan repeats his hopes again. Gives Minwoo his pinkie finger—like the old days, when they just a young adults in love. 

“Promise me, Minwoo. Come on, give me your finger too.”

It looks ridiculously amusing situation in Minwoo’s eyes, who still do pinkie fingers? An elementary student maybe yes, but they’re almost forty for God’s sake—yet Dongwan still insists, grabs Minwoo hand, and links their pinkie forcefully by himself.

“You promise me!” He says excitedly. “Now, you need to be really happy!”

Minwoo hasn’t forget the first time Dongwan come into practice room and introduce himself with his big smiles and glistening eyes, it takes sometimes for Minwoo to accept him and when he finally opens up, it’s just so natural for Dongwan to being his friend and then claim his best friend status. It’s also Dongwan who confess his feeling first, being brave and honest, take the lead and let Minwoo has his time to think about his own feeling. 

Dongwan used to carrying all feeling on his shoulder, hides it and bears it quietly, Minwoo knows that too. He’s used to whining over everything back then—but never for his own difficulties. 

“Promise me something too.”

A bit taken aback with Minwoo sudden respons after he just being quiet, Dongwan looking at him curiously, “what do you want me to do?”

“Let me protect you this time. Don’t forbid me to do that.”

It’s a simple wish, but somehow make Dongwan’s heart fluttering. The way Minwoo says it, in short sentence, straightforward manner but wholeheartedly, touches Dongwan.

“We’ll be forty next