Hyukjae noticed that Donghae was progressively getting more depressed day by day. After the one week mark of being away from each other, his posts were so sad that Hyukjae began to get really worried. Whenever they do video calls, Donghae looks so forlorn at the start, then becomes his usual sweet and happy self as the call progresses, but once they need to end the call, his face drops again immediately and his eyes lose their glow. It was so worrying to the point that Hyukjae ended up making sure their calls are always at night so they can just sleep “together” while on the call. 

After a few days of this, Hyukjae messaged Kangin to ask about Donghae. He found out that Donghae wasn’t even as jolly as usual during Christmas which was his favorite time of the year. Hyukjae is actually really busy with family reunions and long-committed get togethers with friends, but he makes sure to always reply whenever Donghae sends him a message. He tries to cheer Donghae up and on chat, it seems effective. But he can see Donghae’s IG stories of a plant with a sad song, the beach void of people, sunset with a sad background song, and so on. 

On the 29th, Kangin sent him an SOS message, asking him to call and cheer Donghae up because apparently Donghae has holed himself up in his bedroom and hasn’t come out the entire day. For everybody who knows how Donghae can’t keep still, it was quite alarming. He tried calling but there was no answer and Hyukjae was panicking already. 

After a few more tries, Donghae finally answered with a very hoarse, “Hello?”

“Baby! Are you okay?”

“Hyukkie, uhm… Yes? I’m fine. Good… afternoon?”

“What happened? Kangin hyung told me you haven’t gotten out of your room yet. It’s already three in the afternoon, Hae. Are you really fine?”

“I think so? I…..kinda got drunk.”

“You got drunk?? How?? You fell asleep last night while we were on video call.”

“I woke up at dawn and then I couldn’t fall back asleep. So I…mixed a bottle of soju with juice and drank all of it.”

Hyukjae facepalmed. No wonder Donghae was out until the afternoon. Donghae goes red with just a few sips of wine. Downing one bottle of soju definitely was way above his tolerance. 

“Hae, what were you thinking? Is this like an experimentation phase or what?”

Donghae was silent for a while. 

“Hae? What is it? What’s wrong?”

And then a sob.

“Baby? Tell me what’s wrong. Please?”

Then the words tumbled out of Donghae in between his sobs. “I just…r-really miss you so much and my chest f-feels so hollow and it hurts Hyuk, it hurts. I was w-walking by the beach and saw s-some beer bottles and I thought, people always say you f-forget when you’re drunk. So I tried it…”

Hyukjae’s heart clenched and he wanted so much to be with Donghae so he could hug him and comfort him. “Hae…You should have just called me.”

“B-but it was very early. I d-didn’t want to wake you.”

“Baby, you know you can call me anytime when you need me. Remember?”

Donghae just gave a whimper, and Hyukjae can hear sniffing and sheets ruffling as if Donghae was snuggling on his pillow, which he probably was.

“Donghae, sweetheart?” Hyukjae asked while he put his phone on speaker and opened his group chat with his family.

“Hmm?”

“I love you.”

A sob and then a wobbly, “I love you too, Hyukkie. I’m sorry for being like this.”

“Didn’t I tell you not to be sorry about things like this? I understand and I miss you so ing much too.”

“I know I’m being too dramatic but Hyuk, I…. I really don’t know what to do. I’m seriously losing my mind here. I’m going bat crazy being away from you.”

Hyukjae chuckled, worried but still happy to hear Donghae’s as crazy in love as he is, probably well beyond reason. He smiled as he saw his mom and sister’s responses on their group chat and proceeded to open another app. “Honestly? I’m going bat crazy too. Did you know I dreamt about you last night again?”

“Hyuk I even see you everywhere and then when I look again, it would turn out to be just my imagination. I’m serious, I really think I’m going crazy. What have you done to me?” Donghae said with a pitiful whine. 

“Hmm, I’ve asked that to myself so many times as well. But don’t worry, okay? We’ll see each other again soon. Just a few more days, baby.”

“I don’t know if I can last 5 more days, Hyuk. I’ve been itching to rebook my flight back there since last week.”

Hyukjae was thankful they weren’t on video call because he was smiling widely as he finished up what he was doing.

“The only thing that’s stopping me is that I know my mom would be even less supportive if I turn back on my promise to spend special occasions with her,” Donghae continued. “I should have just gone back here for Christmas for a few days and then returned again for the New Year for a few days.”

Hyukjae was about to say that it's such a waste of money to go back and forth for just a few days but he knows it’s hypocritical of him to say that, so he just continued cheering his boyfriend up.

“How about this, Hae? You get up now and take a bath, eat warm food, and then play with the kids in the neighborhood. After that, you can come back to your room and we can video call and you tell me all the things you did, then we can listen to songs together until we fall asleep. Sounds good?”

Donghae sighed but relented. “Nothing is good until I’m with you. But okay. I’ll do my best.”

Hyukjae smiled. “Good boy.”

“What am I, a dog?”

“Yes, you are my cute puppy Donghae.”

“Why do you always associate me with cute things, Hyuk?” Donghae asked and Hyukjae can hear a bit of a smile in his voice.

“Because you are cute.”

“But you’re cuter.”

“Wrong. No one is as cute as my baby.”

“I thought I’m a puppy?”

“But you’re also my baby.”

“Just choose one. Am I your puppy or your baby?”

“Then you are my love.”

Donghae chuckled. “How many more things do you want to call me?”

“My sweetheart, my dearest, my honeybun. Oh, honeybun fits you perfectly.”

“And why is that?”

“Because your b