I had to spend a lot of time at home alone in the apartment now that I had graduated university. I cleaned more than I needed to, I spent my father’s money online buying things Yongguk and I didn’t need, I went to cooking lessons (also paid for with my father’s credit card), and I stared at the engagement ring when I couldn’t come up with anything else to do. Yongguk had picked out the perfect ring for me. Everything about it screamed Kim Himchan. Looking at it only made me sad but somehow I always found myself sitting at our desk, with my chin on the top, staring at the engagement ring that had once graced my finger.

Yongguk didn’t know about my daily activities and I didn’t really want him to know. I had been living with him for a while but we still hadn’t talked about the fact that we had once been engaged. We still hadn’t really talked about any of what had happened. We just fell back into place. We didn’t talk about being boyfriends again, we didn’t talk about having again, and we didn’t talk about Yongguk putting my clothing in drawers. It all just happened.

“Himchan?” Yongguk had apparently come home early. I nearly flailed out of my seat and ended up biting my tongue to prevent an inhuman sound from exiting my lip. I grabbed onto the ring box and tried to hide it from him, but was apparently unsuccessful. He took the box from me and stared down at the ring for a couple of moments. “You found it.”

I felt the need to defend myself, I wasn’t sure why. “I was organising and it was next to the paperclips and I’m sorry.” I rarely apologised for things – something I was working on because I knew it wasn’t a good quality – and the shock was evident on his face. “I just… we were engaged and now we’re not and… and it’s my fault…”

He stared at me blankly for a while before he regained the ability to function. I knew he was probably shocked by my words, I had continually said it was his fault we had broken up and now I was putting the blame on myself. The blame was mine though. “It’s both of our faults Chan-ah.” He told me, putting the ring box back down on the desk. “We’re back together now though.”

My eyes drifted away from his and ended up back on the ring again. I wondered if we would have been married already if I hadn’t overreacted and decided that I couldn’t trust him. “I’m glad we worked it out Gukkie… You make everything better.” I gave him a soft smile and he bent over to give me a kiss.

“Do you want to wear the ring again?”

I teared up and nearly nodded my head. “I didn’t know if I was allowed. I kind of don’t deserve it.”

“Do you want to wear it?” I nodded my head and reached out for the ring. He grabbed it before I could get my hand on it. He pocketed the box and then his heel to walk out to the room. I tried to grab his hand but he was gone before I could. I stared at the door blankly after him, not exactly sure what to do. Apparently he didn’t want me to wear the ring. “Do you want to go out for dinner with the guys tonight Chan-ah?” He asked as though the previous exchange hadn’t occurred.

“Which guys?” I could act too. I wasn’t going to cry over this anymore. We could get engaged again if it was in the cards.

“Hanhae, Zico, Youngjae, maybe Jaehyo? You can invite him if you want, I know you haven’t seen him since he broke up with Daehyun.”

The six of us ended up going to some British style pub that Youngjae had chosen. The only reason we ended up there was because Zico had gotten himself whipped and would have annoyed us if we had gone against his boyfriend’s wishes. It was easier just to go to the bar than to argue. We ordered several western style dishes and plenty of beer to go around. I had grown rather fond of beer. “What have you been up to Jaehyo-ssi?” Hanhae asked as he polished off his second pint of beer.

Jaehyo swallowed the food in his mouth and shrugged. “I got a teaching job at an all boys high school in Incheon. I’m thinking about moving out there.”

I wanted to protest Jaehyo’s move – even though Incheon was only fifteen minutes by train away from where Yongguk and I lived – but Yongguk squeezed my thigh to stop me. “Do you like your job?” I asked instead and Yongguk’s grip lessened.

He nodded his head and ordered a couple more beers. “I won’t officially start teaching until next year but I’ve been helping around the school when I’m needed. Are you working?”

“I take care of Gukkie.” I smiled. I knew Jaehyo didn’t understand how I could enjoy playing housewife, but I did. Taking care of my boyfriend was incredibly satisfying.

Jaehyo made a small noise like he was about to say something else but before he could Zico cut him off. “Why aren’t you like Yongguk’s girlfriend, Youngjae? Take care of me.”

Youngjae punched his boyfriend’s chest and glared at him. “I’m not your Woo Jiho. If you can’t take care of yourself you can starve.” I wondered if Youngjae had always been this way or if Zico had in someway turned him into this person. I was leaning more towards the latter. “You’re so demanding Zico. I bet Yongguk isn’t that demanding. He isn’t, is he Princess?”

After that I knew that his personality was Zico’s fault. “Yongguk is only demanding in one respect.” I smirked and my boyfriend’s eyes widened as his hand moved over my mouth.

The others stared at us for a little while until suddenly Hanhae sat up. “That’s disgusting Kim Himchan! Don’t talk about that! Yongguk control your woman!”

I chuckled and I could see a faint tint climb up into Yongguk’s cheeks. “I have no control here. It’s all Channie.”

“He’s a liar.” Jaehyo added, stealing my beer. “Yongguk has just as much control as Himchan. They just both at using it over the other.” I flipped him off and he just rolled his eyes. “You two are gross. Stop being that way.”

“I agree with Jaehyo.” Zico nodded his head and took a bite off of his boyfriend’s fork. The younger male hit him again but then held up the fork so Zico could eat what was left on the utensil. Zico took it and smiled proudly. “You two disgust me. I hate it.”

___________

Have some hanhae~
so in this chapter yongguk found out that himchan knows about the location of their engagement ring, and himchan took responsibility for the break up for the first time. and then banghim was disgusting at dinner with their friends. \o/ 
also: 

yongguk holds his chopsticks weird. i don't know how he even manages to get food in his mouth. just in case you didn't understand what we were talking about all those chapters ago when himchan tried to make yongguk hold his chopsticks right. i am forever impressed that this man gets food from his plate to his mouth. 

I wanted to add gifs of himchan eating as reference. it was a good idea i thought. i reblogged that recently i said. no i went through 50 pages of his face on tumblr and still didn't find it. so i went to yeobo's blog surely she reblogged it, but no. i imagined this. 

  here's himchan holding them better. yongguk holds his chopsticks wrong. i also mentioned this in my PERSONAL STORY (shameless) so here is evidence of it. 

longest author's note ever is now completed.